Jonathan, Obasanjo meet over Boko Haram

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 62219

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N150

THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Stalemate as PDP chieftains split over Ribadu

ADAMAWA GUBER:

>5

Jonathan, Obasanjo meet over Boko Haram •We discussed purely security matters — Obasanjo •President also meets with Service Chiefs •S-West monarchs warn on declaration of Gwoza Caliphate —P.10

TANKER EXPLOSION IN APAPA, LAGOS

By DAUD OLATUNJI

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B E O K U TA — FORMER president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, held a closed-door meeting following high rate of insecurity in the country, occasioned by the Boko Haram insurgency.

The problem appears to be getting out of control with terrorists capturing Continues on Page 5

COLUMNISTS:

Issues and personalities of the National Conference •P.17

Please don't reconcile OBJ •P.19 with GEJ

Mr & Mrs EXPLOSION—Scenes of explosion involving two petrol tankers at Marine Beach, Apapa in Lagos, yesterday. Photos Ediri Ejoh/ NAN.

Woman gives birth to quintuplets at NAUTH, Nnewi >49 •See Discourse on Pages 32&33 Nigeria has not eliminated Ebola — FG >9

Man minus machines equals a labourer

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POCKET CARTOON

EBOLA—President Goodluck Jonathan welcoming the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on the Ebola Virus Disease, Dr. David Nabarro to a meeting at the State House, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

ADAMAWA: Stalemate as PDP chieftains split over Ribadu

By Henry Umoru

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BUJA—THE gu bernatorial quest of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, erstwhile chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was hanging in the balance last night following a groundswell of opposition to his emergence as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the Adamawa State gubernatorial bye-election.

At the end of an extended meeting of the National Working Committee, NWC, yesterday, his request for a waiver to the two-year membership requirement for party members to seek office was put in abeyance.

Unusually strong opposition to his quest led to

the constitution last night, of an ad-hoc committee led by the National Organising Secretary of the party, Abubakar Mustapha to further study the three applications for the waiver filed by Ribadu and two others. The two others are former military administrator of Lagos and Borno states, Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), and erstwhile 2011 gubernatorial candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Marcus Gindiri. The development led to the deferment of the screening of the gubernatorial aspirants which was supposed to commence today. The screening, Vanguard learnt, has now been slated for Saturday, a day after the Mustapha led ad-hoc committee would have submitted its

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

Dr Joseph Parker told his theology students: ‘Preach to the suffering and you will never lack a congregation. There is a broken heart in every pew.’

Don’t lose your compassionate edge, because you can’t heal a broken heart unless you can first empathise with it.

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I

FIND these thoughts from a brilliant writer when he surmises that forgiveness is not about condoning another’s hurtful actions, it is about releasing your negative emotions and perceptions about the painful events. Otherwise you keep yourself chained to those events or people - you keep it alive within you - and you carry it with you whereever you go. It is a very heavy burden to carry around and you end up crippling yourself emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically.

Holding on to anger, resentment, etc. keeps you in ‘victim’ mode - powerless. It means you are letting those people who have hurt you in the past dictate who you are in the present moment. You can take your power back by releasing these negative emotions and no longer let them hold sway over your thoughts, feelings and actions. You are responsible for your choices, after all, it is your life.

report.

Opposition from high quarters in the party to the granting of the waivers, Vanguard learnt, yesterday, forced a tripartite meeting of party leaders from the executive, party and the National Assembly in the Presidential Villa. The meeting was allegedly chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan. The tripartite meeting which ended at about 5.30 pm, threw back the issue to the NWC. Vanguard gathered that a respected party elder with influence in the Board of Trustees had raised strong opposition to the granting of waiver to the three aspirants that

have applied for waivers on the ground that it would weaken the party spirit of those who had stayed in the party.

The NWC which began its regular meeting, yesterday afternoon, had to cut short its meeting after about two hours based on the reported differences among members on the issue of a waiver for the applicants as the members were reportedly summoned to the Presidential Villa.

Controversy has continued to trail the waiver application especially by Ribadu, who recently dumped the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the PDP. A source told Vanguard that members of NWC were currently split into three camps on the issue.

While a camp which has Mu'Azu and two other NWC members is in support of a waiver, another group within the NWC is against the waiver on the premise that if granted, it would demoralise old members, who have been with the party and worked for the party and supported it. A third camp in the NWC is sitting on the fence.

It was also gathered that BoT chairman, Chief Tony Anenih was said to have advised that the party should tread with caution to avoid sending a wrong signal to the party members and its supporters.

The NWC members, who came back from the Villa at about 5:45pm, immediately resumed the meeting.

Briefing journalists before going into the meeting, National Publicity Secretary of the party,

Chief Olisa Metuh disclosed that the issue of waiver would be finalised before the screening slated for today (Thursday).

He said: “May I inform you that the Screening Committee is going on tomorrow (today). It will start by 10am and it will screen the aspirants.

“On the issue of waiver for the gubernatorial primaries, the NWC has not sat as at now. We have come back from the Villa.

So, maybe, we will have a meeting today, then I will brief you after the meeting. But for now, we have not sat. We went to the Villa only for a meeting between the executive, the legislature and the party.”

On the implication of going for screening without the waiver, the party spokesman said: “Well, the issue of waiver must be finalised before screening because we must take a position on the issue of waiver before the end of screening.”

Chief Metuh’s words: "Nonetheless, at the end

of the meeting at about 8.00 p.m. last night, the party resolved to defer the screening and appoint the Mustapha-led committee to further study the applications for waiver."

The committee is expected to report to the party by tomorrow.

Those who bought forms include Ribadu, the Acting Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri; a three time gubernatorial aspirant, Dr. Umar Ardo; Senator Abubakar Girei; former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak; Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa and former Minister of State (Foreign Affairs), Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong.

Others are the immediate Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Dr. Ahmed Modibbo Mohammed; son of former PDP National Chairman, Awwal Bamanga Tukur; Marcus Natina Gundiri; James Shuiabu Barka; Jerry Kundusi; Engr.

Brig. Gen. A.A.V. Kana and Andrawus Sawa.

Obasanjo, Jonathan meet over Boko Haram Continues from Page 1

Gwoza, and declaring it an Islamic caliphate.

The meeting was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on the invitation of President Jonathan.

Chief Obasanjo, who confirmed his meeting with the President shortly after he arrived Abeokuta from Abuja, yesterday, said the meeting was purely on security matters.

When asked to confirm the meeting, Obasanjo said: “Yes, I can confirm that I met with Mr. President on his invitation. In fact, he had wanted to come down to Abeokuta, but as a sign of respect to the Office of the President, I had to go. We had discussion on the country’s security issues and that is all.”

Obasanjo, who appreciated the invitation of President Jonathan promised that he would con-

tinue to make himself available on national issues in the interest of peace and progress of the country.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, confirmed the meeting but said he had no details of what was discussed.

“It was a meeting between the two of them and only they can say what was discussed".

Obasanjo has for years advocated the use of force alongside peaceful negotiation as a panacea for tackling insurgency in the North.

In May, Chief Obasanjo commenced efforts to reach out to the Boko Haram sect, in a series of attempts at negotiating with the sect to free the over 250 school girls it abducted in April from their dormitories in Chibok, Borno State.

At the time, the former leader contacted a go-between, who assisted him in his unsuccessful attempt at mediating with the Boko Haram group in 2011.

Jonathan meets security chiefs

Meanwhile, the President also yesterday met behind closed doors with security chiefs apparently to assess security situation in the country.

The service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, met with the President before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting.

As usual, none of them spoke with journalists at the end of the meeting.

The meeting may not be unconnected with the deteriorating security situation in the North-Eastern part of the country, where the Boko Haram sect is reportedly gaining territo-

rial grounds and have taken over some towns and villages in Borno state.

The sect which is on a mission to impose a strict interpretation of Islam in the country is reported to have hoisted its flag in some towns in Borno State including Gwoza, where it drove away the emir and sacked the Police Training College.

An encounter between the sect and Nigerian security services led to some Nigerian troops crossing over into Cameroonian territory.

Though the Nigerian soldiers have been escorted back to Nigeria by armed Cameroonian security personnel, the incidence was a huge embarrassment to the nation's security service which claimed that the troops crossed over Cameroonian territory in a deliberate maneouvre while pursuing Boko Haram insurgents.

6—Vanguard , THURSDAY THURSDAY,, AUGUST 28, 2014

3 nabbed for robbing with double barrel toy gun

By Dayo Johnson

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KURE — DETECTIVES in Ondo State have arrested three robbery suspects said to have robbed a trader and recharge card seller of N30,000 cash and an unspecified recharge cards using a toy double barrel pistol in Owo area of the state.

Also, four other suspects, including a commercial motorcycle rider, have been apprehended for robbing an old woman of N80,000 also in Owo. Vanguard gathered that the three suspects robbed a trader, Mary Friday, of 159, Folahanmi Street, Owo with the toy pistol.

The trader whose shop is in front of a popular hotel in the ancient town was robbed by the suspects who came to her shop on a motorcycle pretending they wanted to buy recharge cards.

Police source hinted that in the process they threatened her with a toy double barrel pistol and snatched her bag.

Her proceeds for the day totalling N30,000 and unspecified amount of recharge cards were contained in the bag.

The timely intervention of detectives from the 'B' Division of the Owo Police station following her distress call led to the arrest of the three suspects.

The suspects, according to the state Police spokesman, Wole Ogodo, are Adewale Olagbende, Kehinde Olasuyi and Samuel Sarafa Lateef.

Ogodo said the snatched bag containing the N30,000, the recharge cards and the toy pistol were recovered from the suspects.

Ogodo said they all have confessed to the crime.

Meanwhile, an Okada rider and three others have been arrested in Owo for robbing an old woman, Fatima Jimoh of N80,000.

Police anti robbery team in the town while on routine patrol arrested one Yaya Isiaka who led them to the hideout where others were staying.

10 die in Kogi boat mishap

By Boluwaji Obahopo

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OKOJA — TEN persons reportedly died in a boat mishap that occurred yesterday, in Ebe village in Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The boat, said to have

carried about 100 passengers, sank in River Niger when it collided with a security patrol team boat and another boat conveying bunkerers.

According to a source, the security patrol team was said to have chased the boat conveying drums of crude oil

which was sighted on the River Niger in the early hours of yesterday into River Burara.

The source further revealed that the unfortunate incident was as a result of the diversion by the passenger boat from the original River Niger channel

2 escape death as building collapses in Aba

By Eric Ugbor

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Motorcycle riders at 2nd Rainbow bus stop on Oshodi-Mile 2 expressway, Lagos. PHOTO: AKEEM SALAU.

Man defiles 11-yr-old step-daughter

By Onozure Dania

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AGOS— A 36-year-old man, Daniel Edet, was yesterday arraigned before a Lagos chief magistrate’s court sitting at Ebute-Metta for allegedly defiling his 11-yearold stepdaughter (names withheld).

The defendant, who is facing a one-count charge preferred against him by the police, was docked before Magistrate E. B. Daodu.

The police prosecutor,

Deputy Superintendent. Etim Nkankum, told the court that the defendant committed the offence at his residence, 8, Adisa Idowu Street, Ijegun area of Lagos.

He said the incident happened on August 9, 2014 at about 4.30 pm.

According to the prosecutor, the offence is punishable under Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

The defendant, however,

pleaded not guilty to the charge .

Magistrate Daodu admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N100,000 with one responsible surety in like sum.

She ordered that the surety must deposit N50,000 into the designated account of the chief registrar of the court, adding that the surety must show to court evidence of three years tax payable to Lagos State government.

The matter was adjourned till October 22.

Some overloaded vehicles seized by Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, officials during FRSC mobile court session at Mowe, Ogun State, yesterday. Photo: nan.

Four kidnapped dredging workers released in Bayelsa

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By Samuel Oyadongha

ENAGOA — The four kidnapped workers of a dredging firm attached to Setraco Construction Company have been released after 10 days in captivity in the creeks of Bayelsa State.

The dredging workers were

to River Burara due to the alleged poor dredging of the River Niger.

The passengers were going to Lokoja market from Ebe village in Kuba-North community of the local government area.

abducted by gunmen on August 18 at about 9pm along the Agbakabriye creek in Nembe council area of the state.

The construction company is handling the Ogbia-Nembe road project in the East senatorial district of the state.

Vanguard learnt that

dredging workers, Caleb Agene, Otuke Magic Kingdom, Gabriel Oghene and Godwin Odukpong, were abandoned along the Brass waterways in the early hours of yesterday by the kidnappers.

Confirming the release, the

police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Alex Akhigbe, said the anti-kidnap squad of the Bayelsa Police Command had planned to storm the den of the kidnappers when the victims were abandoned along the Brass waterways.

BA — Two persons, a male and a female, yesterday, in Aba, Abia State narrowly escaped death as part of an uncompleted four-storey building at 125, Ngwa Road collapsed into their compound.

According to eyewitnesses, the survivors, Mrs. Ifeoma Chukwuma, a petty trader and Ogbonna Kalu, in his early 20s, had stepped out from their kitchen and bathroom respectively before part the building collapsed on top of their building.

It was gathered that while Mrs. Chukwuma escaped unhurt, Kalu sustained minor bruises on his arm.

When Vanguard visited the area, it was observed that the incident also damaged some parts of a nearby building.

The building was said to have collapsed at about 9:30 am during an early morning rain.

One of the eye witnesses said: “The incident happened at about 9:30 am while it was still raining.

The rain which started Monday night continued until 10 am Tuesday.

"It was while we were all waiting for the rain to subside so that we could go out for our normal businesses that we heard a loud bang and before you knew it, the four-storey building collapsed. The building was almost completed because they had plastered it.

“We thank God that no life was lost because if some of the people that usaully carry things from the warehouse on the ground floor had come, some people would have been injured or killed."

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014—7

Truck crushes woman in Lagos

By Evelyn Usman

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Members of Ikorodu Youth Assembly in collaboration with Voluntary Service Overseas and Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, protesting against domestic violence in Ikorodu in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Nan.

How I slaughtered Yoruba leader in Kano —Suspect

By AbdulSalam Muhammad

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ANO — A 26-year-old man, Abubakar Abdulrahman, now cooling his heels at Bompai Police Headquarters in respect of the death of a prominent Yoruba leader in Kano, Chief Ganiyu Akanbi, aged 84, last July, yesterday painted a gory picture of how he gruesomely stabbed the former octogenarian to death.

Speaking while being paraded, the suspect said: “I was forced to move against him when it became evident that he would recognise me, since he was my boss."

The murder of the prominent Kano-based Ibadan businessman shook the Yoruba community in Kano when it occurred on July 5 .

"I was not under influence of alcohol but principally wanted to steal money because I needed money. I had no option than to kill my former boss with a knife because he dismissed me from service some years back," he said.

Speaking earlier, Commissioner of Police Aderenle Shinaba, said: "You will recall that on June 5 2014, the command received information that Alhaji Ganiyu Akanbi Bello was brutally murdered at his Race Course residence, Nasarawa GRA, Kano.

"Luck ran out on the culprit when he was arrested in his home at Badawa Quarters, Kano State. He was arrested after some clues were found at the scene of the crime."

In a related development, the Commisioner of Police said

the command also arrested three suspects, Abubakar Umar, Aliyu Adamu and Mohammed Inuwa, who were impersonating the Police in Kano.

He said: "The suspects 'arrested' an unsuspecting

person along Ibrahim Taiwo Road and labelled him a terrorist, threatening to take him to 'their office’ if he did not settle them.

"In the process, they collected N1.3 million from him. They played the same

trick on another victim and collected N500,000 but the impersonators were subsequently arrested and identified by their victims.

"They made confessional statements and mentioned three others, now at large, as members of their syndicate."

Police foil robbery attempt, arrest 6 suspects in Lagos

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By Evelyn Usman

AGOS — THE Police in Lagos, Tuesday night, foiled attempt by a 15-man robbery gang to carry out a robbery operation in Alagbado area of Lagos, arresting six suspected members of the gang.

Recovered from the suspects said to have been apprehended in a hotel, were two double barrel pistols, three fully loaded AK-47 magazines, an English revolver and a catchment of ammunition.

The robbers were said to have parked their operational vehicle, a Volkswagen Vanagon bus, two buildings from the hotel they lodged,

apparently waiting for an auspicious time to strike.

A concerned customer later discovered to be an undercover policeman, was said to have overhead some members of the gang discussing their mission and immediately called his colleagues.

Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Ikeja were reportedly alerted, consequent upon which the Commander, Abba Kyari, deployed two teams to the hotel.

A gun battle was said to have ensued between the robbers and policemen, at the end of which six suspected members of the

gang were arrested while others escaped.

The Lagos State Command's Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Lelma Kolle, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, who confirmed the arrest, gave the identities of those arrested as Taofeek Sawubana, 31, Ganiyu Suleiman, 28; Kehinde Abachi, 26; Adewale Ojerinde, 28; Wasiu Fatai and a 27-year-old simply called Friday, who sustained bullet wound.

Kolle said policemen were on the trail of the fleeing suspects, adding that those arrested would soon be charged to court.

AGOS — A middleaged woman was yesterday crushed by a heavy duty truck at the Lekki area of Lagos State.

The woman, who was apparently on her way to work, was at the verge of crossing the road from the Abraham Adesanya end of Lekki Gardens when she was ran over by the truck.

Eye witnesses said driver of the vehicle who attempted to flee the scene was attacked by a mob. But for the timely arrival of policemen from Lekki division, the driver would have been lynched.

The truck was, however, set ablaze.

An eye witnesses, who gave his name as Mr Obiama Aguno, said: “We made attempt to rush her to the hospital. Unfortunately, we discovered she was dead. A man among the crowd brought out her phone from her bag and contacted her husband, who later rushed to the scene.

"He broke down in tears on sighting the lifeless body of his wife and informed that she only resumed from maternity leave today (yesterday).”

Tankers explode in Apapa

Meantime, two tankers loaded with Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, exploded yesterday, in Marine Beach area of Apapa, Lagos.

The tankers which reportedly loaded from Total depot, were parked within the premises of a primary school when they exploded. The cause of the explosions could not be ascertained.

The explosion with the fire that followed, sent panic around the area as passers-by took to their heels while vehicles averted the route.

Two nabbed in Bauchi for raping two infants

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By Suzan Edeh

AUCHI —Two middle aged men have been arrested by the police in Bauchi State for allegedly raping four and seven-year-old girls (names withheld) i n Yelwa community of the state.

The state Police spokesperson, DSP Haruna Mohammed, who made this

known yesterday in Bauchi said those who defiled the girls are 18-year-old Dabo Luda and 22-year-old Anas Abdullahi of Inkil village in Bauchi metropolis.

According to the PPRO, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects lured the girls with biscuits, sweets and money in order to perpetrate the mischief.

He said: “The suspects had been having carnal knowledge of the two innocent girls until luck ran out on them. A good neighbour in the area was trailing their movements and reported the matter to the police who swung into action and arrested them.

“Further investigations conducted by the police also revealed that the suspects are

close relations of the victims who took advantage of their familiarity with the families to perform such heinous acts on them.”

He advised parents to monitor the movement of their children closely, saying they should warn them against accepting gifts or money from strangers as these could be used as traps to lure them.

8 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Shell sells Nigeria oilfields for $5bn

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ROYAL Dutch Shellled consortium is close to selling several Nigerian oilfields for about $5billion to some Nigerian buyers, as foreign companies divest from the oil sector according to a report in Financial Times yesterday.

The price tag for the four oilfields and a key pipeline co-owned by Shell, France’s Total and Eni of Italy has doubled since initial estimates towards the end of last year, highlighting the financial muscle of a cluster of Nigerian oil companies that have emerged as prominent players in the country’s hydrocarbon industry.

The sales are the latest move by oil and gas supermajors to reduce their onshore oil presence in Nigeria, in the face of theft and sabotage costing the country billions of dollars in lost production revenue and long delays to a government bill setting out new terms for operators.

Buyers for the four blocks have been selected, but two bidders are still negotiating their contracts. A deal is expected in the next few weeks after which all potential buyers will require government approval. Two people familiar with the situation, who shared details of the sale that could amount to $5.2billion, warned the figure could still change as the companies negotiated the final details.

“It is a lot of money,” said a banker involved in the process. “It is a great display of the strength of the Nigerian indigenous oil industry.”

Domestic oil and gas companies have expanded aggressively since 2008 on the back of a government initiative. They have bought assets worth $5billion from the world’s biggest energy groups.

MEETING: President Goodluck Jonathan, flanked (right) by the Chairman, National Conference Management Team, Justice Idris Kutigi, and the Vice Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi (left), the SGF, Senator Pius Anyim (1st left), and others after a closed-door meeting with the President, at the State Hoiuse, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida

40 people feared killed in fresh Alago/ Eggon fight in Nasarawa

By Abel Daniel

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AFIA — NOT less than 40 people have been feared killed in a fresh fight between the Alago and Eggon people of

Nasarawa State, yesterday, while over 50 houses were also set ablaze. The fight took place at Tudun Adabu in Obi local government area of the state.

An eye witness who was at the scene of the event said that the fight was initially between Eggon

people and Fulani herdsmen in Assakio, headquarters of Lafia East development area of the state which later spread to Tudun Adabu, Wamba, Akwanga and Nasarawa Eggon local governments leaving scores dead and rendering thousands

27 Boko Haram militants killed in border clashes —Cameroon

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AMEROON’S ARMY has killed 27 members of terrorist group Boko Haram near a northern town, state radio said, Wednesday.

The Boko Haram fighters were reported to have crossed Nigeria’s border into Cameroon earlier this week after attacking a military base and police station in Borno,

north east Nigeria.

The attack was said to have apparently sent some 480 Nigerian troops retreating across the frontier.

“Cameroon soldiers have killed 27 Boko Haram elements during an attack in a locality near Fotokol in the far-north,” state radio/TV said.

It added that the deaths occurred, Monday and Tuesday, but there was no word on any Cameroonian casualties.

A Cameroonian soldier in the region said the militants had been pushed back into Nigeria, with calm returning to the area on, Wednesday.

INEC sets up registration points in LGA offices nationwide

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

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HE INDEPENDENT National Electoral Commission, INEC, is to set up registration points at its Local Government Area, LGA, offices across the country for the purpose of enrolling unlisted voters into the voters’ register.

The commission in a statement

issued in Abuja, yesterday, said the continuous voters' registration was aimed at addressing issues that prevented eligible voters from registering during the recent exercise that ended last Monday.

The commission in a statement issued by Mr. Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to the chairman of the commission, Prof.

Attahiru Jega, also warned voters to avoid registering twice as it

claimed that they would be found out and face stipulated sanctions as provided by the Electoral Act. The statement read thus: “The INEC has noted with concern the agitation in some quarters for an extension of the second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, which ends on Monday, August 25, 2014.

“This phase of the exercise,

FEC awards N4.2bn contract for power transmission

By Ben Agande

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HE FEDERAL Executive Council, FEC, yesterday, approved the award of contracts worth over N4.2 billion to boost the transmission of power in some key industrial hubs in the country.

Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo disclosed this at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting.

According to Professor Nebo, the contracts approved

of people homeless.

It was also gathered that all the inhabitants of Assakio, Tudun Adabu and Dedere have deserted their homes as a result of the crisis in the areas. Victims of the troubled areas were seen moving their children and property to Lafia town.

Distraught members of the affected communities told Vanguard that trouble started when the Eggon people who were fighting against the Fulanis discovered that the Alago youths had joined forces with the Fulani mercenaries to fight them.

The Eggon people therefore turned their guns against the Alago at Tudun Adabu killing over 40 of them and injuring others.

by FEC were for the construction of a 132 KV Transmission line and the two 132/33 KV substations in Ifitedunu and Onitsha respectively.

He said the contracts were for the engineering design, manufacture, supply, construction, testing and commissioning of Onitsha Ifitedunu 132 KV Transmission line the sum of $5,992,974.24 payable at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of payment plus N1,141,865,

028.73 inclusive of N271,912,872,.12 for five per cent Vat and 10 per cent contingency with a completion period of 24 months.

The other contract approved

by Council was for the engineering design, manufacture, supply, construction testing and commissioning of 2x60 MVA, 132/33Kv substation at Ifitedunu and 2x 132 line bays extension at Onitsha in the sum of USD8,315,264.53, payable at the prevailing

exchange rate at the time of payment plus N864, 274, 352.96 inclusive of N431, 852,916.28 for the right of way compensation, five per cent VAT and 10 per cent contingency with a completion period of 24 months.

Meanwhile the Federal Executive Council yesterday approved a new draft bill for an Act to establish Federal Medical Centres with uniform functions, managerial and administrative structures.

which commenced on Wednesday, August 20, 2014, involved the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and 11 states namely Yobe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kwara, Anambra, Ebonyi, Ondo, Oyo Delta and Cross River.”

“Much as the Commission is eager to ensure that all legitimate persons, who are yet to register as voters have the opportunity to do so, it is logistically impossible to extend this phase of the CVR beyond its scheduled deadline (Monday, August 25, 2014)” “But in order to give fair chance to legitimate registrants, the Commission will, on a date to be shortly announced, set up registration points at its LGA offices where people yet to do so can go to register.

“INEC notes with deep regret that old tendencies towards irregularity, such as partisans urging people to come out and do multiple registrations, largely accounted for the crowd clusters lingering at registration points set up for the CVR by the Commission.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 —9

Nigeria has not eliminated Ebola — FG

By Ben Agande

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BUJA — THE Federal Government declared, yesterday, that in spite of the huge success it recorded in curtailing the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, in the country, it has not yet completely eliminated the virus.

Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, disclosed this yesterday when he spoke with state House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting where he briefed the president and members of the Council on the containment of EVD. The minister spoke on a day President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the stigmatisation of Nigerians by some countries over recent cases of the Ebola Virus in the country.

According to the minister: “I don’t want Nigerians to panic, but I don’t want us to be carried away with euphoria because if we still have one case of Ebola Virus Disease, it is an emergency.

"The World Health Organization, WHO, defines Ebola epidemic as when one person is infected with the disease. We have to be cautious as long as there is still a victim in the country,” he said.

According to the Minister: “While Nigeria has successfully contained Ebola Virus Disease, it has not eliminated the disease because there is still a case we are managing and as long as there is one case in the world, every country is still at risk.

“It is still possible that Nigeria may record between one to three new cases because there are people under surveillance. There is a case we are still managing and even that case we are still managing must also have had her own third degree contacts, many of whom are part of this number of people that are under surveillance.

“There is still a chance one of

the people under surveillance may fall sick and test positive. So until we give a clean bill of health to every contact, we cannot even say we have eliminated the disease,” he emphasised.

On government’s decision to close primary and secondary schools in the country till October, Professor Chukwu said it was a precautionary measure to safeguard the lives of children.

He also emphasised that there is no need for the country’s borders to be closed just yet, adding that government may consider closing the borders only if it is absolutely necessary to do so.

“There is no panic to close borders, but if it becomes necessary, we may close borders.

Our borders are still open, but what we are doing is screening of people coming into the country,” he said.

On the N1.9 billion released by the Federal Government to fight Ebola Virus Disease, Professor Chukwu said the money was for the Federal Ministry of Health and its agencies to contain the spread of Ebola and not to be shared to states of the federation.

Discrimination Also, President Jonathan, who was not happy with the way Nigerians were being discriminated against in foreign countries on account of the virus in Nigeria, condemned such discrimination when he had a meeting with Mr. David Navarro, a Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General.

He particularly denounced discriminatory actions such as that which forced Nigeria’s team to the Youth Olympics in China to abandon its participation.

Noting that there was no justification for such stigmatisation of Nigerians since the Ebola Virus Disease had been effectively contained in the country and never attained scandalous levels, the President

called for the cessation of discriminatory actions against Nigerians over the virus and urged the UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki Moon to support the call.

Responding to the Secretary General’s commendation of Nigeria’s management of the threat of Ebola, President Jonathan praised the Federal Ministry of Health, the Lagos State Government and all Nigerians for the success achieved so far in containing the virus and avoiding a national epidemic.

“All hands have been on deck to contain the virus here. I commend my team and the Lagos State Government. We have been able to set politics aside and work in unison to deal with a national threat.

“All other Nigerians have played a part too by complying with the directives and advice we have issued to stop the virus from spreading any further. The success we have had is a testimony to what we can achieve as people if we set aside our differences and work together,” he told Mr. Navarro.

The President assured the Special Envoy that in spite of the seeming success of its containment measures, the Federal Government and its agencies will remain vigilant to guard against further cases of Ebola in the country.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and we will also support other affected African countries as much as we can because we cannot be completely safe from the virus as long as it continues to ravage some countries in our sub-region and continent. We will continue to work with the international community to curb the out-break in other countries,” President Jonathan pledged.

Mr. Navarro, who had visited Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the countries worst hit by Ebola before coming to Nigeria, told the

From left, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, CFR, Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy/Minister of Finance, stressing a point while Otunba Debola Osibogun, President/Chairman of Council, CIBN, Mr. Seye Awojobi; Ag. Registrar/Chief Executive, CIBN, Dr. Segun Ajibola, 1st Vice President and Dr. Uche Olowu, 2nd Vice President, CIBN, listen with keen interest when the Institute paid the Minister a Courtesy Visit in her office on Monday, August 25, 2014, at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.

President that he had come, on the instruction of the UN Secretary-General, to applaud Nigeria’s successful containment of the virus.

“The Secretary-General asked me to come here too, not because you have an Ebola problem, but because you have tackled it in an exemplary fashion.

“Your personal leadership on the matter has been key. There may still be some work to be done before the virus is completely cleared out from here, but other countries can learn from your fine example,” Mr. Navarro told the President.

Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting, Mr. Navarro commended Nigeria’s efforts at containing the Ebola Virus.

He said: “The point I made to the President of Nigeria is that this country and its people have performed excellently in their response to Ebola Virus Disease.

“It has been a whole of country effort. The whole of the society has been involved and the correct procedures are being adopted.

“There will always be outbreaks of dangerous diseases in our world because of globalisation, because we want free movement between countries and between communities and because there are viruses that move from the animal kingdom to the human population.

“The good public health techniques and the full involvement of all of society, strong leadership by all, whatever their political parties, can lead to successful control effort.

“We, of course, regret that some people lost their lives. There may be some one, who got sick and died as a result of this current Ebola problem in Nigeria, but I am confident that the government and the people are responding in a proper way and to ensure that the situation is kept under control by the way they are paying full attention to the people’s rights and entitlements.”

Why First Consultants Medical Centre is still shut The First Consultant Hospital, Obalende, where the first case was treated, is still shut because the Lagos State government is waiting for directive from the World Health Organisation, WHO, after de-contamination exercises in the facility.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who explained this in Lagos, said already several decontaminations have been done in the place confirmed that it was going to take some time before the facility will be opened.

“I need to get clearance from the Ebola Emergency Operation Centre because they are the ones, who could give clearance that the hospital is clean and ready for reopening. It is after that the state

government embarks on its own process.

De-contamination may not be complete because some of the equipment in the hospital may be discarded, burn some materials and other activities. This is to ensure that the hospital is free of the virus. So it will take some time before the hospital will be reopened, but once we get the approval, WHO and EOC the government will do the needful.”

No Ebola-free certificate Idris said there is need to report every death and obtain Ebola-free documentation to facilitate the transportation of out-bounds corpses from the state. He however, dismissed rumours about Ebola free certificate, saying, “There is nothing like Ebola-free certificate being issued routinely to persons applying for visas in foreign embassies in Nigeria.

"Clearance certificate are nonetheless issued to contacts that have completed the 21-day maximum incubation period of EVD.” N1.9 bn not for Ebola fund —Chukwu Meanwhile, the Health Minister said that the N1.9 billion earlier approved by President Goodluck Jonathan, at the time he declared emergency over the disease, widely believed to be used for containing the virus, is for the improvement of the nation’s general health systems.

“We did say that the N1.9 billion that the President approved was for the Federal Ministry of Health; those ones that the Federal Ministry of Health should champion. That fund was provided based on the budget that the Federal Ministry of Health submitted to Mr. President. It was not termed an Ebola fund.

“I repeat, because now I hear that in some places, even village heads are asking for their own share. Nigeria is always thinking of sharing money. It is money for the Federal Ministry of Health to use in working. They are going to use it to procure more vehicles; which have already been ordered.

“They are going to use it to procure more personal protective equipment which had already been ordered. They are going to use it to provide isolation tents, which again had been ordered, including drugs which will be used to support the patients.

"It is a budget for the Federal Ministry of Health and its agencies as submitted by the Federal Ministry of Health to Mr. President.

“What I am saying is that there will still be other funds that will still be released in various ways, depending on what any of the cognate agencies is requesting from Mr. President that must be done..

10—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

South West monarchs warn over declaration of Gwoza ‘caliphate'zSay it can lead to full-scale war

By Ola Ajayi

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BADAN—ROYAL Fathers in South West of Nigeria, yesterday warned that recent declaration of Gwoza ‘caliphate’ in the NorthEastern part of the country by the Islamic Fundamentalists, Boko Haram, was meant to provoke the country to full scale war.

Speaking through the Chairm a n Yoruba Obas Conflict Resolution Committee, Oba Frederick Enitiolorunda Obateru Akinruntan, who is the Olugbo of Igboland, argued that it was impossible to declare a republic within republic.

The Chairman said “We are fighting guerilla war. We should not blame the FG because the president has to be very careful.

It is difficult to fight because it is a guerilla war. About caliphate being declared by Boko Haram in Gwosa, it is meant to provoke the country. It is not possible to declare a republic within republic. It can never be possible.”

He hinted that the age long royal battle among Yoruba monarchs including AlaafinOoni feud would soon be a thing of the past, saying “the committee is more determined to bring all the kings in the South West together under the same roof and amicably resolve all grey issues that could fan ember of disunity. It is not easy to repair a damaged thing. All of us in the committee are happy that the peace efforts we are making are already yielding results. We would ensure that peace reigns among Yoruba

10 APC members, musician injured as supporters of lawmakers clash in Ibadan

By Ola Ajayi

I

BRIEFING: Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris (middle) briefing newsmen on the latest development on the Ebola Virus Disease at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos. With him are Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba (right) and the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Mr. Hakeem Bello.

Obas. No other Oba in Yorubaland had ever made any effort in reconciling our monarchs. We thank God because our efforts are yielding fruits. We receive calls across the country and beyond acknowledging our reconciliatory moves.

“At the commencement of the reconciliation, we received the blessings of Ooni of Ife, Alaafin of Oyo, Alake of Egbaland, Awujale of Ijebuland, Soun of Ogbomoso, Olubadan of Ibadanland and Owa Obokun of Ijesaland. At one of the meetings we organised, we knew the cause of the age long crisis between two prominent Yoruba Obas and very soon, we will bring the two of them together and resolve it amicably. Reconciliation is a

gradual process and every day, we are moving closer to the end of the age long rivalry.

Everybody is coming to the understanding and appreciation of the fact that we the traditional rulers in the South-West geo-political zone must come together and speak with one voice in order to get our share of national recognition. We are now all aware of the marginalization of the Yoruba in the affairs of the country which the President, Goodluck Jonathan has just been addressing. It is as a result of the lack of unity among us the traditional rulers that has been responsible and we are addressing it.”

