Boko Haram Leader, Shekau, shot, escapes to mail

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2—SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19 19, 2013

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4 — Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013

I’ve delivered to my people, Amaechi replies Orubebe

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME, PH

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HE simmering dis pute between Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State and the Minister for Niger Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe has now blown into the open with Governor Amaechi now responding to Orubebe’s criticisms.

Orubebe was said to have earlier accused Amaechi of allegedly not showing enough respect for President Goodluck Jonathan.

But Amaechi in a state-

ment signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Dave Iyofor said it’s worrisome that Elder Orubebe had not been able to complete a single road project in the region since he came on board as Minister, adding that the Minister had become a burden on the region.

The Governor’s statement read in part, “Ordinarily, I would not respond to the ludicrous, thoughtless and bizarre ranting of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe against the Rivers State

Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, but it has become imperative for me to do this and show clearly that the Minister’s game is just to divert attention from his own ineptitude . Contrary to his vituperations, Governor Amaechi has tremendous respect for the office of the President of Nigeria and President Goodluck Jonathan. The office of the President of Nigeria is a big institution that deserves utmost respect and it would not be right for anyone to disrespect Mr. President, which unfortunately the

Minister is doing by dragging the President’s name into his inability to deliver on the East –West Road. ‘’ The Minister conveniently forgets that the same Amaechi he now disparages and accuses of not respecting Mr. President, led Rivers’ people to overwhelmingly vote for and gave President Jonathan the highest votes by any state in the country at the last Presidential elections. What respect, regard and show of love is bigger than that? ‘’His reckless attacks on

the person of Governor Amaechi is an obvious attempt to divert attention from his abysmal failure to deliver on the East- West road. This callous attempt to drag the President’s name into it is what is most disrespectful and irresponsible. I challenge the Minister to show the world; projects he started and completed in the Niger-Delta as Minister of Niger-Delta affairs. I challenge him to show the world one project he started and completed in Rivers State with the huge resources allocated

to his ministry. Or is Rivers State not part of the Niger-Delta...? ’’In the same vein, I challenge him to come to Rivers State at anytime of his choice and since he could not see Governor Amaechi’s monumental developmental strides and projects in the state, I will be most delighted to show him the kilometres upon kilometres of brand new roads and bridges, the world-class new hospitals and health centres scattered all over the state; the exquisite primary and secondary schools that have become the models for many, the robust urban renewal programme, and many more developmental projects of the Amaechi administration. I will advise him to make sure he brings the press along as well; so the media will be quick to remind him that they saw the projects with him. “ The Minister should please face the simple task of completing one road; just the East- West road, as this diversionary attempt to attack Governor Amaechi will not complete the road that is most dear to the hearts and lives of Niger-Deltans.”

President Jonathan makes unscheduled visit to Police College in Lagos

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N his way to an ECOWAS meeting in the Ivory Coast, President Goodluck Jonathan’s plane was diverted to Lagos where he made a surprise visit to the police college in Ikeja.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that even his top aides were taken unaware by the unscheduled stop.

The police authorities were also caught unawares and had in fact rented the college to host a private wedding, which is illegal.

President Jonathan demanded that the top brass explain these actions to which they had no sufficient answers. Upon hearing this the President immediately commenced an inspection of the college, starting with the student hostels where he discovered dilapidated conditions including no beds and toilets in the rooms.

President Jonathan was said to have inspected most of the facilities in the college such as the Hostel and other facilities in the college.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013 — 5

Boko Haram leader, Shekau shot, escapes to Mali •••Receiving treatment for gunshot STORIES BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI, Abuja

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HERE were indications yesterday in Abuja, that the leader of the Boko Haram Islamic sect, Imam Abubakar Shekau was wounded during a gun battle with security men recently.

Sources said in Abuja that security agencies traced the whereabouts of Shekau, who succeeded late Mohammed Yusuf as leader of the sect to Mali, where he escaped to after sustaining injuries during a gun duel with soldiers of the Joint Task Force, JTF, a.k.a Operation Restore Order.

Sources told Saturday Vanguard that the Federal Government approved the deployment of 1,200 soldiers apparently because of the need to arrest the wounded Boko Haram leader.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika who addressed officers and soldiers of the Nigerian army shortly before they were airlifted to Mali Thursday in Kaduna, asked them to be extra vigilant as there are indications that some ter-

rorists had sneaked into the country with the aim of causing havoc.

Ihejirika however, pointed out that the Nigerian Army was not resting on its oars as the war against terror was being won.

Saturday Vanguard learnt that the battle between the JTF and the sect members took place at Gao city, in the heart of Northern Mali presently under the control of Tuareg militants.

It was further learnt that Shekau, who is having N50million ransom hanging on his head from the Federal Government, was ferried to Mali through one of the porous routes in the vast Nigerian border without Customs and Immigration authorities getting wind of it.

Saturday Vanguard was told that while the Boko Haram leader was being given medication in Gao, the foreign sponsors of the sect’s activities in Nigeria, were busy, using his name to indoctrinate, train and recruit more members for the sect.

Shekau was said to have been shot at a checkpoint when he reportedly attempted to deceive operatives of the JTF by pos-

ing as a nomadic Fulani who was returning from a journey. However, on approach of the vehicle conveying him and members of his sect, ‘’a hot exchange of gunfire ensued as the sect members started firing at the soldiers who equally returned fire for fire.’’

During the crossfire, he and two other sect members with him escaped with gunshot wounds while two members of the sect were killed on the spot. Some AK 47 rifles were recovered from the vehicle.

While stating that most of the weaponry including IEDS recovered from Boko Haram members have been traced to the weaponry used during the Libyan uprising against late Libyan leader, Gaddafi, the source said Nigerian security agencies believed that the more sophisticated and deadly weaponry had gotten to the hands of sect members but they are unable to operate them because they are not trained for it.

The source cited the discovery of Shekau’s hideout and the training base for Boko Haram sect members to unleash terror on Nigerians as a further justification of the action of the federal government to deploy 1, 200 troops as well as Airforce fighter and transport aircraft to Mali to help flush out the Tuareg militants and their

R-L: Senate President, Senator David Mark, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (Celebrant), Mr. John Kufor, former Ghana president and Chief Ernest Shonekan, former Head of Interim Government at the celebration of Chief Obasanjo held at his library hall Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, yesterday. Photo: WUMI AKINOLA sponsors.

Saturday Vanguard further gathered that security has been beefed up along the Nigerian Army First Mechanized Division and the Third Armoured Division’s areas of responsibilities with the deployment of soldiers at the borders to complement the work of other security agencies following the escalation of the Mali crisis with a view to checkmating infiltrations into the country by terrorists.

Last December, a total sum of N290 million ransom was approved for anyone who could assist in locating Imam Abubakar Shekau and 18 other leaders of Boko Haram.

A release by the JTF listed the wanted Boko Haram leaders to include five members of the Shurra (the highest decisionmaking body of the sect)

Committee and 19 of their commanders.

The five members of the Shurra Committee of the sect, including Imam Abubakar Shekau whose ramsom was N50 million, and Habibu Yusuf (a.k.a Asalafi), Khalid Albarnawai, Momodu Bama and Mohammed Zangina. Apart from Imam Shekau whose ransom was put at N50 million, the other Shurra members’ ransom was put at N25million each.

A ransom of N10 million each was put on the Boko Haram Commanders including, Abu Saad, Abba Kaka, Abdulmalik Bama, Umar Fulata, Alhaji Mustapha, (Massa) Ibrahim and Abubakar SuleimanHabu a.k.a Khalid.

Other commanders also included Hassan Jazair, Ali Jalingo, Alhaji Musa Modu, Bashir Aketa,

Abba Goroma, Ibrahim Bashir, Abubakar Zakariya and Tukur Ahmed Mohammed.

The JTF statement on the N290 million ransom then, reads in part; “They are wanted in connection with terrorist activities, particularly in the North East zone of Nigeria that led to the killings, bombings and assassination of some civilians, religious leaders, traditional rulers, businessmen, politicians, civil servants and security personnel, among others. They are also wanted for arson and destruction of properties worth millions of naira.Therefore, anyone with information that will lead to the arrest of any of the listed terrorists or more will have the rewards (placed on them) as stated.’’

Jonathan to international community: Security challenges are under control

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that the security challenges currently facing the country would soon become issues of the past, as according to him, ‘’our security challenges are under control.’’.

Jonathan spoke at the decoration of 45 newly promoted Major generals and their equivalents with their ranks, Jonathan, who was represented by the Minister of State for Defence, Olusola Obada noted that “with our new found determination and

continued support and partnership, terrorism and other security challenges will soon become issues of the past,”.

Stressing the need for inter-agency cooperation which is essential in dealing with the nation’s security challenges, Jonathan noted that the presence of other security chiefs at the event symbolised the importance of cooperation and synergy in meeting national security needs.

He called on the Armed Forces to foster stronger

ties and collaboration with other security agencies towards improving and sustaining national peace and security.

To the decorated officers, he said, ``Your promotion is in recognition of your selfless and dedicated service to our armed forces in particular and the nation at large.

“I urge you to live up to this high rank by remaining absolutely loyal to the service and the nation as two- star generals. Our nation expects from you, greater dedication to duty

, exemplary leadership and professional excellence.

“At this stage of your career, you must devote your ideas and talents to peace and security and social economic development of our country,’’ he said.

Jonathan however, emphasised that government would continue to support the military and other security agencies to effectively discharge their constitutional responsibilities.

6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013

Recruitment scam: FG investigates sacked Immigration boss The committee which has one month to complete its assignment is to confirm the number and category of officers that sat for the last promotion examination, to establish the number of officers promoted vis- a- vis the approved establishment for the promotion last year, to verify the authen-

BY JERRY AJEHI Abuja

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HE Minister of Interi or, Comrade Abba Moro, yesterday, set up a six-man committee to investigate the alleged recruitment scandal that led to the removal of former Comptroller General of Immigration, Mrs Rose Chinyere Uzoma.

President Goodluck Jonathan had on Tuesday ordered the former NIS Boss to proceed on a pre-retirement accumulated leave owing to the said controversial recruitment.

Comrade Moro, who spoke in Abuja, yesterday, while inaugurating the committee said the setting up of the committee was meant to investigate how the former C-G ran the service, with the intention to amend all abnormalities.

The minister said that he had received some petitions and appeals from some officers of the service bothering on fraud, injustice and tribal sentiments in the conduct of promotions.

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Federal High Court sitting in Abuja will on Monday sentence one Abdulrasheed Ibrahim for attempting to smuggle $188,858 out of Nigeria. The accused person had on Thursday pleaded guilty to the one-count charge of money laundering preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Ibrahim was arrested on Wednesday November 7, 2012 as he prepared to board a Dubai, United Arab Emirates-

•In the payroll of a primary school

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA Asaba

A Governor Dickson in a warm handshake with the international investor, Mr. Mahendra Patel after signing an MOU to build a Steel Plant and Cold Storage facility in Bayelsa State He added that other serious allegations ranging from certificate forgery, and non-compliance with the principle of seniority in determining officers qualified for promotion were also received.

According to him, “After the last promotion of officers in the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, I received some petitions and appeals from some officers of the service bothering on fraud, injustice, and tribal sentiment in the conduct of

the promotion exercise.

The duties of the Committee are to verify the allegations of secret recruitment, sales of appointments, nepotism and tribal sentiments in the promotion of officers within the service.

bound Ethiopian Airline. A total of $188,858 was found on him by operatives of the commission after he declared only $45,000 as the amount on him.

The prosecuting counsel, Chioma Okongwu

tendered evidence of a certified true copy of export currency tendering list along with the sum of US 188,858.00 and prayed the court to convict the accused accordingly.

The defense Counsel

Abubakar Y. Ndakele raised no objection to the tendering of exhibit, marked 1,2,3,4 respectively. The trial judge, Justice Adamu Bello adjourned the case to January 21, 2013 for sentencing.

EIMETH Interna tional Pharmaceuticals Plc on Tuesday 15th January, 2013 held a Business Partners Forum where her distributors were hosted to a round table discussion to chart mutually benefiting strategies to enhance the current partnership. The two-day event which was held in Lagos had distributors from the six-geo

startling revelation was made yesterday when a total of 38 cleaners, two accountants and a driver were discovered in the payroll of a primary school in the riverine area of the State in which some of the cleaners were re-designated as headmaster Grade III on grade level 07.

The 38 cleaners, the two accountants and one driver were found in the payroll of the school with 48 teachers. State Commissioner for Basic and Seco n d a r y Education , Professor Patrick Muoboghare who made the discovery when he paid an unscheduled visit to Opukabu Primary school Patani in Patani local government area of the State described the action of those responsible for the act “as outright criminali-

Gov Dickson cuts short vacation, inspects plant, signs MoU with Dubai firm

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OVERNOR Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, who took two weeks break to have a deserved rest in Dubai, broke his vacation to achieve another milestone for Bayelsa State.

The governor inspected

one of the largest Steel Plants and Cold Storage facilities in the world owned by GEAP International in Dubai.

After the inspection, the Governor signed a Memorandum of Understanding, (MoU) with Mr.

Mahendra Patel, Group Managing Director, GEAP International.

Under the terms of the Mou, GEAP is to partner the Bayelsa State Government to replicate the Steel Plant, Cold Storage in Bayelsa and embark on

Neimeth hosts business partners forum

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The Committee is chaired by the Director, Parliamentary, Mr Keftin Amuga , with Dr Attahiru Rufai

38 cleaners earn salaries as Headmasters in Delta

Court to sentence $188,858 cash courier

BY SONI DANIEL Abuja

ticity of the certificates of the officers and to work out modalities for creating more promotion opportunities within the Nigerian Immigration Service.

political zones in attendance. The management highlighted the essential elements of the discourse which centred on

strengthening and rebuilding partnership for profitability.

The aim of the forum was also to seek distrib-

utors’ advice and strongly rebuild the existing partnership as any business will definitely need their distributors to move forward.

St. Enda’s Old Students meet

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AINT Enda’s College (formerly Agbarho Grammar School) Agbarho Old Students Association, Lagos branch, holds its first monthly general

meeting today at 12B Abuja Close, Agbarha Estate, Agbarha in Ogun State.

Time: 3.00 p.m. prompt.

General Secretary, Deacon Sunday Orode urged

members to be punctual as crucial matters are scheduled for discussion, stressing that the Ikorodu sub-branch will be in attendance.

capacity building of Bayelsans in Steel ,Cold room business and new techniques in rice farming.

GEAP is expected to send its team of engineers and experts to Bayelsa State to undertake an on the- spot assessment of the Bayelsa State market as well as carry out soil tests across the State. The governor was accompanied on the inspection by the first elected Executive Governor of the State, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha, former NDDC Managing Director, Chief Timi Alaibe, PDP Vice Chairman, North West, Alhaji Wakil Mohammed among others. Meanwhile, Governor Dickson is expected to resume duty on Monday, next week.

ty”. The Commissioner chastised the officially recognised headmaster of the school and other staff “for conniving with teachers that were not coming to school but collect their salaries at the end of the month”.

He noted that some Chairmen of the Local Government Caretaker Committees had complained to him of the huge wage bills of primary school teachers which had made it impossible for them to pay the salaries and other entitlements of council staff as well as carry out developmental projects.

Monarch loses mother-in-law

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HE death has been announced in Lagos of a very prominent religious and- Community leader, Chief (Mrs.) Juliana Adebanke Okunowo, (a.k.a lya Eleja) the lya-Ijo of St. Louis Catholic Church.

She was aged, 96 years.

Until her death, she was a very devoted Catholic leader, resident at Ibadan Oyo State for so many years as a fish distributor, before relocating to AiyegbamiEyindi area of Ijebu-Ife to concentrate on her effective ministry to God and mankind, Chief Mrs. Okunowo devoted all her life to the service of her community, especially in the effective spread of Catholicism, as well as the upbringing of the family and human empowerment of the masses. lya Eleja, as fondly called by all, was the eldest daughter of the eminent, religious and community leader, late Chief Isaac Aina, the erudite and immediate past Aloran of Ijebu-Ife.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013 — 7

DSS parades alleged bombers of Jaji Cantonment Church often appears in military uniforms with the rank of a captain without being detected and arrested.

According to the suspect, the Jaji attack was personally carried out by one Tasiu and Mallam Lawal who assumed the leadership of the sect in Kaduna following the death of Bashir Madalla.

He explained also that Lawal decided to personally carry out the attack

BY SONI DANIEL, Regional Editor, North & CHRIS OCHAYI

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HE Department of State Security yesterday paraded the two suspects, who allegedly carried out the bombing of the Saint Andrews Protestant Military Church at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State.

The two suspects, whose names were given as Ibrahim Mohammed, aka Alilullah and Mohammed Ibrahim Idris, were paraded by the SSS Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Marylin Ogar, at a press briefing in Abuja.

Mohammed, 18, hails from Ilobu Village in Ilobu Local Government Area of Osun State, while Idris, 50, a yam hawker comes from Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.

Ogar said that the two men were to be handed over to the military for further investigation while other suspects arrested in connection with the bombing were also being questioned by the service.

The DSS director said that the Service was determined to work with Nigerians and bring to an end the evil activities of unpatriotic elements and restore peace and harmony to the society.

Mohammed confessed during interrogation that he was indoctrinated into the Boko Haram sect by one Bashir Madalla, who also trained him in the use of fire arms and the

Oshiomhole re-appoints Idahosa as Political Adviser L-r: Elder statesman and patron, United African Methodist Evangelical Church Cathedral, Abule Ijesha ,Senator Anthony Adefuye ; with the Baba Ijo and retired Chief of General Staff, Oladipupo Diya at the interdenominational service for late Archbishop Patrick Olanrewaju Ajibogun at Ifo, Ogun State

production and priming of Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs. The suspect said he participated actively in several attacks in Kaduna in-

cluding the one on St. Rita’s Catholic Church and Badarawa.

He also said that the late Madalla sent one Mallam Lawal, one of the

suicide bombers to Damaturu, Yobe State to retrieve some military uniforms and weapons from Boko Haram cells in the state and that the said Lawal

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HE Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, yesterday said it will mop up about N826.31 billion from circulation in the first quarter of 2013, through the sale of Treasury Bills, T-Bills, with different maturity periods.

Also, the Debt Management Office, DMO, said it will raise N110 billion on Wednesday through the issuance of bonds with maturities ranging from between five to ten years.

According to the DMO, it will raise the funds through the issuance of N35 billion bond with five-year maturities, N30 billion bond with a seven-year maturity and a 10-year bond worth N45 billion, using the Dutch Auction System.

Giving a breakdown of

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM, Benin City

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OVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has re-appointed his major challenger in the governorship primaries of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2007 and a former Com-

Dana crash: Nine bodies yet to be identified — LASUTH

BY ONOZURE DANIA & MICHAEL OLADEPO

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HE Chief Medical Examiner of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja, Prof. John Obafunwa, yesterday said that nine out of the 153 people who lost their lives in the Dana plane crash on June 3, last year could not be identified.

The nine persons who could not be identified included the American pilot, Capt. Peter Waxton and his Indian co-pilot, Capt.

Mahendra Rathore.

Obafunwa, a consultant pathologist said that pathologists, were unable to identify their bodies because they were ‘’incinerated.’’

He made this disclo-

sure while testifying at the resumed coroner ’s inquest into the crash before a Magistrate Court, sitting in Ikeja.

Obafunwa told the court presided over by Lagos State Coroner, Mr Oyetade Komolafe that the bodies of the pilots were incinerated by the postcrash inferno.

According to him, various post-mortem analysis

CBN to mop up N826bn from circulation in first quarter *FG to raise N110bn from bond market

BY MICHAEL EBOH

since there was no other suitable person to be saddled with the deadly assignment due to time constraint.

The suspect admitted accompanying the bombers to the gate of the Armed Forces Military cantonment and bade them farewell and procuring the fertilizer used in priming the Toyota Matrix car that was used in the suicide mission.

the planned mop up exercise, the CBN said it will raise, at its twicemonthly auction, N321.29 billion, N354.93 billion and N140.09 billion in 91-day, 182day and 364-day T-Bills in January, February and March respectively.

Treasury Bills are short term debt obligation with maturities of less than one year, issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. T-Bills are used by the CBN as an Open Market Operation (OMO) instrument to control the amount of money in circulation.

T-Bills have maturities of between 30 days to 364 days.

Bonds, on the other hand, are long term debt instruments, with a minimum maturity period of one year and can be up to 30 years or 50 years.

Bonds are used by the Federal Government, State governments, mu-

nicipalities, companies and foreign governments to finance a vari-

ety of projects and activities.

were conducted on the 152 bodies recovered from the crash site, adding that the bodies of the American pilot, and his Indian co-pilot could not be identified.

He said: “We had a manifest of 153 people.

Out of this number, we were able to identify 144 leaving nine. ”I must say that from the manifest, at the end of the day, we could not identify the bodies of the pilot and the co-pilot, this was after a very exhaustive consultation and deliberation with our associate in the UK but the bodies of the other crew members were identified.”

missioner for Information and Orientation in the state, Chief Charles Idahosa as his Special Adviser on Political Matters.

Idahosa was a former staff of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) before he joined politics in the early 80s. Idahosa’s re-appointment did not come as a surprise to many in the state because of his wealth of experience in politics.

Meanwhile, business activities commenced yesterday at the Benin Deport of the Pipeline Product Marketing Company (PPMC) with the re-commissioning of the oil facility after seven years of outage by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Alison Madueke.

Speaking at the occasion, the Minister for Petroleum Resources expressed delight that the depot has commenced operations during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan mainly to deliver services to the good people of Edo State.

Ijaw community tasks Uduaghan on demolished quarters

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UNDREDS of displaced Lotiebiri community members, an Ijaw quarters at the miller waterside in OgbeIjoh, Warri South Council Area of Delta State, demolished by the state government late last year, yesterday, appealed to the Delta state Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan to hasten up the process of compensation promised them as they are still suffering with nowhere to go.

The Community Chairman, Bossman Abodikede Azazi, said though the amount promised by the State Government fell short of their total estimation of the damages, the community has no choice but to accept the amount,

saying it was a good gesture.

They, however, urged the state governor to help facilitate the payment as most of them still sleep in the open as the demolished places represented both their homes an business premises.

He said their valuation

report stated N800 million as against government’s N500 million as compensation to Lotiebiri community which they accepted in good faith but regretted that “right now we are hungry, we are living under the sun and the rain.

“So, we are begging

government to facilitate this payment so that we can relocate.”

Bossman said they will not in any way fight with the state government but could only appeal to them because every land belongs to the government.

Euro Global launches new product

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URO Global Foods and Distilleries Limited has introduced the 37.5cl half bottle Tempranillo Wine into the Nigerian market. The introduction makes Tempranillo the first wine of foreign origin to be packaged locally in this size.

Speaking on the prod-

uct extension, Mr. Felix Aighobahi, Sales Director, Euro Global Foods and Distilleries Limited said, “The introduction of Tempranillo half bottle is in line with our commitment to ensuring that our products are readily available to

consumers at affordable prices. Tempranillo is a vintage product meant for those who appreciate quality wine at all times and this new size ensures that the product can be easily carried around and enjoyed at all times and occasions.”

8 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013

Odi drags FG to court over 1999 military invasion •Demands N20bn compensation

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME, Port Harcourt

T The Minister of Works, Arc Mike Onolememen (left), discussing the Second Niger Bridge with Gov. Peter Obi (right), in Abuja yesterday.

Okonjo-Iweala mother’s kidnapper arraigned in court, remanded in prison custody Williams, male, and oth- N200,000 while armed

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA, Asaba

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NE of the suspected kidnappers of the mother of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Professor Kamene Okonjo was yesterday arraigned before an Asaba Chief Magistrate’s court on a 4count charge of conspiracy, armed robbery and kidnapping.

The suspect, William Omenma, aged 30 years was arraigned before Chief Magistrate court 1, presided over by Chief Magistrate Grade One, Mr. Sylvester Ehikwe.

No plea was taken and the Chief Magistate ordered that the accused be remanded at the Federal prisons, Ogwashi-Uku and directed the prosecution to duplicate the case file to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP for legal advice and adjourned it to 31st of January, 2013.

The charges read: *That you Omenma C. Williams, male, and others now at large on the 9th day of December 2012 at Asaba, in the Asaba magisterial district, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit: armed robbery and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 6 (b) of the Robbery and Firearm (Special Provisions) Act, Cap R11, Laws of the Federal of Nigeria 2004. *That you Omenma C.

ers now at large, on the same date, place and aforementioned magisterial district, did rob one Professor Mrs. Kamene Okonjo, female of her hand bag containing valuables items valued at

with gun and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 1 (2) (a) of the Robbery and Firearm (Special Provisions) Act Cap R11, Vol 14, Laws of the Federal of Nigeria, 2004, among other charges.

HE people of Odi i n Bayelsa state have dragged the federal government to court demanding N20billion compensation for damages suffered during the 1999 military invasion of the area.

At the resumed hearing of the suit yesterday at the Federal High court, Port Harcourt, counsels t o t h e c o m m u n i t y, Lucius Nwosu , SAN, Ifedayo Adedipe, SAN and Lawal Rabana, SAN opined that the rights of the community were brutally and sadistically violated by the military troop.

One of the counsels, Adedipe, SAN told the court that those killed in the invasion were innocent members of the c o m m u n i t y.

According to him, no militant was killed, a position he said was corroborated by President Goodluck Jonathan recently when he claimed that those killed were responsible members of the community. “The President said recently that no militant was killed in Odi, only men and women were killed. He said as Deputy governor he went there and saw for himself ”.

Adedipe argued that in the light of the above argument, the community was entitled to reliefs sought in the court.

Continuing, he said the argument of

Police parade 80-yr-old man for robbery

BY BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO, Lokoja

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OGI State Police Command yesterday arrested and paraded an 80-year-old man, Momoh Rapheal along with 14 others for different robbery c a s e s .

Other suspects paraded by the command yesterday are Saka Isah, Illiyasu Danjuma, Momoh Sani Danga, Idris Alhaji, Aliyu Fatai, Adamu Umar, Abdullahi Adamu and Ikechuckwu Godfrey.

Parading the suspects at the State police Headquarter, the State Commissioner for Police, Muhammed Kastina said the 80-year-old man along with five others, Oluwaseun Ikupeleye, Saliyu Mumuni, Ayodele Adeyemi, Kayode Matthew and Ajibade Silas were responsible for snatching a royal father’s and a local government public relation officer vehicles.

According to the CP, the 5 man gang on 24th December, 2012 attacked and dispossessed a royal father, Chief Akin Obamero of Okedayo Kab-

ba of his N900, 000 and two handsets and also attacked Hon. Ayo Kayode, the PRO of Kabba/bunu Local Government and dispossessed him of his Honda car with registration number BP 177 FKJ, the sum of N16, 000 and two handsets.

Kastina said the Police Special Ambush Squad working on intelligence report apprehended the gang which confessed to be in partner with the 80year-old man who serves as the gang’s armourer, custodian and suppliers of arms

and ammunition.

Momoh Rapheal, it was further explained, specializes in selling the arms and ammunition which he purchases from Ibadan, Oyo state to the gang.

12 warm up for Anambra guber race in 2014

BY VINCENT UJUMADU, Awka

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WELVE politicians from Anambra North senatorial zone have lined up for the governorship of the state scheduled to take place in November this year.

They include the Secretary to the Anambra State Government, SSG, Mr. Oseloka Obaze from Ogbaru, Chief Paul Odenigbo from Ayamelum, who was the immediate past SSG, the member representing Anambra State at the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Ezennia Nnamdi Ekweogwu from Onitsha, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu also from Onitsha and former chairman of the local government service commission during the

regime of former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju, former chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Godwin Ibekwe, and an industrialist, Dr. Chike Obidigbo. Others are Mr.

Patrick Obianwu from Onitsha , Dr. Emmanuel Okafor, Mr. Chima Anene, Prince Chinedu Idigo and former commissioner for local government and chieftaincy matters, Mr. Dubem Obaze.

counsel to the first ( President ) and fourth (Attorney General) respondent, Nkolika Aw a E s q t h a t t h o s e killed during the invasion were militants should be dismissed by the court as an afterthought, stressing that she merely played to the gallery with such statement.

On her part, Counsel to the two respondents, Awa Esq. described the argument of counsel to the applicants, Adedipe, SAN as beautiful but deficient in procedure.

According to her, the way the community was going about its demands were wrong.

She said the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit, noting that provisions were only made for individuals on matters of human rights and not community.

The court later adjourned to February 19 t h for further hearing.

In a chat later with newsmen, Adedipe SAN said among other things his client, Odi community was praying the court to grant an order of mandatory injunction directing the first to fourth respondents which include President and the Attorney General of the federation to rebuild the community and rehabilitate its members, adding that they should pay N20billion for the gross violation of the rights of the people.

Calabar kingmaker raises alarm over second attempts to raid palace was traditionally proBY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

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HAIRMAN of Efut Combined Assembly, Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State, Ndabo Obo Obo has raised an alarm over alleged attempt by some unscrupulous elements to raid the palace of the Muri Munene of Efut for a second time and also

extend same to the Paramount Ruler, Muri Munene Effiong Mbukpa’s personal residence.

Mbukpa, who is the leader of Efut nation, had been operating from his personal residence following the sealing up of the palace by government after some suspected dissidents chased him out in May 2012.

Though, Mbukpa, who

claimed the Muri Munene on November 16, 2009 by the Efut Combined Assembly and had been performing the function of paramount ruler, had been faced with controversy since September 21, 2012, it was alleged that a highly placed government official sponsored another selection process and picked Prof. Hogan Itam, as the new monarch.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013 — 9

C-River gives N.5m to family of slain soldier

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

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HE Cross River State Government has compensated the family of corporal Arthur Ismiala of the Nigerian Army who died in active service while serving under the Quick Intervention Squad (QIS), with N500, 000 cash.

Ismailia, who was attached to the state’s QIS, died October 11, 2012 in a shoot out operation with hoodlums in Calabar South area.

Presenting the cash to the family of the deceased soldier represented by his sister, Mrs. Helen Ismaila in his office, the State Security Adviser, Mr. Rekpene Bassey, said government was touched by the death of the military personnel who put in his best to fight criminals in the state.

Bassey said the state government was devastated because Ismaila’s

death was the first to be recorded since the joint security outfit was raised in April 2012.

