Jonathan moves to stop slide by Vanguard Media Limited

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2—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

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4—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Recurrent strike action by various health unions is over —Minister By Victoria Ojeme

Following the suspension of the industrial strike by the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), the Federal Government has said it is working to ensure that all health personnel work in harmony for the betterment of the sector and good of the Nigerian public. The minister of health, Dr Khaliru Alhassan, who made this known yesterday after a meeting with all heads of the different stakeholders said that all parties have agreed to work together and end any acrimony that exists among them. According to him, the era of recurrent strike action by various unions or groups to push for their demands while trying to undermine another group is finally over as agreed by all stakeholders.

“We have had several meetings with all the stakeholders in the industry and we have agreed to work as a team to improve the health sector. We held meetings with Chief Medical Directors of hospitals, who have had challenges dealing with the

personnel under them and we asked them to be liberal in their decisions and treat all personnel without favoritism”. “We have also spoken at length with the various unions and associations in the health sector to work as a team”.

NANS urges NYSC to reduce online registration fee to N3000 By Caleb Ayansina The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has called on the Leadership of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, to reduce the N4000 online registration fee to N3000. The students’ national body said, on no account should anybody or group either the NYSC Directorate, any school management or the

operators of the online system exploit the intending NYSC members under this system. Addressing newsmen after a meeting with the management of the scheme, in Abuja, the NANS President, Comrade Tijani Usman said they would monitor it to ensure that the on-line policy remains functional, effective and exploitation free.

Ndoma-Egba condoles Dame Jonathan, Bayelsa State By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja

ENATE Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, has condoled the wife of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan and the Bayelsa State on the death of 11 women from Bayelsa State

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who recently lost their lives in a motor accident. The women reportedly Went to Dame Jonathan paternal home, Okrika in Rivers State and met their untimely death on their way back to Bayelsa.. The Senate Leader in a

statement by his Media aide, Ignatius Uzuegbunam, described the incident as “unfortunate, especially at this time the nation was gearing towards general elections. It was such a sad loss.”

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2015: Jonathan moves to stop slide •Ignores some party chieftains •Attack on Danjuma bad for him •To visit Danjuma, other Northern leaders By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North & Bashir Adefaka

LARMED by seeming soaring popularity of his main opponent in the March 28 presidential election, President Goodluck Jonathan may have decided to personally coordinate his campaigns for the strategic election, which has already drawn global attention. Saturday Vanguard learned last night that Jonathan was uncomfortable with field reports that he would have been defeated by MajorGeneral Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) of the All Progressives Congress, if the election had been held on February 14 as earlier planned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). To stem the tide of the perceived “Buhari momentum” and tilt the pendulum in his favour, Jonathan, it was gathered, has opted to drive some aspects of his campaign by himself by meeting relevant political groups and individuals considered very important for his victory. Personal touch A source close to the new thinking in the Presidency, said that Jonathan had come to the realization that it would be better for him to be personally involved in the new phase of campaign instead of relying on emissaries, some of who have not been able to “deliver” despite being appropriately empowered to do so. Ignores some party chieftains Indeed, President Jonathan’s visit to Lagos beginning from Wednesday did not include elders of the party in the state. President Jonathan, as part of his visit itinerary, met with market women yesterday without any indication as of press time that he would hold meeting with PDP leaders and

elders in the state with the state leader of the party, Chief Bode George said to be away in England. A chieftain of the party, who believes that the President has not carried the state party structure along in his quest to woo and win the state, Mr. Lukman Abioro, wondered why people like Chief Bode George, General Tajudeen Olanrewaju and others were not part of the visit. Another leader, who spoke under anonymity said, “Mr. President has done well enough for Nigeria but I think he can be more comfortable as second term President if he wins in Lagos. But he has been in the same Lagos for the past three days and we are not carried along.”

and individuals who can help him out,” a close source to the Presidency said. It was learned that unlike before when aides of the president spearheaded meetings and discussions with those considered germane to his re-election, Jonathan will personally meet with key traditional rulers, top businessmen, community leaders and even former party leaders, who had defected to the opposition and could be swayed to work for him anywhere he visits from now. Already, Jonathan’s personal touch approach is said to have started yielding dividends with a host of some Yoruba leaders drumming support for him.

Poor performing aides The President was said to have been rattled by the discovery that many of the party leaders, who had assured him that they were fully in charge of their states and would deliver them to him, were far from delivering on their promise barely a few weeks to the crucial election. Apart from the field reports, which were being sent regularly to him from each state, the president was said to have come face to face with the reality of the state of support for him when he visited the respective states to campaign. A top source said that what the president saw in many of the PDP states, which gave him massive support in 2011, was far from encouraging and he decided to take an urgent step to salvage the situation instead of waiting for any of the governors or so-called political leaders from the zones. “That is why the President is in Lagos to be able to woo as many SouthWest leaders and supporters as possible. I can tell you that although he went to Lagos officially to commission the four new war ships acquired for the Nigerian Navy, the underlying reason is to spend more time in the South-West and meet with relevant political entities

Unhappy with attacks on Danjuma The source said that the president was also worried about the recent verbal attacks on General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd) by Nigeria Delta militants, fearing that the man, who

From left: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Elder Godknows Orubebe; Minister of State for Power, Minister of Power, Prof Chunedu Nebo; President Goodluck Jonathan; representative of the Vice-President/Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Delta State and Managing Director, Niger Delta Power Holdings Company, Mr James Olotu during the commissioning of the 750mw Olorunsogo II power station in Papalanto, Ogun State, yesterday. personally rallied northern Christians and leaders for him in 2011, could be provoked by the insults to work against his reelection. To visit Danjuma, Northern leaders For that reason, Jonathan is said to have made up his mind to visit Danjuma and other northern leaders to personally plead with them to see reasons to still stand by him as they did in the last presidential election, which he won with ease. A prominent northern

leader told Saturday Vanguard yesterday that the assault on Danjuma by the former Niger-Delta militants did not go down well with most northerners, who have now decided to work against Jonathan, to retaliate the unwarranted attack on one of their leading lights. Feuding media team These developments came in the wake of alleged squabble among the President’s Campaign Media team. The media team was said to have

performed poorly prompting recent appointments. Still the team has incurred the wrath of some presidential aides for allegedly paying more attention to attacking personalities in the opposition rather than zeroing in on issues that could rake more support for the president. It was not clear as at last night if some changes were in the offing to sharpen the campaign team and elicit more support for the president as the date for the election draws nearer.

Boko Haram attacks Adamawa villages, kills 40 By Umar Yusuf

OLA-MEMBERS of the Boko Haram insurgents attacked three villages in Hong Local Council of Adamawa State, in the early hours of Thursday and yesterday, killing at least 40 people. Locals said that the insurgents had earlier killed 30 people in Gaya – fa community, and later proceeded to another village, Zang all said to be located near the Sambisa Forest. ‘’They ransacked our villages for almost two days. They first attacked Gaya-fa and in a killing spree over 30 people were shot. We were able to repel them on Thursday but they later mobilized and launched attack at Zang. As I am talking to you they are there and over 10 people have been killed. We are set to repel them now,” said chief hunter of the area,

Baba Jibrin, in a telephone interview, yesterday evening. The insurgents were also said to have burnt several buildings in the communities, looting food stuffs and house utensils including mattresses. Another fleeing resident simply identified as Mr. James, said: “Boko Haram fighters attacked our town Gaya. They killed over 30 people and burnt down

several buildings in the community. You know that that community is in the border area just by the Sambisa Forest. “I believe that, those who attacked the community were dislodged from the Sambisa Forest by the ongoing raid being carried out by the Air Force and the ground soldiers. The military is now in control of a large part of the Sambisa Forest and the

insurgents are moving in bands and launching attacks on the communities that are far from where the soldiers checkpoints are.” This attack came shortly after the military liberated 11 communities from the insurgents. The military killed over 300 of the insurgents with several calibre of arms and ammunition ‘recovered from them on Tuesday.

March Polls: Akinnola sues INEC, IGP others

ICHARD Akinnola, journalist, social critic and human rights activist, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja against INEC, Inspector General of Police, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Chief of Naval Staff and the National Security Adviser seeking an order of mandamus compelling INEC to conduct the 2015 general

elections as scheduled on March 28 and April 11 respectively. Akinnola is also seeking an order of mandamus to compel the IGP to provide men and materials for the security and protection of INEC staff and materials during the election. “I am also seeking an order of injunction restraining the service chiefs and the NSA from

IBADAN COMES ALIVE AT ETISALAT-SPONSORED NIGERIAN

further interfering with INEC’s conduct of the 2015 elections “whether by advice, suggestions, oppositions or howsoever described”, Akinnola said. We gathered that the suit, no FHC/ABJ/CS/142/ 15 was filed on behalf of the applicant by Festus Keyamo. No date has been fixed for the suit.

6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Victory for PDP ‘ll free Lagos residents from oppression —Jonathan P RESIDENT G o o d l u c k Jonathan said yesterday in Lagos that victory for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the upcoming general elections would free Lagos residents from oppression. He stated this when the leaders of market women groups, “Iyalojas”, in Lagos and environs, paid him a solidarity visit at the State House, Marina, Lagos. Jonathan, was reacting to the complaint of highhandedness and witchhunting made by the market women against the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Lagos state government. He told the market women, and indeed, all traders in the country that the PDP administration would provide the enabling environment for them to ply their trades. “Our victory at the polls will free all Lagos traders from oppression. You need to be free; we will remove Lagos from bondage,” he assured. He commended the women for supporting his re-election bid and urged them not to be intimidated by their opponents. “I have listened to you; you have been carrying the PDP flag; you have been humiliated but you still marched on. “Thank you for working

hard for PDP; this is the final struggle and time for us to use all our strength to achieve victory,” he said, adding that the country belonged to every Nigerian.

“If we struggle and win Lagos state, everybody will do his business without being harassed or intimidated,” the president added. Earlier, the leader of the

market women, Hajia Aminat Hussein, had told the president that they had stood behind PDP since its inception but regretted that the members suffered harassment under the APC government in Lagos state.

Nyanya bombing: We don’t want bail, Ogwuche, five other suspects tell court •As court orders accelerated trial BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

HE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, ordered an accelerated trial of the

alleged mastermind of the April 14 bomb blast that killed over 75 persons at a crowded motor park in Nyanya Abuja, Aminu Ogwuche. Justice Ahmed

Lagos begins demolition of burnt Balogun market

HE Lagos State Government on Friday began the demolition of the three buildings gutted by fire on Jan. 12 at the popular Balogun Market in Central Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the demolition was being carried out by a firm, Blackrock Construction Company. Fire gutted the buildings housing about 100 shops and destroyed goods worth millions of naira. Officials of the company who spoke to NAN on condition of anonymity said that it was the

government that gave directive for the buildings to be demolished. The head of the demolition team who did not state how many days the demolition would take, said that the work would take some time to finish. Mrs Uju Agunna, a trader who sold clothes in one of the shops gutted, told NAN that she would rent the same place anytime the shops were rebuilt. “I will like to go back to my shop. I have been in this Balogun for over 15 years so it is difficult for me to go and rent somewhere else.’’

Mohammed made the order on a day Ogwuche and five other suspects that were allegedly involved in the terrorist act, told the court that they would not apply to be released on bail. The other accused persons who were docked before the high court alongside Ogwuche yesterday were Ahmad Rufai Abubakar (a.k.a Abu Ibrahim/Maiturare), Mohammed Sani Ishaq, Ya’u Saidu (a.k.a Kofar Rama), Anas Isah, Adamu Yusuf and Nasiru Abubakar. They however could not enter their plea to the seven-count terrorism charge that was preferred against them by the Federal Government owing to the absence of an Hausa interpreter in court yesterday. Trial Justice Mohammed informed counsel to the accused persons that he had permitted the court interpreter who was assigned to the case to travel to his village to take care of his sick wife.

Violence: APC drags Fayose to NHRC

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

HE All Progressives Congress, APC, has dragged Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State to the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, accusing him of sponsoring violence against its members and supporters in the state. In a petition submitted to the Commission by the Secretary of APC in Ekiti State, Mr. Omotosho Ayodele, the party alleged that Governor Fayose armed thugs and gave them authority to physically attack and intimidate opposition personalities in the State. The petition which was received by the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Prof Bem Angwe, read in part: “We are here over the present political situation in Ekiti State. When all Nigerians are busy praying for peace, what we have in Ekiti State is a clear departure from that. “As this Commission is clamouring for a violence free polls, we are aware of the determination of the Commission to bring the perpetrators of violence in the polls to book, unfortunately the person who is supposed to be the Chief Security Officer in Ekiti State is the person unleashing this violence in the State. “Fayose’s boys are always on the streets macheting people, scaring people. Vehicles are being damaged, houses damaged. Inspite of various petitions to the police, nothing has been done.”

Synagogue building collapse:

Court to rule on March 3

USTICE Lateefa Okunnu of a Lagos High Court in Ikeja yesterday adjourned to March 3, 2015 for ruling on the prohibition suit initiated by the Registered Trustees of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), alongside its founder, Prophet Temitope Joshua. SCOAN, in the suit filed by its counsel, Chief Lateef Fagbemi SAN, is challenging the competence of the Coroner Court, presided over by Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe to investigate into the cause of the collapsed guest house belonging to the church, which resulted into the death of 116 people mostly South Africans. During Friday’s proceeding, Justice Okunnu arrived at the decision, shortly after Fagbemi replied on point of law to the argument raised by lawyer to the Lagos State government before the court, Afeez Owokoniran. SCOAN, alongside its founder filed the suit pursuant to Order 40 Rule 5 of the High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure Rules) 2012 and signed by one O.M Abimbola.

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015 — 7

FOREIGN B R I E F S

Osun video: APC gives police, DSS two weeks to prosecute Fani-Kayode By Gbenga Olarinoye, Osogbo.

LL Progressive Con gress, APC, in Osun state chapter yesterday gave a two-week ultimatum to the leadership of Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Service, DSS, to arrest former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode over the purported video showing how the party allegedly rigged last year’s governorship polls in Osun State. Reacting to the claims by Fani-Kayode, when he appeared on a Lagos-based television station on Thursday, APC said should security agents fail to prosecute the director of Media of Jonathan Campaign Organisation, it would compel Governor Aregbesola to set up an independent panel to look into the matter. The party also threatened to institute a legal action against Fani-Kayode, if he failed to apologize for allegedly telling lies against it, stressing that the video was fabricated and meant to malign APC. Addressing a press conference in Osogbo, Osun State APC chairman, Prince Gboyega Famodun, said the PDP intended to use the video to deceive Nigerians, adding that the ruling party in the state would not allow any individual or party to drag its image in the mud. “APC is demanding for an independent Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the entire process leading to the Osun Election. We demand an exposition of all that happened two weeks to the election,the night before the election and on the day of the election up to the

announcement of election result the following morning”. “When the panel of inquiry is convoked,it must be given the power to extract evidence from anybody through invitation and that nobody must refuse to appear before it. “Failure by the President,

National Assembly and security agents to act on this within two weeks, we will call on the governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola to take up the task of setting up a panel of inquiry without delay,” Famoodun said. Dismissing the accusations that it rigged the Osun polls, Famoodun

ORMER Minister of State for Trade and Investment and All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in Benue state, Dr. Samuel Ortom, narrowly escaped death, Friday morning, when unknown gunmen attacked him and his entourage at Adikpo, in Kwande local government area of Benue state. Saturday Vanguard gathered from a reliable source that the former Minister was attacked by the armed men at the funeral ceremony of university don, late Dr. Samson Sambe. According to the source, “Dr. Ortom was delivering funeral oration at the burial ceremo-

By Adekunle Aliyu with Agency report

OLICE in Delhi arrested four men yesterday in connection with the alleged gangrape of a Nigerian woman in a moving car, the latest in a series of sex attacks in the Indian capital. The 35-year-old, who has been staying in India on a tourist visa, told police the men kidnapped her after midnight on Friday morning outside a popular shopping mall in New Delhi’s Saket area before bundling her into a car. They then drove for around half an hour, during which time the alleged gangrape took place, before pushing her out of the vehicle. The woman, who cannot be named, was finally rescued after a passerby spotted her on the side of the road in Mayur Vihar, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) away in east Delhi. “We have received a complaint from the woman and investigations are ongoing,” Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told AFP.

Boko Haram: African allies set for final onslaught

President Goodluck Jonathan (2nd l) clicking the computer to start the plant at the control room of the NIPP 750mw Olorunsogo II Power Station inaugurated in Papalanto, Ogun State yesterday. Pix: State House

S/West PDP committed to Jonathan’s victory — Kashamu By Dapo Akinrefon

HAIRMAN of Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the SouthWest, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has restated the party’s resolve to work for the success of President Goodluck

Jonathan and other PDP candidates in the zone at the general elections. Prince Kashamu said this, yesterday in Lagos while speaking on the efforts of the PDP to boost its campaign machinery in the South-West. “PDP has commenced house-to-house campaign across the country and especially in the South-

APC guber candidate escapes death By Peter Duru, Makurdi

said if the tape was genuine, PDP would have taken it to the tribunal to prosecute its case. He added that APC through its lawyer on November 17, 2014, wrote to inform the police and DSS about the video that was at the time being circulated online.

Nigerian woman gangraped in India

ny when sporadic gunshots erupted from several directions at the venue which led to sympathizers scampering for safety. “In the mist of the con-

fusion, Dr. Ortom was shielded, his supporters made a circle around him, but in spite of the gun shots which intensified, his protectors refused to run away.

West. In the continuous discharge of its mobilisation and organisation activities, we are assuring that there will be a united front in the South-West in general,” he said. Kashamu said the party would ensure that all internal crises rocking the party in the region are resolved. “We are encouraged to take this step because of our strong desire to forge a common front for the PDP not just in Ondo State, but the entire South-West geo-political zone and convincingly win the 2015 general elections for the PDP and our amiable President Jonathan.”

NIPPS gulp $8.26bn, says Jonathan By Sebastine Obasi

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that the three tiers of government have collectively spent $8.26 billion on the 10 National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs) in the country, in the quest to bring electricity to every part of the country. This is as he promised that in the next two years, electricity will be taken for granted as in

other countries of the world. Jonathan who stated this at the commissioning of the 750 megawatts, four-gas unit of Olorunsogo 11, power station, in Ogun State, also said that electricity remains the pivot on which every economy revolves. “Electricity remains the pivot of our economic and social development. Without a stable power supply, small and medium scale enterprises will not survive.

“In the next two years, electricity will be taken for granted in Nigeria, as in other countries,” he said. The president who explained that the privatisation of power sector is a success story going by the various expansions in the generating and distribution companies since November, 2013, said that proceeds realised from privatisation will be reinvested in transmission, to strengthen the sector.

’DJAMENA — Niger, Chad and Cameroon are seeking to pin down Boko Haram within Nigeria’s borders ahead of a ground-and-air offensive by a regional task-force due to start from the end of next month, a senior Niger military official told Reuters. The Islamist group, which has killed thousands of people in a six-year insurgency in Nigeria, has fought fierce battles with the three countries’ armies in southern Niger and northern Cameroon, near Nigeria’s borders, in recent weeks. Chadian forces have made incursions into Nigeria to push back the jihadist fighters, hundreds of whom have been killed. Military chiefs will meet in the Chadian capital N’Djamena next week to finalize strategy for the 8,700-strong task-force of troops from Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin and Niger, said Colonel Mahamane Laminou Sani, director of documentation and military intelligence of Niger’s armed forces. “All we are doing right now is stopping Boko Haram from entering Niger: if they attack our positions we

Lagos INEC yet to take delivery of 400, 000 PVCs — REC

HE Independent Na tional Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State on Friday said about 400, 000 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) were still being expected from its headquarters for distribution to their owners. The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Akin Orebiyii, said this while addressing newsmen in Lagos. Orebiyii pleaded with eligible voters whose cards were among those still expected to be patient with the commission, assuring that the outstanding cards would soon be delivered. “As at the first week of January, the percentage of distribution of PVCs was hovering around 38 per cent, but as at the end of last week, it was 62.7 per cent.’

15 killed, 6 arrested in Niger

IFTEEN bandits were reportedly gunned down by security forces in Niger state on Thursday during a gun duel while many others escaped It is not yet ascertained whether the bandits belong to the Boko Haram Sect. The bandits, with sophisticated weapons, had been operating and terrorizing various communities of Azza and Kintako in Lapai Local Council of the state in the past few weeks robbing and killing many people.

8 — SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

BRIEFS

N7 billion: CAN denies allegation, wants faceless group probed •Says it’s height of mischief and desperation By Caleb Ayansina

HE Christian Asso ciation of Nigeria (CAN), yesterday, called on the security agencies to investigate the allegation of N7 billion bribe leveled against it by one Musa Dikwa. Dikwa had alleged that the leadership of CAN was given N7 billion by President Goodluck Jonathan to campaign for his re-election. The National Christian body in a statement, however, denied the allegation, describing it as height of mischief and desperation. The statement signed by the General Secretary of CAN, Rev Musa Asake, in Abuja, said the accusation was as a result of its refusal to endorse All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). Asake explained that CAN was not a political association and its members cut across different political parties, therefore, it would not have anointed any candidate for the forthcoming elections. The statement read: “Ordinarily, we would have ignored this baseless and worthless allegation but for the vulnerable public which believes in anything, no matter how incredible the source could be especially in this era of politics. “For the avoidance of doubt, CAN has no knowledge of any N7 billion transaction as alleged by Musa Dikwa who claims to be the Executive Director of a non-existent group, Voice of Northern

Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (2ndleft) exchanging pleasantries with the Rivers/Bayelsa States Regional Pastor, Pastor Belemina Obunge (left), during a condolence visit to the Governor in his Office in Yenagoa over the auto crash that claimed the lives of Bayelsa female politicians at Elele/Ahoaoda section of the EastWest Road, while the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Konbowei Benson (2ndright) and the Leader of the House, Hon. Peter Akpe (right) look on. Photo by Lucky Francis

Christian Movement. CAN is not a political party, let alone getting involved in partisan politics. Christians who are members of CAN belong to different political parties.

“It is therefore surprising to hear that CAN is campaigning for one candidate. Revered men of God including Pastors Ayo Oritsejafor, CAN President; Bishop David

Oyedepo of Winners Chapel and Pastor Bosun Emmanuel (SecretaryGeneral of National Christian Elders Forum) are too upright to be linked with any such deal.

Election offenders must go to jail, Police boss warns proliferation in some secBy Tom Moses

SSISTANT Inspec tor-General of PoliceAIG, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin yesterday warned that any politician in Akwa-Ibom State found breaching the public peace during the forthcoming elections would face imprisonment term of 12 months. Alternatively, he said such a person would be made to pay a fine of #500,000.00 or both as prescribed by Sections128 and 129 Sub (4) of the Electoral Act.

The AIG Zone 6 gave the warning during the signing of Peace Accord by the candidates of the various political parties in the state noting also that, “Any person who snatches or destroys any election material, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to 24 months imprisonment”. He therefore advised all the politicians, stakeholders and political actors to play the game according to the rules as he would enforce the Electoral Act to the letter on any offender. Ogunsakin also expressed worry over arms

tions of the Zone and therefore directed the AkwaIbom State Police Command to embark on intensive stop and search of all vehicles in all the nooks and crannies of the state in order to nip in the bud any unwholesome act that could impede the peaceful conduct of the elections. “I have also ordered all my Commissioners of Police to intensify raids on all black spots preparatory to the general elections to ensure that none of the states under me is made a hiding place for criminals”, the AIG further said.

Okrika shooting: Upload evidence against me on Internet, Bipi dares APC By Jimitota Onoyume

E M B E R representing Ogu Bolo State Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Evans Bipi has challenged the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the party to show convincing proof that he led assailants who detonated explosives and fired live bullets to disrupt a rally of the APC in Okrika on Tuesday. Bipi who addressed newsmen yesterday in Port Harcourt, challenged them to upload their evidence to the Internet if they had any, stressing that he was in Bayelsa to commiserate with families of the female members of the Peoples Democratic

Party, PDP, who perished last weekend. The members had been killed in an auto crash on their way from a visit to the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan in Okrika. He said it was unfortunate that leaders

of a political party could make weighty allegations they can’t substantiate, alleging that it showed the disruption was stage managed by the APC to win sympathy from Okrika. “My name is Evans

Bipi. Anybody can be accused until the contrary is proven. Nobody has said he saw me except one person (name witheld). He denied the allegation yesterday on a television station. He said he did not see me. That goes to vindicate me.”

Belema Oil promises special attention to UNEP report on Ogoni By Jimitota Onoyume

ELEMA Oil Pro ducing Company Nigeria Limited has.assured people of Ogoni that it would accord the report of the United Nations Environmental Programme, (UNEP) a special place when it resumes oil exploration activities in the area.

It would be recalled that traditional rulers in Ogoni recently granted approval to the firm to resume oil activities in the area, an act that immediately sparked off condemnation from different stakeholders in Ogoni. Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP and other stakeholders insisted that oil activities would only re-

sume in the area after environmental cleanup had been done in polluted Ogoni communities. Chief Executive Officer/ Managing Director of the firm, Mr Tein Jackrich, who spoke to Ogoni youths in Yeghe community said he would introduce scholarship scheme for Ogoni youths and also empower farmers.in the area with 24 million naira grant.

PDP, APC quarrel is about nation’s treasury — Presidential candidate By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja

RESIDENTIAL candidate of the United Democratic Party, UDP, Barrister Godson Okoye has said that there is no difference between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the main opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, as their interest in controlling government apparatus is because of the nation’s treasury. The UDP presidential candidate in an interview with Saturday Vanguard in Abuja, said that the two parties were held together by their love to get into state finance. He said there was no difference between the two parties. Okoye said, “For those that quarrel or break their heads over PDP or APC, I see no difference between them. The only difference between PDP and APC is like the difference between six and half a dozen.’’

Stop abusing Jonathan, Onuesoke warns critics

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Delta State, Chief Sunny Onuesoke has warned critics to desist from abusing President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that despite the names dropping, the President had performed beyond all reasonable doubt. Onuesoke while addressing a group of Urhobo in Ajegunle in Lagos, said “it is undemocratic, uncivilised and immature for anyone to point fingers and abuse Mr. President.” He pointed out that it was wrong for anyone to make derogatory comments to spite Mr. President to score cheap political points, stressing that such act cannot happen in developed countries like America, France, Britain and Germany among others. “Whether we like it or not Jonathan as the sitting President of Nigeria is the symbol of the country. Abusing and calling Jonathan all sorts of names will not take us anywhere. Rather we are rubbishing ourselves before those in other parts of the world. Rather than washing our dirty linens in the public, I will counsel that we criticise objectively instead of abuse,” Onuesoke cautioned.

PTI Matriculates 620 students By Akpokona Omafuaire

HE Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, Delta State, weekend matriculated 620 students into various disciplines of learning under its Institute of Continuous Education Programmes. The Acting Principal/Chief Executive of the Institute, Mr. Avuakporeta Jacob Orukele urged the matriculating students to be serious and focus on their studies so as to justify the confidence reposed in them. Mr. Orukele advised the students to balance their time to achieve academic excellence, pointing out that, there is no freedom without sacrifice. He enjoined the students to be disciplined, noting that “the management of PTI does not encourage any form of social vices as well as deviant behaviours such as drug abuse and peddling, cultism, examination malpractices and unlawful protest on campus”. He described unlawful protest as an act of indiscipline and noted that,”it is forbidden in the campus.”

Ukori tasks Egbema people on collection of PVCs

LL registered voters in Egbema kingdom, Warri North local government, Delta State, who are yet to collect their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, have been called upon to do so to avoid being disenfranchised. The secretary of Egbema PDP Campaign Group, Mr. Jude Ukori made the appeal in Warri, saying the collection of their PVCs was very important to enable them vote for President Goodluck Jonathan, Senator James Manager and Hon. Daniel Reneiju on March 28. Ukori also assured that the people of Egbema will vote for Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and Kingsley Otuoro on April11, as both would consolidate on the laudable achievements of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, adding that Uduaghan has laid a good foundation for his successor.

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015 — 9

Buhari not in London hospital – Garba Shehu By Clifford Ndujihe

HE Major-General Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign organization, has dismissed as false reports that the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate is being treated at a hospital located at Cavendish Street, Cavendish Square, W2 London West End, London and he is not listed by the Chatham House as speaker any time soon. According to online media, Pointblank news, Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, described Buhari’s ‘’medical trip’’ as a vindication of his earlier stand that Buhari was sick and lacked the required capacity to rule Nigeria. He said; “as against the claim of the APC that Buhari was on a short working visit to the UK, Buhari is being treated at a hospital located at Cavendish Street, Cavendish Square, W2 London West End, London.” Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor described claim by the APC that Buhari will give a talk at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London as “deceit

ENUGU: Ugwuanyi and his running mate, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeillo praying at Okpara Square for Nigeria and Enugu State. Photo: Francis Igata taken too far.” He said: “ This is not to mock Buhari or wish him dead. Rather, it is to expose the falsehood of the APC and desperation of its leaders, especially Senator Bola Tinubu to foist another Yar’Adua saga on Nigeria... While I am happy that the APC people that are packaging Buhari finally hearkened to my plea that they should allow him (Buhari) to seek medicare abroad, I must say that it is unpatriotic for the APC to have lied that Buhari travelled on a

working visit. The party should be honest enough to tell Nigerians that Buhari is actually sick and lack capacity to rule Nigeria and that they are only packaging him, hoping that he will become incapacitated if he becomes president so that they can take over power by proxy.” Reacting to Fayose’s statement, Spokesman of the Buhari campaign organisation, Malam Garba Shehu, told Saturday Vanguard on phone: ‘’That is Fayose with his death wish

for General Buhari,” adding that Buhari is not not in any hospital in London. ‘’There is nothing like that,’’ he stressed. Asked if Buhari would give a talk at the prestigious foreign policy hub, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House London, he said: ‘’We have a Thursday date. We are working on the details. May be it will be ready tomorrow or Monday, otherwise I would have given you the title of the lecture and time.’’

Chime signs 2015 budget into law By Francis Igata

OVERNOR Sullivan Chime of Enugu State has signed the state’s 2015 Appropriation Bill of N96.735 Billion Naira into law. This followed the passage of the Bill by the State House of Assembly last week upon a motion moved by the leader of the House Hon. Sunday

Ude Okoye and seconded by Deputy Leader Hon John Kelvin Ukuta. Performing the function at the Government House of Enugu, Governor Chime promised a speedy implementation of the budget and the continued delivery of good governance and dividends of democracy to the people until his last day in office. A breakdown of the

“Budget of transition” which would be the last to be administered by Governor Chime, shows that the total sum of N54, 939,980 (fifty four billion, nine hundred and thirty nine million, nine hundred and eighty thousand naira) has been set aside for Capital Expenditure representing 56.8 while N41, 795,319 (forty one

billion, seven hundred and ninety five million, three hundred and nineteen thousand naira) is for Recurrent Expenditure. Speaker of the House, Hon Eugene Odo had shortly after the passage, urged the speedy implementation of the budget saying that this would facilitate a smooth transition to another administration by May 29, this year.

Bribery in Nigeria: Italian court upholds fine against coy

N Italian appeals court has upheld a fine and seizure order, totaling 25.1 million euros ($28 million) against oil services company Saipem in a case relating to alleged corruption in Nigeria. The sentence, read out during a public hearing, confirmed a lower court ruling in July 2013 that fined Saipem 600,000 euros and seized 24.5 million euros already provisioned for by a subsidiary of the group. Saipem, which is 43 percent owned by oil major Eni, said in a statement it would appeal the decision, saying there were no grounds under Italian law for holding it liable. C M Y K

The Nigerian case related to Snamprogetti which was accused of paying bribes through a consortium called TSKJ to Nigerian officials to win contracts between 1994 and 2004.

Snamprogetti was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eni until February 2006 when a deal was reached to sell it to Saipem. Snamprogetti was merged into Saipem in 2008. “The decision ... has no

financial impact on Saipem as, at the time of the sale of Snamprogetti to Saipem, Eni undertook to indemnify Saipem for losses incurred in connection with the TSKJ matter,” Saipem said.

NAFDAC destroys N500m fake drugs in Anambra BY VINCENT UJUMADU, Awka

HE National Agen cy for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, yesterday in Awka destroyed fake, substandard and expired drugs

worth about N500 million. Director General of NAFDAC, Dr Paul Orhii, who led security operatives at the destruction exercise, explained that most of the drugs were expired products voluntarily surrendered to

NAFDAC by drug traders at the famous Head Bridge Market in Onitsha. Among products destroyed were antibiotics, anti inflammatory, antidiabetics, anti malarial and drugs for gastric ulcer.

Stanbic IBTC Bank facilitates capacity building initiative for SMEs

S part of efforts to build a strong and viable small and medium scale enterprises sector, Stanbic IBTC Bank has organized a capacity building workshop for its clients operating in the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) subsector. The two-day seminar, which held in Lagos on February 11-12, attracted over 400 participants. The key objective of the workshop, according to the bank, is to equip SME operators with financial, marketing and management skills that they can readily deploy to transform their businesses and grow their bottomlines. “The SME sector is pivotal to the economic growth and development of any nation and Nigeria is no exception, which is why the seminar was conceived to avail SME operators exposure to modern and innovative marketing, financial and management skills that

are useful to their businesses and which will help them to attract the necessary funding for growth,” Executive Director, Personal and Business Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Obinnia Abajue, said. Abajue, who was represented by the Head of Business Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Lloyd Onaghinon, stated that Stanbic IBTC Bank, backed by the rich heritage and know-how of the Standard Bank Group, is committed to building a strong SME base in Nigeria and one of the ways it hopes to achieve this is by empowering operators with the right business skills and adequate funding. “Stanbic IBTC Bank has a rich pedigree of building capacity for SMEs and providing much-needed support in terms of funding and skills acquisition because we understand the important linkages provided by SMEs to industries and employment generation.

BRIEFS

Olaosebikan takes battle against malaria to CNN, African Voices

R Bola Olaosebikan, Nigerian medical doctor re nowned for his efforts in combating malaria, will this weekend take his battle against the disease to CNN International’s African Voices. The writer, founder/ publisher of Health Care, Nigeria’s first health magazine, will be the star guest of this weekend’s edition of the 30-minute magazine programme which is sponsored by national telecoms company, Globacom. Dr Olaosebikan is a versatile health professional and Nigeria’s pioneer health strategist for preventive health care herbal health consultant. The programme discussion will focus on his contributions to checkmating one of Africa’s biggest health challenges, the malaria scourge. The physician will discuss the potentials of natural ingredients in tackling the problem, and how he is using herbs to create products that he hopes can help supplement conventional medicine in combating malaria. The programme will run at 4.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. on Saturday and at 12.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. on Sunday. Further repeats will be broadcast on Monday at 11:30am and on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Dr Olaosebikan will talk about his Healthcare Herbal Products (HCP), and the company’s mission to deliver good health to the people nationwide and globally using scientific and modern methods of manufacturing and marketing to Nigerians, Africans and global clients. He attended the Kwara State College of Technology and the University of Ibadan College of Medicine, where he obtained an MBBS degree.

Mr Osigwe Christopher Agbadu dies @ 46 Mr. Osigwe Christopher Agbadu is dead. He died on 10th November, 2014. Until his death, he worked with Sifax Group and also the Ogele King in Ajegunle. He is survived by wife, sisters and relations. He has since been buried.

Late Osigwe

10—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

B-O-K-O H-A-R-A-M Battle-field account of a military deserter •Echoes from the war front

BY EMMA NNADOZIE

hile the battle to route Boko Haram insurgents within six weeks as promised by the Federal government rages, an army officer, nursing the wounds and deep feelings over the whole incident, spoke exhaustively to Saturday Vanguard about his battle field experiences at Gombe and Yobe axis and why he deserted the profession he loves so much. His narration which runs like a ‘war memoir’ is as interesting although the military has recorded reasonable success with more equipment with which they have attacked terror camps and killed a great number of them. However we present to you an interesting account of an officer who deserted the army from the C M Y K

battle front Excerpts: BACKGROUND ‘’I have served Nigerian Army for about twenty years. I enrolled through the regular course. I have served in almost all formations in the country. I am from the middle Belt part of the country, married with two children, a boy and girl. I have also served in foreign missions in Sierra-leone, Liberia and Dafur and we always came out in flying colours. Sierra-leone and Liberia were for peace enforcement while Dafur was for peace support missions. We fought real battles at Sierraleone and Liberia for about one year. We were there as a member of ECOWAS and we proved our mettle. It was

popularly called ECOMOG. The battles were tense but rewarding in the sense that we were heavily equipped and all we needed for the war were adequately provided for us. During the battles we recorded very minimal casualty though. You know that it is difficult not to record casualties in war situations. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LARGESSE ‘’In spite of the fact that the war was being fought outside Nigeria, the Federal Government of Nigeria under General Abacha provided us with all we needed and when ever we complained of any inadequacy, the Federal government provided them without delay. That was the spirit and we relished and cherished it. It was such that

A lot of sabotage, politics and other extraneous factors are seriously inhibiting the success of the war

we were all looking forward to being drafted back to continue with the war. But it is a totally different thing with the against Boko Haram in the North Eastern part of Nigeria. FEARS OVER ILLPREPARATION This is a war in which almost 95% of our soldiers fear to join. Our fears are not that we were not trained enough to face the challenges but simply because we seem not to be prepared, at all, for the war. A lot of sabotage, politics and other extraneous factors are seriously inhibiting the success of the war. Unfortunately, we are loosing a lot in men and material. It is so much that whenever the toll will be taken, the world will weep for this country.

Continues on page 11

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—11

Continues from page 10 Already, thousands of families are in deep grief, having lost their dear ones in the war. As we speak, I have deserted from the battle field at Bajoga, Yobe State. Let me give you a vivid account of the circumstances that led to my deserting the profession I love so much. MY STORY Until the unfortunate and very painful AWOL, I was serving in Bauchi as a Sergeant. While carrying out our normal duties, I was abreast of the ongoing war my colleagues were waging with Boko Haram and I was inwardly praying for an action whenever I would be drafted to the front. Alas, my battalion was informed of a certain foreign mission. I was ecstatic, knowing that we always triumphed during such missions. Unfortunately, when the real action came, I regretted joining the Nigerian army. FOREIGN MISSION SIGNAL After the signal came for the mission, we started training from Ohafia in Abia State. Later on, we heard that the operation had been changed from peace keeping in Liberia to Zaman-Lafia in the North East. We thought it was a joke and when we finished the training at Ohafia, we were sent to Jaji in kaduna State. It was at Jaji we realised that the rumour of going to the North East was true and we all knew that it meant going to fight the C M Y K

Disagreement with Commander insurgents called Boko Haram. We were very sad because most of us were due for compensation and that was why they selected us to go for foreign mission. About 90% of us were victims of previous attacks at Bama and other areas and we lost both our loved ones and properties. So, military authorities selected us for foreign mission as a way of compensating us but unfortunately, we were diverted to go and fight Boko Haram insurgents. MOVEMENT TO GOMBE We, however, took it in good faith and after we completed our one month training, they moved us to Gombe. That should be around early January this year. On arrival around 2pm the next day, the Brigade Commander came to address us. To our chagrin, he told us that even members of Boko Haram were aware that we were coming, that they had sent a text message to him that we were coming to attack them with the local hunters and heavy equipment and that they were ready for us. DISAGREEMENT WITH COMMANDER The following day, he wanted to move us (about 600) to Mallam-Sidi area of the state but we objected

because our Commanding Officer had not come and those heavy tanks, like the APC’s and other supporting weapons were not equipped for the battle ahead. The following day when the Commanding Officer came, he compelled us to move to the place, saying that it would be more conducive and safe for us to stay there than being left at the open and illequipped barrack in Gombe. We then moved to Mallam-Sidi where we spent almost two weeks before advancing to the war front. While we were there, they told us they were making provision for all those weapons that were not available. And, actually, while there, they brought three armoured tanks, replaced some of the APC’s that were in bad condition and brought new ones. MOVEMENT TO THE BATTLE FIELD On a Sunday, precisely on the 8th of February, around 2am, we advanced towards Bajoga, a town between Yobe and Gombe States. We were there before 6am. Before advancing to the battle field,we were fed with tasteless jollof rice that was as dinner. About 9.30 to 10 am we started advancing to the location where the insurgents were. While we were advancing, the three helicopter gun ships that we were earlier promised would assist in the operation hovered round and landed. Even the Alpha jet came and all of us were jubilant and battle -ready to win at all costs. HOPE DASHED However, five minutes before we met with our target, the helicopter and alpha jet disappeared. Even at the peak of the battle, our commander called them for backup but they did not surface. The battle raged for over four hours, they were surging like locusts towards us with

sophisticated weapons including ant-aircraft guns. In conventional wars, such weapons are not used on human beings. They are used to fell air crafts. But, the insurgents use them brazenly to kill our soldiers. It tears human body into shreds on contact. OUR EQUIPMENT It is pertinent to let you know how we were equipped for the war. Before the battle, they gave us three armoured tanks, three artillery guns, five APC’s, grenade launchers and AK47 rifles with three magazines per soldier. But on the day we started advancing, only one armoured tank , five APC’s, and artillery guns advanced with us. If we had gone into battle with, at least, the three armoured tanks, nothing would have made us lose the war. As the battle raged, it did not take time for their fire power to surpass ours.

