Jonathan blames northern govs for spread of terrorism This National Confrence is a waste of time- Nw

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Hold PDP responsible for Nigeria’s poverty —Tinubu er who was defrauded through their fertilizer

BY CHARLES KUMOLU, GBENGA OKE AND MONSUR OLOWOPOJU

F Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko (3rd r), cutting the tape to inaugurate a Primary Health Care Centre in Ebute-Ipara, Ilaje Local Government Area at the weekend. With him are, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju (2nd r); Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on International Affairs and Multilateral Relations, Oladunjoye Oyewunmi (r) and others.

LASU VC to students: ‘Cultism ‘ll never give you protection’

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HE Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. John Obafunwa, Friday, admonished new students of the university to eschew cultism, noting that the act never gives protection to

a n y o n e .

Addressing the freshmen at the 2013/2014 matriculation ceremony, held at the university auditorium, Obafunwa said: “Parents should warn their children

to steer clear of cult related activities. Cultism is evil and those who participate in it are not only wreaking havoc on themselves but on the society.” “

‘Why Ajimobi can’t have second term’

S

OME prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State are ganging up against the re-election of Governor

Abiola Ajimobi.

Speaking on behalf of the politicians in the state, former Deputy National Chairman, South West of

the party, Alhaji Yekeen Adeojo, at a meeting held in his Ibadan residence, yesterday, said there was no way the governor would gov-

Ajimobi, Arisekola in UK for Alaafin

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O fewer than 10 tradi tional rulers in Oyo State will accompany the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, to the United Kingdom to re-

ceive the award to be presented to him by the Oyo State Council, OSC, in the Queen’s land next month.

Governor of Oyo State, Senator Ishaq Abiola Ajimobi

and Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola will be special guest of honour and chairman respectively at the event.

ORMER Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, yesterday, blamed the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the grinding poverty in Nigeria, saying it was enough reason for Nigerians to vote the party out of power.

He regretted that the

party was not concerned about the plight of the common man, adding that what matters to the PDP is how long it would rule the country.

Tinubu spoke in Lagos at the 6th annual Bola Tinubu Colloquim titled: “ The Summit 0f The Common Man” His words: “The common man lives below poverty line which is measurable by all standards in the world. We have heard about a farm-

scheme. Yet they talk about SURE-P of corruption. This is a reminder about the type of leader we have in the country.

We must be compassionate. We need an enduring change that is not along relegious lines.

No matter how rich you are since you are African, you must still have a link with poverty. It could either be through your mother, uncle or any relation. We have to break that shackle.”

ROLL CALL AT TINUBU’S BIRTHDAY Former Head of State, Major- Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi Chief Bisi Akande, Senator Chris Ngige Chief Olusegun Osoba Chief Niyi Adebayo Admiral Ndubusi Kanu (rtd) Prof Pat Utomi Mrs. Abimbola Fashola Mrs Sarah Sosan Chief Henry Ajomale Pastor Tunde Bakare Mr. Femi Pedro Oba Salaudeen Oyefusi, the Ayangburin of Ikorodu Oba Ajibade Agoro, the Ranadu of Imota Prof. Yemi Osibajo Alhaja Abba Folawiyo Chief Oprah Benson

FACES AT 6TH ANNUAL BOLA TINUBU COLLOQUIUM IN LAGOS Photo by Bunmi Azeez

From left: Most Rev. Ephraim Ademowo, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and Major General Muhammadu Buhari

From left: Gov. Abiola Ajimobi, Gov. Ibikunle Amosun and Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Oyo, Ogun and Rivers States respectively with Mrs. Funso Amosun

From left: Chief Ayo Opadokun, Senator Abu Ibrahim and Senator Auiah Jajere.

From left: Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State; his wife, Serifah; Alh. Kau Baraje and Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State.

From left: Admiral Ndubusi Kanu, Pastor Tunde Bakare and Senator Chris Ngige

From left: Chief (Mrs] Oprah Benson, Alhaja.

Abba Folawiyo and Hon. Lola Akande.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014 — PAGE 5

POLICE CORPORAL KILLINGS IN ABEOKUTA

Landlord, 4 children pay supreme price for defying killer cop

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

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•A petrol tanker that fell on two vehicles and spilled its contents on Iyana Isolo bridge, Lagos, yesterday. Photo by Lamidi Bamidele

O the residents of Akingbala area of Obantoko, Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, the killing of eight people in their community in a deadly strike by a policeman should have been a film trick and not a real show.

It was a black Thursday when news filtered into town that a policeman had gone berserk, killing his wife, a landlady , the

Armed soldiers raid Al-Mustapha’s residence

BY ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD

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RMED men, be lieved to be soldiers, Friday evening, raided one of the residences of Major Hamza Al Mustapha (rtd), former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, located at Durbin Katsina, Kano metropolis, leaving in its wake sordid tales of rights violation and molestation.

The heavily armed men, who reportedly came in trucks and tanks, allegedly cordoned several streets leading to the house and seized the occupants who were mostly women and children in an operation that lasted 60 minutes.

Al-Mustapha’s younger brother, identified as Hadi, is also said to be a resident of the house.

Eyewitnesss said the ‘soldiers’ came in trucks and tanks and, immediately they gained entrance into the building, ordered everyone around to lie face flat on ground and, at gunpoint, conducted a thorough search of the building.

“One Abubakar, report-

edly a cousin to Major Al-Mustapha, was maltreated by the troops. He is recuperating at a private hospital, a witness recounted.

The eyewitness revealed that the wife of Hadi, Al Mustapha’s brother, was forced, at gunpoint, to conduct the armed men round the expansive building, adding that “the traumatized housewife was immediately taken to a hospital shortly after they left”.

Another source stated: “The invading forces were not friendly, not even the children were spared as the house was ransacked inside out all in the name of searching for an imaginary cache of arms”.

The source added, “The same treatment was meted to those outside. I heard their leader, a colonel, during a telephone conversation, telling the person at the other end that they had not found anything incriminating and that it seemed the information (they had) was not accurate”.

Speaking on the development, Hadi disclosed that the family was evaluating the damages done by the men, stressing:

SOLUTION

“We intend to come up with details of what happened and the action to follow in due course.”

The outgoing military spokesman in Kano State, Captain Ikediche Iweha, while reacting to the story, declared: “ Haba, we don’t invade houses. If the story you

are telling is correct, then it must be the usual routine checks.

“In any case, give me time to verify the matter and get back to you”.

As at press time the spokesman did not call back. He is on transfer to 3rd Armoured Brigade, Jos.

landlady ’s daughter, Basirat, her two sons, atwo-year-old grand daughter, Jesutofunmi, and a motorcycle rider.

Had Iya Basirat, the landlady, and four children known that harbouring a p o l i c e w o m a n , Oluwatosin Faremi, the wife of the police corporal, Sunkanmi Ogunbiyi, would be disastrous, they might not have accommodated her.

Indeed, it was a fatal gesture on the part of the landlady and family.

Sunkanmi and his wife were said to have been having lingering quarrel before the recent one which prompted the wife to pack out of their matrimonial home to a nearby place with their two children.

This development, according to findings, got Sunkanmi depressed at work. His colleagues

Probe chemical weapons use on Tiv villages, Benue tells int’l community

BY PETER DURU

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ENUE State government is asking the international community to probe the alleged use of chemical weapons to kill over 200 persons in Tiv villages by suspected Fulani mercenaries.

This demand came as no fewer than 19 persons were yesterday reportedly killed and 17 others abducted in the villages of Agatu local government area of the state by suspected herders.

The victims of the fresh attack included women, children and the elderly who were chased out of their villages by the marauders who razed Olegaje, Ogumogbo, Ejuma and Ogbagaji, the headquarters of the local

government area.

The council chairman, Mr. Stephen Dutse, said “the attackers invaded the c o m m u n i t i e s simultaneously at about 10pm on Friday night when most of the villagers were fast asleep.”Dutse added: “19 persons lost their lives in the attack while 17 others were abducted by the invaders; we are yet to trace their whereabouts.”

Corroborating the statement, the member representing Agatu constituency at Benue State House of Assembly, Alhaji Audu Sule, lamented the near absence of security operatives in the affected communities at the time of the attack.

Meantime, the state government has appealed to international agencies to investigate what it

described as the unconventional killing in communities invaded by the suspected mercenaries.

According to the Benue Commissioner for Information, Mr. Justin Amase, “our investigations uncovered that 200 persons were killed by the invaders and these people had no cut or bullet wounds.”

Amose stated, “We are still investigating. We urge the Federal Government, the international community to step into the matter because we suspect the use of poisonous gas on these victims by the invaders.”.

Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Superintendent Daniel Ezeala, said the command was yet to be briefed on the latest attacks in Agatu.

Briefs EFCC moves against Code of Conduct Tribunal boss

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HE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has moved against the Chairman of the Code Tribunal, Mr. Danladi Yakubu Umar, and some of his officials over allegations of massive fraud.

The commission, acting on petitions from aggrieved staff of the CCT, contractors and top public officials, summoned Umar and some of his officials to appear before its operatives for interrogation or be declared wanted.

Umar’s summon, which is the second in two months, was to underscore the pressure on the antigraft agency by aggrieved workers of the tribunal, which was established to

checkmate abuse of office by government officials.

But Umar kept a safe distance from the EFCC and its operatives on the fear that he

could be detained in connection with the allegations that he has deprived the tribunal and staff of hundreds of millions of Naira.

Air Peace installs flight tracking device on planes monitoring for real time

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O ensure safe and peaceful flight operations, Air Peace, an upcoming Airline in Nigeria has signed a five- year contract with Flight Aerospace Solutions Ltd (FLYTH) of Canada, as service provider for its Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS 220) that has been installed on all its aircraft.

According to Captain Babatunde Adekoya, director of flight operations, AFIRS 220 will ensure “effective flight tracking, automated engine

trending and satellite voice communications” towards ensuring maximum safety on board.

Relatedly, Captain Adekoya, who said the prospective airline has sent about 40 pilots to a world class training facility – CAE in the United Kingdom for pre-employment assessment, added that Air Peace has contracted a British maintenance repair organization for training of its Nigerian engineers and full time maintenance of its Boeing fleet.

were said to have been curious about the strange character he displayed 24 hours before the killings.

The tragic incident occurred around 7 am shortly after the police corporal attached to Ogun State Police Command, left his post where he had a night duty for number 67, Ifelodun street, Akingbala area where her estranged wife was staying and killed all the people he sighted including a motorcycle rider who was outside the building to take his wife, who had dressed up in police uniform for work, to her place of duty.

Before the killings, the rampaging policeman reportedly curdled his two children who had dressed up for school, ordering the motorcycle rider who brought him to the scene to take them to school.

The landlady was said to have been warned by Sunkanmi not to dabble into his family affair whenever he had quarrel with his wife.

He was said to have gone to the landlady a week before the incident to warn her. The issue allegedly escalated, leading to the police involvement but was later resolved.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that the police corporal might have been provoked nut for his alleged inability to access money in a joint account he operated with his wife due to their quarrel.

Findings showed that Sunkanmi was an easy going policeman who was loved by colleagues. He was also described as a good husband who always expressed love to his wife before recent developments.

A police source said anytime he was posted, he would ensure that his wife was also posted to join him.

Chief Samsideen Akanwodulonju, the Osi of Obantoko, said he was told that the policeman had been warning the landlady to stop harbouring his wife whenever they quarelled.

Also explaining the incident, Chief Dada Korede, the Otun of Obantoko, said that “the policeman had warned his wife not to go to the landlady’s place anytime they quarelled.

Meanwhile, Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Muyiwa, described the killings as u n f o r t u n a t e . ”The Command has commenced a thorough forensic investigation into the killing and promised to make sure justice is done in the matter,” he added.

PAGE 6—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014

‘Dangote new cement will stem building collapse’

BY WALE AKINOLA

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ANGOTE Group has unveiled 3X Cement which it described as an improvement over its former brand.

The conventional cement is of 32.5 grade.

While unveiling the 3X Cement, christened ‘Big Oga’ , in Lagos, the Dangote management said it is of 42.5 grade.

3X, according to the management, means “Xtra Strength, Xtra Life and Xtra Yield.”

Present at the public presentation ceremony were the Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Limited, Mr. Demakumar V.G. Edwin; Hon. Adviser to the CE/President, Dangote Group, Engr Joseph Makoju; Executive Director, Stakeholders Management and Corporate Communications, Engr Ahmed Mansur; Group Chief Marketing Officer, Oare Ojeikere;

Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Knut Ulvmoen, and Group Head, Corporate Communications, Tony Chiejina.

Saying the new cement comes in the 50kg bag, the Dangote Group management pointed out that it has been endorsed by stakeholders as “the best quality cement to stem buildings collapse.”

The management spoke on Dangote 3X Cement’s strength: “The number 32.5 refers to the strength – measured in megapascals (MPA) – which the cement achieves in 28 days of setting time. The 42.5 cement strength in 28 days’ setting time.”

It explained the Xtra Life edge: “42.5 is ground finer than 32.5, which gives a finer finish to the concrete work. Additionally, the mixed cement has fewer air-pockets and therefore adheres better and has a longer life.”

On Xtra Yield, the

Dangote Group management explained: “Because of its higher strength characteristics, 42.5 grade cement gives higher yield than 32.5, to cement gives higher yield than 32.5, to users in situations where strength is not a crucial factor. For ordinary applications, cement users can mix more sand into the same quantity of 42.5 cement, thus increasing the volume, and thus be able to make more blocks.”

It went on: “N and R refers to normal and rapid setting characteristics.

42.5R cement sets more rapidly that 42.5N cement.

For example, if ‘N’ reaches a strength level of 10 MPA in two days’ time, R would reach 20 MPA in the same time period.

“Because the initial strength development of ‘R’ is faster than users achieve higher levels of productivity. Block-makers and builders can de-mould earlier and therefore build

more blocks or pillars. Because turnaround time is faster, productivity im-

proves. “The new bag has been designed observing all regulatory standards to

promote the 3X brand using our distinctive Dangote colours.”

L-R: Prof Olukolade Akinyemi, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, representing WARIMA Sec Gen; Prof Michael Faborode, Sec Gen Association of VCs of Nigerian Universities; Prof Hayward Mafuyai, VC Unijos; Prof Idowu Olayinka, Pres. WARIMA; and Prof Bene Willey-Abbey, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Port Hacourt. Behind Prof Mafuyai: Prof Sagir Adamu Abbas, Bayero Uni Kano during the 7th Annual Conference of West African and Innovation Management Association (WARIMA) recently hosted by the University of Jos.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014 — PAGE 7

L-R: Vice Chancellor Ekiti State University (EKSU), Prof. Patrick Aina; Ekiti State Governor/ University, Visitor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, Aladesami III, and former Governor Old Ondo State/ Chancellor EKSU, Evang. Bamidele Olumilua, during the commissioning of the new Medical Library and road project at the university campus as part of activities marking EKSU’s 19th convocation in Ado-Ekiti.

From left: Chaplain, Lagos Catholic Archdiocese Marine Shrine, Maryland, Monsignor Philip Hoteyin; Archbishop of Lagos, His Grace Most Reverend Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins; Parish Priest, St Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland and Dean of Maryland Deanery, Reverend Father Anthony Fadairo, Grand Knight, Lagos Metro Council of Knights of St. Malumba and immediate past Grand Knight, Sir Patrick Ikemefuna, during the celebration of the Feast of Annunciation organized by the Knight of St. Malumba.

‘JONATHAN EXPLODES! ‘Blame northern govs, not me for Boko Haram!’

BY HENRY UMORU, Bauchi

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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday took a swipe at governors for accusing the Federal Government of bad leadership, asking them to stop pushing blames when they have failed on their part to provide primary and secondary education for their citizens.

Speaking in Bauchi during the North-east Zonal Rally of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Jonathan also lampooned some northern governors over insurgency in their states which he blamed on lack of education for the children and employment consequent upon which they are ready tools for terrorists.

Jonathan, who charged the governors to take charge and stop blaming their inept leadership on the Federal Government, however asked if the federal g o v e r n m e n t , constitutionally responsible for the provision of tertiary education, should be in charge of primary and secondary education at the state level.

He said, “ Sometimes governors will come and say we have some issues because of bad leadership. I was governor, deputy governor before I became a governor. I spent eight years

at the state level, I handled security challenges. That was the state where the first commercial kidnapping took place because of excess militancy. More than 70 % of the state is swamp. I knew how we handled things. A governor will come and say bad leadership, bad leadership from whom? If we have security challenges, whether you call them Boko Haram or whatever, these are people who couldn’t go to primary school, who couldn’t go to secondary school and they have no hope and miscreants or criminals now recruit them and using them; if you see what they wear, they wear rags and not normal clothes; all what they put on their bodies is not worth N10, but they carry rifles and bullets that are worth more that N250, 000. Somebody gives them food to eat so that they can kill. ”You ask how did we build this army of unemployed or unemployable youth? The Federal Government does not control primary education; it does not control secondary education, and a governor has been on seat for almost eight years and we have people in that state that can’t go to primary school, that can’t go to secondary school. You say bad leadership, who is the bad leader?

Is it the Federal Government? I made sure that ev-

ery state has a university.

That is the responsibility of the Federal Government and I have done it. Governors must make sure that our children go to primary school, governors must make sure that our children go to secondary school.

Somebody hide under the cover of politics and cannot do it in eight years or seven years plus. We still have do

many children in your state that cannot go to primary school, not going to secondary school and you open your mouth to say bad leadership; is it the Federal Government or Mr. President that should come and take your children to primary schools? Federal Government by the constitution faces tertiary education. “ Earlier in his remarks,

PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, who reiterated that aspirants must go to their wards, local governments and states to convince the people to vote for them, disclosed that all congresses in the 36 states and Abuja would be televised life for people to watch.

In his remarks, Vice President Namadi Sambo dis-

HORROR IN IBADAN AGAIN! Cleric caught slaughtering woman

BY OLA AJAYI, Ibadan

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ARELY one week after corpses and virtually dead victims were uncovered in a kidnappers den in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, a man described as a Muslim cleric, Isa Salaudeen, was, allegedly, caught slaughtering a woman, identified as Chiwendu Nkwocha, in his room at Ori Eru, Idikan area of the city.

But, before he slaughtered his victim, the cry of the woman reportedly attracted neighbours who came to her aid.

The suspect was said to have cut deep into the neck of the woman who was rushed to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

Eyewitnesses narrated that

it was the persistent call for help from the victim that prompted them to run to the scene.

The suspect was said to have pretended performing evil exorcism on her when he suddenly took up a knife and started cutting her neck.

The first knife the attacker used, as Sunday Vanguard gathered, was blunt and the suspect replaced it with a dagger.

But, before much harm could be done, help came the way of the woman.

An eye witness said, “People heard the lady ’s shouts from inside the house and kicked the door open only to find that the “Alfa” had pinned her to the floor and was already cutting her neck. The “Alfa” ran out of the house when the first per-

son broke in. The woman’s neck was already cut.

The head would have been totally cut off if help hadn’t come”.

A resident of the area, Taiwo Agunlofi, said angry youths in the area caught the suspect after trying to escape.

“Were it not for timely intervention, the Muslim cleric would have been lynched by angry youths,” he added.

It was further learnt that the victim was brought to Salaudeen by her boyfriend for “spiritual cleansing”.

Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Olabisi Ilobanafor, confirmed the incident, saying the suspect was already in custody and had made useful statements.

closed that all closed schools in the zone would be re- opened soon.

Also in his remarks, Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, Chief Tony Anenih, who noted that the Jonathan-led administration has done much for the North-east, said that one good turn must deserve another when the time comes.

‘Why We Endorsed Uduaghan, Imilar For 2015’

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ARRI North Eligible Voters Assembly says it endorsed Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and Hon. Irene Imilar for the Senate and Delta State House of Assembly because of their developmental strides.

The group, in a communiqué signed by Comrade Frank Ekpen Olu, Oludewa Galasi, Boro Makauley, Omonedo Orishuwa, Chairman, Treasurer, PRO and Financial Secretary respectively after their monthly meeting at Koko, Warri North Local Government Area, yesterday, reiterated their resolve to continue to support Uduaghan and Imilar following their performance in government.

Briefs

Wonderland takes learning out of school

BY ESTHER ONYEGBULA

A

S part of its academic responsibility of making learning interesting and ensuring comprehensive learning outcome in young children, Wonderland Entertainment recently took pupils out of the four walls of their schools for a train ride excursion.

According to the CEO of Wonderland Entertainment, Tayo Adeyemo, “we believe that education is not limited to the four walls of a classroom and when the children go out like this, they learn by meeting people, they learn about Nigerian culture and history.

“As we all know, rail transportation used to be the only mode of transportation

during the 50s. Apart from broadening their knowledge about other means of transportation, it is also a means of exposure to their environment. A lot of these kids haven’t travelled outside their immediate locality.”

According to the Headmistress, Maranatha Private School, Kemonah Funmilol:, “We have realised that learning is not supposed to be restricted to the four corners of the classroom, and with the tight schedule of most parents, they hardly have time to take their children out. Activities like this help kids to mix and interact with their peers, share ideas and also enhance their communication skills.”

Speaking on the

significance of the excursion during the ride, the Headteacher, Yemtol Nursery and Primary School, Kuye Florence Olusola, said though the pupils have learnt different means of transportation, it was better for them to see the practical aspect of rail transportation.

E

RNEST Adeji, Chairman of Adejoy Nigeria Limited, has been elected the new President of Uneme National Development Association (UNDA). He takes over from Sir Dayo Alabi as the 5 th President of the association. Other elected members include Mr Raphael Daisi Seriki Secretary General, Joseph

EPC old students meet

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HE monthly meeting of Ekiti Parapo College, Ido-Ekiti Old Students Association (EPCOSA) holds today at 17,

Isaac John Street, Ikeja, Lagos. The meeting will discuss the old students alma mater’s 60th anniversary which comes up later in the year.

Adeji is UNDA President Oboh, Financial Sec, Emmanuel Daodu, Treasurer, Patrick Uduimoh Social Welfare Sec, Mike Sule, Provost and others.

According to the Publicity Secretary, Fidelis FemiAgunnu, the election of the

Salisu passes on at 75

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LHAJI Hassan Salisu is dead, aged 75. He died on Monday, March 24.

A retired Deputy Manager, Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company

… Obele old students too…

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HE monthly meeting of Obele Community Old Students Association holds today. Venue is the

school premises on 82 Randle Avenue, Surulere, Lagos.

Legal Adviser and Auditor would hold later and there would be a general meeting on the 27th of April which would be hosted by Erhurun Uneme Community.

•Late Salisu

Lagos, he was a devout Muslim and community leader in Isheri-Oshun, Lagos. He is survived by two wives including Alhaja Oluyemisi Salisu, Principal, St. Joseph Junior Secondary School, Mushin, seven children and several grand children. He has since been buried according to Islamic rites. The eighth day Fidau prayers take place in his 14, Adeojo Street, Isheri Oshun residence on Tuesday.

PAGE 8, SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014 force them on the rest of us....

IF I DON’T MAKE IT –2

“In politics as on a sick bed, men toss from side to side in the hope of lying more comfortably.” Johann Goethe.

ORGIVE me for breaking up the ar ticle IF I DON’T MAKE IT. The National Conference is far more important than anyone’s private life – including mine.

Two weeks ago, I had written the first part of this piece with a definite bias which must again be declared up front. I want the 2014 CONFAB to succeed. As the publisher of THISDAY Newspapers, Mr Nduka Obiagbena, had pointed out, this CONFAB cannot solve all of our problems. No CONFAB can do that because previous military governments had endorsed constitutions which had led us into the dead end in which we find ourselves.

Nigeria had become a sick country because we have been led by sick people who created a country in their own image. Every constitution, except the first, had been imposed by people who had no idea about the booby traps they contained. Let me provide an example.

We copied our constitution from the United States but we bastardized the idea by introducing an immunity clause which allows the President and Governors to commit horrible crimes,

F

while in office, without any sanctions. Then we added to our woes by establishing weak institutions called EFCC, ICPC and Code of Conduct – all of which are powerless to prosecute and punish any executive kleptomaniac unless the President wants him punished.

Alamesieegha and former IGP Balogun would not have been jailed if Obasanjo was not interested in the case. Clearly, there is nothing wrong with the laws – only the people administering them. That also means that, even if CONFAB 2014 gives us a perfect constitution, it would not lead to perfect results because the Alamieyesieghas of this world have been pardoned, Abacha reinstated and criminals now seat with honest people to write the new constitution.

Yet, despite those misgivings, the success of the CONFAB is vital to us as a nation. So far, the last two weeks have not provided much room for optimism.

The delegates have fought about virtually everything when one of the guidelines calls for three quarters of the votes on issues. Yet, it is obvious that it is almost impossible to get sixty per cent on the most divisive issues.

How on earth will they obtain seventy-five per cent?

However, my greatest

See how we lost our humanity “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” -Edmund Burke HERE do you be gin? They say, it does not rain but pours. In Nigeria, the misery keeps pouring down in buckets. And when you think that you have seen or heard the zenith of all the depravities meted by Nigerians to fellow Nigerians, then the mother of all depravity comes along and overshadows the last.

Nigerians keep dredging more from the lowest depth of degeneracy. We need to take a long hard look at what is going on and why we have become so desensitised to such shocking news. It is almost eerily that many of us though, we profess revulsion, we take perverse delight in sharing such news and devouring the images of extreme human suffering.

These kind of voyeurism is symptomatic of the type of people we have become hard-hearted. This only happens when one becomes very much exposed to the extreme and perpetual waste of human lives.

It does something to people and we have become so

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battle wary and although we feign shock, we have in fact, become un-shock able.

This is the sad state of the Nigerian psyche. This could explain the ease in which we inflict suffering and abuse on one another without flinching .

Kidnapping seems to be a booming business in Nigeria. The home office page in the UK warns travellers going to Nigeria to be on their guard. Nigeria is listed as the 6th worst country in terms of kidnapping and over 1,000 foreigners are reported to be or have been victims of attempted kidnapped a year according to a report by the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC). The fact that 74 per cent of kidnappings recorded in Africa in 2012 occurred in Nigeria.

The prevalence of kidnapping can also be attributed to the widening of the gap between the rich and the poor and there is the fact that over a third of young people are unemployed, not in training or in education.

Although it is not an excuse but these young people, have taken to kidnapping.

The young and the impressionable are cutting their teeth on petty theft, intimi-

concern is about what happens if the CONFAB fails – either before the end or at the end? The truth is, we will lose more than N7 billion.

Delegates who left their homes, with high hopes, will return empty handed. Instead of the unity we started out to foster, we will end up bringing to the fore the things which divide us rather those elements which promote unity. We would also have lost the chance to improve on the defective constitution bequeathed to us

by General Abubakar.

One point needs to be faced head on. Many of those opposed to the CONFAB had hinged their opposition on the grounds that President Jonathan has a hidden agenda. With all due respects to those people, I strongly believe that is hypocrisy of the worst kind.

Nobody who finds himself as President of Nigeria and who organizes a CONFAB can avoid having an agenda. Every right thinking Nigerian has an idea of what he considers the ideal constitution and he would try his best to see it emerge. I don’t know what Jonathan’s agenda is; and I even think it is unnecessary for him to disclaim his preferences. He is a Nigerian, whether president or not, and so is entitled to fight for his views – just as long as he doesn’t dation and harassment.

They join gangs and cults, arm burglary and shady initiation and perform human rituals as way of cementing their position, raising money and living a life style beyond their means.

Lives have become so cheap that unscrupulous people are using whatever means necessary to get rich quick. The very rich and corrupt are seen as the bench mark of achievement, so morality is no longer the norm but the exception. We have long lost our moral compass and majority of Nigerians and our society have lost their conscience.

The evil that perpetuates our society has been and it is part of the Nigerian psyche. These monsters, these Nigerian murderers who ply their “trade” have been doing this for so long and remained unabated for so long. This is because there is a niche; the people that pay for these evil trade do walk amongst us, these

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Is the National Conference doomed before it starts? – 2

“How often when men are at the point of death had they been merry?” William Shakespeare, 1564-1616. (BOOK OF QUOTATIONS p 34).

The only person, to the best of my knowledge, who was on record for welcoming death, with open arms, was Charles Frohman, 1860-1915, an American theatrical producer who went down with the luxury ocean liner Titanic, with a glass of champagne in hand and a bottle in an ice bucket by his side. He refused to enter the life boat when called, while saying, “Why fear death? It is the most beautiful adventure in life.”

(BOOK OF QUOTES p 32).

I don’t have Frohman’s courage, but I know there is no armour against death. So, let me continue appreciating those who have made

My greatest concern is about what happens if the CONFAB fails – either before the end or at the end? The truth is, we will lose more than N7 billion

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unforgettable contributions to my life.

The real surprise, and I tremble to even mention his name, is Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State. We have met twice and only twice. Despite the fact that Akpabio knows that I am solidly in Attah’s camp, and no shaking, he had treated me with courtesies unusual for somebody from the “enemy camp.” On

staff grew up in the Campos area of Lagos with me. To cut the story short, he agreed to smuggle a note out for me.

The question was: who would it go to in Lagos Island? My house was out of the question. I picked on lawyer Daramola; who had worked with me, briefly, in producing the first Lawyers’ Directory. The note, saying I was in SSS detention, reached him and from there

dren, is not new. It has always been whispered and the fear of kidnapping was always real. People vanish without trace for decades and thousands as result vanish without trace because the authority are not capable and cannot investigate missing people cases nor do they have the professionals that can do something about it, until now.

If not, for the bravery of the motorcycle riders, who went looking for their missing colleague and stumbled at the dungeon. They also did the most incredible thing; they reported their finding to the police. When the police did search the area (a miracle) they found skeletal bodies, decomposing parts of human remains around the blood stained building.

The police spokesperson said that, “It is not a common occurrence in Ibadan or in the (Oyo) state. Many of the victims of kidnapping are often tortured or used as sacrifices in black mag-

ing nightmare.

It is commendable that the governor of Oyo State visited the area to calm the people of Ibadan. Ajimobi said it was unbelievable that an event as horrific as this had been going on in the area for over 10 years and the people living in the area had not alerted security agencies about it. And he said: “The reason why we came here today was because of an ugly incident that happened. We were informed that you, the residents, did not know what was happening here. As you did not know, so we, too, did not know. If you who live in the neighbourhood did not know, how then can we who live far away know?

But, we thank God for exposing all these. All those who did these horrible things, God would expose them. We whom, you have entrusted the governance of this state through your votes, God will use us to punish the culprits”.

Governor Ajimobi has revoked the Certificate of Occupancy of the land, promising that all the victims alleged to have been hidden in an underground tunnel will be found “when we dig the whole place”.

It was pragmatic for the governor to announce to the young people that employment will be offered to those who want to work through the State Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES-O). I hope the young people take him up on the offer and that it is a genuine move to guarantee new beginnings for the young people. It is a good start and a practical step in the

Lives have become so cheap that unscrupulous people are using whatever means necessary to get rich quick

body snatchers, trading human misery to those who believe that there is a fast track to wealth and power.

The very same people, they wear the cloak of respectability and piety.

Let us be honest, these barbaric practices of killing men, women and chil-

each occasion he had said “I know you are totally loyal to Attah”; yet he had talked to me as if I am his friend. It breaks my heart that the two have become implacable enemies.

Lawyer Olufemi Daramola, the Alage I of Omuo-Ekiti, saved my life from the beast called Abacha. On my fourth trip to detention, under his murderous regime, during which I saw dozens of people disappear at detention centres, I was marked out for Special treatment – meaning elimination. The first thing they did, in those days, was to deny they were holding the victim. Later, when they disposed of him, there would be no link to the murderers. All efforts to secure my release

by Vanguard prove abortive because they denied holding me.

Fortunately, one of the

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ic rituals. This is known fact. We cannot begin to imagine what these unfortunate people have gone through. They become a shadow of a person, these people have been left traumatised and it will be some time if at all, they can really wake up from their liv-

it went somewhere else and finally landed at the USIS – which immediately placed it on the international wire services worldwide. With their lie exposed, Abacha’s executioners sent me home.

Chief Daramola took a risk, with his own life, on behalf of somebody he hardly knew. Each time I look at his face, all I see is my SAVIOUR. But for his singular act of courage, I would not have been around today.

Next, I owe a debt of gratitude to one special reader of this column – Professor Michael Aken’Ova, of the Department of Agronomy, University of Ibadan. Whatever it is I have done to deserve Prof ’s generosities cannot possibly be by my might, but the grace of God. One instance will be sufficient. When I developed arthritis about three years ago and could hardly make use of my right arm, I wrote about it on these pages. It was Attah and Prof who went beyond saying sorry and combined to “heal me.”

I don’t pray for anybody to be faced with permanent disability but if it happens, God will send the victim an Attah and a Prof. Twice I had gone to UI to pay a surprise visit to Prof – without success. I will try again. Till now, I have never met one of my greatest benefactors in life!! That’s real charity.

Finally, at least for now, I must express my gratitude to the readers of this column – which will be 20 years old in August this year. I hope by year end to compile selected columns out of the over one thousand three hundred that have appeared in our papers. Yet, the first might have been the last if not for the forbearance of our readers since 1994. right direction.

This shameful and horrific event that happened in Ibadan is happening in so many places in Nigeria. Let be frank here, this has got to be addressed. Kidnapping and selling human flesh is cruel and evil and it should be exposed wherever the practice is performed wherever it is, I hope Nigerians will reject such practices as it has no place in a progressive and civilised society. For those who are the purveyors and merchants of death and greed, the truth will be out and they will be found out and exposed.

And for those fortunate people who were pulled out, they would need help, support and kindness. They have been through hell and back and are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorders.

For those evil doers, I hope that the state government will hand them stiff and stern sentences as an example to all. About time we value human life above everything.

Happy mother ’s day to you all!

This Sunday, is mother’s day in the UK. So can I take this opportunity to wish all mothers and mother- like females everywhere, a happy mother’s day. And to my mother, Silphat Ayinke Modupeola Animasaun you are a mother in a million.

Derenle will be going on two weeks working leave.

She will not be writing next week and the week after article for OUTSIDE LOOKING IN.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 9

When Attorney General becomes a high jumper use a late night order to stop the holding of the election a few hours to D-day, public disapproval pushed the government to use its Attorney General to support disobedience of Ikpeme’s orders by the electoral body. Thus the election was held. A few days later, when Justice Dahiru Saleh issued a summons threatening to jail Professor Humphrey Nwosu and his principal electoral commissioners for alleged

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N several countries, the position of Attor ney General is usually held by a lawyer because the holder is expected to serve as the permanent legal adviser to the government. In Nigeria, it is one post that has always attracted top legal experts especially during the military era. At a point, it was resolved that only a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) could be the Attorney General of the Federation. For us, the position of Attorney General is crucial because unlike some other jurisdictions, the holder of the office in Nigeria is also a member of the Executive Council in charge of the Ministry of Justice. With our return to democracy in 1999 however, many people have come to detest the dirty roles of the holders of the office both at federal and state levels.

Let us begin with the role of the Attorney-General in the famous June 12 1993 elections. When Justice Bassey Ikpeme sought to

day lost all its cases against Vice President Atiku Abubakar because the lawyers in government led by the Attorney-General were seeking to solve legal issues politically. Although they were not political advisers, they knew that only politics could be used to work to the answer. Indeed, the former President had been encouraged to cancel the 2007 elections in States like Enugu until he was fortunately reminded by outside sourc-

What exactly do our politicians want to make of the rule of law in our democracy when legislators thwart the service of court summons prompting an Attorney general to become a skilful high jumper?

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es that once the result of an election had been announced, only an election tribunal could nullify it.

When it was the turn of President Musa Yar’Adua, it was Michael Andoakaa that came on board as Attorney General. Following

contempt of court, the new position which they could not disobey was also served on them by the same Attorney-General, Clement Akpamgbo.

During the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, the government of the

PhD, Department of Philosophy, University of

08116759758

Profligacy and Aggravated Intelligence Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) HEN I read that each of the mostly President Goodluck Jonathan's handpicked delegates to the national conference going on in Abuja right now will collect N12million at the end of their three-month meeting, I was outraged. My reaction was based on the following considerations.

First, as a very senior academic in one of the best universities in Nigeria, my emolument in a year after sundry deductions at source is less than N4million.

Therefore, it is annoying and unfair that a government which refuses to remunerate university teachers adequately can afford to pay selected prominent Nigerians three times that amount in three months for just discussing their fatherland.

Again, the minimum wage at present is a paltry N18,000. Several states of the federation are paying their employees something less than that, and some had had to retrench in order to pay. Hence, it looks like Jonathan's government is indirectly robbing the poor to settle the rich.

The list of delegates contains a sizeable percentage of retired soldiers and expired politicians who, through senseless corruption and indiscipline, contributed to the sordid socio-economic state of affairs in the country right now. What is the sense in rewarding some of the very people responsible for our arrested development millions of naira for

doing nothing?

At any rate, why is the federal and state government willing to waste over N10 billion to host a mere a discussion fiesta, when previous conferences had been egregious waste of time and resources? What is the rationale for paying a select group of Nigerians N12million each for "serving" their country, most of who already have posh houses in Abuja or can comfortably pay the bills charged by any hotel of their choice? Did President Jonathan and the vicious cabal ruling Nigeria think deeply before coming up with the idea of a national conference as the answer to the vexed national question?

The way I see it, the current exercise, like the previous ones before it, is an unreasonable waste of money, based on a simplistic assumption that mere discussion without radical change in the immature attitude of the ruling class to public service will solve our problems. Thus, even if the conference comes up with a geopolitical arrangement more viable than what we have now, it still requires men and women of vision, integrity and commitment to our national interests to make it work.