“We know this development might have brought some pains to the bereaved family; no amount of compensation can equate his life.

“I condole with your family on behalf of Governor Liyel Imoke. We hope that the N500, 000 will help to assuage the difficulty you went through as a result of his death,” Bassey said.

He lauded the effort of QIS noting, that crime has been drastically reduced in the state due to their timely response and prompt intervention, stressing that more effort must be made by the squad in a bid to maintain the peaceful nature that Cross River State was known for.

The state Security Adviser disclosed that government was working out modalities for the Quick Intervention Squad security person-

nel to execute their job with less risk.

Receiving the money, sister of the deceased, who resides in Kano, said the family initially found it difficult to believe that their son was dead.

She commended the Cross River State Government for the gesture, stressing that the money would be used to cater for the wife and the expectant child.

She also called on security operatives both at state and federal levels not to relent on their effort in the fight against crime to avoid further loss of lives in the country

Tiv/Fulani crisis: Benue council abolishes payment of cattle tax as panacea for peace

BY PETER DURU, Makurdi

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OTHERED by the persistent violent clashes between native

How Adetiloye changed the image of Anglican Church — clergy

BY EBUN SESSOU

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HE memories of late Reverend Joseph Adetiloye, the former Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, was brought to the fore yesterday at the press conference held at the Cathedral Church of Christ to herald his funeral ceremony scheduled for next week in Ekiti State.

Speaking on the burial arrangement, the Archbishop of the province of Lagos, Reverend Adebayo Akinde disclosed that commendation ser-

vice has been scheduledfor Wednesday next week as part of line-up of programmes at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina where he served as both Bishop of Lagos and Archbishop, Primate and Metropolitan of All Nigeria.

Another commendation service will be followed on Thursday at the Cathedral Church of Emmanuel, Ado-Ekiti as well as a tributes session to be organised by the Ekiti State Government at Adetiloye’s House, Ado-Ekiti, the same day.

Accordingly, a Christian Wake keep will pro-

Press conference by the Church of Nigeria on the burial rites of their late Primate, Most Rev Abiodun Adetiloye, The bishop of Lagos. L-R: The Most Rev Ephraim Ademowo, Chairman of the Burial Committee ;Archbishop of Province of Lagos The Most Rev Adebayo Akinde and the Bishop of Lagos West ,The Rt Rev Peter Adebiyi

ceed the same day at Comprehensive High School, Odo Owa. And funeral service on Friday, January 25 2013, will hold at St. Paul’s Millennium Anglican Church, Odo Owa, Ekiti.

In an address titled, ‘’There is a lot to learn from the life of Primate Joseph Adetiloye’’, Reverend Akinde said that, late Bishop will be remembered for his diligence as a servant of God who made significant contributions to the development and repositioning of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion”.

Tiv farmers in Guma local government area of Benue State and Fulani herdsmen in the area, Chairman of the council Mr. Franck Usa-Adi has ordered the immediate abolition of cattle tax payable to the local government by the herdsmen.

Usa-Adi who disclosed this yesterday while fielding questions from newsmen at Gbajimba after presenting the 2013 budget estimate to the Guma legislative council, said the move was part of efforts to check further bloodbath in the area.

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HURCH of Nigeria Anglican communion has called on the political class in the country to shun corruption, violence and other related problems that plunged the nation into the last civil war.. Speaking

yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Dean, Church of Nigeria Anglican communion and Arch Bishop Province of Niger Delta, Most Reverend Ignatius Kattey said it was sad that 47 years after the first military coup politicians were yet to learn any lesson from the ugly incident. “I don’t think we have learnt much from

what happened in 1966.

We are still rigging elections, there is corruption.

We should change for the good.Rev Kattey who is also the Bishop, Diocese of Niger Delta North enjoined the political class to give Nigerians credible leadership. Stressing that there was so much poverty in the land. Against this backdrop, he advised that practical

groups in the area.

“I have directed all traditional rulers in the council to stop further collection of cattle taxes from Fulani herdsmen.

We cannot afford to turn blind eyes to the implication of the crisis on the socio-political development of the affected communities. ”That is the more reason why we must all endeavor to shift grounds at this critical moment so that peace can rein and everybody will be better for it”, the council boss said.

Three more pedestrian bridges for upper Iweka, Onitsha

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HE State Govern ment is to build three pedestrian bridges between Upper Iweka and Bridge-Head end of the Onitsha-Enugu

... Caution politicians, oppose gay marriage

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME, Port Harcourt

The Chairman said he had also commenced discussions with the paramount ruler of Awe in neigbouring Nasarawa state from where the herdsmen migrated to Guma with a view to finding lasting solutions to the recurring crisis.

He observed in dismay that the incessant conflict has derailed meaningful development in the area, adding that there was every need for all concerned parties to embrace any initiative will ensure peaceful coexistence among the ethnic

steps should be taken to address the challenges of corruption and bad leadership.

On same sex marriage he said the Church of Nigeria Anglican communion was firmly opposed to it. According to him, the church broke relationship with the church in United State 10 years ago.

Expressway. Governor Peter Obi announced this while inspecting roads in the area. The Governor said the pedestrian bridges were part of the safety measures to reduce accidents and ensure free flow of traffic in the area. He explained that the on-going upgrading of facilities in Onitsha is geared towards restoring the status of the commercial town as one of the ten biggest cities in the country.

The Governor directed traders in the various markets in the area to imbibe healthy sanita-

tion culture and maintain clean environment in and around the markets. He warned that government will not hesitate to shut down any market with dirty environment or littered drainage system. He regretted that the new drains constructed in front of the Ogbaru main market has been converted to refuse dumps.

Addressing Aluminum materials dealers along the Oguta road Onitsha, Governor Obi enjoined them to keep the area clean and ensure prompt payment of sanitation fee for disposal of refuse.

10 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013

Nations Cup:

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OUTH African president Jacob Zuma has told his country ’s national team, Bafana Bafana to ignore the criticisms from their fans and concentrate on winning, saying he is confident the hosts can defy their critics and win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

Bafana Bafana who are ranked 23rd in Africa - 87th overall in the Fifa world rankings are in Group A with giant-killing Cape Verde, Angola and Morocco and open their campaign today against the small West African island who stopped Cameroon from qualifying for the event.

Ironically the South Africans have also failed to qualify for the last two Nations Cup tournaments held in Angola in 2010 and Equatorial Guinea/ Gabon last year. The last time the South Africans hosted the tournament, in 1996, they lifted the trophy - their only continental triumph to date.

While visiting the team at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Tuesday, President Zuma told them that “There are too many critics in this country,”, adding, “I was telling the team that [those] who are critics have never touched a football. They don’t know how it feels.

Ignore your critics, go win the cup, Zuma charges Bafana Bafana

“We are satisfied that the team is well prepared for the tournament. They must relax, they must not be tense, they must not listen to all these critics. They must just stick to what they have been preparing to do and they will do it.

“I’m more confident this time than any other time that we will show people what we are made of as South Africans.

“I said to the team ‘I want to

touch the cup’, and touching it means we should be there at the final and we should take it. And they will take it. We should have no problem.”

The 2010 World Cup hosts have warmed up for the Nations Cup with a 1-0 defeat to Norway and a 0-0 draw with Algeria.

Mr Zuma also defended the country’s preparations for the tournament, which saw delays in the naming of venues and

financing problems in the build-up to the showpiece event.

“I think we have done our best,” he said.

“Bear in mind that this tournament was supposed to be in Libya [the tournament was moved due to conflict in the northern African country].

“We had to start very late as a result of that.

“Fortunately we have the facilities, which are a key

factor. We might not have done everything, precisely because of the timing. With all of that, I think we are more than ready.”

South Africa are using five 2010 World Cup stadiums FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, Moses Mabhida in Durban, Mbombela in Nelspruit, Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth and Royal Bafokeng in Rustenburg - for the finals.

South Africa’s sports minister promises hitch-free Nations Cup

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South Africa’s sports minister, Fikile Mbalula poses with Bafana Bafana players after a morale boosting visit to the team. He said the organisation of the Nations Cup will be hitch free despite initial hiccups.

OUTH Africa’s Sports minister, Fikile Mbalula is confident the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) will be a success, despite initial hiccups in the organising of the tournament that kicks off in Johannesburg today.

While Mbalula believed the Local Organising Committee (LOC) could have approached issues such as ticketing differently, he was adamant that stadiums would be filled.

“I don’t draw strength from lamenting the difficulties; we have all observed that things could have been done differently,” Mbalula said at a briefing in Pretoria on the state of readiness for the tournament.

“To mobilise South African people for a soccer match, it doesn’t take a difficult merger of mobilisation. Tell South Africans the date and the time and where to get the tickets, they will be there.”

The LOC had come under scrutiny after reports of poor ticket sales and processing, and a weak marketing campaign ahead of the continental football showpiece.

Mbalula said the arrangements for fans to purchase tickets were overcomplicated, as supporters had to buy their tickets in advance, via a specific process.

The ticketing problems had since been cleared up, Mbalula said, and he called on South Africans to get behind the tournament, held for the second time on South African soil.

“We are on track largely, and I am happy with the response we are getting and the mobilisation that we put out there and people responding to the excitement.”

He said he believed the tournament would leave a legacy similar to what the

country had experienced following the 2010 World Cup. “The tournament would be viewed across the globe, and the spin-off for that is that tourism would increase, and there would be about 10,000 temporary jobs created,” Mbalula said.

“Social cohesion, bringing the nation together among others, is going to be important; inspiring the youth will be the biggest spin-off for the country.”

Mbalula said a plan had been put in place to clamp down on match-fixing, but he would not divulge details saying only that referees would be treated in a different way.

Turning his attention to Bafana Bafana, he hoped the team would rise to the occasion when they took to the field in their opening match against Cape Verde in Johannesburg on Saturday.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013—11

Toda y’s matc hes oday’s matches S/Africa Angola

v v

Cape Verde 5pm Morocco 8pm

Tomorr ow’s matc hes omorrow’s matches Ghana Mali

v v

Congo DR Niger

4pm 7pm

It’s Drogba’s last chance for Nations Cup glory – Arendse

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HE 2013 African Nations Cup could be the last chance for an ageing Ivory Coast side to lift the trophy and former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper, Andre Arendse, believes the Elephants “should” win it.

Ivory Coast won their only Nations Cup title 20 years ago in Senegal after an incredible penalty shootout, which the Elephants won 11-10 over Ghana after neither team had scored in regulation time.

Arendse, who was in goal when South Africa won the 1996 Nations Cup, said: “This is really their last chance to win silverware as a team.

Potentially they should be world beaters because all these players are playing at the very highest level of the game.”

Arendse points to their attack, saying that he believes Didier Drogba and Gervinho complement each other well.

“Gervinho will run a lot and

turn players, always looking for the ball. Drogba is not a young man anymore, so he will stay in the box and hold the ball up. He has the height and the strength, so they can really make this count in their advantage.”

South Africa 2013 represents the last throw of the dice for the ageing Didier Drogba, who blazed a regular time penalty well over the crossbar to help Zambia achieve a maiden title in 2012.

“Coming to South Africa for the 2013 Cup of Nations will be special for me; we have twice come so close to winning this tournament,” Drogba said.

“But that does not mean we can afford to slow down and assume that if we wait long enough the title will be ours.

“We have learnt from our failures and we are coming this time to win and nothing else,” said Drogba.

We’re tired of losing the title, Drogba declares

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O TE D ’I VO IR E ca m p. “We ha ve a te am captain, Didier Drog ba capable of great things at the doesn’t want to be on 2013 Africa Cup of Natio th e lo sin g en d at ns ; it th e 20 13 wo ul d be gr ea t to wi n th e Africa Nations Cu p and has trophy now. Hon estly, we are said the Elephants will go all getting tired of los ing out each ou t to ov er co m e th ei r time,” the Chinabased striker ni gh tm ar es of ki ss in g th e told the official we bs trophy goodbye if they get to “We showed grea ite of Fifa. t solidarity the final this time around. ag ai ns t Se ne ga l [in th e The striker inspired the west qu al ifi er s] . We Af ric an si de to fo ug ht re ac h th e together, everyb ody gave off Nations Cup final s in 2006 himself and this helped us to an d 20 12 , bu t on bo th w in . An d no w ev er occasions he was on th expects a trophy. W yb od y si de to Eg yp t an e losing e hope to d Za m bi a give the cup to ou r country,” respectively. Desp ite going D ro gb a close to the cup in ad de d. the 2012 Cote d’Ivoire are housed in Afcon, the 34-yea r-old who Group D with To go, Tunisia will be making his fifth Afcon an d Al ge ri a fo r th e 29 th ap pe ar an ce be lie ve s th e ed iti on of Af ric a’ cu rr en t sq ua d ca s bi gg es t n en d th e football gatherin g in South tro ph y ni gh tm ar es in th ei r Africa.

•Drogba

Don’t celebr at ver celebrat atee Eagles 5-0 win oover Farense, Nwosu cautions Nigerians

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ORMER Golden Eaglets’ coach, Henry Nwosu has cautioned Nigerians not be carried away

by Super Eagles 5-0 thumping of Portuguese side, Farense in Faro, Portugal.

Tuesday’s pre-Afcon 2013 build-up game stood out as the biggest win in the Eagles pre-Africa Cup of Nations. The Eagles had earlier drawn 1-1 against the Catalonian selected and goalless against Afcon debutants, Cape Verde.

Nwosu said the massive win may count as nothing when the team square up against their Afcon foes in South Africa starting against Burkina Faso next Monday in Nelspruit.

“That result was recorded between a national team and second division club side, we shouldn’t overrate the encounter as to make prediction on how far the team will go in •Henry Nwosu South Africa 2013.

“I won’t judge the Eagles with the result against Farense rather the team is improving gradually.

“Of course, in football you don’t stop trying until you get it right. We’ve not seen other teams in competitive games and not until they square up every prediction may come to nothing,” said the former Nigerian player to supersport.com.

Nwosu believes the Eagles will start off well against Burkina Faso and take it up from there.

“Burkina Faso is a good side and Nigeria is a big name in African football.

“No team are in South Africa for sightseeing rather as potential winners, so if we get our act together we’ll overcome the Burkinabes.

“And I think after the encounter one can properly assess the team’s chances at the Afcon,” he said.

Nigeria will start their title campaign against Burkina Faso on Monday in Nelspruit before tackling Cup holders, Zambia at same venue and Ethiopia in Rustenburg.

12— SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013

FG, states, LGAs squander N80 trn in 9 years zTo spend N34.79 bn a day in 2013 zN56tn spent on civil servants, political office holders z2013: States in N4.5 trn budget bazaar

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BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR

Y the end of December 31, 2013 the three tiers of government in Nigeria would have spent N80 trillion or more, going by federal and states’ budget appropriations and statutory allo cations to the 774 local councils since January 2005, Vanguard’s investigations have revealed.

On the average, this means our 811 governments spend collectively N8.89 trillion a year, N740.74 billion a month, N24.35 billion a day and N1.01 billion an hour.

If 2013 is singled out, the expenditure will be higher. Apart from Osun State, which is yet to publish its 2013 budget estimates, the Federal Government, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and the other 35 states, barring supplementary budgets, will spend N11.301 trillion this year. The local councils are expected to earn at least N1.4 trillion from statutory allocation in 2013. Thus, the three tiers of government would spend at least N12.7 trillion this year which translates to N34.79 billion a day The N80 trillion excludes loz David Mark and Okonjo Iweala cal councils’ internally-generated revenue, IGR, and some 2012, the councils got about expected in the 2013 Federal supplementary appropriations N3.8 trillion as statutory alloca- budget recently, Finance Minby state governments. In 2008, tions. ister and Co-ordinating Ministhe councils got N1.05 trillion Of this princely sum, about ter of the Economy, Dr Ngozi as statutory allocations from the N24 trillion or 30 per cent was Okonjo-Iweala, said the FederFederation Account and about spent on capital projects while al Government had reduced the N1.2 trillion in 2009. In the N56 trillion or 70 per cent was recurrent expenditure compoeight years up to 2007, the third squandered on recurrent expen- nent of the budget from 71.47 tier of government received diture. per cent of the 2012 budget to N3.3trillion. Between 2010 and Giving insight of what to be 68.66 per cent.

High, maternal, infant mortality rates

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United Nations re port titled: “Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2010,” which was released on May 16 showed that 14 percent of the world’s deaths related to childbearing occur in Nigeria.

While maternal death rates around the world have almost halved over the past two decades, according to the UN report, Nigeria’s rate — 630 deaths for every 100,000 live births — is the world’s 10th highest, behind nine other subSaharan African countries led

by Chad and Somalia.

Statistics from the Save the Children organisation, an international non-profit group re-

vealed that almost 800,000 Nigerian children die every year before their fifth birthday, making Nigeria the country with the highest number of new born deaths in Africa. The group said that majority of children deaths under age five, particularly in the northern parts of the country, were due to treatable and preventable diseases. The group released the figures at a Save the Children Special Campaign (STC) launched in Lagos last Tuesday.

Poor human development indices

Currently, Nigeria is ranked 142 out of 169 countries on the

Global Human Development Index. Nigeria’s ranking was part of the 2010 Human Development Report released by the United Nations Development Programme in Abuja last Monday. The HDI is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide.

Indeed, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said recently that more than 112.5 million Nigerians were living below the poverty line.

It said the percentage of Nigerians living in absolute poverty — those who can afford only the bare essentials of food, shelter and clothing — rose to

z Presidend

Goodluck Jonathan

“We are increasing the capital expenditure from 28.53 per cent in 2012 to 31.34 per cent in 2013,” she added.

Without meaning to, OkonjoIweala showed why majority of Nigerians have been swimming in extreme poverty over the years despite hefty budgets.

How? If only 31.34 per cent of the 2013 budget is allocated to capital expenditure (provision of infrastructure, amenities, etc), which may be miserly implemented as usual with 68.66 per cent to be squandered on recurrent expenditure (salaries, emoluments of public servants and political office holders, running costs, etc), there is really no cause for cheer. Most states of the federation operate similar budgets.

The composition of the na-

tion’s public servants is as follows: Federal executive, 472; federal lawmakers, 469; state executives, 2664; state lawmakers, 1,152; council executives, 3096; council lawmakers 8692; and federal/state judiciary, 934, totaling 17,474, a mere 0.011 per cent of Nigeria’s 160,000 million population.

Over the years, the bulk of funds allocated to capital projects have been looted by political leaders and civil servants.

And despite the efforts of the anti-graft agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and related offences Commission (ICPC), graft is still upwelling and looted funds are hardly recovered leaving the citizenry to bear the brunt.

60.9 per cent in 2010, compared with 54.7 per cent in 2004.

According to the Statistician General of the Federation, Dr Yemi Kale, between 2004 and 2010, Nigeria’s poverty rate had moved from 54.4 per cent to 69 per cent involving 112,518,507 Nigerians, adding that although the country’s Gross Domestic Growth (GDP) had grown since then, it had little impact on the poverty situation.

Akwa Ibom (N2.651 trillion), Delta (N2.377 trillion), Bayelsa (N1.708 trillion), FCT (N1.336 trillion), Kaduna (N1.096 trillion), Kano (N1.057 trillion) and Oyo (N1.045 trillion).

The expenditures of Lagos and Rivers respectively within the period are equivalent to what the five states of the SouthEast geo-political zone (N3.345 trillion) and six states of the North-East geo-political zone (N3.752 trillion) spent in nine years.

Across the zones, the oil-rich South-South spent N11.503 trillion. It was followed by SouthWest (N7.30 trillion), NorthWest (N5.386 trillion), NorthCentral (N5.197 trillion), NorthEast (N3.752 trillion) and the least, South-East (N3.345 trillion).

How N80 trn was spent

Among the three tiers government, the Federal Government is the major spender. By the end of 2013, it would have spent N32.121 trillion. The Central government is distantly followed (See table) by Trillionaire states like Lagos (N3.282 trillion), Rivers (N3.079 trillion),

Continues on page 13

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013—13

FG, states, LGAs squander N80 tn in 9 years

Amaechi

Muazu

Fashola

SOUTH-EAST Abia State Anambra Ebonyi Enugu TOTAL

N666.490 bn N603.420 bn N552.608 bn N531.107 bn N3.345 tn

SOUTH-SOUTH Akwa Ibom N2.650 tn Bayelsa N1.708 tn Cross River N838.937 bn Delta State N2.377 Edo State N848.675 Rivers State N3.079 TOTAL N11.503 tn SOUTH-WEST Lagos N3.282 tn Ekiti N588.340 bn Ogun N932.380 bn Ondo N876.375 bn Osun N576.298 bn * Oyo 1.045 tn TOTAL N7.30 tn * = Osun is yet to publish its 2013 budget estimates NORTH-EAST Yobe Borno Taraba Adamawa Bauchi Gombe TOTAL

N531.800 bn N827.070 bn N459.864 bn N526.865 bn N864.124 N560.428 N3.752 tn

NORTH –CENTRAL FCT, Abuja N1.336 tn Kogi State N658.250 bn Kwara N575.370 bn Benue State N715.852 bn Plateau N658.746 bn Nasarawa N584.936 bn Niger State N668.160 bn TOTAL N5.197 tn NORTH-WEST Kano State Katsina Sokoto Zamfara Kaduna Jigawa Kebbi State TOTAL

N1.057 tn N684.14 bn N600.91 bn N662.090 bn N1.096 tn N661.138bn N624.960 bn N5.386 tn

Akpabio

BUDGET TABLE Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005 (In N billions)

Continued from page 12

How states and geo-political zones fared since 2005

Obi

S/No States 2005 1 Abia 24.1 2 Adamawa 32.152 3 Akwa Ibom 87.17 4 Anambra 29.2 5 Bauchi 57.8 6 Bayelsa 116.2 7 Benue 44.91 8 Borno 50.5 9 Cross River 35.66 10 Delta 115.99 11 Ebonyi 21 12 Edo 45.12 13 Ekiti 28.9 14 Enugu 25.1 15 Gombe 30.66 16 Imo 35.7 17 Jigawa 40.42 18 Kaduna 48.27 19 Kano 41.6 20 Katsina 31.4 21 Kebbi 35 22 Kogi 31.31 23 Kwara 33.9 24 Lagos 112.7 25 Nasarawa 25.42 26 Niger 33.79 27 Ogun 40.55 28 Ondo 34.79 29 Osun 25.2 30 Oyo 39.3 31 Plateau 29.4 32 Rivers 144.8 33 Sokoto 35.8 34 Taraba 44.65 35 Yobe 33.12 36 Zamfara 43.14 37 FCT, Abuja 52.88 38 Fed. Govt.

1.80 tn TOTAL 3.54 tn Legend: tn = trillion

2006 34.6 36.3 118.68 35.87 59.93 176.6 46.3 48.5 44.78 150 28.67 51.2 26.2 31.1 26.41 37 48.8 59.77 49.99 37.36 40 33.89 35.66 224.23 29.05 42.08 48.58 48.48 29.05 60.7 31.9 168 41 26.2 38.47 38.68 36 1.90 tn 4.02 tn

2007 46.7 40 184.03 54.25 60 148.2 44.84 56.1 39.85 189 31.2 46.98 31 38.38 50 43.4 55 77.05 60 55 50 45 60 277.77 35.46 50 54.8 51.5 34.77 66.23 45 183.38 48 33 44 66.5 64.3 2.3 tn 4.86 tn

2008 57.989 43.55 265.15 60.58 120 186 64.65 78.87 106.654 232.8 57.74 60.66 80.91 60.71 65.29 112.9 67.1 94.08 71.48 83 61.46 52.37 66.5 403.4 55.7 55.45 77.34 82.33 38 115.88 63.02 377 53 37.5 73 76.5 69.5 3.58 tn 7.42 tn

2009 55.536 53.9 283.813 75.53 78.89 164.13 63.29 75 85.226 256.64 73.05 80.59 65.8 60.46 51.64 134 76.7 153.17 108.7 69.18 61.4 78.669 72.2 405 58.3 69.09 100.02 84.975 98.01 128.4 79.5 432.28 54.8 48.87 46.47 59.4 159.5 3.76 tn 7.86 tn

2010 75.3 67.463 288.834 67 87.7 178.52 89.49 85 111.774 235.7 76.205 99.25 69.93 67.86 55.6 127 70.9 196.7 110.3 81.2 67.8 78 67 429.5 87.5 111 100.73 124.3 113 138.851 74.864 429 75 64.144 62.42 73.06 158 4.61 tn 9.11 tn

2011 105.106 70.6 419.785 66.9 111.957 214.59 71.6 99.8 119 361.9 73.5 163.86 92.5 89.6 79.4 124.475 77.293 136.5 157.69 100 91.5 80 60.61 445.18 81.506 129 98 143 88.143 147 86.562 415.9 76.78 58.7 69.22 59 236 4.484 tn 9.59 tn

2012 129.959 87.9 533.113 103.2 132.547 238.158 159.78 149 144.627 437.2 86.869 150.045 95.5 74.997 93.535 178.638 109.525 154.3 221.7 113 97.9 126.411 85.1 485.3 104 94.05 200.55 156 150.125 196.072 115 438 100.7 73.8 78.5 120.81 306.414 4.7 tn 9.64 tn

2013 137.2 95 470.08 110.89 137.3 285.93 130.992 184.3 151.37 398 104.374 150.97 97.6 82.9 107.893 197.744 115.4 176.4 235.3 114 119.9 132.6 94.4 499 108 83.7 211.86 151 152.12 133.5 490.32 115.83 73 86.6 125 253.1998 4.987 tn 11.30 tn

2013: States in N4.5 trn budget bazaar

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s witnessed in previous years the 36 states of the federation are still performing the annual ritual of budget proposal. And by the end of the year, they would have spent the sum of N4.5 trillion or more since Osun State is yet to announce its budget and most of the states will have supplementary appropriations. As has been observed, most of states have announced higher figures than last year.

States that announced lower figures than what they spent last year are Ondo, Oyo, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Taraba, Benue, Niger and the Federal capital Territory.

Most of the states will depend on statutory allocation and loans to fund their budget as most of them generate less than N500 million monthly from internal sources. States that hope to go above the N500million monthly or N6 billion yearly IGR mark include Rivers (N80 billion), Delta (N61.44 billion), Lagos (N19.912 billion), Sokoto (15.579 billion),

Ekiti (N14.3 billion), Anambra (N12.5 billion), Ondo (N12 billion), Benue (N11 billion) and Jigawa (N7.507 billion).

While presenting the budgets, governors as usual deployed fanciful tags, which over the years have had little or no impact on effective implementation of the appropriations. Fanciful themes used in 2013 budgets include “Budget of Integrated Development,” “Budget for sustainable growth,” “Budget of Sustained Prosperity, ``Budget of Consolidating the Focused Socio-Economic Transformation Programme,” “A Caring Heart Budget 4,” “Budget of Empowerment and Consolidation,” “Budget of Redemption,” “Budget of sustainable development,” “Budget of Commitment”, “Budget of Partnership,” “Budget of Sustainability,” “Budget of determination,” and “Budget of Consolidation and Advancement” among others.

The next 10 months would tell whether the budgets would live up to their names in terms of improving the lot of Nigerian citizenry.

14—SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013 HE ENTRY OF Ayo Oshitelu into sports reporting was bound to bring one or two changes into the art of sports writing. Very seldom had the Ivory Tower released a choice product from its dizzy heights straight into the “Arena” of sports. Apart from the incomparable Nnamdi Azikiwe, not very often had university graduates gravitated to the lowly sports desk while the editorial desk and various correspondent positions of a more prestigious flavour beckoned. But Ayo Oshitelu wanted to write sports. And how!

First of all, of course, he loved sports. He had the advantage of attending schools which had a history of grand sports activities, and he lived in the environment of such a school even in his younger days. He therefore played a variety of games. He was a sturdy goal keeper, a dependable cricketer,

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*a gentle, gentleman *for another sixty years

and a passionate tennis player—both the lawn and the ping-pong types. He was also a natural competitor, ever willing to confront challenges and excel. It all came to him naturally. He shone without any flamboyance but with a compelling brilliance.

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•Ayo Oshitelu

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Some men are gentle, by nature.

Some others are gentlemen, in stature

gentleman. His venture into politics was occasioned by the opportunities he saw that it offered for sound community development, especially among the youth. But politics was definitely not his speed, least of all, the cutthroat Nigerian brand. All the same, he set a tone that others may find as a worthy legacy.

I shall miss him, of course.

Grand sports writer, decent gentleman and pleasant company, but above all, he was a benefactor to me personally.

I had retired as the General Manager of Radio Lagos in good circumstances and, one might say, I was somewhat fulfilled.

But I still had a yen for writing, and felt that sports beckoned for the employment of the experience I had garnered over the years of reporting on radio, and organizing in football, and boxing and table tennis etc. So I approached several of those I identified as colleagues though they were really junior to me in the profession. To a man, they turned me down. If I had needed that activity for financial sustenance, the negative reception I received might have been enough to cause a mental breakdown.

But then Ayo Oshitelu came on the scene. I had not even gone directly to him. Rather, I had gone to his editor who was much closer to me but had turned down my request to write sports for his paper. Ayo was the Sports Editor and was scandalized when he heard

about it. He went and confronted the editor — who shall be nameless — with me in tow. He informed the gentleman that, as the man in charge of sports, he would take full responsibility for my tenure in the sports page and should be left with the decision. He went to bat for me in no uncertain manner, in a way that almost brought tears to may eyes. It was one of the most moving moments of my life. That was how I came back into the media, first with sports and then with other themes. It was all through the effort of Ayo Oshitelu who never took the slightest advantage for it, and kept calling me egbon (big brother) till the last.

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oday my heart Overflows with gratitude to God for his beautiful life,and the way it impacted on mine. God grant him eternal rest. Pundits generally agree in the United States, that the race for the White House in 2016 began the day after the end of the race for 2012 ended in favour of Barak Obama for his second presidency term. The brouhaha over the “Fiscal Cliff’ which is a term underlining the

timeliness required for the determination of a tax law that would, in this case, shed a brilliant light on the Obama administration was part of the manifest action involved in the effort of the Democrats and the Republicans to acquire the pole position in the race.

There were no posters or rallies. But every stakeholder was aware of the swirling current beneath the apparently smooth surface.