If we had gone into battle with, at least, the three armoured tanks, nothing would have BOMBING made us SUICIDE Initially, we had upper but they struck with two lose the hand, golf cars loaded with bombs war. As and dislodged us. It was a suicide mission. The explosion the covered the whole area with thick smoke and the battle insurgents used the raged, it opportunity to advance us. In the process, we did not towards were asked to withdraw because they were coming take We were killing time for ferociously. them but they kept on like bees. Then, it their fire advancing was almost 5pm. power to surpass RACE FOR SURVIVIAL ours Continues on page 12

12â&#x20AC;&#x201D;SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

It is not the war you know

Continues from page 11 That was how the race for survival by our men started. You know the terrain is a very open and large expanse of land with scanty vegetation. It was just like running in a football field with no place to hide. We ran into a small settlement and they pursued us. They were quite familiar with the terrain but we were not. We succeeded in crossing the first stagnant river, before we noticed the presence of our alpha jet which started backing us up. That did not deter the insurgents from pursuing and killing our soldiers one by one. IT IS NOT THE WAR YOU KNOW While we were running for dear lives, some soldiers were falling by the wayside after losing strength to continue with the long race for survival. In fact, because of the fact that we were not equipped with water bottles, our throats were drying up as we continued running. It got to a stage when dehydration set in and if you try to swallow saliva, it will be almost impossible and choking. Our spit was so white, slimy and it splattered on the faces of most of us due to exhaustion. One of the most pathetic cases was that of a colleague who got exhausted and simply collapsed on the ground. He was even pleading with us to continue without him because he could no longer make it. One of our officers, a Lieutenant pleaded that we should lend a helping hand by jointly helping him to continue with us. His plea touched us and we tried our best to help but we were also too exhausted to help offer help. BUT THE WAR THEY FOUGHT Nevertheless, some of us tried to C M Y K

The dead ones are left in the battle fields while most of the wounded die face agonising death. What the authorities do is to close account of soldiers not seen after some time days

help him but we could not continue when we saw the way the insurgents were running towards us. We dropped him and only God knows what happened later. As we were running, bodies of many of our soldiers, both wounded and killed littered the open field. It was heart-rending seeing a close friend lying helplessly and you could not help because your own life was in grave danger and you were not sure of survival. When we were about crossing the second shallow river, the villagers we met told us that we were in between Borno and Adamawa States, that from there to Bajoga was 75klm. Surprisingly, the villagers were very friendly and even gave us water. They were about giving us food but advised that we should quickly continue with our journey in order to avoid the insurgents meeting us. They arranged three vehicles that lifted us for about a kilometre and the driver refused to proceed further claiming that the road was not good. We quickly disembarked and trekked all night till around 5am when we entered a village and met members of the local vigilante who helped us to arrange for two Diana Trucks that carried us to Bajoga junction. From there, we entered another vehicle to Mallam-Sidi and that was where we met some of our soldiers with serious bullet wounds. The wounded among us pleaded with the second in command to take them to the hospital in Gombe but he objected saying that order has been given to move everybody to Ashaka

where we use as harbour. After some deliberations and objections, we had no option than to obey him. When we got to Ashaka, to our chagrin, instead of taking urgent care of the wounded, feeding us and even given us a day rest after our narrow escape, the Commander ordered that we should turn back and advance, back to the battle field. That was the final straw that broke the camelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back. At that stage, many of us decided inwardly to dessert the army and that was exactly what we did. I handed my gun to one of my colleagues to return to armoury after I left through the nearest way in the midnight. I trekked for two hours to the main road before I boarded a bike that unfortunately missed the road and we saw ourselves back at Ashaka. I then disappeared amongst the crowd at one of the checkpoints and went to the motor park where I boarded a vehicle towards Abuja. It took time for me to take that decision because this is a profession I love so much and I have put in about 20 years. Agreed that from day one, we signed to fight and die for our dear country, but of what use will it be when it was obvious to me that things could be done differently and we would have results. For instance, we were supposed to be paid N5000 daily but what our

Commanders paid was N1000. If you sustain injury in the battle field, you spend your money treating yourself. The worst is that we were not adequately equipped for the war. We only got to battle field with our rifles, no kits, no vision goggles etc and this is an oil rich country where politicians are embezzle trillions yet, this battle that calls for the best in both incentives, morale and equipment is being fought this way at the grave expense of our dear lives. Our military is strong and can do better if well funded and equipped. As I speak, many soldiers have deserted the army. Their families are starving in the barracks. The most painful aspect of the whole thing is that after the battle, no efforts were made to ascertain or give account of our dead and wounded soldiers. The dead ones are left in the battle fields while most of the wounded die face agonising death. What the authorities do is to close account of soldiers not seen after some time days. In the past few days, however, it has been reported that the military has received more equipment and their forces have made reasonable inroads into terrorists camps and they have recorded reasonable success although the battle is far from being won.

13—SATURDAY

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

BY ISHOLA BALOGUN & CHARLESADINGUPU

ucked away in the middle of Anthony village in Lagos, is the hallow legal Chambers of renowned activist and radical lawyer, Festus Keyamo. The serenity of the environment betrays the activism in him. The different plagues which adorn the walls of his spacious office are testimonies of his victorious struggles of human rights crusade and series of struggle for the entrenchment of democracy. When Saturday Vanguard visited him at his office for this interview, he spoke passionately on the state of the nation. For over forty-five minutes, the lawyer ventilated his views on the postponement of the general election saying all reasons adduced for the shift were balderdash just as he accused President Jonathan for attempting to destroy his own party, PDP. Excerpt. There was tension before the postponement of the election, even as we speak; there are palpable fears of stalemate, what is your take about the development? Let me begin by asking a rhetoric question. If it was crystal clear that President Jonathan was coasting to victory from all indices available, despite PVCs and security issues, do you think that the elections would have been postponed? The answer to that question tells the whole story. The man that is in control of the entire machinery of election is also a candidate. He controls the police, army, customs including those that first flew the kite of postponement are all his appointees. He ignites all of these machinery to seek postponement of the election. He couldn’t have been doing it to favour his opponent. Again, he was not doing it to provide a level playing field for himself and his opponent because the stakes are too high. The only reason was that he did it to gain an advantage. So, all these talk of PVCs and other things are all balderdash. Why didn’t he reject the so-called victories in 2007 and 2011 elections because in those elections, it was internationally acclaimed by observers that millions of people were disenfranchised. I’m sure you know that the common thing then was that people did not see their names on the register on the day of voting. In any case, the voter’s registers were not also displayed before the elections. Opposition shouted and shouted, yet, they were not displayed until the day of the election, and you saw strange names on the register. So, the PDP did not know that millions of people have always been disenfranchised and they have been beneficiaries of that. The reasons given for the postponement are nothing but a facade, subterfuge, smokescreen for the real game that is going on behind the scene. Therefore,

Keyamo loud on what Jonathan will be remembered for •Says Obasanjo is deeply troubled

•Re-ec hoes So yink a on e-echoes Soyink yinka Buhari’s past against Jonathan’s presence the postponement is fueling speculations on a contest that is about to be manipulated. Now, this leads to a sense of frustration, leads to anger. The outburst of the anger may lead to massive protest that may also lead to un-foretold consequences. So, they should not continue to blackmail people about election violence, that under all circumstances, we condemn. It can’t be under all circumstances, where in broad day light you changed a result you have lost and expect people to be quite. Even without the opposition calling for protest. Violence could be a natural consequence of election manipulation. It happened in Cote de Voire where before the camera, Gbagbo men came to tear the result they were reading to the world and were given another one to read. Under that circumstance, you cannot hold the people down. They should not blackmail the people. Under a circumstance that it is clear that they are losing election and you stop it, you cannot hold the people down. I am not saying anybody is calling for violence, my point is that certain things are natural causes of violence. Everybody should maintain peace.

•Keyamo

The man that is in control of the entire machinery of election is also a candidate. He controls the police, army, customs including those that first flew the kite of postponement are all his appointees

But security issues, not only PVCs were advanced for the postponement... All the reasons were balderdash. They started with the PVCs, saying only 65 per cent have been collected. Before the postponement, many states had already declared public holiday to enable people collect their PVCs. At that point also, INEC had said all the PVCs had arrived the country and said the collection would continue up to the eve of election. So, were they gods to know people were not going to collect their PVCs? So, that argument was outrightly defeated by Jega’s plan. They should have allowed Jega to stool in his own juice at least up to two days to the election and everybody would see that Jega did not make it available. But

when they saw that Jega was determined to push on, they came up with the security reason. In previous election, people’s names could not be found in the register and so disenfranchised. So, it was not an aberration that was about to happen. I am not saying it is right, but it was nothing so outrageous to call for a postponement. Secondly, we have always said, that 14 local governments cannot stop 760 local governments ready for election. For me, it was a nonissue. The numbers of registered voters in those 14 local governments are known already. All that was needed to be done was to get the winner of the Presidential elections from the rest 760 local government councils and add the entire

number of registered voters in that area to the losers’ figures assuming that they voted and if the figure is not up to that of the winner, you can declare a winner but if they are more than that of the winner, or that there is an upset, then there is a stalemate. You can now postpone to have supplementary elections in those 14 local government areas. Then you can now deplore the entire machinery of the state to those areas. You could also create a special center for the voters in those areas. Jonathan was only looking for all excuses to favour himself in this election. Apart from the issue of PVCs, Do you really think INEC was

Continues on page 14

14—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

‘They may force circumstance on Jega to resign’

•Keyamo Continues from page 13 fully ready for the election? If INEC say they were ready, who am I to say no. When I see people on television making some baseless comments, I cry for my country. You see fraud in their faces. These are people who are not fit to go close to the microphone. Those who say they believe in Jonathan don’t believe in his person, they believe in his pocket. Those who believe in Buhari believe in his person and I am sure you are seeing the fervor around the country. If you look at Fani-Kayode, you will see insincerity on his face. Just about six months ago, he said the direct opposite of what he is saying now, and nothing has changed between six months and now. Some months ago, on the issue of corruption and Boko Haram, Fani-Kayode was pounding Jonathan and PDP, telling the world that the Buhari and the opposition are the most credible. The volte face of Fani-Kayode is not 20 per cent, or 90 degree, it is 360 degree volte face. He didn’t even turn the steering little by little, he turned it at once calling white what he had called black, and you made that person your Director of Media. Was government not tinkering with the process to ensure peace? The New York Times did an editorial on that. It was wholesome. Again, if you read my interview in Washington Post, all these issues were raised. First of all, tinkering with the election process was to halt

the momentum of Buhari, it was frightening the way election was coming. Despite the avalanche of adverts by the PDP in the media, the people just remained resolute on change. Even the polls conducted by Jonathan’s aides, he lost; on-line polls, he lost. Even the one conducted in Jonathan’s catchment areas, he lost as well. Remember, Jonathan has people who have more access and exposed to the internet. You can imagine if they had allowed the election to go on. I asked a question earlier, if he was going to win the election, would he have postponed it? So, they wanted to halt the momentum and see whether they can have some breathing space to change the situation. And now, after the postponement, they kept pounding Buhari with those offensive adverts. Again, their calculation was that the opposition will run out of funds for campaign and because they have their hands on many resources, they can go any length to continue the campaign against Buhari. I tell you, what the PDP had spent on advert alone can build a whole city that can house 5000 residents. You are in the media and you know what I’m talking about. They have virtually closed down the media with their adverts. Yet, the opposition has the heart of the people. This election is not going to be fought and won by money. It’s all about repairing the obvious damage you have done to the heart of the people. They see blood and human body parts on the road every day, across the country, because of their ineptitude and incompetence.

Again, I look at the adverts, associating Buhari with the 2011 violence, calling him a blood sucker, showing all the damage of the post 2011 election and saying that Buhari called for the violence, showing bodies on the street to arouse our sensibilities and instill fear in us. I ask a very simple question, you are President and Commander-inchief, completely in charge of security in the country, and I wonder that he has all these evidence since that time, why has no single agency invited Buhari to make a statement? Why did you not make complain to the International Criminal Court, ICC for post election violence, like it happened in Kenya and other parts of Africa? No single complaint was made by the government? No police officer invited Buhari to make a statement in respect of that. What is the implication of that? You either have a commander in chief who is economical with the truth or who has no time to check those who caused the post election violence. You had the information that somebody destroyed life and property and you are now crying to Nigerians, saying, ‘see what they have done’ and you are Commanderin-Chief. This is not true and it is most unfortunate. What is going on is similar to what happened in the time of Abacha as Bola Ige talked about ‘the five fingers of a leprous hand’. When all the parties then were calling for adoption of Abacha as the only one fit for the job and he kept quite as if he didn’t know what was happening. Even you as Journalists you must be kidding yourselves if you say Jonathan

When I see people on television making some baseless comments, I cry for my country. You see fraud in their faces. These are people who are not fit to go close to the microphone. Those who say they believe in Jonathan don’t believe in his person, they believe in his pocket

is completely unaware of what is going on. With this your submission, do you think Jega has all it takes to conduct free and fair election? Jega is completely hamstrung. There is no way the INEC chairman can begin to conduct election under this circumstance of security challenges. He cannot start carrying ballot boxes here and there without security. It is a reality that he cannot conduct the election without the support of security agents. It is not possible. The way they are going, they may even force circumstance on him to resign. They will give him a situation that is impracticable for him to go on and that is where Nigerians will come in. My prayer is for it not to degenerate to that level. When most of us were inhaling teargas, fighting

for democracy, these individuals were teaching in classrooms. Jonathan was associated with one single protest. He was not in any human rights or civil society group anywhere anytime. So, they don’t know the value of what we have and yet, they are the ultimate beneficiaries of it. I feel bad when I see people abuse icons like Soyinka, even Obasanjo was in jail for this democracy. He was in prison for three and half years and he sweated for it. It was this and other things that created international awareness of what was happening in Nigeria. I want to beg the President that what he is enjoying now, people sweated for it; so, he should not destroy it. If he loses election, he should go honourably. Sycophants around him should also realise that this is about our country and not about Jonathan. Recently, the Chief Justice of Nigeria warned Judges against being compromised by politicians, we have heard of similar warning in the past, how is this going to influence fair dispensation of justice? It is only a matter of hope and prayer because the judiciary has had bags of disappointments and sometime successes. In some cases, the Judiciary restored hope in our democracy and in some cases, they let the people down. It remains the last hope of the common man and for democracy. It is only our prayer because it is a fact that there is corruption in the judiciary. The level of rot may be a subject of debate depending on what level of information you have. The institution that is saddle with the responsibility of checks and balances should be well oiled because human nature is prone to do bad things. When we go out everyday, some people could wish they could get somethings that are not theirs. It is the consequence of going to get those things illegally that keeps you back. That also applies to the Judiciary. People should also know that the Judges are from this environment and all the issues in the society are also affecting them and their judgment. So, we must always pray that they don’t allow these variables to becloud their judgment. At times, it may not be financial gratification; at times, family ties and consanguinity could affect judgment because they are members of the society. They have childhood friends, and they cannot be closed to the entire world. Do you think the EFCC and the other anti-graft agencies have the bite to clampdown on corrupt politicians? They are hampered by a lot of factors. I have seen a lot of sincerity and hard work in EFCC team. I have worked with them. I have seen patriotism among some of the leaders of these institutions. The problem is that

Continues on page 15

SATURDAY

Continues from page 14 they are hampered by lack of facility to work. They can’t work beyound what is made available. Imagine, one agency trying to police 774 local governments. But he EFCC had more bite during the Ribadu era! No! It was the creation of the media. The only thing that happened during Ribadu’s time was that there was an understanding with the courts not to grant bail to those who were charged. That was all the difference. And because people like Tafa Balogun were not granted bail, Lucky Igbinedion, Alameighsieha entered into plea bargain. Thereafter, some of the second generation governors like Orji Uzor Kalu, Ladoja Timipre Silva, Gbenga Daniel were charged but all of these people as they were entering court they were being granted bail. And that was it. There was the spectacle of the Black Maria. That was the Ribadu style. It was the judiciary that supported that process at that time. But Yar’Adua came with the mantra of rule of law. But they were charged, the crux of the matter was that the intention was not to kick you but to charge you. No single case under Ribadu was tried. All of them could not go to trial. Probably because of the torture of the prison, they entered plea bargain. None of them went to trial. So, all the hype about Ribadu was a media creation. I am talking as an insider. The only reason was that people were imprisoned and it was like- ‘look, what do you want? Return some of my property and go away.’ In fact most of those Plea Bargains were crazy. They took some of the property from them and they walked away; there was nothing like 10 years imprisonment or anything near it. Some people will argue that the same method should have been applied I agree, but the judiciary has to co-operate. Don’t forget that the same media kept saying, you cannot keep people in prison without trial since they are presumed innocent until found guilty by the court. This is the problem we are facing in the country, we have a disease but we don’t want to go in for surgery. We have a cancer that requires surgical operation and yet you don’t want to go in for surgery. As Nigerians, what do you want? The President has consistently said that successive governments did not equip the Military and that was why the fight against insurgents was difficult; again with the fact that this Boko

Those who believe in Buhari believe in his person and I am sure you are seeing the fervor around the country. If you look at FaniKayode, you will see insincerity on his face Haram did not start with Jonathan; what should he have done? This is a very weak argument. We have had so many uprisings, like the Maitasine uprising. The government of the day crushed them and nipped the uprising in the bud. Boko Haram should have been crushed before they became an octopus. Before, they were not occupying territories. They were only running to their enclaves and hide-outs. The situation is bad now. Recently, Obasanjo and Jonathan have been at war. Does it not bother you that an elder statesman was so infuriated that he tore his party membership card in the public? Nigerians should be bothered more about the rot in the ruling party and the state of the nation rather than to worry about Obasanjo’s action. It is an action of an elder statesman who is deeply troubled. If you remember what I wrote in January, that Jonathan will be remembered as President who destroyed the PDP and almost destroyed Nigeria. Is not worrying that the number one and number two men of the last administration (Obasanjo and Atiku) have been driven out of the ruling party? Just think deeply about it. How did it come to that point? Some body who was godfather and leader of a party? Something is wrong. These are people who have shown their open frustration, not just left, but openly driven out of the party. I remember, it got to a point Atiku could not be called to his own ward meeting. The PDP should not use their intrigues and power play to destroy Nigeria as a whole. So, who is to blame if not Jonathan because as the President, he is the leader of the party and the whole nation. Anywhere in the world, the security of lives and property is

number one for any government. But it appears that Jonathan, in the last four years, had prioritized the privileges of the office rather than the responsibilities of the office. He and his wife are only interested in being the President and the first lady and neglected the things that come along with them. Eventually, he auctioned most of his powers out to OkonjoIweala. . Okonjo-Iweala just reports to him and he says carry on. Obasanjo then would listen to every minister and treat every file up till 2am. Jonathan contracted out the economy to Okonjo-Iweala and contracted the security to the army, and some of the waterways to some private individuals. It should not be like that. Without going through scrutiny and every economic detail, every financial transaction, he leaves them in the hands of others. Even politics, at times, the wife hijacked it from him and began to make decisions. I am sure you know what is happening in PDP. I am not the one saying it and you know they have more information than I seem to have. In fact see most of the editorial around the world, the New York Times, The Economist, The Washington Post, all of them came to one conclusion on the two difficult choices Nigeria will make in the elections. Soyinka put it well by saying that one is troubled by his past and the

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—15

other troubled by his presence. All of them came to a conclusion that let us have a strong hand rather than a weak hand. No amount of advert will change that path. Again, as the dynamics of the society change, the issues that guide campaign must change. You cannot be campaigning about 1984 issues now. They are missing the point. Human rights are not the issue now. The issues are Boko Haram, corruption and the economy and you are campaigning about issues that are not current. There is no decree 2, there is no law that says you can detain without trial; when we have a court without outer clauses, chapter four that is fully alive, a National Assembly that is fully alive, a burgeoning private press

with internet, facebook, twitter will you now tell me that Buhari will come and shut down all of you? . The peace accord entered into by both parties recently appeared dead on arrival, why is it not working? It is cosmetic. First of all, it was not a legal document. You cannot make people sign an agreement not to commit a crime. It is the law that compels you not to commit a crime. You cannot also say you signed agreement to keep within the bounds of the law. By law, you have to keep within the bounds of the law. It was meant to satisfy international community and after that, our local politics comes lives.

•Keyamo

’Jonathan contracted out the economy to Okonjo-Iweala’

16—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

How to remain young at old age

ouldn’t it be wonderful if age was just a number? Well now it can be — if you follow the brilliantly simple advice in this lifechanging series by one of Britain’s top doctors. In our first part, on Saturday, he told how fitness and a positive outlook are vital. Today, he reveals his tips to help you keep every part of your body in good shape — whatever your age. Follow the brilliantly simple advice in this life-changing series and ensure age is just a number. Not long ago, many health problems experienced by older people were simply put down to their advancing years. Fortunately, attitudes are changing. Fewer doctors are likely to tell you: ‘What else can you expect at your time of life?’It’s now generally accepted that old age is not a diagnosis or a disease. Indeed, most problems in later life are not caused by the ageing process itself. However, we should all be aware of the changes in our bodies as we grow older — and

C M Y K

take action to avoid damage to our health. Here, then, is my top-to-toe guide to body maintenance to help you hold the years at bay.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

For most of us as we age, the gut remains all too efficient at digesting food and absorbing the sugar molecules that make us fat and increase the risk of disease. Many of us, however, suffer from two particular problems in older age — constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It is now widely accepted that these conditions are not the consequences of ageing. They are the consequences of years, indeed decades, of consuming a diet with too little fibre. This could be regarded as a loss of fitness of the muscles in the intestine. The solution, then, is simple: Eat more fibre — soluble and insoluble! Soluble fibre sources include oats, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils and most fruits. Insoluble fibre is found in wheatbran, most vegetables, and wholegrains such as barley, bulgar wheat, millet, brown rice, rye, oats and

wholewheat. Try to incorporate as many of these foods into your diet as possible — even small changes like switching from white bread to wholegrain can make a difference. If you are still troubled by IBS it may be worth trying a glutenfree diet to see if that has an effect (check with your doctor first). Most large supermarkets now stock a good range of gluten-free products.

THE LIVER

Most liver disease is caused not by ageing of the liver tissue but by either infection (hepatitis) or dietary factors — such as too much alcohol. There’s no need to go teetotal, but research suggests that from the age of 70, you shouldn’t drink on more than four days a week. And even on those days, you shouldn’t have more than three units of alcohol a day if you’re a man, and two units if you are a woman. (One unit is a small glass of wine, a half pint of beer or a single shot of spirits.) Cutting down on booze also helps with your weight because alcohol is rich in calories, not

very filling and often increases your appetite — a triple whammy. If you’re still working or want to use your brain in the afternoon, alcohol at lunchtime should be avoided completely.

THE LUNGS

The world record by a 70year-old man for running one mile is 5 minutes 19 seconds, set by Joop Ruter in 2003. Meanwhile, John Woodburn, aged 71, set a new record by cycling 25 miles in 54 minutes and 21 seconds. So clearly the effects of ageing alone on the lungs are relatively unimportant. For most of us, however, our lung function by the age of 70 has been affected by a number of other factors. The Clean Air Act, for instance, was only passed in 1956. Therefore, anyone born in a city before that date is likely to have experienced some damage to their lungs. Similarly, our lungs may have been damaged when we were children by our parents’

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SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—17

Continues from page 16 smoking. Or, as adults, by our own smoking. Smoking continues to affect lung function and damage your health, whatever your age. But if you stop smoking, even as late as 70: •Your risk of lung cancer will remain stable and not increase year by year — as it will if you carry on. •Your risk of heart disease will reduce — by the age of 80 it will be the same as if you’d never smoked. •The risks associated with having an anaesthetic will reduce. •Your symptoms of bronchitis will also reduce. The other good news about ageing lungs is that it’s possible to improve your body’s ability to take in oxygen — and therefore reduce the rate at which you get breathless by doing some form of exercise that makes you breathless three times a week. Heavy housework, cycling, dancing, swimming and brisk walking are good examples.

THE HEART

The heart is a big muscle — so, like all muscles, it’s affected by ageing. However, most of the problems that people experience, from heart failure to chest pain or an irregular pulse, are caused by disease rather than ageing. To prevent further decline in heart function — even if you already have heart disease — you should: •Stop smoking and eat a healthier diet. •Take exercise that will make you breathless five times a week. •Reduce your blood pressure, if it’s too high, by losing weight if necessary and/or taking prescribed medication for lowering blood pressure. There is much debate about the part that drugs like statins can play in preventing heart disease in people who have never had any symptoms. At present statins are not prescribed for people at very low risk; but some people are now taking the polypill, which combines a number of different drugs, but at lower doses than those prescribed by doctors. The polypill has been developed to give people at low risk an opportunity of reducing their risk even further without any possible side-effects. Ask your GP for advice on this and on exercise.

How to remain young at old age THE JOINTS

For most of us, problems with joints are greater than problems with the bones themselves. Our cartilage (the material that covers the bones in a joint) thins with age — faster in some of us than in others. But there’s no evidence that walking or cycling or moving the joints within their usual range wears out the cartilage and causes arthritis. In fact, it’s essential to keep exercising because this keeps the muscles that support the joints strong. The fibrous tissue in tendons and ligaments also loses elasticity as a result of ageing. Much of the stiffness that develops, however, is simply due to loss of suppleness. We’ll look at specific exercises that can help this tomorrow.

THE BONES

As we age, everyone’s bone tissue thins, thus increasing the risk of fractures. The strength of your bones at, say, 70 is determined by two factors: how strong your bones were at the age of 30, and how quickly you have been

losing bone tissue. The first of these factors you can obviously do nothing about. But you can definitely slow the rate of bone loss in later life by: •Increasing the amount of activity that puts pressure on your bones. In short, any exercise recommended for increasing muscular strength will also increase the strength of your bones. •Taking exercise — even a brisk walk strengthens the bones in your legs as a result of the impact of walking. •Swallowing 15-25mcg of Vitamin D daily during the winter months — important for everyone living in the UK, since the sun from October to April isn’t strong enough for us to make enough of this crucial vitamin. •Not cutting down too much on dairy products. You need about 1,200mg of dietary calcium per day to maintain bone strength. (Tip: skimmed milk may have the least fat, buti iit also contains more calcium than full-fat milk.)

MIND AND MEMORY

On Saturday, we looked at the importance of protecting your brain, but things can go wrong with the mind even in people who have perfectly healthy brains. In particular, memory loss is experienced by almost all of us as we get older, particularly loss of short-term memory. So while we are still able to remember much of what was learned in geography, English and chemistry 50 years before, recently acquired information is not so

well retained — names, for example. It cannot be denied that this can be frustrating, but can be overcome with very simple steps such as making lists more often, always leaving your keys in the same place when you come home, or writing appointments down as soon as you’ve made them. I find smartphones are particularly useful for this. And, in fact, your mental faculties may be better than you think: research has proven that some cognitive skills, such as general knowledge and vocabulary, actually improve with age, and while reasoning and decision-making processes may be slower, Daniel Kahneman (winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, and author of Thinking, Fast And Slow) proved that quick decisions are often bad ones. To help keep your mind and memory in good condition, it’s helpful to: •Get enough sleep: aim for seven hours a night. To achieve this, don’t nap in the daytime, increase exercise during the day and drink less fluid after 6 p.m so you won’t need so many nighttime trips to the loo. •Play intellectual games, such as Sudoku, or do crosswords every day. Try reading the excellent Cracking Cryptic Crosswords, by Morse creator Colin Dexter, to hone your skills; turn to the Mail’s daily puzzles (starting on page 39 today) or try one of the apps in the box on the right and get cracking!

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18—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Continues from page 17 •Learn something new. This could be learning how to use a computer, mastering a new language or researching your family history. •Interact more with other people, whether through a job, voluntary work, standing for election as a councillor or starting a new business. Take a look at a new franchise called Seniors Helping Seniors (seniorshelpingseniors.co.uk) whch specifically employs people who are older (it currently only covers Kent, but more UK locations are planned).

How to remain young at old age

THE EYES The lens of the eye becomes less elastic as we get older, and almost everyone ends up needing spectacles for reading. In addition, three major eye diseases occur more commonly in old age: glaucoma, cataract and macular degeneration. There are now effective treatments for all of these. It’s therefore sensible to have an eye test every two years. It is important to appreciate that in eye care, as in any other branch of healthcare, diagnosis does not necessarily indicate a need for treatment, and just because an optometrist identifies early cataract or raised intraocular pressure (a sign that serious glaucoma might develop), this does not mean you need treatment immediately, or even ever.

THE SPINE

Most spinal problems in older people are caused by preventable changes in the muscles and ligaments of the spinal column — not by ageing. True, the bones of the spine become thinner with age, but this rarely causes problems. However, if your bone density was low at the age of 30, your bones may eventually become so thin — a condition called osteoporosis — that one or more vertebrae can fracture and collapse. There are now many medical treatments that can help with this — consult your doctor if you experience any pain. What about loss of height? This is usually caused by shrinkage of the discs between the vertebrae PLUS changes in posture brought about by weakening of the back muscles. Many people also start to stoop as they grow older, though this is rarely the effect of advancing years — it’s because too many of us drive, type, sit or lounge about with our heads poking forward from the spine. This is hard to correct if it’s been going on for decades — but even in your 70s, it’s possible. •Adjust your car seat so you sit straight, head against the headrest, with a small cushion behind your lumbar spine. •Place your computer on a high surface and type while standing. •Do stretching exercises. The starfish is particularly good: lie flat on your back on the floor, stretch your arms out sideways, with elbows on the carpet. See if you can put the back of your hands on the carpet. Hold for ten seconds, then repeat at least five times. •Go to a Pilates or Alexander Technique class. Cut the booze: To keep your liver healthy, there is no need to go teetotal, but research suggests that from the age of 70, you shouldn’t drink on more than four days a week

THE FEET

Ageing itself doesn’t cause foot problems; the most likely cause is a history of wearing the wrong shoes. Nevertheless, it’s important to look after your feet as you age, and you can do

THE SKIN Ageing skin has fewer elastic fibres, sweat glands and sebaceous glands that produce natural oil. To maintain skin in later years, everyone (male and female) should buy a big tub of moisturiser, preferably oilbased, and massage their entire body with the cream — if possible once a day, but at least once a week. Deep wrinkles and blemishes are principally due to exposure to the elements, particularly sunshine. So use at least a factor 20 sunscreen every day.

this by: •Losing weight, if necessary. •Strengthening the muscles of your lower limbs through exercise, such as regular walking. •Buying shoes that don’t pinch. •Washing your feet every day, drying them thoroughly and massaging in an oil-based or aqueous cream. •Seeing a chiropodist regularly.

TEETH AND GUMS

Even the best-kept mouth is full of bacteria, which attack the vulnerable border zone between the teeth and the gums. This leads to the formation of plaque, which can lead to inflammation of the gums — or gingivitis. This causes shrinkage of the gums, meaning that teeth may no longer be strongly anchored. Indeed, more teeth are lost through gum disease in old age than through any disease affecting the teeth directly.

Therefore your teeth need obsessional care, as do your gums. •Buy an electric toothbrush with a rotating head and spend about three or four minutes using it night and morning — more often if you can. •Brush between the teeth with little single-pronged brushes, available from chemists and supermarkets. Alternatively, use dental floss. •Avoid sugar and acid. If you do have acidic food — such as an apple — neutralise the effects of the acid with an alkaline antidote . . . a piece of cheese, for example.Use fluoride toothpaste — and also fluoride mouthwash at least once a day, at different times to brushing, and visit your dental hygienist at least twice a year.

THE EARS From childhood onwards, hearing loss occurs, initially for high-pitched sounds, but in later life all pitches may be affected. It is an effect of ageing that occurs more quickly in some people than in others, for reasons that are probably genetic. There’s no screening programme for hearing loss in older people. Detection and treatment therefore depend on you taking action of your own accord. Make an appointment with your GP, who’ll probably either diagnose wax build-up or refer you to the audiology service of the local hospital or to an approved provider of NHS hearing aids. The charity Action on Hearing Loss runs an excellent assessment service online at actiononhearingloss.org.uk, which includes a hearing test and advice on what to do next.

Culled from Daily Mail

SATURDAY

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—19

Buhari , generally regarded as noncorrupt and austere, is the favourite of many who seek probity and accountability in public finances ugoegbujo@gmail.com

funny character. He, sometimes, speaks so fast that you get the impression he is desperate to be seen as an orator. You look at the sheer number of programmes he has taken on simultaneously you are left to wonder if he knows the limits of his resources. But you drive into Imo state where I come from and you are amazed at what Rochas has accomplished. I still wonder how he will balance his books . He stands out because Nigerian politicians are generally shortsighted. For avoidance of any doubts, I have never met Okorocha . And I regard provision of infrastructure as routine stuff unworthy of any special commendation . Rev Mbaka couldn’t have captured it more succinctly when he asked if a priest should be praised for dispensing the holy communion bread and wine? But since many have come and left and left no mark, little praise must go to the one who has cared to be positively different. Mallam el Rufai has been credited with professional steadfastness and efficiency in the manner he executed his duties as BPE Director and later Minister of FCT. Many •Okorocha •Amechi opponents would concede that hall of Cambridge university el Rufai would always strive for excellence in any in 2010. He was of the view given assignment. However, none of these previous that most Nigerian jobs have gone without accusations of a few sharp politicians are corrupt and practices. None of those allegations have been that corruption was an conclusively proven though. Time will tell how endemic problem. He said to incorruptible he is. the hearing of a few other The others include Oshiomole , Fashola , Nigerians there that his Kwankwaso, Fayemi, Bukola Saraki etc. And they panacea for corruption was are, in many respects , similar to the four death penalty for stealing of discussed. Creditable performances but not government funds. He generally perceived as ‘incorruptible’ as Buhari. I proposed that executive must concede that many other influential men office holders could be may be behind the scenes allowed a maximum of two So on any objective comparative assessment the billion naira and beyond that men around Buhari may not constitute the moral death should be the penalty. handicap many, even ardent Buhari fans, fear they may and which the ruling party insist they will. The opposition has alleged Many would say loudly that the henchmen of the that Amaechi has become defunct NPN ruined Shagari’s government despite wealthy by virtue of being his personal attributes. Others would point to Ibori River ’s governor and that he and Yaradua and leave you to draw conclusions. funds Buhari from state If Buhari wins the elections, it will primarily be coffers. The influence of because these men burnished him and got him Amaechi in the APC is votes he could not get the last time. So the new obvious, the allegation of Buhari is a product of his association with these sponsoring Buhari’s men. And in his last media chat President campaigns is unsubstantiated Jonathan referred to ‘the men around Buhari’ as . The impact of Amaechi’s one of the reasons why the campaigns have been government , like Fashola’s volatile. What he didn’t say is that they have lent and Akpabio’s and political sophistication to Buhari. Kwankwaso’s is widely If Buhari’s integrity and anti corruption stance approved and appreciated by will suffer a little corrosion by the reputation or many in their respective character of the men around him then his states and beyond. If the perception by some as an authoritarian, argument that most inflexible religious fanatic who can take the politicians are corrupt is country down a strange slope can be tempered conceded then he is one of by the genial sophistication and those who have performed accommodatingly liberal political pedigree of creditably while not faring the men that surround him. worse than others on any No government will thrive and create jobs corruption perception solely by strict enforcement of anti corruption assessment. It is difficult to and anti theft laws. The Nigerian polity is be generous with good scores replete with unbridled cynicism borne of chronic since the level of financial despoliation by a succession of wasteful transparency and probity and governments. Social moral fabric has been economic efficiency in the destroyed and a state of anomie exists. A states cannot be determined. government can only thrive now if it can inspire And nothing speaks of this the people who are weary and who do longer opacity more than Governor have hope and trust in their leadership. Many Amaechi accusing Wike of believe Buhari offers such an inspiration. His embezzling billions of Naira degree of acceptance in parts of the country is meant for building of roads low and his political astuteness is in doubt. and schools . Wike was his These men will give him stability and chief of staff, was not a maneuverability if well employed but can also contractor. Yet he embezzled ruin him. Moral rectitude will endear the billions? These things happen government to the people and instill hope but because contracts are routinely beyond that competence will be needed to build awarded clandestinely, against institutions and guarantee sustainable laid down guidelines, to party development. Buhari needs these men now and men as rewards for loyalty. perhaps later. But he needs a clear mission too. He Rochas Okorocha can must draw clear lines. sometimes come across as a

The men around Buhari: Ballast or Albatross ? A

tree does not make a forest and the forest that APC must be , must consist of all sorts of

trees. However, as they say, when the head is rotten then the fish is rotten. Buhari’s performance, if elected , will depend on his personal attributes , the men around him and the institutions they are able to foster but much more on the mission he elects to undertake. He must have a clear mission. Buhari has run for president three times previously and besides his traditional good showings in the north he had always failed to mount any serious challenge. Without an organized broad platform , without funds, without a message, without a campaign , he was almost condemned to being a serial loser. Frustrated after the last attempt , he vowed not to run again. But he is back. Buhari , with a pedigree of a ruthless coup plotter , ex head of military junta that committed gross and unspeakable human rights atrocities , comes into every election with a conspicuous handicap. Soyinka alluded to this when he compared the choice before Nigerians as the dilemma of having to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea. For Soyinka, Jonathan whom the New York Times referred to as a “lousy incumbent” can as well be the deep blue sea. But Soyinka had before now painted Buhari as a devil whom, even with a very long spoon, one must not have even a snack with. Like the Economist, Soyinka now regards Buhari as the ’ least awful’ of a set of bad choices. Buhari , generally regarded as noncorrupt and austere, is the favourite of many who seek probity and accountability in public finances . Some, however, see him as a sectional champion , a religious fundamentalist whose popularity is, in the main, accounted for by primordial ethnic and religious sentiments of many northerners who are desperate to see power return to the north of the country. Many of these people feel that Buhari’s touted saintliness is in any case hypocritical . A sanctimoniousness that is incompatible with Nigeria’s realpolitik. Regardless , it is the perception of Buhari as noncorrupt , firm and enthusiastic about stamping out corruption that distinguishes him from many other politicians. He is ascetic where sybaritic living has become the norm . Nigerians , it would appear , want a leader who can stay simple and spartan and take on corruption frontally. If the ordinary people who support Buhari are excited about his recent enhanced electability, they are worried about his ability to fight corruption and re engineer perverted societal values because of his close association with those who may be viewed as corrupt. Or whom Chimamanda Adiche in her article “ Democracy

•Fashola ,Deferred” referred to as “patrons that have a checkered history of exploitative participation in governance” . You remember the sort of agreement ex Gov Chris Ngige reached with Chris Uba, and you wonder if Buhari has had to engage in such a moral compromise. Democracy is about compromises but the interest of the people must be prime. And how much would the country suffer in the event of his government being ripped apart by political squabbles from any such infighting as happened in Anambra when Ngige defied Uba ? Obasanjo , then president, the one whose letters suggest is a self appointed custodian of national values, failed to ask Ngige not to keep faith with the evil bargain . A bargain that meant Uba would perpetually live off Anambra’s monthly federal allocations. Many worry about these politicians especially the one who must be given credit for turn around of momentum. He is politically astute and conversant with the rough terrain and rigours of winning elections. He is credited with instincts many see as untrammeled greed for money and lust for power. But despite the allegations of massive land grabs and commissions from tax collections, many point to his achievements and say Nigeria would benefit from his presence around Buhari. Rotimi Amaechi is simple, unpretentious and has an obstinate streak. I engaged him in a small argument on corruption in a dinning

