igbo youths give Fulani herdsmen Monday deadline to leave igboland

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2 — SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

ENUGU MASSACRE: •Leave our land now or ... Igbo youths tell Fulani herdsmen •Say enough is enough •Attack on any Igbo soil is an attack on Nigeria—Iwuanyanwu •Displaced residents narrate ordeals •Nursing mothers, widows, bedridden patients now in exile—Rep

By Anayo Okoli, Emman Ovuakporie, Vincent Ujumadu, Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Chinenyeh Ozor

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MUAHIA—AS con demnations continue to trail the massacre of no fewer than 40 people of Nimbo community in UzoUwani Local Government Area of Enugu by Fulani herdsmen last Monday, Igbo youths under the aegis of Ohaneze Youth Council (OYC) have given the herdsmen three days to leave Igbo land or they will be forced out.

The Igbo youths gave the herdsmen till Monday to vacate all Igboland saying enough is enough even as it was gathered that the attack by the herdsmen has forced nursing mothers, widows, children and bedridden patients from the affected communities into exile.

An Igbo traditional ruler, Igwe Rowland Odegbo and Champion newspaper publisher, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu also condemned the massacre and tasked President Muhammadu Buhari to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Rising from an emergency meeting held in Enugu on Thursday, the Igbo youths in their communique noted that the herdsmen “are off-shoots of Boko Haram and must not be allowed any breeding ground in Igbo land. Any herdsman who fails to quit South East by Monday will have himself to blame”.

The communique was signed by the National Vice President of the group, Mazi Obinna Achuonye and the Chairmen of OYC in seven Igbo- speaking states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Delta, Imo and Rivers.

According to the communique, “never again will Igbo youths fold their arms and watch our people being massacred by blood-sucking terrorists under the guise of herdsmen. Urgent times need drastic measure. We warn all violent Fulani herdsmen to vacate our farmland, our backyards, our territories and boundaries on or before Monday next week.

“Even though Ohanaeze Ndigbo will meet over the weekend to discuss this menace, Igbo youths will not wait until our people are massacred again before we take action.

“If after Monday and the herdsmen are still around, we will direct Igbo vigilante groups set up by OYC in all the 95 Local Government Areas in South East to force them out”.

Continuing OYC said it had also uncovered plots through its intelligence unit that Ebonyi State has been marked as the next target of the rampaging herdsmen.

*President Buhari receives Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode “We have uncovered plots that their next target is Ebonyi State. They are coming from Taraba State to attack Ebonyi.

We want the Governor of Ebonyi State and all the security agents in the state to be at alert”, OYC alerted. OYC claimed that Igbo youths were already collaborating with Ijaw youths and Middle Belt youths on how to defend their people as the Federal Government under Buhari has failed to protect them.

“Ijaw youths, and Middle Belt progressives are already waiting for the expiration of the deadline on Monday.

Fulani herdsmen have pushed us to the wall, time to take action is now or never ”, it warned.

Nursing mothers, widows, bedridden patients now in exile—Rep Meanwhile, the barbaric murder of over 40 persons in Igboland by Fulani Herdsmen has forced nursing mothers, widows, children and bedridden patients in the area into exile, a member of the House of Representatives Chime Oji has said.

Speaking in an interview with Saturday Vanguard in Abuja, Oji who represents Enugu North/South Federal Constituency of Enugu State said that since the gruesome murder of innocent citizens by the herdsmen, the mood in the area had been that of total frustration, despair and anguish.

According to him, “To the best of my knowledge, the killing was not an offhand attack. It was too coordinated to be an impromptu or perfunctory misunderstanding.

The damage is colossal to be dismissive by any right thinking and patriotic Nigerian.”

Describing the mood in the area as that of anguish, he said, “it is total frustration, creating fear, despair, anguish and forced exile on the people, most of who are infirm children, very old and pregnant women, nursing mothers and widows, including bedridden patients who were all compelled to leave their homes for exile.”

Displaced residents narrate ordeals

Residents of the community who fled their homes as a result of the attack and now taking refuge at petrol stations, churches, motor parks, hospitals, army barracks and uncompleted buildings have also recounted their ordeals.

One of the displaced persons, John Ayogu of Nimbo community told Vanguard that his family survives at the mercy of good Samaritans who donate food, water and fairly used clothes. “We sleep at any available space at night and roam the town in the day time for food to eat, mostly for the teenagers who were forced out of school by the barbaric attack and killings in our community. People have been helpful to the residents of Nimbo, some people took some of us to their residential homes to take refuge, and many others buy food items and water for us. We fled our community without food and cloth. The number of death

was too much for one community to bear. Our children were forced out of school for a good number of days now; we don’t know when it will be safe for us to go back to ours farms. We are predominantly farmers but the herdsmen could not allow us settle in our farms as they rape women and young girls. We no longer allow our younger girls to go to the farms for fear of being defiled by Fulani herdsmen” Utazi Chikodili of Nimbo in tears at Royal Cross hospital said, ‘’Fulani herdsmen have finished our people, turned indigenes of Nimbo to beggers. We wander about everyday looking for food and water to stay alive with the little ones who could do nothing but to cry when they are hungry. We sleep at this hospital every day and night, people do come here to give us food and water, and we take our bath at midnight because of space. Ajougwu Chisom

(15) an SS 2 student at Community Secondary School, Nimbo and Ugwoke Regina (10) in primary six, said, ‘’we went to buy food items with the little money people gave to us. We are staying with our sister and our parents but we want to go back to school” Attack on any Igbo soil is an attack on Nigeria —Iwuanyanwu Chief Iwuanyanwu, in his reaction said “once again, innocent Igbo blood have been shed in Igboland by Fulani herdsmen. The activities of these herdsmen in the past 12 months have been of great concern to all men and women, who are committed to the unity, peace and economic development of Nigeria. These group of people have waged serious war against many Nigerian communities.

“Wherever they attacked, they were reported to have used sophisticated weapons and other weapons of modern warfare. They have slaughtered people in a most brutal and uncivilized manner. They have raped women, including young girls, married women and the aged women. This matter has become a matter of grave concern to everybody.

The recent attack in Ukpabi Nimbo in Enugu State, is very painful to Nigerians and Igbos in particular. By Igbo culture and tradition, the greatest injury one can inflict on an Igboman, is to attack him and kill him in his home. It is even worse when his property is destroyed, some lives are lost, their women brazenly violated. Attack on any Igbo soil is an attack on Nigeria and an impunity on the peace loving Igbo people.

“This matter should not be treated with levity but regarded as a matter that can seriously affect peace, unity and economic progress of this country, which all of us are trying to achieve. Today, most farmers in these areas are afraid to go to their farms for fear that they may be killed, kidnapped or raped by this group, resulting in poor agricultural production in Igbo land and other parts of Nigeria, where they are invading. The truth is that this matter has assumed a dangerous dimension.

The Nigerian Police is over

stretched. It is impossible for Nigeria to get enough policemen to police Igbo farmland and other parts of the country, where the so called herdsmen are rampaging. Rather the following questions needs to be addressed and answered: *By the laws of Nigeria, individuals are not allowed to carry automatic weapons.

Who allowed the herdsmen to carry automatic weapons? *Since this invasion, kidnapping and raping by the Fulani herdsmen commenced some years ago, no arrests or prosecution or conviction has been made against any of them.

Set up panel of inquiry, Monarch tells Buhari Similarly, the traditional ruler of Nteje in Oyi local government area of Anambra State, Igwe Rowland Odegbo has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to set up a panel of inquiry to look into the remote and immediate causes of the activities of Fulani herdsmen who have been killing people in various parts of the country in recent times.

Speaking in an interview, Igwe Odegbo, who is a prominent member of Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers, said the panel of inquiry should consist of security operatives, leaders of thought and traditional rulers.

He described as unfortunate a situation whereby herdsmen swoop on communities and slaughter people and wondered “why people should be killed because of cows” He said: “President Buhari is a Fulani man and his silence on this matter is not sending any good signal. He was elected to protect the lives of all Nigerians irrespective of their tribe and he should not encourage a section of the country to threaten the lives of other Nigerians.

“Grazing areas should only be established in the North for the people who do the business of rearing cows.

They should not come down to the south to avoid conflict with communities who are mainly farmers.”

xposes security operativ es ...Ugwuan Ugwuanyi exposes operatives Ugwuan yi e •Says he alerted them before the attack

By Francis Igata

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OLLOWING the slaughter of 46 Ukpabi, Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani Local GovernmentAreaofEnuguState natives last Monday, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, yesterday, accused security agencies in the state of complicity despite assurances they gave him that planned attack will be forestalled.

Ugwuanyi made the accusation while speaking in an emotional laden tone during a news briefing at Government House attended by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu,Deputy Governor,Cecila Ezeilo,all serving senators and House of Representatives members in the state. Thegovernor’sspeechread in part:”On Sunday, April 24, by 7 pm, the night before this carnage took place, I got security information from Uzo-Uwani Local Government Transition Chairman, Hon. Cornell Onwubuyathatsuchanincident was likely to take place in the state.

I immediately summoned a meeting of the State Security Council which commenced by

10 pm.

The meeting was attended by the following: Garrison Commander Brigadier General Olufemi Akinjobi who normally represents the General Officer Comma-nding (GOC) 82 Division Nigerian Army,the Commis-sioner of Police, Mr. Nwodibo Ekechukwu,the State Director of Department State Security Services (DSS), Mr. M. Abdul Malik,the State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Lar Stephen, Representatives of the Nigerian Air force, Federal Road Safety Corps and Nigerian Prison Services, who attended as observers. “From the side of govern-ment were, myself, the Governor, the Deputy Governor, the Secretary to the State Government, the Chief of Staff, the Chairman, State Traditional Rulers Council and the Honourable Attorney General of the State.

In the meeting, we received assurances from the Commissioner of Police that the Area Commander of SARS was on ground in Nimbo.

That the Anti-Terrorism Unit was at Nimbo. That he was in

contact with the Kogi State Commissioner of Police and reported suspected herdsmen grouping at Odolu in Kogi State preparatory for an attack on Nimbo and Abbi commu-nities.

That Police mobile force and conventionalpolicewerealready drafted to Nimbo and Abbi communities. That he was in touchwiththeAreaCommander, Idah,ACPIkegwuonwuandhad linked him with the Area Commander, Nsukka, ACP Monday Kuryas.

Both men according to the CP reportedthattherewerenotraces ofsuspectedherdsmeninNsukka or Idah. “That he ordered the Area Commander, Nsukka to redeploy to Nimbo. That the Garrison Commander on his part assured the meeting that Military was already deployed to Nimbo. Let me state that the State Government provided logistics for these deployments.

After receiving these assurances of deploy-ments to Nimbo, I felt quite confident that we had done everything possible to forestall an attack on Nimbo.”

I have deliberately narrated what transpired at the Security Council meeting fully conscious of the provisions of the Nigerian

Constitution pertaining to my oath of office. I am doing this in due discharge of my duties as Governor.

“Sadly, in the early hours of Monday reports of this carnage reached me. More disturbing was the report that the attack of innocentanddefencelesscitizens were carried out at about 6 30 am. Further reports available to me indicate that apart from the killing and maiming of innocent and defenceless citizens of Nimbo a Church was also burnt.

Following this development, I engaged the security agencies in order to ensure that the Nimbo area was secured from further attacks that might escalate the situation. “I am at once, constituting a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the immediate and remote causes of all the violent occurrences in the State associatedwithsuspectedFulani Herdsmen and recommend appropriate measures that will be put in place to prevent future occurrence.

“What happened between 6.30am and 7.30 am on Monday 25th April, 2016 despite assurances from the Security Agencies? Only the Security Agencies can answer this question”.

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016 —3

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4 — SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

Jermaine Jackson confirms participation at Lagos Int’l Jazz Concert •••Unveils plans to set up academy in Lagos

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ERMAINE Jackson, co-lead singer of global music brand, Jackson 5 and elder brother of late king of pop, Michael Jackson on Friday confirmed readiness to participate at the starstudded Jazz concert being put together by the Lagos State Government in commemoration of the 2016 International Jazz Day. The concert, which is to be hosted by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, will hold at the Lagos House in Alausa, Ikeja on Saturday, April 30 by 5pm.

Jermaine, who confirmed his readiness to participate at the festival during a press conference held at the Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, said he would be at the festival to support the government and array of international and local artists who would be performing.

Jermaine, who is in Nigeria as part of activities marking the Jackson Golden Africa Tour, also disclosed plans by the Jackson 5 to establish a music academy in Nigeria to nurture and prepare the talents in Africa for global

market.

He said: “It’s been 50 years for the Jacksons and we are bringing a team together of people who can produce a concert. I like coming here because I have a lot of questions. I was just in China and I learnt that the first dynasty that started in China came from Africa here and I had a professor in China to tell me this. That made me very proud and the world needs to know this because in our history books in America, they don’t put this there; they don’t want us to know this but when you travel and you have the opportunity to see things for yourself, you will realize that the history books were written by someone else and it is their version and their interpretation of what happened which is usually not the truth.”

“We are going to give you nice compilation of songs that you know and I am just very honoured to be here because we have been kept away from you because of the politics and we are not interested in such politics because we are people who care about people. We need to have a

closer relationship with African-American and the rest of Africa because we have been separated for long and we can reach out to do other things.

“There are lots of great talents here and we want to use our 50 years experience of being in the business to teach the arts.

We have in our plans to

establish Jackson Academy Performing Art School and the school will have a curriculum and also will teach music, directing, film, lightening, producing, dancing and so on. We want to get the talents here ready for the global market and I do believe that the drums and the beat started from here,” Jermaine said.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, who received Jermaine and his entourage alongside the Special Adviser to the Governor on Oversees Affairs and Investment, Professor Ademola Abass and other senior officials of the Ministry, expressed

delight to receive the visitors to the state.

Ayorinde added that the visit of the Jacksons to Nigeria in commemoration of the 50 years anniversary coincided with preparations by the Lagos State Government to mark the 50 years anniversary of the state in 2017, and welcomed collaboration with the Jacksons in that regard.

Monarch donates to schools, orphanage

By Oghene Omonisa

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TRADITIONAL ruler in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State, Chief Omotayo Adeboye, has donated laptops, stationeries and food items to pupils and a charity home in the community.

Chief Adeboye, who is the Baale of Idioyin Imoke community in Ibeju, said the gesture was borne out of his desire to reach out to the needy in his domain.

He said: “I am only trying to give back to the less privileged in the society from the little resources that God has given me. I want to call on

well meaning individuals to also take a cue from this initiative and help the needy in our community. I hope to sustain this initiative annually and give hope to the hopeless in my

domain.”

The monarch, assisted by his wife, Arafat, and community leaders distributed branded stationeries to students of Ibeju Junior Secondary

School and handed N1million cheque to the management of a private school, Moas Nursery and Primary School, to assist in the renovation of the school.

Ex-Naval chief sends SOS to govt over land dispute

By Abdulwahab Abdulah

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FORMER Navy commander, Lamina Adeleye Kadiri (rtd) has called on Lagos state government to prevail on security officials from intervening in a land dispute between his firm and one Ayodele Eniola.

In a save our souls message to the government, CommanderKadiri,actingon behalfofarealestatefirm,GKS

Properties, said the call became necessary to avoid chaosaswellaspreservingthe rule of law on a dispute surrounding the land located at Phase 2, Block B parcel 3and4, Gbagada Industrial SchemeonAnthony-Gbagada expressway, Lagos.

According to him, Eniola claimedownershipoftheland in May 2014 and entered into it based on a 1999 court judgment from an Ikeja high court purportedly between

him and the Lagos State Waste Disposal Board and others.

He explained that in 2007, GKS properties purchased two plots of land in the Gbagada Industrial Scheme Phase II from the Lagos State Government.

He noted, “We took quiet possession and peaceful possession of the parcels of land and fenced it, upon takingpossessionofourdirect allocation documents.’’

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016 — 5

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FG now to fight corruption beyond Jonathan administration *To trace huge cash stolen from MDAs *Compiles list of perpetrators, MDAs used as conduits *Agric, road, health, rural electrification, border agency, others in trouble

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

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OW much of cash earmarked by the Federal Government for the execution of peopleoriented projects across the country was siphoned through the back door by influential and powerful politicians for many years running?

This is the big task that the Federal Government has opted to undertake in order to ascertain the exact amount cornered by a few elements and take appropriate measures to recover the cash and punish the masterminds. And this time government is determined to probe the government bodies beyond the President Jonathan administration. The investigation, we gathered will stretch to 1999.

Already, some aggrieved officials of Ministries, Departments and

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Agencies of the Federal Government have briefed the relevant agencies on how the big fraud that has cost the nation a fortune was orchestrated.

The briefing indicated top-ranking and powerful politicians used their influence to smuggle projects into the budgets of many parastatals and browbeat their heads to transfer the money meant for such schemes to them under an agreed sharing formula.

In most cases, the politicians were said to have nominated the ‘contractors’ to the parastatals to sign and collect cash in the name of ‘mobilisation fees’ and disappear without doing any work while those who attempted any job abandoned them midway.

The establishments named in the illicit deals include River Basin authorities spread across the country, where poli-

ticians were said to have turned into cash cows over the years. Others are rural electrification, water and health-related agencies that were used as conduits by politicians for siphoning huge sums of money over the years.

But apparently annoyed by the looting of such public funds by a few crooked persons close to the corridors of power, the Federal Government decided to probe such criminal deals and bring the culprits to book to serve as a deterrent in line with its anti-corruption agenda. The investigation according to the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, is being coordinated by his office in conjunction with relevant anti-corruption agencies with a view to pinning down the arrowheads of the budget fraud.

Malami told Saturday Vanguard in an exclusive interview that the aim of the investigation was to prosecute those who aided and abetted politicians to defraud the nation of scarce resourc-

es and deny the citizens of basic services. The federal government is interested in fishing out and punishing all those heads of parastatals who allowed themselves to be used by influential persons in the executive and legislative arms of government by smuggling non-existing projects into successive budgets and making away with large sums of money budgeted for them,” Malami said.

“You will recall that over time there has been this criminal conspiracy among some levels of government resulting in budget padding by many of the parastatals and the money diverted and shared by some powerful individuals to the detriment of majority of Nigerians, who have been denied vital services. The present administration has taken note of the painful antics of a few powerful elements and we have decided to fish them out and punish them for others to see that corruption is not in the interest of anybody in Nigeria,” the minister said.

Answering a question, the AGF said that the number of agencies involved in the orchestrated crime, had been compiled together with the amount of money lost by Nigeria to the fraud in recent years, but declined to give the exact figure.

Although the minister refused to name the agencies fingered in the budget fraud, Vanguard learnt last night that several of the Federal Government-promoted River Basin Development Authorities, federal road agency, rural electrification outfit and many health and poverty alleviation organisations were suspected to be deeply involved in the scam.

A source in one of the agencies said to have been raided by one of the anti-graft agencies and vital financial documents seized, told Vanguard that the agency was just being used by influential persons in the corridors of power to siphon taxpayers funds without any job being done at the end of every year.

One of the parastatals located in Calabar to cater for Cross River and Akwa Ibom states, is believed to have been actively aiding powerful politicians to make away with hundreds of millions of Naira yearly under the guise of providing water and rural feeder roads, farm equipment and training to Nigerians without any verifiable evidence.

Boko Haram: Army wives should be appreciated – GOC wife ByDaud Olatunji

PRESIDENT of Nigerian Army Officers Wives, 81 Division, Mrs. Eno-Obong Amelia Edet,has said that whatever the success men of Nigerian Army achieved in the fight against Boko Haram, wives of their wives have contributed immensely.

Mrs. Amelia Edet who led members of NAOWA 81 division to 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta to commission of children park and planting of trees commended the Officer Commanding 35, Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Muhammed Sani Dan Walis for boosting the moral of officers.

While speaking on the roles of wives of the soldiers and officers of Nigerian Army, Amelia Edet said “ I think there is no way our spouses could be comfortable defending this country without their families being comfortable and here is where we come in as wives. NAOWA is a platform for bonding, platform for supporting one another, and in doing that, we know that our husbands are comfortable wherever they are posted to. We support one another, and we look after welfare of our members. It is very important.

Cease further hostilities, Mayuku tells two Delta warring communities

By Festus Ahon

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OLLOWING the renewed crisis between Alad ja community in Udu and Ogbe-Ijoh in Warri South West Local Government Areas, Delta State over boundary disputes, the Member Representing Warri South West Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon Daniel Mayuku has called on the two warring communities to cease further hostilities, saying the state government is seeking lasting solution to the age long problem.

Mayuku in a statement, said the recent visit to the disputed areas by the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa was a point to the fact that the administration was not resting in its oars at ensuring a sustainable peace and unity among the people of Aladja and OgbeIjoh. The lawmaker described as sad the development that led to the renewed crisis in the locality, warning those fanning the embers of disunity and hatred among the people of the two communities to desist and allow peace reign.

Mayuku who is the Chairman, House Committee on Education reminded the people that development could only thrive in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility, maintaining that the state government and other development stakeholders can only attract projects to environment where there is peace and security.

Beware of APC as a party, Onuesoke urges Nigerians

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ELTA State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Chief Sunny Onuesoke has advised Nigerians to beware of the intrigues of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a political party. The advice was given yesterday in Abuja.

Onuesoke said when the APC came into power, Nigerians were rejoicing, hoping for change to better their lives, adding that however, the present situation in the country has shown that the party’s change mantra was deceptive.

Onuesoke added that during the campaign in the last elections, APC lured Nigerians with its change mantra, which involved turning around the economic and socio-political lives of the people, and which the party was yet to achieve. He stated that as soon as the party found itself in power at the national level, it denied all the lofty promises made to the unsuspecting masses who voted for the party.

Describing the APC as a party with devious objectives, Onuesoke maintained that ever since the party found itself in power, things have never been the same for the masses as Nigerians have been living from hand to mouth.

Police kill armed robber, arrest one in Abia

By Ugochukwu Alaribe

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OLICEMEN attached to the Uzuakoli Division, Abia State Command, has killed a member of a robbery gang terrorizing the area and environs.

The late gangster, identified as identified as Golden was killed in a cross fire between the police and his gang, while another member, Ekeoma Onuoha was arrested. Items recovered from the gang include a motorcycle and a Jojeff Pump action riffle, was recovered from the gang.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that since the death of Golden and the arrest of Onuoha, the area has enjoyed relative peace.

6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

Tension mount in Lagos: LASTMA official allegedly kills tanker driver in Lagos •We have no hand in the incident—LASTMA

By Evelyn Usman, Esther Onyegbula, Olubunmi Owoeye & Ajewole Tosin

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ELL was let loosed on Friday morning after a 50-year-old, tanker driver identified as Salisu Sanni, was reportedly killed by an official of Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASMA) around Ijesha/Sanya expressway.

It was learned that the driver was knocked down by an official of Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) while he was struggling with a policeman who collected his vehicle keys from him.

According to the motor boy who spoke to Saturday

Vanguard at that scene, “at about 6:30 our truck was intercepted by some security officials. I didn’t know what actually happened between the driver and the policeman, I only heard them arguing. But I saw when the officer pushed Salisu Sanni, and he fell down, unfortunately the LASTMA vehicle rammed over him with their vehicle.”

“We were on our way to Capital oil located at Westminster depot on the Mile two - Oshodi expressway where we were scheduled to load fuel."

Angered by the death of their colleagues other truck drivers blocked the expressway protesting the death of the tanker driver.

The blockage caused severe traffic along the axis for several hours. It took the timely intervention of Rapid Response Squad Commander ACP Olatunji Disu who addressed the union leaders and calmed frayed nerves in order to restore peace and orderliness in the area.

Confirming the incident the Lagos SP Dolapo Badmus said that a tanker driver was intercepted by a team of LASTMA officials at Oshodi Apapa express way by Ijesha, Inward Mile 2. In the process the driver Salisu Sani aka Dangwari was allegedly knocked down by the LASTMA vehicle. The victim was immediately taken to AMC Hospital Amuwo Odofin

where he died. Policemen have been deployed to the vicinity to restore normalcy while all stakeholders are being pacified to prevent further breakdown of law and order. Investigation has commenced to unravel what actually transpired.”

But LASTMA spokesperson, Mamud Hassan, described the allegation as false.

He said “ the incident along Apapa expressway has nothing to do with LASTMA. None of our officials was within the vicinity of the scene. I think the Police must have commenced investigation which will unravel the culprit. I can tell you in all ramifications that LASTMA has no hand in the incident.

Report that our vehicle knocked somebody down is far from the truth,” he said.

May Day: NLC, TUC maintain stance on N56,000 minimum wage …charged FG on search, release of Chibok Girls

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Gabriel Ewepu

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HE Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, have maintained stance on N56, 000 as new minimum wage with other demands to raise workers’ standard of living.

This declaration was made by Deputy President, NLC, Comrade Peters Adeyemi, during a press conference on the activities marking May Day with theme, ‘The Working Class and the Quest for Socio-Economic Revival’, on May 1, 2016 to hold at the Eagle Square, Abuja, and across the 36 states of the federation. Adeyemi said with the current N18, 000 minimum wage workers in the country can no longer cope with the biting economic challenges.

He also charged the Federal Government to intensify effort on the search and release of Chibok girls abducted two years ago by Boko Haram at their school in Chibok Borno State.

He said: “The 2016 May Day National Rally will hold at the Eagle Square Abuja and in all the capitals of the 36 states of the Federation. The theme of this year’s Mat Day is, ‘The Working Class and the Quest for Socio-Economic Revival’.

For the Nigerian workers under the umbrella of NLC and TUC, May Day is a happy and symbolic day when we join our comrades all over the world to celebrate the dignity of labour.

Zuma must face corruption charges, court rules

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The LASTMA officer killed one of the Trailer drivers at Sanya Area of mile 2 along Oshodi Apapa Express road around 6:00am which caused a road block by trailers drivers till now n Friday 29-4-2016. PHOTO;AKEEM SALAU

OUTH Africa’s President Zuma should face corruption charges over a 1999 arms deal, the High Court has ruled. The charges were dropped just weeks before the 2009 election which led to Jacob Zuma becoming president.

Ruling on the case brought by the opposition Democratic Alliance, the judge said the decision to drop the charges was “irrational”. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) now has to decide if it wants to reinstate the charges.

Mr Zuma always denied the allegations which are linked to the government arms deal worth billions of dollars.

Last week, a judge-led commission of inquiry found no evidence of corruption or fraud by any government officials at the time. “Today is a great victory for the rule of law and ultimately we believe that Jacob Zuma must face prosecution and this judgement certainly affirms the view that we’ve always held,” Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane said after the ruling.

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 29, 2016 — 7

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Budget 2016: Senate to produce * clean copy Monday •As G77 Senators rally support for passage of budget

By Henry Umoru

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TRONG indications emerged that the controversy surrounding the 2016 Appropriation Bill would be put to rest on Monday as members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations were having marathon meetings since Thursday.

As part of moves to end the quagmire, the Committee on Friday entered into another round of meeting, with a vow to produce a clean copy on Monday, afterwhich the report would be presented on Tuesday and deliberated on by the Senators for onward passage to President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday for assent.

Friday meeting of the Appropriation Committee members entered into the night as they were desirous to conclude amendment to the document.

When Saturday Vanguard sought to know from a member of the Appropriation Committee on Friday evening how far the Committee had gone with the budget, the Senator in a text message simply said, “we are on now, it is going on. We shall work all night to produce the clean copy.”

A source also told Saturday Vanguard that it was agreed that all the insertions in the budget that were not contained in the main budget document from the executive including constituency projects would be removed from the budget completely to guide against any other friction between the legislature and the executive.

According to the source, it was also agreed that all the grey areas pointed out by the president will be removed by the committee, while the Lagos-Calabar railway project that had generated controversy will be accommodated with the alleged excess funds discovered in the Ministry of Transport budget which were converted to constituency projects, all in the interest of Nigerians.

The source explained that

HE minister of Solid Minerals Development T Dr. Kayode Fayemi,

yesterday declared that the parlous state of economy in Nigeria requires more aggressive approach to industrialisation.

The former Ekiti state governor, also said the era of paying lip service to the diversification of the economy was over.

Fayemi disclosed these yesterday while delivering 3rd edition of Chief (Dr.) John Agboola Odeyemi Annual Lecture with the theme: “Harnessing Our

E

By Gabriel Enogholase

DO State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has sent a message of condolence to the Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom and Edaiken N’ Uselu HRH Eheneden Erediauwa on the passing on to glory of his father, Oba Erediauwa.

A statement in Benin yesterday signed by the State Chairman of the party, Chief Dan Orbih, said, “We would like to express our sincere condolences to HRH, The Ediaken of Uselu, Prince Eheneden Erediauwa, the Benin Traditional Council and the great people of Benin Kingdom on the passing of His Royal Majesty, Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa, The Oba of Benin.

“We take solace in the fact that His reign experienced unprecedented peace and great strides in the sociopolitical development of this great kingdom.

“As a father, he was fair and just. His counsel was wise and he gave it whenever it was sought. We will always remember him fondly”.

FAKE DRUGS: Economics graduate bags five years jail term in Delta

By Festus Ahon, Asaba

T From Left - Right: The Balogun of Aiyede-Ekiti, High Chief Temitope Iletogun; HRM Oba Alhaji Abdul-Mumini Adebayo Orisagbemi, the Attah and Paramount Ruler of Aiyede Kingdom, Ekiti State; Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni 'Rauf Aregbesola and former Chairman, Editorial Board of Vanguard Newspapers, Chief Kola Animasaun, during the courtesy visit to the governor by the Attah, in Osogbo, recently. the National Assembly decided to accommodate the Lagos/Calabar railway project which was not in the original budget for the sake of peace, adding that the rail project was discussed at the committee stage when it was brought.

It was also gathered that at the meeting of the Appropriation Committee, the Chairman, Senator Danjuma Goje was under serious attack, just as the Senators accused him of sidelining them during the appropriation process.

It will be recalled that as part of the reconciliation process between the National Assembly and the Presidency, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yussuf Lasun was mandated to lead a 10-man National Assembly Committee to interface with another 5-man committee from the executive.

The Lasun led Committee has been saddled with among others, the responsibility of harmonizing all the grey areas pointed out by the Presidency with regard to the 2016 budget.

The 15-man committee which has five members of the House of

Representatives and five members from the senate as well as five members from the executive will round off its assignment this week.

But from all indications, members would complete work on the assignment by this weekend.

A source told Saturday Vanguard that first time Senators under the aegis of G-77 have also intervened that the 2016 Budget logjam be laid to rest It will be recalled that G77 had met on Tuesday and resolved to do everything possible to end the disagreement by Friday.

Rising from a meeting held in hearing room 1, Senate complex, the senators pledged to support

Natural and Cultural Heritage for National Development”, at the Conference Centre and Guest Houses, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife. According to him, that many states had to go to the federal government cap in hand to beg for funds over their inability to pay salaries suggested an urgent need for economic diversification.

He added that for several decades, policy makers and observers warned that the country ’s continued dependence on oil as the mainstay of her economy was bound to jeopardize

President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that he delivers dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

Addressing Journalists after the meeting, Coordinator of the group and Senate Minority leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, PDP, Akwa Ibom North West disclosed that the group was formed to help strengthen democracy as well as ensure that there was good governance.

Saturday Vanguard had reported exclusively last Saturday of the formation of the G77with its maiden meeting last week Thursday to among others, help protect the new senators, pave ways for them to work together and deepen democracy.

HE Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State, yesterday sentenced one Mr. Osita Paul Ely, a graduate of Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka to five years imprisonment for possession of fake anti-malaria drugs.

Osita who was arrested last year in Asaba by officials of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, was charged to Court on sevencount charge bordering on possession, packaging, importation, labelling and distribution of fake drugs and unregistered products. The court struck out the other charges after the accused pleaded guilty to count one , which is possession of fake drugs.

APGA faction suspends Okwu

By Vincent Ujumadu, Awka

B

ARELY 48 hours after the factional chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Maxi Okwu surrendered and rejoined the mainstream of the party, the group that calls itself the APGA National Stakeholders Forum announced the suspension of Okwu, for allegedly failing to notify it before reconciling with the APGA leadership.

The APGA forum, which has Chief Sylvester Nwobu Allor as its leader, has been running a parallel structure since the days of the leadership of Chief Victor Umeh.

It was thought that the group would align with the new leadership led by Chief Victor Oye after the change of leadership, but its decision to suspend Okwu for attempting to join Oye to unite the party showed that it still has an axe to grind with some people in APGA. The suspension of Okwu was made during an emergency meeting of the stakeholders of the group at its national secretariat in Awka and the communiqué announcing the suspension was signed by 12 members of the group.

Oba of Benin demise, great national loss —Buhari

By Levinus Nwabughiogu RESIDENT Mu hammadu Buhari P has described the death of

the traditional ruler of Benin Kingdom, Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa as a great national

Economic crises: Era of lip service to economic diversification over —Fayemi

By Gbenga Olarinoye, Osogbo

Edo PDP condoles Edaiken of Uselu on passing-on of father

her long term economic growth and develo-pment.

The minister said the country now faces a future in which crude oil either ceases to be a strategic resource or one in which her status as a producer becomes irrelevant to her prospects for economic advancement within the international economic environment.

Making case for solid minerals as alternative to oil, Fayemi said President Mohammadu Buhari often said that he wants the sector to be a key source of economic growth and diversified revenue base for Nigeria.

loss.

A statement on Friday by his Special Adviser on media and publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina stated that the president received the news of the Oba with sadness.