The ripples on the surface of our political movement here is more telling. The turmoil within the party which holds sway at the National Assembly cannot but affect the climate of our politics generally. The Peoples Democratic Party does not possess the reputation of a calm nature in its operations. Even so, the contention that seems to bedevil each organizational procedure of the party in normal times has now

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part from a fluid and unpretentious style free of the professional jargon of the day, Oshitelu infused a tone of propriety and integrity into his reports and commentaries. He made this point boldly in an incident which involved the fortunes of Nigeria against Ethiopia in a qualifying match for an international competition. The entire sports-writing cadre of the Nigerian press was up in arms against Ethiopia over the issue— except Ayo. He told it like he saw it, and stuck to his guns. He left many of his colleagues stunned, but they had to gradually subscribe to his position which was that patriotism was one thing, but honesty was another. It was not just “my country, right or wrong”, but really “my country, right and wrong”.

Some men are gentle, by nature. Some others are gentlemen, in stature. Oshitelu was a gentle,

National Party Chairman; the Chairman of the party himself against his Secretary (since removed); a former President against the sitting one; the supporters of one side against the supporters of the other side; and everybody against everybody else. Order appears to have been trampled to the floor in a political party that once boasted of the assurance to rule the country for another sixty— or was it six hundred —years?

Some of the personalities involved in the free-for-all atmosphere of the internal tussle within the PDP would tend to make one wish they had effected a definite disconnect from the party a while back, owing to their disruptive influence on politics in the past. For instance, one could contemplate the severance of Chief (General) Olusegun Obasanjo from active participation in PDP affairs with only a heavy sigh of relief. Since he earned the reputation of a military head of state, who favoured democracy to the extent that he willingly returned the reins of power to civilian hands, no other head of state has escaped his scathing comments, whether it be in the direction

•Obasanjo

Now Jonathan is at the wicket for his own innings

developed horns. We must agree that a lot is wrong with the structure and future of a political party which boasts of the highest number of members in the country—and probably even on the Continent—when it cannot successfully hold an election of its Board of Trustees, a matter that is hardly more than routine, because of internal strife.

The melee within the party pits the State Governors against the Presidency; the State Governors against the

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of fiscal management or security establishment. He started almost on the first day of Shagari, his successor’s administration, with the declaration of an austerity with “a human face”, and followed through with Abiola, who did not even make it to the Presidency, with the aspersion as to whether he was “the Messiah”. Of course, when he engaged a man called Abacha in such antics, we all know he almost came a cropper.

Now Jonathan is at the wicket for his own innings, and he is told he must rout insurgents with fire and sword and, at the same time, engage them in a dialogue.

Obasanjo is the only Nigerian who has governed as a military and civilian ruler at different times. He received the surrender of the Biafran forces at the end of the Civil War .. “ He not only handed over power to a civilian government, being a military ruler as already recounted above, he also processed the succession of his civilian administration by another civilian government. He later took up the reins of the Board of Trustees of his party through a constitutional process he had himself tailored to his size. In a word, he has done it all! His party needs fresh ideas that can hardly be aligned with his preoccupation of selfcentred passion.

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n the mean time, other forces are gathering to unseat his party. The “opposition” is all set once again to ridicule itself in a burlesque of sheer buffoonery. The political parties that do enjoy a modest regard at this time as the opposition, thanks to the PDP’s chicanery, are determined to put up another public show of mutual distrust, the like of which we are called to witness seasonally now, about their concerted effort to oust the PDP from power. That is their agenda from top to bottom. They mention words like “merger” in a situation where the components contemplated simply have no common aspects or properties. Rather, the elements are as repellent, as the “like poles” of a magnetic rod. The leaders of these parties are “potentates” each in his own right; each wrapped in the armour of his own self-importance; each with his own iron-cast agenda. As someone would be disposed to say, “I dey laugh o!”

Anyway, the first posters of the 2015 elections are out already, whether they are denied or disowned. If the PDP does not disintegrate from within, it will probably win again. And you know why. It is for the simple reason that Nigeria is riddled with corruption. We all pay service to its eradication only with our lips. And maggots thrive in filth.

Happy New year.

Time out

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013—15

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ll tennis buffs look forward to the Grand Slams or the Mas ters Series where supreme tennis athletes enter ‘the arena’ to showcase their immense skills, sometimes defying the freezing cold, or gusty winds, or whatever it is the elements might throw at them. The last man standing is usually the person who has shown enough grit, enough desire and enough skill during the two gruelling weeks.

All tennis buffs also have their favourites and a Grand Slam is not a Grand Slam if your favourite player is not in contention. So for me, the absence of my two favourite players in this year’s Australian Open has cast a pall on my enjoyment of the first slam of the year. Rafael Nadal, the man I adopted after Pete Sampras retired, has been off the circuit for the past seven months now. Hopefully, he will be back in time to dominate the clay court season.

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eacon Ayo Ositelu, on the other hand, has retired permanently from the tennis circuit. The cruel irony is that he retired so suddenly barely a week to the first grand slam of the year, when he would have dominated the arena with his crisp ‘shot making’. For years,I had enjoyed watching the game on TV, and reading his comments and analyses the following day in the Guardian. We may not always be on the same page, but at least, he was well informed.

The first time I read his article was in the late 70s in the Punch. I mean no offence to our sports writers when I say that I thought it was a foreign article. There was this combination of facts, authority, passion and simplicity that was rare in our newspapers. His articles made you feel complete as a sports follower.

It was a delight when he started writing for me as Editor; and a double delight when I found we shared the same ‘Alma Mater’. Though I never met him in school—he was that far ahead—Deacon Ositelu deferred to my position and he never called me by name throughout that period.

I called him ‘my senior’ and he called me ‘my editor’. In fact, that was how the telephone conversation we had barely 48 hours to his death, went. He seemed healthy, and in good spirit when I called to thank him for a favour he had done for me. He dismissed my effusive gratitude with ‘You will always be my editor’.

The news of his death 48 hours later was a shocker. One that got me starring out of the window in a daze for a long time. Deacon Ositelu was not only a talented sports writer, he was also a decent tennis player and an accomplished goalkeeper. Above all, he was such a gentleman. Sleep

well my ‘senior’.

Another colleague, Victor Akin Ogundipyue was to be buried the week Deacon Ositelu died. Like the late Deacon, Victor and I had Punch and the same ‘Alma Mater’ in common. So mine was a face from the past when Victor joined the Punch team.

As it turned out, Victor certainly didn’t need any tutelage from me, or from anybody. He took off on such a fast lane that he left the rest of us behind. It quickly became very clear that he would outgrow the Punch, and The Financial Punch, which was virtually set up because of him, could not keep him. He left for the corporate world where he redefined the image and concept of Corporate Affairs. Bold, confident and intelligent, Victor raised the profile of Corporate Affairs Management to an intellectual level. He proved that your boss would listen to you, if you had something worthwhile to say.

Unfortunately, Victor’s meteoric rise to the top, earned him many enemies and the eagle’s wings were not only clipped, they were punctured. It was a drained, and battle weary Victor that fell to the ground. I told him his brain was his greatest asset and that he would rise again. But the fall had humiliated and winded him too much. Victor began to slip away slowly… .

Victor should be remembered, along with Stanley Egbochukwu and Onyeama Ugochukwu, for their contributions to financial journalism in Nigeria. I personally will remember how he helped me with huge advert support during the early days of Prime People.

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But the fall had humiliated and winded him too much.

Victor began to slip away slowly… .

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was leafing through a daily paper when I stumbled on the death of another colleague – Tunde Agbabiaka. Tunde, who made his name when he covered several war zones during the liberation wars in Southern Africa, was a free spirit.

And for a while, I enjoyed the carefree lifestyle that my association with him in the middle 70s brought.

A mutual friend ,Yomi Lajide, had a place in Surulere which we promptly renamed ‘Supreme Headquarters’.

There, artistes, journalists and a couple of pilots, met about once a week for fried yam, drinks and camaraderie. It was a time to be young. Tunde, aka as Afroguard, was a respected ‘officer’. He was a man of ideas and a delight to spend time with.

So within a month, I had lost three colleagues who had touched my life in different ways. The way I feel right now can aptly be summarised by a line from a song which simply says ‘I feel a sense of loss tonight’.

It came to pass (II) G

of parents, relations, friends, in-laws to a place he does not even know. If God gives you this instruction today, the first thing that will come into your mind is fear. But do you know that fear breeds torment. But thank God, the Bible says that God has not giving us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Can you imagine how a man of seventy five years could leave all that he has ever known for the unknown. Where would he start from? He had no child, what if he dies trying to get there?

Listen to me favoured reader, if God is involved, what He has promised He will bring it to pass in your life and no demon or contrary powers can stop the purpose of God. God said to Abram, leave it all behind. Just obey me and follow. Trust me, for I am able to do what I intend to do.

You that is reading this message, God is telling you the same thing, that is to trust him to establish in your life what He has promised you. Can you imagine God saying to Abram he will make him a great nation when he has no child because his wife was barren. Not only that, from medical stand point, himself and his wife were well past the age of bearing any child.

And yet God was promising him what seems impossible.

But do you know that, that is why God is God. Know also that He still has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today

od is a faithful God. He is dependable.

You can put your whole trust in Him and He will never fail you. His words are yea and amen. He has never lied and so He cannot lie to you and He does not intend to start with you or anybody else.

Do you know that even if God try to lie He cannot lie because He is a true God. Whatever He says, it becomes. In Gen. 12:14, the Bible says “now the lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred, and from thy father ’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shall be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him: and lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran”.

From the text above, we could see God speaking to Abram his promises to bless, prosper, defend him, and make him known amongst nations.

Though at 75 years he had no child, yet God was saying to him that great nations will come through him. The ways of God are beyond full understanding of man.

However, for all of this to come to pass, Abram had to do what God wanted him to do. Abram had to leave his familiar territory E

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I feel a sense of loss

The moment Abram walked away from his people in accordance to God’s word, he entered into God’s covenant; everywhere Abram went he was favoured

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and forever. Whatever He has said He will do, if you trust and obey Him, he will bring it to pass.

Just as God promised Abram to bless him, make him great and to make him a blessing and father of nations, so He has fulfilled. The moment Abram walked away from his people in accordance to God’s word, he entered into God’s covenant.

Everywhere Abram went he was favoured. He became a very rich and wealthy man, he was a blessing and is still a blessing today because we are the seed of Abraham. He gave Abram the promised child Isaac.

Today father Abraham is a great man. Remember, God said He will make his name great. Listen, God is still the same.

May be you are single, graduate but unemployed, in debts, or that your marriage is full of storms. God’s word for you is that you will surely get married and be fruitful in your body; you will not only be gainfully employed but you will one day be employers of multitudes of people and you shall come out of every debt and become a lender to many nations and your marriage will be for signs and wonders in Jesus name. Believe it, and it shall come to pass.

Do you want to experience fulfillment of promises of God in your life? The starting point is you receiving Jesus Christ in your life as Lord and Saviour. If you have not already done so, please pray this simple prayer.

Father, you said that whosoever shall call on the name of Jesus, shall be saved.

For more details, contact us at Christ Reality Church, beside Gossard Hotel, opposite First Bank Sports Ground, Community Road, Satellite Town or P.O.Box, 3196, Yaba Lagos. Tel: 07029235279, 07029235280. E-mail: Johnson_crm@yahoo.com. Website: www.christrealityministries.org.

Our account details are Pastor Johnson Omomadia, Guaranty Trust Bank, A/C Nos. 0005171407.

Worship with us on Sundays, 1st Service: 745am-9:15am; 2nd Service 9:1511:30am. Wednesdays Word Revelation 6pm. Counseling days Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. 11am-5pm daily or by appointment. Showers of blessing every 2nd - 4th Sat. of each month, 6 a.m - 7.15 am.

C M Y K

16— SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013

BY PETER DURU, MAKURDI

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How 19 year old was stabbed to death by a sugarcane seller

ears flowed freely in the Wadata area of Makurdi town which is notoriously renown for its high rate of violent crime among youths when a yet to be identified sugarcane seller allegedly stabbed to death 19 year old Umar Abdulrahaman, his customer after a minor argument.

Though there are many sides to the story of the unfortunate incident which would have degenerated into a major communal conflict in Makurdi town but for the quick intervention of the Seniour Special Assistant to the Benue State Governor on Public Utilities, Mr. Gadaffi Asemanya who arrived the scene of the incident when angry youths of the area had mobilised for reprissal attack on all Hausa speaking artisans in the area.

Saturday Vanguard gathered from an eyewitness that the incident which occured Tuesday morning at about 10 am in the Wadata area of Makurdi town left residents searching the neighbour- the crime and took charge of scampering for safety while hood for anyone selling the situation”, Asemanya said. traders at the ever busy popsugarcane with the intent ular Wadata market started to kill them. he Governor ’s aide who packing their wares and clos”At that time, there was lamented the manner the ing their shops for fear of bepalpable tension and they young man was murdered in ing attacked. had already started making his prime urged youths of the According to the witness bonfire with all the sugar- state to desist from getting who craved anonymity, the cane they had seized from hooked to dangerous drugs deceased who until his death the neighbourhood and were adding that “the bizarre manlived at number 20 Kano about to march into all the ner the young man was killed street was a petty trader who houses in the area in search clearly indicated that the culdealt in used clothes and of any Hausa artisan living prit could have been under the bags at the Wadata market. or operating within the area. influence of hard drugs”.

He disclosed that the de“I had to plead with their While condemning the risceased had engaged the sugsense of reasoning ing wave of violent crimes Yunusa, elder brother of the deceased arcane seller in an argument and warned them among youths in the state, after purchasing a stick of sugof the implica- Asemanya urged parents to arcane from him. tion of tak- keep a close tab on their chilccording to Yunusa, “My the stab apparentHe stressed that onlookers ing the dren and wards in order to brother had walked ly penetrated his had initially thought the duo away from the scene of the ar- heart and he died laws into check the type of friends they were exchanging pleasantries gument when the sugarcane almost instantly t h e i r keep. until their voices started rising seller confronted him and before we were able hands; He also urged the authorities after which a serious quarrel stabbed him on the chest. and after to check the rising influx of to get medical attenensued between them. m u c h people whom he said hardly “He bled profusely because tion for him”, he said. ”They were actually talking communicated in familiar lanCorroborating the but suddenly an arguing over guages. story, the Senior Spethe balance (change) that was “Some of these people cial Assistant to the Besupposed to be given the murcome in from neigbouring nue State Governor dered young man. countries to engage in on Public Utilities, ”Their voices started rising as menial jobs in Nigeria Mr. Gadaffi Aseif they wanted to exchange without proper documanya, said he blows. All we heard at the time mentation and they conwas informed of was a sudden laud scream and stitute a major threat to the incident by the young man fell. our security. an informant “When we rushed to the “Some of them make who alerted him scene, we saw blood gushing money from their petty that there was from the chest of the deceased businesses and before palpable tenwhere he was stabbed and we you know it, they start sion in Wadata discovered that the young man operating commercial town among was battling for life. motorcycle business in some Islamic ‘Then he died and became Gadaffi Asemanya, who saved the situation town without knowing youths after cold even before he could be existing traffic rules a sugarcane taken to the hospital while his thereby endangering the lives seller allegedly stab his victim attacker immediately fled the to death who was of a differ- persuasion, they listened to of their passengers. It’s just scene of the incident leaving m e . unfortunate”, he stated. ent Islamic group. his victim in the pool of his When contacted, the Benue Asemanya said, “ I was “I was able to calm them down own blood.” alerted that youths of the var- though they were insisting State Police Public Relations In his account of the inciious Islamic sects mobilized that the killer of their brother Officer, Deputy Superintendent, an elder brother of the themselves and were about should be produced for them dent of Police, DSP, Daniel deceased who gave his name unleashing mayhem in Wada- to met out justice on him.But Ezeala confirmed the incident as Yunusa said his late youngluckily before the situation but pointed out that the pota. er brother was stabbed to ”When I arrived the area, I got out of hand, the security lice was yet to make any ardeath by the assailant for no saw angry youths who had mo- personnel that I had alerted rests. reason whatsoever. bilised themselves and were earlier stormed the scene of

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The deceased had engaged the sugarcane seller in an argument after purchasing a stick of sugarcane from him.

He stressed that onlookers had initially thought the duo were exchanging pleasantries until their voices started rising after which a serious quarrel ensued between them

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Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013—17

18—SATURDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 19, 2013

My marriage is failing due to my feelings of low self-esteem Dear Julie, My name is Richie and I have been married for 10 years to a wonderful wife but she has finally decided that she wants to end it. We have had a moderately happy life together but it has been ruined by my constant fear of losing my wife due to my feelings of low self-worth.

These feelings stem from early childhood when I found out that my father was unfaithful to my mother with my godmother. I was also badly bullied at school for many years.

As an adult, I then lost the friendship of my only brother when he cheated me on a business deal. At the time, I also found out that he was being unfaithful to his wife.

I got engaged to the girl of my dreams and she then broke it off. I met my current wife at that time and we fell in love and got engaged. It was only after this that I found out that she had slept with my best friend a few months earlier. Amazingly enough, we still got married and have been until this week, 10 years later.

My experiences in earlier life have shown me that I have a tendency to lose people close to me and that I am of-

ten betrayed by people I trust.

I have therefore always been fearful of losing my wife.

This has made me act in a way that defies belief. I have been inconsiderate, a bully, domineering, controlling and critical of my wife for years. I have been incapable of showing her normal affection, wanting always to have sex instead.

I have been doing the exact opposite of what I should have been doing to keep her and our marriage together. I am told that I have been “testing” her to see how far I can push her before she leaves.

My behaviour towards her has been mainly unconscious and the result of my inner feelings of being bad and having low self-esteem.

I am praying I can change this as I so want to stay with my wife and love her very much.

Dear Richie, Sounds like you have a really good grasp of your situation and know where you need to concentrate your efforts.

The areas that stand out to me are trust and and not wanting to lose her whilst setting things up to make her want to leave.

First of all, do not for a second think that you are the only one who has ever done something like this. And you are very right that we do these things because we are compelled on an unconscious/subconscious level. So how do we stop ourselves?

As you might guess, the root of the trust issue goes back to childhood. Since these issues are still playing out in your life, knowing how they were originally created is important.

What situations caused you to believe that people couldn’t

be trusted? How was your trust betrayed when you were a child? How did someone who was supposed to protect you, not? How did you feel when that happened? Did you remember thinking something in particular, did you make a vow or such? What did you say to yourself about it?

What beliefs did you come away from the experience with?

When we feel betrayed by those who are supposed to love us and protect us, we not only learn we can’t trust, we may take on the belief it was our fault, that if we had somehow been better, they would have loved us enough to protect us.

The common bottom line is that we come out of it with

He’s mad at me for sleeping with another man Aunty Julie, This guy and I have been together for three years. We are not steady. We have been off and on. We were very serious but the past few months were rocky. He was acting very uninterested and so we broke up.

Later on I told him I wanted to be with him and that if he felt the same way, he needed to tell me. I wasn’t going to wait around. Well, he never answered me but would always change the subject. So I realized he really didn’t want me and it hurt but I couldn’t make him want me. So I started talking to this other guy and we ended up sleeping together.

Afterwards, I couldn’t stop crying because I couldn’t stop thinking about my ex. So I stopped seeing the man. My ex’s really been trying to talk to me and so I decided to give him another chance. Apparently, someone told him I slept with another man while we were broken up and he is furi-

ous. He wants absolutely nothing to do with me. I don’t understand because I have put up with all his stuff, him talking to other girls and I forgave him but I have always stuck by his side. But the second I stray from him, he wants nothing to do with me. Did I do anything wrong? Should he be getting this upset since we weren’t together?

Freda, Abuja Dear Freda, It’s really hard when you care about someone and they don’t return your feelings.

Well, here’s the deal, something needed to change all right, but it wasn’t him, it was you! You need to get over pining for someone who never treated you well or respected you in the first place. And, in order to do that, you have to start respecting yourself first.

All that said, NO beating yourself up over it. You should get clear with yourself

on why you did what you did on all counts. Why are you hanging on to this guy? Why did you sleep with another guy? Did you subconsciously hope it would make your ex jealous and he’d come back to you? Did you subconsciously do it because you knew when the ex found out, he’d never want anything to do with you and that would make it easier for you to move on?

I don’t’ know why you did what you did but you do, so

spend some time and get clear on it. It generally isn’t WHAT we do that’s most important, it’s WHY. Figure out your whys so you don’t have to repeat them. You deserve a mutually fulfilling, respectful, loving and committed relationship. So, get busy fulfilling, being respectful, loving and committed to yourself!

our self-esteem shattered and a compulsion to find someone or something to make us feel worthy again. And the ways we go about it can be very ingenious and self-defeating.

Sounds rather bleak, but it doesn’t have to be. You can make different choices and change your life dramatically.

It does, however, take conscious effort and determination. The good news is that you obviously want to and that is a huge part of success— wanting to. So, it’s time to get good with yourself. Then start paying close attention to your thoughts and every time you catch yourself playing a limiting belief in your head, stop it, break the pattern and repeat your new belief three times.

Can I love him?

Dear Julie, I have been talking to this guy for four months before we met physically; and before we met, he was already talking of marriage! But each time he brought up the topic, I told him we have to see before we can proceed.

He asked why, I told him I don’t know if we’d be attracted to each other. Before we met, we always have series of hot arguments on the phone. On each occasion, he apologized but repeated same thing . We met for the first time four months after we started talking.

The first couple of days we were together, I hardly spoke. He did all the talking and I was just listening. Then, he started asking me to provide him with a wedding date.

I told him he was taking things too fast and wished he would be patient for us to get to know each other more.

My reply got him angry and he accused me of having multiple relationships. He wondered why I would delay his proposal if I didn’t have a backup plan.

I have asked him to give me more time to decide, but he doesn’t seem to have that much of time. We spend most of our time together arguing. Honestly speaking, he is a very nice guy, he spoils me with gifts, but I don’t love him that much to want to spend the rest of my life with him. He suspects all my moves. To him, every call I make or receive is from a guy. He doesn’t want me to hang out or talk to my male friends. He feels so insecure. He keeps telling me he will die if he doesn’t marry me. I’m trying hard to like him, but the feeling is not just there. I guess we started on the wrong note and our series of arguments initially has made me exhaustive. Do you think I can grow up to like this guy if we get married?

Tonia, Lagos Hello Tonia, I really don’t know where to begin with your relationship question . I do know one thing, though, that a lot of women reading your question will be angry! So all I’m going to do here is find a suitable inspirational quotation, and then to repeat some of what you’re asking .

Then I think you will be able to answer your question y o u r s e l f ! ”All wrong doing is done in the sincere belief that it is the best thing to do.” Think about it. What do you want in a relationship? What are you getting now? Are you happy? Answer the questions and then take a decision.

C O C K - T A L E S A very desperate marriage

A man really loved a woman, but he was just too shy to propose to her. Now he was up in his years and neither of them had ever been married. Of course, they dated about once a week for the past six years, but he was so timid he just never got around to suggesting marriage much less living together. But one day, he became determined to ask her the question. So he calls her on the phone, “June.” ”Yes, this is June.” ”Will you marry me?” ”Of course I will!

Who’s this?”

Don’t take any chances

A person receives a telegram informing him about his mother-in-law’s death. It also enquires whether she should be buried or burnt.

He replies, “Don’t take chances. Burn the body and bury the ashes.”

The way you say it

It’s not what you say, but the way you say it.

On a blind date, the boy said to the girl: “Time

stands still when I look into your eyes.” The girl was very flattered. What the boy had really meant was, “You have a face that would stop a clock.”

Going to the office

Hubby - You always carry my photo in your handbag to the office. Why? Wife - When there is a problem, no matter how impossible, I look at your picture and the problem disappears. Hubby - You see, how miraculous and powerful I am for you? Wife - Yes, I see your picture and say to myself, “What other problem can there be greater than this one?”

SATURDAY Vanguard JANUARY 19, 2013—19

If the children are more welcoming, the step-father might follow suit

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Children also need to adjust to their step-parents! should enjoy a stable relationship just like dad has since he remarried”. The snag is that a second marriage means time has to be shared amongst other people too.

The tendency is for a ‘new’ bride to try and please her new family—the children. It could be nerve-wracking trying to warn your mother off a romance she’s guarding jealously.

“Don’t look at what you’ve lost, look at what you have gained—another adult who might be there for you when you’ve all got used to each other”, counselled a psychologist on how to deal

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oungsters are bottling up their anxieties especially on drugs, alcohol, relationships, bullying...

“Many children find it very hard to talk to their parents, particularly as they become teenagers”, says Eileen Hayes, a parenting adviser, “but in an ideal world, every child could turn to his or her parent for support. With a little help from you, your children will be more open about their fears.” Here is how she advises you encourage them: Don’t try to force answers out of them, if you ask a direct question and don’t get an answer, just says: “No problem. But remember I’ll be here if you decide to tell me”.

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sk questions: Try to keep in touch with what’s going on in your teenager’s life. If you know that your daughter’s favourite sport is volleyball, you will know that something’s wrong without even asking if she stops going to after—school practices.

Approach boys and girls C M Y K

with step-parents. If a stepfather is unfriendly, it could be because the children are wary of him when they were introduced. If the children are more welcoming, the step-father might follow suit. “Let’s face it, your mother might not have liked the boyfriends you go out with in the past, yet she had to put up with them.

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ou now have to do the same with your stepfather. She will always love her children, but it’s her turn now to be loved. Even if she’s entitled to a fulfilling life of her own”.

Benny was planning to go to the university when her mother suddenly announced she was getting married again. “There were only us, two children,” she recalled, “and her news made me decide to go to a university far from home. My younger sister lived with the ‘new’ couple but she didn’t have nice things to say about our so-called-stepfather who looked a bit rough round the edge to me. I avoided him as much as possible. “I was doing my youth service when they broke up and I’m not ashamed to say that I was jubilant. Who knows, maybe if we’d been

more open with our feelings, she might not have married him. Compared to our father, he was a rough-neck. One would expect her to get someone as good as dad if not better! My dad remarried about the time mum did and now has two boys. I don’t feel jealous because his new wife always makes us welcome”. If you are a parent who’s just remarried, here are some tips experts believe should help. “ on’t be lovey-dovey in front of your children.

They may be grown-up but it is still embarrassing for them to see their mother or father acting like a teenager. Don’t expect them to accept your new partner straight away.

They’re old enough to make up their own minds. Accept that even if the children don’t live at home anymore, they’re still going to find it odd when’ home’ changes—especially if you move away. Remember, you’re still a mum and possibly a grandma too.

Don’t sacrifice your old family ties for your new found passion. Don’t forget to rewrite your will. Treat everyone fairly and cover all possibilities. For example, what would happen if you died and your new husband remarried?

This is wishing you readers the traditional Happy New Year!

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Ho w to get yyour our kids to open up...

How differently:Girls will respond better to a sit down, eye-to-eye chat — they like to have your full attention. But many boys find this approach a bit off-putting and would much rather have a ‘side-ways’ chat. For example, when driving them to football practice or the gym, casually drop in the subject you’re feeling concerned about: “So, how’s the maths going?” or “you haven’t mentioned Lucy in a while. How is she?” Boys can be

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ITH the galloping rate of divorce that currently exists world-wide, it stands to reason that second marriages should be as popular as first ones. The snag is second marriages also mean step-children and step-parents surface, resulting in some complications in an otherwise happy ever-after relationship.

“I’m upset because my mum got married again and I don’t like my step father” a reader’s letter stated. “It was her first proper relationship since our dad left her some nine years ago. I’m happily married with children and know her relationship is none of my business since we don’t live together. But my stepfather is hostile and I don’t feel comfortable going home. He lives in mum’s house and has changed the way the house looks, as well as the way my good-natured mother behaves. She doesn’t ring or visit as often as she used to and spends more time with her step-children, who live with her, than with her own children.

“My husband agrees that this man is manipulative but my mum doesn’t know how we children feel because we haven’t confronted her about it. We thought she

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interrupt or jump in too quickly before you have heard the full story. Feed important points back to them and ask questions to make it clear that you are paying attention to them. For example: “So, you told him to leave you alone? And then what happened?”

When your child has told you something that needs to be taken further, be careful. If it’s something as bad as child abuse,

When your child has told you something that needs to be taken further, be careful

harder to reach as many of them still feel that a ‘real man’ shouldn’t ask for help. Make it clear that there’s nothing wrong with needing support.

Using listening skills:Don’t

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you will have to tell them that you must act. If the problem is less serious, listen to the child.

Often they will want you to stay calm rather than act. You might want to storm down to the school

and confront the headmistress about the matter, but your child may disagree. Don’t be upset if your child talks to someone else. They may decide to discuss things with their teacher or another adult they respect. It’s normal to feel hurt when you find out, but don’t be angry, it’s a good sign. Your child is becoming independent and is trying to find his or her own solutions.

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emember that everyone is different. Some kids are secretive by nature and some tell you everything. But you know your own child best, if he or she is behaving out of character, be concerned. Watch for signs of depression, such as locking themselves away for hours and refusing to say why. And be alert to other small signs— children often give clues in throwaway remarks like ‘I wish 1 was dead.’

20—SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19 19, 2013

Although women won’t say it aloud, there’s often a huge sigh of relief once they get their ring. Getting engaged can be a triumph, and if he’s the wrong guy, the high from the attention of the engagement can minimize that fact

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Did you marry the wrong guy?

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s Amara, then 32, walked down the aisle toward her fiancé, wearing a N200,000 wedding gown and a 7-carat ring, she felt nothing but dread. I don’t want to go through with this, she thought, with each step toward the altar. Amara, a lawyer spends most of her time running her father’s multi-million naira business. She dated a few men in the past and there was pressure on her from family to settle down in marital bliss. Then she met Austin, a fellow lawyer who started out helping her to do 'stuff' in the business empire.

Then, one thing led to another. There was a roll in the hay and then Austin proposed.

Just two hours before the ceremony, Amara was engaged in a discussion with her two sisters over the family business. When it was time to get ready for the wedding, she felt strange.

Amara had dated her handsome lawyer/businessman beau for four years before they got engaged, and although he didn’t make her heart race, she still loved him. “We were best friends, and I thought he’d make a great husband and father, even though I wasn’t ‘in love,’” she says. “I walked down the aisle thinking, What the hell?

During my vows, I wasn’t making eye contact with my fiancé.”

