Alleged N10Bn Frand - Day 2: EFCC Confronts Akpabio with evidence

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DAY OF TRIBUTE FOR LATE DEACON GAMALIEL ONOSODE

•From left: Mr Gamaliel Ese Onosode [1st son], Mrs Alero Onosode [wife of 1st son], Mr Spencer Onosode [son], Mrs Grace Onosode, [wife of 2nd son], and Mr Emmanuel Onosode [son], during the Day of Tribute for the late Deacon Gamaliel Onosode, organised by Nigerian Institute of Management, NIM, yesterday.

From left: Mr Akinbayo Adenubi, Mrs Margaret Adeleke, Dr Christopher Kolade, all NIM past Presidents, with Dr Michael Omolayole, during the Day of Tribute for Onosode. Photos by Kehinde Gbadamosi.

ALLEGED N10B FRAUD: DAY TWO EFCC confronts Akpabio with evidence of transactions •I’ve nothing to hide, suspect insists Continued from page 1

come face-to- face with what was described as major financial transactions, on the second day with operatives, carried out by his administration, consequent upon which he was asked to provide explanation..

The transactions, estimated at N108 billion, according to EFCC sources, were, however, said to have been stoutly defended by Akpa-

bio, who claimed he had the power as governor to authorize such monumental expenditure “in the interest of the state and its people”.

The anti-graft agency, acting on petitions filed against Akpabio and his administration, had, on Friday, summoned the former governor and grilled him.

Sources claimed that evidence extracted from the

THOUGHT FOR TODAY ASK GOD TO REMEMBER YOU

By Richard Eromonsele

Naturally, man is selfish.That is why he is never good at fulfilling promises.Every humanbeing is preoccupied with how to satisfy his basic needs of _what he will eat, what he will drink, how to pay his house rent, how to pay his children's school fees,acquiring the latest car etc All men have something they commit themselves to and also spend their money on.So,except God remembers you, no man will ever remember you.When God remembers you, He will send you a helper.Rather than bemoaning your fate in the hands of men, why not pray to God to remember you?

accounts staff in Uyo Government House as well as ministries, agencies and departments was used to confront the Senate Minority Leader yesterday.

One of the sources told Sunday Vanguard that the former governor was still being grilled by the EFCC operatives as at 6pm after he arrived the headquarters around 11:45am.

“The former governor is still with our operatives, who are taking him up on a number of financial transactions that required clarifications from him and his officials”, the source added.

“We really need to know how and why certain transactions were carried out and if such huge withdrawals in certain cases, based on evidence before us, complied with laid down finan-

ances which guide all aspects of government financial administration.”

He said the allegation that the state government spent N50 billion on the March general elections falls flat based on his explanation of the workings of government on financial transactions.

“There was no such provision in the budget of this year and such an amount could not have been paid as an extra-budgetary expenditure and yet salaries and other commitments were met. We challenge the petitioners to provide proof to support this wild allegation. Who was it paid to?

How was it paid? Where was it paid? And when was it paid,”the commissioner said.

“Senator Akpabio does not own a 25-storey building in Victoria Island or in any part of the world, as alleged by

Controversy trails death of LUTH consultant •NMA sets up probe committee •Lagos warns against altering autopsy report

By Chioma Obinna & Monsuru Olowoopejo

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s controversy trails the death of Dr. Hestianna Thomas, a consultant pediatrician with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi-Araba, the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, yesterday, instituted on investigation to unravel the cause of death.

Meantime, Lagos State government has warned that it would not accept alteration of the autopsy report on the death, saying “it was aware of the case and the evidence showing the pains the deceased suffered before death.”

Sunday Vanguard gathered that Hestianna was rushed to LUTH where she was confirmed dead. But

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cial regulations or the said amount of money was wrongly spent.”

But the former governor denied any wrongdoing, while claiming that the allegations were tissues of lies.

Akpabio, who spoke through Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, said those accusing him of impropriety did not know the workings of government.

Umanah said:”Every sum withdrawn from a government account is tied to a subhead and there must be a budgetary provision. To attribute fraud to withdrawals, which had the full sanction of government and was accommodated in the budget, is strange, mischievous and untenable. More so, when one understands that there are checks and bal-

the petitioner. It is also patent falsehood that the house at 22 Probyn Road, Ikoyi belongs to Senator Akpabio.

“It is a rented building which ownership can be verified from the Lagos State Lands Registry.

“Senator Akpabio does not own the properties mentioned in the petition to belong to him. You can verify the ownership of the properties (5 Okokosi Close, Maitama and Plot 28 Colorado Close, Maitama) from the land registry in Abuja,” he said.

He also denied that the state received over N2 trillion as oil allocation.

“Please do note that the idea that the Akwa Ibom State government received over N2.5 trillion in the eight years of the Akpabio administration is an outrageous lie.

“What this suggests is that the state government received an average of N26 billion monthly for the period. What a lie! From published accounts of disbursement from the Federation Account, Akwa Ibom State never received up to N26 billion in any month throughout the period”.

in reaction to the death of the doctor, many have refuted the claim by her husband, Dr. Babafemi Thomas, a pathologist, that the deceased committed suicide.

Immediate past President of Mental and Dental Council of Nigeria, MEDC, Dr. Steven Oluwani, in an interview with journalists, lamented: “We are mourning Dr. Hestianna Thomas.”

He noted that controversy was dogging the death of the doctor, adding: “The truth can only be revealed through an authentic autopsy. Through that, we can get the details of the circumstances surrounding the death of the doctor since injury was discovered on her corpse.”

Oluwani stated that,

through this, “everyone will know if the injury had any connection with her death or not.”

It was learned that the death brought confusion to the NMA, Lagos, as the deceased and her husband were members of the organization. And in a bid to ascertain the cause of her death, NMA has raised a committee to conduct an autopsy on the corpse.

Chairman of NMA, Lagos, Dr. Tope Ojo, in an interview with Sunday Vanguard, said: “This is a sensitive issue. We are aware of the information being circulated as the cause of her death. But I can say that it is all rumour. We are working with all stakeholders including the Nigeria Police to investigate the cause of her death.”

Ojo noted that NMA cannot take any position over the death of Hestianna, noting: “This was why we have decided to investigate the issue. We are doing this also not because she was our member. But this is what we often do for any complicated issue like this”.

Speaking on the issue, the coordinator of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, DSVRT, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, in an interview with Sunday Vanguard, last night: “We have written to the police and other stakeholders over the issue. And if after the report we notice any foul play, we will not accept the result.”

She noted that the report at their disposal revealed that the deceased was found in a pool of her own blood; indicating that she could have been a victim of domestic violence.

PAGE 6 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 18, 2015

•Dr (Mrs) Tokunbo Awolowo Dosumu and Rev (Mrs) Tola Oyediran flanked

by Otunba Seni Adetu, (4th from left) Prof. Lawon Odusoga, Asiwaju S. K. Onafowokan and Prof. Tunde Ogunsanwo, during a condolence visit to the Awolowos on the death of Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo, yesterday.

L-R: Blessing Ayemhere General Manager, Commercial & Finance, Midwestern Oil & Gas Company Limited; Charles Odita, Managing Director/CEO, Midwestern Oil & Gas Company Limited and David Adeoba, Head, JV Finance, Midwestern Oil & Gas Company Limited, during the unveiling of the company’s new logo, last week.

Pass stringent laws to protect women and children, Carrington tells N/Assembly

By SIMON EBEGBULEM

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HE Vice-President, Africana Consultants, United States of America and wife of a former US Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Arese Carrington, has urged the National Assembly to pass stringent laws to protect women and children.

Carrington noted that

inheritance laws that specifically protect women are needed, adding: “In Nigeria, widows often have no rights, they are oppressed and usually treated poorly when they lose their husbands”.

She stated this while delivering a lecture titled, “The female imperative in the new Africa”, at the 1st Eminent Lecture Series of the University of Benin

(UNIBEN). Carrington stressed the need for laws protecting women to be enacted so that “ there is no ambiguity and thus cannot be misinterpreted and tampered with.

“If the right bills to protect females are not put in place then we would have failed them and left many vulnerable with no place for recourse. With the on-going Boko Haram conflict,

women must be protected adequately. The mandate by the Presidency that all internally displaced persons should be reunited with their families and release funds to rehabilitate them is a step in the right direction”, the wife of the former envoy stated.

“We must continue to remember and act on behalf of our stolen daughters-the Chibok girls. Their dreams have been interrupted by an act of terrorism. We must make sure their dreams are not destroyed. They must be returned, rehabilitated and reintegrated”.

Tinubu, Akande made my appointment possible – Lawal, SGF

By Emman Ovuakporie

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ECRETARY to the Gov ernment of the Federation, SGF, Babachir David Lawal,yesterday,saidtheNational Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and Chief Bisi Akande made it possible for him to

emerge as a member of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.

Speaking at a thanksgiving service in his honour, the SGF said the two leaders of the APC playedaprominentinhisemergence, saying it is fundamentally important for Nigerians to know that goodness is not re-

Go and die if you’re not happy over my appointments, El Rufai replies critics •Unveils coat of arms for Kaduna

By Luka Binniyat/Mayen Etim

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ADUNA State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, yesterday, lost his temper when challenged on what was said to be favoursim in the political appointments he has made so far.

El-Rufai, while answering questions from stakeholders at the 4th town hall meeting with Kaduna Central, otherwise known as Zone 2, said he could not give appointment to persons that did not vote for him during the last governorship election, adding that anyone that was unhappy about it could go and commit suicide.

The governor had come under criticism from individuals and groups in the state, accusing him of appointing his close friends, including non-indigenes of Kaduna State, and also his family members into choice positions in the state. The criticism became a barrage, last week, following the nomination of his cousin, Hadiza Shamsudeen, as the Minister from Kaduna State.

His words: “If you are not happy with the appointments made, you can go and climb Kufena mountain, fall and die.

“It was what you voted that you get, because we are aware

that there are people who did not vote for us. In fact, they worked against us.

“But now they claim to be APC members and loyal to the party.

We know such people. And so there is no way they would expect anything from us.

“You didn’t vote us but you want appointments. What you will get is zero. It is politics and in whatever we do there is politics.

“Before we were elected as governors, we advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to allow any governor nominate minister for him, because they will nominate people of their choice and not that of the President.

“And the President heeded that advice. No governor nominated any ministerial appointee for the President.

“And there are some people who appeared on the face as APC, but right inside them they are PDP. We know those who did anti-party. And they didn’t vote for us but they went and got close to Buhari in Abuja for nomination. So President Buhari singlehandedly nominated Zainab”.

Earlier, El-Rufai unveiled new logo for the state, saying henceforth the state will now use its own coat of arms.

stricted to tribe, religion or political party.

“My wife has not met Bisi Akande, she has not met Asiwaju, she has not met Buhari, yetwehavebeenwithhim.But, it is fundamentally important forNigerianstoknowthatgoodness is not restricted to tribe, religion or political party”, he said.

“My opinion is that if you have no investment in human beings and you just invest in yourself, like most politicians present in this church do, you will end up as nothing. If you look at just your community for friendship, or you look at your religion or in the same church with you for friendship, I doubt if you will go any where.

“I am Secretary to the Government today, because those people that I mentioned were the very first to put the idea in the mind of the President. They were the ones that made it possible.

“Because if it has been left to northerners, it is doubtful if they will take a Christian man to make Secretary to the Government of the Federation”.

“But these friends know me, they know that I am not ambitious. I just want to eat today and tomorrow I will find my way. By the grace of God, I am today the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, something I did not look for, people say it is hard work and dedication. It is not true, it is just by the grace of God that the President will just pick you and say this is your position”.

“I never looked for it and I never expected it. I started getting hints to this job just about two to three days to it, and I thought it was a very big joke.

Then I used to call it Timipre Silva project or Baba Akande project, when they mentioned

that they heard story about it”.

“Last year, if I was told that I will have an occasion where one single governor will attend, I will not believe it, but here we are today, it is the grace of God that has put all of us where we are today. Governors should know that”.

Tinubu lauds appointment In his speeach at the occasion, Tinubu described the SGF’s appointment as a step in the right direction, expressing optimism that he would bring his wealth of experience to bear in the office.

TinubuextolledLawal’squalities, saying that while some of his contemporaries have succumbed to the temptation of illicit wealth and the abuses of power and privilege, he (Lawal) has remained faithful to the course of the nation.

Alluding to the fact that his appointment was a reward for hard work and selfless service, he said Lawal’s eye for detail and due process makes him the best man for the job.

Tinubu, represented at the event by Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, said, “If you are looking for a man who is diligent in his work with a keen eye for details and correct process, there is none better than Babachir Lawal”.

“He knows this nation and understands its complexities, from the intricacies of our federal bureaucracy to the diversity of our social fabric to the, multiple dimensions of our political dynamics.

“He is a man well-tailored to fit his position in today’s Nigeria where we find ourselves in asituationnotmeantforthefaint hearted. A situation that requires grit, guts and wisdom.

These attributes, Lawal has in abundance”.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 7

AFTERMATH OF DARE-DEVIL ROBBERY

We’ll restore peace in Festac — Hon Olorunrinu

By Amarachi Chukwudi & Kelechukwu Iruoma

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OLLOWING the daredevil armed robbery in Festival Town (festac) last week, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Amuwo Odofin Constituency 1, Honourable Oladipupo Olorinrinu, has assured residents that the state house of assembly and security agencies in Lagos State are working tirelessly in making sure that peace is restored in the town.

Hon. Olorunrinu who stated this in an interview with Sunday Vanguard said: “It is quite unfortunate that bad things has been happening in Festival town, especially the robbery incident that took place on Tuesday, 13th October, 2015, and also the kidnappings. The town is a sane and residential place and there has been a lot of things aggregating to these issues which have been cropping up leading to robbery attacks and

other menace.”

He revealed that: “The Lagos State House of Assembly is aware of the incidents and we are looking at the issues and how we can assist the police.

Narrating recent robbery attack in the community, he said the hoodlums came through the waterways, adding that the police force is making efforts to see how it can

begin to enhance its marine wing.

He stated that he met the commissioner of police and the Assistant Inspector General of Police, adding that they are doing some sort of thorough investigation into the robbery incident and there is the possibility of ensuring that the Marine Police would join hands in ensuring that Festival town remains safe.

R-L: Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi; Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole; his wife, Lara; Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola; Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku and Lagos State Governor Akinwumi Ambode at a thanksgiving service for the SGF,Babachir Lawal, in Abuja yesterday.

Our cocoa will soon get stock market pricing — Mimiko

By Dayo Johnson, Akure

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O V E R N O R Olusegun Mimiko says plans are almost concluded to ensure cocoa products in Ondo State gain commodity pricing and value at the Stock Exchange Market.

Mimiko said groupfarmers will get stock brokers and thus market their products in stock exchange, stressing that the goal of the present administration is to

process and brand its cocoa in a globally acceptable way that will in turn produce chocolate that is internationally worthy, hygienic, nourishing and outstanding.

The governor, while speaking at a gala night/dinner organised for participants of the National Defence College NDC), Abuja, Course 24, as part of activities rounding off their week long geostrategic tour of the state, at the weekend,

said his focus since the inception of his government, is to empower the people through the ‘A CARING HEART’ mantra, and invariably motivate them to pay tax.

Fielding questions from the participants at the dinner, Mimiko observed that the state will soon be recognised globally in its cocoa revolution and will in turn assist in repositioning Nigeria to its position in cocoa

Enugu civil service’ll be a model — Gov Ugwuanyi

BY FRANCIS IGATA

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NUGU — The Governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has reassured civil servants in the state of his administration’s commitment to take the state to the next level in terms of holistic and inclusive development in line with his campaign promises.

The governor noted that his utmost desire is to build a civil service that will not only be a model for its contemporaries, but also one that will give the people of Enugu State a new lease of life in terms of quality and efficiency of service.

Governor Ugwuanyi in an address through his deputy, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, during the grand finale of the state 2015 civil service celebration at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, noted that he would like to see a civil service where discipline, commitment, efficiency, transparency and altruism would reign supreme.

He said the government of Enugu State cannot do much

without the corporation and participation of civil servants in the state, adding that issues affecting the welfare and

comfort of civil servants are paramount to his government.

The governor enjoined Enugu State workers to

join hands with his administration in bringing the state civil service to proposed international standard.

ANALYSIS: Competitors linked to CPC raid on Multichoice office

By Olalekan Bilesanmi

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HE face-off between the Consumer Protection Council,CPC, and Multichoice got to a head, last week, when the CPC swooped on Lagos Island headquarters of the pay – TV firm to carry out an enforcement exercise.

The enforcement exercise, led by the CPC Director of Legal Services, Mr. Emmanuel Ataguba, came on the heels of alleged attempts by Multichoice officials to obstruct the course of investigation into the company’s operations.

The raid saw the Council officials leaving with laptop computers and important documents about the company’s operations and subscribers.

Multichoice, according to a source close to it, was mindful of the fact that it’s data could be leaked to competitors once it was available outside the safety of her system. It further stat-

ed that the insistence of the CPC that the pay-TV firm handover it’s exclusive contracts with its customers was baffling and wondered how such action of the CPC could aid consumer protection.

There are insinuations within and outside Multichoice that this may be the voice of CPC at work but certainly the hand of some powerful competitors directing it based on the kind of demands the regulatory body was making. One of such demands is that Multichoice should provide comprehensive data of its subscribers. Broadcast industry experts are at a loss on how this will help the CPC protect those consumers.

Their is a growing fear in the industry that some competing companies may be using the CPC to attack Multichoice dominance of the market, developed over 22 years, using government magic.

Another criticism trailing the CPC action was the raid

on Multichoice office without legal backing. Analysts were curious as to why the CPC did not go to court to compel the pay-TV firm to produce the documents it wanted from Multichoice instead of using military era tactics which included harassment. Consumers who were at the Multichoice office were said to have been harassed during the raid.

There were also fears that this kind of attack have a tendency to hurt Nigeria’s potentials to attract direct foreign investment.

production among comity of nations.

Meanwhile, the Commandant of the NDC, Rear Admiral Sanni Alabi, who led the team has predicted that insurgency would soon be a thing of the past in the country. To this end, Alabi said the curriculum of the institution has been restructured towards tackling terrorism in the North East. According to him, officers in the institutions are ‘strategically thinking’ on how to end insurgency in the country. The NDC trains officers of colonel and

Tanker fire kills one, injures six in Ogun

BY DAUD OLATUNJI, ABEOKUTA

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DRIVER, identified as Wale Olaitan, lost his life while a family of six, as well as a motorcyclist, sustained burns in a fuel truck explosion which occured at Owode- Ijako,along Lagos/Abeokuta Expressway, yesterday.

An eye witness told our correspondent that two buildings, located on numbers 96 and 98 on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, situated adjacent to the spot where the tanker fell, were affected by the fire.

First CAC in the North at 82

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T is celebration galore as the first Christ Apostolic Church, (C.A.C.), in northern Nigeria, celebrates her 82nd anniversary and the dedication of her ultra-modern church auditorium. The week-long program started on October 12 and the grand finale

above in the armed forces on strategic issues. Alabi said there were being trained to be strategic thinkers and one of the mandates in ending insurgency in the country. He noted that there are lots of programmes being put together and this geostrategic tour of the state on Internally.

The state deputy governor, Alhaji Lasisi Oluboyo, who received the team in his office on behalf of the governor, commended the military for its efforts and professional manner in the fight against insurgency in the country.

comes up today.

The theme of the anniversary, “The revival: Needs of the aged, focuses on the end time revival being the year anchor of the mission.

Representing the mission authority is the General Secretary, Pastor E. E. Mapur.

The family of six, who lived inside house number 96, suffered some degrees of burns and were receiving treatment in hospital.

It was gathered that not less than three shops were also burnt.

According to the source, the tanker lost control, hit a median and fell, prompting the content to spill and caught fire.

According to an eyewitness, the accident occurred about 4:30pm.

The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence in Ogun State, Kareem Olanrewaju, confirmed the incident.

He said his men at Ota Division received a distressed call after the incident, saying men of Fire Service put out the fire.

According to him, property worth millions of naira, including three houses,two cars, generator were destroyed.

PAGE 8—SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

rexmarinus@hotmail.com

Jos, thirty years later

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y class at the University of Jos was admitted to the university in the fall of 1985 as the University of Jos class of ‘85. It is thirty years from thence – and time seems to have galloped too quickly. WE arrived on campus in late September 1985, to the clamorous strains of the wind in the leaves, and to bracing mornings, in what would prove to be one of the coldest harmattans ever in Jos. I was eighteen, going to turn nineteen that December, and I had decided to come to Jos to study English, and not to follow in any of the steps towards which my father was nudging me.

My family members had all graduated from the University either from Ibadan or Nsukka. My father, and indeed my paternal uncles, all wanted me to go to Ibadan, and return either to Tedder Hall or to Independence Hall, or at worse, go to Nsukka.

“Your uncle Nath, did not do poorly at Nsukka, you know,” my late Uncle Lawrence, always used to say with that amused glint in his eyes. They did not put a lot of store in any other Universities, but those two. But I needed to chart my own course distinctly. I was sixteen and some; when I left high school in May 1983, from the Government College Umuahia, and wrote the first Matriculation exam, with a score of 282, seeking for a place at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Law School.

That year, Nsukka had cut-off

its admission list to Law at 290, with later supplementary admissions at 285. Friends said I should have applied to Ibadan, which that year had cut at 272, or at Ife at 270, for Law. We did pick up on these questions about cut-offs and what-not, in those years, when JAMB still had some control on these matters. Nsukka often had, for many years, the highest admission cut-offs into its Law program. I did not get in to the Nsukka Law program, but in hindsight, my mind was really not in Law. Again, one day, my father brought application forms for me to apply for the HSC program at Kings College, Lagos and the Government College Umuahia, either of which could have been shoeins. I was young and restless. I wanted a bit of fun.

I did not want to return to the regimented life without girls at these boarding schools for boys. I wanted to go to either the Federal College of Arts and Science (FSAS), Aba, or the Federal College of Arts and Science, Victoria Island, Lagos, where some of my friends were going to, and where I was told, there was a lot of “iboo”- that is,groove. I wanted some adult groove; an unregimented life after high school, and to return on holidays with a little more chip on the soldiers, which certainly earned you some credits in the social life of the town. Well, the upshot was that my father, again reading quite through me said, “if you do not want to go to school, I’ll fit you with a wheel barrow

full of pepper, and you’d be on your way selling paper for life at the Umuahia Railways Gate.” In those days, I did not take those words lightly. But as it turned out, I spent the year 1984, especially after, refusing to pass the time at the Federal Polytechnic, Idah, where my uncle, then Head of Science and Technology, had secured a place for me in the Polytechnic’s College of Management, on a real long vacation from everything.

It was my year of freedom.

My parents had kindly placed me on a monthly pocket money of Five Naira, which went nowhere in supporting my social life. But it was something. The Buhari dictatorship was in full swing until that August of 1985, when it came to a full halt, with the military coup by Babangida.

There was an air, in Nigeria, of something both imminent and inevitable. I had discovered poetry as a means of expression, and wrote a few love poems, which earned me occasional illicit consolations; but it was imitative poetry, which had all the echoes of Okigbo, whose poetry I had only just discovered, and which had seduced me profoundly. My friend, the late Mark Nwachukwu kept most of those juvenilia, and we often joked about the fact that he was the repository of my bad poetry, and that if I ever won the Nobel Prize, he would make a killing by selling my juvenilia.For my birthday in December of 1984, my father gave me my first copy of Okigbo’s Labyrinths. I think I decided to pursue a degree in English, in those moments, and decided, after reading Okigbo, to be a poet. A degree in English seemed quite appropriate. I applied to Jos because, after all, it was by all I had heard a city made for poets. So, when I was admitted to read English at Jos, my father said, “that’s ok. Jos is Ibadan on the hills.” So, indeed it was. The University of Jos began in 1971 as a campus of the University of Ibadan, and established its

WATER SHORTAGE IN BORNO

Residents block Gov Shetitima’s convoy in protest

BY NDAHI MARAMA, MAIDUGURI

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housands of people, mostly youths of Jakana village of Konduga Local Government Area, on Saturday protested over lack of drinking water and erected a blockade of the convoy of Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State on his way to Beneshiek to inspect ongoing rehabilitation/reconstruction of houses destroyed by insurgents.

Jakana is in the east and about 35 kilometres from Maiduguri and had witnessed series of Boko Haram attacks, including the razing of a police station, school structures and other public infrastructure in recent past although most of these structures are currently undergoing renovation by the state government.

The youths said they were compelled to forcefully block the governor’s convoy despite security cover to vent their anger over the hardship being faced by residents who trek for kilometres to buy water at the

cost of N100 per keg of 25litres, compared to residents in Maiduguri who buy same at only N5.

Mallam Abubakar Yakubu who actively participated in the protest told Sunday Vanguard that due to the lingering crisis of Boko Haram, many residents of Jakana in most cases cannot afford to buy even a one litre of water on daily basis, and, therefore, resorted to drinking conterminated water from streams and dams which is also used by animals.

“We have been suffering from lack of water, and everybody knows that water is live, during the Boko Haram attacks on this community, all our functional boreholes were vandalized by the insurgents, and as I am talking to you, up to now, government has failed to come to our aid by repairing the b boreholes in this area; we are pleading that Shettima should drill more boreholes and repair the broken down ones”. Yakubu stated.

Governor Shettima, before reaching Beneshiekh town, was forced to stop his convoy.

He then addressed the

aggrieved residents and promised that government through the ministry of water resources will soon embark on drilling of more boreholes in the village and the repair of the existing ones so as to

own charter as a degreeawarding university in 1975.We of the 1985 class, came as freshmen to Jos, ten years to the day, when the University of Jos was fully established. I spent my first night in Jos, at the home of then young Captain Geo Osuji, who later retired as a Brigadier of the Nigerian Army, who lived in the Army flats just about three blocksfrom the Bauchi road campus, the main campus of the University. There were then

Our political leaders have been unruly and discourteous. Those are the real culprits and makers of our national malaise. They have very little regard or respect for the civil and economic rights of Nigerians four student residences: the great choices were at the Naraguta campus, and the Students village hostels; then there was the Bank road Flats and the Bauchi Road Flats. We paid the N90 accommodation fee, and the N10 Students Union fee, and generally went to Nigerian Universities tuition free. That is the entire truth: Nigeria gave us, anybody who studied from Medicine, Engineering, to the Humanities, education free. We only fed ourselves, and catered to our distinct appetites as best we could. UniJos (or U-Jay as we called it) had a reputation as a party school where rich kids came to party.

It was not exactly that. There were kids from wealthy and powerful families, and it did not matter, because, in fact, the most distinct students on campus, which sometimes seemed like a daily “fashion parade” in those years were students with remarkable abilities. But we certainly cushion their hardship.

He said, already his government has started rebuilding all the destroyed communities to enable the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) go back home and continue their normal lives.

He however appealed to them to be patient as his administration and the security agencies are doing everything possible to ensure adequate protection of lives and property and as well restore peace across the state.

Gen. Ransome-Kuti jailed for refusal to perform military duties – Army

T

he Nigerian Army c o n f i r m e d yesterday that Brigadier General Enitan Ransome-Kuti was sentenced to six-months imprisonment and also dismissed from service by a military court martial.

The Army, in a statement by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, however, ave reasons including “failure to perform military duties” for the Army’s decision.

The statement reads: “In reference to media enquiry on the judgment passed by a General Court Martial on Friday at Army Headquarters Garrison, I wish to confirm that one of

the accused persons, Brigadier General EA Ransome-Kuti, was awarded the following punishments on the various count charges against him as follows: “The first count charge, which was “cowardly behaviour ”, was struck out but he was found guilty on count charge number two which was “failure to perform military duties” and was dismissed from the Nigerian Army.

“He was equally found guilty on count charge number 3 which was “miscellaneous offences relating to service property” and was awarded six months imprisonment

partied. The first two months of the semester were a great time for parties. There were many departmental receptions. It was the years of what we then called the “October rush.”

Various states and Town associations had welcome parties. There were private parties in town, some of which were thoroughly exclusive, and you had to wangle an invitation.

Always, the great incentive was to “snag a consort.”The girls, some free of parental oversight for the first time, were starting out wild, but became inexorably calmer by the fourth year. For that period, I even lusted after Yetunde Obayemi in Architecture, but was too distracted to put the wheels to motion. Years later, as a journalist in Lagos, I met her father, the distinguished historian, the now late Professor Ade Obayemi, then Director of the Nigerian National Museum of Antiquities, and told him that if I had better courage, I might have been his sonin-law. He laughed and berated me for lack of courage. The Marxists were still on campus, preaching scientific materialism; the Pyrates were still at Deck on the “Viking” and lubbers were still lubbers, and happily so on land. Still, it was joyous fun, for the dogs often led the float to town during the carnivalesque “Rag Day,” when students raised money for charity by wearing rags to town – and also kept the peace on Student Union Elections.We had great distinguished scholars on the faculty, many educated in the best foreign academies and at home carefully recruited to the Universities. There were the great Deans: Professor Ikeme was Provost of Medicine, Aaron Gana was Dean of the Social Sciences, Deborah Ajakaiye was in the Environmental Sciences, Ebere Osieke was Dean of Law, Iwuala, who was University orator, in

science, Ezeoma in Education; and Ali Mazrui was the Albert Luthuli University Professor, and so on. When you look round today, and compare all these, with the currentquality of staffing in Nigerian universities, and even with English professors who write atrocious English, we would only begin to appreciate the profound decline of the university in Nigeria. English had some fine scholars: Ngwaba taught African Lit, the late Ayo Mamudu taught the 18th Century and the Victorian novel, as well as Creative Writing. He was a poet, who had studied the Classics at Ibadan, but was far too skeptical and sparing to publish. He took our Senior Creative Writing Classes on occasion to the Naraguta Country Club for class, and fed us beer and Meatpie. I think he wanted to introduce us to the Café life. Abu Abarry, who was my final year Honors Project Adviser and his wife the lovely Nana Abarry later left in my final year to Temple University in Philadelphia;Mac Azuike taught Style, Kanchana Ugbabe was lovely and kind, and was my friend, Okey Ikeobi’s muse; Angela Miri, then a young Graduate Student came in my final year as an Assistant Lecturer. Of all in my class of ’85, my friend, Maureen Amaka Azuike (then Mazeli) was the one who remained in Jos, and is today, a full Professor in the English department.

Time moved too quickly, but of all the things Jos taught, we may look back at, not in anger like Harold Pinter, but with gratitude. I write this both to celebrate thirty years for all those in the class of ’85 in Jos, as well as to summon them all in that generation to their great duty: to give back. I also hope, as I hear Kayode Fayemi insists at his ministerial hearing, that we must, as a nation, embark on a great education reform, and to return quality back to our once great citadels of learning.

HAJJ STAMPEDE

How I escaped death – Bauchi Speaker

BY SUZAN EDEH

T

he Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Hon Kawuwa Damina, a pilgrim from Nigeria, has given personal account of how narrowly escaped death at Mina, near Mecca, where over 1000 lives were lost.

He said he had just passed through the area that turned out to be the scene of the stampede less than an hour before it happened.

According to confirmed reports, over 1000 pilgrims from across the world were confirmed dead and many more injured during the stampede on one of the roads leading to the Jamarat Complex (stone throwing site) in Mina.

According to him, “the Mina stampede did not take place at the Jimarat - that is the place where pilgrims stone the devil. The stampede happened about 600 metres away from the Jimarat.

“Before the incident, I passed through that particular area where the

stampede occurred just minutes before it happened and from what I observed, I had a premonition that something was going to go wrong. I even commented on it.

“Surprisingly, it was not up to an hour after I had left the area that the incident happened. Where the stampede took place was a passage and there were shades left and right. There was also a fire service point and because of the heat, people just cool themselves with water on their foreheads and bodies as they walked on.

“It was at that junction that the passage became narrow because of the congestion.

The movements at that moment became tensed and resulted in the stampede that claimed many lives and injured several others” The speaker, who expressed grief over the loss of many lives during stampede, noted that it was blessing because the incident happened after the “Arafat” which automatically qualifies them to go directly to heaven, according to the Islamic religion.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, Page 9

All letters bearing writers' names and full addresses should be typed and forwarded to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, Kirikiri Canal, P. M. B.

An equitable template for justifying taxation in Delta Dear Sir,

T

here is no country or state that can achieve its objectives of governance without funding. Every government with a vision requires funding of its programmes and activities for the purpose of achieving its objectives and unlike the Nigerian mono-economy where oil royalties reign supreme, ideally it is actually the payment of taxes that constitutes the primary source of government funding.

As a matter of fact, taxation is so important in public affairs that in the parts of the world where it is well embedded in the political eco-system, it plays a pivotal role in politics.

Unfortunately, unlike in our part of the world where taxation is generally frowned at, even ordinary citizens in developed climes have come to understand little if anything can be achieved without taxation.

This understanding resides at the core of the idea of Tax and Spend as an equitable template for justifying taxation with the caveat that such expenditure of taxpayer funds must be meaningful, targeted, transparent and purposeful.

The downward spiral in earnings from crude oil sales has once more brought to the fore, the challenge of taxing and spending all across the nation. The Senator Ifeanyi Okowa-led administration in Delta State has responded positively to the current economic reality, by reconstituting the Board of Internal Revenue to enable government optimize its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the delivery of his S.M.A.R.T Agenda. The Governor, while recently inaugurating the board, composed of tried, tested and trusted individuals including Sir Monday Onyeme, Chairman, Barr.

Mike Edegware, Secretary, Mr. Godday Daniel, Hon. Solomon Ighrakpata and Mr. Barry Gbe as members, disclosed that his administration took time to consti-

tute the Board because the agency is critical to the success of his administration.

Indeed in his own words: “It will play a critical role in building a new Delta predicated on the principles of problem solving, resource optimization and purposeful leadership.”

Governor Okowa had also frowned at the current situation where there is less than 20 per cent compliance level in revenue generation from the informal sector,

asserting that “currently, over 80 per cent of our internally generated revenue comes from the formal sector which translates to less than 20 per cent compliance level because the informal sector, which constitutes over 80 per cent of the economy, has not been effectively captured in the tax net.”

He especially decried the situation where individuals, especially businessmen pay little tax that are not commensurate with their in-

come and assets.

While stating that “the utmost priority of the new Board must be how to bring the informal sector into the tax net,” Governor Okowa reiterated, “paying taxes is not only a civic responsibility, it is constitutionally binding on every Nigerian, and I want to assure all Deltans that this administration is committed to ensuring that every kobo in the coffers of the state will be judiciously spent to positively impact

the lives of the citizenry”.

The enactment of this new order was to build an autonomous Revenue Service that will be anchored on strict professionalism, transparency, integrity, and results. Against this background of the profound challenge that the Governor has thrown to the board, the DBIR must reinvigorate its efforts in creatively and doggedly pursuing various tax polices pertaining to personal income tax popu-

Re: CPC raids MultiChoice head office in Lagos Dear Sir,

I

read with utter disgust and bewilderment a story published in your paper about the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) invasion of the Victoria Island office of MultiChoice Nigeria owners of DStv and GOtv digital platforms on Thursday, October 15th. In the statement, it said that the officials of the CPC stormed the office of MultiChoice and disrupted operations for a number of hours while they ransacked the offices and left with documents. I also gathered that the officials came in with armed policemen numbering up to thirty, blocking customers’ entry and exit into the premises and generally instilling fear and confusion while they carried out their operation.

I am in full support of transparent practices from organizations and I believe that these organizations should be checkmated to ensure that they meet the required standards set up by the regulatory agencies, but I do not see the justification behind the CPC to forcefully extract a company’s operating documents in the name of investigation. What happens to the security of the information they have in their possession? Is this even ethical? A customer who was at the V/I branch where the incident occurred said he had to spend an extra two hours that he did not plan

for while the operation lasted. He queried the mandate of the CPC who is supposed to protect the consumers but ended up frustrating and wasting their precious time.

I have been following with keen interest the investigations of the CPC into what they call the alleged consumer rights abuse of customers by MultiChoice.

They said that these investigations was not to upturn the judgment of the court which ruled in favour of

MultiChoice Nigeria on the recent price increase saga, but to give attention to barrage of reports reaching its offices alleging unsatisfactory service offerings by the Pay TV operator. As a DStv subscriber, I did feel the pinch of the price hike but I have come to understand that with every business it is almost impossible not to review your prices to accommodate the current realities faced and in a country like Nigeria, these realities stare

us stone cold in the face.

However, this is not the issue on ground. The crux of this letter is to inquire about the justification of the raid.

Are they authorized to carry out such a raid?

One of the mandates of the CPC as highlighted on their website states that they are to use all legitimate means to eliminate the scourge of consumer rights abuse in the Nigerian market place. But I do not think the raid witnessed last

larly called PAYE (Pay As You Earn), Withholding Tax, Stamp Duty Tax, Consumer tax and a proposed Indirect Tax to shore up the revenue of the state.

It is thus expected that the new board will hit the ground running by way of an in-depth Tax Education, Enlightenment and Sensitization Campaign.

Michael Tidi ,Special Assistant on News Media to Gov. Okowa, wrote in from Asaba.

Thursday was anything close to legitimate. As a consumer, I believe there should have been a tidier and systematic approach to getting results or answers to the questions they have asked. I believe that an open and transparent inquisition will benefit all parties involved and that way CPC can truly say they are fighting for the cause of the consumer, not a raid that will be difficult to distinguish from a robbery operation.

Julius Akinjide wrote from Victoria Island, Lagos.

Technocrats will make our politics work Dear Sir,

I

t may not be very obvious right now but undoubtedly there is a quiet revolution in the nation’s political space. It started a few years after the country returned to democratic rule after almost four decades of military rule. Aside the entry of a few professionals from the private sector into mainstream politics of the country, President Olusegun Obasanjo, in his wisdom, recruited technocrats into his cabinet.

People like Ngozi OkonjoIweala, the World Bank expert who oversees the nation’s economy. There was also Professor Bath Nnaji who took care of the Power sector. There were, and still are, several others who are serving today in different capacities in the nation’s public

service. However, I speak about technocrats who are gradually making inroads into the mainstream of Nigerian politics, hardcore professionals who have made their marks in their different professions and now want to serve their country in a different capacity.

This, in my humble view, is a welcome development. In the first place,the nation’s economy will certainly be the better for it. Perhaps one problem that has kept the nation within the rank of the underdeveloped and Third World countries for many years, in spite of her abundant human and material resources, is the near absence of technocrats in the government of the day.

What has happened in Lagos, Edo and few other states of the federation, especially where the progressives have been in power, is an evidence

of this welcome development.

That is why the intention of Dr. Christopher Osasere Iyare, to contest the Edo State governorship next year is most welcome and should be celebrated.

A Pharmacist and hardcore professional of many years standing, Christopher is 43 years old and hails from Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. A product of the University of Benin where he read Pharmacy. He was Pharmacist and Head of Pharmacy Department,Maryam Abacha Women and ChildrenHospital, Sokoto,from 1998 to January 1999.

In February of the same year he moved to Lagos where he served as Superintendent Pharmacist for Net Pharmacy and Stores, FESTAC Town, between February and June of that year before he was elected Nation-

al Secretariat Manager of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, a position he held u n t i l F e b r u a r y 2000. He was briefly Medical Representative of Swiss Pharm. Nigeria Limited (SWIPHA) from March 2000 to December 2000 before he was drafted into the membership of the Edo State Hospitals Management Board in June 2001, a position he still holds till date, among other achievements and awards.

It is noteworthy that this new development is a happy reversal of the previous situation, not too long ago in our contemporary history, when the best brains in our dear country flee our shores in search of "Greener Pasture”. But it is only made inNigeria Nigerians that will build the Nigeria of our collective dream and from all indications Christopher is one of them.

Michael Odion, wrote in from Benin City.

PAGE 10—SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015 shamelessly misled the people? ”A truth told with bad intent/ Beats all the lies you can invent”, according to William Blake, 1757-1827.

(VBQ p 254).

On October 8, 2015, the person who once called Jonathan “my son” and who attempted to intimidate Nigerians to re-

In defence of Goodluck Jonathan “I hate ingratitude more in a man than lying, vainness, babbling drunkenness, or any taint of vice whose strong corruption inhabits our frail blood.” William Shakespeare, 1564-1616.

(VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, p103).

F

or columnists, there has been an avalanche of important events begging for urgent attention. For once nobody can complain of mental block when issues such as Ministerial list, Saraki versus Tinubu, Code of Corruption, sorry Conduct Bureau, CCB; Party Supremacy; 2016 Budget; death of Alamieyeseigha etc are hot items on the national agenda. The decision to take on the defence of the

former President, Goodluck Jonathan, stems from my abiding contempt for people who are open ingrates; in other words, those who bite the fingers that have fed them generously. It has nothing to do with exonerating Jonathan from his monumental mistakes while in office. On the contrary, my stand is this: if Jonathan was not fighting corruption, as recently alleged, certain individuals are merely being dishonest and making themselves dishonourable by stating it now. This is especially true of those who until Election Day 2015 were urging Nigerians to vote for continuity. How on earth could any self-respecting and patriotic Nigerian, young or old, have so

Are we there yet?

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.” - Ambrose Redmoon

I

often wake up, morning after the night before and wonder how I miss a day or how the day did miss me. That is how I feel on every October the 1st. Nigerian Independence Day is often an underwhelming affair. You sometimes wish it will pass already. No fanfare, no ceremony and definitely no announcements and I am usually left with a sinking feeling that another year older and yet same old problems.

What is there to celebrate?

When I was growing up, we eagerly looked forward to October 1st.

This was many moons ago, as a school girl, our teachers would choose those who would represent the school in the march past at the stadium on Independence Day and it was an honour to be chosen.

It was hard work as you are drilled, marching time and time again under the glaring sun, we would march and salute to the imaginary representative until we get our march perfect. On the day itself, with uniform starched to the inch of its life and socks pulled to the regulated length, we make our way to the stadium. At the stadium, you check out the competition

and you are determined to make your school proud.

So roll on the years. Nigeria at 55. Are we there yet? Can someone tell me if we have arrived at 55 to a destination worthy of the travel or have we missed our turning and that we are completely lost, without a navigator? These are serious times and we can ill afford to keep our heads perpetually buried in the sand.

To be honest, I am tired of hearing the well-worn phrase "It is well", No. it is not. Look around you, it is not well and by whose definition, is it well?

It is a delusional and lazy affront to think by saying it is well that it then, it will become well. People want wealth without struggle and we have a misplaced a sense of collective responsibility with a generous lashing of selfish determination to get rich quick and by all means.

We are lost because we took our eyes off the road and we had better get back to basics.

The question every Nigerian should ask themselves is: what have you done to make Nigeria well or proud?

Enough of the same lame excuses and for those who are doom rakers, they will never get it. How can you get dividend when you did not make the effort to sow!