He however comforted the government and people of Edo state, asking God to grant the soul of the departed peaceful repose.

Part of the statement reads: “On behalf of the Federal Government, President Buhari extends sincere condolences to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, the people of Benin Kingdom and Edo State on the passage of the beloved

monarch who had ruled over his people since his ascension to the throne in 1979. “The President extends special commiserations to Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa and other members of the late Oba’s immediate family.

“President Buhari assures them of the fullest sympathy and solidarity of the Federal Government and all Nigerians as they mourn Oba Erediauwa who will always be remembered as one of the most outstanding traditional rulers of his era.

“As the late Oba goes to join his very illustrious royal ancestors, President Bu-

hari believes that his place of honour in the history of the Benin Kingdom and Nigeria has been assured by his long and highly successful career as a public servant, administrator and chief custodian of the much celebrated culture and traditions of his people.

“The President prays that God Almighty will receive the late Oba’s soul and grant him peaceful repose. He also prays that God will grant Crown Prince Erediauwa the wisdom and courage he will require to build on the laudable legacies of Oba Erediauwa.”

8 — SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

B-R-I-E-F-S

CAN opposes Grazing Reserve Bill ...Submits memoranda to NASSO

By Sam Eyoboka

F

OLLOWING recent escalating spate of violent activities of Fulani herdsmen across the country, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to House of Representatives Committee on Agricultural Production and Services on the incessant clashes between Fulani herdsmen and pastoralists, farmers and farming communities across the country voicing its opposition for the National Grazing Reserve Bill which is said to have passed its second reading in the National Assembly.

The memorandum which was articulated by a professor in the Department of English at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies said the apex body of Christians in Nigeria gives thumbs down to the bill because it believes the National Grazing Bill is a subtle way for the Federal Government to Islamise the nation.

“In order to alleviate and prove our fears wrong, such a bill should never be passed into motion because it is not a legislative issue,” it stated, adding “we are of the opinion that there should be constant dialogue with all the stake holders to formulate a holistic plan that will promote peace, harmony and advancement of our Livestock industry, so that we don’t divide Nigeria into Southeria and Northeria either overtly or covertly.”

The memoranda out-

lined a seven-point recommendation including: “No grazing rights, routes or reserves (3Rs) because it is private business and tax payers’ money should not be used as in other normal private businesses in the country.

“Loans should be sourced for through banks, Federal/State ministries, like other businesses in Nigeria to facilitate their education as an association to improve themselves so that

they can fit in with 21st century Nomad practices in line with the millennium development goals. It is a well known fact that the Federal Government has released billions of naira for Grazing Reserves in Northern Nigeria which we presume should be enough.

“Lands should be sourced at state level or through Northern Governors’ forum where the cows will be in their natural habitat in northern Nigeria. This should not be done by coercion,

IS Royal Highness, Prince Edun Akenzua MFR, the Enogie of Obazuwa and one of the brothers of His Royal Majesty Omo N’oba N’edo Uku Akpolokpolo Oba Erediauwa has debunked claims made by former deputy Governor of Edo State, Mr. Lucky Imasuen published in the Vanguard Newspapers of Thursday March 31, 2016.

In a rejoinder made available to newsmen recently in Benin City, HRH Edun Akenzua took a swipe at Mr. Imasuen for saying that the Benin Leaders of Thought (BLT) a body which he chairs is ‘’doing C M Y K

By Kingsley Omonobi

F

OLLOWING continued scarcity of petroleum prod ucts in several parts of the country, the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase has again directed officers and men of the force to arrest and prosecute saboteurs responsible for hoarding and diversion of the product.

A statement made available to Saturday Vanguard yesterday and signed by ACP Olabisi Kolawole, FPRO said, “Further to the Nigeria Police Force directives on the activities of unscrupulous elements who engage in illegal sale of petroleum products, there is need to make some clarification that the directive was specifically targeted at those who are involved in hoarding and diverting the petroleum products.

“However, those with genuine intention to use the products for their legal and genuine business are allowed to purchase the products.

“The IGP emphasized that no stone will be left unturned by the Police to checkmate those with the attitude of causing discomfort to the innocent citizens in the country.”

DPR seals off 33 filing stations in PH

By Jimitota Onoyume

D

*R-L: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Mr. Fola Adeyemi; Special Adviser, Lagos Global, Prof. Ademola Abass; Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde; Jermaine Jackson of the defunct Jackson 5 and Chief Executive Officer, Arena Plus International, Mr. Kunmi Akinade during Jackson’s visit to the Lagos State Government, at the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, yesterday.

Declare stat e of emergency on ffederal ederal state roads in S’East, rights group tells FG *Gives Fashola 7 days to visit all bad roads

By Nwabueze Okonkwo

A

human rights group, Campaign for Democracy, CD has called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency on all the federal roads in the South East geo-political zone.

CD therefore gave the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Fashiola (SAN) seven days to visit all the federal roads in the South East zone to see

for himself how deplorable they are, to justify the state of emergency to be declared on them.

In a press statement issued to newsmen yesterday and jointly signed by its President, Ifeanyi Odili; its executive officer, Abdullahi Jabi and its National Publicity Secretary, Dede Uzor .A. Uzor, CD mentioned such roads as Enugu/Awka/Onitsha expressway, Ihiala/ Orlu/Umuahia highway, Nnewi/Uga/

Monarch at war with Oshiomhole, ex-Dep Gov over Obaseki’s guber ambition audience with the gover-

H

manipulation, intimidation, enforcement of law or the passing of any bill into motion but with persuasion and encouragement. State governors should be adequately educated on what they stand to benefit.

“Ranches/Reserves should be restricted to state of origin of Nomads or anyone into animal husbandry and the remaining untapped, uncultivated vast land space on the entire planet which happens to be in Northern Nigeria.

Scarcity: IG orders arrest, prosecution of persons hoarding, diverting fuel

the right thing at the wrong time’’ as regards BLT’s search for a proper Benin Person to succeed Governor Adams Oshiomhole. The respectable monarch corrected the wrong impression in the interview that ‘’it was not because BLT heard that the governor was supporting Obaseki that BLT called for a level playing field for aspirants.’’

He said, ‘’in October last year, BLT members heard a rumour that the governor had a preferred candidate for the governorship race. This was discussed at BLT meetings. The chairman was mandated to seek

nor and find out if the rumour was true. Unfortunately, the chairman could not get audience from the governor.’’

Prince Akenzua reiterated that’’ throughout November, BLT was inundated with letters from persons accusing it of endorsing god-fatherism. The accusation was so intense that BLT decided to make a public statement refuting the allegation through a press conference on January 5.’’ The Monarch added that BLT is ‘’ looking for a Benin person who will surpass what our indefatigable and progressive governor has done, or at least maintain the tempo.’’

Akokwa/Ideato connecting Orlu via Owerri highway, Nnewi/Amichi/ Ekwulumili/Unubi/Uga/ Akokwa/Arondizuogu/ Umulolo/Okigwe highway, Enugu/Okigwe/ Umuahia/Aba/Port Harcourt highway, Enugu/ Abakaliki/Afikpo highway, among others.

CD lamented that an average of seven deaths are being recorded within the South East roads per week as a result of road accidents, thereby bringing a total death toll on the roads to 28 per month.

According to the statement, “It is in South East that the worst deplorable state of roads are found which are as comparable as that of Somalia and South Sudan where the people witnessed over 30-year old war, adding, the state of emergency is imperative in order for the federal government to take a holistic approach to avert the continued loss of lives and properties in the zone”.

“It is also in the South East zone that there is worst erosion menace in the country and it is expected that the federal government would at the same time address the erosion issue”, CD further stated.

EPARTMENT of Petroleum Resources, DPR has sealed 33 filling stations in Rivers state for various offences.

Port Harcourt Zonal Operations Controller, Mrs Chioma Njoku disclosed this to newsmen yesterday after a tour of filling stations in the state with men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC Continuing, she said men of the NSCDC also assisted DPR to impound about 4000 jerry-cans belonging to those selling petrol illegally on the roads.

The Port Harcourt Zonal Controller, Mrs Njoku said four trucks loaded with petrol were also arrested for product diversion, adding that those behind the sharp practice will be handed over to the appropriate authority for necessary action.

“This exercise has been ongoing in the last two days.

We visited 231 filling stations in all . Some filling station owners shut down their stations when they heard we were around. We had to seal up 33 of the stations with products that were shut down because they heard DPR was there .”, she said.

Aftermath attack: Fulani herdsmen flee Enugu

By Emrksh Mamah

T

HE Fulani herdsmen and some of their pettytraders have deserted towns and villages in Enugu State, following the attack on Nimbo Community in Uzo Uwani Local Government Monday morning.

This was even as facts emerged that security men drafted to Nimbo to prevent the attack abandoned their duty posts, paving the way for the herdsmen to kill over 40 persons in the community.

Some Fulani and Hausa who sold carrots, suya meat, sugar canes, onions, electronics as well as those engaged in nail cutting among other menial jobs have deserted the towns and villages and joined some herdsmen in the bushes around Amalla in Udenu Local Government and Umuogbo Agu and Ette border in Igboeze North Local Government areas of the state.

The herdsmen had evacuated their cattle from Adani in Uzo Uwani and other parts of the state before the Monday’s attack, which led to the untimely death of over 40 people including a school teacher from Enugu Ezike, Igbo Eze North Local Government, residing in the area.

“Make Naija Stronger” Health Campaign kicks off

A

By Juliet Ebirim

coalition of civil society organisations have launched a campaign to amplify Nigerian citizens’ demands that the government fulfil its promises and save the health system by funding the 2014 National Health Act and allocating 15% of the national budget to the health sector. Anti-poverty organisation ONE and its partners - Nigeria Health Watch, the Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria, Africa-Dev, the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre and the Centre for the Right to Health, are also calling for improved access to lifesaving health services for all Nigerians.

The coalition said: “15 years ago, all African governments made a commitment in Abuja to increase health spending to 15% of their national budget. To address the health crises Nigeria is facing, the coalition recently launched a new public health campaign, calling on the Nigerian government to keep the promise to increase funding for health care.

Successive governments have failed to deliver on the Abuja commitment and Nigerians – particularly women and children – continue to die from treatable and preventable diseases.

The historic Abuja declaration has never been met by Nigerian policy-makers - only 4.37% is allocated to health in the 2016 Appropriation Bill - and the recent National Health Act has not yet been funded nor fully implemented”.

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016 —9

B-R-I-E-F-S

TOMPOLO: I’ve no link with new militant group

Delta Ijaw opens ethnic tone to contentious

BY EMMA AMAIZE ORMER General Officer Commanding, GOC, 2016 DESOPADEC budget bill FMovement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta, MEND, Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo, Friday,

By Egufe Yafugborhi

D

ELTA Ijaw Oil and Gas Producing Communities have described the contentious 2016 Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, Bill now before the state assembly as a display of “injustice and gross abuse of power against Ijaw interests.

The Ijaw oil communities in a letter to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa condemned the “lopsided” allocation of the 25 proposed Centralized Projects in the bill amounting to N3,928,903,844 over which they claimed to be most marginalised among the ethnic nationalities in the scope’s of the commission’s intervention.

The Ijaw complaints signed by Bishop Samson Amajene of Gbaramatu Kingdom among other community leaders stated; “The allocations are skewed against Ijaw, the

second highest oil and gas producer in state, in favour of the Itsekiri and Urhobo ethnic nationalities of the Chairman and the Managing Director of the Commission respectively.

“Of the 25 proposed Centralized projects, the Chairman’s Itsekiri ethnic nationality are allotted six (6) projects worth N1,769,257,11.00, the MD’s Urhobo seven projects

(N572,646,725.00), Ndokwa, four (N330,000,000.00) and Isoko, two (N300,000,000.00) while the Ijaw got a paltry one (1) project of N300,000,000.00. This is provocative.”

Be proactive against Fulani herdsmen, PDP Guber aspirant warns Oshiomhole From left: Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya; Dir. Executive Education, School of Media & Communication, Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), Dr. Mike Okolo; Head, Public Relations, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Adefemi Adeniran with Faculty Member, School of Business Administration, PAU, Dr. Darlington Agholor during the PAU Guest Lecture Series at the PAU Main Campus, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.

Aero airline sacks more than 100 workers

By LAWANI MIKAIRU

A

ERO Contractors Airline weekend sacked more than One Hundred staff of the airline.

Theworkerssaidto havebeen outsourced from a labour consultant to the airline were said to have been sacked via text messages.

A top management source in the airline who does not

want to be named said the workers were not originally recruited by Aero Contractors and so the airline cannot be held liable for their sack. The source said, “Those laid off werenotstaffofourairline.You know in Aero, some departments and duties are outsourced. So what the management did was not to renew their contracts once it expired.

“I can tell you that our staff are in tact and we don’t have the plans to retrench workers.

Wedidn’thavetheneedofthose outsourced and we felt they shouldbewithdrawnfromour services.”

A letter to one of the affected workers said that the sacking was as a result of the ongoing restructuring in the airline.

SaturdayVanguardwasable togetacopyofthetextmessage

announcingthesackingofthe workersfromoneoftheaffected workers.

The text reads: “Dear Colleague, in light of the ongoing restructuring at Aero, weregrettoinformyouthatyour servicesarenolongerrequired and employment with SBL terminated with immediate effect.Pleasereturnallcompany properties to your manager or supervisor. We regret any inconveniencecause.”

Pirates kill oil worker, Mopol, bolt with rifles in Delta waterways

By Egufe Yafugborhi

P

IRATES yesterday shot dead a company staff, a mobile police officer and wounded another before bolting with their rifles during an encounter in Jones Creek, Warri South West council area, Delta

categorically stated he had no connection with a new militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, which claimed to have destroyed the Forcados 48-inch Export Pipeline in Delta State, lately.

Tompolo, who went underground since the Police and EconomicandFinancialCrimesCommission,EFCC,declared him wanted, months ago, asserted in a statement by his media adviserandconsultant,Mr.PaulBebenimibo,thatsomesecurity reports had erroneously linked him to the new militant group.

Hiswords:ItisimperativetostateunequivocallythatTompolo does not have a link with this new militant group. He is not part of the group. It is very unfortunate that Tompolo is still being accused of pipeline vandalism despite several press releases he has made, denying his involvement in the renewed hostility in the Niger Delta region.”

“SincethedeclarationofthePresidentialamnestyprogramme by late President Yar’Adua in 2009, which he wholeheartedly embraced and accepted he has sworn not to be part of arm struggle either overtly or covertly,” he said.

According to him, “Most Nigerians, if not all, are aware of the role Tompolo played in safe- guarding crude oil and gas facilities during the last administration, and he is still doing that for the love of country, humanity and out of patriotism.”

State.

Warri Area Commander of the Delta Police Command, ACP Mohammed Mu’Azu who confirmed the incident said the civilian casualty works for Neconde Energy, an oil firm operating in the Jones Creek.

The incident, it was

gathered, happened in the early hours of Friday as the mobile policemen were escorting the company boat on a Warri bound trip.

A community source told Vanguard, “The boat carrying the mobile policemen on company guard duty were navigating on a 90 horsepower engine and the pirates struck with a 200horsepower which

military operatives have outlawed in the creeks.

“The pirates were heavily armed and took the victims unaware. They killed one of the company staff, killed a Mopol and seriously wounded his colleague and left with their rifles. It’s terrible and it tells you what civilian travellers face in the waterways at the moment.”

Edo election: Ize-Iyamu gets support

By Fredrick Okopie

A

S the race to occupy the government house in Edo state draws near, the governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Pastor Ize-Iyamu has been described as a political jewel of inestimable value to the entire people of Edo state.

Speaking on behalf of the people of Ovia North East local government at a gathering in Benin, Hon. Solomon Odemwingie, reacted to some criticism against Ize-Iyamu by some politicians whom are new comers to the party and seeking nomination as governorship candidate of the PDP.

He said: “Pastor Osagie IzeIyamu is an inspirational icon in the political arena in this state. You and I know that Ize-Iyamu will never, never ridicule democracy. The old and the young see him as an enormous resource person, one of the brightest and fertile minds in the politics of Edo State, a shining light and above all a credible mobiliser.

The leader stated that no amount of blackmail that sway the people of the state from the course of Ize-Iyamu as far as this imminent party nomination is concerned and urged Pastor Ize-Iyamu to distancehimselffromreacting to attacks and concentrate on his project, because “Edo people are looking up to him for quality service.”

BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

A

PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Edo state Chief Solomon Edebiri has called on the state Government to take proactive security steps to forestall any attack by Fulani herdsmen on communities across the state.

Chief Edebiri said this has become necessary in view of the recent incessant attacks on communities in North Central, South-West, South-East and South-South of Nigeria by the Fulani cattle rearers.

In a statement in Benin yesterday, he said, “the Edo state government must not wait until it happens before its starts rushing to put security measures in place. We have had enough warnings from news of attacks in neighboring states. The government must act now.

Chief Edebiri said this has become necessary in view of the recent incessant attacks on communities in some parts of the country by the Fulani cattle herders.

Gunmen kill PDP chieftain in Rivers

BY DAVIES IHEAMNACHOR

U

NKNOWN gunmen on Thursday evening invaded Okposi community in Ogba/Egbema/ Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State and shot dead Chief Lucky Ajie.

Ajie who is a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, was murdered by the yet to be identified gunmen who visited the community in front of his house.

It was gathered that the assailants trailed their victim from a hotel in the area where he was and shot him severally in front of his house.

Speaking on the development, Mr. Chijioke Ejebide, described the killing as senseless and regrettable.

EDO 2016: PDP holds interactive session with aspirants tomorrow •No screening

BY OGHENE OMONISA

A

HEAD of the PDP governorship primary to pick its flag-bearer for the September 10 Edo State election, moves have begun by the party leadership to present a united party that will ensure the party regains its old glory in the state by winning the governorship it lost in 2008.

To this end, a top party stalwart informed Saturday Vanguard, all four governorship aspirants have been invited for an interactive session tomorrow, where the party will, among other issues, reiterate the need for the aspirants to accept whoever emerges winner and work together to support him in order to present a united force to defeat the candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).

The source added that the session will be for interaction, and not for the screening of the aspirants, as earlier speculated.

According to the PDP stalwart, the four aspirants, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, Osaro Onaiwu, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Chief Solomon Edebiri are all expected to attend the session.

10—SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

HORROR IN LAGOS GENERAL HOSPITAL

Patients’ tales of woe, pain and anguish A

BY SOLA OGUNDIPE & GABRIEL OLAWALE

RE public hospitals houses of health or homes of death? This is the pertinent question on the lips of patients seeking healthcare services in government health institutions in Lagos and environs in recent times. To say that government health institutions are overwhelmed and that their facilities are overstretched would be an understatement.

Expectedly, people who check into hospitals face risks. While expecting to get better, some actually end up getting worse.

There are so many unfortunate horror stories about hospital risks, danger of medical complications, and perhaps worse of all, the human errors, which cannot be ruled out.

Indeed, the challenge of seeking and obtaining attention as a patient needs to be experienced to be believed as the patient spends an age battling legion of inconsistencies. It is not surprising that the typical health care provider in the public hospital has lost the confidence of patients.

Service delivery at the average public health centre is fraught with illmotivated staff, poor time management, strikes, and decaying or decayed equipment and other inadequacies

At the primary level of care, nothing works. At the secondary level, activity is at best sub-optimal.

There is shortage of everything from medical staff, drugs and beds, to critical equipment and funds.

Service delivery at the average public health centre is fraught with ill-motivated staff, poor time management, strikes, and decaying or decayed equipment and other inadequacies.

At these hospitals, the average patient is confronted by endless waiting, bad staff attitude, and indistinct or unmarked service points.

Lately, the sick, who have been visiting General Hospitals and Health Centres in Lagos, in search of one remedy or the other, have been narrating various experiences of woe, pain and anguish.

Today’s outlook of many general hospitals is grim. They are overcrowded, short staffed, abundant with collapsed or collapsing infrastructure, meagre funds to provide for medicines and health supplies, etc.

Things are so bad that common medical consumables such as syringes and cotton wool are often purchased by the patient, while in extreme cases, sensitive surgical equipment are reused on different patients without proper sterilization allowing transmission and spread of potentially deadly viral and bacterial infections among unsuspecting patients.

General Hospital, Lagos Take for instance, the General Hospital, Lagos, the pioneer secondary health institution in Nigeria.

Established in 1893 as a military hospital to care for the British Army that were sick during the colonial days, it was formerly known as African Hospital but was renamed the General Hospital to curb racial discrimination.

Since the hospital was handed over to the Federal Government during the nation’s independence on October 1, 1960, and then to the Lagos State Government on creation of the state on the May 27, 1967, it has undergone series of transformations. Sadly, not all the transformations have been positive.

When Aisha Garuba was admitted into the accident and emergency ward of the hospital, it was a demeaning experience. Aisha, who suddenly took ill in the night as a result of an undisclosed ailment, was rushed to the hospital by relatives, who constantly made overtures to the medics on duty to attend to her.

“I went in as an emergency in the night. They took me in and what I remember is that the doctors and nurses on duty were very casual in their approach. They asked for my hospital card and asked a couple of other questions that I felt were unnecessary, but even though I got attention, obviously, the response could have been better,” she told Saturday Vanguard.

Although Aisha spent just a few hours in the casualty ward, what she observed did little or nothing to improve her condition. “I did not go into the main ward but my memory of the casualty ward remains acute.

It was so horrible. There was a stench coming from somewhere and it was bad.

“The environment was definitely not okay for a hospital. The place was overcrowded, it was hot because the ventilation was poor, and there were not enough beds as a result of which some patients were turned back.”

While in the casualty, Aisha saw at least six people die. “They were old people, and I did not know what their ailments were, but the fact that they died just like that was not a pleasant

Continues on page 11

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016—11

•Surgical department

Blood donation section

Patients’ tales of woe, pain and anguish Continues from page 10 thought. In a way, the nurses tried, but that is not a place anyone would want to be. I had to be referred to the Teaching Hospital for follow up.”

In Aishat’s opinion, the attitude of the medical personnel was just routine. “The sense of urgency was lukewarm and not exactly what you would expect in an emergency room. The response time could have been a lot better.

The facilities are old and dysfunctional. I will not recommend that place for anyone that is in need of hospital care. In short, my last word about that place is simple: Don’t go there.”

Usman Tanko’s case was no different. A Keke NAPEP operator, his brother had been referred to the hospital following injuries sustained in a road traffic accident. His argument with the security man at the entrance to the ward drew attention.

Tanko’s complaint was that the security man stopped him and his brother from entering the ward despite explanations that they were only returning to submit the result of the X-ray doctors prescribed for his brother.

“We initially did the X-ray with the hospital’s scanning machine but it was unclear. Their machine is bad so we were asked to go to a private diagnostic centre within the hospital premises.”

Another patient, Idowu Emmanuel, was among the scores of those waiting for attention at the surgical outpatient department. He told Saturday Vanguard how he had arrived as early as 7am accompanied by his wife, but his expectations of keeping his appointment with the doctor were thwarted when the records officer could not locate his case file. Looking dejected, Idowu said it took the best part of four hours before an emergency file could be opened for him. Worse C M Y K

To the average patient, a public hospital is a place where patients and their relatives are treated with disdain, and their feelings or opinions mean nothing to the health workers still, he was given a new appointment on another date.

Deborah Yinusa’s own experience involved her daughter who was on admission and required certain medication to be purchased. “I was instructed to get the prescribed drugs outside the hospital because the hospital’s own pharmacy did not stock the prescribed drugs. In fact the pharmacy was not well equipped and I was disappointed at the standard which is not befitting for such a big hospital. I was later directed to one particular pharmacy on the Island.”

A middle-aged man, who identified himself as Seyi, said he had been attending the hospital for treatment in the past three months and had witnessed the death of several patients. Speaking to Saturday Vanguard in confidence, he said some of the deaths could have been prevented in his own estimation.

When accosted, Taiwo

Akinbami was carrying a urine bag and wearing a sober look. Initially, he declined to comment, but later opened up. “The way and manner I was addressed by one of the nurses made me sad,” he remarked.

“I was seated when I observed that the names of patients were being called, so I approached the nurses to say that I had not heard my name.

But the nurse’s reply shocked me. She was extremely rude and insensitive.

First she asked whether I had my ears inside my pockets when patients’ names were being called. Then she said I shouldn’t bother her because she wasn’t the one that caused my present predicament. I felt so bad by her conduct. It is a shame that someone of such terrible disposition and attitude works as a health worker in a big hospital like this.”

Funmilola Olabuyide who was there to change the dressing on a wound told Saturday Vanguard her first experience at the hospital was nothing good to remember, but quickly added that now she had many friends among the doctors and nurses that help fast-track attention whenever she visited.

“When my husband was first rushed to this hospital two years ago, he was rejected and referred to another hospital due to lack of space. But this year when I was involved in fire incident, they admitted me and gave me good treatment. I have noticed that

they are under staffed and overwhelmed by the large number of patients. This alone is a major challenge. Many of the workers have the mentality of civil servants. They arrive late to work most times and leave early when there are still patients waiting to be attended to.”

The bottom line is that today, at the General Hospital, Lagos, patients complain that the attitude of some of the doctors and health workers is not encouraging. To the average patient, a public hospital is a place where patients and their relatives are treated with disdain, and their feelings or opinions mean nothing to the health workers.

Aside from being overcrowded, some crucial facilities that can aid quick

recovery are lacking. Patients are stylishly diverted to the pharmacist even as a number of essential drugs are not available in the hospital pharmacy. Diagnostic equipment like X–ray machine, are either broken down or unavailable.

While a couple of ambulances from the fleet recently procured by the Lagos State Government are on ground, a couple of decrepit ambulances are still being put to use. At the emergency department, relatives are left to sit on bare floor or stand for hours on end. The front of emergency and casualty department is noisy and disorderly.

The toilet attached to the hospital was under lock and key when Saturday Vanguard visited, and the relatives of patients and other visitors were being compelled to pay to make use of a privately managed public toilet facility within the premises.

Investigations by Saturday Vanguard revealed that some of the reasons for the problems faced by patients in public hospitals are poor staffing, inadequate remuneration, lack of training opportunities, poor facilities and security for doctors.

The working definition of a hospital as recommended by the World Health Organisation, WHO is: “A residential establishment which provides short-term and long-term medical care consisting of observational, diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative services for persons suffering or suspected to be suffering from a disease or injury. It may or may not also provide services for ambulatory patients on an outpatient basis.”

For decades, there has been a growing dissatisfaction with the existing health services in public hospitals and a silent revolution for better health care services has commenced. Currently, it is recognized

that the standard of health services the public expect is not being provided.

A very high proportion of the population particularly in the semiurban and rural areas, does not have any access to health services, which can be used by only the privileged few and urban dwellers.

A way out is for public-spirited individuals and corporations to step in and help out. Arguably, government cannot do it alone.

12—SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

•LUTH

When my brother died in LUTH!

By ONOCHIE ANIBEZE

D

eath never crossed my mind. The worst I expected was his long stay in the hospital.

He had been referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, from a private hospital in Amuwo Odofin in Lagos. That was the beginning of another ordeal that could have been avoided if our healthcare was fairly good.

Yes, admission into LUTH for the treatment of any ailment is usually an ordeal not only for the patient but also for the family going by the account of many Nigerians including this reporter.

My brother, Thomas Anibeze, was admitted in LUTH in January this year. He had respiratory problem.

The mosquitoes that attacked me at LUTH, on my first day, were vicious. Nothings dispels them.

They were special LUTH breed.

It was double wahala for my brother. I imagined that there was no way my brother could have slept under such condition and he concurred. He said the mosquitoes were unbelievable.

We asked for mosquito net. The one the hospital brought was torn in many places. That’s our University Teaching Hospital for you. I bought one for his use.

The ward was not airy. If you felt bad about the condition you had to do something about it, not the hospital. I bought a standing fan. I was told the hospital had standard and that only a table fan would be allowed. We changed it. Other patients had same too.

You try to improvise in many areas. But there are ones you simply cannot help. You feel C M Y K

LUTH is not IT compliant, you are in trouble if you misplace your receipts •Thomas Anibeze ashamed of your country. The toilets will make you sick. What do you do? You manage it.

After few days, my brother complained about the feeding.

Food vendors bring food to LUTH. The hospital does not make use of the kitchen in the wards. They are no longer functional. That’s our University Teaching Hospital for you. We started taking food to the hospital. But that was not for long. On January 30, my brother lost the battle with respiratory disease.

The death marked the beginning of another ordeal. We began what they call clearance before death certificate could be issued so that his body could be released to us. You must go to three to four or more places for the clearance that will prove that you have cleared your bills. If you are not fit then you may have another story to tell, trekking from one part of the hospital to

another, for the clearance that must be done in those different centres.

This is our University Teaching Hospital for you.

LUTH is not IT compliant. You are in trouble if you misplace your receipts. Luckily, my nephew kept all the receipts. From one clearance point to another we walked up and down for this process until I left the young man to do the runs. It was not as easy. There are always queues in such places and one by one they will be screening the receipts and checking with their own documents.

The drugs prescribed and given and the drugs prescribed and not given (when the patient had to buy them himself), everything has to be checked manually. You spend some time doing this. This is a University Teaching Hospital in a 21st century world. No computers to keep records of payments.

Odiegwu (wonderful). This is Nigeria, one of the largest oil producing countries in the world. Need I say shame?

We actually started clearance from the Blood Bank. My brother never

took blood. His problem was with his lungs. He never lacked blood and was never given blood. He was on oxygen. But they insisted that we must begin our clearance from the blood bank because they did not know if he was given blood or not. Can you imagine? And they were attending to him? The Blood Bank officials must give clearance that you had no bills to settle. We moved to the block and joined the queue there. It took a while for them to attend to us. The man in charge was not on seat for a while.

It took about two hours for us to get clearance from there and proceeded to other pharmacies for clearance too . My brother died in the morning. And I wanted to move the body to Enugu that day.

I never knew the system would not make that possible. Sometimes it takes days for people to finish with clearance and obtain the death certificate they need to take the body of a fallen one from the mortuary. This is our 21 century University Teaching Hospital. Poor facilities , poor equipment, mosquito-infested wards that cannot pass cleanliness tests, unprofessional attitude of staff although there are exceptions. Our teaching hospitals are nowhere close to the centres of excellence that they claim.

I made calls before my brother could be attended to. Initially, it was almost hopeless but days after admission it got better when they assigned a doctor to him . The doctor was caring although helpless going by the equipment and technology available in the hospital. I started thinking if our University Teaching Hospital could be the best I could do for my brother. I started searching for one Dr Anumneze, a specialist in that area. I was on my way to track his hospital that Saturday morning when my brother passed on.

And so our hospitals are daily recording avoidable deaths that could easily be handled in hospitals abroad. That’s why Nigerians spend billions on medical tourism abroad? Nobody who has had an experience in any Nigerian hospital would like to resort to one if he can afford treatment abroad. That is the story of Nigeria, the so called giant of Africa. Good nobody ascribes that sobriquet to us anymore.

As I was concluding this piece, I remembered the beautiful piece veteran journalist Uche Ezechukwu wrote in his column in The Sun in 2013. Mr Ezechukwu almost lost his life at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH but God kept him alive to write a piece that remains green in my memory.

It’s a shame such stories are common in Nigeria and nothing tangible happens. Did I hear somebody say s—t happens? But I must add that I have gone to some hospitals abroad and I know that many of our billionaires can set up some of the hospitals Nigerians patronise abroad. I know that if we cared about our healthcare the government could also raise facilities, equipment and the system that could make our university teaching hospitals what their names connote and not what Mr Ezechukwu called University of Nigeria Death Hospital. I feel obliged to share Ezechukwu’s melancholic experience with you as written by himself in September 2013. It is the story of the Nigerian state. Enjoy part of the piece.

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2015 —13

UNTH as a metaphor of a failed state I

BY UCHE EZECHUKWU apologise to my teeming rea ders for this three-week

absence. The reason is encapsulated in my choice of this title which has also become my reflection on the 53rd anniversary of Nigeria’s independence which we celebrate tomorrow. It also happens that tomorrow’s ‘celebration’ will be the last we shall encounter before the bigger one of next January which will mark a century of the attainment of Nigeria as a single ‘geographic expression’, as one of our founding fathers once described it.

On Thursday, 5th of this month, I was undertaking a brief routine trip to my home state, Anambra State, but could not complete the journey. On departure, I was feeling hale and hearty, but on alighting at the Enugu airport on the first leg of my journey, I suddenly took ill. It was with a superhuman effort that I could walk down from the aircraft to the terminal building to meet my waiting friend, Chief Phil Ezeogu, with whom I was going to drive to Anambra State.

I was panting for breath, became feverish, physically drained and overwhelmed. I felt like someone suddenly struck by a juju.

One thing followed the other and a doctor who was contacted promptly came to my aid after I had aborted my trip to Awka but had checked into a hotel instead, hoping to stabilize and return to Abuja the following day. When the doctor arrived, he pronounced that my condition was not good at all and that I would need to be hospitalized. With his initial observations, he feared that my heart was failing. I told him that I would prefer to return to Abuja where I would have the members of my family to care for me at the hospital and where I had doctors who were conversant with my health history. He doubted if in my condition, I could fly.

I could also not go by road because I was gasping for air and could not stay in an airconditioned car. It was by miracle that I had survived the night till the following Friday morning. My friend Phil and I had no option than to agree with the doctor to rush, as early as 5.30am, to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) where he worked.