20—SATURDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

The forces against Buhari I would not be disturbed by it. But I never expected my friend of many years to resort to a south-south sentiment. Pray, what has the falling price of oil or its management got to do with whether you are Ijaw or Fulani? What have the rising unemployment and the falling Naira got to do with tribe? Then there are those who have made stupendous amounts of money doing virtually nothing in the past couple of years and who would want the status quo to continue. I live on the Lagos Island and they abound. My son who is still young enough to attend these

got a call from a close friend the other day that left me speechless. He had expressed the thoughts that he was wary of a Buhari presidency because of the fear of Islamisation. He is a medical doctor; well travelled and well read. In our younger days he used to consume Time magazine every week religiously and we are usually on the same page on many issues. Which is why his comment threw me off guard. Were he to be my mechanic or an unlettered fellow on my street, I would have given his comment the contempt it deserved. How can one man in a democratic setting that operates a constitution Islamise a whole country? To start with, is he going to be allowed to pick an all Muslim cabinet? Where would his Christian Vice President be; where would the Senate, the House of Rep be when he starts to implement this Jihad? What would happen to the Christian Governors, the Civil Rights Organisations and indeed the over 80 million Christian faithful dotted over the nooks and corners of the country? Would they just simply acquiesce without a whimper? Unfortunately, there are many people, fuelled sometimes by their pastors, who hold on to this belief in every layer of the society. They constitute a force against a Buhari presidency. Another force is represented by another close friend. In fact, he is a classmate that I have known for about 50 years. He is an economist who was educated abroad and has paid his dues. You would therefore expect that the economic situation in the country would command his attention above all else. Yet his loyalty to Mr Jonathan is unnerving. He conceded to me that most of his close friends had shifted allegiance but went on to say that if there was only one vote for Jonathan in Lagos, that vote would be his. Why would an otherwise suave, urban man who normally loves to argue, lock his mind on a candidate and refuses even to debate his choice? The bit I was able to prise from him was unsettling. He finds the born to rule attitude of the Hausa—Fulani ‘very disgusting’. Again, had this been from my mechanic

Buhari. And there are those who genuinely believe Jonathan to be a better candidate. They will fight—as is their right—to let him remain in Aso Rock. Many of these people will operate within the confines of the law and democratic tenets, or at worst on the fringes of it, to deny Buhari the chances of getting to Aso Rock. But that is the beauty of democracy and even die hard Buhari adherents would expect many die hard Jonathan adherents to fight them every inch of the way. But it does get dangerous when

The reason our elected leaders don’t listen to us is because we really don’t matter and the day we can democratically choose our leader is the day we have won our freedom

top clubs and bars talks about people who buy bottles of expensive champagne and Hennessey drinks to any fly that passes by their tables. These people are afraid that the good times would end with the Buhari presidency. What they are too inebriated to realise is that the economy is in such a strait that the good times would end for many anyway with or without Buhari. Nevertheless, they represent a force against Buhari. There are also those whose economic and political fortunes were badly affected during the Buhari years and now want their pound of flesh. They will use whatever they have to work on people’s minds and dissuade them against

people use other means to deny the people’s will. Many of us have heard the recordings of what happened in Ekiti State. We now know it was much more than stomach infrastructure that got Fayose there. It was the abuse of institutional infrastructure. It was impunity at its criminal height. And it would be naïve to think this force would not be deployed against Buhari’s ambition. Very close to this, are those who have allegedly imported arms and are poised to use violence if need be, to stop Buhari. I am not for a second, saying that this is limited only to PDP and its supporters; or that only they have the monopoly of violence and intrigues. I am just trying to stay true

od is a God of glory. D angels of God bask in that glory as they stand in His presence. His glory is so strong that the angels ministering to Him cover their faces. When Isaiah had a revelation of God’s glory, he saw his filthiness. God’s glory will reveal your true state to you. In His presences, wrong motives and all manner of evils are exposed. This is why we must encounter His glory. Isaiah the Prophet of God cried out, “woe is me”. God’s glory reveals your true position. God’s glory shows you were you are lacking. It humbles you. Are you full of yourself, your achievements and what you know? It is a sign that you have not truly encountered His glory. You cannot encounter God’s glory and see your achievements. You can of your own do nothing. Most believers only experience a trickle of His glory. Some weep and some are slain in the Spirit. When the fullness of His glory comes down in an assembly, people are not able to move. The priest is helpless and God takes absolute control. In II Chron. 7:1-3, the bible says “Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house. And when all the children of Isreal saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, for He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever”. God’s glory will humble every man. It is so strong and powerful that it makes a man to surrender. D glory of God upon your life will promote you. It will make nations C M Y K

Encountering God’s glory to honour and celebrate you. It will cause your greatest enemy to bow down before you. God’s glory will open shut doors. It will command unusual favour. It makes mountain to melt like wax. God’s glory is untouchable. I pray that d glory of God will rest upon you and all that concerns you will become untouchable in Jesus name. To see God’s glory you must be prepared to go higher (Rev. 4:1). This is so because your location will determine the level of God’s glory that you encounter. Apostle John was only able to encounter God’s greater glory when he went higher. Anyone in the valley of sin, fear, doubt or disobedience should not expect to see God’s glory. As long as you keep rising and falling without making commitment

to be steadfast in Christ, there is little or no glory for you to see. It is time for you to move up. Move up in your faith, consecration, increase your love for Him, triple your prayer life and spend more time in the word, praise and intense worship. When you encounter God’s glory, you will surrender the more. Rev. 1:17 says “and when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead…….”. This means he (Isaiah) totally yielded to God. He surrendered completely. As long as there are areas in your life that you cannot yield to Jesus or that Jesus cannot touch or enter, no glory will be experienced. When Peter yielded his boat to Jesus, he encountered the glory of the Almighty God. What was empty began to overflow. The glory of God upon his life and business

to my theme. Many of these forces would still ring true if it was another person trying to get to Aso Rock. Now we get to the most feared, most dangerous force. The powerful, yet largely faceless group of people who have dictated the affairs of this country for years. Its power, like the chameleon, is in its constantly changing ability to gauge the mood of the country and use it to achieve its aim which is to control power. We saw it in the way June 12 was scuttled. We saw it in the way the contraption called Interim Government was installed. Or the way Abacha took over when it looked like Shonekan might not be able to hold the forte. They were consulted before Abdulsalam took over and consulted again before zeroing on Obasanjo. Neither the choice of Yar ’Adua nor Jonathan escaped their input and blessing. Their major goal is not the economic emancipation of the country but to preserve the nation so it can be milked. They would want the elite system to continue for as long as possible. And when it is time to remove Jonathan, it should be on their terms and with their choice depending on what and who they consider to be expedient. Make no mistake, these are not democrats and therefore a victory for Buhari or for anybody for that matter at the polls spells catastrophe for them. It would mark the beginning of the end of their hold on Nigeria. The reason our elected leaders don’t listen to us is because we really don’t matter and the day we can democratically choose our leader is the day we have won our freedom. It means we can always vote out an under- performing leader. This is why I am not holding my breath for Buhari getting there in May. The force that stopped the democratically elected Abiola is still very much around. And it may have engineered the postponement of the February 14 election. Therefore, if we want to have a democratically elected President, much depends on INEC; much depends on civil rights organisation; much depends on the international community; much depends on the people. We must be prepared to hold out if we want to choose our leaders ourselves. began to attract helpers. His peers began to look up to him. He became the pace setter to them. Beloved you and I urgently need to encounter God’s glory. It is for our benefit. Encounter God’s glory and you will see that shame or reproach disappear from your life, family, business and all that concerns you. Please pray this prayers. Father, everything I have withheld from you, I surrender all to you. Father, show me your glory. God bless you, our great country Nigeria and President Goodluck Jonathan. Have you given your life to Jesus? If not, please pray this prayer. Father, I come to you as I am. I invite Jesus into my life to be my personal Lord and Saviour. Wash me cleanse with the blood of Jesus and empower me with the power of your Holy Spirit. Thank you, Father for saving my soul and making me your child. Your prayer request and praise reports will be welcomed. Our contact details are below. You can also partner with us by supporting us financially. A

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hief Olusegun Obasanjo has left the Peoples Democratic Party. Absolutely. Officially. At last. On record, it was the former Head of State who dramatically terminated his membership of the party by publicly causing his membership card to be torn, two or three hours before the party then announced his expulsion. What took either of them so long? The unending row is now mercifully over. We hope. There is so much more palaver rumbling across the political scene that matters of a controversial membership of one party or the other simply have to be moved to the back burner, except where they concern serving governors who are suspected of “anti-party activities, to wit, dining with the enemy. Four of such, all belonging on the face of things to the PDP, are said to The APC said it was all be having an inappropriate part of the manipulation of relationship with the All the party in power to Progressives Congress acquire some lease of life which will remain behind to rig the election, having the screen till the last read the handwriting on moment. What keeps them the wall. The PDP declared from announcing their that the preparations for position at once so that the the election were simply scene may be clean and not ready, even apart from clear, and the people are the issue of security. They apprised of the movement pointed out that the on the playing field? Must Permanent Voting Cards, every progression be made which were compulsory for with a touch of theatrical voting, had not been manipulation? adequately distributed and We are not yet fully that the situation was recovered from the bound to leave many deferment of the elections. citizens disenfranchised. The Independent National But the position of the Electoral Commission had APC, on one page with the assured the nation that declaration of readiness by everything was in place for INEC, was strongly the presidential election to supported by the Unites th be held on February 14 ; State of America, whose the Presidency was not ubiquitous Secretary of convinced and voiced its State even took time off his doubt through Sambo pressing chores in the Dasuki, the National Middle East and Europe to Security Adviser. However, visit Nigeria to convince he would not perform a the Federal Government to simple duty like that by go ahead with the simply bringing the concern elections. However, the to the notice of the INEC, if election was postponed. necessary, the nation at We are now one week into large. No, that would not be the postponement. It did sensational enough. So he not seem the right thing to had to go and announce it do on the face of it. The in London, creating a larger fortunes of the APC ripple in the surface of the seemed to be on the anxiety that had already upswing and they were engulfed the preparations right to feel that a delay for the election. But INEC might create a recession in stuck to its guns—it had to the thrust that seemed be February or bust! Even established. The PDP before the Council of States, appeared a bit shaken too, a glorified bulldog toothless and President Goodluck

We shall overcome

C M Y K

SA TURD AY Vanguard , FEBRU ARY 21, 2015 — 21 SATURD TURDA FEBRUARY

On record, it was the former Head of State who dramatically terminated his membership of the party by publicly causing his membership card to be torn to tackle the mildest problem beyond the point of advisory intervention, the electoral organization continued to wave its flag of “independence”. And so, the last card was thrown on the table—SECURITY! The authorities in charge of the nation’s security declared that they were not ready, no matter what INEC says. At which point, INEC “recalibrated” its position, and pushed the election forward by six weeks.

ow, just consider all that posturing—the position of the electoral organisation came up to be nothing short of that at the end of it all. Several groups in the country, especially the two main political parties— the APC and the PDP—had ranged themselves to the “pro” and “con” positions respectively over the matter.

Jonathan, whilst manly insisting on his notion that a postponement was necessary, all the same, would not admit publicly that he had a part in the announcement of the deferment. But it has now come to light that the preparations were truly flawed. And so the Federal Government was right after all. It would have probably been the most chaotic polls we ever had. That was an open admission made before the Senate by Professor Attahiru Jega, the INEC Chairman when he appeared before the legislators some three days ago. He described the postponement as “a blessing in disguise” and spoke of how the extended period is helping the commission to fine-tune its preparations. The senate session served to clarify

the states they appear to control. Thus both the Federal Government and INEC are absolved of any complicity in this matter. They remained in disagreement till the matter of security was brought in. The rumoured intention of removing the INEC chairman is, of course, strictly for the birds. He is an honourable man whom we must help to match his efficiency with his uprightness. Meanwhile, it has been all but peaceful through the husting. This was a campaign season we started with so much prayer from all sides. We prayed against violence, but that is what we have done to ourselves on all sides.

•Chief Olusegun Obasanjo several points that have remained unclear about the process of voting, but most of the aspects discussed were fully explained to the distinguished ladies and gentlemen. It was however, still hazy in places; one can only hope the next week or two would make members of the public understand the seeming intricacies of the process. I watched the proceedings on television and, frankly, I could not pick it all up. But I was highly impressed by the level of inquiry made by the senators and particularly gratified by the incisive questions directed at the INEC chairman, especially from Senator Chris Anyanwu, whose skills as a professional journalist still seemed intact. However, more needs to be done by INEC in the way of enlightening the populace; otherwise it may lead to a demand for further for postponement and new wave of acrimonious accusation flung from all sides about attempts to rig the election. Professor would not appear to have lived up to the level of efficiency that has been freely ascribed to him from various quarters. The gaping lapses in the preparations for the election are still there and still worrisome. This has nothing to do with his honesty, mind you. He is by all accounts a decent man. The shoddiness of the preparations for the election may be a function of the process of the voting system which could have been more simple. But he kept “re-assuring”, and

“re-assuring” us that everything was alright whereas he had devised a system that was alien to our tradition of voting in elections. His sojourn in the Ivory Tower had probably isolated him from the common touch, else he would have been informed that the election accounted to be the most successful in the country’s history was conducted largely by a show of hands—and did not cost billions and billions of naira, either.

ut the INEC chairman is so smooth, perhaps too smooth, though his performance, I submit, would appear to have been guided by the head rather than by the heart. If the election had been allowed on February 14th as formerly scheduled, resulting with the inability of many citizens to vote, to whose advantage would it have been? If the PDP had won, many people would have felt that it was influenced unduly by the “party in power” through the aegis of incumbency and other agencies. It might also be accounted to the insurgency in the North-East areas where the supporters of the APC are deemed to be in the majority, but unable to vote because the authorities had been intentionally tardy in suppressing the unrest for just that reason. But it is the Federal Government controlled by the PDP which has stubbornly insisted on the postponement of the election. Even the perceived surge in the recent support of the APC might have been overwhelmed by the lapses in the INEC preparations and, yes, the unsettled situation in

hose who hope for an eventual abandonment of the election are no doubt supportive of the mayhem. The campaign entourage of President Goodluck Jonathan was reportedly stoned in the North presumably by the supporters of the APC. No campaign activity of the APC now is any longer safe, it would appear, in Okrika, the Rivers State birthplace of Mrs. Patience Goodluck, either. There are other scenarios of confrontation and, very soon, the tempo of these outbreaks of violence might increase and so could the seriousness of their casualties. Already, rumours are alive that it would serve the purpose of those who are already calling, though not so loudly at the moment, or an interim government. Who needs that again? We are not in that kind of emergency simply because we have not been able to prepare very well for an election that is yet to hold. We have actually deferred the starting date of an election before, and then gone through with it. We are able to overcome these problems, if only we would eschew distrust, deep distrust—that is the bane of our nation-building. The opportunity is right before us again. That is what the 2015 elections portend. We can take care of the challenges that swirl around us, even that of Boko Haram. We took care of Ebola, didn’t we? Now, see even how superannuated “statesmen” are taking care of themselves! Time Out.

22—SATURDAY

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

merica’s Major League Soccer (MLS) is beginning to attract the international attention it deserves. In Nigeria that attention peaked last year when Nigeria’s Obafemi Martins was credited with the MLS goal of the season. The goal from a virtually impossible angle beat 64 other goals to claim the accolades and also establish Seattle Sounders’Martins as one of the league’s marquee finishers with 17 goals in his second MLS season. With the arrival this season of great soccer stars like Steven Gerrard (L.A. Galaxy); Kaka (Orlando City); David Villa and Frank Lampard (both for New York City FC), the league which begins next month, is certainly going to be followed beyond the shores of America more than ever before. And that was one of the goals when MLS was established 21 years ago just before the 1994 World Cup in the United States of America. There is even talk that even Tim Howard, one of the best goalkeepers in the world, may be leaving Everton to return to his MLS roots in the new season. In 1996, when the inaugural MLS game was played in San Jose, I was privileged to cover the proceedings for the Voice of America. On the San Jose Earthquakes squad on that historic day were Nigerian defenders Ben Iroha and Michael Emenalo, who is now a front office staff with Chelsea. Also in the stands on that day was Stephen Keshi, the out-of-contract coach of the Super Eagles, who thought the league was off to a good start during a brief discussion after the Earthquake’s game against D.C. United. Almost 20 years later MLS has consolidated on that good start to become one of the respected soccer leagues in the world. In 1996, there were 10 teams. But the fact that the league now has 20

The vision for MLS is being realized teams, with two more teams — Atlanta FC and Los Angeles FC, planned to launch in 2017, indicates how robust and healthy the league is. From an initial period when the league lost millions and when some matches where played in mostly empty stadiums, the MLS has grown exponentially in attendance and crowds at stadia (specifically built for soccer) now surpass turnouts at National Basketball League and National Hockey league games. We have to give FIFA kudo’s for having the vision to stage the ’94 World Cup in the USA. One of the goals then was to use the momentum from the world cup to revive professional soccer in the USA. I recall a media briefing I had attended in 1994 in which Joseph S. Blatter, who was then FIFA General Secretary, had said: “when we made the decision to allow the U.S. to stage the games we had two objectives. We wanted to expose the game to this large country and we wanted to bring the game to the professional level in the U.S. It is an open market.” Even the great Pele had no doubt that professional soccer

would succeed in its second coming to America when I had the opportunity to interview him exclusively at an event arranged by Master Card in Palo Alto. Pele’s optimism then was based on several factors including a long list of multi-national companies who are in support of the sport. He told me then, “This is the first time in the history of soccer they have the merchandise and sponsors all sold out 16 months before the championship.” Twenty years later I am sure Blatter and Pele are thrilled by the great strides the game has made in the U.S. since then. Pele, along with great players like Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer, were among a cadre of international players that were recruited in the 70’s to boost the sports in the U.S. But that experiment failed because of financial and other reasons. “The big mistake the national league did when was I here was they increased the 12 franchises (NASL teams) to 24. Twelve teams was very good. The other mistake is they don’t want to sign contract with Television,” Pele said, emphasizing that “no sport in the U.S. can live without getting support from

TV.” This time around the league has the best coverage on TV you can ask for. America’s diversity has also been a major reason for the success of the sports this time around. The game is played at the youth level more than any other sport, including American football. In the summer you only need to travel through the soccer complexes of America’s major towns to see the diversity of the teams. As a father ferrying my sons to soccer games across northern California, I remember interacting with parents who had roots from every continent in the world; giving credence that America is indeed the United Nations of Soccer. This was one of the reasons that spurred the Sacramento Association of Nigerian’s to approach the Nigerian Coach Stephen Keshi to conduct a soccer clinic for the Vacaville Youth Soccer League in northern California in 2013. Although Keshi was enthusiastic about the opportunity, the clinic never took place because of last minute planning hitches. The diversity of the game at the grassroots level is also reflected in how well the MLS has done to attract professional players from all parts of the globe including Africa. In addition to Martins, other Nigerian stars in the league include Innocent Emeghara for San Jose Earthquakes; Amobi Okugo for Orlando City; Fanendo Adi for Portland Timbers and Kennedy Igboanike for Chicago Fire. Prominent African players scheduled to feature in MLS’s new season beginning next month include: Patrick Nyarko, Charles Eloundou, Kofi Opare, Dominic Oduro, Peguy Luyindula, Darlington Nagbe, Abdoulie Mansally , Michael Azira, Danny Mwanga and Michael Lahoud.

Uduaghan cautions reckless drivers as he commissions Mbiri Farm road

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (2nd right), Hon. Funkekeme Solomon Commissioner for works (right), HRM. Dr. IfeanyiChukwu Alekwe II, the Obi of Mbiri (middle), HRM. Dr. Ezeagwu Eze, Nwali of Umunede (2nd left) and Chief. John Oguma during the Commissioning of Umunede-Mbiri Road

elta State Governor Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has commissioned the 7.8 kilometres Umunede-Mbiri Road Rehabilitation, promising to continue to deliver democracy dividends to the people of the state. Addressing the audience which included traditional rulers, palace chiefs, political leaders and stakeholders, the governor said that “the road will improve inter-city road transportation, enhance urban growth, communication and reinvigorate commerce and social life in the area.” C M Y K

“We constructed this road to take people safely to their destination, when you are drunk, don’t drive, when you are feeling sleepy, don’t drive and when you take drugs, please don’t drive, by God’s grace this road will take us to our destination,” Dr. Uduaghan added. The governor who said the Mbiri farm settlement road was dear to his heart promised to complete it and other projects in the area before he leaves office. Governor Uduaghan enjoined the people of the area to vote massively for

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (left) and HRM. Dr. IfeanyiChukwu Alekwe II, the Obi of Mbiri. during the Commissioning of the road

The road will improve intercity road transportation, enhance urban growth, communication and reinvigorate commerce and social life in the area

President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa and other PDP candidates in the senatorial district, reminding them that they should endeavour to collect their Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) on which basis they can vote at the polls. ‘I hope you have all collected your PVCs, please ensure you do that and make sure you vote massively for Mr. President, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa your son and all the other PDP candidates in Delta North.” In his welcome address the Commissioner for Works Mr. Funkekeme Solomon said that the Umunede-Mbiri road project was awarded in October 2014 at a cost

of 497.12 million naira and was meant to serve as a link road between Umunede, Mbiri town, Mbiri farm settlement and Delta and Edo States boundary. Earlier during a courtesy visit to the Obi of Mbiri, HRM Obi Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Alekwe II, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan commended the unity amongst traditional rulers in Delta State and urged their subjects to emulate them so that development can come to their areas. According to him, ‘The presence of other traditional rulers shows the unity among traditional rulers, that is a lesson to all of us who are your subjects because if our royal fathers are united then of course the subjects become united and we have no cause to be divided.” The governor who explained that the road to the farm settlement was being delayed due to the need to redesign it promised that the road and the one leading to the palace would be completed before the end of the administration. HRM, Obi Dr. Alekwe II commended Dr. Uduaghan for keeping his promise to rehabilitate and reseal the Umunede-Mbiri road and assured the governor of the support of his people as well as the protection of all government properties.

SATURDAY

UAR Y 2 1, 2015 — 23 FEBRU ARY 21 Vanguard, FEBR

BY IYABO AINA

I knew I was meant to be a woman ---Bruce Jenner

Lady Gaga gets engaged to Taylor Kinney S

tephanie Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta popularly known as Lady Gaga is set to say, “I do” to her sweetheart Taylor Kinney, as they just got engaged. This was gathered on the diva’s Instagram account where she wrote “He gave me his heart on Valentine’s Day, and I said YES” showing off a heart-shaped engagement ring. Her fiancée, Taylor also took to Instagram on Monday to post his own photo of their special moment and captioned it “she said YES on Valentine’s Day,”. Recall that Taylor and Gaga were photographed together on the red carpet at the 37th Annual kennedy Centre Honors in December , when Lady Gaga told a reporter, Howard Stern that she knew “Kinney is the right guy.” “I have that feeling with him,” she said during an interview for Stern’s Sirius XM radio show. “I just know it.” “He was the best. He used to sweep me off my feet, throw me on the back of his motorcycle, take me to the beach’.

im Kardashians step father, Bruce Jenner, who is transitioning into a woman has revealed that he knew he was meant to be a woman since he was five years. According to reports, The 65 year old former athlete reportedly opened up to the Kardashian/ Jenner clan and revealed that he kept his ‘true self ’ deep inside him since he was a child Although he was considered to be one of the greatest athletes in the world after the 1976 Olympics, he instead thought of himself as a woman.

•Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney

Family claims Nick Gordon has never visited Bobbi Kristina

American actor, Louis Jourdan, Jackie Chan’s son dies at 93 released from prison T H •Jayce Chan

•Louis Jourdan

C M Y K

ollywood actor, Louis Jourdan, who is best remembered for the musical ‘Gigi and as the villain in James Bond picture “Octopussy,” is dead. Louis Jourdan died at 93 on Saturday 14 th February at his home in Beverly Hills, his friend and biographer Olivier Minne said. Jourdan offered a certain effortless charm that worked equally well in light heroic roles and more sinister ones. Recall that his Son, Louis Henry Jourdan died of a drug overdose in 1981. His wife, Berthe Frederique “Quique” Jourdan, to whom he was married for more than six decades also died last year.

•Bruce Jenner

he son of kung fu star Jackie Chan has finally been freed from prison as he apologized for making “mistakes” after serving six months in a Chinese jail for drugs offences. Jaycee Chan, who like his father has worked as an actor and singer, was released from prison on Friday. “I made mistakes, I will remember this lesson, I won’t commit mistakes again in the future,” he said in Beijing. “I want to apologize to everyone for my mistakes. I’m genuinely sorry.” Recall that Chan was detained in August and charged with providing a venue for others to use drugs after police found 100 grams 3.5 ounces of marijuana at his home in Beijing. The 32-year-old had already spent five months in prison when he was sentenced in January after pleading guilty to the crime. “I haven’t been a very good rolemodel for the youth, I feel really ashamed,” he said.

ou know there were reports that Nick Gordon was banned from being at Bobbi Kristina bedside in the hospital. Now according to Whitney Hudson’s family, he hasn’t even tried. Nick’s been photographed a few times outside of the hospital, but the family says it’s all for the cameras and that he’s never once tried to actually enter the building. Meanwhile, Nick’s lawyer, Randy Kessler, insists Nick’s tried to enter the hospital numerous times but has been blocked by the family. Also, several of Bobby Brown’s relatives threatened to put ‘hands on him’ if Nick ever showed up.

•Nick Gordon

24 — SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

With FLORENCE AMAGIYA 08061644307 email: daise4000@yahoo.com

YAW:

The rising profile of an on-air personality

ed any , aka Yaw, doesn’t ne nu O e ev St , ity al on Theatre rs eputable on- air pe BIA FM (95.1). The ZO A W of rs ve lo to ally to warmed his way in s ha introduction especi ity rs ve ni U e g e Lagos Stat and the neighbourin Arts graduate of th s go La in th bo rs w listene and personality. Ya h is gl the hearts of many en in dg pi which yle of speaking the morning show states due to his st e, ak W a un e ak “M es awards pular programme, ed many personaliti gg ba s is known for his po ha ho w , nd full w to 12 noon. Ya me as he has a ha ga s hi in ily da is aired from 6am g in ries known several others, is ris the then popular se ith w ht and nominated for ig el lim to rt of life t launched in nced the lowest pa rie pe ex s ha of activities. He go ho w e day, Yaw is story is that of on n and hard work. To io at in as “Flat Mates.' H rm te de e, in the ac by sheer gr ighty and the rich m e th ith w g and been picked up in nn on blessed as he is di ce sold ‘ice water' is on he ho at w th y an sa m d g ul un co a yo here he is on, I present to you has taken him to w k or w rd ha society. In this editi d an n l as an on-air hose determinatio a comedian, as wel , ts Lagos roads, but w en ev s re pe m ucer. He co today. Yaw is a prod personality. Read on…

C M Y K

Yaw and AY

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015 — 25

Yaw’s Origin… “I am from Awka in Anambra state, but I was born in Lagos state on August 24, almost 40 years ago, at the Island Maternity Hospital. I had my early life in Lawanson in Surulere Local Government Area. I attended Osimoye Primary School also in Surulere. I left Osimoye and finished from Obele Primary School in Sululere. My Secondary School was at St. Ann Secondary School also in Surulere. I am from a family of 10 children, but I lost one of my sisters to the cold hand of death. By the way, I am the seventh child. As a child, we stayed at 65 Mamba Street Lawanson. As a young boy, I remember helping my mother to sell "ice water" and cold minerals at Yaba market after school. I can remember an episode, one day due to tiredness I took a nap while selling at the market. l woke up to realise that all my wares were gone. But l didn’t have any money to show that I sold those items. That day, my mother gave me the beating of my life! When my family moved residence from Surulere to Iyana-Paja, I had to stop selling "ice water" after school because of the distance, but I still sold during the holidays. I stopped selling when l was of age and eventually graduated from secondary school in 1993”. Yaw got admission into the Lagos state University (LASU) for a diploma program in 1995, and then got another admission to study Theatre Arts in the same university. In-between struggling to pay his tuition fee, getting a role in the movies and staying with friends wasn’t any mean feat. After graduation, he didn’t stop acting and performing stage dramas as he has been doing several professional stage events at the MUSON Centre, Lagos. He got involved in the series “Twilight Zone and Flatmates. He was also involved in some others like the Dear Mother and Fuji House of Commotion series. According to the celebrity On air personality, stardom wasn’t an overnight thing, he has been there waiting for his time to shine. While doing all these, he was called for a job interview for on-air personality position and later started working at the pidgin English radio station known as

•Yaw and Eldee •Yaw in the studio hood. As a person, it is part of my personality because I was raised that way."

Yearly widow’s mite

Humility which is part of his nature and which has arguably made him to dine with kings and queens in the society

Yaw grew up knowing what it meant to be hungry but could not get food to eat at the time he needed it because of lack. He grew up knowing that except he has sold enough, he might not eat. He knows what it is like to be the down and the trodden in the society and he is doing what he can to put smiles on faces of the disabled, less privilege and the aged in the society via his yearly charity project. Life around him

has taught him to cling to his dream and that has been his daily push. He has remained a determined young man with a strong survival instinct. Last year, he stood up and sold his car to partner with OLX to donate gift items to three different foundations, the School for the blind, Down syndrome foundation and the aged.

Awards

Yaw has received several awards and still counting. He won the Best on-Air Personality for Mode Men Awards and City People Awards among others. He has also won award organized by Opa Williams for Best TV Actor (Comic).

Inspirations

Wazobia FM. Since then he has bagged two awards including, City People Awards and Mode Man for Best on-air personality. According to Yaw, his mother had always reminded him that without the people around you, you are nobody. If tomorrow comes and every person stops listening to Wazobia FM, then Yaw is nobody. That has brought about humility which is part of his nature and which has arguably made him to dine with kings and queens in the society. "I had no choice, but to imbibe humility from baby-

YAW (c) on new sitcom... Yaw is inspired by the likes of Basket Mouth, Ali Baba and so many others. People call him a funny person, "but that’s because everything around us is funny. Life would be so dull if nothing is funny”. From where he is coming from to where he is today is indeed an amazing journey and “ who could have thought that an "ice water" seller on Lagos traffic could get here today!”

•L-R: J. Martins, Ali Baba and Yaw C M Y K

26 — SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

By KEHINDE AJOSE 08024212530

Sex is like breathing - Olu Maintain Y

ahoozee crooner, Olu maintain in a chat with Showtime revealed what he will do differently this year.According to him, “I would be more consistent that I will do differently in 2015.” When asked if he believes sex sells in entertainment, he has this to say: “Sex plays an integral part in human nature whether its entertainment or anything Sex is part of human nature. Sex is like breathing.You cannot eradicate that in human nature” he added. Commenting on the growth of the Nigerian music industry he said: “The industry is growing, its evolving.Its getting more and more exciting.A lot of stakeholders are now investing in it.Its still a work in progress.A lot has been done, a lot still needs to be done”.

•Olu maintain

Music has boosted my profile -Aduke

duke is not your usual kind of artiste.For start ers, the guitarist carries a low cut that blends with her eccentric nature.She has a deep understanding of what it means to be artistic.She told Showtime that music has put her in a position of respect and she sees it as her identity card. “Music is my identity card, it has put me in a position of respect, makes people think very highly of me,its really flattering. Music is a part of my redemption. “ Commenting on why she carries a low cut she said the stress of making salon rounds made her do that. “The stress of making salon rounds, spending hours in the salon was enough to scare me away and its cost effective too.Honestly, I am free with my hair and I do what I am comfortable with at any particular time.” Asked how far she can go to entertain her fans, she said, “I can only go as far as my creativity spins. I don’t think artistes really plan certain things we create. I am highly devoted to performing and giving my all every time I find myself in front of an audience.”

Why I am still relevant after Project Fame —Niniola Apata

roject Fame Season 6, 3rd runner up Niniola Apata who has a petite frame recently opened up to Showtime on the secret of her still making waves after featuring in that reality TV show, Project Fame West Africa. “My relevance after Project Fame is attributed to the grace of the Almighty God, support from my family,friends, hardwork and my management team,” she revealed. Givining reason her music is Afrocentric, the Ibadi sensation said , Afrocentrism is prominent in her music because she is an African. “It’s deliberate, Afrocentrism is prominent in my music. You can hear it in songs like Ibadi, Gbowode and the just released Akara Oyibo.I am proud to be a Yoruba girl from Ekiti state. I have always been fascinated by the rich African culture, our stories, songs and diverse ethnicity and accents.In essence, I showcase my culture through my music. On singing like Angelique C M Y K

•Niniola Apata Kidjo, Apata said, “I am very proud of the great songstress Angelique Kidjo from Benin republic, who just won a Grammy award not just for

herself, but for Africa.She is one of my musical influences.She sings in Benin Yoruba, it sounds twisted but easy on the ears.”

Mae Wo steps out with a new single By ANOZIE EGOLE

•Ademewo Agbebiyi

IGERIAN born Houstonbased gospel singer ,Ade mewo Agbebiyi-Nwachukwu a.k.a Mae-Wo is set to storm the country’s music scene with a bang as she concludes plans to release her first single, “You’re Worthy”, into the market soon. According to the mother of three children, who began her musical career as a chorister in a church, “I am quite excited that this is happening at last. After months of hard

work with my producer, we are out with my next single entitled You’re Worthy. Lovers of good music should watch out for my latest single. It has not been easy going for rehearsals, studio and ministrations, and playing my role as a mother and a wife at home. But I hold unto the word of God every day and I know it is all going to be worth it at the end. I have also decided to do what I have always had a passion for. I have just recorded my first single, “You’re Worthy ’, produced by Sean Keyz for Sept’18 Records. The album is set to be released later this year.”

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015 —27

By AYO ONIKOYI, 08052201215

How OzzyBosco thrilled Ojuelegba fans on Val Day

Jazzman Olofin returns

ebruary 14, Valentine Day celebration would not be forgotten in a hurry, especially by the residents of Ojulegba, in Surulere, as the Spirit of Lagos, a movement committed to restoring the lost glory of Lagos stormed the area with the sensational kid-music star, OzzyBosco who thrilled with lots of music and dance. The event, which was part of the movement’s just concluded “Do The Right Thing” road tour, took place under the ever-busy bridge in the bustling city. Passersby could not resist catching a glimpse of the dancing steps and the sonorous songs of the kid-artiste who doubles as an Ambassador of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority,LAWMA. The wonderkid rendered some of his songs including the popular “Keep Lagos Clean.” Exuding joy at the performance of Ozzy Bosco during the show which lasted for hours, his mother, Chief Adah Mojekwu appreciated the Spirit of Lagos for providing such a platform for her son to connect with his fans and to further entrench the message of keeping Lagos clean, which is also his pet project. “OzzyBosco is concerned with the welfare of children and seeing that every child, in line with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Convention for the Rights of Child, enjoys the rights unhindered. He also like clean and sustainable environment and this informs why he accepted to perform at the Spirit of Lagos road tour which in any case, conforms to his ideals and beliefs”, she said.

ETERAN Nigerian musician, Jazzman Olofin who disappeared from the scene for few years now, is back with a new street anthem, ‘Omo Aiyee’ featuring Rasta CPT, a UK-based Reggae Dub Maestro. Jazzman was one of the veteran stars who thrilled fans at the just-concluded Hennessy Artistry season. He is making a return to mainstream music world after a hiatus lasting a few years with this K-Solo produced tune. His new tune, ‘Omo Aiyee’ is a mid tempo jam laced with his smooth vocals and captivating lyrics, and it’s the first of a series of new songs that will be released by the star in the coming weeks as he aims to recapture the scene he dominated years back. Jazzman, best known for his collaboration with celebrated Juju music star, Adewale Ayuba, on a song titled ‘Raise the roof, used to be a member of the popular hip hop group, X Appeal along with his former partner, Lexy Doo back in the early 2000s...

My journe o pregnancy w as journeyy tto was a vver er ense one eryy int intense — TY Bello

inger and renowned photographer had a set of twins in the United States of America last year, after the release of her third album titled The Morning Song Book.TY Bello is known not to put her personal life in the public glare. It was amazing when she narrated her grueling experience of getting pregnant after nine years of marriage, in a recent interview with Genevieve magazine. According to her: “It was interesting watching myself pregnant.

•TY Bello

Just a few weeks before we found out, I had photographed in twelve states in 4 days.I was a certified adrenaline junkie and has been for fourteen straight years.I couldn’t mentally grasp how I would stop.It was the only way I knew to live.Thankfully , there was a lot to figure out once I got pregnant.Hormones violently kicked in and my life hit a jarring stop.My body wouldn’t even negotiate with me.My journey to pregnancy was a very intense one.I had just been through the toughest nine years, trying to get pregnant, being confident that it would be a breeze since I had always known I would be a great mother.It was quite humbling when it didn’t happen nearly as easy as I had envisioned .It was grueling actually”

•OzzyBosco

Gwamma’s cr cryy for a new nation BY JULIET EBIRIM

new dawn has come for Nigerian gospel music with the awe- inspiring launch of Pastor Chris Delvan Gwamma’s ‘New Nation’ album. The event which took place recently at the prestigious Oriental Hotel, Lekki had in attendance many dignitaries from the Christian fold. Ministering in song also on that day was Lionel Peterson from South Africa and Cobhams Asuquo who also produced the album. The 11 track album is a well produced, confection of musical melodies recorded and mastered in Houston, Texas, USA and live studio recording with international instrumentalists like Joe Camey and Michael Hodge on guitar, David Davidson and the Nashville crew on strings. Songs like ‘The Greatest of them all’, ‘Bread of Life’, ‘The Lord is My Light’ and many others are musical masterpieces in the album. The album is the brainchild of Pastor Chris Delvan Gwamma, the General Overseer of a Kaduna-based church, New Life Assembly Church. While speaking at the event, Pastor Chris Delvan Gwamma revealed that the album was inspired by the challenges in the north. “This mission began because of the killings and carnage that has taken place around Nigeria, and more recently in some of the north-western states. It is imperative for us to encourage our people who have been affected by the insurgency that there will be peace and stability in our nation.

C M Y K

28—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21 , 2015

True st or stor oryy of Hanks Anuku’s HIV/AIDS pala palavver

opular gangster actor, Hanks Anuku is heartbroken at the moment. Like in a movie set, the actor is brooding over his wounds after news went viral online during the week, accusing him of testing positive to HIV/AIDS, and deliberately infecting his wife with the deadly virus. Anuku, who is hale and hearty has since refuted the report. His publicist, Bayo Adeoye while reacting to the report, described it as “ not only confusing but a total lie.” In an online chat with HVP, Bayo said “It is so sad the way our journalists are working. I wonder where the story came out from, and nobody bothered to seek for Hanks’ angle. I decided not to talk because the story is not only confusing but it’s senseless.” Bayo, however, confirmed that Hanks has been living in Ghana for the past four years, and is hale and hearty. The actor is said to be lamenting the bad light in which the news has put him and his immediate family members, most especially his wife and children. According to him, “ There is no iota of truth in that story! This is me, I am

fine and healthy.” Sources close to the actor, said he’s really devastated about the story that he slept with over 80 women in 2011, and deliberately inflected his beloved wife with the deadly HIV/ AIDS virus. He’s also wondering why anyone would sit down to cook up such a terrible story •Hanks Anuku when he has not offended anyone. News went viral online that the actor, who is now a born again Christian, was said to have revealed how he enjoyed life back in Zambia, sleeping with different women, and contracting the deadly HIV/AIDS virus which he later got his wife infected too. The news spread like a wildfire on the internet. But one wonders who could be demon that targeted at tarnishing Hanks’ hard earned name just for nothing.