Nigeria does not owe anybody anything, instead Nigerians owe Nigeria so much. It is home. So why can

concerning a prospective appointee to high office in plain words. Mr President, this man is from my place, but report shows that he is a thief and a criminal.”

According to the former Minister, “I was shocked with the President’s reaction.”

Here is a Minister telling Nigerians long after the deed was perpetrated that the President of Nigeria deliberately employed a thief and a criminal. Again, the two most important questions are: for whose benefit? and why now?

Although, I have some answers to those questions, they will not be published

nothing more to give, they will move on. Some will even join your political enemies. I illustrated the point with two examples – late Professor Ambrose Alli, Governor of Bendel State, 1979-1983, and my role model, mentor and friend, Obong Victor Attah, Governor of Akwa Ibom State, 1999-2007.

Alli was the more fortunate of the two.

People he picked from the “gutter ” and made rich simply deserted him until he died at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.

Attah was not ignored.

Instead poor “charge and

elect his adopted son had this to say to the whole world. “Jonathan didn’t have the political will to fight corruption. He’s a gentleman. Drivers of yesterday are living in palatial buildings now under his government…In advanced countries, when you are living above your means, people query you.”

Understandably nobody asked the old man if he reported any case to Jonathan; and if he failed to do his patriotic duty then, why now? In short what is the motive of our Baba in making this disclosure?

On Monday, October 12, 2015, on page 8 of a national daily, it was the turn of a former Minister of State for Education, under Jonathan. He told us how a colleague had told President Jonathan,

If the truth must be told, Jonathan was a victim of all those who are now accusing him of conniving with corrupt elements. They made him to believe that without the support of those people he could not be re-elected now. Let me return to an article published earlier this year, after the election results were announced.

During a Thanksgiving Service to mark the end of his administration, President Jonathan had remarked that “friends will desert me, I only hope Patience will not desert me.” I had written on these pages that “Mr President, most of them are not your friends. They have gravitated around you for what they could get. Now that you have

bail” lawyers he brought into his government ganged up against him as soon as he left office in 2007; and few came to his defence.

Jonathan should expect more deserters; some making indictments of his government and himself as they go in search of pastures new. Already, the former Chairman of the PDP in Bayelsa, had decamped to the All

we not make it habitable, governable, peaceful and workable? The bottom line is: it costs nothing except to work together to make it so.

I remember, when Andrew was pleading with Nigerians, leaving its shores, not to check out. Since then, thousands of Nigerians have done exactly that. They do so for survival and a chance of better way of life. Abroad, Nigerians are making strides, most are at the top of their professions and are amongst the most educated in the diaspora. The call of home would be sweeter if only the corrupt structure and attitudes changes. If the country is conducive to real change, this will encourage the best of the best to come home and those at home are given the opportunity to develop and compete with the best in the world. It is the corrupt and vindictive practices that stop the progress of many and no one wants to do business with people who are always on the make. There is no doubt, the present situation has led to a brain drain of talented Nigerians and of many Nigerians whose contributions could help rebuild the nation if not for these avaricious collectives.

Frankly speaking, we should at 55, have much more to celebrate and looking back it should be with fond memories and not regrets.Instead, we look back and then all we see is we lacked enough milestones to be proud of.

The independence celebration is muted because of lack of progress. Having read President Buhari's address to the nation and his determination not to roll out the carpet of this year's independence, I feel that this should be applauded. He has set the right tone for the

country and the reality is that the money for the celebration could be put to use where it can make a significant difference.

This should be a time of quiet contemplation. President Buhari's address was conciliatory, honest, frank and inclusive; change is needed from within the people, the institutions, and change in the structure of governance. Every Nigerian doing his part in transforming the country.

He was very clear the direction of travel that would mark his government: "Change does not just happen. You and I and all of us must appreciate that we all have our part to play

So, I have in the last four years, determined not to celebrate the independence day but to mark the day, celebrating the achievements of remarkable Nigerians This year will be no different. Last year, I wrote on Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (FRK), a Nigerian feminist who fought for suffrage and equal rights for her country's women long before it became fashionable.

Known as the Lioness of Lisabi or Mother Africa, she was instrumental in the struggle for Nigerian independence.

The year before that, it was the author, Buchi Emecheta, born to Igbo parents in Lagos on 21 July 1944.

Dr.Buchi Emecheta is a prolific novelist who has published over 20 books, plays and shorts, including Second-Class Citizen, The Bride price, the Slave Girl and The Joy of Motherhood.

And the year before that, I wrote about Ken SaroWiwa, the writer, artist, journalist, and television producer, President of the Association of Nigerian Authors. He devoted his later years entirely to the non-violent struggles of his fellow Ogoni people. He was truly a man of the people.

So this year, the recognition goes to an unsung heroine, whom many Nigerians owe their lives to. Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh was born in Lagos in October 1956. She comes from a long line of patriotic and heroic pedigree; her father was Babatunde Adadevoh, a professor of chemical pathology and, between 1978 and 1980, the vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos. Her great-grandfather was the

Can someone tell me if we have arrived at 55 to a destination worthy of the travel or have we missed our turning and that we are completely lost, without a navigator?

if we want to bring about change. We must change our lawless habits, our attitude to public office and public trust.

We must change our unruly behaviour in schools, hospitals, market places, motor parks, on the roads, in homes and offices.

To bring about change, we must change ourselves by being lawabiding citizens. Happy Independence celebrations.

Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria." Reality bites but truth is a bitter pill to swallow.

Progressives Congress, APC, after making it clear (as if it needed to be said) that he is not in politics because of anybody else. A year ago, he probably would have sworn his lifelong loyalty to GEJ on anything from the Bible to Ogbanje. Keen observers of the news would have noticed a series of advertorials and sponsored articles directed at the Buhari administration pointing to the active and “patriotic” support the former leader of the Tr a n s f o r m a t i o n Ambassadors of Nigeria, TAN, is giving to the new government. One shoe dropped, expect the other to drop any time as “hundreds of thousands” of admirers decamp in one day.

Reuben Abati, Jonathan’s spokesman recently announced that his phone had stopped ringing.

Jonathan’s phone calls must have dropped by almost ninety-five per cent.

His parlour almost totally deserted. In fact, most of those who would have given an arm and a leg to see him in 2014, will now avoid him like the plague; or come under cover of night.

Yet, if the truth must be told, Jonathan was a victim of all those who are now accusing him of conniving with corrupt elements. They made him to believe that without the support of those people he could not be reelected. And, he, to his everlasting sorrow, believed them.

Nigerian nationalist Herbert Macaulay (himself the grandson of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first African Anglican bishop).

She lived most of her life in Lagos, spending the last 21 years working at the First Consultant Hospital in Obalende on Lagos Island.

Adadevoh was credited for her quick thinking, professional, selfless and courageous effort in placing the primary Ebola patient, Patrick Sawyer in quarantine, despite the patient's strenuous protestations and in the physical struggle to contain the highly contagious patient, she became infected with the perilous virus. And on the 4th of August, she was tested positive for Ebola and succumbed to the virus on the 19th of August, 2014. She was one of 19 victims linked to Sawyer's infection. She, no doubt, prevented a large scale epidemic on Nigerian soil and is praised for preventing the Nigerian index case from leaving the hospital at the time of diagnosis.

Without her professionalism, selflessness and astute moral judgement, the number of Ebola cases would have being in thousands and in a populous nation as Nigeria, the human toll would have been disastrous. So for October 2015 Independence Day, I salute Dr Stella Ameyo Advadevoh. A selfless, patriotic and courageous Nigerian.

"The questions that we must ask ourselves, and that our historians and our children will ask of us, are these: How will what we create compare with what we inherited? Will we add to our tradition or will we subtract from it? Will we enrich it or will we deplete it?" — Leon Wieseltier

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 11

What Alamieyeseigha told me 4 years ago!

T

he main breaking news of Saturday October 10, 2015 was the death of a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Solomon Peters Alamieyeseigha, more popularly known as DSP and Governor General of the Ijaw nation. One week later, how he died has remained unknown as several claims counter each other on the subject. What appears to be generally believed across the nation is one account which imagines that DSP died because of fresh attempts to get him extradited to the United Kingdom to answer subsisting corruption charges. It was alleged that as soon as he heard of the extradition story, he fell into coma which led to his death.

Had the request for his extradition being formally made? It would appear that Ijaw youths think so following a claim by the umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide, that the British

government’s request for the extradition of the late Alamieyeseigha to the UK to face alleged money laundering charges was politically motivated. The IYC claimed that although the “suspicious” request was coming from the UK, the action was politically motivated and instigated by the Buhari-led administration while the UK was being used as a subterfuge. The group, in a statement issued by its spokesman, Eric Omare, also condemned what it called the immediate justification by the head of the Presidential AntiCorruption Committee, Prof. Itse Sagay as a betrayal of the government’s clandestine plan to arrest and jail Alamieyeseigha over his open criticism of the present administration.

A group of Ijaws in the Diaspora said in Germany that “the extradition notice smacks of high level conspiracy contrived by some powerful elements in PhD,Depar tment of Philosophy, University of Lagos 08116759758 opuruiche2000@yahoo.com

Facts, fancies and fallacies (5)

A

s I argued last week, assuming that the case against the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is an elaborate charade to hoodwink Nigerians into believing that the so-called war against corruption is no respecter of persons and party affiliation whereas the skewed system that breeds corruption is left relatively intact and untouched, it means that the more things change in Nigeria under APC, the more they will remain the same. But what is the skewed system that incubates and nourishes corruption in our country?

The answer is: the mixed-up unitarist-federalist 1999 constitution imposed on Nigerians by the military regime of retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

That very constitution, which concentrates enormous political and fiscal powers on the central government and emasculates the federating units, is at the very core of malignant corruption that has been crippling our developmental efforts.

Therefore, as long as the states, some of which are unviable anyway, continue to depend heavily on a central government that periodically allocates and distributes funds to them based on an arbitrarily selected formula, it would be difficult to reduce corruption especially at the centre to a manageable level. On this issue, the APC government led by President

Buhari has failed already right from the start, because political restructuring of the country along genuine federalist architecture is not in their calculus at all. Aside from serving the entrenched interests of key members of the Northern establishment and their Southern collaborators, it is very difficult to understand why APC seems completely uninterested in political and fiscal restructuring.

Probably Chinweizu was right in claiming that President Buhari is a tool used by the antiquated Caliphate system in Northern Nigeria to “appropriate the surplus produced by non-Caliphate sectors of the country using various devices in the 1999 constitution.”

To some people, especially compatriots from the North, any reference to the exploitative character of the Nigerian state which is anchored on overt and covert diversion of resources from the South to the North, or demand that the present grotesque system should be jettisoned and a more equitable one established, is an unpatriotic recourse to divisive ethnic parochialism. However, genuine patriotism cannot be grounded on falsehood and unfairness, as already demonstrated repeatedly by our inability to make sustainable progress in creating a truly Nigerian nation since 1960. Why, for example, did the 1999 constitution allocate seats in

the All Progressives Congress (APC) government who are out to destroy the Ijaw nation.” If the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not as a party buy the extradition issue, some of its leading members did.

One of them, Ayo Fayose, Governor of Ekiti State openly suggested that the APC-led Federal Government had “finally succeeded in hounding an Ijaw leader to death just because of his staunch stance on the upcoming Bayelsa State governorship

Whatever anyone chooses to believe, it is indisputable that DSP was virtually worshipped by his kith and Kin election.

Has the extradition request been made? If so, when? Has the Federal Government acceded to it? No one seems to have a substantive view on the subject; rather it has merely followed the rumour loving stance in our clime in which a thought which appears plausible is taken as gospel truth-a trend that is often unwise to follow. This writer recalls a story a friend of his swore about the National Assembly in such a manner that guarantees domination of the federal legislature by the North? What is the philosophy or rationale behind the lopsided distribution of states and local government areas, an arrangement which ensures that Northern Nigeria gets more than its fair share of our national resources derived mainly from the South? Is it fair, in a federation, that Northerners own more oil wells than the very people in whose lands the oil wells are located and whose communities have been devastated due to oil exploration and exploitation? I repeat: if APC is serious about meaningful change in Nigeria, it must begin a systematic replacement of the 1999 constitution with a new one that provides solid foundation for the emergence of true federalism.

On the on-going ministerial screening, the President created pointless anxiety and unrealistic expectations by delaying constitution of his executive council unnecessarily. This is because, instead of his s p o k e s p e r s o n s acknowledging the obvious fact that he was trying very hard to accommodate in his cabinet conflicting forces that helped him win the presidency, they repeatedly offered the tendentious excuse that the President was deliberately taking his time to pick the best people for the job. For die-hard Buharimaniacs for whom the President can do no wrong, the explanation by Garba Shehu was perfectly in order. Now that the ministerial list is out in two batches and senatorial screening has commenced, many Nigerians who expected something different, something

concerning a former Nigerian Minister, Chief Sunday who allegedly slumped and died on the spot as soon he was arrested on corruption charges related to the national identity card scam. When i told my friend of a report i read that Afolabi died of cancer in London in May 2004, he just said “oh; really?

So, does anyone really know how the former Governor Alamieyeseigha died? Again the stories have remained in the realm of guess work. One version said he died few hours before he could be flown abroad for further treatment by government.

Another story credited to the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information, Esueme K i k i l e said Alamieyeseigha “died of complications arising from high blood pressure and diabetes which affected his kidney,” Where did the death occur? Some reports suggest it happened at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Indeed, Ebitimi Angbare, a political loyalist of the deceased confirmed to the media that the former governor had been having a running battle with diabetes and high blood pressure for some time and “suddenly developed complications and went into coma on Friday.” The Leadership newspaper however gathered that the

Bayelsa State Deputy Governor John Jonah had activated a plan to fly DSP overseas for further treatment before he died adding that the same Jonah reportedly visited DSP and also spoke on phone with him “on Friday at about 8.15pm” contrary to claims that the man was in coma for two days. But when The Guardian newspaper visited UPTH, it gathered that when the former governor slumped, he passed away before he could be rushed to the hospital.

Whatever anyone chooses to believe, it is indisputable that DSP was virtually worshipped by his kith and Kin. As Senator Ben Bruce who represents the Bayelsa East Senatorial district noted in his condolence message, DSP was a “ worthy son of the Ijaw nation.” This is also corroborated by the state g o v e r n m e n t ’ s arrangements to give the late Ijaw leader a befitting burial. According to Governor Seriake Dickson, “the government will stand shoulder to shoulder with the family to give him a heroic burial. “We‘ve lost the greatest, biggest supporter and leader.” The Governor then set up a committee comprising 20 persons to plan the burial arrangements with Deputy Governor John Jonah as chairman the Speaker Konbowei Benson of the state House of Assembly, as

vice chairman, and the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Edmund Alison-Oguru, as secretary.

Alamieyeseigha reportedly jumped bail in December 2005 from the United Kingdom by allegedly disguising himself as a woman.

Although he consistently denied the disguise story until his death, no one ever believed the man. In this age of technology, what cannot happen? As a person, my perception of the late DSP changed in 2011 when I sat by him on a flight from Lagos to Abuja. He said he would want me as “a veteran investigative journalist” to find out if his travails were not due to his selection by Abubakar Atiku as his Vice Presidential candidate in 2003. He asked me to also find out from Nuhu Ribadu if as Chairman of the EFCC, he didn’t have a government brief to virtually frame-up corruption charges against DSP. His last request was for me to ask legislators who were blackmailed to impeach him if any of them believed in the impeachment. For former Governor James Ibori serving a jail term in Britain, to consider it expedient to issue a statement the other week that Alamieyeseigha was a victim of high-powered conspiracy, perhaps the story is worth investigating.

dramatically innovative, are disappointed. Some are still wondering why the President took so long to generate a list that recycled former governors, federal legislators, and selected bigwigs of APC, including Chief Audu Ogbeh, a man

people like Audu Ogbeh is a mistake. In addition, if indeed the President loathes corruption as much as his supporters claim, why did he select politicians currently facing allegations of corruption? The argument that an accused is presumed innocent until proved guilty by a competent court is puerile and escapist: for every single ministry each of those nominees might eventually superintend, there are many qualified and competent Nigerians without question-marks on their reputations, including those living abroad, who can do the job satisfactorily.

Overall, judging by the composition of the list, the President just wanted to reward some loyalists that helped him win the presidential election. But he cannot eat his cake and have it at the same time. By placing party loyalty and contribution to his electoral success above incorruptibility, Buhari is putting everyone on notice that the war against corruption is selective and not as thoroughgoing as they were meant to believe during the electioneering campaigns: it can be suspended depending on the political situation.

President Buhari once again missed a good opportunity to improve the quality of ministerial screening exercise: he repeated the mistake of his predecessors by not stating the ministry each of the nominees would be posted to. That in itself points to his inability to rise above the negative gravitational pull of opposing political forces that crystallised into the APC. At any rate, the Senate screening has exposed the lack of genuine progress in the process of recruiting ministers in Nigeria.

Beyond sententious platitudes and loquacity

displayed by some nominees, substantially there is no significant difference in manner the present ministerial nominees were screened by the senate and the screening done when PDP was in power. Indeed, the situation is worse presently: the Senate President himself is facing serious allegations of corruption and misconduct, which casts a long shadow on the entire process.

Moreover, the political situation now is markedly different from the situation in 1984 when Buhari, as a military dictator who ruled with iron-fisted decrees, did not have to consult anyone outside the Supreme Military Council before taking decisions.

Consequently, despite his initial unrealistic aloof attitude towards the National Assembly mainly because of how Saraki disregarded the ruling party to emerge as Senate President, Buhari had to pocket his ego and reach out to the Senate leadership to get his nominees confirmed without serious legislative hitches. Buharimaniacs can hyperbolise until kingdom come Buhari’s experience as a former military ruler and the extent it prepared him for the challenges of his present office. But his hasty disavowal of interest concerning who would emerge as leaders of the National Assembly and disparaging remarks about ministers suggest that he needs to learn more lessons on how to deal with complexity in a stochastic political environment. I foresee a situation in which President Buhari would increasingly jettison his initial idealism and operate more on the principle that Nigerian politics is driven by survivalist calculations, not by idealism.

Concluded.

Beyond sententious platitudes and loquacity displayed by some nominees, substantially there is no significant difference in manner the present ministerial nominees were screened by the senate and the screening done when PDP was in power screened for ministerial position over three decades ago when Bukola Saraki’s father, late Dr. Olusola Saraki, was a senator. I do not wish to repeat all the arguments for and against Buhari’s ministerial list. It must be noted, however, that in terms of quality, President Buhari’s ministerial nominees, taken holistically, are not superior to the ministers appointed by his predecessors from 1999 to May 29, 2015, and by military dictators (including the muchinveighed late Gen. Sani Abacha). A sizeable numbers of the nominees are experienced professionals and technocrats. All the same, for a President whose party took the gospel of change to dizzying heights during the last electioneering campaigns, recycling of

PAGE 12—SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015 to be absent. The Shadow Chancellor blamed the loss on the "confusion" of the MPs as a result of the "U-turn".

It was obvious the party was labouring to save face from this embarrassing turn around of the leadership. To stem the wave of rebellion that rose with the new

DIASPORA MATTERS

Labour: A ghastly turn around on the UK Fiscal Charter

T

hese are not interesting times for members, or to say, the leadership of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom. They are alarmed at the uncomfortable position their party is in the run up to the next general elections some years down the line. In the past week, Labour has found itself in some "pretty" embarrassing situations over an unnecessary policy "U-turn" and "somersault" that has in no way helped the fortunes of the party.

The events of last week, many observers believe, shall characterise the Labour Party in the coming years. They see a party that is scarred by its recent leadership contest and struggling without much success to paper over the cracks. No matter how hard the leader of the party, Jeremy Corbyn or his Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell try to explain the urge to "out osborne Osborne" for the latest debacle, it is obvious the party is navigating turbulent seas.

In a rather bizarre

manner, the party, rather than navigate away from the "rough sea", has found itself gravitating towards it.

Away from a contentious leadership election a few weeks ago, the party took its first major step. But rather than step into "a reconciliation mode," the "spirits" set about a replay of the "tower of babel". In an ironic twist, Labour's opponent, the Conservatives gained a "few mileage" from the party's "misfortunes."

On 25th September 2015 at the party's annual conference in the sea side city of Brighton, the Shadow Chancellor had given an unflinching support to the Fiscal Charter as proposed by the Conservative Chancellor George Osborne. The charter commits the government to a budget surplus in five years time to ensure UK debt keeps falling. Impressed by the charter, McDonnell announced gleefully to conference members that Labour "will support the charter on the basis we are going to want to balance

Tackling demonic forces

A

re you still keeping your faith strong?

I begin this column this week with reference to Pastor E.A. Adeboye’s Open Heavens of September 8, 2015 titled, “ Demons Hinder Destinies “.

The key point in this, to me, which we shall elaborate on later in this write up, is the fact that the influence of demonic forces are real, but the good news is that our God has unlimited power to render demonic forces impotent.

Pastor Adeboye wrote: “As a believer in Christ, one of the traits that should differentiate you from an ordinary fellow is the ability to cast out demons.”.

He made reference to Mark 16 vs 17.

The man of God added: “ However, if demons are tormenting you and you fail to do something about them, don’t expect God to do anything either”.

Now, this is the key message, if you fail to do something about them, don’t expect God to do

anything either.

How do you tackle demonic forces?

You will recall that in one of the early editions of Joyful Homes, I stated that one important way of noting the influence of demonic forces is by paying attention to dreams.

The point was made that most of the things that delay our progress, in almost every aspect of life, happens in the spiritual realm.

This is not to say that some are not physical.

For instance , Pastor Gbenga Oso, General Overseer of the Laughter Foundation Christian Ministry, cited the case of a young lady who, on her wedding day, was embraced by a guest.

Immediately, she felt like a rope had been tied around her waist.

The consequence was that the lady experienced a long delay in childbearing.

I’ll return to how she got her break through later.

Having identified an attack, the next step is to resolve to get the yoke

the books, we do want to live within our means and we will tackle the deficit.”

Eighteen days after the initial offer of support, the shadow chancellor in a letter to Labour MPs wrote a totally "different song".

"We will underline our position as an antiausterity party by voting against the charter on Wednesday (October 14, 2015).” It was a shock to the Tories and also members of his party.

McDonnell was quick to offer explanation for this sudden "U-turn". In an interview on Sky News he said: "I went to Redcar and I met the steel workers and I had families in tears about what has happened to them as a result of the government failing to act, failing to intervene. I came back and I realised ... that people are actually going to suffer badly and it brought it home to me. I don't want the Labour party associated with this policy."

The Tories won the votes by 320 to 258 with thirty seven Labour MPs failing to vote. This included sixteen who were "allowed"

broken and be set free.

Pastor Adeboye, in the passage earlier quoted, asked: “Are you still allowing demons to hinder your destiny? It is time to confront them today!.”

He wrote, “ Jesus wants to set you free.

You just need to cooperate with him”.

Steps to takeHow do you cooperate with Jesus ? Seek the Lord Jesus.

How? Don’t be tired of praying, worship God , serve him and fulfill your obligations as a believer.

Hold on to the fact that God can fight for you.

Pray until something happens.

Pastor Bamidele Olawale, the leader of the praying team of RCCG in a sermon on the ability of God to fight for us, made reference to Exodus 14 vs 15 and 2 Kings: 4 vs 8-37. He said, “ No matter the storm, always remember there is a next line of action into victory”.

He suggested a prayer point, “ Father , if there is an action to be taken, please direct me”.

It is also important to focus on the solution and not on the challenge.

Seek information. Don’t be tired of attending church programmes where issues related to your challenge are being addressed.

Apart from this, put your total trust in the Almighty God with whom nothing is impossible.

Knowledgeable pastors

Critics are already predicting Labour's slide into political oblivion. Fortunately or unfortunately the slide is being supervised by a leadership that seem not to have a clue on what to do to reverse the political misfortunes leadership's lack of total authority, Mr Corbyn gave permission to senior MPs to absent and abstain from the voting on the fiscal charter.

This, to many observers, is a face saving move by a leader who within a short period of time in office has indicated that reversing decisions will be a regular feature of his leadership.

It has emerged that the Fiscal Charter "U-turn" is not the only policy the Corbynled Labour has made. In another surprise move, the party has hinted that it might

suggest that we should pray and not grumble or complain.

Pray with thanksgiving.

As you pray, let your mind focus on what the day of your celebration will look like.

The yoke can be broken Let me refer to the story of the lady who was embraced on her wedding day. The challenge of delay in childbearing took her from one church to another. Finally, she attended a programme at Laughter Foundation and,

be supporting military action without United Nations' support as opposed to its initial position of blanket opposition to air strikes against the Islamic State (ISIL) in Syria.

Critics are already predicting Labour's slide into political oblivion.

Fortunately or unfortunately the slide is being supervised by a leadership that seem not to have a clue on what to do to reverse the political misfortunes. The "chaotic nature" of the leadership has brought question marks to the sincerity of some members who had gone out of their comfort zones to endorse it.

In the run up to the leadership election, it was obvious that the party would not be the same again. Infact the signs were all written on the wall that the Labour Party was on a losing stride when Ed Milliband was elected the leader in 2010.

The pundits did not lose their bets, when earlier this year, the party suffered the greatest electoral defeat in recent times.

There was hope of rejuvenation after Milliband voluntarily gave up the leadership in May this year.

Unfortunately the events that followed his resignation had not in any way helped matters, as top party leaders found themselves, rather than cooperating, jostling for the leadership position.

And in "striking" for the post, they all left the party "defence" so porous that

the left winger Jeremy Corbyn sneaked in and won the hearts and souls of many of the old and "new" members.

It was easy to analyse why Corbyn swept the leadership polls. The members needed a change in direction for the party and could not see any of the notable leaders take them on this journey. To many, the victory of Corbyn, though not ideal for the party, was unstoppable.

Corbyn was a candidate many of the Labour members would not have touched with a long pole.

He was the opposite of what the party stands for.

Corbyn had always been a thorn in the flesh of the Labour leadership. He is reputed to be a rebel against party's directives.

He did not help matter too as he made controversial policy statements in the campaign for the leadership position. But he seemed predestined to be the Labour leader.

Recent polls after the party conference has however placed Corbyn in the history books as the least popular leader in recent times. His popularity rating measured against Milliband's at same time, was put at minus eight.

This is an all time low for a Prime Minister in waiting.

But who is going to save Labour Party? Or, what will save Labour Party? It may seem too early to predict what will happen in the years ahead, but we need no crystal ball to know that the party has a lot to contend with before another electoral victory.

most of the miracles that lead to breakthrough in child-bearing are not instant miracles.

You may have been praying for some time, yet, physically, you don’t see any result.

The truth is that God is working on your behalf.

Pastor Olawale ‘s prayer point is recommended, “ Father, enough is enough.

I am your child, make me fruitful”.

Then God directed her step.

She attended a naming ceremony of a woman who had also waited to have children. The naming, according to her, was held in an RCCG parish which the wife of the General Overseer, Pastor Mrs. Foluso Adeboye, attended.

She took the photograph she had with Mrs. Folu Adeboye, popularly called Mummy G.O., and began to pray with it .

The point to be noted here is that she used the new baby who came from a closed womb and the photograph of Mrs. Adeboye as points of contact.

Secondly, she said she went ahead to purchase baby items for a set of twins.

Finally, the yoke was broken. She had a set of twins: a boy and a girl.

She told the congregation that the birth of the twins was a fulfillment of a prophesy of her pastor-husband who had told her she would have twins.

Please note the attitude of the husband. He was positive. He was hopeful and that should be attitude of any husband.

Let’s end the column today with a prayer point from Pastor Adeboye: “Father, send your fire to chase out the presence and manipulating effect of demons in my life, my family, ministry, etc”.

Whatever is the challenge, remember that God is able to make you overcome.

It is well in Jesus name.

it is important to take a step of faith and, by this, I mean do something unusual

Step of Faith Besides praying, it is important to take a step of faith and, by this, I mean do something unusual.

Give the child you are expecting a name. Buy baby things in anticipation of the birth of the baby.

Remember, the woman with the issue of blood took an unusual step of faith. She touched the garment of Lord Jesus.

May God lead you to the step to be taken.

as told by the pastor, the lady, in one of those services, took holy communion.

How? It was said that when she took the communion, she felt the spiritual rope around her waist loosened.

The yoke was broken.

She soon got pregnant and today she has two children.

May I also state that

Testimony As usual, I end the column this week with a testimony given at the monthly Holy Ghost Service of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Mrs. Iyabode said she waited for 15 years to get married but finally got married when she was about 40 years old.

Taking physical steps, she had operations on ovarian cyst, fibroid which produced no result, but, believing she would be a mother one day, she bought baby things.

SUND AY SUNDA

Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 13

PROLOGUE

MINISTERS-DESIGNATE

Buhari and the sum of all good

BY JIDE AJANI

D

oes President Muhammadu Buhari mean well for Nigeria and how does he plan to go about it? Discuss!

Any fair-minded Nigerian willing to interrogate the delay in the appointment of ministers would come down hard on Buhari. That, four months after his inauguration, he was yet to constitute his cabinet. But that is where all that ends.

Therefore, observing the intelligence on display while Buhari’s ministerial nominees responded to questions from senators during their screening, last week, would cause any critical individual to overlook the delay.

From the self-confidence and surefootedness of Babatunde Raji Fashola, to the erudition of Kayode Fayemi, the intellect and hands-on responses of Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, the experience of Engineer Adamu or Dr. Enahire or Adeosun, it became obvious that the President may have, indeed, decided, like none before him (except Ibrahim Babangida), to put together a team of those who know. Doing this was also not as easy because some leaders of his party fought hard to squeeze their cronies in. Yet, as in all endeavours of men, vigilance should be the watchword for Nigerians.

Whether Buhari would allow these men and women to do their job is another thing.

Far from being the President’s burden alone, Nigerians must be part of the process by holding him accountable and not pamper him as has been the case since he was sworn-in on May 29, 2015.

He has been allowed to get away with so many things which may come back to haunt the polity.

This story of how not to indulge an individual should interest Nigerians.

It is the sad story of former American President Richard Nixon.

It is also the story of how not to always look for the easiest way out whereas there is a thorough way out.

Although there is yet no scandal surrounding Buhari - we do not pray for one - his handlers must ensure that, as President, he does not always have his way lest he ends up like Nixon.

Now, for a man reputed to be imbued with good thinking and intelligence, Nixon had an attitudinal challenge: He was a very clumsy individual.

His clumsiness was most manifest in the way he dictated his memos, among others.

It became so bad that a five-paragraph text could take an hour or more to be done with. Why? Nixon was always requesting for cancelation of some words or phrases or sentences or whole paragraphs.

After many failed attempts at persuading Nixon that he should just dictate while his speech writer and Chief of Staff, Harry Robbins ‘Bob’ Haldeman, did the final draft, insisting on the need for time management, his handlers succumbed by fashioning out a recording system that would ensure that Nixon would, at the switch of a button, engage the record mode and, thereafter, press the stop button when he was not recording.

Unfortunately, this suffered a discount as a result of Nixon’s clumsiness. He would sometimes keep talking while forgetting to engage the record mode or press the stop button whereas he needed to engage the record mode because he was talking. This created its own problem.

It was in a bid to have an easiest way out that a voice-activated recording system was placed in Nixon’s office. This appeared to solve the problem as Nixon’s every conversation was recorded.

However, this was to create a problem of gargantuan proportions for both Nixon and his Chief of Staff. The recordings of the conversations between Nixon and the Chief of Staff formed the core of the linkage between the White House and the burglars who stormed the C M Y K

Watergate Complex office of the Democratic Party. Even attempts to erase some parts of the tape led to other further incriminating circumstances that forced Haldeman to resign and ultimately Nixon too.

Therefore, whether it is about Buhari’s finicky approach to doing things, or his insistence that things be done in his way, or the overtly indulgent disposition of the once-critical media, opting instead to allow things pass because, as the All Progressives Congress, APC, Buhari’s party, wants Nigerians to belief, whatever Mr. President does – including appointing some family members into sensitive and critical offices – Nigerians should embrace him in the new-found spirit of ‘change’.

But for the ministers-designate, it is hoped that they would carry their show from the Senate into the Executive Council of the Federation, EXCOF, thereby setting new standards of rulership that should, expectedly, transform or change Nigeria – might we add, for the better.

On the ministers-designate, Buhari has scored – not minding the political discount some leaders of his party may have suffered.

Although there is yet no scandal surrounding Buhari - we do not pray for one his handlers must ensure that, as President, he does not always have his way lest he ends up like Nixon

PAGE 14 —SUND AY —SUNDA

Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

BUHARI’S MEN: Our ‘change’ agenda

BY HENRY UMORU, ABUJA

T

o many Nigerians, it was an opportunity to have some insight into how President Muhammadu Buhari’s men and women will help the nation’s leader execute his ‘change’ agenda. There are 37 of them, representing each of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

These are people the President nominated to constitute his cabinet.

The opportunity Nigerians, beset by myriads of problems, most economic, have been looking forward to, to hear from the people to carry out the ‘change’ agenda, as promised by Buhari during electioneering campaign, came when the ministerial nominees presented themselves for screening before the Senate, last week.

Although some of the nominees had their screening deferred till this week, those who have appeared before the upper chambre gave glimpses into how they planned to key into the Buhari ‘change’ agenda.

The President had sent the ministerial list in two batches to the parliament, through Senate President Bukola Saraki.

The first set, made up of 21 nominees,are Abubakar Malami (SAN), Kebbi; Abdurahman Bello Dambazzau, Kano; Aisha Jumai Al Hassan, Taraba; Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Kwara; Babatunde Raji Fashola, Lagos; Adebayo Shittu, Oyo; Solomon Dalong, Plateau; Senator Chris Ngige, Anambra; Rotimi Amaechi, Rivers; and Chief Audu Ogbeh, Benue.

Others are Mrs. Amina Ibrahim, Gombe; Dr. Osagie Ehaneri, Edo; Emmanuel Kachikwu, Delta; Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Ondo; Eng. Suleiman Adamu, Jigawa; Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, Ogun; Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Ebonyi; Hon. Ahmed Musa Ibeto, Niger; Ibrahim Usman Jubrin, Nasarawa; Senator Hadi Serika, Katsina; and Senator Udo Udoma, Akwa Ibom.

The second set of 16 nominees has Khadijah Bukar Abba-Ibrahim, Yobe; Claudius Omoleye Daramola, Ondo; Professor Anthony Anwuka, Imo; Geoffrey Onyema, Emugu; Brig.

Gen. Mansur M. Dan Ali retd), Zamfara; and James E. Ocholi, Kogi.

Also on the list are Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed. Kaduna; C M Y K

Okechukwu Enelemah, Abia; Muhammadu Bello, Adamawa; Mustapha Baba Shehuri, Borno; Miss Aisha Abubakar; Heneiken Lokpobiri, Bayelsa; Adamu Adamu; Professor Isaac Adewole, Osun; Pastor Usani Usani Uguru, Cross River and Abubakar Bwari Bawa, Niger.

But in between the days of the screening, the President withdrew Ibeto from the list and replaced him with Bawa.

On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed some of the nominees.

Those confirmed by the senators as ministers to be assigned portfolios by the President are Udoma, Fayemi, Ogbeh, Onu, Ehanire, Dambazau, Mohammed, Amina Ibrahim Mohammed, Suleiman Hussaini Adamu, and Ibrahim Usman Jibril.

Also confirmed are Fashola, Kachikwu, who is also the Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Malami, Ngige, Aisha Jummai Alhassan, Dalong, Adeosun, Sirika.

The cleared nominees unfold their ‘change’ agenda for Nigerians.

Udoma, who pledged to serve and assured that he would perform the onerous task ahead of him, said, “We have to look at the various policies for manufacturing.

They have to be consistent because that is what investors want. To increase the investment rate from its current 20 to 30 per cent, we have to look at the issue of enabling environment, and the review of our tax policies, and I am ready to help redesign it being a child of the private sector.”

Let’s devolve power —Fayemi

Fayemi noted that borrowing was critical to governance, saying: “I borrowed but not in rank of the figure being bandied around.

No country exists without borrowing”.

The former governor of Ekiti State went on: “There is too much concentration of power at the centre; therefore, there is need for devolution of power to be done in Nigeria. Corruption must be tackled headlong. The amount of leakages in our revenues is unacceptable, and must be promptly addressed. We

have to reduce our recurrent expenditures and increase our capital expenditures in this country, otherwise we won’t be able to develop meaningfully.

We have to diversify our economy, and it is achievable.

“If we are tough on terror, we also going to be tough on the sources of terror. Our criminal justice system has to be revisited. People don’t get punished for committing crimes in Nigeria. Our prisons have been saturated by those who are denied justice”.

On the allegation that he bought beds worth N50 million each as part of the Ekiti Government House while he was governor, he said: “I challenge anyone to bring an invoice of a bed in the State House that is worth N50m. I did not spend irresponsibly on it”.

Defence policy needs review — Dambazzau

When it was his turn to be screened, Dambazzau, a former Chief of the Army Staff, said, “Defence policy of Nigeria needs constant review because it should centre on the best way to use the military to tackle challenges and come up with order of battle.

“The soldiers are at risk and, if care is not taken, some could lose their lives; if a new soldier loses his life, there is death gratuity for him apart from other benefits derivable by his family. But this could be reviewed upward. We have not taken the advantage of the United Nations reimbursement system; other countries use it to maintain their armed forces but Nigeria relies on annual budget.

“When I took over as Chief of the Army Staff, there was problem of accommodation as three family members were a sharing twobedroom apartment. We then built the Yar ’Adua Barracks through direct labour, making use of our engineers, architects and other professionals and experts in building technology to save cost.”

Repositioning the police —Fashola

Fashola said, “The number available to me is that we have probably a standing police force of about 500,000, less than a million to a population that is heading to 180 million. So, we are under policed and, if the Federal Government

decides to take up this responsibility on its own, can it do so in the micro level that is necessary at the state and local government levels?”

The immediate past governor of Lagos State went on: “My recommendation is a compelling urgency for decentralization. I have made the recommendation to some committees on the Constitution amendment where I was privileged to make presentations. There have been argument about why we should not go there but the argument did not go far. It did not address the fundamental responsibilities that government has. I have heard the argument that government will abuse the police for political purposes.

“The abuse of political power is not as important as loss of lives. And everything we do to advance that cause makes us more respected as a government that cares. And there is a process for curing abuse of institution, but there is no process known to me today for recovering lives that are lost.

And this is a challenge that is before us as a people and as a nation. At the state level, you can also wonder what governors are going through.

“They have parliaments that make laws but have no capacity to enforce the laws. We are talking about domestic issues - rape and domestic violence - there are criminal offenses in many states across the country but who is prosecuting them because the police officer is too busy chasing robbers?. Our mothers, daughters and sister are expected to tolerate rape. If we are afraid of abuse, one of the things I will suggest is that we start state police.

“I propose a system where we have six zonal commands from existing Continues on page 15

SUND AY SUNDA

Our ‘change’ agenda

Continued from page 14

police force. It is not every state that can start if it cannot fund it. States who can fund can decide to employ 1,000 men, the Police Service Commission will train and graduate and, if at the end of the training, only 800 pass the exam, they would be employed. The state buys their uniforms, there is a national license.

“Now, this is an architecture that we did not owe, it was a Federal Government architecture, the federal police arrangement but at this time, they operate without enough guns, they operate without uniforms, they operate without protective vest and they operate some times without vehicles to even respond. And when there are vehicles, there is no fuel.

In my interactions with them, these were the first things that came out and it was clear to me that this was not going to be something one person could do.”

To Ibrahim Usman Jibril,”unless the issue of compensation and resettlement is addressed in the Federal Capital Territory, the haphazard development in the nation’s capital will continue to be there”.

Our internal democracy challenge —Ogbeh

Ogbeh, during the screening, said, “The major problem facing the nation’s political system is the lack of internal democracy in the political parties. Another problem is the tendency for the party in power to surrender its authority to the President or the state governor.

“I am not here because I am looking for anything new. I am here because I believe I can do the job.

As a minister in the second republic, what would you do to bring about change?

“Also, what would you suggest the country does with agriculture to make Nigeria address its numerous challenges? Why are Nigerian graduates unemployable? What would you suggest to make education good again?

“Party movements happen everywhere. One time British Minister changed party three times.

This happens in emerging democracy. The question of internal democracy is a serious matter but, as we mature, this will die gradually.

“I have been traveling, seeking to know how other countries got it well.

Here, we have very bad seeds.

There is no seed company in Nigeria. Interest rate also affects agriculture in Nigeria. With 20 to 25 per cent interest rate, it is difficult to invest and make interest in agriculture.”

Options on power generation —Onu

To Onu, “the country is currently passing through serious socioeconomic challenges”. He urged all men and women in this country to put their differences aside to tackle the problems

Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 15

together.

The former governor of old Abia State, added: “Nigeria produces crude oil but we are importing fuel; doing a lot of farming but importing foodstuff.

“We need to pay greater attention in the area of power generation. We need to diversify our sources of power generation. Let’s utilize coal as one of our sources. And Nigerian coal is one of the best in the world because of its low sulphur content.

We are essentially a consumer nation, and this is not good for our socio-economic existence. We have to improve and become a producer nation.”

In his remarks, Lai Mohammed said, “Four years is a short time to learn the rope in the opposition. You may have to stay there a little longer. In government, we (APC) will not be as harsh as you (PDP) were to us while we were in opposition.”

Health sector reorientation Ehanire

During his own presentation to the lawmakers, Ehanire said, “ The fight against corruption should be extended to the health sector. I think that many people that go to hospital don’t get the desired attention. I canvass orientation programmes for hospital workers.

“Health insurance is still at infancy. It is being studied right now to be applied in communities.

Priority should be given to rural health and one of the issues on focus should be hygiene.

“The traditional medicines have a lot to contribute. Many of the drugs we use today came from native medicine. Traditional medicine has to be better regulated because it is dangerous to allow people who are ignorant to work on citizens. Some should be done to set standards and limits of what they can do before they begin to refer cases

to higher level.”

How to reduce poverty – Amina Mohammed

In her presentation, Amina Ibrahim Mohammed, who warned that with the present economic situation, realising the Vision 20:2020 was no longer feasible for the country, said, “ the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, are a set of 17 goals comprising 169 targets and

indicators for reducing poverty and improving environmental sustainability.”

Fixing the oil sector with PIB —Kachikwu

To Kachikwu, “in the next one, two days, you find that individuals will open their stations and products are there”.

The NNPC GMD, speculated to be in the cabinet as Minister of State for Petroleum, while Buhari acts as the senior minister, went on: “First of all, let me say that one of the things I’ve said to myself since resuming as GMD of NNPC is that I will not be constrained by the lack of the PIB (Petroleum Industry Bill) in making sure that holistic solutions to the industry continue to be propelled. So, using existing laws, we have continued to make changes.