We drove behind the doctor who hardly took his bath, to the teaching hospital which is situated over 25 kilometres out of Enugu. The doctor who also worked there had insisted that we should get there early enough so as to meet up with the staff that had not gone away from their night shift.

We were there at 6 am and Dr. Umeh enjoined on his colleagues at the Emergency post to take up my case without undue protocol. They did and besieged me like a swarm of friendly bees, checking my temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, glucose level and every other thing. They ruled my case a bad one and pronounced that “we shall admit you here”. As I lay there helplessly, I quickly took in the entire environment that was reeking with urine and my mind conjured the refugee hospitals that I saw so often on the television or a hospital in the war-torn Biafra. I looked around and saw patients lying and groaning forlornly in beds scattered in that open emergency ward. The place was obviously unfit for a Nigerian, I thought, yet, there they were, hoping, as the doctors and nurses worked around the clock, for the best. I silently beckoned to Phil to inform him that instead of being admitted there, I should be allowed to die elsewhere.

Through the magical combination of my friend’s wizardry, wits and with the help and contacts of the Good Samaritan doctor who had brought me in the first instance, I acquired an ‘accommodation’ at the fivestar-like part of the hospital, which is actually a place named the ‘Private Suites’, a veritable oasis in the squalid desert environment of the UNTH, the biggest medical facility in Eastern Nigeria. I had arrived the UNTH at 6am on that Friday, C M Y K

Here is a teaching hospital from which we turn out doctors that would cater to patients, yet it lacks the most basic facilities that are found even at the small private clinics elsewhere but it was not until 5pm that I was finally wheeled into one of those private suites, long after my worried wife had arrived, having driven all the way from Abuja, when she learnt I would no longer return.

In between, I had been dumped at the Emergency hall, watching two shifts come and go, and preyed upon by teachers and their medical students who feasted on me and my misfortunes, with none caring for the extreme pain and discomfort that I was physically and psychologically subjected to. One unit even callously conducted their practical examination with my condition, forcing out barrages of answers from me. It was a veritable nightmare.

But I helplessly accepted my dire situation. Even in that my pitiable physical and psychological state, my wounded mind roved to my secondary school days when one tailor whose apprentice had messed up my pair of shorts had disagreed with me when I queried why he had given my material to his apprentice to sew. He had reasoned with me thus: “Should a barber learn how to barb with the head of a goat?”

Yes, I agreed that medical students should learn and conduct their tests with and on people, like me, who had the misfortune of being brought, in spite of themselves, into

•UNTH

their clutches, as I had been that morning. But I also imagined that part of their training should have included ensuring that a patient received a minimal level comfort before being turned into a specimen.

On that day, I started understanding what it really meant to be a real-life guinea pig of a failed nation and its institutions.

When as a student of the UNN in the late 70s, I had gone to the original UNTH to visit a friend who had sustained injuries from a car crash. I met him hospitalized in a clean open ward, attended to by happy, chatty and polite nurses and doctors, in professional gait and mien; I silently wished that I should also become a patient there to enjoy such lavish care. A patient was treated like a king by a happy and contented crop of professionals. His recovery was quick and assured. But when fate and ill luck forced me into the bowels of the same UNTH over 30 years later, and into a VIP suite, expecting 30 years of improvement, there was no further proof that Nigeria, as a nation, had been hurtling very rapidly in the reverse, during these 53 years of its existence as a nation. And lest you forget, UNTH is of those places which the Nigerian state regards as ‘a centre of excellence’ in health delivery.

I was hospitalized at the UNTH for 12 clear days and emerged mentally damaged and psychologically traumatized by my experiences. I must remind the readers that I obtained the best in personal care and attention that the equally helpless hands around me could afford under the woeful circumstances and conditions that they operate. The nurses at my special ward were perhaps the most professional and polite Nigerians I have encountered in my life. While I cannot say the same about the dedication of some of the puffed-up doctors, I can vouch for the diligence and application of many younger doctors who attended to me.

I must however put on record that for the 12 days of my hospitalization, the consultant who heads the unit that admitted me never turned up for one second.

Even on several occasions when my case took a turn for the worse, and my friend, Phil sent her text messages, she neither replied to any

of those messages, nor picked the calls, not to talk of ever appearing in person. Instead, it was the young house officers and young registrars who were at my beck and call.

Needless to say that without the 24-hour care and attention of Phil and members of his family who shuttled endlessly between Enugu and the hospital to ensure that I lacked nothing, I would have died. I need to stress too, that at the UNTH, our centre of excellence, if you have nobody with and around you, 24/7, you will die! And I am not joking. I do not wish my worst enemy to be admitted there.

The doctors and nurses that attended to me continued to wonder why my blood pressure refused to come down. How could the blood pressure of a social crusader, as me, come down after witnessing how the teaching hospital of my alma mater, the first indigenous university of my 53 yearold nation, has become a huge joke and had truly transformed into the ‘university of Nigeria death hospital’. I had kicked to be discharged because I knew that if I had stayed longer, I would have developed a permanent, and perhaps, incurable mental dent. Those 12 days were a nightmare and without the care of those nurses and my friends, I would have gone raving mad.

Here is a teaching hospital from which we turn out doctors that would cater to patients, yet it lacks the most basic facilities that are found even at the small private clinics elsewhere. I was admitted at UNTH as a cardiac patient, yet there is no ECG machine, cardiac echo machine or the other basic investigation facilities. Unbelievable? But it is true. Even when I could not walk, was ferried by my friend to Enugu, to undergo an ECG and heart echo at a facility privately owned by one of the cardiology consultants at the UNTH. Whether the allegation that the consultants at the hospital would not allow the equipment at UNTH to work so that patients would patronize their private clinics, is true or false, is neither here nor there. The fact remains that the most basic facilities that one finds at the ordinary hospitals are nonexistent at the UNTH (and perhaps at the other teaching hospitals in the country).

You would wonder: as modern medicine is mostly technologically based, and there are hardly any modern facilities at this federal government owned ‘centre of excellence’, why would anyone want to go to any teaching hospital, except to go there to die, or if, as was my case, going there was the final option. What is the notion of ‘excellence’ by our leaders? For how long can the patient continue to rely on the ‘magical’ knowledge of the Nigerian doctor at a public hospital, when is trusted to diagnose and treat ailments without modern facilities to guide him in investigating them? I saw the doctors at the UNTH as modern-day dibias, who work through divination, trusting their limited human faculties. They are like Nigerian policemen who crack crimes without the benefit of modern forensics.

On the very day that I was admitted at UNTH, my blood specimen was taken for the several tests prescribed by the doctors. The results of those tests came out the following Thursday – six clear days after – following the frenzied interventions and complaints to higher authorities by my friend. Yet, for those six days, the doctors had continued ‘treating’ me, pumping me with injections and oral drugs, almost blindly, I daresay. When the results of the tests came out, the doctors were compelled to start adding and subtracting from their copious drug list. Needless to say that when I returned to Abuja and having now gone to a private and modern hospital, where the repeat of those and more tests were ordered, it is looking obvious that my long sojourn at the UNTH had amounted to a mere first aid, while most of the tests had proved defective. Hence, your guess as whether I would keep the appointment given to me to report at UNTH on October 2nd, is as good as mine.

14—SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

Fulani herdsmen told us to vacate our land, insisting they now own our place —Nsukka community leader

BY FRANCIS IGATA,ENUGU

N

C M Y K

atives of the agrarian community of Ukpabi,Nimbo in UzoUwani Local Government Area of Enugu State are now living in perpetual fear following last Monday’s early morning attack spear-headed by over 500 Fulani herdsmen which led to the killing of 46 people.

The community which is about 46KM from Nsukka with vast arable land, was tipped over the cliffhanger in an attack the herdsmen notified the natives of their planned invasion two week before they struck. Yet security operatives who arrived hours after blood splatters enveloped the area, stood akimbo,utterly bewildered.

Traditional Ruler,Nimbo community,Igwe John Akor,who could not hold back tears while speaking in disjointed tone to Saturday Vanguard,described their experience in hands of the fulani herdsmen as,”living in hell”.

The attack which led to the burning of Christ Holy Catholic Church, Odozi-Obodo, at OnuEke, Nimbo, 11 houses, could have been averted if security agencies took the credible intelligence the natives provided to them seriously.

They did not and the results are the killings and arson visited on the people like they have done in other parts of the country. More than 14 victims are in critical conditions at Royal Cross Hospital,Nsukka,Nsukka District

General Hospital and Bishop Shanahan Hospital as at the time of filing this report.

THE PLOT The herdsmen reportedly hatched the plot to attack the community, last week,which triggered tension in the community. The herdsmen were bent on taking over portions of land in the community for cattlegrazing,a stance the community disapproved of. Natives revealed that the herdsmen brazenly told them that their brother was head of state, as such,could takeover land wherever they wanted to graze their cattle at the expense of their host community.

They later assembled about 500 Fulani herdsmen at Ukpabi,Nimbo community to launch the attack. It was gathered that the herdsmen at Adani had, moved these 500 others from Nasarawa State to help them invade the community on the grounds that some of their cattle were missing.

•Victim of The herdsmen attack...lying had consistently critically raped,maimed injured and killed victims of

communities leaving on the Nsukka-Adani-Umulokpa express road. The incident had led to the kidnap of over 15 persons and raping of several women from the area along the Nsukka-Adani-Umulokpa road in the last six months.

Those kidnapped allegedly paid ransoms ranging from N500,000 to about N5 million before they regained their freedom.

SATURDAY VANGUARD’S VISIT A visit at the Ukpabi,Nimbo showed that economic activities in the area have been shut even as the officials of the West Africa Examination Council,WACE,involved in the conduct of exams in Ukpabi

Secondary

School have abandoned their duty post.

Natives especially old women and children were still evacuating their valuables to safety for fear of escalation while the entire area strikes a cord,as a ghost town. A deafening ambience of ghosts loomed everywhere you turned ,an indication that natives in their own fatherland,were cut down in their prime and the survivors now live in fear.

Ukpabi,Nimbo community,will never be the same again as splatters of fresh coagulated blood formed small pools in the area the dare-devil fulani herdsmen visited.

Further findings showed that not even the finger nail of the fulani herdsmen was cut in the attack even as security agencies have not made a single arrest over the incident.

A, native,George Ajogwu told Saturday Vanguard that,”the herdsmen came in buses bearing AK47 rifles,invaded the houses and macheted people to death. The Fulani attackers were led by a police Corporal serving at Adani Police Station in the local government.

“What happened was that the policemen posted to the community left, despite the fact that we pleaded with them to stay till those who would relieve them arrived. But

Continues on page 15

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016—15

Continues from page 14 they did not listen to us.

“Immediately they moved out that morning, the Fulani herdsmen struck. If the policemen had listened to us, the incident would have been nipped in the bud. It was only the Area Commander ’s men from Nsukka that responded.

“I am from this community; what happened affected us. The situation is unbelievable. We cannot say exactly the number of people that died but the death toll is above 20. The Fulani herdsmen had been attacking us on regular basis.

“Annually, we lose two or three people to the Fulani attackers. I am very happy that the IGP is here to witness what the Fulani herdsmen have done to us. On yearly basis, we bury people killed by Fulani herdsmen.

“We do not go to the farms again. We have been crying to the police to help us. The Fulani herdsmen rape our wives in our farms.

“Ralph Ojombo went to the farm when the Corporal came with the same Alhaji that attacked our people earlier before now. The corporal is serving at Adani Police Station.

The youth were there when he came with the Fulani herdsmen and started shooting at the young boys. What saved most of them was that they ran away.

Some of the youths asked him whether he was part of the Fulani herdsmen; he ordered them to shut up their dirty mouths.””

A visit to Royal Hospital Nsukka,Nsukka District Hospital and Bishop Shanahan Hospital Nsukka showed that the fourteen victims who were hospitalized in the hospitals are in critical conditions.

MONARCH WEEPS “The killing,raping,kidnapping of my subjects have come to a head. There is no week that passes by that we do not experience kidnapping and killings by herdsmen. It has got out of hand. It was a black Monday. We have been doing our best to have peace with the herdsmen but to no avail. We have called several meetings,for those of them from Kogi State,Adani and Enugu. We are appealing to the Federal,State and Local Governments,to come to our aid by giving us enough security presence. Again,our vast fertile land is always what they take advantage of. They harass our people and kill them, insisting that they own the land and must graze there having been around for sometime. They tell our people to vacate the place as they are now the owners. They hold our men at gun point in their farmland and rape their wives,destroy the farm and livestock. Our people have not been going to the farm for the past eight months that they laid this siege because they are scared not to fall victims.

“They wield AK47 and other sophisticated weapons. When they meet our people in their farms,they point the gun at them and drive away our people to C M Y K

‘On yyearly early basis, we bur buryy people killed bbyy FFulani ulani her dsmen herdsmen dsmen’

•Corper, Eze Patrick Okechukwu...lying critically ill

We are going to ban the movement of cows from the North to the South East; we will ban and we will make sure that no Fulani person operates here with his cow enable their cattle eat the crops.

We have been going through this hell for the past one year. We are requesting federal presence in form of Mobile Police detachment to mounted here. All the

menace of Fulani herdsmen can no longer be tolerated; so we are out, and we are condemning this act and saying that enough is enough!

Failure to stop this menace in the South East will result to our mobilizing our youths, including MASSOB, and other Biafra agitators to go after the Fulani’s in the South East.

“We are going to ban the movement of cows from the North to the South East; we will ban and we will make sure that no Fulani person operates here with his cow.

“The MASSOB, IPOB and other agitators that are seen as threat to Nigeria we have asked them to go down, but now nobody is seeing these herdsmen as dangerous and a threat to the security of Nigeria; that cannot be accepted.

“Mr. President must do something about this; we will not allow this to escalate in the East and as a church leader, on behalf of other leaders I am saying that we will match force for force. I will declare serious war against the Fulani’s in Igbo land.

“A pastors’ house was burnt in that place; a pastors’ warden of one of our churches was killed; and these dead bodies are now at Bishop Shanahan Hospital Nsukka and up till now nobody has been arrested. How long are we going to continue with this?

“I feel bitter, I feel aggrieved, I feel concerned that APC is failing in its promise to guarantee security of lives and property. Yes they are fighting corruption but they are not taking the issue of security seriously as they ought to.”

He urged the governors of the South East stand up against the menace; “they must not keep quiet; they must rise up; our security men

too must rise to the challenge.

“I want to warn that none of our youth should be arrested anyhow because we cannot open our eyes and allow soap to enter them. We want to warn that any attempt to harass any Igbo man or any community in the South East will not be taken likely. We will make sure that we fight back; we The slain Headmaster, Chief have fought the Civil war and we are Fidelis Okeja saying we don’t want to be dragged into another war.

But the present government must not checkpoints should be beefed up. take it easy and keep quiet when The local vigilante, should be given Fulani herdsmen are having a field day in raping, killing and destroying incentives to do their job.” property.

“We will not take it and we will not South East Governors should tolerate it in South East; that which protect their people - BISHOP has happened at Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani CHUKWUM is a warning that we must stand up and Irked by the massacre of villagers defend our rights and we are ready to in Nimbo by rampaging Fulani defend it.

herdsmen outspoken Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma has warned that Igbo’s will be forced to declare war against Fulani herdsmen if nothing is done to check their menace in the South East geopolitical zone.

Addressing newsmen in Enugu, Most Rev. Chukwuma who is also the Bishop Enugu Anglican Diocese condemned recent killings

by Fulani herdsmen in the South East insisting that such killings can no longer be tolerated.

“What happened in Nimbo community of Uzo-Uwani cannot be tolerated and so we are calling on the Federal Government to declare state of emergency on the Hausa Fulani’s in the East; because these are now Boko Haram in Igbo land which cannot be tolerated.

“The lives being lost over the

UGWUANYI CALLS FOR PEACE Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State who visited the affected villages of Nimbo Ngwoko, Ugwuijoro, Ekwuru, Ebor, Enugu Nimbo, Umuome and Ugwuachara,doled out N5 million to the community to serve as immediate relief and declared two day fasting and prayers for God intervention on the impasse.

The Governor,who wept on arriving the scene,was greeted by decomposing bodies found in the bushes even as he appealed to the Federal Government to quickly intervene and called on the community to embrace peace in the midst of the prevailing challenges.

He,however visited victims at the hospitals declaring that government will pay their bills while Enugu Emergency Management Agency,was ordered to move in,and rehabilitate the people.

16—SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

Nigerians say “NO” to National Grazing Reserves Bill H

part of the country where the Fulanis are more dominant, as it will lead to further crisis particularly in the Niger Delta.

erdsmen depend on their cattle as their means of livelihood the same way farmers depend on crops in their farms. To feed their cattle, the herdsmen, armed with long sticks must lead the animals out early in the morning from their settlement into the bush. In the course of grazing however, the animals strayed into the cultivated farmlands and had a field day on the crops of the farmers. This naturally resulted in clashes between the aggrieved farmers and the cattle rearers using cutlasses, bows and arrows to settle scores. In recent times, cattle rustlers armed with sophisticated weapons entered the scene, killing the herdsmen and herding the cattle away to be sold in other parts of the country. Herdsmen therefore had no choice than to abandon their traditional long sticks for AK 47 rifles with which they now have an advantage over the farmers in any of their confrontations.

In a bid to curb curb these violent clashes, a bill, sponsored by Senator Zainab Kure, representing Niger Central in the Seventh Senate was presented for consideration but was rejected by the last Senate. The Bill has however been revived in the present political dispensation and presently before the House of Representatives.

Titled; “National Grazing Reserve (Establishment) Bill 2016”, sponsored by Hon. Sadiq Ibrahim, it provides for the establishment of the National Grazing Reserve Commission which shall have power to among other things establish at least one Cattle Reserve in each state of the federation.

The Commission is also mandated to: *Manage, control and maintain the Cattle Reserves; *Prescribe the persons who may be licensed to use the Grazing Reserves and determine the type and number of stock permitted therein; *Prescribe the manner in which the Grazing Reserves may be put to use; *Fix charges for the Grazing Reserves; *Maintain and Ensure, in co-operation with the Nigerian Police, the security of lives and property within the Reserve; *Provide for and issue grazing permits to persons grazing within the Reserves; *Develop infrastructure and basic amenities such as clinic, schools, etc within the Reserves; *Demarcate the land boundaries of the Grazing Reserves; *And prosecute persons who graze outside the Grazing Reserves and other offenders of the Regulations of the Commission.

A cross section of Nigerians were therefore interviewed to share their views on the proposed bill before the National Assembly. Majority of the respondents condemned the move by the Federal Government to establish Grazing Reserves for cattle rearers in each state of the federation arguing that it is recipe for national chaos. Cattle rearing is a business and the owners of the business should take care of their business and not being provided land belonging to other people. There were some respondents who believed however that the bill has some merits but cautioned the government to tread cautiously. communities.

DELTA

Steve Ovedje It is a dangerous ploy by the Buhari Administration to jettison •Steve the implementaation of Ovedje the 2014 National Conference which recommended the scrapping of grazing routes for the establishment of ranches. It negates the principle of natural justice and therefore a recipe for violence. The move to take lands belonging to different people and hand such over to an ethnic group would be surely resisted by the people. It is a violation of subsisting Land Use Act and Traditional means of Land Holding. Ranching is the new world order and that •Tosan Atie must be embraced here and now.

Tosan Atie I do not subscribe to the idea or plan

by President Muhammadu Buhari to apportion grazing fields to fulani herdsmen in all the states which is like giving them license to kill. In the last one year since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power, the fulani herdsmen men have killed, raped and sent many innocent lives to their untimely grave. Secondly, these •Bitrus Fulani herdsmen are into their Kaze private businesses. It’s like saying he will apportion special fishing fields for the average Ijaw fisher man at Argungu or other parts of the northern states that their fisher men are predominantly Northerners

PLATEAU

Rev Jeremiah Gado, President of the Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA Such plan only takes care of a certain group of people, while no one is talking about the farmers whose land will be taken and given to the herders.

The Church is not in support of grazing routes, reserve or whatever name, there are cattle in other countries, how are these countries taking care of their cattle?

Mr. Bitrus Kaze Grazing routes, fields, reserves can be seen as robbing Peter to pay Paul. If the farmers’ lands are taken and given to Fulani herdsmen, will you also collect the cattle to give farmers? Who will pay for these lands, is it the federal, State, local government or individual cattle rearer?

Dorcas Kuyahar This is the same evil coming in another form because we are not sure if those who will reside in the grazing fields will not rise with sophisticated weapons and attack the host

•Jeremiah Gado

Ezekiel Sunday Why should government contemplate this evil in the first place? Where did these Fulani herdsmen come from to settle in this state. Don’t they have ancestral home?

Did they fall from heaven with no origin?

Please no one should think of coming to collect my only land in the name of grazing field.

Awwal Usman The plan would be good but all implications should be examined before implementation so that we don’t create a bigger problem while trying to solve a smaller one.

BAYELSA Mr Lewis Dudafa, Business man It is a good idea considering the crisis that has accompanied these Fulani herdsmen grazing in most parts of the country. However, in the South-South or Niger Delta particularly, I do not think the people will welcome this idea of giving out their land exclusively for the Fulani herdsmen. It is like forcefully seizing their lands from them and may lead to more problems. I am of the view that if the government is planning a grazing field, it should be in the Northern

Mr Joseph Saturday Audu, Civil Servant I am in total support of this grazing field and I am surprised that the last National Assembly failed to look at the merits of this bill before striking it out.

In my opinion such grazing field if implemented will go a long way in solving and preventing incessant clashes between farmers and the herdsmen because the herdsmen would be restricted and confined in a particular location which is far better than this indiscriminate roaming and grazing and the attendant problems it is currently causing the nation.

Mrs. Naomi Felix, (Civil Servant) It is not acceptable to us in Niger Delta. We are not cattle herdsmen, so why on earth must we allocate part of our lands to strangers so to speak? This is unheard of. For ages, the Niger Delta have been crying for true federalism and resource control but have been denied even when we profess to be practicing a federal government. If it is the minority or Niger Delta that had been holding the country to ransom in the name of cattle rearing would they have urged other parts to set aside their lands for us? Let us not do things that would alienate other parts of the country. I say no to grazing fields in our states.

Mr Kennedy Okonkwo, (Driver) I think that would not be a good idea, I am not in support of it because the herdsmen have already created so much animosity between them and the farmers, so I would advise the government to jettison such policy as it would not go down well with the people of this area.

The government should think of •Kennedy other solutions rather Okonkwo than compelling other Nigerians to give out their lads to herdsmen. If I may ask how is cattle rearing contributing to our national economy?

KADUNA

Amina Anebi, golfer I don’t support the creation of grazing • Joseph reserve because you Audu can’t just go to someone’s land, take it and give to the same Fulani who are killing the owners of the land.

No matter the space you provide for them, there is something in them that keeps them roaming around forever.

It would amount to a waste of people’s • Lewis Dudafa valuable land and can spark new crisis.

Continues on page 17

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016—17

Nigerians say “NO” to National Grazing Reserves Bill to Igboland.

Continues from page 16

Chidiebere O. Tasie, Businessman We are saddened beyond description at the way President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration have maintained a deafening silence over the atrocities of Fulani herdsmen.

The Agatu experience is still fresh in our memories and now, they have ventured into the South East.

This shows that they are executing a well planned script to take over and Islamize the entire country.

The Directorate of State Security, DSS, should find out why these Fulani herdsmen carry AK 47 rifles. It would also be instructive to find out who authorized their use of the deadly weapon.

Mrs Farida Dauda, Business woman If the grazing reserve as claimed by government will bring peace, I support it. I am tired of people getting killed all the timembecause of clashes between farmers and herdsmen. All I care about is peace, for God’s sake David Onoja I am not only against the so-called grazing reserve; I even want the entire Land Use Act repealed. It is against natural justice to appropriate people’s land into government use just like that.

How can a Fulani man from another place just freely wander into my ancestral land and it is forced out of my hands and given to him. Any attempt to create grazing reserve will be a recipe for endless conflicts between the owners of the land and the Fulani beneficiaries.

Every piece of land is owned by someone and it is very dear to him, no matter how remote.

Usman Ibn Lapai, Public Relations Consultant I think it is the best solution to end this endless crisis. This will settle the Fulani and keep him away from going into farmlands.

If security is also provided for them at the reserves, it will check the problem of cattle rustling. I think we should all welcome it.

• Amina Anebi

OYO

Mr. Andrew Fadason, Author, former Editor, Sunday New Nigeria The idea should be • Farida modified into ranches with Dauda mixed economic activities that will involve youths from the area that own the land.

It should not be taken as a panacea for the endless violence between herdsmen and farmers. All marauders must be found and be brought to book.

My idea is that the ranch should have space for agriculture and animal husbandry complete with basic amenities for both herders, farmers others with allied business and services.

•Usman Ibn Lapai

IMO

Joe Etim (Public servant) I don’t see why these Fulani herdsmen should go about with assault rifles. The impression the rest of us have about allowing these Fulanis to carry guns, points to the fact that there is a clandestine plot to eliminate particular tribes in Nigeria. I think this is another glaring case of Boko Haram infiltrating the Southern States and unleashing mayhem on innocent citizens. Secondly, this is also a ploy to Islamize the country.

Romanus Anyassor (Newspaper Distributor) This is how a fratricidal war of unimaginable proportion starts. The Fulanis have surreptitiously declared war on innocent citizens of Nigeria. If the federal and state governments fail to • Andrew adequately and Fadason conclusively deal with this emerging time bomb now, I see a situation when the affected citizens will take up arms in self defence. If this is allowed to happen, it may ultimately lead to separation of the federating units.

Where were the governments and the security agencies when herdsmen rape our women and young girls, killed, maimed, destroyed farmlands, communities and churches?

I suggest that the Fulanis should be stopped from bringing their cows

Mr. Yinka Adeniran, a journalist It is wrong to be talking about getting grazing reserves for them across the country. This is tantamount to preferential treatment. The world over where people rear animals, they keep and feed them in ranches and not moving them about encroaching upon property of others. Government should make a law that would confine them to their areas. Rearing cattle is a personal business just like poultry, piggery, fishery and farming. Since the government is not giving these people any preferential attention, the Fulani herdsmen too, don’t deserve it.

Mr. Peter Idowu, lawyer In as much as I would support the proposal, its workability is very doubtful. These Fulani herdsmen are itinerant, they are not stationary in one place, how would the government confine them to a place?

Mr Ayodele Adigun, former Secretary to Oyo State Government I wonder why the issue of grazing reserve should be a national concern.

Farming or cattle rearing is a personal business and it is improper to make personal business a national business. You can imagine the government giving them lands in Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross river and many others. These lands, mind you, are owned by families.

How would it sound if you get their lands and give them to a group of people. Just last Tuesday, they attacked my farm and frightened my farm attendants out of the farm. Now, they are afraid to come back. A group of people think that they can frighten us away from our lands. As they value their cattle, we also value our own businesses.

Imagine them coming to my farm with AK 47 riles. They are not robbers. What will armed robbers go to farms to do. Since it is the Federal Government that controls security, I don’t know why these people are allowed to go about with AK 47 rifles. I am sure these weapons are

not registered. In the past, Fulani used to graze his animals with stick and cutlass but now, they are armed with guns. They are everywhere. They caused problem in Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Ondo, Osun, Ogun and now they are in Oyo. It will never work here. We won’t take it.”

create crisis like it happened in south Africa that caused the great trek in 1834- 1837. Government should apply caution because such bill will lead to communal war between the land ownwers and the fulanis.

Okeowo Tope I won’t support such in its entirety Mrs. Deborah Olufemi Badmus because the fulani have said they will The government should not expend their territories from Kano to think of that. We can never Lagos and portharcourt. Now they support it in Oke Ogun because have succeeded in that of Lagos. They they have killed so many people now want to do it in other part of the in our area. It is very risky to give country. If they want grazing reserve them lands. they should buy or lease land because it’s a pure business Mr. Adeboye jobs venture. Israel is a Oluwole, computer desert but it has been engineer able to develop a type This kind of thing of grass that they should not be plant to feed their allowed to sail herds other countries through at all. I see should follow suit. a problem in the The world has nearest future. moved away from These people are nomadic cattle very hostile and nonrearing to having •Oyebola accommodating. ranches like in Australia.

Gbadamosi Their nomadic life has robbed them of good relationship with people. They should stay in their state. If other zones agree, I am sure that people in the South-South and South East can never take it”.

Pa Alake, Businessman Knowing the atrocities the herdsmen committed against Yoruba in Ilorin several years ago, no Yoruba man would welcome such an idea. They cannot be trusted at all.

They are ruthless and violent. Nobody invites trouble to be with him. Imagine what they did and are still doing in the North where they would kill and burn down a whole town and village. Who will allow such people to come here. Never.

ONDO

•Tope Okeowo

Gbadamosi Oyebola I won’t support it if the fulani wants to expand their business, they should find grazing land in their state and create ranches, passing the bill into law will be at the detriment of other occupation like farming. The National Assembly should not pass the bill into law. The governors in the north should accommodate the herdsmen instead of spreading their tentacle towards the south and causing havoc.

Yinka Oladoyinbo I do not support it.

Even in advanced countries what is in vogue is that they build ranches for their herds. It’s another attempt to rid •Yinka people of the land .

Oladoyinbo Since it is a private business why should Federal government uses our commonwealth to service few individuals who are herdsmen . It’s unthinkable, it should be condemned by all and sundry.

Seun Akingboye I do not support such because it is a way of giving the land of Mrs. Mary the people to the Kolawole fulani herdsmen It is unacceptable. even outside their It’s a kind of own region, if oppression on such bill is others. Why take passed, it is a people’s land to way of taking the satisfy others land from owners because you want •Ayodele and giving it to the satisfy the interest of Adigun northerners. There few individuals in the will always be conflict north . Why should and crisis. Government government even think of should be careful such. They should not to stay clear of our land. Ranches should be made for them in the North.

•Pa Adeleke

•Deborah Olufemi

To be continued

18—SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

TWICE A MONARCH: The life and times of Oba Olateru Olagbegi Ii-the Olowo of Owo (1910-1998) •The great Oba with over 140 children whose father had

300 wives five of whom remained virgins at his passing

By Femi Kehinde OWO IN THE EYES OF HISTORY estiny, being a harbinger, has an uncanny hand, in the affairs and conduct of human life.

Oba Olateru Olagbegi II, was Olowo of Owo, between (1941-1966) and later (1993-1998). Owo is an ancient city in the present day Ondo state of Nigeria. The town- Owo derives its name from its first ruler named “Ojugbelu” because of his pleasant manner. He was a respectful, amiable and humble monarch. This was how the name of the town “Owo”, which means “respectful” was derived.

In Owo, there are three principal ruling families or houses- Ogunoye, Ajike and Olateru Olagbegi. In recent times, there were six Olowos- Olagbegi Atanneye I (1913-1938), Olowo Ajike Ogunoye (1938-1941), Olateru Olagbegi II (1941-1968), Olowo Adekola Ogunoye II (1968-1992), Olateru Olagbegi II (1993-1998) and the present monarch, Olateru Olagbegi III (1999-date).

D

OLAGBEGI FALLS VICTIM OF WESTERN CRISIS Sir Olateru Olagbegi II, (Olowo of Owo), born in 1910, was appointed the Olowo, of the ancient city of Owo, in 1941 and ruled for 25 years, before he was deposed in 1968. His dethronement from power and exile was as a result of the fall out of the Western Regional crises, which fractionalized the Action Group into the Awolowo and Akintola camps at the Jos Conference of the Action Group Party in 1962. Members of the Akintola Group were virtually expelled from the party. The Action Group, which was launched in Olagbegi’s Palace in 1951, was led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. A battle of wits, between the two gladiatorsAkintola and Awolowo, saw Oba Olateru pitching his tent with Akintola.

Another prominent Owo citizen and acolyte of Oba Olateru Olagbegi- Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin, pitched his tent with the Awolowo group.

OLAGBEGI AND AJASIN Michael Adekunle Ajasin and Olateru Olagbegi were initially colleagues, friends, soul mates and pathfinders in the growth and development of the city of Owo. Michael Ajasin was born on the 28th of November, 1908. He was a teacher C M Y K

and a School Headmaster in Sapele, present day Delta State, before he was admitted to Fourah Bay College Sierra Leone, in 1943 where he obtained a Bachelors Degree in History and Economics in 1946.

After a successful completion of his University Degree, he went to London, where he obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Education in 1947.

Olateru Olagbegi was instrumental to the community scholarship granted Ajasin to pursue his educational feats.

On the 12th of September 1947, Ajasin was appointed Principal of Imade College Owo, founded by his friend Oba Olateru Olagbegi and was Principal until December 1962, when he left to become Founder, Proprietor, and Principal of Owo High School, from 1963-1975.

As Principal 0f Imade College, Michael Ajasin was still very active and prominent in the Community politics of Owo, the Regional and National Politics of the Western Region and Nigeria respectively.

Through the support and encouragement of his friend, the Olowo Olagbegi II, he was elected Member of the Federal House of Representatives, representing Owo Federal Constituency, between August 1954 and 1966, when the Military overthrew the Civilian government in the First Republic.

OLAGBEGI, AJASIN AS SWORN ENEMIES Olagbegi and Ajasin as a result of the political feud became sworn enemies. Olagbegi was a prominent member and leader of Akintola’s NNDP (Demo) and Minister without portfolio, while Ajasin was a Federal Legislator. The Military putsch of January 1966, encouraged the Owo community to organize persistent revolts, riots and mayhem against Oba Olateru Olagbegi II and this forced the Adekunle Fajuyi government to suspend him from the throne in June 1966.

