Don`t use religion to justify violence

2 — Saturday Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

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4 — Saturday Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

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SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013 — 5

Nigerians urged to emulate Jesus Christ •Jonathan issues ‘red alert’ •as police make massive deployment of troops

BY SAM EYOBOKA, KINGSLEY OMONOBI & OLAYINKA LATONA

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S Christians all over the world celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ, President Goodluck Jonathan has issued a red alert to the security agencies, advising them to use all the training, equipment and intelligence at their disposal to ensure a hitch-free celebration of Easter, and to make Nigerians have that sense of freedom to move freely once again. This has prompted massive military and police deployments of troops by the Military and Police High Commands across the country to ward off possible bombings and suicide attacks by the Boko Haram group during the celebrations.

Also, governors, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, as well as Christian leaders have asked the celebrants to imbibe the virtues of Jesus Christ who humbled himself unto death to save mankind.

Some church leaders also urged public office holders in the country to adopt the servant-leader attribute of Jesus Christ by enhancing the quality of the people’s lives instead of engaging in primitive acquisition of wealth.

Those who sent their Easter greetings to Christians include the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, Dean of the Anglican Diocese of Lagos Mainland, Ven. Luyi Akinwade and the Director of Social Communications at the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Rev. Monsignor Gabriel Osu. Others were the Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, his Cross River State counterpart, Senator Liyel Imoke and Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State among others.

The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Martins in a homily during a Chrism Mass at St. Michael, Raphael and Gabriel, Satellite Town, called on priests and members of the diocese to remain faithful and steadfast in their various services to God and humanity.

In his first Chrism Mass since becoming archbishop of Lagos, Martins urged the priests to keep the dignity of priesthood and not forget the grace and honour given to them to

President Goodluck Jonathan (l) singing a hymn with his mum, Mama Eunice Jonathan; Executive Secretary Christian Pilgrims Commission, Mr. John Kennedy Opara and other worshipers during a Church service to mark the Good Friday at the Aso Villa Chapel, State House, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida

serve in the Lord’s vineyard, noting that they needed to listen to the spirit of God to guide aright, the people whom God had put into their care.

He added that no priest will serve effectively in his priesthood without selfdenial and detachment from worldly possession, saying: “God has given us the responsibility to keep intact the dignity of priesthood, hence the need for us to be faithful in our service to God and humanity.

Let us listen to the spirit of God and be wholeheartedly committed to our primary assignment which is to preach the gospel of Christ and not to preach political theology, football analysis and economic issues; but specialise in promoting encounter with God and people”.

According to Martins, the mass was a yearly event which usually take place during Holy Week in every Catholic diocese; during which the clergy renew their priestly vows and the bishop blesses the holy oils that would be used in Catholic ceremonies throughout the year.

In his welcome address, the Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Lawrence Odoemena described the mass as historic since it was the Archbishop’s first Chrism Mass in the parish and under a new pope.

The Anglican Diocese of Lagos Mainland, Yaba, Lagos, Venerable Luyi Akinwade, called on Nigerians to emulate the virtues of Jesus Christ who willingly laid down his life for the redemption of the world.

The cleric urged public office holders to adopt the servant-leader attribute of Jesus Christ by enhancing

the quality of the people’s lives rather than engaging in inordinate quest for wealth.

“This Easter offers all of us another opportunity to appreciate the invaluable sacrifice made by Jesus Christ by laying down his life for us all. If Christ who is God can willingly offer himself for us sinners, then who are we not to do same.

We must appreciate the message and significance of Easter by learning to accommodate one another.

“Government should stop selective justice. So many probes have been carried

out in the past with nothing to show for them. Who is fooling who? No one is above the law; anyone found guilty should be made to face the full weight of the law so as to serve as deterrent to others,” he said.

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ommenting on the level of corruption in the country, the cleric said the government was not sincere enough in its purported fight against corruption, as culprits continued to enjoy a free reign.

Similarly, the Archdioce-

san Director of Social Communications, Rev. Monsignor Osu, said that yesterday’s commemoration of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, was symbolic ‘’because it is through the death of Christ that mankind was redeemed.

“It (Good Friday) is the day Christians in general celebrate the passion and death of Jesus Christ who was crucified on the Cross of Calvary for the redemption of mankind,” he added, urging Christians in the country to observe the day with fasting, repentance, meditation and abstinence from evil acts and instead engage themselves in charity work.

Rev. Father Mathew Nkoli of Saint Andrew Catholic Church, Iba, also urged Christians to see the occasion as a time to engage in deep sober reflection of their lives, and remedy past mistakes.

”One lesson that could be drawn from the death of Christ is that despite the cruel torture meted on him, he still loved his murderers. This depicts forgiveness, and we as Christians, must learn from the example of Christ, on his way to the cross,” he stated.

On its part, the PDP said, that no force or ideology in Nigeria was strong enough to disintegrate the country, just as it urged Nigerians to

use the season of Easter to search for the truth.

The party in its message signed by National

Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, asked Nigerians to always base all their actions on truth as underscored by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

According to PDP, Nigerians should also imbibe the virtues of love, selflessness and service as exemplified and symbolized by Christ, saying that was the only way to ensure a peaceful and prosperous nation where all would be happy.

The party equally urged those in authority to emulate the humility and selflessness of Jesus Christ by regarding their positions as call to service and not for selfish gains. ”If Easter says anything

to us today, it says this: You can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there. You can nail it to a cross, wrap it in winding sheets and shut it up in a tomb, but it will rise,” Metuh added, even as he further urged Nigerians to love one another by being their brothers’ keepers. ”Our being one country despite the cultural and religious differences is not an accident but an opportunity to share and cher-

ish our common humanity.”

...As Govs Imoke, Amosun, Suswam, others charge Nigerians on sacrifice Cross River State governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, has called on Nigerians to reflect on the life of Jesus Christ, who sacrificed all to redeem mankind.

Imoke spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Ita, adding that it was only through selfless service and sacrifice to the fatherland that Nigeria can attain the desired social, political and economic progress.

“As the Lenten season ends to usher in Easter, let me remind you that we share a holy hunger for clarity about what is good and life-giving, and we yearn to re-focus on what is most central and important to move this country forward”, Imoke said.

Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State also called on religious and political leaders to take collective action against Boko Haram.

Suswam’s message was signed in Makurdi by his Special adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Dr. Cletus Akwaya.

He called on “political, religious, community and other leaders and stakeholders to stem the unacceptable insecurity situation in the North which, for all practical purposes has profoundly undermined economic activities in that part of the country.’’

According to him, Nigerians must “be prepared to make sacrifices in the interest of nation building, particularly at a time the country is facing enormous security challenges being perpetrated by the Boko Haram sect.”

Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs Funmi Wakama, said the resurrection of Christ “is a

testimony to the supremacy of God and offers hope of eternal life to those who dedicate their lives to the service of God and humanity.”

Amosun therefore asked Nigerians to repent of their sins and reconnect with the almighty God.

Massive deployments of troops:

Meanwhile, Saturday Vanguard gathered that the massive deployments which are being personally supervised by the General Officers Commanding, GOC’s, for the Army, Air Officers Commanding, AOC’s, for the Air Force and Flag Officers Commanding, FOC’s, for the Navy, as well as Corp Commanders including those of Infantry, Artillery, Armoured and Signal Corps, followed an emergency security meeting held between the Minister of State for

Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh at the Ministry of Defence.

The meeting which was also attended by some GOCs and Corp Commanders according to Saturday Vanguard investigation was sequel to intelligence reports indicating that terrorists were planning a ‘major’ attack at Easter to embarrass the Federal Government and show that no security measure put in place can stop them from achieving their aim.

Presidency sources said that President Goodluck Jonathan in a message to the security agencies, advised them to use all the training, equipment and intelligence at their disposal to ensure a hitchfree celebration of Easter, and to make

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6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

IMF urges FG to reduce fuel subsidy, wind down AMCON’s operation

BY OMOH GABRIEL, Business Editor

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HE International Monetary Fund IMF has asked the Federal Government to reduce poorly-targeted fuel subsidies, adopt a rule to set the reference oil price in the budget, and fully operate the Sovereign Wealth Fund as soon as possible.

The Fund however, advised that efforts should be intensified to mobilize public support for these reforms.

This was contained in the Funds financial score card on Nigeria weekend at the conclusion of its Article IV consultation with the government.

The IMF however noted that widespread unemployment and poverty in Nigeria remained key challenges for policymakers, and called for renewed efforts to make economic growth more broad-based and inclusive.

It also “underscored the need for the government to improve tax administration, better prioritize public expenditure, strengthen the public financial management, and improve the fiscal framework.”

The report further said “Executive Directors (of IMF) commended the authorities for prudent macroeconomic policies that have underpinned a strong economic performance in recent years and looking ahead supported the authorities’ strategy of consolidating the fiscal position while opening up policy space for needed investment in infrastructure and human capital. ’’The Directors considered the current tight monetary stance to be consistent with the authorities’ objective of reducing inflation to single digits. They also took note of the staff ’s assessment that the exchange rate in real effective terms is broadly in line with fundamentals. Directors commended the authorities’ success in restoring financial stability after the 2009 banking crisis. In light of this achievement, they recommended winding down the operations of

the asset management company to curb moral hazard and fiscal risks.

“Directors welcomed the Central Bank’s commitment to address supervisory and regulatory gaps identified in the Financial Stability Assessment Update, particularly the need to strengthen cross-border supervision and the regime against money laundering and terrorism financing. Directors concurred that wideranging reforms are key to make growth more inclusive. They agreed on the importance of supporting sectors with high employment potential, not through protectionist measures or tax incentives but rather with initiatives to improve governance, the investment climate, and competitiveness. Directors welcomed reforms underway in the energy sector, and looked forward to an early passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill which would boost investment, government revenue, and fiscal transparency.

They also encouraged the authorities to promote market-based access to credit for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

On February 6, 2013, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the 2012 Article IV consultation with Nigeria.”

Nigeria’s macroeconomic performance has been broadly positive over the past year. Real gross domestic product (GDP) growth is projected to have decelerated slightly to 6.3 percent, reflecting the effects of the nationwide strike in early 2012, floods in the fourth quarter of 2012, and continued security problems in the north.

Annual inflation increased from 10.3 percent (end-of-period) in 2011 to 12.3 percent in 2012, owing mainly to the adjustment of administrative prices of fuel and electricity; large increases in import tariffs on rice and wheat; and the impact of floods in Q3. The external position has strengthened and international reserves rose from US$32.6 billion at end-2011 to US$44 billion at end-

2012 (5½ months of prospective imports), driven by sustained high oil prices, stricter administration of the gasoline subsidy regime, and strong portfolio inflows.

The fiscal policy stance was tightened in 2012 and fiscal buffers are being rebuilt. The non-oil primary deficit of the consolidated government is estimated to have narrowed from about 36 percent of nonoil GDP in 2011 to 30.5 percent in 2012, mainly due to expenditure restraint. Monetary policy remained tight in 2012 in response to inflationary pressures. The Central Bank kept its policy rate unchanged during the year but raised the cash reserve requirement for banks from 8 percent to 12 percent and lowered allowable

Mrs Ash Ulukanli Ince, General Manager/ Environmental Engineer, Ashkan World Treat and Engineer David Amuka, CEO Cosmoscem Emma ltd during the exhibition. Photo Lamidi Bamidele

open foreign exchange position for banks. Financial soundness indicators point to continued improvements in the health of the banking system.

In 2013, growth is expected to recover to above seven percent. Inflation is projected to decline below 10 percent, supported by the tight monetary policy stance

and ongoing fiscal consolidation. The key downside risks are a large drop in world oil prices; and slow progress in building consensus around key fiscal reforms.

Why bunkering, kidnappings are back in Niger Delta — Security agencies executing the pipeline conBY SONI DANIEL, Regonal Editor, North

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ARELY four years after Niger Delta militants denounced violence against the state and accepted an unconditional amnesty, the perpetrators of the twin evil of oil bunkering and kidnapping for ransom, are back to work even with greater steam and sophistication, Saturday Vanguard has learnt.

The late President Umaru YarÁdua declared amnesty for repentant militants on June 25, 2009, paving the way for the return of a large cache of weapons by militants and the relocation and reintegration of the former warlords from the vast creeks of the Niger Delta region to the society.

However, indications emerged yesterday that kidnapping and bunkering, which had significantly died down in the wake of the general pardon to militants, had resumed in earnest in most parts of the creeks.

Findings by Saturday Vanguard revealed that the attempt by the government to compensate major warlords in the region with mouth-watering con-

tracts running into billions of Naira for the protection of pipelines was responsible for the renewed level of attacks and oil theft in the Niger Delta.

A top security expert in the Niger Delta told Saturday Vanguard that the award of multi-million contracts by the Federal Government to selected former Niger Delta militant leaders for the protection of oil pipelines was responsible for the resurgence of the new wave of criminality in the area.

The source, who has been working with other security agencies in the Niger Delta for many years, pointed out that most of the Niger Delta warlords who got the oil pipelines surveillance jobs betrayed the government by not taking care of their foot soldiers who were part and parcel of bunkering, kidnapping and destruction of oil facilities before the ‘accepted amnesty’.

The Source said, “The real problem is that the militant leaders whose companies were used in getting the lucrative contracts have not taken care of their supporters, a situation that has led to anger and muscle-flexing

currently brewing in the Niger Delta.

“Apart from that, the award of the jobs to persons who understand the creeks more than anyone else is like paying an armed robber to protect your house.

“That is why these people who claim to have renounced militancy are picking and choosing where to steal oil and who to abduct because they now have a licence directly from the government.

“Although the Federal Government is aware of the brewing crisis of confidence between the ex-militant leaders and their supporters, there is nothing the administration can do to eliminate the problem, especially as some of the warlords have fled the country after drawing huge sums of money without

tract.

Another competent source told our correspondent that the government did not want any confrontation with the militants so as not to cause any disaffection between them, especially as the crucial election year draws closer.

One of the warlords and a top politician in the region, are reported to have fled the country after withdrawing over N2 billion from an account that was opened for the management of a pipeline contract given to one of them from Bayelsa State.

The militant is said to have refused to return home to account for the money even after being informed of his mother’s demise.

Security agencies are however more worried that despite their surveillance across the region; militants in the Niger Delta have continued to abduct foreigners from oil and cargoladen vessels coming to the country via the vast creeks.

The security agencies are currently trying to wrestle an Indonesian, who was seized from a ship off the Bonny Island in Rivers State about a month ago, from unrepentant kidnappers, who are demanding the payment of N20 million ransom.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30 , 2013 — 7

Jonathan to terrorists: ‘Stop using religion to justify violence’ •as Sultan urges peaceful co-existence between Christians and Muslims

BY ABDALLAH elKUREBE, Sokoto

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RESIDENT G o o d l u c k Jonathan has condemned the use of religion to justify violence against Nigerians saying that to consolidate growth and prosperity as a nation, there is need for dialogue, understanding as well as appreciation of our differences.

Jonathan spoke in Sokoto yesterday at an international conference on “Islam and Fundamentals of Peaceful Co-existence in Nigeria,”jointly organised by the Sokoto State Government and World Muslim League.

Jonathan who was represented on the occasion by the Vice President, Mohammed Namadi Sambo, spoke against the backdrop of the violent campaign by the Boko Haram Islamic sect to impose Islam on the country and introduce Sharia as a way of life for the people.

This was just as the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar 111 lamented that, the problem in the country was not because we were different set of people but because we had deviated from the true paths of such religions.

Jonathan said, “We must do everything in our powers to ensure that religion is neither misused nor abused to justify violence. Our young people must be shielded from teachings which will take them down the path of violence and hatred. ”We have grown to respect and appreciate our faith and beliefs. We have also grown to acknowledge that our strength as individuals and as a nation lies in understanding and appreciating our differences. We cannot now relent. We must also guard against individuals who use faith as an excuse to emphasise our differences. Fundamental to this objective is the conduct and teachings of clerics and Imams at the grass root levels.

Wherever misguided doctrines and sectarian bias may be introduced deliberately or in error, there should exist a

monitoring or peer review mechanism by senior clerics, established organisations or wellmeaning individuals to rectify such deviations in time without rancour. ”This is very important because the local clerics exert influence, especially on our children and the youth.”

He also said that the Federal government had continued to promote religious harmony “by constantly engaging the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, NIREC, jointly chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria and by taking their advice seriously. ”Through pragmatic ventures, such as the fast expanding indigent children programme, also known as the Almajiri Integrated Education Programme, the Federal Government, in partnership with state governments and Islamic organisations, is making progress in providing quality education at the grass-root and giving opportunity to every Nigerian to have good education. ”I call on all believers to reject religious-motivated violence, advance tolerance and promote mutual understanding. We must emphasise on the imperatives of dialogue as the bedrock of our efforts to sustain peace and advance development. Religion can and should be a fountain of solutions rather than a source of conflict,” he added.

Jonathan further stressed that Nigerians as individuals should not relent in understanding and appreciating their differences, pointing out that as a ,Nigerians had overcome several challenges in the past and moved forward with joint commitment for a better future, adding that, to consolidate growth and prosperity as a nation, dialogue, religious understanding and tolerance, rather than confrontation, must continue to guide citizens’ collective and corporate existence.

The conference theme, he added, was not only relevant but represented the reinforcement of government’s consistent efforts to

From left: Gov. Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto State, Vice President Namadi Sambo, Secretary General, Muslim World League, Makkah-Saudi Arabia, Dr. Abdullahi Bin Abdul-Mushin Al-Turki and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar during the International Conference on Islam and the Fundamentals of peaceful co-existence in Nigeria in Sokoto yesterday.

promote inter-religious dialogue and harmony. ”It also greatly underscores our unwavering commitment to the stability and unity of our nation in the face of difficult security challenges in some parts of our country, perpetrated mostly under religious guise,” he added, and commended Sokoto State government and the World

Muslim League for the joint initiative.

In his speech, Governor Magatakarda Wamakko stated that the conference was aimed at discussing peaceful coexistence in the country. ”The gathering vividly mirrors the invaluable sacrifices by our forefathers in the development of human civil-

isation and ensuring peaceful coexistence. ”We have no reason whatsoever to adopt violence in advancing any course. We both individually and collectively have the duty of upholding the tenets of our religion, which are all opposed to violence at all times,” Wamakko added, pointing out that

dialogue and not violence was prescribed in the Qur’an and Bible for both Muslims and Christians; and which the two world’s most famous religions propagate.

Also speaking, Sultan Abubakar explained the reason for the conference as being aimed at peaceful co-existence between Christians and Muslims in the country.

Abubakar further spoke of the need for unity of Muslims regardless of sect. “What we need is a strong purpose of commitment to the ideals of our major religions. As Muslims you must stand by the tenets and teachings of Islam. Let us do the right thing alw a y s . ”We have problems not because we are a different set of people. We have problems because we have deviated from the true paths of our religions as Muslims and Christians. We must go back to our books and follow the teachings of our leader and always do the right thing,” he said, even as the Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Shehu Galadanchi stated that the conference was timely in view of the need for peaceful co-existence between adherents of different religions.

Akwa Iboms in the Diaspora condemn attacks on Akpabio

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KWA Ibom D i a s p o r a n Network, AIDN, an o r g a n i z a t i o n representing the overwhelming majority of Akwa Ibom indigenes

in the Diaspora, has urged all patriots and progress-minded persons to reject and dismiss the rancorous personal attacks unleashed on Governor Godswill

Akpabio.

In a statement, signed by its national President and Secretary General Secretary, Obong Clem Ikpatt and Bar. Uduak Ukpe

Mimiko launches smartcard

BY DAYO JOHNSON, Akure

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OVERNOR O l u s e g u n Mimiko of Ondo State has launched the N950million state welfare services management smartcard codenamed ‘Kaadi-igbeayo’ saying it will among other things stem the tide of unwarranted greed and hoarding; racketing in the pursuit of government benefits; pilfering and diversion of government materials.

Speaking at the ceremony in Akure which attracted dignitaries including the

Information Minister Labaran Maku and other Ministers, Governor Mimiko said it has been tested to overcome problems that arose from the failures of previous governments’ attempt at deploying large volumes of smartcards for public services management.

“For the past four years, our administration has been practicing welfarebased, benefits-driven governance which has ensured the prioritization of certain people- oriented projects such as: the Mother & Child Hospitals; Abiye Maternal Care Centres; Mega-Primary Schools; over 650 pur-

pose-specific and state wide community projects and countless such other efforts in road reconstruction, urban renewal and city beautification.

“The continued success of these government programmes means it is essential to better manage, further ex-

pand, and improve on the planning and execution of the programmes; hence, the need for Kaadi IgbeAyo. “As a concept, ‘Kaadi Igbe-Ayo’ is a project to facilitate sustainable government service delivery to citizens of the State.

respectively , the group held that the agendadriven assault against Governor Godswill Akpabio, since his emergence as the Chairman of the PDP Governor’s Forum, were designs by those opposed to his support for President Jonathan, his rising profile in national politics and are hail bent on demonizing him.

According to the group, “Since the propaganda warfare is malicious and devoid of constructive criticisms, we are neither deceived nor persuaded by the latest antics of the perpetrators.”

The network declared its “unequivocal and unbending support for President Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR and Governor Godswill Akpabio, with an abiding faith and strong confidence in their leadership of Nigeria and Akwa Ibom State, respectively.”

8 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

Three burnt to death in Ogun autocrash

BY DAUD OLATUNJI, Abeokuta

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HREE persons were yesterday, burnt to death in an autocrash that occured at IjokoOta on Lagos-Abeokuta road in Ado-Odo Ota local government area of Ogun State.

The accident, according to an eye witness was as a result of break failure.

Confirming the accident, the FRSC Unit Commander, Ota, Richard Olutiroko, said three of the six passengers got burnt beyond recog-

nition during the incident.

He stated further that the accident occurred when a Volks Wagen bus, with registration number LAGOS XM 587 EKY, heading towards Abeokuta from Lagos, lost control due to over speeding.

According to Olutiroko, the bus rammed into the median on the road and somersaulted several times before it caught fire.

He said “three of the six persons in the vehicle were burnt beyond recognition and their re-

Gunmen kill nine in fresh attack ...as truck crushes four beggars

BY TAYE OBATERU, Jos

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ine more people have been killed by gunmen in an attack on Ratas village of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, just as four beggars were yesterday crushed to death near the Jos Central Mosque when a truck driver lost control and ran over them where they were seated begging for arms. The incident happened at about 4.30 pm.

The killing at Ratas is alleged to have been carried out by the same gun men who killed about 20 people in two villages of Bokkos Local Government area a few days ago. They were believed to have capitalized on the massive deployment of members of the Special Task Force (STF) from their posts in the area to Bokkos LGA to attack the village.

Chairman, Management Committee of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area Mr. Emmanuel Loman who attended the mass burial of those killed

confirmed the attack.

He said the attackers fleeing from Bokkos LGA following the massive deployment of troops to the area attacked the village as they were escaping and raised an alarm that the movement of the suspected Fulani militia had also been noticed around Gashish in the LGA. He warned that they could unleash terror on the people of the area unless something was done urgently to repel them.

mains had been deposited at the Ota General hospital where the three injured are also receiving treatment.

“We want to warn motorists against speed violation and disobedience of other road traffic rules.

Those laws were made for our purpose and they must be obeyed. “‘Most of the deaths we record are totally avoidable if the road users can only keep to the rules and regulations governing proper road procedure“ .

Lover stabs 24-year old girlfriend to death

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI, Ado Ekiti

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24-year-old girl , Miss Tosin Alabi, has reportedly been stabbed to death by her male partner over some unsolved issues.

Tosin, an apprentice in a computer institute was stabbed by her boy friend(name withheld at a popular hotel in Ado Ekiti a couple of days ago.

Reasons why Tosin’s lover decided to sniff life out of her girlfriend was not known as at the time of going to the press,but Saturday Vanguard gathered that the two

S part of its human itarian assistance and a way of spreading the gospel of Lord and Saviour Jesus to communities, the Apostle Leaders Congress has invited qualified medi-

friends had gone to the hotel to cool off but the male friend refused to fulfill the promise made to the deceased.

Other clients in the hotel did not know when the trouble started between the lovers that it resulted to loss of a life.

According to the elder brother of the deceased, Elder Owolabi Paul, who spoke to journalists in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, the incident occurred on Saturday, March 24, at a popular hotel in the town.

His words, “On Sunday, March 24, a friend of Toyin called us to inform us that she was stabbed to death with

broken bottle at a hotel in Ado-Ekiti and that we should go to the State Teaching Hospital to see her corpse in the hospital’s morgue. We went there and confirmed her corpse.”

According to him, findings at the hotel revealed that trouble broke out between the lovers following alleged refusal of the boyfriend to fulfill an earlier promise made to the girl before sex.

Tosin was said to have challenged her boy friend on the need to redeem his pledge and demanded that he fulfilled his earlier p r o m i s e .

Saturday Vanguard further gathered that the male friend shortly after this

headed for empty bottles with which he allegedly used to stab Toyin at the neck and buttocks.

Consequently,the deep cut suffered by the deceased resulted into profuse bleeding.She was said to have been rushed to a nearby hospital but due to the absence of doctors to attend to her, Tosin was rushed to the State Teaching Hospital where she finally gave up the ghost.

The family of the deceased has pleaded with the police and other security operatives to carry out a thorough investigation into the mysterious death of their daughter.

Chinese mum buys $6.5m house for two-year old daughter

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Chinese woman re portedly bought a $6.5 million Manhattan condo for her daughter – who is now 2 years old – according to China’s state TV, CCTV. The lucky toddler’s new condo is in the Park Hyattmanaged One57 tower, currently under construction. The building, at 157 W. 57th Street, will be one of New York’s tallest skyscrapers when finished in 2013 at a height of 1,004 feet. The residences will

sit atop the Park Hyatt hotel with floor-to-ceiling windows, high-end appliances and hotel amenities. One57 made headlines last October when Hurricane Sandy caused damage to a construction crane on the building, blocking access to the street for several days.

Kevin Brown, a senior vice president at Sotheby’s International Realty, told CCTV that he helped the woman look at various

ALC empowers community on medicals

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L-R: Senators Alkali Jajare, Bukar Ibrahim, Chris Ngige, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Oluremi Tinubu, Gbenga Ashafa and Kabiru Gaya, during the 5th Annual Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s colloquium at Muson Centre, Lagos, on Thursday.

cal personnel for free medical care at Mebamu for three days, March 30, 31 and April 1, 2013, at Klm 23, Badagry Expressway.

A source from the organisers said, ALC from

time to time has been impacting on lives of communities according to their needs. “ We have awarded scholarships to several students across African region.”

apartments in the city and asked why she was buying. “And she said her daughter was going to go to Columbia, or NYU, or maybe Harvard so she needed to be in the cen-

ter of the city and that was why she was picking this one particular apartment,” Brown told CCTV. When she said her daughter was

only two years old, Brown was shocked, he told CCTV. Both Sotheby’s and Brown declined to comment about the sale.

DFU frowns at Delta Information Commissioner’s advice to Keyamo

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EMBERS of Delta F o r c e s United(DFU), a nongovernmental organisation has frowned at a recent statement credited to the Delta State Commissioner for Information, Chike Ogeah where he cautioned the National Coordinator of the group, and governorship aspirant, Mr. Festus Keyamo to stick to human rights activism and shun plans to go into politics.

The group made their feelings known through

a statement it made available to Saturday Vanguard over the weekend. It described the statement as one that promotes the “very essence of bad politics”,

adding that they take serious exception to such a ‘sarcastic advice’ in a democracy where every individual has the right to vote and be voted for.

Emeritus Prof Okwuobi is dead

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NGR. Prof. P.A.C Okwuobi, Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering (University of Benin) renowned University lecturer, distinguished practicing engineering, a fellow of Nigeria Society of Engineers as astute entrepreneur is dead.

He died in Federal Medical Center, Asaba on Friday, 22nd March, 2013 at the age of 79 years.

A statement by one of his Sons, Mr. Charles Ike Okwuobi said that the final burial programme will be announced by the family.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30 , 2013 — 9

Late Chief Oluwole Awolowo: ACN, Fashola, Ashafa, commisserate with family

BY OUR REPORTERS

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ONDOLENCES have continued to pour-in for the late Chief Oluwole Awolowo’s as some governors, senators and the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, among others yesterday mourned the death of the scion of the dynasty.

Oluwole, the first son of the late sage and former Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, died on Wednesday in a London hospital following alleged complications from a ghastly motor accident he was involved in 2006.

Those who sympathised with the family yesterday included the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, the Senator representing Ogun Senatorial District, Adegbenga Kaka, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, among others.

