Saturday, February 2, 2013 by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

Pension fund probe

Police declare Maina wanted

Vol. 03 No. 7

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Gov. Chime will be back in two weeks – Akpabio P. 51

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18 escape death in Ogun auto crash P. 50

•5 injured, 8 trailers burnt

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Saturday, February 2, 2013

S620,000 subsidy scandal

INSIDE

Lawan, Boniface remanded in prison Celebrity MAGAZ INE

P. 6

Naomi

...From Nigeria Idol 2011

Sex talk

Hot sex questions, steaming answers from sexperts

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Relationships Can you forgive infidelity?

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Fashion

• How do you look ...in mini? • Rocking your colourful sandals

•Bail application to be considered February 8

•Northern youths accuse government of bias de o y So P. 18 Chairman, House Committee on Subsidy Probe, Hon. Farouk Lawan (middle) with his Counsel Chief Mike Ozahkome at the FCT High Court on Bribery Charges in Abuja yesterday. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

We’re being blackmailed for rating Jonathan low –Boyloaf, Ateke Tom

P. 7

Rev. King : Appeal Court affirms death sentence ce

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February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

February 2, 2013

Saturday Starter

With the final decision of the federal government to begin a gradual phase out the paperpen era in public examinations, some students are set to sit for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) using computers. But quite a number of Nigerians are afraid that the exercise might lead to automatic failure of the students. Think of poor electricity supply, low level of computer literacy, insecurity, among a long list of factors that make computer-based public examinations an unviable option in Nigeria. YEMISI ADENIRAN, THOMAS USHIE, OSEYIZA OOGBODO AND FUNMI SALOME JOHNSON

hen the Minister of Education, Profesor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i , declared, late last year, that the use of paper-pencil and paper-pen in the conduct of public examination would be gradually phased out in the Nigerian system, many students and parents must have been scared stiff. In fact, without mincing words, many have dismissed the idea as one good project the country is not ripe for. In what was at best an official statement in that respect, the minister declared that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) will commence as from the 2013 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). According to her, the exercise would also be extended to other examinations like the National Examination Council (NECO) and West African Examination Council’s examinations by the year 2015. The system, she said would gradually culminate in the total elimination of the paper-pen examination in the country. The government has a reason for its decision to totally phase out the era of the paper-pen examinations in public examinations. Apart from the desire to move up the ladder and join in the campaign towards going digital in the conduct of all affairs, as it is done in the developed nations, the notoriety for which most of the

Who is afraid of computer-based

UTME?

examinations have been noted in recent times is another reason. Said the minister: “It will be in the best interest of our students in the country because it is a system whereby a student will press a button and see his or her score after examination. So, now, there will be no complains like a teacher or JAMB marking you down nor you being deprived of your rightful mark/score.” The Registrar of JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, corroborated the position of the minister only last Saturday when he briefed the media over the plan to commence the computer based examination in the forthcoming UTME, throwing in more details. His words: The CBT option is in preparation for the 2015 deadline when we target to stop the PPT mode. Technology is fast improving and Nigeria cannot be left behind. Most of the higher institutions in the country are already using the system to conduct their post-UTME exams and they access their results immediately. “We don’t want to rush to that stage and that is why we have made it option for now. We created 150,000 slots for the system but till date, out of the 1,000,100 candidates that have registered so far, only 4,000 have opted for it. But we may have to impose it on some candidates if our centres for PPT are filled up.” But why would many Nigerians, particularly students and their parents be shaken by the decision of the government to introduce the use of computers in examinations despite the credible reasons advanced

for it? While, on the one hand, many have argued that the use of the computer for examination may aid the leakage of the questions, they on the other, believe that the level of computer literacy in the country is very low and may cause the automatic failure of the candidates. One of those who feel very uncomfortable with the proposal is one Blessing Dinnaya, an ex student of the Federal Government College, Bauchi, who is at present seeking admission into a tertiary institution. Said she: “I just completed my school certificate exam last year June and I am going to write JAMB this year. I did not fill the computer examination option because I am not up to it. Although I can operate the computer very well. I am not confident enough to do the exam using computer because I have never done an examination like that before. Besides, what if there is power failure during the exam? This may occur and would make me to write my exam under pressure which will not be good for me at all. I just pray that before government will resolve to use only computers for the exams, I would have done mine and got admission into the university.” A parent, resident in Lagos, Ms. Ramat Hamzat also spoke in the same vein. To her, the proposal is simply not possible. She has her reason. Power supply is epileptic. “What if power fails during such an examination? What will happen to the students?” she queried. She stated further: “Secondly, unless it will not be CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Saturday Starter Is Nigeria there yet?

–Nasir Isa Fagge, ASUU President

T Akanni

For now, it’s not viable –Olufunmilayo Akanni, Parent

o you support JAMB’s efforts and plan to make students write its exam using the com-

puter? It depends. If the board is prepared in such areas as making enough systems available to the candidates, provide camera in all the examination halls to ensure that candidates do not talk, whisper or get involved in all kinds of examination malpractices, why not? But if they are not ready to make these and many more available, my answer is a capital NO! Can you point out some of the advantages and the fall outs of the idea? Some of the imminent advantages of this whole idea are ; it will encourage every child to be ICT literate and this will not only help them to write JAMB exams, it will also help the new generation develop a greater and wider knowledge to solve problems via technology. A vast hand on computer will lead to several innovations in telecommunications and other ICT related fields. The main fallouts of this plan is that where adequate preparations are absent, the nation will record the most corrupt system of transcending students into the university. Besides, a higher number of failure will be recorded on the part of the students. Do you see the plan as being viable? No. It is not viable for now. It will surely curb exam malpractices a little, if well conducted. There is exam malpractice even in developed countries where it is used.

he introduction of the computerbased testing system of writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination should ordinarily be a welcome development considering the global development in technology but my reservation is that as a nation with several challenges, is Nigeria there yet? I would expect the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board to have conducted a detailed research on the feasibility of the system. Do the candidates have enough computer knowledge? Are there other reliable means of electric power generation beyond the badly managed and unreliable Power Holding Com-

pany’s source? Has the rural and semiurban areas been considered before this decision was taken? All these issues are very important are very important so that the candidates are not disadvantaged. For instance, there is no doubt if JAMB will be relying on PHCN, there will definitely be problem. JAMB may be claiming the universities are already employing the system to conduct the post-UTME but that cannot be comparable to UTME that has almost two million candidates. Also, the universities conduct their exams with their facilities, will JAMB also be using its facili- Fagge ties?

It’s a step in the right direction

–Wasiu Adumadeyin, Founder, Was-Lat Group of Schools

nated to a very large extent because the questions will be answered through the computer directly.

hat is your view about the decision of JAMB to conduct the UTME using com-

puters? I think it’s a right step in the right direction in education development. It is the trend presently worldwide and it will enable children to become computer literate. It will also eliminate exam malpractice and ensure easy and quick release of exam results. It will benefit our education sector in general because when the students know there will be no opportunity for malpractices, they will study hard and learn appropriately. I support the plan. But the level of computer literacy in the country is, at present low. How possible do you see the plan to go computer with the UTME? I know that the level of computer literacy is below average. Many schools are not teaching computer practicals presently. However, the decision to conduct the UTME using computers will gear schools and parents to get their children the necessary computer knowledge before they

Adumadeyin

get to the level where they have to take the exam. In my view, it is possible. You said it will eliminate exam malpractices. Don’t you think students and their accomplices will find another way to cheat during computer exams? Nevertheless, cheating will be elimi-

How is your school preparing toward the initiative’s takeoff ? Speaking for my school, Was-Lat doesn’t have any challenge about the proposal because all our students are computer literate and we are ready for it even right now. But Was-Lat is not every school. Statistics show that over 50% of schools are not offering computer education, probably due to funding challenges. Public schools too have challenges with computer education. What is the solution therefore? It is for the government to provide funds or a soft loan to private schools to get the computers and put in place everything needed for computer education. As for the public schools, they are government’s responsibility, so government should provide them with the computers and also ensure they are used appropriately.

What happens if their site malfunctions during the exam? –Adekola Tajudeen, Proprietor, Hortative Comprehensive College

or how long have you owned a school and what’s your view about the rate of students’ literacy in computer education? I have been running this school since 2008 and before I became a proprietor, I have been an educationist for many years. About computer literacy, I can tell you authoritatively that not many students are literate in the area of computer. Up till this time, many schools do not have enough computer systems at their disposal or for students’ use. Many that claim to have just have like five or ten that they rotate amidst their students. The students are majorly taught about the theoretical aspect. We are talking about the situation in the urban areas now and again of the private schools. There is no practical exposure of students to computers. The few ones that have it do because of the availability of cell phones, blackberries and may

be their parents or relatives’ laptops. Going or talking about public schools now, we know that the situation there is most pathetic. In most cases, there are more students than teachers and even than the classrooms available. The population there is something else. I am not sure many of these schools have computers, let alone use them. And this same students will write the same JAMB exams that private school students who have an idea of the subject, no matter how little will write. Let us now leave urban areas and go to villages, how many times do teachers and students go to school? How conducive is the environment in schools? Is it all these villages that enjoy electricity? Do we even have teachers that are specialised in the teaching of computer subjects posted there? Many teachers knowledgeable in outstanding subjects always work their ways out of remote towns for lack of good amenities. Over-

all, I will tell you that Nigerian students are not yet very literate in computer education. What then is your view about the plan to computerise UME examination come 2015? I think it is just a proposal and really, it is a good proposal, a good idea. However, it is not feasible. How do they want to go about it? If the authorities concerned will do their home work well before then, may be yes. If they will not, they should just drop the idea. In any case, no one will tell them this by 2015 before they will do so once it becomes clear that it is yet a dream. Unless they start supplying all schools, at least all public schools, with enough computer systems and teachers before that time, 2015 and they should start this year because 2015 is just two years away. If students will begin to get familiar, probably do some internal ex-

Tajudeen

ams on computers before 2015, then, the preparation is on. Apart from this, officials of JAMB must assure us that there will not be any malfunction of their site during exams like we experienced in this year’s UTME registration. Such a thing can affect students’ performance.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

February 2, 2013

Saturday Starter

‘What if power fails during the exam?’ CONTINUED FROM 3 connected to the internet because once that happens, the exam questions are not safe anymore. This may lead to leakage which, in turn, will give rise to exam malpractice. What about those remote villages? How are they going to transport computers down there. Some villages in Nigeria have never seen electricity before. How would those ones do their exams if they turn the examination to a computer based exam. Some students have never seen a computer in their life, let alone operate one. For this reason, I told my daughter not to fill the computer option.” But while stressing that the idea is not a bad one, the principal of Ewoma College in Abule Egba, a suburb of Lagos, Mr. Michael Ewuoma, said making a success of the programme would require time and adequate awareness campaign. His words: “The idea of using computer to write UME is not completely a bad one but it is not familiar to most of the students. It is true that post UME is done using computers but the population of candidate for post UME exams is not the same with UME. Some students don’t even know what a computer looks like let alone operate one. I think if the government wants to make success of it, it needs time and lots of awareness on how to operate the computers for the purpose of examination. “Some of the students think it is like browsing the internet but a lot of them who have opted for that may end up nervous and tensed up by the time they get to the exam centers and discover that it is a different ball game all together. I don’t think our society is ready for it yet.” One Pastor Paul Ihezue who resides in Surulere area of Lagos State also doubted the readiness of an average student in the country for the exercise. “I deal in electronics and I know the level of improvement in knowledge among the youths. With the introduction of GSM, even without the absent of personal computers, school pupils are growing fast in computer knowledge. This does not mean that Nigerians in general are on that level whereby they would be able to adequately use computer for examination because there are still families who cannot afford handsets for GSM, not to talk of owning a computer and being connected to the internet. “Before JAMB implements fully the proposed electronic examination, there must be several generations of computer literate citizens so that they system would not catch them napping. Let me tell you, I am not so conversant with computer. My daughter is. Definitely, her children would be more knowledgeable in computer than she is because she would transfer the knowledge she had acquired to them earlier in life.” On his part, the proprietor of Saint Charles Secondary School, Ilupeju, Charles Mbe, asked rhetorically: If the e-exam is to be at the various centres,

Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai, Honourable Minister of Education

has JAMB bothered to assess the computer compliance and/or readiness of its prospective candidates? If it has, how prepared is JAMB to equip the various centres with computers, making contingency plans for power and network failures as well as other associated breakdown, in order to ensure seamless service and conducive examination environment void of panic?” Worried as Nigerians are, the registrar of JAMB seems convinced about the possible success of the proposal. Ojerinde said the new system would not kick off in full swing. According to him, all candidates have three choices of the mode of JAMB examination to make - The traditional method code named Paper-Pencil Testing (PPT); the mixture of the traditional and the electronic systems code named Dual-Based Testing (DBT); and the full fledged electronic system which JAMB has resolved, would go into force by 2015, code named Computer-Based Testing (CBT). Explaining how PPT works, he said: “It is dual. We will give you (candidates) the question on the screen and you will answer it on the paper and the paperpencil test which is the traditional one that in the developed world, some students snap questions on the screen, but a device has been employed to counter this. We are using the principle of Item Response Theory (IRT). The IRT guards against guessing tendencies. When two students sit for Chemistry, question one of candidate ‘A’ is not the same question one for candidate ‘B’. In a centre where we have 350 candidates, we shall not have less than five invigilators mostly from our office.” Stating the importance of the proposed CBT, he said that CBT is the administration of an examination using computer with a flexible format that enables the test to be taken at different locations and makes room for accurate, precise and fair assessment of the candidates. According to Ojerinde 77 higher institutions of learning across Nigeria, have

Dibu Ojerinde, Registrar JAMB

been approved as electronic examination centres for the Computer-Based Testing (CBT), among which is the Yaba College of Technology. On the complaints of slow internet and other associated computer errors, Ojerinde said: “Students who have problems with their registration may be because the cybercafes they patronised are not accredited by JAMB because if they do not have our code, they can’t access our website. “Secondly, it depends on the band the cybercafes are using. If a cybercafe is using a band with other people, it may experience difficulty in accessing some websites. That is why such cybercafe’s speed increases at night when their narrow band is decongested. “Cybercafes are part of our problems as they have in time past given female name to male and also misspelled people’s names. However, JAMB band width expands on demand as we have catered for this.” The JAMB boss also stated that some candidates are desirous of participating in the “dreaded” fully fledged electronic exam (CBT) as among the 1,100,000 candidates that registered for this year’s UTME examination, 400 indicated interests to do so via the CBT. “Among the 1,100,000 candidates that have registered so far, about 999,000 have registered for PPT, while the rest registered for CBT,” he revealed. Dispelling fears of insecurity and high class electronic examination malpractice, the JAMB registrar stressed that the high-tech system employed by the board would make it extremely difficult for candidates to cheat via the internet. “I must also add that unlike the Classical Test Theory system that was being used in China, USA and other places, JAMB is employing the new Item Response Theory and the 50 factorial systems of generating questions, which make cheating extremely difficult. We have tested this more than four times with sets of students and it worked per-

fectly. We will still conduct more trials this February and with God by our side, we know we will get desired results,” Ojerinde enthused. He further explained that CBT does not require the candidate to be a computer guru as the system is as easy is the use of GSM handsets. “Some people argued that the people in the village will not be able to do CBT saying that they have not used a computer before. But I said to myself that if they can use the handset, they can also do the computer-based test. If they can send text messages via handset, they can use the CBT. The earlier they start getting used to it as they cannot escape it in their post-UTME, the better. “During the examinations, we give ten minutes to each student to read through the piece of information before attempting the questions. Whether we like it or not, the world is changing, and technology is the answer.” It would be recalled that the electronic examination (e-exam) started in 2006 with the introduction of e-registration (electronic registration) which took effect during the 2006/2007 Monotechnics, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education (MPCE) examination. Although the digital revolution suffered initial setbacks due to epileptic internet connection in Nigeria, candidates are becoming acquainted with the system. In 2011, in another bid to sanitise the much maligned JAMB examinations which gave birth to the Post-UME examination selection by different varsities, the board moved further from e-registration to biometric capture proposed for its 2011 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) where candidates were billed to carry out a thumb-print at various centers before there were allowed into the examination hall. The move, according to the registrar, Ojerinde, was to curb impersonation, lateness and generally eliminate malpractices. However, Saturday Mirror’s investigation revealed that the exercise was a charade as several centres did not abide by it due to machine errors, unavailability of the machines at some centres and the number of candidates at some of the centres. This is despite the fact that the exercise was earlier test-ran with Federal Government Girls’ College and Government Secondary School, Kuduru, all in Bwari Area Council, Abuja. While Ojerinde maintained that the board would ensure Uninterrupted Power Supply with its use of (UPS) and generators insisting that within three and half hours the CBT examinations is expected to last, it is not likely that all of the plan ‘ B’ will fail, its implementation is still being viewed with suspicion. But are their fears genuine or unfounded? May be yes; may be no. It is not quite clear if the efforts by the government to allay the fears would make any sense. Only a try, would certainly convince all.

NATIONAL NEWS

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

$620,000 subsidy scandal:

Lawan, Boniface remanded in prison

•Bail application to be considered February 8 •Northern youths accuse govt of bias

EMMANUEL ONANI AND TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE ABUJA

Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court yesterday made an order remanding the embattled chairman of the House of Representatives’ Ad-hoc Committee on Monitoring of Fuel Subsidy Regime, Hon. Farouk Lawan in prison custody. Also to remain in prison till February 8, is the secretary of the committee, Mr. Emenalo Boniface. The embattled lawmaker, who entered the dock

at about 9:36am, spotted a bright-coloured “babanriga” with a matching cap. He looked cheerful and collected until the “devastating” order that may have hit him like a thunderbolt. The order was followed by a deafening silence. The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, yesterday arraigned the duo over violation of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000. ICPC’s action was consequent upon the leave granted the prosecutor to press a 7-count criminal charge against them.

Shortly after the accused persons pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, which border on their alleged demand for bribe from business mogul, Mr. Femi Otedola, prosecuting counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, prayed the court to remand them in prison custody, pending the date for commencement of trial, which he announced prosecution was ready. No sooner had Awomolo made the request than Rickey Tarfa informed the court that he had an application for the accused bail, which he noted was brought pursuant to Sections 95 and 96

(5) of the constitution of Nigeria (as amended), as well as sections 340 and 341 of the Criminal Procedure Code, CPC. The motion for bail, which was supported by a 26-paragraph affidavit, prayed the court to grant the accused persons bail on “self-recognition”, drawing the court’s attention to the fact that Lawan has been a member of the lower chamber of the National Assembly since 1999. According to Tarfa, the fact that the accused persons always reported to the Police in the course of investigation into the

L-R: Member, Rotary Club of Ibadan Jericho Metro, Mrs. Bisi Yomi-Layinka; President, Rotarian Gbenga Oluniyi and Rotarian Gbenga Oduwole, at a PHOTO: NAN news conference on awareness month of the Rotary Club of Ibadan, yesterday.

Appeal Court affirms death sentence for Rev. King K AYODE KETEFE

he five-year battle the General Overseer of Christian Praying Assembly, Reverend Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, a.k.a Reverend King, has been fighting to save his neck from the hangman’s noose failed yesterday as the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos affirmed the death sentenced passed on him by a Lagos High Court in 2007. The appellate court held “Proof does not mean proof beyond scientific certainty or beyond any shadow of doubt, but only beyond reasonable doubt. “I hereby rule that the

prosecution has effectively discharged the burden of proof on it. This appeal is devoid of any basis and accordingly fails. “The judgment of the High Court is hereby affirmed, and the conviction imposed on the appellant, is also affirmed.” It would be recalled that King was convicted and sentenced to death by Justice Joseph Oyewole of a Lagos High Court on January, 11 2007, for the murder of one of the members of his church, Miss Ann Uzoh. He had been charged by the Lagos State government on a six-count of attempted murder and murder. The self-styled “Saviour

of the World” had pleaded not guilty to all the counts. The prosecution had alleged that King had poured petrol on the deceased after accusing her of engaging in fornication with another church member. He set Uzor ablaze along a few other members, though Uzor was the only one who died while other sustained various degrees of burns. While sentencing King, the trial judge, Justice Oyewole, described King as a “Spiritual Highway man” stressing that while his captive church members asked for bread, he gave them stone. However, the convict through his counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal, on November, 5, 2012, rais-

ing a number of issues for determination. In the judgment yesterday, Justice Akinbami, who read a unanimous judgment of the three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal, affirmed King’s death sentence, stating that all issues raised by the appellant failed as they were without merit. On the issue of dying declaration the judge said that one of the requirement for the invocation of the doctrine is that the deceased must be of the belief in the danger of approaching death, and that this belief is subjective rather objective. She said the requirement was not fulfilled. She upheld the view of the lower court and held CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

criminal offence, coupled with their numerous trips abroad and back, were eloquent testimonies that they will not jump bail. He concluded by reminding the court that grant of bail was the sole discretion of the judge and that it was the responsibility of the prosecution to show why bail should not be granted. “The burden is on the prosecution to show how the accused persons will not be able to appear to stand trial...We urge your Lordship to grant the accused persons bail on very liberal terms and on self recognition”, Tarfa concluded. But, in opposition to the bail application, Awomolo argued that the offences for which the accused persons are standing trial “are not ordinarily bailable”, stressing that sections 10, 17 and 23 of the corrupt practices and other related offences act 2000, prescribes two to seven years prison terms, as punishment. In Awomolo’s contention, “An application for bail is an application for equity, which requires your Lordship to exercise your discretion judicially and judiciously.” He further submitted that the accused, in their affidavits, did not make an undertaking to the effect that, if allowed to go back to the House and to head committee, they will not ask for another bribe sum, even higher than the one with which they were standing trial. “What prompted them to demand for three million bribe may still prompt them to demand for ten million bribe...The right of liberty given to Nigerian citizens by section 35 of the constitution is not absolute. I urge your Lordship to refuse the accused bail.” In his considered ruling, Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi held: “In the circumstance of the bail application having been filed this morning and equally argued, it requires time. Meanwhile and pending determination of this application, the accused are to be remanded in prison custody till February 8.” Counts four and five of the charge read: “That you

Hon. Farouk Lawan (M) while being a member of the House of Representatives and chairman of Adhoc Committee on Monitoring of Fuel Subsidy Regime sometimes in April 2012 or thereabout at Abuja within the Federal Capital Territory under the jurisdiction of this honourable court did while acting in the course of your official duty corruptly obtained the sum of $500,000 (five hundred thousand dollars) for yourself from Mr. Femi Otedola, Chairman Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd as an inducement to remove the name of Zenon petroleum gas Ltd. from the report of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc committee on Monitoring of Fuel Subsidy Regime and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 17 (1) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under section 17 (1) of the same Act.” “That you, Mr. Emenalo Boniface (M), while being a public officer, an Assistant Director and Secretary of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Monitoring of Fuel Subsidy Regime sometimes in April 2012 or thereabout at Abuja within the Federal Capital Territory under the jurisdiction of this honourable court did while acting in the course of your official duty as Secretary, corruptly asked for the sum of $3,000,000 (three million US dollard) for yourself from Mr. Femi Otedola and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8 (1) (b) (ii) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under section 23 (3) of the same Act.” Meanwhile, some northern youths under the aegis of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum have described the probe of Lawan unfair. The youths said Otedola should have also been involved in the trial. In a statement issued by the president of the group yesterday, Alhaji Shettima Yerima, the presidency was accused of working in connivance with Otedola against Lawan.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NATIONAL NEWS

February 2, 2013

Polio: FG to vaccinate 50 million children this month s part of efforts to eradicate polio from Nigeria, about 50 million children will be vaccinated against the disease this month. This decision was contained in a release signed by Public Relations Officer, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) Mr. Saadu Salahu, yesterday. The statement reads in part: “In continued demonstration of the Federal Government`s commitment to eradicate polio in Nigeria, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, has concluded arrangement to vaccinate 50million Nigerian children, aged 0 – 5years with Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) against poliomyelitis, during February 2013 National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs). “Working in collaboration with development partners, states, local governments and stakeholders in immunisation across the 36 states and the FCT, the immunisation takes place from Saturday 2nd to Tuesday 5th February 2013 in all states and LGAs the country. “During this period, the oral polio vaccine and other routine immunisation antigens would be administered to all children aged 0-5 years irrespective of their previous immunization status.” Speaking on the exercise, Executive Director of the agency, Dr. Ado Muhammad, disclosed that adequate vaccines and other logistics had already been distributed to all the implementing states. Dr. Muhammad appealed to parents and

care-givers to avail themselves of the opportunity to bring out their children en-masse for immunisation by cooperating with vaccination teams to allow them administer two drops of OPV. He also called on all leaders in the society to support the initiative by mobilising their people to ensure the success of the exercise. Dr. Ado emphasised the need for all Nigerians to support the Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication in Nigeria by ensuring that all children aged 0 - 5 are vaccinated with Oral Polio Vaccine. Poliomyelitis, popularly called polio, is a highly contagious viral infection that can lead to paralysis, breathing problems or death. Nigeria remains the most endemic nation among the three countries listed by the United Nations; trailing Afghanistan and India. Many children in Nigeria, especially in the north, live with the virus. But for refusal of parents to bring their wards for vaccination with other remote communities yet to be located within the country, Nigeria would have conquered the scourge. No fewer than 913 settlements in Kano State were recently discovered by the government that had never had any of their children immunised. Meanwhile, the federal government, for the first time in Nigeria’s history, paid over six billion naira for the estimated vaccines needs of the country for this year in September last year, while a Presidential Task Force has been constituted to ensure the country is rid of the disease.

twist in Okah’s trial. “I will postpone this matter for purposes of hearing arguments in mitigation or aggravation for sentencing,” the judge was reported to have declared yesterday. It would be recalled that Okah was convicted on January 21 of 13 terrorism

charges, including the bombings that killed 12 people in Abuja during Nigeria’s 50th Independence Anniversary on October 1, 2010. He was also found guilty of two explosions in March 2010 in Warri, a major hub of the oil-rich Niger-Delta region.

MARCUS FATUNMOLE ABUJA

L-R: Director General, National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA), Prof. John Idoko; Minister of State for Health, Dr. Mohammad Pate, and Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bassey Antai, at a stakeholders forum on prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS in Uyo, yesterday.

Pension fund probe: Police declare Maina wanted OMEIZA AJAYI

he Nigeria Police yesterday declared wanted, Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, following an arrest warrant issued few weeks ago by the Senate President, David Mark. Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, in a statement which was made available to Saturday Mirror in Abuja said the action became necessary as a result of

the failure of Mr. Maina to appear before Senate Joint Committee on the Investigation of Pension Funds. “The Nigeria Police Force hereby declares wanted, this 1st day of February, 2013, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina of the Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pension Office (CIPPO), for failing to appear before the Senate Joint Committee on the Investigation of Pension Funds”, the police said. It would be recalled that the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had

on 13th December, 2012, issued a Warrant of Arrest, mandating the InspectorGeneral of Police to arrest and produce Alhaji Maina before the Senate Joint Committee on the Investigation of Pension Fund. Since then, according to the police, Maina had gone into hiding, making it difficult for the Police to execute the warrant. “Consequently, the Inspector-General of Police has directed all AIGs in-charge of Zonal Commands and State Commands Commissioners of Police to spread their dragnets to all nooks-and-

crannies of their respective areas of jurisdiction, in search of Alhaji Maina. He has also directed all operatives of Federal Intelligence Bureau (FIB), Force and State CID to join the manhunt. “The IGP wishes to appeal to well-meaning citizens and the general public with useful information on the whereabouts of Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina, to kindly volunteer such information to the nearest Police Station, Formation or email: policemonitor@ npf.gov.ng, for necessary action”, the statement added.

We’re blackmailed for rating Jonathan low, say Boyloaf, Ateke Tom EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA.

rontline ex-militant leaders in the Niger Delta, Ebikabowei Victor-Ben alias Boyloaf and Ateke Tom, yesterday opened up that pressure was mounted on them and blackmail employed by influential figures in the region over their low rating of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. The ex-militant leaders said their candid assessment was not targeted at discrediting the president and his transformation agenda, but the outcome of a recent Ijaw meeting held in Lagos. In a statement issued by Victor-Ben and Tom and made available to Saturday Mirror yesterday,

they said the meeting was convened under the auspices of Izon Ikemi meant to remind the president of the needed development in the region. “We are not party to blackmail. The sponsored attacks on our persons and members of the Izon Ikemi is shocking and a deliberate act to mount undue pressure on progressiveminded people of the region on the needed infrastructural development including the completion of the East-West road.” “When we read the papers and heard what people said, we cannot but laugh. How can anybody think we can be party to any form of blackmail or try to ridicule the president or his administration? We are from Bayelsa and Riv-

ers states, and should be considered as the closest to Mr.President. We will be the happiest to see the president succeed in his transformation agenda. “Anything anyone says or impersonates any individual or group to say on the pages of newspapers are all face-saving talk all in the bid to keep the president permanently blind folded on the true position of things. We know their game plan and are ready to stop at nothing until

things are put right in the interest of the people. We are aware of their plan to call for a meeting, but we will not be part of any meeting whose agenda will be in the quest to sectionalise us as a people.” The ex-militant leaders noted that the Lagos meeting was to review the action plan that would mobilise support for the president to succeed by effecting a change in the provision of the infrastructure needed in the region.