Because at the end of the day, whether or not PIB is available and passed, it really doesn’t lie within the umbrella of the executive, it lies with this revered Assembly. But I also do not think that the problem with the PIB has been the facts of the versions. By the time the last Senate was rounding off, it had gotten a version that was clearly the version that both chambres were looking at. Am I going to create a new version? Not really. What I will need to do is take the version that you have, look at it again and make changes.

“The key issue is that, as long as we continue to want to pass a holistic PIB, it is going to be a very major challenge. But once you begin to break it up into critical aspects, you begin to make a faster run to passing the PIB. Fiscal regime, for example, you ask yourself, why would you want to have fiscal regime inside the PIB? Because to change those fiscal regimes, which are very dynamic environment, you have to come back to this Assembly to also make changes. You must find a way of pulling out fiscal regimes and leave them to existing tax laws which you can amend. And, additionally, look at the PSCs and Joint Venture Agreements to enable you determine fiscal regimes.

“The advantage in that is that you have the flexibility of changing with the times. At the time when oil price was so low that nobody was willing to invest in your country, you may give some incentives. At the time when

they are so high that people are making outrageous profit result, you may increase you taxes. But so long as you leave it in a holistic bluebarrelled, high voluminous PIB, you are stuck in terms of how you are going to get the required votes each time to make amendment. I think the way to go is, first of all, take what is there. I don’t believe in throwing away the baby with the bath water, take what is there, look at it in the context of where we are today.

“But the aspects of PIB that deal with organisation, structure, administration and re-organisation of government agencies that are going to be responsible for stewarding the oil industry are still as relevant as they were before. The interests of communities are still as relevant as they were before. So, we can take those, pass them fairly quickly so that we can have some level of certainty.

“I can tell you that the average source of volumes in investments that we are losing on an annual basis because of the lack of PIB is in excess of $15billion per year. And the reason is simple: it would have been better that you didn’t start at all than announce very flamboyantly that you are going to do PIB and step back from it. Because it creates a level of uncertainty that no international investor wants to grapple with. So, I will urge this revered Senate to fairly quickly come to terms, find a way of working with us and go ahead and pass those elements of PIB of where there’s no much contention.”

Ngige, who took a bow, said Nigeria was at the cross roads and the economy not be in good shape.

A justice system devoid of interference —Malami

To Abubakar Malami, there was the need for the Senate to pass relevant bills relating to implementation of administrative and criminal justice, adding that there was the need for the justice system to be insulated from external interference.

On the part of Aisha Alhassan, she said: “I want to correct an information that is going on within and outside the country that my nomination

by Mr. President is a choice between the matter going on at the Taraba tribunal and the ministerial nominee.”

We must chase out cash —Adeosun

In her presentation, Adeosun, who urged government to review its current monoeconomic status by engaging in aggressive diversification of the economy, said, “We need to ‘chase out cash.

Every where that people transact in cash, there are leakages.”

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PAGE 16 —SUND AY —SUNDA

Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

F

ollowing a seeming rancorous relationship between the executive arm of government, All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Senate leadership, the screening of ministerial nominees commenced amid palpable anxiety.

To all concerned, whether the exercise would be bereft of the intrigues and subterfuge, that have become the norm in Nigeria’s political culture, was hardly in doubt.

It was in this atmosphere that what promised to be the climax of the series of mudslinging and cold warfare that had marked the interface among the major actors in the polity commenced on October 13.

On the driving seat of this exercise was Senator Bukola Saraki, whose assumption of office as Senate President remains symbolically triumphant and as well politically calamitous for the various political divides.

Notably, the controversies, triggered by the modalities for the screening and that of the series of petitions against some nominees, raised the stakes as the exercise began.

Reeling out the modalities, Chairman, Senate Adhoc Committee on Information, Sen Dino Melaye, said the modalities would revolve around three major areas which are relevant constitutional provisions and extant laws of the land as well as practice and convention of the Senate.

He explained that the constitutional provisions that will be used in screening the ministerial nominees are Sections 14(3), 65, 147(1), 147(2) and 147(3) of the 1999 (Constitution) as amended.

Acting in accordance with this, the legislators, under the leadership of Saraki, displayed what many analysts described as a commendable level of competence during the exercise in a manner never seen in the recent history of the National Assembly.

From the kicking off of the exercise with Sen Udo Udoma, who was asked to take a bow and go in line with legislative practices, to the last nominee, who was screened on the first day, there was a high degree of candor in the way the whole process played out.

Such a departure from the past, obviously threw up pleasant surprises and excitement, as the prediction of rowdiness failed.

An unbiased evaluation of the exercise so far, underscores how the outcome deflated the stereotypes and somewhat created records in the annals of legislative history.

Interestingly, the screening session, which commenced at 11am, saw the Senate gallery filled to the brim.

To prevent overcrowding in the Senate chambers, many people, who wanted to have a glimpse of the screening procedure, were locked out.

Days before the exercise, the senators had said that it would not C M Y K

•Ekweremadu

•Saraki

The other side of Senate screening

•The story of maturity, patriotism, triumph be business as usual.

In that light, Saraki said: “It is not going to be business as usual. What I can assure you is that we will go with the Constitution, the rules, we will put Nigeria first.” He added that the screening will be done with a “high level of seriousness.”

Before the commencement, the Senate went into a closed-door session during which it considered the reports of its Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee on petitions against Rotimi Amaechi and Amina Mohammed.

Such a departure from the past, obviously threw up pleasant surprises and excitement, as the prediction of rowdiness failed. An unbiased evaluation of the exercise so far, underscores how the outcome deflated the stereotypes and somewhat created records in the annals of legislative history

At the resumed forum the next day, the generally held notion that the lawmakers and the Presidency were set for war on the possibility of certifying most of the nominees literally fizzled out, going by the mannerism employed to ensure that the task was done.

It was an outing that saw a former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, and Mrs Kemi Adeosun clearly becoming the star attractions.

Fashola’s suggestions on state police, review of the Abuja master plan and apology to the Igbo over the deportation of some Igbo residents of Lagos during his second term marked one of the major highlights of screening.

Their robust comments paved the way for the approval and confirmation of 18 of the 36 nominees after two days of screening.

Satisfied with the process in spite of grumblings over the tradition of not making the portfolios of the nominees known, Nigerians, who are waiting with bated breadth are united in the craving for the sustainance of the latest standards in subsequent screenings.

The senators allowed more participation from Nigerians by taking questions from the public via their social media handles and the

official handle of the Senate, @NGRsenate Different platforms tapped into the feed from the National Assembly TV station that was abandoned under different regimes.

Senate social media account gave real time update.

Nominees CVs were presented to the public before screening to enable those who knew them raise objections.

There was a balance of working to get the President’s nominees passed and at same time making sure the Senate is not a rubber stamp.

We had the sign language persons story on the screening by the Senate, laying emphasis on, 1) leadership, patriotism and maturity displayed by the Senate President 2) the fact that this is a lot better and an improvement over what used to be 3,) an indication that neither the Senate nor the Senate President had any problems with the President, 4) the fact that there should be cordial relationship between the executive and legislature, 5) there are instances that the Senate bent backwards to satisfy the Presidency, and 6) if the Presidency and Executive work together like this on other issues as constitutional amendment, budget, law reforms and initiating new policies and programmes, the Buhari administration would be on the path to improving the lot of the common man.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 17

I can smoke shisha 24/7

Why upcoming actresses get sexually harassed

— Ella Mensah G

HANAIAN actress, Ella Mensah, who is currently in Nigeria shooting a movie has said she wants to be the best Ghanaian actress in Nollywood. Looking at her busy schedules since she first hit Nollywood in 2012, it appears the actress may have an ace up her sleeves.

Her most notable films include Educated Housemaids, 11am, Mirabel, Crime to Christ, Playboy, Couples on Fire, to name a few.

In a recent chat with Ayo Onikoyi, the sexy actress, who has been accused of smoking cigarettes, has debunked the allegation, saying what she smokes is not cigarette but shisha.

In most of her social media pictures she is seen to be smoking something but she has said they are not cigarettes.

“Yeah, because when I post pictures on my social media and I have smoke in my mouth, a lot of people start saying, so she smokes, she’s this, she’s that, and I tell people that in life you do what makes you happy. We all know smoking kills so if you want to smoke and kill yourself, that’s your problem”she explains “ I know someone, a friend who has never smoked in his life; he has never taken any alcohol, exercises well, drinks a lot of water, he doesn’t go clubbing, if they say someone knows how to take care of himself, it is this friend. Do you know that a doctor just diagnosed him with lung cancer? And I know some junkies out there who have been smoking and drinking and they don’t have any atom of cancer. I just got tired of everybody saying you smoke and you have fans, what story are you telling them. If I smoke, I’ll own up and tell people yeah I smoke, is there anything wrong with me smoking? It’s my life but I don’t smoke. I love shisha, I love shisha so badly that if all I wanted I have them and I don’t have to work again, I can smoke shisha 24/7 all day everyday” she quips

— Angela Philips

B

Ella Mensah

Shisha is a glass-bottomed water in which fruit-flavoured tobacco is covered with foil and roasted with charcoal. The tobacco smoke passes through a water chamber and is inhaled deeply and slowly; the fruitflavoured tobacco tastes smooth.

According to research carried out by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the volume of smoke inhaled in an hour-long shisha session is estimated to be equivalent of smoking between 100 and 200 cigarettes.

USTY and beautiful Angela Philips has seen quite a few things as far as the Nigerian movie industry is concerned. Her run of good streaks began as‘Efe’ in the popular but rested soap opera ‘Behind the Clouds’, then she reaffirmed her presence on the scene with a highly celebrated comedy ‘Osofiason’ and later went on to stamp her name as one of the leading ladies of the tube in ‘Domino’, another soap that lit households across the country in the early 2000s.

Born to a Lagosian father and an Imo Stateborn mother, Angela has an hybrid genes in her that allows her to deliver multi-ethnic roles with effortless gusto. In all her years as an actress, spanning over two decades, the actress claimed she has never been sexually harassed even though her looks would present her as an easy target.

“I’ve never been sexually harassed. If you go for an audition half naked, what do you expect? Besides, most people are very desperate for movie roles, they are willing to do anything to act in a movie. So, it isn’t about being harassed, it is about you. If you set up yourself for harassment you would be harassed. Most upcoming actresses set themselves up for harassment” she stated boldly in a chat with Ayo Onikoyi.

“I don’t even understand them at all.

Unlike those days when we got into the industry, there was discipline, strictness and ethics. God will help all of us” she added

•Angela Philips

Our culture limits how far we can go on set — Pascahline Alex B

LOSSOMING Nollywood actress, Paschaline Alex is on her way to the big times. With some blockbusters in her kitty she is indeed an ace to make a number of her peers look like pack of cards on the rack. What more, she takes on any role that comes her way with the passionate belief that an actor should be able to get into any character.

“I don’t think I’ve seen that thing that I can’t do as far as it’s what I love doing. Whatever they tell me to do and I know it’s okay with me, I will do it. Though nobody would force you to play any role you don’t want but I’ve not seen that role I

can’t do” she once told me boldly in chat.

But in this clime and various beliefs breathing down one’s neck, Alex concur there are barriers being put up especially by our tradition and cultures.

“We, Nigerians criticise a lot. This is our career; I’ll call it a job now.

It’s our career and it’s our job to make people happy, to make people cry, to make people angry, but our culture has made it so hard to do some things to get the job done.

When it comes to going nude, they believe the girl is promiscuous forgetting this thing we do is a job that must be done. It is not

different from a banker trying to make their customers happy. So many stars have been affected badly by this culture thing. Some wouldn’t even go on set to kiss, giving all sorts of reasons.

People must understand that this is a make-believe job where you have to get into all sorts of characters to deliver a role and make people truly enjoy the movie like it is the real thing” she said mournfully.

STOP PIRACY NOW! STOP BUYING PIRATED MOVIE AND MUSIC CDs, DVDs. IT IS KILLING THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. STOP! C M Y K

•Paschaline Alex

PAGE 18—SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

Julius Agwu, Cynthia Morgan headline Face of the World Nigeria beauty pageant

show which promises to be the most anticipated beauty pageant of the year, which has been erik Entertainment Home, the scheduled to take place at Excalibur Benin organizer of Face of the World Nigeria Hotel on November 15, this year. and Face of Edo beauty pageant has Artistes like Olamide, Iyanya, Ruggedman concluded plan to celebrate 10th year have performed in the previous editions. Prince anniversary of the beauty contest in glitz and Eerik Odigie also said the winner of Face of the glamour. The yearly event which always World Nigeria beauty pageant which is on its attracts A-List celebrities, corporate second edition will go home with a brand bodies, government agencies and new car and an all-expenses paid trip entrepreneurs to celebrate beauty,, to USA, courtesy of Edo State brains, womanhood, style and government among other prizes while tourism, will live up to its billing the winner of Face of Edo beauty going by information made available pageant 10th anniversary edition will during the screening of the win full scholarship to Benson contestants at a press Idahosa University with all expenses conference in Benin. The paid trip to the US. “Twenty girls President of Face of the will make it to the camp, five World Nigeria, Prince winners will emerge from Eerik Odigie also used different categories but only the opportunity to unveil one will be crowned Face Nigeria top acts that of the World Nigeria” he will headline this affirmed. This is the year’s edition of the only beauty pageant beauty pageant. in Nigeria now with One of the top no bikini display, rated female free dinner gown artistes Cynthia for all the Morgan, the contestants and ”German Juice” camping in three crooner will locations across perform live three states of while Julius De •Prince Eerik Odigie Nigeria tourist Genius Agwu destinations. will anchor the

E

Voting begins on Glo’s Dance with Peter, Saturday T

ELECOMS firm Globacom has announced that voting shall begin on Saturday to choose among the 30 dancers who made it to the finals in the Dance with Peter reality TV Show sponsored by Globacom. The votes will determine who proceeds to the next stage of the show.

The dancers are currently in the Academy and are scheduled to perform in this week’s episode of the show.

Contestants with the lowest scores will be put up for eviction by the show judges after which the public will decide those to exit the show.

According to Globacom, voting lines will open from 8.p.m. on Saturday and close at 12 midnight on Monday. Viewers who wish to vote should send the code number of the contestant they wish to vote for to 55518. Each SMS costs N50 in Nigeria and GHC50 for voters in Ghana.

Globacom has also released the stage names and codes of the 30 C M Y K

contestants who are in the finals. They are: Prince (501), Manasseh (502), Da Octopus (503), Ambrose Tjark (504), Fearless (505), Weezy (506), G-Xtreme (507), MOD (508), Snipes (509) and Bobby Blankson (510).

The others are Mali Hot Boy (511), Socrazykool (512), Tom-Tom (513), L’Dee (514), Ernest Smiley (515), Teejay (516), Captain Z (517), MX (518), Paulette (519), and Julius Fakta (520).

The rest of the contestants are Kelvin (521), Ricky (522), Amazing Amy (523), C-Fly (524), Yemi (525), Miracle (526), TRubber (527), Messiah (528), Neon (529) and Nekky (530).

A press statement

by Globacom said that out of all these contestants, the names of those up for eviction will be revealed during the television broadcast.

Team Flexx

•Atobatele

Mistake Nigerian artistes make in dressing — Prince Michael Atobatele

P

RINCE Michael Babatunde Atobatele is at an age when he should be fascinated by sexy girls, gadgets and fast cars, but the 21 year-old graduate of Business and Human Resource Management from the University of Hertfordshire is more interested in laying a solid foundation for his life. Together with some of his friends, they manage the affairs of Severe Nature, a start-up fashion outfit with branches in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK).

Atobatele has also been opportune to clothe some Nigerian stars, and he shares his thoughts on some of the fashion faux-pass made by celebs.

In his words, ‘We’ve worked with DJ Olu who is Davido’s DJ, and he’s a good friend of mine. We’ve also worked with Davido, Ice Prince, Leriq from Aristocrat Records, Burna Boy, LOS, and many more. A couple of artistes are really exposed and they do more research so they really know how to match things, but some people are not as bothered about how they look because they have other things they focus on.’

When questioned on what advice he would give to artistes if he were their stylist, he said, ‘I will let them know it’s not really about what designers they wear, but how they can match whatever it is they are wearing. A lot of artistes wear heavy designers, but they don’t match. That’s why I really like Wizkid’s sense of fashion. I think simplicity is key in fashion.’

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 19 Onikoyi68@gmail.com

•2015 Miss Bikini Nigeria International Beauty Pageants

•Some of the judges

Seyi Hunter, CEO, Miss Bikini International, one of the queens and IK Ogbonna

Miss Bikini Nigeria International crowns winners

BY JULIET EBIRIM,

T

Photos by Biodun Ogunleye

he maiden edition of Miss Bikini Nigeria International beauty pageant held penultimate Saturday in Lagos amid rollercoasting pomp and pageantry. The event which took place on Saturday October 10, 2015, at Terra Kulture, was hosted by ex-BBA housemate, Melvin Oduah.

It was organised by Nollywood actress, Seyi Hunter.

The beauty queens put up a great show, beginning with their choreographed session, to the time they strutted the runway in their bikinis. ‘Miss Kwa’, in the person of Blessing Williams emerged winner of the pageant, while Lolade Badmus emerged Miss Bikini Nigeria Ambassador and South-West Queen; Maryjane Balogun, Edith Hunter and Cynthia

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Chineme emerged North-Central, Niger-Delta and South-East Queens respectively..

The crowned queen of the bikini pageant, Blessing Williams, was presented with a brand new Kia Rio car and a cash prize of N1.5 million. She will also represent Nigeria at the World Bikini Model International competition in Malta, beginning from October 18-25, 20015. The keenly contested pageant had reputable judges including, Miz Gold, Sentiago Roberts, Simon Peacemaker and Age Anthony.

The four regional winners were given a cash prize of N250,000 each. Kia Motors will be sponsoring three of the girls including the winner to Malta for the 27th edition of the World pageant.

The organiser of the pageant, Seyi Hunter, emphasized that the pageant was about doing the foreign bikini culture the African way using African prints. “It’s about

injecting the African culture into an European or global culture. The bikini culture is European-born and we are injecting the African culture into it. We are trying to change this foreign culture that we have borrowed, to suit us. We are buying a foreign culture and doing it our way. We want to promote decency. The bikini culture is the beach culture all over the world, now we are injecting the African culture into it. We are taking away the amoral sides of it and making it look African. We want to change our orientation about bikinis.”

Miss Bikini Nigeria International is the first of its kind in Nigeria and was franchised to Hunters Media, a modeling and film production firm, by Catwalk Productions International, the international brand owners of World Bikini Model International, Malta.

PAGE 20—SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

as he takes the child to school.

A child who has autism, according to researchers, should have forty hours a week therapy intervention and this is pretty difficult to find in this part of the country. What we want to do is to give the child some of those hours when they go to school, also give some hours when they come back home, while their parents and caregiver also provide same kind of therapy intervention and we get closer to the forty hours intervention.

We are not just focusing on the child but with every individual that cares for the child. We have been in existence for two and half years. We have about fifteen children right now but more of the male because autism affects more male than female, the ratio is about 41.

How do you create your awareness?

Sometimes we do mass communication by e-mail, reminding people that it is important that a child who has autism be included in the society. They shouldn’t be neglected- that if

•Julia Ejiogu

Autism is becoming an epidemic in Nigeria —Dr Julia Ejiogu

BY VICTORIA OJEME

D

R. Julia Ejiogu is the Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Autism Care and Support Initiative.

In this interview with Feminista, she speaks on education and support of children affected by autism, as well as their families.

Can you tell us more about this foundation?

Our organization’s motive and vision is centered around providing access to care for children who have autism as well as their families. We are also involved in advocacy. We want to tell the world about autism, we want people to understand the challenges that children who have autism face, especially the stigma that surrounds them.

Also to let parents know that autism is not a death sentence and that if you intervene early, your child can have an opportunity to

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mainstream life. That is possible with the right therapy and the right method of teaching. We also train teachers on how to teach these children and run an inclusive class room.

We work with the National University Commission to promote inclusive education.

We have done a lot of work in these areas, as well as round-table seminars, and they have been great in promoting inclusive education.

Why Autism?

I am a family physician and was trained in the US. I returned here two and half years ago. Family medicine allows you to practice medicine on every spectrum, so,I do pediatrics; I have often diagnosed children with autism. On returning to this country, I met several friends, families and colleagues who have revealed to me the difficulty in finding resources for their children. No parent should

leave this country in search of good services because it is possible to have it here. If we trained the therapist the right way, using the right method, the same way a child with autism in Alaska, Virginia will respond is also the same way a child in Enugu, Zaria and Lagos will respond to therapy. There is no difference. It is all about using the evidence based method.

So, our desire is to train more people who can provide this therapy the right way.

What is the uniqueness in your foundation?

We have an approach on research and evidencebased intervention. We practice an integrated approach; not only do we provide one-on-one services for children but for the parents and care givers.

Even the driver- whoever interacts with that child can also be provided with the basic training for that child

We are not just focusing on the child but with every individual that cares for the child.

detected early, that child can go to a regular school and can have a better life. We are also planning to set up a new centre. Our main aim is to tell Nigerians that autism is becoming an epidemic in the world. 1 in every 68 children, quoting the CDC in the United States, has autism. In Nigeria, we don’t know what the data is. We will like to change that. We are collecting our data and in the next few years, we will set our structures in a better way.

As a professional, do you see any gap in managing autism in Nigeria Very huge, first of all resources are all scattered.

So, parents have difficulties as to where to find help.

For example, here, most mothers take their children to hospital only during immunization or when that child is running temperature. But in the states, visits to the pediatrician are regular and as a result, the child can be evaluated and any abnormality detected can be tackled immediately.

In the US, the county, which is the local government here in Nigeria, will immediately set up a team to evaluate the parents’ home and evaluate the child and recommend services.

Some children start as early as eighteen months, so, you can imagine how well that child will change his orientation.

It is such an important thing to do between eighteen months to five years; that is when the brain is moulding. When that time passes, things become more complex and tougher to handle.

Let me take you back to the way of life in Nigeria.

We live in a country where people believe in spiritual forces. What advice do you give to such people?

Here is a very big issue. I believe in spiritual powers and higher power. If your child has exhibited continued patterns of behavior such as jumpping up, wanting to spin around, smells people or pinches people, and is aggressive and would want to be by themselves most times, you should double check.

If you have prayed and fasted and you still see things happening, then it is no challenge to your faith.

There is wisdom in seeking professional evaluation and help. There is nothing wrong in praying and fasting as well as getting professional help.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 21

Bring him back this w ay - Tt’s no oo lat e wa nott ttoo late

I

BY ONOZURE DANIA

f your man is pulling away or he’s just stalling and keeping things as they ’ve always been without moving the relationship forward into a real, lifelong commitment, you can turn that around right now.

Networking/ Sponsorship •Tony from Anambra state, but resides in Lagos, a musician, needs someone to sponsor his musicalcarrer.

07031247165 •Jidauna, male, needs a kind hearted person to sponsor his HND program or sponsor him overseas Acct Name Suhunshak Jidauna Audu Act no 3042534148, First Bank.08032510376,08025564534 •Grace, 23 and resides in Delta state, needs someone to sponsor her music career.

08089133103,08038535270 Friends Searching Female •Benny, 58, a widow and resides in Lagos needs a rich and responsible man for friendship.08074253372 •Ruky, average height, am fair in complexion, am not fat, am not slim, from Delta State, needs a male and female friend.08122882036, 08160777324,08067643613 Searching Male

•Goodluck,, a graduate and

resides in Sapele Delta state, needs a lady who is an accountant, aged 20-30, who is fat, busy, tall, beautiful and very active for sound friendship in Sapele.

09053098347 • Sam, resides in Lagos, needs a very good and caring friend.08093200016, 08112268698 •Daniel, 16, resides in Warri, needs female friends, aged 15-18, who are loving and fun to bewith.08077310900, 08122704304 • Joe, 26, handsome and gentle, needs beautiful female friends from Delta state university, Abraka.

0 7 0 3 8 6 7 8 5 4 7 , 08182828871,08055711243 • Dan, 25 and resides in Warri, needs female friends, aged 19-30, for friendship, bbm 3324AA24, 08067849083, 08035641670 •Hakeem, 27, a serving corp member in Abuja, needs a female friend, who is good

Everyone of us is looking for a deep, heartfelt connection even your man, he just may not know how to do it. If you feel like you’ve been beating your head against a wall trying to get your man to commit to you, Even if you’ve tried everything and maybe you felt him move closer to you

once, but then everything went back to the stalemate way it was before, it’s not too late! Men are easy.

If he wants you, he wants you and you don’t have to work hard at all to make that happen. But then, he’ll often do the absolute minimum he has to do to keep you around He’ll try

looking and presentable, within Abuja, for a serious relationship, aged 20-25.

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and God fearing lady, for a cool relationship.

08064910479 • Henry, 33, an undergraduate, resides in Benin, needs a God fearing lady, for a relationship.

08114813751, facebook •Emma Henry James bbm pin 21C0D2A4,07067173706 •Jc, 51, 5.8ft tall, fair in complexion, a businessman, from Delta state, needs a caring and sexy lady, for a discreet, sexy, romantic affairs, aged 40-65.

08077946454,08126346336 •Olabamiji, 40 and resides in Calabar, needs a caring and loving Muslim lady, aged 3540, for a serious relationship.

08056786711,08128981736 •A guy, 36, 5.10ft, tall, dark in complexion, a graduate and resides in Benin, needs a lady who is tall, fair or chocolate in complexion, beautiful and either from Edo, Delta, or from South East, for a serious relationship, aged 20-30.

08093113741,07033246334 •Uchenna, 40, a widower and a business man, in Ibadan Oyo state, cool headed, God fearing and fun to be with, needs, an employed, humble, God fearing, industrious, homely and neat widow, a divorcee, single mother or a spinster, aged 30-43,for a relationship that could lead to marriage.

07068550445 •Charles, 45, 6ft, tall and resides in Warri, needs a slim, tall and God fearing lady, aged 35-45, for a relationship that will lead to marriage. 08052209381 •Felix, from Delta state, slim, genotype AA and employed, needs a good looking, light in complexion, graduate lady, aged 27-30, for marriage.08038785575, 08057486453 •Okafor, 38, from Delta state, needs a decent lady, who is caring and loving, for a relationship that will lead to marriage.07032305999 •Peter, 26, from Akwa Ibom state, needs a God fearing, hardworking, faithful and lovable lady, for marriage.

08080602197,08032497219 •Jesutekewe, 24, a student, from Delta state, needs a

Lovers Searching Female •Uche, 22, a student, needs a tall, good looking, dark in complexion, God fearing and gainfully employed man, who is ready for a serious relationship.08137396556 •Omonigho, 40, from Edo state, needs a God fearing man, aged 42-46, from Edo or Delta state, for marriage.

09052120485 •Tina, 31, a graduate and resides in Warri, needs a caring and God fearing man, who is responsible and employed, aged 33-38, who is ready for marriage.

08124033205 •Nk, 34, light in complexion, a business woman, a widow with kids and resides in Anambra state, needs a matured, well to do and re4sponsible man, aged 4560,for a relationship.

08174163464 •Stephanie, 18, sexy, hot intelligent and resides in Benin, needs a man, who is a banker, in Lagos or Benin, aged 22-24, for a serious relationship.09033653179 • Ann, 38, a graduate employed, from Edo state, nut resides in Delta state, a single mother, needs a God fearingman,aged 38 and above for a relationship.

08053887944,07063386070 Searching Male •Austine, 26, handsome, romantic and from Warri Delta state, needs a beautiful and sexually active lady for a serious relationship.

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DISCLAIMER! Dear readers, please note that we neither operate, nor are we an affiliate of any match–making agency in or outside the country. Any reader who transacts business with any one claiming to be our agent does so at his/her own risk. Our mission is only to provide a platform for social networking.

Also note that neither Vanguard, nor Yetunde Arebi will be liable for any error in the publication of requests which may result in any form of embarrassment to any member of the public. We therefore request that text must be sent through at least one of the numbers for contact. This notice is necessary to enable us serve you better in our refreshingly different style. You can send your requests to 33055. For enquiries, text or call 08026651636

to keep you at “girlfriend” level as long as he can without making a commitment He’ll try to hang onto his “freedom” as long as he can without making a commitment He’ll say he needs “time” He’ll say he’s not “ready” If you “play hard to get,” he’ll suddenly “snap-to” and work amazingly hard to get back in your “good graces” just until he can “slack off again” and still keep you

around for awhile longer.

Men are champs at drawing things out. I’ve seen a man go for years, two, five even 8! without even talking about c o m m i t m e n t .

It’s always just “not a good time” in his life. So what’s really happening with him?

Why is he being so “squirrely ” and immoveable? Why’s he so “not ready” especially if he’s in his 40’s?

lady, aged 20-30, who is caring and serious for a relationship. 09034002972 •Guys, 35, fair in complexion, needs a busty, fat and sexy lady, for a relationship.

07050777165 •Samuel 23 from delta state but stay in ph need a mature girl of 21-27 for a serious relationship my number is 08161264652 •Cj, 51yrs, 58tall, fair, good looking gent, Deltan, romantic need a matured sexy good looking educated lady Retired or serving civil servant, politician.08126346336 •Phillip, needs a lady for marriage. 08037909088, 08144471571 •Emeka, ibo by tribe, educated and self employed, needs a Christian lady, who is kind hearted, aged 20-35, for a mutual and healthy relationship. 08177411671, 0 8 1 7 7 4 1 1 9 5 2 •Lucky, handsome and from Delta state, needs a lady from Edo state, Benin city or Isoko, for a serious relationship, that will lead to marriage, aged 14-20. 08087563531, 07033171438 •Andrew, 68, a widower and resides in Benin City, needs a tall, fat and presentable lady, aged 40-50 of for a wife.

07062368171 •Dima,31, a poultry farmer, needs a single lady, for a relationship.08038931447,09033310898 •Jeff, from Delta state, needs a sincere and God fearing lady, aged 25-28, for a serious relationshi, that wil lead to mariage. 08155335241 •Bj 28,a business man, from Delta but resides in Benin, needs a humble, average sized and active lady, for a serious relationship.

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08131245634,08074056447 •Ebi,29,employed and from Warri, Delta state, needs a clean busty lady, aged 30-42 for an active sexual companionship. 08129506005, 08076723790 •Joshua, 28, from Abia state, needs a lady, aged 20-33, who understands what marriage is.

08135989966 •Chuks, God fearing, needs an educated, humble lady, for a relationship that will lead to marriage, aged 45 and above.

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her financial needs. bbm pin 2ac6312a.07069793584

Sugar Cares Searching Female •Chi Amanda, slim, sexy, busty and romantic, needs a sugar daddy, aged 49 and above, who can take care of

Searching Male

•Christian, 35, a graduate

and resides in Lagos, needs a sugar mummy, for a sexual relationship. 08100404903, 08036257939 •Zak, resides in Abuja, needs a sugar mummy, who resides in Abuja. 08106514028 •Godgift, 23, resides in Delta state, needs a sugar mummy, in Delta state.07019370156 Chris, 24, a student and resides in Asaba Delta state, needs a sugar mummy, aged 30-50. 08109704982 • David, 24, fair in complexion, handsome and resides in Delta state, needs a caring sugar mummy.

08133403322 •Patrick resides in Asaba needs a sugar mummy.

08022004704 •Dickson, from Abuja, needs a rich and caring sugar mummy.08160626301,09023233117 •Jude, resides in Benin, needs a sugar mummy, who resides in Benin, aged 40 – 50. 09097736884 •Martins, 30, handsome and romantic, from Delta state, needs a caring and romantic, sugar mummy, for a serious relationship.08061293899 •Stanley, 29, from Delta state, needs a sugar mummy from Delta or Edo state.

08146319479 •Godwin, 35, a graduate, from Delta state, needs a sugar mummy, aged 35- 65 for discreet affair.

08038572770,08053076457 •Buchi 23, 6ft tall, handsome and resides in Lagos, needs a awesome sugar mummy to sponsor hismusic.

07088995968,08090680696 • Goddon, 35, resides in Lagos, needs a rich and loving sugar mummy, aged 40-65, in Lagos or Abuja, for a relationship.08057119669 •Raymond, 28, fun loving, tall and romantic, needs a rich and romantic sugar mummy, aged 35-55 for a romantic affair.08032980422 •Pete, 27, tall, slim, romantic and jovial, needs a caring and generous sugar mummy, for a fun filled relationship.

07067446977 •John, employed, needs a sugar mummy, aged 50-60, who is from Delta state, for a relationship.08055556212, 09033277386, 07017481219 •Lucky, 35, good looking and jovial, needs a caring, gentle and slim sugar mummy, aged 30-55.08102852416 •Roland, 44, needs a sugar mummy in Lagos.

09053720868,08182678028

PAGE 22, SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

Africa needs more spectrum to meet with the growth of data ser vices — GSMA Director M

ortimer Hope is the Director for Africa, GSMA. He spoke to Emeka Aginam at the just concluded GSMA 360 Africa series held in Cape Town, South Africa on a number of industry issues including digital migration, spectrum utilization, among others. According to him, Africa needs more spectrum to meet with the growing demand for data services.

Excerpt: Spectrum overview in Africa Spectrum is the life blood of the mobile industry. Without it, you will not have the mobile networks. Operators need a combination of low frequency spectrum which is good for covering large areas and in building penetration and they need high frequencies to provide high capacity bandwidth that people require especially in the urban areas.

We have some spectrum already allocated to the mobile industry, a combination of low and high but those spectrum was granted originally in 900MHz for GSM. Now we have got a newer technologies that have become available and if we want to deploy them, we have a choice to make. So do we shot down one of the older technologies like GSM and take spectrum and use it for 4G or LTE or do we get new spectrum and build the network to provide that service?

What has happened is that while operators wait for new spectrum to provide new services, they have used some of the existing spectrum they have. So they have reduced the

amount spectrum they use for normal GSM and use some of spectrum for LTE. So the existing networks cannot meet up the capacity that is there and demand for data services is growing. To meet up with the growing demand for data services, we need more spectrum The old spectrum should to exist.

Around Africa, many people have handsets that can only use the old technology. If we shot down the old technology, that means you have to replace the handsets of millions of people.

That will take time. GSM technology is going to be with us for a while and we need to maintain GSM network while building new network. That is the reason why we need more spectrum.

Unused spectrum When the regulator is designing spectrum auction, there are few rules they need to put in place It is either you use it or you loose it within certain period of time. So it is either you use your spectrum or you lose it.

The regulators must come come out with roll out obligations. They will be giving roll out obligation to operators to cover certain percentage of the population . If they do not use the spectrum, the regulator can fine them or give them additional time otherwise the regulator can recover the spectrum. There will be no refund to the operator.

•Hope Addressing last mile issue in Nigeria The operators will know best on how to address last mile issues. I don’t know the Nigerian market well enough to give an opinion. But I do know the physics of radio frequency

Majority of set up boxes should be produced locally

Access Bank deploys CR2’s Bank World solution ffor or re rettail banking

O

ne of the top commercial banks in Nigeria, Access Bank, has disclosed that it has selected Ireland’s leading selfservice banking software provider CR2’s BankWorld omnichannel suite to manage

Connect Mar ges comput er tr ader Markket boss ur urges computer trader aderss to retool for relevance

T

o scale up in the twenty first century competitive business landscape, the Chief Executive Officer Connect Marketing Services Limited, Mr. Tunji Adeyinka, has challenged business owners in the Ikeja Computer Village, to start thinking out of the box. According to him, business leaders in Ikeja Computer Village have to start thinking out of the box if they still want to remain relevant in the technology business.

Adeyinka gave the advice in a thought leadership keynote presentation, “Small is Unsafe” delivered at Technology Times Breakfast Meeting, which was attended by business leaders from Ikeja Computer Village.

The event also witnessed the official

propagation is that you will need lower band frequency to cover larger areas. So you need the frequencies that are currently used for television, part of that to be used for mobile services and they will cover a larger areas.

Digital migration Let us examine why they are migrating. African countries are migrating to make frequencies available so that it can be used for mobile broadband. But what if there is a little broadcasting in that band currently., they can as well it for mobile broadband . That is what happened in countries like Lesotho . Lesotho has not migrated but they license the digital divided spectrum already. Because they were not using it in the first place. So maybe some of the

Africa countries in a similar situation have a few TV channels they have are not occupying the digital divided band.

Nigerian case is different because the country has a large number of TV channels.

So Nigeria needs to migrate .

South Africa has done. . Kenya has done it. Tanzania has done it. So we have examples in Africa countries that have migrated. It took a lot of political will and there were court cases.

So digital migration is possible .There must be political will and also fund. The question is, how do we fund it? One method is taking part of the proceeds from spectrum auction to fund digital migration.

Harmonization Harmonization is important because firstly, if you have harmonized frequency in your device, that means you roam to other parts of the world where your device will work. And it also means that the unit price will drop because it is mass produced in larger quantities, then we can have lower cost.

That is something that we need in Africa. But we also need to stop being consumers alone, but start producing. So digital migration is an opportunity for digital migration. We should manufacture set up boxes locally. You should manufacture it locally, it will create an electronic manufacturing industry in Africa. It will create jobs. So let us use this opportunity to develop our own manufacturing capability.

Majority of set up boxes should be produced locally.

unveiling of Computer Village Expo 2015 (CVE ‘15); an annual showcase event of Nigeria’s largest technology market inspired

by Technology Times to connect buyers and sellers of consumer technology under one roof on December 9-12, 2015.

To illustrate his point to in his thought leadership keynote, he began by playing a short video clip of how a wildlife chase in which a bigger carnivore devoured its prey because of its advantage of size.

In explaining how the competition in the jungle relates to the real-life business terrain, Adeyinka says that, ‘’our life is wildlife and the kind of market where we participate in is like wildlife where the big players devour the smaller ones.

their self-service channels including ATM, Internet, and Mobile.

With 5 million retail customers and over 1,500 ATMs, Access Bank was mindful of the importance of the self-service channels in supporting Nigeria’s retail banking growth.

This strategic alliance was celebrated at Access Bank’s London headquarters recently.

Accordingly, the bank had sought a solution which would allow them to launch the right product, in the right place, at the right time which can only be achieved through a true omnichannel approach.

By selecting BankWorld and holding CR2’s self-service platform at the core of their strategy, Access Bank now have the tools to stay competitive and highly flexible to market changes as well as personalising each interaction with their customers at every touch point.

With CR2, Access Bank will be empowered to reduce their

operational costs by managing all channels from a single point while also having the opportunity to generate revenue through the launch of targeted and personalised services. In addition, Access Bank will also be able to offer a range of innovative and convenient payment facilities new to the Nigerian market.

Speaking on the new development, “Herbert Wigwe Group Managing Director, Access Bank said that, “ We aim to become the leading bank in Nigeria and provide new services that will change the way people bank. Having a best of breed self-service offering, providing convenient banking and managing all our client’s relationship from a single place are at the heart of our strategy and we believe that BankWorld will help us to achieve our vision.” Also speaking, “Franky Van Damme, Chief Executive Officer at CR2 said “I welcome Access Bank as a new client of CR2 in Nigeria.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 23

It’s always an ‘accident’ when you’re caught with your friend’s partner!

I

s there any plausible reason why a supposed best friend sleeps with her friend’s partner?

When Jennifer found herself in what she termed an ‘embarrassing’ betrayal of her best friend, she justified her action by trying to convince friends she never planned to seduce Chris, her friend’s fiance of two years. “Timi and I had been best friends when we were both in secondary school,” explained Jennifer. “But after we went to different universities, we’d lost touch only to link up over ten years later through a mutual friend.

“We picked up from where we left off especially since we were both back in Lagos. We exchanged details of our boyfriends, I told her Kola, my current boyfriend, and I had been together for close to five years. We broke off briefly because of his excessive jealousy but got back together again when he promised to behave.

Chris and Timi had been an item for two years and when we all met up, we

clicked.

“A few months later, Timi invited Kola and I for a night-out and we had such a nice time we ended up in Chris’ place. Kola had to leave to go to work as he was on night duty. The rest of us drank and chatted into the night, until Timi left for her place so she could wake up early to go to work. She trusted me completely with her man that is how close we were.

After she left, Chris and I moved closer to one another on the sofa, and our conversation became deeper. ‘I really feel I’d known you all my life and could open up to you,’ whispered Chris. Then, he leant forward and kissed me. Remember we were both drunk at this time and I snagged him back.

Fuelled by lust, we moved to the bedroom where we had mind-blowing sex. I knew it was wrong, but it was so much fun I didn’t care. I fell asleep in his arms.

“The next day, I woke up to a blinding headache.

Then a figure stirred beside me and I suddenly remembered in whose bed I was. I winced with guilt as all we did the previous

night came flooding back to me. I told Chris what happened was a mistake and it shouldn’t happen again. He was silent for a while then agreed. ‘I feel awful, and guilty’, he said.

We sat talking, trying to make sense of the night before and what we were going to do. We agreed it was to be a one off no repeat performance.

“While we were talking, I noticed I had some face-book messages. Timi had

Exercises overhaul your body

T

HE ability to meet the demands of work and play is what I term being fit. And nothing enhances that ability better than proper exercise whose components include deep breathing, relaxed movements and mental concentration. Proper exercise will overhaul, rejuvenate and balance the entire body.

If your work-a-day life leaves you feeling too tired for any enthusiasm for other things in your life you can do something about the situation.

How do you do this?

Firstly, take a good look at your habits. Are you eating foods that over-tax your energies because they take ages to digest? Have you been staying away from exercising to the point where your body has lost the tone nature intended it to have?

There can not be much energy at your disposal if you’re guilty of these two.

And, remember, living means the expression of energy in a positive way and abundantly.

To dream dreams and not have the drive to turn those dreams into reality must be a most unfulfilling life.

But all that can be changed if you resolve firmly to take proper charge of your body.

C M Y K

It’s alright to be advised as to what’s good for you but the commitment to better your lot must come from you. Just as someone rightly noted, health and fitness, like learning, is an individual responsibility.

What the instructor can do is to help you identify the obstacles needing to be overcome. You, yourself must tread the path to fit-

INBOX

Activity is never part of the problem of good health. It’s insufficient activity in our lives that wrecks our bodies ness and good health. In my years of teaching Yoga I have come across very determined persons who were able to effect such phenomenal changes in the bodies.

I think the proof of the workability of exercise in my own self and in those I have taught spurs me on. We all need a bit of exercise everyday. Some twenty to thirty years ago doctors were prohibiting some pa-

tients, such as those with heart conditions, from exercising. Now, for those same conditions doctors are prescribing exercise.

Activity is never part of the problem of good health. It’s insufficient activity in our lives that wrecks our bodies. Bear this in mind always. It will help you not to get into temptation not to exercise.

Talking discipline, you only can invoke it in yourself. The next person can only inspire you. Try these flexibility postures.