Taskforce arrests 9, two teenagers for drug peddling

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

L

AGOS State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, has arrested and arraigned nine suspects including two teenagers for alleged drug peddling.

They were arrested during a raid on their hideout in Lekki axis of the state.

The suspects arrested at Wole Olateru Street, Lekki Phase 1, on Tuesday were yesterday arraigned, before the Special Court, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja.

The trial Magistrate, Mrs. A. Anabor, who adjourned the case till September 16th, 2014, also granted the suspects bail in the sum of N50, 000 with two sureties in the like sum.

According to the taskforce, they were arrested following several complaints by the residents of the community on the nefarious activities of the drug peddlers expressing concern over the security implications of their activities.

It was alleged that the suspects specialised in cocaine, though, none was recovered from the suspects.

Ebola: NYSC modifies corpers’ camping exercise

By Dayo Adesulu

F

OLLOWING Federal Governing postponement of primary and secondary schools resumption date nationwide due to the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, has modified the 2014 Batch B orientation camp beginning Monday, September 1.

In a released posted on NYSC’s website, explained that the orientation course for Stream II was suspended due to the federal government’s pronouncement that all schools currently on vacation should remain closed to avert the spread of the EVD. It reads, “In consideration of the presidential pronouncement that all schools should not reopen at this time of national health emergency, the abridged version of the 2014 Batch ‘B’ orientation course is scheduled to commence from 1st to 8th September, 2014.

“Prospective Corps members are to equally note that the registration process will not take more than one hour. Thereafter, they are to collect their kits and proceed immediately to their states of deployment or relocation as the case may be for the completion of the remaining formalities.”

Meanwhile, Governor Babatunde Fashola, while addressing the 2014 Batch B stream one corps members in Lagos said, ‘’Government is not resting on its oars to combat the Ebola Virus.’’

Fashola who allayed the fear of corps members on EVD assured them that efforts were on top gear to contain the spread of EVD.

BADAN—AT least, 10 members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, including a fuji musician, Fuji musician, Rashidi Ayinde, were injured yesterday when supporters of two legislators in the Oyo State House of Assembly clashed at Ojoo area of Ibadan.

The lawmakers, Temitope Olatoye representing Lagelu state constituency and Abiodun Adigun Ahmed representing Akinyele II state constituency are both contesting the only seat in the same federal constituency in the 2015 election.

After the melee that lasted hours, the Fuji musician who was injured was seen at the Governor ’s office in a blood stained cloth.

An eyewitness said sanity was thrown to the wind during a mini-rally held at Ojoo area.

It was gathered that the Fuji musician was praising of Olatoye, an action which angered the supporters of his rival.

Subsequently, the two factions engaged in a free-for-all. which left them injured.

During the fracas, dangerous weapons like machetes were used.

To avoid being caught up in the violence, traders and party faithful in the area ran for cover.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi reportedly summoned the two lawmakers to a meeting by 2pm.

The governor reportedly warned them to call their loyalists to order as he would not sit by and watch them rupture the peace the state had been enjoying since he assumed office.

Confirming the fracas, the party ’s publicity secretary, Mr. Olawale Shadare, described it as minor political differences.

He said he was happy as the governor had waded into it and calmed frayed nerves.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 —11

OSUN: PDP wants election cancelled ...We have nothing to worry about — APC …Tribunal grants both parties leave to examine election materials

By Gbenga Olarinoye

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SOGBO—OSUN State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday said it was seeking for a cancellation of the August 9 governorship election in the state at the Election Petition Tribunal and a re-run, claiming it would establish among others, that figures credited to the All Progressives Party ’s, APC candidate, Rauf Aregbesola in the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, were unlawfully obtained.

APC, on the other hand, welcomed PDP’s decision to proceed to the tribunal to seek redress for its perceived irregularity during election in which its candidate, Iyiola Omisore, “suffered a comprehensive defeat”, declaring that it had nothing to worry about.

This came as the Tribunal yesterday granted the motion ex-parte filed by both the state APC and PDP seeking for the release of the election materials used during the voting exercise for examination.

The head of PDP legal team, Mr Sunday Ojo-Williams, who spoke at the PDP’s secretariat, ahead of its official submission of the party’s petition before the Election Petition Tribunal, in Osogbo, said the party would be asking for two prayers before the tribunal.

According to him, “logically, we are praying that those lawful votes cast in favour of the PDP’s candidate should be enough to declare our candidate winner of the August 9 governorship election. We have facts that we are going to present before the tribunal to establish that the figures credited to the APC’s candidate were unlawfully obtained.''

Ojo-Williams said the PDP was also seeking for an alternative, ‘’having regards to series of electoral malpractices, and violation of the electoral act, we are asking the tribunal to look at these allegations with a view to canceling the exercise and a rerun be ordered. We have spent the last 18 days studying the results and the actions and inactions that went into the election before putting together our petition. The electoral act gives us a 21 day frame. ‘’The resolve to challenge the outcome of the Osun governorship election is borne out of a desire to claim what is ours.

We wanted to do a thorough job that is why it took us 18 days. We want the tribunal to look into cases of corruption, malpractices,

VISIT: From left; Project Director, Ire Clay Products Limited, Mr. Biodun Adedeji; Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; GMD, Odua Investment Company Limited, Mr. Adewale Raji; DG, Ekiti Enterprises Development Agency, Oscar Ayeleso; and Head Business Development and Strategy Fountain Holdings Limited, Akin Oluwaleye, during a courtesy visit to the Governor, in Ado-Ekiti… yesterday. impersonation and chasing of our party agents. We will also want to establish that the much advertised colour coded ballot paper was nowhere used.”

APC welcomes PDP's move

But the APC said it heartily welcomed the decision by the PDP to proceed to the tribunal.

APC in a statement by its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Mr Kunle Oyatomi, said “this is a pleasant departure from what we know of PDP’s disposition to settling scores through violence, intimidation and terror. Now PDP has embraced a civilised approach to democratic engagement.

“So, as the PDP goes to the Tribunal, a new chapter is being written in Osun’s preference for

the rule of law rather than the rule of the jungle, which had characterised PDP’s politics before and shortly after the August 9 election. We in the APC have nothing to worry about because we know that we won the election fair and square. ''Even Professor Attahiru Jega, the INEC Chairman has attested to that in a public statement in which he said that the election “was nearly rigged” apparently by whoever of the losers he did not specify.

“Our confidence is even further boosted by the defection of John Abolarinwa Abidoye, the Osun PDP’s legal adviser to the APC on Tuesday (a day before the PDP filed its case at the Tribunal). He knows the facts because he participated in the election as a PDP agent. That is why he could say factually that, “the people of

Osun truly voted for Aregbesola. Across the state, they spoke loud and clear.”

Tribunal grants leave to examine election materials

Meanwhile, Election Petition Tribunal yesterday granted the motion ex-parte filed by both the State All Progressives Congress APC and the Peoples Democratic Party PDP seeking for the release of the election materials used during the election for examination.

The Tribunal headed by Justice I. M. Bako during its maiden sitting at the Osun State High Court in Osogbo, granted the applications seeking for the election materials in the custody of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for inspection.

Ondo stakeholders support Mimiko’s defection to PDP

A

KURE—THE defection of Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State from the Labour Party to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has been described by stakeholders in the state as the best political move the governor has made at this time.

Governor Mimiko had met with different interest groups in the state to intimate them of PDP ‘s request that he should join the national ruling party.

The groups Mimiko met with included members of the House of Assembly, traditional and religious leaders, captains of industries, workers' union

and artisans among others.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Jumoke Akindele commended the governor for consulting with the House and declared that the lawmakers were in favour of the move.

According to the speaker, “We all joined the Labour Party because of the governor, and for him to have consulted with us over this issue is a great privilege. We pledge this day that your (Mimiko) God will always be our God. “This is the most rational thing to do at the moment in view of the fact that Mr Governor is not

going for a third term in office.

He would not have engaged us in this wide consultation if he is a selfish leader. That is why we are offering our support for a better Ondo State.”

Traditional rulers and religious leaders who spoke during their meetings with Governor Mimiko on the issue were also unanimous in their support, stating that their belief in the governor’s move would be in favour of the people and secure the future of the state.

When contacted, the Commissioner for Information, Mr Kayode Akinmade said “Consultation is still on going on the issue.”

Emulate Aregbesola, govs told

By Anozie Egole

E

M I N E N T Nigerians have called on other state governors in Nigeria to emulate the recently reelected governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in the area of infrastructural development, noting that Aregbosala has transformed ideas to reality in Osun.

This was the submission of Professor Pat Utomi, Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, former Vice Chancellor, of Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof Wale Omole among others, who spoke in Lagos.

According to Utomi, ‘’All the good ideas I have for the country, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbosola has implemented then in Osun state. He is a man that takes development to the grassroots.

I was opportuned to be in the state some months ago, I will tell you, I am very pleased with the type of infrastructural development going on in the state under Governor Rauf Aregbosola’s led administration.''

Sagamu people warned against ‘stomach infrastructure'

By Peace Onyeukwu

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HE people of Sagamu in Sagamu Local Government area of Ogun State have been advised to shun the campaign for “stomach infrastructure” being peddled around to deceive them from embracing the progressive ideology of the present administration.

Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Basorun Muyiwa Oladipo, who gave the advice while addressing party faithful at an empowerment programme organised by Kokumo Oladipo Memorial Foundation, noted that the relentless efforts of Governor Ibikunle Amosun at ensuring adequate provision of infrastructures were mainly tailored at promoting the standard of living of the people.

12 —Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014— 13

14—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

CAN, PFN, others mourn Sadela

By By Sam Eyoboka &

Bose Adebayo

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TRIBUTES FOR AKUNYILI: From left; Chief Willie Obiano, Governor of Anambra State, former President Yakubu Gowon and his wife, Victoria arriving the venue of the Honours & Tributes ceremony for Prof. Dora Akunyili in Awka...yesterday.

AT I O N A L President, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, chairman of CAN in South West, Archbishop Magnus Atilade, National President of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, Dr. Felix Omobude and other gospel ministers have expressed shock at the demise of the founder of the Christ Gospel Apostolic Church, CGAC, Rev. Samuel Sadela who died at the age of 114 years on Sunday.

Speaking in separate telephone interviews, Oritsejafor, Atilade, Omobude and the others thanked God for the impact-full life Sadela lived, standing for the truth and righteousness till the end, lamenting that the old man departed when his wise counsel is needed most.

The CAN president expressed sadness that Pa Sadela had depart at a time when his wealth of experience on the pulpit is needed most, noting that the old preacher was a man of integrity and fairness who had mentored hundreds of ministers in the vineyard.

He'll live long in memories of those who know him —ORITSEJAFOR

Oritsejafor also expressed his condolence to the biological family of the fallen hero, his church and Christendom in general, stressing that Baba, though gone “but will live long in the memories of those who were privileged to know him directly as a non-compromising preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ and one who devoted his entire adult life winning souls and encouraging evangelism.”

Also speaking, Most Rev. Atilade told our reporter that Pa Sadela had lived an exemplary life worthy of emulation by upcoming ministers of the gospel as he spent over 70 years on the pulpit, saying “we are encouraged by his stewardship in the a vineyard of The Lord.”

According to him, Pa Sadela’s death at this period is regrettable, not because he is not of age, but because it is coming at a time when his wise counsel is needed to address some of the challenges in today’s Nigerian Church.

Stating that Pa Sadela represents the last from the old block, Atilade wished his immediate family the fortitude to bear the huge and irreparable loss, noting the man will be missed by a whole generation.

Our prayers will continue to go to his family —OMOBUDE

The PFN president, in his submission, said: “I thank God he lived a good life. We condole with his family and the church in general for the life he lived. Our prayers will continue to go to his family”, describing the fallen grand old preacher as a gift to Christendom, having spent over 80 years in ministry, serving God passionately for such a long time.

According to Omobude, for him to have served God for such a long time without blemish was commendable, saying that “the life of a man does not consist in the abundant of riches, but the life he lived.”

Rev. Samuel Ogedengbe, Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State governor on Christian Religious Matters, said Sadela had fought a good fight as a minister of God, describing him as a wonderful man of God and that he learnt under him.

We are encouraged ‘He was a wonderful by his stewardship in man who touched the Lord's vineyard many lives' —ATILADE “He was a wonderful man

who touched many lives.

He had lots of challenges, but he was focussed and never deviated. Young pastors should emulate him and not deviate from the word of God,” he said.

Pastor Ezekiel Mayowa of the Deeper Life Bible Church described the late Sadela as a very strong and revered man of God who kept the standard of the Christian faith with strong fervour, conviction and character.

He did not retire until he died —MAYOWA

“He did not retire until he died, ministers of God should know that there is no retirement from the work of God until death,” he said.

Sadela was born in 1900 and has spent about 84 years preaching the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sadela, who established over 180 branches of the GAC world wide was said to have died in Abeokuta, Ogun at about 4:15 a.m. on Sunday. He was said to have been rushed to Abeokuta to enable the daughter who lives there, to effectively look after him.

Sadela is survived by a son, Pastor Nathaniel Sadela and a daughter, Deaconess Adewunmi, who is married to the general evangelist of the church.

Pastor Nathaniel, who heads the Ikeja branch of GAC is touted to be his replacement, but the burial plans have not been announced by the church yet.

Rev. Sadela was born in the last Saturday of August, 1900 at Ifon, Ondo State, South- West Nigeria. His parents were Chief Olomonehin Sadela of Imoru (Second in command to the Olumoru of Imoru) and Princess Adetiye Sadela, a princess in the Adaniker ruling house in Ifon.

It was not difficult for him to remember the year of his birth because it was the year the District Officer (a white man) under the colonial rule assumed duty at Ifon.

Hence he was fondly called “Aboyinbode” (which means born the same year the white man arrived) by his parents, relatives and friends from childhood till he became adult. Though, his father came from the Olisa Chieftaincy House of Imoru, he was living at Ifon at the time of his birth.

His grand -father – Adidi was a warrior of repute, but Reverend Samuel Sadela is a warrior of Christ Jesus.

In 1902 as a toddler, little Akinbode was said to have been taught how to read the Holy Bible by the angels of God. Surprisingly, he could not read any other book apart from the Bible by then.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 — 15

Ex-Dep Gov joins Abia guber race

Man drowns in Owerri flood O

By Chidi Nkwopara

WERRI—THE devastat ing torrential rain that swept across Imo State in the past four days has not only destroyed several properties, but also claimed its first casualty in Owerri.

Our correspondent gathered that a commercial tricycle operator, whose identity could not be ascertained at press time, was swept away by the flood as he tried to salvage his tricycle that ran into a gutter along Okigwe Road, Owerri.

Stories had it that the tricyclist was heading to Owerri municipality from Orji, Owerri North Local Government Area when he mistook the heavily flooded drainage for the road.

“The commercial tricyclist and his passengers were emptied into the gutter but were quickly rescued by sympathizers.

“The tricycle owner, who was not badly injured in the mishap, thereafter tried to pull out his tricycle from the drain but was swept off his feet by the fast moving flood,” an eyewitness told Vanguard.

The eyewitness said that attempts to rescue the drowning tricyclist failed as the rescue team

almost got drowned.

The eyewitness said: “The fast moving flood later dumped the lifeless body of the tricyclist near the roundabout at Imo State University, IMSU, Junction.”

Some IMSU students, who spoke to our correspondent at the scene, expressed worry at the slow pace of work at the roundabout.

“This roundabout is misplaced.

We have recorded several road crashes, with its attendant loss of precious lives here. Only God knows when this project will be finished,” a student that simply identified herself as Nneka, said.

FEC MEETING: From left: Head of Federal Civil Service of the Federation, Mallam Danladi Kefasi, Minister of Youth Development, Mr.Bony Haruna, and Minister of Finance Dr.Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, during the Federal Executive Council Meeting, at the State House, Abuja. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

By Anayo Okoli

U

MUAHIA—TWOTIME Deputy Governor of Abia State, Elder Eric Nwakanma, has officially declared his intention to run for the governorship seat under the platfor m of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, saying he was the most qualified for the job.

Nwakanma, who served both former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu and incumbent, Theodore Orji, as deputy governor made his intention known last week at the PDP state office when he visited to inform the leadership of the party of his desire to contest for the post.

Believed to be very close to Governor Orji and has even been touted as anointed candidate, Nwakanma said his antecedents of serving as deputy speaker of the House of Assembly and two-time as deputy governor showed that he was prepared by destiny to be the governor of the state.

ABIA @ 23: We're still building —Gov Orji

U

By Anayo Okoli

MUAHIA— TWENTY THREE years after its creation, Governor Theodore Orji yesterday said that Abia State remained a major work in progress in terms of development.

According to him, there are still enormous work to be done and many new hurdles to cross in the concerted effort to develop the state.

Orji, in a 15-minute radio and television broadcast to mark the weeklong celebration of Abia’s 23rd anniversary, said, however, that his administration had succeeded in laying a solid foundation for the development of the state.

He said: “We have certainly tackled the hard task of laying the foundation for the sustainable development of Abia State, through our legacy projects that address the myriads of problems that confront our state.

“We have successfully advanced the building and strengthening of the various institutions that support statehood and created a viable democracy in our state, and these are visible in our many completed legacy projects and other works in progress.”

Reminding whoever would succeed him that there was still a lot to do, the governor urged him not to be intimidated with the challenges he might meet on ground whenever the new administration came into place.

“Our Administration was not deterred by the challenges we faced and what we inherited, instead we sought every opportunity to overcome our challenges and have created enduring legacies that we will be remembered for.

“This is the challenge of leadership which future Administrations of Abia State and our citizens need to embrace."

16—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

ABIA GUBER: Former Envoy joins race

By Anayo Okoli MUAHIA— T H E immediate past Consul-General of Nigeria in South Africa, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, has joined the race for Abia State governorship in 2015, with a promise to consolidate on what Governor Theodore Orji had done in the state.

Emuchay, a career diplomat of 31 years, voluntarily resigned this month as the Nigerian Consul-General in South Africa to seek the ticket of ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to contest the governorship seat.

Making his intention known tothestateleadershipoftheparty in Umuahia, Ambassador Emuchayexplainedthathe voluntarily resigned from office to enable him render service to his people.

Emuchay, who was accompanied to the party office by the former Minister of State, Foreign Affairs and son of first Nigerian Military Head of State, Ambassador Thomas Aguiyi Ironsi, said he has a passion for service.

“What we desire today is to moveforwardbecauseOchendo (Governor Orji) has done a lot, especially in the area of security.

My 84 year-old -mother had to go on exile in the United States of America for one year because of kidnapping," he said.

U

Enugu govt withdraws impeached dep gov's vehicles

By Tony Edike

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NUGU—BARELY 24 hours after Enugu State Deputy Governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, was removed from office by the State House of Assembly, heavily armed security operatives stormed his private residence at GRA, Enugu, yesterday, to recover eight vehicles.

Five of the vehicles were those he used as his official convoy, while two others were his official cars from the previous administration.

The car officially allocated to his wife, Nneka Ada Onyebuchi, was also taken away.

His security aides were withdrawn shortly after he was impeached on Tuesday.

One of the personal aides to Onyebuchi, Mr. Onyeka Nnaji, said over 20 security operatives from Government House, Enugu, led by the Chief Security Officer to the Governor, Mr. Fidelis Ogarabe, came to the residence to demand for keys to the vehicles.

He said the former deputy governor was not available when the CSO and his men came to the house but “when he was contacted, he directed that we should allow them take the vehicles and that we should not deny them access to the compound because he has nothing to hide.”

According to him, the vehi-

cles removed from Onyebuchi’s residence included one Toyota Land Cruiser Sports Utility Vehicle, SUV; two Toyota Prado SUVs; two Toyota Hilux Pilot vehicles; two Peugeot 406 cars he used during his tenure as Commissioner for Works under the Chimaroke Nnamani administration and a Nissan Tiena car belonging to Mrs. Onyebuchi.

“We are surprised by what is happening because we

have never heard anywhere in this country where the official vehicle of an impeached elected public officer was recovered.

“It is strange and the former deputy governor will speak at the appropriate time,” the aide said on phone yesterday.

Efforts to speak with the ousted deputy governor on the development proved abortive as he did not pick his calls.

Meanwhile, the impeachment of the number two citizen in the state has continued to dominate discussions in public places in Enugu, even as the people are eagerly waiting to know who the governor has nominated to occupy the vacant seat of the deputy governor.

Efforts to speak with officials of the government on the development also proved abortive as those contacted declined comment.

PRESENTATION: Head, Regional Sales, (Lagos/South West), Etisalat Nigeria, Olujinmi Tella (left), Manager, Regional Distribution (Lagos-North), Etisalat Nigeria, Oluwafemi Akinrelere (right), and Chief Executive Officer, C&N Abuson United Investment Ltd, Nwabueze N. Ogoeze, during presentation of the key of a brand new Ford Explorer to top performing dealer in Lagos North, at Etisalat Regional Office in Lagos, yesterday.

....It's cheap blackmail, says Enugu govt zAs Enugu Professionals express satisfaction with Panel's verdict

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NUGU—ENUGU State government yesterday described as cheap blackmail claimsby impeached deputy governor of the state, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, that his official vehicles were forcefully removed from his house by its agents.

This came as Enugu Professionals Forum, EPF, expressed satisfaction with the procedures followed by the government in impeaching the deputy governor.

The government said in a statement issued last night: “It’sutterlydishonourablefor anybody to peddle such falsehood.Uponhisremoval as the deputy governor, and with his consent, the chief driver attached to him (Onyebuchi) was the person

who returned the official vehiclesattachedtotheoffice of the deputy governor to the Government House chief driver.

“It’s most unfortunate if he continues to seek undeservedpublicsympathy by claiming that the vehicles were forcefully taken away.

Orhavingceasedtofunction as the deputy governor, did he expect to seize the official vehicles attached to the office? Or were his private cars returned to government?

“To put the matter in clear perspective,itwastheofficial vehiclesboughtbytheEnugu State Government for the office of deputy governor that were returned.”

Meanwhile, Enugu Professionals Forum, EPF, has expressed satisfaction

withtheproceduresfollowed by relevant authorities towards Tuesday’s impeachment of the Deputy Governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, even as other groups and notable persons equally agreed with his removal.

The Professionals, in a statement signed by the Secretary-General, Nebechi Ugo said it was satisfied that all the parties in the matter were accorded fair hearing while other necessary proceduresundertakenfrom the day impeachment proceedings were commenced by the House ofAssembly to the eventual impeachment, were religiously observed.

The group described Onyebuchi’s postimpeachment remarks

faulting the investigative panel’s report as the ranting of a loser, saying the three arms of government involved showed due diligence and respect for the rule of law in conducting the processes leading to last Tuesday’s action.

“TheEnuguProfessionals Forum monitored the case of the impeachment of the Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchiveryclosely,right fromthebeginningtilltheend and we’re satisfied and impressed with the fact that all due processes as prescribed by law were followed by the concerned authorities. Indeed allthearmsof government involvedinthematter showedexemplarymaturityand due regard for rule of law in all theiractions,”the group said.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 — 17

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S we return to our lives after the intensely lived months of the National Conference, 2014, many thoughts have crossed my mind about those truly crowded days and months of our lives. With hindsight, the fact that the National Conference was called in the first place represented a significant development for the country and the heated debates; angst and threats hurled at each other by Delegates were as therapeutic and cathartic as they came! I think it slowly dawned on several individuals who came with more myopic agendas that they needed to negotiate consent of others; while the contestation of the terrain of nation building was often a major remover of blinkers from the eyes of the deluded.

Central to the general history of the agitation for a National Conference was that it became a platform purposed to reduce the perceived dominance and privileges of Northern Nigeria in the Nigerian political process.

There was an almost metaphysical element to this perception, because changes in Nigeria since 1999, with power residing almost

Issues and personalities of the National Conference those with these agendas.

So while Southern groups had met severally all over the south; adopted platforms and perfected strategies; the truth was that the North was badly disadvantaged because for most of the years of the agitation for a National Conference, Northern elite groups had either ignored, rejected or opposed the agitation. Two reasons were fundamental to the Northern attitude: the perception that

nominated from the South to participate in the National Conference. Almost to till end of the Conference, every morning as we arrived for plenary, we received publications of all hues, each agitating for one idea or other; these were often very provocative ideas; threats and insults. And the fact that various groups held nocturnal meetings to perfect strategy about the main issues central to the National

In a Conference where there was excessive respect for gerontocracy and ethno-regional groups, individuals like Chief EK Clarke got more than a fair share of the opportunity to put their views across, much to the disadvantage of the social forces and individuals who represent the future of Nigeria

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exclusively in the South, minus the two years of Umaru Yar’adua, do not seem to register with many of the individuals from the South, who saw the National Conference as an opportunity to cut the North to size. And the fact that the National Conference had been DELIBERATELY skewed to disadvantage Northern Nigeria, just emboldened

there was a secessionist content to the agitation and the belief that there was always a design to disadvantage the region. So when President Goodluck Jonathan eventually called the National Conference, it became inevitable that Northern elite groups were now obliged to respond to the adversarial attitudes of many of the groups and individuals

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Conference, I often wondered just how suspicious our elite groups are of each other! One other clear point that could not have been lost to anyone privileged to be part of the horse-trading was the opportunism of Nigeria’s elite groups. While practically everybody agreed that Nigeria’s 36 states, as presently constituted, are unsustainable, the same

people ended up voting for the creation of 18 new states.

It was clear that these elite groups want their own fiefdoms to cream off and generally, do as they please with!

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s I said last week, many individuals interested me, in terms of their influence at the National Conference.

Let me talk about two of them today; these are Chief EK Clarke, the leader of the South-South Delegation and Jerry Gana, Nigeria’s most ubiquitous AGIP (Any Government in Power!). EK Clarke had built a myth around himself as being like a kind of political ‘god father’ to President Jonathan. He was not loath to exploiting the myth and many times during the Conference, he held court with men and women, who probably needed his vaunted influence to secure positions.

He was regularly distributing his call card to men and women; and whenever called to speak on an issue (he was a perpetual favourite of Bolaji Akinyemi’s), he would speak as if he was the one Nigerians had elected to power as their president! In a Conference where there was excessive respect for gerontocracy and ethno-regional groups,

President Jonathan's digital broadcasting pass mark

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WO weeks ago in Abuja, a meeting of a working group on Nigeria’s transition to Digital Broadcasting was held in Abuja. Unless you have a specialist interest in the subject, you probably won’t have noticed the coverage in the media. But that meeting brought together some of the leading international broadcast operators together, at the behest of the Nigerian company, Pinnacles Communications Limited.

That was the company that won the open, fair and competitive bidding for Nigeria’s license to drive the national digitization process from 2015. The Abuja meeting was one in a series of technical meetings to prepare the grounds for what will eventually become one of the most exciting phases in the development of Nigerian broadcasting into the future.

The main issue in this new development is that President Goodluck Jonathan did not intervene in a process which was allowed to run its course in a most transparent and equally patriotic manner.

Significantly, when the process was completed and a winning bid was announced and accepted, some of those who had hoped to be awarded the project began to work the system hoping to overturn the process; President Jonathan refused to intervene and upheld the fairness of the process, thus strengthening the digital regime into the future. We have often criticised the president on several issues of public policy and it is only fair to also praise what he did well for our country. With the Digital Broadcasting process, he has done very well. And in the same vein, as a resident of both Abuja and Kaduna, I must express profound happiness for the effort being made to deliver the Abuja Mass Transit railways system as well as the Express Train system between the FCT and the old Northern regional capital, Kaduna.

When delivered, the distance between the two cities will be significantly bridged thus turning Kaduna into a major suburb of the FCT. The possibilities will emerge that one could reside

in Kaduna and leave in the morning to work or transact business in the FCT. Economic corridors will develop along the railways system, since these are mass transit systems, usually employing hundreds, even thousands of working people.

We will have the possibilities of Nigerians from all parts of the country working and living together and learning themselves and their country even better!

The colonial railways system had been constructed as a mass system of exploitation of the colonial countries. But like all great projects of history, they also carried unforeseen outcomes, because the same system had carried Nigerians around their country, and they helped to circulate anticolonial ideas that gradually helped to forge the panNigerian consciousness which led to the achievement of Independence.

Massive investment

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hat the Jonathan administration is doing with the massive investment

in railways infrastructure will also impact on our national life in ways we probably haven’t even begun to conceptualize. I have always argued for the construction and modernization of the nation’s railways system, therefore I feel happy that Goodluck Jonathan has taken a bold step in this direction.

The vision must be pursued with vigour and it must be holistic, taking the system to Minna, and Benin City and the South and linking Maiduguri and Kano in the North. There is the Warri-Aladja-Ajaokuta line at an advanced stage of construction. The idea is to make these lines national, crisscrossing our country so that the railways can become one of the markers of our modernization ambitions of the Twenty-First Century.

Those who doubt the possibilities of our greatness as a country will find their skepticism exploded by the integration that the railways can wrought in this country.

That is one remarkable achievement that Goodluck Jonathan can be pleased with.

I’m excited too about the possibilities for our future!

individuals like Chief EK Clarke got more than a fair share of the opportunity to put their views across, much to the disadvantage of the social forces and individuals who represent the future of Nigeria. The fixation with the ethnic, the regional and other levels of false consciousness, often made it difficult to raise the layers of false perceptions of each other for many of these reactionary forces.

Professor Jerry Gana must fascinate any serious researcher into longevity of political life, within the political settings of a neocolonial society. Jerry Gana is the ultimate survivor.

His well-known turfs are the exploitation of religious identity and the Middle Belt, to stay relevant within the smoke filled, cloak-anddagger world of Nigerian politics. He works that combination adroitly to remain the perpetual go to, by all kinds of Nigerian regimes, from the most dictatorial military to the most despotic civilian. In my wonderment, I had asked in one of my columns in the past, just what Jerry Gana tells his grand children! Does he ever speak about noble ideas or fidelity to ennobling principles? Well, Jerry Gana was made CoChairman of the Northern Delegates Forum, as part of an effort by the North (disadvantaged in numbers, deliberately weakened by the mobilization of a Middle Belt constituency) to speak with one voice. Jerry Gana attended a few of our meetings, he chaired the sessions, took part in efforts to build a Northern platform and after a while, he disappeared! He was far more committed to the alliance that his Middle Belt group had forged with Southern Delegates. He promised Middle Belt elements new states as trade off for support of increased Derivation to the oil producing states as well as their much-vaunted New Constitution. Unfortunately for Jerry Gana, there was a clash of ambitions that almost scuttled one of his favourite projects: the creation of Edu State which was to include the Nupe Speaking parts of Kwara State. John Dara, his collaborator in the Middle Belt group, has an ambition to become Kwara State governor and was therefore opposed to ceding the Nupe speaking parts of Kwara to Jerry Gana’s Edu state. When he, John Dara, was assigned to submit the list of areas to include in Edu state, Jerry Gana to his chagrin found that John Dara, ensured that Kwara State was not dismembered! It was true to character that Jerry Gana accepted to be Co-Chairman of the Northern Delegates Forum and yet turned round to walk away, without bothering to wonder just what impression he had left on the younger people who looked up to him and others as leaders.

Just as sure as night follows day, if a new regime comes to power tomorrow, Jerry Gana will be ready and available to serve.

His permanent residence is the corridor of Nigerian power! On a final note, we can conclude that many good things came out of the National Conference, 2014.

Hopefully, we shall see them implemented!

18— Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 AFTER five hectic months, the 492member National Conference set up by President Goodluck Jonathan, completed their assignment with the submission of a 22-volume report consisting of 10,335 pages and 600 resolutions to the president.

While receiving the report from retired Chief Justice of the Federation, Idris Legbo Kutigi, President Jonathan, predictably, pledged the administration will do all it can to ensure the implementation of the recommendations.

It was a major national triumph that the conference not only successfully took place but ended on a happy note without the threat of boycotts, walk- outs, disownment of the documents or writing of “minority ” or alter native reports bedeviling it. Given the skeptical air that surrounded its beginning, with many groups unsure of its real purpose or success, added to the tumult that often attended the sessions while it lasted, Nigerians have every reason to be delighted that the conference ended with the delegates from across the various divides chanting a victory song; victory for Nigeria.

Now comes the real challenge. We as a

By Chukwudi Enekwechi

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IGERIA'S former military dictator, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida recently attained the age of 73, and he chose to celebrate it by dwelling on national issues such as states creation, insecurity, politics and of course general state of the nation. While I relished IBB’S interview in two newspapers, Thisday and Daily Trust, I however took exception to his view about state creation, mostly as it concerns the South East.

In his opinion, states ought not to be created out of sentiment, rather on their viability. Simply put, he prefers that the status quo remain, and that the deliberate injustice of leaving South East with five states, as against North West’s seven should be glossed over.

But let me remind our retired general that the viability of states like Niger, Benue, Yobe, Borno, Taraba, Adamawa, Kogi, Ekiti, Taraba, Kwara, Ekiti, Osun and others cannot be proven. Secondly in his view, he forgot that the “One Nigeria” which they “built” distributes resources based on states, and it’s only on states platform that local governments, another stratum of wealth distribution are created.

Furthermore, the number of Senators, House of Representatives members, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, infrastructural allocations, scholarships, federal institutions and other entitlements are shared. Let me remind our former Head of State that it was under his watch in 1987, that such important national institution like NBTE

Making the confab count people must seize this moment and chart a new future for ourselves and future generations. The recommendations from this confab contain issues canvassed over the years during the various conferences since independence, all aimed at repairing the dysfunctions in our sociopolitical and economic system.

Incidentally, many of the delegates to the just-concluded conference also attended some of the earlier editions and came armed with adequate knowledge of the things required to change the country for the better.

That Nigeria is in dire need of reforms is all too evident. There is too much corruption in the system, wasteful

governance, overcrowded and indolent public bureaucracies, a seriously underdeveloped economy, violent political discontentment due to inequities. There is a large body of Nigerians who are not being carried along politically, economically and socially. This country needs to reconcile itself to its various peoples and get them to love and serve her as other countries that are progressing do.

The job of making the just-concluded conference count belongs to all Nigerians. This is because the document will be looked into by the legislative and executive arms of government at state and federal levels. We must encourage these officials we elected to be patriotic and swift in ensuring that recommendations that will define a new, better future for our people are put in place as soon as possible.

The confab came at an auspicious time; the end of an old, difficult century when every Nigerian group felt the pain of a wrong start to nationhood. Let us use the product of this confab to show that we are capable of creating a second century Nigeria that will be the envy of others.

OPINION IBB's reflections @ 73 was located in a place other than the Federal Capital that is Kaduna.

The same fate befell other important national institutions like NDA, Bank of Agriculture, National Teachers Institute and several others. Yet, as a people Nigerians have continued to gloss over these obvious injustices for the sake of peace. If there was no gain in siting these important institutions in the North, why did our former ruler not site them in the South East?

I have made the above observations in order to remind ourselves that Nigeria has always being ruled based on ethnic, religious and parochial considerations.

If not so, how come that no Igbo man has ever been FCT Minister (not Minister of State), Chief Justice of Nigeria, President (either civilian or military) NNPC MD, Minister of Petroleum and numerous other positions since after the civil war?

