Gov. Yakowa, Azazi, four other killed in air crash

PAGE 2, SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012

SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 3

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PAGE 4—SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012

Echoes of 2011 polls:

Jonathan returns to Redemption Camp; Adeboye prays God to give him wisdom •President says too early to talk about 2015

BY SAM EYOBOKA AND OLAYINKA LATONA

L-R: Onisan of Isan Kingdom, Oba Sunday Ajiboye; Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; and Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji (Dr) Ganiyu Owolabi, during the 20th Isan-Ekiti Unity Day Celebration, in Isan-Ekiti... yesterday.

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WO years after his presidential electioneering campaign took him to the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, President

Women hold Bayelsa chiefs hostage over feud with Shell

By SAMUEL OYADONGHA, Yenogoa

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he protest against the management of the Shell Petroleum and Development Company (SPDC) in Nembe Kingdom, in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, took a twist after aggrieved women and youths reportedly held hostage scores of commu-

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nity chiefs over alleged lack of support against the oil company.

Some of the senior chiefs and community leaders had a fortnight ago stayed away from a protest action staged by women and youths in the Nembe Kingdom to stop oil exploration activities at the oil field of the SPDC. According to sources, the action of the protesting

women and youths was provoked by the continued disregard of the SPDC to the agreement reached at meeting with the company on the need to provide two CAT 200kva before the Yuletide season pending when it would build a gas turbine for the community.

Armed with placards, the protesters were said to have stormed the venue

of an enlarged meeting of the chiefs in Nembe, accusing them of frustrating their efforts.

Why Nigeria needs state police —SAN

By JOSEPH ERUNKE

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legal luminary, Mr Okon Efut, SAN, says the call for of state police in Nigeria was not debatable, saying the existence of state governments, Houses of Assembly, state universities, state fire service, state civil service commission and state high court among other state institutions calls for the establishment of state police.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also condemned what he called “rampant cases of extra-judicial killings” in the country, saying no criminal act, no matter how grievous or horrendous, should attract instant punishment in the hands of those who witness the perpetration of the act.

“Such acts should only give rise to an investigation, prosecution and possibly conviction and sentence. The judicial process should not be short-circuited or usurped under any guise or cloak”, he noted.

Speaking at a roundtable discussion in Abuja, on the topic, “is Nigeria ripe for a state police?”, organized by Patriots for New Nigeria Initiative, PNNI, Efut noted that the capacity of the Nigeria Police to carry out detection, prevention, investigation and prosecution of serious and complex criminal cases was being overstretched.

Goodluck Jonathan returned, Friday, to give thanks to the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and asked for more prayers to avert the numerous challenges facing his administration.

Pastor Adeboye-led the mammoth crowd at the 15th Holy Ghost Congress of the church to pray to God to give the president wisdom, knowledge and courage to lead the nation aright, noting: “God should direct him so that the glory of Nigeria will be restored in his time”.

The General Overseer added: “God, please give him the divine enablement, courage; Lord lead him (president) aright during his tenure, let the glory of Nigeria be restored.

Even before we enter the year, let the tide turn around for good for Nigeria. God let him succeed maximally and let his tomorrow be bright.” There was a resounding chorus of AMEN in the congregation.

Earlier, the president, accompanied by the Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, and his chief of staff, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, thanked the leadership of the RCCG and other other Christian leaders in the country for their unceasing prayers which, he said, had kept the nation going.

“In 2010, I came to that year’s edition of the Congress where Pastor Adeboye and the congregation prayed for me, he prayed for the country and you all prayed for us and at the end of the day the 2011 elections were successful.

I have to sincerely thank you for that. I would have been here for last year’s programme but, because of state duties, I was unable, so I asked one of my ministers to represent me,” Jonathan added.

“I had to be here this year no matter what. “It will not be fair on my part because, when I was campaigning, I came to you, you prayed for me, you worked for me and I succeeded and immediately after the election I began to backslide. I feel it is not right.

“So, my coming here today is to thank all of you here and to specially thank

our leader, Pastor E.A. Adeboye, and our Mama for the good works God has been using them to do.

This is the 15th edition of the Holy Ghost Congress and I think the 60th anniversary of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, and, of course, the journey on earth of our Papa is about 70 years; so I said let me use this opportunity to share this happy moment and blessing with you. And also to require that you continue to pray for our country.

“As a nation, we are passing through our own challenges and, I repeat, there is nothing that is above the power of God. That I am here today, speaking to this congregation as the president of the Nigeria, is a good example of what God can do, because, without divine providence, I wouldn’t have been here as the president of this country.”

Jonathan is convinced that with the fervent prayers of the men of God in this country, there is hope that the nation would scale the hurdles before it in no distance future.

He challenged religious leaders in the country, especially those who have access to him, “to continue to reach out to us to advise us where we are going wrong. We are committed to change things and that is that why even during the elections I told Nigerians that, though I was contesting, I made sure that the right thing is done and we did the right thing and we will continue to do the right thing.”

On decaying infrastructure, the president said “ the power sector is improving gradually. We have our security challenges, but we will surmount it.

There are other infrastructural issues….I don’t want to use this platform to say things otherwise people will say I am here for another campaign. No, I am not here for another campaign.”

On the speculation that might seek re-election in 2015, Jonathan said: “People ask me whether I would contest 2015 and I tell them it is too early to talk about 2015 elections.”

SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012 — PAGE 5

THE LAST OUTING: R-L: Governor of Kaduna State, Mr. Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa (killed in yesterday air crash), Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson and Special Adviser to the President on Research Documentation and Strategy, Mr. Oronto Douglas, during the burial ceremony of the late Pa Tamunoobebara Douglas at Okoroba in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. Photo by Lucky Francis, Government House, Yenagoa.

Yakowa, Azazi, four others killed The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye praying for President Goodluck Jonathan during the 2012 Holy Ghost Congress at the Redeemed Camp,Ogun State, on Friday night

Continued from page 1 Officer Kamal Mohammed; a prominent politician from Kaduna, Dauda Psokho; the pilot, identified as Commander Muritala Mohammed Daba; and copilot, Lt Col. Adeyemi O. Sowole.

The helicopter, a Navy Agusta, with number NN07, crashed and immediately burst into flame at about 3:30p.m.

President Goodluck Jonathan, Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State and the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) were among those to first express shock over the disaster,yesterday. They condoled with the families of the victims and the people of their states.

Director of Navy Information, Commodore Kabiru Aliyu, disclosed to Sunday Vanguard,last night, that the helicopter involved in the crash was one of those being used for OPERA-

TION PULO SHIELD in the Niger Delta area.

He also confirmed that the helicopter was carrying Very Important Personalities(VIPs) from Nembe to Port Harcourt when it crashed.

Aliyu said search and rescue operations with a combined team of the Navy, Air Force and the Army were being carried out at the time of this report for possible survivors.

Burnt beyond recognition

The victims of the ill-fated chopper, according to a former youth president of Okoroba community, Hitler Adumion, who spoke from the scene of the crash, were burnt beyond recognition.

Adumion, who was among the first people to visit the scene of the crash, told Sunday Vanguard: “We became suspicious when we noticed a

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thick smoke coming from the forest and we organised a search party to trace the source and stumbled on the crash scene. Though we didn’t know the identities of the victims ,the helicopter was still burning and the bodies inside burnt beyond recognition. As I am speaking with you, the machine is still burning.”

The victims were said to be heading to Port Harcourt airport after attending the burial ceremony of the father to the Special Adviser to the President on Research and Documentation, Mr Oronto Douglas.

Late yesterday, Commanding Officer, Central Naval Command, Olutoye Johnson, was sighted going to Government House, Bayelsa Further information Sunday Vanguard got in the wake of the crash suggested that the helicopter that was to convey Yakowa to Port Harcourt was still being awaited by the governor when Azazi invited him to come on board with him in the navy chopper.

Yakowa’s helicopter was said to have been the one bought by the Kaduna State government for its Operation Yaki, an operation against insurgency.

It would be recalled that Azazi, as Chief of the Army Staff, COAS, escaped a Donier Air Force plane crash that occurred in Benue State, not far from Ogoja, Cross River State, killing 14 serving generals in 2006.

Azazi, a disengaged four-star general and an indigene of Peretorugbene in Ekeremor Council Area of Bayelsa State, was, last week, inaugurated as the chairman of the state’s postflood management committee

by Governor Seriake Dickson.

Before his departure from his last post as NSA, Azazi stirred controversy when he said the ruling PDP and its zoning arrangement were the problem of Nigeria.

He had a distinguished military career.

For Yakowa, he was the first Christian governor of Kaduna State.

He was deputy to the then

Governor Namadi Sambo before the latter was appointed Vice President in 2010 by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Yakowa contested the governorship election in Kaduna State last year and won.

Shock

President Jonathan, yesterday, expressed shock and sadness over the crash and death of Yakowa, Azazi and the other victims.

A statement by the Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the President, Reuben Abati, said: “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has expressed utter shock and sadness over the crash Saturday in Bayelsa State of a military helicopter resulting in the death of Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State and former National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Owoye Azazi (rtd), their aides, Dauda Tsoho and Warrant Officer Mohammed Kamal and the pilots, Commander Muritala Mohammed Daba and Lt. Adeyemi O. Sowole.

“The President extends deep and heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, and the governments and people of Kaduna and Bayelsa States. He describes the sudden loss of these distinguished Nigerians as extremely painful to the entire nation.

“President Jonathan has ordered an investigation into the cause(s) of the crash”.

The ruling PDP also said, yesterday, that it was shocked beyond imagination at the news of the death of Yakowa and Azazi.

In a statement by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party described the death as a colossal loss.

The statement read, “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed utter shock and devastating grief at the news of the death of the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Mr. Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa and other prominent Nigerians, including the former National Security Adviser, General

Owoye Azazi in a helicopter crash today.(Yesterday) ”Our great Party is shocked beyond imagination and no words can adequately give expression to the depth of our grief. What a colossal loss! ” The nation has lost a great patriot who in about two years in saddle as the Governor of Kaduna State demonstrated an unyielding capacity in wielding together varying fragile interests. He rendered quality stewardship to his people. ”Even in the face of daunting security challenges, nothing came close to compromising his iron cast resolve and faith that the phase must certainly pass.

It is unfortunate that the nation has lost him at this critical curve in our national history. ” On behalf of the National Executive Committee and other members of the PDP, the National Chairman of our great Party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur wishes to condole with the government and the people of Kaduna State as well as the family of late Governor Yakowa on this very painful loss. Your tear is our broken heart. ” We wish to also send our heart felt condolence to the family of General Azazi as well as to the families of other Nigerians involved in the unfortunate crash. We beseech God to give them the strength to withstand this harshest sting of the painful loss of dear ones”.

Gov Obi, in his response, said the crash was shocking. He described the accident as a big blow to the families of Yakowa, Azazi, as well as the people of Kaduna and States.

Investigation

Meanwhile, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) said, last night, that investigation of the crash was not within its purview and hence declined comments. The AIB spokesman, Tunji Oketunbi, in a response, said,”Please be informed that the crashed helicopter is a naval aircraft. AIB investigates only civil aircraft accidents. You may want to contact military authorities for further enquiries”.

PAGE 6—SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012

Obi condemns govt takeover of schools

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

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Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State (left), with Simon Hughes, member, of British Parliament during Obi’s address at the Parliament on Effective Opposition in Sustainable Democracy at Macmillan Chamber, Portcullis House, British Parliament.

OVERNOR Peter Obi has condemned government take-over of schools in the old East Central State after the Nigerian civil war, saying the present administration in the state felt scandalized at the condition of the schools which were left

in dilapidation for many years.

Obi, who virtually wept at Oraukwu Grammar School, in Idemili South local government area as part of his routine visit to schools in Anambra State, regretted a situation where most of the buildings in the institutions were overgrown with weeds Apologizing to the

Seplat Pearls quiz: School gets bus, N1.3m

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HE inaugural SEPLAT PEARLS Quiz competition ended on a high note at Okpe Hall, Sapele with three female students of Ufua Memorial Group of Schools, Uromi, emerging winners of a brand new school bus and N1.3 million cash.

The school was represented Chinyere Abbattam, Khafayat Ogundeko and Rahmat Usidebhofo.

The runners up were University Preparatory School, Benin; Gbenoba Grammar School, Agbor; Bethel International Secondary

School, Agbor; Lumen Christi, Uromi; and St. Anastasia Heights Secondary school, Effurun.

Speaking during the awards ceremony, Dr. Chioma Nwachuku, GM, Corporate Affairs & New Business Development, who stood

in for Austin Avuru, MD/ CEO of SEPL AT Petroleum Development Company, operators of the NPDC/SEPLAT JV assets, OML 4, 38 &41, congratulated the winning schools, for their consistency and gamesmanship while noting that SEPL AT

inaugurated the quiz competition as a means of promoting academic excellence in secondary schools in Edo and Delta States ‘because young people represent the future of any community, and indeed the nation and they need to be encouraged to embrace the spirit of scholarship and supported to understand and appreciate the fact that there is good reward for s c h o l a s t i c excellence.” She also promised that SEPLAT will sustain the initiative beyond the inaugural one.

An elated representative of the winning school, physics teacher, Mr. Akinmodun Matthew, thanked SEPLAT for the initiative while praising his students for a hard fought battle.

The competition kicked off with qualifying tests on October 23, 2012 with the aim of stimulating healthy competition among schools in Edo and Delta states.

missionaries for the take-over of their schools by government and for what he called the reckless running of those schools aground, the governor said the state government would not relent in assisting the missionaries to restore the schools to what they used to be.

He also expressed surprise that Oraukwu, with many wealthy people and known for impressive community development, allowed the school to degenerate, even when it is Oraukwu children that mainly attend the school.

He presented a cheque of N10 million to the school authority to begin immediate renovation, adding that the amount is part of the N20 million budgeted for the rehabilitation of the school for 2012.

Receiving the cheque, Venerable John Nkwoemezie of BCM Anglican Church, Onitsha, observed that the empowerment would help to reverse the high level of dilapidation in schools, adding that the governor has restored hope to the children and assured him that the money will be put to good use.

Other schools visited and presented with cheques of N10 million each were: Girls, Secondary School, Alor; Girls’ High School, Umueri; Fr Joseph Memorial High School, Umueri; St Joseph Special Science School, Awka-Etiti; and Our Lady Secondary School, Nnobi..

‘Recipe for food security’

BY EPHRAIM OSEJI

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OVERNMENT has been advised to cultivate the attitude of preserving farm produce for longevity, which is the major reason for shortage of food in Nigeria because most of the food produced in the rural areas perish before reaching the consumers so the people should focus more on agriculture rather than oil sector, Mr. Benson Uwumarogie, an American-based Nigerian mathematics lecturer and farmer, said recently.

“The reason youths of today are into kidnapping is as a result of too much emphasis on oil money. And our

leaders have not be living up to their responsibilities in developing and empowering the youths as it should be. The main problems of youths today is hunger ”, Uwumarogie’s stated.

He advised the government of Nigeria to play more active part in the agricultural sector, that the average rural farmer needs encouragement and follow up system in the disbursement of funds.

‘This is how it is done in advanced countries; farmers are among the richest people in the United States. Food is not a major issue in Europe because of preservation, right method of farming, and proper distribution.”

SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012 — PAGE 7

Alaafin of Oyo Oba Lamidi Adeyemi praying for Olori Folasade Adeyemi after her installation as the Yeye Oba Isese of Yoruba land. while other Traditional rulers looks on during the installation of Olori Folashade Adeyemi as the Yeye Oba Olori Isese of Yoruba land yesterday at the Aganju forecourt Oyo. Photo by Dare Fasube

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (2nd left) and the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris (left) being welcomed by children and residents during the Flag-off ceremony of Mop-Up Campaign Against Poliomyelitis at Apapa-Iganmu LCDA, Lagos, yesterday.

OBJ dares GEJ: I won’t stop criticising you invasion did not achieve

BY DAUD OLATUNJI, was not decisive on the the desired result. insurgency.

The former ABEOKUTA AND LEKAN to the president cited what his According BILESANMI, LAGOS government did to quell president, he was the deputy the militancy in the Niger Bayelsa Delta, precisely Odi governor at that time and O R M E R town in Bayelsa, when that, shortly after the p r e s i d e n t , some militants killed place was leveled, all he C h i e f five soldiers. could see were bodies, Olusegun Obasanjo, Jonathan,a week or so women and children. yesterday, broke his later, replied him during While describing the silence on the feud a presidential chat on PDP national chairman between him and his television, that his as a respected leader, estranged political son, government would not Obasanjo said, President Goodluck take such a decisive yesterday, that Tukur Jonathan, saying he action against the Boko was a delight to have would not stop Haram because the Odi a l w a y s . commenting on national i s s u e s .

He, however, said that despite the public perception on the disagreement between the duo, Jonathan remained his president.

Obasanjo stated this when he hosted the National Chairman of the r uling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, in his Hilltop country home, Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.

The Controller Federal Operations Unit, Zone According to him, “the ‘A’ Comptroller Dan Ugo fielding questions from country, the party and newsmen shortly after the seizure of barge with government would seven thousand two hundred and sixty nine(7,269) remain my primary bags of imported rice with a DPV of concern, because, if N50,121,365.08 along the Badagry-Seme there is no Nigeria, Waterways. there will not be a party, and if there is no party, there will be nothing to govern on the platform of the party”.

The former president added: “If there is the PDP, even as it stressed anything that requires

BY HENRY UMORU that the introduction of emy own comment, registration and position or views HE national computerization of party I will say it. It is only leadership of the membership would ensure when you kill me that I will stop doing so. It is Peoples Democratic Party, transparency in its my passion, patriotism PDP, is set to re-introduce electoral processes.

Noting that Nigeria was and love that will the on-line registration and continue to make me say computerization of its at a critical development my own. If it is the party members across the curve, the PDP agreed that, that I see that something country, an action that may if it must move to the next is inimical to the growth, again pitch the governors level, it must continuously, elected on its platform as a party, improve on the I will talk.”

The feud between against members of the workings of its processes Working and practices.

Obasanjo and Jonathan National These were parts of the blew into the open when Committee, NWC. According to the party, resolutions reached at the Obasanjo said the move to have members end of a retreat in Uyo, Federal Government the registered on-line has Akwa Ibom State capital was not doing enough in become imperative tackling Boko Haram, because of the need for by the PDP on Friday. Also saying the government internal democracy within agreed on was the need for internal democracy to be

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He said, “It is always a delight to have our ogas (boss) to visit us to see what we are doing or what we are not doing.

“To know our anxiety, aspirations and concerns. And also to disabuse the minds of rumour mongers. The president is my p r e s i d e n t .

“Without Nigeria, there will be no party. Even when I was in prison, I was not quiet. Those who want me and the chair to quarrel; this visit

Chairman for his consistent role not only for the party.but also the country and the international community.

“Your support has never been relenting and I have come to say thank you, sir.”

Tukur however affirmed the leadership of the Dipo Odujirin-led executive in the state, declaring that the party only recognized the elected executives.

PHCN: N170 billion ready for pension disbursement to workers

BY NOEL ONOJA

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S the transfer of ownership of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) successor companies draws near, about N170 billion is now ready to be paid to workers of the PHCN by the Federal Government after both parties agreed

PDP dares govs, set to re-introduce e-registration of members T

will keep them quiet. But my mouth will not be quiet.”

Obasanjo, who also used the occasion of the visit by Tukur, to dispel his death r umour, wondered why people would continue to spread such r umour, remarking, “I am still alive anyway.”

In his remarks, Tukur, the PDP National Chairman, explained that he was in Abeokuta to thank the former PDP Board of Trustees

adhered to by the leadership of the party, its stakeholders and members so the PDP could meet the challenges ahead of it as the largest party and ahead of the 2015 presidential election.

The retreat, which was tagged, Capacity Building for Zonal/State Publicity and Organising Secretaries, Publicity and Organization Staff of National Secretariat and PDP Resident Journalists, was organized by the offices of the National Publicity Secretary and National Organising Secretary.

on gratuities and pension as the timeline for the transfer of ownership of the PHCN successor companies.

Disclosing yesterday at the second day of the 5th Power Summit organised by the Federal Ministr y of Power in Lagos, Per manent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Dere Awosika, said by this week, letters would be issued to the workers to forward the details of their Retirement Savings Account (RSA) for onward transfers as the Bureau of Public Enterprises is already working on total cost.

It will be recalled that

last Tuesday, representatives of both labour unions and the Federal Government signed an agreement after a long drawn battle to settle the issue of payment of pension and gratuities to workers of the PHCN. The PHCN was unbundled into 18 successor companies for sale in the on-going power sector reforms.

Awosika said a training was being put together by the Federal Government for top officials of the successor companies on labour issues and modalities for winding up before handing over to the preferred bidders.

DESOPADEC reads riot act on projects

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OMMISSIONER representing Ughelli North and Ethiope East Local Government Areas on the board of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development C o m m i s s i o n , DESOPADEC, Chief Christopher Obiuwebvi, yesterday, vowed that the commission would

deal decisively with any engineer caught conniving with contractors to issue certificates above the level of completion.

He spoke during an inspection tour of projects being executed by the commission in the two local government areas.

PAGE 8—SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012

Court sends serial wife beater to prison

BY ADEOLA ADENUGA

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n Agege, Lagos Grade ‘A’ Customary Court has ordered a 39-year-old man, Ibukun Oluwadamilare, to be remanded in prison for 19 days for ignoring a court order to maintain the peace with his estranged wife.

“The court hereby sentences you, Ibukun Oluwadamilare, to 19 days imprisonment for contempt of court for beating up your wife and refusing to give your children money,” court president, Emmanuel Sokunle, ruled. ”You have proved stubborn, you have shown to this court that you are what your wife said you are and I believe you will control your temper thereafter and not take the court for granted”.Meanwhile, the case was adjourned till Dec. 21 for judgment.

Ibukun was earlier sentenced to 14 days imprisonment on Oct. 23, for beating his wife.

The wife, Adesuwa , told the court that her husband wanted to throw her inside the well but the intervention of the neighbour saved her.

She also told the court that her husband beat her, leaving scars all over her body.

The applicant alleged that her husband didn’t give their children money for feeding and refused to pay their school fees as the court ordered.

“Our children have

stopped schooling as a result,” she lamented.”When I went to inform him that our children had been sent out of school, he started abusing me and wanted to throw me inside the well, but I was rescued by neighbours.” The 33year-old woman filed the suit in September, asking the court to dissolve her 12-year-old marriage to Ibukun on the grounds of threat to life.

The petty trader, who lives at 18b, Kayode Jo-

seph Street, Power line, Oke- Ira, Ogba, told the court that her husband oftentimes wanted to make love to her in the presence of their children but she refused.

She claimed that her husband once beat her to the extent of removing her teeth. The mother of three children added that her husband often maligned her in the presence of their children by making unsubstantiated allegation that she was promiscuous.

L-R: Otunba Titi Laoye Tomori, deputy governor of the State of Osun; Mr Jeffery Hawkins, the United States Consular General; and Senator Babajide Omoworare, at a dinner organised in honour of the Consular at Ile Ife.

Budget Implementation: Why we can’t detect fraud — Senate

BY HENRY UMORU

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HE Senate yester day admitted that it was handicapped in carrying out a holistic analysis of budget estimates submitted to it by Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, because it lacked a well equipped and efficient Budget Office.

Speaking with journalists, the Chairman, Committee on Senate Services, Senator Suleiman Adokwe, PDP, Nasarawa South, stressed that if the National Assembly must detect frauds in the MDAs, there was the urgent for its own well equipped Budget Office.

Adokwe, however, expressed dismay that the non- existence of such an office makes the Senate to depend on external consultants especially when Committees carry out public hearings on national issues, adding that they help the National Assembly detect any hidden fraud and other sundry activities.He insisted that the Senate would pass the 2013 Budget before the end of this year to avoid being accused of slow passage of the appropriation, just as he said that it was unfortunate that the MDAs get exactly or more than what they submit for approval from the National Assembly.

Adokwe, who denied

knowledge of most MDAs repeating the same items in their budget proposals every year, said, ‘’The only time we can get down to the bottom of the truth is when the National Assembly itself has a well equipped and efficient Budget Office. Right now, most of our skills and knowledge are dependent upon what the Budget Office of the executive does for us. Until we have our own Budget Office with skilled manpower to assist because the legislators can come from any field, we will not be able to do the necessary analysis of the budget. ‘’Now, we are hoping that with the establishment of the National In-

stitute for Legislative Studies, we should be able to be assisted in making a very good analysis of whatever budgetary request comes from the executive. ‘’Any time we hold public hearing, we rely on independent consultants that help us out. That is the moment you will be able to detect any hidden fraud and so on. If it is a matter of law and the committee is fortunate to have lawyers, they would help to detect legal loopholes and if it is on economy and you have economists in the committee, they can help; but the bottom line is that the National Assembly needs its own budget office that can ac-

‘Wonder Bank’: Traders beg EFCC to help recover their N60m

By JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU, Calabar

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VER 200 traders doing business in Calabar, Cross River State capital, have pleaded with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to assist them recover their money amounting over N60 million which they claimed they invested in one firm (name withheld), but the company has allegedly closed down and left with their money.

In a letter written by the lawyer to the traders, Mr. Joe Eba to EFCC Zonal Office, Enugu, dated October 18, 2012, with the title, ‘Fraudulent Saving Scheme/Obtaining by false pretenses,’ they

claimed the financial institution had collected huge sums of money from one Mr. Chuks Festus Onuoha, a businessman and many others for daily savings, but the company, about May, 2011, allegedly absconded with their money.

Eba alleged that when his clients went to the office Calabar to collect their money in accordance with the agreement, the office was under lock and key with no person in sight, adding that, since then, the office had remained locked.

He called on the EFCC to assist his clients who he said were passing through difficult times as a result of alleged running away of the money

by the finance institution, though he claimed he had previously written to the commission with no response.

According to him, many petitions had been forwarded to the commission in respect of the matter pleading for its intervention in recovering the money both in the Enugu and Abuja offices and personal discussions with the person in-charge of operations, but all to no avail. He said that after several efforts made to get at the manager of the company could not yield any fruit, the matter was reported at Zone 6 Police Headquarters, Calabar where the manager was allegedly arrested alongside others. “They were

later released on the promise that they were going to get in touch with their MD/CEO resident in Lekki Lagos.”

Efforts made to reach

the management of the finance institution did not produce and the sign post of the company had been removed from the front of the office.

Cross River gov receives NCS award

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he Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), a body of over 10,000 computer professionals in the country, has conferred the Honorary Fellowship Award of the body on the Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State. The recognition was conferred on the governor alongside former President Olusegun Obasanjo and founder of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Jim Ovia, at the 2012 edition of the NCS annual Nigerian Information Technology Merit Award (NITMA), held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos at the weekend.

Speaking at the occasion, the President, NCS, Sir Demola Aladekomo, said the awardees had distinguished themselves with exceptional achievement and service that has accelerated IT development in Nigeria.

tually help it in detecting whatever hidden frauds are in the budgets of the MDAs.” On whether most MDAs repeat the same items in their budget proposals yearly, he said, ‘’I don’t think it is correct to say what was in the 2011 budget is what is in the 2012 budget. There are differences. Sometimes it is a continuation of a project, and most projects have a lifespan of about four to five years. If the same item is reoccurring, it simply means that you are continuing the projects. ‘’A demarcation has to be made between a project in continuation and the one that is actually completed and is resurfacing. If that is resurfacing, that is fraud outrightly. In the 2013 budget, almost 90 percent of the capital projects are meant to be continued from 2012. ‘’In fact, the executive did not want to submit any new budget.

When we had the NDDC budget coming in November, the Senate president descended on the NDDC that we won’t take that any more. It doesn’t make sense that a budget you ought to complete in November you are bringing your appropriation in November. Even the executive had been submitting budgets very late. This is the first time they are bringing it early and we are also working hard to ensure that it is completed within the year and they can have access to it so that nobody would be saying that the National Assembly did not approve it in time.”

SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 9

" The great CLIMATE CHANGE caused by CORRUPTION and INSECURITY"

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

Education in Anambra: The way forward Dear Sir,

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HE present administration of Governor Peter Obi has made a lot of progress in the area of Education in the state but a lot still need to be done.

There is improvement in the pupilteacher ratio and real increase in money allocated for the development of education sector. Recently, government has awarded contracts for the reconstruction of class room blocks, libraries and science blocks in some post primary schools in the state.

It has equally donated computers to nearly every school in the state. But these infrastructural developments and computers do not lead to higher standards in education. Precisely, what conditions and quality make for good schools? I have been an advocate of relatively small school as against the giant character-less schools. Too many teachers are believed to be less competent than their predecessors.

The government should not just keep ignoring what children learn. We owe them a duty as they our future leaders.

Often times when students move from a school in one district to a school nearby they find themselves confronted with course of work different in almost all respects, from that which they were used to.

The national curriculum should be nationally recognized system of testing various stages of the child’s school career, which would allow parents, teachers, local and state authorities know what is going right and wrong C M Y K

and take remedial action if necessary.

The state management should concentrate on establishing basic syllabuses for various subjects with simple tests to show what pupils ought to know.

A small committee of good teachers ought to be able to pool their experiences together and write down list of topics and sources to be covered without much difficulty. Teachers should do the objective testing of fellow teachers and not outsiders. Each hour of the school time should be planned.

It is also important to stress the need

for teachers to satisfy the teaching requirements even though it might encounter strong political opposition from within the schools. There must be graded tests or bench marks against which children’s knowledge should be judged.

Schools with best performance should be financially rewarded and scholarship given to students who maintain high grades. There is also need to help outstanding pupils educationally and provide financial assistance for university students who graduate from senior secondary sch.

Training centres should be created to give teachers the skills they needed to improve on their teaching career. The most effective way to improve Education is to put better teachers in the classrooms and the easiest way to do that is to increase teachers’ salaries to attract qualified teachers. The then Benue Plateau used this tactic after the civil war 1972 which worked perfectly well.

Cletus Okereke is resident in Anambra State

CBN governor's comment on civil service Dear Sir,

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HE postulation made by the Central Bank Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi about the reduction of the civil service workforce may not be an overstatement considering the manner civil servants discharge their obligatory duties these days. There is no gain saying the fact that since the financial guru assumed office he has been feeling uncomfortable with the dwindling status of the country ’s economy. Even though some of his ideas were jettisoned on the ground that their applications on the economy may not be salutary, but others that had unanimous support and solely implemented by him, like the repositioning of banks have been productive.

Truth, they say is always bitter. If we should call a spade a spade it is an objective reality that more than 50% of civil servants are lackadaisically inclined on their jobs. They are no longer interested in their jobs. They now indulge in one sharp practice or another to better their lots. Some in connivance with their bosses or heads of department come to work once or twice a week and still earn their full salaries at the end of the month.

In effect, the financial luminary meant that the huge fund spent on this category of workers should be invested in other areas that could impact positively on the economy.

The way they work leaves much to be desired. For instance, a contractor or any member of the public that needs their service has to go through a labyrinth of unnecessary processes

that ends up in paying extra money that is not receipted. This unwholesome practice is not only predominant in the ministries but cut across other government establishments.

This same Sanusi alleged that the National Assembly consumes a lion share of the total budget and opined for a trim down of their monthly packages but this clarion call was give I am neither in support nor against the Central Bank helmsman’s recommendation but if such policy will save the country from its present economic woes, the reduction exercise should begin from the National Assembly, Oil companies and other government blue chip outfits.