Oct 1 bombing: Okah knows fate on March 4

South African court has postponed, by a month, sentencing of the leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Henry Okah, who was convicted of 13 terrorism charges, including the October 1,

2010 Independence Day bombings in Abuja. According to a reliable source, the sentencing will run for three days from February 28 through March 4. The High Court Judge Neels Claassen was quoted to have disclosed the new

NATIONAL NEWS

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

FG lacks strong will to Court voids National Lottery fight corruption –NBA Regulatory Commission’s powers •Nullifies licences granted since establishment T EMMANUEL ONANI ABUJA

K AYODE KETEFE

Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has held that the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) lacks the powers to issue lottery licenses to firms interested in lottery business in Nigeria. The court affirms that there is an existing right already granted to a firm, called Secure Electronics Technology Plc. Justice Okechukwu Okeke stated this in the

judgment, in a suit no FHC/L/CS/1258/2012 filed by Constant Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Shehu Malam Mikail, Oyetunde Olaitan, Sosanwo Sinai and Sonibare Waheed against the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Minister of Justice and AttorneyGeneral of the Federation, NLRC and Secure Electronic Technology Plc. The judge nullified all lottery licences issued by NLRC since its establishment, and re-affirmed the

exclusivity of the licence granted to Secure Electronics Technology Plc by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Justice Okeke further held that by the exclusive right granted to Secure Electronic by the Nigerian President, Secure Electronic is entitled to exclusive rights on lottery licensing for 15 years beginning from December 19, 2001 (when it was granted) to December 18, 2016 (when it will expire). Okeke added that the licence is even subject to

renewal. Accordingly, the judge granted an injunction restraining NLRC from continuing to grant licences to transact lottery business in Nigeria to any entity or person until the expiration of the exclusivity period reserved to the said Secure Electronic. Justice Okeke said, “All licences issued by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) are invalid and nullified. The commission is restrained from issuing licences to any other person.”

he Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has indicted the federal government on its fight against corruption, saying there is “no noticeable strong will on the part of government” to stem its rising scourge. This damning verdict was contained in a communique read by the NBA’s president, Chief Okey Wali, SAN, in Abuja yesterday. Wali identified corruption as one of the major causes of insecurity in the country, warning that government must do all with-

Appeal Court affirms death sentence for Rev. King CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

President Goodluck Jonathan ( r ) watches as Dr. Jemila Suara signs oath register as Federal Permanent Secretary at the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, recently.

Governors worse than Boko-Haram, kidnappers –Iwuanyanwu OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

chieftain of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Chyna Iwuanyanwu, yesterday described the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) as worse than Boko-Haram and kidnappers, describing it as the most visible threat to the nation’s nascent democracy. Iwuanyanwu, who contested for the office of the PDP National Publicity Secretary in the last national convention of the party said that the governors, who yesterday said they were not against the government of President Goodluck Jonathan, were anti-democracy

and anti-people. His words: “There is nothing wrong with a platform to promote interaction and exchange of ideas amongst governors,” but added that “the Governors’ Forum has now degenerated into a political cabal whose only agenda is to hijack government at all levels with impunity. “The Governors’ Forum is now operating like a gang of political kidnappers. They use their stupendous wealth and power at their disposal to kidnap their political parties. Some governors are worse than the combined effect of BokoHaram and kidnappers. They have kidnapped and crippled their local govern-

ments, their state Houses of Assembly and even their state judiciary to the extent that state legislatures are voting against their own autonomy and the National Assembly has been forced to abort the public opinion poll on the autonomy of local governments just to please 36 extra ordinary Nigerians called governors. “Governors have become pharaohs and emperors running their states like demi-gods. Nigeria and the political parties have become hostage of the governors, they determine the choice of presidential and vice presidential candidates, they also appoint and impose candidates for all positions in the leader-

ship of political parties at all levels. They also single handedly decide candidates for State Assemblies and the National Assembly because they are in absolute control of delegates who are selected by them.” He said that the divisive activities of the Northern Governors’ Forum, SouthEast Governors’ Forum, South-South Governors’ Forum and the South-West Governors’ Forum, who are promoting state and regional interests at the expense of national unity and stability. “It is illegal for our governors to be funding their forum with public funds, especially as the forum does not exist in the interest of democracy and the unity of this country. The Governors’ Forum is now a gang up against our collective destiny,” Iwuanyanwu said.

in its means to provide jobs for the army of unemployed youths, in order to avert violent eruptions. On the issue of insecurity, he advised government to adopt a new strategy, “as it has become evident with each passing day that the present military or armed approach at solving the problem of insecurity is not enough.” The communique issued at the end of a 2-day security summit further lamented that “insufficient funding and provision of necessary infrastructure”, were responsible for the noticeable weakness in the country’s judicial system.

that the declaration of the deceased could not be admitted as a “dying declaration” under the Law of Evidence, since there was no immediate apprehension or fear of approaching death. On the defence of alibi raised by King’s defence team, the court held that the evidence adduced by prosecution witness (PW) 1, 2, 3,4, 9 and 10, clearly showed that King was at the scene of the crime. The court said “The import of alibi is to show that the accused was elsewhere other than the purported place of crime. It is the duty of prosecution to investigate such claims.” The judge further disagreed with appellant counsel’s submission that the evidence of prosecution witness was tainted and so inadmissible without corroboration. Rejecting this submission, Justice Akinbami said that even the evidence of a tainted witness is admissible once if it is material to the case. “A tainted witness is one who may not be an accomplice, but whose evidence may be admissible without the necessity of administering any special warning. “The prosecution witness in this case is an eye witness and so the evidence is material to the case,” she said. “Each of the prosecution witness gave evidence as to how the victim was beaten and burnt by the appellant. “To my mind, there is no contradiction whatsoever and even if there were, it is immaterial,

since all the witnesses are unanimous,” she added. The judge added that the evidence of Prosecution Witnesses 5, 8, 6 and 7, (doctors) all showed that the deceased died as a result of the burns, adding that, the evidence adduced especially by pw 6, who performed the post mortem examination, revealed strongly that the deceased died as a result of loss of fluid arising from the burning. In conclusion she dismissed the appeal and affirmed the death sentenced passed on King by the lower court. The other two members of the panel, Justice Amina Augie and Ibrahim Saulawa, gave consenting judgments. With this development, King would have only one more opportunity to save his life, that is by filing further appeal to the Supreme Court. King’s counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, had already notified his intention to file immediate appeal to the apex court. He said although the judgment came from a highly respected court in the hierarchy of courts in Nigeria, it did not meet the expectation of his client. In her own reaction, the Director of Public Prosecution, who prosecuted the appeal, Mrs. Olabisi Ogugbesan, expressed satisfaction. Ogungbesan said , “we are very pleased, justice has been done today. We know that the judgment will serve as deterrent to future and incidence of this nature, to church leaders that are abusing and exploiting their followers.”

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NATIONAL NEWS

February 2, 2013

Tapgun faults NASS on constitution review JAMES ABRAHAM

Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State (2nd right); leader of delegation, Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation (PCFRR), and Chairman, Heirs Holdings, Mr. Tony Elumelu (middle); members of committee, Mrs. Folorunso Alakija (left); Senator Clever Ikisikpo; and Secretary General of the Red Cross Society, Bello Diram, during the visit of the committee to Anambra State for the donation of relief materials to flood victims, recently.

ormer Governor of Plateau State,Ambassador Fidelis Tapgun, has faulted the National Assembly in the way it is handling the ongoing constitution review process. Tapgun who spoke in Jos yesterday said it was wrong for the National Assembly to have excluded itself from the list of items to be looked into by

Singles summit holds in Lagos

NLC Sec Gen reinstated, proceeds on terminal leave A

TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

OLUFEMI ADEOSUN ABUJA

he internal crisis that has rocked the Nigeria Labour Congress since 2011 was yesterday laid to rest with the reinstatement of its Secretary General, Comrade John Odah. Odah was relieved of his post during the congress delegate in 2011, but he decided to challenge the decision at the National Industrial Court(NIC), alleging a breach of his term of service. However close to six months of legal tussle, both parties came to an amicable resolution for the reinstatement of the embattled NLC scribe. By the term of settle-

ment, Odah is expected to proceed on terminal leave. The court had ruled: the reinstatement, recall of and resumption of office and welcome of the claimant back to the 1st defendant as General Secretary, delivery by the claimant of his written three(3) months notice of voluntary retirement and official handing over by the claimant of the affairs of the office of General Secretary of the 1st Defendant to the designated Successor and that the claimant proceeds or is deemed to have proceeded on pre-retirement leave. It was in fulfillment of this aspect of the rulings that the scribe was reinstated.

Speaking at the occasion, NLC president, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar, stated that Odah was reinstated into office based on mutual agreement and in consistent with the democratic tenet of the union. He said that the union had gone through the legal process since 2011 and had now decided to work together again.“We have brought back Comrade Odah in the true spirit of togetherness and comradeship that the union is reputed for. The court also encourages this line of action. We have gone through the process and now agree to work together,” he said. Responding, Odah aligned himself with the

position of the NLC boss, even as he noted that what had happened to the union in the last few months would further strengthen it in the interest of the Nigerian workers.

ll is now set for the 3rd edition of the Total Woman Foundation’s “Singles Summit” billed for next Saturday February, 9 at The Palatable Fast Food Hall, Ijanikin, Lagos- Badagry Expressway. According to the convener of the summit, Becky

ABUJA

he Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, has described the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as a citadel of institutionalised corruption even as it called on the National Assembly to intervene on behalf of the suffering masses. The party made the allegation just as it accused the NNPC of funding political activities in the 2011 election to a tune of N318 billion with the fuel subsidy increment recorded in 2010, but which was allegedly not accounted for. In a statement by the National Publicity Secre-

tary, Rotimi Fashakin, the party also said that the revelation of corruption in NNPC by Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) was a wake up call that must be taken seriously. In the report, NEITI was reported to have unearthed the irregularities and arbitrariness that attended the operation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), especially between 2009 and 2011. Said the CPC: “The putrefaction of this disheveling perturbation has brought much disorder in the Nigerian polity. The burgeoning army of unemployed youths and the attendant socio-economic implications arising from

the legendary heist in the NNPC also portend grave danger for the Nigerian state. “It is our strong belief that the President of the Nation, as the ultimate executive authority, bears responsibility for this infra-dig. We hereby call on the National Assembly to restore order through the constitutional provision for bringing errant executive authority to path of straightness! “It is the irreducible minimum that can be done for ensuring the enduring legacy of constitutional democracy”. Efforts to get the reaction of the Presidency over the allegation, however, did not yield fruit.

Olorunpomi, the essence of this year’s edition of the summit is to encourage the depressed, lift the downcast, and bring succour to the pained-hearted with special emphasis on the singles. She said the gathering is also aimed at helping youths to realise and nurture their talents, saying that it would be an avenue for diverse networking.

This Day in African American History

NNPC is citadel of corruption –CPC OBIORA IFOH

Nigerians during the just concluded nationwide consitutency debate on the matter. He said: “They have listed everything including the Executive, the Judiciary, local governments and all that which they feel are causing problems and have requested the good people of this country to make their suggestions. Surprisingly, National Assembly itself did not feature on the list.”

In celebration of Black History Month, the U.S. Consulate General has partnered with the National Mirror to showcase a daily note entitled This Day in Black History. The note will commemorate prominent black figures and recount historic events in African American History that have contributed to American progress. The theme of this year’s national black history month

as announced by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History is At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: the Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington. Read below to learn what historic event happened today in African American history. February 2: On this day in 1914— African

American Biologist Ernest Just Received NAACP Spingarn Medal! Dr. Ernest Everett Just, born in Charleston, South Carolina, was a prominent black biologist who specialized in the field of marine biology. After graduating from Dartmouth College at the top of his class with a degree in zoology, he advanced in his field through his work at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. Although he only worked at the institution during the summers, Dr. Just published numerous significant scientific papers. In 1915, Dr. Just became the first person to receive the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor awarded by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The medal is awarded to African Americans who have made great strides in human service. Dr. Just went on to teach at Howard University in Washington D.C. for 34 years.

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

February 2, 2013

REGIONAL NEWS

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SOUTH SOUTH

Excess crude: Bayelsa refunds N7.4b to neighbouring states EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

ayelsa State government yesterday said it has refunded the sum of N7.4 billion to some neighbouring states being over payment of Excess Crude/Augmentation from 2006 to 2010. The state also disclosed that it has recovered the

sum of N18.6 billion Derivation Funds accrued from the Federation Account Allocation Commission (FAAC) . The state’s Commissioner for Finance, Duate Iyabi, spoke with journalists yesterday in Yenagoa as part of the one year anniversary of the Seriake Dickson administration in the state. Iyabi also debunked reports that

the state government received N2 billion revenue from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) for the Okori and Ndah oil fields, stressing that the state cannot refund what it did not receive. In the words of Iyabi, “We are, however, disputing the N2 billion refund because Bayelsa State had never benefitted from any

revenue generated from Okori and Ndah Fields. Clearly we cannot refund what we never received.” “The development has deprived the state of its rights of income. We are in the process of recovering over N100b Derivation funds due to Bayelsa State, but wrongly credited to other states, because oil wells in the state were wrongly assigned to other

states.” On efforts to step up the state’s revenue profile, the Commissioner said government had proposed monthly Internally Generated Revenue of between N1band N2bn, noting that this would assist government in transforming the state. “The current state Internally Generated Revenue of between N400 to

N600m a month is low. Government is taking concrete steps to shore up the IGR. First, a new Board made up of seasoned professionals has been appointed. Already, Government has set up a target for Internally Generated Revenue generation per month at N1bn which is expected to increase to about N2bn in two years.”

Okada ban: Group threatens showdown with Uduaghan AMOUR UDEMUDE ASABA

Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (right) presenting a cheque for N50 million to the Head of Service and also the Head of the State Pensions Verification committee, Sir Fraser Okuoru (left), at the Executive Chambers, Government House, Yenagoa, recently.

Bayelsa community slams Agip over breach of agreement EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

he people of Agrisaba in Nembe Local Government Area aof Bayelsa State, yesterday accused the Nigeria Agip Oil Company(NAOC) of insensitivity towards the community, over alleged breach of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the firm in the year 2000. The aggrieved people

claimed that the Italian oil giant, in the MoU, had agreed to build a health centre with doctors’ quarters, provide electricity and pipe borne water for the community. The community now says that since the agreement was entered into, nothing has been done by the oil giant. Regent of Agrisaba community, Chief Sampson Eleli, spoke with journalists yesterday in Yenagoa, alleging that an

indigene of the community, one Chief Douglas Awudul and other “cabals” in the community colluded with the oil company to defraud Agrisaba in the MoU agreement. The Regent, who spoke through an interpreter, also lamented that NAOC exploration activities in the area had polluted its ecosystem, thereby damaging farmlands, fishing ponds and traps,, which are the only means of livelihood of the people

of the community. He claimed that no compensation was paid in this regard by the company. Chief Eleli also said the community lost over N3.7m from devastation caused by the oil firm’s exploratory activities. His words, “We signed an MOU with Agip in 2000 for the provision of a health centre, electricity and pipe borne water for the community, but up till now, none was provided.

he Emede Political Focus Forum (E.P.F.F), a vibrant social political pressure group operating in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State has warned Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan against plan to extend the ban on motor bikes, popularly called Okada, to yet to be affected areas in the state. In press statement signed and made available to journalists, yesterday, by the Founder/ Secretary General of the group, Comrade Geoffrey Osiama, heexpressed disappointment over the situation he described ‘inhuman.’ Osiama claimed that already the bn on commercial motorcycles in [parts of the state has rendered many families jobless as their sources of livelihood have been

eroded by what he called “failed” government policies. His words: “I want to draw the attention of Delta state governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan to the lingering issue of this extension on ban of Okada to other areas yet to be affected in the state. The issue of banning Okada or plans to extending it to other areas will not help matters and can never lead to security or any form or viable development because the ban is so detrimental not only to the operators whose livelihoods depends on it but to the state in general,” Osiama said. According to the group, the issue of insecurity such as armed robbery, kidnapping, stealing among other social vices would be highly promoted alongside with high rate of poverty in the state.

Friends and family remember Chief P.A. Gbinije

he Gbinije House, in conjunction with the late Hon (Chief) P.A Gbinije Foundation, will be celebrating one year remembrance of his demise on the 4th Feb 2013 at the Gbinije

country home, Okobia, Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State. Until his death, Hon (Chief) P.A Gbinije was the most senior Okakuro and the Okpagha of Okpe Kingdom.

Bayelsa militant group surrenders arms to JTF EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

n a bid to embrace peace in Bayelsa State, an ex-militant group yesterday surrendered assorted arms and ammunitions to the Joint Military Taskforce (JTF) in Yenagoa.

The group headed by Inaemi David, a 31 yearold Diploma holder, was said to have launched series of attacks on oil pipelines in Brass Local Government Area of the state. David, who led members of his group to the

JTF Headquarters in Yenagoa, said they resolved to surrender their weapons so as to embrace peace and live a normal life. Arms surrendered by the ex-militants were AK 47 Assault rifles, one pump action, three local-

ly-made pistols, one automatic revolver and 25 locally-made single barrel rifles. Others include two fully-loaded magazines, dozens of 7.62mm ammunitions, three improvised rocket launchers, one double-barrel rifle, wraps

of gun powder, 25 live cartridges, a pot of fetish concoctions and a live tortoise. According to David, “We realized there is no peace in our lives, we felt tired of living a life of militancy, so we approached the JTF and

informed them of our resolve to surrender our arms and ammunitions. After due consultations, we were convinced that if we take this positive step to surrender our weapons, it will bring the dawn of a new life for us,” he said.

Politics The fear of Nigerian Governors’ Forum…

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

February 2, 2013

Amaechi Jonathan

Clark

TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

ince the beginning of the present Republic in May 29, 1999, Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has remained one of the power brokers in the country. They have been playing crucial roles in the administration of the country. While some people see the NGF led by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, as a formidable platform, considering its involvement in shaping the polity, others are of the view that the forum is a thorn in the flesh of the country. The group has been in the eye of the storm in recent times following its confrontations with the Presidency, National Assembly, political party leadership and other political gladiators in the country. Worried by the activities of the NGF, few days ago, for example, an elder statesman and former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, described the Forum as a threat to Nigeria’s democracy. He therefore called for the ban of the NGF. Clark, in an open letter to the Forum penultimate Thursday accused NGF of breaching the Nigerian constitution with impunity. He said that the Nation-

Mark

al Governors Association in the United States of America, which the NGF copied, operates within the confines of American law unlike the Nigerian Governors’ Forum which he claimed has become a thorn in the flesh of Nigeria. His words: “I wish to dwell on some of the offending activities of the Governors Forum which are driving the country to madness but which as members you (NGF) do not care about, provided you achieve your purpose and the Forum’s over-bearing influence on the Peoples Democratic Party, the supremacy of which you have hijacked. “The Governors Forum is now acting as an opposition party to the Federal Government. It deliberately breaches with impunity, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Constitution of the PDP, without any challenges. The Forum has now become a threat to the peace and stability of Nigeria. Most of the governors today, are more dictatorial than the then military governors. The President should ban them.” But in a swift reaction to Clark’s position, the NGF, through its Director-General, Bayo Okauru, maintained that its existence is not a threat to the stability of the country, stating that it is more in-

terested in policy review programmes among themselves for overall development. Okauru insisted that governors in the country play roles that strengthen democracy as they have a secretariat where policies and issues are analysed to enable reasoned positions to be taken. He said most of the interventions by the governors had always been to avoid overheating the polity. Said he: “When you talk about exacting pressure on the federal government or the presidency; that is not true. Remember we have 36 first citizens coming together. That naturally will constitute a very influential pressure, lobby group. So, it is an influential team anytime they come together. “But decisions are not usually unanimous; they get involved only when there is an issue that has the tendency of overheating the polity. That is their role. So, in trying to define states/federal government relationship or state/ state relationship or sometimes intrastate relationship, they get involved. “It is not an arm of government, neither is it a labour union. It is not a constitutional body, but at the same time, it is a creation of the constitutional instrument. It is allowed under Section 40

of the Nigeria constitution.” The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), which was established in 1999, is a coalition of the elected governors of Nigeria’s 36 states. The group is a non-partisan association which seeks to promote unity, good governance, better understanding and co-operation among the states and ensure a healthy and beneficial relationship between the states and other tiers of government. NGF was established at the beginning of the present Fourth Republic in 1999 following a multi-party conference of all the 36 democratically elected state governors. It is registered under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, (CAMA), 1990, and also draws its legality from Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The mission of the Forum, according to its mission statement is: “To provide a platform for collaboration amongst the Executive Governors on matters of public policy; to promote good governance, sharing of good practice and to enhance cooperation at State level and with other arms of government and society.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

POLITICS

February 2, 2013

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‘Why CPC, ACN merger will not work’ Akinrogun Tunde Odanye, a legal practitioner and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain is of the view that the ongoing merger talks between the Congress for Progress Change and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) will not yield any fruit because of leadership tussles in the two political parties. In this interview with TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE, the 2007 Osun State Alliance for Democracy (AD) governorship candidate, speaks on the 2014 governorship election in Osun State, PDP’s decision to reclaim Osun State and South-West geo-political zone and crises in the PDP among other issues. Excerpts:

hat is your view about the political situation in Osun State? In terms of governance, I regret to say that apart from political sloganeering, I have not seen any sign of governance. Normally, Nigerians no longer create a high bar for their government officials. So, even if you just do a little bit, they are contented. But in many cases politicians have even disappointed the people in that they don’t even do the little that is expected of them. I asked that after two years, what have we seen in the state as the achievement of the present administration and people pointed to only one road in my constituency in Ilesha. And I said is that what we call governance? The governor, rather than concentrating on making life better and more abundant for all of us is busy growing flowers from Ibadan to Gbongan. Is there a law banning goats from roaming because they have the tendency of eating the flowers. What I am trying to point out is that it is misplacement of priority. I understand that they have been closing down schools, demolishing schools and combining schools. They are now putting three principals in one school because they have shut down the other two schools. When Alhaji Lateef Jakande was governor in Lagos State, pupils had two shifts - morning and afternoon shifts. Jakande came out and said that in four months there will be no more two shifts but one single shift. He built some very short term buildings as schools and the opposition then criticised him that he built chicken sheds, but today we all know that by building more schools and expanding the schools more people had access to good education close to their residences. Today in Osun, the government is doing exactly the opposite and yet they call themselves progressives. I do not believe in sloganeering and labelling. Irrespective of what is happening presently, I believe that the people deserve the government they get. It is now left for them to open their eyes and shout out and correct what is wrong or else, they will continue to live with it. What do you consider as the way forward? The way forward is simple. We have to reject from Osun State this none Osun people that have captured power in Osun State. They don’t know where the shoe pinches and they know nothing of Osun. They were posted to Osun and many other parts of South-West and they don’t know anything about the places they are posted to. It is the people that are now suffering for it. The God-given obligation of the rich and the powerful is to take care of the lessprivileged and less powerful and not for

some people to pocket our money and go out and continue to empower some already rich people in Lagos. You alleged that ACN’s administration in Osun State today is not perfor ming. How would you react to the fact that the PDP’s administration in the state was also accused, in those days, of nonperformance? Why do we like to deceive ourselves by listening to subjective com-

We were together in Alliance for Democracy (AD) and he is my friend. I know that he doesn’t have the necessary vision to take the state forward. I think there are different strengths. I don’t have his own strength of going around and labeling, doing aluta; he is stronger than me when it comes to that but I know that when it comes to sitting down and thinking, I am stronger than him. I am not saying that it has to be me

Odanye

ments? Were people better off in Osun three years ago than today? If they say they are better off, then I rest my case. I don’t have any argument with you but I am sure 80 to 90 per cent of people in Osun will tell you that they are better off three years ago. The only people that are better off today are those people Lagos cannot accommodate and they are here now taking Osun money to Lagos State. I am okay and that is why I can say the truth. Those who are still hoping for something, four years will come and they will get nothing. So, the earlier they start telling the truth, the better. It is up to them. I know the truth is bitter and many people don’t have the courage to say the truth. When Rauf Aregbesola was coming, I said we all believe in the Ijesa agenda irrespective of political parties but I knew Rauf was not the candidate because I knew him. Many people may be disappointed about his administration but I am not disappointed because I did not expect much from him. He is going to spend four years and he may have nothing to show for it. Why don’t you expect much from?

but we all know that in any organisation if you want to choose the Managing Director, you don’t choose the noisiest person. You choose the person who is the most patient, listening, caring and the one with the biggest vision and competence. Ahead of the 2014 governorship election in Osun State, do you foresee any change of government in the state? You may say I am bias because I am in opposition but I am of the view that quite a number of people are disillusioned. It is only when it is dawning on them that a number of them will come out and own up that this was not what we expected. I, as an individual, I am an Ijesa man and I want an Ijesa man to govern but the Ijesa man in power, with all due respect, has disappointed us. He is now going to make 2014 and beyond difficult for any Ijesaman to contest. Ijesa has a lot of good men but they don’t even use the best of the materials they have. Everybody knows that ACN was the fraction of AD and fraction of PDP coming together, but till tomorrow the press

and many people are still going around saying that it is AD that turned to ACN. All the PDP people, the Atiku’s faction that are leaders in ACN today are not regarded as former PDP, were they in AD before? And all the AD people like Senator Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa who stay on their own like some of us did, are not AD according to some people. And to worsen the matter, quite a number of people believe that I was in ACN. I never was in ACN for one day because I know ACN was a party built on betrayal, and Bola Tinubu’s vice presidential ambition. He has been chasing it since 2003 and he is still chasing that ambition. All the ongoing merger talks is about Gen. Mohammadu Buhari for President, Bola Tinubu, his running mate. Mark my words. Do you see the merger talks bringing about any threat to PDP? Mega party is Buhari-Tinubu; Buhari for presidential candidate and Tinubu as running mate. It is not going to work because some people are waiting for when Buhari will lead the CPC to merger talks. Some people will come out and say: “We are the authentic CPC? We are not merging.” When ANPP and co -Shekarau’s group go, the Modu Sherrif will say; “They are on their own, we are ANPP”. If ACN changes its name, those who are anti-Bola Tinubu and those he has marginalised will come out and say, “They are on their own and we are keeping ACN”. So, I believe that the merger talk will not work because I am sure that most of them will be afraid of giving up their certificate. They would not want a situation where they would lose ownership of their own party and the new party does not give them the desired result because they are factions of those parties remaining. But some people are of the view that the merger will work considering that many people seem to be dissatisfied with President Goodluck Jonathan-led PDP administration, based on the state of the nation. What is happening presently is that people are trying to push the deficiencies of the governors to Mr. President and people are blaming Jonathan for everything. Is it Jonathan that is coming to tar some of the roads in the states for the governors? They are causing confusion by making the media confused and misdirect the populace. But the truth of the matter is that nothing is happening in some of the ACN states. For example, Lagos State said that they are doing free education but people pay more in Lagos State University (LASU) than you pay in some private universities. The same is applicable to Osun State University where people pay about N400, 000. Students in Babcock University don’t even CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

POLITICS

February 2, 2013

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 The Forum since its inception about 14 years ago has played prominent roles on public issues and some of their achievements include: facilitating the release of excess crude funds (from Paris Club debts) to the states in 2008 (the funds have been distributed several times since then to augment the income accruable to states for development purposes); signing an MoU with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in February 2009, demonstrating its commitment to eradicating polio in Nigeria through concerted efforts; intervening in the lingering Jos Crisis by setting up a standing committee to review the immediate and remote causes of the crisis and identify solutions. But despite its good track records, the NGF today seems to be shifting its mission of strengthening democracy and good governance in Nigeria to becoming a viable instrument for the pursuit of governors’ personal interest. Without any iota of doubt the Forum in the last few years has been regarded by many people as power brokers, who usually define the direction of Nigeria’s politics. Using the NGF as a strong tool, the governors in recent time have been on collision course with the presidency, National Assembly, political parties and other top high ranking officers at the federal level over several issues which they are presently challenging in court. Because of the influence they wield in their respective political parties, the governors are regarded as the live wires of political parties and that is why political gladiators cannot toy with them. For example, the governors have always been relevant in determining the emergence of president and other key public office holders at the state and federal levels and that is why it has been difficult for the Presidency and National Assembly to curb their activities. Speaking to some journalists few days ago, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State said that the NGF is a formidable group that has the interest of the country at heart. He, therefore, noted that there was no basis for anybody to come to the conclusion that governors were frustrating the country or oppressing the president. Said Fayemi: “To the best of my knowledge, the NGF is not written in any constitution. It is a voluntary body; funded voluntarily and meetings attended voluntarily by members. Its decisions are not binding on the country. Its resolutions are shared with the press from time to time. It is always driven not by politics. “I am not a member of the political party that is in the majority in the NGF. It is only things that we agree that we push collectively. There are a lot of things that governors do that they don’t do together. So, I don’t know how anyone will come to the conclusion that we are frustrating the country, oppressing

the president and not allowing the constitution review process to progress. “No governor in this country can tell you how much this country earns on a daily basis. I am part of an entity. There should be accountability and transparency, and nobody gives me a full picture of what we earn? Governors have raised these issues at every forum. We have four cases in the Supreme Court. The federal government has been requesting for an out-of-court settlement in the cases. “Does someone who oppress you go to the court to seek reprieve? We are the ones being oppressed and nobody is coming to our rescue. Maybe, we have not sufficiently made it clear that the states are the ones being oppressed by the federal government. That is actually what is happening. Some people are used to collecting money in an unaccountable manner. Let us render it to the Nigerian people.” Speaking to Saturday Mirror, the Special Adviser to President Shehu Shagari in the Second Republic, elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, kicked against Clark’s call for a ban of the Governors’ Forum. He is of the view that the Forum is a viable tool in the polity and therefore should be allowed to continue promoting national unity, which they are doing presently. “Nigerian Constitution guarantees the freedom of expression. Whether majority of Nigerians will accept that opinion or not is a different matter. He (Clark) has every right to express his opinion but he has no right to enforce his opinion on other Nigerians. So, it is now left for Nigerians to accept or reject his (Clark) opinion. The Governors Forum is promoting national unity and I think the more we engage ourselves on issues of national importance, the more it is good for the progress of the country,” he said. The national leader of the Citizen Popular Party, Chief Maxi Okwu, said there is no basis for a call on the ban of the NGF since Nigerian Constitution guarantees fundamental human right of Nigerians of like minds to associate with one another. “His comments fly in the face of the fundamental human rights of Nigerians to associate with people of like minds and it is not against any law for a forum where governors who are Chief Executives at second tiers of governance meet for peer review and solidarity. In any case the forum has become a veritable political force and it is not illegal. “The governor’s forum is only using the power of their political group to squeeze concession from everybody, including the president. Everything that is happening is mere politics and the best to do is to find an alternative caucus to counter balance them; but they seem to be winning. Today, the fear of the governors is the beginning of political wisdom and that is the true,” he said.