Five years and two kids later, their sex life nonexistent, Amara wanted out.

“I’d often wish he would cheat,” she says. Finally, her husband, sensing her unhappiness, ended it.

Amara is hardly the first woman to say “I do” when her heart wasn’t in it.

Thirty percent of now-divorced women say they knew it was wrong from the start. According to recent research

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conducted by experts, 30 percent of now-divorced women say they knew in their gut they were making a mistake as they walked down the aisle.

Only a handful backed out.

The obvious question is: If you know you’re marrying the wrong guy, why do it?Thirty percent of now-divorced women say they knew it was wrong from the start. And what takes the blame?

For starters, blame Cinderella. “Women are raised with an unrealistic impression of what love is supposed to look like,” says an expert. “Girls read fairy tales where the woman gets saved by the prince, and when they’re older, the same message is enforced through romantic comedies where love always prevails, despite impossible scenarios.

So women learn that love can always work, even when it’s unhealthy.”

Then there’s the usual suspect: the biological clock. Amara’s was ticking and she was ready to start a family.

The number 30 reads like an expiration date for unmarried

women. Not only are the baby-making years racing by, but they're leaving behind the 20s , a decade of experimentation, one-night stands, and making mistakes, professionally and personally. In the next decade, they’re seen as an adult and can’t do those things. And the unspoken rush to the altar makes things worse.

Although women won’t say it aloud, there’s often a huge sigh of relief once they get their ring. Getting engaged can be a triumph, and if he’s the wrong guy, the high from the attention of the engagement can minimize that fact.

Being so busy planning an over-thetop fete can overshadow a couple’s incompatibility.

Another career lady, Josephine shared that midway through her engagement, she started grappling with trust issues. Her fiancé was strangely private about his job, and her friends and family had been warning her not to marry him. She had a gut feeling that something wasn’t

right, but she had no interest in listening to her gut . She had more important matters to tend to.

“I was busy planning my dream wedding,” she says. Yet on the big day, she felt strangely hollow inside.

“My mind was blank and during my vows, I realized that I didn’t mean them,” she says. “I wasn’t thinking what married life would be like.”

Five months after the ceremony, she filed for divorce.

Women often forget that marriage isn’t just about a big wedding. It’s also about evolving from being single to married. That’s a big thing to deal with.

But how do you distinguish between jitters and genuine cold feet? Nerves are about anxiety over the event : will the best man get drunk? Will the flowers wilt? Cold feet are about doubting the relationship. So if you think things like: Am I settling?

Things will improve after the wedding. Marriage makes sense , we’ve been dating forever!, you may be rightfully doubting the union.

Yemisi, 33, a banker had a five-year rocky relationship with her nowhusband before he proposed. Despite feeling neglected by him , hurt that he rarely made time for the two of them , she squashed her doubts and said yes.

But one hour before the ceremony, she started scrambling for reasons to back out. “I was in tears,” she says. My husband Tunde marched down the aisle anyway, and now, nine years later, is in the process of dissolving that marriage.

“Listen to your instincts,” she says, “I should have paid attention to the signs it wasn’t right.”

I have a terrible relationship with my mother-in-law

have a terrible relationship with my mother-in-law and I don’t have a clue how to make it better. The woman hates me.

I think she’s angry because my husband married me instead of a family friend she adored. She is constantly finding ways to pull us apart, and she’s made it clear that I’m not welcome in her house.

We have a four-year-old daughter, and when my husband takes her to visit his family, I stay home.

As you’ve discovered, secret feelings are So far, my daughter is too young to put all the pieces together. What do I say when she starts asking why I’m almost impossible to keep secret. An undercurrent of whispers, facial gestures, body not going with them to visit? language, overheard bits of conversation, or Ebeano, Lagos hesitant and evasive answers to questions Ans: You’re right to be concerned. Children are very combine to drive children to come up with their perceptive and do pick up on tension within families, even own explanation, which in many cases can be if it is not directly expressed. However, they don’t know more disturbing than the reality. To ensure that the causes of the tension, and because of their inherent your daughter has a happy, healthy relationship egocentrism, they tend to blame themselves. Often, they with members of her family, you should try to think: “My bad behaviour has caused all these problems settle your disputes if possible. among the grown ups.”

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C M Y K

SATURDAY

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he head houses the skull which in turn encases the brain which brings forth our thought process from our lips. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Leadership that has a conscience for its people and a strong will to rid the system of everything that will detract from our progress; be it corruption, bad infrastructure or the lack of it, deplorable healthcare, lack lustre education system, bad roads, insecurity and of course the mother of all progress inhibitor in every sphere of life, lack of electricity.

A system that encourages and paves the way for all manner of shenanigans that has perpetuated our nation should be done away with, and it is only a great leader that can ensure that kind of change. You cannot expect to wear a white outfit, get into the pig’s pen and still come out without a stain?

You must be poised for the task

info@katehenshaw.com

When will our change come? ahead... roll up your sleeves, get down on your knees and do the dirty... .

A friend when asked to name few things that needed to be dealt with as a matter of urgency in Nigeria listed: 1.) Electricity 2.)

Electricity 3.) Electricity 4.)

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he year 2013 has arrived with such certainty that it is hard to ignore. Much as I do not like odd numbers, I have a positive feeling in my spirit that this will be a great year indeed. With the turn of a new year, come new resolutions, new responsibilities, new dreams, new schemes and new life. People resolve to make changes in their personal life, career and environment. When will the leaders of this nation of ours resolve to make a turnaround for its citizens?

A chance gathering of friends yesterday brought forward the usual topic of Nigeria and where it is headed. Myself, Justice, Iyke, Mudi and a few others had a heated debate about whether our change would come or not and when. The problem of leadership and that of the followership was brought to the fore and even though on this column, I have blamed both, I have changed my mindset and now believe for sure that leadership is solely responsible for the state we find ourselves in today.

as that is when I have electricity allocated to me to power my washing machine. It refuses to work when the ‘genny’ is on. It is indeed, a very sorry case of stark depravity that we celebrate the attainment of 4,800 mega watts of electricity. We are so used to the crumbs than a slice of a whole loaf (which is

You cannot expect to wear a white outfit, get into the pig’s pen and still come out without a stain

Electricity 5.) Government should be frugal in its expenditure. He said once there is electricity, businesses will grow and everything becomes okay, literally, for the country.

We are now on load sharing of electricity in the area where I reside. I have taken to doing my laundry in the middle of the night

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deservedly ours) makes us break out in a joyous dance. I believe things are getting worse in this nation instead of better, and no amount of prayer will suffice. Prayers will not make sure that we ensure that what good infrastructure we have left to enjoy will not be allowed to decay to a point where large amounts are approved to restore them. Prayer will not ensure that our leaders are forced to make sure

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I

t came like a bolt out of the blue from someone I had truly admired growing up as a young media professional. She had made a name for herself, a possessed a truly unique gift in one of the areas of media that I was aspiring to at the time. Through those years we were more than cordial and even collaborated on a few projects; and my great admiration for her was always quite evident. Vintage wine was how I described her…one that would only get better with age.

I’m not sure when it began but I do recall with such clarity the exact moment our paths separated to my mind irretrievably that day.

Ironically the messenger, another

I’m not sure when it began but I do recall with such clarity the exact moment our paths separated to my mind irretrievably that day

close confidant of ours did not realise the damage he was about to incur; had he I’m sure he would have kept his lips sealed.

“Ah! What did you say about aunty so soso...?” Huh? “I saw her the other day and she said to tell you well done o she heard what you said about her…”

My head spark. Till this day I don’t know what I was supposed to have said. The next time I

that things work here when they, their wives, children and relatives suffer the same fate as the common man with the appalling education and health system. No more will they pay lip service to the needs of this nation because of a certainty there will be a change.

There are basically three sets of Nigerians: those who fold their arms and seem helpless with the state of the nation, those who are ready to cause a change and those who want to remain in the cesspit as they are making tonnes of money from the system. This third group is in the majority at the moment, and will do whatever it takes to make sure the status quo remains. Which group are you? It is not enough to complain, mutter... and murmur. If we desire a change, we need to do something about it.

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istening to President Obama outline his new proposal on gun control in America, I noticed he was not addressing the nation from any script. He spoke from the heart. He challenged the citizens to speak to their congress men from the different constituencies and make their demands known with regards to gun control; they were to ask the congress man’s opinion on gun control and if he believed differently from the way they felt, they were to ask him what was more important; keeping the big A grade donors to their campaign happy, who happen to be against gun control or making sure that parents minds are at ease when they drop off their children in first grade school? I dare ask the same of each of us reading this column; what is more important, that we allow things deteriorate so far that it goes past the elasticity limit or that we make a change for a better tomorrow for our children?

Time is ticking away.

the air. I wasn’t looking for a fight; I just believe that respect should be reciprocal.

Therefore when my phone rang that day during the yuletide she was the last person I was expecting at the other end. Then when she began to speak, I was actually shocked into silence. It was a straight forward unvarnished apology. She admitted that she herself was not that clear on what went wrong; but regardless and in spite of; she was sorry and simply wanted her aburo back.

A clean slate

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he beautiful thing about a new day, or a new book, or a new friend… or a new year; is the promise of opportunity. What I could not achieve yesterday perhaps I will achieve today. It’s a chance to do it all over, begin on a new journey of discovery but this time with the benefit of hindsight (for the serial slipper uppers *wink*)Long story short—a clean slate— upon which to write anything our hearts and minds can imagine.

The year 2012,ended for me on a distinct note via one peculiar phone call; peculiar not only because of the individual who initiated the call; but also because of the content of our conversation.

Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013—21

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saw her which was at some high profile media event I made a beeline for her and called her out on it. She didn’t pick up the gauntlet; rather she feigned total ignorance of what I was on about — fine by me. But it was obvious from that moment on, that things were not the same. We studiously ignored each other personally and professionally through the intervening years and the once or twice that we did see, though we were civil, there was a definite frostiness in

y shocked silence went on for so long she became uncomfortable, I could hear it as she hesitated, stumbled then kept on going determined to get it all out.

When it finally registered that this was really happening and not some hoax; I had to stop her midsentence;whatever it was that happened between us back then seemed so insignificant in the face of her huge gesture. I in turn have taken my own mental and emotional step towards her thus bridging gap of all those years.

A new beginning… a clean slate. A journey of discovery or rediscovery…. Of self; an old friend; family; dreams; passion…. a nation.

Time and another opportunity to get it right.

Happy New Year! In 2013 all good things will come.

22 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013

L.O.S. parts ways with Bankhead Enter tainment

By AYO ONIKOYI

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he foursome musical group known simply as L.O.S. (Loud on Sound) have parted ways with their record label, Bankhead Entertainment. Having collaborated and achieved some success over the years, both parties

have now decided to part ways amicably.

Yung, Briss, Bridge and Tomi Thomas, collectively known as L.O.S (Loud On Sound) - exploded in the Summer of 2011 with their Shank-featured hit records, “On Fire”, “Pamsingle “Magic”.

2012 saw the release of three parampe” and “Bad Guy P” successful and excellent with the group headlining a sold-out concert at the Federal Palace Hotel in July while touring the country with the likes of Samsung, Spinlet and Hennessy among others.

L.O.S closed the year with be part of the full album set the release of the much anticifor release later in the year.

It was a busy 2012, this year pated music video for “Bad will be busier as plans have Guy P” to rave reviews from been concluded to release the full album.”

Leo’nel who cut his teeth on the big stage with his rave performance at Opa Williams’ Nite of a Thousand Laughs on Oct 1 last year, said he was ready for irtel’s Nigeria’s Got Talbigger challenges. “This is ent Season One the year that will turn things winner, Amarachi around. From Nite of a Uyanne, has reThousand Laughs and the ceived an award for review we got in the media, Excellence from the I have played other big Oba of Benin for her shows here and in the UK. It was a fulfilling year consterling performance sidering the fact that I just in the just concluded made myself public. The rise reality TV talent within a short time in the haunt show. highly competitive industry Eight-year-old Amais, awesome and for that rachi was among ten I give thanks to God, outstanding persons my dad, the one and honoured by His Royonly Zach Orji, my al Highness, Omo mum who is my ‘home No’ba N’edo Uku Akmanager. I promise I polokpolo Erediauwa, won’t disappoint you at the annual event that all.” recognizes achievers On why he is keeping within the Oba’s dothe titles of the singles main. under wrap, the The young violinist and youngster said: “I dancer stunned Nigerians want everybody to when she outclassed 50 othknow of the titles er contestants to emerge the when we are ready winner of the maiden edition to be on air, that will be in a couple of the Got Talent competition of weeks,” the sponsored by Airtel Nigeria.

University of The honour from the Oba Bradford, United of Benin comes weeks after Kingdom’s Bachthe show sponsor; Airtel Nielor of Arts in geria treated the youngster Media Studies/ to a grand reception precedTelevision gradued by a media tour of selectate submitted. ed media houses in Lagos.

Leo’nel reThe highly revered Monvealed he had arch who personally presidshot the videos of ed over the Awards Presenhis first two sintation ceremony in his Palace, gles. said the recognition was to

Leo’nel set to release two singles A

OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

FTER the success of his two singles, Baby Joor and Rockstar last year hip hop sensation Leo’nel, son of legendary Nollywood star, Zack Orji, is set to release two more singles.

His media company, Media Image Managers, made this disclosure during the week. At the moment, thesongs are being mixed in the UK and will be ready for the Nigerian public via the airwaves in the next couple of weeks. “Yes, I am putting out two singles very soon.

One was produced by me and the other by a young talented producer named Chiliz. It is what Nigerians have been waiting for, I mean, these new sounds coming from me.

All the songs including Baby Joor and Rockstar will

fans, critics and new audiences alike. They also opened for Chris Brown on the Nigerian leg of his world tour to end a defining 2012.

The four artists are now under the record label, L.O.S Music which will work closely with Storm Records, with Setop Media handling all management inquiries. They are already preparing for the release

of a massive remix of their latest smash hit, “Bad Guy P” featuring two very special guests and that monster remix will be followed, by the group’s debut E.P as well as future solo projects from all four group member.

Ge ts rrooyal aw ar d Amar ac hi, Air Gets awar ard Amarac achi, Airttel’s NG NGTT winner A

e Amarachi Uyann encourage excellence among the subjects of the kingdom in their various fields.

Speaking on the development, Airtel Nigeria’s Chief Marketing Officer, Olu Akanmu said the honour was well deserved by the youngster and praised the Oba for recognizing the young talent, adding that such gesture could spur Amarachi to the world stage in the nearest future.

His words: “Amarachi’s success story is a fair picture of our vision and plan for Nigerians especially the youth. We are glad for her achievements at this early stage of her life and our solemn pledge to continue to provide more platforms such

as the NGT alongside our primary obligation to create bestin-class telecommunication experience remains firm.”

Other recipients of the Oba’s award were the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Professor Osayuki Godwin Oshodin for Academic Excellence and Professor Osato Frank Giwa-Osagie of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos for his outstanding performance in the health sector, especially in obstetrics and gynaecology.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013 — 23

Shocker!

How DCG reality TV show winner, Israel met his father on stage after 30yrs of separation BENJAMIN NJOKU

H

is story runs like a nov el; shocking and unbelievable. But it is real and never imagined. Winner of the maiden edition of Destiny Child Gospel reality TV show, Israel Osunsanmi recently came to term with the saying that blood is thicker than water.

This is so, because on a day the world gathered to celebrate him as the star winner of the gospel reality show, the unexpected happened. Young Israel had a cause to meet his biological father for the first time in his lifetime while on stage.

Until the grand finale of the reality show, 30 year-old Israel has never had any contact with his father. But on that fateful day, the man who sent his mother packing while she was two months pregnant suddenly emerged to share in his joy.

Narrating his ordeal to Showtime, Israel, an OND Business Administration graduate of the Osun State Polytechnic, declared that he has since forgiven his father, even though his mother ’s ordeal really affected his growing up. “I have forgiven him and the relationship is gradually picking up,” he said.

According to him, his ordeal started when his father impregnated his mother ’s best friend a month before their wedding. His mother ’s attempt to confront his father got her a knock on the head, as the latter consequently threw her with her twomonths pregnancy out of his house in order to marry her friend.

Israel disclosed that if not for God’s mercies, he wouldn’t have made it to this world as his mum attempted about 10 times to abort the pregnancy but without any success.

He narrates, “I will be 30 this month. I’m from a polygamous family, and I’m the only child of my mother. I took to gospel music because of my story. My life is a big story. My dad sent my mother packing when she was 2months pregnant. That was when my struggles started in life. It was myself and my mum alone in the world. But

I’m alive today. That alone gave me the inspiration that it was God that kept me alive.

And it is God, I must live without blemish, and if I do anything wrong, God is going to take away this life that he has given to me. That’s why I can’t do anything without God. And this is why many people today call me ‘ Church Boy’ because I’m always spending my time in the Church. There was a time, I wanted to go astray, when I was singing in clubs, and other hangouts, but God in his infinite mercies redirected my steps.”

Narrating how he was able to reunite with his father. he disclosed that one of his father’s sisters made it possible. “We got hooked up on facebook early last year. In the cause of our discussion, I invited her to the grand finale of the show. Fortunately, she decided to attend the event in

the company of his father. She was trying to connect with the Osunsanmis online. She saw my telephone number and immediately gave me a call.

That was how we started getting closer. When it was a week to the finals of the reality show, I invited her to represent my family. But she told me she was going to attend the event in the company of my father. I welcomed the idea. That was it. The mistake I made was telling the producer that my dad was around and that, I was meeting him for the first time in my life.

Overwhelmed by that news, the Producer invited him on stage and the reunion was a memorable experience.”

Israel, who won N3 million star prize, including a brand new Hyundai car said, he would forever remain grateful to God for this turn around in

Unile ver’s Knorr TTas Unilever’s astte as Ques Questt debuts on TTVV

BY ANOZIE EGOLE

A

new cooking reality show tagged Knorr Taste Quest from the stables of Unilever Nigeria Plc has finally taken off. Viewers can now follow the 13 episode TV Show every weekends on local stations including AIT, Silverbird, Galaxy, E-Stars (Startimes) and OnTV. About 12 contestants comprising eight females and four males are jostling for the grand prize of a brand new car and N1million as well as several other items.

Similarly, the 1st runnerup will get N1m cash prize and kitchen equipment worth N300, 000 while the 2nd runner up will win N500, 000

and kitchen equipment worth N300, 000. Meanwhile, all 20 contestants would go home with different kitchen equipment and could also win cash vouchers if they win any of the special tasks.

According to organizers, over 6,000 entries were received from all parts of the country before they were finally pruned down to 24 at a rigorous screening exercise that held in Lagos out of which the 12 finalists emerged.

Heading the jury is experienced Chef, Doctor Roberts and the duo of Gbubemi Fregene also known as Chef Fregz and Nsima Ogedi-Alakwe, Category Manager Savoury, Unilever Nigeria Plc. At an exclusive screening party that held last weekend, Managing Director, Unilever Nigeria Plc Mr. Thabo Mabe, revealed that the show will inspire many N i g e r i a n s .

Israel

his life. “My mother is based in Ilorin and could not make to the grand finale of the show,” he said.

Now married, Israel will be 30 next month. Before he participated in the competition, he was the Head, Directorate of Media and Logistics, at TREM in Abuja.

The show producer, Mrs. Uche Esharetury disclosed, she was inspired to do this project because of her passion for gospel music. “Looking at

the Nigerian music industry, we realise most of these artistes discovered their talent from the church, participating in choirs and others right from their youth. They were certified as gifted musicians, but the absence of potential sponsorship deprived them opportunities in gospel music.Hence, the subscription to secular music which attracts sponsorship based on its societal acceptance”, Esharetury said.

Wale Adenuga unveils fresh episodes for Papa Ajasco Ajasco?

By ABIGAIL FRANK

V

iewers of Papa Ajasco & Company are in for a treat this season as Wale Adenuga Productions is set to debut brand new episodes of the much loved TV Comedy as from 21st January, 2013.

The fresh episodes, with the titles; Happy Kidnappers, The Phone Call, Urine Depot and The General’s Daughter, feature Papa Ajasco, Pa James, Boy Alinco, Mama Ajasco, Miss Pepeiye and Bobo Ajasco in exciting storylines laced with clever satire which would make viewers of all ages laugh and learn at the same time.

Papa Ajasco & Company, Nigeria’s most popular sitcom, has remained relevant for over a decade due to the ingenuity employed by its creator, Wale Adenuga MFR, and his team in constantly improving the standard to ensure timeless, top quality family entertainment which cuts across all social classes

in Nigeria.

Papa Ajasco & Company remains the most watched TV Comedy in Nigeria as well as one of the most watched TV programmes overall in the country and it is aired weekly on wapTV Network (StarTimes 222) and twenty key TV stations across the country.

24—SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013

I eat beans and plantain a lot — Adebanjo

By IYABO AINA

A

bimbola Adebanjo a.k.a RAIN, a gospel artiste is our guest in this edition of Celebrity Tummy Talk. The Ijebu- born young man from Ogun State speaks on his passion for beans and plantain and how he keeps fit.

Enjoy it

T

ell us your food routine?

I don’t really eat that much. I can eat fruit throughout the day.

Does that mean you can eat

Healthy Tips

anywhere?

Not all all. As a celebrity, I am not supposed to eat everywhere.

So, what is your favorite ?

Beans, egg , salad, burger, ice cream and plantain.

Have you ever played pranks to get any of those foods growing up?

No. But my best foods are beans and plantain and I can eat it throughout a month Can you cook it yourself?

Very well. But, I can’t prepare Amala and pounded yam Do you take fruits ?

I do. I indulge in fruit salad.

My best fruits are pawpaw, banana, apple, pineapple and cucumber.

What goes with your meal after eating ?

Water or soft drinks and sometimes juice. But, I prefer chilled fanta after meal often times.

Do you exercise ?

Yea, I do press ups, jugging to keep fit .

Your family’s favourite?

Ikokore, eba and egusi soup.

They also like rice too.

like lettuce and fresh herbs. If you can eat nuts and seeds, add a sprinkle of linseeds to your breakfast cereal or yoghurt, or you could put a spoonful of linseed oil over your salad with your olive oil if you like. Uncooked olive oil and most other oils are actually quite helpful too.

You can also drink non-caffeine herbal teas, mint is great, and you could also try an infusion of Lettuce

ginger root grated into a mug of hot water with a slice of lemon, add honey to taste. Marvellous for the entire digestive system.

You can also indulge in some exercises and you will feel a little better.

Dealing with pile

D

o you know that pile can be caused through diet, lack of exercise, stress, wrong bowel habits and the symptoms is manifest through constipation.

A good way of avoiding piles is to drink at least 8 goodsized glasses of water each day, and eat plenty of fresh fruit and raw vegetables, particularly leafy vegetables

Ojumo Rain

Today's Menu

Whole Wheat Bread Recipes

One cup of warm water (110-115 degrees F) One1 tablespoon of milk Two tablespoons of oil Two tablespoons of honey Two tablespoons of brown sugar One 1 teaspoon of salt One and half cups of all-purpose flour (see additional notes for a 100 percent whole wheat version) One and half cups of whole wheat Whole Wheat Bread flour Two teaspoons of instant active dry yeast

Preparations

C

Whole Wheat Bread

Nuts

Food and Health

Beans and Plantain

E

at plenty of fibre-rich foods such as fruits, especially papayas (pawpaw) and figs, vegetables and wholegrain cereals including brown rice, whole wheat bread, lot of greens, raw salads.

Take fruits rather than fruits juices; most fruits contain high fibre.

Drink plenty of fluids, especially water to keep bowel movements soft.

Those suffering from piles should strictly avoid hot and spicy food, and non-vegetarian food too.

ombine first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.

Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic for about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm. Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

Ingredients

Black eyed beans Palm oil Dried pepper Salt

Preparations

S Pawpaw

et a medium size pot one high heat, add in Beans and plantain 4 cups of water and set to boil. Wash the beans, and add to the pot of boiling water. Reduce heat to below medium, let the beans cook for 2hrs30min.

When water is almost dried up, add all the pepper, salt and palm oil. Simmer on low heat for another 30mins, taste and adjust for salt. Sever with plantain, stewed goat, bread, garri or your choice of side C M Y K

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2012 — 25

Kourtney Kardashian offers to breast-feed Kim’s baby

T

GOLDEN GLOBES 2013 RED CARPET:

All the fashion, dresses and major trends of the night

BY IYABO AINA

I

t was a big night for TV and film stars as they hit the red carpet for the 2013 Golden Globes on Sunday. Best supporting actress nominee Anne Hathaway chose a white Chanel look for her big night while presenter Kate Hudson

went sexy in a plunging Alexander McQueen.

Jennifer Lawrence, who picked up the award for best actress in a musical and comedy, brought a bright note with her Dior Haute Couture gown. Homeland’s Claire Danes showed off her postbaby body in a red halter

by Versace with her husband, Hugh Dancy, by her side, and Jennifer Lopez took the stage to present in a lacy Zuhair Murad number. There were so many more gorgeous ladies that posed on their way into the show, including a Christian Dior-clad Marion Cotillard, Taylor Swift in a backless Donna Karan Atelier, and others.

he pretty sisters who recently appeared on US breakfast programme to promote their new show Kourtney And Kim Take Miami, when Kim told host Savannah Guthrie about the unusual proposition.

She said: “She said to me ‘in the old days, and maybe we should try this, one sister should babysit all the kids, so I can go out or viceversa, and whichever sister is babysitting should just breast-feed all the kids that are there’.”

Despite Kourtney, 33, instantly protesting “I did not say we should try this,” she seemed more than open to the idea as she added: “But Kim did say, ‘Does that not freak you out?’ and I said, ‘No, it doesn’t Kim went on to talk about how her pregnancy came as a surprise due to fertility issues that she hasn’t opened up about in the past.

She said: “It’s kind of a miracle that I even got pregnant. Khloe has been very open about her fertility issues and I think I was always really kind of quiet about mine, and I have similar issues.

“It was a pleasant surprise

Valentine Ball holds in Abuja

A

BUJA based upscale events outfit, Red Carpet Protocol is planning a Valentine Ball come next month in the Federal Capital Territory.

A statement by the company Vice-President, Mr.Etinosa Sam Onaiwu said, “the Valentine Ball will be different from what a lot of people are used to as so much has been put in place to give it a unique appeal that will make the public look forward to it every year”.

Under the theme of ‘Love and Family Values’, the Valentine Ball according to the statement, will use some em-

inent Nigerians such as governors, legislators, business leaders amongst others who make very visible public appearances with their spouses to showcase love and family values and position them as role models for young couples and those aspiring to the marriage institution.

According to Mr, Onaiwu this will be done in a setting filled with music, comedy, karaoke, games, dance, three course meal, fine wine and lots of gifts for couples to take home.

“Already booked are comedians, Gordons and Helen Paul while plans are in the

pipeline to have American Music Awards winning R&B duo K-Ci and JoJo to serenade the audience with a retinue of love songs that will remind them of the love and bond they share with their other half. The evening is being packaged to not only reignite the love between the couples present, but to begin to show some of those things that help build a relationship learning from those who have been there by using a fun and lively atmosphere to convey that message” Onaiwu added.

The event is slated for the International Conference Centre in Abuja on February 10.

Kourtney Kardashian

when so many doctors were telling me one thing and then the opposite happens.”

Kim, 32, also spoke about boyfriend Kanye West’s shock revelation of the pregnancy during a concert on December 30.

She said: “He just kind of says what he feels. Once you’re past the three-month mark, you’re pretty safe, so he just kind of goes off with what he feels and he was feeling it that night.”

Kim also admitted that the reality of becoming a mum hasn’t sunk in for her yet.

She said: “I think until I really start seeing, like, a belly, it won’t really sink in.

It’s just like a weird realization until you really start seeing the physical changes, um, and every day’s different.”

And when asked if she intends to get married as soon as possible once her divorce from basketball player Kris Humphries is finalized Kim said the couple would concentrate on having their baby first.

She added: “I’m so content with how things are right now. And how life is and we’re so happy. We definitely want that in the future, but I’m not in a rush.”

26—SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013

A

FTER shooting a short film as a project for her Bachelor’s degree in Communications, this product of American University, Washington DC knew that her destiny was with film production. On graduation in 2005, this proud Nigerian and native of Adamawa State returned home to pursue a career in film production in the already bustling Nigeria Movie Industry. Beautiful, Michelle Aisha Bello got her break in 2007, when she worked as associate producer on the set of TV talk show, “Moment with Mo.” This was followed by TY Bello’s “Green Land” video.

After that brilliant interpretation, her career soared “and everybody wanted to work with me” she says. She further maintained the momentum with the production of her first feature film “Small Boy” Dripping with ideas after a Master’s degree from the same institution in Communications specializing in Film Directing, Michelle is set to work on a new film, Flower Girl which is due to be premiered next month in Lagos. Now she could exhale as we chatted about her rough long journey to fame and fortune.

What was it like breaking into the industry when you returned?

It was tough especially not knowing many people in an industry that is dominated by the menfolk. I am so passionate about films that my determination helped and a lot of peseverance and learning about how things work here.

How I learnt abroad and how it is done here, is very different. So you have to learn, ask questions, and work with other people to gather experience. But when I came to my own productions, I had very high standard for myself even as a producer/ director. I like to learn from each project that I do what I can do better. I’ve always pushed myself to the next level. So I naturally expect high standard from everybody; actors, crew and everyone that I work with. I am tired of people telling me this is the way it is done in Nigeria. For me, mediocre is not an excuse. I understand that there are certain limitations we have but for me, with passion, determination and with God on your side, you can achieve anything. I am a testimony to that.

Was there any producer or director who helped you get your first break?

Back then, I started working on a project called, Film Directory. It was like a yellow page of everyone in the industry and

through that, I met a lot of producers and directors in the industry but not a lot of women.

Fidelix Dukar and Temitope Dukar, organizers of Abuja film Festival, were huge help and they introduced me to a lot of people with whom I started networking. Then through the directory, I met a lot of people and people started getting to know me.

Then when TY Bello’s Green Land was shot, people started contacting me. So that was how my break came through personal hard work and dedication.

W

hat was the very first challenge you noticed when you started?

Finance! You have all these great things you want to do and a good story too but where do you get the money to carry it out? So getting finance was very hard. I remember going to several banks to ask them to support this Nollyhood film And they just say “No, no, no!

