Binder1

Vol. 5 No. 43

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2015

NEWS

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National Mirror Online

@NationalMirror

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P.48 TOP STORY P.2 SPORT Buhari to Golden Eaglets: Oyerinde’s murder:

3million out of 3.8million PLWA have Bring home no access to treatment World Cup

Ugolor awarded another N1.02m

EFCC arrests Akpabio P. 7

...over alleged multi-billion naira fraud He was invited, not arrested —Aide

Nigeria’s former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan (left) and Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson (right), commiserating with Mrs. Margaret Alamieyeseigha (middle) during a condolence visit to the family over the death of the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha, at Opolo, Yenagoa.

B’Haram December deadline:

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I won’t resign if insurgents are not defeated —Buhari

...as multiple blasts rock Maiduguri Town bombed five times in 24 hours

Sealxk T

39 dead, 49 injured —NEMA

12 shocking sex facts

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P. 32

e iev v e Gen P.26

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OCTOBER 17, 2015

Top Stories

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Oyerinde’s murder

Ugolor awarded another N1.02m Sebastine Ebhuomhan

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ights activist and Executive Director of Africa Network on Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Reverend David Ugolor, has claimed yet another scalp of the Nigeria Police Force when a court awarded him N1.02m for damages arising from poor investigation of the death of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, Principal Private Secretary to Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole.

Delivering judgment in Suit B/57m/14 in an action that was instituted under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, Justice E. O. Ahamioje of the High Court of Justice of Edo State awarded Ugolor the sum of N1m “as exemplary and general damages against the respondents” and an extra costs of N20, 000 out of N10 million the claimant demanded.

Barrister Olayiwola Afolabi of Olayiwola Afolabi & Co. represented Ugolor against the respondents: the Nigerian Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police as well as the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

Saturday Mirror obtained the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment.

The compensation brings to a total of N6.02 million costs that Ugolor has been awarded for an obvious poor investigation carried out by a police ‘special team’ constituted from the Force Headquarters in Abuja to unravel the murder of Oyerinde, and despatched under the leadership of the then DCP Chris Ezike, who is now the Commissioner of Police for Edo State.

It might be recalled that after Justice Helen Ogunwumiju of the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment of Justice Esther Edigin of Edo State High Court, which awarded Ugolor N5 million for illegal detention and torture, the Police thereafter launched an appeal at the Supreme Court in suit: CA/B/360/12 and backed as suit: B/496M/2012 seeking not to pay the costs. Police appeal is still

Ugolor

pending at the apex court.

When Saturday Mirror contacted Mr. Ezike through his mobile telephone line Friday evening, he stated that he could not say anything on the judgment because he was yet to see the judgment. Ezike said, “I cannot speak until I see a copy of the judgment with you,” and dropped the call.

Ugolor sought declarative reliefs that the seizure of his property since May 2012, which he willingly submitted for investigation was not only illegal and unlawful, but also violated his right to acquire and

Man dies after drinking concoction to aid business forture

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n Aba-based businessman, Sunday Onwe, from Amuri in Nkanu West Local Government Area, has died after drinking a concoction prepared by a native doctor.

A statement from the Police in Enugu on Thursday said that Onwe contacted the native doctor to perform certain rituals with a view to revamping his dwindling business fortunes.

The statement signed by the spokesman of the Enugu State Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, said that the incident happened on June 23.

Amaraizu said that the intelligence and investigation department showed that the deceased arranged to meet the native doctor from Aliade in Benue through a contact man from Ozalla in Enugu State.

He said the deceased came to Enugu on June 22 to meet the contact who was already waiting with the native doctor.

“When they met, the deceased was made to drink a liquid concoction suspected to have been prepared with

distilled water and thereafter, stripped naked while the remaining liquid was thrown at him.

“As he became unconscious after drinking the concoction, the native doctor and contact man made away with his Toyota Avalon car, his handsets and the sum of N450,000,’’ he explained.

Amaraizu said that the victim was, however, rescued by a good Nigerian who ran into him while in a helpless situation and rushed him to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital with burns from the acid.

He said that the victim later spoke at the National Orthopedic Hospital, Enugu where he was referred to, adding, however, that the Police extracted useful information before he gave up the ghost.

The spokesman said that on August 13, detectives trailed and arrested the contact man who had run away after the heinous act.

He said that the contact man had been charged to court while the native doctor was helping the police in their investigations.

Late Oyerinde

own property. He sought an order, therefore, directing the respondents, their agents, successors, and privies to release his property in their custody.

Afolabi listed the seized items as: one Blackberry handset, one Samsung handset, two Nokia handsets, one Ipad; a UBA Plc cheque book number 33788914; two GLO SIM card packs with serial number 8923450102110592270f, 892345010211091377944 and 07055246658; two MTN welcome SIM packs: 89234010000818685403 and 8923401000081868511; SIM lines: 08060376683, 08065463138, 08037678217 and 08162496596 as well as one Airtel SIM card.

In his judgment, Justice Ahamioje ruled that “It is my opinion that from the unchallenged or uncontroverted facts in the supporting affidavit, the respondents have no justification in law for the continued seizure of the property of the applicant after investigation and inquiry had been successfully completed or concluded in the murder case wherein the applicant was exonerated by the Ministry of Justice vide a legal advice Exhibit “B” dated the 29/10/12.

“I hold that the continued seizure of the properties of the applicant by the respondents is illegal and unlawful.”

Justice Ahamioje, who lashed the defendants for not defending the suit, ordered the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, their agents, successors and privies “to release the applicant’s property in their custody forthwith.”

Oyerinde was murdered in his residence in Benin City on Friday, May 4, 2012. The Police later arrested and detained Ugolor, his bosom friend and popular Federal Government critic without trial even after a court-ordered release. In spite of clashes with the SSS, the Police have had no clue about the killers of Oyerinde till today.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Starter

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Is our economy really in trouble?

For the first time in a long while, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, has raised the alarm on what it believes is a gradual slide in the economy. This is no news though, since this view has been the refrain of quite a number of economic observers of late. But while the negative ratings persist, a sizeable number of optimists say the imprimaturs interpreted as distress calls in the economy might just be temporary. NICK UWERU writes on these worries and what gives optimists reasons for hope.

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or experts in economic matters, the portent couldn’t have been more obvious than they are now. And at the National Economic Summit, NES, put together by the country’s foremost policy conference group, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, it was time to say it all as it is. The Nigerian economy is in a recession. That is just the long and short of it all. Unless the country is able

to put in place urgent and strategic steps, the country may slide into a vortex of economic meltdown that may be too difficult to emerge from, the experts also said.

NESG, on Tuesday, held its 21st NES. At the event, speakers painted a gloomy picture.

Kunle Elebute Partner/Head, Advisory Services, KPMG, in his keynote address titled ‘Tough Choices: Achieving

Competitive, Inclusive Growth and Sustainability’, stated that if not careful, Nigeria might slide into meltdown economically speaking, a position he said is difficult to come out of, especially for developing countries.

Adding voice to this, Chairman, NESG Faculty of Economics, Temitope Oshikoya, said that with 90 million peoCONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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‘Stock market, investments are on the slump’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Prices of food items spiralling

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 ple without access to grid electricity and industry losing in excess of 50 per cent, infrastructure constraints cut 3.5 per cent to 4 per cent from GDP growth. This is quite disturbing because Nigeria’s GDP has been projected to grow at six percent at least by multilateral organisations.

Oshikoya explained that a massive $40bn is required for new generation capacities, $11.4bn for upgrade of the transmission grid and $1.73bn for distribution lines to connect 11.5 million new households as well as $2.07bn for off-grid access.

The expert also expressed concern about the country’s fuel consumption rate.

He said: “The country does not consume 47 million litres of gasoline daily contrary to NNPC records. Distribution is not equal to consumption, in our estimation, based on generator and automobile consumption, “Nigeria consumes 20 to 24 million litres daily, while over 20 million litres of fuel and their way into our neighbouring countries.” He added that subsidy removal would not stop diversion but could cut it significantly.

Oshikoye and Temitope have not spoken on new trends in our economy, though. In fact, the omen has been with us for a while.

Since August, the economy has been given clear signals of distress. For instance, many Nigerians not vast in the workings of the money and capital market readily read, accurately, the bad calls from the money and stock markets, two vital industries.

At the close of business on the first week of the month, the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, posted a shocking divestment of more than N257 billion. What this simply meant was that rather than the initial

...the economy fell from six per cent last year to 3.9 per cent and 2.35 per cent in the first and second quarters of this year, respectively. According to economists, an economy is said to be going into recession if it experiences negative growth in two quarters consecutively courteous optimism after the April general election in Nigeria, investors are fast losing confidence in the economy and hence taking their investments away from the economy. Coming at a time when Ethiopia just overtook Nigeria as primary investment destination in Africa, this development can only be distressing.

But the real worry, more or less, is the signals from the money market. Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, the country’s apex bank and monetary policy regulator has been battling to save the naira in what appears to be a losing battle. But more worrisome is the growing unease among policy experts as to CBN’s choice of measures.

The naira has been hit hard by a fall in the price of oil, Nigeria’s main export. The official exchange rate has slumped by almost 20 percent over the last one year to about N196 per dollar. The black market rate, a more accurate gauge, is close to N230.

Some economists, especially those leaning towards the dictates of World Bank, International Monetary Fund, IMF, and the World Trade Organisation, WTO, all western capitalism biased institutions, insist that CBN must allow the naira to further slide so as to stimulate export from Nigeria.

Rather than listen, however, CBN is trying to defend the local currency by blocking some category of imports. The apex bank took this measure by drawing up a list of disfavoured goods that would not draw foreign exchange from it to facilitate their import into the country.

According to the CBN, the measure is meant to conserve foreign reserves which, according to its governor, Godwin Emefiele, have fallen by about a fifth over the past year and at the time cover only six months of imports. The CBN governor also stated that the measure was meant to stimulate local production.

Since the beginning of 2015, the Nigerian economy has witnessed several twists and turns. It has suffered from the persistent slump in oil prices in the global market, the quest to combat the depreciation of the Naira, effects of the Chinese stock market crash, unfavorable policies, insurgencies and domestic political crises. All of these strains have made the business climate tough for investors, many of whom started pulling out their investments to more economically viable countries.

Initially, there were thoughts and beliefs that things may gradually begin to steady especially with the slow but steady handlings of political affairs in the country.

This belief, too may have given way to despair. For instance, Nigeria’s inflation rate climbed to the highest in more than two years in September as food prices surged, exceeding the central bank’s target for a fourth month.

The figure was put at 9.4 percent from 9.3 percent in August according to the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, based in the capital, Abuja. The bureau said on Wednesday, this week, that the estimate of 17 economists surveyed by Bloomberg was 9.5 percent. Prices rose 0.6 percent in the month.

A slump in crude prices by more than 40 percent in the past year has put pressure on the currency on the country’s economy pushing up consumer prices, and cutting government revenue. Central Bank governor, Emefiele, imposed foreign-currency controls this year to stabilize the naira, restricting imports and adding to price pressures.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has kept CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

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OCTOBER 17, 2015

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‘Cost of doing business is high’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

its policy rate unchanged at 13 percent for five consecutive meetings even as inflation exceeded the bank’s 6 percent to 9 percent target.

Emefiele has so far resisted calls to ease the foreign-exchange controls and devalue the naira despite criticism from investors, businesses and fellow members of the Monetary Policy Committee. The naira has averaged 198.99 per dollar since the restrictions were imposed in February. The core inflation rate, which excludes agricultural products, fell to 8.9 percent in September from 9 percent in August, the statistics office said. Food inflation accelerated to 10.2 percent from 10.1 percent.

But despite the gloomy picture though, some analyst still insist that all is not lost.

They insist that despite the slow growth that the Nigerian economy is experiencing, the country may not go into recession any time soon, but that recovery will definitely not come quickly, though. These are economists, too. This group of experts spoke against the backdrop of Tuesday’s warning by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Monetary Policy Committee that the economy might slip into recession next year.

The experts said although it was unlikely that the economy would go into recession next year, the country was in a serious economic dilemma that might not be resolved anytime soon by both the fiscal and monetary authorities.

The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, had after MPC meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, said, “Having seen two consecutive quarters of slow growth, the committee recognised that the economy could slip into recession in 2016 if proactive steps were not taken to revive growth in key sectors of the economy.” The CBN based its projection on Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product readings which indicates the rate at which the economy is growing. By the figures, the economy fell from six per cent last year to 3.9 per cent and 2.35 per cent in the first and second quarters of this year, respectively.

According to economists, an economy is said to enter into recession if it experiences negative growth in two quarters consecutively. In the case of Nigeria, the economy can only experience recession next year if its economic growth rate, which was 2.35 per cent as of the second quarter, falls gradually to zero and then to say -1 or -2 per cent for two consecutive quarters.

Some economists who have spoken to the media see this as very unlikely. A few others, however, said this was only possible if the government failed to take adequate measures to mitigate the declining growth trend.

As suggested by Emefiele, the experts agree that the only viable option is for the fiscal and monetary authorities to stimulate growth in critical sectors of the economy. “The Ministry of finance will have to

Vice president Yemi Osinbajo at the NES.

come up with ideas and policies that will drive growth in the manufacturing sector,” an economist and Head, Investment Research, Afrinvest West Africa, Mr. Ayodeji Ebo, said.

He added, “There are plans by the government to reflate the economy, and this will be partly done by identifying non-oil sectors that can drive growth. Before next year, we should have had in place policies that will drive investment and improve the economy.

“I don’t think that the economy will go into recession; if nothing is done, it may; but I don’t think the government will fold its arms.” An economist and Head, Asset Portfolio Management at Meristem, Mr. Taiwo Yusuf, believes the economy may enter into recession faster than expected if the fiscal and monetary authorities fail to stimulate growth in certain critical sectors.

He mentioned power as one of the sectors that the government might need to focus on due to its multiplier effect on the economy. “I cannot but agree with the Monetary Policy Committee that the economy may slip into recession if the fiscal

and monetary authorities fail to stimulate growth in some critical sectors of the economy. It may come faster than we expect if nothing is done,” Yusuf said.

He noted that although the economy might not experience any significant change over the next six to nine months, the long-term prospect was bright.

“Government is already trying to establish development finance institutions, which will provide long-term funding for businesses and this will fuel investment and growth. We expect power supply to improve as well. I don’t think this growth focus will come with inflation because we have yet to reach our optimum productive capacity as a nation,” Yusuf added. A professor of Economics at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, Sheriffdeen Tella, said a considerable improvement in power and fuel supply would improve the nation’s growth figures in the coming months.

The Head, Investment Research, Sterling Capital, Mr. Sewa Wusu, noted that the MPC had taken an appropriate decision by lowering the Cash Reserve Ratio on public

I cannot but agree with the Monetary Policy Committee that the economy may slip into recession if the fiscal and monetary authorities fail to stimulate growth in some critical sectors of the economy. It may

come faster than we expect if nothing is done

and private sector deposits from 31 to 25 per cent, adding that the action would stimulate bank lending to the economy.

A third group of analysts however say that the economy as it is currently is a bouquet of mixed fortunes. These analysts take the good and the bad side of the developments in the economy side by side hoping that there is a balance somewhere. This may well be a pragmatic view of it all. After all, a key caveat in economic projection is ceteris paribus, all things being equal. The truth, however, is that all things are never equal anywhere.

For instance, Trading Economics, an online economic intelligence portal, measured development in the Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, sector decreased from 1.03 billion USD in the fourth quarter of 2014 to 723.49 million USD in the first quarter of 2015. Explaining this trend, analysts say that apart from the macroeconomic and monetary outlook coupled with general insecurity and slump in oil price, a greater reason for investor pull out has been the decadence of infrastructural facilities.

For instance, poor state of power generation forced quite a sizable number of companies like Dunlop, Michelin and many other multinationals to relocate their investments to Ghana and South Africa, where they believe the power sector is more reliable.

Recently, JP Morgan announced that it was going to delist Nigeria from its Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets (GBI-EM), because the Central Bank of Nigeria failed to restore liquidity to the foreign exchange market. This caused the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index to fall by 2.98%-a total of N311 billionin about 24 hours. Many business analysts CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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‘Government must make tough choices’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

and investors anticipate greater damages this removal will do to the Nigerian economy.

In a current report of the equities segment of the NSE, foreign portfolio investors, who dominate the market, withdrew about N410.49 billion between January and August this year.

Ironically, as unfavorable as the business climate of Nigeria is, the inflow of FDI has not necessarily stopped, even if it has slowed. A trade delegation of sixteen United States companies recently visited Nigeria. The visit was aimed at strengthening commercial relations with Africa’s largest economy and “high countless business opportunities” as the US Acting Consul General, Dehab Ghebreab, put it.

Similarly, an International Sea Trade and Investment (ISTI) convention held in Lagos, Nigeria between 5th and 6th of October, this year. This convention was targeted at boosting Nigeria’s export trade and maritime sector to make it attractive to global buyers and foreign investors. All of these are indicators that Nigeria holds potentials for business opportunities and investments.

It should also be noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) posits that Nigeria’s bond market remains resilient and reliable despite JP Morgan’s removal from its bond index. This response was premised on the fact that the FGN Bond Index was operating independently and successfully since 2003 before JP Morgan’s inclusion in 2012.

The dynamic nature of international business and FDI makes it imperative that no conclusion should be reached since Nigeria- the country in question, remains functional.

Offering a way out of what seem like the current economic jam, Elebute at the NES, believes that there is need for government to, as a matter of urgency, begin to make inputs that drive revenue such as providing credit guarantee on long term to investors on infrastructure, increase power generation as well as education and investing in research.

He also emphasised on the need to reform the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, and other revenue collecting agencies, improve collection administration and expand the tax base, total reform of petroleum subsidy scheme, reduction of Joint Venture, JV, funding by 50 per cent and seek alternative financing.

On infrastructure, he said government could privatise or concession the railways, major highways, major airports, refineries, pipelines and depots or adopt alternative financing options both directly and in partnership with the private sector as well as privatise power transmission network and increase power generation to achieve 20,000mw by 2020.

Elebute further expressed an optimistic

President Muhammadu Buhari

To effectively compete for international and even local investment, we

need to improve our position on

‘ease of doing business’ indexes — President Buhari scenario where tax to GDP ratio by 2016 to 2020 will be 6.72 per cent to 13.93 per cent, petroleum subsidy and JV cash call will be zero, while recurrent to capital expenditure ratio will be 40 to 60. Federal government on its part says it has not actually been folding its arm on the matter. In his opening remark at the NES, President Muhammadu Buhari called on private and public organisations to work closely toward the country’s economic development.

Buhari, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said that the task of nation-building was a shared responsibility. “The task of nation building is a shared responsibility. The more substantial requirements for development today is

Emefiele, CBN governor

in terms of knowledge, human resources, and capital and all of these actually lie outside of formal government structures.

“No meaningful economic or social change is possible without the active partnership of the private sector, which actively includes civil society,” he said. Buhari said it was gratifying that since1993, the annual summit had been organised by NESG in collaboration with the National Planning Commission, NPC, as a public-private partnership initiative.

He said that the summit remained the foremost Nigerian forum, “which brings together the public and private sectors to interact, share thoughts, and build consensus on policy options and implementation frameworks for our country.” According to the President, the summit theme – ‘Tough Choices: Achieving Competitiveness, Inclusive Growth, and Sustainability’ is as apt as “adulthood always comes with huge and complex responsibilities.”

“We, as a government, are called upon to make tough choices in exchange control restrictions, altering the absurd recurrent to capital expenditure ratio, reducing the deficit and reducing the overall size of governance. “We are called upon to clean up the mess and rebuild the institutions that corruption has ravaged over the years,” he added. The President observed that terrorism in the North East in the past six years had given rise to huge socio-economic problems, thus stalling the local economy and the education of millions of children in many parts of the country.

He said that the tragedy of thousands of orphaned children posed huge social

Having seen two consecutive quarters of slow growth, the committee recognised that the economy could slip into recession in 2016 if proactive steps were not taken to revive growth in key sectors of the economy —Emefiele, CBN governor challenges while the cost of rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure and homes was huge. “To effectively compete for international and even local investment we need to improve our position on the ease of doing business indexes.

“This calls for both radical improvements in bureaucratic delays in obtaining pre-investment processes and also substantial investment in infrastructure, especially power, roads and technology,” Buhari said.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OCTOBER 17, 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

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EFCC arrests ex-Governor Akpabio ...over alleged multi-billion naira fraud He was invited, not arrested —Aide

Femi Adeosun

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

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former Governor of Akwa Ibom State and Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, was on Friday reportedly arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. According to news portal, PREMIUM TIMES, Mr. Akpabio was taken in by EFCC operatives at about 5.20 pm.

He was said to have been accompanied by a few aides and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Ricky Tarfa.

But reacting to the report, Jackson Udom, an aide to the former governor, denied that the senate minority leader was arrested. He stated instead that Senator Akpabio went to EFCC yesterday evening of his own volition.

According to an EFCC source as quoted by the news portal, the former governor was actually taken in.

“He was brought in at about 5.20 pm accompanied by a few aides and Mr. Rickey Tarfa,” the source said.

“It is not yet known whether he will be allowed to go this night. It depends on how the interrogation goes.”

The spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, did not answer or return calls seeking comment for this story.

A reliable source told our correspondent that Akpabio arrived the Abuja office of the commission yesterday afternoon and immediately whisked to the interrogation desk where he was drilled for several hours to ascertain his complicity in an N108billion fraud.

National Mirror could also not confirm whether the suspect would be granted administrative bail or spend the night at the custody of the commission.

The minority leader who is a People’s Democratic Party(PDP) representative in the Senate has been a vitriolic critic of President Muhammadu Buhari, often accusing him of being selective in his clampdown on corrupt public officials.

It will be recalled that ‎an Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Leo Ekpenyong had on June 8, 2015, petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the EFCC, calling for Akpabio’s probe.

Probing the alleged fraud, the EFCC was said to have invited Ekpenyong on Wednesday, June 17, to adopt his pe-

tition and provide more details.

In another petition to the EFCC, dated June 22, 2015 and copied to President Buhari and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, Ekpenyong gave more details of some of Akpabio’s alleged financial fraud.

He had indicated that between January and December 2014, the ex-governor allegedly connived with two of his top aides to steal a whopping N108.1 billion from the state’s treasury.

Ekpenyong was also said to have linked the former Government House Permanent Secretary, Etekamba Umoren, and the former Accountant General of the state, Udo Isobara with the alleged fraud.

He reportedly said, “Between January –De-

Traffic Jam at Marina Jetty in Lagos, yesterday.

Nigeria to expand diplomatic ties with Ukraine —Osinbajo Rotimi Fadeyi

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ice President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, indicated

that Nigeria would soon expand its diplomatic relationship with Ukraine, exploring new areas of mutual benefit to both countries.

A statement issued yesterday by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande said Osinbajo gave the

indication while receiving the Ukrainian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Valerii Aleksandruk in his office at the Presidential Villa.

cember 2014, it is on record that the trio of Godswill Akpabio, Mr. Etekamba Umoren and Mr. Udo Isobara, made illegal but substantial withdrawals of cash from a designated state government-owned account with Zenith Bank with account number: 1010375881amounting to N22.1 billion.

“It is worthy of note that reasons for such ungodly cash withdrawals against financial regulations and due process laws range between sundry use and unjustifiable expenditures by Godswill Akpabio and his numerous surrogates and proxies.

“For example, a whopping N18 billion was withdrawn fraudulently from the state FAAC account with the United Bank for Africa in trenches of N10 million and above by Mr. Isobara in a surreptitious manner to conceal their dishonest intention,” he had remarked in the petition.

Mr. Akpabio could not be reached for this story. Messrs Umoren and Isobara could not also be reached for comments.

But the commissioner of information during the administration of Mr. Akpabio, Aniekan Umana, described the contents of the petition

by Mr. Ekpenyong as falsehood taken too far.

He said the petition betrayed a lack of understanding of the workings of government.

“Every sum withdrawn from a government account is tied to a subhead and there must be a budgetary provision. To attribute fraud to withdrawals which had the full sanction of Government and was accommodated in the budget is strange, mischievous and untenable. More so, when one understands that there are checks and balances which guide all aspects of government financial administration,” he said.

He also said the allegation that the State

Government spent N50 billion on the March General Elections falls flat on its face based on his explanations of the workings of government as regards financial transactions.

“There was no such provision in the budget of this year and such an amount could not have been paid as an extra-budgetary expenditure and yet salaries and other commitments were met. We challenge the petitioners to provide proof to support this wild allegation.

Who was it paid to? How was it paid? Where was it paid? And when was it paid?

“Senator Akpabio does not own a 25-storey building in Victoria Island or in any part of the world, as alleged by the petitioner. It is also a patent falsehood that the house at 22 Probyn Road, Ikoyi belongs to Senator Akpabio.

It is a rented building which ownership can be verified from Lagos State Lands Registry.

“Senator Akpabio does not own the properties mentioned in the petition to belong to him.

You can verify the ownership of the properties (5 Okokosi Close, Maitama and Plot 28 Colorado Close, Maitama) from the land registry in Abuja,” he said.

He also denied the state received over N2 trillion as oil allocation.

“Please do note that the idea that the Akwa Ibom State Government received over N2.5 trillion in the eight years of the Akpabio administration is an outrageous lie. What this suggests is that the State Government received an average of N26 billion monthly for the period.

What a lie! From published accounts of disbursement from the Federation Accounts, Akwa Ibom State never received up to N26 billion in any month throughout the period.

Note that in some months like the April and May, 2015, Akwa Ibom State received about N8 billion.

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FIRS commences enforcement of tax on interim dividends Tola Akinmutimi

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ederal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, has commenced the enforcement of advance corporate income tax on interim dividends.

The step is in line with the agency’s new leadership efforts to fulfil its primary mandate of increasing tax revenue collections at the national level, especially in view of the fiscal straits government is experiencing following the sustained crash of crude oil prices at the international market.

The Acting Executive Chairman of the Service, Mr. Tunde Fowler, had during a media chat shortly after his resumption of office harped on the imperative of the need to improve non-oil tax revenue accruals of government, promising to explore avenues to boost FIRS’ collections as focal areas for his administration.

According to a release sourced from PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), amongst the many areas he identified for immediate attention was the enforcement of advance Companies’ Income Tax (CIT) on interim dividends The consulting outfit confirmed : “In line with this, companies that declared interim dividends have started receiving letters from the FIRS demanding the advance payment of CIT on interim dividend declared.

“Also, a public notice was published in some national newspapers in this regard. Legal Basis Section 43 (6) of the Companies Income Tax Act (CITA) which is the basis for the advance CIT on interim dividends provides that every company paying dividend to its shareholders shall pay tax at the prescribed rate in subsection (1) of section 40 of this Act to the Board prior to the payment of the dividend.

“The tax so paid shall be a deposit against the tax due from the company on the

NATIONAL NEWS

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

B’Haram December deadline:

I won’t resign if insurgents are not defeated —Buhari

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resident Muhammadu Buhari says he “will not resign” if he is unable to fulfil his promise of defeating Boko Haram by December.

Buhari, who was speaking in an exclusive interview with Mehdi Hasan on Al Jazeera English’s ‘Upfront’, said he would instead be “determined to stay on and fight it out”.

In the interview, which won’t be aired until Friday night, the president also reiterated his willingness to do a deal with Boko Haram to free the kidnapped Chibok girls on the condition that the true leaders of the sect

are the ones to be dialogued with.

“We said it and we meant it,” he said. “They have to prove to us that they are alive, they are well, and then we can… negotiate with them. We said it and we meant it. If we are satisfied that the girls are alive.”

Asked whether he would offer financial payments, or a prisoner release, to Boko Haram in return for the girls, he refrained from ruling out either option, saying: “Well, it depends on the negotiations with the leadership of Boko Haram.” Still, he expressed assurance that Boko Haram will be defeated by

the end of 2015, saying: “As soon as the rainy season comes, which is by the end of the year…

Boko Haram will virtually be out of their main stronghold and that will be the end of it…. Attacks by Boko Haram on townships, on military installations, will certainly stop.”

He also said he had not seen the Amnesty International report from June 2015, ‘Nigeria: Stars on their shoulders: Blood on their hands’, in which the human-rights group documented abuses, torture and unlawful killings by the Nigerian armed forces and urged the government to pros-

ecute a group of officers and senior commanders.

“I haven’t received that report personally,” he said. “If I get those documents… I assure you that I will take action as Commander in Chief.” Asked about his record as a military dictator in the mid1980s, and the alleged human-rights abuses which occurred on his watch, Buhari said: “If there is any injustice that can be proved against me when I was there, I will gladly apologize.”

However, he refused to concede that his ‘war against indiscipline’ in the 1980s featured any such “injustice”.

L-R: Director-General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Remi Ogunmefun; MAN President, Dr. Frank Jacobs and Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service, retired Col. Hammed Ali, during the visit of the Comptroller-General to MAN HOUSE in Lagos, yesterday.

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hree female suicide bombers blew themselves up in a suburb of Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, on Friday morning. The attack was the fifth incident of bomb explosion in Maiduguri in the last 24 hours, resulting in 49 injuries and 39 deaths, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

An emergency official who spoke to the press and monitored on the BBC said that the attackers could be

...as multiple blasts rock Maiduguri

Town bombed five times in 24 hours 39 dead, 49 injured, says NEMA

between 11 and 15 years old. The blast was reported to have occurred around a few minutes past 5am when Muslim faithful were getting ready for the early-morning prayer, according to reports.

The explosion reportedly claimed the lives of the suicide bombers and four others while 17 injured are said to be receiving treatment at the Specialist Hospital. The attacks come hours after insurgents

blew up a mosque in the Molai area of the city, killing an unspecified number of people. Borno has been the state most devastated by attacks from insurgents, most of them happening in Maiduguri.

Asset declaration:

Court of Appeal hears Saraki’s appeal on Oct 19

Doosuur Iwambe ABUJA

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he Abuja division of the Court of Appeal will on Monday October 19 deliver judgment in the appeal brought against the federal government by the Senate President, Dr. Olubukola Abubakar Saraki, challenging the legality of his arraignment at the Code of Conduct Tribunal on false assets declaration.

At the resumed hearing, yesterday, Justice Moore Adumein who led two other justices to hear the case fixed the date after taking final brief of arguments from counsels to parties in the suit.

Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mr. Joseph Daudu led five other Senior Advocates of Nigerian (SAN) comprising Malam Yusuf Ali, Adebayo Adelodun, Mahmud Magaji, Ahmed Raji and Kayode Eleja to argue the case of Saraki.