OLAGBEGI SUSPENDED, FAJUYI KILLED A month after Oba Olagbegi’s suspension, Fajuyi was killed in a counter coup that also saw to the killing of the then Head of StateGeneral Agunyi Ironsi in Ibadan on the 29th of July, 1966. On the 15th of December 1966, the suspension order on Olagbegi was revoked by the new Governor, Brigadier Adeyinka Adebayo, but Olagbegi could not,

•Oba Olateru Olagbegi Ii-the Olowo of Owo

however, return to his domain due to unfavorable security reports and the new government would not want to be seen as imposing Olagbegi on his people.

On the 14th of February 1968, Oba Olagbegi finally made the move to return to the ancient city but was violently resisted by his arch rivals in Owo. In the early morning of that day, Oba Olagbegi accompanied by some of his friends from Ibadan- Mr. Oduyoye Majekodumi (father of Honourable Babatunde Oduyoye, former deputy whip in the House of Representatives, National Assembly from 1999-2007 and member of the House of Representatives, representing Ibadan North West and South West Federal Constituency of Oyo State) and one Prince Ojo; but instead of allowing Oba Olagbegi’s free movement, Oduyoye, and Prince Ojo were arrested by the Police and Olagbegi was escorted by the Police back to his home in Ibadan.

GOVERNOR ADEBAYO BANISHES OLAGBEGI TO OKITIPUPA Later in the day, Governor Adebayo announced in a state broadcast, that he was instituting an enquiry into the disturbances in Owo, following Olagbegi’s return. Quite Interestingly, within 24 Hours of the announcement, the governor also announced an order deposing Olagbegi from the throne and banishment to Okitipupa.

One February 16 1968, Olateru Olagbegi was taken to Okitipupa guest house where he stayed for one year and one month. He left Okitipupa on the 18th of March 1969.

The government set up an enquiry led

by Mr. Bode Kumapayi whose

report up till today, has not seen the light of day.

The deposition and subsequent banishment of Oba Olagbegi in February 1968 was a turning point, sad tail and dark eclipse in the history of Owo. ARSON AGAINST OLAGBEGI’S PROPERTY - WHAT HE LOST As a result of the violence, arson and destruction in Owo, about 99 houses belonging to Olagbegi’s supporters, as well as his personal houses were destroyed with fire.

Olagbegi’s properties that were destroyed were as follows: Storey Building at 23, Oludasa Street Owo, worth £3000, personal effects destroyed worth £6042.2S, properties of 15 Oloris and other 10 properties worth £5000, properties at Old Maternity Home-King’s Terrace worth £400, Three Storey Building, at Olagbegi Street, Owo- Old Maternity valued at £3000, storey building at Oke Ogun (near Esso)-partly damaged, worth £1000, Storey building at Oke Ogun (near Imade),- partly damaged.

Also destroyed were storey building at Ikare Road, worth £3000, partly damaged. Storey building at St Mary’s College Road-partly burnt, also worth £3000, three Storey Building at Imalefealafia Ibadan, worth £3,500, farm huts at Isho- 12 rooms worth £500, destruction of farms worth £1000, two Land Rovers burnt worth £4000, 15 bicycles burnt worth £405. The total value of properties destroyed was valued at £36, 548.2S HOW OLAGBEGI MADE HIS MONEY As Olowo, Olagbegi’s annual salary was £1,116 a year. He, however, did not rely on this income alone, he was a big farmer and the proceeds from his plantations-cocoa, coffee, citrus and palm trees, helped him to

Continues on page 19

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016—19

The great Oba with over 140 children whose father had 300 wives five of whom remained virgins at his passing Continues from page 18 educate his children, who were numerous, the welfare of his family and also make financial contributions to the progress of Owo. Olagbegi also, earned rents from his buildings, which he built with the sweat of his toils. He was throughout his life, a lover of table tennis and lawn tennis, which he also passed on to his children.

Sir Olagbegi’s properties and those of his relatives which were damaged, were estimated to be worth more than £100,000.

ADEKOYA OGUNOYE EMERGES NEW OLOWO Less than a month after Olagbegi’s deposition, Oba Adekola Ogunoye, ably supported, by Chief Adekunle Ajasin emerged the new Olowo of Owo. On the 7th of August, 1968, an instrument, titled Olowo Chieftaincy Declaration was introduced by the Western Region Ministry of Local Government, to give legal backing to the installation of Oba Ogunoye.

Several administrative moves were made by Olagbegi and his supporters to restore him back to the Royal Stool quite unsuccessfully.

In 1977, Olagbegi again attempted to return to Owo, but this move was also fiercely resisted by his antagonists when Ondo State was newly created.

OWO DIVIDED Protests by his antagonists, went to the government, warning against the return of the exOlowo.

Evidently, there were two schools of thought in Owo, namely: - One supporting the return of Sir Olagbegi to the throne and the other irrevocably committed to preventing his return to Owo. The military government of Wing Commander Ita David Ikpeme, set up a Commission of Inquiry, known as Ondo Chieftaincy Review Commission, headed by Justice Adeyinka Morgan, Former Chief Justice of the Western State, to undertake a review of Chieftaincy Laws of Ondo State.

Other Members of the Commission were Dr. Femi Anjorin- (later Professor) Department of History, University of Ife, Chief J.O Akindolire from Ile-Oluji and Bode KumapayiPermanent Secretary in the Civil Service of the State.

The Commission began sitting in Owo on the 28th of November 1977.

The Commission could not complete its assignment, due to the ill health of the ChairmanJustice Adeyinka Morgan.

Sir Olagbegi came to Owo for the first time in 11 years, to submit his Memorandum. His arch-rival and antagonists also gave evidence before the Commission.

Quite interestingly, Olagbegi’s foe, former friend and soul mate, emerged the first Executive Governor of Ondo State on the 1st of October 1979.

AJASIN EMERGES ONDO

C M Y

GOVERNOR Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin was a very principled, highly disciplined man, who lived a Spartan life. He was an undisputed political leader in Owo and had paid his dues in politics, rising from the lowest rank as a Ward Councillor, District Council Chairman, Deputy Council Chairman, Federal Legislator, and Vice President of the Action Group.

In 1951, he wrote a paper that was to become the Educational Policy of the Action Group advocating free education at all levels.

To his singular honour, he was known never to have jostled or fought for any political position, but those offices came to him quite naturally. It can only be imagined what Owo Kingdom would have been, without the Ajasin and Olagbegi crisis?

Olagbegi, as Royal Father was influential, celebrated and dignified. It was their joint influence, (Olagbegi and Ajasin) that made the Action Group to be inaugurated in 1951 at the Olowo’s Palace.

On the 6th of September, 1980, Ajasin as Governor of Ondo State, appointed Justice T.A Oluwole, to continue where Morgan in 1977, as Chairman of the Owo Chieftaincy Review Commission, stopped.

Oluwole submitted his Report in February 1981, without reinstating Sir Olagbegi as the Olowo.

OLAGBEGI’S COURT BATTLES On the 5th of February, 1981, Sir Olagbegi filed a suit at the Akure High Court, challenging his deposition Order in 1968. He was represented by Chief Rotimi Williams S.A.N, ably supported by other lawyers, including Olagbegi’s

The deposition and subsequent banishment of Oba Olagbegi in February 1968 was a turning point, sad tail and dark eclipse in the history of Owo

son- Victor Folagbade Olagbegi, now the Olowo.

He averred that the order which first suspended him in 1966 and deposed him in 1968, was unconstitutional and illegal. Olateru Olagbegi II lost this case on the ground that the 1979 Constitution does not have provision to review a Right that was stale and that Olateru ought to have challenged his deposition then and not to have waited for 15 years to seek redress.

The presiding judge who was at that time the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Olakunle Orojo struck out Olagbegi’s application, with a N1000 cost against him.

Prince Folagbade Olagbegi, the lawyer son of Olateru, called to the bar in 1968, appealed the matter before Justice Mamman Nasir, who was the President of the Appellate Court and with other Justices- B.O Kareem, S.J Eteh, J.A. Agbaje and B. Okagbo.

The lead judgment of Justice Mamman Nasir, upheld the judgment of the lower court, that the 1979 Constitution had no retrospective effect to deprive the incumbent Olowo- Oba Joseph Adekola Ogunoye and the government of their right.

The Appeal Court further awarded the cost of N800 against Olateru Olagbegi as appellant, and thus ended for a while the legal battles to secure the return of Olagbegi to the Royal Stool.

However, quite fortuitously and providentially, what Olateru could not achieve through legal battles, he achieved through patience, endurance, perseverance, doggedness, resoluteness, uncommon faith and belief in his eventual return to the throne.

OGUNOYE’S MYSTICISM, DEATH AND OLAGBEGI’S RETURNS TO THE THRONE Olowo Adekola Ogunoye died in November 1992, after reigning as Olowo for about 25 years, paving the way for Olateru to return to the throne.

Oba Joseph Adekola Ogunoye, was a Monarch, believed to be endowed with mystical, mythical and magical powers. Oba Adekola Ogunoye was a no-nonsense man. If he cursed, same would come to pass. At a time, a man beat up his wife, at Ehin Ogbe and the wife came to report to Olowo, who invited the husband to His Palace.

He came in, but stood at the entrance of the Palace and said “yes!?”

The Palace chief then told him to kneel down in obeisance to the Olowo, but he refused, claiming that his own Oba has not returned; (apparently referring to the deposed Olagbegi). He then used abusive words against the Olowo. The Monarch, apparently angered by the

blatant show of disregard and disrespect to the Royal Stool, cursed him and said he would be killed by a Buffalo.

On the fifth day after this statement, a Buffalo killed him.

The Igogo festival is usually held annually in Owo in September and lasts for about 17 Days.

During this festival, the Olowo dresses in Coral Beads Crown and also, plaits his hair like a woman and dances round the city.

Olowo Ogunoye was so frightened of the eventual come back of Olateru Olagbegi to the throne and would not, most times, hold the Igogo festival, because of the belief that, perhaps, while dancing round the city, Olagbegi would have taken over the palace. Such was the level of mutual distrust, antagonism, and fear that pervaded the city of the Owo during 25 years of Oba Ogunoye as Olowo.

The Governor of Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olomilua approved Olateru Olagbegi’s return, which he did triumphantly in 1993.

Olateru Olagbegi, reigned again for about 5 years, until he joined his ancestors in 1998, leaving his lawyer son, Victor Folagbade Olateru Olagbegi, to succeed him in 1999. The Olateru Olagbegi family is one of the largest and educated families in Yoruba land. Oba Olateru Olagbegi was reputed to have had over 140 children, and that about 121 are University graduates.

Oba Olateru Olagbegi’s father, Olagbegi I, was also reputed to have had about 300 wives, and that by the time he passed on, five of his wives were virgins.

Owo has the largest Palace in Africa, which was also declared a National Monument by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The Olowo’s Palace has as many as 100 Courtyards. Each courtyard had a specific function and was dedicated to a particular deity. The largest of the courtyards, was said to have been about twice the size of a football field. The courtyards were beautifully paved with ornamentals and broken pottery. The palace seats on about 9.5 Acres of Land.

Owo’s current reigning monarchVictor Folagbade Olateru Olagbegi III, born on the 26th of June 1941 was the eldest child and first son of the late Olateru Olagbegi II, whom he succeeded as Olowo of Owo in 1999. A Barrister-at-Law, he was called to bar in 1968 he had four children through his wife Barrister Bisi Olateru Olagbegi (Nee Cole) now late and until her passage, a human rights activist.

Oba Victor Olagbegi had his initial Law practice in the Chambers of F.R.A Williams until 1975, when he joined the Nigerian Law School as a lecturer.

He was also between 1981 and 1983, Special Adviser, Legal Matters to the Second Republic Vice-President- Dr. Alex Ekweme and after the collapse of the Second Republic, he went back to the Law School, from where he retired as a reader in 1991.

Olowo Victor Olagbegi III was former Chancellor of the University of Benin, Chancellor, University of Abuja and is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

Olowo Titus Olateru Olagbegi II initially reigned for 25 years, left the throne for about 25 years and came back as Olowo for about five years, before he was finally succeeded by his son.

Oba Olagbegi II, despite all the travails and vicissitudes of life, remained throughout his life, a distinguished Monarch.

He was elegant, dignified and throughout his chequered reign as Oba, had the carriage, poise, charisma, aura and splendor of Royalty all around him.

It is now a duty call for the Owo people, to continually celebrate this unusual Monarcha cat with nine lives!

•Hon (Barr) Femi Kehinde Former Member, House of Representatives National Assembly Abuja, representing Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa Federal Constituency of Osun State, (1999-2003) & Principal Partner Femi Kehinde & Co (Solicitors) 84, Iwo Road, Ibadan.

20 — VANGUARD, SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2016

Unending repairs of refineries: The billions gone so far

By Michael Eboh ews that two of country’s N refineries have resumed production, with the third

scheduled to resume production in the next few days, might have raised hopes of a speedy resolution of the fuel crisis, but one major issue of concern is how much is the refineries constant shut down, repairs and maintenance costing the nation and when would the refineries be fixed once and for all.

In spite of recent claims by the NNPC that the resumption of the refineries would help reduce the impact of the fuel crisis and help reduce importation, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, had a few days ago pointed to the contrary.

Particularly, Kachikwu, had in March, stated that at that point in time, importing Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol, is cheaper than producing the product in the country’s refineries.

Kachikwu had told newsmen that even if the current set of refineries were working on a 100 per cent basis, they would only be able to account for 20 million litres of PMS per day, about 50 per cent of the country’s total consumption. This means that the country would still resort to importation to meet up with the shortfall.

He stated that until the upgrade and total refurbishment of the refineries are concluded, as well as ensuring that the pipelines are fixed, it would be uneconomic and very expensive

•Refinery

to refine PMS locally.

He maintained that local refining of PMS would make much more economic sense if all the refineries undergo full set of repairs and Turn-Around Maintenance, TAM, and when new refineries are set up in the country through the co-locative initiative.

He said: “Most modern refineries are configured in such a way that your stock of PMS outage is a lot higher, 70 to 80 per cent. So when we do import the product, we actually save money; we get it less expensive than when we do it here.

“But having said that, the reality is that until we have alternatives in terms of colocative refineries which we are looking at; until we finish the total refurbishment to improve and upgrade the refineries, it does not make sense to use it with some of the deficiencies.

“This is because distribution is key. If you have product in Kaduna for example, pumping into the north becomes easy as opposed to moving, as we do whenever we have a crisis – trucks all the way from Lagos and Oghara, out to the north.”

Political Editor

The other ‘deadly’ politics in National Assembly

The intrigues that have lately enveloped the appointment of a new Clerk of the National Assembly, CNA may have shocked many Nigerians, but it is not surprising considering what is at stake. The CNA is the head of the National Assembly bureaucracy with perquisites and pay equivalent to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

The powers of the clerk are also awesome, and he or she is the one who presides over the election of the presiding officers. On the inauguration day, the CNA is perhaps the most important person in the legislative branch of government, given his ability to interpret the rules that guide the elections.

The awesome power of the clerk in this dispensation was first manifested in 2007 when the then CNA, Alhaji Nasir Arab turned his back to the Senate rule on ranking and allowed Senator George Akume to stand in the leadership election against Senator David Mark. Though never

established, the speculation at that time was that Arab was swayed by the relationship between the then Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, DCNA, Mr. Yomi Ogunyomi and Akume, who were contemporaries at the University of Ibadan.

Mr. Ogunyomi, was the second DCNA ever in the life of the National Assembly having succeeded Arab, the first person to hold the office and for whom the office was created.

Arab became the DCNA when he was at the point of being promoted from Clerk of the House of Representatives to Clerk of the Senate. However, for some reasons the Chuba Okadigbo Senate was not disposed to having Arab as Clerk and so the office of DCNA was created and it became Arab’s lot. He eventually became the CNA on the retirement of the then CNA, Ibrahim Salim.

Following Arab’s

In addition, almost on a yearly basis, billions of naira are spent on the repairs or Turnaround Maintenance (TAM) of the country ’s refineries, yet, the refineries hardly operate for up to 90 days in a year. Whenever the refineries resume production after a lengthy repair work, they hardly operate for up to 30 days before they are shut down again; and this cycle continues, year in, year out.

Specifically, a few weeks ago, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, disclosed that the country requires $500 million, about N100 billion to fix all the refineries. This was irrespective of the fact that almost similar amount was spent on fixing the refineries at the twilight of the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

In 2012, the then Acting Director of Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Company, WRPC, Engr. Samuel Babatunde, disclosed

appointment as CNA the then Clerk of the Senate, Ogunyomi who had earlier been the Clerk of the House of Representatives and subsequently promoted to Clerk of the Senate emerged as DCNA and eventually emerged as CNA when Arab retired from service.

Some intrigues, however, emerged after Ogunyomi’s retirement when for the first time a non-legislative expert in the person of Alhaji Maikasuwa was appointed as Clerk of the National Assembly. For whatever reasons, Mr. Ben Efeturi, one of the most experienced legislative staff in the National Assembly who was Clerk of the Senate was passed over for the post of DCNA and Mr. Adejokun Olumiyiwal from the House was appointed as DCNA. When Mr. Adejokun retired from service, Mr. Efeturi was eventually promoted to the office of DCNA working under Maikasuwa.

With Maikasuwa now about to exit the service, the plan by the National Assembly Service Commission to leapfrog the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Mr. Sani Omolori to become the CNA ahead of the incumbent Clerk of the Senate and the DCNA is now the subject of much controversy.

The president of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki is particularly miffed by the move and

that the Federal Government had budgeted N94.2 billion for the Turn Around Maintenance, TAM, of the Warri refinery, while almost similar amount ($463 million) was budgeted for TAM of the Port Harcourt refinery.

In 2013, $1.6 billion was budgeted for TAM for the four refineries, with the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani AlisonMadueke, stating that over 75 per cent of the spare parts maintenance on the Port Harcourt Refinery had already arrived the country, while the original builder of the refinery had been paid $32 million for the TAM. She had stated that the TAM for the Port Harcourt refinery would cost $147 million while modernisation of the refinery would cost $406 million.

In the early days of 2015, the NNPC contracted local engineers to fix the four refineries for N99 billion. The refineries only functioned for less than two months before it shut down.

Between 2015, after President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn into office, the country had undertaken two repairs of each of the refineries, as well as several repairs of the

country’s pipeline network.

So, it was viewed as irritating in some quarters, when Kachikwu told members of the National Assembly that the country requires $500 million to fix the refineries.

However, realizing that the country is facing a cash squeeze, Kachikwu said the government is considering the co-location option, whereby, private investors are allowed to build new refineries beside the existing refineries, so that they can make use of the existing facilities serving the refineries.

To this end, stakeholders are hopeful that the co-locative refineries’ initiative will address the problem of local refining of crude oil and fuel

imports once and for all, and also help the country save the huge resources it is expending on the unending repairs, TAM and servicing of the refineries.

his instruction to the Chairman of the NASC Dr. Adamu Fika to reverse the appointment of Omolori as acting CNA has been publicly rejected by Fika.

Some allege that Fika may be banking on the fact that Saraki’s troubles at the Code of Conduct Tribunal may diminish his capacity to fight, but he may well forget that when it comes to the NASC, that the law establishing it does not even give the president the right to appoint the members.

Indeed, given the established pattern of promotion from Clerk of the House to Clerk of the Senate and then DCNA and CNA, the question as to why Fika wants to disregard that pattern and leapfrog Omolori to CNA is an issue that is now even dividing the National Assembly Service Commission.

Even more pernicious was the open letter of seven of the 12 commissioners who strongly dissociated themselves from Fika’s action. They accused Fika of acting unilaterally and against the decision as taken by the majority of the commissioners as they warned him that being chairman did not mean that he was the commission.

Whither PDP?

The decision of the National Executive Committee, NEC of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to zone the office of national chairman to the Northeast inevitably positions the incumbent chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to retain the position in the forthcoming national convention.

What becomes of the party is now anybody ’s guess given the undying opposition of party puritans and Southwest chieftains to the emergence of Sheriff.

SATURDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, APRIL 30, 2016 —

T

he scene is familiar. She breezes past security, past the Secretary or the P.A and barges into Oga’s office where he is having a meeting with his key staff. The staff look at her and she looks at them unabashedly. Oga gets up and says lamely ‘I’ll call you guys back later’. Now it doesn’t matter whether she is a wife or a favourite mistress. She has broken protocol, breached rules and disrupted the legitimate activities of an institution.

And because she gets away with it, she will do it again. That is impunity. A big man drives into an estate and refuses the routine check on the car by refusing to open his boot. He dares the poor security man to apprehend him. Again, it doesn’t matter whether he is a resident or a visitor. He has breached the rules, compromised safety and escaped sanctions. It is impunity. It gets worse when the security personnel is beaten black and blue for daring to enforce the rules as happened in the National Assembly in 2009 and the system was unable and unwilling to protect him. A body of lawmakers could not enforce its own laws!

Impunity simply means ‘unpunished’ and many of us have escaped being punished for brazen acts because of our disposition to crimes and punishments as a Nation. Unfortunately, our leaders, because of their belief that they are truly above the law, have widened the impunity horizon. Last week, the papers were full of the story of how a man in the convoy of the Controller General of Prison Services harassed and slapped Ms Mrakpor who is a National Assembly member. Now I really do not know why the Controller General was using a siren despite the ban on its usage. I also do not know why he felt he needed a convoy to make a routine appearance to the National Assembly or why he condoned an assault. But if an infringement has been committed, why can’t the law enforcement agencies handle the matter? Why is the National Assembly huffing and puffing as if it doesn’t happen everyday? The National Assembly is not the police and it does not have the power to commit anybody to prison. This muscle flexing because it affects one of its members is not what

titbits2012@yahoo.com

The many faces of impunity leadership is about. That in itself, is impunity which both sides are guilty of. We would instead expect it to enact or strengthen the laws that would make this kind of executive abuse a thing of the past, not only to its members, but to every citizen of Nigeria.

A young mother of an eightmonth-old baby is in prison custody as we speak. According to the story, she was owing N2000 which was her part of the NEPA contributions and her light was disconnected by the custodian of the group purse. She paid a

enforcers must respect the law or face sanctions.

A group of sparsely dressed men openly display guns and dangerous weapons as they roam the streets. They are not apprehended. They enter other people’s properties and cow the owner to near submission with their weapons and their arrogance. They arrogate to themselves the right to feed their cattle without recognising the rights of others to own farms and earn a living. They maim, they destroy, they kill. They start with small numbers and because nothing happens, they get emboldened and kill in dozens. They are either unaware that there is a law against murder thousand naira and someone or they feel they are above was sent by the custodian to such trivial laws. Rather than reconnect her light. The apply the full wrath of the law, person got himself the Government as always, electrocuted and she looks for political solutions. immediately raised an alarm Almost all elections are and rushed to report to the This rigged in the land. Those who police. For her effort, she was can bribe the most, who can rig arrested with her baby and culture of the most invariably become later transferred to prison. impunity ‘elected’ and allowed to enjoy What, on the face of things, the spoils of victory in a most was her culpability? What must stop brazen manner. And because investigations made them to they go unpunished, they deny her and her baby their have enlarged the coast. rights and the comfort of their Opponents and their supporters are homes? How long would it take to treated as irritants who must be removed either discharge her or send her to court? In the typical Nigerian from the equation. They no longer use police way, she was being superior arguments. They use brute force. youth corper died in the recent power punished for a guilt that was yet to A show in Rivers State and nobody has be established or proved. This is been docked.

In fact, political killings are just one of the many aspects of the impunities the police commit on the rise in every part of the country against Nigerians which will never and nobody, to the best of my knowledge, been punished. This is impunity. happen in decent countries and has Nobody should be allowed to shed should stop here. Police as law

W

e live at a time and in a country where timehonoured clichés and sayings are being partly or totally debunked. For example, “the patient dog eats the fattest bone,” but many a time in Nigeria the patient dog meets an empty plate. At a seminar in a foremost hotel in Abuja, lunch was a buffet and participants were going table by table. My table was among the last and when I saw some people from my table shunting, I was disappointed, but by the time we got there, I understood why. There was no fish, chicken or meat left to eat the rice and ogbono, the only soup left, had no fish or meat. Those of us one making the bed, your spouse who were very hungry ate “ without,” is a co-bed maker. So the “ you” while the angry ones stormed out. in the as-you-make-your-bed-soThe people who got there first ate more you-lie-on-it refers to the “ you” in the second person plural, not than their due.

We have also heard times without singular. That brings us to one of number that marriage is not a bed of the major challenges of marriage: roses, meaning marriage is not like a No matter how good you are, you hot knife going through butter; it alone cannot make your marriage comes with hiccups, sometimes work, there must be input from hurricanes and earthquakes. The only your spouse, no matter how people whose marriages are “all-rosy” negligible. Even many of the oneare hypocrites. Even those with “God- sided marriages with very tough given” spouses sometimes wonder or spouses towering over the doubt like Hosea did about his marital space have inputs from serially-adulteress wife, Gomer, whom their cowered spouses. If not, how God personally instructed him to come they produce children? marry; the fact that it was a metaphor Certainly, the toughies are not for the Israelites infidelity to God raping their spouses.

When I remember what one notwithstanding( Hosea 1: 2-3). Some price to pay by an individual for a professor said, I even doubt the toughness of men, particularly, nation’s sins.

But going by the nature of rose, I where women are concerned, feel that marriage is actually a bed of once they retire into the inner roses. Try making a bed with roses recesses of their homes. Prof said and you will find that it is as once a man gets an erection, his comfortable as it is uncomfortable, brain goes on recess. Looking at depending on your dexterity. That is the very foolish and naïve acts of because the sweet-smelling and great and ordinary men over time sensuous rose also has prickles long and across all aspects of life, I and big enough to inflict maximum agree with prof.

So both spouses must come to damage.

Unfortunately, in marriage a bed of some kind of agreement on how roses is not even an entirely as-you- to make their bed. A successful make-your-bed-so-you-lie-on-it affair. marriage is therefore using roses That is because you are not the only to make your bed and arranging

Marriage is NOT a bed of roses

C M Y K

them in such a way that the bed is comfortable, but with the occasional inevitable prickling. That is what we try to teach participants in preparatory marriage classes. But even before getting to the stage of jointly making a bed, each party should be physically, psychologically and emotionally mature. Each party should also be selfassured and comfortable with himself/ herself. In other words, there should be self-mastery and victory over self, because as Stephen Covey rightly observed, “private victories must precede public victories” and only independent people should go into marriage because “interdependence is a decision only independent people can make.” The trouble with many marriages today is that dependent (immature and insecure) people went into an interdependent relationship that a marriage is.

When you deal with an insecure spouse, an immature spouse, a hypocritical spouse, a spouse who does not see beyond his/her nose and cannot see the big picture, yours is a prickly bed of roses and you have got work on your hands. That seems to be the lot of one of my readers right now. Sometime ago, I wrote that in marriage, expect change from only one party and that party is you. This is because change comes from within, so you can only change yourself; you change to cope

21

another person’s blood under any circumstance and get away with it.

For years, a religious group put itself above the law in North Central.

Neither the police nor successive governments had the will to call it to order. As it always happens, it grew bigger than its boots and trampled on the rights of others. Some of its members recently confronted and dared the resolve of a military chief. He responded by declaring war on the sect and slaughtered human beings like cattle. Even wars have rules and conventions. Both the actions of the Shiite group and the reactions of the military have responded to the culture of impunity that reigns in the land.

Top government officials award contract to companies in which they have vested interests in violation of their fiduciary duties. They openly operate foreign accounts in defiance of extant laws. Rather than being sanctioned, their wealth is celebrated

by State and Church. They remain as always, unpunished.

A governor signs a very generous pension for himself that defies logic and the needs of his state. He then goes to the Senate to collect a stupendously fat salary while still collecting his pension. He goes on to collect his monetised allowance and collects a free car to boot. Not done, he joins in padding the budget and raising the oil benchmark so that constituency provisions can be inserted. Of course there is no sanction when found out.

We can go on and on about the culture of impunity that has pervaded the land from running traffic lights to running guns. It is not about the laws but about the will to implement them.

Boko Haram would probably not have assumed this dimension if we had been firm and just in applying the law.

Electoral malpractices would have reduced if high profile culprits had been brought to book and jailed. The same thing with the massive looting of our leaders.

This culture of impunity must stop.

All citizens irrespective of tribe, religion or status must respect the laws of the country.

with your spouse. Fred (not his real name) is older than his wife by a decade. He says his wife wants them to do things the way he did them 10 years ago. He has made his mistakes and learnt from them and he is not about to be put in reverse gear. What should he do, since I said only he should change.

Let us stand on the assumption that his story is true; my statement then did not mean you should change and become a “lesser ” being. A husband is a leader and one great leadership quality is that you must leave your followers (spouse, in this case) better than when you met them. The wife is only acting her age and needs time and patience to upgrade. People follow a real leader not out of compulsion but because they buy into his vision and appropriate it as theirs. Fred has not adequately sold his “superior thinking” to his wife.

That is my assumption. So, change must first come from him before his wife and I am sure that as long as the wife is a regular human being, it will come to pass.

“A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant …that are often armed with sharp prickles” (Wikipedia). A rose is “any of the wild or cultivated, usually pricklystemmed, pinnate-leaved, showyflowered shrubs of the genus Rosa (Dictionary).” Many definitions of rose you come across have “prickles” or “Prickly.” For me, marriage is a bed of roses, sweet, sensuous and alluring, but the prickles are never far away and can easily become the dominant paradigm. Warri-ly speaking, marriage na bed of roses, shukushuku plenty. The NOT in “marriage is not a bed of roses” is therefore superfluous.

22—SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

S

araki, the god of Kwara politics, is on the ropes.

And he now sees clearly the inhumanity of gods. When candidness or even pretensions to it is traded in the public, something is let out. We know Saraki is politically shrewd , he has been constituting governments in Kwara effortlessly. But we didn’t know he can write a book of lamentations. Footballers don’t cry when shoved, because pushing and shoving, bad as they are , are now part of the game. Saraki can moan but nothing that has happened is culturally perverse. Anti corruption fight in Nigeria has always been selective and being on the wrong side is where the tragedy lies. Perhaps he expected more from Buhari. But why does he make a mountain out of a certain ‘original sin’ and attribute to it all his predicaments.

If a principled stand against a muslim/muslim ticket has left him more naked than Adam, he should not be ashamed. That won’t make him a thief. Is it then profitable to continue casting himself as a victim of some political skullduggery he is not accustomed to? No, but who would begrudge him a refuge in a comforting platitude?

Morality is good in politics. But morality is not an exercise in crass opportunism. We know what obtains in Kwara. And elsewhere. Sins should be acts that offend the people rather than political gods. But we haven’t been fortunate. Democracy promised the transfer of power to the people but poverty and

The trials of Brother

Bukola Saraki *Saraki

Anti corruption fight in Nigeria has always been selective and being on the wrong side is where the tragedy lies

ignorance have frustrated democracy in Nigeria. Gods and kings still litter our space, still constitute our political reality.

So Oloye’s son, raised in the shrine of a political deity, ought to know how to navigate the temperaments of gods. And save the polity some heat. But he chose a

course of action with eye on rewards. Risks are always worth taking. But the inordinateness of ambitions is often determined by superiors. And sometimes it could be viewed as grave as blasphemy.

Lucipher , they say, didn’t do much worse.

Deities have hierarchies.

It was a candid Dele Momodu who summed up by asking him to stand and carry his heavy cross. Whether his is more like Jesus’ than those of the two thieves, the courts will tell us. He has surely been running around a bit too much. His sins are not exceptional. The public understands that. It’s possible that the angry deities are yet implacable. But it’s gone a bit too far to be

retrieved as a ‘family affair’. When egos are this inflamed and hearts this hardened, soft landings are replaced with plagues. Saraki has openly described his ordeal as a persecution. He may have had enough. But such an affront is considered by the gods as gross insolence. He may well start taking off his own gloves. But it is always inadvisable to engage superior gods in a fight with bare hands of questionable hygiene.

If Saraki thinks he has been betrayed by his friends, Momodu agrees with him. Not because the charges against him are fictitious as his expressions of moral indignation suggest. But because the presumption that in being ‘born again’ he is now blameless, a new creature, has been dismantled. The hopes of sanctification were informed by the free acceptance of all shades of sinners into the new sanctimonious fold. And the huge offerings he brought the gods relished in. And he has a moral case here. It’s not in vain that Momodu , keen on doing some laundry business, made poignant references to the billions Saraki mobilized to install this seemingly ungrateful government. Why would the gods accept other sinners, close their eyes to their multitude of sins but hound a most gracious benefactor?

Obedience is better than sacrifice.

These gods, like all gods, want to be lords. Saraki hasn’t reconciled himself to their lordship.

Democracy sought to take power back from gods but it hasn’t quite succeeded in Nigeria. And has failed woefully in Kwara.

Saraki should be conversant with arbitrariness of deities. Why then does he pretend to be fighting for the independence of the legislature? If politics for Saraki was such a moral idea then Kwara house of assembly would have been the house of freedom. But our standards should be better than those of Saraki and Kwara. So Saraki is free to employ all legal devices to seek justice, to defend his rights which include the right to aspire to be senate president.