Because for them, they had some bad experiences with Some producers from Nollyhood in the past. So for us new film makers, we had to bear that burden and the brunt of their experience and so we weren’t able to get sponsorship. Now things have slowly changed with Bank of Industry coming on board, other corporate bodies are getting into entertainment. Back then, it was very difficult. You had to beg people you know; friends, family to support what you are doing, whether it is money or kind like equipment.

Did you think then that the movie industry was doing okay and did you think we could do differently?

When I got back, Nollyhood was doing very well. The industry churned more than

We need to start telling our stories differently

— Michelle Aisha Bello

,

By JEMI EKUNKUNBOR

Anything that I am passionate about and I think it happens at different stages of my life, for me, “Small Boy” was about child abuse and a young boy’s journey but the way I shot it was in an entertaining way

,

2,000 films in a year. When I went back to do my Masters, it was so that I would horn my skills more because the BA was very broad but with Masters, I needed to specialize as an artist. So coming back was to bring the knowledge, my experiences and everything that I had learnt. So for me, it’s really about showcasing our stories to the world.

I thought that the story lines could have been developed

better. I thought that there was a time for certain stories to be told, and better quality films.

So I think in terms of the story, acting, editing, it could have been done a lot better.

So what I could do was to do great story lines not the mother in law disturbing daughter in law or the juju thing. Or best friend slept with my husband.

No! real everyday stories better told.

What is the thrust of your work?

Anything that I am passionate about and I think it happens at different stages of my life. For me, “Small Boy” was about child abuse and a young boy’s journey but the way I shot it was in an entertaining way. It wasn’t so direct- telling you child abuse is wrong.

M

y new movie, Flower Girl, is a romantic comedy about the issues of marriage. Marriage situation is so bad now. You have people under 30 getting married and getting divorced six months or one year after. For me, it’s scary because that is my age group.

Society has changed and I am trying to figure out why. A lot of people are getting married for the wrong reasons: money, family pressure. A lot of peo-

ple are trapped in their marriages and they do all kinds of things including adultery. So Flower Girl is about a young girl Kemi, who dreams about getting married to her boyfriend because that is what a lot of the women do. They dream about the wedding and never think about the marriage itself which is a lifelong commitment.

That is how God intended it to be. So the movie is about how we dream about the marriage and not stop to consider or pray to find out if the guy is the right person. Because the truth is, only prayers can do it. No amount of time spent with someone can truly reveal who the person really is. For some people, after many years, you still wake up and you are wondering, “ is this the person I married?” So for that film, I did

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013—27

,

I’d just want to encourage other young people who want to get into the movie industry that they should not give up hope and that they should continue to be passionate about what they want to do whether it is directing, producing or acting

,

giarism and piracy going on as well. But they are telling our stories and film producers have worked on particular issues which is good.

Have you identified actors and actresses who can interpret scripts well?

Last year, it took me a while to cast that movie. I was nervous because I hadn’t been around for a while. But on the first round of the audition, I was blown away. I was shocked. I invited well known movie stars, those who trained here and those who trained abroad. I also invited some entertainers who are trying to break into the movie industry.

I

a lot of research talking to marriage counsellors at my church. So I pray that this touches the heart of young people.

So, how do we begin to tell our stories right?

Producers tend to do their own thing. They like to be private about what they are doing because if you tell your story to someone, he or she may steal your idea. There is a lot of pla-

tested them on sever al skill levels. At the end of the day, many of them who are staring in the movie now, were really quite happy because the script was different from what they are used to. So for our lead actor, we have Damilola Adegbite, this is her first Nigerian Movie. We have Chris Ator and Eku Edewor from Studio 53. It’s her first Nigerian movie and she was absolutely brilliant. We also have some fresh faces on the movie. And they are all young, fresh, up- and- coming faces.

I didn’t want the faces that people are used to because I wanted it to be a platform for other young people to showcase their talents and to discover new generation of actors and actresses.

So, what do we do in our local movies that you won’t do?

I won’t do juju or films that

promote evil or the devil. I’m a Christian and I believe that good conquer evil all the time.

So I’m not going to do anything that promotes the devil and idol worshippers in my movie. I believe there are other ways to tell those kinds of specific stories. My movies are to inspire people.

And for the future, what should we expect?

The “Flower Girl”, will premier next month so we are very excited about that. I’m working on other TV projects as well.

Is your passion paying your bills now?

I pray to get to that day where I won’t have to think about money being an issue, where my finances are sorted out and I don’t have to worry about bills. As artists, we should be able to make money off what we do. So I pray we get to that level where we can sit down, relax and let money role in.

How do you manage work and family life?

My family and friends know that when I am shooting, I work long hours so it’s not always easy to balance both. But I always try as much as possible to spend time with my family and friends. So it’s all about balance.

Y

ou did say earlier that women producers and directors are not many. Is it just that women are not many or that they are marginalized?

I think we are definitely a minority but that doesn’t stop us. We are still very strong and passionate about what we do.

So, it’s not like no one will see us because we are females.

No, that will never happen. We are just a minority.

How do you plan to grow this minority group?

I just want to encourage other young females who are passionate about producing and directing. A lot of the females that we have on crew are usually for make up, hair, costumes, production manager etc. But a lot of the actresses are now switching to producing and directing. It’s not easy

to do both.

What is life like in production?

I love it. I love challenges, I love making something out of nothing, creating stories from script to screen. Seeing your work on screen is the best feeling in the world. There are challenges such as logistics problems but I still love it. I can endure the challenges because I am passionate about what I do.

Last word?

I’d just want to encourage other young people who want to get into the movie industry that they should not give up hope and that they should continue to be passionate about what they want to do whether it is directing, producing or acting.

They could start by reading online about their craft. Buy books and attach themselves to a producer for a while so that they can learn about the business and how things work. I’d just encourage them not to give up because I know how hard it can be because I’ve been there myself.

Benita Nzeribe

The Angel of death is not at work in Nollywood

By LAJU ARENYEKA & ANOZIE EGOLE

S

ULTRY Nollywood actress, Benita Nzeribe has said that she refuses to believe evil prophecy that the angel of death is at work in Nollywood because of the recent deaths in the industry.

Speaking to HVP recently, Benita said, “I don’t know why people get too pessimistic about such things. People are saying that a lot of people in Nollywood are dying. A lot of bankers are dying too. It’s not narrowed down to Nollywood alone. It is the way God has willed it; If God did not allow it, it wouldn’t happen.”

Benita was reacting to the recent prophesy that there would be more deaths in Nollywood this year.

According to her, “I say no those people who say that the angel of death is upon Nollywood. Such an angel has not seen Nollywood, it does not have our address and it will never see us. I am passionate about it, and I reject that. I will not believe in the idea that the angel of death visited us. I don’t like to hear that.”

On what she has been up to in recent times, the fair-skinned actress disclosed that she took a break for about a year to take care of a lot of things, including her NGO, adding that “I’m back now. My NGO focuses on women and children. I don’t blow it or talk about it much. I’m just inspired to give back to society, and I get my reward from God.” She however says that she is back in the spotlight. “I am hosting a show for Malta

•Benita Guiness Low Sugar in the east, and I’m also beginning shooting for a cinema movie in the next two weeks. In the next one or two months, I should be able to talk boldly to the press about my plans for movie production. But what I have in mind is still in the incubation stage now. I don’t want to jump the gun so I don’t get into a tight corner.”

Apart from production plans, there is another aspect of her life that this star is tight-lipped about. “I’m not married. But obviously, there is a man in my life, but I’m not talking about him or about marriage yet. I am not giving you any gossip about my personal life. It is beautiful as you can see. Just keep your fingers crossed and watch what happens in the future”

28 —Vanguard, SARTURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013

G

race Amah recently staged a comeback to Nollywood after a long break in order to deliver her baby boy abroad. In this engaging interview, the delectable actress shares the ‘joy and pain’ of having a child out of wedlock, the challenges of motherhood and why she opted to maintain a low profile. She also refutes the rumour that she is regretting her status as a single mother. ‘I can never regret the birth of my child, he is a bundle of joy to me and it remains so,’ she declares with a tone of finality.

How would you describe your second coming to Nollywood?

It’s been fine, but just like someone who takes a leave from work schedules, when you return,you will still need sometime to get acquainted with new developments that happened while you were away. Nollywood as you know has moved from just normal routine of acting to a new level where actors and actresses are now engaged in different products and in different sectors of the economy such as the telecommunication industry, cosmetics and even music. With such evolution, one will of course need to get into the foray and move on with others.

Did you miss anything on screen?

Life is not all about screen.

Even the Holy Bible recognizes that there is time for everything.

While I was away, I concentrated on what took me out and I didn’t need to divide my attention. Of course, my fans may have missed me but I’m sure they will be happy to hear that one has made new progress in life. There may not have been too much of a nostalgia. But occasionally, I remembered my fans and wished I return soon. So, here I am now.

Some people find it difficult to stage a comeback and still get back their groove. How have been able to do it?

It depends on what took such people out. There is nothing in life like peace of mind which comes through the grace of God. The moment you are at peace with yourself and you know what you are doing, there will be no basis to come back disoriented. I have tried to maintain my peace and refused to see myself as someone missing something thereby giving myself unnecessary anxiety. Besides, acting is an innate talent. I did not go to school to acquire formal training in it. Because it is inborn , even if I leave the stage for 10 years, anytime I return back, I will still have the same groove. Its God’s grace and I am happy for it.

Your long absence from the screen was to enable you take care of your baby. What was the experience like?

Motherhood is the best experience any woman would aspire to. It is not surprising that many people who are yet C M Y K

to have the fruit of the womb do anything within their power to have one. It was an awesome experience.

Suddenly, you do not take things for granted any longer, you keep awake all nights to ensure you feed your baby, change pampers and breastfeed, bath the child and a whole lot of that. Wonderful experience and it’s worth the long absence. As many times as God gives me the opportunity, I will do it again.

Why did you decide to have your baby abroad?

Why do our leaders go abroad for medical treatment?

May be, they are setting the pace and others are following.

When the leaders are able to provide the necessary facilities to take care of medical cases in Nigeria especially complicated matters like childbirths, I am sure Nigerians including the leaders themselves will begin to show good example.

Governor Wada of Kogi State has just shown such example by refusing to be treated abroad following his involvement in a ghastly motor accident recently. Let the hospitals be in good state and let there be manpower with the right attitude in the professionals, Nigerians will be home at all times.

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as it the decision of the father or yours?

It has nothing to do with decision of anybody. It has to do with what we have. We have enough resources in this country to take care of our hospitals and save the life of our citizens which are lost in avoidable circumstances. In many cases, despite a few good ones which are obviously very few and unaffordable to many, many of our hospitals have been described by our political leaders as slaughter houses.

Why would anybody see a slaughter center and go there to be slaughtered when you still enjoy the breeze that God freely provided for everybody?

It was my decision to have my baby in a place. I would have the best of attention.

Recently, there was this rumour that you were regretting being a “single mother ”. How true is this rumour?

It was the worst curse any woman or human being will bring upon him/herself to regret having a baby. As I said earlier, many people burn midnight candles in prayer to

Grace

,

BENJAMIN NJOKU

My parents never believed I child out of wedlock — Grace

A woman does not make herself pregnant. It takes the agreement of two people in harmony and relationship to have a child especially when such situations do not come by way of “accident” or ignorance

have a child and you see someone regretting having a child. What kind of talk is that?

When I saw the publication I felt like taking a legal action against the publishers of the

joy to me and it remains so.

,

newspapers and websites but I had to get in touch with them to retract the story. I NEVER granted such interview and I can never regret the birth of my child. My son is a bundle of

Are you really a single mother?

What is wrong with being a single mother. In marital law, we have separation, living apart and divorce. Couple could for any reason decide to live separately for a certain time and after that, they reunite. It could be due to work schedules, some challenges they needed to overcome, Two friends about to marry could still have the same challenge and it happens that way. If the relationship produces a child and the woman is living with the child, it does not suggest that the woman is a single mother. In any case, if I am a

Vanguard, SARTURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013 — 29

single mother, I have not breached any law. For now, I am happy with my son and comfortable.

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id you originally plan to have a baby outside wedlock?

I am not sure if people plan to have babies out of wedlock. A woman does not make herself pregnant. It takes the agreement of two people in harmony and relationship to have a child especially when such situations do not come by way of “accident” or ignorance.

It means before such agreement, such persons would have been together as either married couple or dating friends with a plan to marry. The moment you are relating without protection, it means there is intention on both sides whether disclosed or not, that if anything happens, they will be able to cope with it. It could equally be that the two friends may not have the wherewithal to stage a marriage ceremony and decide whether rightly or wrongly to put it on hold until time and resources permit them . What I’m saying is that if people plan on their own to have a child out of wedlock, I never had such a plan. But I could not have aborted my child simply because the person responsible for the pregnancy was not ready for societal announcement.

Everything will work out at God’s time.

What stopped the father of your child from proposing to you first before putting you in a family way?

I think that pages of newspapers are not where marriage proposals are made at least in Africa and Nigeria in particular. Notwithstanding, what happens among celebrities in some developed world, we still have a culture here. Even if our people are beginning to imitate what happens elsewhere, marriage proposals used to be an affair between man and woman alone before it is made public. That we did not announce it to the world then does not justify any conclusion that there was no marriage proposal. But the issue now is not marriage proposal, it is living my life and satisfying my fans.

Would you say, your pregnancy was a mistake?

If children are given by God, then whoever has a child cannot call it a mistake because so many desire to make the mistake and they could not. So my child cannot be a mistake.

How were you able to overcome all the controversies that your pregnancy generated few years ago?

If I were one village girl married at my local community Ebunwana Edda C M Y K

,

could have a e Amah

I think that pages of newspapers are not where marriage proposals are made at least in Africa and Nigeria in particular

,

in Afikpo local government area of Ebonyi state, do you think anybody would have worried him/herself about me getting pregnant or having a baby.

But because I am in the entertainment industry and my name has become a household one , then when something happens, people want to either share your joy, or grief. So, I wouldn’t blame anybody for the tongue wagging at that time. Knowing that people were only interested in my affairs for good at least majority of them, I did not need to worry so much except to let them know, when I had a baby boy and I am happy.

Posterity will take care of the rest. I cannot engage myself in the issue of paternity or the rest of that.

Your fans were not expecting you to have a child before your wedding.

Would you say you disappointed them?

To the extent that many of them who had anticipated attending my wedding and they suddenly saw me maximizing what should be described as fruit of marriage without their knowledge, I would say, I took them by surprise, but there is nothing to regret about having a child.

How did you break the shocking news of your pregnancy to your parents and what was their reaction?

My parents are very religious people and are also elders in the church.

Nothing in this life would have given them a glimpse of such a surprise of their first daughter coming home with a pregnancy without formalizing marriage rites. No, to them, it was like it would never be true. But then, someone posed a question to them when the issue was raging: which would you have preferred, to receive a phone call to come to the airport and receive

the corpse of your daughter who died in abortion attempt, or to receive your daughter with a pregnancy out of wedlock? There are many things we cannot question God as to why it happened especially if we have allowed it to happen. It happened and so be it.

Every thing that happens is a lesson for another day.

Did having a child out of wedlock affect your social life in anyway?

As a human being, ab initio, you may have certain feelings as to how to relate with people especially those who have had very serious respect for you which you appear to have betrayed, but after a while, considering that you are not the first or the last, you begin to cope. It has not significantly affected my social life, that is why I still cope with reenacting my acts in the movie industry.

Before you went on sabbatical, you were not regular in movies, what was the reason behind that?

I was actually setting the stage to break into a new area in the industry; the area of Community services which I have set out to accomplish this year. It was in the course of that my baby came and the rest had to wait.

What’s the bond between you and the father of your child?

We can’ t over flog this issue.

Are you planning to walk down the aisle soon?

When the time comes, everyone who is interested will be invited.

You are always known to maintain a low profile. Is it because of your background or your nature?

There’s nothing in this world that people will be killing themselves for.

Imagine the kind of noise people make and the amount of money we hear on television that people steal from public coffers or that people even make genuinely, yet after a while ,the person will die and all this noise will end. I think its better for one to live his/her life quietly and talk to God who is the author and finisher of all things.

Whatever is your own will surely come to you when you work for it. My background may have contributed a lot, but I have learnt that in this world vanity upon vanity is noting but vanity. Serve God through your fellow human beings and you will have peace.

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Thelma Okoro

Running and Dancing are my DRUGS .. will feel so uneasy and probably lose my sanity if I don’t dance or go out & run!!! TELL ME: What MUST you have or do to keep your sanity???

Omoni Oboli

Hey friends, I hope you all had a fabulous day. I spent the day working on my novel and baking for my boys...I love making them happy! All four of them!

Pawpaw

Wake up everyday stronger than yesterday. Face your fears and wipe your tears

Ice Prince

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Grace with her baby

o much thanks to God almighty and my everloving fans.

2012 was very successful for me. From one tour to another, concerts, shows, song releases, video releases, killer features, awards and nominations.

There’s so much more for my fans this 2013. Keep an eye on me.

30 — Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013

Best Premier League strikers of all time S

ince the launch of the Premier League back in 1992, we’ve been lucky enough to see some of the world’s greatest strikers in the EPL.Over a 20-year period, during which England enjoyed what now seems like a bumper crop of world class strikers and Pre mier League clubs found the finance to buy the best attackers from around the globe, we have been treated to goals, goals, goals.

So check out the best Premier League strikers of all time .

Eric Cantona

Didier Drogba

Michael Owen

Chelsea 2004 to 2012 Didier Drogba scored exactly 100 Premier League goals during his eight seasons at the club and defined the role of the lone striker.

With pace, power and immense heading ability, Drogba was the perfect battering ram for a muscular Chelsea side that was built by Jose Mourinho. He twice faced the challenge of being replaced by the likes Andriy Shevchenko and then Fernando Torres, only for Chelsea to eventually turn back to Drogba.

Liverpool 1996 to 2004, Newcastle United 2005 to 2009, Manchester United 2009 to 2012, Stoke City 2012 to Present Many injury-laden seasons at Newcastle, Manchester United and now Stoke, have tarnished the reputation of Michael Owen, but we should not forget his time at Liverpool where he proved himself as one of the Premier League’s greatest goalscorers ever.

Thierr Thierryy Henr Henryy

Wayne Rooney

Everton 2002 to 2004, Manchester United 2004 to Present No one who saw it will forget the moment when a 16-yearold Wayne Rooney grabbed hold of the ball for Everton against Arsenal, turned and from long range thumped the ball past David Seaman and in off the crossbar.

Rooney was snapped up by Manchester United while still a teenager and to date has scored 136 goals in 265 games. Goals don’t tell the whole story of an adaptable C M Y K

and tactically compliant player who has spent time playing as a lone striker, second

striker, out wide and in midfield during his spell at United.

Arsenal - 1999 to 2007 and 2012 Two others players might have scored more Premier League goals, but when it comes to the total package, no one could come close to Thierry Henry.

Arriving at Arsenal as a winger, Arsene Wenger quickly converted Henry to a striker, where his pace, power, dribbling ability and sublime finishing could do the most damage.

In eight years and a brief loan period, Henry scored 175 Premier League goals for Arsenal, notching 20-plus goals in five successive seasons.

Leeds United 1992, Manchester United 1992 to 1997 Few attacking talents have shone brighter or provided greater impetus than Eric Cantona during his years at Manchester United.

Cantona started the first Premier League season at Leeds, where he had won the old First Division title the season before, but was quickly transferred to Manchester United, where he would go on to become a club legend. Cantona always had an eye for an important goal, but it was his inspired passing ability that brought the best out of those around him.

Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013 — 31

Off The Pitch

TENNIS

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martest young managers in world football Modern football has seen increased scrutiny on top-flight managers, but these guys are tactically excellent and have made true success stories out of their charges.

To qualify, you need to be under 50 years of age and performing superbly for your current club.

Andrea Stramaccioni assimo Moratti probably never intended to hire Andrea Stramaccioni on a long-term basis.

Last season for Internazionale was terrible, getting through three different managers in a constant fight to even stay in the top half of the Serie A table.

After Claudio Ranieri had fallen, Strama came in to steady the ship, but ended up with a sixth-placed finish and inflicting a damaging defeat to rivals AC Milan in their title race.

He got the job without coaching badges, and he’s continued to impress this season.

Inter sit fourth—just four points off second—with 38 points and stopped Juventus’ unbeaten run at 49 consecutive games earlier this season.

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Roddick Federer

Australian Open 2013: Roger Federer’s early dominance bodes well for his season R

OGER FEDERER’S easy dispatching of Benoit Paire in the first round of the 2013 Australian Open may have been wholly expected, but it had to be a comforting sign for those fearful of the Swiss star’s downfall.

Navigating the court as only he can, Federer came away with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 beatdown of the 23-year-old Frenchman who looked overwhelmed. Federer won 84 percent of his first-serve points despite only nailing three aces and drilled 25

winners.

Next up for the second-seeded Federer is a tussle against Nikolay Davydenko, a player with a ton of experience who still shouldn’t pose much of a threat. Once the third-ranked player in the world in 2006, Davydenko’s play has taken a nosedive as he’s gotten older.

Ranked 40th in the world now, nestled just behind the retired Andy Roddick, Federer should dispose of Davydenko with relative ease.

GOLF NEWS

Vincenzo Montella incenzo Montella walked into the Fiorentina job on the back of just one year ’s top-flight managerial experience with Catania.

The 38-year-old has settled in and finally done what the club hoped Sinisa Mihajlovic and Delio Rossi were going to do—replace Italy manager Cesare Prandelli.

He’s made bold decisions right from the off, clearing out all the deadwood who didn’t really want to play for the Viola and recruiting fresh faces who were eager to take on a project

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Tito Vilanova o one really knew what to expect from Tito Vilanova when he took the reins at Barcelona.

Surely the Catalan club couldn’t do it again?

Just promote the next guy up and see him perform equally impressive miracles all season long?

Well they did, and he did.

Having worked under Pep Guardiola, he obviously picked a few things up, and initially he barely changed a thing. They still play the same tiki-taka passing game, but the subtle changes throughout the first half of the season have contributed to a recordbreaking start in La Liga.

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Antonio Conte ntonio Conte took a team wallowing i n the shadows of its former self and brought it glory within one year.

An unbeaten league season saw Juventus lift its 28th Scudetto as they pipped AC Milan to the tip of the Serie A table and finished runners up in the Coppa Italia.

He’s gotten the very best out of his talented roster and purchased wisely in the transfer window, signing the likes of Kwadwo Asamoah and Mauricio Isla to complement his “MVP” midfield of Claudio Marchisio, Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo.

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•Tiger

Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy & Phil Mickelson, hopefully, ready for 2013

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HREE of golf ’s most popular guys, Ti ger, Rory and Phil, are teeing it up this week, albeit on opposite sides of the globe.

So while we are getting blurry-eyed from watching too much golf, what are the big three thinking as they head into the new season, and what should we watch for from them?

The biggest story this week is Rory McIlC M Y K

roy’s switch to Nike equipment. It will be fascinating to see how he plays with the new sticks, and the week could easily foretell the year ahead. If McIlroy starts missing big with the new driver, question marks will appear in his head and in headlines. If the putter doesn’t love him, then, should he have switched? It’s practically a soap opera.

Juergen Klopp hat Juergen Klopp has done at Borussia

W Dortmund should not be forgotten in a hurry. He’s on the verge of a dynasty and could be just four months from achieving something truly special.

He’s taken a club that’s had its fair share of hard times in the last decade or so and transformed it into a well-oiled machine capable of taking anyone down.

32—Saturday Vanguard, JANURY 19, 2013

07088551416

Sultry Halle, returns with Doty Shower I

N the beginning of 2013, it was predicted by men of God that “New hip hop acts would rule the entertainment scene this year and give the established ones a good run for their money”. Lo and behold, Halle is one of those who were prophesied as the sexy, talented diva and songstress HALLE IHMORDU, popularly called Halle is on it again with the release of an album. Really, she is a new face in the industry.

Though, two years ago, she made her debut into the industry with a smashing hit single titled “Hallelicious” which enjoyed a considerable airtime on radio and television. The Edo State born entertainer, singer and dancer is waxing stronger.

Halle, who won the Channel 0 Dance Africa competition in 2007, and the last female standing at the 2008 Maltina Dance Hall has also performed on both local and international dance competitions, currently signed to Lagos based label, A.N.I Entertainment. The student of the National Open University,Halle, has just dropped a brand new album “Doty Shower” produced by Bubbee Trap. The music has been enjoying positive reviews since its release and her fans simply can’t wait for a video of the song.

RAIN Toritseju Edwards aka, “INK” first introduced himself to the music scene with his first single titled “Farawe” which was produced by ace producer, Spankie Doddle. The song received a lot of positive reviews online. Two years after, with more experience, lyrical dexterity and drive, INK returns with two banging

It's indeed a new and prosperous year especially for artistes as several record deals, acquisition of houses have been recorded among them. Fast-rising female singer, MoCheddah is not left out as she was recently unveiled as the brand ambassador of DealDey. The 22-year old Mo' Cheddah, who was formerly with Knighthouse Records, formalised the deal recently.

According to our source, the endorsement is in the region of six digits. DealDey is an online shopping store that provides best deals and prices of commodities.

Katherine Obiang finds love in Nollywood

19-year-old rapper “INK” drops 2 new singles

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MoCheddah, gets new deal

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singles titled “Feeling Your P” & “You Are The Best”. Both songs were produced by Galactic. The Warri born talented singer, a 400level Marine science, student of the University of Lagos, said that his role models are MI, Cobhams and Drake. Lets see what this dude has to offer as he is waxing stronger. Who knows, he might be another Wizkid.

E F I N I T E LY , s h e must have felt very low when her romance with her ex- husband who is the host of the MTN "Who wants to be a Millionaire", Frank Edoho crashed. As a woman who won't allow her past to jeopardise her future, she picked the pieces of her life and ventured into acting.

The beautiful Katherine Obiang, ever since who featured in Ashionye’s film, “ Journey To Self ” has found acting so interesting and doesn’t feel like quitting for now. She didn’t just stop at the Ashionye’s movie, she is due to star in another movie titled, “Lekki Wives” which will soon be out. She would also be starring in Blessing Egbe’s drama series alongside Kiki Omeili, Adaora Ukoh, Keira Hewatch and Chininso Young. The series will chronicle the lives of 5 women who lived at the high end part of the Lagos metropolis, Lekki.

SATURDAY, Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013 — 33

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Frequent emails, phone calls, or online messaging with a past love can take away from a current relationship. If you’re talking weekly and your partner is still fully invested in your current relationship, then it’s not a sign of anything

OLDING on to previous ro mantic attachments creates feelings of distrust and can spoil an otherwise promising relationship. So are you wondering if your honey’s heart still rests in the hands of a past love? There’s no way to know for sure without talking to your partner about your concerns. But how do you know when you need to have that talk? Here are 10 signs that it may be time to bring it up. *Talking about the ex too much We all compare our current romance to ones we’ve had in the past, and an occasional reference to an old steady is no cause for alarm. But if it’s happening 24seven, it’s a problem. It’s going to keep both of you from enjoying the new relationship,” says marriage and family therapist Joan Sherman Sherman says if you’re hearing every detail and story about the former relationship, it’s probably a sign that your partner hasn’t moved on. * Not talking about the former love at all Silence about a former lover can indicate lack of closure. Guilty feelings from carrying a secret torch often make a person not want to talk about an ex. If you notice your partner’s afraid to bring up the ex or if your partner’s tried and it’s becomes a sore point, it’s time to ask why. * Online stalking Whether it’s with Facebook, a dating profile, or Googling the ex’s name, keeping frequent online tabs can be a red flag.

If you’re spending too much time online following a past partner, it may make you feel neglected. Are you getting what you need from this person, especially when he or she spends two hours on Facebook after dinner? If not, it’s time to speak up.

Too much contact with the ex Frequent emails, phone calls, or online messaging with a past love can take away from a current relationship.

If you’re talking weekly emails and your partner is still fully invested in your current relationship, then it’s not a sign of anything. But if it’s weekly emails and you partner isn’t devoted, then you have a legit concern. Your partner may not have cut the cord.

A new relationship is all about trust. If you’re not OK with your current partner’s contact with an ex, say so. Your partner and his or her ex should be willing to take a break from each other while you two concentrate on what you have together. It doesn’t have to be a permanent break, but it is the respectful thing to do.

The ex’s name slips out during intimacy Talk about bad timing. During intimacy, the mind is totally uninhibited, making it easier for someone else’s name to slip out. That kind of a mistake usually suggests unresolved feelings for an ex.

Keeping mementos Looking at souvenirs from a relationship is part of the healing process. But it’s time to let go of the reminders when the feelings are resolved. Your partner doesn’t need to set the favourite sweatshirt and all those love letters out on the

Signs your partner’s still into an ex curb. But they should be out of everyday reach.

As for photos on display, it’s one thing to have a group picture that includes a past partner on the wall. It’s another to erect a shrine to that person or plaster the bedroom with a display of the glory days together. You can gently and tactfully suggest keeping those pretty frames and filling them together with new memories of the two of you.

Hot and cold romance Watch out for a partner who turns affections on and off.

It might be a sign of inner turmoil. Your partner may be cold and pull away when feeling guilty about not having given the same kind of love in the past relationship. Then the passion may get turned up again when your partner feels guilty for withdrawing from you.

Your partner says he or she’s not ready to commit One of the symptoms of not being ready to move on is the ‘I love you, but I’m not in love with you’ talk. Or, ‘I’m into you, but I still want to see others.’ If a longstanding relationship isn’t moving to the next level, then the roadblock could be another person from the past.

When someone is wondering, ‘should I go back? Why didn’t it work?’ it can build a barrier to moving forward.

Trouble in the bedroom Having problems during intimacy can be a symptom

of an emotional hang-up. The guilt can create a sense of unworthiness and hold someone back from fully surrendering to a new partner.

However, there are many other factors that can affect bedroom performance, such as depression, high estrogen levels,

PERT X E S E H T ASK rri ed an . I ha ve be en ma

excessive belly fat, and drug abuse.

You just have a feeling Sometimes when you have this feeling that something’s not right, it’s a good barometer. If you think something just doesn’t feel right, it’s probably worth bringing it out in the open. It could lead to a discovery about your partner’s feelings for someone else.

