October 1 bombing: Eribawe bags life Jail

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Bayelsa govt constructs 41 roads, 18 buildings in one year

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From right: Vice Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Lagos State chapter, Chief Folarin Akinwale, Chairman, Alhaji Najeem Ibrahim and Lagos State Television Chapter of the Union, Prince James Ogunbanjo, at a news conference on non payment of their arrears by the state government in Lagos

AYELSA State Gov ernment says 90 percent of the ongoing projects including 41 road projects, 18 buildings, a multi million Naira world class Diagnostic Centre and a multi door Court House will be completed and due for commissioning as part of the activities marking Governor Seriake Dickson’s one year anniversary.

Contrary to fears being expressed in certain quarters, all ongoing projects being undertaken by the administration will be

Late Adetiloye laid to rest •Cleric calls for selfless service to God and humanity •As Gov Fayemi donates N5m to his Ministry

By EBUN SESSOU and GBENGA ARIYIBI

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HE former Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) Rev. Abiodun Adetiloye, has been buried at OdoOwa, his home town in Ekiti State.“The Federal Government and President Goodluck Jonathan were represented at the burial by both the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade, rtd, and the Minster of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada respectively. Other dignitaries at the ceremony included former Military Governor of the defunct Western Region, General Adeyinka Adebayo, rtd, and his son, Niyi Adebayo, fomer Ekiti State Governors, Segun Oni and Ayo Fayose, the Director General, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mr Femi Ajayi, wife of the state Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, former Primate of the Church, Most Revd Peter Jasper Akinola among other religious leaders.

Governors Ayo Fayose's presence caused a stir in the church ,as he was

hailed by the people from different directions .

In his sermon during the funeral service at St. Paul's Millennium Anglican Church, Odo-Owa, the Primate of the Church, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh condenmed materialism, warning Christians not to associate themselves with corruption. Okoh said that Adetiloye waged relentless wars against church members who belonged to secret societies adding that this made it possible for him to change the image of the Anglican Communion in Nigeria. According to him, the late Adetiloye was ''a dependable community leader; a man of peace who was loved by everybody both within and outside the country. Nigerians should not let the legacy of this great man go in vain. They should not revive those forces in the name of cultural revival.

Adetiloye was a courageous prophet of the church of God. He was not afraid to speak his mind to the society and people and was always ready to pay the price of integrity.

Other Bishops should be encouraged to be bold to speak about the ills in the society.''

Okoh further said: "Unless we restore the values of our furture, we are not going anywhere.

Adetiloye was a selfless man who was using 504 all through his ministry.

Selflessness is an important Christian virtue. Our greed is misleading us and instead of serving the people, we are going

around deceiving people with our fake lifestyles. We stand the risk of evil people in the society and we must all rise up and speak the mind of God to this generation. The church must be the watchman to the people in government and direct them with the counsel of God.“"In doing this, we must be bound by integrity, truthfulness and in-line with God's will bearing in mind that people in government are all servants of God. "There is great concern today for the pervassive moral failure in the society and therefore it is a time to challenge ourselves on the premise to which late Adetiloye stood. He has struggled with man, sin and at this moment, he has finished the good fight and he is now at rest.

"He has entered into eternal victory and God's eternal salvation. We are not here to help late Adetiloye, but to help ourselves and see the possibilities of aligning our lives with God and make possible corrections to be closer to God. If you have not settled your journey with God, this is an opportunity to do so. We do have course to worry with ourselves because we are struggling with the power of sin, greed and human relations.

"This is a period to be sober; those who are aiming to have the eternal salvation should not struggle for materal things.Rather, they should have a new orientation powered by

the Holy Spirit to be able to march with the angels of God. This is a message for those who claim to be on the side of God. Christians must live a Kingdom life that is not engrossed with material things. “"Adetiloye was a committed and powerful evangelist, it is by that special arrangement that he is being buried today.''

Jonathan, Fayemi extol virtues of Adetiloye President Jonathan who was represented by the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Olubolade said the late Archbishop served humanity and God faithfully.He described Adetiloye as a man of peace who put all his entire life to the service of God. Jonathan said '' one of the lessons one can learn from the death of the late primate was that there was contentment in the service of God '' Also, the Ekiti State Govenor, Kayode Fayemi has donated N5million to the ministry of late Adetiloye for the promotion of evangelism. According to him, "Today is not the day of mourning but a celebration of a life totally dedicated to the service of God and humanity. Adetiloye lived a sacrificial life to the work of God and I am privileged to be recognised as one of his sons. Adetiloye did not belong to any political party but to the party of God and that is why I am happy that we are able to complete the road that leads to his house in Odo-Owa”.

completed within its life span. Conducting newsmen around some of the project sites within and outside the State capital, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Lawrence Ewrudjakpor said the decision to open up the state is aimed at attracting local and foreign investors.

“Our dream is to make Bayelsa the Dubai of Africa. Governor Seriake Dickson has given us the task and it must be accomplished.

“When we took over, there was nothing to write home about in terms of infrastructure and that is why the Governor was angry to develop the state.

All the ongoing projects as well as the ones earmarked for construction would be completed within the tenure of the present administration.

“The government embarked on this massive construction projects because Bayelsa State is backward and has nothing to report on unlike its other southern counterparts.

Therefore, the target of this administration is to restore the lost glory of the state and make the state measure up to the other states in the southern part and a befitting state capital.

“Also, we want to ensure and prove that governance in Bayelsa State can have a face contrary to the negative opinion of people that nothing can work in Bayelsa State”.

The commissioner for works in an interview with newsmen, told the people to put away fears of projects being abandoned as the government is conscious of what it is doing and is angrily desirous to develop the state. That is why they put in place engineers to supervise the projects.

Some of the road projects as listed by Mr. Ewrudjakpor include the 3 senatorial roads, re-construction and dualisation of Ekoli bridge, Tombia-Etegwe road, expansion of Eradiri road, construction of Bayelsa Airport road and construction of outer ring road.

Also enumerated were the building projects such as the world class Diagnostic Centre located within the premises of the Melford Okilo Memorial hospital, 4 secretariat annexes, Multidoor Court House for the state Judiciary, Nigeria Prison’s Service, Governor and Deputy Governor’s lodges in Yenagoa, Sagbama and Nembe.

Piracy: NIMASA to partner with Civil Defence Corps By GODFREY RIVBERE & VICTORIA EDMA

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IGERIAN Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is set to partner with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in its effort to effectively combat activities of pirates on the nation’s waterway.

Director General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, who disclosed the intention of the agency in Lagos yesterday, noted that the collaboration became necessary following the agency’s frustration in seeing persons arrested by them move about freely after a couple of weeks.

Akpobolokemi explained that people caught with guns and other items used in various crimes by the

agency were handed over to other security operatives for persecution but were either set free for lack of evidence or for compromise.

He said that NIMASA decided to partner with NSCDC because it also has the power of persecution.

He expressed hope that the Corps would help in this regard because he would love to see some of the persons caught by officials of NIMASA persecuted and sent to jail during his time as helmsman of the apex maritime agency.

Commandant General of NSCDC, Ade Abolorin, assured the NIMASA boss that they will work closely for the benefit of the nation’s economy. Abolorin noted that both bodies are working to achieve the same goal.

6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

Security men recover five human heads in Plateau

BY TAYE OBATERU Jos

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ECURITY men yester day recovered five human heads from the residence of a community leader in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State generating concern among residents of the area.

The human heads were recovered after a search of the premises by a combined team of soldiers and policemen who stormed Mangun village around 10.30 am following a tip off, according to sources.

The security men who reportedly came from Abuja arrived in the village in about five Hilux vans and immediately cordoned off the premises of the community leader popularly called Ardo and began a search which yielded the recovery of

the human heads hidden in the ceiling.

Eyewitnesses added that some arms and ammunition were also recovered from the premises. The community leader was said to have been taken away with the human heads and the arms found.

C h a i r m a n , Management Committee of the local government, Mr. Ifa Shikben confirmed the findings and the arrest of the Ardo but could not give details saying he merely stumbled on the scene.

According to him, he was returning from an armed robbery scene when he ran into the raid on the Ardo’s residence.

Meanwhile, more corpses have been reportedly discovered in Wase Local Government Area following Wednesday’s sectarian crisis even as the state government expressed

concern over the outbreak of fresh hostilities in some parts of the state.

Sources from the local government said about five bodies were recovered yesterday as the hostilities between

natives and pastoralists worsened.

Condemning the resurgence of violence in Wase, Jos South and Barkin Ladi local government areas, the

Commissioner for Information, Mr. Yiljap Abraham said in a statement that they “appear deliberately aimed at plunging the state into larger and

Rainstorm renders over 120 persons homeless in Delta •33 buildings destroyed

BY FESTUS AHON Ugelli

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O fewer than120 per sons have been rendered homeless in Bomadi, Bomadi Local Government Area, Delta State following a heavy rainstorm that destroyed over 33 buildings in the area.

The rain storm, which started at about 4 pm on Thursday, also destroyed 12 high tension electricity poles, throwing the area into darkness. Areas mostly affected by the disaster were the NDDC road and the Orubiri III quarters of the town.

Our correspondent who visited the area in the early

hours of yesterday, reports that victims of the rain storm have resorted to taking shelter in homes of relatives and sympathizers.

One of the victims, E p e d e i eperekumor Sunday, a mother of three, who spoke to newsmen expressed shock at the incident, saying that her family narrowly escaped

Capital Oil and Gas accuses Cosharis, bank of violating court order

BY INNOCENT ANABA

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HE Managing Direc tor of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, Mr Patrick Ifeanyi Uba, yesterday, told a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, that Cosharis Motors Limited and Access Bank undermined the judiciary by obtaining an order from a London Court, which was in violation of an existing order of the Federal High Court.

It will be recalled that Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Lagos had restrained Access Bank and Cosharis from tampering with the assets of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, pending the conclusion of a case by Uba against them.

The court also restrained the respondents from doing anything against the business interests of Uba and Capital Oil. At the resumed hearing in the matter, counsel to Uba, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, accused Cosharis and the bank of violating the subsisting orders of the court.

He argued that after the Federal High Court made the orders, the re-

spondents approached a London court, where they obtained another order that violates the existing orders of the Federal High Court, Lagos.

L-R: Air Marshal Alex Badeh Chief of Air Staff Nigerian Airforce, Governor Muhktar Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State and Air Vice Marshal Ishiaku Umar Air Officer Commanding Training Command Nigerian Airforce Kaduna at the passing out parade and commissioning ceremony of Direct Short Service Course 21/2012 Cadets during the ceremony at Airforce Base Kaduna on Thursday.

Amosun’s wife harps on good welfare package for the aged used the occasion to re- achievements recorded

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IFE of the Gover nor of Ogun State, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun has harped on good welfare package for the elderly people in the society, describing the aged as very important people in the society.

“The aged people in our midst deserve to be revered and taken care of to ensure their longevity. We the younger ones should perform our social responsibilities to take care of our aged who have contributed their quota to the development of our society,” she said.

Speaking at the programme tagged UPLIFTing the Aged in commemoration of the 55th birthday anniversary of the governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, FCA, the wife of the Governor said the aged people are dear to the heart of her husband,

perpetual conflict.”

He urged the people to remain calm assuring that government had initiated steps to douse tension and avoid a spread of the violence.

thus the governor chose to spend the day with the aged to sensitise them and educate them on health matters that would enhance their well-being.

The governor of Ogun State, who’s also doubled as the birthday boy,

iterate his support to boost the standard of living of the citizenry by providing modern infrastructure facilities that would cut across all the three senatorial districts in the state.

He noted that the

in the state were due to the benevolence of the Almighty God and the support of the people of Ogun State who have been patient and cooperative with his government even during road construction.

Don tasks Nigerians on love

BY SIMON ADEWALE

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HE Vice Chancellor of Western Delta University, Oghara, Delta State, Professor Peter G.Hugbo, has tasked Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of love and charity as a way of moving the country forward.

Prof. Hugbo gave the admonition yesterday, at the university auditorium in Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Council, during a Classical Concert, which the

University Choir featured.

He told Nigerians that Jesus Christ, the son of God, for whose birth memorial the Christmas festival is annually observed, was the embodiment of love and charity, adding that the people who believe in him and observe the Christmas festival must, as a mark of honour to him, show love and charity to their fellow neighbours.

Speaking further on the value of education, Pro-

fessor Hugbo, enjoined Nigerian youths to be very serious in their studies, as the only way to shapen their future to become successful people. He said WDU was the only University in Nigeria with one hundred percent recognition by the National Universities Commission, NUC , urging students to take advantage of the on-going admission into the pre-degree courses of the institution to get university education.

death as one of the high tension electricity poles brought down by the storm landed on the roof of their building.

Saying that they were presently taking refuge in a neighbour’s home, she however expressed gratitude to God for sparing their lives as there was power outage in the area at that time of the incident.

Also speaking with newsmen, another victim, Miss Felicia Ebikake said the storm blew off the roof of her father’s building and her shop, adding that they were forced to spend the night at the residence of a good spirited individual who took pity on them.

Reacting to the incident, an opinion leader in the area, Mr. Godspower Oporomo lamented that the victims were going through untold hardship, reiterating that their means of livelihood have been destroyed.

Church extends TV viewership

BY PEACE ONYEUKWU

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multi-dimensional organisation, Empowernment House has added Kingdom America TV and Kingdom Europe TV to its Kingdom Africa TV, aimed at revitalising wholesome inspirational, educative, informative and entertaining programmes with a high moral standard for the whole family.

According to the Chief spiritual officer, Dexter Akin-Alamu, “Kingdom Americas TV will be transmitting to over 40 million homes across the United States of America via Dish Network & DirectTv and Glorystar, the leading Christian Free Satellite TV and Radio in the US. While Kingdom Europe TV will transmit to over 55 million homes across Europe and into North Africa and parts of the Middle East.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013 — 7

October 1 bombing: Court sentences Ebiware to life imprisoment •Convicted on 3-count charge •May get pardon after 32 years

BY IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI, Abuja

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NE of the alleged masterminds of the October 1, 2010, Independence Day bomb blasts that killed 12 persons, Mr Edmund Ebiware, was yesterday convicted and sentenced to a life imprisonment by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, with effect from October 3, 2010.

The trial judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole sentenced Ebiware after he was found guilty on the entire three-count charge preferred against him by the Federal Government.

The court, in its judgment that lasted five hours, said that it was satisfied that Ebiware, had prior knowledge that the convicted erstwhile leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, Mr. Henry Okah, planned to detonate bombs in Abuja but made no effort to report the plans to appropriate authorities.

Relying on the provisions of Section 40 (b) of the Criminal Code Act, Justice Kolawole, said there was prima-facie nexus that established the accused person as an accessory to Mr Okah, stressing that, “anyone who is aware of an act of terrorism but fails to report same to the President, a Governor, Security agent or a Peace Officer in order to prevent the commission of the crime, is liable to a life imprisonment.”

Besides, the court said it was convinced that the accused person was in regular contact with Mr Okah prior to the Independence Day attack. “It is my considered view that the prosecution was able to prove the elements of the charge against the accused person beyond every reasonable doubt,” the judge said.

Meanwhile, the court ordered that the accused should be entitled to parole after 32-years in the event that he maintains good conduct, noting that such gesture will be subject to recommendation by both Prison officers and the Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy.

Reacting to the verdict, Counsel to Ebiware, Mr Goddy Uche, said they

would go on appeal.

Ebiware had been facing trial alongside Charles Okah who is younger brother to Henry Okah, and two others, Obi Nwabueze andTiemkemfa Francis Osvwo, alias General Gbokos, who later died in his prison cell under controversial circumstances.

However, shortly after Osvwo’s death, Ebiware’s counsel, Mr Uche, applied to be tried separately, a request the trial court granted on May 3, 2012.

The Department of State Security, DSS, which recommended their trial, accused Ebiware of complicity in arrangements that preceded the twin bomb blasts, saying that its investigations revealed that he exchanged incriminating text messages with the perpetrators.

Among those he was said to have exchanged such text messages with before the blast, included the erstwhile DirectorGeneral of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, IBB, Campaign Organization and Chairman of Daar Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi.

However, Ebiware had in his testimony before the trial court, denied ever meeting Okah in person, though he admitted that they had telephone contacts which he said was a result of the active role he played as a volunteer during the Amnesty programme for ex-militants in the oil rich Niger Delta region.

Ebiware further said that he had been in telephone contact with Okah since 2009, adding that their relationship went awry after he (Ebiware) queried the refusal of the ex-MEND leader to accept amnesty; a development he said resulted to several threats to his life and his family. ’’Henry Okah sent several threat text messages to me, he even threatened to wipe out my family,” Ebiware told the court, adding that Okah had sometime in July 2010, called him to express his disaffection with the Federal Government, but never disclosed his intention to detonate bombs in Abuja to him.

He also told the court that one Rapheal Damfebo had informed him that

Okah was planning to cause mayhem in Abuja.

“The information was not new to me because I had already reported the same thing to some top notchers in the government,” he stated.

Meanwhile, in his judgment yesterday, Justice Kolawole, said there was cogent and admissible evidence that the accused was in contact with Okah before the blasts, “the only line of defence open to the accused is to show that he actually informed any of the persons and authorities listed in Section 40 (b) of the Criminal Code Act. The accused is hereby found guilty as charged.”

Before the sentence was passed, counsel to the accused person, had in his allocutus asked the court to temper justice with mercy, considering that the accused was a young man of less than 35 years, who had not been convicted for any crime be-

R-L: Governor Ibikunle Amosun; his wife, Olufunso; Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief (Mrs.) Alaba Lawson and Chief Doja Adewolu during the uplifting the aged programme in commemoration of the 55th birthday anniversary of the governor at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto Abeokuta...yesterday fore and married with two kids.

Uche further urged the court to note that the accused had on his own volition, believing in his own innocence, applied and was granted separate trial.

But delivering his judgement, Justice Kolawole, described the accused as an “over-ambitious young man who was in a haste to gain relevance in the scheme of things,” adding

that he was constrained by the provision of the law to sentence him accordingly.

“The plea of allocutus that was made by the defence counsel, are issues I must confess it deeply touched me. If and only if the convict had reported the planned attack, perhaps the 12 persons that died would have been alive. It was an incident that greatly tarnished the image of this country.

Many of the victims have not fully recovered from the injury they sustained as a result of the bomb blasts. These are issues the society will be interested in.”

The court further ordered that the two mobile telephone handsets recovered from the convict should be confiscated and forfeited to the Federal Government, even as the sentence took effect from October 3, 2010.

Fidelity seeks N15.7bn to boost lending to energy, telecoms companies

BY MICHAEL EBOH with Agency Report

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IDELITY Bank Plc has announced plans to raise N15.7 billion ($100 million) from the international debt market to boost its foreign currency lending capacity, especially to companies in the oil and gas and telecommunication sector.

Mr. Francis Ikenga, Head Strategy, Fidelity Bank, said the bank has mandated Citi to raise the fund via a two-year loan deal through a book building process.

He stated that the yield on the debt instrument will be determined at the end of the transaction.

According to him, the need to raise the funds is

borne out of the fact that the bank has seen an increase in demand for foreign currency loans from all sectors of Nigeria’s economy especially within the oil and gas and telecom sectors. A number of Nigerian banks have over the past months raised funds from the international financial market and multilateral institutions.

Skye Bank had, last year raised $100 million (N16 billion) from a multilateral institution at a floating coupon rate of 6.3 per cent for seven years.

The bank said the bond issuance programme is aimed at boosting the bank’s capital base, adding that the exercise will add about two per cent to its capital adequacy ratio.

Why Catholic church withdrew from CAN

BY EMEKA MAMAH

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ACTS are now emerging that the Catholic Church actually withdrew from the Christain Association of Nigeria, CAN, with effect from September last year.

Sources told Saturday Vanguard that the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, had in a letter announcing the church’s withdrawal to the Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor- led national leadership of CAN on Sep-

tember 24, last year complained that it was being sidelined in some of the major decisions of the association.

The letter entitled, ‘’Our Concern for Christian Unity,’’ and signed on behalf of the CBCN

by the Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Most. Rev. Ignatius Kaigama was addressed to the President of CAN, Pastor Oritsejafor.

Security, litigation at Supreme Court, Constitution review form agenda •••as governors meet on Monday

BY HENRY UMORU Abuja

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HE thirty-six State gov ernors under the aegis, Nigeria Governors' Forum, NGF will meet in the nation's capital, Abuja, just as feedback from consul-

tations on review of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria forms part of the agenda.“At the meeting which as usual will take place at the Rivers' state governor's Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, the governors are expected to discuss the

security challenges in the country as a way of finding lasting solution to it.“According to a statement from the NGF's Secretariat, the lingering issue of allocation to states and the excess crude account, ECA as well as litigation at the Supreme Court will also be discussed at the meeting.

8 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

Okada rider remanded for stabbing peacemaker to death

BY NWOPOKE MICHAEL

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N Ebute-meta chief magistrate’s court, Lagos, presided over by Mrs. Kemi Doja-Ojo, has ordered that a 23 yearold, commercial motorcyclist, Jigila Ibrahim, be remanded in prison custody for allegedly stabbing a 43 year-old Talabi Ademola to death with a screwdriver.

The okada rider was alleged to have stabbed the deceased to death on 13 January, at about 4.50pm, while the deceased was trying to settle the disagreement that ensued between the accused and a passenger over a fare.

Ibrahim was arraigned before the court on a count charge of murder, an offence which according to the prosecutor, Iyobosa I. (a woman police corporal,) is punishable under section 221 of the criminal law of Lagos state of Nigeria, 2011.

According to the prosecutor, “on the day of the incident, a passenger hired the accused from Opebi to a Total filling station at Oregun, and they bargained for N200, but on return from the trip the passenger offered the Okada rider

N120,instead of the agreed N200 and this resulted in a fight during which the accused( the Okada rider) brought out a

screwdriver from his motorcycle and stabbed the deceased who was trying to settle the rift between the okada rider and the passenger, at the

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HE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday arrested the duo of Moghalu Maduakonam and Esho Femi David at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja for attempting to smuggle $240,000 out of the country.

While Maduakonam was travelling to Dubai, United Arab Emirates with $200,000.00 which he failed to declare; Turkey- bound David declared only $5,000 out of $40,050 in his possession.

The arrest of the suspects coincided with identification of another property of the former Delta State Governor, James Ibori, by the operatives of the anti-graft agency.

truck, was confirmed dead at the Lagos State University Teaching hospital (LASUTH).

Though, the okada rider pleaded not guilty to the charge, his plea was not taken by the magistrate.

The magistrate however

ordered the prosecutor to duplicate the case file and forward it to the office of Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice, while the matter was adjourned till 15 February, for mention.

Oshiomhole’s Guber Tribunal Victory: •Esogban of Benin hails judgment

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM Benin-City

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L-R: First son of foremost Primate, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Archbishop (Emeritus) Abiodun Adetiloye, Mr. Adedoyin Adetiloye; his wife Tolulope; wife of the deceased, Titilayo during the funeral service in honour of the late Primate at his country home in Odo-Owa-Ekiti, yesterday

HE Esogban of Benin Kingdom and Chairman of the Benin Forum, the apex organization in Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri says Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s Wednesday’s victory at the state Election Petition Tribunal has opened a new vista in the politics of Edo state.

African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), while

Mali Intervention: Troops advance towards Islamist stronghold of Gao

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ALI’s military and French forces have pushed toward the Islamic extremist stronghold in the city of Gao, in their farthest push east since launching an operation two weeks ago to retake land controlled by the rebels, residents and a

security official said yesterday.

The soldiers were seen in the town of Hombori, according to residents, who said they stayed several hours in the area before heading back westward.

“They were in eight all-

EFCC nabs 2 with $240,000, locates money laundering. another Ibori house He was arrested on

BY SONI DANIEL, Abuja

left side of the chest.”

She said the deceased who before the ugly incident was on his own separate business offloading cement from a

The said house, which is situated at No 5, Alpha Beach Road , Lekki, Lagos , is suspected to be one of the proceeds of money laundering for which the ex-governor was convicted in the United Kingdom.

The commission describes the property as a mansion with a mini reception at the ground floor and a detached Boys Quarters, adding that two occupants of the house, Moses Abu and Kaycee Kassim, had made useful statements about the house.

Meanwhile, the cash courier are to be charged to court as soon as invetigat ion is concluded.

Only three days ago, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided over

by Justice Adamu Bello convicted one Mallam Abulrasheed Ibrahim for

Wednesday, November 7, 2013 by operatives of the commission as he prepared to board a Dubai-bound Ethiopian airline, at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport when he declared the sum of $45,000 instead of $143,858 on him.

terrain vehicles and two armored vehicles,” said Maouloud Daou, a resident of Hombori. “They asked us if there were Islamists in the town and we told them they had left. People were very happy to see the Malian and French military.”

A Malian security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists, confirmed the advance.

Hombori is located 150 kilometers beyond the current line of control in Douentza, which came back under government forces earlier in the

week. The eastward push puts them just 155 miles (250 kilometers) away from Gao, one of the three main northern cities held by Islamists since last April when the rebels took advantage of the chaotic aftermath of a coup in Mali’s capital.

Malian soldiers are attempting to recapture northern Mali from the Islamic extremists with the help of the French military and troops from other African nations.

The Islamists have retreated from several cities in central Mali following a barrage of French air strikes, but the extremists still control the north including Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu.

reacting to the judgment said the nation’s judiciary has demonstrated that it remains the bastion of hope to Nigerians following the victory of Governor Adams Oshiomhole at the governorship election Tribunal yesterday.

Chief Edebiri in a statement, said the government’s victory has “clinically demolished the evil clique of politicians who held our dear state hostage for more than eleven years and looted its treasury with impunity.

We are not afraid to commend Gov. Obi — Cleric

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HE Anglican Bishop of Amichi, Most Rev. Ephraim Ikeakor said that the Church was not afraid to commend Gov. Obi or any public officer who is doing well to promote the welfare of the people. He said this during the visit

by Governor Obi to the Amichi Diocesan hospital.

The Bishop said that Obi had done so much for the State and had restored the confidence of Anambrarian in governance. His words: “It is on record that within the brief stay of his Excellency on the saddle of leadership in Anambra State, he has distinguished himself and scored many firsts.”

Deutsche bank holds Global Banking workshop in Abuja issues including inter- the West African sub- importance of Nigeria region.“According to and West Africa in the

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ANKERS and financial experts from Nigeria and other West African countries will converge in Abuja on January 28 for a week long annual banking workshop organized by a leading global investment bank, Deutsche Bank.

At the workshop, experts will brainstorm on

national trade finance, international payments, agriculture funding and compliance regulations and operations. “To date, Deutsche Bank had organised three of such annual workshops in Abuja, Nigeria and Accra, Ghana.“The workshop is aimed at adding value to investment banking operations in

Charles Weller, Head, Deutsche Bank, Nigeria, “Over the past years, we have hosted close to 500 West African bankers at our training events and we have been delighted with the success of these workshops.”

Deutsche Bank experts across the globe will be presenting and speaking at the event, highlighting the ever increasing

international financial space,” Weller said.“The bank's Deputy Head in Nigeria, Mrs. Adeola Azeez, said the workshop aims at putting Nigeria and the region more firmly on the Deutsche Bank map and equally cementing and increasing relationship with the bank’s clients and customers in the West African sub-region.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013 — 9

Poverty, misrule, not responsible for Boko Haram — PDP •Describes it as a local terror group •Says Jonathan is right on security, power

BY HENRY UMORU, Abuja

T

Football Star Jayjay Okocha here congratulates Minister of Works; Arc Mike Onolememen in Abuja over the improved condition of roads nationwide especially during the yuletide season.

Ogun police nab three teenagers for cultism

BY DAUD OLATUNJI, Abeokuta

T

HE Ogun State Police Command said yesterday that it had arrested three teenagers in Apeti area of Agbara for c u l t i s m .

The Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi in a statement sent to journalists in Abeokuta said the command’s anti Crime team led by the Divisional Police Officer Ayo Sonubi burst their operation.

According to Adejobi , Sodiq Akeem,16,an Senior Secondary School 1,of Agbara High School, Adeniyi Clement, 14,a vulcaniser and Rilwan Aina, 14,an apprentice tailor were caught with a locally made pistol and catriges where they were holding a meeting in preparation for an operation. ”These young boys,who are so deep in cultism have confessed to be members of Eiye confraternity.”

The Commissioner of Police, Okoye Ikemefuna has ordered a thorough investigation into the matter and get their other members a r r e s t e d He warned parents and

guardians to warn their children or wards against c u l t i s m . ”The same goes to the school authorities particularly secondary schools in the area” .

HE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP yesterday described the Boko Haram sect as a local terror group, just as it said that poverty and misrule were not responsible for the i n s u r g e n c y .

According to PDP, poverty was not a recent phenomenon in the country “and therefore cannot form the basis of the sudden wave of criminal attacks on innocent victims, most of whom live within the poverty bracket.”

The PDP in a statement by its national Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa

FG has turned oil states, communities to beggars — Uduaghan

BY EMMA AMAIZE, Regional Editor, South South

D

ELTA State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, yesterday, complained about the situation in which the Federal Government had turned oilproducing states and communities to beggars for the oil and gas produced in their own territories.

The governor, represented by his deputy, Prof Amos Utuama, spoke at the Ist Delta State Oil and Gas

Industry Stakeholders’ Conference, which commenced, yesterday, in Warri.

He noted that lack of equity for oil and gas communities was responsible for the crisis in the Niger-Delta and urged that the incongruity be redressed.

Uduaghan stated, “We must recall that in 1969, the course of Nigerian history was changed and the nature of economic relationship between States and Federal Government was altered in 1969 with the promulgation of the Petroleum De-

cree by the military government…”

He said the decree took away the rights of the States on minerals produced in their territories and placed it squarely under the exclusive control of the Federal Military Government.

His words, “Since then, oil and gas producing states have become beggars for the oil and gas produced in their own territories and now depends on allocations from the federal authorities to meet their needs and to solve the multifarious problems like the monumental environmental

Ogun PDP crisis deepens as OBJ, Kashamu factions trade blames charges against Odujinrin

BY DAUD OLATUNJI, Abeokuta

T

HE crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State deepened yesterday when the two factions traded blames over alleged suspension of their chieftains.

The party was divided into two with ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and the par-

Metuh, however urged those behind the violent attacks against Nigerians to have a rethink and understand that life was sacrosanct and that nobody has the right to shed innocent blood under any guise.