There is no good reason why Nigerians should have high hopes and expectations from the conference, because over the years members of the ruling elite, in-

stead of working for the people, have been preoccupied with preserving the status quo for their own selfish interests, with sharing and eating the "national cake" to satisfy their bulimic appetite. They are not interested in baking enough of it that can get to the poor as well. That is why, according to media reports, some delegates consider the monthly honorarium of

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the failure of the President to hand over to his vice when he left for treatment, there were calls and counter moves for the impeachment of the President, for such a lapse. Andoakaa told the nation that our President was omnipresent and could govern from any part of the globe. It was even alleged that he officially thwarted cases of corruption against government supporters During the tenure of the present government, Nigerians watched on national television a row between Governor Oshiomhole of Edo State and Mohammed Bello Adoke, Attorney General of the Federation over the politics of the arrest and trial of some suspects in the murder of the Governor’s trusted aid. Was Adoke the problem? Why indeed, do many people both the high and the low point at an Attorney General when government plays games with justice? Here, a good example comes from Plateau State where not too long ago, the judiciary ordered a stay of action on plans to truncate the tenure of council chairmen in the state.

The government ignored the order prompting the then Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher to forward a strongly warded letter on the subject not to the Governor but to his Attorney General, Edward Pwajok At about the same time, a judge of the federal high court in Benin, Justice Ad-

amu Hobon took a rather drastic action on a legal tussle which dates back to 2003 between the Edo State Government and a private investor- Churchgate Industries Limited. The court had granted an injunction in favour of the private investor which government failed to honour. Strangely, Hobon decided to use his power and office to compel government to comply by convicting the Attorney General as the legal representative of government.

He consequently jailed Dr Osagie Obayuwana then Attorney General of the State. Many analysts including this writer thought it was a cruel decision because Obayuwana came to office only in 2009, six years after the order in question was made with none of his predecessors harassed at any time. In addition, the Edo State government claimed that Obayuwana never received the personal service of required forms “48 and 49 as provided by law that would have led to the contempt of court.

Anyone who wants to know why our Attorneys General have suddenly become endangered species needs to hear the story of last Tuesday in which the Police arrested the Nasarawa State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Innocent Lagi, for allegedly scaling the fence of the State House of Assembly to serve a court order. Lagi was at the As-

sembly to serve the officials with a court injunction restraining them from summoning the chairmen of the State Independent Electoral Commission and his commissioners to appear before them. The denial of access to the complex reportedly made the Attorney general to jump over the fence, prompting the legislators to order security officials to arrest him.

So, what exactly do our politicians want to make of the rule of law in our democracy when legislators thwart the service of court summons prompting an Attorney general to become a skilful high jumper? Of course, nothing will happen to either our overgrown school children in the legislature or the high jumper because the office of the Attorney General will enter “Nolle Prosequi” (do not prosecute) to thwart any action on the case. It has always been so. As far back as the Second Republic, the thugs that destroyed ‘Shagari Houses’ built by the Federal Government in Oyo State were arrested but the State Attorney General used the device to frustrate their trial. The lesson for those who are clapping for the latest edition of our unending national conferences is that whatever is agreed and recorded would only serve as the letter of the law; the spirit of the law is a different ball game that is never covered in any conference.

conferees. But what can they really achieve in the midst of carpetbaggers and Machiavellian opportunists for whom the conference is a golden opportunity to resurrect whatever is left of their drooping political relevance? Most probably, the well-considered opinions of the likes of Prof. Anya O. Anya, Femi Falana, Olisa Agbakoba and others will be swallowed up by the cacophonous voices of incendiary ethnic jingoists desperate to promote ethnic agenda to the detriment of other Nigerians.

The national conference is another instantiation of financial rascality by the ruling elite, which was inaugurated by the Tafawa Balewaled government of 1960 to 1966, baptised by military dictators from 1967 until

ductive years?

Nigerians must begin a serious interrogation of themselves to discover what has immunised or inoculated them from feeling moral indignation and outrage towards wanton wastage of public resources by government officials. Our people must find out why they do not feel sufficiently enraged to creatively and resolutely challenge government and compel it to manage the country's resources with circumspection and creative imagination, rather than with irritating prodigality.

This brings us to the unfortunate reports of missing funds, which is a mind numbing leitmotiv in Jonathan's administration. Now, it seems that top officials of government mismanage our resources like people suffering from Aggravated Intelligence Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), that is, drastically impaired capacity to manage huge financial resources intelligently in the collective interest of the masses. The totally unnecessary purchase of new Presidential jets, and some documented cases of misapplication and criminal misappropriation of funds by some ministers prove beyond dispute that something is definitely wrong with the mindset of our leaders. In our opinion, they do not have the required degree of critical intelligence and willpower to spend public funds with circumspection.

In the early stage of his Presidency, many Nigerians, despite vitriolic criticisms from Tam David-West and others, believed that President Jonathan deserved benefit of the doubt, that he might still surprise his traducers by performing above expectation. It must be admitted that there is some marginal improvement in infrastructure, food production and foreign affairs since

Goodluck Jonathan assumed power. However, in the critical area of fighting corruption and elimination of financial rascality and indiscipline in government, his administration has failed. The President seems to lack moral stamina and steadfastness to tackle corruption, beginning with himself and impressing it on his lieutenants that wasteful spending will not be tolerated. But it would be unfair to blame him alone for the mess. Members of the National Assembly are even guiltier, since they have the constitutional powers to check impunity in all its ramifications by the executive branch and eliminate inherent anomalies in the system that foster extreme profligacy in government spending.

All the same, it is regrettable that a man who confessed to have experienced extreme poverty would, when the complex dialectics of life gave him a wonderful opportunity to improve the excruciating condition of the poor and powerless is now behaving precisely like the oppressors whose pathological greed nourished and spread the conditions favourable for poverty nationwide. President Jonathan might be scheming for a second term of office in 2015 and he could succeed. After all, the so-called opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is both in substance and in ideological stance a mutant of the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Thus, APC is not a genuine alternative to the PDP. Still, if he continues mishandling the country's resources, he will be remembered as a failed leader who presided over one of the most corruption-friendly government in Nigeria. No sensible person would want to be associated with such a damning verdict. CONCLUDED

It is regrettable that a man who confessed to have experienced extreme poverty would, when the complex dialectics of life gave him a wonderful opportunity to improve the excruciating condition of the poor and powerless is now behaving precisely like the oppressors whose pathological greed nourished and spread the conditions favourable for poverty nationwide.

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N4million insufficient. This shows that for such people the conference is a moneymaking venture. Tunde Bakare and Olisa Agbakoba have rejected the money on principle. Their stance is commendable; it demonstrates that some Nigerians can rise above the temptation of easy money from a spendthrift government.

That said, I think President Jonathan is insensitive to the feelings of poorly paid Nigerians who are toiling daily to eke out a living.

Of course, there are men and women of substance and integrity among the

1999, and canonised between 1999 to 2010 by Obasanjo and Yar'Adua. Now, I wonder why well-respected Nigerians who ought to be sceptical whenever government comes up with phantom conferences eagerly participate in the charade.

Are they idle and, therefore, looking for avenues to wile away time and make some money simultaneously?

How many conferences are sufficient to convince people that Nigeria's problems cannot be solved by a collection of ageing men and women handpicked by government in the twilight of their pro-

PAGE 10— SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014

Mystery world of the Abuja ‘mad woman’ Sells second hand clothes, goes night clubbing · FCT won’t be a safe haven for criminals — Minister

BY FAVOUR NNABUGWU

ed, buses were filled and the Rehabilitation Centre in Sabon, Lugbe had fresh intakes.

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The lies within

The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, recently, realized the height of the degeneration in the FCT and the lies of those he so appointed to be his third eye.

Just one outing, the Minister concluded that he had been fed with lies. ”Some of the directors of the operational departments are being economical with the truth on the state of services to the residents of

*The mad woman’s wares’

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ormenting words com mon among insane per sons show in the character of a black, tall lady who is likely to be in her late twenties. Maria, as she is called, is single with no family; at least nobody claims to be related to her. She lives under a tree situated at a junction on Arab Road, Kubwa, Abuja.

She speaks Yoruba and Hausa fluently. She has black pixie hair and displays her waressecond hand clothes and shoes. Wherever she bought the wares from to sell is a story for another day.

She sits beside her wares waiting for buyers till the evening time when she neatly packs and covers the wares preparatory for her club runs. She changes her dress and goes to club to return the following morning. It is a routine.

Whenever she needs anything, she remembers to stroll down to a nearby kiosk to buy, and does not forget to pay for the item which is packaged for her in a polythene bag and then she quietly strolls back.

She probably is not mad was a debate among neighbours of the suspected mentally unstable woman.

The debate caught the attention of this reporter who was passing by and stopped to listen to the group of five, comprising three men and two women arguing over the mental status of the woman. ‘She can’t really be mad’, one of them said. ’No. She is a mad woman’, another responded.

‘What kind of mad woman would go clubbing every night and return the following morning?’.

Prostitution in Abuja is a business that has been redefined and made more sophisticated; with practitioners adapting to the times and deploying all that information, communication and technology can offer to boost their trade. But the induction of mad women into the business if this is what Maria goes to the club to do will be a mystery.

Commercial sex workers in Abuja, like their counterparts in Maitama, Garki and other

towns in the Federal Capital City, FCT, have embraced new techniques to optimize their business.

This reporter learnt that some prostitutes have transformed commercial sex from street hawking to home service via social media. Some of them use social media platforms like Badoo and Blackberry Messenger, BBM, where they display their pictures, phone numbers and ‘call me’ signs printed at the top of the pictures.

A young man, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard but preferred not to have his name mentioned, identified some low-end spots in Kubwa where patrons consisting of low-income earners such as artisans, minimum wage earners, transport workers, welders, car wash boys etc, hang out. A popular lounge in Arab Road operates special packages for the girls who run their business from there – protection money is allegedly paid to the police on their behalf, they also get quick and profitable connections there. The teeming population of girls on the prowl for business at the popular joints proved this reporter ’s assertion right.

What kind of mad woman would go clubbing every night and return the following morning?

More astounding is the routine of Maria who, though is suspected to be mad, is believed to be into prostitution.

Once she closes and packs her wares, dresses to her taste and makes her hair within the limits of her sanity, she is hot and good to go for the evening.

Maria religiously carried out her routine for five days that Sunday Vanguard observed her.

Toothless bulldog fights back

The large population of girls still into prostitution in the FCT showed that it remains a big problem. A report on the website of the Federal Capital Territory Administration,

FCTA, indicates that some N150 million was budgeted for the evacuation and rehabilitation of apprehended prostitutes in 2013. However, in the budget eventually approved by the National Assembly for the FCT, a total of N5 million was earmarked for the purpose.

FCTA had, in 2011, launched what it called total war against prostitution. Adopting a catchy slogan ‘Zero tolerance for prostitution’ and armed with Section 35 Sub section 1 of the Abuja Environment Protection Board, AEPB, Act of 1997 which makes it unlawful for anyone to engage in or patronize commercial sex industry, city officials swung into action with a simple plan – to prowl the streets at night, identify prostitutes at work, apprehend them and rehabilitate them.

According to the plan, the AEPB would be in charge of ridding the city of prostitutes while the Social Development Secretarial would see to their rehabilitation.

To implement the plan, two training and rehabilitation camps were set up in Lugbe and Bwari areas of the FCT. It sounded brilliant at first – many prostitutes were arrest-

the FCT”, he said. ”We deviated a little from the way and manner we sit in the comfort of our operational room in FCTA and Council Chamber to receive information from our operational directors on the normal metropolitan management services especially environmental sanitation, water resource management and disposition, road traffic control management and enforcement as well as the issue of Keke NAPEP and street traders.

“I felt very disgusted as a leader of the administration of FCT, but of course we have problem and challenges of demography, we have problem of enforcement and it is unacceptable that FCT would become a safe haven for all those who think they can practice impunity, arrogance and serious disregard for our rules” “You have seen it yourself, and also it shows the directors that all the information they have been giving me in files are lies because I am getting my information from what I saw on the street today and what operational security personnel have been telling me”.

Mohammed said he will not allow the capital city to degenerate any further.

SUND AY SUNDA

‘Police on the trail of Kaduna mass killers’

Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014, PPA AGE 11

Village head others arrested over vandalisation, armed robbery

BY LUKA BINNIYAT, Kaduna

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aduna State Commis sioner of Police (CP), Umar Shehu, on Wednesday, marked his first month in office parading armed robbery suspects among others. But he confessed he had not been able to make any arrest over the attack that killed scores of villagers in Kaura Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, and the banditry that almost on daily basis happens in communities in Birnin Gwari LGA. Asked whether any arrests had been made over the killings in three villages in Kaura LGA on March 14, the police boss said: “No, we have not made any arrest. Investigation is still going on. And we are on the trail of the killers. But all stakeholders in the areas concerned will be holding a meeting very soon, so we can find an end to this problem”.

Parading the suspects, Shehu said that on March 18, operatives attached to Kawo Division acted on a tip-off and arrested two suspected car snatchers at Unguwan Kanawa, Kaduna while driving a Mercedes Benz (ML 320 Jeep) with registration number Kano AE 883 BCH, dark green in colour. According to him, during interrogation, the two suspects, identified as Babangida Ibrahim (27) - a dismissed soldier – from Rigasa, Kaduna and Umar Haruna, 25, of Sabon Wuse, Niger State, are specialists in snatching vehicles at gun point.

“Thorough investigation of the suspects led to the recovery of seven exotic stolen cars”, the police boss said.

The cars, which included a Toyota Highlander, Mercedes Benz Jeep, and an Aved LT Shanroler, were displayed at the Kaduna State Police Command premises.

The CP also said that one Sambo Bature, 32, of Kakuri, Kaduna was arrested by operatives attached to the State Intelligence Bureau, Kaduna after being found with a MAR rifle No. O63279SM.64. He said that during interrogation, the suspect confessed to have stolen the rifle from his father with the intention of selling it for N35,000 to one Simeon Adamu of Nasarawa, Kaduna.

Three armed robbery suspects,

No, we have not made any arrest. Investigation is still going on. And we are on the trail of the killers. But all stakeholders in the areas concerned will be holding a meeting very soon, so we can find an end to this problem

namely, Adamu Mallam, 20, Samaila Abubakar, 25, and Ada Bello, 20, were paraded.

Said Shehu: “On March 24, the police patrol team attached to Jere Division, while on routine patrol along Abuja – Jere – Kaduna Expressway, intercepted the three-man armed robbery gang riding on a motorcycle. When searched, the following were found on them: A locally made revolver pistol; a police barrette, pistol No: NP 10000089 and six cartridges.

Others are a 9mm live ammunition, a sharp cutlass, one face mask, some charms and two Daylong motorcycles”.

The CP said that the State Police Command arrested 43 suspected vandals cutting off rail lines and selling them. Among the suspects was Musa Abdullahi, 51, the village head of Soko, in Makarfi LGA of Kaduna State. Abdullahi and most of other suspects are staff of the Nigeria Railway Corporation attached to the Zaria

Rail Station, Kaduna State.

The suspects were paraded with their work tools including, giant size gas cylinders, cutters and saws.

“The staff of the Railway conspired with one Nuhu Ibrahim and Muktar Rabiu who receives the stolen property in Kaduna”, he stated.

Abdullahi, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, in an interview, said, “We do not go cutting existing rail-lines used by trains.

As staff of Railway, we know where abandoned rail-lines exist. These are the ones we cut. We sell each line for N16,500. I did not know that it was such a huge crime”, he lamented.

Also paraded was one Iliyasu Adamu, 35 of Karu Mararaba, Nasarawa State found with an AK 49

rifle, 14 rounds of ammunition, 13 cows and nine sheep.

Shehu narrated, “On March 24, information received from a good Nigerian led to the arrest of the suspect after a combined team of police operatives and vigilante mobilised to the area. One Ali Mohammed, who was with him, took to his heels.

These may be the cattle rustlers or the Fulani that invade villages, as the suspect said he got the gun from fighting in Benue State. And you know this Fulani/Tivs problem is still on.

“Let me use this medium to reiterate that the Kaduna State Police Command will not relent in its fight against criminals and criminality throughout the state.

Members of the public are once again urged to continue to report suspicious movements and characters noticed in their areas to the police for prompt action”.

PAGE 12—SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014

Kogi council boils, workers chase out Chairman

BY BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO, Lokoja

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ocal government workers in Kogi State have con tinued to grapple with half salary for quite a long time. While some spoke about it in hushed tones or vented their anger during any discussion in town, most of them bemoaned their fate in silence.

The story of half salary for local government workers dates back to when liaison officers were in charge of council administration in the state in 2012. At that time, people believed the liaison officers were just appointed by the state governor not to carry out any projects aside payment of staff salary.

The workers and citizenry therefore prayed that election into the councils will be conducted to give way for elected chairmen who will be answerable to them.

They were wrong. Since the new crop of council chairmen assumed duties in May, 2013, the story of half salary has not changed. In fact, it has gone worse.

Sometimes, payment of a month salary could be spread across three months.

Only Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Okene and Dekina local government areas were able to pay full salaryto their staff in 2013; a story that has, however, changed this year as the local

CHAIRMAN SACKED FROM OFFICE T his statement from the governor and other developments made the workers of Yagba – East Local Government to take their destiny in their hands on Monday, March 10 when they organised a protest at the LG secretariat in Isanlu, the council headquarters.

The aggrieved workers laid siege to the local government secretariat, sacking the Chairman, Alhaji Funsho Ibrahim.

They vowed not to allow the Chairman access to his office until there was assurance that their January salary will be paid in full.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that the protest turned violent on Tuesday, March 11 when Ibrahim called security operatives to stop the demonstration.

A source said the embattled Chairman arrived the council secretariat early that day and entered his office from where he called the security operatives. But the workers, on, sighting the security operatives, invaded Ibrahim’s office.

Senator Abdul Ningi,Senate Deputy Leader, could not hold his frustration on the floor of the Senate, penultimate week, when he presented the pathetic case of his mother ’s cancer.

He was close to tears when he told his colleagues the efforts he made to ensure that his mother was given treatment in University College Hospital, Ibadan (UCH) and University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH).

But his frustration seems to be a blessing for the Nigerian masses especially those who are suffering the same fate with Ningi’s mother but have nobody to make the case for the provision of facilities in the country.

After hearing from the senator, the Senate mandated its Health and Petroleum Resources, Upstream Committees to investigate why the Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NNRC) has not issued import licenses to UCH and UATH to import cancer treatment reagents. And to show how serious the Senate

CHAIRMAN DENIES BEING CHASED OUT OWEVER, the coun cil Chairman denied he was chased out of office by workers during the protest.

Ibrahim, who spoke through the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to ALGON, Ibrahim Obansa, said he was not even in the state at the time he was said to have been chased out of office by the protesting workers.”The Chairman, Funsho Ibrahim, travelled out of the state during the period; it is not possible for someone who was not in town to be chased out by protesting staff,” he said.

He said the report was the handiwork of some desperate politicians, who believed the only way to be relevant politically was to run their opponents down and called on the media to always verify their facts.

Meanwhile, Sunday Vanguard gathered that security agents, at the behest of the council boss, arrested the NULGE chairman of Yagba East LGA and other workers who they believed spearheaded the protest. The union officials have since been released.

H

government areas have been paying 65% since January.

When Governor Idris Wada was asked why local governments in the state could not pay full salary to their staff, he directed the workers to hold their chairmen accountable as the state government was not tampering with their money outside statutory deduction.

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru Senators also cry

The source stated that the Chairman has not initiated any project since he assumed office.

He said the protest will continue until their demand for their legitimate wages was met.

Governor Idris Wada The Chairman reportedly fled into the bush leaving his vehicle behind. The workers, on Wednesday, took the protest to town, visiting the house of Chief Jide Omokore, a political leader in the area who was said to have nominated the Chairman for the position.

The protest continued on Thursday and Friday of that week as the workers continued to burn tyres in front of the local government secretariat, vowing not to stop until the Chairman assured that their salary from January will be paid in full.

The grievances against Ibrahim were many. One of the workers spoke to Sunday Vanguard on the grievances.

He said: “We have to resort to

felt about the health condition of the mother of Ningi, the joint committees were given one week to carry out the assignment and report back to the Senate Committee of the Whole.

Ningi, who represents Bauchi Central on the platform of the PDP, in a motion on matter of urgent public interest, had drawn the attention of the Senate to the failure of the NNRC to issue licences to the two hospitals to procure treatment reagents license which he claimed had led to the death of many patients.

Relying on Order 42 of the Senate Standing Order, he wanted the red chamber to probe the alleged hiking of licenses fee for the treatment reagents from N200,000 to N2 million by the NNRC. He said, “Bureaucratic bottleneck has stopped treatment of cancer patients in the country resulting in the death of many people which is avoidable. From last December, no single cancer patient was treated by the Nuclear Department of University College Hospital, Ibadan and the National Hospital, Abuja because they were not licensed. “As a result of this monopoly because of the usual convention, this agency (Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Commission) now provides free of charge the reagent because they are receiving it free of charge from the United

this protest because the Chairman is arrogant and will not see reason with us. The salary of his aides and councillors are being paid in full, but can you believe that since last year May when he assumed office, we have been collecting half salary.

“Also, he stopped promotion saying it’s only on the grounds of work recognition that one can be promoted not by year of service. He also recalled workers on study leave saying the local government is not a charity organization.

And for him to pay us full salary despite that he has failed to honour minimum wage has become a problem for him. We have been suffering in silence.”

Nations Nuclear Energy Organisation.

“And when it comes to Nigeria, it is expected that it should be given to the nuclear departments of the cancer centres in Nigeria free of charge. But before then, the tradition was for these two centres to now apply and give N250, 000 as a token to this particular agency of government, which is saddled with the responsibility of accessing this reagent and then transmitting it to these nuclear medical departments.”

Between Ndoma-Egba and democratic youths

A youth group under the aegis of Cross River Youth Democratic Initiative, CRYDI, has called on the Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma- Egba, to seek re-election into the Senate to further serve the Central Senatorial District and Cross River State.

The youth group also indicated interest in providing the logistics and financial assistance to the Senate Leader to ensure that there was no hindrance in the reelection bid. “We the Cross River Democratic Initiative are not unmindful of the financial implication associated with elections, permit us to use this opportunity to firmly assure you that CRYDI will provide logistics and financial resources that will be required for your election,” the group said. Director-General and Coordinator of the group, Charles Bisong

PDP REACTS In the meantime, Kogi State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, linked the action of the council workers to the “operation” of the opposition. The State chairman of PDP, Comr.

Hassan Salau, berated Yagba East council chapter of NULGE for embarking on the protest.

and Okpekor Ndep, respectively, stated that Ndoma-Egba has done very well in the Senate and should seek reelection to enable him do more for the people.

It stated, “We strongly believe that your continued service at the Senate consolidates the gains the fourth republic legislature has made and ultimately institutionalize the democratic culture in our dear country Nigeria.”

APC loses again in the Senate

Last Wednesday was another bad day for the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the Senate as an attempt by a member of the opposition party to stop the confirmation of Mr Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor-designate, fell flat.

Senator Kabiru Gaya, APC, Kano South, raising a point of order, had drawn the attention of the Senate to the alleged pending court matter against Emefiele and canvassed that he should not be confirmed.

But Senate President David Mark replied, “You have done your best and you will also be seen by your constituents (APC) that you have done your best. Let’s leave that one, when the time comes, we will all take responsibility. “

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 13

ASO ROCK VIBES

By Ben Agande

THE PRESIDENT’S MEN

A

•Senate President, David Mark, President Goodluck Jonathan and Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal

BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

Reps groan over N200m loan In 2011 when the 7th Assembly emerged, the banks flooded the National Assembly to dole out loans to members. But old lawmakers who knew the bait quietly turned down the offer. Most new legislators saw nothing wrong with the bait and swallowed the hook.

The resultant effect today is that most of the legislators have been complaining to whoever cares to listen of how the N200m loan has slowed them down in meeting up with the many demands of their constituents.

Most of the lawmakers are hoping to organise their last empowerment programmes before 2015 and getting the money to go ahead is constituting a problem. A few wise ones invested the money in property while the very young at heart among them bought state of the art cars. You need to visit the car lot of the Reps and see the wonder on wheel they cruise around town.

Empty chamber as 2015 election draws near The green chamber in the last two weeks had showcased a very low turnout as members have been staying away to concentrate on how to come back to the House in 2015.

Deputy Speaker, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, was forced to ask after APC members. He looked round the almost empty chamber and rhetorically asked,”where is the opposition, where are the APC members in this House?”

On Wednesday, the House could not form quorum as there were less than 98 members in attendance. Normally on Thursdays when the plenary is beamed live on NTA, members mas-

C M Y K

sively attend so that their faces could be shown on television. Last Thursday was however different. The House could not form quorum as attendance was poor. 120 members are expected to be in attendance to form quorum but last Thursday as at 1.30pm only 97 members were in attendance.

Confab: Rep throws weight behind Jonathan A member of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda, representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, Rivers State, says that despite the convocation of National Conference, the National Assembly would continue with the on-going constitution amendment process. Chinda also said that there was no need for both legislative houses to wait for the outcome of the confab as there is no law restricting them from amending the constitution twice.

Speaking when he appeared on the House of Representatives correspondents’ Hot Seat last Monday, Chinda said he did not believe that the National Conference should not debate some issues bothering Nigerians.

Akpatason cautions against fuel subsidy withdrawal A former president of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG and a member of the House of Representatives, Comrade Peter Akpatason, has warned the Federal Government against removing petrol subsidy. Akpatason’s caution comes against the background of the alleged plan by the Federal Government to remove petrol subsidy soon.The former President of NUPENG, while speaking with reporters, said that much as it is desirable to stop the pilfering of trillions of Naira by government officials through the subsidy regime, a sudden removal of the subsidy should be the last option.

s the President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, to many, wields the power of life and death.

While this may not be true in literal sense, there is no doubt that there is enormous power in the Office of the President of Africa’s most populous country. From his control of the coercive institutions to the economy and other sundry and even mundane issues, the President is in a position to dispense favour in very profound ways if he chooses to.

While some of the President’s enormous responsibilities are dispensed through people he delegates powers to like ministers, advisers and other political appointment holders who are visible, there are a crop of other aides who may not be seen or heard often but who wield a lot of influence because of their strategic positions. Ironically, these very powerful men do not throw their weight around. Apart from their principal, who appreciates the strategic roles they play, only a few Nigerians know that the smooth running of government at the highest level, to a large extent, depends on the proficiency of these unseen, unheard and sometimes unsung men and women.

THE CSO

One of the aides of the President who carries a lot of responsibility but remains conspicuously in the background is the Chief Security Officer. Though the Office of the Chief Security Officer to the President (or CSO), as it is popularly known, came to the consciousness of the public during the days of the late military leader, General Sani Abacha, the present occupant has brought in panache that sometimes make people believe that the office has been abolished. As the man in charge of the President’s security at all times and in all places, the CSO, often described by security experts in superlative terms, has carried out his huge responsibility in a way that even critics of government cannot but applaud. And for a man who is in charge of the security of the President, he conducts himself in a humble way that can only come from somebody who is on top of his game.

If the CSO is influential and powerful inner circle member of the President’s office because of his strategic position, one presidential aide that is hardly heard of or seen but who commands tremendous respect and influence in the Presidency is Oronto Douglas, the Special Adviser to the President on Strategy, Research and Documentation. Before joining Jonathan when he was Vice President, Douglas had bee a good thinker, independentminded lawyer and a dispassionate activist. He served in the defense team for Ken Saro Wiwa, the Ogoniborn environmental right activist killed by the Abacha administration; co-founded Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, wrote (with Ike Okonta) “Where Vultures Feast: Shell, human rights and oil in the Niger Delta”.

Douglas’ strength, according to those who know him, lies in not only his independent-mindedness but also in the originality of thought. “He is able to resolve puzzles so effortlessly

it makes you feel jealous of his intellectual capacity. He has inputs in almost all major decisions taken by government because, oftentimes, his judgment is not encumbered by primordial considerations but the facts of the matter,” a highly placed official of government told Aso Rock Vibes.

From receiving visitors, both local and international to the president’s many international engagements, there is a seamlessness that comes with it that is so amazing and appears so well choreographed. The man behind this is Ambassador Mohammed Jameel AbubakarWaziri, State Chief of Protocol (SCOP).

Born in 1957 in Jimeta-Yola, Adamawa State, Waziri studied at the King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as well as the Pakistan Foreign Service Academy and began his career as Protocol Officer, State Protocol in Dodan Barracks, Lagos in 1983. Since then, he has served in different positions such as First Secretary, Head of Chancery-Nigerian Embassy, Algiers, Algeria, Assistant Director, Office of the Minister of State (I) Foreign Affairs as well as Special Assistant (Administration), Office of the Vice President, among others.

As the man in charge of the President’s national and international engagements, the SCOP office cannot be occupied by a lazy or incompetent person because a lapse in the highly nuanced world of diplomacy is capable of precipitating diplomatic crisis. Waziri is the man that works through the night to ensure that the President does not have the embarrassment of protocol failure.

Behind the President everywhere he goes is Colonel Ojogbane Adegbe, the Aidede-Camp. Adegbe graduated from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, in September 1995 as a member of the 42 Regular Course. He holds a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and a masters in intelligence and international security from Kings College, London. As the man with the closest physical contact with the President, Adegbe has unfettered access to his principal and some of the most classified information as he is most often the courier of the President’s file.

Although his position is seen as largely ceremonial, the ADC spends substantial time with his boss. They play squash together, ride in the same car, and fly the same aircraft.

He is one man that the president is most certainly going to confide when the pressure of statecraft weighs him down. As the eye of the military in the Presidency, the ADC is certainly in the inner circle of the President’s men.

PAGE 14—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014

CONFAB HICCUPS!

The majority question and the North’s fear Two weeks after its inauguration and one week of sitting, all appears not well for the National Conference.

F

utile or fruitful? That’s the big question one week after the National Conference began in Abuja. In the real sense, the confab is supposed to be two weeks old having been inaugurated on March 17. But it deferred the commencement of technical session by one week. The adumbration started on March 24.. Seated in the auditorium of the National Judicial Institute, Abuja, venue of confab, were the 492 delegates drawn from various distinct groupings in the country. For three days, Monday through Wednesday, the conference had not just some deliberations but heated debates that apparently pitted the South and North against each other. Like in an action-packed movie, there were tension-soaked scenes that characterized the three days with the Chairman of the conference, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi (rtd), providing comic relief that reduced tensions in the hall.

Traffic hitches/administrative bottlenecks Monday morning was simply difficult for almost all the delegates. From the threshold of the venue to getting into the hall, life was made hard for them. Time was 10 am, the rush time. There was huge security in and around the hall. And so, whether highly placed or lowly placed, everyone went through the gamut of security checks. Consequently, the human C M Y K

and vehicular checks prompted a serpentine queue that took members up to two hours to scale through.

After the gate screening, delegates again faced SSS checks and scanning machines at the entry point of the hall.

They were also made to document their personal data. Eventually, it was Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), a delegate from the South-west who, in between proceedings which had already started inside the hall, brought the excruciating experience of his colleague-delegates outside to the knowledge of the Chairman. His submission was echoed by Comrade Isa Aremu of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), among others.

They pushed for a halt to the proceedings to enable many trapped outside to join the plenary. The Chairman, Kutigi, called for a 10-minute wait.

shall be decided by vote of three quarter majority.” They had successfully deliberated on all other matters on Tuesday except the voting pattern when they proceeded for lunch break. After the break, Kutigi called for the adoption of the rules.

But members objected. A Federal Government delegate, Mr. Mike Ozokeheme (SAN), questioned the wisdom behind adopting an inclusive matter, forcing a debate.

While some delegates favoured the presidential proposal of reaching consensus or three quarter majority, many advocated the two-third majority, stressing that it was more conventional and reasonable.The issue stalled proceedings.

The delegates were split along North/South lines. While many

,,

BY BEN AGANDE & LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU

Debate/adoption of rules The conference had hardly got underway when Kutigi called for adoption of the rules. But Falana told the Chairman that it was unconventional to adopt the procedural rules without debating them first. With that, the debate on the rules opened.

Voting pattern The delegates failed to reach a common ground on Order Xi (1) and (2) of the Procedure Rules of the conference which says,” All decisions of the conference at plenary and committee stage shall be reached by consensus, or in the absence of that, the Chairman shall, at his discretion, adjourn proceedings to allow for further consultations. In case of failure to reach a resolution on the matter by consensus, it

officials. But going a little further into the demography of this country, about 55 percent of the population is from the North, but Mr. President, in his own wisdom, decided to nominate 290 people from the South, his area and nominated only 200 from the North.

Automatically, that gives the South a serious advantage of two third majority without even any contribution from the North. And I don’t think this is what Mr. President wants. Because, if that is done, then it will not be a Nigerian decision. It will be a southern Nigerian decision which is not healthy for Nigeria. Now, I think that sanity should prevail and, therefore, in view of the practical situation on the ground, we should take the three quarter decision and stand there”.

The delegates were split along North/South lines. While many northern delegates wanted decisions taken by three quarter votes when the conference is unable to decide by consensus, many from the South wanted two third

northern delegates wanted decisions taken by three quarter votes when the conference is unable to decide by consensus, many from the South wanted two third.

An elder statesman from Gombe State, Ambassador Yerima Abdullahi, told Sunday Vanguard the North’s fear that inevitably led some delegates from that part of the country into asking for three quarter voting pattern. Abdullahi said: “If you analyze the membership of this conference, you have 492 outside the

A delegate on the platform of elder statesmen, Chief Edwin Clark, cautioned his colleagues not to further associate President Goodluck Jonathan with the 75 per cent clause, emphasizing that issues of rules and order should not stop the conference from progressing.

He said: “Consensus should be the order of the day, but where we disagree, are we going to stop this meeting? We should not allow rules or orders to stop us from proceeding. All Continues on page 15

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 15

CONFAB HICCUPS! Continued from page 14

Setting up of 50-member committee In resolving the voting pattern impasse, the Chairman set up a 50member committee to look into it. The committee members, later on Wednesday, later went into a closeddoor session with the conference leadership. While hopes were alive that by 4pm that day, the outcome of their deliberation would be announced, it was rather astonishing to hear Kutigi at resumption of plenary say that the committee was inclusive on the issue. He subsequently adjourned the conference till tomorrow (Monday).

Meanwhile, the committee was said to have reached a consensus position which is expected to be submitted to C M Y K

Idris Kutigi

Chukwuemeka Ezeife

,,

over the world, the practice is two third majority. No one here should deceive us that, that is the mindset of Mr. President. This matter has come to an end. We should decide it. So, Mr. Chairman, let’s put Nigeria first.

Whether we are talking about two third majority or 75 percent, we are all Nigerians. Let’s put it to vote if we cannot decide.”

Also speaking, another delegate from North, Alhaji Mohammed Bello, said that the issue of majority or minority does not arise.

“We have opportunity now to look at the issues and decide on which way to go. The conference is not about majority or minority. What we are talking about is consensus. Before the President thought about consensus, he must have thought about it seriously. If it is about majority or minority, we would not have been here. Let us forget about our sentiments. If we insist that people will use their numbers to intimidate others, it will cause problem in this country,” he said.

Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga, a delegate from the South-south, lent a voice to the debate saying two third majority was the answer.

He said: “We were here when the President spoke to us. He said the interest of the conference is Nigeria, not your tribe. The President said we are re-launching Nigeria. We want two third so that we can move along.”

Another delegate on the platform of retired state security and NIA officers, Chief Jerry Okwuonu, challenged the confab leadership and insisted on two third majority.

“I come from a part of the country where even before the white men came, we had reached consensus. But time has changed. We are taking two third so that we can have something to take to Nigerians.”

Chidinma Uwajumogu, an Imo State delegate, said, “Three quarter will not suffice. Two third, sir.”

When it became obvious that reaching a compromise was almost impossible given the number of hands that indicated interests to speak on the voting pattern issue, a northern delegate, Yusuf Garba, advised against a division that may derail the conference.

“I pray that we will not look for division in this hallowed chambers.

Whatever, let’s go back to Mr. President and do something that will give us a name,” he said.

A delegate on the platform of elder statesmen, Chief Edwin Clark, cautioned his colleagues not to further associate President Goodluck Jonathan with the 75 per cent clause, emphasizing that issues of rules and order should not stop the conference from progressing

the conference for adoption tomorrow.

A member of the committee, which sat on the matter, on Thursday and Friday, told Sunday Vanguard that the body made far reaching decisions that would resolve the voting pattern impasse.

The member, who did not want to be named because he was not authorised to talk to the media, explained that those in the committee had frank and serious discussion before arriving at the compromise position. ”At the end of the day, we recommended that decisions on issues would be taken when 70% of members vote on it if they are unable to arrive

Edwin Clark

Olusegun Osoba at consensus after three attempts. This is less than the 3/4 some delegates, mostly from the North, insisted on and more than 2/3 that others, mostly from the South, insisted on. It was a decision that every member was satisfied with”, he said.

According to him, members of the committee were mandated to meet with the various caucuses in the conference today evening to appraise them of the development before the delegates reconvene tomorrow. ”We believe that by the time we meet with all the caucuses today (Sunday), we would be able to persuade members to accept the new position and allow the compromise position to hold National interest is greater that the interest of individual members those of groups,” the member said.

Hours of session Delegates had a tough time reaching a consensus on hours of the session.

This happened on Monday. While some delegates agreed with the status quo in the rules book of the conference which provides for session to run from 10 a.m to 6 p.m with two hours in between for lunch, many others argued that the time was too much.

The followed a motion by a former governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, who suggested that closing time should be 4 p.m and lunch time reduced to one hour.

According to him, the adjustment in time would enable the media ensure a better coverage of the conference by filing their stories on time. Besides, he said the idea will also enable delegates to have fruitful

deliberations.

A former governor of Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, supported Osoba. He said flexibility should be allowed to dominate proceedings.

Chinedu Obasi, representing students association from South east, also insisted on reducing the break time.

But the Senate President in the aborted Third Republic, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, from Benue State, disagreed with Osoba and Ezeife, saying the time provided in the rules book should be left as it is.