Moving his case, Daudu raised five major issues for determination of the court to determine the legality of the trial of Senator Saraki at the code of conduct tribunal.

Among others, the appellant counsel argued that the code of conduct tribunal erred in law by proceeding with the trial with two members instead of mandatory three as provided by the constitution.

He informed the court that the composition of the tribunal during the trial of Saraki violated paragraphs 15(1) of the 1999 constitution by sitting with two members instead of three and asked the court to nullify the CCT proceedings of last month due to lack of quorum.

The appellant counsel disagreed with the arguments of the federal government counsel Mr. Rotimi Jacobs SAN that the Interpretation Act can be used to resolve the constitutional logjam since the constitution was silent on the quorum for the tribunal membership.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OCTOBER 17, 2015

JTF nabs 10 suspected B’Haram fuel suppliers

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he Joint Task Force (Operation Salama) in Jigawa, has arrested 10 suspected suppliers of fuel to Boko Haram members in Birniwa local government area of the state.

Brig.-Gen. Hamisu Hassan of Command 3 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, in charge of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states, made the disclosure on Friday while parading the suspects in Birniwa town.

He said that the suspects were nabbed while filling their jerry cans with petrol at midnight of Thursday in Birniwa.

He said that the suspects were arrested based on surveillance and intelligence report.

He said that due to the ban on the sale of petroleum products in jerry cans in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa, the suspects travelled to Birniwa in Jigawa to buy the fuel.

Hassan said that preliminary investigation revealed that some of the

suspects were from Nguru while the others were nationals of Niger Republic.

He said that two of the 10 suspects were minors below the age of 14.

He said that items recovered from the suspects included 33,000 litres truck filled with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 40 jerry cans loaded with PMS, 188 empty jerry cans and Toyota Land Cruiser.

The Commandant said that the suspects would be handed over to relevant security agencies for further investigation.

He warned owners of filling stations not to sell fuel in jerry cans which could be used to aid the activities of Boko Haram insurgents.

Hassan appealed to state governments to cooperate with the Army to combat insurgency in the country.

He reiterated the determination of the Nigerian Army to end insurgency by the December deadline set by President Muhammadu Buhari. (NAN)

NATIONAL NEWS

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9

Three million people with HIV/AIDS have no access to treatment –NEPHWAN

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n NGO, the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, said on Thursday of the 3.8 million Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS, only 747,382 were accessing Anti-Retroviral Therapy.

Victor Omosehin, the National Coordinator of NEPHWAN, made the disclosure at the swearing-in of the new national executives of the network in Abuja.

The fifth national delegates’ conference of people living with HIV had on September 30 endorsed Omosehin as the national coordinator of NEPHWAN. Omosehin said: “It means that Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS without access to treatment are on their way to an untimely death,

if government does not act fast to arrest the situation.”

He said that over 75 per cent of the treatment, care and support services for HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis were donor dependent.

He said: “The international donors are responsible for providing free access to range of tests that help to maintain quality of life which include CD4 count, viral load tests and other baseline screening.”

Omosehin said the international donors were reducing their funding and support to HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, adding that this had made people living with the scourge to pay for these services that were initially free.

He said: “It cost between

N2,000 and N5,000 to carry out some of these tests and screening in a country where substantial number of its population live below N400 per day.

“These developments had caused people living with the virus to discontinue their treatment.

“NEPHWAN believes that ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 is ambitious and realistic.

“To achieve this target, every person living with HIV in Nigeria deserves access to treatment without prejudice.

“As people living with HIV/AIDS, our continuous existence will depend on universal access to improved treatment, preven-

tion care and support interventions.

“We want the government to take greater ownership of this public health challenge that causes 1.5 million children to be orphaned annually.”

Also, the NEPHWAN Board Chairman, Abdul-Rahman Momodu, urged the National Assembly to review the roles and mandate of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS. Momodu said this was to enhance effective HIV/ AIDS response in Nigeria.

He said: “There should be no ambiguity as to who is responsible for the coordination of HIV/AIDS response and service delivery for HIV/AIDS.”

FG suspends licence issuance for new vehicle assembly plants

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he Federal Government has suspended issuance of licence to new vehicle assembly plants.

Mr Aminu Jalal, the Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Friday.

Jalal said that the action was to enable the council to consolidate the country’s vehicle assembly operations and concentrate in developing local content.

He explained that the suspension did not apply to investment in original equipment manufacturing (OEM), adding that applicants for OEM license would not be affected.

Jalal said: “The major objective of the National Automotive Industry Development Plan is to bring back completely knocked down (CKD) automotive assembly and develop local content.

“NADDC is investing over N5 billion to establish automotive test centres that will ensure that the vehicles and components meet international safety and environmental standards.

“The response to the policy so far has exceeded our

expectations. The current status of implementation of the policy is that 14 existing assembly plants started assembling new products (cars, SUV, buses, pick-up trucks) in 2014.”

The DG listed some of the 14 plants as Volkswagen of Nigeria (VON), Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN), Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing, ANAMMCO, Leyland-Busan, NTM and Steyr.

According to him, Nissan, VW, Hyundai, Kia, Honda cars and SUV, Shacman and MAN Trucks, and Ashok-Leyland buses are now assembled in Nigeria.

“Eleven new companies, including Century Auto (Toyota), TATA, Coscharis Auto (FORD, Joylong, Dongfeng) and Dana Motors (Renault) have been given bona-fide manufacturing status and are on track to start assembly operations this year.

“Our emphasis has now shifted to the development of automotive local content.

“Sites for automotive supplier parks in excess of 400 square hectares have been acquired across Nigeria and effort is ongoing to acquire more.” (NAN)

L-R: Vice President, Church Administrators Society of Nigeria(CASON), Pastor Steve Akoni; CEO, Virgin Outdoor Ltd, Dr. Kunle Hamilton; Practice Management, Phillips Consulting, Ms. Femi Bolaji, Director; President CASON, Pastor Seyi Oladimeji and Senior Pastor, The Elevation Church, Godman Akinlabi, during the 2015 CASON Conference held in Lagos, recently.

NESG presents report to Buhari T

he National Economic Summit Group, the organiser of the Nigerian Economic Summit, on Thursday presented the report of the 21st NES to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Chairman of NESG, Kyari Bukar, presented the 100-page report to Buhari at the closing of the summit in Abuja.

The report was received

by Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, on behalf of President Buhari.

Lawal, who spoke on sustainable solutions for peace and threats to human security, said that economy and

security were inseparable.

He said the Federal Government was doing its best to address the security challenges in the North East and to create employment for the youth in the zone.

He, however, urged all sectors of the economy to be involved in re-building the zone.

The SGF recalled that those in the zone had lost all their means of livelihood.

He said: “I am from the zone and I have to tell you that my people did not harvest any food last year as a result of insurgency.

“Insurgency has also affected education and youth development.

“Our youths have been deprived of education for almost six years.

“Also, I will like to let you know that before the problem of insurgency, 90 per cent of youths in the zone were not employed.”

Dr. Tayo Aduloju of the Institute of Workforce Development said at the plenary on security matters that the impact of environmental problems had become driver of conflicts and insecurity.

Aduloju said the impacts of climate and business practices such as oil exploration and offshore deep-water trawling had increasingly become drivers

of conflict and they poised real threats to human security.

He said: “These practices cause human displacements, high inequality, imbalance in social benefits, fragility, resentment and latent or actual conflict, resulting in significant decrease in economic productivity.

“It therefore goes without saying that there is an urgent need for concerted solutions to threat of human security in Nigeria.”

Some experts who spoke at the session called for huge investment in youth development through vocational and formal skill.

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10

Bring home World Cup, Buhari tells Golden Eaglets Rotimi Fadeyi

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resident Muhammadu Buhari has assured the Golden Eaglets and their handlers of the full support of the Federal Government and all Nigerians as they strive to bring more sporting glory to their fatherland by outplaying all their opponents in Chile and winning the Under-17 World Cup for a record fifth time.

As the tournament opens today,nBuhari urged the Golden Eaglets to do their utmost best to match the outstanding performance of their victorious predecessors who have won the competition four times including the inaugural edition in 1985 and the last tournament in 2013.

A statement issued yesterday by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu said Buhari would follow the team’s progress through the tournament in Chile with keen interest and high expectation in the belief that the boys have the skills, dedication and determination required to make Nigeria world champions at the youth level once again.

He called on the players to stay focused, avoid all distractions and put their globally acknowledged skills, ability and doggedness on display against the USA today, Chile on October 20 and Croatia on October 23 as well as in all their subsequent matches to win the tournament and give millions of soccerloving Nigerians the perfect end-of-the-year gift.

NATIONAL NEWS

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

CPC officials raid Multichoice office

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fficials of the Consumer Protection Council on Thursday afternoon raided the head office the premier pay-TV service provider, MultiChoice Nigeria, in Lagos.

The CPC officials, who went with a warrant, were accompanied by policemen and journalists when they arrived at the company’s office at about 1pm.

The raid saw CPC officials leaving with laptop computers and important documents about the company’s operations.

The reason for the raid is yet unclear.

However, there are in-

dications that it may not be unconnected with the hitch that has developed in the CPC’s ongoing investigation into MultiChoice’s consumer satisfaction initiatives.

Sources at the CPC had disclosed that a hitch developed during a scheduled meeting between the company and CPC officials at the commission’s head office in Abuja on Tuesday.

The breakdown was said to have been occasioned by CPC’s demand that MultiChoice should hand over personal information of its subscribers as well as its exclusive contract in Nigeria.

The MultiChoice team, led by the Managing Director, John Ugbe, was said to have drawn the attention of the CPC to the fact that the company owes its subscribers a duty to protect their personal information.

The company, added sources, took time to explain that releasing sensitive information about subscribers, as requested, would amount to a breach of the trust subscribers reposed in the it when they signed up to its services.

MultiChoice representatives were quoted to have expressed readiness to cooperate with the CPC in its

effort to ensure that subscribers obtain improved customer satisfaction, but rejected the demand that violates subscribers’ confidentiality.

The company had explained that one of the ways in which it provides customer service to its subscribers is by keeping the information they have entrusted in its care.

MultiChoice was also said to have explained that its exclusive contract contains non-disclosure clauses and wondered what relevance it has to an investigation into customer satisfaction.

L-R: Deputy Governor of Ogun, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga; Chairman, Kresta Laurel Ltd, Otunba Engr. Gbenga Daniel; Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) and Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, during the 25th Year Anniversary of Kresta Laurel Ltd in Lagos, on Thursday night.

Nick Uweru

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he Acting Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro has reiterated the Agency’s commitment to collaborate with the Nigerian Custom Service to ensure seamless trade facilitation in Nigeria.

Mr. Jauro said this when the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) led members of the Customs management to NIMASA on a familiarisation visit in Lagos.

The Acting DG said that the Agency has put in place a number of innovations like the satellite

NIMASA restate commitment to trade surveillance system and committed itself to a number of strategic partnerships with the military to enhance security on Nigerian waters with the ultimate aim of engendering a friendly business environment.

Mr. Jauro further said the country needs to facilitate seamless trade in the maritime sector emphasising that this was even more compelling now given the dwindling price of oil.

According to the DG, “NIMASA needs to partner with the Nigeria Customs in order to improve trade facilitation and also en-

sure that various loopholes through which Nigeria is losing revenue in these areas are blocked”.

He advocated for improved collaboration with the Nigeria Customs especially in the area of information sharing as both Agencies have critical roles to play in generating the needed revenues for the government.

Responding, Col. Hammed Ali stated that his visit was to strengthen the existing relationship between the Nigeria Customs Service and NIMASA noting that there were various areas of their functions

that needed collaboration.

He said that since NIMASA is the major regulator of shipping in the country, the need to synergise in order to ensure that operators in the sector abide strictly by the laws of the country.

He re-echoed the importance of the maritime sector to the economy of Nigeria saying the sector must take the lead as the revenue earner of government in the face of dwindling oil revenues saying the Nigeria Customs is committed to partnerships that will guarantee this increased revenue.

Glo Dance: Voting begins this weekend Nick Uweru

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he stage is set for the public to start voting for their favourite contestants as from today in the Dance with Peter reality TV show sponsored by next generation network, Globacom.

From this week’s episode of the show, thirty dancers who made it to the finals and are currently in the academy will perform and the contestant with the lowest scores will be put up for eviction by the show judges.

The fate of such contestant will, however be determined by the vote of the public.

The names of the dancers, according to Globacom, in a statement in Lagos on Thursday will be revealed during the television broadcast of the show on African Independent Television (AIT) on Sunday at 3 p.m, Africa Magic Urban (Channel 153 on DSTV) on Saturday at 7 p.m. and on MTV Base on Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

According to Globacom, voting will start by 8.p.m. on Saturday and close at 12 midnight on Monday. The Company advise members of the public who wish to vote to send the code number of the contestant they wish to vote for to 55518. Each SMS costs N50 in Nigeria and GHC50 for voters in Ghana.

The Company also released the stage names and codes of the 30 contestants who are in the finals.

Tribunal verdict: Reps hail judiciary Tordue Salem, ABUJA

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member, House of Representatives, Mark Gbillah has commended the Nigerian judiciary for its recent rulings on election matters across the country, and specifically for the recent ruling of an election tribunal sitting in Makurdi, Benue State.

Gbillah who represents Gwer/Gwer West Federal Constituency of Benue State is one of the three lawmakers whose elections were affirmed by the tribunal on Tuesday.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OCTOBER 17, 2015

SOUTH WEST

Group kicks against Osun ministerial nominee Boladale Bamigbola Osogbo

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n Osun-based group has kicked against the nomination of Prof.

Isaac Adewole as a minister from Osun State.

Though the group noted that the immediate past Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan, UI, hailed from Ilesa, a town in Osun, but added that he, before now, had nothing to do with the state.

The Coalition Of Osun Youth Group, in a statement signed by Prince Popoola Timilehin, its secretary, a copy of which was obtained by National

Adewole

Mirror in Osogbo, said Adewole had never added any value to the development of Osun, hence its decision to oppose his nomination.

The statement reads: “We also want to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari, if the ministerial list is to bring forth the change that Nigerians clamour for, or to compensate those that worked for the emergence of his party, APC, fraudulently or otherwise.

“We want to remind Mr. President that he once said ‘I belong to nobody, I belong to everybody.’ If this is true and genuine, why using Osun ministerial slot to compensate the INEC returning officer of Lagos State during the last election?

“As a concerned youth group that understands the political terrain of the state, we strongly say no to the nomination of Prof.

Isaac Adewole, who is from the same town, federal constituency and the same Senatorial District with the sitting governor of the state.”

Royal fathers converge in Oyo today, to honour Alaafin at 77 Kemi Olaitan Ibadan

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bout 15 traditional rulers within and outside Yorubaland are expected in Oyo town today to honour the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, on his 77th birthday.

As part of activities to celebrate the birthday anniversary, a lecture with the theme, “Concept, Values and Supremacy of Alaafin of Oyo in West Africa,”, will be delivered by two renowned Professors, Adele Jinadu of the Department of Political Science, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State and Hassan Soliu, of the Department of Political Science, University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

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Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs) Idiat Oluranti Adebule (middle), Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello (4th right), Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Olukunle Ojo (3rd left) in a group photograph with participants of the Course 24, National Defence College, Abuja during their courtesy visit to the Governor, at the Lagos House, Ikeja, on Friday, October 16, 2015.

Adhere to traffic laws, Ambode tells military

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agos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, on Friday urged the military to see themselves as partners in progress to the elected government and must be ready to cooperate and contribute their own quota through ensuring members of the military obey the laws of the land aside from fulfilling their constitutionally assigned roles of providing internal and territorial security for the country.

Governor Ambode, represented by his Deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule, spoke when he received members of the Course 24 of the National Defense College, Abuja, who were on a study tour to Lagos.

The Governor enjoined members of the Course to continue to educate the military hierarchy, especially the middle and lower cadre on the need to subject them-

selves to the laws of the land, saying that the state government is always displeased when members of the armed forces are seen disobeying laws on traffic and environmental sanitation and the state enforcement agencies are sometimes left with no choice than to apprehend such erring officers.”

“The military are our partners, even in a democratic dispensation. They must cooperate with the government at all levels by obeying our laws both traffic and environmental laws, which remains a critical ingredient towards achieving economic prosperity for our people.”

“We don’t like to embarrass anyone, especially the gentlemen officers of our military but we must continue to educate ourselves as there are some few bad eggs who still go about disobeying our traffic laws

and laws on environmental sanitation. While we remain resolute on running a government with a human face, we want to enjoin our military men to always obey the laws and subject themselves to the laws of the state,” the Governor said.

Earlier, the team leader, Brigadier General Mashe Bashir said members of the Course 24 were in Lagos on a study tour in line with the theme of the National Defense College Course 24, titled is “Internally Generated Revenues, Catalyst For Development- Challenges and Prospects.”

Bashir noted that the enviable strides Lagos State has recorded in shoring up its revenue over the years makes it a ready case study for the Course participants, adding that members have met with various government officials, agencies and officials at so me local gov-

ernment and local council development areas.

According to him, one of the objectives of the tour was to expose the participants to the socio-economic realities of the state with a view to carrying out research on topical issues, identifying the challenges and preferring solution that can help the country to move forward.

He said members of the team have been enriched by study tour, as they have first hand information on the efforts of the state government at increasing its internally generated revenue in order to meet its developmental challenges and deliver good governance to its people.

The study tour of the participants took them to the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Cabinet Office, Surulere, Kosofe and Ikeja local government areas of the state.

he had sent to the House on September 21. So what is left is for him to conduct the swearing in ceremony so as to enable them resume the task of governance”.

It would be recalled that Governor Ambode had named six former cabinet members from the Babatunde Raji Fashola administration including former commissioner for Agriculture, Gbolahan Lawal, former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, former Special Adviser, Central Business District, Folarin Coker, former Special Adviser Commerce and Industry, Seye Oladejo, former Special Adviser Works and Infrastructure,

Engr. Ganiyu Johnson and former Special Adviser Rural Development, Babatunde Hunpe.

He also named a relatively young cabinet with the likes of Mrs. Yetunde Onabolu, Fela Bank-Olemoh, Akinyemi Ashade, a partner in KPMG, former Managing Director, National Mirror, Steve Ayorinde, Alhaja Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, a pharmacist, Kehinde Joseph and Prof. Ademola Abass, a Professor of Law, whose ages range between 39 and 47 years.

Other names include Dr. Akintola Benson, former Special Adviser Political and Legislative Powers Bureau, Dr. Abdul-Hakeem

Abdul-Lateef, Dr. Mohammed Akinkunmi, former member, House of Representatives, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, Dr. Femi Onanuga, CEO of LAMATA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, Engr.

Ade Akinsanya, Arch. Wasiu Anifowoshe, former member House of Assembly, Mrs. Lola Akande, Agboola Dabiri, Ganiu Okanlomo Sanni, Anofi Elegushi, Rotimi Ogunleye, Mrs Adebimpe Akinsola, Femi Odubiyi, Alhaji Musiliu Folami, Adeniji Kazeem, Adeyemi Labinjo, Toyin Suarau, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, Deji Tinubu, Mrs. Mudirat Giwanson and former Chairman Ejigbo LCDA, Kehinde Bamigbetan.

… to swear in commissioners, special advisers Monday

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Adeyemi III

Other events to mark the day include presentation of post-homours awards to some traditional rulers in Yoruba land.

Oba Adeyemi who ascended the throne over four decades ago, clocked 77 last Thursday.

agos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode will on Monday, October 19, swear in 23 Commissioners and 14 Special Advisers, who will constitute the State Executive Council.

According to a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, the ceremony will hold at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa Secretariat by 10am.

According to him, “The House of Assembly has just officially informed His Excellency that they have completed the screening and confirmation of all the 23 Commissioner Designates and 14 Special Adviser Designates which

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NEMA DG condoles Shettima over fresh bomb blasts in Borno Inusa Ndahi MAIDUGURI

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he Director General of National E m e r g e n c y Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Sani Sidi yesterday, condoled with Governor Kashim Shettima, government and the people of Borno over the increasing cases of suicide bombings in some parts of Maiduguri which claimed hundreds lives with others injured.

It would be recalled that on Thursday and Friday this week, no fewer than 40 people including suicide bombers were killed in separate attacks on locations in Molai which is an outskirt of Maiduguri, the state capital.

The NEMA boss who was in Maiduguri for official launching of relief and rehabilitation materials for victims of insurgency which took place at the zonal office said, as an humanitarian agency owned by the Federal Government, it will do everything possible to offer assistance to the victims of insurgency in the North East, even as he prayed for restoration of peace and for God to grant eternal rest to the souls of those who unfortunately lost their lives, and quick recovery for the injured ones.

“We are here to officially launch another distribution of relief items to victims of insurgency as well as present building materials for reconstruction of some destroyed communities, especially Bama and other council areas.

“I want to assure your Excellency Governor Kashim Shettima of NEMA’s full support to the Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs) towards rebuilding their destroyed communities to enable them back home”. The NEMA DG said.

Responding, Governor Shettima thanked NEMA and the Federal Government for their support to the plight of the victims of insurgency particularly, the over 1.5 million IDPs taking refuge at various camps in the state.

He however called on otherhumanitarianagencies and the international donor agencies to assist in the ongoing rehabilitation of destroyed communities in Borno and the north east in general.

NORTH

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ortom absolves self from Tsav’s corruption allegation

Taraba govt. partners IFAD to boost rice, cassava production

MAKURDI

Justin Tyopuusu,

Henry Iyorkase

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overnor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, has washed his hands off against the allegations leveled against him by former Lagos State Police Commissioner Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, who accused the governor of pocketing N500 million meant for Gbajimba - Daudu road construction in the past.

The Governor refuted the claim while unveiling the blueprint of his working document at the

Benue People’s House yesterday with a theme “Our collective vision for a new Benue”.

He expressed disappointment with the conduct of the ex -commissioner Tsav and stated that it is high time we should call a spade a spade, and reiterated that he had at no time collected contract from the state government.

“For the avoidance of doubt I wish to register on record that those contract being alluded by the former Police Commissioner Tsav alleged to

have been given to me is not true. Those contracts in question, Daudu -Gbajimba Road was awarded to Value Trust Investment Limited, a company belonging to Dr. Doyin Okupe whose contract cost for the construction of the road was N78m while the other, Uni- Agric Road to North bank Junction was given to Hajaig though, the figure was not made known to the public and shouldn’t have been mentioned if not for the purpose of smearing one’s reputation”.

Governor Ortom fur-

ther recalled with dismay that since assumption of office, Tsav has been on his neck using all arsenals at his disposal to discredit his administration and described his action as diabolical and ill motivated.

He maintained that “Since it is common knowledge to rubbish my image by the ex-police boss, I have instructed my counsel to seek redress before the court with a view to end this unwarranted attacks and sue for damages.

Corpses of two teenagers and their parents ready for burial after twin male suicide bombers struck at Ummarari village of Molai, an outskirt of Maiduguri on Friday. Photo Ndahi Maiduguri.

Shettima swears in Durkwa as new Borno Deputy Governor Inusa Ndahi MAIDUGURI

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state on Friday, sworn in Alhaji Usman Mamman Durkwa as the new Deputy Governor following the death of Late Zannah Umar Mustapha who passed away at his lodge in Adamawa state last two months.

Durkwa, who hailed from Hawul Local Government Area, was cleared this week by the State House of Assembly. His oath of office was administered by the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Kashim Zannah.

The occasion, which took place at the Multi-Purpose Hall, Government House, attracted many dignitaries

including APC stalwarts and traditional rulers across the state.

In his speech at the ceremony, Shettima, who described the death of Zannah as a great loss to the state, congratulated the new Deputy Governor saying that with his coming on board, the vacuum created by the demise of Late Zannah is now filled up as machinery of government will continue to run smoothly in the state.

Shettima said at the swearing ceremony, that he was convinced that the Durkwa’s patience, articulation and sensible leadership would help in moving the state forward.

According to him, Durkwa was appointed on merit having contributed

immensely to the success of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) at both the state and national level.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment towards peace, unity and development in the state, and urged the people to support them, as well as pray for them in order to enable the government to achieve its mandate. Shettima assured the people that he would have a cordial relationship with his deputy, understand each other, work together, and be patient with each other.

“I assure you that we will have a good working relationship. I as the head and he being my number one adviser, I will do as much as possible. I know what the office of the deputy governor

is and will try as much as possible to improve from where I left it. Anyone, who thinks he can come in between us, it is better for him to advise us to do the right thing, rather than seeking to divide us,” – the governor said.

In his acceptance speech Durkwa thanked God, governor Shettima and the people of the state for giving him the mandate and pledged his total loyalty and discharge his duties to the state according to the constituted authority, as he would be emulating the late Zannah by fostering friendship and enhancing cooperation across the ethnic groups and religions.

JALINGO

Taraba Government has gone into partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, to boost rice and cassava production, processing and marketing in the state.

Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Isaac Mela, disclosed this at a meeting with representatives of the joint Federal Government and IFAD international country representatives yesterday in Jalingo.

Mela said the state government through the ministry of Agriculture had paid counterpart fund of N37 million to enable its farmers access the FG/IFAD assisted value chain development programme in rice and cassava to improve their living conditions.

“I wish to commend the federal government and IFAD for this wonderful iniative of giving expertise and material assistance to farmers in the state. Let me equally commend the state government for the prompt payment of N37 million counterpart fund to boost rice and cassava production, processing and marketing in the state,” he said.

Team leader of the joint implementation support mission, Mr. Rab Nawaz said the visit was to help the state government move forward in its quest to boost its economy through agriculture.

Nawaz noted that the programme, which was basically aimed at improving the income of rice and cassava farmers’ organizations was performance- based, adding that the programme was a five year project currently going on in six states of the federation, saying funds will be given to states that are more successful in the implementation.

The team leader said the programme is currently going on in Gassol, Wukari and Karim-Lamido local government areas of the state and would be expanded to other local governments depending on how well the handlers used the funds released to them.

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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POLITICS 13 What’s new in Buhari’s cabinet list of old names?

Lekan Adejuwon

A

t last, the hen has finally come home to roost as President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, released 16 more ministerial nominees in addition to the 21 earlier released last week, thus putting to rest, the controversies surrounding the perceived belated process.

However unlike the initial list which appeared to have been leaked to the public before they were unveiled last week, the President shocked many would-be Nostradamus especially in the social media as many of the names being paraded were conspicuously absent from the list.

Among the new list include a member of House of Representatives from Yobe State, Kadija Bukar Ibrahim, a former Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and ex-Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress APC, James Ocholi and the immediate Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan Prof Isaac Adewole.

Others are Thaddeus Omoleye Daramola, Anthony Onwuka, Jeffery Onyema, Muhammadu Bello, Mustapha Baba Sheturi, Aisha Abubakar, Adamu Adamu, Pascal Husseini and Abubakar Bawa.

The 16 new batch of ministerial nominees would now join their colleagues for screening or confirmation by the senate, a process which begun last Tuesday.

Meanwhile the senate on Wednesday, confirmed 18 ministerial nominees after a two-day screening among whom are; Babatunde Fashola, Lagos and Kayode Fayemi Ekiti.

Other ministers designate include; Senator Udo Udoma Akwa Ibom, Chief Audu Ogbeh Benue, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu Ebonyi, Dr Osagie Ehanire Edo, Alhaji Lai Mohammed Kwara, Lt Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau Kano, Amina Ibrahim Mohammed Gombe, Mr Sulaiman Hussein Adamu, Mr Ibrahim Usman Jibrin, Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachukwu, Mr Abubakar Malami, Senator Chris Ngige, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan, Mr Solomon Dalong, Mrs Kemi Adeosun and Senator Hadi Sirika.

The ongoing ministerial screening has so far, failed to live to the expectations of many doomsday sayers, who had predicted a stormy session as a result of the unfolding political crisis which had pitched the senate President with President Buhari.

Many had thought that the political cracks within the structure of the National Assembly that reared their ugly heads at the inception of the Buhari’s administration would be more aggravated during the screening process coming at a time when the National leader of APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, in a press statement, practically took the senate President to the cleaners in what may have set the stage for an epic battle for the supporters of the two political camps.

But in what appears a comic melodrama, many of Buhari’s nominees had a smooth

Buhari

sail, passing through the eagle eyes of the 109 members of the nation’s upper legislative chamber in an exercise that was both colourful and exciting.

Indeed, the expected battle never occurred as it was gathered that the loose ends may have been tied during the period of intense lobbying and horse-trading, believed to have preceded the screening proper.

The exercise also raised the pertinent question of thoroughness as some of the nominees were hardly grilled as expected, against the background of the earlier threat by the chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Dino Melaye who insisted that it is not going to be ‘business as usual” for former members of the National Assembly who had been used to ‘bow and go’ Instead, many Nigerians who watched the event live on national TV stations were unanimous at giving Buhari a pass mark going by the excellent performance of the nominees so far screened.

Jimi Disu, a public affairs commentator and ace journalist, on Thursday, scored Buhari high for presenting what he called ‘a star studded team of thinking men’ to help the President in the next four years.

As all seems to be set for the eventual take-off of the administration with the coming on board of Buhari’s men, not a few watchers of events in the polity have changed the topic of recent debate from whether the four- month waiting game was worth it or the list of ministerial nominees paraded by the President are the country’s best eleven at this time.

Speaking to Saturday Mirror in an exclusive interview, All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA governorship candidate in the 2015 governorship election in Ogun State, Prof David Bamgbose, took a swipe at the government for not preparing to take

Saraki

over government in the first instance.

According to him, “One of their excuses was that, there was no handover prior to the handover date. But, a government or somebody who is interested in forming a government must go for information because, without information, there is no planning. There is no projection and vision.

They shouldn’t have waited for the outgoing government before they put in place their machinery to get those information and prepare very well.

“Having said that,- the post election period, six months after inauguration.

Some people talk about four months after inauguration but it is 6 months post election.

When I look at the list of the people that was released by Mr President, my take is that the list can be released even on the day of the swearing in of the president.

He also questioned the cabinet list saying it was dominated by politicians.

“In the history of this country, the set of the ministers that are being screened by the senate are the most political. I am not talking of this democratic dispensation, but in the history of this nation’ he said Continuing, the educationist said; “You have 5 to 6 ex-governors, senators and House of Reps, about six, you have gubernatorial aspirants or candidates, six or eight. So in all of this, the list is the most political. “So looking at the list, political consideration is the major factor for the people that are put up by Mr President for ministerial nominees.