The PDP spokesperson said that it was throwing its weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan for his forthrightness on national issues especially the Boko Haram insurgency in his interview with CNN on W e d n e s d a y .

The PDP also agreed with the President that there has been t r e m e n d o u s improvement in power supply in the country

ty’s financier, Buruji Kashamu leading the factions.

Kashamu faction which has Adebayo Dayo as Chairman yesterday dismissed reports of the expulsion and suspension of some of its chieftains describing the move as “of no consequence whatsoever ’ .

Saturday Vanguard gathered that, Obasanjo group which has Srnator Dipo Odujinrin as its Chair-

man has announced the expulsion of some chieftains in the other faction.

And in its reaction, Kashamu faction in a statement issued in Abeokuta by the Publicity Secretary, Mr. Waliu Oladipupo described members of Obasanjo faction as ‘ outlaws who have since been suspended by the only recognized and authentic State Working Committee (SWC).

It vowed to press contempt

and his people just as it urged party members to be focused and continue to work in the overall interest of the party.

“What is more, the Federal High Court in Lagos had in a judgment delivered on 16th November, 2012, nullified the purported congress that they conducted, ordered their arrest and prosecution for holding themselves out as officers of the party in Ogun State.”

destructions, which accompany oil prospecting and production.”

According to him, “Every other policy in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria took its roots from the Petroleum Decree of 1969 and has further contributed to the increasing alienation of oil producing communities and states from the benefits of oil, while leaving them to suffer the hazards and permanent damages arising from oil production.

“The overwhelming control of the oil and gas industry and the benefits arising therefrom by the Federal Government is unprecedented and unknown in any other sector of the economy or indeed anywhere else in the world.

“So many institutions, agencies and businesses have been created to monitor, police, take and spend profits from the industry by the Federal Government without ceding any role, responsibilities of direct benefits to the states and communities in whose territory the oil is produced.

under the current d i s p e n s a t i o n .

Metuh said, “ The President is right and we fully align with him on his position that Boko Haram is not a product of poverty or misrule as some people are suggesting. We agree with him that it is a local terror group. ”There have been successive regimes before this administration but this insurgency increased the same way terrorist activities are escalating in other parts of the world at this time. So it is clear that some people are out to perpetrate acts of terrorism in Nigeria to create a semblance of insecurity as it obtains in other troubled spots of the w o r l d . ” The PDP also said it believes in the efforts by the administration to ensure the security and welfare of Nigerians in line with its manifesto and mandate.

The party also commended the President for the decision to deploy troops to Mali as part of the nation’s commitment to working with other governments to root out terrorism in the sub-region.

On the power sector, the party said the President was correct on his declaration that there has been tremendous improvement under the current dispensation and assured that the nation will achieve an enviable level of stability in power supply before the end of the year.

“The President is correct on the issue of power. We all know that power supply in the country has improved tremendously under his watch and we have confidence in the President’s assertion that Nigerians will witness tremendous stability in power supply very soon”, Metuh added.

The party said the interview once again shows the forthrightness, candour and simplicity of the President in addressing national issues.

10— SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

Ethiopia

A

fter the first round of matches ended Tues day with Group D where Cote d’Ivoire survived Togo’s scare and ran away with a 2-1 victory while Tunisia got a late stunner to beat fellow Maghreb nation Algeria, Goal.com took a look of the matches and came up with these revelations.

The first round of fixtures in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations has bitten the dust, as 16 teams battle for slots at the knock-out phase. The major story of the first round was reigning African champions Zambia being held by minnows Ethiopia whiles hosts South Africa failed to impress against debutants Cape Verde.

As the second round kicked off on Wednesday, Goal.com analysed why the Ethiopian fans were beautiful, but at the same time ugly in terms of attitude, and why Kidiaba and Mweene are the goalkeepers to watch with delight at the 29th edition of the Afcon in South Africa.

Beautiful Ethiopia, ugly attitude

On paper Ethiopia versus defending champions Zambia was a walk in the park with a motorcade clearing the way to make it even easier for the Chipolopolo, but the script was quickly thrown away as soon as the camera panned on to the beautiful and colourful Ethiopian supporters. If this was the Rainbow Nation, the Ethiopian fans were the human representation on the Rainbow. On the pitch too they played some unbelievable stuff. If Herve Renard is seen as a coach with movie star looks, then this game was his audition for a role in a horror movie - Angels of Darkness.

And the Angels from Ethiopia did show a dark side. After their goalkeeper was sent off for a kung-fu tackle they started throwing objects onto the pitch. They resumed with their game of “Dodge the Vuvuzelas” when Zambia took the lead and the players went to the corner flag to celebrate.

The sounds from those Vuvuzelas are already annoying enough so need to throw them at people. Good to hear Caf, who often pretend to run African football, has taken action against them.

2013 Nations Cup:

Five lessons from first round Kidiaba dance

Forget Gangam style and Azonto for a minute. The new dance on the block is the Warriors dance by DR Congo’s goalkeeper. Kidiaba has been doing this for a while but with the whole world watching him creep into all of the alleys of cyberspace. The ridiculous nature of this dance means unlike Azonto or Gangam style not a lot of people are going to try it, but then again not a lot of people reason like Mamadou Gaye.

dou Keita was the first to unveil Fergie Time at the tournament, with his winner for Mali against Niger. Then Burkina Faso scored one to clip the wings of the Super Eagles of Nigeria and send a nation of 150 million coaches back to the drawing board. In Group D it already a theme with Gervinho’s Fergie Time strike helping an unconvincing Ivory Coast to victory. In the North African derby between Algeria and Tunisia, Msakni whipped up a wonder

Mweene strike to decide the game also in Fergie Time.

Mweene, penalty expert

Msakni, before the stunner against Algeria

Surely no player at the Nations Cup will be relishing going up against Kennedy Mweene from 12 yards. The Zambian goal keeper ’s penalty saving exploits is one of the main reasons why Zambia are the Kings of Africa. He was also on hand to save the

Fergie Time

Well Fergie Time is the newest slang for injury time or the dying embers of a football game, named after Man United’s coach, Sir Alex Ferguson.

It is an acknowledgement of some sort to Sir Alex’s team unrivalled ability to score game changing goals in the last moments of the game. The Nations Cup has had its fair share with all three wins so far as a result of late goals. Sey-

Kidiaba

Chipolopolo from embarrassment in their qualifier against Uganda which had to be decided on penalties. Mweene has returned to this year ’s Nations Cup in the same penalty saving form he exited the last one with, saving Saladin Said’s strike. Every time he does his “ you cannot see me gesture” it sort of points to how sadly Africa failed to see him during awards season.

The draw fever The draw for the Nations Cup took place a couple of months ago but it has taken another form in South Africa.

Five of the eight games played so far have ended in draws with Groups A & C recording no wins thus far. The last two games of Match Day 1 saw back-to-back wins and hopefully the goal shy teams in Group A can carry the baton and serve us with goal fests and wins.

Culled from goal.com

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013—11

We want to wipe out the pain of losing to Zambia last year – Toure

I

n his first column for BBC Sport, Manchester City defender Kolo Toure ex plains why his Ivory Coast team need to win this year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Toure, who will be writing regularly throughout the tournament, also discusses the Elephants’ perfect preparations and the pain of last year’s defeat in the final.

It’s time for the talking to stop. Now is the time for Ivory Coast to show that we are ready to win the Africa Cup of Nations.

This generation of Ivory Coast players really wants to win something. Our squad has players who have won Champions League finals, have played in World Cups and won league titles in lots of different countries, but we have not won this title.

We badly want to go one step further this year, if it is Allah’s wish, after falling just short last January against Zambia.

After making it to the final in 2012, we had an amazing chance to win the tournament.

You just never know when opportunities like that will come around again.

However, in that game, we didn’t take advantage of the chances that we had. After extra-time finished 0-0, we knew it would be a risk going to penalties. And so it proved.

This time around, it will be

an even harder challenge. We have a tough group and we have to play - and get positive results - against Togo, Tunisia and Algeria.

The whole of the Ivory Coast nation will be behind us, though. We know what this tournament - and winning it - represents to the people back home, watching on TV and those who will make the long journey to see us in South Africa.

They remember the team that won this tournament in 1992. It would mean so much, to the nation and to everyone on this team, to repeat their achievement.

If we go all the way this year, then no one will think of us as the team that failed when it mattered. They will simply think of us as winners.

Sabri Lamouchi, our coach, knows what he wants. Our pretournament training camp in Abu Dhabi was great. The players in our squad are based around the world - Didier Drogba, of course, is in China while others are in Turkey, Russia, Spain and England. So we really value the time to train together.

We’ve concentrated a lot on our attacking and defensive shape. We know we’ll need some luck - you always do in a tournament - but our preparations have been ideal.

Our training facilities are excellent, too. We flew to South

We have to win against Togo, says Algerian midfielder

A

lg er ia m id fie ld er day that they Ad le ne G ue di ou ra caused probsays his team mus t lems for Ivoforget their defeat

by Tunisia ry Coast so now we have to in their Africa Cup of Nations focus on that match.” opener and focus on While Algeria are ra Togo in their next beating ted as the Group D second best te am in Africa in game. the Fifa rankings an The Fennec Foxes los d were one t 1of 0 on the pre-tournamen Tuesday as Yousse t favouf Msakni rites, they will face a tough test ca m e up w ith a st un ni ng , against The Sparrow Hawks 90th-minute winner and Gue- who will also diora now feels ther be looking to e’s no room bounce back after a 2-1 defeat for error against Togo , who also in their opener lost their first mat ch to Ivory was a little ha - a result that rsh on them.

Coast, today.

Guedioura accept “We don’t have to s that the as tions or reflect abou k ques- defeat against Tunisia is a sett that. We back but the N ottingham Forhave to win,” Gued ioura told est player is sti ll confident AlBBC Sport. geria they can have “Togo are a good te a successam and a ful Cup of Nat ions. tough side, we sa w on Tues-

•Kolo Toure

Africa from the Middle East last week and are based in Rustenburg. Our group games are at the same stadium where England played the USA during the 2010 World Cup. There had not been a lot of time to work together before the tournament started last week

and so our friendly against Egypt, played in Abu Dhabi on 14 January, was important, too. We won 4-2 and we’ve worked hard since that game to improve even more.

I’m so happy that the tournament is now under way.

Erico explains spat irirsst spatee of ffir round dr awn games drawn

By Eddie Akalonu

F

ormer Super Eagles assistant coach Joe Erico has explained as normal the number of games drawn in the opening group games of the tournament just as he also said it is no strange occurrence in narrow score wins recoded by some teams at this stage.

He posited that first matches in competitions of this magnitude are usually very difficult because no coach wants to lose his first game. “Caution is the word because teams want to see what the opponent have in their arsenal as in strengths and weaknesses before they come out in subsequent games. You also want to reserve some energy because there is a time frame to play, you can make the final for those with ability to go far,” he said.

Erico, who spoke to our correspondent in •Joe Lagos, however, Erico predicts “that

teams will definitely get to grips with the excitement and thrills of the tournament as were cases in previous editions.

Two opening day games ended in barren draws, then followed by a win and score draw on day two.

By the same token, the former Green Eagles goalkeeper, expressed no shock that this Nations Cup has yet to produce a giant killer team like Zambia did in the last edition, breaking all records to take home the trophy despite the presence of favourites and finalist Ivory coast and Ghana.

“It’s still early for that to begin to happen. By the time the first round of matches pass, you will see that injuries would set into teams, there will be fatigue and disciplinary records will cut out certain set of players from teams, it’s then the coaches will rearrange plans from the original brought to the competition. These factors too shall determine if we are going to see new stars and a team or teams with the giant-killing instinct in the competition. For instance the likes of Ethiopia and Cape Verde may be on the way up depending on the doggedness, determination and resilience they produce along the line,” he said

12— SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

Controversy of cellphones to farmers: •We’re already using it to reach 232,000 farmers — Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Agric Minister •No! that‘s not our needs — Stakeholders kick

BY ISHOLA BALOGUN

F

A

PPARENTLY, in a bid to clear the air on the controversial N60billion cellphones to farmers, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina elucidated on the need for providing cellphones to farmers, saying it would curb sharp practices in the sector anytime government tries to

•Agric Minister, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina connect with farmers. The minister cited the procurement and distribution of subsidized fertilizers in the past arguing that people took advantage of the situation, and at the end, less than 11 percent of farmers got the fertilizers.

He said: “Some of the fertilizers paid for by government were never delivered to the warehouses. Some of the fertilizers delivered contained more sand than fertilizers while a large portion of the fertilizers subsidized by government found its way across our borders to neighboring countries where it was sold at prevailing market prices. Middle men and rent seekers were the ones benefiting from the billions of naira spent every year on fertilizer subsidies. The same applies to the seed sector.”

The Minister stated that with clear support from President Jonathan, he was able to nip the trend in the bud within 90 days of assumption of office through the introduction of Growth Enhancement Support, GES, which delivers inputs to farmers directly by using farmers’ cellphones.

“We created an electronic platform (e-wallet) on which we registered farmers and agro-dealers who own shops that sell farm inputs all over the country. To date, we have registered 4.2 million farmers and about 900 agro-dealers. We developed the first ever registered data base of farmers in Nigeria, which we will upgrade

every year. For the first time ever, we can now base policy decisions on data, not guess work.

“Registered farmers are sent

procuring tractors for farmers, government will encourage the private sector to establish tractor hiring centers so that farmers can hire tractors from these

,

OR a couple of weeks now since the issue of N60 billion cell phones to farmers came to the front burner, there have been criticisms over the government’s burning desire to inject the entire rural space of the country with cellphones.

But even after the Agriculture Minister, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina attempted to clear the air on the raging controversy, that no such amount was ever earmarked for such project, saying government was planning to distribute only two million phones to farmers this year, that move has not doused the ill feelings generated by that initiative.

Saturday Vanguard went to town to feel the pulse of farmers and stakeholders on the issue. Those who spoke to us vehemently said the whole arrangement was faulty, while others described it as a misplaced priority.

Justifying its position, the Federal Government maintains that whether small, medium or large farmers, they all need information and communication systems. Truly, connecting to supermarkets, value chains, and international markets require that farmers know and meet stringent consumerdriven grades and standards; as well as curbing corruption and those doing brisk businesses with several government intervention measures like fertilizers, seed sectors and agric loans.

This, government believes can only be achieved through distribution of cellphones where direct communication could take place between government and the farmers. We present the stakeholders different positions.

We intend to use the GES scheme to distribute these phones. To be entitled to a phone, farmers must be registered on the e-wallet platform. Paper vouchers will be issued to farmers who do not have phones

electronic vouchers directly from the federal government to their cell phones. This voucher or e-wallet informs the farmer that he or she is entitled to buy two 50kg bags of fertilizer at 50% of the purchase price. The voucher essentially serves as cash on their phones and this cash covers 50% of the market price of the fertilizer. The farmer therefore pays only 50% of the cost of the fertilizer to the fertilizer retailer. Fertilizer and seed retailers no longer supply seeds and fertilizers directly to government. They now sell directly to farmers. Government helps the farmer to buy inputs by providing direct support through their cellphones (e-wallet).”

Dr Adesina maintained that plans are underway to use the GES scheme to help farmers access tractor hiring services, adding that instead of government

,

centers with government subsidizing the cost of hiring tractors through the e-wallet using farmers’ cellphones.

That brings the questions: “Why cellphones for farmers?”

“Will the fertilizers and seeds be attached to the cellphones?”

“Will tractors be attached to the cellphones”? Dr Adesina stated that going by previous experience and the achievement recorded in the area of fertilizer and tractor sectors, ”Yes!” It is actually the cell phone that has provided us with the tool to directly access each farmer thereby saving them from corrupt middlemen who make their fortune from exploiting the poor.”

He added that “from the data we collected based on farmers’ use of cellphones to access fertilizers and seeds last year, we found that the total number of transactions done through phones with respect to the GES

scheme was 4.9 million. Of these, 1.2 million were in English, 620,000 were in Pidgin, 2.2 million were in Hausa, and 854,000 were in Yoruba and 344 were in Igbo, arguing that the rural farmers are already using the cellphones to transact their businesses.

He stressed that there would be no direct procurement of phones by the federal government, neither will government give anyone contracts to import phones from China or anywhere else, nor there would be N 60billion anywhere to be used to buy cellphones, but maintained that the Ministry of Agriculture and that of Communications Technology would partner together to implement this policy.

“We intend to use the GES scheme to distribute these phones. To be entitled to a phone, farmers must be registered on the e-wallet platform.

Paper vouchers will be issued to farmers who do not have phones. The government will provide a subsidy to the farmer through the voucher to buy the phone. The farmer takes the voucher to the local mobile phone operator and pays the balance which is the difference between the value of the vouch-

er and the cost of the phone. Once a farmer buys a phone and a SIM card, his new phone number will be updated on the e-wallet database and he will be able to receive his e-wallet voucher which will entitle him to purchase fertilizer and seeds at subsidized rates. Phones will be sold directly to farmers by local mobile phone service providers.”

He added that cellphones in the agric sector is not new as several hundreds of thousand farmers are already being reached through their cellphones, benefiting from the robust government programes. “We are already using cellphones to reach 232,000 farmers for rice production in the dry season, each getting 3 bags, across 10 states of the north east, northwest and north central regions. To reach farmers affected by the flood, we are also using cellphones through the growth enhancement support. We are reaching 98,000 farmers affected by floods across the country with 2 bags of fertilizers per farmer, plus one bag of agrolyser micro-nutrient to replace some of the soil micro-nutrients that have been washed away by the flood. Such is the power of cellphones revolutionizing agriculture today in Nigeria,” he stated.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013—13

CELLPHONES TO FARMERS:

It’s a misplaced priority — Farmers

BY ISHOLA BALOGUN & EBUN SESSOU

P

Abiodun Oladapo

Prince Wale Oyekanya

Epe axis and the State government is planning to displace them. They are suddenly planning to use the place for airport.

You see, that is why the country is in trouble because so many things are going wrong,”

Lookman Ismai cellphones, the N60billion should be diverted to bank of agriculture. “Government should revive Agriculture bank and work out modalities where evidence of owning farmlands will be the basis for accessing the funds. Just like the N200 billion intervention fund which was called Commercial Agricultural Credit scheme, CAT, of the government which we have requested of them to give a record of those who benefited from the policy.”

He stated that recently some farmers had to close shops for lack of enabling environment to produce food for the nation.

“Presently, half of the farmers in the country are already folding up. There are about 24 farmers in my region that are no more in operation. Their complaints were that there are no adequate funding. An individual cannot access agriculture loan from the bank.” He added that most farm-lands in the State do not have good road networks, electricity supply to work while oth-

Segun Collins ers complained of lack of loan assistance.

He advised that instead of buying cellphones, government should concentrate on procuring equipment and make available funds as working capital.

Oyekoya disclosed that about 10,000 farmers are registered in Lagos under the Ministry of Agriculture. “they gave us a data showing about 10,000 farmers but I don’t believe it. They are only interested in data that does not exist in order to siphon money from the Ministry, Federal government and World Bank.

“The state government has its own scheme which is called land Agric settlement. They planted their cronies there. The lands are allocated to political leaders whereas a plot of land is sold at the sum of N1.8million to real farmers at Ikorodu. The State does not believe in helping the real farmers. So, these are creating unfriendly environment for the farmers.

“There are about 25 farmers at

,

RINCE Wale Oyekoya, the President of Farmers Association of Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, opines that buying cellphones for Nigerian farmers is a not only a misplaced priority but another huge waste of resources.Oyekoya while speaking with Saturday Vanguard in his office on the issue stated that although cellphone was important to farmers, it is not to the level the federal government had taken it, adding that it could be another way of siphoning money.

He stated that the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry, LCCI had indicated interest to partner with the federal government on its policies mainly because the farmers had since found out that most of government’s policies are inconsistent with the needs of the farmers and are directed to the ‘portfolio farmers. “LCCI intends to partner with the government in order to be able identify the real farmers. Government has been dealing with portfolio and political farmers in the past.” he said.

“The Minister claimed that 70 percent of rural farmers are without phones, I don’t know how he got this figure. There are about one hundred million phones in circulation as we speak. Nigerian farmers are all rural farmers which means, cellphone is not their priority because they can afford it.

“Therefore, there is need for federal government to partner with the private sectors and non-government organisations including the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry, LCCI who know the real farmers. When I contacted some of the farmers in Lagos, Ogun, Osun States, they don’t seem to know what the government is doing.”

He added that government policies like the fertilizers and intervention fund have not gotten to the real farmers but have been hijacked by cronies and politicians.

“Most of the funds allocated to farmers have been going to the wrong hands and that is why agriculture sector is suffering in this country. A nation that cannot feed itself is doomed.”

He suggested that instead of

How much is a Nokia phone that the government feels it is the need of farmers. As we speak, if you go into any village, not less than 60 per cent of the villagers have phones. So, what are we buying for N60billion

,

he stressed.

“I recall that some officials of federal government visited my farmland sometime ago and dug 25 waterholes for irrigation but up till moment, they failed to provide pumping machines, and I know some persons would have pocketed the money meant for it.”

On what the farmers in Lagos state are contributing in feeding the nation, Oyekoya said: “We are not producing much in

crops. The State government is producing about 50 tonnes of rice,” disclosing that the federal government was planning to import about 100 milling machines for rice for farmers which also will not encourage local production.

Lookman Ismail of Frank Farms, Papalanto, Ogun state said: “What is the definition of rural farmer, is there anybody that is an urban farmer? I have a farm in Papalanto, Ogun state, that is a rural area. I don’t see any sincerity in this move. It is a question of who is fooling who.

Is it telephone we need right now? The farmers cannot get their produce to the city because of bad roads, we can’t get electricity, we can’t get water from government. I had to spend as much as N2million to bring electricity to my farm. And about the same amount for boreholes.

These are things that are important to farmers. There is no enabling environment that will make people go into agriculture.

How much is a Nokia phone that the government feels it is the need of farmers. As we speak, if you go into any village, not less than 60 per cent of the villagers have phones. So, what are we buying for N60billion.

He cited the government agric intervention loan as a failed policy which he said could not get to the real farmers. “I have not seen one real farmer who was able to access that loan. As a farmer who also works in a bank, I could not get access to that loan. You will have to have a collateral in a choicest area, they will tell you my farm is not good as a collateral because it is in a rural area. So, the loans probably went to the wrong hands and the government is not bothered about who gets the loan.

“They should make tractors available and supply electricity to the villages where most of these farms are located, they should also concentrate on building roads that will make farm produce get to the cities quickly,” he added.

He added that he could not access the loan as the banks were demanding property in a choicest place as collateral.

“They only gave the loans to portfolios farmers who only have to present a certificate of incorporation to get the loan.

“The initiative is a sham, if they

Continues on page 44

14—SATURDAY Vanguard , JANUARY 26, 2013

T

,

he mindless attack of Islamic terrorists or insurgents in the country on His Royal Highness, Alhaji Ado Bayero, the Emir of Kano, has provoked a spate of comments expressing, absolute shock, downright condemnation, and utter dismay. One sees the attack as mindless because the object is one of the most eminent Muslims in the country. He is the traditional ruler of a predominantly — almost exclusively—Muslim community in the heart of a historically Islamic terrain.Though the city, all the same, has not been excluded from the scourge of Islamic militancy, or insurgency in the country, the occasions of acts of terrorism in the area had really added to the confused status of the terrorists’ objectives in the estimate of analysts generally.

Some four years ago, the objectives of the Boko Haram attackers were related more to sociological factors, rather than any other sources, especially as the operations were restricted to the Northern part of the country which is far less developed than the South. But here we are halted by the brick wall of an irony:the terrorist organization, by its very title, is totally against Western education which is undoubtedly the bedrock of modern development. Experts, who pose to know more about such things than others, were thus emphatic that the attacks had more of a civic reaction to •His Royal Highness, poverty than any other motivation. The bombing of the Mogadishu Cantonment in * 2010 tended to support the view that it was the citizenry in * the area moving against the government. But with the bombings and other forms of The Boko Haram has mayhem which targeted loomed larger and larger educational institutions and like a dark shadow over the churches, it became apparent land. It has almost grown that the direction was more to become a “bogey” for focused than that. No one frightening the citizens. wanted to admit that it had The members strike more than a slight tinge of seemingly at will with little religious flavour to it against respect for their targets. the Christians, especially those They have bombed in the North. Nigerians fear the buildings of international devastating impact that a institutions, media houses, religious war could have on the and even military country. establishments. While several Christians still he country is already threw their lives on the virtually partitioned into wings of their faith and still the Islamic North and the worshipped in churches on Christian South sectors as it is, Sundays, others have projecting a natural line of stayed at home to pray. battle-line confrontation which How much less could no reasonable citizen would anyone really do when wish to come alive. even National Day What has prevented that so observances are held, far, as we all are aware—and a through in military fashion, vital fact that may not be within barrack walls! violated at that—is the absence And then along the of the terrorist activities in the course of developments, core South, along with the

It is a great sacrifice that the Christians in the North have had to bear in general. Many of them have been bombed out of church and home

Alhaji Ado Bayero

not in the name of allah and the boy died

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But, with the attacks on some notable Muslims which have now found a climax with the Emir of Kano, the equation has become somewhat distorted

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tolerance and accommodation of the affected Southerners who have eschewed reprisals in their reaction to their losses. It is a great sacrifice that the Christians in the North have had to bear in general. Many of them have been bombed out of church and home. They have lost material possessions at the hands of terrorists simply for being in the right place even at the right time.

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the advice for a “negotiated settlement” began to grow into a demand and acquire a strident tone. The advisers directed, and are still directing, that nothing short of a dialogue could solve the problem of the Boko Haram. It has been of little use to point out that negotiations with an unknown entity could be

In any case, how could negotiations be conducted with adversaries who demand the rejection of your faith for their own? Those who are seized with the alternative of negotiation, however, appear to wish to drive it down the throats of the citizenry good and hard, without any profound consideration for whatever the achievements might be. And yet they know that there may only be one achievement in that direction, and that is a total capitulation of the Federal Government to the demands of the terrorists.

they shouted to the four winds for help. But here again, we encounter what may be described as an extension, or a strip, of the irony which features an Islamic sect against the wellbeing of a Muslim community or personality.

And that “in the name of Allah”? All right-thinking Muslims agree that the connection of God’s holy name with the violent propagation of His worship is an abomination.

The Nigerian “rapid response”, if it may be so described, is heart-warming.

It is timely and responsible.

Since the West African nation appears to be drawn up against forces with the same roots as the Boko Haram, to rout them there is to weaken the assistance they are said to be offering our rampant foes here at home. The experience in Mali should stand us in good stead in formulating grander and more effective strategies to deal with our own domestic problems of

who had put his hopes for the child’s welfare in the glittering medical services provided by the Lagos State Ministry of Health. And so when the crisis came, the doting father, Olufemi Ibirogba, hopefully called out for the facilities promised and displayed by the Ministry.

In particular, these facilities include the much-publicised ambulance service which seemed to have been reliable in some cases during the daytime and in circumstances that exposed its operations to public knowledge —like, usually, cases of road accidents in the city. But crises of a medical nature choose their times of occurrence at will. They thereby demand prompt response in an emergency situation. That has been the promise of the Lagos Ambulance Service, which is some twelve years old, from its inception in keeping with the tradition of such facilities.

It is an important element of the general emergency layout provided by the government and available, or supposed to be available, through a telephone call to the appropriate number.

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n the past year, the Boko Haram has stepped out to expose its hand more boldly.

It has made no bones about the fact that it is mostly about religion, though the identity of Islam appears to be really no more than a mask for its dastardly acts. One had been misled into thinking that what was implied by that association would be the ageold code of the Jihadists— “Death to the infidels! But, with the attacks on some notable Muslims which have now found a climax with the Emir of Kano, the equation has become somewhat distorted though the outline remains barbaric. And yet, even at this perilous juncture, some people in this country, whom you would expect should know better, are still talking about dialogue. People in Mali are not singing a song so out of tune with their national welfare. They have come faceto-face with a monster that would swallow up their existence as a nation, and

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•Enoch terrorism. There is every reason to be confident that our troops will acquit themselves honourably as always.

And so the boy died. Enoch was his name, a five-year old who was naturally the joy of his father’s heart. He had a medical problem which hit a crisis point towards the end of last year. He had earlier enjoyed a lively Christmas, sporting his little Santa Claus outfit and his toys. But the ailment was there with him, and so was a caring father

he life-threatening distress erupted in little Enoch’s body just after midnight. The nearest hospital was quite a distance away, and his father, Olufemi, had no car. No matter, he thought—the emergency service was there. But getting through to the officials in charge was just the beginning.

After five hours —five the hours— without appearance of the ambulance promised by the officials, the child had to be conveyed to the hospital by the earliest available public transport vehicle. The delay had, of course, taken its toll on the body of the little boy. The wishy-washy attention provided by the hospital staff, coupled with the faulty state of the equipment available, did not improve the state of affairs. The distraught parent became frantic as he urged the nurses, the doctors, somebody, anybody to do something, all to little avail.

And so the boy died.

Time out.

SATURDAY

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he late social critic,Dr Tai So larin, used to greet people every New Year with ‘May your road be rough’. It was a very uncommon form of greeting, and despite his trying to explain it on a national TV, one that never caught on.

As it is, we all feel very comfortable every New Year, with the prophetic greetings of good health, prosperity, promotions etc even when we know that there will be deaths, accidents, and challenges; of finance, of relationships and of family.

As I grow older, I find myself thinking more of Tai Solarin’s form of greeting.

Is it better to wish for a utopian life of abundance knowing its not going to happen, or accept the reality of challenges while hoping for God’s grace in handling them. It is futile, I think, to pray for a perfect life in an imperfect world.

Besides, as Saint Paul reasoned in the book of Romans, tribulations and challenges build character. This is what most of us who are trying to shield our children from challenges need to come to terms with. We need to realise that its not only impossible, it is inadvisable to shield them from life’s challenges.

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ife’s challenges often come unexpectedly, and it is the character we have built and the grace that we receive, that enable us to face them. I had one of such challenges late last year. It happened on a squash court. Like all mortals, I had the evening neatly planned out. A game, a quick shower, to be followed by drinks with friends, before heading home.

I was barely 10 minutes in the court before disaster struck. I had gone for a ball when I found myself on the ground. I tried to get up but could not.