But he must understand that the independence of the legislature , in a multiparty democracy, is founded on party politics. And

parties are free to treat delinquent members with displeasure. He insists he didn’t betray his party.

The slippery steps he took, in concert with political opponents, to actualize an ambition that undermined party cohesion didn’t enhance trust. Did they?

Saraki is innocent until proven guilty and that is why calls for his premature resignation are puerile. It will be disastrous to contemplate a situation where anyone whom the executive chooses to prosecute automatically loses legitimacy to hold public office. Because our institutions are what they are, pliable and infantile. Saraki can remain in office but he must maintain the dignity of that office.

He has a right of appeal.

Selective justice is not good for the polity but it is better than unbridled impunity. Let’s catch some today . Buhari had promised much more but we have been forced to curtail our expectations.

An EFCC that engages in massive ‘witch-hunting’ , that takes down some corrupt politicians, is an improvement on the one that frolicked with almost every corrupt politician and hounded only petty thieves.

Hypocrisy is not good but it has been part of politics since time immemorial. Those who have gone for Saraki’s jugular are not saints. They are good predators.

They have chosen to maintain one stranglehold. Saraki wonders why the tribunal judge should depart from an earlier judgment he now considers faulty. That is what the law actually advises in the absence of a binding superior precedent.

He wonders why the EFCC now deposes evidence at the CCT. While that might mean that the initial CCB charges were weak, sentimental outpourings wont defend him against the charges.

His innocence will not lie in what didn’t happen at the CCT in the past or the new found love between the EFCC and CCT. But in refutation of the evidences tendered against him.

Let them fight themselves. Let’s

keep our peace. Change will come one day.

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By Dafe Umukoro

Tabloidisation and media lynching of Saraki

N

ot many Nigerians know Prof. Norman Ornstein. He is a political scientist, thinker and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a leading Washington, DC think tank. He has established a reputation for himself as an expert on the US Congress.

Prof. Ornstein has not been far from the mind of this writer since the trial of Senator Bukola Saraki began. For it was Prof.

Ornstein who propounded the theory that the US Congress suffers from low ratings based on changes in the electronic and print media which have led to a greater emphasis on negative and unwarranted sensationalisation of happenings inside the hallowed chambers of the U.S. Congress, which he termed “tabloidisation”. Senator Bukola Saraki is the President of the Nigerian Senate and the tabloidisation of his trial derives from the exalted position he holds!

Since the beginning of the trial, supposed experts in “polit-judicial” matters and every Tom, Dick and Harry have turned it into a punching bag to show off or impress with pseudo-expertise, unnecessarily but amazingly attracting large following, especially on the social media.

Questions to answer Though political undertones have been expectedly and appropriately read into the case against Saraki, the facts cannot be slaughtered on the alter of tabloidisation.

It must have been, no doubt, appalling to many well-informed and dispassionate observers that the tabloidisation has mostly been based on the politics that clearly instigated the trial than on the hard facts of law necessary to secure conviction. The C M Y K

•Saraki tabloidisation has therefore been overtly restricted to some postulations, mainly that the moment he became the President of the Senate, contrary to the wishes of some “principalities” within his party, Saraki became a marked man and doomed. As much as these do not constitute the case before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), those on the side of justice and who desire justice in the case are ensconced in the firm belief that justice is defined by facts and not tabloidisation.

The case against the Senate President can best be described as demeritorious. It began in September last year, with the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) announcing it would dock Saraki on a 13-count charge bordering on false declaration of assets, at the CCT. Based on the alleged falsely declared and undeclared assets as Governor of Kwara

State, listed by the CCB, especially the mention of No. 15A and 15B McDonald Road, Ikoyi; No. 17A and 17B McDonald Road, Ikoyi; Plot 2A and Plot 37A Glover Road, Ikoyi; No.1 and No. 3 Tagnus Street, Maitama, Abuja; the inclusion that he was accused of deliberately manipulating the assets declaration form that he filed prior to his assumption of office as the Senate President, by making anticipatory declaration of assets; failing to declare some assets he acquired while in office as governor; and that he owned and operated foreign bank accounts while serving as a public officer, the media quickly picked them up and the tabloidisation began. Not even Saraki’s response that the CCB’s 13count charge of breach in asset declaration, coming 13 years after he declared his assets as governor, was frivolous and political witch-hunt, and that he would defend the charges could withstand the cacophony of hailings the announcement received, especially on the social media.

Saraki has since been on trial with every step marked by tabloidization. He has staunchly insisted on his innocence and his defence has been consistent. He has insisted that he declared his assets as required by law at every point before resuming any political office. And if the Code of Conduct Bureau had followed their processes in which after a declaration is submitted, they carry out verification of the assets and ascertain the claims made, they would not have waited till 12 years later to point out alleged inconsistencies in a document submitted to them in 2003, especially as he submitted asset declaration form in 2007, 2011 and 2015.

What about the fact that contrary to the procedure indicated in the law setting up

the CCB, the Bureau never wrote to Saraki to complain of any inconsistency in his asset declaration forms?

History repeats itself History has a queer way of repeating itself.

Saraki’s innocence may eventually be proved by his acquittal. If that happens, it will not be the first time a sensational case that was thought would lead to the conviction of the suspect will end up with the suspect’s innocence proved. In July last year, a Federal High Court in Lagos discharged and acquitted former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, of N19 billion money laundering charges. In her judgment, the judge , Rita OfiliAjumogobia, said the prosecution’s case was “feeble” and failed to provide “copious evidence” linking Mr. Fani-Kayode to money laundering. That case began in 2008, and was marked by media sensationalism, with many predicting the eventual conviction of the former minister.

There has also been the celebrated case against former Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State, who was accused of corruption by the EFCC but who had his charges quashed last year, when the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) showed up in court for that singular purpose.

And a final word for the media, especially the mainstream, which unexpectedly has a growing number of practitioners who bask in sensationalism or tabloidisation.

Sensationalism sells, but the media should thrive to be fair at all times, a situation which is presently lacking in the reportage of the Saraki case. It is hoped that when justice is eventually served, the tabloidisation of this case will come to an end with the ironic sensationalisation of the good tidings.

*Dafe Umukoro wrote from Benin.

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016 — 23 Edited by Ayo Onikoyi 08052201215

By ANOZIE EGOLE Kanayo O Kanayo, MFR, needs no introduction when it comes to Nollywood.

The veteran actor who has spent close to 30 years in the industry has quite a number of films to his credit. He has also decided to give back to society through his Kanayo O Kanayo Mentoring Academy (KOKMA).

MENTORING THE YOUTH According to the prolific actor, he set up the academy to be able to directly impact on young talents. In his words, ‘We just created a platform where we could mentor and educate younger people who need direction. Hard work is good, but if you work hard without going in the right direction, or you don’t have a mentor, you may not get to where you want to go. We have decided to enlighten them to get the best out of their lives because we have been there before them so we know what it takes. I want to use this medium to mentor and educate youths because we have identified a gap in the new Nigeria and the new Africa that we want to build. If we begin to mentor and educate these youths before they go into the university, they will become the best part of themselves. I have travelled to America and some other countries across the world. I have never seen Americans talking bad about their country. We want to make our young people to start speaking well about our own country. This country has a lot of potentials; we still have our best brains who are working for other countries.”

CONNECTING THE DIASPORA How have we been able to connect to our people who are in the Diaspora?

Chinese people who are in Diaspora are the ones who built the present China. My advice to the present government is to find a way to bring back Nigerians who left the country out of anger, because it is only Nigerians who can build Nigeria.’

Speaking on the type of mentorship he had while starting out in the industry, KOK quipped, “I joined the movie industry just because I wanted to act and be seen on television; that is why I am very interested in this mentoring academy. A lot of us who have put in over 25 years on this job were not mentored; we were, by the grace of God, just acting and God blessed us, even though we were not prepared. What I am trying to do now is to give people direction. If you want to become an actor, we will give you direction on how to do that. If you want to become a mass communicator, or anything you want to be, we will also give you direction and tell you what it involves. We want to identify the real strength of the young adults and leverage on that because the earlier we catch them, the better. My belief is that whatever we lost, our children should not lose it as well.”

PARENTAL INFLUENCE Considering C M Y K

the fact that many parents determine the kind of courses and professions their children should engage in, KOK says his mentoring academy will redirect their minds. He said, ‘Times have changed. Parents are always busy at work; when a child closes from school, she will meet no one at home.

The next person the child meets would be the lesson teacher. We have children who are coming from the background where their parents still tell them what they want them to be in future. So the wide gap between who these children are and what they want to be in future is filled with the wrong values.

BACK TO SCHOOL Have you ever taken time to know what your children watch on television? Even the phones we buy for our kids, the type of messages they receive and the type of videos they have on the phone? You will agree with me that it is only through mentoring that we can redirect their minds.’

However, not much has been heard from KOK in a while as regards his career. His face rarely graces movie screens these days. Speaking on what he does with his time, he said, ‘I am a law student at the University of Abuja presently, and I am doing some other things where I find my strength. All these, coupled with KOKMA are what take my time. I am also a public relations consultant, a life coach, and a public speaker. Another thing I would like to do when I retire from acting is speaking for those who cannot speak. I want to be the face of those who feel they are not getting the best of the bargain. I have always wanted to represent those who feel they are being put under the table.’

MOPICON BILL

Another thing I will like to do when I retire from acting is speaking for those who cannot speak.

My move into acting was accidental — KOK Commenting on the recently passed MOPICON Bill (Motion Picture Practitioner Council of Nigeria Bill), KOK said: ‘Somebody asked me about the MOPICON bill and I answered that I have not gone through it very well to be able to make comments on it.

But what I want to say is that the industry should be professionally structured in such a way that it will take care of artistes. Every practitioner must have something to fall back on, for the rainy day will always come for every actor and entertainer. That bill should be able to take care of the actors, and see that they will not beg for food when they get old, or out of jobs. We must ensure that we have an industry that is structured in a way that if you have put in many years, you do not need to think about where the next meal is going to come from. These things are all about putting food on the table and leaving a legacy. We want our welfare protected, as well as an industry that is professionally driven in a way that you work and you get what you are supposed to have.’

FLASHBACK

KOK also takes a nostalgic trip down memory lane, recounting how he started his career. ‘Well, it is always good for me to talk about this. I was invited by some friends for auditioning and after that, I was given a role to play. I would say that it happened by accident because, I was job-hunting and when I got to the audition venue, I was told that I could act and that was it. That was how the story started.’

On what inspires him, KOK said, ‘Those with positive attitude inspire me; those with interesting attitudes that will ensure the good of our society inspire me. The fact still remains that there are Nigerians and non-Nigerians who, by their contributions to the economy, have influenced me.’

Painting a picture of the kind of person he is off-screen, KOK said he is a gentleman who is working very hard to affect his environment and leave a legacy to ensure that things are done right.

24 — SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

By KEHINDE AJOSE 08054680266

Entertainers’ shocking social media revelations

•Meaku

By KEHINDE AJOSE

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elebrities use social media as a medium to build their brand and connect with their fans. On the flipside, it has become a tool for revealing their inner plotting, emotions and moods .They sometimes crave for acceptance to the point that they share shocking details of their lives and careers. In no particular order we chronicle the appalling social media revelations of your favorite entertainers

BLACKFACE

BRYMO

F

ormer Chocolate City artiste, Brymo, is set to release a new album next month. When he revealed the album title and artwork on Instagram, it generated a myriad of responses .The album is titled Klitoris and the album art shows a half nude woman with the skull of an animal over her face, flower petals covering her breasts with arms akimbo.

Even Olamide couldn’t resist the temptation to comment on the controversial album title. A Twitter user puts it this way: “Brymo is simply being a true artiste and showing his understanding of publicity.”

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arlier in the year, Blackface, a member of the defunct pop group, Plantashun Boiz, came up with astonishing accusations that 2face and Wizkid stole his songs.

In a series of tweets, the dancehall artiste fired shots at 2face, saying he stole his song, Let somebody love you. He added that Wizkid stole Ojuelegba from him and that he has been stealing songs from him since 2010.

TOYIN AIMAKHU

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he outspoken Toyin Aimakhu is that actress who keeps it real and lives her life on the social media for all to see. The talented Nollywood actress who has suffered several social media denigrations posted on her Youtube channel that she will remain single or marry a white man. In the video she said: “ Married women are trying.

May God give me the strength to marry again. I don’t think I can go through it anymore. I will remain single or marry a white man.” This video generated loads of responses on social media.

DAVIDO

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avido needs no introductions. His hit songs say it all. The HKN/Sony artiste recently revealed on Twitter that a member of his family who is also on HKN is jealous over the airplays and acceptance of his newly signed artiste, Mayorkun “My own blood hating on me over Mayorkun success. Wow!!!

I have done so much for you .You still haven’t prospered.”

Meaku

talks Love in ‘Baby Oh’

EVA ALORDIAH

By TOFARATI IGE

R

romising singer, song-writer and Engineer, Chibuike Franklyn Omeaku, aka Meaku, is back with a new hot single, Baby Oh, and it’s bound to set the dance floors ablaze.

The California-based artiste enlisted the support of 2015 BET Awardwinning Ugandan artiste, Eddy Kenzo, and international singer, Pepp on the track which was produced by acclaimed producer, Fliptyce.

Meaku, who has worked with renowned international artistes such as Tyreese, Nneka, New Boyz, D’banj, MI, among others, described the single as ‘an Afrobeat love song that presents the topic of marriage to my beautiful queen to be, who I’m yet to find.’

Meaku’s repertoire of songs include ‘Test and See,’ ‘American Boy,’ ‘Missing You,’ ‘Study Your Body,’ among others.

apper and entrepreneur, Eva, disclosed in an Instagram post sometime in March that she will be quitting music to focus on some other things. The post generated a lot of social media comments, becoming a fodder for bloggers.

In a twist of events, the svelte entertainer took to Instagram to reveal the misconceptions about her post: “When I said ‘Eva Alordiah live 12’ was my last show as a music artiste, what I meant to say was I’m ending that chapter where I played out the role of just being a music artiste and beginning a new, even more fulfilling one as an all-encompassing creative artiste.”

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•Brymo

•Eva Alordiah

•Blackface •Toyin Aimakhu

C M Y K

•Davido

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016—25

Twentieth Century Fox partners FilmOne

What I want in a man —Mirabel Etuk I

f you are not a God-fearing man, sincere and car ing, then you have nothing to do with fast rising actress, Mirabel Etuk. She has no place in her heart for you. The pretty actress, who debuted in Nollywood in 2009, after starring in the movie, Behind The Ring, has declared that her heart belongs to a man who has the fear of God in him.

“The kind of man that can win my heart is a man that fears God. He should be sincere and caring. A man with fear of God has limits, and can’t exhibit certain attitude, or take certain things for granted because of the fear of God in him,” she said in a chat recently.

However, refusing to use the word, “crush” Etuk also said she admires the likes of Yul Edochie, Ramsey Noah, Nse Ikpe Etim, Genevieve Nnaji, and Joke Silva. Etuk cited lie as part of the human behaviours that turns her off, adding: “It irritates me.”

According to him, her dream is to be one of the most sought-after actresses in Nollywood.

“I want to be on top of my game. I believe that the sky is my starting point,”she said. Etuk started her acting career in 2009, after starring alongside Monalisa Chinda, Desmond Elliot and Jackie Appiah in the movie, Behind The Ring, produced by Chikere Guide. She left the industry for some years before returning last year to continue from where she stopped.

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•Mirabel Etuk

Femi Adebayo lands new endorsement deal

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F e m i Adebayo

Alexx Ekubo and Claire Edun.

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Twntieth Century Fox .

‘Twentieth Century Fox have today made a bold statement in showcasing their interest in the growing African Film Market, of which the West African region, particularly Nigeria, has become a major player. We have no doubt in our mind that this partnership will not only surpass previous box office results but with Fox’s diverse film slate, it will deepen and popularise the cinema-going culture in naturally receptive and entertainment-loving countries like Nigeria and Ghana,’ he said.

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BAIP 2016 hots up, as grand finale holds in October s the Beauty of Africa International Pageant (BAIP) marks its 10th anniversary, the organizers have announced that this year’s edition will be the biggest and most celebrated in history. Established to create platforms of opportunities and recognition for young and talented ladies in Nigeria and Africa, the grand finale of the 2016 edition themed ‘Ambassador for Tourism, Peace and Friendship’ will hold on October 8 at Queens Park Events Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Over the past nine years, Beauty of Africa International Pageant, formerly known as Face of Daniels, has been able to discover and promote high-ranking models that are currently enjoying corporate endorsements both within and

•kene

Lancelot ups the ante as his romantic comedy premieres

By Juliet Ebirim opular Yoruba actor, Femi Adebayo, has been unveiled as the brand ambassador for a leading Real Estate firm, Kayode Obembe and Company Limited.

This is coming on the heels of his recent appointment as a Special Adviser to the Kwara State Governor on Arts, Culture and Tourism. The two years partnership deal will see the actor becoming the new face of the company brands.

The award winning actor disclosed that he is happy to be associated with the reputable company. “I agreed to the endorsement because I’ve done my own research and discovered that this is a very reputable company. However, I have gotten so many offers from other real estate companies, but I chose to associate myself with this company because they are highly reliable. This unveiling is just a formal exercise as I’ve been with them for about two months now. I use this medium to say a big thank you for this great opportunity.” The actor will feature in the firm’s brand commercials, make special guest appearance at the company’s major events and assist in promoting the brand within and outside Nigeria, amongst other activities.

wentieth Century Fox has entered into an agreement with Nigeria and West Africa’s fastgrowing theatrical film distribution company, FilmOne Distribution, to distribute its films.

FilmOne will now distribute all Fox titles directly to cinemas in Nigeria and Ghana.

This is the first deal of its kind in West Africa for Twentieth Century Fox. As part of the agreement, FilmOne Distribution will release in 2016 such titles as ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’, ‘Ice Age: Collision Course’, as well as ‘The Birth of a Nation’ from the Studio’s Fox Searchlight Pictures division and Dreamworks Animation’s ‘Trolls’.

Group Chief Executive Officer and President of Filmhouse Cinemas and FilmOne Distribution, Kene Mkparu, said the move is a bold statement from

Past winners of BAIP outside the country. The pageant has also brought together the crème de la crème of corporate Nigeria, top government functionaries, media executives, entertainment giants, designers, tourism and marketing executives among others.

Speaking at an unveiling press parley which held in Lagos recently, Mr. Daniel Opuene, President, Beauty of Africa International

Pageant, said: “BAIP was established as part of our commitments to corporate social responsibility and service to youth development in Nigeria. The 2016 contestants would demonstrate both their inner and outer beauties as well as have opportunity to express their creative abilities.” According to Opuene, screening of the 2016 contestants will take place in six states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. Kicking off in Kaduna on June 4, the audition train will move to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on June 11. It will be the turn of Asaba, Delta State on June 18, Enugu on June 25, Abuja on July 2, Port Harcourt on July 9 and finally Lagos on July 16. However, the grand finale will hold in Lagos, in October.

opular director cum producer, Lancelot Imasuen, is set to make another bold statement as he concludes plans to premiere his new romantic comedy, ÄTM (Authentic Tentative Marriage) on Friday, May 13.

The film, directed by Lancelot Imasuen was shot in Lekki, Lagos early this year.

It starred the likes of Yvonne Jegede, Alexx Ekubo, Francis Odega and social media comedian and Nigerian culture enthusiast, Oyinbo Princess, whose real name is Claire Edun.

The romantic comedy tells the story of a greedy young man, played by Alexx, whose search for greener pastures involves getting himself in a love scam with a white woman. He plans with his girlfriend to get married to the white lady in other to get a chance to travel abroad.

Alexx and his girlfriend played by Jegede come up with a plan for him to marry a British woman and use that opportunity to create a new life for them abroad. The plot takes on an interesting twist when the bride decides she would rather live in Nigeria.

26—SATURDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 30, 2016

Rotimi Agbana 08137741609

Tiwa Savage, Teebillz marriage crisis update The hacking story and the realities

By KEHINDE AJOSE

I

n what many have described as a moment of madness Tunji Balogun a.k.a Teebillz husband of superstar singer,

Tiwa Savage woke us all up on Thursday with an Instagram post, attacking his wife, his mother-in-law, and some of Tiwa’s label mates, accusing his wife of infidelity.

Moments after the

outbursts, the post was deleted. Soon after that, Teebillz was reported to have cried out, disassociating himself from the post. He alleged that his Instagram account was hacked. But many people have brushed his claim aside that his account was hacked. Since there is no way to prove whether an account was hacked or not, the only option left is to examine the situation that ensued after the Instagram rants and what the reactions of the people close

to them were.

Online publication, Bellanaija allegedly reached out to a source close to the couple who revealed that Tee Billz is “safe and with loved ones”, after Thursday’s incident.

When asked if Tee Billz’ Instagram account was hacked, the source confirmed that the Instagram messages were posted by Tee Billz even though he was advised to claim it was a hack.

On reports that Tee Billz attempted suicide that morning, the source declined commenting on the issue.

However, he was alleged to

have said “today has been a difficult and traumatic day for everyone. People should remember that there are children involved here and we should all be sensitive and supportive. Tee Billz is “Safe and is surrounded by people who love him…Tunji is a great guy, he will overcome this”.

If the account was hacked as Teebillz claimed, how come close colleagues, like Banky W, Seyi Law have been confirming their involvement in the crisis.

In an Instagram post Banky W claimed to have reached out to Teebillz on the phone and that he wasn’t picking his calls after that he reportedly drove straight to his house.

The singer and other friends prevailed on Teebillz to delete all the controversial posts he made.Seyi Law who is far away in Dublin preparing for his concert this weekend expressed worried as he tweeted, thanking Banky W for wading in, and calming the situation. According to Seyi’s tweets, “God is working and the world can relax now. Good news. That’s all we wanted anyway. May God heal their wounds. What a Thursday this has been”

age,, Mexicans celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Jazz, iw iwaa Savvage Genesis of TTiw ango at Bottles TeeBillz marriage crisis Salsa, and TTango

By OSA AMADI

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By TOFARATI IGE

unji Balogun a.k.a Teebillz’s outburst Thursday, opening more cans of worms about his marriage to popular singer, Tiwa Svage, may be the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

But before the public meltdown, there has been a deep crack in their marriage. It would be recalled that their three-year-old marriage has been having problems since last year when the celebrated singer sacked her husband as her manager. Since then, there has been whispers of things falling apart between them. Also, in 2014, it was remoured that their marriage has crashed. A pointer to this, was when Tiwa failed to wish her husband a happy birthday on her social media page as it was part of her tradition. It soon came to light that the couple had been having issues in their marriage, and that Tiwa’s family had admonished Teebillz to stop managing his wife and look for another lucrative job.

It was alleged then that Teebillz was always beating her up, and that she had to move out of the house temporarily to stay with a friend.

However, families and friends prevailed on the couple not to give up on their marriage.

It was also reported that a family meeting was called and a consensus was reached that Teebillz’s protégé, Mekka Millions should take over as Tiwa’s manager.

However, after that episode, there have always been insinuations that all is not well with the couple as they have been the subject of several rumours that their marriage has packed up. But there has been no substance to the tales until this latest incident.

C M Y K

C

inco de Mayo (5th of May in Spanish) is a date observed in Mexico and part of United States to commemorate the Mexican army ’s victory over French forces at the battle of Peubla on May 5, 1862 led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin. At Bottles Mexican Restaurant, 8 Imam Augusto Close, Victoria Island, Lagos, a number of musical activities – Jazz, Salsa and tango dance shows have been lined up to herald and celebrate the event.

Speaking with Vanguard during

the week, General Manager of Bottles, Saiid Gerges, said Bottles is ready to make this year’s Cinco de Mayo more memorable than ever for her teeming customers, beginning with the usual Jazz night every Friday. “On Thursday, the 5th of May, there will be salsa and tango dance shows, a friendly dance competition, the best costume (red, green, and white which are Mexican flag colours). On arrival, says the GM, there will also be a welcome shot (drink) for every guest, and margarita, the traditional Mexican fresh

coconut drink. Tucked away in a quiet environment close to Eko Hotels and Suits, Bottles has been in Nigeria for more than 18 years, serving the best of Mexican dishes to its teeming customers. Over 400 guests come on Wednesday to eat and enjoy the live band.

“Bottles, our delicacies, and the upcoming Cinco de Mayo are not only for Mexicans. They are also for Nigerians and other people with international outlook; people who value freedom, and people who embrace excellence in diverse cultures,” Mr. Gerges said.

SA TURD AY SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016—27

(Text Only)

Out-gunning the ageing process The Reed

Technique: tand straight with the feet together and hands by your sides. Inhale deeply while raising the hands slowly up till they’re overhead.

Exhaling slowly, drip the trunk to the left side without heading the knees. After a slow count to ten, inhale deeply and straighten up to the trunk.

Exhaling slowly again, dip the

S

trunk to the right for another count to ten .Bring back the trunk upright and drop the hands to the sides. Rest a bit and repeat.

Benefits: The Reed gives an excellent lateral stretch to the hips, sides and arms. It tones the spinal nerves and organs of the abdomen improving bowel action. It reduces or eradicates lower back pains.

Sit ramrod straight on a chair with the feet close together. Place the right hand on the left upper thigh and the left hand on the top left of the chair.

Turn head, neck and trunk to the left without moving the feet and legs. Breathe in deeply and retain the posture for some 10 seconds and then repeat on the other side.

Technique: Sit with both legs stretched in front of you. Hold the right leg at below the calf and raise it up locking the knee and drawing the trunk and head towards the raised leg.

Breathing normally, holds the position for some 10 seconds and repeat with the other leg.

Benefits:

The Twist(Sitted)

Technique:

Leg Raise

The Leg Raise tones the h a m s t r i n g s ,

Benefits:

back and stomach muscles.

Managing the abdominal region, it increases bowel activity helping indigestion

Then Twist increases the lateral flexibility of the spine. It helps to improve muscular problems in the hips and back. It benefits t he bowels, liver, kidneys spleen and gall bladder.

Yoga Classes STARTED @ 32 Adetokumbo Ademola, Victoria Island Lagos.

10.00am — 11.00am on Saturdays

•Sitted Twist •The Reed

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he talks for a possible oilfreezeagain ended in a deadlock with infighting between two rival Middle East oil producing giants and adversaries, Saudi Arabia and Iran.The 18 oil producingthat gathered to stabilize output were from OPEC and non-OPEC membersthat contribute three quarters of total world production.

The April 17 disagreement in the Qatari capital of Doha rekindled fears that the two major producers went back to issues of market shares which drove prices to a 13year lowof $27 per barrel in Januaryafter the December 2015 Vienna meeting ended without adecision on production cap.

But expert prediction had been that it was early for the Saudis to react to production cut;scenarios associated with gluts may continue with lower oil prices.Last year the Saudi’s conditionality was that unless coleading producer and oil convenient soul mate, Russia was in the production cut deal OPEC should count them out.

In December Saudi Arabia offered crude oil at a lower price to two most important markets, the United States and Asia, two days before the 168th meeting.They lowered official selling price for all crude grades to the United States, a condition Bob Yawger of Mizuho Securities considered a slap in the face of OPEC. It was disappointing for the non-OPEC producers Russia and Mexico who have heeded to pressures fornegotiations on crude oil market stability deal.The Russian Energy Minister, Alexander Novak called the Saudi demand as unreasonable as he thought coming to Doha was to sign the oil deal rather than debating it.

OPECnon-Gulf declining members Nigeria, Venezuela, Algeria, Angola and Ecuador with economies in cleft stickwho courted the competing non-OPEC members also expressed disenchantment in the no deal communiqué that came after five hours of

Wranglings stall Qatar Oil talks deliberations.

Oil price instability which started in the summer of 2014 made OPEC Secretary General Abdullah El-Badri’s shuttle to Moscow last year todiscuss with Russian Energy Minister on long term prospects in crude oil market. In a joint statement ElBadri and Novak agreed that despite uncertainties then, there were signs of a more balanced market in 2016.

The OPEC initiativewas expected toprovide the much desired oil market stability in the longer-term, a prerequisite for the continuity of timely and adequate investments.Hopes alsoglimmered after President Buhari and other prominent OPEC leaders had diplomatic descants before the Qatari talks for production cuts.

Butthe Saudis exhibited another unexpected actionin herinsistence of a deal only if Iran was involved in the talks.Iran which was absent at the meeting pledged support towards market restoration and stability only when she achieves pre-sanctions level of crude oil production.

The feud was akin to the early December 2015 biannual OPEC meeting when members were roiled with bizarre market share control mechanism. The oil cartelin Decemberwas in apitched battle between its high cost producers whose economies were devastated by low crude oil prices and prosperous producers some of who had oil

deals with perceived allies.

Veteran Saudi Oil Minister, Mr. Ali alNaimi at the Doha meet was of the view that Saudi Arabia would focus on meeting customer demand for crude rather than trying to influence global oil prices for now.

Industry watchers believed that Saudis had crude delivery commitments for up to June 2016.

Saudi Arabia’s inexpensive output gives it a major competitive advantage over other producers around the world. The kingdom feeds its refineries in Saudi Arabia, Asia and the United States while trying to maintain its share of global crude trade.

Iran through her oil minister, Bijan Zangeneh, in the December meeting, refused to entertain a production cap deal until she gets a clean bill of healthfrom nuclear sanctions of the west. Trying to reclaim lost ground, Iran entered a sales deal with China’s Sinopec for 505,000 barrels of crude per day, and intended to ramp up supplies for up to 1 million barrels per day.

Iran, a petroleum dysfunctional country until January 2016 when she was left off the hook by the five Permanent Security Council members plus Germany (P-5+1) over nuclear power acquisition at the Doha talks insisted on 2011 pre-sanctions oil market share to join the group on oil freeze. Presanctions levels for Iran were near 4million

barrels per day (mmbpd) and supply level of 2.2 mmbpd which she hopes to meet by June 20, 2016. Her April crude exports stood at 1.75 mmbpd.

The scenarios implied that a freeze may not be achieved until the OPEC’s scheduled meeting of June 2, 2016 at the Geneva headquarters. The wranglewith Saudi political and military rival Iran, and brought to the forereminisces their proxy wars in Syria and Yemen.

The danger signal of battering oil prices is volatility in the crude oil market. OPEC’s decision to maintain 30 million outputs levels, and hardly adhered to for more than a year now contributed to highest levels of oil in Western Europe.Associated oil gluts may continue to lower oil prices, reduce revenues and occasion tighter budgets for liquid fossil fuels dependent economies.

OPEC members’ share of this confusion is desperation and risk of economic instability. Survivals of some countries threatened by depressing oil prices are devaluing currencies.A cut now may not have significant impact on prices since the level of oil in storage including shale is high.

The GCC members Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Kuwait that wield power in OPEC are investing heavily in the downstream. The de-facto OPEC leader Saudi Arabia which is the swing crude producer is working assiduously to become a net downstream products exporter by 2025. Saudis for now are more concerned with market share rather than production cut for market stability.

For Nigeria petroleum resources managers it meant they should toe the line of Gulf Cooperation Council members in OPEC to steer Nigeria to safety shores.Acritical option for Nigeria is to invest in exploration and productionto increase reserves as well as investments in downstream activities, to weather the storm.

28—SATURDAY

Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

Prince had AIDS and was preparing for death * Lived with HIV for about 2 decades, but refused medical treatment and hoped for divine healing

B

efore he died last week, Purple Rain singer, Prince, who was known for his music and wild sex life, had been diagnosed with the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS, six months earlier. He contracted HIV in the mid-90s but the disease developed into AIDS six months ago.

The 57-year-old Purple Rain singer, who was a Jehovah’s Witness, lost weight considerably at the time of his death and had been “preparing to die for a little while.

Prior to his death, doctors had told Prince that his blood count was unusually low and that his body temperature had dropped dangerously below normal from 98.6 degrees to 94 degrees. “He was totally iron-deficient, very weak and often disoriented. He rarely ate and when he did, it all came right back up.

“His face was yellowish, the skin on his neck was hanging off and the tips of fingers were a brownishyellow,” a Daily Mail report said.

This development comes as sources close to the investigation into the singer ’s death claimed that he had prescription painkillers in his possession when he died.

Reports said that the painkilling substance was found on Prince and that prescription pills were found where he died at his home in suburban Minneapolis.

Prince was said to have refused to be treated for AIDS because he believed that God would heal him.

He was alleged to have become addicted to Percoet – an opiate medication - that he was using to dull the pain he was suffering in his last months of life.

Unverified statements by those close to the deceased musician, following his death, said he died of influenza, an infection that would likely have proved C M Y K

•Prince and Sister It has been rumoured that he died from an overdose of a pain killer, Percocet, and had nearly passed away on board his private plane while touring six days before he was found unresponsive at home.

•Prince fatal if his immune system had been decimated by AIDS. But days before he was found dead in a lift at his Paisley Park mansion in Chanhassen, Minneapolis, Prince had been seen making runs to a local pharmacy to pick up bags of prescriptions.

Those who knew Prince quite well said they were all just shocked to see him looking so down. They said they told him that everyone was praying for him.

The Purple Rain singer weighed barely 50 kg by the time he died, was barely eating, and had developed a yellowish tinge to his skin that hung off his neck One report quoted Prince as saying almost under his breath: “Maybe if you prayed for me a year ago it’d be different right now.” Then he waved and said thanks anyway.’

Rumours have surrounded the cause of Prince’s death, who was known as much for his sexually androgynous stage persona and wild sex life as his music.