THE HEELS-TOCROTCH Technique: Sit down with the legs stretched in front of you. Now, bend one leg placing the bent leg on the floor with the heel close to the crotch as much as possible. Do the same with the next leg. Now you should have both soles of the feet touching and begin to lower both legs till the knees are either on the floor or very close with the hands holding down the feet.

Note: A warm-up to this posture is to flop the legs up and down at the knees like the wings of a bird in flight. Breathe normally holding down the feet for 10 or 15 seconds. Rest and repeat.

Benefits: Both deep and superficial muscles of the

posted a status, stating only God could punish women who betray their loved ones. How could he know what happened the night before? ‘I’m in hot soup,’ Chris whined, looking really frantic.

“We lay down on his bed, thinking about the best way to deal with the situation. Only, at some point, we must have drifted off because it was early evening when I woke up. Still feeling remorseful, I headed to the bathroom to splash water on my face. I’d never felt more ashamed of myself. As I dried my

inner thighs are intensely stretched, toning muscles and ligaments of the pelvis and encouraging the health of the whole pelvic area.

There’s improved blood circulation to the back and abdomen benefitting the kidneys and bladder and helping to deal with urinary disorders.

A daily practice of this posture is said to hinder the onset of varicose veins and to reduce the harshness of labour pains. It helps check nocturnal emissions and increases manly vigour.

THE PLOUGH Technique: Lie on your back relaxed. Breathe in deeply, lifting the legs and hips up. Dip the feet on to the floor beyond the head.

Hold the feet down with the corresponding hands. Keep the legs straight and the knees locked. Stiffen the leg muscles but do not strain at the lower back. Retain the posture for about 10 seconds.

Benefits: The plough is

face, I felt this almighty crash coming from the kitchen door. I ran out to see what the commotion was all about when I came face to face with Timi! His eyes were wild and knowing how violent he could be, I ran back to the toilet. But he ignored me and marched straight to the bedroom where Chris was. The poor man was no match for Timi’s rage.

“As he pummelled poor Chris, I became hysterical. I tried to come between them but he threw me to the ground as if I were a rag doll. I stumbled next door and began hammering on Chris’ neighbour ’s door, yelling ‘somebody help me please.’ A few of the neighbours intervened and held Timi whilst the police was called. Poor Chris was whimpering in a corner of the bedroom.

The three of us were then taken to the police station.

“It was there I found out that the morning after we’d cheated and we were having that remorseful conversation, my sensitive mobile had accidentally dialled Ttmi’s number from inside my pocket since his was

the last number I called before the incident. He’d overheard us talking about sleeping together.

Furious, he’d called Jenny, asking her to meet him at Chris’ place and telling her what we’d done. But Jenny had declined, as far as she was concerned, both of us were dead to her.

“Poor Chris was badly beaten up but he refused to press charges, leaving Timi to deal with the policemen. He was locked up for a few hours until his friends ‘settled’ the problem with the police. I haven’t seen Jenny since then and I’m sure I would be the last person she’d want to call a friend. I sent her a lengthy text to explain what had happened and to apologise. But she replied telling me what to do with my apologies - she never wanted to see me again.

“And I don’t blame her.

What happened between Chris and I that fateful night happens all the time. We were just unlucky to get caught.

And we paid dearly for it.”

said to stimulate the activity of the thyroid glands.

People with sluggish digestion get help from the grinding movement of the abdomen to stimulate the entire inner organism, particularly, the peristaltic waves of the bowels. The plough is highly recommended as an antidote to constipation.

A variation of the plough is to droop down the knees on to the floor.

THE SPREADEAGLE Technique: Sit down with

the feet stretched out in front. With the help of the hands, spread the legs as far apart as you can manage.

Clutch the shins and, holding the trunk neck and head in a straight line, breathe slowly but deeply. Retain the position for as long as comfortable. Rest awhile and repeat.

Benefits: The spread eagle tones up the muscles of the inner thighs and helps with the health of the pelvic region.

* Heels-To-Crotch

Yoga Classes STARTED Physical Therapy Centre @ 32 Ademola,

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9.00am — 10.00am on Saturdays

P AGE 24 — SUND AY Vanguard , OCTOBER 18 , 2015 SUNDA

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk 08056180152, SMS only

Booze was the coke of the 70s - but dare you go cold turkey?!

S

itting around a group of friends a few months back, I remember we all had haughtily discussed our concerns about the younger generation daught ers and sons,

godchildren and nieces and their predilection for binge drinking. All this discussion was had over a glass or two or three of wine or G & T each! How reckless, we opined.

How destructive. Not one of us thought, nor even realised that we were drinking more than them.

We obviously didn’t see our drinking as bingeing - just a civilised form of drinking we describe as ‘social’ and, therefore, entirely acceptable. ‘’How wrong were we,” lamented a good friend when we met up recently and on consumption of booze reared its drunken head. “The over-40s are currently grappling with the rise in alcohol-related conditions such as strokes, cancer and heart disease. Some medics are even concluding it can bring on early onset of Alzheimer ’s. I doubt many middle-aged people like us truly appreciate what longterm, slow damage we’re doing to our bodies with our social drinking. And it’s not just social boozing. For women our age, many in the throes of divorce or coping with the stress of caring for grown-up children and ageing parents - or just dealing with the realisation we’re more than half-way through our lovely lives - alcohol can be a form of medication ... “ Then we went into a sort of ‘do-you-

remember-when,’ when we just started paid employment and ‘socialising.’ We had freedom, designer clothes (albeit from mostly Idumota stalls) and a fabulous lifestyle.

We weren’t drinking every, but every day, booze was around us, especially through our work. I fleetingly recalled the ‘Punch’ days when we hurried through assignments to touch base with ‘colleagues’ at a local canteen run by a bussomy woman called Folake who was ready to drink us under the table any day. What we couldn’t consume by pundits who eagerly ‘served round’ was reserved for the next day.

“Ours was the generation who used alcohol, not drugs, to help us through life’s ups and downs - whether it was a hard day in the office, divorce or promotion,” continued Lara. “I used to regard a G & T or a glass of wine as a panacea something to enhance a

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"

All about me

I used to think I could go on without you, without us, without love. I used to feel that I can be invincible in love and life, beating all odds to love whoever, be

good mood and dull.a bad one. Fast forward over 30 years and so much has changed.

We’ve been through marriages, divorces, many have had children, some grandchildren and we’ve taken on stepchildren and been made redundant or had career changes.

“The one constant has been a steady stream of alcohol. Of course we don’t drink: as we did in the 70s - or at least we tell ourselves we don’t but we still knock back more than we should.

And who could blame us, with alcohol virtually flying off the wall at home and at parties.

Sadly, a we lurch through out 50s, it’s beginning to take its toll.

Your ‘body can cope when it’s young, but in middle-age, it can’t.

That’s why we’re seeing so many working women of a certain age giving up the booze or dramatically changing the way, and qua1ity they dririk. Suddenly, you notice the weight starts to pile on, your skin

100ks unflatteringly dull and you have to face the hard truth that, far from being a mood enhancer, alcohol can be a depress and sleep depriver.

“It was this growing recognition of these dangers that inspired me a few months ago to jump on the wagon for the first time in my life. 1 realised l’d put on weight, mostly around my tummy and my skin wasn’t exactly glowing - another symptom of age. 1 began to count the units I was imbibing. A work lunch with a couple of glasses of wine, another two over dinner with your spouse/ partner or friends - that’s six of the recommended 14 weekly units for women in one day! As for sleep, there is nothing like alcohol to interrupt it. 1 couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept six hours in a row. And I was feeling lethargic, Nothing specific, just a general dullness and lack of enthusiasm for life, which is not like me.

“So began my battle to oust booze from my life.

with whoever I wish to be with. But the moment you left, I realized that all the negative attributes where from me, in me. I always thought I can be with whoever I choose to be with. But the problem is in me. I was proud in love, too pompous to admit my faults, too arrogant to accept corrections. I have learnt my lessons, the hard way, now that you have gone.

The emptiness is so loud. I am sorry love, wherever you are, whoever you might be, I am sorry cuz the shortcomings were all about me.

Stan Stan stanfeelings@gmail.com> 07035709315

Love to Christabel She is indeed a supernatural woman. A woman that can never be compared with another... she is lovely caring and she's a jovial person. she's one of the saints God sent from heaven to the earth to spread

1 didn’t rid the house of booze - I had realised to make this work I had to continue a normal life with alcohol in it. 1 had to be able to enjoy a tonic on ice while my guests tucked into assorted alcohol based dririks.

And each time 1 thought of having a dririk, l just didn’t. “But there had to be a substitute and the tonic on ice was it.

“Going out with friends has been the real test.

You don’t realise it until you’ve stopped, but alcohol is everywhere and there is a slight pressure to drink and not be a drag on other people’s enjoyment.

Friends are always pouring you a drink and saying: “Go on, just have one,” or ‘Don’t be boring’, as though you’re some kind of social pariah. At first I claimed to be taking antibiotics as an excuse for not drinking, but how many weeks can you spin that out? The big challenge came on a Saturday at a friend’s 60th birthday bash. Everyone was pouring me wine, despite my protestations. Then I remembered reading about a celebrity in a foreign magazine who confessed to raising the glass to her lips, but not drink any.

“So each time I was given a glass, I pretended to drink, then left it on a table, happy to see it was picked up almost immediately, despite the lipstick mark, and downed by another guest. Since then I’ve had a few watered- down drinks.

I’m not giving up - just giving it a break. And I’m enjoying

the result. My skin glows, my moods more even, and I’m sleeping like a baby. I’ve also got lots of more energy, which has not gone unnoticed by my appreciative partner. At a party recently, a casual friend came up to me and said I looked slimmer and then asked the inevitable question: ‘How did you do it?’ ‘I gave up booze,’ I whispered!

A Reward Welldeserved, (Humour) Fred was having trouble with a drinking problem and swore that he would correct it with will power.

He had decided to walk straight past the pub without going in. As he approached it he kept repeating to himself, “ you can do it. You can dot it.” The pressure was tough, but Fred persevered, right past he went. Fifty metres past and he congratulated himself. “I knew you could do it. You were great. Let’s go back and I’ll buy you a drink.”

Two Of A Kind?

(Humour) A large woman at a social function was startled to find herself seized and embraced by a man who was slightly under the weather. But the man quickly released her and apologised. ‘’Excuse me, I’m sorry,” he mumbled. ‘’I thought for a moment you were my wife.”

The woman quickly recovered from ‘her surprise and snarled: ‘’Fancy having a drunken slob like you for a husband, you clumsy, gross disgusting beast.”

“Crickey,” he slurred, “ you not only look like her, you sound like her too!”

the feeling of love to the world. she is among the angels of love God sent to us. she is an ambassador of love and have all the quality of a good wife...

CHARLES CHIDUBEM OGBONNA 08169186581

My True love You took my breath away From our very first kiss Time has stopped I don't want the night to end!

Take time and listen my heart beats 1.2.1.2 for you and only you Ill be thinking about you always Ill never forget this day! of our first kiss!

MY TRUE LOVE CENT OBAMA +2348061379003

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 25

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Cameroon girls take over Calabar sex market

BY EMMANUEL UNAH

C

alabar, Cross River State capital, is famous as the home of bevy and succulent women.

Their welcoming disposition gives the city a warm and alluring ambience to many a visitor to the city.

The bulk of these women are girls from tertiary educational institutions in the city. Teenage secondary school girls along with their city colleagues who are also attractive make the population of women in the city burst at the seam. To keep body and soul together, many of them resort to “hustling”, a nomenclature for part-time prostitution prevalent in the city.

These ‘hustlers’ operate from their hostels and homes during nocturnal hours. They roam the streets, especially around places with active night life like Atekong Drive, Marian Road, Effanga Mkpa Street, Edabor Street,Third Avenue, Second Avenue and highbrow eateries where people, particularly visitors, congregate at night and can afford to pick them up for a fee to satisfy their sexual appetite.

There are, however, indications that the activities of these ‘hustlers’ are threatened by girls from Cameroon and Niger Republic who, recently, descended on Calabar and are systematically offering “better services” at cheaper fees to teeming clients. These dark skinned new entrants, aged between 20 and 25 years, seem poised to take over the trade and the local girls do not seem to be finding it funny.

These Cameroonian and Nigerien girls, apart from being classy like some of the Calabar tertiary education institution girls, are available (night and day), which gives them the edge as they give clients the opportunity to take a shot at them whenever they want it unlike the local ‘hustlers’ who are available mostly at night.

Unyime, a young man, who operates an ice cream spot in front of a famous fast food spot along Atekong Drive/Marian Road , told Sunday Vanguard that the girls are sex machines who can do anything anywhere because they have an “I don’t

care attitude”. Sunday Vanguard investigation revealed that, unlike the local ‘hustlers’ who are predominantly students who come out mostly at night and position themselves along strategic parts of the city ostensibly for fear of being recognised by colleagues or neighbours, these Cameroon and Niger girls are braggadocios and walk about boldly around the city in the day and traverse popular night clubs, fast food and beer joints to solicit for patronage. They take residence in cheap hotels with fees ranging

just did in the same place”, Christian Edah, a bar attendant in one of the hotels told Sunday Vanguard.

He said some of the girls take between 10 and 15 men a day and still look fresh and clean.

“Some of our girls who are students and come here to hustle, sometimes in the night, squabble with guests because the man’s libido is too high for them and normally abandon the (Camerounian and Nigerian) to stay the remaining part of the night at the open bar, but these man girls hardly complain and

*Girls ... ‘hustling’in the night

Customers seek justice on $180,000 transfer scam in bank

BY EBERE AHAM

F

our customers have petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, seeking justice over the transfer of $180,000 from a new generation bank to a Chinese firm. Ogbogu Chinyere, Ogbogu Esther, Anadu Ogechukwu and Oganya Ifeyinwa were said to be banking with the branch of the bank in Festac, Lagos State and

Free medical service

Superstores, in C CD conjunction with healthcare providers like Procter & Gamble, Re-care Cosmetics, Haven Pharmacy, Siden Eye Clinic, Virtual Human Health and Nosak Healthcare, organized a free medical screening for shoppers and the general public as a way of giving back to the society. The organization also used the maiden edition of the Health Fair to

between N2,000 and 3,000 daily.

So, clients, at any time of the day, don’t have to face the headache of looking for joints where to pay for ‘short rest’. They can simply join the girls right in their rented rooms where the cost is built into her charges.

“These girls are everywhere in the city and they are more or less sex machines as men sometimes wait for their turns; this is the first time I am seeing a man wait in his car or sit at the bar and wait for the person inside to come out before going in to do the same thing the other person

donate waste baskets to Area H Police Command, Ogudu, Ogudu Primary Healthcare Center and Kosofe Local Council in support of Lagos State government’s drive for a clean environment.

Speaking at the event, Managing Director, CCD Superstores, Mrs Risi Ogunbor, said, “The company intends to make this Fair an annual event

instructed it to transfer $230,000 to the Chinese firm. Shortly after, they allegedly discovered an error in the account details of the firm and alerted the bank to halt the transfer. Sunday Vanguard learnt that the bank was asked on February 27, 2014 to stop the transaction. However, the bank was said to have already transferred $100,000 to the firm.

Meanwhile, the customers,

and expand to other parts of Lagos in no distant future since competition is getting stiffer especially considering the aggressive style with which Shoprite is expanding in Nigeria.”

CCD Superstores started operation as a small grocery store in 1993 retailing in vegetables, frozen foods, bread, soda drinks, operating in that form for five year before transforming into a one stop neighborhood superstores in 1999.

according to sources, instructed the bank to recall the money. But rather than heed the instruction, the bank allegedly went ahead to transfer additional $80,000 to the Chinese firm, fueling suspicion of untidy deals by some bank officials involved in the transfer.

“Since the money transfer scam was discovered, the bank has failed to return the money or demonstrate seriousness in addressing the transaction. To redress the situation, the customers have petitioned the Central Bank and law enforcement agencies”, one of the sources said. Based on this, it was gathered that operatives of the EFCC interrogated some officials of the bank but all efforts to invite those alleged to be directly involved in the illegal transaction have proved abortive.

Efforts made to get a reaction from the bank at the weekend failed as calls to its Corporate Affairs Department were not returned.

they are making some cool bucks”.

When our reporter interacted with one of them, who gave her name as Ethel from Mamfe in southern part of Cameroon and speaks adulterated French and pidgin English , said business brought her to Calabar and, as such, she has no time for frivolities like complaining when a customer wants more if he can pay additional money. “Each shot is N2,000 or N1,500 and, so long as he pays additional money, I have no issues with him”, she said in French accented pidgin English.

She said her day starts at 9:00 am where she takes her bath and then heads to one of the eateries for breakfast. Thereafter, if she gets a call from any of her customers, she invites him over and business begins. At 1 pm, she goes to a local canteen to eat a launch of eba or rice with pepper soup and then return to the hotel for a drink with colleagues and intermittently goes to her room to service clients. “I don’t go out to hunt for men, they know where to find me or I call them on phone”, she stated.

A staff of one of the hotels where these girls are lodged said the love for variety by Nigerian men is what is driving them to patronise the girls, otherwise there is nothing special about them. “Most Nigerian men like to show that they have done it with somebody from outside the country; otherwise our girls are okay and better than them”, he said.

Speaking on the issue, Mr Jude Ngaji, the Cross River State Security, as Adviser, said prostitution is morally wrong and encourages criminal activity and such, the state government will do everything to stop the practice. “Morally, prostitution is what you find all over the world. It must be decently done and make sure that don’t constitute security issue. My concern is that, let criminals not take advantage of these girls. I am not going to determine the number of visitors to these sex workers but my major concern is that once these sex workers become security issue we would stop them”, Ngaji said.

God’s Delight holds crusade

G

od’s Delight Gospel Assembly,Udu, Udu lo cal government area, Delta State, power-packed crusade, tagged “October to Remember,” will take place 22nd to 24th October.

In a statement by the church, its Senior Pastor, Johnmark Ighosotu, will be ministering on the theme “More than Enough” at Mercy Haven (Brume Esate), DSC township, Udu. The church urges residents in the state and across the country to come and witness the power of God in action.

•Pastor Johnmark Ighosotu

PAGE 26 —

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

08116759757

‘Nigeria committed to eliminating AIDS by 2030’

BY VICTORIA OJEME

N

igeria is committed to ensuring a generation free of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) by 2030, going by pronouncements by key officials of government at a side event at the 70th United Nations General Assembly held at New York, United States (US).

The theme was, ‘Ensuring an AIDS -free generation by 2030: Strengthening the means of implementation of the sustainable development goals as a strategic imperative for success’.

Speaking at the occasion, President Muhammadu Buhari noted that sub-Saharan African bears a disproportionate burden of HIV/AIDS epidemic, but “the good news is that the effort of the global community has resulted in greater control, less spread and better management”.

“Nigeria has made significant progress towards the interception of mother to child transmission of HIV. In 2014 alone, over 3million pregnant women were tested for HIV and 63,000 of these tested women, accessed anti - retroviral therapy, “Buhari said..

“What is required in our continued fight against HIV/ AIDS is improved health delivery system, education, and cheaper production of anti - retroviral drugs through technology exchange.

“Nigeria will also like to call upon all pharmaceutical companies for more cooperation and understanding in reducing the cost of anti - retroviral drugs through production of generic items.

“Nigeria will continue to work with development partners and key stakeholders to strengthen the means of implementation of the SDGs as elaborated in the Post2015 Development Agenda

•Buhari “Nigeria remains fully committed to the outcome of the Abuja process as evident in the 2002 Declaration, the Action Framework on Roll – Back Malaria. In addition, the 2013 Abuja + 12 Declaration is a strong commitment towards eliminating HIV and AIDs in Africa by 2030.

“I therefore encourage you to continue in your efforts to sustain the fight against infant and maternal deaths, HIV and AIDs, Tuberculosis, Malaria and other communicable diseases, high on the global development agenda.

“Let us work together to make HIV and AIDs history by 2030”.

In his speech, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, UNFPA, said Nigeria has the second highest burden of HIV in the world after South Africa representing 9.0% of the global burden of infection.

“66 percent of new HIV infections were concentrated in 12 of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.

On the way forward, he stressed the need to hold governors accountable at state level and move from a federalled to a state-led effort to fight HIV/ AIDS, saying this will promote

ownership and sustainability.

The UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibe, said Nigeria could lead the way in efforts to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. He went further to recommend that Nigeria, with the support of UNAIDS and other development partners, should expand the Kaduna model to all 12+1 high burden states of Nigeria where 70 percent of all HIV positive pregnant women and new HIV infections exist. He elaborated on the costeffectiveness of PMTCT which yields high returns on investment in terms of life years gained.

Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, Assistant Secretary General and Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Post-2015 Planning, called on MDAs and civil society in Nigeria to commence work on reaching consensus on the indicators to track SDGs implementation and ensure they are aligned with national priorities across key sectors.

Mr. Ochapa Ogenyi, Secretary of Programme, Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs (Nigeria), said Nigeria remains steadfast in dedicating the Debt Relief Gains negotiated more than a decade ago to serve as additional resources to bridge funding gaps for pro-poor interventions.

The side event underscored an enabling policy and legal frameworks, strengthened institutional arrangements, data revolution, capacity development and increased domestic resource mobilization as integral parts of the SDGs transition strategy, means of implementation and indispensable requirements to attain the goals by 2030.

Prof John Idoko, Director General, National Agency for the

Control of AIDS, said Nigeria has made significant progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the last decade. “We have achieved the MDG goal 6 of halting and reversing the HIV epidemic and we are c omitted to sustaining the momentum in the era of the SDGs to achieve an AIDS- free generation by 2030. In support of this, the country will use the strategy of adopting the new

WHO guidelines of ‘test and treat’, and the President has identified the local production of HIV/AIDS drugs and related commodities as a key strategy to actualize an AIDS-free generation by 2030,” he said.

The side event was moderated

by Idoko and the vote of thanks given by Mr. Linus Awute, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health.

Reward for excellence: L-R: Chioma Nwachuku, GM, Corporate and External Affairs of Seplat, Ifueko Omogui Okauru, Independent Director Seplat and Chiedu Obue, Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Delta state presenting the cheques, trophy and brand new bus to students of the winning school Reverend Martin Memorial Mixed Secondary School, Iselle Uku at the finale of Seplat Pearls Quiz 2015 in Benin City on Friday. (The students are Enunwa Tonito Bethel, Ubawike Chizoba Hope and Isika Ifunnanya Kingsley.)

Diversification ujimoto Construction has S unveiled plans to increased diversification of its products and

affordability in luxury homes without compromising standard.

With its latest promo, tagged: ‘If you can dream it, we can build it’, the company said corporate organisations and individuals yearning for luxury homes can now afford without compromising standard in the high end residential luxury market.

The program includes design

and build, renovation, interior design and decoration, facility management and procurement.

According to the Chief Executive Officer, Sujibomi Ogundele, his organisation could assist individuals looking for iconic and stylish homes to build right from architectural design or from scratch and help design their home beyond their dreams within a considerable budget.

Tinsel raises charity bar

N

ews of domestic abuse is on the increase and one begins to wonder if the society has degenerated so much that little or no respect is given to the family unit, especially women and children who are mostly on the receiving end of such abuses. On daily basis, newspapers are awash with stories about one form of abuse or the other. While a few of the victims get justice, majority of the crime fall under the radar and they go unreported.

It is for this reason that the Shelter for Abused Women and Children, a non-for-profit organisation, was formed in 2007, to cater to the needs of women who have been abused and have also lost their homes and have nowhere else to go. The society, at times, inadvertently, also treat such victims as outcasts. It takes people with a charitable spirit and deep well of empathy to understand the gravity of such psychological abuse and try to provide succour.

One of such groups is the cast of

Tinsel, one of the most successful and longest running soap opera on AfricaMagic, Africa’s premier entertainment platform.

Tinsel has aired its 1,615th episode and, to commemorate this, the cast decided to touch the lives of abused women and children, as well as children with congenital diseases who have nowhere to go and no one to cater for them. The cast visited the Heart of Gold Hospice and the Shelter for Abused Women and Children, both in Lagos State. As a fallout of the visit, which was both emotional and an eyeopener, AfricaMagic decided to host an inaugural Tinsel Charity Ball, where the brand will use its popular platform to raise awareness and money for the two charity homes.

The event was reminiscent of a Cinderella ball with masks and couture gowns except that, instead of riding pumpkins, guests were chauffeured in automobiles as they turned out in the colour theme of the night: Black and White with a touch of

Green, to also commemorate Nigeria’s independence day.

Hosted by Ik Osakioduwa, the versatile compère extraordinaire, the Tinsel Charity Ball featured a black carpet where guests, from every sub-sector of the entertainment industry, strutted their stuff.

Speaking at the event, Regional Director, MNET West Africa, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, said the initiative was a well thought event of the entertainment powerhouse to sensitize the public to the plight of the needy in the society, and for people to begin to care for them, with particular emphasis on children with congenital diseases and abused women and children.

The Tinsel Ball, the first of many to come, saw celebrities, actors, actresses and artists decked out in the theme colour for the night, showcasing in their styles, every air of elegance. Led by several stars from the set, many of the invited guests came with the intention of contributing their quota in touching the lives

of people at the target charity homes and bring succour, in their own little way, to the less fortunate.

As a special treat to mark the 55th independence celebration of the country, West African Idol winner and talented vocalist, Timi Dakolo, was on the band stand to set the tone for the evening with his popular unity song ‘Great Nation’. Also present on stage was talented female vocalist Waje, who serenaded guests with a Ballard beginning with the sweet twang of the Spanish guitar, after which she held guests spell-bound with her soronous voice. Highpoint of the performance was when multitalented music maestro, Cobhams Asuquo, took to the stage. He began with one of his newest compositions before switching to one of his very popular works, ‘Ordinary People’, which got guests singing along and nodding their heads.

The trios’ rendition of Michael Jackson’s ‘Heal the World’ got guests on their feet swaying to the

song made popular by the late King of Pop. It was so well delivered that one would think Michael himself was on the stage.

Onto the business of the day, the Tinsel cast made the first move by donating N1,615,000 to each of the Charities to commemorate the 1,615th episode of Tinsel.

This was followed by contributions from guests.

“AfricaMagic has consistently been at the forefront of developing the Nigerian entertainment industry and we have recorded a number of successes, including Tinsel, which is Africa’s most watched drama. Today’s Charity Ball is the inaugural edition and it is in furtherance of these visits which we believe is the first of many,” said Mba-Uzoukwu.

The night came to a close with an after-party. Music was by DJ Sose, the tatoo-faced DJ, who dished out songs to the delight of guest. It was a celebration after a successful night of fundraising for the needy.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 27 08116759757

ATM robbers strike in Lagos, victims lose money

BY KENNEDY MBELE

A

MIDDLE-AGED-MAN, Biodun Aguda, who allegedly specialized in dispossessing people of their belongings, especially cash and ATM cards, along the railway line in Iju area of Lagos, has been arraigned before a Magistrate Court sitting at Ogba, Agege alongside two other suspects for allegedly stealing a phone valued at N45,000, two ATM cards and N170,000 from two victims, Allen Susu and Tunde Fahinmimi.

The trio of Aguda (30), Dapo Olarenwaju (27) and Olalekan Abraham (20) allegedly committed the offence at Aga Street and Shaga Bus Stop at Iju-Ishaga on September 20 and 25.

The suspects were allegedly in the habit of tricking their victims by asking for road directions around the area.

Then they would follow their potential victims to a place convenient for their colleagues to join in compelling the victims to release all items in their possession, particularly phones, cash and ATM cards with accurate pin codes.

According to the prosecution, on the day the second victim was attacked, one Fawehinmi Raymond had sent his 16-year-old son, Tunde, to withdraw N5,000 from an ATM located at Emmanuel Bus Stop in the area, using his (Raymond’s) ATM card issued by a new generation bank. On his way home after the withdrawal, three people, alleged to be the suspects, approached the boy along the railway line and asked him for the road leading to Shaga Bus Stop.

Thereafter, they followed him

to a lonely spot along the railway line where they allegedly attacked him, taking away the N5,000 he had cashed as well as his father ’s ATM card. It was further

alleged that the defendants compelled the boy to release the code of the ATM card and subsequently used it to withdraw N100,000 from the account of the victim’s father.

Igwe Chidubem Iweka, Eze Iweka 111, of Obosi, Anambra State, arriving the 4th Ofala festival arena, held last weekend

Oghara International Trade Fair to boost Delta economy

•Oil, GSM firms, others to exploit potentials

BY KENNEDY MBELE he first Trade Fair in Ethiope T Local Government Area of Delta State holds at Oghara Township Stadium from November 12 to 28. The event is billed to acelerate trade, business and investments in the oil and gas sector and beyond in Delta State.

It is also an opportunity for the GSM firms to showcase their products. “Yes, it is true our area is known for crude production. But we don’t drink crude. We don’t even drink its derivatives. We eat,

we wear clothes, we use telecom services, we go to school, we build roads and homes, all these are areas our people should begin to explore. We want to bring producers, representatives of great brands together so that they can expand their business”, Prince Oyibo Umukoro, the Executive Secretary of the Council, said.

The Council Secretary, elated at the response of prospective participants to the Trade Fair, called on indigenous producers and inventors to take advantage

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EX-MILITANT LEADER WORRIES

Buhari should not terminate Amnesty Programme in December — Muturu

remoulding them to becoming better citizens. So I’m using this medium to call on President Buhari to extend the termination date to allow for full implementation of the programme.We ex-militant leaders are more concerned over full implementation.

BY ABEL KOLAWOLE iger Delta ex-militants have expressed concern over full N implementation of the Federal

Government Amnesty Programme while considering its December deadline vis-à-vis ongoing training programmes of ex-militants within and outside the country. In this interview, Delta State Chairman, Phase 2 Ex-militants, Mr. Kingsley Muturu, speaks on issues bordering on the Amnesty Programme, exmilitants curiosity, among others.

On the Amnesty Programme, would you say the present government has been committed to its promises?

So far so good. The government has not fared badly on its pledge to implement the Amnesty Programme for Niger Delta ex-agitators. We hope that President Buhari will keep to his promise of implementing the programme to a logical conclusion. It is a new government and we hope the President would be able to bring succour to the people of the Niger Delta.

But the Amnesty Programme is expected to terminate in December.

The suspects also allegedly attacked one Allen Susu on September 20 at Fagba Bus Stop, taking away his phone valued at N45,000 and an ATM card issued by an old generation bank and used it to withdraw N70,000 from their victim’s account.

The source further disclosed that the 16-yearold, accompanied by his father to report the theft at a police station in the area, identified the suspects as the people that dispossessed him of some cash and his father ’s ATM card a few days ago. They were cooling their heels in police cell, following a police raid in the area.

Police prosecutor, Unah Michael, did not contest their bail applications. They were granted bail in the sum of N50,000 each with two sureties while the matter was adjourned to Nov. 2 for mention .

•Muturu

I am aware of that, but considering the the fact that training of ex-militants is ongoing within and abroad, and those who have successfully undergone training programmes are here, coupled with other issues to properly address to ensure the programme is a complete success, we need more time. It is apparent that the timing is not enough considering training programme ex-agitators are undergoing aimed at

So, you are suggesting that exmilitants are satisfied with President Buhari’s approach on issues bordering on the Amnesty Programme?

As I said before, from the way he has performed these few months, we hope he would do things according to the sense of reason because we assess him as very cautious in dealing with issues and people, to protect his integrity and also to avoid being blackmailed. We are calling on him to pay more attention to our voice of reason and plea. We leaders of ex-agitators have been striving hard to fulfil our part of the agreement in maintaining the prevailing peace in the creeks of the Niger Delta. We mean well for the Buhari administration and we are also urging him to make known to us beforehand his stance on the review of the amnesty programme in December, because everybody is looking on him.

of the event to exhibit their products. “ Let us not allow foreigners to dominate the Fair. We want as many foreigners as our own people”, he added.

The Fair has attracted wide acceptance among business people, students, youths, government and the working class in the area. Tosan RoroOghoshe, the only female member of the organizing committee, a youth and a women empowerment advocate, disclosed that the Fair will feature music, dance and talent hunt. “Shoppers will witness reduced prices in exhibited goods and services”, she added.

The Chairman of Ethiope West Local Council, Hon. Solomon Golley, stated that many new business opportunities will be explored at the event which promises to be yearly.

R ot ar Rot otar aryy free health care for Lagos, Ogun

BY OLAYINKA LATONA he Rotary Club, through its T action group, Rotarians for Family Health & AIDS Prevention

(RHFA), has provided free screening for thousands of residents of Lagos and Ogun states.

The screening, which took place in various sites across the two states for three days, was part of the activities to mark the annual Rotarian Family Health Days in partnership with the Coca-Cola Foundation.

The district-wide free health services, tagged, ‘Rotary Family Health Days’, saw residents getting diagnostic services in HIV testing and counseling, eye cataract test and treatment, polio immunisation and condom distribution. Others include cervical cancer screening, malaria screening and treatment, breast cancer, diabetes and glucose level check, de-worming of children and adults, prostate cancer screening and blood pressure check.

Speaking during the official launch of the programme that took place at the Rotary Centre, Ikeja, the District Governor of Rotary Club 9110, Bola Onabadejo, and the Director, West Africa Operations of RHFA, Olugbemiga Olowu described the exercise as a holistic approach to promoting family health and creating awareness around diseases such as HIV/ AIDs. In her address, a public health consultant, Dr Omowunmi Bakare, who was the guest speaker at the event, advised Nigerians to visit medical experts for regular check-up. According to her, the rising incidence of heart diseases in Nigeria is responsible for the escalating hypertension and diabetes among the citizens.

She advised Nigerians above 40 years to always visit medical experts for regular check-up of their hearts’ status for healthy living and to guarantee long lives.

Seplat PPearls earls Quiz 20 15 winner ge 201 winnerss emer emerge

The students of Reverend Martin Memorial Mixed Secondary School in Iselle Uku, Delta state have emerged winners of the Seplat Pearls Quiz competition for 2015.

The students emerged triumphant in the 4th edition of the annual SEPLAT PEARLs Quiz competition which ended with excitement and jubilation on Friday October 16, 2015 at Imaguero College, Benin City. The winning school represented by Ubawike Chizoba Hope, Enunwa Tonito Bethel and Isika Ifunnanya Kingsley went home with a brand new school bus, scholarships, N100,000 cash each and sundry gifts.

Bayflowers International School, Benin City, Edo state represented

by Ewere Deborah, Omodiagbon Oriarewu Efe and Ikogwe Bright emerged runners up and went home with N2m , scholarships and sundry prizes.

Students of Staff Model Secondary School Agbor represented by Umudogu Onyeka, Egbede Favour and Ekeogu Charles Jnr. were 3rd place winners and went home with N1m, scholarships and sundry prizes.

Speaking immediately after the

grand finale and award of prizes, Dr. Chioma Nwachuku, GM, External Relations and Communications who represented Austin Avuru, MD/CEO of SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company PLC, operators of the NPDC/SEPLAT JV assets, OML 4, 38 &41, congratulated the winning schools and runners up for their spirit of excellence and sportsmanship Providing a historical context for the competition, Dr. Nwachuku noted that “Our company ’s commitment to intellectual capacity development as well as the empowerment of members of our host communities through capacity building remains strong and unshakeable. This is our fourth year of organizing the PEARLs quiz competition and we are constantly impressed by the performance of students especially the females students who are often disadvantaged on account of their gender.”

Ifueko Omogui Okauru, a director of Seplat and member of its CSR committee said “Seplat is committed to investing in education because the reason we are all here is because of education. “

PAGE 28 - SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 18, 2015

AYO ONIKOYI 08052201215

The Etchies light up Abuja for son’s wedding

I

t was a meeting of glamour with panache in Abuja last weekend when Aboyowa Omasan Etchie, son of Mr Peter Etchie took a wife in the presence of his family, friends and well-wishers. The posh wedding attracted prominent personalities in the society. Photos by Gbemiga Olamikan.

F

uneral service in honour of Late Joseph Ladipo Idahosa Ojo-Osagie was held in Lagos r e c e n t l y .

Many notable society figures from different walks of life graced the occasion. Photos Diran Oshe.

.

L-R: Front row standing: Mr . Sam Amuka; groom's father, Mr.Peter Etchie; the couple, Mr. & Mrs. Aboyowa Omasan Etchie; groom's mother, Mrs Mercy Etchie among other family members.

Sponsors of the wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Ashimole chatting with the couple Mr. and Mrs. Aboyowa Omasan Etchie.

From left: Mr. Sam Amuka, groom's father, Mr. Peter Etchie, the new couple, and groom's mother.

Mrs. Mercy Etchie.

From left: Mrs. Tobi Odunaiya, Mrs Tuokpe Omokri, Mrs. Henrietta Sagay and Mrs. Regina Okotie.

C M Y K

Late Idahosa OjoOsagie laid tto o rest

From left, Mr Sam Amuka, publisher, Vanguard, the couple, Mr and Mrs Aboyowa Omasan Etchie and Senator Ben Bruce .

From left: father of the groom , Mr Peter Etchie, the new couple and mother of the groom, Mrs. Mercy Etchie .

From left: Miss Toju Okotie, Tosan Okotie, Mr. Umaru Abu, Mr Daniel Egure and Boyowa Egure.

L-R: Mrs Christiana Ojo - Osagie, wife of the deceased with her Children, F. Ojo-Osagie, Mrs. Doris Eweka, Pastor Tunde Adebayo Oke, and Caroline Oke.

L-R: Bashorun J. K. Randle, Mr Olusola Macgregor and Chief (Dr ) Simon N. Okeke, founder ,Knght Frank.

L-R: Pastor Tunde Adebayo-Oke and Caroline Adebayo-Oke

L-R: Mr. & Mrs. Felix Akinwande, Mr Joe Idudu, Prince Kenneth Eweka, Mrs Doris Eweka and Chief (Dr) Simon N. Okeke, founder, Knght Frank

SUNDAY, Vanguard, OCTOBER 18 , 2015, PAGE 29

Nuptial bliss for Tiese Ekpo, Olajide Aboderin

F

or Olajide Adeyemi Aboderin, of the popular Aboderin family of Punch Newspapers, the journey into Holy matrimony with his beau, Tiese Abiodun Ekpo, began last Thursday, October 15, 2015 with a traditional marriage held in Lekki, Lagos. As expected, it was a roll-call of movers and shakers of the society, who sacrificed the working day to honour the Aboderins and the Ekpos.

Olori Mojisola Abass, groom’s mother (l), and Mrs Bunmi Badejo-Ekpo, bride’s mother.

Mr Olajide Adeyemi Aboderin, groom, and Miss Tiese Abiodun Ekpo, bride.

From Left; Chief Ajibola Ogunshola, Chief [Mrs] Iyabo Ogunshola (wife), Chief [Mrs] Nike Akande, and Otunba Olaitan Adebanjo.

Olamide Olaseinde hooks K unle P opoola Kunle Popoola OLUKUNLE Taiwo Popoola and his bride, Olamide Esther Olaseinde, both based abroad, returned home to consummate their relationship in a Holy matrimony in Lagos last weekend. Their journey into marital bliss started on Friday, October 9, with a traditional marriage at The Blue Ribbon Event Centre, Oko-Oba, Lagos followed by exchange of nuptial vows on Saturday, October 10, at the Christ the King Rescue Global Ministry, Agbado and a deluxe reception at The Blue Ribbon Event Centre. Photos by Akeem Salau

From left: Mr Babajide Olasehinde, bride's father; Mrs. Omorinsola Popoola, groom's mother; the couple, Mr and Mrs Olukunle Popoola; Mrs Funmilola Olasehinde, bride's mother and Mr. Bosun Oladejo, representing groom's father

The couple in a group photograph with bride's friends

From Left: Chief Lekan Are, Chief [Mrs] Olabisi Are, wife, and Prof Bashir Akande

From Left; Mrs Angela Emuwa, Mr Wale Aboderin, Chairman, Punch Newspapers; and Mrs Olufunke Aboderin

The Esenwas mark 5 years of love HON. Uche Esenwa, vice-chairman, Oshimili-North local government, Delta State and his wife, Marian celebrated their 5th marriage anniversary recently, at an impressive ceremony in Ibusa.

From left: Mr Bosun Oladejo, Mrs Omorinsola Popoola; the couple; Barrister Femi Popoola and Mrs Olatodun Femi Popoola.

The coulpe, Mr and Mrs Olukunle Popoola cutting their traditional wedding cake.

C M Y K

L-R: Mrs. Ojediran Fatimot, Mrs Temitope Oladejo and Mrs Abosede Lala

Hon. Uche Esenwa and wife, Marian

PAGE 30— SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

Almighty, just to make the point about the infinitude of His power and pointedly declare to man his limitations.

“Even if someone had been in the mortuary for four days, and God wants to make a statement by bringing him back to life, nothing with Him is impossible (Jeremiah 32:27, 17). How many days was Lazarus in the grave before Jesus Christ brought him back to life? In fact, Christ told Martha, `…I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

MIRACLE OR MEDICAL MISTAKE?

Man, 70, ‘resurrects’in mortuary, 30 hours after ‘demise’

By SAM EYOBOKA

T

HE ‘resurrection’ of 70year-old Amos Otene after he was certified dead by medical practitioners and made to spend over 30 hours in a mortuary in Makurdi, Benue State capital has thrown up a debate. Doctors, according to a report, at a private hospital in the town had, on Wednesday, August 26, 2015, certified Otene dead at 4.30 a.m. and wheeled him into the mortuary, awaiting instructions from members of the family for embalment.

The report stated that, but for the visit by the son of the ‘deceased’ to confirm the news, the Otene family would have been preparing to inter the agriculturalist who retired from Benue State civil service three years ago. The old man had toothache and was rushed to the private clinic, on Tuesday, August 25. A day later, he was certified dead and the doctors whose names were not mentioned in the report could have immediately ordered embalment, but there was no family member to give the goahead. So they wheeled him to the morgue.

30 hours thereafter, Eche Otene, the son of the ‘deceased’, who lives in Lafia, Nasarawa State, came visiting and the hospital was thrown into confusion when the father raised his hand to acknowledge the presence of his son and followed that gesture by sitting up on the mortuary trolley.

The question now is: Was the man sentenced to death by an inexperienced medical team or he actually died but was brought back to life by God? To the science-inclined minds, Pa Otene could not have died in the first place and the question of resurrection was out of the question. The only explanation, according to a Makurdi-based C M Y K

•Death is the cheapest community in Nigeria — Doctor medical practitioner, Dr. Ameh Edace, is that the retiree could only have been “in a long coma”.

The Medical Director of Rekiya Memorial Hospital, Kaduna, Dr. Bello Mohammed, said that “in the history of medicine, there has not been any case of anybody coming back to life after being certified dead.” He added: “If a person is pronounced clinically dead, he remains dead and there is no way he can come back to life, certainly not after 24 hours. On this case in question, the only medical explanation is that the patient was in a long coma.”