A doctor who had just finished playing was quickly called in and upon a cursory examination, suspected I had ruptured my Achilles tendon. This was confirmed by an orthopaedic surgeon the following day. The leg was put in a POP cast from the toe to the knee which completely incapacitated it and C M Y K

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ow, five months later, as I limp from place to place, I am grateful for the freedom of movement and the independence it brings. I also realise sadly, that my squash days might be over. But my sporting days need not be. And as some friends had told me in the past ten years, maybe it is time to move over to golf.

Golf, the fastest growing game in the world, is like life. There is no golf course without its hazards. And it seems the more challenging the hazards of a course, the more the faithful flock to the course.

It is futile, I think, to pray for a perfect life in an imperfect world

he story of the butterfly and its cocoon illustrates the point admirably. As the story goes, a sympathetic passer-by had seen this young butterfly trying to break loose from its cocoon through a tiny hole that seemed only big enough to take its head and part of his upper body. To save the butterfly from its exertions and therefore stress, he widened the hole so the butterfly could fly out. To his dismay, the butterfly fell limply to the ground. Unknown to the passer-by, it is in trying to force itself out of the cocoon, that a butterfly strengthens its wings and thus able to soar.

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I dare say, its owner. This POP, this incapacitation, was to last for all of three months in the first instance.‘Would I be able to drive?’ To which I received a flat no from the doctor. In any case, it turned out to be a superfluous question seeing I could not even make it to the car without support.

Incapacitation of any kind is tough on the mind as anybody who has gone through it will attest to. The more active you are, the more difficult it is to handle. I called it my three months of detention without trial. I needed crutches for support which meant my hands were unavailable for anything else. I was, for all practical purposes, an invalid. The most difficult thing to handle was the dependence on others.

The almost, complete dependence for everything.

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or me however, an embrace of golf is

more than an embrace of its hazards.

Its an acceptance of the card life has dealt because it means severing myself from a family that I had known for the past 40 years, a fraternity that I had been used to for a completely new family and culture. Its almost like a man leaving a village where he knows virtually everyone for a new, impersonal town. The mere thought of it fills me with trepidation.

But then, that’s life. After all, nobody predicted my accident in the January 2012 New Year greetings but it happened; and it could have been worse. I believe I can deal with this transition because in dealing with these three months of detention, I have found a strength within me that I did not realise I had. Would a seamless life of bliss have done this for me? I doubt.

Oliver Wendell Homes put it succinctly when he said:‘if I find a formula for by passing challenges, I wouldn’t share it. I would not be doing anyone a favour. Challenges create the capacity to handle them.’

Maybe we should go back to Tai Solarin’s new year greetings after all and say, by way of greeting, ‘May your road be rough’.

It came to pass (III) D

o you know that God has not changed and that He cannot change? The things that changes are we and the circumstances or problems that we are faced with. But I have a goodnews for you. By the Power of God’s Spirit your situation and or circumstances will change for good to His glory. The Almighty God will bring it to pass in your life in Jesus name.

Amen.

Every word that God speaks must come to pass. In Isa. 55:11 the Bible says “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it”.

In Isa40:8, the word of God says “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: But the word of our God shall stand for ever. God’s word is true.

There is no falsehood in His words.

From generation to generation His word and or promises remaineth the same. Don’t worry about your situation, find out what God’s word says and hold on to it and it shall come to pass, for God’s word is more powerful than your problems.

Our Texts today is from Gen. 15:8, 13-14; Gen 50:24; Exo. 12:35-36, 4041. “And he said. Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? ... and he said unto

Abram know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years, and afterward shall they come out with great substance”….. “And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he swear to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob”…..

And the children of Isreal did according to the word of Moses, and

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The hazards of golf and life

Vanguard Vanguard,, JANUARY 26, 2013—15

Don’t worry about your situation, find out what God’s word says and hold on to it and it shall come to pass, for God’s word is more powerful than your problems

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they borrowed of the Egyptians Jewels of silver, and Jewels of Gold, and raiment; and the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians so that they lent unto them such things as they required and they spoiled the Egyptians... Now the sojourning of the children of Isreal, who dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years and it came to pass at the

end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day, it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt”.

From the texts, Abraham wanted to know for certain that he would inherit the land that God has promised him, whereas he had no child to show. However, God entered into covenant with Abraham that his seed will surely live. I prophesy that your seed (dreams and visions) shall not die with you. God wants you to rest while He blesses you. Joseph was so confident that God’s word will come to pass that God will surely deliver the Isrealites from Egypt that He commanded His brethren not to leave behind his dead bones when they leave Egypt.

Just as God said, He led them into the land of Egypt where they were greatly afflicted by the Egyptians and they kept crying to God for deliverance. May be right now you are going through difficulties in the hands of your enemies. Bosses at work or in the hands of so called friends, 1 want you to know that the Almighty God will surely sec you through. In fact, I want you to know that you need to start getting ready for your deliverance, promotions, marriage, financial breakthrough, for your trouble is about to be over and you are coming out with great substances. All that you have lost. the Lord will cause you to recover them in Jesus Name. You will from this day find favour with your enemies by the power of God’s spirit.

Just as God said to Abraham, and it came to pass when He delivered the children of Israel from bondage. So also He will deliver your entire household. None shall perish. Your enemies will favour you beyond your imagination.

For more details, contact us at Christ Reality Church, beside Gossard Hotel, opposite First Bank Sports Ground, Community Road, Satellite Town or P.O.Box, 3196, Yaba Lagos. Tel: 08023062635 08168955932; 08033378769. E-mail: Johnson_crm@yahoo.com. Website: www.christrealityministries.org.

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

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

16—SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26 26, 2013

C M Y K

Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2013—17

18 — SATURDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 26, 2013 Aunty Julie, have broken up for about a year and I have never had problems about women. I am active sexually and never really had problems.

But recently, I really started to miss my ex-girlfriend and I have been feeling kind of down. I can usually perform very well in bed, at least that’s what my girlfriend says, and the thing is, I can usually have intercourse for two to three hours before coming but recently, I wasn’t able to hold it in. I was wondering if it was my depression or something.

I also lost interest in my present girlfriend. She has the finest body a guy could want, but I am just not interested anymore. I want some advice . Should I get in contact with my ex? Should I tell my girlfriend about this? I also want

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I miss my ex-girlfriend to know if there are exercises to train a guy to hold in his orgasm? Well, hopefully you can help me out. Thanks.

Emmanuel, Lagos

Hello Emmanuel, Depression, stress, and poor health may all have negative effects on a man’s sexual wellbeing. The stress and pres-

sure felt when men believe they aren’t performing up to par may cause even more guilt and negative feelings. Perhaps addressing the psychological side of climaxing may solve this trouble. What may be of more help for you is to relax, if you can, and sort out your current relationship troubles.

Your current girlfriend may have the “finest body,” but relationships aren’t all about looks. What else do you enjoy about her? Think about why you are missing your ex-girlfriend.

Did you have needs (other than sexual ones) fulfilled by being in a relationship with her that are not satisfied with your current girlfriend? What kind of needs might they be? Perhaps you may enrich your current relationship in those ways, or maybe you don’t want to. If not, you may try spending some

time not being in a relationship as you figure out your feelings.

Missing your ex-girlfriend may be causing some of your current issues. On the other hand, you may be missing your ex simply because of your current troubles. What made the two of you break up? Is it still possible to resolve the issue(s)?

Or, can you be friends with your ex, while healing yourself, or while being in your current relationship? Perhaps it makes sense to contact your ex, as a friend.

A talk with a trusted friend or family member might help as you sort out your feelings.

Strengthening your body and particularly your relationships may help strengthen your hours of bedroom pleasures. Your body will most likely respond accordingly as your feelings become clearer.

I can’t forgive myself after being sexually abused Dear Julie, I was sexually abused when I was 16 . I was living with this family that attended the same church, and the lady’s husband kept coming on to me.

At this time, my parents were divorcing and I was sad. I was so scared of this man because he was a giant compared to me. He kept asking me if he could touch my thighs. I kept telling him no because it was wrong, but I didn’t tell anyone.

I wouldn’t even eat at night because I was afraid he would try to rape me.

So one day, I came home from church a little earlier than the others did. He came in and waited until I got out of the bathroom. He sat me down on a chair and he kept touching me. I was in shock that I couldn’t move. That day, he entered me and I didn’t push him away, but I was crying and felt sick. Later on that week, he came into the room where I stayed, and he performed oral sex on me. I felt really bad, but then again, I did enjoy it. I felt so confused and cheap because after he was done, he left N2,000 on my table. I felt like a slut. Then after a few weeks of him not even looking at me, I decided to talk to him and tell him that I was sorry and that we couldn’t do it anymore and that we had to ask God for forgiveness.

My question is, was it my fault for being in this situation or is he at fault for taking advantage of me? I have forgiven him, but I still have to work on forgiving myself. To me, that is a very hard task because he is one of the elders in the church. What should I do?

Anonymous, Lagos Dear Anonymous, Even though you’ve worked so hard to forgive this man,

you’re stuck in a struggle to forgive yourself for something that he did to you, against your wishes. You don’t have to struggle with self-blame any longer. Many people in situations like yours fault themselves for something that was done to them or have mixed feelings about what they did or didn’t enjoy. It’s only natural to feel confused about what has happened. Despite your uncer-

tainty, it’s important to know that what happened to you was not in any way your fault.

You might also consider pastoral counseling. If you choose to do this, it’d be important to find people who you feel safe speaking with. This process may be harder for you because this man is an elder in your church. Within your church, can you think of any pastor, leader, or counselor you can trust? What about oth-

er churches or faith-based organizations in your area?

You’ve taken a courageous step by writing in with this question, and it sounds like you’d like to reach a new understanding of what happened to you. The next step is in your hands.

Please know that there are caring people out there who’d like to help you through this difficult process.

This older guy went too far Dear Aunty Julie, I went to a movie with this guy recently who I met through my friend and her boyfriend. He is older than me and during the movie, he was going just as far as my last boyfriend did in like three months. I mean he touched me in areas that I wanted to wait for him to touch after we had been going out for a little longer. I mean, we aren’t even going out now. And I felt intimidated by his age, because he is so much older than me.

I was trying to convince myself that this is what the girls must have to do when they get to be his age. And then after the movie ended, he wasn’t even walking beside me, or anything. He was walking up ahead with my friend’s boyfriend. He kissed me good-bye when my ride came, but I realized in the car on the way home that he wasn’t pressuring me as much as I was pressuring myself to go as far as he wanted. I don’t feel too good about going that far with him when we aren’t even dating, or going steady. I feel that he might think I am a slut, or something for not stopping him, and not letting him know, that I didn’t want to go that far that night. But on the other hand, I like him a lot, and I am scared that it’ll happen to me again with him or

someone else.

Agnes, Lagos Dear Agnes, Silence does not give anybody the go-ahead to touch you sexually. “No” means no, but remaining quiet did not mean yes. What you want to do sexually, when you want to do it, and with whom you feel comfortable being intimate, should always be your decisions. You do not have to do anything you don’t want to do, or that makes you feel uncomfortable. It’s important that this guy and any guy you may go out with in the future, respects you. Respect means everything from asking permission to touch, to being paid attention to when you’re on a date. It’s also important that you respect your own feelings and what makes you feel comfortable or uncomfortable. Listen to your gut.Think about how you might respond if you ever find yourself in a similar situation in the future. In future be clear and direct, assert yourself, make sure you are heard, and repeat yourself. It’s also fine to end this relationship before it even starts. You deserve to be in a relationship with someone who makes you feel good and positive, and who brings out your best out.

C O C K - T A L E S Good basis for marriage?

A husband and wife were at a party chatting with some friends when the subject of marriage counselling came up. ‘Oh, we’ll never need that.

My husband and I have a great relationship, ‘the wife explained.’ He was a communications major in college and I majored in theatre arts. He communicates really well and I just act like I’m listening.’

Learn to read the signs Geoff had six children and was very proud of his achievement. He was so proud of himself that for years he called his wife, Anita, “Mother of

six,” in spite of her regular objections.

One evening, in their retirement years, they go to a party. It is late and Geoff is ready to go home and wants to find out if Anita is ready to leave as well.

Geoff bellows at the top of his voice, ‘Shall we go home, Mother of Six?’ Anita, greatly irritated by Geoff’s lack of discretion over so many years, yells back at him, ‘Anytime you’re ready, “Father of Four”.

Benefits of a long marriage On their 50th wedding anniversary and during the dinner celebrating it, Byron was asked to give his friends a brief account of the benefits of a marriage of such long duration. ‘Tell us Byron, just what is it you have

learned from all those wonderful years with your wife?’

Byron responds, ‘Well, I’ve learned that marriage is the best teacher of all. It teaches you loyalty, forebearance, meekness, self-restraint, forgiveness and a great many other qualities you wouldn’t have needed if you’d stayed single.’

How do men and women decide who to marry?

You’ve got to find somebody who likes the same stuff.

Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.

How would you make a marriage work?

Tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck.

SATURDAY

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N a recent chat with Mark, a casual acquaintance for years, he accused me of portraying sex as a fun thing that people happily went into when the urge took them without a care for that dreaded sexual dampeneIjerectal failure. Was he a victim? I asked, expecting profuse denial. “Yes I am, and it’s no thanks to an ex-girlfriend who laughed derisively when I tried to make love to her.”

Would he like to talk about it? “You bet,” he said. “I’ll do better than that.

I’ll let you have my grouse about you women and your heartless ways, in black and white!” He was true to his words too as he personally brought his write-up to my office. Here is an excerpt from his heart-wrenching experience: “Rita was a serious girlfriend I met at the university. I was not only in love with her, I was obsessed with her. After months of courting her, we finally made love. For her, I came too soon! I told her it would be better the next time around, but it wasn’t. It was obvious I had fallen short of satisfying her. Her sympathy was mixed with a suppressed derision.

She implied that it was not so much that she was sexually demanding that was the problem, on the contrary, it was the fact that I was clearly less potent than most men.The tragedy is that she might be right as two previous girlfriends had hinted at the same thing. So, once again, I suffered a broken heart on the strength of my inadequacy. It was most humiliating and frustrating.

“It was no surprise that I had a sort of break down— I was in love with Rita. I became tormented by the belief that I was sexually inadequate, and that all Rita’s cruel jibes had been true, though not based on any real evidence. If it could be that obvious to her, could it be obvious to everyone? I went over all the things that had been said to me in the past by other women, remembered all

Vanguard JANUARY 26, 2013—19

once again, I suffered a broken heart on the strength of my inadequacy

Impotence — can you learn to live with it? those discreet smiles and sniggers. I became obsessed with the suspicion that most men have larger penises than myself. I began to feel that this was why I could not satisfy a woman, and I started to feel that there was a cruel humour in the fact that I had spent so much time with Rita begging her to change her mind, when, all the time, she knew perfectly well that there was no hope because I was incapable anyway. I had become totally impotent.

“Oddly enough, I did not, at once, grasp the connection; I did not see that Rita’s cruel treatment of me had this result. Time after time, I made excuses, adopted the surprised ‘this is unusual for me’ defence whenever I failed a woman and confessed (truthfully, of course) that I had never got over a former girlfriend.

“A couple of years after this fiasco, I became engaged to Gloria. She was a pretty 22-year-old, virginal, spiritual and innocent, but clearly passionate.

I felt safe with her because she was so innocent and uncritical. I hoped we could progress together and my problem would just go away. We courted chastely under her mother’s watchful eye.

Eventually, outside her mother’s hawkish watch, on a weekend specially planned to meet her, hints that it would be enjoyable for us to cement our love by sleeping together, 1 faced the truth yet again. ‘Why isn’t it hard? Can’t you make it hard?’ she asked, impatiently, as she fondled my offending and obstinately limp penis.

“One can make excuses for a single failure, but perpetual failure became’impossible to “explain away. 1 had no choice but to hurt her deeply by dropping her, unable to ‘lace the humiliation of having to admit being impotent rather than just tired, drunk or upset. At the time, she did not understand

Want to rediscover your libido?

HAT better period to discover your loss libido than the start of a New Year?

Following these steps is bound to make your love-life hottest ever!

Sexy food: We all know about oysters— Casanova was a 40-a-day man — and their lusty reputation is probably due to their high zinc contents. This mineral increases sperm production and reputedly sends your libido through the roof.

However, if you can’t stand slurping oysters; try turkey instead as that’s high in zinc too.

For pudding, nibble a banana — not only will it look naughty, but these fruits are believed to be aphrodisiacs; as they’re rich in the sexy chemical, bufotenine.Polish off your meals with chocolates, high in theobromine, a substance that fights fatigue to give you staying power.

Sexy Exercises:Start taking regular exercise — two or three times a week C M Y K

for 15-20 minutes and your libido will receive the much needed kick up in the pants! It will also give you more confidence in your body and promote flexibility. Studies have also shown that exercise increased genital blood flow.

Sexy Supplements: Ginger is considered to be an aphrodisiac in African countries and also in traditional Chinese medicine. It’s a well-known stimulant, it can improve

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couples swear by it, but if you’re pregnant, or on any medication, consult your doctor before use.

I flow energy is your problem, and you suspect that you’re not getting all the vitamins you need from your diet, then try taking a multivitamin supplement that contains 300 per cent of the recommended daily amounts of vitamins B and C, which are important for physical exercise and used up more quickly when

Studies have also shown that exercise increased genital blood flow.

your circulation and relieve flatulence!

Ginseng is another traditional remedy for a va-va-voom between the sheets, although there is no actual evidence for this. Generations of Chinese

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you’re suffering from stress. When 20 women took it over a four-week period, one in three experienced ‘energy highs’. and all the women felt their energy levels had increased.

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the reason. Some years later, 1 met her again. Seeing she still cared, we tried to resume where we had left off.

1 had to explain my deficiency and how it had been caused by the cruelty of a former girlfriend. After some time, we broke up again—she didn’t want a sexless relationship.

“I have tried to keep my problem secret from friends and acquaintances, but in my efforts to be treated, I have come across a small tribe of doctors, nurses and receptionists trying to act in a clinically detached manner, trying to suppress (in some cases) an obvious amusement or morbid curiosity at my predicament. Treatment was always to no satisfactory results.

“Rita was wicked to me to the end.

Long after last seeing her, I resolved to try to exorcise her effect on me. I felt that if I could get her to explain why she behaved so badly and hurt my feelings so deeply, my appreciation of this could, in some way, have a curative effect.

I

wrote her a rambling and accusing letter that touched on everything except the central reason for writing; and I could not want to touch on because I didn’t want to give her a genuine excuse for ridicule. I got no reply. I wrote again, begging for a reply. I assumed that she had not got the letters. After some research, I was able to get the number to her mobile and phoned her to her amazement.

Yes, she had got my letters; no, she thought it best not to rake up old quarrels, after all, it was a long time ago. I then wrote again, begging for her explanation. Again, no reply.

“Since that time, I have been resigned to being impotent and remaining so. I realize that many of you readers will be inclined to snigger in just the same way, and for the same reasons that others have. There is no point at all denying that impotence is funny, to all but the victim himself.

Many will feel this is all nonsense, that I’m just making excuses as I admit to having done with many women, some will say I am just making a convenient scapegoat of poor Rita. That my problem is that of being a sexual weakling, impotent right from the beginning, and poor Rita, through some kind of intuition, correctly diagnosed me. That I would have been impotent regardless of who I met with first.

T

his is not true. All my problems stem from the first unhappy encounter at a time when I was exceptionally vulnerable. I have heard this sort of thing more than once one girl accused me of ‘making excuses because you’ve got no balls’.

“I have become philosophical, but I still get very upset at the suggestion that I’m just trying to salvage my pride from an intolerable truth. It is quite untrue and distressing to suggest this.

Such an attitude stems from a desire on the part of many to protect women from consequences of their own selfishness—a form of female chauvinism.” “

20—SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26 26, 2013 achel (not real names) grew up knowing her mother as the only blood relation.

She remembers her father vaguely and knows very well that he has a family but none of them has ever made enquiries about her or bothered to see her. She feels okay as a young lady but as she grew up, she began to ask questions about her father and his family but then, the truth about her father’s desertion turned Rachel into a magnet for dysfunctional relationships until a trip around-the-world changed her outlook on love. Read Rachel’s experence:

R

I’m not daddy’s little girl

When I was 19 years old, I ran into my father in a public function in Lagos. We hadn’t spoken in years, but when I heard that laugh, I knew exactly who it was. There we stood, six feet from each other, but we said nothing. He looked me over like he was checking me out. I dropped my bags and ran behind a group of people before collapsing on the floor, nauseated. My own father hadn’t recognized me.

My parents divorced when I was six, and after that, my father virtually vanished from my life. When I was 12, he relinquished all parental rights so he wouldn’t have to pay child support. His desertion created a void that inevitably left me feeling unloved and insecure. After all, if your dad doesn’t love

you, why should anyone else?

As a teen, I transferred those feelings of inadequacy to my relationships with guys. I’d dump boyfriends quickly, scared that if I didn’t, they’d beat me to it. When I got to University, my insecurities took on a more passive form: I stayed with men who cheated on me. There was one nice guy in the mix: Rex, whom I met during my long vacation. But we eventually returned to our respective Universities, and I met

I’m very worried after my last relationship

I

’m very worried after the last relationship I had with a girl. We recently broke up after two years. There were many positive aspects to the relationship and I thought we were going to get married.

There were some major negatives, too, which I am now having to cope with on my own, and I’m having a hell of a time. First of all, there were times when she was emotionally abusive towards me, criticizing me for no good reason or becoming impatient or even

nasty over minor details. Another problem is health-related. I wanted to be extra cautious with her, as she had a number of less-protected relationships throughout her life .

She was tested for HIV when we started dating and was negative. We continued to use condoms although she really didn’t want me to, and would act hurt or confused that I did.

Fairly early in the relationship but after the HIV test, she developed warts, presumably from her last boyfriend. She

another man, who became my first husband.

Tobi was a film producer whom I flirted with at a party, and I was enamored by his wit and ambition. We married when I turned 24 and settled down in Lagos. But after the wedding, the relationship began to unravel. It seemed I couldn’t do anything right in my husband’s eyes, and he was quick to criticize. And being my passive self, I’d just suppress my feelings.

After five rough years, we was treated and has not had a recurrence since then.

I have developed a few warts, which have since been removed. They were only around the base of my manhood, so I don’t know if I got them because the condom didn’t protect me at first or if they were from a time when she did not have visible warts, but she “coerced me” into unprotected sex.

It has now been almost two years since she first developed them and one year since I did.

She was recently checked with no sign of them.

I feel like an awful person, like garbage. I can’t deal with the idea of the disease and emotionally I continue to feel horrible. I don’t want to pass on the virus, but now I, too, feel like a leper and an “un-

divorced.

At 29, I realized that although my father was not a part of my life, the effect of his abandonment cast a shadow over it. My insecurities had made it impossible for me to have a healthy relationship with a man, but I didn’t know how to change. Ironically, as my marriage fell apart, my career picked up .

I got a job as t a writer in a United-States based magazine. So I moved to the U.S. and stayed off men for a while.

I wanted to build my confidence before trying to date again.

I decided to see the world on my own. I headed to France, for a retreat, where, sitting cross-legged under the bright stars, I was calm and centered for the first time in years. I went back to the US, where thanks to the perks of my magazine job, I sat on a panel at a beauty pageant. It was there, among the singing, dancing, baton-twirling hopefuls, that I discovered my silly side again. A fellow panelist, a self-help guru, touchable” who no one would ever want to go near. I have talked to several doctors and all I get is confused.

I know I have so much to give to the right person. But I feel ashamed, embarrassed, and depressed. I don’t talk to my friends about this because they are as inexperienced as I and, as one would normally expect, STDs are alien to them. I feel like that would distance me from them and all they could offer is pity. I don’t want to be pitied. I want to be valued.

Will my life ever be happy, or have I destroyed myself?

Moses, Akure Ans: Break-ups are difficult, and sometimes the emotions are so strong that it’s hard to sort things out and get on with your daily life. The best thing

encouraged me to write a list of traits I wanted in a husband and stick it to my fridge as a reminder.

A few months later, I decided to make another trip to France. As I sat alone in my hotel room, I felt small and insignificant, and for the first time, so did my problems.

The world was suddenly too complex to comprehend, and it seemed pointless to blame myself for my father’s actions.

I left France feeling confident that I was deserving of a healthy relationship.

Shortly after returning to United States, I received an email from Rex, my fling from years ago, who was living in London, working at a software company, and had heard from a mutual friend about my divorce. We spoke for three hours on the phone and began a long-distance relationship.

Over the next few weeks, I fell in love with his honesty, kindness, and emotional strength qualities that until then, I hadn’t known in men.

Six weeks into our relationship, Rex proposed.

We married soon after in England. I moved to UK, and we now have a son named Nelson.

Staring at my helpless little son, I finally understand that as a child, I didn’t make my father leave. He was responsible for his choices , just as I am for mine. In choosing to release the past, I’ve healed myself and created my own family and a future filled with love.

for you would be to use your support network, comprised of your family members, friends, and co-workers. These individuals are likely there to support you, through thick and thin. During this trying time, try to surround yourself with people around who know you well, and who can provide comfort and support.

Once you have your support net mobilized and your healthy habits in place, you can start to assess your past relationship. It sounds as though certain aspects of the relationship were unhealthy.

That doesn’t mean that you didn’t love and care for each other; rather, parts of the relationship made you feel insecure, sad, and unsafe.

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Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013 — 21

SATURDAY

old to start or continue O

ne is never too old to profit by the headstand. After reaching the age of 70, Israel’s doughty Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, took up a course of Yoga-like exercises, including the headstand, and found his physical prowess r e m a r k a b l y improved.

His teacher was Moshe Feldenkrais, brilliant head of Israeli electronics, who wrote authoritatively of the tie-in between e m o t i o n a l instability and postural rigidity.

R e a d i n g Feldenkrais, BenGurion sent for him. In his biography of Ben Gurion, correspondent Robert St. John points out that the Jewish leader had never before b e e n interested in physical exercise of any form.

However, he was familiar with the Y o g a concept that man can progress, intellectually and spiritually, through body control.

“How many lessons will it take?

He demanded of Feldekrais.

“Ordinarily, one lesson a week for a year is enough,” Feldenkrais rejoined. “But I have n e v e r head a pupil over 7 0 before.”

B e n G u r i o n limbering up with yogic discipline.

Feldenkrais ordered him to lie on his back, and with eyes closed, raise one leg and turn it slowly in halfcircles, concentrating on visualising the movement.

Similar slow rhythmical exercises followed. The prime minister noted quick results. After the second lesson, St. John reports, he told his teacher, “Maybe you have something. For months I have had such pain in my hip joints that I wake up every 15 minutes during the night, but last night I slept for several C M Y K

hours.”

Ben-Gurion’s wife, Paula, worried about this sudden excess of exercise. “I don’t like people who are too much interested in themselves,” she told Feldenkrais. “You are making my husband too conscious of how he stands, walks, and sits.”

But in time, as he husband lost surplus weight and stopped wearing a corset support, she was won over.

He was like a young man again. He could get up from a prone position with agility, and standing on one foot, as he tied a shoelace, he could laugh and say “it’s been thirty years since I’ve been able to do that.”

Feldenkrais, yogi-like, encouraged bodily awareness. “Standing on the head,” he observed “is not an aim in itself. It is merely one of a hundred ways of getting to know oneself thoroughly, a road to greater awareness.”

Ben Gurion’s grim determination had much to do with his mastering the headstand.“His feat was all the more remarkable,” Marcia pointed out, “because older eople who don’t exercise have generally stiffened with time and have all kinds of kids in their backs.”

B

ut even younger students, in their 20s and 30s, have already expderienced some curvature of the spine, Marcia noted. “This curvature is so common that students often arch their legs to compensate for the curve in the backs.”

She would keep after them to straighten their legs, and they would complain about feeling crooked.

“Actually, they were not used to feeling staight. But little bhy little they are compelled to straighten their spines to maintain their balance, and in a year of practice, they are as straight as the day they were confirmed.” Not all students did the headstand, nor was it essential for yogic development.

At the ashram in Concord, I had noticed that one of the most proficient students didn’t attempt the headstand with the rest. He was a man of sturdy build, who seemed to slide into such difficult postures as the Crow, the ear-knee pose (the Fetus), and the Bow with smoothness and precision. His name was Victor Best. He was a well-known Boston radio and television commentator, who headed up a school of broadcasting. There was a reason for the omission Victor had suffered a severe whiplash injury, centered above the nape of the neck.“If anybody has had a lasting neck injury,” Marcia said, “I don’t give them the headstand; t h e r e ’ s always a chance the neck might buckle. The shoulderstand, does long enough and well enough, can accomplish as much without stress.”

“How about my whiplash?” I asked.

“Yours is centered in the ridge of the lower neck and shoulders, but even so that’s why we emphasised

I

,

Exercise: You’re never too

neck-strengthening exercises.”

Many authorities on Yoga make miraculous claims for the headstand — eliminating headaches, clearing the brain, and even curing piles; Macia is loath to use the word. “Let us say it helps, with Nature doing the rest.” t is an exercise that she does exclusively for five to ten minutes a day, with leg-bending variations, when she has time for but one exercise. “It is an example of perfect rapport between body and mind,” she points out, “and it stretches every muscle from head to toe-and with stretching comes a certain innate tranquility.”

He could get up from a prone position with agility, and standing on one foot, as he tied a shoelace

,

There was once a conversation between a heart surgeon and an expert who had led the way in designing exercises to be used by astronauts in their spacecraft during travels.

The surgeon made one point which is he whole point of this piece of writing. He had told the exercise expert that if a patient called at the hospital with a heart condition and was found upon examination to have flabby, out-of-tone thighs, there was every chance that you’d meet with a fatty degenerating heart, when the patient’s chest was opened up.

At this, I thought to myself, “this is sufficient warning to anybody who cares, really cares about his heart.

Trouble with most adults is that as they get on in years, there is a corresponding disinclination to try and keep the body in fighting form, as it were.

The fact is, not only school children need exercise.

Everybody does. But for grown-ups, the pressure of making a living takes up all the time such that people go for years on end with total neglect of the body.

No wonder such people think it is very normal to fall sick over so frequently. What foolishness!! There was an article in the Vanguard newspapers about an Indian 145 years of age, who had never fallen sick before. Never had a single injection in all those years.

You may thinking, “this is one case out of a million.”

I agree. But the thing I found out in the article was that the man was a regular practitioner of the SURYANAMSKAR which is a warm up e x e r c i s e compromising 12 stages.

T h e Suryanamskar is a yoga exercise but has found its way into s o m e cultures in the East.