Aside from the composition of the cabinet list, one other issue is the belief from several quarters that most of the names on the list are made up of ‘analogue’ people or spent forces, ‘who have little or nothing to contribute’.

This criticism is further buoyed by the

allegation that Buhari at 72, appears to be comfortable working with old people as many opined that there is nothing in the list to suggest that the much awaited change under the current democratic dispensation has come.

From Buhari’s earlier appointments, it was obvious that the President had his eyes on those people he knew when he was in power over thirty years ago most of whom are now in their 70s and their early 80s now.

Majority of Nigerians had expected a list that will feature names of renowned technocrats and professionals who have distinguished themselves in various fields of endeavours many of whom are scattered all over the country.

But the dominance of Buhari’s list is viewed from the stand point of recapitulating to the dictates of the political party through which he emerged President last March.

Bamgbose in a related development said, the number of technocrats among the list was relatively few.

His words; ‘Most of the ministerial nominees are within the range of 45 to 60 and above, a lot of retired individuals.

‘If you look at the number of the nominees who are technocrats, they are less than 10 per cent.

The politician also queried the alleged corruption charges leveled against some of the nominees; “Then again is the allegation of financial misappropriation against some of the nominees. Although, I don’t hold brief for anyone since nobody has been tried by a competent court of law, but I feel the President who is elected on the high moral ground of integrity should have asked them to submit themselves to the judicial process instead of including them in the list.

In an interview with a television station at the lobby of the National Assembly on Tuesday, Francis Alimikhena, the 8th National Assembly Senate Minority Leader and senator representing Edo North said; “There is no doubt that the list contains the names of those who are well known in the country, but how does that guarantee their competence to make things work?

“Some of them have been in the corridors of power for so long that they may have become spent bullets, the law of diminishing returns may have also caught up with them” However elder statesman and former Nigeria’s Permanent Representatives to the United Nations, Alhaji Maitama Sule has urged the President to work with the nation’ elders to achieve the needed change in his government; He gave the advice in Abuja at the inaugural ceremony and the International Conference of the African Society for the Ageing.

He added that Buhari should not abandon the aged, but adopt the mixture of the young and the aged in the formation of his cabinet to produce the country’s better future leaders According to him ‘Every society needs old people because new breed without the old breed will breed greed.

‘We also need the youthful exuberant of the young, you need the experience of the old which you cannot buy in the market” From all indications, the events of the coming weeks will go a long way to justify Buhari’s choice after all.

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POLITICS

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OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Buhari’s ministerial nominees, most political in history –Bamgbose Professor David Olufemi Bamgbose is the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the April 11 governorship election in Ogun State.

He bares his mind on the composition of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list, the effect of the long wait for the cabinet list and other issues.

LEKAN ADEJUWON reports:

I

t has been a long wait of about four months when the first set of ministerial nominees were unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari against widespread anger and disappointment from a cross section Nigerians who felt the names of submitted to the senate for screening did not justify the endless waiting.

What is your take on this issue as a stakeholder?

You see, 2015 will go down in the annals of history of this nation as a wasted year.

Of course, there was a very mighty event of the take over of the federal government by the opposition. The election came and everybody was looking for a serious and instant change in governance in Nigeria.

There was high expectation. During the time of politicking, governance was at its lowest ebb. The sitting government, that time, was totally focused on electioneering.

So, the first half of the year was consumed by the election and politicking. The minimum the new government can do is to move at a very lightening speed into their policies, into their agenda and appointments with the things they need to do to change this nation. I have a belief that the party must have their visions, their programmes including the people they want to use before going into campaign at all to ask for peoples’ mandate When the visions and policies are very clear, you move at a very high speed. As a minister of the gospel, Habbakuk Chapter 2 Verse 3, says ‘write down the vision make it plain, that the one that read it may run’. So, if you have clarity of vision or programmes and the personnel you have in mind to drive the process, you move at a very higher speed. Our experienced showed that, may be, the party did not think that they will win the election.

They just want to go into it and if there is a challenge on the way, they will resort to other avenues. They have prepared for

cent APGA to show you of our strength in spite of the fact that we have a sitting PDP government in place. The last election was a clear case of robbery on our candidates in Abia State. The results are coming in and our candidate was leading in 10 local governments before the manipulation started. How can you tell me that a local government registered 45,000 individuals and the 45000 individuals voted? So, we are saying that there is a clear case of shenanigans in Abia State, but we are going to be methodical in our approach.

For example, in the south west here, people will be looking for an alternative and the PDP may not be that alternative.

Bamgbose

a long haul. They did not consider they can win nor considered that incumbent President can easily cave in as he did.

Why do you think so?

One of their excuses was that there was no handover prior to the handover date.

But look, a government or somebody who is interested in forming a government must go for information because without information, there is no planning, there is no projection and there is no vision. They shouldn’t have waited for the outgoing government before they put in place their machinery to get those information and prepare very well. Having said that, post election. Six months after inauguration.

Some people talk about four months after inauguration. It is 6 months post election.

When I look at the list of the people that was released by Mr President, my take is that the list can be released even on the day of the swearing in of the president.

In the history of this country, the set of the ministers that are being screened by the senate are the most political. I am not talking of this democratic dispensation, but in the history of this nation. You have 5 to 6 ex-governors, senators and House of Reps, about six, you have gubernatorial aspirants or candidates six or eight. So in all of this, the list is the most political. So looking at the list, political consideration is the major factor for the people that are put up by Mr President for ministerial nominees. Two months ago, our capital market crashed, the economy was at the lowest ebb. I am an agriculturist for instance. One of the incentives that are available to that sector is the seed and fertilizer inputs to the low cadre of farming populace as subsidy. There is this GES programme by the immediate past government whereby they give seedlings to farmers 50 kilogrammes they give them bags of fertilizers but this year, nothing of such. There was no substantive minister of Agric who will microscopically look at the programme for agriculture. We lost that.

In fact anybody who tries to give farmers any incentive now is encouraging them to go and marry more wives because the time for it is late. So there are certain things that government cannot just jettison.

Having said that, the list finally had been released, do you have any issues apart from the delay in the appointment of cabinet ministers?

Most of the ministerial nominees are within the range of 45 to 60 and above, a lot of retired individuals whom you know without mentioning their names. If you look at the number of the nominees who are technocrats, they are less than 10 per cent. Then, again is the allegation of financial misappropriation against some of the nominees. Although, I don’t hold brief for anyone, since nobody has been tried by a competent court of law, but I feel the President, who is elected on the high moral ground of integrity should have asked them to submit themselves to the judicial process instead of including them in the list. I would have love to see one or more people with cleaner records on that list. Having said that, we are where we are, hoping for the best Aside from the issues arising from ministerial list, I want to have your view on the recent judicial upsets recorded in the ongoing election tribunal judgement in parts of the country where your party, APGA won some National Assembly seats.

Do you see the verdict as a possible reawakening of the party as a force to reckon with?

Definitely, I want to put it on the table that APGA is going to be the third force in this country. The future of the party is very bright. The country cannot run on a two party system. I can say that with all sense of responsibilities that we will have a third force in APGA. If you look at Abia election today, the House of Assembly in that state has 50 percent PDP and 50 per

Finally, on the politics of Ogun State where you are a stake holder, concerns have been raised about the bail out fund giving to all the states who had problems paying their workers salaries. Not much has been heard about the bail out fund, if any and one expects someone like you to speak out.

Don’t you think so?

With a very big sense of responsibility, I am happy with my governor and I submit.

Looking at the whole south west governors, apart from Lagos State, only Ogun State governor has been paying salaries of its workers as and at when due. The allegation against the governor is that he is paying the salaries but he is not paying the deductions. But he pays the salaries up to date and I give that to him because, when you look at federal allocations in the past couple of years, Ogun State used to collect in the region of N6 billion. The money used to pay salaries is almost 60 per cent.

What the governor has done is to do away with some of the capital projects at the expense of paying salaries. If I compare my governor with some other states in the south west, I give it to him, having said that, he came with the bail out and the first thing he did was to pay all the outstanding deductions up till April, although, I don’t know how much was taken. I want to praise him for doing that but if you weigh the low economic activities in the country today even it takes only a committed private investors to fulfill his obligations to his staff as you know that I am also a private investor. In the coming days I want him to continue to be a listening governor. The recent sacking of some teachers, to me, is high handedness. The action should be revisited. He should rescind the decision because I know what it takes to lose a job I am making my comments not because of any patronage as you know that I contested this last election with him. But what I am saying is that he has since stopped some of the capital projects temporarily to be able to pay staff salaries, which is what I would have done if I am in his shoes. I will not because, I want to build infrastructure I wont pay my staff.

Till such a time when we have a surplus.

So that is my take but on other thing which I am not comfortable with is those sacked teachers. It touches me because I am in the teaching profession, but in spite of that, I am doing a comparison here with his immediate environment in the south west.

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

TALKING POLITICS

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‘Nigeria is under-policed’ ‘Poverty, bane of —Babatunde Raji Fashola, former Governor of Lagos State

“T

Nigerians’ ­­ Dr Kayode Fayemi, former — Governor of Ekiti State,

here is a necessity first to decentralise the police” ‘The number available to me is that we have probably a police force of about 500,000 for a population that is heading towards 180million ‘We are under-policed and even the federal government decided to take on the responsibility on its own, can it really do so on the micro level that is necessary for the state, the local government and other levels?”

“P

‘Our agenda is to consolidate on what we are doing in Kogi’ — Capt. Idris Wada, Kogi State Governor

“W

hen I came in, I had a think-tank that produced a blueprint for transformation of this state. So, we have in mind a 10-year plan for the transformation of Kogi State.

“I know the maximum tenure I have is eight years, but by the time if we implement the 10-year agenda and you finish eight years it will be sustainable. Even if somebody comes and say I am not going to complete the next two years, substantially, a lot of the work has been done to put this state on a modern platform for development.

“So, it’s not about new things, it’s about consolidating what we are doing, so that in four years we would have done a lot of the things we have planned for the state in agriculture, industrialisation, education and health.

These are key and critical elements of our economic and social agenda for the people.

15

overty is clearly deep in our country” In the All Progressives Congress (APC) manifesto, we stated that about 10 million Nigerians live below $2 per day mark in our country. “ It is a swan song every time we talk about poverty, but we do not quite fundamentally have resolved all the issues associated with poverty. Poverty is not inevitable. We have experience of countries around the world that have lifted their people out of poverty. China and Brazil are good examples.

“Our problem is not just really poverty.

Poverty, if I can say, is inequality; it is the gap between the mindlessly rich and hopelessly poor. You cannot have progress

in any country where one per cent of the population controls 80 per cent of the resources.

“It is a basis for crisis. We must close the gap between the rich and the poor. My own idea on how to deal with the problem is structural. I think our government is too concentrated at the centre and we need to begin to redress that question fundamentally”

‘APC’ll pull Kogi out of the woods’ —APC governorship candidate for November 2015 governorship election, Abubakarv Audu

“So, what I need to do is to work out on the implementation, work out on the improvement and work out on making sure that there is buy-in by all the critical stakeholders for the transformational agenda I have for Kogi State”.

‘Mama HID influenced Awo to serve in my govt’

—Former military head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon

“L

et me make it known that it was through Mama that I got the consent and service of Pa Awolowo to join my government as Finance Commission and Economic Planning during the trying moment of our nation’s history.

“And you all know what he did to ensure that we survived in that period of crisis in Nigeria, if Mama had not given her support, Papa Awolowo would not have served at that time. Mama was exceptionally good, she stood behind her husband in thick and thin, in good times and bad times. Her advice, love and taken good care of the home front helped Papa achieved all that he achieved in life.”

“I

strongly believe in first things first. By the special grace of God, when Kogites elect us into office on November 21, 2015, all the sectors crying for attention, like human capital development, structural develop-

ment, environmental sanitation, as well as physical development will be rejuvenated.

“Without mincing words, let me say emphatically and categorically that the most backward state in Nigeria today is Kogi and this has become a major source of concern to all of us. In the process of building our capacity to the status it assumed when we were in office between 1999 and 2003, when Kogi was described as the fastest developing state in Nigeria; “I was crowned as the best performing governor. But now the story has changed. The rot is so much that our state needs an urgent rescue attention because the terrain has been so devastated.

Therefore, the onus lies squarely on us to do everything humanly possible to bring our dear state out of the woods.”

‘I encourage insults as a sitting President’ — Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

“I

f you visit the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, you will find thousands of archived newspaper comics and columns meant to spite and insult my person even as a sitting President.

“No individual or group of people was ever queried or jailed or repressed for expressing this freedom. Rather, I encouraged them because I derived fun and pleasure from the humour as I know who I am and nobody needs to tell me who and what I am not.”

16

October 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OCTOBER 17, 2015

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17

Troubled waterways

Lagos waterways are busy everyday because many residents travel on them to work, school, and markets in order to avoid traffic jams. The same sad tale of agony and trauma on roads have made many citizens in other parts of the country to depend on water transportation. But as many as have found this means of transportation a suitable alternative to frustrating road transport also have to contend with incessant fatalities. Such loss can, however, be easily avoided if boat operators are more safety conscious, writes JULIET UMEH

W

hat seemed like joke blended with quarrel between the two business partners who deal in second hand clothing was triggered by an argument over which was a better and faster means of transport to take to get to their customers in Ikorodu turned to a dramatic scene between Johnson and Ikenna (both business colleagues), on a Friday last month at the waterside in Marina, Lagos. Johnson had wanted them to go on ferry boat to beat the traumatic traffic snarl on Lagos-Ikorodu Road, but Ikenna insisted on road transport because of fear of boat accident.

“You are aware that I can’t swim and what if anything happens what do I do?”

Ikenna asked agitatedly. “I don’t think I can join waterways transportation anytime soon because of the stories about accidents which result in the death and loss of passengers on board in the recent times,” Ikenna said.

But Ikenna’s fear isn’t out of place going by the incidence of boat mishaps recorded in recent times. The spate of boat accidents on Nigeria waters, especially in Lagos State has been a source of concern for many people who travel on water. The latest of such disasters occurred on Friday, September 25, at Bayeku, Igbogbo, Ikorodu area of Lagos, when a passenger boat traveling from the Oke Ira Nla Jetty, Ajah, in the Eti Osa

area of Lagos with 22 passenger on board capsized. The incident claimed five lives while many others who were injured were hospitalised.

Investigation conducted to determine the cause of the disaster revealed that the boat was not in good condition and on top speed when the boat’s steering developed a fault around the Igbogbo Bayeku in Ikorodu waterways. According to the report from the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Michael Akindele, the agency discovered that aside that the boat’s engine was faulty, the boatman was inexperienced. He disclosed: “Investigations revealed that the boat was not in a good condition and the captain, who was said to be inexperienced, was on top

speed when the boat developed some faults in its steering and thereafter capsized. The boat, being an enclosed one, further exacerbated the chances of survivors. The captain has since been arrested and he is being questioned by the police.”

Outside Ikorodu, Ojo, an area in Lagos west was thrown into mourning in the month of July as six pupils of Osolu High School and Irewe Primary School, Ojo, got drown when the boat ferrying them to school collided with a bigger vessel on the city’s lagoon. According to report, 14 children were aboard the boat, but eight were lucky to be rescued alive. In an official reaction over the boat calamity, Head of La-

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18

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Mirror

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘Life jackets are compulsory on Lagos waterways’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 gos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Yinka Marinho, said that the boat carrying the children collided with a speed boat that developed a technical fault while on the waters.

Deaths through boat and ferry accidents on the nation’s waterways in recent times have become rampant as lives are lost too frequently and it seems there is no end in sight.

The causes of accidents are many: faulty engine, rocky waterways, bad weather, loss of bearing, attack by river spirits, but overloading of boats is a prime reason, Saturday Mirror has discovered, if the fate of a boat nicknamed Life is Good is considered, which on a bright Tuesday few months before the Irewe boat disaster, started its journey when the sea was calm and slight breeze was blowing. First to board it at neighbouring Benin Republic were few female passengers and their children.

The big boat of about 25 metres long and 15 metres breadth had a capacity to hold 50 passengers; but there were over 100 other natives in the boat besides articles like bags of detergents, semolina, sugar, rice and cement; tins of vegetable oil and bales of used cloths, including a used car engine which they had taken with them. So, they sat tight and cramped and the boat was already low with its breast already deeply immersed in the water when the boatman put up a sail and carried them westward in the direction of Nigeria’s Southern Cross River State that is about 80 kilometres.

According to the report, while sailing the passengers saw waters and sky, seaweeds like tufts of grass floating on the waters.

They saw also sea-birds, bundles of reeds or reeds floating while not a few fishermen with their nets and poles waved to them.

Heavily laden with passengers and goods, Life is Good moved so slowly and unsteadily, that any heavy tide would have covered it with water and given it slight chances of ever reaching its destination. Yet, the big engine that powered it continued to run noisily while its body rose and dropped.

Some of the passengers took a nap; a few that had taken aboard bread and roast meat were busy eating and drinking sachet water or soft drink.

The report has it that when Ikot Ekpene became visible, it was already evening. Floods of lights beamed and filtering into their ears were inaudible sounds from homes. Some woke to sing a hymn of thanksgiving, but it was only briefly as an unfair wild wind suddenly blew, the boatmen lost control, the boat swerved and the situation became dangerous. The operators put off the engine’s ignition, yet the boat was not out of danger but tossing and turning. When it became evident the end could be fatal, many women screamed and shrieked. Not a few men desperately, bravely plunged into the waters. The boat later capsized. An oncoming boat from a nearby shore rescued some passengers, but almost 100 people died.

Even outside Lagos or Cross River waters, disasters seem a sad feature as lives are sacrificed in hundreds in Bayelsa, Rivers, Ondo, Niger and other states in Nigeria. Late last year, it was a sad harvest of

death in Bayelsa State waterways when a boat carrying hundreds of passengers upturned and dropped lives into a creek.

Also, on December 26, 2013, a boat carrying about 50 passengers on the Buruku River in Buruku Local Government of Benue State capsized, killing some of its passengers, while a boat overloaded with passengers and goods travelling on the Niger River overturned, killing 42 people with hundred missing. The boat with 150 people on board broke into two halves after setting off from Malilli village in Niger State. According to the State Emergency Management Agency, death through boat and ferry accidents on the state’s waterways is now a common occurrence.

Although boat accidents are common in the country, Lagos State disaster records on waterways is scary and disturbing, maybe because it holds a record of intense inter-city, intra-city movements on water, also because of transportation of men and goods from its many villages to its trade and administrative centres in the metropolis. Earlier, in January, a boat capsized at Ogogoro village in Navy Town, Boulos in the Apapa area of Lagos State, killing about three traders while seven others people were rescued. On April 2, 2014, in Majidun River in Ikorodu, Lagos, no fewer than eight people reportedly lost their lives, while about 12 others were rescued by local divers in a boat accident. The boat which departed from the Ebute-Ero jetty of Lagos Island at about 5:30pm for the Majidun Jetty in Ikorodu, hit a large object underwater in the course of the voyage. The impact of the hit damaged the hull of the boat. This resulted into a high inflow of water which made the boat to sink. Similarly, in mid-March, another canoe capsized on a canal at 4th Avenue, 42 Road, FESTAC Town, Lagos, resulting in the death of about 18 passengers. According to one of the six survivors who rushed to the FESTAC Police Station to alert the police, the incident happened at about 7.30 pm. Local divers had to be mobilised to

help with rescue efforts. President, Festival Town Residents Association (FTRA), Mr. Jola Ogunlusi, said, ‘‘local divers had to be mobilised to lead a rescue effort. Unfortunately, of the 24 passengers who were said to be on board the boat, only six were able to help themselves. We could only recover 11 bodies that day.’’

However, reactions have continued to trail the waterways system in Nigeria.

Olawole Ajibade, an Obalende, Lagos, resident is so worried with the recurrent accidents in the state because water transport is his major mode of transport because he works in Apapa, a coastal area. “Many communities and residents on islands in Lagos and other parts of the country go to work, school and markets daily by boat to beat the popular Lagos mismanaged traffic. Travelling on water makes journey faster and cheaper too. I’m not happy with the repeated cases because it is my favoured major mode of transport,” he said.

Mr. Paul Omoge, a resident of Ikorodu, also working in Apapa, blamed the government for not doing enough to develop water transportation. “The attitude of government suggests a lack of political will on its part to protect passengers patronising water transport. This means that government has failed to live up to expectations of citizens,” he alleged.

In a bid to find solution to the incessant mishaps, Ganiyu Sekoni Balogun, a stakeholder in the sector said the major challenge facing water transportation business today has to do with the lack of adequate control of the nation’s waterways. He identified causes of accidents to include faulty equipment, accommodation of passengers beyond capacity, lack of enough rescuers and first aid and life jackets on board. “Tragically, help usually comes many hours after each accident,” he sadly stated. Balogun recalled: “In the past, you cannot throw things in the water, but today, such control is gone.

If you look around, you can see many of our engines parked up because of the debris on

waterways.” He added that fuelling the boat engines is another major challenge they are facing. “You need fuel stations on the waterways from where you can buy fuel for the boats, but they are not there yet. ‘‘The truth remains that most of these deaths could have been avoided if some fundamental norms of safety had been complied with as official enquiries have repeatedly pointed to the lapses,’’ he stated.

Stakeholders have also said that another challenge is that even after accidents, the number of people on board is always based on assumptions, meaning people travel without means of identification. They added that the situation is compounded by the lackadaisical attitude of government officials whose duty it should be to ensure safety of the waterways and monitor the operations of boat owners while the operators are less concerned about safety and are operating at their whims and caprices.

There is also the challenge of limited awareness about safety and emergencies among passengers who cannot even recognise poorly organised boat services. Investigations showed that these frequent occurrences of boat accidents in the country are as a result of non-enforcement of the laws that guide water transportation in the country.

Also, apparently disturbed by the way boats frequently capsize in Lagos State, the LASWA head, Marinho, who last year placed a ban on night rides on water, adding that the initiative was aimed at limiting the number of night transport operations on water due to a danger to the lives of passengers. Also, Marinho is not happy because a lot of operators refuse to obey the rules that guide operations such as wearing of life jackets, which is compulsory for people on voyage on Lagos waterways.

Nonetheless, Lagos State Government has promised to intensify enforcement of guidelines for boat operators. The state government promised recently to embark on an aggressive campaign and enforcement of guidelines for commercial boat operators to reduce incidents of boat mishaps in the state. According to the Managing Director of Lagos State Waterways Authority, LASWA, Abisola Kamson, the new drive is in line with the commitment of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to ensure that water transportation remains the most efficient and cost-effective mode of transportation.

Recently at an official event, she highlighted the official decision of government on controlling deaths on waters: “The Lagos State Government in its drive to promote a multi-modal transport system, especially the movement of passengers, goods and services on its waterways, will under no circumstances compromise safety standards and the protection of lives and property.

“As such, we restate our commitment to the promotion of safety measures and ensure that all operators comply with safety standards in line with global best practices,” she said. Ms. Kamson said the authority, in furtherance of its core functions and policy objectives, would in the coming days, convene a stakeholders’ meeting where all commercial and private boat owners would converge and dialogue on the activities of boat operation in the state.

With the bold moves by the government of Lagos State, in putting in place policies that can bring sanity to water transportation, maybe the trouble that has caused death and invoked fear to many would be arrested if other states take a leaf out of Lagos initiative.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OCTOBER 17, 2015

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Should women change their names after marriage?

Recently, a customary court at Igando, a suburb of Lagos, dissolved the three-year marriage of one Mr. Johnson Munagu, a civil servant, and his wife, Helen, because the woman bluntly refused to bear the man’s name, sticking to her maiden name. The trend seems to have recently gone viral. ERIC ELEZUO writes.

E

ach time a baby arrives in any household, the next thing in the minds of the parents, well wishers and the family members is the pomp and pageantry that characterize the eight day, which is the naming ceremony day.

On that day, all and sundry gather to give the child a befitting name, which supposedly is intended to propel him and his destiny through life. This is because according to oral tradition, names spiritually opens doors as well as direct or redirect destinies. Consequently, names like Ayomide, Oluwayemisi, Chiebuka, Ego, Ezinwa amongst others are readily given with the sole purpose of shaping the child’s destiny. This is even as the immediate past president of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, is said to have had everything worked out for him because of his name – Goodluck.

That notwithstanding, names given at birth have not really, and cannot be said to have propelled to any form of destiny, positive or negative; but people through a dint of hard work have carved a niche for themselves, and consequently, created a name which opens doors irrespective of whether it has religious connotations or not.

“Names, as far as I am concerned, are just tags, and do not portray much in the real sense of it. People strive to become what they will be. You cannot tell me that a vulcanizer who wears a doctor’s appar-

el has become a doctor. No, it does not work like that. Not all Ades are kings; not all Egos are wealthy; not all Nwachukwus fear God or receives God’s blessings.

What you make of yourself is what you become; name or no name,” said Casmir Okoro, a sociologist.

He reiterated that no matter what one bears as name, only what he could do for himself will stand him out in the society.

Sometime, not in the distant past, when Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu was made the Police Public Relations Officer, a group of journalist, during a parley, asked him if by any means he is related to the Ikemba Nnewi, late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu because of his name. though his answer was in the negative, something about him suggested that he was happy to have been connected with the former Biafran warlord.

Consequently, names like Babangida, Otedola, Saraki, Adenuga, Dangote,

Ojukwu, Okadigbo and many others seem to be puzzle solvers in varied situations including getting contracts, admission, jobs and any other favours reserved for the privileged.

According to Chief Musiliu Odunsi, a community leader, names of people who had achieved prominence in life tends to ring a bell wherever they are mentioned, and answers every nutty question. He added that public officers, administrators and government officials accord respect to these names each time they are brought to the fore.

“There is actually something in a name; I mean prominent names of achievers. Their names carry the aura they have created for themselves, and tend to speak for them even in their absence. Why do you think the likes of former Bianca Onoh married Emeka Ojukwu, even as her father was a governor, or why the beautiful and young Lara Fortes married Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole? The quest to answer a superior name is not ruled out,” Odunsi said.

These same reasons may also account for the reasons the female folks who had carved a niche for themselves seem reluctant or even recalcitrant in assuming the names of their hubbies or discarding their own names completely.

Dr. Olabisi Durojaiye-Abiodun, who runs a private pharmaceutical outfit, believes that it is tantamount to cheating if

A woman spends all her life trying to build her name, and suddenly society wants her to drop the name just because of tradition. That’s cheating!

Times have changed! Where were the man and society when she was busy building her name?

Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu

a woman is forced to drop a name she had labored to make just because she married a husband, asking where the husband was when the woman was busy attaching importance to her maiden name. According to her, the best a woman can do is to add the man’s name to hers in the unlikeliest of situations.

“A woman spends all her life trying to build her name, and suddenly society wants her to drop the name just because of tradition. That’s cheating! Times have changed! Where were the man and society when she was busy building her name? I am so benevolent to have added my husband’s name to my maiden name, and that’s the limit a woman who wishes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

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OCTOBER 17, 2015

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What’s in a name?

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

to be considerate should go,” she said.

While towing Durojaiye-Abiodun’s assertion, many Nigerian women see the dropping of ‘hard earned’ maiden name as foolishness, saying that such will return the woman to oblivion, especially if the name of the husband is something only obtainable in obscurity.

Instances abound of the likes of a former member of the House of Representatives, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, ace broadcaster, Ruth Benamasia-Opia, and many others who belong to the school individuals who combine maiden names with matrimonial identity. This is because they have been in practice with their names long before they dabbled into matrimony. Both women had been household names as they were regular faces on the Nigerian Television Authority as newscasters.

Eunice Opara, a youth corps member, serving with Surulere Local Government Area, Lagos, said that though she was yet to marry, she doesn’t see herself dropping her name completely for another man’s name. She said even at the level she is presently, her name has gone places and established an age-long identity.

Consequently, dropping her name will be tantamount to losing an identity.

“My name has come to be me. All these years, I have strived to nurture it. As a result, I don’t see myself dropping it completely for any other. This is because I am afraid of losing my identity,” she said.

Her colleague, Ijeoma Okeke, collaborated her stand, questioning the rationale behind the tradition.

“There are certain traditions that need to be done away with. Why must a woman abandon her name for another man’s? I thought the Beijing Conference took care of all these,” she fumed.

In total disagreement, Pastor (Mrs.) Titilayo Shogbade, explained that dropping of a woman’s name for her husband’s name is in furtherance of the biblical instruction to ‘submit’ to one’s husband, saying that any woman who thinks it is wrong should not complain if her husband loves her haphazardly.

“The Bible commands that a woman should submit to her husband, and bearing his name without reservation, is one area of submission. It is not negotiable except you want your husband to love you with reservation. You need not go into marriage if you think it is wrong,” she asserted.

Pastor Shogbade maintained that one has no business marrying a man whose name she cannot discard her own to bear.

However, while most women manage to add their matrimonial names to their maiden names, some feel it is completely unnecessary, and out rightly discard it. A typical example is Mrs. Joke Jacobs, who is better known by her maiden name, Joke Silva, and whose matrimonial name is quite unknown to not a few people.

To Joke Silva (Jacobs), the individuals are two different people, and had to remain so. She claims that she became

Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello

who she is as Joke Silva, and has to keep it that way as far as her professional life is involved. She added that her matrimonial name comes handy in matrimonial settings.

On Moji’s part, she feels more at home

Ruth Benamaisia-Opia

with her father’s name – Olaiya – which according to her, opens influential doors for her.

But Mrs. Barbara Owolana, a secondary school administrator, said it is a psychological thing, seeing that wom-

Abiola Dosunmu Elegbede-Fernandez

Never! I will not dwell under the same roof with a woman recalcitrant enough to reject my name, no matter how highly placed or educated. I am a typical African man, and Af-

rican tradition entails a woman jettisoning her name for her husband’s after marriage

en, being who they are flows better with stronger men; they have no patience for weaker men, either in physic or finance.

Consequently, if their father’s name seems to bear the mark of opulence and influence, they will stick to it, and if otherwise, they will swiftly make a switch.

“Women love power and money, and are willing to swing their tentacles to where they flow the best. Even women whose husbands have passed seem to retain his name much as they are married to some other people like Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, who still attaches late Dele Giwa’s name to her name, 29 years after his death. It’s just about what you can get, and nothing more,” Owolana said.

But what is the opinion of men on the issue? Most men looked at it indifferently while some said they will never live under the same roof with a woman that would not bear their names.

“Never! I will not dwell under the same roof with a woman recalcitrant enough to reject my name, no matter how highly placed or educated. I am a typical African man, and African tradition entails a woman jettisoning her name for her husband’s after marriage, and that is where I stand. No more, nothing less. Even the holy books condemn such act,” the community leader, Musiliu Odunsi, vehemently spat.