The jet was required to make an unscheduled landing despite being just 45 minutes from the artist’s home, though his representatives again said he was suffering from flu.

Online reports said Prince had to be rushed to hospital for a “save shot”, typically used on patients who have taken an overdose of opiate medication.

While the autopsy report into Prince’s death may not been released for several weeks, investigators have ruled out suicide.

A lawyer, Londell McMillan, who knew Prince for 25 years and at one time was his manager, however denied the singer had an addiction.

McMillan said Prince’s death had come as a shock to all who knew him because he lived a “clean and healthy lifestyle.”

Prince was reported to have been suffering from flu around the time of his death, though an official autopsy may take weeks to complete.

The artist was found slumped in an elevator at his sprawling Paisley Park home and recording studio complex last week before being pronounced dead.

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016—29

08 1 1 6759 759 081 6759759

Animal rights activists undress and cover themselves in fake blood ...

A

nimal rights activists staged a protest against bullfighting in central Madrid which involved dozens of people dressed in nothing but black underwear, lying in a square covered in fake blood.

Playing the role of the slain bulls, the group demanded an end to the tradition of bullfighting, seen by many as a ‘sport’ and an essential part of Spanish heritage.

Men and women used theatre

blood and red paint to symbolise the suffering of the bulls, and had strewn fake money and sand around them to symbolise the money made from the spectacle in the ring.

The protest came just days after a large pro-bullfighting march in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia, where thousands of fans gathered to defend what they describe as ‘culture’.

Valencia’s government says over 10,000 participants marched to the city’s bullring last Sunday,

after EU lawmakers recently declared their opposition to using farm subsidies to raise cattle for bullfighting.

Father chops off the hands of a Russian oligarch’s spoilt teenage grandson 17-year-old accused of raping his proves people will do anything for money... seven-month-old daughter

father in India has chopped off the hands of a man who A was accused of raping his seven-

month-old daughter.

Parminder Singh, 25, is said to have beaten the 17-year old man, tied him to a tree, and hacked off both his hands, before leaving him abandoned next to a canal.

The younger man was accused of molesting a baby in 2014, after allegedly being caught in the act by the baby’s mother.

Police sent him to a juvenile remedial home as he awaited trial.

On April 19, he was making a court appearance in the Bathinda

district of Punjab, when the baby’s father apparently lured him away by offering him an out of court settlement. Swapan Sharma, a senior police officer of Bathinda said: ‘He (the father) took him near a dried up canal, beat him up badly and then tied him to a tree and finally hacked his hands off.

‘Locals alerted police and we rushed to the spot. We picked him up, his hands, and took him to the hospital.’ He confirmed the man was in a stable condition, but said: ‘There is nothing below the wrists now.’ The police said they were now hunting for the father, a brick kiln labourer, who they will charge with attempted murder.

Sexual assault is a prevalent problem in India, with 24,923 cases of rape reported in the country in 2012 alone.

Nearly one in three rape victims are under the age of 18.

The country suffers from a slow, and often corrupt legal justice system, which leads many people to turn to vigilante justice.

In November 2014, a 36-year-old Indian father tortured and killed his daughter’s alleged rapist, who was a tenant in his home, before turning himself in to police.

HE wealthy grandson of a Russian oligarch has T sparked outrage by paying people

to “shoot” dogs and strip in public.

Teenage filmmaker Grigory Mamurin has posted a series of videos showing him persuading people to be humiliated for cash.

The degrading videos show the self-styled “Russian Spielberg” mainly targeting young women.

Mamurin is seen persuading people to drink his urine and flash their breasts for wads of cash. In his latest clip, which was filmed secretly, he “bought” someone’s girlfriend for the night. But Mamurin insists he isn’t “judging” those who take his cash. He said: “I’m not judging these people. I believe that they have circumstances or problems that would make them do that. I don’t know what I’d do if I had problems like that in my life.” The teen has defied opposition from his wealthy grandfather Igor Neklyudov who tried and failed to ground him.

One video shows him sitting in his parked Mercedes and brazenly asking a passing couple how much it would cost for him to have sex with the woman while her boyfriend sits and waits.

Grisha offers them £1,550 and the man threatens to punch him. But it’s not long before the atmosphere changes and the boyfriend begins to negotiate a price. The unidentified man agrees to pimp out his girlfriend for £2,600 - but insists on cash. The shocking scene is played out in a video which has been viewed 1.6million times.

Meanwhile pro-Putin TV and radio host Vladimir Soloviev warned last year: ‘This schoolboy took the subjects used in many modern reality shows.

‘We just did not think that this level of moral decay would reach children.’

He added that Russia has suffered from an ideological vacuum since the Soviet collapse.

30—SA TURD AY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016 30—SATURD TURDA

Prince Ope celebrat es 70 in style celebrates

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Some members of the Island Club Lagos presenting a sourvenir to the celebrant, Alhaji Shamusideen Ope(middle).

Photos by Akinwunmi Ibrahim

L-R: Amdalat Ope (1st wife), Celebrant, Alhaji Shamusideen Ope and Adeola Ope (2nd wife).

or Prince Shamsudeen Ope, former chairman of Eko Club, prince of Lagos, of the Onikoyi of Ikoyi of Lagos and the Ope royal family of Epetedo, Lagos, being 70 is certainly a regal event to be remembered, not only for its splendour, panache or pomp but also for the atmosphere of camaraderie it brought for the celebrant, his family and his royal brethren. The birthday bash which held at the Island Club, Onikan Lagos on Last Saturday, April 23 rd saw many social clubs coming to pay homage and felicitate with the celebrant.

L-R: Engr. Lateef Onikoyi, Sir. Andy Ikenwe and Barr. Dipo Akerele.

General A gbogun’s Agbogun’s son weds

M

r. Fidel Agbogun, son of Major-General Nick and Mrs. Stella Agbogun (rtd.) and former Miss Brenda Idiaye, daughter of Major Boniface and Mrs. Joy Idiaye (rtd.) were recently joined in wedlock at The Catholic Church of Presentation, Oba Akinjobi Way, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

The couple, Mr and Mrs Fidel Agbogun

The couple, Mr and Mrs Fidel Agbogun, with groom's parents, Major-General Nick and Mrs. Stella Agbogun (rtd.)

The Omamoghos bag Okakuro titles

I

t was celebration galore for the Owereh family of Ovu Inland in Agbon clan Ethiope East LGA Delta State when the Ovie in Council, HRH Ogurime Rime, Ukori 1 the Ovie of Agbon Kingdom, Ethiope East LGA of Delta State conferred on Chief Ken Omamogho, a UK-based business mogul the title of Ekugbe of Agbon Kingdom and his wife, the Ese R’ Agbon Kingdom.

The colourful installation ceremony took place on 18th of April at the Ovie Palace in Isiokolo. The occassion was graced by family members, Wellwishers, friends and business associations both from Nigeria and abroad.

Celebrant and his Children and GrandChildren.

The couple with their parents

Pho owa inaugurat es DESTMA Phottos as Ok Oko inaugurates GOVERNOR Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has inaugurated the Delta State Traffic Management Agency (DESTMA). Mr Vincent Uduaghan, Commissioner for Transport in his address, said that the agency was set up to control and enforce traffic laws; deter and apprehend traffic offenders and enforce the use of strategic public transport infrastructure by operators while bring to our driving culture and ensure free flow of traffic. He stated that the operations would commence in three stations; Asaba, Warri/Effurun and Ughelli.

L-R: Chief (Mrs) Irene Omamogho, the Ese 'R' Agbon, HRM. Ogurime - rime, Ukori 1, the Ovie of Agbon Kingdom, Ethiope East, LGA, Delta State. Olorogun Ken Ewhrudje Omamogho, the Ekugbe of Agbon.

Hon. Comm. for Transport, Hon. Vincent Uduaghan and his colleague, Hon. Comm.

For Urban Renewal, Hon K. lloloh.

His Excellency, The Governor making his speech, behind him, Hon. Comm. for Transport, Hon. Vincent Uduaghan

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016—31

Mbaka steals show as

deacon is ordained priest after 19 years waiting game •Donates brand new High Lander Jeep to priest •Parish donates brand new Toyota Camry

By Edwin Eze

I

magine this! It takes you about eight or nine years to pursue an academic course. On the year of graduation, you are told to wait while your mates graduate. The waiting game continues for 19 years and you are still patient, waiting for that final exercise to accord you the full regalia of your calling.

Such patience is phenomenal and may only be derived from spiritual strength. If you add the number of years in school, then you are talking about 28 years!

Well, it happened to Lambert Ejionume. Interestingly, his was more of spiritual pursuit than academic, although he married the two and, through the grace of God, conquered all adversities to achieve his priesthood. And today he has a record of being the longest serving deacon of the Catholic Church in recent times.

Ordination that was not Lambert Ejionume was ordained a deacon in 1996 but on the eve of his ordination as reverend father in 1997, the then Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese asked him to wait so that the local church could observe him further. The waiting continued for years. Many in his shoes would have left to pursue another course of life. Not Lambert.

The waiting lasted 19 years. He was undaunted. He remained focused, prayerful and faithful with a seeming Abrahamic patience.

19 years after But today, you may no longer address him as Lambert. He is Reverend Father Lambert Ejionume.

His people are singing songs of praise to God. It was a gala affair penultimate Sunday when he celebrated his first mass in his home town, Ukehe after his ordination as a reverend father on April 3, 2016 by “Father Bishop” of Nsukka Diocese, Most Rev Professor Godfrey Igwebuike Onah at St Theresa’s Cathedral, Nsukka.

For 19 years he was undeterred, resolute and steadfast in the Lord’s vineyard. He became an ardent adherent of the Adoration Ministry, Enugu, established by Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka, the celebrated fiery man of God. Reverend Father Lambert also combined his worship of God with his academics and became an academic doctor, obtaining a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), a Masters Degree in Education (M.ED) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Educational Administration and Planning. He is at present a lecturer in that department at the famous

University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).

A few weeks before Rev. Fr. Lambert got wind that he would be ordained a priest, he was at the Adoration Ministry in Enugu when revelation came to Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka that the Lord had given approval. Father Mbaka directed Deacon Lambert to kneel down at the altar and told all the altar boys and the congregation to pray for Deacon Lambert. After the prayer session on the head of Deacon Lambert, the fiery priest revealed to the congregation that approval had come from the Lord for the final ordination of Deacon Lambert as a reverend father.

A few weeks after, the Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Most Rev. Professor Godfrey Igwebuike Onah, touched by Rev. Lambert’s plight, did not hesitate to implement the order from God. The ordination of Rev. Fr. Lambert on April 3, 2016 at the St. Theresa’s Catholic Cathedral, Nsukka was attended by over 300 priests including three fiery priests: Rev. Frs. Ejike Mbaka, Paul Obayi a.k.a. Okunerere and Mary Thomas Mkpume.

In his homily, Bishop Onah was at his craftiest best. He neither blamed his predecessor for delaying the ordination of Rev. Fr. Lambert for over 15 years nor took glory for lifting the embargo and anointing Rev. Fr Lambert a priest two years after he took over from Bishop Okobo in 2014.

Bishop Onah recounted the ordeal of Jesus Christ in the hands of his apostles who abandoned him at the very moment He fell into the hands of those who crucified Him, and when He resurrected, he did not recount His betrayal and disappointment but gave His apostles peace, love and forgiveness.

Celebration On the day Rev. Fr. Lambert celebrated his first holy, the parish priest of St Peter’s Catholic Church, Ukehe, Rev Fr Agu and his team of Ordination Committee for Rev. Fr Lambert were fully stretched to limits trying to contain the crowd that trailed Mbaka to Ukehe. The crowd that gathered in Ukehe that fateful April 17 was formidable. The venue for the mass, Premier Secondary School field, could not contain the Adoration Ministry members that came from Enugu, Nsukka, Makurdi, Onitsha, Awka, Nnewi and Ukehe, the host community, which is Father Lambert’s home town.

“God has a way of blessing whoever believes in Him and follows His ways” Rev. Fr. Mbaka who delivered the homily was at his best. He avoided all controversial areas and went straight to thank God Almighty for the

• Rev. Fr. Lambert Ejionume

•R e v . F r .

Ejike Mbaka

blessing and mercy showered on Rev. Fr. Lambert Ejionume. “God has a way of blessing whoever believes in Him and follows His ways”, he said.

“The man we are celebrating his first mass as a reverend father, would today have been celebrating his 19th priestly ordination but God has made him a hero by giving him the enduring patience to wait for the right time ….

This is the rightest time to celebrate Rev. Fr. Lambert who has demonstrated his resolve to serve God, no matter how long he was frustrated from doing so”, Father Mbaka preached.

After the mass celebration that attracted over 60 priests from all over Nigeria, Rev. Fr Mbaka on behalf of the Adoration Ministry donated a brand new High Lander Jeep to Rev. Fr. Lambert Ejionueme. The Ukehe parish also received the newly ordained priest with a brand new Toyota Camry.

As if that was not enough, Rev. Fr. Lambert celebrated a mass at the Adoration Centre in Emene, last Friday and Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka showered him with more gift items,

including a mass box, chalice, altar stone, mass wine etc.

Abundant mercies, blessings But how did Rev. Fr. Lambert feel after waiting on the Lord for 19 years? “I feel good; I am very grateful to God for His abundant mercies and blessings.

It takes God’s guidance and abundant blessings to stay on for 19 years without going astray.”

On whether he had once felt like giving up the struggle, while the wait lasted, Rev. Fr Lambert commended Bishops Okobo (the Emeritus) and Onah (the incumbent) for their support and solidarity as the long wait lasted.

“The thought to abandon priesthood never crossed my mind as the long wait lasted. I had always believed that God would not disappoint me. I am always strong in the Lord.”

*Eze is a newly appointed permanent secretary in Enugu State.

32—SA TURD AY 32—SATURD TURDA

Vanguard , APRIL 30, 2016

By Esther Onyegbula

“He claimed Tosin had returned early that day and asked to start work with them which they obliged.

But little did they know that Tosin had an ulterior motive. Femi and the factory manager named Godwin, alleged that while Godwin excused him to attend a fellowship, Tosin broke into his office and stole over N50,000 from the safe box. I told them I was not aware of anything and that if I was aware, I would not have returned to ask for the N500. I promised to help them find Tosin. I took them to a game house in Mile 2, where I know he frequents, but he was not there. I also took them to Amuwo Odofin Primary School where Tosin told me he sleeps since he ran away from home, but he was also not there. I then took them to his parents’ house where the parents also confirmed that Tosin had left home for months.

F

ate has an uncanny way of shaping events in a man’s world. And so it is in the life of Solomon James, 20, from Bayelsa State. Last month, the interlock moulder visited a movie outlet at the popular Apple Junction in AmuwoOdofin area of Lagos State and met an old-time friend named Tosin. While the duo were chatting and talking about old times, one Femi Daramola, 39, a driver, approached them and sought their help in loading bags of pure water into a van in a nearby factory promising to pay them N750. The two friends who were anxious to make some cash quickly agreed and accompanied Femi to the factory behind the popular eatery – Mega Chicken – at the junction. After the work was done, Femi paid them N250 with a firm promise to pay the balance the following day.

The next day, when Solomon returned to the company to collect the balance, the story changed. He was shocked to be confronted with allegations that his friend, Tosin came back to the factory that same day after they left and begged to start work there. They told the bewildered Solomon that they allowed him but shortly after, he stole over N50,000 from the factory manager ’s office and disappeared.

Based on this, both the factory manager named Godwin, and Femi decided to keep Solomon in the factory till the next day so that he would assist them in locating his fleeing friend, Tosin.

This decision resulted in a deadly encounter that eventually led to the death of Femi. The principal suspect, Solomon who has been languishing at the cell inside the State Criminal Investigations Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos narrated his story to Crime Guard.

“My story” “My father is from Ogun State while my mother is from Bayelsa State. My father left my mother when I was just three months old. Growing up without a father was not too easy as my mother and grandmother were the only family I knew. I attended Command Primary School, Mile 2 and then proceeded to Ibadan where I attended Orogun Grammar School. After my secondary school education, I returned to Lagos to live with my grandmother at Divine Estate opposite Sheun Estate at Ago Road. I started learning interlock moulding and fixing for some months. Recently, I got a job with a few colleagues to do interlock in Sheun Estate at Ago Road in Lagos.

“The unfortunate incident that caused my arrest started March 3, 2016. After closing from work in the estate, I decided to go to

•The Suspect Solomon

I hit the man’s head with stone to escape r e l l i k d e t c e p s u S — Apple Junction to visit a joint where I always watch movies. There I met a long-time friend and neighbour called Tosin. While we were discussing and watching the movie, a guy whose name I later discovered was Femi approached us that we should come and help him load bags of pure water into a truck in their factory just at the back of Mega Chicken Eatery in Apple Junction.

Quest for cash “We agreed and just felt we could make some money from it. After loading the truck, Femi gave us

N250, promising to balance up N500 the next day. So we left.

Tosin and I agreed I would take N150 while he collects N100 on the condition that when we collect the balance of N500, he would also take a higher amount. So, we parted ways.

The next day, after I had also finished working at the estate, I went back to the pure water factory to collect our balance. But when I got there, Femi held me by the neck shouting ‘ where is your friend?’

New twist

Unlawful detention “Godwin and Femi took me back to the factory and refused to let me go. Femi told Godwin to lock the two of us from the outside in one room.

He said we would sleep in the same room. While we were together, Femi was beating me with a stick. He even threatened to take me to a shrine in Ogun State where I would be rendered useless. Out of fear and in a bid to defend myself, I pushed him with force and he fell down.

Immediately, I picked up an interlocking stone that was used to stand a mosquito curl and hit him on his head from behind. He fell and I quickly forced the door open and ran out. I, however, did not escape through the main gate but chose to scale the fence to avoid being noticed.

Burble burst “I did not know he was dead. One week later, I decided to go to Tosin’s house to report to his father what he had caused me. On getting there, Tosin’s father held me, saying they had been looking for me. He and a few others took me to FESTAC Police Division where I was asked a few questions and was also told that Femi died as a result of the hitting on his head. I was later brought to the SCID.” Regrets On how Solomon feels about the turnout of things and what he may likely face, he said, “I am not happy about the turnout of things; I did not intend to kill Femi but only wanted to defend myself. Tosin is the cause of all this.

They should have thought of the fact that if I knew anything about the stolen money, I wouldn’t have returned to ask for as little as N500.

Even on that day, I was telling them I had my own money (I was paid where I worked) in my pocket, that I could not be involved in such, but they did not believe. I just feel this is how God wants it and I cannot question Him.” Although Tosin is still at large, the police, however, said that investigations had been completed and the case would proceed to the court for justice.

SATURDAY Vanguard,

APRIL 30, 2016—33

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

It was an uncommon meeting of minds last Wednesday when Nigeria’s top political, business, diplomatic, religious, traditional and academic leaders converged at the International Conference Centre, Abuja to ponder on the rarely discussed issue of love for Nigeria.

The event was the presentation of the book, “Who will love my country: Ideas for building the Nigeria of our dream”, written by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

Ekweremadu, the highest political office holder in the ranks of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP showed the superiority of his political balance in the composition of the gathering that overflowed the conference centre.

President Muhammadu Buhari who was held back from physically attending by the Federal Executive Council, FEC meeting despatched as a worthy representative, the minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Mohammed who has in the past ten years worked as spokesman of the country’s leading opposition parties was hailed by Ekweremadu in his opening remarks as the country’s most successful political party spokesman. Chief Olisa Metuh, the PDP spokesman and a very close political associate of Ekweremadu, who may have contested that position with Mohammed was conspicuously absent on account of ill-health.

Three former presidents of the Senate, Senators David Mark, Ken Nnamani and Joseph Wayas were at the venue that overflowed with serving and former senators, members of the House of Representatives, governors and former governors and such.

The effusions of patriotism that overflowed the ceremony were ably guided by the masters of ceremony, Mr. Ebere Young and Mr. Osita Chidoka, a former minister of aviation.

While many of the speakers at the event praised the deep thoughts of nationalism, nation building and sacrifice as articulated by Ekweremadu in the book, President Buhari in his assertions, however, drew back from the crowd. The president said that for him, Ekweremadu’s injunction was like preaching to the converted!

“He (Senator Ekweremadu) demonstrated in the book that Nigerians can only build a Nigeria of their dreams if they make bold efforts to love her above their individual selves and narrow interests,” the President remarked.

He aligned with the views canvassed by Senator Ekweremadu in the book and said for his government, those words propounded by the author amount to preaching to the converted.

“Our mantra is CHANGE, starting with individual attitudinal change.

That explains why this Administration will soon launch a major campaign, tagged ‘CHANGE BEGINS WITH ME’, aimed at getting Nigerians to realize that the change they so much desire starts with them. If we all change our ways for the better, the society itself will change,” the president said.

While endorsing the need to secure the social welfare of the people as encapsulated in the book, the President said it was in line with this that his administration designed the 2016 budget to bring millions of Nigerians out of poverty, enhance the living conditions of the citizens and put smiles on their faces.

The president also used the forum to, for the first time, condemn the spate of attacks by herdsmen against C M Y K

Who loves

•Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s during the Book launch

Ekweremadu’s country? innocent civilians saying that the government would hunt down those involved.

It was a fitting proposition given the fact that earlier, while welcoming his guests, Ekweremadu had asked for a minute silence in memory of his fellow Enugu citizens and other innocent Nigerians recently killed by the marauding herdsmen.

The profusion of patriotism had started that day with the opening remarks delivered by the chairman of the occasion, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, the former head of state who praised the motivation of the author in writing the book.

He was to assert that Nigeria is stronger together as one, affirming that “the things that unite us are far more than the things that divide us.”

Admonishing Nigerians to uphold the common things that bind them together, the former head of state in reference to the title of the book asked, “’who will love my country,’ no one but you,” he answered.

Then drawing from a biblical citation, he again asked “Who will separate us from the love of our country?”

Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Jos, Prof. Isawa Elaigwu subsequently reviewed the book and paid glowing tributes to Ekweremadu for the depth of his thoughts on the issues raised in the book which he said will generate robust debate.

Elaigwu particularly agreed with the author on the need for specialised courts to try corruption cases saying that

it would go a long way in fastening the wheels of justice which he said have been continuously held back in the country.

Following his review, Prof. Sam Egwu, himself, a former student of Elaigwu’s and Prof. Pat Utomi spoke on the book.

To Egwu the book was a summation of Ekweremadu’s thoughts on the failure of the country’s development agenda.

Utomi pressing on from there made mention of continuous conflicts in separate parts of Nigeria in the form of militancy, insurgency and now herdsmen attacks as suggesting a country in a “state of rolling civil wars.”

Noting the positive communalism propagated by the country’s founding fathers, he noted how in the past regional leaders competed to make progress in their respective regions.

He cited the establishment of the Aba/ Port Harcourt Industrial Zones by the Eastern Region administration, the Ikeja Industrial Region in the West and the determination of the Northern Region to become the hub for the textile industry.

Such positive competitive drives, he said, have now been swallowed by the urge to share the monthly booty from the federation account. “Share the gala, share the boo,’ Utomi said to applause.

The touch of royal counsel came from the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi who was represented at the occasion by the Magaji Rafin Kano,

Alhaji Shehu Mohammed who focused on poverty as one of the major snares against the development of the country.

The book was presented to the gathering by Senator Ben MurrayBruce, now popularly known as the author of the commonsense revolution. Senator Murray Bruce praised the book as the outpouring of a very patriotic and nationalistic man, a fact he said was reflected by the attendance at the event.

The senator, however, drew back from launching it with funds as he called on his leader, that is the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio identified as the author of uncommon transformation to carry out that part.

Senator Akpabio on behalf of the PDP Senate caucus launched the book with N2 million and did not leave the stage without a teaser that the majority party would launch with a much higher figure.

It was upon that that the deputy Senate Majority Whip Senator Francis Alimikhena, standing in for the Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume made a donation of N10 million on behalf of all senators!

The depth and quality of the impressive attendance at the book presentation was reflected in the erudition of Ekweremadu in the book in which he reflected on the need to shrink the 36 states to six geopolitical zones, a holistic approach to the fight against corruption, decentralised policing, fair distribution of resources among others.”

“Act of robbing Peter to pay Paul, which I term feeding bottle federalism, is at the heart of poor governance, underdevelopment, indolence, and ineptitude in the Nigerian federation,” Ekweremadu affirmed in the book running into 158 pages.

34 — SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

Benin mourns as Oba of Benin, Erediauwa joins ancestors

By Simon Ebegbulem, Gabriel Enogholase and Emman Ovuakporie

O

MON N’OBA Ne Edo, Uku Akpolokpolor, Oba Erediauwa has joined his ancestors. He was the 38th Oba of Benin Kingdom.

A terse announcement yesterday in Benin by the Iyase of Benin Kingdom (the Traditional Prime Minister), Chief Sam Igbe who spoke in Bini dialect said, “OSORHUE BUNRUN; Oba Erediauwa of Benin Kingdom, the Prince of Peace, Ebo, Ayemwirhe, Emimi Mini Mini, has re-united with his ancestors. May he find perfect peace with God.” Shortly after the traditional breaking of the symbolic white chalk (Osorhue) by the Iyase at the Urho Ozolua Shrine within the Palace in the presence of other Palace chiefs, journalists and the Bini people, the chiefs and those present wept openly in mourning the passing on of one of the foremost traditional rulers in Nigeria.

The Iyase also announced that all Bini males were expected to shave their heads, all markets closed and all Palace chiefs to wear only one bead around their necks.

Traditional rulers from the seven local government areas that make up the present Benin Kingdom, Palace chiefs of different grades and societies, indigenes of Benin Kingdom, women, members of the Benin Royal Family as well journalists had gathered at the Palace as early as 10am when it was learnt that an important meeting would take place at the Palace.

Before the announcement, there were concerns among the people about the motive of the convergence which had virtually every class of the Benin Kingdom in attendance and the atmosphere at the Palace ground was tense It was learnt that at the meeting earlier in the day, the news of the passing on to glory of the Oba was first broken to the Crown Prince, HRH (Ambassador) Eheneden Erediauwa, Edaiken N’Uselu and members of the Benin Royal Family before the Iyase of Benin, Chief Sam Igbe formally announced it to the people of Benin Kingdom and the world as demanded by Bini custom.

A Palace chief, Omon Osagie Utetenegiabi, the Obadolagbonyi of Benin Kingdom, while reacting to the passage of Oba Erediauwa said, “It is customary that when a sitting Oba becomes an ancestor by translating to a greater glory, the news is first broken to his eldest son and the immediate family which was done earlier today.

“And the Iyase of Benin, as the highest ranking chief, then breaks the news to the people of Benin Kingdom and the world.

“Iyase is the traditional Prime Minister and the bridge between the people and the royalty and that is what he has done today. From today until the expiration of ‘Emwinekhua’, all Benin chiefs that have been entitled by the Oba to wear the two round beads round their necks, will now wear one. It is

Oba Erediauwa

customary because when you see a chief wears one bead, it shows that we are a state of mourning.

“After today, we are awaiting further instructions on what to do.

But the Oba of Benin does not die because he is an institution; he mainly translates to a high glory as an ancestor”, he said.

He described Oba Erediauwa as an Oba of Peace, the Oba who brought prosperity to his people, who understood his people, adding that the late Oba made sure that no one was offended just as he was an Oba who could sit in judgment and give judgment against his own son for a commoner. “It is rare. Oba Erediauwa is the best that has happened to Benin Kingdom in the last 1,600 years”, he said.

Life and times of Oba Erediauwa

The Leopard left for the forest at the heat of the campaigns for the 2015 general elections. Born in 1923 to Oba Akenzua 11, he was crowned the 38th Oba of Benin on March 23, 1979. Prior to his ascension to the throne, he was Prince Solomon Igbinoghodua Aisiokuoba Akenzua. As tradition requires, he relinquished his name Solomon immediately he became Oba. He attended Government

College Ibadan (939–1945), then Yaba College before he proceeded to King’s College, Cambridge to study law and administration. He joined the Eastern Nigeria Civil Service in 1957 as a District Officer, later moved to the Federal Civil Service where he retired as Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health in 1973. For a short period he was the regional representative of Gulf Oil. In 1975 he was appointed Commissioner for Finance in the then Bendel State during the military administration of Major-General George Agbazika Innih. Ascending the throne on 23 March 1979, he celebrated his 30th anniversary in 2009.

How he ruled the Kingdom

During his reign, Oba Erediauwa was known to be a peacemaker, a great diplomat who rarely spoke, dogged and uncompromising when it came to issues that affects the lives of Nigerians. For instance, when late General Sanni Abacha coerced most of the first class traditional rulers in the country to back his attempted transition to a civilian president, Oba Erediauwa was one of the few traditional rulers who remained resolute in their belief that

the military should go so that the nation could enthrone democracy.

He received pressures from Abuja, he was even threatened as Saturday Vanguard learnt, but the monarch declared he would not support such satanic move. When he spoke, his words were law. As a result, he commanded the respect of any political leader.

In March 2004, there was serious crisis between the then Governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Ozor Kalu and former Chairman Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih. After the crisis which drew the attention of many Nigerians, the former Governor explained to journalists when he visited his counterpart in Edo State, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, that he decided to sheath the sword when His Royal Majesty told him to stop.

According to him, “the Oba is our father; he told me to stop the war of words and resolve the matter.

Who am I when our Royal Father has spoken? I had to stop my war with Chief Anenih, who is a respected party leader.”

In order to administer justice and ensure effectiveness in the administration of the Kingdom, he created dukedom in the seven Local Government Councils in the Edo South Senatorial District which is made up of the Binis. He decided to install his younger ones as Enogie of each dukedom to help administer the kingdom effectively.

It was the first of its kind. He equally achieved peace in the kingdom through the revival of most Benin cultures and traditions which were fast eroding before his ascension as Oba. One of such festivals is the Ugie-Ewere Festival which is celebrated annually to herald the beginning of every New Year in the Kingdom. The Benin traditional worship center known as the Holy Aruosa was strengthened during his reign.

Traditional courts were set up in the Kingdom to settle rifts such as chieftaincy and land disputes in communities. Once judgment was pronounced by the palace, it became final. Anyone who decided to head to the normal courts, would be fighting the Oba’s authority.

His reign as Oba witnessed drastic reduction if not total eradication of ritual killings in the Kingdom. And he was able to achieve this through spiritual curses invoked upon such perpetrators. These curses were administered by the Esogban of Benin, Chief David Edebiri, who is the Odionwere of Benin Kingdom, in collaboration with some other powerful palace chiefs in the Kingdom.

It will be recalled that in the late 90s, there were incessant accidents at the Ikpoba Hill River in Benin City, and the Binis were asked to pray against wicked spirits while the Oba deployed some of his powerful chiefs to consult the gods and find solution to the problem.

Ever since then, the bridge has been peaceful and that ended the losing

Continueson page 35

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016—35

artefacts because he felt the Benis were unfairly treated by the British.

Oba Erediauwa while playing host to Dr. Walker at his palace, in a well attended ceremony, commended what he described as his courage and tenacious desire to return the artworks that were looted by his grandfather, Captain Philips. Governor Adams Oshiomhole who, on that occasion described Dr. Walker as an honest man, called on the British Government and individuals to emulate Dr. Walker by returning such artworks which were stolen from the Kingdom. In his speech, Dr. Walker said he returned the artefacts voluntarily, and assured that he would encourage others who may have some of the stolen artefacts in their homes in Britain to return them to Nigeria.

This is one of the greatest achievements of the Leopard before he embarked on a trip to the savanna forest.

Continues from page 34 of innocent souls on that bridge. Some artefacts that were stolen during the invasion of Benin Kingdom in 1897 were recovered during his reign.

Tourism was also boosted following the influx of foreigners who comes to witness the annual Igue Festival. He was Chairman of Benin Traditional Council throughout his reign and it was used to foster unity among traditional rulers in Nigeria and Edo State in particular.

His influence in politics cannot be underestimated because his words were laws as far as the Bini Kingdom were concerned. In 1991 it was said that a message from the palace gave victory to the SDP governorship candidate, Chief John Odigie Oyegun who ran the governorship against Lucky Igbinedion, son of the Esama of Benin.

Following the controversy that trailed that election and the seeming support the monarch gave to Chief Oyegun, the Oba was subpoena at the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal to the chagrin of the Binis. Hell was let lose when the Binis saw the Royal Father trekking to the tribunal. They stormed the streets in protest to condemn the tribunal and the Esama of Benin who is one of the powerful chiefs of the Oba. The Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion and his son Lucky, were declared enemies of the Oba. This was where his problem with Esama started. It took the intervention of prominent Edo sons in the Christendom like Rev. Father Theophilus Uwaifo, Okhiaya-Inneh (SAN) to plead on behalf of the Esama.

The matter was finally settled when Esama had his 70th birthday. The guest were all at the Baptist Church waiting when Esama was taken to the palace to beg the Oba. In 2007, the Oba of Benin who heard the cries of his people for change in the governance of the state, backed the entrance of Governor Adams Oshiomhole into the politics of the state. As a matter of fact, his tacit support enabled Oshiomhole to carry out his urban renewal programme in Benin City. For instance, before the reconstruction of the Airport Road to six lanes, the design required the demolition of part of the palace walls.

And when the Oba was informed, he told the governor that “I will not be a hindrance to your urban renewal programme in Benin City, if it means destroying part of my palace to construct the road. Go on and destroy it; we want development in Benin Kingdom.”