Nkemakolam Gabriel is resident in Port Harcourt.

PAGE 10—SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012

Achebe visit: Thanks Gov Fashola

Emperor’s new clothes “We will not enjoy security without development, we will not enjoy development without security, and we will not enjoy either without respect for human rights.”Kofi Annan

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O the President has urged Nige rians not to lose faith in Nigeria? Well, that is good coming from him except that he did not deliver the message himself. He instead sent his Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku.

Nonetheless, he informs the populace that his government is working so hard to tackle the numerous challenges facing our country.

Someone, please tell the President that the boat has long sailed on that mirage. The fact is, he has not tried at all talk less of his level best to

imbue faith in his people and to think that he believes he is seeking credit for doing such a woeful job. What is clear is that the President has not endeared himself to the people; he ignores the fact since he took office, majority of the people are worse off and corruption is rife and blatant.

People are more insecure, hopeless, helpless of the future than ever before.

So, where is the faith coming from?

The number of politicians living a billionaire lifestyle at the expense of the people or is it the fact that the President at fleet of jets and the lifestyles at the expense of the majority poor. Nothing on the ground shows this man has in his grasp the best interest of Nigeria at hearts. Over 60% of its people are in

ed to us. It is my strong belief that we should defuse it; for, if we fail, the results will be disastrous beyond our wildest nightmares.”

It was an appeal to Igbos and non-Igbos to let sleeping dogs lie and to allow peace to reign despite the explosive statements in the book. There was no doubt in my mind that no Igbo person would fail to support it and no Yoruba or even non-Igbo would fail to condemn it. Minds were made up before the book was written and released

Wounds which were gradually healing might once again be re-opened depending on how we handle the intellectual bomb handed to us

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and nothing was going to change them. One Igbo reader sent me several text messages full of abuses for asking that the “truth” be suppressed. He branded the suggestion for caution “madness” and later claimed that was not an insult. I challenge anybody to go and read all the contributions to newspapers on this subject and fault my prediction that we were heading for another ethnic war of words. No single Igbo dissented from

logical question is, “who can convene such a meeting?”

H A N D S H A K E ACROSS THE NIGER: SOUTH EAST/SOUTHWEST CONVENTION At the risk of being accused of meddling in the affairs of the South East, let me first of all present some of the personal attributes the convener of such a conference should possess.

First he/she must have high personal integrity and be credible to leaders of thought in the two

poverty, yet there are now more billionaires in Nigeria especially in politics and in oil. When Obasanjo left office in 2007, he left $27 billion in excess crude account.

That money could have been used to give us essential infrastructure.

That alone would have improved and lifted millions out of poverty and place them in gainful and sustainable employment.

If the money had been put to good use, it could have invested in people and educated over 10 million people

to hypnotise the whole nation, he needs to man up and come clean. He has squandered the chance to improve Nigeria. As the President he has failed to live up to expectations; he has failed to lead by example. Instead he wants Nigerians to stop complaining and pray harder. Pardon me, what else can people do short of voting with their conscience come next election?

It proves that he is not listening or does not want to listen; that people are tired of feeling tired. People do not have

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Achebe’s book. It must have been one of the most difficult decisions for him to make when he made up his mind to accept the invitation and attend the seminar. Personally, I am glad he did; and I would have gladly attended if invited. I am also happy that Governor Fashola said in different words what I advocated when this book was first brought to our attention in Nigeria. Then, and more so, even now, I still believe that despite the intellectual foundations of the book, it can only serve to draw us back and to divide us further as a nation. And everything that I have read on both sides of the controversy had only strengthened my belief. Permit me, most kindly, to repeat what I wrote at the time.

In the first paragraph of the three part series I had made the following observations.

“I wept for Nigeria when the excerpts of Chinua Achebe’s MEMOIRS, were published in Nigeria. I instinctively knew that the season of media and social lynchmobs had started. It is one of the inevitable, but unintended consequences of that book. Wounds which were gradually healing might once again be re-opened depending on how we handle the intellectual bomb hand-

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“We salute the men and women who kept our nation together, especially those who paid the supreme price…The only way we can honour their memory is not to re-open old wounds but to resolve that never again will our people’s blood be shed by their own people. We must harness our diversity to make our union perfect”. Governor Babatunde Fashola, at Colloquium Fair, held at Brown University, Rhode Island, USA by Professor Chinua Achebe.

UST when I thought that the last words have appeared on these pages about Chinua Achebe’s book and its consequences for Nigeria, the most desirable, at least to me, event occurred, which made this a successful year for Nigeria. Roads are still in deplorable condition, poverty increases, jobs are difficult to find and cash is short for ninety per cent of our people.

But, out of the possible calamity that the old Professor’s book was about to unleash on us has come a ray of hope. I don’t know whether or not Governor Fashola was invited before the book was launched, but everybody knows he belongs to the “Awoist” camp and is fully aware of what they think of

Achebe and no non-Igbo agreed with him. So, what have we achieved other than re-opening of old wounds which we refuse to heal?

Obviously it took a lot of courage for Fashola to go. But as Nelson Mandela had told us, “There are times when a leader must move ahead of the flock, go off in a new direction, confident that he is leading his people the right way”. (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS p 124). Fashola has become the first “Awoist” “to move out ahead of the flock” and he has my support. All we need now is to find an Igbo leader to also “move ahead of the flock”; join with Fashola and together they can convene a colloquium of their own to bring the South East and the South West together. Whether invited or not I shall attend the gathering. The

Unless the President decides to conjure a trick to hypnotise the whole nation, he needs to man up and come clean. He has squandered the chance to improve Nigeria

and imagine how much that would have trickled down to improve the lives of many. When does he think he would steer the country from a cataclysmic implosion.

So unless the President decides to conjure a trick

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faith in a failing government because nothing has changed.

In fact, things are worse for majority of the people.

The facts are there for all to see; Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer but the whole top to bottom has been tarred by the

zones. Second, he must command respect across all possible political and social circles. Third he must be prepared to be a bridge builder and must possess a high tolerance for frustration because this is not going to be an easy assignment but one which might ultimately save our country— Nigeria.

Before proposing two individuals from the zone, let me provide the reason for my not so modest proposal. In the GUARDIAN on Sunday, December 9, 2012, Dr Alex Ekwueme granted an interview in which he advocated for Igbo presidency at the earliest possible time. I cannot agree more. Indeed, I think it was a mistake not to have done it in 1999 and I wrote that in my book PDP: CORRUPTION INCORPORATED. Ekwueme himself was partly responsible for the delay. Now we can wait no longer.

However, Igbo presidency will not arise from wishful thinking; it calls for purposeful work and strategic alliances between Igbos and others.

It is axiomatic that no Igbo candidate can become President by wining only Igbo votes. As it turned out, from historical evidence available, the Yoruba people of the Southwest have been more friendly with Igbos than any other ethnic group. Unless challenged to prove this statement, I will move on. Furthermore, once convinced about a candidate they generally provide more solid support.

Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, despite his failure to become Premier of the Western Region, was a

beneficiary of this traditional friendship. He was first elected into the Western Regional House of Assembly from a constituency that was over 80 per cent Yoruba. Even, the NCNC which he led, until the end of the First Republic, was founded

by Yoruba politicians. Zik emerged from the party because he had the attributes listed above. The challenge now is to find another Igbo who can command the votes of the Southwest.

I have two in mind; Dr Ekwueme himself and Chief Emeka Anyaoku.

Somehow, these two leaders have managed to escape having any strong political adversaries; while making friends everywhere. There must be a handshake across the Niger for Nigeria to move forward.

CHIP SHOTS Words and Action.

Last week, President Jonathan announced to anybody who cared to listen to fiction that Nigeria is secure. Two days after that announcement, those who actually control the “security” of Nigeria struck, by kidnapping the mother of the “Senior Prefect” Minister. I am sure that even the Finance Minister no longer believes the boss.

Who’s next?

Presidential Airlines.

With ten aircraft to his credit, the President of Nigeria now runs the second largest airline in Nigeria. Only Arik has more “balloons” in the air (or tarmac). That is “privatization in practice.

The “toys” cost N9 billion per annum to play with.

My Fellow Countrymen, you deserve the insults.

staggering level of corruption. Oil accounts for some 80% of Nigeria’s state revenues but it has hardly any capacity to refine crude oil into fuel, which has to be imported. This is staggering wanton waste of money.

In fact we are burning money every second people can only afford the bare essentials. Poverty has risen in Nigeria, with almost 100 million people living on less than a $1, £0.63 a day. Despite economic growth, the Nigeria National Bureau of Statistics have shown that 60.9% of Nigerians in 2010 were living in “absolute poverty” a n d this has risen from 54.7% in 2004. Nigerians living in poverty rise to nearly 61%. Absolute poverty is measured by those who can afford only the bare essentials.

In 1980, 17.1 million lived in poverty by 2010: 112.47 million. The NBS said that relative poverty was most apparent in the north of the country, with Sokoto State’s poverty rating the highest at 86.4%.

In the North-West and North-East of the country poverty rates were recorded at 77.7% and 76.3% respectively, compared to the South-West

at 59.1%.

The Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), a government agency, said there was a paradox at the heart of Nigeria as the economy was going from strength to strength, mainly because of oil production - yet Nigerians were getting poorer.

How in a country so rich in mineral wealth and manpower that its people have not had it so bad. I feel the president is peering through his rose tinted glasses and about time he came off his ivory tower and admit that the country is buckling under the mess his government has created.

The projected Federal Government budget for 2013 comes to about $180 per Nigerian. There is a whole lot that government can and should do to break the poverty trap.

Not for aggrandisement and their tasteless edifice of buildings and banqueting halls. But there is a lot more that the society must do, we have to call our elected officials to order. We will not sell our votes nor should people sell our conscience; it is costly in the long run. We have to walk the road together, and not leave anyone behind.

SUNDAY VANGUARD,DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 11

PhD, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos,

On bulimia, profligacy and torpidity (2) on other organisms and obtain sustenance from them without any benefit to the latter, political office holders in the executive and legislative arms of the three tiers of government, representing less than five percent of the entire population of Nigeria, appropriate about eighty percent of the

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HEN Obama was elected in 2008, his scalp was covered with black hair and there were few lines on his forehead. Now, four years later, Obama has aged somewhat. Although the American President still retains his lean boyish handsomeness, his scalp is greyer and there are more lines on his face.

Obviously, Obama is working and thinking hard for America, because he understands the enormity of the problems of governance and is prepared to lead by example. Now consider our own President, Goodluck Jonathan. He looks much more opulent now than when he was the Vice President, not to talk of the period before he became Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State.

Nowadays our President exudes such an aura of noshakingness that nothing about his visage projects the seriousness of the challenges of his office and the belt-tightening exhortations he and his aides have been sending to Nigerians.

In short, judging by his physical appearance, President Jonathan is disconnected completely from the sufferings of our people. The same applies to those parasites parading themselves as Ministers and federal legislators. Just as microscopic parasites live in or

to provide basic necessities of life for Nigerians. The vicious circle of primitive accumulation and reckless spending continues every year, with devastating consequences for the economy and wellbeing of the masses. To underscore the bulimic character of Jonathan’s administration, the Feder-

The vicious circle of primitive accumulation and reckless spending continues every year, with devastating consequences for the economy and MCwellbeing Y of the masses K

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resources for themselves.

Political leadership in the country is appears to be dominated largely by psychologically unbalanced individuals. ike those suffering L from bulimia, they are preoccupied with patho-

logical acquisition of wealth they do not really need, which they spend on frivolities such as mansions, cars, private jets, expensive jewelries, courtesans and gigolos (as the case may be); resources that could have been used

al Executive Council recently approved N2.2 billion for the construction of a bigger banquet hall for the Presidential villa.

President Jonathan, following in the footsteps of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has spent over N3 billion on foreign trips since he became president over two years ago, while the federal government has earmarked N2 billion for a new house for the Vice President. Of course, financial owambe continues unabated: N300 million will be spent on residences for the

Senate President, the Speaker, House of Representatives, and their deputies. Now, if you add the funds other government functionaries nationwide have been wasting on things that have no demonstrable relevance to the welfare of Nigerians, the troubling conclusion which follows is that the current ruling elite is a huge joke.

To be candid, it is appalling that at this time in our history when the existential condition of our people is deteriorating daily, political office holders are still behaving like children in a merry-go-round. Nigerians expected that President Jonathan, since he considers himself a transformational leader, should lead by example, first, by declaring his assets publicly and, second, by drastically reducing the cost of governance through elimination of reckless spending. n both counts the O President has failed, and is in danger of becom-

ing the most profligate Nigerian President ever. Does the President really need an over-bloated, inefficient cabinet, new banquet hall, and presidential jets to perform his job well, when the fundamentals of Nigeria’s economy are weak and his less privileged compatriots are suffering? Can the culture of excess and profligacy in Aso Rock, the National Assembly etc. revive our ailing industries and create jobs for the growing number of unemployed youths? Is it morally justified that top government officials, members of their families and cronies spend money as if naira, pounds sterling, dollars and euro are printed in their bedrooms? Why is the federal government complaining about the economic meltdown and lack of funds to

level to level till my neck simply could not carry the weight of my head.

By the time I got home I could barely keep it together and a nightmare that has had me on medication and in a neck brace for the better part of a week began.

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OING down a flight of stairs in a familiar place, filled with friends and family, sharing pleasantries and exchanging greetings is pretty normal for a Sunday. It's the equivalent of the sentiments expressed in the the theme song of the eighties sitcom "Cheers".

It's a simple song, with simple words we all can relate to and I thought I'd use it to illustrate my theme for the week.

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.

Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.

Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go C M Y K

Where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came.

You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same You wanna be where everybody knows Your name.

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he theme of the song celebrates a local bar, a place where the famous Cheers cast played the parts of people whose lives revolved around the friendships and bonds forged over drinks in their local tavern. Unlike them however, I don't drink or frequent bars but I do feel the same way about my church. Its very familiar to me and everyone or most people know my name just like in the

song. This past sunday was nothing out of the ordinary and while there may have been more activities as my family was neck deep in preparations for a wedding, I wouldn't have expected the day to end the way it did.

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here are many things we take for granted, we just assume things should function to purpose and it's amazing how little it would take for us to unravel. So back to my waltzing down a very familiar flight of stairs when I suddenly felt like a jack hammer had forced my head to crush my neck. I've sprained some muscles in the neck region from sleeping uncomfortably many a time but this was different.

The pain went up from

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n a lighter note, I have a lot more respect for my neck; it has to carry a rather heavy object that swings and turns at will without regard for its delicate nature. I remember one of

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The things we take for granted

provide stable electricity, good roads, portable water, affordable housing, heavy industries, educational and health infrastructure, whereas the same government is recklessly spending available scarce resources on irrelevancies? The irony is that many of the ‘oppressors’ in government right now, were from poor families.

Now that they are extremely rich and powerful, pathological fear of a relapse into poverty makes them financially bulimic.

Instead of working to alleviate poverty across the country, most of them are preoccupied with satisfying their own insatiable appetite for comfort at the expense of Nigerians. It follows that one can emerge from poverty and still remain very poor where it matters most – spiritually.

I maintain that under Jonathan’s watch we are witnessing further entrenchment of agbata ekee democracy in which politicians from the dominant parties collaborate to despoil the people, a political Russian roulette of the rich, by the rich against the poor. he difference between T the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and oth-

ers is simply that the former controls the federal government and, as a result, has a greater opportunity and scope to loot the treasury.

But I know that indiscipline, corruption and debauchery in the portals of power cannot continue indefinitely – something drastic will surely happen one day. Sometimes I ask myself: where did our political leaders get the audacity to steal so much from our people? Perhaps the problem is with Nigerians themselves, for manifesting incredible capacity to absorb all the nonsense, all the suf-

sensible trigger; I had not been working out, I didn't wake up with any pain; I wasn't carrying anything heavy, it didn't make sense. It was particularly annoying to have pain begin in a place I felt safe, my place where I connect, to worship, pray, sing, share and hopefully dump my troubles. I should mention that my threshold for pain is not very high and while I try not to be mean when in pain; my thoughts were uncharitable at best; they ran riot

There are many things we take for granted, we just assume things should function to purpose and it's amazing how little it would take for us to unravel

the nights when the pain called the bluff of all painkillers and liniments; lying down propped up by all shapes and sizes of pillows, feeling so helpless wondering how a neck that had been a trusted ally all my life decided to rebel. The frustration I felt was compounded by the lack of a

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and I concocted many theories best explained in another column.

My theme of gratitude is more than reinforced by my painful week. It reminded me of the millions of things we take for granted.

I

like to think that I am a grateful person but

fering, from political office holders. When Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, declared that the National Assembly spends 25 percent of federal government’s budget on overheads, thousands of Abuja residents and its environs should have peacefully occupied the place. he fuel subsidy pro T tests in different parts of the country did not suc-

ceed totally just because Nigerians do not have the stamina to stand up to government on issues of vital concern. Well organised peaceful disobedience is universally accepted as part and parcel of genuine democracy through which the citizens register their dissatisfaction with bad government.

I believe that time is ripe now for the consciousness of Nigerians to be raised concerning the dangers of torpidity and acquiescence to incompetent leadership, because fear and lack of genuine social consciousness are preventing them from engaging government through peaceful protests.

I submit that the audacity of indiscipline, fickleness and corruption at the topmost echelons of power is a function of the torpidity and lethargy of the average Nigerian. Shamelessly, an increasing number of Christian and Muslim clerics shield corrupt politicians by preaching the gospel of relying on supernatural intervention and “breakthrough,” rather than asking believers to stand up for their rights. Religious preachers should preach liberation theology, and stop the silly exhortation that we should continue to pray for “our leaders.” President Jonathan and co., we are tired of hoping and waiting. Concluded.

even I am not as grateful for the little things as much as I am the big ones. When I pray concerning my health; I touch on organs, blood, limbs and the other superstars of the body but I have never singled out my neck for special supplication. There were days these past week when I had to use my hands to carry my head because my neck couldn't. I had a lot of time to contemplate about life and just how many things we all take for granted. I was humbled by my own helplessness in the face of pain and discomfort that defied medicine. God proved himself faithful and where medicines failed, prayer prevailed.

I am thankful this week for the smaller things; I can't take for granted the place and power of an invisible nerve ending or cell; I cant take for granted the sympathy and kindness extended by my loved ones and most importantly I cant take for granted the power of prayer and the miracle of healing. These were my realities this week and I remain forever thankful.

PAGE 12 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012

Who is crippling the EFCC?

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hereafter, the body begins to lobby to get whatever fraction of the supposedly approved budget is to be released as well as approval to award contracts for the execution of proposed projects in the budget.

These steps take no less than three quarters of a year leaving the public bodies with exceedingly short period to implement the budget.

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hat eventually gets to the MDAs, have little or no bearing with their mandates. Indeed, some organisations which are per-

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N November 2009, the Nigerian Sen ate, speaking through Senator Ayogu Eze, suggested that most of the projects earmarked in the budget were not implemented “because Civil Servants in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) lack the capacity to implement the budgets and appropriations they ask for every year ”. Our argument at the time was that the view did not accurately reflect the problem on ground. The real problem has always been the absence of a proper annual budget in Nigeria. Of course, we are aware that the nation undergoes a yearly ritual which it chooses to describe as budgeting.

During the ritual, a public entity in the country prepares a budget proposal which is usually moderated and approved by the legislature after what has become known as budget defence.

recent that even the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) is also not properly positioned budgetwise to perform its tedious task. Luckily, gone are the days when public officers kept mute while their projects were being officially scuttled.

These days, the people of Nigeria have been

It is dangerous not to fund the EFCC adequately. To do so is to throw it up to the highest bidders and the corrupt and the end will not be good for all of us

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ceived as not belonging to the priority list of government get salaries only. Thus, such entities are just to exist and perhaps to prevent workers’ strike. Events are beginning to show however that Nigeria has no priority organisations and that our budgets are managed by magicians. Oh yes, that is the only way to rationalise what came to public knowledge of

empowered by the Freedom of Information Act to get all the facts of the activities of public bodies. Therefore, EFFC officials in particular have no option but to draw attention to their challenges. To start with, Nigerians expect so much from the EFCC. Second, everyone remembers that Nuhu Ribadu, the Commission’s pioneer Chairman did a commendable

At the Achebe colloquim is still truth to that assertion, but too many things have happened in the interval since Achebe made those brave statements.

For one thing, Achebe has suffered the trauma of a near-fatal accident that has left him wheelchair-bound. The story of Chinua Achebe in the last twenty-three years is the story of bravery and resilience against a most trying circumstance.

Achebe’s survival has been dependent mostly on the support of a strong and close-knit family, and by the institutional support that he has enjoyed, first at Bard College, New York, and now at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, which now supports the annual Achebe colloquium. It makes access to some of the best medical care possible, and in the circumstance, allows one of the 20th century’s most remarkable men of letters the ambit to continue to pur-

sue the central questions of his time, particularly the question of Africa, its condition, and its relationship with the rest of the world in the current century. Living in the United States of America has kept Chinua Achebe

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was present last weekend at the Achebe Colloquium in Providence, Rhode Island, and I was struck once more by the irony of the situation, and the incongruity of Nigeria’s neo-colonial situation.

While Chinua Achebe at 82 does his best to rally the issues around Africa and keep the discussions going, there is nonetheless this sneaky feeling that age, time, and circumstance have come upon this great African intellectual statesman and forced him to choices that he may have possibly shuddered at in his younger, more vigorous, and more combative years.

I think of Chinua Achebe who wrote the famous letter in 1985 to the Swedish Academy rejecting the invitation to come to Stockholm in the conviction that it was now time for Africans to discuss matters regarding Africa in Africa. There

The next frontier for the global war on terror has shifted from Asia to Africa, and Nigeria is clearly the epicenter of this war

,

alive and productive. It is sad and ironic that Achebe remains in something of an involuntary exile because his medical and psychological needs could not be met in the land that he loves fierce-

job because he had men like Ibrahim Lamorde to work with. Fourth, President Jonathan told the nation that it was for that reason that Lamorde was brought back to head the EFFC. It would thus be suicidal for the man to watch in silence the inexplicable decline in the empowerment of the Commission. Expectedly, EFCC has dropped the ineffectual toga of ‘silence is golden’ for public enlightenment. Lamorde has indeed minced no words in appraising the nation of his Commission’s dilemma. His Director of Planning and Research Dr. David Tukura did a similarly good job on NTA’s weekly interactive programme Tuesday Live, the week before. In all, the briefings have been consistent and concise. n January this year, Chairman Lamorde reminded the House of Representatives that "the attention of the whole nation is on the EFCC to rise to the challenge of curbing corrupt practices in our midst. But we need to be funded adequately to do this”. He specifically called for the intervention of the Committee to correct the zero allocation in respect of Legal services, Forensic Laboratory, Information and Communication Technology and Life Insurance for the staff of the Commission. He also called for better allocation of funds for the construction of the permanent office complex of the EFCC. In response, the Chairman of the

House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and AntiCorruption, Honourable Jagaba Adams Jagaba expressed support for the work of the EFCC and assured the Commission of the cooperation of his Committee to address the shortfall in the allocation made for the EFCC by the budget office. "We know your needs. I want to assure you that we will address the problem. Government wants the EFCC to succeed; this is why it gave it a tasking assignment to handle. It is dangerous not to fund the EFCC adequately. To do so is to throw it up to the highest bidders and the corrupt and the end will not be good for all of us" Jagaba was reported to have added.

12 months later, Honourable Jagaba and his committee members were forced to publicly decry the poor funding of the EFCC at its 2013 budget proposal defence.

According to Honourable Jagaba "it is even more saddening when funds have been appropriated for the agency in the budget of the federation by the National Assembly and the funds are not released. The Senate has not been left out in all of this as the Chairman of its own Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and AntiCorruption, Senator Victor Lar had also advocated proper funding of the anti-graft agencies if the war against corruption and economic crimes in Nigeria was to be taken seriously. The Senator

ly – Nigeria – and he thus subverts in some very crucial ways the very core of his early principles.

In Nigeria, Achebe would have gone to seeds. If by some miracle he remained alive, his mind would be incubating in a gilded cage.

He would have statutorily retired from the University, even though he remains emeritus Professor at Nsukka. He would no longer be sharpening or involved in the quest for strategic ideas. They would have taken him to Ogidi and made him the “Igwe of his autonomous community ” – just like VC Ike, or Laz Ekwueme, or Chike Edozien or Green Nwankwo, or Chuka Okonjo, and so many more, who ought to have been the institutional pillars providing institutional memory in the Nigerian university system but who have succumbed to the charade and theatre of unproductive pseudo-monarchies complete with all its masquerade costumes.

So, in a complicated way, Achebe is a lucky man; but Nigeria is unlucky, because if it had all its faculties intact, the Achebe colloquium should have been at Nsukka or even at Achebe’s alma mater at Ibadan. It should have provided the context and strategic

continuities for Nigeria’s and Africa’s intellectual life, and its quest to engage with the rest of the world.

The tenor of discussion at the Achebe colloquium last weekend marked the neo-colonial character of Nigeria. At the core was the question of the security and even viability of the African states, with the interventions by General Carter Ham, the Commander of Africom, Jendayi Frazer, former Assistant Secretary of state for African Affairs in the State Department in the Bush administration, John Campbell and Walter Carrington, former US ambassadors to Nigeria and Horace Campbell, Professor of Politics at Syracuse University.

The next frontier for the global war on terror has shifted from Asia to Africa, and Nigeria is clearly the epicenter of this war. The larger implication will soon be clear to Nigerians. There is of course this sneaky fear that Nigeria as a nationstate is far too fractured, suffering too much from structural and internal decays to anticipate the crucial challenges of the 21st century, and contain the threats to its sovereign status and boundaries. The militarization of the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea is a profound threat to the security and

I

argued that there exists a want of harmony between the verbal pronouncements of the government and the financing of the fight against economic and financial crimes. While advocating for proper funding of the Commission, the Senator said more needs to be done with regards to building capacity of staff of the EFCC. "It is not in doubt that the expectation of Nigerians in the direction, speed, scope, effectiveness in the fight against corruption rests with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission” Senator Lar added.

B

ut how can this be achieved when even the personnel cost appropriated by the budget office for the Commission is short by as much as N710 million? In other words in 2013, EFCC operatives would not be sure of even their salaries! One voice that we cannot but listen to in this matter is that of legislator Sheik Umar Abubakar who had earlier said that the zero budgeting in the areas highlighted by Lamorde could be an error of omission. According to him, "it couldn't have been deliberate". Sheik Umar however hit the nail on the head when he called for an improved relationship between the EFCC and the Budget Office.

Well, if that is how to be properly considered in budgeting then it is obvious that some persons are bent on crippling the EFCC. Who are they?

sovereignty of the Nigerian state, a point former Ambassador Carrington made in a unique way at the colloquium. A more immediate and interesting aspect of the colloquium however was the address by Mr. Fashola, governor of Lagos who addressed a broad spectrum of issues, including the bogeyman, corruption.

“Corruption” he said “is the symptom of a more deadly problem, desperation.” There is truth in that. There is truth also in the fact that the public sector – the crucial driver of every national development – has atrophied, losing the best of Nigeria’s skilled manpower to the private sector. It is a trend that began in 1987, especially, with the policy emphasis of the Babangida regime on privatization and deregulation, and its highpoint of capitalist fundamentalism. We have tried it, and by Fashola’s testimony, it is quite clear it has failed. It is time to rebuild Nigeria’s public institutions – the civil service, the public schools, the universities, the hospitals, and all the service-rendering and institutional building mechanisms that would re-attract the best trained and most talented Nigerians to public service.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 13

By JIDE AJANI

T

o truly understand the shame of the kidnap of Professor Mabel Kamene Okonjo, mother of Nigeria’s Finance Minister and Co-ordinating Minister in charge of the economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, pick a copy of The Economists special edition, THE WORLD IN 2013. On its cover page, this magazine of prestige is proud to promote Ngozi OkonjoIweala as one of its contributors in this all-important edition. This is the same woman whose 82-year-old mother has now been kidnapped.

Yet, that is not the story.

Okonjo-Iweala’s contribution to that special edition is about the potentials of Africa’s development with Nigeria playing a significant role - while not forgetting the place of women. Under the segment, Leapfrogging to the future, she asserts that “’Africa investing in Africa’ will become an important slogan for Nigeria, South Africa and Angola, and will encourage more African professionals in the diaspora to return to the continent to seek opportunity and contribute their skills”. The question to ask her now is: Return to where? To a place where kidnappers are running riot?

Mind you, Okonjo-Iweala’s mother is the wife of a traditional ruler and she was abducted from the palace.

Still, that is not the story.

The Finance Minister concludes her treatise thus: “(Women) account for about half the continent’s agricultural labour force and manage a large proportion of small enterprises. As one of Africa’s women, I am confident that 2013 will be the year the continent becomes a destination of choice for global investment - a beacon of hope in a still-uncertain world”. She couldn’t have been any closer to the truth about an ‘uncertain country’. Even then, that is not the story.

The dimension, which kidnapping in Delta State has now attained, is better understood in the story of a man (name withheld), who was kidnapped sometime this year and had to plead with his abductors that he had just been released by another kidnap gang a week earlier after parting with N15million. Upon enquiries from the man on the mode of kidnap, area of operation and possible identification of the earlier kidnap gang, the new kidnappers (yes, new kidnappers) made some telephone calls to other gangs and one of the calls proved productive; that, indeed, the man had been kidnapped and was forced to pay a ransom of N15million just the previous week. He was allowed to go.

Now, you may be wondering, what manner of socio-economic and political factors would have conspired to unleash confetti of vices on the land - Boko Haram ravaging the North, armed robbery and ritual killings in the East, ethno-religious C M Y K

The conspiratorial theory of kidnapping Shame on a global scale! and inter-tribal crisis in some parts of the Middle Belt, and a combination of petty criminal activities in the West? It is about the downward plunge of values and virtues.

Before the kidnapping of Professor Okonjo, there was division on whether the death penalty for kidnapping was appropriate a punishment or not. But if truth be told, when ordinary people are abducted, they represent just the statistics of a vice; and when the powerful and the mighty become victims, all hell is let loose. Which leads to the question: Is one life more precious than the other? A kidnap victim is nothing but a kidnap victim - minister’s mother or not. If the Finance Minister was not a Nigerian and still working at her Bretton Woods institution, a scenario analysis of investment possibilities in

a country like Nigeria would have elicited a negative conclusion. So, how would she protect her mother when she is released and how would she protect Nigerians with economic policies? Because the input of corruption in high places, coupled with bad economic policies, generate an output of unemployment, underdevelopment and infrastructural paralysis which, in turn, inescapably translate into an outcome of crime, criminality, militancy and terrorism as being witnessed across the land.

When President Goodluck Jonathan decided to celebrate Nigeria’s independence anniversary in the secluded comfort of Aso Rock because of the fear of Boko Haram, the implication of that move was not lost on us. Were all those residing in the Boko Haram affected states expected to seek cover inside Aso

Rock? It is from that same perspective that we should examine the frenzied search for the minister’s mother. God help if no ransom is paid. And God help even more that the woman is not flustered beyond minimum levels of sanity retention.

An 82-year-old woman! Wife of a traditional ruler! A minister’s mother!