‘Why CPC, ACN merger will not work’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 pay much. For our man in Osun, it is government by billboard; everything you see is billboard. I challenge that somebody should come and show me who has benefited from the state government. Presently the state government is sewing uniforms for school children. How many tailors in Osun have benefited from that. How many times did people of Osun see their governors in a week? He is always in Lagos by Thursday and comes back from Lagos on Monday or Tuesday. Is he Governor of Alimosho or Governor of Osun State? I believe it is high time people started holding the government responsible. Don’t you see the various crises in PDP affecting party chances in future elections, especially in its bid to take over South-West? What happened is that a lot of crises in PDP have been expanded and exaggerated by the ACN propaganda machine. But having said that, we do have problems and they give us a lot of concern but some of us that are still constantly together are trying to find a way out of those crises. It is not good for number one and number two man not to be totally together. It is not good for candidates even at the state level to be tearing the party in different directions. The situa-

Odanye

tion is not limited to PDP alone; we can all see what Opeyemi Bamidele and co are doing in Ekiti State. I also know that some high ranking ACN chieftains in Osun are also planning to run against their governor. So, they have their own problems as well. The only thing about PDP’s problem is that I know that so much is expected of the PDP. I always say that when two dogs struggle for a bone, it is usually the third dog that always comes to carry away the bone. I pray that our situation will not be like that. In other word, God will not allow PDP’s victory to be taken away by another party because they cannot resolve their differences.

In your refreshingly different

Pipeline vandalism: Big business, It is no longer news that Nigerian pipelines are bigger risk targets of vandals out to siphon fuel and make

good business. But all these come at a cost to government and also the vandals. Apart from millions of naira in losses to government, the vandals also play a deadly game, with most losing their lives in the process. So what are these losses and what are the gains, if any, in this illegal business? From the creeks of the Niger Delta in the South-South to the Arepo community in the South-West, we bring you this explosive report we have entitled: ‘Pipeline vandalism: Big business, bigger risk’.

Rumble among agitators There is disquiet among former warlords in the Niger Delta creek. The apple of discord is President Goodluck Jonathan. Indeed, the situation has caused a major division in the camps of the militants; while some are in support of the President, others are openly against his administration, believing the President has squandered the goodwill he enjoyed prior to when he became President. In this camp are Ateke Tom, Boyloaf and Asari Dokubo. But not so for Bibopiri Ajube, popularly known as Shoot-at-sight, who believes his colleagues are on a smear campaign against the government. Tomorrow, we tell you why the militants, who had been friends with the President, are now at loggerheads with him.

Ondo’s 1983 political riots The 1983 political riots in Ondo State which claimed hundreds of lives today remain a reference point in citing cases of political bloodshed in the country. Read about the bloodletting and the roles played by political leaders of the period.

Why Southern leaders met –Cark

Interview

The fear of Nigerian Governors’ Forum…

Dateline

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Last week, leaders in the southern part of Nigeria met in Enugu under the aegis of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly (SNPA). Leader of the Ijaw Peoples Forum, Chief Edwin Clark, who is also co-chair of the assembly, speaks about the meeting and why it took place.

‘My best is yet to come’

Her first film ‘Heavy Mama in London’ was shot in 2008. ‘Shattered Hearts’, ‘Amina’ and ‘Ikpaya’, being her other efforts, were released in 2012. “Life is a Journey” and ‘Heartless Carer’ will be released this year, apart from featuring in the movie, ‘Shameful Deceit’. Read the story of Theodora Ibekwe, whose name is synonymous with Nigeria’s entertainment industry in the United Kingdom.

These and many more available tomorrow in your

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

MAGAZ INE Naomi

...From Nigeria Idol 2011

Sex talk Hot sex questions, steaming answers from sexperts

z z z z z z

Relationships Can you forgive infidelity?

z z z z z z

Fashion • How do you look ...in mini? • Rocking your colourful sandals

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘BEN TV is Nigeria’s voice in Europe’ Dr Alistair Soyode is the founder of the popular BEN TV based in Great Britain. He however tells OSEYIZA OOGBODO that he is not yet satisfied with the station’s success and will not rest on his oars until he makes it as renowned as the more prestigious CNN and BBC.

Celebrity

hy did you start BEN TV? BEN Television was set up to bridge the gap in the Blackoriented communities in the UK as well as to become a platform to promote Nigeria as a country with immense opportunities and natural resources as well as showcase Nigerians in a better way than done by other outfits and people. How easy or difficult was it to get the license? Back in those years, it was not as easy as it is now. The technological advancement now has contributed to lesser demands by the authorities compared to a decade ago. But they are still overly strict and demand programming that appeal to all viewers.

What has BEN TV achieved? BEN Television over years has been the bridge to our Black and diverse communities in Europe and by extension, through the internet, it is also available globally on our website. As we continue to sustain our business, we can only say we are still on track to achieve what we think we can do and that’s to be and maintain our status as the leading Blackoriented television and media outfit in the world. For the last decade, BEN TV has showcased Nigeria positively, opened opportunities to many to invest back here, provided the platform for reducing negative perceptions about Nigeria, etc. Many awards and certificates which are too many to list have been given to us. We recognise however that we still have a long way to go and welcome partners and media investors on board to realise some of the achievements we personally expect. Is there any plan to have BEN TV in Nigeria? We are presently in Nigeria on the StarTimes NTA platform across Abuja and some selected cities. If viewers are not able to see it, they should please contact their StarTimes NTA dealers to request for it immediately. BEN TV is the source to alternative television programming coming direct to you from the Diaspora and our programmes both educate and entertain. Can you take BEN TV to the heights of CNN, BBC, etc? Absolutely. That’s the aim. To make it a major brand and bigger than it is right now. Of course this depends on finance hence our hope to find investors will-

So I just feel grateful and thankful to God for making it possible for me a rural farmer, sport person and uneducated in the industry to launch the first Black television in Europe and more so the first in the world by an immigrant in a new world. For every talent, there is a reason, The media industry is presently go- that’s the way I see my role so we will ing through financial problems. Is it continue to do our best to represent and present Nigeria positively to the world. the same for BEN TV? It has always been so with us. We Nigeria will be 100 years next year. started without big capital funding in the bank. When we started too, the funds re- What do you have to say about the quired were seriously massive and huge. milestone centenary? I feel excited about it, especially as it is With the support of a few stakeholders and business services especially African an opportunity for us to reevaluate ourBusiness Roundtable led by Dr. Bamanga selves as a nation to see that we should Tukur, we continued to push on. The situ- keep moving forward. But I do not believe ation is very hard especially over the last in talk, no action so we are doing our best five years when we expanded our content to ensure that the centenary is marked production and have to solely rely on our- appropriately. So BEN TV, Nigeria Arise selves the management to keep going. We and other stakeholders made a presentaare nevertheless very confident things tion to the government about activities to would improve very soon. But it is very celebrate the centenary. Towards the end tough, bearing in mind as well that we are of last year, BEN TV started one of the always enthusiastic and positive about the major items discussed in the presentation, which is to find 100 Most Influential brand Nigeria. Nigerian Personalities from 1914 to 2014. We are searching for nominees presently So it’s not a profitable operation? Not yet. Millions are needed and as we and the nomination website is www.nicontinue to promote our people, we also geriaarise.com. It is important to menneed them to join in supporting and mak- tion here that only names from the thouing it possible to provide the needed ser- sands nominated online and by phone or vice in Europe, Africa and beyond to sell emails that will be shortlisted to find the the brand Nigeria in the proper way for last and final 100. People are welcome to visit the site and nominate anyone whom the benefit of all of us. they feel merits to be among the 100. The How do you feel as the founder of a criteria is that the person must be a NigeTV station that has impacted so much rian within or from 1914 to 2014 and one that showed his influence in making the on Nigerians in the Diaspora? Honestly, I really see much, much more Nigerian history and story progressively to be done and really want to do them. and positively.

ing to support our aspirations and aims. We are very grateful though that viewers find us a very direct and straight content television that always has the viewers in mind, and that makes us know that we can deliver what the CNN, BBC and co are.

Isn’t it rather awkward to even say we are celebrating 100 next year when we just celebrated 52 last year and we will celebrate 53 this year? The truth is, it is. People really do get confused when 100 mentioned, not the fifty-two we just celebrated and the 53 later this year. So for such people, we just have to let them know we are in our fiftieth years of independence and 100 years since amalgamation. I must also add that His Excellency, President Goodluck Jonathan is indeed a very lucky man and that’s why he is privileged to lead Nigeria to the double milestone. You are the former chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe. How did you attain that enviable position? I’m not sure if I will call it enviable. I got there at the time because of and my desire still to represent and sell Nigeria. We want Nigeria to succeed, grow under good leadership and systematic corporate governance. Nigeria is all I have. The challenges and opportunities are here as much as in other countries, each unique in its way. Leadership is about being equal with others in mind whilst yet guiding and directing those with you. Any change needed or aspired for has to start with the person proposing it. If you can’t or will not do what you want others to do, there is no way you can achieve it. I am now responsible for Nigeria Arise though. Tell us about it. Nigeria Arise was established in 2008 to support Nigerians and Nigeria interest in the UK. We initiated an award event to recognise Arise Icons that are Nigerians from ordinary people up to top government executives and corporate leaders. Recipients include Dr. Godswill Akpabio, Prof. Dora Akunyili, Hon. Abike Dabiri, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan (for his role as Acting President), Alh. Aliko Dangote and Dr. Bamanga Tukur. Arise is based on part of our National Anthem. That is: Arise o compatriots, Nigerian’s call obey! If you don’t rise up, how can you move? So, arise, let’s reason together for a stronger and better Nigeria. You don’t need to be elected. Be selected to do what is right and rise above challenges and take the opportunity in front of you no matter how small. Every step counts. What else are you doing? Presently, we are very passionate about the Nigeria2015.com project. This is a platform to unite, galvanise and check all those potential political candidates in the coming 2015 elections in Nigeria. The platform will rate and discuss any candidate from any party and it will be totally independent in our focus and aims. We want to be part and parcel of transformation and change that Nigeria needs in terms of leadership. The platform welcomes anyone willing and wishing to participate in 2015 to join and register. Together we can find and elect our leaders. Together we can aspire to the Nigeria of peace and unity.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

February 2, 2013

Entervaganza

With OSEYIZA OOGBODO

Adaku invades Nigeria

all Adaku the latest thing in the Nigerian music industry and you won’t be wrong. Go further and say she is the latest returnee singer from outside the country, and you are still right. Weird MC, D’Banj and Don Jazzy in particular were those who opened the way for Nigerian singers based abroad to start returning home to sing their hearts out and make some solid cash in return. Since this trio paved the way and trod the path, many others have followed. Many of them have not enjoyed the success of the previous trio yet they keep returning. Of them all however, Adaku seems to be different. She comes from America with a style reminiscent of Asa and Tracy Chapman. She also plays the guitar, a big plus in her favour as singers who play at least one instrument have an acute advantage over their colleagues who don’t. So Adaku is ready to invade your home with her music. To this end, she has released the video of her song, Or You Can, and it is fast gaining ground. Will she be able to match the unprecedented feats of her fellow returnees Weird MC, D’Banj and Don Jazzy? Time will tell.

Adaku

08023755142 kingseiza@gmail.com

Alaafin’s son, Tillaman, finally wins an award A

Tillaman

fter several years as a musician, Prince Adeyemi Adetona aka Tillaman has finally won the first award of his career. Last Saturday, he was chosen as the Best Comeback Artist of 2012 at the PRODIGIE Awards held in Akure, Ondo State. Reacting to his breakthrough after numerous nominations that he didn’t win, he said, “This first award is a result of all the efforts being put into my brand by everyone from my label to my management and all the love from the media and the fans as well. I’m grateful to all and I pledge to put in even more work for greater results. I don go nack shelf o, so I get space for more, plenty space sef. This is just the beginning of bigger things to come.” The Ko Ma Roll crooner, who is also popular by virtue of the fact that he is a child of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, is signed on to Euphoric Heritage Records and is yet to release his debut album.

‘Miming will not be accepted at EKO Music Festival’

member of the EKO Music Festival board, Mrs. Bridget OmeizaLawani, has revealed that musicians who are not able to perform live will not be featured in the proposed musical and cultural celebration. According to her, the festival’s purpose to uplift the Nigerian music industry further will be defeated if artistes are allowed to mime when the festival kicks off. Planned to be streamed live on the internet, and also syndicated to media agencies abroad, she said “the international community is not impressed by singers who mime, so we will not risk featuring Nigerian raves that mime only to CDs.” She also disclosed that after much inhouse and external deliberations and consultations, the festival will now include a cultural display by various troupes which will have the opportunity of presenting to the world their rich heritage on the festival’s platform. Mr. Ayo George, CEO of EKO MF, also added that the need to take Nigerian culture and music live to global viewers informed the board’s decision to insist on getting live performers listed for the fiesta. “We are still working on other side attractions, but for now, we plan to feature only live performers because that, and the traditional displays by our cultural troupes, is what foreign viewers will want to see,” he said.

Mac

Naomi Mac makes overdue appearance

Omeiza-Lawani

t was thought Naomi Mac would win the maiden edition of Nigerian Idol back in 2011, as she was a firm favourite, but she didn’t. That distinct honour goes to Yeka Onka. She was, however, the first runner-up, and since then, much has been expected of her. So her release of a song, Kene Ebe Otu, is a very welcome one. A song that cries for change in the country, she said, “I am inspired to sing songs like this because I know my roots, I know where I am coming from and I cannot pretend not to see the ills in the society and our country. Undeniably, we need a change and who knows maybe this could just be that message to heal the world as Michael Jackson told us and restore love so we can live together as one.” Regardless of its serious side, Kene Ebe Otu is nevertheless a melodious and pleasurable effort as expected of her and as preferred by the Nigerian music loving public.

ENTERVAGANZA

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

CLASSICAL RYHMES

AIRWAVES LINK

9ice takes his turn at GPTBFS

9ice and Basketmouth

n a classic case of turn-byturn, indigenous and proverbial Nigerian singer-lyricist, 9ice, is this week’s studio guest of Glo Pres-

ents The Big Friday Show. 9ice’s turn on the popular show comes after those of many of his colleagues including Durella, Shank and Burna Boy. Viewers will get to know intimate details about the singer as he bares it all in an interview with the host, popular comedian, Basketmouth. The show runs on MTV Base on Friday at 8:30 p.m. Central African Time (CAT). It also runs on Silverbird Television (STV) in Nigeria at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., in Ghana on Viasat1 TV at 5 p.m. and in Benin Republic on ORTB at 9:30 p.m. Viewers in Nigeria can also watch the show on African Independent Television (AIT) at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Apart from the star attraction, 9ice, the Style segment has been rebranded. In it, Jay Jay The Stylist will advise viewers on the latest fashion trend and how to enhance their appearance.

The week’s upcoming artiste is Ajebutter singer, Sagga Lee. Born Brenda Ukwameh, the potential diva is fast becoming a music goddess. However, Basketmouth’s studio challenge is a bit hard, and viewers will find out how the slender, soft-spoken artiste acquits herself. MTV Base Vlogger Stephanie will also entertain viewers on the Vlog segment with all the latest gists in the entertainment world in her usual vivacious and racy manner. The fun continues on the Celeb Surprise segment as a Glo subscriber, Dorin, surprises her friend, Vicky, with the help of the Kukere crooner, Iyanya, and the BFS crew. On the Prank Yo Peoples segment, the Big Friday Show crew pranked rapper Iceberg Slim and fans will get to find out all the details on the show. There is also the Ask/Reply segment where Glo subscribers text in questions to know more about 9ice and the weekly Glo presents Big Friday Show Countdown.

D’Eksel look to Patrick Ellis

ighly rated music video director, Patrick Ellis, has been contracted to shoot a video for fast-rising urban music duo, D’Eksel, whose latest singles, Ile (Home) and No Dull (Malee) are already the rave of the airwaves. That D’Eksel have sought Ellis’ help to develop their career is understandable. Ellis it is who directed Wizkid’s Holla At Ur Boi video and it was the

video which eventually made the song and Wizkid a star. Even Kukere crooner, Iyanya, has benefitted from Ellis’ Midas touch. Ellis it is who also directed Iyanya’s Kukere video and shortly afterwards, D’Eksel the song became an international sensatervaganza, tion. made up of And speaking with En-

D’Eksel, Biola Ola-

biyi and Taiwo Jimmy and signed on to Cosmos Entertainment, said, “Videos play a very important role in the success of artistes, so we had to choose one of the best hands who has done superlative videos for other popular artistes to do the same for us. “We’ve been hustling for a very long time in the music industry and we’ve realised the only way up is to work with the best hands in order to achieve the best result. So, we are working with Patrick and we can confidently say the video he is doing for us is going to make us into a household name after all our years of hard work.”

Nigeria’s Bosede Afolabi on Glo/CNN African Voices

NN African Voices sponsored by Globacom will this weekend profile Dr Bosede Afolabi, a Nigerian obstetrician who has dedicated the best of her time researching and teaching the effect of sickle cell anaemia and helping pregnant women bring new life into the world. Dr. Afolabi is a female gynaecologist, and also works as an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, as well as a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, in the College of Medicine, University of Lagos/Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

This week on African Voices, Dr Afolabi sits down with Vladimir Duthier, CNN Nigeria correspondent, to recount her experience. She speaks about her passion for helping pregnant women by advancing the knowledge of sickle cell anaemia which affects both women and their children before, during and after childbirth. She has a first degree from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ife (1992), specialised and worked in the United Kingdom for a total of 8 years in various posts and has a postgraduate doctorate in Medicine (DM) from the University

of Nottingham, UK. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UK, the West African College of Surgeons, and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. She has practised obstetrics and gynaecology for 17 years now and is a managing partner at Paelon. She spends much of her time at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital seeing patients, training students and conducting research. The rare interview will run in series from yesterday on CNN International at 09:30 am, Saturday (today)

at 04:30 p.m. and on Sunday (tomorrow) at 10:00 a.m. and 07.30 p.m. It will also be broadcast at 11.30 a.m. and 06.30 p.m. on Monday and on Tuesday 06:30 am. Dr Afolabi is the second high profile Nigerian physician to feature on CNN African Voices since Glo took over the sponsorship. Last November, Babatunde Osotimehin, the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), featured on the programme and talked about his work at the UN agency that promotes health and equal opportunity around the world.

Vector

Angeli Artist: Vector Chorus Angeli to n pinre Oju re da oh It’s my time to shine No retreat no surrender oh Take me and fly away Go on soun, go on soun Take me and fly away Go on soun, go on soun Verse 1 I’m headed 2 d S.K.Y Let’s say ah Feel everyday na my birthday ah Chill anyway with the nicest Going upstairs but I’m not lifeless I’m living and you feeling That I’m putting on a song Now you moving and you moving When I hit it like a gun I’m number one headed to the top Men I’m gonna go on How I am in a ugly situation, I’m fine. Sebi 9ice l’oba ara Call me Vector oba ara na Now there’s thunder when I’m in the sky Ara la n da right in front of your eye Now there’s thunder when I’m in the sky Ara la n da right in front of your eye, eye, eye Repeat chorus Verse 2 9ice, baba oh Won lewa ba o, ala oh Can’t touch even if I allow Still wish I’m a life wa ow wa ow Cuz we move like Condoleeza Rice Apo mi ti di meji, that’s 9ice Jet along so Armstrong I just go on soun, go on soun V.E.C ti e ba pana, ma tan lantern Ti e ba r’ojo, ma lo umbrella I’m too much e ajuwaya eh Vector na the rap protector I’m the indigenator Watching all you impersonators Repeat chorus Verse 3 It’s ma time, kini mo wiwi Ask Vector D Viper vivi On d T.O.P you go see me If I dey piss you off, go wee wee It’s ma time, kini mo wiwi Ask Vector D Viper vivi On d T.O.P you go see me If I dey piss you off, go wee wee Don’t you know how e dey go Cos YSG we dey carry dey go Heavyweight champs we dey carry dey load It’s YSG people ch ch ch ch champee Ose o, ose baka Ose o, ose saxi Ose o, ose 9ice Oju re da o Repeat chorus till fade

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ENTERVAGANZA

February 2, 2013

BOX-OFFICE HITS

BRAIN BEHIND THE SCENE

Tony Abulu …

internationally acclaimed producer-director

Abulu

ony Abulu is one brain behind the scene who should be praised and honoured for his invaluable contributions to the growth of Nollywood. Though born in Nigeria, he has invested over two decades promoting an enabling environment in America for not just Nollywood but the Africa entertainment industry as a whole. Starting out as publisher-editor of Black Ivory magazine which he founded to launder Africa’s image, he had to venture into filmmaking in 1997 in furtherance of that personal mission of his. The movie he did was aptly titled Back To Africa and it’s the tale of a woman who had to come to Africa in search of her father. Back To Africa signified Abulu as a serious filmmaker. He shot it with an American and Nigerian cast and crew and location was in several Nigerian towns. It was a success. It sold out to audiences at Los Angeles’ Pan-African Film Festival and New York’s African Film Festival. BTA would however turn out to be just the starting point of his achievements behind the scene. He was soon heavily involved in the struggle by the Filmmakers

Abulu (R) on set

Association of Nigeria, USA, to secure Nollywood movies’ copyrights in America and also to organise a proper home video distribution structure in America for all African films. Like Oliver Twist, he wasn’t satisfied and wanted more, so, he organised the Nigerian International Film Festival in New York, USA in association with all the Nollywood societies, AGN, DGN, etc. Ten years after his first movie, he produced another one, American Dream and a year afterward in 2008, he released still another one, Crazy Like A Fox. Such is the impact he has made trying to sell Nollywood to Hollywood. Needless to say that the history of Nollywood is not complete without a mention of his achievements. This same man, in 2004, arranged for 50 top Nollywood actors, directors and producers to tour America in order to gain more experience and exposure. Everything he touches turns to gold, and it is the same with his latest movie, Dr Bello. Conforming with his trend, Dr Bello’s cast include both American and Nollywood A-list actors and it is already doing well worldwide.

fter watching their respective partners die, a New Orleans hitman and a Washington D.C. detective form an alliance in order to bring down their common enemy.

dapted from author David Wong’s cult novel of the same name, Don Coscarelli’s John Dies At The End finds humanity getting hooked on Soy Sauce, a revolutionary drug that allows the user to transcend time and space. But it can also have one very disturbing side effect: some people who take it experience a shocking physical transformation. When Soy Sauce opens the gateway for an interdimensional invasion, the only two people on the planet capable of saving mankind are a pair of clueless college dropouts. Only jobless slackers John and David have the power to drive the mysterious invaders back. But even then there’s no guarantee that they’ll truly succeed. Did they succeed? Find out in this

Sylvester Stallone is the hitman, Jimmy Bobo, and Stallone’s starring role in this movie which comes after his last appearance in The Expendables sequel is sure to generate a good run for Bullet To The Head as it continues the gradual ascent of Stallone back into genuine Hollywood commercial royalty. With Arnold S ch w a r z e n e g ger also presently doing business at the worldwide box office with The Last Stand, B T T H is also generating interest based on the curiosity of people to know which of the two aged and returnee movie stars is doing better than the other. BTTH is worth watching however not just for the rivalry between Stallone and Schwarzenegger but because it is the true essence of Stallone in movies: unmitigated action.

science fiction flick that follows the bankable theme of aliens invading the world to attract itself an audience. As attested to by Will Smith through his alien invasion movies, Men In Black, Independence Day, alien invasion is a huge attraction so John Dies At The End too should have a good box office run.

February 2, 2013

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Relationships Can you forgive

Maybe ... It depends

aving an affair is a life changing event for everyone involved, but getting to the root cause of the problem will help in resolving whether one will learn to forgive the partner or not. It impacts on the issues of commitment and basic trust partners have for each other. The victim of the affair most times is often disturbed with the imagery of the thoughts of the betrayal. Inconsequential former quarrels will be seen in new light. Basic character changes will now be seen as evidence of the betrayal. And forgiving the act is a hard process that if thought carefully through, may be achieved. Most times people talk about infidelity as if it’s a sickness of the male ilk. That men may be polygamous in nature may not be too much in doubt, especially African men. But infidelity has nothing to do with that. When the issue of infidelity rears its ugly head, most often, accusing fingers are pointed at the man as if he has committed a crime against mankind. Granted that infidelity is a crime against your vows, but can we really say that it cannot be forgiven when and if it does happen? Most people who have ever been guilty of it will always give reasons. Some reasons are so mundane while others may sound reasonable or logical. But whatever the reasons may be, they will always have one. I will not belabour you with the excuses people use as reasons so as not to furnish prospective offenders who want to do it excuses they can use as ammunition when they eventually get caught. Infidelity or cheating as it is commonly called is a state of your mind at a particular period towards your partner. The funny thing about it is that most men who commit it most times will not be thinking about their partners until the deed has been done and the image of the devil is the last thing on their minds. It is funny then, when they get caught that they will say it was the devil. People have different things that they like in the opposite sex and when it gets flaunted in their faces and they think they can have their

way and get away with it, the chances are that they will do it. A lot of women reading this will say it’s only a man who will think like this and that they as women can never be unfaithful to their partners. All I have to say here is that just pray you never get into that kind of position or situation. And unless you are a saint, you should never judge. For most men, it is a crime of lust and passion simply put. A man sees something he likes and without rational thoughts, goes and gets it. For women, it is more thought out and rationalized before it becomes a deed and that’s why most men will rather not want to forgive their partners apart from the issue of their manhood being involved. Men believe that for a woman to cheat on them, she would have to compare them to the person she’s committing the act with, and they would have come short of her expectations. Men believe rightfully or not, that a woman shouldn’t even see other men as objects of affection or desires once they have gotten married, forgetting that women are humans too. Women too are mostly not realistic enough to understand that in this part of the world infidelity is a ‘night market’. You mustn’t be caught doing it. Be that as it may, especially since it’s a crime mostly committed without reason, shouldn’t it be forgiven? What I mean is that can one or should one forgive a partner caught in it? The first thing that comes to mind is to say no, but one has to look at other factors beyond the lust and passion before one can genuinely say that. Most people would rather quote the holy books to support not forgiving one’s partner who may have been caught in the act. They forget that these books also give a tough act to follow by saying whosoever hasn’t committed this act even in thoughts and deeds should be the first to cast the first stone. Personally, I believe what is forgivable is better left to the individual doing the forgiving and how remorseful the person that committed the act is, even if it is impossible to forget.

SEX TALK

This column is x-rated

Hot sex questions, steaming answers from sexperts

Q A

What happens during female orgasm? Do they squirt liquid like us men?