Jeta Amata’s Dawn in the creeks enters 2nd season been totally eradicated, we can literally see a dawn of peace and hope on the horizon”. Continuing, he said, season 2 follows the 21

young men and women who had enrolled in the Nollywood Academy as they joggle their studies with their roles as peace ambassadors to their communities as well as leaders among their peers.

x-Nollywood actress, Caroline Danjuma, nee Ekanem has definitely thrown caution to the wind and now assumes the status of a social crusader. The growing tension and uncertainty that beclouded the political landscape of this country in recent times have left the actress with no choice than to call on Nigerians to vote wisely in the forthcoming elections. The beautiful mother of two cute boys, who remains one of Nollywood’s most prominent personalities took to her facebook page, to pour her heart out. She writes: “We need to move forward this time, not empty promises. Do not be deceived by the petty cash they give you to vote for them. If they love you that much, they would create a stress free life for you. Better education, more equipped hospitals with well trained doctors who are paid; security, employment, constant electricity, and your pensions will be accounted for, etc.Do not fall for their cheap antics of giving you money now, it means nothing to them...We need a president voted by the people, who is also for the people. Nigerians be wise. We need a better country for our growing kids, for our mothers and fathers who gave their all to elevate Nigeria and for yourself who works so hard everyday for a better future. When you vote put your future first. May the best man win. I will vote for the one who will bring discipline to Nigeria, one who will fight corruption without mercy... One who will keep to his words.. I am open to try someone else.. All I want is a good government.”

Mama G reacts to Most Influential Igbo Personalities list

•Jeta Amata

awn in the Creeks, DITC, the Jeta Amata-led initiative aimed at promoting peace in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria has kicked off its second season. At the official launch, Andre Henshaw said the second season would leverage on the awareness and excitement generated by its first season and would highlight the gains made so far and the challenges facing the project. “In our first season, we mobilized the youth of the area to become change agents in Niger Delta that was for too long perceived as a cauldron of degradation, restiveness and mayhem”, Henshaw noted. “And while these issues have not

Vote wisely, Caroline Danjuma tells Nigerians

• A m d ew eo •Patience Ozokwo

ollywood actress, Patience Ozokwo, popularly known as Mama G, has lauded the idea behind the book and platform, Most Influential Igbo Personalities,MIIP, authored by Ugochukwu Favour-Mayor. The veteran actress pointed out that the initiative will encourage the young people to conservatively live a life worthy of emulation, as the book will pose as a model for them to make the right choices. She made this known when the team of MIIP paid her a visit in her country home of Amaobo, Ngwo in Enugu state. MIIP which tends to celebrate Igbo icons described the Enugu Agbebiyi b o r n thespian as one of the

foremost accomplished actresses ever to be produced under the Africa’s continent, even as her name rings a bell beyond the shores of Nigeria. “As being one of the foremost actresses, and in appreciation to her utilization of talent positively, the Federal Government of Nigeria under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan deemed it fit to honour her with the National award honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR). “Hardwork and dedication always have a commensurate reward no matter how long it may take. That came to be when Mama G got recognized by President Goodluck for the prestigious centenary award. Indeed, she has worked tirelessly since becoming an actress and has garnered loyal support from all over the world,” MIIP noted.

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015 —29

‘Beauty pageant is about service to humanity, not showbiz’

Making a mo vie that movie speaks to Nigeria’s sociopolitical de devv. is m myy jo joyy —David Oyelowo

By CALEB AYANSINA

ollywood actress and reigning queen of Miss United Nations Pageant, Miss Precious Chikwendu, has said that beauty pageant has moved beyond wearing crown and cat-walking, but a means to impact positively on society. Chikwendu, who stated this at a press parley on the first edition of the Miss United Nations Nigerian Pageant (MUNNP), coming up 16 May, in Abuja, said the MUNNP contest was designed to audition, select and prepare the best among the Nigerian contestants. She is the Founder, Snowwhite Heart Foundation. Chikwendu said that the Nigerian version of the pageant would audition Nigerian ladies for the international pageant competition scheduled to hold in Kingston, Jamaica, later in

• Precious Chikwendu

the year. The reigning queen explained that the main focus of the pageant was the need to have volunteers who were ready to use beauty to add value to humanity, adding that she had several community projects both in Nigeria and abroad that qualified her for the crown. Chikwendu further said that

‘I’m being lured int o into politics’

the pageant would afford the contestants the opportunity to build relationships with women from all parts of the world, who were working diligently to leave an indelible footprint in their communities. “The United Nations Pageant is a pageant that focuses on volunteer work; each contestant must have a background in volunteer work for her community. She said the winner of the contest in Nigeria would represent the country with a view to winning the 2015 MUNP International title scheduled to hold in Kingston, Jamaica.

•Omotola

nlike most of her colleagues who have suddenly become puppets in the hands of politicians, top actress Omotola JaladeEkeinde is certainly not going to be forced to support any candidate seeking elective position in the land. The actress made her position known on the social media platform during the week. She argued that if they were trustworthy, they would not have to hustle for her support. “So much pressure on me to support them...you won’t have to hustle if you were trustworthy...I do that for free,” she tweeted.

ward-winning Nigerian-born British actor, David Oyelowo alongside his co-star, in the American film, “Selma”, Carmen Ejogo were excited to be in Nigeria penultimate Sunday,as the film premiered at the House On The Rock Cathedral, Lagos. The historical film directed by Ava DuVernay is about Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. and his campaign for black voting rights in 1965. The movie was premiered in Nigeria by the Rock Foundation in collaboration with the United States Mission in Nigeria to promote non-violence in the forthcoming elections. David Oyelowo who returned to London at 13 after days some of his childhood in Nigeria plays legendary AfricanAmerican civil rights leader Martin Luther King in the movie, while Carmen Ejogo plays the role of Coretta King, his wife. Both British actors are of Nigerian decent, both of David’s parents are Nigerian and Carmen’s father is Nigerian. Speaking before the premiere, Mr Oyelowo said he was excited to be in a place where he didn’t have a panic attack when someone was about to pronounce his name.”It is a thing of joy for him to make a movie that would speak to the need of the country’s social and political development. Nigeria is country of my birth and I spent seven years of my life here and we all must contribute our quota towards its development and peaceful co-existence of the people living therein,” he added.

Da er Eliogu sang Dayy Jennif Jennifer for Ambode at Nit eshif Niteshif eshiftt

• Jennifer Eliogu

t was a night filled with fun, and clinking of glasses when actressturned-singer, Jennifer Eliogu thrilled the audience that gathered at popular Niteshift Coliseum, in Ikeja, recently with her refreshing songs and dance steps. The event was a Grand House Reception in honour of All Progressives Congress,APC, governorship candidate in L agos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode. The premier hangout has earlier hosted his PDP counterpart, Mr. Jimi Agbaje in the same manner. It was a gathering of the political

bigwigs. The founder of the hangout, KenCaleb Olumese popularly known as The Guv’nor who compered the event was all smile as he ushered Mr. Ambode to the hot seat, where he shared his thoughts and plans for the Centre of Excellence with the distinguished members and patrons of the club. “My wife already knows who I am voting for. I want to officially welcome the next governor of Lagos State into the coliseum. It is on record that we hosted the PDP candidate, Jimi Agbaje last week. It is in the papers but on the day of the election, I know who my governor is. The Niteshift Coliseum has hosted past governors of Lagos State. We hosted Tinubu. Fashola was given the singular honour of being hosted twice’, Olumese began. Ambode was presented a plaque on behalf of the Coliseum , bringing to an end growing speculations and controversies that had greeted Olumese’s decision to host both the PDP and APC governorship candidates at the Niteshift Coliseum.

30—SATURDAY

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Tooth decay and the sugar connection Lifeline:

he sweetness of sugar is an obsession. Excessive consumption of refined sugar, a.k.a. the world’s most exotic spice, or “ white gold” is indeed the No.1 cause of dental decay. Growing consumption of sugar is significantly increasing the incidence of dental caries, tooth decay and cavities.

There is a raging epidemic of dental cavities and caries. Experts say it is a social epidemic spreading through urbanization. Already, no less than five billion people (nearly 80 percent of the world’s population) suffer from tooth decay. Worldwide, 60– 90 percent of school children and nearly all adults have dental cavities. Dental decay is now the most common chronic disease on the planet —yet it is preventable. Other concerns such as Early Childhood Caries, ECC, are on the rise amongst very young children. Cavities are formed when plaque bacteria persistently remain in hard to reach places on our teeth between brushings. These bacteria convert the sugar and carbohydrates in the foods we eat and the beverages we drink into acids. These acids dissolve minerals from the sub-surface layer of the tooth, damaging the enamel, which, without proper care, can lead to cavities. Repeated studies have confirmed that sugar causes dental caries which in turn causes tooth decay and cavities. Dr. A. Sheiham, a Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health,notes that sugar,in the form of sucrose, is the most important dietary cause of dental caries. Both the frequency of consumption and the total amount of sugar are important factors that cause caries. The evidence establishing sugars as a cause of dental caries is indeed overwhelming, with the foundation in the multiplicity of studies rather than the power of any one. The rule of the thumb is that sugar is bad for our teeth. Sheiham notes: “The intake of sugar beyond four

times a day leads to an increased risk of dental caries. Sugars above 60 grams per person per day increase the rate of dental caries. He concludes that the main strategy to further reduce the levels of dental caries is to reduce the frequency of sugars in the diet. A study by Newcastle University researchers into the effects of sugar on oral health recommends cutting down on sugar as part of a global initiative to reduce tooth decay. Since 1990 the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that intake of “free sugars” should be less than 10 percent of total energy (calorie) intake. The study, published in the Journal of Dental Research recognises that when less than 10 percent of total calories in the diet are made up of free sugars there are much lower levels of tooth decay. Professor Moynihan, Professor of Nutrition and Oral Health at Newcastle University said pof the problem is that sugary foods and drinks are now staples in many people’s diet in industrialised and even nonindustrialised countries, whereas once they were an occasional treat for a birthday or Christmas. We need to reverse this trend.” In a study of over 6,000 14year-olds to examine the association between the consumption of different drinks and dental caries, it was concluded that consumption of sugary and carbonated drinks was associated with significantly higher levels of dental caries. Drinking unsweetened tea was associated with lower levels of caries. As we age, our teeth often become weak from a lifetime of sugar damage, calcium depletion and wear. Dental bills stack up. Painful cavities can be ignored and grow worse. The best way to keep from causing all this unnecessary damage is to remove excess sugar from the diet and focus your meals on nutrient-rich foods. Experts warn that caries compromises not only oral health, but overall health, development and quality of life, both in the short run and in the long term. Caries also makes one more vulnerable

•The Toothpaste and good dental brush can check tooth decay...

to various infections in other parts of the body, such as ears, sinuses and the brain. Among problems caused by poor dental health include death from infection and increased risk of other serious medical conditions, pain and its known costs, and poor general health from childhood into adulthood. Common causes of a rise in the cavity epidemic include unhealthy diet, lack of understanding about the caries continuum, and lack of action from relevant parties (government, parents). Others are lack of access to proper dental care facilities, poor oral hygiene routines and lack of or irregular visits to the dentist. It is now known that untreated cavities can lead to death. Examples abound. A 12year-old Deamonte driver died after bacteria from an abscessed tooth travelled to his brain. Also, 24-year-old Kyle Willis died after an infection from an infected wisdom tooth spread to his brain, just as 31year-old John Schneider died after an infected tooth lead to blood infection and all his organs started shutting down. In recognition of this

challenge, Colgate, a renowned toothpaste manufacturer and oral care company, introduced the Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection Plus Sugar Acid Neutraliser Toothpaste. Utilising the Pro-Argin technology—a combination of arginine (an amino acid commonly found in proteins in foods and naturally found in the human body) with an insoluble calcium compound, the technology helps to prevent cavities. A dentist explained that the Sugar Acid Neutraliser technology actually works biologically by targeting the primary cause of caries—plaque biofilm—to reduce the effects of acids produced from sugars before they can harm the teeth. He said the fluoride works by strengthening teeth and decreasing demineralization by acids, while the Sugar Acid Neutraliser technology works to create a healthy environment for the teeth by increasing the plaque pH and further preventing demineralization and

promoting remineralization of the teeth. Together, they help arrest and reverse the caries process by decreasing demineralization and increasing remineralisation much more effectively than fluoride alone and all these result in less cavity formation than fluoride alone. The new toothpaste treats the cause of caries by targeting acid produced from sugars by bacteria in plaque, in addition to providing the conventional benefits of fluoride. With regular twice daily use, the formula works to neutralize harmful acids that are formed by bacteria from sugar, to reduce early caries while also

strengthening and restoring enamel to help prevent cavity formation.

SATURDAY

Lifestyle:

When should a man use a condom?

he male condom, or “rubber,” is a thin covering made of latex, plastic, or animal membrane that is rolled over an erect male sex organ. The covering prevents semen, the fluid that contains sperm, from escaping. A man should wear a condom any time he has wants to have intercourse but wants to avoid pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection. A condom should always be worn, even if there is the slightest risk that either person has a sexually transmitted infection. Men frequently become infected with sexually transmitted infections during sex, so a condom should be worn to prevent it. The condom should be put on before there is any contact and should be removed and thrown away promptly after the man has ejaculated. When buying a condom Condoms come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. Consider all these characteristics when buying condoms. Look out for the size. The standard size will fit most men. Extra-large condoms are •Modern condom available, as well as “snug” sizes that are a little smaller and fit tighter than the standard size. Some condoms come with a nipple in the end to hold the fluid when the man ejaculates. Others have a rounded end. Thickness matters too.Extra-strength and extra thin condoms also are available. Many condoms come pre-lubricated. This lubrication can be a spermicide and may give some extra protection in preventing pregnancy, especially if the condom breaks. How the condom is used Take caution when opening the wrapper to avoid tearing the condom with your teeth, fingernails, or rings. Gently pinch built-in nipple, leave about 1/2-inch of the condom the air out of the tip of the condom before free at the tip so that semen has a place to collect. putting it on. The condom is rolled over A new condom must be used each time for sex the erect penis before sexual activity and the condom must be in place before any body begins. If the condom does not have a

studies show that the use of condoms containing spermicides offers no additional protection and may actually increase the risk of HIV and other STIs by irritating the sex organs. Spermicidal products do, however, remain useful for pregnancy prevention.

contact. Only water-based lubricants must be used such as K-Y Jelly. Oil-based lubricants, such as Vaseline, massage oils, and body lotions can cause condoms to leak or break. Certain vaginal medications used to treat yeast infections can also weaken condoms. How effective is the condom? Condoms are rated 97 percent effective. Factors such as storage and handling determine the effectiveness. Initially it was felt that condoms lubricated with spermicidal agents offered more protection against infections. Newer

SEXUAL ISSUES & SOLUTIONS EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW FORMS OF SEXUAL PLAY II

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—31

N continuation from last week’s introduction into trying out new sexual play, we want to start by highlighting the category one after the other. If you think you want to try something new, we recommend the following activities, all of which are great for beginners and can be escalated into more serious play as your comfort level grows. 1 ) Oral Sex - While some people might guffaw at seeing oral sex as an item of alternative sexual practices, stop and think about it for a moment. Some people are very conservative in their sexual play, only enjoying intercourse and kissing. If you fall into this latter category, please, don’t feel uncomfortable! You aren’t alone. First things first: If you’re not with a monogamous partner, be safe and use a condom. Granted, oral sex is easier to give and enjoy without the condom, but you absolutely have to put your own health first. Don’t like the taste? Not a problem. Experiment with some of the flavored condoms and some oral desensitizing spray and some good flavored edible lubricants for oral sex on the market — that’s what they’re there for! And applying water-based lube to the penis before you put on the condom will greatly increase his pleasure. Hi, Im a 55 year old man with diabetis and very weak erection, but one of my friend got me the Ganoderma tea with Prosolution and I can confidently say that I now have very strong erection that carries me for more than one round if I want and my blood sugar is now reducing and stabilising very well, can I have more of the tea?Biola Hello sir, The Ganoderma tea is very good in stabilising the blood sugar, upgrade sleep quality and strenghtens the vitality of the white blood cell to kill cancer cells and protect the liver. Prosolution is an amazing herbal supplement that gives very hard erection on demand, corrects weak erection and also handles premature ejaculation and you are welcome any time to get the Ganoderma tea. I got to know about your products from the dailies and I have been following your article for a while now, and I must commend your efforts. I need about three different product of yours that can give me erection of demand, I want to buy the three ,so I can

choose; cos im suffering from very weak erection and I have tried so many supplements all to no avail; I want to give your products a trial – Obi Hello sir, I’ll advise you take any of the following; Vimax, Prosolution, Xzen 1200, or Stiffnite. Any of the abovenamed supplement will give strong erection on demand with no side effect as they herbal supplements. Im a man in my mid-forties, I have a very big potbelly with serious erection problems. My wife is always complaining that I don’t satisfy her due to my big tummy. Please kindly assist me in all ways you can cos im suffering in silence –Chuks Chuks, you have nothing to worry about. I know it can really be annoying that you cant satisfy your wife, but you should even be lucky she’s saying it out unlike most women. I’d advise you work on your big tummy with the pot-bellied tea that helps eliminitaes fat especially in the abdominal region and it effectively helos to loose weight. You need to take the Pot-bellied tea with either Vimax, rhino 7 or Prosolution to get an effective result, im sure if you loose some fat in that region, you can automatically perform better,cos fat at times hinder a good sexual performance from men. Thank you so much Viewden, I got the Germany sex drops with an arousal gel from you sometimes back and it worked like magic. Anytime my husband wants me, I just take these two products and the next 20 minutes im feeling horny and in the mood for my husband. I need some products to help me out in oral sex;just want to do something different for my husband, what can you recommend – Ella Hello Ella, good to know Germany sex drops and the arousal gel was able to ostimulate and arouse you. You can get the Chocolate body topping, which you can soread on any part of your man and lick it off, so also is the Deep throat oral spray and Oralicious gel, dickalicious gel, you can also get the Adam& Eve holiday kit to have a splendid time with your man. These are all we can take for this week. Adults who needs these aphrodisiacs can call 08034666358, 07059294782 or place your order at www.viewden.com. For further enquiries,send an email to us at: vieweden@yahoo.com, viewden@ymail.com. Kemi Fawole (MD Viewden)

When a condom breaks There are several reasons why a condom would break. If a condom is too old, it will break. Modern condom wrappers have a date after which the condom should not be used. Improper storage is another reason a condom may break. Heat damages latex condoms, so they should not be kept in a hot place, such as a car glove compartment or wallet. Lack of lubrication is also a risk. Additional lubrication is always needed for rectal sex. It may also be needed for vaginal sex. The lubricant should be water-soluble, such as KY jelly. Lubricants that contain oil—such as Vaseline, baby oils, and vegetable oils — should not be used with latex condoms since they weaken the rubber. If the condom is small it will break. Try a larger size. Extra strength condoms and more lubricant prevent breakage.

32— SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015 How has your career been so far? t has been awesome so far. So good, I am enjoying it.

When did you get into Nollywood? Long ago. I actually started acting on stage in my church. Before I got into the university I used to go out a lot, and was presenting at various stage plays. Even when I got into University, I continued my stage acting and later veered into modelling. As a model, I did a couple of stuffs for First Weekly magazine and some other magazines but it was at First Weekly magazine that I met Kanbi Owolabi who introduced me to some people in the acting business. From there I started with Funke Akindele’s Awa Okunrin movie and then Supermom. Along the line I met Uncle Yomi Fash Lanso who also helped me a lot. Sometimes, I just followed him to locations to play and just watch what they were doing and to learn.

What a bathr career — Y

Have you done any movies this year? I have my own movie coming out soon called Asiyan with Odunlade Adekola, Madam Saje, Afeez Eniola and some other people

etunde Bakare, without doubts, is one of the actresses to watch out for in the Yoruba movie industry. With movies like Ajobi, Alani Baba Labake, Omo Olodo, Awa Okunrin, Awolu Goes to School, Amisu to name a few, the voluptuous ebony signed her way into the big league and she has since remained the screen darling of many Yoruba film lovers . She is a versatile actress and movie producer who also stars in English movies thus making herself a well known star in the industry. She spoke with us.

What movies have you done recently? I produced a movie last year called Ajobi, it was was released around August and some other movies like Alani Baba Labake, Iyawo Teacher, Sunday Gboku Gboku, Omo Olodo, Amisu, and The Circle Have you faced any challenges so far? Yes, I have I have, producing is not easy. Sometimes you spend a lot of money and you don’t get to recoup the money you spent. It is really disheartening after going through the stress, cracking your brain, not being able to sleep all night and still, you don’t make your money back. It happens a lot. That is just the biggest. Has anyone ever told you to date him for a role? Yes, a lot. I can’t give you names but there have been so many issues like that. There was one that was so serious that we had to fight. It got to a stage that he started sending me messages on my Facebook, abusing me and all sorts and he is a star for that matter; a very popular actor Which role has been your most challenging role in a movie? My recent movie Asiyan because I had to cry a lot. It is not easy to cry. At a point I was requesting for Paracetamol because I had a serious headache. You crying without someone hurting you is really serious. You have to make it look real and it’s not easy. Have you ever done a sex scene in a movie before? I’ve not done anything like sex but I’ve kissed and I’ve done bed scenes Has anyone ever touched your boobs or your bum in a movie? No, but I’ve kissed for real. Even touching my boobs is no big deal because we know we are working and your mind is more on what you’re doing than thinking about something else. It’s just part of the job, there is no attachment. Have you ever fantasised about having sex with any actor? Like how I wish? That would be Will Smith because I just like his height and cool face. I like my man to be built along the same lines. C M Y K

Where you really naked? No, I wasn’t. I really loved that part. It was very funny and that part really helped me a lot because I got a lot of calls and lots of contacts. Most people are still convinced I was naked for real in that movie.

•Yetunde Bakare

How do you view sex generally? Sex is a normal thing that happens between a lady and a guy, it is just a way of expressing your emotional self. When you have sex you have a lot of fun, exercise and stuffs and you will be relieved of some things. It is a very good moment because you worry less and you just want to have that fun when you’re doing it. You want to reach the climax What has been your most memorable moment so far? That should be when I did Alani Baba Labake even before I produced my own movie. I acted as Lanko‘s daughter and he happens to be the Landlord of Baba Suwe. Along the way, there was a particular scene that really got me thrilled, it was a bathroom scene. I was in the bathroom and Baba Suwe’s son was peeping and my daddy caught him

in the action. It was something very funny because everyone thought he was actually looking at my nakedness. Each time they show it on African Magic, many people call, wanting to know if I was actually naked. There is even a joke about it, that goes like this “Won ri run mi ooo”, meaning they have seen my pubic hair. But ask yourself: is it possible for me to be naked for real? That kind of hair is too expensive to see.

I was in the bathroom and Baba Suwe’s son was peeping and my daddy caught him in the action. It was something very funny because everyone thought he was actually looking at my nakedness

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015 — 33

room scene did to my — Yetunde Bakare What would you see in a movie that you would say this movie is interesting? If a movie is going to be emotional, let it be emotional 100%. At that moment you will have my attention. If it’s going to be tragedy, let it be 100% tragedy. If you want to make it a crime, let it be 100%. If it’s going to be romantic let it be 100% romantic; don’t tell them “you can’t kiss me, you can’t smooch me, you can’t touch my boobs”, make it real and give it your very best, that is acting How would you describe yourself? Yetunde is a very lively person that loves having fun and meeting people. I like travelling a lot, dancing, swimming, drinking to ease myself of some certain stress. Yetunde is a very interesting person to be with off set

I can’t really say, I did one yesterday Like how much did you spend? Yesterday, I spent about N200, 000 plus Where do you shop? I love Indigo at Ikeja and I have a friend that travels to UK and whenever she has good stuff, she brings it to my house and I buy it from her. Sometimes, when I travel to Dubai, I buy my stuffs and I come back home Who is your role model in acting? My role model would be Angelina Jolie. I love her. I just like her person; she’s just unique in her own way What more should people expect from you? They should expect the very best and my latest movie coming out very soon.

•Yetunde Bakare

Can you go nude in a movie? I can wear a bikini, I can wear a nightwear but I can’t go nude. If I want to be a stripper, I can do that, I can wear a stripper’s wear but I can’t go 100% nude like boobs and everything out Has anyone ever embarrassed you over your boobs? Yes o, it was really embarrassing. The person was actually greeting me and we greeted each other . But he insisted he was greeting me that I had not greeted him, next thing he did was to grab my boobs. It was embarrassing and I felt really bad because as a woman, I don’t really like that kind of thing. It happened at Rumours Club. I let it ride because I felt the guy must have been drunk or something to do that. Who do you look forward to working with? Mercy Johnson and Funke Akindele again Which one is your biggest English movie? And very challenging? I would tell you Supermom because I had to act like one old woman. The set was very lively, it was Wale Adebayo that directed it and it was very interesting but challenging You said you love shopping, like how much can you spend in one shopping spree? C M Y K

34—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Keeping Ebola Away I

t’s been barely six months since Nigeria was declared Ebolafree by the World Health Organization (WHO) and we all heaved a sigh of relief. But while we rest easy, it’s all too easy to rest on our oars and forget that the once dreaded disease, while being eliminated in Nigeria, is still very much around in other West African countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone; and in other parts of the world. If you’re a woman, then the onus of keeping the family safe and healthy falls on you. Here are a few tips: 1) Keep Conscious Keep every member of the family in tune with the hygiene mantra. Encourage children to keep hands off railings, particularly in public places.

2) Report Continue to report any high fevers to the doctor as soon as possible. Try as much as possible to keep visibly ill persons from your home, including domestic staff 3) Activism Get the PTA to continue to provide soap and water at the school gate. Get other mothers to join this campaign 4) Hygiene Disinfect your entire home regularly. Get everyone to change shoes at the door. Keep hand sanitizers in strategic places. Change to soaps with disinfectant rather than just soap. 5) Nutrition, Nutrition, Nutrition You are what you eat, and this is even more so with building and keeping solid immune systems with your family. It’s up to you not only to provide a balanced diet rich in fruits and veggies, but to make sure your family consumes it.

Woman teaching kids to wash hands

Why women live longer than men BY JOSEPHINE AGBONKHESE

owering roles imposed on women by society, as well as traditionally-defined roles, almost make being male more enviable than being female. Yet, the same woman who works twice as

Women share worries

hard as the man is said to have a longer life span. In this edition, we take a look at some reasons women live longer than men. Women are tougher Women are biologically and sociologically at an advantage from the time they’re conceived to the time they die.

Researchers also say females are tougher right from the uterus. Two and a half as many boys are conceived as girls, but they’re so much more likely to succumb to prenatal infection or other issues in the womb that by the time they’re born, the ratio is close to one to one.

They’re also slower to develop physically than girls prenatally, which means they’re more likely to die if born premature due to underdeveloped lung or brain development. Women succumb to heart disease later Heart disease is the leading killer of both men and women, but men are more likely to develop it— and die from it—as early as their 30s and 40s. Women, on the other hand, typically develop heart disease 10 years later than men. They’re protected from it until menopause, since their bodies churn out estrogen, which helps keep arteries strong and flexible. Women take calculated risks Unintentional injuries are the third leading cause of death in men, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. Again, you can blame

it on biology: the frontal lobes of the brain—which deal with responsibility and risk calculation—develop much more slowly in males than females, experts say. Women share worries Except for married men, most men tend to hold their stress and worries close to their chest, while women tend to reach out and talk to others. People who share their worries are 50% more likely to live longer. Women take better care of their health Men are 24% less likely than women to have visited a doctor within the past year and are 22% more likely to skip out on cholesterol testing, experts say. This is generally because men often deny illness; they minimize symptoms because they don’t want to go to a doctor and find out something is wrong.

SATURDAY

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—35

In most cases, you cannot sleep at home and even when you do, you leave home as early as possible because most times, these insurgents take you unaware

Gory tales from a native of Chibok:

Kidnapped chibok girls

‘My fiancee was taken away by Boko Haram’ BY ANINO AGANBI

ere mention of the name ‘Chibok’ these days resurrects sad memories of the over 200 kidnapped girls who still can’t return home. Today Woman to Woman brings you straight-from-the-heart tales from a native of Chibok, Borno State, who spoke with us in Lagos on anonymity. He tells of his escape from Chibok and why he will not accept his fiancee who happens to be in Boko Haram’s custody, if she ever gets released. ‘Chibok used to be a town were people would gladly live because of its serenity. Presently, it has become a ghost of its former self. Many are abandoning Chibok for Borno and other neighbouring towns as a result of the unrest in the town. It was a very good town. The money you would get with difficulty in other states was gotten with ease back then. Most of the products sold there were planted and harvested by indigenes. Now, the economy of the region has diminished drastically. The kidnapping of the girls and even boys in the town has really caused most people to flee the town.

Kidnapped fiancee

The lady I was to get married to was also among the girls kidnapped from Chibok. I am making arrangements to get married to someone else. My exfiancee and I were together for three years. It wasn’t a relationship arranged by my family. I saw her, liked her and decided to make her my wife. It was at that point I got my family and hers involved. But after so many months of despair following her kidnap, I decided to look for someone else to get married to.

Why I can’t accept her

I really do not know if she would ever be released or when it will be but if she is released, I won’t go back to her because I do not know what she would have gone through while with Boko Haram. Anything could have happened to her. Other people might be able to take her back, though. A member of my family happens to be one of the victims too.

Mobile network in Chibok

The people of Chibok can barely communicate with people in other places because there is hardly network there. If there was

Life in Chibok network, people would have been able to communicate with their friends and family to be sure of their safety. But because the telecommunication cables were cut by these insurgents people hardly get informed about imminent attack.

Living in perpetual fear

A lot of people have abandoned their farm lands. People are not only scared of going to the market for fear of being killed but also of sleeping at home. In most cases, you cannot sleep at home and even when you do, you leave home as early as possible because most times, these insurgents take you unaware. They could strike in the evening or morning. People still go to the market, although in fear

and of course they do not stay in them for long to buy or sell wares.

Security in Chibok

They say there are a lot of soldiers in Chibok but I haven’t seen them in real action. In the midst of the battle, some of the army officials would even run to preserve their lives. I believe the army can fight and overpower Boko Haram. A lot of places are being bombed and you would discover that these days, it is women who are used to commit these atrocities. I have witnessed people being massacred but I thank God I was able to escape.

Thoughts on Boko Haram

Nobody really knows what the motive behind Boko Haram is. Everyone has a right to education but because of them, schools have been shut down.You cannot send your children to school for fear of

them being killed or kidnapped. We do not know if all of this is political. We have always heard of insurgents in other countries but not in Nigeria. But now it has become the norm. There has been no concrete plan towards releasing those Chibok girls that are being held captive.

Call to government

The government needs to deploy more troops to Chibok and its environ to help people feel secured. More should be done for the release of the girls who were taken. Communication networks should also be restored.’

36â&#x20AC;&#x201D;SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Zalima Couture

Lavender by Ini

Mbana House of Styles

Trendy Johnson

Emzee Clothing

Zalima Couture

Zlima Grazioni

Lavender by Ini

Trendy Johnson

T C M Y K

a ar d We ek sta rte d on he Uy o Fa sh ion Fo rw th wi 15 20 y, ar nu Ja 25 th hig h no te on Fr ida y al wi nn in g th e Ka rd yn s am lli Wi na tia Ch ris y Da st. nte De sig ne rs Co Sty le Se lec tio n Yo un g by ns sig de lar acu ed spect two of the event featur a zee Clothings and Mban En , son hn Jo y nd Tre , ion a sh th Fa wi em se Ke hion week came to a clo d an z sig House of Styles. The fas Ba i, ces by Zhalima Grazion of n pa Ak showcase of statement pie k ua Ud sories Designers Lavender by Ini. Acces rche Pearls ts and Glory Udom of Da e. ep nc Co ks oo Br re asu Tre dienc welry to a delighted au also showcased their Je d produced by an d ne ow is ek We ard The Uyo Fashion Forw three shows All . nz nal Kommunikatio Uyo Akwa Ubong Ekanem of Kardy e, tat Es ing use, Ewet Hous Ho a om Ar at ld he re we Ibom State.

Keem Fashion

SATURDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—37

‘

The players who are the main actors must be paid and that is the idea behind the performance guarantee

‘

BY JUDE OPARA, ABUJA

t was a moment of high hopes as the Nigeria League Management Company (LMC) organized the 2014/15 Glo sponsored Nigeria Professional Premier League draws at the prestigious Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The event which attracted the who is who in Nigerian league started by 7.30 pm. Banters here and there. Old friends were meeting again. It was conviviality galore. Some ex-internationals who graced the local league before sojourning abroad were on hand to add to the glamour of the night. Former Eagles safe hands, Peter Rufai fondly ‘DodoMayana’ led the pack which also had former striker, Daniel ‘de Bull’ Amokachi, Victor Ikpeba (The Prince of Monaco), Dominic Iorfa as well as former Heartland FC goalkeeper, Gbenga Moses. Notable sports administrators including the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, the Director of Elite Sports in the commission, Yakmut Alhassan, former secretary general of the Nigeria Football Association, Fanny Amun as well as Chief Felix Ayansi- Agwu who represented the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick were present at the draws. But beyond the numerous adverts of Glo, the official sponsors of the league, there were some acrobatic dancers who thrilled the audience with their near heart-rending performances which forced the master of ceremony to warn that nobody should try such at home. When the draws began, it was no less exciting as the opening matches of the season in the weekend of March 7 and 8, 2015 were revealed. Top of the bill is the opener between defending champions, Kano Pillars who will travel to Owerri to confront, old foes, Heartland FC at the Dan Anyiam Stadium. That match was instantly tagged the star match of the week. In the fixtures of the week, current Federations Cup holders, Enyimba International of Aba will welcome Akwa Utd while Bayelsa Utd will play hosts to Lobi tars of Makurdi. Last season’s survivors, FC Taraba will be at home to Rangers International of Enugu while Sunshine Stars of Akure will be in Port Harcourt to keep a date with Sharks FC. Also El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri who now play their home games in Kano will attempt to ambush returnees, Nasarrawa Utd just as another new comer; Gabros FC of Nnewi will be at C M Y K

•Nigerian league players in action

LMC thrills with 2014/2015 league draws •Set for no pay, no play rule

home against Confederations Cup hopefuls, Warri Wolves. Giwa FC of Jos and Abia Warriors will slug it out at the Ram Pam Stadium in another fixture that promises to be top clincher just as Dolphins of Port Harcourt and another returnee, Kwara Utd will try each other for size. It will equally be a battle of wits as two newly promoted sides, Wikki Tourists of Bauchi and Shooting Stars of Ibadan will begin the fight for survival in the elite season when they clash in Bauchi. In a related development, it could be said that the good times are here again for the local season if the comments of moist of the administrators who spoke to Sports Vanguard on the night were anything to go by. They were all united in their resolve to make sure that the players and their coaches who are the main actors were adequately taken care of. For the chairman of the LMC, Hon. Nduka Irabor there will be a renewed effort to get the fans back to the stadia. He added that the minimum wage of a N150,000 monthly salary per player will be enforced just as he insisted that clubs who are still owing their

players outstanding wages must pay up or risk being thrown out of the league. “There will be a policy of no pay, no play. If you don’t pay your players, you won’t be registered to play, even if you manage to play, you will be playing in futility because you will lose your points. Nobody can owe players for more than 60 days. If you don’t pay them you lose three points and if it goes further to 90 days, you lose more points” Irabor stated. Speaking in the same vein, the chief operating officer of the LMC, Salihu Abubakar said the league managers introduced the issue of Performance Guarantee for the clubs to serve as a shockabsorber for the clubs. “The idea behind the performance guarantee is for us to have a guarantee from you or your sponsors that if you fail to meet up with your financial requirements we can use that guarantee to pay your players or settle your other debts so that you can continue to play your league matches. The players who are the main actors must be paid and that is the idea behind the performance guarantee”. In some goodwill messages, all

the stakeholders pledged their continued support for the league. The Director General of the NSC, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye in his own message tasked the LMC to continue in their quest to truly develop the domestic league. He gave them thumbs up for what he termed the transformation of the league to a level where teams now go away and record victories which he added has a multiplier effect of having quality players from the league who are now part of the senior national team. “I know that in some years back it was not as good as it is today. Now we have teams winning matches away, some quality players are now joining the Super Eagles from the domestic league. On our own we will continue to give you all the support. I also want to thank your sponsors for realizing that government cannot develop the game alone, please keep it up” Elegbeleye added. NFF president, Amaju Pinnick who was represented by Felix Ayansi-Agwu commended the LMC for the ability to organize the league so far. He assured that the federation will continue to assist the body in the development of the game by

formulating quality policies that will enhance the development of the domestic league. The Regional Director (Marketing) Glo, Achuta kuti said his organization will continue to support Nigerian football. He also expressed his hope that very soon a larger number of Super Eagles players will be chosen from the domestic league. For Felix Awogu, Director Super Sports West Africa, his organization knowing that Nigerians always wanting something to celebrate will continue to bring clear pictures of the nation’s sporting events including the league matches. He however called on other corporate bodies to assist the country in the development of football. All said and done it is yet to be seen if the pledges and promises made on the night were not mere promises which were inspired by the glare of television cameras. We sincerely hope that the administrators will live up to their billing by implementing all what they have promised for the development of the Nigerian domestic league.

38 — SATURDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 21, 2015 BY JOHN EGBOKHAN

e has a portrait of himself and current world number one, Novak Djokovic hanging somewhere in his living room. The smile on the face of the current Australian Open champion was unmistakable. But the picture is not a recent one. The man who appears in the image alongside the Slovak champion is unarguably one of the most enduring personalities of Nigerian tennis. Welcome to the world of Godwin Kienka, a former player, a journalist, tennis umpire, coach and now promoter and developer of the game of tennis in Nigeria. In his formative years as a player, Kienka was once rated as the most improved tennis player in the country. That was in the days of Nduka Odizor, David Imonite, Tony Mmoh, Sadiq Abdullahi, Johyn Atiomo, Romanus Nwazu, Remi Osho etc. The period referred to was the golden era of Nigerian tennis.

The period that Nigeria hosted $75, 000 tournaments at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club. Yes, that was in the days that Nigeria was the hub of tennis in Africa, when the country had up to 14 players ranking reasonably well in the world. Of course, the same period that Odizor got as far as the fourth round of the Wimbledon Open. It was around the same time that Kienka was once rated the most improved tennis player of the year. There were many local tournaments that kept the purses of the players so healthy that they lived well on them. The ATP Challenger series were huge boosters. The same Kienka later became a tennis umpire, officiating at the Grand Slam level, later a journalist, covering Grand Slams events, before joining the coaching line, churning out great tennis players like Clara Udofia and later as a promoter of the game, organizing tournaments under the International Tennis Academy banner, which is still blazing strong many years on. It will surprise you to know that he started out as a footballer and would have gone on to become a top professional player but for a series of events that made him divert to tennis. Djokovic is the biggest sensation in tennis right now. But he first met him when he was yet to hit the limelight. Recalling his meeting with Djokovic, Kienka told Saturday Vanguard Sports that he knew intuitively that the Slovak was bound for the top sooner than later. “If you are passionate for the game and keep up to the date with the trend, it would not be difficult for you to spot a talent from a distance. When I saw him, I just knew then that he was going to be the biggest player soon. When I went to cover tennis C M Y K

• Godwin Kienka at a tournament event with Venus Williams

• Godwin Kienka Publisher/Editor-in-chief of the Tennis Africa Magazine presenting a copy to Mayor David Dinkins (ex mayor of New York) and Richard Williams father of the Williams sisters.