Governance is about doing something. It was Ibrahim Babangida who told Nigerians that history would forgive you if you take a wrong decision, but history would not forgive you if you are seen as undecided or, worse, weak.

May be President Jonathan can learn from late American President Ronald Reagan. Hendrik Hertzberg, in his seminal work, Politics (Observations & Arguments, 1966 - 2004), describes

Continues on page 14

PAGE 14—SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012

BY EMMA AMAIZE, Regional Editor, South-South

T

HREE security agencies involved in the nerve-racking operation to rescue Professor Mabel Kamene Titi Okonjo, the 82-year-old mother of Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi OkonjoIweala, released,on Friday, after spending five nights in kidnappers’ den, worked at cross-purposes while the manhunt lasted, Sunday Vanguard can reveal.

Investigations showed that even though the trio burnt candles at different ends, they were distrustful of one another to the extent that the Army and Directorate of State Service, DSS, were on one side of the divide and the police on the other.

A top security source confided thus: “It was an open secret that the police were tossed aside by the other two in the search for Okonjo-Iweala’s mother and, I must tell you, it affected the investigations”.

When the police discovered they were consigned to the background, they decided to paddle their own canoe and deal with the problem directly to save their face.

The apple of discord, which was manifest throughout the manhunt, was the suspicion Professor Mabel Kamene Titi Okonjo...rescued that some police officers were aiding and abetting kidnappers in Delta State.

The case that was readily cited was the alleged involvement of three police officers in the kidnap threat issued to a judge of the Delta State High Court at Otor-Udu, Justice Flora Azinge, in which N20 million ransom was demanded.

Azinge did not sit for nearly two months until Sunday Vanguard uncovered the entanglement. It was after the exclusive report that the judge resumed work. Up till yesterday, two of the police officers were still being held at the state police headquarters in Asaba, while the third was on the run.

Those who are not disposed to the police cited other cases of their involvement in kidnapping, includdirect opposite. police officers were found culpable, ing the arrest of the former head of He admitted that two police officers they would be dealt with. “I do not the Anti-Kidnapping Task Force in and will not cover criminals in police were actually being held in connecthe state, who was exonerated later tion with the kidnap threat on Justice uniform”,he added. by the Inspector General of Police Azinge, but said the police were not A police officer, who preferred after investigations. covering the bad eggs in their midst, anonymity, told Sunday Vanguard Although the Commissioner of and nobody should use the involve- that an army officer, suspected to be Police, Delta State, Mr Ikechukwu the kingpin of an armed robbery ment of one or two police officers in Aduba, told Sunday Vanguard in an a criminal act to condemn the entire gang that specialised in kidnapping interview that the security agencies and hijacking of loaded petroleum police. worked in synergy during the Aduba insisted that the matter was trucks and holding the owners/ manhunt, our findings revealed the under investigation,saying if the drivers hostage, until the products

ABDUCTION AND RELEASE OF OKONJO

How police gunned down head of kidnap gang

*Why gangsters panicked and released victim *Cracks in Army, Police, DSS were sold and discharged, was recently arrested with his gang members.

He added, “The police did not as a result of the incident generalise that all soldiers were kidnappers.

We know that out of every 12, there will be a Judas. So it is wrong to criminalise the police because of some few bad eggs”.

Continues on page 15

The conspiratorial theory of kidnapping Continued from page 13 the Reagan presidency as a weird one and that it took quite long before people could see it. ”Thanks”, he wrote, “to Nancy Reagan, Kitty Kelley, and now Lou Cannon, we’ve since learnt about the weekly astrology classes Nancy took during the 1950s and 1960s, the “”zodiac parties”” the Reagans attended in Hollywood, Nancy’s annoyance when the White House astrologer insisted on being paid for her horoscopes, and humiliation felt C M Y K

by aides such as James Baker, Richard Darman, and Michael Deaver at having to explain away absurd and arbitrary changes in the schedule that they knew were being made on the basis of super secret astrological prognostications.

Cannon finds no evidence that astrology had any direct effects on substantive policy. But he finds plenty of evidence that this was a government of, by, and for the stars.”

Now, the question on the street is which manner of presidency would

watch day-by-day and month- after month as the country degenerates in security terms to the extent that it has become the butt of jokes in international circles and, yet, it carries on as if shambolism is a directive principle of governance?

Governance is about inclusiveness.

Across the land, many of those who fought to ensure the passage of the Doctrine of Necessity have been abandoned. Even with the economic situation, voices of reason that could have come in handy to assure the

restive of a better tomorrow are either staying back or also up in arms against the presidency. From the East, North, West and even the South South, there is restiveness everywhere.

Reagan consorted with astrologers and ended up having a good eightyear presidency; whatever the naysayers may say of his tenure - at least he consorted.

Will President Jonathan just do something before this gale of insecurity consumes everybody?

SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 15

Continues from page 14 Independent investigations carried out by Sunday Vanguard showed that a soldier, attached to the 3 Battalion, Effurun, Delta State, was actually fingered in a kidnap/ petroleum trucks hijack syndicate and was being detained in one of the cells in the military barracks as at the time of this report.

The police also alleged that a kidnap suspect, Vincent Akpokona, was tracked down in the said military barracks, December 6, while negotiating ransom with the phone of an abducted victim.

However, soldiers, police, and DSS worked daringly for the arrest of the kidnappers of the queen of Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom.

The army, on Thursday, December 13, raided Ogwashi-Uku and arrested about 63 suspects in connection with the kidnap.

Army spokeswoman, Roseline Managbe, who spoke with Reuters,said,”Yesterday (Wednesday), the Four Brigade raided Ogwashi-Ukwu in search of Mama, and 63 people were arrested in the raids.Those arrested are being questioned.”

The presence of soldiers alone scared the daylight out of many.

At a time, the army said they had information that the kidnappers were within the boundary of Edo and Delta states, probably around Alifikede area, and they stormed the community as early as 5.00a.m. on a certain day, but they drew blank.

The DSS also worked quietly with the army and liaised more with Prince Onyema Okonjo, one of the sons of the queen mother, who did the negotiation with the kidnappers.

Much of what they did was not in the open and as is customary with the body, and it is not likely to be declassified.

On its part, the police in Delta State, joined by a crack team of detectives deployed for the purpose of rescuing the Minister ’s mother by the Inspector General of Police, went solo.

Commissioner Aduba told reporters in Asaba shortly after Professor Okonjo was released, “The Delta State police, supported by a crack team from IGP’s special task force on terrorism , Abuja, consciously and professionally, with due caution, swung into action, bearing in mind the age of the octogenarian professor. They collated intelligence on the activities of the hoodlums and struck at their hideouts in Asaba.

“And in the course of effecting the arrest of one of the notorious kingpins, Nwaeze Nwosa, aka Bolaji, he attempted to scale the wall fence and was shot by the team and he suffered fatal gunshot wounds.

“His corpse is presently deposited at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Asaba. Some daring recoveries were also made in the process, thus mounting pressure on the hoodlums who eventually capitulated and hurriedly released Her Majesty. Also arrested in the course C M Y K

How police gunned down head of kidnap gang

Mother rescued... all is well that ends well of the raid is one William Omenma”, said the CP. He said an ash Golf car with registration number, Delta, ASB 697 AA, and a white Toyota bus,marked, Anambra APP 64 XA, purportedly used in the the kidnapping opera-

tion, were recovered.

The vehicles were seen parked at the state police headquarters in Asaba. The commissioner said the queen mother was brought home on a motor cycle to her Ogwashi-Uku palace right from the Kwale hideout,

where she was kept.

The police boss, however, declined to be drawn into the controversy over whether any ransom was paid. He merely told reporters, “I cannot be involved in the issue of ransom because when you pay ransom, you are encouraging them (kidnappers).

“The hostage value is there when you have money to pay. Delta State Police Command will not get involved in any form of negotiation, if there was, I do not know.

“But all I am telling you is that mama is alive and I was there with her this morning. Thank God that mama, at the end of the day, she is out as I assured you people that we do not want a situation where she would be hurt. Otherwise, if we had stormed that place (Kwale hideout), it could have been very very bloody”.

Aduba’s story, which was amplified by a police officer that spoke independently to Sunday Vanguard, suggests that Nwosa was the leader of the gang that kidnapped Professor Okonjo and that, after he was killed by the police, there was pressure on his gang members to release the woman, forcing them to ask a motorcyclist to drop her off.

The police officer said, “Since the Army and DSS decided not to work with the police, we could not reject Continues on page 16

Security flaws that aided the kidnapping of Ogwashi-Uku queen mother — Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, Police Commissioner Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba ,spoke to Sunday Vanguard in his Asaba office, two days before Professor Kamene Okonjo was released. He spoke about the security lapses that aided the kidnap and ,from our findings, the Okonjos wanted to address the lapses before the monarch, Obi Chukwuka Okonjo,who was out of town, would return. In the meantime, the queen mother , who was flown to Abuja, Friday afternoon, might be taken abroad to take a deserved rest. Excerpts:

L

Ikechukwu Aduba

istening to you speak in the last few days, you exude confidence that the kidnappers of Prof Kamene Okonjo would be tracked. What gives you such confidence?

You know already that in the state, the synergy is there; the

police, the military and the SSS are working together to make sure that Mama is rescued unhurt. We do not want to go into sensationalism. As far as we are concerned, we are beaming our light inside.

We are looking at the whole place because, in any palace, there are supposed to be guards - that is local security before you talk of the police. Therefore, we are looking at the obvious flaws and then take necessary action.

However, everything that has to do with the kidnap saga, investigation is still on.

We do not want to jump the gun, but, certainly, we have rescued kidnap victims in the past and this is not going to be different. We have been able to rescue about 30 people without payment of ransom. The sister of the Minister of the Niger-Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe, who was kidnapped in Warri; son of the Secretary to the Delta State Government, Comrade Continued on page 16

PAGE 16—SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012

Security flaws that aided the kidnapping of Ogwashi-Uku queen mother Continued from page 15 Ovuozorie Macaulay; and many others. I am sure that the strategy we are putting in place will yield dividend, but, all the same, if you hoard information, it becomes, difficult because most times, people are not patient with us. Particularly, there must have to be trust. If there is no trust, how can we move forward? If you trust that we will actually rescue, then you do not have to chicken out with information because we know that anything that has to do with kidnapping, there is always an insider factor. It has always been there. Just like armed robbery, it is like they give information to people to come into the house when there is large sums of money, it is the same thing with kidnapping.

However, it is a difficult thing, but the police have extended their dragnet within and without.

How did you receive the report of her kidnapping and what did you do immediately?

It was a big shock, honestly.

Sadness, if you consider that I was there three days back, I was there because I had been been on familiarization tour of all state and federal roads, as well as visiting communities, soliciting for cooperation.

Therefore, I met with His Royal Highness and he did not commit about security. He only mentioned the issue of bail, which I assured him; the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, was there with me, that everything would be tackled, that I will address my men and warn them. We even gave out our numbers. I told him that we have Human Rights Desk and if you have any complaint in the state, the desk will handle it, the office is handled by the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO. It was really a setback because, that same day, we were able to round up three young men heading to Ogwashi-Uku on a kidnapping mission.

One of them was armed. Nobody knew their identy, they were unidentified, three of them and they are still with us. There is going to be a press conference and you will see them. Honestly, the Prof. Okonjo’s kidnapping took every person by surprise.

So how soon do we expect her to be freed?

Hopes are not lost; I know Mama will be rescued hale and healthy, we are working and we have our strategy.

Despite your confidence, kidnappers struck barely 24 hours after her kidnapping, killing a soldier in Ughelli, abducting a Lebanese and almost kidnapping a judge of Warri High Court, Justice Umukoro?

Well, even if you use Lagos as a reference point, I think you understand me, no part is excised, so what are we talking about? You know one C M Y K

Gov Emmanuel Uduaghan

thing I have found out, the criminals are on drug and they regard it as business, they take risk too. Some robbers will come and say, ‘Oga, na business we dey, so police dem dey stop us, so we must kill them’. Therefore, there is risk in everything and they are taking risk. They are not operating freely without challenge, no. You win some and you lose some, which is the way I look at it.

There is the contention that the two police officers arrested in connection with the kidnapping were just unlucky, as they stayed away because the monarch was out of town. What do you say?

You see, we are not talking of arrest.

You know the nature of our job is such that if you leave your beat, it is a disciplinary offence. Then, this one, they were not in their beat and we are investigating them; so it is not a question of … we are not saying that

they are connected, except we prove it. For now, they were not found in their beat and something happened.

And, again, in any palace, there are supposed to be palace guards and, if you look at the compound, it is dwarf kind of fencing. I am not happy about what happened, but people should be very conscious of their environment; we are not saying they should raise something like a stadia kind of fence, but, from outside, you will have a look of the whole compound, which is not good for security. Then, again, the place ought to be fortified with palace guards because our own is just to complement. Can you enter the palace of the Emir of Bauchi freely, is it possible or any of the Emirs? It is not possible. You have to fortify, the police own is to complement whatever security you have been able to arrange for yourself. Myself, as a police commissioner, I have a private guard in my place in my village and I also have vigilante men, I pay them. My private guard is an Hausa man and I bought bow and arrows for him. He is there now, so whatever complementary role the police can play, they will play it, because it is a way of complementing government security. If something goes wrong with one, the other could be a back up, so we have to fortify our environment and be security conscious.

Has Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala spoken with you on her mother’s kidnap?

I have not really spoken with her. I only spoke with her younger brother and my boss. My boss phone immediately and informed me that the Minister was with him in the office. In

addition, I pointed out some of the obvious flaws I noticed in the house.

What is the situation in OgwashiUku presently?

Ogwashi-Uku is on searchlight, there is searchlight everywhere because as far as we are concerned, insiders are part of the gang.

You just rose from a meeting with your DPOs. Was it about the goingson and crime prevention strategies?

It was a security briefing. I had to brief them, and there was a message from the Inspector General of Police.

He is particularly unhappy with the incidents in Edo and Delta states, the Benin and Auchi episode in which a police station was attacked and this high-profile kidnapping. The IGP feels very bad about the incidents and the information had to be passed.

The police and kidnappers appear to be drawn in a battle of wits in this Okonjo kidnapping. While security agents are waiting for them to make a slip, they are also looking for a way to collect ransom and escape.

We are not magicians, we work with information; just like the queen was kidnapped, we rescued a man who was kidnapped in Anambra State and taken to a forest in Akwukwu-Igbo.

Based on information, the man was rescued, but it is unsung because of this situation. There were shrines around the place, we were able to raze the shrines and released the man. His vehicle was recovered in Onitsha. All we are trying to say in essence is that everybody should join hands, these kidnappers are daring and they are networking. So we cannot relent.

They were those who were going to Utorogun Gas Plant in Ughelli to blast the plant but we rounded them up. Then, there are also some crossborder bandits and kidnappers that we have rounded up, we have picked about 10 of them, we are not sleeping.

How police gunned down head of kidnap gang Continued from page 16 ourselves.So we worked on our own. It was the panel beater that was working on one of the vehicles used in the operation that the police first arrested somewhere around Saint Bridges Grammar School in Asaba.

“He took us to the residence of Nwosa, the leader of the gang.When he saw the police, he bolted away and in an attempt to scale the fence, a police corporal gunned him down, but the intention was not to kill him. However, there was no other option to stop him by any means possible in the circumstance.

If the police arrested him alive, he would have been the one to call his gang members to release Okonjo Iweala’s mother, but he was dead and his members, somehow, got the news and switched off their phones. However, the pressure was on them

because they knew the police were closing in.

“In fact, the police expected that she would have been released on Thursday. There was a spot they were supposed to drop her in Asaba on that day, but we did not see her until Friday when she was released.”

The officer went on: “Her release was the joint efforts of the police in Delta State and police officers sent by the IGP, do not mind what others tell you”.

The police version differs from the account given to Sunday Vanguard by a top security official, who disclosed that the kidnappers arrived at a ransom with a representative of the Okonjo family, which they arranged should be dropped at a location on the Benin bypass, along the Warri-BeninCity-Lagos Expressway.

The security official said the ransom was dropped on Thursday and the family expected their

matriarch to have been released that day, but she was not until Friday morning.

Between the two accounts, it seemed as if the kidnappers scattered themselves in different locations. But the reality is that inside the kidnappers’ syndicate in the state, there is a group in-charge of abducting victims, a different section is responsible for transporting and holding the victims, while another takes the responsibility of negotiating ransom. It is a network and they do not have to be in one place to consummate a deal.

It seems most likely that the group that Professor Okonjo’s son negotiated with was in Benin -City because that was where the ransom was allegedly dropped and it could be that the woman was kept in Kwale axis, as the police claimed while the operation itself (kidnap of Kamene) was carried out by Nwosa and his group at the Asaba end with some conspirators from Ogwashi-Uku.

SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012 — PAGE 17

C M Y K

PAGE 18— SUNDAY

Vanguard ,

DECEMBER 16, 2012

I

t started like a small matter but after just a few months, Orji Uzor Kalu, former Governor of Abia State and multisectoral businessman, has been able to drive the process of putting the pursuit of Igbo presidency on the front burner of national discourse.

Though he insists that he is not concerning himself with partisanship yet, the clamour for a president of Igbo extraction in 2015 is gaining the needed traction.

Whereas a sizeable proportion of his kinsmen have bought into the paradigm, Kalu says “once unity is achieved, we can then begin to talk about the platform to use; for now it is about building unity”.

His views are very strong and are presented below.

You seem to be embattled?

Embattled? I’m not embattled in any way.

I’m having the best of times because I’m enjoying what I am doing which you can describe as a liberation struggle kind of.

I say so because not long ago, some politicians in your state, Abia, led by the state governor, Theodore Orji, and members of the National Assembly, went to the headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to say they do not want you back in the party?

(Laughs) Are you making moves to return to the PDP? I think Nigerians deserve to know?

I have just returned to Nigeria after visiting several countries.

You seem to be involved in travels these days such that you even hardly stay in Nigeria; before you respond to the PDP issue and politicians in your state, what are you looking for across the globe?

I have just returned to the country after my trips to countries including Guinea, where I went to promote the cause of the South East producing the next president of Nigeria and to oversee my businesses.

What took you to Guinea?

I was there with my team on a business mission.

I am sure you are aware that I am a big player in the banking and insurance sectors of the Guinean economy. We established First International Bank and International Insurance Company 12 years ago in Guinea.

We held discussions on our new investment in the hospitality industry.

Hospitality industry! Hotel business!

We are setting up of a five star hotel in Conakry.

We have received funding from international banks and are concluding arrangements on the land acquisition. It is a very big project that is why I was in Guinea. I went there with the technical and financial partners to brief and seek the support of the President and Guineans on this project.

We also informed the President on the status of tomato puree factory we just acquired in Guineas as well.

W

ith investments across the length and breadth of Africa, what is the big picture you’re looking at?

I am an African businessman with investments in many parts of Africa.

Our bank and insurance companies identified earlier are in Guinea, Gambia, Sierra Lone, Liberia and Congo.

So, you are free to call me an African businessman. Or is Guinea not part of Africa?

Mind you, it is about the empowerment of the African, the black race.

That is one of the ways we can lift our people above the poverty line. That is my big picture, lifting people above the poverty line by creating opportunities that are limitless.

That way, Africans can raise their heads high.

Back to the issue of your people and a possible return to the PDP? As I’ve always said, I have not written any application or made any expression to anybody that I want to go back to any political party.

As of today, I belong to no By JIDE AJANI political party. become the president (of NigeWhat?

Yes, you heard me right. I ria).

The political party or which belong to no political party as party platform does not mean of today.

My ideas and my whole view anything. These are decisions are to work for an Igbo man to that will be determined by the

Orji Kalu

The imperatives of Igbo presidency in 2015, by Orji Kalu •Says Nigeria should be fair to Igbos •’We’re waiting for Jonathan to keep his promise’ •Insists his mission is a liberation struggle

C M Y K

majority of the Igbo people, who will sit and decide on which platform we are going to realise this aspiration.

So, what I am concentrating on now is a group called Njiko Igbo. That is what I am focusing attention on now both na-

tionally and internationally.

I am not focusing on PDP or PPA or APGA. I am not talking about that now. It is immaterial. The most important thing is get a level playing ground, educate our people (Ndigbo) on the need

for an Igbo man to be the president (of Nigeria).

On the issue of those who are dissipating energy on a phantom return for now, it is fear for the bad things they have done in one way or the other. These are people who cannot win

SUNDAY

F

rom the way you are talk ing, it appears you do not believe the incumbent is also performing since you are consistent with the pursuit of enthroning a president of Igbo extraction come 2015.

Therefore, how do you assess President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration?

Let me be very clear.

President Jonathan has promised to surprise Nigerians with dividends of democracy by next year. So please let us give him the benefit of time as promised.

You have not answered the question?

He is our President and I know we as citizens of Nigeria have the right to freedom of expression. I will not like to discuss him now. I have said it overtime, that I will not discuss President Jonathan till next year. At the appropriate time, I would personally write him on the state of affairs of Nigeria.

From your understanding,

DECEMBER 16, 2012 — PAGE 19

The imperatives of Igbo presidency in 2015, by Orji Kalu what sense do you make of President Jonathan’s appreciation of the Igbos Igbo?

Well, President Jonathan is not an Igbo man. I believe he should be happy with any move that is aimed at unity. He is the president of all the regions, including the South East, so he should support all legitimate associations or groups. Njiko Igbo has been working hard to reposition Ndigbo, with the support of all Igbo sons and daughters at home and in the Diaspora and other Igbo unions and associations towards the actualisation of a Nigerian president of South East extraction in 2015.

Would it not then appear that Njiko Igbo is an opposition platform against Jonathan’s re-election 2015?

Did President Jonathan tell you he would seek re-election in 2015? The President has not declared his intention either privately or publicly. When we get to the river, we shall cross it.

Can we please clear the air on this PDP matter…?

(Cuts in) I am not even in any political party. This is what I am telling you. My focus is to work on how Igbo people become united and we will decide on which platform we are going to contest for presidency after unity has been built.

And for those disturbing themselves about a return to the party, they are not knowledgeable enough. I am surprised that educated people like them should be doing that because when Bamanga Tukur took over as the national chairman of PDP, he said his leadership will be for reconciliation. And when the PDP leaders of Ekiti State opposed the return of (former Governor Ayo) Fayose to the party, Bamanga Tukur intervened. Because that is the cardinal point of the decision of the National Working Committee of the party and no individual, no state can flout that decision. But that is not even the point. The issue is that I am not in any political party as of today, and for now I am not thinking about that.

I am thinking more about my people (Ndigbo), who are not united, than the issue political party.

Is it not too early in the day to even start campaigning for the presidency, some two and a half years before the date?

I am not talking about presidential election; I am talking about unity of the Igbo people.

Unity of Igbo people for presidential election…?

Unity of the Igbos in preparation! Our people are not united. Since we lost Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-

northern Nigeria to sit down with us and talk and support us.

I also expect the people of south western Nigeria to sit down with us and talk, and support us.

How easy do you think that would be in a polity where interests clash with the speed of light?

Why not? I will be very willing to talk together and work together with anybody or group or groups so long as it engenders unity of the Igbos pursuant to achieving our goals as a people.

That is why I am not even talking about political party now.

This is unnecessary.

I am not in partisan politics.

I am not a member of any political party. I am coordinating a group called Njiko Igbo with other people, comprising the chairman, other officials and members of the association.

I am just a coordinator. I am not a member of any political party: PPA, PDP, or APGA; and whenever I want to go back to partisan politics that will be made known to Nigerians.

S

Orji Kalu

,

election anywhere, if there is free and fair election. They use the army to win election.

I can tell you that all the people that went to (the PDP national headquarters in Abuja to block what they thought was my intention of going back to the party), almost all of them were in ANPP. Vin Ogbulafor was a member of ANPP. I even contested the governorship election against him. We later had a coalition government, he was made a minister. And he later joined the PDP. I was the one that took him into the party. He declared for the PDP and I was very happy to receive him as a member of the PDP. Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe contested election on the platform of the ANPP in 2003 and I took him back into the PDP. And Senator Nkechi Nwaogu was in the ANPP. I brought her back to the PDP. Senator Uche Chukwumerije had been a member of ANPP and APGA and this and that.

And overall, the (present) governor of Abia, (Chief Theodore Orji) had never been in any political party in his life. The first political party he entered was PPA, on the platform of which he won election as governor and he then decamped to APGA and later to PDP. We are the founding fathers of PDP and at any given day I want join any political party, those people cannot even stop me from doing what I want to do. They know that and that is what they are afraid of because they have ruined our state.

Aba, Umuahia, Ohafia, Bende areas are ruined.

The governor is not doing anything.

That your successor is not performing?

Yes he is not.

I even called for his resignation. Last week, I asked him to resign because he is not doing any job for the people.

Vanguard ,

I’m not embattled in any way. I’m having the best of times because I’m enjoying what I am doing which you can describe as a liberation struggle

Ojukwu, we have lost a lot of statesmen, and the former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, is getting old, we need to go round and tell our people to come up.

Let (other) people stop making a caricature of the Igbos.

That is our focus.

That is where I am focusing on and that is where most of the people who genuinely like the Igbos are focusing on.

I am not in any political party.

I am not talking about parti-

,

san politics and I will support any platform on which the Igbo presidential candidate will emerge in the next election.

You responded to this issue before but it would be nice to hear you make a response: Some people accuse you of working surreptitiously for northern interests?

Well, I am not working for anybody.

If I am working for anybody it is for my people, the Igbo people.

And I expect the people of

ome people believe you are doing all these also, because you are interested in the 2015 presidency and will this be one of the reasons you have been moving around and even promoting the cause of an Igbo presidency in 2015?

No, no and capital No. I am not playing partisan politics and thus do not have presidential ambition for now.

I do not belong to any political party as I’ve said. My focus is on the unity of Ndigbo, which we are championing through a non partisan political movement called Njiko Igbo. It is a platform for the repositioning of Ndigbo, most especially on a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction in 2015, having been marginalised over the years.

All we are doing is to collectively mend fences and drive the process of repositioning the South East region and working with other regions towards the Nigeria project.

Your offer of mediation between the federal government and Boko Haram was not taken serious in some necessary quarters but you seem very ready?

I offered to dialogue with Boko Haram when General Muhammadu Buhari rejected the offer as demanded by Boko Haram. I agree with General Buhari for refusing because he was a contender against President Jonathan in the 2011 election and his stand might be misinterpreted. I schooled at the University of Maiduguri, I have properties in the North, I hold many chieftaincy titles from the North and I have friends, allies and associates from the North. I believe with all these, I am well positioned to carry out this assignment.

It is in pursuit of the same unity and peace that I am preaching.

We need it in Igbo land and Nigeria also needs it.

C M Y K

PAGE 20—SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012

might ask: how does the point fit into the clamour for state police? My submission is that it fits in very well because the governor has been talking about it. He would like, in amending our constitution, to accommodate that change that there is need for this country to have state police. As the chief executive of the state, he needs to have control on policing and the strategy that should be adopted in combating crime.

Right now that is not the case.

Strategy and operational control resides in Abuja. I feel that until that is done; we will not be able to resolve some of these issues. However and sadly too, some of the kidnap incidents, arrests have been made and what has become apparent is that quite a number of people who are close to those kidnapped have some link to what happened. It’s a tricky situation and quite unfortunate but that is the situation we find ourselves today.

What efforts has the Delta State government put in assisting victims of the flood disaster?

I think that the Delta State

BY DAPO AKINREFON

M

R Paul Odili is a Special Adviser to Delta State governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan.

In this interview, he speaks on the efforts of the state government to combat kidnapping. He also debunks the insinuation that there is a frosty relationship between Uduaghan and Chief E.K Clark, saying the governor has regard for the elder statesmen.

Odili explains the decision by the state government to ban commercial motorcyclists popularly called Okada. He speaks on the efforts the state government is making to improve the living standard of Deltans.

Excerpts: MIXED reactions have greeted the recent ban on commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada. Would you say this is a step in the right direction?

It is an excellent decision that has really transformed the transportation sub-sector and economy of the state.

Why? Okada was banned not because the governor has any particular issue with the individual commercial motorcyclists. It is simply because, as governor, he has responsibility to ensure public safety and he has responsibility to ensure that an efficient transport system is in place. The decision to ban was not a decision taken in isolation but within the context of that particular policy.

Initially there was a bit of a gap after the ban and the administration understood that there was a possibility of that happening and had proceeded to acquire tricycles which was sold at completely knocked down prices through the commercial motorcyclist association. The market price of each tricycle is N400,000; initially N200, 000 was approved to sell it to them, but, at the commissioning of the tricycles, the governor, following public appeal, reviewed it downwards to N150,000. And the way it was structured is that the motorcycle association would partner with a bank, which would provide the facilities because we also understood that some of these motorcyclists may not have the capital because an investment of N 150,000 may affect their personal economics.

So, the arrangement was that through a bank, they could obtain some kind of additional facility such that they would be able to acquire it. And the administration went beyond that to provide Marcopolo buses and small buses to support the C M Y K

Paul Odili

Uduaghan has no problem with Clark — Odili

z‘How Delta is tackling the kidnapping challenge’ zSays 3-pt-agenda on course The relationship between Chief Clark and the governor is good.

He is an elder of the state just like we have so many other elders. But the governor continues to hold him in high esteem. movement of people. I can say that the situation has stabilized because more entrepreneurs saw a vacuum, an economic opportunity even though government has taken steps to block that gap and brought out a lot of commercial vehicles. Today, in Delta State, you will agree that it is a worthwhile decision and a commendable one and people are happy because there is safety and our streets are better organized. There is less noise pollution and irritation that came with the large number of motorcycles. I know Deltans are happy with it and it is a very good decision.

You mentioned safety earlier,

but Deltans are worried over the rise in kidnapping cases in the state. What is the state government doing to tackle this menace?

Let’s be clear about this. The whole point about security is a national challenge, everybody knows that. But, as an administration, we have provided as much assistance as we can to the police and other security agencies in terms of logistics and all kinds of material support.

Let me also add that security is a collective responsibility, but, as a government, we are doing our best. I hope that the police are also doing their best. You

flood management is quite different in the sense that the governor has been widely commended for been on top of the flood situation. The governor has shown leadership and great support and empathy to those affected. At the height of the crisis, we provided relief materials, we ensured evacuation, and we provided as much comfort as possible. I want also to acknowledge that there was major support from the public by way of donations of materials, food and government, on its own, ensured that the health care and welfare of the people were taken care of.

We strategised to ensure that the school system was not affected. When the president announced the intervention fund, Delta State, I think, is the only state that set up a committee headed by Justice Tabai to manage that fund and the mandate is very simple: to see how that can be used to assist the affected. Before the camps were closed, the state government made provision for stipends: N5,000 for adults and N3,000

for kids in the camp. Generally, Delta has shown tremendous support because I can say that the model that we adopted was the envy of everyone including those that visited the camps. To a large extent, the people were assisted and they are happy.

There has been this clamour for power shift in Delta State.

The Anioma people from Delta north are saying that power should shift come 2015. What is the position of the governor regarding this?

The governor has made the point clear that he is focused on governing at this point in time.

At the time of politics, it will be discussed. I am from Delta north, of course, and I do also know there is an existing principle and I am hoping that, at the right time, the party leaders will make the right decision.

On the basis of equity and justice, the right decision will be made. Let me leave it that way.