Female ejaculation is indeed real. The fluid originates in what is called the paraurethral gland. Some researchers have found PSA (a protein found in semen) and fructose in female ejaculate. Sexperts, however, speculate that women have been conditioned to repress this outburst. The urge to ejaculate feels like the urge to pee, and it takes some mastering to tell the difference. And women, being the considerate creatures they are, worry about peeing all over the man they are in bed with. But men, being selfish ‘you-know-whats,’ don’t care a hoot about leaking all over the woman and the sheets. That’s probably why they are more adept at ejaculating than women.

I always tell my girlfriend that it’s good to have sex because she’ll burn a lot of calories. She is perpetually worrying about her weight. Am I giving correct advice?

Experts speculate that vigorous sex for thirty minutes will burn only about 40.5 calories With the horizontal positions, your heart doesn’t have to work very hard to produce circulation around the body and you’re not using large muscle groups, no matter what you’d like to tell yourself. Therefore, you can assume sex burns even fewer calories than your constant, relentless, incessant begging.

My girlfriend does not like to swallow semen because she thinks it may be fattening. How many calories would be in a single ejaculate of semen?

You might have an easier time convincing your girlfriend to swallow semen if she knows that ejaculate contains a mere five calories per serving. Most popular diet plans consider semen a “calorie-free food.” Semen is actually a tantalizing blend of sperm, fructose, sodium, citric acid, potassium, water, vitamin C, phosphate, bicarbonates, zinc, and prostaglandins. So tell her to go ahead and enjoy you to the fullest without any fears!

Q A

I heard that consuming pineapple helps sweeten the taste of semen. Can there be any truth in this? Some say there is a link between what you eat and the flavour of your semen. Others maintain these are old wives’ tales perpetuated by powerful fruit farmers and sweets manufacturers. But somewhere in-between lies the truth: Semen will never be delicious. The body is filled with bacteria, which affects its by-products. Certain foods can make it taste worse, but, like sweat or saliva, semen is not going to be appealing. Fruits and quality alcohol are good for a pleasant, sugary flavour, but chemically processed liquors may cause an acidic taste. Milk and meat products create the foulesttasting fluids. However, the fact remains that

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RELATIONSHIPS

February 2, 2013

infidelity?

This column is x-rated there is no hard evidence that diet has any bearing on the taste of semen.

Q A

My wife is silent in bed. I hate it. What can I do?

Ask her nicely if she is being sexually satisfied. If that doesn’t work, play a game where you ask her to walk you through, step by step, how she wants you to touch her. Prompt her... ask her questions. Create a dialogue. Above all, be patient. Just remember, no two women are alike. Some of them, even in the hottest of encounters, would rather stay quiet.

My wife can orgasm from oral or hand sex, but not during intercourse and I really want her to. What are the best positions that will take her to the big O?

For the surest at taking your woman to the heights of orgasm, you need direct clitoral contact, which is usually easiest with woman-on-top. This position optimizes contact between her clitoris and your pubic bone. Since she’s in control of the thrusting, she can have as much clitoral stimulation as she wants. She’s also in a position that will make it easy for you to stimulate her manually.

Every now and then, my boyfriend and I will hole up for a weekend and have sex nonstop. Is there such a thing as too much sex?

This column is x-rated

Though prolonged intercourse isn’t bad for you, there are a few things you need to consider. First, ongoing sex sessions can contribute to ‘love cystitis’ or urinary tract infection. When bacteria get pushed up the urethra from the inand-out of thrusting, they cause irritation, burning, and a constant feeling of having to pee. The best way to prevent cystitis is to flush out germs by drinking lots of water and urinating after intercourse. It’s also smart to use water-based lubricants, since excessive intercourse can cause chafing. Lubricant keeps the action spots from getting irritated, so you can literally have sex for hours. Another great idea is to declare manual or oral-only encounter. Instead of using hand or mouth action as a prelude to actual intercourse, make it the main event. Not feeling rushed to get to the real deal lets you relax and enjoy every lingering lick, kiss, and tongue flick.

Q A

Sometimes my guy is too tired to do it at night, but he’s always raring to go in the morning. Is that normal? There’s a physiological reason your man is an early bird. Testosterone levels cycle between highs and lows throughout the day, typically peaking between 8 and 10 a.m. But morning erection can also be caused by the need to pee. When the bladder fills, it stimulates the nerves in that area, creating an erection. That’s why your man is like a raging bull in the morning. Why don’t you enjoy instead of complaining?

CHINWE ANNIE AMAECHI 07028684481 chinweamaechi@gmail.com

It’s tough

very woman goes into marriage hoping that her husband will remain faithful to her for the rest of their lives together. No woman wants to share her man with any other woman. Nothing breaks a woman’s heart like infidelity on the part of her husband. When a woman finds out that her husband has been with another woman, it tears her apart; she feels as if the man took a part of her and fed it to wild dogs. But what happens after a woman discovers her husband’s act (or acts) of infidelity? Most people would base their answer to this question on whether the man confessed his woes or was “caught in the act”. In other words, there is a general consensus that it is easier to forgive a man’s unfaithfulness if he told his wife about it himself. In such an instance, a woman is more convinced about a man’s remorse and willingness not to repeat his ‘escapade’ as against the sober apology that would naturally come from a man when his woman catches him in the very act or confronts him after she receives reliable and undeniable information about the man’s adventures. But should true forgiveness be conditional? Let us face facts: men indulge in sex with their minds while women have sexual relations with their whole heart. Men can do the act without deep emotions while women’s emotions are deeply involved in sex. This is why a man can quickly move on to his next ‘prey’ after a sexual escapade while women remain tied to their sex partners. We therefore understand the level of sacredness a woman places on sex and how devastated she would be if she discovers that her man’s sexual relations are not exclusive to her. Forgiving husband who has been with another woman is definitely difficult. However, marriage is supposed to be a lifetime commitment; “till death do us part”, remember? Also recall that the wedding vows speak about “for better, for worse”. The hard truth is that adultery is part of the “worse” contained in wedding vows. Yes, you may be quick to say that adultery cannot possibly be part of the bad stuff which one should pardon in marriage, particularly because even the Bible seems to allow divorce on account of adultery. In my opinion, if there are unpardonable sins in marriage, infidelity is not one of them. I know that some of my readers will look for my head because of this statement, but it is my honest belief. The marriage commit-

ment is supposed to be strong to accommodate a spouse who has erred. This however does not mean the errors should be condoned and accepted. Not at all! I believe that when a man shows true remorse, his wife should forgive him and both of them should renew their marital vows and take necessary steps to build an unbreakable bond. What if the man is a recalcitrant and unrepentant adulterer? Well, there are two options. A woman can stick to the man hoping and praying that he would, like the prodigal son, “come to himself ” one day. The other option is to walk away. I do not support the second option because I strongly believe a woman has the power to make her husband abandon adultery and stick to her for life. I would rather that women take the preventive measures than prepare themselves to tackle adultery “when it comes” (A lot of women actually feel adultery is inevitable; I don’t!). For those whose husbands have already ‘strayed’, I implore you to draw them back by showing them love and assuring them of your willingness to forgive the past mistakes. Afterwards, you should take the preventive measures. The preventive measures are not cast in stone and would differ from one couple to another. But a married woman ought to know what she can do on a continuous basis to ensure that her man remains faithful. Of course, I don’t subscribe to stalking, nagging and constant probing. These actually backfire and cause havoc. One preventive measure is for the woman to be creatively satisfying her husband’s sexual needs. This means you cannot embark on sex strikes and you must consciously go the extra mile to please him in bed. Another measure is to ensure that you don’t nag; make sure you choose the best times to raise issues for discussion and that you don’t overstress issues already discussed. Every man desires a peaceful and clean home and once he has these, he is not likely to stray. As the popular saying goes: “to err is human; to forgive is divine”. The ability to forgive infidelity is a tough call and requires divine enablement. The level of commitment required in marriage is very high. However, no man should take his wife’s commitment for granted. Men should accord their wives the same level of exclusivity they expect from their wives. So is adultery pardonable? It is tough, but it should be pardonable.

February 2, 2013

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Woman â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Teaching has made me a nation builderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mrs. Omowunmi Kate Olamide is a Nigerian based in South Africa. A mother of two, she is a teacher and director of Living Hope Academy, which is a non-profit organisation, in South Africa, providing extra support for students to bring out the best in them. In this interview with YEMISI ADENIRAN, she talks about her life as a teacher, how best to sustain a marriage and her experience in South Africa. Excerpts:

hat was growing up like and what fond memories of those days do you have? Growing up was fun and very interesting. Although my family is from Ago-Iwoye in Ogun State, I was born and bred in Lagos State. I attended Bright Star Nursery and Primary School and later proceeded to Ojota Secondary School, Lagos, for my secondary education. I later attended Kaduna State Polytechnic, Zaria, for my National Diploma in Statistics where I graduated in 1998. My parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.O. Olukoya, were disciplinarians and mum would not support us when daddy was angry with us. The funny aspect of it is that when you discuss such a situation with your friend, it is the other way round with them. Their mum would support them and even rescue them. Not so in our own case. So, you start asking yourself series of questions and you would easily conclude that you were hated by your parents. Now, I understand why it was so. It was in our own interest. You are a teacher. Is that what you had wanted to be as a child? To be sincere, no! You know man proposes and God disposes, but am not regretting being a teacher now! As a teacher you read every day; thank God that through my work I am a nation builder. How do you come to be a teacher and what is the attraction? Our mentality in Nigeria about teaching is bad! In Nigeria we look down on a teacher as nobody in the society. Even we consider teachers to be non-professionals! When we relocated to South Africa we found out that teachers are treated as professionals; there is a professional body, South African Council of Educators, that regulates teaching profession. You will be evaluated by this body and thereafter licensed to teach. With all these in place, I became interested in teaching and as a wife and mother in Olamide

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a foreign land, l believe that this is a good profession for me. So l applied and the rest is history. What have you been able to achieve as a teacher, particularly, in terms of making students the true future leaders? As a teacher, you are a counsellor, pastor, manager, motivator, administrator, leader, assessor and a parent. You talk to these learners everyday, even speak to their parents. When you start seeing positive changes in these learners and they come back to you to thank you for what you have done, then you realise that you have done something great. Don`t forget that these learners are looking up to you to lead and direct them in the good ways of life. I feel completely fulfilled and thank God for His guidance all along. I also thank my husband for his support and understanding. Many men prefer to marry teachers so that their children could be brought up well and they would have time for the home in general. Is this the attraction to your husband? It is very funny. You see, we got married in Nigeria and moreover l was not a teacher then. I studied Statistics like I said and teaching was not on my mind. So, I would not say that was the attraction. I remember there was a time he told me that my profession had no meaning in marriage as far as he was concerned. What he was concerned about was how I would manage him. But you would recall that I said earlier that a teacher is a motivator, pastor, counselor, leader assessor and a parent. A lot depends on how you use these qualities to the advantage of your marriage. The experiences from all these makes a teacher a good housewife. You can`t be teaching other people’s children the good way of life and your own family is not enjoying the good way of life. I think with this at the back of your mind, you would want your family to be seen as a good family. More so, don`t forget that you are a leader. You have been married for twelve years and blessed with two beautiful girls. How would you describe your marriage and what has kept it going on? To be candid, I am enjoying my marriage! My husband is very understanding! He allows me to take some decisions at times that I don`t believe he could. He calls me Minister of Home Affairs. Honestly, I must say the grace of God has kept the marriage on. God is the foundation of the marriage. What are the challenges of marriage? One thing I want people to understand is that whatever that happens in your marriage, you are the architect of it. How palatable and sweet

WOMAN

February 2, 2013

do you want your marriage to be? Don`t forget that before you met your husband, he too had a design of marriage that he wanted in his life. Do your own plans coincide with his? You need to know the kind of marriage the two of you want so that you lay a good foundation for your marriage. So, when challenges come, you know how to solve it together. We are human beings, challenges will surely come. How would you react to the common saying that there is no love without money? How best can marriages be sustained? I don`t agree with that! Money buys temporary love and not everlasting love! That is why you see divorce cases here and there. On sustenance of marriage, first, forget about equality in the presence of your in-laws and your husband`s friends. Men have ego, they want people to see that they are in control. Secondly, the two of you must know how to solve your problems without a third party. Respect each other and the highest secret is know your husband very, very well. Lastly, pray together for your family. Is there any similarity between marriages here and in South Africa? No! The rate of divorce is on the high side in South Africa. We have many single parents here than Nigeria. What does fashion mean to you? Fashion is you, yourself ! Fashion makes you and interprets you! It tells people whom you are! Don`t forget you are a brand and your fashion sense makes you a big or small brand. How would you compare the lifestyle of women in South Africa with those of Nigeria? Women here are sophisticated because of the affordability. I’m sure 70% of working class ladies are earning more than men. It is a sort of taboo for a Nigerian woman to smoke but here, it is a part of life. Here women are considered first for a job before men in an interview, so they have upper hand. What advice would you give to women, particularly about how to keep their marriages and improve the society in general? Trust in God. Marriage is like putting water and oil together and you want it to be gelled and become an entity. So, marriage is not a child`s play. Don`t just rush into marriage because your friends are getting married. Be totally sure that you are going in. It is like a cult between you and your husband. And to women generally, I would say, respect yourself , respect your husband, be disciplined, be supportive be fashionable and be a ready made material. Then, the sky is the beginning.

Keeping ABREAST

Breast cancer patients ‘more likely to survive’ without mastectomy –Study  Experts believe radiotherapy may be far more effective at killing all cancerous cells than removing the entire breast.

omen stand a better chance of surviving breast cancer if they don’t have a mastectomy, a major study has found. Those aged over 50 who have only the lump removed, followed by radiotherapy, are almost a fifth more likely to survive the illness than patients who lose the whole breast. Some women diagnosed with breast cancer choose to have a mastectomy thinking it will remove the tumours as quickly as possible and give them the best chance of survival. But the results of a ten-year research project by academics show that a less radical form of treatment – breast conservation surgery – is more effective. It involves taking away the affected lump and then administering high doses of radiotherapy over a course of five or six weeks to ensure any remaining cancerous cells are killed. Researchers from Duke University in North Carolina looked at the records of 112,154 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1994 and 2004. Around 55 per cent had breast conservation surgery and 44 per cent had a mastectomy. The study, published in the journal Cancer, shows that women who had breast conservation surgery were 13 per cent more likely to survive the illness. But the results were even more promising in women over 50 whose survival odds were 19 per cent higher than those

who had mastectomies. It also found that women of all ages who had breast conservation surgery were a fifth less likely to die from other causes such as heart disease. This study looked only at women diagnosed with breast cancer early – known as stages one or two. It did not include patients with advanced forms of the illness. Experts believe radiotherapy may be far more effective at killing all cancerous cells than removing the entire breast. Lead researcher Dr E Shelley Hwang, of the Duke Cancer Institute in North Carolina, said: “Our findings support the notion that less invasive treatment can provide superior survival to mastectomy in stage one or stage two breast cancer. “Given the recent interest in mastectomy to treat early stage breast cancers, despite the research supporting lumpectomy, our study sought to further explore outcomes of breast-conserving treatments in the general population comparing outcomes between younger and older women.” Cancer activist, Sally Greenbrook, said: “We welcome these significant findings, as we have known for some time that lumpectomy and radiotherapy is as effective as mastectomy for some women. “These findings go further to suggest that lumpectomy with radiotherapy could be better than mastectomy in early stage invasive breast cancer. “We know, through speaking to women with breast cancer every day, how difficult it is to choose between a mastectomy and a lumpectomy. “This study provides further reassurance, allowing women to be more confident when making this decision.”

WOMAN

February 2, 2013

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we dress has a remarkable impact on the people we meet and greatly affects how they treat us.” Yes, clothing sends out a message, a statement to others about you. Clothing can whisper conscientiousness, stability, high moral standards. Or it can shout rebellion and discontent. It can even serve as a form of identification. These children are not to be blamed, it is a matter of moral upbringing and more so parents have little or no time to attend to these children. They should instil in them that you are addressed the way you are dressed. Parents however have a very vital role to play in this regard. We need to teach our children what will add value to their lives. You don’t need to go half naked before people notice you. More so, the Bible says our body is the temple of God and we must teach our children with the word of God. The holy book frowns at this type of dressing.

‘I feel highly fulfilled at 50’ Dr. (Mrs.) Foluke Ayodele is a Deaconess and medical practitioner with a passion for treating sexually transmitted infections. She reminisces on growing up, marriage and her career as a doctor. HAKEEM GBADAMOSI

ow does it feel to be 50? I fell happy and fulfilled, and I give all the glory to God for sparing my life to this day, especially in a country where life expectancy is 47. I think I have enjoyed the mercy of God. More so, five is a number that stands for grace so I think I have 10 times the grace for being 50, and I must tell you that I feel highly fulfilled. Age is just a figure. I’m 50 but I’m still youthful at heart. And like I said before, I feel fulfilled but as a medical practitioner, I have witnessed and seen children delivered die immediately, I have seen people younger than me give up and die, and I have seen pregnancies terminated. What was growing up like? I was born into the family of

Chief Titus Olatunde Aluko and Mrs. Veronica Aluko of Ise-Ekiti. I went to Ondo State School of Arts and Science, Ikare-Akoko, then I went to Ogun State University (now Olabisi Onabanjo University) from 1983 to 1987 where I read Medicine. Though I have a poor beginning but a humble background. We were taught to be humble, God-fearing, truthful and hardworking. My parents instilled in me the fear of God which is the beginning of wisdom and I was made to understand that there is no short cut to success, only hard work. This was because they believed it is only through hard work you can make it in life and I must tell you I am enjoying this today and passing it down to my own children and because I chose my parents’ path, that moral upbringing is always there in me. I am not a social person and I detest immorality Why did you read Medicine? Yes I am a medical practitioner but

funny enough, I wanted to read Economics but being the first child, my father in his characteristic manner insisted that I must study Medicine. And to the glory of God I do not have any regret that I studied medicine as I enjoy every bit of that profession. Through I was not doing well in Biology in my elementary school, I did well in Chemistry and Physics and my father saw it as an advantage for me to study medicine and I am fulfilled in his choice. What is your impression of improper dressing among youngsters these days? Dressing almost nude is a foreign fashion which our customs abhor. This near-nudity is part of Western culture which is creeping into our culture. Some youths use ripped clothing, punk styles, or expensive designer clothes as a type of trademark. Others use clothing to attract the opposite sex or to make themselves appear older than they really are. One writer, I think John T. Molloy, author of Dress For Success, cautions: “The way

You are a medical practitioner with special interest in HIV/AIDS patients, why the special interest? I take special interest in HIV/ AIDS because I really want to help the people living with the virus. I want to change their orientation that being a HIV patient or having contacted the disease is a death warrant. There are diseases that are more deadly than HIV. So, we need to show them care and love and encourage them. We should continue to educate people and change their orientation towards people living with the virus. There are some people we play with that are living with it but because we don’t know their status, we tend to associate with them. I think we should continue to educate them. We need to show love to them, that’s just the message. We should also intensify efforts on campaigns against stigmatisation. Government is doing a lot on this, but we need to do more. What would you want people to remember you for? I want to be remembered as a virtuous woman, a virtuous wife, and a role model to children and somebody who has raised a God-fearing generation. I am planning to register a NonGovernmental Organisation to help PLWHAs and to campaign against stigmatisation. This NGO will help to change people’s orientation towards people living with HIV/AIDS. Though the government is doing a lot in this direction, we need to support government in achieving a virus-free society.

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February 2, 2013

le StyGlam and

with Yemisi Adeniran

(08037801158) ydiran@yahoo.com

ini skirts and dresses can be fun, fashionable and flirty but if you wear them the wrong way you might give people the wrong impression about yourself. Wearing a mini with grace and style requires some consideration. This following will guide you well: Consider your body shape. In order to look good in a mini outfit, you must have the right style mini for your body shape. Stand in front of a full length mirror either nude or dressed in spandex to adequately evaluate your shape. Determine if you are straight, apple, pear or hourglass shaped. For apple shaped women, flared mini skirts or dresses are very flattering. Pear shaped women should opt for longer, A-line, mini skirts that are no more than three inches above the knee. For the hourglass shape, tailored mini skirts, dresses are the way to go. Slim, straight figures are best flattered in mini wears that feature a pattern. You also need the right shoes. Extremely high heels should be avoided as this again, might give the wrong idea. Sandals are a good choice as are flats. If you desire the height of heels,

wedge sandals are also a good way to go. When you sit in a mini outfit, do not cross your legs as doing so will put you at risk of exposing to much in this short of a wear. Instead, sit with your knees together and feet flat on the floor. Also if you need to pick something up from the ground or floor, do not bend from the waist. Instead, bend from the knees while keeping your legs together. This way you will not show off your panties in the process. Getting in and out of a vehicle can be tricky while wearing a mini. To get into a vehicle, first sit down sideways in the vehicle so that your legs are outside of the vehicle with your feet on the ground and your knees together. Then carefully swing your legs around, into the car, keeping your knees together the entire time. To get out of the vehicle, repeat this same process in reverse. Follow these tips to wear your mini wears with confidence and class. Remember, wearing a mini is sure to always make a statement. Just be sure that the statement you are making is the one you want to make!

STYLE & GLAM

February 2, 2013

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Fashion YEMISI ADENIRAN

eautiful and classy as colourful sandals are, many ladies are scared of wearing them. Meanwhile, they are very simple to indulge in, so, do not shy away from them and if you have a pair, do not hide them away in your closet. This is how to rock them day and night:: Most importantly, make the shoe the focus of your outfit. The more colorful your shoe is, the duller everything else should be. Pairing your colorful sandals with a plain t-shirt and jeans lets them stand out. You want to draw everyone’s eyes to your awesome shoes, not overwhelm them with an explosion of color Don’t be afraid to shamelessly colour coordinate though. A little pattern goes a long way, it’s true, but coordinating colours is a great way to tie your outfit together. For example, you could pair your red checkered sandal with a white sundress, red earrings and a dash of red lipstick and you’d look extremely classy and stylish. The secret to style is balance-keep everything simple except the piece you want the world to focus on. If your shoes are multicolored, pick a colour to focus on. Remember too, that black and white match with everything. Just remember to keep everything simple except for your crazy shoes.. If you are wearing a wedge that is more than four inches high, don’t, under any circumstances, wear them with shorts. Capris are fine. Jeans are fine. wearing super high wedges with shorts just makes you look trashy.

BEAUTY

Q&A

Your candid response to all fashion questions 51 fashion tips and tricks every girl should know 43. The power of a silk pillowcase isn’t a myth: Not only do they prevent “sleep crease,” they’re much, much gentler on your skin and hair. 44. Add a pair of legwarmers under knee-high boots for extra warmth and a dose of cool.

45. If you can’t fit two fingers underneath your bra band comfortably, it’s probably too tight. 46. “The best way to store fashion jewelry, is in Ziploc bags. This helps pieces retain luster and reduces tarnishing and scratches.

47. If th cover them fabric.

48. Pair an effortle 49. To a

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February 2, 2013

n Frenzy

he garment youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ironing has delicate buttons or detailing, m with the bowl of a metal spoon and press the surrounding

r flirty feminine dresses with masculine spectator shoes for ess and unexpected look. achieve the perfectly effortless cuffed sleeve, keep the top but-

STYLE & GLAM

Facelift How to pick the right colour clothes to compliment your hair colour

ton (which is called the gauntlet) buttoned while you roll. 50. V-neck sweaters and tees give the illusion of a longer torso. 51. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing cooler than sticking to a signature style you know looks good on you. Slaves to fashion are never chic! CONCLUDED

Whether your hair colour is naturally or artificially what it is, know this today that the relationship between your clothing colour and your hair colour plays an important role in your overall style. This is why at some point before now; you have noticed that some of your clothes looked better or worse on you? Well, it is due to the fact that certain hair colours go with certain clothing colours better. Knowing which colour tones and families go with your hair colour can save you time and frustration when sopping. It can lead you to exactly what colour will look best on you. Eventually, once you learn all the colours that look good with your hair colour, your closet will be full of complimentary clothing. This will make it easier to pick out an outfit and know that it will look good on you. This being said, if you drastically change your hair colour for one reason or the other, you may have to go out and buy new clothing also. Try to commit at least 3-4 colours from your hair colour group to memory for your future shopping trip. Do a little test and try on the same top, one in a colour that compliments your hair colour and one that does not. Which one looks better on you? The following are the clothing colours that best suite peculiar hair colours. Brunette and black hair cool reds hot pink black pure white turquoise royal blue fuchsia cool pastel colors bright yellow bright red Classic blonde hair chocolate brown camel gentle earth tones orange peaches navy bright greens Red Hair earth tones camel light green orange pale gold colors browns

February 2, 2013

Male Essentials

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08036961187

with Oseyiza Oogbodo kingseiza@yahoo.com w

Tee-A

style

f you yo know Tunde e Adewale Ade aka Tee-A a bit well, the then en n you’ll very y ou know he’s not just a comedian but also a ver ry fashionable man and someone you can look up to fash fashfa ash hhion-wise. always ion-w wis No matter the he time of day or night, he is alway ys appropriately dressed and looking cute. appro opr Ass a dandy per excellence, ellence, he doesn’t limit himself selff tto o one style but various so he always comes across differentt each time you come co es a es see him. him Nevertheless, when Ne eve en he e really wants to prove reallly w ve a fashion fash hion point, he wears rs suspenders which susp pend are not no very common now so whoever n no wears is immewearrs them we th diately diate te ely ly the cynosure

Dealing with thinning hair T

hese days there are so many advertisements offering help for men with thinning hair. These usually come in the form of tablets, lotions and potions with medically sounding names and heavily exaggerated claims to help regrow lost hair. Most are not effective at all in the fight against hereditary hair loss, but those men who are are self conscious about their hair will try most products in the hope that it improves their situation. And why is it

that they are always endorsed by former cricketers? Aside from these, surgery is available in the form of hair transplants – made even more prominent recently by a certain Mr Rooney. This process involves harvesting strips of scalp about 1-1.5 x 15cm in size from the middle section of the back of the head (where hair tends to have stronger growth), or by a technique called FUE, which involves using a punch to extract individual hair follicles less

than a millimetre in diameter and then transplanting them into the scalp. Even though the results can look impressive, it sounds more like a torture technique to me, whilst also being expensive and it doesn’t last forever. You would need to be prepared to keep re-investing over the long term – which could end up costing you tens of thousands over the years. There is also a newer treatment called scalp micro pigmentation or Micro Hair Tattooing. This technique involves tat-

tooing hair stubble onto the scalp resembling closely shaved hair. I have actually seen one example of this and was impressed with the result, but it does means having a hair cut that was sported by Action man circa 1973. It is very similar to semi permanent make-up, which is a treatment where a specially trained beautician thickens or recreates eyebrows and eyelashes by tattooing individual hairs, that look surprisingly realistic.