The ACN in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said it was extending ‘’its deep condolences to the Awolowo family, especially to its matriarch, over the death of the family ’s scion, Chief Oluwole Awolowo, which the party said it received with great shock and much sadness, and prayed that God will grant him eternal rest and comfort those he left behind.

The party hailed the late Chief Awolowo’s contribution to deepen the freedom of speech, a key ingredient of democracy, through his great efforts in sustaining one of the country’s oldest surviving newspapers, Nigerian Tribune. ’’Sustaining the rich legacy of the Tribune, which was founded by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, is a remarkable achievement, especially at a time that the newspaper publishing industry is facing great challenges, including from the so-called New Media. ’’It is therefore to Chief Oluwole Awolowo’s credit, as the publisher of the irrepressible Tribune for many years, that he ensured the paper has continued to wax stronger and stronger.’’

Fashola, Ashafa, Kaka, others mourn Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has expressed sadness at the passage of former Publisher of the African Newspapers of Nigeria, Chief Oluwole Awolowo, describing him as a leader and a gentleman.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Hakeem Bello, Fashola said he was particularly pained by the fact that the former member of Apapa Local Council passed on at a time he was needed most to propel the enduring legacy of the Awolowo family.

“It is indeed saddening that Chief Oluwole would pass on at this point in time when he is most needed to continue to provide needed support to the family, especially to the matriarch of the Awolowo Dynasty, Chief (Mrs.) Hannah Awolowo, who turned 97 recently,” Fashola said.

According to him, “That Chief Oluwole played a leading role in the affairs of the prominent Awolowo family, especially since the translation of Papa Awolowo, is never in doubt.

His indomitable presence as Vice-Chairman of the African Newspapers of Nigeria, publishers of the Tribune titles and overseer over the other family interests has gone a long way to keep the legacies of Papa Awolowo alive years after his translation. He was a genuine leader and a natural gentleman.” Governor Fashola further said, recalling the political career of Chief Oluwole Awolowo, especially when at a tender age, he demonstrated his independence of mind by joining the youth vanguard of a party opposed to that of his father.

The Governor pointed out that this was just one example of the broad mindedness which “dominated the entire life of Chief Oluwole. But Papa Awolowo did not rebuke him for that. Instead, the Sage admired him for it and gave him the nickname “Unbreakable”, a name which he obviously lived in full both in his public and private life.”

Senators Gbenga Ashafa, Adegbenga Kaka also mourn: Ashafa, hailed the virtues of Wole in a statement yesterday saying “I recall,

L-R: Oba Adeniyi Sonariwo, Akarigbo of Remo Land; Yeye HID Awolowo and Rt. Rev. Olusina Fape - Photo By WUMI AKINOLA

‘Wole was a successful parliamentarian and a smart political operator with a high sense of responsibility and unusual capacity for hard work and vigour which are the hallmarks of the Awolowos. As a parliamentarian, he headed several legislative committees on Environment, Education and Health.

“Also, in 1984, Chief Wole led the delegation that visited UK, Canada and USA on special assignments. He never discriminated against friends and relations who knew him as ‘Unbreakable’.

“Above all, his death is a

big pain and loss to all of us who are followers of the sage. We pray that the Almighty God strengthens our Mama H.I.D Awolowo and the entire family in this difficult moment. May his amiable soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.”

Senator Kaka, representing Ogun East Senatorial District, said that Nigerians were unfair to the late scion of Awolowo family, Chief Oluwole Awolowo by comparing the deceased with his late father, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

Kaka spoke when he paid a condolence visit to

Mrs Awolowo and other members of the family at their Ikenne country home.

He said, ‘’We can only thank God for the good life he lived and for trying to be himself throughout his life. The country as a whole erroneously continued to judge him by the standard of Baba Awolowo, forgetting that Baba Obafemi Awolowo was not just an outstanding leader in Nigeria but is incomparable worldwide. ”So, I will say that Nigeria was unkind to

uncle Wole by judging him by the standard of his father. He was also outstandingly a great man, gentle,loving and of course generous to those that are very close to him. So, all I can say is that he was erroneously judged throughout his life by the incomparable standards set by Papa Awolowo without due consideration for his outstanding virtues. May his soul rest in peace.”

Also,former Gubernatorial candidate of the National Conscience Party, NCP in Ogun State, Lanre Banjo described the death of the only surviving son of Awolowo as shocking.

According to him, his loss was a painful one as it has definitely created further vacuum in Papa Awolowo’s dynasty. ”Given the struggle of the late Chief Awolowo for the masses of our country, those of us from Ogun State are uniquely and deeply aggrieved by this loss”.

Also, a law maker representing Egbado South/ Ipokia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Abiodun Akinlade said, “Uncle Wole was an exceptional Nigerian who touched so many lives. He was a great man till death.

He will be greatly missed by all.”

Govs Imoke, Amosun, Suswam, others charge Nigerians to reflect on Easter Continued from page 5 Nigerians have that sense of freedom to move freely once again.

In Abuja for instance, the Army Headquarters Garrison and the Guards Brigade have intensified security patrols even as far as Abaji, Suleija, Keffi and the FCT metropolis with checkpoints mounted to screen incoming travelers into the city.

On the part of the Police, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar also directed all Zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police, AIGs, and state Commissioners of Police, to adopt necessary measures by ensuring the provision of adequate security for worshipers, travelers, picnickers and

all citizens across the country before, during and after the festive season.

C o m m a n d Commissioners of Police are to personally ensure that all key and vulnerable places within their jurisdictions, including places of worship, recreation centres, motor parks, highways, financial institutions and all places of public resort are adequately and effectively protected.

Towards this end, there was increased presence of Mobile Police and Counter Terrorism personnel at strategic places in the federal capital while patrols were also intensified.

A statement signed by police Spokesman, CSP

Frank Mba noted that the police boss had in the spirit of the season, saluted officers and men of the Police Force for their courage, dedication, tireless and selfless services to Nigerians and the country, especially, in the face of current challenges and restated the resolve and commitment of his administration to reposition the police for greater efficiency, including bargaining for better welfare package and more conducive working conditions.

The Inspector General however, commended Nigerians for their patience, understanding and cooperation with the Police in the fight against crime and criminality, and enjoined them to continue

to support the Force with useful information that will effectively assist the Police in tracking down undesirable elements in the society.

“The IGP uses this medium to express the w i l l i n g n e s s , determination and commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to effectively discharge its onerous responsibility of securing the life and property of the citizenry, in line with the provisions of the country’s constitution and all extant statutes. He seeks the prayers and support of all Nigerians, assuring that with God on the side of the nation, Nigeria will surely rise above all its present challenges” Mba said.

(See more news on page 51)

10—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

NITEL

Nothing to tell Abandoned offices

now robbers’ den

BY CHIOMA GABRIEL

S

ince 2002 when the Federal Government began the process of privatisingNigerian Telecommunications, NITEL, things have not remained the same in the organisation. Across the states in the Nigerian federation, NITEL facilities are wasting away. Before the introduction of Global System of Mobile Communication , NITEL alone was holding sway in the Nigerian telecommunications industry. With the introduction of GSM networks in 2000, NITEL acquired its own GSM code which was 0804 after MTN’s 0803 and ECONET’s 0802. But as the other GSM lines progressed, netting trillions, NITEL's GSM network along with it’s land-lines have become mere historical reference.

This downward trend rubbished the innovation started in 2001 when NITEL management, then under the control of government, made interesting moves in communication in Nigeria.It installed beautiful public phone booths in many public places. It was possible then to just purchase call units and obtain plastic call cards which were used at the subscriber’s convenience. But in less than ten years,those booths disappeared and NITEL became moribund.

The ordeal of NITEL began when Investors International London Limited (IILL) wanted to buy the company at the sum of 1.317 billion dollars but couldn’t honour the terms of the contract.

Pentascope, a Dutch firm, later took over NITEL in 2003 and the company generated N51.43 billion as revenue in one year from 555,055 connected lines. But after 23 months,

the connected lines dropped to 440,000 and the firm incurred a debt of over N40 billion, which eventually led to the revocation of deal with Pentascope.

Orascom, an Egyptian telecoms giant, tried to buy the company in 2005 but failed because its 257 million dollars bid was below the reserved price.

The sale in 2006 of NITEL to Transnational Corporation,TRANSCORP,was successful but the excitement that greeted it was shortlived after the 500 million-dollar deal failed to turn around the fortunes of the company.

A Chinese consortium, Generation Telecommunications Consortium, later bidded for the company at the price of 2.5 billion dollars for 75 per cent stake but the deal was terminated due to failure of the consortium to pay the bid price.

Today, the government is still seeking bidders for NITEL after these failed attempts.

Saturday Vanguard investigations revealed that NITEL facilities nationwide have been vandalised while many others have been taken over by weeds.

In almost all the major cities in Nigeria, NITEL offices have been shut down.

In 2008, the Senate Committee on Communications, under the Chairmanship of Senator Sylvester Anyanwu, 'probed' the alleged mismanagement of over N112 billion in the PENTASCOPE/NITEL deal.

Although Senator Anyanwu assured then that the probe would reveal many fraudulent deals behind the BPE-led privatization of NITEL,nothing much came out of it.

Visits to major cities across Nigeria to see the condition of NITEL facilities elicited tales of woe.

In Rivers State , NITEL facilities there are still being

managed by TRANSCORP since the Federal Government has not appointed a competent investor.

In Bayelsa,the exchange in Yenagoa, with an installed capacity of 1,000 lines, was shut down in 2009.

In Benin, the exchange has been taken over by weeds and reptiles while the one in Akpakpava is being occupied by the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST).

In Enugu State, the exchange at Nsukka was reportedly abandoned since 2006 when government retrenched many of the workers.

In Awka, unserviceable NITEL vehicles littered the premises of the once busy complex and the company had reportedly engaged the services of a private firm to protect NITEL facilities in the state.

NITEL has about nine exchanges with installed capacity of 5,000 lines in Uyo and Calabar and both the Digital Telephone Exchange in Calabar, the Aba-Calabar Optical Fibre Transmission Link inaugurated by a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar,have since been abandoned.

There are 19 NITEL exchanges in Kano State, two in the municipal, while the remaining 17 are in the local government areas of the state.

Most of the facilities in the state have been vandalised. It is the same story in Yobe and

many states across the country as most of the cables and poles in the exchanges have also been vandalised.

Lagos

Lagosians con o residence convver ertt of offfice tto

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visit to NITEL offices in Lagos including the ones located at Race-Course, Kingsway Road, Ikoyi and Marina revealed shock findings. At the NITEL Headquarters, Tafawa Balewa Square, Race-Course, the building has been occupied by Lagosians. The only thing showing that it is a NITEL office is the signboard in front of the building boldly written Telecommunications Headquarters 3/5 Tafawa Balewa Square Race Course Lagos. No NITEL official cars were sighted.

But one thing is clear. Lagosians have converted the building to a residential area.

“We are living under the protection of a human rights lawyer. A room and parlour here goes for about N250,000. Once you pay it to the occupant, you can live in it as long as want. But government can come in any day to take possession of the building. That is why we are not paying annually” a woman who runs a small shop inside the building told SaturdayVanguard in an interaction.

At the NITEL zonal headquarters, Kingsway Road, Falomo, the buildings are lying in waste without human presence. It was learnt that only the office of the General Manager and Operations are still functional.

Attempt to speak to the GM failed as at press time but a NITEL staff disclosed that most staff have been retrenched. “It is only Engineering staff working at Marina where you have SAT 3 that you can see. This is because the SAT still provide services to Private Telecoms Operators (PTOs),” he said.

Looking around, there were many NITEL cars abandoned in the premises. There were dusty files and furniture inside the offices.

Although security officials did not allow our reporter to enter one of the Nigeria’s tallest skyscrapers, NECOM House, which currently houses SAT 3 sold to a firm owned by Chief Suarau Olayiwola Alani Bankole, the father of former Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, further investigations revealed that only operation staff of NITEL go there for technical works with regards to facilities provided to PTOs.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013—11

NITEL

Imo It’s senseless abandonment — Imo citizen

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

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Enugu

Multi-million naira facilities decay

BY TONY EDIKE

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HE multi_million naira 090 analogue cel lular gateway built by the defunct General Ibrahim Babangida administration for the South Eastern region in the early 90s is now rotting away. Apart from the building located at GRA, Enugu which is at an advanced stage of dilapidation, the mobile telecommunication equipment which was procured by the then Minister of Communication, David Mark, now the Senate President, have decayed while no staff was available in the premises when Vanguard visited the gateway. Soldiers that normally guarded the premises to forestall vandalisation of the equipment had long been withdrawn leaving one private security guard.

The guard, who would not allow access into the premises, said that the main telecommunication switch and other facilities including the heavy duty generating set installed there were rotting away as NITEL workers that were manning them have long abandoned their job.

It was gathered that few of the workers come around once in a while to inspect the equipment but most of the vehicles left on the premises had been vandalized.

Few NITEL officials said to have been left behind to oversee the facilities have abandoned their duties since they have nothing doing in the premises. It was the same situation at the NITEL South East Zonal Office and the International Direct Dialing, IDD, office where telecommunication and office equipment have decayed and the premises deserted.

Only two private security men were seen at

the gates and one of them interviewed said nothing meaningful was happening at the regional headquarters as only the staff of other establishments like NIPOST sharing the premises with NITEL could be seen.

Some dilapidated telecom equipment and vehicles liter the premises but sources said they could no longer be put to use as they had become outdated.

There are fears that some of the buildings in the once bubbling NITEL premises could collapse if urgent actions were not taken to rehabilitate them. It was gathered that most of the roofs are leaking owing to the archaic nature of the asbestos roofing sheets used when the houses were erected in the 60s.

One of the laid off NITEL workers, Cosmas Ugwueze, who spoke on the issue said that apart from the buildings in both premises, there was no other valuables that could still be useful in the deserted offices.

“I can tell you that even before we were finally asked to stop due to several months of salary arrears, most of the equipments were no longer working. After we left many cables including those laid underground were vandalised by hoodlums.

“As things stand now, most of the NITEL’s movable assets had disappeared while some immovable ones were pilfered by unknown persons. Some of the serviceable vehicles were taken away by those handling them before the total shutdown of NITEL and the earlier the government decides what to do with the available structures the better,” the ex_NITEL staff said.

Borno JTF takes over premises

BY NDAHI MARAMA n Borno, the NITEL territory has been taken over by armed Joint Task Force (JTF) personnel since the Boko Haram insurgency erupted in the state. Situated behind the Popular Post Office Area in the heart/centre of the metropolis, the Maiduguri office, earlier regarded as the North_ East zonal office had just witnessed a suicide bomb attack which killed three people including a woman and her baby.

Some JTF operatives were injured and their

I

patrol vehicle was damaged. In fact, the tight security around the territory had led to the evacuation of road side traders who patronized the area to earn a living. Movement in and around the area is now restricted because of the presence of the JTF. A staff who was among those retrenched during the privitization process said some of them have received their entitlements, some have been denied pension while others are yet to receive their full benefit.

n Imo State, properties of NITEL are now in a very sorry state. The story is the same in Owerri, Orlu, Okigwe and Oguta, where NITEL staff operated before the turn of event in the establishment. When Vanguard visited the facilities weekend all the buildings were found to be in varying degrees of dilapidation and no staff of the company was around.

At the deserted Owerri premises, somebody, who simply identified himself as Emmanuel, bemoaned what he called “the senseless abandonment” of the establishment by the Federal Government. “Apart from abandoning the establishment, government has equally abandoned everybody working in the place. A lot of us have died out of frustration, hunger and disease. Most of our children have been sacked from their schools,” Emmanuel lamented.

He expressed serious fears that most of the moveable equipments must have been lost to thieves, especially as those originally charged with the responsibility of guarding them have lost interest in the job. Weeds have taken over virtually all the NITEL compounds. Similarly, the establishment’s cable network has suffered serious degeneration. More importantly, the underground cables have since been vandalized by either the construction firms working on roads in the towns or completely dug up and stolen by miscreants.

Reacting to the ugly development, a youth leader in Umuoyima, Owerri, Mazi Ikechukwu Ukaegbu, said he was happy about the introduction of mobile phones but quickly added that it was not enough reason for government to allow the establishment to die. “Mobile telephone is a fine development.

However, it is not fine that government has allowed NITEL to go moribund. I am more worried that workers and retirees from the establishment have been left to die in abject poverty,” Ukaegbu lamented.

Ondo Come to our aid, staff cries out in Akure

BY DAYO JOHNSON

I

n Akure, the two-storey NITEL office at Alagbakan is still been occupied by a few staff while other bungalows are now inhabited by reptiles and other animals like goats and sheep.

The bungalows are covered by bushes and weeds. Most of the window blades have broken while doors to many of the offices were left ajar. It was gathered that electricity supply to the office has been disconnected by PHCN many years ago. Pockets of staff of the hitherto telecommunication giants were seen sleeping and playing under the trees within the office complex. The once ever-busy complex is now a ghost yard Mobile Policemen who manned strategic places prevented non-members of staff from going into the dilapidating building, which roof top has been blown off by wind.

Rain falls directly into the office destroying equipment and gadgets. Vehicles belonging to the telecom agency littered the car park with deflated tyres, broken windscreen while trees have fallen on some destroying them.

The security men manning the office prevented this reporter from going into the office while the few staff lazying around declined comment. But one of them who spoke on phone lamented total neglect of the Federal Government.

Speaking in confidence he said that government was responsible for the total collapse of the telecom company and ap-

pealed to the government to have a rethink by coming to their aid. A stakeholder, Chief Akeem Adedipe, said that the inefficiency of NITEL staff was responsible for their plight, noting that the new Telecom companies had finally sealed the coffin of NITEL. According to him unlike before when people queued and begged NITEL officials to help rectify faults on their land lines, things have changed with GSM. He however pleaded with government to do something about the telecom infrastructures and buildings now rotting away across the country.

12—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

NITEL

Plateau

Anambra

It exists only in name

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

T

IME was when the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, NITEL, used to be the alpha and omega in the communications industry as it enjoyed unfettered monopoly. In those days, telephone subscribers were prepared to pay any amount to acquire NITEL line not minding the epileptic nature of its services. But all that have changed and the once booming NITEL offices across the country have become mere shadows of the past glory.

Since the regulation of the communication industry, NITEL no longer provide end user services to customers as it had since lost that to the mobile telephone subscribers which came in the wake of the privatization NITEL. The wholesale business, which gave it the authority to allocate telecommunication channels to the mobile telephone operators, has also been lost as the effectiveness of the service is no longer guaranteed due to vandalisation of its facilities which started even before government muted the idea of privatizing the industry, a policy that eventually led to its total collapse.

In Anambra territorial office of NITEL which is part of the Enugu zone comprising eight states, there are only four staff headed by the Territorial Manager, Mr. John Onwuka and they are virtually doing nothing, except cleaning the offices. All

the vehicles used in the territory when the going was good have become scraps and litter the compound. Cables that were not used before the problem set in are lying there in the open and gathering dusts. The telephone booths which were at some point serving the people on the streets have become antiquities and packed at a corner of the office.

Mr. Ben Onugbolu, the general manager in charge of the Enugu zone of INTEL painted a pitiable picture of the situation in INTEL when Vanguard encountered him in Awka.

He said: “No NITEL exchange is working any longer and no matter how we try, we cannot make it operational to fit into the modern telecommunications technology. As far as we are concerned, government encouraged people to kill NITEL through uprooting its cable network across the country in the name of road construction. When these things happened and officials of NITEL complained, nothing happened and gradually we lost control which made government to start thinking of privatization.”

As it is, the once engine room of the telecommunications industry, the NITEL exchange, located in all the territories across the country, are rotting away.

The privatization plan of the telecommunications giant started in 2006 with the disengagement of 13,850 NITEL staff. Today, there are only a few NITEL staff left throughout the country and these are people who decided to stay at a time others were paid off. In the Enugu zone for instance, there are only 58 NITEL workers left and Enugu territo-

ry has only 17, while the rest are distributed to the other states under the zone. It was gathered that government later went into agreement with the left over workers to buy over their pension and other liabilities and the various unions in NITEL accepted the plan and the workers were paid five years of their salaries.

In 2010, there was also a presidential task force headed by the minister of labour and productivity, Emeka Wogu which further reduced the NITEL staff to just 340 and MTEL staff to 45.

These remaining workers of NITEL are hardly paid because they do not generate enough revenue as the little revenue generated from SAT 3 is used to pay counterpart contribution which is far less than our salaries.

Presently, NITEL is no longer allocated funds under the recurrent expenditure as the Bureau for Public Enterprise, BPE, prepares NITEL budget as capital expenditure and with the delay in the release of funds for capital projects, NITEL staff have remained without payment of salaries since February, 2012.

But Onugbolu was certain that no matter the situation, INTEL will continue to be the national carrier of the country’s telecommunications industry because that is the right thing to do. He however does not foresee the return of the land line in peoples home and offices as the introduction of GSM has relegated that to the background.

Pensioners plight remain sour pont

BY TAYE OBATERU

L

ife is almost absent in facilities owned by the NITEL in Plateau State with equipment rotting away in offices within the state capital and in other local government areas of the state.

Apart from soldiers seen within the headquarters along Yakubu Gowon Way, there is little or nothing happening, with the premises looking deserted. The business office section which was gutted by a bush fire some years ago remains in ruins inhabited by rodents and lizards.

Although the few members of staff still retained in the office declined to speak, Vanguard learnt that only skeletal maintenance services were being carried out at the various exchanges and repeater stations.

The source said only about 10 members of staff including the territorial manager remain in the Plateau Territory to carry out the skeletal services.

It was noticed that all the vehicles within the headquarters in Jos except one were grounded.

A retired staff of NITEL who lamented the state of dilapidation of the organization’s facilities told Vanguard that the plight of pensioners and disengaged staff whom he said were not pad their dues remain a sore point for the company.

He said former members of staff were still in court to seek the enforcement of their rights to their full due as contained in their conditions of service when they were engaged.

Minna

Faces meaner challenges

BY WOLE MOSADOMI

T

Asaba

Workers grumble as equipment rot away, bushes take over building

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA HE once imposing building housing the NITEL office headquarters in Asaba Delta State Capital some years back has become a shadow of itself.

A visit to the office located along Dennis Osadebey Way showed that part of the roof housing the transmis-

T

sion equipment has been blown off while bushes have taken over the place. Except for a few staff who were found chatting at the administrative wing, the place is as good as abandoned. It was gathered that retirees and former workers of the establishment come to hold regular meetings at the premises every Thursday and to get feedback from their union leaders on the way forward. A retired senior staff of the establishment who pleaded for anonymity said, “it is really a shame that NITEL is left this way. Every now and then we hear the Federal Government is going to revamp it, all to no avail.“As I speak, they only paid those of us that are retired for five years and said no more pension. We are fighting that and our lawyers are preparing to go to court soon”, he stated.

he Minna NITEL territorial of fice has been a shadow of itself as a result of retrenchment of workers some years ago. After their retrenchment, some of the workers who were still hopeful of a possible re-engagement always gathered at the main gate to discuss their plight with the hope that they would be re-absorbed or paid off.

And because of the non-patronage of the services of the company with the advent of mobile phones, the offices are now deserted. When it became very clear that their dreams of re-absorption have been shattered, especially when many of them were being settled their entitlements in instalment, the three major offices were finally deserted.

As expected, most of the offices deserted have been take over by reptiles and also open for vandalization Vanguard gathered that only one senior officer, Alhaji Sani Idris is left as the territorial manager with one other junior officer to take care of the offices. It was also gathered that even the two officers have not been paid their salaries in the past three years.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013—13

NITEL

Ado Ekiti Deploy us to the Ministry of Communications, workers cry out in Ekiti

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI

B

Jigawa

Abandoned to rot in Jigawa

BY Tina Akanam n Dutse, the Jigawa State Capital, the NITEL head quarters was a sorry sight, when Vanguard visited the premises last week The abandoned property was over grown with different kind of weeds.

Interestingly, the gate is being guarded by two security men including an armed police officer.

Further findings reveal that some staff still hang around the office everyday. One of the staff said his reason for going to work even though there was nothing to do “is because I don’t want to remain at home doing nothing.

I am hopeful that one day the new owners of NITEL

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Benue Govt is frustrating the privatization of NITEL

BY PETER DURU

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overnment is frustrating the privatization of NITEL because they are protecting some interests” This was the assertion of one of the 10 remaining staff of NITEL in Benue State. The staff who craved anonymity told Vanguard in Makurdi that before the appalling situation they were 153 staff that were on the payroll of NITEL in Benue State.

His words: “In the thick of the crisis, 100 were retrenched, which was followed by the sacking of another 43 and today we have only 10 staff of NITEL in the entire state. But in the entire country we have only 400 staff of the company left, though some have succumbed to death due to hardship and suffering.

“Even though we know that NITEL is still generating close to N200million monthly from its submarine cables (SAT 3) with which it provides services to other service providers and broadcast stations, we do not receive anything as salaries”.

“We have not been paid a kobo as salaries in the last 12 months and the painful part of it all is that nobody is saying anything about it; we have been C M Y K

will employ me.” Apart from the abandoned NITEL structure most of the NITEL cables have been vandalised.

Efforts to enter the premises was blocked by the security men, who insisted that visitors were not allowed. However, one Mr Paul who said he had a brother working with NITEL in Dutse before the place was distressed lamented that the property being abandoned by the Federal Government to waste away could be put into use for other purposes. ”It is only in a country like Nigeria that such properties worth billions of Naira can be abandoned because of poor government polices.”

A former national officer of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Comrade Mati Ali, also described as unfortunate the fall of NITEL in the country. He said with multi billion naira telecommunication facilities some of the GSM providers are using to boost their service, the Federal Government should have setup a committee to come up with suggestions on how best to utilise NITEL facilities of NITEL all over the country instead allowing of them to waste. He then called on the National assembly to revisit NITEL issues with a view reviving the company.

In the thick of the crisis, 100 were retrenched, which was followed by the sacking of another 43 and today we have only 10 staff of NITEL in the entire state left to carry on like orphans. That is the painful story of how some persons in government have deliberately killed the NITEL that was the pride of Nigeria some years ago”.

On what should be done to get NITEL back on its feet again, the beleaguered staff said, “ we still have our equipment intact. Except for our cables that vandals have been tampering with, everything is still intact. All we need do is to change our cables to optic fibre and we will be good to go because all of our equipment are in good working condition.

efore the sale of NITEL in 2006 dur ing the regime of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo the company had strong branches Ado Ekiti which is the state capital and major parts of the state, especially in Ikere, Ikole and Ijero Ekiti where the total number of permanent staff rose to about 450 people.

Today, in Ado Ekiti, it is interesting to note that NITEL is parading one permanent staff in the whole state who is overseeing the properties of the moribund company with about 15 security officials who are under a contract appointment with the company. The lone staff is said not have received any salary for the past 12 months, while security staff were paid their salary 18 months ago.

The company has movable and immovable properties in different parts of the state. Most of the properties are transmission lines, masts, buildings, equipment and vehicles.

A staff told Vanguard that the workers were disengaged in 2006 and that some of the workers who are ordinarily expected to be on life pension were given just five years pension, adding that the treatment meted to the staff forced them to go to court to seek legal redress. ‘’We don’t even know who is responsible for the payment of our salary, whether it is the BPE or office of the Accountant General of the Federation. For the few of us who are permanent staff, they paid our February, 2012 salary in December 2012, while the security staff who are on contract were paid 18 months ago. ‘We want government to assist us by looking into our problem, government can deploy us to the Ministry of Communications. We are here doing nothing and nobody is interested in solving our problem,” the staff said.

Kano

36,000 lines, 17 facilities abandoned in Kano

BY ABDULSALAM ABUBAKAR

strategic locations within the City n Kano, NITEL infrastructure dot y has a territorial office, Business District. The compan ces training school, and exchange offi area office, exchange area office, t tha eal rev cks che the state. Vanguard in about 13 local council areas of rma Pha gi Dan by d Roa located at Zoo the abandoned exchange office 20, of st boa also ce offi ge han road exc cy has 10,000 lines, Post office l government area offices has 500 loca 13 the of h eac le whi s, 000 line perher revealed that some of the pro exchange lines. Investigation furt ial itor terr the at ble icea and this is not ties have been encroached into e. mosqu headquarters close to Zoo Road en an expanse of land has been tak on ng sitti ool sch g nin trai The oopp s rter qua f tion firm while its staf over by a registered communica e Som . out sold n bee ally d has equ site the school along Katsina Roa e larg A is. bas ual cas on rate ope t cases offices, have guards who in mos ge han exc al de the NITEL internation shopping mall has sprung up insi Division of the Nigerian Police Diffic Tra tor office located close to Mo ally be ascertained whether it was leg vision (Metro) and it could not the in ces offi ge han exc EL NIT at the occupied. The story is the same 13 local councils.