Odunsi’s assertion seems to be the consensus opinion of most men who spoke to Saturday Mirror on the issue as there is no legal implication to whether one takes her spouse’s name or not.

Entervaganza

The Saturday Mirror Magazine

Relationships Do men honestly fall in love?

P.32

Sex talk

12 shocking sex facts

P.32

Fashion

Something new for your wedding P.28

Chidinma ... making waves with Lorry

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OCTOBER 17, 2015

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I’m better than Iyanya

—Chidinma Chidinma, one of Nigeria’s brightest female music stars whose latest single, Lorry, is rocking the airwaves, goes down memory lane with OSEYIZA OOGBODO on how her music career really took off to the high point it is now.

How did you discover your music talent?

That was when I went for Project Fame West Africa.

Are you saying you had no interest in music before Project Fame?

Before Project Fame, it was just a hobby.

Just singing here and there, in the church, karaoke. I didn’t know I actually had it in me until I went for Project Fame. And thank God for the teachers we had in the academy, they helped bring out the best in everyone.

So what was the greatest thing you learnt there?

The greatest thing I learnt there was how to make use of my voice because naturally, I have a very large voice and it took every single teacher to help me contain my voice and make good use of it because it can be scattered all over the place. Most times, I just thank God for them because if I had to pay for the lessons I had, I don’t think I have that much money.

Between you and Iyanya who are the most successful Project Fame contestants so far, would you say you are better and more successful than him?

I can’t answer that question. The public can judge for themselves but I can’t answer it.

What is your advice to upcoming artists who are aspiring to achieve what you have?

I can only say ‘don’t stop dreaming.’

Nobody can take your dream away from you. Nobody. And it doesn’t end with your dream. You work towards it. Hard work pays a lot. I’m a witness to that. Work hard and leave the rest to God and everything will fall in place.

Kedike is your most successful song so far.

How did you get the inspiration for it?

Uhm, Kedike is a love song that I came up with in the studio working with Cobhams. We were to work on a song and it was supposed to be a love song and it was supposed to be like a beat, like ‘You make my heart beat, you make heart go kedike,’ that was it.

How long did it take you to record it?

It took all of a day.

At that point in time, did you think it would change your life?

No, I never thought so because I didn’t even like it at the time.

How did it then become successful, since you didn’t like it?

It was just divine, like nobody knew or

understood what happened or what was going on. It just happened. We just saw it and we didn’t even know here in Nigeria that it was massive everywhere until we crossed the borders of Nigeria and we moved to the rest of Africa before we understood how massive it is.

Was it what made you go on an Africa tour back then?

Yes, yes it was. The demand was getting too much, we were getting too many enquiries so we just had to go on the tour as fast as possible.

How was the tour for you? How many countries did you go to?

It was a massive tour. We were in almost all the countries. What we met in them was much more than we expected.

So in which of them did you have the most memorable experience?

It was in Republic of Benin.

Cotonou. I remember I couldn’t even stay backstage because it was filled up.

I had to go to the stage from the car and it even took me like three minutes to get on stage. Everywhere was crowded and somehow I discovered I wasn’t with my shoes so I performed without shoes.

What sort of venue was it?

It was a stadium. My second memorable performance was in Cote D’Ivoire. I had to go there twice because the first time, it was in a stadium but they had, I think, problems with transportation so people couldn’t move out of their houses, except those that had their own cars so I had to go back.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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s w ne OCTOBER 17, 2015

08036961187

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kingseiza@gmail.com

with

Oseyiza Oogbodo

I need your prayers, my wife has cancer —Sir Shina Peters T

op juju musician, Sir Shina Peters, has disclosed what can be referred to as the most shocking piece of entertainment-related news this week.

The disclosure is not shocking only, though. It’s also very sad because it’s a matter of life and death as Sammie, the

popular wife of Peters, is said to have cancer.

According to many reports making the rounds, Sammie is currently receiving cancer treatment in the United States of America, and Peters confirmed it during the 70th birthday of juju icon, Emperor Wale Olateju, when he broke

down in public, disclosed that his wife has cancer and solicited for the prayers of his fans, family and well-wishers.

Speaking with tears in his eyes and pain in his voice, he added that he came in to Nigeria from America where Sammie was undergoing treatment, and that he will return to her soonest.

Peters

Cynthia Morgan insults Burna Boy Wanted is for those who

hate me —Wande Coal

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Morgan

Boy

imanitiya, the latest music video of I’m Taken singer, Cynthia Morgan, is one that just might get her in trouble with her male colleague, Burna Boy, who played the role of her lover boy in the video.

Prior to the video’s release, the two of them had released suggestive pictures which made it seem like they were dating.

The video’s arrival however made it clear that their recent closeness is due

to the fact that they were starring in the same video.

And being that they are both stars, the normal thing is that both their names should be in the video’s credits.

Shockingly, though, Burna Boy’s name isn’t on the video, and this omission, or more likely, commission, is one that might just sour whatever relationship he and Morgan has, as it’s nothing but a professional insult that he wasn’t credited.

S

opular singer, Wande Coal, has finally disclosed the title and artwork of his highly anticipated sophomore album which is billed for release this month.

The long overdue album is appropriately titled Wanted and its artwork is attractive, to say the least.

Even as its yet to hit the market, Wanted is already generating ripples because, speaking about it, Coal has made comments that people believe are directed at D’Banj and Don Jazzy, his former bosses at Mo’ Hits Records, who released his extremely successful album, Mushin 2 Mo’ Hits, and then failed

SK drops Independent

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he name SK might be relatively unknown to industry tastemakers, but the rising Nigerian pop sensation has been slowly but surely amassing a massive following online.

His previous two singles, Let’s Go There and Mujo, have garnered nearly half a million streams on Soundcloud alone, while the video for Let’s Go There has been watched over 100,000 times on Youtube – clearly markings of a future star!

His brand new single, Independent, re-

leased via Krystal City Records, is already nearing 20,000 streams on Soundcloud, with no promotion whatsoever, just the sheer force of the online fanbase SK is building for himself.

Although he is the youngest artist on the Krystal City stable, he’s fast becoming one of the frontrunners of the burgeoning Afrobeats scene in the UK. Produced by Krystal City Records’ inhouse beatsmith, GA, Independent is an instantly infectious winner.

Coal

to release his sophomore album.

It’s believed in most quarters however that the Mo’ Hits non-release of Coal’s sophomore album was a deliberate ploy.

And so Coal had this to say about the album which s finally ready to see the light of day.

“Finally, Black Diamond presents Wanted, my sophomore album. This is for the diehard fans, the critics, haters, the media houses and more importantly, those who never stopped believing. This is a reminder of who I was and who I have evolved into. This is where I want to be. WANTED.”

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CLASSICAL LYRICS

2face’s biography for public presentation on October 20 A

Very Good Bad Guy: The Story Of Innocent ‘2face’ Idibia, the biography of Nigerian pop icon 2face will finally be released on Tuesday, October 20, 2015.

The book launch, according to NET publisher and Idibia’s former publicist, Ayeni Adekunle, will hold at Terra Kulture, Lagos.

The 460-page book will contain a wide range of materials on Idibia’s life and times, including accounts from his mother, his wife, siblings, colleagues and mentors. It will also contain selected lyrics and discography, as well as editorial materials dating as far back as 2005.

The biography, done in commemoration of the singer’s 40th birthday, is a first-of-its-kind for any pop star in Idibia’s category, and the first by any contemporary Nigerian media platform. Fully funded and edited by NET News, owners of Newsroom, THENETNG, Orin, NECLive and Star, the biography is part of the NET Book Series, a dedicated project to document an important era in Nigeria’s creative industry.

“It’s the first of many,” Ayeni says.

Already confirmed for Idibia’s book launch are the duo of Tee A and Ali Baba who will serve as event host and book reviewer respectively.

The event will also feature a live conversation between book editor Ayeni Adekunle and 2face Idibia.

The 2face Idibia biography is the second installment in the NET Book Series, following the publication of Chris Ihidero’s Wanderings Of A Rapidly Degenerating Mind earlier this year.

The book project is projected to replace the company’s weekly print newspaper which has in recent times been epileptic and is already scheduled to go off the stands later this month.

2face

DJ Spinall presents My Story

Sir Victor Uwaifo keeps it classic on Tupepe video P

P

rof. (Sir) Victor Uwaifo takes the industry to school and shines on his latest music video directed by Clarence Peters, Tupepe featuring 2face Idibia. Tupepe is the second video off the inspiring double album, Legend Reborn,

Uwaifo

unveiled by Hypertek Digital in March 2015 at Rumors, Ikeja, Lagos.

Produced by seasoned hit maker, Jay Sleek, Tupepe is a feel-good vibe that compels the listener to move and the video aptly captures Uwaifo and label mate and label founder, 2face, getting their groove on in the company of gorgeous models 70s style.

Legend Reborn, which featured some interesting collaborations also attracted an array of top notch producers like Del B, Spellz, J-Martins and Andre Vybes who happens to be the maestro’s son. Stand out tracks include No Leave Me Alone featuring Waje, Kirikisi Remix featuring Ice Prince, Osuomwan Suehi featuring Queen Moda, Ukhorobozo, Tototolo and new versions of timeless classics like Joromi, Guitar Boy and Vulcanizer.

A little over half a century after conquering the world with Joromi, the legend shows no signs of slowing down by delivering jaw dropping performances at choice events like The Headies 2014, Enugu Cultural Festival, Nigeria Centenary Celebration in 2014 and most recently, the critically acclaimed Eargasm in July 2015.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

opular DJ, Spinall, has concluded plans to release his debut album, My Story, on October 29th.

According to him: “The journey has been long, bumpy and turbulent but worth it. This body of work is a living proof of the result from hard work, tenacity and focus. My Story will leave you spellbound and partying this season and beyond.”

Already, respected music personalities have been commenting on the album. 2face says “it’s the fire.”

Ice Prince called it “the truth.”

Mafikizolo says it’s “a breath of fresh air,” Spinall Olamide says “he’s proud to be associated with this,” Reminisce reckons it’s “the ace,” Yemi Alade feels “Spinall killed this,” and Burna Boy feels it’s a “roof raiser.”

My Story was produced by Spinall, Spellz, Don L37, DeeTunes, J Fem, E Kelly, Pheelz, Drey Beatz, Tekno and Killertones.

So is it really worth all the accolades showered on it?

Time will tell.

Falling For You Artist: Di’ja featuring Patoranking Intro Baby Fresh Shawty doll Eh eh Di’ja and the one ranking yeah Wha ya say, blaze up the fire Girl no send Chorus (Di’ja) Boy your mouth too sweet, see I’m falling for you Baby boy I am falling for you See I like your style, I am falling for you Baby boy make I whine am for you Boy your mouth too sweet, see I’m falling for you Baby boy I am falling for you See I like your style, I am falling for you Baby boy make I whine am for you Chorus (Patoranking) I tell you whine on me tonight High mana go crazy Make you no go sleep tonight Omo na democracy I swear you no go sleep tonight Girl whine whine whine The way you whine on me tonight Girl whine whine whine Girl you no go sleep tonight Girl whine whine whine Move your body feel alright Baby just whine whine whine Verse (Di’ja) You fly you bad you are watabambam These hips don’t lie and I know you want am And I hear all the gist wey dey fly around town Fine boy all the girls just wanna bang bang You fly you bad you are watabambam These hips don’t lie and I know you want am And I hear all the gist wey dey fly around town Fine boy all the girls just wanna bang bang bang Verse (Patoranking) Hey girl me wan kiss and caress you Hey girl me wan kiss and caress you Me wan know if you want me too Bad man me dey in a hurry Wha ya say Hook (Patoranking and Di’ja] What you gon do What you gon do now Hey girl me wan kiss and caress you What you gon do What you gon do now Tell me if na cash and carry Wha ya say Verse (Di’ja) Bad man why you in a hurry You wanna make love

To be continued next week

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OCTOBER 17, 2015

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25

Bold hair babes

Kimani

Alade

M

aking headway in the entertainment industry is not an easy task. It’s so difficult to become a successful entertainer that many entertainers aspiring to success become frustrated and change their views along the way.

The legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is one such entertainer. Many people don’t know it, but there was a time Fela, already a musician, never even smoked cigarettes, how much more marijuana which he later became known with as a chronic marijuana smoker?

In those days before he began smoking cigarettes and marijuana, he never used to take alcohol as well, but soft drinks.

Anyway, Fela started taking alcohol and marijuana out of frustration that he wasn’t doing well as a musician. And part of his later attraction as a popular musician was his smoking. It got him a lot of admirers, and realizing it, he made it part of his image and it made him distinct.

The long and short of this is that entertainers get to a point whereby they really want to stand out among their colleagues and attract attention to themselves and they resort to sometimes seemingly crazy tactics to do so.

And that definitely is Denrele Edun for you. Desperate to become popular, realizing that his other strategies were failing, he went for a style of dressing that made him seem like a mad man.

Society initially condemned him, but

they kept talking about him because he persisted, and now he’s known all over Africa.

And after playing in the entertainment game for some time now, and realizing that they will have to go the extra mile, four of Nigeria’s most promising female singers, Cynthia Morgan, Yemi Alade, Seyi Shay and Victoria Kimani, have employed a not-too-crazy tactic to get themselves noticed.

The four now wear loud colour hair styles that would make anyone spot them from quite a distance.

Morgan is like the trailblazer among the four. Suddenly, she went from her usual black hair to red hair and when her name was mentioned, people would say ‘the girl with the red hair’ or ask ‘if it was the girl with the red hair.’

Donning red hair has actually worked for Morgan’s brand. Though her songs and videos are average, her red hair has helped her music circulate more, believe it or not, and has even helped her start getting shows she wasn’t before because show organizers know that when she steps on stage with her red hair, she’s known.

And seeing that Morgan was stealing a lot of thunder with her red hair, Johnny singer, Yemi Alade, concluded that she had to employ the same ploy fast, but she knew she couldn’t go the red hair route so she opted for blue instead.

Blue is of course another loud colour, so instantly she appeared in public

Coker

Morgan

sporting blue hair, people started talking more about her immediately and she now stands out easily anywhere she is because she’s probably the only one with blue hair in the entertainment game.

Like Morgan and Alade, Seyi Shay too is presently using a bold hair colour to sell her brand. She favours the white blond colour, and when you see her anywhere, you just can’t help but notice her hair.

Also like Morgan and Alade, more people now know her because of her hair colour change and she’s smiling to the bank as well.

On-air personality, Stephanie Coker, went down the green lane when she premiered her bold colour hair back in May. She went green because she knew full well that Alade, Morgan and Shay

had staked their claim to some other colours, and if she chose any of theirs, she would be labelled a copycat.

So she went for green hair, trended immediately, and she must also be very happy with herself now for applying the strategy which had worked very well for others.

Finally, we come to Show singer, Victoria Kimani, who went for blue hair at a point in time and later changed it to orange. There’s no need to wonder why she went for them. It’s not because she wants to be seen as fashionable. No. The only reason she’s done it is because she’s struggled for some time with her music career, and now that things want to start looking up for her musically, she has to push herself further with a notice-me strategy, and it has worked because she’s now noticed and is getting shows.

So when you see these girls who are sporting these gaudy hair colours, don’t think they are unserious or have a screw loose upstairs. They are just trying to survive and make another buck.

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Ali Baba, Dayo Amusa mesmerise Paul’s students en el H A ce standup comedian, Ali Baba, Bayo Bankole and upwardly mobile Yoruba actress cum producer, Dayo Amusa, are some of the personalities that added spice and glamour to the inaugural convocation ceremony of the Helen Paul Theatre and Film Academy over the weekend.

During the event which commenced with a green carpet, students of the institution dazzled the crowd with the scintillating presentation of Life Burial, a stage play written by Helen Paul.

Life Burial, according to Helen, is a story of repeated betrayal of love, endless forgiveness and a covetous girl in search of a life of the society’s high class. “It is only important that theatre is used to correct the ills of the society.

Life Burial, though a little altered from the way it has been written by me, portrays all of those issues.

The Bretchian style has been used in the directorial approach with little elements of realism altogether to aid the understanding of the play.”

The cast of the play include

Olowofela Johnson, Ntoka Francis, Rafiu Okiri, Mercy Ndubuisi, David Okunola, Obiazi Onyemechi, Aduke Oladapo and Christopher Isibor to mention a few.

Ali Baba, who was thrilled by the performance, promised to sponsor the second public presentation of the play at the Terra Kulture in December, a kind gesture that was greeted with loud cheers from the audience.

Paul explained that Life Burial is inspired by happenstances at a burial ceremony she was contracted to anchor somewhere in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria, some years ago.

The event was heralded by a lot of side attractions, which included a novelty football match between students of HPTFA and their counterparts at the Lagos State University’s Theatre Arts Department.

“The whole idea is to give them (the students) a memorable experience. Let them have fun and at the same time learn from the A-list entertainers who were on ground to give them career talk and also share success tips with them,” she enthused.

Genevieve releases second trailer

Paul and Baba

My ideal man should be like 2face —Bimbo Peters

T

Genevieve

.E.N. (The Entertainment Network), producers of the feature film, Road To Yesterday, have released the second teaser from the highly anticipated film scheduled for nationwide release on November 27th, 2015.

The second teaser features and introduces Nigerian-British actor, Oris Erhuerho, who plays Izu the burly husband and father.

Last week, audiences experienced the first teaser with Genevieve Nnaji as Victoria the conflicted wife and mother.

Set in Lagos, Nigeria, RTY is an epic love story about a couple desperate to mend its marriage on a road trip to a relative’s funeral.

However, when memories and secrets from the past are revealed, a lot more is at stake than their relationship.

Erhuerho is better known for his role, Honore, in the Golden Globe nominated HBO movie, Sometimes In April. This is his first Nigerian production.

Directed by Ishaya Bako, RTY also stars Majid Michel, Chioma ‘Chigurl’ Omeruah and veteran Ebele Okaro. The Nigerian premiere is set for November 18th, 2015 in Lagos.

Peters

Promising actress and movie producer, Bimbo Peters, has described the sort of man she would like to have in her life, and according to her, 2face Idibia fits the profile perfectly.

“My ideal man is a man that is God-fearing,” she said. “By that, I mean a man who loves God and who would then have the capacity to love me. If he really loves God, he would follow God’s leading in his entire decision making.

“Also, I love a man that is jovial because I love to laugh, and someone I am really comfortable with. I’m considering his looks, but he should not be ugly or shorter than me. Before now, I was concerned about my man being tall and handsome. Now that I am older, I understand that you can’t have it all. I equally love a guy to dress well like 2face. I mean dressing simply and modestly.”

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Style & Glam

OCTOBER 17, 2015

le StyGlam

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and

with Yemisi Adeniran

(08037801158) ydiran@yahoo.com

Af r ican glamour by

A

Christie Brown

s the Ankara fabric keeps dominating the Nigerian fashion days roll on, they ta scene, Nigerian fash ke different turn to ion designers are als make unique touche Aisha Obuobi, the cr o making their esca s on the fabric. With ea tiv e dir pades with it. As th ector of Christie Br this particular colle international world. own label is aimed at e ction, tagged African According to her, It infusing modernism glamour, designer ’s really about allow compromise their pe into a carefully selec ing women to experie rsonal contemporary ted Ankara fabric nce the culturally ric style.

“With an elaborate to shake the h and opulent side of touch of Ankara fa Africa without havin bric the unusual wa Just take a cue from g to y, this collection wi these models and do ll make a glamorous the Ankara fabric th statement with each e glamorous way. of its piece,” she sa id. What next?

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OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Fashion

S

omethin g someth new, someth ing dif ing cut fere e an mo what b dern wedding nt that is wh d as a is all a bout. T t today’s her we ically compris dding d his is es a b rid ay and colour it is ex e’s outfit fo to her r day. A actly w be cha ltho hat giv lle es the wa nging, it is e ugh that ne w thing a y. As a bride sy and can b can in whit , e e, yo f colour, you may cho u don’t have un all ose an to appe ranging y any ot her co from blue to other sweet ar lour of pink, p your w you each a ar nd in any drobe girls d r favourite.

M o not a Ankara lso hav eanwhile, stuff a over tim e to ap s it ha e pe s yet sop , they may make it been the cas ar histica e ted. Y f differe o r m al, ou may nc also ad bogus off the e to your ch da oic t broche radition of a e of headwe little , flowe ar and v eil. Ev r and j formal eweller en your shoe go types. ies mig s The we ht go o , dding s f f easons the ember of m Septem onths and we ficially start s in th b h e get off er, so, get in ave just step ped int spired, the ho o o more a g dventu k of traditio et creative and n as y rous. ou bec ome

Something ne

Fashion

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n frenzy

OCTOBER 17, 2015

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ew for your wedding

n frenzy

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Fashion

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Guest G

Do these things ’ s e i fl r e t t u ‘I love b cause cancer?

Whenever you see a product of Yosola Afhemike, the Creative Director of Fascination Bespoke Accessories, there must be a design of butterfly on it. The Accountant turned fashion icon told YEMISI ADENIRAN why this is so and her observation of the fashion industry as compared with the western world. Excerpts: What attracted you to this vocation when you were trained as an accountant?

I am not surprised that I could be thriving in the area of arts today because this has always been part of me from my childhood. My dad and mom had always

been very art inclined. My father played the drums pretty well while my mom was always singing and doing one or two things in music and arts generally. She always encouraged me to express myself in this area as well. As a child, I played the piano and loved doing it. Beside this, I was always involved in one form of art or the other. It is either I was in one drama group or I was a painter or into other things that are art – related. All these while, creating hair piece was never something I envisaged I would end up doing. It was only when I envisaged that it could be a hobby for me that I went to do training on it and then the trend came up.

How would you have the experience described?

It has been fun. I have loved every bit of it. You know it isa always good to discover one’s other innate abilities. This is how God created us all. If only we will take our time to look inward, we will discover that we can do other things apart from what we are doing now or what we have gone to study in school.

Why do you have butterflies on all your pieces?

It is because I love butterflies. It is my own signature.

How would you compare the Nigerian fashion scene with that of the United Kingdom?

Nigeria has a more enabling environment for all kinds of businesses. I went to the United Kingdom for more experience but I can assure you that Nigeria offers more favourable business environment. Besides, Nigerians are trendier and fashionable people who love to look different from the crowd any time any day no matter their age.

What would you like to change about the industry should you be given the power?

If I have the power to chance anything in the fashion industry, I would like to infuse a certain bit of elegance to whatever people are wearing. What many don’t know is that it is not everything that people wear that they have to wear. You must be sure it suits your body

Artificial sweeteners Despite all the talk -- and chain emails -there’s no proof that these sugar stand-ins raise your risk of cancer. Saccharine did cause cancer in rats, but their bodies react to it differently than ours, researchers say.

There hasn’t been a cancer warning label on Saccharine since 2000. A study of aspartame in people found no link either.

X-rays Even low doses of X-rays raise your chances of getting cancer, but only by a small amount. In general, the higher the dose of radiation, the more the risk. But there’s no amount of this kind of radiation that’s totally safe. That’s why radiologists limit how much you can get.

Cell phones This gadget, which you keep near all the time, gives off the same type of energy as X-rays. So far, it hasn’t been linked to cancer, but more research is needed. So what can you do just to be safe? Save your cellphone for short chats. If you plan a long conversation, use a landline. And when there’s no landline, use a hands-free device.

Meat Whether it’s processed or red, you need less of it in your life. Just one hot dog a day could boost your chances of getting colon cancer. Cold cuts and hot dogs have preservatives called nitrites, which cause cancer. Stew/soup meat is no better. Smoking meats or cooking them at a high temperature creates compounds called PAHs. Studies are under way to see how they affect people.

Bottled water If your bottle is clear plastic, it probably has bisphenol A (BPA). This chemical is used in food and drink containers, dental sealants, and other products. Does it cause cancer? Experts say no. BPA is safe at current levels found in foods. If you’re concerned, avoid canned foods and drinks in clear plastic. For hot food, use glass or steel instead.

Sex So true! Human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted infection, can cause cervical and other cancers. Most adults who have sex will get this virus at some point. But they won’t all get cancer. Most of the time, HPV goes away by itself. To lower your risk: Get vaccinated

if you’re a female aged 11-26 or a male aged 11-21. Use condoms during sex. Have sex with only one partner.

Dental fillings Don’t call the dentist to have your metal filings removed and replaced. Experts say your current ones are safe. Studies have found no link between fillings with mercury and cancer -- or any other disease.

Coffee If you feel your day doesn’t really start until you’ve had a shot of caffeine, you’ll love this. New research shows that drinking moderate amounts of coffee (around four cups daily) lessens the risk of some types of cancer, among them skin, liver, and colon.

Deodorant and antiperspirant Scientists say more research is needed to know for sure if these products boost the odds of breast cancer. They have different jobs -- deodorant blocks the smell and antiperspirant stops sweat. Many use chemicals that act like the hormone estrogen, which causes cancer cells to grow. These include benzylparaben, butylparaben, methylparaben, and propylparaben.

Fluoride This compound is found in water and other drinks and in food, toothpastes, and mouth rinses. Though many studies have looked for links between it and cancer, most researchers says there’s no strong tie.

Household products Many pesticides, paints, varnishes, and waxes give off gases known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). So do some cleaning, cosmetic, automotive, and hobby products. These gases have been linked to cancer in humans and animals. To cut your risk, choose products labeled low-VOC and biodegradable when possible.

Power lines Anything that makes, sends, or uses electricity gives off extremely low frequency (ELF) radiation. There’s no proof that it causes cancer. Still, experts say there’s cause for “limited concern.” To be safe, stay at least an arm’s length away from electrical devices.

Pollution Air pollution causes over 220,000 lung cancer deaths worldwide a year (most of them in Asia). There’s also a link between dirty air and a higher risk of bladder cancer. But the odds for any one person are low.

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Male Essentials How to care for your dress shoes 08036961187

with Oseyiza Oogbodo kingseiza@gmail.com

Y

ou can tell the measure of a man by his shoes. Given the high price of quality leather dress shoes, let’s take that concept at face value. Durable, comfortable, stylish dress shoes range anywhere from N20,000 to N90,000. And if you’re going to be dropping the cash on a pair of high-end shoes, you’re going to need to take good care of them. With a little know-how and a little money, preventive maintenance can make those expensive leather shoes last longer.

Use water repellent Before taking your new shoes out on their first walk, be sure to apply a coat of water repellent to the leather.

After the initial application, habitually reapply it as instructed. Most experts recommend that you use a water-based repellent to seal the leather because it allows it to breathe and the moisture inside it to escape. Moisture impacts leather’s elasticity, so keeping moisture balanced is a must; too much moisture causes the leather to stretch, while too little moisture causes it to shrink.

In both cases, the leather becomes ugly and loses its original fit. For an affordable fee, a can of spray-on water repellent can dramatically increase the comfort and the lifespan of your leather shoes.

Tip: Wipe your shoes with a clean, warm sponge before adding additional coats of repellent; this will warm the leather, making it more porous and improving its ability to absorb the product, and prevent trapping dirt between the leather and the repellent.

Use shoe polish A good shoe polish keeps leather shoes shining like a new coin. Polishing your shoes regularly does two things: It covers and repairs the damage of daily wear and tear and it nourishes and moisturizes the leather, keeping it flexible and healthy. Experts recommend using cream-based polishes and carrying your shoes with you when you purchase polish to ensure you get the one that best matches your shoe tone.

Tip: Buff the polish off your shoes with a pair of panty hose to get an optimal shine.

Like other protective options, you have multiple choices when buying shoe trees, but the experts will tell you there’s only one viable option: ones made of cedar. Cedar has the ability to absorb harmful moisture and objectionable odours. Any reputable shoe store will have shoe trees in stock, so go ahead and get this essential add-on to keep your shoes in mint condition.

Tip: Insert the shoe tree immediately after taking off your shoes; this allows the interior moisture to be instantly absorbed.

Hang your shoes on a tree

Take care of your soles

Do yourself a favour: Use shoe trees with any good pair of leather shoes; they’ll make your shoes last that extra mile. The beauty of shoe trees is that they fill out the shoe, helping the leather maintain its form. This prevents the leather from shrinking and creasing.

A house is only as solid as the foundation on which it’s built, so make sure you take steps to save your shoe soles. While there are many types of soles out there, chances are a good, high-quality pair of leather shoes will be based on leather soles. Just like the

leather on top, the leather on the bottom must be protected. The best option is to have your local cobbler attach “taps” to the froAnt and rear heels.

Acting as buffers between the heel and the ground, taps absorb the shock and damage of constant pounding, and prevent the sole from eroding. Given that the price of taps is really negligible, this is undoubtedly the cheapest way to protect the most vulnerable part of your shoe.

Tip: Don’t add taps until you have worn the shoes about 12 to 18 months; this allows the soles to conform to your gait, making for a smoother stride and more comfortable wear.

Replace your soles The soles on your shoes are like the tyres on your car: They eventually wear out and need to be replaced. According to the experts, the “upper” part of the

shoe can last as long as 20 years, but the “lower” part of the shoe, on average, only lasts around five. So, when the sole becomes uncomfortable to wear and gets ragged in appearance, the best option — rather than replacing the entire shoe — is replacing the sole. And it is more economical to have the soles replaced instead of spending more money to replace the entire shoe.

Tip: When resoling your shoes, check with the shoe’s manufacturer; many manufacturers offer discounts and packages on resoling and refurbishing shoes.

Walking on Dress shoes are an expensive investment that must be protected, and a few naira here and there will save you a bundle down the road. So, now that you know some tricks of the trade, venture forth in preventive maintenance and style.

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Male

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Angle

Jide animashaun 08034710902 jidemashaun@yahoo.com

H

Do men hones

Love is not a gender thing

mmm…most people especially women act as if love or rather the act of falling in love is a gender thing.

They behave as if men are heartless or our heart is made of stone and we can’t feel anything. This is why this may be one of the most commonly asked questions by women of all ages. Do men honestly fall in love? For me, I do have a very different take on what love is and how individuals should act while being in love and what is not love, but for the sake of answering this question, I’ll use the word “Love” to mean romantic attraction and sexual chemistry between a man and a woman though loving and being in love goes beyond romantic attraction and expression or sexual chemistry with me.