Unknown to the Oba, Oshiomhole betrayed his emotions when he left the palace that same day. He was overwhelmed with the humility and the progressive nature of the Oba, particularly when the opposition PDP created the impression that Oshiomhole who is from Edo North Senatorial District, wanted to destroy the Benin cultural heritage. Oba’s humility and support overwhelmed Oshiomhole who became so emotional as he wept and echoed “God bless the Oba”.

And in 2012, during the campaigns for the re-election of Governor Oshiomhole, the Oba did not hide his preference for the former labour leader.

And in Benin Kingdom, the Enigies (Dukes) watch the body movement of the Oba and they flowed with it. It will be recalled that when Governor Oshiomhole visited the Oba in 2012 to inform him of his plans to run for a second term in office, the Oba directed the Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe to pray for the Governor. From the prayers which were being said in native Benin language, the Iyase was

Benin mourns as Oba of Benin, Erediauwa joins ancestors not hitting the point as the Oba had wanted. And the Oba did not hide his feelings, as he interrupted the prayers and urged the Iyase to say prayers a father would give to his son, adding that he should give Oshiomhole a special prayer. And after Iyase’s prayers, the Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri took over and prayed to the admiration of the Oba. Esogban declared after his prayers that the Oracle had spoken and whoever wanted to doubt the oracle should wait for the consequence.

The support of the Palace and the people of Edo State gave Oshiomhole victory in the entire 18 Local Government Areas of the state, a feat no governor had achieved in the country. Because of the love the Oba has for Oshiomhole, he openly shunned the PDP delegation led by the then President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, when Jonathan visited the state for his presidential campaign. On that occasion, after waiting for half an hour, only Jonathan was later ushered into the inner chambers of the Oba where he met with the Royal Father for about 10minutes. Chief Anenih and other PDP leaders were locked out.

Benin-Lagos Expressway

Many Nigerians may be enjoying the manageable state of the Benin Lagos Road today but they don’t know the pressure the Oba of Benin piled on the Federal Government to fix the road. If there was one reason for the Oba not to stick out his neck for the PDP-led Federal Government since 1999, it was due to the state of that road. The Oba monitored reports both in the print and electronic media and he never failed to express his disgust for the number of lives being lost on that road on a daily basis. He had had cause to summon ministers of works such as the former Chairman, Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih and Engr.

Chris Ogiemnwonyi who are indigenes of the state over the state of the Benin-Lagos Road. Saturday Vanguard recalled when the Oba seriously expressed his feelings to the then Minister of Works, Mrs. Deziani Allison-Madueke, when he queried why it was difficult for the Federal Government to fix the Benin-Lagos

Road which is one of the busiest roads in Nigeria. The pressure continued when Ogiemwonyi, a son of soil, became Minister of State for Works. And it is that doggedness that Nigerians are reaping today.

Media parley

Unlike many traditional rulers in the country, the Oba saw the media as one of his constituencies, therefore he carried them along throughout his reign. Every quarter, he organized media parley with journalists in the state where he feted with pounded yam and drinks.

This was one occasion every journalist in Edo looked forward to because it afforded you the opportunity to mingle with the monarch who rarely appeared in public. This forum afforded journalists the opportunity to ask questions both on state and national issues. And his Majesty’s sense of humour was unprecedented as he engaged each journalist with jokes over reports written by that particular journalist.

As a matter of fact, he would recall several reports in the media and jokingly tell the journalists around that “even if I don’t go out I monitor all of you through the newspapers, radio and television.”

Any quarter that the media parley did not hold, perhaps due to his busy schedule and health challenges, the Oba would send his apologies through the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state just as he would back up his apologies with a cow and some money which he would direct the NUJ leadership to use to cook for members.

Recovery of stolen artefacts

Sunday, June 22, 2014 was a very remarkable day in Benin Kingdom.

That day the agitation by Oba Erediauwa for the return of the stolen Benin artefacts by the British in 1897 paid off. Oba Erediauwa received two precious bronze artefacts looted by the British during the invasion of Benin Kingdom, from Dr. Andre Walker.

Dr Walker is the great grandson of Captain Philip Walker, one of the soldiers who invaded Benin Kingdom in 1897 and carted away their precious artefacts. The Briton said he decided to return the

Prominent Nigerians react

Some prominent Nigerians have reacted to the passing on of the Benin Monarch. The reactions have been expectedly expressive of the deep loss of one of the most respected traditional rulers in the history of Nigeria.

Oba Erediawa was a rare gem – Dogara

In condoling with the people of the Bini Kingdom over the transition, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, in a statement signed by his spokesman, Turaki Hassan, noted that the late Oba’s legacy of peace would continue to make impact in the Edo nation and the entire country for generations to come.

“The Edo nation will always remember the late revered monarch as a royal father who loved peace and mediated disputes with fairness.

Nigeria has indeed lost a dependable royalty and jewel of peace”, the Speaker lamented.

Our hearts are heavy – Oshiomhole

In his reaction, the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole mourned the royal passage with the following words: “Our hearts are heavy, laden with pains and grief, at the announcement of the passing on to glory of Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa of Benin, our highly revered Oba, a distinguished Edo numero uno, an accomplished Nigerian, a seasoned bureaucrat, quintessential unifier, unique personage and exemplary Omo N’Oba, whose reign brought distinction, immense class, finesse and integrity to traditional institutions in Edo State and the country at large.”

He concluded: “Edo people will miss our iconoclastic Royal Father of the great Benin Kingdom.

Nigerians and Nigeria will miss this great exemplar of a Royal Father, an Oba of distinction and integrity.

Adieu until we meet to part no more.

“Oba gha to kpere, ise.”

He was a man of history – Uduaghan

In his response, the immediate past Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan expressed deep sadness, and described the Monarch as “a man of history who helped to promote the Benin culture and commanded tremendous respect.”

36—SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016—37

They wear tattered clothes but have millions in the bank …Intriguing world of Nigeria’s corrupt civil servants example, while it prescribed that all contracts must be open to competitive bidding process, the civil servants have found a creative way of registering companies either in their friends’ or relatives’ name and bidding for several jobs. Since they are in the know of the benchmark for such projects, the bid from their companies are deliberately skewed to meet the criteria for the bids.

By Ben Agande with additional report from Favour Nnabugwu

T

o most of his colleagues, Chukwuma Onyeoshi is a quintessential civil servant who lives on his meagre salary of grade level 13. His wardrobe consists of three well-worn shirts, two pairs of trousers and an equally wellworn native attire that he wears to work on Fridays. His only car that spends more time with the mechanic than bringing him to the office is a Peugeot 504 saloon car that he bought when old cars were auctioned in the office. His sight evokes pity from his colleagues as many see him as a man who is always struggling to make ends meet.

Facade But outside the office and amongst his community members in Abuja and back in his home town, Onyeoshi is a well-todo man who lives in a mansion in a choice area of Abuja, drives posh cars, with his children attending some of the best schools in town. He owns a magnificent country home and is the first point of call when his community needs funds to embark on any community project. Mr Onyeoshi represents the typical Nigerian civil servant who presents a facade of living in penury to hide the stupendously acquired wealth from the commonwealth of the nation.

Sophistication Nigerian civil servants have evolved in their dubious talents of pilfering from public funds over time. In the early ’60s up to the early eighties, what then constituted corruption among the civil servants majorly was when a lowly officer would sometimes hide a file in order to compel any body interested in the information in such files to grease his palm before C M Y K

producing same. But thereafter, corruption in the civil service gradually began to assume a certain level of sophistication. From hiding files, senior civil servants in the upper echelon of the service began to see their position as an avenue to enrich themselves. They began to negotiate with contractors and other service providers to add a certain amount to quoted contracts so that the added figure would be paid back to the civil servants after such jobs have been completed. In some cases, outright negotiations are made that ten percent of the profit made from any job would be paid back to service the “boys”. This was later to go up to 15 to 20 percent.

The several years of military rule however helped in honing the looting skills of the civil servants. It is important to point out that though the many military officials who occupied executive positions at the hey day of the military rule were interested in dipping their fingers into the public till, they lacked the necessary skills to do so without leaving a loud trail. They had to fall back on the experiences of the civil servants to pull out money and make it look as if it was for a genuine cause.

The more those in executive position became satiated with the desire to steal, the more the civil servants became deeply involved in corruption too. They became adept at setting up elaborate scam that deliberately sidetracked all safety measures put up in the civil service to check corruption. With the presence of the military at the helm of affairs, the Nigerian civil servants took the art of corruption a notch higher.

It will be recalled that during the military era, the civil servant was the most powerful public officer. He it was that prepared the budget and in the

absence of a National Assembly to scrutinize what has been included in the budget, the civil servant became the only one in the chain of government that had the expertise and processes of preparing the budget for the nation. The consequence of this was that monies allocated for projects were not fully released for such projects and in few cases where they were, the civil servants colluded with contractors to share the money without any tangible result to show for the huge releases made.

Democratic dispensation, improved tactics With the return to civil rule in 1999 and the campaign by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to stamp out corruption in the country, the civil servants, majority of whom were sired by corruption, had to adapt new ways to carry on their nefarious trade. And because the then President Obasanjo’s war against corruption focused more on politicians and political office holders, the civil servants had ample time to adjust to the new challenge. And before the government’s attention could refocus on the civil service, incalculable damage had been done by the civil servants.

But the return to democratic rule and the focus on fighting corruption engendered a change of approach by the civil servants. The setting up of two anti-corruption agencies, the ICPC and the EFCC and the introduction of stringent measures in the public procurement procedure necessitated a change of approach. For instance, while the Public Procurement Act prescribed that all contracts must be advertised and due process followed, the civil servant found a way of circumventing it. For

Expanding the scope But even beyond the contracts, the civil servants have devised other ingenious ways of enriching themselves. While senior members organize fake foreign workshops where they collect huge estacode for themselves, the junior ones equally source for local training opportunities but never attend.

Since the bosses are also into such slimy deals, they tend to turn a blind eye to such infractions.

With renewed interest in the effect of corruption on the country, the determined civil servants had to devise new ways to take off attention from themselves. While it is seen as normal for politician and political office holders to live flamboyant lifestyle because of their fat pay package, the paltry remuneration of the average civil servants cannot sustain the luxurious lifestyle of most civil servants. Therefore, in order to cover up for this, the public image presented by the average civil servant is that of penury while the real worth of the average civil servant in Abuja is millions in naira in bank accounts, Substantial mansions in major cities, remarkable investments in all sectors of the economy and a secure future for their children.

The sustenance of the anticorruption war may force many of them to take a more deeper measure of concealing their illgotten wealth. However, the lifestyle of their dependants may be the area of interest for the serious investigators to watch and observe for any lead that would open the huge can of worms being sealed by the hypocritical posturing by the civil servant presenting him as a victim of a weak system that denies him some measures of good living.

38—SATURDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 30, 2016

Entrepreneurs are losing market to substandard products — APOI Boss mo Oba Kolade Roberts used to work O in the public health sector as a trained environmentalist for years, until he

decided to become an entrepreneur providing services to the Maritime, Construction and Oil & Gas industries through its rope industry where he has provided employment to some Nigerians as his contribution to the growth and development of the national economy.

In this interview with Moses Nosike, CEO, APOI Investment Nigeria Limited revealed how unchecked substandard products in the Nigerian market are reducing the success of entrepreneurial operations, and now calls on the regulatory agencies to save business and image of the country by rising against this menace.

Excerpts: What had been your 25 years of experience providing service to Maritime, Construction and Oil & Gas industries?

By training I’m an environmentalist working in the public health sector and in the course time after serving government several years, I decided to be independent.

So in the course of our research and all the rest of it, we discovered a missing link in the rope industry which Maritime, Construction and Oil & Gas being used for their business; been used to anchor ships to the quaysides. It is also used in the construction industry and manufacturing industry. So we are service providers to many segments of the society, providing service to the government, Navy and we’ve been with them for over 20 years supplying them ropes.

Coping with challenges of fake ropes in the market, how far are you going?

The most challenging thing now is the high rate of fake ropes been supplied to the market. We have tried to manage it, it is difficult to curb. People supplying ropes in Nigeria are no longer abiding to world

standard recommended by Standard we are facing now is that the market is Organisation of Nigeria (SON). When it polluted with not too good products. comes to rope business, people no longer On regulatory authorities tackling adhere to recommended standards. It has a fake products... kg for each sizing but what we find in the Not quite long the acting DG of SON market now is below standard with quality said that government is seriously being reduced, the same thing looking at this direction of fake products, with the length. The standard we want to see. But before now, so for a rope worldwide is much has not been done to 220 metres, but when check substandard products. you go to the market So we are praying that what now you see 180, we are hearing from SON 200 metres and will come to fruition very these low soon, because bringing in qualities are substandard products is killing the killing the market for business. We us because they sell at a r e below price and I maintaining found it difficult to standards in tell my •Omo Oba the business. As manufacturers Kolade Roberts a matter of fact to reduce the before we bring quality or the in any rope, we size of the ropes c o l l e c t because we have certificate of right standard. And from SON. The I’m not only company is certified by representing my company also representing the SON in this business we are doing with coded image of my country in the international numbers on all our products we bring in. So community, I’m an image to my country, so if I go we take samples from manufacturers and take to abroad and tell my manufacturer to reduce the it to SON and they take it to their lab for testing quality or size, I’m denting the image of my country before approval before we bring in any and this is the area SON has to look into and these product. But for sometime, the market is eroded people denting the image of the country had to be by many people who bring in substandard brought to books. Let there be standard, let’s project products reducing the quality to zero level. the image of Nigeria, this is our country, let’s take The worst aspect of it is that nobody is checking Nigeria to the next level. what is happening in the market. In the market Apart from the above mentioned services you you see two types of products in a bag with provide to Maritime, Oil & Gas and construction, difference metres. But we refused to change, what other things are you into? we stick to standard which is 220 metres.

Actually our concentration for now has been on Before we are given approval for the last the maritime and Oil industry and construction consignment, SON officials came and check companies because those are the main targets, our products, facilities before they could issue reason is that these substandard products flowing us a letter of satisfaction before we started to into the country had not allowed us to think straight, bring in our goods. But the most challenging because the purchasing power is getting reduced,

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“Livestock farming promotes job creation, self-own business” farming in Nigeria can be a very Livestock lucrative business enterprise if done rightly.

C M Y K

Since white collar jobs are not there to go round, Nigerians can leverage on livestock farming that not only creates more jobs but avenue for self employment and self earning.

This process no doubt encourages small enterprises and young entrepreneurs to develop to bigger sizes that would add value to the economy.

In order to achieve this, animal farm consultant, CEO, Jovana Farms, Prince Arinze Onebunne has over the years taking the responsibility of consulting, training and creating awareness on livestock farming, agriculture as the safest means of creating wealth, reducing unemployment, poverty in the Nigerian system, and contributing to economic development.

Through this campaign he said, many Nigerians are now owning their own small scale livestock businesses, living comfortably with their families, while others that run it as part-time are also earning additional income.

According to him, choosing the right breeds of animals for your location that could help you could raise superior livestock, you need to know how to prepare for it.

“Livestock production is one of the most important activities of agriculture in Nigeria. And if you’d want a good turnover, consider animals like sheep, grasscutter, goat, pig, snail, fish, and poultry farming. Globally, livestock producers are striving to meet with the ever growing demand for animal protein. Mixed with this

the end users don’t identify the real products until they start using it and along the line it breaks into two and kill people. That is why we are creating awareness, come to Apoi where originals are being sold with international standards. You can take it to any lab in the world it comes out with the same recommended international standard. We don’t do repackaging like others.

In the area of job creation and economic growth, what value has your company added?

The nature of our operation is not something one can carry out. We have offered a lot of people employment to reduce unemployment in the system. Even though some of them know what they are doing and few don’t know, you just have to blend. Some of them are in a hurry, they don’t want to crawl, but those who are honest they remain and grow with us. Some have spent 10 years here because of their honesty and hard work.

Having been on ground for years now, will you say that government has taken reasonable steps towards developing the maritime, Oil & Gas sector?

To some extent I would say No and Yes! Because the whole place is not too organised. The major challenge in those sectors is that different governments come on board with different policies. There is no continuity and this has affected growth and development in the sectors.

I advise the present government to look into this area of non continuity. When there is continuity in our system it would help the maritime industry and what we are doing to progress.

How can we develop SMEs and entrepreneurship to create more jobs in Nigeria?

That has been an issue over the years, but the most challenging is lack of infrastructure to develop SMEs and entrepreneurship. Again, there is no adequate power supply that could boost business operations in the country. SMEs, entrepreneurs provide themselves power supply, that is why we have high rate of unemployment in Nigeria. They spend a lot generating their own power, still pay government tax, levies and NEPA bill even without the using the light. We can’t develop without power. Everything surrounds around power. For instance, some of these Okada riders are doing it because they don’t need power to operate their motorcycles, unlike carpentres, panel beaters etc.will sit in their workshop idle because there is no power to work.

It is a terrible situation. And because they have families to feed and other bills to pay, must of them are now forced to pick Okada riding as a ○ ○profession. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

quest are themes like sustainability, animal health and profitability. All themes are interrelated with proper feeding and management. In the future, livestock production will be about innovation, efficiency and

sustainability. Food security is about making safe, affordable and abundant food a reality. We need to achieve this at a time that is unprecedented.

So, if you want to venture into livestock operation, then this article is for you. An effective business plan is a must for taking hold of business opportunities in Nigeria. With animal production being a highly profitable business idea, it is just as necessary to make a proper business plan before starting a farm.

Feed Feeding the most suitable feed in a manner that result in fast growth and efficient feed conversion result in more efficient production and increased profits. About half of the variable production cost in animal production is feed, so a wise farmer reduces the overall cost of production by using the most appropriate feed and feeding in the manner that most efficiently produces quality livestock.

However, the most basic factor is the composition of the

feed and how closely it matches the particular animal’s nutrition requirement. It is possible to compound diet from various ingredients found in local feed stuffs that will satisfy these requirements.

The proportions of these ingredients within the diet must be adjusted so that the total of the proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, fibres, vitamins, minerals, etc fall within the expected range.

Record keeping Record keeping is of utmost importance in livestock production. Records can serve as an early warning system to let you know whether changes need to be made in your operation. Present day farming operations are becoming more and more business oriented than yesterday ’s farming operations. Being a good producer is no longer good enough to remain in business.

The key to becoming a successful farmer in today’s era is being a good producer as well as a good financial manager.

Attend JOVANA FARMS seminars nearest to you and discover everything you need to know about livestock production!

Email:jovanafarms@gmail.com

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30 , 2016—39

B-R-I-E-F-S

Lagos prepares 800

officers for retirement

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

L

agos State Government has trained over 800 public servants that would be retiring from the state’s public service next June, aimed at equipping them for the challenges ahead.

The state’s Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Akintola Oke, at the opening ceremony of a four-day workshop during the week at the Public Service Staff Centre, Magodo, Lagos, said the essence was to prepare participants for life after paid employment so that they would continue to live good and quality life as they were while in service.““To this end, participants would be taken through on easy and effective way of accessing their gratuity and pensions, effective and efficient management of their financial resources, exposure to different areas of business opportunities through various skills acquisitions training and ways of retaining good health in retirement.“"Having spent a good number of their years serving the state diligently, they deserved a worthy parting, which is why in addition to timely payment of their gratuity and pensions that are statutory, the state is also providing them this other life opportunity that would rejuvenate them

•Says challenges ahead tasking

and make life going."“While urging the participants to take advantage of the training, he assured them that the state would never forsake them in retirement at any time in all its programmes and activities.““That is why Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has never defaulted in the payment of pensions and gratuity in the last one year”, Oke said.

He said that the state government

had paid well over N12 billion in the settlement of pension’s arrears and issue of bonds to various retirees, in addition to the implementation of various welfare packages to its pensioners."

A retiring officer, Mr. Kalikasa Buhari who expressed appreciation to government for the exposure it would afford added that it would also make them independent of their monthly pension salaries.

Task For ce impounds 554 4 ok adas, arres ts Force okadas, arrests 32 miscreants oover ver violation of tr af traf afff ic law

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

he Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences T Unit (Task Force) had impounded 54

motorcycles popularly known as okadas, and arrested 32 suspected miscreants during a fracas with motorcyclists at Agric Bus stop in Ikorodu.

The enforcement followed the need to enforce the State Road Traffic Law as well as the ban on operation of okoda along Mile 12-Ikorodu Road as ordered by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at a recent Town Hall Meeting in Ikorodu.

Public Affairs Officer of the unit, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq who disclosed this said an enforcement team, in an attempt to arrest

a motorcyclist for obstructing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane along Agric Bus stop, met serious resistance from motorcyclists and tricycles operators including their union officials who attacked some policemen and para-military officers attached to the agency with stones and broken bottles, breaking the windscreen of one of the agency’s vehicles in the process.“According to Taofiq, the fracas was subsequently quelled following reinforcement from other security agencies which include Rapid Response Squad (RRS), that assisted officials of the Task Force to subdue the motrocyclists who had mobilized their colleagues from Ikorodu, Ogolonto, Irawo and Owode-Onirin to support them.

Residents raise alarm over construction of market stalls under high tension wire

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

C

oncerned residents, under the aegis of “Egbe Isokan,” Phase I and II, Power-line, in old Alimosho Local Government Area (LGA) have accused government agents of building market stalls under high tension electricity cables, and posing threat to lives and properties of residents.

The group, therefore, called on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and members of the State House of Assembly led by Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, for their intervention to stop forthwith the

developer from going ahead with the project.

The construction which is still ongoing is located along Power-line Road, connecting Council Bus stop to LASUIba Road, in Egbe-Idimu LCDA. One of the residents, Mr. Adesegun Araoye, accused the Executive Secretary of Egbe/Idimu LCDA, Hon. Kunle Sanyaolu and one Mr. Idris Balogun, Alias Oluomo, of being behind the project.

The group contended that the construction of the structures, which comprise of several lock-up shops, is

in contravention of the State Environmental Law which forbids the construction of structures under high tension electricity cables.

“You can imagine the level of destruction to human and domestic animal lives that would be lost in case of disaster. Besides, the gravity of health risks being posed to occupants is enormous.

“Therefore, in order to avert avoidable disaster in this area we call on our listening Governor Ambode and members of Lagos State House of Assembly to come to our rescue."

Lagos reunit es 26 fforeigner oreigner s, reunites oreigners, other children with families

•Records 258 rape cases, rescues 1,340 beggars from streets

By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur Olowoopejo

A

•Gov Ambode

t least 26 children from Benin Republic and other West African countries rescued across Lagos streets have been reunited with their families by Lagos State Government within the last 11 months.

Also, 1,340 beggars, destitutes and mentally challenged persons were rescued from the streets, even as 258 rape and other sexual abuse cases were recorded between May 29, 2015 till date.

Commissioner for Youths and Social Development, Mrs. Uzamat AkinbileYusuff and his counterpart from Women

Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA, Mrs Lola Akande, disclosed these yesterday at the 2016 Ministerial Press Briefing in Alausa, Ikeja, to commemorate the first year in office of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

Akinbile-Yusuff noted that the state government liaised with the Embassies of those countries to ensure immediate reunion with their families.

She added that 40 children from other states were also reunited with their families to inculcate family values in them.

On beggars, the Commissioner said that 1,340 beggars, destituteS and mentally challenged people were removed from various streets as part of measures to eradicate any act of begging in the state.

Ambode commends Buhari’s economic investment drive Stories by Olasunkanmi Akoni

L

AGOS State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday paid a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, where he lauded the President’s recent overseas trips aimed at attracting foreign direct investments into the country.

Governor Ambode who spoke to State House Correspondents shortly after the visit expressed high optimism that the President’s trips would in no short time begin to yield benefits in the interest of all Nigerians.

The Governor specifically commended President Buhari for his purposeful leadership to restore the nation’s place in the comity of nations, saying his recent trip to China and the profitable discussions will go a long way move Nigeria forward, including Lagos.

He said the investment pact signed with the Chinese Government will benefit the people of Lagos, especially with the coming of the Lagos-Kano Rail Project and the Lagos Metro-rail project expected to cost about $2.5billion.

It would be recalled that President Buhari recently returned from a one week visit to China where Nigeria signed series of investment pact expected to yield about $6 billion investment for Nigeria and also expected to have positively huge impact on key sectors of the Nigerian economy including power, solid minerals, agriculture, housing and rail transportation.

...T ...Too launc launchh disability fund May 29

G

overnor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State will on May 29 launch the state's Disability Fund aimed at empowering the physically challenged towards nation building.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde who disclosed this, added that the fund was unprecedented in the country. The planned launch, which is part of activities to mark the Governor's one year in office, has the theme: "Ability in Disability".

...Justifies Govs’ request for review of revenue sharing formula, moratorium on debt

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

L

AGOS State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has thrown his weight behind the twin requests of revenue allocation formula review and the 18 months moratorium pressed on the federal government by the 36 State Governors to offset their respective debt, justifying it in view of the economic challenges facing the States.

The governor said that with the current poor monetary inflows in the states, it would be difficult for them to survive without external help.

Speaking to State House Correspondents after a private meeting with president Mohammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja on Friday, Ambode said that it was necessary to make such demands to enable the State stay afloat.

He said: “There is nothing wrong in asking for moratorium. Lagos State has just restructured its bond programme. It is about financial intelligence.

“The states are not saying they are not going to pay back. We are saying that based on the present circumstances, we can hold down principal payments and just take interest.

40—SATURDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 30, 2016 Dear Aunty Julie, My guy and I don’t draw lines about when or when not to have sex but things have changed lately. My partner is now apprehensive about having sex when I’m menstruating or having breakthrough bleeding.

His male friends told him that menstrual material could get lodged in his urethra and cause an infection. That doesn’t make sense to me. How could menstrual material be any more infectious than other body fluids that are exchanged during sex?

Lola, Ekiti

Dear Lola, You’re right. Menstrual fluid is no more likely to infect a woman’s partner than sweat, saliva, or vaginal secretions caused by sexual arousal.

Unfortunately, your partner’s friends are not the only ones who have been misinformed.

History taught us a lot about this.

Menstruation has been misunderstood and feared in western civilization for thousands of years. The ancient Hebrews believed that menstruation was one of many ritual impurities that required ritual cleansing. By the

juliecoker100@yahoo.com

He doesn’t like sex during my period time of the early Christians, menstruation was seen as a physical pollution that caused all kinds of illness and disease, as well as spiritual pollution. For example, in the year 562, the Archbishop of Arles in France declared, “Whoever has relations with his wife during her period will have children that are either leprous or epileptic or possessed by the Devil.”

It is amazing how long it is taking

to dispel such unhealthy notions.

The widespread western phobia about menstruation was one of the excuses used until well into the 20th century to bar women from many activities allowed men: standing near or touching the altar of a church, singing in a church choir, or getting an education.

In some parts of the world, however, menstruation was seen as a source of great physical and

Sex with my husband is painful Dear Julie, My husband and I enjoy lovemaking a lot and it’s one thing that keeps our relationship going despite having three children. My man respects me for that and has never cheated for as long as I could remember.

But lately, sex has been really painful and not as enjoyable as it used to. On many occasions, I turned down my husband and he doesn’t feel good about this. Does

this mean that something is wrong?

Seigha, Port-Harcourt

Dear Seigha, Something is wrong. Painful intercourse has many causes. In men, it can be caused by an infection, an allergic reaction to spermicide or latex, or by an irritation from previous sexual or non-sexual activities.

In women, the causes are more varied and complex: There may be

vaginal dryness, which could be caused in two ways. It could be that a woman is not aroused enough to lubricate because there has not been enough foreplay before penetration. Or, she may not have enough of the hormone estrogen in her system to create lubrication. This type of vaginal dryness is often associated with perimenopause or menopause. Other physical causes include endometriosis, infection, yeast overgrowth, or allergic reaction to latex or spermicide.

Emotional causes of painful intercourse

spiritual power. In certain cultures of the South Pacific, for example, men ritually cut themselves to bleed so that they could claim that they, too, had periods.

Today, we understand that menstruation is an important part of the fertility cycle of women. We know that human females have a greater menstrual flow than any other animals.

That is because many blood vessels are needed to support the development of a human fetus if a pregnancy takes place. When pregnancy does not take place, the supporting tissue and blood is lost in a woman’s menses, and new supporting tissue develops to prepare for ovulation in support of another potential pregnancy if fertilization and implantation take place.

We also know that there is nothing dirty or unclean about menstruation.

We know that menstrual fluid itself is not infectious, and it does not cause disease or sickness. Many women today enjoy their periods as a proud reminder of their femininity. Many others see it as an uncomfortable inconvenience that they could do well without.

And many have found that they can enjoy their sexuality and express themselves sexually during menstruation. for women include gender identity conflict, a history of rape or incest, or intense childhood suppression of sex, all of which can lead to vaginal spasms that prevent penetration.

Other emotional causes include hostility, anger, or resentment toward her partner or previous partners.

Because painful intercourse has so many possible causes, it is best to consult a health care professional to determine the cause and get the best treatment. Men may want to consult a urologist. Women may want to consult a women’s health care provider.

My friends want me to sleep with an older woman Aunty Julie, My friends were telling me that I should try having sex with a lady ten years older than me or more.

I am 27 years and my sexual partners have always been agemates or those younger than me.

Personally, I don’t fancy the thought of going to bed with an older woman even though my friends tell me that I could learn a lot and would enjoy the experience.

What do you think? I really cannot bring myself to have sex with an older person .

Am I abnormal or do you think I am right?

What do you think I should do, try it out?

Ken, Edo

Dear Ken, Perhaps, what your friends are trying to say is that many people believe that there are advantages to a younger man dating an older woman. There are a few historic tales of older women indoctrinating younger men into the world of sexuality. Some of the stories are as ancient as the gods, whereas others are modern love stories of lust and woe.

Many believe that older women have more sexual experience, that they have a more varied sexual repertoire, and that they will appreciate a youthful admirer.

Sexual experience aside, different people are turned on by different things. One way to find out what floats your boat is to try different things, but that’s not the only way. There are

Most importantly, don’t participate in any sexual activity with which you are not comfortable. There are many other ways to be sexually fulfilled that will be more palatable to your personal tastes plenty of sexual activities that you probably don’t need to try in order to anticipate whether or not you’d be into it. It sounds like you know what turns you on, and what you find arousing. If it goes against your grain to be turned

C O C K - T A L E S

Stylish anniversary This eighty year old couple were celebrating their 60th anniversary and the wife says to her husband, “ Honey lets get stark naked and sit at the dinning table and eat our dinner!” As they sat at the dinning table the wife says, “Honey I am beginning to get very hot and very aroused!” The husband says, “ That is because you have your tits in the soup!”

Peaceful resolution A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats and C M Y K

pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, “Relatives of yours?” “Yep,” the wife replied, “in-laws.”

Bruising A woman come to a doctor, with bumps and bruising all over her body. The woman complains that it was her husband, who beat her. Doctor tells in surprise: - I thought your husband was out of town.

- So did I..

Compliment Woman standing in front of the mirror complains to her husband: - I look ugly. At least you tell me any compliment!

- Your vision is perfect!

on by an older woman, then it makes no sense to try the experience. What works for your friends may not work for you. After all, there are as many different sexual needs and desires as there are people. Most importantly, don’t participate in any sexual activity with which you are not comfortable.

There are many other ways to be sexually fulfilled that will be more palatable to your personal tastes.

If it bothers you that you are not interested in sleeping with this woman (or older women in general), or if you are simply introspective and curious about yourself, it may be worth spending some time thinking about what it is about sleeping with people your age or younger that you find most appealing. What is your upper limit in terms of age? Or your lower limit?

People have different reasons for their age preferences. For example, some people prefer to only have sex with someone that they could see themselves connecting with outside the bedroom. Some feel that a large age difference means being in different life stages and thus not able to connect as deeply. Other people find that they connect more with people older than them. Your feelings about age may be about your sexual desires, or age may have some other, perhaps deeper meaning to you. Exploring this with a trusted confidant may be helpful or interesting to you, as well. But whatever your reasons, know there is nothing “abnormal” about having some limits about age, even if those limits are different from others around you.

SA TURD AY SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, APRIL 30 30,, 2016—41

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

Adults who can’t stand their step-dads!

W

ITH the galloping rate of divorce that currently exists world-wide, it stands to reason that second marriages should be as popular as first ones. The snag is second marriages also mean step-children and step-parents surface, resulting in some complications in an otherwise happy ever-after relationship.

“I’m upset because my mum got married again and I don’t like my step father,” a reader’s letter stated. “It was her first proper relationship since our dad left her some nine years ago. I ‘m happily married with children and know her relationship is none of my business since we don’t live together. But my step-father is hostile and I don’t feel comfortable going home. He lives in mum’s house and has changed the way the house looks, as well as the way my good-natured mother behaves. She doesn’t ring or visit as often as she used to and spends more time with her step-children, who live with her, than with her own children.

“My husband agrees that this man is manipulative but my mum doesn’t know how we children feel because we haven’t confronted her about it. We thought she should enjoy a stable relationship just like dad who has since remarried”. The snag is that a second marriage means time has to be shared amongst other people too.

The tendency is for a ‘new’ bride to try and please her new family—the children. It could be nerve-wracking trying to warn your mother off a romance she’s guarding jealously.

“Don’t look at what you’ve lost; look at what you have gained—another adult who might be there for you when you’ve all got used to each other”, counselled a psychologist on how to deal with step-parents. If a stepfather is unfriendly, it could be because the children are wary of him when they were introduced. If the children are more welcoming, the step-father might follow suit.