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See more on page 53

14 — Saturday Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

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Vanguard Vanguard,, MARCH 30, 2013—15

TALENT IS NOT ENOUGH: A tribute to Tiger Woods and Rafa Nadal Celebrating Easter earned it by being consistent with his game on course and by carrying himself with dignity off it. His image was managed so well that they had no choice but to accept him. When he got his first 100 million dollar endorsement from Nike, he confounded his critics again and earned the respect of many who felt he was there for the money when he went to the range to practice the very next day!

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iger had come a long way from being number 58 in the world to being number one again. This is a man that has contended with many injuries including being almost legally blind in 1999. This article is therefore a tribute to his resilience, focus, hard work and self belief.

Last week, Ivan Lendl, ‘the Ice Man’, a former world number one in another sport, was asked what it takes to get to the top of your sport, any sport. His answer; ‘it takes hard work, talent and luck.

A week earlier, Rafael Nadal, another example of talent, hard work and dedication, won his first Master’s tournament on a hard court since 2010 (that magical year again). The sweetener is that he won it coming from a seven month lay-off due to injury. The tears that flowed when the game was over were of relief. Relief that the months of pain, of rehabilitation, of hard work, of self doubt were finally laid to rest.

Incidentally, Nadal paid a tribute to Woods in his autobiography when he said his role model, if he were to choose any in sports, would be Tiger. He found Tiger’s work ethics, mental strength, and ability to shut out distractions inspirational.

He also said something in the book which I think defines him and which many young people can learn from.

When he was young, he had spent summer with his mates so he couldn’t practice as intensely as he should. The result was that he lost a match he should have won. When his father tried to console the now distraught lad by telling him he at least got a chance to be his age, his reply was that those moments of fun could not compensate for the pain of losing to someone he could have beaten.

My message here to all young people is that talent will not get you far without the long grinding hours you need to put in. You need to go through the pain and the monotony of repetitions to hone your skills.

I will end with the message on a plague some one gave me when I was a young man learning my trade. It said:‘Talent is like a flower. It will wither if you don’t water it’.

That water, my friend, is your sweat.

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He found Tiger’s work ethics, mental strength, and ability to shut out distractions inspirational

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his was a man that was initially seen as an intruder to the game.

When he won the Augusta Masters in 1987 at the age of 22, he was a black man in a white world, and his victory made many older golfers to be red in the face. Many highly ranked and otherwise respectable golfers made veiled comments that alluded to his colour. A former world number two said indignantly that he would never concede golf superiority to Tiger.

So whatever respect Tiger garnered over the years, he had to earn. And he C M Y K

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oday, both Christians and non-Christians all over the world are in this season celebrating Easter. How one celebrates Easter will vary from man to man, from family to family and also from people to people. However, no matter how one celebrates the season it becomes irrelevant if one does not truly know why he or she is celebrating.

You see, in every good thing there is a counterfeit. God is a good God. When He created the world in the book of Genesis, He said it was good and after making man, He said it was very good.

This therefore shows that all that God ever does is beautiful. The bible says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the father of light, in whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17)”. So you can see that God has no plan of evil. God’s original plan was for man to rule the earth, have dominion, be fruitful and multiply.

There was no place for fear, sickness, disease, poverty, or lack, death, barrenness etc, this all came into existence through Satan whose whole intention is evil.

He (Satan) made man G

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to fall from grace to grass in the garden of Eden.

Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. As a result; man was separated from God, lost the fellowship, presence and glory of God. And ever since then, calamity has come into existence.

There has been chaos

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n Monday, Tiger Woods re claimed the number one spot in golf— a coveted position he had surrendered in early 2010. During his time in the wilderness, he had had to battle the demons that assailed him when he suffered a hip injury, a loss of form and a public demystification which ended in a costly divorce.

Just one of these three is enough to derail most athletes. A combination of the three at the same time could signal a death knell to the most distinguished of careers. This was what probably made most analysts to believe Tiger’s glory days were over. Even the faithful who had been accustomed to his winning ways began to doubt when he continued to miss cuts up till last year.

Then he bounced back with two PGA titles last year and three in 2013, a year that is just three months old thereby confounding many who believe he would never be dominant again.

Last Monday, after he became number one for the 11 th time, he attributed his position to hard work, patience and winning golf tournaments.

We need to appreciate his climb back to the top given the depth he plunged into and the hole many people felt he dug for himself: given also that top sport writers had already ‘discovered’ another prodigy in the young Irish, Rory Mcilroy who at 21, became the youngest number one player in the world.

When you have attained the heights that Tiger attained in your profession, when you have garnered the enormous fame and fortune that often go with such heights, when you crash emotionally the way he crashed, when you become the butt of local and international jokes and have to issue three public apologies in as many weeks, when you lose most of your endorsements and public support, when your caddie who is supposed to be a close friend and buddy criticises you publicly, it is easier, much easier, to withdraw into your shell and ‘to hell with rest’: especially if you are a shy and private person. But Tiger did not. Instead, he embarked on a long, lonely road towards self discovery and redefinition.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the father of light, in whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning

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everywhere. All manner of both imaginable and not are in existence.

However because of the loving nature of God, He set out to correct the situation. We know that the wages of sin is death, and the only remedy for sin is the shedding of blood. When man sin in the days of the Old Testament, the blood of animals was used to cover the sin of man.

Though this certified the laws of God at that time, it was not enough because the price of sin needed to be paid once and for all.

God had to come in the form of a man in the D

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person of Jesus who was sinless to pay the price.

Jesus had to shed His sinless blood, die, buried and resurrected, so that man can be reconciled back to God and receive back God’s lost glory.

Before Jesus could achieve this victory for man, he was made to suffer; he was arrested, tried by mere men, whom he created. He was beaten, mocked, He was scourged, denied by Peter, a crown of thorns was put on His head, He was nailed to the cross and was crucified. When this was happening Satan thought he had won over God but now we know better that the devil is a liar, because Jesus, the bible stated put Satan to naught and triumphed over him (Cols 2:15). Jesus stripped Satan of his authority over man. The victory that Christ won has now been, credited unto us. Christ satisfied the claim of justice over man. He paid the penalty of sin for me. I am now free and victorious.

Listen to me; you don’t have to be paralyzed anymore. No need to be in bondage, you are now free. Jesus has paid the final price and sacrifice for our liberty. We have been reconciled back to God; we have been restored because all that Satan stole has been taken from him. Satan has been defeated and man has been made victorious and more than a conqueror through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Take note, Satan is defeated. Keys of hell and death are no more with him. He cannot control your life any more the way he used to do. Jesus has broken Satan’s power over your life and gave you absolute victory. This is why we celebrate Easter.

Jesus is Lord.

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

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

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

16 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

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hief Oluwole Awolowo was definitely not a saint. He never had a chance. He was expected to be a “rascal”, a word freely used beyond and beside its real meaning, way back in our grapple with the English language in Yorubaland. It was affectionately used to mean no more than a “high-spirited” lad or, as someone once explained it, “extremely restless and obstinate”. His disposition was encapsulated in his nickname— Unbreakable. It was the name of a ball, the size of a tennis ball, which young boys enjoyed kicking around. Old tennis balls earlier served that purpose, but they soon burst with so much kicking around.

But “unbreakable” was solid through and through, filled with layers of tightly wound rubber straps which made it virtually impossible to burst, while at the same time giving it a chunky appearance and a healthy bounce to boot. That was Wole in his youth, daring vehicles on his bicycle across Oke Bola roads in Ibadan— impossible to repress, impossible to resent, impossible to ignore.

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*dw ar *dwar arffed b byy his heritage *forgiven by his death *with one e eyye open

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was very fond of him. His elder brother, late Segun, was really my friend but it was a delight to see Unbreakable whenever he was around. His presence never failed to introduce a measure of comic relief to the company, though he was normally not loud and would even oblige with little errands, if one knew how to approach or coerce him with a little touch of blackmail. Segun •Wole Awolowo was, of course, of a sterner stuff —a musician in his own way, a t was barely weeks ago that we read raconteur after a fashion, but in every those harsh comments about Chinua consideration a philosopher of no mean mettle.

When he passed away suddenly, I was induced Achebe about his last publication, “There to move closer to Wole, but the difference in was a country”. Or was it years? I wonder our ages created a gulf in respect of our how many of us would have written with as preferences, which were not too conflicting much severity as we did had we known that though not exactly on all fours. The real the end was so near then. The book was obstacle to any close relationship was Wole’s highly critical of Chief Obafemi’ s role during inbred respect for his elders, which is actually the Nigerian Civil War. It was not the first time that the famous author had expressed a sturdy trait of the Awolowo dynasty.

As time rolled on, Wole found it increasingly such bitterness about the part undeniably appealing to move nearer his Maker. I first played by the man many of us take so much thought it was all on the surface. But, as if he joy in extolling as “The Sage”. Achebe had knew my feelings, he once invited me to worship feared Awo was near to being deified as soon with him at his father’s church in Ikenne on an as the former Premier of Western Nigeria Inaugural Sunday. So, to Ikenne I went. As a passed on. It was the man’s honest opinion, lay-preacher, I had my cassock and surplice in spawned out of the deep acrimony Achebe the car. I was told that Wole had become a lay- could not rid himself off. Some of his ardent preacher too, but decided not to wear my robes admirers even felt uncomfortable about the until I saw him in. He was like to the manner timing. I joined the chorus then in born when I saw him looking suited for the expressing deep disapproval of what I occasion. I then put on my robes and we characterized as an unbecoming diatribe. entered the church side by side. It was a Appropriate as I felt my stand was, a few of beautiful moment, one of the most beautiful my remarks were downright unfair. I later moments, for me. He later became a full-fledged decided that I would apologize to him at the first opportunity I had.

The next time I saw Achebe after that was at the Enugu airport. I hastened to him to perform my act of contrition. But even before the opening

The horde of Northerners in our area must contain several elements of the Boko Haram

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The real obstacle to any close relationship was Wole’s inbred respect for his elders

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evangelist and gave his life to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour.

His achievements have been dwarfed by the enormity of his lineage. He was an astute businessman, a publisher, an evangelist, but still Awolowo’s son. That is a tough act to follow.

The full realization of his potential must have been adversely affected by the unfortunate accident which he survived, but the result of which bothered him for the rest of his life. His demise has left an empty space in my heart, just as his brother’s did. Segun did not even survive long enough to live through the ghastly experience of unending medical attention; I wonder if he would have cringed from his destiny either. The Awolowos are a hardy lot.

Through this tribute to my aburo, I offer my condolences to all of them - Tola, Tokunbo and Mama. Glory be to God.

which Ralph Opara, his Assistant, thought highly of and showed to him. He sent for me and asked me for how long I had been writing, and could hardly believe it when I replied that this was my first effort ever. Without any hesitation, he sat me down and discussed the title, the theme and the development of the narration with me. He assured me that I had what it takes to be a good writer. I left his office feeling like a prince. It was my first writing to be broadcast though, through the gentle nudges of the Head of Talks, some others followed.

About four years later, I was transferred to Enugu where Achebe had become the Regional Controller. From time to time, he would have a quizzical smile on his face when he saw me until one day he asked me directly, “You are not writing any more?” I muttered that I was producing feature materials but would soon go further in my literary efforts. And then I fled.

He seemed incapable of nursing any bitterness in his mind, but he seemed to have really had it in for Awolowo. The truth is that he wrote really beautiful things about other people, like Wole Soyinka, in that book that threatened to bring down thunder from his various critics, but that was all ignored. Several of those who would have crucified him did not seem to have taken the trouble of reading the book, anyway.

It was enough that he had written about a hurt that would not be cured about their hero. Off with his head!

Now, all that is forgotten.

I thought it was said that “the evil men do lives after them, but the good is oft interred with their bones”? Well, so it will NOT be with Chinua. Thank God.

pleasantries were over, he broke ‘in by saying, “I see you are still writing. But as a journalist ... “ “Oh, I thought I would try my hand at writing in the newspaper first ... “, I stuttered, taken aback.

“There is nothing wrong with that either,” he said as he turned round to introduce me to a friend with whom he was travelling.

I was startled for two reasons. He left no room for me to apologise, though his statement indicated that he must have been reading some of what had appeared on this page. Secondly, he remembered that I had shown some promise as a writer years back when he was the Head of the Talks Department at the Nigerian Broadcasting Service, (NBS) later the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). I had submitted a short story for broadcasting

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They are not sleeping very well in the Ijora area of Lagos these days, or I should say IGP M.D Abubakar we are not sleeping well in this area, because that is where I live. The discovery of arms, ammunition and the suspected terrorists that must have intended to use them has exposed what we knew all along, and that is that the horde of Northerners in our area must contain several elements of the Boko Haram. There have simply been too many of them, and they still abound.

We accommodated all Northerners under the umbrella of a single, expansive identity—”malla”’. They made themselves useful by performing various menial tasks in the community, but mostly kept themselves to themselves. They would not even pray in the same mosques with other Muslims, but the Constitution allows that. Recently, however, the soaring increase in their population, against the backdrop of the terror in the North, had begun to give many people some cause for anxiety.

Much of the fears remained unexpressed because the security personnel seemed to be at a distance from the welfare of the people, being mainly interested in issues from which they could make a fast naira through outrageous bail conditions, and stuff like that. The raid and discovery of those terrorist elements should therefore be highly commended because it seems to have been the result of very sound intelligence operations.

But it should not stop there. The people who are being asked to cooperate with the police by giving out information deserve a measure of trust from the police and vice versa.

There is a wide gap in confidence between the police and the people in this area, and it is constantly being widened by the hectoring of the people. The landlords and the process by which these vicious people obtained their accommodation should be brought under close scrutiny, so that other. miscreants may not continue to be harboured in the area.

When that is seen to be done, perhaps ,he shall then be able to sleep with both eyes closed.

Time out.

Saturday Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013 — 17

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18—SATURDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2013 Dear Julie, I have this family that is very close to mine. My wife and his wife were school mates way back and through their friendship, I got very friendly with the husband and now both families are very close. My friend is a jolly good fellow who loves to laugh and makes jokes and is always the heart of the party. I love him as a brother and we take each other into confidence. His wife is a very lovely woman and a role model and I admire her because she is a positive influence on my wife.

We’ve just discovered that our friend has been cheating on his wife. My wife says we should tell, but I say we should stay out of it. What do you think?

Greg, Lagos Dear Greg,

I’m not happy with my girlfriend’s past abortion

My friend is cheating on his spouse I think it depends on your relationship with the couple.

If you are indeed close friends, then you and your wife need to sit down with the offending husband, confront him with this, and tell him that because you love him and his wife that you cannot simply sit in silence. Encourage him to stop before his wife finds out. But

you also let him know that if he doesn’t stop, then you will have to keep your friendship at bay.

You should also know that with that kind of straightforward confrontation, most men will either stop being your friend or stop the habit or equally, carry on more discreetly. But as friends, I don’t think you just sit back and let things happen.

But don’t tell his wife yourselves.

Aunty Julie, I just found out that my girlfriend of nearly four years had an abortion when she was in secondary school.

I overheard her during a conversation she was having with someone. I later asked her what was implied when the name of her ex-boyfriend from secondary school was brought up. She proceeded to tell me what had happened and then said, ‘I never told you that?’ Obviously, she never mentioned it to me because I certainly would have remembered something of that magnitude. My reaction is feelings of disgust, betrayal and of having been lied to. Am I over-reacting or are my feelings warranted?

Fred, Asaba Dear Fred, That depends upon whether you ever had a conversation with your girlfriend about her sexual history during which you were supposed to tell each other everything. If so, then the omission was deliberate. If not, she was under no obligation to reveal that she had terminated a pregnancy during secondary school. Abortion is a deeply personal and often complex decision for women. Ultimately, most women feel a sense of guilt after an abortion.

As a result, many do not feel that it is something to celebrate and may not be comfortable sharing that they have had one.

I’m attracted to a woman at work Aunty Julie, I work with a woman who I find attractive. I met her the first day I resumed in my new office and we have been friends.

Recently, I realised that I’m having emotional feelings for her and she appears to be responding positively.

I am a married man and would not likely marry her if this relationship develops.

How do I deal with this everyday when I know it’s dangerous?

John-Mark, Benin Dear John-Mark, The short answer is quit your job and find another job. I know that in today’s culture, that’s probably not realistic. However, that’s how serious this is. When you’re attracted to a person you work with every day, you’re setting yourself up for that moment of failure in which your eyes lock, you grab each other and kiss and then it’s started—it goes downhill from there. It’s worth whatever you have to do so as not to move in that direction. You do not want to destroy your marriage,

Bad preacher

disillusion your children and bring shame to your wife. If it does mean leaving the job and finding another job, it’s worth it.

My husband is messy

Dear Julie, after my messy husI’m tired of always cleaning up ten years and have three band. We have been married for hygiene which I have kids and he has a poor personal I cannot continue like battled with over the years but r for and having to cate to s kid e this forever. I have thre is killing. What can I do take care of a man as if he is a kid to change this?

Gloria, Port-Harcourt Dear Gloria, either try to change There are two approaches: You can threatening for his life him or change yourself. It is not you’re organized w kno I se. hou clothes to lie around the are not in their place. and that it hurts you when things f in accepting a little However, you can work on yoursel more messiness. , “I think I’m being The other approach is to say to him want you to give ainly a good wife to you. If I’m not, I cert to you. One thing wife er bett a be can I how me ideas on Then you tell him ” be… ld that would really help me wou to do. I’m not him for like ld specifically what you wou ress the desire to be a saying he’ll do it but when you exp t things might get better better wife, it gives him hope tha ing to give more on his will on your side and he might be side.

The elderly pastor was searching his closet for his collar before Church one Sunday morning. In the back of the closet, he found a small box containing three eggs and 100 $1 bills.

He called his wife into the closet to ask her about the box and its contents. Embarrassed, she admitted having hidden the box for their entire 25 years of marriage. Disappointed and hurt, the pastor asked her, “WHY?” The wife replied that she hadn’t wanted to hurt his feelings. He asked her how the box could have hurt his feelings. She said that every time during their marriage that he delivered a poor sermon, she had placed an egg in the box.

The pastor felt that three poor sermons in 25 years was certainly nothing to feel bad about, so he asked her what the $100 was for.

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Alternatively, talk with your lady friend and let her know that your love relationship has to stop because it’s affecting your family life.

My husband is having an affair Aunty Julie, I am 48 years old and I have been married for 30 years and have raised four children to adulthood. I recently found out that my husband has been having an affair with a prostitute from a near-by hotel.

He paid all her living expenses and promised to marry her. She was 26 when it started; he is 56. He told her his wife had run away with another man and that he was divorced. When I confronted him, he lied.

He wants us to continue living together and pretend nothing happened. I reported to our pastor who invited him for talks and he quit but later went back to it.

A psychiatrist I confided in said he has a “mixed personality disorder.” He says he wants to make up for his mistake with me, but all the while he was having unprotected sex.

I doubt he’ll ever stop lying to me because he always has. I can’t spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder because this has happened before, although not to this extent. He said he just led a double life and he doesn’t want to do it anymore. He admitted he did it because he never thought he would get caught.

During this long affair, he was brazen, arrogant and abusive to me. Now he wants to be attentive but he makes me sick. What do I do?

Petra, Abuja Dear Petra Only you can decide that, but in order to do it rationally, without anger or vengefulness, I’m advising you to make up your mind after some sessions with your pastor on your own.

What your husband wants at this point is far less important than what you want. And why you would want to continue in a marriage to an abusive philanderer is something only you can answer.

C O C K - T A L E S She replied, “Each time I got a dozen eggs, I sold them to the neighbours for $1.

Husband material

A young lady visited the government matchmaker for marriage and requested, “I’m looking for a spouse. Can you please help me to find a suitable one?” The marriage officer said, “You’re requirements please.” ”Well, let me see. Needs to be good looking, polite, humorous, sporty, knowledgeable, good at singing and dancing; willing to accompany me the whole day at home during my leisure hour if I don’t go out. He should tell me interesting stories when I need a companion for conversation and be silent when I want to rest.” The officer listened care-

fully and replied,” I understand. You need a television.”

Pre-nuptial agreement

A businessman was being interviewed about his life and career when the subject of his wife of thirty years came up. ”To what do you attribute the success of your marriage?” asked the interviewer. ”Well,” replied the businessman, “You know that saying ‘Behind every successful man there’s a woman’?” ”Yes.” ”Well, behind every successful man’s woman is a pre-nuptial agreement.”

Mirage Little Johnny was reading from a Hans Christian Anderson book. “Teacher?” he asked, “Does m-i-r-ag-e spell marriage?” ”No my child,” sighed the teacher. “But it should.”

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YLVIA admitted that her parent’s marriage and the stoic way her mummy yielded her position as the frrst wife to a much younger and ambitious woman prepared her for the way she handled her relationship with men. Her story: ‘When a man suddenly discovered he’s scaled the ladder of success faster than he’d envisaged, what does he do when he gets to the top? Chuck his frumpy wife for a more sophisticated model, that’s what! And it happened to my mother—a stark illiterate, my father too couldn’t read or write.

But he was a fairly successful cocoa farmer and although we weren’t exactly rolling on the laps of luxury, we were the envy of our small town; talk about a big fish in a very small pond indeed! We at least had the benefit of a good education.

‘My father had been on the war-path with the leadership of the local Pentecostal church we attended. He disagreed with the procedure used for raising money and how the money was spent.

Things finally got to a head and he broke away to found his own church. A chunk of the congregation from the former church went with him and in a couple of years; his church had ballooned into something he himself never envisaged. As donations kept on pouring in frortt far and wide he built a mini estate, installed my mother and her children (four of us) in one of the charlets, then got married to a school changed for the better. He certificate holder and made took care of all my financial her his main wife. His excuse needs and was almost 20 was that he needed an years older than I was. It is educated ally to go through amazing what some women the books of the church and put up with for money. This welcome visitors. I don’t man was fat and flabby. want to go through the rage Whenever he slept over and and resentment we from my I watched him, his mouth so mother’s side felt as we wide open I could see his witnessed this impostor missing teeth and fillings in parade herself as an some of the rest, snoring away intellectual. without a care in the world, I

Vanguard MARCH 30, 2013—19

It’s amazing what women would put up with for money!

felt really repulsed. He was definitely not a sight to light the fire in any virile woman’s loins, but he was kind and generous. Let’s face it, he was in his 50s afterall, and it must be quite exhausting making love to his wife, me and God knows who else,all the time! ‘ When he was retired and went into politics, I went with him to Abuja, the seat of power and through his contacts; I was able to land into the midst of the ‘heavies’.

I was eventually appointed a special adviser to a top politician. My first class ticket to the gravy train! In the meantime, I’d reverted to my maiden name while my

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ex-husband had remarried twice! But now that I was an ‘important’ government official, I quickly changed back to my matrimonial name.My ex had by now burnt his fingers in his business and was always

on as before. It was an added bonus that he not only knew my husband Ike, he’d given him a couple of contracts when he was in paid employment. Now my husband is a happy man. He drives the best of cars, wears designer clothes and shoes—

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y poor father didn’t know that he was the laughing stock of the congregation who sniggered at the clumsy speeches she always made, riddled with grammatical mistakes, whenever the church had public functions.

‘I was lucky to have a sharp brain and soon qualified as a lawyer. But I wasn’t lucky in my choice of a husband.

Eventually my marriage hit the rocks after five years and two children. The man I had my third child for wasn’t much better, but I was lucky to meet this influential projects director of a parastatal and my life

guessing that whenever he was out of town, my lover always sleeps over. I never bother to ask him what he too is always up to on his frequent ‘jaunts’.

‘I don’t have any idea of when this ‘second chance’ marriage would last, but Ike is the least of my problems.

He was a very violent and abusive man when we first got married. Now with so much affluence around him, he’s become a gentleman.

What we have really is an open marriage and as long as both of us don’t rock the boat

broke. So when I sold him the idea of our possible reunion because of the kids, he jumped at the chance!

He is no fool and his calculating brain must have told him that if he played his cards right, his poverty days were over!

‘He moved into my official quarters at Abuja and my lover was livid. I reassured him that my husband was the least of his problems and there was nothing stopping us from carrying

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and has his share of female admirers. That never bothers me— live and let live is my motto. Just a couple of months ago, he had to travel to the far East on one of our ‘projects’.

When he phoned, Lekan, my ‘benefactor’ was around and was actually in bed. I told my husband he was around on a visit to Abuja and would be leaving soon, did he want to have a word with him? It gives you a sort of power getting away with a murder like that!

My husband had no way of

know he’s as calculating as I am and we know we’re both using each other.

What we have really is an open marriage and as long as both of us don’t rock the boat, we’re bound to come up smelling roses ... once in a while, I remember my poor mum and how she suffered the humiliation of being relegated to the background because she didn’t have the financial clout to leave. Yet, her courage encouraged me to seize happiness wherever I could—using what I have— money, power and position — to get what I want...!)

Hugh Grant, the famous British international film star was once asked why he was so sure that women were attracted to money. His reply? “Be honest. Suppose you were unattached and some guys you adored were to walk through the door right now. If he could be cloned into one rich guy and one poor guy who were otherwise exactly the same and you were able to choose between the two, which one would you go for?” The same question should be put to men too, don’t you think?!

Skipping can help you keep hunger pangs at bay f you fancy yet another slice of cake, start skipping. And if you can’t stop craving that biscuit or packet of crisps, keep it going.

Grabbing a skipping rope is one of the best ways to curb your appetite if you are trying to slim down, a study has found.

Scientists—and most dieters too — already knew that physical activity of any kind can act as an appetite suppressant.

They decided to compare skipping and cycling to see which was best at keeping hunger at bay.

They found those who skipped for a few minutes were much less likely to snack than those who had ridden a

bike.

This is thought to be the first time scientists have demonstrated skipping’s powerful effect on hunger.

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ten minutes, followed by a fiveminute rest. After doing this three times they rested for two hours.

They repeated the exercise, this

Grabbing a skipping rope is one of the best ways to curb your appetite if you are trying to slim down

During the study,15 men in their mid20s were asked to fast for 12 hours.

They then took part in three separate trials.

One involved skipping with a rope for

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time using a static bicycle and, in the third test, did nothing but rest.

Throughout the experiments, the volunteers were asked how hungry they felt and had blood tests to

assess levels of hormones known to help control appetite.

The results, published in the journal, Appetite; showed the men were less hungry after skipping than cycling.

The researchers, from the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Waseda University in Japan, believe skipping works best because it is a weightbearing exercise, in which the muscles and joints bear repeated impact from hitting the ground.

The theory is that the rapid ‘up and down’ movement disturbs the gut and possibly interferes with the release of hormones that govern appetite.

20—SA TURD AY Vanguard 20—SATURD TURDA anguard, MARCH 30 30, 2013 08052201257 anyagafu@yahoo.com

Why women dump their men?

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hris had never imagined any woman would reject him for any reason. He was rich, handsome and had a sex appeal that women moon over. He has had the best women around and after playing the field, decided it was time to settle down. He met Alero who he considered his ideal woman and proposed after dating her for months. She accepted and the marriage preparations commenced.

But along the line, Alero began to have second thoughts. She realised that marrying Chris would mean not just losing her identity but much more. Chris had been trying to make her in his own image and after his likeness since they met and initially, she considered the whole idea funny but as the date for marriage drew near, she realised she couldn’t go ahead with it and not knowing how else to go about telling him, she chose the only option she could handle; she disappeared on her wedding day and left her man stranded on the altar!

Break-ups are heartbreaking for both men and women; still men and women

dump partners at times. There can be reasons or no reasons at all. Whatever it is, very fewer relationships are found to be ever sustaining and ever progressing. Women, many times, drop the relationships with obvious reasons. They are sensitive to the maximum and at the same time bold to the extreme.

As they do not forget trivial mistakes, never-forgivable actions can be ignored by them. The unpredictability of

women makes it harder to analyze the most common reasons for them dumping the men. Each woman approaches the relationships in a very much subjective way, thus what makes a serious enough reason for a woman to dump her man may seem ignorable by another.

Secondary affairs or multiple affairs of men constitute a reasonable cause for many women dumping their men.

Cheating or breaking trust is

unforgivable for many of them and when found that the man is dating with someone else too, they may avoid the man.