What is funny is that the way both genders fall in love is different but a lot of women expects the stereotypical way that they know of by them as the only way to fall in love and anyone who doesn’t conform to that way can never know how to fall in love or what love truly means. Unknown to a majority of women, men fall in love at first sight even more frequently than women do. While within the first fifteen seconds of meeting someone for the very first time, a woman would have decided sub-consciously if she will give a guy a chance for him to try to make her fall in love with him or not, in the same amount of time, a man will decide if he loves how a woman looks or not. It is based on his visual reassurances that a man will most likely unconsciously make his decisions of falling in love and it doesn’t take much conviction unlike a woman who has to be proven to in so many ways to trust a man’s intentions. If a man is not physically attracted to you, trying to make him “fall in love” with you is really like trying to wake up a dead horse because you’ll only be seeing what you alone want to see and believe. And lest we forget, men don’t lie about that, they will always let you know they find you attractive and will be very plain and straight-forward too about it.

Most women believe because most men come out with the truth

on how they fell in love with their partner it cannot be real love. But come to think of it, don’t we all love having a partner we can all show to our friends like prized gifts from God? It is really double standards on the part of women to say that because men’s loving starts from visuals, then it can’t be real love. I for one will not want to be with a woman who apart from intellectually stimulating my mind will not visually stimulate my eyes. And yes I know that this may not be really fair to those women who may not be visually attractive to me. But the truth is that it’s because they weren’t visually attractive to me in the first instance that made me not to fall in love with them or with every woman I see on the streets or I meet regularly. It is basically the same with women who will use emotional and present or future financial viability safety as an unconscious or conscious reason for falling in love with their partner. And let’s not delude ourselves here without being able to face the truth, every woman must either be sure of her man being able to satisfy her emotional, psychological or emotional needs before she can commit herself to that man.

In conclusion, a man will stay in love with a woman because of the way she makes him feel starting from what he saw. It’s different for each man, depending on his needs. A guy who feels good being in charge will respond to a more docile female, while a guy who hates making decisions will go for a bossy girl. If he needs to feel like crap, he’ll end up with a woman who will do him the favour of dealing him a load of it. Does he need to feel superior? He’ll hold out for the insecure mouse.

It’s about how HE feels when he’s with her. But in all we really are not different. For if a man is getting his emotional needs met, a woman will look, sound, and smell like a queen. He won’t necessarily get what he deserves, but he’ll get what he needs, whether he realizes it or not. Relationships work when partners recognize the emotional forces that brought them together and are both willing to work on themselves and the union.

SEX TALK

This column is x-rated

12 shocking sex facts

W

illiam Masters and Virginia Johnson became famous for the groundbreaking sex research they conducted at Washington University in St. Louis in the 1950s and 1960s—so famous, in fact, that Showtime decided to turn their story into a new drama series, Masters of Sex. Masters and Johnson’s discoveries changed the way we think about sex and about women’s sexuality in particular.

Their studies showed that women were capable of multiple orgasms, among other things. These were revolutionary ideas the time, but new research about women and sex has revealed some facts that would shock even Masters and Johnson. Here’s the latest on sex research from Dr. Eden Fromberg and Naomi Wolf ’s most recent book, Vagina: A New Biography.

1. Cycles of light affect our fertility Women used to menstruate during the new moon (when it’s dark at night) and ovulate during a full moon (when it’s light).

Now, in a world full of artificial lighting and bright screens, women are not as in tune with the connection between their biology and nature. Some have tried “lunaception,”

altering the lights in their bedrooms based on the moon lighting to change their ovulation.

2. Women can get pregnant five to eight days after having sex Studies have shown that some sperm can live in the cervical mucus crypt before the egg is actually fertilized for anywhere from five to eight days after sex.

3. Wearing high heels can negatively affect a woman’s orgasm Certain high-end shoe brands developed the arch in their high-heeled shoes to approximate the arch in a woman’s pelvis when she is having an orgasm. The heels create a contraction in the pelvic floor, which is problematic because the pelvic floor then cannot contract further during orgasm. “An orgasm is usually like going from zero to 60,” explains Fromberg. “If you’re already at 55 [from wearing heels], you’re not going to have a full experience.”

4. Orgasms can make women more creative Studies have shown that orgasms can make women more confident, productive and creative. And it’s a feedback loop— women achieve fuller orgasms when they

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Female

Angle

JACQUI IWU 08165049669 email: amiicaregroup@aol.com

stly fall in love?

W

This column is x-rated are being creative.

5. Birth control pills dampen the libido Any hormonal contraception has that psychological side effect. Sometimes women even have trouble conceiving once they’re off the pill because while they may have been attracted to their partner on the pill, they’re not actually compatible with each other biochemically without the extra hormones.

6. Sitting in chairs can arouse women Pudendal nerves, underneath the buttocks and the sitting bones, feed arousal tissues (in the vagina, clitoris, anus, etc.). Sitting in a certain kind of chair pressing on the pudendal nerves in a certain way can lead to sexual arousal.

7. …But it can also dampen their orgasms On the other hand, sitting in chairs for most of the day shortens the pelvic floor and psoas muscles—muscles which are essential to a full-body orgasm. When these muscles are tight from sitting too much, women find it harder to achieve a great orgasm.

8. Women have three erogenous zones The clitoris, the G Spot, AND the opening of the cervix. Some argue nip-

This column is x-rated ples belong on that list too.

9. Nerve endings are distributed differently in every woman’s vagina Each woman is unique in that her nerve endings are distributed in her genitalia differently than anyone else.

That means every woman needs to employ slightly different methods to achieve orgasm.

10. The pulsations a woman feels during orgasm are actually her uterus trying to gather sperm Round ligaments that end in the labia majora “rock the uterus back and forth during orgasm so that the cervix has the opportunity to potentially scoop semen up that may have pooled in the back of the vagina to enhance fertility,” says Fromberg.

11. Being well hydrated leads to better orgasms Because the body is mostly fluid, being hydrated enhances people’s ability to achieve orgasm.

12. All woman can achieve orgasm Almost no woman was born unable to achieve an orgasm. “Women have the innate machinery programmed to have orgasms,” Fromberg explains.

“But not everybody learns how to use that machinery well.”

Not really

hat a question huh?

While typing this topic i was tempeted to say ‘’NO’’ but i thought about it deeply and as i continue to type, i still feel a kind of whizzy about this sensitive question. Saying ‘yes’ either will not satisfy me seeing all the silly games men play with women in the romance and marriage department of life. So do not box me into a corner to choose or else i will go for a ‘NO’. Am jinxed with this topic... aren’t i.....???? so what i will do here is just to spill exactly how i feel about the whole love stuff regarding our own present generation. Yea ..sure...you do not expect me to use the cave men generation to relate to this ...afterall..i never met any of them huh? I am just going to use the generation i met in my own life time to deal with this brain hack of a question today. By the way, if you still feel strongly about this topic or my take on it, join our Saturday Breakfast meeting in Abuja and be part of our ‘’Meet-Greet’’ forum.

Here you will have opportunity to share your opinion on a whole lot of issues like this one Let’s roll!!!!!!

Loving someone could be described in so many ways. Again people love for different reasons.

Now focusing on men and asking if they really love honestly brings to the point of how men conduct themselves these days when they are attarcted to a woman. Most men actually cannot differenciate between crush/love/lust. How can you meet a woman today, in two days time you are talking of sleeping with her and having sex? What is this? In the process of your ranting, you will say- ‘’i love you’’ more than hundered times just to see if the woman will fall for your tricks.

Yes, it is a trick because for you to actually love someone honestly, you must have to court/date that person to get to know her very well.

Again i do not believe honest love is instant. Love at first sight? Crap!!

Bullshit!!!! Maybe in the olden days but not these days as we talk! Honest love has a lot to do with appreaciating both the good and bad sides of a person so how can you meet a woman for the first time and you stupidly blurt out the words- i love

you? You do not even know if she is a mermaid, a ghost for crying out loud...what do you know of someone you just met for you to say...i love you? Like i said earlier, my answer for today’s topic keeps leading to a NO answer but for the sake of few men...just few men.... i will put in a fight for them. There are still some men but very-very few who can comfortably love a woman in all honesty. When you see and meet such men, you will be asking where they come from....if they are actually humans or angels from heaven.

These men are interested in having you around them and sharing life issues with you and you can hardly hear them bother or ask you for sex till after a long time they have been seeing you. They are concerned about your welfare and always willing to sacrifice to make you happy to their own detriment. The last thing they will do is to make you sad or fool you. Such men are evn afraid to kiss you or make stupid sexual moves in your early stages of relationship. Their love goes deeper than the erotic love...they just love who you are....your entire being and are just satisfied seeing you...hearing your voice. Damn.... how many men are like this these days? How many? Just few of them around and you do not find them easily. The type of men you see everywhere are all those crude ones who are confusing themselves with love/crush/lust and looking for women to put into romantic coma without any care in the world. If you are not willing to give in to their sexual demands, their stupid love song, you are history! So you see folks....we have more men who crush than love. They crush honestly but hardly love honestly. If you still feel am not making sense here, tell me the reason why a man meets a woman today and all he desires for the next few days is sex?

Is this honest love? Those few men who still love honestly have actaully saved all the lust male sharks from my bullet today or else most of you who fall into this category would have swore! So i urge you good guys to keep being decent and loving....some of us out here still appreciate your honesty.

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Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

WOMAN Mothers must be their daughters’ confidants

– Ireti Doyle Although soft-spoken and easy going, talented actress Ireti Doyle is indeed focused and ever on top of her game.

She spoke with YEMISI ADENIRAN on her marriage and her exploits in the makebelieve world, especially her role as Sheila in the popular Television series, TINSEL. Excerpts:

Not many people in the limelight still have stable homes today. How are you able to keep yours?

I think I am lucky to be hooked up with a man like Patrick. I’ve never seen a more confident man. Besides, we are into the same career. There’s nothing I am now that he hasn’t been already. He’s been there. He’s done all I may be seen to be doing now.. It’s one thing to have a talent and

it’s another thing to have someone who would help you grow it. He helped in growing me in to a talent. He knew what was going to happen down the line. He had done the mathematics and it doesn’t worry him because he knows that I am coming home to him. He has no worries whatsoever.

We’ve been married for years now and we are still on. We can be very boring to other people but we are very homely buddies. We

like to be at home; we may be locked away in our room for as long as we want. He trusted me and supports me immensely. I respect him greatly; he is my kind of man any day, a blessing I must emphasise.

Would you say this has helped you in your career?

Of course, it has and very greatly too.

When the home front is good, you can be rest assured to be at your best in your

working place. Acting is one career or one job that desire creativity time after time and if you are not emotionally stable, it will be hard for you to be at your best. This is what has helped me to cope with my role in Tinsel. It is a very challenging role but a lot of things have helped me to put in my best.

Most parents are finding it tough to raise their teenage kids. What do you think is responsible?

A lot of this can be blamed on the high level of technology that comes with civilization that we are all exposed to. The side effects are more felt by the young ones than the adults. They are too exposed to a lot of things that many adults did not know anything about until they came of age. The internet is there telling them to be free with life. The much noise about safe sex with all kinds of contraceptives and all is on another hand to give them the freedom of a carefree sex life. They are abreast of family planning information and the vogue of being bold and daring where dressing is concerned is not also helping any moral lesson. In addition to the above is the fact that most parents, mothers especially are into one career or the other that takes them away from their children and homes. Today’s children grow faster than those n the past, learns faster than those in the past and parents are never there to put them real through life. All these add up together to make raising them up very difficult.

What do you advise on this?

I will advise that mothers especially take more time out to be with their children. They have to forfeit some things for some things as nothing goes for nothing. It

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is a big price I know for them to pay but it is a worthy one. They need to spend more times to devote to their children. We live in a world of high technology, a world of high indecency that if one does not take care very early in the lives of these children, they may get consumed. Their orientation may get twisted and their future may just be ruined. Parents need to devote more times to their children. They must be careful to understand the world we are currently in and take a principled stand to instill good moral lessons in their children.

These children are not just the future of their parents; they are the future of the society as a whole. Their welfare must come before ours. They must be the priority of their parents. They must be available to them, mothers, especially must be the best friends of their daughters. They must be their confidants. They must also be good examples to them, monitor what they wear, the films they watch, the friends they keep and get them closer to God. Broken homes have become almost a common place in Nigeria now. What will you attribute this to?

The issue of broken homes is not peculiar to Nigeria alone, it is everywhere but like you said it was not as popular as it is these days. It is very unfortunate that a lot of marriages are getting broken within a very short time but you see, a lot of reasons can be responsible. If you ask those who have fallen victim of this, they will surely have different stories to tell. There are lots of reasons for this. It varies from immaturity, incompatibility, peculiar personalities to other reasons like poor financial status, unemployment and environmental factors.

Like I said it varies from case to case. It is different strokes for different people.

Why will you recommend marriage for anybody?

Marriage is good for everyone more importantly for companionship. No doubt, it is also designed for procreation but I tell you marriage is best for companionship.

No matter how much time one spends out of the home, your spouse remains your best friend if you will see it that way. Even the holy Bible says so. It is not good for a man to be alone. And just as it is not good for a man to be alone, women should also not be alone. Loneliness is bad for every sane person. It is bad for productivity and for everything. It says further that two heads are better than one, meaning one head is not good enough no matter how wonderful the head is. The best thing in short in any marriage is companionship. The thought of having someone at home to discuss with as your very own, at all times makes it very important.

Are children and other people who are close associates not good as companions?

Children and all these people, friends, sisters and other close associates are good companions but, they cannot be as much good companions as your husband. Age, at a time will count against the children and no matter the closeness, you cannot possibly discuss everything with your siblings, friends and neighbours. It is not even advisable. These people are third parties no matter how you look at it. Your husband is supposed to be your best companion. Who is a companion? It is your best friend, your confidant, a reliable and trustworthy person. He or she is expected to be very mature and quite experienced about a lot of things.

As for me, this is what I have enjoyed most in my marriage. My husband has been the best companion I have ever had in life. He is my best companion. He is my best friend, a brother, a lover and of course a father.

What are the credentials you will recommend for anyone going into a marriage?

Basically, the person must be sure that

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OCTOBER 17, 2015

A companion is

your best friend, your confidant, a reliable and trustworthy

person.

He or she

is expected to be very mature and

35

Keeping ABREAST

High heels may cause premature osteoarthritis —Study

quite experienced about a lot of

things.

Children

and other close associates are

good companions. but, they cannot be as good companions as your husband he or she is really ready for the marriage.

This, in terms of emotions, spirituality and economical strength. It requires a high level of maturity and this goes beyond the physical. It also goes beyond the fact that your friends and colleagues are almost all married. You must be sure of what you want, why you want to be married and be sure that your partner is also ready for the marriage. It is dangerous to just get into a marriage when the other party is obviously not ready. If a party forces the other in any way, may be by way of sudden pregnancies or by way of offering to sponsor the marriage due to your own comfortability in any way, it may all boomerang at the end of the day. Both parties must be truly fond of each other and must be sure that they both want the marriage, that is, they are both ready to live with each other. If they are both fond of each other in all honesty, they will be able to endure each other’s weaknesses. If both are economically strong to a good level, they will be able to keep the love as much as possible. Above all, if they are both mature, they will be able to tolerate each other and grow their marriage. Maturity is very important in every marriage.

How essential is money in a marriage?

Very essential! I mean very essential! If you go into a marriage thinking love is going to sustain you, don’t worry – Surprise!

– surprise! It’s even a spiritual injunction.

A man must be capable of taking care of his wife. At least, have prospects, have a job and a roof over your head otherwise where do you expect your wife to be after the marriage? If you marry a woman because of her own money or her parents’, you will end up not having a say in that marriage. It will be hijacked by the parents or the wife herself in a way as time goes on. No woman enjoys occupying the position of the man in the house and still be expected to double as the wife. It is not implied in any of the holy books and it is definitely unAfrican. It is your duty as a man to do all that. That’s not to say that she won’t contribute especially in today’s dispensation but it is your duty to provide the basics. If you don’t have that, what business do you have getting married? It means you’re not ready to become a husband yet.

H

igh heels have been known to cause aches and pains, including lower back problems and muscle spasms. Extended wear of high heels leads to the continual bending of the toes into an unnatural position that can cause complications, from ingrown toenails to irreversible damage to leg tendons. This is particularly frightening news for the one in 10 women who wear high heels at least three days a week, according to the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), with a third of these women falling while wearing them.

A team of researchers from Stanford University Medical Center sought to examine the effects of high heel wear and increased weight on the knee during walking with 14 healthy female volunteers. To compare gait parameters between the shoes, added weight, and walking style of speed, the women wore different pairs of shoes: flats, 1.5inch heels, and 3.5-inch heels. Heavy vests that increased their body weight by 20 per cent were also tested on the women while they wore the assigned shoes.

The findings revealed there were some significant walking patterns associated with the two heels heights tested and the 20 per cent extra weight. Women tended to bend their knees more during specific phases of their walk. They walked slower in heels, but the extra weight did not affect walking speed.

In other words, the higher the heel, the more likely the knee would bend when

the foot hit the ground. This puts a lot of strain on the knee joint, especially for women who are overweight.

“Many of the changes observed with increasing heel height and weight were similar to those seen with ageing and OA [osteoarthritis] progression,” the researchers said, adding that, “this suggests that high heel use, especially in combination with additional weight, may contribute to increased OA risk in women.”

There are other factors that could influence the association between footwear and joint problems that the study did not observe. For example, frequency of high heel wear, what height, at what age they start and stop wearing them could be crucial to establishing a link between the two.

However, the small study does give more insight on the gait changes that occur when a woman wears heels, or when she carries added weight.

This finding is extremely crucial, since it takes, on average, just over an hour for a woman’s feet to hurt when she slips on a pair of heels, according to a survey for The College of Podiatry. Women were also found to be three times as likely as men to cram their feet into uncomfortable shoes, which has led nine out of 10 to suffer problems like bunions, corns, sprains, and strains. The lack of public awareness of common foot complaints has contributed to the rise in these incidences.

Culled fromwww, WebMD.com

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OCTOBER 17, 2015

36

Parenting

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression

Why do babies say ‘Mama’ and ‘Baba’ first?

•The story of a strange linguistic coincidence

T

he word for “mother” seems often either to be mama or have a nasal sound similar to m, like nana.

The word for “father” seems often either to be papa or have a sound similar to p, like b, in it— such that you get something like baba. The word for “dad” may also have either d or t, which is a variation on saying d, just as p is on b. People say mama or nana, and then papa, baba, dada, or tata, worldwide.

Anyone who happens to know their way around a lot of languages can barely help noticing this eerie similarity. But when it comes to European languages closely related to English, like the Romance and Germanic ones, this isn’t so surprising. After all, these languages are children of what was once one language, which linguists call Proto-Indo-European and was likely spoken on the steppes of what is now Ukraine several millennia ago.

So if French has maman and papa, and Italian has mamma and babbo, and Norwegian has mamma and papa, then maybe that’s just a family matter.

“Mother” and “father” in Welsh are mam and tad. In Africa, Swahili has mama and baba.

In the Philippines, Tagalog has nanay and tatay. Fijian has nana

and tata. Mandarin, so intimidatingly different from English to the learner, soothes unexpectedly in offering up mama and baba. Chechen in the Caucasus? Naana and daa.

Native American languages?

Eskimo has anana and ataata; Koasati, spoken in Louisiana and Texas, turns out to have mamma and taata; down further in El Salvador, Pipil has naan and tatah.

It’s tempting to imagine this means that the first humans called their parents mama and dada, and that those two warm, hearty words have survived the slings and arrows of human history to remain in use today. But the notion is too good to be true. Over time in language, sounds smush along their way to becoming new ones, and even the meanings people assign to a word drift all over the place.

Certainly, then, words like mama and dada wouldn’t necessarily stay the same, or even close to the same, in languages around the world and over tens of thousands of years. So what happened?

The answer lies with babies and how they start to talk. The pioneering linguist Roman Jakobson figured it out. If you’re

ParentingUpdate

A

seven-year-old girl born without a forehead has undergone life-changing surgery with the help of 3D printed technology.

Grace Kabelenga, from Ndola in Zambia, was born with a craniofacial abnormality, meaning her skull was literally split into two separate parts baring her brain.

Since Grace’ birth her parents Ngula and Elijah were desperately seeking medical treatment that could cure their daughter.

The girl’s father Elijah said:

“Grace’ eyes, the nostrils, the mouth they were all far apart.

The nostrils were actually 13 centimetres apart. The brain was suspended and stuck to the hard palette on her mouth.

You could physically see it outside just covered by a thin skin.”

When she was just 4 years old, surgeons removed a large part of her skull to correct the deformity and prevent her catching infection. But it was not enough.

a baby making a random sound, the easiest vowel is ah because you can make it without doing anything with your tongue or lips. Then, if you are going to vary things at all, the first impulse is to break up the stream of ahhh by closing your lips for a spell, especially since you’ve been doing that to nurse. Hence, mmmm, such that you get a string of mahs as you keep the sound going while breaking it up at intervals.

The order in which babies learn to make sounds explains why the next closest usual caretaker to mom

is so often called papa or baba.

Babies “speaking” in this way are just playing. But adults don’t hear them that way. A baby says “mama” and it sounds as if he’s addressing someone—and the person he’s most likely addressing so early on is his mother.

The mother takes “mama” as meaning her, and in speaking to her child refers to herself as “mama.” Voilà: a word mama that “means” mother. That would have happened with the first humans—but more to the point, it

has happened with baby humans worldwide, whatever language they are speaking. That means that even as the first language was becoming countless others, this “mama mistake” was recreating “mama” as the word for “Mom,” whatever was going on with words like mregh.

Papa and dada happened for a similar pan-human reason. After babies begin making m with their lips, they pick up making a sound that involves a little more than just putting their lips together— namely, putting them together, holding them that way for a second, and then blowing out a puff of air. That’s p—or, depending on your mood, b. Alternatively, babies also start playing with their mouths a little further back from the lips—on that ridge behind the upper teeth that we burn inconveniently by sipping soup when it’s too hot. That’s where we make a t or a d. The order in which babies learn to make sounds explains why the next closest usual caretaker to mom is so often called papa or baba (or tata or dada).

No theory will ever account for why the words in a sentence like “He couldn’t even get halfway over that wall!” are the way they are. But we can at least enjoy knowing why we call those beloved figures ‘Mamas and Papas.’

Girl with hole in head gets 3D printed forehead

Before

Eventually, after seven years of waiting and looking for the proper treatment the child was offered a revolutonary implant surgery in Cape Town, South Africa.

After the operation her mother,

After

Ngula, said: “I’m very happy to see her, she looks beautiful and she has really changed. When we get home there’s going to be a big celebration.”

And father added: “Every day she is still improving. When her immune system is really strong, then we can say now Grace can go out and mingle with any other person.”

Specialists at Tygerberg Hospital used CT scans to construct a 3D model of Grace’s skull and a latticed framework that was later implanted above her brain to encourage the bone to grow around and regenerate. In several months the implant will be fully absorbed and a new skull will be created.

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OCTOBER 17, 2015

37

Dear Bukola

Having problems with your marriage, family, relationship, career or life generally?

Help is at hand with Bukola Oyetunji, Relationship Expert, Life Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author of Stranded With a Status and One Good Spouse Deserves Another. www.bukolaoyetunji.blogspot.com, Follow on twitter @bukolaoyetunji

bukola.oyetunji@gmail.com. +2347012974472

My parents My first wife is jealous Am I in lust? say no to my of my new wife Ibo guy I Dear Bukola,

am a woman in my late twenties.

At the moment, I am about to really commit myself to a really dashing guy but I am hesitant. This is due to the circumstances in which I met him. I met him at a party he attended with his now ex-girlfriend. The minute we met, something happened that I really can’t explain. Maybe its love at first sight! We got so attracted to each other and since then we’ve been inseparable. I am a bit sorry for his ex but they didn’t really have much in common. Everything seems right between us. I really don’t know why I’m hesitating but everything is moving so fast and I guess I just need an objective evaluation.

Dear Hesitant woman, ou need to really check yourself to know why you are hesitant. Have you been disappointed or hurt in your past relationship and you have not been able to heal from the pains? Or you are scared that if he could leave his ex for you then it’s possible he meets someone else tomorrow and decide you are also not good enough for him (trust/insecurity issues)? These may be your reasons for hesitating and not because you are not in love. Women your age are usually happy when they meet a man that wants to settle down with them so your case shouldn’t be different. You can see a counselor for professional evaluation if you cannot personally pinpoint what exactly may be slowing you down. On the other hand if it is simply fear of the unknown that is the problem, then you have to make up your mind because if you are meant for each other, the future would be great; be positive. If you want him and would love to spend the rest of your life with him, please don’t waste time. A lot of people out there want what you have…. All the best!

Y

Dear Bukola,

need to sort out some issues. I have two wives who simply can’t get along.

My first wife is fifty-seven years old and my new wife is in her early twenties.

I expected that my older wife would accept her and treat her like a daughter but that is simply not happening. My younger wife is pregnant and needs all the care and attention in the world so I am trying to be there for her but my elder wife is jealous about that. For goodness sakes, she has all she wants and her kids are off to the university and I am paying their way.

What else can I do? I am tempted to send her packing but I know that my children will be upset. Please help!

I

Dear Husband, efore I give you my sincere advice, please note that it is not clouded with the fact that I am a woman.

Now to business, let’s take for instance that you have a daughter that has been married for about 30 years then one day she wakes up to realize her husband has brought home a woman young enough to be his daughter as a second wife. Now your daughter runs to you to seek your advice because her husband is threatening to send her out of the home - A home she built with him for most of her years, what would you advise her?

Most times when we are in a particular situation, all we need do is put ourselves in the shoes of the other person to know how best to treat them. I am sure if your daughter is in this situation you put your

B

older wife, you wouldn’t be happy about it.

I do not know if you have any personal reason(s) why you decided to marry another wife because you did not put that in your mail but you have taken that step and the younger wife is pregnant already. Now that you are at this point, what you should do is trying as much as possible to make your older wife as happy as she can be. She must not be neglected. Fine, you are funding her children (like you put it) through school but remember they are also your children.

These children, sooner than later, would be able to take care of you too, so I believe they are an investment that would yield interest; God willing.

You wrote that your older wife has all she wants…. Are you sure about that? Have you been able to create a balance to meet up with her sexual, psychological and emotional needs? Sometimes these needs are more important to a woman than material things…. Think about this. I do not think there is any woman out there that would be in this situation and not be jealous. If she loves you, she wouldn’t want to share you with another woman no matter how old/ young she is. This is why you need to pacify your first wife and let her understand that now that you have already taken that step, peace needs to reign… she should accept it and move on with life. Doing this would be good for her health and life generally.

Lastly, it is not advisable at all that you send her packing, I am sure no matter how faint, you still remember the good years you have spent with her. I wish you uninhibited peace in your home.

Dear Bukola, I am from Kogi State and I am in love with a guy from the South-Eastern part of the country. He has promised to make the relationship permanent. My parents say I should not marry a guy from that part of the country. They feel he would use me to effect money-making ritual practices. What should I do?

Dear girl in love, s much as I believe single people should have parental consent before they settle down in marriage with anyone, I think the reason your parents gave you is not fair enough. What if you get married to someone from the part of the country they want and he ends up making you miserable for the rest of your life? That your guy is from the South-Eastern part of the country does not mean he would use you for money ritual or that he wouldn’t. But because they are your parents and the importance of their consent cannot be overemphasized, you need to have a heart-to-heart talk with them. Beg them to tell you if there is any other reason(s) why they think the man is not good enough for you. The truth is; your parents see farther than you can, so they may have a lot of other underlying reasons why they do not want you to spend the rest of your life with this man. You wrote that you love the guy, this is good. If the relationship is meant to be, they would give you their consent.

Whatever happens, you seriously need to listen to your parents…. Their consent is mandatory. Best of luck with it!

A

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OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

divorce court

‘She sends thugs to beat me’ • My wife always sends thugs to lay ambush and beat me anytime we fight at home. I’m afraid they might kill me one of these days —Husband • You don’t divorce a pregnant woman because you do not know what will happen to the baby. The court will continue with the hearing of the case after the delivery of the baby —Court

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trader, Benjamin Orjika, has dragged his pregnant wife to an Igando Customary Court in Lagos, Lagos State, accusing her of threatening his life.

Forty-five-year-old Benjamin, who is seeking the dissolution of his 14-year-old marriage, told the court that

‘My wife is having affairs with many men’

• She detests her step children, she does not give them food and she once poured hot water on my first son and also beat my second son to stupor-Husband —Wife

A

n Igando Customary Court in Lagos has dissolved a six-year marriage over heavy drinking habit and adultery.

The President of the court, Mr Rasak Adeyeri, said all efforts to reconcile Samuel Ajibode, a businessman, and his wife, Rebecca, had proved futile.

He said the court had no option than to dissolve the union for them to go their separate ways.

“Both parties are no longer husband and wife, they are free to go their separate ways,” Adeyeri ruled.

The petitioner, Samuel Ajibode (53), had filed a suit seeking the dissolution of the marriage over the wife’s infidelity and excessive alcoholic consumption.

He told the court that his wife was promiscuous and in the habit of cheating him.

“My wife is having affair with many men, I saw her enter into a house with a man hugging and

kissing.

“But, she is now accusing and fighting my first son for telling me that she is dating the man,” he stated.

Ajibode described Rebecca as a drunkard, saying she often gave alcohol to the son to drink and both would start misbehaving after.

He accused Rebecca of always maltreating her stepchildren.

“Rebecca detests her step children, she does not give them food and she once poured hot water

on my first son and also beat my second son to stupor.”

He said Rebecca was a troublesome woman and that due to this, “I had to leave the house for her and moved to my brother’s house”.

The petitioner said Rebecca also colluded with his tenant, a herbalist, to sell his house.

“That day, I saw three people in my compound inspecting the environment. I accosted them and asked them what they were doing in my compound.

‘He has five children from different women’ • My wife is unfaithful. She took permission that she wanted to visit her sister as usual, I allowed her. The next day when she did not return, I called her sister who told me that she did not see her —Husband

A

n Igando Customary Court in Lagos has granted a petitioner, Mr Muri Oderinde, his request for the dissolution of his 16-yearold marriage over adultery by his wife. Delivering his judgment, the president of the court, Mr Hakeem Oyekan said that it appeared that the estranged couple were tired of the marriage and all efforts to reconcile them had failed.

“Since both parties consented to the dissolution of their marriage, this court has no choice than to dissolve the marriage.

“The couple can no longer stay

together because the marriage has broken down totally; both parties are no longer husband and wife, they are free to go their separate ways,’’ Oyekan ruled.