Senator Adolphus Wabara, another former Senate President and delegate from Abia State, argued that the time provided was enough, urging a clear demarcation between the presiding officers and other principal officers. “If quorum is formed, we should demarcate between the presiding and principal offers. The time provided is enough,” he said.

A monarch’s pain Alhaji Muhammadu Barkindo Mustapha, the Lamido of Adamawa, stirred the hornet’s nest, on Wednesday, when, out of apparent anger arising from many times of microphone denial and attitude of delegates over the voting formula, said that he was directly or indirectly a Cameronian.

“Mr. Chairman, I want to sound a note of warning. I have been sitting here for three days now watching and listening. We should not take cue from the so-called civilized people of western countries because they are always after their own interest and they can use anything including coercion to protect that interest,” the monarch said.

“Listening to the debates and behavior of some of the delegates here, it beats my imagination why a gathering of people like us will behave the way we are.

“The President delivered an address and laid down what we are supposed to discuss and what not to discuss.

But many people here, some of them elder statesmen, who claim to be strong loyalists of the President unfortunately, these people are in the forefront to contradict what the President has said.

“In the long run, if we are not careful, this conference will flop. God forbid. If it flops, the resultant effect will not be imaginable. If anything happens and the country disintegrates, God forbid, many of us who are shouting their heads off may not have anywhere to go.

“My people and the people of Adamawa have got somewhere to go.

I am the Lamido Adamawa and my kingdom extends to Cameroun. The larger part of my kingdom is in Cameroun. Part of that kingdom is today called Adamawa State in Cameroun. You see, if I run to that place, I will easily assimilate.”

This prompted mixed reactions among the delegates some of whom resorted to booing the monarch. For instance, Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba from Imo State, South-east zone, who spoke on the issue, said, “It’s straight forward. We now know there are people who don’t have as much stake as we have in the unity of Nigeria.

Most of us have only Nigeria. Some people have told us they actually have other countries after Nigeria and may not be as committed to the future the well-being of Nigeria. Our duty is to convince them to remain Nigerians totally and not partial Nigerians.”

PAGE 16—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014

Confab is serious business — Femi Falana Some delegates shared their perspectives on the conference.

Mr Femi Falana (SAN) spoke first

tell you that this conference is not going to solve all the problems of Nigeria. Far from it. It may be able to resolve some of the problems. Most of the problems are very intractable and they are ethnic, tribe and religion based. You can see that the country is polarized along ethnic, religious lines.

One hundred years after we were brought together as a nation, 53 years after we got independence, you can see the enormity of the problems we are facing. My view is that we must work hard, not taking and not giving all. We must all work hard to see that we will arrive at a reasonable compromise.

I

Nweke

,,

am confident the house will reach a consensus. The way the meeting has been managed so far has given room for a seeming confusion. But I think a committee has been set up. My only worry is that quite a number of people in the committee have fixation. They have pre-conceived position on how Nigeria should move forward. It is also interesting to note that some of them, with profound respect, caused some of the problems we are here to address. But there are people in the committee who are open-minded and who are prepared to influence majority of the members and arrive at a decision that will be acceptable to the house. For instance, I cannot see the basis for this confusion. I think what has emerged is the fact that we tried to put the cart before the horse. We are not likely to vote until when the reports of the committees are brought in and when we are in those committees, we are going to work at close quarters as smaller units which should provide the opportunity for us to reduce tension and allow the superiority of ideas to prevail. So that when we come out of those committees to the larger house, we are like to have known ourselves the more and be availed of superior reasoning. But the way we are handling it, some people have their fears borne out of pre-conceived notions and that is why it is a bit problematic.

From the information at my disposal, the committee that is consulting with the Chairman is likely to arrive at a decision that will be acceptable to the house. I would have wanted us to look not the issues one by one. In any of those contentious areas, we need to convince ourselves before we can meet even simple majority not to talk of two third or three quarter. But the areas of massive corruption in the country, infrastructural decay, the security of life and property, and lack of access to education, health and the rest of them, I can’t see problems; if people are committed to take this country to her rightful place in the comity of nations, there shouldn’t be any areas of frictions. The cost of governance has become enormously unbearable. We can’t copy the American system of government.

The American government doesn’t have this unprecedented number of special advisers and personal assistants and all that.

I am fully for the involvement of the Nigerian people in the management of the conference. We must get the Nigerian people to own the process. In each of the countries where the idea of National Conference succeeded particular in francophone countries, it was a serious business.

The people owned it and that was how each of them acquired sovereignty. It didn’t acquire sovereignty ab initio. It was the profundity of

Falana

Ekpu recommendations that made the people to embrace the idea. And that is what we are doing. The only thing I will suggest to the secretariat is: don’t make it an elite affair.

We disagree to agree —Frank Nweke Jnr.

My desire is a Nigeria where justice, equity and peace prevail. A Nigeria that is inclusive and caters for the needs of its citizens, whether you are talking about security or health care, opportunity, national unity, that is my concern, justice and equity more than anything else. It is difficult for somebody like me, given my experiences and exposure, to think of Nigeria in any other way beyond one that is united, strong and have equal opportunity for all and sundry.

Because of the very nature of our diversity, it is not out place for people to disagree to agree and agree to disagree which is what is going on. I think we are talking. At some point we will reach a compromise.

Most of the problems are intractable – Mr Ray Ekpu

The North’s fear over two third – Ambassador

Yerima Abudulahi, elder statesman from Gombe State

I am glad that the Chairman has taken this reconciliatory route of making progress.

This is not the first time. In a situation of this nature, we will arrive a situation where violent disagreement can arise. In 2005, one situation happened and one or two other issues. And we had to adjourn and called some heads in. I am glad Mr. Chairman has done so now. I hope they will lay down their caps of being from so, so and so from those ethnic groups to being Nigerians, leaders of Nigeria and think and discuss the situation they are required to discuss purely as Nigerians because this country belongs to all of us. As one of our leaders has said, we have no other country we can call our own except Nigeria. And so, whatever we can do to make sure that we retain and maintain a united Nigeria, we will do it.

If you analyze the membership of this conference, you have 492 outside the officials. But going a little further into the demography of this country, about 55 percent of the population is from the North, but Mr. President, in his own wisdom, decided to nominate 290 people from the South, his area and nominated only 200 from the North. Automatically, that gives the South a serious advantage of two third majority without even any contribution from the North. And I don’t think this is what Mr. President wants. Because, if that is done, then it will not be a Nigerian decision. It will be a southern Nigerian decision which is not healthy for Nigeria. Now, I think that sanity should prevail and, therefore, in view of the practical situation on the ground, we should take the three quarter decision and stand there.

I am fully for the involvement of the Nigerian people in the management of the conference. We must get the Nigerian people to own the process. In each of the countries where the idea of National Conference succeeded particular in francophone countries, it was a serious business At Abacha’s conference, it got to a point where Dr. Ekwueme was speaking and there were hecklings.

They would not let him speak. And then, Emeka Ojukwu got up and stood behind Ekwueme and said, “I am standing behind you, speak on”.

So, these things do happen but, at the end of the day, try and patch up things. You are dealing with a diversity of people from different parts of the country from different backgrounds who have different interests. But I believe that, at the end of the day, the prevailing interest will be national interest. You can see the diversity playing out here. That’s why you have this problem with the voting system whether it should be three quarter, two third or even simple majority. It was actually a surprise for me to see three quarter because I have never heard of any arrangement in this country or any where else where you have three quarter. 75 percent is quite on the high side. My view is consensus. I believe the President meant well by talking about consensus because if you arrive at consensus, it will help the country.

But in the lack of the ability to arrive at consensus, you must make do with what you can get. But I must

C M Y K

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 17

INTRIGUING EXPERIENCES on the street. But what drives me on is that one day, we would realize a country of our dream, where everyone would have job, peace, security, good water system, good educational system; a country where we would not emphasise tribe, but that which strengthens us. Where there would be justice, fairness and equity. That is my hope for the country. That is actually what drives me on. Each time people ask: ‘Ken, why are you in politics?’ I am in politics because I want a better nation. I want a better life for my fellow Nigerians. What I have seen on the streets of New York, what I have seen at the Heathrow Airport, what I have seen in Dubai, what is happening in South Africa can happen in Nigeria, if we have the men with good heart in government, if we have people in government that would see themselves as servants of the people rather than as the Lords of the Manor.

Every chance we have in government is given by God. God would ask questions.

Life is very frail and temporal. On November 13, 2013, I was coming from Akure where I went for the burial of my very good

By SAM EYOBOKA friend, Deji Falae. Deji had died. Back home, I was almost gone. But the finger of arrister Kenneth Imansuangbon (aka Rice Man) is the proprietor and Chair God stopped death and Satan, and gave me man of Abuja-based Pace Setters Group of Schools, lawyer, businessman and Peoples Democratic Party life. God said, ‘No, touch not my anointed (PDP) governorship aspirant in Edo State. He spoke in Benin-City shortly after a thanksgiving service at the and do my prophet no harm.’ That was Rev. Dr. Felix Omobude-pastored New Covenant Gospel Church to thank God for saving his life in a motor what saved me. And because of that safety, accident last November 13. Excerpts: Edo people are together now. The safety God granted me has Congratulations for surviving an mind when you lost your dad? bonded the two dominant political accident late last year. Did you have His death was a huge shock. I felt parties (APC and PDP) in the any premonition? that it was the end of the world for me, state. The governor and I are Yes. I knew somehow that there were that I was finished. I thought there was friends now. We’re brothers. evil persons who were not happy with no hope left. Immediately the doctor Everybody is one now. The what I was doing for the masses. I felt pronounced him dead, I felt hopeless. somehow that they were not happy with But after his burial, I knew that I had to accident that almost claimed my life has unified Edo people. What the good I am doing, like sharing rice, hold on to my creator. God gave me makes Edo strong is not PDP. giving scholarships, sponsoring essay hope. God inspired me. He fired me What makes Edo strong is not competitions, football competitions in up. And the Edo people and Nigerians APC. Edo and across the country, reaching as a whole fired me up. His death was What makes Edo strong is not out to widows and orphans and so on. I also a tonic for success. the rich oil or vegetation in the knew that some people don’t like such state. What makes Edo strong is good things. But there are also some You rose from rag to riches, grass to the spirit of forgiveness, the spirit people that love it. Each time I do such grace. What was the turning point? of unity, the spirit that I can watches and build a big house?

This things, it is because of my faith in God. From Ewohinmi, my mother would criticize the Comrade Governor, house I live in (in Benin) is a rented The background I came from is very come to Benin when I was in ICE, and the next day, he can come to apartment. poor. I lost my father in 1983. From that wearing black clothes. I am sorry to say my thanksgiving. That’s love. point in time, mama (his mother) toiled this, part of our culture is unfriendly What strengthens us is that the What are the lessons you have learnt day and night to provide for our needs. and unkind to woman. If a woman Comrade Governor knows that I from that accident?

Mama trained me in black clothes loses her spouse, for three years, she is can be the next governor. That he That life is vanity. It’s like a vapour. (mourning attires). I am the first of six made to wear black clothes. She would can hand over the key of GovernNovember 14, I would have died were it children. My mother, Elizabeth come to Benin in her black clothes to not for the mercies of God. I must say that Imansuangbon, is a wonderful woman; give me foodstuff and other necessities. ment House to me. And he said during my thanksgiving that God as a result of the accident, two things have very resilient and courageous. When I knew that the only way was to and the people would determine happened. I have taken two decisions. As my father died, she didn’t abandon us succeed. I would tell her, ‘Mama, don’t who would be the governor (of a result of this accident, I would hold on to to marry another man. She was very worry. If it pleases the God almighty, Edo State) after him in 2016. To God the more, serve Him more than ever, beautiful. She stood by me. I actually the end would justify the means’. quote him, ‘It might be Kenneth, it serve the community and the people. I will benefited from the sympathy of the Today, I am grateful to God and to my might be Imansuangbon.’ He’s serve Edo people, serve Nigeria, serve the public. So, that is why you see me mother. Also, I have a very great wife, checking out, I am checking in. world. giving. I can give my knickers, shoes Kate. She is like a bulwark. She is my Let me also add that the accident has and even pants and go naked without brain. God gave me a good partner.

Rumour has it that you weep brought unity to the state. It has batting an eyelid. It is in my DNA to Whatever I am today, she is very each time you travel abroad. synergised both PDP and APC. We should have sympathy for the poor. People instrumental to it. And she is a GodWhy? take politics beyond hatred. Politics is not think it is because of politics that I feed fearing woman.

It is no rumour. The first time I hate. If you hate because you’re a politipeople, but if they know where I am got to the US, I was crying. I wept. cian, then, you’re not a human being. coming from, they would know that What attracted you to your wife?

The American Customs office Politics is love; and that was demonstrated nothing can be farther from the truth.

Quite honestly, I don’t deserve the asked why I was crying. I told him

by Edo people the day I arrived from the My guiding principle is that politics wife I got. Yes, I wanted a God-fearing I was crying because I didn’t know overseas treatment.

Over 20,000 people should have face of humanity. woman, a woman that would love the why my country, Nigeria, was not were at the airport to welcome me.

When I give, I give selflessly; even poor. My wife said to me that when like this (US). Where did we miss Everywhere was jampacked. For four when I give in pain. There are certain she was young, she used to dream that it as a people? That was actually hours, they waited-old, young, men, giving you do, even when you don’t she was helping the poor on the street, what triggered my interest in women, children.

From the airport, they have. But you’re constrained to give sharing rice, noodles and all what not. politics. That is the reason I said trekked with me down to my house (at because you could see the weakness And today, that’s what we’re doing. no matter the hazards in politics, GRA). It is only love that can make and begging of the people with their some of us are ready to live and anybody do that kind of a thing. Those eyes and body language. So, you’re left In Edo State, they call you the Rice die for what we believe in to make who I never knew prayed for me.

Muslims with no option than to bend over Man because of you philanthropy. a change in our country. This prayed for me. Imams prayed for me. backward to give. At times, I feel pain.

You’re are also a lawyer and politichange is coming. This change Christians prayed for me. Everybody It is not easy to give. At times, I feel, cian. What drives you? will come. prayed for me. this money that I am giving, why don’t What is dear to me is that I am KenThis change is here.

I keep it for my children? Or why don’t I neth Imansuangbon. I am an ordinary What was the thought that came to your use it buy big cars, expensive wristman. I am like any ordinary Nigerian

My close shave with death after burying intimate friend —Imansuangbon

*‘Mama trained me in black clothes’

B

I actually benefited from the sympathy of the public. So, that is why you see me giving. I can give my knickers, shoes and even pants and go naked without batting an eyelid.

C M Y K

PAGE 18 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014

bb pin: 75E17ABC *Adokiye Kyrian

Believe it or not, I’m still a virgin! — Adokiye S

eductively beautiful, fragile and provocative wave-making singer, Adokiye Kyrian, who became UN ambassador of Peace in less than five years of her climb onto the stage of music in Nigeria, is a hot item any day any time. She never ceases to amaze and seems never to run out of bag of tricks to mesmerise fans and haters alike.

The Love You Better and Kulumo crooner, who only turned 23 yesterday has been called many names, and most of those have sexuality hanging around them. So one could imagine my surprise and sheer incredulity when the singer opened up to me that she is actually a virgin.

We were chatting about love and she was trying to convince me she doesn’t believe in love. “ I really don’t like love”, she said “ I’m a career person, what I have for everyone including guys, is Agape love. Love is wicked and there is no real love, I’m young and living the life. Until I see one, I’m happy like this” Then I felt she was beginning to sound like a woman who has had the love of

her life run off with her best friend on her wedding day. I could not help but asked if she had been pained by love before. To which she retorted “Frankly, no”. But she told me she has seen enough of fake love around her to be cautious to whom she gives her heart .

“So, you aren’t in any relationship”, I queried. “ Yes, actually, I’m in a relationship with my career, architecture is my husband and music/ movie my boyfriend”, she replied.

Curious as usual, I felt this rising star may just have no one pulling her chestnut out of the fire for her, so, I took a swing at her but got one back that got me real reeling.

“You mean you are not getting laid or what?”, I returned, to which she cut me short “ Haba, what is a young girl getting laid for. I’m still a virgin”. For a moment, I thought I hadn’t heard right and I guessed she thought so too. “Why are you quiet? Haven’t you seen a pretty virgin before? If you don’t believe me, you have seen one today. Any man that buys my mum the private jet I promised her, wins my heart” she said.

I canno cannott marr marryy a man who can’t per perfform — Crystal Okoye

I can dat em date myy colleague but can’t marr marryy him

E

bony beauty, Crystal Okoye hasn’t been around in Nollywood for more than two years but she has become an item film-makers court with courtesy and respect. In a space of a year, when most of her peers were still looking to have a shot at a scene in a movie, Crystal, has done close to twenty, with more than 6 of those as the lead character.

She’s sexy, with a figure that could stir up commotion and this fact isn’t lost on the Nnamdi Azikwe University undergraduate who once boldly told me she has the best figure in Nollywood. She said Mercy Johnson’s curves cannot even compare with hers. Of course, that statement made her more enemies than friends, as scores of Mercy Johnson’s fans descended on her, trying to rip her apart with all sorts of insults.

But seriously, if push comes to shove, Crystal has got a body, that could make the dead give up their graves, should she decide to take a walk through a cemetery.

She elicits emotions wherever she goes, making her an object of adulation but Crystal has ideas about the kind of man that could even get beyond her ground floor. “ A God-fearing and understanding man who will love me. It doesn’t matter if he is rich or poor. What is most important to me is love and he has to be a complete man. I am not one of those women who would tell you sex doesn’t matter, it matters a lot in a marriage. If a man cannot perform I have no business with him. You have to be a complete man to be with me. I don’t pray to marry a poor man but a man who can comfortably take care of me. I love sex, and I am not going to pretend I don’t. I know *Crystal most girls even fake orgasm just to please Okoye their partners but I am not that kind of girl” she said and that paints a picture, isn’t ?

C M Y K

L

— Lola Magret

ola Magret has said she found herself in the Yoruba sector of Nollywood because she didn’t know who could introduce her into the English sector. She has Bolaji Amusa aka ‘Mr Latin’; to thank for her first shot at glory in the makebelieve business.

Once, there was a rumour that the beautiful actress was dating a politician, to which she reacted vehemently that she could never date a politician. And only recently she confessed to me that she cannot also marry somebody from the industry. “ I can’t marry somebody from the industry because the marriage doesn’t last. There is always lack of trust and understanding. Though, there’s nothing bad about dating each other,” she said But I questioned her, why she would date somebody she doesn’t intend to marry. “It’s not every relationship that leads to marriage, we are into relationships only to find out who may end up as the real one. Anyway, I have a boyfriend. He is the man in my life. I mustn’t tell you his name. He is okay with my profession. I am not dating an actor. My fiancée understands me and he understands my job. I love him and we intend to get married. He is a loving and caring guy. He is God-fearing. I love him so much and that was why I chose him”.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 19

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n 2012, the marriage between Nollywood actress, Sophia Chikere and movie director Tchidi Chikere, reportedly crashed like a pack of badly arranged cards. But long before the crash, there were several reports, that another actress, Nuella Njubigbo, was dating the movie director. In fact, some reports openly suggested Nuella was the reason Tchidi sent Sophia packing.

Since then, rumours were rife that both Tchidi and Nuella found another haven in each other’s arms until a couple of days back when the news broke that Tchidi would be having a traditional marriage with Nuella on Friday, March 28, 2014, two days ago.

From all available information the wedding held and both Nuella and Tchidi are now husband and wife.

As true as that is, no one ever believed the director was actually going to marry Nuella because reports of their romance were something people received with levity and oftentimes, like a joke, that could only amuse and be forgotten. So, when the news of their impending marriage broke, it was received like another joke, especially, when the two parties involved, neither came out to deny nor confirm anything.

Until the silence was broken by Nuella on Thursday in a release sent to several media houses. She confirmed that she would indeed, be getting married to the movie director, saying she and Tchidi never crossed the lines as friends and that the talk about her being pregnant for Tchidi was mere rumour.

“My heart is remarkably at peace with this decision, and I am willing to take this leap of faith which every married woman has taken. Where this love will lead me I cannot say, I am not God, but, I have hope, faith and believe that it will lead me to a good place. Every one of us in this life deserves a chance to be happy. I am taking my own chance” she said.

But there was someone who found all she said not only distasteful but a whole lot of baloney. That person is Sophia Chikere, who has claimed she is still legally married to the movie director.

Nuella released her statement on Thursday night and Sophia was quick to follow Friday morning. Hear her:I swear with my life, my children’s life and everything I have, that Nuella started dating my husband before he left the marriage. But because I respect my husband a lot, the father of my three boys, I have kept calm and won’t talk and comment because there is no need to wash your dirty linen in public. Tchidi is a wonderful husband and father and will always be.

But if Nuella opened her mouth and said that she wasn’t dating C M Y K

SOPHIA CHIKERE EXPLODES:

How I lost my marriage! my husband before he left the marriage, if she’s lying, let her not see anything good in life and if I’m lying,let me not see anything good in life.

This question is for Nuella: Nuella, since you broke my marriage, have I called you?

Have I looked for you? No! After what you did, you still have the right to lie and say you were not in the picture?

You want to deceive the public?

But you can’t deceive God. You put what God has joined together asunder and made my children cry to bed every night.

I keep calm and you have the audacity to say that

you weren’t dating my husband when we were together? Let the wrath of God be your portion. Now that you have taken my hubby and you are getting married to him like I heard, are you happy? Are you fulfilled? Let the Almighty God fight for me and judge you.

Let vengeance be of God who knows everything and sees everything.

My God is able and he’s not asleep. He sees. He knows. And he feels what I feel.

He is the Lord who cares for me and my kids.

As for my husband, he is a wonderful father and I will never ever disrespect him”.

Clarion Chukwura reveals secrets of her ageless beauty A

lthough the Vanguard Personalities of the Year Awards, which held penultimate Saturday, at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos was meant for the top echelon of the society, the top businessmen, government functionaries and their associates who may want to felicitate with them, but the occasion turned out to be a jamboree of sort, for entertainers who took the centre stage and dictated proceedings.

The trio honoured on the night were Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Chief Innocent Ifediaso Chukwuma and they all came in toe with their retinue of aids,associates, assistants and even families. It was simply a dazzling night of glitz, glamour and potpourri of style but the entertainers, who also came like they had an invasion on their minds just couldn’t be outdone as they added colour,attitude and swag to what could be described as roller-coasting razzledazzle.

Yet, amid the razzmatazz there was an unmistakable personality, who stood out like she was meant to be an icing on a jolly cake . This fact was noticed by so many and encomiums kept pouring her way. That person is veteran Nollywood actress, Clarion Chukwura, who is in her late fifties. To many, she could have passed for a woman in her thirties. Little wonder everyone wanted to have a photograph taken with her.

Later on, when I asked her what her secrets are, for keeping herself looking so young, she told me: “ I use mostly herbal and fruit products in my internal intake and external use. I undergo regular detoxification, relaxation, controlled exposure to heat, stone massage, exfoliation, exercises and laughter”. Detoxification is a plain medical term for flushing your system to clean out your internal organs and exfoliation is plain spa term for deep pore cleansing of your skin”.

*Sophia

Wh Whyy I am still single — Mo wal Moyyo La Law

S

al *Moyo Law

ome have said there are several personalities to the person called Moyo Lawal, a curvaceous actress who is well known as the character ‘Chinny’ in the Mnet soap opera ‘Tinsel’. She’s an effervescent type, who could blow either old or cold, depending on the tide her temperament is riding.

As a liberated woman, nobody really sees Moyo as the wife material type but the ‘Cloud of Pain’ and ‘Big

Gals on Campus’, girl reveals recently, that there is every woman beneath that her façade of big tough girl when she said she would really have loved to have been married except that she hasn’t seen anything like the right man on the horizon “I am one of those people who will never do something until it’s perfect or just right. I guess that explains why am still single. If you make the wrong choice you end up with your worst nightmare”, she said.

PAGE 20—SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014

The Crimea referendum and the great betrayal (2)

BY FEMI FANI-KAYODE

Continued from last week He not only dared them but he also sent our troops, under the command of Brigadier-General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, to secure our eastern boarders and to protect our territory from their reckless and open aggression. Force was poised to meet force and the Nigerian nation was mobilised for a full scale territorial war.

Lt. Colonel Isa Mohammed, as he then was, and the courageous officers under his command, did most of the fighting by actually throwing the Camerounian soldiers out of Bakassi and, in so doing, he did Nigeria proud. If ever a man deserved to be on the honours list of our nation it was Lt. Col. Isa Mohammed because his exploits during the Bakassi conflict when General Abacha was in power were extraordinary and simply legendary.

I am one of those that vehemently opposed General Abacha throughout his five years in power but I was happy to commend him for his noble and courageous stand on the Bakassi matter and the vigorous and aggressive action that he took at the time to protect our people and secure our boarders.

I did so in a celebrated essay that I wrote for the Guardian Newspaper all the way from Ghana in 1997 which was titled ‘’Masters Of Our Fate, Captains Of Our Souls’’.

Many of my colleagues and friends in the opposition and NADECO, like the irrepressable Bashorun of Okemesi, Chief Akin Osuntokun, who is not only my friend and brother but also something of an intellectual soulmate, were shocked that I could have commended Abacha for anything given the fact that virtually every other single essay that I wrote for my weekly column and my numerous interventions in those turbulent years were vehemently opposed to him and his military government.

Yet I must confess that no Nigerian President ever made me feel prouder of my country than Abacha when he stood up to the bullying French and made it clear to the world that he was ready to go to full scale war with the Camerouns if they continued their incursions into Nigerian territory and if they did not pull out of the Bakassi Peninsular.

The French and their Camerounian puppets wisely complied with immediate effect and they did so on the advice of the Americans who convinced them that Abacha was not just bluffing but that he ‘’meant every word that he said’’. This was a man that was more than happy to turn the whole of the west African sub-region into a cauldron of fire in order to defend the honour and dignity of our people, protect our territorial integrity and keep Nigeria one. In this respect Abacha was a leader that was second to none, Only General Muhammadu Buhari showed a similar level of courage and strength when he drove the invading Chadians from our territory and borders over ten years earlier in 1982, marched into Chad itself and was firmly on his way to laying siege to the Chadian capital Njadmena when he was ordered to stop and turn back by President Shehu Shagari.

As was reported at the time Buhari simply refused to stop his massive offensive and he blew away everything that stood in his way until he was deep into Chadian territory. He gave the Chadians a very bloody nose indeed and they certainly deserved it.

The Buhari story Those were the days when Nigeria had a strong military that we could be proud of and when we had commanding officers C M Y K

The Crimea referendum

that were professional and disciplined and that could be relied on to engage the enemy forcefully and utterly crush them.

Those were the days when we had leaders that were not afraid of unleashing our military on any foreign power when we were sufficiently provoked. Permit me to share a little more about Buhari. My friend and brother the Kaakaki Nupe, Mr.Sam Nda Isaiah, once told me a very interesting story which is relevant here.

He said that General Buhari once told him that when he first became Head of State in 1983 and went through the file on Bakassi he knew that it would be impossible for Nigeria to win the case in any international court of law simply because the area had been erroneously ceded to the Camerounians by a previous military Head of State a number of years earlier.

He said that his next move was to send troops to the Bakassi Peninsular to secure the place for Nigeria and to protect the Nigerian people that were living there.

excellence. Those days of glory appear to have gone and sadly they will not return until we have a new and serious-minded government and President in power in our country.

Love him or hate him, the truth is that no Nigerian President displayed the same degree of patriotism, resolve and strength over the Bakassi Peninsular as General Sani Abacha did from 1993 to 1998 when he was in power.

Sadly on 10th October 2002, under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo, we lost the Bakassi to the Camerouns under what were controversial and unacceptable circumstances and as a result of an absurd ruling of the International Court of Justice at the Hague.

I have asked this question on numerous occasions and I am yet to receive a satisfactory answer so perhaps I will take this opportunity to ask it again. How can any responsible government proceed to the International Court of Justice over a territorial dispute with a neighbouring nation after the blood of it’s citizens has been spilt over that land and whilst that government was still in full possession of the disputed territory?

A government that cannot protect its own people from the foreign invader and that cannot secure its own borders from external aggression deserves to be pitied - it is nothing but an object of shame, opprobrium and ridicule

People’s will versus international court How can any government agree to subject themselves to the proceedings and ruling of an international court when the majority of the people in the disputed territory had consistently reaffirmed their desire to remain Nigerians and after they expressed their grave fears, concerns and strong opposition to being turned into Camerounians overnight?

Leaders and Presidents are meant to hold their territory and defend their people when provoked and not to give them up to their enemies and tormentors. That is why we have armies.

President Obasanjo’s capitulation on the Bakassi issue and his decision to subject Nigeria to the jurisdiction and proceedings of the International Court of Justice was a grave error. It was also a classic betrayal because the people of the Bakassi Peninsular were abandoned and sacrificed by our government simply to curry favour with the western powers and the international community.

This single event was the greatest blot on the administration of President Obasanjo and I will not shy away from saying so even though I remain one of his greatest admirers, even though my love for him remains untainted and even though I had the privilege of serving in his government.

That is what a man of honour who truly loves his nation and people should have done and Buhari did it without batting an eyelid. What a man and what a leader.

Sadly today all that has changed and we do not have such men of honour in power.

Instead we have a President that cannot even muster the strength and courage to fight the Islamist sect known as Boko Haram or any of the other insurgent groups that are freely operating in our country and killing our people.

We no longer have men like the gallant Major Halilu Akilu (as he then was) who, under the orders of General Buhari in 1984, crushed the exceptionally vicious and fearsome Maitatsine islamist sect in Kano with ruthless precision and professional

The Obasanjo error Jackie Mcgunn reflected the thinking and feelings of most Nigerians very well when she said ‘’I felt raped and violated when Nigeria handed over Bakassi to the

Camerounians’’. I felt the same way. President Obasanjo was not capable of doing what General Abacha had managed to do almost a decade earlier and it grieved my soul and the souls of millions of other Nigerians”.

If Obasanjo had displayed half the courage, firm resolve and strong determination over the Bakassi Peninsular matter as President Vladimer Putin is doing over the Crimean crisis and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had done over the Falkland Islands dispute, the Bakassi Peninsular, and all it’s people, would still have been part and parcel of Nigeria today.

Today the people of the Crimea want to be part of Russia and not the Ukraine just as, in 1982, the people of the Falkland Islands wanted to be part of Britain and not Argentina. In both of those territories the people exercised their right of self-determination and, because the people and governments of their respective countries not only respected that right and choice but also cherished it, they refused to abandon them, they stood by them and they made their dreams come true.

They ensured that the will of those people and their purpose were made manifest and, if needs be, they were prepared to go to war to effect it. That is how responsible governments are meant to behave. That is what they are meant to do. That is why Great Britain never abandoned the people of Northern Ireland and that is why India and Pakistan respectively never abandoned their respective people and territories in the disputed Kashmir region despite successive wars.

Sadly in Nigeria, under President Obasanjo, this was not the case. He turned his back on the wishes and yearnings of the people of the Bakassi Peninsular to continue to be part of Nigeria and he handed them over to the Camerounians on a platter of gold. I repeat that this was a great betrayal and, in my view, it was the greatest failing of the Obasanjo administration - an administration which I proudly served and which I have often defended.

If we had to go to war over Bakassi we ought to have done so knowing that our cause was just and our right to that territory was not only rooted in history and embedded in the wishes and aspirations of the people that lived there but was also legitimate and lawful.

A government that cannot protect its own people from the foreign invader and that cannot secure its own borders from external aggression deserves to be pitied- it is nothing but an object of shame, opprobrium and ridicule. Each time I consider what we did in the Bakassi Peninsular, how we turned our backs on it’s people and how we gave up what was part and parcel of our nation to the invading Camerounians without a good fight, I feel a deep sense of revulsion and shame.

This is one of the few aspects of President Obasanjo’s record in public office that I simply find impossible to justify or defend.

In this respect Obasanjo had much to learn from both Vladimer Putin and Margaret Thatcher. Meanwhile I once again commend President Vladimer Putin and the actions of the Russian Federation in the Crimea.

There is no greater source of comfort and strength for a people than the knowledge that when push comes to shove their government and their President will never abandon them to the vagaries of foreign invaders and to the whims and caprices of those that seek to suppress, intimidate, humiliate, conquer and destroy them. How I wish that we had a Putin leading Nigeria today.

Concluded *Fani-Kayode was Minister of Aviation under the Obasanjo administration.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 21

Choosing Your Advertising Agency

ship and consequence on the quality of the final creative output or product. In other words, an agency-driven brand support is only as good, effective, creative, impactful and successful, to the extent the engaged advertising agency is competent. Interestingly, the competence or strength of any creative team or advertising agency can be determined, just as the creative imperatives for good and effective creative process and products are derived. Therefore, just as it is the job of the creative team to derive the imperatives for top-end creative product(s), so it is the duty of the client and/or its representative to determine the right advertising agency or team to be engaged to manage their brand.

There-in lays the justification for a systematic (and creative) agency selection process.

As in every process, selecting or appointing an agency is indeed, only a process. It is open to individual determination along the gamut of adherence. The extent to which the process which we see as equally a creative process is adhered to is a function of the extent to which the selecting team considers it as important, understands its import and consequence, and its intellectual and creative capacity to judge the weighty issues.

There must be the will and ability to work the process.

There have been instances where Agency selection process stretches for very long through several stages. For some clients, consultants are engaged to guide them through the process. There have also been cases where the selection process results in a tie between two or more

agencies, and the final choice becomes dependent on news and more critical factors. In a situation where it becomes too difficult to clearly agree on the winner-agency, a particular business or account is shared between two agencies because they are considered equally tied based on the agreed parameters set for the selection process.

Selecting and engaging the advertising agency for a brand is serious and as important as developing the brand itself.

That is why, in ideal situation, the process is devoid of emo-

,

I

T took some time to cast the topic for this piece, for the same reason we thought of working on it. The options were various as they were finely different in meaning and implication. Our choice was finally determined by the need to eliminate ambiguity, controversy and argument, just so that the import is not lost in us. We are also clear in our minds, the need to cut out any such distractions occasioned by semantics, flamboyance for reasons of modernity.

To begin, therefore, advertising agencies will remain Advertising Agencies as we know it. We do not have any qualms with those who like to be seen and referred to as creative hotshops, brand activators…and all such other identities which, at best, come across as desperate attempt at differentiation, it all comes down to ideas and creative work that sell. According to Drew Cannon in her article “How To Choose an Advertising Agency ” posted on inc.com in August 11, 2011, unlike in the past when advert agencies were traditionally defined along certain structures, agencies now come in varying forms today, starting from 10-men experimental to enormous traditional firms with global reach, and everything in-between.

We have come to accommodate these products of change, not minding how they present themselves, provided they keep the underlying essence of creative ideas and work that sell brands.

The focus of this piece is draw attention to the importance of advertising agency engagement and the need for brands or brand owners to see the process as very crucial to the success of their brand(s) and entire marketing success, and as such, to strictly adhere to the process, for their own good. Brand management is systematic, procedural, creative and objective-driven. These characteristics explains why on value measurement, what you get is a direct consequence of what was invested (the computer ’s GIGO – garbage in, garbage-out).

Last week, we considered a set of variables in the process of developing brand communication or brand advertising messages, grouped as the imperatives of the creative process. In it we laid out those key elements that must be derived in the creative process. Every one of those listed elements is weighty and consequential upon the quality of creative product in form of advert or campaign. Characteristically, they can only be derived by working through every step of the creative process.

Because of their importance, deriving these creative elements is the essence of the advertising agency engaged for the job or assignment of working through the creative process. Suffice, therefore, the agency ’s quality, strength, capability has a direct relation-

ed selection procedure), and ENTER into selection meetings prepared (agency engagement). Cannon’s submission can be taken as a very brief summary of the ideal agency selection and engagement process, open to expansion and a more detailed and functional model. But the important thing here is that it captures the reason and operative guideline for a proper agency selection process: THE (MARKETING) OBJECTIVE! Marketing and its attendant consideration and actions are

In our market place, mediocrity has taken over professionalism as a consequence of corruption, greed and selfishness

tion. In her article “HOW TO CHOOSE AN ADVERTISING AGENCY” (posted on in.com on August 11, 2011), Drew Cannon, among other submissions, break the process into four major steps: ASKING – about for the agencies that fall within the pre-determined consideration bracket, WRITING – a request for proposal (in other words, writing the brief), SEARCH thoroughly (carefully run through a guid-

,

derived and determined at every point. The process starts with and ends with the client, but focused on the brand and the target market, which is the reason for being. It is the consequence of every such action on the bottom-line (which is the marketing objective for the brand and brand-owners, that makes it imperative for the right decision to be taken at every step of the way. In turn, that right step is as spelt out

on the (client’s) brief.

It all starts with THE BRIEF. The process starts with the client’s brief to the initially chosen agencies, inviting them to a pitch. It is upon the strength of the client’s brief, the agencies prepare for presentation at a pitch setting. In turn, invited agencies make a presentation of their proposal, which should essentially be their understanding and interpretation of the client’s brief. After the presentation, the client goes back to score the agencies based on the strength of their presentation, with the initiating brief as the reference point.

Nothing is given to chance, whims and caprices; the brief takes pre-eminence over every other consideration. The very important consideration in the entire process is the brief.

Therefore, the brief has to be professionally written, focused, strategically focused and robust in its consideration of immediate and future success of the brand at the market place.

The flip side of this analysis is the compromise of the ideal agency selection and engagement process.

Unlike in the ideal scenario, the compromised system does not respect the brief. It is all based on personal gains, unstructured method, unsystematic process based on the whims and judgment of individuals who operate outside any pattern. The compromised system does not take the brand into consideration. The decision maker ’s choice is based determined by personal relationship, immediate financial gains and other selfish considerations. That is why, as at today, over 75% of big brand management businesses are in the hands of service providers who either outright non-professionals or those who engaged in distant related endeavors such as journalism and public relations, but now positions as brand management consultants BECAUSE THEY ARE CONNECTED TO THE MAN/WOMAN WHO DECIDES WHO MANAGES THE BRAND. In our market place, mediocrity has taken over professionalism as a consequence of corruption, greed and selfishness.