Also, if you feel a need to snoop around, there’s a good chance your relationship has trust problems. Try to get to the cause of the distrust, and hold off on the detective work.

How to get past it As much heartache and headache as it may cause, couples can survive one partner being stuck on a previous failed relationship. But the longer you wait to speak up, the more likely you’ll be to resent the situation. Start the dialogue with your hung-up honey with a “working together” approach instead of pushing the other person away with angry words. Use phrases like, “I need your help,” and, “I need your reassurance,” and, “I love you and want to work with you on this,” to get the ball rolling.

If you’re having problems addressing the issue but really feel it’s worth working on, it may be time to seek help.

If you want to keep a healthy relationship with the love of your life, be careful about prematurely jumping on the jealousy train and making quick accusations.

Short of a greater context, there’s no reason to hound your partner with a “how dare you” attitude at every little suspicion.Extreme jealousy is worse than having lingering feelings about someone else.

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34—SATURDAY Vanguard JANUARY 19, 2013

I

f you dropped a piece of fruit in your kitchen sink while rinsing it, would you think twice about popping it in your mouth? What if you dropped it in the toilet?Although the mere thought of retrieving anything from the toilet bowl may be enough to make you sick, your toilet may actually be cleaner than your kitchen sink. And that is a fact.

It would interest you to know that germs live in some of the unexpected spots — like your kitchen sink. Food particles from plates left to soak or rinsed from dishes, turn kitchen sinks into perfect breeding grounds for some of the deadliest germs known. From here illnesscausing bacteri, including E. coli and salmonella can get on your hands or spread to foods.

Dirty places: The kitchen sink rules Most people take decisive steps to sanitise and disinfect their toilet bowls, scrubbing and wiping several times in the day, yet few give their kitchen sinks the same consideration. They simply rinse with water and assume they are clean. But they’re not. Worse still, quite a large number of napkins, wiping cloths and sponges used in kitchens are heavily contaminated with harmful bacteria, meaning proper clean-up can be difficult.

In one particular study, independent environmental scientists found that 90 percent of kitchen cloths, 46 percent of kitchen sinks, 38

•Toilet and kitchen

Your toilet may be cleaner than your kitchen sink

percent of bathroom sinks and 14 percent of children’s toys in 20 homes with children in the US, UK, Germany, Africa, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and India, failed the test. They had a total bacteria count of more than 100,000 per square centimeter.

Generally, there is a lack of appreciation that kitchen sinks can be contaminated with fecal organisms, either coming in with fruit and vegetables or from pets and children.

Tip: Wash sink with a solution of bleach and water once a day and then let the solution run down the drain.

Remove the drain plug and clean it, too. Sterilise sponges with a oneminute high-powered blast in the microwave. Or simply forget sponges entirely and clean food spills with a paper towel and dump it. Then wash your hands.

Other dirty places in the home Your toothbrush You put it in your mouth twice a day.

You rinse it off after using it and put it away damp, but do you ever think of all the germs lurking on it? Bacteria like the moist area and grow on it. If you keep your toothbrush in the toilet, it could be contaminated for at least two hours after each flush.

Tip:Place your toothbrush where it can air out and dry between uses — but not too close to the toilet. Replace your toothbrush often, particularly after you’ve been sick, and close your toilet lid before flushing.

Salt and pepper shaker Tests on 30 salt and pepper shakers found viruses on 41 percent of the surfaces tested, and every one of shakers tested were positive for cold viruses.

Tip: When you wipe the kitchen table

•Salt and pepper shaker

•Computer keyboard after eating, wipe off the salt and pepper shaker too. Wash your hands — before and after.

TV remote control It’s dropped on the floor, stuffed between the sofa cushions, coughed on and sneezed at. Everyone in the house handles it. Anything people touch a lot has germs on it. The remote control’s surface is among the germiest.

Tip: Wipe your remote with bleach or alcohol wipes. Regular handwashing is the best way to protect you against these germs.

The bathtub The place where you clean yourself is not so clean itself.

Staphylococcus bacteria is found in 26 percent of tubs.

Tip: Clean and disinfect your tub with bleach or bathroom cleaner Computer keyboard after bathing, then dry with a clean If you eat at your computer, sneeze towel. on your keyboard, or sit down to surf the Internet without first washing Wash your hands your hands, your computer Lots of germs are harmless; many keyboard could be a health hazard. are even good for your health. But Tip: Wash your hands before and you can help protect yourself from after using your computer. If you those that aren’t by keeping your must eat at your desk, don’t drop hands clean. Hands transfer crumbs into your keyboard. Gently bacteria and viruses to eyes, nose, shake out the crumbs or vacuum it. and mouth. They can also transfer Wipe the keys with alcohol or bleach germs to others. Regular hand wipes, but nothing too wet. Wipe the washing with soap and water is the mouse. best protection.

VANGUARD, SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013—35

I want to change the face of gospel music —Nathaniel Bassey N

athaniel Bassey is a multi talented gospel music artiste whose talents cut across music and comedy.

In his early years, he developed an uncommon interest for jazz music and began imitating the music of Charlie Parker, Stan Getz Louis Armstrong, Kirk Whalum and other Jazz celebrities.

His zeal for Jazz later stirred him to

seek out bands and groups along the Jazz lines. He then joined a top jazz quartet in Lagos, Spectrum 4, where he played alongside his childhood friends.

As time passed, Nathaniel, a graduate of Politics and International

Relations from the University of London, started feeling a deep yearning that there is more to his music than what he thought. He then realised that music was more than an item to fill a space in time but a fundamental tool in the praise and worship of God. In this interview with OLAYINKA LATONA, he talks about his background, his trumpet school called Trumpet and Ministerial Academy and his dream for Nigeria gospel industry.

Background I’m proudly Nigerian. I was born in Lagos into the family of Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Bassey who hail from Ikot Ofon Ikono, Uyo local government area in Akwa-Ibom state, South-South Nigeria. I’m still a small boy in my early 30s.

I spent two years at the University of Lagos where I did a little bit in Urban and Regional Planning and later gained admission into University of London where I studied Politics and International Relations. I have done few courses in Music at the Middlesex University Summer School, UK where I studied popular music and a little bit of music business and I graduated as the best student from the school.

Why I diverted from Music I am someone who believes in complete human being and I believe God did not make mistakes by putting the human mind in us which is like elastic that stretches and as you study and learn new things.

I have always wanted to do music right from my early stage of life. I developed interest in jazz music and I used to listen to the likes of Stan Getz and Kirk Whalum, Phil Driscoll, Hugh Masakela. Later I joined a top jazz quartet in Lagos, Spectrum 4, where I played alongside with my childhood friends.

Elder Steve Rhodes also invited me to a Jazz Orchestra in the country called the Steve Rhodes Orchestra where I served as band leader and lead trumpet player for a period of two years.

I can boldly say that my knowledge in politics and international relations has broadened my mind especially from the institution that I did the course from.

I am planning of getting a Law degree now and not because I want to practice law but to get the necessary skills from legal education that will help me in writing and composing my songs and in planning other ministerial assignments. Having degree in politics and international relations is not a parameter for me to be a politician.

Leaving jazz for gospel music I have always been a church boy but you can be in church and not in Christ.

I was one of the people who grew up in church, was in a church choir, gifted and believed that music is all about being good. I traveled abroad and made money but my late mentor, Pastor Eskor Mfon, the former Pastor of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of David Parish kept on telling me that music is beyond making money. One day, the man of

Impact of gospel music It has been my burden and vision to have a school of music and worship where we will teach people music and worship, the reason being that if you look around in our society, gospel music is fast becoming like secular music. I am part of the old school that believes that the sound of worship and gospel music should be different from that of secular music because music ministries is diametrically opposed to secular music. The value, parameters

,

Nathaniel Bassey

God asked me to compose a song, that the late Stella Obasanjo would be worshiping with us in the church and after rendering the song, something dropped in me that this is what I was supposed to be doing. Initially my ambition was to be the best trumpeter in the world, have girls around me, travel abroad, have fun, enjoy myself and go to Beckley College of Music. Everything in me was just all about music.

After this encounter, I let go of all these lifestyles, stopped playing for every other person and my friends thought that I was crazy and wondered how such a talented boy would leave everything but I thank the Lord that the story has changed because music was more than an item to fill a space in time. It is a fundamental tool in the praise and worship of the Lord.

Music was more than an item to fill a space in time but a fundamental tool in the praise and worship of the Lord

,

Nathaniel Bassey

of gospel music are different from that of the secular music. It is my desire along the line to change the sound and attitude of gospel music and be in line with what the Lord want from us.

Projects at hand I have a trumpet school called Trumpet and Ministerial Academy (TAMA) in Surulere, Lagos where I mentor and teach some young, zealous and serious youths how to play trumpet free of charge along with the word of God. In the school, we try to build Godly character in them and also teach them how to be outstanding in their various chosen career.

Lifestyle Worshiping God is my lifestyle. I believe in being simple and accessible. I crack jokes and make people happy. You might be surprised that I used to get involved in stand-up comedy and engage as master of ceremony at wedding ceremonies. I love soccer, I’m one of the Barcelona fans.

It is all about being an ordinary human being doing extraordinary with the grace and anointing of God and I’m still praying that God should take me to perfection.

Advice to colleagues in the Gospel Music Industry We should have the fear of God, allow God’s word to sink in our heart. The bible is the school of wisdom. One should have good mentors who will counsel and guide them aright.

The place of studying and reading should not be neglected because we are now in information technology age where the world is now a global village. Let’s read about our music, environment and be current.

36—SATURDAY Vanguard JANUARY 19, 2013

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013—37

C M Y K

38—SATURDAY Vanguard JANUARY 19, 2013

C M Y K

SATURDAY, Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013—39

Geneveive

keep returning to this person. And because you’d like to keep the employee with you for the long haul, look for those who are less likely to quit. Your new hires should be relatively settled in the area and in their lives. They should be satisfied with the salary and other incentives you can offer them to stay.

How to start a hair salon

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o start a hair s a l o n , creating a business plan and raising the money you will need to launch are prerequisites, of course.

In addition, thinking ahead about how the business will run in these ways will help you make better decisions before your launch.

Remember, there is no shortage of importance placed on salon business C M Y K

likely need plans. Be sure you’re most ready before you jump employees who will build these relationships in. and make your Employees Who Will customers into clients Make Customers Into who value their Clients connection with the Cutting and styling stylist. hair is a very personal When hiring, look first service for many women for experience and a and a growing amount of track record of having an men. These customers ongoing client base. often develop personal Also, look beyond relationships with their technical skill to social stylists. Starting as a qualities which will small operation, you will make customers want to

Space and Capacity Decisions The amount of space that you need flows from the service capacity you want for your salon. Be careful to not have too many extra stations and stylists waiting around or to lose too many customers due to long wait times or filled appointment schedules.

Extra stations mean you overspent on equipment and on real estate, but turning away customers will have you kicking yourself for not getting a larger space or designing the space more efficiently.

Remember that you cannot control the flow of traffic entirely as not all customers will make appointments ahead of time. Customers will

have to wait sometimes and you will have idle capacity at other times.

Projecting the right number of stylist stations is a gamble, but one that is the first step for all of your other financial projections of cost and revenue.

Hair Care Products Start choosing products you would like to use in your salon early to build relationships with the distributors of those products. Ideally, you can sell the products that your stylists use in order to cut down on your supply cost and to create an additional revenue stream for the salon. You may want to work with your top stylists to choose these products, as they will be the best salespeople for products they believe in. Also, consider that customers will be more interested in your salon’s expert guidance on these products than in making their own choices from a vast array of products.

The choices they have should be relatively straightforward depending on the type of product they want, their type of hair, and their budget.

40—SATURDAY, Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013

The wedding of Chief Oti Adams’ daughter

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HE popular politician and businessman, Chief Oti Adams of Sapele on Saturday gave away his daughter, Jolomi, in marriage to her sweetheart, Kenneth Obi, son of Mr and Mrs Rafael Obi at the St. Malachi Catholic Church, Sapele, Delta State.

The traditional ceremony took place at the Adams’ residence, also in Sapele The stylish wedding was much enjoyed by the large number of guests who attended, from far and wide.

Roll call includes top

g o v e r n m e n t functionaries, captains of industry, traditional Chiefs and others. Photos by Nath Onojake

The couple, Jolomi and Kenneth at the Church

The couple, Jolomi and Kenneth at the traditional marriage ceremony

L-R: Chief Otimeyin Adams,Chief Ighoyota Amori,the couple; Kenneth And Jolomi and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa The couple with the groom’s parents; Mr and Mrs Rafeal Obi

L-R: Chief Nelson Utieyone and Pa. Holden Mejebi

Chief and Mrs Otimeyin Adams, bride’s parents

the groom’s parents; Mr and Mrs Rafeal Obi

L-R: Chief Otimeyin Adams and Mr. Kenneth Okpara, Commissioner of Economic Planning Chief Otimeyin Adams’ family members

Senator and Mrs Roland Owei

Cultural dancers entertaining C M Y K

R-L: Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Engr. Chief Imilia, Hon. Irene Imilia and Chief Nkem Okwuofu

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013—41

A

desegun

Ajibola,

Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Principal Partner, Bola Ajibola & Co, bares his mind on demolitions and state of housing in Lagos State. He also touched on why Lagos State Tenancy Law seems not to have a bite. In this interview with Saturday Vanguard, he said government of Lagos State and by extension the Federal Government, should take a bold step in curbing official corruption that has persistently obstructed lowincome earners, particularly the masses from accessing the housing facilities provided for them by government. Excerpts:

DEMOLITION:

Lagos govt is on course to save lives —Segun Ajibola

By Bashir Adefaka The Lagos State government is planning to demolish some buildings at the Jakande Estate, Isolo, in Lagos.

What is your view on this?

What I am aware of is that some buildings are of age and need to be demolished and rebuilt. If that is what the government is doing, which of course I’m told it is, there is no problem with that going by the recent past experiences that we have had of building collapses here and there.

Some believe that the Lagos government housing policy and tenancy law failed because the government itself gives room for the circumvention of the law by private landlords.

Don’t you agree?

The question you have just asked now reminds me of a situation under the military regime. I think when late Major-General AbdulKarim Adisa was Minister of Works and Housing and he constructed the Obalende Housing Scheme, on the day of the commissioning, which was also to handover the keys and the apartments to whosoever had subscribed and purchased them. There was an occasion for that and the minister was there physically and more than half of the seats meant for the applicants and those purchases were empty. The minister then made enquiry as to what was going on. He then found out that almost over 60 percent of those who claimed to own those houses were all civil servants working in the ministry or working in some government departments and had purchased the apartments whereas, these are supposed to be houses for low income earners.

Now, when the officials within the system who are themselves responsible for imple-

Ajibola...Some buildings are of age and need to be demolished and rebuilt menting government policy, i.e. the housing programme, are themselves the beneficiaries and the very people who circumvent that policy by putting the door as it were and obstructing the movement of the low income masses to access what government has provided for them, then you can see that the programme always seemed to have failed even before it began!

I dare say, with due respect, that we may have some of these problems affecting Lagos S t a t e government themselves. And one of the ways of curbing it is by arresting the situation which is always affecting such programme.

If houses are meant for low income earners, there must be a means by which those who are truly low income earners can be determined before they are qualified to have access in purchasing or getting involved in the housing programme.

After the tenancy law was enacted, very little have been done to implement it, do you think the government is being hampered in anyway and why would you say the Lagos State Tenancy Law is not work-

ing?

Well, I think in order to appreciate the extent of its efficiency and the impact of the law on the lives of the citizens of Lagos State to which it was designed, there will be need for very intensive kind of survey across the state so that we can have at our disposal facts and figures which will be the direction as to the percent of compliances and degree of lack of compliance like the problems that besiege the implication of the law.

Now a number of landlords particularly seem to have the grouse, in my understanding, with the law in the sense that the law tends to limit them to the collection of rent within a limited period of time that is one year as against the two, three years that they were taking. But the problem with that is that, it is difficult to legislate the intention of the parties (landlord and tenant) and their desire. The law tends to impose sanctions on the landlord who put forward that proposal and against the tenant who accepts that offer.

But it then becomes a situation where the landlord makes the proposal and leaves it to the tenant to comply with outside the law, circumvent that position of the law and still achieve the purpose and the desire.

So, once you have a willing tenant and the landlord who has made such a proposal to be paid years of rent beyond what the law has prescribed, it is difficult to legislate the enforcement of that provision of the law to ensure that it never happens. It’s like you have a legislation against armed robbery but there is still armed robbery.

The law is against armed robbery but you cannot remove the desire from the hearts of criminals who conspire to carry out that act from time to time But by and large, I think there was a kind of stakeholders summit prior to the enactment of that law; there were consultations within the legislative arm and there were a number of people who were invited to express their opinions. But nevertheless, the efficiency of a law; the degree of acceptability of a law within the society can only be expected after the law itself has been passed into existence. And it is not a thing that you can measure.

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he law is against armed robbery but you

cannot remove the desire from the hearts of criminals who conspire to carry out that act from time to time. All you can do is to say, if you do so and you are caught by the law, these are the sanctions that will definitely apply to your situation.

But when you look at the housing stock in the country generally, the availability of houses is limited and largely in

the hands of the private sector.

The contribution of the state government over the years is still comparatively lower than the contribution of the private sector in housing sector. So, the advantage of the control of that sector is largely in the hands of the private sector against whom the state is trying to legislate and control its activities in that area. So, you can expect that the influence, as long as it remains so, would continue to encourage the circumvention of that law in a manner which the tenants which that law is enacted to protect cannot adequately be protected because they don’t have choice.

If you go to a landlord and say the law says you should not pay more than one year advance for rent, he will ask you to go Lagos State government and ask them to give you the house of your desire to rent and that, “If you want my own, this is the condition. We will give you a receipt for one year but you pay for two years.

42— SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013

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state of uneasy calm has en veloped Gombe state arising from the killing of the Minori ty Leader of the State House of Assembly and others. Security situation in Gombe state has taken a down turn. Palpable fear has now gripped the state especially Gombe, the state capital.

Even though the state may have been previously adjudged the safest in the northern eastern region due to less violent activities recorded since the eruption of Boko Haram activities in the zone, current unhealthy developments have punctured the claims. There are killings and kidnaps. Worst still, it now involves high profile personalities such as politicians and such occurences happen in manners that smack of political connotations.

The situation has worsened since last month as each day comes with news of either death or kidnapping. First to be recorded was the kidnap of the member representing Gombe North Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Honourable Jalo Ahmed Ganga at the end of last year, precisely on December 31, 2012.

Like any other morning, Honourable Ganga, Chairman, House Committee of Finance and Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations had woken up and prepared for the early morning prayers not knowing that danger was lurking around him.

He had gone to a mosque near to his house in the metropolis. On his way back home, he was accosted by some men who wielded guns. Perspirated in fear, Ganga followed them upon a command to a waiting vehicle that later whisked him away into oblivion. For three days, no one knew the whereabouts of the politician only for him to resurface on the fourth day of his abduction.

Remarkably, Ganga was kidnapped two days after the Governor of the State; Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo presented the 2013 budget to the State Assembly.

Those who witnessed his arrival said Ganga came back on a commercial motorcycle popularly called “Achaba” in local parlance.

Speaking to newsmen in the house of the lawmaker upon his return on Thursday, January 3, 2013, the legislator ’s younger brother, Abdulkadir Mohammed-Yelwa, expressed happiness and said that Mr. Ganga arrived home on a motorcycle at about 10 p.m. on Wednesday.

“We are very happy seeing our brother. He has returned and met with his family; but right now he is not home. He came back and told people not to worry that he had arrived

Gunmen, Kidnapper s on rampage in Gombe • Kill Minority Leader •Kidnap another House Member •Kill Senator’s Goje Police Orderly •We are on top of the situation —Police Commissioner

safely. May be later in the day or tomorrow, you will see him and talk with him. We thank everybody who helped us in prayers,” he said.

In quick succession, just barely one week after the kidnap saga, Inspector Rilwanu Gazama, a former Police Orderly to the immediate past governor of the State, Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje became a victim of death in the hands of gunmen.

H

e was shot dead along the busy Emir ’s palace road in Gombe metropolis after a brush with his killers on Friday, January 11, 2013.

The circumstances of his death can only be captured in the words of the State Police Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Sule who spoke to journalists in the state.

“The true position of things is that the incident was unfortunate. Surveillance men were posted from the Division (Gombe). One Sergeant was around that mosque on surveillance during Mosque period. As soon as prayers ended, he sighted a vehicle parked close to the Mosque.

Mr. Mohammed Sule

He went close to that vehicle and accosted them, asking them questions.

When he found out that they couldn’t give him satisfactory answers, he said they must go to the station.

They refused. Now, the Sergeant called his DPO that he is suspecting the vehicle to have been stolen.

The DPO now sent his team leader, that is the Inspector to go and verify what

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BY JOHN BULUS

But one incident which appears to have proven the claims of the men in uniform wrong and threw the state into palpable fear was the killing of yet another serving lawmaker in the state, Honourable Abduwahid Waziri Doho

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was happening. The team leader is in-charge of surveillance. He is also in mufti. He went there and asked them for their particulars and so on.

They said they didn’t have.

He tried to take them to the station but they resisted. He grabbed the driver that he must move to the station.

“You see, that is unprofessional. He shouldn’t have done that. He was in mufti and

living at the mercy of God. And that is the supreme price of policing the society which the society should appreciate”, he explained.

T

Jalo Ahmed Ganga

Abduwahid Waziri Doho Jalo Ahmed Ganga in surveillance. He shouldn’t even have shown himself as a police man. So, what he needed to have done if they resisted him was to retreat and call back the DPO who will send, maybe, patrol vehicles and they will now round them up.

But maybe, he wanted to take glory, I don’t know.

“And unfortunately, the second passenger shot him. Then, the sergeant maneuvered and disappeared from the scene. He was not armed, so, he couldn’t have done anything. None of them was armed. So, that is the picture of what exactly happened. We wouldn’t know. He must have made a lot of enemies while serving.

“They may have been looking for him because where he worked is the enclave where the incident happened. He was said to be the Orderly to the former Governor. So, he was known very well within that environment.

One cannot say what really went wrong. Why him? Why not the other sergeant who tactically withdrew? It is just like you know me and I don’t know you. These criminals they are all over the place. We don’t know them. We are only gambling. But they know us. So, automatically, we are only

he Police boss went on to say that the police are in charge of the security of the state.

“As regards the security in Gombe, we are still in control and we are on top of the situation. Nothing has changed. Well, I don’t know what you mean by killings everywhere. In life, something must happen, somewhere, somehow. You don’t expect every thing should be rosy. There are prices to pay. If one or two incidence occurred, does that mean there is insecurity? That is absurd because if one incident happens, that does not mean there is insecurity. So, nothing is still happening in Gombe”, Sule assured.

On the kidnap of the lawmaker, Commissioner Sule added “We are still on. Investigation is on and I don’t want to jeopardize the investigation. It is a case of kidnapping. It takes time. And we are on”.

But one incident which appears to have proven the claims of the men in uniform wrong and thrown the state into palpable fear was the killing of yet another serving lawmaker in the state, Honourable Abduwahid Waziri Doho. He was shot dead in his house at Tudun Wada area of the town two days ago. Until now, he represented Kwami East State constituency in the Assembly. He was a member of the opposition political party, Congress for Progressive Change, CPC and Minority Leader. Doho was also the House Committee Chairman on Public Accounts.

Meanwhile, the ill develop-

ments in the state have reminded the people of a similar situation in January last year when suspected members of Boko Haram unleashed mayhem on a Deeper Life Church in Gombe. The attack left more than seven people dead while several persons were critically injured. The attack was followed by a series of other terror events that characterized the state at the time among which was the burning of the Gombe Divisional police Station.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013—43

How the Army hopes to overcome terrorism and kidnapping ...Opens up new brigades, counter terrorism units

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OWARDS the end of November 2012,while the nation was be ing rocked with the shocking news that the Jaji Cantonment housing the Corps of Nigerian Army Infantry and the Armed Forces Command and Staff College had been bombed by terrorists, Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan as if he is a prophet, was raising alarm over the rising spate of kidnapping and illegal oil bunkering in the state.

And as if on cue, the most daring kidnapping to date in the Delta state, that of Professor Mrs. Mabel Kaneme Okonjo, mother of Nigeria ’s Finance Minister took place some days after. The episode is behind us all as the kidnapping puzzle has been resolved with the professor released hale and hearty.

Receiving the COAS, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika in his office in Asaba shortly before the COAS annual conference, Governor Uduaghan told Ihejirika he was seriously disturbed about the rising spate of kidnapping and illegal bunkering in the state and called on the Army which was one of the security agencies Nigerians were looking up to, to rise to the aid of Delta State.

“Though the Army has been rising to the challenges of insecurity, a lot more needed to be done,” he said noting that “one of the three-points agenda of his administration which is providing security for the people of Delta State was being facilitated by the Army.

“The Army has assisted Delta State is achieving peace and security, because sometimes when the problem overwhelmed other security agencies, the Army was always invited and they have always responded positively by bringing the situation to normal”.

It is against this backdrop that COAS Conference was dedicated to reviewing how the army fared in the outgoing year while mapping out strategies and projections on expected challenges and other activities for 2013.

Principally, it dwelt on the terrorism challenges plaguing the nation, reviewed tactics being employed, projected into the aspect of counter terrorism training, building intelligence capacity and looked at such other areas like kidnapping, robbery incidents like attacks on banks with assorted military-like weaponry and what could be done in conjunction with other security agencies to tackle these challenges. Specifically, Boko Haram menace was dissected as well.

However, the conference with the theme ‘Consolidating Nigerian Army Transformation Drive towards Enhanced National Security’ had hardly taken off in full gear when another devastating

attack, this time, on the headquarters of SARS in Abuja occurred when gunmen suspected to be sympathizers of Boko Haram tried to allegedly free their detained members. At the same period, three banks in Auchi were attacked with heavy weaponry like grenades and high intensity explosives while AK 47 rifles were freely used to kill and maim.

A determined Ihejirika who has been a source of strength and inspiration in the effort of the Nigerian Army to tackle these challenges headlong, acknowledged that the battle of these challenges though internal security operations has been daunting.

His words, “The year 2012 has been eventful and challenging for the Army but the menace of terrorism and other

President Goodluck Jonathan

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BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI Abuja

The president asserted that an integral approach involving all the security agencies is crucial in effectively combating the threat, obviously to create a ‘conducive environment’ for economic activities to thrive, particularly in the affected areas of the country

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crimes continues to be worrisome. In spite of all efforts and strategies put to combat the challenge of terrorism in the country, it has remained an arduous task which the security agencies are determined to confront in the New Year.

“Aside from internal security responsibilities, the leadership of the army has also confronted the issue of peace in the sub-region, the continent and the world as a whole such as the peacekeeping in Liberia , Darfur , Guinea-Bissau and Mali of recent.

“In the past 12 months, the focus of the transformation process of the Nigerian Army has centered on realignment of force structure, training, re-training and innovations to meet emerging operational challenges at home and abroad. Equally, tackling of logistics and other welfare inadequacies of troops was undertaken, hence, the Chief of Army Staff vision to transform the Nigerian Army into a force better able to meet contemporary challenges

Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika has remained as relevant as when it was framed in 2010.

Consequently, the Nigerian Army Training Centre (NATRAC), Kontagora has been expanded to incorporate Advanced Recruit Training, Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency (CTCOIN) in addition to Conventional Warfare Training directorates.

“To further confront terrorism headlong, the Nigerian Army has made it mandatory for all new recruits and newly commissioned officers to be trained in counter terrorism and counter insurgency.

“The essence is to equip the young officers and soldiers with the requisite skills to meet asymmetric threats characteristics of the contemporary challenges and also provide a centre for the training of personnel of other services and the Nigeria Police.

“However, the Nigerian Army has recorded some laudable achievements in some of the Joint operations; they have increased the tempo of internal security operations in conjunction with NPF, DSS, and other security agencies.

Continuing he said “It is noteworthy that the successes achieved in OPERATIONS SANITY I, II, III covering Kogi state, Damaturu and Mubi respectively, attest to the advantages of Joint Operations and

should be intensified for future operations if the country is to overcome the issue of terrorism once and for all.

“Other landmark achievements recorded in the outgoing year” he said, include “the adjustment of the areas of responsibility of 2 and 81 Divisions to optimize the use of forces and also the clumsy and difficult nature defining the boundaries between Lagos and Ogun states and its attendant problems while Ogun state is now under 81 Division with the Brigade in Abeokuta becoming 35 Artillery Brigade as one of its formations.

“A new Brigade Headquarters, 32 Artillery Brigade is now located in Akure under the 2 Division while there are also the re-establishment of units in Damaturu, Mubi, Kuje and some others”.

A particular comment from the Army Chief that was pleasing to the ear, was the aspect where he said the military and the police have agreed to work together to deal with terrorism and other related internal security challenges in the country because it is his belief that all security agencies must put hands on deck if Nigeria is to overcome the menace of terrorism.

Going by the assurances of the Army Chief, it is gratifying to note the optimism that the end of terrorism is in sight, hence, there is urgent need for government to play its part by intensifying the release of more funds to ensure that security agencies live up to the expectation.

On his part, President Goodluck Jonathan used the avenue to task the Nigerian Army to evolve new strategies that would address the security challenges facing the country before the entire nation is completely wiped out from the comity of nations.

Emphasizing on the need of joint cooperation, he maintained that it is up to the Nigerian Army to intensify efforts and work closely with other security agencies in the fight to defeat terrorism so that its threat would be a thing of the past.

The president asserted that an integral approach involving all the security agencies is crucial in effectively combating the threat, obviously to create a ‘conducive environment’ for economic activities to thrive, particularly in the affected areas of the country.

“The threat of terrorism in some parts of our country remains an issue of serious national security concern, with the potential to impede our transformation drive. The recent achievements by the security agencies in the fight to defeat terrorism underscore my earlier position that the extremist threat will soon be a thing of the past.

“I must however, emphasize that an integrated approach involving all the security agencies is crucial in effectively combating the threat so as to create a stable atmosphere for economic activities to thrive in the affected areas” he said.

44—SATURDAY Vanguard,JANUARY 19, 2013

How long does that take to put on?