Oderinde, the 50-year-old businessman, had filed an application seeking to divorce his wife over her adulterous act. He said that his wife, Banke, to whom he had been married for 16 years, was having extra-marital affairs and was using her sister’s house for cover-up.

“My wife is unfaithful; she always lied to me that she wanted to go and visit her sister, but will go to another place. “She

took permission that she wanted to visit her sister, as usual, I allowed her, the next day when she did not return, I called her sister who told me that she did not see her.

“I later caught her with a man whom she claimed was just a friend,’’ he said. He described his wife as a troublesome fellow that always fought and rained abuses on him. “My wife is troublesome, anytime I return late from work, she will lock the door; if I called her to open the door, she will refused and I will go to a hotel to sleep.’’

According to him, Banke

refused to accommodate his children from another woman and did not welcome his friends and relatives to his house. He begged the court to dissolve the marriage, since he was no longer interested and did not love her again.

Banke, a 35-year-old trader, who refuted the allegations, said that she did commit adultery, and that the man her husband saw with her was a friend. “I am not adulterous, the man he claimed he saw was just a friend, no strings attached”.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

his wife, Patience, wanted to kill him by sending thugs to beat him.

“My wife always sends thugs to lay ambush and beat me anytime we fight at home.

“I’m afraid they might kill me one of these days,” he alleged.

The petitioner described his wife as a troublesome woman, who always made his life miserable by fighting and raining curses on him.

“My wife is a troublemaker; she doesn’t have respect for me and is fond of slapping me anytime we have a misunderstanding.

“She doesn’t regard me as her husband and he loves commanding me as if I am her son or younger brother,” Orjika said.

Orjika, however, begged the court to dissolve their marriage, adding that he was no longer in love with his wife.

The respondent, 40-year-old Patience, also a trader, consented to the dissolution of the marriage, saying she was also fed up with the marriage.

“In 2007, I came to this court asking for the dissolution of our marriage, but the court called our family members and they settled our differences.

“But since then, our marriage has not worked out well. It’s been hell on earth as my husband made our home uncomfortable for me,” she said.

Patience, a mother of two, denied sending thugs to beat her husband, saying she could not do such a thing.

The court president, Mr R.I. Adeyeri, told the petitioner to wait for his wife to put to bed before continuing hearing on the case.

“You don’t divorce a pregnant woman because you do not know what will happen to the baby.

“The court will continue with the hearing of the case after the delivery of the baby,” he said.

Adeyeri, however, urged the couple to maintain peace.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OCTOBER 17, 2015

‘My wife infected me with incurable disease’

P

astor Wisdom Orji pleaded Agege Customary Court in Lagos seeking dissolution of his marriage with wife, Chioma who infected him with an incurable disease.

In his petition, he said his wife Chioma also intimidated, harassed and destroyed his property.

The petitioner further alleged that she is quarrelsome, saying she calls me all sorts of names and converted my property to hers.

Counsel to the petitioner, Mrs. Chinenye, begged the court to give both parties time for settlement.

According to her, arrangements have been made to ensure the petitioner takes care of his wife and children.

The court president, advised the petitioner to take the respondent to hospital for treatment, while urging the respondent to give her husband pastor Wisdom Orji access to their matrimonial home.

My husband pays me 200 naira for sex There was drama at the Agege Customary Court when Rachel Raheem, a 28-year-old woman accused her husband, Aliu Raheem, of always beating her and fond of stripping her naked in public.

Rachel, who resides at 84, Egbabo Street, Agege, said her husband cheats on her with

other women and beats her up whenever she dares to complain about his action.

She said her husband sometimes bring strange women to their home for sex even in her presence.

Rachel, who claimed to have lived with Aliu for 11 years, claimed he is fond of giving only N500 for her feeding allowance and increasing it by N200 whenever he is expecting sex from her.

Rachel, who is seeking a divorce, said she was surprised when he got married to another lady secretly, and the lady delivered a baby shortly after I gave birth to my second child.

She also alleged that her husband chased her away from their home when she travelled to Abeokuta, Ogun State to report Aliu’s actions to her motherin-law with the hope of finding lasting solutions to their marital problems.

In his defense, Aliu Raheem said Rachel lacked care for him and the children. He informed the court that she is fond of coming back very late from the market which makes it difficult for him and the children to eat on time.

He denied ever beating his wife but admitted to slapping her once when he could not bear her constant bickering.

The court president adjourned the case for further hearing.

42-year-old banker begged an Igando Customary Court in Lagos for divorce over alleged battery of his mother by his wife.

Abila said that his wife Tina, 35, with whom he lives for 10 years permanently beats up his mother without any reason.

The man claimed that his wife is uncontrollable and has turned his mother into a punching bag, alleging that she is a witch.

Narrating his story he confessed that Tina once arrested his mother, claiming that she intended to poison her food.

Ayuda also said that the wife does not want to see any of his relatives, anytime they come around the war begins.

The petitioner described his wife as a troublemaker, who regularly fought on the streets.

According to Ayuda, whenever the woman is fighting, people

come to his house wanting him to separate the fighters.

And when he comes Tina transferred anger to him by fighting and embarrassing in public.

The man asked the court to dissolve the marriage as he is fed up with the union and can’t cope with her constant beating and harassment of mother and her hostility to siblings.

Responding to the court Tina said that she never beat her mother-in-law and it was quite the opposite.

The mother of two revealed that her husband did not allow her to go and see her parents, as he wanted her to be indoors.

Tina urged the court not to dissolve the marriage, saying that although they have some problems she was still in love with her husband.

The case was adjourned till for further hearing.

‘She beats my mother’ A

‘He has five children from different women’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38 She described her husband as an ingrate, adding that she paid his house rent and furnished his apartment. “My husband is ungrateful; I rented the apartment he was staying, bought mattress, television and other household

items.

“He has five children from different women, I still accommodated them, feeding them with my money.’’ According to her, Muri goes out at will and comes back at will, and could leave the house for six to eight days without her knowledge.

divorce court

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39

‘My wife is dating our CDA chairman’

• She cooks for him and the man comes to our house to take his breakfast, lunch and dinner, while my wife denies me food. I believe our chairman has rented an apartment for her and now she wants to divorce me —Husband • Ibrahim is a hot tempered person, he gets angry at the slightest provocation. Even when I was pregnant, he beat me —Wife

“M

y wife is dating our Community Development Association (CDA) Chairman, but I still love her,’’ a security guard, Mr Ibrahim Hambolu, 40 has told an Igando Customary Court, Lagos.

Ibrahim, the respondent in a divorce suit filed by Modinat, his wife of 15 years, alleged that the CDA chairman also regularly visited their home to take his meals.

“My wife is dating our CDA chairman; she cooks for him and the man comes to our house to take his breakfast, lunch and dinner, while my wife denies me food.

“My wife later packed out on March 20 without my consent to an unknown destination.

“I believe our chairman has rented an apartment for her and now she wants to divorce me,’’ the security guard said.

However, Ibrahim, who broke down in tears, pleaded with the court not to dissolve the union as he still loved Modinat.

“After she packed out, I have plead with her on phone to come back but she refused,” he said Modinat, 36, a trader, told the court that she was fed up with the union and wanted divorce.

The petitioner, a mother of three, said that she filed the divorce suit on the grounds of battery and threat to her business.

Modinat alleged that Ibrahim started beating her in the first year of their marriage.

“Ibrahim is a hot tempered person; he gets angry at the slightest provocation,” she said, adding that, “even when I was pregnant he beats me” She said that her husband had on several occasion destroyed goods in her shop over allegation of infidelity or anytime they had a misunderstanding.

The petitioner described Ibrahim as an ingrate, who did not appreciate the sacrifices she made to the union.

Modinat alleged that she bor-

rowed money from her cooperative society to buy a motorcycle for him.

“I bought a motorcycle (Okada) for my husband to use for commercial purposes but he stays at home and does not work.

“He later sold the motorcycle without my consent and I do not know what he used the money for,” the estranged wife said.

The petitioner said that her man never gave her housekeeping money and claimed that in his village husbands do not give their wives money.

She said that anytime she reported Ibrahim to his family, they would tell her that “they cannot intervene in the matter because her marriage was not properly contracted in the native way’’.

Modinat urged the court to dissolve the union as she was no longer in love and can no longer cope with husband’s battery and maltreatment.

The court president, Mr R.I Adeyeri, adjourned the case for further hearing.

‘My wife is pregnant for an Okada man’

• They come to my house at about 11p.m. There was a day I had to interrogate a man that she brought home. She introduced him to me as her pastor —Husband

A

popular Lagos-based pastor has accused his wife of gross infidelity and getting pregnant for an Okada rider.

The 45-year old cleric, who heads Victory in Christ Gospel Ministry, Egbeda, Chris Onyekachi-Madu, made this shocking revelation at an Igando Customary court while pleading for the dissolution of their union.

The couple, who once lived peacefully at No. 1, Bola Kadiri Street in Egbeda area of Lagos State, is currently caught in a divorce saga, as the pastor want his estranged wife, Augusta Madu, out of his life for getting pregnant for another man.

The man of God stated that he doesn’t love his wife anymore because she slept with a motorcyclist in his house, got pregnant for him and moved out of her matrimonial home to start living with him.

Recounting his horrible experience to the listening of the members of the court, Pastor Madu said his wife, with whom he had two children, started fighting him on a daily basis while also bringing strange men into their home.

“They come to my house at about 11p.m. There was a day I had to interrogate a man that she brought home. She introduced him to me as her pastor,”

he narrated.

He said further that his wife later brought an Okada man to his house, who she introduced to him as someone that would be taking their children to and from school. But after taking his children to school in the morning and bringing them back later in the day, the motorcyclist would take his wife away, sometimes in his presence, adding that this happened on three consecutive occasions, after which she slept over the fourth time.

However, after listening to the evidence of the complainant, the President of the court, Rasak Isola-Adeyeri, adjourned the matter for further hearing.

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People

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Meet lawyer who dumped wig and gown for dogs Juliet Umeh

W

hen Faith Akosa, as a 13-yearold boy brought a puppy to his father’s home in Lagos, little did his parents know that the youngster was embarking on a romance that would make him thwart his parents’ plan for him.

Now 27 years, as a lawyer, having graduated from the University of Lagos and called to bar in 2012, Akosa has dumped his wig and gown for full time dog breeding. “It has always been a passion from childhood. I remember the first dog I got was way back when I was still with my parents. The dog even grew up in the house with us as a member of the family. The dog lived for 13 years before it died, from there other ones came up,” Akosa explained.

His going to university for him was for certificate sake. “It’s not really that I left the law profession it’s just that the dogs have always been there. The law thing is about going to school, getting certificate and degree but the passion for the law wasn’t really there. So it’s not that I started practicing and left for something else. . “I have worked with an aunty in her vet clinic and pet shop. And I once lived with my mentor who had about 60 dogs.

While I was a student I still had dogs, I carried dogs to school once in a while and my colleagues had to accept me that way.”

His passion for dogs has gradually grown into a big business that Akosa cannot handle alone. Now he has about 16 adult dogs for breeding in his two kernels located at Maryland, Jibowu areas of Lagos and some other places in Ogun State. “I have handlers that work together with me. They help in cleaning and feeding them because dogs at times could really get messy,” he said.

However, his father who is also a lawyer is not too comfortable with his son’s chosen career. “He says this dog thing is meant to be a hobby not something to be taken too serious. But now, he is getting to understand that he should just allow this person to do his thing,” Akosa said.

Explaining his operational strategy,

Faith Akosa with one of his puppy

Akosa said: “The thing is that once you have love for dogs it is very easy to handle. A breeder must cultivate two key ingredients for success. These are effective management and space control. A breeder must design the appropriate operational procedure for his peculiar operation and stick to this to achieve success. And this include getting the right medication at the appropriate time for the dogs; ensuring that their environment is clean always, devoid of their droppings with clean water available every time, and avoid bringing in outside stock, which might contaminate the dogs.”

He continued, “The breeder must learn to effectively manage the space

available for his operation. He must learn to keep the dogs in his space so they don’t get him into trouble. A major panacea for this is not getting too greedy and breeding more dogs than the space can effectively handle,” he explained.

It is surprising to know that dog breeding is as lucrative as other businesses. “You know anything livestock can be lucrative once you do it well; anything production can be lucrative once you do it well it is the same thing with someone that wants to do poultry or rear goats or cattle. So far you are doing everything well, keeping everything well, making sure they are healthy, breed them properly by getting

a good stock. Once you have a good stock, then you raise them well, you will do very well,” he said.

Puppies, according to him are sold off after six to eight weeks of their delivery. The selling price is between N30, 000 and N120, 000 per dog depending on the quality of their breed. “They are in hot demand, many people buy dogs as puppies so as to get familiar with them. It is very rare to sell dogs as adults. On an average a medium kennel can make a net income of N150 000 a month,” he said.

Everybody according to him is his customer including people that don’t like dogs. “They still want dogs especially for security issues.

Customers are divided into - people that want to breed for business and there are people that want the dog for security purposes. There are people that don’t even like dogs but they instruct their domestic staff handling the dogs not to ever allow the dogs come near them. When they are coming, the staff makes them stay away from them, yet such people still buy dogs for security. Generally anybody can buy dog. If you walk on every street in Lagos you hear dogs barking,” he said.

With a big ambition of constantly improving dog breeding standards in Nigeria, Akosa is already planning for the future, “In November this year, I and a few guys are planning to do a very big dog show in Lagos. We are planning to have about a crowd of 2000 guests coming with their dogs.

We are trying to do awareness. We are trying to get dog lovers come together and make people have more interest in dogs, let people understand dogs better because a lot of people don’t understand dogs.

“When dogs are barking it doesn’t necessarily mean that the dog is going to bit you, the dog is just trying to talk.

There is a kind of barking that means that I am hungry or someone is at the gate, I am scared come and help me.

But some people think it’s all about biting, no it doesn’t necessarily mean that,” he explained.

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OCTOBER 17, 2015

41

Kidney Failure S

adly, we lost a young bright star recently in the Nigerian film industry. The cause of his death was put as kidney failure. And while we were still mourning his demise, news filtered in that funds were being raised for yet another practitioner in the same industry, who currently is also battling failed kidneys. The question then to ask is: Why are these kidneys failing?

Kidney Failure: The Kidneys are two bean-like organs located at the back of the abdomen.

Their functions include filtering of waste products from the body, regulation of electrolyte and blood pressure and production of red blood cells amongst others. Urine is produced by the kidneys.

After production, two tiny tubes on either side, known as the ureter, carry the urine into the bladder, where it is stored until the individual gets the urge to urinate and voiding takes place. The kidneys also produce erythropoietin, a hormone that helps in manufacturing red cells.

Kidney or Renal failure occurs when the two kidneys have totally lost the ability to perform their functions.

Because they can no longer filter waste products, there is buildup of these waste products in the body, with subsequent toxic effect. A great number of people have kidney diseases without even knowing it. Some people with only one functional kidney live normal lives, which may continue until old age.

Trouble starts when this lone active kidney is disturbed or insulted. But in the real sense, both kidneys must be

damaged for symptomatic or complete kidney failure to occur. If only one is damaged, the second can continue and sustain functionality even when the diseased single kidney is completely removed from the body Renal failure could be acute or chronic.

In acute renal failure, kidney function is lost rapidly and is due to sudden injury to the body e.g. sudden blood loss and depletion in body fluid volume. Acute renal failure is usually reversible if promptly treated. Chronic renal failure, on the other hand, develops over months or years and is usually not reversible.

Occasionally also, a sudden aggravation of a chronic kidney disease may occur, making such present acutely. At that time, an acute or chronic situation is said to occur.

Causes of Kidney Failure Acute renal failure could occur due to situations that lead to sudden depletion of body fluid, such as sudden severe blood loss and dehydration. It may also occur in cases where drugs are abused.

Drugs that are commonly abused include antibiotics and pain killers -in the Non-

steroidal anti-inflammatory category (NSAIDS) - such as ibuprofen and piroxicam. Sepsis or severe infection, and backflow from obstruction of the urinary tract may also be responsible.

Chronic: Chief amongst the causes of chronic renal failure are poorly controlled diabetes and hypertension.

These two chronic diseases, alone or in combination, are responsible for a significant number of kidney failure incidents. As a matter of fact, efforts at lowering the incidence of the two will also impact positively on kidney failure rate in Nigeria. Other causes of chronic kidney disease are: long term kidney infection or inflammation, prostate disease, polycystic kidney, nephrotic syndrome or kidney stone when only one kidney is present Symptoms Unfortunately, kidney failure may not produce any symptoms initially, until later, when symptoms resulting from inability to clear waste products, inability to regulate water and electrolyte, and reduction in red cells production begin to show. If left undiagnosed and untreated, life threatening situations may then arise.

Symptoms include: Lethargy, Weakness from toxins build up or anemia (reduced blood level), Shortness of breath, Loss of appetite, Heart failure, Altered sensorium or loss of consciousness, Blood in the urine, Reduced urine production (oliguria), Itching, Bone damage Because some of these symptoms are non-specific, Tests such as BUN, EUCR, abdominal USS and kidney biopsy may confirm the diagnosis Treatments When the kidneys have not failed completely, treatment of underlying causes will halt the progression of failure. While this may not reverse the damage already done, it will halt further damage and preserve current function.

Few medication options are available in the treatment of kidney failure except

those medications targeted at underlying causes. When the failure is total, dialysis is usually commenced to help the kidney filter out waste from the body. Ultimately though, kidney transplant is usually the solution. Efforts should, however, be made to avoid getting to this particular stage. Successful transplants have been carried out in quite a number of Nigerian hospitals, with good prognosis, especially when the procedures are carried out on time.

Prevention This is very key, as damages are usually irreversible. In preventing kidney diseases, the two most important things to watch out for in our environment is hypertension and diabetes. If not well managed, they can damage different body organs, including the kidneys.

Perhaps the reason why kidney failure is becoming rampant amongst young people is because diseases such as hypertension and diabetes are now known to afflict such people with more frequency. Because this group tends to ignore simple measures such as checking their blood pressure regularly, complications are somewhat rife.

In addition, the tendency to take medications such as pain killers and antibiotics without prescription has sent many Nigerians to the dialysis center or beyond. Also, herbal concoctions with unknown constituents or dosing have sent many kidneys packing. This is more so in children whose kidneys are too fragile to withstand such damages.

Special mention should be made of popular concoctions such as green or “holy’’ water taken in some religious settings. This has added not a few to the growing list of victims of kidney failure or those on the waiting list of renal transplant.

When some form of kidney impairment has been established for you, in order not to progress to full failure, avoid foods rich in potassium such as bananas and sweet potatoes.

Conclusion Here is wishing all our friends fighting the battle of their lives with failed kidneys a quick recovery. For those of us with ‘’intact’ kidneys, we may at once check and then recheck, so that we can perpetually keep them so.

LIVESAVERS •Check your kidneys regularly, especially if you are hypertensive and diabetic

•Avoid self-medication •Control your blood pressure and blood sugar level •Avoid herbal concoctions whose constituents you are not sure of

•Take

your medications to control blood pressure and blood

sugar regularly

•Avoid potassium rich diet if your kidneys are already failing

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OCTOBER 17, 2015

TOURISM

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Visit Agodi Gardens From a near over grown forest with starved wildlife, a new resort is berthed promising ecstatic experience in tourism. Just visit Agodi Gardens.

I

badan the capital of Oyo State is seen more or less as the political capital of the South-West on account of its being home to prominent politicians from the region at one time or the other. However the city is not known for politics alone, it is home to many tourist centres that include the University of Ibadan Zoological Garden, Bower's Tower and the Agodi Gardens.

For many tourists coming to the city, the Agodi Gardens, located on Parliament Road, and less than 200 kilometres from the state secretariat, is one of the tourist centres that will ring bell in the ear.

The gardens with large expanse of land which once played host to different animals and birds and was the first point of call during festive seasons, had become a shadow of itself.

But after about 18 months of remodelling and upgrading of facilities, the Agodi Gardens now named Agodi Resort and Conference Centre has now been turned into one major hub of tourism. For a first time visitor to the Gardens, he or she would but be enamoured by the range of

recreational facilities put in place not only for the children but the adults also.

With lush green grass, Agodi Resort and Conference Centre has

become a Disney land of sort for fun seekers.

Governor Ishaq Ajimobi, state governor of Oyo State, had realised that there is a huge potential in

investing in the resort. Recently leading top government functionaries and fun seekers that include school children to declare it open for the festive period said that he discovered the abandoned Gardens while passing by on a fateful day.

The place, according to him, was like a forest, as weeds have overgrown the entire landscape with the remaining few animals in the zoological unit seriously starved.

"I was just passing by one day and I asked what was in the bush. In fact it was a forest. What struck me was that the place was so desolate. The animals were hungry. They were not well fed. Everything was just bad.

Then ideas started flowing. I know there are places like this in South Africa, Dubai and everywhere. Why can't we make ours so?

"I called my people and eventually approached a young man who said he could do it like those in other countries." he said.

Ajimobi added that the resort centre has become the flagship of his administration policy on tourism and as means of generating money for the state.

The resort centre is being managed by JD Capital under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. Mr. Makun Soyinka, who represented the Managing Director of the partnering firm, Mr John Darlington, said his firm accepted to work with the government based on the governor's vision to restore the state's old glory and monuments of which Agodi Garden is one.

"The first step in this rebirth process is the re-branding and creation of a brand identity for the garden.

This has commenced with the renaming of Agodi Gardens to “Agodi Resort & Conferences", he said.

Soyinka then appealed to corporate organizations, particularly those with presence in the state, to support the company to achieve the lofty dreams of making the resort one of the best in the company.

The resort was reconstructed by AM & Sea Ltd with its Managing Director, Mr Adegbemisola Adio-Moses, stating that in executing further works, the firm has entered into partnership with a South African development group to ensure that Ajimobi's vision for the garden is accomplished.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OCTOBER 17, 2015

LEISURE

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From the

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Civil Service

44

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

FRSC, NDA renew MOU on training of cadets I

n the continuation of the efforts to promote road safety ideals among the generality of Nigerians, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, and the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy.

Bisi Kazeem, the Head of Media Relations and Strategy of the FRSC, said at the signing ceremony, which took place at the NDA in Kaduna and witnessed by some principal officers of both the Academy and the FRSC, the Commandant commended the staff of the FRSC for exhibiting high sense of discipline, comportment and focus in carrying out road safety campaign in the country.

According to Ibrahim, he decided to renew the existing understanding with the FRSC on the training of the Cadets in driving skills because of his conviction that the programme was both relevant and beneficial to the Cadets and the Academy.

He said: “When I assumed office here as the Commandant, I noticed that the training programme was already in existence and there was an understanding between the FRSC and the Academy. Considering its numerous benefits to the Cadets, I had no hesitation in endorsing the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding in order to sustain it.”

The Commandant further disclosed that he gave the approval for continuity without even formally meeting with the Corps Marshal as a demonstration of his confidence in the initiative.

He said it has impacted positively on the driving techniques of the Cadets and will enhanced their overall performance while on foreign operations.

While commending his predecessor and the former Corps Marshal for the initiative, Ibrahim stressed that with the opportunity being given to the Cadets, they would not only be able to drive their personal vehicles safely after graduation, but their foreign assignments, which involve driving, would be

facilitated.

He said: “Before now, there were cases of Officers who attempted driving vehicles after graduating from the Academy without proper training, with many losing their lives in the process. But with the driving skills being introduced now, such cases would be eliminated.”

Ibrahim enumerated other benefits of the programme to include exposure to various driving techniques, knowledge of the Highway Code and acquisition of valid driver’s licence, which he said assist Officers on United Nations assignments outside the shores of the land.

He said: “When Officers go on foreign assignments, they are expected to know how to drive and they must possess their driver’s licence as evidence of their competence.

But because this type of training programme was not there before, many of them experienced some difficulties.

“So, I want to assure you that the Academy is in full support of the initiative and would do everything

possible to sustain it.”

In his remarks, Oyeyemi congratulated the Commandant on his appointment and expressed gratitude to the Academy for giving the FRSC the opportunity to train the Cadets in driving skills.

He stressed that the training is a demonstration of the corporate social responsibility role of the FRSC to ensure sustained collaboration with the military in matters of road

safety.

He said the Corps has had a long standing relations with members of the Armed Forces.

The Corps Marshal appealed to the Academy to sustain the programme, noting the support that has been extended to the personnel of the Corps handling the training.

He further disclosed that the Corps is exploring other areas of mutual benefits to the Academy

and FRSC by which entire members of the Academy would be given awareness on issues of road safety for the overall success of the Corps’ safer roads, fuller lives campaigns.

It would be recalled that the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna was first signed four years ago to ensure proper training of the Cadets in driving skills

in the efforts to make them function as competent drivers with genuine driver’s licence upon their graduation.

As part of the activities to mark the visit, the Corps Marshal addressed the FRSC personnel selected to handle the training programme.

He urged them to sustain the positive image already created by the Corps within the Academy environment.

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Mr. Laoye Jaiyeola; Chairman, Central Organising Committee, 21st Nigerian Economic Summit, Mr. Tunde Lawal, and Chairman of NESG, Mr. Kyari Bukar, during the news conference on the 21st Nigerian Economic Summit which ended in Abuja on Thursday.

Corporate Affairs Commission being repositioned – RG

T

he Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr. Bello Mahmud, has said that the commission is being repositioned for enhanced service delivery.

Mahmud, according to a statement issued by the CAC Director of Public Affairs, Mr Williams Churchill in Abuja on Thursday, made the statement at a management retreat.

He said that management used the retreat to take a critical look at the commission’s regulatory role, its impacts and challenges. ‘’The RG said that the forum with the theme, “Tomorrow’s registry, today” was organised to enable employees to brainstorm on emerging administrative and operational issues, to chart the way forward.

“He stated that staffs have a major role to play in repositioning the commission as a world class company registry.

“According to him, the commission is collaborating with stakeholders for a nationwide sensitisation campaign on the benefits of business registration.

“He stated that the objective was to migrate businesses from the informal to the formal sector,” he said.

Mahmud was also reported as saying that the recently introduced decentralisation policy of the

commission had further enhanced the process of business registration.

He explained that the policy, incorporation applications could be processed and certificates issued to customers without recourse to the head office.

“This has significantly reduced the cost of doing business as customers no longer have to travel or send documents to Abuja.

“The start-to-finish registration of companies is currently obtainable in Lagos (Yaba and Aluasa), Enugu, Kano, Kaduna and Port Harcourt. The services will be extended to other state offices soon,” the statement said.

He added that the RG also emphasised on the deployment of the new Company Registration Portal (CRP), which enabled cus-

tomers to process and pay for services electronically via the web.

The CRP is an improvement on the old portal, which had functional limitations in features and user ability.

“Mahmud urged the staff to shun corruption and brace up for emerging policies of the Federal Government aimed at improving the business climate.”

Chief Executive Officer and Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).

He called for synergy among maritime agencies to ensure that imports and exports were properly documented.

He said that as commercial regulator of ports in the country, the council should collaborate with the Nigeria Customs Service

Ali said that some ship manifests received by NCS were falsified while others were incorrect. ``Sometimes we do not get those records we needed to do our jobs from the shippers. ``Some of the manifests which come to us have a lot of problems. Some of them are falsified, while some are not correct,’’ he said.

The comptroller-general said that NCS had put in place mechanism to address

the irregularities discovered in ship manifests.

In his response, Bello said that collaboration among agencies of government was key in moving the maritime sector forward, adding that inter-agency collaboration would add value to nation’s economy.

The executive secretary appealed to the Federal Government to put in place necessary facilities to boost the business of port operators.

Some manifests paraded by ship owners are full of irregularities –Customs C-G

C

ol. Hameed Ali (rtd) Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has expressed concern that most of the manifest paraded by multinational shipping companies operating in Nigeria are full of irregularities.

He made the remark on Thursday in Lagos when he visited Mr Hassan Bello, the

Sport

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OCTOBER 17, 2015

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45

The Nigerian Golden Eaglets in training

FIFA U-17 W/Cup begins in Chile ... as Eaglets battle USA in group opener

Ifeanyi Eduzor

G

olden Eaglets’ of Nigeria will today in Chile join youths from other continents of the world to seek for honours in the 16th edition of FIFA U-17 championship which kicks off today in the South American country.

A total of 24 countries representing all the continents of the world will be in action in Chile from October 17- November 8 to determine who among them will be crowned the new U-17 champion. While Nigeria will be going to the tournament as defending champions having won the 2013 edition in United Arab Emirates, it will be joined by three other African countries namely; South Africa, Guinea and Mali to try and ensure African dominance of the competition.

The first edition of the cadet championship was staged

GROUP B England Guinea Brazil Korea Republic

GROUP A Chile Croatia Nigeria USA

in 1985 in China, and the tournament has been played every two years since then. It began as a competition for players under the age of 16 with the age limit raised to 17 from the 1991 edition.

Nigeria apart from being the defending champion is the most successful nation in the tournament’s history, with four titles namely; in 1985, 1993, 2007 and 2013 and three runners up. Brazil is the second most successful with three titles and two runners up. Ghana and Mexico have won the tournament twice.

U-17 World cup conceived

by FIFA as a veritable avenue to discover hidden talents at the grassroots has lived up to expectation since inception as many players have graduated from the championship and went ahead to represent their countries at the U-20 and senior team level.

Nigeria who is the defending

champion is in Group A with the host nation, Chile, Croatia and USA will today face USA in their opening fixture at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Santiago, battling hosts Chile and Croatia at the Estadio Sausalito in Vina Del Mar and Estadio Francisco Sanchez Rumoroso Coquimbo respectively.

To ensure that the country wins the championship for the fifth time, the team played a friendly match with Argentina where they hope to acclimatize ahead of the competition.

Coach Emmanuel Amuneke also selected a crack squad made up of team captain, Kelechi Nwakali, as well as strikers Victor Osimhen and Ebere Osinachi, who were in the team that secured the country’s ticket at the African championship in Niger, in February.

Also picked from the squad that came fourth in Niger 2015 to prosecute the champion-

GROUP C Australia Germany Mexico Argentina

ship were seven other players including, goalkeepers Akpan Udoh and Amos Benjamin, defenders Halilu Lukman and Lazarus John, midfielder Kingsley Michael and strikers Orji Okonkwo and Samuel Chukwueze.

Midfielder Chinedu Madueke and Sunday Alimi as well as goalkeeper Chisom Chiaha who failed to make the Niger 2015 squad are also part the team that will be defending the title in the South American nation.