To this school of thought therefore, if doctors had certified Pa Otene dead, then the competence of such doctors should be called to question. In other words, something must be amiss with the death certification.

do great miracles in our time, who raised the man to life and at the time he did,” the archbishop submitted.

Warri-based God’s Kingdom Society, GKS, affirmed that stories of dead people coming back to life after they had been certified dead abound with some waking up in the mortuary, others reviving while lying in state, some others just before the grave is covered. The church recalled that several years ago, in England, the ambulance conveying a corpse to the graveyard had an accident and the man rose up.

The church stated: “In several of these cases, one cannot escape the conclusion that the persons were not yet dead though they were not exhibiting signs of life anymore.

Human beings are imperfect.

Medical doctors could certify

Head of God The miracle school of thought, however, is quick to differ from the medical point of view, arguing that miracles are real and what happened in Pa Otene’s case could only have been the hand of God at work. Benue State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Archbishop Yimam Orkwar, had not read the story when we called him, but, as a believer, he described the debate as unnecessary, urging Nigerians and indeed the world at large not to doubt the ability of God to heal or even bring back to life anybody certified dead by man.

According to him, this can only be a miracle of God and not a medical error because it’s not possible for a man erroneously pronounced dead to survive 30 hours in the morgue. “It must have been God, who had promised to

But for the visit by the son of the ‘deceased’ to confirm the news, the Otene family would have been preparing to inter the agriculturalist who retired from Benue State civil service three years ago

someone dead whereas there is still life in him. Matter of life is in the hands of God. The Bible says that in the hands of God Almighty is the soul (life) of every living thing, and the breaths of all mankind”.

The GKS’s Publicity Secretary, Brother Benedict Hart, argued that despite the advances made in science, it is only God who knows all there is to know about life. Hart went on: “The medical people have their limitations. Someone could still have life in him whereas doctors could have certified him dead, going by what the books say or what they have been taught.

“Another point is that it is a very easy thing for God to raise people back to life to show man that He exists and that He is the Owner of life. Such miracle will move people to fear Him and praise His name.

God told Pharoah: `And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.’

(Exodus 9:16) “The second book of Kings has the record of casket bearers who, on seeing a band of marauders, abandoned the body they were carrying. Incidentally, the corpse fell into the burial place of Elisha and the man `revived, and stood up on his feet’ (2 Kings 13:21). This was a clear case of God doing a miracle to revive the belief of the people in His power over life and death. Death is one of the ways God instils in man the somber reality that he is mortal; that, no matter how powerful a man may be, he is still subject to death. He alone has power to bring a man from dead condition back to life. Some of the cases of those who came back to life fall into this category; they had actually died but were raised by the

Death stalks There is a third school of thought made up of those who had had reason to rush close relations to some of the nation’s health institutions at the various levels.

About 90 per cent of respondents from different parts of the country agree that the medical sector is not dead but in slumber with several arguing that, as a result, business is booming for traditional healers and alternative medicine practitioners, especially herbal preparations from Asia and other parts of the world.

Delta State, a major oil and agricultural producing state, was created by military fiat on August 27, 1991.

Thus far, the state government has spent ¦ 5,463,776,470.82 on the procurement of equipment for its hospitals and health centres.

Despite this, the General Hospital in Agbarho, Delta State has been disconnected from the national grid in the last two years as a result of technical challenges.

When the electricity authority, in collaboration with the Agbarho Urhobo Improvement Union, AUIU, fixed the fault this year, the Benin Electricity Distribution Company slammed the secondary health institution with a bill of over N1 million which the hospital’s resources could ill afford. Since then, except you make personal arrangement to supply diesel to power its generator, if your pregnant wife requires surgery to deliver your baby, your best bet is to look elsewhere because a visit to the hospital at night is a sorry sight.

The story of Ughelli Central Hospital and its counterpart in Warri may not be that pathetic, but they are no better as the facilities are in dire need of maintenance and stories abound of patients who leave the state’s various healthcare facilities worse off because there are several breeding grounds for malaria-bearing mosquitoes whenever it rains. Roads to most accident and emergency wards in the state are ridden with yawning potholes that make ambulances and their passengers, mostly persons who require utmost tranquility, dance to strange rhythms.

These developments are not perculiar to Delta State.

Neighboring Edo State plays host to a number of tertiary health institutions, some owned by the federal and the state governments.

A visit to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital commissioned in 1973 as the sixth of the first generation teaching hospitals in Nigeria, to complement her sister institution, University of Benin, and provide secondary and tertiary care to the then Midwestern Region (now Edo and Delta States) and environs, easily exposed the tragedy that is our nation’s healthcare delivery system.

At inception, its goals were encapsulated in her motto: Healing, Research and Training.

Initially commissioned as a 300bed hospital in 1973, UBTH is said

Continues on page 31

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 31

Continued from page 30 to have expanded her facilities tremendously over the years such that it now has facilities for over 500 in-patients.

On September 2, 2015, a middleaged man was rushed to the Accident and Emergency Ward of UBTH and, after preliminary examinations, the medical team on duty prescribed drugs for him. The wife, after enquiries, sped off in search of the pharmacy. For a first timer, the process of procurement of drugs at UBTH, to say the least, can be arduous. The lady walked the long distance to the pharmacy where she was further directed to the revenue unit to make payments before returning to collect the drugs. While she was in the process, her husband was reported to have rolled from the bed he had been put and fallen face down on the concrete floor of the ward. He allegedly died even as an army of paramedics, porters, nurses and several doctors watched.

Poor lady! It was bad enough that her husband of seven years passed on leaving her with three hapless mouths to feed. She went hysterical, screaming and screaming. There are claims of several of such incident in the hospital.

One of the objectives of UBTH is to provide facilities for training of high and middle level manpower for the health industry and spearhead research opportunities for lecturers in the university and other interested persons with local morbidity burden as research question.

Asemota Ebhonhon, not real name, whose father allegedly died after two weeks at the Neorology Ward A5 of the hospital, concluded that the only focus of the UBTH was manpower development, arguing that all the days the father spent in the ward could have been beneficial if the experienced medical practitioners devoted more time to doing their duties.

According to Asemota, “these noncommitted young lads are made to gamble with patients while the doctors, registrars, consultants come once in a while to flip through medical case notes without appreciable inputs to help dying patients. Where there are obvious mistakes by the boys and girls on housemanship, patients are not carried along and, at the end, they are made to bear the consequence of the laxity.”

Private clinics Asemota, a UK-based medical student, maintained that the consultants are more pre-occupied with their private clinics, stressing: “Can you imagine a UBTH without a CT scan machine?

Instead, they will recommend you to some private diagnostic outfits in town. My father had stroke and was rushed here and they kept pumping intravenous fluids into his system until he was bloated.

My elementary knowledge tells me that the objective of IV fluid is to carefully achieve and maintain a euvolemic and isotonic environment within the body as well as to provide for a variety of nutritional and pharma-cologic interventions. They did this without consideration for the ability of the patient to sustain fluid volume changes that result from intravenous administration of salt and water.”

Lamenting the poor state of the nation’s healthcare system, a Delta State-born medical practitioner described the situation as “pathetic”, maintaining that the National Hospital, Abuja, established under Decree 36 of 1999 and commissioned on May 22, 1999 by Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar (retd), with state-of-theC M Y K

MIRACLE OR MEDICAL MISTAKE?

Man, 70, ‘resurrects’in mortuary, 30 hours after ‘demise’

art technology, could not respond to Senator Godswill Akpabio’s injuries arising from an accident.

Akpabio, the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State, sustained injuries in an accident in Abuja but preferred to seek medical help overseas than do so at the N30 billion Ibom Specialist Hospital, Uyo, he commissioned before leaving office last May. Unveiling the facility then, Akpabio told Nigerians the hospital was of world-class specialist standard with ultramodern medical facilities that would attract medical tourism to the state.

A doctor friend, who wanted to remain anonymous, blamed politicians for the sorry state of our healthcare delivery system, saying: “Our politicians travel abroad for ailments that can be handled by our doctors. I recall a situation whereby a Nigerian parliamentarian was diagnosed for a life-threatening ailment by a medical practitioner who recommended surgery. The politician left and took the next available plane to the U.S. for the surgery. The good news was that he had to wait three additional days before the surgery was done by the same doctor he rejected in Lagos, paying five times the original charge. Death is the cheapest commodity in Nigeria, and it is available mostly for the poor”. This position was echoed by several medical practitioners during the course of our survey.

Conspiracy There is also a conspiracy theory that suggests that doctors and other practitioners in the health care sector cover up for each other’s failures and faults. An 88-year old woman was rushed to a private clinic in Agbarho, Delta State, on Sunday, August 30, 2015 with complications arising from high blood pressure. She was praying to God to spare her life as she walked into the clinic where an array of auxiliary nurses held sway

while the medical director was said to be out of town. One of the nurses, after preliminary investigation in the absence of a qualified medical practitioner, decided to administer an injection which immediately sent the old woman to a coma.

Nobody has admitted the obvious medical error. The children have since then committed huge sums to revive the old woman and may be considering a legal action against the private clinic.

Nigeria is said to have one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world and this necessitated the greater attention given to maternal and child health (MCH) services in the country’s Bamako Initiative (BI) programme. MCH consumers, who are often poor, are also at

Even if someone had been in the mortuary for four days, and God wants to make a statement by bringing him back to life, nothing with Him is impossible

extraordinary risk of receiving poor or no health care. Nigeria’s infant mortality rate is about 96 per 1,000 live births in rural area against 75 per 1,000 live births in urban area (East African Medical Journal, 2004).

Infant mortality (death of children under one year) and under-five mortality are 100 and 210 per 1000 live births respectively and these deaths from preventable causes such as malaria (24%), pneumonia (20%), diarrhea (16%), measles (6%) and HIV/AIDS account for more than 71% of the estimated one million under five death in Nigeria in 2004 (FMOTT, 2007).

Some of the contributory factors to infant mortality in Nigeria include malnutrition, poor environmental hygiene, low access and utilization of quality health care services by women and children; others include but not limited to low female literacy level, poor family health care practices and lack of access to safe water.

An overview of healthcare financing in Nigeria, published in International Journal of Health Policy Management on January 2, 2015, noted: “The situation in Nigeria shows that government funding for the health sector has been unsatisfactory over the years.

Evidence reveals that, by the early 1980s, the annual government allocation to health was estimated at $533.6 million. However, it nose-dived, reaching a trough of $58.8 million in 1987. Between 1996 and 1999, there was an increase, and by 2002, it rose to $524.4 million, then climaxing to about $1.79 billion in 2013.

“The irregularity in budgetary allocation to health reflects in the percentage of total yearly budget, as evidence reveals a pattern from as low as 3.6 per cent in 1996 increasing to 5.0 per cent in 1997; then declining to 2.7 per cent in 2000 and then rising marginally to 5.6 per cent by 2013. Some reports even reveal it remained at about 1 per cent in the 1990s to

just under 5 per cent in the last decade”.

According to a study published in the Nigerian Medical Journal titled: ‘Community based healthcare financing: An untapped option to a more effective healthcare funding in Nigeria’, “between 1996 and 2000, federal budgetary allocation to health in Nigeria ranged from N4,838 million in 1996 to N17,581.9 million in 2000. Health budget as a percentage of total Federal Government budget had adopted a rather irregular pattern from as low as 3.4 per cent in 1996, increasing to just 5.0 per cent in 1997 and declining to a paltry 2.7 per cent in 2000.

“This irregularity in pattern has also been reflected in the allocation to capital expenditure, which had ranged from N1,659.6 million to N11,579.6 million over the period of 1996 to 2000.”

According to another study on health care expenditure, health status and national productivity in Nigeria (1999-2012), published in Journal of Economics and International Finance, between 2005 and 2012, Nigeria’s Health Development Index (HDI) value increased from 0.434 to 0.471, an average annual increase of about 1.2 per cent.

However, health spending as a proportion of the Federal Government expenditures shrank from an average of 3.5 per cent in the 1970s to less than two per cent in the 1980s and 1990s.

Nigeria was ranked 187th among the 191 United Nations member states in 2000. That same year, Nigeria spent 4USD per capita on health, below WHO’s minimum benchmark of 14USD per capita for developing countries.

By 2002, total health expenditure was a dismal 4.7 per cent. In 2012, total health expenditure as percentage of GDP stood at 5.3 per cent, ranked 153 out of 187th countries and territories.

PAGE 32 — SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

BY BEN AGANDE, ABUJA

F

ew days before he was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to answer allegations of corruption against him, a former governor of Benue State, Dr Gabriel Suswam, spoke on issues surrounding his tenure.

How it all started and challenges encountered as the chief helmsman of Benue State I started 16 years ago in the House of Representatives and ended up as the chief executive of Benue State for eight years. As human beings, we are mere mortals and bound to make mistakes, nobody is perfect. Best is a relative term; what I consider my best might not be the best to others, but I think I did my best for the state as far as my eight years were concerned. I have refrained from joining issues because, as governor, I know the heat especially in Benue. Benue is one of the toughest states to govern because I know what it means and for somebody who knows so much and has personal experience, I would want the present governor of that state to operate in peace. In-spite of the bashing, the insinuations, the insults, you will observe that I have kept silent. It’s not that I cannot respond or join issues but it is expected that, after occupying such a sensitive office, it is important to maintain that level of maturity. No amount of provocation should make you make comments on certain things. Many outsiders do not know how government runs, and so there are insinuations, especially with the current situation in the country where everyone is shouting corruption.

You will observe that the same people shouting corruption today are those who, in the past, engaged in same acts of corruption. Corruption is not just people taking money; it could be moral corruption. Most time, Nigerians swing like pendulum; if someone comes right now and takes a different approach, that is where they will swing to. We need our country to be on the path of development and be focused. If the genuine effort of the current leadership is geared towards the path of development, then we should all support it.

When they talk about corruption, the focus is on some of us who are exposed, but how about the driver you sent to buy something for three thousand naira and he came back telling you it was bought for five thousand naira? I believe the approach of the current leadership is probably to start with the big fishes in order to put fear in the smaller fishes; therefore I urge all Nigerians to support the genuine and legitimate efforts of this administration aimed at repositioning the country. I have no fear, but we are in a democratic setting where the rule of law is paramount and I believe that, in addressing those issues, following the code of conduct should be ultimate goal in order to avoid the violation of the rights of the citizens.

On the allegation that he left behind empty treasury for his successor Most of the constituent parts of

C M Y K

Why ex-govs left empty treasury — Gabriel Suswam •’My problem with Benue, EFCC probes’ this country depend on one source of revenue the federation account. Money is shared from that account every month based on certain indices. For some states that are cosmopolitan, they have high internally generated revenue but such states are very few. But the bulk of the states depend on the federation account.

There is no state that depends on the federation account that the former governor will boast of leaving money behind. Because, first, the money comes, you pay salaries, you do projects; even if you are not doing project, salaries alone will consume the money and so, when somebody says you left an empty treasury, it amuses me because when I assumed office, I met nothing. In almost all the states of the federation, there is no governor that left office that will confidently boast of leaving money behind except that governor did not execute any project. When the former governor of Borno State said he left over N60 billion, it was local government money; no local government project was executed in that state; the governor was just taking the

money and keeping it. Leaving money behind can be achieved only when no projects are carried out, but then at whose expense?

It means that at the end of your tenure, you will have nothing to show for the years of governance.

Even states that I mentioned earlier that have other source of revenue generation, they are the highest indebted states. Look at Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, they have high debt profile. Benue State is the least indebted state from the record that was published. There is no way under the circumstances we find ourselves that any outgoing governor will talk about leaving money behind.

I was doing a lot of projects in the state some of which I could not even complete because there was no money.

If you come in newly and you don’t understand the nuances of government, you are bound to make such statements. Most of such statements are intended to make you popular and paint the outgoing administration in bad light. But, with time, after you understand the way the system operates, you won’t be able to talk again. I was reading in the

There is no state that depends on the federation account that the former governor will boast of leaving money behind papers sometime ago that the government of Benue cannot pay salaries because money is not enough, and I laughed because Governor Ortom has spent just four months in office.

That is the situation that I faced, but mine was even in the last six months of my government and I left just salaries of four months

unpaid. There are some second term governors that currently owe workers salaries more than what I left behind. Some of the issues the current administration is raising are issues that are intended to reduce the outgoing administration in the eyes of the people and paint it bad, but I have taken all that in good faith because I went for political office and I must also be ready to face the consequence that comes with it.

Why did your administration rely on one source of income? What happened to the agricultural potentials of the state?

I assumed office in 2007 and, if you are familiar with Benue, you will know that the state is basically rural. There was no way to engage in mechanized or large scale farming. One of the factors that contributed to making agriculture viable is that there must be free movement of goods. I decided to spend the chunk of the money on providing roads in virtually all the zones.

As you all know, road projects Continues on page 33

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 33

Continued from page 32 What happened to the agricultural potentials of the state?

I assumed office in 2007 and, if you are familiar with Benue, you will know that the state is basically rural. There was no way to engage in mechanized or large scale farming. One of the factors that contributed to making agriculture viable is that there must be free movement of goods. I decided to spend the chunk of the money on providing roads in virtually all the zones. As you all know, road projects are the most expensive infrastructure that you can engage in as a government. I did a road from Katsina-Ala to Logo; Adikpo to Ikyogen; I started a road between Vandeikya and Adikpo with 70 percent of the work done; from Ushogo to Konshisha which is ongoing.

Then I went to Zone C and constructed a lot of roads. I embarked on water projects.

Those things are the main drivers of agriculture and, for you to diversify, the basic infrastructure must be on ground; we had to lay the foundation.

The only industry in Benue then was Benue Cement which is now Dangote Cement but was closing and opening. I decided to bring in the Board of Internal Revenue (BIRS).

But, unfortunately, it was making noise more than what was coming in. The highest revenue we generated was N250 million. The Chairman of the Board kept saying he was generating N1billion; so people started saying Suswam was sitting on N1billion. The new administration has come in; they have been investigating; they discovered that there was nothing like that. It was basically payee. When you remove civil servants pay as you earn, because the money is not enough, you remove it on paper and it remains on paper that it is reduce but you use it in paying their salaries. It is not going to the coffers as revenue but it is reported as revenue and that one was like about 600 to 700 million a month and when you add what he was generating, 150 million or 250 million a month, he will say he was generating 1billion. It was all lies, Benue had never at anytime generated up to 400million a month. It was not possible for you to generate money that will complement what we were receiving from the federation account. The government is probing me and investigating; they will discover that it is impracticable.

Throughout my period as governor, with all the efforts we put in, the highest we generated in a month was N250million and it was because Dangote paid some money from the factory. On the issue of diversification, the current administration can leverage on that because some of the basics are there; I put good roads in place where roads never existed, electricity where it never existed, water and, since government is a continuum, we are building blocks.

On whether he will lend his voice in support of the

‘My problem with Benue, EFCC probes’

•Suswam

incumbent governor when the need arises Let me answer that by saying that I did what has never been done in the state before. I called Governor Samuel Ortom to congratulate him when he won the election. When I took over government, nobody bought any official car for me but I bought official cars for Ortom. I left some of the vehicles I was using for him, took him on official tour of the state and told him that anytime he needs me on anything, he should not hesitate to call me.

From my disposition, you will know that anytime he needs my advice on anything, I will be there, not minding his hostile disposition to me. My interest is that Benue should move forward. I know the consequence of political leadership when things turn the other way and I am ready to face the consequence that comes with leadership. What is of interest now are the Benue people. When I went to take a deserved rest, they said I ran away. I am here to answer any questions from the probe committee and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

On the probe committee As human beings, our approach to issues differ and also depends on different backgrounds and what we intend to achieve. My approach to life generally is that life is very short; so why create problems when you can avoid them. When I came in, I met several issues on ground but I felt that there was no basis for me to start emphasizing on them because the people voted for me not to come and start saying that the outgoing governor has done this and that, they voted for me because I promised that I was going to

come and make a difference and I concentrated on that right from day one and I avoided situations that will create unnecessary conflict in the state. The approach of the current leadership is totally different; so you can’t compare two different people with different approaches. I have no quarrel with the probe, the outcome will determine how events will unfold. I won’t be in the position to say they are setting a bad precedent, whether bad or good, it depends on who is setting the precedent.

You started governance with zeal but later derailed. What happened?

Leadership in modern world is in the hands of young men because you have the power, energy and the intellect, but, in this part of the country, when you are a young leader, people tend to draw you back. I went all out when I assumed office and decided to address the issue of infrastructure. When I started building the walk ways, a lot of people did not understand what I was doing.

They said I was narrowing the roads because they didn’t understand it and you won’t blame them because most of them had never seen that before. I did that because there were a lot of motorcycle and pedestrian accidents. I was at the same time building rural roads and three major water works. No state government that started in 2007 and later in 2015 did that. I did that in the first four years.

All of us know what happened in 2007. I won the election but I was in court for four years. The intention was to distract me; it was either I forged results, or people claiming their mandate, “mandate groups”. I finished

Apart from the judge, every other member of that panel is an APC member; so do you believe I will get justice from such a probe? I believe that it is only when I go to court that I will get justice

the one of forging certificate, they moved to another.

Whether you like it not, there is no way such issues will arise that you will not be distracted. I attended Government Secondary School, Makurdi and fifteen of us had the best result. I went to SBS and out of fifteen points I got ten; that was why I was admitted to read law in the University of Lagos. After UNILAG, I did my first masters degree in University of Abuja, second masters degree in law at the University of Jos. I started my PHD before I became governor. I didn’t go to Toronto, the intention was to distract me. I was in court for four years and the case ended when I was leaving office.

When I assumed office, to

motivate civil servants; I increased their salary because Permanent Secretaries were receiving about N45, 000, Directors N26, 000. But by the time I was leaving office, Permanent Secretaries were receiving N400,000 and Directors N300,000 every month. Then they brought in the issue of national salary increase and you will also recall the teachers twenty seven and half percent. All of these increases came in while the federation account indices had not changed. When I assumed office, the wage bill of civil servants in the state was between 400 and 700 million a month, the one for teachers was 400 million while the wagebill for local governments was in the region of 700. But at the time I was leaving, the local governments wagebill was N3 billion while that of the state was between 2.7 and 2.9 billion a month.

And so, all the money we were getting during my second tenure was going into recurrent expenditure and, under such circumstance, there was nothing I could do. Throughout my eight years I borrowed N17.5 billion, made up of 13 billion bonds and N4.5 billion to enable me complete the projects I started. There was no derailment, it was just that the funding we had before was no longer there.

On why he is challenging the probe panel set up by Ortom to probe him? Will it not be interpreted that he is guilty?

When you set up a biased panel, why won’t I go to court?

Look at the members of that panel, are they not all APC members? Apart from the judge, every other member of that panel is an APC member; so do you believe I will get justice from such a probe? I believe that it is only when I go to court that I will get justice.

C M Y K

PAGE 34 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 18, 2015

the wife of the deceased, Mrs. Margaret Alamieyeseigha, and children, were still residing at their home in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The security guard at the country home said nobody was around and that all the family members of his boss were in Port Harcourt. “You cannot go in because there is nobody in the compound.

Madam and others are in Port Harcourt. Oga died there”, the guard stated.

At the home of Alamieyeseigha’s step mother, children were seen playing while the stepmother and other elderly women sighted declined to speak.

‘Alamieyeseigha was like a god’

•Alamieyeseigha

Indigenes of the community were shocked by the news of the death of the man whom they see as a god due to his immense contribution to its development.

The paramount ruler of the community, Chief Sharp Sogo, said, “When the sad news filtered into this community, everybody was not happy. Boys, girls, men and women cried. He was one of the best leaders we had in this community. He was like a father and grandfather to everybody.”

He said Alamieyeseigha had his last outing in the community when he came home with his political associates to strategise for the December 5 governorship election.

According to him, the former governor was a rallying point and a voice for the PDP which relied on him to win the election. “We can’t count the values he added to this community. They are too numerous to mention.

Without him, there couldn’t Before he was have been Amassoma. He the university and caught up in the brought constructed all the roads. web of high level Everybody took him like a political intrigues, god.”

The paramount ruler said which eventually Alamieyeseigha died fulfilling some of led to his ouster without the promises he made to the community, “It was obvious from office in was not through with the 2005, he had laid he community yet.

He that a shore a solid foundation promised protection project would be for the young completed and many other things would be done to state further develop Amassoma.

We will greatly miss him,” he said.

“For many of us in Amassoma, he was like a God. We will indeed miss him. We pray that God Almighty will give his soul eternal peace.”

PDP till death.

The monarch said Sadness, tears in Alamieyeseigha was hale Alamieyeseigha’s home and hearty a couple of weeks ago when he came to the town Things have not been the community with his same at Amassoma, the political associates with home town of the former regard to the upcoming governor, and the entire Ijaw governorship election. He nation since said they did not have any inkling that the man they Alamieyeseigha passed on.

Sunday Vanguard visit to saw bubbling with life could Amassoma showed a die just like that.

Sogo added, “He affected mourning community. The town was a shadow of itself. many lives in the community The expansive compound positively that the gap of the deceased was quiet, created by his exit will be devoid of activities except difficult to fill. Without him, for family members seen Amassoma would have been desolate. To everybody in coming in and going out. community, At the time of this report, the Alamieyeseigha’s death has

Alamieyeseigha was like a god – Amassoma monarch *Ijaw nation without him *His unfulfilled promises

By Samuel Oyadongha & Emem Idio

C

hief Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha represented a dispensation in the political history of Bayelsa State. His death, penultimate Saturday, at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, therefore, marks the end of an era.

ALAMCO, as he was fondly called, a name gotten from his governorship campaign outfit, “Alamieyeseigha Campaign Organisation”, will be remembered as the doyen of modern Ijaw struggle after Harold Dappa Priye, Major Isaac Jasper Boro, and Chief Melford Obiene Okilo.

Alamieyeseigha’s emergence as the first democratically elected governor of Bayelsa, the only homogeneous Ijaw state in 1999, three years after its creation, meant that his place has already been secured in the annals of history of Bayelsa and Ijaw nation.

It was Alamieyeseigha that laid the foundation of the new Bayelsa State with Yenagoa as the capital almost from the scratch as Yenagoa was only a glorified local government headquarters with non infrastructure befitting for a state capital.

It was with such burden

and high expectation that Alamieyeseigha assumed office as governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Alamieyeseigha, as a man of the people, knew where the shoe was pinching. He treated the development of the young state as an emergency. Before he was caught up in the web of high level political intrigues, which eventually led to his ouster from office in 2005, he had laid a solid foundation for the young state.

He constructed an ultra modern secretariat complex, established the state owned Niger Delta University, NDU, linked the riverside Amassoma community, which hosts the NDU with a road, expanded the narrow MbiamaYenagoa Road, which bifurcates Yenagoa, to a dual carriage road, started the 500-bed hospital project, which is yet to be completed, sent many young Bayelsans on scholarship abroad to meet the manpower needs of the young state, among others.

Also to solve housing challenges, he reclaimed a vast swathe of marshy land at the Opolo suburb to build a befitting estate for Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries. And for the other cadre of the civil service, he built the Azikoro Housing Estate to cater for many of them shuttling between Yenagoa

and Port Harcourt due to accommodation problem in the young state.

Perhaps, it won’t be wrong to say that no other Ijaw politician commands the kind of wide acceptance and popularity across the Ijaw nation like Alamieyeseigha.

The former governor was a charismatic leader; he commanded great followership. He was loved and admired by his people.

As Bayelsa chief helmsman, Alamieyeseigha was humane and ran a welfarist government with particular emphasis on poverty alleviation and empowerment. Ironically, his welfare policies and generosity were misconstrued for profligacy.

His personality exudes confidence of a great leader.

Even in his trying times, Alamieyeseigha was always cheerful and beaming with smiles.

His humility and undying love for his people was exhibited on several occasions when he ventured, at the risk to his life, to secure the release of foreign oil workers taken hostage on high seas by aggrieved Ijaw youths. After his incarceration, he forgave those who were used to fight against him and became a unifying force among Ijaw political elites.

As a loyal party man, despite the travails that befell him, he continued to mobilize support for the

dealt a devastating blow to them. He had promised when he came last time that he and his political friends were coming this week. We have been waiting for them anxiously, now we have received the saddest news of all time. We are in real pain and anguish.”

I am devastated— Alamieyeseigha’s nephew Chief Yeritimi Femo, a nephew of the deceased, obviously still in shock, said,”I was devastated when I got the information that my uncle was dead. I was more devastated because I did not hear he was sick before getting the information that he died.

He was everything to us. Up till now, I have yet to come to terms that he has died.”

Another nephew, Mike Femo, said the Alamieyeseighas had lost a good father, brother, husband and grandfather.

Friends and associates of the deceased have also continued to express shock over his death.

It is a big blow to Ijaw People—Bayelsa Elders Council Lamenting the sad development, the Bayelsa Elders Council, BEC, through its Publicity Secretary, Chief Thompson Okorotie, said, “We are deeply pained at this irreparable loss of a patriot, defender of the oppressed, the champion of resource control, crusader of the deprivation principle, the pioneer democratically elected governor of Bayelsa state.

“While we are still stunned by this devastating development, we remember this great Ijaw son who in his tenure as the governor of Bayelsa did so much in the education sector. He established the state owned Niger Delta University, granted massive scholarship to Bayelsans amongst other achievements.”

Alamieyeseigha, the Bayelsa Elders Council said, laid a solid foundation for the political and socioeconomic development of Bayelsa, which succeeding governors have built upon.

Burial plan Meanwhile, Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has announced the setting up of a committee to plan for the burial of Alamieyeseigha.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Daniel IworisoMarkson, said Dickson constituted the committee at an enlarged emergency State Executive Council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa.

The governor promised that Alamieyeseigha will be given state burial.

The committee has the state deputy governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah, (retd), as the Chairman.

Other members include the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kombowei Benson (Vice Chairman), and Secretary to the State Government, Prof.

Edmund Alison-Oguru (Secretary).

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 35

ALAMIEYESEIGHA’S DEATH

The conspiracy theory!

BY CHRIS DEINBOFA

I

t was instructive that Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State had to add that important line in his state broadcast on the sudden demise of Chief Deipreye Alamieyeseigha that people should refrain from politicizing the tragedy.

Since the news of his death became public knowledge on Saturday, October 10, 2015, political comments from individuals, various organisations and institutions conveyed different dimensions to the larger-than-life personality of the first civilian governor of Bayelsa State. Perhaps inevitably there were comments that went against the grain such as the view that “bad politics” hurried him to the grave.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) also had their own differing take on the episode particularly over the purported extradition notice allegedly influenced by the latter.

Thus in an environment where nearly everything gets politicized, Alamieyeseigha’s death soon literally got soaked in politics. This is why Dickson’s admonition of non-politicization of a collective grief was timely: interpreted to mean that the Bayelsa State government would not want any untoward incident precipitated by political considerations to foul the air even as he noted that the late Ijaw leader was a man of peace and, as such, the people, especially the youths, should give peace a chance in all matters concerning the death.

That his death has occasioned such political disputations is perhaps also inevitable given Alamieyeseigha’s adventures in the political terrain. Politics was simply his life. And he stood tall whether you liked his politics or not.

From his strategic roles in the birth of Bayelsa State to deep involvement in Ijaw nationalism, to being the first civilian governor of the state, who actually appointed former President Goodluck Jonathan his deputy, to being the acclaimed governorgeneral of the Ijaw nation and his staunch support for Dickson till this point of his re-election, the late Alamieyeseigha was a political enigma.

No wonder, Dickson said Alamieyeseigha’s death was a “personal loss”. The governor, immediately he received the news of Alamieyeseigha’s death was grief-stricken.

“As you all know, Chief Alamieyeseigha, in his life, apart from serving our nation as a military officer, also dedicated himself to passionate and committed

*Alamieyeseigha service to Bayelsa State and the entire Ijaw nation, both as our first governor and in other capacities and laid a very solid foundation upon which all subsequent governors continued to build. He was a passionate and committed Ijaw man, an Ijaw nationalist and Nigerian at the same time”, Dickson said in his state broadcast.

To fully understand Dickson’s loss in Alamieyeseigha’s death is to correlate their politics. Far beyond what may be differences in the general notion of development and approaches, both leaders were united on one issue: pan-Ijaw consciousness and development. They were great students of history, idealistic, vocal and deeprooted to appreciate the importance of localizing their big ideas to liberate their people from ignorance, economic and political subjugation as we have had in the sorry story of the Niger Delta where Oloibiri remains a gaping wound in the nation’s consciousness and a nagging metaphor of a wasted inheritance.

From this standpoint, therefore, Alamieyeseigha’s staunch support for Dickson’s administration, over time and campaign for his re-election, can be understood simply on conviction and the fulfillment of a people’s destiny bound together by a common will and purpose.

Cult-like following It is the same fundamental philosophy that was responsible for Alamieyeseigha’s cult-like following across the Niger Delta where he earned the sobriquet, GovernorGeneral of the Ijaw nation.

His politics was far-rooted in the people whose abiding, fundamental interest formed the essence of his leadership.

He was ever conscious of his Ijaw blood such that, in whatever he did, the Ijaw interest must be uppermost, appreciated and recognized.

Of course, as a good student of our nation’s history with specific attachment to the grave injustice suffered in the Niger Delta over the years,

*Seriake Dickson

Perhaps inevitably there were comments that went against the grain such as the view that “bad politics” hurried him to the grave

Alamieyeseigha’s sense of logic and the Ijaw affirmation in his politics becomes a study in politics of realism. After all, it is said that all politics is local.

It was the great nationalist, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who famously said that he had to first be a good Yoruba man to be a good Nigerian. This is not to glorify ethnicity but to draw our attention to the need for us to establish such a strong filial bond with our immediate people, appreciating their stories and struggles and being there as a genuine leader to attend to their concerns.

Alamieyesiegha fitted this bill in so many ways and, as such, the title, “GovernorGeneral”, was well deserved. He was a man of the people, which interestingly was extended to the national level as a bridge-builder and a

nationalist.

As the Countryman Governor noted: “At his passing, our country has lost a great servant and bridgebuilder. Our state and Ijaw nation has lost a foremost statesman and leader per excellence of his generation.

Our government has lost a major pillar of support and encouragement. Chief Alamieyeseigha in his lifetime was a good man and he touched a lot of lives.

He was amiable, generous and kind. All those who knew him can attest to this, and they have suffered a huge loss as I have done.

And I have lost at a personal level a great leader, guide and father. I have suffered a personal loss of monumental proportion”.

In his message of condolence to the family of the deceased, former President Goodluck Jonathan expressed grief over Alamieyeseigha’s demise, describing him as a leader who was committed to the development of his state and his native Ijaw land.

Jonathan, who was deputy governor to Alamieyeseigha, added that he had a vision for the mainstreaming of his people into the national development agenda.

Naked politics However not all those who commiserated with the family were modest like the former president in their

“post-mortem” messages.

Many indicated their displeasure over the insinuation that the purported notice, allegedly influenced by the leadership of the APC in Bayelsa State in connivance with some top shots in Abuja, to the effect that Alamieyesegha was to be extradited to the United Kingdom on the request of the Crown Prosecution Service, led to his death. It was argued that the alleged fresh request for his extradition over a case decided ten years ago probably aggravated his health condition and eventual slip into a comma and the sad end.

To them this deadly move by the APC was naked politics which should be condemned in strong words.

This line is not easily dismissed as its purveyors emphasize the rapid sequence of events, of his stay in Dubai and hurried return to Nigeria, the widely reported extradition notice, the sudden deterioration of his health and subsequent death.

Even while calling for calm and peace among the people, Dickson noted the palpable public feeling that Alamieyeseigha’s death had a relationship with the alleged extradition notice from the U.K. The governor ’s intervention was, however, preceded by messages of condemnation by those who felt enraged by the extradition thesis. A sociocultural organization, Izon Brotherhood in the Diaspora, in its statement issued in Germany but widely distributed to media channels across the world, said the APC should be held responsible for Alamieyeseigha’s sudden death.

Spokesman for the group, Pere Jones, an architect, lambasted the APC for its alleged role in the purported extradition notice and the deteriorated health of the late Ijaw leader.

More condemnations were to follow as other panIjaw groups registered their concerns in different messages to the effect that they felt obliged as Ijaws that their leader was hurried to death through official manipulation and political subterfuge. The common denominator was the extradition claim.

In its statement, the Ijaw Heritage and Cultural Club in the United States said it was shocked beyond words by the news of the sudden

death of DSP Alamieteseigha and regretted the circumstances surrounding it.

The statement, signed by Prof. Julius Eteli, said Alamieyeseigha’s death was curious given the fact that he regularly received medical treatment abroad.

It claimed the alleged extradition notice was targeted at witch-hunting the late former governor, asking: “Why wait all these years until now to issue such a notice?”

Similar emotion-laden statement was released by the Izon Diaspora Association in Ireland, expressing disgust over the death of Almieyeisegha. The group said the sad development was a calculated move by the ruling APC government to silence the Ijaw movement, knowing that Alamieyeseigha represented the soul and moving spirit of the Ijaw movement.

“Now that he has been taken out, we Ijaws must fight against this injustice.

Now is the time to unite, come together and fight against this calculated and very deadly plot by the APC government to deplete our ranks”, convener and leader of the group, Comrade George Magbisa, stated.

Analysts are of the opinion that this sentiment may play a major role in determining the fortunes of the contenders in the December 5 governorship election in Bayelsa State as the outcome will likely swing in favour of the ruling PDP, a party the late Alamieyeseigha supported with all his might till his death.

Alamieyesigha actually alluded to this feeling during Dickson’s declaration when he said:”PDP is synonymous with the Ijaw nation. We have adopted PDP and this party will continue to rule the state”.

All things considered, Alamieyeseigha’s comments and death may inevitably rouse the consciousness of the Ijaw people to see the APC as unworthy in spite of the need for political pluralism, a position echoed by Asari Dokubo to the effect that the forthcoming election will be more of a pride to the Ijaw people even as effective leadership is key.

The Governor General will surely not be forgotten in a hurry. *Deinbofa, an environmental activist, lives in Yenagoa

Alamieyeseigha: Nigeria has lost a gem — Onuesoke

By Ephraim Oseji

A

former

governorship aspirant of the PDP in Delta State, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, says Nigeria has lost a gem with the death of former Bayelsa State governor, Chief D i e p r e y e Alamieyeseigha.

He said he received the news of the former governor ’s demise with great shock, considering that he was not publicly

reported to have been gravely ill.

Onuesoke, who spoke at Amassoma, during a condolence visit to the family of Alamieyeseigha, said a former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, was a close friend of Alamieyeseigha, adding that they were in the forefront of the struggle for resource control in the Niger-Delta.

He lamented the death of

Alamieyeseigha, describing it as a tragedy and commiserated with his widow, Margaret, the children, Governor Seriake Dickson, the Ijaw nation and the people of Bayelsa, praying God to give them the fortitude to bear the loss.

“The sudden death of DSP Alamieyeseigha has robbed the Niger Delta of a committed and dedicated indigene, who was in the forefront of the struggle

for the emancipation of the Niger Delta”, Onuesoke stated.

“Although the man’s travails had been on for a long time, hunted here and there by forces motivated by crass politics and personal vendetta, the man had looked as if he would be able to rise above the persecution and allow peace to pervade in his life. It was, however, unfortunate he was unable to withstand the pressure.”

PAGE 36 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 18, 2015

BY JACKSON OLA

seeking Governor Seriake Dickson, as the PDP aspirant for the Bayelsa governorship race, the former governor made statements that may have been considered provocative to some people.

He also granted newspaper interviews where he spoke on issues that might not have gone down well with some powerful people.

T

he news of the death of a former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha, broke in the afternoon of October 10, 2015.

Alamieyeseigha would have been 63 in a month’s time, specifically on November 14.

In a country where life expectancy is less than 55 years, according to the most recent World Health statistics, one could still say that, at 63, the former governor would be counted lucky.

Even then, his sudden death has raised questions on whether Alamieyeseigha died a natural death or whether he was unduly hounded out of this world as a result of the actions or inactions of some powerful individuals or authorities.

Perhaps, a historical account will help us out. In 2005, some state governors were suspected to be working with then Vice President Atiku Abubakar against the reelection of President Obasanjo.

Consequently, the Nuhu Ribadu-led Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) was viciously deployed to cage them. Pronto, charges of corruption were trumped up against the governors and some of them were impeached under strange circumstances. Later the courts were to pronounce their innocence and annulled the impeachment, as a demonstration of the fact that any action anchored on injustice would ultimately suffer a reversal. Many of the governors who were then dubiously removed from office like Senator Joshua Dariye, Senator Chris Ngige, and Governor Ayodele Fayose are, today, occupying important positions in the nation.

In the case of Alamieyeseigha, Obasanjo laboured to do him in without success. He therefore used his contacts in the United Kingdom government to put him under watch. This resulted in Alamieseigha’s arrest in London on charges of money laundering.

Expectedly, prosecuting Alamieyeseigha became a difficult task even for the UK authorities as they searched his home repeatedly only to realise less than 70, 000 pounds, for which they laboured to find a section of their law under which he was charged to court.

For some strange and inexplicable reasons, Alamieyeseigha jumped bail and returned to Nigeria. Still towing a vindictive path, Obasanjo obligated the helpless Bayelsa State House of Assembly to impeach him.

His phony reason was that since he jumped bail in the UK, he had become a fugitive unworthy of holding public office. Alamieyeseigha was subsequently arrested by Ribadu’s EFCC. Curiously, the British authorities did not request for the extradition of

*Alamieyeseigha

*Jonathan

The road to Alamieyeseigha’s death Alamieyeseigha to continue his trial throughout the period he was detained by the anticorruption body. Eventually, he was prosecuted by the EFCC and, following a plea bargain, he was released.

The claim that former President Jonathan protected him is preposterous and a nonissue. The whole of 2006 up to mid 2007 that Alamieyeseigha was with the EFCC, Jonathan was still the governor of Bayelsa State with no control of Federal Government agencies. Even when Jonathan came to Abuja, he was the Vice President from mid 2007 to 2010, thus could not have prevented the Federal Government agencies from extraditing Alamieyeseigha if ever the United Kingdom wanted him.

It is curious that 10 years after, the UK authorities now wanted Alamieyeseigha extradited as claimed by Prof.

Itse Sagay, SAN. I am not a lawyer and will not dwell on the merit of the law, but I know that, certainly, criminal offences are not statute barred.

I don’t want any lawyer, including Itse Sagay, who is now heading a Presidential Committee on Anticorruption, to teach me the laws of criminal justice.

However, clearly ,there are social and ethical questions we need to address: Questions If Alamieyeseigha had a strong case of money

laundering, why was it that the UK authorities never asked for his extradition when he returned to Nigeria, especially all that time that he was being detained by the EFCC? If he did indeed jump bail as alleged, why was it that the UK authorities did not ask the EFCC to send him back to the UK to face the law?