What is the relationship between the governor and Delta leaders, especially Chief E.K Clark?

The relationship between Chief Clark and the governor is good. He is an elder of the state just like we have so many other elders. But the governor continues to hold him in high esteem.

The way the governor has communicated so far has shown that he sees Chief Clark as his father and has continued to show him enormous regard.

Chief Clark and his group are being carried along on the developments in Delta, that is a remarkable leadership example of the governor. So there is no issue today. You also know that in the past there were political differences but all of that is over.

Presently, there are caretaker committees at the local government councils. How soon will elections be conducted to elect council chairmen?

To be honest with you, I cannot tell you right away how soon that will happen. What I can say is that the issue about conducting elections is not a problem; this administration has conducted local government election in the past, so it is not a new experience.

How far has the state government gone on its Three-Point Agenda?

The agenda has been extremely successful. The three focal points have more than exceeded all expectations. If you take the first point which is peace and security, you will see that long before the amnesty programme became a policy of the Federal Government, the initiative to find a way to bring stability to the region, which was in a major crisis, was pioneered in Delta State.

SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 21

2015 PRESIDENCY

Why Nigeria needs an alternative platform, by Hon Obahiaghon z`’What Oshiomhole taught me during the campaigns’ He was recently appointed as the Chief of Staff to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, after the victory of his boss in the July 14, 2012 governorship election in Edo State. Patrick Obahiagbon (Igodomigodo), a former Majority Leader in the state House of Assembly, became a national figure while representing the people of Oredo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. He is a man of bombast.. In this interview with SIMON EBEGBULEM, in his usual way of expressing himself, he speaks on his new job, the vision and mission of Oshiomole, as well as the 2015 election, among other issues.

Excerpts:

So how has it been transiting from a lawmaker to the Chief of Staff to the Governor?

It has it been interesting, challenging and quite titillating. Whereas the ambience (responsibility) of parliament was laisser-faire, it’s a different kettle of fish here in Osadebey Avenue. The comrade governor is an incredible workaholic who has no patience for indolence, hedonism or opportunistic razzmatazz. To a large extent, I would say he is a perfervid (incurable) perfectionist. You will understand therefore why we need to be in daily attunement (touch) with the cosmic C M Y K

forces to enable us keep pace with his boundless energy and stupendous verve.

The job of the Chief of Staff is, of course, quite more demanding in terms of the application of the regime of mental magnitude than when I was in parliament. You can choose when you go to parliament or not. In fact, some members of parliament really don’t even show up until pay day even

,

T

here appeared to be an alter cation between you and the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, at the Benin Airport, when the Sultan of Sokoto visited Benin City last weekend. Can you shed some light on what actually happened?

Did you say altercation? I beg I no know book oooo (I am not literate o).

But let me asseverate (explain) that my brief from the comrade governor was very pellucid (clear) and it was an executive request to me to proceed to the Benin Airport and accord all the protocols to the Sultan of Sokoto. I was to lead him to the Government House as a guest of the governor. I was also copiously in the know against the backdrop of the concatenation of colloquy (discussions) between His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, and the comrade governor that there was a consensus between the Edo State government and His Eminence that the state government was to play host to the Sultan whilst he was in Edo State.

I had no difficulty therefore in executing the governor ’s request with clinical finish and political blitzkriegism (alacrity).

I need not reiterate the obvious fact that Nigerians are desirous of an alternative political platform as a vehicle to reclaiming the Nigerian project from political jobbers, wet-blankets, job comforters, economic Philistines

,

though I can hardly remember a day I was not part of parliamentary sittings in my unbroken twelve years in the legislature. But as Chief of Staff, who are you not to be at work on a daily basis when you are working with a governor that is at work every day by 8am (or even before 8) and don’t get home from work until about 8pm,most times (or even much later)? Don’t forget that the office of the Chief of Staff is supposed to be the clearing house of government which means I have to be on my toes to catch up with

•Hon Patrick Obahiagbon the comrade’s burning desire to put Edo State on the indelible map of transformation. It would interest you to know that even on weekends, the comrade governor is at work and that is precisely the fundamental reason Edo State is working again.

You went through the length and breadth of the state during the campaigns. How was it?

The campaigns really afforded me the opportunity to appreciate the compassionate and down- to- earth side of the comrade governor. I was particularly touched most times when the governor eagerly entered the rain in a no-holds barred manner to address the people. On one occasion when he attended the passing out ceremony of Youth Corps members in Okada, it rained donkeys and cows (cats and dogs) but the governor got into the rain and addressed the Corps members for over one hour, drenched and, of course, myself and his security aides could not but stand in the rain with him and this happened most times in the course of the campaigns.

This endeared him further to me as a man that had a date with history.

The campaigns also made me know that the comrade governor has a passion for coconut especially coconut water which re-energizes him for more action after every sip, and he passionately shared with me, his security aides and the television camera guy anything he ate or drank, especially the period of the campaigns when we did the helicopter round. These were emotional and touching moments indeed.

You people used helicopters during the campaigns; sometimes you flew into Benin at night even when the weather was not pleasant. Were you at any point scared that something unpleasant might happen?

Those were breathtaking moments when the pilot alone was in charge of our lives, but I had no fears for a second because I believed that there were the hands of God in the emergence of the comrade governor in the affairs of Edo State. Don’t forget that the way the governor emerged and took suzerainty of Edo’s political turf speaks volumes of the mysterious workings of

divine providence and my mystical anchorage left me not in doubt that “as it is above, so it is below”. The good Lord of Hosts is always by those who give their all for the collective upliftment of the people. The governor himself, I must mention, also displayed a commendable sense of intrepidity (courage) even in the face of mercurial weather convulsions.

Some persons were shocked that you agreed to work with the campaign train even after you lost the House of Reps ticket in the ACN? No doubt that most of my political fidus achates (associates) and PDP faithful endeavoured to capitalize on the fact that I did not get my ticket to get back to the House of Representatives as an intervention point to sway me back to the PDP, but they were those who did not know me well and have not followed my politics intimately. My political peregrination has had all the trappings of progressivism from my student union days; so, to me, coming to the ACN at the time I did was not all about the politics of political ticketocracy (of just getting ticket to contest election). The comrade governor is just a phenomenon in the politics of Edo State and I am delighted that he has offered me the opportunity to be part of his salubrious and revolutionary vision in taking Edo to the next level and, for that matter, from the epic piazza of his political sanctum sanctorum (inner recess).

But there is this fear in some quarters that the comrade governor may not perform in his second coming, like many second term governors?

Let me state emphatically that the comrade governor is not only aware that he was democratically invested with a pro- Edo mandate, he is also conscious of the historical and sociological responsibilities that such a leviathan mandate commands and he is consequently poised not only to consolidate on the gains of yesterday, but to also turn Edo into an agricultural hub and an industrial sub and super structure. I therefore urge all Edo citizens not to be in tenterhooks, but be ready to be in utilitarian cahoots with Mr. Governor as he takes Edo steadily and surely to the next level.

PAGE 22—SUNDAY VANGUARD , DECEMBER 16, 2012

I think boys are horrible!

Dear Rebecca

I

AM a girl of 14 who attends an all-.girls’ school. I come from a family of five girls and two boys. You always advise young girls like us to always make casual friendship with responsible boys around us, so as to understand them before going into relationship later on in life. This I have not been able to do. I have this hatred for the opposite sex even though I like chatting and joking with people . I take boys as people from a different world who are just out to destroy a girl’s life .

But whenever I read your column that we need to interact, I feel touched. A boy in our neighborhood that I merely smiled at and greeted, later wrote a long idiotic letter from school saying I fancied him and all that . The latter came through my aunty and its contents shocked both of us.

A boy of my age, talking about sex and love! It made me unhappy and even aggravated my hatred for boys. In fact, I stopped greeting any boy that came my way. I got to know another boy who his tongue tied when he’s sent on an errand to my mother and I ask what he wants. He just smiled stupidly at me . It is not as if I wear short dresses . I dress decently and avoid wearing tight-fitted clothes, though I’m beautiful and have a very good shape . At times I wish I could make my brothers become girls, but then I have to face reality . Please aunty , how can I relate with the opposite sex without hatred towards them? How can I have them as friends without having to bring them home because my parents will not like that at all. Are e-mails okay?

Please, I need your help.

Nyinyen, Enugu.

REPL Y REPLY

A

s a human being, whether you intend to get married or not, you have to interact with both male and female in the world, so, it is important that you don’t consider yourself superior to any human being, and place yourself outside the human race. Whatever you think of another human being, be humble enough to be polite and courteous to him/her, so you can build up a good friendship.

Women are emotional creatures who feel everything and read meaning into any minor incident. It is as we grow older that we acquire the discipline of not jumping to conclusions, or reading the wrong meaning into everything all the time.

Now it is not compulsory that you must have a roman-

tic relationship with a man.

You can have a fulfilled life without having a romantic relationship, sex, husband, and children, and yet live a very fulfilled life. Some people choose not to marry and/ or have children and they live a satisfying life, excelling at their jobs or profession, helping the poor, the needy and the underprivileged in their society , and generally making the world a better place for people to live in.

It is a good thing to move with people of good character, fall in love and marry and have children , but marriage is not for everybody, in spite of what the society expects.

If a person hates members of the opposite sex , it would be disastrous for him/her to get married, for he/or she will make life hell for the partner and the children . At 14, I doubt if you have enough experience of life and in friendship with boys to decide that you hate them, and conclude that they are out to destroy a girl’s life.

Would you say this is what you think of your brothers and other males in your family? Would you say they are doing things to destroy the lives of girls? It is normal for a girl who has no male admirer to try to convince herself and fellow females that she hates boys and doesn’t want to have anything to do with them .

They use this as a cover for not being dated by boys, but when a boy they like shows interest in them , they would jump at the chance to be dated . This is an old game .

At 14 you should just be on greeting terms generally with boys, and not have any special boyfriend, even though you observe that some girls who are your age have what they call boyfriends. Fourteen is far too young for relationships.

This is the time that you’re getting to know and understand your self, and discover what you would want your life to be like. You don’t need the burden of boys, and all the headache associated with dating. You’re too young to handle such well and productively. That’s one of the reasons that your parents, of course, wouldn’t want you visiting boys or having them visit you. Besides this, even though you speak as if boys seem dull and dumb to you, I think you actually want to be pursued by them, so that you would feel great. If you do have this longing, don’t show it. If you show that you’re eager to have a boyfriend, some unscrupulous boys would take advantage of that to insist that you must have sex with them to show them that you love them. Sex could lead to unwanted pregnancy, likely abortion, venereal diseases, and early motherhood. Some girls don’t think

of these risks when a boy is dating them, until disaster strikes, and they realized that their lives are ruined.

That’s not your portion. You should think of your future studies and career and study well to make good grades, and go to a higher institution. When you’re about 16 and above and in a higher institution of learning, you can begin to have boys as ordinary friends for chats on general issues, exchange of novels, magazines , cds , etc. This is not a boyfriend /girlfriend situation and you can have several of them. No talk of romance, marriage or sex.

I long for this shapely girl!

Dear Rebecca

I

am aged 15. I have a funny but inter esting problem. I have been praying for a beautiful girl with the right statistics and I’ve found her. The problem is how to approach the girl in person. My father wants me to study very hard for my coming exams but I know that I can handle my exams easily.

This girl I think likes me but we live quite a distance from each other, and her brother doesn’t like me.

What’s even more problematic is that they are about eight in a fam-

ily. I think it would look awkward if I just enter the house ask for the girl, sit down with her under the watchful eyes of those present. The girl lives on the outskirts of town, while I’m about a hundred kilometers away.

Please advise me on what action I should take; whether I should ask her to come to my place or to meet her somewhere private. Lest I forget, she’s also 15 years old.

Amorous boy, REPLY REPL Y Cross River State

I

F this girl is wellbrought up, she should not agree to

meet you in your place or in any isolated place.

She would not encourage you to visit her at her place either.

If a girl were to allow all these with any boy who approaches her for friendship, she would acquire a reputation for being cheap, easy and promiscuous, even though there may actually be no action going on , and all she does is chat with those boys. A boy who loves her would not want to do anything that would tarnish her image.

I suggest you start off by merely greeting the girl when you meet. Af-

ter several encounters you could politely stop for a brief chat. You could, without boasting, give some details about yourself and ask politely about her studies, and later her family. This would lead to the exchange of books, magazines cds, etc.

If the girl is not interested in you she would not like to stop for a chat.

When you notice this, leave her alone and approach another girl. If a girl is friendly with you, don’t go boasting that she’s your girlfriend and you’ve done this and that with her. That is very ungentlemanly.

Don’t ask for a kiss, a hug, and there should be no talk at all of sex.

Just be friends .that’s all you need at this age.

Whether you are bright at your studies or not, you should face them squarely so that you can make good grades. You have a whole life time ahead of you to have relationships with ladies.

Right now having girlfriend is not a priority at all, so take it very lightly. Send casual cards on festive occasions but I would not advise writing love letters or sending love texts, as teenage girls tend to show them to their friends for a good laugh.

Pastors say she’ll ruin me!

Dear Rebecca

I

am a 30-year -old guy , doing the NYSC. I have been dating a girl of 26 years for four years now. Our relationship started from school . I love her and she loves me too . But after going for prayers with four different pastors. They all told me that I will regret and have Sin the future if I marry her. Right now, I don’t know what to do.

Please aunty , show me a better way out of the situation.

REPL Y REPLY

I

f you have to go find out through prayers by pastors if this girl is right for you, it means that deep in down , you’re not convinced that she is the type of girl you want to marry. When you’ve asked God to link you up with the right

woman to marry and you find one you love and who you’re convinced you want to spend the rest of your life with, you won’t need to go round to ask prayerists to find out for you if she’s the right choice.

Contrary to a popular saying, I don’t think any marriage is made in heaven, for even if you were destined to marry a particular person, if there is no spirit of ‘give and take ‘.tolerance, understanding and loyalty in the union , it would go to pieces , and the angels will have to admit that they failed in their matchmaking.

Now , sit quietly by your self ., and think over your relationship with your girlfriend . Do you really love her and would you would you like to spend the rest of your life with her? Would you be proud to be her husband and would you you want her to be the mother of your children ? Are you com-

fortable with her people and is she comfortable with yours ? Do your people want her ?

NOBODY IS PERFECT , BUT ARE THERE THINGS ABOUT HER WHICH YOU DISLIKE AND WHICH

YOU FEEL CAN CHANGE when you bring them to her attention? If a person meets 80% of what you expect in partner , I would say, marry that person , accept her ways and adjust so that there can be harmony in the home .

However , there are some things that one may find difficult to adjust to. In that case , it is best to end the relationship. This wont be easy after four years, but some times we have to be hardhearted in order to be kind .

With what the pastors have told you, there is no way you are going to relax and enjoy the union with this lady, because in your mind, it has already failed, and when there are ups and downs that are usually present in all marriages , you would see them as the regrets they pre-

dicted you would have.

After analyzing in your mind your relationship with this lady , take the matter to your God in serious prayer yourself .

Ask God to put in your mind what you should do. Your mind may tell you to call it quits with her. The earlier you tell her that you can no longer want to go on with it , the better, Be firm but gentle when you tell her you are convinced that the relationship would not work. She would naturally be devastated , but then disappointment is part of life .

Luckily , she’s only 26 and with the help of God , she will get another man to marry her and you will get another girl to marry . Try not to flaunt a new girlfriend so soon after the break up, and avoid going to places where you would meet her. Who knows , in future , both of you may be so happy with your respective partners,. that you would be glad you didn’t marry each other.

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

SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 23

How to give that stubborn man the elbow!

C

AN you remem ber the biggest lies you’ve told to get out of a relationship? I asked this question because, after a coupte of months of being a good ‘girl’ and sick of my friends bragging about their conquests, I decided to go on a ‘date’.

The word sounds a bit young to me as both of us were real adults. He, a fairly successful man, casually asked if I was free for dinner this fateful evening. Well, I was.

Might as well trv to see if he had potentials!

The first sign I’d made a terrible mistake was when he came for me and took me straight to his house! He is a widower and the house gave me the creeps! His dead wife’s photographs were all over the place. After six years, wasn’t he keen to re-marry? “Candy, I know you’ve sworn of remarrying, so I can be honest with you;’ he said.

“Keeping my dead wife’s pictures exactly where they were before she died make most of the women I’ve dated believe they could be the ones I need to take the photographs off. Well, they can try all they want, but I’m never getting married again.

I’ve got all the children I want but if any woman wants to show me the type of wife-materials she could be, I’m not aversed

to that. I get a lot of home-cooked meals and a lot of sleep-overs. Most of these women don’t pester me for money all of the time in case I think they’re materialistic! But by the time they see the light and leave with a few nasty words, I’m on to the text ‘catch?”

He was already getting on my nerves by his bragging but I wasn’t there to judge him - just to have a bit of fun. He might be well worth it too, but his smugness had taken a bit of shine off my adore. So, after the lacklustre dinner, which I suspected he must have microwaved from the piles left by his ‘hopefuls’, he produced a bottle of bubbly. For a cheapskate that must be an effort! Things started to hot up after a few glasses of champagne and we ended up in the bedroom. He was quite a kisser and a romantic.

I felt some sort of good might come off the evening when we both took off our clothes. As his boxers came off, I looked down at him and was horrified - there was barely anything there!

Urghhh! In an attempt to hide my shock, I excused myself and went to the kitchen, feigning I had to get a glass of water as I was patched. Embarrassed for both of us, I came back to the room

clutching my mobile to tell him I had to leave as I’d been called with the news of a family emergency.

He must have guessed what was responsible for my mood-change but he took things in his stride.

He asked the right questions and I was relieved when he instructed the driver to take me home.

I felt mean as I promised to invite him over for dinner to make up for the evening’s disaster. But I never did - that image in the bedroom had put me off him for good. After a few calls, he got the messagel At Quite recently, one of the participants on one of the courses we ran constantly bent my ears with tales of a man she met briefly through another

friend. “I don’t particularly like going out with married men as they tell all sorts of lies to get you in bed and have no qualms about leaving you for the next sucker, she said.

“So when this friend told me George was a divorcee and quite keen on taking me out, I asked her to pass my details to him. When we eventually went on a date, I couldn’t believe my luck. He looked gorgeous and sophisticated.

“He took me to a posh restaurant but as we got chatting, he rambled on for ages about his job which I found boring.

He told me he’d not had a serious girlfriend in months. Towards the end of dinner, he told me he was toying with the idea

of going to a neighbouring country for a dirty weekend. Did I want to come so we could get to know each other better?

He really freaked me out by his audacity. I told him I would think about it anything to get away from this monster.

“For days after, he bombarded me with romantic e-mails, reminding me of the fun that awaited me if I decided to go away with him. In the end I e-mailed him I was moving to another state to relieve a colleague who had gone on maternity leave. He was devastated but continued to e-maif me to find out when I was coming back.

I didn’t return his mail!”

But what happens when a particular pros-

pect becomes difficult to dump? Rose said she’d had enough of her partner of four months as he was getting too possessive and showing traits of violence. “I had to invent a lie about my husband making a comebackl He knew I was separated from my husband but thought I was not in friendly terms with him. But I told him families on both sides had gotten together and pleaded with us both to give our marriage another chance ‘because of the children.’ He looked really skeptical at me but I’d secretly arranged with my ex to have a look in when I knew he would be there. Thank goodness we’d become close because of the children. He shook his head at me and wondered when I would grow up, but agreed to play along anyway.

“My ex must have enjoyed his show of outrage when he came into the flat and saw the boyfriend. ‘What’s going on?’ he yelled, looking pained. ‘I thought we agreed to give this marriage a chance? If you’re going to be this irresponsible, I’m afraid .. : On and on he went. I rushed the bewildered man out of the flat, telling him I didn’t want any trouble between the two of them.

I never saw him again!”

08052201867(Text Only)

You are what and how much you eat

T

O be healthy and hearty our food must be wholesome and in the right quantity.

Eating anything and everything and too much of anything spells doom for our well-being. In the urban centres across the length and breadth of the world people are developing the diseases brought on

by Modern civilization and t’s attendant prosperity. To put it simply, people who are earning so much are getting more and more careless with their eating habits.

There are now a lot more people engaged in sedentary occupations than ever before with such people physical activity is nearly always at a minimum. But you see the body needs a certain minimum level of exercise. When this is denied the body, it soon begins a down-hill trip. And the inordinate amount of food consumed adds to the problem of deterioration.

It’s like this, when the

body is given more than it needs in relation to its energy out-put the surplus calories translate as excess weight.

There must be balance as regards tissue building (anabolism) and tissue breaking down (catabolism) when one exceeds the other you have what is known as Metabolic inbalance leading to a build up of toxemia. There are two fundamental ways the body produces toxemia.

One is normal and natural to the function of the organism; the other we constantly contribute to knowingly or otherwise.

In the first place there is toxemia produced on account of the process of metabolism. The inner body never at a stand-still has billions of old cells being replaced by new ones each day. The old cells needing replacement are toxic, meaning poisonous and must be gotten rid of by one of four means of elimination: skin, lungs bowels and

bladder.

All this is normal and natural to the body and doesn’t have to worry us unless in a situation where this toxic waste is not being rid of at an equal rate to which it is being produced.

All what this process demands is ample energy at the body’s disposal.

The second means by which toxemia is produced in the body is from the byproducts of foods that have not gone through digestion and assimilation and become part of the cell structure.

The build up of this toxic waste will eventually lead to overweight. The problem doesn’t end there. Toxins are acidic in nature and the build up of acid makes the body require water to neutralise it bringing about more weight and bloat.

On a daily basis this finally brings us to the door step of obesity and all what it portends.

So now, we see that interference with the body ’s

elimination cycle is the forerunner of toxemia and overweight. And we can also understand that there must be the kind of living pattern that allows us to continuously cleans our system and forestall a build up of toxins.

To help us achieve this state of metabolic balance are the following food items that work against overweight: Carrot, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, orange, pear, plum, pineapple, beetroot, cabbage, grapes, lemon and strawberry.

Exercises to be practised to achieve the same end include CHAKRASANA for regularization of bowel movements and matsyendrasana the lateral spinal twist to stimulate the activity of the kidneys.

CHAKRASANA, or the wheel posture.

Technique: Lying flat on your back, draw in the knees and place your feet wide apart on the floor. Put your hands backward on the

floor just below the shoulders. As you breathe in deeply, raise the entire body in the shape of a bridge. As you stay in this position respiration must be slow and deep. After 15 to 20 seconds, lower the body, lie flat on your back and rest in a still fashion.

You may repeat this thrice.

MATSYENDRASANA or the lateral spinal twist.

Technique: Placing the left heel under the right thight which his lying horizontally on the ground put the right foot over the left thigh with

the sole of the foot on the ground. As you turn the chest to the right put the left arm in front of the left knee which is uprightly erect and grasp your left knee. Place the right hand across the middle of the back. As you stay in this posture your breathing must be of an even rhythm for some 30 seconds. Change legs and arms and repeat on the other side.

Apart from the wonders it works on the kidneys and the digestive system, it is also said to restore strength to the nerves.

* The Wheel Posture

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

PAGE 24, SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

08056180152,

SMS only

Do you think your son is having better luck with the girls!?

N

EARING 50, Victor had thought his sex life was normal for his age.

Married for 22 years to his childhood sweetheart and mother of his four children, sex had been a once-a-week exercise and the wife wasn’t complaining. I guess she was grateful for whatever peace and quiet she could get in the night after a hard day’s work and the stress of looking after four boisterous children, three of them boys.

But all that changed some few months ago.

Victor has always looked after himself and is as fit as any man in his age group. He’s had the odd affair too, but had always run back home whenever things looked like getting out of hand. Then, all of a sudden, his love-life was back with a bang’ What happened?

“You wouldn’t believe what happened to beat the Viagra!” he chuckled.

“As you well know, it’s our last child that is female. As soon as the children hit their teens, we’d encouraged them to be very open about sex.

We’ve answered their questions directly and honestly, and though we didn’t flaunt nudity, everyone occasionally sees everyone else in the nude. My boys and myself have all seen each other naked hundreds of times - and they all have handsome, average size organs and I am grateful for that. What triggered off my ‘problem’ happened with my middle son, Mike who is 19. I came home early one day

and when I walked by the room that Mike shared with his elder brother, I saw that the door was open. I looked in, intending to have a chat when I saw him lying on the bed naked, masturbating.

He was engrossed in a soft porn movie and didn’t hear or see me.

The size of him was a surprise now that it was erect - much larger than I’d seen on him. I was still mesmerised by what I was witnessing, when he had an orgasm - and it was a powerful one!

Then he noticed me standing in the doorway.

My first words to him were: ‘that must have felt pretty good’. He was so embarrassed I really felt sorry for him. ‘ went over and sat on his bed and handed him some tissue to clean himself up. I told him not to worry, that what he did was perfectly normal and that every male did it. I did warn him that the next time, he should close the bedroom door because of his sister . .::>; “The incident happened months back and I’m sure that Mike has practically forgotten all about it. Unfortunately, I haven’t. Every time’ Ilook at him, my own son, I think if his m uscular body lying on the bed, masturbating and I get so aroused thinking about this that I have an almost instant erection.

Naturally, it is my wife that I reach for whenver this happens. In fact, she recently told me that I have been hornier lately and that we have had more sex in the past few months than we’ve had

but would he?’

It’s been observed that father-son incest feelings are by no means unheard of - though it’s not as common as that of fatherdaughter incest. A son burgeoning adolescent reminds a father of how he used to be and brings back days of his sexual escapades enough for him to delude himself he hasn’t ‘lost the touch’, that as a matter of fact, he could be as randy as his son, if not randier! I warned Victor he might need to look for other methods of arousal besides his sons. Could he ‘ re-awaken’ this in his wife may be?

since we were first married! She was exaggerating of course, but I can tell her that whenever we are making lvoe, I am thinking about Mike. I fantasise that my bits are as good as my son’s.

“A few weeks ago, I came home early again, and this time, Mike’s door was locked. To my shame, I pepped through the keyhole. I was excitedly anticipating catching Mike at it again. But it wasn’t him I saw on the bed - it was his elder brother and he was making love to a girl I’d never seen with him I My eyes were on stalk as I watched them at it. My goodness. These youngsters were more adventurous than I was at their age! Barely in his twenties, I couldn’t believe my son’s prowess.

Did he get the experience watching porn like his brother? Or did that experienced - looking partner of his teach him all these tricks?

“That night, I pounced on my wife again. She was not complaining, mind you and she’s started to spruce herself up more. She thinks my increased libido is down to her looks. If only she knew.

I feel a bit mean not being able to share the secret of my sudden increase in sex with my wife. She would probably have a fit if she knew. But I’ve never felt better - the sex is doing me a world of good and is the consolation that I’m far from being a once-aweek man!” I told Victor this was the first

A song song by all A need need by all A language spoken by all A breathe breath by all and A risk taken by all

Y

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

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

Love

Love, a story told by all A feeling felt by all

Anaba Sylvester anabasylvester@yahoo.com 08032275666

Falling in love with you

Falling in love with you is like throwing a heavy metal into the sea. I go deep and deeper into you every day. Imagine you and I in a quiet, beautiful spot watching a new premiere. Imagine both of us walking to the altar, and exchange marriage vows cheerfully. Imagine you carrying my baby, imagine us living in an exotic crib while our beautiful children are playing around, imagine our friends and

time I’d heard anything as weird as the experience he was gleefully revealing. I told him he was living in fantasy land if he thought his sons were not already aware of his obsession with their sex life. That it was unlikely Mike would have forgotten the masturbation incident. How did he think the poor kid felt at being disturbed by his father while engaged in what was an essentially `private activity!’

And for the dad to even participate in cleaning him up? If he knew what was good for him, he had better stop snooping round his sons and get his kick somewhere else.

He assured me he was already planning to stop before it turned into a family embarrassment,

A bit of sanity in madness! (Humour} A famous merchant’s regular taster passes away, so the boss starts interviewing for a new one. But he’s aghast when a drunk tramp stumbles in to apply for the position. Anxious to get rid of him, the boss passes him a glass of wine. The tramp tastes it and says: ‘It’s a muscat, one year old, grown on a north slope: ‘That’s correct,’ the boss gasps, thinking it must be a fluke. So he passes him another glass to be sure. `It’s a highgrade, exclusive pinot blanc champagne,’ the tramp says. Stunned, the boss whispers to his secretary. She leaves the room and returns with a glass of urine. The drunk tastes it and declare: ‘It’s a dark-haired woman, 26 years old and three months pregnant. And if you don’t give me the job, I’ll name the father.’

family coming to celebrate our childrens birthdays. imagine us living older than our expectation, imagine us telling our children our happy crazy childish interesting love story..... Just imagine......... Imagine how beautiful life would be with you always by my side. these and lots more is what I imagine each time I look at you. I know oneday its going to become true. I love you.

Omorville Umoru.

Omorville@gmai.com, 08062486549

Restore your love for me

My love, you have cast me off; you have broken my heart and broken me down; you have been displeased; oh, restore your love again.You have made my heart tremble; you have broken it; please heal its breaches, for it is shaking.

Emma Mine 07051037749

SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012 — PAGE 25

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How my sister’s ‘mistake’ gave me a lease of life

— Yomi Casual

BY FEYI BANKOLE

I

ngenuity seems to run in the Makun family. With the second in the family, Ayo Makun, aka AY, dominating Nigeria’s comedy scene while the baby of the family, Olorunyomi Omoniyi Makun, aka Yomi Casual, is fast becoming one of the biggest names in the fashion industry, one cannot help but admire this Ondo-born but Warri-bred family. Yomi, who has bagged several awards, including the Nigerian Youth Merit Awards Fashion Designer of the year 2011, City People Hottest Designer of the year 2011, Efizee Fashion Designer of the year 2012 and the Exclusive Magazine Exclusive Impact Award 2012 among others, studied Fashion Designing & Clothing Technology at the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State. Through creative dynamism and determination to succeed in life, Yomi has made himself a success in a career he had taken-up disinterestedly. He shares how hardwork has rewritten the bitter story of the Makun family.

What was growing up like?

For me, growing up was very funny and sweet, being the last in a family of nine; I was the only one opportune to attend a private school. Life was very tough for us. Things went sour at a point, and my mum became the breadwinner because my dad could no longer cater for the family. It was so bad that we could not afford to eat meat. I was young at that time. What we grew up with was Imekpe(periwinkle). It was usually a celebration whenever we had the grace to eat fish. Later on, AY started working as a bar-man and was also doing some small MC jobs of four, five thousand naira to support the family; he was schooling at the Delta State University at the same time. Unfortunately, we lost our dad when I was 15 and mum when I was 16. My eldest sister too could not go back to school after her OND. She did her internship at NNPC and, luckily, she was retained; so, that helped the family in a way. Her husband however encouraged her to go back to school after she got married.

What new turn did your life take after your parents passed on?

You know, some things happen for good sometimes in life. After we lost our parents, doors began to open and we moved into the best apartment ever. If anyone ever told us that we would live in such an apartment, we wouldn’t have

Yomi ... I appreciate my sister for making a `mistake' believed, but help just came because God will always take care of His own!

My brothers and sisters brought together the money they were sprayed during our mum’s funeral(they didn’t collect mine, anyway), and with the support of one of AY’s friends, we were able to move into the apartment.

I’m sure your view about life also changed?