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

22—SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

AMAA 2013 nomination party berths in Malawi T

HE desire of Malawians to make their impact felt on the continent’s cultural map is bound to come to fruition this year as the country has perfected plans to host the Africa Movie Academy Awards Nomination party billed for March 16.

The country’s most powerful woman and President, Her Excellency, Joyce Banda agreed with the host African film makers and celebrities after an AMAA delegation paid her a visit, led by AMAA founder and Chief Executive officer, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe.

Tony Anih, the Administrative Secretary of AMAA who made this disclosure, said, the event will run for three days (March 14-17) and will not only accommodate celebrities from across Africa, but also the Malawian business community and political class.

“The government and people of Malawi are excited about the prospect of having movie icons and other players in the motion picture industry coming to the country for the event,”Anih said.

He explained that the Nomination party is an event where films that make it into the 25 categories of the awards are announced ahead of the main ceremony which is billed to hold in April this year, adding that in the last six years, AMAA has deliberately moved the nomination events from one country to the other within the continent.

“AMAA is a continental brand

HIS year, two hot flicks from the stable of O Gabby Innovations Limited, will thrill movie buffs with Nkem Owoh as lead character.

Entitled Wind of Destiny and Kingdom of Beauty respectively, both sensational flicks were shot on locations in the coal city of Enugu and its environs.

While Wind of Destiny is currently ruling and rocking shelves nationwide, the latter, which is the sequel is expected to be out in the next couple of weeks. Comic legend and Nollywood’s highest paid actor, Nkem Owoh dazzled and dazed moviebuffs in both flicks, as the lead act.

He wowed alongside Charles Inojie and emerging screen

T

o Michelle Bello and Michelle Dede, this year ’s Valentine Day is worth celebrating and will be marked in grand style. The duo has set aside that day to hit the big screen with Damilola their latest movie, Adegbite, “Flower Girl.”

The premiere will be preceded by a redcarpet event holding on February 13, at the Silverbird Cinemas, Victoria Island, Lagos.It will be graced by top movie stars and other entertainers.

“Flower Girl” is a romantic comedy which involves the life of a shy florist (Kemi) who is desperate to tie the nuptial knot with her long time boyfriend, (Umar). In the quest to make him jealous, she teamed up with a most likely ally, (Tunde).The film features the likes of Damilola Adegbite, Eku Edewor, Chris Attoh, Blossom Chukwujekwu and other actors.

President Republic of Malawi, Her Excellency, Joyce Banda and Ms Peace Anyiam-Osigwe (MFR) CEO, African Movie Academy Awards at the State House in Malawi and reward system for motion picture practitioners.While the award ceremony usually takes place in Nigeria, we always move the nominations event from one country to another. It is our way of promoting the ‘Africanness’ of the award reward system for motion picture practitioners and also, celebrates our culture and diversity. We have had the nominations previously in Burkina Faso, Gambia, Kenya, Ghana and South

Africa. This year, we decided to come to Malawi because of the level of popularity and acceptability of African films, most especially Nollywood and Gollywood movies in Malawi,’’ said Anih.

Alongside the action, AMAA hopes to start a training programme in the first week of March for young Malawians interested in a career in audiovisual media.

Osuofia shines in Wind of Destiny, Kingdom of Beauty

T

Valentine Day set for “Flower Girl”premiere

beauty, Vivian Reinl, his sweetheart in the sensational flicks.

Other talented acts in both movies include: Chinelo Oloh, Brawny Igboewo, Junior Pope and several others.

Directed by T-Chidi Chikere, who also doubles as the writer, the flick dwells on the strange and weird life of a damsel from the spirit world. The executive producer, and boss of O Gabby, Mr. Gabriel Okechukwu Okonkwo, said the two films were painstakingly shot for lovers of quality movies, especially movies from his stable.

“We decided to release these two hot movies this year for Nollywood fans as part of our New Year’s gifts to them.”

•Nkem Owoh

•NFC boss

Practitioners brainstorm on funding for film making

T

he quick establishment of the Motion Pic ture Practitioners Council of Nigeria, (MOPICON), government investment in exhibition infrastructure (Cineplex’s), the provision of more funding windows for the film sector and others topped issues, and formed part of the Resolutions of the oneday interaction forum for film professionals held last week.

Rising from the one day interactive forum held at the Lagos office of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), participants mainly, Producers, Distributors, Marketers, Exhibitors and representatives of Government Agencies, relevant to the development of the film sector, averred that, far reaching decisions and actions must be taken to ensure that the film industry is ultimately structured.

“Building a Synergy between Film Producers, Distributors, Marketers, Exhibitors and Government Agencies in the Film Industry” was the theme of the one-day Interactive Forum.

Mr. Afolabi Adesanya, Managing Director/Chief Executive; Nigerian Film Corporation, organizers of the interactive forum in his keynote address noted among others, that despite the growth potential of the film industry, there exist the formal challenges that impede its sustainability due to the unstructured methods of releasing of films, piracy, disconnect among industry players, and loss of revenue.

The essence of the Forum was to build a value chain between Producers, Distributors, Marketers, Exhibitors and Relevant Government Agencies aimed at ensuring that the film sector is put on the path of sustainable and verifiable growth, with the capture of all revenue streams available within the sector.

Mr. Adesanya further said that the Nigerian Film

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013—23

Another 91 days of drama, fun ..As BBA 8 begins in May

S

EASON eight of Africa’s biggest reality TV show, Big Brother Africa (BBA) has been scheduled to start on May 26, according to M-Net Africa.

This was announced in a statement made available to WG during the week by MultiChoice, providers of digital satellite television (DStv) and GOtv services in the country.

While disclosing that fans are already asking who will be representing their respective nations at the “arguably most successful television franchise ever seen on the continent,” M-Net says, “At this time, there is no way to know.” The statement reads in part, “If you meet the entry requirements and enter between now and Valentine’s Day on February 14, you may well be among the superstars in the waiting and may find yourself flirting with fame and fortune.”

According to M-Net, which airs the 91-day reality show from the Big Brother House in South Africa, this year’s BBA is open to 14 countries as last year’s seventh edition.

However, the only exception this year is Liberia, which will be replaced by Ethiopia in the 2013 season.

The replacement comes as AfricaMagic and series producers, EndemolSA rotate certain countries into and out of the format to ensure that a wide range of countries can be included in different editions of the series.

As a result of the change, participating countries this year include; Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Entry is open to persons over the age of 21, who are citizens of one of the participating countries and who either have a valid passport or will be able to obtain one by the end of March.

Secretary to the Federal Government, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim with the major stakeholders

FG parleys with Nollywood over centenary celebration ...ANCOP cautions practitioners

A

•Keagan

Mary Uranta bags UN peace Ambassador honour

HEAD of the 2014 cen tenary anniversary celebration, the Federal Government has moved to woo Nollywood practitioners to be part of the success of the colonial 1914 amalgamation in Nigeria. A delegation of the government, led by Secretary to the Federal Government, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim met with the major stakeholders in the industry during the week, in Lagos, to intimate them about the celebration.

Addressing the practitioners on the essence of the celebration, Chief Anyim reiterated government’s readiness to work with Nollywood to ensure the success of the anniversary in order to enhance peace and unity in the country. Anyim said government identified Nollywood as the critical success history of

N

ollywood actress, Mary Data Uranta has joined the league of United Nations celebrities’ Ambassador for Peace in Nollywood.

She joined the likes of Omotola Jalade, Ini Edo, Chika Ike. Other recipients of the award which held last Sunday included J Martins, Sunny Neji, Zaaki Azzay, and Madam Modesty.

The honour came at a Lecture/Award and Gala Nite of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) and Youth ‘Federation for World Peace (YFWP) held in Lagos.

Speaking on the award, the Rivers State born actress who represented her State at the Abuja Carnival, consecutively in 2010 and 2011 said,” I feel humble by this award. And I must say it’s quite timely, coming at a time when I’m working on a youth initiative programme for students in the Niger Delta which will come up by God’s grace second quarter of the year”.

Mary Uranta

the Nigerian story, adding that the essence of the meeting was officially to brief the practitioners as well as ask them to develop their own programme so as to key into the centenary celebration which will be flagged by President Goodluck Jonathan on the 4th of February with a Presidential dinner.

Anyim, while emphasizing the need for Nollywood to be part of the celebration, said, in the cause of the celebration, a Centenary City has been proposed as part of the legacy projects and expressed his desire to see that Nollywood has a presence in that city.

A

ccording to Anyim, “We think we must use the opportunity of the centenary celebration to focus global attention on Nigeria, the history of Nigeria, the achievements of Nigeria and aspirations of the country in the next century. Our idea of the whole thing is that we must involve every segment of the Nigerian society. So, we sat down and categorised the stakeholders. We identified Nollywood as a critical success history of the Nigerian story. We thought that we will be able to brief you and necessarily asked you to develop your own programme and key into the centenary celebration. We will integrate your programme into our own programmes so that we can work together to make such programme part of the centenary

celebration.”

A

nyim further explained that the Nigerian centenary project is conceived to be an event to hold in Abuja, all state capitals, some historic towns and cities in Nigeria and in other cities around the world.

The celebration with the theme ‘One Nigeria: Great Promise” according to him, started this month, peaking on the actual centenary month of January 1, 2014 and tapering off with the formal Independence Day celebration on 1st of October 2014 at the Centenary City.

Actor, Kanyo O. Kanayo, who responded on behalf of other stakeholders at the meeting promised to present a position paper to the government in the next 10 days.

Meanwhile, reacting to the meeting, one of the bodies in Nollywood, Association of Nollywood Core Producers (ANCOP) has advised stakeholders to be weary of the current Federal Government’s romance with the industry, stating that “such meetings with Nollywood is becoming a rather nauseating recurring decimal, which comes only during the build up to elections either at State or Federal levels, burial ceremonies, birthday parties, housewarming parties, child dedication and other forms of wasteful social ventures of politicians, where Nigerian otherwise A-list artistes are reduced to mere clappers and dancers."

24 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

TIT BITS

Fasting helps to improve health

Laws maker tasks bakers on quacks

— Reverend Olawuyi Reverend Issac Ayo Olawuyi, Methodist Church Nigeria Diocese of Lagos West is our guest in this edition of Celebrity Tummy Talk. The 53 years old clergyman says, fasting helps to regulate the body chemistry.

How is your diet like?

Honestly, my diet depends on my mood. I might take pap, yam, rice.

The truth is eat twice daily; mornings and evenings.

I take wheat with vegetables or ewedu in the evening and I take lots of water especially in the morning. I could stay throughout the day without eating. I believe that whatever I eat is given by God who has given me good health and that is why I don’t have any spe-

cial diet.

Does fasting has anything to do with health?

Fasting helps to keep fit.

Those who stock their stomachs with foods, risk their chances of healthy living. It is certain that those who indulge in reckless eating habit are endangering their lives and are exposed to health hazards. It is important to regulate what we eat as much as possible.

However, fasting is

Today's MENU

Ikokore: A special delicacy in Ijebu land Ikokore, a delicacy common among the Ijebu of Ogun State, South-West Nigeria, is made essentially from water yam.

It is a stew made of water yam, smoked fish, meat and chilly among other ingredients. It is usually served with eba or cold pap (eko).

Recipes

One Water yam Tomato puree

M

biblical and it helps to improve our health.

Has there been any changes in your diet as an adult?

I eat any food that comes

Onion Fresh chilli paste Locust beans Meat Palm oil Smoked dry fish Seasoning Salt Black pepper Dry Crayfish

Preparations •Add the chillies to a pestle and mortar and

pound to a paste.

•Chop the onion, add to the pestle and mortar and pound into the chilli paste.

•Peel the yam, wash and grate it, the, add it to a deep cooking pot.

•Add all the remaining ingredients (except the fish) to the pot and add water.

•Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for one hour.

•Wash the fish, break into pieces and add seasoning.

•Season with the salt, reduce the heat, simmer and cook for some minutes until the mixture is quite dry.

• M a s h roughly with a fork and s e r v e immediately.

Choose Your Best Local Food of the Week Send BLF to 08094888834 or email: ebabalola@yahoo.com and get your best of food menu, recipe and preparation ready. Start sending now, Terms and conditions apply

my way as a child. By the grace of God, I don’t have any choice towards food.

Any pranks...

There were so many pranks I couldn’t remember as a child. But all those pranks were not sweet memories and that is why parents need to watch over their children.

What kinds of fruits do you like most?

I take apples, oranges, carrots and pawpaw.

Exercise?

I walk around the compound. I also go on treadmill everyday. Exercise is good for the body. I remember the day I trekked 5 kilometres from a particular bank in

Mushin to my house. I did that to ease off stress.

EMBER, Lagos State House of Assembly and Chairman Committee on Health Services, Hon. Suuru Avoseh has urged the State Master Bakers and Caterers Association to come up with a bill that would regulate its activities.

In a meeting with the association, the lawmaker stated that the State Government would ensure that every group, association or organization’s activities are regulated according to law of the State.

He said that the development has become necessary in order to checkmate the activities of illegal bakeries operating within the State, Hon. Avoseh said.

He assured that when the bill is passed into law, it would assist the Ministry of Health to check the menace of quack bakers, made food safer and consequently, prevent illness attributable to the consumption of unwholesome food.

According to him, “There are bakeries in the State who operate in a very dirty environment.

Hence, when this bill passed, it would tackle the menace.

He, however assured that necessary efforts would be made to ensure that the proposed bill is passed into law in a good time, adding that all necessary inputs within the ambit of the law would be used to ensure that the bill is fully implemented.

Earlier, Chairman, Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, Prince Jacob Adejorin said the association will ensure strict compliance with health regulations in the State.

Adding that the Law would ban the use of harmful substances in the production of bread in the State.

Healthy Tips

Your Hypertension Notepad

D

o you know that you can maintain a healthy weight by having your hypertension notepad always by your side. This notebook, however, is expected to guide you on how to prevent high blood pressure. It is also important to see your doctor for regular checks.

Your blood pressure notepad will afford you the opportunity to Think about your heart when planning your meal. Your diet should include fruits and vegetables and keep total fat low.

Eat less salt and sodium, for it can increase blood pressure. Drink alcohol in moderation.

Increase your physical activity.

You need to Stop smoking because it increases your chances of developing a heart disease, stroke and several forms of cancer. Always talk with your doctor or health care professional to know what your blood pressure reads.

C M Y K

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2012 — 25

Shakira and footballer beau welcome baby boy S

HAKIRA is singing a happy tune!

The Colombian songstress and her boyfriend, professional soccer player Gerard Pique, welcomed a baby boy on Tuesday, according to Shakira’s personal website.

“We are happy to announce the birth of Milan, son of Shakira Mebarak and Gerard Piqué, born January 22nd at 9:36pm, in Barcelona, Spain,” the statement read. “The name Milan (pronounced MEElahn), means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious; and in Sanskrit, unification. “ And though he’s just hours old and currently only weighs 6 pounds, 6 ounces, it sounds like the little guy will be following in the footsteps of his dad … or that’s what his parents are hoping, at least: “Just like his father, baby Milan became a member of FC Barcelona at birth,” the note continued.

Shakira had given her more than 19 million Twitter followers a hint that her bundle of joy was on the way earlier on Tuesday, writing, “I’d like to ask you all to accompany me in your prayers on this very important day of my life.

Shak” Just last week, Shakira, 35,

Did Beyonce Lip-Synch at the Inauguration?

M

OVE over, fake moon landing. Take a hike “Paul is dead” r umors.

There’s a new conspiracy theory in town and it goes something like this: Did Beyonce lip-synch (gasp!)

“The Star-Spangled Banner” at Monday ’s Presidential Inauguration?

Only Beyonce and her microphone know for sure, but people familiar who were there are speaking out.

Reports have it that the Grammy-winner lip-synched to a pre-recorded backing track, an assertion that has since been confirmed by the Marine Corps band.

According to the London Times, “a spokeswoman for the Marine Corps band Kristen DuBois said it was standard procedure to record a backing

•Shakira and boyfriend and her 25-year-old baby daddy announced they were throwing a “ virtual baby shower ” to support UNICEF and while they said they would “soon be welcoming” their first child, they didn’t specify when. The couple –

who confirmed their relationship for the first time almost two years ago – reportedly had scheduled the birth so that Pique could make sure he was there to welcome the newborn. Sounds like all went according to plan!

•Beyonce

Justin Bieber surpasses Gaga on Twitter W

•Justin Bieber

track and Beyoncé decided shortly before her performance to rely on the studio version rather than risk singing it live on the Capitol.”

DuBois says”All music is pre-recorded for the ceremony because there are so many eventualities and conditions that day,”. “We performed, live, the band.

But we received last-minute word that Beyonce was going to use the prerecorded vocal track. Those were the instructions we were given. We don’t know the reason why.”

HEN Justin Bieber posted a photo of himself mooning the camera on Instagram this weekend, the timing was somewhat hilarious: The 18-yearold phenomenon has just officially surpassed Gaga as the most popular person on Twitter.

We’re sure Bieber wasn’t deliberately mocking Gaga with the gesture. But, regardless, the pop superstar has definitively stolen the crown from longtime holder Gaga—who has held the social media honor since 2010—on Monday night. As of this posting, he has 33, 337,997 Beliebers following him;

while Gaga “only ” has 33, 332, 282 Little Monsters on her trail.

According to Twittercounter, which provides detailed stats on the outlet’s top 100 most followed people, Bieber is adding new followers at an average rate of about 37,000 daily.

Since Gaga is close on his heels with around 29K new friends a day, we probably can expect to see the two artists’ first-and-second places flip-flop back and forth at least few times this year.

At any rate, both entertainers have little to worry about regarding their popularity. To put their numbers into perspective, both have more followers than

the entire population of Texas (29 million)—and are not too far off from the number of the most populous state in the nation, California (38 million). Neither Bieber nor Gaga has commented yet on the Twitter displacement. Katy Perry remains in 3rd place behind the two, with around 31.5 million followers. The President of the United States only makes 5th place on the list, with 26 million.

Lady Gaga still reigns supreme on Facebook, with nearly 55 million “likes” to Bieber ’s nearly 51 million.

Could Bieber ’s mildly naughty rear-end photo be accountable for the little surge he needed to plow past Gaga on Twitter?

Sergeant DuBois continued, “It’s not because Beyonce can’t sing. We all know Beyonce can sing. We all know the Marine band can play.”

Part of the reason may have been the weather. Singing in cold temperatures can be a challenge. However the chilly air didn’t stop Kelly Clarkson from belting out her own tune on Capitol Hill.

The “American Idol” winner sang “My Country Tis of Thee” live.

A similar controversy (yes we’re using that word liberally) four years ago when cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Itzhak Perman had to fake their performance during Obama’s 2009 inauguration. Cold fingers and string instruments do not make a good combination.

When Beyonce’s representatives were reached out to, they had no comment.

C M Y K

26— SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

Nigeria’s top music stars:

What they worth!

BY OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

A

s far as today’s Nigerian music is concerned, its story is incomplete without these musicians. They are the movers and shakers of the industry, and their finger prints have shaped our music and made it acceptable to the world. They make bulk of their money from entertainment shows and events in the form of performance fees and corporate endorsements.

However, controversy have ensued on who is the greatest among them as per followership, annual earnings and deals among others. Come with us as we take you into their world.

2face

2

Face whose real names are Innocent Ujah Idibia ranks among the very best of Nigerian music stars. At the time, he came to limelight after leaving the now defunct Plantashun Boyz, 2face was virtually an unknown name in the nation’s music scene. But his desire to go solo under Kennis Music, and floating his own record label, Hypertek Entertainment, marked a turning point in his career. And today, 2face is a crowd puller any day.

His “African Queen” song released in 2006, was used in the soundtrack for the film Phat Girlz, which was released internationally. He also released a promotion album in 2008, releasing the single, “Enter the Place”. Problems with album distribution in 2007, caused as shift of the release date of the album from 2008 to 2009. Tuface released two singles from the international version of his Unstoppable album and is the first Nigerian artist to have an appropriately priced international album.

The Unstoppable International Edition album, released in 2010, won two awards at the 2010 SoundCity Music Video Awards. He also won the Channel O Music Video Awards Best African Western award and the MTV Africa Music Awards for Best Male and Artist of the year. He is part of the Sony All African One8 Project alongside seven other musicians across Africa recording a single with R.Kelly and Prince Lee titled “Hands Across the World.” Although he just joined Twitter, he already has over eighteen thousand followers. Few months back, the rumour

P-Square T

mills had it that the African Queen crooner paid the sum of N10 million each to Pero and Sunbo - his other baby mamas - as settlement before going ahead to marry, Annie Macaulay. He has since opened a multimillion naira supermarket for Annie, plus other deals he’s secured for himself.

He’s speculated to worth over N550m with endorsement deals with Guinness, Airtel which earns him N20m and N22m respectively. He charges between N4 million and N5 million for shows. The artiste has invested heavily in real estate and stocks which is fetching him huge money.

D’banj D

apo Daniel Oyebanjo is popularly known as D’banj. He has won several music awards including the awards for Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007, Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009 and BET Awards of 2011 for Best International Act; Africa. He adopted the stage name D’banj, a combination of his first name

hey are identical twins who have performed and released several records under the Square Records.

They remain the best R&B duo group in Nigeria and in 2011, they were signed under Konvict Music label owned

by Akon.

Among the two, Peter is said to be a better singer while Paul dances better. Songs like Beautiful Oyinye, their first album, Last Nite, their second album, Get Squared recorded a high rate of success. Their songs always won awards because of their new dance moves and excellent quality. It’s best selling album, Game Over sold over 8 million copies worldwide in 2007. in 2009, they released another Danger with both winning awards like the BET and MTV Best Act. The duo just acquired a private jet. But before then, they were said to be having problems with their landlord who allegedly gave them a quit notice. They have since built a mansion they call “Square Ville”, valued at N300m.

Both have now entered into a distribution deal with Universal Music Group for the distribution of the CD’s, DVD’s globally.

They KORA award they won in 2010 came with the sum of N150m. Shortly after, they got a deal with Glo worth N240m for four years. Their American tour of seven cities earned them a whooping sum of N150m. They own Rayfield Hotel, Jos and two other manufacturing factories where they built a bakery and pure water manufacturing companies also in Jos. They are said to charge N2 million per show.

Dapo and his surname Oyebanjo.

D’banj is currently best known internationally for his 2012 summer hit Oliver Twist, an uptempo dance fusion of Afro-Beats and electronic dance music that topped the African charts 2011 and was a top 10 hit in the UK singles chart in 2012 reaching no.2 on the UK R&B chart.

He owns businesses like a TV reality show called Koko Mansion, a hangout in Nigeria and US, Koko Lounge, Koko Foundation and Koko Mobile. D’banj also signed a deal with Glo worth N7 million. Power Fist

and Virgin Colur soft drink also signed him into a multi-naira deals, and another multimillion deal with a popular jeweler. He has a deal with Chris Aire as the face of his watches, and another with UAC foods. He collects between N5m to N7m for local gigs, between $80 000 and $150 000 for African shows, E40 000 and E60 000 for UK shows and $50 000 to $60 000 for American gigs. And like Don Jazzy, he also earned himself a record deal with Kanye West.

To be continued next week.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013 — 27

D’lyte gets her grooves back!

F or those who might be wondering about Stella Francis Ebegbune a.k.a D’lyte’s whereabouts, the sassy songbird has been on sabbatical but she is back with a bang.

D Lyte came into music professionally in 2000 but prior to that, she had done stuff with Black Image Theatre, a cultural and dance group, and Charly Boy Fan Club. Her debut single, “Kolo” which the remix featured Ruggedman, in 2005 and it was what Atukpa needed to announce her presence in the nation’s music scene.

‘Askor ’ was the title of D’lyte’s first single, released late last year and produced

by Smokey Tunes, a young and talented “Hit Maker.” She’s currently putting plans together to release her latest ‘love song’ to make up for her absence in the industry.

The new songs, Showtime gathered is being produced in South Africa by ace producer,

Oyo State First Lady endorses Laffmatazz

T

•D’lyte

Ayodel.

Speaking on her new songs, D’lyte said, Askor is a dance

Azeezat rebrands, set to release new single

O

ne of Nigeria’s top female singers, Azeezat is surely starting the new season with a new look and fresh sound.

The singer embraced a trado s t y l e m a n y years ago, but many fans failed to

•Azeezat

connect with her new look.

Now, it seems Azzy has finally jettisoned her old weird look, and she’s presently wearing a new one.

And, many years after she lost the top spot, sinking into obscurity while the likes of Tiwa Savage, Sasha, Weird MC, Asa, Waje and other female singers soared, the talented singer-songwriter is now climbing back, hoping to find her way to the top again and maybe, reclaim her lost crown.

Showtime has gathered that a new Azeezat single (‘My valentine‘), is in the works; and it’s a remix of one of the songs off her first album. Her biggest hits include, ‘Hold on’ and ‘Lonely World’.

‘I believe it’s a great way to start the year; pledge your undying love to your loved ones and give them the confidence to fly higher’, she said. Azeezat is married to popular showbiz guru Seyi Allen.

track which talks about “mind what you say about people especially when you don’t no anything about them or situation and also try not to slow them down. It’s a beautiful song with great beat and encouraging lyrical contents .Also, Kolo is a beautiful love song inspired by a loved one who I hope to reveal someday.”

D’lyte, who has been in and out of the country in pursuit of her career, believes in quality sound and good music. The sexy belle is presently working on a humanitarian project which is coming up soon.

“2013 is a year of good music and efforts rewarded. I’m appealing to DJs and OAPs to appreciate and assist Nigerian female acts,” D’lyte added.

As a valentine gift to her fans and friends, D’lyte’s ‘Kolo’ will be released on February 10, 2013.

D’lyte has four videos on air and an album, ‘Kolo,’ Omoge Africa, Atupoa Tide, Mama, featuring Sound Sultan and Kolo remix, featuring Azeezat.

The album has nine tracks.

It was released on the label of Oscar Music.

he Oyo State First Lady, Mrs Florence Ajimobi has endorsed the biggest concert ever in the city of Ibadan, Oyo State tagged LaffMatazz with Gbenga and Friends.

The concert is expected to hold on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013.

During a courtesy call to Her Excellency, the convener of the event, Ace Humorist, Gbenga Adeyinka the 1st and the Laffmatazz crew got the support of the First Lady for the annual event.

The concert which holds at the popular Jogor Center, Ibadan will feature the best of music, comedy and dance.

Gbenga Adeyinka the 1st, GCON (Grand Comedian of the Niger) has promised to do the unusual with this year’s event judging by the roll call of guests expected.

The concert will feature well known music stars, top movie stars and comedians but the organisers of the much talked about concert are keeping the list of stars expected to grace the stage close to their chest. There are speculations that the event will feature the likes of KokoMaster, D’banj, HKN star, Davido, Choc Boy, Ice Prince, Nollywood Actress and Brand Ambassador, Funke Akindele-Oloyede, Banana Exponent, Mavin Star, D Prince among others.

•Snoop

Jamaican Rastafarians sue Snoop Lion

T

he Rastafarian community in Jamaica are waging war against American rapper-turned reggae artiste Snoop Lion.

Ethio-Africa Diaspora Union Millennium Council a.k.a.

Rastafari Millennium Council filed a 7-paged demand letter to Snoop Lion.

The Rastafarians claim that Snoop Lion had lied about becoming a Rasta just to make a movie and sell

records.

In the document, they claim to have made it clear to Snoop that ‘smoking weed and loving Bob Marley and reggae music is not what defines the R a s t a f a r i Indigenous Culture’. They want Snoop to stop using the name ‘Lion’, pay up the ‘financial and moral support’ they claim he committed, and issue a public apology.

Amongst the Rastafarians is Bunny Wailer, an original member of Bob Marley and the Wailers, who says ‘Snoop is engaged in an outright use of Rastafari Community’s personalities and symbolism and has failed to meet contractual, moral and verbal commitments.’

The artiste formerly known as Snoop Dogg is yet to respond to the legal action and petitions.

28 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

I’m yet to recou spent on Ije prod — Chineze Anyaene

I

je: The Journey has become a household name in the Nigerian box office. The film which was first shot in 2010, made unexpected impression. The brain behind the much talked about movie, Chiene Ayaene, speaks on the secret behind the success of the movie vis-a vis how she achieved getting Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Genevieve Nnaji on her sets.

no gain in return.

What were your reasons for featuring Genevieve and Omotola in Ije? When I came back to Nigeria, I was so excited with what Nollywood practitioners were doing. I told myself that I wanted to shoot a film here and since I cannot afford to pay Hollywood stars, I decided to use the best of the bests in Nollywood. It was so challenging. I was having in mind that this project is too big

meet with her “face to face”.

In fact, I would say, I contacted her for the project for the first time on Facebook. After discussing with Omotola, she agreed and said that I should get back to her with the script.

Then, I started looking for Genevieve. I searched for her all over Lagos without any success. When I finally got to her, she told me she was in London. I had to flew to London. When I got to London, I called her and asked where she was, she told

I have not recovered my money, I have only made N60 million and I think the film did well in the Nigerian box office at that time

By ANOZIE EGOLE

A

fter two years you produced the awardwinning movie, Ije:The Journey, would you say you are better off today?

I wouldn’t say I made much money from the film. We should all understand that the cinema owners have their rules and regulations. It depends on the contract you have with them. I have not recovered my money. I have only made N60 million and I think the film did well in the Nigerian box office at that time. Most movies internationally do not make their money from cinemas because of the percentages. I

have not recouped the money I spent on producing the film.

But I hope to do so very soon.

I made more money from cinema in Nigeria because the percentage was considerable compared to what I was getting in London and America and even in some parts of Africa. I know that with streaming online and DVD, I will surely recoup my investment.

How much did it cost you to shoot the movie?

I spent so much money shooting the movie as well as publicising it. Fortunately, I am still spending. Now, it will cost you not less than N100m to make a big budget movie.

So, when you make N60 million, you still have about N50 million to level up. I’m convinced, with debuting Ije on DVD, I will continue to make more money in years to come.

How did the journey begin?

Ije was a product of my school project. You know, when we were in school, we always shoot 15-minute films with a lot of money. You could spend like $20,000 shooting a 15-minute film, a film that will bring any return on investment. I then asked myself, I have to look for a way to make this movie commercially viable instead of wasting time and money with

for me. The director was telling me that I should shoot it like a simple story. But I was determined to do a big-budget movie. At the initial stage, both Genevieve and Omotola declined to star in Ije, because, according to them, it was a caught room drama and it is normally very challenging.