If he actually smuggled himself out of detention in the UK as was purported, how come no UK official was either queried or punished for negligence and laxity? I am not aware that the UK authorities ever investigated the escape of

The former governor had to abandon his treatment and hurriedly returned to Nigeria to face his plight

such high profile detainee from prison!

Why would the UK suddenly develop interest in reopening Alamieyeseigha’s money laundering case for a figure not exceeding 70, 000 pounds, and demanding his extradition, ten years later?

And that is coming after he had been duly jailed by a court of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria and subsequently obtained presidential pardon?

Not many knew that Alamieyeseigha was recently in Dubai for treatment when Sagay raised the issue of his likely extradition to the UK for trial. The former governor had to abandon his treatment and hurriedly returned to Nigeria to face his plight. The narrative of this move and the attendant celebration in certain quarters back home in Nigeria, is a story for another day, especially as the hunted has gone to the great beyond. The UK may not be interested in his corpse for obvious reasons, but the question is, who is really interested in Alamieyeseigha’s incarceration?

It is no longer in doubt that his romance in 2005 with Atiku became his original sin, as he himself revealed in a newspaper interview. It is therefore not strange that former President Obasanjo’s attack dogs went after him.

It is instructive that, lately, Alamieyeseigha had been in the news. During the declaration of a second term-

Plot While reacting to the news of his passage, Governor AyodeleFayose of Ekiti State accused the APC-led Federal Government of hounding Alamieyeseigha to his death, because of his strong support for the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate in the Bayelsa forthcoming gubernatorial election.

He said: “Obviously, the Federal Government was behind the plot to extradite the Alamieyeseigha to the United Kingdom to face fresh trial, a situation that made him to abandon his medical treatment in Dubai.

“Even though I am not against anti-corruption fight, it is painful that in the present day Nigeria, political vendetta is being allowed to override the sovereignty of the country.... Having been tried and convicted eight years ago, served his sentence and forfeited properties to the Bayelsa State Government; methinks Alamieyeseigha should have been allowed to live his life without unnecessary political intimidation and harassment.”

Many pan-Ijaw groups have also toed this path by demanding explanation from the All Progressives Congressled Federal Government over its fanatical disposition towards releasing to another country, a citizen of Nigeria that had been tried, convicted and later pardoned in accordance with the laws of the country.

Could this really be the reason why UK authorities wanted him back to the UK to be caged, so that he would not pose a threat to those who want to win the Bayelsa gubernatorial election at all costs?

I have no evidence that these claims are true. But the foregoing is in deed a wake up call for the South-south, especially the Ijaw nation, whose people are still being treated as second class citizens.

They must never go to sleep as far as the question of self determination and national recognition is concerned. To the extent that the minorities in Nigeria, especially the South-south people, continue to suffer marginalization, humiliation and needless exposure to external mortification without protection, the Ijaws would continue to fight for their right to exist.

·* Ola, a public affairs commentator, contributed this piece from Yenagoa, Bayelsa State

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 37

SMEs to get interest free loan STORIES BY UDEME CLEMENT

A

kwa Ibom is poised for greater economic productivity, as the state government has concluded plans to give 1.000 operators of Sm all and Medium

Enterprises (SMEs) interest free loan for expansion. Unveiling the plans, Governor Udom Emmanuel explained that the initiative was to boost industrial activities and job creation.

He stressed that giving SMEs access to fund for projects will stimulate economic activities capable of creating thousands of jobs for the people.

In a chat with Sunday Vanguard in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bascon Nigeria Limited/ Telecom Masters Limited, Mr. Bassey James, commended the initiative of the governor in boosting the growth of SMEs. He said that SMEs can be used as a vibrant tool for job creation and industrial development in the country.

“Udom’s efforts in growing SMEs shows that he is taking pragmatic steps to resuscitate industries that went under, in order to boost productive activities in the state. A good example is the paint industry that he is bringing back in the state.

He has also set up a committee to ensure that Ibaka Seaport project is fast tracked. The airport is receiving serious attention, as work is on-going on the second run-way, which makes the state one of the biggest for international trade. Recently, Udom sent some youths to Israel to learn modern practice of agriculture, in order to replicate it in the state,”James stated.

He went on, “I am calling on all Akwa Ibom indigenes in diaspora to support the governor in developing the state, because Akwa Ibom is safe for investments with good security network. For instance, we are organising a programme to sensitise the world on investment opportunities in the state. Our slogan is, ‘Akwa Ibom is great: come, invest and be happy’. We have already acquired another land to build an international market in the state for investments inflow. The current governor is ready to partner with private sector players to boost economic growth in the state.

Also, Bascon Nigeria limited and Telecom Masters limited have concluded arrangement to go round the state to sensitise people about developments in the area. In fact, investors in agriculture do not even need artificial fertilizer, as the land there is naturally fertilised and very productive”.

On other sectors that the state government can invest in aside from SMEs, he said, “My advice is for the governor to do more in developing tourism, by opening up the roads for urban/rural network. This would pave the way for more influx of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) into the state.

Another area investors can explore is maritime, because the state has water ways for maritime activities. Right now, Udom is working hard to place Akwa Ibom on the world map of development. So, investors should take advantage of the peaceful nature of the area and its accessibility to neighbouring states and other countries within

The declining oil price would not cripple the economy in any way, but it is important for all tiers of government to invest massively on industrial development for the economy to optimise more outputs now and in the long-run the border region.”

Responding to question on what he should advise other states in the country to do in promoting industrial growth, he stressed, “ What Udom is doing by growing SMEs shows that he is developing an economic blue print for sustainable growth. All states in Nigeria should copy this example to enhance inclusive growth and development nation-wide. This would boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the States to thrive. States should also turn attention to the development of SMEs in terms of capacity building and skills acquisition to make the economy technology driven, like what obtains in advanced countries. This is

• Gov Udom Emmanuel imperative because it would boost industrialisation and wealth creation for the states and the economy at large. “ This is the time for all subnational governments, public agencies, banks and private sector players to invest massively in entrepreneurship as well as SMEs, in order to turn around the sub-sector for more productive activities. Look at middle income countries like Hongkong, South Korea, Singapore and India how they focus more on industrial

development. We can do the same and even more by using practical approach to capacity building in various fields, skills acquisition for young Nigerians and human capital development to increase productivity in various sectors of our economy.

“Today everybody is talking about declining oil prices at the international market because it has serious effect on our economy in term of revenue generation. But we must also realise that there are many countries doing well even

without crude oil, so we need more investments in SMEs, agriculture and other non-oil export sectors to drive our economy for sustainable growth.

In my opinion, the declining oil prices would not cripple our economy in any way, but it is important for all tiers of government to invest massively on industrial development for the economy to optimise more outputs now and in the long-run.

There is also the urgent need for effective capacity building programmes where the citizens can be trained on various skills capable of enhancing economic activities in different states across the country. This implies growing SMEs like Udom is doing for industries to spring up across the country. We should also take cognisance of the fact that skills acquisition and human-capital development are paramount to economic growth and development everywhere in the world. So, the states should key into this concept in all ramifications.”

On specific skills, he thinks the youths should be engaged in, he pointed out, “There are so many skills such as, Information Communications Technology (ICT), which is relevant in the global space, fabrication, which is a big business in oil and gas sector of the economy, mechanic, tailoring, hair-dressing, woodwork/furniture making, soap making and many others. For instance, the cosmetics subsector is a big industry that government at all levels should also give serious attention”.

‘How to scale the hurdles to Nigerian Economic Summit goals’

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s economic experts continue to give divergent views about the just concluded 21st Nigerian Economic Summit on achieving competitiveness, inclusive growth and sustainability, investors are calling on government to ensure good economic policies, conducive business environment and regulations to boost development in all sectors.

In a chat with Sunday Vanguard, the National President, Constance Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mr. Shehu Mallam Mikail,explained that the summit was only an eye opener to local and foreign investors, but can not guarantee rapid economic growth that the country needs, nor will it provide solution to economic recession that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) predicted.

He said, “Look at what is happening in the stock market and how the country is experiencing recurring investments out flow worth billions of naira. For Nigeria to move forward, our regulatory authority must bring a better approach for investments to thrive. Also the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) needs to come out with better ways to enable investors use facilities of the capital market.”

On what impact the summit can make on the economy generally, he said, “I cannot see the summit

making much positive impact on the economy, until government puts the right structures in place to address infrastructure decay.

Entrepreneurs in Nigeria face challenges of lack of basic infrastructure, multiple taxations, harsh regulatory environment insecurity and inefficient ports facilities. So, for the recommendations from the summit to make any impact, government should streamline the system. Let government be serious in formulating consistent policies for sustainable growth”.

He went on, “Today, there is funding gap in the system, especially for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which

means the public and private sectors must work in synergy to ensure sustainable growth.

Getting appropriate type of financing for SMEs is important.

For example, in agriculture, you need what is called Equity Money to finance long term projects.

Also, our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is based mostly on the formal sector while informal sector is excluded, so there is need for the informal sector to be carried along. Other issues to be addressed include prudent utilisation of public funds, enabling business environment and easy access to credit facility.

For Nigeria to move forward, economic reforms must create

jobs, alleviate poverty and improve the living conditions of people”.

The summit, which focused on inclusive growth, provided suggestions on how Nigeria and other economies within the West African sub-region can achieve long-term growth. The summit drew participants from private sector, former ministers, public servants, foreign and local investors, entrepreneurs, operators of SMEs, officials of the World Bank, industrialists, governors from various states, security experts, members of National Assembly and observers from the Civil Society group, among others.

Participants at the Sterling Bank organised Micro-Small Medium Enterprises, MSMS, Academy, in Lagos, recently.

PAGE 38—SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

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SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 39

CHILDREN CELEBRATE NATIONAL DAY Pupils of Ocean Crest School, Victoria Island, Lagos celebrated Nigeria’s independence anniversary with a display of Nigerian national dresses.

•The pupils at the occasion

Ogun education: The gods are not asleep

BY SOYOMBO OPEYEMI

T

hursday, October 8, 2015 was another red letter day in the annals of Ogun State. The state won the “Best practice in education award; the State with The Highest Percentage Budgetary Allocation to Education; 1st Position.”

This wreath of honour was presented to Ogun by Fafunwa Educational Foundation.

Prof Babs Fafunwa was a renowned educationist and former Minister of Education in Nigeria. His name readily jogs your memory on his study on the use of indigenous language as a means of instruction in schools.

That important memory to the general public, I must admit, is now receding. It suffices to say, however, that you cannot graduate from the college or any faculty of education in Nigeria without being exposed to the works of Fafunwa. So the man lives on!

This award comes on the heels of the comprehensive vitriol launched by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, against the gover-

nor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, during the 2015 World Teachers’ Day. Isiaka said, “The entire education policy in Ogun State is sick and gravitating towards precipice, if not reviewed. The government of Governor Ibikunle Amosun has not only relegated education to the background, but has failed to accord teachers’ welfare the priority it deserved for better performance.

“He went further to describe the model school initiative of the Amosun administration as a “Misplaced priority... We have at various times criticised the model schools being built in forests at heart-breaking costs...”

It is always difficult in Nigeria to know when the period of electioneering actually ends. Otherwise, one would have expected that those sentiments, which formed the fulcrum of his campaign against Amosun in the months leading to the April 11, 2015 governorship poll, should now have been jettisioned by Isiaka having failed to impress the electorate, who overwhelmingly endorsed Amosun for a second term.

Has Amosun relegated education to the background as Isiaka

If the primary school teachers get paid before all other workers and the workforce in Ogun receives the highest monthly salary in Nigeria, how is education relegated in any way? claimed? Well, the gods are not asleep. The verdict of a credible organisation like the Fafunwa Educational Foundation has provided an answer.

If education sector consistently gets the lion’s share from the yearly budget of Ogun State under the watch of Amosun, how is the sector then relegated to the background?

If the primary school teachers get paid before all other workers and the workforce in Ogun receives the highest monthly salary in Nigeria, how is education

relegated in any way?

If Ogun children continue to perform well in external examinations and win garlands to justify the investment of the Amosun government in the sector, which education then is sick and gravitating towards precipice, as alleged by Isiaka?

If the only state owned university, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) that was not even qualified for ranking by the National Universities Commission before Amosun came to power suddenly emerged the best state university within a space of three years of the Amosun administration, how is the sector then relegated to the background as Isiaka claimed?

Therefore, the arguments of Isiaka stand logic on its head.

How will construction of model schools be a “misplaced priority” when enrolment figures in Ogun schools keep on increasing every year? Why should Amosun erect 17th century buildings for students of the 21st century? Has the PDP candidate ever visited the model school at Ogijo? Perhaps some opposition elements assume such state-of-theart structures, which make private schools green with envy, can never be for the children of pub-

lic schools. But the model structures are public schools.

And when you see these facilities, then you understand the meaning of ‘value for money’.

When most of the “legacy schools” (to choose Isiaka’s words) were built, they were not situated within residential areas or built near motor parks, churches, mosques and markets.

But what do we have today as a result of ‘development’? Voices of market women, bus conductors, etc. drowning those of teachers in the classrooms. Does it then make sense for Amosun to build model schools in the hub of business activities and noisy areas? This is simply about logic.

But if there are model schools built in the forests, as Isiaka alleged, then those are not Amosun’s schools.

I think we should give honour to whom it is due in spite of politics and political atmosphere.

This is what the Fafunwa Educational Foundation has done.

Congratulations to Senator Ibikunle Amosun and the good people of Ogun State for a welldeserved honour.

• Opeyemi can be reached via densityshow@yahoo.com

PAGE 40—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 18, 2015

When NDDC refused to commission N10.4b bridge

BY JOHNSON OGOME

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t is easily one of the star projects executed by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. It took all of 10 years to complete. Yet, when it was ready for commissioning in 2013, the NDDC management had different ideas. That is the story of the 600-metre Ibeno Bridge across the Qua Iboe River in Akwa Ibom State, which cost a princely N10.4billion.

Why did the NDDC hesitate to roll out the drums to celebrate a major milestone in the development of the Niger Delta?

The NDDC Managing Director, Sir Bassey Dan-Abia, has the answer. He said: “When I first visited the bridge in February 2014, shortly after the fourth governing board was inaugurated, we were asked to commission the bridge which had then been completed. I did not buy the idea of commissioning the bridge because I wanted to see that the road connected all the intended inland communities. Thus, the contract for the second phase was the first to be awarded by the commission under my leadership.”

So, the Baasey Dan-Abia-led NDDC refused to grab the opportunity to inaugurate the mega-bridge and the 6.87kilometre Iko-Atabrikang-OpolomIwuoAchang Road in Ibeno Local Government Area. It may have been surprising to many, given that the Ibeno Bridge is one of the longest built by the NDDC in Niger Delta.

However, recent events have justified the suspension of the commissioning. Just last week, the NDDC flagged off the construction of the second phase of the major link road. The phase 2, which is 5 kilometres will continue from the 600-metre Ibeno bridge to link up with another 36-kilometre IkoroNtafra-Opolom Road, also being constructed by the NDDC. Ceremonies for the official commencement of the new phase were performed by the NDDC Managing Director, Sir Bassey Dan-Abia, on October 2 at Ibeno.

He declared that change had come to Ibeno, because apart from the road project the commission was going to build a desalination plant in the oil-rich local government to ensure that their drinking water was safe.

Sir Dan-Abia, who had earlier paid a courtesy visit to the Paramount Ruler of Ibeno Local Government Area, Dr. Effiong Bassey Achianga, before the flag off ceremony, blamed the delays in the completion of NDDC projects in the area on funding challenges.

He, however, assured the royal father that the new NDDC would give them the special attention that they deserved as a major contributor to the oil wealth of the nation. “Ibeno is a special area for the NDDC and as such, the commission will do everything within its powers, subject to the availability of funds, to complete all the projects started in the area and other parts of the Niger Delta,” he said.

Dr. Achianga, who is also the Chairman of Akwa Ibom State

C M Y K

Council of Chiefs, thanked the Federal Government and the management of the NDDC for their efforts in executing some peopleoriented projects in his domain.

He recalled that the NDDC board and management had visited him in February, 2014, “on the instruction of the former President Goodluck Jonathan to ascertain whether Ibeno Local Government Area was being marginalized.”

The monarch said it was unfortunate that some NDDC projects that would have helped in transforming the lives of the people of the area were being delayed on account of poor funding. He listed some of the projects that had suffered delays. It included the Ibeno Civic Centre, the Okoroutip shore protection, Upenekang water project and the Itak Abasi/ Okoroitak shore protection project.

The Chairman of Ibeno Transition Committee, Hon. Henry EkpeNko, said that people in the

Both the Eket-Ibeno Road and the Ibeno Bridge are strategic projects considering that Ibeno is the operational base of ExxonMobil which is the second largest producer of crude oil in Nigeria after Shell

Above: Ibeno Bridge. Below: NDDC MD flags off phase 2 of Ibeno Road

area were delighted that the second phase of the IkoAtabrikang-Opolom-IwuoAchang Road was now underway. He said that the ultimate aim would be to connect communities in two Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State that had all this while been separated by the Qua Iboe River.

“Our hope is that the road and the bridge would connect Iko, Rikang, Akata, Opolom, Ikot-Enwang, Okoroutip and Iwochang communities with about 24 others.

If that happens, it would have linked all the communities to modernity, while enhancing our economic fortunes,” he said.

The NDDC Executive Director Projects, Engr. Tuoyo Omatsuli, who spoke on the benefits of the second phase of the Ibeno road project, said that it would take off a lot of load from the Eket-IkotAbasi Road, adding that work was progressing at the 36-kilometre Ikoro-Ntafra-Opolom Road, which would take travelers to the EastWest Road through Eastern Obolo LGA. According to him, the road would shorten the distance for those travelling from Ibeno to Port Harcourt, as they would no longer need to pass through Eket.

He said that the NDDC recognized the importance of Eket and Ibeno local governments to the Federal Government, especially with the operational presence of the second largest producer of oil

in the country, the ExxonMobil within the communities.

Engr. Omatsuli said their success in building the bridge was a testimony to the ability of indigenous engineers to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their expatriate counterparts. According to him, local engineers and contractors have all it takes to assist the NDDC in fulfilling its mandate of rapidly developing the oil-producing region of the country, adding that the project did not only bring physical development but was also used to train the youths in the surrounding communities in metal works, carpentry and other technical skills.

The supervising engineer for the project, Mr. Etim Eyoette, said that work was progressing satisfactorily at the 36-kilometre Ikoro-NtafraOpolom road with 8 bridges to link up the Ibeno bridge. He noted that about 70 per cent of the road would pass through swampy terrain, adding, however, that the contractor and the engineers were prepared to tackle the challenges.

He observed that the rains start early and end late in the area, leaving them with a very little window to effectively carry out earth work.

The site engineer, AnnieteUmoh, said that they have so far cleared and filled about one kilometre and have started pilling for the first of

the 8 bridges on the road. He appealed to the NDDC to deal with the issue of compensation so that the communities on the road alignment would not have cause to delay the project.

Community leaders in the area were all excited by the positive developments which the NDDC had brought to them. For the village head of Agada community, Chief Alex Ebitu,” the NDDC has made it possible for us to interact with our kith and kin in the adjoining communities. This was not possible in the past because the river stood between us.”

He added: “In those days, we had to rely on boats to connect from one community to another and led to many avoidable deaths through boat accidents. Besides, we had difficulty sending our sick people and pregnant women to access better medical facilities elsewhere. Thank God, all that has now come to an end.”

Indeed, the opening of Ibeno and the surrounding communities had been long in coming, considering that it is main oilproducing area of Akwa Ibom State. Members of the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta recognized this fact when they inspected the Ibeno Bridge in 2013. The Senators were unanimous in giving thumbs up for the project. Senator James Manager, the then chairman of the committee said it was one project which he would want the Nigerian President to commission as soon as possible. He said: “We, the Senators are happy and we have seen that the communities around here are happy too. This is a landmark project and it is very unique.”

The conclusions of the Senators were also affirmed by the former Akwa Ibom State governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio. He said: “I am satisfied with what the NDDC has done for Ibeno people. I am particularly impressed by the fact that the bridge was built by an indigenous contractor.”

Another road being constructed by the NDDC to add value to the Ibeno Bridge and connect the Qua Iboe Terminal is the Eket-Ibeno Road. Unfortunately, the contractor engaged by the NDDC to build the road did not live up to expectations after several years.

This led to the termination of the contract at the request of the Akwa Ibom State Government.

Since the road is a major artery to operational sites of Mobil in Eket, the NDDC is now partnering with the state government and the oil company to ensure that the road was completed.

Admittedly, work on the EketIbeno Road is still moving at a snail pace. This has of course raised concerns among the people of Ibeno who feel that they were being shortchanged. The 20kilometre road awarded to Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) Nigeria Limited has four bridges and provides easy access to Qua Iboe Terminal and other Mobil facilities in the area.

Both the Eket-Ibeno Road and the Ibeno Bridge are strategic projects considering that Ibeno is the operational base of ExxonMobil which is the second largest producer of crude oil in Nigeria after Shell. Again, the Ibeno side of the bridge gives easy access to creeks and natural habitats in the area, as well as opening the Ibeno Beach for tourists.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 41

80th birthday: Adebutu, Baba Ijebu, to be installed as Asoju Oba of Lagos

BY ABIODUN ALADE

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s part of the activi ties to mark his 80th birthday and 10th anniversary of his Foundation, billionaire and philanthropist, Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu, will be capped as the Asoju Oba of Lagos by Oba

Rilwanu Osuolala Akiolu on Thursday.

The Iperu-Remo born financier of Premier Lotto, popularly known as Baba Ijebu, told journalists, yesterday, that from tomorrow Wednesday, there will be a medical outreach programme for the general public. The outreach, he

noted, will cover such areas as diagnosis and treatment of Nigerians from all walks of life at the Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu Foundation headquarters in Iperu Remo.

“On Thursday, there will be special capping ceremony where I will be installed as the Asoju Oba of

Lagos at the palace of the Oba of Lagos, HRM, Oba Rilwanu Osuolala Akiolu On Friday, the 23rd of October, there will be a special promotion by Premier Lotto to distribute prizes to our loyal customers and the general public. Eight brand new cars and other high-value gifts items that

will be won on that day while on Saturday, the grand finale of my birth-

day will be coming up at Eko Hotel and Suites”, he said.

8 face eviction in Glo’s Dance with Peter

T

he fairy tale ap pears to be com ing to an end too soon for eight of the 30 finalists in the Globacom-sponsored Dance with Peter reality TV show as they are now up for eviction after failing to secure the judges’ nod into the next round.

Despite putting up a splendid performance and earning the applause of the audience and judges, the duo of Captain Zee and Mannaseh, G-Stream and Ernest Smiley, Snipe and Tom Tom and Fearless and Ricky recorded the lowest score from the judges, thus showing the intensity of the competition and the abundance of talent in the show. They now look to the voting public to keep their dream alive.

The theme of the night’s performance was “Latin American Dances” and the 30 finalists danced in pairs. Since there were 17 men and 13 women, some of the boys ended up as pairs.

Even this proved not to be a disadvantage as the male pairs waltzed and glided on the stage to the salsa beats just like the male and female partners.

No matter the direction the voting pendulum swings, it was an exciting time on TV last night watching the show on Africa Magic Urban (Channel 153 on DSTV) from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

It is a long wait to find out which of the eight talented dancers will exit the show next weekend.

Globacom says the public can vote for their pre-

ferred contestant by sending his or her code to 55518 at the cost of N50 per SMS. Voting lines are open from 8 p.m. on Saturday to 12 midnight on Monday.

The eight dancers and their codes are Manasseh (502), Fearless (505), G-Xtreme (507), Snipes (509), Tom-Tom

(513), Ernest Smiley (515), Captain Zee (517), and Ricky (522).

The company added that voters stand a chance of winning fantastic prizes including Iphone 5 handsets, Glo internet wifi and modems as well as Glo recharge cards.

Chairman, Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu Foundation (KAAF), Sir Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu (right), and media consultant, Dr. Yemi Ajayi, at the press conference on Kessington’s 80th birthday and celebration of the 10th year anniversary of KAAF in Lagos…yesterday. Photo: Abiodun Alade

Devt: Amitaye assures Urhobo

T

he commissioner representing Okpe, Sapele and Ethiope West in the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, Hon. Jonathan Amitaye, has vowed to protect the interest of his OkpeUrhobo people.

He gave this assurance when staff of Okpe extraction in the commission paid him a courtesy call in his residence at Sapele.

Hon. Amitaye who assured them that like other staff of the commission, whatever

is due to them shall be given to them.

While disclosing that Awolowo and Major Bowen Roads have been approved for reconstruction in Sapele; he stressed that the present Board is poised to making a difference.

Hon. Amitaye also disclosed that he will soon unfold his “stomach infrastructure” and empowerment programmes, especially micro-credit scheme for the people of his catchment communities.

PAGE 42— SUND AY SUNDA

Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

...All about the North

•Malam Audu Godia... Fulani men descended on us.

By WOLE MOSADOMI

P

enultimate Thursday will ever be remembered as a sad day for the community of Allawa village in Shiroro local government area of Niger State.

Midnight on the fateful day, gunmen, believed to be cattle rustlers, invaded the village and unleashed terror on residents, leaving some dead and many others injured.

The invasion lasted about two hours.

Bows and arrows, daggers, cutlasses and charms were said to have been freely used on the villagers by the invaders.

Many houses, shops and other valuables were equally set on fire with property worth thousands of Naira destroyed.

For the fear of another attack, many of the villagers, according to reports, are fleeing the community.

The community was noted for peace until recent times when the villagers started sighting strange people.

Some of the surviving villagers said the invasion caught them napping.

Malam Zakari Yawu, 40, a labourer and one of the survivors, narrated his experience to Sunday Vanguard. He said he was shocked when he woke up around midnight to see some men in his room.

“There were about 10 Fulani men that invaded my room that night. They didn’t demand for anything but descended on me and amputated my hand with cutlass. I could realise from C M Y K

‘They killed my father over cows’

•Our nightmares - Villagers their conversation that they were Fulani men. It was a painful experience which I don’t like to recall again,” Yawu stated.

Malam Ibrahim Kusheriki told Sunday Vanguard what could have led to the incident which claimed the life of his father.

Ibrahim, a staff of Federal University of Technology, Minna, said, “My father is the secretary of the vigilante group in our village and when soldiers stormed the village on September 19.

They commandeered my father to lead them to the settlement of the rustlers which he did not knowing that he had been marked by the rustlers.

“The rustlers must have invaded our village few days later in a reprisal attack during which they descended on my father and killed.

One of the victims who sustained injuries from matchete cuts, Malam Audu Godia, said he was sitting with a police officer after his meal and relaxing when some Fulani men descended on them.

“That was the last thing I could recall until hours later when I came back to life in hospital”, he lamented.

While the dead have been

buried, those who were injured were taken to Minna General Hospital where they are receiving treatment.

Senator David Umaru representing Niger East paid a visit to those affected and called on government to show more concern on the issue which he said has been recurring in the area in past few months.

At the Minna General Hospital, the senator commiserated with the victims, including Umar Sad,14, the son of the village head who suffered several matchete cuts.

The Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Farouk Bahago, also visited the victims and pleaded with members of the community to remain

calm and refrain from reprisal attacks in order not to cause more havoc in the area.

At press time, Allawa village was tensed up as economic activities in the area was yet to pick up because most residents who fled the community were yet to return.

However, Niger State Police Command, through its spokesman, ASP Bala Elkana, said security around the village had been beefed up with policemen and soldiers keeping vigil.

He said only six lives including a police inspector were lost contrary to earlier reports by some media just as he said the invation was not by Book Haram sect but the cattle rustlers.

Ayatse, VC, Federal Varsity, charges on tree planting T

HE Vice Chancellor, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Prof. James O.I. Ayatse, has asked the university community to aspire to lay a solid foundation for the future of the institution.

The Vice Chancellor was speaking at the tree planting ceremony, tagged, ‘Green FUDMA Initiative’, held at the university ’s permanent site.

Ayatse, who stressed that it is important to plant trees, “even though

you may never sit under their shades”, noted that the life span of a tree is long and the university would continue to enjoy the benefit of this initiative in years to come.

The Vice Chancellor emphasized that it is also useful to plant trees, especially in the desert environment like ours, for the benefit of generations even yet unborn, he stated.

He tasked members of the university community to support the Faculty of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology to grow trees to ma-

turity in order to achieve the objective of the initiative.

Ayatse appreciated the Faculty for organizing the tree planting initiative and described the event as historic, because the university stands to benefit from the initiative.

In a welcome address, the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology of the university, Prof. Ar mayau Hamisu Bichi, revealed that 2,000 assorted tree seedlings would be planted at the permanent site.

SUND AY SUNDA

Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 43

...All about the North

MARGINALISATION IN MINISTERIAL NOMINATION

Our case against Gov. El Rufai — Southern Kaduna

BY LUKA BINNIYAT

K

aduna State was tense last Monday when news sources said one Amina Mohammed had been nominated as Minister to represent state.

Amina, who served under the late President Shehu Yar ’Adua and under former President Goodluck as Senior Assistant on Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, reportedly hails from Gombe State while her mother is Caucasian.

The mother of six was said to have been nominated by Governor Nasir El Rufai who has maintained that every resident of Kaduna State has access to opportunities like any other native of the state.

It was learnt that the woman’s former husband is an indigene of Kaduna State. Meanwhile Amina allegedly lived in Kaduna where she started AfriProject Consortium, which enjoyed huge patronage under the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, headed by President Muhammadu Buhari under the Abacha administration.

The alleged move to give ‘a Gombe indigene’ the ministerial slot of Kaduna went viral with the unusual silence of the governor on the issue.

After Senate President Bukola Saraki read the ministerial nominees names on Tuesday without naming their states of origin, it became even more confusing whether Amina was standing for Kaduna or Gombe, since there was no indigene of Gombe on the list.

The next day, Senator Danjuma La’ah (Kaduna South Senatorial District) submitted a petition written by a coalition of seven Southern Kaduna groups in which a former Commissioner of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, James Kanyip, signed for the coalition.

Kanyip, who later appeared before a panel of the Senate looking into petitions against ministerial nominees, on Wednesday, insisted that it would be in violation of the Constitution for Amina to take the place of Kaduna.

According to sources, it was then that the Senate said Amina could not represent Kaduna.

Same Wednesday, the coalition held a press conference in Kaduna where it spoke angrily on what it said were the wrongs committed against Southern Kaduna.

“As Nigerians indigenous and autochthonous to Kaduna State we are pained that the governor has treated Southern Kaduna with unabashed vendetta, which only reason would be because most of Southern Kaduna did not vote for him and because of our religion and ethnicity”, the coalition, in a statement read by Kanyip, said.

“El Rufai made security a big issue in his campaign and swore that no indigene or resident of Kaduna State would be killed and the murderers not found and prosecuted. However, we can now see that he was only talking about his kinsmen in Birnin Gwari and surrounding areas, not Southern Kaduna.

“To our joy, he has spent millions

C M Y K

The experience of Southern Kaduna with Laduga is enough evidence that any Cattle Grazing Reserve is a direct assault on our people and shall be regarded as a clever way of building up emirate in Southern Kaduna in the future •Governor Nasir El Rufai of Naira to form a collaboration with northern neighbouring states as soon as he was came to power. A task force was formed, well kitted and funded. They have now chased out all the bandits and rustlers in Birnin Gwari and environs and recovered thousands of cattle and sheep stolen by the gangsters. Villages in that enclave that were deserted as a result of the attacks on them have since bounced back to live.

“But in the case of Southern Kaduna, where, at least 10, 000 have been killed, scores of villages ruined and hundreds of thousands made homeless, the governor set up a committee under a distinguished son of Southern Kaduna, Gen. Martins Luther Agwai (retd), to ‘look at the problem and proffer solution’. That was all! Several villages in Sanga and in Attakar Chiefdom in Kaura LGA have been under the occupation of the herdsmen who kill and chased out surviving villagers.

“Daily killings are going in these villages and the Sanga Road artery has become a hot bed for violent robbery far worse than what was obtained in Birnin Gwari.

The governor would rather play blind to these happenings, because he probably feels he has no responsibility to protect those who did not vote for him. We just want to have it on record that he has abandoned Southern Kaduna people.

Abolition of indigeneship status.

“Governor El Rufai has repeatedly asserted that Kaduna State does not have any indigene. He has even said that the “indigene” clause will be expunged from Kaduna State documents to make it possible for anyone who resides in Kaduna to gain equal access to everything that a native of Kaduna state may be entitled to. He said this on the 6th of August, 2015 thus: ‘Anybody residing in the state irrespective of religion and tribes will automatically be entitled to anything in the state…There is nothing like indigenes/settlers in the state under this administration…We have abolished the settler/indigene dichotomy’ “He has not only made this pronouncement, but has backed it up with the appointment of non-indigenes into prominent and key political positions.

Skewed political arrangement

“On the 9th of June, 2015 El Rufai announced the pruning of ministries in the state from 19 to 13 which, according to him, was to reduce the cost of governance.

While we support a cost effective and productive civil service, we became suspicious of his motive when he started what looked like a vindictive approach to what would have been a laudable idea.

“In the composition of his new Commissioners, El Rufai violated Section 14 (4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as provided thus: (4) ‘The composition of the Government of a State, a local government council, or any of the agencies of such Government or coun-

cil, and the conduct of the affairs of the Government or council or such agencies shall be carried out in such manner as to recognise the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all the people of the Federation’.

“Usually, political offices in Kaduna State have always been fairly shared or distributed amongst the three (3) senatorial districts in line with the principles of Federal Character enshrined in section 14(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“But, Kaduna State is actually North or South as the “Central” was introduced out of the exigency of the Constitution, and not reflective of the South/North divide.

For instance, when the governor comes from the northern part of Kaduna, the deputy governorship and the ministerial slot will be zoned to Kaduna South. Presently, apart from the deputy governor who is an indigene of Southern Kaduna, all the other key positions of governance have been taken by the North, including the Speaker of Kaduna State House of Assembly.

“Also, of the 13 Commissioners, only four are from Southern Kaduna. This is very unfair and is in violation of the aforementioned sections of the constitution.

No! to grazing reserves “We want to state that we reject any move to convert any portion of our ancestral lands into an exclusive economic, socio-cultur-

al and political enclave of some people. The experience of Southern Kaduna with Laduga is enough evidence that any Cattle Grazing Reserve is a direct assault on our people and shall be regarded as a clever way of building up emirate in Southern Kaduna in the future. “ Those who kill our people cannot be rewarded with the lands for which reasons they are killing and occupying our communities. We reject the move, and we promise to use every possible lawful means to stop that plan.

“The best place to create grazing reserves will be in the Birnin Gwari liberated areas and in Northern LGAs of the state, where they share common customs. Even the so-called encroached proposed grazing reserves created in the ‘60s would have not been possible in those days had the Fulani been alleged to have been exterminating our people like today.

We will rather advise the Governor to secure every inch of Southern Kaduna as contained in his manifesto, so we and the Fulani can live in peace and progress as we have been doing before 2011".

Spokesperson for the governor, Mr Samuel Aruwan, declined to speak on the coalition’s allegations when Sunday Vanguard approached him.

However, a member of the cabinet, who asked that his name not be mentioned, said the groups are made up of losers who cannot distract the governor from his positive vision for Kaduna State.

Cancer, diabetes on the Plateau! *50 health officials to the rescue

BY MARIE-THERESE NANLONG, JOS

K

wande, a community in Qua’an Pan local govern ment area of Plateau State, is known for its farming and political prowess.

Despite the feat, however, the community lacks medical doctors and, in the LGA, there is no hospital. What you have are cottage clinics established by the state government and manned by health workers and private clinics many of which standard is questionable.

As a result, residents who can afford the cost travel several kilometres to the nearest General Hospital in the neighbouring Shendam local government area or even hospitals in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital for basic health-care.

Those who cannot afford to travel what is available at the local clinics or resort to self-medication.

However, residents of the area and indeed the entire state have been advised to seek medical attention instead of engaging in self-medication so that sudden death, prevalent in communities in Plateau could be curbed.

The advice was given at an outreach held in Kwande to alleviate the problem of lack of access to quality healthcare services as it was observed that majority of the people diagnosed at the outreach were found to have diabetes, high blood pressure, hepatitis, malaria and typhoid.

The residents and those from environs, numbering over 3,500, received the gesture, courtesy, Tina Bawa Ministries International, in collaboration with the Peter and

•The aged also benefiting from the dispensary Amantha Foundation.

Speaking at the premises of the Primary Health Care Centre, Kwande, where the outreach was held, Mrs. Tina Bawa stated that the people deserved access to good healthcare services and she was offering the free medical services to assist the people who could not go to standard hospital for proper examination of their health status.

She disclosed that the organization had spent about N15 million on getting drugs, logistics and laboratory equipment for the outreach and 50 medical personnel from within and outside the country are involved in the exercise which lasted for a week.

Beneficiaries were screened for diabetes, hypertension, eyes problems, malaria, typhoid, cancer and other illnesses. Minor surgeries were carried out and major ones were referred to hospitals in Jos, the state capital at the expense of the organization.

Mrs. Dashe, Amina Yusuf and Gabriel Dawam, among other beneficiaries commended the Bawa family for the opportunity afforded them to attend to their health needs.

Meanwhile, similar kind gesture was extended to over 1, 000 residents of Jos North and Jos South local government areas of the state courtesy of Rotary Clubs in Plateau State in collaboration with District 9125, Nigeria.

The district-wide free health services, tagged Rotary Family Health Days, saw residents getting diagnostic service on HIV and counseling, eye cataract test and treatment, polio immunization, family counseling, condom promotion and distribution. Addressing beneficiaries during the flag-off ceremony, the Permanent Secretary, Plateau State Ministry of Health, Abel Gwatau, commended the Rotary Clubs for the gesture, noting that the state government places premium on health issues and will partner with credible groups to deliver quality services to the people.

Earlier, the Coordinator of services, Rotarian Arthur Ophiohonren, disclosed that the event will last for three days, saying the aim was to assist in providing healthcare services to communities and urged parents to avail themselves and their children of the services.

PAGE 44— SUND AY SUNDA

Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

IGR: How Gov Ahmed breaks new grounds in Kwara

BY DEMOLA AKINYEMI

I

n recent times, many states have been badly hit by the global harsh eco nomic condition, a development that forced allocations from the Federation Account come in trickles.

In Kwara State, widely known as a civil service state and about the least paid among the states on the rungs of the ladder of the allocations, the administration of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed had its own large share of the bad economy as its paltry allocations sharply dropped while its responsibilities continued to be on the increase.

The fall out was the inability to meet the first line charge of government, which is the payment of salaries while infrastructural development and other projections of the government suffered or so it seemed.

In his inaugural speech, when Ahmed won election for second term, he, nonetheless, showed a clear direction of what his administration will do for the next four years and, within 100 days in office, he was able to set up a framework for generating revenue for the state and stimulate the economy from several angles through infrastructural development, human development and agriculture.

The governor, a banker, saw the need to pay close attention to improving Kwara IGR and set a target towards increasing it from N700m to N2b, thereby making the state less reliant on allocations from the federation account.

At that point, the allocation had reduced to 1.4 billion naira from 2.2 billion naira whereas the monthly wage bill of the state was fluctuating between 2.7 billion naira and 2.8 billion naira. .

In order to achieve this feat and break new grounds, in June 2015, the governor signed into law the bill establishing the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS).

According to Ahmed, the law empowers the agency to collect and manage revenue on behalf of the state government and its local councils.

The development generated concerns among people with many saying it was

Inspired by the successes recorded by the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) and Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OIRS), the Kwara government invited representatives of both agencies to share their experience in revenue collection and management with the officials of KWIRS aimed at increasing tax on individuals and businesses in the state.

The governor has, however, allayed the fear of the agency imposing stealth tax, saying it was primarily to ensure efficiency in revenue collection and management.

He stated that the move was driven by the reality of the present day where the country ’s financial earnings from crude oil had depleted, stressing that expanding the IGR base of a state is one big deal that must be taken seriously to ensure proper and effective running of the state.‘’ It is paramount for states to generate more funds to do more projects,”he added.

Inspired by the successes recorded by the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) and Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OIRS), the Kwara government invited representatives of both agencies to share their experience in revenue collection and management with the officials of KWIRS. At the meeting, the officials of LIRS and OIRS talked about what they had been doing right. KWIRS is expected to adopt e-payment for revenue collection as no cash payment will be allowed.

Asides its primary function of collec-

• Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed tion and management of revenue, the agency is also expected to promote policies and actions that will check and block all revenue leakages, as it will carry out constant checks and balances on finances of the various ministries, departments and agencies in the state.

Consequently, the Kwara govt set up a Debt Review Committee which discovered that government had been recording a leakage of about N5billion annually. Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Communications, Dr. Muideen Akorede, said the N5 billion leakage was revealed after the governor directed a desk review of the state revenues. “And this is just a desk review and, if a desk review can reveal N5 billion, imagine how much leakage is actually going on,” he added.

On the need for effective tax education and public enlightenment, Akorede hinted that different platforms such as drama, social media campaigns, radio jingles, billboards and the rest shall be explored to sensitize the populace.

The SSA explained that the newly established revenue board will make assessment and payment convenient for

tax payers, and will consider alternatives for revenue generation.

Since the setting up of KWIRS, Ahmed has been meeting with stakeholders in the state to solicit support for the state renewed IGR drive. The first set of people he met were the chairmen of local government councils. There are 16 local councils in Kwara, and the largest generates N200, 000 as its monthly revenue. Instr uctively, the gover nor charged the council chairmen on the need for them to increase revenue generation in their respective councils.

Ahmed also met with the Directors of Finance and Supplies (DFS) in all ministries within the state. At the meeting, the governor told them to brace up for the new challenges and work with the state revenue agency in meeting its targets. He also underscored the importance of civil servants to key-into the new scheme of tax administration in the State. There are about 20, 000 civil servants in Kwara.

The governor also identified the traditional rulers in the state as key players in the project. · Recently,during the presentation of second class staff of Office to the Oloota of Odo-Owa, Oba Joshua Oluwatoba Adeyemi in Odo-Owo, Oke-Ero local government area of the state, Ahmed described traditional rulers as symbols of an institution that once thrived on taxation, while urging them to help in mobilizing their people in fulfilling their civil obligation of paying tax.

The governor further met with the heads and bursars of the state-owned tertiary institutions. These institutions are considered to be potentially huge revenue generating agencies. While disclosing that no form of blackmail and misinformation would deter his administration from implementing measures that would boost the state IGR, the governor called on the authorities of the institutions to support the Kwara government’s drive to expand its revenue base.

While commenting on the single revenue accounts for state-owned institutions, Akorede stated that it had been a success, just as he commended the institutions for their cooperation so far.