People While most journalists loathe freelancing, veteran journalist, Shola Odunfa, is a freelance freak. And does he love it? According to the septuagenarian, he makes more money as a freelancer. He has dared where many feared. Through wars, unrests and an array of chequered events, his pen and voice have painted several stories of different shades and colours on different issues across Africa while reporting for Nigerian newspapers and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). But ask this man of many parts what he cannot take out of his daily schedule no matter how busy he may be or how tortuous the story he is working on may be. His answer will shock you! It is one and only one item - a bottle of cold beer. THOMAS USHIE

ould you lead us into the genesis and revelation of your journalism career? I started my career in journalism as a freelance reporter in 1962 with the Tribune in Ibadan. Three years later, I joined the Daily Express and moved again to the Daily Times still as a freelance reporter in Ibadan. I had my first fixed paid job as a journalist in 1967 as a sub-editor, still with Daily Times. After the Nigerian Civil War, I was sponsored by the Daily Times, along with some of my colleagues, for a course at the International Publication Corporation Newspapers Training School, Plymouth, England. I concluded the course and returned in 1971 and was appointed the Editor of Lagos Weekend, a sister publication of the Daily Times and later as Editor of Spear magazine. I left the Daily Times Group in 1976 and worked briefly with FESTAC International Secretariat. After FESTAC ’77, I returned to what I loved best, journalism, as the Editor of Sunday Sketch. From Sketch, I moved on to become the Editor of the Punch newspapers around 1978-79. I was brought to the Punch by a man I revere so much, my professional mentor, Sam Amuka, who is now the publisher of the Vanguard newspapers and who I regard very truly as the father of journalism in Nigeria. Although I have been an editor before, it was at The Punch that Sam took me under his wings and showed me the final point of being an editor. He is very self-effacing. I learnt a lot from him and I am still gaining a lot from him. How did you transit from a reporter to sub-editor and why do you prefer freelancing to fixed salary jobs? I love adventures and challenges. After Punch, I went back to my very beginning, as a freelance reporter. I set up an agency and supplied first-grade stories to several newspapers such as the Daily Times Group, Sunday Sketch, The Herald, The Punch, etc. I did not go into journalism

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February 2, 2013

Shola Odunfa

...Reporting for BBC News as an editor. I went into journalism as a reporter and my resolve was to be a damn good reporter! Hence, even while I edited some titles, I was still reporting and sharpening my skills as a reporter. So, when I left the Punch as an editor, I asked myself, ‘Where do I go from here?’ The answer was quite simple: “You are a reporter, go back to your first love.” And that was what I did. So I registered a company and went around writing good reports and marketed them. It was easy for me because most of the people heading newspapers at that time were either my former colleagues or my juniors. So, I called my friends all over the media and discussed my terms with them. When they agreed, I started supplying them with stories. So I found myself again making more money as a freelance reporter than when I was fully employed and being paid a fixed salary as an editor. This was between 1982 and 1983. Even before that, as a freelance reporter with the Daily Times, I earned more than the average fixed salary reporter. A freelancer earns according to the stories done and published. Hence, the more stories you deliver and are published, the more money you earn. And I was so industrious that at a certain time, I became a threat to the finance of the Daily Times. They therefore thought it economical to fully engage me on a fixed salary and the only vacancy available then was on the sub desk. That was how I became a sub-editor. Nevertheless, I started journalism as a freelancer and I

am ending it as a freelancer. A freelancer is not spoon-fed like fully employed reporters. Whenever I went for assignments as a freelancer, while other reporters would be chatting with each other, I would go into my car and knock out my report. Before they would arrive at their offices, my report of that event was already there. So, it was easier and more convenient for the editors to use my report over those written by some of their staff. The staff had a salary to look forward to by the end of the month. I had nothing. I knew that my livelihood depended on the publication of my stories and I gave all my stories the best of professional reportage. I worked like hell to achieve that. I was a workaholic. So, by the time I was engaged by the BBC, instead of reporting one or two days, they found this workaholic doing reports for them every day. I was writing two to three reports every day. And they were all reported because they were too good to be rejected. They were happy, and I was happy, and the relationship grew. Having held all these positions in the print media, why did you choose to venture into electronic reportage? I veered into broadcasting and started reporting for Deutsche Welle Radio (DWR). I was later engaged by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1984 with a clause in my contract not to report for their competitors CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

PEOPLE

February 2, 2013

Reporter in battle

‘Bullets do not discriminate’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 and I had to disengage from DWR. I found out that I had to work round-the-clock and could not have time to report for other media. I was not getting younger and I set up my mind to retire from the BBC when I turned 65 (in 2008). The day before my 65th birthday, I gave myself an unapproved holiday. When I informed my employers, the BBC, they said that they could not dispense with me and instead of approving my retirement, they extended my contract. You’ve tasted the two sides of journalism, print and electronic media. Of the two, which is more challenging? On radio, you feel some intimate and personal relationship with your audience/listeners than the print media. With the technological advancement, you talk on radio and the listeners talk back immediately. A broadcaster enjoys the privilege of interactive journalism via phone-in programmes and also faces the rigour of instant reportage from the point of news break. Again, professionally and physically, radio is more challenging because you are moment by moment confronted by time in the process of filing in your stories to avoid other competitors doing so before you. You have to break the news before other radio stations do so and that entails speed, which must not be sacrificed for accuracy. What motivated you into journalism among all the professions of your era? I had some friends at school – Duro Onabule, Femi Fasuba, and two or three others – who were voracious readers. We would read weekend papers meticulously and every Monday morning, we would discuss their reports and especially their columnists such as Peter Pan, Ebenezer Williams, Sam Amuka, etc. So, by the time we were approaching our final year, nearly all of us had decided to go into journalism. So, when I left secondary school, my ambition was to get a job in a newspaper. Thank God I did! It was after getting the job that I

AS A WAR CORRESPONDENT, YOU DON’T GO INTO IT WITH THE MINDSET OF WANTING TO BE A HERO. NO. YOU ARE NOT THE ONE FIGHTING THE WAR. YOU ARE THERE TO FILE IN REPORTS AND YOUR FIRST RESPONSIBILITY IS TO STAY ALIVE.

YOU MUST USE YOUR COMMON SENSE TO KNOW HOW TO GET YOUR STORY WITHOUT BEING HURT. THAT WAS WHAT I ENDEAVORED TO DO THROUGHOUT MY COVERAGE OF THE CIVIL WAR. I DID NOT RUN INTO MINES, BULLETS OR BOMBS BECAUSE I WAS DETERMINED TO STAY ALIVE AS MUCH AS I WAS EAGER TO GET GOOD STORIES started formal training for myself. From being a sub-editor with the Daily Times, you resumed again as a reporter in a controversial circumstance. And when the Nigerian Civil War broke out, you were posted to the war front as a reporter. It is said that you were to be sacked but was later considered for a position of a war correspondent. Were you aware of the impending sack and did you see the posting as a death warrant or punishment? I saw it as a challenge rather. I saw the posting as a divine intervention. At every point in my life, God always intervenes. I had a problem with the headline I casted. Instead of N10,000, I wrote N100,000. It was a mistake which I admitted. Up till now, I do tell my professional colleagues that as an editor, I will not take that from a subeditor. It was utter carelessness! And the management took a decision to terminate my appointment, which I believe was the right decision. However, an invitation came from the Ministry of Defence for a reporter to be sent to cover the civil war after they realised that Biafra had so much media coverage. There was no reporter willing to be posted to the war front. But when I was given the offer in lieu of the sack letter, I jumped at it. I saw it as a God-given op-

portunity to resume as a reporter. Immediately I accepted the offer and set out in the evening in an air force military aircraft on my way to Kaduna to resume. I gave a good account of myself and had several promotions while reporting from the war front. How challenging is it to be a war correspondent with bullets flying all over and bombs indiscriminately dropping? It is quite challenging but as a war correspondent, you don’t go into it with the mindset of wanting to be a hero. No. You are not the one fighting the war. You are there to file in reports and as the gurus of the profession have said over time, your first responsibility is to stay alive. You must use your common sense to know how to get your story without being hurt. That was what I endeavoured to do throughout my coverage of the civil war. I did not run into mines, bullets or bombs because I was determined to stay alive as much as I was eager to get good stories, which I really got. However, in a war situation, even though you are cautious, caution is threatened by some misfortunes. And the closest I got to danger and death was when some stragglers for the Biafran Army found their way to the Divisional Headquarters of the Third Marine Division in Rivers State and opened fire. I quickly grabbed my typewriter and

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dashed for the office and residence of the GOC, Brigadier Adekunle, which of course, was the safest place to run to. What were you doing with a typewriter on the war front? At that time, we were not using tape recorders or laptops, palmtops or the contemporary electronic devices of nowadays to file in our stories. So, the typewriter was my computer and writing material on which I typed my stories and faxed them to Lagos for publication. Was there any time you ran afoul of the Nigerian military that they threatened to withdraw their protection or to arrest you? That was when I reported the fall of Onitsha. I was in Asaba when Onitsha fell to the Federal troops. I followed everything across the River Niger. I was with the second brigade and had a very close relationship with the commander, the late Brigadier Godwin Alli. I knew everything that was going on even from the other side. I knew the exact time the Federal troops will move in so I started my story so that I could file it in on time. And immediately Onitsha fell, I sent a detailed report to our office in Lagos for publication. I broke the news before the military authority could announce the fall of Onitsha. Unfortunately for me, my line was tapped. I should have been wise enough to know that my phone could be tapped and would have made use of alternative medium to file in the story. I was declared wanted dead or alive by the military authority. In the evening of the same day, Brigadier Alli showed me the signal from Enugu that was sent to all formations to bring me dead or alive to Enugu. The military headquarters was obviously furious that such a major military success was not known to them but was to be read on the pages of Daily Times. So, when the signal was shown to me, I started shivering for fear of my life. Fortunately, Alli gave me 30 minutes to get out of the war zone before he sends the signal to other military formations to hunt for me. I heaved a temporary sigh of relief and immediately, I went into my room and helter-skelter, I grabbed my typewriter and bag and started running. It was very difficult to get transport in such a war condition. The only vehicles common then were those of the military. So, as I got to the express, I saw a Land Rover CONTINUED ON PAGE 33

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PEOPLE

February 2, 2013

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 32 approaching. I was scared stiff ! But the vehicle drove closer, parked, and called me to come in. Obviously, Alli sent him to save my life. The driver told me that he had instruction to drop me at Benin. When I got to Benin, I could not afford to spend the night there fearing that they could come for me. I therefore headed straight for the motor park. The vehicle loading Lagos had four passengers left and I paid for the three remaining seats and he moved immediately. Immediately I landed in Lagos, I headed for the office to narrate my ordeal to the editors. When I got to the office, the papers were being printed. My story was the major cover. But when I told the editor what happened, they understood and discontinued printing and stepped down my story. The following morning, the Defence Headquarters announced the fall of Onitsha from where the media got their stories. I was denied a world exclusive. After your close shave with death, did you have the courage to go back to report the war? Not immediately. But after the dust of the story of the fall of Onitsha settled down, I ran into Brigadier Alli in Lagos and he said that they had been expecting me back. I told the Managing Director that the place was safe for me to return and he approved. Were you given life insurance coverage by your employer? I was not aware of any insurance. In Nigeria, journalists are exposed to risk without any form of insurance cover. In America or Europe, before a journalist is sent to any trouble spot to report, he must go on a survival course, a quasi-military training where one is trained on how to use the compass, read maps and how to protect yourself in case of danger. Such a person is also trained on how to administer first aid to himself or another in case of injury. And afterwards, you would be given a bullet proof vest and head gear, if you are covering a war. The case is not the same in Nigeria. But such trainings are very useful even if you are covering riots or protests, which could degenerate to violence. As a reporter on the war front, did you think that the Federal troops observed the laws of engagement and treated the prisoners of war (POWs) well, with respect to their human rights? In a serious situation, who thinks about human rights? We have seen what happened in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, etc. You can only talk of human rights with regards to soldiers attacking the civilians without just cause. Nevertheless, bullets do not discriminate. When soldiers are attacking a trouble zone, the bullets could hit anyone. With regards to the POWs, each side is treated as best as they could be in the circumstances. Biafra had no food for its citizens. So how much would they have given to the POWs when even their own citizens and soldiers were fighting with empty stomachs? On the Nigerian side, at the location where they had the facilities, the POWs were well treated. I interacted with them at some locations. There were a few incidences of soldiers misbehaving. More was heard of Nigerian soldiers. Not much was heard about the Biafran soldiers. But there are two sides to a coin. Could you reminisce on the wild, weird and weary ways of war?

‘How I was denied world exclusive during civil war’ I BROKE THE NEWS BEFORE THE MILITARY AUTHORITY COULD ANNOUNCE THE FALL OF ONITSHA. UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME, MY LINE WAS TAPPED. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN WISE ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT MY PHONE COULD BE TAPPED.

I WAS DECLARED WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE, BY THE MILITARY

One fateful day, we were advancing towards Auchi, through enemy route, and suddenly, the soldiers I was driving with said that they noticed a movement in the bush. As I said earlier, in war, it is kill or be killed. So, they went to find out. After about three minutes, they came out with one haggard looking man. Obviously, that man had not eaten for weeks. He was wearing only underpants. I wanted to say ‘let’s give him some food’ because we had some, but it was not my affair to interfere. The commander ordered that we proceed. So, I hopped into the Land Rover and a minute later, I heard the sound of a gunshot, gbraaa! They had killed him! That is what war does to people. War dehumanises. War brings out the worst beast in human beings. You can see it even in Syria, Iraq and all over the world. War is not what we should want. But would you say that the Biafran civilian populations were fairly treated? By who? By the Federal troops? At what stage? It was not the business of the Nigerian forces to look after the people there. Were you around at that time? There was song of war all over the place, especially in the Igbo area. So, what do you mean by ‘were they fairly treated by the Federal troops?’ They were arming themselves to kill the Federal troops. Did the Biafran forces treat the Nigerian civilians well? They dropped a bomb at the Casino in Yaba, Lagos. Were we fighting in Lagos when they dropped the bomb? So, you cannot rational-

ize anything in war. You cannot! It’s good for those of you who did not witness the build-up to the war to read your own selected preferred authors screaming they did not treat us well. Did Ojukwu treat them well? When Ojukwu realised that he had no means of defending his people, yet, he was on Radio Biafra daily saying that ‘we’re winning, we’re winning!’ Was he treating them well by that? I was not involved in the war. I was just an observer there as a reporter. I tuned in to Radio Biafra daily. And what I heard daily made me laugh. You are broadcasting that you have taken Campos Square and I am here at the Square drinking beer. What do I think of you? Nigerian soldiers were killed. Biafran soldiers were also killed. These were professional fighters. How about the civilians? In terms of civilians, I would say that the worst I saw was in Port Harcourt. When I entered Port Harcourt and saw what had become of the civilian population there, it was terrible, bodies all over the place. You don’t talk of war like a Nigerian Labour Congress protest. It is not. When they report that Nigerian forces have killed 30 people in a particular village, do they show the bodies? But you can imagine. That is war all over the world. It has happened in Africa, in Europe, Asia. It is still happening in Iraq and Syria. All those thousands of refugees migrating from one country to another during war, why do you think they are running? As a reporter during the war, you

must have been privy to all kinds of information. Do you think that the Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo advised the Federal Government to starve the Biafrans, an advice alleged to have unleashed terror of genocidal proportion on the Biafrans? I was a reporter. I was not privy to their meeting. But one thing I know for a fact was that the Nigerian government offered to ferry relief materials through the land corridor to Biafra, but Ojuwku rejected it. He said he wants the relief materials to go direct to Biafra. The Nigerian government said at a time that since the people were starving, whoever was sending relief materials should do so through the Lagos Airport where the government would inspect and then send it to Biafra. But Ojukwu said ‘no, you cannot inspect.’ If he was genuine about having relief materials, why did he refuse the offer? If all he wanted was food and medicine for his people, why did he refuse the federal government’s offer? You see, we don’t comment deeply on what happened during the civil war so that it would not appear that somebody is taking sides. Nevertheless, we were adults and we saw what transpired. We read reports on government treatment. Whatever we could not get from the Biafran newspaper, we got from Radio Biafra. It is okay if a particular writer wants to keep the memory of the war alive. It is propaganda. The propaganda still continues. And don’t forget that Chinua Achebe was one of the Biafran chief propagandists. I have not read a review of that book anywhere in which he listed the numbers of northerners killed. The Ibo officers killed the northerners too. At Ikoyi Hotel, some Northerners were killed. The Igbo activists don’t ever remember that. And that was what led to the war. If you slap me once, and in anger, I decide to retaliate, I could slap you more. •How does Odunfa relax? Find out next Saturday

Dear Igho

February 2, 2013

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TTel: e 08023924679 (SMS only) ighomit@gmail.com

Having diﬃculties with relationships, family, work or any other aspectt off your life? lif Help is at hand with TOBORE IGHO OVUORIE

I’m jealous of my boyfriend’s dog! from being so resentful and angry? Sele Chila, Plateau State.

Dear aunty Igho, My boyfriend and I have been together for over a year now. We each seem to love spending time together, and being around each other as much as possible. About four months into our relationship, I went with him to buy a dog. My boyfriend rarely gives me any affection, besides maybe holding my hand or a kiss once in a while, but only if I beg. However, as soon as his dog comes anywhere near him, it’s as though I’m not even there. He holds her, hugs her, kisses her, and even baby talks her, telling her how much he loves her. I love animals very much, as I have grown up with cats, dogs, and horses. However, for some reason, whenever this dog (who I helped raise, and used to love) comes near, I feel a large amount of anger and resentment towards her adorable little frame. I know this is so wrong of me, and I really do love her, but only when my boyfriend isn’t around. How

Dear Igho, A guy who is 6 years younger than I am, likes me, but I don’t like him in that way. I asked him, and he said yes. I want him to know that I don’t like him. It’s fine if he likes me but doesnt take it too far, and I don’t want to be mean or rude too him. I am 16, and he is only 10. Princess Horsefall-Dagogo, G.R.A, Port-Harcourt.

can I deal with this problem? Being jealous of a dog isn’t something I’m used to, but even my friends and family can see that I’m practically

He’s 10, I’m 16, but he loves me! Dear Princess, He’s a brave 10 year old! I understand you not wanting to hurt him, but it goes with the territory. And it doesn’t mean you sacrifice your feelings for his. After all, this is his crush, and if you want only friendship, he needs to know it. You’re not responsi-

Should I date him? Dear Igho, I’ve known this guy for 5 years. We met through a friend and instantly hit it off. He liked me as more than a friend a few weeks after we started talking. I still only liked him as a friend. The next four years were spent talking off and on, barely seeing each other, and often forgetting about each other. A little less than a year ago, we started talking a lot more than we were before. Suddenly, we were texting and calling each other every day, telling each other everything, and becoming best friends. We live a little far from each other and only see each other every few months but we continue talking

neglected as soon as the dog comes around. Is there some way for me to accept the way I’m treated compared to her? Or some way to keep myself

Dear Sele, Your boyfriend seems to gravitate to “unconditional” love. It’s a safe place for him (and for a lot of people). A dog offers that. Relationships with humans are complicated. Of course, resenting the dog is foolish, although it does hurt to see your boyfriend shower affection on her as you look on- yet he’s incapable of doing the same with you. You shouldn’t have to beg for affection, it’s demeaning. I tend to think, dog or no dog, this is who your guy is at his core, and if he offers attention in other meaningful ways in deeds, perhaps it’s worth you staying in the relationship and participating in the love fest with the dog. It’s easy to do. They look at you with those longing, loving eyes. One can be in a bad mood, crying, joyful, almost any human emotion -- and a dog will be right by your side as a furry “aide de camp”. That’s why we love our animals! Consider getting another dog -- one who adores his mistress.

every day. He’s told me that ever since the day he met me, he’s liked me. I, on the other hand, am confused. He’s one of the sweetest, funniest, chivalrous guys I’ve ever known. He respects me and everyone he knows. My friends think he’s a great guy, and I should give him a chance. He’s been telling me how much he likes me, and that he’s willing to wait for me for when I’m ready to date him. But my problem is that I can’t seem to make up my mind about him. One moment I’m ready to take the plunge and date him, but another minute I get scared and totally back out. How can I make up my mind about him and what would be some good things to do to help

ble for his feelings, you are only a reason for them. He has to learn, just like everyone, that he’s not always going to get the girl. People have their own taste, and that’s their right. It’s your right to like him only as a friend, or stay on friendly terms and nothing more. If he says something to you, tell him you aren’t me make up my mind? Sola Akingbade, Lagos Island. Dear Sola, Something is telling you no, and you have to get to the bottom of why that’s the case. It is possible you risk romance, in general (it can end up heartbreaking), or you really aren’t that attracted to the man -- cannot see yourself in a sexual relation-

interested in him in that way, and all you can offer is friendship. Besides, he’s 10, and it’s a little early too be chasing after girls, worse still, older ones! He should still be having pillow fights with his sister, and playing with action figures!!! He must be quite a pistol, who has a thing for older women! ship with him, for one, despite all the other “bells and whistles” he exhibits? Of course, my recommendation to you is to “go for it” if you only fear an unknown outcome. Matters of the heart come with no guarantees. Again, be honest about this man. Not wanting a romantic relationship is your right, no matter how much your friends like him and push for it. “To thine own self be true.”

No relationship! Do I have a problem? Dear aunty Igho, I’m a 27years old man, a graduate, in fact I’m working & up till now, I’ve not had a relationship. Do I have a problem? Anonymous.

Dear Anonymous, No, you don’t have a problem; you are perhaps not emotionally ready for one and it’s advisable to remain single until you’re ready for one. However, do feel free to have responsible ladies as platonic friends. That way, you’ll study them and know who to choose when cupid’s arrow finally strikes your heart!

Living

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

February 2, 2013

Traffic saviours

Who will save them from poverty? Onyekachi Jumbo and Mauruff Raheem are two of the men who have volunteered themselves to maintain sanity on Lagos roads by directing traffic. Even though they don’t earn salaries for their arduous jobs, it may not be a bad idea to reward these men for their labour of love.

THOMAS USHIE

espite the social and environmental vicissitudes that vibrate through their veins in the course of their voluntary control of traffic in their various communities, their robust hunger and taste for orderliness is unquenchable. And there is a price to pay. For them, even in hell fire, there is orderliness else the “wailing and gnashing of teeth” would be heard right here on earth! Hence they have put their hands to the plough and are determined to maintain orderliness on the roads and curb the daily traffic snarls that bedevil their communities.

This is the story of Lagos voluntary “traffic wonders” who daily defy fierce and scorching sun, dusts, smokes and carbon monoxide emitting from articulated vehicles, the rain with its attendant flood, not to talk of the jeers of the motorists they are trying to help, to ensure the free flow of traffic. And although they seem to offer voluntary services, ironically, their survival depends on that very service. At Surulere, Lagos, Onyekachi Jumbo, though married with four children, has for over a decade, dedicatedly and selflessly ensured that Masha/Kilo as well as Agboin axis of Surulere are free from traffic snarl. But his decision to ensure free traffic and save commuters’ time and energy on the road was by no means fortuitous. Having once been a commercial bus conductor and a driver in the area, he was no stranger to the traffic jam. “I have been rendering this voluntary service for the past 13 years. In business, even as a commercial bus driver, time is very important and essential to making money. Remember the saying ‘time is money’. The danfo drivers (drivers of mini commercial buses in Lagos) are forever running against time that is why you see them driving through anywhere they can find to beat the traffic. So, when you see them hustling, they are conscious of time else they would not make enough money to pay the bus owner. But while violating traffic laws by driving one way and cramping the roundabouts, they are on the other hand causing what they try

to avoid. “Traffic jam can cost people their time and money. So I took it upon myself to do everything possible to curb it. I am aware of the time people spend in traffic at Kilo and Agboin along Aguda road. It costs them millions of Naira and unnecessary stress. I decided to take the bull by the horn to ensure free flow of traffic in these areas. I work at Agboin from 7 am till 12 noon. I take time off to rest and resume in the evening at Kilo. Imagine some people who are just two or three blocks to their houses or offices being held hostage by traffic jam? It is uncalled for!” While Jumbo battles traffic at Surulere and Ojuelegba Ishaga junction, Mauruff Raheem reigns supreme on the dual carriageway that leads to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and connects with Ilasamaja-Apapa/Oshodi Expressway, all in a bid to maintain free flow of traffic. Asked what led him into voluntary traffic control, the 49-year-old said that having been visited by human disasters in IdiAraba, and facing myriads of challenges, he took solace in directing vehicular and human traffics on the road to maintain orderliness on one hand and make ends meet on the other. “I have been doing this job for almost ten years now. It all started when about thirteen Februaries ago, clashes erupted in Idi-Araba and I lost everything I had labored for. It was a war that wreaked havoc on so many families. I don’t know if mine was worse.

“After that ugly incidence, my wife abandoned me and left me with my daughter, whom I had to toil to train. The chaos opened my eyes to the problem of traffic at the Ojuelegba Ishaga junction. As at then, it was a single carriage road linking the college and LUTH and stretching to Ilasa. Many motorist use the road to link Itire, Ijesha, Apapa Oshodi expressway and whenever there are functions in LUTH, the road would be a no go area. So, in my difficult moments, my eyes were opened to maintaining orderliness on the road by directing traffic on this route. Since then, I have taken it upon myself as a duty to ensure free traffic flow in this community. We help school children and adults to cross the road. You know that in Lagos, everybody is always in a rush. It is very difficult for drivers to stop for those who want to cross the road even school children. Being on the road, we assist in pedestrian crossing. But primarily, we ensure that vehicles cross and take turns according to the traffic rules,” he told Saturday Mirror. Jumbo is literate. But his story is not different from that of Raheem. They share almost the same fate. He attended JKN Construction Technical School, Isolo and graduated with a diploma, a City and Guild/Trade Test Certificate as an automobile mechanic. One may ask why he could not further his education. He said, “After my automobile school, I wanted to further my educaCONTINUED ON PAGE 36

LIVING

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Who will save them from poverty?

Raheem

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 tion but I did not have the money to sponsor myself. I decided to do something to earn a living. First, I became a bus conductor and later, a commercial bus driver. I operated within Masha/Kilo area of Surulere. When things became difficult, in search of a new lease of life, I left driving for Kano and established a dry cleaning and laundry outfit but sectarian clashes in Kano consumed my business. When the environment became unfavourable to me, I returned to Lagos in 2000,” Jumbo lamented. After he relocated to Lagos, he was stunned by the recklessness of drivers which according to him was not that much when he was still operating in the area as a bus driver. He therefore challenged himself on what he could do for his country rather than what his country could do for him. Consequently, he resorted to traffic control to save road users time, stress and energy on the road. And he has been true to it. He has remained steadfast and unmovable despite opposition from even those who ought to maintain law and order. “Initially, it was not easy as I faced opposition from military officers, touts, and other aggressive road users who usually challenge what I am doing whenever I correct or try to stop them from using one way or packing indiscriminately at the junctions where I operate. Knowing that I am not in uniform and that it is a voluntary service, they would question: ‘who posted you here?’ Their challenges were not, however, out of patriotism but rooted in illegality. “There was a time a private car owner and his sisters fought me here. It did not stop at that, they arrested and detained me at Bode Thomas police station. I had to bail myself the following day. When they connived with the authority to rubbish me further by detaining me at Ikoyi Prison for four days, I had to engage a lawyer to address the issue before I was freed from their clutches. This would have been the

Jumbo

point of throwing in the towel, but I was determined more than ever. Today, I have had commendations from almost the same people who persecuted me then.” Continuing he contended that controlling traffic is not a job for the faint-hearted as “It requires patience, perseverance, sacrifice, self denial, and dedication. I work under the sun and in the rain. I suffer body pains after work. But I keep moving on to another day. I don’t quit.” Raheem’s service has also not been without some challenges. He said, “I face challenges every day. But it is not as severe as it used to be when I started working here. I remember there was a time that I was attacked here by a driver but I did not retaliate because that would portray me as a violent person. There was a time that traffic officers from the police were posted here but the community resisted the gesture. They wondered why suddenly, they saw the need to do so when I have been on it for years. They would have preferred that I be enlisted into any of the agencies to do the job since I am already acquainted with it. But that has not come to pass,” he stated. “Now, I am known by the lastma, police, and soldiers. Sometimes people disobey me but it is one out of hundred. Even when it happens, I don’t bother to caution them because fellow drivers would challenge the disobedient drivers and call them to order”. On the causes of traffic jam in the area, he blamed the “recklessness of both commercial and private drivers as well as indiscriminate parking and impatience”. It is said that a labourer deserves his wage. Has this existential aphorism smiled on these voluntary traffic men? Has their efforts been recognised? Jumbo responded in the affirmative but with reservation. “When I saw the terrible situation of traffic in Agboin and Kilo, I was convinced to take it as my responsibility and I have not looked back since then. Despite opposition from some elements, I have been doing it religiously to the admiration of most

people. Yes, I received meritorious services award from the Rotary Club International of Ikate, District 9110 in 2005/2006. I also received the Surulere Hall Mark Awards for Excellence for two consecutive years – 2006 and 2007. I received another award as Peace Ambassador from Royal Production Entertainment held at the National Art Theatre, Iganmu. All these awards are sources of motivation for me”. Beyond awards and considering the fact that they have been doing this as a full time voluntary community service without salary, how do they fend for their families? Hear Jumbo: “I have been receiving financial, material and moral supports from those who appreciate what I am doing. Individuals and some corporate bodies have to some extent been of help to me. The accommodation I am occupying presently was given to me free by a good Nigerian who admires what I am doing. I also enjoy goodwill from the public. When that happens, I go home with something to live on. The day it does not happen, I don’t take offence because I volunteered to do the job. Even men of God who use this road pray for me as they drive by. So, I feel very happy when I hear such prayers. Such prayers kill the pains and frustrations some drivers try to visit on me. It gladdens my heart and I am most satisfied when road users pray for me for the job I am doing.” But Raheem has not been so lucky to win such awards. However, his labour of service has not been unnoticed as he has enjoyed goodwill from road users. “Most of the staff of LUTH, the professors at the college and the doctors know me. There was a time I had an accident. I was treated by a professor at the medical college free-of-charge. He also assisted me financially. The Tee-shirt I am putting on was given to me by sales representatives of Fidson Pharmaceuticals who use this road. Sometimes, they stop to give me drugs and also, individually, assist me financially. While that is not my priority and it does not come every day, I am very happy because without the good gestures

of those using this road, I would not have been able to feed, pay my rent and meet other needs. There is a Mallam at the Arabic School here who has volunteered to be giving me a certain amount of money monthly as assistance.” Having fallen in love with traffic control, have they considered enlisting into the Police or Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and to be posted to the traffic department of the force or authority? “That has not crossed my mind,” Jumbo confessed. “I think that would have been a good way to reward us,” Raheem added. But if given the opportunity, would Jumbo oblige? “Yes,” he affirmed. “If I have an opportunity of working and being remunerated accordingly for what I love doing, I think it would be a satisfactory and fulfilling job. For us to be enlisted into the police or LASTMA?” he asked rhetorically in obvious excitement and hope as smiles beamed across his face. “That would be a good thing in our lives as we would be sure of regular salary by the end of the month,” he added in anticipation. “I think I have done this job religiously enough for the local and state government to acknowledge my efforts. So far, it is the current Aguda LCDA chairperson that has done something to help me. I look up to the governor for help. I know the incumbent governor of the state is a just and good man and he can be of help,” Jumbo concluded. And on his part, Raheem reminisced on the day he saw Fashola’s convoy passing by while on “duty” and like the proverbial blind man who sought help from the ‘master’, pressed to see him but to no avail. “I met Fashola during his first tenure. Fashola! Oh, I am so pained. People told him that I am the one ensuring free flow of traffic here and I thought that encounter would change my life for better. I have not given up. I know he can still be of help to us,” he enthused. He also stated how the local council attempted to help him but the proposal was bugged down by bureaucratic bottlenecks. “There was a time we were asked to apply to the local government for financial assistance. We did. But till now, we have not heard or had anything from them. They kept telling us to come today, come tomorrow and we became tired of the whole process. When the tenure of the chairman, Dickson, expired, the whole thing became a mirage. Sometimes ago, we heard that some civil servants had diverted the money for their personal use. It is very painful when people ‘eat the sweat’ of others. I am begging the chairman or anybody that knows Fashola to tell him to help us. If we can be fully engaged, we will appreciate it a great deal. We work here under the sun and the rain and I think that government’s intervention would be of a very great help to us. The Chapel of the Healing Cross, Idi-Araba has been particularly helpful. They are among those who give us courage to carry on. During Christmas, they gave me bags of rice, vegetable oil and some money,” Raheem enthused.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