Another trust related reason is telling lies to them or pretending to be good. Many men try to continue I relationship by telling lies one after another to maintain trust between the two and also to cover up his relationships with other people or mistakes.

When men do not adhere to the promises or commitments, it is also considered as an act of distrust. Women do not generally tolerate a person who cannot be trusted.

When woman feels that the man is too much controlling or a control freak, they may possibly get away from the relationship. Some men are very authoritarian and demand total submissiveness from women. Such character is always hated as today; even women prefer self dignity and self sufficiency. Certain people do not let the woman to keep control of the money she earned.

Financial understanding and sharing is good, but if the man asks her to hand over the earnings to him and get from him as and when needed, is a possible reason for women dumping men.

Dominating over her personal life and sexuality is another reason for avoiding men by many women.

Relationship for women is not slavery or being conquered by men by all means. When she feels that she is being used by the man for self satisfaction, she may dump him off.

Irresponsible men are more likely to be dumped by women.

Many men in relationships just leave all the responsibilities to the woman and roam around without caring of the household responsibilities or financial requirements. Such men are always dumped of by women.

Responsibility just doesn’t mean providing all the material supplies to home and supporting the partner financially.

Being responsible on the health, emotions are essential.

When women feel they are not concerned or taken care of properly, they may get away from the relationship seeking a better partner.

Many women leave men when greater levels of independency are found in men. When they do not adhere to the promises and commitments, it is considered independency.

Women expect the partner to be worth depending in all the needs of life. When the partner feels that she cannot depend on the man for essential support when she needs it at various instances of life, she may dump the man and get into other relationships.

Many men establish unwanted set of rules and unnecessary regulations at home. This will make the women feeling as if in a prison, instead of in a relationship. When the freedom for expression and movement is questioned or regulated by the man, she may get frustrated with the relationship and think about leaving the person and get into another life.

My boyfriend has commitment phobia Ques: I’ve been with my boyfriend for two and a half years . The last year was very rocky with us splitting up a number of times. We still love each other and found it difficult to be apart, so decided a couple months ago to give the relationship a proper go, to try living together and save to buy a house and start a family .

He moved into my flat a month ago but his bags remain unpacked and we’ve argued a lot. When I try to make plans for the future and talk about looking at properties, mortgages, he is uninterested and gives me reasons why having kids is difficult and complicated.

I am 36 and he is 35. I really want to start a family and he wants kids but says he is not ready and that we have to build a house and he needs to change his career first. But he does nothing to make it happen. I already own my flat and think it’s possible for us to build a house together and have a baby, but feel like he is trying to fight me by coming out with negative excuses. He doesn’t like to talk about the future unless I push him since he is scared of commitment, he even admits to having commitment phobia.

It’s making me really unhappy. I never know on a day-to-day basis whether we’re making a go of it or not . I don’t sense any enthusiasm for our r e l a t i o n s h i p .

Should I stay with him and give him time to decide if he can commit? After over two years of this relationship, he should know if he’s ready to settle down or not but it just feels like massive pressure to him. Time is precious since I will be 37 this year and don’t want to ruin my chances of having a family.

Ans: When women hold off from marrying men, we call it independence.

When men hold off from marrying women, we call it fear of commitment.

Your boyfriend doesn’t feel right about the relationship. And neither do you.

But you have different ways of handling that discomfort. He seems to want to hold back, edge around things until he feels

more comfortable. You seem to want to push on ahead, and take comforting and committed actions.

Breaking up is a hard thing for both of you to do, as is working out where this discomfort comes from. But the discomfort is there - the on-and-off nature of your relationship confirms it!

My sense is that it’s going to take courage from one of you to change the dynamic of this relationship and really change it. Either one of you decides to break up, and completely commit to breaking up (i.e. no more contact at all, and move on), or one of you commit to doing your relationship in a different way, to make the relationship space more ‘comfortable’ for the other.

08121444610 *John, 47, male, from Edo State, Christian, based •Ikenna, 26, tall and fair, lives in in Lagos, needs a God-fearing lady of 23-35 for a Enugu and a graduate needs a mature serious relationship on 07061222055 lady from any part of Nigeria *Don Bee, 55,divorced, self-employed, wants to 08068817116 28-37 for a serious relationshipon 08074450030 meet a financially comfortable lady of 40-60 for a •Emmanuael,36, from Akwa-Ibom, •Fada, 33, from Calabar, wants a good woman love and business relationship that would benefit based in Lagos an employed from any part of the country aged 18-45 on the wto of us on 07056719966 lady who is well• Olawunmi,29, male, based in Lagos, behaved as his wife on wants a love relationshipwith a woman Do you have reactions to our stories or have you any experience you want to share 08109870454 on 08083329312 to share with our readers? Please e-mail,anyagafu2@gmail.com •Tasha, 23, fat, •Obinna, male, from Enugu, wants a beautiful, busty, from Do you want to be linked? lady of 20-28 for a marital relationship Delta State, needs a Neither Chioma Gabriel nor Saturday Vanguard has any relationship with anybody wanting to be linked. on 08103602490 relationship that can We have no agents anywhere and charge no fees.

We have no personal information of people who have •KC, 32, single,tall and handsome, been linked or want to be linked and therefore, are not answerable for disappointments or embarrassments lead to marriage on wants to hook up with a wealthy lady of some people may encounter in the process.

07058641454 C M Y K

SATURDAY

Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013—21

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t is not unheard of for one to purchase one’s final resting place while one is still living. Indeed, the death is big business.

I came across a story in which it was reported that in Ghana, people are snapping up tombs like hot cakes. And not just in private

DEATH: The booming business

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n these parts, death is taken as seriously as life;sometime even more so. Indeed, in Africa the style in which you bury your dead especially one’s parents is a measure of your stature as a man or woman of means, and is a testament to how well (or not) the dead have raised their children.

It’s a paradox. There are incidents told of how some individuals die in penury,completely ignored and neglected by relatives, only to be given a statesman’s burial! What is the point I say? Was the burial truly in honour of that person, or was it just another multi-million ego massaging event designed to ‘boost’ the social standing of the living?Perhaps that’s why people are not taking chances and are taking care of the business of the ‘here after’ personally.

There are incidents told of how some individuals die in penury,completely ignored and neglected by relatives, only to be given a statesman’s burial!

cemeteries and vaults but also in public burial spaces.

Ghana, it is reported, boasts of very well preserved public burial sites so the rich elite didn’t see anything wrong in burying their dead there —

unlike here, where our rich bourgeois engineer do anything to maintain that strict divide between rich and poor.

What made this story particularly interesting for me was how it went on to say that not only were these tomb

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spaces going really fast but that people were actually accessing loans offered by banks in Ghana who have devised ‘special loan packages’ for the funding of funerals. Wow! I would have thought that

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t’s the all too familiar pain nine out of 10 women suffer during their “time of the month.”

Aching pain in the abdomen, feeling of pressure in the abdomen, pain in the lower back, hips and inner thighs, nausea, and those frequent trips to the toilet are some of the torment women face monthly.

People have described how the pain feels in various ways, for me, I feel like someone is stabbing my womb repeatedly, and all my organs are about to fall out.

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enstrual pain is caused by contractions in the uterus.

Also adding to the discomfort is the lack of oxygen in the womb. What happens is— the blood vessels in the uterus are compressed by the contractions, which cuts off blood supply to the womb. So basically the body reads this lack of oxygen delivery as pain.

Dysmenorrheal is the medical term for pain with menstruation, and it generally falls into two camps.

P r i m a r y dysmenorrheal is the common menstrual pains that are recurrent and not due to other diseases. The pain usually starts a day or two before bleeding starts, and can last from anywhere between 12 to 72 hours.

Primary dysmenorrheal usually subsides with age, and childbirth.

Nine out of 10 women suffer C M Y K

Menstrual pain or something more? period pains that is sometimes crippling—but many say their problem is dismissed. Former beauty queen Nike Osinowo made headlines during the week while discussing her battle of 30 years with severe period pains. In an interview with Vanguard she revealed that she lived with the pain for many years before being diagnosed with Endometriosis.

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re we inferring that we are raising children that we do not trust to do right by us? Or is the loan meant to ease their burden? What if the one who acquired the loan dies before offsetting it, who carries the can?

As absurd as it is to me though, you have to admit that it is a brilliant business plan.

Recognise the aspirational desires of a people, provide the service, and what’s more provide the means to avail yourself of that service… brilliant! I have no concrete proof but I’m willing to bet good money that it was a Nigerian!

condition where the lining of the uterus grows into the muscle of the uterus, and the usual suspect; Uterine fibroids: growths on the inner wall of the uterus.

Severe period pain could also be a symptom of an infection such as PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease), an infection caused by bacteria that starts in the uterus and can spread to other reproductive organs.

The only way to know if your menstrual cramps are normal is by contacting your health care provider early. All women experience some form of pain or discomfort during their period, but severe pain could be warning signs of potential infertility issues.

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shinowo explained “Living with endometriosis is a challenge. When you see your doctor, your doctor just tries to treat the symptoms and assumes the pain revolves around your menstrual cycle. But this is not so. This pain affects every single aspect of your life.” This revelation left some women startled going ENDO-WHAT?!

Often times, women suffer from the excruciating pain of endometriosis but are not even aware of the condition due to gross misinformation so they simply dismiss it as severe menstrual pain. Ms.

a loan was better acquired to finance the business of living as opposed the business of dying. No be who don chop belle full, change remain na imdey think of buying sleeping space for eternity. I strongly believe that if you have to borrow money to buy a burial spot then you are not yet ready for one. Unless its pay as you go and you start paying it from when you are in your 20s then that’s a plan. Then what happened to the practice of giving our children the privilege (?) of burying us?

•severe menstrual pain...

Oshinowo’s brave interview about her struggles with the disease spurred me to do some research and I found that Endometriosis is a form of Secondary dysmenorrheal, which is severe menstrual pain caused by a disorder in a woman’s reproductive organs.

Endometriosis: is a condition where cells that normally line the uterus are found at other sites of the body—usually the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

Some other forms of secondary dysmenorrheal include: Adenomyosis: a

t’s widely unpopular, and it could be frowned upon to request a doctor’s appointment over menstrual cramps, but a simple pelvic exam is all you need and you will be on your way.

Generally both primary and secondary menstrual cramps can be treated so it’s important to get checked early.

There’s no surefire way to relieve period pains as I have found over the years that what works for some women absolutely aggravates other women’s pains. Recently a friend of mine suggested that I drink some cranberry juice, but that would have kept me in bed an extra day. So whether you are experiencing mild or severe pain only your doctor can help manage the pain effectively.

22—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013 intimacy life is growing dry, try to discuss each other and bring variety in the act. The mindset of men is much different from that of women. A typical woman may satisfy herself with the action and possibilities men suggests. But men can get bored soon with the same type love-making every day.

Changes in speed, position and pressure will make him feel variety. There are no unrestricted areas in sexuality. It is a misconception that the bedroom is the only platform for love-making. It is equally a misconception that lovemaking is all about sex. Love-making could be snuggling up and just listening to each other’s breathing, hugging, kissing or just lying down next to each other.

What men look for in love-making S

exuality is not defined the same for men and women. As the hormones differ, as the genetic elements differ, sexuality too differs for both men and women. Both partners look for satisfaction in every love-making but the ways men prefer to reach the peak are very much different from that of women.

Men, of course, live in a dissimilar realm of fantasy and carvings when it comes to lovemaking. The reason for disgruntled sexual lives, most often, is the lack of understanding and unshared desires among the couple. Sharing the wishes and passions about sexual activities can resold the issues a larger extent and render happy and satisfied bed hours to each couple.

Self turn on It is a biological or psychological fact that man turns himself on much faster than a woman does. Male genetic

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mechanism turns on itself when it comes to sexuality but female sexual drives need a bit of time and efforts from the male counterpart to activate.

This slow revved process is not liked by many men. It is a fact that a large group of men like women who turn on themselves on bed; also women who take initiative themselves are liked all the more by men.

Men look for more fun Lovemaking is no more just the activity of procreation for men. They look for more fun and maximum possible pleasure and satisfaction in the activity. Certain positions and certain practices are wished by every man while making love. Exploring varieties is loved by men. The only solution to find the funniest and satisfying ways is to talk on sexual interests and desires.

Women fantasize too but men want to actualize the fantasies.

XPERT E S E H T K AS

am 42 and my wife is 35. We have a seven-yearold son. Although I get aroused quickly, I lose my erection in no time. To overcome this problem, I consulted a doctor who suggested that I take Duralast tablet two hours before intercourse. This works for me. However, sometimes, I don’t get two hours of notice since intimacy depends on my fickle-minded wife’s mood. I indulge in a lot of foreplay to satisfy her. She also has an ovarian cyst problem and complains of severe pain when we make love. She asks me to proceed slowly when ever I’m set and hurry through it. Due to this, I don’t feel satisfied. I always use a condom. I want to have more intimacy than once, usually, during the weekend. Please advice me on how to go about this.

I presume her gynaecologist has suggested some treatment for her problem. Try other positions to discover the one that is comfortable for both. You can keep thrusting rapidly without going deep into her.

Doing so will not cause her pain. You can continue taking the tablet, which is meant to improve the duration and not the erection.

Men like to express it all Suppressing the sexual wishes is not the manly way of sexuality. They want it to be talked out. Psychologists reveal the fact that men always love to be guided in lovemaking. If the female counterpart can guide him through the action, expressing the pleasing ways to her, men achieve the highest peaks.

Many couple becomes failure on bed as they hesitate to express themselves or talk the sexual passions, being afraid of the reaction of the partner.

Talking, discussing, and expressing the loved positions, desired practices and wished ways help men to fulfill his needs in the most satisfactory way.

Variety makes him conciliated Men always look for variety in sexuality. The routine lovemaking with the same emotion, same position and same mood will make him ruin the spirit of the action. When you feel that your

I am a 30-year-old single man. My neighbour is a married woman and is very hot. She dries her clothes on a railing between our apartments. I saw her underwear drying on the railing and could not control myself. While I was stealing the underwear, she caught me. She has complained to her husband, who is now threatening to lodge a police complaint.

But he cannot get me arrested for fantasising about his wife because my fantasies are mine. How do I deal with the husband?

Stop thinking about her underwear. Meet the husband and apologise to him. Tell him you do not know what made you act the way and promise never to do it again. Stealing is not fantasy.

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y wife is 42 years old. Four months ago,

she underwent surgery to remove her uterus. The doctor conducted an open surgery because the size of the fibroid was larger than detected in the sonography. Her bladder was injured in the process. The catheter and stents have now been removed. When can we resume having sex? We have tried twice but realised that her vagina was dry. Also, when can she drink

alcohol again?

Please consult the operating surgeon. She can resume her normal life, including consuming alcohol. For the

Let him dominate Most men do not tolerate women dominating over them, at least, in sexuality. Though, he likes getting guided and expressed of the counterpart’s desires, he wants to be the boss of the action always. Sexuality is a realm where men seek fulfillment of his fantasies, ambitions and passions in the way he likes it.

Though many men compromise on this part considering the partner ’s desires, if surrendered to his domination, he will enjoy sexuality more fruitfully.

Let him feel emotional peaks It is the emotional heights that satisfy him more than physical climaxes. Though love-making is incomplete with a physical climax for men, emotional elements will make him more involved the act. Massages, talks, various etc, will make him more satisfied. If men feel that each of his action is loved and enjoyed by the partner, he may grow more active in the action of love-making.

Let him get the hint that you enjoy the actions by talking or through physical gestures. This will make him more emotionally satisfied. Sex, basically, is the act of sharing your love and emotions; thus expressing and exploring it in the maximum possible ways will make the action ever fresh and satisfying.

dryness, increase foreplay and use saliva or oil as lubricant.

I

am a 37-year-old man married for eight

years. I used to be bisexual in my late 20s.

Then, I consulted a doctor who gave me Ayurvedic medicines to cure bisexuality. Initially the medicines helped, but later I reached a stage where my sexual desire became neutral .I was neither attracted to men nor women.

The doctor gave up on me. I went to another doctor who told me no medicine can treat homosexuality. He took me through counselling sessions, but I got the feeling that he was trying to make some fast money. So I stopped going to him. As of today, I continue to be with my wife but it is almost impossible to avoid male attraction. Divorce is not an option for me. What do I do?

Looks like I must also give up. It is obvious that your homosexual thoughts are bothering you. If that stimulates you, you can fantasise about it to arouse yourself during intercourse with your wife. Also, visit a sexpert and undergo tests for sugar, testosterone, thyroid and prolactin. After checking the reports, the doctor will be able to ascertain the reason for your disinterest in

sex.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013—23

08111813025

I am an apostle of no salt, sugar and milk —

Uranta ”I have narrowed my life to healthy foods and now an ‘Apostle’ of no salt, sugar and milk.” This is a quote from 59 -year old Tony Uranta. He is our guest in this edition of Celebrity Tummy Talk as he speaks on his healthy lifestyle and why Africans should desist from excessive in-take of salt, sugar and oil. Enjoy it How is your food in-take like? do not take salt due to the peculiarity of my health. And the passion I had developed on healthy living is so much that I am employing everyone to cultivate the habit of cutting down on excessive intake of salt right from childhood.

I have extended the same to my family members especially my daughter, even though, it has been challenging. She might take salt whenever I am not around her. I have stopped taking oil especially high cholesterol oil,except for olive oil and in our setting, it is not possible to cook soup “Obe Ota” with olive oil. For now, I know the type of food that is good for me.

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One thing to be taken into consideration by all Africans is the need to stop the consumption of milk. As a black man, our system is not built up to absorb milk,except for the Arabs and the whites who have the bacterial to break down lactose. We all take milk and all the milk accumulate in our systems and those deposits become toxic and they form different types of cancers and other diseases in our body.

No culture drink milk. Children only drink milk while they were babies. For that season, every human being has the lactose to break down bacteria. But, once you have passed that age range (between one and eighteen months), the black children lose that ability to break down lactose.

And I can tell you categorically that most of the diseases could be traced to milk consumption. I remember that

when late Ransome Kuti was made the Minister of Health, his first speech was aimed at reduction of milk consumption in Nigerians”. But, the systems prevented him from achieving the said goal. Right now, I am now a no-sugar, no-salt and no-milk apostle. I take just a little oil, plenty water, fruits, vegetables person and I balance it up with plenty of e x e r c i s e How was your diet while growing up?

It was the opposite of all I had mentioned. I was used to eating amala with gbegiri and ewedu soup. But, I don’t like eating amala prepared in hotels. If I wanted to eat amala, it must be in a local restaurant, “mama put”. I believe something was added to the flavour of the food.

Even in my house, it was always war whenever I send for someone to buy amala from local restaurant instead of eating the one prepared by my wife.

Occasionally, I order amala with all the oil and eat it so I can have pleasure. But I have learnt that everything must be in moderation. I have stopped those things now. I am happy also that I stopped drinking and smoking as a result of the epiphany I had in 2004.That epiphany made me abstain from lots of addictions.

How often do you exercise?

I would have loved to say everyday and regularly, but it has been challenging.

Although, I have a mini gym in my room, I am either too tired or busy to do exercise sometimes.

Uranta...I have stopped taking oil especially high cholesterol oil

Today's Menu

E

dikang Ikong soup is a popular dish eaten mostly across Nigeria especially in Calabar, Cross River State. It is nice when it is accompanied with swallows including eba, Semovita,

Spice up your Easter with Edikang Ikong Soup Akpu and pounded yam.

Recipes

Pumpkin leaves Water leaves Beef, Kanda and dry fish Pepper, salt and crayfish

Easter fiesta

Even a lovely cake will do. Just a lovely and delicious cake for you and your family will make a difference this Easter season. Sweet cakes can strenghten the love that exists in the family. Try it, you will see the different.

Health Tips

How to add fruits to your lifestyle

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Fruits

lways have a bowl of fruit in your house, making it easy to snack on or to grab a fruit on your way out. Buying fruits that are in season are usually the most affordable and the most delicious. Avoid buying canned fruits that are stored in syrup. Try to eat mostly whole or fresh cut-up fruit. Don’t consume too many fruit juices, especially sugary ones. Always keep bags of oranges and grapefruits. Make fresh juice your daily routine.Experimenting different fruits choices for different nutrients. Fruits that are

high in potassium are great choices.

Fruits that are high in potassium include bananas, dried peaches and apricots, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, oranges and prunes. Top your breakfast cereal with cut-up fruits such as bananas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apricots or peaches. Apples or pears can also be a wonderful dessert. Use fruit salad as snack in your refrigerator at home or at the office.

palm oil, periwinkle, onions, seasonings

Preparations

Wash and cut the pumpkin and water leaves into tiny pieces.

Put them in separate seaves to drain out all the water as much as possible.

Cut the Kanda/Shaki into small pieces. Cook the beef, kanda and the dry fish with the two bulbs of diced onions and the seasonings with as little quantity of water as possible. Allow the meat to cook. When the meat is done, add plenty palm oil, the crayfish and pepper and leave to boil for about 10 minutes.

Do not add water to the soup. Add the periwinkle and water leaves and leave to cook for another 5 minutes. Now add the pumpkin leaves and salt to taste.Stir the contents of the pot very well and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and leave to stand for about 5 minutes.

24—Vanguard, SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 2013

Fans blast 2face’s Dubai wedding

Liz-B shines on a solo comeback

BY ESTHER ONYEGBULA

O

laiya Bimpe, better known as LIZ - B has made a commanding solo début in the urban contemporary Afro Pop genre of the Nigeria music industry.

The Lagos born singer and songwriter who draws inspiration from the likes of Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Whitney Houston, Asa among others is currently enjoying accolades following the rate at which her debut single, “Been Around The World” has received robust airplay in te radio and television stations across the country. LIZ-B who began her music career as a member of the group PJE in the early 2000, later teamed up with the Afro Hip Hop World Group featuring the likes of

Ruff Rugged & Raw, Azeezat, Tony Tetuila, Rough Neck, 2Phat and Zaaki Azay amongst others before she decided to establish a solo career.

Her debut single “Been Around The World” produced by one of Nigeria’s finest mixer “Indomix” was released with a viral video to buttress on the ornament of the song’s fabulous lyrics.

Liz –B, the Olabisi Onabanjo University graduate of Marketing singer is signed to JL Wise Music, a record label owned by the amiable entrepreneur “Israel Onashile” and, focused primarily on promoting afro hip hop and urban music. Watch out Liz- B follow up single featuring the street favourite star “Olamide” aka Baddo.

2Smart set to drop singles M

artins Kolamotoro, a.k.a , 2smart is one of the artistes to watch this year as the young scintillating singer is on the verge of landing fully into the Nigerian music industry with his debunt singles. The talented singer has planned a very big package for his fans this Easter

with a release of his two singles, “taken over” and “out of control”. The songs though it has been enjoying massive airplays, will officially be lunched in Easter. Martin said that he is looking forward of being like, Big Show, Tuface, D’banj, and P’square among others, who are his role models.

I

t is no longer news that Nigeria’s pop singer, 2face Idibia walked down the aisle with his wife, Annie last weekend in Dubai.

Rather, what is news is the manner in which fans have been blasting the singer via the social media.

The singer who has set the lead for some of his male colleagues in the industry is not really finding it easy with the way his fans are blasting him. They accused him of been stingy as he carried their jellof rice to an Arab country. The fans also told 2face to be ready to create a market for any album he is going to drop henceforth in Dubai.

Olu Maintain bounces back with “Chosen One” F

or music lovers especially, reggae music lovers, Olu Maintain is a house hold name in the industry. The talented singer who shot himself to limelight with his much played hit song, “Yahoozee” knows his onions as far as reggae music is concerned in Nigeria.

The United States based singer, Olu, who won the 2012 NMVA

best reggae artiste, is set to give his fans a welcome back with a blockbuster single titled, “Choosen One”. “My fans should wait and watch out for my new single, which will be released later this year. The 10-track album is a full dosage of fun. And the acronym “Chosen One” represents each track in the album that’s why it is awesome,” he said.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013—25

Stories by IYABO AINA

Kim Kardashian replies fake Nigerian tweet

•Ush

er

•plans to take over hospital floor for birth

I

N response to tweets that went viral earlier in the week, that American reality TV star, Kim Kardashian who visited Nigeria last months for Darey Art Alade’s concert, called Nigerian women apes, Kim has denied tweeting such.

Probably disturbed by how negatively Nigerians including 2shotz reacted to the fake tweet, Kim took to

Twitter to express her mind, saying she would never have said such a thing about Nigeria.

“I see there’s a photo shopped tweet floating around, supposedly something I said about Nigeria. That was NOT me, or my feelings,”her first tweet read.

Few minuites later, she came online again and tweeted, “that fake tweet is very disturbing &

Justin Bieber goes from shirtless , to reckless driving

J

USTIN Bieber appears to be going into free-fall, to Lindsay Lohan style . Recently , he decided to walk shirtless through a Polish airport in minus 10 degree temperatures before immediately getting into a confrontation with a neighbor upon his return to California.

According to report Bieber has been driving at speeds approaching 100mph in his quiet neighborhood, endangering children and dogs. A man confronted him , saying he was driving “unbelievably recklessly” in his Ferrari through the gated community in Calabasas. The man whose primary hobby is racing cars told cops he was upset because Bieber had been burning rubber around the neighborhood before 9am, while his wife was out walking the dog.

He also says there were plenty of kids out playing in the street because of the spring break and that Justin was putting the entire neighborhood at risk. The

singer ’s security team had claimed the man was upset at parties thrown at his house while he was in Europe .

L.A. County Sheriff ’s spokesperson Steve Whitmore says the accuser told deputies Justin made physical contact with him during the heated argument and has subsequently filed a battery report.

•Justin Bieber

I would NEVER EVER tweet something like that”.

It would be that a fake Kim took to social network, Twitter, where she tweeted “Nigeria is such a disgusting country. I couldn’t wait to leave. lol Scott said their women look like apes and I agree’ ”. No sooner that it hit the airwaves than Nigerians like 2shotz blasted her in return but the real Kim was way too smart as she quickly made things right.

Meanwhile The 32-year-old sexy reality star is expecting her first child with boyfriend Kanye West in July and she wants her baby’s first moments to be ‘’idyllic’’, so she has booked a whole floor to herself at her chosen facility for when she goes into labour.

An insider said ‘’Kim’s taking the preparations for childbirth very seriously. She wants everything to be perfect and, luckily for her, money is no object.’’ ‘’Kim’s been reading about how monumental the first few moments of a baby’s life are and wants her child’s entry to the world to be idyllic.

‘They’ve booked an entire floor at their chosen hospital and her room will be totally sound-proofed before the delivery.’’

Also the raven-haired beauty will create a relaxing ambiance with blue, green and purple lighting, in addition to calming music, to help keep her calm.

The source added: ‘’She wants all outside influences and noise of traffic muted. ‘’Kim’s read that mood lighting and atmosphere are important, so she plans to reflect the sounds of nature with a trickling water and soothing wind CD.’’

e r u t c i P

k e e w e h t of

Usher

U

sher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978 in Dallas, Texas), known simply as Usher, is a Grammy Award winning American R&B singersongwriter, producer and actor. He rose to fame in the late 90s, releasing the multiplatinum albums My Way and 8701. His success continued with the release of his 2004 album, Confessions, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, and earned Usher four American Music Awards and eight Grammy nominations.

26—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013—27

How to vote Simply text the name of your choice: Sexiest Man and Woman to 08052201215 or 08052201257.You may vote as many times as you want. Voting shall be published every Saturday in Saturday Vanguard.

Sexy Faces of Nollywood

By Ayo Onikoyi

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he nomination process continues for another week to accommodate showcasing more faces in Nollywood. We have showcased the new faces in Nollywood for the first two weeks, now we continue with established names to make their entry into the game. Some of these names have made it into the last top ten in previous editions of Sexiest in

Nollywood. Those who have won before have been exempted to create room for others to come in and stand the chance of going all the way.

However, it is important to know that with the Vanguard coupon on this page, voters are likely to win more votes for their nominees Those Already Making Waves after two weeks of

voting Those who are making waves from last week nomination process include Uti Nwachukwu, Joseph Benjamin, Pope Odowondo, Benson Okonkwo, Anita Joseph, Tope Osoba, Queeneth Gilbert, Collete Orji, Chika Agatha, Sunkanmi Omobolanle, Damilola Adegbite, Maureen Cyril, Bobby Obodo, Amanda Ebeye,Cynthia Agholor, Ramsey Nouah, Tonto Dikeh, Stephanie Okereke, Ali Nuhu, Ebube Nwagbo, Yul Edochie and

starred in many notable Nollywood blockbusters.