Babalola empowers indigent students

I

BYDEMOLAAKINYEMI

n the last five years or so,twice,Engineer Sunday Ade bayo Babalola, a native of OmuAran in Irepodun local government area of Kwara, had vigorously contested to govern the state and twice he lost.

But as the saying goes that no knowledge is lost, the memories and experience he garnered from his active involvement in politics have re shaped his vision to come home and roost,and the starting point, according to him, is tackling the challenges facing the education of his people at his Omu-Aran people from where it would go round the state.

In view of this, Babalola instituted an annual scholarship scheme to empower indigent secondary school students.

Indeed,putting smile on the faces of people inside the expansive OmuAran town hall, venue of the ceremony , was enough satisfaction as the benefiting students with parents and guardians gathered to savour the joy

of the moment and heaped prayers on Babalola. The scholarship covered students in tertiary and secondary schools from the town.

The beneficiaries include students of ECWA Girls High School, Ogbo Grammar School, GSS Omu-Aran, OmuAran High School, Ofe-Aran Commercial College and Aperan Comprehensive College, all in Omu-Aran.

The breakdown of the beneficiaries are as follows: 32 from tertiary institutions, 14 from senior secondary school and 55 from junior secondary school, Beneficiaries from tertiary institutions will take N40,000 each, SS3 N24,000 each while JSS will take N60,000 each Speaking at the presentation of the scholarship award, Babalola said: “The award of scholarship to students of secondary and tertiary institutions is a fulfilment of my dream to contribute my quota to the educational and upliftment of students of my locality.

“The falling standard of education in the country causes my heart to bleed and gone are the days when students took interest in academic competitions.

“Many of them are today engrossed with internet and video pornography to the detriment of their educational growth. Many of the students and graduates are merely half baked and cannot compete favourable in the labour market as they are unfit either for employment , lacking requisite skills and knowledge for self employment and self reliance.

“A visit to many schools, even tertiary institutions, will present a pitiable sight. In Kwara, many of the schools have not only become dilapidated but also have been death traps with leaking roofs, damaged doors and windows and corroded floors.

“Pupils in the primary and secondary school learn on bare floor while there are no well equipped laboratories for science and even for arts subjects. Many of the students and pupils attend schools hungry as their parents, because of economic downturn, cannot feed them adequately.

Some of them even come to school with torn and worn-out uniform while some still do not have sandals, books, lockers and chairs. How then can they

learn well and pass excellently in their examinations in this pitiable condition?”

He explained that government has abandoned its core responsibility of ensuring quality and accessible education under the guise of dwindling revenue while governors, lawmakers and other political office holders earn their jumbo salaries.

Babalola, who promised to make the scholarship an annual event, called on wealthy Nigerians to invest more in education to bring socio-economic development to the society.

In his message at the occasion, Olomu of Omu-Aran, Oba Charles Oladele Ibitoye, lauded the efforts of Babalola towards educational advancement.

He commended Babalola for rising to meet the needs of his community.

The National Treasurer of Omu-Aran Development Association(ODA), Alhaji Funso Salawu, also at the occasion, said, “What we are witnessing today is a great thing because any nation that fails to address the education development of its people is on its way to extinction”.

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SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 45

•President Muhammadu Buhari

BUHARI TO BOKO HARAM

To negotiate, show us proof Chibok girls are alive!

By Abiodun Alade

In an inter view, President Muhammadu Buhari fielded questions from Aljazeera’s Mehdi Hasan on Boko Haram, alleged abuses by the Nigerian military and his leadership of Nigeria.

Excerpts:

I

S it fair to say that your country is in a state of crises?

Yes. Certainly, we have been going through crises, which we rightly articulated during our campaigns and we identified insecurity, problem of the economy, unemployment and corruption. But since we were swornin, I believe positive actions have been taken and the results are very clear.

We have been able to re-organise the military; they have retrained and are in the process of re-equipping and they are certainly gaining ground against Boko Haram.

Is your target of stamping out Boko Haram by December achievable?

You are entitled to your opinion.

When I gave the service chiefs the target, I know what was physically on ground. And maybe you will like to recall that we have gotten the Lake Chad Commission on the ground, comprising of Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Benin. Nigeria is the main battleground and we have agreed to dedicate a number of troops in certain places so that, by the coming of dry season, there will be a spontaneous move against Boko Haram in their areas of operation in the sub-region.

Boko Haram bombing

On the ground, physically, things are getting better. I have just mentioned that after the reorganisation, we put new service chiefs, retrained the troops at the war front, re-equipped them and sent them back. If you observe clearly, the area of operations is limited to two states, mainly Borno and Yobe. Boko Haram has been reduced to using IEDs(Improvised Explosives Devices) only.

There have been a thousand plus people dead since you were elected.

They have to prove to us that the girls are alive, they are well, and then we can promise we can negotiate. We will negotiate if we certify that the girls are alive...

The situation seems not better than it was before you assumed office.

Yes, we are being honest about it.

Whenever there is an attack and there are casualties, we mention it, we don’t hide anything. But in terms of occupying ground, we are gaining ground and Boko Haram is now virtually confined to Sambisa forest.

They are highly disorganised. As soon as the rainy season comes, which is the end of the year, Boko Haram will virtually be out of their strongholds and that will be the end of it.

What we cannot guarantee is the question of using IEDs by Boko Haram may continue beyond the target that we gave, but attacks by Boko Haram on townships, military installations, will certainly stop.

Repercussion of not meeting the December deadline Something certainly is that I will not resign; I will be determined to stay and fight it out Chibok girls We have ideas about where the girls are. Our main problem is and what we promised to the constituency is that we want to rescue them alive. There is the Boko Haram leadership that wants us to discuss but we have to prove they are bonafide. They have to prove to us that the girls are alive, they are well, and then we can promise we can negotiate. We will negotiate if we certify that the girls are alive...

What would you offer Boko Haram in your negotiation?

Well, it depends on the negotiation with the leadership of Boko Haram.

What are you doing as a President and a former general to stop human rights abuses, war crimes and other alleged inhuman approaches of the Nigerian military?

We promise to investigate and punish all those who are responsible...

Are you going to prosecute the nine individuals Amnesty International accused of war crimes?

I haven’t received the (Amnesty) report personally, but the organization of the military is part of the compliance with the observations raised by Amnesty International; if I get the report, I will read it. Although you sound confident that I have received it, none of my certified spokespersons have given me the report...

But allegations of war crime against the Nigeria military are not new and your spokesman acknowledged he has read the report?

I want us to go beyond talking; all you are telling me’s that the United States security talked about it; Amnesty has written, but I am telling you that I haven’t got the authentic documents you are referring to. When I get the documents, I will read them and I assure you that those you are guilty would be identified and punished according to Nigeria law.

Boko Haram claims it supports Sharia law, and you have been quoted as saying, ‘God willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of Sharia law in the country’. Is that still your view?

Nigerians, by their Constitution, have the right to pursue any religion they want to, but there is a fundamental issue here, no religion preaches violence. You cannot kill people in churches , mosques, motor parks and shout Allau Akbar. It is either they (Boko Haram) don’t believe God is great or they don’t know what they are talking about. Nigerians understand that Boko Haram is anything but Islamic...

We all know Boko Haram members are not godly as they claim, but do you support cutting of arms, stoning and other strict punishments as part of the Nigerian law?

No! Nigeria law does not permit that...

And you do not want to change the law to allow stoning or any of these brutal punishments to be brought in?

I cannot change it. I have not been voted by majority of Nigerians to change the Nigerian Constitution.

You ran for the election on the slogan of ‘’change” and you are a 72year-old ex-military dictator. How are you sure about the change that Nigerians want and can you guarantee that you won’t become a dictator again?

I cannot be a dictator under this system. Like I told you, the system we are following now, the people I want to be in my cabinet, I have to send them to the Senate and it is up to the Senate to find them suitable or unsuitable to be in the Nigerian cabinet...

You were accused of human right abuses in you first coming as head of state. Do you regret those actions of yours now that you are a democrat?

If there is any injustice that can be proved against me back then, I will gladly apologise, but trying to stop corruption and indiscipline is not injustice. In fact, my coming back now under a new system is because of my performance the last time. You accused me of...but the people have seen discipline, accountability, order; they want it back and that is why majority of Nigerians voted me now under a different system.

PAGE 46—SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

‘Four-Way Test strategy would have transformed Kwara’

BY KINGSLEY FANWO Dr. Mike Omotosho, a Harvard-trained program manager, in this interview, in Lokoja, spoke on issues bordering on healthcare management, Rotary International, where he is the Governor of District 9125 covering 23 states and the FCT, and his political adventure in Kwara State.

Who is Dr. Mike Omotosho? ermit me to answer in the words of my wife. She was asked the same question and her reply was apt.

She said, ‘My husband is, more importantly a Rotarian and also, by heart, an an unrepentant believer in services to God and humanity. He believes that the richness of life is not in the number of years or your possessions but in the quality of service to others. Having seen him living that belief over the years, I can confidently sum up his personality in that respect’.

I take those words as products of God’s grace.

In addition, I am a Harvard trained program manager with almost 30 years of professional excellence. Our track record with leading global institutions and several non-for-profit organizations attest to that. Majoring in pharmaceutical supply chain management, my career largely stems from my passion for service to others because it has a far reaching effect on millions of people.

With your integrity and resourceful mind, many people still think you are not cut out for Nigerian politics. Why did you venture into politics?

I used to have reservations when people refer to me as a politician, which is largely due to the rot in the system, don’t blame me. However, I see the other side of the tunnel now and sincerely think we can make the difference and set our nation on the path of progress. People say several respected men went into the game and got corrupted; they keep trying to convince me to stay away to avoid the associated dirt and other hazards. But there are some others who have vowed to join politics because I took the bold step. Governance is too serious to be left to political jobbers if we are serious about getting our trajectory right.

Without sounding immodest, I know what I expend annually to reach out to people at the lower runs of the ladder in our communities. I am confronted daily with the result of poor leadership. I am indirectly paying for the disservice some fellows are doing to this great nation. I don’t just send our foundation staff and volunteers to comb the interiors with our many interventions programs, I go to unexpected places. I see deplorable situations that get you angry every day. People, who shouldn’t have business with poverty, are confined to that irritable sting of neglect and shameful abandonment.

Even money meant for relief camps is embezzled!

Many in Kwara State still believe you ran issue-based campaign for the governorship election. Can you throw more light on development issues in the state?

I wish I am the regular politician. Well, some belong to the school of thought that if you call yourself the big tree, we shall use the axe to cut you down. But that is not the Nigeria of our dream. In a nutshell, there is so much desire for my state.

Of course, Kwara is part of this nation that has been so deprived. During the campaign, we focused strictly on what we wanted to do differently to change the fortune of the state; we avoided the usual personality attack and mudslinging. But, they descended on us when they saw the impact we were making and the tremendous voluntary followership we were enjoying. You know it was different from the pervading pervasive ‘chop chop’ followership. We however stuck to our resolve

P

•Dr. Mike Omotosho to be who we are; change agents.

We were the only one with a clearly deposed affidavit of what we wanted to do in the people‘s court. Our manifesto was out for everyone in which the plans of action were clearly stated. I say with all sense of responsibility that our approach to job creation was well tailored with time-frame. By now, the first phase of our 250,000 job creation would have commenced and would have run simultaneously across the state. The commerce driven part of it would have started by October. I can release some of these well thought out plans if we have the assurance that they will be implemented with the spirit and ethos required; because the bottom line is to see the people happy.

Can you imagine how much I spent to bring eight engineers from France, Finland and Germany for a way out in Kwara State? We ended up with a full implementation plan of seven to nine years. The first phase, which was for the state capital would be delivered in 38 months. Then money would gradually be generated to cover other parts of the state in phases.

As far back as February 10, 2015, over two months before the elections, we already perfected our plans with the developers for our RENT YOUR HOME policy focusing on civil servants and regular income earners. The first 100 units were meant to be delivered on September 8, 2015.

You are quite familiar with healthcare management in Nigeria. How do you think we can reduce the incidents of mothers losing their lives while being delivered of babies?

The indices in Africa and Nigeria in particular are worrisome. For example, for every 1,000 new births in Nigeria, about 100 die within the first seven days mainly from complications during pregnancy. Death of children less than one year is not better either. Aside ailments like pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea and some minor ailments, another major cause of high death rate is poor maternal health care. With good access to healthcare facilities, the contribution of HIV related cases to the scourge can be adequately dealt with.

Let us work from the causes to the solu-

Government must pay adequate attention to rural development though you can argue on the economic benefits and the rest indices

tion. What are the variables responsible for the rate of child mortality. The first is poverty. Don’t forget that over 70% of our population live under one dollar a day.

You know poverty is also responsible for non-treated infections, malaria and other minor ailments.

Straight to solutions. Government must pay adequate attention to rural development though you can argue on the economic benefits and the rest indices. Advocacy and enlightenment should be increased, investment in healthcare infrastructures, good referral system with improved road network certainly, adequate training in government owned institutions and provision of adequate incentives for private investment along with PPP while exploring the diaspora windows.

Now to maternal mortality. Every minute in a day, a woman dies from pregnancy related complications.

It is saddening to note that 99% of maternal deaths occur in the developing countries, Nigeria inclusive. And sadly, we are responsible for a significant chunk

of the number. At a time Nigeria hit a 14% mark contribution to global maternal morbidity, now it hovers at about 11% meaning 11 deaths out of 100 maternal cases. With over 5% fertility rate and having the world’s third largest annual birth rate, our nation needs to adequately face this scourge with a view to reducing maternal mortality. In addition to the solutions we need to focus our epidemiology on the intrapartum period. This is key and some players must be brought together to form stakeholders’ that will drive the national policy direction.

There is a close relationship between poverty and poor healthcare in Africa.

What do you think Nigeria can do to reduce poverty among her citizens?

The litany of contemptible corruption cases in our nation is one major cause of poverty in the land. Perhaps, selfish leadership and leaders who came into office unprepared also contribute greatly. Let me not dwell much on causes bur rather focus on empirical solutions.

We must kill corruption. That is nonnegotiable. We must painstakingly build institutions. We must address the inequality gap in the polity. We must engineer masses-oriented policies. We must invest in university education tailored towards our present needs as a nation. I don’t know what the endless list of university would do when all you do there is business administration in a nation without sustainable middle class businesses. I am directing my advocacy towards technical education. We must reengineer our agricultural sector. We must focus on homegrown job creation strategies.

Many young minds in your state, Kwara, are still disappointed that you lost the poll. In straight terms, will they see their hero on the political turf again?

God is the determinant of our journey here but I must add that God who gave us those resounding ideas to change the fortune of our people for good knows what He has for us. Again, I maintain that if I have the assurance that our programs shall be implemented with the right mind of service, we can share them; as long as it is for the good of the people. For the younger generation that supported us through thick and thin, their labour can never be in vain. What are your expectations from the Buhari administration?

The easiest job to do is to criticise blindly and that is a great disservice to our nation. Basically, I expect Mr President to ensure fulfillment of his promises. That is a sure way to give decent people a chance in the electioneering process. People have lost faith; they count everyone to be the same, but if he can successfully show that voting right pays than selling votes, he would have done a great favour to the future of our democracy. However I am excited that this administration’s anti corruption crusade is in line with Rotary’s guiding principles on ethics; take for instances the Four-Way Test of the things we think say or do which can be applied profitably in relation to the things we do at home, business, national and international life, it can be applied to plans and policies in business and advertising, to proposed legislation in government even in relations between teachers and students.

The Four-Way Test is a non-partisan and non-sectarian ethical guide that we Rotarians are encouraged to use for personal and professional relationships. The test has been translated into more than 100 languages.

Of the things we think, say or do: Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned?

Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

As Governor of Rotary International District 9125 covering 23 states and the FCT, the Four-Way Test is usually my Key message during visits to clubs and stakeholders.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 47

2016 election: Edo South will back zoning of governorship to Central — Inegbeniki

BY LUCKY OJI

Dr. Francis Inegbeniki, was the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senatorial candidate for Edo Central in the March 28 general election.

In this interview with journalists, Inegbeniki said the agitation by the people of Edo Central to produce the next governor of the state in 2016, is non negotiable, and which is being supported by all stakeholders in the state, for the purpose of justice, equity and fair play.

S

IR, you will recall that re cently there was a publication by Esan Youth Movement insisting that it was the turn of Edo central to produce the next governor in 2016, do you think the incumbent governor, Adams Oshiomohle will support it?

I think it is too early to discuss the 2016 governorship election in Edo State, because our governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is still working and in my personal opinion the Comrade Governor should not be distracted with issues of governorship election holding far away in 2016.

However, to answer your question, first, let me enlighten you that our party the All Progressives Congress, preaches change which means we cannot continue doing things the old ways.

This change includes zoning the next governorship position to Edo central which had only occupied

•Chief Francis Inegbeniki the governor’s office for just 18 months. The APC in Edo State, are determined to practice what we preach, that is equity, justice and fair play.

The people of Edo Central are demanding to produce the next governor to take over from Oshiomhole in 2016. Honestly, I think the people of Edo South, which had occupied the position for over nine years and Edo North presently completing its eight years in that office in the person of Oshiomhole should not argue about it.

In that publication by Esan Youth Movement, they explained why Edo Central should be allowed to produce Oshiomhole’s successor.

According to them, which is very correct, the present National chairman of our great party, APC, Chief John Odigie Oyegun is from Edo South, who eventually ruled the state for a period of one year and eight months. And in 1999, for the spirit of togetherness the leaders

When Edo Central takes over in 2016, after eight years by the grace of God, the governorship will eventually return to Edo South, that is how people should live together in love and harmony

then agreed that since Edo South did not complete their tenure they should be allowed to take the first shot, and Chief Lucky Igbinedion had the golden opportunity to govern the state for eight years.

So in 2007, the governorship slot was zoned to Edo Central and Prof. Osariemen Osunbor emerged the governor with the cooperation of the two other senatorial districts. However, the tribunal removed him from office and declared Comrade Adams Oshiomhole ( Edo North) as governor, who is serving his second term to complete eight years.

I can confidently tell you that Oshiomhole will zone the governorship to Edo Central in 2016, because he believes and preaches equity, fairness and Justice, which

is the mantra of our great party, APC. But sir, are you really convinced that leaders of the APC from Edo South and North senatorial districts would allow the governorship to be zoned to Edo Central?

In Edo State, the APC is one big family, all the APC leaders across the three senatorial districts are very much aware that it is the turn of Edo Central to produce the next governor, however, Edo South may also be eyeing the office but I know they would support Edo Central on this matter.

When Edo Central takes over in 2016, after eight years by the grace of God, the governorship will eventually return to Edo South, that is how people should live together in love and harmony.

It is believed that APC leaders in Edo South are putting pressure on Gov Oshiomhole to zone the governorship to Edo South again That is not true; our brothers in Edo South are even more convinced that it is the turn of Edo Central to produce the next governor.

And I want to thank the APC leaders and our brothers in Edo South, for their understanding and for supporting the zoning of the governorship to Edo Central in 2016. Sincerely, we must continue to love ourselves, live in peace and harmony as one inseparable big family.

Sir, it is believed that Oshiomhole’s successor must be someone who can build on his legacy, do you have such a person in Edo

Central?

Of course yes, we have many of them in Edo Central who are very competent, willing and determined to build on the legacy of our amiable governor, Oshiomhole.

The governor, Oshiomhole has few months ahead to complete his second term, how would you rate his achievements?

Perfect, the people of Edo State are proud of him, in fact, Governor Oshiomhole has transformed the state, and however, for those in doubt, they are free to visit Edo State to see things for themselves.

So far, the administration of Oshiomhole has been very fruitful and dynamic; I’m convinced that Oshiomhole has done what God sent him to do in Edo and for the people.

But the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, seems not be seeing the achievements of Oshiomhole?

The PDP in Edo State are only pretending not to see the good works and laudable achievements of Oshiomhole. They pretend not to see Oshiomhole’s achievements, yet they are driving their cars on roads constructed by him, they are enjoying other several infrastructural facilities built by the governor and they are still claiming ignorance of his achievements. This is very bad and must stop, may God continue to help the people of Edo State.

My movement to return Bayelsa’s glory — Moses Siasia Standard-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) in the December 5 governorship election in Bayelsa State, Moses Siasia, in this interview says his candidature is about a movement by the down-trodden. Siasia, who dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is poised to restore the glory of Bayelsa through the movement.

By Abiodun Alade

A

HEAD of the December 5 gov ernorship election in Bayelsa State,itissaidthatyouhavelaunched a movement. What is it all about?

The movement I’m talking about is onebuiltbythepeopleofBayelsaState.

ItisaboutthatfarmerinNembewhose farmhasbeendestroyedbyoilspillage with no compensation or support from the government. It is about our young ladies that have been forced into prostitution by inept leadership. It is about that child that will go to school without food and will still learn in an environmentnotconduciveenough.

So the race is not about me, it is the movement of the Bayelsa people and their quest for purposeful leadership and transformation.

In PDM, the people found that reliable partner that recognises their voices.ThePeoplesDemocraticMovement recognises that the movement of the peoplecannotbestoppedbymoneyor by a few powerful in the society.

There is no doubt that elections in Nigerialargelydependsonhowdeep your pocket is. Do you think you and your party have what it takes to give other candidates from large political parties like the PDP and APC, a good run for their money?

Look, if some people have enriched themselves with the resources of the

stateandbecausetheyareseekingelectivepost,theydecidetosharepartofthe money to the people, let them continue. The people will collect the money andstillvotefortheirconscience.Many people have told me that ‘Moses, we will collect their money but we shall vote for you’.

I have given scholarship to students to study abroad. Eight of them are in London. I provided educational materialstotheschoolsinmyareaandsince 2012,parentsandguardiansdon’thave to bother about buying school uniforms or educational materials for their children or wards. More so, they know betternow.

My unblemished record speaks.

Small wonders, artisans, Keke riders, market women are donating to my

When you look around Bayelsa, you will find the spirit of entrepreneurship, selfreliance, mutual cooperation, respect and resilience.

•Moses Siasia campaign because it is their project.

The youths are championing my campaign because it represents them. The aged are rooting for me because they want a prosperous future for their children; they have seen waste, they have seenafewopportunedtobeingovernment building mansions while majority of the citizens live in squalors and wallow in abject poverty.

As the election fast approaches, the campaigns are getting steamer, and candidates are now evidently using hate campaigns, deriding their opponents to score cheap political points.

Do you believe in hate campaigns?

Ihavepledgednottorunacampaign of hate. As a youngman, I do respect elders. I respect the governor, he has donehisbestforthestate.Itisalsosame for the former governor, Timi Slyva.

But the state needs fresh ideas now.

Bayelsansneedsagovernorwhohas excelled in the private sector with unstained record to bring change to the

dyingstate.

If the resources of the state are adequately put into use, Bayelsans and all residents of the state should be comfortable.

Don’t you also think your age is a major challenge to candidature?

I am shocked when people say I am too young. Developed countries are being led by people of my generation.

So, is Bayelsa better than them? The few governors that have done well in Nigeria,wereyoungerinagebutcompetent.

When you look around Bayelsa, you will find the spirit of entrepreneurship, self-reliance, mutual cooperation, respectandresilience.Butsadly,thegovernmenthasfailedtoharnessthesepotentialsofherpeoples.Ibelievethetime has come for us to restore the glory of Bayelsa and her people.

So,canyoucategoricallytellushow you are going to restore the glory of Bayelsa with this movement?

Ihavetwopointsagendaforthestate The first is job creation. The rate of youth unemployment in the state is worrisome and it is a threat to her future, bearing in mind the societal problems associated with unemployment andunder-employment.Whenelected as the governor of the state, we would build world class skill acquisition and sportsdevelopmentcentresintheeight LGAs within one year of our administration.

Our government will create 30, 000 jobs in one year, attract 5 fortune 500 companies to invest in critical sectors inBayelsa.Wewouldbuildanewdeep-

sea port to bring trade and facilitate the export of our goods.

Again is Education which is the prerequisite for building a strong, sustainable future and it is the bedrock of our development plan.

Illiteracy and ignorance reduces human confidence and self-esteem and impedes the ability of an individual to effectively contribute to the society. For this reason, we will place a very high priority on education so that this generation will be 21st century compliant.

We will collaborate with relevant agencies, stakeholders to uplift the standard of education in Bayelsa. Structures will be built to meet international standard, teachers trained and retrained; they will also be motivated in the discharge of their responsibilities.

When a child has good schools to attend, adequate learning materials, incentives such as bursary allowance, scholarships and free education from primary to secondary school with inspiredandcompetentteachers,thechild will be motivated and properly equipped to aim for higher goals.

Other key strategic sectors In achieving these two points agenda, we would also address the key strategic sectors like quality health deliverybyensuringthehealthsectorearned the trust and respect of the people. We will partner with the Federal government and other stakeholders in the improvement of electricity. We would explore other sustainable sources of affordable energy. The rural areas will no longer be thrown into darkness. We would introduce electronic badge system for security.

PAGE 48—SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

By Francis Igata

T

HE March 28 Enugu-East senatorial election exposed the colour of the water that passed under the bridge during the poll.

The water, stinking with unaccounted ballot papers, result mutilations, accreditation flaws, ballot box stuffing, among others, culminated in non-compliance with the 2010 Electoral Act. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had, on March 29, declared Senator Gil Nnaji of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the winner of the election, having polled 69,544 against that of the Peoples Democratic Change, PDC, candidate, former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani who scored 57,528.

Nnamani had, in the days leading to the election,embarked on an issue-based campaign, citing his monumental achievements as governor of Enugu State.

The declaration of the PDP candidate the winner of the election elicited wild protests in Enugu metropolis. Nnamani calmed frayed nerves, assuring he will challenge the result at the tribunal.

In a petition brought before the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, headed by Justice Matthew Adewara of Kwara High Court, Nnamani prayed the court to declare him the winner or order a fresh election following irregularities that marred the poll.

The suit, which had Nnaji as first respondent, PDP, second respondent, and INEC, third respondent, unravelled INEC’s collusion with the PDP when, during trial, the electoral body’s counsel, Mr. Benson Ibezim, rejected a certified true copy of a document issued by the Commission, saying it could not be admitted in evidence for doubtful authenticity and competence of the Commission’s Legal Services Department to endorse the document.

Last Monday, the tribunal, delivering verdict on the petition, held that accreditation of voters in the election was flawed as confirmed during cross examination of the respondents.

“The first respondent, while trying to deny that irregularities marred the election, exposed more mutilation of result in polling sta-

Enugu East: Jubilation trails tribunal order for fresh election tions where he claimed to have won. Ballot papers were not accounted for, which affected the outcome of the result. Irregularities occurred in the six local government areas that constitute the senatorial district”, the tribunal Chairman Justice Adewara, said.

“Sufficient evidence was laid before this tribunal showing that the first respondent inflated results while deflating the petitioner’s result. These irregularities and noncompliance were substantial to mar the outcome of the election.

The petitioner has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the election did not comply with the provisions of Electoral Act 2010.

“Based on the foregoing, we thereby void the election and order a fresh election.”

Thousands of Nnamani’s supporters, who thronged the court room, immediately erupted in jubilation. The crowd sang victory songs through major streets of Enugu metropolis.

Enugu lawyer, Ray Nnaji,noted that Nnamani won the election clearly even as he added that the tribunal looked at the merit of the petition in cancelling the election Another respondent, Chidi

Ugwu, said: “The judgment is a welcomed development. I monitored the election to the extent that

Chimaroke defeated Nnaji even in the polling station in front of his residence. With the pronouncement

ELECTION PETITION TRIBUNAL

The day Abia boiled over pro-Theodore Orji verdict R

ESIDENTS of Umuahia, Abia State capital, trooped to the streets in their thousands, on Tuesday, to protest the judgment of the National and state Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, which upheld the election of former Gov. Theodore Ahamefule Orji for Abia Central Senatorial District.

The residents, who chanted antiOrji songs, carried placards with various inscriptions, such as, ‘Abia youths reject tribunal’s judgment,’ ‘We did not vote for Orji’ and ‘Ahamdi Nweke is our senator,” among other descriptions of the former governor.

The protesters, mainly traders, market men and women, students, further decried the judgments delivered by the tribunal on the March 28 elections in the state.

A trader, who identified himself simply as Austin from UmuafaiNdume Umuahia, said, ‘’Orji is our in-law but most people from this community did not vote for him during the election. ‘’Orji was the worst governor Abia has ever produced. ‘’Look at our community, we have no road, no pipe-borne water and our youths have no jobs, yet Orji’s wife is from here”.

Kingsley Onwuegbu, an under-

graduate, expressed worry over the judgment of the tribunal, saying: ‘’On what basis was Orji declared winner by the tribunal, when he lost election in his Ugba polling unit?”

A kinsman of Orji said, on the condition of anonymity: “Our people resolved during the election not to vote for Orji because he did nothing for our community. ‘’Go to my village and see the degree of neglect by Orji’s eight years administration”. He added that the area was ravaged by erosion, which had rendered the roads impassable.”

How emotional intelligence builds effective teams Dr. Lori LaCivita, program director for the MSand PhD in Industrial and Organizational (I-O) Psychology programs at Walden University, analyses team efficacy.

E

MPLOYEES are at the core of every successful business.

However, there is often so much emphasis on hiring “talented individuals” that understanding how these people will work effectively as a team often gets lost in the process.

Organisations that can identify individuals with high emotional intelligence(EI)arelikelytohavemore positiveresultsthanthoseunabletosee the big picture.

EI has had a transformational effect on the business world since its rise to popularity in the 1990s. It has led to moresuccessfulhiring,higherlevelsof productivity and success, greater individual performance, and better leaders and managers. In the workforce, EIallows for the ability to workharmoniouslyinteamsandbuild

of the tribunal, I now know that the judiciary is worth its salt. All over the state, people believe Chimaroke won the election.”

relationshipsandnetworksthatbenefit the organisation in the long term.

Today’sworkforcenowspansseveral generations,with each bringing different characteristics, work habits, leadershipstylesandmotivators.These varying values and beliefs can sometimes lead to challenges among the generations forfinding common ground and working effectively together. EI is the key to successfully bridging these gaps and merging the oft-considered traditional styles of leadership and teamwork of older professionals with the softer skills of theyoungergenerations.

AlthoughpeoplearebornwithanIQ, or thinking potential,EI can be enhancedanddevelopedovertimeand hasbeenshowntobehighlysignificant inthedevelopmentofhumanpotential, teamwork,leadership,stressreduction, creativity and innovation.Working in teams can lead to great outcomes, but it can also come with challenges that can lead to issues that include miscommunication, conflict and loss of work productivity.

Dr. Lori LaCivita ThosewithhighEIareself-awareand canrecognisetheirownemotions;they self-regulate and manage those emotions, motivate by having clear goalsandapositiveattitude,empathise and recognise the emotions of others,

and have social skills that allow them to interact with others. In addition, current studies suggest that EI allows people to validate, understandand work with others – regardless of their ageor position–and develop better problem-solving skills and outcomes.Individuals with this understanding will generallyremain calm under pressure and resolve conflict effectively. Once they are in touch with themselves, branching out to understand the needs of others is the next step–and vital when working in a team environment.

Not only is it important to have individuals with high EI on a team, it’s equally important to understand that theteamalsohasitsowngroupidentity and EI. There should be a level of trust, and individual members should value the group’s efficacy. Open communication creates opportunity to build relationships with one another while strengthening the team’s overall performance. Having those internal relationships then allows the team to build external relationships with other individuals and teams at the

The protesters decried the role of the staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Umuahia who allegedly manipulated the election to deny the people their preferred candidate.

It took heavily armed mobile policemen over an hour to disperse the protesters, who were heading for the High Court premises on Ikot Ekpene Road, Umuahia, venue of the tribunal, to express their grouse over the judgments. The spokesman for the state police command, Mr Ezekiel Onyeke, confirmed the protest but said that it was brought under control by the police.

company(and elsewhere), essentially creatingastrongfoundationtoaddress variousissuesandchallengesthatmay arise while maintaining focus on the company’s overall goals.

EI workforces are not limited to certainbusinesssectorsorgeographies; in fact, they’re crucial for local and international contemporary companies with a global reach.Companies often employ industrial and organisational (I-O) psychologists who work alongside humanresourcemanagerstocultivate an optimal workforce. At the intersectionofbusinessandpsychology, I-O psychologists strategically use scientific research to better understand human behaviour and recommend waysinwhichcompaniescanincrease their EI. Organisations that want to positively impact their bottom lineshould focus onbuildingahealthyandcollaborative environment that promotes team efficacy and enables employees to continuously enhance their EI. Successful companies owe it to their employees to reinvest in those who helped makethem so prosperous.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, Page

VIEWPOINT

By Rasheed Kola Ojikutu

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

The enduring legacy Nigeria needs

F

OLLOWERS of history would rarely be taken aback by the euphoria that preceded the 2015 general elections. As is customary with our people, Yoruba adage “ abandoning the old wife for a new wife” came to play during the period.It was as if there were new qualities in Muhammadu Buhari not apparent when we rejected his bid to become the President on three previous occasions. It was like we just discovered Buhari is an epitome of honesty and integrity. If we knew him to be the redeemer, why did we reject him in 2003, 2007 and 2011 before considering him fit for the presidency in 2015?

There is no doubt that the situation of Nigeria today is appalling and very urgent action is required to repair the damage done to the system by successive governments since her 1960 independence. Equally true is that the citizens are not psychologically and mentally prepared for the revolution that is required to obtain a sane society. Therefore, any leader that would leave an enduring legacy for the nation must make a quick choice between good but unpopular and popular but bad policies.

The precipitative actions on corruption,as it had been in the past 100 days, can only achieve

VIEWPOINT

By O. A. Atoyebi

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

Setting the records straight

T

HE attention of the Management of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria has been drawn to the altercations on the issue of the relativity of Postgraduate Fellowships in Medicine and Dentistry vis-a-vis Ph.D in our university system. It has therefore become imperative for the College to make some clarification as the organ of the Federal Government that awards the Fellowships in Clinical Medicine and Dentistry in line with international best practices.

The National Postgraduate Medical College was established by law (Decree 67 of 1979), now Cap. N59 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. The law gave the College the responsibility to conduct postgraduate examinations of “candidates in the various specialised branches of medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology and dental surgery and making awards in relation thereto accordingly.”

Section 7 of the law gave the Senate of the College the responsibility for running the academic affairs of the College including “(b) the Award of degrees, diplomas and such other qualifications as may be prescribed in connection with examinations held as aforesaid.”

Based on this law, as the body at the apex of medical education in Nigeria, the College has been functioning over the last 36 years to produce specialists in all branches of Medicine and Dentistry. This has been done

Mr President, do not be deceived transient results because of its very deep incursion into the bone marrow of our nation.

Therefore,the job of catching and dealing with the plunderers of our resources could be routinely handled by the organs of government saddled with the

At 72, there is no doubt that the president does not have the advantage of age, but he is better placed to deliver a big blow to ineptitude, lack of nationalism, corruption

responsibility while the office of the President plays the role of a watchman. The current brouhaha about corruption and the big stick displayed in the public will only drive the perpetrators into protective cocoons where they would surface with vengeance in future.

The situation in Nigeria today requires decisive actions on all fronts. Granted that democracy must be allowed to prevail, yet, it is obvious that there is need for checks and balances, which only the societal leadership can provide through proper reorientation of our people. Today, impunity reigns to the extent that citizens have become outrightly irresponsible and rudderless . Agents of government employed as gatekeepers of our nation’s resources have turned out to be the plunderers of the commonwealth. There are shameless stories of thieving of national wealth that would go into Guinness book and also qualify the perpetrators for a place in a neuropsychiatric facility.

Politics have become so lucrative that a man living in penury could own more than half a dozen houses in four years of winning an elective position without anyone probing the sources of the ill-gotten wealth.

Sometimes, laws are enacted by the leadership to justify the illegitimate acquisition of wealth.

It is not uncommon today to see Chinese and Indians constructing

roads in all parts of Nigeria with nobody asking questions about the role of the Nigerian Society of Engineers in it. What becomes of the trillions of dollars spent to produce engineering graduates in our universities and research institutions when we cannot manufacture even a pin?

The recent demand by the Nigerian Labour Congress for capital punishment for corrupt officials is an indication of our collective stupidity. After all, what constitutes corruption is a matter of definition. It is obvious that some members of the NLC are responsible for the largest chunk of the problems on corruption. An Igbo proverb says: “ It is the rat within the home that tells the one outside that there is food in the house”. How do public office holders steal if civil servants do not show them the hole in the safe where monies are kept?. There is hardly anyone working in the public service who are not members of the NLC. The consequence is that the placard carrying NLC is demanding for capital punishment for itself.

Buhari must help this nation by providing an enduring legacy. At 72, there is no doubt that the president does not have the advantage of age, but he is better placed to deliver a big blow to ineptitude, lack of nationalism, corruption and other vices that have made our country the laughing stock of in the comity of nations

49

because, he has nothing to lose in the process. The starting point for any government to do well is redefinition of our national goals and complete reorientation of our people. The current laizze- faire attitude that is breeding highly irresponsible citizenry must be curbed through a programme that would unite our thoughts and sentiment to our nation without losing the essence of democratic tenents and values. Nelson Mandela did just that in four years in South Africa while Mahatma Ghandi, who cut his wisdom teeth in the same South Africa, redirected the focus of the people of India through his truth and ahimsa campaign. These leaders and many others battled against all odds to leave an everlasting legacy in our world. Who knows, Buhari may just be another messiah but that is if he approaches his God-given assignment with noble intention.

Four years are indeed a short time which should not be wasted in chasing a ship that has left the shores. Corruption is bad and endemic in our nation, but for a nation whose people are soaked in the ocean of misdeed, misdemeanor and impropriety, time should be devoted to reorientation of the people and restructuring those evil characteristics that make corruptive tendencies lucrative.

•Ojikutu, a professor, is of Faculty of Business Administration, University of Lagos.

Fellowship versus Ph.D for Clinical Teachers through the organisation of the curricula for professional postgraduate education in the various specialised branches of Medicine and Dentistry; and the conduct of professional postgraduate examination of candidates leading to the award of the FELLOWSHIP as the terminal academic and professional qualification.

All over the world, medical schools are divided into at least two components: basic medical sciences and clinical sciences. In Nigeria, as in other parts of the world, the topmost postgraduate qualification recognised for clinical sciences is the Fellowship while for the Core Basic Medical (Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology), it is the Ph.D. that is recognised to get to the peak of their careers. The uniqueness of the Fellowship training of the College is the fact that it combines the full academic and research content as obtainable in any sound doctoral degree with structured clinical (professional) postgraduate training. This accounts for why it takes a long time to produce a single Fellow in any of the specialised branches of Medicine and Dentistry. It is to be noted that the competencybased curriculum for the Fellowship Residency programme has been designed to postgraduate specialists and clinical lecturers over a minimum of six years with definite competencies in the four areas of professional practice: clinical problem solving, research, teaching and Health Resources Management.

Towards the FELLOWSHIP certification, there are three layers of the evaluation process:

PRIMARY, PART I FELLOWSHIP and PART 11 (FINAL) FELLOWSHIP. The basic medical degree (MB BS) and dental degree (BDS) after 600Level courses in the university are equivalent to special Masters Degrees and holders are often appointed as Assistant Lecturers in the basic medical sciences.

Such registered medical and dental practitioners are eligible to sit for the PRIMARY FELLOWSHIP which is the Postgraduate Examination after Internship. Only those who have been successful can enrol in an accredited tertiary institution for the Residency Training Programme. The Junior Residency Programme spans a period of a minimum of between 24 to 36 months (depending on

The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria is therefore the only Federal Government agency that has the capacity and the capability to certify specialists that will train other medical and dental doctors to professorial level

discipline) for rotations consisting of at least 100-course credit units of lectures/seminars and over 180-course credit units of practical/clinical skills acquisitions. Eligible candidates can then proceed to sit for the PART I FELLOWSHIP examinations. Those who are successful can enrol for the Senior Residency Programme which is a full-time endeavour for 30 to 48 months after Part I. The Senior Resident is expected to register the research topic for his dissertation and submit a detailed proposal on the justification for the research topic and the methodology to be used.

Formative assessment is carried out and, if successful, he would continue with the research.

Concurrently, he will continue with academic programmes consisting of lectures/seminars of over 120-course credit units and 200 credit units of clinical/ practical skills acquisition for which log-books must be signed per event. After a minimum of 36 months, eligible candidate can now apply for the PART 11 (FELLOWSHIP) examinations which are divided into TWO components. The successful defence of dissertation, as adjudged by external examiners (in the absence of the supervisors), earns the candidate a PASS in this part which is equivalent to a successful defence of Ph.D theses. Thereafter, the candidate will be examined through written, clinical and oral evaluation to be adjudged by at least TWO External Examiners (who are not his trainers) as being fit to be a Specialist. The Fellowship is thereafter awarded to successful candidates. The

evaluation process is carried out objectively, mostly by professors in the universities, and devoid of interference by the supervisors/ trainers. It follows therefore that the FELLOWSHIP is like a postdoctoral degree as it has satisfied more than all essential requirements for the award of a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in any discipline apart from the accompanying professional training.

It must be on this basis that the National Universities Commission (NUC) itself had, since 1989 when it issued its first Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) for Medicine and Dentistry, been stipulating that persons with Fellowships are appointable as Lecturer I in Clinical Sciences while those with Ph.D. are appointable only as Lecturer 11 in the Basic Sciences. Holders of Ph.D can only become Lecturer 1 after 3 years teaching experience in a university or similar institution.

Any Clinician that has only a Ph.D. as his only postgraduate attainment is not appointable as a Consultant and cannot have patients under his care. The possession of a Fellowship is thus a sine qua non for the appointment of anyone as a Consultant and Clinical Lecturer.

The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria is therefore the only Federal Government agency that has the capacity and the capability to certify specialists that will train other medical and dental doctors to professorial level. *Atoyebi, a professor, is Registrar of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.

Page 50 — SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

Edo 2016: Oshiomhole, don’t give our state back to PDP VIEWPOINT

By Johnbull Oise

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

Advice to a governor ahead of election

A

good leader is one who started well and ended well. And I want to relate this to our own Edo State. This is a state where only those who are enemies of progress will say Comrade Governor Adams Oshiomhole has not done anything. The Comrade Governor has changed both the politics and infrastructural development of the state positively and the people will ever remain grateful to him.

However, those monitoring the politics of Edo or the happenings in the All Progressives Congress (APC) will wonder if Oshiomhole really means well in sustaining

VIEWPOINT

By Edem Ekpenyong

his legacies or he intends to hand over the state to the PDP. In the past one week, five LGA chairmen have been sacked by the governor over allegations of misappropriation of funds. Many of us who love the good works of Oshiomhole may not have sleepless nights with the sacking of the chairmen; after all, from all indications, they have not represented the people well.