LIVING

February 2, 2013

FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA

he fragile peace that existed among adherents of African Traditional Religion, Christians and Muslims in Ogun state was threatened last Sunday January 27th, 2013 when a masquerade shot and killed an Islamic cleric in Ijaye – Oja-Ale area of Abeokuta, the state capital. The masquerade, popularly known as “Leyin Aponle” along with hundreds of its supporters, were among those celebrating the yearly Egungun (Masquerade) Festival when one of its followers, who were armed with broken bottles, guns and cutlasses shot the Islamic Cleric who was riding a motorcycle. The 22 year-old cleric, identified as Lateef Saliu, was shot in the shoulder around 7pm. He died soon after. The next day, sympathisers joined friends, colleagues and family members of the late Saliu and thronged the family house of the owner of the masquerade and set the building ablaze. The death of Afaa Lateef may have shattered the fragile peace which successive administrations in Ogun State have maintained between the three main religions over the years. Various committees have been set up to help government to effectively manage the volatile situation in the three senatorial districts of the state. Relying on the constitutional provisions which permit indigenes of the state to celebrate their customs and traditions, the Oro cult group and the Egungun worshippers have always insisted on celebrating their festivals without minding who may not like their mode of worship or indeed what public disturbance may arise from their style of worship. And every time they have their festivals, it is almost inevitable that they will clash with either Muslims or Christians. Some of these clashes have led to loss of property and even death. In April 2012, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in conjunction with some Islamic organisations in Yewaland had cause to cry to the state House of Assembly to intervene in the serial attacks which the Oro cult group staged against churches and mosques in the course of celebrating their annual Oro festivals. They alleged that between 2011 and 2012, about 40 people were killed in Oja – Odan axis of Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun West Senatorial district during Oro festivals. They therefore petitioned the state government to come to their aid by calling the traditional worshippers to order and forcing them to stop infringing on the rights of other residents. The year 2012 also witnessed what would have led to bloodbath in Ogun East Senatorial district. A violent clash between the traditional worshippers of Oro and the Muslim community was averted by the quick intervention of the state government. The Oro traditional worshippers in Remo and Ijebuland had fixed their annual festival to coincide with the holy month of Ramadan. As is customary, women must remain strictly indoors during the Oro Festival. The Muslim community complained bitterly that celebrating Oro Festival during Ramadan would hinder the women from cooking in the night for the nightly eating

Egunguns in flesh: Shittu Adeyemi, Waheed Babalola and Ajani Olabimtan

How masquerades killed Muslim cleric and murdered peace in Abeokuta The dreaded Lehin Aponle masquerade had another outing last Sunday in Abeokuta. As usual, its followers were armed with broken bottles, guns and cutlasses. Before anybody knew what was happening, Aafa Lateef Saliu was shot in the shoulder. He died and all hell has broken loose. and drinking, which is part of Ramadan. Most kitchens in these rural parts of the state are located outside the main building. An Islamic organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) had then petitioned the state governor. Copies of the petition were also forwarded to the State Commissioner of Police, Ikhemefuna Okoye, the Director of the State Security Service (SSS), Joseph Okpu as well as the Akarigbo and paramount ruler of Remoland, Oba Adeniyi Michael Sonariwo. MURIC, in the petition, which was signed by it state Coordinator, Soliu Luqman did not only demand the postponement of the Oro Festival, it also conveyed a barely veiled threat that it would be at the vanguard of defending the rights of its brethren “through all other means” should the traditional worshipers fail to respect their faith. The petition and the threat contained therein forced the state government to convene a meeting which was chaired by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Muyiwa Oladipo in which the traditional worshippers were cautioned. The Akarigbo himself also convened a meeting with all other monarchs in Ijebuland, which attended to the urgency of the petition written by MURIC. Even though a religious war was averted as a result of these meetings, there was still some unpleasantness. Shortly after leaving the venue of the meeting convened by the state government with all religious leaders in Ogun State, the Oro worshippers acted contrary to the agreed terms. Unknown to majority of those who attended the meeting, their faces had been marked. The Oro worshippers from Remo and Ijebuland attacked the religious leaders from their zone

and made them paid for what they perceived as their affront. Recently, the state government also brokered another peace between the Oro worshippers and the Christian/Muslim communities in Imeko town of Imeko-Afon Local Government Area. The meeting was also chaired by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Muyiwa Oladipo, who made it known that state government had outlawed the practice of celebrating Oro in the daytime, stressing that it hampers societal development. The meeting recorded huge success as all agreed to live in peace in their respective domains. This fragile peace was, however, murdered last Sunday when the masquerade Lehin Aponle murdered the Islamic cleric. The Muslim community have not taken it lightly and they vowed to defend themselves. Saturday Mirror investigations reveal that the children of late Chief Dada, the real patron of “Lehin Aponle” usually converge on their father’s house at Anigbio Compound, Oja – Ale area of Ijaye, Abeokuta annually for the festival. The gruesome murder of Saliu may have, however, ended their celebration of Egungun this year. The state command of the Police is already interrogating three persons who were arrested in connection with the crime. Shittu Adeyemi, 61, Waheed Babalola, 64, and Ajani Olabimtan (40) are already assisting the police to unravel the intent behind the murder of Saliu. Already, the death of Saliu has caused palpable tension in Abeokuta. Youths from an Islamic organisation where the deceased worshipped razed down a building belonging to the traditional worship-

pers while protesting the murder. The Balogun of Ijaye and Aare of Egbaland, High Chief Ganiyu Babayeju-Alemo, one of the community leaders who spoke with Saturday Mirror said the crisis has forced the Egba Traditional Council in consultation with the Alake of Egbaland, Oba (Dr.) Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo to suspend other activities for the 2013 Egungun Festival in Abeokuta. He also said that the community was forced to invite the police following the attack on the family compound of the masquerade early yesterday morning by the Islamic youths. To avert what could lead to religious crisis in Abeokuta and the entire state, the state Police Command suspended further activities in this year’s edition of the Egungun Festival, not only in Abeokuta but in the entire state. One of those arrested by the police in connection with the death of Saliu, 64-year-old High Masquerade Chief, Oloye Waheed Babalola, the Balogun Oje of Egbaland told newsmen during their parade last Wednesday that the human behind the masquerade is called Kazeem Dada, the first son of late Chief L Dada whose tomb was beside the burnt house. The Balogun Oje, who was among those suspects paraded in the murder of the Islamic Cleric, also said that he had come to Abeokuta from Sango– Ota purposely for the masquerade festival and that Kazeem and his Lehin Aponle masquerade had been banned by the Council of Egba Masquerades. He also claimed that Kazeem has taken to his heels since he committed the murder. The Islamic Rights Organisation, MURIC, has described the death of Saliu as “disheartening and callous,” adding that the state government has over the years turned deaf ears to letters and calls by the association over what it called “terrorist acts of the traditionalists in the state.” The organisation averred that the attitude of the state government was what gave the masquerade the audacity to kill the Islamic cleric.

EVENTS

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Adaobi Ezenwelu Foundation ministers to widows Adaobi Ezenwelu, Founder of Adaobi Ezenwelu Foundation for Widows recently lavished food items and other freebies on widows at the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way office, Lagos. FUNMI SALOME JOHNSON was there to capture the event.

Adaobi (middle) giving food item to a widow during the programme

Thanks giving service at the Household of God Church where?

Adaobi praying for the widows during the programme

Adaobi Ezenwelu and Mrs. Justina Alozie, one of the widows collecting some food items

A cross section of the widows present

Adaobi giving out her widowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mite to one of the widows

Prayer, prayer, prayer

Widows praying for Adaobi during ministration

Another round of gifts for the widows

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

February 2, 2013

antibiotics prescribed should be taken even if the person’s symptoms disappear early. Reoccurrence of the UTI and even antibiotic resistance of the pathogen may happen in individuals who are not adequately treated.

Are there any home remedies for a urinary tract infection (UTI)?

Urinary tract infection CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK

ymptoms and signs of a UTI in the very young and the elderly are not as diagnostically helpful as they are for other patients. Newborns and infants may develop fever or hypothermia, poor feeding, jaundice, vomiting, and diarrhea. Unfortunately, the elderly often have mild symptoms or no symptoms of a UTI until they become weak, lethargic, or confused. Location of the infection in the urinary tract usually results in certain symptoms. Urethral infections usually have dysuria (pain or discomfort when urinating). STD infections may cause a pus-like fluid to drain or drip from the urethra. Cystitis (bladder infection) symptoms include suprapubic pain, usually without fever and flank pain. Ureter and kidney infections often have flank pain and fever as symptoms. These symptoms and signs are not highly specific, but they do help the physician determine where the UTI may be located.

Is there a link between urinary tract infection (UTI) and pregnancy?

Most clinicians think there are several reasons (links) that make a pregnant female more susceptible to UTIs than non-pregnant women. Investigators suggest that hormones cause the bladder and ureters to dilate; this slows urine flow and may decrease bladder emptying which, in turn, increases the likelihood that bacteria can survive and multiply. Also during pregnancy, the acidity of urine decreases and this favors bacte-

rial growth. The enlarging uterus puts pressure on the bladder, so the urge to urinate is more frequent in pregnancy. But many times, pregnant women wait to urinate for various reasons and this further slows flow. In some women, the pressure from the uterus prevents complete bladder emptying, again favoring bacterial growth. In general, pregnancy predisposes women to more kidney infections than bladder infections.

What is the treatment for a urinary tract infection (UTI)?

Treatment for a UTI should be designed for each patient individually and is usually based on the patient’s underlying medical conditions, what pathogen(s) are causing the infection, and the susceptibility of the pathogen(s) to treatments. Patients who are very ill usually require intravenous (IV) antibiotics and admission to a hospital; they usually have a kidney infection (pyelonephritis) that may be spreading to the bloodstream. Other people may have a milder infection (cystitis) and may get well quickly with oral antibiotics. Still others may have a UTI caused by pathogens that cause STDs and may require more than a single oral antibiotic. The healthcare providers often begin treatment before the pathogenic agent and its antibiotic susceptibilities are known, so in some individuals, the antibiotic treatment may need to be changed. In addition, paediatric patients and pregnant patients should not use certain antibiotics that are commonly used in adults Patients with STDrelated UTIs usually require two antibiotics to eliminate STD pathogens. All

I have mouth odour Dear Doctor, Thanks for the good work. Please what is the cause of mouth odour? Somebody told me staph is the cause. Your help is highly needed here ma. I don’t know what to do. Pascal Owerri Mirror Doctor replies, Thanks for the compliment. The origin

The best “home remedy” for a UTI is prevention. The following are useful hints. Increasing fluid intake: This may work by washing out organisms in the tract, making it more difficult for pathogens to adhere or stay in close proximity to human cells.  Not delaying in emptying the bladder (urination): This has the same effects of increasing fluid intake and helps the bladder reduce the number of pathogens that may reach the bladder.  Eating pineapple: Pineapple contains bromelain that has anti-inflammatory properties that may reduce UTI symptoms.  Taking vitamin C: Vitamin C may function to increase urine acidity to reduce bacterial growth. If people elect to try home remedies, they should clearly understand that if symptoms are not reduced or if they get worse, medical care should be sought. Most home remedies do not “cure” a bacterial infection, although a few mild UTIs may be cleared by the body’s immune defence system. Home remedies may be dangerous if they cause a person to delay medical care in serious UTIs.

What are possible complications of a urinary tract infection (UTI)?

Most UTIs cause no complications if they spontaneously resolve quickly (a few days) or if treated early in the infection with appropriate medications. However, there are a number of complications that can occur if the UTI becomes chronic or rapidly advances. Chronic infections may result in urinary strictures, abscesses, fistulas, and kidney damage. Rapid advancement of UTIs can lead to dehydration, kidney failure, sepsis, and death. Pregnant females with untreated UTIs may develop premature delivery and a low birth weight for the infant and run the risks of rapid advancement of the infection.

What is the prognosis for a urinary tract infection (UTI)?

A good prognosis is usual for spontaneously resolved and quickly treated

UTIs. Even patients that have rapidly developing symptoms and early pyelonephritis can have a good prognosis if quickly and adequately treated. The prognosis begins to decline if the UTI is not quickly recognized or treated. Elderly and immunosuppressed patients may not have the UTI recognized early; their prognosis may range from fair to poor, depending on how much damage is done to the urinary tract or if complications like sepsis occur. Like adults, most adequately treated children will have a good prognosis. Children and adults with recurrent UTIs may develop complications and a worse prognosis; recurrent UTIs may be a symptom of an underlying problem with the urinary tract structure. These patients should be referred to a specialist (urologist) for further evaluation.

LIFE SAVERS Urinary tract infection (UTI) facts • Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are infections of the urethra, bladder, ureters, or the kidneys, which comprise the urinary tract. • E. coli bacteria cause the majority of UTIs, but many other bacteria, fungi, and parasites may also cause UTIs. • Females have a higher risk for UTIs than most males, probably because of their anatomy; other risk factors for UTIs include any condition that may impede urine flow (e.g., enlarged prostate, congenital urinary tract abnormalities, and inflammation). Patients with catheters or those who undergo urinary surgery and men with enlarged prostates are at higher risk for UTIs. • Symptoms and signs of UTI vary somewhat depending on sex, age, and the area of the urinary tract that is infected; some unique symptoms develop depending on the infecting agent. • UTIs are diagnosed usually by isolating and identifying the urinary pathogen from the patient. • There are home remedies for UTI, but most may, at best, help reduce the risk or discomfort of UTIs. They are not considered cures for the disease. • There can be many complications of urinary tract infections, including dehydration, sepsis, kidney failure, and death. • If treated early and adequately, the prognosis is good for most patients with a UTI. CONCLUDED

LETTER

of mouth odour may be oral (within the mouth) or extra oral (outside the mouth). It may be as a result of bacteria and decaying food particles. Some causes of mouth odour are retention of bad smelling food particles on and between the teeth, retention of food particles on the tongue thereby forming a coating which further results in production of offensive odour, accumulation of food particles in

the tooth cavities thereby leading to acid production and intolerable odour, infections or lesions of the respiratory tract and some medical conditions. There are many ways to cover up bad breath. First, the tongue which is like a shaggy carpet where all kinds of smelling stuff can hide should be ‘scraped’ using your tooth brush. Ensure you keep your mouth moisturized as a dry mouth is a stinky mouth. Nowdays, lots of mouthwashes are available which help to get rid of bad

breath. Flavoured mouthwashes are of great help. Next, choose your gum carefully. Chewing gum simulates saliva production (in addition to covering up the odour with some kind of scent). Though any gum will help with bad breath, some gum however have, better bad-breath fighting abilities than others. You may look for gum sweetened with Xylotol as this is a sugar substitute that actually works to prevent bacteria from replicating in the mouth.

LEISURE

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

February 2, 2013

Elephants of Ivory Coast squad looking set to confront the Super Eagles in tomorrow’s quarter-final match of the ongoing AFCON. INSET: John Obi Mikel (left) vies for the ball with Ethiopia’s defender Biyadiglign Eliase during their AFCON Group C match and he is expected to marshal Eagles midfield against the Ivoirians.

Elephants’ test will bring the best out of Eagles –Esin, Agu SAYO OGUNDEJI

wo ex-internationals, Etim Esin and Alloy Agu has declared that the Super Eagles and Elephants of Ivory Coast quarter-final clash tomorrow at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will bring out the best from the Nigeria players. The 1994 champions defeated the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia 2-0 on Tuesday courtesy of Victor Moses’ two spots kicks to ensure that the team qualifies for the quarter-finals, and a victory over the Ivoirians will move them closer to winning the trophy for the third time. The Eagles, according to the duo, have not been impressive in the continental show piece, having managed only a victory and two draws in the group stages, but they expressed confidence that the Stephen Keshi-led side will raise its game against the Ivoirians when the two sides

meet tomorrow. The Elephants, despite parading top players like Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure and Gervinho, were not lucky to lay their hands on the continental title since their 1992 victorious outing against Ghana, as they narrowly lost the final match to Zambia in the last edition of the competition in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. According to records, Drogba scored the only goal when they clashed with the Super Eagles at the quarter-final stage of the competition in 2006 and both Esin and Agwu described the 1992 champions as balanced, but expressed confidence in the Eagles to churn out a good result this time. “This is the biggest test for the Eagles as far as this tournament is concerned, and they must prove to everybody that they mean serious business by coming all out against Ivory Coast and grabbing the needed win, so as to proceed to the semifinals of the competition,” Esin began. “The team has not played to its full

AFCON: Osholonge, Yusuf predict victory for Super Eagles P. 42

potential and this means that they must raise their game if they must progress beyond this stage of the competition, because their opponents appear more determined to win the trophy having lost in the final of the last edition. “Eagles, over the years, have this history of producing amazing results when you least expect and I hope this encounter will bring out the best in them,” he added. The former Iwuanyanwu Nationale playmaker however charged the players to play with more understanding and cohesion, saying failure to improve on their goal scoring ability could be their undoing. “We have not been scoring and playing like a team, which means the players, must work on this area in order to stand a chance of beating this rampaging Elephants who will be coming out with the sole intention of beating us again. “I expect players like Mikel Obi and Ike Uche to raise their game because they can make the difference in this crucial en-

Adebayor toasts Togo’s historic win

P. 43

counter and I hope they can give Nigerians something to cheer about,” Esin concluded. Despite the fact that Ivory Coast has been tipped by analysts as one of the favourites to win the tournament, Agu cautioned the Eagles to approach the game with all seriousness without paying special attention to any of the star players in their squad. “Ivory Coast by the virtue of having quality players in their fold stands a better chance of going all the way to the final, but as an ex-international, I have learnt that big names don’t play football anymore, which means the Eagles must improve on their performance and approach the game with determination. “The Chipolopolo of Zambia were dumped out of the tournament despite being the defending champions and that shows that any team is beatable, including the Elephants. The Eagles will no doubt progress to the final if they are able to scale this hurdle,” Agu said.

Keshi: We are building for the future P. 43

SPORT

February 2, 2013

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AFCON: Eagles must be wary of Elephants’ threat T T HARD TACKLE he ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa has so far produced a lot of surprises that has beaten the imaginations of many ardent followers of the round leather game worldwide. And it is expected that this will continue at the quarter-finals stage which commences today. As a kicker, who would ever believe that debutants to the competition, Cape Verde, could effectively summon enough courage to maintain its pre-tournament giant-killing status, talk less of reaching the last eight of the continental showpiece? Aside the aforementioned, even top African football playing countries like defending champions, Zambia, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Angola and DR Congo fell by the way side at the group stage of South Africa 2013, yet the Cape Verdean coach Lucio Antunes is still spitting fire and promising more upsets against Ghana at the quarter-finals today. To say the least, it is incredible watching this AFCON debutants play with great guts and passion during the tournament, and this same zeal is also being nursed by arch rivals, Ivory Coast against the Super Eagles when both clash tomorrow in Rustenburg. As earlier witnessed, the Super Eagles began their AFCON 2013 campaign on a shaky note following their pulsating 1-1 draw against Stallions of Burkina Faso in the opener, but still, they could not find their rhythm in their second game against Zambia as they were held to another 1-1 draw. The draw against Zambia, according to soccer pundits, simply

HE COACHING CREW MUST LET THE

PLAYERS KNOW THAT IT IS SUICIDAL TO WASTE SCORING CHANCES AT

with

Andrew Ekejiuba anelsports@yahoo.com

THE KNOCKOUT STAGE OF ANY COMPETITION, THEREFORE THEY MUST LEARN TO CONVERT THEIR CHANCES 08023103605

NIGERIANS OF ‘HYPERTENSIVE FOOTBALL’ WHICH HAS AND HELP SPARE

BEEN SYNONYMOUS WITH THE TEAM OF RECENT.

Goal! Victor Moses (right) celebrates with teammates after scoring against Ethiopia in their last Group C match.

signified that the coaching crew of the Eagles could not provide the team with the much-needed technical depth that was needed for the team to fly. Somehow providence and luck later smiled on them in their last Group C game against Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia, as they converted two quick dying minute goals from the penalty spot, thanks to Victor Moses. The victory propelled the Eagles into the quarter-finals stage of the 2013 AFCON and this time they are to face tournament favorites’ Ivory Coast at the

same Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, where the Eagles spanked a tenacious Ethiopian side 2-0. According to records, the two soccer heavyweights in Africa are not new to each other, as the entire continent is once again anxiously waiting for this great clash. HT gathered that the tickets for the Eagles and Elephants AFCON cracker are almost sold out, but the fact still remains, can the Eagles fly over this ambitious Ivorian side that is desperate to

win the trophy for the second time after their 1992 triumph in Senegal? This question is left for Keshi and his players to answer. Currently, HT’s greatest worry for the Eagles are in two departments—the midfield and the defence. After the exit of Sunday Oliseh and Austin Okocha, the lack of creative midfielders has hampered the fortune of the team in major international outings and yet subsequent coaches still found it hard to get good replacements for the duo. At the on-going Nations Cup in South Africa, the Super Eagles strikers were often cut off from the team following the inability of a creative midfielder to continuously feed them with the balls in order to score. Therefore, it is HT’s opinion that this must be corrected before they file out against the Elephants tomorrow. Regrettably, the only player who could have helped to hold the ball and distribute them effectively is Osaze

Odemwingie, but Keshi unnecessarily wielded the big stick and dropped the versatile player with no cogent reasons. Aside the aforementioned, the Nigerian defenders has often been accused of being hard on opposing players and equally prone to nasty mistakes, which enabled Burkina Faso and Zambia to level scores against them at the group stage of the competition. It is expected that Keshi should find a solution to the loopholes noticed in the team because a stitch in time saves nine. The Eagles must be wary of this ambitious Elephants because anything short of victory against the Ivoirians would be unacceptable to Nigerians. The coaching crew must let the players know that it is suicidal to waste scoring chances at the knockout stage of any competition, therefore they must learn to convert their chances and help spare Nigerians of ‘hypertensive football’ which has been synonymous with the team of recent.

SPORT NEWS

AFCON: Osholonge, Yusuf predict victory for Super Eagles IFEANYI EDUZOR

wo members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, Afeez Osholonge and Kabiru Yusuf has expressed confidence that the Coach Stephen Keshitutored Super Eagles has what it takes to qualify for the semifinals of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, as the team prepares to face Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire tomorrow in Rustenburg. The duo who were sponsored to South Africa to cheer the Super Eagles to victory told our correspondent that although the Ivoirians are rated as

the best team in the continent, the Super Eagles has quality players that can defeat them. “It is true that Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire is rated as the best team in Africa, but they are beatable. “We are quite aware that the Elephants have quality players who are being inspired by their captain, Didier Drogba but people should expect a repeat performance of what happened in last year’s finals when they were defeated by Zambia,” they noted. While acknowledging that the game will be a difficult one, they appealed

Flying Eagles preparations are on course –Gero SAYO OGUNDEJI

Afeez Osholongei (left) with Kabiru Yusuf drum up support for the Super Eagles in South Africa.

to soccer-loving Nigerians to support the Super Eagles as that is the only way

they can overcome their opponents in tomorrow’s match.

lying Eagles striker, Alhaji Gero, says there is no cause for alarm as the team intensifies preparations for this year’s Africa Youth Championship holding later in March in Oran, Algeria. The John Obuh-led side who are currently in camp in preparation for the competition lost a two-legged friendly matches against Rangers 0-1 and 0-2 respectively. Nigeria are the defending champions and are grouped alongside Mali, Congo DR and Gabon. Gero who played vital

role in the team’s qualification for the tourney is of the opinion that his side will not disappoint when the tournament kicks off in few weeks time. The former Kaduna United striker said, “We have been having intensive preparation in order to be in top shape and be fully ready for the championship. So far so good, things are working as planned. “Losing our friendly matches against Rangers should not be seen in a bad light, but one that can only ginger us up to raise our game and help us stay focused as the tournament draws closer,” he said.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SPORT

February 2, 2013

Keshi: We are building for the future

Keshi

igeria’s Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi believes their up-coming clash against Cote d’Ivoire will be a test of character for his side. The Nigeria head coach has implored the team supporters to be patient with his youthful side as he ‘builds for the future’. Nigeria will play Cote d’Ivoire in

the quarterfinals of the 2013 Orange Africa Cup of Nations at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg tomorrow and Keshi is aware of public sentiments back home in Nigeria. Despite advancing to the knockout stages by finishing second in Group C, Nigeria have endured a lot of criticism in this tourna-

ment. Their style of play has been questioned, but Keshi has come to the defence of his charges. In their last match, they beat Ethiopia 2-0; both goals coming from penalties scored by Chelsea striker, Victor Moses. Keshi, the former Togo coach and a Nigeria legend, beckoned on Nigerian soccer fans not to write his team off yet. He has insisted that his main goal is to develop a nucleus of the Nigeria team that will be formidable going forward. One player who impressed Keshi with his outstanding performance against Ethiopia was substitute Sunday Mba. He is part of the young brigade brought by the Nigeria coach after he had snubbed some of the most established European-based players. “Sunday Mba was outstanding in midfield and his introduction is part of my plan to build the team around young and experienced players like Joseph Yobo, Victor Enyeama and John Obi Mikel. “Our next match is against favourites, Cote d’Ivoire. It will be us or them. There will be no second chance. I have a plan in my head and I need to work on it in order to make sure it comes right. This is a matter between me and my players, just us,” Keshi concluded.

Traore unhappy over injury lay off

urkina Faso reached AFCON quarter finals for only the second time after a (0-0) draw with Zambia but their talisman and current tournament top goal scorer Alain Traore will take no further part in the competition. The striker who was carried out with barely 10 minutes played in the game on Tuesday against Zambia revealed his disappointment over the injury he cupped. Traore told Cafonline. com at the team hotel, “My AFCON tournament is finished. It has been a long wait for us to qualify for the quarter-finals after such a long time (1998) but my injury has spoiled the enjoyment a little” said the striker who was with team doctor Romaric Toe. According to Toe, Traore sustained a pulled muscle in his left thigh. Traore had just got back from a month lay-off with injury when he joined Burkina Faso at AFCON 2013. He made a substitute appearance against Nigeria, only to score the equalizer with virtually the last kick of the game and went on to score twice; both well taken goals in Burkina Faso’s 4-0 win over Ethiopia before this latest thigh injury.

Tunisia counts the cost of early exit

ednesday night became a far cry from Tunisia’s first AFCON 2013 match against Algeria which the former won 1-0 courtesy of a wonder goal from Youssef Msakni eight days ago. The Carthage Eagles had outfoxed the Fennecs and seemed destined for dizzy heights at the finals.

The Tunisia media went to town about the way their side had outthought their neighbours to win with glowing reports about the match. When a confident Tunisian side took on pretournament favourites, Ivory Coast there was belief in the team and optimism that at the very least a draw would be possible

AFCON QUARTER FINALS Match

Date

Time

Venue

Fixtures

02-02-13

20:30

Durban

South Africa vs Mali

02-02-13

17:00

N e l s o n Mandela Bay

Ghana vs Cape Verde

03-02-13

20:30

Mbombela

Burkina Faso vs Togo

03-02-13

17:00

Rustenburg

Cote d’Ivoire vs Nigeria

and by the time they would play against Togo in the last group match, then Carthage Eagles would merely confirm a place in the last eight. Tunisia usually makes it out of the group stages at AFCON and so it was expected again, but Togo had other ideas. The final score in Nelspruit, a 1-1 draw condemned Tunisia to a group stage exit much to the disappointment of many Tunisians. The overwhelming verdict in the Tunisian media was that the team had flattered to deceive and in the end did not do

enough to merit qualification to the last eight. The elimination of the Carthage Eagles in the first round of the AFCON 2013 is “well deserved,” said Thursday editions of the Tunisian press, citing that the performance against Togo had been disappointing. The Times’ headline said “Held to a draw by Togo (1-1) Tunisia is eliminated” The report went on to say despite the talk and promises from the team before the match the play did not match the rhetoric and the performance was not good enough to warrant victory.