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It will surprise you to know that he started out as a footballer and would have gone on to become a top professional player but for a series of events that made him divert to tennis

Nigeria Tennis Federations. Recalling how he first got to know Udofia, Kienka said that “I think she was around 12 years old, when she came to Lagos for a junior tournament and lost in the second round. I sat and saw her hit two good shots before her defeat. I was very impressed with the performance of this girl, who came from Calabar, without a coach and was still able to hit those shots and I thought of the many good shots that she could hit with proper training and guidance.

tournaments abroad, I didn’t just go to watch the matches and attend press conferences. “For me, the attraction when covering such assignments was the practice courts to see what the players were doing before their matches. Seeing the players on the court gives me an idea of how they will play and helps me to understand the processes that they undergo before the main thing”, Kienka added. It is this same sixth sense that made him to first discover Clara Udofia, a player who would have gone on to become the biggest female tennis player to come out of Africa if the plan he had then was not disrupted by some overbearing officials of the

“I immediately spoke to her after the game and later contacted the parents to allow her stay back at the International Tennis Academy for some coaching and the father, who was then a lecturer at the Polytechnic in Calabar, came down to see our place and was impressed and allowed her to stay. “In less than three weeks, Clara Udofia was hitting unbelievable shots and after the training ended, I had to beg the father to please allow her remain with us, with a pledge to make her a champion, which I was able to do as she became a national champion in 1992, beating other senior players of note then”, Kienka recalled. But when queried on what became of the Udofia’s dream, Kienka, pausing to catch his breathe again, said that “we had a great plan for Udofia because if she broke through as Odizor did, we would use her success to fast-track the growth of other tennis players in the country. “We were well on course to achieving it as many top Nigerians like Alhaji Yusuf Ali of the then Unipetrol was deeply involved in the

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• Godwin Kienka as an accredited journalist at the French Open

TENNIS: kien kie standing, re r killed the Cla

• Siixth sense! Kienka monitoring Djokovic at an event well before he became No.1

project. It was not only tennis that we were using to drive the project but also academics. |She made four As in her WAEC, so we were making progress on all fronts. She worked hard and during his visit to the academy, Alhaji Ali saw her in

training and was impressed. “Even though he was the Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association, Alhaji Ali was a true tennis fan and supporter of the game. He was ready to take her to the international circuits and there were other companies who were

SATURDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—39

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• First black African to be certified as an international tennis official (bronze badge) Kienka with top ATP Umpire Carlos Bernadis from Brazil at an event.

I am yet to see a Nigerian, who is committed to sports development, especially tennis like Kienka, who played the game, coached it, was a journalist who reported it at Grand Slam level, umpired it to the Grand Slam height, and is now promoting and developing it by organising tournaments

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• Godwin Kienka covering the US Open

nka, the last man ecalls how they ara Udofa dream also aligned to the success of Udofia”, added Kienka. Without an international ranking point, it was not going to be easy to get Udofia up and running as she needed to qualify to play in the main draw of the circuit tourneys at least three times to get a ranking point. With the odds stacked against them, Kienka, an ITF certified coach, got Udofia to break into the world top 600 in the first year of her attempts in international tennis. “We moved her from ground zero to top 600 in the first year and were quite surprised and impressed with her development. In the second year, the target was to get her to into the top 50 because at the rate she was going, she was becoming phenomenal. “I remember that we went to Zimbabwe for a tournament, where she got to the semifinal and was on the back page of the Nation newspaper, with the editor then writing that she was going to be the next amazon of women tennis. “But just as we made plans to consolidate on her efforts, we encountered a lot of interferences from the Nigeria Tennis Federation who told her parents that they had a better

plan for their daughter and that they should withdraw her from our academy. The father pulled her out and they also told Alhaji Ali to start dealing with the NTF. But instead of dealing with them, he pulled out when it became clear that they had taken the poor girl away from our academy. “But three months after they took her away from us, the poor girl went back to ground zero”, Kienka said somberly. He continued thus: ‘we have learnt our lessons from it, not to give up when people are trying to push one aside. It’s not how much noise you make but the substance that matters. Her father has also learnt his lessons. “She was rated higher than Kieran Black then because of her potentials and brave heart. Now if Black, who also featured in that tournament in Zimbabwe, came through as a the number one in doubles and got into the top 30 and made at least $25m in winnings, then imagine if Udofia had continued on the path we charted and perhaps made half of what Black made, then she would have changed her family’s history and changed Nigerian tennis for the better”, added Kienka.

After catching another deep breathe, this time longer than before, Kienka, responding to a question on how come he was multi-talented, said it all boiled down to growing up in the missions. “Then, it was normal to have sports facilities at our beck and call. I actually started out as footballer and perhaps would have ended up playing topflight professional football with Sharks of Port Harcourt but for academics, which took me to the University of Ibadan, where I had to change to tennis after experiencing how the boots of the players were collected from everybody after a match at the University of Ife. “I felt that it was unprofessional to take the boots of players because I came from a sports background, where we always had our tools at our disposal. I dumped them when we got back to Ibadan and approached the tennis team to allow me join them but they said there was no vacancy. “When I begged them, they threw me a challenge to beat the the number four seed to get into the team and when the day of the challenge came, I outclassed the said player, who later became my best friend then”, added

Kienka A lot has been said of the terrible state of Nigerian tennis and solutions have been proffered to halt the slide into the abyss. Unlike others, who rate the past better the present, Saturday Vanguard Sports got a rather strange train of thought to the issue from Kienka “You will be so surprised to know that I am of the view that our tennis is much better now than it was when we were playing. You may say that we had more senior tournaments then at the senior level but was not at the foundational level, which is the most important stage of tennis development. “What we had when the likes of Nduka Odizor, David Imonite, Tony Mmoh and myself were playing was not developmental. If you are talking about now, the kind of foundation the junior players now have is much stronger and surer than what we had then. “It is better for tennis to have a strong foundation than to have senior tournaments, which at the end, die off when those senior players are too tired to play on”, added Kienka, with a tone of authority. But when reminded that all the strides being made at the junior level are akin to blowing hot air into a balloon given the dearth of national and international tournaments and individual sponsorship in Nigeria, Kienka concurred but added a few twists to the issue. “That is correct, very correct. I was very worried with the trend that there was no fundamental developmental plan to take the established junior players to the senior level. But we are set for a major breakthrough with the NCC, who will be funding the 30 weeks of tennis for our players. . “We know that without something

like this upcoming tournaments, that there will be a big problem if these players stagnated at the junior level. Most of the junior players like Moses Michael and Christian Paul were already winning senior tournaments, which was a good development for Nigeria and made us realise that the next step was to create the platform for them to be actively involved all-year-long”. On how he became a coach and an umpire, Kienka said that “the coaching thing started out of helping others to play better. I was always willing to help others become better players and during a time, the ITF team came to Ibadan and I was told to participate in the coaching training and after, we wrote examinations and surprisingly, I came top. “But the umpire thing came because I was always keen to have a bird’s eye view of a match and the seat of the umpire was the only place where one could see everything. That sparked my interest and I went for the course and passed and later became a bronzebadge official”, added Kienka. For those who have come across him like the former Group Sports Editor of Vanguard Newspapers, Onochie Anibeze, who now edits the Saturday Vanguard, Kienka remains the most consistent tennis promoter in Nigeria. “I am yet to see a Nigerian, who is committed to sports development, especially tennis like Kienka, who played the game, coached it, was a journalist who reported it at Grand Slam level, umpired it to the Grand Slam height, and is now promoting and developing it by organising tournaments. I met him into tennis as a young reporter and now that I am over 20 years in the profession, he is still there exhibiting the same vigour that I saw in him then while others who started with him have all stepped aside. “He must be a special person, so gifted to have that sort of endurance. In a normal country, Kienka will be the biggest sports consultant in the Sports Ministry, if he is not running the show”’, added Anibeze. So what keeps Kienka going? Responding, the tennis veteran said “it’s a life-long thing. The best work to do is your hobby. I am enjoying the experience of helping others to become better players and watching how players are molded into champions”. Kienka runs sports programmes in Lagos, Abuja and Rivers. He oversees and maintains sports facilities in sports centres including hotels aside coaching the game. “I’ve been home for a few weeks and I’m surprised that Kienka organises tournaments more than the national tennis federation,” Ganiyu Adelekan, a one time national star said while on holiday from US last December.

• One of the high points of coaching career. His three children Kalada, Lolia and Tamina won the singles titles in their age groups in the same tournament in 2007. C M Y K

40—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Supersized: Mother-of-four Mikel Ruffinelli is the owner of the world's largest hips which measure 8ft around

Bumper Bum Bum! Being fat could be fabulous

ITH a bumper backside that measures 8ft around, Mikel Ruffinelli is the owner of a bottom that is large enough to make even Kim Kardashian's pale in comparison. Yet despite being just 5ft 4" and tipping the scales at 30st, Mrs Ruffinelli, 39, from Los Angeles, says she is healthy and has a shape that other women envy. 'I have an extreme physique,' explains the mother-of-four, who has a proportionally small 40inch waist. 'I love my

curves, I love my hips, I love my attributes. 'I love my shape and I see no reason to diet because I don’t have health problems. Men don’t fancy skinny girls, they like an hourglass figure.' Now she is to appear on a new documentary, World's Biggest Hips, alongside three other women who boast supersized rear ends. Among them is Austrian Claudia Floraunce, 40, who also lives in Los Angeles and tips the scales at 23st, and Las Vegas native, Denise Souder, a 56-year-old grandmotherof-two with 74-inch hips and who, like Mrs Ruffinelli, has turned her 'curves' into cold, hard cash. 'Growing up, I was the chubby girl,' explains Mrs Souder. 'I was always the chubbiest girl in the class but I never let it stop me from doing whatever I wanted to do. 'There are challenges - I can't get on a rollercoaster. You learn to get around your hips, you learn to embrace your hips, you learn to shop for your hips. 'If someone wants to make a comment about my hips or my size, I don't care what your opinion is.' Mrs Souder makes her

•Impressive: Mrs Ruffinelli says she adores her prize-winning posterior - even it it does cause her some issues

•Redefining beauty: Plus-size model Claudia Floraunce, 40, says the criteria for beauty needs an overhaul C M Y K

living courtesy of a double life as 'Sweet Cheeks', a plus-size stripper and 'fetish provider' who specialises in services such as squashing and trampling. 'Only in Vegas could you have a stripper like me,' she chuckles. 'They come here on their bachelor party, take the blindfold off and I'm standing there with Twinkies in my hand. It's funny!' And she's not the only one to monetise her curves. Mrs Ruffinelli has become something of a minor celebrity, while Miss Floraunce hopes to make it as a plus size model. All, however, are adamant that big really is beautiful. 'I think a lot of people like looking at me because I am a very unique size, very large, but I carry myself with a lot of confidence,' explains Miss Floraunce. 'I get a lot of people saying, look at those hips, look at those curves, your waist looks so tiny compared to those hips. Curves are in and I am in... Finally.' Miss Floraunce, who moved to Los Angeles from her native Austria aged 19 and gained 12st 7lbs within six months of arriving, says learning to love her supersized proportions has taken time. 'In Austria, it's really rare to have curves,' she says. 'When I go back there, I get stared at. It used to bother me but now I'm like, Why don't you take a picture? It lasts longer.' Mrs Ruffinelli is also a relative newcomer to a supersized shape, having only gained the extra weight after having children.

•Second place: Marlena Plummer, 35, has the second largest set of hips on the planet, after Mrs Ruffinelli

'There was a time before I had kids when I had a flat stomach,' she reveals. 'I got this large because genetically, whatever happens with weight gain, goes here [hips].' Not all, however, developed their large looks as an adult. Marlena Plummer, a 35year-old New Yorker with the second largest set of hips on the planet, says she has always been big. 'I always had hips, even as an infant I had hips,' she explains. 'It's just a mystery why I have hips and why I am the shape I am. 'I love my hips, I love my shape and I love me. I've been a plus size girl all my life and I've never let it stop me doing anything I want.' Miss Plummer, who has hips that measure 83 inches around and who tips the scales at 28st, says her supersized physique is all the more surprising because she has a a tiny appetite. 'Because of my shape and my size, people assume I eat a lot. I don't.' Nevertheless, she admits that her world-beating hips do cause some problems. 'My hips always affect me when I'm on the train because I have to take up two seats,' she says. 'I do feel bad sometimes when I see a person standing up but I can't help it that I need two seats.' Mrs Ruffinelli, for all her exhortations of love for her hips, also admits that hers cause her problems and force her to take a reinforced chair with her wherever she goes. 'Fitting in, fitting on, sitting down... Those are some of my challenges,' she says. But rather than lose weight to fit in with society, she says it's time society started fitting in with her. 'I just think that society hasn't learned that it needs to make things a bit bigger,' she says. 'It's OK to make things bigger. What's the problem?' Miss Floraunce agrees and says its time to redefine what beauty really means. 'There's a lot of men who love curves,' she says, 'We get forced to look at a certain criteria of women which only about 10 per cent of the world fit into.' Mrs Ruffinelli agrees. 'I have something that everybody's not going to have,' she says. 'It's like having an outfit that no one else has and most women would like that.'

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—41

Teenage pregnancy, woman abuse still burden of African culture BY MOSES NOSIKE For some time now, woman abuse, teenage pregnancy and child rights pose great challenge to successive administrations in Nigeria in particular and Africa at large. But Bose Iro-Nsi, the Executive Director, Women’s Rights and Health Projects, an innovative non-governmental organisation (NGO) has adopted these mental-daunting concerns as challenges. Through her organisation, she’s set to promote reproductive health, rights and general development of women, teenage girls and community-related challenges. In this regard, Bose has created a platform for women across the divide to present and address issues on health, right abuse and other related matters. Excerpts: What is the focus of Women’s Rights and Health Projects? As it goes, Women’s Rights and Health Projects focuses on women, young people and communities in the areas of health and rights. How did you conceive the vision? Well, as a trained nurse/midwife and a human right activist, I always have passion for promoting the health and rights of womanhood in our society. Again, it goes back to my personal experience as a young girl growing up in an African culture where the right of an average girl is not respected. I can point to you communities where people in such areas contemplate if to send a girl child to school or not. So as I was growing up, I kept asking what is the difference between me and my brother, and others out there. While I was pondering on this, I met and interacted with a lady in 1990, and I was encouraged. Then HIV was still a burning issue and the focus was on truck drivers, commercial sex workers etc. But almost everybody in the community was afraid because truck drivers and commercial sex workers all lived within the communities where people lacked health information. And I happened to work in a community as a field coordinator and had a first-hand interaction with community people. I was able to carry out their need assessment, and found out that community people are amazing and everyone of us belong to one community or the other. So something has to be done to enhance their capacity so that they will be able to solve these problems. That was how I began to conceive this vision. The question is: Why are we concentrating on women? Women are the most vulnerable in the society; if there is conflict today, women and their children are the most affected than men. For instance, in those areas of Boko Haram attacks, women and children are always victims because children are attached to their mothers. If you are a young girl growing up, there is no platform for you to express your immediate fears. The same thing with women. The only time a woman attracts a good attention is when she is pregnant and once she stops having children she is left alone. Issues of menopause after reproduction and things like that are C M Y K

A woman being battered nobody’s business. These are issues that inspired me and I said there is need to create a platform where women can discuss issues of health and rights. I also discovered that in my working years with another organisation, BAOBAB for Women Human Rights working in various communities, women found it difficult to understand the issue of rights. They don’t even understand what right is all about, muchless demanding for it. What happens to me privately is a political issue because if I’m killed, it affects my children, my workers, communities I’m serving and I want to serve, it affects my friends. It is not really a domestic thing. The domestic aspect definitely a political issue that we need to talk about. Now we should start asking ourselves, how many women have been killed by Boko Haram, because they are the ones privileged to get information. They are locked up. When the children are growing up, the male ones can go around and sleep with their friends and information of what is happening. But the girls are locked up. They don’t even understand what is going on. For us to achieve a minimum development and get the level we are targetting at, we need to create an avenue for women to express themselves. That is what this project is all about. To what extent have you realised this vision? God is helping us. I don’t think I would have been anywhere else, even though there is a challenge that many of these community women don’t understand what is right. For instance, when we went to a community, my first assignment was to go and interact with some group of people in that community and basically to find out if they know their blood pressure level. I was surprised when I met a woman whose blood pressure was 190/150 yet she didn’t understand what it’s all about, and she said, I’m ok, nothing is wrong with me. That woman could one day slumped and die carelessly. We also carried out awareness on breast cancer awareness and there, we discovered three women who have lumps on their breasts and they were unaware of the imminent danger of their

health state. As simple as that. Most of them don’t even understand the issue of menopause. They will tell you, they go church and pray, that juju has come. It is an attach. Whereas they are experiencing changes as a result of aging. It is very rewarding that people are trooping in here with health issues. We now went into the areas of right. Do people understand what is right? In some villages or communities, some women will tell you, nothing is wrong if my husband beats me, that means he loves me. And I say no, that is not love. And at the end of the day, we were able to train student and social groups. We work with churches and market women such as the Pepper Grounders Association,United Tailors Association and other professional groups as the Hair Dressers and then students. We train them on how they can respond on issues of battering, abuse, discrimination in the community. We also liaise with the police to be able to understand that the issue people think is domestic is not domestic. We tell the police that you don’t send a woman who is being battered by her husband to go home and sort it out with her husband. You are just telling the woman to go and die. Now, the communities are taking it upon themselves and they are working on it tirelessly. And we have been receiving phone calls from so many of them who called and said Ma, I have reported the case to the police and we follow it up when such calls come. It has been very interesting. In the areas of health, we have done a lot in terms of reaching out to communities on HIV/ AIDS, Ebola, Malaria, Tuberculosis etc. Awareness on general health. It is very rewarding because people are now anxious to know more. What do you have to say on the rights of African women and Nigeria in particular? I want to say here that globally, women are not perceived rightly. Women are more in population globally, yet we are relegated to the background. Now it’s worse in Africa because we hide under wall of culture and tradition to relegate women to levels where they can’t be able to express themselves. It’s sad. I want to give you an instance, the issue of corruption. When a man steals, it’s not an issue, but if it is a woman, it is blown out of proportion. I’m not saying that stealing is good. People go further to ask, is she married, when last did she have relationship, is she taking care of her children, etc. But if it’s a man, nobody cares. The way we even raise our

Bose Iro-nsi children, we are looking at 35% affirmative action. It should be equal. I belong to the group of women who believe there are women in this country that can turn things around. On the presidential candidates, we have only one woman who has the guts to come out. They will not give women the stage because they believe our place is in the kitchen. But I want to promise them, no country ever developed without involving women in decision-making. If you look at conflict situations, women are taken as weapons of war, raped, abused, disgraced. And no man ever takes a woman who had been raped even when it’s not her fault, even under gun. You discover that the plight of women are enormous but we are praying that someday somehow the women will get there. A lot is being done, politics being refined. What I’m saying is Nigerian women are trying in developing themselves and pushing for recognition. I’m saying there is much to be done, because it’s not enough to say give us 35% affirmative action. The men are still saying they gave us an appointment, we are saying no. It is compulsory that if you want to have 10 ministers, women should be 4 or 5. It should be so because women are passionate, and they can interact. They understand what it is to run a home. They understand how to manage a man and the community. So if they are relegated, there will be no peace in the society.

42—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

08 116759 759 081 6759759

The great es th! greates estt show on Ear Earth!

io de Janeiro’s Carnival came to a glittering end last night last night with a mind-blowing evening of sequin-fuelled revelry, blaring music and scantily-clad dancers at the Sambadrome. Tens of thousands of people gathered on both sides of the imposing venue to watch and sing along as Rio’s famous Samba schools brought the five-day festival to a

spectacular close. But in the midst of the all the glitz and glamour, there was also a more serious note to the proceedings last night, with a call for more racial integration in the South American country. Some Samba groups decided to honor the country ’s diverse AfroBrazilian heritage, and one even built a giant Nelson Mandela float in a bid to remind revelers of

‘This is your captain speaking... my co-pilot’s my little girl’

fter 30 years as a pilot, Captain Peter Elliott got to fly with a co-pilot he knew more than most. The pilot, who has clocked up more than 15,500 hours of flying during his career, made a special announcement to passengers travelling from Birmingham to Tenerife to tell them he was flying with his daughter. Senior First Officer Laura Elliott has been flying for six years but has never before got to work her father who first inspired her to fly when she was 18. ‘It’s a dream come true to be able to fly with my Dad even if he was still checking up on me,’ said Laura of Birmingham in the West Midlands. The father-daughter pairing at the controls was a fluke but Miss Elliott said she hopes she will be able to fly with her father again before he retires. It had seemed unlikely the pair would ever co-pilot the same aircraft because Miss Elliott learned to fly on Airbus planes when she joined the company in 2009, and her father flew Boeings. However when Miss Elliott took a break from Thomas Cook to work for another company her father retrained to work on the Airbus fleet and the pair were able to co-pilot their first flight. Miss Elliott, 30, became interesting in flying when her father got her a trial flight for her 18th birthday. She said: ‘Becoming a pilot was never something I had considered, even though Dad had been a pilot since before I was born. ‘It was only when my Dad bought me trial flight as a C M Y K

the African leader ’s fight for equality. Top-tier samba group Imperatriz Leopoldinense said it was inspired by an incident of racism in football, when a banana was thrown at Barcelona star Dani Alves during a match last year against Villarreal. Brazilian player Alves ignited a movement against racism in the game after he was seen cooly picking up the banana and

birthday present that I got the bug. ‘But I was already preparing to go to university so I headed off to study sport and exercise science like I’d always planned. ‘It was only when I graduated four years later that I considered following in my Dad’s footsteps. ‘I applied for a flying course and spent 14 months in southern Spain getting my license and then started with Thomas Cook in 2009. The pair are the first father-daughter team at Thomas Cook, but Miss Elliott said she is not surprised. She added: ‘Female pilots are still very unusual. The airline industry is still a bit of a mystery for some people and nationally just three per cent of pilots are women.’ The pair finally sat in the cockpit together on February 6 and Mr Elliott, who has been a training captain for 23 years, made an announcement to passengers that the flight made it a special day for him as he was flying with his daughter. Miss Elliott said she was initially nervous flying with her father and said it was like going for a driving lesson with him. However the flight went smoothly and both hope to repeat the experience.

eating it before taking a corner kick. ‘People think that discrimination in Brazil is a thing of the past,’ says Andre Bonatte, who coordinates cultural affairs for Imperatriz. ‘But we are here to say it is not like that. There are still many racist displays in our society.’ Earlier in the evening, the carnival kicked off with thousands of performers in fluorescent orange-and-yellow costumes and Halloweenlike floats of tarantullas and Jack the Ripper. Elsewhere, Rio’s alcoholsoaked Carnival street parties - known as ‘blocos’ - were in full swing, with many revelers attending a dedicated ‘Tinder-themed’ party. ‘People go crazy during Carnival and everyone hooks up with as many people as possible,’ said Fernando de Almeida, a 27-year old web designer who was among several hundred costumed revelers at ‘Match Comigo,’ which literally translates as ‘match with me.’ Brazilians are among the top users of Facebook, and the founder of Tinder, a popular dating app, said in an interview last April that it already had 10 million users in the country. Luckily, the rain held off for the final night of the all-night extravaganza. On Sunday night the skies opened up about an hour ahead of the start of the parade, drenching revellers and performers and flooding streets around the arena, Rio’s Mecca of Carnival. Wildly costumed performers from six Samba schools packed the Sambadrome, where tennis ace Rafael Nadal was a star guest of the parade clad in a clear waterproof poncho. Nadal, in town for the Rio Open tournament, was

mobbed by the press during his 20-minute stay at the event where he showed some fancy sambastyle footwork of his own among the performers with Spanish compatriot David Ferrer and Brazil’s own former French Open winner Gustavo ‘Guga’ Kuerten. The year ’s five-day-long Carnival celebrations, which also include some 450 alcohol-soaked street parties, or ‘blocos,’ comes as a welcome respite from the recent avalanche of bad news afflicting Brazil. Some Carnival celebrations in smaller cities have even been cancelled because of the drought so Sunday’s rains in Rio were widely welcomed, even if they were a hindrance to the city ’s biggest party. ‘It hasn’t dampened the performers’ spirits, and at least it’s not so hot with the rain,’ said Helio Abreu, a 53-year-old doctor taking shelter with his wife at a concession stand. ‘I know we need it, but to tell you the truth I really wish it had started on Ash Wednesday,’ the last day of Carnival. In Paraty, a colonial jewel of a city between Rio and Sao Paulo, Carnival was scaled down after a deadly shooting on Saturday night. One person was killed and nine others injured, including three tourists from Sao Paulo, in the

shootout which erupted in the midst of a crowd of revellers in the historic downtown, according to local news reports. Six samba schools were parading in Rio’s Sambadrome on Sunday night, with each group required to get their thousands of participants and giant floats across the roughly 730 meter-long runway in under 82 minutes. Six other schools will perform on Monday, with all 12 groups vying for the title of the year’s best. Mangueira and Salgueiro were the biggest-name samba schools parading Sunday. Last year ’s champion, Unidos da Tijuca, is the last parade Monday, with the winning school announced later in the week.

‘I’m 63 and I’ve slept with 3,000 men’ Swinger reveals her astonishing bedroom antics

ntil the age of 28, Marie Calvert had only ever had sex with her husband Barry - but when she took up swinging everything changed A 63-year-old woman who says she has slept with 3,000 men has told how she got into swinging after her husband left a raunchy magazine in their kitchen. Marie Calvert had only slept with one person until the age of 28, said: “It was the night I slept with 14 men that I first started to try to work out how many partners I’ve been with.” She told how she radically changed her life after she and husband Barry decided to get into the swinging scene more than 30 years ago, with the pair eventually setting up a swingers’ club in Sheffield. Marie told the Guardian: “Until the age

of 28, I’d only been with him and we had a terrific sex life, but one day he brought home a swingers’ magazine he’d picked up from a workmate. “He sort of joked we should try it; I told him not to be daft, and he never mentioned it again. “But I kept looking at the mag and imagining how fun it might be. Eventually I told him we should give it a go. He looked like a kid at Christmas.” The pair don't put sex "on a pedestal" and treat it "for what it is: separate from love", Marie said. She added: "It’s not natural to stick with one sexual

partner for 60 years. Life is about experimenting and experiencing, and that’s what we do." "It was the night I slept with 14 men that I first started to try to work out how many partners I’ve been with. The truth is, I’m not sure. My conservative estimate is about 100 guys a year for more than three decades." Not every lover is attentive, though, Marie said. She slept with an 18-year-old while in her 40s just to see what it was like. "Quick was the answer."

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—43

Valentine dinner ffor or Muhammadu Buhari Peace Ozoene marks

L-R: Kaduna State APC gov aspirant, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai; Buhari’s daughter, Stephanie Buhari;Gov Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, another Buhari’s daughter, Halima Buhari; Mr. Sherrif Mohammed; Mr. Farouk Aliyu; and National Publicity Secretary, APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

hieftains of All Progressives Congress party gathered at Intercontinental Hotel last Saturday to celebrate the St. Valentine’s day in honour of APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) with a theme “‘Love Buhari Love Nigeria”. Most of the top notch members of the party were in attendance, including two adorable daughters of the General. Photos by Joe Akintola, Photo Editor.

40th bir thda birthda thdayy in style

ABUJA business woman, Mrs. Peace Ozoene, on February 5, 2015, attained the landmark age of 40. Her husband, journalist and newspaper editor Sheddy Ozoene threw her a party to remember at Abuja’s highbrow events centre, Cubana Lounge. The occasion was chaired by Chief Kins Ekebuike, MD/CEO of Unity Kapital Assurance Plc.

Celebrant, Mrs Ozoene (middle) with Ekwy NosikeOgbuenyi and other members of Unique Ladies

L-R: Dr Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Ekiti State and Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi, former Minister of Sports .

L-R: APC Women League Members, Manafu Bala Usman, Zainab Bala Usman and Olanlonpe Afunrashe

Prince Tony Momoh and his wife, Janet. L-R:Sheddy Ozoene, Ms Amaka, Lady Obiageli Enyili, celebrant, Mrs Peace Ozoene and Chief Kins Ekebuike.

Prof Pat Utomi and his wife

The celebrant with Chief Uche Aneke (GM, Public Affairs, EMS) and husband, Sheddy.

and Owolabi Medvie w celebrat es acquisition of ne w air craf Medview celebrates new aircraf craftt Oluwaseun he wedding ceremony between Tolulope MEDVIEW Airline recently celebrated the arrival of a new Boeing 737 400 aircraft added to the fleet of the Airline. Photos by Lamidi Bamidele

Alhaji Muneer Bankole, Managing Director, Medview Airline (3rd right) with some members of Staff of the Airline

L-R: Engineer Lookman Animashaun; Captain Mohammed Mwondha; Abdul Rahman Shaibah, Flight Officer; Alhaji Muneer Bankole, MD/CEO, Medview Airline and Captain Stephen Fevrier

Owolabi Popoola and Abiodun Oluwaseun Olorundero held at RCCG Chosen Parish, Lagos on Saturday 24th of January 2015.

Mr and Mrs Oluwaseun Olorundero

44—SATURDAY

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

believe it is the prerogative of every adult to decide when to marry and who to get married to. I also believe that, as people in a free society with freedom of speech, parents have a duty to offer their children advice. Whether the advice is taken or jettisoned is a different matter. It is in exercise of this freedom that I called my two eldest children some time ago. I told my eldest daughter that once she hits 20 years I will not have issues age-wise if she decides to get married. For my eldest son, I told him 25 years. I got no response from my daughter, but my son laughed and screamed: “ but daddy, that is too young.” To which I responded: “No, it’s not; I will support and help you.” By “support and help” I mean: One, I am praying to God, the giver they are younger, so that they can be of good spouses, to send my children done with baby making early and move God-given spouses. Two, I am on with their lives including retiring preparing them for marriage and early if they so wish. Some people still parenthood through mentoring, have children in school when they are actions and words. I learnt much of retired thereby misapplying money what I apply in my marriage from my meant for their old age and retirement. parents. Three, I keep an eye on their As experience has shown, some of these school work to ensure that they keep children trained with retirement money pace with their peers. Four, I am do not reciprocate their parents’ kind encouraging them to follow a career gestures sometimes through no fault of path is tied to their passions, not my theirs. My last two children will still be choice or what is in vogue. Building in school when I hit 60 years; I do not a career around their passions will want my children in that situation, if it hopefully give them a head start, a regular income and a roof over their heads early enough. Regular income, accommodation and focus are what a young man needs to get married, not tons of money. I am going to ask my daughter again. If she has no interest in early marriage or marriage for that matter, is avoidable. I will not put pressure on her because Two, scientifically, child birth is better I believe marriage is optional and less risky for women between 18 (Mathew 19:12) ( 1Cor 7: 1-9), but I and 35 years than above 35 years. Why want to know her plans so that I can increase your risks when you can avoid offer advice where necessary because it? Also, is it not better if people marry as a teenager she still needs parental early and unleash their youthful vigour guidance to make wise choices. and “fury ” on each other within Marrying early or late has its marriage rather than waste it outside advantages and disadvantages, but I marriage? That way, even when they prefer early marriage, even though I pass their peak, they will be contented married late. One, I prefer my that they had their prime years together children having their children when

Why I prefer early marriage in matrimony. Three, I do not believe they will miss anything by marrying young. If they want to boogie, party or go night clubbing, let them do it with their spouses. Four, marrying early gives you the strength of youth to run around with your children in their early stages when they are most physically active. As they grow older, you also get older and more experienced to deal with the challenges of their adolescent years and beyond. Five, make hays while your sun

Marrying early gives you the strength of youth to run around with your children in their early stages when they are most physically active

shines. An old friend told me how “at 23, a man came practically kneeling down, begging me to marry him. I ignored him, feeling I have the whole world ahead of me.” She is now in her 50s and never got married despite all her efforts subsequently. Six, the truth is no responsible parents want their daughters passed around from one man to the other like a football. Marrying early can help

sort out this (not always so; by 12, some girls are already sexually active) and resulting problems or pressure Seven, the problem some marriages have is that both parties were well matured and set in their ways before coming together. Normally maturity should be an asset in marriage, but in some cases it becomes a liability because nobody wants to bend for the other. So I want my children to marry early. They will make mistakes, but hopefully they will grow with their spouses and mature together like loving siblings. Eight, it is true that marriage is for mature minds, but I believe that maturity here is not necessarily determined by age but by knowledge and a strong foundation. This is where parents come in. Preparing children for marriage and parenthood should form part of the children’s upbringing from childhood. That is why daughters should learn how to run their matrimonial homes in their parents’ homes and get better in their matrimonial homes. Sons on the other hand should be taught to be responsible. They should know the basics of financial management and how to live peacefully with females. My sons know it is a taboo to beat their baby sister no matter the level of provocation. They can only report her to me or their mother. Beating her attracts rebuke or sanctions. I am using her to teach them how to tolerate their future spouses and what a lesson in tolerance; their baby sister can ruffle feathers. I tell them it is not cool for couples to fight and even worse when they fight in the presence of the children. Really, I am just exercising my freedom of speech. Guys, the ball is in your court and may God guide you.

(Text Only)

Relieve tension, insomnia, be healthy via natural therapies The Plough

Technique: Lie on your back with the legs stretched out and hands placed along the sides. Take in a deep breath and drawing up the knees swing back the legs while breathing out and let the toes come to rest on the floor behind your head. Keep the knees straight and stiffen up the muscles of legs. Keep the breathing normal as you retain the posture for about 10 seconds. To come out of the posture simply bend the knees and just roll down the back and straight out the legs flat on the floor again. You may rest a little and repeat.

Benefits: The plough improves the elasticity of the spine. It tones the leg muscles and helps to rid constipation.

The Wheel: Technique:lie on your back and draw up the knees with the heels close to the buttocks. Bend the elbows and place the hands down by the sides of the head. Take in a deep breath and raise the

whole body. Stay in the pose for 5-10 seconds. Benefits: The Wheel strengthens the entire musculature, and it also expands the chest for more air intake which has health advantage. Half-Plough with Chair. Technique: place a chair at the head half-way underneath the chair. Now swing both

•The Wheel

legs and place them atop the back-rest of the chair. Stay in the pose for about 10 seconds. Benefits:The Half-plough exercise has a healthy impact on the spine because it makes it to be elastic which also triggers strength.The abdominal organs are massaged. The gastric fire is improved and constipation will not show up.

Yoga Classes STARTED The Plough

•The Half-Plough

@ 32 Adetokumbo Ademola, Victoria Island Lagos. 9.00am — 10.00am on Saturdays

SATURDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—45

juliecoker100@yahoo.com

Sex is okay with me but nothing serious Dear Julie, I am a woman of 28 and have gone through a lot in life to build myself. I am a working student and I train myself. Basically, I don’t have time for any relationship and because of that, I have hurt a lot of people. You have so much information and advice for those who want to start, maintain, or end a relationship; but then there are people like me. In fact, I have no desire to be in a relationship with anyone. Sometimes I work two jobs, and I like hanging

out with my friends and family when I do have spare time. I’m not interested in the feelings, emotions, and time it takes to be in a relationship. I’ll have sex with anyone before I even think about holding their hand. Then afterward, the guy will usually end up getting his feelings hurt because I don’t want to date him. Is there anything strange or unhealthy about this? I know I look good but that is that. I don’t have time for love. Omoni, Benin City Dear Omoni,

Some people love to pair off like lovebirds while others like to fly solo. There’s nothing wrong with savouring your independence, as long as you are honest with yourself and your partners about what you want and don’t want out of each connection, sexually and otherwise. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what shape your relationships will take. But you must also understand the place of culture in relationships especially in this part of the world. People are naturally social beings, and we spend a great deal of our time interacting with others. Sharing life’s ups and downs with friends and family can bring a sense of closeness and fulfillment that can’t be found in your professional or academic life. Likewise, some people enjoy romantic relationships for companionship, commitment, and physical and emotional intimacy. Other people partner up out of fear of being alone or pressure to “settle down.” As you implied, society often puts a premium on romantic relationships. From age-old love stories to reality dating shows, pairing is portrayed as the romantic ideal. In our culture, marriage is a strong form of “social glue” that binds together individuals, families, and communities. However, there are many other expressions of love and togetherness that don’t require you to tie the knot. To begin, it may be helpful to sort out your feelings, values, and desires

He expressed love to another Aunty Julie, My boyfriend and I have been going out for more than four years; we decided to break up at when I got into the university and he started a new relationship. He went out with her for a month and broke up with her. Two months later, we got back together again and everything was great. But then, he told me that they had sex a few times and he told her he loved her. He tells me it was just a rebound relationship and that he was confused and didn’t know what he was doing. Ever since then, I’ve felt very insecure. I know he has not done anything wrong since we were not going out at the time, but I feel so insecure that I have to know what he is doing every single minute of the day. I get very jealous. I wish I could trust him more. He would never do anything to hurt me. He loves me so much he even wants to marry me. I wish I could put it all behind me. What bothers me most is that they had sex and that he told her he loved her. I don’t know how to forget about it and go on. Bola, Ibadan Dear Bola, It can be devastating to feel betrayed or abandoned by someone you love. Even though you and your boyfriend were broken up at the time he slept with someone else, it might not take the sting out of him having shared physical and emotional intimacy with another person. You have every right to feel jealous

and shaken up. At the same time, if you want to move forward in your relationship with him, there are some steps you can consider taking to heal the hurt and the loss of trust you feel. The power of expressing emotions is great. Whether to a trusted person in your life or on your own, it can be helpful to let your feelings flow. Allow yourself to cry, laugh, curse, get angry, or any/all of the above. Expressing your feelings can also help you clarify what might be at the root

of your jealousy and insecurity. If you’d like to work your feelings out with someone other than your boyfriend first, you could share your feelings with people in your life who you trust and who support you like family and friends. In order to build up your own self-confidence, it’s important to take really good care of yourself and to provide a sense of safety, acceptance, and care. Try paying extra attention to eating a balanced diet, getting plenty of

related to sexuality and relationships. For example, are you satisfied with your current social scene, or do you to want make more time for friends or dating? Do you wish you had a “special someone” or are you truly happy on your own? And lastly, what’s your take on sex without commitment? Do you feel comfortable getting it on and then heading out, or would you prefer to get to know each other a bit more, before and/or after? There are no right or wrong answers here, so go with what feels best for you. The tricky part is that everyone brings their own preferences to the dinner table and the bedroom. As you’ve experienced, it can cause discomfort and hurt feelings when, after a roll in the hay, your sexy someone wants to take you out on a date and you’d rather part ways. Since there’s no way to predict how your partner may feel, perhaps you could try being more upfront about your intentions. For example, before things really heat up, you could say something like, “I’m not looking for a relationship, but I’d still like to have some fun together.” Put into your own words, that warning gives your partner a fair heads-up about where you’d like the experience to go. All that being said, one-nightstand or even steady commitments is easier said than done. Even a short fling requires some amount of time and effort, and it’s likely that emotions will come into play at one point or another.

sleep and exercise, and seeking out activities you enjoy. When you feel more centered and happy within yourself, you may be a more confident and happy partner in your relationship. It takes time to recover from sadness and a sense of loss. The trick here is not necessarily to “forget about it and move on.” Could you possibly use this experience to make your relationship deeper and stronger? What can you do to build confidence and trust in your current relationship? What can your boyfriend do, say, show you, that will help you to trust and feel comfortable, safe, and able to be vulnerable again? While the future is always uncertain, it is possible to feel confident about and comfortable with the present, and at peace with the past.

She doesn’t like to hear ‘I love you Dear Aunty Julie, I love your column and I read it a lot. I was worried when I didn’t see it for sometime but I thank God you are back. I have a girlfriend who I love dearly, but every time I say I love her, she tells me that someday I’ll leave her for another girl just because it happened to her before she met me. How can I prove to her that I’ll never leave her and make everything right again? Your answer may save our relationship. Mark Anthony, Auchi Hello Mark Anthony, None of us really knows what the future holds, and while you can’t promise your girlfriend that you’ll never leave her, there are some ways that you can try to reassure her for the time being.

Money-bags “Mom, Dad, sit down. I have something very important to tell you,” said Samantha, upon her return home from college after graduation. “I met a guy who lives near the college that I really like and we decided we are going to get married!” “Oh Samantha! I am so happy for you!” Gushed her Mom giving her a big hug, “I hope you two will be really happy together! I can’t wait to meet him!” “Tell us more about him” said her Dad, “does he have any money?” “Oh Dad! Is that all you men ever think about? That was the first question he asked me about you too!”