Therefore, when our former ruler General Babangida continues to insist that the issues of Nigeria’s oneness is settled, it flies in the face of logic, otherwise there would have been no constitutional conference in year 2014 by all the ethnic nationalities still questioning the basis for our coexistence.

Perhaps, it is only in IBB’S mind that nations are built based on forced relationships.

The truth is that as it stands today Nigeria is mutually exclusive than inclusive, hence the lack of love and incessant killings of people based on ethnic origin. Before we can hurriedly say that

these are problems associated with a developing country, let me quickly add that in the case of Nigeria, there is no sign of abatement, more so when one realise the high level of arrogance and impunity with which one group tries to superintend over others.

Yet, if all the nationalities were to react in commensurate measure to the various misdeeds, definitely sooner or later we shall say goodbye to IBB’s “One Nigeria” .

Of course, I concede that IBB is entitled to his opinion, and been so distance from present day reality, he rosy may not appreciate the level of discontentment in the land. It will require a deeper introspection and soul searching to really come to terms with the deep divisions in Nigeria. If one may ask, how does IBB hope to weld together a people forever in a union inherent with disaffection, discontentment and injustice?

Obviously such a system cannot and shall not endure and no amount of brute force can sustain it. The only panacea is to do things right and redress perceived or real injustices that confront us as a nation. To do otherwise will amount to mere wishful thinking, and postponing the evil day.

Moreover, no society remains static as societies continue to evolve and adapt to the changing dynamics of the world around it. Nigeria is not a private estate, where the owner can dictate how it will be, rather as a country the peoples living therein will over time come to terms with

the benefits or otherwise of remaining one indivisible entity.

The challenges as they are today, if not addressed will obviously spiral into total eclipse of Nigeria as a country, and no force can withstand such hurricane. The just concluded National Conference therefore offers a vista of opportunity for us as a people to tackle head on such obvious challenges that tend to impede national development, progress and cohesion.

As a senior citizen, IBB should think out of the box and appreciate the feelings of other people outside of his immediate environment. In situations where past leaders ought to show remorse, they should go ahead and do so, especially as no human being is perfect. We cannot continue to live in denial as a people.

Lest we forgot, a war of attrition was waged by Nigeria and the world powers against Ndigbo between 1967 and 1970 and in IBB’s eight years in office, he never contemplated paying reparation or apologising for the war.

Today, Nigeria is yet to descend from the high ground on which it stands as far as the Igbo Question is concerned, yet we are the first to applaud statesmen like late Nelson Mandela who inspite of the injustices meted out to him and blacks generally came out from prison after 27 years and reunited the country.

To Nigeria and her past leaders I ask – Where is thy Conscience? *Mr. Enekwechi, a public affairs commentator, wrote from Abuja.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014— 19

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HEN I saw the story in one of the newspapers it made me laugh. One of the headlines read: “1000 Bishops Storm Abuja To Reconcile Jonathan, Obasanjo”. The story had it that 1,000 Christian clerics from the southern part of Nigeria last weekend invaded the Christian Ecumenical Centre, Abuja to pray and forge a reconciliation between President Goodluck Jonathan and one of his predecessors and estranged political godfather, former President Olusegun Obasanjo. It made me laugh for several reasons.

Number one; imagine 1,000 clerics abandoning their otherwise sacred pastoral duties in their respective domains to come to Abuja to reconcile quarrelling politicians! That is how banal the character of people who have taken up religious vocation and donned the grandiloquent title of “Bishops” has become.

Obviously, these are mainly the one-room church owners who peddle miracles and prosperity as their unique selling points

rather than genuine pastoral duties which involve a lot of teaching, mentoring, counseling, visitations and missionary work among the faithful. A genuine man of God will not have the time to run after politicians and seeking to “reconcile” them, unless such people are (a) members of their flock or congregation, or (b) have approached the clerics, seeking to be reconciled.

If Jonathan and Obasanjo want to be reconciled, they will not need 1,000 pastors to achieve it. If, for instance, Jonathan has reasons to believe that without the support of Obasanjo, he will not get re-elected next year, he will descend on Ota, or wherever the chicken farmer may be holed up, with the entire National Working Committee (NWC), National Executive Council (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BOT) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) if need be. He will switch on his usual humble façade, and everyone will go: “Baba this, Baba that”.

He will give Obasanjo those things he withheld which made the old man to start looking for

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his replacement in Aso Villa.

Obasanjo believes in his heart that he is a tin god of Nigeria, and there are quite a few, even among politicians, who believe he is.

If you ask me who might have taken the initiative to bring those busybody “bishops” to Abuja, I will tell you it unlikely that the President did. I don’t even think the ex-president did.

Rather, it could be the handiwork of middle-men politicians trying to rally some politically-exposed clerics to stage a show, so that if the two warring parties eventually hook up ahead of the 2015 elections, they would claim some credit for themselves. Obviously, it did not work, because the two men only reportedly sent low-level representatives who equally happened to be clerics.

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onestly, I don’t want Obasanjo and Jonathan to reconcile. I don’t consider it in the larger public interest that they do. Experience has shown that when our leaders quarrel, the polity becomes more vibrant. More disclosures are put

Government of National Unity as a tasty poison

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E are reminded of “Aggregate Seven” – an uncle of ours whose nickname emanated from the fact that he had an aggregate of seven wives, none of whom was original. Uncle used his position as a Customary Court President to acquire second-hand wives.

At the least prompting, he encouraged the women to push for divorce and he assisted them to facilitate the divorce process. As soon as they were through, they automatically landed in his house to increase his stock.

Those were the days when nobody talked about conflict of interest.

We should have known that perhaps some young elements were quietly imbibing Uncle’s idea, with a view to transforming same to the level of national politics some day.

After the initial take-off around 1998, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has hardly recruited any new members. Their stockin-trade has not gone deeper than laying wait on decampees and rejects from the more refined political parties. Today, we are looking at the nebulous concept of the Government of National Unity, GNU, which they have applied very dexterously in swelling their ranks.

Virtually after every election, there are maneuvers and scrambles for the spoils of office. This is where they begin to talk of the GNU. We do not expect the 2015 elections to be much different.

And invariably, too, the stand of the major opposition parties has always been that the GNU is unacceptable. They quickly see it as a tasty poison, which when we drink, we die. They see it for what it is – a way of attracting some of the best brains from the ranks of the opposition. Those who go never return to their original parties anymore.

Actually, coalition government in a

presidential system is a misnomer. It never works. It is only an effort for selfish politicians to help themselves.

In 2011, 44 of the country’s 63 registered political parties, most of which Nigerians cannot remember their names, on the eve of the election queued behind President Goodluck Jonathan, hoping to share from the spoils of the electoral victory.

Essentially, the quest for a GNU is an extension of the politicians’ search for relevance, particularly in a situation where very little premium is placed on the value of the opposition. Who really provides the heat that keeps government on its toes to achieve landmarks that will free Nigeria from poverty and the pervading corruption that most people now accept as a way of life?

GNU is a ready tool in the hands of government to appease the losing party after the election war, to create the illusion that it is not winner takes all. It is also a way of splitting the ranks of the parties that are contesting the election results at the tribunals.

The offer is too enticing for politicians who want to recover their investments in the election. They are in such a hurry that they hardly consider the havoc to themselves and their party. Once they go, they become deformed and thoroughly incapacitated politically, that is.

In the ill-fated Third Republic, one of the most vibrant politicians that this country had was the ebullient Ambassador Babagana Kingibe. See how he has since boxed himself to a dead-end by drinking of the tasty poison?

We remember James Ajibola Idowu Ige (1930 – 2001) – Federal Attorney-General and Minister of Justice under President Olusegun Obasanjo. He was assassinated on December 23, 2001 in his bedroom at his Bodeja, Ibadan residence.

in the public domain; newspapers become more readable and sell more. It becomes more worthwhile to sit and watch the news on television. The usually warm social media begin to boil. You will remember what happened in December 2013 and January 2014, the famous season of open letters. Obasanjo wrote a long, windy poisonous missive against his political god son, Jonathan.

Jonathan replied hotly, while Obasanjo’s daughter, Iyabo, took her father to the laundry. It was from Iyabo I borrowed the term I used above, that Obasanjo believes he is “a god” of Nigeria.

On a more serious note, Obasanjo should not reconcile with Jonathan because if he does, our democracy will be the worse for it. How do I mean?

Without Obasanjo, the late Umaru Yar’ Adua and Jonathan would not have been president.

That the two men became the presidents of Nigeria owed to the careful and deliberate machinations of Obasanjo and his political henchmen/women. If you read Nasir el Rufai’s book, The Accidental Public Servant and related writings by various authors who should know, you will hear it from the horse’s mouth.

Obasanjo had hand-selected ailing Yar’ Adua to replace him as president with strong but pitifully humble Jonathan as his running mate. He knew Yar’ Adua’s terminal disease would not allow him to complete his tenure. It was a matter of time before Jonathan would climb into the coveted seat.

You also recall that long before Yar’ Adua died, he and Obasanjo were no longer in talking terms.

Obasanjo was no longer an effective stakeholder in PDP and

We have been warned not to speak evil of the dead, except it is in furtherance of t h e incontrovertible truth. Bola Ige’s decision to join President Obasanjo-led government dealt a big blow on the progressive movement. It has been held as the issue that finally broke the back-bone of the Alliance for Democracy, AD, which won all the

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Please don’t reconcile OBJ with GEJ

Honestly, I don’t want Obasanjo and Jonathan to reconcile. I don’t consider it in the larger public interest that they do

GNU is evil; it is an open invitation to the one-party state, which Nigerians have always detested as retrogressive

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governorship seats in the South-West in 1999, but lost all, except Lagos, in 2007.

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erhaps in error, by knowledge and disposition, we had looked upon Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife as a clear leader of the Igbo race. This was one man who took the battle of the progressives to the very heartland of the conservatives and he defeated them all.

In the ill-fated Third Republic, he was by far the most vibrant politician east of the Niger. He was the Governor of Anambra State from January 1992 to November 1993.

He has partaken of the tasty poison and today, he has become a Jonathan apologist.

He now preaches the breakup of Nigeria if Jonathan is not allowed to contest the 2015 election. “Whether you are from the North,

the federal government it produced, even though Umaru was installed because he was the lamb-like younger brother to the late General Shehu Yar’ Adua, Obasanjo’s deputy during their military years who later became a close family friend and confidante. When Umaru died, Obasanjo jumped out of his political doldrums and was one of the first to start pressing the new Acting President, Jonathan, to run in 2011. Barely one year into Jonathan’s stay in power, he and Obasanjo became seriously estranged, to the point of that open media shootout earlier referred to.

The reason for these events is simple. Obasanjo put them in power. Therefore they must dance to Obasanjo’s tune. This is what most people are unable to put up.

Having once again failed to control power from Ota, Obasanjo started looking for a replacement for Jonathan come 2015. He has lined up several candidates. Two of them: Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano and the Speaker, House of Reps, Waziri Tambuwal, are in the All Progressives Congress (APC) while Governor Sule Lamido is still in the PDP. I want to see how far Obasanjo can go in getting any of these men in and Jonathan out. It is an opportunity for Jonathan to have a real fight for his second term. If Obasanjo and Jonathan are reconciled before the elections we will be denied the thrills and excitement of witnessing this epic political battle.

I want to see a well-contested presidential election next year, especially the magic Obasanjo will wrought to produce a new president.

South, or West, you cannot stop Jonathan from going for a second term and winning…

Everybody can make noise but if those who are making noise should think deeply, they would realise that the continued existence of Nigeria as one country is anchored on Jonathan’s continuation in office come 2015”.

Carrying his naivety further, he asserts that if Jonathan does not win the 2015 election, “The Niger Delta boys would blow up all the oil pipelines and the country would break up”.

Senator Ben Obi, Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Inter-Party Affairs was one of the leading South-Easterners noted for their political brilliance. He was the ACN vice presidential candidate during the 2007 contest. The results of the election were hardly out when he jumped ship by joining the Musa Yar’Adua-led administration and he has remained there ever since. He is credited with the famous assertion, “Time of politics is over. We are now in governance”.

Alhaji Nuhu Ribadu, former anti-corruption guru, was the ACN presidential candidate at the 2011 elections. As soon as he lost, President Jonathan made him what the Americans call an offer he couldn’t reject – Chairman, Petroleum Revenue Task Force.

The penultimate week, he finally defected to the PDP, where he is now the aspirant to beat for the forth-coming gubernatorial contest in Adamawa State.

GNU is evil. It is an open invitation to the one-party state, which Nigerians have always detested as retrogressive.

20 — Vanguard, THURSDAY THURSDAY,, AUGUST 28, 2014

Crisis brews in Enugu community as contestant allegedly declares self monarch-elect STORIES BY CHINENYEH OZOR, Nsukka

T

ENSION is presently mounting in Ihe/Owerre autonomous community of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State after a contestant to the disputed traditional stool of the community, Ozioko George Asadu, allegedly declared himself as monarch-elect. The action has prompted a reaction from some members of the community who have through their solicitor, Mr. H.O Eya, petitioned the Enugu State Commissioner of Police to stop Chief Asadu from parading himself as the traditional

chief and traditional ruler as any person recognised or selected and appointed by the town or community as the traditional ruler and recognised as such by the governor in accordance with the provisions of the law.

Vanguard Metro, VM, gathered that the Enugu State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Pastor Emeka Abugu, allegedly stated that Ihe/Owerre autonomous community has no traditional monarch-elect till an election to that effect was conducted.

The commissioner had earlier warned the contestants of the coveted position not to jump the gun or allow themselves to be addressed as the traditional ruler-elect of the community till the process was concluded.

The Nigeria Police Area Command Nsukka while brokering peace in the community made two attempts on May 25, 2014 and June 30, 2014 to charge the matter to court but this was scuttled for unknown reason.

Meanwhile, the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Abubakar, has waded into the matter with the aim of brokering an everlasting peace in the community.

and alleged pronouncement of the said Chief Asadu, the group had during a protest it staged in this regard appealed for calm in the face of the looming crisis, saying that the action of “the self-styled monarch” has ruffled the peaceful mood of the people who are now forced to show divided loyalty to the two contestants.

However, section 19 of the traditional rulers law, cap 151 laws of Enugu State 2004 provides as follows: “Whether or not there is a recognised chief in a town or community, a person not being a recognised chief who holds himself out or allows himself to be portrayed or allows himself to be addressed as a

The action of “the self-styled monarch” has ruffled the peaceful mood of the people who are now forced to show divided loyalty to the two contestants

,

ruler- elect of the community.

The group said that the traditional stool became vacant following the death of the traditional ruler of the community, the late Igwe John Attama, adding that two persons, which include Mike Omeje and Chief Asadu, showed interest in occupying the prestigious royal throne.

The contentious traditional institution has allegedly split the community into two, thus eroding the peace of the area.

The petition also claimed that so far, none of the two persons who have shown interest to occupy the stool has been selected as the process of selection was yet to be concluded. The group, represented in the petition by Sunday Amoke, Dan, Ugwoke, Apollos Sunday Omeje, Raphael Omeje, Patrick Agbo, Sir Onogwu, Ben Ezugwu, Paul Ngwu, Anthony Ugwuanyi, William Ishiwu and Ezekiel Tabugbo Eze, had in the petition alleged that Ozioko Asadu has run foul of the law by allowing himself to be addressed and portrayed as the traditional ruler of Ihe/ Owerre autonomous community. They cited a video clip of the most recent “Omabe” masquerade festival where he(Chief Asadu) pronounced himself as the traditional ruler of the autonomous community. While denouncing the utterances

,

recognised chief of the town or community is guilty of an offence and on conviction is liable to imprisonment for two years without option of fine”.

The law further interprets

*Ozioko George Asadu

For Boko Haram victims, a lifeline from a philanthropist

R

ELIEF has come the way of some Enugu State indigenes who were displaced in the North Eastern part of the country by Boko Haram terrorist activities as a notable philanthropist, Chief Willy Ezugwu, recently intervened to assuage their plight. For the victims who hail from Enugu North senatorial zone of the state, it was indeed a day to celebrate and appreciate the kind gesture of Chief Ezugwu, the national scribe of the Conference for Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, in organising a fund raising on their behalf.

In a brief but solemn ceremony held at the Catholic Cathedral, Nsukka the former Economic Adviser to exPresident Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Osita Ogbu urged victims of the insurgency by the Islamic extremist sect to remain hopeful in spite of their ordeal. Prof. Ogbu, a senior lecturer at the Department of Economics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka who was the chairman of the

fund raising, commended the organisers for their kind gesture, saying it would go a long way in giving hope to the victims in the zone. explaining that it was meant to rehabilitate about 1000 indigenes who were victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the northern partof the country. He applauded efforts of the federal government towards fighting the insurgency and urged Nigerians to continue to give government and security operatives required support.

In his remarks, Chief Ezugwu, the initiator of the programme said it was unfortunate that politicians, corporate individuals and bodies abandoned their people who were victims of the insurgency in the North when they needed help most. He expressed surprise that no elected person in Nsukka zone found it expedient to come for the fund raising, even when they received the invitation early enough.

“It is unfortunate that the people elected failed them at

*Chief Ezugwu and Igwe Okolo(c) with the victims this very difficult moment.

None of them found it worthy to come and contribute towards rehabilitating these victims; they did not even send any representative.

“In 2015, these same people will come and look for our votes; it is so bad,”he lamented.

He added: “We have to give these victims of Boko Haram a sense of belonging to enable them feed, take their children

to school as well as find something they will do to eke out a living. No amount is too big or small to help in rehabilitating them”.

Earlier in a remark, the chairman of planning committee of the fund-raising, Mr. John Ezema said: “Most of them here today have no accommodation; they cannot feed their families because they lost their bread-winners to Boko Haram terrorists.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 — 21

Growth in non-oil export hits $2.970bn — NEPC

By NAOMI UZOR

T

he Nigerian Export o m o t i o n Council, NEPC, has disclosed that Nigeria realised $2.970 billion from non-oil export in 2013 a 15.9 per cent increase over $2.561 in 2012.

Disclosing this at the business meeting tagged” A New Dawn For Nigerian Export” organised by the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce, NBCC, the Executive Director/CEO, NEPC, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, said Nigeria’s export is dominated by oil, but that there has been steady growth in Non-oil export to $2.970 billion in 2013, a 15.9 per cent increase over $2.561 in 2012. He said that non-oil export potentials have not been fully exploited despite endowed natural resources solid minerals, agriculture, adding that some of the challenges are poor infrastructure, energy, finance, skills and capacity.

According to him, the non-oil export challenges in Nigeria are infrastr uctural deficiency, poor standardisation of products, high cost of production, falsification of documents, weak linkages to chain supply, unwholesome trade practices, and exports dominated by primary products, inability to meet export orders, restricted access to credit and trademark.

He said that for Nigerians to position effectively in the global market, Nigerian goods for export must meet competitiveness standards – identify international benchmarks, invest in skill, technology & innovation, provide conducive and stable Export Policy Environment, P

r

intensify PPP collaborations, consult widely with stakeholders,address issues of market failure, partner with Bi-lateral chambers of commerce on export opportunities and promotion, as well as engaging Nigerians in Diaspora, take optimal advantage of trade preference programmes –

AGOA and others, export of value added products as against commodities, simplify export procedures and documentations and imbibe E-Commerce culture to reduce cost and time.

Awolowo noted that there is no better time than now to critically

address issues that will enhance the development and promotion of Nigeria non-oil exports and that the world is our oyster as opportunities abound to stamp ‘Made in Nigeria Products’ on the global stage. He said we need to harness our comparative advantage population, natural resources, geo-diversity, adding that, The Bilateral Chambers of Commerce including NBCC has a critical role to play in harnessing the existing potentials for export by achieving world class standards for products and creating jobs and economic growth through value chains.

From left: Mr Jibola Awoseyi, Captain, Ikeja Golf Club; Prince Yemi Adefulu, President, Nigeria British Chamber of Commerce, NBCC; Prince Dapo Adelegan, Deputy President and Mr Umami Igein, Treasurer during a press briefing in Lagos on activities lined up for the NBCC-UKTI Anglo-Nigerian Centenary celebration coming up in November.

Photo: Lamidi Bamidele.

Nigeria, UK trade to hit £20bn by 2020 181.4

-2.35

By PROVIDENCE OBUH

3,183.00 -15.00 15.61

T

-0.38

102.10 -0.53

-

93.83 +0.48 CURRENCY BUYING CENTRAL SELLING DOLLAR STERLING EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

154.73 256.465 204.1662 168.8455 1.4876 0.294 234.7445 25.1466 41.2558 27.38 235.0039

155.23 155.73 257.2937 258.1225 204.826 205.4857 169.3911 169.9367 1.4927 1.4975 0.304 0.314 235.503 236.2616 25.2283 25.31 41.3891 41.5225 27.4685 27.557 235.7633 236.5227

CBN Exchange Rate as 27/08//2014

here are indications that trade between Nigeria and Britain has potential to hit 20 billion pounds by year 2020 if government remains proactive and encourage business to strive.

President, Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), Prince Yemi Adefulu, gave the hint during a press briefing heralding its Centenary celebration in Lagos.

Adefulu said “ For Nigeria, the key to winning is the right policies encouraging export of processed non-oil products” He added that government must also accord priority attention to the provision of critical infrastructure that will enable businesses to grow and remove undue costs.

He said that the trade between Nigeria and Britain which grew to eight billion pounds from four billion pounds in four years has merely scratched the surface, saying, “the base already exists to promote the trade between the two countries ex potentially.

With the right policies in place, products and services should be moving daily between the two countries.”

He pointed out that it is the responsibility of the government to create and nurture an enabling environment which will attract foreign investment and encourage export of Nigerian goods.

According to him, “We at NBCC stand as the facilitator of trade between Nigeria and Britain for mutual benefit of both countries. We represent the best of each to the other.

We now partner with the United

Kingdom Trade and Investment Agency (UKTI) and encourage the import of value enhancing products to Nigeria from Britain which will help value creation and processing of our local products. We also partner with Nigeria Export Processing Council, NEPC to facilitate the export of Nigerian goods and services to the UK market.”

Meanwhile, the Chamber ’ s centenary celebration of the Nigeria British trade relations, holding in collaboration with the UKTI is billed to hold from November 11, to 29th November, 2014 with NBCC Golf Classics which will be held at the Ikeja Golf Club.

Captains of industry, members of the diplomatic corps and top level government functionaries senior members of the British Cabinet and Past Head of States will be in attendance.

22—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

,

Signing up for an affiliate membership site will allow you build a residual income and the retention rate is much higher than just selling a product once and getting paid

,

How to make money online without a website

Y

OU don’t need to have a website to make money on the Internet. This could be achieved by taking the following steps: Find affiliate product: Find a product to promote where you make good commission on each sale. Generally, you will get the biggest commissions on digital products. These are products downloaded directly to a customer’s computer after phurchasing, like electronic books or software. Since there is no extra cost per unit, no inventory and no shipping, the commissions are much greater than on regular “physical” goods. The most common commission on digital products is 50 percent.

Signing up for an affiliate membership site will allow you build a residual income and the retention rate is much higher than just selling a

making money online.

So when someone types in your .COM domain in their browser, it will go to your affiliate link. The visitor will see the website with the product you promote, and the commissions will be tracked correctly. The reason why you need a domain name is that it’s memorable and it makes you look more trustworthy. A domain name will make your affiliate link look like it’s your own website. So basically, you will have a product to promote and a website to send people to and get commissions – without really having your own website.

Get Traffic: In order to make sales, you need to get visitors to your domain name (which will forward them to the website of the product that you resell). You can pay for advertising and hope that

The most effective way to get free targeted visitors to your domain name is by writing and submitting articles

,

product once and getting paid. Sign up as a reseller (also called affiliate) for a product that looks the most appealing to you. After you sign up, you will get a unique affiliate link where you need to send people to purchase the product. Your affiliate link will have a special code that will tell the product owner that it’s you who referred the customer. The affiliate link code will allow your commissions to be tracked correctly and assigned to you.

Get Domain Name: Get a domain name to redirect to your affiliate link. A domain name is a .COM. You can get it for under $9 (about N1,500) at GoDaddy.com, which allows you to redirect your domain name to your affiliate link at no extra cost. It’s important to note that unlike having your own website you don’t have to pay for hosting which is usually more expensive than buying and registering a domain name. Domain forwarding allows you to have a legitimate presence in the world of online affiliate marketing for only a few dollars. Some affiliates offer mentoring and training to assist you in your pursuit of

,

your profit will be greater than advertising cost, or you can use free ways to generate traffic.

The most effective way to get free targeted visitors to your domain name is by writing and submitting articles. You can write short articles on the topic related to the product that you promote. At the end of the article, you include your author bio and your domain name link.

You will then submit your articles to various websites, and allow them to publish your articles as long as your link is included. Your articles will get published in many places on the Internet, and will be advertising your affiliate link at no cost to you whatsoever. People will read your articles, like what you have to say and click on your domain name link ready to buy. Once you start getting regular sales from your articles, you can go back to step 1 and find another product to promote using this strategy. After a while, you will build up a nice source of Internet income – without even having a website.

Culled from smallstarter.com

BUSINESS NAIRA EXCHANGE RATES Date 26/8/14

Currency DOLLAR STERLING EURO FRANC YEN CFA WAUA RENMINBI RIYAL KRONA SDR

Buying(N) 154.73 256.465 204.1662 168.8455 1.4876 0.294 234.7445 25.1466 41.2558 27.38 235.0039

Central(N) 155.23 257.2937 204.826 169.3911 1.4927 0.304 235.503 25.2283 41.3891 27.4685 235.7633

Selling(N) 155.73 258.1225 205.4857 169.9367 1.4975 0.314 236.2616 25.31 41.5225 27.557 236.5227

BY YINKA KOLAWOLE, with agency report IN the first few months of a business, an entrepreneur is likely to face challenges that, if not managed properly, may well sabotage the new venture.

Starting a new business or continuing to run an existing business requires strategies to be put in place to help the business succeed. Below are key lessons for business startups.

Dare to be different People are mostly raised to conform to society's expectations. Due to habit or unfounded and unchallenged tradition, we always think things must be done in a certain way, even when there is no reason or logic to them.

The world appreciates people who stand out. This is exemplified by how Microsoft changed the way we use computers and how mobile devices like tablet computers and Smartphones are revolutionising people•fs lives nowadays. Change only starts when we think and do things differently. This is how many new business ideas are born every day. It always pays to be unique. The rewards are huge.

Be bold, never succumb to fear There are uncountable obstacles and challenges to doing business in Africa, the more notorious ones being corruption, red tape and bad governance.

In the face of these challenges, many bold entrepreneurs are emerging millionaires. These are not the politicallyconnected and looters of public funds, but people who started from scratch and are making it to the top. Such as Ope Awoyemi, Lekan Olude and Deji Adewunmi, three young men who founded Jobberman.com, Nigeria•fs largest job search portal with over one million job seekers and more than 10,000 registered companies. The company provides millions of people with the opportunity to find employment online.

Jobberman.com has helped

Key lessons for success in business more than 50,000 Nigerians find jobs. The portal is used by both local and multinational companies to advertise job openings and find the right people. In 2011, Tiger Global, a New-York based fund with investments in Facebook and LinkedIn became an investor in the company due to its huge potentials. The service now has a subsidiary in Ghana and plans to roll out across Africa in the near future.

Isaac Agbetusin (aka Otunba Gaddafi ), a trained Graphic artist and security professional, started his own mobile toilet company, Dignified Mobile Toilets (DMT) in 1996. His inspiration came while he was making arrangements for a friend•fs wedding party which would have over 10,000 guests in attendance. He wondered how the peoplewould answer nature's call during after all the eating and drinking. After searching for nearly four weeks, he couldn•ft find any company that provides mobile toilet facilities for parties and public events. That's when he decided to start the ‘shit business’. The company has since manufactured over 3,000 mobile private toilets,

produces about 200 units every month for sale and for hire across Nigeria and in the West Africa region. DMT has also spread beyond Lagos (where it started) to over 20 cities in Nigeria and is presently in more than seven countries in West Africa. Popular for his favourite tagline •'Shit Business is Serious Business', Agbetusin, who passed on in 2012, has given a professional face to human waste disposal.

DMT also rents out mobile toilet units for private parties, weddings, trade fairs, conventions and all kinds of events. It also makes special VIP units to serve the rich and upper class segment of the market. These units are airconditioned and have red carpets, MP3 players and a flatscreen television for its users.

Never give up It has been said that 9 out of 10 businesses fail within the first five years. Failure•fs not the problem. The problem is usually what to do when and after the failure. Many become discouraged and refuse to stand up to try again. Failure is the ultimate test of commitment and hunger for success.

Starting, running and growing

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014—23

,

& YOU

Negative signals, events, thoughts and feelings are not resolved in our organisations when we suppress, deny or devalue them

PRICE MOVEMENT ON NSE (20/8/14)

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Commodity Light Crude

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a business is tough. If it was easy, everyone would own one. Entrepreneurs are always known for standing back up. Sir Thomas Edison, the great inventor, tried one thousand times to make a light bulb before he got it right. And when he did, the money couldn't come fast enough.

The reward of profits and wealth will only come to those who refuse to stay down after every failure. Never, ever give up.

Be versatile and creative We live in a fast changing world. Your ‘regular’ customers will enjoy your products and services until some other business comes

,

Smart entrepreneurs understand that learning never ends, and this remains the ultimate key to continued success

,

along with cheaper, higher quality and much more convenient options. Serious businesses must continue to look for ways to excite their customers in order to keep them engaged and invested in the products and services they offer.

More so, it's always better when the business leader is multi-skilled. Adding more skills to your toolbox is a necessary strategy to succeed in today's business world.

Smart entrepreneurs understand that learning never ends, and this remains the ultimate key to continued success.

In today's world, successful entrepreneurs should and are expected to know the nuts and bolts of their businesses.

Cultivate loyal following Apple loyalists know what it means to belong to a brand cult. Upon product release, thousands of enthusiasts across the world line up outside

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Apple stores throughout the night (and sometimes in the cold) all in a wild rush to have a first taste of a new iPad or iPhone model.

European football clubs have also succeeded in cultivating a similar cult-like following in many parts of Africa. In West Africa for example, support for European club football rapidly oscillates between manic and extreme emotions. Many of these teams are worth billions of dollars today. In a climate of depressed economies, tight budgets and intense competition, smart businesses are cultivating their customers into die-hard ambassadors of their products and services. As word-of-mouth continues to emerge as the most successful and cost-effective means of advertising a business, successful entrepreneurs know that they stand a greater chance of growing their customer base through the referrals and recommendations of satisfied clients.

Exceptional customer loyalty can often be a ruthless competitive advantage. Your customers defend and promote your business and also speak for you. And they are free-of-charge and usually more effective than an overpaid sales force and overpriced radio and TV commercials.

Leave a legacy Most African businesses find it difficult to outlive their founders. It is true that the primary motivation for starting a business is to make profit and create wealth.

However, there should be an overriding motivation to leave a legacy that lives beyond the business' creator.

The current situation in Africa, though may be ugly, leaves an amazing opportunity for brave entrepreneurs to make a lasting change. In this clime, very little changes can go very far. If African entrepreneurs commit to making small improvements in their products and services, they would undoubtedly be laying the foundation for a host of similar improvements.

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The wrong ways organisations are hoping for the best BY ‘UJU ONWUZULIKE

"I do the very best I know how, the very best I can and I mean to keep on doing so until the end"...Abraham Lincoln owards the beginning of a new year, organisations T hope and expect the best to

happen to them. The irony is that even organisations that have not evolved any game plan or have not taken definitive steps towards achieving their desired results will still hope for this 'same' best. The truth of the matter is: the best does not come to organisations who are mere positive or who are wishing for the best. The best will come to organisations that can match their desires with equal amount of time bound actions.

Over the years, some executives and managers have unwittingly used one key phrase and that key phrase has not worked in the best interest of organisations. They have told their subordinates, •'just be positive and everything will work out fine'. Imagine a situation where someone tells his manager about his/her inability to meet a target or perform an expected task, and what the manager tells him/her is don't worry -just be positive and everything will work out fine. With that kind of response, there is no way that particular staff member will bring the best for his/her organisation. What the manager has done was to simply hope for the best – without proffering solutions or asking what can be done to have an optimised results. Dr Martin Seligman was right when he said, •'If the cost of failure is high, optimism is the wrong strategy'.

Organisations are failing more than ever before because, they always assume some magical effect will turn around their situations. Such organisations believe that by hoping for the best, the best will graciously and calmly come to them – that is

mere optimism and it does not happen most of the time. In order to achieve higher and sustainable results for the year, organisations and individuals would need to move from mere optimism to Optimal Thinking.

The difference is that mere optimism will say, •'our organisation wants the best for 2014', while Optimal Thinking will ask, •'what can we do to achieve the best for our organisation in this 2014, what are our options'? After sharing with participants in one of our workshops on •'Developing a Highly Productive Workforce', I realised an important fact. Many people can memorise their company's visions and goals but do not understand or know the step by step actions to be taken

,

Cocoa

Change ($) +0.15

,

When your organisation is not working, others are working

,

to realise their goals. Every organisation's vision could be a wishful thinking if they lack an implementable game plan for achieving success. Let us assume that a particular bank has projected a profit of $10 million for the year. To show a mark of seriousness and commitment, that particular bank is expected to provide answers and measures to the following questions: Is it in our best interest to achieve the $10 million? What are the best actions to be taken to achieve our goal? What can be done differently in order to achieve the result? Are there right people that will achieve the results?

What are the step by step strategies or game plan for the $10 million attainment?

Without providing compelling structures and answers to the above, achieving the $10 million profit will be difficult and impossible. The way forward for any organisation that wants to thrive in this year is to avoid leaving one•fs success to chance or serendipity. When your organisation is not working others are working and that

means they are trying their best to be better than you.

More so, many organisations have mastered the art of suppressing negative signals or negativity to their detriment.

Most times they tend to ignore negativity. Negative signals, events, thoughts and feelings are not resolved in our organisations when we suppress, deny, or devalue them. It would be like heaping layers of unresolved problems, which will ultimately affect our morale, stress level, productivity and teamwork. It's like putting a coat of fresh paint over rust.

Sooner or later, the paint peels off and the rust resurfaces. What will a proactive organisation who wants to achieve better results do? That organisation will have to acknowledge the rust (which could come in any form detrimental to the organisation), treat the rust, and then apply the best paint in order to have the finest result. In the long run, no organisation can achieve better results by suppressing negative signals with positive thinking.

Organisations that want to better their results this year and beyond must first and foremost acknowledge the reality on ground and also try to optimise the situation and not sweeping the negative signals under the carpet.

Points to ponder: Does your organisation have a step by step basis of how to achieve the best in the remaining months of the year? Has your organisation confused wishful thinking and positive thinking with optimal reality?

Final note: Hoping for the best has been totally misconstrued and sometimes abused by some organisations.

These organisations more often than not hope for opportunity to knock on their 'business' doors.