Yes. I became very serious. I actually used to make hand-made cards and potraits for people just for fun, and since my mum was always there for me, I

that when my older sister was filling my JAMB form, she filled fashion designing instead. Remember I said I was already making hand-made cards and potraits. I however continued doing these while in school, and even after I left school.

But you could have as well waited for the next JAMB examination…

You know how curious it was then; everybody wanted to get into school. I was still quite young, but my friends had all gained admission into school

Frankly, my intention was to study fine & applied arts. It however happened that when my older sister was filling my JAMB form, she filled fashion designing would shop with all my money instead of saving them. But when she died, I opened an account and turned the hand-made card designing into a business! Whenever I look at my entire family now and think of the past, I wonder how great God could really be.

Why did you prefer studying a course like fashion designing when you could have gone for courses like accounting, business administration, etc.?

Frankly, my intention was to study fine & applied arts. It however happened

and I couldn’t afford to spend an extra year at home. Taking up the course was very discouraging anyway, especially since it wasn’t my choice.

Are you saying your sister’s mistake made you who you are today?

Of course! I appreciate her every day for making that mistake. She’s also very happy it all turned out well because we were in the same school, and I really frustrated her. We had so many girls and only five boys in class, and that made it worse. Everybody was always working

with yarn and wool or with brown paper and needle and we were not even allowed to climb any sewing machine!

Siting in that environment got me angry every day because that was not my dream. Whenever I returned from school and she asked what I cared to eat, I would just shout at her and say repeatedly how she had frustrated my life. I would say: ‘Look at what you’ve done to me. You’re frustrating me!’ It got to a point that she couldn’t help it anymore but had to suggest we buy another JAMB form since I was still young. I however objected to that.

At what point did you decide to accept the mistake?

My school organized an exhibition, and we were all told to make masterpieces because we were going to have some inspectors from overseas. All the students came out with their designs, but when I brought mine out, which was a kaftan, everybody was surprised. What I actually did with the kaftan was to break the rules even when I knew them.

Normally, a kaftan should have a normal neck, but I decided to do a very big vampire collar. It was like a runway dress, and it wowed everyone that even the white men couldn’t stop clapping and asking who the designer was! From that day, I became encouraged. One of my lecturers, Mrs.Braimah, a white woman, was also very supportive.

How did this creativity of yours metamorphose into Yomi Casual?

Immediately after school in 2006, my elder brother, AY, encouraged me to move to Lagos because I was based in Delta State. He gave me all the encouragements I needed, plus a room in his apartment, and that was where I started from. I actually started my business by clothing my brother and his celebrity friends from 2006-2007. I didn’t have a showroom at that time, but whenever AY wore my designs to events, people would always ask him who made them and he would give them my contact.

Because I’m an artist, what I try to do is infuse my artistic knowledge into fashion and breaking the rules; that has really worked for me. I launched out officially in 2008 when my customer-base had expanded. I really appreciate my brother’s help because not many designers have the leverages I have. My advert runs on DSTV every week, and we all know how much that costs; but it’s my brother’s effort.

Yomi with AY

“Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.” - Erica Jong

DECEMBER 9, 2012 —31

Go loats FFoundation oundation Govvernment Ekpemupolo ffloats

H

igh Chief Government Ekpemupolo, a.k.a Tompolo in his effort to emancipate the people of the Niger Delta and to empower the youths, formally launches his Foundation at the Hotel Excel, Effurun, Delta State on Thursday after donating medical supplies and relief materials running into several millions to victims of the recent flood. Photos

by Akpokona Omafuaire.

Mrs. Vick Ekpemupolo and a friend.

Tompolo flanked by his wife, Mrs. Vick Ekpemupolo, Traditional rulers and others, to cut the cake.

From Left; Mr. Matthew Tonlagha, Dr. Effion Tekim and Chief Nelson Ogelegbamuei.

From Left; HRM Abe I, Ovie of Uvwie, HRM Agbonu I, Pere of Ogulagha and Chief Thomas Ekpemupolo.

From Right; HRM, Pere Godwin K. Bebenimibo, Ogeh Gbaran III, Aketekpe of Gbaramatu Kingdom; High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, Mr. Tonwe Tonye and Prof. Augustine Ikelegbe.

From Right; Chief Dennis Otuaro, Mr. Keston Pondi and Comrade Paul Bebenimibo.

Tompolo and his father, Chief Thomas Ekpemupolo.

From Left; High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, Barr. Ezenwo Wike, Minister of Education for State and HRM, Pere Godwin K. Bebenimibo, Ogeh Gbaran III, Aketekpe of Gbaramatu Kingdom.

From Right; Etal Israeli, Ohad Cohen, Col. Agbu Kefas (Rtd.) and Kingsley Kuku.

Prof. Augustine Ikelegbe, Chairman of Ocassion and Chief Dennis Otuaro.

From Left; Mr. George Ekpemupolo, former Chairman, Warri South-West LGA; Barr. Kingsley Otuaro, DESOPADEC Commissioner and a guest.

From Left; Mr. Tony Uranta, Lawrence Wilbert, Olalekan Abiola and Abubakr Suleiman.

High Chief Government Ekpemupolo and Mr. Kingsley Kuku, Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Committee.

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2012

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Govs vs FG: The SWF $1 billion question

,

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

I

N the last few years, filing a suit at the Supreme Court has turned to the proverbial magic wand that governors of the 36 states brandish at will with a view to getting the Federal Government to succumb to their demands.

The Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, now provides a veritable platform for them to galvanize funds to pay Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) that often jostle to be included in the list of “appearing with”, a legal term that has become as lucrative as defending oil subsidy fraud suspects.

Most of the governors, who have turned Abuja to a second home where they meet to decide on issues to bug the apex court with, always set aside their political differences to embark on such seeming wild-goose chase; however, the will-power to pursue 95 per cent of the cases they have filed before the Supreme Court, of late, remains questionable.

It is not an uncommon sight to see over seven SANs announcing their appearances for the governors, a situation that raises questions as to where the funds to pay the lawyers emanate from, bearing in mind the deplorable infrastructure in most of the states.

Remarkably, it costs some N100million to secure the services of each of the SANs in the top flight - while others charge N60-N70million.

Yes, it may be argued that the governors also help to develop the law by embarking on their ever recurring judicial escapades; nevertheless, a situation where such ventures are often geared towards an “out-of court-settlement” makes nonsense of such argument.

For instance, barely three weeks after the Supreme Court fixed May 9, 2013, to commence hearing on one of the suits entered before it by the governors in order to stop the FG from transferring $1 billion from the “Excess Crude Account” to a new account to be known as the “Sovereign Wealth Fund,” the same governors, on Tuesday, December 11, filed yet another suit where it accused the FG of persistently using the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to illegally deduct revenue accruing to the country on the guise of using same to fund the fuel subsidy regime.

It is not as if the action is bad in itself; what is, however, worrisome is the motive behind the action.

On the first case, a panel of

President Goodluck Jonathan the apex court, presided over

by Justice Chukwuma Eneh, decided to go ahead and hear the suit on its merit, after months of horse-trading and legal dilly-dally between the governors and the FG on the possibility of striking an outof-court deal, a move that would have reduced the process at the Supreme Court to nothing.

The governors had, in the suit they filed before the apex court on October 23, 2011, sought an order declaring the planned creation of the “Sovereign Wealth Fund” as illegal and unconstitutional.

They are praying the court to issue an order to effect that all sums standing to the credit of the said “Excess Crude Account” (or any account replacing same by any name howsoever) be paid into the court or be otherwise secured as the court may deem fit pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

The governors maintained that unless the order of injunction was granted, the FG would continue to disregard, disrespect and ignore the pending suits before the Supreme Court.

The FG previously told the court via an affidavit that was deposed to by one of its lawyers, Mr Uchenna Njoku, that “the parties explored the possibility of an amicable settlement of the issues discernible in the case and mutually sought several adjournments of the case to enable them to conclude the settlement options and report same to the court. But when it became clear that the plaintiffs/applicants were not amenable to the settlement options, discussions in this regard were called off.”

The Federal Government had, through its lead counsel then, Mr Austin Alegeh, SAN, accused the state governors of mischief, insisting that they took part in the deliberations of the National Economic Council where the decision to transfer the $1 billion from the

Gov Rotimi Amaechi Excess Crude Account to the SWF was taken.

It stressed that the states had been receiving their share from the money, saying their decision to frustrate the planned creation of the SWF was borne out of insincerity.

While asking the Supreme Court to refuse the application by the states to stop the Federal Government from transferring $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account to the SWF, counsel to the Federal

It is not an uncommon sight to see over seven SANs announcing their appearances for the governors, a situation that raises questions as to where the funds to pay the lawyers emanate from

,

Government said his client would run into problem if the application was granted as prayed by the governors.

The FG contended that the day-to-day running of the nation’s economy would be put at risk if the application

was granted as sought by the plaintiffs.

However, lead counsel to the governors, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, noted that his clients were forced to approach the apex court for redress in view of the fact that the FG, and its officers, had, consistently, and in total disregard for the pending suit, withdrawn, utilized, disbursed and allocated funds from the account.

He alleged that the Federal Government had nearly depleted the sum of N5.51 trillion being the balance in the account as at 2008 when the case was instituted.

The plaintiffs’ counsel told the court that the defendant drew the irk of his clients (governors) when it announced its intention to withdraw, disburse and utilize another one billion U.S dollars from the credit balance in the account, an action, he said, would further amount to a sheer disregard to the subsisting suit and disrespect for the authority of the apex court.

How to revive the manufacturing sector, by oil chief

BY DEMOLA AKINYEMI

A

HEAD of next fiscal year, the Federal Government has been urged to evolve the political will to fix the nation’s refineries in order to bring a new lease of life to the ailing manufacturing industry.

The executive director, commercial of LUBCON, a lubricant producing company with headquarters in Ilorin, Mr. Fatai Bolasire Woli, speaking during the first draw of LUBCON oil promo, said this became necessary because it is becoming increasingly difficult to maximise profit with the prevailing economic situation in the country.

Woli,who said oil firm are barely surviving believed that when the refineries work at optimal capacity,they will generate enough raw materials for the manufacturing sector to come back to life. ”Our refineries are not working. If they are working, the base oil we use can be sourced locally, but we import and it means paying so many charges. By the time it comes to the market, the price we are taking it to the market has gone up drastically ”, he said.

The oil chief highlighted such major negative factors as global economic meltdown, unreliable power supply and compulsory need to import raw

materials among other as militating against a conducive operation, noting that its of utmost importance if the oil refineries in the country are made functional to help manufacturers’ productivity . ”In a situation that you have competitors, if you overprice yourself, you may not be able to sell your product. So, manufacturers are careful when it comes to pricing. We only make sure we pay our bills, and the little left over is used to continue to turn the business around”, he stressed.

”Every month, we consume diesel of N10 million to N15 million to power our KVA generators due to irregular power supply from the PHCN. We are forced to connect to 33 KVA electricity power line spending about N14 million before we can enjoy the benefit”.

Woli, who said sourcing for raw material is another problem, added that the company makes use of by products of petroleum to produce engine oil aviation fuel.

Ukamaka Nsugbe (left), Oma Attah (3rd from left), John Ekperigin (5th from left) and Grace Kio, all top Nigerian distributors at the Forever Living Products International Super Rally, Phoenix, Arizona, USA, recently.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 35

Creation of jobs as catalyst for economic devt, by Ojudu, Kuru *Omolayole at mgt lecture: Let’s talk more of virtue, less of corruption

T

HE ability to understand the business and economic environment is critical anywhere in the world for creation o f jobs and

economic development, but especially so in Nigeria .

Therefore, increase in technological advancement, rapid changes in consumer needs and tastes, unprecedented expansion in travels and migration as well as modern communication techniques have turned enterprise from its traditional definitions into what some people now see as the capacity to turn an idea into a successful business”.

This formed part of the lecture delivered by Senator Babafemi Ojudu, at the 28 th Michael Omolayole annual management lecturer, held at Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos .

Speaking on the topic, ‘The future of enterprise in the age of collaboration’, he explained, “Determination must be present in any collaboration, because it implies firmness of purpose. If the purposes of partners in a collaborative enterprise are not firmed and if the partners are not resolute about what they want to share, the collaboration cannot succeed. Creativity involves the use of imagination and production of original idea, while sharing involves division in common with others of an asset such as knowledge or technology.”

He went on, “ Enterprise capability involves innovation, creativity, risk management and risk taking. Without these, you cannot hope to run a successful enterprise, be it private or public, in the age of collaboration.

Financial literacy involves the skill to manage both personal and corporate finances, and not only to become an informed service provider, but also an

informed consumer of financial services. For instance, when you provide goods and services as an entrepreneur, you also consume goods and services. Therefore, you must master your private and

,

BY ADEOLA ADENUGA & BRIDGET AMATA

I think we should start talking more about virtue than corruption because corruption is totally negative and virtually everybody is corrupt

,

corporate finances to understand the intricacies of the financial services offered by your collaborators and

competitors.”

Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Enterprise Bank limited, Alhaji Ahmed Kuru, also speaking at the occasion, said, “The primary purpose of establishing an enterprise is to create value through production of goods and services that satisfy both domestic consumption and export earnings. Aside from profit generation for key stakeholders, a successful enterprise is vital to achieving national aspirations in diverse ways, such as job creation in the economy, improved living standards for the people, contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rates and wealth creation. This has been the over-arching consideration by the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in their formation of policies, programmes for the youths.”

He emphasised, “For a developing economy like Nigeria, collaboration has

become imperative at policy formulation stage for programmes that support enterprise development. This was exemplified recently by the CBN in its implementation of the N132 billion women component of the N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development funds. Shareholders in various departments of CBN, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and Organised Private Sector (OPS) representatives, as well as women entrepreneurs should contribute to collaborative efforts to promote cross fertilisation of ideas, aimed at ensuring sustainable growth in the economy”.

In his closing remark, Dr. Michael O. Omolayole expressed his gratitude and wish that this lecture continues till 2085 when he would have gone one hundred years. ”It’s always said that diamonds are forever, but human being are not forever because, in the year 2085, I would not be around, but my spirit would be around if this lecture is going on”. ” I think it’s an incurable feat”.

He said that he picked a common trend in what the two speakers said, and what he picked was that both of them mentioned corruption, and the issue of virtue.” I think we should start talking more about virtue than corruption because corruption is totally negative and virtually everybody is corrupt,”the captain of industry added.

Nigeria will be great, if ... – Ettah, GMD, UACN

N

IGERIANS have been called upon to r e d e d i c a t e themselves to the course of

making the country great in order to achieve the dream of the founding fathers. Larry Ettah, Group Managing Director/CEO of UAC of Nigeria Plc, made this charge in his 2012 Christmas message to the over 3,000 employees of the company.

Ettah maintained that our stake at greatness can be assured only when each and every one of us gives his or her best to the success of the country. Nigerians, according to him, must be seen as a set of people who never give up until they have given their all.

“As we celebrate the Christmas and also prepare for the New Year, we should be able to spare a thought about our dear country and be reminded of our responsibilities and the challenges that stare us in the face. We need to know that the sum of our greatness is as good as our own individual contributions. We must always remember that we do not allow our contributions or actions to stand us out as the proverbial weakest link. Achieving greatness requires passionate commitment,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to reflect on the reason for the season as Christmas elevates and inspires, especially to all those who share in its grand essence

Female job seeker wins maritime essay star prize

BY UDEME CLEMENT

A

2010 graduate of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State

, and job seeker, Miss Funke Abimbola Olotu , has won the N100,000 star prize of the sixth Ships & Ports Annual National Essay Competition.

Olotu made history as the first female star prize winner since the competition kicked off in 2006.

While Olotu snatched the Dangote Port Operation Prize for Best Overall Essay, other prize winners in this year’s competition include Mr. Onyema Emmanuel Ngwakwe, Sifax Group Prize for Creative Writing & Presentation, and Mr. Babatunde Bello, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety

Agency (NIMASA) Prize for Outstanding Essay. Other winners of the NIMASA Prize for Outstanding Essay were the Maritime Correspondent of BusinessDay newspaper, Miss Uzoamaka Anagor, Messrs EjikeUme Felix Ifeanyi, Daniel Henry Onovo and Christopher Okeke.

In his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of Ships & Ports Communication Company, Mr. Bolaji Akinola, stressed, “The competition was designed to encourage Nigerians to think aloud about the maritime sector. The interest the maiden edition generated among Nigerians and industry stakeholders was the stamp of approval we needed to institutionalise the competition”.

and ennobling sentiments about Christ.

“Christmas’ enduring message has become universally appreciated because both the messenger and the message have maintained a wholesomeness and consistency that are spiritually uplifting, sacred and perhaps, therapeutic. As we plan to celebrate the Yuletide despite the deluge of disheartening social statistics that abound in our nation, let us remind ourselves that the sentiments of hope, upliftment and sacrifice will become not only a partner but our constant companion as we approach the grace-filled days ahead,” Ettah explained.

He maintained that UACN has continued to deepen its Corporate Social Responsibility commitments through its Goodness League programme and its School Support Scheme intervention projects have been well-received in the various geo-political zones of the country.

“It is gratifying to note that our vision of securing meaningful infrastructural intervention in schools across the country is progressing well and impacting positively on the benefitting institutions and the students. We have etched our footprints unmistakably on our educational map through our resolve to assist students overcome the obstacles on their way to acquiring higher education. We have opened new frontiers in our Free Weekend Classes programme with a new centre in Ajegunle which undoubtedly, is one of the most densely populated areas of Lagos State,” he said.

The Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr Osten Olurunsola being assisted by his wife Mrs Victoria Olurunsola to receive an award for excellence in the sustainability of Local Content in the Oil and Gas Industry by the coalition of South-South Chambers of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture (FOSSCCIMA) in Port Harcourt.

Mr Ademola Osibajo, Special Project Editor of Satellite Magazine (right), presenting a recognition certificate award to MD/CEO Muscle Africa Liquor, Mr Adesola Agbaje in recognition of his outstanding medicinal herbal drink, in Lagos State.

PAGE 36—SUNDAY VANGUARD,DECEMBER 16, 2012

Email: woman.vista@yahoo.co.uk

(07036819426)

Global ploy to demean womanhood!

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C M Y K

IGHT from the early times, be ing female meant being a zeroclass human being with no rights whatsoever, in any area of life.

Maybe it was punishment for mother Eve, who not only disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit, but added to her sin by giving the fruit to her husband Adam to eat. We’re told in the Bible that part of her punishment from God, was that she would experience excruciating pains before giving birth to her babies. Even though women may choose ‘epidural birth’, ‘Ceasarean section’ etc, to attempt to get around this, childbirth is still risky business for both mother and her child. Moses’ breakdown/his own personal expansion of the commandments handed him on Mount Sinai by God, was heavily unfair to women and eroded their human rights e.g. If a married woman was accused of adultery, the priest would give her a concoction to drink. If her thighs begin to rot, it meant she was guilty of the charge, and she would be stoned to death. If a woman committed fornication, she would be stoned to death because she had brought disgrace to Israel. In both cases, their male partners in the crime would go scotfree! Women had no inheritance until Zelophehad’s daughters (of the tribe of Manasseh) protested to Moses that since they had no brother, they ought to be allowed to inherit their late father’s land, and not let it pass to a male relative in another family, as was the practice then. Moses took the problem to God, and in His wisdom, God said the ladies were right, and they should be given their father’s land. This shows vividly that God is not in support of discrimination of any sort against women.

Moses, on his own, then said Zelophehad’s daughters should marry within their tribe so that the land they inherit would not go to another tribe when they marry.

Even if you don’t believe the Bible’s story of creation and choose to believe science which claims that human beings came from some sort of larvae, the picture of the caveman in history books shows him dragging his wife around by her hair; a club in his other hand! Zero human rights for the wife!

Women from generation to generation will always be grateful to all those brave and courageous women, who in their corners of the world, did their bit/are doing their bit, to promote the cause of women and raise their status in all areas of life. Thanks to their efforts, in many countries, women have rights that ensure that they’re not considered second-class citizens any more, and in a few countries, they may even have equal rights with the men; paid the same wages as the men for same work done; have control over their bodies and motherhood; can be found in most professions; can vote and be voted for, etc.

Emancipation of women is growing by leaps and bounds, even though there’s still a lot to be done to allow them the full human rights they’re entitled to, and make them live a qualitative life.

However, as we rejoice in the growing success of our cause, an ugly phenomenon has been rearing its head to demean/degrade what womanhood stands for! Women have always been the butt of jokes and insults in songs, in films, etc. Most musicians like to portray women in a bad light in their songs. On

View-Point

Helen Ovbiagele Woman Editor

Women should strongly oppose anything that tends to degrade them, by protesting very loudly, and refusing to be part of it. They should also bring up their children to respect the female-folk

stage and in films, particularly in Nigeria, women are mostly cast as quarrelsome, screaming and demented creatures! I know that women in these professions need to get parts in order to earn a livelihood, but a troublesome character can be effectively portrayed in films in decent ways; not the raving and ranting women we’re always shown. I know this raises a laugh, but the average African woman is not like that.

Recently, more and more weird things are being done to vilify womanhood, and sometimes with the aid of the women themselves. I was shocked when I read in one of our weekly papers, the headline, ‘Stop AIDS!, Squeeze A Breast!’ There was a picture of a young Japanese lady with her T-shirt raised to expose her breasts, smiling down delightedly on a man (his head blanked out) who was feeling them with both hands. With the picture was a small article ‘A Japanese porn channel, recently hosted a breast squeeze benefit as part of an Érotica Will Save The World’ programme. To win a chance to squeeze the breasts of one of ten Japanese adult film actresses, participants aged 18 and above, made donations and sanitized their hands.

All donations were given to STOP AIDS, an organization that promotes AIDS awareness treatment, and prevention.

What a degrading thing to subject the

female body to! I’m all for supporting a good cause with time, money and resources, but was this a decent way to solicit for funds to battle AIDS, or any other ailment?

This year, this headline appeared in the June 21st issue of the British The Mail newspaper – ‘Psychic ‘persuaded women to strip for seances because it pleases the spirits!’ ‘A Fraud psychic brainwashed women into stripping naked and performing sex acts by claiming it would improve their chances of contacting dead relatives, a court heard. The 49 year old male psychic is said to have persuaded his victims that nudity would enhance their psychic powers at his seances because ‘the spirits are also naked’. The man who claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus, told two female clients, both in their twenties, that being more outrageous would please the spirits,and that sending naked photos of themselves to him would increase their psychic abilities. Police were finally called after the man told one of the women that for further progress to be made, she should allow him to touch her, it is alleged. The trial continues. ‘ Well! Well! I’m sure this psychic must have male clients too, but it wasn’t mentioned that they were required to strip naked before the dead could be contacted on their behalf.

Here in Nigeria, about four weeks ago, I began to receive some unsolicited derogatory texts on women sent to clients by an indigenous mobile phone outfit. Sometimes, up to three times a day, a text would come in, cracking some dirty jokes about women. I was baffled. It wasn’t a matter of money being deducted from my credit for them, rather, it was the fact that I hadn’t subscribed to this unwanted service. I was pondering what to do about it, since it must have been coming from an automated machine, when a text dropped in, saying, ‘You have been subscribed to this service. If you want to unsubscribe, text ….... to …... ‘ I quickly did that, and a reply came saying I had been taken off the list. I’m sure other users of that gsm service provider must have had the same experience, and perhaps this led to the unsolicited texts being made optional. Funny enough, I didn’t receive any ‘joke’ about the menfolk, let alone any deriding them. Such deliberate insulting bias!

I think women should strongly oppose anything that tends to degrade them, by protesting very loudly, and refusing to be part of it. They should also bring up their children to respect the female-folk. After all, we are the home-builders and child-rearers. We deserve great respect so that we can be encouraged to do the work meaningfully.

LONDON FASHION WEEK stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com

SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 37

Email: woman.vista@yahoo.co.uk

(07036819426)

I almost stopped believing God exists —Pastor Grace Sola-Oludoyi

ent behaviours. One incident I remember was about nine years ago when a nurse reported to me that a patient refused to take her medication. The patient looked harmless and I went to her to inquire why she refused taking her medication, but the next thing I got was a big blow which landed me on the floor! That

BY JOSEPHINE IGBINOVIA For seven years while studying in the then Soviet Union on scholarship, she was staunchly practicing Atheism and doubted therefore the existence of God. Now a London-based Pastor, Dr.Grace Sola-Oludoyi did not hesitate when she had to resign her job as a Psychiatrist to be a full-time Pastor. She is the Executive Pastor and wife of the Senior Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Royal Connections, London. Dr.David Sola Oludoyi, her husband, is the Prayer Director and Provincial Pastor, RCCG UK. She is the organiser of Dining with Christ, a non-denominational event that has gathered together hundreds of women in London for close to 15 years.

The event was brought to Nigeria last year for the first time, and recently, the second edition held in Lagos. Vista Woman encountered Dr.Grace during her brief stay in Nigeria.

Background was born into an average Imo Catholic family, and in 1985, I got scholarship to study Medicine in the former Soviet Union, Russia. I was there for seven years and during those years, we were learning Atheism due to the communist system, and I was thus a nominal Christian. I did not serve God throughout. After graduation, I moved to England where I worked in the national service as a Psychiatrist. Two years after I got to England, I got married and during one of our visits to Nigeria, my husband and I gave our lives to Christ. We grew in our journey with Christ, and two years after that, my husband was called to pastor a church in London. That was how I became a pastor’s wife.

It was so stressful trying to juggle work, home and church, but God was faithful. Consequently, the need for a time to chill-out informed the programme ‘Dining with Christ’, about fifteen years ago.

Dining with Christ The vision is to gather women once a year in an unintimidating environment to dine and let go of busy schedules. It’s a non-denominational programme. It’s a women-only programme, but towards the end of each programme, my husband comes to seal it with some words of prophecy for participants.

Life as a Pastor and former Atheist I believe I’m a living testimony. There were times during those seven years when I almost cease to believe that there was God. I wondered how all the terrible things happening in this life would happen if truly there was a God. Fortunately, I had a Christian godmother who was always there to boost me spiritually each time I went to London on holiday. If there was something I think I regret in life, it’s the fact that I did not serve God during those seven years. Academically, they were fruitful years, but spiritually, I would call them ‘seven wasted years’. I was a teenager and that makes it more painful because I could have done more for God with my time. I left Nigeria for the Soviet Union

I

Dr.Grace Sola-Oludoyi.... We are peacemakers.

I believe I’m a living testimony. There were times during those seven years when I almost cease to believe that there was God. I wondered how all the terrible things happening in this life would happen if truly there was a God

at the age of sixteen! All thanks to my godmother and my Catholic background which however helped to restore me after I had moved to London.

Working as a Psychiatrist

Psychiatry is an interesting profession because as a Psychiatrist, you’re working with people that are not just medically ill but sometimes spiritually ill. It could be risky and unpredictable because you have patients with differ-

day, I went home very sick! In all, it was an exciting experience and I’m glad I majored in Psychiatry because it has helped me a lot in ministry and in my Christian journey. I have just finished a degree in Theology & Counseling from the London School of Theology, and all these have really helped to sharpen my work as a minister.

Family life I’m a mother of three and like I said, I’m married to Dr.David Sola-Oludoyi.

Despite my schedules, I always try to balance life as a mother because I believe my family is a crucial part of my life.

Unrest in Nigeria As long as there is life, there would always be challenges. Also, there are many things that are not in the control of human beings. Notwithstanding, it is left for us to look for ways to make the best out of every situation. I believe that women are very influential beings. We are peacemakers and lovers who want the best for ourselves, our children and society. Women actually determine the atmosphere of the home, and that’s why lots of things suffer when a mother is not at peace with herself. All these things in turn reflect in the atmosphere of the society. This is one of the issues Dining with Christ seeks to address. A woman whose soul is ministered to and who feels refreshed will always radiate joy in her home and society afterwards. This is our own way of restoring societal peace because a happy joyous woman will bred happy children and build a happy society.

Growing up I was a fun-loving domesticated but shy girl. I wasn’t the going out-going type and that makes people who knew me then wonder how I became a public person. I was a book-warm! My studious life however earned me the scholarship which took me to the former Soviet Union where I did Medicine. I also graduated with a distinction from the university. I love studying and I thank God it paid off.

Meeting my husband He also studied in former Soviet Union; we were classmates. We left Nigeria in the same year and were probably in the same flight, but we didn’t know each other until we became house-mates.

We began dating at a point, and after school, we thought it wasn’t going to work out since he is Yoruba while I’m Ibo. After six months of separation, we reunited again in England and got married afterwards.

C M Y K

PAGE 38—SUNDAY Vanguard,

DECEMBER 16, 2012

The sad end of seven students, nine others on the highway

BY DAUD OLATUNJI,Abeokuta

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T

HEY were 16 with dif ferent missions but ended up the same way – tragically. Seven students were crushed by a granite-laden truck as they were returning home after school in Ewekoro local government area of Ogun State. Few hours later, another four persons died when a Toyota Camry car marked, Lagos MUS 948 AR, and a Mazda marked, Lagos JP 602 AAA, collided at Olodo village along Abeokuta-Ibadan Road in Obafemi-Owode local government area. As if it was a day of death in the state, another accident that claimed the lives of five persons occured at Ogere village, by the old toll gate along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Sagamu local government area.

If all the 16 victims had known that death was lurking around, perhaps they would have kept in-doors. Even if the parents and relatives of the seven students of Itori Comprehensive High School, Wasimi had a premonition of the tragedy,they might have stopped their wards from going to school that day.

The day, a Wednesday, had a unique date, 12-12-12, which some people, especially in

The first accident was reportedly caused by the loss of control by the driver of the graniteladen truck which fell on the home-bound students after school hours.

,

Christianity, attached importance to, but it brought bad tidings to the families of the victims. The three separate auto accidents occurred on three major federal highways: Abeokuta – Ibadan Road in Obafemi-Owode local government; Abeokuta – Lagos Road in Remo North local government; and Lagos – Ibadan Expressroad in Ewekoro local government. The first accident was reportedly caused by the loss of control by the driver of the granite- laden truck which fell on the home-bound students after school hours.

The development was said to

The scene of the accident in which the students died have provoked anger of some residents of Itori who were mainly youths as they took to the streets, burning tyres in protest against the accident and smashed about 50 vehicles.

Sunday Vanguard reliably gathered that the anger of the residents stemmed from the lackadaisical attitude of the chairman of the local government, Dele Soluade, and security agencies to rescue the victims. In an attempt to curb the

ing Serifat Sanni, 36-yr-old graduate, miss Sanni, a 36-

A

‘silver alert’ has been issued for Tanwa Serifat year-old lady, who was said to have left home mysteriously on Friday October 12, 2012 in Ajegunle, Lagos State, and has since young not returned. What can possibly explain the disappearance of the at No ce residen her left have to said was she as y lady remains a myster around le, Ajegun op, Bus-st Alao by Road, Ojo Street, wu 116 Ezeag 5am without a hint of where she was going.

Family members said the police in the area have been contacted. sity Serifat, a graduate of business administration, Lagos State Univer with home left have to said was ), (LASU N500,000 (cash) which was given to her by her parents to start up a trade since she could not secure employment 11 years after graduating. She was said to have collected the money a few days before her mysterious disappearance from home.