Amuneke also included new faces in the team made up of David Enogela, Ibe Tobechukwu, Ejike Ikwu. Funsho Bamgboye, Chukwudi Agor, Joel Osikel, Edidiong Essien and Udochukwu Anumudu.

As the Golden Eaglets file out today against the United States, Nigerians are expecting a good outing as their performance in today’s opener will go a long way in determining the team’s progress in the championship GROUP E South Africa Costa Rica Korea DPR Russia

GROUP D Belgium Mali Honduras Ecuador

especially when one considers the string of victories recorded in their tune- up matches ahead of the competition.

Although the Eaglets are optimistic they will overrun their American counterparts in today’s opening match, but the Americans through their handler, Richie Williams has warned the Nigerians that his players are fully prepared for the Group’s opening match, noting that his players are at par with the defending champions who recently defeated Argentina 2-1 in a warm up game in preparation for the championship.

“My players are fully ready for today’s match and we are taking it as the final game because beating Nigeria will boast the confidence of my player’s and that is what we are out to do”, boasted the coach after unveiling his final team list.

GROUP F New Zealand France Syria Paraguay

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MIRROR SPORT

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Mourinho to appeal FA fine

J

ose Mourinho will appeal the £50,000 fine and suspended one-match stadium ban imposed on him by the FA. The Chelsea manager was sanctioned after he suggested referees were afraid to give his side penalties in the wake of their 3-1 home defeat to Southampton.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Chelsea’s home match against Aston Villa on today, Mourinho said: “I have to be honest with myself that is the most important thing, so I have to appeal.”

Mourinho described the fine as a “disgrace” at book signing on Thursday night but refused to comment further on Friday.

He added: “The moment we got the written reasons and I decided

Mourinho

M

anuel Pellegrini has confirmed Sergio Aguero has been ruled out of action for four weeks.

The Manchester City striker, who has scored six goals this season, suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Argentina against Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier last week.

Speaking at his pre-match news conference ahead of today’s home game against Bournemouth, City coach Pellegrini said: “Sergio has a muscle injury, an important injury. I don’t think he will be back before one month.”

Pellegrini also confirmed he will miss the services of David Silva who injured his ankle after just 10 minutes of Spain’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Luxembourg and Aleksandar Kolarov who limped out of Serbia’s defeat to Portugal.

Toure admits traffic offense

to appeal was the moment to stop with my opinions and not to add anything more than I did already, which I think I was very objective in my sadness.”

Mourinho insisted his criticism of the FA would not prevent him taking the England manager’s job, which he has previously expressed an interest in, should he ever be offered it.

He added: “Maybe I am naive, but, for me, English football, English football fans, the English passion for the game; what makes me like so much this country and the football in this country is not the FA. It’s the people, and if one day I have to work for that people, I will.”

Aguero ruled out for four weeks “Silva has a kick in his ankle; he’s also out,” added Pellegrini. “Kolarov also has a hamstring injury. We’ll see how they improve in the next week. I hope both of them can be back in 15 days.”

Pellegrini revealed his disappointment that Belgium played Vincent Kompany against Israel in midweek despite the City skipper not being fully fit following a calf injury.

“I was not pleased because we sent Vincent with a medical report saying he cannot play,” he said. “But as the Belgium manager said, he can do what he wants.

Aguero

Toure

M

anchester City player, Yaya Toure has admitted driving at 101mph (163km/h) on a motorway.

The midfielder was caught speeding in his Porsche on the M6 in Staffordshire on 20 May. Prosecutors claim he drove at 123mph (198km/h) on the same stretch of the carriageway six minutes later but, in a hearing at Cannock Magistrates’ Court, he denied reaching the higher speed.

The 32-year-old will face trial on 3 December at Burton Magistrates’ Court. The Ivory Coast international, who lives in Cheshire, was not required to attend the hearing and submitted his pleas through his solicitor.

However, he is expected to give evidence at the trial. Separate charges relating to insurance were dropped.

It is understood the speed of Toure’s Porsche was subjected to police checks at two different points governed by a 70mph (113km/h) limit on the northbound M6 near Keele services.

Man United made Neymar bid, says father

M

Neymar

anchester United did make an offer for Barcelona forward Neymar over the summer, says the player’s father.

In August, Barcelona denied rumours the Premier League club had made a world-record offer for the 23-year-old, while the player himself admitted there

were conversations, but “nothing concrete”.

Neymar Santos Sr.however has confirmed United made a bid for his son during the transfer window, but Barca rejected the approach immediately.

“The offer reached Barcelona and the club contacted us saying they were not

going to sell,” Neymar Sr. told Brazilian TV station Boa Tarde Fox. “They asked if we were interested, but that wasn’t the case. Barcelona are not selling, he has three years still to go on his contract.”It was Manchester’s deal, but that offer is not on the table now, it has fallen through.”

SPORT NEWS

GOtv boxing: Organisers promise adequate security B oxing fans who wish to attend the fourth edition of the GOtv boxing night have been assured of adequate protection form harassment and intimidation in and around the Indoor Sports of the National Stadium in Lagos, venue of the event slated for 25 October.

Jenkins Alumona, Managing Director, Flykite Promotions, promoters of the event noted that fans have nothing to worry about when they come for the event.

“We have made adequate arrangements to ensure that fans are not harassed. We have KSquare Security, an accomplished security firm and partners to the event, providing security. In addition, this edition will start earlier than the previous ones to ensure that it ends earlier for people to get home in good time,” Alumona said.

GOtv boxing night is a professional tourney featuring six

fights. It came into existence as a way of arresting the decline of the sport through improved funding and better organisation. A bold hint of these objectives was delivered at the last edition when Olaide “Fijaborn” Fijabi won N1million for emerging the best boxer at the tournament. The cash prize was accompanied by the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy.

The best boxer on 25 October will also win the same amount, which the organisers said will offer more motivation for excellence in the ring.

Of the six fights lined up for the fourth edition of the event, the biggest is the one featuring Nigeria’s Isaac Ekpo, former Commonwealth champion, who will take on Jules Kabore of Burkina Faso in an international super middleweight challenge bout. Another big one is the na-

National light middleweight champion, Sule “Tyson Olagbade (R) and his challenger, Rasheed “Afonja Warrior” Abolaji exchanging blows at the third GOtv boxing tourney.

tional lightweight challenge between Fijabi, best boxer at the last edition, and Saheed “Happy Boy” Olayiwola.

Also Stanley “Edo Boy” Eribo will square up with Isiaka “Easy

Lion” Yusuf in a light welterweight challenge contest, while Pelumi “Haggler” will fight Jamiu “Naval Man” Olabode in welterweight challenge. West African featherweight champion,

Waidi “Skoro” Usman will slug it out with Taofik “Taozon” Bisuga, while Otto “Joe Boy” Joseph will take on Nurudeen “Prince” Fatai in a lightweight challenge contest.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

MIRROR SPORT

OCTOBER 17, 2015

MirrorGolf

With Pius Anakali

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47

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Awa Ibraheem junior golf competition tees off in Ikeja

T

he 2nd in the series of the Awa Ibraheem Junior international competition put together by the Nigeria Golf federation will tees off at the Ikeja golf club today with over 100-junior golfers taking part in the competition.

The event, which will also include golfers from the neighbouring countries, would be played over two-days, Emma Ekong, the lady in charge of youth development of NGF has informed.

Speaking ahead of the competition during the week Mrs. Ekong said the country will only make headway in golf internationally if the talents are discovered early and nurtured, adding

that the Awa Ibraheem junior competition was specially put in place to achieve that purpose.

“We all look forward to the day a Nigerian will make wave in the world of golf. But that dream may never be realised unless we put certain developmental programmes in place. One of the progarmmes that will help realized this dream are junior competitions like the Awa Ibraheem international competition taking place at Ikeja golf this weekend”, she said.

Winner of the maiden edition of the competition, Chimiere Isife from Enugu golf club is expected to defend the title he won last year.

Gouveia gunning for home glory in Portugal

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Wilshere takes wife on a break

H

e’d rather have been playing at Wembley on Friday night but injured England midfielder Jack Wilshere found an alternative way to take his mind off his fitness woes.

The 23-year-old is currently out of action, after undergoing surgery last month to properly correct a hairline fracture in his left fibula, but that didn’t stop him from wining and dining his girlfriend Adriana Michael.

The pair were pictured together heading for dinner at Roka restuarant in Mayfair on Friday night.

Holding hands together Wilshere could be seen walking a protective boot as his threemonth rehabilitation proceess continues.

The injury is the latest setback in the Arsenal star’s career. By the time he returns he will have missed more than three years of football and undergone seven operations in the areas around his ankles.

And speaking about his Gunners team-mate’s plight last

month, Mikel Arteta stressed that Wilshere will need psychological help to get through yet another blow.

‘He has an enormous talent and support from every department of the club, and from the players because we feel sorry for him,’ Arteta said last month.

‘We know we cannot waste his talent because he has an amazing career ahead of him.

We are responsible for putting that into his head every day.

Jack has had a lot of setbacks and difficult moments but has always shown the character and enthusiasm to get back.

‘We must not allow him to fall down because at some stage that is the danger that he does not believe in himself or his body and he needs to trust himself.’

He has been described by Arsène Wenger as having “Spanish technique, but an English heart.” Owen Coyle, the manager of Bolton during Wilshere’s loan spell at the club, praised his ability to “tackle and take a knock,” despite his lack of height. However, Arsenal head of youth development Liam

Brady noted that Wilshere had problems with his temper early on in his career.

“He can tick almost every box ... Jack has got a bit of everything. He can tackle, get up and down the pitch, create a goal, score a goal, he can pass.

I think he’s got the potential to become one of the best in the world...playing against him recently and in training, he’s a one-off. He’s a lot better than your normal Premier League midfielder. I have a lot of confidence in him.”

Wilshere has been played in many different positions, including as an attacking midfielder, a winger, and most regularly, as a deep-lying central midfielder.

Wenger has said that Wilshere is “a box-to-box player, more than just a holding midfielder.” Wilshere’s style of play has frequently been compared to that of Arsenal legend Liam Brady, while Brady himself identified Wilshere as the latest in a line of technically gifted English players from Glenn Hoddle to Wayne Rooney.

icardo Gouveia has been one of the dominant forces on the Challenge Tour this season, but the rising star is keen to test himself in the elevated company of The European Tour in this week’s Portugal Masters.

Gouveia currently sits second in the Road to Oman Rankings after a seriously consistent season on the Challenge Tour and, with a berth in The 2016 Race to Dubai long since confirmed, the 24 year old is already planning for his debut campaign on the top tier of European golf.

Gouveia’s infrequent forays onto The European Tour have yet to yield the desired results but, given that he has now secured no fewer than ten top ten finishes – including a victory in Germany – on the Challenge Tour this term, it would be little surprise if the Portuguese were to continue his impressive run by contending on home soil at

Oceânico Victoria Golf Course, in Vilamoura.

He said: “I’ve been looking forward to this week for a very long time now. It’s always great to play an event in your own country, and to have a lot of home support behind me – and staying in my own bed is a nice bonus as well.

I used to play on the five courses at Oceânico a lot, so I know the Victoria course really well. I also spent last week practising here, so hopefully that will prepare me well for the tournament.

“It’s good to play on The European Tour to see where my game is at, and to measure myself against the other players out here ahead of a full season on the main Tour next year. I think I’m on the right path and my results on the Challenge Tour this year have been very good, but I’ve just got to keep working hard on my game and hopefully I’ll do just as well when I make the step up next season.”

Harrington hopes to make golf attractive to kids

T

hree-time Major Champion Padraig Harrington is hoping the UBS Hong Kong Open’s ‘Free Thursday’ campaign can help introduce golf to a new audience at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling next week.

The Irishman was hugely impressed by the ‘Free Thursday’ initiative at last week’s British Masters supported by Sky Sports, where more than 15,000 people attended the event, many of them for the first time.

The UBS Hong Kong Open will follow that example next Thursday (October 22), when all spectators will be granted free entry to the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Harrington is a great believer in introducing as many people as possible to the game he loves,

Hamington

and he hopes giving people the opportunity to attend the 57th edition of one of Asia’s great sporting events for free can help to generate new interest in golf in Hong Kong.

“The ‘Free Thursday’ initiative is a great idea and I hope that it can assist in introducing a whole new audience to golf,” said Harrington, who memorably won The 2007 Open Championship, before successfully defending the Claret Jug and adding the US PGA title the following year.

“We saw it at the British Masters last week, where the ‘Free Thursday’ attracted many kids and young people to the event, some experience golf for the first time, and the players really responded to create a great atmosphere.

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MIRROR SPORT

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

150 schools for COPA Coca-Cola championship Ifeanyi Eduzor

F

ootball fans across Nigeria would soon experience school football at its best form, as the 2015 edition of COPA Coca-Cola local national championship kicks off later in the month.

The international youth football tournament which is organised annually by leading global beverage giant, Coca-Cola, helps to identify and reward football talents and create an opportunity for them to pursue their passion for the game , helping them to bond in the process, form new friendships and develop significant team skills.

Themed, “Everything for Football”, the 2015 Football tournament is divided into two phases, “Everyday Football” and the

“Tournament”. At the first phase, which is the everyday football; communities would be provided with basic football equipment and kits at 10 selected playing fields.

There would also be the creation of the ‘Legacy Pitch’ which is the renovation of a football arena into a COPA mini- stadium.

The tournament which is the second phase would see 150 schools participating across 10 key cities in Nigeria. It would involve a coaching clinic, where participating teenagers will get the unique opportunity to learn new tricks and flicks that will elevate their football artistry from inspiring coaches and ex-internationals from the tournament in Nigeria, two Most Valuable Players will feature in COPA Coca-Cola International camp in Germany in 2016.

Golden Eaglets in action at the 2015 Africa U-17 championship in Niger Republic

U-17 W/Cup

(L-R): Ex-international , Taribo West, Marketing Director, Coca-Cola, Patricia Jemibewon, Ex-international , Waheed Akanni, Secretary General, Nigerian School Sports Federation, NSSF, Olabisi Joseph and Ex-international, Victor Ikpeba, at the Copa Coca-Cola coaching Clinic, held at Dairy Farm Secondary School, Agege, Lagos.

Globacom League: Ikorodu Utd to make a mark — Onyelonu Ifeanyi Eduzor

G

angling striker of newly promoted premiership side, Ikorodu United FC of Lagos, Chinedu Onyelonu has predicted a memorable debut in the Globacom Premier League next season.

The former FRSC of Abuja and JUTH of Jos striker who has just recovered from injury after helping his side gain promotion from the Nigeria National League declared that their target in the coming premier league season is to have a good finish.

Cooreman

“Last season, our mission was to gain promotion and we thank God for doing so in grand style.

Management of Ikorodu United has been quite wonderful and we are bound to get stronger”, said Onyelonu after the team won a pre- season friendly last Wednesday.

With more friendlies being planned besides their upcoming Super Four League in Abuja next month, Onyelonu revealed that Belgian Manager, Maurice Cooreman remains a very big motivation to the team.

“The technical adviser, Maurice Cooreman is highly experienced and we love winning for him because he is very passionate about the game. He leads by example and his tactics have been flawless. With Cooreman around, fans of Ikorodu United should be ready for a lot of excitement.

“Kano Pillars, Rangers International, Enyimab Fc of Aba and others are mere names. We are in the premier league to make our mark’, concluded the Anambra State born striker who scored three goals last season.

Wheel chair basket ball tourney ends today Ifeanyi Eduzor

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his year’s edition of Victor Ochei wheel chair basketball championship will come to end today at the Indoor Sports Hall of National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

The weeklong championship will be rounded up with a match between Oyo State that edged out Edo 44-28 in the first semi- finals yesterday and their Lagos State counterparts who whitewashed

Ogun State 87-03 in the second semi- final match.

In the female category, Delta State which recorded a 12-2 result against Ogun state in a one- sided match will square up with Imo State in the first women finals of the competition.

Speaking on the finals, President of Nigeria Wheel Chair Basket Ball Federation, Bukola Olapode has promised that the finals will be hitch free as all modalities have been put in place to ensure a successful completion of the championship.

Buhari charges Eaglets to conquer the World

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resident Muhammadu Buhari has extended his best wishes for a triumphant outing to the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria who are in Chile to participate in this year’s under-17 FIFA World Cup tournament.

The President urged the team to do their utmost best to match the outstanding performance of their victorious predecessors who have won the competition four times including the inaugural edition in 1985 and the last tournament in 2013.

He assured the Golden Eaglets and their handlers of the full support of the Federal Government and all Nigerians as they strive to bring more sporting glory to their fatherland by outplaying all their opponents in Chile and winning the Under-17 World Cup for a record fifth time.

A statement from the presidency noted that the President will follow the team’s progress through the tournament in Chile with keen interest and high expectation in the belief

uper Eagles assistant coach Salisu Yusuf said yesterday that the Super Eagles Team B are fully prepared for the Etalons of Burkina Faso ahead of today’s 2016 African Nations Championship final qualifying round, first leg match in Port Harcourt.

“We have prepared hard, and we know victory will be ours.

We take this match very serious because it is the final qualifying round, and we will have no excuse for Nigerians if we fail.

“We shall work hard to win handsomely, but we must score the first goal, before we score the other goals. That means we must

approach the match with a level head and play normally.”

The former Enyimba FC, Kano Pillars and El-Kanemi Warriors chief tactician was one of 18 coaches who attended a capacity building program motivated by the NFF in the United Kingdom in March this year, and he also attended a ProZone software special training also in the United Kingdom the following month.

“We have been studying previous matches of the Burkina Faso team. They are certainly a good side but we have an idea of the best way to approach the game,” he said.

Meanwhile NFF President Am-

that the boys have the skills, dedication and determination required to make Nigeria world champions at the youth level once again.

He appealed to the players to stay focused, avoid all distractions and put their globally acknowledged skills, ability and doggedness on display against the USA today in their opening match and in all their subsequent matches to win the tournament and give millions of soccer-loving Nigerians the perfect end-of-the-year gift.

CHAN Qualifier: We’re prepared for Burkina Faso —Yusuf S

aju Pinnick has charged the home based Eagles and the Golden Eaglets to give Nigerians plenty to smile about this weekend when they confront oppositions of varying shapes in two very important matches.

The Super Eagle Team s B confront Burkina Faso’s Etalons in a 2016 African Nations Championship final qualifying round, first leg match at the Adokiye Amiesiamaka Stadium in Port Harcourt today’s afternoon. Hours after, the Golden Eaglets and their United States of America counterpart will do battle in the opening match of the 16th FIFA U-17 World Cup finals in Santiago.

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OCTOBER 17, 2015

49

Crime Watch

Finger prints from FESTAC robbery scene to be analysed in Nigeria —Police

T

he Nigeria Police have said that the finger prints it lifted from the scene of Tuesday’s robbery in two banks in FESTAC Town, Lagos would be analysed in the country.

Bala Hassan, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command, made the assertion when he visited the robbery scene on Thursday.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that robbers, numbering 40, robbed Access and Diamond banks on 4th Avenue in FESTAC Town, an incident where a stray bullet killed a mother and her child in their apartment.

Hassan, who spoke with newsmen at the robbery scene, said a forensic laboratory was recently opened for such investigations, stressing that the perpetrators of the act must be arrested.

He said: “An office had just been opened at the order of the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, for forensic reports and analysis.

“We are not sending any of the finger prints and all other sundry investigations overseas for analysis.

“We are going to conduct them here.

“We are coming out with the results soon and we promise to bring the perpetrators to book.”

The AIG added that members of the public should ensure that they divulge useful information

to the police to enable them avert such incidents.

Hassan said: “We implore members of the public to help the police.

“I am sure the people that carried out this plan would have planned it somewhere.

“It could have been in a drinking joint.

“If someone had called on the Commissioner of Police that some people are planning a

suspicious act somewhere, they would have been rounded off and arrested.

“We are in the ember wants and as people want to celebrate Christmas, many want to enjoy the Christmas through unlawful means.”

Hassan added that the Marine Police could not have accessed the carnal that was used by the robbers because of its location.

stabbed him in anger over his intervention in a fight between Mr. Black and his (Black’s) younger sister.

The witness said further that Mr. Samola was first rushed to a private hospital, which refused to treat him, before he was taken to the Plateau Specialist Hospital, where he later died.

Angered by the development, youths of the area were said to have gone after the suspected killer (Black) and wrestled him

from the policemen and some soldiers who intervened and wanted him to be prosecuted.

The witness said the youths quickly put a used tyre round the neck of the suspect, set it ablaze and waited till he was burnt to death before they dispersed to bury Mr. Samola.

According to the source, the youths claimed that the suspect was fond of “misbehaving” and might be freed by the security agents to unleash even worse havoc on society.

He said: “The marine police could not have done anything with the place the carnal was located.

“There is a small a market there.

“We would have ended up with a lot of casualties from the bank and the neighbouring community if we had engaged the robbers.

“They are not uniformed men.

“They were dressed in different uniforms to create an

Mob set man ablaze for stabbing another to death

A

n angry mob at Ungwan-Rukuba New Road of the Nasarawa area of Jos, on Wednesday burnt a 25-year-old man, Mantau Black, for allegedly stabbing one Sati Samola to death.

A witness who preferred anonymity told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Thursday that Mr. Black was lynched in revenge for the deadly stab he inflicted on Mr. Samola.

The witness said Mr. Black went after Mr. Samola and

“They, therefore, insisted on ‘removing’ him from their midst,” the source said.

Contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Plateau Command, Emmanuel Abuh, confirmed the incident.

“I went there (where it happened), yesterday, but could not see the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in charge of the area.

“We shall soon get more facts on the matter and get back to you,” he said.

(NAN)

atmosphere of intimidation to carry out their evil act.”

Hassan urged members of the public in Lagos and Ogun States to go about their daily activities peacefully, adding that the perpetrators of the dastardly act would be brought to justice soon.

Hassan said the only way to win the hearts and trust of the people in Lagos and Ogun States was to bring the perpetrators to face the dose of the law.

Also addressing the media at the scene, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Fatai Owoseni, identified some of the challenges the police faced.

Owoseni said some of the creeks that were used by the robbers were where innocent people reside and it was difficult operating in such environments.

He said: “This is part of our challenges that Nigerians do not know.

“This carnal is close to a market.

“Because of the way the robbers were dressed, the people CONTINUED ON PAGE 51

Do you have a story for us? Contact 08138773277 or crimewatchmirror@yahoo.com

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Crime Watch

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Rep’s daughter’s kidnap not planned with boyfriend— Family

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amily members have denied reports that daughter of House of Representative member, Hon. Joe Edionwele, Jessica Edionwele’s abduction was a hoax “orchestrated” with her boyfriend.

Reports had it that Jessica, a youth corps member and second daughter of Hon. Edionwele who represents Esan West, Esan Central and Igueben federal constituency in the lower chamber was found by the police in a supermarket in Lugbe area of Abuja shopping with her boyfriend after her family lost contact with her last Wednesday and announced that she had been kidnapped. Chief Edionwele However, speaking on behalf of the family, Barrister Lucky Eseigbe said contrary to media reports, the 24-yearold was actually kidnapped by unknown persons, and her fiance was not in town.

He said: “The online reports are fake and intended to embarrass Hon. Edi-

Man, 52, murders own mum

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52-year old man, Bravo Kunde, on Thursday murdered his 80-year old mother, known as Mama Yakubu, in Jos. Witnesses said Mr. Kunde allegedly stabbed his mother to death in early hours of Thursday, at Jenta Mangoro area of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

A relation of the deceased, Baba Nati, claimed Mr. Kunde committed the alleged crime while drunk.

“He has been doing strange things, but this is the worst he has done by killing his mom,” he said.

He said the leader of the community reported the matter to the Plateau State Police Command, and residents of the area beat Mr. Kunde to pulp before the arrival of the police.

The spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command could not be reached for comment.

Jessica

Edionwele

onwele.

“Miss Edionwele last communicated with members of her family via phone when she was about boarding an Abuja flight from Lagos airport on October 7th and

when she could not get to her father’s residence in Area1, the family reported the matter to the police.

“Police intensified efforts and got information that she was being held against her

wish in Lugbe and the person who kidnapped her also contacted Rep Edionwele, who in turn informed the FCT police.

“Jessica was rescued from her abductor but never in her

lover’s house as speculated.

Her fiancé is out of the country as at when this incident happened. No ransom was paid but because of the early intervention of the police, she was not harmed,” he said.

Guard arrested with fake police ID card, uniform, AK 47 rifles

... blames DPO Patience Ogbo

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olicemen attached to the Lagos State police command are investigating a 58 -year old -man Jude Ojoo over allegations of impersonation and gun running.

According to police source, the suspect was arrested by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of B Operations DCP Johnson Dokumor for driving against traffic.

Following the arrest, the suspect was handed over to the SARS operatives for further investigation.

It was gathered that the police conducted a search of the suspect’s vehicle and found guns in the booth of the car, a police uniform with the rank

of a Deputy Superintendent of Police and a forged police identity card.

The suspect however claimed that he is a guard at an unnamed church and that the guns belonged to his church.

He said “I am a security man at a church. I was using the guns for protection of our church. I was coming back from the armourer where I had gone to repair the guns. We were four persons in the vehicle including our GO (General Overseer) of our church. I was driving against traffic at the Abattoir area when I was arrested and the guns were found on me” Asked how he came about the guns and the police uniforms including the fake identity card, the suspect said “I got the guns to protect the church.

Lagos Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni.

I am the head of security in our church and the guns are licensed. I bought the police uniforms but a friend of mine who is a CSP (Chief Superintendent of Police) gave me the identity card. He is a DPO” A police source revealed that they recovered four AK 47 rifles and two locally made guns from the suspect.

A police source however stated that the suspect belongs to a gun running gang in the state.

“Though we are still inves-

tigating but preliminary investigation reveals that the suspect may be fronting for a gang of armed robbers in the state. He is using his occupation as a guard to deceive members of the public on what he is into as a gun runner. He has police uniform, identity card and was claiming to be a DPO. He was not consistent with his statement and we became suspicious and arrested him .From our investigation, he was going about telling members of church and other members of the public but luck ran out on him when he broke traffic regulation and was arrested.

As soon as he was arrested for driving against traffic, he said he claimed he was a Deputy Superintendent of police rushing for an assignment.

Following a search of his vehicle, a fake Identity card, Uniform and guns were recovered from him.”

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Crime Watch I’ve stolen 70 phones OCTOBER 17, 2015

this year — Suspect

A

mobile phone thief, who was arrested with his accomplice, has pleaded with the Police in Lagos that his parents must not know that he was engaged in stealing.

The thieves, Ufoma Asakpa, 22, and Augustine Omedo, 20, have confessed to the crime after their arrest with both accusing each other of leading one another into the act. Vanguard reports that the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command that apprehended them alleged that they specialised in stealing handsets and valuable items.

The Police said the suspects, who burgle shops of innocent members of public at Abule-Oja in Yaba, were arrested by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command on Oct. 13.

One of them, who hail from Ndokwa Local Government Area in Delta State, told NAN that his parents must not know that he was caught for stealing.

In his confessional statement, he said: “I was a secondary school dropout.

I was unable to proceed to senior classes after I failed Junior WAEC. “My parents took me to my brother’s shop to learn how to repair generators but I couldn’t endure the period of apprenticeship.

“While looking for ways

to earn quick money, I met my partner who introduced me to stealing. I joined him about 10 months ago and the police never caught us.

“In fact, my parents must not know that I am a thief because I leave home every day as if I was going to work. “I have regretted my actions for taking to stealing for survival. It is the devil that pushed me into it,’’ he said. His accomplice, who lives at number 10, Kehinde Str, Ajegunle, Lagos, regretted that bad friendship lured him into stealing. “When I entered the shop pretending to buy a sachet of water to cook rice, I saw a phone charging in that shop.

“I took the phone and switched it off immediately.

My partner had also gone to another shop to steal phones too. “We had successfully stolen those phones but suddenly, we saw RRS men chasing us.

“As we were about to mount on our motorcycle, we were crossed and arrested,’’ he said in his confessional statement.

The two suspects revealed that they had stolen about 70 phones this year and identified their buyer simply as Alfa who owns a shop at Boundary in Ajegunle.

The owner of the shop, Mr Oluwole Allen, who followed them to the Police’s Headquarters, said that he never had any inkling that the two suspects were phone thieves when they entered his shop.

Court remands Falae’s alleged abductors in prison

A

n Ondo State High Court on Thursday in Akure remanded the five people accused of kidnapping Chief Olu Falae, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, at the Olokuta Prison.

The accused, who were arraigned, were Abubakar Auta, Bello Jannu, Umaru Ibrahim, Masahudu Muhammed and Idris Lawal.

They were alleged to have participated in the abduction of the former Minister for Finance on Sept. 21 at his farm in Ilado, Akure North

Local Government Area of the state.

The accused persons allegedly released the septuagenarian on Sept. 24 after collecting N5 million as ransom.

They were arraigned on a five-count charge of kidnapping and abducting, aiding and abetting, kidnapping, conspiracy and armed robbery.

However, all of them pleaded not guilty to the offence when the charges were read to them.

The judge, Justice Rotimi Olamide, adjourned the case till Nov. 10 for further hearing.

(NAN)

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51

I bought houses, cars with fake dollars —Suspect Patience Ogbo

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olicemen attached to the Special Anti Robbery squad, Lagos State police command, are investigating a 42-year-old man, Rafiu Olusamokun, over allegation of money counterfeiting.

According to the police, Mr. Olusamokun, was caught with fake local and foreign currency running into millions in his house at Ayidolapo Street, in the Ikotun area of Lagos.

The Lagos State Commissioner of police, Mr.Fatia Owoseni, while reacting to the arrest, stated that the suspect belongs to syndicate which specialized in producing fake currencies but luck ran out on the suspect when following a tipoff by members of the public who have fallen victims to the gang, the police placed a covert surveillance on the suspect and he was arrested in the act.

The suspect was later paraded alongside his iron box filled with different currencies .

The suspect however stated that he joined the gang to make ends meet adding that he was lured into crime by bad friends “I am a motor mechanic before I was deceived into production of fake currencies. I worked with some people who are still at large.

They are the ones who taught me this business. I have made alot of money .I have bought houses and cars. Luck ran out on me when the police recovered an iron box full of fake dollars, pounds and naira notes from my house. Some materials such as cotton wool, paints and oil, allegedly used in the production of the money, were also recovered by the police.

Some men introduced me into the business. I ran into them by chance and they told me they just

Olusamokun and his loot

returned from Europe. They brainwashed me and forced pay about N600, 000 to purchase the materials to produce the fake currencies.