I like the saying – •'if an opportunity does not knock, you will need to build a door and knock on the opportunity.' That means you need to be proactive, decisive and above all an opportunity builder who does not sit all day long waiting for the best to magically come his/ her way. Finally, in the remaining months of the year, don't just want to be the best, learn how to be the best and just do it.

C M Y K

24—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Diamond Bank: Kunoch Holdings acquires Actis LLP, CDC group’s stake Stories by PETER EGWUATU

D

iamond Bank Plc has announced that Kunoch Holdings has successfully completed the purchase of Actis DB Holdings Limited, a company which holds Diamond Bank shares, from Actis LLP and CDC Group Plc. Actis DB Holdings Limited (“Actis DB”) currently holds 14.79 per cent of the issued share capital of Diamond Bank.

A statement from the bank has it that funds managed by Actis, a private equity investor specialising in investments in emerging markets, acquired a

From left: Ade Ashaye, General Manager for Visa in West Africa; Tunji Eleso, Director of Pre-incubation Co-Creation Hub Nigeria; Kehinde Adekeye, Director of Marketing for Visa in West Africa and Emezino Afiegbe, Business Development Manager for Visa in West Africa during the launch of the Financial Literacy Apps, in Lagos.

e- warehouse: Stanbic IBTC assures farmers, others of transparency

C

hief Executive Officer of Stanbic IBTC Bank, a member of the Stanbic IBTC

Analyst forecasts N1.10trn mobile money in 2015

By PETER EGWUATU

A

n analyst has predicted that the country ’s mobile money will hit N1.10 trillion by 2015, according to FBN Capital report.

The report noted that the rapid expansion of e-payments brings major fiscal and developmental benefits as well as new revenue streams for Information Technology, IT providers, mobile operators and banks.

“There is finally momentum but the expansion is off a low base. An estimated 46 per cent of the adult population has no access to financial services.

CBN data show total epayments of N2.10trillion in 2012, of which Automated Teller Machine, ATM transactions accounted for N1.98 trillion or 94.7 per cent of the total. It began licensing mobile money operators in 2011, and is also pursuing its cash-lite agenda. At the same time, disposable incomes are rising strongly and tech entrepreneurs are bringing new products to Nigeria” the report stated.

The FBN report revealed that separate Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, data show a rise in mobile money transactions to N93billion in JanuaryOctober 2013 from N31.5billion in 2012 (12 months).

According to the report “Sustained growth at this pace would meet one analyst’s

aggressive forecast of N1.10 trillion in 2015. One leading mobile operator has recently launched an exchange, its own authorised mobile money agent platform, collaborating with four local banks.

Another operator has reportedly bought a minority

stake in the parent company of a major online retailer in Nigeria, and is hopeful of huge synergies.”

Also the report noted that the Kenyan communications regulator reported a total of 26 million mobile money subscribers in December 2013,

significant equity stake in the bank in 2007.

These funds are now coming to the end of their closed-end period and, accordingly, Actis is realising its investment in the bank. Over the years, positive contributions by Actis, other institutional investors and the new management team of the bank have created additional value for all Diamond Bank’s shareholders. Commenting on the acquisition, Dr. Alex Otti, GMD, Diamond Bank said: “We are pleased to have worked with Actis over the last seven years, and are excited about the next stage of the bank’s development.

an increase of 21.5 per cent Yearly, y/y and equivalent to 59 per cent of the population, as well as more than 93,000 mobile money agents. “We do not have the comparable figures for Nigeria but it is clear that Kenya remains the benchmark” the report noted.

Group, Yinka Sanni, has assured farmers and other stakeholders in Nigeria’s agribusiness sector that the novel electronic warehouse receipt system (e-WRS) introduced by the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) will engender transparency, integrity of transactions and sustainability.

Sanni gave this assurance at the official launch of the pilot electronic warehouse receipt system in Abuja.

Stanbic IBTC will act as the settlement bank for transactions on the e-WRS. “Stanbic IBTC is honoured to be chosen as the settlement bank for the pilot e-warehouse receipt system.

Stanbic IBTC Asset Mgt floats N1bn Exchange Traded Fund

By NKIRUKA NNOROM

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tanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited (SIAML), a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, has announced the launch of a new Exchange Traded Fund, Stanbic IBTC ETF 30, and readiness to commence an Initial Public Offer of N1 billion through the Fund.

SIAML is offering 10 million units of the Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 at N100 each at par. Application for the offer will open on Monday, 15 September 2014 and close on Wednesday, 15 October 2014, while Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited is acting as the Issuing House.

Interested investors, according to directors of SIAML, are expected to make initial subscription of 10,000 units and multiples of 5,000 units thereafter.

SIAML said approvals for the registration and listing of the units of the Fund have been obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission and The Nigerian Stock Exchange (“The NSE”).

An Exchange Traded Fund (“ETF”) is an investment vehicle that tracks an index, a basket of assets, or a

commodity but trades like regular shares on a stock exchange. The objective of the Fund is to replicate as closely as possible the total return of The NSE 30 Index. The Fund will invest 100 percent of its assets in the same portfolio of securities that comprise the NSE 30 Index in proportion to their weightings in the Underlying Index.

Speaking at the signing ceremony in Lagos, Mr Olumide Oyetan, MD/CEO, SIAML, said the NSE 30 Index comprises of the top 30 companies in terms of market capitalisation, adding that the index serves as the flagship benchmark for the stock market as it represents 92 percent of the NSE’s market capitalisation.

According to him, “the Fund represents a convenient and efficient way for investors to have access to the top 30 most capitalised and liquid stocks on the NSE, in a cost effective manner.

We believe that it will appeal to sophisticated and institutional investors that believe in the growth story of companies listed on the NSE and by corollary in the abundant growth opportunities that exist in Nigeria.”

He said SIAML would leverage the

large clientele base of its parent bank to drive the ETF, adding that the focus is to ensure that local investors understand and participate in the Fund.

He said, “We are well aware that this is the second ETF that will be tracking this particular index (NSE 30 Index).

However, what we want to ensure that this becomes a very liquid ETF and is actually traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE.” He explained that the intension is to grow the Fund with time, saying, “We are starting with just N1 billion, but we believe that this will grow to become one of the biggest EFTs in the market. The more we grow, the cheaper, the price will become.”

Also speaking, Mrs. Sola DavidBorha, GMD, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, said, the commencement of the Stanbic IBTC ETF reaffirmed the bank’s position as a leader in the Nigerian capital market, adding, “We have consistently brought ideas and initiatives that we think will continue to deepen the market and this is just one of such initiatives.”

She noted that it further demonstrates the bank’s commitment to attract local and foreign investors to the Nigeria.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 — 25

*From left: Enameguono Aroesiri, Adarerhi Efere, representatives of Delta State and winners of the Primary School category, Mr. Paul Arinze, General Manager, Public and Government Affairs, Mobil Producing Nigeria, Adolalom Obinna and Omoniwu Benjamin, representatives of Imo State and winners of the Secondary School category at the NNPC/MPN/STAN National Science Quiz Competition finals in Asaba, Delta State.

Science education in Nigeria below mark, says former NUC scribe •as 2014 MPN/NNPC/STAN Science quiz winners emerge

BY DAYO ADESULU

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ORMER Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC, Professor Peter Okebukola has frowned at the quality of science education in Nigeria describing it as way below the mark. He made this assessment in Asaba when winners of the 2014 NNPC/ MPN/STAN science quiz winners emerged at the 55th annual Conference of the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN).

Delta State which hosted this year's science quiz at Orchid Hotel, Asaba, emerged first in the primary category, as Imo State came first in the secondary category.

In the keenly contested quiz where students' knowledge was

US lawmakers, others mentor young Nigerians on leadership Pg. 26

tested in Life Sciences, Vocational Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematical Sciences, Delta State scored 118.25 points to beat Imo State which scored 111 to emerge second in the primary category.

Similarly, in the secondary category held among four states, Imo State came first scoring 112.7 points, beating Akwa Ibom State which scored 111 to emerge second in the national quiz competition. Other states which participated in the final include Ondo, Enugu, Akwa-Ibom, Osun and Benue.

Okebukola while speaking with journalists, said that compared to 2013 students’ performance, he could not see any significant improvement.

He said: “Last year, it was most

Corps members to get NYSC call-up letter online November Pg. 28

exemplary, quite heart- warming, that our students could do so well because there were some questions that came out that many teachers could not answer with-

in the time that the students were given. This year, I didn’t see that lustre, that shine.”

According to him, a few things could be responsible for that ob-

servation. He said it could be that the process leading to the winners at the state level before the national level was weak, addContinues on page 26

ERC condemns closure of OOU

By LAJU ARENYEKA

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HE Education Rights Campaign, ERC, has condemned the closure of Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, by the Ogun State government. Recall that the school was shut down recently as a result of students’ protest to reduce hiked school fees to no more than N50,000.

In a press statement re-

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Nigerian teen scientists find cure for halitosis Pg. 27

leased to Vanguard Learning, the National Coordinator of the ERC, Mr. Hassan Soweto said: “We are equally opposed to the militarisation of the campus by the state government which was meant to demobilise the mass of students from organising further planned mass actions against the fee hike.

We demand the immediate reopening of the university and the meeting of all demands of students for substantial reduction in their hiked fees and improved funding of the university.

The real reason the state government closed down the university is to avoid meeting the demands of students for substantial reduction in their

hiked fees to an amount not higher than N50,000. To achieve this, the state government is trying to criminalize the students and prepare the ground for police arrests and other forms of victimisation.

We would like to remind the Ogun State Police Command that this is a democracy and the use of police to harrass students and ordinary Nigerians fighting for their legitimate right will not be tolerated.

The ERC shall resist attempts by the Police to arrest, detain or victimise OOU students and their leaders in any way.”

The ERC opined that “the

Continues on page 26

26 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Science education in Nigeria below mark, says former NUC scribe Continues from page 25

By TARE YOUDEOWEI

ing that they probably didn’t use the best mechanism to get the best students to come for the finals.

“I know that there are many more students at the state level who are sharper than the ones we got. The process wasn’t as efficient as it was last year,” he added.

The UNESCO consultant who lamented the decadence in science education said that science education is not as impressive as it ought to be in *Mrs. Duyile (right), retired Airforce officer, Dr. James Dula (5th right) Nigeria. He noted that if you and some of the participants during the programme at the Africa Trade Office, Maryland, USA. look at public examinations in the sciences, students are how the money would be spent, our support over the years has not doing as well as expected. Ac- and that, they don’t want to do. helped this organization realize cording to him, "at the university The guidelines are there which its principal objective of fostering level, the quality of students that they are not following, so we have co-operation among science we are getting is not impressive that challenge.” teachers in Nigeria with a view in terms of their knowledge of Also speaking at the occasion, to raising the standard of science Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry the General Manager, Public and education in the country. and Physics."

Government Affairs, Mobil Pro‘’We believe as we did 20 years On account of teachers having ducing Nigeria (MPN), Mr Paul ago when we started, that the very low content knowledge, Arinze urged students to be future of Nigeria depends on the Okebukola said that many of the hardworking, adding that success economic development based on teachers in the school system is a culmination of months of hard science and technology and today have very shallow content work. therefore STAN is at the forefront knowledge of the subject to be He said: “By supporting educa- of this. We still believe that and taught in the classrooms. tion, especially science, Mathe- that is why we support not only Okebukola pointed out poor matics and technology education, stan but other programmes based funding, quality of labouratories, we are making an investment in on science and technology.’’ classrooms, workshops and our future by establishing the next Speaking in same vein, STAN teachers as some of the factors generation of science professionals President, Dr Amos Shephat causing low performance in sci- and equipping them with a strong while addressing the issue of foundation for the future." ence education in Nigeria.

According to him, in order for teachers and poor science The Pro-Chancellor of Crawford performance in examintion said University who harped on the Nigeria to join the league of that there are science teachers but technologically advanced and need for quality science teachers economically prosperous nations, what they need is attention from stated that our schools are under- deploying creativity in technology government and employing orresourced for teaching quality ganisations.

,

By supporting education, especially science, mathematics and technology education, we are making an investment in our future by establishing the next generation

science.

Okebukola who urged teachers to be better soaked in content knowledge said he was close to achieving that at the NUC before he left office. He explained: "If you are going to read education and teach a science subject like biology, go to Biology Department, learn all the courses in B.Sc. Biology, then go to education to layer on what has been learnt. You would know your education properly that way.”

On funding, he said: "Why should billions of naira be sitting at UBEC and TETFUND when the system needs money to function? Even if the funds are available and we don’t have the capacity to judiciously spend the money, it will take us nowhere.

"Jonathan has done so much, more than others, to judiciously credit the system, but the money is languishing. Due process needs be followed and the universities find it difficult to follow due process and as such, delay in accessing the funds.

"The states are being asked to collect money but they need to tender a detailed breakdown of

US lawmakers impire Nigerian youths on leadership

,

is essential, and science education will play a crucial role in fulfilling thisobjective.Hesaidthatexplained why MPN has sponsored the science competition for two decades.

Arinze who noted that concerted efforts and policy must be put in place to not only ensure that pupils are introduced to science subjects early, stated that greater encouragement should be instituted to identify and reward pupils showing exceptional abilities in science subjects.

He maintained that teaching aids and other infrastructural support must be provided to encourage students while science teachers must show greater commitment to their duties adding, “ relevant authorities should also make science teachers’ capacity development a priority.’’

As this year marks the end of MPN sponsor of the competition, Arinze urged corporate players and well-meaning individuals, among others, to provide the needed support for the educational system in this regard.

His words: “We are pleased that

According to him, improved salaries, amenities are necessary to motivate teachers. Explaining the problem of science education in Nigeria, Shephat said that since many students are not interested in science, teachers have to first of all battle with making the students interested.

Science education He said: ‘’Teachers are often over worked, in some cases they teach all the sciences as opposed to specialising and as such cannot give his or her best.

The President who disclosed that about 2,000 teachers attended the STAN conference said, ‘’More teachers are needed across the state. According to him, there are graduates that read education in sciences whom the government should absorb, noting that the problem of science education is a multidimensional problem that cuts across government, parents and teachers themselves. His words: “The problem of science education and performance in WAEC is not far from the method of presentation, the condition of the teachers, the environment – we have insecurity here and there, the teacher is not safe.

FEW Nigerian youths from ages 10 to 17 were taken to the United States of America to learn the art of leadership from American law makers watching the legislative arm in session. The purpose of the initiative was to inculcate in Africa’s young leaders the traits and attitude that will enable them make meaningful contribution to the development of their respective countries.

Essentially, the scheme initiated by Mrs. Remi Duyile was designed to expose and engage Africa’s young leaders from age 10 to 17 to a setting where they can learn best practices and have positive mindset with “I CAN DO” attitude and spirit at a very young age.

According to a statement, the young leaders from different secondary schools in Nigeria arrived the United States of America on July 27, 2014 for a two-week event-filled ‘Global Youth Leadershape Programme’ and were treated to a welcome ceremony at the Prince Georges County, Maryland. In attendance at the ceremony were popular community leaders, including Dr. James Dula , retired Airforce chief, Dr. Frank Forka , Director of Africa Trade Office , USA , Reverend Michelle

Agnew, Director of Youth at Greater Mt. Nebo in Maryland and members of the CTV news crew.

According to the statement, the young Nigerians made a tour of the US Capitol where they had the privilege of sitting in the galleries of the America’s Senate and Congress and watched the legislative arm of the US government in session.

Some of the students interacted with some of the lawmakers and community leaders who lectured them on how leadership can come with ease.

The young Nigerians, who also visited and interacted with leaders of strategic institutions that will be collaborating with the programme, got a special guided tour of the White House where the President of the United States of America resides.

The kids also had fun-filled days at the amusement parks and interacted with other resident young leaders.

Duyile noted, in the statement, that the programme has helped shaped the mindset of the young leaders. “Knowledge and experiences gained by the participants are being put to use immediately as evidenced by verbal and written comments of parents and adults around them.

ERC condemns closure of OOU Continues from page 25 impression being deliberately created that students are violent is not true.

Some weeks ago, the students protested peacefully to the Governor ’s Office in Abeokuta. The first day of the protest, some hoodlums attacked the students while the police watched.

The next day, the police fired tear gas at the students, arrested, slapped and brutalised the Vice-President of the Students Union, Seliat Ogunbiyi.

Student leaders It was only when it became clear that the use of violence would not disperse the students that Governor Amosun came down to discuss with the students.

At the end of the parley, the Governor asked for a few days after which he would invite the student leaders to discuss how to resolve the issues. The students promptly dispersed and went back to their campus to await the Governor.

If the students were really

violent and could cause breakdown of law and order, would it have been possible for the Governor to meet and parley with them?”

Continuing, Soweto said: “We hold that the forced closure of OOU is a direct attack on the democratic rights of the students. We call on the students to remain resolute and dogged in spite of all these attacks.

We demand the reversal of the closure of the university and for the Ibikunle Amosun regime to meet the demands of the students. We call on the leadership of the students’ union in the university to provide virile leadership to the students by organising mass meetings of students in main cities such as Abeokuta, Ago Iwoye, Ijebu-Ode and Lagos where the students are concentrated.

It is only by this approach that practical activities such as mass occupations and protests can be undertaken.

It is equally through this approach that the struggle for the total reversal of the fee hike can be achieved."

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 — 27

RESEARCH

Nigerian teens find cure for halitosis HALITOSIS or bad breath, is an unpleasant odour of the mouth present on exhaled breath. According to medical experts, this very embarrassing condition which can be acute (occasional) or chronic (long-lasting), could be caused by several factors including food, poor dental hygiene, tobacco products, health problems, dry mouth, mouth infections, dentures or braces and medications. Bad breath has caused otherwise well qualified people to lose employment opportunities, caused job losses, and friendships/marriages to crash. The saying that ‘only your best friend will tell you that your mouth smells,’ is probably true in some countries but not in Africa. The best they do is to avoid you completely. Two students of Doregos Private Academy, Ipaja, Lagos, Eveshorhema Sophia Samuel-Alli and Ibukunoluwa Ruth Oladeinde, in what could be described as serendipitous discovery, found out that the African walnut (Coula edulis), a member of the tree nut family common in Nigeria, apart from its cancer-fighting properties, rare antioxidants, benefits for the heart and circulatory system, weight control, improved reproductive health in men, brain health and diabetes, walnut could also cure bad breath. In this chat with Vanguard Learning, they spoke on the project titled Walnut: Sustainable Solution to Halitosis, the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair held in Los Angeles, USA and the special award they received. Excerpts:

By EBELE ORAKPO

INSPIRATION: According to Eveshorhema, the idea for this project came while on a school trip to a rural area in Nigeria where the host community served them walnuts.

I in the “When I woke up morning, I hadn’t brushed my teeth yet but my breath was already fresh. Then I remembered I had eaten walnuts the previous night.” To confirm her suspicion, she ate more walnuts the following night and awoke with fresh breath again and curiosity got the better of her and led to this research.

The experiment: “The Halitosis project has to do with mouth odour and we used a common Nigerian snack, the walnut, to cure mouth odour because it is a very embarrassing problem. Your best friend won’t tell you that your mouth is smelling, so we had to find a solution to it.

Consent forms: “We conducted this experiment using 35 volunteers who were students of our school. We sent out consent forms to parents and when we received their consent, we continued the experiment. The

acid and tannins found in the African walnut were killing some of the odour-causing bacteria in the mouth, the duo swabbed the mouths of each volunteer, grew the bacteria and counted the number. They found out that those who had the walnut treatment had fewer bacterial

load than the control group who did not have the walnut therapy.

Award: “This project actually won us a Life Science Award of $1,000 in the Medicine and Health Science category, courtesy, Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society.”

NTI steps up quality assurance in teacher-training

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*Eveshorhema Samuel-Alli (left) and Ibukunoluwa Oladeinde proudly representing Nigeria at the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, California, USA.

then observed them and recorded the results. They did not brush their teeth for the duration of the experiment. They were going only on walnut so we would be

,

The Halitosis project has to do with mouth odour and we used a common Nigerian snack, the walnut, to cure mouth odour because it is a very embarrassing problem

volunteers were divided into four groups. The duo then made two different walnut products.

Walnut chewing gum: “We made walnut chewing gum by adding resins and sucrose to chopped walnuts.”

Walnut mouthwash: “Also, we made a walnut mouthwash mixing chopped walnut, water and 10 per cent lime as preservative.

“One group was given whole walnut to eat; the second group was given walnut chewing gum; the third was given walnut mouthwash while the last group was given nothing so they were the control group. “They took the walnut morning and night. We

*African walnut

,

able to see the improvement,” said Eveshorhema Samuel-Alli.

“After this, we conducted an experiment using Lead tri-oxo nitrate (v) in which the volunteers were made to blow bubbles into a solution of lead nitrate and water before and after the experiment.

"Before they took the walnut and walnut products, they were made to blow bubbles into the solution and then we recorded how long it took to turn the solution black. What turns the solution black is hydrogen sulphide and that is what causes mouth odour.

So if it takes a short time, that means the mouth odour is actually very bad. Then after the experiment, they were also made

to blow bubbles into the solution and this time, it was noticed that there was significant time lapse before the solution turned black.

“When the control group who had bacteria in their mouths blew bubbles into the solution, it turned black while it remained clear when the other groups blew bubbles into it. So we knew that the walnut was actually working to cure halitosis.”

Bacterial culture: To further confirm their suspicion that some chemicals like alkaloids, oleic

HE National Teachers’ Institute, NTI, has stepped up efforts towards strengthening the quality assurance mechanisms of its teacher training programmes.

Institute's Director-General, Dr. Aminu Sharehu, said that top management and other senior staff have embarked on the monitoring exercise of NTI Programme’s first semester examinations. He said the management staff were detailed to all the 36 States of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Dr. Sharehu said, “this is not the first time the institute has embarked on this monitoring exercise but that this year’s exercise is unique because it goes without notice”.

He said the monitoring exercise affords the institute the opportunity of extracting first hand information of happenings across its more than 400 centres across Nigeria.

Sharehu who spoke at the Government Secondary School Kubwa and Gwarinpa where he met NCE 3 students (teachers)

writing their Social Studies examination, said that issues of conducive atmosphere for learning was top on discussions as he engaged students on their expectations on the kind of teacher training they have been receiving in the course of their studies.

The Director-General's tour covered some states in the North-Central, North-West and North-Eastern part of the country.

He visited Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi and Gombe State. In Jigawa he was at Government College Birnin-gudu, in Bauchi he monitored examinations at the Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina Unity College, Bauchi. The issue of security of staff and students during lectures and examinations was brought to the fore. The NTI members of staff in the various centres said they have taken measures at ensuring smooth running of the examinations.

A thorough check and search of individual students and their bags was noted as being very critical to the security of the study centres.

A Cross-section of the Students of United Christian Secondary school, Apapa, after Junior Achievement Nigeria/UPS Foundation Entrepreneurial Skill acquisition in Lagos

28—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Corps members to get NYSC call-up letter online November

Education sector lacks boost for change

By EDIRI EJOH

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By IKENNA ASOMBA

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EGINNING from the 2014 Batch ‘C’ set to be deployed November, corps members will now get their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Call-up letter online, after registering on the NYSC website.

The Director-General, NYSC, Brig-Gen. Johnson Olawumi disclosed this when he paid a visit to the 2014 Batch ‘B’ Stream 1 corps members, at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos. Represented by Mr. Anthony Ani, a Director at the Corps Mobilization Unit, National Directorate Headquarters of the NYSC, Olawumi stated that the online registration is put in place to bring efficiency and ease for corps members.

He said: “As from the 2014 Batch ‘C’ to be deployed this November, corps members will be required to go online to register on our website, after which they can print their call-up letters. The era where a corps member who for instance lives in Lagos, but schooled in Nassarawa, will have to travel to Nassarawa to get his call-up letter, has come and gone. What this means is that when it is time to go to camp, such a corp member would be able to sit in the confines of his room to register and print his call-up letter online.

"We are here to ensure life is better for you. We are doing this to bring efficiency and ease for

Pupils of the Wise Generation School, Ladegboye, Ikorodu entertaining guest with choreographic dance during their 2014 graduation ceremony held at the school premises in Lagos. corps members. We believe that among other things, we will reduce the rate at which corps members get involved in accident just to go to their various schools to get their call-up letter.”

While advising the corps members, Olawumi urged them to be disciplined, resourceful, dedicated and exhibit selfless sacrifice, in their places of primary assignment, adding that the NYSC one-year mandatory service should not be seen as a voluntary or personal service, but as a national service to one’s fatherland.

He added: “Be ambassadors of your parents, the NYSC and yourself. Go out there and tell the world that Nigeria would be a better place. Most of your mates who have travelled abroad are now refugees over there, but all you need to succeed here is character and discipline.

"We rely on you to transform Nigeria. So, go into your various communities, see what is missing and be ready to impact positive change.”

Earlier, the NYSC Lagos Coordinator, Mrs. Adenike Adeyemi informed the DG about all the programmes put in place to sensitise and motivate the corps members to be better persons in life, adding that the Lagos State NYSC has responded actively in collaboration with the State Government and in line with the directives of the NYSC DG, to sensitise the corps members, as well as the camp community about the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

"With all the measures put in place so far, I can assure that the NYSC Lagos Orientation camp has a very low threat to the scourge,” assured Adeyemi.

NOUN confirms Akeusola as Prof after inaugural lecture

By Emmanuel Edukugho

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FTER delivering the fifth inaugural lecture of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) at its headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos recently, Olurotimi Akeusola has been confirmed Professor.

It is the culture within the academic world for accomplished scholars to share their research experiences, findings in their respective disciplines with other colleagues and the entire community through inaugural lectures.

The Professor of Comparative Grammar (French and Yoruba), School of Arts and Social Sciences, National Open University of Nigeria, Lagos, titled his presentation Preserving Yoruba Language Through Linguistic Vaccination of Comparative Grammar which stunned the distinguished audience and eminent personalities who attended.

The aspect of language chosen for this study is in the area of Comparative Grammar. It was pointed out that whereas literary analysis can afford to be subjective depending on the choices of the critics, grammatical or lin-

guistic analysis is constrained to be objective. He referred to Bernard S. Cayne et all (1988:415) who sees grammar as “The science dealing with the systematic rules of a language, its forms inflections and syntax, and the arts of using them correctly.”

Also, in order to clarify some of the confusion and vagueness in the definitions and descriptions of grammar, Kwofie (1985:43) defined grammar as "the part of linguistic description that deals with analysis and syntax of a language.”

In the lecture, Professor Akeusola identified three grammatical eras: Traditional grammar, structural grammar, and transformational generative grammar. Grammar was conceived as the systematic examination of how morphemes are combined to form wards (Morphology), how phonemes (distinctive sounds) function within each language system (Phonology), how meanings are assigned to words (Semantics) and how the meaningfully-formed and pronounced words strung together to form sentences that are logically and grammatically

correct (Syntax). The critical look at above formulation shows clearly that the core of grammar is syntax.

He confessed that it is through the aid of comparing Yoruba grammar to that of French that they were able to detect most of distortions and misconceptions in Yoruba language.

Grammatical studies were divided into two main branches: (i) The theory of words, (ii) The theory of sentences.

In French and other European languages, the ending is often used as the mark of mood and tense. With help of the endings, the tenses can be distinguished such as the present, the past and the future tenses. For Yoruba, all the verbs are presented in he same form without changing or taking the endings in conformity, either with the tense, the mood, the person or even the number of persons which it is talking about.

It was affirmed that Yoruba grammar marks tenses and mood through the aid of lexicalisation or utilisation of words whereas English and French grammar could conveniently indicate tenses and moods through verbal auxiliaries or endings.

N grave anticipation of growth and rehabilitation in the education sector, an activist, Engr. John Evabite, has said the education sector lacks the prerequisite boost to effect change on the intellectual capacity of its citizenry.

Evabite, who prefers to be called a mechanic, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with Vanguard recently, argues that the structural managerial setting of the country’s education system is based on paper qualification and lacks the juice to boost the potency of making the structure standard, thus neglecting capacity development base.

Evabite, of Otor Engineering Ltd, said “I feel disturbed about the security challenge in the country, and it all starts from our training programmes. I try to look

at it from our educational system which is not of any substance at all.

We only acquire paper qualifications to show off which in return does not contribute to the benefit of national development.

In the sense that, after we have acquired the qualifications, they have no significant impact in what we are doing. We need to emulate the American system of education, which is learning and practicals.

Learning and Practicals: Continuing, he provided that; “They are not to be blamed because they send their wards outside the country or possibly private schools, which makes them unaffected by the plague. I feel embarrassed because the turmoil is seen in our curriculum as it does not have any relevance to our industrial development.”

EAU confers honourary doctorate degree on Nigerian

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EAD, Retail Distribution, First Bank Insurance Limited, Dr. Odinakachi Umekwe has been conferred with the prestigious honorary doctorate degree award by the European American University in Commonwealth of Dominica on the occasion of its convocation for the conferment of degrees, diplomas and honorary doctorate degree award held in Lagos. As part of its programme to encourage excellence and to acknowledge the contribution of respected and distinguished men and women worldwide, European American University in Commonwealth of Dominica has proposed through its African Operation Office, to confer honorary doctorate degree to those who have made outstanding contributions in academic, political, social, religious and humanitarian service in the advancement of humanity in general which Dr. Umekwe has been nominated as one of such distinguished personalities to be honoured with honorary doctorate degree of Arts in Finance and Corporate leadership.

A citation on the recipient described him as a proven African icon with vast experience and a technocrat who has promoted integrity and visionary leadership in his contribution to the insurance sector and nation-building.

Addressing guests at the

occasion, the head, European American University Africa Operation, Professor Williams Egbuta explained that the honour on the recipients was in recognition of their outstanding achievements and contributions observed and strongly appreciated by the university.

A released signed by Kalu A. Kalu of integrity International and made available to Vanguard said – that the occasion was attended by a large turnout of top Government Officials, stakeholders in the educational sector, business personalities, envoys, religious leaders, traditional rulers from both Nigeria and the International Community as well as family members and colleagues of the recipient among others.

At the ceremony witnessed by many distinguished personalities also in attendance, G.O. The kingdom of Love Church of Christ Prophet Felix Oluyemi, HRM Oba (Dr.) Adewale Shefiu, Deputy Speaker Niger State House of Assembly Hon. Abdulrahman Bala, D.G. NTDC , Dr. (Mrs.) Sally Mbanefo, D.G. NTI Dr. Aminu Ladan.

According to Ladan, he said as a member of the senate, they will do their best to promote the cause of the university and to bring about development of the educational sector in Nigeria and the Country in general.

Foundation-laying ceremony of NRCRI sub-station postponed

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HE National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development regrets to announce that the Foundation-laying ceremony of her Research Substation for the Southwest Zone to be performed by His Excellency, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, President & C-in-C, Federal Republic of Nigeria, scheduled to hold on Monday, the 25th of August 2014, at the NECRI Farm Site, Osun State, has been postponed to now hold on Saturday, 6th of September, 2014 at 10am prompt.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014—29

•Endows Fund for Best Graduating Students

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HE Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Mead Facilities and Management Services Limited, AMFacilities, Engr. Femi Akintunde, has tasked young engineers on the need to harness their knowledge of engineering principles, science and mathematics to advance Nigeria’s economy.

He made this charge at the University of Ibadan, where he also endowed an annual N500, 000 cash prize, in honour of his late parents, for the Best Graduating Female Engineering Student and Best Graduating Industrial Engineering Male Student respectively.

Delivering a paper, titled The Engineer as the Prime Mover of Economic Development, to the university’s 2014 inductees of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, Engr. Akintunde hinted that every major sector of the Nigerian economy is in dire need

of engineering solutions. He highlighted such sectors as power, manufacturing, infrastructure, real estate, agriculture and transportation, saying that Engineers must rise to the occasion to boost the nation’s economy.

“Today, the world, Nigeria in particular, is in dire need of engineering solutions. This simply means that, if the simple economic rule of demand and supply is anything to go by, then there are limitless opportunities for engineers in the pool of problems that confront our nation.

If you consider Nigeria’s current economic indices and realities, one common denominator of our challenges is that none can be solved outside the scope of engineering principles and practices. These challenges therefore place a huge responsibility on the shoulders of engineering stakeholders; and as you join the league of this noble

profession today, it is only ideal that we provoke your thinking to imbibe a solution mentality towards our nation’s economic problems.”

He further advised the young Engineers to keep fate with Nigeria, even in the face of the pool of challenges that confront the nation. “You cannot afford to join the bandwagon of those complaining about Nigeria."

The Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan is a document that highlights key areas of the economy that can take our economy through the maturation circle of Vision 2020. You should make such documents a companion,” he charged.

The AMFacilities MD, who is also an alumnus of the faculty, further tasked stakeholders such as government, educational institutions and employers of labour to present the right environment to help the engineering profession thrive.

Lapo spends N103m on education

BY PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU

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APO Microfinance Bank Limited says it has spent N103 million in the last seven years on scholarship for education of clients' children.

The bank disclosed this during the 2014/15 scholarship scheme examination in Lagos, where Osayi Itohan, Secretary, Lapo Scholarship Board, broke down in monetary terms the amount spent so far by the bank on the scholarship which she described as the bank’s own Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR drive.

Mrs Itohan who also said that

the bank has a yearly budget for its scholarship fund, stated that for the 2014/15 academic session, the bank will be spending N38m to help indigent clients children's education.

The Board Secretary went further to say that this year, 1,555 secondary school clients' children from 347 branches wrote the qualifying examination, where the most intelligent will be selected based on merit.

She went on to reveal that the cumulative number of beneficiaries under the scholarship scheme between 2008 to 2013 is 1,402 for secondary school pupils

and 40 for university education with over N65m disbursed so far.

Speaking on how the children are picked for the scholarship, the Secretary to the board said; “We pick among the poorest to care for their children as you know, education is very expensive and for us, we try targeting the best among the children not minding their poor background.”

Continuing, she enthused: "Among our clients, we undertake screening to get those who have children in secondary school, and after the screening, we go for the ballot section.

Educationist bags professional fellowship award

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BUJA - Chairman, Nana Apori Group of Schools, Dr Daniel Apori, made history as he was conferred with the Professional Fellowship Award by the Civilian Institute of Democratic Administration (FCIDA) at the 17th Edition of CIDA International leadership summit in Abuja recently, for promoting visionary leadership in Africa.

The paper which focused on creating opportunity for emerging leaders titled: Beyond Africa Transportation, was delivered by the Director-General of the institute, Dr Charles Marcus (FCIDA)under the chairmanship of Dr. Ngozi Olejeme (FCIDA), Chairman, NSITF Abuja, represented by Mr. Musa Shamtu Paul (FCIDA).

Among others, Dr Apori has been proven to be an African icon with vast experience and a technocrat who has promoted

Chairman, Nana Apori Group of School, Dr. Daniel Apori, receiving the Professional Fellowship Award from Dr. Charles Marcus, Civilian Institute of Democratic Administration during the 17th edition of the Int’l Leadership Summit in Abuja.

integrity and visionary leadership in his contribution to education and nation-building in Africa and beyond.