Notable among her films are The Pastor and Harlot, When Love Dies, Angels Forever and many others.

Odunlade Adekola but the big question is: will they make it all the way?The final slot is for 25 men and 25 women. So keep voting to nominate!

(NAMA) and Ambassador of Peace of the Universal Federation of Peace (UFP), and the Youth Federation for World Peace.

Benita Nzeribe Benita Nzeribe is a popular face in Nollywood and her career has taken her places her colleagues only dream of. She is the face of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency

Bukky Wright Bukky Wright has been called the queen of Yoruba films, not only because of her beauty but also for her extraordinary talent she has earned her many awards.

Bukky is out with another blockbuster Yoruba film ‘Kani’ which is selling fast.

Cossy Orjiakor Cossy may be making more headlines for her musical talent than acting. But the diva is still a good actress who would pull through any role that comes her way.

She recently released her first album “Nutty Queen” which is rocking the airwaves.

Ejiro Okurame Ejiro cut her teeth in the industry through television soaps like Hills and Valleys, Everyday People, Clinic Matters and Ashes and Love. She has been around for close to ten years and has acted in movies like Last Order, My Joy My Sorrow among others.

Empress Njamah Empress shot into the Nollywood glare in 1995 and has since kept her groove going on since then. She has

Ernest Obi Ernest Obi is a household name in Nollywood. As an actor and film director, he has seen the good, the bad and the ugly sides of the film industry and life itself. He started acting back in the 80s, and was on cast of the popular soap ‘Fortune’ and he hasn’t taken off his hand in making movies since then.

Femi Brainard Femi’s call card into the industry was way back in 1997 and it was Tunji Bamishigbi’s soap ‘Palace’ that did it. Then he tested the waters of films through ‘Contractors’ and the rest as they say, is easy. The recently married actor now does more Yoruba-speaking films than English-speaking.

Femi Branch Femi Branch has been around for a while but he became a hit through playing the ‘bad boy ’ millionaire, Oscar Lord-Williams in Dominoes. some of his films are Married But Living Single, Smoke & Mirrors, After The Vow, Caught in the Middle,Twisted and a host of Yoruba films.

Kalu Ikeagwu Kalu joined the Nigerian movie in 2005 and made a debut with Emem Isong’s For Real, Darkest Night and Fragile Pain for which he was nominated for best upcoming actor at the 2006 AMAA. He has gone on to feature in numerous and memorable movies and television series, where he has shown his ability to play a wide range of characters.

Kunle Afolayan He is the son of the famous theater and film director and producer Ade Love. Since his active foray into the movie industry in 2005 Kunle has

only been greeted w i t h awards.

His latest f i l m s ‘Figurine’ and ‘Phone Swap’ have won many awards.

L i z z y Anjorin L i z Anjorin is one of the glamour g i r l s running the show in the Youba sector of the Industry. She hit stardom with her sterling role in ‘Iyawo Ojokan’ and she has seen featured in many high budget Yoruba films. Her work ‘Kofo Tinubu’ rocked the industry and won her several awards.

Mike Ezuruonye His first movie was titled ‘Broken Marriage’. He became a household name with the movie ‘Critical Decision’ which was not only a huge commercial success but also revealed his talent home and abroad. Though he started his professional career in December 2003, now he has over 80 movies to his credit.

Nse Ikpe-Etim Nse shook the movie world when she was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the African Movie Academy Awards in 2009. That was after her role in ‘Reloaded’, a film that shot her into super-star stardom. She has since done several hits. She got married recently to Clifford Sule Queen Nwokoye She came into the industry in 2004 and her first movie was a comedy titled ‘Nna Meen’. She has featured in over ninety Movies which includes: Evil Queen, Heart of a slave, Millionaires widow ,Ladies men, Hurricane babes, Hottest boys and many

others.

Ronke Odusanya Known simply as Flakky Ididowo for her role in the movie ‘Ididiwo’ some years back. She relaunched her image again in the awardwinning movie ‘Jenifa’ playing Beccky. She has since starred in many movies.

Rykardo Agbor Rykardo Agbor has been in Nollywood for close to 20 years. Despite being from Cross Rivers State, Rycardo, a model cum actor acts Yoruba films and also has a number of Englishspeaking ones on his enviable profile.

Uche Jombo Multiple award-winning actress/producer and Glo Ambassador has got so much to flaunt as an accomplished actress. The actress who recently married a Puerto Rican, Kenney Rodriguez, premiered her latest work ‘My Life My Damage’.

Kelvin Ikedugba Kelvin has been called the bad boy of Nollywood because of his natural affinity for the “Bad Boy” roles which he interprets with smugness and ease.

28 — Vanguard, SARTURDAY, MARCH 30, 2013

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olette Orji came into the industry a few years ago but already she has a profile that would bedazzle any producer. Beautiful, talented and sexy but most people who have met Colette keep talking about her magnetic backside which tends to sing a song many could not help but follow.She has several claims to stardom and they include “Strength of a Woman”, “Blue Blood”, “Raindrop”, “Two Can Play That Game”, “Amaka Mustapha” and a host of others. In this interview with Showtime, the Enugu and Abuja based Thespian talked about growing up in Cameroon, her career and opened a can of worms on the happenings in the movie industry. Enjoy: Who’s Colette Orji and where is she coming from?

I am Colette Nkem Orji. Precisely from Orumba North Local Government in Anambra State. I was born in Cameroon, based in Cameroon, studied in Cameroon. Colette is a focused kind of person, very intelligent and very respectful.

What do you remember most about your childhood in Cameroon?

It wasn’t even childhood, I was in Cameroon till I was 20 years old. I think I had it all in Cameroon.

What was it like growing up there and your childhood fantasies?

Well, growing up, I was always thinking I was going to become a pilot.

We are six in my family: five boys and I am the last and the only girl. So my childhood revolved around them and I always thought I was one of them.

Whatever they did I did. When they wore blue jeans I wore my own too. When they rolled up their trousers I rolled up my own too. I think I was a boy for so long in my life. It’s not more than eight years ago I became a girl.

When did you come back to Nigeria and why?

My parents relocated back to Nigeria.

At the time I was doing my final year in school. My dad was in Cameroon for close to 30 years but sometimes we came down to Nigeria once or twice a year.

When we moved down, my brothers moved to the United Kingdom. So, I was the only one down here. I came for holiday in Nigeria in 2002 and I moved down permanently in 2003 and got direct admission into UNN. Being in Nigeria, what missing about living in Cameroon?

are you

I missed a lot. I missed that place I really knew with all the people I knew around me. That early childhood thing that comes with you. And at the same time, I might say I am not missing much because all my friends back then have all left the city we were. Most of them have also moved on. 80% of my friends are now in Europe. 5% is even here in Nigeria and other percentage are spread across other cities of the world.

So, even if I go back to Cameroon it can never be the same again.

How did you find your way into acting?

Let me say I was a star of a sort in Cameroon because I was always on top of everything I did back then. As a child, from Primary school, I represented the school in handball. When there was a quiz, I was the one to present the school as well. In swimming and virtually everything, it was Colette Orji that led the way. When I moved to Secondary school the same trend continued.

In church I did a drama series where I played the role of a Reverend Sister, that was like one of the biggest church activities for a very long time and everyone took to calling me ‘Colette, the Reverend Sister because I interpreted the role so well.

There in Cameroon we would pick up Nigerian films, the few ones we could get, and gathered in our numbers to watch the films and with so much excitements. We knew all the Nigerian actors by either their names or their stage names. Like Pete Edochie, we knew him as Don Pedro. So, you could imagine the whole of Cameroon calling him ‘Don Pedro’. So it became a burning desire in me that when I get to Nigeria I must act.

Fortunately, when I got to Nigeria I went to Enugu in my aunt’s place and there she was, having dinner with an actress, Aunty Stella Oku Egbu. When I saw her I was so overjoyed and could not contained myself. I shouted and screamed even my aunt was taken aback with my show of emotion. Before she left I made her promise to take me where they were having an audition.

Fortunately too, it just happened they were having one the next day and she invited me to come along.

Before 6am I was in her house and she said “Colette, it is by 8am” and I said she should not worry that I would wait.

She took me to the audition ground and had me registered.

That same day, I was given a character

You just can’t go through the industry without being sexually harassed — Colette Orji

to play. They just gave me a role to read and when you give someone like Colette Orji a chance like that I take over. I simply took over the stage. By the time I was done reading my script everyone was clapping and they gave me the role just like that. The next day I was on set filming.

Though it was a bit role of four scenes in “Two Aside” but that gave me the confidence I needed. The movie was directed by Afam Okereke and produced

by Great Movies. I guess I was so impressive they gave me a script for another role immediately.

When was your first major role?

My first major role took time. My first film was in 2004 and I didn’t get my major role until 2008 but that was partly due to my going back to school full time.

So, when I came back to the industry in 2008 immediately I got my first major role. In fact I got 3 scripts because the films I had done spoke for me. My first major role was in “Hidden Treasures” and since then I think I have done 16 or more major roles.

So, how would you compare taking up the small roles to taking up the major roles?

You are so sure you are ready but despite all the trainings and the groomings you still find out you are not ready for the big ones. Fortunately for me, there was a film I did, an OJ Production “Bad Blood” directed by Tchidi Tchikere. In that movie two characters were involved. Ini Edo, who was playing the lead role was supposed to be a twin: Juliet and Colette. So,

they said they needed someone to play backstage, so when she was playing Juliet the other person would be playing Colette. Because the character’s name was my name they called me from school to come and pick up the role.

That was the biggest training I ever had in Nollywood because I was playing a m a j o r character,

I was doing everything but I was behind the camera but I had to act like I was actually the person in the movie. That movie brought Ini and I together. It was a great movie and it opened doors for me.

Since 2008 till now, would you say acting has been good to you?

Oh, it has been so wonderful and sweet. It’s something you are actually enjoying. It’s something that brings fame and creates some pathways for you. Like now, I own a fashion shop and I am about to launch my own magazine and NGO. Since I am not a type of person who works and have to settle anyone back home in my family, all I have to do is reach out to the society to help the needy.

I have got cars from acting, so, I can say it has been good.

So, at what point did you realise you have arrived as an actress?

,

By AYO ONIKOYI

Vanguard, SARTURDAY, MARCH 30, 2013 — 29

The industry is in a chaotic situation. I cannot even discuss some of the things going on now. It’s sinful, it’s sin at its highest order

,

I think it was that same 2008, that was when I came out of school, Enugu, IST, where I read C h e m i c a l Engineering. When I finished school, movies have moved from Enugu to Asaba. I was never in Asaba and it occurred to me that now that I am out of school if I have to go to Asaba it means I have to get a place in Asaba.

Fortunately, I called Tchidi and he said there was a character he needed me to fill up and I had to travel to Asaba. He put me in a hotel but after I finished that film the owner of the next film I got said he could not put me in a hotel because they could not pay the hotel bills.

Immediately, I called my mum and brothers and told them I needed to rent a house in Asaba. They sent me like N150,000 and right away I got a house.

Immediately I got the house, everybody was just giving me one script to the next because they realised they would not pay hotel bills for me. That’s the industry for you. The industry takes advantage of you. Since I had the house, the jobs

were coming. I moved to Asaba in September of 2008 and in 3 months I knew I was taking over. Guys and girls coming to Asaba would call me on phone and asked to stay in my house.

Sometimes, we got to about 18 in number in the house and nobody minded where anybody slept. Then in the morning everybody was going to shot one film or the other. My house was like a hostel. It was fun.

There’s always this issue of sexual harassment in the industry. Have you ever encountered such?

I think the answer to that is yes. If somebody tells you they have never faced sexual harassment in the industry, it is either they are lying or they don’t want to open up to the press because you guys may blow it out of proportion. You just can’t go through the industry without being sexually harassed.

Nobody really comes to you to harass you but there are things you would realise you are not getting because you are not willing to play some balls. Like me, nobody pushed me around but you know this thing would be like this if you do like that. So, if you are like, I don’t want to do like this, take it and go or you are like, lets do it and see how it goes.

I’m telling you the truth. It is there.

Right now as I am speaking to you, I’m praying for those coming into the industry. It’s five times worse than what it was. The industry is in a chaotic situation. I cannot even discuss some of the things going on now. It’s sinful, it’s sin at its highest order.

Just how chaotic is it?

What is happening now is that marketers don’t even pay them any more.

What you have to do now is probably go and screw some rich guys to get money to come and pay the marketer to feature in their films. During that time, you feed yourself, pay your own hotel bills and even costume yourself.

Before I came to Nollywood I wasn’t aware of all these things. I was very young, I didn’t know that kind of thing could be happening. But now the girls coming in know that shit happens and they are prepared for shit before coming in. Already they have the mindset for it and maybe that’s cool but for me I didn’t know.

So, have you dated anyone in the industry?

Yes, I have had a relationship within the industry Can we know the person?

No. I can’t tell you the name of the person but he is not an actor. He is a person who works behind the cameras.

So, what happened to the relationship?

He is a really big producer and at a time I thought I couldn’t stand the competition any more. Everybody wanted him for different reasons. Sometimes we

would be together and his phone would beep and it was an alert that so and so have paid money into his account for a role in his upcoming movie. The girls were really doing everything to get his attention. If he said he needed a Blackberry phone like 5 would just appear in no time.

It was too much for me. He would bring someone into a film we were about to shot and I knew for a fact that person paid him. It was too much and these people knew you knew and they would be fighting and attacking you at every chance they got. I had to let him go because everybody wanted him and they were ready to do anything to get him.

So, what would attract you to a man?

I love a man that respects a woman.

When I say a man that respects a woman I mean a man who isn’t too proud and too big to say simple things like “sorry”, “thank you” and “please”. It doesn’t really matter if he’s old, young, Black or White, Igbo or Yoruba. It’s like respect for women is gone these days, so if I can get a man that respect a woman, that’s okay for me.

Which role would you say has been your most challenging yet?

It was a movie by Mega Movie “War Against Tradition” it was sequel to “End of the War”. The movie took everything from me. The job started like 3 days before I came into it and it was during the period Nigerians and Ghanaians were having problems. I was in Abuja and the movie was in Asaba. The crew decamped from the job due to the problem. When they needed to continue most of the people originally cast were not there.

First, it was suppose to be Ini Edo it became me. Then from Van Vicker to Emeka Ike. Nonso Diobi and Olu Jacobs. There were so much problems with the film.

Did you ever have a crush on anybody before joining Nollywood?

I can’t call it a crush but I loved people like Empress Njamah, Kate Henshaw, you know those were the films we could get back in Cameroon.

Then, I love Liz B e n s o n , Omotola, S a n d r a Achums. We were growing up and I thought one day I would join these people.

What’s your idea of sex generally?

You know what the Bible and our parents taught us and also what actually is happening out there. If you want to listen to your parents or your Bible, you can wait till you get married. As for me, I don’t want to wait (laughing). Sex is something normal. If you know you are matured and ready and you can handle it then go ahead.

There was a time you and some friends visited an orphanage to donate some things. What was that all about and was it a project?

No, it wasn’t. I was in Abuja, early in the year, and I called up some friends and said we should do something for the less privileged people. Some said we should visit the sick in the hospital and some said we should visit a home, so, I said why don’t we do it in an organised manner. With some friends we organised tee-shirt and visited the homes.

Just two weeks ago I auctioned all my clothes I haven’t worn in 5 months and gave the proceeds all out on charity. Some of the girls who work with in my fashion house took it to a hospital and I didn’t even follow them instead I went for shooting of a movie. That’s me, I am always doing something for someone somewhere.

What do you think should improve about Nollywood?

I like what Uche Jombo and Stephanie Okereke are doing now. I think more people should embrace it. They are working on producing better films. Our President once said the movie industry is one of our biggest export and if this reflects the image of the country I think more investment should be driven into it.

I also believe Nollywood should do more films that are message-driven to improve the image of the country. It should not all be about money, movie production should be about quality, the message and the image of the country.

Vanguard, SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 2013 — 31

30 — Vanguard, SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 2012

Compiled By Oseji Ephraim

Anzhi to make Valdes highest paid in the world

Cech makes it 100 caps for Czech

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ETR CECH marked his 100th cap by keeping a clean sheet as Czech Republic coasted to a 3-0 win over Armenia.

Chelsea keeper Cech, his country’s second most-capped player behind ex-Manchester United midfielder Karel Poborsky on 118, was delighted to reach the milestone.

He said: “I’m only 30 years old, so 100 does not have to be the final number. I’m very proud to complete the century in an important game.”

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arcelona are set to sell the Spain in ternational this summer after he said he wouldn’t sign new deal - and price looks too high for Gunners Arsene Wenger is facing a major tugof-war over Victor Valdes - after big spending Anzhi Makhachkala offered to make him the highest-paid goalkeeper in the world.

Valdes, 31, is on Arsenal’s hit-list of summer targets after the Spain international insisted he will not sign a new contract at Barcelona. But that has also alerted Russian club Anzhi, who are offering him a staggering £160,000-a-week three-season deal more than Valdes could dream of getting at the Gunners. Barcelona are also demanding a £12million transfer fee. Arsenal want a new experienced No1, which is bad news for Wojciech Szczesny. Manager Wenger has serious money to spend and wants a keeper, a centrehalf, a central midfielder and a striker.

Liverpool to launch £12m to re-sign Xabi Alonso

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iverpool are to launch a £12m sum mer bid for Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso. Anfield boss Brendan Rodgers will receive the backing of his board to pursue the 31 year old despite such a signing not conforming to the club’s youthful transfer policy. The Merseyside club are under the impression that the former Liverpool player is open to the possibility of returning to the club after it became clear that he was not interested in signing a new Real Madrid deal.

Totti: Only Messi is better than me

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oma legend Francesco Totti says only Barcelona star Lionel Messi is better than him in world football.

The 36-year-old, who has been linked with a return to the Italian national team following his fine form this season, has admitted that the Argentine forward is on another level, but is adamant that nobody else is a cut above him.

Chelsea set to sign £12m rated Wilfried Bony

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helsea are apparently closing in on Eredivisie top scorer Wilfried Bony.

The West London side are ready to hijack West Ham’s move for the in-form Ivory Coast striker with Russian owner Roman Abramovich set to make the most of his connections with the Vitesse Arnhem board.

Apparently the Stamford Bridge see Bony as a replacement for Fernando Torres, who has steadfastly failed to come anywhere near justifying the £50m fee Chelsea paid Liverpool for his services.

Florentino shortlist candidates to succeed Mourinho

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eal Madrid directors are considering several top-line candidates to succeed Jose Mourinho at the end of the season. Mourinho’s visit to London and Chelsea has strengthened expectations of a return to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

Arsenal to cut losses as Galatasaray offer £12m for Gervinho A

rsenal are ready to cut their losses and accept a £12m offer from Turkish giants Galatasaray for Gunners attacker Gervinho.

The 25 year old cost the North London club £10.8m when they purchased him from Lille in the summer of 2011 and the Ivory Coast international has failed to make a consistent impact in Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven and so could well be considered a player worth cashing in on.

Galatasaray may be keen to bring Gervinho to Istanbul to

unite with fellow countrymen Didier Drogba and Emmanuel Eboue and may have been impressed by the Arsenal man’s performances at the 2013 African Nations Cup Finals, which were far more effective to the displays he has put in for his club side. Gervinho’s last Premier League start came in early December and his last top tier goal came way back in September and as such, a bid of this magnitude would surely be one Arsenal will readily consider.

Gervinho has scored a total of ten goals in 57 appearances for Arsenal.

Tottenham agree deal to sign Christian Eriksen A

jax starlet Christian Eriksen has reportedly already agreed a deal to join Tottenham. This source states that the much sought after Danish international will join the North London club but only if Andre Villas-Boas manages to secure a coveted Champions League berth.

21 year old attacking midfielder Eriksen has helped his Amsterdam side to back to back domestic titles but is thought to be ready to leave the Eredivisie side, with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool both said to be interested in the youngster.

Compiled By Oseji Ephraim

Liverpool to launch £10m plus player swap bid for ‘new Gerrard’ L

iverpool are ready to stepup their pursuit of Armenian international Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the coming weeks a n d Brendan Rodgers will look to beat other interested parties in his race to sign the 24 year old by offering a player plus cash deal for the Shakhtar Donestk midfielder.

Rodgers sees the highly rated goalscoring playmaker as a potential long term successor to Steven Gerrard with the Anfield boss looking to the talented Ukrain based player to help boost his sides midfield goal threat.

The Liverpool boss is set to offer £10m plus out of favour centre-back Martin Skrtel in his pursuit of Mkhitaryan, who has publicly stated his intention to leave Shakhtar Donestk this summer after three successful seasons at the Donbass Arena.

Mkhitaryan has been a tremendous success since his move to Shakhtar Donetsk and is set to clinch a third domestic title in his three seasons. His goal-scoring exploits from midfield are well known and he is currently the top scorer in the Ukrainian top tier and has netted 35 times in 90 appearances.

President P Obama offers LA Galaxy’s Donovan Air Force One

resident Barack Obama offered Landon Donovan a pathway to Mexico in order to resume his USA national team duties.

Back-to-back MLS champions LA Galaxy, with the returning Donovan in tow, visited the White House to be honoured by the US President and he swiftly presented arguably USA’s best player a ride in Air Force One to Mexico City for the World Cup qualifier against arch rivals Mexico.

“You wanna take Air Force One to Mexico City?” President Obama asked Donovan. “We can still make it. Just say the word.”

Donovan recently took some time away from the game to consider his future but will return to Galaxy training soon as the USA get set for their hexagonal meeting with El Tri at Estadio Azteca.

Super agent Mino Raiola Football is no longer a sport, but big business

W

elcome to the divisive -

yet lucrative -world of Mino Raiola, super agent.

The 45 year old was born in Agri, Italy, but his parents emigrated to Netherlands when he was still an infant, settling in Haarlem. It was in this Dutch municipality that Raiola was raised before taking the first steps to becoming one of the most influential agents in football.

Raiola negotiated a deal with the player’s union in Netherlands that enabled him to represent all of the country’s footballers.

His goal at this point was to establish a special working relationship with Napoli, “the club of my heart”. However, the deal collapsed. “I called the then Partenopei president, Corrado Ferlaino.

We started the collaboration. I offered him Dennis Bergkamp for 700 million lire. He hesitated. Two years later in 1993, he offered • 14 million, but I gave the player to Inter.”

With the Bergkamp deal, which also saw Wim Jonk join the Nerazzurri from Ajax, Raiola had established himself as a major player in Serie A, coming as it did a year after Bryan Roy ’s successful switch from Amsterdam to Foggia.

However, clubs were becoming increasingly concerned by his methods.

Raiola’s influence on players was also queried by Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson during his club’s ultimately futile attempts to persuade former midfielder Paul Pogba to remain at Old Trafford last year. “He [Pogba] has got an agent who’s obviously become a bit difficult ...

“I think that when a player decides to leave a team, he should leave,” he reasons. “I have never made compromises, I work exclusively in the interest of my client.

"The players are my fortune and I have a great responsibility towards them. He has memorably compared Pogba with a Salvador Dali painting and claimed that Ibrahimovic’s move to Paris SaintGermain has provided visitors to the French capital with something to see other than the Mona Lisa.

However, while he speaks eight languages (Italian, Dutch, French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and “of course Neapolitan”), he rather humbly puts his impressive linguistic capabilities down to “preparation, not intelligence”.

Whate ver it is, he is incredibly canny. He has cultivated a mutually beneficial relationship with Milan, as further evidenced by his masterminding of Mario Balotelli’s recent switch to San Siro, and he has also proven himself wonderfully adept at massaging the ego of his players, having told a teenage Balotelli that he would make him a three-time Ballon d’Or winner, while dismissing the same award as meaningless if it is never given to Ibrahimovic.

Such contradictions lie at the very heart of the role of agents in the modern game. Yes, the world of football would be a beautiful place if there were no agents, but it is a pipe dream, as football is no long-

er a sport, but big business.

32—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

C M Y K

SA TURD AY V anguard, MARCH 30, 2013—33 SATURD TURDA Vanguard,

34 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

Sean “Diddy” Combs tops hip-hop’s richest artistes list

K

anye and Jay-Z may be everywhere these days, but when it comes to raking in the big bucks, hip-hop mogul , Sean “Diddy” takes the cake.

With an estimated net worth of $580 million, Diddy ranks No. 1 on this year’s Forbes Five list of hip-hop’s wealthiest artistes. Thanks to savvy business deals from such non-musical ventures as Diageo’s Ciroc, the founder of Bad Boy records is sitting pretty According to Forbes, Diddy can brag more than anyone else.

Jay-Z came second on the list, with a net worth of $475 million, and Andre “Dr. Dre” Young ranks third with $350 million. Bryan “Birdman” Williams nabs the No. 4 spot, while Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson rounds off the top five at $125 million.

•Waje

Waje speaks on ‘Nude picture’

BY OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

F

ollowing the controversy surrounding the release of her ‘half-nude picture’ online, Waje has explained that the said picture was not only an abstract, but also, part of her new video concept.

She offered this explanation when

Showtime contacted her on her new video.

According to her, the video was a scene in her new single titled I Wish, released during the week.

“After being on set of the movie, Tunnel, I realized that our music videos are like movies painting the right picture and acting it. I Wish video is a lifeless theme and the song is a vulnerable song, and I tried to interprete it in that abstract nude picture with the broken mirrors. It’s me trying to interprete a woman’s vulnerability, xx ” she said.

Waje’s publicist, Ifeoma however refuted the rumour making the rounds that the singer went nude in the video, adding “It was all graphics.”

According to her, Waje was putting on clothes in the video as shot by Clarence Peters. “Waje didn’t go nude in that video. She was putting on her clothes with some jewelries. The trick was all Clarence Peters’ work who made her look as if she was naked. You would notice that the picture was dark and blur with just her face being the most visible,” she said.

•Sean Diddy

Golden Tulip brin young musicians gs old and together I

t will be an unrivalled gathering of some of Nigeria’s greatest musicians as Five Star Music and Golden Tulip hotel, Festac unveiled plans to host the first ever music festival in the city of Lagos.

The festival slated for April 20, is being organised to bridge the gap between the old and young musicians in the country.

Expected to adorn the stage at the festival include, King Sunny Ade, Onyeka Onwenu, Bongos Ikwue, Tuface Idibia, Flavour Nabania, Kcee, Ice Prince, Olamide, Pasuma Wonder. They will be greeted by over 7000 fans across Nigeria.

According to the General Manager of the hotel, Mr. Shousha Mohsen, “ We have set a simple goal.

That is to bring the biggest music stars in the country together for the best show in Nigeria. A show that the world can only see in Golden Tulip Festac, Lagos. The first of its kind in the Nigerian music industry, the Music Festival Lagos will

provide a platform where old generation musicians will share the stage with new ones, thereby creating an opportunity for recognition of ground works of these music legends by their generation artist.”

Adding, he said, “ With a strong desire to revive the cultural values surrounding the establishment of this iconic land mark, the management and owners of the hotel felt the need to encourage the unique talents of upcoming stars via the music festival.”

The audience, as part of the line-up for this event, will be treated to live performances, a w a r d presentation, comedy and red carpet a n d entertainment.

The festival however was the brainchild of Mr Shousha Mohsen, O b r i e n O b i n n a Ufondu and Kcee.

•Bongos

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013— 35

HOT FLASH! Wizkid laughs off rumour of re-uniting with Banky W

UNENDING FEUD IN MUSICIANS’ HOUSE

Dangaji b e i n g congratulated b y Murphy’s l e d fraction of PMAN

Dangaji warns Orits Williki, others to desist from disrupting peace in PMAN •Don’t mind them— Williki

By IYABO AINA

W

hen many thought that the crisis rocking the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) has ended with the recent unveiling of a 45-man committee, charged with interim administration of the union, by the Chris Mba led Peace Initiative, a fresh crisis has hit the association again.

Just last week, Ras Murphy Van Anthony-led fraction of PMAN organised a general election which produced music promoter, singer and artiste Manager, Oluremi Aminat Dangaji as the new president of the union. The exercise, according to reports, was held in Lagos, as part of the election calendar that was initially scheduled for Port Harcourt by the fraction.

A week before the election, members of the association’s Peace Initiative gathered at the popular O’jez Entertainment Center, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos to announce the names of 45-man committee, charged with interim administration of the union.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the Peace Initiative, Orits Wiliki, the committee has been structured to accommodate representatives of all the music genres in PMAN, the warring parties and members of the media among others.

However, addressing the press during the week, Dangaji warned the Peace Initiative to desist from disorganising legitimately elected officers of PMAN, adding that

whoever is aggrieved following her election as the president of PMAN should seek redress in the court of law.