Apart from the profession and professionals who suffer from this corrupt system, brands are failing, the consumer/market is suffering and investments are failing – except we go back to the ideal situation.

PAGE 22—SUNDAY Vanguard,

MARCH

30, 2014

All letters bearing writers' names and full addresses should be typed and forwarded to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, Kirikiri Canal, P. M. B. 1007, Apapa, Lagos. E-mail: sunvanguardmail@yahoo.com

Obstacles before the APC in 2015 Dear Sir,

M

OST Nigerians were excited when the All Progressive Con gress, APC, emerged to rival the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. They had a point – after all a viable opposition serves to secure a genuine democracy, and all over the world, whether legally stipulated or not, what is in reality a two-party structure prevails in the vast majority of functional democracies. The jubilation that greeted the formation of the APC has only ended up leaving a sour taste in the mouth.

In the first place – and shockingly so – the APC, which electorally seeks to ride on our backs to national power, does not make any pretenses to being democratic.

Indeed, Lai Mohammed, once went on air on Channels Television defending his party’s phobia for democratic norms on the grounds that “in Britain, there are no primaries”. Where he got this notion from, I cannot imagine. Of course there are primaries in Britain. They just happen not to be structured like the American primaries we are more conversant with, and they also just happen not to be called primaries. In fact the internal democratic processes by which candidates and party leaders emerge in Britain are quintessentially democratic and not in any way similar to the processes of the APC. The saddest part of the APC story, thus far, is its preparedness to accept absolutely any character into its fold.

The APC is now, to all intents and for all purposes, a party of all comers. If it is not more circumspect and keeps recklessly recruiting more members of an untoward disposition, it runs the risk of deteriorating. In its bid for power at any cost, it seeks to play the ethnic card, is prepared to set majority groups against their minority compatriots, and will not hesitate to power its drive towards Aso Rock upon the fuel of religious extremism. The APC has emerged as a political coven. The APC’s bid for the presidency will fail. It

will fail because the strange bedfellows in the APC will surely fall apart. It will fail once the defunct ANPP and APGA elements in the party are relegated to the background and find themselves discriminated against as outsiders in their newfound hovel. It will fail when those who came into APC with the mind of getting the party's ticket fail to secure it and are

left with no prospects for personal advancement in the party.

Another reason why APC may likely fail to win the presidency is that the MiddleBelt and Northern minorities will reject the APC’s template for returning them to slavery under the Hausa-Fulani and will choose instead to vote for Jonathan, their minority brother from the South.

Also the APC alliance might fail because the South-South and South-East will close rank as before and join hands with other Nigerians to return the first Nigerian President from the Niger Delta – Nigeria’s goose that lays the golden eggs – to Aso Rock come 2015. *Jesutega Onokpasa writes from Warri, Delta State.

Our resources as personal ATMs of rulers!

Dear Sir,

T

HERE is no doubt that since the 70s till date, both our civil ian and military rulers have used the resources at their disposal as their personal ATMs to acquire mindboggling wealth far above their legitimate earnings to become richer than our country and in the process bringing her down on her knees with their filthy itching fingers!

I have so much contempt for them for the way and manner they unabashedly flaunt their ill-gotten wealth from our common patrimony and with which, if they had been patriotic and had the fear of God in them, they would have used to launch our country to greatness with world class basic necessities of life they enjoy in the developed countries of the world they shamelessly go to for holidays, shopping or for medical treatment.

They should really bury their heads in shame that they have failed woe-

fully to uplift our lives with the huge resources at their disposal, all due to their penchant for primitive acquisition and lunatic corruption, apologies to Dr. Douglas Anele!

Ifeka Okonkwo Plot 44, Ahocol Housing Estate Phase II, G.R.A Awka

The way forward for better Nigeria Dear Sir, IGERIA would be better if the leaders and the led change their attitude, love one another, and turn to God, for Him to heal our land. We all need to turn around and sow in righteousness, so that Nigeria would see better days.

Despite the socio-political and economic challenges, facing the nation we should not lose hope but engage in fervent prayers, and have faith in God, for His blessings to come upon us Our economic management team, should adopt policies that have human face and tmake use of the nation’s resources for the development of the country.

We should all shun selfish interests, as capitalism is returning Nigeria to

N

the era of slavery and the solution is the abolition of greediness and antagonistic competition in our economic system.

The Federal Government should use its political will to tackle the seemingly insurmountable power problem to fast-track socio-economic and infrastructural development in our country.

I want to plead that all of us should work seriously to ensure that Nigeria remains one united nation.

We cannot fold our arms and see our unity shattered. Let us all join hands to see Nigeria work.

Prophet Oladipupo Funmilade-Joel General Overseer, The Way of Reconciliation Evangelistic Ministries(TWOREM) Int’l, Lagos. babasekunderin@yahoo.com

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 23

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Smashing wedding anniversary without the husband!

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NI had planned a wonderful wedding anniversary with her husband. It wasn’t a landmark anniversary; they just wanted an excuse to sample an exotic hotel that just sprang up in their neighbourhood.

Since Ini is the moneybag of the family, she decided to make it her treat.

“I went to the hotel and had a look-round”, she told me excitedly. “I was really impressed by what I saw and the honeymoon suite was out of this world. I pictured myself having a scented bath and dorning some of the fluffy, bathrobes gathering dust in my wardrobe.

“I put down a generous deposit on the suite, and a few days later, I brought my husband to have a look. He was as excited as a school boy at the prospect of a whole weekend doing nothing but being decadent! Secretly though, I wondered if he would be up to the task. He wasn’t the stud I once married and his extramarital activities hadn’t always left him with that much energy.

But hopeful I was - after all he wasn’t impotent or anything. the anniversary was a few days away and he had to urgently go to a neighbouring country to see to the consignment

of goods he was expecting. Unfortunately, the goods were difficult to clear and he had to hang around for a few days to sort things out – and that did not include our wild weekend! What a disaster! The booking was hours away and it wouldn’t be wise to ask for our deposit back - we won’t get everything.

“I was disappointed to say the least. So was he.

“And what about the small fortune we’d put down as deposit?”, I asked him. `Why don’t you take a friend of yours and have a lovely weekend anyway?’ he’d said kindly. I didn’t fancy the prospect of lounging around with any of you girls, but he insisted.

Knowing I was having fun would ease some of the guilt he felt at disappointing me. Reluctantly I agreed, mentally deciding between you and Lilian. But that same evening, I was in one of these high-brow supermarkets when I ran into Mark. You remember Mark? That young engineer I met on one of my recent trips abroad?”

I remembered Mark alright. A freshly divorced man, he was a couple of years younger than Ini. She wasn’t that very keen on him be-

cause he was single agent with a free house and might want to forget the pain of his faileq marriage with a fling. And the fling could easily turn into an intense affair that Ini was not ready for. “He was really glad to see me”, continued Ini. “He told me he was now into a new relationship, and I relaxed. He happily paid for my purchase and insisted we must have dinner sometime. And why not?

This mischievous voice mentally asked.

The next day was my wedding anniversary with a lovely suite waiting to be used. It would be a shame to let it go to

waste and who wanted a female companion when I could have a hunk?

“Mark agreed to meet me at the hotel’s restaurant, but I told him nothing. Came • the evening of the dinner, I’d already checked in, but I waited for him at the restaurant, all dressed up. His eyes were on stalks when he saw me. I’d had a relaxing session at the beauty salon and my hair was sleek. I’d also had a manicure and pedicure, a massage too. I was open for anything! Dinner was lovely and relaxed and Mark told me he wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere. After he’d settled the bill, I gently told him I had a suite

booked for the evening. the look he gave me was as if Christmas had come early for him. Heaven knows what he thought of his prowess as I led him upstairs. he obviously thought I was so mad about him, I couldn’t wait.

“As he took in the setting of the suite, he simply took his clothes off - I mean there was no point pretending we were there to watch the box. As his lips explored mine, he ripped off my clothes urgently. Almost by magic, we fulfilled a desire that had lain dormant since the day we first met .

“It was over in an instant, but my body tingleld with a long-for-

gotten feeling. Boy, it was exciting! The rest of the night was relaxing as I gave myself a whopping anniversary bonk over and over again. In between our rumps, I’d called my husband that I was expecting you, Candida dear, to be my companion for the night.

He heaved a sigh of relief and promised to call the next day. For all I knew, he too could have his own special anniversary treat planned for that evening with one of his local finds at the country he was holed up in.

“I didn’t let on to Mark what the suite was initially meant for - the idiot thought I was so besotted with him I couldn’t wait to ravish him! The next day, he rushed down.

Excited like a school boy on his first bonking experience and we topped up the previous day ’s performance. When I called my husband later, he said he still felt awful for letting me down on what was to be our special weekend. He said he would make it up to me as soon as he got back. But believe me Candy, there’s no way he could ever top my own special anniversary treat ... “

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Yoga and the internal environment

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C M Y K

C M Y K

ODERN medi cal science now sees the tremendous sense it makes in keeping the body internally clean.

Indra Devi in her book, Yoga for you. and Philip Rice in his book :”Oxygen master of cancer ”. Dr. Rice entertains the opinion that cancer is caused by oxygen deficiency in diseased cells that start multiplying in order to get sufficient oxygen. But this is not what attracts Indra Devi. What catches her fancy is that the ideas expressed by Dr. Rice in cancer prevention clearly resemble the Yoga principles of diet, breathing, exercising and hygiene.

Just like the yogis, he believes it is of paramount importance to keep the body internally clean by drinking enough water one glass to every 14 lbs of body weight on a daily basis and eating plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and salads. And cleansing the colon by taking enema about twice monthly to rid the system of accumulated poisons that are the cause of most of our ailments. I shall return to the subject of enema pretty soon.

See, we know the world is of two thirds water and a third land. The human body is built on almost the same ratio of liquid to solid. With this in mind, it sure makes sense to assume that the greater bulk of the food we eat should rather be from the vegetable kingdom to ensure that the food items, therefore give us enough fluid for the proper maintenance of our bodies.

I am not preaching absolute vegetarianism here, I am only pointing out the necessity of eating sufficient vegetables and fruits.

It simply will not do to fill the belly with so much meat and white bread both of which contain no fibre.

This lack of fibre presents a herculean task to the peristaltic waves moving the digested food along the alimentary canal. Bowel movement is hampered and in the end constipation ensues. With constipation poison accumulates and we become heirs to otherwise avoidable ailments.

So what do we do? Simply eat well.

Hippocrates admonished long ago: “let your

food be your medicine”.

Human nutrition has become an immense problem of life. The rich died is acid forming as it is deprived of its alkaline requirements.

It cannot harmonise the acids of the stomach.

Meat (it pops up again) for instance, rots in the intestine forming gases which get into the alimentary walls. The blood is here surcharged with waste materials which block the capillaries chronic diseas-

*The Twist

es, weakness and low vitality can be traced to the accumulation of water matter.

Before we have gone far in the yoga exercises, I have thought it imperative to discuss the internal environment. Once we keep our insides clean and watch what we eat, performing the exercises will then bring about great improvement quickly in our well being.

Now back to the business of taking enema.

Let it be known that there are various types, but we shall for our purpose here

concern ourselves with one of the simplest, namely honey enema.

Dissolve three table spoonfuls of honey in quart of water, preferably boiled first and then allowed to cool down to rom temperature. Assume a knee-chest position projecting the buttocks in the air and keeping the head down then administer.

In this position gravity helps the flow of enema through the descending colon across the transverse into the ascending colon.

For very effective cleansing, the complete filling of the colon is absolutely essential.

The enema must be held within for 10 to 15 minutes before dislodging the contents of the bowels.

For exercise we shall consider the twist posture. This posture belong to the group of basic yoga postures as does the head to knee the bow and others.

To assume the twist posture sit up straight. Place the right heel under the left thigh with the right leg lying horizontally on the floor. Turning the chest to the left, place the right arm

in front of the left knee which is vertically erect and hold the left ankle with the left turning the head to the same direction.

The left hand should be placed midway across the back at an angle of 90 degrees. Change legs for the other way round.

On each side of the posture breathe with an even rhythm for as long as comfortable.

The benefits of the twist posture are that spiral deformities are over come and the nerves are strengthened. The qualities of self-confidence and determination are also imparted by the twist.

For those who may not be able to execute the posture as described, they may try to do the modified version which is as follows: arrange legs as already described. Place right hand over the left knee but instead of holding the left ankle simply clasp the side of the left thigh with the left hand down behind the back on the floor for support and then twist leftward.

Change legs and perform the other way round.

Yoga classes STARTED at 32 Adetokunbo Ademola, Victoria Island, Lagos, 9.10am on Saturdays

P AGE 24—SUND AY Vanguard , MARCH 30 , 2014 SUNDA

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

08056180152,

SMS only

Love my husband, yes. But respect him? Don’t make me laugh!

B

ARBARA Taylor Bradford, re nowned author of blockbusters like Woman of Substance and its sequel recently said she was appalled by couples who row in public. She wrote: “When I open my mouth to say something, I edit my answer before it leaves my lips.” According to her, her husband, Bob, is a terrible time keeper who often wears clothes she loathes. But does she criticise him? No. She believes that would be showing a lack of respect. Instead, she suggested we should all bite our tongues and put our husbands on a pedestal.

“She couldn’t have meant all that seriously, or at 78, she might be making her peace with the world after all those racy novels she’d written which had made her the millionaire she is today,” fumed Omorede a highly successful PR expert.

“Why on earth would I want to put my husband at a pedestal when I simply don’t respect him?”, she wondered. “As a matter of fact, I disagree with virtually every word that comes out of his mouth, and the reason I feel this way towards Tony, my husband, stems from our very different backgrounds. I was born and bread in England and went to a private all girls’ convent school. I had a masters degree in business administration and worked in Ivy League establishments before I re-Iocated to Nigeria.

“In contrast, Tony was brought up in one of the down-market areas of Lagos by parents from a remote village in the West. And he has traits of his parents’ accent. At 46, he still revels in parochial slangs and uses hideous phrases in spite of my protest which drives me mad. It’s so uncouth and sometimes makes me

wonder how on earth we’ve ended up together.

For although my husband is at least as bright as me and has a masters degree, to listen to his accent, you would think he worked as a market trader. And if he’s talking like a stall-owner in Ajegunle, how can I respect what he’s trying to tell me?

“It’s not just his accent.

Before working with the bank he now works for in a very senior position, he said he dreamt of being a musician and bragged he once played the drum with an obscure band that I never bothered to find out who the band leader was. And no topic is off limit to him. Recently, across the living room packed full of guests, I could hear Tony waxing lyrical to guests about the fantastic game of tennis he’d enjoyed that morning on Supersports. On and on he’d talk about volleys and drop shots, his commentary droning on and on often set my teeth on edge until I finally could bear it no longer. ‘Oh for heaven’s sake, can’t you stop going on about that

Y

OUR column to express your loving thoughts in words to your sweetheart. Don’t be shy. Let it flow and let him or her know how dearly you feel.

Write now in not more than 75 words to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, P.M.B. 1007, Apapa, Lagos. E.mail: sunlovenotes@yahoo.com Please mark your envelope: “LOVE NOTES"

ADVICE TO THE LADIES !!!

There is one thing I want you to understand about us men! Now, when you post half-naked pictures of

hideous game?’ I asked.

“It’s bad enough that you have to play it. Only dogs should be interested in ball games!”

“As I glanced around the room, I could see our guests gaping at me. The look on their faces was all too obvious - how on earth could I be so rude to my husband?• But Tony just smiled.

We’ve been married for six years and he’s used to me by now. But the truth is that, although I love him to bits, and we have a wonderful life with our children, I don’t respect him and he knows it. It is true that I was first attracted to Tony because he was so different to my first husband who left me for another woman. Chima, my ex, was the chief executive officer of a big company - a typical Alpha Male who commanded every room he stepped into.

Tony, who I met a few years after our split, is quiet, unassuming and humble, he could not be more different.

“And if you were to look at us, you certainly wouldn’t have put us together. I love to wear

smart business designer clothes and Tony, in contrast, often has stubble when not at work, and wears more of native clothes. I think his style shows a lack of good taste and standards. How can I respect that? When I first met him, I was contracted to do a P.R job for the bank he works with and had to work together with him. His kindness and gentle nature attracted him to me along with his creative skill. In addition, he’s unassuming and unflappable and I adored him for this. But however much I love him, I simply can’t respect him. Not only are his hobbies, accent and dress uncouth and immature, his political views are those of the Amala politics type.

“I’m all for a world where the brightest get pushed to do even better.

For Tony, the priority is ensuring that everyone is happy. Our biggest rows are about the children’s education. I attended private schools and want our children to attend the best - where they could learn to play the piano, etc. Tony, being a govern-

yourself on facebook, be it you doing a sexy pose, or showing us your cleavage, or lying suggestively on your bed...

The only thing you are doing is making us do is lust after you. I know you will feel excited about the 200 likes you will receive...and you will even pretend when a guy says he wants you... when in reality you are so excited. One thing you should know, NONE of those guys who will like that photo loves you! They are in lust with you!

In fact, they loathe you, and none of them would take you home to be a wife!

Men, both good and bad admire ladies who dress decently and respect themselves! Decent clothing that reveals less about you, make us love and respect you! It tells us you are a virtuous woman.. Do we really care about your

ment school-educated, doesn’t see the point.

Any private school would do as long as they ’re near the house and I despise his attitude that happiness is more important than qualifications.

“It speaks for itself, doesn’t it, that if the children want something really useful - like help with their home-work - they come to me. Meanwhile, they ’ll go to Tony for stints at the club or a fastfood joint. I know for sure I am too set in my ways to change. I believe the only quality we have in common is that we are both stubborn. Women of Barbara Taylor Bradford’s generation were brought up to tiptoe around their men, bite their tongues and keep the peace. I can’t think of anything more demeaning. I am convinced that far from being the way to a happy marriage – putting your husband on a pedestal is unhealthy,and treating everyone of his utterances like part of the Sermon on the Mount can only end in tears.

“A lot of my friends have wondered: ‘Tony’s so nice, how can you be so rude to him?’ How hypocritical! Hardly any of them truly respect their husbands – and I know they all moan about them too. The only difference is that they do it behind their backs while I do it directly. Personally, I think they’re much more disloyal. Pretending that I respect Tony would make for a quieter life. But it wouldn’t make me happy. And what’s the point in being married if you’re not happy?!·’ The Wife Wins All The Time? (Humour} A couple were so bored with their marriage that they decided to liven up by

competing against each other. But as the weeks went by, the husband became very depressed because his wife was always the winner of any game they played. One night at the club, his mate took pity on him and suggested a new game. “You can’t fail with this, Steve. It’s who can pee up the wall the highest. The bloke is bound to win.”

The husband thought this was a great idea and rushed home to tell his wife. She agreed and they went out into the back yard to begin the competition. The wife dropped her knickers, lifted her leg and peed two feet up the wall. Confidently, the man undid his zip, took out his dick and was just about to start when his wife said, ‘Hold on, stop right there, no hands allowed!”

The Husband Fights Back! (Humour)!

A couple are walking around the zoo when they come to the gorilla cage.

There’s no one around, so the man says to his wife, “Sharon, take your blouse off and let’s see if it has any effect on the gorilla.” She hesitates.

“Go on!” he urges, “no one will see”. So she takes the blouse off and the gorilla starts jumping up and down in excitement.

“Now take your bra off,” he says. She does this and the gorilla gets even more excited. “Right, take your skirt off ” he says.

“Oh no, I couldn’t. How would we explain it if someone comes along?”

She asks. “There’s no one around, it’ll be fine.” So, over the next few minutes the woman gradually takes all her clothes off and by this time, the gorilla is going berserk.

Then the husband opens the door of the cage and pushes her inside. “Now, tell him you have a headache!” he says.

excessive make-ups and face paintings? We don't!

Be simple, be real, be African........ and the man ordained by the Lord will come after you.

Chris Onunaku 08032988826 08184844015.

I carry your heart

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart) I am never without it ,anywhere I go you go, my dear ;and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling!

CENT OBAMA +2348061379003

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30 , 2014, PAGE 25

• In search of elusive jobs....Immigration recriutment test that claimed lives.

Can 10 million jobs be created in this economy in 12 months? *No! Yes! Experts disagree

BY UDEME CLEMENT

T

HE pronounce ment by the Minis ter of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjoi Iweala that 10million jobs would be created, in the economy in 2014 has generated divergent views. While some economic experts said that the time-line is not realistic, others expressed optimism that government can achieve the target, if the economy is diversified into non-oil export sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, industry as well as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The experts opinions: Government needs creative and dynamic entrepreneurship to create jobs-Registrar, International Logistics and Administration, Mr. Mark Iloh: Unemployment and poverty are among the major challenges facing Nigeria and other developing economies today. We need creative and dynamic entrepreneurship techniques to tackle poverty and create jobs. Dynamic entrepreneurs who can take risk in productive industries rather than commerce will play a major role in promoting economic growth and sustainable development now and in the long-run. For a country to develop,, there must be high-risk takers who can make large scale investments in industries to bring direct impact on the

growth rate of the economy, and not only engaging in economic activities that can multiply wealth within the short-run, without actually registering its effect on growth and job creation.

“In developing countries for instance, investors are mostly found in commerce, buying, selling and importing products to make fast money, without taking the risk to build factories and invest in manufacturing industries, which are economic activities capable of creating jobs for the masses. This is as a result of poor attitude to high risk taking and innovation. Today, few industries in the developing countries are owned by foreigners. The economic implication is that the expected benefits of these foreign firms can not be registered in the economies where they operate, as owners interest are at variance with the host country and profits are repatriated back to their countries of origin.

The vicious cycle of poverty is another challenge that must be addressed pragmatically. Poverty is another major factor hindering growth in developing countries. The less developed countries are caught up in the web of poverty. This is due to low per capita income, which leads to low demands, low savings, which leads to low investments and in turn low capital formation, which paves the way for low productivity. The resultant effect of low productivity is

For a country to develop, there must be high-risk takers who can make large scale investments in industries to bring direct impact on the growth rate of the economy low income and this runs continuously, except there is a conscious effort to break this cycle, development will continue to be a mirage. For us to achieve relative full employment, the issue of human capital must also be addressed.

For example. we need good education and skill-training necessary to make the youths more productive.

Government should diversify the economy into non-oil export sectors - a former Chairman, Agriculture, Non-oil Export Trade Group, Lagos Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (LACCIMA), Dr. Godwin Oyedele Oyediji: Today, over 50 per cent of our population engage in small scale agriculture across the country. We need modern and large scale agriculture like what obtains in advanced economies to create jobs. As such, government needs to diversify the

economy into agriculture, manufacturing and non-oil export sectors to enhance capacity utilisation. This is imperative because resources in non-oil sectors, particularly agriculture can boost sustainable growth, if they are adequately harnessed. Also, various economic activities in agriculture, which include planting, harvesting and transportation of farm produce among other activities can create jobs, not only for the youths, but for other people in Nigeria.

For us to create sufficient jobs, other issues like human capital development, trade and investments in the real sector must be addressed to enhance optimum growth.

These are important issues that are relevant to economic transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

Aside from job creation,

agriculture must be given the desired attention to ensure food security for the country. All over the world, agriculture is an important sector because it allows sustainable growth of the economy. We can also achieve that in Nigeria, if the sector is well funded. We will derive numerous economic benefits in turning attention to agriculture, because it will discourage the budgetary system that centers on revenue from crude oil, which we do no have control over the price and demand from the international market. I have said this before and will still repeat that, If adequately funded, the sector can create about 500.000 jobs annually. The reason being that agriculture has short and long term economic benefits, which are needed in the rural and urban areas. Looking at the aggregate economic analysis, about 70 million Nigerians are into agriculture currently. These figures include direct and indirect labour work-force in the sector. This is because employment generation in this sector is often classified under skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labour. This implies that with the population of over 160million people, agriculture can take 50 per cent of the entire work-force of Nigeria, noting fully well that 50 per cent of Nigeria’s population are youths from 15 years and above. Agriculture can also generate revenue as additional source of income-flow in the economy”.

Government should

boost industrial growth to create jobs – Mrs. Gloria Joseph, operator of small enterprise at Oshodi Market, Lagos: Creation of jobs in a developing economy like Nigeria with a population of over 160million requires massive industrial growth. The truth is that government alone does not have to capacity to create jobs for every citizen, but if an enabling business environment is provided for industries to spring up, the unemployment rate, which currently stands at about 24 per cent can reduce drastically. Recently, the Federal Government launched the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP), aimed at boosting the annual revenue for Nigerian manufacturers up to N5 trillion. Government must ensure effective implementation of this Plan and close monitoring in order to stimulate industrial development and job creation for the masses.

President Goodluck Jonathan, explained during the launch that NEDEP is a comprehensive industrialisation programme based on key areas where our economy has competitive advantage in agriculture, solid minerals, oil and gas among other areas, where Nigeria can be the number one in Africa and top 10 globally. For me, this is a good Plan, capable of creating thousands of jobs, if adequately implemented to achieve the intended purpose.

PAGE 26 —SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014

The true face of horror in Ibadan!

Bow, knife expose herdsmen as suspects

BY OLA AJAYI, Ibadan

E

verybody who got to the ‘evil forest’ in Ibadan, Oyo State capital where hundreds of people have been killed by kidnappers was stunned to speechlessness seeing the number of decomposed bodies of victims.

Call the place the Soka house of horror, a den of killers, the place of skull, the evil shrine, the valley of dry bones, killers’ hideouts, you will not be wrong. No adjective or description is too much to express the horror there. In the isolated bush, life is hellish, brutish, loutish and nasty. It is distasteful, barbaric and fetish. It is better read and heard than seen. If you go there once, you could find it difficult to have your meal. Flies of different sizes and colours were feasting on the bodies. The bodies were in different positions. The odour was unbearable.

The land brings to mind David’s statement when he heard about the death of his bosom friend, Jonathan, “Tell it not in Gath or publish it in the streets of Ashkelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph”.

Chief Isiaka Bello Olupoju, a community leader in the area who was not sure of the exact number of people killed, put the figure at about 120 persons.

Apart from the atrocities committed in the den, the incident raises a serious security concern.

Alleged connivance

It is indefensible for residents in the area to claim ignorance of the activities of the kidnappers. The stench oozing from the decomposed bodies was a strong indication that nobody in the area could claim ignorance.

A woman, who spoke in the presence of Governor Abiola Ajimobi, said the matter had been reported at Sanyo Police Station several times. She said some policemen either said the place had been set aside to take care of the destitute who had become a nuisance in the city or it didn’t fall under their jurisdiction.

Another source said they always saw some people moving up and down particularly herdsmen. He said the police should investigate the herdsmen. To fuel suspicion that the herdsmen might know something about the killings there, a knife and a bow commonly used by cattle rearers were found close to one of the decomposed bodies. The knife was still looking fresh as at Tuesday indicating it was just dropped there.

Besides, a company populated by To fuel suspicion foreigners where the vehicles or motorcycles conveying the victims always that the herdsmen pass should know something about the might know isolated bush. The building of the company is tall and so should afford the something about persons staying inside to have a the killings there, a knife glimpse of what is going on in the bush. and a bow commonly

Sunday Vanguard saw the body of a woman identified simply as Kafayat, pregnant and said to be a mother of three, who was allegedly killed by an overzealous security man during the protest that followed the uncovering of the bush. She was said to have left her wares at Agodi Gate where she operated a shop to have a glimpse of the horror when she was felled by stray bullet.

Apart from seven suspects earlier arrested as confirmed by the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Olabisi Ilobanafor, three other suspects were rounded up in the area. Sunday Vanguard gathered from a security man that a mob made up of youths, angered that the police failed to uncover the bush of horror, was coming

,,

Arbitrary arrests and shooting

used by cattle rearers were found close to one of the decomposed bodies

to set the Sanyo Police Station ablaze.

This prompted policemen to guard the station. Anybody coming from the Lagos end of the expressway towards Iwo Road without an Identity card was picked up as a suspect. An Okada man, who proved difficult for two policemen trying to pin him down, was beaten blue and black as about eight policemen descended on him with gun butts and boots. He was thereafter arrested. Before Ajimobi got to the scene, it was gathered that five more bodies had been taken away and also a boy who was trying to dig the hall to locate some of his missing relatives was reportedly shot

Clockwise (from top left): A rescued victim; human skulls, bow and knife, another rescued victim by security men guarding the place.

When arraigned in court one day after, the court could not find any cogent reason why the suspects should be remanded in custody. They were released on bail in the sum of N100, 000 each.

How the den was discovered

After several failed attempts to find their missing ones, commercial motorcyclists, popularly called Okada riders, mobilized in hundreds and stormed the kidnappers’ den. On getting there, they raised the alarm seeing numerous bodies of victims.

Ajimobi revokes right to land

When Governor Ajimobi got to the scene, the crowd was unruly. He had to talk tough to get the people to listen to him. He said, “As from today, the state government has revoked the land from its owners. We would dig all the land and expose any victims

hidden in the ground. God would expose them. We, into whose hands you have entrusted the governance of this state through your votes, God will use us to punish the culprits”.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Indabawa, assured the crowd that he would do everything to get all the suspects.

Survivors in hospital

Doctors at Adeoyo State Hospital, Ibadan, where victims who survived the ‘evil forest’ horror were admitted for treatment, did not allow journalists’ access to the survivors.

After much pressure, the hospital officials and security men there, however, allowed some newsmen to have a brief chat with the survivors but they did not allow anybody to take pictures.

The survivors, who identified themselves as Nafiu Shittu, Michael Ola, Mrs. Titi Adeniyi, nee Dokpesi and Wale Atoyebi, gave indications that the kidnappers, who operated in the bush, capitalized on the urban renewal initiative of the Oyo gov-

Continues on page

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014 , PAGE 27

PAGE 20 SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014 , PAGE 21

LAGOS ONE DAY GOV

Council boss charges students on excellence

T

HE Executive Chairman of Egbe-Idimu Local Council De velopment Area (LCDA), Hon. Adebayo Waheed Bello, has urged stu-

dents to take their education seriously, saying their seriousness will determine their future achievements.

Bello stated this during the Lagos State

preliminary “Spelling Bee” competition, organized by the Council recently.

The three best students were charged to emerge the overall winners of the competition at the state level to become the state One Day Governor.

“We are proud of you, you have shown to us today how brilliants you are and we

From right: Egbe-Idimu L.C.D.A Vice Chairman, Hon Kunle Olowopejo; Executive Chairman, Hon Adebayo Bello; Council Manager (CM), Mrs. Moronkeji Okowuonu; and Secretary to the Local Government (SLG), Hon Mutiu Adebiyi; during the Council CDC election in Lagos.

want to charge you to also make us proud at the state level, make sure you become the overall winners of this competition at the state level to emerge the state One Day Governor, Deputy Governor and the Speaker of the state assembly”.

In his welcome address, the LCDA Supervisor for Education, Hon. Temitope Ogungbemi, advised the students to take the competition serious, noting that the skill they acquired during the competition would prepare them for a better and rewarding future, stressing that it will make them useful for themselves, their families and the nation in general.

The LCDA Head of Education Department, Mr. S.G Akinsanya, lauded the financial and moral support of the Executive Chairman for the competition. He also appreciated the Supervisor for Education, the management and staff of the LCDA, teachers and students who participated in the competition, praying God to reward them accordingly.

Salvation Army boss in Nigeria

BY EPHRAIM OSEJI

W

ORLD leader of the Salvation Army, General Andre Cox and his wife Commissioner Sylvia Cox, have concluded their one week tour of Nigeria.

The visitors spent four days in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Lagos where they dedicated the Salvation Army Church hall in Ejigbo.

Cox and wife were received on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on March 20, by a delegation of the Nigerian Territory of the Salvation Army led by the Territorial Commissioner and his wife, Mfon and Ime Akpan; secretary, Lt Col Goff Payne, and other officers and men of the Salvation Army Corps in Nigeria.

Before coming to Lagos, they were involved in several programmes including being guests to Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, and involved in rallies, festival of praise and united holiness meeting. While in Lagos for the dedication of the church hall, Citadel of Hope, in honour of the wife of former Salvation Army world leader, Commissioner Hope Rader, whose husband, General Rader, laid the foundation stone of the 5000 seater hall in 1997. Members had gathered at Salvation Army Street, Ejigbo, waving the red Salvation Army flag, awaiting the arrival of Cox and Sylvia, who immediately went to cut the tape to declare the church hall open.

Introducing members of the entourage of Cox, Territorial Commissioner Mfon Akpan, gave a brief background of the leader, born in Zimbabwe and have much love for Africa.

He said that unlike other leaders who visited Nigeria towards their retirement, Cox was coming to Nigeria earlier in his presidency. He thanked members for the rousing welcome.

Major Benson Mgbebuihe, moderate the programme, with Corps Sergeant Major Barrister Uche Iwuamadi explaining the church hall project.

In his address, Iwuamadi, said Salvation Army, Ejigbo, started as a small outpost of five members with their families on March 28, 1993, becoming a society in December, same year. According to Iwuamadi, a year later the church bought four plots of swampy land and took possession by building a medium size hall. The church constructed an access road to the hall, across a flowing a river of what is now, Salvation

General Andre Cox with wife and other members of the church during the visit Army Street.

Continuing, he said the hall foundation was laid by General Paul Rader and his wife, Hope Rader on November 20, 1997 and took 17 years to complete and commissioned. While thanking those who made the project possible, he said it was a divine arrangement for Cox and wife to dedicate the church hall “today and bless us for greater exploits for God’s Kingdom”.

In his response, Cox said he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from Salvation Army brothers and sisters who came to receive him wherever he went in

Nigeria. He said he was delighted to dedicate this project that took 17 years to complete. He commended the founding fathers of Ejigbo Corps, for being united and sustaining the project and seeing it to fruition, adding that there were few places in the world Salvation Army Street existed.

He urged the corps to intensify evangelism as the over 5000 seater hall must be filled to capacity.

Investigations revealed that the new Salvation Army Hall, Oke Afa Ejigbo, was initially estimated to cost N170m but later gulped over N250m, and another N30m for landscaping and furnishings.

Okowa empowers 250 from Delta North

T

HE Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has given out 150 tricycles, 9 ambulances, hospital equipment with the state-of-the-art medical facilities, deep freezers, sewing machines, and N25,000.00 each to 250 beneficiaries to people of his district in an epoch making event. Senator Okowa, said, he is humbled by the love and cooperation of the people of Delta State during his 33 months stewardship at the Senate. He lauded the role of Governor Emmanuel

Uduaghan, political leaders, the PDP, in providing a conducive atmosphere for democracy to thrrive in the state and country. Senator Okowa,who was before now, the Secretary to Delta State Government, SSG, also gave out a Toyota bus to enhance the work of Primary health care in the state.

According to Okowa, the ambulances are for the medical and referral needs of the state hospitals in the 9 local government areas in Delta North, while the other empowerment items were judiciously distributed to the beneficiaries spread across the state.

Nigerian-born US milit ar militar aryy of offf icer empower empowerss Ekiti people Gbenga Ariyibi Ado Ekiti

A

Nigerian born United States (US) military officer, Captain Sunday Adebomi, has instituted an empowerment programme worth over N6million in Ekiti South. Speaking at Ise Ekiti while distributing cheques to the beneficiaries of the programme including students ,traders and artisans,the US army captain said the gesture was geared towards assisting the less privileged members of the society.He said the beneficiaries were drawn randomly without political or religious sentiment.

According to him,his desire to uplift the status of the less privileged was borne out of the commitment he made when he was traveling abroad that he would use a percentage of any financial gain he made in his career to uplift his fellow human beings. ”I made a resolution when l was going to America years back that I would use certain percentage of my proceeds or savings to assist the less privileged members of the society. Adebomi ,however, charged the students drawn from various institutions of higher learning and secondary schools to make judicious use of the money.

Speaking on the occasion,Engr. Bayo Babalotin,Senior Special Assistant to Ekiti Governor on Forestry, commended the efforts of Adebomi.

He,however, called on other well to do indigenes of the area to emulate the gesture of Adebomi. Chief Micheal Falade,the All Progressive Congress, APC, Chairman in Ekiti South, called on the other sons and daughters of the area to come home and assist the people.

Meanwhile, Adebomi pledged to organize similar programme in the five remaining local governments in the district namely, Gbonyin,Ekiti South West,Ikere,Emure and Ekiti East Local Governments.

Herdsmen can give clues— Horror forest neighbours Continued from page ernment to arrest some hawkers under the pretext that they violated the state environmental law even though they did not have the authority of government to do it. Shittu recalled how he was kidnapped. He said he was selling concoction at Agodi Gate when he was accosted by some men who forced him into a waiting car.

Titi Adeniyi-nee Dokpesi said she was forced into a vehicle in front of her house and later found herself in the den.

She said, “I am from the compound of the late Baba Awolowo located in Oke Bola area of Ibadan. Some people kidnapped me while I was sitting in front of our house. Nobody was around then. My people were in Lagos. They said I was wanted somewhere and that they came to arrest me. They then took me away in their vehicle. Later, I found myself in that forest”. The survivor said she could not tell if people were being killed in the forest by the kidnappers. ”I don’t know whether people were being killed or women giving birth. Where they kept us was where I used to be. Once I covered my head with my dress, I would sleep off ”.

As if that was not enough, three human tongues were allegedly found on three men at Oni and Sons Hospital area of Ibadan in a cellophane bag. After being mobbed, the men were handed over to the police.

PAGE 28—SUNDAY, Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014

Chris Ogien won yi bags Knighthood honour AES Excellence Club’s Ogienw onyi

T

he former Minister of State for Works, Engr.