Dr Marcus advised leaders to embrace change for transformational leadership and also stated that the aim of the institute is to take CIDA across the world for democratic administration and to award and rec-

ognise those who have contributed immensely to the growth of the institute and democratic administration in the country.

Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Government Affairs, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, stated that terrorism is not to be left in the hands of security agencies alone, everybody has to be involved.

How to choose the university to attend “

The true university these days is a collection of Books.”

Thomas Carlyle, 1795-1881. (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, p258).

And on the same page of VBQ, C.P. Snow added: “I don’t believe that a man ought to be the Head of a university if he gets detested by all the students and most of the staff.”

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ERHAPS those two different perspectives about the “ideal” university, added to others to be introduced later, should help prospective university students and their parents/guardians to choose the universities the kids should be aiming to attend this year.

Thomas Carlyle was only half right for assuming that universities became a “collection of books” during the 18th and 19th centuries. Universities, since the first ever university in the world, Karaouien University, situated at Fez, Morocco, had always been, primarily, a “collection of books.” As a minimum, they cannot be anything else. The biggest collection of books in any university is what we all call the Library. But, it is not the only one.

Most top scholars in every discipline, have their own collection of books, which can sometimes include more up-to-date materials than the university library itself. On my one, and sadly only visit to Emeritus Professor Ade-Ajayi’s house at Ibadan, as the Editor (honest I was once an Editor) of the IGBOBIAN Magazine, to interview the great historian, I was confronted with more books in one house than I have seen anywhere else. I did a mental count, while waiting for Professor Ajayi to attend to us. There must be at least 10,000 books in that house alone. Some are not available in any university library in Nigeria.

Taking the university library as a starting point, any prospective student who actually intends to acquire deep knowledge in any discipline, irrespective of whether at a public or private university in Nigeria, should take the trouble to visit the university’s library first – because that is where the major store of knowledge is situated. Lecturers and Professors dispense only a fraction of what is available on every subject and even the best of them is severely limited in scope. Most of the rest of the information is in the library.

As far as libraries are concerned, one university towers above all the others, public and private, such that there is no comparison. The gap in the “collection of books” between the leader in that aspect of university education, and which ever is in second place is so wide, American University in Nigeria, AUN, Yola stands in a class by itself.

The e-library, which is regarded as one of the top 20 in the world provides the students and faculty access to all the major libraries of the world and the service is available to students 24 hours a day; anywhere they might be. Excellence cannot be better defined than that. I was also privileged to visit Elizade University, among private universities and its own e-library is also one of the top libraries in Nigeria today; where students can sit in the comfort of their rooms, at any time and read any book available in the library. My visit to Redeemers University, in July this year, was

,

AMFacilities MD tasks young engineers on economic solutions

If libraries are very important for all universities, they are totally indispensable for students attending universities where there might be shortage of academic staff

,

cut short before reaching the library; so was my stop over at Bells University, Ota, Madonna University, Okija and Obong University, Akwa Ibom State. But, I hope to visit them again; and as many university libraries as possible.

Public universities present a different set of problems. I have been privileged to use the services of four – University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Ado Bayero University, Kano and Usman Dan Fodio, Sokoto at various times. The gap in the quality of library service, between the first generation universities and the second, exhibited by these four universities, is probably a reflection of the differences nationwide. One shudders to enter the libraries of the universities established by the Jonathan administration since 2011.

If libraries are very important for all universities, they are totally indispensable for students attending universities where there might be shortage of academic staff. Let me illustrate the point. I met a Professor of Medicine who graduated from a top Nigerian university in June this year. He now heads a major diagnostic unit. He confessed to me that to pass the examination in surgery, he and his classmates had to rely on diagrams in books, which they memorized for the test. None of them ever saw any of the equipment they were describing in use until he went abroad for his post-graduate studies.

Continues next week Visit: www.delesobowale.com or Visit: www.facebook.com/

30 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 — 31

32—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Man minus machines equals a labourer Being an inaugural lecture delivered by Lawson Olabosipo Adekoya, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, at Oduduwa Hall, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife fact that I had not planned to take up REAMBLE: The inaugural a university lecture of today is to appointment. formally inaugurate my 1997 In the mean An agricultural machine...enhances food production Chair in Mechanical time, most of my Engineering. It will educate the contemporaries who had job audience on machines, machine offers in 1975 had resumed at soon as possible. However, one indispensable roles in the life of energy, (4) a new organization development and management; their duty posts on 2nd August thing led to another, and I man. They exist in every facet of of work known as the factory and chronicle my modest 1976. All the while, the strongly believe that it is human endeavour, namely in system, which entailed increased contributions to the development department kept sending providential that I have been on sports, mechanised agriculture, division of labour and food processing, education, specialization of function, (5) of the engineering profession in messages to me that I was being this job for over 38 years! medical services, transportation important developments in MAN, MACHINES AND Nigeria. expected to come and start work and (air, land, and water), military, transportation Before graduation in 1975, I and that my colleague, Mr. LABOURER Man: It had been realised, construction, banking and communication, including the had secured three appointments Obafemi Ajibola (now a retired with two private companies and Professor of Agricultural since time immemorial, that man commerce, home, office, steam locomotive, steamship, a government ministry that were Engineering), who graduated needed assistance of machines information/entertainment, water automobile, airplane, telegraph, all located in Lagos. After the with a similar result, had already to live a productive life. supply, and manufacturing, to and radio, and (6) the increasing one-month post-National Youth assumed duties in the According to history, the early mention a few. Machines have application of science to industry. man lived in existing caves. taken man to the end of the world These technological changes Service leave in July 1976, I went department. made possible a tremendously to the organisations on Monday I was clearly in a fix. After However, he soon realised that and to the moon and back.

History is full of accounts of increased use of natural 2nd August with the aim of staying at home and being in order to survive, he needed to starting work. One after the other, unemployed for two weeks, kill animals for meat, plant and how machines have improved resources and the mass they rejected me after being which were as long as eternity harvest crops and transport self human activities. The Industrial production of manufactured informed of my graduating result. then, I had to quickly reappraise and goods.

To achieve these goals, he had Ironically, all the employers had my plans. I came to the The invention of the wheel around 4000 c o n c l u s i o n to conceive and fabricate simple BC marked a significant milestone in the that, given the tools (which in essence are simple machines) from stones evolution of land transportation “discrimination” against my and wood. These multiplied his (Encyclopaedia class of degree, efforts, increased his work rates, Revolution, a major turning point goods I was not likely and made him mobile. According in the history of man, was the Britannica, 2014).

The worker acquired new and to secure any to an ancient Egyptian legend, process of change from an employment man was instructed on how to agrarian, handicraft economy to distinctive skills, and his relation outside the make agricultural tools by the one dominated by industry and to his task shifted. Instead of great god Osiris (Quick and machine manufacture. This being a craftsman working with universities!

Based on the Buchele, 1978). As man process began in England in the hand tools, he became a machine s t a n d i n g developed, his ability to conceive 18th century (from about 1760 to operator, subject to factory invitation from and fabricate tools became more sometime between 1820 and discipline. Finally, there was a 1840) and within a few decades psychological change: man’s the department adroit. spread to Western Europe and confidence in his ability to use and the the United States (Encyclopaedia resources and to master nature encouragement, Sophisticated was heightened.

Britannica, 2014). or rather machines It is pertinent to note that the The main features involved in insistence, of With time, man developed very the Industrial Revolution were development of machines have my senior b r o t h e r sophisticated machines for technological, socioeconomic, generally been gradual, taking O t u n b a planting, harvesting, handling and cultural. The technological several years from conception to changes included the following: fruition. A typical chronology is B a b a t u n d e and processing crops.

PR OF WSON OLABOSIPO ADEK OYA PROF OF.. LA LAWSON ADEKO Machines: Generically, (1) the use of new basic materials, in land transportation. Before the Adekoya, I found me appointable during finally reported in the machines can be defined simply chiefly iron and steel, (2) the use invention of the wheel, land th interviews held before the final- department on 16 August 1976. as devices used for performing of new energy sources, including transportation was by sledges. year examinations. They all I submitted a hand-written tasks or for doing work. However, both fuels and motive power, such The invention of the wheel insisted that “people like you application, and was instantly for the purpose of this inaugural as coal, the steam engine, around 4000 BC marked a should go back to the university”. offered an appointment as a lecture, it is more appropriate to electricity, petroleum, and the significant milestone in the The only basis for this advice was Graduate Assistant. It was with define machines as mechanical internal-combustion engine, (3) evolution of land transportation. that I had graduated with a First great trepidation that I assumed devices (usually) with moving the invention of new machines, The two-wheeled cart evolved by Class Honours degree in duties the same day! Because I parts, that are powered by such as the spinning jenny and fitting a pair of wheels to the Agricultural Engineering. I was never planned to be in humans, engines, electricity, etc, the power loom that permitted sledge. Archaeological evidence completely devastated by these academics, my hidden agenda and are capable of performing increased production with a suggests that the first vehicles Continues on page 33 rejections especially given the was to leave the University as useful work. Machines play smaller expenditure of human

By PROF. LAWSON ADEKOYA

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Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014—33

Man minus machines equals a labourer

Direct progenitor The vehicle was slow, ponderous, and moved by fits and starts. In tests, it carried four passengers at a slow speed of a little over 3.2 km/h and had to stop every 20 minutes to build a fresh head of steam.

The direct progenitor of the modern car is based on a patent obtained in 1886 by Carl Benz (1844-1929) for his invention titled “A carriage with petrol engine”. This patent was based on a fragile, carriage-like, threewheeler with tubular framework, mounted on a 0.75 kW, onecylinder engine.

Even though Benz’s creation was awkward and frail, it incorporated some essential elements that characterise the modern car, namely: electric ignition, differential, mechanical valves, carburettor, engine cooling system, oil and grease cups for lubrication, and a braking system (Adekoya, 2013).

The Benz Velo (Plate 1) was a four-wheel commercial version of the invention and was produced

by Benz’s company from 18861893 (Wikipedia, 2014).

As the years rolled by, many inventions were incorporated in

the car such that by 1929 the modern car was “mechanically complete”. The car we drive today was developed bit by bit from the ideas, imaginations, fantasies, and tinkering of hundreds of individuals through hundreds of years (Table 1). It is estimated that over 100,000 patents created the modern car (Adekoya, 2013).

Worldwide, cars have remained the major means by which individuals go to work, go shopping, and go visiting friends and relatives. Even in places with highly organised public transportation services, cars have made it possible for people to live lives independent of rail, bus, and air schedules. Cars have therefore become a necessity of life in contemporary living.

Labourer: A labourer is a person whose job involves hard physical strength and stamina (Oxford University Press, 2009).

From the same dictionary, stamina is defined as enduring physical or mental energy and strength that allows somebody to do something for a long period of time.

Continuous power According to Makanjuola (1977), man as a source of continuous power can work at a rate of not greater than 0.1 kW. This is not enough to cope with the really difficult jobs and cannot be sustained for long periods. By comparison, a small machine powered by a 0.1 kW electric motor will work continuously for several hours provided it is powered and well-maintained.

Therefore, without machines, man can labour for only short durations, after which he will tire.

Man Minus Machines: Machines have become an integral part of our daily routines and in the process transformed our lives. Machines are used for farming, for life-support services in hospitals, and general processing of foods. They are used for manufacturing durable consumer goods such as cars, hand tools, washing machines,

etc; industrial goods such machine tools, robots, etc; and consumables such as paper, soaps, toothpastes, tissues, etc.

Cars, buses, boats, ships, trains and airplanes have been taken for granted as transportation machines. Without them, travelling will be unimaginable.

Hazardous tasks that cannot even be done by man are doable by machines such as industrial robots. Without machines, simple chores become laborious and the very difficult tasks become humanly impossible!

From the foregoing, it is apparent that without machines, man will labour a lot but will achieve only a little, and that life will be very tough, if not outright impossible! Mr. Vice-Chancellor, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I, therefore, hereby submit “mathematically” that: (Man) - (Machines) = (Labourer)........... (1). This is the topic of my inaugural lecture, which can be written in prose as “Man minus machines equals a labourer”. However, for man to effectively and efficiently carry out tasks, he needs the right or appropriate machines.

Appropriate machines The qualities of the right or appropriate machines include affordability, safety, reliability, ease of maintenance, aesthetics, adequate strength, efficient performance, ease of operation and user-friendly technology, to mention a few. These qualities imply that appropriate machines are well-designed, perfectlymanufactured, and easilymanaged (that is operated and maintained).

Machine Design, Manufacture and Management Introduction: The engineering activities that produce every machine/structure are design and manufacture/construction.

Engineering design is the process by which an engineer applies his knowledge, skills and point-of-view to the creation of functional, economical and otherwise satisfactory solutions to

Locomotive engine...one of the machines invented during the industrial revolution

given real-life problems in accordance with some codes or standards. It is the central activity in the practice of engineering. It is one of the qualities that differentiate the engineer from other members of the engineering family! For the benefit of the general audience, the engineering family consists of engineers, technologists, technicians and craftsmen/ artisans.

Machine Design: Machine design is a subset of engineering design. The classical machine design methodology consists of the following phases: recognition of need, problem formulation, creative design,preliminary design and development, detailed design, prototype building and testing, design for production and product release.

The creative design phase is perhaps the most challenging and interesting part of the design process.

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Continues from page 32 were heavy two- or four-wheeled chariots that were pulled by oxen.

The development of light wheels with spokes and the introduction of the horse as the draft animal around 2000 BC was the final step in the evolution of the chariot into a military vehicle that revolutionised warfare in the ancient world by providing armies with unprecedented mobility.

In the 14th century the passenger coach, a modified version of the chariot pulled by one horse, began to evolve (Adekoya, 2013). The transition from horse-drawn carriages to the horseless carriage was not achieved until 1769 when Nicholas-JosephCugnot (17251804) invented a heavy, threewheeled, steam-powered, clumsy vehicle.

compatible with the best and often the most economical methods of production, and the selection of the best materials.

This process is called value analysis and is normally carried out outside of the university environment by companies that intend to commercialise the machine. Product release, which is the commercial marketing of the machine, follows the manufacture.

Machine Manufacture: Machines are made by manufacturing and assembling the components or parts of the machine. The components are made from a variety of materials by different manufacturing methods. For example, a typical family car is assembled from about 15,000 parts.

Of this number, 1,500 are synchronised to move together, many of them working within tolerances as small as 2.54x10-3 mm. Nearly 60 different materials, from cardboard, plastic, and rubber to platinum, are used in a car’s construction (The Reader’s Digest Association, 1981). A C5A transport plane consists of more than 4 million parts, and a Boeing 747-400 has 6 million parts (Kalpakjian, 1997). It is

The creative design phase is perhaps the most challenging and interesting part of the design process

This is because it is at this stage that the engineer comes up with as many alternative solutions as possible to a given problem. The synthesis of various new and/or old ideas and concepts takes place in such a way as to produce an overall new idea or concept of solving the current problem.

One of the solutions generated in the creative design phase is then selected as the solution to be developed further. The bases of making this decision are many and varied. The techniques used include decision matrix, probability theory, optimisation technique, etc. The prototype building and testing phase normally ends the machine development process in a university research setting.

Design for Manufacture: In order to commercialise the machine, further work needs to be done in the form of design for development. This involves design changes that would be

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noteworthy that each part of every machine is individually designed and manufactured.

Product Liability: Simply put, product liability is the legal term used to describe an action in which an injured party (plaintiff) seeks to recover damages for personal injury or loss of property from a seller (defendant) when it is alleged that the injuries resulted from a defective product.

Defective product The term has also been used when a consumer or business enterprise has suffered commercial loss owing to the breakdown or inadequate performance of a product (Weinstein, et al, 1978). In most instances, an action based on product liability requires the establishment of a defect in the product.

Product defects arise from two sources. The first and most basic is production or manufacturing defect. This is a defect arising from an error occurring during the manufacture of the product.

The classic example is the soft drink bottle that explodes as a result of either an imperfection in the glass structure of the bottle or of over-carbonisation.

In other words, a production defect arises when a product does not meet the manufacturer’s own standards for that product. This would presume that products that meet the manufacturer ’s standards are not defective, at least from the viewpoint of the manufacturer.

To be continued

34—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Bit

FG approves skills development, others

Nigerian Labour Congress President, Abdulwaheed Omar

RIGHT OF REPLY:

About NLC appointing a new General Secretary

By Augustine Tanko

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or some time now, the anti-NLC posture of Vanguard newspaper has become too apparent to be ignored and we all need to ask if the newspaper, especially its Labour page handlers have extant motives to destroy the Nigeria Labour Congress under Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar.

The paper’s recent report, with the headline, NLC Appoints Secretary General , published at Page 60 of Sunday Vanguard, August 10, 2014 edition is full of mischief and obviously aimed at causing disaffection and dissonance in the labour movement.

The report, written by Victor AhiumaYoung, while reviewing the background of contenders already interviewed for the office of Congress General Secretary, decided to run down two of the contenders while promoting the other. That showed bad journalism and obvious prejudice that compromised objectivity. It also gave up the report as having been influenced by egocentric considerations.

The maligning part of the report, which exposed the candidate of the writer as a lazy, greedy and false expert who was a staff of Congress as a Research Officer but abandoned congress at its most difficult times and had, since leaving congress become the most virulent blackmailer of the staff, organs and structures of Congress now wish to bludgeon himself back to Congress having run down his union; shortchanging members whose factories were closed down; and disorienting secretariat staff of the union through intimidation and harassment leading to resignation of some of the union’s most effective staff.

Throughout the period John Odah was General Secretary of the NLC, Issa Aremu never spared any opportunity to run him down, causing unnecessary friction between him and then President of NLC, Adams Oshiomhole. He

indeed, proposed a constitutional amendment to the last delegates' conference of NLC to have the position of Congress General Secretary become elective, so he can contest for it. He had to withdraw the motion because it lacked popularity.

If Congress needs an effective General Secretary, it’s certainly not an egoist, and surely not one that will not only destroy the secretariat but cause friction among the political leadership as had been done during the immediate past leadership of the Textile Union, led by Comrade Agulana.

The fact that the position of General Secretary of the NLC was advertised within the movement speaks no volumes about the effectiveness and qualities of the current Acting General Secretary of the NLC. It is a decision of the relevant organs of Congress to fill the

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he Federal Govern ment has approved a new Skills Development and Certification/Trade Testing Cadre and its inclusion in the Scheme of Service of the Federation.

Consequently, the career progression of officers in this cadre has been upgraded from terminal Grade Level 14 to Directorate Level on Grade Level 17. Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, disclosed this in Karu, Nasarawa State while flagging off a two -day Capacity Building Workshop for Skills Development and Certification/Trade Test Officers organized by the Ministry in collaboration with Technical Vocational Educational Training (TVET) arm of SURE-P Programme.

The minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Clement Illoh, indicated that the Labour Ministry would partner the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and relevant stakeholders like Industrial Training Fund (ITF); Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC); National Directorate of Employment (NDE), among others, to fashion out a Skills Development Policy for the country to boost human and institutional capacity in this specialized area.

The Labour Minister charged the workshop to map out modalities for transforming the nation’s Skills Training Centres into centres of excellence for addressing the skills development gaps and imbalances undermining relevant technical and technological productivity in the country. He added that Government under the SURE-P TVET Programme was poised to provide financial and logistical support for such training and development efforts.

Secretariat has intervened in all strikes and grievances involving its affiliates such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and other educationbased unions’ strikes; judicial workers strike etc; including resolving internal leadership disputes in some affiliates.

It is therefore irresponsible and unprofessional for the writer to claim that the current Acting General Secretary is ineffective. If he is, a man who does not sit in his office but chooses to junket from one government house to the other, issuing statements to please politicians is certainly not a replacement. This man lacks discipline and has no respect for organs and structures of the movement as evident in his conduct at the Textile Union where he has been busy trading workers welfare for personal aggrandizement. In contrast, Chris Uyot respects the leadership and affiliates and has been able to make staff commit themselves to Congress and the movement, in contrast to the bullying style used to send out committed staff of his union out of the secretariat.

Chris Uyot has been head of the NLC Industrial Relations Department for years. The department relates with affiliates on industrial relations and rights violations. The uninformed assertion that he does not understand the unions and their struggles is therefore laughable.

If there is anyone that has contributed largely to Congress policy directions, that person is Dr. Peter OzoEson. His researches and papers are not meant for a Victor Young. They are intellectual inputs to Congress works.

His works have been very helpful in our reactions to government policies, especially privatization, deregulation and indeed the economy in general.

Peter’s experience in the movement transcends one Issa Aremu, a man

Chris Uyot has been head of the NLC Industrial Relations Department for years

positions of Deputy General Secretaries and General Secretary at once, rather than have a General Secretary without deputies as it had been for quite some time. Indeed, this is not the first time interviews for the position of General Secretary of NLC will include those acting in that office.

Before John Odah became General Secretary, he was interviewed along with Comrades like Sola Iji who was then General Secretary of the Food Senior Staff Union, FOBTOB. That didn’t imply John was incompetent, it was simply a process that must be followed to ensure Congress gets the most desirable.

The truth is that under the leadership of Chris Uyot, the secretariat has become united and effective. Staff morale has been boosted while issues relating to unions are handled with despatch. The

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whose stock-in-trade is to link up with people in government for personal benefits.

Dr. Ozo-Eson has been an active and prominent mobilizer in the Academic Staff Union of Universities and his quality intellectual output has been to the benefit of Nigerian workers, including Issa Aremu. It would be insulting to his person to start comparing him with Isa. The General Secretary NLC requires is not an opportunistic, egoistic, anti workers, divisive element like Isa. In conclusion, it is sad to note that after several years on the labour beat for Vanguard newspapers, Victor Young will descend so low to the level of being fed with falsehood, publishing what others write under his own byline. It is indeed, a shame of an obvious backward journalism.

Labour Vanguard's reactions coming next week.

Vanguard,THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014—35

Retirement is enjoyable if planned — ISHOLA

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

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lhaji Olanrewaju Ishola is a 60 years old retiree the Health Service Commission, Lagos state. He retired in 2011 after 35 years. At a recent interface between retirees under the platform of the Trustfund Pensions Plc, and Trustfund, in Lagos, spoke to Pension and You on his retirement life among others.

How has retirement life

been since your retirement?

I am enjoying my own retirement life because I planned for it during the time I was in service. Five years before my retirement I started planning myself; how I would do my things.

After retirement, was your entitlement especially gratuity paid?

I was paid and I receive my benefit or pension as at when due. I am usually paid between the 18th and 24th of every month.

The pay it into my bank account. I am very happy with my retirement life because all my children are well educated. They are all BSc holders, only that they do not have jobs presently.

Why are you at this forum (Trustfund interactive)?

I just got an alert on my phone to attend the forum.

And we are here, the only thing I learned here is that we should not move from Programmed withdrawal to annuity, be-

cause if we do, we cannot come back. It is what we had discussed two years ago that is being repeated now.

How will you compare the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS with the defunct pay as you go?

Everything is based on planning. It is when you plan that you decide what is good or not. When I got my own bulk money, after retirement, because I retired in February and got my bulk money in August the same year,

from that time, I started doing something which has been fetching me something. I do not even know until I get the alert that my money has been paid. I am involved in farming, and I have a small job at a supermarket which gives me money daily.

What is your advice to those in the service?

There is something wrong with the mindset of nearly every civil servant.

They always believe that this job is

‘government job’ and they can afford to do it anyhow. It is when you are in the service that you will be able to plan for your retirement. If you are not playing with the government service, you will enjoy yourself at the end of your life. When I was in the service, I joined the cooperative society. When I needed money, I would borrow from the society and they would deduct it from my salary. From that society, they bought a land for us, and gave it to individuals; we paid when we were in the service.

And from there, they gave me a loan which we used to start developing the land. We repaid the loan, and that is the house I am living in today. So if you work in a government service and you retire without having shelter, it will be very difficult for you. I am not asking you to go and steal, but you can plan well with the little you have. If you join the cooperative, they will be deducting your money by themselves, you can be rest assured that you have money somewhere.

When you retire, or stop working, they will give you your cheque.

If you collect the cheque before you retirement money is ready, you will be enjoying that money.

But if you collect it the same time you collect your retirement money, you are in money. And if you use your head well, you will not join Lagos life with all their Owambe, (partying) if you do, you will fizzle out with Owambe.

When is the right time to start planning for retirement?

You should start planning for retirement from your first day of appointment. You have 35 years ahead of you, at least if they are giving you 30,000, if you save 5,000 every month, you can manage the rest. You should not say because other people are sending their children to private schools, you must send yours to private schools.

All my children went to public schools from primary schools to the universities and I monitored them. I got private lessons for them in their schools. I do not force myself to do what I cannot afford to do. What I am wearing now is N5,000 including the tailoring. I don’t live above my means, and that is what I have taught my children also.

36—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Part-time legislators may not be committed — Ajibola, SAN

By Onozure Dania

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RINCE Segun Ajibola, SAN, is son of former Attorney- General of the Federation, Prince Bola Ajibola, SAN. In this interview, speaks on the conduct of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA election, insecurity in the country, some recommendations of the national conference among others. Excerpts: who are our members and not to cross check your personality or credentials, before the elections. But, when you have the issue of delegates system, it narrows down the situation.

Again, the quacks and hoodlums, disrupting the process, will stop. Yes, I think it does disenfranchise some lawyers, but I still think that there is merit in the idea, but how it is carried out, is now the issue. There is no need bringing the entire members of the NBA from the 36 states, to Abuja. It is an association and there must be a degree of trust and confidence.

I have observed that since the introduction of delegates system of voting, only Senior Advocates of Nigeria have been emerging as presidents of the association. What is your reaction to this?

I am worried too, it is not the exclusive preserve of the SANs. Yes, it has happened that way over years, they (SANs) feature more prominently in the contest and when that happens, you can well imagine what the result will be, which is what we have been witnessing over the years.

But, I think the process itself, the financial implications are quite high. Before you mobilise yourself and create awareness

•Prince Segun Ajibola, SAN, about your desire, go about your campaign around the whole country and sensitize your supporters, there are a lot of things that needs to be done to prepare yourself generally for the elections.

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The NBA recently held its national election. Do you agree with some of your colleagues that the delegates’ voting system adopted by the association disenfranchised many lawyers?

In any process, there must be an order and there must be method of doing things effectively and doing it positively. I dare say that before the idea of the delegates’ approach came to being in our elections, there was the approach, where it was an open door for all comers, which seemed to cause a lot of problems.

It was a situation where ever y lawyer, who calls himself one, just strolls in on the day of elections and vote. It created a lot of problems. I think one of the problems I witnessed many years back, was in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, when the NBA was almost moribund for few years. As a matter of fact, these days, in most of our elections even at the branch level, they ask you to come with the receipt of your annual Bar branch dues, your NBA annual due receipt and a copy of your call to Bar certificate.

I think it was in a bid to manage the whole thing, to say let us know ourselves, let’s be sure of who we are and ensure that our affairs are dealt with by those

But, I won’t mention names. Some of them are even doing better than some SANs. But, it is not a criteria or a requirement that those who want to become President of the asso-

Alao Aka-Bashorun was not a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and many others were not and they won and they were successful.

So, if you have the time to spend and the money, find your way there for the elections

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We all know that there is hardly any serious election you do in this country, that there are no financial implications.

Perhaps, those with financial ability are within the ranks of the SAN. However, I know quite a number of lawyers who are not SANs and they are doing very well and are quite wealthy.

Too many electoral offenders are getting away, says Wali —Pg 39

ciation must be SANs. You can only vote for those who present themselves as candidates, so if people are complaining and they are interested in that position, they should go beyond their complaints and present themselves. Once you meet the standards set by the regulations, for that process, you are

eligible, but you can’t be on the sideline and complain that the SANs are taking over the position. The reasons why the SANs always emerge in that position, is because most of the time, they present themselves for elections for the position, that is why they are very prominent in that position.

Alao Aka-Bashorun was not a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and many others were not and they won and they were successful.

So, if you have the time to spend and the money, find your way there for the elections.

In the past, NBA used to be very vibrant, but it seems that the Bar has lost its voice in recent times, most especially on issues concerning the judiciary and the nation as a whole. Do you agree?

I don’t think that there has ever been a time that the NBA has

A coming of age story of the anti-corruption movement (2)

refused to speak up, but what you will find out now is that the voice of the NBA is lost in the cacophony of voices, if I may use that expression.

You open the papers now, they are filled with various societies, groups, organisations and associations that you can never imagine.

So, everybody is jostling for space now and I dare say that the NBA is not left out in that jostling to speak out on matters of importance affecting the country.

Perhaps, what we need is a change to enable us to be in the fore front of vanguard and crusade of speaking up and speaking out against the ills in the society for now.

They can’t do more than what they have done, if there is anything to be done beyond that, the association will have to come together as a body and decide on the best way forward.

But, I think the association itself, has become more democratised in the sense that for you to take any decision on any matter, it requires that more of our members take time out to contribute toward the shaping of opinions to be presented by NBA, so that we can have a uniform view.

In the past, there was a situation where the national body will make a point and some branches will say they don’t agree with the position of the national body, but we have been able to do away with that part.

What is your reaction to the recommendations of the National Conference Committee on Public Service that Continues on page 37

— Pg 39

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014—37

Part-time legislators may not be committed — Ajibola, SAN Continues frompage 36 legislators at the National Assembly and State levels should be on part- time basis?

I think the reason is wellinformed, but there is a danger. Once you begin to have part- time legislators, you have part-time commitment and even with the present arrangement, we still have people who are behaving like they are working as part-time anyway.

They hardly come or attend sessions and even when they attend, they make virtually no contribution throughout their term. Of course that arm of government is quite enormous and that is why

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar had advocated the amendment of the constitution to the effect that election disputes involving governors should terminate at the Court of Appeal. What is your view on this?

I have thought about that suggestion, even though people defer in opinions, as to whether it’s proper or not.

But, before now, that was the position of the law, governorship elections dispute ends at the Court of Appeal. Generally, it is a very serious one and is a very touchy and highly sensitive.

I think perhaps, one argument going for the idea, is that we should allow the contest to be tested at every

We don’t seem to have solutions to our problems, because it seems to be worsening, the situation is getting worse by the day and people are taking laws into their hands

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many people feel, why should we be spending so much money just on a few of them who show up, and make any contribution, if at all meaningful.

The issue of law making is a very fundamental in any country. It is a very serious matter and we should not therefore throw away bath water with the baby as well.

There are some people that will still be unserious even and as uncommitted even when they were on full- time, believing that all they need to do is just to show up, collect allowances and go back to enjoy.

This type of attitude makes a mockery of the whole situation.

EDITORIAL TEAM Innocent Anaba ( Head) Wahab Abdulah Ikechukwu Nnochiri Dayo Benson (Supervising Editor) 08056180119 dayobenson@yahoo.com

level available under the rule of law and for the Supreme Court to put it to an end.

Otherwise, there would always be something left in the minds of people that something has been left undone.

But, the point is, we still find situations where after the Supreme Court has given judgment, some of us still go and interpret their own judgments in a rather very unpleasant manner.

My take on this issue is that the Supreme Court should not always be the court, where all kinds of matters should go to. We need to ensure that the Justices of the apex court concentrates, because the court is already congested. They are human

•Prince Segun Ajibola, SAN, beings also.

Do you support the suggestion that retired judges should handle election petitions?

My view is that the reason for this is to allow the functioning judges to have time to attend to their regular matters in court. Because, once you take away a judge from a court, a number of cases there are abandoned for quite some time.

But retired judges whose functions had been dispensed with statutorily do not necessarily mean they have lost their ability to perform judicial functions effectively.

That is why in some quarters, people have argued that the age for retirement for judicial officers should be extended.

The appointment of retired judges to handle election matter is to fill the vacuum of taking away serving judges away from their regular functions. But, in the choice of retired judges, the requirement must be strict.

The intention is not to bring

on board retired judges who do not have the flair and should be done for favour. It is not for those who have lost their judicial wit who might not be at home with requirements which that office imposes on them.

I think a number of retired judges are still relevant; a number of them are useful.

The Rivers State High Court has experienced bomb explosions on two different occasions. How do you see this trend?

The situation as it is now, calls for a holistic appraisal of the entire court system. I think for us to single out the high court is to rob ourselves of the opportunity of seeing the entire picture, as it really is.

Granted, it’s unfortunate and it is quite disheartening, to imagine that such an event can take place in the court of justice, the last place and last hope of the common man being desecrated and lives are being put at risk.

It tells and shows us clearly that we are heading for calamity, if I may use the

word, very loosely there. I think we have more problems than we envisaged, it is now getting to the part and areas of our lives and affairs, where if immediate and very surgical, fundamental steps are not taken, to arrest this continuous grief, I think we would all wake up and be sorry for ourselves.

As you said quite rightly, it is not the first time that we have heard of such attacks on one court of law or the other.

But it looks like a new dimension, increasing the spate of it, has been added to the problems that we have.

Kidnapping in one hand, yet we have bombs exploding here and there and it seems the courts have been added to it. Its baffling where are we going. Where are we?

Where are we coming from and how did we come to this sorry part in this country?

It is mind- boggling and I think that, it seems as if we have lost a clue as to how to handle our affairs in this country, we have lost grip, that’s the way it seems to me.

We don’t seem to have solutions to our problems, because it seems to be worsening, the situation is getting worse by the day and people are taking laws in to their hands.

There is a lot of political instability and there is a lot of crime, we are now in the ranks of Pakistan’s and Ukraine. I never for once believed that Nigeria will get to this stage that is unfolding before our very eyes now.

We seems to have lost total control, everybody is just like well, let us see what happens next, I think once you succeed in making the court, a place where people cannot come and confidently achieve justice, or seek redress, then we are heading to a state of anarchy.

At the end of the day, when the problem, now comes, everybody will be affected.

38—VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

THE SAN'S PULPIT with Awa Kalu, SAN

Public presentation of a book, entitled 'Corruption And Human Rights Law in Africa' authored by Dr. Kolawole Olaniyan in Lagos. Photos by AKEEM SALAU.

CHIEF CHIKE OFODILE, SAN: The most handsome is gone T HIS column has host ed several tributes to many illustrious members of the legal professionlawyers and judges alike.

A few weeks ago, the column belonged to Hon. Justice Chukwudifu Akunne Oputa, retired Chief Judge of Imo State, and former Justice of the Supreme Court whose recent interment generated a sense of celebration and an inestimable momentum for those who work hard and live well. Only last week, this column celebrated the life and times of another titan, Honourable Justice Kalu O. Anyah, (rtd) OFR, who died recently at the ripe old age of 93 years.

Today, we must pay respect to the memory of late Chief Chike Ofodile, SAN, OFR, a great Bar man, and celebrated legal Practitioner who took silk in 1979 in the group of Chief G.C.M. Onyiuke,

have no more idea of death then a cat or a plant’. Certainly, a tribute to the dearly departed is not always a narrative about death but essentially, represents something, such as a speech, gift etc, that is said or given as an expression of praise, thanks, admiration, affection etc. In addition, the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary also recoginses a tribute as ‘a sign or evidence of something valuable, effective, worthy of praise…’. The late Onowu Chike Ofodike, SAN, OFR, definitely left large footprints on the proverbial sands of his time.