In her 10 point agenda, Dangaji said, “ despite the distractions, her administration has resolved to carry all members of the union along, irrespective of sex, religion and political affiliation in implementing its

programmes. “ It is our resolve to immediately set up an Anti-Piracy committee headed by an able chairman to articulate the frustrating issues of piracy within the industry. This has been the greatest impediments to the success by all PMAN members....”

Meanwhile reacting to this development, Wiliki frowned at the brewing crisis, saying ,“ Don’t mind them.” The Peace Initiative however, inaugurated the 45 man committee last Thursday.

BY OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

E

arlier in the week, the internet was awash with rumour that rave of the moment, Wizkid might be returning to his former boss and E.M.E label owner, Banky W. But from all indications, the superstar is ever determined to take his destiny into his hands.

Wizkid seems to be comfortable with being his own boss as he basks in the euphoria of his new baby label, Starboi.

Going by his tweet after micro bloggers peddled the rumour that he’s considering the possibility of returning to Banky W, Wizkid sounded indifference.

“I wonder where these bloggers get their stories from...lol,” he tweeted.

Surely, the lad is not holding any grudges against his former boss, as he was among those well-wishers who sent a happy birthday messages to Banky W when he clocked 32 two days ago.

•Wizkid

Creativity, youthful zest defines star league

I

n its resolve to maintain its commanding dominance of the beer market in Nigeria and keep its consumers actively engaged, Star Lager beer from the stable of Nigerian Breweries plc has unveileda unique and exciting consumer promotion themedStar League – Text & Play.The activity is another avenue for consumers to display their creativity as they enjoy their favorite brand. The

pan Nigeria activity will avail consumers the opportunity of winning exciting prizes in the process.

Speaking at the press briefing heralding the promo in Lagos, Mr. Walter Drenth, Marketing Director Nigerian Breweries plc said “over the years, Star Lager Beer has risen to become the number 1 favourite beer (Lager and Stout) in Nigeria. As the undisputed Lager market leader (exit 2012), Star is undoubtedly the biggest beer brand in Nigeria. The brand has continued to keep its consumers actively engaged all year round through its exciting consumer engagement platforms that cut through music, football and consumer promotions”.

He added that Star upgraded its

packaging (Staniol and new body and back label) in July 2012 to reassure consumers of its premium quality and modern feel. The packaging upgrade saw the introduction of new brand communication and the launch of a new brand pay-off based on the Star brand story: Shine On. Through October to November 2012, Star gave a lot of its loyal consumers the cherished opportunity to shine in the “Star Time to Shine” promo.

Star League – Text & Play, the Marketing Director stressed would be a consumer promotion with a difference. “It is an innovative platform where consumers would be actively engaged throughout the duration of the promotion, while they stand the chance to win exciting prizes in the process. It is unique, interesting and different. The Star League-Text & Play will run from April 2nd to May 31st, 2013.

36—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

I believe that notwithstanding the economic situation, prostitution in any form is never an option; our bodies are sacred and should be treated as such

‘My goal is to address low self esteem and inferiority complex in youths’

By Prisca Sam-Duru

P

rincess Simisola is in her early twenties and already doing exploits as a woman in her chosen career as well as in her first love which is engaging the youths positively so as to become great in future. In spite of her busy schedule as a young banker with one of the new generation banks in the country, she finds time to publish and also, to involve the youths in several meaningful p r o j e c t s . H e r interesting narrative is amazing and full of optimism for the Nigerian youths. Read on.

Her background I am Simisola Agunbiade, a.k.a.

Princess Simisola. I am an Economics graduate of Bowen University Iwo. I work with one of Nigeria’s new generation banks. I am also the founder of SimRoyalE and hope to become Nigeria’s foremost esteem coach.

How do you describe SimRoyale?

SimRoyalE is a social enterprise that aims at proffering solutions on low self-esteem through different mediums, avenues and platforms.

One of such medium is SimRoyalE Letter, a quarterly mini-magazine addressing issues on self-esteem targeted mainly at teenagers and young ladies. Other initiatives are girls club, teen workshops, youth seminars, personal coaching which are all geared towards solving the problem of low self-esteem and inferiority complex in our youths and teenagers.

What informed the publication?

SimRoyalE letter was borne out of the desire to pass my message to the world, especially to the young uninformed girls who are drowning away in low self-esteem. Having gone through low self-esteem, inferiority complex as a young girl, I was going to use my experience and lessons to pass a message and guide them from the pitfalls caused by low self-esteem.

the greatness inside of her to be the best she was created to be notwithstanding her colour, size, shape, height, but accept and celebrate her uniqueness.

What is the core of your message?

Self-esteem, the need for young people to dig deep and find the beauty God deposited inside of them. The need for young people to accept and celebrate their inimitability. I hope to continually pass that message across to Nigeria’s teeming youths and teenage population through varying mediums and platforms.

What would it take a youth to be enterprising?

Inner drive, diligence and discipline. It’s easy to stay laid back and accept the status quo of situations, but inner drive gives you strength and willpower to achieve your s e t goals.

Princess Simisola

The nearest step I could take was to do something that came to me so naturally, which is writing, so I channeled my energy in producing SimRoyalE Letter. And the major aim is for people to be enlightened and educated about issues of self-esteem so as to be inspired to maximize their lives to the fullest.

What else do you hope to achieve with it?

As regards SimRoyalE letter, it is my desire to change at least one person’s life for the better, even though I hope it changes millions. It is my intention that the young females are enlightened and inspired to bring out

There are so m a n y times when I have wanted to give up, but then I am reminded of the responsibility that I have to teens and youths to help overcome low selfesteem, and so I pick myself back up and get back to work. And of course, discipline is key to staying focused in achieving your goals.

Any project aside publishing?

Personally, it is always a joy to be a part of any initiative that aims at improving the lives of people especially youths and teenagers.

Presently, SimRoyalE Letter is gradually evolving and we aim at continuing enlightening and inspiring both teenagers and youths to live and maximize their lives to the fullest.

Another initiative is a Girls club called LACE Royals. It is recently founded with a friend of mine, and our basic objective is to gather as many teenage girls as possible to revive, renew and rejuvenate the spirit, mind and body through informal gathering/meetings/ outings. And of course, as it is laid in my heart, I hope to continually do as

much as I can within my capacity to assist the youths to live a meaningful life.

Non profit exercises/ programmes?

Yes, I have been involved in a couple of programmes, offering resources, services for the good of my fellow brothers and sisters. Some of which are “Back To School” event for less privileged children which is organized by “Beyond The Classroom Foundation”.

There is also Karmajiji Project put together by Beacons Nigeria. It is always a privilege to be a part of such programmes. I hope to continue such programs for the good of the society.

Advice to youths Never see prostitution as an option!

Personally, I believe that notwithstanding the economic situation, prostitution in any form is never an option; our bodies are sacred and should be treated as such. There is dignity in doing seemingly little decent jobs to make ends meet, knowing that faithfulness in little is the key to acquiring the big things.

Education is key/ foundation for any career. And in my opinion, I believe this foundation is important to jump-start whichever path you intend to follow in life. It is important that young ladies in school are able to identify their roles in the societies, either as a banker, designer, make-up artist, business woman, caterer, Human Resource personal, accountant etc. This would enable them know the exact sector to channel their energy to. Not everybody is cut out for white collar jobs. So I’ll say, basic education is key, but of course know your strengths, talents and channel your energies appropriately.

What’s the future for women?

The older generation of women are presently working tirelessly to put their names on the global arena in varying fields, having such models. It gives my generation of women a better leverage to be greater because we get to learn through their stories and experiences. I see the Nigerian women breaking more frontiers both at home and in the global a r e n a .

Motivation?

The Holy Spirit is my number one inspiration, and so I am continually filled to keep getting better. I am also driven by the passion to make my family proud, especially my dad and my spiritual parents, Pastor Yemi & Bimbo Davids. And of course, my mentors are too many to mention but particularly Fela Durotoye, Lanre Olusola, Steve Harris and Bankole Williams have stood like my second family inspiring, challenging and intimidating me to bring out a better version of me each time.

You participated in the recent leadership workshop at the U.S Consulate, tell us about it?

It was a great privilege to be shortlisted as one of the very few women to attend training on Leadership, Public Speaking and Communication organized by the U.S Consulate in Lagos. The workshop was not only educative, but really enlightening. I met other 29 passionate great women and also an amazing team of facilitators. For me, it was a period of refining, and I am glad I was a part of it.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013—37

38—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

Regina Askia remembers sweet home!

H

AZEL-eyed former beauty queen cum actress, Regina Askia has not forgotten the good old days of her reign as one of the ‘most sought after ’ actresses in Nigeria in the 90s.

The mother of three who relocated to the United States with her husband several years ago took to her Facebook page during the week to reminisce on her past accomplishments.

Regina who trained and now works as a nurse in the United States is looking forward to reopening her day care over there.

Writing on her facebook page, she expressed her fustration each time she tries to recount her story to some of her American friends who wouldn't believe her.

“I told someone I was ” Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria” more than 20 yrs ago and they said …Yes Regina, ….I showed photos of my VGC home and the small swimming pool I had up in the back for my 7 y/o ……they say you worked here ? I said no that’s was my home and that was my driver, my daughter ’s nanny and the other young woman in the pic was the maid……., they say alright Regina……when c…onvo begins on my work on television back home….I get looks.”

The medical term for people who talk about seemingly fantastic stuff….is ” Delusions of

Party time as Nollywood celebrates @ 20 D

Grandeur”. My story above is not typical for a majority of the African American females so I must be some kind of afflicted(speaking of which am I African American female or an African immigrant ….believe me the difference is like night and day….”

“When I talk excitedly about reopening my day care and

all the other exciting opportunities I embrace ….I get comments like all this is so dizzying what is wrong with you….When I muse about getting that lifestyle back they say ” Good luck with that aRegina relocated to the US several years ago, after she dumped her acting career to become a wife, mother and a registered nurse.

RUMS are bound to be rolled out from April 27, as practitioners in the Nigerian film industry celebrate the industry at 20 in grand style.

The celebration is coming weeks after Nigeria’s President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, hosted practitioners to a special dinner at the State House, Marina, Lagos, early this month.

At a press briefing last week, Heads of Nollywood guilds disclosed that the celebration will last for four months.

Following the programme of activities released by the coalition, the celebration will commence on April 27, with a media flag off, featuring Nollywood stars’ parade, mini documentary presentation, best of Nollywood

AMAA hosts Bookfair in Yenagoa A

S part of the experience Bayelsa with Africa Movie Academy Awards, the organizers are working with the state government to host an international book and craft fair in Yenagoa, the capital of the oil-rich state.

The book and craft fair according to the Director, Mr. Onyeka Nwelue will hold between 17th -19th April 2013 with popular Indian writer and supermodel, Shobhaa De and Portuguese actor, Jose Fildago as fair headliners.

The main AMAA event which is the awards night where filmmakers across Africa and in the Diaspora will be honoured with the awards crest will come up on Saturday 20th April at the Glory Land cultural centre, Yenagoa.

The Fair director, Onyeka Nwelue said, established Ni-

gerian authors and their international counterparts will be part of the second edition of the book fair designed by the Bayelsa Tourism Development Board as part of the Experience Bayelsa project within the AMAA week.

“Authors that will participate this year include Shobhaa De from India, a former model and very controversial columnist; Brian Bwesigye from Uganda and Javier Lozano from Mexico. Portuguese actor, Jose Fildago will be in a conversation with former Big Brother Africa housemate and currently Rhythm FM presenter, Melvina Longpet. ‘’ Uti Nwachukwu, model, actor and TV presenter will moderate sessions and also talk about the invasion of the privacy of the lives of celebrities. Nollywood director,

Charles Novia will launch his memoir, Nollywood Till November and also speak about the joy of documentation.

*Lydia Fason, Chioma Chukwuka and Nse at AMAA nomination party, held in Malawi.

films, insight into Nollywood at 20 events, interactive session with the press and invited guests. A special anniversary Jumat service will take place on May 3 and a non-denominational church service on May 5, which will hold in a major Mosque and Church respectively to thank God for the journey so far.

Apart from the anniversary raffle draw, there will also be CSR activities such as coaching clinics, visits, social work, fundraising and donations to the less privileged. The celebration will also feature screening of Nollywood classic movies in collaboration with electronic media owners, with a workshop for both members and the general public. There will also be a launch of appeal and trust fund for practitioners, while a novelty match will take place between Nollywood and other VIPs. Also, plans are being hatched to stage a special anniversary film festival and commemorative film, while the celebration will climax with the Nollywood Gala at 20, featuring award presentation to deserving practitioners.

In her address, president of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Ibinabo Fiberesima noted that, “Mr. President recognised Nollywood’s contribution to Nigeria’s economy in addition to rebranding of the country’s image, youth empowerment and employment. Now, Nollywood wants to celebrate 20 years of a motion picture revolution. This grand celebration, which promises to showcase our people, pride, possibilities and culture tagged Nollywood at 20, will begin on April 27, 2013.”

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013—39

Glo dangles N24m star prize for singing reality TV show T

HE world’s acclaimed biggest singing talent reality TV show “The X Factor ” which has been rocking Europe and the Americas has finally berthed in Africa, with Nigeria scoring the first, courtesy of the leading telecommunications company, Globacom, who has even gone a step further in offering a whooping N24 million as the star prize for the ultimate winner of the show.

The unveiling of the show took place at the Get Arena, Lekki, Lagos on Wednesday before a audience consisting of media executives, Glo Ambassadors, top management staff of Globacom and some members of the public who were invited to be part of the funfilled launch which dragged on till late in the night.

Highlights of the nights include musical interludes, jokes and open mic competition which got the audience dully entertained.

The ultimate winner of “ The X Factor” show is expected to smile home with princely sum of $150,000 (N24 million),

From Left, Chioma Akpotha Glo Ambassador,Mr Sulyman Bello,Head Reality TV Show Globacom with ,Richard McCullough,Chief Financial Officer Rapid Blue With Sammy Okposo Artiste Glo Ambassador.At The Globacom Of Africa Biggest Singing Reality TV Show in Lagos.Photo;Akeem Salau.

purportedly the biggest purse among current reality TV shows. The winner will also win a recording contract with internationally acclaimed Sony Music for the recording of an album and professional management of the winning individual or group.

According to the company’s

Head, Reality Shows, Sulyman Bello, Glo is proud to be the catalyst that brought about this development and the attendant buzz cum excitement it will generate across the continent. “Africa has been yearning for a programme of this optimum quality and we are privileged to have made it

possible” enthused Bello. He added that Glo needed to do something special to signpost the special year of its 10 th anniversary, hence the gift of “The X Factor” to entertain and delight its teeming subscribers across sub-Saharan Africa and the larger public.

“This year marks the 10th

‘The Contract is one of my best movies’

By ANOZIE EGOLE IGERIAN born Ghanaian actress, Yvonne Okoro has described her latest movie, “The Contract” as one of the best movies she has produced in recent times.

The movie was nominated in six categories at this year’s Africa Movie Academy Awards, AMAA. She was also nominated for the best actress award for her role in movie.

Speaking on the movie, Yvonne Okoro said ‘This is one of the best movies I have produced in recent times. So much went into the production that will give the audience the value for their money when they go to the cinemas to see the movie. It was my desire to compensate my long standing fans for their love and support that underlined the choice of cast for the movie.”

Yvonne recently premiered the movie at the

N

Silverbird Cinema, Alausa Ikeja.

The movie tells the story of a 40 year old successful businessman Peter Popolampo, ((Homla Dandala) the ultimate alpha male, rich, and a staunch bachelor. Despite his mother’s persistent attempt to find him a woman, Peter sticks to his rule of non-committal casual dates, freedom and controlling his life until a yearning to have a child arises. In his quest to find a contact wife, he began a roller coaster, contracted relationship with Abena Boateng, a crude but clever local girl who was impressed with Peter ’s affluence.

StakeholdersrenewcommitmentatAMVCA

I

t was a blissful after event party as organsiers of the maiden edition of African Magic View Choice Awards honoured actors and actresses for their commendable performances in Nollywood industry across African continent even as they renewed commitment to make sure African Magic remains the best.

According to one of the or-

ganisers, winners were selected without biased after experienced panel of judges took time to screen those nominated for the award and made sure that winners emerged according to stipulated standards set for the award. At the award event in Lagos, winners were presented with prizes for excellence performance.

Yvonne Okoro

anniversary of our operations and this programme is, in part, our modest way of thanking our subscribers for their loyalty and patronage” he said.

Commenting on the ultimate prize of $150,000 to the winner, Bello said that this is in sync with the profile of the show.

“The unprecedented top prize is a reflection of the premium status of the programme; this is in addition to the coveted Sony Music contract with the attendant post-season super star status for the winner and international stardom which is not provided by any other music talent show in the country today”, he added.

The X Factor, a Syco-owned format, is produced and distributed worldwide by FremantleMedia. Speaking about the show’s upcoming debut in Nigeria, Jamie Lynn, EVP Sales and Distribution, EMEA at FremantleMedia said “The X Factor is one of the leading entertainment shows of this generation and we are absolutely delighted to be working with Glo to bring Nigeria its own version. The blockbuster show has enjoyed immense success all over the world and we have no doubt it will make the same impact in Nigeria as it has had around the globe” “The X Factor” is a Reality TV singing competition to find new talents. It is contested by aspiring singers, drawn from public auditions and is open to all ages, sex, styles, solo acts or groups. A major difference between the show and others is that the judges also double as coaches for the various groups. It is peculiarly split in stages, following the contestants from auditions through to the boot camp, the judges’ homes; to the grand finale. Dancers are also featured and contestants could accompany themselves on guitar, piano or any other musical instruments.

“The X Factor ” has been successfully launched in major countries including United Kingdom, the United States, Albania, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and Spain. Here in Africa, the month-long preauditions, which are the first stage, will kick off in Abuja on April 13th and later hold in Port Harcourt and Lagos. It will also run in Accra and Kumasi in Ghana.

SATURDAY, Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

Lynns launc hes ne w album “Ne w Da wn” Tompolo launches new “New Dawn”

L

ynns Tokee-Opitoke, pastor, Christ United Church, Manchester, United Kingdom, has launched his new album titled “New Dawn”, a 12-track gospel compilation. The launch took place in Lagos last weekend at the White House Hotel, Ikeja G.R.A.and it was graced by notable personalities from different walks of life. Photos

by Lamidi Bamidele

Mr Turner Ogboru and his wife

Rev Lynns Tokee-opitoke, singing at his album launch

From left: Mr Pessu Temisanren; Mrs Rita Amuka; Mr Toju Aminaghan and Yeye Rewane

L-R: Mr Zack Orji, Nollywood actor, his wife and Asu Ekiye, gospel artiste

IT was all cheers at Ogulagha in Burutu Council Area of Delta State on Thursday as Tompolo Foundation donates hospital equipment worth several million naira to the Ogulagha Cottage hospital to enhance good health service delivery.

TPhotos by Akpokona Omafuaire.

Comrade Paul Bebenimibo, Executive Secretary, Tompolo Foundation, presenting the medical items to Mr. Daniel Okeboro, Vice Chairman, Ogulagha Community

L-R: Dr. Clarkson Agagha, Director of health project, Comrade Paul Bebenimibo, Executive Secretary, Mr. Kestin Pondi, Director of Finance, Tompolo Foundation.

Revd. Bankole Ojumu and his wife, Rev (Mrs) Fola Ojumu

Dr Clarke’s golden moment @ 50

I

t was a golden moment of jollification and merriment when Dr. Eddy Clarke of LASU celebrated his 50th birthday. The event, which attracted his friends and colleagues from the Ivory Tower as well as professionals from different walks of life was a memorable one as everyone partied all day long.

Dr Eddy Clarke and members of Iwere Knight

FFoundation oundation donat es tto o hospital donates

L-R: Dr Olarinmoye,Toyin Aruya, Mrs Olarinmoye, Dr Eddy Clarke the celebrant, Balogun, Kazeem Akintola and Akin Bankole

R-L: John Diegbagha, Prefugha Karawei, SamuelnTimiyan, and Mr. fredrick Ingla, leaders of Ogulagha Community

Linda and Samuel LINDA Omokhume Ezuduemoih and Samuel Uduagene Oshingbeme got married at the Foursquare Gospel Church, Shallom Pavilion, Benin City.

Mr and Mrs Samuel Oshingbeme

Saturday Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013 — 41

C M Y K

42 — Saturday Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

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Saturday Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013 — 43

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44—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

Wife married to FIVE brothers

The hand-painted Easter eggs believed to ward off evil spirits and misfortune E

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ajo,follows a tradition in Indian villages which allows families to hold on to their farmland. Rajo Verma, 21, lives in one room with the siblings, in Northern India.

The young wife spends each night with a different brother in turn. She does not know which of siblings is the father of her young son. Fraternal polyandry is tradition in the small village near Dehradun.

ggs are fertility symbol for Sorbs-Slavic mi nority from eastern Germany. Easter is a particularly important time of year for the Sorbian people. Intricate designs believed to shield households from evil spirits

We're going to need A LOT more food!

5

2 Thai elephants celebrate national day in their honour with all-you-can eat buffet. National Elephant Day is celebrated in Thailand on March 13 every year. Events are held across the country in honour of the Asian elephant. Introduced to raise awareness of efforts to save the endangered species.

You'll T'hes u i tÂŁ2,000 case scooter' with a top never speed of 28mph that you can fold half. Weighs 25 need a inkilograms and has a battery life of 22 parking miles. Carbonbody can simply be folded in space composite two and dragged again into the office.

The real life vampire W

oman admits she is addicted to DRINKING BLOOD in worst addiction episode so far. Michelle, 29, drinks a liter of blood every day and mixes it with her coffee.

Tattoo artist says she prefers pig's blood to cow because of its 'gaminess'

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SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013—45

AsimplyTawa, identified as Mama she pproaching a rice seller

complained of a normal sale with no increase in prices of goods. For instance, a bag of rice which sold between ten thousand to twelve thousand naira depending on quality still remains the same.

At Mushin Market, items like fresh tomatoes and pepper, onions seem to have flooded the market with sellers almost forcing and dragging buyers for patronage.

“Nothing special about this period o! In fact, I don’t think Christians take Easter serious again,” a tomato and pepper seller told the reporter as she hurried to attend to a customer approaching.

Meat, fish and Turkey sellers are not left out in the struggle as they dish out patronage calls to buyers who flocked the market in good numbers as usual. The only difference is that 1kg of Turkey which sold for N700 now goes for N750. Yet, buyers seemed to be undaunted by the huge status-difference between Turkey and fish, as most prefer to go for iced fishes.

EASTER CELEBRATION :

Prices of goods still normal

b

...as traders experience regular sales

BY OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI

A

ll over the world, festive periods are always times to look forward to... activities like shopping for new dresses, shoes, food items and other goodies. At these periods, traders usually make a lot of sales;consequently prices of goods and services witness a rise too.

But as there are different festive periods like Christmas

c e l e b r a t i o n commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ,New Year and Eid-el-kabir so also the level of preparation by especially Christians and Moslems respectively. For instance, it has been discovered that faithfuls of the two popular religions: Christianity and Islam usually take the celebrations of Christmas, New Year and Eid-el-kabir more seriously than any other like the Easter,hence the prices of goods and services usually sky rocket.

Even traders get more patronages at Christmas, New Year and Eid-el-Kabir than during Easter.

N

o wonder this Easter, a time when one would have expected to see Nigerians trooping to the market, expecting a hike in prices of goods and services,

increased market activities and sales, everything appears ‘ dry’ and normal. Activities at markets across the country are still business as usual with little or no difference to show that Easter is here. There seems to be calm everywhere with the absence of the normal hustling and bustling which usually characterize the festive periods. owever, tracing the his tory of Easter celebration before 2013, observations were made that Christians used to celebrate it in a bigger way in the past. As a matter of fact, it was perceived that Christians and Muslims in Nigeria have generally dwindled their approach to the celebration of festivals. Why is there a low spirit towards this year’s Easter? Why are children not getting new dresses and shoes at this time? And why are traders not smiling to the banks? ome Nigerians have

H

S

blamed the cause of the low disposition towards this year’s Easter celebration on the poor economic situation in the country.

Obinna, 47, a trader, thinks the economic situation in the country has gone so bad that the masses

can no longer afford three square meals. He then reach conclusions that if Nigerians can’t afford to feed well, why will they remember to celebrate festive periods? Obinna then had a nostalgia to the era when Nigeria still had almost everything going for her. He remembered a time, back in his village, Umueze in Imo State, when as a child, his parents would have started the preparation for Easter three days to the D-day.

“I will say that the situation in the country, economic wise is really bad.

In fact, it’s worse than in the olden days when we were younger and our parents would have started preparing for Easter three days before Easter. Things were much easier then, not now that Nigerians can’t even afford a three-square meal. How can a hungry man who is still thinking of how to survive remember that a festive period?

Jonathan should do something about this before Nigerians become a set of boring people who don’t even know how to unwind and celebrate.”

D

aleko Market situated

around Papa-Ajao, Mushin, is known for it’s specialization on food items like rice, beans, garri and groundnut/palm oil.

Traders who were opportuned to secure shops in this densely populated

area enjoy massive patronage as buyers from within and outside it’s environs troop in all day to buy stuffs in larger quantities. Traders in Daleko especially get more buyers as the market has been known to sell raw food items at cheaper prices than others who sell at nearby markets like Mushin ,Ojuwoye and even Oshodi markets.

W

hen our reporter visit

ed Daleko Market to witness buying and selling activities at this Easter period, it was a shock to see that some sellers were bored.Eidel-kabir. Some could even afford to leave their shops to a different location at a time when all hands ought to be on deck. Buyers just strolled into the market like every normal day, no rush, no noticeable increase in the number of buyers, just the normal “customer come and buy” slogan.

Aas market activities nother site e h o l

to d

went on at Ojuwoye Market, was that buyers who would normally have opted for unsmashed tomatoes now rush the smashed ones. A conversation which went on between a pepper seller, Mama Tobi and one of her usual customers whom she later described as a banker was one to behold. The banker who was decked in a well cut blue jeans and blouse with slippers to match came for the usual day’s ‘ game’. But when she approached Mama Tobi to purchase some pepper and tomatoes, it wasn’t business as usual for the seller who was already smiling at her dedicated customer from afar. “Ah, customer, welcome! How work nah(how is work?)”

“Fine o,” the banker replied.

“Make I sell your usual(should I package your usual demand)?”, Mama Tobi asked enthusiastically.

The banker settled for smashed tomatoes instead of her usual.

T rying to know why the banker lady had gone for the inferior tomatoes instead of her usual, Mama Tobi quickly summed, “this Easter no pay at all. It’s like there’s no money in the country at the moment. You sure say Nigerians even remember Easter at all?”

46—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

Mrs Rachael Rwang

The late village head of Tapo

How 80-year-old village head slumped and died of panic

BY TAYE OBATERU

H

e made to escape from death, but it would seem death was determined not to spare him on that fateful Sunday night. Hearing gunshots from a nearby house, 80-year old Da Dung Bot Gwom, the village head of Tapo in Heipang District of Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area did not want to leave anything to chance. Fearing for the worst, he dashed out of his house as fast as his tiring legs could carry him, but he slumped in the process. As some would say, what he was running away from met him on the way. It was his lifeless body that was found behind his house the next day.

About 100 meters away from the village head’s house, armed men had invaded the household of 71-year old Da Rwang Davou,snuffing life out of him, his 47-year old son, Pam and his six-year old grandson, Martin. The gunmen came ready to wipe out the whole family, but fate intervened and spared the lives of Pam’s wife and their little son. Pam’s widow who had to be rushed to hospital after the attack to regain composure narrated what happened to Saturday Vanguard: “It was around 11 pm on Sunday night, just a few min-

utes after my husband came back to the house. We heard movements and our dogs were barking seriously. So, we knew that strange people must be in the compound.

Shortly afterwards, we heard noise as if they were trying to force the door to the compound open. Thinking they were armed robbers, my husband went for his machete and made to go out but I cau-

“The attackers did not consider his tender age, but fired shots at him and killed him too. I held on tightly to our little boy so that they will not discover our hideout tioned him and asked him to monitor the situation.

“Shortly afterwards, we heard gun shots from the next room, my father in-law ’s room. We heard him scream and then went silent. My husband immediately went and

positioned himself behind the door while I took our two sons into a corner and covered up with a mattress. The attackers started shooting at our door and since the door was not too strong, they broke in. My husband dashed towards the person in from with his machete but they sprayed him with bullets and he fell down. Our six-year old son who saw what happened from where we were hiding could not hold himself and started shouting “daddy, daddy” and rushed towards him.