And I didn’t have time. I needed something different. I know Nigeria have a lot of romantic movies. So, I decided to produce a different kind of film . I needed to be challenged intellectually that was why I did the film.

How were you able to get the two actresses to star in the movie?

As I said earlier, it was very challenging. I had to come down here to discuss with Omotola. It was a battle to

me she was in a coffee shop.

When I got there, she told me, you have been harassing me with calls, what is it? I told her yes. When she read the script, she liked it. As a marketer, you have to sell yourself. You have to know how to convince people. Even after that day, they still didn’t believe me. I told them to trust me that they should give me the chance and if they don’t like what I am doing, they should feel free to leave.

To them, it was not really all about the money. Though, I paid them because it was not free. They saw the vision in me and wanted something different. And when we came on set, they were like, OK she is serious. I would not blame them. It was my first time and I was very nervous. I always tell actors, don’t underrate

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013 — 29

up money uction people, you do not know who will be the next superstar.

They should learn how to give people a chance because, they will get there someday.

Omotola and Genevieve have been at logger-head for some time now and they featured in your movie. Was there any kind of face-off when they came on set?

I don’t like gossip and I don’t believe in it. I heard about the news before I came looking for them in Nigeria.

But I was looking at them as actresses and their talents. I do not care if you have problems or not. I think it is all about the film making. The director is the sailor that tells the ship where to go. So whatever you put in the set is what every other person there

will follow. So, I didn’t notice anything. They were very cordial and respected each other. And I respected the two parties. It was strictly professional. There was no time to smile on the set. The only time for that was launch break. All we want to do is to do the business and get out of the place. When I work, it is strictly professional. Keep your business outside and let us do the business here. I never wanted to interfere in there private life. I know I had a mission and I was working towards that.

Was there any tension while on the set?

Of course, there is always tension on set. I think it was not much with Genevieve and Omotola. Whenever it is there

turn to go on set, I always smile because they are professionals. When they come on set after their makeup and everything, you will see the body chemistry working and you will see professionals acting. So,you will forget the tension. I saw on set that they love their job.

They are not acting because of money; they are there because they love acting. When other actors/actresses come on set, you will be scared if they will forget what to do or not Would you say that the movie brought both actresses together?

I don’t know. Professionally, I think they did the work together. I don’t want to intrude into their private lives.

They worked and stayed together and after the job, everybody left.

What is your source of finance for this kind of capital intensive project?

My source of finance was my family. My mother was the brain behind the success story of Ije. What lessons have you learnt so far from this production?

I think the lessons I have learnt is from marketing and distribution. I thought shooting a film was not difficult until I gave it a trial. So, I have learnt how to plan ahead of time in the area of marketing and distribution. I have learnt how to work hard and to have patience. I shot the movie in 2008, registered it 2009 and now in VCD 2012.

With the 6,000 outlets flashed everywhere for the distribution. How do you intend to fight piracy?

If a film is pirated, it is a big problem. The major problem

we are having now is piracy.

I will not give them that chance to pirate my work. I swear to God, I am going to invest in them. Like I always say, the pirates will sell and I will sell. But I will not be happy if my work is pirated.

Was there any time you get tired?

Of course, sometimes you think the whole thing has gotten to an end. You will feel

like quitting. But as such time, I try to encourage myself without looking at people’s faces. As I always tell people that success is doing what you like doing. Even though there is no money from it, you are happy anytime you see that.

There is this inner joy and satisfaction you will derive and that has always been pushing me forward.

FACEBOOK PAGE

OLUFUNKE A OLOYEDE on’t dwell on what happened in the past, concentrate on working on the future. Use every step as your base. Be bold,be strong. Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders & know that you are the creator of your own destiny. Don’t give up. Have a good day.

D

ALIBABAGCFR appy Eid Maloud to our Muslim brothers & sisters ,may your heart desires & prayers find favour with Allah. On your last paper as an undergraduate In school you mistakenly wrote your bb pin instead of matric number

H

MONALISA CHINDA njoy your week dearies and remember “Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its trouble, but it empties today of its strength.”

E

30 — Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2013

Ben Foster

HLet’s just defer to his manager at West Brom.

ow good is Ben Foster?

Ranking the top Premier League goalkeepers this season

WBA’s Steve Clarke on Ben Foster : “That is why we spent our whole summer transfer budget on Ben. That is what we expect him to do.”

Goalkeepers of Foster’s quality can certainly be the difference between relegation and promotion, or a mid-table finish and a scrap to stay up. That’s why Clarke knew he had to spend big to get the man who is now arguably West Brom’s most important player.

Sometimes, goalkeepers do not get the deserved attention that their teammates do.

After all, they spend most of the match off camera, in the obscurity of their penalty box. Life can often be lonely between the posts. They don’t even get to celebrate goals with the rest of the team.

But a world-class goalkeeper can save points, win matches and earn silverware. Let’s commemorate some of the Premier League’s best shot-stoppers by ranking them based on clean sheets kept, the quality of the defense in front of them and good old holistic observation.

•Joe Hart •Ben Foster

Joe Hart

Asmir Begovic

E

A

SMIR Begovic, like Joe Hart, has played every minute of every one of his club’s Premier League matches this season.

But Begovic is working with different parts.

Hart can sleep easily, knowing that he has the towering Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy, either of Matija Nastasic or Joleon Lescott and one of the best teams in the world to protect him.

Stoke are, admittedly, a very defensive team. But Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth are nobody ’s equivalent to Kompany and Nastasic.

ngland No. 1 Joe Hart holds down the back of the Premier League’s best defense and has shown himself to be among the best in the world during the past few seasons.

As physically imposing as he needs to be in the most physical league in the world, Hart evokes fear and apprehension in his opponents as they breach Manchester City’s defense— a rare occurrence.

That is one of the marks of a truly great goalkeeper. Another? Superb range: No matter where a ball is struck, one is never entirely sure if it will hit the back of the net, simply because Hart is in goal.

• Petr Cech

Michel Vorm

Petr Cech

W

T

•Asmir Begovic C M Y K

hrough all the managers, all the new players and all of Roman Abromavich’s hijinks, there has always been Petr Cech between the sticks at Stamford Bridge.

With nine clean sheets in 22 games this season, Cech the Czech has been his usual reliable self. An unflappable presence in goal, he is Chelsea’s Rock of Gibraltar amidst the various selection controversies that occur with his outfield players.

•Michel Vorm

hen one watches Michel Vorm carry Swansea on his shoulders in many games, it’s incredible to think that he was purchased for a mere £1.5 million.

The great bargain of 2011 has established himself as one of the Premier League’s best since he arrived in Wales. After overcoming an injury at the beginning of this season, Vorm picked up right where he left off.

Hugo Lloris

B

rad Friedel may be 41, but it still takes a lot to displace a man who is on a little run of 310 consecutive Premier League games.

Hugo Lloris did that, and is now firmly established as Tottenham Hotspur ’s firstchoice goalkeeper.

The captain of the French national team has the best clean-sheets-to-gamesplayed ratio of any goalie in the Premier League, with six in 13 matches.

•Hugo Lloris

Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2013 — 31

TENNIS

Djokovic vs. Ferrer: Recap and analysis from Australian Open 2013 Men’s Semis

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oger Federer and Andy Murray, beware —Novak Djokovic is on fire.

The tournament’s top seed absolutely demolished No. 4 David Ferrer 6-2, 6-2, 6-1, mixing power with precision to keep Ferrer on the back foot for most of this match.

If you ever wanted to see a top player at the top of his game, Djokovic’s performance was certainly one to behold.

As you might imagine, Djokovic’s stats in this match were impressive. He had six aces to Ferrer’s one.

He won 91 percent of his first-serve points. He won 13-of-16 points at the net.

He was a perfect seven-forseven on break points.

And he had 30 winners to just 16 unforced errors, whereas Ferrer had just 11 winners and 32 unforced errors.

GOLF NEWS

OFF THE PITCH Eden Hazard is in hot water, Jose Mourinho reportedly has a revolt in his dressing room and Manchester United are reportedly close to signing a promising English youngster.

These stories lead this edition of tOff the Pitch. Also, we have updates on Fernando Llorente’s move to Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur’s quest to sign Lewis Holtby earlier than originally expected.

Eden Hazard apologizes to Swansea ballboy

C

helsea midfielder, Eden Hazard apologized for kicking at a ball boy during Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Swansea City on Wednesday in the Capital One Cup semifinals.

The ball boy, 17-year-old Charlie Morgan, refused to give up the ball for a goal kick late in the second half. He fell on it before Hazard kicked at the ball.

Hazard received a red card for his actions.

Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos want Jose Mourinho out of Real Madrid?

G

oalkeeper Iker Casillas and defender Sergio Ramos have reportedly told Real Madrid president Florentino Perez that “it’s Mourinho or us” .

Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho joined Real Madrid in 2010 after leading Inter Milan to the Champions League title that May. He also led Porto to the Champions League title in 2004. Widespread reports have suggested Mourinho and Casillas have clashed throughout the season. According to report, “several” top players will put in transfer requests if Mourinho remains the manager next season.

Juventus confirm deal with Fernando Llorente

Tiger Woods dating Olympic Skier Lindsey Vonn

T

iger Woods is back on the prowl — and the scandal-scarred golfer is pursuing another blond beauty.

Woods is seeing sexy ski racer Lindsey Vonn, a 28-year-old Olympic medalist who bears a striking resemblance to his ex-wife, Swedish model Elin Nordegren.

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pain international striker Fernando Llorente will join Juventus from Athletic Bilbao in the summer. Juventus confirmed the deal Thursday .

Llorente, 27, will leave Athletic as a free agent when his contract expires at the end of the season. He has agreed to a fouryear deal with Juventus, according to the club.

Wilfried Zaha set for Manchester United medical?

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rystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha will undergo a medical at Manchester United “in the next 48 hours. Zaha, 20, has been capped once by England. If he signs with United, Zaha is expected to be loaned back to Palace for the rest of the season.

According to ESPN FC, the transfer would cost £15 million.

Schalke reject improved Tottenham bid for Lewis Holtby?

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chalke have rejected Tottenham Hotspur’s latest bid for German international midfielder Lewis Holtby.

Holtby, 22, has signed a pre-contract with Tottenham and will join the London club on a free transfer in the summer. After an injury to Brazilian midfielder Sandro, Spurs have offered to pay a transfer fee to bring in Holtby this month.

“Spurs have increased their offer for Holtby, but only slightly,” said Schalke executive Horst Heldt. “But it is still not acceptable.

We have to wait.”

• Lindsey Vonn

• Lewis Holtby

•Wilfried Zaha C M Y K

32—Saturday Vanguard, JANURY 26, 2013

07088551416

Has Daniel Ademinokun Wedded?

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efore now, there was this rumour that made the rounds that Stella Damascus, Nollywood actress, who was recently honoured by NDLEA as an ambassador has been engaged secretly to Daniel Ademinokun.

The screen queen was even spotted at several events flaunting the engagement ring. Recently, event seems to have taken a new shape as Daniel’s finger is now decorated with a ring that looks like a wedding band.

Unconfirmed sources say, he has secretly wedded Stella Damasus. How true is the buzz? Your guess is as good as mine.

May D welcomes a baby boy

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Halima Abubakar honoured

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t now concurs with the say ing that, there is reward for the good and patriotic citizens who are contributing their quarter to the development of thee country.

As Halima has finally joined the league of the UN ambassador for peace. Following her unflinching support and positive impact on the society especially Nollywood, the beautiful actress was recently

honoured as an Ambassador for Peace by the Universal Peace Federation and Youth Federation For World Peace, an arm of the United Nation.

The body also bestowed same honour on some professions from various field, including the entertainment and publishing industry as Ambassadors for Peace.

The distinguished personalities were unveiled over the

Kzed steps out

BY OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

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dio Kazeem Olawale, popularly known as K’zed has dropped two new singles, Dreams and Wagbayi to keep his fans grooving this new season.

K’zed who hails from Ibadan, Oyo State describes his kind of music as a blend of hip hop and streetz music.

Explaining further, he said Dream was borne out of his desire to succeed in life. A track sang in English with mixture of Yoruba and Pidgin, K’zed drives his lyrics and beats straight into the hearts of listeners.

A graduate of Accounting from Ibadan C M Y K

weekend at a glamorous event.

The honour marked another milestone for Halima, who currently became stylist with low cut. Her maiden flick, Mistresses, is due to premiere any moment from now.

Poly, K’zed is a Yoruba hard core Rapper who started music few years ago freestyling with his friends.

After professionally venturing into the art 2years ago recording some inspiring singles, he says Wagbayi is a dancehall with hard beats to go. The song tells of a certain girl who’s taken him captive with her love.

He is currently signed to Daphella Entertainment, an entertainment company who introduced Skuki to the limelight.

t could be described as a harvest of babies for the Square records. Just two days after Peter Okoye and his long time lover, Lola Omotayo welcomed their second child Aliona, a baby girl, former label mate Akinmayokun Awodumila a.k.a, “May D” and his own lover, Debola have welcomed their first child, a baby boy. The Ile- ijo crooner announced the good news on the twitter, “I just had a sure baby boy’. Sources revealed that the baby was delivered in a Lagos hospital.

The two love birds, May D and Debola have been dating for about three to fours years although the relationship has been an on and off thing.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013—33

Intimacy is one of the major and most important ways through which a man gets his needs of connection/love met.

Men aren’t just asking for intimacy because it feels good

Why women shouldn’t deprive their man of intimacy

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he only difference between a friend ship and a relation ship is intimacy. If you have a sexless marriage or a sexless relationship, what are you? Companions? Best friends? If a couple doesn’t have much intimacy, then this generally means they lack passion, and that they could be more in love. There’s no such thing as losing the feeling of being in love. You just lose the ‘state’ of being in love, and you lose polarity/passion with your spouse. You can be in love and have passionate intimacy way in to your old age.

Yes, sex is not the only way to achieve intimacy, but it is one of the main and most important ways to achieve intimacy between a man and a woman. Not making intimacy a priority can cause your relationship to deteriorate. The

passion dies out.

Women can go to their girlfriends, a counselor, a guy friend, a mother, father, relative, aunt, to connect and talk to people. Men don’t generally do this.

I’m not saying there aren’t men who call their guy friends up for a long chat about their feelings, problems and sex life, but this is not common.

Intimacy is one of the major and most important ways through which a man gets his needs of connection/love met.

Men aren’t just asking for sex because it feels good .

If a man loves his woman, he wants to have intimacy with her because he loves her and wants her to be open to him.

This is one of the main ways in which a man expresses his love, and it is one of the major ways in which a woman can show and prove her love for

PERT X E S E H T ASKa 25-year-old male. I have intimacy

I am my tw ice a we ek bu t a wi th m y gi rlf rie nd in th d I cli m ax wi to sta m in a is lo w an n tio lu so Is th er e a co up le of mi nu te s. ? xth is pr ob le m m pr em at ur e cli ma An s: Yo u su ffe r fro rt sta w, l sta mi na is lo in g. If yo ur ph ys ica ve a good nutritious d ha a exercising daily an m or e ab ou t ha vi ng n ar le di et . Tr y to go od in tim ac y. r I ie d ma n. W he ne ve I am a ne wl y- ma rr mco e sh , fe wi th my ha ve in te rc ou rs e wi su lt, I ha ve to pe na re pl ai ns of pa in . As ow : Al so , I wa nt to kn e . ly nt ge ry ve et ra te us ca it ill di se as es ? W do es or al se x ca us e my es um ns co y wi fe ? an y di se as e if m m r e p as s fe wi Li ste n to yo ur x W ha t is th e hu rry ? ex pe rie nc e. Or al se ed ar sin tim ac y is a sh di no es us ca pe rs on s be tw ee n he al th y ea se .

her man. For a lot of men, his woman is the only place he can go to for connection and love.

His woman is often the only source he has. Men have many challenges in the world and it’s important that he has a woman who understands his needs.

Of course, understanding a man’s needs is not about just giving him intimacy. Men have many other needs, too. But the issue of intimacy is one that many women struggle with.

And the modern western world has been affected by the feminist movement which has given women the idea that they shouldn’t prioritize a man’s needs, and that includes not wanting to meet his sexual needs regularly. However, the man is still expected to meet her needs!

Your man’s needs are just as important as the needs of your children or the needs of your friends! At the end of it all, your

man is the one you’re going to be left with. Children will grow up and leave. Friends will have their own lives. A sexless marriage or a sexless relationship can cause a man to become dejected and resentful, as with every rejection the negative association becomes stronger.

Let’s talk about masculine and feminine energy, which relates very, very closely to intimacy. The masculine energy is about releasing. The feminine energy is about filling up.

The masculine energy wants to release and the feminine energy wants to fill up. Filling up is also very much about the emotional aspect of things.

The feminine energy has many ways to fill up - shopping, having intimacy, talking to girlfriends, connecting with pets, talking, listening, and much more. The masculine energy has many ways in which they can release, too

. I had My girlfriend is 20 I am 21 years old. t her go o her. She had als unprotected sex with a ch an ce of pr eg na nc y? e pe rio ds th en . Is th er rse has ble door after the ho sta the g You’re closin emist ch egnancy kit from the bolted! Get a urine pr ncy. and check for pregna I talk ars old and I am 21. If and My girlfriend is 28 ye ic quickly changes the top like to her about sex, she n’t thing else, which I do begins discussing some al? How can I make her unrm at all. Is she really no se help. sing it is fun? Plea us sc di derstand that e is not al. But obviously, sh Of course, she is norm nd s. ma yo ur am or ou s de ye t re ad y to me et d pr ian sts ea wi fe ’s br I wa nt to su ck m y ou ld I sh t ha W it. n’ t al lo w va te s, bu t sh e do es is to o do? rs ua siv e m an ne r Un Ob vi ou sly , yo ur pe d. ar kw aw ke s he r fe el ma d an e at er sp n de u ca al ec t he r wi sh es . Yo de rs ta nd an d re sp r. in g to co nv in ce he wa ys co nt in ue try

but men don’t generally think the way women do.

It feeds a man’s needs for love from his woman. A lot of women will want to lash out at me for saying this but if two people are in a relationship, and the woman denies her man of intimacy, puts the children/career/girlfriends/ other family first, then over time, this starts to build up negative associations within the man in relation to the woman, and makes him feel less like a man, less loved, less accepted and this can lead to cheating.

Intimacy with a woman whom he loves fulfills a very deep need for love and acceptance within a man. If you’re not attracted to him enough in order to want to have intimacy with him, over time, he may start to feel less of a man more like you don’t accept him as a man and that you’re not attracted to him. This is a painful thing to feel. This is also one reason why men cheat. A lot of their emotional needs are met through intimacy.

An expert’s results show clearly that the main reason why men did cheat on their women was for emotional reasons. When asked what led to their cheating, the answers given by the men showed up as follows: 48% – primarily emotional dissatisfaction 32% – emotional and sexual dissatisfaction 8% – primarily sexual dissatisfaction This doesn’t mean women should be pressured into having intimacy. Women and men need to work on creating passion, love and excitement with their spouse so that lack of intimacy will not be a problem.

34—SATURDAY Vanguard JANUARY 26, 2013

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REAST cancer, like all other cancers, it’s dreaded. Unless you’ve experienced it, you can’t quite imagine the significance of a diagnosis. Breast cancer is silent. Often, there are no symptoms but signs of breast cancer can include a breast lump or an abnormal mammogram. What are the stages, ranging from early, curable breast cancer to metastatic breast cancer? What are the variety of breast cancer treatments? Don’t be ignorant— find out about breast cancer.

What it is Breast cancer is a malignant tumour that begins in the breast tissue. It is a cancer that starts in the tissues of the ,and is the most common type of cancer affecting women in Nigeria. One in nine women will develop breast cancer at some point during their lifetime. There are two main types of cancer:Ductal carcinoma starts in the tubes (ducts) that move milk from the to the nipple.

Most cancers are ...

Types There are many different variations of •Breast self breast cancer. Among them are ductal carcinoma in situ (early stage), lobular carcinoma in situ (early stage), invasive ductal breast cancer, invasive lobular breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer and Paget’s disease. The symptoms, prognosis and treatment for breast cancer can vary considerably depending on the type.

S Symptomsmptoms For most women, the first indication of breast cancer is a definite risk factors and lump or a thickening of tissue possible risk factors. Are you in their breast, found either at risk? Risk increases with during self-examination, a age, or if it runs in your family routine doctor’s visit, or a or if you carry one of the mammogram. Most breast breast cancer genes. You are lumps are non- also at risk if, amongst others, cancerous.Other symptoms you’ve had certain noninclude a change in a breast’s cancerous breast diseases, if size or shape, dimpling of the you have higher levels of skin, the nipple turning in, hormones in your blood after sinking into the breast, or menopause, if you started becoming irregular in shape. your period early and go Bloody discharge from the through menopause late or if nipple, swelling or a lump in you have children late in life, the armpit, a rash on or around or never have children. the nipple (Paget’s disease) and Other factors that may the entire breast becoming constitute a small increase in red, inflamed and very sore are risk, include a breast injury, all sources of concern. a high fat diet, uneven breasts, diabetes, working the ho gets breast night shift or having taken the cancer? drug diethylstilboestrol (DES) No one knows why some to prevent a women get breast cancer and miscarriage.Other risks others do not. Many women include being overweight, are diagnosed with breast using hormone replacement cancer every year; but therapy (also called majority of cases are found in menopausal hormone women over 50, though the therapy), taking birth control disease can occur at any age. pills, drinking alcohol, not It is rare, but possible, for men having children or having to get breast cancer. first child after 35 or having dense breasts.

Causes and risks Causes or risk factors of breast Diagnosis cancer can be divided into If you have one or more of

examination

What every woman should know about breast cancer

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There is no surefire way to eliminate y o u r chance of getting b r e a s t cancer, but there are certain things you can do

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the above symptoms and your doctor is concerned, he or she will likely to refer you to a clinic, where you will have either a mammogram (if you are over 35) or an

ultrasound. If they find a lump, they’ll do a biopsy– take a sample of cells or tissue from your breast or lump–to test the cells to see if they’re cancerous. Biopsies are usually done under general anesthetic.

Risk reduction There is no surefire way to eliminate your chance of getting breast cancer, but there are certain things you can do to reduce your risk.

Living an active lifestyle, eating well and maintaining a healthy body weight are things you have control over that can make a difference — and not just in reducing breast cancer risk.

Breastfeeding your child also lowers the risk of developing breast cancer, as does having children when you’re y o u n g e r .

Taking aspirin or other nonsteroid anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen can also reduce the risk of breast cancer to a small degree, but they can also cause other health problems;be sure to talk to your GP before you begin taking them regularly.

There is some evidence that

certain drugs can help prevent breast cancer, but then there is the concern that those drugs (like tamoxifin, which has been shown to lower risk in women who are considered high risk) have other side effects for otherwise healthy women.

Treatment Breast cancer treatment can vary dramatically depending on the specific type of cancer, the stage and grade. The treatments for breast cancer are generally surgery —umpectomy or mastectomy — and chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy and/or biological treatments like Herceptin. Based on specific situation, you may have a combination of these.

Recommendations breast cancer screening

for

Breast examination every three years starting at age 20, annual clinical breast examination starting at age 40 as well as annual screening mammography starting at age 40 or 50. When you need a mammogram is a personal decision between you and your doctor. Women in high risk categories should have screening mammograms every year and typically start at an earlier age.

Ultrasound screening can also be given in addition to mammograms.

Breast MRI may be used if a woman has a lifetime risk of breast cancer greater than 20 percent. Discuss the best approach with your doctor.

VANGUARD, SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2013—35

My father, the Alaafin, exposed me to the basics of leadership — Prince Adeyemi

Prince Hakeem Adeyemi... My father, the Alaafin, exposed me to the basics of leadership while still a teenager.

My leadership style If there are nations in this age and time that take responsible leadership and visionary governance for granted, Nigerians do not fall into this category. Having experienced the “reign” of both military and democratic leaders over the years and in most cases the accompanying incompetence and selfservice, Nigerians have come to appreciate those good leadership when they see it. On this note, I would say that my leadership style and achievements have really helped the people within my constituency.

For me, selfless service is the essence of leadership and I have been able show this within my local government council. This gesture I believe afforded me the privilege to be accepted by my people. My achievements in office and prospect for a bright political future is proof of my resourcefulness and administrative prowess.

My flair for sports, most especially football has drawn me very close to the youths. I have created different platforms for youths and sports development which youths in the entire Oyo have benefitted from. While youth restiveness and crime are generally on

the increase due to the high level of youth unemployment and disillusionment, the situation in his domain has been largely different thanks to his cordial relationship with his people.

Separating royal splendour from good governance I succeeded in separating royal splendour from governance with ease. I remember when I contested the post of the executive chairman of Atiba in 2007, many thought I would tout royal pomp and pageantry because of my background but I thank God that I was able to prove my critics wrong by doing great things which no local government chairman has done in the history of

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rince Hakeem Adeyemi, popu larly called Skimeh, is the heirapparent of prominent Yoruba monarch, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III. He is the caretaker, Chairman of Atiba Local Government Council in Oyo State. In this interview, he speaks about his achievements as a caretaker of his local government and why he endeared himself to the people through service rather than royalty. Excerpt

If there are nations in this age and time that take responsible leadership and visionary governance for granted, Nigerians do not fall into this category

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Oyo town. I have brought glory to his Majesty, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, my father, and to all sons and daughters of Oyo across the globe. I have shown that the essence of power is my ceaseless commitment to development at the grassroots.

Many of these achievements go beyond just proliferation of physical projects, they reflect in the improvement of quality of life for the people of Atiba Local Government Council and beyond. The influence of my father cannot also be relegated to the background because his charges, suggestions and contributions have midwifed and broadened the vision of the chairman, while also setting him on the path of success.

Growing up?

My father, the Alaafin, exposed me to the basics of leadership while still a teenager. I was driven by the knowledge that my actions are capable of bringing glory or disrepute to the royal family, hence my decision to

consciously do what is honourable at all times. I am driven by the fear of the Almighty God. Life as a grassroot politician I have been able to win the hearts of the people in my jurisdiction and beyond. My choice as the caretaker chairman of Atiba was borne out of the recommendations of the people of the local government area. My track records have won me laurels from stakeholders on the local, national and international scenes.

As a well trained and equipped Geologist, I have initiated budding models that are supportive of the socio-cultural structure of the area where I operate.

Interestingly, other local government administrators have been replicating and relishing these models.

Achievements...

Aside building and construction projects, I am not relenting in my human empowerment programmes for youths and women. At different points in time, various skill acquisition programmes were organized for youths and women and the participants were given monetary and material mobilizations. Monitoring measures were also put in place in order to ensure that that the monies given were used for the intended projects.

Recently, the Skimeh-led government created a niche and displayed examplary dividend-yielding democracy by paying a total sum of Nine Million, Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N9.2 million) to local contractors and have satisfactorily executed various community infrastructural developments in the local government area. This gesture was warranted by the need to really bring about positive changes at the grass root.

The local contractors are from the local populace and know the needs and yearnings of their own people. This is one sure way of making development to become a reality rather than a rarity, because the people who need the positive change are those allowed to define their own needs.

36—SATURDAY,

Vanguard , JANUARY 26, 2012

Seal of lo or TTejiri ejiri and Oc huk o lovve ffor Ochuk huko

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R-L: Senator Pius Ewherido, Prof Victor Peretomode, father of the groom, bride, Tejiri, the groom Ochuko, Sir Richard Odibo, father of the bride and Dr Theo Okpidi

t was celebration of love and statement of style by the family of Prof.

Victor Peretomode and that of Sir Richard Odibo, in Warri, Delta State when their children Ochuko Peretomode and Tejiri Odibo sealed their years of courtship in a Holy matrimony. Both the ‘White’ and traditional weddings took place in Warri and were graced by notable dignitaries from various walks of lives.

Medical Guild’s dinner

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embers of Lagos State chapter of Medical Guild got together at the LCCI Events Centre , Alausa, Lagos to celebrate the end of the year. It was also the Annual General Meeting’s dinner and the doctors made sure they made the most of it. However, some members went home with different categories of awards for their outstanding services.

The Secretary, Joint Action Front, Comrade Abiodun Aremu receiving an award plaque from Dr. Mohammed Adebayo Salisu of LASUTH

R-L: Sir Richard Odibo, the Couple, Mr and Mrs Ochuko Peretomode, and the mother of the bride, Mrs Odibo.

R-L: Prof Victor Peretomode, father of the groom, Elegbete Moses Odibo, Chief Sam Odibo (Otota of Udu Kingdom), Sir Richard Odibo, father of the bride and Dr (Mrs) Peretomode, mother of the groom

Wedding bliss ffor or Ejir o and Morgan Ejiro

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Mr & Mrs Morgan Kehinde Ajiiyen with friends THE RIGHT REVEREND J. AKIN ODEJIDE RETIRES

The pioneer Bishop of the Missionary Diocese (Anglican Communion) of Ifo, Ogun State, The Right Reverend J. Akin Odejide retired, recently, at the mandatory age of 70. Here, The Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), The Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh, is flanked by Bishop Odejide and his wife, 'Bunmi, after a Thanksgiving service, at Ifo.

he family of late Hon. Brown Owholasa Badoni of Sanubi Orogun in Ughelli North Local Government Area and that of late Diamond Idinumor Aiyen of Oghara/Orugbo in Ethiope West Local Government Area , both of Delta State pulled out all the stops when their children; Ejiro J. Badoni and Morgan Kehinde Diamond wedded at Warri South Registry. Reception followed immediately at Ekurede-Itsekiri.

L-R: Dr. Veronica Iwayemi, Dr. Olumuyiwa Odusote, Chairman, Lagos State Medical Guild and wife

Dr. Babatunde Saheed, Comrade Abiodun Aremu and Mrs Bukola Odusote

COMRADE GLORIA OKOLUGBO

Iwere knights Association members; Barr.

Frick Awala, Pita Pemu, Elder Awani Jolomi Boyo, Alex Eyengho, Gbemi, Tosan Clarke Omawumi Pinnk, Chukwurah Tosan with the couple

Comrade Gloria Okolugbo. Honourable Commisioner, Directorate of Multi-lateral Relations and Abuja Office, Delta State Government. Flanked

by Dr. Sharon and Mr. Adione.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013—37

I plan to intr oduce ‘miracle’ water machine in Nigeria then and he said N5, 000. I said that should be about $20, okay I could do that, it was not a big deal. That was the first charity football sponsorship I did. I went to his parents’ house and I paid his school fees and got him some new training kits.