Chris Ogienwonyi was initiated into the Knighthood of St Christopher, last Sunday at the St. Mathew’s Anglican Church, Sakpoba Road, Benin City. The colourful event was attended by friends, traditional rulers, political associates both from the PDP and the APC.

business dinner

A

cademy for Entrepreneurial Studies (AES) Excellence Club held its quarterly business dinner and inauguration of the AES, Abuja chapter at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja, penultimate Thursday. Many high-profile individuals graced the occasion. Photos by Abayomi Adeshida

Sir Ogienwonyi and Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dr Pius Odubu.

L-R:Chairman, AES Excellence Club, Chief (Mrs.) Nike Akande arriving with the President, AES, Dr. Ausbeth Ajagu.

Engr. (Sir) and Mrs Ogienwonyi.

Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe and other guests.

Chairman, AES Excellence Club, Chief (Mrs.) Nike Akande flanked by the President, AES, Dr. Ausbeth Ajagu and Maj. Gen. Patrick Ogah (r) while the Guest Speaker, Chief Mike Ozekhome (l) and the Director, Federal Highways, Engr. Ejike Mgbemena (2l) watch.

Engr. (Sir) Ogienwonyi and Chief Dan Orbih, Edo State PDP Chairman.

I

The Ogienwonyis.

Roll of honours in Ibeju land

t was celebration galore recently in Ibeju-Lekki kingdom when His Royal Highness Oba Rafiu Olusegun Salami, the paramount ruler of Ibeju-Lekki kingdom singled out some of his High Chiefs for honour for their contribution to the development of the kingdom

Chairman, AES Excellence Club, Chief (Mrs.) Nike Akande (r) with other guests

Cross section of Ibeju-Lekki High Chiefs honoured by the Onibeju C M Y K

More Ibeju-Lekki High Chiefs honoured by the Onibeju

Cross section of other guests

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014,

PAGE 29

Email: vanguardwoman@gmail.com

Why we're promoting reduced salt intake —Odunowo, Director, Timepiece Farmer's Choice

W

ITH an estimated 17 million people dying from cardiovascular disease each year and salt consumption increasing in spite of warning from scientists over its contributory role, three Nigerian women have risen to salvage the Nigerian populace. These three widely-travelled women are particularly concerned about the excess salt contained in most sausages in the country and have therefore jointly established Timepiece Farmer’s Choice Limited to pursue this cause. A graduate of Howard University, Mrs.Kemi Odunowo, Director of the group, spoke with Feminista.

People say it’s difficult for women to work together; how easy is it with you? don’t agree to that because it depends on your pedigree and background. Adaeze

I

Balogun who is the Administrative Director is a professional Human Resource consultant; Mrs.Lola Animashaun is a business professional while I have always been a marketing and sales person.

When you come from the same sort of background and have same sort of pedigree, you are more likely to work together as a team. Even when one might be a bit bias about an idea, it is talked out rather than swallowed grudgingly. Upbringing also has alot to do with it.

What actually informed this synergy?

The three of us came together two years ago to establish Timepiece Ventures Limited as a business group and eventually, we realised something that was indeed worrisome- salt content in food, particularly sausages.

Incidentally, one of our friends came into Nigeria and observed same. He questioned why there were hardly healthy sausages in the country and we decided

,,

BY JOSEPHINE IGBINOVIA

...we realised something that was indeed worrisome salt content in foods, particularly sausages.

to take up the challenge.

This is important because, already, heart diseases are on the increase and doctors are already advising people to consume less salt because it could contribute to it. We therefore started by doing a bit of research on sausages.

Shortly afterwards, Mr.Animashaun, our chairman, went to Kenya and ran into a colleague of his who introduced Farmer’s Choice, one of the most trusted butcher firms in Kenya, to him. Subsequently, we all went to Kenya, got the franchise and began about a year ago.

What has been the response of Nigerians to the product?

*Kemi

The feedback has been tremendous and overwhelming. All exhibitions we’ve attended have been great and we’ve had people asking for supply already but we have to first put structures in place to be ready to launch formally in June.

Talking about sausages; what makes a sausage good or bad?

TUC women mobilise for change

BY JOSEPHINE IGBINOVIA

D

ESPITE their numerical strength in most spheres, women’s battle for hitch-free progression to the pinnacle has incessantly suffered retardation. Even the few who manage to triumph are often upturned by a blot on the landscape.

This worrisome trend informed the base of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria-TUC Women Commission’s International Women’s Day celebration which held last Friday in Lagos.

Admitting that women had made laudable progress the world over in terms of participation in politics, equal access to healthcare and in other spheres, Chairperson, TUC Women Commission, Comrade Oyinkan Olasanoye, while speaking at the event, however argued that Nigeria had particularly fared badly C M Y K

L-R: Chairperson, TUC Women Commission, Comrade Oyinkan Olasanoye; President, Women Arise, Dr.Joe Okei-Odumakin; Comrade Peace Obiajulu, first-ever female president, Labour Center at the event in Lagos. in terms of gender equality.

“The 2012 Gender in Nigeria Report shows that Nigeria ranks 118 out of 134 countries in the Gender Equality Index. At every educational level, women earn less than their male counterparts and in some

cases men with less education earn more. The problem of gender-based is another issue of grave concern”, Oyinkan stressed.

In response to the growing lamentation of women, President, Women Arise, Dr.Joe Okei-Odumakin, in

her keynote address, identified the need for women to form a formidable bloc against inequality and learn to support one another rather than in envy.

In allusion to the popular Ejigbo women torture, she reiterated that women had a major role to play in curbing and eliminating genderbased violence because it was obvious that the role played by the Iyaloja contributed to the worsening of the torture which eventually resulted in the death of one of the women.

Upholding Odumakin’s view, First Lady of Lagos State, Dame Emmanuella Fashola, represented by Mrs.Tokunbo Jeje; Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry for Energy and Mineral Resources and former state chairperson, Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, Mrs.Regina Iyabode Obasa; Permanent Secretary, Lagos

Any good sausage should taste what you say it is.

When you say it is beef, you must taste beef in what you’re eating. If you say it is chicken, then it must taste chicken. We did a bit of research, like I said, and realized that most of the sausages in the country are quite salty. This is worrisome because salt is not good for any one’s heart.

State Ministry for Women Affairs, Alhaja Risikat Akiyode; Comrade Peace Obiajulu, first-ever female president, Labour Center and Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, President, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, jointly agreed that the only way women could inspire change as demanded by the theme for this year ’s International Women’s Day celebration was to take the lead by actualizing a collective ambition.

Inspiring the TUC Women Commission to defiantly put issues of concern to women on the bargaining table, journalist and Labour Editor, Vanguard Newspapers, Mrs. Funmi Komolafe, called for the solemn tackling of issues such as sexual harassment, denial of rights to unionize especially in the banks and corporate prostitution disguised as “marketing ” among others. She reminded women to revisit the Convention 183 ‘16 weeks’ maternity leave for nursing mothers and ensure it is enforced with legal backing.

PAGE 30—SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014

L

IFE is like a revolving door, people seem to be passing through all the time. There are some who believe I have been hardened by a lot of sorrow early on in life and they could be right. What they observe is my calm acceptance and almost indifference to tragedy. I have found that I cant fight reality, so I tend to just roll with it. I do my 3 B's checklist and I move on. I check for the first B, am I bruised or bleeding? Most times I am. I check for the second B, am I broken? Sometimes I am.

The 3rd B is the most important as it cancels out the first two; am I breathing? So far the answer has always been yes, so I move on, a breathe at a time. I have learnt to make peace with reality in every form and whether I like it or not death is a part of that. In my life so far, I can honestly say two deaths have really devastated me and this is because the two people have shaped my life and continue to do so by their enduring legacy. My first ever loss of a loved one occurred on the 3rd of august 1986.

My little sister, Modupe died at the age of 10 and till date, even over 3 decades later I still remember the grief in my mom's voice when she broke the news. It was a painful experience but it paled in comparison to the pain of my two great losses.

There was once a woman that was a friend, counsellor, confidant; she was also my mother. My mom was a maverick who couldn't be shocked or disgusted out of loving. She was fiery and very passionate but she was 100 percent love, not just for her

children but for everything and everyone.

We grew up in a large noisy household, games everywhere, food, lots of food and it all centred around this one woman, who opened her home and her heart to everyone. Her death on the 14th of June 1996 changed life as I knew it and it took years to move forward. My undying and unflinching faith in The Lord has brought me to a place of gratitude for my mother. I am thankful that I was a part of her life, that I carry her in my heart, that I hold true her values, teachings, empathy and even talents. I continue to miss her, there are so many things I want to share with her but all the grumbling and wailing in the world wont bring her back; I have made my peace with that. I would never have thought that losing someone else could hurt as much but life still held in stock a few unpleasant surprises.

There also was once a man, a teacher, a father, a disciplinarian, a mentor; he was also my pastor. Pastor Eskor Mfon went to be with The Lord on the 30th of April 2007, I didn't learn of the news on that day, I got to hear it in the middle of a business meeting, day after. I had left lagos and had planned to stage a commando visit to see him in London the very day I got the news.

Most members of the church (City of David RCCG) had wanted to visit him but we had been told to let him rest. As the months passed and he didn't return some of us had decided to go see him one by one. A friend who had succeeded in seeing him had told

,

There once was....

me all I needed do was mount sentry at the Tesco supermarket opposite his building between 4-5pm and ambush his wife Pastor Bimpe, so she could take me to see him.

It was not be as he died a day before. I was not prepared for the pain his death brought; it felt like someone had carved my heart out of my chest and the days and months after were very dark. His death attacked the very foundation of my faith and for years after I stumbled. If the promises God were not fulfilled in his life, how could they be fulfilled in mine? What belief was true and what wasn't? It took the Holy Spirit

There was once an age of innocence, easy living and optimism. A time when tragedy and pain happened to people you knew from afar; those days are long gone

,

to answer those questions and bring peace.

There was once an age of innocence, easy living and optimism. A time when tragedy and pain happened to people you knew from afar; those days are long gone. Two weeks ago I saw a familiar face on a blackberry profile with the dreaded R.I P and had to ask my friend to identify the face. I just knew that I knew this person but the name didn't strike a chord. We were about the same age and mixed in the same circle so why couldn't I remember? A few days

later a scene from the past flashed in my mind and I went digging in my old albums.

Sure enough, there she was, Funmilola Daramola, at my 23rd birthday. In those days I loved taking pictures and always made sure to write the names of people on their pictures. I spent time looking at those old albums and I could not even relate to the person I used to be; those were the days before innocence died. The friends I thought I couldn't live without back then I had even forgotten. The memories came flooding back and I remembered the young doctor, who was brilliant and fun. I remembered her easy smile and gentle manner and I grieved not only the loss of a wife and mother but a friend I had lost to reality. We had all just grown apart all over the world and had lost touch, the tributes I read of her confirmed she remained the beautiful soul I used to know and I could only pray for those most touched by her passing.

This last week, I had felt an ominous presence I could not put my hands on and I was also getting lethargic in prayers. I was beginning to fall into a little depression when I remembered the religious schooling of my Pastor; I call him Eskor the Great. He was a a great scholar of the Bible and I had felt his death was like burning a great library; without any back up. The Bible in Hosea 4:6 says "my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge". I thank God for the knowledge imparted by Pastor Eskor, it proved invaluable and life saving this week, 6 years after his passing. It takes me into a place of gratitude, that God placed me under the tutelage of greatness. A part of me felt despondent that he was no more as I would have gone to see him this week, just like I would have gone to spend time with my mother anytime I felt blue. I did the next best thing and called his widow to testify that the anointing of God upon her husband's life continues to bless. I pray for all reading this that our lives would matter, that we would touch others, bless others and that someday, after we are gone, we would be missed enough for them to recall that we once were..

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 31

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PAGE 32—SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014

How National Assembly should handle post - National Conference referendum — Hon. Chinda *Says Rivers gov’s seat belongs to PDP

BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

Hon. Kingsley Chinda is the Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Customs. He represents Obior/ Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers State.

A legal practitioner, Chinda speaks, in this interview, on Rivers political crisis, the National Conference and other matters.

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Hon. Kingsley Chinda Amaechi groups clashing with the police.

What would you ascribe this current peace to?

Sincerely, I do not think Amaechi is an issue as to talk about pro and anti-Amaechi group. I am a member of the PDP and not anti-Amaechi. It is about the opposition and ideology, if you believe in a cause politically and you want that cause to be voiced. In Rivers, clearly for some time, we

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OU moved a motion on the floor of the House on the need for the President to interface with the Academic Staff Union Polytechnics (ASUP) to end the on-going strike embarked upon by the union. This is the seventh month of the strike action. How do you feel about the strike?

It is really unfortunate that we have to close down our institutions of learning. I think we need to do things to avoid the closure of our institutions of learning because the time we lose during these closures can never be recovered. I followed up after I moved the motion and I can state that the strike was suspended but it resumed about a month or two later. I am working on a second motion to find out what our House Committees are doing to ensure that our decisions and resolutions are not only enforced but that we are also seen as a proactive House. I say this because some of the anomalies in the system ought to have been corrected by this arm of government. If it is a minus for the government of the day, it is also a minus for the legislative arm because we are part of government.

What do you think is the solution to the killing of students like the one involving students of Nasarawa State University and the one that happened in the diaspora The purpose of government is security of lives and property and that is why we have come together to submit our sovereignty to a few persons to manage our affairs. It is because we do not want to live in a situation where survival of the fittest will become the order of the day. Therefore, when you see avoidable deaths taking place in the society, the confidence of the people in government will continue to be eroded. I keep praying that our society does not degenerate to a level where it will now be every man for himself, that is a lawless situation. That can happen if we allow avoidable deaths to continue to increase in our polity. As a responsible government which the legislative arm is part of, we need to sit down and talk about it and do something. I do not think we are doing enough. These deaths are avoidable. Take the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) issue; everybody has been blasting the Interior Minister, Abba Morro. We have a House Committee on Interior and also the Human Rights Committee, and that of Labour. What did we do when the recruitment started. We owe Nigerians the responsibility of oversight. Were we not informed of the recruitment? Did we ask about the processes that will be adopted in the course of the recruitment? We would have found out that a consultant was engaged; we should have gone further to interface with the consultant. Again the House of Representatives passed a resolution that no applicant should be made to pay any fee, but the contrary happened. I think there was an act of negligence, not just on the part of the minister or the comptroller. I believe that every Nigerian must play a role so that this country can move forward. I do not believe in the blame game.

There has been peace in your home state of Rivers. No pro or anti Governor

What is your take on the claims?

I would have been glad if you make assertions with facts that Rivers State is not getting its fair share from the present administration. Let me be quick to state that it is an indictment on me because one of the social contracts I entered with the people of Obi/Akpor is that I will ensure that Federal Government presence is felt in my constituency. So if the governor says that

The purpose of government is security of lives and property and that is why we have come together to submit our sovereignty to a few persons to manage our affairs. It is because we do not want to live in a situation where survival of the fittest will become the order of the day

have enjoyed what you call peace but you can also agree with me that the security situation is one that calls for concern.

There have been several cases of kidnapping and also several internal problems. It is not the way it used to be because those behind propaganda, giving wrong information have gone to sleep. If they have been heating up the polity, then they would have been calling press conferences, so if we continue to play politics without propaganda, I think the state will continue to enjoy peace.

Recently, Governor Amaechi claimed that not a single project was earmarked for the state in the federal budget. He also said the state is not getting its fair share of attention from the federal authorities.

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there is no federal presence in Rivers State, it means that those of us from the state sitting here at the National Assembly and sitting over the national budget are sleeping. The information is wrong. In my constituency, we have federal government presence, we have the model primary school, we have 13 of such schools in Rivers that have been constructed by the Federal Government. I have one in my constituency, we have road projects, NDDC is there. When you say there is no federal presence in Rivers State, it is unfair and a way to heat up the polity. It is unfair when you start misinforming people especially at our level.

We should not be economical with the truth.

Ahead of the 2015 elections, do you think your party the PDP can defeat the

APC in River State?

I don’t think APC exists in Rivers State. I say so clearly, the governor was elected on the platform of the PDP, he moved over to APC. Allow elections to come, let us see if APC can produce a governor in Rivers State. As far as I am concerned, the seat of governor still belongs to the PDP, unfortunately, this same governor has benefitted immensely from what we are talking about. I was one of those who supported.

When Celestine Omehia was elected, the Supreme Court held that it was PDP that won the election not Omehia and Amaechi was sworn in though he did not contest that election; today Amaechi elected under PDP has moved to APC. If I were in his shoes, honourably I will resign and if I so wish present myself again if the law allows me. Amaechi as an individual is a member of the APC, but the seat of governor of Rivers belongs to PDP; if you now say the state is an APC state, I find it a little difficult to accept. To the issue of elections, let the elections come so that we won’t be beating our chest, but let me also say it clearly that in Rivers, it will be one man, one vote, one governor one vote.

As a member of the Committee on Customs, are you satisfied with the level of income that the agency said it generated in 2013 during their recent budget defence and their projection for 2014?

Clearly it will be better in 2014 because we are also trying to plug some loopholes that we have observed in the system. There are also some government policies that have affected the revenue profile of the Customs. One of such policies is the rice policy which is aimed at encouraging local farmers. I think for 2013, Customs was slightly below projection but, in 2014, it will certainly be better because the controller-general is working very hard to ensure he meets the 2014 target.

The National Conference is presently on-going, Constitution review by the National Assembly is also on. Is the legislative arm going to wait for the out-come of the confab before it concludes its work on the Constitution. What also is your take on the issues raised at the confab being subjected to a referendum?\ I am not a spokesman for the National Assembly and not in a position to say what the NASS will do; the matter has also not come up on the floor of the House for us to debate it. However, I can give you my personal opinion on the matter. My take is that we need to continue with what we are doing. There is no law that states that you can amend the Constitution just once in a session. If we have cause to make additional amendment, we will still allow it to pass through the normal process after-all, whilst we are working, we still have Bills that on amendment of the Constitution are not captured, they will still be attended to.

The National Conference is a welcome idea.

It also goes to show that government is responsive because majority of Nigerians have been clamouring for a National Conference.

On the issue of referendum, as we speak, there is no provision in our Constitution that supports referendum, so I think the decision of the confab will still come back to the National Assembly. What that means is that we at the National Assembly are sincere, once the referendum bill comes to us, we should pass it as a matter of urgency, because I cannot stand on the floor of the House and oppose those who elected me, but it should still pass through the normal procedure in order to give it legality, else somebody can go to court to say that whatever has been done is illegal and unconstitutional.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 33

Delta is the state to watch in 2015 — Onakpoma

By ADEWALE SAKARIYAH

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hief William Onakpoma is passionate about the good things of life positive politics can create. He is a retired but not tired management staff of Nigerian AGIP Oil Company, NOAC, to be specific. In a pre-interview encounter, he declared, “All through my years on earth, the passion to do what is right by God and the people around me has been my prime motivations of living and being relevant…”

He does not claim to be an archetypal Nigerian politician but insists all the same that it is so right to brand every human being a political animal.

To him, a healthy political environment is a sine qua non for sustainable development. Excerpts from the interview:

So, how do you see the recent upheaval in Kokori?

It is totally unfortunate. It is temptation of the highest order. It crept in to envelope the people by night. Now and always, I wish to call on the Delta State Government especially that a child could be tempted to stray and it is the hand with which the parent beats him is also the one used in calling him back for comfort and succor. I am the Chairman of the Kokori Community Trust and I certainly know where the shoe pinches in Kokori.

Kokori needs assistance from both the State Government and other well-meaning people of goodwill and humanitarian-based institutions. Kokori urgently needs renewal especially in the area of sustainable development. Also, ways should be devised on how to avert what happened, not only to Kokori but also to other parts of Nigeria.

So what is the way out?

Anyway, my final take on this issue is that whatever that happens is ordained by God.

This same God will heal Kokori now and always. I am a child of promise. I prefer to look at the tomorrow ahead of me rather than belly-ache about yesterday and its wreckages.

The good works of the Governor Uduaghan should be complimented in order to arrest youth restiveness in Delta State in particular and Nigeria as a whole by way of good governance and quality leadership. The timely intervention of Governor Uduaghan saved the day in Kokori as it unfortunately degenerated to Kokori-on-Kokori. We cannot say it all here. Can we move on from this topic now?

It appears there is so much politics in you and you may be making a major entry into it…you may not be different from others who retire from formal engagement into politics and…?

No, no, not so fast. I am actually moving into business and in this process look for more ways of being more useful to my people of Kokori, Ethiope East LGA, Delta State and

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ET’S start from your home front, Kokori, in Urhoboland, Delta State, which has been embroiled in crises.

What does this portend?

First of all, I will thank everybody, every institution that sacrificed time and resources to bring cessation of hostilities and relative peace we have in Kokori today. In particular, I wish to commend Governor Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, who quickly drew a line between meaningful agitation and criminality.

At my age, experience and position, I cannot equivocate. As it is my nature, I call it black if it is black and white if it is white. The ranks of Kokori youths were definitely infiltrated and the collective interests of the land highly compromised. The later day explanations and justifications for the so-called uprising were more of after-thoughts. We should leave this to forensic truth experts to unravel, if necessary.

I have never stopped asking the rhetoric question: How can a fruit so ripe, so alluring, so inviting, become, at the same time, so bitter? God in his infinite wisdom created Kokori land and the high quality crude it has been producing for over 50 years. God does not make mistakes and his word does not return void. God’s promises are unchangeable and are forever.

The stark truth is that Kokori qualifies and remains a paradox in the manner of Oloibiri in Bayelsa State and several other places where crude oil abounds. Relevant stakeholders, especially governments, should go back to the drawing board to re-shape the lives of the affected people. And our youths should cultivate and apply the culture of nonviolence.

Should we allow violence to bring down the roof of the world? Violence begets violence. Our people of the past lived their lives to the full without oil. Here I find myself going back to praise Governor Uduaghan once again. Nigerians should carefully study his innovative theme of ‘DELTA BEYOND OIL’ and seek alternative means of income and wealth creation.

*William Onakpoma to mention here that such leadership materials are already rearing their heads in the LGA. Everyone is watching out. What is of major importance here is the need to appeal to all stakeholders to facilitate the healing process of divisive wounds.

We should sink our individual differences and seek the collective good for the greater number of our people. This is what Chief Bolokor will expect even at the other side of the great divide. What remains to be done is the flawless nomination and election of a Local Government Chairman and Councilors who know their onions.

Can we therefore call your romance with politics a pet project of sorts?

Not a mere pet project. It should be more than that. I have been helping or assisting my people for as long as I have cash in my pocket. Now I have more time in my hands to do more good by them. Politics is about people getting together to affect their societies for the better. I am for anything that can or should be done in this direction.

INEC has released the electoral timetable, how do you see the coming general

How can a fruit so ripe, so alluring, so inviting, become, at the same time, so bitter? God in his infinite wisdom created Kokori land and the high quality crude it has been producing for over 50 years

Nigeria in general. Politics should not be an end in its self but a means to an end in the spheres of common good.

This is what our great mentor; Chief Patrick Bolokor of blessed memories taught us, his ardent followers. Chief Bolokor, a former Minister of the First Republic, became the arrow-head of progressive politics. He did not only point to us the strength of mainstream and all-inclusive politics but the potential and the destructive nature of opposition politics. Before he died, he had become a philosopher-politician which non in Delta State could ignore or fault. His recognition, acknowledgement and elevation in the scheme of politics in Delta

by Governor Uduaghan, especially in stemming the tide of dissent and reverting to mainstream PDP in Delta Central Senatorial District cannot be forgotten. He made Deltans to understand that there should be no acrimony in politics.

His exit created a painful vacuum which is yet to be filled in the political and leadership spheres. My consolation lies in the fact that the LGA is blessed with human resources who have good leadership qualities and experiences that will eventual wear the cap of our late political Icon. It is equally worthy

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elections?

For me a lot has changed with my retirement. While I was still in service I only did my thing in politics from the sidelines as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. But now that I have more time on my hands and in better position to serve my people I have already moved from the periphery, so to say, to the centre, the heart of politics.

Any quest for elective office?

I am neither an impatient nor a greedy man. I may be ambitious but never the inordinate type. I am not blinded by the lure and pull of power. I am a complete party man who plays by the rules in the acknowledged spirit of a team player.

You see, what is destroying many politicians and party politics is the subjugation of the individual, the elevation of the self over the corporate interests of the majority. In all I do, I look up to God. The water that I will drink will not flow out of my reach.

So what have you to tell politicians from this point of view?

Wait on God. Everyone should wait for the divine table that has been laid out for

everyone. I will cite an example here.

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is a typical living example of those who waited on the Lord. Go back to his travails as a Deputy Governor through the VicePresidency. The Bible admonished us to go to the ant for lessons on wisdom. Many of us fail to do this.

Because he did not impose himself on the country you can see the good works, the silent but telling transformation of a leader who bided on God. For the time being President Jonathan may not be every person’s man but history has a date with him. A time will certainly come when he will be asked by Nigeria to stand up to be counted amongst the best that left their feet solidly in the sands of time.

The Transformation Agenda he is prosecuting is not everyone’s delight. But you see there are undiscerning people who believe that they can eat omelet without breaking eggs. I always go with those who believe and insist that ‘no pain, no gain.’

How does what you have just said compare with what is on the ground in Delta?

It is always said that there are different strokes for different folks. Only those who understand Delta State and know from where it is coming from that will be better placed to situate its electoral fortunes.

I doubt if there is enough time to elaborate.

As an individual and a PDP leader, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan is the man to watch for effects in 2015. He has not only taken Delta to the heart of the PDP and the nation but he is also at home in steering the affairs of Delta to a flourish-finish. He has assured Deltans that he will finish strong and already the larger picture is emerging across the state.

Most importantly, in my estimation, Uduaghan has rescued Delta Central Senatorial District, which is home to the Urhobo, from the stranglehold of opposition.

The Urhobo have never been good and comfortable in opposition and while it lasted it was sheer nightmare. The election of Senator Emmanuel Aguariavwodo has finally relieved the Urhobo of their worries and troubles.

The Urhobo are looking up to better days ahead. They certainly deserve much more of the national serving than they currently get.

Everything should be done to prevent this essential enclave of the nation from relapsing into opposition once again.

You have talked of the Urhobo being once in opposition to the PDP, was your Ethiope East LGA not at the centre of the crises?

This is all the more reason why I am truly happy that the Urhobos have gotten their act right once again. Ethiope East is known to be a typical hotbed of politics in Delta State.

Count who-is-who in the old and modern politics from the defunct Midwest to the current Delta State and you will find it fully represented.

So, what is your general take on 2015 elections?

There are still many bridges ahead. We cannot cross all of them at the same time.

The nation should go back to God with more prayers. We really need the divine touch of God to succeed.

PAGE 34—SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014

2014 guber: PDP is dead in Osun – Oladejo *‘Aregbesola is building a society everybody is proud of’

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BY ADEOLA ADENUGA

All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain in Osun State, Mr. Abiodun Oladejo (Atayese), formerly resident in Europe (Austria) returned home to contribute his quota to Nigeria’s democratic process. He was educated at the Polytechnic, Ibadan and Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic) where he read mass communication. In this interview, Oladejo speaks on the forthcoming gubernatorial contest in Osun State.

T the outset of the Aregbesola ad A ministration in Osun State, ex pectation was high that the government would perform. More than three years later, opinions are divided as to whether the government has actually performed. Where do you stand?

Honestly speaking, I don’t praise sing. But I am proud to say that this is not a vuvuzela government. When you define democracy, how it operates in other climes, democracy is in action in the State of Osun. Ogbeni Aregbesola has the wisdom to govern, he is clairvoyant, he is a fighter; it is like he has an engine in his system to build a society one can be proud of. In the State of Osun today, construction works are going on, on a gargantuan scale that even the blind can see that this is not a government of propaganda. The State of Osun has become one huge construction site.

When you go to public schools, you see massive modern structures. The hospitals built by the administration are the envy of all. He started with the innovation, O’YES, that seeks to curb unemployment among our youths. The innovation has now been replicated in many spheres of our lives so much so that you have about 25 O’s. Ogbeni Aregbesola is a billionaire when you talk about vision, ideas that can transform the society. A writer said it is not the size of the dog in the fight that matters but the size of the dog in the fight.

People hate you for three things. They see you as a threat, they hate themselves or they want to be like you.

The cumulative effect of these three things is what is disturbing the PDP in Osun

Mr. Abiodun Oladejo

Aregbesola is a fighter.

Despite all of these that you said, the opposition PDP says he must go. They say he doesn’t deserve re-election based on their assessment that he has not performed.

People hate you for three things. They see you as a threat, they hate themselves or they want to be like you. The cumulative effect of these three things is what is disturbing the PDP in Osun. According to Emma Robb, rumours are carried by haters, spread by fools and accepted by idiots.

Aregbesola himself in an interview said that when you are prone to criminality, you get the odium.

This is the manifestation of what that party (PDP) is saying. I think they are just seeking relevance.

Because they stole so much money while they were in power, they think they can go to the media and say anything that catches their fancy but false.

But the Osun people know that the Aregbesola

administration has effected a paradigm shift from the old order. You can’t compare it with the former PDP government which was in power for almost eight years and had nothing to show. And this is to say that Ogbeni has been in government for less than four years. PDP is playing politics of mudslinging. An Ethiopian proverb says the wood can stay in the water for 10 years, that doesn’t make it a crocodile. See what it happening at the centre where the PDP is in power! See the non-performance. In Osun State, the PDP is dead. The people confirmed it dead the moment it failed to meet their expectations when it was in power for nearly eight years. That is also what is happening at the centre. And that is the reason the PDP will never return to power in Osun.

So who is Abiodun Oladejo and what is he doing in politics?

I hail from Boripe LGA in the State of Osun. I attended the citadel of knowledge, the Ibadan Polytechnic where I read mass communication and later proceeded to Osun State Polytechnic, now MKO Abiola Polytechnic, for HND also in mass communication. I participated in NYSC in Calabar. Immediately thereafter, I traveled to Austria in search of greener pastures. After some years

in Europe, I found I could not stay permanently abroad. I came back home and plunged into politics in 2005 to add my international values to the political environment in Nigeria. Nigeria is an emerging political culture Many think politics is dirty, but we must join hands together to give good governance, and politics is the vehicle to achieve that.

Vision Politics is a three-legged thing: Consultations, consensus-building and capacity-building. This is what I did when I came in, in 2005. I initially wanted to become a councillor because that is the way things are done in Europe but people were laughing at me. I made consultations. I felt I could contribute meaningfully in the House of Representatives on AD platform. I had three LGAs to vie in. It was an interesting experience. It came with challenges. I was advised to represent my federal constituency. The party changed to ACN. The party opted for primaries which I won. But the party arrangement prevented me from participating in the 2007 polls. I met Ogbeni Aregbesola when he was works commissioner in Lagos and told him about my aspiration then to go to the House of Representatives and he supported me. I saw Aregbesola as a matador and an instrument of change. The diadems he won gave me aspiration that this man is an institution. Since then, I have not left my constituency. I have been contributing meaningfully, financially and morally, and, with my vision, because when there is no vision, there is no provision. What I do is for the enthronement of an egalitarian society. Nigeria today is a distopian state instead of an utopian state.

This is uncalled for. It is egregorious, nauseating, anomie, even fatal to our collective survival as a people. My active participation in the political process has been challenging. It is like a graph but life goes on. And I know that the day would come when I would serve my people in the capacity that I want because I have the wherewithal to be of help to my community and even beyond.

Despite all the challenges, I remain resolute and committed because, in Osun, we have a government unusual where the people have a feel of government. I have been part of it and want to remain so.

2015 presidency: Okorocha’s ticket will boost APC’s victory — Ezediaro

BY LUCKY OJI

Chief Uzoma Ezediaro, is a successful business man and chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC, who aspired to represent Ohaji/ Egbema/Ugwuta Federal Constituency at the National Assembly in 2011 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. In this interview with newsmen, he noted that the antecedence of Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, is what the APC needs to defeat the ruling PDP in 2015 Presidential election. He also explained why he dumped the PDP. Excerpts: Sir, what prompted you to venture into the murky waters of Nigerian politics instead of concentrating on your flourishing business ventures?

By the special grace of God, I am a successful businessman and for one to be completely successful in life, so many things are involved. Most successful Nigerians have dismissed politics as a brute game, made only for the unrefined, but people like me who have real passion for governance and service, see it differently. My joining politics is borne out of the desire to transfer my business success to other areas of human endeavours, to assist humanity. And to do that, you must be in politics, which is like the moving car that controls the economy. By God’s grace, I am now inside that moving car and with God on my side, I will become the driver and then control it. I joined politics to contribute my own quota towards the development of my family, kindred, village, community, local government, state and my good country, Nigeria.

I have a foundation that have positively touched the lives of my people and will continue to touch their lives. I am a good mobilizer. Before I joined politics, I was deeply involved in community development efforts, especially as they relate to

women and children health, my forte has been business, service to God and humanity. I see politics as the vehicle through which I will massively advance the selfless services I am deeply and seriously involved in.

So why did you defect from PDP to APC? I used to be a chieftain of PDP in Ohaji-EgbemaUgwuta. I aspired to represent my constituency at the National Assembly under the platform of PDP in 2011. But today, I have joined the progressives, APC. APC is a political party made for all the progressives in this country. Those who think they are progressives have gathered together to move the country forward, so I cannot stay behind. I joined the moving train and as far as Nigerian politics is concerned today, APC is the moving train with only the progressives inside. Every progressive in Nigeria want to be with fellow progressives. Can’t you see what is happening at the moment? Do you think it is easy for a governor under a ruling party at the centre to dump the party for another political party that is not a ruling party? You know how many PDP governors that have defected to APC. Those PDP governors are the progressives and there is no how they will not stay where their fellow progressives are. Do you know how many members of the National Assembly who dumped their parties and joined their fellow progressives in APC? Even my governor dumped the party under which he became the governor of Imo State and joined his fellow progressives in APC. I am talking of APGA. APGA is not the party of the progressives and the moment he (Okorocha) realizes that, he dumped them for APC. Go round the states in this country and see the performance of all APC governors, then compare it with the performance of other political parties’ governors. To be frank, they are not comparable. A progressive is a progressive any day,

Chief Uzoma Ezediaro

any time. Even the Bible said it that the unrighteous cannot dwell in the midst of the righteous. APC people are the righteous, other parties know what they are. And for a righteous to still dwell in the midst of the unrighteous, you know what that means.

Governor Okorocha is being criticized by some Igbo people for leaving APGA for APC which they termed to be the gathering of the South westerners and the Northerners.

What do you have say about that?

Anybody saying that is not a progressive and does not understand exactly what politics is about.

When people say APGA is the party of the Igbos and APC belong to Yorubas and Hausas, I laugh.

I am laughing because those people don’t know what they are talking about. If APGA is the party of the Igbos, why is it not controlling all the states that made up the Igbo nationality? Why is it out of five they are only managing one? I want to tell you, that had it been that there was a free and fair

election in Anambra, APGA would have lost woefully. So, why is APGA Igbo party? When they said the then Alliance for Democratic, AD, was a Yoruba party that was understood because all the states that made up Yoruba states were under AD then.

So all I am saying is people should know what is on ground before they talk. Many strong members of PDP today are Igbos, why didn’t they join APGA? APC is not a Yoruba or Hausa party. It is a national party made only for all the progressives in Nigeria, so any body criticizing Gov. Okorocha for joining his fellow progressives in APC is an enemy of the Igbos and should be seen as such, because it is only in APC that good Nigerian president of Igbo extraction will be a achieved.

Will Okorocha vie for the Presidency in 2015?

That is the prayer of the progressives and all the right-thinking Nigerians today. Really, he has not declared openly that he will contest the 2015 presidential election, but it will be in the best interest of our great party, APC and Nigerians generally, if he declares to contest. Okorocha is a great politician who really understands the political terrain of the country. He is a very big asset to APC. His antecedence and potentials have stood him out. He is a tested politician. He will put smile on the faces of Nigerians if he becomes the president.

He will give PDP a run for its money and boost APC’s victory.

Are you saying that if APC did not give Okorocha the ticket, the party will not win presidential election in 2015?

APC has already positioned itself to sack PDP in 2015 both at the Federal and state level elections. What I am saying is that Okorocha’s presence will make the victory easier for APC.APC will win presidential and other elections in 2015, but Okorocha will boost the victory for good governance and true transformation.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 35 japhdave@yahoo.com 08056402376

Serendipity... a visual search for African ideology

By JAPHET ALAKAM VISUAL

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•Eko si kwali ike, one of the exhibiting works by George Edozie Nigerian and African art. The exhibiting artists are Gerald Chukwuma, Jefferson Jonah,

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fter a successful host ing of its first exhibi tion of the year that featured 13 upcoming artists, Alexis gallery, one of the gallery committed to the promotion of African artists last week opened its doors for another group exhibition tagged Serendipity, an exhibition of paintings, drawings and sculptures.

The exhibition which will feature the works of five Nigerian artists and one from Republic of Benin opened on March 29, and will run to April 5th . The opening which was attended by many art collectors, viewers and lovers, afforded them another opportunity to look at the creative and aesthetic works of the artists.

The one week exhibition featured the works of a new group of artists that share the same ideology and are not satisfied with what some contemporary artists are doing in the art circle and have come together to make a strong statement about

through the body of works displayed reveal their willingness to change the face of art in Af-

We are not painting images that are not within the African context, we focus on African ideals, we want to use the works to promote African culture and ideals

Dominique Zinkpe, Tolu Aliki, Nyemike Onwuka and George Edozie. The artists

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rica.

Each of the artist featured five works, bringing it to a total of

30 works done in varied media. Most of the works reveal the day to day activities of the society in line with their mission. According to George Edozie, one of the exhibiting artist, “we are not painting things or images that are not within the African context, we focus on African ideals, we want to use the works to promote African culture and ideals and we intend to go beyond Nigeria and go outside to project it.” He added.