A family member told Sunday Vanguard that the light in complexion lady, who is about 5ft tall, had never suffere d from dementia The family urged anyone with information about where Serifat can be found to contact Alhaji Sanni Isiaka on 08054 01820 8, Agboola Ganiyat on 08032262731 or the Serifat...no hint nearest police station. about whereabouts

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spread of the violence, an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), belonging to the Ogun State Police Command, was deployed to the scene.

Confirming the accident,the Itori Unit Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commis-

sion (FRSC), Fatai Bakare, explained that the corpses of the students had been deposited at Ifo general hospital.

The second accident where four persons died, Sunday Vanguard gathered that axes were used by sympathisers to cut the vehicles before the corpses of the victims could be removed.

Confirming the accident, the Sector Commander of the FRSC in Ogun State, Mr Ayobami Omiyale, attributed the cause to dangerous driving and over speeding.

Confirming the third accident, which claimed five lives, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, said the accident was caused by a cement- laden truck.He said the truck fell and blocked the road after Ogere in Remo axis on the way to Ibadan as against the insinuation that the victims were killed by robbers operating on the road.Also confirming the incident, the FRSC commander in Ogere, Mr.Godwin Sangbana, said the articulated vehicle heading to Ibadan lost control and rammed into three commercial vehicles.

Sangbana said the corpses of the victims had been deposited at a nearby hospital. Some residents of Ogun State blamed the accidents on the bad condition of the roads. According to Wale Akande, an eye witness of the Itori accident, a pedestrian bridge is needed in the area for the protection of the people especially students.

Ekiti first graduate, ex-Christ’s School Principal forgotten — Family

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI, Ado Ekiti

he family of the late Chief Elijah Babalola,the first uni versity graduate in Ekiti State and Minister of Public Works during the time of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo as Premier of the defunct Western Region, have expressed displeasure over alleged abandonment of the family by the state and federal governments.The family are equally shocked that 28 years after the demise of the first African Principal of the famous Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti, government has not deemed it fit to honour the late politician.

Speaking at Saint Micheal Anglican Church,Oye Ekiti during the launching of a magazine in honour of the late politician, one of his sons, Mr Akin Babalola, expressed the displeasure of the family to government which, according to him, has abandoned the family.

The son, who recounted the contributions of his late father to the development of his immediate community,Oye Ekiti and the country as a whole, noted

that some of the roads and public utilities put in place during the regime of Awolowo were the brainchild of his late father. ”Aside this, my late father taught in many places like Ijebu,Sagamu ,Oyo,Abeokuta ,Ibadan before he became the first African Principal of Christ’s School Ado Ekiti. ”He was equally instrumental to the coming together and urbanisation of many communities both in the state and outside Ekiti today, especially Iyin,Oye, Ikole, Ikare-Akoko. ”The late chief and Papa Adekunle Ajasin were commissioned to prepare a policy paper on free education at Olowo’s palace at Owo. ”I have personally written to the president,Dr Goodluck Jonathan, and Ekiti State governor,Dr Kayode Fayemi, on the need to remember and honour this great Nigerian, even posthumously. But, up till now, there has been no response.” Speaking also at the occasion, one-time minister,Chief Ayo Ogunlade, commended the late politician for his contributions, especially for championing the movement of Oye town from the old site to the present sit.

SUNDAY Vanguard,

DECEMBER 16, 2012,

PAGE 39

Man tells court: I married mother and daughter

BY ADEOLA ADENUGA

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L – R: Dr. Uche Obienu Chairman Orient Progressive Forum(Middle), making presentations to Mr. Kareem Ayoade an officer of the Modupe Cole Memorial Home, Akoka, Lagos when the club visited the home at the weekend as part of their annual Unity Festival.

Benin set to appease ancestors

BY EPHRAIM OSEJI

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GUE Festival is one of the ways the people of the great Benin Kingdom and the paramount king Oba Eradiawa annually appease their ancestors for their protection through out the year.

This heroic and age-long festival is usually done during the end of every year. It attracts foreigners, sons and daughters within Nigeria and in diaspora .

The Festival, according to the Secretary of Benin Traditional Council (BTC) Irabor Frank said Igue is one of the festivals in ‘Ugie’ which encompasses all the festivals celebrated in the yearly Benin Calendar.

The palace scribe also hinted that all the festivals have their significance and dates of celebration which include Otue Ugierhoba where all chiefs go to the palace to pay homage to the Oba, Igue Edohia, the day all Benin sons and daughters, irrespective of religious affiliations perform their worship and thank their God by appeasing the ancestors as well as celebration of the outgoing year. While the Ugie Ewere is to express good wishes and blessings to all homes where a special kind leaves gotten from the forest is given to all while the sticks is used to sweep the compound

Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolopolo, Oba Erediauwa of Benin

early morning signifying that we are sweeping away our sorrows, pains and misfortunes as we approach a new year” he said.

As of the issue of rituals Irabor reasoned that the Igue Festivals is part of Benin tradition where sacrifice must be made in one form or another as done in other religion “to thank or appease your God, you make sacrifice of using olive oil to anoint or bless members, same way we slaughter animals in the public before we eat it. I can subscribe to it as rituals of interior motives when it is done in secrecy but when done in the open, it is legitimate like the one our Oba does.”

The BTC secretary explained that during the festival, special prayers are for the peace in the country, the home state, all government officials as well as progress in the land were offered by chiefs or priests in the land.

The Oba spokesman said the

Ugie festival which is the parent body of all festivals in the Benin Kingdom are combination of different events by different Obas of the Benin Empire.

He specifically narrated that all the kingdoms, chiefdoms and dukedoms which made up the empire usually present gifts of different kinds to the Oba during Otue Ugierhoba, meaning paying of homage to the Oba is now restricted to the Benin Chiefs”.

The Benin Traditional council Secretary further said the Igue Festival was celebrated in other lands which made the defunct Benin Empire but with the ever invasive Western culture and educated elites, the festival is observed in few parts of Nigeria and some Western nation where the Oba usually sends representatives to monitor and supervise the rituals.

Kwara council votes for houses for all

BY DEMOLA AKINYEMI, IIorin he chairman of Offa local government area of Kwara State Prince Saheed Popoola has urged indigenes of Offa irrespective of political affiliation to strive to benefit from the efforts of his administration to provide good housing in the area. Aside the ongoing 100 housing units being provided at Ajegunle out of which 50 have been completed and occupied,the council, in collaboration with another private developer, commenced the building of another 1,000-unit housing estate, called Ifokanbale estate. He said the efforts transcend its administration as MOUs have been duly signed with respective developers which would be binding on the successive administrations. Popoola explained that the efforts are targeted at ending the problems of fraud and insincerity the indigenes of Offa in Nigeria and overseas used to encounter while sending money to friends and relations to build houses for them and also to boost its internally generated revenue.

Also speaking at the ground breaking ceremony, the Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi, said that the 63 hectares project was in a synergy with current state government and an attempt to key into the transformational agenda of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.

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rs Florence ltianu has pleaded with a Lagos Grade ‘A’ Customary Court, sitting in Agege, to dissolve her 12-year-old marriage over battery, threat to life and lack of care.

The 48-year-old woman, resident at 4, Kaka Street, Agege, told the court that her marriage had never been peaceful.

But the defendant in the case, Donatus, said his mother-in-law turned herself into his wife in his house, saying that was the beginning of his crisis.

“I know I married two women, mother and daughter ”, the husband said.

“The first four years of my marriage was sweet, but trouble began when my second wife (mother-in-law) started living in my house.” According to the wife: “I have been managing the marriage. I have been smiling outside and shedding secret tears, all because I don’t want to leave my husband because of my children.”

She continued: “Since the inception of the marriage, I have been the head of the home because my husband is so stingy and won’t part with any money unless it is stolen from him. ”I have been responsible for the house rent, feeding, children school fees and other expenses in the house. ”All my husband does is to sit down early in the morning and be expecting food to walk in on its own to his table. ”I would not have thought of leaving him if not for the beating I do receive from him. ”He beats me any time he asks for money and I refuse, he nags and complains a lot, he talks like the parrot and has been threatening to kill me. ”I know him. Whenever he is angry, he can misbehave and would not mind the consequence. I want to live for my children. ”I am fed up. I have heard a lot of stories of husbands killing their wives, I do not want to fall a victim.” She told the court not give room for reconciliation “because it cannot work.” Florence urged the court to dissolve the marriage and grant her custody of the children. Donatus denied the allegations. He told the court that his mother-in-law had been the source of the crisis in his home. ”I am a gentle man, I love my wife and kids, but my problem is my mother-in-law who controls my home”, he said. ”My mother-in-law has been staying with us for the past eight years, you will know what I would have gone through in that house. ”Mama controls all the activities in the house. She tells my wife what to do, she gives instructions in the house as if she owns the house. ”Some times in the night, I will wait for my wife to join me on the bed till around 12 mid night and if I don’t see her, I will sleep off. ”The next day if I ask her what she was doing in the sitting room that kept her so long, she simply would tell me that she was in a meeting with her mother. ”I know I married two women, mother and daughter. ”How will I be happy with the happenings in my home?

I ventured into some business but my wife and mother ruined it. ”The first four years of my marriage was sweet, but trouble began when my second wife came(my motherin-law), started living in my house.” The 52 year- oldman told the court that he was ready to be responsible if his mother-in-law left the house for them. The court asked the respondent to improve his relationship with his wife and see if the situation will change, while Florence should bring her mother at the adjourned date, January 29, 2013, for further hearing of the case.

PAGE 40—SUNDAY Vanguard,

DECEMBER 16, 2012

Mimiko delivers pregnant women with the GSM HE woman looks excit edly at the phone as it rings. She had wanted to call the man at the other end of the phone, but he has now beaten her to it. The man is the physician attached to her after she became pregnant and she registered at the state government medical facility in Owena town. The essence of the physician-called the Health Ranger- being attached to her is to enable him attend to her medical needs so that she can carry the pregnancy through without complications. Not only is the physician attached to her, she also got a mobile phone to facilitate communication with him at the state government expense. Since she woke up this morning, she had felt extraordinarily tired, necessitating her decision to call the physician.

But somehow she has been unable to make the call .Now as if the physician knows she has some challenge concerning her pregnancy that requires urgent attention, he is calling her. She picks the phone to tell the physician about her state of health.

The Health Range informs her that she appears to be suffering from severe morning sickness. He adds that she would need first aid treatment in one of the ambulances –on- tricycle in town before being moved to the Mother and Child Hospital

in Akure. This pregnant woman is a beneficiary of the Safe Motherhood (Abiye) programme of the Ondo State government under the leadership of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko. The Safe Motherhood programme is an innovation by the Mimiko administration to cut infant and maternal mortality rates in the state. The administration came in, in 2009.One year before then, the infant and maternal mortality rates had assumed an

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BY CHARLES AKINMURELE

ambitious programme not only to cut infant and maternal deaths tremendously, but also increase the utilisation of health care facilities in Ondo State.

Specifically, the aim was to reduce child mortality by 50 percent in 2011, maternal mortality also by 50 percent and increase facility utilization by 60 percent . Under the Safe Motherhood programme, there are Abiye Centers in the communities across the state

At the point of registration at the Abiye Centre, the pregnant woman is assigned a physician, a specially trained community health worker called the Health Ranger, to effectively monitor her

alarming dimension. The state was rated by the Nigerian Demographic and Health Statistics as having the worst maternal and child health statistics in the south-west.

This was enough to give a governor with a Caring Heart a cause for concern. A survey showed where the problem lay: poor access to medical facilities by children and pregnant women especially in the rural areas of the state. The onus to reverse the ugly trend lay on mimiko, himself a medical doctor. He conceived the Safe Motherhood programme, loosely translating to Abiye in Yoruba. It was an

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with the Mother and Child Hospital being the apex facility and a referral centre for complicated cases.

The first Mother and Child Hospital was built in Akure, the state capital, with a bigger one in Ondo town.Others have been designated for different parts of the state, that is, no less than one in each senatorial district. There is so much care for the expectant mother and her unborn baby under the Safe Motherhood programme. She is registered, treated and looked after throughout the duration of her pregnancy and until about two months after putting to bed,

free of charge. This translates to each beneficiary spending about 11 months being taken care of under the programme.

At the point of registration at the Abiye Centre, the pregnant woman is assigned a physician, a specially trained community health worker called the Health Ranger, to effectively monitor her. She also gets a mobile phone linked to a toll-free user group to ease communication with the physician.

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he latest addition to the Safe Motherhood pro gramme is the ambulance-on-tricycle stationed in villages and communities across Ondo State. The ambulance-on-tricycle, about 50 of them, were procured by the Mimiko administration and to give first aid treatment to expectant mothers before they can access the Abiye Centre or the apex maternal facility nearest to them, the Mother and Child Hospital. The ambulance-ontricycle became necessary after it was found that many pregnant women in the villages require first aid before getting to the maternal facilities nearest to them. The evidence that the Ondo maternal Interventionist programme is well on course, contrary to the dismissive insinuation by the opposition parties that nothing to cheer is happening in the health sector, particularly in this all-important segment, in the run- up to the Oc-

tober 20 poll, is the completion of another Mother and Child Hospital in Ondo town.

The apex maternity facility was commissioned by the governor recently. The commissioning is a signal that, before long, there will be the referral institution across Ondo State and expectant women and children would be better for it. Today, the Safe Motherhood initiative is a success story such that it has earned Mimiko accolades from far and near.

The pilot scheme took place in Ifedore council and it was a huge success, following which personnel under the programme was deployed state wide, that is, in the other sixteen councils. To underscore the widespread acceptance of the Abiye programme, within nine months of operation, 17,220 out-patients, including 10,300 children under five years and 6,920 pregnant women, benefited. This is in addition to 3,235 safe deliveries, 521 caesarean sections and 1,876 pediatrics admission. This is at no cost whatsoever to the beneficiaries.

The achievement of the programme in nine months pales into insignificance compared to what was achieved by the second anniversary of Safe Motherhood in Ondo State. By last year (2011), 31,000 patients had received treatment in the Ondo maternal facilities.

These include 11,879 deliveries and 1,400 caesarian sections.

Now, with an average of 20 deliveries daily at the Akure apex facility, statistics are growing to suggest that pregnancy is no longer a death sentence in the state.

And contrary to the bleak outlook in 2008 that saw the poor rating of the state by the National Demographic and Health Survey which put Ondo at the bottom of the table in the south west, a comparison of maternal mortality rates with major medical facilities in four states across the country indicate that the Abiye programme had the lowest mortality rate.

Among those who are celebrating the new dawn for childhood and motherhood under the guidance of Mimiko are gynecologists and obstetricians who know the difference between what had been in Ondo State and what is prevailing.

On the International scene, the Mimiko campaign to stem infant and maternal deaths is causing excitement at the World Bank. The Ondo State commissioner for information, Mr Kayode Akinrinmade, is no less excited about the giant strides of the Safe Motherhood programme.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012 — PAGE 41

Pastor Augustus N. Aeba, National Vice President of the Apostolic Church and Maritime Field Superintendent (centre), from right Pastor M. N. Teeh, 2nd Deputy Field Superintendent, Pastor Emmanuel Mbakwe (National Leader, The Apostolic Church, United Kingdom and Special Guest of Honour, Pastor L. O. Ogbonna, (1st Deputy Field Superintendent) and Pastor Barry A. Isaac (Field Secretary during the 35th Annual Convention of The Apostolic Church, Maritime Field (Rivers and Bayelsa) held at the Field Headquarters, Bodo City, Gokana Local Government Area, Rivers State.

From left: Mrs Mercy Ojarigho, Tejiri Ojarigho, Mr Lucky Ajokperiniovo, Mr Charles Ajokperiniovo and Mr Dave Ajokperiniovo during the call to Bar of Lucky in Abuja recently

Clara Oshiomhole Foundation holds medicare

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CTIVITIES marking the s e c o n d anniversary of the transition of Clara Aiyeho Oshiomhole, late Edo State First Lady and wife of Governor Adams Oshiomhole, has been flagged off with the Clara Oshiomhole Memorial Free Medical Mission.

The mission is taking place at the Women and Children Hospital, Okaigben, Ewohimi Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State.

The event was flagged off by Mrs Winnie Owunmi, eldest daughter of the late first lady, even as thousands of patients, including a woman whose twin babies were malnourished as she has not been able to breast feed them. She is suffering from Osteosarcoma-cancer of the bone. They were however referred to Otibho Specialist Hospital for further treatment with their medical bills to be taken care of by the f o u n d a t i o n .

The patients were thankful to the organizers for coming to their rescue particularly as they were not in any position to pay for the treatment they received for their medical challenges.

Speaking at the programme, the state gover nor, Comrade Oshiomhole, who was represented by Deaconess Endurance Odubu, wife of the deputy gover nor, was full of praise for the organizers for conducting what he described as an effective medical intervention event given the scope of its operation.

The mission treated thousands of patients with different medical challenges, including hypertension and diabetes.

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PAGE 42—SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012

Igbinedion, Oshiomhole at war over Property Tax

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

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Gov Adams Oshiomhole....We don’t collect revenue from Okada riders

Chief Gabriel Igbinedion....We have been paying up till date

refused to pay tax, he narrated that the Bill had been with the lawmakers since Oshiomhole assumed office in 1998, but that the lawmakers decided to revive it now in order to cushion the effects of the dwindling revenue from the Federation Account. According to him, “this Bill is actually targeted at the rich so as to help the poor. We don’t collect revenue from Okada riders, we don’t collect from market women. But there are people who have properties in GRA and we believe that they have to pay on those properties so we can use the money to develop other areas. Those kicking against it are the same people we are targeting but they will not succeed”.

This disclosure elicited a protest in Benin-City by youths under the aegis of the Benin Youth Council. The youths argued that the law will further impoverish the poor masses. They claimed it was targeted at the Binis who, according to them, own most of the properties in BeninCity. The youths echoed the ethnic sentiment that was played during the governorship election, when they declared that because Oshiomhole and the Majority Leader of the state House of Assembly, Philip Shuaibu, who moved the motion at the floor of the House, are from Edo North senatorial district, it was a ploy to impoverish the Binis.

Shuaibu went on air to explain what the Bill was all about. While citing those expected to pay the Property Tax, he mentioned Igbinedion whose country home at Okada Avenue GRA stretched the entire street. His comment elicited more protests in the streets, with the youths asking him to apologize to the Esama.

create poverty or create wealth?”

While the brouhaha was on, the Edo State Board of Internal Revenue, on Thursday, sealed the premises of the Independent Television (ITV) owned by Igbinedion over alleged nonpayment of tax. The closure heightened tension between the state government and the Igbinedion family. While some said the action was politically motivated, the very poor and even the middle

Shuaibu reacted to the protests and the abuses rained on him by the protesters to Sunday Vanguard: “I think the very revered Oba of Benin, Omo’N’ Oba Nedo, Uku Akpolopkolo, Oba Erediawua, has laid to rest the issue of ethnicity in Edo State and it is buried for life. If anybody wants to raise the issue, I think that person is doing so at his peril. The issue of ethnicity, I think, was already dealth with by the election, but, in this Bill, I want to say that to whom much is given much is

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HE signing of the Property Bill into law

by Governor Adams Oshiomhole has pitted the governor against one of the political patriarchs in Edo State, the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion. The talk in the state is that prior to the governorship election, it was Oshiomhole vs the PDP leader, Chief Tony Anenih. But after the election, the battle has now shifted to Igbinedion. And while Anenih was battling for his PDP, in this case, Igbinedion is battling to protect his property due to the state government tax policies.

But any one who recalled Oshiomhole’s statement when he took office in 2008, he made it clear that to move the state forward, he must step on toes. Any observer, who was at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on 12 November, 2008, will not be surprised about recent events in the state. The Property Bill came like a calm wind, but soon snowballed into a whirl wind that is currently shaking the politics of the state. The Bill is called Land Use Charge Law sponsored by the Executive.

According to the law, properties exempted from the payment of the Land Use Charge include “a property owned or occupied by a religious body and approved exclusively for public worship or religious education; public cemeteries and burial grounds; public libraries; all official palaces of recognized traditional rulers in the state and property specifically exempted by the governor of Edo State by notice published in the state government official gazette”.

Penultimate week, the chairman of the state Board of Internal Revenue, Chief Useni Elamah, was the first to hint of the coming law, when he spoke on the dwindling allocation to the state from the Federation Account and disclosed that government had sponsored the Bill with a view to collecting more taxes in order for the comrade governor to meet up with his promises to the people of the state. The Property Tax, he said, will help boost the revenue of the state government and enable government complete all ongoing projects and also commence new projects.

Asserting that those kicking against the property Bill are some few elites who have

The merit of the Bill is that it will create wealth and eradicate insecurity because when the youth are adequately engaged obviously insecurity will begin to come to an end

expected. If you look at the Bill, you will see that it refers to choice and non-choice areas and you have them all over the state. Choice areas and urban areas; by law are all local governmental headquarters in Edo State. All the 18 local government areas are urban areas so if you want to own a house for instance in a certain location, you know where choice areas are. The choice areas obviously should pay more. The merit of the Bill is that it will create wealth and eradicate insecurity because when the youth are adequately engaged obviously insecurity will begin to come to an end. Nigeria and Edo State politics has returned to issues and not ethnicity and the issue is, is the Bill going to

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class hailed it, saying, “at least the rich can also cry”.

But a lot of people are still wondering what could have gone wrong between Oshiomhole and the Igbinedions.

A former governor of the state, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, supported Oshiomhole’s coming as governor. A top chieftain of the ruling party who acknowledged this fact, however, told Sunday Vanguard: “Oshiomhole has also assisted the Igbinedions.

I don’t thing Oshiomhole has any problem with Lucky but with his father who spent so much money to ensure that Oshiomhole was voted out.

Infact he said it openly that Oshiomhole’s coming back

will bring poverty to the elite.

But the truth is that Oshiomhole wants to work and he needs money to do that. He is very conscious of this issue that governors don’t perform in their second term. Unlike many politicians, this man has his name to protect and will not want to disappoint the people”.

However, the General Manager of ITV, Mr Ogbeide Uwumwonse, who spoke on the closure of ITV and the allegation that Igbinedion doesn’t pay tax, stated: “If you hate somebody, you will never agree with what the person is doing. We have done every thing to ensure that every thing goes on well. The tax they said we are owing, the matter has been in court because we disagreed with the figure they gave to us. But, at the end of the day, we went to pay the money to the court before they reopened the TV station. We had to go to court to say we want to pay to the court. We asked them how they arrived at that figure. What is still surprising us is that we pay our tax every month, so for them to say we don’t pay tax or that Chief Igbinedion doesn’t pay tax is not true. Go to the Board of Internal Revenue`, our records are there. All I know is that we have been paying up till date, there is no month we don’t pay tax”. On the allegation that ITV is being used to abuse Oshiomhole and backing those kicking against the Property Law, Ogbiede asserted: “We don’t allow people to abuse any body on TV. We have been doing our job professionally by ensuring that we balance our stories. We allow those against the law to speak and we also Continues on page 43

SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 43

Igbinedion, Oshiomhole at war over Property Tax allow those in support of the law. As a matter of fact, we have been very fair to this administration more than any other station in the state. The Esama of Benin is a well known man and he does not play with issues like tax. He pays as and when due; so it will be unfair for anyone to accuse him of not paying tax”.

Oshiomhole, who signed the Bill into law, penultimate Friday, participated in a stakeholders meeting on Monday overf the law. He described as mischievous the insinuation that the law will impoverish the poor and declared that the rich must pay the tax so as to assist the poor.

I will implement the new tax law ruthlessly- Oshiomhole Excerpts from the governor’s statement: hey tried to give the impression as though the law is made to impoverish the poor. People who have benefited and who are benefiting from a system that have impoverished the poor will do every thing possible to try to sustain that system even it means misusing their television and radio stations to turn the truth upside

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down. But the truth is very stubborn, it is like gold. And therefore I thought that in the midst of this deliberate attempt by few individuals who do not mean our state well to turn things upside down and even to use people who are the victims of their own abuse, of their own accumulation to use them as their own soldiers to fight for them, I felt it was time for this town hall meeting to discuss the truth. In asking the Edo people to elect me, I never pretended to any one that my family has the resources to develop Edo State. If I had said so, none of you who know me well will believe me because my father did not die as a millionaire and I am not sure that he had a bank account. What I believe is that we have resources which, if we manage properly, we will be able to rebuild the state.

When I assumed office in 2008, the revenue accruing to the state was about N300 million per month.

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ut even that amount was being collected through tax agents who were paid between 25-30 per cent of that N300 million.

Which means, some people were pocketing over N65-70 million from that N300 million a month? One of the first things I did was to terminate

that immoral contract when I came in. So when they are their abusing us, it is because we disconnected the supply line and I have no apologies at all.

And Edo will never return to the past whereby one individual will be sucking the system, without evidence of hard work where they can be boasting of millionaires while our people are wallowing in

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Continued from page 42

We have tried to be fair, my promise is that we will apply the law without fear or favour

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continue to do that. Today our laws have been amended and from the President of Nigeria to my humble self, all of us now pay our tax. Even the Okada riders among us contribute something. We have tried to be fair, my promise is that we will apply the law without fear or favour. The law does not know that you are a rich man, infact it expects the rich to behave more responsibly because they benefit more and they have greater stake if the system collapses. We have been able to raise our revenue up to about N2 billion a month. But we also know that the salary earners complained they were paying too much tax, not only in Edo State but also across the country. As a result, there was down ward review of Personal Income Tax. We reviewed their taxes here and that brought down our IGR from about N2 billion to about N1.2billion.

But our obligation to deliver, we don’t need to go to our children to tell them that we cannot build schools due to dwindling revenue.

Property Tax

poverty. So if I have committed any sin by insisting that the revenue of Edo must be judiciously applied in a way that we have delivered welfare to the people of this state, I will

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n 2000, many civil servants were sacked in this state, even permanent secretaries and they were not paid their

gratuities and pension. Today, it is my lot to look for resources to pay those people who were sacked. Bendel Breweries is not working because the debt over hang was getting to almost N2 billion, we had to intervene by entering into a deal with APCON so that we can now pay APCON almost N1 billion and we are paying installmentally. Who ran down Bendel Breweries? Is it me?

(The crowd shouted, no). Last year, the Federal Inland Revenue Board was going to obtain a court order for them to deduct, almost at once, VAT and withholding tax which my predecessors accumulated amounting to almost N1.5billion. I had to ask them why did you people not collect this money while my predecessors were there?

Today, as we speak, every month, it is my lot to look for money to pay this accumulated money since 2000. As we speak today, I am sure some of our permanent secretaries will tell you that for six months, civil servants in some states have not received salaries.

We will never make policies that will impoverish the poor.

But what we are determined to do is that those who are rich, some of them manipulated the system to get there, they will pay tax. We now looked inward that we have God given land.

Abusing girls in the name of beauty pageant is not our focus — Group

BY CALEB AYANSINA

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non-governmen tal organisation known as Polo Sport Modeling Agency, PSMA, says it has no intention of trading Nigerian girls in the name of organizing

beauty pageant, but poised to restore their self-esteem through empowerment and skill acquisition programmes.

Speaking to newsmen on the forthcoming Miss Beauty Pageant with the theme, ‘Every Girl Can Rise Above Poverty with Dignity ’, the public relation

Community threatens AGIP

BY JIMITOTA ONOUME

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KEBIRI 2 community in Bayelsa State has threat ened a show down with Agip Oil Company over issues relating to environmental pollution.

In a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt and signed by Chief Samuel Fiobotei, Ebiegberi Femene and Charles Woniowei, the community said the oil giant had shunned every meeting slated to look into how the environmental problem could be resolved.

They said they wrote for audience with the company since November and have not had any response. The community, they said they were ready for peace talks with the oil giant to avoid any form of friction.

In a related development, youths of Bodo warned Shell not to forcefully come into Ogoni area of Rivers State to avert bloodshed.

A statement issued under the

aegis of Bodo City youth council and signed by Barr Naazigha-lue and Jude Putornor, accused the multinational oil giant of planning to return to Ogoni for oil operation. The youths said they would resist such move.

officer of PSMA, Odafe Atogun, said the agency will leverage on the glamour and power associated with polo in the country to champion the cause of Nigerian girls.

“Our girls and women must be able to aspire for success without being subjected to any form of indignity. The aim is to leverage on the glamour and power that associated with Polo by organizing the ‘Miss Polo Beauty Pageant’ to draw the attention of the power that be to the need to empower the Nigerian girl and curb the ugly trend of prostitution.

Each Miss Polo Beauty Pageant will be organized independently, but integrated with the main event at every polo tournament”, he stated.

Winner of Miss Ecowas Peace Ambassador 2012 Zirra Banu(Nigeria) flanked by the the 1st Runner-up Anne Lise(Cote D' Ivoire) and the 2nd Runner-up Keisha Ferguson(Ghana) at the beauty pageant sponsored by Rivers State Government in Port Harcourtt.

Mark, Fayemi, Makinde mourn Adetiloye

BY KAFAYAT TIJANI

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ENATE President, Senator David Mark has described the late former Primate of the Anglican Communion, Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Abiodun Joseph Adetiloye, as a true servant of God. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, Mark said Adetiloye’s death was a sad loss to the nation and the Christian community worldwide.

“Nigeria has once again lost

one of her outstanding patriots and statesmen. The late Adetiloye would be remembered for his concern for the welfare and the living standard of the down trodden , his crusade for peace and unity of the nation where every citizen have a sense of belonging”, he added.

While also mourning Adetiloye, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State described the late former Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) as a “global citizen who lived well, served well and died well.”

The governor made the remark

when he paid a condolence visit to the family of the late former primate at his hometown, Odo-Owa, in Ijero Local Government Area of the state.

Fayemi urged the family of the deceased and Ekiti people at large not to mourn the demise of the cleric but to celebrate him for living a fulfilled life and living for the people he served.

The governor promised that the state government will be fully involved in the obsequies for the late primate.

In his own tribute to Adetiloye, the prelate of

Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Sunday Ola Makinde, described the death as a loss to the Christian community and the nation-atlarge.

In a release by the church’s Media and Public Relations Officer, Rev. Oladapo Daramola, the prelate said: “One of God’s generals has transited from the Church militant to the Church triumphant. Papa Adetiloye was indeed a servant of the living God. He laid an extraordinary example for people like us to follow and we will surely miss him”.

C M Y K

PAGE 44 --- SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012

08023145567 (sms only)

sameyoboka@yahoo.com

Oritsejafor asks Islamic youths to shun fundamentalist ideologies

BY SAM EYOBOKA

Gowon blames nation's economic woes on successors

W

ARRI---WOR RIED by the growing trend of terrorism in northern Nigeria, a coalition of Christian and Muslim youths paid a courtesy visit to the National President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and cochairman of Nigerian Inter-Religious Council, NIREC, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor in his church office in Warri, seeking new approaches to tackle the menace.

The 20-man delegation was led by the national president of Youth Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria, YOWICAN, Dr. Simon Dolly and his Islamic counterpart, the national president of National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations, NACOMYO, Alhaji Kamal’ddin Akintunde and was joined by five leaders from the Muslim community in Warri.

Welcoming the joint leadership of Youth Wing of CAN, YOWICAN, and the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations, NACOMYO, Pastor Oritsejafor charged the Muslim youths whose members are often used by the perpetrators of the violence, to take the gospel of peace to the grassroots on the need for youths to refuse to be used.