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n d i a n religious warrior wears 300m-long turban for Sikh festival.

The man is a member of a religious warrior group known as the Nihang. He was pictured wearing the elaborate headgear during a Sikh festival.

Nihang means 'crocodile', as they are known for their ferocity

Horrified mother forced to alert midwives that her newborn baby girl wasn't breathing after they failed to notice umbilical cord wrapped around her neck

G

emma Peters, 26, went through an agonising labour delivering her first child at Russells Hall hospital, in Dudley, West Midlands. Baby was handed to her not breathing with the umbilical cord round its neck. Miss Peters' daughter Brook suffered brain damage and died three days later. The hospital has admitted full liability for the errors leading to Brook's death

Tipping the scales

M

eet Atomic Betty the 21stone python who is so big it takes SIX people to hold her for annual weigh in Snake is showing 'steady growth' according to carers in Australia.

The 14-year-old has put on 4.5lb since last year. 'Most dangerous animal' at the attraction, says expert

The 3D scan

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he 3D scan of a disabled baby's smile that convinced his mother not to abort him - and why she is grateful she was able to cuddle him with joy for a few precious hours.

Katyia Rowe was told her baby would never be able to walk or talk.

But real-time moving scan showed him blowing bubbles and waving arms. She decided to go through with the birth but he died nine hours later

1,000 cats saved from Chinese dining table 1,000 cats saved from Chinese dining table after being discovered in cramped cages when truck crashed Locals save them from Changsha roadside after being stranded for 24hrs Surviving cats were packed off to a pet clinic for treatment following crash

Hello world!

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ive-week-old panda cub smiles and waves from its incubator at Chinese conservation centre.

Photographer Dr Katherine Feng took the touching snaps of the young bears She spent four years at a centre in S i c h u a n , documenting the life of a panda

Annibals with cutlery

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he macabre nineteenth century Fijian forks used by tribesmen to eat the bodies of rival warriors Forks used to eat slain enemies sold for nearly ÂŁ30,000 at auction

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013—45

Nigerian pastors kick against gay practice in Anglican Church • it’s a step to shattered hopes •an act of the devil

Revd Okoh

BY EBUN SESSOU

A

ordination of gay lthough the issue surrounding lican Commun Ang lly ministers in churches especia it again came le, whi a for s ion has been in the new week. as a subject of discourse last ointed its first homosexapp ada Can of rch Anglican Chu ugh election as Bishthro n ual Bishop, Canon Gene Robinso t has divided the men elop dev op of New Hampshire. The Anglican Church in NigeAnglican Church into two. The lf from the development. ria has also dis-associated itse onnect in the ChristenThis trend is already creating disc ecially in Anglican esp tors Pas dom. Speaking with some dist Church reveals that Communion, Nigeria and Metho not part of the doctrine gay practice and other issues are nned. shu be of Christ and therefore should

Gay practice , a step to shattered hopes —Revd Okoh

T

he Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh, Archbish op, Metropolitan and Primate, Anglican Com munion, Nigeria in a statement explains the position of Anglican Church, Nigeria.

Canon Gene-Robinson

Gay practice is an act of the devil —Revd Olawuyi

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everend Issac Ayo Olawuyi, Bishop, Diocese of Lagos West, Methodist Church Nigeria in this interview spoke on the gay bishop syndrome and other issues currently taking its toll on the Church of God .

What is your view about gay Bishop in Anglican Church?

The issue has been on for sometime and we have been following the trend.

What we discovered is that the Anglican Church in Nigeria has no part in this culture. It is against the doctrine of the Bible. It is against the natural ordination of God especially between man and woman. Sex is ordained for the man and the woman and therefore, such culture should not be supported. If that is happening Overseas especially among the Whites, then, it is their business but that shouldn’t be talked about in Christian faith.

As I speak, the issue has divided the Anglican Communion overseas where some support the trend and some don’t.

But I believe it is completely out of order. It is completely against the principle and doctrine of God and it is completely against the natural order of God for marriage.

Is it proper to have gay in Christian community?

Gay should not be mentioned in Christian community. It should not be heard of. According to the Holy Scripture, the book of Romans, the bible is against this Sodomic practice that man and man should marry each other and for such to be supported publicly by the Church of God is abom-

inable.

The devil has been clever to manovuer itself into the house of God and lure the so-called men of God into this practice. We learnt that some people are naturally made and they cannot copulate with the opposite sex and because of that, they find it naturally convenient to meet with the same sex which is homosexualism. It has been an ancient phenomenon but for the Church of God to have the courage to sustain such evil practice and make it an acceptable practice in the Church of God is an act of the devil.

How can it be discouraged?

We will continue to speak against it whether or not they want it. The same with divorce. Many church organisations believe that divorce is permissible. The Church should continue to discourage divorce whether or not it is working. It is the duty of the Church to be on the side of God. And so, I believe that we will continue to preach against it and tell them that they are wrong.

We are believing God that they will repent.

The issue of cultism is another phenomenon that has come to stay in some Church, what is your take?

We cannot deny that secret cult is being practised in some places especially among the clergymen and even the general body of Christ. In Methodist Church, anyone who will be ordained as a minster must declare that he is not a member of any secret cult. And such individual must swear before God. But, if someone is found to be a member of any secret cult, he will be dismissed from the minstry.

When the Church of England failed to exercise its legal and moral right to opt out of the civil partnerships legislation in 2005, warnings were given in England and around the Anglican Communion that this was a first step towards the recognition and institutionalization of behaviour contrary to the plain teaching of scripture and reaffirmed for all Anglicans by the 1998 Lambeth Conference in its Resolution 1.10. Sadly those warnings were ignored and we now face the next step in a process that could very well shatter whatever hopes we had for healing and reconciliation within our beloved Communion.

We are also grieved by the timing of this decision coming only days before the retirement of Archbishop Rowan Williams and before Dr. Justin Welby becomes the new Archbishop of Canterbury.

We urge the House of Bishops to reconsider their decision so as to allow for a full, prayerful and sober reflection on the call on all clergy, especially bishops, to live holy lives and not encourage what are, at best, morally ambiguous partnerships that make it impossible for a bishop to be a wholesome

Reverend Issac Ayo Olawuyi

Any member who would want to work for God must declare his faithfulness and innocency and we do this every year. It is an open declaration after which people are handed into God’s hand. I don’t know what goes on in other churches but I want to believe that it is the same everywhere .

example to the flock, especially since the supposed assurances of celibacy, while perhaps well intentioned, are both unworkable and unenforceable.

As a House of Bishops, while we acknowledge that we all fall short of God’s call to holiness, we dare not compromise the clear teaching of our Lord on faithfulness within Holy Matrimony and chastity outside of it.

Sadly, we must also declare that if the Church of England continues in this contrary direction, we must further separate ourselves from it and we are prepared to take the same actions as those prompted by the decisions of The Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada ten years ago.

46— Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013

“ Life has been unfair to me”.

This was the statement that greeted this reporter as he approached 19-year-old Chidi Okolie, who is currently going through psychological trauma following an act of gang-rape on him, Monday , in Badagry area of Lagos.

Chidi, as gathered, left his home town in Izzih local government area of Ebonyi state for Lagos, two years ago, in search of greener pasture, following the demise of his parents. The death of his parents, reportedly forced him to drop out of school.

But determined to irk a living, he decided to come to Lagos, where he started hawking along the Mile twoBadagry expressway.

Along the line,he came across a middle-aged man who promised to offer him employment, an offer Chidi saw as a way out of struggle.

But he got the shock of his life , on his supposed first day at work, as he was allegedly gang-raped and robbed by his supposed ‘messiah’ Hear him, “ I saw Okafor Emmanuel as my messiah when he promised to secure a job for me. I had barely finished selling on Monday when he called me on phone to come down to Abule-Ado. I bought a sachet of pure water, washed by face and straightened my clothes. I packed the remaining wares into a bag and kept it, hoping to finish them the next day.

When I got to the designated place, I met Okafor with four other young men. He told me to accompany them to distribute cigarets to his customers in Badagry,informing that, that was my first assignment. We did that until 11pm and because it was late, he asked me to pass the night with him.

I was promised a job, only to be robbed, gang raped — teenage hawker

,

BY DONALD ARJI

On getting to the sitting room, I met the other four men stack naked as well.

At that point , I concluded the job offer was a mere trick to harm me

,

Gang -raped at midnight

B

ut at midnight, someone tapped me on the thigh and when I opened my eyes, it was Okafor. Lo and behold, he was in his nude! He bent over and said he would want to have carnal knowledge of me. I was shocked and concluded he could be drunk.

I lied to him that I wanted to urinate and left the room . But on getting to the sitting room, I met the other four men stack naked as well. At that point , I concluded the job offer was a mere trick to harm me.

At that point, I decided to run outside . But as I attempted

to, they overpowered me and tore my shirts into shreds before pinning me to the ground with each having his way in turns.

As if that was not enough, they pushed me out of the apartment that midnight, boasting that there was nothing I could do. When I checked my pocket, I discovered they had collected the N25,000 I made from my sales.

But I could not go back to my uncle’s place that night so as not to be mistaken for a thief. All I did was to collect a shirt I saw on the line and wore. I remained there until 6am before leaving.

Since the incident, he has been begging for

forgiveness, attributing it to the handiwork of the devil,without bothering to find out if I was hurt.

As I speak, I am still hurting all over but I can not go to the hospital because I do not have money to buy drugs. I really do not know how to get money to start bussiness all over again. As it is now, he has rendered me handicapped. You see why I said life has been unfair to me? He asked.

So far, Chidi did not report the incident to the Police as he claimed he was afraid he might not get justice at the end. He also feared that Chidi and his friends might carry out a severe deal against him, if he did.

•The victim,Chidi Okolie

Man, 85 disappears from home

BY UJU MBANUSI

A

•Pa Chijioke Amaefula

s she walked into the Corporate head office of Vanguard Media in Lagos, it was obvious that all was not well with Miss Perpetua Amaefule , as she later identified herself.

To confirm this assumption, she disclosed that her family had been thrown into panic following the mysterious disappearance of her 85-year-old father since January 10, 2013, with all efforts to find him, futile.

Pa Chijioke Amaefula as gathered, was last seen on January 10. 2013, in his

apartment at his 38, Wilmer Cresent abode in Olodi Apapa area of Lagos.

Apprehension, set in at about 2pm same day, after one of his children, Perpetua , knocked on his bedroom door to invite him for lunch. “ But there was no response. At first, I thought he was sleeping. But on second thought, I went inside,only to find out that the bed was vacant.

When I asked after him, I was told he walked out of the house around 11am.

We went to look for him in the church where he always went but he was not there. I called my mother on phone to find out if he was with her at the shop but again, I was told he was not there.

Octogenarian suffers memory loss

T

ension at that point, heightened.

At first , his family members thought he could have been kidnapped. But after waiting for several hours without any call from the supposed kidnappers demanding for ransom, they concluded their father could have strayed.

This is because, Crime Guard gathered that Pa Chijioke Amaefula suffers memory loss, apparently due to his age.

Asked why noone was assigned to look after him, Perpetua replied, “ We have two boys looking after him. But

Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013 —47

Senior officers of WNC welcoming Rear Admiral Ameen Ikioda ,back to the Base after the 3- day excercise.

Western Naval Command displays sea might •as outgoing FOC canvases for more platforms to patrol the waterways

BY EVELYN USMAN

I

they said he told them he was going to meet my mother at the shop and they allowed him.

We are so worried because he has never left home in this manner. The only places he used to go, is the church and my mother’s shop. We have checked all hospitals and remand homes without any trace of him”.

Policemen at Tolu , Trinity and Ajeromi divisions as gathered,have been informed about the disappearance of Pa Amaefule.

A Police source at Trinity said the case would be treated as that of a missing person, until proven contrary and therefore, called on Lagosians to be on the lookout for the missing man and avail the Police with any information that could lead to his discovery.

n line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s directive to the Chief of Naval Staff, CNS Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, to stamp out crude oil theft,illegal bunkerings, piracy and illegal activities on the nation’s water, the Nigerian Navy, in November, 2012, conducted a one-week exercise codenamed exercise FARAUTA, personally led by the CNS, in the Niger Delta region of the nation.

During the exercise in which eight warships, six gunboats and one maritime patrol aircraft were used, 17 vessels loaded with suspected stolen crude oil were reportedly intercepted near Bonny and Bonga oil platforms in Rivers and Delta states, areas reportedly notorious for crude oil theft.

But as part of its strategic contributions towards achieving the vision of the CNS, the Western Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy,NN Apapa, Lagos, conducted a 3-day patrol exercise codenamed ICHUNTA, barely one month after, within its area of jurisdiction.

Evolutions such as fire fighting, man-over-board, flood control among others were displayed during the exercise led by the outgoing Flag Officer Commanding WNC, Rear Admiral Ameen Ikioda, with participating ships carrying out various formations, manoeuvres and individual patrols.

However, during the three-day, three nights exercise in which NNS NWAMBA, NNS ANDONI and two sea boats were used, there was no arrest, an indication attributed to earlier arrest made during exercise FARAUTA. But there were interrogation of ships on the sea to

ascertain whether they had business being there or not.

Briefing journalists at the end of the exercise, RearAdmiral Ameen Ikioda, who was on board NNS NWAMBA , noted that since the commencement of the exercise ,sea robberies had been brought to its barest minimal .

“The general aim is for us to try by all means to stamp out illegalities in our water. What we have tried to do, is to create a deterrent posture whereby once criminals know we are at sea, they will run away from our water. We have not seen any vessel that was committing any illegal act yet and that is what we intend doing, to pursue them out of our water ”, he stated.

Need for more platforms But in order to properly police the water, he said the command would be needing more logistics, considering the verse nature of the water, a constraint he said was not just applicable to the WNC only but the Nigerian Navy as a Service. “ We need to have more platforms .

Most especially the off shore patrol vessels that have the endurance of remaining at sea for a very long duration. With that, we are sure we will be able to comb everywhere in our water and fish out criminals”.

Asked why some arrested ships were later seen on the waters, he blamed it on the inability of the Nigerian Navy to prosecute, saying, “ We do not have right to prosecute.

We can only arrest and hand over to the body that has been mandated to prosecute such crime . That is the best Navy can do .

“We have been trying to forward a bill to the National Assembly for Navy to prosecute offenders and it’s

undergoing scrutiny.warns “My warning to sea robbers therefore, is that they should vanish out of our water and we are here to pursue them”.

The Eastern and Central commands of the Nigerian Navy , he informed, would also carry out same sea patrol exercise’ Ikioda said .

Arrests during similar exercises.

Ikioda further disclosed that in year 2012, a total of 22 vessels were arrested by the Nigerian Navy for various acts of illegality, ranging from oil bunkery and illegal entry into the nation’s waters.

The arrests he said, were made due to intensified patrols towards sanitisng the nation’s waters of various forms of illegalities.

The sanitising process according to him, included the destruction of illegal refineries, arrest of illegal oil bunkerers and pirates, informing that the Service was coming up with guidelines for smooth operations in the maritime industry.

“The Nigerian Navy is using this opportunity to warn ship owners and charterers who connive with criminals to desist from doing so. Any vessel involved in criminal acts in our waters will be arrested by the Navy and the owners handed over to the appropriate agency for prosecution”.

48—Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013

both light and heavy repairs on the aircraft of the airline. The process is exactly the same for every airline.

The same process that certified Arik, is the one Dana went through. After the crash, Dana has undergone the rigorous AOC recertification.

er erfference inter NASS int with safety regulations AA ma mayy cosstt Nigeria FFAA oryy 1 ssttatus egor Cattegor — Demuren, NCAA DG

BY KENNETH EHIGIATOR

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he dust raised by the crash of Dana Air plane at Iju Ishaga, Lagos, killing all 153 passengers and crew on board, and others on ground is yet to settle, as National Assembly members and regulatory agency, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority are still on war path.

The aviation joint committees of the Senate and House of Representatives had blamed the NCAA for some of the processes that led to the crash of the plane and recommended the sack of the Director-General, Dr. Harold Demuren, for gross negligence. It also recommended revocation of the Air Operator’s Certificate, AOC, od Dana Airlines.

However, the joint committee in its finding, stated: “Repeated published conclusions that the regulatory agencies and their officials are negligent or incompetent will carry an unintended consequence, which is not the objective of the Joint Committee. It will undermine our national resolve and ability to accomplish the objectives we have set as a nation.

“Further, it calls to question the judgment of professional, specialised and expert organizations such as ICAO, EU and U.S. FAA who have critically, analytically and professionally evaluated our sector and granted the certifications that we now enjoy.

“It affects the credibility they have painstakingly developed and acquired when their assessment is that our agencies are competent and staffed by sufficiently skilled personnel, while our own elected leaders, come to a different conclusion. These send a very wrong signal internationally, as well as create fear and tension in the country.”

The committee was not, however, oblivious of efforts made by the federal government in the wake of the crashes that trailed the sector in 2005 and 2006, involving Bellview, Sosoliso and ADC, especially with regards to Nigeria’s attainment of FAA Category 1 certification. The NCAA boss, reacting to the committee’s recommendation for the first time, saw the committees’ probe as an interference in the agency’s safety regulations, which could cost the country the FAA certifi-

cation. Excerpts: The Report states that Prestige, the insurance company is also owned by the Dana Group.

To the best of NCAA’s knowledge and based on our due diligence, Prestige is a legitimate insurance company. It is an insurance company registered in Nigeria by the Corporate Affairs Commission and approved by NAICOM. Prior to NCAA accepting the coverage to Dana as acceptable, NAICOM approved the product and for Prestige to provide it to Dana. In addition, and for the further comfort of the committee, there is evidence that both interim and final compensation to families of the Dana crash is in Dr. progress. Some have not been paid because of the legal and tedious process of obtaining and verifying the appropriate personal representatives of the deceased through Letters of Administrations. The NCAA has been providing active support in this regard and continues to interface

Harold Demuren spect to the distinguished Senators and Honourable Members, these types of considerations may be construed as political interference in safety regulations which the Senate President and Joint Committee at the beginning

The Report does not fully capture and characterize the import of the law when it notes that the Director General of the NCAA is unqualified under the Civil Aviation Act, because he is not licensed or type-rated on any aircraft.

What the law requires in the section 8(2)(d) of the Civil Aviation Act, 2006 quoted is that the Director General shall be a person “who possesses relevant and adequate professional qualifications, and have the qualification for at least 15 years” .

There is no provision in the law that requires the Director-General to be licensed or type-rated on any aircraft. However, and for the comfort of the distinguished and honourable members of the committee, the current Director General is both a design, and maintenance engineer. He is type rated on Russian aircraft, Ilushin 62, with NK8 engines. He has undergraduate, graduate (M.SC, Aircraft Maintenance Engineering) and doctoral degrees in aeronautical engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

In addition, he possesses professional qualifications, including senior membership of the Council of Registered Engineers (COREN) and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is a Chartered Engineer of the United Kingdom and a Fellow of the prestigious Royal Aeronautical Society, which incorporates aeronautical engineers, helicopter association and licensed aircraft engineers. He is also a Fellow of the Nigeria Academy of Engineering. In addition, he holds several certificates for aircraft maintenance, airworthiness and training on a variety of engines including by Roll Royce, Pratt & Whitney, General Electric and U.K Civil Aviation Authority during a distinguished exclusive aviation safety career that has spanned over 40 years.

Prior to NCAA accepting the coverage to Dana as acceptable, NAICOM approved the product and for Prestige to provide it to Dana. In addition, and for the further comfort of the committee, there is evidence that both interim and final compensation to families of with the relevant government authorities to expedite the issuance and verification of these vital legal documents. Further, there was additional insurance by Lloyds of London, abundance of evidence of which exists. The NCAA, NAICOM or DANA could have provided this evidence to the committee if the committee required it. This evidence includes evidence of consultations between the insurance companies and adoption of a resolution to pay the maximum liability limit of $100, 000 and evidence of payments to victims’ families.

The Committee found that the NCAA did not comply with its own procedure for issuance of Airlines Operator Certificate to Dana Airlines.

With the greatest humility and re-

of it’s sitting and public hearing explicitly stated that it had no intention to do. With due respect to the powers of the National Assembly to conduct oversight, a strict and intolerant construction of this exercise is certain to compromise our certifications and violate our international obligations.

The AOC process is perhaps the most intense, technical and comprehensive safety process the NCAA engages in.

It is a 5 phase process. It includes flying the aircraft in demonstration flights for 50 hours without passengers in the 4th phase. The only people on the aircraft are the crew and NCAA Safety Inspectors. It also involves analysis of technical and other operational manuals and processes of the airline including number of crew and their qualifications and evidence of the plan or program for carrying out

Continues on page 49

Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013—49

The practice of using Licensed Maintenance Engineers is archaic and only now limited to small and private aircraft — Demuren, NCAA DG Continued from page 48 The Report claims that most NCAA inspectors are not licensed or type rated on aircraft. It also recommends that the inspector who inspected and cleared the Dana Airlines aircraft that crash should be dismissed.

ICAO requirement for Aviation Safety Inspectors in CAAs is that they must posses aeronautical engineering degrees and completely aircraft manufacturer’s course on the various types of aircraft and engine operating in the country. The NCAA fully complies with this. These are key issues that were inspected and examined in Nigeria passing the ICAO Safety Audit and U.S. FAA Category-1.

Even persons who were previously maintenance engineers cease to be when they start working for the CAA. The CAA’s role is safety oversight, not aircraft repair. As a matter of fact, all CAA inspectors are prohibited from carrying out repair on aircraft or aircraft components. Among NCAA safety inspectors include pilots type rated who flew MD83. Regulators are never type rated to do their work.

They are type qualified after appropriate training. NCAA has sufficient type qualified inspectors. They are neither operational pilots flying commercially nor aircraft mechanics carrying out repairs on aircraft. Most importantly, the practice of using Licensed Maintenance Engineers is archaic and only now limited to small and private aircraft. The worldwide practice is to ensure that aircraft are maintained by Approved Maintenance Organizations (AMO). For instance, Arik’s current and modern fleet is maintained by AMOs, specifically Lufthansa Technics. Arik does not have specific employees who are licensed Maintenance Engineers type rated on Boeing 737-800.

This sometimes technical, but subtle industry nuances is the reason why there are centralized and globally accepted standards and organizations for making such critical assessments.

They are trained and experienced professionals and expert organizations who are trained Safety Auditors. NCAA inspectors are sufficiently trained and their training empowers them to perform safety oversight. It’s like saying a trained and qualified aeronautical engineer or airframe engineer is unqualified to speak about aircraft engine or airframe technology because he is not type rated on a particular aircraft, but the aircraft mechanic who is only trained to repair components of the engine of one type of aircraft is authoritative. Its like saying an automobile engineer is less qualified to conduct oversight than a mechanic on a type of car or that an electrician who just wires and installs is more qualified to discuss design and compliance

Dr. Harold Demuren

than an electrical engineer or that a bricklayer is better qualified on matters of structure and plan than a structural engineer or that a draughtsman who only draws plans is more appropriate than an architect on the building integrity. Would an automobile engineer be unable to determine the efficiency or performance of an engine, because his is not certified to repair Volkswagen cars?

The Report notes that Dana Airlines had 14 air returns in almost 3 years.

Without context, this statement could be misleading or incomplete.

since Toyota has started manufacturing the 2013 model of the Camry, then the 2012 model which is no longer being manufactured is phased out.

As an industry practice, aircraft manufacturers understand the business and expected lifespan of their equipment. They always provide support for all equipment for the entire life of the equipment. Boeing 737s started from the 200 series, and are now at the 800 series. This lifespan has been over decades, yet the 200 series of 4 decades ago still get the same level of support as the 800s which only recently started production. As it were, approximately 1,100 MD80 series (in-

didate in the 2012 elections, Governor Mitt Romney used an MD83 manufactured in 1990 (same as Dana Air’s) for his campaign which required significant travel across the United States and as far as Europe and Israel. His running mate, Paul Ryan, used an older version of the MD80 series – a DC9-32 aircraft which is 42 years old (same age as the candidate himself).

In Africa, Air Burkina and Air Mali use the MD80 series aircraft to ferry Air France passengers going to points beyond Ouagadougou and Bamako.

The Report alleges that the inspector who cleared the Dana Airlines aircraft that crashed should be dismissed for not having pre-requisite qualification.

The inspector in question’s credentials are attached. He is qualified Safety Inspector. He has a degree in aeronautical engineering and a Master of Science in Aircraft Design and Maintenance fro one of the most reputable schools in the former Soviet Union. He has attended so many trainings, including training on the JT8D engine series of Pratt and Whitney which is an engine series family that the one on the crashed MD-83 had. He is also one of a few who have succeeded in rigorous successive Boeing company trainings on a variety of aircrafts including certification on Boeing 767 which is a wide body aircraft manufactured by the same company and with even more advanced systems. He has also had successive type qualification training on various aircraft types. The Report does not identify any inappropriate conduct by the inspector or the Director General who deployed the inspector. Subsequent to its importation in 2008, the aircraft flew hundreds of hours and cycles, thousands of miles and carried several thousand passengers including 3 flights of approximately one hour each and several hundred passengers on the day, and prior to the unfortunate crash.

T

he Committee recommended that the current Director G e n eral of the NCAA’s tenure expired 3 months before the Dana crash on June 3rd.

The DG of the NCAA serves at the pleasure of the President. Further, the DG NCAA is the CEO of a major government agency with significant responsibilities, including to representing the Federal Government internationally and before other governments. It is highly improbable that a person can serve, or continue to serve in such a sensitive position without the appropriate authority and approval of the Minister of Aviation, and the President.

Further, during the public hearing, the chair of the Joint Aviation Committee addressed the issue of whether the Director General could properly respond to the committee’s questions as DG to the Minister of Aviation. The Minister responded in the affirmative by clarifying that the DG is the duly appointed and current occupant of the office of Director General.

NCAA inspectors are sufficiently trained and their training empowers them to perform safety oversight.

It’s like saying a trained and qualified aeronautical engineer or airframe engineer is unqualified to speak about aircraft engine or airframe technology because he is not type rated on a particular aircraft, Air returns are not necessarily an indication that the aircraft is not airworthy. On the contrary, air returns are more likely to be a result of very strict safety standards that require an abundance of caution, including in situations that don’t rise to the serious failures that could fatally jeopardize the operation of flight. It is a standard recommended safety precautionary measure. After every single air return, NCAA Airworthiness Safety Inspectors physically clear the aircraft, before it is released back to operation.

The Report states that the MD-83 Aircraft has been phased out by the manufacturer .

The functional analogy of this is that

cluding MD83s) were manufactured, and over 800, of which 207 are MD83s are still in active service today.

Specifically, MD83s are still in service in commercial airline and other fleets worldwide including, USA, Italy, Romania, Spain, Argentina, Greece, Denmark, Egypt, South Africa, Indonesia, Kenya, the United Nations and others. Current operators range from the largest foreign and domestic truck carriers to new start-up airlines and charter operators. Two of the three largest United States airlines; American Airlines and Delta operate MD83s currently. American Airlines has 275 of the series in its fleet. Delta has 117.

Further, 74 are operated by airlines across Europe. U.S Presidential can-

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19 19, 2013 — 50

SATURDAY VANGUARD,

Liberal policy, high interest rate, insecurity affect business YINKA SOYINKA in Nigeria — SO K

revitalising marketing strategies. These are the benefits of the partnership and they enable us to leap far above our competitors.

What is the current and future outlook of the copiers business in Nigeria, and the status of your company in the market?

You call it copiers business, but the new name is MFP (Multi Functional Product) or document solution business. What you used to know as a copier is now a c o m p l e x configuration of functions to boost office efficiency and b u s i n e s s performance. Apart from copying, MFPs are capable of printing, scanning,

azeem Olaniyi Soyinka is Head of Sales and Commercials at CFAO Electro-Hall, a division of the CFAO Group in Nigeria. In this interview with Saturday Vanguard Business, he revealed how CFAO Electrol-Hall as first hand distributor of Sharp Multi Function Printers or photocopying machines that aids the smooth running of private and government businesses controls major percentage of the African market because we deliver quality and don’t compromise standards in our operation, he said. Excerpts: As the Head of Sales/Commercials of your company, kindly tell us about the contribution of your company to the Nigerian Economy.

CFAO Electro-Hall is a division of the CFAO Group in Nigeria, which is a fullyowned subsidiary of the CFAO Group with headquarters in Paris, France. The CFAO group The high cost is an African focused company with leadership position in of fund as distributive business in 34 Afdepicted by rican countries and 7 French overseas territories. Estabthe high lished in 1887, the group has interest rate over 240 operating sites in Africa, which is 80% of the total charged by business concern of CFAO in banks is world economies.

CFAO and by extension another Electro-Hall, has been a major challenge to contributor to the Nigerian economy for over a century, all investors making us a major employer in Nigeria of labour in the country. It provides office automation Soyinka: The market in Nigeria is competitive and complex products and services which achieve with this foreign partnership networking, document filling, security solution, access control, and finensure the smooth running of private and market franchise? and government businesses. We are The aim of the partnership is to fur- ishing, which include stapling, sadin partnership with several major ther reinforce our position as the num- dle-stitching, trimming, hole inserbrands all over the world. We are the ber one distributor of Sharp MFP or tion, amongst others.

The market in Nigeria is very exclusive distributors of Sharp Multi copiers in Nigeria with the Sharp prodFunction Printers (MFP) or uct, which dominates all competitors competitive and complex. Pricing is photocopying machines in Nigeria. We with 50% market share in Nigeria’s copi- still a strong factor but new trendy represent Sharp Corporation Japan in er market. The partnership acknowledg- and professional services such as Nigeria’s photocopier market. This es us as the most organised company in leasing, solution, document position was re-confirmed recently term of sales and after sales service in management and rentals are now the with a formal partnership agreement the country and it has empowered us to tendency. Prospects are very bright with Sharp Middle East and Africa transform the market with a new vision for the professionals because the (SMEF) based in the United Arab and market ideas using new product and Nigerian market is gradually Emirate. service innovations, new after sales accepting international trends in What does your company intend to techniques, new training methods and document solution management.

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JANUARY 19, 2013—51

In the past, there were opportunists, industry vultures, uneducated importers and non professionals who tried to deceive Nigerians with poorly-performing products but now, they will find it difficult to survive, given the innovations which we are bringing into the market.