By confiding in you that you’re going to leave every time you say, “I love you” to her, she’s really expressing fear, anxiety, and/or insecurity. She might have had negative, and likely painful, experiences from a past relationship, apparently powerful enough to cause her to feel awkward or undeserving when you tell her you love her. Getting close to someone emotionally leaves you vulnerable, more prone to the possibility of getting hurt. Our past relationship experiences, positive and negative, can certainly influence our current and/or future ones, possibly long after those relationships have ended. It may be useful for you and your partner to talk openly about her past relationships, as well as

C O C K - T A L E S Getting started A child asked his father, “How were people born?” So his father said, “Adam and Eve made babies, then their babies became adults and made babies, and so on.” The child then went to his mother, asked her the same question and she told him, “We were monkeys then we evolved to become like we are now.” The child ran back to his father and said, “You lied to me!” His father replied, “No, your mom was talking about her side of the family.” Mr Adorable Wife: “How would you describe me?” Husband: “ABCDEFGHIJK.”

your feelings, to understand the sources of her concerns. Expressing her feelings could give the two of you the chance to discover how your relationship is different. You are not the same person as her exloves. Your girlfriend will also be able to see more clearly how much her comments have made you feel. There is only so much you can do for your girlfriend. Ultimately, it’s up to her to get the help she needs that will allow her to live in the present moment and enjoy her current relationship with you. No matter how sincerely and frequently you reassure her, she still will probably go on feeling insecure unless she deals with the origin of these feelings. It isn’t your job to make everything right for her, and it may reach a point when you cannot be there for her anymore.

Wife: “What does that mean?” Husband: “Adorable, beautiful, cute, delightful, elegant, fashionable, gorgeous, and hot.” Wife: “Aw, thank you, but what about IJK?” Husband: “I’m just kidding!” Big butt A husband exclaims to his wife one day, “Your butt is getting really big. It’s bigger than the BBQ grill!” Later that night in bed, the husband makes some advances towards his wife who completely brushes him off. “What’s wrong?” he asks. She answers, “Do you really think I’m going to fire up this big-ass grill for one little weenie?”

46—SATURDAY

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21 21,, 2015

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

Could your man be addicted to Sex?

s the number of young men who are addicted to sex grows in leaps and bounds, women (not hookers), who believe they couldn’t have enough of sex, like their male counterparts, are also jumping in at the deep end, drinking in the pleasure that sex offers. Yet, the fad remains that when it comes to sexual adventure, men are first in line. Evidence abounds in the number of once respectable neighbourhoods that are now reluctant hosts to scantily dressed women on the prowl for men who want cheap thrills. All this type of women want is the cash. The men, on the other hand, want sexual adventure and are willing to pay the price! Why is there such a ready market for lust? “Sex addiction is an illness,” says a psychologist,” just like dependencies on gambling, alcohol and drugs.” The reason some people begin this behaviour is to either gain pleasure or to erase painful or uncomfortable feelings. They might have had a bad day in the office or had a row with the wife, so they watch porn video before they go to bed or if they have a ready bit-on the side, go out for a quick shag to relieve the strain. “As time goes on, such a person starts to need more of that pleasure in order to get pain relief. And, that’s when addiction starts....” Chijioke doesn’t consider herself a sexaddict. She says she just loves healthy sex and doesn’t allow a little thing like marriage to rob her of her pastime. “I almost burnt my fingers recently,” she confessed cheekily. “Now in my mid-40s, I found the attention of the 30something year-old bank investment manager who services my investment in the bank quite flattering. It was inevitable that we started an affair, the man was simply built for sex and for a while, it “He was really livid by now. was wonderful. For a few ‘O yeah? You should have months, I was giddy with the thought of that before you satisfaction raw sex brought. seduced me. You won’t get rid “When my husband of me in a hurry.’ With that, mentioned the fact that he’d he stormed out of my office. I driven past and seen the felt sick with shame as my banker’s car in front of my workers looked at me office twice, I knew my lover curiously when I came out of had to go. And, when next he my office. called, that was what I told They must have wondered at him. ‘I like you a lot,’ I told our raised voices. Thank him, ‘but my husband is goodness I hadn’t told him getting suspicious and he where I lived – he only had could be violent when crossed. my mobile number. So, I kept I think we should cool things a that turned off when I was at bit.’ I thought he would take it home. And, when pleading in good faith. I mean, how text messages started to many women like me would he appear from him, I quickly have on his list? But he really erased them. By that, I hope looked hurt and sinister. ‘You he would understand we were can’t use me and dump me now history... I then told my just like that,’ he sneered. ‘I staff not to let him into my really love you.’ office without first clearing it “My tummy turned. What with me. I was on my way had I let my self into? ‘Look?’ I home a few weeks later when reasoned with him, ‘ you’re a he accosted me by my car. nice man and married. I just ‘Why have you been ignoring feel I ought to concentrate on my text messages?’ he asked making my marriage work. It menacingly. That was it! I wouldn’t be so bad if you did threatened that if he so much the same thing and pay more as got in touch with me again, attention to your wife.” I would not only pull all my

She says she just loves healthy sex and doesn’t allow a little thing like marriage to rob her of her pastime

investments from his bank, I would write an official letter of protest to his MD. That soon put paid to the harassment!”

“When your appetite for sex is ravenous, you get used from time to time,” said Tumi, a divorcee with two children. She was to attend a friend’s 40th birthday bash but had no car. Her friend volunteered to send

another family friend to bring her to the party. According to her: “When Tom showed up, I was really pleased to see him as I hadn’t seen him for years. As I got dressed, he told me about his failed marriage and condemned my ex for being financially irresponsible. I thought he would turn down my offer of a drink since we were going to have more than enough to drink at the party, but he didn’t. We chatted easily about old times and I don’t know to this day how he crossed over to where I was, telling me he’d always fancied me. In a minute, we were kissing. Could this be it, I thought? We were both single now, surely, we could make it work? My luck has certainly changed as I used to like him too. “Within minutes, he’d inched me into the bedroom and fallen on top of me. I protested feebly, but he smothered my protests with his mouth and all the fight went out of me... Right then, morals loosened by alcohol, the only thing I cared about was the lust flaming in my groin. Moments later, both our clothes were on the floor. This wasn’t making love. It was pure animal, basic sex and for that moment the most exciting thing I’d

experienced since my divorce. When we got to the party, my friend thanked Tom for bringing me, as she pointed to a lady saying: ‘Your wife was anxious about you, she wondered why you were late.” His wife? I looked at Tom but he didn’t meet my eyes. I felt really cheap. I haven’t seen the bastard since then but even if I did; what would I say to him? Later, he sent a text message that he had a failing marriage but was not divorced. That he really cared for me and wanted us to meet up. I didn’t bother to reply...” So, how can you tell if your spouse is a potential sex addict? Are they one if they like to read girlie magazines or go out occasionally on their own? Again, the psychologist explains: “A lot of men, or women for that matter, will buy porn as part of a healthy sex life. It’s not about the occasional purchase of a magazine or blue film. The trouble starts when these materials become more important than the other people in their lives – and when pornography becomes a way of helping them to fix their feelings rather than being a healthy part of normal sexuality.”

How not to fuel your man’s anger!

aul sees himself an expert in relationships. He’s tapped into his vast experience to warn prospective girlfriends on topics to stare clear off when you’re with your beau. At nearing 40, he still sees himself God’s gift to women. Here’s some of his tips based on years of experience. About your exboyfriend: harping on about how good your ex was in bed or recollecting his gargantuan manhood is suicide for your current

relationship. Also, there’s nothing worse than a partner who keeps slagging off her ex. It shows he’s still thinking about him. My tip is to keep mentions of him to a minimum. He’s history, right? That our sex life could do with livening up: Sadly, I was once on the receiving end of this remark. My (now ex) girlfriend asked if I was content with our sex life “I’m not say8ing I’m not happy,” she sighed, “but I feel like we’ve got a bit cosy.” Bam! it was the beginning of the end. i

got paranoid. The fact is, I like cosy. I was happy. She wasn’t. Seriously, if you’re not fulfilled sexually, find another way to tell him. You putting yourself down: Here, we are thinking you’re an amazing sex goddess, and you ruin it by acting all kooky and neurotic. I’m not saying you should stride around thinking you’re perfect, but if you spend an entire evening cracking jokes about how fat and useless you are, we might start believing you.

SATURDAY

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—47

YETUNDE AREBI

Anyone who wants to cheat in a relationship often looks for excuses outside of themselves. What their partners did or failed to do is usually responsible for their roving eyes

How not to have an extra marital affair

osephine finally returned home, to her parents’ last week after a three year long battle to save her marriage. It was no secret to everyone that her marriage to her childhood sweetheart had hit the rocks even before then. Yet, events leading up to their irreconcilable differences had not failed to shock everyone who heard the story, including yours truly. And once again, my fear for the social media platforms was confirmed. It is no place for the naive and ignorant. Josephine had met Tayo, at a party, right after graduating from high school. Theirs was love at first sight and Tayo had been literally swept off her feet. And which young girl wouldn’t as Tayo, who already had a good job in one of the hip second generation banks and was already positioned to have a successful banking career. He had almost everything to execute the duties of a perfect knight in shining armour. By Josephine’s third year in the university, she became pregnant, sealing the fate of the relationship. Though some thought it a bit untidy and careless of the lovers, especially because Josephine was a bit too young and inexperienced for marriage at 21, family and friends rallied round and the ceremonies were performed. To the envy of many of her friends, Tayo bought a little Nissan car as soon as the pregnancy was announced and on resumption back to school after the birth of their baby boy, he replaced it with a Toyota CRV. On graduation two years later, he helped establish a business of her own, insisting that he wanted her to devote enough time to him and their children. Unfortunately, Josephine was not able to conceive another child until she moved back home last week. What began as a happy love story has been ruined by insatiable and unchecked desires, fuelled by the internet. And no one suspected a thing until it was too late to salvage the situation. Tayo had invited his unsuspecting in-laws to their home in Festac Town early one Saturday morning three years ago. He had refused to tell them of the agenda of the invite and C M Y K

insisted he wanted to spring a surprise on their daughter. But they became suspicious that the surprise might not be a happy one after all, especially when they arrived and met Tayo’s parents, the officiating pastor at their wedding, and some other key family members and friends already seated. The surprise was actually on Josephine who had no prior information that such a meeting had been scheduled. Without wasting much time, Tayo commenced the meeting and brought out heaps of printed papers to buttress his story. His pretty young wife had been cheating on him on the internet with another man. Tayo insisted that though his wife had not consummated the relationship with her supposed lover until that moment , he was convinced that the affair was not her first and that she would have done it, if the circumstances were different. How did this happen? Tayo revealed that he began suspecting his wife of keeping secrets from him when he noticed certain behaviours about her. His initial thought was that she might have fallen victim of 419 activities in the course of her business, and did not want him to know. But later, he realised it was nothing that dangerous as she seemed to be enjoying whatever it was she was engaged in. Though he found it difficult to believe, he suspected infidelity and decided to hatch a plan to find out. So, he created a new Facebook account and personality for himself and befriended his wife. The discovery of his investigations are the printed out papers. He revealed how his wife told him though she was married, her marriage was not a real one as she had been forced to marry him by her parents and he was a bit too old for her. She told her virtual lover whom she assumed was resident in the UK, how she was tired of the relationship as he was not taking good care of her and she needed money to start a business of her own. He showed evidence of the Western Union Transfers he made to her and all the sex laced messages they had been exchanging between them. He said she believed he arrived Nigeria the

previous night and they had plans to meet later that same Saturday evening. It was indeed a bloody Saturday for Josephine and her parents. Tayo insisted that he had no plans to send her packing, but only wanted to let their parents, family and friends know that from then on, they were in an open marriage where each could do as he pleased. Everyone knew what the outcome would be, even without him voicing it out. So, no one was surprised two years ago when he announced that a female friend had birthed him a baby boy. The friend turned out to be an older woman and senior banker who had even attended their wedding. The lucky lady had given up on marriage and was only keen on having a child of her own when Tayo offered to donate his seed. As things turned out, three months after the birth of their baby boy, a visible pregnancy is already on parade while Josephine only has a 10 year old boy to show for all their years together. I have seen Josephine twice since she returned home and I cannot but wonder what actually went down in her head that would have led her to venture down the path she went. It definitely was not hunger, poverty, idleness or neglect. A man sensitive enough to know that his wife was hiding something from him, can’t really be guilty of neglect. But perhaps, the sex was not pleasurable enough. It is not the number of times you have sex, the positions, or the intensity of the strokes that really matters. If the sex is not pleasurable or satisfying for both partners, then it might just be a waste of time and effort. And many Nigerian men are guilty of this. I am one of those who spoke in favour of Josephine at the time. Since the affair was only on social media and not a physical one, then she cannot be totally culpable of infidelity. (wetin man for do? We must speak in favour of our own, a la Naija style) But Josephine is sure guilty of emotional infidelity and betrayal of trust. She is also guilty of defamation of character as everyone knows that whatever Tayo might be guilty of, it definitely was not lack of care and financial support. But that is the way the cookie crumbles. Anyone who wants to cheat in a relationship often looks for excuses outside of themselves. What their partners did or failed to do is usually responsible for their roving eyes. Rarely do we find men or women bold enough to tell it straight as it is, “I desire you and would like to share some time with you”! “I can’t keep my pants on” or “I simply find you irresistible!” (Hmm! maybe that does really sound weird, right?) Tayo kept to his promise not to throw Josephine out of the marriage, but he never promised to keep her actions secret. He insisted that he believed his wife was never faithful to him before or after their marriage and that he did not trust her enough to believe that she would, even after the tension had gone down. But for the sake of their child, he would remain in the union and she was free to also take her decisions. Josephine finally made her decisions last week, at least, for the time being. Now that the pretenses are up, maybe proper interventions can now take place and the couple can be truly reconciled. After all, Tayo has taken his pound of flesh!

48—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

By Ifeyinwa Obi

egede Abiodun Paul, is the Group Managing Director of Japaul Oil and Maritime Services Plc;. In this interview, the Chattered Maritime practitioner and oil magnet who spoke on a n umber of industry issues decries that most local banks in Nigeria do not understand shipping and as such foot-drag when it comes to providing long-term financing for local players. He says about 5 million more jobs can be created with this noble initiative. Excerpt: How long has Japaul been in operation? Japaul has been on for 18 years now. We started business in 1997. It first started as an agent for owners and managers of vessels. We later started owning vessels. And after the first one we were able to buy another one until Japaul became a public quoted company in 2005. And from that time, we have had series of vessels both civil vessels and other vessels and as at today, Japaul has seven subsidiaries. We have dredging company, mining company, construction company. 2014 operational year Well, every company has its own peculiar issue. In oil and gas that we operate mainly, there have not been many activities because there are no new investments in upstream because the international oil companies are not investing in new assets. They are rather divesting; they are selling out their assets because of social problems in the country like oil theft. They are stealing the crude oil and there seems to be no solution to that. Now, Chevron is selling its assets, Total too is doing the same because of this problem of theft. And that automatically reduces the international oil companies activities, and the local companies that bought these assets are yet to get on the stream with regard to return on their investment. Apart from that , there is also delay in signing the Petroleum Industry Bill, which they are all waiting for because that is going to affect a whole lot of investment decisions of the international oil companies. So, as long as they are waiting for that, I do not think there will be reasonable investment in oil and gas, rather there will just be maintenance on what they already have. The marine one . We have been increasing our fleet and we have been working with all the international oil companies. The construction arm of our group is by the government, although that is not a fully owned subsidiary. It is like an associate company. Dredging has been slow because of the divestment as we dredge mostly for international oil companies and the areas we dredge are the areas they are selling. C M Y K

How Maritime can change Nigeria — GM Japaul Oil

•Oil

thef or cing theftt ffor orcing foreign companies tto o divest in Nigeria •How Local shippers

can create 5m jobs with go vt suppor govt supportt How 2012 fared and secret of good profit in 2013 What happened in 2012 actually was that we were trying to write off a whole lot of assets that we thought had been over valued in our books. Because there is this introduction of International Financial Reporting System (IFRS), which introduced a whole lot of ways and manners which assets should be valued in the books. So, we did a lot of revaluation and we said there was no point carrying these big assets value that did not really represent their value. Like some of the equipment that we bought they had depreciated and the book value did not really match them if you wanted to sell them in the market. So oil companies were no longer patronizing those vessels. And these old vessels were carrying very huge amounts in our books. So there was no point carrying unrealistic values. So, we decided to write off a whole lot of junk off in our record. So, what happened in 2012 was not an operational loss, they were book write offs. For instance, say this thing in 2011 was N20 million but when we now looked at it, it was not worth more than N5 million at the time of revaluation. So a whole N15 million has been written off. So we operated normally in 2013 and we improved on our way of rendering services and out position was positive. Challenges There are a whole lot of challenges, especially in our own environment. There are challenges that have to do with

•Jegede Abiodun Paul

They are rather divesting; they are selling out their assets because of social problems in the country like oil theft. personnel. Getting the right people to do the job is a major challenge. Today, too many graduates are out there but when you

want to recruit them, out of 100 people you may not get one that meets the standard or expectations. This has led us to be looking for expatriates to do the job because our business is technical in nature . Another challenge is culture of African people leaving beyond their means. I’m saying this because if you see a person that is working in a company and he is earning N300,000 thousand monthly, and he is living a N1 million per month life, the extravagance life sends the wrong signal. This issue has become a problem to all the employees and the same thing applies to public offices. So, the mentality must change. People leaving in the western world for instance are

not superior to us in the way we think. It is just our mentality that needs to change. If we change, you will be amazed how this country can change for better. Another thing that is happening in our industry, especially as it concerns the stock exchange is that our investors do not understand maritime business. That is why you see people dumping Japaul’s shares. They do not know that vessels take time to bring money but that it is a sure investment. Vessels can stay for 45 years and will still be bringing money for you. But our investors in Nigeria are used to banks that will declare

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Continues from Page 48 big profit today and close shop in a short while. Assessment of Nigeria’s maritime industry The maritime industry in Nigeria is very green and vast. You know there are maritime services in offshore, which is our area of operation. There are maritime services in the area of shipping, that is movement of cargos and there are different kinds of shipping. There is shipping on wet cargo, those are the petroleum products and Shipping of bulk cargos, those are rice, cement and the rest. So, in those areas, if you check Nigerians participating in that industry, if you put in a percentage, in offshore, we are not having more than 15 percent participation. In shipping, real shipping of cargo, I do not think we have 4 to 5 percent. We have Cabotage law, which states that Nigerians should have the bulk of the job. We have local content law which says give it to Nigerians. But these laws are just good on paper because the infrastructure to make the law work is not there. And why the infrastructure is not there is because there is no finance to make the infrastructure available. So, that becomes a major challenge in the industry where majority of Nigerians are not participating. You cannot just wake one day and say you want to go and buy a ship. A ship can be N100 million dollars because it can carry a lot. So, you see us just growing slowly despite all our aggressiveness. Despite our persistence, we are still crawling. And it is an industry that can provide a whole lot of employment and can increase gross domestic product of this country. So, there is a lot in the maritime industry, a lot of opportunities yet untapped. Banks support Nigerian banks are traders. They prefer businesses that generate interest in a short while. But in maritime, it is not a business of one year. Even in one year, two years you are still building the vessel and may not be able to get returns on investment. The vessel has a minimum life span of 25 years and if you are lucky you can get your money back in seven years, plus two on construction making it like nine or ten. So no bank in Nigeria can agree to that long time investment. It is difficult for them because they will tell you that the money they are having is for short term deposit. Most banks in Nigeria do not understand maritime. The only bank that I know that really understand maritime is Standard Chartered and it is a foreign bank. Nigerian banks will tell you that they need contract for this vessel so that they will know where the money is coming from. Then the oil companies that want to give you the contract will say we want to see the vessel first to know the kind of contract to give you. The bank will say they want to see the contract and the oil companies will say C M Y K

they want to see the vessel. In such situation where do you go to? So, it is a chicken before egg or egg before chicken issue. Why Cabotage implementation is not working It is not as if it is not working, it is working within our capacity . It is working and I must give credit to the Transport Minister. He is really pushing. He is doing a lot of reforms, introducing some measures to make sure that Cabotage works. The indigenous companies that they want to help do not have the financial muscle to buy the asset that will make the Cabotage work. There are still some things that government also need to do to bring about certain reforms that can support the industry. Also the indigenous companies too need to do some things to complement government’s effort so as to move the industry forward. The indigenous players need to come together with one voice and let government know certain things in terms of reforms that they need to make in the maritime industry. For example, foreign companies that dominate the maritime industry in offshore, when they bring in vessel, they bring in vessel on temporary importation. Maybe a vessel that worth say 30 million dollars, they say we are foreign company we just want to use this vessel in your country for three years. They pay maybe less than one percent, say about N10 million for example . They post just paper to cost it. But if a Nigerian company is bringing the same vessel of 30 million dollars, they will pay tax, pay import duty about 12 percent of that vessel. So, 12 percent of 30 million dollars goes to Customs. That means you are paying over three million dollars to Customs while a foreign company that already has financial muscles is paying nothing to Customs. How can we be competitive? A Nigeria company is importing spares for the ship maintainance and you are charging 100 percent tariff. So, both the Nigerian company and the foreign company are paying the same thing. That means there is no concession. Even in the Cabotage law, the Cabotage law is saying that for all turnover of people participating in this maritime industry, you must remit 2 percent of your turnover of maritime business to NIMASA account. In that case , there should be a reform in such a way that if you are a foreign company you bring 5 percent and if you are a local company you bring half percent. That will empower indigenous company to compete favourably. But look at those import duties for example, how can we ever compete? We cannot because when they borrow money in their own country they borrow at 5 percent, 6 percent per annum. But when we borrow here, we borrow at 22 percent. This is a foreign company borrowing money at 5 percent in their country and bringing the same vessel after which they will be paying less to Customs, deceiving us that

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—49

•Jegede Abiodun Paul

’Oil theft forcing foreign companies to divest in Nigeria’ they are going to use it for 3 years. After the first year, they will renew, second year they renew it again and they keep renewing it. They will not pay debt. So those are the reforms that need to come in place to help indigenous companies to grow. But if they engage the players, they will make policies that will favor the industry. That is why the Nigerian Indigenous Shipowners Association (NISA), is a voice that could make it clear to government on how best to go about it. In year 2025 we want maritime industry to contribute 10 percent to GDP . It happened in US, they have total control of their maritime industry. It happened in Europe - Germany, Netherlands, and many other counties. We can copy what other countries have done and experiment here in Nigeria. It can work. So, you cannot blame government really. Those of us operating in the industry need to speak with one voice and let government know the problem. The CVFF fund That is the 2 percent we are contributing to the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund.. From our income, we have been contributing 2 percent to NIMASA. The money that we have contributed so far, as at my last check, was going to about $90 million dollars. According to the records in Nigeria, we have over 125 indigenous companies, so how are you going to share the money . I have not applied but some of our colleagues have applied. For years now, they have not gotten anything. But when the Minister was

But if a Nigerian company is bringing the same vessel of 30 million dollars, they will pay tax, pay import duty about 12 percent of that vessel. So, 12 percent of 30 million dollars goes to Customs. That means you are paying over three million dollars to Customs while a foreign company that already has financial muscles is paying nothing to Customs. How can we be competitive?

addressing us some time ago, he said that they would release some money . But what did they apply for? Five million dollars. That money cannot buy you vessel alone. But the way they did it this time is that they gave it to commercial banks to warehouse and then the commercial bank will lend it out on long term but within the approved interest rate. But I have not seen anybody that has gotten the money. But there are ways we can use that money to benefit the industry. There are foreign fund providers that can provide fund if you have your own contribution. So instead of saying, let us share that money. We can make it available as 10 percent contribution. We we can use that money to get 1.5 billion dollars. And tell the government that they should look for companies that are really serious. Companies with good track record. Then we will set up management committee that will be managing the vessel. The vessel will make the money back. If they pay that one and the investor sees that they have paid, they can bring in more money to acquire more vessels. And in a period of five, ten years you will see that Nigerian companies will take hold of the industry. With this, the economy will be better for it, jobs will be created and the potentials in the industry will be realized. It is possible because it is a matter of giving comfort to those fund providers. They will make the fund available, after all they are going to be the ones that will build the vessel for us. Some of the shipyards that do not even have business and then you are bringing business to them, saying build this vessel for us, we will pay you over five years. They will be glad to do so. So, NIMASA or the government will back us to say, yes we will make sure that they pay you. That is all. You will see what will happen in the industry, unemployment will reduce because a lot of people will be employed. We have proved it to the government before that this can provide 5 million jobs and 5 million jobs is not a small thing. So that is how that fund can actually help the industry to grow. And there are ways we can do it, we have seen it happen. If we then have that vessel the local content law will work, Cabotage law will work. Programmes/projections for 2015 With regard to the maritime industry, our own project is to keep increasing our fleet. We have up to 35 vessels of different kinds. We have 12 vessels of sea going ways and the rest are river going, tug boats, barges and all that. Japaul in 10 years time Japaul is going to be a giant in the industry. We want to have a good percentage (market share) of the industry and then we also want to support others to grow because there are too many things in the industry for all of us to benefit from. In the next five years, we see ourselves having more than 40 to 45 sea going vessels, which means investment of more than one billion dollars.

50—SATURDAY

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

ALLEGED MISSING $20BN OIL REVENUE:

The True Story—NNPC Timelines of a Saga September 25, 2013 CBN Governor writes to Mr. President alleging that “between January 2012 and July 2013, NNPC lifted 594,024,107 barrels of crude oil valued at $65,332,350,514.57. Out of this amount NNPC repatriated only $15,528,410,098.77 representing 24% of the value. This means the NNPC is yet to account for, and repatriate to the Federation Account, an amount in excess of $49.8 billion or 76% of the value of oil lifted in the same period.”

Senator Ahmed Makarfi asks the CME and the parties to go and complete reconciliation process and to return to the Committee with their findings

C M Y K

September 26, 2013: Presidency receives CBN Governor’s letter. September 27, 2013: President minutes letter to Hon Minister of Petroleum Resources to explain the allegations against NNPC. September 30, 2013: HMPR forwards letter to GMD NNPC asking for explanations: October 2, 2013 GMD NNPC offers explanations to the HMPR. October 4, 2013: HMPR writes to Mr. President with detailed explanations. October 4, 2013 to November 6, 2013. Nothing was heard about the allegation and NNPC presumed the Presidency and CBN were satisfied with the explanations given. December 8, 2013 Contents of CBN’s letter leaked to some online publications causing national furore. Senate Plenary directs its Committee on Finance to investigate the alleged unremitted $49.8 billion. December 10, 2013 NNPC, in a press release, goes public with its explanations on the allegation, saying that the CBN Governor did not understand the workings of the oil industry and how revenues from oil lifting are remitted to the Federation Account. It added that the CBN actually understated the figures of lifting by NNPC by 4.13 percent. December 13, 2013 NNPC GMD, Engr. Andrew Yakubu, addresses a World Press Conference debunking the allegations made by the CBN Governor. Engr Yakubu stated NNPC crude oil liftings are made up of the following: 1. Equity crude, 2. Royalty oil, 3. Tax oil, 4. Volume for Third Party financing and 5. NPDC equity volume. He stated that remittances of proceeds from each of the 5 streams are made according to statutory and production arrangements. He explained that all remittances due to the Federation Account had been made into that account. December 13, 2013 Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance directs Inter-Agency Committee, comprising Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget Office of the Federation, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, NNPC, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to work to reconcile the different figures given by the two agencies of Government, namely CBN and NNPC. December 18, 2013 Joint Press Conference held at the Federal Ministry of Finance Headquarters to report the findings of the Inter-Agency Committee. In attendance were the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Minister of Petroleum Resources, Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources and the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA. CME announced that the Inter-Agency Reconciliation Committee had established that $39 billion of the alleged $49.8 had actually been remitted to the Federation Account. CME announced that the Committee was still working to reconcile the balance of $10.8 bn. December 18, 2013 At the first sitting of the Ahmed Makarfi led Senate Committee on Finance, suspended Gov. of CBN informs the Committee that $12 bn was balance of unremitted revenue to Federation Account. CME interjected and told the Committee that $10.8bn was balance to be verified by the Inter-Agency Committee. December 18, 2013 Senator Ahmed Makarfi asks the CME and the parties to go and complete reconciliation process and to return to the Committee with their findings. January 10, 2014: Following incessant misleading media reports that the unreconciled $10.8bn was missing and unaccounted for, a press conference was organized where the Group Executive Director of Finance and Accounts, in charge of the Corporation, Mr. Benard O.

•Alison-Madueke N. Otti gave a breakdown of the $10.8 being reconciled as follows: Unpaid subsidy $8.49 billion, Maintenance of National Strategic Reserve$0.37 billion, Product and crude oil loses $0.72 billion and cost of pipeline vandalism and repairs $1.22 billion. February 13, 2014 At resumed hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance, CME informed members and the public that the Inter-Agency Committee had completed its assignment and had certified and signed off on the claims of NNPC to the tune of $8.7 billion for petroleum products subsidy. She said that the Committee had no technical competence to verify the other claims of $2.1 billion for pipeline repairs and maintenance, strategic reserves etc., and suggested that a forensic audit of the claims including what PPPRA (the statutory agency responsible for verifying products importation and subsidy claims) had certified and signed off be undertaken. In making the suggestion, CME had noted that even though the claims of NNPC had been certified, given the extraordinary times, it may be necessary to invite forensic auditors to do a forensic examination. CME equally called for a legal opinion on the status of NPDC and Third party financing alliances by NPDC The CBN Governor was asked if he agreed with the finding of the Inter-Agency Committee to which he answered in the affirmative, adding that since the agencies responsible for certification of products importation and subsidy claims have certified the claims of NNPC, CBN was satisfied. But in a prepared address the CBN Governor said that the amount unremitted to the Federation Account was now $20 billion not the $12 billion that he had earlier said or the $10.8 given by the CME and the Inter-Agency Committee CBN Governor gave a breakdown of the $20 billion to include the outstanding $12 billion (contrary to the $10.8 billion given by the CME and Inter-Agency Committee), $6 billion being gross revenue earned by Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited NPDC, a subsidiary of the NNPC and $2 billion being payments to Third parties. CBN Governor posited that NPDC being a subsidiary of the NNPC must remit all its revenue to the Federation Account in line with the constitutional requirement in Section 162 (10) c. He also questioned the legality of NNPC floating

subsidiaries to do business and keep their funds. Finally he questioned the propriety of the process of incorporating NPDC and the strategic Agreements it entered into. CBN Governor informed the Committee that he had sought legal opinion from Senior Advocates of Nigeria before making his presentation. Senator Makarfi ruled that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice be invited to come and give legal opinion on the issue of whether NPDC could defray costs of operations before remitting net to the Federation Account; whether NNPC could float a company to do business and whether the process of floating NPDC was proper and if the strategic alliance entered into with Third parties followed due process. February 14, 2014 HMPR speaks to Makarfi-led Committee on the reasons why kerosene subsidy still subsists. HMPR informed the Committee that going by the Act establishing the Corporation, for any change of products price to be effected the Honourable Minister of Petroleum must have the new price gazette. She noted that the then Honourable Minister of Petroleum did not gazette the decision to remove subsidy on kerosene. She also recalled the reactions of Nigerians to the attempt by the Jonathan administration in 2012 to remove subsidy on PMS, as a prelude to removing subsidy on kerosene, noting that if Nigerians would not accept PMS subsidy removal, how could they accept kerosene subsidy removal considering that it is the fuel used by the majority of the poor people of the country. NNPC accounts for unremitted $10.8bn to Federation Account with submission of documents to Senate Committee on Finance. NNPC stated that the relevant agencies had signed off on the subsidy claims of the Corporation in the sum of $8.7 billion and that documents supporting losses from crude oil and products theft, pipelines vandalism and maintenance, security and maintenance of strategic reserves etc are being submitted to the Senate Committee for verification. Even though the CBN Governor had admitted that not all gross revenue earned by NPDC is to be remitted to the Federation Account, he did not determine how

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ALLEGED MISSING $20BN OIL REVENUE:

much of the $6 billion is to be remitted. Yet, his allegation of unremitted $20 billion was made up of all the gross revenue of $6 billion from NPDC. The Committee asked NNPC to explain the rationale behind strategic alliances between NPDC and its partners. February 20, 2014 In response to the Senate Committee’s enquiry Attorney General of the Federation informs Senate Committee that NNPC is legally empowered to defray cost of operations from its revenue. Secondly he confirms that NNPC was empowered to float companies to do business. On the third issue, namely whether due process was followed in signing the strategic partnership agreements, he informed the Senate that he was yet to study the documents he received on that as he got them on his way to the Senate. February 24, 2014 Commenting on a question about subsidy on kerosene during a Media chat, President Jonathan confirmed NNPC’s position that subsidy on kerosene had not been removed by the •Alison-Madueke Government. February 25, 2014 Following media reports that NPDC denied receiving $6bn from NNPC, being NPDC’s revenue during the period under review, the Managing Director of NPDC, Mr. Victor Briggs, issued a press statement confirming that NNPC remitted the said amount into the NNPC/NPDC account which warehouses all of NPDC’s earnings from its operations. March 13, 2014 At the resumed hearing of the Senate Committee, a Director from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr Salawu Zubairu, told the Committee that from their records NNPC had remitted all the funds meant for remittance into the Federation Account within the period under review. At the same hearing, a representative of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Mr Alfred Ohiani, also confirmed to the Committee that NNPC paid all royalties on crude oil liftings during the period under review into the DPR account with the Central Bank of Nigeria. The Committee also took evidence from Third Party Operators (JV partners from Total E & P and Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited) who were represented by Mr Chidi Momah and Mr Olusegun Banwo. The two representatives confirmed that their companies received the amounts stated by NNPC as having been paid to Third Parties during the period under review. The Committee adjourned sine die to enable members go into a technical session to review all the presentations in order to be able to come up with their conclusion. May 28, 2014 The Committee submitted its report to the Senate. Some of the observations and recommendations of the Committee include: a.) That no oil revenue amounting to $49.8bn, $20bn, $12bn, or $10.8bn as alleged by the former CBN governor is missing b.) That the total expenditure on kerosene subsidy for the period (January 2012 – July 2013) which was unbudgeted was $4.43 billion. It is not anywhere near $8.7bn that the APC lying machine is bandying about. c.) That a Supplementary Appropriation Bill covering the amount be sent to the National Assembly for approval considering the ambiguity in government policy on kerosene subsidy and the fact that the PPPRA has verified the importation of the products. d.) That NNPC should remit the sum of $262 to the Federation Account being “expenses it could not satisfactorily defend in respect of Holding Strategic Stock Reserve; Pipeline Maintenance and Management Cost; and Capital Expenditure. July 10, 2014 The report of the Committee was debated on the floor of the Senate at plenary and it adopted most of the recommendations of the Committee. It particularly resolved, based on the recommendation of the Committee that the allegation of the former Central Bank Governor that some money was missing was to all intents and purposes false and that no money (be it $49.8bn, $20bn, $12bn, or $10.8bn) was missing. The senate also advised President Goodluck Jonathan to prepare and present to the National Assembly a supplementary budget “to cover the expenditure in the sum of N90.6bn for PMS (premium motor spirit) subsidy 2012 and N685.9bn for kerosene

‘The True Story’

Commenting on a question about subsidy on kerosene during a Media chat, President Jonathan confirmed NNPC’s position that subsidy on kerosene had not been removed by the Government.

C M Y K

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—51

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, explained in the course of the Senate Committee hearing that she did not see any logic in withdrawing subsidy from kerosene which is the fuel relied upon by the very poor for cooking and lighting while retaining subsidy on petrol which is fuel powering cars by the rich. President Goodluck Jonathan also threw light on the issue in one of his media chats when he explained that kerosene subsidy was not removed and that it was not published in the Gazette as stipulated by law.

subsidy expended without appropriation by the National Assembly” based on the Committee’s finding that the expenditure was not based on a flagrant disobedience to the laws of the land in the light of the ambiguity surrounding the issue of kerosene subsidy removal. Other Salient Issues On the recommendation by the Senate that NNPC should refund, the sum of $262bn which it expended on holding strategic stock reserves and maintenance and management of pipelines, it must be understood that NNPC by the law establishing it (the NNPC Act) is meant to act the supplier of last resort of petroleum products in the country. This role entails that it must ensure the availability of petroleum products to the Nigerian public at all times irrespective of circumstances. The operation and holding of strategic stock reserve to guard against supply shocks is essential to the fulfillment of NNPC’s role as a supplier of last resort. The maintenance and management of a network of pipelines is also strategic to the effective performance of the function the supplier of last resort. Unfortunately, there is no budgetary provision for these activities that are essential to the efficient performance of the statutory role of supplier of last resort. The PPPRA template does not make provision for the recovery of pipeline maintenance and management cost. If NNPC does not hold strategic reserves and maintain the pipelines whenever they are broken it cannot guarantee efficient supply of petroleum products across the country in keeping with its statutory role as a supplier of last resort. The same National Assembly that wants NNPC to refund the $262bn expended on these two strategic activities is usually the first to summon the Management of the Corporation whenever there is a hitch in products supply and distribution resulting in fuel scarcity. By this recommendation, NNPC is being put in a very difficult position to perform its statutory role as the supplier of last resort. On the issue of kerosene subsidy, the committee observed that there was some ambiguity regarding government policy on the issue which made the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Petroleum to toe different lines on the matter. Whereas the Ministry of Finance and the National Assembly acted on the Presidential memo directing the Minister of Petroleum and NNPC to remove kerosene subsidy by stopping appropriation for kerosene subsidy, the Ministry of Petroleum could not act on effect the Presidential directive because of impracticability of the directive which instructed the Minister of Petroleum to remove subsidy on kerosene without making it public. The Petroleum Act stipulates that prices of petroleum products should be increased by the Minister of Petroleum Resources after announcing such increment in public media and the Federal Government Gazette. The Minister of Petroleum Resources at that time could not straighten out this contradiction in the directive with the late President Umaru Yar’Adua before his illness got worse and he eventually died.

In the light of the above, that funds were expended for kerosene subsidy without a valid appropriation by the National Assembly as required by law was not exactly an illegality as the lying machine of the APC tried to portray it. Indeed, the Committee recommended that the President could send in a Supplementary Appropriation to cover for the amount spent on kerosene subsidy so as to straighten out the whole issue. February 2, 2015 The report of the Forensic Audit conducted by the internationally reputable accounting firm, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), on NNPC over the alleged unremitted $49.8bn was submitted by the firm to President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House, Abuja. The President immediately handed over the report to the Auditor-General of the Federation with a directive to study it and make the key findings of the report public February 5, 2015 The Auditor-General, in a press conference, made the highlights of the Forensic Audit Report known to the public. The highpoint of his disclosure was that the report recommends that NNPC and its Exploration & Production subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) are to remit the sum of $1.48bn being “signature bonus due for divested assets and taxes/royalties”. What the Auditor-General failed to explain to the public is that the signature bonuses, royalties and taxes on the oil wells divested by Shell and assigned to NPDC were not part of the oil lifting revenues ($49.8) which the former CBN Governor (now Emir of Kano) alleged was unremitted by NNPC and which was the reason for the Forensic Audit. The recommendation to pay the signature bonus for the divested oil wells was not an indictment in anyway over the alleged unremitted $49.8 or any of the later versions of the amount that the former CBN Governor came up with. February 11, 2015 Following the barrage of media reports claiming that NNPC was indicted in the PwC Forensic Audit Report because of its recommendation that NNPC should pay the sum of $1.48bn to the Federation Account, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Joseph T. Dawha, addressed a press conference to explain the recommendation and why it does not amount to an indictment. The GMD explained that the $1.48bn represents the balance of the book value of the assets assigned to NPDC upon divestment by Shell as computed by the DPR. He further explained that the full book value of the assets as computed by DPR was $1.847bn out of which NNPC had paid over $300m as a token to indicate its interest in acquiring the assets pending when NNPC and DPR come to terms on a mutually acceptable estimate of the book value of the assets as NNPC had raised concerns over some of the parameters that DPR used in arriving at its figures. On deductions and kerosene subsidy, the GMD explained that the PwC’s report was unequivocal that the NNPC Act empowers NNPC to defray its costs from crude oil sales proceeds and so NNPC could not be blamed for doing what the law prescribes, adding however that NNPC was ready for the legal reform proposed in the PIB. Conclusion: The Forensic Audit Report, like the Senate Committee on Finance’s Probe Report before it, clearly stated that all the revenue generated from FGN crude lifting for the period of 1 January 2012 to 31 July 2013 amounting to $69.34bn was fully accounted for Nowhere in the report was it stated that NNPC was indicted over the allegation of unremitted or missing oil revenue. The alleged issue of missing oil revenue to the tune of whatever amount ($49.8bn, $20bn, $12bn, $10.8bn?) has been laid to rest by the Senate of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and an independent audit firm, PwC. In the light of the above, anyone or organization still circulating information about any unremitted or missing oil revenue or that NNPC was indicted in any report over the allegation is only either being mischievous or displaying his or its disdain for truth and only needs to be pitied.