According to the CAN president, who expressed delight for the visit by the joint leadership of YOWICAN and NACOMYO, the time has come peace loving youths of this country to rise in defence of the peace of the nation because no country can develop in an atmosphere devoid of

Continues on page 46

BY SAM EYOBOKA

F

*CAN president, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor presenting a gift to the head of delegation of Christian and Muslim Youths, Alhaji Kamal'ddin Akintunde (r) while the national president of Youth Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria, YOWICAN, Dr. Simon Dolly (c) looks on. peace and tranquility.

It is amazing, he added, that the two major

religions in the country, Christianity and Islam, were unanimous about

the preaching of peace, tolerance and good neiContinued on Page 47

ANNIVERSARY: L-R: Second Superintendent Pastor, Qua Iboe Church, Lagos, Rev. Peter Ejeba; former Superintendent Pastor, Rev. Udoh Akpan; current Superintendent Pastor, Rev. Joshua Udoh; immediate past Superintendent Pastor, Rev. Daniel Akwatang; Rev. Samuel Ebukiba and the church trustee, Elder Christian Etang cutting the cake to mark the 50th anniversary of Qua Iboe Church, Nigeria, Lagos Superintendency, in Lagos recently.

ORMER Head of State and initiator of Nigeria Prays, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, retd, penultimate Sunday declared that Nigeria would have been ranking among the great economies of the world if succeeding governments followed, to the letter, the national development plans of earlier governments.

Gowon who commended the selfless efforts of Godfearing Nigerians like the pioneer Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Apostle Hayford Alile, also enjoined Nigerian youth to be focused and fear God to effectively make quality contributions to the development of the nation.

Speaking as the special guest of honour at the St. Joseph's Chosen Church of God, Osapa London, Lekki, Lagos harvest of in-gathering/thanksgiving service, the former Head of State noted that his regime dominated by young persons gave Nigeria quality leadership through the national development plans which would have catapulted the nation to enviable heights but were jettisoned as soon as his administration was overthrowned.

He argued that the economic blueprint his administration put in place was a long term that would have propelled the nation out of the classification of a developing nation to a developed one but those who came after him did not see reason to run with that vision.

Gowon who was dressed in a white agbada, also used the occasion to defend the 1974 Udoji award which many Nigerians described as a bad economic decision as it caused hyper inflation, arguing that it was intended to give Nigerians a meaningful life.

He said Apostle Alile's effective handling of the Nigeria Stock Exchange was one of the achievements of his administration, and "I am proud to say that God gave a man like Apostle Alile to pilot the affairs of the place."

He therefore urged Nigerian youths to emulate the likes of Alile who had demonstrated and continue to show that you can be in government and come out without blemish.

In his brief message for the incoming year, Apostle Alile said he was holidaying in his daughter's apartment in New Jersey, US when he heard a loud voice saying: 'No limit', adding "God will give the Church and all those who are genuinely called by His name, limitless access to His treasure house."

He therefore appealed to Nigerians to put their trust in God who is able to surmount every mountain in every part of the country and give the nation peace "because He is the Prince of peace."

Earlier in a short sermon, the Western regional apostle, Apostle Godwin Ikponmwosa urged Nigerians to invest in the Kingdom of God because Jesus Christ is the sure place to invest to receive bountiful harvest.

At LUTH golden jubilee celebration: Olukoya urges Nigerians to pray

G

ENERAL Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Minis tries, Dr. Daniel Olukoya has described prayer and divine intervention from God as veritable tools that can salvage the country from its present unstable condition, reports OLAYINKA LATONA. Speaking at a special programme and prayer organised by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, to mark C M Y K

the golden jubilee anniversary of the institution, Dr. Olukoya urged Nigerians not to relent in praying for the peace of Nigeria.

The man of God stressed that Nigeria as a country is in desperate need of divine intervention, saying it has gotten to a point where human knowledge, arguments or wisdom can do nothing but the divine hand of God. In his words: “As a country, com-

munities and individuals what we need now is divine intervention and I know that if we can call upon the Lord the situation will change for better."

Hoping that the country would experience a turaround, he admonished the participants on

the topic: “Praying for Divine Intervention,” Olukoya defined divine intervention as a move of God that goes beyond scientific intervention.

He prayed that Nigeria and LUTH will experience a total turn around and impossibilities will become possible.

In his response, the Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Prof. Akin Osibogun expressed gratitude to the MFM general overseer, Dr. Olukoya for gracing the golden jubilee anniversary of LUTH and offering special prayers for the hospital community.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 45

APOSTLE ANSELM MADUBUKO:

If you're against your pastor divorcing, remarrying, leave the church APOSTLE Anselm Madubuko, architect, publisher of the Gospel Forerunner, producer of the New Anointing, convener of the popular ‘ASUZA’ Conference, founder/General Overseer of Revival Assembly Church, Ogba, Ikeja in an interview with Media personalities, speak on the church’s 22nd anniversary cum annual Fire Convention commencing on December 14 to 17. Born of Ihiala, Anambra State parents who were civil servants, Madubuko studied Architecture at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. OLAYINKA LATONA was there. Excerpts…

Give us an insight of what this programmed is all about?

The church started on December 16, 1990. This is the 22nd anniversary. We are thanking God for His faithfulness and getting ready for next year. Normally, at this time every year, we invite guests and hosts events to mark the programme. We call it fire convention, but this year we are taking it to the next level. We are bringing one of the most anointed speakers, Dr. Juanita Bynum. She is at the forefront of evangelization over the years. We are privileged to have her to minister for the first time in Nigeria. We will also be having guest artistes from South Africa, Uche Agu and Chioma Jesus from Nigeria. The 4-day programme is divided to two sessions —morning and evening sessions. My various guests and I will minister.

Why the phrase ‘fire convention’?

The church is becoming lukewarm, cold and not effective. We need a revival to be alive, to be vibrant and to be felt. That was what informed the term ‘fire convention’. It is to provoke an awakening and that is what Revival Assembly is all about.

We heard of the demise of your wife Connie. How have you been coping and any plans for remarriage?

Well I have been coping fine. I am so busy and by the time I get home, I am tired and off to sleep. My children are taking care of me although one of them is about getting married. My plan and focus now is on this our 22nd anniversary and convention.

What is your comment on pastors buying private jets?

It depends on necessity. If the pastor thinks he needs a private jet.

What is the difference between this programme and the church’s yearly ASUZA conference?

Yes we are known for Asuza, a revival that awakens the church conference while this programme is our convention and anniversary celebration.

What are the challenges you have faced in ministry in the last 22 years and how were you able to surmount them?

I was trained as an architect. I never planned to be a pastor. After seven years of practice in 1990, God called me. It wasn’t what I planned to do, it is God’s business. It’s been wonderful. Challenges are no big deal. I looked forward to a flourishing architectural practice after school, I worked with Tom Ikimi. When I got saved in 1983, my plans changed. God began to speak to me to do what I am doing.

I had an architectural firm. I did the Silverbird Galleria and lots of edifices. I planned to keep the ministry and my practice, but after three months I couldn’t cope. I let the practice go. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to take care of my family and at the same time the church.

What is the vision of Revival Assembly?

To raise a dynamic and vibrant ministry, to empower the members with power and prosperity through the Word of God to depend on the Holy

You said you have seen people changed – drug addict, 419, prostitutes and more. What are you doing for them?

Well I don’t have a house to keep them. The best thing I can do is to give them the gospel to see that they are saved. The gospel is all that have changed them. Many of them have had an encounter that changed them; some of them already have their own ministries, families and are generally doing well.

Spirit for the impartation and empowerment of God’s people; that is why the church is referred to as the church with the new anointing. To transform lives, release destinies and fulfill purpose. I have impacted lives – hundreds and thousands of people all over the world. One day I was at the airport waiting and there was this young Yoruba boy who prostrated to greet me. He said; ‘you might not remember me, but I got saved through you.’ I have seen people who were

drug addicts, 419, prostitutes, drug pushers who have passed through this ministry completely changed.

Why is your ministry not establishing branches?

Well, I like to have a personal relationship with my members. I have an apostolic ministry. I work with churches. I don’t plant branches; churches come together to put up a conference.

How do you handle people when they disappoint you?

I don’t have expectation from people.

In fact, I expect them to fail! That way it doesn’t hurt. A lot of people have disappointed me. They have backstabbed me, said and did all manner of bad things but that does not stop me or make me to stop helping other people. So I don’t hold on to that.

Some pastors now divorce and remarry which is against biblical doctrine. What is your take?

If your pastor divorces and remarries and you know it’s not right, leave the church. Maybe the problem is that people do not like to think seriously; what is right or wrong and take a decision and action on it.

We must teach undiluted gospel----GOFAMINT Overseer

By WILLIAM JIMOH

G

ENERAL Overseer of the Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT), Pastor Elijah Oludele Abina has urged members to always preach sound, balanced and undiluted gospel and be progress oriented by contributing to the development of one another as well as supporting the expansion of God’s work.

Speaking Wednesday at the official dedication of 12 assemblies of region 12 and the foundation laying ceremony of the regional headquarters church in Magodo, Lagos, Abina who was represented by the deputy general overseer, Pastor Samuel Ewuola, stressed that the region was able to achieve its “vision seven of 12” through interest exhibited by both leaders and members of the region.

“The vision seven of 12

implies that 12 churches will be dedicated at 12 noon on the 12th day of the 12th month of the year 2012 in region 12 by 12 national leaders and that is what the Lord has done to us today and it is marvelous in our eyes,” he added.

Abina noted that the buildings were dedicated, “for the preaching of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the salvation of the unsaved; for the preaching of the

Word of God, for the edification of the believer, for the nurture and admonition of young and children in faith once delivered unto the saints.”

He maintained that if not for the impact of the growing churches, with daily increase in our population and falling societal standards, the negative effect would have been unbearable to all; just as he added that the church still has a lot

to do.

Speaking further, Abina admonished every Nigerian to give peace a chance, most especially at this period of celebration.

In his keynote address, GOFAMINT regional pastor, Region 12 Lagos, Pastor Peter Awodimila urged both the clergy and the laity to rise up individually and collectively to the challenges of building and raising GOFAMINT to an envia-

ble height, noting that the vision was conceived in realization of the challenges facing the region.

His word: “There were shocking discoveries during my familiarisation tour of the assemblies, that members were worshipping under canopies, but thank God a vision has been fulfilled today.

Having achieved our vision, our messages, services and worship must match the challenges of our time."

PAGE 46 --- SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012

Oyedepo foresees better days for Nigeria

P

OVERCOMING THE WORLD

A

SK a Nigerian Christian how to improve the life of Nigerians, and he will give you a party-political manifesto. He will tell you about the need for non-stop electricity.

He will talk about the need to curtail armed robbery and kidnapping. He will talk about the need to improve the medical facilities. But would such developments improve the life of Nigerians? Certainly not!

Jesus says: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10). What does this abundant life entail? Is it a life abundant in electricity? If it were then the life Jesus promised has already arrived in Europe and America.

However, Jesus does not talk about obtaining electricity. Instead, he implies the overcoming of lack of electricity. Instead, he talks of having peace in spite of lacking the comforts of the world.

Jesus says: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

How can we overcome the world?

Overcoming power-cuts

I

n 2009, I tried my level best to over come electrical power cuts at home. I have a 1991 diesel generator. But I was going bankrupt from buying diesel, and the generator kept breaking down. So I bought candles. But then I flew off the handle during a power cut when I discovered there were no matches in the house.

Besides, candles don’t power the television, the fridge or the fan.

So I decided to supplement the generator by buying an inverter.

But the effective use of an inverter depends on my having some hours of regular electricity to charge it; and PHCN just refused to cooperate. Even on the few occasions when there was

In this world there will be power cuts electricity, the inverter did not charge because the current was too low.

So I bought rechargeable lamps. But these were no different from candles. Besides, there was no electricity to charge them and, even when charged, they only work for a few hours.

So I bought a small petrol generator as a back-up to the diesel generator. But it soon stopped working because the engine oil for the diesel generator was mistakenly put in it.

Then it broke down again because it was overloaded. And then there was the added factor of perennial fuel scarcity. In short, in 2009, nothing I did enabled me to overcome electrical power cuts. So what is the answer?

Prepare to fail

M

y frustration with power cuts became a living parable. The only answer I have left is the unassailable one Jesus provides as our Good Shepherd. In order for me to overcome power cuts, I have to come to terms with power cuts. I have to be able to survive without electrical power. To overcome power cuts, I have to be unaffected by power cuts. I have to live without electricity and make having electricity inconsequential.

Through the ransom of his life, Jesus prepares us for failure in this world. The Good Shepherd does not give us a blueprint for turning failure into success. Instead, he shows us how to overcome inevitable failure.

Jesus overcame by disregarding the world and accepting God’s providence. He overcame by trusting implicitly and completely in God. Jesus was confident God would ultimately vindicate him for any trouble he encounters in the world. He was certain if he allows himself

to be killed, God would raise him from the dead.

Can we also trust God to that extent? Can we trust God to turn failure into success? Can we trust God to bring life out of death? Can we trust God to raise us from the dead? That is the challenge of the Christian faith; made easier because we have a forerunner in Jesus Christ.

John says: “We win the victory over the world by means of our faith.” (I John 5:4).

Trusting God

J

esus trusted God and he was not put to shame. Therefore, we should also be able to do the sa-me confidently. Job said in the crucible of his afflictions: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and he shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” (Job 19:2527).

The challenge for those of us who would like to inherit the kingdom of God is to trust God so completely that we would not be bothered by having to abandon all hope of gaining this world. We have to reject this world in order to qualify for glory in heaven. We have to disdain this world. We have to despise this world. We have to make sure we do nothing that gives the impression that we want to gain this world as well as the world to come. We have to demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that we only want to gain the kingdom of God. Jesus asks: “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

(Mark 8:36-37).

Goodbye

world

T

he writer of He brews says Ab raham: “ was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:10). The same applies to that man who is born of God to overcome the world.

When he gets to Rome and sees the Coliseum, he is not impressed.

When he gets to Paris and sees the Eiffel Tower he disdains it. When he gets to New York and sees the World Trade Centre, he remembers Isaiah’s prophecy of: “the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.”

(Isaiah 30:25).

Those who can see the kingdom of God know that: “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1). Therefore, if the devil were to take the truly born again Christian up on a high mountain and show him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, promising to give it to him if he would just worship him, he would follow the Good Shepherd in answering him: “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.”

(Matthew 4:10).

A cliché is a cliché often because it is true.

This world is not our home; we are just passing through. Nothing about it should be attractive to us. It is a world ruled by Satan. It is a world of sin. It is a world in rebellion and enmity against God. It is a world of death. Therefore, we only have one option concerning this world. We must overcome it. We must not be enticed by its vainglories. We must readily accept failure and defeat in this world.

In this world there will be power cuts. But be of good cheer. Jesus is the light of the world. In his light, we shall see light.

RESIDENT of Living Faith Ministries, bet ter known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo Friday night urged all Nigerians especially Christians to be steadfast in their worship of God, as there would soon be a reversal in global economy, reports OLAYINKA LATONA. Oyedepo made this prophetic declaration at the church's headquarters called Caanan Land along Idiroko Road in Ota, Ogun State during the church's annual convention tagged Shiloh 2012, with a theme; "Double Portion."

Oritsejafor tasks Muslim youths Continued from Page 44 ghbourliness, yet there is so much violence against the Christian faith, arguing that disgruntled politicians and fundamentalist religious clerics who cannot tolerate other peoples views are behind the entire crisis.

Oritsejafor further maintained that if other Islamic youths refuse to be used by the class of intolerant politicians and fundamental religi-ous clerics the violence in the North will abate, adding that he is looking forward to the day when Christians and Muslims can sincerely, genuinely and withour pretence sit together and rob minds to move the nation, Nigeria forward.

“We must first appreciate that we are first and foremost, Nigerian before any other consideration,” he said noting that recent demographic survey shows that over 70 per cent of the nation’s population falls under the age of 40 which means that the future of this country is secure because a focused youth can galvanise this advantage for the betterment of the country.

“The interesting thing about violence is that the old people who pertetrate the act of violence, sit down in the comfort of their homes and send the young ones to the battle field where they loose their lives for no just course because no religion will ask you to kill your fellow human beings,” he said, adding that fellows who bankroll the violence will never use their children.

The CAN president further argued that the earlier the youths of the North realized that the politicians using them, often abandon them sooner than later, then “are we on the path to the resolution of the crises. True religious ideology will not kill human beings who were created by God,” he said, lamenting that most churches in the North are full of orphans and widows as a result of the mindless killings.

“Young people must reject those fundamentalist preachings that motivate them to violence. Nobody will come to Nigeria to develop it for us. Only Nigerians committed to the corporate existence of the nation can develop the nation and gavalnise to the path of righteousness and the much talked about growth. Help us. Get this to the grassroots because God has created us one. Nigeria cannot be a Christian nation. Nigeria cannot be a Muslim country either. It is not possible!” he said.

According to him, “a nation’s greatness will never manifest until somebody rises up to take cetain risks for the survival of the nation.” He therefore promised to take their request to be inauguarated as Youth wing of NIREC to his friend and co-chairman of the organization, the Sultan of Sokoto at the nearest possible time.

Earlier, the national president of NACOMYO, Alhaji Kamal’ddin Akintunde has expressd disgust at the continued violence, saying they had come as they had ealier done to the Sultan of Sokoto, to seeking ways to ensure national cohesion and stability of the Nigerian state.

According to him, “the importance of religion in stabilizing the polity of the country cannot be overemphasized as religious institutions and faith-based organizations have made impacts in building an egalitarian society.” He noted that no development can ever take place in an atmosphere devoid of peace and tolerance, which is why YOWICAN and NACOMYO “have decided to work together to build on your initiative as a complimentary endeavour.”

He therefore appealed to NIREC to give its blessing to initiative by inaugurating NIREC Youthin tanden with a cardinal resolution of a NIREC-organised youth workshop on conflict resolution held in Minna, Niger State in 2009.

The Islamic leader also used the occasion to congratulate the CAN president for his recent celebration of 40 years in ministry and the recent cardinalship of Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, noting that the two events were good omen to the country.

SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 47

PAGE 48—SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012 chimeena@yahoo.com 08026350360

Bourgeois aesthetic in Chris Anyokwu’s Beyond the Wall

BY MCPHILIPS NWACHUKWU

BOOK REVIEW

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Feasting on Yam, King of Crops in Utese Ovia BY

GABRIEL

T

ENOGHOLASE

HAT yam is considered King of root crops in Nigeria is not in doubt. Apart from some procedures that are usually observed when the root crop is being planted and the care given to it until it is harvested, there are also procedures that must be followed before newly harvested yams are eaten.

This procedure varies from community to community especially in Southern Nigeria.

This tradition is referred to as new yam festival. Although many communities in the country may have abandoned the annual celebration of the new yam festival due to the influence of Western culture, but one community in Edo state which has held on tenaciously to the ancient festival is Utese in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State under the leadership of the Enogie (Duke), HRH Idahosa Agidigbi 1.

Enogie Agigigbi, a graduate of the Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma, demonstrated his love for the propagation of the culture and mores of his people when he celebrated the new yam festival recently. At the event,Utese sons and daughters at home and in the Diaspora trooped home to partake in the celebration of

the festival, which they said was the first under the reign of the present Enogie (Duke) since he ascended the throne of his fathers about a year ago.

Utese is a bilingual community in Edo State. They speak the Bini and Yoruba languages fluently and history had that the town was founded by the younger brother of

“Yam is a primary product of every farmer; hence it is important that every community that is agrarian in nature celebrates one of his/her best product annually Oronmiyan, Irado on his way from Ile-Ife to Benin in the 11th century. He said to have stopped over in the town and was crowned the 1st Enogie.

This year new yam festival in the community started one bright early morning with dancing and rejoicing. The community already agog with the festivity marched through the entire length and breadth of the town with the youths displaying several acrobatic steps. The elderly were not left out as they followed the Enogie as he moved from one shrine to the other.

Highlights of the day was the formal peeling and cutting of the new yam by the Enogie who was the first to taste of it as tradition demanded. This was followed with thunderous clapping of hands and dancing.

Apart from the display by several dancing groups, visitors to the community were entertained with assorted foods and drinks.

Indeed, it was a festival w o r t h celebrating.Speaking in an interview with Vanguard Arts on the significance of the new yam festival, Enogie Agidigbi said, “The new yam festival is an enactment of our tradition,and so every year, my community celebrate the festival as it is done in most indigenous communities in Southern Nigeria. The new yam festival is a festival that is peculiar to the Western Zone of Africa and Africans by tradition are farmers “Yam is a primary product of every farmer; hence it is important that every community that is agrarian in nature celebrates one of his/her best product annually. In Utese, we celebrate the new yam festival in accordance with the culture of our people”.

his piece is a three part review of Chris Anyaokwu’s latest dramatic offering titled , Beyond the Wall and Other Plays. The 216 pages trilogy from the stable of Hybun Publications International, Lagos is both interesting and challenging in many ways.

The interest lies in the fact that the leading play in the collection, Beyond the Wall, which is the focus of our review is a product of theatre workshop with the playwright’s 2010, first year students of the Department of English , University of Lagos.

The play, which had its premier production at the university’s Art Theatre is one play to be taken seriously given the fact that the playwright consciously or unconsciously situated his dramatic composition within the dramatic and theatrical contexts of J P Clark’s dramaturgy.

The comparative affinity with Clark’s dramaturgy, especially with his well known play, Song of A Goat is germane to extent that many scholars of Clark’s have not succeeded in locating that energetic work within any known generic categories.

In the same way, Anyokwu’s Beyond the Wall defiles all form of dramatic categorisation and in same vein with the work of the work of his fatherly clansman, Clark, can only be ranked in the realm of such dramatic works identified by C.Hugh Holman as “bourgeois drama”.

Bourgeois drama , according to Holman,” is a term applied in plays in which the life of the common folk and the middle class rather that of the of the courtly or the rich is depicted”.

As some of the defining features of bourgeois plays, much of its popularity is dependent on the characterisation, and in defiance of the conventional concept of classical tragedy, it deals with the lives of middle class protagonists rather the noble and rich.

Interestingly too, characters in bourgeois drama are often victims of their environment, their society as well as their psychology or heredity.

The play as stated by the playwright “ provides a veritable platform to re-enact life, with its thrills, encompassing both the noble and the foibles”. As a bour-

geois play, the text engages a simple but complex life phenomenon: the concept of duality of being of which is very prevalent in many unscientific societies, especially in Africa.

Set in the Bini area of Edo State of Nigeria, Anyaokwu’s dramaturgy exploits this widely held belief and appropriates it to the level of an interesting philosophical debate with the view to determining the logicality and illogicality of the subject of duality of existence widely believed in both religious and traditional faiths in many societies.

The characters in the play are typical bourgeois dramatic characters, who perform roles that are appropriate to their low level domestic status. They include students, school teacher and junior police officers. Odion and Igho are police officers, Oziegbe, Ejije and Aisha are students. There are also a doctor and a nurse. These are the dramatic characters that pupil the idyllic world of the play.

There is no clearly defined tragic character of superlative proportion as to place the play in the genre of tragedy.

Despite its tacit allusions to death as it has to do with the dual character of Ovobokhan and Ejije and constant recitation of dirge as some form of emotional elixir, all the characters are proletariats struggling to make ends meet.

Issues addressed in the play are also domestic and proletariatian in the nature.

Essentially, they have to do with issues of welfare: economy, governance, ethnicism, infrastructural lack, religion, culture and all other kinds of socio cultural and geographical binaries that shape the character of many post colonial states.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 49

Ozoro celebrates Opute Cultural Day

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Ekpe masquerade doing its thing

Colour, glamour as Oron celebrates cultural fiesta

BY ETOP EKANEM

I

t was colour, glamour and tradition laced with modernity when the Oron Union, Lagos branch celebrated her 12th cultural day and grand reception of Oro living icons, with the theme: “Oro Living Icons,” in Lagos.

The clamourus display of various cultural troupes is a testimony and indeed a relic of a nation with rich culture. The festival was a beehive of activities and the venue was the more enlivened by cultural displays such as masquerades, maiden dance, folklore, Oron traditional cuisine, to traditional wrestling, Ekpe masquerades, Akata aomong host of others.

In her address of welcome President, Oron Union, Lagos, Mrs Felicia Essang-Oludare said this year ’s cultural day was very unique and significant at it marked 12 years since the first Oron cultural day was premiered in Lagos.

According to her, the cultural event “is to protect and preserve Oro Nation cultural heritage. Today we have

a n o t h e r Ekpo opportunity to Masquerade watch different displaying c u l t u r a l display, but as we watch them, let us always remember that there is no place like home. So, always strive to preserve your culture, it is your identity.” Also speaking, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs who was also chairman of the occasion, Chief Effiong Abia said culture was “an embodiment of the people’s value, the people’s means of existence and the people’s future.

We are not just celebrating the past, the present but the the future. So, event of this nature has to do with the existence of the people.”

On the effect of the culture on the youths, Abia said “if you don’t take care of the youths and are allowed to lose value of their culture, then there will be problem. The essence is that the young people should not forget their root in spite of the high sounding urban life.”

The event was not only about

celebrating culture.

The Union also used the occasion to honour its sons and daughters who have excelled in one way or the other.

According to the union president, “today is not just for cultural celebration and dance, we are using this opportunity to celebrate our sons and daughters who have excelled in one way or the other. One of the primary aims of Oron Union at inception was to ensure that her people get the highest level of education to be able to attain leadership roles in our community as well as in the country’s political and economic arena.”

Those honoured included Sir Etim Inyang, former Inspector General of Police; Prof. Okon Uya; Prof Akon Esu; Sir Edet Amana; Bishop Effiong Ekuwem, Prof Eskor Toyo among other oron living icons.

Gtbank, Selfridge promote African Designers

G

uaranty Trust Bank plc recently launched its part nership with Selfridges, UK to project authentic designs by talented African fashion designers. The collaboration tagged “Guaranty Trust Bank presents Ndani” stems from the Bank’s commitment to the projection of African Art to global audiences as a Proudly African and Truly International financial institution.

Ndani represents the beauty of Africa and this is clearly demonstrated at a distinct pop-up shop in Selfridges’ de-

partmental store on Oxford Street in the UK. The designs on display at the shop express the deep creativity, ingenuity and originality of African designers, attributes which the designers share with the GTBank brand. The exhibition has already attracted several reviews and visits by fashionistas from all over the world and is set to be a high point at the store throughout December 2012 and January, 2013. Participating designers are from Nigeria and include: Agu, House of Silk, DOT Handbags, Odio

Mimonet, Lanre Da Silva Ajayi, Jewel

by Lisa, Eki Orleans, Ituen Basi and Tiffany Amber. These designers are showcasing their Christmas/Cruise collection exclusively at the Nigerian world pop-up store during the project.

Commenting on the GTBank – Selfridges project, the Managing Director and CEO of Guaranty Trust Bank plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje said that supporting and promoting African art such as fashion internationally is one of GTBank’s major Corporate Social Responsibility thrust.

he people of Ozoro Kin gdom in Delta State

will be celebrating this year’s “Opute Cultural Day/Festival 2012” on the 26th December 2012 at the Ovie of Ozoro Palace, Erovie Community, Ozoro.

The event is expected to be declared open by The Ovie of Ozoro Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Barrister Anthony Uvietoborie Ogbogbo (Ibuka 1).

OzoIdhudhu!

OzoIdhudhu!!

OzoIdhudhu!!!

The Opute Cultural Day is a specific day set aside where all sons and daughters of Ozoro kingdom both at home and in diaspora, as well as friends of the kingdom gather together for display, rehearsal and presentation of the rich cultures of the kingdom aimed at further helping to promote peace and unity amongst its people and neighboring communities.

History has it that Opute founded Ozoro kingdom in the 15th Century during the same period Aboh in Ndokwa East was also founded as both were brothers that left Benin together. Opute was one of the sons of the then Oba Ozuala of Benin and migrated from Benin to found the Ozoro Kingdom.

Chief Charles Obuvie, The Okobaro of Ozoro kingdom, who is the chairman, organizing committee of the Opute Cultural Day, said the celebration is in commemoration of this legacy and the preservation of our culture that the 26th of December every year has been set aside as the Opute Cultural Day. He described opute as a strong and great warrior in the history of Bini kingdom.

According to Chief Charles Obuvie, Ozoro has a rich cultural heritage and tradition which is rested on the Ovie of Ozoro as the custodian of the tradition of the Ozoro kingdom, which pursues a legacy of extolling its traditions, customs, beliefs, ties, and cultural identity that is also expressed in her welcoming and peace loving people.

He said the event would also be used to honor prominent sons and daughters of the kingdom as well as Isoko indigenes that have contributed to the growth and development of Ozoro kingdom.

The event will be attended by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, who will be the special guest of honour, while the guests of honour are Rt. Honourable Leo Ogor, deputy majority leader, Federal House of Representatives, Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay, secretary to Delta state Government and Barrister Richard Mofe Damijo, Delta State commissioner for culture and tourism among others.

Olagbaju chairs 5TH ARTEXPO

A

RT patron and notable collec tor, Sammy Olagbaju, will chair this year’s edition of the International ArtExpo, Lagos, which kicks off tomorrow at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos. The expo, a collaboration between National Gallery of Art, NGA, and Art Galleries Association of Nigeria, AGAN which is the fifth in the series, is in honour of Bruce Onobrakpeya, currently celebrating the season of his 80th birthday. In this, the organisers have carved out the biggest booths to accommodate works representing each of the techniques in his print making for public viewing.

Twenty-two galleries from within and outside the country would be participating in the event which the President of AGAN, Chief Frank Okonta said would feature “ very beautiful works that everybody would enjoy”.

He promised that the works would be affordable.

PAGE 50—SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012

Joy comes in the morning (1)

BY FEMI FANI-KAYODE VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF A dream that Nigeria will overcome her challenges

O

D A Y our nation stands at a crossroad and it is left for us to decide which path we choose to take. Do we take the path of despair and dishonour and give up on our country? Or do we rise above it all and latch on to the promises of God for our land and for our people?

With biting poverty, mounting hopelessness, a bleeding economy, youth restiveness, unprecedented violence, brazen acts of terror and all manner of vices and evil thriving in the land one wonders how things got so bad.

The foundation for our current situation was laid many years ago and since that time we have seen so much suffering and failure at virtually all levels. We were plagued with leaders who lacked vision, who lacked intellect, who lacked sincerity of purpose and who were antagonistic to those that dared to challenge their visionless and purposeless policies.

Our country is currently bedevilled with so much negativity that it is easy to look around and just give up. Yet I say that T

we must never give up because ‘’hope springs eternal’’The Bible says though the night may be dark yet ’’joy comes in the morning’’. The wise ones say you cannot have a message without a mess. You cannot have a testimony without a test. You cannot get to the top of the mountain without first going to the bottom of the valley. This is

,

VIEWPOINT

ation of the world. He established it by the power of His word and He gave us dominion over it.

In the same way He created Nigeria for His purpose and for His glory and that purpose and glory shall surely be established. It shall come to pass and it will be manifest to the entire world. We shall see it and we

We can be great and, by the grace of God, we shall be great. This is my dream and this is what I see

true. And out of Nigeria’s ‘’mess’’ shall surely come her ‘’message’’. Out of Nigeria’s ‘’test’’ shall surely come her ‘’testimony’’. We have been to the ‘’bottom of the valley’’ and therefore we shall get to the ‘’top of the mountain’’. Our dream for a better Nigeria shall never die and neither can our collective prayers be in vain.