The major difference between ElectroHall and others in the industry is our ability to move with time and take our country to the next level of international standards in the MFP market. We have well-trained staff and professional departments that are setting the trends right now.

What are the major challenges facing your company/industry in Nigeria and what is the way forward?

One of the major challenges is the penetration of the MFP market by nonprofessionals or unscrupulous people, who merely use the importation of copiers for money laundering. They are less concerned about the market price, since their aim is not to make profit but to repatriate illegal money. This is seriously affecting the operations of genuine organizations like ours.

The extremely liberal import regime of the government which gives room for the importation of anything into the country by every Tom, Dick and Harry is a problem for the MFP market and a challenge for genuine investors like us.

Sometimes, products configured for the other climates of the world are brought to this region and constitute problems for unsuspecting Nigerians. Some inferior brands which come with low quality consumables and accessories find their way into the market without inhibition and the business community suffers for this loose imports arrangement.

The high cost of fund as depicted by the high interest rate charged by banks is another challenge to all investors in Nigeria. The harsh business environment in Nigeria, coupled with prevalent insecurity is a major hindrance to the steady growth of all businesses in the country. The MFP market is seriously affected by these problems which the government should and exhibit enough courage and determination to solve.

These challenges notwithstanding, we are always prepared to give our customers the best product and service offering that come with the peace of mind. There is hope to get the best of document solution management in Nigeria and that hope is in Electro-Hall.

We have been here for our country’s economic activities and the business community and we shall remain here for all our customers, come rain or shine.

Random Dynamic Resources gets CASRO endorsement

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L-R: Sunmisola Oyetomi of Apapa Senior High School (2nd Place), Blessing Idokwe of Lagos African Church Grammar School, Ifako-Ijaye (3rd Place), Ibukun Ajayi of Lagos African Church Grammar School, Ifako-Ijaye (1st Place), His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatund Raji Fashola (SAN); From the Junior Secondary School: Yesirah Adepeju Adebiyi of Ashafa Tijani Memorial High School, Iporin (1st place); Ibrahim Adeyemi Olalekan of Federal Government College, Ijanikin Junior(2nd Place) and Temitope Akinbinu of Gbagada Girls Junior School, Bariga at the 6th Lagos State Taxation Stakeholders Conference after receiving their award plaques for emerging the winners of the 5th Lagos State Internal Revenue Service Secondary School Essay Competition in Lagos Thursday.

he Council of American Survey Research Organization (CASRO) recently admitted Random Dynamic Resources, an indigenous fastgrowing market research company as a member of the association when it profiled the company on its latest newsletter edition. CASRO used the platform to underscore various contributions the foremost fieldwork company has made in delivering quality market research data to its international partners like Millward Brown, Nielsen, GFK, TNS, Ask Afrika and other local companies in Nigeria.

It was revealed that among the many countries and industries yearning for the opinions of African consumers, the South East Asia (South Korea and China) and Europe regions still lead the pack. With a rising interest coming from UK companies in sectors like the mobile telephony, Info tech, and FMCGs (Fast Mov-

ing Consumer Goods).

According to the Chief Executive Officer, Random Dynamic Resources, Mr. Paul Nnanwobu, “the most effective method of data collection in most African markets is PAPIF2F (Pen and Paper, Face to Face Interviews) and it accounts for approximately 80% of any research process”.

While for the online data collection, the procedure has not gained footing due to unreliable slow internet and telephone connectivity, he said.

Nnanwobu noted that in some countries like Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya, data collected via PAPI can be entered using an online data entry link and the use of social network sites like Facebook, Linkedin, etc to collect data is just beginning to bud and has not gained much momentum.

Other methods, like video streaming for focus group research are still in the experimental stage.

52—SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2012

Akwa Ibom’s template for youth development

By GODSON UGBECHIE

One of the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to propagate the culture of computer literacy among the young.

The most effective vehicle to propagate ICT culture is the e-library project. Global initiatives for elearning/ e-library concept is to engage in ICT evangelism. World Bank, World Health Organisation (WHO) and universities across the world have their respective elibraries as a tool for imparting and disseminating ICT knowledge.

In Nigeria, the concept of e-library in its pure form is yet to gain ascendancy.

This is most unfortunate. The few that dot the landscape make a mockery of what elibrary should be. However, a recent visit to the Akwa Ibom e-library in Uyo raised hope that the nation can boast of an e-library complete with all the digital appendages of a knowledge ecosystem. Apparently this will address the need of youths, lecturers, children and researchers.

It mirrors other e-libraries in the world like: the South Africa Rural eLibraries Programme, National eLibrary of Serbia, National e-Library

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iving together in a hotel, his p a t i e n t s practiced meditation, yoga exercise, talked about their feelings and took up a diet containing no animal product, except egg whites and skim milk or yoghurt After just three or four weeks, patients reported 90 per cent reduction in chest pain and tests conducted on them confirmed their circulation had improved.

In another test, 48 patients were recruited for a study that lasted a year. Half tried Dr. Omish’s programme while half were put on c o n v e n t i o n a l

of Singapore, Bridgewater State College e-Library USA, National University of Malaysia e-Library and the Lima State e-Library in Peru.

Officials of the Akwa Ibom e-library said it has digital collections of over 16 million e-documents all accessible simultaneously by all users. Again, it will be the first public library in Africa to offer the world’s largest collection of downloadable electronic books and audio files in MP3 format. It is said to offer users the opportunity to download over two million electronic books in full-text without restrictions.

It has over 14.5 million electronic

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n the 21 st Century, the yardstick for measuring literacy is no longer the ability to read and write,but computer literacy. Modern literacy is a measure of your information communication technology (ICT) competency.

Institutions (universities, polytechnics etc) are ranked on the basis of their deployment of the basic tools of ICT for operations, teaching and administration.

seniors). RSS (Rich Site Summary).

Feeds Aggregation to provide summary of content and updates of associated libraries. Others include video conference facilities, built-in electronic whiteboard to support online tutoring, unlimited chat rooms for users, authors, publishers and librarians and many more.

For a state with its own university, a federal university and other tertiary institutions, the Akwa Ibom e-library is very strategic for the honing of ICT skill set and moulding a generation of ICT-savvy youths.

Bill Gates and Paul Allen did not have

Most of our graduates are largely analogue

research e-journal articles full-text viewable without restrictions.

Its interactive e-content resources include 1,260 Educational Games to develop children skills, about 1,000 simulations and maths practice tool to build sciences proficiency, 80,000 Questions and Answer Tertiary Exams Practice Tool, WIKI collaborative e-content development tool and Interactive social blogging and forums. This is a delight for science students, budding engineers, teachers at all levels and professionals.

Core features of the library’s web portal include customized graphic designed web portal to convey the values of a “state-of-the-art” worldclass library, search capabilities with events calendars management tools, blogs for general library information (separate ones for kids, teens, and

recommendations. He used an imaging test called quantitative angiography to monitor each patient’s arteries for a year. The results were amazing. The patients who were on standard medications worsened by most measures but those on the Ornish method improved. There was a reduction in weight and cholesterol, their angina got better and the angio-graphies showed that their . blocked arteries had began to clear.

I mention Dr. Ornish and his plan to let people know that making changes bring benefits.

They yoga and

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the benefit of e-library before they made a success of Microsoft. Except of course, for Mark Zuckerberg, the ICT billionaire who maximises the internet resource to engineer Facebook, most of the billionaire techies who dominated the digital space including Steve Jobs of Apple and Michael Dell of Dell Computers never had as much exposure to computers and internet before they created their respective products.

It means that the youths of this age including this writer are better privileged. In Nigeria, going by statistics from the National Population Commission, there is a significant youth portion of the 167 million citizens. They are in every state; they are in the universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other institutions of learning.

Some are even out of school with no

Improving the heart

meditation aspects of h i s programme improved t h e physical a n d

mental stales of his patients. Their muscles became well-toned and the relaxation brought on by the meditation helped to normalise their heart rate and brought down their blood pressures.

jobs and worse yet with little skills.

These youths are hungry for knowledge. But how much of this knowledge are they getting and at what expense? A nation with an active youth population of over 50 million (far more than the population of many countries) should be a super power if those youths are digitally equipped for the age they find themselves.

These youths must be given the right sense of digital orientation. Globally, there is a digital shift. Nations are empowering their youths both for leadership and for competitiveness in a highly dynamic and demanding global knowledge economy. It is in response to this challenge of harnessing the rich potentials of youths globally that the United Nations launched the Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID) initiative in 2006. One of the objectives of the initiative is to muster global awareness on the need to use ICT for development via well thought through youth-based initiatives across the world. GAID was conceived to engender collaboration and cooperation among countries and institutions. It is premised on the belief “that a people-centred and knowledgebased information society is essential for achieving better life for all”.

Many countries in the UN family have since keyed into the GAID initiative.

Not much is being done in Nigeria in this regard, that is, to evolve schemes that would drive youth development using ICT. Most of our graduates are largely analogue.

·Godson Ugbechie is a student of Covenant University,Ogun State.

Nobody’s saying yoga and meditation are substitutes for medical prescriptions. But they are undoubtly good aids to health. To practise them, you’d have to check with your doctor first if you have a heart

problem of any kind.

Meditation can be practiced as follows: Sit straight on your practice mat or rug in the lotus if you can assume the posture, otherwise, simply sit in the easy cross-legged fashion of the right thigh resting on the left heel and the left thigh on the right heel.

The hands can be made to rest on the knees or the fingers can be interlaced and the hands placed on the legs.

The whole idea in meditation is to be able to concentrate the attention on say the respiration with as few distractions as possible.

The health benefit is rather inesplicable.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013 — 53

Obasanjo cautions Achebe, Awolowo’s loyalists against civil war comments

BY DAUD OLATUNJI, Abeokuta

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O R M E R President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday in Abeokuta ,cautioned the literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe and the loyalists of late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo against uncomplimentary comments over the 3 -year old civil war in the country.

Obasanjo reacted in Abeokuta during the grand civic reception organised by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West to formerly welcome him home after his resignation as the Chairman, Board of Trustee, BoT, of the party.

A former Biafran warlord, Ben Gbulie who thanked Obasanjo for converting the outright dismissal of some soldiers in the Nigerian Army who participated in the Biafran war to retirement, stating that, Obasanjo, as a war leader at that time won all the battles.

It would also be recalled that, Achebe and Awolowo’s loyalists recently traded words over the roles of the latter and the eventual criticism by Achebe in his recent book.

Reacting to the controversies generated over the issue, Obasanjo urged both sides to sheathe their sword and let sleeping dogs lie.

Obasanjo disclosed that he deliberately invited the former Biafran warlord to share his experience about the civil war,saying, “because you are one of the participants in the first coup, and as you rightly said, you are also on the other side fighting for what you believed in, to save the Igbo from extermination. “ Like I always said, that whole episode is unnecessary but we should also remember one thing, action and reaction in physics, they say, equal and opposite , but, in human interaction, no. Reactions are always greater than action and you know that and I know that. But I believe the time has come when all of us in this country should put the civil war behind us. “ Whether you called it

Biafra, whether you called yourselves rebels or we called you rebels at the time, you called us vandals or we called ourselves whatever, I believe enough is enough on the Nigerian civil war.

I am happy that you came because I want people on the other side to know it was unnecessary. Since January 1970,after 43 years, if we are still mourning and groaning, I wonder.

The second world war ended 1945 and the combatants were the best of friends less than 10 years after. I just believe that we should put that behind us.”

Earlier in his lecture

“Obasanjo in the Eye of History,” delivered by former President of Ghana, John Kuffor, he relived how Obasanjo used $40million to stabilize his country (Ghana) when he released the fund to the West African neighbour to pay its equity fund in the West African pipeline fund.

Kuffor said he was particularly bonded with Obasanjo, whom he fondly referred to as “my friend and brother,” stating that the consultation and approval to part-finance the project for Ghana, was taken in Washington DC.

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, exchanging pleasantries with workers in the state at the Secretariat in Abeokuta yesterday

Niger Delta dev’t: Jonathan has drifted, says ex-militant, Tamuno •warns, Jonathan might lose support of the region

BY EMMA UJAH, Abuja Bureau Chief

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former Niger Delta militant leader, Mr. Tamuno George, also known as “General,” yesterday, took a swipe at the administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and concluded that it has drifted with regards to the infrastructure development of the Niger Delta for which youths in the region took arms against the Nigerian state before the declaration of the Presidential Amnesty in 2009.

He told Saturday Vanguard in Abuja that President Jonathan would soon lose support from the ex-militants and the generality of the Niger Delta people unless urgent steps were taken to address physical infrastructure development in the region.

According to him, “on paper, there is a lot but on ground, there is nothing happening. For instance the East –West has been there for many years without appreciable progress.”.

The ex-militant commander said that those who fought for the emancipation of the region were not asking for the presidency of Nigeria but for key factors that

could practically impact on the people’s living standard.

His words, “if you have followed the Niger Delta Structure, no Niger

Delta agitator asked for us to have the president. What they asked for was meaningful development, infrastructure, resource control,

self-emancipation of the Niger Delta. Those are the key issues.

“Development means good roads, hospitals and schools,. We want to live like people that have contributed to the

growth of this economy.

Those were the key agitations of the Niger Delta people. But as nature would have it today, we have a president that is from the Niger Delta.”

Nigeria’s foreign reserve hits $44. 6b

BY EMMA UJAH, Abuja Bureau Chief

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HE nation’s foreign reserve has hit $44.6 billion, the Coordinating Minister dfor the Economy and Minister of finance, Dr. Ngozi okonjoIweala disclosed yesterday.

Speaking at the 31 ST Meeting of the Convergence Council of Ministers and Governors of Central Banks of the West African Monetary Zone, WAMZ, in Abuja, she added that Nigeria has been building buffers against economic shocks” Her words, “on the back of greater efficiency in the management of our resources, our foreign reserves soared from US$32.6 billion at the end of 2011 to about US$44.6 billion now.

“The Excess Crude Account,ECA, balance has also improved from $4.57 billion in August

2011 to about $9 billion now. Our Sovereign Wealth Fund is up and running and will oversee the $1 billion set aside by the government. But more important, President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is embarking on a strong program of economic diversification – which is

the only real buffer for our economy”.

According to the minister, Nigeria has started a massive investment in agriculture, housing, solid minerals, the creative industry, and other sectors, “in an effort to limit our dependency on oil revenue, and cre-

ate jobs. It is a fact, that our present growth rate is being sustained by the activities of the non-oil sector”.

Dr. Okonjo -Iweala noted that the global economic environment has remained volatile and uncertain since the financial crisis of 2008/09. down, the economies of

N60m cell phone project: Activist calls for sack of Agric Minister, others

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UMAN right activist, Alhaji Joseph Atseyinku, has lent weight to growing criticisms against the plan by the Federal Government to purchase cell phones for ten million rural farmers across Nigeria.

The project which is expected to gulp a total sum of N60m has generated ripples in different parts.

Atseyinku is calling for the immediate sack of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Ayo Adesina, the minister of state for ag-

riculture, Alhaji Bukar Tijani, the Director General, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Jose Manuel Silva and a Permanent Secretary at the ministry, Pastor Steven Enamamu.

The activist accused them yesterday in Sapele, Delta State of, “lack understanding of the true picture of the ailing economy of this nation, how to find lasting solutions to the major challenges fac-

ing rural farmers, and how to improve food production, particularly in this post flood era in most parts of the country.”

Alhaji Atseyinku said rather than planning to procure cell phones for rural farmers, the federal government would have planned for a special low cost package for information dissemination among farmers with a view to reducing the cost of making calls for the farmers.

54— SATURDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 19, 2013

Nations Cup: Samsung wishes Eagles luck *As it launches Fan Zone in Lagos, other countries

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NE of the world’s largest producer of electronics, Samsung Electronics is hoping the Super Eagles who are coming back into the Africa Nations Cup, after they missed out of the last edition in Equatorial Guinea/Gabon, will enliven the continental fiesta which opens in South Africa with great memories of the competition.

The company, speaking through its Director, Consumer Electronics, Mr. Sunil Kumar, said it is happy the Eagles are back into the competition and wish the team good luck in their quest to bring the trophy back to the country.

“We are delighted, just like every football lover across the continent that the Super Eagles will bring back memories of

•Uche

great football moments which AFCON is known for all over the world.

Here in Samsung, we wish the coach Stephen ‘Big Boss’ Keshi and his boys good luck and hope they succeed in their quest to bring the trophy to Nigeria,” Mr. Kumar said.

The Samsung boss was speaking in Lagos during the week at the official launching of the ‘Samsung Fan Zone’ in seven African countries under the theme, ‘Our Passion Powers Africa’, which is aimed at bringing the spirit of the games to fans across the continent.

He added that “at Samsung we are very proud to be a sponsor of the biggest sporting event in Africa once again, just as we have successfully been for the past five years. Samsung has been demonstrating our commitment to engaging with people in Africa through sponsoring sports and getting involved in the community.”

Apart from Nigeria, the Fan Zone will also be in South Africa, Angola, DR Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Zambia where Samsung is expected to leverage its 20 brand stores and eight shopping malls for more fans to experience interactive activities that will allow them to share their passion for African football.

The Samsung Director disclosed that through various platforms such as in-stadium activities, music, and digital engagement platform, the company plans to engage a wider audience and collaborative involvement.

Eagles’ll be tough nut to crack — Amuneke

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ORMER Super Eagles winger, Emmanuel Amuneke has announced that the Super Eagles have a great chance to win the Afric Nations Cup which starts today in South Africa.

Nigeria will play in group C with Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Zambia and their first match will be against Burkina Faso on January 21 at Mbombela Stadium. ”They will play in a strong group but they too will be a very tough nut to crack. Nigeria will have very crucial matches especially against Zambia that in my opinion will struggle to defend their title. I trust them and I think they will do their very best in South Africa” the former Zamalek player

added. Amuneke helped the Super Eagles win the Afcon in Tunisia in 1994,

eventually being voted African Footballer of the Year.

Kanu says Eagles deserve respect bia are afraid of the cur-

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ORMER Super Ea gles skipper Nwankwo Kanu has stated that the team under Stephen Keshi deserve much more respect from Nigerians.

Nigerians have raised some fears over the team after some less than convincing displays in the build-up to the 2013 Nations Cup as they laboured to draw with both Cape Verde and a Catalonia selected side.

However, ex-Arsenal star Kanu said Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Zam-

rent Eagles and maintained if Nigerians believe in the team, they would gain in confidence and achieve great things.

“Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Zambia are no threat to Nigeria at the AFCON and so there is no reason for Nigerians and Eagles to be afraid of these teams,” said Kanu, who has featured in a record six Nations Cups.

“I am telling you it is other way round, they are afraid of playing this present Eagles.’’

Don’t pick over-aged athletes for AYC, Ijirigho tells AFN

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T H L E T I C S They should be able to instance, we have the Federation of select their athletes from first three finishers we Nigeria,AFN has been there and put them into will take the one that is under-17,” said Dr. Ken urged to present only camp for the AYC.” It was gathered that the Anugueje, a member of elegible athletes at the forthcoming African AFN might be using the the AFN and also a Athletics Youth Pastor D.K Olukoya member of the Warri 2013 Championships billed for U n d e r - 1 8 Championships Local March 28-31 in Warri, Championships to select Organising Committee its athletes, but the age (LOC), which was Delta State. on Former national 400m category of the AYC is inaugurated champion, Dr. Bruce Under-17. It is regarded Wednesday in Asaba.

He added that it was Ijirigho handed down the as an eleme-ntary event advice as the AFN that targets school rather difficult getting the real ages of the junior prepares to select children.

“We intend to use the athletes as some States, Nigeria’s team during a trial in February. Ijirigho D.K. Olukoya Champio- in a bid to win at all cost, who is spear-heading a nships as our trial. But normally present athletes grassroots athletics right now we don’t have who have finished their development programme a date for that yet. But the secondary school educin Cross River State thing is that when, for ation. argued that the practice of fielding overaged athletes was a contributory factor to the down-turn of Nigerian athletics.

“The AFN shouldn’t go and parade 27year-olds in our team. I told the AFN technical director, to be in Port Harcourt for the National School Sports Festival, where you will have genuine junior a t h l e t e s •Bukuola Abongunloko, former junior athlete competing.

Aldama vows to fight on Y

AMILE Aldama has vowed to get 2013 off to a winning start in Glasgow just like she did in 2012 as she bids to add European Triple jump indoor title to her world crown.

The 40-year-old triple jumper will return to Scotland for the British Athletics Glasgow International Match on January 26 having jumped 14.03m to win this time last year.

Aldama will form part of Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad set to go head-to-head with Germany, Russia, USA and a Commonwealth Select team in Glasgow.

Following on from her

performance in Scotland last year, Aldama won the UK title before claiming the world equivalent in Istanbul with what would be a season’s best 14.82m.

Aldama went on to finish fifth at the London 2012 Olympics and she insists her return to Glasgow can’t come soon enough as she targets March’s European Indoor Championships.

“I really enjoy competing indoors and winning at Glasgow last year was a fantastic experience that set me up for my performance at the world indoors,” said the Cuban-born

Aldama, who has also represented Sudan.

She won the African championships title in 2004 and 2006. in 2007 she beat Nigeria’s Chinoye Ohadugha and Blessing Okagabre to the gold at the All Africa Games.

“Hopefully I can perform well again this year and give myself good preparation for the European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg.

“It’s always great to jump on home soil and I’m sure the Glasgow crowd will create another brilliant atmosphere and give plenty of support to the British athletes.”

SATURDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 19, 2013 — 55

Ghana, Iv or Ivor oryy Coas Coastt afraid of Nigeria — Kanu

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ORMER African footballer of the year and former Captain of the Super Eagles Nwankwo Kanu has declared that Nigeria is in pole position to win this year ’s Africa Cup of Na-

tions in South Africa adding that the duo of Ghana and Ivory coast are afraid of the Eagles.

Kanu who was on unsuccessful with the Eagles in winning

Take nothing for granted — Owumi tells Eagles

BY EDDIEAKALONU

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X- ENUGU Rangers hitman and manager, Davidson Owumi has enjoined Super Eagles never to under rate any opponents, in the African Cup of Nation in South Africa.

Speaking with our correspondent, the former chairman of Nigeria Premier League enjoined the players to prove themselves as true ambassadors of the country, saying the nature of the competition leaves room for the team to make real impact “ it’s an opportunity for the team to prove themselves worthy having been selected as the best because the cup is open to the the fittest and strongest team to win and to me, Nigeria is one capable of doing this,” he said adding, “but to do this players have to be true patriots, show commitment and dedication in the fact that the cup was there to grab where the approach towards their opponents is positive and businesslike.”

“First it’s going to be more challenging against opponents at times, and two, our team is probably going to have to come back from energy sapping games but once the endurance level is high, they will get over challenges, he said.’’If there’s one thing I know, resilience is what they must have to make it,” he stated.

•GETTING READY••• Mikel Obi (left) and Ike Uche sweating it out at a training session.

the coveted African trophy said the current set-up of the Nigerian team under Coach Stephen Keshi have the potential to rule the continent once more after 19 years of missing out on the ultimate prize.

“The truth is that Ghana Cote d’ ivoire and even Zambia are afraid of Nigeria because they know what we can do.

“The team has been doing well under Keshi; I don’t think they have lost any competitive match and that is a record, Ghana and Cote d’ Ivoire have lost so why should we be shaking, they should be the ones shaking.”.

Kanu posited.

The former Arsenal and Ajax forward added that the Eagles will also need luck and the right spirit to win the cup for the third time pointing that the team should have belief and face all their opponents without fear.

Nigeria will be begin their campaign at South Africa 2013 against the Stallions of Burkina Faso on Monday January 21.

•Kanu

Emenike wants to win title to boost career S

TRIKER Emmanuel Emenike is hoping that he will do well with the Super Eagles at the SA 2013 tournament as a good outing will be a boost to his flagging career. Emenike whose stay

with Russian Club Spatak Moscow is facing uncertainty said in an interview with anjansspor.com that winning the Nations Cup will turn things around. Emenike is making his debut appearance at the

tournament much to the chagrin of football fans who viewed his inclusion by Stephen Keshi as a favor to the player. “I would like to win the Africa Cup of Nations that is our aim at the championship.

“I ‘m going to try as much as I can to score but that does not matter; what is most important is that Nigeria emerges champion.

“This championship is extremely important in terms of my career,” said the player.

Renard, Le Roy tip Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana for title

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AMBIA coach Herve Renard has ruled out the Chipolopolo from

winning the 2013 Nations Cup starting today in South Africa. The dashing 44-year-

Cape Verde set for opener against Bafana Bafana

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APE Verde are getting set to face 87,000 spectators in the AFCON 2013 opening game against South Africa tomorrow.

Debutants Cape Verde Islands are reveling in their role of underdogs at the African Nations Cup and the prospect of playing in Saturday’s opening match, said captain Nando.

“It’s a thrill for our players to get a chance to play in such a big stadium and in front of so many people,” the defender said before his side face hosts South Africa at Johannesburg’s Soccer City in front

of a sellout crowd of 87,000.

“We are not favoured because we have a young and inexperienced side, as the smallest ever national team to compete at the African championship, but it’s a challenge for us,” Nando added.The small island archipelago has a population of just over 500,000 and are surprise qualifiers for the finals with a team of journeymen footballers from lower-profile clubs in Europe.

old Frenchamn who defied the odds last year to guide the Chipolopolo to glory in Gabon believes Ivory Coast and Ghana are the favourites.

“We cannot say we are the favourites – everybody would laugh if I said that.

Ivory Coast and Ghana are the favourites,” he told a media conference after a training session in the northeastern city of Nelspruit.

Zambia have no injury worries ahead of the first round clash with Ethiopia on January 21. Another of the five French coaches at the 2013 Cup of Nations – Democratic Republic of Congo handler Claude le Roy – backs Renard in installing Ivory Coast and

Ghana as favourites.

“There are three teams I see as the top favourites for the tournament – Algeria, Ghana and Ivory Coast. I do not think any other team can lift the trophy,” the 64-yearold veteran of six African Cup campaigns told reporters.

Le Roy guided Cameroon to two consecutive finals, losing a penalty shootout against hosts Egypt after the match finished 0-0 after extra-time and defeating Nigeria 1-0 in Casablanca two years later.

“We are not one of the favourites for the competition – far from it. We consider ourselves outsiders who can create some surprises and possibly spoil the dreams of big teams.”

•Emenike

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 19, 2013

TODAY’S MATCHES S/Africa v Cape Verde 5pm

Angola v Morocco 8pm

GETTING SET... Super Eagles players perfecting strategies for the Africa Nations Cup which kicks off today in South Africa. Former team captain, Rufai believes the team will do well while Chief Gabriel Chukwu, Gabros FC proprietor is charging them to give a good account of themselves.

Eagles’ll explode in South Africa – Rufai

BY JACOB AJOM

F

ORMER captain of the national team Peter Rufai has backed the Super Eagles to succeed at the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament in South Africa, saying, “the boys look ready to explode.”

In a chat with Sports Vanguard, Rufai who was part of the 1994 squad that won the trophy last for Nigeria said his confidence in the team stemmed from the fact that he believed in the technical capacity of Coach Stephen Keshi and the team he was building.

“Having played the game both at home and abroad, and featured in numerous Cup of Nations as both player and coach, Keshi is trying to bring back the Eagles of old. From what I have seen of the team so far, these boys are going to prove their worth in South Africa,” Rufai said.

He observed that the combined experience of members of the technical crew has put the Eagles in an

advantageous position over other teams. “They were all great players in their days and proven coaches with track records, their experiences would, no doubt, rub off on the team,” Rufai reasoned.

He said the team should not be judged from the friendly games they have played so far.

“In a friendly, it is hard to put up your one hundred per cent.

Come to think of it, it is so close to the tournament; the fear of

injury and all that. Even at that, we could still see glimpses of collective game play. They were calm and never appeared nervous under any situation.

They are cool. I am sure they will explode in South Africa,” he affirmed.

Rufai, who now runs a football academy in Lagos, said the Stephen Keshi side “is young with some very talented players.

All they need is our support and prayers.”

…. They can surmount challenges, says Chukwuma

By EDDIE AKALONU

A

S the African Cup of Nations gets underway this weekend in South Africa, former vice chairman of the Nigeria Football Association, NFA, Chief Gabriel Chukwuma has challenged the Eagles to go into the competition and give a good account of themselves. Chief Chukwuma said that Nigerians do not only expect a lot from them but are also eager to have good result that has been missing for so long in football.

“I like them to bear in mind that opposition will be tough, standards will be high but I do also know they can face up to tough challenges and provide a new road map for success of football because Nigerians expect a lot from them and that include giving their all to win now that the chance is there to grab,” he said.

More stories on pages 10 & 11

CROSS WORD PUZZLE

Across 1 Super Eagles defender Azubuike (7) 5 LGA in Borno State (5) 8 Beverage (3) 9 Egyptian capital city (5) 10 Former Minister of Finance, Dr. Shamsudeen (5) 11 Former Minister of Justice, Mohammed (5) 12 President, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr. Peter (5) 15 Former Ocean Boys Coach, Karika (5) 17 Peruvuab currency (3) 19 LGA in Delta State (6) 20 Kwara State Capital (6) 22 Female Rabbit (3) 24 Feline Mammal (5) 27 LGA in Rivers State (5) 30 Japanese Premiership Clubside (5) 31 Ethnic Group in Nigeria (5) 32 Former Anambra State Governor, Dr. Chris (5) 33 Insect (3) 34 Liverpool Goalkeeper, Jose (5) 35 World’s Highest Mountain (7)

Down 1 LGA in Rivers State (5) 2 Colour (5) 3 Cote d’Ivoire “Elephants” defender Emmanuel (5) 4 LGA in Edo State (6) 5 Major Ethnic Group in Nigeria (5) 6 LGA in Nasarawa State (5) 7 Former United States President, Abraham (7) 13 Japanese Currency Unit (3) 14 Italian Premiership Club-side (5) 16 Sierra Leone Currency (5) 18 False Statement (3) 19 Tenth month of the year (7) 21 Particle (3) 23 Colour (6) 25 LGA in Jigawa State (5) 26 Brazilian dance (5) 27 LGA in Plateau State (5) 28 Former Super Falcons skipper, Mercy (5) 29 Vigilant (5)

SOLUTION on page 15

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