So, what happened thereafter?

Actually, I continued until the boy’s parents messed up.

Well, I got him some football kits and everything. I even got him a coach and asked the coach to buy him all those things. The next time I saw him in a pitch about few months later, he was kicking the ball but not as he used to do before. He was not doing that as sharply as before. I was like, what is wrong with this guy? This is not how he was.

So, I called him and I asked what happened? He pulled down his socks and showed me his legs, which were lacerated with razor blade by the mother.

Was it as a result of his education?

Well, the parents were not the ones paying for his school fees.

So, I saw no reason why they would do that. I called that child abuse.

Why do you think they did that?

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BY ANOZIE EGOLE PERHAPS the federal government’s dream of water for all would one day become a reality as delectable Multimedia Computer Scientist, Ego Anyia has promised to introduce a ‘miracle’ engine which will produce water from the air into the Nigerian market in the next five years.

Ego speaks on different NGOs and the numerous challenges that serve as obstacles in helping young talented players.

What are you working on now?

For now, I have up to five NGO’s I am working on. I have another one , Concerned Women I am also working on together with Julie Coker . It addresses the challenges of women who are facing different types of domestic violence as well as child abuse.

There is also the one I started 12 years ago in UK that helps the youth though my colleague is in charge of that one.

I have a Sports Sharing Foundation I am trying to establish.

In this Sports Foundation, we have five players from the UK and five from Nigeria. This foundation intends to assist players from both Nigeria and UK. Sodje, a guy I met in Warri was the person working with me as a scout. He assisted me so much in searching for hidden football talents. We also want to establish a charity football match which will involve both Africans and Caribbeans.

May 27, 2013 has been tentatively fixed for the match. We got Odewinge to represent Africans and Rio Ferdinand to represent UK. So, we have to wearing worn-out kits. Both play this charity match on May the jerseys and the boots were 27. It will be a match against worn out. I was like; are there friends from Africa versus no new kits around? I found friends from Caribbean. out that they did those things Have you been to Nige- to help themselves. Amidst all ria before? these, I saw one small boy in Yes of course. I want to tell the corner kicking a ball very you something, I lost my Brit- well. The boy knows how to ish accent three years ago kick the ball so well. And I said when I came to Nigeria be- that boy is good. Sodje asked cause of the works I had at me if he could call the boy, I hand then. Honestly, when I said yes, call him, he is good. got back to London, everybody So the boy came over and I was asking what happened to asked him his name and he said my accent? It was gone. What Gift. I asked his age and he said happened was that I was in Ni- 10 years old. I asked him geria for straight eight months. again, do you like football and During those days, I told my- he replied in the affirmative. self that if I go on talking the Sodje suggested that I sponsor way I do in London, I would him and I said okay. I asked not go anywhere. So, I decid- how much his school fee was ed to break it down and speak Nigeria’s way and even use pidgin English. My family noticed that my accent was fading away. So I now made it compulsory that I am going to speak in my English accent so that I will not lose it again.

Where are you from?

I am from Delta, the Igbo speaking part of the state.

What inspired what you are doing now?

I cannot really recall because I have a multi-media computer background. So I used to visit a lot of websites advertising for people. Then I started getting sponsorship for them and it led me to start getting sponsorship for charity organisations.

What actually led me into charity was when I got to Warri for the first time in 2007 with a guy Sodje. They were doing one tournament called, the Norway cup. They wanted to bring 26 players from Nigeria to Norway to compete. In that tournament, there were scouts looking for potential footballers. So, during that time, they were more than a thousand guys there with them. What I saw was quite shocking. I saw them exchanging jerseys with one another after each set. They were

In my line up, I have got so many things.

I’m supposed to be in London now but because there is much snow there now and it is freezing, I don’t want to go there now

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I have no idea. The parents weren’t the people paying his school fees, I was the person doing that so. I see no reason why they must do that. With the blading, the boy was still struggling to play. I asked him why, he said that his mummy did not want him to play football. I said didn’t you tell your mummy that footballers make a lot of money, that if you succeed, you will have a lot of money to take care of them? He said that she does not want him to play football. I sent the coach to go and beg the mother to allow the child play, but to no avail. I decided to stop. I said, I am the cause of the boy’s problem. That if I didn’t buy him those kits, maybe, he wouldn’t have been bladed.

That’s my first experience with charity.

What did you study in school?

My first degree was in multimedia computer and I just finished my Masters in Management Consultancy.

What prompted you into charity?

When I saw what happened to kids, I came back from London, I was doing something with Sodje’s foundation. I was helping to get sponsorship for them. So before I could get that sponsorship, another organization also wanted me to get a sponsorship for me. So, that was why I got myself involved in charity.

What is in your line –up now?

I have got so many things.

I’m supposed to be in London now but because there is much snow there now and it is freezing, I don’t want to go there now. I decided to stay back here in Nigeria. The charity will kick off in March and we need a lot of money to that effect. I am also taking care of Concerned Women. We are trying to have a conference in June to create awareness for all these things.

For the Concerned Women,

we handle issues of rape, human trafficking and organizing marriage lectures for young girls. It is intended to highlight the problems women go through in life. We have speakers who are specialists in that area. All sorts of topics concerning women will be handled that day in that conference including domestic violence. It will hold in June in Abuja. I will also organize an award at the same time in UK .

The award will be for people in diaspora who have contributed in one way or the other to their communities.

What do we expect to see from you in the next five to ten years?

I should be married with children by then. Hopefully, I have some ideas I would like to put in place here in Nigeria by then. I have an engine that makes water from the air I would like to introduce by then. The machine makes water from the environment. There is no drilling, no bore-holing, no plumbing, all you need do is to plug it in and within some minutes, you will get a very pure and refined water to drink.

You still look very young, are you up to 30 years?

Hmm!!! not really. Somewhere above that. I am in my early 30s.

How do you handle your friends?

I got friends. But I have learnt how to be very careful with Nigerians. They are not serious people. But I can find serious people out there who are ready to market my products for me.

How do you intend to handle your event by March?

I am actually the co-coordinator of the event. We have gotten media partners from other countries but we have not gotten any in Nigeria. We

have partners like BBC, Talk radio among others. These are the media houses that will be airing the events. We are also going to hold many competitions that day. There are also dance hall competitions and it will be fun filled.

38—SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

SATURDAY Vanguard JANUARY 26, 2013 — 39

By JANE IHEJIAKO The Little Back Dress (LBD) is a necessary item in a woman’s wardrobe. It goes on well with every season because it is a fashion staple. The beauty of a little black dress is its versatility. Wear it to work, out with friends or wear it whenever you desire a little structure in your outlook.. Here are two ways to rock the look for day and Night.

Colourful jacket on your LBD

Fuchsia satin pleated clutch with signature gold-toned clasp

DAY

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playful shoe and a mix of jewelry can relieve the LBD’s transition from day to evening. It is work-appropriate with a colorful jacket. The accessories here are best when kept balanced and simple for a classy look. Pick pearls or a metal (either gold or silver), a few subtle pieces like a stud or little drop earrings, a thin bracelet, a classy ring with little details and a nice simple wrist watch will do.

For Foot wears; Pumps or platform shoes are the best bet. This look is perfect for the office. If you choose to go on flats, then flat shoes or sandals with little embellishment on it to add a tiny zing to the dressing will complete a casual outfit.

NIGHT

Accessorize with larger, brighter pieces of jewelry, make up or hair.

The statement necklaces which have become popular in recent years are colorful, suave necklaces, made with beads, crystals and other materials. A heavy set of bangles can add some fun to your chic look.

For a stunning look, place a gleaming brooch at the base of a V necked dress or one side of a round or boat necked LBD. Again, ensure not to mix large earrings with an elaborate brooch or statement necklace. A bold make up and look can actually make a huge fashion statement. Use a pink or red lipstick, this will make your LBD look very red-carpet...

With a touch of gold

-Kate Moss cocktail ring

Elegant LBD with a touch of Gold

Pair this lovely dress with Trisori's Capri ring in rose quartz

Aldo black pumps

Gold Labyrinth Stud Earrings

Posy bangle stack

Prada

Thin gold braclette

Red lipstick C M Y K

Hanging Chain Chandelier Earrings

Christian Louboutin Beaute Strass

40 —SATURDAY, Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

5 Myths about Relaxing your Hair W M hat’s wrong with relaxing your hair?

Let’s examine some of the myths around relaxing hair . We’ll also offer some advice on how to make relaxing work for you.

Myth No.1: ‘I can relax my hair and braid it the next day’ Answer: No, ladies! The newly processed hair is in a fragile state and you would need to wait at least 4 weeks before you can braid it.

M

y t h No. 2: ‘I can take

my hair out of braids or weaves and put a relaxer on it the same day or the next day’ Answer: This is totally wrong! To get the best results, you need to remove the braids and treat the hair with a reconstructive, moisturizing treatment.

Then you should wait for at least one to two weeks before relaxing or

retouching the roots.

yth No. 3: ‘I

can use a permanent colour on my hair and then put a relaxer on it the next week’.

Answer: This is totally the wrong way around. The correct sequence is to relax the hair and then you can apply a rinse or semi permanent colour the same day - once you have neutralized and treated the hair. A permanent colour would not be recommended after having a relaxer process on the same day because the scalp would not be able to withstand the hydrogen peroxide that is found in the permanent colour – in other words, it will sting or burn the scalp!

Myth No. 4:

‘My hair is totally natural, so I don’t need to put any treatment on it before relaxing it’

Answer:

Well, ladies, that is wrong thinking!

Even though your hair is natural, you still need to prepare your hair for the chemical process to Ini Edo ‘ t a k e ’ c o r r e c t l y.

When the hair is not at its best, the on and leave it for more chemical will not relax the than one hour!’ hair and may even cause damage to your hair, which Answer: This is what I will result in breakage in call the “Oh, it’s not some areas. You should be burning yet” attitude – taking good care of your does it sound familiar, natural hair with ladies? Well, something r e c o n s t r u c t i v e , you need to know about moisturizing treatments ‘No-Lye relaxers’ is that it every week or two, then is “the biggest Lie in the your hair will have the hairdressing industry”. Of strength that it needs for course there are chemicals the breakdown process of in the relaxer! There are several types of Lye a relaxer. chemicals - Sodium yth No. 5: ‘I can hydroxide, calcium put a no-lye relaxer hydroxide, potassium

M

hydroxide and guanidine.

Any of the relaxer kits that you purchase off-the-shelf would contain one of the latter ingredients and usually involve mixing a cream and a lotion together for the chemical to be activated. Even though this type of relaxer does not burn, it does not mean “you can leave it on until you feel the burn”!

You will end up overprocessing your hair, causing it to lose elasticity, moisture and strength.

C M Y K

SATURDAY

Gov Elechi signs 2013 budget

G

OV. Martin Elechi of Ebonyi has advocated for more manpower to be injected in the nation’s agricultural and security sectors, as he assented the state’s N104.37 billion 2013 Budget.

Elechi, during the signing of the 2013 budget into law in Abakaliki yesterday, after its passage by the Ebonyi House of Assembly on Jan. 21, urged more youths to take to farming.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the budget, was tagged “Ebonyi State

Appropriation and Related Matters Law 2013”.

The state’s 2013 budget was the highest since Ebonyi was created in 1996 and the budget represents an 18.96 per cent increase of the N86.98 billion 2012 budget.

Elechi said that the injection of more of the nation’s human capital in the agricultural and security sectors would result in rapid economic growth.

“We need to produce more food in the country to meet the needs of the citizens while we also

need adequate security to attract foreign investment into the country,” he said.

The governor said that unemployment in the country was a major bane to Nigeria’s economic transformation.

“The available manpower in the country does not have enough job placements as the available job opportunities do not have the qualified manpower to fill them.

“Critics think that the Ebonyi Government deliberately placed embargo on unemployment, but the

VANGUARD , JANUARY 26,

reality is there for all to see.

“That is why our capital expenditure is greater than our recurrent expenditure; as provision of adequate infrastructure generates revenue more than an over- bloated civil service,” he said.

He commended the state’s legislators for “the diligence and expeditious passage of the bill”, noting that assenting of the budget would enhance the cordial relationship between both arms of government.

“We will ensure the full implementation of the budget,” the governor said.

Mr Chukwuma Nwazunku, the Speaker of the Assembly, said that the

2013—41

budget, if judiciously implemented, would make the state attain greater heights.

Explosion kills four at Ota, injures 20

By DAUD OLATUNJI, ABEOKUTA

N

Ofewer than four persons were yesterday feared dead, while 20 others sustained serious injuries in an explosion that rocked a factory in Ijako area of Sango-Ota, Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that one of the boilers of a distilling company located along the Lagos - Abeokuta expressway caused the explosion which vibration led to the falling of the perimeter fences of the neighbouring companies.

Some co-workers of the victims who spoke with newsmen lamented the loss of their four colleaques.

At the scene of the incident, Saturday Vanguard saw two ambulances of the neighbouring companies evacuating both the injured and the dead to the hospital.

Some of them were however, said to have been rejected by a private hospital at Ogba - Ayo in Sango before they were later taken to Ifo General Hospital for treament.

Saraki hails Jonathan over remediation money

By HENRY UMORU Abuja

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HAIRMAN, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Senator, PDP, Kwara Central yesterday hailed President Goodluck Jonathan for his quick approval of promised funds for the remediation of Bagega Community in Zamfara State which has helped to save the lives of about 1,500 children in the area.

Saraki said the release of funds for the environmental clean-up of Bagega was great news for the local community, adding that the move was the beginning of good things to come.

A statement yesterday by his Special Assistant, Media, Bamikole Omishore noted that Senator Saraki visited the Bagega Community yesterday to find out how best the relevant agencies including the Ministry of Environment and the Federal Government could deal effectively with the lead poisoning in Bagega. ‘’Early December 2012, the Committee received a delegation from a nongovernmental body MSF (Doctors Without Borders).

42—SA TURD AY VANGU ARD , JANU ARY 26, 2013 42—SATURD TURDA VANGUARD JANUARY

Duke, NURTW boss, thumb up for Chidoka over award

T

HE National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW)

Acura’s NSX supercar set for production T

HE once and future Acura NSX has taken a big leap closer to returning to production, the Honda luxury division revealing a second prototype version of the supercar during a preview at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The original Acura was a high-profile flagship for Acura in its first incarnation, but the maker spent years struggling to find a strategy for bringing it back into production before revealing a distinctive new concept car at last

year ’s Detroit Auto Show.

That prototype was little more than a mock-up, but the one on display at Detroit’s Cobo Hall on the Acura stand for the new several weeks is a running prototype, albeit still not ready for prime time.

“It’s a big step closer to the production model,” Mike Accavitti, the Acura marketing chief, t o l d TheDetroitBureau.com after the latest prototype’s unveiling.

The 2013 take on the NSX concept is slightly

longer and wider than the earlier version, he revealed, and gets exterior details, such as air scoops and dams that are closer to production intent, Accavitti explained.

Under the hood is a version of the sport-hybrid powertrain that the NSX will use when it goes back into production, meanwhile.

The production NSX will be powered by a hybrid version of Acura’s Super-Handling AllWheel-Drive.

The original 2-seater used a high-tech V-6

and Acura toyed with a variety of alternatives, including a high-power V-10 before settling on its current strategy. It will use a unique threemotor hybrid, two on the front axle and one on the rear, which will also draw power from a turbocharged V-6. The layout will allow aggressive torque vectoring, different amounts of energy directed to each of the front wheels to improve the way it steers through a cornering.

As for the suede, leather and chrome interior shown on the 2013

Detroit Auto Show prototype, think of it as “one possible direction” the maker may go once it gets the NSX into production, explained chief designer Jon Ikeda.

The race track-ready steering wheel and paddle shifters are intended to minimize the distractions on a driver pushing a supercar to “the limit,” Ikeda suggested. And there are a pair of large LCD screens, including one in the primary gauge cluster that can be reconfigured to the driver’s specifications.

Chevy expands global reach with record 2012 sales

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HEVROLET, the world’s-fastest growing major automotive brand, sold more than 4.95 million vehicles in 2012, setting a global sales record and driving General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) global sales to more than 9.2 million vehicles, a 2.9 percent gain compared with 2011.

While the United States was the largest individual market for Chevrolet with total vehicle sales of 1.85 million, more than 60 percent of the brand’s sales came from other markets including Brazil (643,000), China (627,000), Russia (205,000), South Korea (125,000) and India (92,000). All posted strong sales due to new vehicle entries.

“Chevrolet is in the midst of the most aggressive rollout of new C M Y K

products in its history, which helped us deliver our ninth-consecutive quarter of record global sales,” said Don Johnson, Chevrolet vice president of U.S. sales and service.

Guided by a new global vision, ‘Find New Roads,’ that is rooted in the brand’s legacy of ingenuity, Johnson said Chevrolet is poised for continued growth in 2013 with 13 new or significantly redesigned products being launched in the United States, including the all-new Corvette Stingray, Silverado and Impala , and 12 additional product launches around the world.

Chevrolet is building its global presence by delivering small cars like the Cruze , Sonic/ Aveo and Spark , the midsize Malibu , and crossovers and trucks

like the Spin , Trax , Orlando and Colorado that are designed for the varied driving conditions and customer preferences around the world.

The Cruze compact sedan led the brand with global sales of more than 755,000 in 2012, making it the best-selling Chevrolet nameplate around the world with

nearly 1.9 million sold since its launch in 2009. In the United States, Chevrolet will launch a diesel enginepowered Cruze in the second quarter.

Alhaji Najim Yasin, has described the award of ‘Public Officer of the Year’ on the Corps Marshal of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Osita Chidoka, as deserving and overdue.

According to him, commercial drivers in the country are particularly proud of the leadership style of Chidoka, “ who has transformed his officers and men into polite agents of the law, dutifully serving the road users.”

According to him, “Chidoka has helped commercial drivers through countless enlightenment programmes, taking us along as partners in progress and not like the case of predators against their preys.

“His team has done well and has made us proud,” he stressed.

Chidoka along with eight other eminent Nigerians were conferred with awards of honour in Lagos, on the occasion chaired by a former governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke.

Commending the bestowal, Duke said the FRSC under the Corps Marshal’s leadership has come of age.

“Since Chidoka became the Corps Marshal, the FRSC has transformed to a technologically-driven organisation “The Corps was going moribund before the arrival of this Corps Marshal and with his feat, the corps has come to stay,” he said.

The former governor added that it was of no value for anyone to contemplate merging the FRSC “with any organisation,” adding, “Nowhere in the world is a performing organisation killed.”

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013—43

T

O the people of Amansea in Awka North local government area and their neighbouring communities of Ebenebe, Ugbenu, Ugbene and Oba-Ofemili, the gory sight on their Ezu River on Saturday last week remains a nightmare only akin to what they expereienced in the Nigeria’s civil war when people could wake up early in the morning only to find large number of dead bodies after an encounter between the Nigerian and Biafran soldiers.

On that ill-fated Saturday, some women and their children had gone to fetch water from the river as early as 5.30 am only to discover to their amazement, some dead human bodies on the spot where one of them had tried to collect water from. She ran out from the river bank to inform her colleagues on her discovery, who out of curiosity,dashed to the scene but were greeted with human bodies at different points.

Their next move was predicted as they all ran home with their empty cans, panting.

Mrs. Ogochukwu Odika, one of the eye witnesses said as soon as they got home and informed their husbands and parents of their discovery, there was confusion in the community. The first move the men made was to contact the traditional ruler, Igwe Kenneth Okonkwo of Amansea, who dispatched some people to the river. Upon their return, they briefed the monarch that dozens of decomposing bodies were indeed floating on the long stretch of the river which flows from the Ugwuoba end of Oji River local government area of Enugu State to Anambra State.

While some of the men said they walked through the dirty banks of the river and counted up to 50 bodies at various points, others said they counted 40 or less. The dead bodies were either half dressed or wore only pants. More worrisome was that there were no signs of scuffle anywhere along the banks of the river in all amongcommunities using the river. Every community in the area has a name for its river from where they collect water for their domestic use and the sudden pollution of the river with dead bodies was therefore a source of concern to them.

Igwe Okonkwo later held an emergency meeting with his cabinet at the end, the state government and the state police command were contacted.

C M Y

Ezu River dead bodies: It’s still a mystery to us -- Residents

Gov. Peter Obi (2nd left), with his Security Adviser, Col George Molokwu (retd) (2nd right), the Anambra State Commissioner for Police, Bala Nasarrawa (1st left) and the Political Adviser, Fidelis Okafor(1st right) He also contacted their Eugu State neighbours on the development. The monarch said apart from the mystery posed by the floating bodies, the worry of his people was that their main source of water supply had been polluted. In fact, from the moment the discovery was made, nobody went

,

BY VINCENT UJUMADU, Awka

Following the insistence by the border communities that nobody was missing from their areas, many people began to insinuate that the bodies were either dumped by security operatives or local vigilante groups after mass execution.

Governor Peter Obi, who was away from the state on official assignment at the time of the

Following the insistence by the border communities that nobody was missing from their areas, many people began to insinuate that the bodies were either dumped by security operatives or local vigilante

to the river to collect water and this caused a lot of discomfort to the people.

Mr. Modilim Nwadikwa, 65, said the discovery remained a mystery to his people. He said: “We have contacted our neighburs and they said there was no communal clash anywhere and that nobody was missing in their areas. We have also enquired from Ugwuoba in Enugu State and they told us the same thing.

Perhaps, the victims were killed in a place very far from here and dumped into the river.

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incident, was immediately contacted. He directed members of the state executive council to move to the spot with a view to finding out the true situation of things. He suspended the visit and returned to the state the following day and moved straight to the scene.

The state government swung into action by supplying the affected communities with water and directed the ministry of public utilities to sink boreholes in the areas as a matter of urgency. Other notable people in the state, including Senator Andy Uba

had supplied large quantities of sachet water to the various homes as an interim measure to assist the people. Also, the senator representing Anambra Central, Dr. Chris Ngige was in the area on Thursday with environmental experts to find out how to assist the communities.

Already, the Anambra and Enugu States police commands have said they would carry out a thorough investigation into the matter with a view to unraveling the mystery behind the floating dead bodies.

Shortly after the discovery was made, the Enugu State Police Commissioner, Mr.

Musa Daura arrived the scene with some senior officers. He later met his Anambra State counterpart, Mr. Bala Nasarawa and Governor Peter Obi to decide how to handle the matter. According to Daura, the avalanche of dead bodies remained a mystery to him because he had not heard of any communal clash whether in Enugu or Anambra where many people were killed.

However, the Anambra State branch of the Civil Liberties Organization, CLO, and the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, INTERSOCIETY, fingered security operatives and insisted that the State Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, in particular should tell Nigerians if the sqad had anything to do with the bodies floating on the Ezu River.

CLO chairman, Comrade Aloysius Attah and secretary, Comrade Justus Ijeoma, as well as the chairman of the board of trustees of INTERSOCIETY, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi said they were tempted to blame SARS on the bizarre incident going by its penchant for extra judicial killings.

Making references to the wanton killing of detainees allegedly executed by the SARS operatives since 2004, CLO alleged that the anti robbery group may have resorted to kill and dump their victims in the river because the former place where they bury their victims in shallow graves within Agu Awka has been developed for residential houses.

The group, while commending the prompt response of the state governor, Mr. Peter Obi on the matter, also condemned the hasty burial of some of the recovered bodies. The organization also called for of the comprehensive list of arrested and detained citizens in Awkuzu SARS in the last one year to determine the number of those released on bail, charged to court and those wasted.

“The reason we are worried is not far fetched. Awkuzu SARS has acquired notoriety as the worst detention center by the police in Anambra where human bazaar goes on unabated.”

Continued from page 44

Govt has no business buying cellphones — Muda Yusuf, DG, LCCI

BY ISHOLA BALOGUN & EBUN SESSOU

D

IRECTOR General of Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, Muda Yusuf in this interview says the cellphone policy is unacceptable, adding that government has no business buying cellphones for farmers.

Coming out from the flood disaster that swept away almost all our farm produce, what are the needs of farmers now?

The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akunwunmi Adesina is passionate about agriculture and we commend him for that. He has taken some laudable steps including the corruption that used to characterize the importation and procurement of fertilizers. He has been able to put a stop to it through the policies that he brought on board when he assumed office. Fertilizer procurement and distribution used to be a major scandal in the past where trailers disappear, allocation does not get to destination, farmers don’t get fertilizer at subsidized rate among other things. He has also taken some other initiatives.

But our main concern is that he seems not to be connecting well with the stakeholders. For anyone to be able to support any sector, he or she must understand the needs of the stakeholders.

Sometimes, he is a bit theoretical and academical is his approach, that step disconnects him and his policies from the real farmers.

Linking that to the cellphone, he has argued that he is providing cellphones for farmers because they have done a survey and it was discovered that about 70 percent of rural dwellers are in need of cellphones and therefore there is need for the ministry to connect with the farmers directly. He didn’t deny that they are going to buy cellphones but he denied the fact that they are going to use N60billion and he did not tell us how much he is going to spend which is important.

Secondly, even a beggar now has a phone. The farmers are not poor to the extent that they cannot afford a cellphone each. Government has no business buying cellphones for farmers.

Why didn’t you agree with the survey conducted by the government?

No, I don’t agree with that survey. Almost all the people in the village have cellphones.

So, what do you think the needs of the farmers are?

To get the actual need of the people, there is need to do a need-assessment. Needs vary from location to location. What

a fish farmer needs is different from what crop, poultry farmers or cattle rearers need. There is need for proper needs assessment and that can be done by interacting with all the segments so that the intervention can be appropriate. Many of the farmers are complaining of unavailability of capital to expand their activities. Access to market is a problem because of bad roads and that is why there is problem of huge post-harvest losses because most of the produce cannot be easily evacuated to the market. There is poor pricing of agriculture products which is called farm-gate prices. It costs so much to transport a product to the market because of bad roads. There is need for irrigation for farm produce including rice. Some of the farmers need technology to be able to process their products. It is better to support the private sector, identify their needs and support them to acquire the materials.

Many of the rice millers I spoke with said they need capital to buy paddy rice which is processed. Many said, they need de-

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C M Y K

44 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

...even a beggar now has a phone.

The farmers are not poor to the extent that they cannot afford a cellphone each.

Government has no business buying cellphones for farmers

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stoners that removes the stones.

Many of these farmers are on small scale. There is a peculiar challenge in Ebonyi which has high record of rice production.

Now, the government imported some machines in each senatorial zones and requested the attention of the rice millers without thinking of what would happen to them. This is what happen when there is no proper consultation. There is need for proper communication.

How would you advise the government against the importation of millers?

If they have not gone far, the best thing is to stop it. In Ebonyi State, rice millers are over one thousand. There is need to identify the cooperatives, identify their needs and give them the support in their various clusters.

DG, LCCI, Muda Yusuf Bringing a machine will throw many of them out of jobs.

Most of the farmers alleged that it is difficult to access government’s intervention funds in the past, what is your take on that?

Most of the funds go to the

elites, those who have huge farmlands but they are not many. They only have the connection and the contacts. That is why the small scale operators cannot get funds.

Government should reach the farmers through their extension officers or cooperatives. The banks are more comfortable with

big borrowers than the small ones.

What are farmers in the state known for?

The nature of agriculture is such that different parts of the country have different endowment. And the nature of economy is such that different parts of the country have its natural resources in terms of economy activities. What is supplied in Lagos is smaller to the demands.

Lots of farmers in Lagos have challenges with land because of its steady appreciation. There are places that have been designated as agriculture land but Lagos State government has acquired. It is important for government to focus on what can help its administration and support the farmers on what they are doing.

Some farmers also alleged that cooperative societies are not working.

What is LCCI doing to alleviate the pains of farmers in that regard?

A good cooperative would work. Not all cooperatives are good. Every member in cooperative must know each other. The mandate of the chamber is advocacy by bridging the gap between the policy makers and the stakeholders so that there can be proper alignment.

Providing cellphones to farmers is a misplaced priority — Farmers speak Continued from page 13 want to keep money for the boys, they should find other ways of doing that and not in the name of agriculture.”

Abiodun Oladapo, owner of Ope-Olu farms in Oshogbo, Osun State opined that government should look mor into financing agriculture. All over the world, there is nowhere agriculture survive without government playing a major role.

For example, in US, the level of intervention is high in the form of subsidy. They spend a huge amount of money to support the move towards food security.

“What farmers need most is a working capital at low interest rate. Subsidizing only oil does not totally impact on the common man. I don’t see any farmer who will get a loan at 25 -28 percent interest rate and be able to repay under this condition we operate. That is why the cost of foods are on the increase and except something is done for the farmers in this regard, the disaster of food

insecurity is not too far.”

Even as government recently said no going back on the policy, Oladapo said government did not consider the poor network facilities of telecoms provider in the rural areas which will impede the optimum utility of this cell phone idea. “how effective is the network of these telecoms provider in the rural areas. Have they carried out the survey as well or they will leave them with the syndrome of ‘No Network’? Are they going to provide the air time as well? So, the challenges are far more than what they think it will solve.”

In the same vein, Segun Collins, who just began cultivating a 60 hectares of land in Ofada, Ogun state, corroborated his colleague saying provision of cellphones falls short of the needs of the farmers in the country.

“In whatever guise government is pushing this idea, what the farmers need now is funding and not cellphones. Government should ensure that farmer have funds to run their farmer effectively to have food sufficien-

cy. Farm implements should be heavily subsidized and that will help farmers a lot than the cell phones to farmers. The system government is running is like what is obtained in Mambilla Plateau where few people run the show and benefit from the largesse. So, I don’t see any sincerity in this N60billion provision of cellphones.”

On the argument that government needs to know even those who will benefit from the fund, he stated that the environment have been politicized. “Government does not even know the real practicing farmers because of politics. I know some of my friends who were affected by the flood in Kogi, yet, they could not get the flood disaster relief fund. Three of them are presently seeking refuge in Lagos. They don’t have anything again. So what is the hue and cry about all these when these money ends in the pocket of their cronies. Government should allow the commercial banks to give loans to the farmers on a very low interest rate.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013—45

Agony of a mother!

My only son, final yr student of Igbinedion university is missing, widow cries out “After making an entry of the case, the police only told me to go and pray over it.”

“Although he was not having a cell phone with him, he had lost his phone before he arrived from school late in December for holidays. We never talked about a new phone before he left,” she stated.