52—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Assassination of Abuja bizman •Arrested suspect ropes in best friend of deceased as hatchet man •Police hunt for another king pin BY EMMA NNADOZIE he circumstances T surrounding the gruesome murder of Tony Eze, a 39year-old International businessman based in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, have been unravelled by detectives attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Force Headquarters, Abuja. The late Eze, from Umuagede village in Nsukka L.G.A. of Enugu State met his untimely death after a night out with friends, including a kinsman from Eha-Alumonah in Enugu State (name withheld). EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT Eyewitness account said he was shot dead by two young men on a motor bike who closed in on him while he was trying to avoid a porthole, just a few meters away from the refreshment garden at Tungama area of Zuba in the outskirts of Abuja. He had gone to the garden for conviviality with friends. It was learnt that on the fateful day, November 6, 2014, the father of two was about closing for the day’s business when his kinsman and best friend called to request that they go out for drinks at Zuba. He was said to have initially hesitated before reluctantly agreeing to be at the refreshment garden in the evening. IN THE LIONS’S DEN He reportedly left his shop about 5pm and got to the garden where he met three of his friends already seated and enjoying drinks. Crime Guard gathered that about 7:20pm, they all set to leave, moving in a convoy, with his best friend and kinsman driving the car in front. Eze was the last to join before he was blocked and shot dead inside his car. SYNPATHIZERS ARRIVE SCENE OF DEATH After the owner of the garden and other sympathizers gathered at the scene, his friends reportedly drove back claiming that they heard a bang at their back but thought that Eze must have hit something and that was why they continued without him. ABANDONEMENT Reports said that even after the arrival of his friends at the scene, no serious efforts were made to either take him to the hospital or contact the police at Zuba. Policemen arrived the scene around 11pm and all efforts made to revive Eze in the hospital failed. One of the doctors was said to have reprimanded his friends for not rushing him to the C M Y K

nearest hospital immediately they arrived the scene, saying that he could have survived the gun shots if he had been given immediate medical attention. SARS AND PRIVATE EYE TO THE RESCUE Nevertheless, it was gathered that police detectives of SARS swung into action after it was noticed that the police at Zuba were lukewarm over the ugly incident. Police sources said their efforts were complemented by those of a Lagosbased private detectives hired by members of the family of the deceased. According to the source: ‘’While we were combing all the nook and cranny of Abuja for clues, the private detectives were busy spreading dragnets all over the country and even beyond, where the deceased had business partners. BREAKTHROUGH AT LAST “A startling breakthrough came few weeks back after the private detectives succeeded in arresting a suspect in possession of the phone of the deceased which was the only item his assailants disappeared with after the incident. The suspect turned out to be in the same Aluminium Market where late Eze had his shop. We drilled him for long hours until he capitulated and started confessing how they killed the innocent young man." CONFESSIONS GALORE According to him, two people came to engage their services for the job in their cult group. He gave a detailed description of them and one of the descriptions tallied with that of the late businessman’s best friend and kinsman who also had business in the same market with him. The suspect said that when they asked those that came to hire them why they wanted the man dead, they said he had been importing goods from abroad and needed to be silenced. They were paid N1.2million, some of them got N250,000 while others got N300,000 each.” HOW OPERATION WAS EXECUTED Giving a vivid account of how they carried out the operation on the day in question, the suspect said some of them arrived the restaurant earlier than the deceased and sat by a table near where he later sat with his best friend who hired them. ‘He said that as soon as they were ready to go, his friend winked at them at the nearby table and they used their telephone to flash their colleagues who were positioned outside the area as a signal that they should proceed to hit their target. He

•Late Tony Eze

further said they were told that he would be coming in a car behind. So, his friend quickly drove off in front with the deceased following behind and when they got to the point where they had to join the expressway, the friend in front drove faster. As soon as his friend entered the expressway two of the hired killers blocked the businessman’s car and one of them just pulled out his gun, approached the driver’s side and yanked open the door. While Eze was passionately pleading with them to take whatever they needed and spare his life, the armed man shot him point blank, picked his phone and sped off.’’ Police sources also hinted that after the arrest of five of the suspects at the popular Aluminium Market, Abuja, his best friend confessed during interrogation that the deceased gave him N5million to exchange for him around October 2014, and he was yet to pay him back before he was killed. It was learnt that initially, he wanted to be smart by diverting the attention of detectives to focus their searchlight on one of the brothers to the deceased but when he learnt that one of the killers had confessed to the crime, he withdrew his allegation. Sources said detectives were still searching for the second person that hired the killers together with the best friend to the deceased and would soon arrest him. FAMILY REACTS Family sources told Crime Guard that the arrest of their son’s supposed best friend over his death sent shock waves all over the community. According to a member of the family who simply identified himself as Simon( 45) : ‘’ This is the greatest shock we have received in our area in recent times. That suspect is well known to all of us as Tony’s best friend. They used to travel together to China on business trips. In fact, he was closer to our brother than anybody in the family. Whenever we needed to advise our brother, we usually channelled it through this his friend who happens to come from Eha-Alumonah Community, a neighbouring town in Nsukka. Interestingly, this his friend was leading pallbearers during Tony’s burial. He was

This is the greatest shock we have received in our area in recent times. That suspect is well known to all of us as Tony's best friend. They used to travel together to China on business trips

the first to arrive our compound before other of his friends and business partners arrived. He was shedding tears uncontrollably. Even after the burial, his wife prepared our traditional food for the bereaved family which friends usually partake in. I can remember vividly that a few days after Tony’s burial, the suspect told some members of our family that he (the deceased) owed some business associates a whooping sum of N12 million and there was urgent need to settle the debt but we swept it aside by telling him that it could come up after the mourning period. I will use this opportunity to thank the Nigeria Police Force and the private detectives for the success recorded so far because these startling confessions and arrests will go a long way to assuage our deep feeling of loss. (In tears) Now see, for how much did they take the precious life of this young, amiable, promising and easygoing young man? Who will train his children and take care of his young wife? PROBABLE MOTIVE Crime Guard further gathered that detectives were working on the theory that his best friend was envious of his progress and the boom in his business and hatched the plan not just to eliminate him but also to stop him from asking for the whooping N5million he gave him to change last October. So far, it was learnt that both the suspect that confessed to the killing and the deceased best friend were taken separately to the scene of the crime and they pointed out correctly the table where they sat and the point where Eze was intercepted and killed. POLICE AUTHORITIES INTERVENE Meanwhile, it was learnt that on hearing the progress recorded in the case, police authorities have directed that no stone should be left unturned in rounding up all those remotely or otherwise connected with the assassination of the young and promising businessman and they should be charged to court for murder accordingly.

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—53

How trans-border car snatcher disposed a Toyota Camry for N50,000 BY FRANCIS IGATA

notorious car snatching syndicate terrorizing motorists in Enugu State and its environs has been apprehended by the operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Enugu Police command. The suspect, Samuel Chukwuokike,32,from Ohaozara in Ebonyi State snatched his victim’s Toyota Camry at gunpoint along Mount Street, Agbani road axis of Enugu on September, 2014. When Saturday Vanguard interviewed the suspect at AntiKidnapping Squad office situated along Abakiliki road, Samuel revealed that he snatched the Toyota Camry,1999 model and sold it for N50,000. His words:”I came to Enugu from Lagos, having tried my hands in trade and other businesses but to no avail. My plan was to travel to SouthAfrica to sought greener pastures. But my challenge was that of finance. “I needed N250,000 to make the travel to South-Africa. It was at a beer parlour called ‘Isi-ewu joint’ in Keyattha street axis of Enugu that I met Jackie. Jackie was the one who contracted me to

Suspect:..., the suspect, brandishing a locally made pistol

snatch a car for him. He assured me that he will buy the car once I snatched it from a victim. “On that fateful day, I contacted my friend Ike, having acquired a locally made pistol with two live cartridges from the owner of a ‘bunk’ where I go to smoke Indian Hemp. We set out around 9PM. It was along Mount Street that we met our victim. “He parked his car and was talking with somebody when we swooped on him. I quickly brandished the gun I pulled out and ordered him to surrender the key. He quickly did and we drove off to Prisco Hotel, Abakiliki, Ebonyi state. Jackie had told me to bring the car at the hotel and collect N250,000 for the car. “We arrived Prisco hotel around midnight and met Jackie. He gave me N50,000 and told us that it was night and that it was the only money on him. He promised to pay the balance of N200,000 in two days. Jackie later fooled us. He did not pay the balance and his phone stop going through. I later snatched another Golf 3 but before I could find a buyer, the Police arrested me.”

Armed robbers kill 4, rob bank in Benue BY PETER DURU, MAKURDI

o fewer than four persons were Thursday afternoon shot dead by suspected armed robbers who attacked and carted away an undisclosed sum of money from the Vandeikya town branch of a commercial bank, in Vandeikya local government area of Benue state. Saturday Vanguard gathered that the robbery occurred 48 hours after the local government’s monthly allocation was lodged in the bank. According to an eyewitness, the well armed robbers numbering over 20 stormed the bank at about 3pm and started shooting sporadically after disarming the security personnel on guard within the vicinity. “They stormed the bank in several vehicles and disarmed the police officers on C M Y K

duty at the time, after which they entered the banking hall and ransacked the entire building, carting away all the money in the bank’s vault. “While the operation lasted, four persons were killed, some of them were hit by stray bullets while many including the disarmed police officers

were injured.” Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Deputy Superintendent, DSP, Austin Ezeani, said one of the robbers was killed near Oju while the gang tried to escape to Ogoja in Cross River state. He said the killing of some persons by the robbers had not

been confirmed by the command but disclosed that 22 magazines, a Toyota HighLander SUV, a Toyota Carina car and another Toyota car were recovered from the robbers after a gun dwell with the police at Oju. Ezeani said no arrest had been made just as he said no money was recovered from the robbers.

Kidnapper evenue Board Secre tar Kidnapperss of Delta R Re Secretar taryy, driver demand N100m for ransom BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI & PEREZ BRISIBE

BDUCTORS of the Secretary to the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue, Mr. Isaac Itebu and his personal driver who were on Wednesday kidnapped in Ebrumede community, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State while leaving for work , have

demanded a ransom of one hundred million Naira from their families. A member of the Itebu family who spoke to Vanguard, said that the gunmen contacted the Itebu family and the family of his driver demanding for the money as a condition for their release. When Saturday Vanguard visited the Itebu residence, the family pastor and sympathizers

were seen in the compound holding a prayer session to seek divine intervention for the release of the victims. As at the time of filing this report, it was not confirmed if the family had negotiated with them. When contacted the Delta State Police Public Relation Officer, Celestina Kalu confirmed the incident adding that the command was on top of the situation.

54—SATURDAY Vanguard,

FEBRUARY 21, 2015

The problem with our curriculum BY LAJU IREN & SARAH OFONEDU

nlike quite a number in the profession, Pst. Antoinette Omo-Osagie always wanted to be a teacher. After abandoning a career path in Business Administration, she found her way back to education and specialized in curriculum development. Now principal at Christ the Redeemers College, Shagamu, she shares her thoughts on the education curriculum, students’ performance in examinations, and the need to focus on vocational education. Read on: “I always wanted to be a teacher. I honestly wanted to b a teacher. When I was younger, I used to conduct lessons and teach all the children in my neighborhood in Yaba. I would bring them to a corner and put pencils in their hand. I think because both my parents were teachers, I fell in love with the profession quite early. In a country like ours, being a teacher isn’t something people get excited about. Most people get into it by accident. I used to be a part time lecturer at Adeniran Ogusanya College of Education, AOCOED. There was a student there who was not quite serious; when I spoke to her she told me that she was there because she did not pass the then Unified Matriculation Examinations, UTME. My father had me study business administration. I always thought

—Omo-Osagie •Pst. Antoinette Omo-Osagie there was a divine providence in my life. While studying business administration at the University of Illinois, they decided to do a test to find out if people were studying what they really needed to study. After the survey, they did the analysis, and people they felt were studying something different from what they needed to study, were sent to different councilors. I was one of them, and my councilor steered me on the right path and made me realize that twenty years down the line, I would be the one stuck with the degree, not my parents. So I made a switch to education and majored in curriculum development. Based on your experience in the area of curriculum development, what do you think can be done to settle this issue of trial and error curricular in the education sector? When you work on a curriculum, you should write curriculum materials and then plan to train teachers to follow through with them. But what they do is create the curriculum without materials; so the issue is not with the curriculum but with implementation. For example, there is subject called creative arts, but there is no course in any Nigerian

University called Creative Arts education. There was another challenge when we first started teaching social studies in place of History and Geography at the primary level because that’s how it was done in the United States. Same with Civic education, there’s no such thing as Civic education at the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations, WASSCE, so it’s unfair to the students because it’s a dead end. What do you think can be done to improve students’ performance in WASSCE and other qualifying exams? For the past seven years, students’ performance in WASSCE and other qualifying examinations have been going from bad to worse. And I think students, teachers and the government are jointly to blame. I once spoke with an English teacher who could not speak English. We once had a test for people applying to be teachers. We gave them questions from the examinations of our SS2 students and one of them got 14%. Examination malpractice is quickly becoming the order of the day, parents are encouraging their children to indulge in it because of the craze for University education. But not everyone has to go to the University, the education system was structured in such a way that

I honestly wanted to ba teacher. When I was younger, I used to conduct lessons and teach all the children in my neighborhood in Yaba.

those who are technically inclined can take the technical/ vocational route early enough. Somewhere along the line, Nigerians somehow got it into their heads the idea of free education. But it’s not really like that in advanced countries. It might seem free, but somebody paid for it. In the United States for example, every house in each neighbourhood is taxed. It is from the taxes paid on the houses that the schools are funded. So if you live in a neighbourhood with expensive houses, then your children will get expensive education, but if you live in a neighbourhood with cheap houses, you’ll get cheap education. Why many people want quality education, but don’t want to pay for it really beats me. Also, the Government still has a lot more to do as regards funding of education because we have a lot of money in this country that is not being channeled in the right direction. One thing that really stands us out at Christ the Redeemers is our involvement in Vocational education. We make sure that every student leaves here with two or more vocational skills. It’s something that our mother in the Lord, Pst (Mrs). Folu Adeboye is very passionate about. Another thing we believe in is raising children who have the fear of the Lord and are strong in character.

Project managers need strong code of ethics —Usman BY LAJU IREN & MAXMILLIAN ANOSIKE

he Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Aso Savings and Loans, Mr. Hassan Usman has said that project managers in Nigeria need strong codes of ethics and professional conduct to effectively carry out their duties. Usman said this at the 10th Annual Project Management Lecture held at the University of Lagos, UNILAG where he served as guest lecturer recently. The lecture, organized by UNILAG’s Department of building was themed: “National Vision on Housing and Infrastructure: The role of C M Y K

•Hassan Usman

Project Management.” Usman, while pin pointing the challenges of infrastructure and housing development in Nigeria, said that there is no clear understanding of the

intricacies and scope of projects prior to commission. According to him other challenges include: “Poor real estate project planning and execution resulting in major cost overruns; non-adherence to quality control measures both in building materials production and actual construction; slow adoption of emerging improved building and project technologies; dearth of qualified craftsmen and artisans, popularization of subcontracts which serve as potential threats for project quality as well as the prevalence of inexperienced project managers.” The Aso boss added that to achieve the National Vision for Housing and Infrastructure, project managers must pay attention to quality, risk management, optimal resource utilization, timeliness, decision making, record keeping and accountability as well as human resources.

Apart from codes of ethics and professional conduct, he opined that the way forward for project management must include adoption of emerging project management technology and applications, adoption of enhanced project management communication strategies, consistent re-evaluation of adopted management practices and

Government-Private initiatives to involved professional project managers in infrastructure and housing development. Speaking on the relevance of the topic, the Head of Department of Building, Prof. Godwin Idoro, said that the existing scenario of housing and infrastructure in Nigeria is nothing to write home about. He said: “The existing scenario is a challenge to all stakeholders involved in the supply of housing and infrastructure notably the Federal and State Governments, the organized private sector, education and research institutions.”

SATURDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—55

I’ll prioritize industrialisation of Imo, says Ojiri

side for the industrialisation of Imo state, any other plan by anyone as a governor is simply pouring water into a basket. All the pains of the citizens rvolves around poverty, the urban migration, increase in crime and other vices which are easily traceable to lack of industrial base that could accommodate the teeming population of the state to earn a decent living. This is the submission of Ken Ojiri, the state governorship flagbearer of the Accord party . Speaking to a mammoth crowd at a rally in Orlu, Ojiri posited that unless the state returns to the drawing board and revive the industrialization plan of the former governor of the state, late Chief Sam Mbakwe, the state will continue to run round in circles. This, he said informed his decision to develop a master plan that will place Imo on its rightful position as a pace setter. “I know that the people of the state are suffering hardships. They lack means of livelihood. More than eighty percent of the youths are currently outside the state in search of decent livelihood. We produce one of the highest number of graduates annually, yet we have no single industry to employ them. This is an unacceptable

contrast. No state anywhere in the world can develop or sustains its people like that,” Ojiri said. He averred that the major problem of the state is not human resources, but creative leadership. According to him, industrializing Imo is not the major thing, it is the only thing for therein lies •Ugwu wealth creation and other developments. It is out of tune for any governor to promise water supply, electricity and roads as dividends of democracy at a time other people in most states of the federation are expanding their industrial bases for the benefits of their children and future generation. “Our level of backwardness could be seen from the kind of promises we make during elections. In other states, roads and water supply are things taken for granted because it has become a right and not privileges anymore. Ironically in Imo state, we are still promising water supply and electricity. This is a state where the rural areas are deserted because the youths can not find something meaningful to do and have to resort to all manners of crime. Those who do not want to take recourse to crime simply leave the state to seek employments elsewhere.” “When Chief Mbakwe was the governor, he was foresighted enough to realize that there would be population

Industrializing Imo is not the major thing, it is the only thing for therein lies wealth creation and other developments

explosion in the country and that industry would be the basis of survival of any state’s economy. To this end, he initiated the industrialization of the state by establishing one industry for every local government in partnership with industrialists around the world to form the nucleus of the industrial estates in each of the twenty one local

governments of the state. The expectation was that other ancillary industries would spring up around the major industries and drive the economy of the state”. That idea has been borrowed by more than ten states in the country but ironically, it was jettisoned by successive administrations in the state after the great man was sacked from office by the military in 1983. The vision was such strong that he built an independent power station in Amaraku, the first of its kind in the country then, knowing that with the poor level of investment in the power sector, it was a matter of time before power became an issue and the only way to secure the industries was to have an independent power station” said Ojiri to the crowd who could not hide their excitement. Ojiri further informed Imo people that those industries established by Mbakwe have been sold by successive governments in the state and virtually all were sold to themselves and their cronies who have run them aground leaving the people of the state high and dry. He said he has outlined how he was going to make Imo state great again in his manifesto, stressing that he does not make promises without details of how to achieve them. “Politics should not be about promises which is not intended to be kept in the first place. I not only make promises, I tell you how I intend to actualize them so that the people can hold me to my words.” Describing political awareness as being

able to separate the contestants from their platform based on their antecedents and pedigree, Ojiri urged Imo people to be politically aware and make their choices from realistic assessment of individual’s capacity to deliver on campaign promises and shun momentary enticements that will later become an albatross. “When someone pays you for your vote, he is not a Father Christmas, he will surely recoup his expenses from the collective purse of the state before thinking of how to fulfill his promises. When you vote based on the party, after the election, it will be the individual contestant who will rule you to the level of his dreams and knowledge and not the party,” said Ojiri. The tax consultant and Business Reengineering expert said the state needs fresh minds with fresh ideas, someone who can rise above partisanship, someone who is ready to borrow ideas that worked in other parts of the world to better the lots of the state. “When Chief Mbakwe went to Hamburg, Germany and saw the waste disposal system and the cleanliness of the city, he could not help but engage the same company to manage the state’s waste and all through the time of Mbakwe, Imo state was the cleanest city in the country, a marvel to the eyes. That is what dynamism and creativity in governance ought to be and that is what is lacking in the state today which I intend to bring back.” Ojiri promised to rediscover the state in all the vital areas especially making the state economically viable and providing jobs for the teeming populace thereby stemming the tide of urban migration. He described as curious the amount of money invested in frivolities while the people of the state go to bed hungry. Footbridges, roundabouts, conference centers and secretariats are developments, but how much of an impact do they make in the everyday lives of the people of Imo?

Helping ffarmer armer ough tr aining armerss earn money thr through training N

igeria has great potential to become an agricultural powerhouse. 70% of our great landmass is suitable for agriculture, yet only 30% of the land is currently used for cultivation. Nigeria’s diverse

BUSINESS GUIDE

climate, from the tropical areas in the South to arid zones in the North, allow the cultivation of virtually all agricultural products grown in the tropical and semitropical regions of the world. There is thus abundant opportunity for growth and expansion. The agricultural sector contributes 70% of labor force, 80% of consumed food, but only 40% of gross domestic product (GDP). 90% of agricultural production is produced by small scale farmers with the average farm size in the South reaching about 0.5ha and in the North 4ha. Subsistence farming thus continues to dominate the sector. According to Animal Farm Consultant/ Managing Director, Jovana Farms, Prince Arinze Onebunne, the demand for animal products presents many d e v e l o p m e n t opportunities. Livestock production will become the biggest contributor to agriculture in coming decades, with consumption

of animal-based foods the fastest growing subfood category in Africa. The key challenge is determining how to intensify livestock productivity in a sustainable manner. He said, Nigeria has more than 5% of the grasscutters on earth. One of the major challenges is that females do not produce enough quality weaned babies, and this opens up a golden opportunity for technically based companies like us to fill this gap. “We do not only provide quality livestock breeders, we also teach farmers how to feed them with quality materials. This is because only 10 grasscutters are produced per/ female/ per year before; and because Nigerian farmers work hard-and are always willing to learn. JOVANA FARMS won her reputation by helping farmers make more money in snail, mushroom and grasscutter production. We did it by providing our customers with good

Crossbreeding grasscutters C M Y K

quality products, and a full set of very practical, and detailed training programs. As a result, the farmers were able to produce more and heavier weaned piglets and grasscutters, and many achieved 25-30 piglets/ sow/ year and 16-18 grasscutter babies/ doe/ year. This may mean little elsewhere, but it is a major step forward for an industry that only produces 16 pigs/ sow/ year. Producing good quality creep diets is not hard, but making sure they are used correctly is indeed a major challenge. Our sales team runs many hundreds of farmer meetings in the country. This can be a 2-hours training section with ten farmers in a feed store, teaching them how to make piglets, grasscutter and snail babies eating more food. This can also be a one-day seminar gathering 100 people or more talking about the world’s latest livestock production technologies. These programs have become useful events for us. As a result, through our 48 seminar venues nationwide we supply many grasscutters, snails, crossbreed goats, pig, etc to interested farmers. Attend Jovana Farms seminars nearest to you and discover the essential steps on how to breed grasscutters easily and avoid costly mistakes that grasscutter owners are prone to. Visit us at www.jovanafarms.com, Email:jovanafarms@gmail.com. Choose also the nearest venue from our website.

56—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

•Muazu

•Ize-Iyamu

•Gov Oshiomhole

How alleged Presidential largess unsettled Edo PDP SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENIN CITY

hough the governorship election will not hold in Edo state this year but political gladiators in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state have commenced battle for the ticket of the party come 2016. The battle, it seems, is between the Central district and the South senatorial district. From Edo Central you have the current Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, former Governor Osarhiemen Osunbor and Educationists, Mr Ken Imasuagbon eyeing the Osadebey Avenue come 2016. In Edo South, you have the retired General Charles Airiavbere who ran against Governor Adams Oshiomhole in 2012, Senator Ehigie Uzamere, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, Mr Lucky Imasuen and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. As these fellows campaign for President Goodluck Jonathan, their eyes are focused on 2016. Ize-Iyamu defected to the PDP in May 2014, with four House of Assembly members and some leaders of the party. Their entrance into the PDP gave some hope to the party that after all, they might take over the state from APC but that hope waned when many of those who left with him returned to APC. Among them were C M Y K

Chief (Mrs) Evelyn Igbafe who is President Jonathan’s campaign coordinator, Hon Ehiogie West-Idahosa. Some of the leaders in Edo North who also left with him such as Alhaji Usman Shagadi and the House of Representatives member, Abubakar Momoh, dumped the PDP for the SDP. The entire episode was a defection that went awry. It would be recalled that Governor Oshiomhole in 2012 made Ize-Iyamu his Campaign Director for his re-election to the chagrin of some of his loyalists in government. As a matter of fact, the governor’s Special Adviser on Political Matters, Charles Idahosa, a veteran politician, predicted that Oshiomhole’s so much trust in the Pastor would backfire sooner or later. However, Ize-Iyamu utilized that opportunity by using it to build a solid political structure in the APC. So it was easier for him to bargain for a good deal in the PDP when he decided to jump ship. He left the APC after Oshiomhole denied him the opportunity of grabbing the political structure of the party, particularly as he saw himself as Oshiomhole’s natural successor in 2016. In order to avoid crisis in his APC then during the congresses of the party, Oshiomhole provided a level playing field to all the political gladiators in his party including his deputy,

The battle, it seems, is between the Central district and the South senatorial district. From Edo Central you have the current Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, former Governor Osarhiemen Osunbor and Educationists, Mr Ken Imasuagbon eyeing the Osadebey Avenue come 2016

Dr Pius Odubu, but, Ize-Iyamu and his supporters lost the congresses and they decided to move to the PDP after they cried that the exercise was skewed against him and his followers. Despite the fact that the governor cancelled the first exercise to harken to his cry he still lost. Pastor’s forces were subdued by those of the deputy Governor, Dr Odubu. However, there was no doubt that Pastor had added value to the PDP since his entrance into the party. However, the prevailing peace in the party broke down two weeks ago when youths of the PDP protested at the party’s secretariat in Benin City, accusing the Party of diverting the sum of N1.5billion meant for them. The youths threatened to continue the protest until the money was made available to them. Ize-Iyamu described the allegation as unfounded, accusing Governor Oshiomhole of masterminding the crisis so as to cause crisis in the party. “No such amount was released for the presidential rally of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, so the allegation is false and laughable”, he said. Also, the State chairman of the PDP, Dan orbih while denying any largesse for the youths courtesy of the presidential campaign rally in Benin said,”a lot has been said about the PDP presidential rally in Benin. It is now obvious that the massive turnout by Edo people to receive Mr. President was still something that baffled the APC government in the state. They said we hired people from

neighbouring states of Delta, Bayelsa and Anambra for the rally. Today it is another story of 1.5Billion naira. I am not aware of such money”. However, Governor Oshiomhole who reacted to the allegation by Ize-Iyamu, that he masterminded the crisis this way: “I watched on television the protest by PDP youths asking for their money. N3,000 was budgeted for each youth but they said that they were given N500 each. The youths now said nobody can be building new additional estate and leave them hungry. Rather than the PDP addressing the issue the boys raised they were saying that the allegation was an attempt by political opponents to discredit them and they were mentioning my name. Please, let them leave me out of this problem and go and settle the boys. They agreed that money came when I was watching on TV but they refused to disclose how much that they received. These PDP people believe everybody is a fool. A party that can even defraud the poor has no conscience and that is why they cannot know peace because you cannot have peace without justice, without fairness”. As it seems, the battle for 2016 in the PDP has just begun and it has the tendency to be that of the survival of the fittest.

SATURDAY

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—57

I have no regrets for my December 8 role —Nwaoboshi

•Chief Peter Nwaoboshi

BY EMMA AMAIZE & HUGO ODIOGOR, Asaba ORMER Chairman of the People’ Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State and Delta North senatorial candidate of the party, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi, aka Oracle, in this interview with Saturday Vanguard at Asaba, speaks about his mission to the Senate, the tough battle by Anioma people on December 8, 2014, to produce the party’s governorship candidate and the controversies trailing his candidature. F

How is your senatorial campaign going? It is on course. I am confident that I will win in a free and fair contest, because Delta State and Delta North is a PDP state and a PDP area and we have never lost elections since 1998 when the PDP was formed, apart from the time Senator Osakwe went to the Senate. But we all know what led to that and such situation does not exist in Delta North anymore. Is the situation not playing back again in this race? It is playing itself back. Like I said before... But we have Rt. Hon Victor Ochei, who was a member of PDP moving to Accord Party? The situation is not playing back because it was the PDP, who voted in Osakwe because the senatorial candidate was imposed on the people by certain powerful forces and the government and the PDP people were not prepared for that.

That was why Mrs Mariam Ali lost. The PDP won all other elections apart from that one. But the situation here is not the same because I won the primary which was conducted in the full glare of everybody. I won overwhelmingly. I have been around; nobody will say I have not been around. I have been the state chairman of this party for seven years. I was the first state secretary of this party, I have been a commissioner in this state, I have been a special adviser and I have chaired federal boards. It is not like somebody coming from the wind and just being imposed on the people. What efforts have Delta North Leaders made to pacify the people of Delta Central, who are still opposed to the PDP gubernatorial candidate coming from your zone? Well, we are still talking; it is not a one day affair. But you saw the reception in Sapele, you saw the reception in Ororekpe. That shows that we are talking. You see, PDP is a disciplined party. No matter how much we quarrel, the PDP will always come together at the right time to reconcile and the process of reconciliation is going on very well and I am confident that our gubernatorial candidate will win and also win in Delta Central. How do you react to speculations that the incumbent governor is encouraging your opponent to contest the Delta North Senate seat and secondly, we have heard that you collected money from aspirants and failed to deliver as promised, can you respond to these? Thank you for this question. There is the proverb of the mother monkey saying that it is only the

child in her womb that she can vouch for; that she cannot vouch for the one she is carrying on her back because she did not know while she was passing through the market if it took banana from somebody. I have discussed with the governor and he encouraged me when I was embarking on this race. I went with my state secretary. Then I was the state chairman of the party, I discussed with him and he gave me his blessing. And even in the primaries he supported me very well. I do not have any reason to doubt his support. If it is the rumour, then I do not know. For me, up till the time of this interview, I discussed with him, I had a private meeting with him and he still encouraged me on this race, so that answers that question. On the issue of collecting money and not delivering I do not know which of the elections they are talking about. I did not conduct any election. If anybody said they gave me money for any election, let the person come out. I did not collect money from anybody. I have my business and I am a successful business man and by any standard, I thank God for all he has done for me. They are free to say whatever they want to say because they want to blackmail me. But no amount of blackmail is going to stop me from the race; I have not collected money from anybody. The last local government elections, there was a panel. Because I knew I was going to run for elections, I purposely did not want to participate in the process that led to the local government elections. I built the biggest party secretariat in the whole of Africa, I am not saying I built it with my money; every expenditure was by the working committee. Every due paid is to the party and from there I built the secretariat, furnished it. It is the biggest, the finest and the best furnished secretariat of PDP in the whole world, even better than the national secretariat of the party as at today. So where would I have gotten the money? We learnt that some of the governorship aspirants from Delta

I am waiting for May 29, 2015 when Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa will be sworn in as the governor of Delta State

North are angry with you because of the role you played during the December 8, 2014 primary, did you shortchange them? What happened was this; you know I was the state chairman of the party, a position that was zoned to Delta North. It is the people of Delta North that unanimously put me forward as their state chairman and my second return was unopposed because they had confidence in me. Why this confidence? It was because in 2007, I started what you call “Equity 2007” which is to move power among the three senatorial districts. Because I am a foundation member and I know people may seem to want to deny this but I leave it to them. Now, we started the process and all the governorship candidates, 15 of them, including Ochei, they came here (his house) every month. And the first statement they made was that to pledge loyalty to the Anioma people. They agreed to abide by the decisions of the Anioma people and once any particular candidate emerged, they would back that person. That has been our resolution since that 2007. Since 2007, we have been fighting for power shift to Delta North. I started the campaign for a power shift that time and toward the end of last year, we noticed that we had so many candidates. When the powers that be withdrew their support for one of the Delta North candidates and passed it to another zone, we recognized the danger facing us. I quickly summoned a meeting of all the local government chairmen and the secretaries in Delta North, all the political leaders from the area that will be part of the delegates for the December 8, 2014 governorship primary of the party. We invited the governorship aspirants, Okowa and Hon Ochei came with their teams. Chief Obielum said he was not going to appear and that he was not going to step down for anybody. Everybody in the meeting heard him because I put the phone on speaker. At the deliberations, we asked the two aspirants that were present to step aside for us to take a vote. Dr. Okowa came first followed by Hon. Chief Obielum. Hon Ochei came third. Based on this result, we then resolved that we would go into the field on that day of the primaries to canvass for support for one aspirant. Delta Central had narrowed down to one candidate and I said we must not go to the field to face defeat. I knew that the only way we could win and make our people proud was to support one candidate. I was asked to lead the Delta North team to the venue to work for one candidate. I had to reach out to my contacts and friends from the other parts of the state. I was running everywhere. It was the biggest battle of my life. I thank God that in the end, Dr. Okowa won. If that is what some people consider to be a crime, I will say I have no regrets. The success that we are recording in the Okowa campaign today is because he is acceptable to all people of the state. The political leaders and the people accepted Okowa. He has been there from the beginning. We are all working together. All the aspirants, except Ochei, are working to ensure that Okowa wins. The point I want to make is that I saved Anioma people from political humiliation. If that is my crime, I have no regrets. I am waiting for May 29, 2015 when Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa will be sworn in as the governor of Delta State. Why do you want to go to the Senate? Simply put, I want to go the Senate to serve my people. I want to serve them in the aspect of lawmaking for the country. I am a lawyer and in going there, my target is to attract development from Abuja them at home.

58—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Boko Haram:

Why military offensive is yielding results •No more polls shift –Dasuki BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI, Deputy Bureau Chief, Abuja IN the last seven days, the Nigerian military has been recording series of victories against Boko Haram insurgents, recapturing towns after towns from the terrorists in the Northeastern part of the country. The military has also stormed the dreaded Sambisa Forest base of the insurgents with ease attacking and decimating the terrorists, who are now scampering for safety in several directions. The series of conquests are traceable to a number of factors,which hitherto encumbered the operations of the military. Adequate weapons The first is that the Nigerian Army and its Airforce which all along didn’t have the requisite weaponry to fight the type of guerrilla warfare that was visited on the country by Boko Haram have become properly equipped with the necessary military hardware. The Nigerian Airforce were reinvigorated by the Federal Government’s procurement of 40 attack aircraft including helicopters with night vision equipment and capabilities for night operations. Before now, the Boko Haram terrorists, aware of the shortcomings of the military, employed anti-aircraft guns with which some Airforce aircrafts were brought down. The noise level of such aircraft easily gave them out during attack missions but that has been addressed. Many armoured personnel carriers were also demobilized by these anti-aircraft weapons as well as landmines planted on attack routes by Boko Haram. But with the new acquisitions like minescounter armoured personnel carriers such as the Cobras equipped with night vision, which can operate on any terrain; the High Velocity T55 armoured tanks with mine sweeping capabilities, Boko Haram terrorists now know they can never be a match for the Nigerian military. They are yet to understand what is hitting them. Boko Haram’s attack on neighbouring countries More importantly, the strategic plot that nailed the terrorists was their blunder in attacking neighbouring countries like Niger, Chad and Cameroon. Before now, these countries who shared common borders with Nigeria exhibited a ‘siddon look’ attitude because after several deadly attacks on Nigeria, the terrorists ran to these countries which served as safe havens. In fact, after several looting spree in the Northeast, the scavengers assembled in these countries and shared the loot which in a way is beneficial to their economy hence they were looking the other way. However, the tide changed when the Boko Haram terrorists turned against them. Nigeria, Chad, Cameroun, Niger partnership It therefore easy for the military of the affected countries to strike a new

C M Y K

partnership. Consequently, the Nigerian military in conjunction with troops from Cameroon, Chad and Niger flooded border communities in Northeastern parts of the country from where the terrorists operated across the borders. In this wise, most of the troops contributed by the three countries to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) have been deployed to borders towns with Nigeria thereby ensuring a blockade for the terrorists. This was buttressed by DHQ which said recently that, “The Multinational Joint Task Force in which Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad have contingents is part of the ongoing onslaught against terrorists in this region. The countries that make up the Lake Chad Basin Commission also had some understanding, which now enables a massive move against terrorists from all angles. ‘’For instance Chadian forces have been deployed in BagaSola which is a Chadian territory. There have been some joint deployments and patrols around Kirawa, Ashgashiya and other locations in borders of Cameroun, Nigeria and Chad as part of these operations. It is against this backdrop that the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh at a meeting to cement the relationship between the Chadian military led by the Chief of Defence Staff of Chad, Major General Ibrahim Said Mahamat and Nigeria military, stated that

Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki came out with a vow that Boko Haram terrorists and their camps would be defeated during the six weeks window announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before elections take place

crushing the Boko Haram terrorism would have been a thing of the past if members of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, comprising Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon had worked together in unison in the early stages of the insurgency. Joint operations He made disclosure even as he noted that Nigeria was sending “a force of 5000 military personnel while Chad is sending a force of another 2500 personnel totalling 7, 500 troops with which we intend to bring the Boko Haram nuisance to an end. Cameroon too is contributing troops but I cannot tell you the number for now. We also have an MOU with Niger. They will block their own side so that the Boko Haram or the enemies won’t have the opportunity to run into Niger to cause havoc for them”. “I’ll like to state here that in the past, we had several meetings under the auspices of the Lake Chad Basin Commission towards eradicating the Boko Haram menace but because of the failure of the multi-lateral synergy or the inadequacies of the multi-lateral agreement, I and the Chief of Army Staff flew to Ndjamena on January 18 to hold talks with them. The result of the bilateral agreement we had, we are already seeing the results.” Checking saboteurs Another pertinent action taken by the Nigerian military which has brought some level of sanity to the war against Boko Haram, is the arrest and trial of suspected saboteurs within the army, many of whom today are facing General Court Martial, some of whom have already gotten death sentences and others weeded out. When the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh said last year that soldiers including senior officer were donating equipment to Boko Haram, many did not seem to understand where he was coming from. It was later exposed that most of the armoured tanks recovered from Boko Haram were actually Nigerian Army tanks as well as other weaponry. On his path, a worried Chief of Army staff, Lt. General Keneth Minimah who has led Nigerian soldiers to several battle fronts even as a junior officer, like the Liberia and Sierra Leonean crisis could not fathom why soldiers were chickening out of a battle with rag tag insurgents in spite cushioning packages he put in place, hence he vowed that soldiers selling out and engaging in acts of sabotage will always

•Dasuki face the music. “As long as soldiers continue to misbehave and break the rules concerning conduct in battle against terrorists who are enemies of Nigeria, they will continue to face the consequences. Even if it means trying all the soldiers in the Nigerian army, I won’t mind. When that is done and I am the only one remaining, I will then try myself to find out what is wrong” he was quoted as saying at a meeting. How military launched attacks Starting with the Sambisa forests, Special Forces of the Nigerian military backed by attack aircraft of the Nigerian Air force, last weekend commenced their movement into the Sambisa Forests. Saturday Vanguard was told that during the initial advance, six buffer camps of the terrorists which were positioned to stop the Nigerian military for gaining entrance into the forest were taken out and scores of Boko Haram fighters killed while several types of arms and ammunition including anti-aircraft weapons were recovered. It also learned that scores of the terrorists who could not withstand the firepower of the Nigerian military, ran into the dense forest but had no place to hide as the exit points of the forest which fell on border communities were surrounded by Niger, Chad and Cameyroon. As a way of diverting the military’s onslaught on Sambisa, another group of the terrorist’s lat Saturday struck at Gombe and attempted to overrun the city but a combination of air and ground operations repelled them. Confirming their defeat, the Defence Headquarters said, “The terrorists attack on Gombe has been repelled. Troops are in pursuit. The terrorists are desperately seeking other places to set up camps as they are being pursued from their existing camps in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. “Some of the camps have been destroyed. And as they could no longer enter Cameroon and Niger so easily, they are moving southwards” sources told Saturday Vanguard. Furthermore, on Tuesday, Special Forces of the Nigerian Military after a highly coordinated air and land

assault completed their mission of clearing terrorists from Monguno and recapturing the army barracks as well as other adjourning communities. During the ensuing battle, scores of terrorists were killed, while truckloads of rice, beans and other logistics meant for re-supply for the terrorist operating around Baga were captured in the course of the operation. In furtherance of the fighting, Nigerian military as at Wednesday confirmed that 11 hitherto seized communities in Borno State had been liberated from Boko Haram control while troops were still advancing to retake other towns under their control. In the ensuing battle to recapture the territories, over 300 Boko Haram fighters were been killed while casualty figure recorded on the side of Nigerian side showed 2 soldiers killed and 10 others seriously wounded. A cache of arms and ammunition including 5 different types of armoured fighting vehicles, an antiaircraft gun, about 50 cases of packed bombs and 8 different types of Machine Guns, 5 Rocket Propelled Grenade, 49 boxes of various types and calibres of ammunition as well as 300 motorcycles destroyed in the fighting. “A total of 6 Hilux jeeps including those mounted with anti-aircraft guns were also destroyed. However, 2 soldiers lost their lives while 10 others were wounded in the course of the operation. “The cordon and search operations is continuing along with aggressive patrols by troops who are now dominating the cleared communities such as Monguno, Gabchari, Abba Jabari, Zuntur, Gajigana, Gajiram, Damakar, Kumaliwa, Bosso Wanti, Jeram and Kabrisungul. In Adamawa state, the military onslaught led by attack aircraft of the Nigerian airforce have led to the liberation of seven local government areas out of the eight that hitherto had Boko Haram terrorist’s presence. The local government areas fully liberated are Mubi North, Mubi South, Hong, Gombi , Maiha, Ganye and Michika local Continues on page 61

SATURDAY

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—59

Why Obasanjo does not want 2nd term for Jonathan — Ewegbara By Levinus Nwabughiogu

dilim Enwegbara is a Development Economist and public analyst based in Abuja. In this interview, he, amongst other issues, says why he feels former president Olusegun Obasanjo does not want a second term for President Jonathan even as he calls Nigerians to support his quest for a second term. Excerpts: Many People have the impression that President Jonathan's government has the worst record on economy, security amongst other issues. What is your opinion? First, let’s know who are these people you’re referring to here? I think we should know who they are and why they are drawing such a conclusion because, I will assure you that those who are saying this should be members of the opposing parties — like APC, who have to turn facts upside down so that they can win the presidential election. As an economist and Nigeria’s economy watcher, I will tell you that Jonathan administration has so far outperformed his predecessors. In fact, Jonathan’s achievements in the last four years remain far higher than Obasanjo’s eight years in power which saw the worst infrastructure decadence in Nigeria’s history, including leaving us with less than 2000MW of electricity, road networks only better than those in the war-torn Somalia, and rotten state of our airports and railways. From what you are saying you must be one of those calling for his reelection? Let me say it here that I am not an active politician. But instead I am an economist and nationalist. I have been fighting for a just, peaceful, fair, and equitable Nigeria. It's a call for us, for our children and their children for them to eventually be proud of Nigeria. I want to say this because

there is a carefully constructed front wanting to humiliate Jonathan out of office. This wouldn’t even be imagined had Jonathan come from one of the three major ethnic groups. Remember how in 1993 Abiola was denied the presidency of this country. What is happening to Jonathan today is like what happened to Abiola in 1993 because Jonathan, a southsoutherner is being opposed because he’s not a westerner, or northerner. There is no way the current effort to humiliate him out of office would succeed. What will you make of the refusal by APC presidential candidate Gen Buhari to participate in the presidential debates? It is ironical that Gen. Buhari doesn’t want to debate with President Jonathan. By so doing, he is denying Nigerians the right to decide between him and Jonathan who has what it takes to run the affairs of the country. Had the two debated, one of the questions should have been if the two would be ready to subject themselves to independent team of doctors to ascertain their physical and mental state of health given the tasking nature of the office of the president of Nigeria. Also Buhari would have been asked to explain to Nigerians why should someone who overthrew a democratically elected government now want to be democratically elected?