Black Stars deny match fixing again

he Ghana Football Association has moved swiftly to refute allegations of match-fixing leveled against them by the media, labeling the stories as a mischievous campaign against the Black Stars. In a statement published on the Ghana FA website, the association denied attempting to bring a Niger defender. The full statement read as follows: “Our attention has been drawn to a report carried by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) and Radio Gold claiming that Ghana attempted to bribe a Nigerien player before Monday’s Africa Cup of Nations clash against Niger. “We wish to state emphatically that the report

is false, irresponsible, reckless and mischievous. “The Ghana Football Association (GFA) would like to state emphatically that there is not iota of truth in the report and it is the reckless imagination of the authors of the report. “GFA is extremely disturbing that at a time that the country is solidly behind the Black Stars to bring the Africa Cup of Nations trophy home, a tiny minority of journalists would engage in such nation-wrecking activity. “We want to assure the people of Ghana that the team is focused on the campaign at the Africa Cup of Nations and with God on our side we will secure victory against Cape Verde today.”

Adebayor toasts Togo’s historic win

Adebayor

frica Cup of Nations 2013 is down to the end of business stage with quarter finals on this weekend, but for Togo it’s still celebration time the morning after their first ever qualification to last eight. The Sparrows Hawks played out a 1-1 draw with Tunisia and it was good enough to book a clash with Burkina Faso tomorrow in Nelspruit. Togo team captain Emmanuel Adebayor waxed lyrically about the team’s achievement, “This is historic! A great day for people of Togo and our families and all those who love and follow Togolese football” said Adebayor. “We have qualified from a difficult group with more experienced sides but we

have demonstrated that we are equally good and we attacked and defended well”. The Sparrow Hawks opened their tournament with a credible 2-1 loss to Ivory Coast before beating Algeria 2-0. Needing just a draw to reach their maiden quarter finals, Togo got just what it deserves and now the fairy tale is set to continue should they beat Burkina Faso. Adebayor scored in Togo’s first group match and was on target again in the second before setting up Serge Gakpe for the goal in Togo’s final group game. He has played a captain’s role and led his troops by example and wasn’t shy either to lead the celebration dance and lap of honour after the final whistle against Tunisia.

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Bankers need to have defined career paths â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Duyile managements down the line, to know what the subordinates are enjoying and area they are lacking. It will help the banks better to take decision that will affect them and will ultimately affect the shareholders positively.

Mrs. Remi Duyile, former Vice President of Bank of America has over 17 years of banking experience in Nigeria and abroad. She spoke with STANLEY IHEDIGBO on banking system operations and other related issues. Excerpts:

hat is your assessment of the Nigeria banking system, particularly after reforms spearheaded by the Central Bank of Nigeria? First and foremost, I must commend the CBN Governor, Lamido Sanusi for what he has done in the banking sector, considering the challenge facing Nigeria banks. I have studied from afar and observed that he means well by all standards for this country. He is well respected internationally; I have been at event where he was in attendance in the United States of America. I saw the level of respect he commands from people because they see that he is making efforts to make Nigeria a benchmark for financial regulation in the world. Nigeria is a unique nation and it takes a leader with passion to really bring out the potential we require to create that brand and image the world is waiting for. So, the world is looking up to Nigeria and to have a leader like the present CBN Governor, doing the great work he is doing in the finance sector will help to bring that credibility back to Nigeria and people will begin to trust the system. They will see a lot of consistent, hard decisions, hard recommendations being made and people are forced to live with it in the Nigeria banking system. I am very happy as a professional because I know the end will really make our country stronger. Comparing banking operation in US to Nigeria, in what areas do you think the banks in the country are yet to measure up? I have been in the country consistently for three years and I watched the banking industry. We are doing well, even the modernising ways of doing things better in the banking industry. From my own experience and exposure, what I will like to see

Duyile

more in Nigeria banking operations, is letting associates understand the steps they need to take to be part of the organisation, such that once the career path is set, nothing dissuades bankers from following the ethics and it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be that they must know somebody in order to get to the zenith of their career. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know anybody in America banking system. What I knew was a career path that was introduced to me and I worked on it. I asked my bosses consistently what do I need to do to be at a particularly stage of my career. It is what I called successor planning and deliberately growing people to fit higher positions. So, I will suggest and recommend that the Nigeria banks to create such environment. If somebody is in the system doing the work; they should be encouraged to desire the next step of their career. Not only going out to market. A career path that will help the banker as

a worker to takes ownership and that will make them to be more committed and determined. Another development I am not comfortable with is banks pulling deposits from one bank to another. That is circling; they need to focus how they will draw new businesses to the economy, not taking deposit from one bank to another and wait for few months and give to another bank. We can do better than that. I think if we have a structure that encourages a situation I call relationship banking, so that when a client had more than a relationship with a particular bank, due to the quality of their services, they stay connected with that bank, because they have become part of the family. They will even invite other people including their relations. Another thing I will like to see on a consistent basis in the banking sector is for them to access the impact of policies made by the various

What is your view on the cashless policy, introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria, looking at infrastructure challenges in the country? Number one, it saves the encumbrance of carrying money around and exposing yourself to security threats. It makes a lot easier to transact business and it saves time. It is also fun. So, the cashless policy in Nigeria is a good thing, a right step in the right direction. Again, it will help us to measure up with the global standard. Even now that we are trying to attract foreign investors to the country, they will like to meet some of things they are used to in their home country. I urge Nigerians to embrace such laudable initiative. However, a lot of people are appreciating it as they receive their account balance alert in their cell phones. On the infrastructure challenges, I hope that the leaders will make the talk into action, but we cannot wait till all the infrastructure challenges are meet before we begin to introduce what will keep us at the path with the international community. Many banks are going offshore, how does this impact the domestic economy? It is a very good development for Nigeria banks. It will give them international exposure and if they play their cards right, it will serve as an avenue to get foreign funds into the system, that will replenish what people thought has gone out from the country. Being part of the system will enable the banks enjoy some of the privileges in those countries they are operating. They will also have exposure to the type of businesses that may not be traditional in Nigeria. But the exposure has to be managed properly, so that they also partake in the proceeds from the nations where they are expanding to. They should be involved with other banks, be part of the associations there, use the exposure as a leverage to draw more funding opportunities, brand our country better in the eyes of these countries where they are.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

February 2, 2013

Producing serviettes for export W

hen you are looking for a project to invest into, one of the fundamental issues to look into is the market for the envisaged products. Another thing is the legal considerations surrounding the proposed project. Yet another is the technology and the experienced manpower to manage the project. Having put all these important issues into consideration during a comprehensive feasibility studies carried out by the writer and his team of consultants, this project are here under discussed.

small. A spacious three (3) bed room flat can comfortably accommodate the production machines, the administration/ sales unit and the packing of the finished goods. It is always better to get a more spacious place to put the raw materials.

Raw materials

The envisaged project is the production of quality well packaged and neatly prepared serviettes & Napkins (both table, face napkins etc) that can be used by consumers in any part of the world.

The major raw materials are Jumbo Reels, Nylon/Polyethylene sheet or well designed boxes for packaging. It should be noted that no core paper is required like in the production of Toilet roll. A good designing and quality products can be produced to create a difference from what is in the market for now. This will be a market niche to the envisaged products. The raw materials are all available within the country. You do not need any importation.

Those to invest

Plants/machinery

Those people that have been working for so long but have not thought of retirement date (which will eventually come), politicians, retired workers, state & local governments, bankers and oil workers, who may want to have additional income and as di-investment. This project can be established by anybody. Those that are already into Toilet roll production can comfortably integrate these products into their existing plant.

The major machines required, like that of toilet rolls are rewinder, band saw machine, the cutter and packing machines. The packer has an in built nylon sealing device that does the clean finish-up.These machines can be procured locally. Prospective importers can as well import the machines from oversea countries. Details will be given to prospective investors on contacting the writer.The writer can procure and install these machines on turkey basis if it is acceptable to the prospective promoters.

The envisaged project

Location/project location This project can be located in any part of the country (both rural and urban settings). However, it is advisable to set it up where there is electric power supply. The space requirement is very

The market The market for the envisaged products are both locally and foreign. Locally, the target market will be all

and sundry, rich and poor, urban and semi-urban areas, Food centers, offices, Homes, Hospitals, Super Markets, Distributors, Wholesalers and Retailers. In the foreign market there are good market for Nigeria toilet rolls, serviette, diapers, napkins within the ECOWAS Sub-region and Africa as whole. Prospective investors will be given details.

Legal and legislative advantages The present Government felt that products like Serviette, Napkins, Diapers, Toilet Roll and Facial tissues can be comfortably produced within the country. This is because all the raw materials, technology and manpower can easily be sourced within the country. As a result, the government imposed a total ban on the importation of these types of products from overseas producers. This is therefore an advantage to the project. Moreover, though there is need to operate in a very clean environment, the control and regulations by NAFDAC is not as intense as if you are into Foods & Beverages. Therefore promoters can curtail the pressure of the NAFDAC regulations.

Financial requirement The project can be comfortably established with the sum of N11.4 million (the breakdown is as follows). From financial analysis, the promoters are sure of making profit after tax of N46.6 million in the first year of operation. The Profit after Tax will increase to N155.3 million within the

first 5 years of operation. The return on investment is about 52 per cent. Other projects to be integrated into this project Toilet roll, Facial tissue, Mouth wiper, Table napkin production etc can be integrated into this project as product ranges.

Production process The Jumbo reels are cut carefully to required dimension. The packing machine does the packing and carefully sealed them into 50 cuts per pack. Details of the production techniques and packaging will be taught in the process of the test running and training session of the proposed plant.

Implementation Prospective investors will contact the writer for detailed and bankable feasibility reports, procurement and installation of quality & durable machines, Training of manpower and setting up of very good accounting and marketing structure for the proposed project.

Financial Estimates (Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;000) Preliminary Expenses

350

Plants & Machinery

2000

Accommodation (varied)

1,500

Working capital (varied)

5,500

Utilities

1,500

Miscellaneous

500

Total

11, 350

Courtesy: Uba Godwin, ubagodwin@yahoo.com

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘Paint business requires perseverance’

FUNMI SALOME JOHNSON

hen Allen Alekwe graduated from the University of Ibadan in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Archaeology, little did he know that he would end up in the paint distribution business instead of practicing what he studied in school. According to Alekwe, who is now managing director of Allenz Enterprises located in Ikeja area of Lagos, “After my youth service, I tried getting a befitting job but things were so tight that nothing seemed to be forthcoming. Fortunately for me, I had a friend who used to work at Meyer Paints in Ibadan who assisted me into the company to work as a marketer with them while I searched for something better. That was how I got exposed to the business and somehow, I became fascinated and opted to know more and got more involved” Although he started off as a marketer, Alekwe says it was an experience worth the while because it gave him a big exposure and in-depth knowledge of the paint dealership business even before he eventually became a dealer. “After sometime, I left Meyer for African Paints and later went to other paint industries. Today, I have all my contacts in place in all those paint manufacturing companies which has really boosted the business for me.” Alekwe attests that the paint busi-

IN TERMS OF BEING LUCRATIVE, THE BUSINESS IS QUITE A GOOD ONE BUT IT IS VERY CAPITAL

INTENSIVE.

ON A SMALL SCALE, YOU WILL NEED ABOUT N350, 000 WHILE ON A LARGE SCALE, YOU WILL NEED BETWEEN N700, 000 AND N1 MILLION TO COMMENCE THE BUSINESS

ness is a very lucrative one, although very capital intensive. “In terms of being lucrative, the business is quite a good one but it is very capital intensive. On a small scale, you will need about N350, 000 while on a large scale, you will need between N700, 000 and N1 million to commence the business. Everything depends on the company’s policy and the deposit you need to pay before becoming a dealer. For instance in African Paints back then, you will need at least N250, 000 before you can be a dealer with them while some companies require more or less. You also need to get a space where you will put the stock.” Delta-born Alekwe also says that getting a good location to sell is another added advantage. “The business is one that booms better in developing areas where you have a lot of construction going on. Although, festive periods are peak periods for paint business, the nature of jobs and contracts you get will also depend on the type of contacts you have” He further disclosed that it is very

important for a dealer to be up and doing and not just sit at a place expecting manna to fall from heaven. “ It is important for an investor to go all out and look for good deals where he may be asked to supply paint products. You must also be very conversant with the different type of products available in the market so you would know the appropriate one for your client. For instance, if the paint is to be used in the office, as a good dealer who is familiar with his brands and is proactive to the needs of his customers, he should be able to give them their best options.” Alekwe lists some of the problems faced by paint dealers as inadequate capital and sometimes incompetent employees. On the opportunities available in the business, he says that the business is very profitable if there is availability of capital to invest in it and if properly managed. Even with all these conditions in place, Alekwe argues that the paint business is not for hasty minded investors who want returns on their invest-

Alekwe

ment within a very short period of time. “It is a business for people who can persevere and be patient enough to let the business grow and expand well before expecting returns on it,” he concluded.

Crime Watch Crime Watch P. 49 Undergraduate sets stepdad on fire

BRIEFS

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Octogenarian in police net for raping teenager

Pastor docked over alleged N725, 000 visa fraud

43-year-old pastor, Nehemiah Elijah, who allegedly obtained N725, 000 under pretence, was on Friday charged before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos. Elijah, who resides at No. 13 Edom Street, Muwo, Ojo, Lagos, is facing a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing and fraud. The prosecutor, Inspector Okoi Edet, told the court that the accused had on May 5th, 2011 at Ojo Area, Lagos, obtained the sum of N725, 000 from one Mr Cyprian Ezegbo. Edet said Elijah received the money from Ezegbo under the pretext of obtaining a Qatar visa for his son. The prosecutor said that the accused, with some others now at large, did not honour the agreement. He said the offences contravened Sections 285, 312 and 409 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2011. The Magistrate, Mrs Dan Oni, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties in like sum. She adjourned the case till February 19th for mention.

Rapes most vile!

Woman docked for allegedly pouring feaces •Says, ‘She enticed me with her naked body’ on co-tenant’s door

35-year-old woman, Shekirat Akeem, who allegedly poured her excreta on the door of her cotenant, was on Friday charged before an Apapa Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos. Akeem, who lives at No. 16, Owodunni Street, Amukoko, a Lagos suburb, is standing trial on a charge of breach of the peace. She however pleaded not guilty to the charge. The prosecutor, Mr Soji Ojaokomo, said the accused committed the offence on December 8th, 2012 at 6am at 16, Owodunni Street, Amukoko. According to him, the accused poured the excreta on the door of her co-tenant, Mr David Amadi, to provoke him. “Amadi reported the matter to the police and she was arrested and subsequently arraigned after investigation,” Ojaokomo told the court. He said the offence contravened Section 166 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2011. Ruling on the accused’s bail application, the Chief Magistrate, Oluyemisi Adelaja, granted her bail in the sum of N50, 000 with one surety in like sum. She said the surety should show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government as part of the bail condition.

February 2, 2013

Bolanle

SEGUN ADIO

n octogenarian, popularly known as Baba Ijebu or Baba Segun by neighbours is currently cooling his heels with law enforcement agents at the Onipanu Police Station after allegedly raping a secondary school girl. Bolanle (not real name), a 14-yearold junior secondary school student, lives with her guardian somewhere around Agunbiade area of Palm Grove in Lagos State, while Baba Segun lives with his wife at George Street, Off Durosimni Street, Palm Grove. Bolanle’s guardian sells beauty

Baba Segun

products and does manicures at a location where the young girl resumes

after school. Baba Segun, on his part, sells used clothes and bags at Onipanu night market, by the road side. His wife trades at the famous Mile 12 market in Ketu. Baba Segun’s advanced age notwithstanding, he does not have many admirers among his neighbours: He is a known rapist who has been a guest of prison officials at Kirikiri Prisons, in Lagos, on two occasions. What is more? He delights in raping minors. Baba Segun is also known to be highly fetish a man. So he is dreaded in the community. But last Monday, Baba Segun met his waterloo when he reportedly raped Bolanle hours after his wife had left for her shop. Investigations revealed the girl had been visiting Baba Segun in his house before that day. It was also reported that the elderly man had been giving monetary inducements to the girl long before now. On one occasion, the man had invited the girl to his house alone but the girl insisted that she would come with her guardian’s little son, a proposal which Baba Segun reportedly rejected. But Baba Segun would not give up hope. He kept splashing money on the girl with the sole aim of having carnal knowledge of her. On that fateful day, Baba Segun reportedly called the young girl to come and help him with household chores. Bolanle obliged, but rather than tell her guardian where she was going, she reportedly informed her guardian that she wanted to answer the call of nature some streets away as she often did. Within minutes, Bolanle was in Baba Segun’s living room. Baba Segun had told Bolanle that he wanted her to CONTINUED ON PAGE 48

Father of five rapes 13-year-old girl •Says, ‘My wife’s long absence from home made me do it’ SEGUN ADIO

chonam Emenuwa, 32, and two of his friends are currently in police custody over allegedly forcefully having carnal knowledge of a secondary school girl. Emenuwa is a father of five children, as his wife just delivered the fifth child recently.

Anytime Emenuwa’s wife is heavy with child, she would go to their village in Imo State. This time around, she had been gone for two months. Emenuwa lives with his family on Majaro Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos State. Since his wife would not come back anytime soon, Emenuwa decided to free his libido. In doing this, he chose a 13-year-old daughter of one of his

neighbours (names withheld). But Emenuwa perhaps realised he could not go it alone. He therefore called on Emenike Orji, 20, and Godwin Udoh, 22 to join him in the heinous crime. On the appointed day in September 2012, Emenuwa reportedly called on the young girl to help him buy soft drinks for his visitors. Oblivious of the danger that lurked around, the

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 48

CRIME WATCH

February 2, 2013

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Father of five rapes 13-year-old girl •Says, ‘My wife’s long absence from home made me do it’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 47 girl entered the room where the three men were seated watching television. On entering the apartment, Emenuwa reportedly asked the girl to come into his living room for the money. She obliged. In the living room, the father of five reportedly forcefully removed the girl’s clothes and started fondling her breast. In no time, Emenuwa had carnal knowledge of her. Once done, the rapist beckoned on Orji and Udoh to join the ‘party.’ In the end, the three men had carnal knowledge of the young girl. After they had had their way, the three men reportedly told the girl never to discuss what happened or they would kill her. That was five months ago. At the moment the girl is carrying a pregnancy whose father she could not tell among the three rapists. Investigations revealed that the girl’s mother soon began to notice changes in her anatomy. The mother then alerted her father who advised that she be taken to the hospital. It was at the hospital that the girl was confirmed to be five months pregnant. When pressed to reveal who the father of the baby she was carrying was, the girl simply mentioned Emenuwa and his partners-in-crime. The three men were later ar-

House where the rape was committed

THE MAN CALLED ME THAT I SHOULD HELP HIM BUY DRINKS FOR HIS VISITORS. I NEVER THOUGHT HE HAD ANY BAD INTENTION TOWARDS ME. WHEN I ENTERED THE PLACE, HE ASKED ME TO COME INSIDE AND I WENT. HE THEN ASKED ME TO REMOVE MY CLOTHES THAT HE WOULD KILL ME IF I DID NOT. I WAS CONFUSED AND HE RUSHED AT ME AND STARTED REMOVING MY CLOTHES rested by policemen attached to Makinde Police Station, Oshodi, in Lagos State. In his statement before law enforcement agents, Emenuwa, who confessed to the crime, claimed that the long absence of his wife from

home pushed him into the crime. His words, “Anyone in our neighbourhood would attest to my good character. I did not know what came over me to do this sort of thing. But the long absence from home of my wife would have played

a part. I blame it on the devil because my detractors have finally got me ,” he said. Relaying the circumstances leading to her being rape, the expectant girl claimed that she never had any premonition that Emenuwa had bad

intentions for her that day. She said that she had been running errands for him before then and she never suspected that the man had evil plans for her all along. She begins her story, “I was going to see my friend on the other side of the street when the man called me that I should help him buy minerals for his visitors. I never thought he had any bad intent towards me. When I entered the place, he asked me to come inside and I went. He then asked me to remove my clothes that he would kill me if I did not. I was confused and he rushed at me and started removing my clothes. He then started kissing my breast and used his hands on my private part. He then had sex with me and he also called his friends who did the same thing. They told me not to tell anyone about it. I later became sick and was vomiting and my parents took me to a hospital for tests. After the pregnancy test, the doctor confirmed that I was pregnant.” The father of the girl has claimed that when the three men were arrested, their relatives started offering him money to drop the case. A policeman attached to the division told Saturday Mirror that the case was reported there and the families of the three men had been coming, but that they would be charged to court upon completion of investigation.

Octogenarian in police net for raping teenager CONTINUED FROM PAGE 47 help him boil yam as his wife was away in the market, but the octogenarian had other things in mind. A neighbour of Bolanle’s guardian, who watched as the girl sneaked into the elderly man’s room, immediately informed the guardian who rushed to the man’s house. By the time the two women got to Baba Segun’s house, they met Bolanle with her clothes soaked with her own blood. Baba Segun had just forcefully had intercourse with her. While being questioned by her guardian, Bolanle claimed that the old man charmed her as her mind was

always going to him all the time. Bolanle claimed that the old man called her where she was sitting beside her guardian’s shop. Bolanle’s words, “I first met this man at the Sunday night market when I went to buy something for Mummy. He gave me money and I thought he just liked me as his daughter. That day he asked where I live and I told her my Mummy’s shop. Since then he has been coming saying that he was passing by and decided to see me. My Mummy would not see him because he would stand at the house beside our shop,” Bolanle said. On how the man was able to rape her that day, the girl con-

I DID NOT GO TO CARRY HER IN HER HOUSE. THE GIRL WOULD ALWAYS COME TO MY HOUSE BEGGING FOR MONEY AND ANYTIME SHE CAME,

SHE WOULD PULL OFF HER CLOTHES FOR ME TO LOOK AT HER BODY tinued, “There was a time the man asked me to come to his house alone that he wanted to give me clothes. I told him I would bring my Mummy’s son but he refused. Since then I have been avoiding his place. But on Monday, he called me that I should help him do something. When I got

there, he just grabbed me and tore my clothes, forced me to the bed and raped me. It is like the man used a charm on me,” she concluded. Baba Segun, on his part, claimed Bolanle did lure him to sleep with her. Baba Segun claimed that each time Bolanle came to his house, she

would pull of her clothes for him to see her nakedness. In his words, “I did not go to carry her in her house,. The girl would always come to my house begging for money and anytime she came, she would pull off her clothes for me to look at her body.” Bolanle is currently receiving treatment at Oguntolu General Hospital, Shomolu. Some residents urged law enforcement agents to banish the octogenarian whom they claim had been involved in such cases before now. A policeman at the station, who craved anonymity, confirmed Baba Segun’s arrest and said investigations are still ongoing.

Crime Extra

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February 2, 2013

Undergraduate sets stepdad on fire When Olutunde Babajide stepped in during a squabble between his mother and stepfather, neighbours thought he wanted to make peace. But they were wrong. Before they knew what was happening, the undergraduate had doused his stepfather with petrol and set him ablaze. SEGUN ADIO

lutunde Babajide, an undergraduate in one of the nation’s tertiary institutions, is currently on the run after he reportedly set his step father on fire over a family squabble. Olutunde’s step father, Prince Adetokunbo Adetayo, 56, is presently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Ajegunle, AjeromiIfelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State. The sad event occurred on Saturday, January 12, 2013 at about 7:45p.m. Olutunde’s mother, Ayisatu, has been married to Prince Adebayo in 1993, when Olutunde was just two years old. Olutunde’s father reportedly sent the woman out of his house while both were living with the new baby, Olutunde, in Osogbo, Osun State. Two years after the woman had been waiting for reconciliation that would not come with her first husband, she reportedly married Prince Adetayo, who brought her and her new baby into his house. The prince has since then been the only father that Olutunde knew as his biological father. And Olutunde’s real biological father has never looked back at his son and ex-wife since their separation. Right from primary school, Olutunde’s step father had been responsible for his education and upkeep until the present time. It is said that things began to go awry between Prince Adebayo and his step son sometime in 2011, when Olutunde secured admission into the university. Unfortunately, Ayisatu’s marriage to Prince Adebayo is not blessed with the fruit of the womb. Sources close to the family say that ever since Ayisatu married Prince Adebayo, the woman has not known peace. The couple is always in one quarrel or another and anytime they quarrel, the man would turn his wife into a punching bag, and beat the hell out of her. This has gone on for years. In the last couple of years, Olutunde had reportedly

shunned coming home even when he is on holiday, ostensibly in disagreement with his step father’s treatment of his mother. Rather, he used to stay with his friends in the neighourhood. On the said date, the husband and wife again quarrelled over a large sum of money the woman loaned to her husband which he was failing to pay back months after he promised to pay back the loan. Ayisatu, who reportedly learnt that her husband had been paid all monies he was being owned by his contractors, demanded for her money but what she got in return was rebuff. It was also said that the woman wanted to settle his son’s school fees with some of the money. She apparently would accept her husband defaulting on the loan because her business was already being affected by the money her husband borrowed from her. The ensuing argument again led to Prince Adebayo beginning to punch his wife with hard blows. By then, Olutunde had not returned to school. He was waiting for money from his mother, who already assured the undergraduate of money that day, believing that her husband would pay his debt to her. When the beating became unbearable, a female neighbour

reportedly rushed to where Olutunde was staying with his friends, some three streets away from their family house. Olutunde raced to the place and seeing his mother thoroughly battered, he reportedly ran into the back of the house, grabbed a keg of petrol and poured the content on his step father. Before anyone knew what

was happening, the undergraduate produced a box of matches from his pocket and set his stepfather ablaze. Prince Adetayo was heavily burnt in the process. He was rescued by neighbours who allegedly pushed him into the gutter in front of the house to douse the flames. Speaking with reporters, a female neighbour identified as

Mummy Junior, claimed that Prince Adetayo would have died but for the intervention of neighbours. The woman also claimed that while the man burned, Olutunde prevented anyone that tried to quench the inferno, until he was overpowered by some men around the scene. Says the traumatised neighbour: “I have never seen such a thing in my life. There is no doubt that the boy wanted to kill the man that day. But for the fight some men around put up with him, the man would have burnt to death.” Ayisatu, Olutunde’s mother, while speaking with reporters, claimed that her husband had been trying to kill her and her son long ago, but that her son had now grown up enough to confront his persecutor. She says, “It is true that I brought the boy to come and marry him. He accepted him at that time. But in the last couple of years, the two of them have been living like enemies, which made Tunde not to come home again. Ayisatu, however, said she did not support her son’s action against his step father. Olutunde fled the vicinity shortly after his stepfather was rushed to the hospital. His mother’s attempts to reach him on phone have been futile as his numbers are switched off.

Court sentences bricklayer to 7 months imprisonment for unlawful possession of drugs

he Federal High Court in Ibadan on Friday sentenced a bricklayer, Sadiq Olaitan, 23, to seven months imprisonment for unlawful possession of 2.8 kilogrammes of Indian hemp. Olaitan was arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) while conducting a search on the Ijebu-Ode/Ibadan road on October 4th, 2012 at about 3 pm. The NDLEA prosecutor, Mrs Bridget Viashimah, said the convict was arrested while in an 18-seater commercial bus with a shuttle bag held closely to his chest.

When officers inspected the bag, they discovered wraps of the drug. In a dramatic twist at the resumed hearing, Olaitan, who had earlier pleaded not guilty on January 22nd, raised his hands in the dock in an attempt to seek the audience of the court to change his plea to guilty. Presiding judge, Justice Abimbola Adejumo-Obaseki, granted his request and ordered that the charge be re-read to him in view of the new development. The convict, thereafter, pleaded guilty but asked to be forgiven. “I know that I have done

something bad but if you will forgive me, I promise to go back to my work as a bricklayer. I will never come near drugs again and please consider that my mother is old and sick,” he said. After the plea of Olaitan, Justice Obaseki-Adejumo sentenced him to 7 months imprisonment with an option of N50,000 fine. She said the sentence considered the fact that the accused was a firsttime offender. Obaseki-Adejumo, however, warned the convict to stay away from crime and not go near drugs again. She said that if rearrested, the court would have no mercy on him.