Let’s face it. Your mother might not have liked the boyfriends you go out with it in the past, yet she had to put up with them.

“You now have to do the

same with your step-father.

You will always love her children, but it’s her turn now to be loved, even if she’s entitled to a fulfilling life of her own”.

Benny was planning to go to the university when her mother suddenly

announced she was getting married again. “There were only us, two children,” she recalled, “and her news made me decide to go to a university far from home. My younger sister lived with the ‘new’ couple but she didn’t have

nice things to say about our so-called-step-father who looked a bit rough round the edges to me. I avoided him as much as possible I was doing my youth service when they broke up and I’m not ashamed to say that I was jubilant. Who knows, maybe if we’d been more open with our feelings, she might not have married him. Compared to our father, he was a rough-neck. One would expect her to get someone as good as dad if not better! My dad remarried about the time mum did and now has two boys. I don’t feel jealous because his new wife always makes us feel welcomed.”

If you are a parent who’s just remarried, here are some tips experts believe should help:

Don’t be lovey-dovey in front of your children.

They may be grown-up but it is still embarrassing for them to see their mother or father acting like a teenager. Don’t expect them to accept your new partner straight away. They’re old enough to make up their own minds. Accept that even if the children don’t live at home any more, they’re still going to find it odd when ‘home’ changes— especially if you move away. Remember, you’re still a mum and possibly a grandma too.

Don’t sacrifice your old family ties for your new found passion. Don’t forget to rewrite your will.

Treat everyone fairly and cover all possibilities. For example, what would happen if you died and your new husband remarried?

Men are not such ‘Bonga fish’ that can’t be bent!

I

If a stepfather is unfriendly, it could be because the children are wary of him when they were introduced

T is a fact that the average man has irritating habits that put your back up and make you feel like climbing the wall in frustration. Habits like leaving the toilet seat up with his wee all over it; hanging out with his mates most of his spare time or snoring. The good news is that he is just as vulnerable as that dog of yours. Remember how long it took you to train the dog to eat off your palm? Well, you can do the same thing with your bloke!

According to writer, Amy Sutherland: “Men have a lot in common with wild animals such as dolphins, hyenas and baboons. You can, therefore, domesticate your other half by using the same methods deployed to train these animals to perform tricks.” She said she made her discovery while researching a book about a school for animal trainers. She spent a number of months at Moorpark College in California watching students learn how to train baboons to skateboard, elephants to paint and dolphins to flip. She had found herself constantly moaning at her husband for throwing dirty clothes on the floor, leaving used tissues around and always being late. According to her, “It hit me that these techniques might work on that stubborn but lovable husband of mine.

“The main lesson I learnt is that I should reward behaviour that I like and ignor behaviour I don’t. Seeing my husband as a dolphin in need of training, I

thanked him whenever he threw even one shirt into the linen basket instead of pestering him about his clothes lying around. The more I praised him, the tidier he became. And, when he misbehaved, I simply withdrew my attention.”

But could it work on your partner too? UK dog trainer, Anni Clayton believes it can. She says: “Humans and animals learn in the same way.

When I’m training a dog and he does something right, I make a clicking sound. He learns it’s always the same sound and it means a reward is coming. With my husband, I don’t have to use a sound. I indicate a dirt sock, he moves it and I reward him with a big smile.

“When an animal is good you usually reward them with food. If your husband clears the table after dinner, your good humour is his reward. Another technique I learnt from the animal trainers is known as “teaching an incompatible behaviour.” This means teaching your man to do something else in place of whatever it is he usually does that bothers you. I came up with things for my husband to do that stopped him getting in my way

when I cooked. To lure him away from the stove, I piled up cheese for him to grate at the other end of the kitchen or any other simple chores.

“I began to analyse him as if I was an exotic animal trainer. Trainers learn all they can about species, from anatomy to social structure. They try to understand how it thinks. Does it like to be part of a herd or is it a loner?

“I decided that my husband was both a loner and an alpha male. So, hierarchy mattered, but being in a group wasn’t so important. Skiing came naturally to him but being on time didn’t. After two years of animal training, my marriage has fewer ups and downs and my husband is more loveable.

Thinking of him as an exotic animal makes it easier to accept his faults.

So, a pile of dirty clothes on the bedroom floor is just a pile of dirty clothes—not a sign that he doesn’t care enough about me...”

But, she warns, there is some behaviour that you can’t train out of your husband. “You can’t stop a badger from digging and you can’t stop my husband from losing his wallet and keys.”

42—SATURDAY

Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

BOOK2

YETUNDE AREBI Yetty5050@yahoo.co.uk tweeterhandle@yetundearebi 08054700825

Mehinaku in Brazil. Here, all that a man has to do traditionally to gain a woman's attention is to give a gift of fish and the deal is sealed. (Tufiakwa!!!) *In Judaism there is a long list of sex dos and don'ts that couples must adhere to. While sex is a no-no before marriage, sex is seen as the ultimate bonding between a man and a woman and a religious responsibility.

Procreation sex is not high on the list as children are not considered a must in marriages. Sex is allowed only in time of joy and a man must never force himself on his wife. No means no! Marital rape not allowed. When drunk or quarreling, a man is not permitted to jump on his wife.

The women will love this! In Judaism, sex is a woman's right, not a man's. A man has a duty to provide regular and pleasurable sex to his wife on demand. Sex is one of a woman's basic rights besides feeding and clothing by her husband and conditions can only be modified through Ketubah, a marriage contract. A man's consistent refusal to engage in sex is enough grounds for his wife to sue for divorce!!

Sex: Ancient versus modern

A

t birth, no one knows what sex means. But with age, exposure and maturity, we all get to know about sex. Our knowledge, ideas and beliefs about sex often times will depend largely on what our society stipulates it to be. Therefore, not all of us will have the same ideas and attitude about sex. What is right and proper differs from individual to individual and society to society. However, what we know and have come to accept as the norm about sex, sexuality and sexual orientation today, was not what it used to be many, many years ago in many cultures. Interestingly though, some societies have yet to still evolve from the old rituals. For instance, virginity many years ago ceased to considered a virtue as young ladies seeking suitors were allowed to shop for Mr. Right by sampling potential young men in bed till they find one that could satisfy them the most!

Shocking?

From puberty to reproduction to recreation, sex has a place in every custom and society and many of them have unique peculiarities of their own. And though most have long been taken over by cultural evolution and health reasons, many are still well entrenched in some societies to date. Let's take a glimpse into some of the sex rituals performed by cultures across the world, so many of us will see that we have not done so badly at all, even with all our wild preferences and orientations. *New Guinea, Australia: For many tribes here, puberty starts from about age six when the little boys are weaned of their mothers' aprons. They are taken to a camp in the forest where they begin their training into manhood. For the Sambian and Trobriander tribes, this period spans about age 6-12 and the children are taught to start engaging in sexual activities, albeit as homosexual or gay men. They are kept away from women and are encouraged to fellate and swallow the semen of older young men with the belief that it is the way they will grow into strong men. The stronger the men, mostly warriors, the better for the young boys. This is because the Sambia believes that at birth, everyone is born with something called a 'tingu'. A woman's tingu becomes mature once she begins menstruation, but not so easily for the boys. His tingu has to be developed and the only way to achieve this is by drinking the 'man milk' of older men till he reaches puberty at about 13 years.

Once he goes through a ritual involving nose-bleeding, he becomes qualified to provide mentoring with his man milk for other young men too. By age 20, he is ready to marry and the older men take him through another round of training; how to protect himself from the impurities of women. For example, when having intercourse, he must stuff mint leaves in his nostrils and chew on the bark in order to mask the smell of his wife's genitals. He must learn to use only short strokes as deep penetration is not allowed to prevent being polluted by women. After intercourse, a man must go to bathe in the mud in order to wash away female impurities he may have contracted from his wife. Even after marriage, he is not permitted to spend too long a period with his wife C M Y K

In Judaism, sex is a woman's right, not a man's. A man has a duty to provide regular and pleasurable sex to his wife on demand and must stick close to the men. Instructively, women are allowed as much sexual freedom as the men as there are no special stigmas accorded to sex. Intriguing here however, is that while everybody is allowed to engage in as much sex as they want, pre-marital meal sharing, more like dates, are not allowed publicly!

(Today, most men, I'm sure will gladly embrace this!) *For the people of Inis Beag, on the coast of Ireland, sex is considered high profile secret such that most think it is the most sexually repressed. Here, sex is considered a big strain on human health. Those who engage in it do so to the detriment of their health.

Even then, they must have sex with their knickers on.

This practice can also be found among some sects in Islam as even stripping naked while taking a bath is considered a bad omen, as it will drive away the good Jinns and allow the evil ones to attack one. During sex, a couple must only raise their clothes to gain access to the vital parts while some have improvised by having sex under the sheets. I'm very sure this can't be so exciting! *In Mangaia, a tiny Island in the South Pacific, we have some of the earliest and most advanced sexually educated society. Here, boys start sexual tutoring at age 13. Older women are contracted to teach them about pleasuring women and how to up their game by lasting longer and as well as self restrain. (Now, you are talking!) This is similar to reports associated with the Taoist culture in China. Here, it is believed that a man's semen contains most of his positive energy and life force and should therefore exercise constrain in releasing it. They are taught to have longer sex without ejaculating. And when they do, they are encouraged to release only a portion of it. Well, if the guy does not get blue balls (from inability to ejaculate after sexual stimulation) then, who am I to complain! * They say diamonds are a girl's best friend, give her one and .......! Not so for the women of the village of

*A coronation rite in ancient Sumeria reminds me of the play 'The king must dance naked'. To win the confidence of his people that he has been indeed chosen by the goddess to rule, the king must engage the chief priestess of the temple in a sexual bout in full glare of his subjects. The intensity and pleasurable expressions of the chief priestess is the confirmation that the king has the blessing of the goddess and the eager audience rejoices. For them, this means good harvest and prosperity. This ritual is attributed to be the source of most of the oldest erotic poetry. God save the king if the priestess fails to approve of his bedding skills! *In the Marquessas Islands, parenting was taken as a very serious business. Parents taught the children mainly by example and not what they say. Thus, kids learn to have sex by watching their parents display. *In ancient Egypt mythology, Atum, the god of creation was said to have created the universe by releasing himself. According to sex and society, "even the ebb and flow of the Nile was thought to be caused by Atum’s ejaculation. This concept spurred the Egyptian pharaohs to ritually release themselves into the Nile to ensure an abundance of water." Thus, back then self stimulation into the River Nile was a common occurrence. This is perhaps similar to the practice by ancient paganism groups in the Middle East who conducted mass masturbation ceremonies with the intent of achieving increase in crop productivity. The team is led by the most successive member while others follow and try to reach orgasm at about the same time.

This epic performance according to them will ensure a favourable harvest of crops from the fertility gods in the coming season. *We all know that homosexuality dates as far back as medieval times. In ancient Greece, this was very significant and nobody raised an eyebrow if a man wanted to roll in sh.t or not. What was not allowed was men of similar age group and social class indulging in the game. The belief was that being at the bottom was feminine and so was belittling of men to be in such a position. A man can only subject himself to that position if the man on top was of a higher social class or more successful. Still not far from the truth these days, in our part of the world, I guess! *Though Islam is perceived by most as a very strict religious practice, unknown to many, there are loopholes where practitioners can let down their hair sexually without getting on the wrong side of the law.

For instance, for you to accuse a married woman of adultery, you must provide at least three witnesses to testify that they actually saw her being humped by a man other than her husband. Without these eye witnesses, testimonies against her will be regarded as rumours and untenable.

Similarly, 'Sigheh' is a practice whereby a couple can agree to get married for a stipulated period of time, then divorce. Anything they do together is allowed during this period. This practice is still on even in strict Iran and many Muslim communities, including Nigeria. A form of trial marriage or live in marriage, I think. *For the Kreung tribe in Cambidia, love huts are constructed for teenage girl preparing for marriage.

Not for them, purity, chastity and virginity, brides must be experienced and familiar with the kind of man they want to settle with. So, they are given permission to sample the men, till they find the right one. Night after night, they are allowed to mate with potential suitors until the most skilful or the most lousy picks the ticket, depending on the taste of the intended bride.

Hmm! Good for both sides, don't you think? Do have a wonderful weekend!

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016 —43

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44 — SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

Ahmedu castigated ABL over due process – Kaleh •Says NBBF open to genuine stakeholders

BY PATRICK OMORODION

V

ICE President of the Ni geria Basketball Federation, NBBF, Mukhtar Kaleh has disclosed that FIBA Zone 3 President, retired Colonel Sam Ahmedu accused and castigated organisers of the illegal Africa Basketball League operating in Nigeria for not following due process in trying to establish the league.

According to Kaleh, Col Ahmedu who was critical about the ABL arrangement was speaking during the Central Board meeting of Fiba Africa which both of them attended in Cairo, Egypt in March where the Zone 3 president even “openly claimed that he does not own the Lagos Warriors Basketball Club”, one of the clubs participating in the purported league.

The NBBF vice president who

•Ahmedu

was reacting to a piece by Pius Ayinor, the Sports Editor of the Punch newspaper titled, ‘Yeye pride killing Nigerian basketball’, Col Ahmedu was merely re-echoing the stand of the NBBF on the ABL that they should follow due process even if their project was a laudable one.

On the issue of pride, Kaleh said that the present NBBF Board is not peopled by proud persons as is being insinuated in the article but is open to any stakeholder who has anything to contribute in the development of the game.

“We have been very open and have invited any stakeholder who has anything to offer basketball to come on board and a lot have since been contributing to the progress of basketball in Nigeria. People like Deji Jayeola, Ajibarade Bello, Bade Latona, Fani, Lawal Garba, Pastor Skambo Morrison to name a few. But those that are so proud are the ones that feel they know better than everybody and so they can not serve their country unless they are at the driver’s seat, that is pride,” he noted.

To show that the NBBF president, Tijjani Umar was open to all stakeholders who are contributing in one way or the other, the NBBF vice president said “ Pius should also remember that the current President of the NBBF was the first to visit the Dolphins basketball facility and was full of praises for his (Pius’) boss the chairman of the Punch newspapers”, who is also the proprietor of Dolphins.

N

igeria's bid to appoint a former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp as Eagles foreign technical adviser seems to have suffered a setback as the former Portsmouth coach has concluded plans to join Australian club Central Coast Mariners as a consultant.

IRedknapp recently had a two-game spell in charge of Jordan, overseeing an 8-0 win over Bangladesh and a 5-1 loss to Australia in Sydney.

The 69-year-old is also acting as an advisor to Derby County, currently fifth in the Championship.

Based in New South Wales, Mariners were A-League winners in 2008 and 2012.

Redknapp's decision to opt for the Australian job comes after it emerged late Thursday night that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was set to name him the long-term Eagles manager.

A London tabloid, Daily Star, had reported that Redknapp was in line to grab the Eagles

Amaju Pinnick, NFF president job, overseeing the country's Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, after the team failed to qualify for next year's Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.

Coach Salisu Yusuf presently acts as interim coach, with the mandate to take charge of two upcoming friendlies against Mali in Paris on May 27 and Luxembourg on June 1.

But Daily Stars said Redknapp was approached to take over reins of power, with

a source close to the team revealing he could be named as the next permanent manager within a few days.

Redknapp is largely untested at international level after narrowly missing out on the England job to Roy Hodgson.

But with the latest twist that he has opted to join Central Coast Mariners, it seems Redknapp has put paid to NFF's bid to hire him for a role widely regarded as the biggest job in African football.

Delta State plans big for football league

T

he Chairman of the Delta State Football League Management Board, Lucky Sunday has promised tto make Delta the reference point for football development and innovation in the country.

Speaking during the board’s inauguration by the Executve Chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission, Tony Okowa recently, Sunday said nothing was going to stop Delta from achieving its set target of producing great soccer talents that Nigeria will use in continental and international competitions.

Recalling the sterling roles played by great Deltans like Stephen Keshi, Austin Okocha, Victor Ikpeba and Sunday Oliseh in Nigerian soccer history, Sunday, a prioduct of the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria said the state football league board under his

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leadership was determined to comb the nooks and crannies of Delta to unearth fresh tand exciting talents, which in trurn would be groomred into gems that will first play for top sides in the state like Warri Wolves before hitting the national limelight to reprsent Nigeria.

“We are in a smart agenda under Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and our vision is to ensure that Delta is the undisputable reference point when it comes to football talents discovery and grooming. It is not in doubt that we have the talents, our records speak for us but what we need is determination and a pruposeful leadership to do more in terms of youth discovery, harnessing and grooming. And that I must assure all that we are determined to do because we want our youths to maximise their potentials and become superstars that the world will reckon with”, said Sunday.

•MOVING DELTA FOOTBALL FORWARD....From left, Chairman of the Delta State Football league Board, Lucky Sunday with other members of the body during their swearingin and inauguration by the Delta State Sports Commissiion recently in Asaba.

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016—45

MFM’s fire waning Stories by

JOHN EGBOKHAN

T

HEY shot into the limelight like a thunderbolt, winning their opening match and topping the table in turn.

Initially, their entry into the big league was greeted with pessimism but after some matches, they became the toast of fans But after 13 games, the story seems to have changed as the tide seems to have turned against them. This is the story of Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM), the Lagos side owned by the Dr. D.K Olukoya of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry, who have dropped nine places from their previously lofty top position. Their slump from top to nine bewilders their once vociferous Agege

fans, who are now hissing and cursing in turn.

When things were rosy, some were comparing them with Leicester City’s surge to the summit of the English Premier League table, hopeful they would be able to hold on like Coach Claudio Ranieri’s charges have done, with three games left to play and needing just a win to clinch the most unlikely of Premier League triumph but like a house built on quicksand, MFM seem to have fallen like a pack of cards, and are gradually losing pace with the other teams, who were previously at their rear.

For a team who started the season with a 2-1 away win against Nasarawa, followed by another 2-1 home win over Rivers United at the Agege Stadium, only to be beaten 3-0

by Shooting Stars in Ibadan and bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Sunshine Stars, followed by a barren draw with Ikorodu United at the Onikan hey should be enjoying a better standing on

Okpodu keen to end Ikorodu’s nightmare W HEN will Ikorodu United get out of this mess of being at the base of the table? That is the question puzzling die-hard fans of the new campaigners in the topflight, who are ruing their team’s current position in the league.

Of all the teams in the league, it is unequivocal that Ikorodu United are the only side looking destined for a quick return to the lower league going by their poor performance in their last 13 matches, which have left left with just a solitary win, three draws and nine losses to stay rooted to the last position with a paltry and appalling six points.

To appreciate how bad things are for Ikorodu United, you only need to look at the team following them on the log, Enyimba, who because of Champions League commitments, have played

nine games and have 13 points, twice as much as Ikorodu’s haul, who have played 13 games.

The story of Ikorodu’s poor showing in the top flight puzzles a lot of league followers, with some blaming it on inept management and poor turnout of fans to roar them to victory at the Onikan Stadium, which they have been using as home ground as they do not have a suitable ground in their traditional Ikorodu base.

And as they confront Heartland today at the Onikan stadium, Coach Sam Okpodu, who is yet to record a win under his belt would be hoping that Ikodoru’s nightmarish run in the league would snap to a halt so that the sack axe would not claim his already burdened head. ‘’I hope that this poor run will end soon. It is really becoming puzzling but I believe that this nightmare will end’’, said Okpodu.

Okpekpe race organisers warn dope cheats rganisers of the Okpekpe international 10km road race O have vowed to punish drugs cheats in the race holding next Saturday in Okpekpe, Auchi, Edo State.

Spokesman of the race, Dare Esan warned runners bidding to use performance enhancement susstances to kill such idea as stringest measures have been put in place to detect subsstance abusers. “We have also built a doping station at the finish area in Okpekpe where the doping control will take place,” Esan said.

He added that “we have insisted that that athletes must complete the authentic application forms with duly certified medical report before confirmation can be given for the race.

Athletes with illnesses or conditions that require the use of medication listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List are advised to apply for Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) with the relevant agency before coming for the race,” C M Y K

the table.

They surged back into groove in their next match on home soil, outscoring visiting El Kanemi Warriors 3-1but tasted the bitter pill of defeat in the hands of Heartland won 1-0 on match day seven.

Their calculation of win one, lose one failed to rhyme the following weekend as Kano Pillars held them to a barre draw at Agege Stadium.

Two valuable points

dropped and in their next game in Jos against Plateau United, the spoils were shared as the game finished in a barren stalemate.

In their match day ten fixture with a resurgent Rangers side, honours were even at 1-1, leaving the Dr. Olukoya’s side with three points from a possible nine.

What followed in their next fixture at the Warri City Stadium further compounded their woes as they fell 1-0 to Warri Wolves but quickly reignited their flame, pipping visiting Wikki Tourist 10, only to get doused 3-1

by Abia Warriors in Umuahia the following weekend.

And as they play Akwa United today at the Agege Stadium, Godwin Enakhena,

who holds sway as General Manager would be praying for God to answer their prayer by fire and grant them victory over Akwa to lift them from their ninth position to a more endearing placement on the table.

We’ll devour Wolves — Nasarawa A

FTER being hit for three by ten-man Sunshine Stars in Akure, Nasarawa

United have vowed to bounce back with a strong and convincing victory over Warri

Wolves tomorrow in Lafia.

Two goals by Afolabi Okiki and a strike from Samad Kadiri gave the Akure Gunners a well deserved win on Wednesday as Nasarawa were left to count the cost of defeat on the road.

It was their eight defeat in 13 games and as the season hots up, with the boys being separated from the men, Coach Kabiru Dogo has promised fans that Nasarawa United would devour visiting Warri Wolves tomorrow.

Speaking after the last encounter with Sunshine Stars, Dogo said “the game against Warri Wolves is a must win for us. We will prepare well for our next match which we must win”.

TA B L E Team

P

W

D

L

Pts

GF

GA

Rangers International FC Abia Warriors FC IfeanyiUbah Kano Pillars Lobi Stars FC Wikki Tourists Rivers United FC Warri Wolves FC MFM FC Akwa United FC Heartland FC Sunshine Stars Plateau United El-Kanemi Warriors FC Nasarawa United FC Shooting Stars Niger Tornadoes Giwa FC Enyimba International FC Ikorodu United FC

12 12 13 12 13 12 13 12 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 12 9 13

7 6 7 6 6 5 6 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 1

3 5 1 3 3 4 1 4 4 3 3 5 2 1 0 0 2 2 1 3

2 1 5 3 4 3 6 3 4 5 5 4 6 7 8 8 7 6 4 9

24 23 22 21 21 19 19 19 19 18 18 17 17 16 15 15 14 14 13 6

19 15 15 20 15 15 15 7 14 17 10 16 14 14 12 13 15 11 8 6

12 8 13 12 11 6 14 7 15 13 10 12 19 18 18 21 17 16 8 21

GD 7 7 2 8 4 9 1 0 -1 4 0 4 -5 -4 -6 -8 -2 -5 0 -15

46 — SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

Man U out to spoil Leicester’s party L

EICESTER City will win the Premier League if they beat Manchester United at Old Trafford tomorrow but will the Reds put up a fight?

Manchester Evening News’ United reporter Samuel Luckhurst gives the view from the opposition camp ahead of the huge Premier League clash. ‘’There are two clips Louis van Gaal should show his United players ahead of Sunday’s game. One is of Arsenal’s jubilant players celebrating in front of Old Trafford’s south-east corner after accomplishing their domestic double win in 2002 and the other is of United giving newly-crowned champions Chelsea a guard of honour in 2005. ‘’Gary Neville looked like a resident clapping burglars into his living room that night but Leicester winning the league at Old Trafford would be more humiliating. Not just due to their size or the clubs’ financial chasm, but how humiliatingly it would underline United’s own demise. ‘’Despite that prospect, with

the exception of 25 ramshackle minutes at Spurs, United have played professionally and - at times - excitingly since their derby win in late March. ‘’Van Gaal’s future hinges on Champions League qualification so, unlike in 2004 and 2005, the manager can’t let up just because he has an FA Cup final on the horizon. ‘’Players like Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Morgan Schneiderlin and Ashley Young - overlooked for the starting XI at Wembley - will be desperate to impress Van Gaal with just four games left ‘’The other incentive to beat Leicester stems from last season’s loss. That capitulation at the King Power set in stone Van Gaal’s joyless approach, such was United’s porous defending, and effectively killed the popular Rafael da Silva’s career over his penalty concession - even though Jamie Vardy dived (he didn’t do it for the first time against West Ham). ‘’That incident still enrages United fans and that gives them ample fuel to ensure Leicester aren’t as jubilant at the final whistle as Arsenal were 14 years ago.’’.

Dele Alli: I’ll come back stronger

T

O T T E N H A M midfielder Dele Alli has vowed to “come back stronger ” after receiving a three-game FA suspension Mauricio Pochettino’s side face Chelsea, Southampton and Newcastle in their final three Premier League games but Alli will play no part after accepting a charge for violent conduct.

The England international has expressed his frustration at his ban but accepts he should not have reacted as he did. ‘’Gutted that my season is over. Shouldn’t have reacted like I did. Will learn from this and come back stronger.’’

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Iheanacho in frame to face Southampton M

ANUEL Pellegrini faces a huge selection dilemma tomorrow as he tries to balance the top-four scrap with the bid for Champions League glory. And he may start Nigerian midfielder, Kelechi Iheanacho against the Saints.

The Manchester City manager has done a fine job of juggling the twin aims in the last month, both strengthening the Blues’ league position and keeping them in the European hunt.

Sports science accepted wisdom dictates that a player cannot keep up a standard of physical and mental performance for three games in a week. The Blues will be facing Madrid twice and the Saints in eight days, and Pellegrini

is bound to make as many changes as he thinks he can get away with.

Injuries to David Silva and Yaya Toure, and the remaining doubt over Samir Nasri, mean that Pellegrini has few attacking options, and three or four players at least will have to grit their teeth.

The big question is whether Sergio Aguero and Jesus Navas plough on.

Aguero has started the last 15 matches, in all competitions, and his only significant rest came when he was taken off against Stoke with 25 minutes left. Aguero wants to play in every game, but Pellegrini might just feel he has to be protected from his own keenness – and with Kelechi Iheanacho in form, there is a temptation.

Ighalo battles Villa for late father

SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016 — 47

•Coach hails Eagles striker’s mentality

Q

UIQUE Sanchez Flores says Odion Ighalo decided to stay at the club until the end of the season and thinks the Watford striker wants to dedicate the Aston Villa match on Saturday to his father.

Ighalo’s dad Paul passed away on M o n d a y morning in Nigeria and the striker has chosen to remain in England until after their final Premier

League game next month.

Head coach Flores said: “Probably he wants to dedicate the match for his father. I think this is the kind of player that doesn’t need extra motivation.

“I think Ighalo is an amazing player and scoring goals for us during the season. He’s one of the main players for us and always very clever and positive.

Everything I can say about Ighalo are amazing words.”

Flores added: “For me always life is the most important thing. Every single country and family is different but the moment his father passed away I asked him if he wanted

Bayern to wrap up Bundesliga title today FC Bayern München could wrap up a record fourth consecutive Bundesliga title when they welcome Borussia Mönchengladbach to the Allianz Arena today A win for Pep Guardiola’s side would render Borussia Dortmund’s result against VfL Wolfsburgirrelevant, with a minimum of seven points between the top two and only six left to play for after this game. The Bavarians have been in relentless form in recent weeks, with Saturday’s 2-0 win at Hertha Berlin seeing them pick up a maximum-possible haul of 18 points from their previous six Bundesliga games.

Gladbach - who won the last of their five Bundesliga titles in the 1976/77 season - would love to play spoiler. The Foals rebounded from a recent run of two consecutive losses to beat resurgent TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 3-1 last Sunday, and another win could propel Andre Schubert’s side into the UEFA Champions League qualification places.

In Arturo Vidal, Douglas Costa, Kingsley Coman and Joshua Kimmich, Bayern have four players who have never lifted the Meisterschale. Each has featured over 20 times in the Bundesliga this season This season’s top scorer with 27, Robert Lewandowski has only scored once in nine Bundesliga matches against Gladbach

to leave.

“But he said he was going to stay here and at the end of the season he will go there.”

Ighalo was asked if he wanted to leave the squad and took the decision to stay with the team for the final four matches of the season before joining his family in Nigeria. Flores said: “I passed on my condolences and asked if he is ready to play and if he wanted to be here.

“He said he wants to be here and to train and at the end of the season he will go to Lagos with his family.”

Ighalo has remained focused in training for the club and Flores has praised the striker’s mental strength after the way he has dealt with his father’s death. The head coach said: “He’s trained every day so nothing changes for Ighalo. He is very strong mentally.

“The strength of Ighalo is also the mentality because in the second half of the season he has problems scoring but he’s really positive for the team and always giving positive spirit for the rest of the players.”

Cazorla in for Norwich clash A

RSENE Wenger has hinted Santi Cazorla could make his comeback from injury on Saturday against Norwich.

Wenger told the club’s official website: “Santi might be in the squad this weekend, I don’t know yet.

He is available. Everyone is available, but maybe Oxlade-Chamberlain is not competitive yet.

“It’s OxladeChamberlain’s first week in full training now, so I don’t think I will select him this weekend. Everyone is training, so that’s new for us. That’s the first time this season.”

Martinez craves fans support against Bournemouth U NDERFIRE Everton boss Roberto Martinez has sent a message to Evertonians planning to protest at Saturday’s visit of Bournemouth to Goodison Park. Martinez said: “The message is that we are all hurting together. I understand their passion and they are what make us what we are and football without passion is no sense. But in the same way I would say to those fans that it is only when you get through these difficult experiences that you get a renewed drive and are ready to fight more

than ever.

“We are probably closer than ever of finding a way to challenge for silverware and I am looking at the last three seasons. The first season we reached a very important level in the league, with a record points tally, last season we were the last British team to be knocked out of Europe, this season we have been in two semi-finals.

“Of course we share the pain of not reaching the final of the FA Cup because we felt in that second half we showed we are good enough on the day to com

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SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 30, 2016

TOMORROW’S FIXTURES NPFL Sunshine Stars Shooting Stars River Utd Nasarawa Giwa Ifeanyi Ubah Enyimba Tornadoes

v v v v v v v v

Pillars Plateau Utd Rangers Warri Wolves Wikki Tourist Abia Warriors Lobi Stars El Kanemi

4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm

Man U out to spoil Leicester’s party >>46

>>44

Okpekpe race organisers warn dope cheats >>45

Ighalo battles Villa for late father >>47

CROSS WORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 President, Confederation of African Football (CAF), Mr. Issa – (7) 4 State in Nigeria known as “The Food Basket of the Nation”? – (5) 7 Greek Alphabet – (3) 8 Country in Africa – (7) 9 Cameroun “Indomitable Lions” Full-Back, Sassou – (7) 10 Comptroller-General, Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), Mr. Peter – (7) 13 Former Super Eagles Player, Etim – (4) 15 L.G.A in Rivers State – (6) 18 Niger Republic’s Prime Minister, Mr. Brigi – (6) 21 Singer – (4) 23 State in Nigeria known as “The Light of the Nation”? – (7) 25 Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mr. Johnson – (7) 26 L.G.A in Niger State – (7) 27 Adult Female Rabbit – (3) 28 Flying Eagles (U-20) FullBack, Wilfred – (5) 29 Former Super Eagles

>>46

TODAY’S FIXTURES

Defender, Furo – (7) DOWN 1 SpecialAdviser to the Lagos State Governor on Environment, Mr. Babatunde – (5) 2 Deputy Director, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr. Olumide – (7)\ 3 Solar Planet – (6) 4 Italian “Serie A” Club-Side – (7) 5 Former Adamawa State Governor, Mr. Bala – (7) 6 Kaduna State Governor, Nasir – (7) 11 Container – (3) 12 Transaction – (4) 14 Ferrous Metal – (4) 15 Turkish President, Mr. Racep Tayyip – (7) 16 Chief of Army Staff, MajorGeneral Tukur – (7) 17 Benue State Capital – (7) 19 South-West Zonal Commander, NationalAgency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Mr. Joseph – (7) 20 Neither – (4) 22 Taiwanese Capital City – (6) 24 Ethnic Group in Nigeria – (5)

Iheanacho in frame to face Southampton

Solution on page 37

NPFL Ikorodu Utd MFM

v v

Heartland Akwa Utd

4pm 4pm

EPL Everton Newcastle Stoke Watford West Brom Arsenal

v v v v v v

Bournemouth Crystal Palace Sunderland Aston Villa West Ham Norwich

3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 4pm 5:30pm

SERIE A Udinese Chievo

v v

Torino Fiorentina

5pm 7:45pm

LA LIGA Real Sociedad Atletico Madrid Real Betis Granada

v v v v

Real Madrid Rayo Vallecano Barcelona Las Palmas

3pm 5:15pm 7:30pm 9:05pm

v v v v v v v

2:30pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 2:30pm 7:30pm

BUNDESLIGA Bayern Munich Dortmund Hannover 96 Hoffenheim Mainz SV Darmstadt 98 Leverkusen

M’gladbach Wolfsburg Schalke Ingolstadt 04 Hamburg Frankfurt Hertha Berlin

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Advert Dept Hotline: 01-4544821. Abuja Advert Hotline: 09-2921024. E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, letters@vanguardngr.com. Advert:advertproduction@yahoo.com Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) EDITOR: ONOCHIE ANIBEZE. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

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