Born in the legendary city of Onitsha on 20th November, 1921 to his father, Ofodile Ezeugo and his mother Umunebe, the late Onowu Iyesele Chike Ofodile attended infant school ‘at his neighbour-

All men are afraid of dying, this is the great law of sentient beings, without which the entire human species would soon be destroyed

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Chief B. Olowofeku, and Chief H.A. Lardner, all deceased. The only surviving member of that quintet is Professor A.B. Kasumu, SAN. Occasionally, while preparing a piece in honour of a departed member of the legal profession, one would be compelled to pause for a minute or so to reflect on the dimensions occasioned by death. According to JeanJacques Rousseau (171278) French philosopher (Julie, or the New Eloise), ‘He who pretends to look on death without fear lies.

All men are afraid of dying, this is the great law of sentient beings, without which the entire human species would soon be destroyed’. You may disagree but another French writer and philosopher, Voltaire (FrançoisMarie Arouel; 1694-1778 in the Oxford Book of Death (D.J. Enright) acknowledged that ‘the human race is the only one that knows it must die, and it knows this only through its experience.

A child brought up alone and transported to a desert Island would

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hood’s Immanuel Church School, then St. Mary’s Primary School and Christ the King College (CKC), all in Onitsha’. As was the case in his days, a stint as a Teacher at Holy Trinity School, Onitsha waterside followed inevitably.

Life’s sojourn took him to the defunct P & T (Posts and Telegraphs) Department as a staff and his tour of duty took him to different parts of Nigeria such as Lagos, Enugu, Abakaliki, Bende and lastly, Aba. With such tour of duty, his generation knew their country, Nigeria, very well. In life, those who show ambition are usually rewarded and Onowu Chike Ofodile was no exception. In that regard, the late titan resigned his appointment with the P & T in 1954 and diligently found his way to the United Kingdom to study the best course in the worldlaw. In 1959, he was called to the Bar at the middle Temple.

His legal teeth were cut in the chambers of his illustrious cousin, late Justice Ikepeazu, who at the material time was known as Barrister Chuba Ikpea-

zu, QC. On record, most lawyers of his era had extensive litigation practice in various parts of Nigeria including the Western Cameroons.

When Barrister Chuba Ikpeazu, QC was elevated as a Judge, the late Onowu had to pick the gauntlet to fight numerous legal battles and his doggedness resulted in celebrated cases which presently litter the law reports. Chief A.N. Onyiuke III v. G.E. Okeke (1973) vol. 3 (pt.11) ECSLR 685 is one of such cases. In that case, the Plaintiff had sold to the defendant during the civil war and within the secessionist enclave 110 tins of palm-oil for the price of 1,650 Biafran pounds.

This sum was never paid, and the plaintiff claimed the contract sum in the same amount of Nigerian currency. It was pleaded on behalf of the defendant that the contract was illegal and unenforceable since Biafran currency was not at the time of suit, legal tender.

It was held, in favour of the plaintiff, that the transaction was not illegal by reason only that the medium of exchange (the consideration) was an unauthorized currency.

It was further held that a contract entered into in the defunct republic of Biafra was not lpso facto illegal and that a distinction had to be draw between a contract formulated and completed in Biafra, and a contract entered into in Biafra which is executor or partially completed or not performed at all in Biafra. The learned trial Judge validated a legal truism, namely, that on grounds of necessity and/or public policy, the binding effect of a contract completed in Biafra cannot be called into question. However, the trial Judge took the further view that ‘a contract entered into in Biafra with Biafran currency as its consideration which was not performed or only partially performed could not at the time of suit, be enforced, since its supporting consideration had totally failed by reason of its non existence since the end of the civil war’.

From left: Mr Wale Adeoye, who represented Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; Mr Femi Falana ,SAN,Chairman of the occassion; Mr Kolawole Olaniyan, author of the book; HRM Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos and Mrs Helen Olaniyan, wife of the author.

From Left: Mr Yinka Farounbi,Chairman of Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Ikeja branch; Alhaji Lai Muhammed,National Publicity Secretary, All Progressives Congress, APC and Mrs Tomi Ajayi.

From left: Mrs Taiwo Kuti and Mrs Itoro Eze-Anaba.

From left: Mr Alex Mouka,Chairman NBA Lagos branch and Mr Gbolahan Gbadamosi, National Publicity Secretary-elect, NBA.

From left: Ms Dehab Ghebreob,Deputy U.S.Consulate General, Lagos and Alhaja Qudrat Dada, Vice Chairman, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area, Lagos.

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 —39

BOOK REVIEW Corruption and Human Rights Law in Africa by Dr. Kolawole Olaniyan:

Too many electoral offenders are A coming of age story of the getting away —Wali anti-corruption movement (2) T

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Let me say this for the umpteenth time, no foreign investor will come to an unsafe country to do business

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no finger prints banks, no criminal records.

This was a country where a couple of years back; we were involved in argument about the identity of a convict. I am sorry, it will happen again, because we still do not have such records till date. Our Prisons are over-flowing with inmates; convicts and awaiting trial detainees. Infact, awaiting trial detainees constitute about 70% of inmates, so the prisons are prone to jail breaks and goal delivery,when criminals are gracefully let back into the society to continue from where they left off. The way to defeat a bad idea is with a better one.

Let me say this for the umpteenth time, no foreign investor will come to an unsafe country to do business. No matter the amount of traveling around the world,in the name of seeking foreign investors by government officials.

Fixing this economy is not going to be a tea party, coming from where we are coming from, but then, there is something called burden of leadership. The buck stops somewhere, Mr. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, its right on your table. This is because this country belongs to all of us and it is in our collective enlightened interest, that you get it right, regardless of political affiliations. We are at a defining moment for our country and our Bar. Let me be clear: A great Bar thrives in a great country.

As Nigerian lawyers, we are also Nigerian Citizens, entitled to aspire, with our compatriots and for them, to the best that our country can offer.

We understand the challenge of the media, most are controlled, and their publication determined by their publishers, some of whom are politicians or close associates of politicians and so bring enormous influence on their editors.

It’s as bad as you can readily tell the political leanings of many media houses.

We deeply appreciate the challenges faced by practicing journalists, but we believe that relevant bodies, responsible for the regulation of the practice of journalism,

BY ABDUL TEJAN-COLE

forms of retribution against those who challenge the state, and resulting unavailability of true domestic recourse, shows we have much work to do in explaining the degree to which corruption impairs the widest spectrum of human rights.

Recent and unfolding experience in international asset recovery and repatriation schemes also reveal a host of thorny issues that will likely require significant time to develop into norms which respect not only peoples’ rights to wealth and development but also democratic values of governance and decision-making by a truly representative mechanism, lest we devolve into battles between peoples’ within a state and between the people and the state.

In practice, finding answers to some of these

•Mr. Okey Wali, SAN should check the excesses of their members and ensure respect for professional code of conduct, healthy, fair and balanced reporting.

NBA Election: If I must comment on our elections this year, a lot of issues were thrown up and I believe the succeeding administration will pay more attention to the issue of electoral reforms. There was too much smear campaign, zoning also had so much attention, actually much more than it should and sadly, all of this, was in the media.

May be this is why a lot of our colleagues have always had deep concerns about the practice of zoning at the Bar. For many, a professional body like the NBA should have no business with such a policy, but the truth is that, unofficially, we do.

Two lessons for Nigerians from our elections are: 1. Transparency of the process; and 2. The attitude of the contestants who lost at the elections. It is important to point out that lesson number 2 is invariably linked to lesson number 1.

In spite of all the mud-slinging, easily classified as our worst experience ever, but due to the transparency of the process, the other contestants felt satisfied enough to accept the result and congratulated the winners. That was a big lesson for our Country.

2015 Election: 2015 elections shall be a watershed in our political history, get it right and we shall be on our way to entrenched and flourishing democracy. The converse must not be imagined, because we must get it right. In one sentence, our votes mustcount as citizens.

There has been remarkable improvement in the conduct of elections as evidenced in Ekiti and Osun States but there is no disputing the fact that quite some improvements have been made. We need to do more on electoral reforms and voter education, and very importantly the setting up of electoral offenses commission.

Too many electoral offenders are getting away and that is added impetus to the propensity to persevere in that criminality.

For democracy to flourish in our land, swift and concerted efforts must be taken with regards to electoral reforms.

We sincerely hope that the National Conference is not an opportunity lost. We believe that many important issues were left un-discussed at the National Conference. This forced amalgam, Nigeria, after a 100 Years, needs fundamental restructuring with many issues to be addressed.

An abridged Address delivered by the outgoing NBA President, Mr. Okey Wali, SAN at the ongoing 54th NBA general conference holding in Owerri, Imo State.

D

R. Olaniyan looks to international human rights law notions of standing and causation. In contrast to restrictive domestic requirements of proving a specific and direct harm, by its very nature, the international human rights framework relies on universality and inviolability of rights, laying the basis for any citizen to challenge a breach. He proffers that we might go one step further to develop a type of derivative proceeding, akin to corporate shareholder actions, that members of the public could bring in recovering stolen assets.

In place of struggling through ill-fitting causation standards in criminal law, Dr. Olaniyan suggests “the obligations of the state rather than the corrupt acts of its highranking officials” are what should be considered to establish responsibility. That, we could look to a state’s acts, or failures to act, in carrying out obligations and commitments under international treaties on corruption and human rights to determine a nexus of breach of diligence and vigilance, corrupt acts of high-ranking officials, and alleged human rights violations. This general form of showing causation is more fitting, considering especially the secrecy within which corruption lives.

Civil society’s experience in initiating and supporting anticorruption proceedings, however, elucidate other complications in getting to accountability: exhaustion of remedies prior to an approach to a human rights venue is a serious obstacle for many, and the primary reason the Equatorial Guinea case brought to the African Commission by the Open Society Justice Initiative, mentioned in this book, was eventually not admitted. While it is encouraging to see the quotes from Commissioners that they would consider a case that alleged corruption in the violation of rights protected by the Charter, the denial of a case which alleged just that on exhaustion grounds, when there is considerable evidence of the impaired, partial judiciary in the country, torture and other

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HE theme of this year’s conference is “Nigeria, A 100 years after”, with the keynote Address delivered by a distinguished scholar, Dr George Kwanashie, a historian, who for over 40 years, served at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, as a founding staff of the university’s centre for historical research and documentation, and subsequently as a lecturer in the department of history.

The theme of the conference was carefully chosen in view of the current state of affairs in Nigeria. We believe that one of the challenges facing Nigeria as a nation, is the absence of knowing the historical background of our dear country Nigeria, before attempting to solve the various problems our dear country is currently facing.

Security: The core problem is the rot in our Criminal Justice System. Anybody can commit a crime and get away with ease.

It therefore becomes difficult, if not impossible to nip issues like Boko Haram in the bud. There are no security cameras;

Unfolding experience in international asset recovery and repatriation schemes also reveal a host of thorny issues that will likely require significant time to develop into norms which respect not only peoples’ rights to wealth and development

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questions will be difficult. Although relating corruption to human rights will enable governments and spirited public citizens to use human rights mechanisms to address the problem of corruption, making corruption a human rights issue will not necessarily on it own ensure that it is eliminated. The author acknowledges the limitation of this approach and rightly opines that human rights approach to corruption should only be a part of multitiered engagement that should incorporate all other mechanisms for fighting corruption. He outlines a multiplicity of strategies for addressing corruption in the region. It is clear, though, that a one-size-fits-all response to corruption cannot satisfactorily or effectively address the problem, especially given its complexities, multidisciplinary and contemporary nature (and the fact that its causes vary widely), and its varying but devastating effects on human rights in regions like Africa.

This scholarly treatise is quite accessible and should be a must-read for all judges, lawyers, students, academics and policy makers. Dr. Olaniyan provides a constructive and comprehensive contribution to an ongoing debate. For this we are indebted.

Abdul Tejan-Cole, Executive Director of Open Society Initiative for West Africa and former head of Sierra Leone’s AntiCorruption Commission.

40—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Ekwunife, Reps running from their sins — Umeh APGA defections:

•Why Obi resigned as BoT chairman

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ATIONAL Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, in this interview punctured claims that the immediate past governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi resigned his position as APGA Board Of Trustees, BoT, chairman as a result of the dominance of the party by some interests. He also said there is a point of convergence between the recent mass defection in APGA and the defectors' desire for automatic return tickets to the National Assembly, NASS. Umeh also spoke on other issue.

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

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OME of your members in the National Assembly recently dumped your party for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. What could have been responsible?

For those that left APGA for PDP in Anambra State, some of them are running from their sins and they are afraid of the future. If as they claimed, they have been good party members, they won’t be running away from party primaries. Some of them have shot themselves on the foot.

The only option left for them was to defect so that their sin won’t catch up with them when the time comes. The party gave them nomination to contest the election they won to be in the National Assembly. So, what sin has the party committed against them?

And that is the same leadership that they are afraid of. Why are they afraid? If the same leadership gave them ticket in 2011, why are they afraid? Somebody who is in the House of Representatives and was elected on the platform of APGA decided to contest governorship election in Anambra, went through the party’s primary and lost and at the middle of the governorship election, she challenged the incumbent governor then our candidate and accused him of double registrations and asked the court to disqualify him and declare her the authentic candidate of the party in that election.

She accused the candidate of double registrations and double registration is a crime and because of that, immediately after the election most of the parties that contested the election rushed to court accusing the governor of double registration after winning the election, an

offence he did not commit. At the end of the whole thing, the tribunal cleared him; the Court of Appeal also cleared him. How do you think that such person that took that kind of action will think? That she is in a safe party?

Now that the time of reckoning is by the corner, she defected to another party. As you can see, she is running away from her sin.

If she had conducted herself very well knowing that this political party gave her the opportunity to be in the National Assembly she would have been given another opportunity. What she did can be described as anti party activity? She was supposed to be expelled from the party because it was a huge embarrassment to the party but because of our leniency we gave her the opportunity to repent and only for her to come out and be saying that APGA is this, APGA is that and that she has gone back to PDP where there would be no primary and she will be given an automatic ticket.

So as you can see, their actions were unfounded and not founded on any good reason.

On automatic ticket Well, this is what we experience whenever election is approaching. Many political parties go through earthshaking moment because our politicians have not imbibed the culture of subjecting themselves to party primaries to get nomination for various elections they want to contest. Everybody want automatic ticket and when you don’t agree, it is either you are attacked as a party leader or the person who is afraid that he or

•Umeh

she may not get the ticket of the party for his or her interest will join another party. So, this is not the way to build our democracy. In America, the Republicans and Democrats have perfected the institution of party primary. No matter the position you want to contest for, you must subject yourself to your party primary where you will first of all secure the nomination to contest the election and then go ahead to contest the election. In Nigeria today, politicians will insist that they want to get automatic ticket.

That is why you are seeing crises in all the political parties once election is by the corner.

But for me, I think it is part of the growing process. The best to do is to insist on what is right, follow your party constitution and ensure that people who want to contest election in the party must go through the process as

Four sins of the lawmakers •Ingratitude •Antagonism to Gov Obiano •Indecorous conduct •Anti-party activities

entrenched in the party constitution.

How would you react to Obi's resignation as chairman of the Board of Trustees and leader of the party?

He resigned as the Chairman APGA Board of Trustees and the leader of the party according to him, for personal and family reasons. I have the letter of his resignation. But we were surprised to be reading something else in the newspapers. According to his media assistant, that one dominated the party and that people are leaving but Obi has not left the party.

There are speculations that you will contest for the Anambra Central senatorial District election in 2015?

My accepting to run for Senate was in response to popular demand from the people of my senatorial zone, that I run and represent them.

I was a delegate to the just concluded national conference and from what transpired at there, it is clear to me that a lot still has to be done. The debate at the national conference where efforts were made to address issues that have affected my people for many years, the way those issues were hotly debated was a clear

indication that the debate will continue at a higher level.

Beyond the national conference, the National Assembly is another rallying point where issues that affect my people will be tabled before the National Assembly. I know that we still have so much to do and in recognition of the fact that my people need quality representation, at my age of 52, I think I still have the time and the strength to represent my people very well. It is not just going there to answer name that I am a senator, is about going there to fight for the right of our people through appropriation bills that will accommodate projects that will advance the cause of your people. Politically and on national level, it is important that at the National Assembly, the voice of our people should not be swallowed.

What are those things that the incumbent lawmaker representing your zone in the senate is not doing, that you intend to do differently?

The essence of going to the National Assembly is for you to be able to impact on the lives of people. You must be able to assert the needs of your people.

You speak it out, fight for it and come home to render account

•Continues on page 41

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014—41

Nyako was a liability to us in APC — Danladi Lawal

BY OKEY NDIRIBE

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ow is the All Progressives Congress, APC, preparing for the forthcoming governorship byelection in Adamawa State?

We have about 10 governorship aspirants who are going to contest the party's primaries. Some of them are Boss Mustapha, Senators Jubrilla and Barata. The primaries would be held on September 7.

The governorship aspirants have started buying their nomination forms. The party has approved the guidelines for the primaries. The aspirants have started going round to mobilize their supporters.

After the impeachment of Murtala Nyako and the exit of politicians like Nuhu Ribadu, and Buba Marwa, your party is said to be bleeding in Adamawa State. How true?

If you remember the history of Nyako's entry into the APC, the party's leadership in Adamawa State resisted him.

This was because of the fact that he was an excess baggage. We realised at that time that he would be a problem rather than asset for the party. Even before Nyako's entry, the combined strength of the merged parties made them the leading party in the state.

That was why we resisted the entry of Nyako into the party.

We knew he wouldn't bring any value into the party. On the contrary, he became a liability.

What really happened was that the leadership of the party couldn't really stop Nyako from joining APC because he was coming as part of a group. You may notice that because Nyako joined us, people like Marwa and Markus Gundiri left.

Although, his impeachment was done in an illegal manner, his exit resulted in many people who had left the party previously trooping back in large numbers. Nyako's impeachment would only deprive us of the power of incumbency and whatever it is worth during the forth-coming election.

In the case of Marwa, he contested the 2011 governorship election on the platform of CPC. Marwa simply rode on the structure of CPC and that of the party's presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.). As soon as the 2011 election was concluded, Marwa's supporters

,

T

he recently elected APC National ViceChairman for the NorthEast, Mr Danladi Lawal is very confident that his party will defeat the ruling PDP at the governorship by-election scheduled for October 11.

In this interview, he gives reasons why the APC would win the election.

•Lawal

We have about 10 governorship aspirants who are going to contest the party's primaries. Some of them are Boss Mustapha, Senators Jubrilla and Barata. The primaries would be held in September

went back to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He was the only one left behind in CPC when the merger was concluded. When he eventually left APC, maybe only one or two other people followed him and they were rural dwellers.

Gundiri contested the last governorship election on the platform of ACN. He did well at the primaries. But by the time Gundiri was leaving, APC had been formed and it was very strong to the extent that his running mate did not follow him to PDP. The Deputy National Vice-

,

Chairman of ACN, Barrister Boss Mustapha did not follow Gundiri to PDP too.

Ambassador Fatti Ballah, the Senatorial candidate of ACN, from Adamawa North Central ( who every body believed the senatorial election in 2011) did not also follow Gundiri to PDP. The state Secretary of ACN, did not also follow him to PDP. If you ask me today, despite the fact that Gundiri is from the same local government area with me, we didn't miss him at all. His exit did not affect the fortunes of the APC in Adamawa. Ever since he and

Marwa entered the PDP, you can see they have been struggling to be relevant.

But despite Nyako's exit, he is still supporting the party. He remains committed to the success of the APC in the forthcoming election.

Apart from Nyako, former Vice-President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is also working tirelessly for the success of the party in the forthcoming election. You know he is a heavyweight in Adamawa State politics. I have known him to be a very astute politician. In fact, when you are talking about politicians in Nigeria, he is one of those at the top. He is also a man of immense means. If you recall, he won the election in 1999 as Governor of Adamawa State. As a former Vice-President, he has accumulated enormous

goodwill. He remains an amiable and humble person.

He is very experienced. At our last caucus meeting, he pledged he would do whatever it takes to deliver Adamawa State at the next governorship by-election.

How can APC withstand the political heavy weights the PDP is parading in the election?

In the case of Ribadu, he was never a politician. He was a policeman. Although, he was drafted into politics, he lacked experience. As the presidential candidate of the ACN during the last election, he was only able to secure 30,000 votes in Adamawa State. This is only comparable to the number of votes some councillors get during local government elections. During the 2011 election, he lost both his polling unit and ward. This was despite the fact that he was the only presidential candidate from Adamawa State that year.

The APC in Adamawa State is praying and fasting that the PDP should field Ribadu as their governorship candidate for the by-election. This is because he has no structure in the State.

He was only an Abuja politician. The PDP put him on their high table because his name is Ribadu. He has no relevance. He is a non-issue in Adamawa politics. They have drafted him into the governorship race at the twilight of the campaign for the election. Don't forget that there are people who have been in the party since 1999, building the party's structures and hoping that they would pick the party's governorship ticket one day. So, if they suddenly decide to impose a new comer into the party as PDP's governorship candidate, all such people would troop out enmasse. Many PDP members in Adamawa have been calling me even up till Wednesday last week.

APGA defections: Ekwunife, reps running from their own sins —Umeh •Continues from page 40 to them because that is the essence of representing them.

You must be able to impact on the development of the constituency through constituency projects that you are able to attract from the National Assembly. But most importantly for me, I want to go Senate to be able to work with the governor of Anambra State who is Chief Willie Obiano of APGA. It does not make sense that you elect a governor through a political party and he does not have his party members in the Senate or in the House of

Representatives. There must be that synergy of common purpose for them to serve our people better. A situation whereby the Senator representing my zone has never visited the Anambra State Government House is not good for our people and cannot be allowed to continue. It is going to be a team work; people from the same party can be entrusted with leadership of the state and through law making processes, they will be able to work with the governor for the good of the people. So, we want to stop what is going on in the state where the governor is elected under the

platform of APGA and the federal legislators will be of another party. Ordinarily, they are supposed to be putting heads together for the development of the state but nothing like that and it is affecting our people. So, we want not just for me to win and represent my people in the Senate but for APGA to win the three senatorial seats, the 11 House of Representatives seats and the 30 seats of the state Assembly so that the relationship will be there. So that the governor calls for a meeting, everybody will there to discuss and review the programmes of the government to better the lives of the entire

people of the state.

Would you say that the template created by the immediate past governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi is being worked followed by the incumbent?

Chief Willie Obiano is a no nonsense man. Having served in the bank at the topmost level and other experiences that he has. We are not surprised because when we chose him we knew he will do well and he has started doing it and people are commending him. The security situation in Anambra State that has defied solution, he has confronted it. Apart from that, he

has been flagging off projects and completing the once started by his predecessor.

Challenges of being APGA chairman?

There is no doubt that my responsibilities are quite large and time is also short with the way things develop everyday in the politics of the country, one is constantly on his toes and on the move but it something that one has accepted to do for a while. It has been very hectic. Anybody who has followed the activities of APGA in Nigeria will know that anybody who is leading the party as chairman is somebody who has no respite at all.

42 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

KWARA 2015:

Royal endorsement alters political calculations

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

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HE spate of endorsements ahead of the 2015 governorship elections in Kwara State, has so far indicated that predicting the eventual outcome of the race might not come easy like in the past.

It is such that trending political calculations might at some stage in the race, upset various camps in a state which until recently was built around a single political family.

Concern over the senatorial zone to produce the next governor and as well guarantee victory, has been the thrust of permutations in the two leading political parties, the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The situation was so rife in the APC following postulations that the defection of the governor, Abdullfatah Ahmed and his predecessor, Senator Bukola Saraki from the PDP to APC would cost the governor a second term ticket.

Particularly, the uneasiness in the APC was informed by expectations that the PDP was going to pick its candidate from Kwara Central Senatorial zone.

•Ahmed

Since the zone is regarded as a huge electoral asset, given the fact that it boasts of the highest number of registered voters in the state,

the nervousness in APC and among the associates of the incumbent governor were not unfounded.

If the PDP eventually picks

its candidate from the zone as being speculated, the Southern Senatorial Zone where the governor hails from would be up for grabs. Same applies to the North.

Against the back drop of this mood, it was easy for analysts to conclude that the pendulum might swing either way.

But latest developments seem to have altered the conjecture, as the APC and its supporters are now upbeat about the days ahead.

Instructively, the latest ambiance was informed by the recent endorsements Ahmed has received lately.

In a move described by analysts as strategic for the APC, the Emir of Lafiagi Alhaji Kawu Haliru, threw his weight behind a second term for Ahmed.

The traditional ruler who is among the prominent leaders in the Northern Senatorial Zone, expressed delight that the people of the region were now united behind the state chief executive. The North comprises of Moro, Edu, Pategi, Kaiama, and Baruten Local Government Areas.

At the event which was convened by political office holders from the zone, spokespersons of various organizations, interest groups from the informal and formal sectors, cited the spread of development projects and empowerment schemes across the state as some of the reasons for Ahmed's endorsement.

Haliru's blessings also came as a relieve to the governor's camp, as it meant that the zone's hitherto agitation for

2015: Uduaghan is Delta South sole senatorial candidate — Ukori M r. Jude Ukori is a political leader and an administrator from Egbema Kingdom, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State.

Ukori is presently the Executive Secretary of Egbema Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation EGCDF. In this interview with selected newsmen, Ukori speaks on the senatorial ambition of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan come 2015 and other salient issues. Excerpt:

Your opinion of Governor Uduaghan's senatorial ambition?

Without mincing words, he is the sole candidate for Delta South. I say so because nobody in the ruling People’s Democratic Party in Delta South would contest with him and by implication he is already the candidate of the party for the Senate. Even the opposition party has no candidate to challenge Governor Udaughan in the general elections.

The work is less for us now in PDP. We are mobilising for general elections after which Governor Uduaghan will

resume work at the Senate.

Before I forget, it will interest you to know that Governor Uduaghan, accepting to represent Delta South at the senate is one of the great things that will happen to the people of Delta South Senatorial District.

Uduaghan at the Senate will be of great benefit to the people of Delta South and Delta State in general. Those that will contest against him should prepare very well because his antecedents are great as well.

Are you saying all the nationalities are supporting the ambition ?

Yes, because the Itsekiris supported the Isoko people to produce Senator Stella Omu, and also the Itsekiri people supported the Ijaws to produce Senator James Manager.

So, this time, both the Ijaws and Isoko people are supporting Uduaghan (an Istekiri) to represent the district come 2015, it is a clear understanding.

What are your observations as the governor completes his second term?

Lots had been achieved through him from 2007 till date. Remember, he cannot do everything; he can only do his best and leave the rest for the next government. However, what we are seeing on ground actually attests to the fact that Governor Uduaghan has performed credibly well and I can assure that the people of Delta State are happy for him. We have experienced great change in the health sector. Uduaghan revamped the health sector by initiating the Free Maternal Health Programme that was launched on 20th November, 2007. The

•Ukori

services which initially included Ante-Natal Care, delivery, caesarean sections, as well as all essential laboratory tests had been expanded to include management of ectopic pregnancy and complications of abortions as well as blood transfusion services. The governor has done greatly well, and we are proud of him.

So, I enjoin the people of Delta South to vote en-mass for him to emerge next Senator for the district.

The opposition still accuse him of doing nothing?

The opposition criticising the governor to me is just natural. There is no way he satisfy the needs of everyone in Delta State.

power shift, may no longer rub off on APC's chances. It had been alleged that the state party leader, Senator Bukola Saraki had masterminded a one term agreement that would have seen Ahmed serve one term and then subsequently hand over to somebody from Kwara North which is yet to produce a governor for the state.

With this endorsement from Kwara North complementing other efforts like the mobilisation of indigenes of Southern Senatorial District in Lagos for voters' registration, appears to have properly positioned the governor in good stance for an endorsement from the Saraki led state chapter of the party.

While the import of these is not lost on the APC and those mobilising for the governor to have a second term, the PDP is unperturbed, as it stressed that royal support does not qualify one for electoral victory.

The party's scribe, Mr. Femi Yusuf dismissed the endorsement as a common practice in electioneering periods. ''You can only deserve endorsement if you have surpassed the previous administrations, but the past 12 years have shown that the people in the North senatorial district have been neglected.

Go to Baruten or Kayama, Lafiagi and Patigi to see for yourself. The endorsement came from the traditional rulers with the prompting of the state government,'' he noted.

But the governor's Special Adviser on Communication Strategy, Alhaji Raheem Adedoyin, repudiated the PDP's response, describing the royal support as a testimony to APC's acceptance across the state.

He also explained that the governor, through his Shared Prosperity Agenda, SPA, has sustained impactful development, noting that the spate of supports for the second term ambition should not come as a surprise.

“He has successfully consolidated on the projects of the former governor and opened up new ones with direct bearing on the lives of the people and that simply explains why the people are clamouring for his comeback,” he stated.

Specifically, Adedoyin said some projects the government had executed include; the Independent Power Project, IPP, rehabilitation of schools and construction of 800km of roads.

The administration, he said, also introduced Harmony Holdings, Kwara Bridge Empowerment Scheme ,KWABES, completed the construction of the Aviation College started by the Saraki administration and built an international standard Vocational Centre at Ajase-Ipo.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 — 43

44—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Veg diet boosts your immune system

Ebola: Hypo advocates hygienic habits

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I

HE better our immune system works, the better for us. Our body is designed to fight off diseases and infections caused by viruses and bacteria.

Our immune system does not even surrender to cancer – and also not Ebola as written at this column space last week.

All these unwanted health hazards are part of the biological system we live in. So we cannot avoid them. In spite of our best efforts, for example cancer cells will arise in the body from time to time. Luckily, we have white blood cells that roam our bloodstreams looking for these troublemakers.

Some of them, called natural killer cells, seek out and destroy cancer cells and bacteria. They engulf and destroy aberrant cells before they can cause damage.

The function of natural killer cells and other white blood cells is improved by as little as 30 milligrams of beta-carotene per day, the amount in two large carrots.

Although beta-carotene is safe, even in fairly substantial amounts, the best way to get beta-carotene is not in processed form or tablets, but in natural carrots, spinach, kale.

Beta-carotene is only one of perhaps two dozen related substances called carotenoids

Hakeem Jimo’s

Ve ggie Victory

veggienaija@gmail.com

By Gabriel Olawale

N the effort to keep Nigerians protected against the Ebola infection through adoption of hygienic practices, MultiPro Enterprises Limited, makers of Hypo Super Bleach, took to the streets of Lagos as part of the nationwide campaign to promote cleanlines.

•Vegetables and fruits. which occur naturally in vegetables and fruits, and which have varying degrees of biological activity.

Fats impair immunity, and cutting fat out of the diet helps strengthen the immune defenses against cells that turn cancerous.

Researchers in the US tested the effect of low-fat diets on immunity. They put healthy volunteers on a diet that limited fat content to 20 percent,

reducing all fats and oils—not just saturated or unsaturated fats.

Three months later, the researchers took blood samples from the volunteers and examined their natural killer cells. The natural killer cell activity was greatly improved.

It should come as no surprise that vegetarians have stronger immune systems than do meateaters. Studies of white blood cell

samples from vegetarians have shown them to have more than double the cancer celldestroying ability of their nonvegetarian counterparts. The immune-boosting power of vegetarian diets is partly due to their vitamin content, their low fat content, and perhaps other contributors, such as reduced exposure to toxic chemicals and animal proteins.

The activities witnessed proper demonstration of disinfection of hospitals, hotels and other public places with bleach. At the County Hospital Ogba, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Azzun Amos welcomed the gesture as good initiative in this era of Ebola outbreak and urged for its continuation.

He however revealed that Ebola being a highly infectious disease and has no cure at the moment required proper protection to remain safe.

“The only way out of this challenge is for us to embark on preventive measures which is part of what hypo is doing today.

Some other preventive steps we need to take as individuals and residents of the state include, imbibing the practice of good hand washing with soap and water, use of hand sanitiser, strict personal hygiene, among others.”

He said.

Senior Sales Manager, MultiPro Enterprise Ltd, Hypo Division, Mr. Jude Nzeata said the idea behind the awareness is simply cleanness.

“If you wash your toilet and the entire household remains clean the chances of contacting Ebola is reduced. house to house nationwide campaign, we have being able to cover more than seven state and about 5 million houses have been sensitised.

COMMON SEXUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVELTY BASED SOLUTIONS (ADVERTORIAL)

H

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These two are both new erection supplements and have already been discussed in previous weeks.

The next set of new products we have for today

are designed purely for seduction. Do you know that there are special perfumes that you can wear to increase people’s attraction towards you? Yes they exist and it is not magic. They are called Pheromones and new in our collection are the Optimale Pheromone Cologne for men and the Infatuation Body Spray for women. So if you are the shy type that doesn’t know how to approach a girl or boy, these perfumes will make life easier by making your love interest attracted to you.

We also have new adult games designed for couples who need more excitement in their predictable sex lives. The are the Foreplay in a Row Game and the Secret Vows Game and they will give users tons of new romance ideas and activities that they will be happy with.

New toys for women are also available. They are the Vibrating Make Up Brush and the Waterproof Rabbit Pearl. The Vibrating Make Up Brush looks exactly like your typical female make up accessory but then, it vibrates. Mothers with nosy children at home will love this product because their kids will never figure out that it is a vibrator. The Waterproof Rabbit Pearl on the other hand is a multi-function rabbit vibrator of quality with the ability to stimulate the user in many ways, bringing proper sexual satisfaction and orgasms.

It is also waterproof and can be used in the shower.

The last products for review today are two new sex education movies for adults. The first is the Guide to Oral Sex film and the other is Sex: A Life Long Sexual Pleasure. Thanks to movies like these, adults are able to get basic sex education that they cannot get anywhere else without feeling embarrassed.

That is it for today. We will discuss more new products next week. Adults in need of these treatments/novelties can call 08027901621 or 08051924159 or any other number here to order or they can order online at www.zeevirtualmedia.com. Zee Virtual Media delivers to you wherever you are in Nigeria. For enquiries, send your emails to custserv@zeevirtualmedia.com Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual Media.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 —45

PDM to conduct ward, state congresses in batches — Nat Chairman .As party fixes Aug, Sept for congresses in 28 states

By Joseph Erunke

A

BUJA — THE national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM, Mallam Bashir Ibrahim, has said the party would conduct all its ward, local and state congresses across the country in batches.

To this end, he said the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party had not only penciled down 28 states, including Abuja, but also fixed between August 30 and September 3 for commencement of the staggered congresses.

Bashir, speaking to reporters in Abuja, shortly after emerging from the pre-congress meeting of the party’s highest decisionmaking organ, explained that congresses in the remaining eight states of the federation would take place in the second batch on a date to be announced.

He also said the zonal congresses and national convention of the party would take place in the third and final batch on dates to be fixed.

He said the staggering of the congresses and the national convention was not only to ensure quality and easier management of the exercise, but to also avoid the mistakes of other political parties in the conduct of congresses at all levels.

Political parties in the country have the tradition of holding

specific congresses in all the states of the federation on the same day.