The middle aged widow and mother of four could not hold back tears while narrating how she had gone to several places in search of her only son. “I have gone everywhere I know and contacted those of his friends I know. I have gone to Edegbe Line to ask whether he boarded any of their buses to Benin but they said no. I requested for their manifest for that day which they provided the following day but with no

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trace of his name on it. I have also reported at Sholoki, Aguda Police station near our house. He was supposed to be writing his final exams now and all his friends at school also said they have not seen him. I also called one of his lecturers who also said the same thing. After making an entry of the case, the police only told me to go and pray over it.”

According to Madam Odubayo, she lost her husband four years ago and she has been struggling to pay the school fees of their children two of whom are at the same university with the assistance of her

“It’s still a mystery to us” Continued from page 44 On his part, Umeagbalasi called on the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar to investigate thoroughly and conclusively the shocking discovery on Ezu River , arguing that since there was no known intra and inter communal conflict in the area, it was most likely that the corpse were victims of extra-judicial killings.

According to him, usually after arrest of some suspects, little or nothing was heard of their prosecution, conviction or acquittal of those arrested for their involvement in violent crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping and culpable murder, particularly after they have been paraded, adding that such suspects were rarely arraigned and prosecuted in courts.

He said: “The IGP should order that the corpses be pathologically investigated to determine their style of killing

and circumstances under which they were killed.”

Relations of detainees besieged police stations Shortly after the discovery of the mystery dead bodies in Ezu River, relations of detained suspects stormed most of the police stations in Anambra State to ascertain the fate of their relations.

Looking desperate and worried, some of the relations said they had sleepless nights after seeing the gory pictures and the number of dead bodies on the television and therefore decided to enquire from the police if anything had happened to their loved ones.

A middle aged woman, who simply gave her name as Ngozi, said her husband of 10 years was accused by his distant relation of being a kidnapper, adding that he had been in police detention for over two weeks. She said, she had been visiting him since he was in police custody. She, how-

ever, became worried when some people started insinuating that the dead bodies might be suspected kidnappers in detention in Anambra State.

Some of the anxious relations also made inquiries at the State Anti Robbery Squad, SARS offices at Awkuzu and Nnewi, as well as the Central Police State, CPS, in Awka.

While dismissing insinuations that security operatives might have dumped the bodies, the Anambra State police command said it had commenced a thorough investigation into the mystery bodies. Police commissioner, Mr. Bala Nasarawa said 18 decomposing bodies had been evacuated from the scene, adding that pathologists from Enugu and Anambra states would be involved in carrying out autopsy on the bodies to determine the cause of the deaths. Already, the autopsy had been done on three bodies and the results were still being awaited. The scene

•Bolaji James Odubayo

husband’s relatives.

Madam Odubayo urged anyone with information about where her only son could be found to contact

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A

‘silver alert’ has been issued for Bolaji James Odubayo, a 20year-old man, who was said to have left home on Monday January 14, 2013 in Aguda, Surulere and has since not returned. What can possibly explain the disappearance of the Bolaji, a 400- level student of Igbinedion University, Okada, remains a mystery as he was said to have left his residence at No 107, Oshogbo Street, Aguda, Surulere, Lagos around 10am for his campus at Okada, Edo state.

According to the mother, Mrs Mercy Itohan Odubayo who narrated how Bolaji left home that fateful morning, “he left with a travelling bag and a shuttle bag wearing a white and green shirt atop a violet pair of trousers bidding farewell to his younger sister who was at home at the time he left. He told me before I left home earlier that he was going to board a bus at Edegbe Line for Benin and I told him to call me immediately he gets to campus but he never did.

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BY OLAYINKA AJAYI

her on 08065264917 or Nina on 07054013462 or Nosa Ojo on 07030618904 or the nearest police station.

Governor Obi, has offered N5 million to anybody who might provide useful information on the matter

has also been attracting a lot of visitors who were busy pointing at objects suspected to be human bodies on the river.

Obi offers N5m for clue Governor Obi, has offered N5 million to anybody who might provide useful information on the matter. The governor said: “The fact that River Ezu flows into Anambra State from another state, shows that these corpses obviously floated from elsewhere into our state. As you can see, the bodies are already decomposing and this shows that this incident happened some time ago.

“But I do not care where the corpses floated from; I am worried that this type of scenario

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could be witnessed in our country in this age and time.

This is a most barbaric and unacceptable development. It cannot happen in any decent society.”

He urged Nigerians to respect the sanctity of human life like other civilized people in the world who believe that life is sacred. He disclosed that he had contacted the Acting Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi had been contacted, urging him to embark on a thorough investigation into the strange occurrence. Governor Obi, however, disclsoed that his state had already begun a painstaking probe into the matter.

46— SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

Insanity!

How a young man murdered five persons in Benue EOPLE of Tse-Alaai gyu, Ikyaghev district of Naka, Gwer West local government area of Benue State are yet to come out of the shock and unbelief that trailed the heinous killings of five of their kinsmen by a lunatic, Edwin Gyado, who suddenly ran amok and beheaded his unsuspecting victims.

Edwin, a 27 year old graduate of the Calvin College of Education where he bagged an NCE had a history of insanity which also runs in his family.

Saturady Vanguard gathered from sources in Naka the local government headquaters that the cultpit popularly called Nomjov slaughtered some his victims at the Naka earth dam, just few metres from their homes and the site of his local block moulding industry.

Our source disclosed that the culprit had over a long period of time, suffered from mental derangement and was taken to the Makurdi Federal Medical Centre where he was treated of his insanity and discharged.

But unknown to his people, the young man relapsed into insanity again until he ran amok, killing his brothers, a woman and children in the community.

It was gathered that he had invited some his victims to the earth dam and the factory site pretending that he wanted something interesting to show his victims but ended up slaughtering them.

Though members of the community meted out jungle justice on the insane young man by beating him to death in re-

venge for the bizzre killings of his victims, his elder brother, Daniel Gyado, a health worker at the local government secretariat told Saturday Vanguard that Edwin lived a normal life and interacted very well with the people until his mental derangement.

Daniel recalled that on Saturday 19th January, 2013, Edwin complained bitterly to him that his in-laws were pressurizing him to complete the bride price on his wife which according to him was a directive from the gods.

He said, “When he told me that, I encouraged him not to be worried by their complaint and assured him that we would pay his wife’s bride price after consultations with the village head”.

The deceased lunatic, Edwin Gyado who killed five of his victims on the day of his graduation from school Daniel added that he was however shocked a day later when someone called to inform him that his younger brother had gone on rampage in the village, killing five persons including a woman and her daughter whom he hacked to death.

“I could not believe it and so, set out to look for him.

Someone told me that he was spotted at Imande village, some few minutes from here, but later I discovered that a mob had killed him at the

Makurdi road in Naka town”, Daniel said.

Narrating how the man killed one of his victims, Zaki Tor Gbenda who was a childhood friend of the insane youngman before his death said Edwin hacked a 30 year old Mrs. Nyishima Tyosue a native of Tse-Dzwatema, Mbayoondu, Gbaange/ Tongov to death.

“The murdered woman was my uncle’s wife. I watched from afar as the woman pursued Edwin with a stick after

,

P

BY PETER DURU, Makurdi

Members of the community meted out jungle justice on the insane young man by beating him to death in revenge for the bizzare killings of his victims His wife, Philomena

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he had killed his nine- year old son Terhile Tyosue with a matchet. Her strength failed her and she fell down. Edwin who she was chasing suddenly came after her, caught up with her and ordered her to kneel down. And in a jiffy, I saw him chop off the woman’s head with the machet. I shouted and he ran after me”, Zaki said as he fought back tears.

Hitherto, the lunatic had invited his 15 year old brother, Iorguma to his block moulding site on the pretense that he wanted to show him something. While there, he chopped off his brother ’s head. It was gathered that the insane man suddenly started pursuing people on the streets and a community earth dam where he caught up with a 10 year old Dangote Samuel of Tse-Uchough Nyamshi village and another nine- year old Joy Ortwav both of whom he seriously injured with his machete but later died at the Federal Medical center, Apir.

“After this last killing, the people became aware of his escapades, so youths in the village mobilized themselves and searched the entire village until they caught him where he was hiding in a bush in a nearby village. ”They had contemplated taking him to the police but they finally resolved to mete out jungle justice on him by beating him to death”.

Commenting on the unfortunate incident, Chairman of Gwer West local council, Mrs. Eunice Mbajwa who described the incident as horrifying said she could not comprehend the unfortunate killings.

“For sometime now, I’ve not been able to sleep well nor have I been able to resume work, it’s indeed saddening. But generally, we have ensured that peace prevailed in the entire community”, Mrs. Mbajwa said.

At the time of visiting the troubled village, some youths were seen digging the grave for the deceased mad man while his shocked wife who had been sobbing uncontrolably managed to utter these words, “my husband was a nice man. I never envisaged that he would commit such an act.”

Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in charge of the state,Deputy Superintendent of Police Daniel Ezeala who also confirmed the incident, decried the villagers resort to jungle justice but added that the command was investigating the matter to ascertain if the man was actually insane.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013 —47

OSHIOMHOLE’S ROAD TO VICTORY

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

T

he over six months legal fire works between the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the July 14 governorship election in Edo state, Gen.Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere (rtd) and that of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, came to an end last Wednesday, January 23, 2013, when the governorship tribunal affirmed the reelection of governor Oshiomhole. Not satisfied with the declaration of Oshiomhole as winner of the election, Airhiavbere had petitioned the tribunal alleging electoral fraud, non compliance with the Electoral Act and non qualification of Oshiomhole to run as governor of Edo state. But few days after the PDP and Airhiavbere filed their petition, the leadership of the PDP in the state led by its chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, met and decided to with draw their petition and advised their candidate to do same after they analyzed the situation and found out that it would be a waste of effort and resources to contest the result of the election, adjudged to be one of the freest and fairest in the history of elections in the country. Consequently, the PDP withdrew its petition while Airhiavbere decided to pursue the matter alone even after his running mate, Barr.Johnson Abulagba also distanced himself from the petition in obedience to the instruction of the leadership of the PDP. Airhiavbere’s decision created a sort of faction in the party after the PDP withdrew its petition .

However, the former Chief whip of the senate, Senator

qualification. Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour who gave the Supreme Court judgment said the Appeal Court erred in its ruling, as the Edo Election Petitions Tribunal which earlier struck out the paragraphs relating to non-qualification was correct in doing so.The Supreme Court maintained that the respondent, Maj-Gen Charles Airhiavbere (Rtd) made an unpardonable blunder of not including the ground of non-qualification in the original pleadings at the tribunal. The apex court maintained that the court is not a father Christmas who dishes out what is not asked for and that a party is bound by his pleadings.

The Supreme Court however maintained that there is no nexus between the issue of non-qualification and alleged

Finally! Oshiomhole wins at Edo Guber Tribunal Rowland Owie and a leader of the party in Edo South, Owere Dickson Imasogie stuck with him, while others felt Airhiavbere disobeyed the instruction of the party.

However, Oshiomhole and his ACN were battle ready and paraded a very intimidating array of lawyers including Ricky Tarfa, Adeniyi Akintola,Wole Olanipekun, Mike Ozekhome, Omoregie Omonuwa, Ken Mozia all of them Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), while Airhiavbere was represented by Efe Akpofure (SAN) and P.I.Itua. And the three-man panel of the state Tribunal includes Justice Suleiman Ambrusa, Justice Esor Teetito and Justice Danlami Senchi.

As it seems, Airhiavbere’s joker at the Tribunal was part of his petition that had to do with the educational qualification of Oshiomhole, where he alleged that the governor’s certificate was falsified. And on September 27, 2012, Airhiavbere’s hope to upturn Oshiomole’s victory became slimmer when the Tribunal ruled that the issue of Oshiomhole’s educational qualification was a pre-election matter and therefore, struck out that paragraph of the petition.

While declaring his judgment, Justice Ambrusa who was then the chairman of the panel, declared that “the petitioner went on a wild goose chase in filing this petition. Anybody who has

any reasonable ground to contest the educational qualification of the first Respondent should seek a declaration at the High Court”.

As expected, the petitioner appealed the ruling at the Appeal Court in Benin and the judgment was ruled in his favour. The Appeal Court on November 16, disagreed with the ruling of the lower Tribunal and ruled that the issue of Oshiomhole’s educational qualification was part of the Electoral process and therefore must be heard by the lower tribunal. It therefore ordered the lower tribunal to hear the matter afresh. While Oshiomhole ran to the Supreme Court to contest the ruling, Airhiavbere expressed dissatisfaction with the Ambrusa led panel which eventually led to the reconstitution of the panel by the National Judicial Council (NJC).

A new panel led by Justice Muazu Pindiga was constituted to hear the matter.

The Appeal Court ruling and the subsequent reconstitution of the panel reinvigorated Airhiavbere’s hopes of victory and some PDP members who abandoned him earlier started coming back, boosting his camp.

But that little hope was dashed on Friday, January 11, 2013, when the Supreme Court ruled on the issue of Oshiomhole’s educational

corrupt practices in the election. It subsequently ordered the tribunal to hear paragraph 30 of the petition which sought to disqualify votes in 61 out of 2,642 units in the state over alleged electoral malpractice. The ruling of the Apex court made the job simpler for the lower tribunal which is now left with the issue of electoral malpractice.

T

he judgment finally came last Wednesday and it was total victory for Oshiomhole. With the Supreme Court ruling, majority of the people of the state knew that the game was over because people knew that the issue of electoral malpractice will not sell at the Tribunal because it was an election that no single shot was heard on the day of the election.

Oshiomhole garbed in a brown French jacket, arrived the court at exactly 8:55am and walked straight where the PDP leaders were sitting, including the former Chief Whip of the senate, Senator Rowland Owie, Owere Dickson Imasogie and he exchanged warm pleasantries with them before going back to the other side of the court where he sat next to his deputy, Dr Pius Odubu and other leaders of the ACN. Airhiavbere however, was conspicuously absent in court. In the about 1:30 minutes duration of his ruling, Justice Pindiga nullified all grounds on which Airhiavbere sought to have Oshiomhole’s victory over

turned. In his ruling, Justice Muazu Pindiga while dismissing the petition said “if this was a petition starved of evidence, this is certainly one. Judges cannot perform miracles or conjure evidence.

The petition is bereft of any evidence and devoid of substance. The Judge who described the witnesses called by the petitioner as busy-bodies, then awarded a cost of N150,000 against Airhiavbere.

On the issues for determination, the tribunal chairman said: on the issue that the election did not comply with the provisions of the electoral act, those who allege must prove. The petitioner is duty bound to prove or establish the grounds of allegations, saying the petitioner failed to do so. On the petitioner’s allegation of illegal amendment and manipulation of the voters register, harassment of voters and multiple voting, the tribunal said: “the allegations of commission of crime must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. To what extent has the petitioner been able to establish that new and altered voters’ register were used.

The petitioner failed to prove the allegation and couldn’t produce evidence of the altered voters register used.

Pleadings or petition without evidence cannot be relied on.”

On the petition that there were anomalies in the filling of Forms EC8A by the 2nd respondent, the tribunal held that the petitioner did not tender any Form EC8A in proof of allegation. It also noted that none of those who gave evidence came from the units where they gave evidence on.

The tribunal chairman also held that there was no relevance in the evidence given by many of the petitioner ’s witnesses on this point, noting that evidence given that has no relevance goes to no issue. On the allegation of harassment of witnesses, the tribunal held that the evidence of some of the witnesses is at variance with their pleadings.

The tribunal was especially hard on the witnesses from Owan East, describing them as busy-bodies whose evidence goes to no issue. In conclusion, the tribunal said “in totality, the petitioner has failed to prove his elaborate allegations which turns out to be a sham. We hold that the 1st respondent won the election based on the result declared by the 2nd respondent, winning in the eighteen local government areas of the state, while the petitioner did not win in any local government, including his own ward.

There was no infraction of the electoral Act warranting us to void the elections of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.”

48—SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

What does Dokubo-Asari really want?

W

e have always said what we have on (the) ground (the Presidential Amnesty Programme) is successful. Today people are being trained oversees in various skills and in the universities, and the Niger Delta area is now better for it. There is no doubt that the amnesty programme is very successful” Mujahid Dokubo-Asari during a press conference at the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, in September 2012.

Leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, remains the most lionized among the contemporary crop of those who hogged the headlines on account of their armed struggle for resource control in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. After his detention and treasonable felony trial during the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, Dokubo-Asari was much sought by newsmen, who believed he symbolized the fight for justice not only in the Niger Delta but also for other marginalized zones within the Nigerian federation.

At the time, his NDPVF was at the forefront of the other groups. Indeed, it appeared to be the only one that registered

Asari

an attractive presence both in the media and in the trenches.

Other groups came later, either as offshoots of NDPVF or outright copycats of his group.

Dokubo-Asari’s days in the gulag was however cut short when he was released by then President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007. Two years later, the late Nigerian leader granted unconditional pardon through a presidential amnesty to all those who had fought the state in the Niger Delta, a reprieve that was however spurned by DokuboAsari. He rather went to court to challenge its legality.

Hailed as a masterstroke in the tradition of the Marshall Plan that rebuilt war-ravaged Europe after the global conflict between 1939-1945, the

amnesty programme has since 2009 redirected the tragic trajectory of Nigeria on the way to economic destruction and towards recovery and hope.

Now it has created an ambience for more crude production, and therefore more earnings for the country. Without doubt, it is proving a great success under the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan presidency, with thousands of Niger Delta youths causing havoc in the region freed from violence and kitted with skills and monetary empowerment to lead a decent life and contribute their quota to society.

But despite rejecting the tag of an ex-militant, Dokubo-Asari has benefitted immensely from the amnesty. He is said to have benefitted from mouthwatering training contracts for some of the former agitators in neighbouring Benin Republic and in faraway northern Cyprus. It is, therefore, curious that after lauding the programme as being very successful (as seen in the quote above), he has attempted lately

to reverse himself by declaring that amnesty is a “fraud” as reported in an interview he granted a weekly magazine recently.

We must look beyond the mischief of doublespeak implied in Dokubo-Asari’s critical stance in order to understand his apparent Uturn. As part of the amnesty deal (that he init i a l l y spurned), a pipeline protection contract was awarded by the NNPC to DokuboAsari’s company and some of the ‘elite’ former militant leaders. But DokuboAsari’s contract, in particular, was reportedly revoked on grounds of non-performance and in strict adherence to due process and prudent management principles of the current administration.

Since then, the former warlord has been hopping from one newspaper page to another criticizing the President. He mourns: “If Jonathan takes my

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BY EBITEBE AKPOEMI

But despite rejecting the tag of an ex-militant, Dokubo-Asari has benefitted immensely from the amnesty

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pipeline contract from which I am making N15million every month then I become a destitute … if Jonathan with all my contributions, cancels my pipeline protection contract … I will fight him.”

So, this is the reason for the war against Jonathan, which we are all witnessing now.

But he cuts a pitiable picture if he rubbishes a nationally and globally hailed amnesty programme on the basis of a President’s exaltation of due process and protection of the country’s wealth from the greedy palate of one person.

If, as he claims, he has paid his dues and so deserves to be recognized, it cannot certainly be at the price of impoverishing the majority and enriching one man!

It should not also drag Dokubo-Asari into the murky pastime of dimly viewing amnesty as a “fraud”. A “fraud” cannot empower thousands of youths that were hopeless three years back. It cannot triple crude production, which had declined to an all-time low before the amnesty proclamation. Finally, it cannot be offering a mouth-watering N15million every month to an ex-warlord! ·Akpoemi is an Abuja-based public affairs commentator

Osun State: The best is yet to come

BY YOMI OBADITAN

I

t is true that the State of Osun has experienced tremendous changes that earned the state recognition nationally and internationally first as the best manager of the education ministry through the collaborative efforts of the governor Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola and his amiable deputy governor, Otunba Grace Titilayo Tomori - who double as the Commissioner for Education in the state. The Federal Ministry of Environment did not fail to give kudos to the state for its proactive steps on the flood control by giving the state an award for its performance.In the poverty index of states in Nigeria, Osun comes second, thus positioning the state as the second best managed state in Nigeria. Osun is also rated as the state with the lowest unemployment rate in Nigeria by the National Bureau of Statistics.

Infrastructure development in the state is noticeable every-

where you turn to. Agriculture revolution is afoot. The late American President Abraham Lincoln once said “nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character give him power” Why did he say so? He said so because as a man who had power, he knew that power was the true test of character. Power in the hands of a person with integrity, is highly beneficial, whereas power in the hands of a tyrant is disastrous. The people of the State of Osun are now in the best position to judge whether the Aregbesola administration has benefited them more than the previous administration. It is difficult to find a household in Osun that has not benefited directly from Aregbesola’s administration.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo on October 6th 1978 while accepting the presidential candidate nomination of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) stated “the office of the President carries with it enormous obligations and

Gov Rauf Aregbesola

responsibilities. It is not at all an office of pleasure, nor is it one of unmixed pomp and pageantry. On the contrary, having regard to the democratic setting in which the office will be held, having regard to our present economic, political and social circumstances, having regard to the legitimate yearnings, and the crying and pressings needs of our people…it is an office which, to make real

success of it will, ipso facto demand, from its incumbent, a kind of industry, self-discipline, public probity, tolerance, vision and sagacity which have no precedence here in Nigeria. So it is clear that the Executive Presidency of Nigeria is an office which should not be adventured, light-heartedly, recklessly or with one’s mind suffused and dominated with selfregarding, ethnocentric, or tribal prejudices, predilections, and partial affections”. Awolowo’s philosophical statements are applicable to the office of the governor as well. The office of a governor is not a tea party, if much impact is to be made on the lives of the citizenry.

The message to our political opponents who want to wrestle power from the incumbent Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun is a message of goodwill. It is also a message that encourages self-examination, for Aristotle that said life that is not examined is not worth living. All political aspirants to

the political offices have their rights guaranteed under the Nigerian constitution and it makes the political arena more interesting if it is conducted in accordance with the rules. However the big question is this: do the aspirants possess the quality of good leadership? How many after getting a mandate will remain self-disciplined, prudent, tolerant and sagacious?

Aregbesola is unique and that explains why his administration is unusual. Given the funds at his disposal, and the level of the peasant economy of the state, the record of achievement so far recorded is amazing when compared with the immediate past administration. It is not a fluke to be adjudged the second best managed state considering the position of the state on the federal allocation table and the position of the state in previous ratings. ·Obaditan is a Media Aide to the Governor of State of Osun

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013—49

BY FRANCIS AGBO,

Dickson administration. Few months into his administration, government partnered with a Hungarian and Danish firms, Ostertrade Engineering/ DPP International Kft respectively to establish and manage cassava farms, establish cassava starch processing factory plant to produce 10 thousand tonnes of local and modified starch with a high and beneficial value chain that would trickle down to the grassroots. Already all papers to that effect have been signed and work at the site is progressing.

(just back from Dubai)

F

or Hon. Henry Seriake Dick son, the reward for hard work is more work. He can’t seem to stop serving his people even at the expense of his comfort.

Since Dickson was elected governor of the littoral state of Bayelsa on February 11, last year and sworn in on February 14, same year, he had not gone for vacation until January 7, this year. Many Bayelsans had expected him to enjoy a month’s break in view of his hectic schedules coupled with the trauma he had, as a result of the plane crash in Bayelsa State, which snuffed life out of Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State, the immediate past National Security Adviser, Gen. Andrew Azazi and other compatriots, the governor shortened the break to 14 days. He cut short his vacation, flew to Dubai to hold crucial meetings with some of the international investors that turned Dubai to a global economic, tourism and infrastructural cynosure!

Before the governor stormed the United Arab Emirate, he stayed in Abuja for a few days. During his stay, he compared notes with some of his former colleagues at the House of Representatives, experts on miscellaneous matters and exchanged banters with some of his close friends and family members. He also reunited with some of the friends he had lost contact with most of whom are drawn from the Nigerian Bar Association of Nigeria (NBA) and the Nigeria Police where he rose to the rank of Cadet ASP before tance. And subject to receivhe voluntarily withdrew his ing initial positive technical service to start legal practice reports on water and soil in Porthar-Court. He also analysis, GEAP agrees to took advantage of the vacation bring into the state the reto have more quiet times with quired technological and God , reviewed government human expertise hosted by activities, focused on the the Bayelsa State Governpresent and projected into the ment. future.

The MoU was preceded The governor’s engagement with the inspection of Steel in Dubai culminated in the Plant, Cold Storage Facility by signing of an MoU between Governor Dickson and a meetGovernment of Bayelsa State and GEAP International to establish commercial Rice Farm and revive Palm Plantation in Bayelsa State. The parties also agreed to establish a strong and viable production, processing and distribution network. Aside being a joint venture partner of GEAP International Group, Bayelsa State will facilitate scientific and commercial study of rice and palm plantation growth and distribution.

In addition, Bayelsa State will actively assist in the establishment of relationship between all relevant government agencies with GEAP and provide all legal and regulatory assis-

T

How Dickson signed MoU with Dubai coy ing between the governor and the CEO of GEAP, one of the biggest globally acclaimed investors that turned around Asia and Middle East, Mr. Mahendra Patel in his office.

Mr. Imad Saba, an international investor and CEO of Capital Asset Management who was on the team of Patel signed on behalf of his firm.

First Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief DSP

Alamiesiegha who lives in Dubai, former MD of NDDC, Chief Timi Alaibe, PDP Vice Chairman, North East, Alhaji Mohammed Wakil, Security Consultant, Major Lancelot Anyanya (rtd) and this writer witnessed the signing of the MoU. Though the governor didn’t unwind, the voracious reader that he is, took time off to read many books on leadership, history, the making of Dubai and books on Agriculture. As he said, one of the problems of Africa is the shrinking of reading politicians. “‘I love reading books and I can’ t stop reading because I am not an all-knowing governor. In fact, some of the books I have read have redoubled my resolve to diversify the Bayelsa economy to be Argo- based as well so that we don’t just depend on oil alone”, he added.

Indeed, agricultural revolution is the centre piece of the

he factory is expected to generate over five thousand jobs for Bayelsans.The expectation is for the governor to expeditiously implement government’s side of the bargain with GEAP so as to enable Patel and his team move to work the way he did on the cassava initiative.

With the success of the cassava initiative in Bayelsa State, many state governors and their representatives are reportedly talking with the firms to replicate same projects in their states.

The governor returned to Nigeria last Sunday having exhausted the leave and resumed duty on Monday. He was received by a retinue of government officials led by the Secretary to Government, Prof. Edmund Allison Oguru.

Governor Dickson called on Bayelsans to sustain their support for his administration and urged all Nigerians and particularly, the religious leaders to pray for the unity, peace and security of Nigeria.

The governor also told news hounds that even though the vacation was short, the period afforded him the opportunity to redirect his energy towards serving his people. He said he was mentally and physically prepared more than ever before, to implement government policies and programmes and promised to take more critical and tough decisions for the development, peace and security of Bayelsa State.

50— Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2012

“This rescue mission cannot be aborted by anybody” — Hon. Chike Okafor In this exclusive interview with Vanguard, the Honourable Commissioner for Finance of Imo State, Deacon Chike Okafor speaks with Vanguard on his invitation to EFCC on what he described as a spurious allegation to tarnish the image of the present leadership of Imo State.

While addressing a number of issues, he emphasized that the roadmap of development is sure and that all sons and daughters of the State should be rest assured that Governor Rochas administration is indeed on a rescue mission.

BY DAVE BARO-THOMAS & ANN EJEZIE You and the Accountant General of Imo State were recently invited to the EFCC over an allegation of misappropriation of funds to the tune of N56billion involving a facility from Zenith Bank, could you clarify the true position of this allegation?

The EFCC is a responsible and responsive agency of government with a statutory role to combat corruption and financial crimes in the polity. There is a petition against our government that we squandered money. Sometime in October, the EFCC invited the Accountant General of the State and I to come and react to the petition before them from the opposition party stating that our government is not responsible and that we had borrowed N50 billion from Zenith Bank and another N20 billion from Diamond Bank. That was the thrust of the petition and that we are not applying the money to projects that the funds were meant for.

We went to them, EFCC, and presented our case to them on our debt exposure to those bank which totally contradicts what was alleged in the petition. We took time

8.5 X 2

Honourable Commissioner for Finance of Imo State, Deacon Chike Okafor to explain to them what those funds were utilized for and then left.

But you see EFCC has their modus operandi. When I go to EFCC as the Commissioner of Finance and say we didn’t misappropriate these money, we used it to build roads, fund our free education, we had to pay for educational materials i.e. uniforms, books etc, they will note it and as soon I leave as the Commissioner for Finance, the EFCC will go to the Ministries that handled the procurement process of those things/project for due process assessment. So when we left last year October, I didn’t get to know that EFCC wrote to the Ministries where we deployed funds from the borrowing to finance projects to come and collaborate our presentation to them. This present government has zero tolerance for corruption. We are not frivolous, we have a governor who sleeps and wakes up thinking on how to develop Imo State?

As a matter of fact, we need more money

than we have considering the landmark projects the Governor wants to put on ground for Imo State. So we are not afraid to open our doors to EFCC or to any other body who wants to come to check what we are doing because we ensure that due process is always followed. The EFCC wrote to two Ministries and also wrote two reminders and for some reasons I don’t know, they did honour the invitation, neither did they send in the documents they asked for.

Having been to the EFCC ab initio, they requested that the Accountant General and I should come over for further discussion on the issue they were already handling, so we went. EFCC did not arrest me neither the Accountant General either here in Owerri or in Abuja. They called us to come and we obliged them. Of course, we had made friends with them as it were; we are working with them to put to lie the petition written against us. So we flew in to Abuja on our own, slept till the next day and we went over to the EFCC office to meet with them.

That is where they told us that they have written to the two Ministries and none responded hence there is an order from above for them to keep us until the documents comes, that was exactly what happened. The way it is, we need the documents to show and convince the opposition and whoever that cares to know that, what is petitioned against us is not what it is.

So EFCC told us “please gentlemen stay with us until the document comes” So we started making calls, well naturally it took more that twenty-four hours to get to our people in Owerri and as soon as the documents were brought, we were asked to go. That was exactly what happened, we got there on Wednesday and by Thursday, the document came in and by Friday we were out. Of course, we remained their guests until the documents were authenticated and by Friday we got what is called administration bail and so we walked out.

So what was the state of the books and the state treasury when you took over as the Commissioner for Finance?

Bad, very bad.

Could that have necessitated the probe of the immediate pass administration?

The probe is ongoing; we have set up a judicial panel of enquiry.