Some of the works include: Left Right, Life Right

by Gerald Chukwuma, an image that depicts the altitude of Nigerian politicians that defect from one political party to the other. Private Domain, by Jefferson Jonah depicting a child who slept off while still holding to the mother ’s breast. The piece talks about the greedy politicians who loot and loot even when they are okay, they still hold on to them so that others will not partake.

Another piece titled N70.00 since Morning, showing a kid hawker lamenting that he only made 70 Naira for

a whole day and is worried because he will not be received in a good way when he goes home. A typical example of the plight of child hawkers.

Wazobia, by George Edozie, a lover of women showing three beautiful women from Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba, it is a clarion call for women to take leadership positions in Africa as they will definitely perform well if they are given the chance. Nyemike’s painting, titled Whose responsibility depicting a woman breasting her child, also lends support for the breast feeding campaign.

Speaking about the exhibition, the group who disclosed that they intend to do that annually said,”we want the society to look at us as creative people who want to give back to the society” he group exhibition is cocurated by George Edozie and Patty Chidiac Masttrogiannis and proudly supported by art loving sponsors like Veuve Clicquot, The homestores, Chocolate Royal , Arra Vineyards, Avenue suits, Cool FM, Wazobia FM, Nigeria Info, Internets solution Nigeria Ltd, Lostinlagos, Litho - Chrome Ltd, Tolaram Group (Indomie ).

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Drinking from Oba Erediauwa’s fountain of ideas REVIEW

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he acclaimed writer, Late Chinua Achebe in one of his books wrote, that the problem with Nigeria is that of leadership. This is not to say that Nigeria has no good leaders but the problem is that wrong people have always been in the saddle for years and that has affected the overall growth and development of the country. But in the choice of Omo N’Oba n’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Erediauwa, the Oba of Benin, it was a perfect match as it was the case of putting a square peg in a square hole and ever since he ascended to the throne in 1979, it has been a success story.

Oba Erediauwa has in the course of his governance of the great city of Benin transversed many areas of life and as part of leaving a legacy for the future, Dr Osarhieme Benson Osadolor, a seasoned scholar, an Associate Professor and Head, Department of History and International Studies University of Benin came up with the collection of his speeches and writings entitled Cradle of Ideas, A Compendium of Speeches and Writings of Omo N’Oba Erediauwa of Great Benin.

The beautifully designed book with the picture of the great Oba on the cover is indeed a documentary source book that features a compendium of speeches and writings of Oba Erediauwa’s intellectual legacy for posterity.

The 573 pages book has been

conveniently arranged in six parts as follows: Cultural Development, Traditional Institutions and Governance; Exploring the Past; Vision from the Ivory Tower; Education, Social Mobilization and Sport; Politics, Economics and the State and Media, Religion and Standard of Service. The 68 speeches and articles mirror how the Great Benin Monarch has shared his intellectual insight on a number of problems and issues. Within the context of intellectual history, the ideas of Oba Erediauwa demonstrate how the value of knowledge takes on new meanings, definitions and significance.

In all these areas, the editor of the book carefully arranged some of the famous speeches that revolves on tradition, intellect and wisdom. A close reading of the chapters indicates that these pillars provide a solid foundation for Cradle of Ideas. he book opens with a 32 page photo album that showcases the Oba of Benin , his father, family and some of the famous engagements he attended.

Part A focuses on his interpretation of cultural understandings, the discussion of the dilemma of traditional institutions and authorities in the nation-state project, and the multiple problems of governance in the context of democratization and influences of foreign culture. The Royal author, as the custodian of Benin tradition and culture, was brought up in that culture, including its laws, customs, mores and conventions of society. His knowledge of the history of Benin,

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spanning thousands of years and the spirituality of his people, enable him to examine modern ideas against the background of the Benin cultural experience. Part B highlights the important aspects of Nigerian history and culture, particularly in their potentially significant links with the state-of-the-art on Benin.

Part C is devoted to his views about Nigerian educational system.

His speeches delivered at the Congregation ceremonies at the University of Ibadan during his 8-year tenure as Chancellor, which shows

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By JAPHET ALAKAM

The book is an overwhelming demonstration of the power of thought in fostering of ideas to help understand problems and pursue further inquiry

sports discussed in part D, while part E explores the influence of politics, the economy and the state in understanding the system of modern Nigeria. he finally part consists of his writings which attempt to reconcile the responsibilities of the media and religion with standard of service.

Here the ideas of Oba Erediauwa are developed in a form, which considers the proof of standard of service as the testament to one’e practices and

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the Author’s perspectives on the role of Universities in the African setting. He highlighted two major shortcomings in the Nigerian University system as, neglect of the liberal Arts/humanities as opposed to a mechanistic specialization in narrowly focused academic disciplines, and alienation from society. The meaning of education, social mobilisation and

beliefs. Here it talks about his relationship with God. As the custodian of the Benin kingdom,Wisdom is required to relate in a logical manner, tradition to modernity. In line with the doctrine of building the modern on a cultural foundation, the Author advocates cooperation between

modern and traditional medicine.The Book makes a distinction about Christianity as presented in the Holy Bible and modern practice of the religion by professing Christians. What comes out clearly in this book is that the Author, though a traditionalist, is a far more expose theologian than many Priests who put emphasis on material things rather than priceless treasures of Divine Spirituality.

The book is an overwhelming demonstration of the power of thought in the fostering of ideas to help understand problems and pursue further inquiry within a considerable range of approaches that are oriented to the practical matters of managing and finding lasting solutions to the contemporary problems of state and society. ccording to the editor of the book, “Cradle of Ideas is a record of the irresistible force of ideas of a king, who with an intellectual voice and insight examined his subject from a revealing viewpoint.”

It is a well-researched and skillfully crafted book detailing the reasons for these manifestations of systematic failure and proposing a realistic way forward.

This monumental volume is an addition to the array of literary works on the book stand and it deserves a place in the libraries of scholars, intellectuals, traditionalists, religious bodies as well as public libraries at home and abroad.

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Cradle of Ideas, A Compendium of Speeches and Writings of Omo N’Oba Erediauwa of Great Benin; Dr Osarhieme Benson Osadolor Ed.;Ibadan University Press, Ibadan, Nigeria, 2013;PP. 573

PAGE 36—SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014 japhdave@yahoo.com 08056402376

Col. Ajayi’s book reveals the evil plans and lies about 1995, 1997 coups BOOK NEWS

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ol. Gabriel Ajayi, former second-incommand to the General Officer Commanding, GOC, Lagos Garrison Command, General Ishaiya Bamaiyi, is a journalist and core infantry officer of the Nigerian Army. He was released from prison and retired from the Army on March 4, 1999.

But the story of the former Commanding Officer, 65 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Sokoto, does not end with that. What is awful is the military politicking that characterized the tail end of his career in the Army, a reason for his continuous sadness, which he chronicled into a book entitled, “End of the Road: The Travails of an Infantry Officer” “I started writing this book on the 10th Anniversary of my release from unjust incarceration in Minna prisons. This was consequent upon the death sentence passed on me on July 14, 1995 by the Brigadier General Patrick Aziza’s Special Military Tribunal (SMT) which was subsequently commuted to 25 years jail term. I was among many distinguished Nigerians originally sentenced to death by firing squad. The sentences were later commuted to various jail terms ranging from two years to life imprisonment having been hideously found guilty of allegations of involvement in a coup plot to oust the regime of Late General Sani Abacha, which was rightly described as Phantom by many discerning Nigerians,” Ajayi said in the opening of his introduction to the book.

The author who, in a recent interview published by Sunday Vanguard, said he was mischievously and wrongly accused of wanting to overthrow the General Sani Abacha government with intent to hand it over to the adjudged winner of June 12, 1993 election, Alhaji M. .K. O. Abiola, however stressed out in this book the extent of injustice perpetrated by the Abacha regime against the man, who was at the last Centenary Award Night recognized as reason for the thriving democracy that Nigeria currently enjoys and was honoured thus by the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan-led civilian Federal Government.

“General Sani Abacha tricked the winner of the June 12 Presidential election, Chief M. K. O. Abiola and immorally usurped the mandate given to the chief by the Nigerian electorate. It was common knowledge that there was

neither a coup nor an attempted one in 1995, but an attempt to silence perceived opposition voices in and outside the Nigerian military,” said Col. Ajayi, who stated in the book that he had been under pressure by many respected and eminent Nigerians not to publish his experience in this regard.

“They fear that my writings may rough feathers and create more problems than it will solve.

My mother already weakened by the burden of many years exacted so much pressure on me, she did not want her son back in prison again. After all, I was a victim of military government plot, what stops the government from plotting another tragedy even of more fatality this time around?

“If a state sets a trap for you, then your chances of escape are slim indeed. If a state decides that you must be found guilty of treason, even when you have

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By BASHIR ADEFAKA

AbdulKarim Adisa and co.

“After all, the state, especially the military regimes, has the power, the means and the resources to manufacture the necessary evidence, exhibits and witnesses. Even the state has the uncanny ability to make otherwise respectable citizens believe you had indeed committed treason in a uniquely Nigerian way,” regretted Ajayi, who today is a security consultant to organisations.

According to him, just like Obasanjo, Diya, Olanrewaju, Adisa, Gwadabe, Olu Craig and all those implicated in the two phantom coups of 1995 and 1997, “I fell into a state constructed trap and evil plans. I was arrested with maximum force, charged with maximum offence and locked up in what one could term maximum security prison. The Inter-

General Abacha tricked the winner of the June 12 Presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola and immorally usurped the mandate given to the chief by the Nigerian electorate

done nothing wrong, then one’s chance of escape depends on extraordinary divine intervention.” This factor, Col. Ajayi, who was considered being a very brilliant officer of the Army during his time, linked to the travails of General Olusegun Obasanjo and co where he belonged and Generals Oladipo Diya, Tajudeen Olanrewaju,

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Cenfrom “What a Career, What a Profession”; “The 1995 Phantom Coup Plot Saga”; “My Sojourn in Minna prison and Eventual Freedom” and “Torture and the Process of the Torture in the Security Services” to the Appendixes, which, put together, bequeath the readers with useful information especially the Appen-

By PRISCA SAM DURU POEM

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he fathers daily eat sour grape and the sons’ teeth are set on edge Oh! Mama Africa innocent and fertile, defiled by rapacious children As mothers join in the dance of shame, the rotating wheel of destiny continues in circle of life. so her heap rotates in endless swing of shame

•Col. Gabriel Ajayi dixes which chronicle all the coups publicly executed since 1976 and now. In the Appendixes are various speeches of the leaders of the military regime of each of the successful coups and how the unlucky were either killed or jailed. For any student of history wanting to know the livers and lungs of history of Nigeria, the Army and leadership of Nigeria, especially since independence, “End of The Road: The Travails of an Infantry Officer” is where to go.

A peep into the culture of Cross River Basin

By JAPHET ALAKAM VISUAL

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he National Commission for Museums and Monuments Lagos last week held its first exhibition of the year tagged Cross River Valley: Eden of Art and Culture at the Commissions complex in Onikan.

This exhibition which was the first to focus exclusively on the traditional Art of the ethnic groups dwelling along the Cross River basin which stretches from the Cameroon Mountains was declared open by the Director General of NCMM, Yusuf Abdallah Usman. On display were objects associated with the culture of the people living in the villages, towns and cities, along the course of the cross river. They include a number of stimulating aspects of the traditional arts and practices of the groups dwelling * Perforated Pot Clay, Ogoja along the Cross area , Cross River State Valley such as masks, currencies, ancestral figures, terracotta works, royal paraphernalia, body ornaments, household utensils, traditional rulers, yam barn and fire place and body adornments from the commission’s collection and from the follow-

ing states; Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Benue and part of Cameroon Republic.

The exhibition according to the DG was intended to achieve two things, first to highlight and showcase a section of the large collections of National Museum Lagos that have hitherto not been exhibited in previous outings and secondly to demonstrate the creativity, ingenuity, skills, aesthetic qualities and technological know- how of the people of this area dating back to several decades. These two objectives it actually achieved judging from the calibre of works displayed.

In his remarks the DG who commended the members of National Museum Lagos said that Nigeria is a country rich in cultural objects which have been exhibited in many countries of the world. These include the works of Igbo Ukwu, Nok, Owo, tfeand Benin etc. and the works found along the Cross river basin are also among the rich culture heritage collection of Nigeria. e noted, that “our valuable collections are our pride as a nation and as a people not only to those that visit the museum on daily basis, but most importantly to the outside world as a boost to our reputation, integrity, creativity, and ingenuity as a people with a very rich and robust historical past.” Pointing out that the act of sectionalizing exhibitions is an attempt by the museum to systematically display the collection from time to time.

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Dance in the palace

Time of reckoning now a mirage heap swing swings uncommitted committee of shame to eternal sleep.

Like the lullaby that lures to rest.

They probe endlessly squandering funds revealing no culprit. dance of shame eternal Insatiable dogs munch Impoverished crumbs From national cake Hoping their loot be compressed to fit into six feet.

Oh! Mama Africa deflowered by rapacious children who shall cover her nakedness?

Who shall be her redeemer?

She is jeered at. repulsed and treated as trash by dots on world map.

Drum beats of corruption beat, so inviting, so intoxicating Respectable men of no integrity lulled to eternal shame they rest in imperfect peace dum dum of drums more infectious for our mouth piece he beheld mama’s erotic hip swing.

Once public activists, offered spot on dance arena fell asleep, awaiting other gluttons to join in throes of Hades Oh! what a dance of shame in the fatherland!

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BOMBSHELL: This National Conference is waste of time – Prof. Nwabueze *‘How Jonathan got it wrong’ *On 1979 Constitution: We were misguided *Speaks on the new political order Nigeria needs and Ohanaeze crisis LEGAL icon, Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN), was part of the team that put together the 1979 Constitution.

He also took part in the attempt at constitution making under General Ibrahim Babangida administration in 1989. . In this no-holds barred interview, Nwabueze speaks on why the 1978 Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) and the 1989 Constituent Assembly he participated actively in imposed unitary constitution on the polity jettisoning a Federal Constitution of 1960/63. He also explains why the ongoing National Conference will not address the problems of Nigeria, insisting that running away from discussing the unity of the country is postponing the evil day. Excerpts:

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE & IKENNA ASOMBA

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E are in the process of another constitution making. If you agree, what’s your take on the arrangement?

Let me correct the impression that we are in the process of another constitution making. The National Conference, as constituted by the President, lacks the capacity to draft a constitution to be submitted to the people for approval through a referendum. It doesn’t have the capacity, so it does not entail a constitution making at all. That is something we have to realise, arising from the nature and type of the conference as constituted or established by the President.

The reason for this is that the conference is not established by virtue of any law enacted by the National Assembly. The convocation, its composition, its functions, its modus operandi are not catered for by law. It is established entirely by virtue of the inherent powers of the President under Section 5 of the constitution. With its limited functions, its establishment is within the immediate powers of the President. The conference not established under a law enacted by the legislative authorities of the country cannot adopt a constitution. It lacks the capacity to draft a constitution that will be binding on everybody as law.

At best, what do you think would come out of this exercise?

Nothing, it’s just a talk-shop. We must realise that it’s a talk-shop. It’s functions are merely deliberative and advisory. So, there is no harm in talking. If they talk for three months, something good may come out of it but, certainly, not the adoption of a new constitution.

As it is, how can we make the best out of the present arrangement for the good of the country?

We have to decide first: what do you want as a

What we want is a new, better and united Nigeria. That is what we want. There is no way you can get it from this conference. Even if you talk for one year, there is no way you can get it in this conference, we must all realise this C M Y K

•Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN) country? What we want is a new, better and united Nigeria. That is what we want. There is no way you can get it from this conference. Even if you talk for one year, there is no way you can get it in this conference, we must all realise this. You can get something, but not a new and united Nigeria. You can’t because of the limitations of this conference. It has no powers, it has only functions. There is a difference in law between powers and functions.

This conference doesn’t have the powers to bind you and me, to affect the legal relations of you and me, or the legal rights of you and me. It doesn’t have the powers, that is what powers entail. It has only functions, deliberations, talking. You can talk for one year but what can come out of the talking is another matter.

You are one of those who convinced President Jonathan to go for National Conference. But the way you sound, it’s as if you are disappointed with the turn of things...

That is correct. I led the delegation of The Patriots to the President on August 29, 2013, and I think we were able to persuade him. The so-called u-turn made by the President is as a result of that meeting.

But the conference we asked him to convene is totally different from what he has now established. There

are totally two different things. We were looking for a conference that will have the power to adopt a new constitution for Nigeria, that will be submitted to the people at a referendum for approval. That was what we were asking for, and we were asking for a conference of ethnic nationalities. I will come to that later.

On the first aspect, what we have now that the President has given us is a conference that lacks power to adopt a new constitution that will be submitted to the people at a referendum for approval.

What the President said, in his speech at the inauguration about referendum is so confusing. I don’t know what the President means.

He said: “Let me, at this point, thank the National Assembly for introducing the provision for a referendum in the proposed amendment of the constitution. This should be relevant for the conference if, at the end of the deliberations, the need for a referendum arises. I therefore urge the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly to speed up the constitutional amendment process especially with regard to the subject of referendum.”

What does this mean? How can the need for a referendum arise when the conference does not have as its purpose the adoption of a constitution? So, what are you subjecting to a referendum? When we talk about referendum, it’s in relation to a constitution. So, how can the need arise when the purpose of the conference is not the adoption of a constitution and when the conference lacks competence to adopt a constitution?

The President, at a time, was talking about subjecting the outcome of the conference to the consideration of the National Assembly...

You mean for the National Assembly to subject it to a referendum? No, that’s not what this conference states. When you critically examine that statement by the President, it is deliberately intended to confuse.

Some people have said that the President based the conference on modalities or template established by the Senator Femi Okuronmu Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference. Do you agree?

Yes, to a large extent. If you read the report, it was the Okuronmu committee that recommended that there are two alternatives that the conference should be based on. One, is to establish a conference that will be authorized by an enabling law of the National Assembly and that the alternative is to establish a conference by virtue of the President’s inherent powers. But the President went for the alternative to constitute a conference based on his inherent powers. On this regard, The Patriots had written a letter to him to say ‘please, don’t go for this inherent powers because that will not meet the demands of the country.’

Our demand is for a conference that has the capacity to adopt a constitution. But the President went for the alternative put to him by the Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC). So, to some extent, PAC is responsible for this because they put the alternative to him and he grabbed it and landed us in this situation that we are now.

Your critics say that you are responsible for all these problems we have.

What problems?

They said the President acknowledged your immense capacity to turn things around and nominated you into the Okuronmu committee but you didn’t take up the appointment. They said that if you had taken up the appointment, your input would have helped to make the modalities better.

How do you react to this?

That position is misconceived as I said in my press

Continues on Page 42

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 43

Nwabueze: Jonathan got it wrong on National Conference Continues from Page 42 statement on this issue of my appointment. At the time we met with the President, he promised he was going to do something. I never anticipated that I will be made a member of the committee, not to talk of being the Chairman. And the reason I gave was that, one, I am 83, and in very bad health and cannot go across the country. I have prostrate cancer, which I have been fighting for the past couple of years.

Every year, I go to Britain twice to consult with my oncologist. As you are aware, cancer is stubborn.

So, I am surviving on injections. I said I couldn’t, given my age and my state of health. I explained that I couldn’t afford to go round the country with the committee. From Bayelsa to Sokoto, Sokoto to Maiduguri, Maiduguri to Enugu, Enugu to Benin, Benin to Lagos... I said I couldn’t. I gave that as a reason, that in any case, I think there is an option for a younger person. These are the reasons I gave and I then nominated Chief Solomon Asemota (SAN). They initially rejected him but eventually appointed him. They have a reason for choosing Okuronmu. They wanted the type of conference that they have now established. They were looking for somebody who will go along with them. Then Okuronmu was good choice for them. Asemota refused to go along with their plan. That is what I would have done if I were there. He submitted a minority report which was suppressed. Asemota was denied the right to present the minority report. The fact that Asemota submitted a minority report was acknowledged by the appropriate authorities. And the Asemota minority report contains exactly what I wanted, what The Patriots wanted. And attached to it is a bill- The National Conference and Referendum Bill - prepared by The Patriots and submitted to the presidency, two years ago, but they refused to look at it. Instead, they have continued to deny that there was a minority report, when the fact is, there was. So, you can see, it’s not my fault.

I couldn’t serve, and I nominated somebody to be there, who presented the views that I would have presented if I was there but they suppressed it. They denied Asemota the right to present it, which is a terrible thing. That is a sign that would have destroyed the whole thing if we had wanted to press on with it. A minority report submitted, you acknowledged receipt of it and you came out publicly that it never existed, that it was not submitted.

Everyone denied it; from Okuronmu to Reuben Abati presidential spokesman. They castigated the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for saying that there was a minority report. They said there was none. So, anybody who is blaming me for that is being unfair.

Nigerians were aware you travelled to London for medication but after you came back you appeared very strong, holding meetings with Igbo Leaders of Thought. So the impression was that you are strong, that, at least, you could have managed to serve, that if you presented the issue instead of Asemota, it would have carried more weight.

When government had already made up its mind on what it wanted? It would amount to fighting in vain. You see, government had already made up its mind on what it wanted. It was just looking for somebody who would go along with it. They found that man in Okuronmu. Why didn’t they make me Chairman? Although, I would also have refused, why didn’t they make me Chairman? They knew that I wouldn’t have gone along with the plan. I would have said, no, that’s not the kind of national conference that will thrust this country forward. It’s even obvious from the terms of reference what they wanted.

You seem to be calling for conference of ethnic nationalities. Don’t you think it is cumbersome?

How do you think what you are advocating for would go without causing problem in the country?

Without causing problem? That’s where we run away from our problems. We are always running away from our problems. When we talk about unity, why is unity a predominating and hunting problem in Nigeria? Why is it, when it is not? In a place like England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and even in the

United States, why is it not a problem there? Would it have been a problem, if Nigeria is a country composed of one people like say the Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Ijaw, instead of a country composed of over 380 ethnic nations? Is that not the crux of the problem? Why do you want to run away from that fact?

You know as a fact that Nigeria is not one nation.

It hasn’t become a nation even though that is the hope of all of us. When it will become a nation we don’t know. We are pretending that Nigeria is a nation. You read the President’s speech at the inauguration, he was running right through that Nigeria is a nation. Nigeria is not a nation yet. Chief Obafemi Awolowo described Nigeria in 1947, in his book, ‘The Path to Nigeria’s Freedom that “Nigeria is a mere geographical expression.” Yes, that was what it was, and that is what it is up till today. So, the President saying that Nigeria is a nation from the time of its birth in1914, by the amalgamation of two colonial entities into one big colonial entity called the colony and protectorate of Nigeria, means he has no idea at all of what a nation means. This is not a nation. But the reason the quest of making it a nation is a problem is because it is not composed of one people.

If it had been only made up of the Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Efik, Ijaw, we won’t have these problems.

Because these are already nations. They are made up of one people. So, you see, we have in Nigeria over 350 nations, and the problem is to coalesce them into one; and you don’t want to agree to that, you think you can get over it by calling Nigeria a nation, when it is not.

The fact remains that Nigeria’s problem has been to coalesce the over 380 nations into one. It’s not an easy problem. It has a number of problems, difficulties. One is the uncertainty about the character, number and identity of the people in the country. Two is the difficulty of devising a way to demand the equality of representations. How can you say that an ethnic nation comprising of 10,000 people should have equal representation with an ethnic nation comprising of 40 million people? It’s

I have explained this several times at public fora that we went for the unitary system of government at that time, largely because the federal system presupposes separate constitutions for the federal and the constituent governments.

That’s the idea of federalism which was observed in the 1960 and 1963 constitutions not equitable. Then you have the problem of rancour.

The fact is that if you conceive the conference on the basis of ethnic nationalities, that will throw up the number of delegates to maybe 1,000 or more.

There is also the problem of the rancorous conflict among the ethnic nations, between the small and big ones. And there is another problem harped on by the President, an issue-based representation at the conference by the ethnic nationalities. You run the risk, that the country might break up, that it might splinter into all the various ethnic nations. I don’t think that fear is founded because the problem of unity in Nigeria is not insoluble. If not attended to, it’s insoluble because the problem will be there. And the fear that this problem if attended to will make the country disintegrate is not enough. Then what

•Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN) we are saying is that the problem is insoluble.

So, these are the main problems. And I don’t think that these problems are not amenable to rational solutions. Come to terms with it, you will find out that there is no problem in this world that is insoluble. There is none. So, there is no reason running away from the problems. Come to terms with it, apply your mind to it, this has always been my philosophy. There must be an answer to every problem. The more problems you have, the more it challenges you, your mind, your intellect. Apply your mind, apply your intellect and you will find the answer. Therefore, Nigeria must come to terms with how to coalesce the over 380 ethnic nations into one.

We must have to, not by running away.

So, how do we coalesce the ethnic nations into one nation?

By recognising the existence of these ethnic nations and bringing them together, and trying to foster mutual understanding and mutual cooperation among them. That is something that is beyond the resources of private individuals. The Ethnic Nationalities Movement and The Patriots have tried to organize the ethnic nationalities conference, which was held February on 11 and 12, 2014 in Abuja. We tried bringing all the ethnic nationalities together but the cost involved was beyond our resources. We needed a lot of money to bring together 387 ethnic nationalities. That is a job for government, if it believes there lies the key to the problems of this country. So, there is no need pretending. Why are we running away?

You played an active role in the drafting of the 1979 Constitution that entrenched the present unitary system of government which destroyed the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions. So, why did your team supplant true federalism with the unitary system of government, which many Nigerians now see as the problem of the country?

I have explained this several times at public fora that we went for the unitary system of government at that time, largely because the federal system presupposes separate constitutions for the federal and the constituent governments. That’s the idea of federalism which was observed in the 1960 and 1963 constitutions. We abandoned it in 1979 and went for a unitary constitution, one constitution for the Federal Government and none for the state governments. That was a fundamental departure from the principles of federalism. It is a unitary constitution more or less in the devolution of powers.

The Federal Government is all powerful. Its powers are all-encompassing. We took 50 per cent from the concurrent list of matters and merged them to the exclusive list. We also went to residual matters, took almost 50 per cent and put it in the exclusive list.

We took so many other things.

And why did we do that? We must take into consideration the circumstances in the country at that time. In 1976, ’77, ’78, everybody was talking about unity. So, we thought the best way to achieve that unity was to create a powerful centre, and we thought that once you have a powerful centre with so much power, you will achieve unity. That was the situation at the time. You don’t blame us because you must take into account the circumstances at that time. The feeling that people had was that unity was overriding and that you could achieve it by putting so much power in the centre. We were

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PAGE 44 , SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014

Continues from Page 43 misguided and that’s the truth. At a number of public statements, I have frankly admitted that we were misguided, that we were guided by the feelings at the time in the country. It turned out that putting too much power at the centre was an invitation for disunity. Yes, that was what happened, disunity. Struggle for control at the centre with all that power led to disunity, and that is what landed us to where we are today.

Over time now, there seem to be a disagreement between the Igbo Leaders of Thought which you lead and the Ohanaeze over this National Conference. What is the meat of the issue?

You must take into account how the Igbo Leaders of Thought originated.

There was division within Ohanaeze following the Ohanaeze election of January 12, 2012. And the matter is still in court. When the Okuronmu committee was set-up, the Ohanaeze distributed a memo to the committee at Enugu and Umuahia, and demanded that the two people claiming to be President-General and Secretary-General on the basis of the election, that their mandate was protected. We are saying, ‘ you are not the President, we don’t accept you because we believe that the election was invalid’. And it was in that circumstance that various appeals were made to me that I should step in, that what the so-called Ohanaeze submitted to the Okuronmu committee does not represent the views of the people.

So, to step in, I wasn’t calling a meeting of the entire Igbo, I was calling a meeting of leaders of thought, the think-tanks. So, the meeting was of people who could sit together and put together the ideas of Ndigbo on a new constitution for Nigeria. And I made it very clear from the beginning, that I would like us to operate this as The Igbo Leaders of Thought under the auspices of Ohanaeze and the President-General was invited to the initial meetings of the Igbo Leaders of Thought.

Specifically, the meeting decided to write a letter to President Jonathan protesting the Okuronmu committee’s report, which had not been released at the time, but we had a copy. Asemota was not even given a copy because of his disagreement with the others over the minority report. But he managed to get a copy from one of their members. And that was how we got a copy. Immediately, The Patriots wrote a letter of protest to the President and The Igbo Leaders of Thought also decided that the letter be written to the President, in protest of the recommendations of PAC. So, the letter was prepared in the name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo with the Park Avenue address, Enugu and the President-General was there. I invited him to my house in Enugu, we discussed, and he was also present at the meeting of The Igbo Leaders of Thought. And he suddenly said that he would not sign, because the letter was to be signed by himself and myself. He said he won’t sign the letter written in the name of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. He said he would need two days to consult with his executives. We said, ‘ why do you have to consult? This thing is so clear.’ But he insisted on consulting, which provoked a lot of criticisms, opposition from the meeting. After that, I said, `look, the man is asking for just two days, just give him two days. `So, he was given two days to consult. Several days later, he came back to say he won’t sign. So, we had to change the letter from

Ohanaeze Ndigbo to Ndigbo. We didn’t use the Igbo Leaders of Thought. So, that’s point number one that it was the President-General that refused to sign. I have said that what we are doing is under the auspices of the Ohanaeze and that our meeting will be transferred from Zodiac Hotel venue to Ohanaeze secretariat.

At the meeting I had with him in my

prepared the notice calling for the meeting with all these signatories.

When I gave it to Igariwey, he objected again. But these other people due to their magnanimity, said they didn’t mind, they didn’t want to sign anymore, but that it will be alright if the notice was signed by me and Igariwey.

So that was what was agreed and

•Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN)

‘The way forward for Nigeria’ house in Enugu, I said to him that it’s my intention to ask, you the PresidentGeneral to convene a peace and reconciliation meeting of Ohanaeze. I want you to bring unity to Ohanaeze, instead of all these divisions and factions’. When I put this to the notice of the Igbo Leaders of Thought, the leaders of the other factions said they will not accept such peace and reconciliation meeting, if the notice for the meeting was signed by Chief Gary Igariwey, the President- General.

Emeka Onyeso, the leader of the other faction, said the same thing, Prof. Elo Amucheazi said the same thing and the consensus was that the letter be

The way forward is that the new, better and united Nigeria presupposes a new constitution anchored on the people. That’s is why I don’t think the National Conference, as presently constituted, will lead us there signed by leaders of all the various factionsIgariwey, Onyeso, Amucheazi and myself. That was what was agreed. Then, when I met Igariwey in my house, initially, he objected, but later he agreed that the notice calling for the meeting should be signed by all.

I on my own eventually decided to add two people - Archbishop Obinna and Archbishop Elekwanwa. So, I

Igariwey was there. So, I passed on the notice and said ‘go and amend it’, but till today, Igariwey has not returned the letter, the meeting we have never had.

When people talk about the Igbo Leaders of Thought and the Ohanaeze, this is exactly what happened. At the meeting, the peace and reconciliation meeting was discussed, I said I didn’t want to go into the reasons for the demand for the election to be invalid, let us put it aside. The five Eastern governors said they have set up a committee under Senator Ben Obi to look into this, and Ben Obi’s committee recommended that these two individuals, that’s the President-General and the SecretaryGeneral should stay in office for six months and after that election should be held. We said no, let them stay on for the two-year term prescribed by the constitution, after that, election should be held. And at that meeting Dr. Uma Eliazu said, no, that everything should not be swept under the carpet. That a committee should probe it to find out whether the election is valid or invalid.

But I said, let’s not go into all that again but they insisted that it be put to the vote. An overwhelming majority supported their view. So, that was what was decided. But like I said, the peace and reconciliation meeting was never held.

So, are you saying that the peace and reconciliation meeting should be convened as a matter of urgency?

No, that has been overtaken by events. It’s overtaken. Igariwey and his executive rejected it.

How do we make the 2015 elections free and fair?

I hope it will be. The problem about free and fair election is that in Nigeria, we attach too much importance to the stakes. National elections have become a matter of life and death, a do-or-die affair because the stakes are so much.

May be if we have a new constitution

that will reduce the powers of the President, it will be less a do-or-die affair. At the moment, the stakes are too high, which makes free and fair elections almost impossible. As long as the present constitution stays, I am not optimistic that any election in this country will be free and fair. The 2011 election was said to be free and fair to some extent but the fact remains that to do away with rigging in this country is very difficult.

What do you make of the Boko Haram insurgency and the rising wave of insecurity in the country?

It’s a tragedy. I believe that Boko Haram is a subject of politics. Some northern political and religious leaders are definitely behind it. I have tried to explain in various newspaper articles the difference between militancy and insurgency. Boko Haram is a clear case of insurgency, it’s not just a militancy like the Niger Delta thing. In Niger Delta, it was a case of militancy for good reasons. They had good reasons for their uprising because of what was done to them by the regime of President Obasanjo. They were not taking arms against their country, which is insurgency. Boko Haram is a clear case of insurgency. They said they want the Nigerian constitution based on Islamic laws. They don’t want democracy, they want theocracy, that’s what they are fighting for.

How do you think government can win the war?

My attitude is fight them and try to subdue them. I supported the emergency declared in the three North-east states as a way of subduing them. Unfortunately, it hasn’t proved successful because of the support they have. It’s an international ring or network of terrorism. That is what is happening in Nigeria today. You think you are fighting only local Boko Haram? No! There is an international network organization behind them, and, of course, with the support of local politicians and religious leaders.

The government has solicited the support of the European Union, which agreed to support with a tune of $10 billion. How far do you think that will go?

I don’t know. I am not sure, I don’t think it’s a question of money.

What about intelligence?

Yes, intelligence is very important.

You need to improve your intelligence to be able to effectively counter the sources behind them. I don’t think the intelligence we have presently in the country is enough to counter the Boko Haram insurgency. So, if the money from the EU is to boost our intelligence in the fight, then, that is good. I think the United States has also promised something.

What’s the way forward for Nigeria?

The way forward is that the new, better and united Nigeria presupposes a new constitution anchored on the people. That’s is why I don’t think the National Conference, as presently constituted, will lead us there. I say it very clearly that the way forward is to make a new beginning under a new constitution anchored on the people.

That’s the way forward. We need to establish a new political order in place of the existing order. That is the way forward. There is no other way. Not this conference, you stay there for three months talking, talking about what?

About every subject under the sun?

Again, the complication is unity. Why did you exclude unity?. The conference is supposed to renegotiate the terms of our unity, that is what it is, so why did you exclude unity? Again, unity has so many ramifications. Let them talk, if you want to talk, and that is what they are doing.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014 , PAGE 45

2015 Second term govs may cause problem for the PDP — Hon. Akpan ‘The factors that will decide Jonathan’s re-election’ Court verdict on FRSC number plates: How to address the issue

H

on. Daniel Akpan represents Etinan Constituency of Akwa Ibom in the House of Representatives. He is the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Federal Road Safety Commission(FRSC). In this interview, he speaks on the 2015 general elections, the PDP, the ongoing National Conference and the Abuja High Court verdict on FRSC number plates, among other issues of national importance.

Where do you stand on the increasing attacks on President Goodluck Jonathan over 2015 presidential election ?

I don’t think people should argue much about President Jonathan contesting election in 2015. The reason for saying that is that the President has performed creditably. He has been fair to every part of Nigeria. He has done a lot in transforming critical sectors like education, health, roads, etc. As is the prac-

be supported and re-elected. To the best of my mind, Jonathan has demonstrated that he loves Nigerians passionately, he has shown that the interest and welfare of the people are paramount to him.

He deserves to be given an opportunity to seek re-election in 2015. He deserves to be re-elected. Nigeria needs somebody like Jonathan to pilot it’s affairs at this time. We need somebody who would genuinely empa-

Governance is not a tea party, it is fraught with challenges, with problems.

The issue is not whether a leader will, in the course of his administration, witness crises, but how well he can manage the crises tice world over, if a President has done well, people repay him with re-election . Jonathan is good enough for second term. I want to call the attention of those criticizing him to what was in place before he came into office. The country had problems on all fronts . He has fixed most of those problems, he has registered outstanding achievements. Any leader that is concerned about the welfare of his people more than that of himself deserves to

thize with the people.

When I say he has done well , I do that with facts. Look at our power supply today, we all know what it used to be. People, today, are enjoying improved power supply. If he is given another opportunity to rule the country for four more years, he will consolidate on these achievements .

How do you place your position side by side with those who argue that the country

has witnessed unprecedented crises during his tenure?

It is an unfair assessment of President Jonathan’s administration. He didn’t manufacture these crises , they were there when he came. The crises, I must tell you, are the fallouts of many years of injustice, many years of bad governance by his predecessors. We ought to be grateful to him that he has managed these problems adroitly .

He has shown that he is a unique leader.

Governance is not a tea party, it is fraught with challenges, with problems. The issue is not whether a leader will, in the course of his administration, witness crises , but how well he can manage the crises. With what all of us have seen so far, he has done well in managing these crises. There is no country in the world that is crisis free, there is none. Go to America, Germany, Britain, Russia, Japan, China, etc they have their own crises which their leaders are managing. The crises are not manufactured by their leaders. Life is all about recurring challenges, all about crises.

President Jonathan, like I said, met some crises when he took over power, he has been managing them- both the old and new ones. Anybody who will come after him will also be confronted with crises and he or she will also be expected to ad-

dress these crises. Any society that is crisis free would not need to elect leaders, such country would not need to have a government.

Are you disturbed by some positions being taken by some delegates, especially from the North, insist that Jonathan has a hidden agenda for setting up the National Conference?

I don’t think those who are saying that are correct. Nothing has shown that the conference is about the President’s second term ambition. The people of this country, for many years ,have been clamouring for this conference. The conference is a platform for Nigerians to discuss the affairs of Nigeria. The conference is to the advantage of Nigeria , it is in the interest of the country. You and I know that we have so many things threatening the peace of this nation. We have the problem of resource control, lopsided structure, insecurity, etc; we need to come together to discuss these problems. Right now, we are in the dark about how to address these key issues, we can only find a way to handle to them when we come together to listen and appreciate the views of every section and interest.