But speaking on the development, Mallam Ibrahim said the trend was wrong, insisting that it had not served Nigeria’s democracy and the parties very well, saying most of the wholesale congresses had ended up either inconclusive or of poor quality.

“Nothing in our democratic experience and political party process management supports

wholesale congresses such as has become the practice of political parties in Nigeria today.

“The United States, with all its manpower, political experience and sophisticated communication infrastructure, staggers its congresses from state to state. In Nigeria, we do it across the whole country on the same day, mostly at the expense of quality, due process and the rule of law.

“We want to do it differently by breaking away from tradition and setting new standards for other

political parties to copy down the line. Hopefully, we will also learn new things with this experiment,” he said.

According to the time table released by the national secretariat of the party and signed by the National Secretary, Dr. Oluwole Akinwunmi, the first batch of 28 states will hold their Ward Congresses on August 30, Local Government Area Congresses on September 1, and State Congresses on September 3, 2014.

BUDGET DEFENCE: Abia State governor, Theodore Orji, in a chart with Mrs. Adanma Iheuwa, Permanent Secretary, Abia State Planning Commission, during the 2015 Budget defence, at Abia State Planning Commission office, in Umuahia.

3 critically injured in Abuja expressway auto crash

By Favour Nnabugwu

A

BUJA — COMMUTERS at Kubwa, on Abuja expressway, were yesterday stranded, following an accident involving a Mercedes Benz and Golf cars that left three people critically injured.

The accident caused traffic gridlock which left commuters stranded as commercial vehicles could advance to pick them to their destinations.

The Golf car, which was conveying aged man and woman and a middle-aged woman, had engine problem and was said to have stopped abruptly in the middle of the road, as the Benz, said to be on top speed, rammed into it.

An eye witness said the two vehicles were facing Kubwa direction when the accident occurred at about 11:20a.m.

According to the witness, passersby and motorists promptly stopped to call the attention of Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, whose

operatives unfortunately arrived the scene 35 minutes after they were informed.

It was gathered that police officers at the scene promptly had to stop a painted taxi to move the injured to the hospital.

Driver of the Black Mercedes Benz, Idris Bashar, who apparently did not sustain physical injury, said, “the engine broke down and I hit them from behind, I was behind them and they stopped

suddenly and I hit them.

“Some people are saying the engine broke down, but all I know is that they were in front of me and they stopped all of a sudden.”

An eye witness who identified himself as Ikechukwu Iweala, said he arrived the accident scene shortly after it occurred and called FRSC and FEMA when he saw the three people lying on the road.

“We weren’t present at the time it took place, we were just

passing by and saw the whole situation and decided to help as much as we could with Road Safety and FEMA but we did not see accident occur.

“We came, saw the victims on the ground and decided to help out,” Iweala told Vanguard.

Leader of the FRSC team refused to disclose the unit command he came from, but said reluctantly that they received a distress call and responded immediately to the scene of the accident.

Why corruption persists in tertiary education system

By Caleb Ayansina

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BUJA — THE Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, yesterday, said corruption in the education sector, particularly in tertiary institutions, persists due to absence of political will to bring those who violate due process to account.

Consequently, the commission called for strong commitment by political and educational leaders to tackle all forms of corruption in tertiary education system.

ICPC in a report of the National Conference on Tr a n s p a r e n c y, Accountability and Ethical Values in Tertiary Institutions for S u s t a i n a b l e Development, publicly presented to the leadership of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND, in Abuja, denied that corruption in tertiary schools was a result of lack of regulatory framework.

Reading the recommendations of the report, Chairman of the University System Study Review, USSR, of ICPC, Prof. Olu Aina, noted that the absence of political will to fight corruption was aided by poor, inactive or manipulated internal checks and balances and seeming abdication of external oversight functions.

Prof.

Aina also maintained that over N65 billion accumulated tertiary funds was not accessed by state governments, when there was serious need to develop the education system in the country.

NNPC visits IGP; GMD seeks more police presence in fight against oil theft

By Kingsley Omonobi

A

BUJA — THE Group managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Joseph Dawah, has appealed to the Nigerian Police High Command to deploy more personnel to secure pipelines and check crude oil theft.

The deployment is also to help protect refined products as well as protection for NNPC's top management staff.

Speaking when he visited the Acting Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, to congratulate him on his new appointment, Dr. Dawah noted that peace and security were essential ingredients for socio-

economic growth and prosperity of any nation, adding that the Police was a key security apparatus to achieving this.

He thanked the police for maintaining the age-long collaborative relationship that had existed between the Police and the NNPC. Responding, the IGP expressed his appreciation to

the Group Managing Director of the NNPC for the visit and reassured him that the Police will continue to give maximum protection to oil facilities and the NNPC personnel.

He also promised police’s determination to explore modern techniques of surveillance in protecting critical national infrastructure.

46 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

FG moves to curtail industrial unrest zEstablishes dispute directorates in geo-political zones

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

A

BUJA—AS a measure to curb industrial unrests that normally paralyze economic activities in the country, the federal government has approved the establishment of industrial dispute directorates in the six geo-political zones.

Consequently, the six zonal Labour offices in the geopolitical zones of the country have been turned to Labour Desk Offices for industrial dispute-prone Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, in the Federal Public Service.

Already, directors have been deployed to man the six zonal labour offices and resident labour desk officers to the selected seven pilot federal ministries.

Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, who disclosed this in Abuja while declaring open a two-day workshop for the newly appointed zonal directors and resident labour desk officers, identified the pioneer beneficiary ministries as federal ministries of health, education, petroleum resources, aviation, power, transport and agriculture and rural development.

Wogu said the existing zonal labour offices which before the upgrading were headed by deputy directors, had been upgraded to full-fledged zonal directorates located in Port-

Harcourt, Bauchi, Enugu, Lagos, Kaduna and Makurdi.

He commended the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation for approval of the ministry’s request for strengthening Labour administration at the zonal offices and the promotion and sustenance of industrial relations harmony at the various MDAs prone to industrial relations conflicts.

Wogu pointed out that the ministry’s strategy of decentralising Labour administra-

tion as a proactive check on the increasing spate of industrial crises was aimed at revolutionising the administration’s transformation agenda in the dynamic Labour sector.

The minister who noted that the workshop was organised for the attainment of the objectives of the approval, stated that the focus of the agenda was on policy development and programmes which he said, “are directed at repositioning and strengthening the

ministry in line with the aspirations of this administration for achieving peace and harmony, which are the panacea for national growth and development.

Emphasis has also been placed on a paradigm shift for sustaining the Ministry in line with international best practices in the face of ever increasing and sophisticated challenges which demand a more developmental, pragmatic, decentralised, functional and democratic approach to labour administration in a globalising world.”

CONDOLENCE VISIT: Sympathisers signing the condolence register of the late leader of Gospel Apostolic Church, Pastor Onadeko Sadela, at the church premises, Gbagada, Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Shola Oyelese.

Arewa Group lauds Alison-Madueke on NNPC appointments

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By Dapo Akinrefon

BUJA—AREWA Youths for Goodluck, has commended the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani AlisonMadueke for the recent shakeup in the Nigeria National Petroleum Company, NNPC. The group, in a statement by its President, Mr. Oluwaseun

Ojo, said the decision of the minister to give the appointment of the Group Managing Director, GMD, of the NNPC ato the core north indicated that the Goodluck Jonathan administration was sensitive to the agitations of the youths in northern Nigeria.

Mrs. Maduekwe, announced

the appointment of Mr. Joseph Thlama Dawha from Borno State as the new GMD of the NNPC. The statement read: “We congratulated the minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke over the appointment of Mr. Joseph Thlama Dawha as the new Group Managing Director of the NNPC.

This appointment has further reinforced our conviction that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is sensitive to the yearnings of the youths in northern Nigeria, and that the president loves the people of Borno State as much as he loves the people of Bayelsa and Ondo states."

By Boluwaji Obahopo

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OKOJA—GOVER NOR Idris Wada of Kogi State, has vowed to stamp out political thuggery in the State.

Wada who made this known, yesterday, while addressing the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, supporters during the “Thank You Visit” to Ajaka, headquarters of Igalamela/Odolu Local government area of Kogi State, said his government would not tolerate any act of indiscipline from any one.

Wada warned that anybody caught in act of hooliganism would face the wrath of law no matter how highly placed, advising parents not to allow their children to be used as political thugs in the state.

He assured that the state government would continue to partner with the security agencies to ensure continuous peace in the state.

The governor tasked the traditional rulers and community leaders to be security conscious and promptly report any suspicious movement to security agencies in their areas.

Wada added that security was everybody business and that the community leaders were expected to be part of security in their areas.

By Bartholomew Madukwe

PEOPLE SPEAK

08102479985

Wada vows to stamp out thuggery in Kogi

(nwamad@yahoo.com)

On Ebola crisis

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OW do Nigerians think the whites will easily approve that a common African man found a cure for a deadly sickness they (America) could not tackle? Let us use the drugs and face the consequencies.

Mr. Vincent UdechukwuBusinessman

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HANK God Nigerian Doctors are putting relief in our face without the involvement of Americans. They were not here to offer any help since they refused us the drug which they are using to treat their people.

Mr. Joseph UbiagbaConsultant

E

BOLA has become a significant concept for some days now that we seem to forget about some aspects of our Nation that is worse than Ebola. Glory to God, that the one person suspected to have been affected have been declared free. Ms. Okpe Grace- Student

I

AM so happy for the first Nigerian Ebola virus patient that has been discharged from hospital. I believe that Nigerians live more on its fear, than the reality that Ebola is not as deadly as malaria that has claimed more lives all over the world. Mr. Arinze Onyeakusi- Businessman

T

HE federal govern ment should engage professionals to manage the situation. The challenge will be over within weeks, if properly handled at this stage. Quick solution that will not take up a week to implement is to hire professional hospital care givers on Ebola virus. Ms. Maggie John- Graduate

E

BOLA, the same vi rus that has no global recognized vaccine.

Suddenly, my country Nigeria is treating and discharging patients afflicted by this global scourge with no known recommended drug. I am really lost. Mr. Emmanuel Fayire- Worker

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 —47

2015: Benue women want power-shift to South senatorial district

By Peter Duru

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AKURDI — BENUE women, under the aegis of the Souther n Women in Action Group, SWAG, has called for power shift to the Idomaspeaking area of the state in the forthcoming governorship election in the interest of fair play and justice.

National President of the group, Mrs. Ene Ibenu, who made the call at a briefing in Makurdi, the state capital, said the demand was premised on the principle of rotation and equity.

According to her, “ what we are saying is that since the creation of Benue State some 38 years ago, nobody of Idoma extraction has assumed the leadership of the state as governor.

"If you are conversant with the history of this state, you certainly know that two senatorial zones which are Benue North East and West have produced governors.

“For clarity, late Governor Ape Aku was from the North-East, same with Rev. Fr. Moses Adasu; after them, we had Senator George Akume from the North-West, and cur rently, we have Governor Gabriel Suswam, who is also from the North-East.

“Today, we are talking of the 2015 elections and the people of Benue North-West, where the immediate past governor of the state, Senator George Akume comes from, are agitating to produce the next governor.

"In this agitation, nobody is talking of the Benue South senatorial zone. Our Tiv brothers believe that because they are in the majority, it is therefore their birth right to govern the state.

They regard the Idoma as second class citizens who do not deserve to assume leadership position in the state.”

Kwara APC youths disrupt elders' meeting, 20 hospitalised

By Demola Akinyemi

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LORIN—NO fewer than 20 elders of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kwara State have been hospitalised following severe injuries sustained during an attack by youths who stormed a popular hotel in Ajase-Ipo, Irepodun Local Government Area of the state to disrupt a meeting of elders in Kwara South senatorial district allegedly strategising for the second term ambition of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.

An eye witness told Vanguard that the aggrieved youths were said to have gone to Ajase-Ipo from Offa, Share, Oro and other neighbouring towns in chartered vehicles and attacked the elders on Tuesday.

They were said to be armed with charms, broken bottles, knives, cutlasses and clubs.

The elders that attended the

meeting comprised 10 each from the six local government councils that make up Kwara South senatorial district.

The youths allegedly abused the elders, claiming they were bribed to support the second term project instead of advising the governor on improving lapses of the present administration ahead of 2015 general elections.

The shocked elders immediately dispersed from the meeting in different directions.

Many jumped through the windows, abandoning their vehicles.

Over 20 of the elders, who sustained severe injuries as a result of the incident are currently receiving medical treatment in various private hospitals. However, no life was lost.

One of the victims and former member of House of Representatives, Hon Kola Shittu, confirmed the incident.

According to him, “We thank God that nobody died.

It is God that saved us. We left the place in different directions. We do not know why they came to disrupt our meeting. We could see from their action that they are aggrieved, but I am surprised that they took laws into their hands instead of making use of various channels available in the party hierarchy to settle any grievances.

"We are not suspecting anybody and we can’t arrest them because they are members of our party. But I can tell you that they will soon come and apologise for their misdeeds.”

Also, a police source at the Divisional Police station at Ajase-Ipo, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the incident, saying: “We are yet to make any arrest because we are still investigating the incident.”

MEETING: From left: Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Vice Chairman, South, Chief Uche Secundus; Aviation Minister, Chief Osita Chidoka and PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, during a meeting between the Presidency and the party's leadership at State House, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

Police ban indiscriminate hoisting of parties’ flags in Borno

By Ndahi Marama

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AIDUGURI— THE Borno State Police Command yesterday banned indiscriminate hoisting of political parties’ flags at public places other than parties’ offices and secretariats in the state.

The indiscriminate hoisting of parties flags, according to the police, had seriously “defaced” all the roads and streets of Maiduguri metropolis, the state capital.

Announcing the ban in Maiduguri, the Police Public Relations Officer, Gideon Jibrin, in statement warned affected political parties to

remove such flags from the roads and streets immediately.

While condemning the indiscriminate hoisting of flags, the statement said: “This manner of politicking is not a good dimension to emulate. It is good to introduce certain measures that can make our democracy work and not to litter everywhere with flags of political parties.

"This is an era for political parties to demonstrate their popularity and sale candidates to the citizenry in the state. But this should not be done with decorum, decency and maturity.

"It is pertinent to note that flag is not the same with

posters. It is a symbol of a political party like the Nigerian green white green flag hoisted in government offices/establishment.

Politicians should, therefore, hoist their flags only in their offices and secretariats.

“Henceforth, hoisting of parties’ flags everywhere in the state will no longer tolerated. Politicians who are in this habit should desist from it and also warn their party members to remove such flags from the roads/ streets within the metropolis; and whoever is found defacing the environment will be arrested for possible prosecution.”

Customs impounds container with expired drugs

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AGOS — THE Ports and Terminal MultiServices Limited, PTML, of the Nigeria Customs Service has seized a container loaded with expired drugs, imported by a Non Governmental Organization, NGO, from Maryland, USA. Briefing newsmen in Lagos, Area Comptroller of PTML Customs, Mr. Folorunsho Adegoke, said the container was heading to a medical mission in Imo State and was discovered by an officer of the command while examining its contents.

On handling over the container to the Ports Inspection Manager of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Adegoke said the container was declared as personal effects, but on examination it was discovered to contain expired drugs, medical devices and other personal items.

He stressed that some of the drugs had expiry date of April 2010, some in 2011, while the least expired on April 30, 2014.

He said: “If these drugs are allowed to go out, they might be harmful to people that will consume them, hence the need for the seizure and then transferred to appropriate sister agency, NAFDAC.” The Ports Inspection Manager of NAFDAC, Mrs. Ebigbayi Maureen, while receiving the container, commended customs for its corporation and information sharing with NAFDAC. She said: “In our lists of items that could be imported, there is no drug with expiration date less than 2015, on this basis approval is given. Also, no item is allowed to come into the country with less than six months shelve life.”

With the corporation of customs and other agencies, she assured that none of the items would go into circulation, adding that the impounded container would be placed under laboratory evaluation at NAFDAC headquarters in Lagos.

48—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

VISIT: From left: Minister of Communication Technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson; Aaron Ukodia; Ken Ugbechie, Bayero Agambi; Ufuoma Diaro, and Segun Oruame, all members of ICT Media Initiative when they visited the Minister ahead of the ICT media centenary award scheduled for October.

BRIEFING: From left; GM, Supply Chain, Thermocool, Mr. Phillip Mbanefo; Human Resources Director, PZ Cussons, Ms. Joyce Coker and Chairman/CEO, PZ Cussons and Thermocool, Mr. Christos Giannopoulos during Thermocool’s briefing on activities marking its 40th Anniversary in Nigeria.

MEETING: From left; Lion Blessing Umebali, Pioneer District Governor, Abdulganiyu LAUNCH: From left; Acting Head, Innovation, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Ms. Adediji, Matthew Fadohuda, Anthony Kojo Onwaeze, Bolajoko Ibrahim and Akintola Omosefe Odaro; music star, Kingsley Okonkwo (K-Cee) and Divisional Sales Christopher, all of the Lions Club District 404B-2 Nigeria at a meeting with the press.

Mgr, Guinness Plc, Mr. Uche Mbah at the Orijin National Launch in Enugu.

INAUGURATION: From left; Mr John Darlington, Deputy Managing Director; Mr Fortunato Leynes, Managing Director, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC and Prof Isaac Adewole, Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, UI, during the inauguration of the joint committee of IBEDC and UI on achieving strategic partnership initiative which was held at the University of Ibadan. Photo by Dare Fasube.

UNVEILING: Archbishop M. A. Atilade, president, Gospel Baptist Conference (r) assisted by Dr. C. A. Ogunniyi, bishop of Oyo State district, unveiling the plaque to mark the church's 42nd anniversary at the Chapel of Great Commission, Awe, Oyo State

FACTORY TOUR: Chief Eric Umeofia, President/ CEO of Erisco Foods Limited (right) being introduced

by Mr. Nnanke Harry Willie, CEO of HQSC Limited during a facility visit by the media at their Oregun factory in Lagos.

RETIREMENT PARTY: Retired Commissioners Mfon Jactor and Ime Akpan BRIEFING: From left; Mrs. Tobi Olanihun, CEO, Wowconnect; Dr. Patrick Ijewere; flanked by Chairman of the occassion, Arc Ekpo and other top leaders of the Mrs. Adesuwa Onyenokwe, Publisher, TW Magazine and Dr (Mrs) Sherese Ijewere Salvation Army Nigeria Corps, including Bar. Uche Iwuamadi a farewell/ at a press conference on Beauty, Health and Wellness Fair Organized by TW Magazine retirement party for Commissioners Mfon Jactor and Ime Akpan. and Wowconnect, at Victoria Island, Lagos. Photo by Oscar Ochiogu.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014—49

The quintuplets' with philanthropist, Chief Louis Carter Izuchukwu Onwugbenu and other well wishers

The quintuplets'

Woman gives birth to quintuplets at NAUTH, Nnewi

members of the Block Rosary Prayer group at St Louis Catholic church, Uruagu, Nnewi where I advised the children to remain fervent in prayers and worshipping God because I am a living example of what god can do to those who trust and keep faith in Him. Louis Carter went down memory lane and recalled that what moulded his life was his contact with the early missionaries in Nnewi including Reverend Fathers Louis Kettle (his adopted name) Duncan, Baycon and an indigenous priest, Reverend Father Basil Onwuasomba.

•Philanthropist picks hospital bills, awards scholarships to twins

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HE industrial town of Nnewi in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State recently played host to an uncommon occurrence but a pleasant surprise.

An expectant mother, Mrs. Chiamaka Ezeudenyi, had started experiencing her labour pains and was rushed to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, to be delivered of her baby.

Though the 32-year-old Mrs. Ezeudenyi who hails from Nnobi in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state had lost her previous pregnancy, her wish was to have this survive. In the end,

the recent doctor’s strike was on-going.

As the mother of four, Mrs. Ezeudenyi was caught between the mixed feelings of the gift of the four surviving out of the five quintuplets and the prospect of raising them. A business man and well known philanthropist, Chief Louis Carter Izuchukwu Onwugbenu’s (Okpata Ozuo Ora Nnewi) visit to the hospital brought her the needed succour. Chief Onwugbenu popularly known and called Louis Carter was celebrating his 61st birthday with children and friends in his house when news of the uncommon birth filtered in.

Since God has endowed me with the means, I have awarded scholarship to the twins and I did this as the spirit directs me to touch the lives of the under-privileged and the physically challenged she came out of the labour room with an unanticipated but pleasant package. She was delivered of quintuplets. Sadly, one died leaving her with four (two males and two females).

Interestingly, the woman was admitted to the hospital when

He excused his friends and quickly left to visit the mother and the new twins at the hospital where he announced the award of automatic scholarship to them up to university level within and outside the country.

Honesty and fear of God

The quintuplets' mother, Mrs. Chiamaka Ezeudenyi Chief Onwungbenu said he was moved by pity and compassion for the poor mother and the kids, moreso, their birth coincided with his 61st birthday.

He also picked up the hospital bills. Louis Carter did n ot stop here.

He equally extended his benevolence to three patients earlier discharged from the hospital but held hostage by the hospital authorities for failure to pay the sum of about four hundred thousand naira being their total bills. Louis Carter also picked up their bills.

The beneficiaries are Uyanwa, Nkechinyere, Ikwuegbe Chizoba and Obi Uchenna.

Chief Onwugbenu said the gesture was to glorify and appreciate God’s abundant blessings on him. In his words Ï was nothing when the hospital was commissioned in 1991. I have every reason to thank God for being exceptionally kind to me.

August 15 is my birthday and I want to celebrate with these new set ogf twins who share the same date of birth with me.

Since God has endowed me with the means, I have awarded scholarship to the twins and I did this as the spirit directs me to touch the lives of the under-privileged and the physically challenged’’.

Chief Onwugbenu added "I celebrated my birthday with

He urged the children to be tenacious in their religious duties, work hard, be honest and most importantly, have the fear of God in their undertakings so that God will in turn reward them.

In his remard, the deputy chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Dr Joseph Ugboaja who represented the Chief Medical Director, Prof.

Anthony Igwegbe said that Mrs Ezeudenyi was admitted to the Hospital when the Doctors strike was still raging.

As a result, the few Medical hands and Nurses took it as a challenge until she was delivered of the quintuplets via caesarean..

The beneficiaries were full of appreciation to Chief Louis Onwugbenu and prayed God to continue to bless him abundantly and give him longevity. The set of twins are in the intensive unit of the hospital.

50—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Ex-NDDC boss to electorate: Don't sell your voters card to politicians

By Jimitota Onoyume

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ORT HARCOURT— VOTERS in the country have been advised to ignore offers from dubious politicians to sell their voters cards.

Former acting Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Pastor Power Aginighan in a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State said voters should see their voters cards as the power they possess to choose credible leaders during elections, stressing that they should not allow corrupt politicians to dispossess them of the cards.

He said: “I call on registered voters to keep their voters cards safely and ensure that they vote for candidates of their choice in all the forthcoming elections.

They should not allow vote merchants to be in custody of their voters’ cards."

Christians in Edo flay killing of pastor by Boko Haram B

By Simon Ebegbulem

ENIN CITY—THE Nigeria Christian Graduate Fellowship, NCGF, Benin chapter, Edo State, has condemned the killing of one of its members in Bauchi State, Pastor Blessing Ehiorobo by members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect.

The fellowship in a statement by its President, Mrs Uche Chiejina, said that the murder of Pastor Ehiorobo, an indigene of Edo

State, was “barbaric, vexatious and unacceptable to the Christian community.”

NCGF described as unacceptable, the seeming attempt to Islamize some parts of the North by some Muslims fundamentalists, which had led to the murder of thousands of Christians and destruction of churches in that part of the country.

Calling on religious groups in the country to imbibe the spirit

of tolerance, respect for the sanctity of life, the fellowship charged security agencies and gvernments at all level in Nigeria to live up to their duties of protecting lives and property in all parts of the country.

It warned that the patience of Nigerian Christians should not be taken for granted by those who now take delight in attacking Christians and destroying worship centres.

Man begins 3rd reconstruction of house in right-of-way zAfter building was demolished twice by Delta Govt

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ARRI—DESPITE the de molishing of buildings close to the Delta State Government Office Annex in Warri on two separate occasions by officials of state Ministry of Lands and Survey, a property developer, (names withheld) has commenced moves to reconstruct his building for a third time on a-20ft right-of-way, Vanguard has learnt.

The developer’s renewed move is coming on the heels of efforts to fix the road and provide

drainages on both sides by other property owners within the vicinity.

It was gathered that the developer’s property was first demolished by the state government, and was told that the approval given to him by one civil servant with the state Ministry of Lands and Survey was deceptive because he allegedly showed officials of the ministry a document of another land instead of the 20ft road under contention.

In a bid to douse tension and proffer an amicable way forward, two of developer’s neighbours, Mr. Joseph Ajuwa and Mr. Joe Ambekederemo were asked to pay a compensation of N250,000 each to the developer, while the man who allegedly sold the land to him, late Dr. Urhobo was asked to provide an alternative land to him, but the latter did not before his demise.

LG POLLS: Group lauds Uduaghan on primaries

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OKO – EGBEMA Collective Political Front, ECPF, has commended Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and the leadership of the state Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for conducting a credible party primaries in Warri North Local Government Area.

Leaders of the group, Mr. Kenneth Odibo and Mr. Marshall Ekpe in a statement, congratulated Mr. Francis Maku-Eyituoyor and Mr.Sunny Abilo for emerging as chairman and vice-chairmanship candidates for Warri North council at the primaries.

The group condemned a recent negative advertorial on the emergence of the vicechairmanship candidate, credited to one Fitimi, describing same “as baseless and mischievous, which should be disregarded by the state governor and PDP leadership in the state.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014—51

Why they are after me —AMAECHI

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ORT HARCOURT — Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, yesterday, explained why he was the target of attacks from some politicians within and outside the state.

According to him, “most of the people opposed to me are in the rank of those I assisted one way or another, some by contract awards but they failed to deliver.”

Speaking at a meet-the-people tour of communities in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state, Amaechi said: “If you check Obio/Akpor council, you will see how many persons that have grown through me. Almost 80 per cent of those fighting me today are people who I have given billions

of naira in contracts and they have put the money in their pockets, they did not deliver and they claim they are Ikwerre people.

“I have said that the road at Eneka was given to an Obio/ Akpor son. The internal road at Rumuolumeni was given to a Rumuolumeni son. They gave it to one of Obio/Akpor's sons to do. They have not done it.

They have no fear, no shame.

"You know, the worst money to steal is the money belonging to your people. For me, go and check Ubima Road, as an ordinary Special Assistant to Chief Rufus George, the money he brought, we did the Ubima

Road and when I became Speaker, I got Dr. Peter Odili to do the road and the road lasted until I became governor.

“I did not touch Ubima money.

I did not say ‘I want to be a big man, contractor, give me N40 million first’. The first road to Ubima was N40 million, one kobo I did not see.

"All the roads in Rumuepirikom(community of Nyesom Wike) were done by this administration. I gave the contracts to your son and paid hundred per cent. But almost all the roads there have gone bad and they are not major traffic route. It is because of greed.

“As an Ikwerre man, what else

can I do? Please tell me what else do you want me to do that I have not done? I just did not do the road, I gave it to Ikwerre people to do. If you are not a good contractor, you look for a good contractor to do for you, is it not?

Now, you are not a good

contractor, you don’t want to hire a good contractor, you just buy one pay loader and you begin to scratch the ground.”

He thanked the people of OroIgwe for the opportunity of meeting with them and urged them to beware of those who would be dishonest or betray people for selfish reasons.

Fears over relocation of abducted Chibok girls from Sambisa forest

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ByKingsley Omonobi

ORNO—THERE were fears yesterday that Boko Haram terrorists

may have relocated the over 200 abducted girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok and other abducted victims from Sambisa forest to their new haven in Balmo Forest, which borders Borno and Bauchi states.

Vanguard gathered that communities contiguous to Sambisa forest raised the alarm through phone messages when they saw a large number of Boko Haram militants leaving the dense jungle early in the day on Wednesday and driving towards the border town with Bauchi.

When Vanguard contacted a military source, it was learnt that the security agencies had started mapping out strategies to deal with the development while efforts are on to ensure security beef up in the areas where the insurgents were believed to be relocating to.

The apparent relocation of the insurgents follows an embarrassing incident two days ago when close to 500 Nigerian soldiers fled to neighbouring Cameroon in order to escape from a fierce contingent of Boko Haram militants that attacked Gamboru-Ngala, a major town near the border with Cameroon.

A text message sent by Vanguard last night to the Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade on the issue, was not responded to.

It will be recalled that the Chibok girls were abducted in April this year.

Security sources believed that the insurgents were relocating from Sambisa forest for fears of a major offensive by the military in a bid to rescue the abducted girls and demobilise their operational headquarters.

52—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Ikimi claims influence he doesn't have — OYEGUN

By Simon Ebegbulem

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ENIN CITY— NATIONAL Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegu, yesterday, lambasted the former Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi over his comments that he (Oyegun) was imposed on the party, saying that Ikimi was arrogating “to himself an influence he does not have both in Edo State and Nigeria as a whole.”

Similarly, the APC in Edo State, said it wished Ikimi well in “the lion’s den,” adding that his movement to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP was a good omen for the party in the state because “We have always found it difficult to win election in Igueben his home town because he is not on ground.”

Ikimi who resigned from the party Wednesday, alleged that the party was being run by a cabal, adding that the APC does not practice the true democracy it preaches to Nigerians.

However, Chief Oyegun, said “Ikimi is so boisterous that he has over priced himself but I will sit down and respond to all his nonsense in the papers. Ikimi is giving himself undue importance

which he does not deserve, he is insulting all the leaders of the party both from the North and South, saying that he was the only sensible person in the party, that is not true and that is not possible. What he is doing is reporting himself to the entire nation, displaying the kind of person he truly is.

“What is happening really is

that both the PDP and APC are being purified and that all the birds that ought to flock together are beginning to fly together and that is a good thing for this country. It is good for the APC and the PDP. We don’t want people who don’t think like us, don’t have the same ideology and not as committed to the ideology of

APC. We are losing some and gaining some. The process of ideological purification is underway and those who don’t share the same belief with us are all leaving and we have no regret about that.

“I don’t know how many votes he controls that will make us lose Edo State and Nigeria, but we will see.''

Calabar port strategic to nation’s economy—UMAR

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INISTER of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, has said that the dredging of Calabar ports was part of Federal Government efforts to boost economic

activities of the South-South and South-East geo-political zones of the country.

Umar , when he received the delegation of traditional rulers from the South-South and

‘No Ebola patient in Rivers yet'

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IVERS State Commissioner of Health, Dr Sampson Parker has dismissed as untrue, allegation that the state had recorded its first case of Ebola victim.

Meanwhile, Delta State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof.

Patrick Muoboghare, has cautioned parents to be mindful of the movement of

their children during the holidays, particularly in places plagued by the Ebola Virus Disease.

Muoboghare, who spoke in Asaba, noted that he was sending his officials to field to monitor strict compliance with the directive by the Federal Ministry of Education that ordered the immediate closure of all summer holiday lessons.

South-East geo-political zones led

by Chairman of the South-South Monarchs Forum, King Edmund Dakoru, in Abuja, said the President’s decision to approve the dredging of the Calabar channel was a major feat and in recognition of the cooperation given to his administration by the zones, adding that the Calabar Port was strategically important to the zones and the country.

He noted that the country had suffered enough neglect of its coastal waterways, “which is supposed to be a veritable means of economic transformation but with this dredging now, the economic activities will spring up again, creating massive employment opportunities in the area and in the whole country.”

Itsekiri leaders decry lawlessness, violence in Warri

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TSEKIRI Leaders of Thought, has decried what it called the lawlessness and impunity which has continued to bedevil Itsekiri communities in Delta State and called on the government to bring the situation under control.

Chairman of the group, Mr Johnson Ayomike at its meeting in Lagos, said it was important that Itsekiri people come together to address their challenges and work out strategies to uplift themselves.

He condemned the terror unleashed on the people of Itsekiri by their neighbours and the inability of the state government to check same.

“Itsekiri lands have been forcefully occupied with their names changed by our neighbours despite several court judgments up to the Privy Council and Supreme Court.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014—53

Another episode of Trauma...no vendetta, violence on stage

BY PRISCA SAM-DURU

group with his newspaper articles and cartoons, HE saying that it is easy to earning for himself, fame and create war but difficult to followers. Among his make peace, is easily forgotten followers is Toni who is also, each time there’s disagreement agitating for change. Both between two parties. This become united in one course •Scene from Another Episode of Trauma explains the reason which is to change the polity, individuals, families and though through different nations have not stopped means. While Joseph experiencing violence all over chooses the radical approach, vengeance in the hands of He launches out at his target the world.

Toni adopts the non violent vengence for God. He refuses group, using the guerilla In its efforts toward method to achieve political to heed his wife’s advice warfare. Unfortunately, he is encouraging a non-violence having made up his mind to caught in the web, as the avenge his sister’s death. opposing group overpowers It reaches out to dreaded Boko Things however take a bitter him, attacks and kills all his Haram members to sheathe their turn when Joseph’s move for family members, including his swords since violence has done the vendetta sets him against Toni pregnant wife. Unable to bear and his wife. His marriage is his ill fate, Joseph commits nation much harm threatened as he suffers suicide. psychological imbalance that Important storyline with a change. approach to addressing issues creates tension in his home, topical subject, ‘’Another On getting wind of her in addition to kicking against husband’s mission, Mariam work and society. Bent on episodes of Trauma” reaches vendetta, Live Theatre in one pleads with Joseph to furthering the evil course, out to members of the dreaded of its numerous stage plays reconsider his stance on Joseph begins to secretly Boko Haram members to which holds every last Sunday sheathe their swords since radicalism and leave gather arms and ammunition. of the month, thrilled lagosians with a play titled, “Another Episode Of Trauma”.

Another Episode of Trauma, which was staged at the New Unity Centre, Ikeja, GRA, Lagos, was written by Temiloluwa Fosudo, directed

by Sylvester Obieze and produced by Adenugba Oluwanishola for Davidhouse Multimedia.

It warns

BY PRISCA SAM-DURU individuals who deliberately instil ill feelings into others HE courtyard of Lagos with the view to fanning war Country Club Ikeja, because of what they stand to recently, wore a totally new look gain, to reconsider their with over 400 stunning art pieces actions, as war affects

by Nigeria’s artist, Funmi everybody including those not Opanubi-Alasholuyi. directly involved.

The body of work titled, “My Life Experiences: Its inspirations Responsible and beauty”, which opened for government public viewing on August 2 and ended August 16, was Funmi's The play also underscores the second outing having pulled importance of having a through her début solo exhibition responsive and responsible titled “My journey from the government that has the good Queensland to Daystar” a year of the people at heart. ago.

“Another Episode Of Trauma” Viewers at the exhibition would •Artist displaying some of her works at the venue narrates the story of Joseph, definitely attest to the fact that the whose younger sister was Inspired by lessons life has taught her as well over 400 art works by the Business murdered in the northern part as environment, Funmi explained that, “this Information Technology degree of Nigeria, during her National exhibition talks about my life experiences, holder from London Metropolitan Youth Service Corps (NYSC). what I have gone through and the inspirations University, added to the Joseph, unable to come to I have had that have really motivated me to ambience of the venue. The terms with why the country has live a positive life, because I believe that in works also reach out to people of fallen short of its responsibility life, if you have a negative mindset, you will different age brackets and to protect its citizens as well as live a negative life and if you have a positive categories. why Boko Haram insurgency mindset, you live a positive life.”