“The attackers did not consider his tender age, but fired shots at him and killed him too. I held on tightly to our little boy so that they will not discover our hideout. After some time, thinking they have gone, I went out into the compound to get help but they were still there. When they saw me with the baby they came after us and started shooting, but I quickly ran into the cactus plants within the compound and hid there.

They were still searching for me when they heard members of the vigilante group of the community approaching and quickly escaped. When the vigilante men arrived, I shouted from when I was hiding and they came for me and my baby and eventually took us to hospital. It was much later that security men ar-

rived in two Hilux vans.”

While the identity of the attackers and their mission are yet to be unraveled, members of the community feel it may have to do with some letters they received from their erstwhile Fulani neighbours sometime in 2010 threatening reprisals over allegation that the community was holding hostage some of their wives and children following the 2001 crisis which forced the (Fulani) to leave the area. A community leader, retired Rev. Yakubu Bot who showed Saturday Vanguard copies of the threat letters which were written in English and Hausa languages said they could not say for sure if the attack had to do with the threats.

A

ccording to him, “it is unfortunate that this has happened. We received letters addressed to this community in 2010 asking us to release those they claimed we were holding hostage or risk attack. We want to use this opportunity to tell the world that we never held anyone captive or as a hostage. Yes, there was a crisis in the whole of Heipang District in 2001 and our community was affected because we lost four of our members. So the community decided that we could no longer live with the Fulani, so we asked them

to leave. Agreed, they also lost some loved ones but we did not hold any of their people hostage as they claimed.

Somehow, this attack is coming years after the threat and we do not know whether there is any link”.

Rev. Bot also confirmed that the octogenarian village head was not shot during the attack but slumped and died. “I think on hearing gun shots, he tried to run for his life but he slumped at the back yard and that was where we picked his corpse the next day”, he said. He disclosed that the late village head was diagnosed of tuberculosis and hypertension over 15 years ago which he has managed well and was just last week, diagnosed of diabetes adding, “we haven’t confirmed yet, but I think he died of hypertension.”

Like in other attacks, many of the villagers lamented the ease with which the gunmen came, launched their attack and escaped despite security presence in the area. This outcry has been on for some time now with some communities accusing members of the Special Task Force (STF) maintaining security in the state of either failing to act or of being involved in the attacks. Although the allegation has been repeatedly dismissed by the STF, it has refused to die. Rev. Bot related the feeling of the Tapo community on this: “we don’t know what to say but the truth is that we don’t have any confidence in the security men again. There are mobile policemen in this village who have been here for about a year now. The house that was attacked is not far from their post yet they could not help the situation.”

The leader of the community vigilante group, Mr. Chomo Danjuma said his members tried to alert the mobile policemen of what was happening but did not see them until the STF vehicle from Barkin Ladi came. He lamented that Mr. Pam Davou who was a member of the group had left them for home barely 30 minutes before he was killed. He said they tried to reach him when they heard gunshots from around his house but he was not reachable.

Just like Tapo, there were similar killings in other parts of the state during the week putting residents on edge as to where would be the next target. Many of those who

spoke to Saturday Vanguard urged government to take concrete steps to nip the violence and killing of innocent people in the bud. “When will this end”, is the chorus on many lips.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, hidi Otumba is a C financial and management consultant with

deep interest in business, information technology and financial forensics. He is the Managing Consultant/CEO of Treasurehall Consulting. As a chartered accountant, he has the honour of being vice Chairman, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) Amuwo & District Society, which has about 300 Chartered Accountants as registered members spread across Isolo, Okota, Amuwo, Ojo and environs.

In this interview with Saturday Vanguard Business, he highlighted major factors militating against economic growth and development in Nigeria and as well proffers solutions to the dwindling economy. Excerpts: Talking about Treasurehall Consulting, what does Otumba: it specialise in and what is its contribution to the Nigerian economy?

Treasurehall Consulting is an assemblage of seasoned professionals in various fields, such as: forensic accounting/ fraud examination, information systems audit, business information technology and management consultancy. The firm has an associate firm that specialises in tax consultancy and audit, and that is the firm of Chidi Otumba & Co. (Chartered Accountants).

Treasurehall Consulting has contributed immensely to the Nigerian economy in the area of human capacity development. The firm is a corporate member of

and workshops in collaboration with seasoned professionals from the Central Bank of Nigeria, Commercial Banks, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Customs & Excise in order to enlighten the business community and the private sector at large.The aim of this effort is to provide vital information and prevent the complications that arise from ignorance and noncompliance with fiscal and monetary policies and other government directives that affect business activities.

We have equally encouraged entrepreneurship by offering advisory services on pro bono basis, to upcoming businessmen and entrepreneurs in order to encourage and prepare them to do well in business and contribute to the social and economic wellbeing of themselves and our nation.

Thus, we have contributed significantly to the growth of the Nigerian economy. In the area of value creation, through our financial forensics and litigation support services, we have been able to mediate in matters of bank charges and not only recover huge sums for customers of banks but also fostered good relationship between such customers and their banks. Our interest in Business Information Technology has availed us the opportunity not only to help in computerising business processes for many organisations but also in training accountants and other interested persons to enable them operate in technology-assisted environments.

From observation, the Nigerian budgetary system has not delivered desired results and because of that the economy is still crawling, as a professional what should be done and your advice to government of the day?

The Federal Government has a budget premised on aggregate expenditure of N4.92 trillion with emphasis on macroeconomic stability. A close examination of the 2013 budget reveals an amazing level of modesty and candor on the part of the team that prepared the budget. I think we have a very good and well intentioned team as a nation. You can see the realism in budgeting 2.53 million barrels per day from 2.48 million barrels per day in 2012 despite the seeming relative peace in the Niger Delta, which should have been seen as an opportunity to produce far above 2.53 mbpd. Even the benchmark oil price of $75-79 per barrel and projected GDP growth rate estimated at 6.5% taking cognizance of the spill-

Corruption, civil ser vice bureaucracy hinder devt.—OTUMBA the Nigerian Institute for Training & Development (NITAD). As a professional firm, it has been an excellent training ground for many of our chartered accountants. It is accredited by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria for the pre-induction training of its newly qualified members in the area of technology competence.

We have also organised quality seminars

MARCH 30, 2013—47

over effect and negative impact of severe flood we experienced in many parts of the country in 2012, all show the objectivity and seriousness behind the budget figures. I think the parameters are well measured and the ancillary arrangements the Federal Government has put in place will help in the implementation of the budget. I am referring to the SURE-P, the expected investment in the Power and Gas Sector, 0% Import Duty on Machinery and spare parts imported for the production of sugar, the National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation, Youth and Gender empowerment initiatives as vehicles for job creation. Other welcome developments include the planned reduction in recurrent expenditure, the rationalization of public agencies to curtail duplications and overlaps and the attendant wastes.

However, we need to imbibe the culture of Performance Management. Every budget should have performance indicators, which can be used as the basis for monitoring its impact and success. It is not the amount budgeted that matters. It is what we are able to achieve per naira released from the budgetary allocations that should be our major concern.

We should have an index that measures the growth not just in macroeconomic terms but in terms of improvement in the quality of life of the citizenry. The budget as a fiscal tool should be able to impact on the average farmer, trader, artisan, driver and the average person on the street. The average person is not interested in Keynesian theory and the postulations of Adam Smith, Alfred Marshall and so on, neither is he interested in the fact that Economics is a dismal subject and the budget is based on some precarious predictions and analysis.

All said, it appears our major undoing as a nation is corruption. Corruption is at the root of most derailed budgets and misallocation and misapplication of funds. Until projects are initiated based on pure economic considerations rather than political whim and self interest, no budget, whether by neo-classists or Keynesians or a combination of all the economic and financial gurus will move the nation forward.

In any case, looking at the global dimensions of the world economy encompassing Europe, U.S.A, and other supposedly better managed economies, it should be obvious that there is more to all these than meets the eye. The world in general appears to be ominously heading toward a dangerous precipice that will defy all economic theories and postulations. Even the best brains and well intentioned minds will be seriously challenged by the issues ahead. Certainly, with corruption still bedeviling us as a nation, we shall be worse off.

If you were the finance minister, as a financial and management consultant, which major areas would you channel Nigerian oil resources to in the economy?

The current finance minister and her team appear to me to be doing quite well in their approach and brazen display of courage in tackling the challenges of managing a badly dented and improperly structured economy. I think our situation deserves collective and spirited efforts. The ill effects of corruption, civil service bureaucracy and other challenges have been long entrenched in the system to the point that we cannot achieve much success without first addressing all the ancillary issues that militate against well articulated and well meaning policies and actions of government.

Proton Security gets ISO 900 1 cer tificat e 9001 certificat tificate or meeting global quality manage ment standard, Proton Security SerF vices Limited, a leading private security

firm in the country, has been certified by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) with NIS ISO: 9001:2008 quality a w a r d .

Managing Director of the company, Mr. Michael Igbodipe, said, “the award is as a result of painstaking efforts by the company in ensuring that its valued customers are provided with quality service delivery that are compared to the best in the world”.

Proton, in its quality policy states its commitment to providing quality private security services that constantly meets and even supersedes the needs of its custom-

ers by proper implementation, maintenance and continual improvement of the effectiveness of the quality management systems and its requirements.”

Speaking further, the Managing Director added that the award will hopefully increase the standard of security service delivery in the private sector and by so doing offer clients value for their investment.

The official presentation of the certificate by officials of SON will take place at the premises of the company’s corporate office at 10, Jibowu Street, Yaba Lagos on 4th April 2013 at 12noon.

Dignitaries are expected from all sectors of the economy as well as top functionaries in Government Security Agencies.

48— SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

Two brothers docked for slicing neighbour’s scrotum over N200 F

OR 22-year-old Sunday Onyike, a Business Administration student of Yaba College of Technology, YabaLagos, the hope of successfully rounding up his programme with the his peers have been dashed. This is because of the prolonged treatment he has been receiving since March, 2011 as a result of serious injury he sustained during a scuffle with his neighbours identified as Augustine Eleyi, 28, and Emeka Eleyi, 32, from Ohozara in Mgbo Ebonyi State. Sunday, the only son of his parents from Ohafia in Abia State, had his scrotum slashed off during a fight with two of his neighbours.

Narrating the circumstances that led to the problem to Crime Guard at their Makoko residence, the father of the victim, Onyike Okpara,65, stated; “I have been living in this compound since 1970. I had five children but only two are alive; that is Sunday and his younger sister who works

at Lagos Island. I occupy two rooms in the building, one room which I sleep in, and the other at the back of the building, where my children sleep.

When ever my daughter comes home from work, she buys and shares biscuits, sweets and gala to our neighbour’s children. So, the children always look forward to her returning from work.

More so, when ever she is sharing these goodies to the children, two of our neighbours, Augustine Eleyi and his elder brother, Emeka Eleyi (who normally sits on the chair I kept in front of my children’s room at the boys quarters to smoke Indian hemp), would always walk up to them, grab what ever is within their grasp, and flee. Instead of them to ask, they would grab what ever they can and run away. My daughter complained about this to me, and I had called and cautioned them to desist from such act, but they would not listen.

On the evening of March

•The injured part

,

By UJU MBANUSI

1st, 2011, she was seated at the boys’ quarters with some children sharing some gala when Augustine Eleyi, came and as usual, grabbed one gala and ran away. My daughter pursued him and in the process, N200 fell from his pocket. She picked it up and said it would serve as a payment for all the gala and biscuits he has been snatching from them.

Later on, on a second thought, she decided to give him back the money as she thought it was not worth it.

Having searched around for him, and not knowing of his whereabouts, she decided to give him the money the next day. On the evening of that day which was the 2 nd of March, 2011, after she got back from work, she took the money to him at the boys quarters, but he said he does not want it anymore. At that point, an argument ensued between them, d u r i n g which his younger brother, Emeka Eleyi collected the money from my daughter.

As the argument continued, my son

I ran to the place and met my son in a pool of his blood. On sighting us, the culprits bolted. I wanted to run after them but I was weakened by the sight of my son lying in pains, in the pool of his blood

,

Sunday who was in the room preparing for the next day’s lecture, told his sister to let the matter be, and go to our main room and sleep, while he asked Augustine and Emeka to leave the place because they were disturbing him with their noise.

Augustine asked him if the place looked like his school hostel, that if he wants to read, he should pack his books and go to his school hostel. As the argument raged, he slapped my son, who grabbed him on his shirt asking ‘ what have I done to you’?, Emeka rushed to them pretending as if we was going for peace only for him to grab my son’s two hands, while Augustine rushed and fetched a sharp object, and used it to slash my son’s scrotum.

I feel he actually wanted to cut off his male organ, but missed. My son’s cry of agony attracted the attention of passersby, because part of the compound is a thoroughfare; it was these passersby that ran to inform us at the other side of the building.

I ran to the place and met my son in a pool of his blood. On sighting us, the culprits bolted. I wanted to run after them but I was weakened by the sight of my son lying in pains, in the pool of his blood. I also thought, if I go after them at that point, what would be the

fate of my son when I get back, hence I opted to stay back, with the help of the other neighbours and some of our church members, my son was rushed to the State Criminal Investigations Department, SCID, Panti, Yaba, from where we obtained a note to take him to the hospital. At that time, the General Hospital was on strike, we brought my son back to Adekunle Police Station, and they asked us to find a private hospital and take him there.

So, we took him to a private hospital at Iwaya. Augustine and Emeka were later apprehended by neighbours who went after them, and handed over to the police.”

Crime Guard learnt that the case has been at the Yaba Magistrate’s Court since 2011.

Onyike Okpara further told our reporter that for one month his son was at the hospital in Iwaya, the Eleyi family only contributed N15,000 for the medical bills. He stated, “after the initial N15,000 installment they brought when Sunday was taken to the hospital, I have not heard from them.

Three times, my pastor and family called them to seek out ways to settle the matter amicably; when they come, they will be dribbling us, they will promise to contribute to the medical bills but we wont hear from them after that. I have so far spent almost N200,000, I have the medical bill to prove that”. He also alleged that some members of the Eleyi family have threatened him to accept their term of payment, which is to pay N40,000, as their contribution; and withdraw the case from court. He stated, “On November 18, 2012 at about 9:30pm, they sent six men, out of which I recognized three, they came asking me to sign a document, I could not properly read through because of my poor sight, at that time of the night.

One of them practically told me that “ so many people die in Lagos every day, and their corpses are never discovered; I would want your corpse to be found”. What he meant by that, I do not know. I don’t feel safe anymore.

First, they tried to take my son away, now they are threatening me to accept a condition I don’t think any of them would accept if it were their son that was involved.”

Counsel to the defendant, Worer Obuagbaka, on his part told Crime Guard that what happened between the defendant and the complainant was unfortunate. According to him, they have been living peacefully together for some years, what we are trying to do is to see if we can settle the case amicably.” He said the defendants have been granted bail but are still in police custody because they have not been able to perfect their bail.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013 — 49

Help! I’m being roped for murder committed by policemen —

BY UJU MBANUSI

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staff of Topflier company located at Kilometre 36 along Lekki/ Epe Expressway, Lagos, has called on the appropriate offices and concerned Nigerians to come to his aid, claiming he was being framed for a murder he had no hand in.

Consequently, the supervisor identified as Emmanuel Igho, has been detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department ,SCID, Yaba for the past six months.

Trouble, as gathered started for Igho,30, a father of two, following his attempt to render medical assistance to a casual worker with one of the companies around his office who was alleged to have beaten to stupor by some policemen.

Unfortunately, the causal worker identified as Abdulahi Musiliu, reportedly died moments after arriving the hospital.

Narrating his ordeal to Crime Alert shortly before

•Emmanuel Igho— My hands are clean leaving the court premises, Igho said: “ It all happened on October 10, 2012. I was on a routine patrol around the company’s premises, when I saw one Adbulahi Musiliu, a casual worker with another company in the estate and an unidentified person smoking Indian hemp.

When I accosted them, Abdullahi challenged me, saying it was like I wanted to lose my job. He said he was a Yoruba man and therefore, was entitled to do whatever he liked anywhere.

Sensing danger, I called the policemen attached to the

company to order the smokers out. They did and I went back to work.

But about 20 minutes later, Abdulahi came back with some boys to inquire what happened between us. After explaining to them, they blamed him (Abdulahi) and begged on his behalf. “As they were about leaving, Corporal Kehinde Ogburemi dragged Abdulahi and they started fighting, in the process of which Abdulahi overpowered him. He inflicted injuries on the policeman and even tore his uniform. As we were trying to bring the situation under control, Kehinde and his colleague Moses Paul, fired some shots into the air which prompted everyone to run for safety.

But as everyone fled, the policemen still held Adbulahi and requested that he must give them N30,000 for the assault. His friends pleaded with N3000 but the policemen refused, saying they should bring N20,000.

Abdullahi later left apparently to look for money. By the time he came

back, his friends had given the policemen N3000 but they refused to accept. The argument over the payment dragged on till 7pm, when I was supposed to close for the day. But I decided to stay back to ensure the matter was settled. By the time they eventually resolved the matter it was 9pm.

Barely had I stepped out of the premises heading for home that one of the boys working with me ran to inform me that the policemen were beating Abdulahi. I rushed back and met him (Abdullahi) on the ground, unconscious. I even scolded the policemen that they should have taken the man to the station rather than beating him up. And when I flashed my phone torchlight on Abdulahi, I discovered he was foaming in the mouth.

I called his friends to take him home and even asked whether he had been sick before, but they said no.

I was at home at about 2am when I received a phone call from one of his friends that his condition had worsened. But I could not come out at that ungodly hour. However, I rushed to work very early the following day and took Abdullahi to the hospital, because I was told he was abandoned there.

After examining his condition, the doctor said he would be okay. I then left

to notify manager of the company where he worked about what happened, who went to the hospital with me to see him.

I also went to Mulero Police Station, Ajah, to report the incident. But at the station, I noticed that the policemen were trying to turn the case around by putting the blame on my boys who were present when the policemen were beating Abdulahi”, he said.

Crime Alert learnt that Abdulahi,was transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi Araba, on doctor ’s advice on October 11, 2013, where unfortunately, he died.

Harvest of arrest over Abdullahi’s death The policemen said I should testify that my boys killed Abdulahi but I refused and insisted rather, that their colleagues; Corporals Moses Paul and Kehinde Ogboremi, from Mulero Division who were attached to our company beat up Abdulahi, which led to his being hospitalized and he died.

Detained since October 2012 On October 28, 2012, I was detained at Mulero Police Division,from where I was transferred to the SCID until this March, over an offence I knew nothing about.

His lawyer, Ogedi Ogu,

Suspect however assured that justice would prevail at the end of the day. But regretted that effort to effect his client’s bail was stalled by the absence of the DPP’s advice.

Policemen arrested However, Crime Guard’s investigation revealed that the two policemen in question had been arrested and were currently being detained at the SCID. In their statement to operatives at the Homicide section of SCID, the police-men reportedly admitted to have had a scuffle with the deceased, but dissociated themselves from his death.

They also reportedly claimed that the deceased and his colleagues attempted to snatch their rifles from them, thereby necessitating the release of gun shots. They were said to have also tendered the torn police uniform as evidence.

However, if found culpable, the Corporals as learnt, would be dismissed from the Force and charged for murder.

The prosecuting counsel had told the court last Monday that: “We have got the DPP’s advice concerning the officers.

What we are waiting for now, is the DPP’s advice on the defendant. As soon as it comes, the case will be merged and all parties involved will be charged to court”.

Woman, 53, in court for throwing son-in-law from storey-building

By ONOZURE DANIA

A

53-year-old woman, Patricia Philip has been remanded in prison custody by an Ijesha-tedo Magistrate’s Court Lagos, for allegedly throwing her son- in- law, Ejike Igwekile down from a two-story building. The woman was said to have conspired with her son, Charles and two others, now at large, to commit the alleged offence.

During investigation by the police, Philip denied the allegation that she was involved in throwing her sonin-law down from the twostorey building. She told the police that it was during a scuffle that Igwekile jumped from the building and fell down.

The woman who is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and attempted murder was arraigned before Magistrate Abegunde Davis. However, when the charges against her were read, she pleaded not guilty. Magistrate Davis granted her bail in the sum of N250,000 with two sureties in like sum.

She was however,remanded in pris-

on custody pending when she fulfills her bail condition. The case was adjourned to April 11, 2013.

Narrating his ordeal, Igwekeli, who was thrown from his apartment at No 7, Rev. Adegoke Street, Canal Estate, Okota, Lagos, said his mother-law, her son with two other men, perpetrated the act on the grounds that he beats and maltreats his Wife, whom he married one year ago.

Igwekeli, who hails from Okija town in Anambra State,Nigeria, said he met his wife, Nkiru, 27,in Delta State and married her.

According to Igwekile, he married Nkiru, a year ago and was living peacefully with her until sometime this year when they had a little misunderstanding and she took their only daughter to her parent’s house at No 4, Iworo Street, Orile- Coker, after he left for his business.

He said their baby fell sick and his wife called him on the phone to bring money so that she would take the child to the hospital for treatment, but he ignored her and insisted that she should come back to the

house with the baby so that he would take her to the hospital. He said his wife refused but his mother-inlaw, Patricia, rather came to his house to pack her daughter’s property and also to end the marriage.

Igwekile said he resisted that she should not pack his wife’s property and immediately she contacted her son, Charles, who came with two other suspects and descended on him, beating him up merciless after which they threw him out from the two-story building of his apartment and he was badly injured. He was rushed to hospital where doctors battled to save his life. Although he survived, he was badly injured, he broke his head and legs which he can not use to work properly as a result of injuries he sustained during the assault.

The mother-in-law however, denied the allegation that she was involved in throwing him down from the two-story building. She told the police that it was during the scuffle that Igwekile jumped from the building and fell down.

50—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

We need to address the structure of Nigerian federation —Ugwu-Oju EMEKA Ugwu-Oju is the President of South-East/South-South Professionals of Nigeria, SSPN. In this interview, he speaks on a number of issues including amnesty to Boko Haram, marginalisation og ndigbo and the place of the people in 2015 presidential election. Excerpt: Much has been said about amnesty t o Boko Haram members and the Niger/Delta falls under your area of focus area. Niger/Delta was granted amnesty and it’s presumed that the basis for the call for amnesty for Boko Haram is being made.

Do you think some distinctions exist?

I think that amnesty should be used when the criteria for amnesty are met.

I see a lot of sentiments. Amnesty is that if you lay down your arms, we forgive your past crimes. If you look at the Niger/Delta case, there were people who said they were freedom fighters and that the oil is produced from their soil, they wanted to control the production and get the benefits.

And you could identify who their leaders were and that was why late President Yar’dua had a meeting with some people and an agreement was reached. People said we would lay down our arms in return, you do this and that.

With regards to Boko Haram, I don’t know if there are some people who have been identified as the leaders and they are in control because if you’re not in control, what are you negotiating? You cannot be talking on behalf of the man you cannot control.

And already, we don’t really know what they want. Is it that they want every Christian to be Muslim? It’s a different matter when one says; ‘I want to take charge of my resources’ from when the other says; ‘I want you to become a Musilm and not have Western education’. First of all, there must be who you will negotiate with, there are some agreements you give us and then we give you guarantee. If the criteria are met with regards to the issue of Boko Haram, why not?

Marginalization used to be a singsong from the Igbo, has there been full integration now? What does the association think?

Unfortunately, I’m not one of those who subscribed to shouting marginalization. I’m one of those who believe if you think you’re marginalized, do something about it.

Shouting unless it becomes part of the strategy doesn’t make sense to me. Shout till the kingdom come, if you don’t do something that will enable the marginalization to be addressed, then I

don’t see if it’s in someone’s interest to marginalize you why he shouldn’t do that. Although, in this instance, the Nigerian nation, the marginalization of the Igbos in terms of preventing them from getting what is due to them or preventing them from having the enabling environment to have their potentials is against the interest of the nation. It would have been a win-win situation if Igbos are allowed to actualize their potentials, then the whole nation will benefit.

But some argue that Igbos have been the major beneficiaries in this current dispensation.

I think there’s some sort of strategies to make it look like that. I’ve noticed one gentleman, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, it’s

like he wakes up and he sees the Igbos

Let

the

best person be Nigerian president. If he’s Igbo, so be it. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t factor in the fact that in a federation, people should have a sense of belonging everywhere. It's like because President Jonathan has an Igbo stuff in his name, he’s no longer Ijaw. We wish he was Igbo but he’s not. He’s Ijaw. I don’t think that the Igbo nation has got more than what is due to them, most of them have been doing well where they are and it seems to many there are too many of them.

Do you think that in the next eight to 16 years, the Igbo man may rule this country?

What I think of an Igbo man being the president or not is that I’d rather have a president from the moon who could make sure that there is power, the roads are good, the educational

system is top notch than to have an Igbo man be the president because I’m Igbo and I wouldn’t be able to drive to my house because of bad roads. Be that as it may, I will not subscribe to a situation

whereby somebody is prevented from becoming a president because he is Igbo. If the best man for the job is Igbo, let’s make sure he is there. Maybe that’s why some people are complaining that there are some institutional structures that are preventing the Igbos from becoming president. If that be the case, that structure should be dismantled. Let the best person be Nigerian president. If he’s Igbo, so be it. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t factor in the fact that in a federation, people should have a sense of belonging.

After the civil war,nobody trusts an Igbo man, do you think this has its toll on Igbos becoming Nigerian president?

This is something we cannot really pin our hands on. But as I said earlier, it is the country that suffers if any part is prevented from rendering service to the country which the country stands to benefit from. It might be Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba, but if it turns out that it’s an Igbo person that is prevented based on certain perceptions, then the country is in danger. That is why we are saying we should quit that mentality. We can see from some of the Igbos involvement in government, we can say it any day, if someone like Ngozi Okonjo Iweala becomes the president of this country, it would be a different country altogether.

Let people like that be allowed. People like the young man in Agriculture, Adesina, if tomorrow he has an opportunity to be the president, he’ll replicate what he’s doing in the Agric sector and that’s what we want.

I think prior to the era of Boko Haram, there’s something fundamental about his country that needs to be addressed and it is the structure of the federation where we have a situation whereby people are not allowed to control their destinies either in terms of resource control or residency rights. How can you say you’re a citizen of Nigeria and you live in Kano, Benin or Calabar and you’re treated like a foreigner? That distresses the essence of citizenship.

These are some of the issues that should be addressed so that the country can make progress. But unfortunately, they’ll say fear of sovereign national conference or this or that and start behaving like ostrich and things keep

EMEKA Ugwu-Oju getting from bad to worse. Let’s not kid ourselves. The sooner we address it frontally, the better. It’s not the issue of granting amnesty to Boko Haram, it would continue to get worse if we don’t address the fundamentals. I wish it should be addressed very quickly. People who don’t see things in the same way are really getting agitated. One of the SMS I got on the Kano explosion scares me because people are really feeling that there should be retaliation. If there’s a mega retaliation and it escalates, this country will be out of control. All the stakeholders shouldn’t think that we have enough time, we don’t. As a matter of fact, we need to quickly address the fundamentals. The way it’s going we might not even see 2015, if they think all will be well after 2015. I’m trying to be a realist here.

We seem to be having a situation where political consideration is becoming the predominant discourse to the detriment of economy. How do you see this?

I think in every society, there’s always this political circle even in the country that is most advanced, like the United States. But in this instance, it doesn’t really impact negatively on their economy and it’s because our country is such that the difference between economics and politics is virtually zero.

Then when you play too much politics, it then impacts negatively on the economy unlike a place like the United States where both are balanced. They have a lot going on about economic and political structuring, but for us we have more going on about political structuring and we have not yet built our economy and that’s even our goal as an association. We want to redirect our people; that having a strong economy is good politics because if we don’t have a strong economy, then even when you get to a political office, you cannot meet peoples’ expectations and if that is not met, they’ll get upset. Where democracy works, they’ll vote you out immediately. So, it’s important that emphasis is placed on the economy.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30 , 2013 — 51

Court sentences man to death by hanging

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI, Ado-Ekiti

A

N Ado Ekiti High Court has passed a judgement of death by hanging against one Mallam Usman Sule for allegedly killing his housemate, Mallam Mohammed Sheu at Aramoko Ekiti in Ekiti West Local Government area of the state.

The two neighbours who are from Sokoto State were said to have engaged each other in a minor scuffle about a year ago until it degenerated into a full blown crisis, which eventually led to the death of Mohammed Sheu.