I don’t think the right approach is to focus attention on the President, I don’t think we will be doing the country any good by leaving the main issues and focusing on criticism of Jonathan.

I believe this is the time for us to sit down and tell ourselves the truth. If the conference handles the issues very well, the outcome will be accommodated in our Constitution. This will help strengthen our country and understand one another .

We do not benefit anything from criticizing the conference and our President . We need to set aside politics on issues that border on the unity of this country . We need to chart a new course for our country, we need to speak with one voice on how we can confront our problems. We have been shying away from discussing some of our problems, now the opportunity has been offered us to sit down and discuss these problems. The National Conference is not for the 2015 presidential election, it is for the unity and stability of our dear nation.

With the schism in the PDP, especially some governors defecting to APC , do you still see Jonathan winning the 2015 election?

That has nothing to do with him, it is the people of Nigeria that will elect him. He has performed creditably and Nigerians love him. They are the ones who will decide if he will get another term or not. Sometimes we blow happenings in the party out of proportion. There is no

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PAGE 46, SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014

Continues from page 45 party that does not have one issue or the other to deal with at one point or the other. APC that is newly found has its own crisis. What we call PDP crisis is nothing but internal disagreement. When members disagree, they also resolve their differences. This will not have any impact on Jonathan’s re-election.

Yes, we may not have wanted the governors that left to have done that but the truth is that their position has since been taken by others. Many notable people have been joining the party since that time . We should also be talking about the calibre of politicians that are defecting from other parties to the PDP . PDP is working hard to win every state , so far I don’t see anything that will derail that plans.

Why is the House of Representatives which you are a member of consistently at war with President Jonathan?

I laugh when I hear people talking like that. There is nothing strange about what is happening in the National Assembly. We have lawmakers who are members of different political parties, they sometimes project the interest of their parties. It is a normal thing all over the world, the legislature engages the executive to ensure good governance. What we perceive as fighting Mr President is actually not what it is. We have a duty to ensure that the executive does the right thing in the general interest of our nation. Any day we gloss over the law of the land and allow the executive to do whatever it likes, our nation will be in trouble.

How disturbed are you over the seeming disunity in the House as a result of the defection of members from one party to another?

The House remains united.

When it has to do with the issue that concerns the nation, the House takes a common position.

When it comes to the issue of politics, that is when you see members taking partisan positions. You can understand what I said better from our handling of the Appropriation bill. We have been united on that. We are objectively looking at the budget, we will address every issue properly and we will pass the budget at the right time.

Some state chapters of the PDP appear to be having problems over the allegation of governors trying to impose their lackeys. Do you see the situation affecting the party and Jonathan in 2015?

I think we need to look at it objectively. With the coming of the new PDP Chairman, hopes and confidence of members have been renewed. He has promised to address some of the challenges. Sincerely, I think it is one problem that the leadership of the party must address as soon as possible. In virtually all the states, governors on their

last term have one person or the other who they want to impose on the people. They are not keen at providing a level playing field for every member of the party who wants to vie for the office. That is not democracy.

It has got to a point where in some states, because the governors openly have people they are backing, you see everybody talking about governors candidates and things like that .

I don’t think it is in the PDP Constitution that Governors should impose their lackeys on the party. I want to believe that the Chairman of the party is concerned about what is happening and will swiftly address this problem in the states. Right now, there is so much tension in most states because of this undemocratic plot to impose candidates. I don’t know if such is happening in states where

grammes or policies. You dont just criticise because you want your voice to be heard, you have must a message to pass across.

For instance, if APC is criticising government on the handling of security challenge , it should be able to offer a better way of handling it. It will not be enough to say that it will fix the problem when it is elected . The populace would want to know how it intends to address the problem . That is how it is done in other countries. We should encourage a vibrant opposition Like I said, democracy thrives when it has a strong opposition.

For any opposition party to be strong and taken seriously, it has to come up with a well articulated blueprint that will convince the populace that it is serious.

AKPAN...Not all northerners are opposed to the President

‘Factors that will decide Jonathan’s re-election’ other parties are in charge. But in the case of our party , it is a big challenge. There is no love lost among members of the party in several states because of this imposition rumours and plots.

The matter is made worse by the fact that PDP governors in some states have relocated party offices to their compounds to enable them control delegates.

I advise that this is the time the National Chairman needs to work closely with the state chapters to enthrone genuine peace in the party. If this is not done, PDP may have problem in the next election, it may cost

Of course yes. The President is the leader of the party. If anything affects the state chapters, it affects the national; if it affects the national, it affects the President . For him to win convinc-

ingly in 2015, he needs to address the tension in the state chapters as a result of the activities of the governors. He has to work with the National Chairman to resolve the crises and disagreements in the state chapters. If he allows the governors to continue the way they are going, I’m afraid a lot of things will go wrong.

What is your take on the statement by some northern

The matter is made worse by the fact that PDP governors in some states have relocated party offices to their compounds to enable them control delegates it some states. People are likely to reject some of the people being imposed by the governors.

Our party is regarded as a great party because it does not circumscribe the ambition and aspiration of anybody. We must do everything to encourage a level playing field for every member. When that is done, the party will certainly win many states in the general elections and the presidency. Everything must be done to discourage imposition.

We must pay attention to the calibre and popularity of aspirants.

We must call our governors to order .

Beyond the Chairman of the party, do you advise the President to intervene in the situation?

elders that Jonathan will not be re-elected?

To the best of my knowledge, it is not everybody in the North that is opposed to Jonathan’s re-election. Everybody is acting the way he or she feels is okay to him or her.

Some people are kicking against Jonathan while some want him to continue . Anybody who wants to contest an election would always have some people who would be opposed to his aspiration.

What matters is the number of people that are in support.

When it comes to electing a President, it is the whole nation that takes that decision.

It is not left for a section of the country. PDP is a national party , decisions are taken based on what will benefit the coun-

try at the end of the day.

What will determine whether Jonathan will be re-elected or not is his scorecard. Fortunately , many Nigerians are happy with the improvement in power supply, health sector, education, road infrastructure, socio-economic well-being of the masses . He has tackled the major problems .

The ordinary Nigerian is not interested in where the President comes from, he only wants improvement in his standard of living. Beyond what some critics who have an agenda are saying, all of us know that the country has recorded massive improvement under Jonathan. Go to the airports today, you will know that there is a government. For several years, our airports and the aviation sector generally were ignored but this administration has massively touched up this sector . Like I said, the electorate re-elect their presidents in other countries based on performance. Jonathan has done very well; the masses need to ignore what some greedy and selfish individuals are saying and re-elect him. The interest of our country is paramount, we must chart a course for our nation.

Some people have accused APC of not drawing the line on party matters and national interest. Do you share such opinion?

In every country where democracy is practised, the opposition flays every step taken by the ruling party. If we must get it right, everybody must be involved , everybody must be active. The opposition helps to bring a fresh perspective to any issue, it helps to keep the government in power on its toes.

What I can advise APC is to ensure that it is constructive in its criticism of government pro-

How do you see the High Court ruling on FRSC’s number plates?

I think the High Court judgment is in order.The function of FRSC does not allow it to impose number plates on motorists. There is an agreement between FRSC and many states which I do not know whether Lagos State is part of to produce number plates. That does not mean that it is backed by the Constitution or the Act that established the agency. What they have now is what i call gentleman’s agreement. I don’t think there is any clause in the Act that established FRSC to impose number plates. They have to seek amendment of the Act to give them legal backing if they so wish to centralize number plates. For now, I think the ruling is in order.

FRSC has to approach the National Assembly to amend the present Act .

Is this not a contradiction of the judge’s earlier ruling?

It is important that we do not hastily criticise court’s rulings.

We have to know the legal argument that was put forward that formed the basis of the earlier judgment.

What is the implication of the ruling?

To be honest with you, what the agency is doing now is what obtains in most advanced countries, even in some African countries where licensing of number plates and the driver’s license are carried out by a central body. The advantage is that if your car is stolen in any part of the country, information captured by the central body can be disseminated to security agencies for quick recovery. I will recommend that FRSC should con-

tinue with the policy but should approach National Assembly for legal backing.

Would you advise FRSC to appeal the judgment.

There is no need appealing the judgment if its action lacks legal backing. As I said, the most credible step to be taken is to approach National Assembly for amendment of the Act. It can only appeal the judgment if it has found something in the Constitution or Act that can upturn the judgment.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 47

Explore the art of kissing

By Yetunde Arebi i, Kissing is one of the universal acts of showing love. Almost everyone receives or gives a kiss at some point in their life. Kissing

H

started early in man’s evolution.

Even Chimpanzees kiss after a fight.

Scientists are not quite sure why we kiss, only that kissing may be an instinctual action. It could also be the result of learned behaviour.

One theory is that kissing helps us sniff out desired qualities in a mate.

When we smell the person we kiss, our pheromones communicate and exchange information.

Although you may not think about the biology behind a kiss, kissing has a lot to do with igniting the hormonal chemicals in the body. This produces a lot of electricity between you and the person you are about to kiss.

The lips are one of the most sensitive parts of your body.

Each lip has many touch receptors and these create electrical signals that travel to your brain, releasing chemicals and causing that “feelgood” feeling to occur. Because these receptors are crowded together in a very small place as the lips, even the lightest touch registers.

In actuality, kissing has its own language. Kissing someone provokes a series of different reactions and allows us to express many emotions.

A kiss can be a mysterious thing and signals that are transmitted through your kiss can sometimes be confusing, especially on first meeting and early relationship in general.

Kisses reveal much about the intentions of your partner as well as indicate his/her physical reaction and acceptance to your proposal. With just a simple kiss, you may discover what your partner wants to communicate with you, turning that simple act into a means of fulfilling your desires.

Kisses are subject to a wide variety of circumstances, but certain types of kisses imply different things. Not all of kisses are acts of love and passion but it is interesting to note the spectrum of emotional sensation that results from this one mode of expression.

There are many types of kisses and I have listed a couple of them here to help in your discovery journey.

French kiss:: The French kiss is generally considered to be the most universally popular romantic kiss. It is the king of kisses. A kiss is French when it in-

volves an opened mouth where one partner’s tongue touches or caresses the other partner’s. This is why it is also known as tongue kissing. Surprisingly, the French call this the English kiss. It is also called the Soul kiss because the life and soul are presumed to pass through the mouth’s breath in the exchange across tongues.

A good French kiss is often considered as intimate as sex itself. In fact, were it is done correctly, you may just hit the gold pot even if it was not on the agenda before. Though very popular, tongue kissing is very tricky and complicated such that if care is not taken might be a turn off for a partner.

However, the best part of this kiss is that it lends itself well to all sorts of variations ranging from a lighter

against each other with some tongue interplay. It is slow, sweet, hot and passionate and really gets the hormones racing. It is a subtle way of saying, “I would like to sleep with you”. Then, there is the Tongue Tango where the tips of the tongue push off at each other and twist around like in a Ballet dance. This kiss is for those who think outside of the box in and out of bed. You may occasionally gently suck on the tongue too. Remember that this is a very wet kiss, so try to control your saliva by stopping every once in a while to take in breath and swallow your own saliva to avoid drooling on your partner.

For those who can stand a little pain with their pleasure, a little bite on the tongue or lips might not be

version with just a hint of the tongue to a more aggressive kind where your tongues seemed to be stuck together.

You can start out with a firm kiss on the other person’s lips and then use your tongue to gently nudge open their mouth.

Follow with a tender exploration of the inside of their mouth and when things get going, lock your tongue with your partner’s and get ready to put forth all your passion. Because of the importance of the French kiss to both of you, you need to go slow and gentle in order to carry your partner along.

There are various elements you can introduce into a French kiss to spice it up.

The standard French kiss is where the couple moves their open lips

out of place. As you pull back for air or saliva control, grab your partner’s tongue or lower lip with your teeth for just a second. Note how they respond before you try it again as it is quite painful. When done properly, this kiss can ignite wonderful sensations.

Partners who are really in tune with each other may take the French kiss a notch higher by whispering or talking. Some call this the talking, whispering or secret message kiss.

While kissing with open mouth, whisper something nice and sexy into your partner’s mouth or better still use your tongue to outline the words into his/her mouth. It can be quite funny and sexy.

As I earlier mentioned, the French kiss can be quite tricky and turn out

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a disaster if care is not taken. Never ram your whole tongue in your partner’s mouth, half way is the decent thing to do. You don’t want to choke anyone, you want to love them.

Don’t use your tongue to carry out an investigation or inspection of your partner’s mouth, you are not the Police. Your tongue is also not a mop to clean out the debris from their meal, nor is it your place to count how many teeth are left of their dentition. Leave that to the Dentist, please.

Last week, I warned against playing out the Lizard king style and not a few people wanted to know what this meant. The Lizard king, also known as the Snake king is that guy who loves to stab his tongue in a slithering motion into his partner’s mouth. Women can be guilty too though. Everyone knows how creepy and sly these animals are.

The kiss involves flicking your tongue in and out of someone’s mouth in tight, quick strokes. In romantic lingo, the message you are passing is that “I’m a creep” or “don’t take me too seriously”, or “I want to do is poke you”. It is a silly kiss you may just want to try to test the waters, since some partners may fancy it.

But it is generally not appropriate and should be avoided because it feels creepy for most people.

Remember that the French kiss is the most intimate of all kisses, involving the mouth and sometimes body, so a clean, fresh breath and body odour is a must.

Now, let us look at some less intense kisses.

A kiss can be placed on any part of the body and these kisses oftentimes have their own meaning and can help us put a relationship into proper perception. For the purpose of this article, we will stick to the intimate kisses only: Butterfly kiss: For this kiss, you need to get up real close to your partner. Hold your face only a breath away from that of your partner so that the tips of your eyelashes are touching theirs. Then blink rapidly so your eyelashes flutter together much like butterfly wings. For some variety you can also use your fluttering eyelashes to caress the other person’s forehead or down the cheek.

Though it does not involve the mouth, it is a great kiss to convey tender love for your partner, and fun too.

Vampire Kiss: Sometimes, a passionate kiss may go a step further and you suddenly want to use your teeth to bite and nibble at your partners lips and other areas.

When such a kiss is applied to the neck, it is called a vampire kiss. Since some people might find it painful rather than sexy, you need to go slow and gentle, or simply ask if you can use your teeth.

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Better safe than sorry, the saying goes. Start with a French kiss and ensure you are really into the groove before going for this kiss.

Hickey: Technically, a hickey is not a kiss. it is a bruise or mark on the skin as a result of a hard suck or pull on the skin. Some people may find a hickey uncomfortable or even painful while the pressure exerted by one may seem delicious to some lovers in the heat of passion, especially on the side of the neck.

Some people think of it as a love bite, or to leave their personal mark or stamp on a lover, a way of saying “I’ve been there”.

No matter the reason it is given, it will sure take a while for the receiver to get it cleared up.

Because it is often done in the heat of passion, many hardly know they have been given a hickey until they wake up in the morning to the embarrassing marks, especially when they are in conspicuous places like the lips, neck and chest or breasts. Before you feel like making a love impression on your partner, make sure they are OK with it.

The mid-sex kiss. The mid-sex kiss is just what it sounds like—you’re making love and kissing at the same time.

This means you need to be intimate for this to work. It is very hot because you are combining two of the world’s most romantic acts together. The additional advantage is that you are not only working upstairs and downstairs simultaneously, the mid-sex kiss can be used to prolong lovemaking for the lagging female partner to catch, or used to delay quick ejaculation for the male partner.

Spider-man kiss The Spiderman kiss, otherwise known as the upside-down kiss became the rage after the first of the Spiderman series of movies, showed a thoroughly soaked Kirsten Dunst planting an upside-down kiss on the deliciously boyish Toby McGuire.

You too can create this kiss when you are lying or even reclining together.

With your partner lying face up on the ground, bring your face exactly over theirs but from the opposite direction so that your bottom lip kisses their upper lip and the other way round. Remember, you are not Superman, so don’t try to play the hero by trying out something stupid.

Let’s meet here again next Sunday for the concluding part of these tips. remember that you may reach me for answers and counselling on your nagging questions on relationships via the email address: inthelovezone@yahoo.com Cheers!!

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PAGE 48, SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014 sameyoboka@yahoo.com

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Methodist Church, Ezekwesili lament NIS tragedy

By SAM EYOBOKA & OLAYINKA LATONA

T

HE recent death of 19 innocent Nigerians at the Nigerian Immigration Service recruitment exercise has continued to attract condemnation with the Methodist Church Nigeria Synod frowning at the unfortunate and avoidable incidence.

A communiqué after the 26th

annual synod of The Trinity Church Council at Methodist Church Nigeria, Ketu, Lagos with Rt. Rev. Oladapo Omotayo Babalola, presiding, the church is of the opinion that the incidence was a reflection of the problem of unemployment in our country which on its own is a ticking time bomb.

The communiqué therefore called for a proper audit of what actually happened and urge

DOS CONVENTION 2014: L-R: CAN President and General Overseer of Word of Life Bible Church, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, Archbishop Margaret Benson-Idahosa and chief host, Pastor (Mrs.) Helen Oritsejafor at the just concluded Daughters of Sarah International convention at Word of Life Bible Church, Warri.

the Government to create jobs for our youths.

In a similar vein, erstwhile Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili described the incidence as “one of the most outdated *Very Rev. Stephen Tunde Adegbite, Very Rev. M.B.O. Arogundade, Rt. Rev. human recruit- Oladapo Omotayo Babalola, Bishop of Trinity Church Council, Sir Ademola ment process ever. Ogunbiyi, Lay president of Trinity Church Council, Rt. Rev. Samuel Ransford Even in the Stone Nortey, Bishop of Nyanya and Dr. Timi Austen-Peters, legal adviser of Trinity Age you cannot Church Council during the council’s synod thanksgiving recently. wish to employ 3,000 people and conduct an of perverting our incentive agencies and institutions to fish examination process for more system even further,” she out the perpetrators of these than 500,000 of them. The noted, adding that there is heinous crimes and compenprocess of pre-qualification that need to be requisite punish- sate all those that have been you will screen out several ment for bad behaviour for the affected in one-way-or-thethousands of people so that the government agency or ministry other. most you will have at the end that was responsible for this will be minimal, who will absolute contempt of citizens. National compete for the space needed.” I think the President must do Conference what brings back honour and dignity to jobless people in this Government must The communiqué commendcountry,” Ezekwesili said. ed President Goodluck respond The communiqué signed by Jonathan, for setting up a Rt. Rev. Oladapo Omotayo National Conference where the According to former minister Babalola, Sir Ademola Ogun- future of the country is currently at the Deeper Christian Life biyi and Very Rev. M.B.O. being discussed, expressing Church’s recent YES proArogundade also commiserat- satisfaction at the quality of gramme, it appears that the ed with the families of those delegates and implored them NIS recruitment process was who lost their lives, property to see the Confab as an not a recruitment process but and means of livelihood in the opportunity to deliberate and “a scam and it was mostly course of the series of terror find lasting solutions to the targeted at the administration attacks in parts of the North humongous problem of home fee of N1,000. I think the way East, and other places like grown terrorism, religious government must respond to Kano, Kaduna, Katsina just to intolerance, endemic corruptthe episode should be in a way mention a few and especially ion, failed schools, failed that will bring back the dignity families of students of the hospitals, failed roads, failed of the families that lost people Federal Government College, security, failed power supply, and not by giving them some Yobe, who were gruesomely cut Niger Delta militancy, oil token or job. down in their prime in a bunkering, kidnapping, the “Nigerians did not have to senseless and incomprehen- vanishing opportunities for our expose themselves to danger sible act of evil by terrorists. youths, the widening gulf or die for them to be employed Appreciating what the between the rich and the poor in our society.

Federal Government had done and worst of all, the receding The government cannot use so far, the church called on faith in Nigeria by Nigerians.” this kind of tokenism as a way Government to use all relevant

Over 10,000 expected at Foursquare’s leadership training

By SAM EYOBOKA

F

OURSQUARE Gospel Church in Nigeria has perfected plans to host an international conference aimed at training ministers and leaders for all segments of the church workforce ranging from the general overseers, district overseers, zonal superintendents, pastors, evangelists, teachers, church leaders, council members and workers.

The programme scheduled for April 14-19 at the Foursquare Camp, Ajebo in Ogun State is designed to equip different

category of leaders who are expected from different parts of the country, Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

Theme of this year’s event is; ‘Making maximum impact,’ in line with the General Overseer, Rev. Felix Meduoye’s vision for a redirection and refocusing of ICML mainly on ministers and leaders’ training.

Addressing newsmen in his church office at Yaba, Lagos the National Secretary, Rev. Ikechukwu Ugbaja stressed the need for good leadership in any human government, saying that leaders are a product of the

society.

“Some believe that leaders are born while others claim that leaders are made, but I believe that it is the society that actually throws up the leaders they deserve. When you have an orderly society and positive in thinking, most likely they will also leaders that are focused and leaders who are positive in thinking,” he said.

According to the Foursquare scribe, any society that is riddled by corruption, most likely it will throw up leaders that are corrupt “and that is why we as a church, we are praying

that God will help us to impact positively our society so that by the grace of God, we can throw up the kind of leadership that effect a positive change in the country.”

He argued that Nigeria is a country under construction, adding “we will get to a stage that we will overcome all the leadership challenges we are currently facing now. Nigeria is evolving and by the time we mature, the society will be able to throw up the leaders we deserve.”

Ugbaja noted that the current national conference is a verit-

able opportunity for Nigerians to dialogue and fashion a way forward for the growth and development of the nation, adding that past conferences may not have offered the ideal opportunity for the people to ventilate their grievances.

“I believe that the nation will emerge stronger. We are in the process that will take us to the promise land. Nigeria will work. The Church is praying and I know that God answers prayers,” he said, adding that after the experiment of the past 100 years there is the urgent need for us to talk.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 49

I

N 2003, FemiKevin’s headmas ter sent me an email forecasting that he would fail his GCSE exams because he had done so badly in his mock exams. I wrote an angry response and asked him: “Are you God? How are you so sure he would fail?

Is it because he is black?”

After he took the exams, God did something strange. Before his results came out officially, he showed them to me in a dream; subject-by-subject and grade-by-grade. The results were excellent: Femi-Kevin got so many “A” grades.

The next day at the dinner-table, I announced to everyone that I had seen Femi-Kevin's GCSE results. They thought the results had come out.

But I told them they had not; nevertheless, had God revealed them to me.

Then I gave them the details. Six weeks later, Femi-Kevin's results were officially released. Guess what? They were exactly as it had been shown to me.

Revelation knowledge God reveals things of his choosing to us in dreams. This is part of the privilege of walking with him. Job says God uses dreams to “open the ears of men.” (Job 33:16). He also uses them to give us invaluable understanding of his works. What we learn from dreams enable us to pray constructively in order to prevent imminent evil. Alternatively, it enables us to pray in order to ensure that God’s will is done in our lives.

Dreams can give us

UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY OF DREAMS valuable insight of what is happening in the realms of the spirit. Indeed, we can pray to God for such revelations because the spiritual state is the true state of everything. You may want to know spiritually the man who is proposing marriage to you. You may want to know the spiritual character of the house you just moved into. You may want to know the reason why there is a big mountain in your path. God often answers such prayers through dreams.

Remember this: God is the one who tells us what we need to know but cannot know naturally. Thus, Jesus said to Peter: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17).

Frightening dreams Some will tell you if the dream is frightening, it is not from God. This is not necessarily true. God occasionally terrifies us with warnings in dreams. (Job 33:16). He uses them to wake us up when we are complacent, too relaxed and are not paying enough attention to him.

He uses them to make us face disturbing truths about ourselves. Accordingly, Job laments:

The fact that you saw someone in a dream does not mean the dream is about him “When I say, 'my bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,' then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than my body.” (Job 7:13-15).

God also scared Nebuchadnezzar in dreams.

He said: “I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.” (Daniel 4:5). This did not happen because Nebuchadnezzar was demon-possessed. It happened because God wanted to impress an urgent message on him. Similarly, God troubled Pilate’s wife in a dream in order to warn Pilate not to participate in the persecution of Jesus.

She said to her husband: “Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”

(Matthew 27:19).

However, most scary dreams are not from God. Hidden areas of our subconscious mind; things we see, watch or hear; areas of anxiety; these can all produce frightening dreams. Some dreams

provide avenues for tormenting demonic spirits to harass us and rob us of our inner peace and joy.

The antidote for this is prayerfulness and spiritual fervency. God says: “Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city.

The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.” (Isaiah 52:1).

Busybody dreams Soulful dreams are produced by the natural processes of our mind, will and emotions. When we think, not all our thoughts originate from the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when we sleep, the natural mind continues to process our natural thoughts. As a matter of fact, when we are preoccupied with something or someone, it shows up in our dreams: “For a dream comes through much activity.” (Ecclesiastes 5:3).

King James calls this a “multitude of business.”

Accordingly, God warns: “(Don’t) listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.” (Jeremiah 29:8).

Church donates N3m to orphanages

By Esther Onyegbula

D

ETERMINED to impact lives in the society, Fountain of Praise Min-

istry recently organised a Worship for Change concert where it donated the sum of N3.1 million to two orphanages, Gods-will Orphanage, Kogi State and Centre for Destitute

Empowerment International, Idimu, Lagos.

The donation, according to the convener of the concert, Wale Adenuga, is in furtherance of her corporate social responsibil-

ity to direct and positively affect the lives of over 120 orphans and children with special needs.

"Everywhere around us there is so much squalor and poverty. It is impor-

Since our spirits never sleeps, if you sleep in front of a television, you are likely to dream what is showing in it. Dreams are often the product of our subconscious mind revealing to us our deepest, innermost thoughts.

(David) says: “my heart also instructs me in the night seasons.” (Psalm 16:7). If you spend the day watching horror films, you might have a horrific dream at night.

During times of intense spiritual warfare, you may also dream about situations involving dark forces of the enemy.

The human mind is a dream factory. Therefore, be careful not to put too much reliance on dreams for the primary way that God talks to us in these last days is by his word: “For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity.”

(Ecclesiastes 5:7). By the same token, don’t allow yourself to be derailed by the dreams of others: “Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you.

For they prophesy falsely to you in my name; I have not sent them, says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 29:89).

Since what we dwell on during the day often appear in our dreams, it is important to spend our waking hours meditating on the right things. God tant for people to realize that they can help. I think that if people realize that their life is not just for themselves then the idea to make a difference will spring up in their mind,” he explained.

Center for Destitute Empowerment Interna-

Fayemi preaches change at DOD women confab

By Prisca Sam-Duru

A

T the just con cluded 2-day women conference organised by the Daughters of Destiny Interdenominational Fellowship, at the Orchid Hotels, Lagos, erstwhile Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, decried the rate of moral decadence, as well as increasing violence, urging women to begin their

job of transforming generations for the much needed change.

Speaking on the theme, "Woman as change agent", Ezekwesili, wife of Ekiti State governor, Erelu Adeleye-Fayemi, founder/president of DOD, Apostle Busola Jegede and other international speakers including Kenya's Dr. Lucy Nganga and Prophetess Authurine Wilkinson, USA, enjoined women to

be positive change agents.

Ezekwesili noted that the failure of women to be good role models as ordained by God, is responsible for the high rate of moral decadence.

Emphasising the need to educate the girl child, she said; "education is very important for the girl child because it gives her confidence, knowledge and diligence to transform the

world."

Dr. Nganga enumerated the three dimensions of sonship as “Born by the Spirit; Filled with the Spirit; and led by the Spirit”, emphasising that every woman must fulfill these dimensions before she can begin to affect her world positively.

Reading from Proverbs 31:30-31, Ekiti state governor's wife, Erelu Adeleye-Fayemi advised women to be models for

the change they want to see, stressing that "we cannot raise generations of people with good manners if we lack manners.

Referring to social media and its influence on the youths, she advised women to be friends with their daughters so that they will stop seeking negative advice from social media.

counsels that we should procedurally meditate on the scriptures: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

(Joshua 1:8).

As we digest relevant scriptures during the day, our minds will continue during the night to assimilate the truths we have imbibed. The psalmist says: “I remember your name in the night, O LORD, and I keep your law. (Psalm 119:55). As a matter of fact, we can even meditate on the scriptures by listening to them and dreaming about them while we are sleeping.

Significance of dreams A lot of what we dream about others is first and foremost for us. Jesus counsels: “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” (Matthew 7:5). A dream that your fiancé is unfaithful does not necessarily mean he is. It might simply be dealing with your fears and insecurities. The fact that you saw someone in a dream does not mean the dream is about him. It is customary for dream-characters to “borrow” the faces of others. Therefore, don’t be quick to impose your dreams about others on them.

(To Be Continued). tional, Idimu Lagos, founded in 2009 by Pastor Samson caters for 82 orphans and kids with special need, received N1.55 million while Godswill Orphanage, Kogi State, founded in 1999 by Pastor (Mrs.) Elizabeth Okparachi also received N1.55 million.

Since 2006, the Worship for Change yearly concert has helped to create awareness and raised over N20 million to provide support for thousands of children and supported charities.

Worship for change was born out of the desire to use the platform that I had to touch and impart people's lives. Our concerts are free and we feature renowned gospel artistes who minister in songs during the concerts,” Adenuga added.

PAGE 50—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014

Synchronizing Niger Delta Development

BY JESUTEGA ONOKPASA

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

A strategy to develop Nigeria’s oil region

W

HILE the Niger Delta re mains an open wound on the conscience of Nigeria, the apathy with which the region’s plight has been addressed or indeed pathologically ignored is a national embarrassment. Regardless of the pretensions and grandstanding of the authorities statutorily obligated to effect a renaissance in the region, the underdevelopment of the Niger Delta is a national scandal of critically existential proportions. These realities constituted the bulk of the thoughts that went through my mind at a recent visit the Niger Delta Patriotic Initiative, NPDI, paid to Sir Tom Amioku, the Commissioner representing Delta State on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, at its Warri office.

The NPDI, while canvassing the convocation of a funding summit

for the NDDC, lamented the lip service the authorities have paid to Niger Deltan development, vowing that the status quo would no longer be tolerated. Nevertheless, the group reiterated its commitment to non-violent struggle, its belief in cooperation rather than confrontation, and, its preference for activism rather than militancy. Amioku, on his part, seemed more preoccupied with priming himself for present and future challenges, rather than dwelling on the commission’s past or lamenting its limitations. Indeed, his enthusiasm was at once infectious and perplexing. I wondered if he wasn’t aware of the gargantuan liabilities of the NDDC or the fact that the commission’s funding profile could not possibly position it to deliver on the development of the region.

While acknowledging NDDC’s challenges, Amioku predicated his optimism on the wisdom of not dwelling on past grievances and instead squaring up to the challenges of the present in order to be prepared for the future. He insisted that rather than play the blame game, he was interested in judiciously utilising whatever resourc-

,

VIEWPOINT

While acknowledging the unjust conditions that led to militancy, in the past, Amioku insisted that the postamnesty peace, currently prevailing in the region, must be sustained

,

es are available for the development derivable therefrom. He proceeded to cite project after project undertaken by the commission, demonstrating how they represent real development and how they hold the potential of establishing a paradigm shift from the underdevelopment which occasioned the Niger Deltan crisis.

While acknowledging the unjust and inequitable conditions that led to militancy, youth restiveness, inter-ethnic crisis and other factors which disrupted peace and frustrated development in the past,

Amioku insisted that the post-amnesty peace, currently prevailing in the region, must be sustained in order for accelerated development to take place, calling on the public to give the new Board the benefit of the doubt and for it to be assisted to deliver on the commission’s mandate.

Of course I had heard a great many such positive statements from government officials before and I wasn’t about to be taken in by one more yet to be fulfilled promise from official quarters.

While nevertheless giving Amioku the benefit of the doubt, what I found truly impressive was his vision of a Niger Deltan region of synchronised development with the federal, state, local and agency participants coordinating their developmental undertakings for the development of the region. Synchronising developmental efforts amongst arms, tiers and agencies of government is of course a sine qua non for real effective and efficient development. If the NDDC is constructing a road to Gbarigolo in Delta State, for instance, and the state government is, building a cottage industry there, it is better that both institutions have an understanding such that the road eventually links up the cottage industry.

Okotie and other viable options

BY IJEME OMOLEGHO

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

The alternatives availability to Nigeria ahead of 2015 presidential poll

L

ET’S think hypothetically for just a minute. What should we expect if Rev. Chris Okotie of the FRESH Party becomes President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces? The same old display of inept and un-creative governance, or a departure from the status quo to world class ideologies that shape the times, and brings international discussants to ‘study’ the new and emerging Nigerian governance model? Other options that have been mentioned who fit into this hypothesis include Governors Adams Oshiomole and Raji Fashola, Mallam El-Rufai and Nuhu Ribadu, etc.

This thought takes me back to the elections of 1979, when we had the luminous political quartet of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (NPP), Chief Obafemi Awolowo (UPN), Alhaji

VIEWPOINT

BY LUCKY ATU

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

Insecurity is challenging the might of government

T

HE challenges to national security have become a threat to global peace because of the interconnectivity of the activities of insurgent groups. Africa, we had imagined had moved away from dictatorship to democracy, but had been bedeviled by series of internal crises caused by security challenges. New dawn Africa is now the theatre of wars.

Nigeria, Central African Republic, Mali, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, Congo, Congo DR, Guinea Bissau, Egypt, Libya, have been victims of terrorist attacks, and had rapidly been drawn into terrorism. As Prof. A.

Waziri Ibrahim (GNPP) and Mallam Aminu Kano (PRP), all of blessed memory, as actors vying for the office of the President? What would have become of Project Nigeria if we had got it right at that crucial point? With hindsight, that ‘Judelex (Judicial, Legislative and Executive) coup’, as Awolowo described it after the elections, was the genesis of today’s failing Nigeria.

Unfortunately, we missed that boat, which resulted in the subsequent line of Buhari-IBB-AbachaShonekan-Abdulsallam led governments, which cocooned us in almost two decades of pariah nationhood. At that crucial juncture in our socio-political and economic evolution, we made a wrong turn, which spiraled our nation down to the abyss that entrenched corrupt politicking as an inherent nature of our politics.

1999 also presented the opportunity for a shift, as we all hoped for a new beginning as a nation, but, again, sentiment ruled over reason, and, almost two decades on, with hindsight; we obviously took a wrong turn as the images of our democracy leave little to be desired or celebrated. That was

probably why Comrade Uche Chukwumerijie said in a recent interview that, “we have not begun our journey to nationhood”.

By 2015, it will again be almost two decades after the elections of 1999 like the elections of 1979 before it, and, looking at the stage of obvious possible aspirants, we can safely say that we again need a shift in our political paradigm, which is vital in determining the course of our lives, both individually and as a nation.

In dealing with the failing bureaucratic structures of any system, as in our politics, a shift from the norm presents the best possible option to reverse the adverse effects of wrong decisions, and create a new beginning for maximizing the potentials of the human capital and national assets, for the general good of the people. This is what a paradigm shift accomplishes.

We need to reappraise our assessment of aspirants, and our stance on national issues that affect us adversely. This is why I believe in Okotie’s call for a paradigm shift.

It has become a national imperative that we change our thinking.

Anyone with an objective outlook,

The Challenges of National Security E. Ekoko stated, “In Africa, terrorism, is a threat to sovereignty, reputation and credibility as well as the safety of the citizens.”

Terrorist organizations is posing national security challenges with no clearly defined features.

Its threat to national security has devastating consequences with impact on virtually all regions of the world. The goal of any government is the ability to promote security and well being of its people. But in Africa, the trend of leadership has not changed because there has always been a lack of regard for the people; leaders putting their own interest in power.

This is why countries have institutions where their leaders are educated and such institutions are a sine qua non. In the absence of that in the country, we may have to “create” leaders who embody virtues we can respect,

who have morals and ethical values we can applaud.

Abdulsalami Abubakar erstwhile head of state had in an address at NIPSS in 2004 warned on the security in Nigeria. He stated that the threat to Nigeria was insecurity.

In another occasion, Abubakar warned that the country was heading to destruction, a state under internal security threat. The threat affects the national stability and well being of Nigerians.

The Boko Haram insurgents, for instance, had caused sorrow to many Nigerian who had lost beloved ones. The challenges of national security is so profound that headlines of national newspapers speak volumes on the exploits of Boko Haram.

The insecurity situation is compounded by alleged military involvement. The president once remarked that Boko Haram mem-

,

VIEWPOINT

We need to reappraise our assessment of aspirants, and our stance on national issues that affect us adversely. This is why I believe in Okotie’s call for a paradigm shift

,

who has heard Okotie speak on national issues, or has read his commentaries on Facebook and newspapers, can tell without doubt that he has a sound understanding of the problems that confront us and how they can be solved. He announced this grasp of political profundity before the 2003 elections when he appeared on the presidential debates, where he literarily made mince meat of political stalwarts who debated with him.

By 2011, his invitation to the debates was withdrawn, for obvious bers had infiltrated his cabinet.

The non-detection of the Christmas bomber, Abdul Mutallab, by policemen and the inability of the commissioner of police C.P Zakari Biu to give explanation was worrisome.

Tuesday, February 24, 2014 was another day when Muslim insurgents claimed the lives of over 50 students and went away with some female to an unknown destination. This is a dirty slap on the security services of the country. The Yobe massacre, which the Senate President David Mark described as a declaration of war on Nigerians showed how challenging the national security situation had become.

Insecurity has taken different forms that it can be seen that the challenges occur in some ethnoreligious sects. These ethnic nationalities pose threat to the national government and the wider society. For instance, Na-

When everyone does his own thing without reference to what the other is up to, the aggregate of the developmental effort takes an unwieldy self-conflicted turn. Projects are duplicated, resources are wasted and synergy is lost. A readily assessable example of such wastage would be multiple street lights along a particular road, each series consecutively undertaking by a different organ of government.