He said, “I met those people early this year. I was working as a motor mechanic, and I just ran into them. They said they recently returned from Europe. When I visited them at a hotel in the Bar Beach, Victoria Island area, they brought out the samples of the currencies they had, and said I could produce same if I wanted to become wealthy.

“I was immediately interested. A friend, Sule Sulaimon, who went with me, also became interested. Their leader said all I needed to do was to purchase the chemicals from them. He said I should bring N1m, but I eventually paid N650,000 for the chemicals.

“I did not know the samples they gave me were fake; the papers looked so original. I first gave him N400,000, and then

N250,000. He said I could reproduce as much hard currencies as I wanted from the materials I had.

“The currencies recovered from my house runs into millions, but I was not through with the reproduction. If I had finished with it, I would have been a wealthy man. I would have evaded the arrest.”

A police source said that Olusamokun was to give part of the money reproduced to the syndicate, so that he could be given more materials. He added that the police were still on the trail of the group.

“The syndicate gave him the materials and the currencies to wash into original. The money is actually worth millions. He was producing 100 and 200 and pounds. The police found the fake cash in his house,” he said.

Mr.Owoseni, said the police will soon arrest other members of the gang adding that the suspect would be charged to court.

properties.

Dipo Olorunrinumi, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Amuwo-Odofin Constituency, said the community would help the police with necessary information to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Olorunrinumi added that the community had commenced the blockage of vulnerable places to ensure that the incident would not happen again.

He said: “We have commenced the blockage of some places the

community feels the robbers could use to have access into the community to avert such incidents.

“We will ensure that all necessary information that can help the police to arrest the robbers will be given.”

Olorunrinumi said the community had visited the family of the woman that lost her life and that of her daughter and would be fully involved in the burial arrangements.

NAN.

Finger prints from Festac robbery scene to be analysed in Nigeria —Police CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49 could not recognise them early enough.

“They thought they were taskforce officials.

“We take what is left back to restrategise and ensure that places that are vulnerable are well protected in Ogun and Lagos States.”

Owoseni said that Access Bank was set to commence operations again, while Diamond Bank was still repairing some damaged

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52

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Investment Profiles with Godwin Uba ubagodwin@yahoo.com 08034494437

Water nylon, shopping bags production

N

ylon has become raw materials for packaging of some manufacture goods. Even water packaging cannot be done without Nylon rolls.

No nation can grow industrially without looking at hygienic packaging of consumables.

Here, the prefect Nylon Extruding plant is discussed with emphasis placed on how to establish, manage and market the products effectively and efficiently.

Nigeria is a country endows with natural resources. Petroleum is one of them.

Some of the bye-products of the petroleum products such as B.A.S.F, ESCORENE, and D.O.W etc are important industrial raw materials. These bye-products are seen scattered around the nation’s refineries at Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna.

The bye-products can be collected and extruded into polyethylene sheets, which can be made into various shapes, designs and sizes for industrial and domestic uses.

The products can be further made to have some pictures, diagrams, objects printed on it to make it fashionable.

The polyethylene sheets can be converted to nylon papers, shopping bags, packaging bags for industrial and domestic uses.

The uses of polyethylene sheets cannot be easily exhaustible. It covers such areas as membranes for semi- packaging, sachets and wrappers for industrial uses. For domestic purposes it is commonly used for pure water packaging, shopping bags, wrapping of food materials, rain coats shower caps, making of tents in the market, laundry industries and tailoring outfits, etc. Pharmaceutical and packaging companies are not left out.

The various products that can be manufactured include Hospital Hand gloves.

A nation that wants to grow must look inwards so as to harness those areas where it has comparative advantage over other nations.

When this is done, then efforts would be made to develop those areas to the advantage of the nation.

Apart from petroleum, Nigeria is blessed with other Agricultural products which when processed and exported can fetch up to 60 percent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.

Unfortunately, some of those natural resources endowed to the country are not fully utilized.

Polyethylene bags or shopping bags are needed in all household, food centers, community trades, drycleaners, restaurants, bookshops, food processing centers, packaging firms, supermarkets, petty traders, bakeries to mention but a few. They serve

also as a venue for corporate advertisement. Different sizes, shapes and colors are seen and used for different purposes.

The demand for this product is very extensive and occurs on a daily basis. It is therefore imperative that the supply must be sustained to satisfy the ever- increasing demand. Market survey reveals that there is a high demand by Nigerian businessmen and ECOWAS traders also come to Nigeria to buy in very large quantities.

This means that more investors into this line of enterprises will carve a niche for themselves readily.

The raw material required for this project which are abundant locally, include polythene sheets or basic petrochemical products such as Escorene, Luplen, Dow, B.A.S.F etc. Polythene sheets may be obtained from extruders who produce low-density or high density polythene materials.

The petrochemical product mentioned above can be obtained and extruded at a token fee. They can be obtained from chemical dealers or the NNPC. The required machinery and equipment for the project are Nylon cutting and sealing machine, hanger, scissors, transformers, punching blades and the punching

machine.

Locally fabricated machine & equipment are recommended for this project and will be supplied to prospective investors on demand. These machines are very strong and compact enough and may be installed in a room measuring about 12ft x 12ft on a very small scale. If it is on a medium or large scale one or two plots of land will be ideal.

This implies that the project can take off in just a room.

The production process is very simple.

The nylon cutting and sealing machine are set to the required dimensions. This will depend on the size of nylon product the investor may want to have at a time e.g. bread wrappers, shopping bags, laundry

packs etc.

The polythene sheets are then fixed on the hangers and drawn into the machine after which they are cut and sealed automatically when pressed with the foot or automatic cutting & sealing machines.

For shopping bags, the produced materials are then packed into hundreds into the punching machine, which can punch up to 300 bags at a time, thereby opening up handles for the bags.

The decoration printer is then used to make the desired inscriptions.

The products are the packed into bigger polythene bags and sold a wholesale basis.

The project can be located in any part of the country. The basic factor to put into consideration when setting up the plant is as follows:Firstly, how to ensure that trained hands are employed. Secondly, the project is to be set up in strategic area, especially in highly populated zones.

Thirdly, ensure that there is regular supply of electricity, since this is a very small project, it can as well be combined with another cottage enterprises if there is sufficient funds.

Financial benefits from the project are attractive. With a total investment of 20.0 million total of over N55, 000 000.00 turnover is envisaged within the first year of operation. The gross profit (projected) should be N23.7 million by the 2nd year of operation. This figure would increase to about N58.24 million by the 5th year.

Funding The Federal Government just released through CBN over N500 billion for injection into small and medium scale industries development in Nigeria. Anybody with good business plan will benefit from the funds. There are also financial institutions and Special Project Funding Organizations that would be recommended to prospective investors on contacting the writer.

The projected cash flows, Return on Investment and Payback period, based on our analysis are very impressive.

Detailed structure of the production processes, Including personnel and manpower requirements, Plant layout, Raw materials sourcing, Marketing Techniques etc, will be embodied in a Comprehensive Feasibility Report for interested investors.

FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS (N’000) Preliminary Expenses 500 Machinery & Equipment 10,000 Working (Variable) 6,000 Accommodation (Rented) (variable)

3,500

Total 20,000

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Uzodinma floors Izunaso at tribunal, dedicates victory to ‘will of God’ George Oji

T

he Imo State National/State Assembly election tribunal has affirmed the election of Senator Hope Uzodinma as the validly elected senator to represent Imo West Senatorial district at the National Assembly.

The three man panel in a unanimous decision on Tuesday rejected the petition of the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Osita Izunaso, challenging the election of Uzodinma for lack of merit.

The tribunal presided over by Justice Ali Garba from Yobe State held that the petitioner failed to prove that there were no elections in three local government areas of the senatorial zone, namely Oru East, Oguta, and Ohaji Egbema.

The tribunal, “further held that the petitioner failed to prove that the first respondent, Senator Uzodinma did not score the majority of the lawful votes cast in the election and that the petitioner also failed to prove that he, Izu-

naso, scored the majority of the lawful votes cast in the said election.”

It would be recalled that the petition by the APC candidate was earlier dismissed by a similar tribunal headed by justice A .Y. Sanya, which ruled that the petitioner, Izunaso, abandoned his petition by failing to pay the appropriate filing fees for the pre-hearing of the matter.

The tribunal ruled then that for failing to pay the required filling fees, the petitioner (Izunaso) had dumped his petition.

But Senator Izunaso in his wisdom appealed the ruling and the Appeal Court ruled that the case should be heard on merit.

Uzodinma in a statement yesterday in Abuja attributed his “victory to the will of God and the overwhelming confidence his constituents repose in him”.

According to him, “throughout the duration of the trial, I had absolute confidence in judicial system and the will of God, and most importantly, the firm conviction that the will of the people must prevail.”

SOUTH EAST

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Group disowns PDP leaders over 2019 presidential zoning Emmanuel Ezeh Enugu

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South-East socio-political organisation, yesterday lambasted the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for zoning its 2019 presidential ticket to the North.

In a communique issued after its emergency meeting in Enugu, the group, Njiko Igbo Forum, an affiliate of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, described PDP leaders as cowards and ingrates.

The Forum said it was the height of ingratitude

for the party to deny the South-East the presidential ticket despite getting block votes from the zone in 2015.

In a communique signed by its President, Rev. Okechukwu Obioha, the group said “We consider the recommendation of Sen. Ike Ekweremadu’s PDP committee, and subsequent approval of PDP’s NWC that 2019 presidential candidate of the party will come from the North as an act of cowardice to electoral victory and ingratitude to Ndigbo.

“What this hasty declaration and politicking means is that if PDP wins in 2019, her candidate (a Northerner) will seek a second term

constitutional provision; if the APC wins again in 2019, they will return the Presidency to the S/West and thereby elongating the chances of the S/East to the Presidency of this country.

“This is unacceptable to say the least. Njiko Igbo will intensify her efforts in making sure that any organised and coordinated party that puts up an Igbo as presidential candidate will have our support.

“We will rather be in opposition than sell our birthright. After all, the South West had stayed in the opposition for many years, and now they are where they are today. Since PDP is

53

hasty and selfish in starting the politics of 2019 Presidency now, Njiko Igbo will be hasty to let them know that we deliberately made a statement in 2015 general elections without apologies, and will repeat this feat in 2019 by rejecting them.

“We are a major partner in this project called Nigeria. We will never support PDP and will vote against her come 2019. We call on all patriotic “Onye Igbo” in PDP to begin to address their minds come 2019 that PDP will not have the blessing of Ndigbo as far as the Presidency is concerned.

We are not visitors in this country-Nigeria.”

Tribunal sacks Ideato South lawmaker over perjury, fake certificate

T

he Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Owerri, the Imo State capital yesterday nullified the election of Hon. Ikechukwu Amuka (APC) representing Ideato South constituency in the State House of Assembly.

The tribunal also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately issue certificate of return to Mrs. Nkechinyere Ugwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the position.

Justice P.I. Idong, who delivered the more than three hours judgment of the three-man panel, affirmed that Amuka presented forged West Africa Examination School Certificate result to INEC to contest the April 11, 2015 election.

The tribunal further ordered the speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Acho Ihim to immediately swearin Ugwu as the genuine winner of the April 11, state legislative election for Ideato South.

Reviewing evidences and submissions by the parties in the petition, the

court noted that the photography on the original WAEC results tendered

by Amuka was that of one Kevin I. Amuka who attended St. Peter Claver Seminary, Okpala.

It maintained that subjects claimed to have been written by the respondent was doubtful , noting that the respondent failed to proof to the panel that he at the time of the said election was qualified by law to contest.

The court stated that after comparing the picture and the physical appearance of the first respondent, it was clear that the picture on the result did not belong to the first respondent.

“With the evidence before this tribunal, we are convinced that the first respondent presented forged certificate to INEC and therefore lied on oath and should be prosecuted for perjury and forgery by INEC”, the tribunal ruled.

The tribunal also ordered that the majority votes which the first respondent claimed he had scored to win the election be declared null and void, while the said miserable 3,392 votes scored by the petitioner be taken as the valid votes.

Officers of the National Environmental Standard and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA), sealing off Elizade Total, at Trans-Amadi Industrial Layout in Port Harcourt, yesterday. PHOTO:NAN

NMA condemns Okorocha’s plan to concession public hospitals Chris Njoku Owerri

Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, yesterday in Owerri, condemned the move by Imo State Government to hand over the management of public health institutions to private individuals, saying that health is a basic responsibility the government owes its people.

Addressing newsmen in Owerri, the Imo State capital, the state NMA Chair-

man, Dr. Emele Hyacinth, noted that concessioning the general hospitals and health centres so as to hands off such responsibilities or to generate profit would exclude the poor from accessing available and affordable quality healthcare.

According to Emele, the concession of public health institutions in the state including health centres by the governor is already having an adverse effect on health institutions and the poor masses.

Emele however, stated that NMA in the state have totally condemned the concession of public health institutions by the state government to private individuals, maintaining that health is one of the basic responsibilities of a government.

Diverting the responsibility to the private individual, the NMA chairman noted, will have a toll effect on the poor masses, especially the health workers serving the rural dwellers.

Explaining further, he

said that “a case study is the recent concession of Imo State Specialist Hospital, Umuguma to one Dr. Sylvanus Amaeshi, the former Senior Special Adviser on Health and his cohorts.

The poor were exclusively excluded from the services which were rendered there.

“If the state government hands off its responsibilities on issues as burdensome as health where it is needed most, one wonders what other use a government will serve for the people,” Emele stated.

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300 academics, top journalists storm UNICAL International Communication Conference Richard Neji CALABAR

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bout three hundred people from academic community of the University of Calabar are currently warming up to participate in the 17th Annual International Conference of African Council for Communication Education (Nigeria Chapter) slated o hold at the institution.

Speaking to journalists at a courtesy visit to the Correspondents Chapel of NUJ in Calabar, Head of Department of Linguistics and Communications Studies, University of Calabar, Dr Godwin Iwuchukwu, averred that about two hundred abstracts for the presentation of papers have been sent in from participants from different countries of the world.

Godwin stated that the conference which would have journalists from various media houses would be hosted by the Department of Linguistics and Communication Studies for the first time and is expected to attract academics and journalists from universities and media houses in the United Kingdom, United States and Africa.

“The year International Conference/AGM, which will hold from October 20-23, will have its theme: “Communication, Language And the 2015 Elections,” is aimed at undertaking a post-mortem of the 2015 general elections in Nigeria from communication, language and Linguistics point of view.

Dr Iwuchukwu, who doubles as the Chairman, Local organising Committee of the Conference, said it is an opportunity for scholars and practicing journalists to x-ray issues and events regarding reportage and use of language by media practitioners and academics.

The LOC chairman said Professor Abiodun Salawu from South Africa and Prof Ozo-Mercury Ndimele of University of Port Harcourt would be lead paper presenters, while Mr Donald Duke, the former Governor of Cross River State, will be the keynote Speaker.

He added that several professors and media practitioners will present papers which will be instructive and of academic essence.

SOUTH SOUTH

OCTOBER 17, 2015

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Bayelsa 2015: Dickson, TMG launches Sylva bicker over election monitoring campaign strategies project in Osahon Julius YEANAGOA

As Bayelsans get set for what many have called’ mother of campaign’ ahead the December 5 governorship election, the campaign organization of the state Governor, Seriake Dickson and that of the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, has re-ignited political rivalry as they yesterday, trade words over campaign strategies and achievements of both contenders while in office.

The campaign organization of former Governor and APC flag bearer, Chief Timipre Sylva, described as “dangerous meddlesomeness “ the alleged sponsorship of bias and fictitious reports against the APC by the administration of Seriake Dickson, arguing that such action shows

that the PDP lack variable campaign strategy for the forth coming governorship poll.

Governor Dickson, through his campaign organization-‘Restoration Campaign Organization’ described the claims of the former governor as laughable saying that the APC is a house of commotion without campaign plan or strategy.

The Sylva campaign said in a release last Thursday signed by Mr. Doifie Buokoribo said that the false publication was part of PDP campaign programme based on reckless interference in the affairs of the APC due to lack of achievements to campaign with.

The statement said, “Hon. Seriake Dickson and his party, Peoples Democratic Party, have since the beginning of the campaign

for the December 5, governorship election, become ruthless interfering busybodies in the affairs of the All Progressives Congress.

“The fascination with APC and Chief Timipre Sylva is understandable, especially, for a governor who hardly has any achievements to point to after nearly four years in office. Besides, Dickson and PDP cannot afford not to be interested in APC, a political party the vast majority of people in Bayelsa State are looking up to for redemption from the current regime of deceit and maladministration.

The Dickson campaign organization in a statement signed by the Director of Publicity, Hon. Jonathan Ogbeibite, the claims by the Timipre Sylva Campaign Organization that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) does not have

any tangible achievement to campaign with ahead of the December 5 poll is laughable.

According to Ogbeibite,” it is Sylva that does not have what to campaign with.

Hon. Obuebite points out that while the PDP had set up its campaign secretariat and structure several weeks back, it is now the APC is trying to do same with so much controversy still trailing its last governorship primary and the selection of running mate for its candidate.”

“The orgy of violence and gangsterism that characterized the tenure of Sylva, the seeming suspicions of Bayelsans about his character and personality would make the APC look stupid when they begin their campaign as most communities where their terror machine once ravaged would reject them”.

L-R: Former national chairman of PDP, Dr Ahmadu Alli, Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio and former senate president, Ken Nnamani at the party’s NEC meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

Restore electricity to Calabar metropolis – Cleric charges PHCN Richard Ndoma CALABAR

T

he Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Calabar, Anglican Communion, Rev. Tunde Adeleye, yesterday, called on the management of Port Harcourt Electricity Company of Nigeria PHCH to expedite action in the restoration of electricity within the Calabar metropolis.

Briefing journalists at the first session of the 9th synod of the Diocese which begins on 0ctober 21, at St. Peters Cathedral Ogoja Local Government Area of the state, with a theme;”He has made all things beautiful”, Adeleye stated that the power outage

has thrown residents of the metropolis into economic hardship.

Adeleye, while raising the alarm over the incessant power outage by the Port Hacourt Electricity Company of Nigeria, claimed that the situation has caused the church to be spending N600 thousand to fuel the church generators.

“I felt so bad early this week when I saw an insane young man picking food items that were contaminated from the trash cans of the Calabar Urban Development Authority CUDA and ate. I saw him pick a piece of chicken that was discarded into the dust bin just to enable him eat” Adeleye maintained.

The cleric stated that be-

cause of the constant black out in Calabar, artisans such as barbers, welders, upholstery makers and all those who use electricity to do their jobs had in recent times come under frustration due to lack of electricity.

The Anglican Bishop averred that the power outage has brought serious economic hardship to the Diocese causing the Diocese to spend six hundred thousand on monthly basis on diesel to power its generating plant.

“I feel very sad, I spend about N.6m on diesel in a month.

Some people said there is an improvement on light I can`t see it. I think this is wickedness I am angry about it.

If not for God we would not

have had money to pay salaries. The noise from generators coupled with carbon emission which I hear may cause cancer” Adeleye said.

According to him, the blackout has help in crippling the economic fortunes of the church resulting in low offering for the church offering.

In a related development, the cleric urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to negotiate with he Boko Haram sect because the organization is not created by any law adding that the Boko Haram sect is not known for any legal institution.

“Discussing with them is an insult to the Nigeria nation. The terrorists don`t deserve any form of negotiation.

Yenegoa Osahon Julius YENAGOA

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head the December 5th gubernatorial election in Bayelsa state, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has announced its preparedness to deploy the Quick Count election observation methodology for the December 5, governorship poll in the state.

Unveiling the Quick Count project recently in Yenagoa, Chairman of TMG, Mr Ibrahim Zikirullahi, said the methodology employs statistical principles and sophisticated information technology platforms.

TMG launched the Quick Count Project in Yenagoa before representatives of INEC, Civil Society Groups, Media, TMG volunteers amongst other stakeholders.

Zikirullahi, noted that Quick Count is a parallel vote tabulation method that provides timely and accurate information on the conduct of voting and counting capable of independently verifying the accuracy of election results.

“TMG is undertaking the Quick Count for the Bayelsa Governorship poll to provide voters, candidates, political parties, security and the INEC and public with independent information about whether the official results reflect ballots cast at the polling units.

“If INEC’s official results fall within TMG’s estimated range then the public, political parties and candidates should have confidence that official results reflect ballots cast at polling units,” Zikirullahi said.

He said that TMG volunteers who would work as observers on this project are drawn from every corner of the state, TMG observers include men and women,the young, and the elderly,Christians and muslims.

Zikirullahi further explained that TMG is an independent and strictly non-=artisan organization with no affiliation to any political party or candidate.

It also urged INEC to intensify efforts the overcome the identified logistic lapses to ensure that no voter was disenfranchised due to challenges in the CVR process.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

OCTOBER 17, 2015

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

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55

Lamar Odom spent $75,000 at brothel F

ormer NBA and reality TV star Lamar Odom improved a “tiny bit” during his third night at a Las Vegas hospital, a source close to the situation said Friday.

Odom “got a tiny bit better -- emphasis on tiny -- and he was responsive in the middle of the night for a moment,” the source said.

Officials at Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center have not commented on the condition of Odom, whose medical decisions are being made by his estranged wife, Khloe Kardashian, a source has told CNN. CNN has reached out several times to the hospital for comment and no one has returned any of the calls.

Little is known about what left Odom, 35, unresponsive at a brothel in Crystal, Nevada, where he was found Tuesday, three days after he checked in.

Nor is much know about what is going on inside his hospital room.

The husband of a woman who is on the same floor as Odom said security is extremely tight.

George Cooper said Odom has had many visitors. “All throughout the night there is banging and clicking as his entourage, managers, basketball players and what not coming and going off the floor,” he said, adding that his wife’s room is right by the doors to the wing.

As his private struggle turns into a public spectacle, a few details have emerged about Odom’s time at the brothel.

Most of the information is coming from Dennis Hof, the owner of the Love Ranch, where the former basketball player was found.

In three days, Odom spent $75,000 there, which guaranteed two women would “take care of any of his needs,” Hof told CNN’s sister network HLN. He used cocaine on his first day at the brothel Saturday, employees told 911 dispatchers. On a 911 call played at a news conference, a woman said she also saw him take 10 herbal sup-

plement tablets over three days.

The brothel’s employees also told 911 operators that when they found him Tuesday, Odom was lying in bed on his side with a pinkish fluid coming from his mouth and nose.

His father and two children have joined Kardashian family members at the hospital, but have revealed few specifics on his condition.

In a statement Thursday, his children Destiny Odom, Lamar Odom Jr. and their family asked for prayers.

“Thanks for your outpouring of prayers and support for our dad. We are here with our family and friends,” the statement said. “We appreciate everyone respecting our privacy at this time. We ask for your continued prayers.”

In addition to appearing on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” Odom and Khloe Kardashian had their own reality show, “Khloe & Lamar.” It lasted for two seasons and 20 epi-

Odom

sodes.

The two signed divorce papers this year, but the divorce has not been finalized, a source told CNN. His grandmother, Florence Odom, said she was devastated she could not be at his bedside because of her disabilities.

“I know Lamar didn’t do the things they are saying he did. ... He’s beautiful,” she said. “If you ever were

to meet him you would say the same. I don’t listen to gossip.”

The pressures of celebrity could have taken their toll on him, the 89-year-old said.

Odom, 35, won two NBA championships as a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers.

He played for four teams during his 14 seasons in the NBA and won the Sixth

Man of the Year Award during the 2010-11 season.

The Los Angeles Clippers drafted him in 1999, and he played for the team for four seasons before signing with the Miami Heat.

After one season in Miami, he was traded to the Lakers, and became a key part of their championship teams in 2009 and 2010.

A year later, he played briefly for the Dallas Mavericks before returning to the

Clippers for one season. He has not played in the NBA since then, though the New York Knicks signed him at the end of the regular season last year, only to cut him three months later.

Outside basketball, Odom has continued making headlines, including for a drunken driving charge two years ago. He pleaded no contest and received three years’ probation.

screen maker Lens Technology, and Frank Wang Tao, founder of the world’s largest consumer drone company.

Women made up 21 per cent of the rich list, in-

cluding Zhou who has a fortune of $7.8 billion and property developer Chen Lihua who is worth $7.7 billion.

China’s rapid economic development has

produced more high-networth individuals in a shorter period than anywhere else in history.

However, all of China’s billionaires have emerged in the past decade.

China has 596 billionaires, U.S. 537 M ainland China has surpassed the United States (U.S.) in having the most dollar billionaires for the first time.

According to the Shanghai-based Hurun Report, the number of Mainland Chinese billionaires rose by 242 within a year to 596, with many technology and manufacturing executives joining the rich list.

“This compares with 537 billionaires in the U.S.,’’ according to the most recent Hurun Global Rich List.

Including the 119 billionaires identified in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, the total comes to 715.

“Real estate tycoon Wang Jianlin overtook Jack Ma, founder of Internet giant Alibaba, as Mainland China’s wealthiest person with an esti-

mated at $34.4 billion net worth compared to Ma’s $22.7 billion,’’ the report said.

China’s new billionaires include Zhou Qunfei, who founded touch

Turkey shoots down ‘Russian’ drone

T

urkey’s air force shot down an unidentified aircraft -- reportedly an unmanned drone -- that entered Turkish airspace near the Syrian border, the Turkish armed forces said Friday in a statement.

The aircraft was shot down after it did not respond to three warnings from the Turkish air force, according to the statement.

The origin of the drone is unknown, but Russian jets have reportedly encroached on Turkish airspace twice

in recent weeks.

Two U.S. Defense officials told CNN that according to initial reports, the aircraft was a Russian unmanned vehicle. The United States is continuing to review intelligence on the incident, officials said.

The drone was given three warnings by the Turkish military, but there was no response, Turkish officials said.

Russia dismissed reports that one of its drones had been shot down. All Russian aircraft returned from

their combat missions in Syria, and Russian drones continue their aerial reconnaissance and “are functioning as planned,” the Russian defense ministry said via Facebook.

Russia recently entered the brutal 4½year Syrian civil war on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Its jets, in coordination with the Syrian regime, have conducted airstrikes against ISIS and other terrorist groups -- broadly interpreted as opponents of the Assad regime.

U.S. and Russian aircraft come within visual range over Syria The Turkish government is opposed to Assad and to ISIS. Recently, the Turkish government began allowing the United States to carry out airstrikes against ISIS from the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey.

While the United States and Russia both oppose ISIS, the U.S. also opposes Assad, whom Russia is intent on propping up.

Quote of the day “The request by Qatar for employment of manpower from Nigeria is a validation of human resources in the country”.

— Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr Clement Illoh, at an InterMinisterial Preparatory meeting on Bilateral Labour Agreement between Nigeria and Qatar in Abuja.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2015. www.nationnationalmirroronline.net

BACK PAGE

Leaders and their praxis (II)

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ast week, we discussed two types of people: Drivers and Amiables, and advised the president on the need to fix the right category of people in the appropriate ministries. This is not to say that any category is better than the other. The important point to stress is that we will not get the necessary efficiency except we put the right people in the appropriate areas. If we get the positioning wrong, we will not get the desired result. This is one of the reasons for our incessant failures.

We pointed out last week that while Drivers work very well with Amiables, two Drivers cannot drive the same office, just as two Amiables in the same office will need a Driver to drive the office.

The lesson here is that only appropriate posting will give the desired result.

This week, we are looking at Analyticals and Expressives.

Analyticals are always very accurate.

Additional characteristics of Analyticals are as follows: Diligent, Logical, Meticulous, Technical, Thorough, Orderly, Consistent and Detailed.

They always have a basis for every decision. They avoid confrontation and draw attention away from themselves. They always delay in decision-making.

Drivers, on the other hand, confront others, focus on issues and are more demanding when they are under pressure.

Analyticals demand respect while the Drivers want control and results. Analyticals flourish in the financial industry and in the judiciary. This explains why Lawyers call the Judges “My Lords!” The judges enjoy this and try to find a rationale for it in their judgements, so that it can look like they are Lords as pronounced!

CFR

The Jonathan government failed because both the

President and Vice-President were Amiables who were surrounded by Analyticals.

There were no Drivers in that government The Ministries of Finance and Justice and the Office of Statistics will find Analyticals very useful.

There are also lots of Analyticals in churches, in universities and schools generally. When given a task, the Analytical is logical, and considers all aspects of the task thoroughly. Analyticals are risk minimisers. In the military, data officers, who are usually Analyticals, may not be appropriate on the war front. But they excel at supplying data on climatology and topographies to those who are going to fight the war. Those who work as assistants to the president and who produce data which the president relies on when speaking must be Analyticals. They must be responsive and strive to get things right by all means.

Expressives are naturally

alterative. Other characteristics of Expressives are as follows: Animated, Charismatic, Dramatic, Lively, Motivated, Optimistic, Popular, Outgoing, Spontaneous. It will be simply disastrous to have an Expressive as Minister of Defence.

It will be difficult for the military to win any war with an Expressive minister. Most Inspectors General of Police are not able to fight crime because they are Expressives. The department of state security must not employ Expressives to security positions.

The Ministry of Information will find Expressives interesting in achieving efficiency. When they are under pressure, Expressives attack, they confront others with or without reason, they have verbalised judgemental feelings and they blame others on a

personal level. Expressives want recognition. They are fast paced, risk takers, create passion and vision and they are motivated by enthusiasm. This set of people require some level of management, and in a council meeting, they may want to talk at least five times more than their colleagues.

While Amiables will look for approval at all times, Expressives want recognition for their actions, Analyticals demand respect, and Drives want control.

Where security is the issue, Expressives may not be useful.

When data is key to decision, put an Analytical. For control, put an Amiable. And where results must be immediate, put a Driver and surround him with Analyticals, Amiables and Expressives.

All that is important in management is efficiency and effectiveness. And if we are to get to that level, we must ensure we react to the 360 degrees of each of the ministers. The president will deliver if people are placed in positions, not because of the way they look, but according to their 360 degrees and the category they belong to (as explained above).

The Jonathan government failed because both the President and Vice-President were Amiables who were surrounded by Analyticals.

There were no Drivers in that government and Jonathan, by nature, abhors Drivers. Even if that government was not corrupt, they would still have found efficiency and effectiveness accidental and failure a firm friend.

We look forward to the most exciting time for Mr President and his Ministers as he plugs the right pegs into the right holes.

Hopefully! *Jimoh Ibrahim writes from the MBA Class of the University of Cambridge

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