Delivering his judgement, the trial Judge, Justice John Adeyeye said he was convinced that the accused person was actually responsible for the death of his housemate based on the preponderance of evidence before him.

According to the judge, Sule was found guilty of murder and conspiracy based on the avalanche of evidence presented before him by the prosecuting Counsel, Mr Olufemi Alabi, a Deputy Director of Public Prosecution in the Ekiti State Judiciary.

Justice Adeyeye further noted that the evidence adduced by their co-neighbour during cross examination was convincing enough to indict the accused.

Baderinwa had argued during the trial that Sule did not commit the crime, saying only post mortem examination could reveal the true cause of Mohammed’s death.

She prayed the court to discountenance the evidence of the witnesses,

saying they lack scientific proofs and legal validity.

Dismissing the position canvassed by the Counsel to the defendant, Barr. Alabi said Sule had earlier threatened to kill the deceased on the fateful day , reminding the Court that their co-neighbour had given evidence in this regard.

In his judgement, the trial Judge said the evidences of the three other witnesses and that of their co-neighbour as presented by the prosecution counsel were strong enough to sentence the accused person. The Judge added that the re-

sistance from the deceased’s family that post mortem examination should not be conducted on him to ascertain the course of his death , was not enough obstacle to discountenance the evidence of the coneighbour.

Relying on these evidence, the Judge thereby passed the verdict that the accused person is guilty and that he should die by hanging.

His family had claimed during the trial that it was a taboo to perform such a test on him due to their religious inclination in Sokoto.

Emeka Ugwu-Oju, President, South-East, South-South Professionals of Nigeria (SESSPN),presenting a donation on behalf of Sir Emeka Offor Foundation to Mrs Amaka Ike-Abugu, the wife of Dr. Ike Abugu, Deputy President,SESSPN,who died in the Dana plane crash last year. Witnessing the Presentation are Barau Suleiman, Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria(1st right) and Chike Ogeah,Commissioner for Information and Strategy,Delta State,(2nd left). The Presentation was at a cocktail reception organised by SESSPN at the Lagos Oriental Hotel,V.I., Lagos recently.

We were not target of motor park bombing -- Kano Igbo leaders •Put death toll at 37 T

HE leadership of Igbo Community Association, Kano yesterday afternoon declared that the Igbo speaking group was not the target of March 19th motor park bombing over which lives and properties were lost in Sabon Gari area of Kano state.

“We want to use this opportunity to say that the incident was not targeted at any particular ethnic group as the casualty cut across all tribes of Nigeria.

Victims include Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, ethnic nationalities from North central, and South South geo-political zones”, Chief Chi Nwogu, President, Kano chapter of Igbo Community Association declared.

Addressing reporters in Kano, Chief Chi Nwogu who spoke on behalf of

Igbo federating states said that the figures jointly collated by the leadership of Luxury bus Union revealed that a total of 37 persons died during the blast while 75 other sustained injuries.

“We mandated the leadership of the luxurious bus park to carefully collate the data of the affected victims.

Casualty figures now indicate that thirty seven persons died in the explosion, while 75 sustained various degrees of injuries”, Chief Nwogu said.

The Igbo leader disowned and regretted misleading reports earlier dished out to the public that tend to pitch them against their host in Kano, stressing that “the mischievous information was not from a credible source” and therefore enjoined the Igbos to continue to live

peacefully with other non natives in their domain.

Chief Nwogu said that “there was clever attempt by disgruntle elements who take interest in making inflammatory statements and publications capable of inciting us against our host government. The reckless

M

A G I S T R AT E court sitting in Oleh, Delta State has sentenced one Chief Alex Omuh to nine months imprisonment with hard labour with an option of fine of N30, 000 for a two count charge of misdemeanor and malicious damage.

Omuh and others now at large in the Charge No

MCO/360/2011 were accused of damaging a block wall valued at N500, 000 on 22nd January, 2011 at Okieke Lane off Old Olomoro Road.

Chief Magistrate of the Oleh Magisterial District, Mr. O Aforkeya, while delivering his judgment said the court found the accused guilty of conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor punishable under

Section 517 of the Criminal Code.

“In the final analysis, I hold that the prosecution has proved the two-count charge of conspiracy and malicious damage against the accused beyond reasonable doubt and I convict him accordingly,” he said.

According to Aforkeya, “in count I, the accused is sentenced to a fine of N10, 000 (Ten thousand Naira) and in default

objective in our judgment and comments on delicate matters like this one. We also appeal to our people at home to remain calm and avoid any act that would aggravate the already tensed situation.”

Rainstorm destroys over 200 houses, render many homeless

BY PETER DURU, Makurdi

M

AJORITY of the residents of the ancient town of Adoka, in Otukpo local government of Benue state were midweek

Man jailed for nine months over malicious damage

BY FESTUS AHON, Ughelli

statement sent inciting signals to our kith and kins at home and in diaspora because of misrepresentation of facts about the attack” The President of the ICA warned that “lives must not be used for politicking and as such, we must strive to be

thereof, he is sentenced to 3 (three) months imprisonment with hard labour.

“In count II, the accused is sentenced to a fine of N20, 000 (Twenty thousand Naira) and in default thereof, the accused person is sentenced to 6 (six months) imprisonment”.

The prison terms are to run concurrently while the sentences of fine are c u m u l a t i v e . ”

sacked from their homes after a devastating rain storm destroyed over 200 houses and huts, farmland and property worth millions of naira.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that the five hours storm which has left the community in ruins also rendered many homeless without food nor good source of portable water.

Also affected by the devastation are: the Adoka Community Secondary School, Methodist High School and the Catholic Church in the a r e a .

Reacting to the unfortunates development, the immediate past caretaker chairman of the local government council, Mr Gabriel Olofu who is also an indigene of the area lamented the extent of the devastation.

Olofu disclosed that most of the affected persons were now squatting with

relations and neighbours, regretting that the development would adversely affect the farming populace of Adoka.

The former Council boss urged public spirited individuals, the state and federal government to come to their aid in order to help the victims overcome the shock of the d e v a s t a t i o n .

In his reaction, chairman of the local government council, Dr Innocent Onuh said he would personally visit the area to take stock of the disaster.

He expressed worry over the incident, especially as it occured on the eve of this year’s farming season and called on the National E m e r g e n c y Management Agency, NEMA as well as the state government to assist the victims.

52—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

SATURDAY TRIBUTE

By NGUGI WA THIONG’O

I

first met Chinua Achebe in 1961 at Makerere, Kampala. His nov el, Things Fall Apart, had come out two years before. I was then a second year student, the author of just one story, Mugumo, published in Penpoint, the literary magazine of the English Department. At my request, he looked at the story and made some encouraging remarks.

My next encounter was more dramatic, on my part at least, and would affect my life and literary career profoundly. It was at the now famous 1962 conference of writers of English expression.

Achebe was among a long line of literary luminaries that included Wole Soyinka, J.P. Clark, Eski’a Mphahlele, Lewis Nkosi and Bloke Modisane. The East African contingent consisted of Grace Ogot, Jonathan Kariara, John Nagenda and I. My invitation was on the strength of my short stories published in Penpoint and in Transition.

But what most attracted me was not my being invited there as ‘ writer ’ but the fact that I would be able to show Achebe the manuscript of my second novel, what would later become Weep Not, Child. It was very generous of him to agree to look at it because, as I would learn later, he was working on his novel, Arrow of God. Because of that and his involvement in the conference, he could not read the whole manuscript, but he read enough to give some useful suggestions. More important, he talked about it to his publisher, William Heinemann, represent-

The case of mistaken identity as late as 2010 shows how Achebe had become a mythical figure, and rightly so. He was the single most important figure in the development of modern African literature as writer, editor and quite simply a human being ed at the conference by June Milne, who expressed an interest in the work.

Weep Not, Child would later be published by Heinemann and the paperback by Heinemann Education Publishers, the fourth in the now famous African Writers series of which Achebe was the Editorial Adviser. I was working with the Nation newspapers when Weep Not, Child came out. It was April 1964, and Kenya was proud to have its first modern novel in English by a

Kenyan African. Or so I thought, for the novel was well published in the Kenyan newspapers, the Sunday Nation even carrying my interview by de Villiers, one of its senior features writers.

Shaking hands with a hero

I assumed that every educated Kenyan would have heard about the novel. I was woken to reality when I entered a club, the most frequented by the new African elite at the time, who all greeted me as their Kenyan author of Things Fall Apart.

Years later, at Achebe’s 70th birthday celebrations at Bard College attended by Toni Morrison and Wole Soyinka among others, I told this story of how Achebe’s name had haunted my life. When Soyinka’s turn to speak came, he said I had taken the story from his mouth: He had been similarly mistaken for Achebe.

The fact is Achebe became synonymous with the Heinemann African Writers Series and African writing as a whole. There’s hardly any African writer of my generation who has not been mistaken for Achebe.

I have had a few of such encounters. The last such was in 2010 at the Jomo Kenyatta Airport. Mukoma, the author of Nairobi Heat, and I had been invited for the Kwani? festival whose theme was inter-generational dialogue. As he and I walked towards the immigration desk, a man came towards me. His hands were literally trembling as he identified himself as a professor of literature from Zambia.

“Excuse me Mr Achebe, somebody pointed you out to me. I have long wanted to meet you.”

“No, no I am not the one,” I said, “but here is Mr Achebe,” I added pointing at my son.

I thought the obvious youth of my son would tell him that I was being facetious. But no, our professor grabbed Mukoma’s hands grateful that he had at last shaken hands with his hero.

The case of mistaken identity as late as 2010 shows how Achebe had become a mythical figure, and rightly so.

He was the single most important figure in the development of modern African literature as writer, editor and quite simply a human being.

His novel, Things Fall Apart, the most widely read novel in the history of African literature since its publication in 1958 became an inspiring model. As the general editor of the Heinemann African Writers Series, he had a hand in the emergence of many other writers and their publication.

As a person, he embodied wisdom that comes from a commitment to the middle way between extremes and, of course, courage in the face of personal tragedy!

Achebe bestrides generations and geographies

Every country in Africa claims him as their own. Some sayings in his novels are quoted frequently as proverbs that contain universal wisdom. His passing marks the beginning of the end of an epoch.

Ngugi wa Thiong’o is a creative writer and distinguished professor of Comparative Literature and English at the University of California, Irvine.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013—53

NITEL

NITEL workers protesting

Benin

Headquarters now haven for criminals

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

I

N Benin, the Edo State Capital, the NI TEL territorial headquarters, which at its height was a beehive of activities as contractors of different shades and colour, artisans and all manners C M Y K

of people made the office their second home, is now decaying. Situated along the ever busy Benin – Auchi – Okene- Lokoja highway beside the Court of Appeal premises, the once magnificent three-storey building is now a ghost of itself.

Even, the telecoms office adjacent the Benin branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that was salvaged from the fire incident that razed part of it to the ground in 1997 was not left out of the rot that befell NI-

TEL installations in Edo State. Vanguard checks revealed that the structure is now covered with weeds, it houses reptiles and is a haven for criminals. Also, the once prized building has been vandalized with louvers, doors and window protectors removed.

Mr. Goodluck Oghuza, a stakeholder, who lives at the Federal Housing Estate, Ikpoba Hills, Benin, adjacent to the decrepit edifice told Vanguard that the building now posed security risk to the housing estate and neighborhood. According to him, “since 2007 when staff of the organization stopped skeletal service, there has been a lot of security challenges. Since the only gate man that was looking after the place left in 2009, criminals of different shades have found the place a safe haven for their nefarious activities.

“I must tell you, most nights we sleep with one eye open because of the activities of the hoodlums and this we have reported to the police. If the government has nothing to do with the building again since NITEL is dead, they should ask any of their ministries or parastatal that has no office in Benin to occupy it. If they cannot do that, they should sell the building to willing Nigerians who will make judicious use of the place” Also, Mr. Tony Osauzo, a journalist did not mince words on the rot and decay of NITEL facilities in Edo State in particular and the nation in general when he said, “the structure is an eye sore and speaks volume about our maintenance culture as a people and country, Government and those in government system tend to regard public assets as nobody’s assets. If not so, NITEL’s territorial headquarters in Benin ought not to be in such bad shape and condition. No individual who owns such a property will allow it to be vandalized and decayed to the level it is today. We must decide as a people to do something about our maintenance culture and challenge the present unpleasant situation” On his part, Mr. Adebanji Aluko said: “It is very shameful because it speaks a lot about our maintenance culture in our country. If you visit any old NITEL offices, the buildings are in sorrowful state and it is high time we did something about the rot and decay.

“The litigation over the privatization of NITEL has taken such a long time and we should not make our national heritage such as NITEL to be destroyed. We are aware that NITEL is not functioning again, they are no longer competitive and cannot fit into the present telecommunications market, but its buildings and infrastructure should be put into other uses” At the Akpakpava office, one of the two gate men employed to keep eyes on the office simply said, “Since 2007, there has been no services. You can see the abandoned vehicles that littered the entire premises”

54— SATURDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2013

AYAC Warri 2013 Special!!!

LONG JUMP MEN ‌ David Ejummeta of Nigeria jumps a distance of 6.91m to win the gold. Photos by Henry Unini

Amira Mohammed of Egypt throws a distance of 42.20m to win gold in the discus event.

Eritrea contingent at the Championship Cross section of spectators at the Warri City Stadium

Popular musician, Iyanya (m) entertaining the crowd at the Opening Ceremony

Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan (r) and Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, Minister of Sports at the event.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2013 — 55

JACOB AJOM’s RANDOM NOTES The Cairo disappointment

E

xperience, they say is the best teacher.

Guided by that principle, I got myself prepared for the trip to Algeria despite the short notice. I must refresh your mind, in case you have forgotten that I was a victim of ignorance (maybe innocence, if you hear my gist) in Addis Ababa the last time I travelled to Maputo in 2011. Our flight from Lagos transitted through Addis. When we landed the Ethiopian capital, we were ferried to a 5-Star hotel.

After dinner, I went straight into my room to sleep.

Before going to bed I saw a small fridge which contained assorted drinks.

Innocently, I brought out one Crystal beer, afterall, I was a guest of the airline, I thought. How wrong !

Checking out in the morning the receptionist asked, ‘’did you take anything from the mini bar?” With a tinge of pride, I answered in the affirmative. ‘’You will pay 9 USD,” she said. I brought out a 100 dollar note. All efforts to get me 90 dollar change failed as they did not have enough money in their safe, particularly, as it was still early in the day. At last the smart receptionist decided

to complete my money with Ethiopian currency. Till date I still have the Ethiopian money as a souvenir.

Guided by this misfortune, which my boss Tony Ubani has embellished into a first grade joke, I took a bike to the Apapa parallel forex market. Mukaila, a light complexioned foreign exchange dealer provided a pre-emptive solution to any eventuality. ‘’You say you are travelling quo,” he asked, in a northern accent. ‘’Then I know what to do.”

He went in and for 100 dollars, he brought numerous denominations beginning with 5, 10 and 20 dollar bills. Armed with this, I rushed to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport to board a flight to Algeria on Thursday, March 21. We flew to Cairo where we spent the night. Again we were taken to a hotel for the night. From the airport I noticed the city was bubbling. You can only imagine my thoughts regarding what I would do when we get to the hotel.

When we eventually reached the hotel, we checked in and I was handed the key to my room.

When I entered, I noticed a small fridge in one corner of the room and I smiled to myself. After a light shower, I rushed down for dinner. After dinner, I couldn’t stay with the rest of my co-tavellers as I had different plans. Up in my room and full of anticipation, I dashed for the fridge. I opened it. Lo! what did I find ? An empty fridge!

I slumped into my bed in disappointment. Uptil now, I am still wondering what to do with these dollar denominations.

Algiers, March 22 My Visa Wahala e arrived Algiers International Airport 11. 30 am Friday March 22. Soon, we were in a long queue for immigration formalities. The queue was gradually thinning out and it soon got to my turn to be attended to. ‘’Next,” a smart looking immigration officer in an equally neat navy blue uniform said behind a thin glass separating us. I advanced my green passport, placed it in front of him.

He picked the passport and took another glance at me. ‘’Nigerian?” he asked. ‘’Yes,” I answered. He flipped through the pages. Now getting serious, the officer began checking the pages again in slow motion . He looked up again to have another view of me. ‘’Where is your final destination,” he asked. ‘’I am going to Oran,” I answered. ‘’What for,” the conversation continued. ‘’To cover the African Youth Championship. Where they are playing football,” I added, gesticulating with a kick of an imaginary football because I felt we had communication problem.

W

What AYAC Warri 2013 means to the world for now. The for all the outstanding Nigeria timing and distance Continued from back page parts of the continent that are here. And so far, its been hitch-free. This is, therefore, boosting the image of the city and perhaps tourism. The state is better for it.’’

For the first time, Estimated Distance Measurement, EDM, will be used in Nigeria courtesy Delta State Government. And the equipment is from Timetronics, the best in

measurement device will ensure accurate recording devoid of use of tape.

After AYAC 2013, the Awoture Eleaya Cup will commence in Delta State. It is a competition that is designed to fish out talents from the communities and local areas because it starts from the ward levels to Local Government, Senatorial Levels and State final in Sapele.

Competitions will be held at these levels and there will be a data base

Eagles draw with Kenya, a wake up call Continued from back page goes straight from the Finance Ministry to the NFF. So, it is not about us giving them (NFF) money or refusing to give them. The point is that NFF cannot get enough money from budgetary allocation.

“Prosecuting one game alone is extremely expensive. By the time we came back from AFCON 2013 the budget for the NFF was already drawn by 50 percent,” he said.

He affirmed that it is only a strong marketing strategy by the marketing department of the NFF that can solve the problem.

athletes that will be discovered. Coaches will be assigned to train them from time to time and a programme for development will commence. Delta is also doing the same for football.

The Governor’s Cup is at the semifinal stage.

Outstanding ones have already been selected for holiday programmes that will eventually transform into football academies. ’’It is part of our human capital development. We will help talents achieve their potentials and possibly take up careers in sports. One day oil will stop flowing and Nigeria will have to look for other sources of income. Our plan is not to be taken unawares in Delta State, so we are thinking of Delta beyond oil. Sports could be one of the areas that could hugely employ people and that’s why we are taking it seriously,’’ Uduaghan repeatedly says in sports venues. He is practising what he is preaching. The sports programmes in Delta State are speaking for him.

Warri 2013: Odiong, Adewale, Oduduru, mint gold for Nigeria STORIES BY BEN EFE

I

T was another eventful day for Nigerian athletes in day two of the African Youth Athletics Championships in Warri.

Deborah Adewale, Divine Oduduru and Ofonine Edidiong Odiong in their respective races, sent the home crowd cheering away by winning gold in their events.

These athletes demonstrated here in Warri that it will take an eternity for Nigeria to relinquish its strong hold of the sprint event in Africa, by taking three gold medals out the four sprints event that was decided yesterday.

Oduduru lived up to expectations in the boys 100m when he topped the field in 10.62 seconds. He took a strong lead from the start beating off challenge from Ethiopia’s Abebe Atsibeha and Adedeji Yusuf who finished 10.86 and 10.87 seconds respectively.

In the women’s race, Adewale and Cecila Francis won gold and silver for Nigeria.

Adewale with her long and powerful strides established an early lead, which she maintained to the end at

•An action at the on-going AYAC in Warri.

Photo by Henry Unini

11.87 seconds, Francis finished 10.98 while Togo’s Prenom Pesse took the bronze with 12. 25.

It was the turn of Cross River grassroots development product, Odiong, to shine in the women’s 400m. There was a clear difference between her and the other girls in the field. It was shown in the way she executed her race.

She finished in 54.

46secs while Abimbola Junaid won the silver for Nigeria with 54. 81 secs.

Perhaps Botswana’s Moroko Gelefele wished she had the skills of Amnatle Monthso, the

Africa and former world champion to overwhelm the Nigerian girls, she finished 55.52.

In the men’s race Gambia’s Keita Tijani took the gold in 47.39 seconds, Galacha Gabiso of Ethiopia was second with 47. 75 seconds, while Nigeria’s O g h e n e w e g b a Nathaniel finished 47.89 for the bronze. Olympics 4x400m gold medalist at Sydney 2000 Olympics, Enefiok Udo-Onong could only shake his head in regret. It will take a long time it seems, for Nigeria’s 400m men to wake up.

Onyali ‘out do’ Team Nigeria F ORMER Nigerian sprinter, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi is in the centre of the storm here in Warri, following her role in the alleged supply of fake kits to the Nigerian team participating in the maiden African Youth A t h l e t i c s Championships.

Onyali was paid about N6m to supply equipment including track suits and running shoes for the 62 athletes who made the team. But it was gathered that non Nigerian colours and unusable shoes were supplied.

Faced with the dilemma of having Nigerian athletes appearing in a ragtag fashion, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria president, Solomon Ogba

had to scamper around to raise money to get the appropriate shoes and running vests.

“Onyali failed to supply the correct equipment. We have to source for fresh funds to buy what the athletes are wearing now,” said an AFN official.

Contacted for comments, Onyali, a well traveled athlete, refused to offer comments, but she later said that she couldn’t comment on the issue.

“I cannot say anything

now. I haven’t spoken to the president of the AFN,” she claimed.

It was gathered that the decision to award her the contract of supplying the equipment was frowned at by some members of the AFN. This is because as a member of the local organizing committee it was immoral for her to supply the kits.

“By all standards as a member of the local organizing committee she is not suppose to supply the kits,” the official added.

MEDALS TABLE

Egypt Nigeria Kenya

Gold 4 4 3

Silver 3 4 1

Bronze 6 6 0

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2013

Eagles draw with Kenya, a wake up call – Sports minister *Says NFF can never get enough money from FG budget

BY ISAAC OLAMIKAN

M

INISTER of Sports and Chairman, National Sports Commission, NSC, Bolaji

What AYAC Warri 2013 means to Nigeria and Africa – Gov Uduaghan

BY ONOCHIE ANIBEZE

A

MAJU Pinnick has Never been this exhausted, not even when he was preparing Delta’s team for the last National Sports Festival which Delta won sensationally in Lagos.

Then his directors, fellow Delta State Sports Commission board members and aides went around training camps ensuring that the coaches were up and doing. His job then was simply to prepare the Delta team. It is different in Warri where he has been leading the Local Organising Committee for the Africa Youth Athletics Championships that will end on Sunday.

In Warri, Amaju is not only in charge of organisation but also in charge of all the countries that are in Nigeria for this maiden edition of a championship that Confederation of Africa Athletics, CAA, hopes will contribute in boosting athletics in the continent.

Africa did not excel at the London Olympics in track and field. The entire continent could only win seven gold medals. And it was decided that youth competitions would help in taking the sport back to schools and communities where athletes can be discovered young. And one way of doing this was to begin a continental youth competition.

Interestingly, Warri bided to host the first edition on behalf of Nigeria and CAA gladly awarded the hosting rights to Nigeria and Athletics Federation of Nigeria.

Amaju heads sports in Delta, the most outstanding state in sports development in Nigeria. He gets all the support from a sports loving governor in Emmanuel Uduaghan, himself a sports man. He plays Squash Racket and Tennis but has more passion for tennis, a sport he once played to top level in the old Bendel

MEDAL CEREMONY...

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State poses with winners of the 100m Boys race at the Africa Youth Athletics Championship in Warri . Divine Oduduru of Nigeria (m) won the gold. Alsibela Abebe (l), Ethiopia, silver, Adedeji Yusuf, (r),Nigeria,right, bronze.

State. ’Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan is driving this because he feels it will also help the state develop sports in a way,’’ Amaju says of the funds that the governor has provided for the hosting of the championship called AYAC Warri 2013.

Most of the athletes representing Nigeria in this championship are from Delta. The facilities upgraded for the event will benefit Delta, the equipment Delta bought for it will serve the state and the goodwill AYAC 2013 will bring to Warri cannot be quantified especially after the state presented one of the best facilities for the FIFA Under 17 World Cup in 2009 but was denied hosting rights on security grounds.

Uduaghan made reference to this while inaugurating the LOC for AYAC Warri 2013 and charged them to organise a befitting championship that Africa would be proud of. Aminata Gueye, head of marketing in CAA admits some minor challenges but scores the organisation highly. ’’We are doing our best to live up to the expectation of our amiable

governor and the expectations of CAA and those of all the countries here in Warri,’’ Amaju says here.

He has worked to raise money to support the grant from the state government. Zenith Bank, Delta State Oil and Gas Producing Company, DESOPADEC are among the sponsors that have complemented the government’s efforts.

Uduaghan’s vision is to use the instrumentality of sports to develop

infrastructure, human capital and peaceful coexistence. He has been encouraging youths to take to sports and assures them that his government would always help them develop their potential and future career. He is not only in developing sports in the state but also the entire country and says that AYAC Warri 2013 could help the Athletics Federation of Nigeria led

by Solomon Ogba groom talents to stardom. He says it’s same for all the African countries here in

Abdullahi, has said that Super Eagles 1-1 draw with Kenya’s Harambee Stars last Saturday in Calabar had nothing to do with the caliber of

Warri. ’’This a development programme conceived by CAA to help African athletes soar and I’m sure it could be the springboard for many of them in their transition to greater heights,’’ he says of the competition here in Warri.

Amaju is not only interested in organising a good event. He, like Uduaghan, is looking at how the state would benefit from the show that has brought up to 28 African countries in the city of Warri. ’’When we hosted a sports summit in Asaba, October 30 last year, the high point of the whole thing centred on youth development. In a way, this is part of the implementation of the report of that summit. Our youths are in the team.

Those not in the team will be influenced to engage in sports having watched interesting scenes here and very importantly are the equipment and facilities that we have acquired for hosting this in Delta.

As at Wednesday, 430 people had been accredited, many of them foreigners.

There are technical personnel from Holland, Belgium who are from Timetronics and we have technical officials and the CAA family from other

players used.

He rather stressed that it was some sort of a wake-up call that the celebration of the team’s success at the 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is over and we should gird our loins for the task ahead as there are no more minnows in football.

“When you play a football game only three things would happen.

You win, you lose or you get a draw. It has nothing to do with which country you are playing with. We played Kenya in a World Cup qualifier. World Cup qualifiers are never easy.

What it means is that if we have been celebrating as Africa champions, that draw (with Kenya) is a wake-up call that the AFCON 2013 is over and qualifying for World Cup is the next major task we have. I believe that it was a good game.

When you are playing with a team that has come here (Nigeria) to put ten men behind the ball, there is little that you can do,” the minister asserted.

He also refuted claims that the NSC gives allocation to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), disclosing that whatever the NFF gets is what is approved by the National Assembly while it is making budget approval each financial year.

“The NSC does not give NFF cash. It is not the responsibility of the National Sports Commission (NSC) to give money to the NFF. At the end of every year we do a budget and pass it to the national assembly. So, whatever the National Assembly approves, that is what the NFF gets. It (the money) doesn’t do a stopover at the NSC before it gets to the NFF. Once it is approved, it

Continues on Page 55

Continues on Page 55

AYC RESULT

Nigeria 2

Mali 1

AYC FINAL Egypt vs Ghana 5.30pm

CROSS WORD PUZZLE Across 1 Australian Prime Minister, Mrs. Julia – (7) 5 Switzerland Capital City – (4) 7 Notion – (4) 8 Bangladesh Currency – (4) 9 Former Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Odein – (10) 13 Hausa Word for “Ten” – (4) 14 the Emir of Katsina, HRM Alhaji Abdulmumuni – (5) 17 Former Kano State Governor, Abubakar – (4) 16 Nigerian Currency – (5) 20 Former Super Eagles Defender, Taribo – (4) 21 L.G.A in Imo State – (10) 26 Precipitation – (4) 27 Ethnic Group in Nigeria – (4) 28 L.G.A in Ebonyi State – (4) 29 World’s Highest Moun-

tain – (7) Down 1 Palestine Capital City – (4) 2 Former NFF Chairman, Sani Abdullahi – (4) 3 L.G.A in Gombe State – (4) 4 Senegal “Terenga Lions” Midfielder, Salif – (4) 5 L.G.A in Katsina State – (10) 6 Former Enugu State Governor, Dr. Chimaraoke – (7) 10 Plateau State Governor, Jonab – (4) 11 Country in Africa – (10) 12 L.G.A in Kano State – (5) 15 Juicy Fruit – (5) 16 L.G.A in Rivers State – (7) 18 Solar Planet – (4) 22 He invented the Sewing Machine, Elias – (4) 23 Colour – (4) 24 Inactive – (4) 25 L.G.A in Akwa-Ibom State – (4)

SOLUTION on page 15

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