Amioku displayed infectious enthusiasm while x-raying riverine development in Delta. He was visibly excited about opening up hitherto cut-off areas and bringing them into interactional proximity with their fellow countrymen. It is my belief that apart from the familiar culprits of corruption, ineptitude and in-fighting, upon which the failure of government to develop the Niger Delta have been perennially blamed, much of this poor scorecard derives from poor funding by the NDDC’s statutory funders. Indeed, only when the NDDC is sufficiently funded as statutorily provided for will it be positioned to optimally synchronise its undertakings with those of other participants in Niger Deltan development. * ONOKPASA is a lawyer based in Warri

reasons, which, subsequently, led to other aspirants boycotting the debates as President Jonathan had to be interviewed alone. We would like to hear Okotie on the political rostrum, speaking in a public debate or media chat on matters arising on the local and international scene.

Okotie has declared his intention to contest in the 2015 presidential elections, offering us another “paradigm shift” option. If we miss the 2015 boat, then the 1979- 1999 abnormally will be repeated. As mentioned earlier, there are many other viable Nigerians like Rev. Okotie, Mallams El-Rufai, Ribadu, Fashola, Oshiomole and several captains of industry who are out there, who can take this country to unimaginable heights on the international scene. These are the kind of men we need to power Project Nigeria. The time has come for them to emerge and take the bull by the horns.

Let us come out en-masse, to vote and sound our new paradigm to the ruling class by insisting that our votes count. Let’s shift gear in 2015, and finally begin our match to nationhood.

*Omolegho, a public affairs commentator, lives in Lagos.

sarawa, Taraba and Yobe crisis cannot be forgotten in a hurry.

Last week, Fulani herdsmen attacked a village in Central Nigeria killing residents and setting houses ablaze. What agitation are seeking from government,.

National security is challenging the might of government. As Niccolo Machiavelli puts it “one must be a fox in order to recognize traps and a lion to frighten off wolves.” This is the time for Jonathan to take decisive actions, as security is the epicenter of activities of any nation.

For Nigeria to attain its economic Vision 20:2020 the challenges of national security must be addressed. It is for the Federal Government to make security services attuned to modern intelligence gathering as, without this, foreign investment drive will remain a mirage. *Atu is based in Warri North LGA, Delta State.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 51

BY BENJAMIN NJOKU njokujamin@yahoo.com

MOVIE MAKER AJAEGBU’S LOVE REMINISCENCES

I initially felt `I thought inferior to y my wife iwife — Nobert was too Ajaegbu,movie maker big for me’

“

Its easy to fall in love, but it is special to stay in love”.’

This is what Nobert Ajeagbu, Chairman, Lagos State chapter of Film and Video Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria, FVPMAN,and his wife, Rosemary, seem to be saying, as they relive memories of their journey into marriage. The couple got married about eleven years ago and they are blessed with four kids. The husband spoke first.

How I met my wife I met my wife at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, while we were studying accountancy.

That was way back in the late 90s.

Then we weren’t dating but we got to know more about each other in church. As a result, we became familiar with each other, and during our Youth Service, in Lagos, we started dating.

My friend

It was a case of getting married to my best friend. When we met, there were some coincidences. We didn’t know we shared the same birthday. It was when she paid me a visit that I told her I was celebrating my birthday and she said she was born on the same day. We also share other attributes; while she’s on the quiet side, I’m not the stubborn type either. We have been married for eleven years now, and we never had any cause to quarrel for one day.

Strength It lies on our ability to tell ourselves the truth. Like the saying goes, to your friend, you don’t need to give an explanation because he or she will definitely understand you without offering any explanation. But to someone who is not your friend, even when you offer explanation, the person wouldn’t understand. My wife tends to understand everything about me, just as I understand everything about her. We are open to each other.

Attraction She is a woman of many parts; I saw in her a partner whom I would spent the rest of my life with. Essentially, I

At that time, my cousin, who is now late, was ripe for marriage, but I was not. Then, I was feeling inferior to her because I had nothing. But later, I summoned courage to approach her, and that was when we started dating love her unique voice, especially when she’s singing. She’s planning to launch her maiden gospel songs in a few weeks from now. Also, her quietness, sense of honesty and carriage were some of the qualities that at-

How we share our problems — Wife Why I fell in love I fell in love with my husband because of his charming looks, gentle nature and his kind heart.

What I cannot do The fact that he is my husband, I will do everything for him. But the only thing I cannot do for him is something that is considered to be ‘sin’ and ‘evil’ before God and man. I trust my husband in such a way that I can lay down my life for him.

•The Ajaegbus and kids

What kept marriage going

tracted me to her.

Memorable moments It was the first day, she realised she was pregnant with our first son, Kabiri.

That day, nothing else mattered to us.

It was one of the happiest days we ever had since we got married. We stayed back home, shunned every engagement for that day to celebrate the pregnancy. Aside this, every other day in our lives have been blessed. I got to realise that I’m someone who is not attached to anybody, not even to my parents. But this time around, I can’t even stay away from my family for one week without being anxious to reunite with them. Just as she can’t exist without me. Every minute of our lives together is very precious.

Accepting proposal It wasn’t really easy because I had nothing then. When I got to know her, I was thinking that my elder cousin would get married to her. She was always coming to visit me in our house then, though we were not dating. At that time, my cousin, who is now late, was ripe for marriage, but I was not.

Then, I was feeling inferior to her because I had nothing. But later, I summoned courage to approach her, and that was when we started dating.

On the day I proposed to her, I bought an engagement ring for her with the last Kobo in my pocket. It was about N1,200, which was all my savings.

Ironically, on that D-day, she would have turned down my proposal because she thought I was not ready for marriage yet. She told me she was prepared to wait for me even if it would take me another 30 years before to make it in life. I replied her, ‘If you said you would be prepared to wait for me, then accept my engagement ring’.

Shortly after that. I had my breakthrough; within one year, I was swimming in wealth. All these things happened in 2001; in 2002, we got married.

Memorable courtship The experience I had during our courtship was encouraging. It was the time we were trying to understand each other. Then, I was coming up with complaints here and there, but she is the type that rarely complains. I like keeping friends and, most times, she would get jealous. But the moment we got married, those things stopped. It was not easy, but at that point, I realised I could not afford to lose her to any other man.

What I cannot do There is nothing I cannot do for my wife. We are one. It’s just like asking me what I cannot do for myself. I can live my life for her, and I can as well die for her. Except God, I don’t think The love that we have for I have any other each other; the maturity and idol. the openness are some of the ingredients that have kept our What I don’t like marriage going. We share our It is not as if one is perfect. But one problems and happiness thing I don’t like together. I haven’t hurt my about her is the husband even for once since fact that she loves we got married. And I am not staying on her prepared to hurt him until own. She is not a death do us apart. good mixer, I love companionship a What I don’t like lot, gisting and I love this man very much sharing experithat I can’t find anything ences with people. wrong in whatever he’s doing. But she’s an I like everything about him. introvert.

PAGE 52—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014

SUNDAY TRIBUTE

Agboola Odeyemi:The benevolent accountant is 75 TRIBUTE IN BRIEF A detribalised, father – figure on his birthday

T

HE Iyana Itire axis of the Oshodi-Apapa Ex pressway, Lagos presents quite a sight: a business cluster of a kind with varied office equipment, furniture etc on sales or repairs. This cluster, certainly, may not be overtly removed from JKK Nigeria Limited or Cutler Hammer, two businesses owned by Chief Agboola Odeyemi, FCA, a man many describe as being of varied but interesting parts : brief but rich, humble, detribalised and a caring father figure many look up to. He turns 75 on April 4, 2014, having lived a truly rich and a fulfilled life.

As the Obasewa of Ile-Ife and former President of Ife Development Board (IDB), his efforts towards repositioning the ancient town industrially made him commission the Obasewa Shopping Pavilion/ business cluster in Ife with about 52 shops. The cluster employs over 100 people.

Odeyemi who is always asking, ‘ where are our own technicians, where are our artisans,’ says our human capital development and planning, must include commercial farming which will employ several youths in processing clusters that include cassava processing, oil palm processing and cocoa processing.

Born in Ile-Ife on April 4,

1939, he started his career at Saint Peter and Paul Catholic School Ile-Ife and later trained as Higher Elementary Teacher as St Leo’s College Abeokuta between 1956 and 1959.

Between 1965 and 1966, he was on Sandwich course in Accounting at the College of Commerce and Technology, Wednsebury, Staffordshire England where he won the Rubbery Own Prize for the Most Distinguished Student of the year and outstanding performance of the year respectively.

Odeyemi, a distinguished chartered accountant, today sits atop several companies which include : JKN Limited and JAO Investment Company where he is the Chairman and Chief Executive. He is also a Board member of Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Kinley Securities Ltd and Cuttler Hammer Nigeria Limited.

He has also served on Board of a number of companies. He was the Chairman of Ecobank Nigeria Ltd between September 2006 and March 2010, Chairman Refuge Insurance Company Limited and Obafemi Awolowo University Investment Company between January 2007 and December 2012. He was also Director of OASIS Insurance Plc, Multimalt Limited, Sowsco Well Services Limited and Kajola Integrated Investment Company Ltd. In addition, he served in various capacities which include being past President Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, past President of NACCIMA, past Chairman of Nigerian Accounting Standards Board between 1990-

Chief Agboola Odeyemi

,

TRIBUTE

BY GBENGA OKE

As the Obasewa of Ile-Ife and former President of Ife Development Board (IDB), his efforts towards repositioning the ancient town industrially made him commission the Obasewa Shopping Pavilion/business cluster in Ife with about 52 shops

1995 and past President, Ife Development Board between 1995-2004.

A technocrat, he has played major role both within Nigeria and outside which include member of the National Political Reform Conference between February – July 2005, member of the National Privatisation Council (Bureau of Public Enterprise) between

,

October 2004-October 2006, member of the committee on the Assessment and Monitoring of the Millennium Development Goals between June 2005 -October 2006 and founding member of the Governing Board of UNESCO Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

He was conferred with the

honour of Member of the Order of Federal Republic, (MFR) in 2005. He also bagged the Osun State Government Distinguished Merit Award for Philanthropy and Community Development in 2007 while his community in Ife gave him the Distinguished Merit Award in 2008.

He was a recipient of a Merit Award from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria in 2005; Doctor of Science in Business Administration (Honoris Causa) from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife in 2007; a special award by the Federation of Construction Industry for his contribution to the infrastructural development in Nigeria in 2009 and appointed member of the Council of Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, Osun State in 2009. He became the Patron of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Osun State Council in August 2010 while the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers Foundation in October 2011 appointed him its Patron.

As part of his philanthropic gestures, Odeyemi donated a building of antiquities to the Institute of Cultural Studies in Obafemi Awolowo University while he played a significant role in the linkages that led to securing the financial sponsorship of the Leventis family for the completion of the Natural History Museum.

He is a regular contributor to the promotion of evangelism. He remains active at his original family church, St Paul Anglican Church, Ayegbaju in Ile-Ife where he was installed as the Ekerin Ijo in 2004 and the Balogun of the church on February 23, 2014.

The Sun Editor’s ‘abduction’: Abia police crossed the line — NGE *Seeks Jonathan’s, IG’s intervention

BY ADEOLA ADENUGA

“

From left: Hon. Yakubu Dati, Aviation Parastatals Spokesman; Mr Andrew J. Gubit, Chief Security Officer; Mr Jim Opotu; Engr. Saleh Dunoma, Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN; Mallam Mohammed Turaki and Mr. Olufemi Julius, Head of Department, Civil, FAAN, during the Managing Director ’s Inspection visit to Yakubu Gowon International Airport, Jos.

Omene commends Uduaghan on security

BY GODWIN OGHRE

F

OREMOST Urhobo chief and leader, the Ejorofo of Mosogar Kingdom who doubles as the First Deputy President General of Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, Chief Joseph Omene, has commended the state governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, on the prevailing peace and security in the state, noting that the governor’s efforts in entrenching peace and security in

the state has yielded fruit.

Chief Omene, who spoke in his Mosogar country home, said, of the governor’s three point’s agenda of Peace and Security, Infrastructure and Human Capital Development, the governor has fared very well in Peace and Security. He, however, implored the governor to improve in the area of Infrastructure and Human Capital Development, where he said the governor ’s performance is only favourable to a few political sycophants.

T

HE literal abduction of Mr Ebere Wabara, Associate Editor of The Sun Newspapers in Lagos on Friday by policemen from Abia State Command is a crossing of the line from civility to despotism”, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) said, yesterday..

The statement added, “Mr Wabara, who doubles as Special Assistant, Media, to former Abia State governor, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, has since been taken to Umuahia, where he is to be arraigned on charges of sedition”.

The Guild said it was stupefied at the conduct of the Abia State police, “ which has decided to exhume a colonial law from our statute book at a time like this”. It explained: “It tends to indicate that while the rest of the country is moving forward, the police in Abia are marooned in an inglorious past.

“If Mr Wabara has broken

any law of the land through his writings, the decent thing to do is to invite him to make explanations. If such explanations are unsatisfactory, he should then be charged to court. “But to storm his come in commando fashion, and whisk him hundreds of kilometres away smacks of a country yet to come to the realities of democratic rule and civility. We cannot afford to remain consigned in such inglorious morass.

“The Nigerian Guild of Edi-

tors calls for the immediate release of Mr Wabara, and if he then needs to answer any question, it should be done according to civil and decent norms. The media, alongside other patriotic institutions, fought for the democracy the country enjoys today. We, therefore, call on President Goodluck Jonathan, the Inspector-General of Police, M.D Abubakar, and other wellmeaning Nigerians to intervene, and ensure that sanity prevails.”

2015 Senatorial bid: PDP chieftain backs Delta gov

P

EOPLE’S Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, Chief Moses Bebenimibo, has described Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan as most qualified for the 2015 Delta South Senatorial seat in the National Assembly.

Chief Bebenimibo noted in Warri that being Governor for

eight years makes Uduaghan the best choice to represent Delta South Senatorial District as he has got all the experience to make the difference in that office.

According to him, “The Governor has shown great foresight with his programmes. Though he has not declared his intentions, we urge him to declare so that we can be rest assured.”

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 53

Kwara Kiddies retain Oba Cup T

EAM Kwara represented by the glorious Arsenal Kiddies Academy, Ilorin and coached by a renowned Medical Laboratory Scientist, Soni Ahamioje, defeated Kaduna 20 to retain the Oba of Benin U13 boys soccer trophy which they won last year at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.

The match which was keenly contested, saw the Kwara kids dictating the pace from the blast of the whistle and scoring two goals in the first half by Master Abdulhafeez Ajao.

However, credit must be given to the Kwara captain, Master Olakunle Olusegun who was orchestrating all the moves from the mid-field and also for a five star man of the match performance.

At the end of the game, an elated coach Ahamioje dedicated the trophy to God Almighty while thanking the government and good people of Kwara state for their love and support for the team.

He appealed to the Executive Governor of Kwara, Abdulfatah Ahmed and indeed all philan-

thropists to sponsor the team to this year’s Norway Kids Cup in Oslo in July and promised to do his best in developing kids and molding them into world stars.

Presenting the trophy to the winning team, President of YSFON, Nasiru Gawuna who was represented by the Federation’s Secretary General, Patrick Okpavuerhe urged Coaches to always monitor grassroots competitions to enable them discover talents that will do the country proud in future just as he appealed to various state governments to partner with YSFON through sponsorship of its tournaments.

The annual U-13 boys soccer competition is organized by Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON).

BOOST..... Zenith Bank Plc, sponsors of the Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League recently upped the sponsorship money for the League to N90 million for three years. (L-R): Tunde Popoola, Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympics Committee, Tijjani Umar, President Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Marcel Okeke, AGM/Head Research and Economic Intelligence Group, Zenith Bank Plc and Mukhtar Khaled, vice president, NBBF at the cheque presentation ceremony in Lagos to usher in the 2014 National Women’s Basketball 2014 league season. The first phase ended yesterday in Abuja.

Mourinho is a talkative, says Benitez N

APOLI boss Rafael Benitez has hit out at Jose Mourinho, saying the Chelsea manager “talks too much”.

The pair were often at logger-

heads during Benitez’s spell in charge of Liverpool and Mourinho drew the ire of the Spaniard earlier this week by suggesting Juventus should not consider winning the UEFA Europa

Give all sports equal attention L

AST year I incurred the wrath of former minister of sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi over an opinion I wrote in my column, SportsGuard, in the Sunday Vanguard. What was the opinion? That the government should treat all sports equally rather than the preferential treatment given to football.

I was in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire with the national men’s basketball team who were attending the Afrobasket Championship, which was incidentally a qualifying competition for the 2014 Basketball World Cup in Spain.

As an insider, I saw how the basketball players sacrificed for the country, earning next to nothing as allowances, winning bonus was out of it as it was not in the lean budget approved for the almost three weeks event.

In the process, two of the US-based players, Andy Ogide and Richard Oruche suffered severe injuries that kept them out of the competition and walking on crutches for the remaining part of their stay in Abidjan. Despite the lean purse of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, the players were insured, otherwise they wouldn’t have taken place in the championship in the first place.

Despite the fact that I became a member of the NBBF Board by the magnanimity of the former minister, I could not fathom why he wanted me to see nothing and write nothing. Of course I was not trained that way and continued air-

ing my opinion even on television whenever the opportunity beckoned.

I believe those managing our sports never want the president to know the fact that only football is supported by government otherwise why would a minister pick offence on my plea to the federal government to treat all sports men and women equally since they are all Nigerians first and foremost?

Only football players get rewarded by government even if they fail to win the ultimate prize. No one begrudged the government when it rewarded the Super Eagles after they won the 2013 Africa Nations Cup in South Africa. But what was the reason behind the reception and financial reward accorded the CHAN Eagles after they crashed out of the competition this year and returned with a consolatory bronze medal?

Other sports like wrestling and athletics also produced some medal winners recently. Some wrestlers got gold medal s in a recent Commonwealth Championships, but as I write this, government didn’t even know they represented the country in any competition how much more winning any medal. How would the government, in this case, the president know if not through his minister of sports?

It is either these ministers are overwhelmed by the amount of money which goes through them to the NFF to run football and want a slice of it or they see football as the only way to pacify the an-

League a success.

Benitez - twice winner of the competition with Valencia and then Chelsea last year - was less than impressed with the Portuguese’s remarks.

gry citizens who are weighed down by the harsh economy occasioned by bad government policies.

This is not to say that Mallam Abdullahi did not try his best to see that each sport got its fair share of the lean budget government gives to sports but his reaction to my plea for equal attention to all sports just suggested that he wanted to behave like all others before him, that is treat football like an egg.

Is the trend continuing with Dr. Tamuno Danagogo who just replaced Mallam Abdullahi? Dr Danagogo’s appearance at the Indoor Hall of the Abuja National Stadium last week where he declared the First Phase of the 10th edition of the Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League open did not give much hope as his speech sounded like a broken record played by his predecessors.

He repeated the now familiar phrase of not going to be a football minister.

Before that event at the Abuja National Stadium, barely 24 hours after his appointment, one of his kinsmen, Prince Opukiri Jones Ere, a former sports commissioner in Bayelsa state vouched for him that he will be fair to all sports. It is too early in the morning to be too sure on this.

The answer was not too long in coming as the new minister joined in the party that went to Costa Rica to cheer the national women’s U-17 team playing in the FIFA U-17 World Cup there.

It didn’t matter that it was just an U17 competition and the girls (or are they women?) were yet to qualify for the final where they would have needed every support to win the cup.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian senior men’s and women’s wrestling team preparing for an African Champion-

“He talks too much,” he said.

“Whereas I like to let facts do the talking.

“At Liverpool I knocked his Chelsea out of the Champions League when we had half his money.”

ship in Tunisia, incidentally a qualifying tournament for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland were battling for funds to travel and there was no answer to their quest which caused the dropping of some of the coaches expected to inspire them to win medals and Games ticket.

The worse of it was that the wrestlers were treated like orphans or nobodies as their camp allowance was slashed to half of what footballers get while in camp, even when it is clear they won’t earn any bonus for winning at any stage on the way to a medal.

Expectedly the wrestlers almost boycotted the trip and threatened to put up a show like the Eagles did in Namibia on their way to Brazil for the FIFA Confederations Cup last year. They had to be appealed to by a Board member who promised them that their matter would be taken to the minister.

As the wrestlers departed for Tunisia via Lagos last Thursday, they grumbled and wondered why they are treated unfairly. One of them even said, “How can the minister take a junior championship more seriously than ours because it is football?”

The anger against government’s preferential treatment for football and footballers is spreading and the earlier it is nipped in the bud, the better. The minister could start to right the wrong by jetting out to Tunisia to cheer the wrestlers and even promising a reward, like is done for footballers, to them if they win medals and tickets to the Commonwealth Games later in the year.

C M Y

PAGE 54 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014

Amuneke will produce quality Eaglets — NFF official G

OLDEN Eaglets coach Emmanuel Amuneke has been backed to produced quality players like the set of 2013 that won the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Amuneke who assisted Manu Garba in the UAE, had on Wednesday, March 26 invited 35 players to an open screening camp ahead of the 2015 African U-17 Championship qualifiers. Nigeria Football Federation chief technical officer Siji Lagunju expressed optimism that the ongoing screening exercise been conducted at the National Stadium Abuja for the Golden Eaglets would yield positive results.

“Although, we just started the screening on Thursday, I can tell you that we have seen some talents here that can be trained to measure up to our standard.

“With this exercise, we hope to get a very good team that can win the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the country,” he said.

The former Super Eagles striker expressed optimism that the

• Amuneke team’s present technical crew would come out of the screening with the best players for the country.

“The present coach, Amuneke, was in the technical crew which produced the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning team, and I am sure he won’t deviate from that standard.

“He knows what it takes to do that and he has been up there among the best. So, he will do a good job,” he said.

Lagunju however declared that the team’s camp was still open for hitherto-uninvited players to display their talents, even though some players had already been sent home.

“When we started, we had over 500 players, and before the end of yesterday, over 300 were sent back.

“Most of them are either overage or not talented, because the major criteria we are using is being within the 17 years of age and having talents of the game.

“But the camp is still open to players who want to show us the stuff they have,” he said.

He said the selected players will go into closed door camping programme that will come up in another two weeks.

“This first phase of the screening, which is open, will last for two weeks after which we will start the closed camping when the players will be concentrated on.

HEINEKEN EXPERIENCE... L-R Ejike Emmanuel, Onwumere Chimeze, Oguama Nonso, Ajadi Olawale, David Onimisi and the Brand Manager Heineken, Murtala Yusuf inside the Allianz Arena, Munich for the Bayern Munich and Arsenal UEFA Champions League match recently.

Champions League: Heineken ‘Match Your Half Ticket’ winners relive experience

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T was indeed a dream come true for all the five winners of the Heineken ‘Match Your Half Ticket’ promotion as they were counted among the 69, 901 fans at the Allanz Arena, Munich, Germany for the Bayern Munich and FC Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League second round match played recently.

All the five lucky consumers had enjoyed full expense paid trip to watch the match, courtesy of the International premium lager beer, Heineken. They all chorused last week on their return back to the country that the memorable trip will for a long time linger in their minds. ”I am delighted to be part of this

historic visit to one of the best football stadiums in the world but more importantly, I watched Arsenal FC my darling team live at a major football tournament courtesy of Heineken.

Moments after the match got underway, my initial thoughts were that I was watching moving statues of Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla , Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, coach Arsene Wenger and many more notable star players that were on the team list for the night,” Ejike Emmanuel recalled.

Olawale Ajadi, a staunch FC Barcelona fan, said he was overwhelmed by the activities of the partisan supporters of the teams and thinks Nigerian foot-

ball fans should emulate whenever they are in the stadium to support their teams. ”This all-expense paid trip courtesy of Heineken has really opened my world. I found myself in this massive crowd and everything was in order, no stampede or molestation from opposing football fans. Outside the stadium, fans of Bayern Munich and Arsenal were united by football and i was glad with the way they were taking pictures and I saw fans of different nationality united by the beautiful game of football. As a passionate football fan, it was a big lesson for me that orderliness is the surest way to peace,” he noted.

Lagos tackles unemployment through sports, others * Introduces pad soccer

By OLASUNKANMI AKONI

T

HE Lagos State Government has concluded plans to explore opportunities in sports and entertainment sectors to reduce the huge unemployment deficit in the state.

It will be recalled that over 18 applicants seeking employment with the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, died during recruitment exercise across the country penultimate week.

Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa who disclosed this last weekend, at a youth talent hunt programme held in Lagos, lamented that rather than gather the youths, who are future leaders of the country, at different stadia across the country to be killed, the state has decided to look into sports and entertainment to address such issues.

Opeifa. noted that the state government would soon come up with a Pad Football championship in the state to get the teeming youths engaged, explaining that rather than plan the game on the pitch, which some of the youths may not be able do, they will engage in sports through their computers and video games.

According to him; “We want to let the world know that we need these youths for future development of the country. Rather than taking them to national stadium to go and kill them because they are looking for jobs. ”Or taking them somewhere and give them N20,000 to fight constituted authorities like the Lagos Traffic Management Authority ( LASTMA) . We are convinced that if we can develop these potential in them, this country will be well for it and the youths will go places. ”We started with about 1000 youths where six champions will emerge. We follow them up and make sure they become great. We are looking for the state championship for Pad football and start it on an annual basis and get pad football as one of the sporting associations just like the game of Chess and Scrabble. We are going to raise world pad football champions from Lagos here”.

According to him, “ For you to be leaders of tomorrow you have to be followers of today and to be followers of today you have to learn to do things the way the leaders do. ”What you have seen organized here has been done by group of young guys. It was designed in 2008 and we had the first one in 2009 entirely with the youths in mind and the focus is to recognize those ones who have chosen to be orderly, who has potentials , who are determined to be good ambassadors of their people.

Balogun longs for Eagles World Cup shirt

T

he Germany- born Nigerian defender has set his sight on making the Super Eagles team to the World Cup as he continues his injury recovery process Nigeria and Fortuna Dusseldorf of Germany defender Leon Balogun has expressed eagerness to represent the country in the 2014 Fifa World Cup which begins in June. The defender who recently dropped his clutches following an injury secured in his debut match for Nigeria against Mexico also revealed that his club doctors will decide today (Friday) when he can start kicking the ball. “It’s been quite exciting for me and I have been in touch with the federation and coach Stephen Keshi, they have been very nice too,” Balogun said in a release by national team media officer Ben Alaiya.

“I can’t wait to rejoin the squad when we reconvene for the World Cup. The doctors confirmed that I had a broken toe but it was not totally broken and that is why I have been healing quicker than anticipated.

“By Friday I should be able to know when I can start my comeback with initial ball practice and minor rehabilitation exercises.

“Again, I want to thank the NFF for their huge support, the coach has also been calling me from time to time and it could not have been better than this.

“If I’m lucky to be recalled I will be totally dedicated to helping Nigeria do well at the World Cup,” he concluded.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 30, 2014, PAGE 55

Osaze enjoying a new lease of soccer life •Scores goal number six for Stoke

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N his early days in the Premier League, Peter Osaze Odemwingie became one of the topflight’s revelations after his move from Lokomotiv Moscow, netting 15 goals from 32 appearances as West Brom secured an 11th-place finish.

The forward’s pace, agility, dynamism and ability on the ball made him an unpredictable and tricky customer in possession, while he proved to be perfectly capable in front of goal. Only four players scored more.

His second season at the club was decent enough as he contributed 10 league goals, but defenders were progressively becoming more attuned to his play as he aged.

Last season – his final year at West Brom – saw him only notch five league goals and he subsequently found himself offloaded to Cardiff City, with his January transfer deadline day trip to QPR still resonating with Baggies fans.

His spell at Cardiff was a bit of a disappointment too. In 15 league appearances, he had one goal and no assists to show for his troubles. In front of goal, Cardiff ’s troubles were accentuated by Odemwingie’s poor form as only 25 per cent of his shots hit the target.

His swap move with Kenwyne Jones saw Odemwingie’s short period in Wales ended and he joined up with Mark Hughes at Stoke.

Initially, he hardly looked like silencing many of his critics, with his best performance score in his first five games being a measly nine. However, in his last three games his form has picked up and he is becoming a key part of Stoke’s front line.

In the 1-1 draw with Norwich, Odemwingie

Stoking the Fire... Peter Osaze Odemwingie (R) scores his team’s first goal to equalise as Aston Villa’s English defender Ryan Bertrand (L floor) tries to defend during the English Premier League football match between Aston Villa and Stoke City. Osaze is enjoying a new lease of soccer life.

was unspectacular, but his willingness to come into the centre of the pitch helped Stoke assert some control in the middle, while his three attempted take ons around the Norwich area gave the hosts’ defenders something to contend with.

Against West Ham he got himself on the score sheet twice; first seeing Peter Crouch’s shot strike him on the way in, before burying a sumptuous finish into the top-right corner after a quick counterattack. He also completed 85% of his passes, one of which in the 82nd minute would be considered key.

His finest performance of the season, however, came at Aston Villa on

Sunday. With 42 performance score points accumulated, he enjoyed a good afternoon.

The 32-year-old’s 22ndminute goal gave Stoke the lead and they never looked back. In the entire match he was a threat with his pace on the right flank, and he was a constant danger when roaming inside on to his dangerous left foot.

Not only did Odemwingie impress going forward, but the Nigerian also lent support to right-back Geoff Cameron, attempting four – and completing two – tackles back in the defensive third.

Yesterday against Hull City, he scored from outside the box with his trade mark left foot. To give

DSTV Basketball: Dodan Warriors shackle Islanders

Stoke a deserve win over Hull and got goal number six for the season.

By no means is Odemwingie on the same level he was when he first arrived in the Premier League – no one would expect to be, several years on. But he has proven to be decisive when it really mattered for Stoke, helping to effectively secure their Premier League status for another year.

If he can maintain his current standing, he will no doubt prove to have been a clever purchase, particularly when it meant offloading the faltering Jones. History suggests he may grow disinterested in the end, though.

ODAN Warriors Bas ketball Club of Lagos defeated their city rivals, Lagos Islanders, 69-59 yesterday in the Atlantic Conference match of the ongoing DStv Basketball League.

The loss by the Islanders at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, is their first since the competition started four weeks ago. They were dominated by the Warriors match from the first quarter till the end of regulation time.

Although, Lagos Islanders had the opportunity to turn the game around, the players failed to convert their offensive rebounds and free throws.

Coach Chris Nomigo of Dodan Warriors told NAN that he was proud of his players for living up to expectation.

“We lost our previous match to Oluyole Warriors of Ibadan in Ibadan; this really affected us because we should have won that match; hence, we learnt from our mistakes.

“We know Islanders capabilities, and we were prepared to take the game to them and not allow them to dictate the pace.

“We were the more aggressive side and hungrier for victory. This, perhaps, was what made us to play well and win at the end,”

Nomigo said In his reaction, Islanders’ Coach, Tajudeen Adeyemi, said that the team did everything possible to win, but lost.

“We recorded the highest offensive and defensive rebounding points but lost control of the game in the high number of easy turnovers we gave to them.

“We were careless in that area; our opponents simply capitalised on this and took the game beyond us.

“We would go back to the drawing board and prepare well for our next match against Oluyole Warriors,” Adeyemi said.

In another match played, Police Baton of Lagos humbled Customs of Lagos 5547.

The victory is Baton’s first since the start of the league.

A much determined Police Baton had taken lead from the first quarter of the game and never looked back till they won the match Dominic Dike, the Police Baton Coach, told NAN that he was happy.

“We played well today and deserved to win. We did not allow our opponents to play their game; we broke them down by being more physical.

“We need to continue this way and even do better against tougher oppositions,” Dike said.

Mikel serves Chelsea quit notice pleted a deal to sign Nem-

S

UPER Eagles midfield er, John Obi Mikel has indicated that he could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge because of limited playing time under Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.

Mikel fell down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge under Mourinho, and his chances of being played regularly were dealt a further blow in January when the club com-

anja Matic.

Despite having three years remaining on his current deal, Mikel will ask to leave the club in attempt to secure first-team football elsewhere, according to the Daily Mail.

Galatasaray are believed to be high on a list of admirers, but the Turkish club are yet to make a formal offer for the Nigerian.

Mikel joined Chelsea from Lyn Oslo in 2006.

CAF Cup: Bayelsa defuse How Mine

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AYELSA United yes terday beat visiting Zimbabwean side How Mine 2-0 to book a place in the CAF Confederation Cup playoffs on 3-2 ag-

Ladan Bosso, Bayelsa United Coach C M Y K

gregate. Bayelsa, who reached the semi-finals of the same competition in 2009, will know their opponents from the CAF Champions League in the next round of the competition after Monday’s draw by CAF. The overall winners of this round will qualify for the mini-league stage of Africa’s second-tier club competition.

The Nigerian club took the lead against a very defensive How Mine after 57 minutes through Jafar Buhari. In a game they

struggled to create many scoring chances, Bayelsa finally doubled their lead two minutes from time through midfielder Azubuike Okechukwu.

The restart of the second half was delayed by about five minutes following an incident where some fans challenged the visitors for coming down with Juju (fetish substance)which ensured they stopped the home team from breaking the deadlock in the first 45 minutes.

PRESENTATION..... The International Association of Sports Press, AIPS recently held its Congress in Dakar, Senegal. Former president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, Mr. Dan Ngerem (2nd right) presenting a paper on Creating the right policy platform for sports sponsorship in Africa at the event. AIPS president, Gianni Merlo, (2nd left) and Mitchell Obi, President, AIPS Africa (right) listen.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 30, 2014

RESULTS Man Utd Crystal S’hampton Stoke City Swansea West Brom Arsenal

Building a strong Eagles more important for me now – Keshi S

Nigerian team for the World Cup comes out well because it will also be great for Africa.

“I will not say anything about the query but when it gets to a point, I will say something.

“Right now, I will be quiet but when I am ready to talk, you will be the first to hear,” Keshi said.

This stance by Keshi is bound to stoke the fire of a frosty relationship between the coach and the NFF. There has been no love lost between the federation the coach since he temporarily quit the national team after winning the nations cup in South Africa and accusing the NFF of not paying his salary for six months.

Keshi said that he was looking to prepare his team in peace and harmony adding that distractions such as these will put the spanner in the works. He also prayed that the players and the coaches are not owed their entitlements. ach advises Okag-

bare

Aston Villa Chelsea Newcastle Hull City Norwich Cardiff Man City

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CAF Confederation Cup:

Warri Wovles reach last bus stop?

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*Says he doesn’t care about NFF query UPER Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi under fire for shunning a meeting with the Nigeria Football Federation technical committee for a function in Lagos, has stated that he was more concerned about building a solid team that will represent Nigeria at the 2014 World Cup and would not be drawn into any controversy with his employers.

The NFF on Thursday issued Keshi with a query, but in a chat with super-sports.com, the former Super Eagles captain declared that he will not say a word concerning the issue at this moment.

“I don’t really want to comment on this because a lot of people will misinterpret what I will say. Let them (NFF) accuse me of everything, I really don’t care.

“I want to concentrate on my job of building a strong team.

That’s the most important thing.

“I pray that the work I have been doing to build a strong

4 1 4 1 3 3 1

BOTHERED?..... Yes, but not about the query his employers, the NFF issued him during the week. He say what is occupying his mind now is how to build a strong Super Eagles that will represent the country creiditably in Brazil in the summer

By BEN EFE

arri Wolves are living on a prayer as they face Tunisian side C.A Bizertin this af ternoon in the coastal town of Bizerte, Tunisia and unless the heavens open a window of opportunity, the club might as well kiss the competition goodbye.

Ahead of the match, the Warri Wolves faced frustrations on many fronts. First it was the goalless draw at the Warri Township Stadium, and then the sad tales of unpaid salary stretching for four months, the adverse weather conditions that greeted them on arrival in Tunisia and then the psychological warfare the Tunisian club officials unleashed on the visiting players.

They were unable to train on Thursday because the weather was so cold and they had no protective clothing, club officials had to rush into town to buy hand gloves and other items that will keep the boys warm.

However, Coach Sam Okpodu said all these bad conditions will bring out the best from the Warri Wolves side. “The boys are not happy but they are not demoralized either because they know what is at stake. This will spur them on.

“The Warri Wolves are the better side. We were unlucky at home and this is an opportunity to prove who is better. I only want to pray for fair officiating and it will be well” Efforts to get club officials to comment on why the players are been owed their entitlement failed to yield a positive response. Club spokesman Moses Etu said he was going to confer with the general manager Davidson Owumi, but 24 hours later, he was not forth coming.

Warri Wolves shocked Union Douala of Cameroon away with a 3-2, but they draw 1-1 at home. Perhaps they might just pull another surprise in Tunisia. But questions will be asked why the team sponsored the Delta State government will complain of unpaid entitlement even as they face a difficult task of playing at the continent level.

CROSS WORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1.Taraba capital (7) 4.Exchanges (5) 6.Crest (5) 7.Speared (7) 9.Fashion (5) 10.Weird (5) 11.Donor (5) 13.Domain (5) 17.Crestfallen (3) 19.Face (8) 20.Pianos (6) 21.Much (6) 23.Stayed (8) 24.Frozen water (3) 25.Snake (5) 27.Own up (5) 30. Arise (5) 31. Evade (5) 32. Dotted (7) 34. Lariat (5) 35. Moves like a horse (5) 36.Sowed (7)

DOWN 1. Incarcerates (5) 2. Nothing (3) 3. Command (5) 4. Cue (5) 5. Vapour (5) 8. Dog (3) 12. Nigerian state (6) 14. Ovum (3) 15. Connected (6) 16. Cooked (6) 17. Glare (5) 18. Ill-fated (6) 22. Maiden name (3) 25. Revise accounts (5) 26. Staggers (5) 27. Old fable writer (5) 28. Child (3) 29. Gave in (5) 33. Benin chieftain (3)

SOLUTION on page 5

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