One is headed by a retired Chief Justice of Imo State. We are now doing that because Imo people need to know as a responsible government, that we owe them explanations and indeed value their trust and confidence exhibited at the polling boots. So like I said the panel of enquiry is already working and they are inviting the members of the public to come in and give information that will aid the recovery of stolen public funds because when we came in it was a very bad situation.

How would you score this administration so far?

I will not be the best person to answer this question because I’m part and parcel of this government.

I don’t want to appear like I’m trying to blow our own trumpet. Imo people are happy with us. You were here some months back, if you compare the last time you were here and now, I’m sure you will agree with me that some changes have been recorded. If this Governor stops working now, I mean if His Excellency wakes up now and says I want to go home, No government in the history of this State can come out and say he has done better than this government in less than two years. Like the proverbial lizard, I will praise this administration and say that we have done well. This government has done very well and the results are there in the public domain. All we are asking is that the opposition should allow us to to deliver democracy dividends to Ndi Imo. We have promised the Imo people a better deal and we have the capacity to deliver on that promise. This rescue mission cannot be aborted by anybody. The opposition can come back in 2015 at the polls and try their luck if they can wrestle governance from us, let the distraction stop.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 26, 2013—51

Until oil cabals are dealt with, Nigeria will not de devvelop — ODIBOH do and praise you for it. Power sector is one area that he has all the opportunity in this world to make a difference. There was a government in the past that came and brought GSM, telephone, and that was it. And everybody knew that that government didn’t do much but he introduced the GSM that turned everything around. Today, we moved from the era where we have one telephone line in a radius of about five thousand people to having ten handsets in a home. That is a monumental achievement. That is the kind of turn around we are expecting from the present regime.

We’ve changed from the time when NITEL officials will be carrying ladders up and down, joining wires and lines. We’ve moved from that to modern era where you can have your phones that tell you everything, that shows everything and that you can use to the best of your advantage, either in business or private life. That is the kind of thing we are asking for. He has not done it. And I can tell you that if he tackles power today, and doesn’t do any other thing, Nigerians will be grateful and he will be remembered. But today, where would you say he has performed? Education sector is in comatose. Academic communities are still at longer heads with him. Promises made before he came and those inherited were not fulfilled.

The Central Bank has been indirectly criticising his government, saying, you are borrowing too much, our external reserve is reducing, cut down on your overhead. These are subtle criticism of people even in his government. All these are indicative of failure and nothing else.

Recently, fuel scarcity is

gradually crippling in again, queues returning to petrol stations, does that mean that FG and oil marketers have not decided who is in charge even the cabals?

The oil business like the President said is thick business and nobody that is directly or indirectly connected with that industry can stick out his neck.

Nobody, not even the President himself, because the accolades of the President are in this business. That is the way they fund elections. That is how they put money in people’s pocket, siphon our hard earned resources, sell our country. So, who is going to bell the cat, nobody?

Not even the President. The President knows the people he is dealing with. They are his accolades, living at his backyard, on his right and left. They are behind him.What they have not done is fall inside him, but he knows them and they know him. It is not a problem that he can solve because it takes a man who has achieved a lot in other areas to get into that industry and do something fundamentally positive. These cabals have been there. They have hijacked this country, and her government. They put their people in government in order to help their business thrive, and is as simple as that. They are stakeholders in governance and economy. They would never allow anybody in government or institution of government to derail their oil business. So when we say remove oil subsidy even when we know there is no oil subsidy. They use oil subsidy talk to do what they want to do, take our money away. So, it would remain like that until we have a government that would look at the oil cabal in the face and tell them to hell with you, you can’t continue to deal with

Odiboh: This is the time to act

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espite vast resources and promises of economic recovery, Nigeria’s economic index shows that the nation’s economy has been in the doldrums in the last few years awaiting to be salvaged. Dr. Oscar Odiboh, Managing Consultant, Newsletters Limited and an Associate Lecturer, UNILAG, Akoka, told to Saturday Vanguard Business, that until the President musters enough political will to deal with the oil cabals in the country the country will remain under-developed. Excerpts: How can you rate the performance of Mr. President vis-avis his promises on the economy before now?

The answer is very clear. He has not performed. People say he is slow and he acknowledged that himself, and we attributed it to be figment of imagination. It’s very clear he is not focused. Looking at the various aspects of the economy: Power, banking, automobile, manufacturing, the real sector, the service sector, we have not seen anything to make it a joyful period and he knows it. Let’s call a spade a spade. You cannot eat what you don’t have, and you cannot give what you don’t have.He had made promises?

Yes, and if it’s by promises, he has done well. He had made promises more than any other administrations that I know in the last 20 years. Even in the face of failure, he keeps making promises. He has not done what Nigerians expected of him. He can’t do everything, nobody is even demanding him to do everything, but to take one aspect of our lives and turn it around, we would be grateful.

Nigerians don’t expect any leader to be a magician, but they want to see that aspect you can

our country like this. But the question is, how would he get there, if they don’t put him there? So we have a government that ab initio doesn’t have anything to do with the oil cabal, he is the only person that can face them and tell them enough is enough. Until we have that, nothing changes.

The President is powerless and he knows it. He has the power but he can’t use it because before he can use that power his hands have to be moved and the people holding his hands are the oil cabal themselves.

What kind of economy are

you expecting from the regime of President Jonathan in 2013?

There is an adage that says: “what the night is going to look like you see it in the morning”.

There is another one that says: “A child that is going to be sharp as an adult would show those traces as a baby”. When this government was at its infancy, he didn’t show any of those traces as a government that can make things happen. This is somebody who was vice president for several years, and for those years he was vice president, his boss was not fully in charge of government. If he was somebody that was going to make things happen as vice president, we would have seen his hand. Let’s accept the fact that he was not able to do much, may be there were certain powers behind the throne pressing him down. We agreed.

But he took over the remaining years of that administration and didn’t do anything. Let’s agree that he was trying to settle down and all that. At the end of that administration, he now became the President, having all the executive powers, nothing that was an obstacle that he could not have dealt with.

In the Senior Secondary School (SSS)category, Ibukun Ajayi of Lagos African Church Grammer School, Ifako-Ijaye, came First; Simisola Oyetomi of Apapa Senior High School, Apapa was second while Blessing Idokwe came third.

The senior pupils, who wrote on, Lagos State will continue to be a centre of excellence if all taxable adult pay their taxes promptly and correctly .

They got the same prize money as the JSS Category Winners.

The President is powerless and he knows it. He has the power but he can’t use it because before he can use that power his hands have to be moved and the people holding his hands are the oil cabal themselves

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Lagos re war ds tax com pliants, essa rew ards compliants, essayy winner winnerss

BY MOSES NOSIKE AND OLAYINKA AJAYI

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t was made more memorable at the just concluded 6th Stakeholders Conference in Ikeja, Lagos, as Lagos state Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) surprised individuals and cooperate organisations with huge awards for being tax compliant.

Among individuals and organizations awarded were Chief Bolaji Ajose Adeogun, Chief Babatude Folawiyo, Chief Akintola Williams, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, and Alhaji Taufiq Akinola Disu. Organisations awarded were Coca- Cola Nigeria Limited, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, T.A Amadu and Sons among others.

Speaking at the events, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola enjoined Lagosians not to relent in paying tax, adding that most capital projects embarked upon by the state government were traceable to the tax payers money. “Most of the good works accredited to me would not have been possible without your supports and commitment to making Lagos a better place. However you also have the responsibility to acquaint yourselves with the tax payers’ laws so as to know your right when it comes to payments of tax”.

Also the governor granted Awards and scholarship to students on the same platform who performed excellently on the Essay competition organized for Junior and Senior

categories of secondary school students to showcase their intelligence on tax and your civic responsibilities.

Ten-year-old Yesirah Adepeju Adebiyi, a student of Tijani Memorial High School, Ipori won in the Junior Secondary (JSS) categories for her Essay title: Payment of tax is your duty, your civic responsibility and the Law. The JSSI pupil was rewarded with N250,000 scholarship and a computer for the school. While the second runner up, Ibrahim Adeyemi Olalekan of the Federal Government College, Ijanikin as well as Temitope Akinbinu of Gbagada Girls Junior Secondary School Gbagada, got N200,000 and N150,000 as well as computers for their schools.

Evang. (Dr) S.O. Olotu, JP,Group Chairman/CEO, S.O. Olotu & Sons (Nig) Ltd. at birth thanked God with wives in same attire exchanging hand shake with his father in the Lord.

52—Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 2012

Suspected kidnappers with Nonso, first right.

I was on a revenge mission, says man who kidnapped boss’ sister

BY IFEANYI OKOLIE

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team of operatives from the Special Investiga tion Bureau,SIB and the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, have arrested six suspected members of a kidnap syndicate, over the abduction and subsequent release of a woman, last November, after payment of 70,000 US Dollars.

Surprisingly, one of the suspects identified as Nonso Ejike, a 34-year-old trader, was discovered to be a former apprentice of the victim’s brother.

To the surprise of all , Nonso, admitted to have masterminded the kidnap but said it was not purposely to make money but to have his pound of flesh on his former boss.

The arrest according to Police sources, was made after the ransom was paid and the victim released. It was gathered that while the victim was still in the kidnapers den, one of her abductors used her phone to make a call.

“We took the number, ran a track on them and in the process, one of those numbers happened to be the mobile number of Nnoso Ejike, who was an ex staffer of the victim’s brother. We tracked and apprehended him.

He confessed and provided us with all information we used to arrest five other members of the gang,” sources stated.

I did it on revenge When approached, Ejike

said:“ I want to make it clear to the world that I didn’t stage my boss sister’s kidnap because of money. I did it on revenge because my boss and her sister offended me. The woman is a very a wicked woman and I thought the only way I could pay back, was to kidnap her.

My problem with them started when they wanted to settle me,after serving them for over three years.My boss has a pharmaceutical store and another big firm in Lagos Island. But he settled me with only N250,000 when I was leaving, an amount that was too small for me to start any meaningful business.

In any case, I decided to travel to China to do some menial jobs. That was in 2007, where I spent four years before I was deported.Before leaving the shores of Nigeria, I had a girlfriend who also worked for my former boss. After I was deported, we decided to get married. That was in 2011.

But my boss was never happy with the union and he did not hide it. He would taunt my wife for accepting to marry a nobody like me. On two occasions, she lost her pregnancy due to hard work in the office. As if that was not enough, my ex boss threw her out when she was nine months pregnant without paying her a dime” Nonso hinted that when he went to ask his former boss why his wife was laid off without payment,he was informed that she was indebted to the

company to the tune of N3 Million, a claim his wife attributed to failure on the part of some customers to pay for goods purchased.

“I became angry and decided to kidnap his sister because she was the one instigating my exboss against us. Then, I contacted three of my friends; Nwabueze, Nwankwo and

Ifeanyi, who are also traders at Lagos Island and informed them of my plan. Nwabueze thereafter, introduced me to some boys at Mile 2 area, whom he felt could do the job.

I met the boys, took them to the woman’s house and the next thing they did was to kidnap her . They took her to a hotel in Ikorodu where she was

kept for some days,with $300,000 demanded as ransom.But at the end, $70,000 was paid and she was released . I got N2million as my share from the ransom and deposited it in the bank. My intention was not to make money out of it but to address injustice.” Ejike insisted

PHOTO SPEAK

Outgoing Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ameen Ikioda (l), handing over the staff of office to incoming FOC, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, recently.

SA TURD AY Vanguard , JANU ARY 26, 2013 — 53 SATURD TURDA JANUARY

Going Undieground

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One Lady

ommuters brave bracing temperatures and leave their trousers at home for 13th annual No Pants Day. Commuters in cities around the globe took part in No Pants on the Subway. Passengers were undressed to impress in London, Berlin, and Stockholm

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ne lady most cer tainly of the opinion that men prefer curves is Mikel Ruffinelli, a 420-pound mother of four who measures a staggering eightfoot in circumference.

At just five-footfour, 39-year- old Mikel, who lives in Los Angeles, is substantially wider than she is tall, but says she wouldn’t want it any other way.

‘I love my shape and I see no reason to diet because I don’t have health problems,’ explains Mikel, has a proportionally small 40inch waist. ‘Men don’t fancy skinny girls, they like an hourglass figure

Dolphin needs help

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tricken dolphin who 'asked' Hawaii diver for help: Moment mammal stuck on fishing line pushed itself into scuba instructor and waited patiently to be freed

Where do you think you're going?!

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eet the fearless three-year-old who is Australia's youngest wildlife ranger as he gets to grips with a feisty alligator..

Charlie Parker, three, is pictured trying to hold still a fidgeting North American alligator at Ballerat Wildlife Park in Victoria, Australia. The youngster, who also handles boa constrictors, is laying claim to being the country's youngest wildlife ranger. Proud father Greg said: 'We didn't go out to encourage it but he just loves reptiles.'

Rampant Rabbi

Playing with my twig stick

've just twigged this is fun! Raven lays back and enjoys playing with his new toy...

Raven caught lying on its back in the grass playing with a twig. Amateur photographer captured the images in park in Schleswig, Germany. Bird clearly appears to be enjoying itself with its new toy.

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Friar Trunk

alkers discover 'monk-shaped figure' in 1,000year-old oak tree in Robin Hood's Sherwood For est. A strange figure which has been likened to Friar Tuck, one of heroic outlaw Robin Hood's band of Merry Men, has appeared at the foot of the Major Oak, main picture, in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire. Walkers spotted what looks like a bowed figure sitting under a snow-covered tree in the famous Nottinghamshire forest - with Facebook users now claiming that he looks like Friar Tuck, played by an actor inset

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left rampant rabbi husband after rows with his SIX other wives': Tracey says women lived on an allowance of just £30 a month. Tracey Sharp lived with 'husband' Philip and his six other 'wives' Said there was much jealousy between the women over who was favourite. The 46-yearold finally left in 2010 and set up home alone with her children Says she now loves being independent but has not been put off love

54— SATURDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 26, 2013

300 retired athletes for Masters Championships T

HE Secretary, Nigerian Athletic Masters (NAM), Uruemu Adu, on Thursday in Lagos said that no fewer than 300 retired African athletes were expected at the 2nd Africa Athletic Masters Championships. Adu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) the event which would hold from May 30 to June 1 in Lagos would be memorable. “We are going to group them into

the 35 to 39, 40 to 44, 45 to 49 and 50 to 54 till 100 years. It is going to be fun,” he said.

The scribe said that Lagos was chosen as the host city due to logistics, adding that Nigeria which was known for showmanship would showcase a lot of entertainment to thrill spectators.

“Nigeria being known for what we are in the area of showmanship, we

will thrill spectators at the event. We can also boast of a lot of former athletes who have done the country proud in the past.

“I think it is noteworthy that Mary Onyali and Chidi Imoh are some of the faces to be seen at the championships,” Adu said.

The competition is an idea of the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) to engage former athletes in sports. It is also to preach that sports are continuous in life.

He said that age should not deter any individual from participating in sports because it was meant to promote longevity and healthy living. He said that some former athletes in the Diaspora were already indicating interest to participate in the event.

Street Soccer Champions dazzle Dubai, as Training Tour ends

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OILO Street, the 2012 Champions of the MTN 5-a-Side Street Soccer tourney, showed their spark in far away United Arab Emirate, where the team spanked two leading Dubai teams, during their just concluded international training tour.

In a friendly game against Dubai Football Centre’s team, the Nigerian side defeated their counterparts 4-1. MTN team was a delight to watch as they showed the stuff they are made of, both in terms of tactics and blend. Early in the tour, the team had also

defeated a -Dubai selected team by 5-1.

Speaking during a postmatch interview, the CEO, Dubai Football Centre, Anouar Idrissi, described the Nigerian team as one of the best 5-a-side football teams in the world. “Your team is very good; they played as a team which has played together for a long time. With what I saw, I believe Nigeria is ahead of many countries in terms of the 5-a-side competition.

With this type of organization, the Nigerian sports authority will not find it difficult to start a 5-a-side

football league in your country” he posited.

In his on comment, Consumer Marketing, Saidat Lawal-Mohammed, Manager, Youth Segment, MTN stated that “the training tour is part of MTN’s offer to expose the young lads to modern trends in the game of football. The international tour will also help in building their confidence, which will go a long way to help them in their dreams of becoming professional football players. These are what MTN is offering to the players” she said.

Egbunike has no contract to coach Nigeria, minister declares F

ORMER African 400m champion, Innocent Egbunike has been down on his knees praying for a revival of Nigerian athletics. On his table he has a plan and he is only waiting for the green light from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the National Sports Commission to put his thoughts into play.

But that is not likely to happen, as Sports minister and chairman of the National Sports Commission, Bolaji Abdulahi disclosed that Egbunike has no valid contract with the NSC or the AFN to coach Nigerian athletes. And it seems Egbunike, who still holds the national 400m record for 25 years running, will have to wait until 2016, perhaps he would be called upon to do a rush job just like he did at the last London 2012 Olympics. He was brought in with only four months to the Games and the result was clearly seen on the medals table.

“I haven’t seen a contract that says he is the head coach of the AFN,” said the minister.

“He came purposely for the London 2012 Olympics and we only helped with his entitlements for that period. However, he did a

•Tosin Oke good job, if there is anyway we can retain him, we will do so,” said Mr. Abdullahi in Lagos.

With this development it remained to be seen how the AFN plots the revival of athletics after the non medal performance at the London 2012 Olympics.

This is even when 2013 is a world champi-onships year and also elections will

be held in April to usher in a new board for the federation.

AFN technical director, Navy Commodore Omatsheye Nesiama volunteered that the federation will meet on the matter and come up with resolutions that will put athletics back on track.

Bolt targets treble at Moscow worlds

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ORLD sprint king, Usain Bolt said that his main aim this season is to repeat his London 2012 Olympics treble at the World Championships

MTN Lagos Street Soccer champions (Koilo Street) and officials pose for photography after a football match with Football Centre’s team, Dubai. The Game ended 4-1 in favour of the Nigerian side.

Ibude Angels promise to use platform to engage youths

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OUNDER of Clara Ibude Angels Football Club, Mrs. Clara Ibude has promised to use the team as a platform to propagate the vision of the Delta State governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan of using soccer to develop the

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talents of youths in the state.

Disclosed this in an interview, Mrs Ibude said that the club would use the feat in being promoted to the Nigerian Professional Female Football League division one to promote the vision of the state

administration. “One of the aims of C.I FC is to key into the vision of our sports loving governor, which is mainly centred on developing youths, who are talented. The Club before now, has played important tournaments across the country.

•Bolt

billed for Moscow, Russia in August.

Bolt who announced his 2013 progamme stated that he was looking forward to an injury free season as he competes in the Diamond League.

“The aim for 2013 is the IAAF World Championships in Moscow in August. My goal is to win three gold medals and repeat my Olympic Games success.

My 200m race at the Bislett stadium on June 13th will be an important stepping stone towards that goal,” said Bolt.

“My preparations have been good this fall. I am injury free, working hard and everything is going according to plan. I hope to come to Bislett prepared and ready to run a great race.”

Bolt will return to Oslo,

Norway and the ExxonMobil Bislett Games on Thursday 13 June 2013 where he will compete in the 200 metres. The meeting in Oslo will be the sixth of the 14 meetings that make up the 2013 season of the Samsung Diamond League.

“I am looking forward to come back to Oslo and the ExxonMobil Bislett Games this summer,” said Bolt.

“I have many good memories from this great city and from the Bislett Stadium. I was really happy with the time of 9.79 in the 100 metres last year – it was a stadium record. I will run the 200m this year and look forward to competing in front of passionate and knowledgeable athletics fans.”

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SATURDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 26, 2013 — 55

Eagles draw again *Continued from BP vage a point for the defending champions.

Yesterday’s pairing brings to 16 the number of times both sides have met with five wins apiece and six draws. However the

Zambians could not revenge their quarter final defeat in the hands of the Eagles at the 2010 edition in Angola as they promised before hostilities began.

Presidents of both countries were involved in motivating their respective teams yesterday. While President Goodluck Jonathan called in to wish the Eagles well at their hotel, his Zambian counterpart reportedly paid a surprise visit to the Chipolopolo in camp.

Cote d’Ivoire are beatable, says Tunisia coach T

UNISIA coach Sami Tra belsi has said that Nations Cup favourites Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire have flaws and they can be beaten. The Ivorians and Tunisia meet today in a group D game. And according to the former Tunisia international the Elephants are technically deficient.

“They are a side with lots of qualities, but they have also shown quite a few faults,” Trabelsi told a press conference.

“They are not unbeatable.

They certainly have the best players in Africa, and I don’t know why they haven’t managed to claim the title for so many years. The fact that they haven’t managed to achieve that means there are faults somewhere.”

Trabelsi continued: “They’ve got lots of qualities, lots of experience, lots of patience in their game, but also faults - they showed that in their first game (a 2-1 win over Togo).

“But all the same as a rival you have to be wary of them.

These individuals can, at any moment, turn a match.”

Coach of the Elephants Sabri Lamouchi said he was hoping to see another side from his stars after their mistake-riddled opening win.

“If we put up the same performance, the Tunisians will do

their best not to make the same errors as Togo. I envisage a difficult game and, above all, a different display from the Elephants.

“I didn’t recognise my players, and they didn’t recognise themselves (against Togo). That

wasn’t what I see every day in training,” he confessed.

He added: “But I’m convinced things will return to normal. I’m not too worried, I know my players, we are all aware that the way we played last Tuesday was not representative of Ivorian football.”

Turning his attention to Tunisia, he commented: “They defended stoutly and were efficient in attack. They are a team sure of their play, with a strong defence.

“We are warned, we are facing one of the best teams at this Nations Cup …”

S incidents of racial abuse in football continue to rise especially in Europe, FIFA president, Joseph Sepp Blatter has advocated a different method of sanctioning offending players and their teams as against the

•Blatter

*Continued from BP He defended John Obi Mikel who missed a penalty that could have influenced the outcome of the game.

“When it comes to penalties, there are no specialists. It is either you score or you don’t.

Mikel scored from the spot in our last game against Liberia during the qualifier and if there was anybody to take the kick it was him.”

Emenike: City interested in me

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CELEBRATION... Elephants of Ivory Coast celebrating a goal at the on-going Africa Nations Cup in South Africa.

Blatter advocates relegation as sanction for racism in football A

Keshi happy

present method of fines.

Blatter, in an interview published by fifa.com said that outright relegation of teams whose players or supporters are involved in cases of racial abuse could serve as a deterrent to

others.

“It is not enough to give a fine. Playing a game without spectators is one of the possible sanctions, but the best would be the deduction of points and the relegation of a team, because finally the club is responsible for their spectators.

It is a phenomena where football is a victim of our society.

Discrimination and racism is everywhere in our society. We in football cannot be made responsible for what happens in our society. But nowhere in the world – regarding all the problems you can have in your private life, in business, in politics – can you solve a problem by running away. I agree with and support the movement of Boateng – as I have said – as it was a strong warning. It is now up to us to take the adequate steps. What I feel we should do is give instructions to our national associations and the

confederations – specifically to the disciplinary committees – to be very strong. The Swiss-born football administrator was also concerned about match-fixing which has brought the game into disrepute and said it should be tackled head-long.

Match-fixing “is one of the devils of football. If people know a match can be fixed then they will no longer believe in the outcome in our sport. We are working here together with the political authorities and also with INTERPOL. What is necessary is solidarity within the football community. Then, when players, coaches and referees are touched by these people they should immediately disclose it, acting as whistle-blowers. Only then can we intervene effectively. The best coach in the world, Vicente Del Bosque, spoke of this when receiving the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football award – ethics and solidarity in football.”

PARTAK Moscow and Nigeria international striker Emmanuel Emenike says champions of England Manchester City have made inquiries about him.

The 25-year-old, who has impressed in the Russian league with a record of a goal every other game over the last two years, has been linked with a move to Turkish side Fenerbahce in this transfer window.

But Emenike, currently in South Africa with the Eagles for the Africa Cup of Nations campaign, has told Turkish Radio Sport that City have cast admiring glances his way.

“I belong to Spartak and everything’s fine there,” he said.

“If Fenerbahce agrees a transfer with Spartak we’ll discuss that option.

NSC warns alarmists, peddlers of falsehood

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IQUED by incessant and unsubstantiated allegations of wrong doing against the National Sports Commission, (NSC) by a few uninformed and mischievous members of the Nigerian public, the Commission has warned that from now henceforth, it will use all legal means at its disposal to seek redress for such frivolous and false allegations against it.

Making this known in his office at the National Stadium, Abuja early January 2013, the Director-General of the Commission, Chief (Dr.) Patrick Ekeji Said that the time has come for the NSC to use all legal instrument at its disposal to protect its image from the utterances and activities of people who he said have turned the act of disparaging the NSC into a pastime as well as a means of livelihood.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 26, 2013

Keshi, Enyeama slam Egyptian ref

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UPER Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi and goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama yesterday slammed the Egyptian referee, Grisha Ghead for awarding the Zambians a late penalty which enabled them to draw level with the Eagles in their second group game at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, South Africa.

Again, Eagles throw away lead, draw 1-1 with Zambia T

HE Super Eagles yesterday fluffed another chance to take maximum points in the on-going Africa Cup of Nations, throwing away another lead after going ahead in the 57th minute through Emmanuel Emenike’s strike which left Zambia’s goalkeeper helpless.

The goal came as a relief when Nigerian fans at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit and others across the world watching on television were still ruing a John Mikel Obi’s missed penalty in the 26th minute.

The draw which leaves both the Super Eagles and Zambia with two points apiece also meant that the Stephen Keshi-tutored players may miss the $100,000 personal reward promised them to beat the Zambians by the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi who flew into Nelspruit along his wife in time for the big kick-off.

With two points, the Eagles now have a must win situation against Ethiopia who they play in the last group match on Tuesday, hoping however, that Burkina Faso who play Zambia same day hold the defending champions or win to pick one of the quarter final tickets.

The match began on a rather slow pace after the Zambians took the kick off but it was the Eagles who quickly took control of possession with Kenneth Omeruo sticking in a cross from the left in an early sign of danger for Zambia.

Despite their superior possession in the opening stages, Zambia were the first to carve an opening for a goal chance as striker Emmanuel Mayuka jumped over the Nigerian defence to meet Joseph Musonda’s right-wing cross which however did not trouble Vincent Enyeama in goal.

An opportunity for the Eagles to go ahead came

Goalkeeper Enyeama was more vitriolic in his attack describing the referee’s decision the most bizarre he has experienced in his football career.

“That penalty call is the worst I have seen in my whole football career. You

don’t make such calls in a match of that magnitude, the call was weak and I’m mad about it.

They (referees) did it to us against Burkina Faso also,” he sressed.

Reacting too, Keshi said he would leave people to judge the referee because “ I don’t like talking about referees. In the match against Burkina Faso, the referee gave us five yellow cards and a red car.

The referee is the boss and he is in control of the game,” keshi said in a post match conference.

Keshi happy with draw

S

CRACKING... Nigeria’s midfielder Mikel John Obi (R) vies with Zambia’s midfielder Chisamba Lungu during their match yesterday at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. AFP PHOTO in the 25th minute after Zambian defender Davies Nkausu hacked down Ahmed Musa but Mikel couldn’t convert the kick.

Eagles’ goal put the Zambians under pressure and coach Herve Renard did a double shuffle, bringing in Mulenga Mukuka for Chisamba Lungu, while Collins Mbesuma, scorer of Zambia’s goal against Ethiopia replaced their talisman Christopher Katongo.

The Eagles were on a cruise to recording maximum points when suddenly a bizarre penalty call from the Egyptian referee, Grisha Ghead in the 84th minute poured cold water on their excitement.

Eagles defender, Ogenyi Onazi and Zambia’s Emmanuel Mayuka were entangled in a struggle for the ball on the periph-

ery of the 18m box and the Zambian just went on down harmlessly but the referee pointed to the spot Zambia goalkeeper

Kennedy Mweene stepped up and tucked into the top right-hand corner of the net to sal *Continues on Page 55

CROSS WORD PUZZLE Across 1 Traditional Ruler of Onitsha – (6) 5 L.G.A in Imo State – (5) 8 State in Nigeria Known as “The Confluence State – (4) 10 Senegal “Terenga Lions” Defender, Papa – (5) 11 Cereal Crop – (4) 12 Former Ondo State Governor, Chief Adebisi – (6) 13 Spain & Liverpool Goalkeeper, Jose – (5) 14 Country in Africa – (4) 16 State in Nigeria Known as “The Seat of the Caliphate”? – (6) 19 Jigawa State Governor, Sule – (6) 22 Therefore – (4 23 Performer – (4) 24 Former United States President, Ronald – (6) 25 Maldives – (4) 26 Super Falcons Defender, Faith – (5) 27 Former Minister of Power, Barth – (5)

UPER Eagles coach, are a good team and they Stephen Keshi said have been together for the that he was satisfied with past four years. It wasn’t the 1-1 draw his team an easy match,” said posted against Zambia in Keshi. their group C African NaHe stated that he will tions Cup match yester- employ a different apday. proach to his last game This is even as Nigeri- against Ethiopia on Tuesan football fans are agitat- day. ed as they wonder why a “Every game is differteam should surrender its ent. What we did today lead in two consecutive we will not do against games. Keshi must now Ethiopia. I have seen beat Ethiopia on Tuesday them, they are a good side to be assured of a place and I have a lot of respect in the quarter-final. for them.”

“My goal was *Continues on Page 55 to get the three TOD AY'S MA T CHES ODA MAT points against Zambia. But C/Ivoire vs Tunisia — 4pm the draw was a Algeria vs Togo — 7pm good result and I’m happy with RESUL TS RESULTS it.

1 Zambia 1 “With due re- Nigeria 4 Ethiopia 0 spect, Zambia B/Faso

28 Acid – (4) 29 L.G.A in Ekiti State – (5) 30 Number – (6) Down 2 Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu – (7) 3 Former Kwara State Governor, Salaudeen – (7) 4 L.G.A in Bayelsa State – (8) 5 Country in Africa – (7) 6 Ekiti South PDP Senator, Tony – (7) 7 Former Minister of Communications, Chief Cornelius – (7) 15 Spain Striker and Athletic Bilbao Centre-Forward, Fernando – (8) 16 Ethnic Group in South Africa – (7) 17 State in Nigeria – (7) 18 Insect – (7) 20 Swaziland Capital City – (7) 21 Mali “Les Aigles” Goalkeeper, Soumbeila – (7)

SOLUTION on page 15

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