•Odilim Enwegbara Shouldn’t that be sending the wrong signals to today’s senior military officers who, seeing how Buhari has been rewarded, could be contemplating overthrowing government with the hope that years later Nigerians could be rewarding them too by electing them? Obasanjo and Jonathan had been like father and son. What, in your opinion led to their present irreconcilable disagreements to the extent that Obasanjo recently denounced the president accusing him of having squandered the country’s foreign reserves, without anything to show for it? On Monday, he tore his PDP membership card and ditched the party. Besides geopolitical interests I just enumerated above, Obasanjo hates rivalry. Particularly, he hates to be alive and see any of his close successors also become twoterm presidents of Nigeria like him. OBJ's fears are fully understandable especially

given his determination to be seen and called "Father of Modern Nigeria." That's why the fear that should Jonathan too become a two-term president of Nigeria, Jonathan's legacies could overshadow his and most important rubish his political godfather status in PDP. That is why OBJ never wanted GEJ to become a two-term president of Nigeria. If you look at all the attacks both locally and internationally, you would discover that those asking for Jonathan’s head have one affiliation with Washington or another, including some of those who have accused the president of not doing enough to rescue the Chibok girls. They are not doing what they are doing because they love the Chibok girls but because this is part of strategy to humiliate Jonathan out of office. Are you saying that that is one of the reasons why the US secretary of state, Mr. Kerry recently visited and went as far as giving some marching orders to our president? The US Secretary of state came here to insult us and our president when he said, “Let me make myself clear…” as if talking to president of a US colony. He has little or no respect for the Nigerian people and their president, not even as a sovereign nation. He shouldn’t come here to give us a marching order. I am sure there is no way Mr. Kerry could have thought of talking to South African President Jacob Zuma and the people of South Africa the way he talked to our president; not even Ghana's. He talked down on us and got away with it because Obasanjo and his foot soldiers have cleared the way for Mr. Kerry. America should apologize to Nigerians for the insult we received from their chief diplomat.

What can you tell us about the falling oil prices? No, the global oil plunge is not because of the so-called shale oil. The truth is that the US national security establishment working in collaboration with Saudi Arabia has been manipulating oil prices since the 1970s, thanks to the 1945 alliance between President Roosevelt and King Saud, which continues to guarantee USSaudi powerful oil card to be used against those they want to punish. Therefore, the falling oil price is caused by their joint manipulation . While America is manipulating the oil price down to punish Russia for ‘’invading’’ Ukraine, Saudi Arabia is flooding the market with its cheap oil to also punish Russia for supporting the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war. This is a repeat of the 1986 use of oil card as a weapon to orchestrate the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the two successfully manipulated the oil prices by 300 per cent downwards, which led to the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union which was 80 per cent dependent on oil export as its source of foreign exchange. Unfortunately, given how highly interconnected the global economy has become, the current collapse in oil prices is affecting the entire global economy. Even the socalled major IOCs, from ExxonMobil to Shell and to Chevron, as a result of the collapse in oil prices, have opted to shut down production as well as rollback critical investments in oil exploration. It is to the extent that exportdependent economies like China, India, Japan, Germany, etc. are already feeling the impact of oil price collapse since big time importing OPEC nations are restricting importations.

Tribute

Achonu: The People’s dream come true

he waning hopes of the constituents of Okigwe Senatorial Zone of Imo State for proper representation in the Red Chamber of the National Assembly recently received a new surge of life with the emergence of a true son of the soil, Chief Athan Nneji Achonu who clinched the senatorial ticket of the ruling party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party. It was indeed a historic day of victory well-deserved, though delayed for a man widely known for his many good deeds, passionate zeal for the development of his people and whose benevolence many have benefited from. A philanthropist per excellence and a grass root motivator, The EhimeMbano born Chief, who is popularly known as “One Arm-General” has been the C M Y K

•Athan Nneji Achonu lone voice in the wilderness who has constantly decried the poor representation and living conditions of his people from time immemorial, and though an extremely busy man with very tight schedule, he

avails his time and resources in shouldering the burden of his people. Chief Athan Nneji Achonu was born on the 31st day of May, 1959 into the family of Late Chief Theophilus and Lolo Ezinne Martha Achonu, of Umuchoke, Umunumo, Ehime Mbano LGA, Imo State. In the corporate world of commerce, Achonu is famous for being a shrewd and astute business expert who has carved a large niche for himself as one of the key players in this circle both at the home and international fronts. His love for his people, his locality and his country Nigeria is unprecedented. His selflessness and dogged determination drove him to give himself up for public service to his people. These traits of his, have set him miles ahead of his

contemporaries, as he empathizes with the plight of his people and even as a private citizen, makes laudable efforts in bringing succor and solace to them in every way he can. As the saying goes “He who prioritizes the needs of his people before his own needs deserves to be a leader”. The benevolent Chief has fulfilled this saying with his combined principles of courage, determination, dedication, moral values, selfless service and commitment to everything he lays his hands to do, thus achieving all-round excellence and distinction. As a grass root politician, he is an apostle of transparency in all policymaking processes of government, and can be trusted to ensure that the dividends of good governance will be

translated and reflected first in the rural areas of his constituency and local governments before blossoming in the states and their capitals. The yearning of the people for change was made manifest when they heaved a deep sigh of relief on his triumph at the party primaries where he emerged the winner leaving in his wake Hon. Patrick Chibueze Chinwuba, Prof. Nnamdi Obiaraeri, Chief Cosmas Iwu and even the incumbent Senator Matthew Nwagu. Therefore it is with bated breath, that the good people of Okigwe Senatorial Zone anticipate his victory at the electoral polls, while looking forward to his journey into the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly to deliver the much-awaited representation.

60—SATURDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

illiam Shakespeare

popularized the legend of King Lear in a play of the same title. This play has a unique universal lesson on the concept of sin. Sin, in general terms, operates in the domain of religion. In Islam, it is Haram. It is some form of violation (of rules), wrongdoing, transgression or offence. It is also something forbidden (as in the Islamic concept of Haram). Sin confronts everybody every day; not that we sin, but we are constantly threatened by it. The good book says we were conceived in sin. It is thus, ingrained in us. The context in which Shakespeare used it was similar to this Christian Biblical view: “all have sinned…” We know that in one way or another, human beings violate the status quo, that is if they are not already a violation, some form of polution. Some do so intentionally and others do so inadvertently. Whichever way, sin remains sin. Shakespeare’s King Lear abdicated the throne and released power and wealth to his daughters who pretended to be loyal to him, only to realize that two out of the three daughters had pretended with “ glib and oily art” speaking what they purposed not to do. When they started dishing out doses of punishment to him, then the phrase, “a man more sinned against than sinning” became a popular statement in human philosophy. In the current political campaigns, we have seen a

A man more sinned against than sinning! lot of sins. The aspirants to the most coveted position in the country have been branded sinners. The two major players, President Goodluck Jonathan and General Mohammadu Buhari are human. They, like all humans have sinned. They have also been sinned against. They have sinned against the nation and the nation has also sinned against them. What I cannot go into details of now is the nature - either quality or quantity - of sins they have committed. By the way what do I care about “perils past;” when I am looking forward to newness. I am particularly interested in the last sin, the postponement of the 2015 general elections. For some people, this is a sin against the nation. But one issue that has remained unclear is the sinner. I have heard and read many people who have maintained that it is a sin by the president against the country. Others infer that it is a sin by the ruling party against Nigerians and yet another set of people boldly intone that it is a heinous sin committed by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, against the government and people of Nigeria. The opposition has merged the three probable “culprits” and placed them under one umbrella, Jonathan. They maintain that the shift in the election timetable is all about Jonathan. Many reasons have been adduced for this, ranging from the allegations that Jonathanists want to destabilize APC (do

not ask me how because I do not know) to the speculation that plots about rigging have not yet been perfected. I want to believe that the opposition is also a major partaker of the sin. Before now, I was really uncomforted, indeed, angry with any suggestions about alteration of election timetable. After all, I argue, INEC published the time line one year ahead of the chosen election days, so what kind of preparation is it that could not be perfected within the period. I also thought that INEC, as an existing institution, must have structures already in place, and need only to juggle few issues to arrive at a workable programme for the elections. But I was mistaken and this, I humbly accept. Little did it occur to me that there are contingencies, or what all of us who reason refer to as unforeseen circumstances and that there are other important contributors to the successful conduct of elections like the security organizations. Contingencies bring to question two strong, sometimes complimentary and sometime opposing, issues: TIMELINESS and ACCURACY. It is good when we keep to time, but it is awesome if we are accurate. The exponents of timeliness are particular about ego constancy and image making and so do not care about whatever comes in between time schedules; but the proposers of accuracy who I suppose are more down to earth

and also more forward looking are more interested in stability and strong legacy so are necessarily bothered about contingencies. There are few things we need to look at here. What is the sin in this and who sinned? Accusing fingers point to Mr. President and I ask, how has he done this? True his government suggested the managers of INEC; true also his government saw the entire situation with the advantage of experience (in democratic processes) and suggested a shift so that few details could be tidied up and now we know these details. True also, his government funds INEC. Then the next truth, which is like the grand truth, is that his government guarantees security. Looking at these, one would begin to get a grasp of the sins. Let us proceed slowly on these issues. Prof Atahiru Jega was appointed INEC chairman with a loud ovation; in fact, the appointment was received with wild enthusiasm. INEC has performed reasonably well in the past elections it conducted, but nobody has asked if INEC has a security outfit that kept law and order during those elections. The truth is that Federal Government provided security and maintained law and order. We hear that there are security reports which are not favourable to the conduct of the elections at the times originally fixed and the providers of security, those who maintain law and order, have stated in categorical terms that they will not guarantee optimal protection of lives and property. When asked the financial implications of the rescheduling of the elections,

Prof. Jega made it clear that his commission is well funded and would not require adjustments in the existing budget. Other matters arising include the much orchestrated distribution of permanent voters’ cards (PVC). I am one of the numerous Nigerians who have not yet collected the PVC. I understand that card readers have arrived and each card must be subjected to computer recognition processes before the card holder is finally certified an eligible voter. There is need to train the staff that would perform this and other responsibilities during the elections. Forgive me; I cannot give further information on the voting processes because I am clueless but I have an idea that INEC has not yet trained the people to handle this. But before I move on to other issues, let me also say that I am aware of some suits waiting in the court of law that need to be vacated before elections so that judgments in those cases will not take the hands of the clock of our democracy backward. With these, I wonder how it was going to be possible for a credible election to be held of February 14. These are all sins, committed by, and against people. My point is that some have sinned more and some have been sinned against more. I want my readers to make their conclusion on who have been sinned against more: the gentleman, who means well for his country and who has insisted on what is right, though willfully misunderstood, or the bunch of humans who seem to be interested in grabbing an opportunity to atone for sins long committed without actually being sure that more sins may be committed.

Aspirant assures on people oriented projects in Warri north BY MOSES NOSIKE

s aspirants of the different political divide continue to put finishing touches to their electoral campaign, the Labour Party flagbearer of Warri North constituency contesting the Delta state House of Assembly, Oritsebemigho Eyeoyibo has promised to bring his business acumen to bear on the political fortunes of his constituency if elected. In this interview, the politician who doubles as renowned businessman listed some of the inherent challenges confronting Warri north to include but not limited to youth empowerment, education, infrastructural development and health and pledged to tackle them head-on. Excerpts: How formidable is your party, Labour Party? Labour Party anywhere in the world is supposedly the foremost party in the advanced world because Labour is formed by Labour Union. In this case in Nigeria, it is Nigerian Labour Congress. It is obvious that it should be about the most powerful party in any political system. Labour entails all facets of our working lives, including the market, schools, public service, civil services etc. So, Labour in a true situation should be a very formidable force, and in the case of Nigeria, the party is formidable. But of course you know we have the two major parties PDP and APC. I think the next formidable party is Labour Party. Even those parties are part of Labour Party, so I think we should categorise Labour Party as the most formidable party in the country as C M Y K

it is in other parts of the world. What did you see missing in Warri North with the present administration, that you want to correct if elected into Delta State House of Assembly? I have been in politics both passively and actively in Warri North Constituency, Delta state and other areas where I have my businesses. As a result, I was called by my people because of the seeming degradation in all facets of lives there; economic, social and political lives of Warri North Constituency and Delta state in general. Warri North basically could be one of the richest local governments in the country. But go to that local government which is the major ten wards, eight and half of those wards are in the creek, others on land. Even on land the state of infrastructure, social and economic lives of the indigenes are in total turmoil and this is the reason why my people sent me. ‘We know you as an activist, people oriented person, come and represent us in State House of Assembly. So I am responding to that call and that is why I’m out to carry the flag of my people to help them from that deplorable condition, considering what is on ground and what should come to them from the state and country at large. That is my interest in the politics of Warri North. What do you intend doing with Bamboo Plantation and reducing unemployment in Warri North? In Warri North, fishing is our basic occupation apart from other professional jobs. Apart from fishing , commerce is another viable means of livelihood in my area. What I intend to do firstly is to rehabilitate most of our youths

who had gone astray because they were no industries to engage them to work, the fishing community is virtually dead, in our communities most people have moved to the township because most of these communities have been eroded by wave line of the Atlantic ocean. So, one of the manifestos is to make all these wards, communities and towns habitable for the people so that they can come and get acclimatised and get involved with their first love which is fishing considering it is a river-rine area. My first point of attraction is commerce by way of boosting aquaculture, fishing culture of the people of that area, by providing good boats, fishing nets, improved mechanised fishing system comparable to those in the developed world. This will go a long way in improving their economic lives and youth development. Again, we have a major market, the Ogheye market within that jurisdiction, Warri North. The market has existed over the years but today that market is dead because people are not there to carry out buying and selling, there are no infrastructure to boost the activity. I will help if elected to upgrade the market to a level of attraction like Indonesia, Thailand etc. And this will attract our neighbouring communities to carry out buying and selling on the market day. Another major challenge is that there are no link roads to those communities and I think Abigborodo – Ogheye link bridge will be worked on to link up these rural communities to land. This will be on top of my priority. This will enhance youth development, health, education, infrastructure

etc. Now that Delta state is dominated by PDP, won’t this affect your chances of winning? Politics has gone beyond personal. It is now politics of people who you know that are qualified and able to be accountable to the people. It is not about PDP, APC and Labour Parties. It’s about individuals, and apart from the individual, Labour Party is not a push over in Delta state and of course you know my principal, Chief Ogboru has always won elections in Delta State. Also if you

Eyeoyibo:

want to go on public rating, Labour Party as against other parties and other contestants rates number one in Delta state. So we don’t have any fear. We know come April 11, Labour Party will be victorious in Delta state. Before now, do you have anyone in Delta State House of Assembly from Labour Party? No. Of course you know Labour Party metamorphosed from a faction of DPP. And after the last election DPP had about 50 per cent of the people in the House till politics came into play and almost all of them decamped to PDP. So Labour Party is an upshot of DPP, a branch. I can confidently say that

Labour Party holds way in Delta state House of Assembly, they even have members in House of Reps, Senate but under DPP. How can you assess Delta state government? Well, politically, economically and socially I think governor of the state has tried his best by carrying out his good policies and programmes for the people. I believe there is room for improvement. If I must score the governor I will score him above 70 percent. I also think that the leadership of Ogboru Labour Party if given a chance will do better.

SATURDAY

Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015—61

Art, culture a perfect blend for tourism promotion —SOLOMON OGBONNA BY MOSES NOSIKE

hief Solomon Ogbonna is one Nigerian that can’t do without art, culture and tradition. He advises governments to draw the world to Nigeria for tourism and economic boost through the trio. His vision and passion for artistic invention was an ancestral heritage from the art loving family of late Chief Aguene Nwinyinya Okorie of Umuchita-Uudomi village in Onicha Igboeze, Ebonyi State. He has 6,000 artwork collections. Speaking on the development and benefit Nigeria stands to gain through Aguene Art Foundation, Solomon said, “without vision the people perish”, quoting the Bible. “A man without vision is not capable of achieving any high enterprise, and he that has focus should not allow anything to distract him until he gets to his final destination”. This philosophy has helped him today to raise this art foundation that would not only anchor on preservation of the art, culture and tradition of the people but is bent on bringing development to the country and also making it a tourism site for all and sundry. Art and culture are your areas of passion, has Nigeria tapped the accruing potentials? Not at all. The only way we can harness potentials in art and culture is by getting people with passion for it. For instance, myself who has been in it since age 11. It runs in my blood since I took over from my grand father. I sweep with artwork, wake up with culture. It keeps me happy. I have travelled far and wide promoting art and culture. I have attended most expensive exhibitions on art and culture in Africa and Western world. Nigeria is still in need of a man who has interest for art, culture and tradition of his people to govern that area. I want you to understand that there is nobody anywhere in the world who can govern

his people without understanding the tradition and culture of the people. You can’t achieve much nor make a head way. In every association, there is a culture, tradition and law. The law is tradition and culture that govern the people. You need someone who has the interest to govern that area; it could be a literate or illiterate person who is the custodian of those artworks and tradition. This was the case of ancient times, art, tradition and culture governed the communities. Some of those communities were governed by stone, tree etc. in ancient days. Yet things worked well with them. Most of the killings and abominations we are seeing today were rare then. What can we do to promote art and culture in our economic environment now? All we need to promote art and culture in Nigeria is to honestly get someone interested in art and culture. For instance, if I’m the Minister of Art and Culture and I don’t have interest in it, no love or I have been brain washed by the western world about our culture and tradition. Definitely there is nothing I can offer. The only thing I will do is to create an avenue of siphoning money. How many times has the minister of art and culture organised exhibitions for students of art and culture in Nigeria? How many times has the Ministry of art and culture organised a concert of traditional dances, not blowing whistle. There is what we call tradition, some traditional instruments that are played in midnights in some villages you don’t play it in day time. Some are played in their ancestral homes. Nobody has thought of those areas to bring them to the public and exhibit and draw attention of foreigners interested in art and

•Ogbonna...we need to promote art and culture in Nigeria culture. These are areas that can turn this country into a tourism environment that can fastly develop our economy like other countries. Our hotels will boom, so many things will start booming and economy will pick up. I have been to many countries for art and culture exhibitions. Little things Asian countries do as art and culture, I tell you all the aircraft were booked before time. You have to book a month or two before exhibition proper. But here nobody thinks about all those things. Art and culture are meant for Doctors, Professors but inborn intellectuals who know about the culture of their people. How can you assess the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan? The President has done well compared with other candidates that emerged from APC for now. I don’t know of tomorrow. Nigerians may find somebody better. From what we have seen so far he is better than other previous leaders. My only advice to him if he wins this time around, is to be careful of those he called his friends surrounding him if they are actually interested in Nigerians and his position. In the area of youth development, how do you rate unemployment in the country? Like I told you, the problem he has is those people around him

Nigeria is still in need of a man who has interest in art, culture and tradition of his people to govern that area

who have hijacked resources meant for development and still feed him with lies. So, if God permits him this time around, he should be careful with his aides, advisers etc. He should be a listening President to know what Nigerians need because there are a lot of Nigerians seeking for help but were denied because of those greedy people around him. This is the major challenge of Jonathan administration. Some positions some Nigerians should occupy are vacant and such is creating unemployment among our youths. Yes, I can number as much unemployed graduates in my local government alone that have not laid hands on anything since they graduated. Then get to other local and states in Nigeria. All they get from government is promises without fulfilling any. It is a terrible situation. Certain people who are opportuned to be in government keep blocking other citizens from getting access to our leaders. Imagine as an art collector, I did one of the most expensive and valuable artworks to present to the President free of charge for all his efforts in the country, but his aides have been a stumbling block for over a year now. As an art collector, self-employed, I have attended many exhibitions both home and abroad, earning well with artwork. So, if at my capacity I was not granted access to my President, imagine what happens to university freshers seeking job after some of their parents had trained them in hardship, some were even asked to pay money before getting appointment in some ministries. Where do you expect a job seeker to get such big sum of money to offer before getting employment? Your state, Ebonyi state, can you score your governor in terms of infrastructural development? My assessment will start from age not being on his side. In terms of infrastructure,there is nothing to write home about in Abakaliki. It is quite unfortunate that our leaders have travelled to some of the best cities in the world yet they come home and nothing changes. Even to beat their chest and say let me build a relaxation centre. Nothing like that. They don’t emulate or learn from abroad because it is said that travelling is part of education. No good roads, no empowerment schemes, not even housing projects for common people who find it difficult to provide shelter. I have not seen any development in Ebonyi state that can motivate me to support his continuity. So if there is development you can talk about continuity but when there is none, you look for change.

Boko Haram: Why military offensive is yielding results Continues from page 58 government area while the only local government yet to be fully liberated is Madagali local government area. Some of displaced residents of the Local Government areas who have started returning, expressed appreciation to the military and the federal government for the restoration of peace in their communities and urged government to ensure sustainable security in the communities. By Thursday, as the military advanced, Nigeria air force fighter aircraft pounded the Sambisa forest headquarters of the sect repeatedly even as Gwoza which had become their new training base was not spared. As a result of the heavy pounding, scores of the terrorists met their waterloo C M Y K

while many were in disarray because it is obvious fact that running to the border areas of Cameroon, Niger and Chad would prove more disastrous for them. It is against this background that recent verbal attacks by former President Olusegun Obasanjo who as a retired General who ought to appreciate the pains and challenges the military is facing but chose to play politics with a disciplined and neutral security apparatus, received stinging responses from the Military high Command. In a statement posted on its blog www.defenceinfo.mil.ng, the military authorities said, “the military as an institution, is neither as inept in the discharge of its duties nor is it being

misused for political ends in the manner the retired General Obasanjo who was also a former President has possibly been made to believe. “His motive as usual remains unknown but it is certainly less than noble or well intentioned. We dare say again that Chief Obasanjo’s assertions are false. Much as the military desires to respect the old General and his views, it has become necessary to point out that his conduct and unguarded utterances of late has fallen short of the standard of discipline expected of an individual who has had the privilege of service in the military and risen to the status of a General. “The behavior of retired General (Chief) Obasanjo has been so

unbecoming and continues to constitute a serious embarrassment to the military before all who have reasonably and rightly adjudged the essence of military background in terms of the high value and standard it tends to contribute to statesmanship. “We feel constrained to remind the old General that the world has moved beyond that parochial and selfadulating reasoning and mindset which he seems stuck to. Indeed, he needs to be told that by virtue of their better training, exposure, education, assessment and environment, the military personnel of today are already far beyond his level in their appreciation of democracy and it’s indispensability for the stable and prosperous society which Nigerians cherish.”

62— SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Nigeria should use forthcoming elections to consolidate peace and democracy —Swedish Ambassador

r. Svante Kilander, the Ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria, is one diplomat who has been highly fascinated by Nigeria’s rich and diverse culture. Although he has been in Nigeria for about three years, the diplomat has already taken some measures to shore up business and economic transactions between the two nations. In this interview with Vanguard’s Northern Region Editor, SONI DANIEL and VICTOR GOTEVBE, the Ambassador speaks on the expectations of Sweden in the forthcoming Nigeria’s elections and other issues of interest to the two countries. Excerpts: How long have you been in Nigeria? I have been here for about two and a half years. What really strikes me as a foreigner is the diversity, the richness of the country’s culture and its people. I am also attracted by the richness of the Nigerian languages, which enrich everybody and gives one the impression that the country is blessed with very many possibilities. For a northern European like me, this is something very attractive because our country Sweden was before now culture-wise a rather homogenous country. Is it still like that today? Well, we all live in a global village and we have a lot of influx enriching our culture. Sweden is a part of a northern corner of the global village. I believe that when people have different cultures and communicate with one another that it is a good thing. Nigeria has a very rich culture, what exactly do you like about Nigeria and what worries you about the country? I like the openness in Nigeria. I like the Nigerian way of expressing themselves. They have some of the world writers, among them Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Teju Cole. What I mean here is that the culture of the citizens being able to express their views is extremely admirable and useful. I think Nigeria is in a very interesting process which is good in itself. I share the worries that Nigerians have and I cannot single out anything in particular at this time. Is there any arrangement to promote business between Sweden and Nigeria? Yes, there is something. We

have something which is called Business Sweden, which was formally called Swedish Trade Council, which facilitates for Swedish companies to do business in Nigeria. We also have Open Trade Gate Sweden, whose aim is to facilitate Imports from Nigeria. On the Nigerian side we are working with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and the Investment Promotion Commission. All together they provide good platform for transaction of business between the two nations. But do you have an idea of the volume of business between the two countries? Yes I do. We have the figure for 2013 which was about $2 billion for both imports and exports from the two countries. Sweden compared to Nigeria, is half the size of Nigeria. Nigeria has approximately 920,000 Square Kilometres while Sweden has 450,000 Square kilometres of land mass. We have roughly 9.6 million inhabitants but we are an exporting country but also import some. What do you really import from Nigeria? They are mainly oil-related products.

Mr. Svante Kilander, the Ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria

How easy is it for a Nigerian business man or tourists to secure a Swedish visa to travel to that country? Well, what I want to say is that we are part of the Schengen countries. So, it means that our visa applications and procedures are not different from those of other European Union countries. We receive applications and they are processed by a special migration office which is manned by a team of seven staff to process them for the applicants. You hand in the applications and it takes a certain number of days for the decision to be made. How many Nigerians do you issues with visa yearly? I can say that we process over 3000 visa applications each year. How many of them succeed to get visa at end of the day? I don’t have the exact figure. We follow the procedure which applies in Schengen countries in processing visas for applicants from Nigeria. What is Sweden doing to assist Nigeria in defeating insurgency? We operate in this case through the European Union. The EU has an extensive development programme for Nigeria. Nigeria is preparing for a crucial election. Is Sweden helping in any way to ensure the success of the polls? We are a part of the election observing mission. We have three Swedes working in the country to monitor the elections. They are part of the EU operations in Nigeria. Is your government partnering with anybody to

promote arts and culture in Nigeria? We, among others, collaborate with a Nigerian theatre company and organise movie nights and cultural evenings together with Nigerian cultural personalities. What particular area of interest is Sweden trying to invest in Nigeria, being a business hub in Africa? In principle, decisions about investments are made directly by the companies themselves. They make the decisions and we only facilitate by helping them to get in touch with the appropriate institutions and individuals in Nigeria.

We want to see a peaceful election that will make Nigeria a strong and great country that it is in Africa and the world

Can we have an idea of some of the companies from Sweden in Nigeria? We have many Swedish companies operating successfully in Nigeria, for example Ericsson, Kinnevik, Atlas Copco, Sandvik, Tetra Pak, Oriflame, Volvo Trucks and GAC. How do Nigerians who want to do business in Sweden get to do so? We have this Open Gate Sweden that handles such processes and if any Nigerian has any interest to invest in Sweden, they should not hesitate to reach us here to help them with the contacts they need. The Agriculture sector is highly mechanised in Sweden. How are you helping to transfer the knowledge to Nigerian farmers? We have Swedish companies involved in transferring knowledge benefiting Nigerian farmers; one of them is the weather forecasting company Ignitia. Nigerian farmers

should also benefit from Sweden’s multilateral development support, which is channeled through multilateral organisations like the EU, UN and its specialised Agencies, the World Bank and other international organisations. You have been meeting with some Nigerian university communities since you came to Nigeria. What do you do with them? We have some relationship with some Nigerian universities with a view to talking about some aspects of Swedish system and sharing ideas on development. I was in the University of Jos in November and in the University of Ibadan in December. The purpose was to interact with students and academics and share ideas. The area of culture is very vibrant in many countries, including Sweden and Nigeria. What do you think about the postponement of the Nigerian elections and what would you like to see? The decision is made and the election will be held on the 28 of March and 11 of April 2015. Just like the Nigerians we want to see inclusive, transparent and credible elections. We want to see a peaceful election that will make Nigeria a strong and great country that it is in Africa and the world.

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015, PAGE 63

Okocha succeeds Pinnick as Delta FA chairman By John Egbokhan

ORMER Super Ea gles captain, Austin Okocha has been elected as the Chairman of

the Delta State Football Association. At the elections held yesterday in Asaba, Okocha got 26 out of the 27 votes that were available to become the new Delta FA boss. “At the elections conducted in Asaba on Friday, and supervised by Member of the NFF Executive Committee, Alhaji Babagana Kalli, Okocha polled 26 out of the 27 votes cast,” the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) stated. The former Super Eagles captain, replaces Amaju Pinnick, who is now president of the NFF. Okocha had been the vice-chairman of the Del-

•Okocha ta State FA under Pinnick’s reign. The former Bolton midfielder is also currently the head of the NFF Technical Study Group. Okocha has now become one of the first among ex-internationals to attain the headship of the State FA in the country, a development that former footballers have been campaiging for over the years.

Mourinho: I’m ashamed of racist fans

BRING ON GABON: Nigeria’s U-23 players leave the pitch after a previous match. They confront Gabon today in Libreville.

Siasia seeks win in Gabon By John Egbokhan

OACH Samson Siasia has urged the U-23 team to beat Gabon in today’s All Africa Games qualifying game in Libreville to convince Nigerians that they are the next Super Eagles. Speaking to the players yesterday, Siasia said with the quality of players at his beck and call that he was not expecting anything less than a win against the Gabonese. “Nigerians expect nothing short of victory from you guys come Saturday, you guys should put in mind that you are the next generation of Super Eagles players, but for Nigerians to accept you as such, you all must show that on the field of play, that is the only way that you can convince the nation that you have what it takes to take over,” Siasia said. Siasia reminded the boys that Nigeria did not qualify for the football event of the last All Africa Games in Maputo, and as such will not entertain any excuse from them, as nothing short of a ticket for the games is good enough for the nation. C M Y K

Flying Eagles worry over Yahaya

•Yahaya

City ‘cannot drop points’ against Newcastle

ANUEL Pellegri ni says Manchester City cannot afford any more dropped points if they are to defend their Premier League title. Yaya Toure will be back in the side against Newcastle today as the champions set out to win at home for the first time in four games, and Pellegrini said: “It’s important to have Yaya back, he’s an important player for us. “We are sure Yaya will be the same player as he was before he left. We

didn’t win a lot of games without him but there were other problems too. We had players coming back from injuries - when you put both together, maybe that explains it.” “We cannot drop more points,” he said, “but the important thing also is, if we win we will have the same amount of points at the same moment as last season. “We can’t think about where Chelsea is - it’s important not to drop points and the only way to do it is to play well.”

HE Flying Eagles are sweating on the fitness of star forward Musa Yahaya, who is nursing a knee injury he suffered in a warm-up match in Ghana. The former Golden Eaglet is expected to undergo a scan to determine the extent of the injury he suffered when he was tackled in the Flying Eagles second friendly against Ghana on Wednesday. The injury forced him out of the match in the 39th minute. Tottenham starlet, Yahaya, who scored in the Flying Eagles first match against the Black Satellites, did not join the rest of the squad at the gym at the FIFA Goal Project in Abuja Friday morning. The other injury worry for the Nigeria U20 team is central defender Zaharadeen Bello. Bello has been nursing a calf injury and as a result he did not feature in the second friendly against Ghana in Tema, which the Flying Eagles won 2-0. “We will review their cases and see what can b e d o n e p r o m p t l y, ” disclosed Flying Eagles doctor Ozi Salami.

OSE Mourinho is “ashamed” of the Chelsea fans who prevented a black man from boarding a Paris train before their Champions League tie on Tuesday. Amateur video showed a man being pushed from the Metro train while a group chants, “we’re racist, we’re racist and that’s the way we like it”. Blues boss Mourinho said: “I felt ashamed when I found out but these supporters do not represent the club.” Chelsea say they are “appalled” and have apologised to the victim. The incident took place prior to Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Paris St-Germain on Tuesday evening and was filmed by British

expatriate Paul Nolan. Mourinho said: “The dressing room reacted as I did - with disappointment and they condemn the situation and support the gentleman involved and they feel ashamed but maybe we shouldn’t because these people involved do not belong to Chelsea Football Club.”

•Mourinho

Messi: I had many problems last year

•Messi

ARCELONA play maker Lionel Messi admits he went through “many problems on and off the pitch” last season. The 27-year-old failed to pick up a trophy for club or country and also faced charges of tax evasion. “It was a challenge for

me to return to be the player I had been in previous years,” he said ahead of today ’s La Liga visit of Malaga. Messi scored 41 goals in Barca’s last campaign, compared with 60 in 2012-13 and a European record 73 in 201112. The Catalan club finished second to Atletico Madrid on the final day of the La Liga season in May. “The truth is that I, since the beginning of this year, tried to start the best way. I knew that I was not coming from a great year. “I passed through many things, through many problems, not only on but also off the pitch.”

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Eaglets get last chance for World Cup ticket All Africa Games qualifier:

Siasia seeks win in Gabon >>63

Mourinho: >>63 I’m ashamed of racist fans

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he reigning world champions at the under17 level, the Golden Eaglets will today get their final opportunity to qualify to defend their trophy in Chile, when they clash with Zambia at in their final group A match at the African u-17 Championships in Niger. Eaglets top their pool with four points but can ill afford losing to their |Zambian foes, who with a victory will leapfrog the west Africans and qualify for the junior World Cup holding later in the year in south America. Speaking ahead of the decider with the junior Chipolopolo at the S t a d e Municipal in Niamey, Eaglets coach , Emmanuel Amuneke said he was going to be the happiest man on earth should his wards put up a bumper performance to ensure qualification for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Chile. Siasia was one of the assistant coaches who piloted the Eaglets to win the last edition of the tournament in United Arab Emirates. “Our expectations (against Zambia) is to win and secure our ticket for the World Cup in Chile. We have to psyche up ourselves and forget about the draw

CROSS WORD PUZZLE

EPL Aston Villa Chelsea Crystal Palace Hull City Sunderland Swansea Man City

BUNDESLIGA Augsburg Mainz Freiburg Paderborn Schalke Cologne

Stories by JOHN EGBOKHAN

3:30pm 3:30pm 3:30pm 3:30pm 3:30pm 6:30pm

Across 1 Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Shinzo – (3 3 Country in North America – (5,4) 7 Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Mr. Ekpo – (3) 8 German “Bundesliga” Club-Side – (9) 10 L.G.A in Sokoto State – (5) 11 L.G.A in Benue State – (9) 16 France “Ligue 1” Premiership Club – (5) 17 Elevate – (5) 18 Nestle – (5) 19 Commandant, Lagos State Division, Nigerian Security & Civil Defence Commission (NSCDC), Mr. Donatus – (9) 23 Ethnic Group in Kenya – (5) 24 Former Super Eagles Coach, Chief Adegboye – (9) 25 Still – (3)

•Amuneke

against Guinea and are optimistic of a better performance against Zambia. “What we are doing is to lift their spirit and not being hard on them due to the last game and I want to believe they would be ready to play their usual normal game. We are hopeful of a better performance against Zambia”, Siasia was quoted by the website of the Nigeria Football Federation.

26 Spanish “La Liga” ClubSide – (9) 27 L.G.A in Abia State – (3) Down 1 Ebonyi State Capital – (9) 2 President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Osahon – (9) 3 Country in Africa – (4,5) 4 Trample – (5) 5 Jewish Religious Leader – (5) 6 Carpenter’s Tool – (3) 9 Fish – (3) 12 Flamingoes (U-17) Coach, Bala – (5) 13 Former Senator for Delta Central Constituency, Hon. Adego – (9) 14 Heartland FC Striker, Bello – (9) 15 Country in Asia – (9) 20 Relative – (3) 21 Sorcery – (5) 22 Ruffle – (5 24 Sphere – (3)

7 8

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Solution on page 20

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