But the worry is what we are hearing that the governor is backing the aspiration of a member of his Economic Team to succeed him, even though he is never known to be a politician. One wonders how the Comrade Governor intends to market the aspirant to Binis considering the way his family is viewed in Benin Kingdom, after a past Oba was exiled in controversial circumstances. But that is not to say the aspirant is not intelligent and, as we heard,

responsibility was vested on the University Governing Council which is often under the chairmanship of the ProHE establishment of the Chancellor or the committee University of Calabar dates back to 1975.

The institution is today the highest employer of labour in Cross River State.

Therefore, the management must not lose sight of the fact that It is proper to wait outsiders are watching its steps.

It was for this reason that the until the tenure of Universities (Miscellaneous Epoke is over, and Provisions) Act N0.11 of 1993, as then, there will be amended by the Decree N0.25, 1996 and further amended in 2003 need to call for the and 2012 respectively, were appointment of created to vest sole authority of another Vice selecting who should be the Vice Chancellor as this has Chancellor of the institution.

According to the law, this been the practice

The battle for a university’s chief helmsman

T

By Livinus Acholonu

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF Revisiting the raid on Multichoice office

F

OR an agency suffering from a near-absence of public trust in its capacity to carry out its mandate of protecting the consumer against abuses, the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) must have felt good about its raid, last Thursday, on the head office of pay-TV firm, MultiChoice Nigeria.

The raid, which saw CPC officials accompanied by policemen, resulted in the seizure of laptop computers and documents vital to the firm’s operations as well as harassment of its staff.

It was an action that got the CPC plenty of media attention, something that must have made its officials happy, given its potential to present the agency as one possessing the virility required to protect the consumer against abuses.

It is yet unclear whether that has been achieved, but there is no doubt that the agency is giddy about what it did. On its website, the CPC

From all indications, APC leaders will rather work for the PDP than this aspirant and that will be failure on the part of Oshiomhole

UNICAL VC's selection

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

VIEWPOINT

he is being backed by Oshiomhole’s two powerful friends; so the governor may be tempted to back him so that these billionaires will fund the election. But the Comrade Governor should know that if he does that, he has shot the APC in the foot.

For those of us who pray that the party continues to rule Edo,

appointed by this body to screen those who may aspire for the position.

These requirements include the acquisition of a Ph.D, proven managerial skills being a distinguished scholar up to the rank of professor with the ability to provide sound academic and administrative leadership to the university community, the ability for a clear vision for the development of the institution to realize its mission, ability to command the respect of the national and international academic communities by virtue of good track record a good interpersonal and team building skills such that it can strengthen relationship amongst staff, students and other members of the university community, sound

we are appealing to the governor that, rather than make such a blunder that may see the return of PDP, we have his deputy, Pius Odubu; his Commissioner for Works, Osarodion Ogie; and former Minister of State for Works, Engr.Chris Ogienwonyi, who he should look up to, among others. Whether the Comrade Governor likes it or not, there is division in his party right now in the LGAs where he sacked the chairmen. And these are LGAs that produce high votes in elections in the state. If, for instance, he is bringing out this particular aspirant, how does he market him to the people with this division in his party?

And it was said that the aspirant has declared he will have nothing to do with politicians; therefore which politicians in APC will work for him? The Comrade Governor should know that his APC won

the governorship election under the PDP-led Federal Government and who says the APC cannot be defeated under an APC-led government if he makes the wrong choice? It is obvious that his party leaders will not back a technocrat who will run the state from Lagos.

Odubu, Ogie and Ogienwonyi are experts in their own fields and can manage the economy of the state perfectly. We are appealing to the Comrade Governor to allow majority of his party leaders decide who succeeds him and not foist an unpopular candidate on the party. From all indications, APC leaders will rather work for the PDP than this aspirant and that will be failure on the part of Oshiomhole. Please Comrade Governor, don’t give our state back to PDP.

physically and mentally, ability to exhibit entrepreneurial drive that can attract funds for the development of the university, ability to establish and maintain partnerships with local and international governmental bodies as well as possession of relevant knowledge about Nigeria’s education system, including distance learning.

This process has been observed since the inception of institution.

Result of the screening exercise is usually made available to the university community.

Meanwhile, the university’s 10th Vice Chancellor screening leaves much to be desired.

The non-acceptance of its outcome clearly attests to this fact as contestants have filed petitions to the appropriate authorities.

Eight contestants were said to be card carrying members of the Cross River State chapter of

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who planned to edge out the minority All Progressives Congress (APC) from the contest. This gives the entire exercise a political twist.

Investigations also revealed that the plan to hurriedly appoint a new Vice Chancellor for the institution, even when the tenure of the incumbent, Professor James Epoke, terminates in December, is a grand design to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari’s Education Minister, when appointed, would not interfere with the issue of the selection of the UNICAL Vice Chancellor.

It is proper to wait until the tenure of Epoke is over, and then, there will be need to call for the appointment of another Vice Chancellor as this has been the practice.

CPC: How not to flex muscle claimed it carried out the raid to prevent the obstruction of investigation into alleged consumer rights violations by MultiChoice, which owns DStv. The CPC website quotes the agency ’s Director of Legal Services, Emmanuel Ataugba, as saying the raid was carried out in line with relevant sections of the agency’s enabling law.

The CPC began its investigation of MultiChoice in July, following its receipt of “a barrage of consumer complaints alleging wide-range abuse of subscribers’ rights.”

The alleged abuses, the CPC said, “include poor quality of service such as incessant disruption of service without compensation, wrongful disconnection of service during subsisting subscriptions, decoder swap irregularities and poor redress mechanism and customer service”.

MultiChoice responded with a promise to cooperate with the CPC with a view to improving its subscribers’ experience of its services and consumer satisfaction

in general.

The investigation has since taken in a series of meeting, the last of which held, last on Tuesday, between representatives of CPC and MultiChoice.

Two days after the last meeting, CPC raided MultiChoice’s office, took away computers and documents, on the pretext that the company was obstructing its investigation.

The claim requires scrutiny. It is

CPC’s conduct, at a time when the country desperately needs foreign investment, is unlikely to be considered inviting by would-be foreign investors

already in the public domain that the CPC demanded, at the meeting, personal information about the company’s subscribers just as it did copy of the company ’s exclusive contract in Nigeria. Both demands were turned down.

MultiChoice had argued, validly in my view, that releasing subscribers’ personal information is a breach of the trust its customers reposed in it when they signed up as subscribers to its services. Doing otherwise will be both illegal and immoral.

It also explained to the CPC that one of the ways it satisfies its customers (given that the CPC claims to be interested in consumer satisfaction) is by keeping protecting the privacy of subscribers as prescribed by their contract with the company. I am firmly in support of this and I think everyone should.

Copy of exclusive contract in Nigeria? I cannot see how that is related to the issues the CPC claims to be investigating. I also fail to see how the seizure of computers and documents will make MultiChoice improve customer satisfaction in the short

•Oise, a public commentator, lives in Benin

*Ekpenyong can be reached via edem_archibong@yahoo.com or long run because both are unrelated.

What exactly does the CPC want to do with personal data? While there is no dispute about its status as a government agency, it is safe to say government agencies in the country have not earned the type of trust that would make the public feel at ease about their personal data being given out to an agency.

This saga, to my mind, carries a strong whiff of the military era that the rule of law should have banished. A request for sensitive personal information from an entity like MultiChoice should have been made through the courts? The fact that it was not is indicative of indifference to legal procedures. We should not forget that MultiChoice has both legal and moral obligations to keep its subscribers personal details confidential. It exclusive contract in Nigeria, most certainly, will have non-disclosure clauses.

CPC’s conduct, at a time when the country desperately needs foreign investment, is unlikely to be considered inviting by wouldbe foreign investors. The agency, clearly, has not covered itself in glory.

Acholonu, a public affairs analyst, is based in Abuja.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015, PAGE 51

By JAPHET ALAKAM VISUAL

T

he popular adage that “when a child washes his hand very well, he dines with the kings,” came to the fore during the weekend as young Raji Mohammed, one of the upcoming multi talented artist unveiled his breathtaking realistic works in his first solo exhibition tagged Inspired.

The ongoing exhibition, which opened on Saturday 17th, runs till 24th of October at Alexis Galleries, Victoria Island, Lagos. It features about 35 recent works of this multi talented artist who just graduated this year from University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Some of the works include, Offering; Meeting before bed time; Brotherly protection, Hand Over and others all in oil and acrylic.

The young Raji who was trained at A.S Ebenezer studio under the watchful eyes of Mr. Ebenezer Akinola had participated in a series of group exhibitions organized by Alexis galleries where almost all his works were sold, will use this exhibition to announce his real entry into the art industry.

Raji leaps to next level with Inspired Speaking about the exhibition, Raji, who confessed that he felt excited to be given the opportunity to exhibit at the gallery disclosed that he is highly inspired by works of great masters, happenings and moods of people around him.

He pointed out that the works are recent ones which he did in the last two years and they address some of the issues around. For example, the work, Hand Over, which depicts a man handing over something to another man. It sympolises the peaceful transition Nigeria

Raji is a relatively multi talented artist with a very bright future, who knows how to manipulate colours

Hand over, depicting the peaceful transition in Nigeria just experienced. While the piece, Brotherly Protection, talks about the need for one to be his/her brother’s keeper as it portays a young man providing shelter to his younger ones.

Speaking about the artist, Patty Chidiac, the curator/CEO of Alexis gallery who saw what

World Photo stars storm Nigeria for LagosPhoto festival

By JAPHET ALAKAM PHOTOGRAPHY

Some of the images you will see during the Lagos photo festival

F

rom October 24 – November 27, art lovers, especially those in the genre of photography will witness what could be described as a photo revolution as LagosPhoto Foundation present the sixth edition of the annual LagosPhoto Festival in Lagos, Nigeria, entitled Designing Futures.

LagosPhoto which is a platform for artists to express themselves through lens is the first and only international arts festival of photography in Nigeria.

Addressing the press in Lagos, Wunika Mukan, Director of LagosPhoto Festival disclosed that 2015 will feature thirty-five photographers spanning eighteen countries in a month long programme of events that includes exhibitions, workshops, artist presentations, discussions, screening, and large scale outdoor installations in congested public spaces in Lagos.

LagosPhoto opens to the public on October 24th, 2015 at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria and, Lagos. Satellite exhibition venues in arts and cultural spaces throughout the city extend to Omenka Gallery, Africans Artists’ Foundation, Stranger Lagos, Goethe- Institut, Nimbus Gallery, Alara Concept Store, A White Space Gallery, Yaba Tech, Quintessence. Outdoor exhibitions in public spaces in Lagos include Muri Okunola Park, Falomo Roundabout (Ikoyi), Awojobi Park (Onike), and Freedom Park.

Special projects & satellite exhibitions in conjunction with LagosPhoto include: Congo by Paolo Pellegrin and Alex Majoli at Art Twenty One

,World Press Photo 2015 POPCAP’15 , LagosPhoto Summer School , Etisalat Photography Competition: I Love Nigeria! ,LagosPhoto Mobile App, LagosPhoto award and a host of others.

LagosPhoto aims to provide a platform for the development and education of contemporary photography in Africa by establishing mentorships and cross-cultural collaborations with local and international artists.

Also speaking at the event, Azu Nwobuogu , Director of AAF, said that for the past six years,the Lagos Photo festival have been creating a positive image about Africa. And this year many foreign press will

LagosPhoto continues to provide a platform for the improvement and progression of professional and emerging photographic talent

be coming to the festival, pointing out reasons why it is important for

By ESTHER ONYEGBULA PRESNTATION

S

was in him and nurtured him over the years said, “I think Raji is ready and matured for a solo.

I have artists that are older than him, but they are not ready. But Raji’s works are well sought after, so I have to give the space.

He has actually done very well, as far as I am concerned, he is ready and he also delivers. To Africans to take ownership of their own image. This to him is what LagosPhoto offers as it is a platform for artists to express themselves through lens.

Chief Marketing Officer of Etisalat Nigeria,Francesco Angeleno, said that Etisalat is committed to any innovation related to the development of creativity in Africa. He commended the organisers stated that as a foreigner, the festival has afforded him the opportunity to understand the culture of Africans.

Through our numerous collaborations, LagosPhoto continues to provide a platform for the improvement and progression of professional and emerging photographic talent in a comprehensive public

get a serious artist is very hard, so when you see one, you catch him.”

For the gallery consultant, George Edozie, “Raji is a multi talented creative craftsman who knows how to manipulate colours. He is a relatively young artist with a very bright future.

In fact in the history of Alexis, we have sold up to 80 percent of his works.”

The artist who wrote in his statement that “I see Art as an unending adventure that keeps one moving from one level of creativity to another...” this solo is another leap to the next level.

His works are in private and public collections, both home and abroad and he is currently managed by Alexis galleries.

As usual, Alexis is proud of its regular sponsors, namely: Chocolat Royale, Nigeria Info, Cool FM, Wazobia FM, Cool TV, Wazobia TV, Art Café, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Arra Wines, The Homestores Limited, LithoChrome Limited, Avenue Suites Hotel and Cobranet Internet Service Provider. programming initiative that includes work shops, artist presentations, and portfolio reviews facilitated by prominent local and international photographers.

LagosPhoto is proudly sponsored by the Eko Hotel & Suites and Etisalat, with partners World Press Photo. Supporters include Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency, Lagos State Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Romarong, Pixers, Goethe Institut, Media sponsors; Hello Nigeria!, Brick Plus Magazine, Cool FM, Cool TV, Konbini and 54artistry.

LagosPhoto is additionally supported by the Ford Foundation.

Police book tackles Insecurity

ecurity of lives and to alleviate and completely in his steps.

The author also said that “As property as well as eradicate insecurity in our a patriotic Nigerian and a combating crime has society. Lucky also emphasized Police officer, I decided to remained a major issue that that with his wealth of carry out a thorough research has called for the attention of experience as a police officer, many stakeholders. Despite this was one on the way he felt which led to my finding that the efforts of security he could enlighten the public. most of the issues that lead to security challenges are personnels and others, it The chairman of the occasion seems as if the battle is not former commissioner of police due to nonchalant attitude, yet over, and as a way of Frank Odita, who was negligence, inadequate contributing his quota represented by Mr. Henry security education and few literatures on security among towards safe policing, Lucky Bassey expressed his delight Sadoh, a police officer wrote with the book which he said others.

“However during my a book titled “Alleviating was a priceless possession for research, I was able to come Insecurity in the Society”. all. He also praised the up with quality findings on The book which centered on courage of the officer and also strategies that both crime advised other officers to follow how the menace of insecurity of lives, properties, jobs and fighters and individuals could foods could be adopt to secure their lives, alleviated if not properties, jobs and was eradicated in our approved by the Inspector society. It is the finding General of Police (IGP) that has become a book Solomon Arase was unveiled today so that there will recently in Lagos. be awareness as At the launching of the book veritable instrument of at Emota Paradise in Lagos, awakening general the writer noted that the book consciousness of the The author and members of the high public against any was born out of the need to have a compendium on how table present the book to the public attacks or harm.”

PAGE 52—SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

At Playwrights Workshop, experts seek revival of theatre

By PRISCA SAM-DURU WORKSHOP

T

HERE is no gainsaying that Nigeria theatre

industry needs a boost. In recent times, theatre practitioners have intensified efforts towards attracting people’s interest to stage plays so as to improve on their theatre going culture, by ensuring quality plays are staged.

To strengthen its commitment towards this all important drive to revive theatre going culture of Nigerians, British Council Lagos, held a Playwright Workshop which was organised as a result of the competition to get new playwrights for the Lagos Theatre Festival,an initiative of the British Council, holding in 2016.

The process of getting quality plays for the festival began with the playwrights sending in their scripts, which were screened and the selected writers participated in the workshop, to enable their scripts go through rigourous criticism by a panel. In all, 45

entries were received out of which 6 people made the shortlist.

Consequently, they had their entires criticised by a panel that comprised theatre guru, Professor Ahmed Yerima, Tunde Awosanmi of the department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan, Wana Udobang, Ita Hozaife, Wale Oguntokun and Tunji Sotimirin, during the workshop.

Throwing more light on the workshop, the coordinator, Brenda Uphopho said the platform displayed an objective view of what Nigerians expect from the festival, adding that, “Because these playwrights are new, we aim at getting new writers in the theatre industry. So after the workshop, the writers will take home feedback, rewrite their plays and then we will announce the winner of the competition.”

During the workshop, the shortlisted plays were read after which the panelists criticised the works considering exploration of themes, storytelling, language, dialogue or conversation, etc.

Tables Turned written by

L-R: Ita Hozaife, Tunji Sotimirin, Prof. Ahmed Yerima and Wale Oguntokun at the Playwrights Workshop in Lagos

We need to have a larger collection of works that can be performed. As theatre is reviving now, there’s going to be a demand, a demand for new writers Oluwafemi Kayode, which tells the story of a young man who loses his job and embraces the popular computer village in Ikeja known as West Africa hub for sales of technology gadgets.

He soon finds out that hustle has many definitions and to succeed,

he must learn the tricks. The Panel thought Kayode’s play was dense with too many issues begging for attention. They all suggested that there should be a unified theme and that he should move swiftly between conversations. In addition, he and in fact all budding playwrights were advised to improve on their writings by reading works by other playwrights both within and outside the country.

Characters in any play they insisted, must be made memorable.

Every Single Day by Olubunmi Familoni which attempts to address the issues of LGBT rights through a character, Linda, whose refusal to marry, drives her mother into seeking for spiritual help, attracted serious criticism by the panel. While Prof Yerima expressed his dissatisfaction with the language which he said

wasn’t theatrical, others pointed out that the protagonist was too passive, timid, stupid and conformist. He was also accused of shocking his audience with a bombshell which he gave no hint about and didn’t attempt to resolve. In general, playwrights were advised to write on what they know, study their audience and note concept of storytelling.

Still on the process of selection of plays for the forthcoming festival, Uphopho said, “We targeted 18-35, age bracket because we wanted younger writers who would be able to showcase how the average Lagosian lives. Only original scripts that have never been commercially performed before were accepted. She hinted that through her project; Performing Artworks and Studios which she handles with her husband, they advocated for this process because “I believe that we need to have a larger collection of works that can be performed. As theatre is reviving now, there’s going to be a demand, a demand for new writers. So even after the festival, these works can be performed commercially by any other production house.”

Uphopho who strongly supported the idea of site proscenium theatre for fact that it presents opportunity for people to put up their plays in an unusual and unconventional places, commended British Council for its fantastic interest in the creative sector in general. “ I’m happy to be partnering with them in this.” She said.

A financial nugget for breakthrough

BY CHRIS ONUOHA

hearts can do that”, then, it become obvious that it is not enough to just create wealth, but must know how to manage it and grow it.

Other financial experts who made contribution to the book are Adekunle Adedeji, Managing Partner, Argentil Capital Partners, Laolu Mudashiru of Vetiva Capital Management, Funke Ladimeji, Omilola

REVIEW

W

ealth is descibed as

measure of valuable assests owned by an individual, group or nations, and this includes, health, well-being, money and power.

Man generically, is said to be rich and wealthy when he is endowed with the entire attributes, perhaps, poor when he lacks.

However, both characteristics, having same emotional, physical and mental dispositions tend to differ in ideology.

This brings to fore, the intent quest to liberate man from mediocrity by a renowned life couch and financial catalyst, Lanre Olusola, who packaged a new financial wisdom nuggets tagged, “The Money Book ...lessons from the Rich and the Poor.”

The money book published by Ezra Media Limited, 2015 is a concise 87 page book with colourful hardcover.

The author, in the book, pried into man’s understanding - how much of what he know does he put into practice and how much of what he hear, do he care to hear and hear again.

However, application of these simple wisdom tenets to excel in life does not strain a man, but the ability to comprehend the facts, remains a problem. Many people are consumed by shallowness in understanding, yet exudes barrage of inexplicable “I too know” traits, masking the earnest openness to “see, hear and do”.

The book is very lucid and simplified digestible nugget, easy to carry about as a financial bible. Each pictorial page in

black and white has two powerful quotes that acquaint you with day to day reminder on how to position your taught towards positive thinking. It is also meant to set the captives poverty free, open blind eyes and reveal the simple secrets of rich men.

According to the author, “There are significant differences between the Rich and the Poor, likewise there are differences between the truly Rich and the Rich”, which in his own words lies in the perception, state of mind and habitual behaviour of the rich and the poor.

In page 23, this remarkable quotes states, “The poor think in terms of ‘if and if not’; the rich think in terms of ‘ when and why not?”. Also, “The poor blame everything and everyone for his situation while the rich blames himself, wakes up to his responsibilities and make things happen for him”. In another page, it says, “Poor men just show up each day wishing for a financial breakthrough while Rich men know their calling, focus on it and commit everything to excel in it”.

Looking at this saying by Norman Vincent, “Empty pockets never held anyone back, only empty heads and empty

Oshikoya and Femi Oladehin.

Others are Olumide Emmanuel, CEO of Common Sense Group and Nimi Akinkugbe who x-rays on spending money wisely and been financially independent.

According to the author “Many people had different goals but the absence of money or habit of focusing on money without exploring other options hinder the realization of such

dreams.” He believes all men are equal and has same gifts and talents but, perhaps, the rich man understands the principles of translating this endowment into wealth.

It is a must have for every person who is entrepreneurial minded, who needs to get focused, learning the fundamental principles and mindset that engender wealthy people.

The Emancipation of Bingo

By SEGUN AYINLA SHORT STORY

B

ingo sat in the middle of the Lagos - Ibadan expressway and smiled to himself. He ignored the shouts and curses of the commercial bus drivers as they swerved to avoid him and lolled his tongue at startled passengers..all the while grinning like an idiot. None of them would dare hit him! He was betting his life on it. Nigerians were so susperstitious. He shook his head and snorted.They believed it was bad luck to hit a dog when you were travelling..So there he sat..right in the middle of the highway..enjoying his five minutes of fame.

It was bingo’s 10th birthday. He had always wanted to do this..It felt good to finally live that dream.He was done trying to please human beings. He was a runaway dog who had chosen to live the rest of his short lifespan doing whatever he pleased.

Obstructing traffic was a rascally thing to do, he admitted..but then again, life was too short not to have fun..especially if you were a dog. He knew had just a couple of years more to live..but before his demise, he would declare his independence..the emancipation of bingo!

Human beings were funny sha..they

paraded themselves as higher animals..mscheww..higher indeed.

They were a confused lot! They stuck up their noses and talked condescendingly to dogs..like their humanity made them superior to any other animal that roamed the earth..”hehehe” he chuckled, hardly able to conceal his amusement.

Humans! They had no respect for the natural order of things!

Humans..the only specie that preyed upon its own kind.. Humans who had no respect for God or any living thing that God created! Humans!

‘Abeg..abeg..’he barked at the sky..’make we hear word!’ A dog was ten times better than a human being.

Only dogs loved unconditionally ..only a dog would gladly give its life to protect another..only a dog would forgive again and again..only a dog could truly forgive and forget..not these animals that walked on two legs. A Male dog on heat no matter how pressed he is would never burn with passion for another male dog..but humans.

Just the other day, his dog-friend in the U.S, a lady poodle named Tasha sent him a voice -mail through the dog-network. She sounded really traumatized. She said her owner, Mr Bruce had come home one day with a weird smell she could hardly

place..even his walk seemed funny.

She said she got the shocker of her life when she caught a glimpse of him coming out of the bathroom.

Her dear, Mr Bruce had developed the full features of a woman! He even referred to himself as ‘caitlyn’ on the phone. She felt her head swelling as she gawked at the apparition before her..What in the world was this aberration? She yelped with fright and fled for her dear life!

“Poor Tasha” bingo muttered to himself. She was one of those dogs that would do anything to please her master. she craved to be loved like most dogs..they were love junkies..the whole lot of them..that was the curse of the dog-specie..ever desiring to be loved by human beings. But not Bingo..he was too old now to care about such things. All he had left to feel for humanity was pity. These incredibly gifted animals chosen by God himself to lead the rest of creation now victims of their own proclivities..ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the Truth.. Oh well, Time to go!..LASTMA would be here any minute now..Bingo raised a hindleg and declared his independence right there on the road before strolling off into the bushes..Every dog has its day..He would return again sometime..

S UNDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, OCTOBER 18 , 2015, PAGE 53

I formed Odic FC to help the poor — Odawulu F

OOTBALL is serious business. This has been said severally at different forums. In Nigeria however, the game grows out of government’s magnanimity as most clubs in the country’s topflight are owned by state governments, excerpt for IfeanyiUba FC and Giwa FC. But in Nigeria’s lower division league, the Nationwide League Division 3, a woman, Mrs Lawretta Chigozie Odawulu, the CEO of Odic Wire and Cables Limited has ventured into club ownership, and she is setting the pace. Her club, Odic Football Club owns a flourishing camp which can carter for over 35 players and officials with all modern facilities like a spacious lounge, dinning hall, a boardroom, a store room, gym, sick bay, indoor games facility, saloon, et al. Located at Old Ojo Road, off Oluti bus stop, Odawulu said the facility is open for use to other clubs and organisations. In this chat with Jacob Ajom, the club owner speaks on her dream to make Odic FC one of the best run clubs in the country. Excerpts.

What informed your decision to establish a football club?

It has been my desire to help the less privileged. Most of our youths are idle and angry too. It is not that when they channel their God-given talents to meaningful engagements they can’t make; but the fact remains that there are very few opportunities open to them. So, I decided to form a grassroots football club to assist them.

How old is the club?

Six years old and we competed in Nationwide Division 3 League in the just-concluded season. We placed 3rd in Ondo centre, where we played. This was our first experience in the league and I must tell you that it has given us the opportunity to expose our players and for the players, it exposed them to a higher level of competition. It has made them better.

Some people form clubs and only concern themselves with selling players abroad. Have you been engaged in such?

The main purpose of this club is not to sell players abroad. Like I said earlier, the need to hwlp the less privileged, give them a window of opportunity and better their future made us to form this club. We will expose them to the international community and if any of them is lucky he gets hooked up. But that is not our main concern. We have to start from somewhere. I am pained that the glory of yesteryears is gone. How do we bring back Nigeria’s glory days in football?

This is our own modest contribution to the development of football in the country. We want a return to the glory days of

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•Odawulu Nigerian football. We need to restore our position among the comity of football playing nations.

So we are contributing our quota to that quest.

How did you come about this massive structure, the club’s camp?

I started it out of passion.

Nobody has given me a kobo since we started. From the onset, I knew football was capital intensive. I had it in mind that I want to put a structure which I can be proud of.

Odic Football Club is not just like any other club. I made use

of the resources I had to make this structure possible. We have come a long way. We started from Sabo Primary School, Alaba. We have been operating as a grassroots club and we needed to move up.

We registered for Nationwide League Division 3. We then moved to First Bank of Nigeria training ground, in Satellite Town.

We needed a camp, where we can call our home. That was how we came to this place. I want to model the club after all modern football clubs with facilities that will enhance productivity. Clubs

abroad have their camps and others use it. So the facility is open for other clubs, organisations or churches. We want to commercialise it so that it can raise money for the club. We launched the camp just before we started the league How has this impacted on the performance of the team?

Being here has been awesome.

The players stay together, play together and some bathe together.

So there has been so much togetherness and it has engendered unity among the players and above all, it has given them encouragement.

Definitely, even the coaches talk about enhanced performances from the players after we moved in here. A place like this can give club managers total control over their players. They have the opportunity of preparing their meals. There is a saloon and a facility for indoor games and a basketball court.

A club once spent three months in a hotel. If you check the cost on the finances of the club that will be huge.

What is your target next season?

We have had the experience and it was an amazing experience indeed. The players have seen football at another level and have been exposed to what they did not know before. We are coming out stronger and better next season.

As a woman, how do you find yourself in a male-dominated field?

I am not seeing it that way. God has bestowed upon me to take up a responsibility and I cannot shy away from it because I am a woman. At some point I almost dropped the idea but my passion to give hope to the less privileged kept me on. I am trying my best

to keep my head up without allowing the men to intimidate me.

How has your husband been of support to you?

It was his dream actually but unfortunately he is late. When I said the club was six years old I was actually telling you when I took it up. If I should count the years my husband started the sponsorship of the club, it should be about 8 years now.

Would you welcome sponsors?

Of course, football is about sponsorship. Anybody or organisation that wants to partner with us is welcomed.

Have you won any silverwares since inception?

Many. We are three times winners of the M.K.O Abiola Kashimawo football tournament from 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Sponsored by sky discovery sport development limited. Winners of late Okuchukwu Ezenwata Donatus Odawulu memorial cup 2009, 2010, sponsored by ODIC wire and cables company Nigeria ltd. Two times winner of Abuja interstate cup 2012 and 2013 editions.

Winner of the first edition of Osolu football tournament, sponsored by HRM, Oba Abideen Durosinmi the Osolu of Osolu kingdom. Winner of NIGSODEF 2013 Asiwaju Awosedo penalty cup. Winner of U-13 south west national football festival (2013 edition). Ojo league Cup holders from 2009 till date.

Winner of the 1st edition of Akpororo Super Cup 2013.

Runner up of Bale’s Cup Ilemba division 2012 edition.

Winners of 2014 U-21 open vision foundation football tournament.

Army, Navy chiefs canvass better deal for watersport

BY JACOB AJOM

T

HE Corps Commander, Nigerian Army Signals, Major General Chris Adewale Jemitola has challenged corporate Nigeria to embrace water sport in order to assist Nigeria win laurels at the Olympics and other international sports events.

Speaking at the Navy Sailing Club 2015 Commodore’s Independence Boat Race, the army General insisted that the country was blessed with enough potentials to take the world by storm, if the sailors were adequately motivated.

“I am encouraged by the tremendous skill exhibited by the kids. I believe this is in continuation of talent hunt by the club and it is a good step in

training leadership and future sailors.

“All they need is the backing by sponsors and mentorship. The sky won’t be their limit,” he said.

He urged the Naval community to go to schools and in order to get them young.

In the same vein, Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Bee Ibe Enwo said, “Training in water sport is a continuous process.

What I have seen here today shows that there is hope for the future of the sport in Nigeria.”

He commended the Navy Sailing Club for sustaining the Commodore’s boat race and urged the media to be at the vanguard of attracting sponsors to the sport.

The Club Commodore, Giwa Daramola said with the right

support, the club could achieve its Rio 2016 Olympics target,

“giving Nigeria a good representation at the Games.”

L-R Operations Marketing Manager, East & Central, CocaCola Nigeria Limited, Oletubo Adeyinka Senior Brand Manager Flavours, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Toyin Nnodi congratulating Anagbado Chimezie, who emerged the top player in the Basketball Category of the 2015 Sprite Triple Slam event, at Enugu State University of Science and Technology(ESUT) recently.

PAGE 54 — S UNDAY Vanguard SUNDAY Vanguard,, OCTOBER 18 , 2015

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IEGO Costa’s tap-in and an Alan Hutton own goal gave Chelsea their first win in four matches on Saturday as the Premier League champions beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Both sides came into the clash out of form and separated by just four points in the lower reaches of the table but Costa returning from a suspension for his antics against Arsenal last month - proved key as goals in each half got Jose Mourinho’s men back on track after a tricky run of results.

Mourinho was charged by the Football Association in midweek for his outburst after the 3-1 defeat to Southampton and dropped the likes of Eden Hazard, Gary Cahill and Oscar to the bench from that loss.

While the changes made little difference early on as Villa edged the opening stages, Costa benefited from a defensive mix-up between Brad Guzan and Joleon Lescott 10 minutes before half time.

Villa - winless in the league since the opening day - offered signs that they could get back into the game but were out of luck for Chelsea’s second as Costa’s shot looped past Guzan off the unlucky Hutton.

While Chelsea continued to look off their best, Mourinho’s side ended their winless run ahead of a tricky midweek trip to face Dinamo Kiev in the Champions League, while Villa’s fifth consecutive Premier League defeat will keep the pressure on Tim Sherwood as they remain in the bottom three.

Chelsea back on track

In-form Vardy sparks Foxes fight back

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AMIE Vardy continued his remarkable run of form as his double sparked a second-half fightback from Leicester City in Saturday’s 2-2 Premier League draw at Southampton.

Southampton appeared on course for three points as they led 2-0 midway through the second half but Vardy pulled one back in the 67th minute before

netting a dramatic equaliser in stoppage time.

The hosts looked in control at St Mary ’s Stadium as captain Jose Fonte - who signed a new contract until 2018 on Friday - nodded home the opener and Fonte’s centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk then scored for the second home match in a row to make it 2-0 before half time.

Lanzini, Payet strike late to sink Palace from Manuel Lanzini and

Dimitri Payet in the final five minutes sealed a 3-1 •Chelsea captain John Terry (right) goes in for a high footed challenge on win.

Villa striker Rudy Gestede The Hammers dominated the second half after Dwight Gayle’s red card just before the break with the score already at 11.

Carl Jenkinson put the visitors in front only to then ANCHESTER City with his first-half treble foul Gayle in the box maintained their and Wilfried Bony moments later, with Yohan grip on top spot in the scoring twice.

Cabaye converting the Bony, who replaced Premier League with penalty, despite having to Raheem Sterling scoring Aguero up front, set up take it twice due to the his first professional hat- Sterling for the opening striker’s encroachment. in before trick in a 5-1 victory over goal West Ham created few AFC Bournemouth at the capitalising on a clear openings but the mistake from Adam Etihad Stadium. aerial power of substitute Even without the Federici to add one of Andy Carroll proved the injured Sergio Aguero - his own in the 11th difference as the fit-again who scored five goals in minute. striker won a header at the Bournemouth pulled Sterling wheels away to celebrate his first of three 22 minutes last time out back post for Lanzini to against Newcastle one back through Glenn goals against Bournemouth slam the loose ball beyond United - City showed no Murray in the 22nd Wayne Hennessey. sign of bluntness in minute, but Sterling was Palace had defended attack, with England on target again before resolutely but Payet lobbed forward Sterling starring the half-hour mark.

Hennessey beautifully in injury time as Slaven Bilic’s EW Liverpool boss men recorded their fourth •Wayne Rooney ended his goal Jurgen Klopp feels away Premier League win drought away from home as he his side’s 0-0 draw of the season to climb to slid the ball beyond Tim Howard against Tottenham at third in the table. to make it 3-0 in the second half White Hart Lane Both sides had enjoyed represents a positive fine starts to the Premier start to his time in charge League season, and came of the club. into the game perched in Divock Origi hit the the top six. crossbar in the early Having won at Arsenal, stages, before Simon Liverpool and Manchester Mignolet made decent City already this term, saves from Clinton N’Jie Bilic’s men almost made and Harry Kane in a •Klopp the perfect start when relatively quiet Premier Lanzini made progress but Klopp was encour- down the left wing straight League encounter.

Liverpool have now aged by what he saw in from kick-off, but Payet did won just one of their last his opening test after re- not read his cross and could 10 away league games, placing Brendan only prod wide.

W

EST Ham left it late to beat 10-man Crystal Palace as goals

Sterling hits hat-trick in Aguero absence

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Klopp: Tottenham draw a positive start

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Rooney ends Goodison goal drought

W

AYNE Rooney scored his first goal at Goodison Park since 2007 as Manchester United recorded an impressive 3-0 win over Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.

Morgan Schneiderlin’s first competitive goal for United in the 18th minute C M Y K

gave them the lead before Ander Herrera headed in a second just four minutes later.

David de Gea continued his fine recent form with strong reaction saves to deny Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley as United weathered an early storm in the second half.

But Rooney, who had been urged before the game by manager Louis van Gaal to end his Everton hoodoo, finished a quick counter-attack on 62 minutes to move jointsecond with Andy Cole on 187 goals on the all-time Premier League scoring •Muller charts.

Muller extends perfect start

T

HOMAS Muller ’s ninth goal in as many Bundesliga games this season extended Bayern Munich’s perfect start with a 1-0 win at Werder Bremen on Saturday.

The in-form Germany forward made it nine

wins from nine league games for the champions with a closerange finish midway through the first half at the Weserstadion, moving them seven points clear of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table.

S UNDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, OCTOBER 18 , 2015, PAGE 55

Enugu agog for NCC Tennis League semi-finals

N

IGERIA’S coal city, Enugu is already agog for the NCC Tennis League semifinal clash between Team Civil

Defence, winners of the Blue Group and Team Ogun, runners up from the White Group, taking place at the Enugu Sports Club

Eagles Continues from B/P doubled their lead in the 76th minute through a penalty taken by substitute Gbolahan Salami after Enyimba forward Ezekiel Bassey was fouled inside the box on his way to goal.

Substitute Chisom Chikatara ought to have given Nigeria a more comfortable win a minute later, but his clever chip after a defensive blunder by an opponent was misdirected.

And five minutes from time, the exciting Abia Warriors forward again threatened when he got to the end of a pass from the right, but the goalkeeper was quick enough to cuddle the effort.

Even before the opening goal, Nigeria had

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threatened before then as Nasarawa United midfielder Yaro, Osas Okoro and Ezekiel Bassey carved out chances.

But Burkina Faso to their credit did not sit back in their defence as they continued to chase the game.

Nigeria goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa pulled off a big save in the 32nd minute, when he beat off a swerving shot from distance.

In the second half, Les Etalons of Burkina Faso continued to chase the game and that way kept their hosts at bay for most part of this half of the encounter before the home-based Eagles got their lifeline with the penalty.

from Friday October 23 to Sunday October 25.

The two teams between them will be parading five past and current national champions.

“We as members of the Enugu Sports Club and sports lovers in Enugu state generally are very excited to have these top players come to Enugu to play good tennis. We have jokingly told club tennis players in Enugu who play “anyhow tennis” to come with their notebooks to take notes on

how good tennis should be played. It’s a long time we saw good tennis in these parts. “ Said Barrister Arum who was recently voted in as club president.

Adding, “The occasion could not have been better timed as we have just completed the renovation of the club house. The centre court will also be renovated for the tie.” Team Civil Defence has in their ranks the current national men’s and ladies’ singles champions – Clifford Enosoregbe and Christie

B/Faso coach Continues from B/P individual mistakes that resulted in the 0-2 loss Nigeria.

“However, I believe we can quickly correct the mistakes to give Nigerians the toughest match in the second leg in Ouagadougou.

“Burkina Faso are still strong contenders for the Rwanda 2016 CHAN

ticket despite today ’s (Saturday) defeat.

“Nigeria played very well to deserved the 2-0 victory but we hope to upturn the table in the reverse clash later in the month,” said Troare to supersport.com.

The aggregate winners of the two-legged encounter will cement a spot in the final for the 2016 CHAN in Rwanda.

Oliseh Continues from B/P “We have not won anything yet,” insisted Oliseh after the match in Port Harcourt.

“If we could score two goals here, nothing stops them from scoring the same number of goals in the return leg.

“It will be an interesting second leg.”

He rated Les Etalons highly.

“They are a very good and combative team,” he remarked.

The Burkina Faso coach blamed individual errors for his team’s loss.

The overall winners of this match-up over two legs will advance to the final tournament in Rwanda in January.

Ronaldo Continues from B/P ringing around the Santiago Bernabeu after the legendary forward revealed he would be retiring from football at the end of the season, so of course Ronaldo picked this moment to finally break his all-time goals record.

Although Madrid and Ronaldo himself claim he managed it a fortnight ago, in the Champions League against Malmo, the record books will show

it was here that he struck his 324th goal for the club, in his 310th game. It took Raul 741 games to hit 323, emphasising what an incredible feat Ronaldo has accomplished.

By contrast, this was not a good day for Gareth Bale, who was taken off at half-time, presumably to rest him ahead of the midweek clash with Paris SaintGermain, after he played in both of Wales’ international games.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 18, 2015

Ronaldo’s Real Madrid’s all-time top goalscorer

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RISTIANO Ronaldo doesn’t like to be upstaged. Raul’s name was

Continues on page 55

BEATEN: Chima Akas (r) beats his Burkinabe marker during the match.

U-1 7 W ORLD CUP RESUL T U-17 WORLD RESULT

Nigeria 2 USA 0

CHAN: Eagles beat still in the race Burkina Faso 2-0 We’re — B/Faso coach

RECORD BREAKER: Ronaldo with his golden boot award.

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IGERIA beat a resolute Burkina Faso 2-0 in the first leg of a 2016 CHAN qualifier played in Port Harcourt on Saturday.

The return leg will be played in Ouagadougou next weekend with the overall winners advancing to the final tournament in Rwanda next year.

Bature Yaro put Nigeria in front with a clean strike from an almost acute ankle after 24 minutes.

The home-based Eagles Continues on page 55

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We’ve not won yet — Oliseh D

URKINA Faso coach, Idrissa Malo Troare has blamed too many mistakes for his side defeat in the hands of the Nigerians.

The Stallions were pegged 0-2 by Nigeria’s Super Eagles in the first leg final round clash for the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) on Saturday in Port Harcourt.

Troare however said his side are very much in the race to qualifying for the CHAN final in Rwanda.

“Not so much bad a performance though there were too many mistakes,

ESPITE beating Burkina Faso 2-0 in a 2016 CHAN qualifier, Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh has warned his team are yet to win anything.

Goals by Bature Yaro and Gbolahan Salami in either half handed Nigeria a 2-0 home win on Saturday, but they face a tough rematch in Ouagadougou next weekend.

Continues on page 55

•Oliseh

CROSS WORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1.Nobel-winning Archbishop (7-4) 5.Sailor (3) 7.Consumed (5) 8.Domesticates (5) 9.Ovum (3) 10.Electricity counting gadgets (6) 13.Highlander (4) 15.Poem (3) 17.One that contests (9) 20.Nigerian tribe (5) 22.Cereal (5) 24.Demoted (9) 27.Pig’s pen (3) 29.No one (4) 30.Sulks (6) 33.Away (3) 35.Presses (5) 36.Till (5) 37. Swine (3) 38. “The Man Who Saw Tomorrow” (11)

DOWN 1.Sleeping vision (5) 2.Possessor (5) 3.Tax (4) 4.Depressing (9) 5.Argentinian dance (5) 6.Wash lightly (5) 11.Greek letter (3) 12.Distress call (1-1-1) 14.English boy’s name (5) 16.Obstacle (3) 17.Bovine animal (3) 18.Mindfulness (9) 19.Alarm (5) 21.Help (3) 23.Village house (3) 25.Gnome (3) 26.Vast age (3) 27.Condescend (5) 28.Youthful (5) 31.Circular (5) 32.Trades (5) 34.Old Russian King (4)

•Traore

Continues on page 55

Fixture Newcastle

EPL

v

Norwich City

4:00 pm

Results

See solution on page 5

Tottenham Chelsea Crystal Palace Everton Man City Southampton West Brom Watford

0 2 1 0 5 2 1 0

Liverpool Aston Villa West Ham United Man Utd Bournemouth Leicester City Sunderland Arsenal

0 0 3 3 1 2 0 3

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