I refuse to give up because I know that the God that I serve never fails. He alone rules in the affairs of men. He alone forges the destiny of nations. Out of a deep void and formlessness He ordered the cre-

,

shall be established in it as a nation and as a people. If God can do it for others, He can do it for us too.

We can be great and, by the grace of God, we shall be great.

This is my dream and this is what I see. And believe me when I tell you that it is prophetic. A Nigeria where every man and woman, regardless of faith, ethnicity, status or political persuasion finds a common cause and relishes in our collective humanity. A Nigeria where the rich have a conscience and the poor have hope. A Nigeria where joy and peace reign supreme and

where bombings and killings are a thing of the past. A Nigeria where the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac and the adherents of the two great Abrahamic faiths of Islam and Christianity live together in peace, harmony and mutual respect. A Nigeria where the secularity of the state is respected yet where God is reverred and honoured by all. A Nigeria where the knowledge and fear of the Living God reigns in the hearts and minds of the people. A Nigeria where every man is His brother’s keeper, where leaders show compassion to those that they lead, where justice is done to all and where political persecution has no place.

A Nigeria where decency is rewarded, where dissent is tolerated, where non-conformity is encouraged and where equity is enthroned. That is the Nigeria of my dream. A Nigeria where youth unemployment is low and where every individual, no matter how high or low, can aspire to any position and live his or her dream. That is the Nigeria of my dream. A Nigeria where human life and human dignity is sacrosanct and where fairness is the watchword of every soul. That is the Nigeria of my dream.

I have no fears about the future of this great nation because the God that I serve nev-

er fails. The Bible says the nations are ‘’as a drop of water before Him’’. He sits above the circles of the earth and He counts the earth as His footstool.

Yet despite His sheer awesomeness and majesty, with Him lies great compassion and mercy. Once we return to Him, acknowledge Him, honour Him and are led and guided by Him, He will restore us and shower us with His blessings. The Lord awaits us to make the right choice. We either continue to wallow in self-delusion, wickedness, greed, murder, the persecution of perceived enemies, the abuse of power, evil and insenstivity or we desist from our wicked ways and turn to Him. I am persuaded that once we make the right choice our date with destiny, as a people and as a nation, will come far sooner than we can possibly imagine.

In his book titled ‘’The Wretched of the Earth’’ Frantz Fanon said the following- ”each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover it’s mission and fulfill it or betray it.” Past generations in Nigeria have not lived up to expectation. This is the bitter truth. *Fani-Kayode was a minister of aviation

Between UNIBEN and an ex-VC

BY CHRIS AZEBAMWAN VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF Pitfalls in some claims on a university

attention has been drawn to a misleading interview by Professor Onokerhoraye in a magazine, I would normally not be inclined to join issues with the retired professor, but I feel compelled to do so in the conviction that the overriding public interest would be best served if the jaundiced views expressed in the said interview are corrected.

Prof. Onokerhoraye was at some point a Vice Chancellor of the great University of Benin (UNIBEN). I dare him to cite one single project of physical development that was initiated, completed and commissioned in his five years in office. The foM

Y

cus of this rejoinder, however, is not to launch a personal attack on the retired professor. It seeks, instead, to challenge the misleading innuendoes in his interview and to dare him to provide credible proof to substantiate his claims.

He made reference to a phantom or imaginary crisis in UNIBEN. It is to the credit of the current Vice Chancellor, Prof.

Osayuki G. Oshodin, that since he took up the mantle of leadership in the university, there has been no student protest and no industrial action by ASUU or NASU. He has achieved this feat by maintaining an open door policy, and using the dual strategy of dialogue and engagement with all relevant stakeholders.

The very visible physical development of university structures and facilities, improvement in the quality of teaching and research, prudent and judicious management of available funds have raised standards to the zenith. Oshodin’s unmatched achievements in office are public knowledge and widely ac-

claimed within and beyond the UNIBEN community.

Onokerhoraye also indicted the student and staff leadership.

,

VIEWPOINT

Oshodin deserves no less and anything to the contrary is a disservice not only to him but also to UNIBEN which he has made us all proud of

,

He implied that they have been compromised hence the pattern of protests and unrest to which he was used to as Vice Chancellor is glaringly absent. There has been peace and harmony and this

is oddly strange to Onokerhoraye. It was the direct opposite in his time. All of the synergy and harmony now in UNIBEN is all the more strange to Onokerhoraye especially as there is no Governing Council in place. In the void thus created, Oshodin has exceeded all expectations by not only discharging the functions of his office creditably well, but he has also managed to put in place policies that enabled principal officers and all other organs of the university administration to work efficiently to achieve set goals in line with the vision and mission statement of the founders. This is the singular explanation for the absence of strife and unrest in UNIBEN. It has nothing to do with muzzling or bribing the student and staff leadership as Onokerhoraye implied.

Finally, it needs to be said, however obvious it might be, that it is not within the powers of Oshodin as Vice Chancellor to appoint a Governing Council for the university. Why anyone

would choose to lay the blame at his doorsteps is beyond imagination. One would have expected Onokerhoraye as a former Vice Chancellor, having intimate knowledge of the workings of university administration, to commend Oshodin for the excellent work he is doing, and, in true spirit of sportsmanship, acknowledge that Oshodin has outdone his predecessors in office by the sheer brilliance and vision of his leadership.

We need to rise up with one voice and condemn the pulldown syndrome that was the central theme of Onokerhoraye’s interview. One would have thought that an academic of his status and standing might have the courage to admit the progress the university has made under Oshodin. Oshodin deserves no less and anything to the contrary is a disservice not only to him but also to UNIBEN which he has made us all proud of. * Azebamwan is a past president of UNIBEN SUG and a publoc commentator.

Contribution of not more than 800 words should be sent to sundayvanguard@yahoo.com

SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 51

VIEWPOINT

BY FESTUS ADEDAYO

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

M

R. Dele Adigun has tra versed very sensitive and highly-rated offices in Oyo State that qualify him to be rated an emeritus. He has been Director in the civil service, Permanent Secretary, commissioner and Secretary to the State Government. In other climes, he should be a depository of knowledge and government after government should scramble to drink from his brook of wisdom. His contemporary in the state is highly respected Alhaji Diti Oladapo. Any government Oladapo loans a piece of advice has struck gold; the one that waffles loses life-long investment.

But Adigun is a politician. Upon retirement from the service, he has, like a restless troubadour, walked through the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), serving both converse political leaders like Rasidi Ladoja and Adebayo Alao-Akala. At the expiration of the governments of both, Adigun made spirited but failed attempts to berth at the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and eventually landed at the Accord Party (AP). It is common knowledge in Oyo State that the ex-civil servant is preening himself for the gubernatorial ticket of Ladoja’s AP and as such his restless and hyper vigor to be seen as the most recent people’s ombudsman.

Of recent, Adigun’s penchant for intervening in issues of governance has reached a crescendo.

A case in point is his Distractions in governance, perfidy in Oyo State, which bears striking Siamese resemblance to an earlier piece entitled Disconnect in Oyo’s N50b bond. Riddled with vain and incongruous self-glorification and what 19th century British

Distractions of Oyo irritants writer, Oscar Wilde, in his De Profundis, called violence of opinion and epileptic fury, the piece lacks the sophistication of the office Adigun occu-

,

A response to a former top official in Oyo State

Adigun doesn’t want Oyo government to build silos. His reasoning is that it is ‘puerile and infantile.’ Which is amusing. Government did its research and discovered that in Oyo, the problem is not about agricultural production but wastage of produce during the season

,

pied. How could Oyo invest so much in such an officer and have him spill such dross and inanities? First, he used the occasion of the piece to justify his gaffe of not being able to distinguish between a bond and a loan. His error of mind was justified by his ref-

erence to ex-Osun governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as having collected a bond from the market. Which is a puerile mis-match. Does anyone have to be a finance expert to know that, all over the world, loans in themselves are not evil but their deployment? Great economies of the world are run on loans and bonds. The tragedy of borrowing is using short-term loans to finance long-term projects. Oyo State government is not implicated in this financial malfeasance.

My allegation of naivety or mischief, or both, on the part of Adigun runs thus: First, the Oyo government, in building a five-star hotel at Mokola, is doing that in partnership with an investor. Adigun has trenchantly accused government of wastage of the bond fund on hotel.

Adigun wonders why government must build a housing estate. His argument falls under the inductive argumentative pitfall. Its analogy runs thus: Because a particular cookie is green and tasty, all green cookies are tasty. Because Lam Adesina and Ladoja, according to him, embarked on barren housing ventures, Ajimobi’s too would be barren. However, Ajimobi’s housing estates are conceived as a PPP and funds for the infrastructure on those estates, meant to be provided by government, are the ones built into the bond.

Adigun doesn’t want Oyo government to build silos. His reasoning is that it is ‘puerile and infantile.’ Which is amusing. Government did its re-

search and discovered that in Oyo, the problem is not about agricultural production but wastage of produce during the season.

I became a subject of Adigun’s misguided venom thereafter. Rather than reply him, however, I take his vituperation as my own modest recompense in the quest to make Oyo better.

It is no wonder that Adigun has an aversion for the intellect. The governors he served were embarrassments to their minders in the public. In Oyo at the moment, we have a reversal of this seemingly intangible but significant milestone. Omololu Olunloyo makes peremptory reference to this.

After him and Bola Ige, he says matter-of-factly, none of the governors who ruled Oyo State ever went to proper school. Until now. This reflects in the way outsiders view an indigene of the state. They believe that Tokyo or Auxiliary, breeds of governments that Adigun served, for whom he shuttles into masturbatory nostalgia, are the signposts of the knowledge base of Oyo State. In rebranding Oyo as the place to be, we needed to tell the world that infrastructural renewal and a knowledgeable man at the driver’s seat are not mutually exclusive. Aside constructing over 200 roads, far more than Ladoja and Alao-Akala ever did combined, dualizing about seven roads in the state, building a fly-over, the last time this was done being 30 years ago, rehabilitating schools, some of whose pupils, until of recent, sat with chairs provided by the Bola Ige government, there is also the need for the public to have the feel that the Adigun-type governors have been incinerated in Oyo State.

The truth of our state at the moment is that the Adiguns, for more than a decade now, abetted the progressive decay of Oyo State and Ajimobi is unlucky to be the recipient of the residue of a state they brought to dilapidated state. But like a matador that he is, Ajimobi’s lingo is, backward to the Adigun years never, forward to the new Oyo State ever!

*Adedayo is Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s Special Adviser on Media.

Vincent’s memories fresh, 30 yrs after TRIBUTE

,

BY OLAYEMI VINCENT

By Tuesday, December 18, it will be exactly 30 years since B.O. Vincent, a former assistant general manager of Coastal Services Nigeria Ltd, a member of Mondalola Group, departed this sinful world. But the memories of the deceased remain fresh in the minds of his loved ones

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF In remembrance of a philanthropist.

B

Y Tuesday, December 18, it will be exactly 30 years since B.O. Vincent, a former assistant general manager of Coastal Services Nigeria Ltd, a member of Mondalola Group, departed this sinful world. But the memories of the deceased remain fresh in the minds of his loved ones.

He passed on in 1982.

He worked as port manager, at Umarco Nig. Ltd., (Apapa, Lagos). He was chairman, senior staff association of Coastal Services, Umarco, and Roro.

He rose quickly through the ranks because of his knowledge and proficiency in French and English, and was able to communicate very well with the then French expatriates. He headed the offices in Sapele and Warri (now Delta State) and Port Harcourt (Rivers State).

He spoke about eight languages, proficiently.

He grew up on Lagos Island (21,

,

Late Mr. B.O. Vincent

Oshodi court) and Tokunbo Street.

Educated in Lagos, Abidjan (CIV) and France, with a degree in education, he was a unifying factor in the family and was loved greatly by his friends and bosses including Chief Bode Akindele (Mondadola Group) and Mr. Trotreu (a French). He was a great patriarch, a loving father, and was very close to

his now late cousins, Mrs. Adebisi A. Ajibola and Mr. Tunde Macaulay. He was a member of Lagos Social Club, now defunct (Tokunboh by Freeman Streets) and Lagos Tennis Club (opposite TBS). A devout Catholic, philanthropist and community leader, he paid for ,all the pioneer students’ uniform of Kirikiri Grammar School, now

Dr. Lucas Memorial High School, Kirikiri. Apapa, Lagos, when it was established in 1980. Furthermore, all the stationeries to be used by the pioneer academic and non-academic staff were supplied gratis by BO Vincent.

He is survived by wonderful children: Deacon Olayemi Raphael Vincent, Madam Omolara Vincent, Pastor (Mrs) Mojisola Dada, Mr Solomon Ayodeji Vincent, Mr Oluwafemi Vincent, Mrs Ronke Rasaq, Mrs Kemi Balogun and Mr Basil Kayode Vincent and many grand children. His wives were the late Mrs Stella

Ajoke Vincent, nee Laleye, and Mrs Fumilayo N. Vincent.

His nephews include Prince Taiwo Haastrup, Engr. S.O. Ajibola and Pastor Sylvester Kayode Vincent.

God’s Grace has been sufficient for us …. 2 Cor. 12:9, James 4:6. To God be all the glory. *Olayemi Vincent, a deacon, can be reached via email: omooloko@yahoo.com

PAGE 52, SUNDAY VANGUARD, DECEMBER, 16, 2012

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readers, in March 2010, we received an invite from a couple in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria to attend their wedding. They wished that we could be a part of their celebration because they had met through the help of the page. Though we could not attend, we were very happy to share in their joy and to know that the purpose of writing this is not lost.

We are aware that this couple’s story is not an isolated one. Just as we want to know about your challenges, we would also love to share in joys. So, if you have found your spouse or girlfriend through this link, or your request for sponsorship or networking has been successful, please share your story with us. You can be assured that we will celebrate you with style. Looking forward to read from you. Do have a lovely Sunday!

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SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012, PAGE 53

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NA T NA IONS T C NA IONS UP C TIO C O NS UP C UNTD CU O P C UNTD OWN !

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Nations Cup: South Africa wants to celebrate African football, unity – Dhlomo he 2013 Africa Cup of Nations is about five weeks from now and host South Africa has already concluded T plans to host the event, their second since apartheid was

dismantled over two decades ago. Like they did for the 2010 World Cup, the South Africans want to make the championship a rewarding one for everybody especially the fans who will throng the five host cities. In this interview, SA Tourism’s Regional Director for African markets, Phumi Dholmo discloses plans being put in place to make the event a huge success as well as retaining the country as a tourism destination in the continent. Excerpts:

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as your country managed to prepare adequately in the short time to host the Orange AFCON SA 2013?

Yes, I think so. South Africa is very well prepared. We are excited and look forward to welcoming the continent back to South Africa for the Orange AFCON 2013 Our hospitality industry is ready to welcome you, make you feel at home and give you the warm, welcoming South African hospitality to make AFCON a fantastic, celebratory experience The stadia are ready. The restaurants, nightclubs, pubs and shopping malls are ready in each of the five host cities and across South Africa, too.

What kind of impact will this event have in terms of contribution to tourism for South Africa?

The Orange AFCON is very important to us in South Africa, for a number of reasons.

It gives us another opportunity to welcome African tourists to South Africa and show them a great time It gives us an opportunity again to showcase our destination, our welcoming people, our capability and infrastructure not only to the continent, but also to the world Its impact will be significant.

We are targeting 150,000 C M Y K

AFCON arrivals to South Africa from other African countries We expect AFCON fans to contribute about US$154 million to the economy when they come in January next year The AFCON championship will provide a boost for our hospitality industry: boosted hotel room occupancy, busier restaurants and other entertainment venues, and the creation of more jobs for South Africans in tourism and hospitality AFCON fans, of course, will also impact other areas of our economy... sectors that service the tourism industry, but are not tourism businesses per se: the banking and financial sectors of our economy, transport, the agricultural sector and so on.

At the end of the tournament, one team will lift the champion trophy... but the whole continent will have scored a decisive victory for celebrating unity and celebrating Africa’s favourite sport

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FCON is also a celebration of the African culture. What are, in your opinion, the elements that will differentiate this edition from the others in the past? What will be the main

challenges?

AFCON is to be a celebration of Africa unity, African rhythm, excitement and passion for the game of football. We are expecting a gathering of the Africa nations in South Africa, the party of the decade and a showpiece of the style of African football that is energetic, deeply competitive and flamboyant We are expecting people from all over the continent to come to South Africa, have fun and a wonderful time meeting new friends, re-connecting with old friends and discovering the many lifestyle activities that South Africa.

What is the total budget for Orange AFCON SA 2013?

In total, South Africa is investing US$53.5 million in AFCON 2013 (in zaR 461m, converted to US$ on Nov 7 at noon) The fact that South Africa built stadiums for the FIFA 2010 World Cup makes hosting AFCON that bit easier Of the US$53.3 million, US$37 million will go to South African national departments to cover costs associated with hosting (including security, protocol and migration services) A further US$2 million will be used by the provinces and another US$14 million will be used by the five host cities to cover various hosting costs What is the current contribution of tourism to the South African economy and

what is your strategy to ensure Orange AFCON SA 2013 grows that contribution?

This year (2012) Africa as a whole has been one of the strongest performing regions this year with tourist arrivals growing by 8.5 percent in the first seven months of 2012 Africa is a long-term and sustainable source of tourist arrivals for us in South Africa. We value or African tourists highly, and work hard to maintain and grow our share of the continental outbound market Marketing work includes research to make sure we understand the particular needs of tourists from the different markets and make sure, too, in our marketing work, that we deliver against their expectations and desires of a holiday in South Africa.

We expect AFCON fans to contribute about US$154 million to the economy when they come in January next year The African continent continues to be the source of highest number of tourist arrivals to South Africa. What are your plans to encourage people from the continent to keep visiting SA during and beyond Orange AFCON SA 2013?

We have an exciting campaign on the continent to draw attention (and grow arrivals) for the AFCON championship. In it, we ask people to show us their ‘beat’ to stimulate excitement and anticipation for AFCON all over Africa.

The ‘This is Our Beat.

What’s Yours?’ campaign is being rolled out right now across the continent on radio stations, in the print media and on television. It’s supported by social media interaction and special AFCON deals to make it easy for people to book and come over to South Africa to experience the football themselves. The campaign will run during AFCON and after it, too to maintain awareness about our destination and work to encourage the 150,000 fans we have targeted for AFCON to come to South Africa.

AFCON represents a fantastic opportunity for us in tourism to further boost

arrivals to South Africa from the rest of the continent.

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hen do the tickets go on sale and how much do the tickets cost?

Tickets are on sale already, and have been since September 2012. The Local Organising Committee reports that ticket sales are going exceedingly well, showing that the continent is excited about the championship and that thousands of people are looking forward to coming to South Africa to watch the best football teams compete for the ultimate continental football trophy. Ticket prices range between US$4 and US$25 Are you offering any special deals that include transport, accommodation and match tickets? Where can we find out about these deals and how to book for them?

Yes, indeed we are. We are working hard with trade partners in Angola/DRC/ Kenya/Nigeria to make it as easy as possible for you to come over and spend some time in South Africa during the AFCON championship.

I’d like to thank our trade partners in Angola/DRC/ Kenya and Nigeria for working with us to make these deals available and for making AFCON accessible to so many people Why should we come to South Africa for the Orange AFCON SA 2013? Why not just stay at home and watch it on TV? You could stay at home and watch AFCON on the TV. But why? You’d miss out on the excitement, the passion and the camaraderie of the crowd.

And you’d miss out on South Africa: our wonderful hospitality, the great activities we offer in each of the host cities, the after-the-game celebrations in other host cities, and the opportunity to relax, go shopping, meet fantastic new people at some of the hottest and trendiest night-time entertainment on the planet. You’d miss all the fun.

You deserve a trip down to South Africa for AFCON. Are there transport plans to get fans to the stadiums?

Yes. There will be transport (both private- and publicsector supplied) to transport fans to each of the stadiums in the host cities.

Team Cross River deserve some roses — Ugbe

By JACOB AJOM

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HE Cross River State Commissioner for Sports, Patrick Ugbe has commended Team Cross River to the justconcluded 18th National Sports Festival for their ”historic performance.”

In a chat with Sunday Vanguard Sports, the Commissioner who was leader of delegation to Eko 2012 said, “Team Cross River finished 8th with 12 gold, 14 silver

and 23 bronze medals, the best outing in the history of the National Sports Festival. The team deserve some roses.”

He posited that the performance of the team was a pointer to what Cross River State would put up when they host the festival in 2014.

“I am very happy over the performance of Team Cross River. We did very well and it shows that we are in the right direction in our developmental efforts,”

Ugbe said. “It was not possible to bring all our promising athletes because of their ages. In 2014 they would have become of age to compete and we will improve on our Eko 2012 performance.”

Looking ahead, the commissioner hinted that the 2014 Festival would be something different. “Paradise Games would be something different from all the previous games you have been seeing.

We will offer Nigerians something refreshing and will put our famed hospitality to the fore”.

After acknowledging the spectacular show put together by the Local Organising Committee of Eko 2012 in the opening ceremony, Ugbe boasted, “Culturally, I don’t think there is any state that is richer than Cross River and, with tourism as our focal point, we will offer Nigerians the best they can ever get from anywhere else.”

Suraju dedicates volleyball gold to commissioner

Volleyball action during the just concluded 18th National Sports Festival in Lagos

By OSARETIN EMUZE

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AGOS male volleyball coach, Suraju Onatuga has dedicated the volleyball gold he won to the Lagos state commissioner for sports, Enitan Oshodi for believing in him when others rejected him.

The former national team coach who won gold for Lagos state both as a player and a coach, revealed to Sunday Vanguard sports how some staff of the Lagos state sports council ganged up against him when he was seconded to help the state’s team prepare for the 18th National Sports Festival.

He said but the commissioner who knew his worth, stood his ground when he was told to send him away because he had retired from the sports council.

“When I returned

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after my coaching job in the United States following the terrible accident that almost took my life, God used Oshodi to bring me back to life. Enemies of progress wanted me

out, but the commissioner stood his ground and ordered that I should be allowed to handle the male and female teams, to the festival because of my past experience.

Massari vows to lift cycling in Nigeria

BY OSARETIN EMUZE

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IVERS State cycling Chairman, Chief Massari who revolutionalized cycling in Rivers state has vowed to take cycling to the next level in Nigeria and help improve the standard that has dwindled.

Speaking during the road race of the just concluded National Sports Festival in Shagamu, the Italian cycling enthusiast said he loves cycling and

would do anything to help its growth in Nigeria. “Right now we have the Niger/Delta cycling tournament in Port Harcourt, very soon I will extend it to the whole country. Cycling is part of me and I will not rest until cycling becomes a household name in Nigeria,” he s t r e s s e d .

He said he has set in motion machineries to work out the modalities to sponsor a road race in Nigeria within the next two years.

SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012 — 55

Baribote’s NPL, house built on quick sand I

DON’T want to sound like a broken record but I remember writing here a couple of months ago that the coup plotted against Davidson Owumi by Rumson Baribote and his cohorts will come back to haunt the Nigeria Premier League and our football in general.

Months later, that prediction has come to pass as those who wined and dined to celebrate the fall of Owumi are today drawing daggers against the same ‘annointed’ leader they told us was the solution to our league crisis.

Going down memory lane, the crisis we are again faced with in the NPL is an off-shoot of the gang up by the Sani Lulu Abdullahi group to oust former Nigeria Football Association, NFA Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima from office albeit, illegally.

When Lulu was hounded out of office and his co-traveler, Aminu Maigari was installed against the popular wish of Nigerians, one condition, the mafia strangulating Nigeria’s football gave to Maigari to support him was “ remove Owumi” as NPL Chairman and in effect from the NFF Board.

They cooked up a story that he was not eligible to contest the election where he beat the same Baribote, not minding that he was cleared by the same electoral committee they set up in the first place.

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hey also scuttled the MTN sponsorship the Owumi leadership had secured for the League but up till this moment, failed to secure another one, making the Nigerian League, ironically tagged the best league in Africa, run without a sponsor and clubs playing without a prize.

They, including the club owners or is it caretakers, have realised their folly and are now at daggers drawn with Baribote. The Maigari-led NFF is pretending to be mediating when in fact it is part of the problem why our league is in comatose now.

How on earth do we think we can do same wrong things all the time and expect a different result.

Until we stop running our football, nay all sports, on sentiments, we will keep groping in the dark while smaller countries like Equatorial Guinea and possibly Cape Verde will continue to teach us football lessons.

Congrats Uduaghan but .....

Last Sunday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, I saw a joyous Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan lifting the Yakubu Gowon trophy presented to Delta State as the overall winners of the 18 th

National Sports Festival, tagged EKO 2012. The governor had cause to grin from ear to ear because Delta State invested heavily on the festival and naturally deserved to win it. But what Governor Uduaghan may not know and should ask his Lagos State counterpart, Babatunde Fashola, is whether sports is truly being developed in Delta State like in Lagos.

Lagos, like Cross River State whose athletes dominated the women’s 100m race but lost the gold and silver to other States as their athletes jumped ship to contest for other States, believe in grass-root development, but what Delta and Rivers do, is buying up already established athletes with their petrodollars which most States don’t have in abundance.

Again that is why Delta State sports officials are drumming it into Governor Uduaghan’s ears that the festival must be open so that their elite athletes resident in Europe and America can come home and compete and help them win the festival easily.

This is a far cry from the Samuel Ogbemudia legacy of the Midwest and Bendel era when quality athletes were churned out from remote parts of the State and they dominated the national scene for years and made waves abroad also.

That is what Lagos, Cross River and a few others are now doing.

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hairman of the National Sports Commission, NSC and Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi may have fallen for the battle cry of Delta to make the festival open when he pronounced during the opening ceremony that from 2014 in Calabar, it will be an open festival.

I know the minister doesn’t have the veto power to so do. The power to make changes in the sports festival rests on the National Council for Sports, the same body that shouted Delta State down on the same issue early this year when it met in Lagos to ratify the rules and regulations for EKO 2012.

If Governor Uduaghan could think beyond Delta State and Mallam Abdullahi wants the best for Nigeria’s sports, they should have the courage and humility to meet with Dr Ogbemudia who is still very much around to ask him the magic wand he had that made Midwest and later Bendel a power house in sports.

It is not enough for our athletes to shine during the sports festival and yet fail to make any serious impact at the Olympics or Commonwealth Games. It is high time Delta State hosted the National Sports Festival, not behaving like Cameroon who keep conquering Africa in the Nations Cup but doesn’t want to host the event.

SUNDAY Vanguard, DECEMBER 16, 2012

RESULTS England Newcastle Liverpool Man. United Norwich City QPR Stoke City

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ORMER Nigeria Premier League board chairman, Davidson Owumi has commended Nigerian club chairmen for rescuing their league from the jaws of decay.

Owumi was eased out by vested interests in the Nigeria Football Federation circle, despite providing a purposeful direction for the NPL. He was replaced by Victor Baribote, but after one year of topsy turvy administration, Mr. Baribote was shown the exit door, after the various club chairmen refused to endorse his leadership. They accused him of ‘incompetence’ and the NFF toed the line of the club chairmen on Thursday.

“It is good riddance to bad rubbish. And I must commend the club chairmen for saving their league,” declared Owummi, a former distinguished player who rose to the position of club chairman with Rangers International of Enugu.

He accused NPL followers, including media practitioners, of failing to stand on the side of the truth, when he was edged out and Baribote planted on the seat.

“It was glaring that illegality was being forced on the NPL back then. But those who should have stood on the side of truth and save our football chose to keep quiet. What happened took our football 20 years back and now I can only wish that we chart a way forward,” said the Delta born Owummi.

He added that he would be taking a back seat and watch events unfold.

The league is expected to commence in February 2013 after four months of delay.

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OHN Obi Mikel has expressed reservation on David Luiz’s foray into the Chelsea midfield.

At the Club world world cup in Japan, interim coach, Rafa Benitez pushed the gong-ho Brazilian up field from his centre back position and Mikel 4

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suggested that Luiz will achieve his best as a defender.

“It was a bit of a shock to see David lining up there,’ said Mikel.

Mikel did not think playing Luiz out of position should be a regular occurrence.

“David is a great player, but

ACROSS 1.Nigerian state (4) 3. Niger-Delta tribe (8) 6. W. African country (5) 8. Wind instrument (4) 9. Vast (8) 11. Meadow (3) 12. Smallest part (4) 13. Unemployed (4) 14. Have ambition (6) 16. Attachment (5) 18. Spy (5) 20. Hangs around (7) 22. Irritate jokingly (5) 24. Nigerian state (5) 26. U.S. currency unit (4) 29. Insects (4) 30. Orb (4) 31. Sailor (3) 32. Hoped for (8) 33. Smooth (4) 34. Tox (5) 35. Sun-measuring equipments (8) 36. Consolidates (4)

DOWN 1. Nigerian state (7) 2. Middle Belt tribe (5) 3. Nigerian tribe (6) 4. Distending (7) 5. Examine (7) 7. Stockpile (5) 10. Seize with teeth (4) 14. Engine part (4) 15. Cereal (3) 17. No (Scottish) (3) 18. Enquires (4) 19. Pen tip (3) 21. Maiden name (3) 22. Businessmen (7) 23. Hang (7) 25. Isles (7) 26. U.S. currency unit (4) 27. Sportswear firm (6) 28. Go in (5) 30. Makes beer (5)

SEE SOLUTION ON PAGE

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I don’t know if this is going to be a long-term thing,’ said the Nigerian. ‘I think he needs to play at the back.

‘It was a good performance from him – he kept the ball well and played it well – but when it’s not your normal position you sometimes lose something.

‘He is a great player and a strong character who can only get better for this club. He keeps going and doing his thing. Fair play to him.’

Both players have come in for criticism - Luiz because he plays with too much flair and attacking intent for a defender - and Mikel because fans complain he does not contribute enough going forward.

Under Roberto Di Matteo Mikel flourished - perhaps turning in his best performance for the club in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

Benitez is less keen on the midfielder and has played Spaniard Oriol Romeu in his stead recently.

But the former Barcelona

player picked up a serious knee injury against Sunderland last Saturday and is out for several months while it is treated.

Drogba Blues’ best ever player — Fans

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HELSEA fans this week voted Didier Drogba as Chelsea best player ever, as voted in an online poll on ChelseaFC.com.

Drogba is currently training at Chelsea’s Cobham facility, and admits he is over-joyed with his award.

‘For me it’s an honour and it’s so special because for foreign players to come to England and receive this prize, at Chelsea, means a lot,’ he said. ‘I’ve spent eight fantastic years here where I was learning every day, and for me it is fantastic. This vote for me shows I passed the test after eight years of learning, and finally I am graduated!

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Internet: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: JIDE AJANI. All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

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Mikel frowns at Liuz midfield involvement

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CRACKING DEVELOPMENT... Mexico’s Monterry forward Walter Ayovi (C) fights for the ball with Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel (L) during their 2012 Club World Cup semi-final football match in Yokohama. Photo AFP

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Man. City Aston Villa Sunderland Wigan Athletic Fulham Everton

Owumi hails Baribote’s sack, praises club bosses

By BEN EFE

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