Some of her works include has all in the name of religion, Describing her launching into her present "Lagos vintage scenes on canvass, been unleashing mayhem on world as a bold and necessary step she had which caught the interest of the Nigerians, forcing many to an taken, the artist went down memory lane, old generation, as it took early grave, embraces vendetta recalling one of the fears that held her bound everybody down memory lane. as respite. until she had victory. “I remember when I Other works are on flex, cuts He begins to attack the used to have the spirit of fear of driving in across every interest and age."

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violence has done the nation much harm. Also, affected groups and individuals may want to resort to prayers in addition to encouraging people to imbibe virtues rather than resort to vendetta.

Not too bad an outing for the theatre house. The actors gave good accounts of themselves.

Mariam especially, was at her best as she exhibited some element of proficiency thereby, making up for some lapses from Joseph's performance.

My Life Experiences...artist’s account of journey through life

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Nigeria, having lived in the UK for long. When I came back home, saw the way people drive as well as the Okadas, I just had a mindset that I would never drive in the country.”

She added, fear is really bad; It does not make you do what you want to. I came across just a quote on fear and when I kept on reading the quote, it ignited a lot of positive feelings in me and it encouraged me, now, I can say I can drive very well in Nigeria, and so, I thought if I send out inspirational quotes from my experiences people will be inspired by them and live positive lives.”

Continuing she noted, “We all go through a lot of challenges in our lives, talk of tragedies, marriages, relationships, work place among other issues, just believe that having a positive approach in dealing with these life challenges is very important. Whatever you are going through, how you handle it is what really matters.”

54—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Ex-militants make case for Toru-ebe State, oil block licensing

By Onoja Innocent

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OMADI — NIGER Delta ex-agitators have called on President Goodluck Jonathan to revisit the unattended, critical issue of creation of Toru-ebe State in the Niger Delta, which the just concluded national conference failed to address in their deliberations.

The ex-militants noted that the Niger Delta struggle brought development to the oil-rich region, emancipation of the people from oppression, as well as address the issue of illegal allotment of oil licences, where almost all the licensees are non-Niger Deltans.

The ex-agitators urged the Presidency and the National Assembly to pay attention to the issue in the submitted confab report before ratification.

Akponyoma hails Jonathan as Doctors resume work

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CHIEFTAIN of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State, Mr. Emudia Akponyoma has commended President Goodluck Jonathan over the diplomacy employed in resolving of the industrial strike action, recently called off by Nigerian Medical Association, NMA Speaking with journalists in Lagos after a meeting of the Lagos chapter of a political pressure group, Delta Central Interest Initiative, DCII, Akponyoma described the resolution of the matter as another indelible passmark for President Jonathan.

He gave kudos to Delta NMA, led by Dr. Olawale Cole, for setting up of the NMA Delta Ebola Virus Disease Response and Preparedness Committee.

Why we left APC for PDP — Ex-Edo Assembly man

By Gabriel Enogholase

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ENIN — A former member of Edo State House of Assembly, Mr. Fidelis Ogbejiele, has advanced reasons majority of the All Progressives Congress, APC, members in Igueben Local Government Area of the state defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, saying that Governor Adams Oshiomhole, had reneged on the promises he made to the people of the area during his campaigns.

Ogbejiele, who spoke at a rally

in Igueben during the defection of a large number of APC members to PDP, accused the state government of neglecting the only institution of higher learning in the constituency, the College of Education, Igueben, through inadequate funding and non-provision of infrastructure in the college.

“As a legislator representing the constituency, I fought very hard to have the college reopened during the Prof.

Oseriemhe Osunbor administration, after being closed

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BUJA — President Goodluck Jonathan has charged Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, to build on the achievements of his predecessors.

President Jonathan, who gave the charge during the conferment

the college and appealed to the governor to live up to his responsibilities by fulfilling his electioneering campaigns.

He also accused the state government of failing to construct the Ekpon / Igbodo Road, Ebelle, Amahor, Ugun and Ogwa roads promised during the campaigns.

He said that the nonconstruction of the roads have affected economic lives of the people in the areas as they can no longer evacuate their farm produces.

DELTA 2015:

Igbuya endorses Obuh, vows to lobby Uduaghan M

AJORITY LEADER of Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Monday Igbuya has supported the gubernatorial aspiration of Mr. Tony Obuh, saying that the technocrat is in the best position to move the state forward.

Igbuya, also the National vice chairman of Urhobo Political Forum, UPF, in an interview, said that the efforts so far made by the Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan administration must not be put at risk by putting untested hands to pilot SUBMISSION: Ribadu, submitting his nomination form, for gubernatorialp primary the affairs of the state. election 2014 to National Organising Secretary of PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, at Igbuya, who described himself as one of the National Headquarters of the party, in Abuja. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan Uduaghan’s political disciples, pledged to mobilise members of the House of Assembly to urge the governor to support Obuh.

Obuh, a retired permanent secretary, is a Speaking when he paid a himself for service for the people

By Festus Ahon condolence visit to the family of of the Urhobo nation, he left his top contender in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to Aziza and the leadership of UPU footprints on the sands of time.

GHELLI — A People at Adagbrasa, Okpe Local “Aziza’s death must not be in succeed Uduaghan in the Democratic Party, PDP, Government Area, Delta State, vain. His vision must be 2015 gubernatorial election governorship aspirant in Delta Omo-Agege said the death of continued. His vision for the in the state.

State, Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege has Aziza should not be in vain.

Pledging to mobilise Urhobo nation was great and the described the late President Noting that the late Aziza lived unity and progress of the Urhobo members of the House of General of Urhobo Progress “an accomplished life, having nation will live on despite his Assembly for the Obuh Union, UPU, General Patrick Aziza served the country meritoriously death. There is no better tribute Project, Igbuya said his (rtd), as a visionary leader, who in the Nigerian Army, as the leadership of UPU can pay lobby for Obuh would not worked relentlessly towards the governor of Kebbi State and as to Aziza than to continue with his be limited to the House, unity and advancement of the Minister of Communication good works.” promising to take the Obuh Urhobo nation. message to the executive before returning home to offer and notably, the governor.

“The enviable efforts so far made by the Uduaghan administration in positioning Delta State he Urhobo people of Warri, leadership at the state and in the area.

They said "the road map above oil price shock and Warri South Local national levels to prevail on the stipulates representation of other achievements in Government Area of Delta State, Itsekiri people of the council to have appealed to Peoples adhere to former Governor electoral wards by the ethnic infrastructure development Democratic Party, PDP, James Ibori’s Road Map of Peace nationality in control of any of the and peace and security, cannot be put at jeopardy. areas for sustainable peace."

“You know, the governor Mr. Tefa Ekure, a community leader, who spoke for the group, is our political leader, there noted that the Ibori peace is no doubt. So, it is my initiative was aimed at giving intention to draw to his the three Warri indigenous attention that many of us, of National Productivity Order of by Vice President, Namadi Sambo ethnic groups the opportunity to his political disciples, have Merit, NPOM, award on at the event, which was chaired by participate in the governance of seen somebody that can Chidoka, said recipients were the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka push forward his blueprint, their area. being recognised for their Nwogu.

Ekure said that natives of Igbudu so that he can rest assured productivity and commitment The event also witnessed the community from where Mcdemott that all that he has been towards nation building. conferment of the award on other Ward was carved out for the saying and doing about He charged them to continue to notable Nigerians, who had made Urhobo of Agbarha Kingdom, 'Delta Beyond Oil' will not give their best for the growth and significant contributions to the Warri, will resist any attempt to be in vain." development of the country. development of the country in their impose an Itsekiri councillor on The President, was represented various fields of endeavour. the ward."

Omo-Agege extols Aziza, says he was visionary leader

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MCDEMOTT WARD: Itsekiri urged to obey Ibori peace initiative

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Chidoka gets merit award, charged to turn aviation sector around

By Lawani Mikairu

down by the military.

"Today, the college is a glorified secondary school with no infrastructure or basic amenities.

“We can no longer follow a party that will bring in caterpillars to deceive us that they are going to provide one form of amenities or the other for us during campaigns, only to withdraw such caterpillars after elections,” he said.

He expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for providing new infrastructure in

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014—55

Tributes galore as body of Dora Akunyili arrives Anambra .Gowon, Mrs. Obasanjo, others in attendance

....As rain maker relation vows to disrupt burial today in Agulu

By Vincent Ujumadu & Nwabueze Okonkwo

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WKA — IT was eulogies galore, yesterday, at the Women Development Centre, Awka, as people and government of Anambra State received the body of the late former Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili This came as Chief Fredrick Dike, an acclaimed weather controller from Ifiteani village, Agulu, and a kinsman of Dr. Chike Akunyili, husband to late Dora Akunyili, vowed to use his mystical powers to disrupt the burial ceremony today Among those that graced the ceremony included the former head of state, General Yakubu Gown and his wife, wife of the former president, Mrs. Bola Obasanjo, Governor Willie Obiano and members of his cabinet and the national chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh.

In his tribute, General Gowon described Dora as a great gift to Nigeria, as she devoted herself to the service of her fatherland in all the positions she found herself.

Also speaking, Governor Willie Obiano said Akunyili used her God–given talent to work for her country, explaining that in view of what she stood for Anambra, he had concluded plans to make her an ambassador plenipotentiary for the state before her demise.

To the national chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, Dora’s deeds spoke for her, adding that her demise was a great loss to the country.

He said that but for the 180 days constitutional provision that ended the election tribunal, Dora could have been in the Senate because she won that election.

Colossus In an emotion –laden voice, the wife of Governor Obiano, Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano described her as a colossus among men.

Amidst intermittent sobs, Mrs. Obiano said: “In public service, Dora endeared herself to the people and gave hope to the hopeless.

“Even in her traumatic moment, she radiated hope. I will never forget her motherly advice and I am eloquently grateful for making herself a shining example. She was a woman who never wanted to shine alone as she always wanted stars around her.

“Professor Akunyili had promised to package me the way Anambra people will be proud of and while she lived, she encouraged me and that is what is guiding me now.”

Also speaking, Mrs. Bola Obasanjo went down memory lane to describe how she endeared herself to former President Obasanjo through her good deeds.

She said: “Dora was a role model and a legend who cannot be forgotten easily. She was an open–minded woman who staked her neck to save many lives. We remember that a bullet fired at her removed her head tie, but did not remove her head.

If the bullet had removed her head, the nation would have lost all that she did for Nigerians.

“When people were putting chalk into capsules as drugs, Dora stepped in as the Director General of NAFDAC and stopped all that.”

Dora’s colleague at the National Conference, Mrs. Josephine Anenih said when people saw her at the conference, many of them started crying. But Dora told them not to cry for her as she was prepared to serve her country in that confab.

She said that even as frail as Dora looked, her voice was very strong and she made all the Igbo delegates proud.

According to her, the people Dora fought against at NAFDAC are murderers in the name of drug business.

Akunyili will be buried today at her hometown, Agulu in Anaocha Local Government area of Anambra State.

Meanwhile, Chief Fredrick Dike, an acclaimed weather controller from Ifiteani village, Agulu, Anambra State and a kinsman of Dr. Chike Akunyili, the husband of late Dora Akunyili, yesterday, vowed to use his mystical powers to disrupt the

burial ceremony today.

Dike explained in an interview that Dora’s husband and other stakeholders, including former Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, his Special Adviser on Parks and Markets, Chief Sylvester Nwaobulor, among others, went behind him to meet other rain makers in the town and its environs without recognising him as number one rain maker in Anambra State.

He boasted: “Dora herself is also my wife and we are all sharing in the pain of her death, but since they sidelined me in controlling the weather, they will see rainfall tomorrow (That is today) and throughout the week unless they do the needful.

“Let it also be on record that I am not insisting on loosening the heaven tomorrow because I was not consulted, but because they went to see other rain makers with lots of gift items to control the weather which they know I can do without charging anything.

We shall test powers tomorrow.”

The traditional medicine practitioner also alleged that some of his kinsmen were hitherto withholding a national award given him by President Goodluck Jonathan, warning that those in custody of the award to make it available to him before it would be too late.

“I was told that Mr. President gave me an award, but some people are still with it and I want to use this opportunity to let Mr. From left, Professor Lawson Adekoya, guest lecturer, at the 267 President know that Inaugural Lecture of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, with the I’m yet to get the title, 'Man Minus Machine Equals Labourer,' Tuesday, at Oduduwa award,” he said Hall of the university. Photo: Dare Fasube

Group endorses Nwosu for Abia guber

By Nwabueze Okonkwo

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SOCIOPOLITICAL group in Abia State, Old Bende Patriots, has endorsed Friday Nwosu and resolved to support him as its candidate for the 2015 governorship election, describing him as best suited to succeed Governor Theodore Orji as next governor of the state.

The group, which has its membership spread across Abia North and Abia Central zones, also commended Governor Orji and the state chapter of the PDP for insisting that power should shift to Abia South zone in 2015.

Making the declaration during its meeting in Umuahia, the group, represented by its Secretary, Ben Ukandu, Izuchukwu Nwosu, and a former council chairperson, Princess Grace Agbara, maintained that Abia State needed a man who had the capacity to build bridges of unity in the state.

The group added that Nwosu’s decision to contest the governorship poll in the state was borne out of his desire to build on the legacies of the present administration to take Abia to the next level.

It stressed that Nwosu would use his vast experiences to promote good governance, unlike some of his competitors who were contesting for the position to settle scores with political enemies.

“We have assessed the antecedents of all governorship aspirants and found Friday Nwosis best suited to succeed our amiable leader, Governor Theodore Orji.

"Nwosu is an embodiment of humility, hard work, knowledge and industry. He is integrity personified."

FG moves to complete Ajaokuta Steel Complex for automotive local component manufacturing

By Nwabueze Okonkwo

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NITSHA — THE Federal Government is now working out modalities to complete the on-going Ajaokuta Steel Complex, AJASCO, within the shortest possible time to help boost automotive local component manufacturing, ALCM, in the country.

Executive Director of Centre for Automotive Design and Development, CADD, Zaria, Dr. Fidelis Achive, who disclosed

this at a workshop in Nnewi, Anambra State, yesterday, said the project had reached about 90 per cent completion at the moment.

He further disclosed that when completed and operational, raw materials would be sourced from the complex to meet quality and quantity standards required by local manufacturers of automotive components.

He noted that with the recent successful launch of the Nigerian Automotive Industrial Police,

NAIDP of Nigeria, by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, vehicle makers had started establishing manufacturing plants in the country.

Achive added that for now, component parts in form of completely knocked down parts, CKD, and semi knocked down parts, SKD, used for assembling vehicles were supplied from the home countries of vehicle manufacturers 100 per cent for

assembly operations in Nigeria.

He also noted that to assist the ALCM in realization of this noble objectives, CADD had worked on a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the National Metallurgical Development Centre, NMDC, Jos, for component testing and ancillary services.

He added that the MoU would be ready for signing by the chief executives of the two agencies

by September 11, 2014.

56 —Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

V anguard Vanguard anguard,, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 — 57

BRIEFS US girl kills gun instructor

UN accuses Islamic State of war crimes T HE United Nations has accused the Islamic State group of committing war crimes including amputations and public executions, sometimes in the presence of children.

The world body also said it believed the Syrian government had used chlorine gas in combating its enemies.

The Sunni fighters, who are bringing weapons from Iraq, have changed the power balance in Syria, consolidating control over large areas and establishing order by imposing Islamic law, the UN said in its latest report, released on Wednesday.

“Executions in public spaces have become a common spectacle on Fridays in al Raqqa and ISIS-controlled areas of Aleppo governorate [province],” the report said, using the IS group’s original name.

“Children have been present at the executions, which take the form of beheading or shooting in the head at close range.

Bodies are placed on pub-

Hamas top leader, Haniya waves to a jubilant crowd following a deal that ended the 50-day cnflict with Israel yesterday in Gaza.Photo: AFP

lic display, often on crucifixes, for up to three days, serving as a warning to local residents.”

The independent investigators voiced deep concern about boys forced to join the ranks of Islamic States who are being trained in camps in Syria that could be targeted by US air strikes.

Meanwhile, the organisation has moved to impose sanctions on militias and their political sup-

porters who are fuelling Libya’s escalating war.

In a resolution adopted unanimously yesterday, the 15-member council also tightened an arms embargo and asked experts to draw up a list of names of Libyans targeted for sanctions.

The move came as Libya warned the Security Council that the chaotic North African state could descend into full-scale civil war if heavily armed

warring factions are not disarmed. “The situation in Libya is complicated,” Libya’s United Nations Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi told the council."

“Yet the situation since the 13th of July has become even more complicated and the situation might unravel into a fullblown civil war if we’re not very careful and wise in our actions.”

Netanyahu under fire at home over Gaza

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RIME Minister Ben jamin Netanyahu faced strong criticism in Israel over a costly conflict with Palestinian militants in which no clear victor emerged.

On the streets of the battered, Hamas-run Palestinian enclave, people headed to shops and banks, trying to resume the normal pace of life after seven weeks of fighting. Thousands of others, who had fled the battles and sheltered with relatives or in schools, returned home, where some found only rubble.

In Israel, sirens warning of incoming rocket fire from the Gaza Strip fell silent. But media commentators, echoing attacks by members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition, voiced deep disappointment over his leadership during the most prolonged bout of Israeli-Palestinian violence in a decade.

“After 50 days of warfare in which a terror organization killed dozens of soldiers and civilians, destroyed the daily

routine (and) placed the country in a state of economic distress ... we could have expected

much more than an announcement of a ceasefire,” analyst Shimon Shiffer wrote in

Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s biggest-selling newspaper

IMF chief Lagarde under investigation in France

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hristine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, has been placed under formal investigation in France for her alleged involvement in a long-running fraud case.

Under French law, a formal investigation means prosecutors believe they have serious evidence implicating a suspect in a crime. It does not necessarily lead to charges or a trial. The case stems from 2008 when Lagarde was finance minister under former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Prosecutors believe that Lagarde was negligent in dealing with a case in which a supporter of Sarkozy — Bernard Tapie — was awarded a settlement worth 285 million euros plus interest.

Tapie had sued the French state in 1993 after selling a stake in Adidas (ADDYY)to Credit Lyon-

nais, which was owned by the government. Tapie claimed Credit Lyonnais defrauded him when it resold the stake at a far higher price. The bank has denied wrongdoing.

Lagarde has not been accused of profiting personally from the Tapie case.

The issue is whether she

gave Tapie preferential treatment, by actions such as overruling other officials and referring the case to arbitration.

Lagarde said she would appeal the decision to be placed under formal investigation, saying the move was “without merit.”

Lagarde speaks to her lawyer, Yves Repiquet, yesterday in Paris, after announcing she had been charged for “negligence” over a multi-millioneuro corruption case .

A nine year-old girl in the US has killed her shooting instructor by accident while being shown how to use a high-powered submachine gun.

The instructor was giving the girl a lesson at a shooting range in Arizona when the recoil from the automatic fire caused her to lose control of the Uzi. Charles Vacca, 39, was shot in the head and died after being airlifted to a hospital in Las Vegas.

The girl was at the shooting range with her parents, who filmed the lesson.

The footage shows the instructor coaching her as she fires a single shot at a target at the Last Stop shooting range in White Hills, Arizona.

The Uzi then appears to be switched to automatic as the girl pulls the trigger and loses her grip of the weapon.

The video, edited and released by the Mojave County Sheriff ’s office, ends abruptly before the instructor is shot.

Islamic State strengthens control in Syria The Islamic State group’s seizure of the Tabqa airbase in the northern Syrian province of Raqqa, after a five-day battle with the Syrian army, has raised fears the group could soon move deeper into the war-torn country.

The fall of Raqqa came after the Syrian army retreated from the city’s 17th division headquarters in late July. “Since the June breakthrough in Iraq, Islamic State has been striving to consolidate its control over eastern Syria,” said Aron Lund, a Syria analyst focusing on opposition movements.

“It cleaned out significant rebel pockets from the Euphrates towns in the Deir al-Zour province,” Lund told Al Jazeera. “There is still one significant pocket of support for Assad left: the Deir alZour airport and some southern neighbourhoods of the city itself. If they capture that, eastern Syria is pretty much all in Islamic State hands.”

Mali to prosecute parents of underage migrants Mali says it intends to prosecute parents who send their underage children to Europe as migrants, but needs Europe’s co-operation to do so.

A government minister told the BBC that families were increasingly sending children on the dangerous sea crossing to Europe as minors were not expelled.

Abderrahmane Sylla appealed to European nations to identify these unaccompanied minors to help Mali’s authorities.

He said he hoped that prosecutions would act as a deterrent.

Mr Sylla, who is the minister for Malians in the diaspora, said he received almost daily reports of the deaths of Malians in the Mediterranean.

US F-15 military jet crashes in Virginia A United States military jet has crashed in Virginia yesterday, but the fate of the pilot is unknown, military officials said.

Witnesses near the crash site in the town of Deerfield reported hearing a loud noise and seeing a large plume of smoke in the sky.

Officials lost contact with the Massachusetts Air National Guard F-15 shortly before the crash, police said.

No injuries on the ground have been reported and rescue workers have been dispatched to the area, police added.

Major Matthew Mutti, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Air National Guard, said the single-seat aircraft had been on a routine training exercise and had no munitions on board.

58 —Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

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60 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Football crisis: Guild of Sports Editors wants Jonathan to intervene

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HE Guild Of Sports Editors,the umbrella body for Sports Editors in Nigeria met in Lagos on Wednesday to review recent happenings in Nigerian football and resolved that there was need for government, at the highest level, to take action on the ‘shameful happenings’ in football management in the country.

The meeting was superintended by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the group and Weekend Editor of the Vanguard newspapers, Mr Onochie Anibeze.

The group views with serious concern the way and manner Nigerianfootballhasbeenriddled with crisis recently, which has tainted the image of the country.

“We view these issues as very unfortunate and we want to ask those concerned to put an immediate stop to it. We also call on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, to use his good offices to intervene by calling not only his sports officers to order but also all the actors in the unfortunate and ridiculous show of shame in Abuja in the larger interest of the Nigerian people.

The body stated this in its communiqué after the meeting.

Thebodyisconcernedthatthe ugly development has not only portrayed Nigeria in bad light but has also tainted the administration of President Gooluck Jonathan who has shown commitment in transforming Nigeria’s sports.

Thestatementjointlysignedby the body’s President Tony Ubani and Secretary General, Dare Esan, says Nigeria has received enough insult from the

•Danagogo international community and the idea of causing crisis after everyWorldCupyearinNigeria must stop forthwith.

The body says it is not unmindful of the fact that government sponsors sports,especially football in Nigeria and therefore wants the direct intervention of the president to ensure the elections fixed for the 4th of September to elect into office the new executivecommitteeoftheNFF are not only free but also fair.

The body also made it clear that while it was not taking sides with the sports ministry or the Football Federation, it was seeking justice and peace and thought that President Jonathan could act quickly to stop the detour to anarchy in Nigerian football nay sports.

“This is not time for the blame game but time to insist oninternationaldueprocessand

Chukwuemeka Continues from BP

E p h r a i m Chukwuemeka, a member of the interim Committee who visited the NFF secretariat yesterday said the election was a sham because the August 26 congress was only to chart a new road map for the conduct of elections into the board of the NFF .

“What is happening here is illegality and they are indirectly inviting FIFA to ban Nigeria . We are not interested in FIFA banning Nigeria but if it happens nobody should blame us because we are

standing on the path of the truth.

“FIFA had said there should be no election but we should map the way forward for election which we have done. We have fixed election for Sept. 4. So anybody who is saying that he is the president of NFF is occupying the place illegally. We are not interested in using force because the law will take its course,” Chukwuemeka said.

He said the interim Committee would be assuming duty on Monday with the General-Secretary of the NFF.

the need to give all qualified candidates free opportunity to contest the coming NFF polls.

We have had enough of this charade and those involved must consider national interests.

‘We also want the president to,as a matter of urgency, probe last week’s inferno at the NFF secretariat in Abuja and anybody or group of persons connectedwiththeincidentmust be made to face the full wrath of the law especially in the face of information that the fire extinguishers at the secretariat expiredsince2012andtherewas no attempt to replace them.’

Champions league Continues from BP The group stage consists of eight groups of four teams, so there will be 32 participants in all.

22 of those are already known, since they have automatically qualified for the group stage by finishing high in their respective leagues last season. These teams are: Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Schalke 04, Juventus, Roma, Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Shakhtar Donetsk, CSKA Moscow, Ajax, Galatasaray, Anderlecht, Olympiacos and Basel.

These clubs will be joined by 10 more who have advanced from the play-off round, which will be completed this week.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014 — 61

Giwa resumes at Glass House Continues from BP Giwa who arrived the secretariat of the football house at exactly 1.55 pm was received by some of the other board members who were already on ground waiting for him.

He immediately went straight into the office of the president of the NFF where he had a closed door meeting with his colleagues. However, that meeting did not start until a lengthy

prayer offered by board member, Sani Mohammed Fema for the Muslim faithfuls while Giwa himself led in the Christian prayer.

Addressing the sporting media on arrival, Giwa who is also the Proprietor of Giwa FC of Jos said his main priority was to make sure that all the estranged members of the Nigeria football family were united again

even as he insisted that his election was validly conducted by members of the congress present.

“We have to move forward and get the house together because football is one game Nigerians love so much and it is our desire for everybody to come together for us to operate. We must ensure that we have one football house and I want to say here that we don’t have a

split.

“Let me also address this erroneous impression that is gaining grounds that there were two congresses on Tuesday.

We had only one congress and that was at the Chida International Hotel and the agenda of that congress was that it was an elective congress’’.

The president also revealed that one early action he will take was to relocate the secretariat of the NFF to its new office located at the Package B

Maigari regains freedom Continues from BP operatives. He was released in the morning from the special antirobbery squad after he was handed to them by the Directorate of State Security Service,” said an aide of the NFF boss.

“No charges were pressed against him, neither was he or Green questioned on anything.

It was clearly to prevent them from attending the general assembly of Tuesday, which FIFA insisted be presided by Maigari.”

Maigari, it was further learnt, was detained on orders of controversial former Rivers State police commissioner Joseph Mbu, who is now an assistant Inspector

general of police.

Incidentally, sports minister Tammy Danagogo, who also was a commissioner in Rivers State, personally came to the SSS office yesterday to pick general secretary Musa Amadu for what later was termed “an elective congress”, which produced Chris Giwa as new NFF president.

Giwa moved into the NFF office Wednesday morning and thereafter addressed the staff, assuring them of improved welfare in his tenure as NFF president.

World football governing body FIFA are expected to rule on the unfolding drama in Nigeria soon.

of the Abuja National Stadium even as he insisted that the present office despite the fire incident was not conducive enough to serve as the football house of a country like Nigeria.

“Certainly I believe we will move out of this place immediately. Apart from the incident that took place here, it has been my desire that when I get into office the first thing I will do is to move the secretariat to a more befitting place and I want to assure that in the next one or two weeks the secretariat will move to its new office”.

The soft-spoken president equally rejected the claim that what prevented the immediate past executive committee form moving into the office was lack of fund arguing that if it was a priority, then it would have been achieved.

However, all the management staff of the

NFF including the general secretary, Barr.

Musa Amadu were conspicuously absent from the office and were not part of the staff that received the new president.

Other members of the executive committee present at the meeting were the first vice president, Chief Obinna Ogba from South East, Chief Effiomg Johnson from South South, Adama Yahaya North Central, Felix Obuah South South and Sani Mohammed Fema North East.

However, some other elected members of the executive who were not present at the meeting included; Deji Tinubu and Otunba Dele Ajayi both representing the South West, Muazu Suleiman and Sherif Inua both representing the North west, Felix Ayansi-Agwu representing the South East and Farouk Yarma representing the North East.

62 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

I didn’t want to leave Madrid — Di Maria N

EW Manchester United signing Angel Di Maria has sensationally claimed he did not want to leave Real Madrid but was left no choice by the La Liga club’s board.

United signed Di Maria for a British record fee of £59.7 million on Tuesday but the winger revealed in an open letter to Madrid fans that it was not intention to leave.

Instead, Di Maria claimed “lies were circulated” when both player and club were in dispute over a new contract and that Madrid wanted to “pin the idea of leaving” on him.

He wrote: “My time at Real Madrid has come to an end. It’s impossible, in just a few lines, to put all I have gained here, but this letter is my way of explaining how I’m feeling now that I’m

bidding the club farewell.

“Over the four years I have had the honour of wearing this shirt, I have felt nothing but pride about everything that has happened and all I have achieved together with my team-mates.

“Sadly, now I have to go, but I want to make it clear that this was never my wish. I’ve always wanted to progress, as anyone else does in their job. I went to the World Cup after winning the ‘Decima’ with the hope of getting some signal from the club management, but it never came.

“Many things were said and many lies circulated. They always wanted to pin the idea of leaving the club on me, but that’s not how it was.

Unfortunately, my football isn’t to someone’s taste.

The only thing I asked for was a fair deal.

N

New boy: Di Maria poses with Louis van Gaal and a United shirt after his move was completed

Jovetic: City fear nobody in Europe S

TEVAN Jovetic has warned Manchester City ’s Champions League rivals that they fear nobody in today’s upcoming group-stage draw.

City failed to get out of a difficult group in 201112 as well as the following season when they were matched with Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, though did make it to the round of 16 last year where they were knocked out by Barcelona.

However, City ’s job should be a little easier this time around with the club named as the eighth team in Pot 2. ”We will see who we get - we are afraid of no one,” said Jovetic.

“Of course it would be better if we got some of the not-so-good teams in the group, but we will play whoever we have to play.

“We have a really good team and I am enjoying playing with such good players. But we have to

•Jovetic Serena Williams was delighted to start her US Open with a convincing win after she beat American teenager Taylor Townsend.

go step by step.

“It’s too early to speak about titles or the Champions League but we are going to attack all of those. We are a good team, with good players, and we can do it.”

year-old wrapped up a 63 6-1 victory over the 18year-old, who Williams described as the future of tennis.

Townsend tried to attack the net but Williams showed far too much experience and power to force her back to the baseline.

EW Liverpool sign ing Mario Balotelli is in “very good condition” and will be available for his side’s next Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur, coach Brendan Rodgers has revealed.

The 24-year-old, who completed his •20 million (R283 million) switch to Anfield on Monday, is in fine shape according to his coach, and may very well don his new club’s colours on Sunday against the Lily Whites.

“I think by the weekend [he’ll be ready to feature],” Reds boss Brendan Rodgers told the club’s official website.

“He’s been into pre-season and he’s played three 45-minute games. He might not be up to full match speed, but he’s looking fit.

Federer marches on in US Open

F

IVE-TIME winner gets his campaign underway with a straight-sets win while being watched by

•Roger Federer

Serena delighted after winning start Williams is currently looking to put her poor form in majors behind her as she tries to win three straight US Open titles. The 32-

Balotelli ready for Spurs clash

Williams’ serve paved the way for the victory and she admitted after the match that she was delighted to return to Flushing Meadows and win once again.

Michael Jordan.

Roger Federer launched his bid for an 18th grand slam title with a workmanlike 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 win over Marinko Matosevic to ease into the second round of the US Open.

A five-time US Open champion, Federer never appeared threatened

by Matosevic but the 76th ranked Australian still forced the Swiss maestro to work up a sweat in front of an enthusiastic centre court crowd.

In the other matches, 10th-seed Kei Nishikori of Japan, 13th-seeded American John Isner and 25th seed Ivo Karlovic of Croatia were among first-round winners.

Nishikori shrugged off a recent toe injury to dismiss American wild card Wayne Odesnik, while Isner ousted compatriot Marcos Giron and Karlovic eliminated Jarkko Nieminen of Finland.

Although five of eight US men in action were eliminated, Sam Querrey gave local fans something to celebrate with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win over Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014— 63

C M Y K

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2014

Giwa resumes at Glass House •Management staff stay away from office

BY JUDE OPARA, Abuja

Maigari regains freedom

T

D

HE newly elected president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Chris Giwa yesterday assumed office as the boss of the nation’s football.

Continues on page 61

ETAINED former NFF president Aminu Maigari has finally regained his freedom along with fellow former executive committee member Chris Green.

“Maigari has been released by the security Continues on page 61

•Maigari

Football crisis: Guild of Sports Editors wants Jonathan to intervene — Pg. 60

Champions League draw:

Real, Barca, City await will gather in opponents football Monte Carlo this

T

DONE DEAL: Samuel Eto'o (r) displays Everton No.5 jersey.

HE elite of European

Don’t blame us if FIFA bans Nigeria – Chukwuemeka

BY JUDE OPARA, Abuja

T

HE interim Committee set up by the parallel

congress of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has described the

action of the newly elected board led by Chris Giwa to occupy the

secretariat of the NFF as illegal.

Continues on page 60

evening to discover their opponents in the Champions League group stage.

It is typically an occasion of pageantry and presentations as the continental football season gets into full swing.

The ceremony will take place at the Grimaldi Forum in sunny Monaco.

Continues on page 60

QUICK CROSSWORD

TODAY'S

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Near (6) 5 Bewilder (6) 9 Relaxed (5) 10 Firework (6) 11 Light (6) 12 Combine (5) 14 Frank (4) 17 Born (3) 18 Horse (4) 20 Irrigate (5) 22 Masculine (5) 23 Caller (7) 24 Liberated (5) 26 Cap (5) 29 Back (4) 30 Chicken (3) 32 Dreadful (4) 33 Paled (5) 35 Instrument (6) 36 Rambler (6) 37 Principle (5) 38 Pulled (6) 39 Peruser (6)

DOWN 1 Hand-cart (6) 2 Hidden (6) 3 Consider (4) 4 Consumed (5) 5 Colour (5) 6 Border (4) 7 Harmony (6) 8 Uniformly (6) 13 Rallied (7) 15 Clergyman (5) 16 Not ever (5) 18 Managed (5) 19 Change (5) 21 Free (3) 22 Crowd (3) 24 Alarm (6) 25 Relaxing (6) 27 Dared (6) 28 Dread (6) 30 Raced (5) 31 Fresher (5) 33 Lot (4) 34 Fruit (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 4, Blast 7, Acquit 9, Sea 10, Gun 12, Start 13, Evil 15, Berth 17, Ravage 19, Exit 20, Untie 22, Lag 24, Resided 27, Rag 28, Aisle 31, Gage 33, Learnt 35, Spent 37, East 38, Piste 39, Top 41, Ill 42, Modest 43, Heart.

DOWN: 1, Gateau 2, Squirt 3, Dig 4, Best 5, Lathe 6, Survival 8, Tuba 11, Negligent 14, Lair 16, Read 18, Veer 21, Negative 23, Gear 25, Sale 26, Dine 29, Stated 30, Estate 32, Astir 34, Atom 36, Pelt 40, Pod.

How to Play Sudoku

P

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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