REGIONAL NEWS

February 2, 2013

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SOUTH WEST

18 escape death in Ogun as vehicle summersaults FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA

o fewer than 18 persons narrowly escaped death in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital yesterday, when an 18-seater Toyota Hiace Hummer bus somersaulted and ran into a fence. The accident, which occurred about 11:35 am at Oke- Ilewo, Abeokuta, however, left five people seriously injured. It was gathered that the bus with registration number (Abuja) BR437GWA has the inscription “Federal Assisted Mass Transit Scheme” on it body, was on its way to Sango in Ado-Odo/Ota Local government area of Ogun State from Ibadan, Oyo State. Men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, (NSCDC) immediately

...Five seriously injured, eight trailers burnt in mysterious factory fire stormed the scene of the accident to rescue the passengers. Five passengers who were severely injured in the accident were taken to the General Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta in the NSCDC ambulance vehicle marked with registration number CD 041A01. An official of the NSCDC revealed that the driver of the bus took to his heels immediately after the accident occurred. One of the passengers, Lady Evangelist Atoyebi, who spoke with Saturday Mirror, said the bus was travelling from Ibadan to Sango before it eventually crashed into the fence near the OPIC Towers at Lalubu road in Abeokuta. In a related development, about eight trucks were burnt into ashes in a fire incident that gutted the premises of the Gateway Portland Ce-

ment factory in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital yesterday. The fire which was alleged to have been caused by those suspect-

ed to be burning bush around the factory, started around 12pm was said to have ravaged the section where abandoned trailers were parked.

Speaking with newsmen at the scene of the fire, a top member of the company’s management and Import Manager of the company,

Mrs. Funmilayo Festus Sunday described the fire incident as mysterious, stressing that nobody could ascertain the cause of the fire.

L-R: Widow of the late Chief Adewunmi Adebgonmire, Chief (Mrs.) Solape Adegbonmire; Chief Bisi Akande; Aremo Olusegun Osoba and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the funeral service for Chief Adewunmi Adegbonmire at St. Thomas Anglican Church, Isinkan, Akure, Ondo State, recently.

Ekiti council threatens to confiscate undeveloped property ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

wners of undeveloped plots in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, risk forfeiture of such property, Ado Ekiti Local Government Chairman, Mr Sunday Ibitoye, has warned. The local government boss, who said that such unoccupied and undeveloped property, apart from constituting obstacles to the urban renewal programme of Governor Kayode Fayemi, claimed that they had been providing hideouts for criminals. Ibitoye, who spoke during a chat with journalists yesterday, said confiscation of such property by the council authorities was part of efforts to make the state uncomfortable for criminals and as well make the capital city befitting. His words, “When we realized that there were many undeveloped plots in Ado Ekiti, we started placing signposts on such plots that

they had been taken over by the Council and shortly after this, the owners will surface to beg us. “But we will no longer tolerate this because they could be used as hideouts by criminals. We have made a policy statement

and this was well advertised that those having plots in strategic locations within the state capital should develop them, otherwise we will confiscate them,” he said. The council boss, who said the council had con-

structed over 2,500 line drainages in the last one year to control erosion in the state capital, threatened to impose heavy sanctions on those apprehended for dumping refuse in erosion channels. According to him, the

council, in partnership with private investors have purchased and distributed customized dustbins to control wastes in the metropolis across remote areas and streets not being covered by Ekiti State Waste Management

Board. Ibitoye said that the council has also distributed over 10,000 computer textbooks to primary schools in the council to complement Fayemi’s computer-per-student policy in the last one year.

Polio: No child’ll be lost to avoidable death –Fayemi

kiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has assured nursing mothers that no single child will be lost in the ongoing war against polio in the state. A release made available to Saturday Mirror by Olayinka Oyebode, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Fayemi, said that the governor gave this assurance while flagging off the first round of the 2013 Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) in Ado Ekiti yesterday. Dr. Fayemi, though said that the state is already rid of the wild disease, but maintained that all hands must be on deck to maintain the tempo so that the scourge would not find its way

into the State through neighbouring states. He added that parents should not prevent their children from being immunized. While advocating more

support from community and religious leaders, Governor Fayemi also said state governors have decided on a partnership with their neighbouring

States in order to kick polio completely out of Nigeria. Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the State Primary Health Care Devel-

opment Agency, Mrs Folake Falore had said the immunisation exercise is aimed at complementing the routine immunization programmes in the state.

Oyo Accord Party leader visits wards ahead of LG poll KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

n order to strengthen the fortune of the party at the grass root and prepare for the forthcoming local government election in Oyo State, leader of the Accord Party (AP) in Ibadan South East Local Government Area, Chief Samuel Ayansina, has finalized plans to pay visits to the twelve wards in the council. The visit is expected to commence on Wednesday, 6 February, 2013, with

Ward 7. The meeting is scheduled to hold inside Omoyeni Primary School, Aperin-Oniyere road, Adesola area, Ibadan . A release issued yester-

day by the spokesperson of the party in the ward, Mr. Sunday Paul Igbinsola, said the chairman of the party in the Ward, Mr. Asimiyu Bamitale,

will play the Chief host to Chief Ayansina and other members of his entourage which include party chieftains in the local government area.

Lagos agog as Lord Chosen church begins crusade RICHARD EGHAGHE

he Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries will today flag off a two day power packed international crusade titled: “From Sorrow To Joy”, aimed at seeking spiritu-

al solutions to the socialeconomic and political problems bedevilling the nation and citizens. The event which comes up at the Chosen Revival Ground, along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, by Ijesha, Bus Stop, Lagos, from

8:00am today and tomorrow, Sunday 3rd of February, 2013, , is expected to attract participants both at the local and international arena with the minister of God and General Overseer, Pastor Lazarus Muoka ministering.

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REGIONAL NEWS

February 2, 2013

SOUTH EAST

Gov Chime’ll be back in 10 days –Akpabio OLUSEGUN KOIKI

f the words of Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State is anything to go by, then his counterpart in Enugu State, Chief Sullivan Chime, wil return to the country in the next 10 days. Akpabio said this on his while speaking with airports correspondents at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on his return from the United Kingdom. The Enugu governor has been in London reportedly receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness, since September 2012. Akpabio, who was among three other governors that visited the sick governor in his hospital bed in London, assured Nigerians that governor Chime was well and healthy and capable of ruling the state upon his arrival.

The Akwa Ibom State emphasised that it was high time Nigerians trusted their representatives and warned against play-

OWERRI

mo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has warned that the nation’s economy may remain stagnant if nothing is done urgently to diversify the economy from oil. Instead of Nigeria’s ‘over dependence on oil,’ governor Okorocha said that agriculture remains key to the nation’s economic growth, adding that there should be deliberate policy to return to agriculture so as to

recovered fully and he would be assuming duties within the next 10 days. It’s not something that any Nigerian should

be sad about, rather, we should be happy and we should pray that he’s returning to the country within 10 days from today

Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State flanked by Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, Deputy Governor, Emeka Sibeudu and other stakeholders at the foundation laying of the Shoprite mall in Onitsha, recently.

Okorocha decries over-dependence on oil CHRIS NJOKU

ing politics with people’s health. Said he, “For me, I am very grateful to God that governor Chime has

ensure food security and further restore the economy of the nation on the path of growth. Governor Okorocha said this in a lecture titled ‘Kobo Must Return (KMR),’ to members of Course 35 of the Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State, at the newly constructed Imo College of Advanced Professional Studies (ICAPS), Owerri, the Imo State capital. He claimed that agriculture had before the exploration and boom in

the oil sector contributed about 75 per cent of Nigerian foreign exchange earnings. He called on Nigerians and government at all levels to give agriculture a priority place to revive the economy and make it stronger and viable. The governor suggested that land and labour should made available to all the 773 local governments in the country to produce agro-products which ultimately would guarantee employment for the teeming youth and automatically bring down the prices of food items in the country. While he attributed the problem of Nigeria

to bad leadership, Okorocha maintained that, “there is nothing wrong with the head of state but there could be something wrong with the state of the head,” adding that when a leader has a wrong mindset, there was nothing he or she could do to lead the people on the right path. While urging Nigerian leaders to imbibe the spirit of team work, Governor Okorocha also urged those occupying leadership positions not to be selfish as good leaders must have good character and ability to drive their vision so as to bridge the gap between leaders and the led.

Obi lays foundation stone for Onitsha Shoprite NWABUEZE OKONKWO ONITSHA

he proposed $30 million ultra-modern shopping mall project kicked off yesterday in Onitsha, Anambra State, with Governor Peter Obi performing its official foundation stone laying ceremony. The shopping mall simply known as Shoprite, which the state government is constructing in partnership with Af-

Anambra 2014: Gov. wants Anambra North to produce his successor NWABUEZE OKONKWO ONITSHA

overnor Peter Obi of Anambra State yesterday restated his call on the people of the state to allow Anambra North senatorial district produce the next governor of the state to succeed him. He said it is only fair and justifiable that Anambra North produced his

successor because Anambra Central where, he comes from, has ruled the state for 11 out 22 years of its existence, while Anambra South occupied the rest of the years in office, leaving Anambra North without even a day in office as governor. Addressing a gathering of Anambra North Forum and other stakeholders from the seven Local Government areas of the

zone yesterday at the Palace of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, Obi noted that his insistence on Anambra North zone to produce the next governor was part of his 2010 campaign promises. In his words, “The choice is yours to give Anambra electorate a candidate that will be acceptable to them and who will rule without discriminating against any group. I do

not do politics of imposition. I do not want anybody who will bring returns to me when he is elected. What I am praying for is for my successor to do better than myself and that is why I will reserve some funds in the treasury for the next governor and at the same time building better governor’s lodge and offices for the person”.” he said. Fairness, he said, de-

and he would be in the government House in Enugu on his seat as the Governor of the State. On the allegation that the Governors Forum is gradually becoming a cartel and working against the Federal Government and the Nigerian people, Akpabio, denied such claims. He vowed to make public any activities of the Governors Forum, which negates the principles setting it up, as he insisted that the forum would continue to work in tandem with the Federal Government. Governor Akpabio also said that he is in good terms with President Goodluck Jonathan, saying, I will not be a party to anything that will attempt to pull down the government of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and that I am assuring you,” he said.

manded that the people of Anambra North Senatorial zone should be allowed to produce the next governor in order to give the zone a sense of belonging. Governor Obi said he would be delighted if the people of the area should produce a governor who would deliver more democratic dividend than himself and who would not discriminate against any segment of the State.

rican Capital Alliance under Private Public Partnership (PPP) arrangement, is being constructed by Growthland Limited. Performing the foundation stone ceremony, Governor Obi said that it was in line with his commitment to the transformation of the state which, according to him, included returning Onitsha to its past glory as the number one commercial city in Nigeria and hosting the biggest market in West Africa. The Mall, located side by side with the Onitsha Hotel and Convention Centre, is along the Parke Road, GRA, Onitsha. The governor assured that the shopping mall will be opened in many other centres in the state. In his remarks at the event, a senior manager with African Capital Alliance, Mr Osita Okonkwo, said the money for the project would come from international financial institution as foreign direct investment

REGIONAL NEWS

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NORTH

Ex-Plateau gov, Tapgun faults NASS on constitution review JAMES ABRAHAM

ormer Governor of Plateau State, Ambassador Fidelis Tapgun, has faulted the National Assembly over the way and manner it is handling the ongoing constitution review process. Tapgun, who spoke in Jos yesterday, said it was wrong for the national lawmakers to have excluded the assembly from the list of items to be looked into by Nigerians during the just concluded nationwide constituency debate on the matter. His words, “Just imagine that they have listed everything including the Executive, the Judiciary, local governments

and all that which they feel are causing problems and have requested the good people of this country to make their suggestions. Surprisingly, the National Assembly itself did not

feature on the list. And everyone knows that the National Assembly is one of the problems Nigerians have been quarrelling with. Apart from the fact that the present National

Assembly is too expensive to operate, Nigerians have their suggestions on how to make the system more effective. But by the exclusion, it is obvious that they are not coming clean

in the way there are carrying out the exercise,” Ambassador Tapgun said. Tapgun who was former Nigeria’s ambassador to Kenya, said for the problems bedeviling Nigeria

Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State (right) receiving a souvenir from the Emir of Gombe, Alh. Shehu Usman Abubakar CFR during the Governor’s Constituency tour of Gombe Local Government Area recently.

as country to be properly articulated, there was the need for the convocation of a national conference where all the ethnic nationalities will have the opportunity to make input on how they should be governed . Tapgun continued, “As the National Assembly is there, there is nothing wrong in setting up another body to look at these thorny issues again. Since the National Assembly is not coming clean on the task of constitutional review, nothing stops the convocation of a National Conference from being in place.It doesn’t erode their powers nor their election. If that body is inplace,it will complement and cover up every lapses of the of the National Assembly.

Sheik Gumi urges Muslims to accept polio vaccines A ZA MSUE KADUNA

renowned Islamic scholar in Kaduna State, Sheikh Ahmad Mahmud Gumi, said parents have no religious basis to reject immunization against polio. Dr. Gumi said this while interacting with a

non-governmental organization known as Journalist Initiative Against Polio (JAP), described as ignorance, the actions of some parents on the issues vaccination. The Islamic cleric also stated that polio vaccines are costly and have been subsidized by the United Nations with the aimed

of eliminating the disease just like smallpox guinea worm and others stressing that inability for children to be vaccinated could be detrimental to their future. The renowned scholar quoted the Quran as saying that Christians were the closest friends of the Holy Prophet Mohammed

adding that it will be improper for anyone to think that other groups would use polio Vaccination as an avenue to cheat on the Islamic community. His words, “Moslem should agree to vaccinate his children. Doctors of the world have come together and approved on the efficacy

Corruption: Abubakar Tsav advocates stiffer penalties HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

former police commissioner in Lagos State, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, has advocated strong punitive measures of nailing public officers who amass illegal wealth at the detriment of the masses. The former police boss spoke against the backdrop of controversial judgement handed down to embattled former Assistant Director, Police Pension Board John Yusuf. Alhaji Tsav hinted that Yusuf should have been given stiffer jail conditions without an option of fine rather than the mere N750, 000 naira which the court had fined him. He emphasized that the action taken by

the judiciary is a brazen act of encouraging corruption. Alhji Tsav, says, “How can somebody embezzle N32.8 billion and when legal action is instituted against the offender the court

would after long proceedings would find one guilty and will give you a parting fine of miserable amount deem fit to them,” he said,. The ex-police boss lambasted the judiciary

for their ineptitude to caution public servants in the way they cart away public funds stressing that is as if the money is not meant for others except few of them entrusted to look after it.

IGP urged to wade into Offa/Erin Ile clashes WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

resident of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) , Alhaji Najeem Yasin, has called on the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji

Mohammed Abubakar to wade into the bloody clash between the Offa and Erin Ile Communities in Kwara with an utmost dispatch. The two towns had since last weekend been engulfed in an inter communal fed that had claims some lives and properties

worth millions of naira damaged. Yasin, an Offa indigene, made the call in a statement made available to journalists in Ilorin, Kwara State. He said it is high time the police chief waded into the matter before it gets out of control.

Sambo due in Maiduguri today INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

ice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo is expected is due in Maiduguri to-

day, on a one-day official visit. While there, Sambo is expected to lay the foundation for the Shettima Ali Monguno Teachers Village, comprising 300 units of houses for the use of pri-

mary and secondary school teachers in the state. This visit is also aimed at re-assuring the citizens of Borno State opf Federal Government support for them.

of the vaccines, then why should we argue? This polio vaccination is done in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt and all over the World and all has accepted that the vaccines should be administered to the children, then what excuse do people have? Polio vaccination is a United Nation

programme and the UN is not America but all countries of the World are involved,” he said. He urged religious leaders to concentrate on the message of the Quran and the Bible as the basis of their faith rather than interfering in other fields that are purely professional in nature.

Gunmen kill 2 in Bauchi EZEKIEL TITUS BAUCHI

nknown gunmen yesterday killed two people in Zango, a suburb of Bauchi Metropolis, thereby causing stampede as resident flees for safety. The attack is the third one barely four months when nine were brutally killed in the same area, a development people live in palpable fear for fear of the unknown. It was gathered that the incident, which occurred around 7:30pm. It was reported that the assailants had approached their victims pretening to want to buy some items before they struck. In the attack, the two shop owbers, identified as Emmanual Haruna

and Mr.Oko were shot dead. Eye witness account had it that the attackers come with a motorcycle and vanished into thin air immediately after the dastardly act. This development caused serious panic among residents of the area, who accused Governor Isa Yuguda of inability to address the security challenges in the area.

Gov Yuguda

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

REGIONAL NEWS

February 2, 2013

NORTH

Fire kills 5 children in Kaduna

A ZA MSUE KADUNA

ragedy struck yesterday in Kaduna metropolis as fire incident killed family of five children. Saturday Mirror gathered that the mysterious fire occurred on Thursday night at E33 Faskeri Street, in Kakuri suburb of Kaduna metropolis, as it wipe out five children of one Mallam Mohammed Ahmed. As at the time of writing this report, no one had any clue as to the cause of the inferno. One of the sympathizers who did not was his name in prints, said that residents are suspecting the inferno might have been caused by candle light since there was total blackout at the area throughout that night.

The five children, three girls and two boys were said to have been burnt beyond recognition, while the only one that survived the initial onslaught of the inferno, gave up the ghost later in

the undisclosed hospital. One of the kids is said to be the daughter of a colleague in the office which Mohammed’s wife volunteered to train for her. Saturday Mirror learnt that Mallam

Mohammed and his wife were not at home when the deadly fire visited. The wife having given birth to a baby few days back through a cesarean operation and the man went to the Hospital to

take care of her. In a telephone interview with Saturday Mirror, Kaduna State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Mallam Aminu Lawan, confirmed the incident.

Neighborhood told journalists that the children were already asleep when the fire started, while the heat and the ensuing smoke prevented them from coming out of the house.

JTF dislodges 2 Boko Haram camps in Borno, recovers munitions INUSA NDAHI

he Joint Task Force (JTF) has dislodged members of the dreadful sectBoko Haram from their camps located in Sambisa Game Reserve in Bama and Farin – Ruwa Forest South West/East of Demboa Local Government Areas of Borno State. JTF in a statement signed by its Spokesman, Lt. Colonel Sagir Musa, noted that the dreadful sect was dislodged from the two camps, on Wednesday and Thursday, after the troops conducted

two special operations supported by Nigerian Air Force helicopter gunships. JTF in its statement says, “The camp was properly sighted and fortified and had training facilities; armoury, accommodation, drugs store/ medical, kitchen, vehicle holding area, latrine and water points (River). The camp was used to conduct training and carry out recent attacks, killings and bombings in Maiduguri, Musari, Konduga, Biu, Bama, and Demboa communities. Efforts by JTF troops to destroy the

camps led to fierce exchange of fire that resulted in the death of 17 Boko Haram Terrorists and one JTF personnel was killed. The camps were destroyed and are being monitored. The JTF also reiterated the need for local communities to give credible and timely information to security agencies. “The JTF wishes to use this opportunity to reiterate on the need for local communities to give credible and timely information to the Task Force/ Security Agencies. Members of the public are hereby reminded to pass any credible

information to the JTF through it’s under listed Hot Lines that are opera-

tional round the clock: 08064174066, 08154429346 and 07064174066.

Dangote reopens Gboko in Abuja yesterday. Cement Plant goteGiving reasons for the

anagement of Dangote Cement Plc has announced the reopening of its Gboko Cement Plant in Benue State. The factory which is to operate at half capacity was closed down last year as a result of the glut in the domestic cement market. The decision to reopen the plant was reached immediately after a meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and the Chairman of Dangote Cement Alhaji Aliko Dan-

reopening of the plant, a source from Dangote Cement said, “Since the shutdown of the Gboko Cement Plant, Government has been engaging local cement manufacturers in discussions, trying to find solutions to the challenges facing the industry. According to the source, Aliko Dangote was in an upbeat mood after the meeting with the president and in appreciation of the President’s concern and willingness to intervene.

Don challenges govts on food security

PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

Members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association protesting over Kaduna branch election in Kaduna, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

New GOC resumes at 3 Amoured Division Jos JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

he 3rd Amoured Division of the Nigeria Army located in Jos, Plateau State, now has a new General Officer Commanding(GOC). He is Major General Ebiobowei Awala, who assumed duties yesterday. He took

over from Major General Jack Okechukwu Nwaogbo. At the handover ceremony held at the Maxwel Khobe Cantonment, Rukuba, Jos, Gen, Awala promised to build on the success of his predecessor who has been posted to Army Headquarters Abuja as Chief of Training and Operation (CTOPS).

The new GOC also enjoined officers and men of the division to remain fully professional and discipline on their duties, saying, “On my own part, I will try and address some of the challenges facing men and officers of the division.” In his handover remarks, Maj-Gen Nwaogbo said he had cordial working relations with

the officers of the division during his tenure, and encouraged them to extend same gesture to the new GOC. Until his last posting, Major General Awala was the Commander of the Nigeria Army Armored Corps, Bauchi. The posting is sequel to the recent general posting in the hierarchy of Nigerian Army.

university don, Professor Babatope Alabadan, has called on governments at all levels in the country to stop paying lip service to the issue of food security. He said this would enable Nigerians to achieve the vision 20:20:20 of the Federal Government. Prof. Alabadan, of the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Niger State, gave this charge while delivering the 25th Lecture of the university titled, ‘Housing and Food Security: Now and the future-Lessons from the Termites’. The food expert said that at the moment, over 40% of the people have access to sufficient food on daily basis in the country. He also urged gov-

ernments to build massively capacity Silos so as to reduce food looses and increase local supplies, particularly for small scale farmers. He also explained that world over, over 800 million people comprising of a total of 300 million children due to food security, daily also go to bed hungry. His words, “Construction of silos will ensure food availability, accessibility, stability and utilization. It will also improve market resilience to external shocks, reduce losses and increases supplies to local market at affordable prices for people.” Prof Alabadan hinged the dearth in food supply on huge food losses resulting from lack of adequate storage facilities, which if not addressed, would continue to affect the economy that is capable of threatening the Nations’ national security.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

February 2, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Israel may strike Syria again

n Israeli air attack staged in Syria this week may be a sign of things to come. Israeli military officials appear to have concluded that the risks of attacking Syria are worth taking when compared to the dangers of allowing sophisticated weapons to reach Hezbollah guerrillas in neighboring Lebanon. With Syrian President Bashar Assad’s grip on power weakening, Israeli officials fear he could soon lose control over his substantial arsenal of chemical and advanced weapons, which could slip into the hands of Hezbollah or other hostile groups. These concerns, combined with Hezbollah’s own domestic problems, mean further military action could be likely.

Tzachi Hanegbi, an incoming lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party and a former chairman of parliament’s influential foreign affairs and defense committee, signaled that Israel could be compelled to act on its own. While Israel’s preference is for Western powers to gain control over Syria’s arms stockpile, he said there are no signs of that happening. “Israel finds itself, like it has many times in the past, facing a dilemma that only it knows how to respond to. And it could well be that we will reach a stage where we will have to make decisions,” Hanegbi told Israel’s Army Radio. Hanegbi, like other Israeli officials, would not confirm Israeli involvement in the airstrike.

Air pollution: Cans of ‘fresh air’ for sale in China

ir pollution in China has gotten so bad that one entrepreneur has decided to sell cans of fresh air. The decision by Chen Guangbiao to sell the cans of air isn’t actually an attempt at a profit-generating venture. Rather, Chen, already worth a reported $740 million, is using the cans as social commentary on the declining environmental conditions in China. “If we don’t start caring for the environment, then after 20 or 30 years our children and grandchildren might be wearing gas

masks and carry oxygen tanks,” Chen told Fairfax Media. Still, it’s hard to not think of Mel Brooks in “Spaceballs” shotgunning a can of “Perri-Air,” as his planet deals with a crisis stemming from a lack of oxygen. Chen is selling the cans for about five Yuan each (80 cents), according to the Brisbane Times, and the cans come in a variety of “flavors,” including “Taiwan,” “Tibet,” and “Yan’an,” early home of the country’s Communist Party.

Yahya Jammeh gives Gambians extra day off

he Gambia has started a four-day week for public sector workers, with Fridays now an extra day off. President Yahya Jammeh has said the shorter week will give The Gambia’s mainly Muslim population more time to pray, socialise and tend to fields. Jammeh, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1994, is known for his eccentric behaviour. Critics say his latest decision will promote laziness and disrupt the poor West African state’s economy.

Agriculture, especially peanut exports, forms the backbone of The Gambia’s economy. It is also a popular tourist destination, because of its beaches. Most people in The Gambia, which has a population of about 1.8 million, are Muslims for whom Friday is a day of prayer. Thursdays and Fridays or Fridays and Saturdays are non-working days in most of the Muslim world but some say this disrupts work with Western countries, who have Saturdays and Sundays off.

Fireworks for Lunar New Year celebrations exploded on a truck in central China, destroying part of an elevated highway, Friday, and sending vehicles plummeting 30 meters (about 100 feet) to the ground. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Xiao Meng)

At least two dead, several injured in bomb blast outside U.S. Embassy

suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the entrance of the U.S. Embassy in the Turkish capital yesterday and at least two people are dead, a police official said. Witnesses saw a body in the street in front of an embassy side entrance. The bomb appeared to have exploded inside the security checkpoint at the entrance of the visa section of the embassy.

Several ambulances were dispatched to the area. A journalist saw at least one woman who appeared to be seriously injured being carried into an ambulance. Private NTV television said two security guards at the entrance were killed. The police official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules. The phones were not being answered at the embassy. The embassy building is

heavily protected. It is near an area where several other embassies, including that of Germany and France, are located. Police sealed off the area and journalists were being kept away. There was no claim of responsibility, but Kurdish rebels and Islamic militants are active in Turkey. Kurdish rebels, who are fighting for autonomy in the Kurdish-dominated southeast, have dramatically stepped up attacks in Turkey over

the last year. As well, homegrown Islamic militants tied to al-Qaida have carried out suicide bombings in Istanbul, killing 58, in 2003. The targets were the British consulate, a British bank and two synagogues. In 2008, an attack blamed on al-Qaida-affiliated militants outside the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul left three assailants and three policemen dead.

Fireworks cause deadly highway collapse in China

n elevated portion of highway in central China collapsed yesterday after a truck loaded with fireworks for Lunar New Year celebrations exploded, killing at least nine people and sending vehicles plummeting 30 meters (about 100 feet) to the ground. The official Xinhua News Agency said nine people were confirmed dead and another 13 injured, including four in serious condition. It said the collapse smashed and buried at least 25 vehicles. Earlier reports by China National Radio and some other outlets of 26 people killed were later removed from websites, without explanation. An 80-meter (260-foot) stretch of the major eastwest highway collapsed in Mianchi county in Henan province. It scattered blackened chunks

of debris and shattered the windows of a nearby truck stop. A truck driver interviewed on CCTV said he was only 20 meters (yards) away from the explosion. “I heard a huge bang and immediately braked. I saw small fireballs falling down one by one,” said the unidentified truck driver, whose truck windshield was smashed from the impact of the blast. “I then heard the sounds of clanking and exploding for five to six minutes,” the driver said. “My face was covered in dust.” Photos posted online

by Xinhua showed a stretch of elevated highway gone, with one truck’s back wheels perched at the edge of a shorn-off section of the highway. Other photos showed firefighters below spraying water on scorched hunks of concrete, wrecked trucks and flattened shipping containers. There was no immediate word on the cause of the explosion. It occurred about 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of Luoyang, an ancient capital of China known for grottoes of Buddhist statues carved from limestone cliffs. Fireworks are an enormously popular part of

Chinese Lunar New Year festivities. To meet the demand, fireworks are made, shipped and stored in large quantities, sometimes in unsafe conditions. A result is periodic catastrophe: In 2006, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, a storeroom of fireworks exploded at a temple fair in Henan, killing 36 people and injuring dozens more. In 2000, an unlicensed fireworks factory in southern China exploded, killing 33 people, including 13 primary and secondary school students working there.

France’s Hollande visits Mali today

rench President Francois Hollande will visit Mali today, his office said. Hollande, who sent French troops to repel an advance by Islamist reb-

els in the West African former colony, will be accompanied by his ministers for defence, foreign affairs and development, his office said in a statement that gave no further

details. France’s Liberation newspaper reported earlier that Hollande would travel to Mali on Friday night.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

February 2, 2013

Quote

the

day

It is perfectly understandable that you want to arrest me for failing to honour your summons. My absence was however wholly unintended and regrettable. Prof. Attahiru Jega, INEC Chairman, in a letter to the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, asking that an arrest warrant should not be issued for him over his absence at a public hearing on Wednesday in Abuja.

Saturday, February 2, 2013. www.nationalmirroronline.net

Obama’s second coming: What’s in it for Africa? (III)

t is clear what areas of intervention the African continent needs in this partnership. For Africa, key components of that partnership include trade and investment, security, capacity building, as well as infrastructure and human capital development including skill acquisition and employment generation. Indeed, today’s Africa requires more from America, and the world, than just humanitarian assistance. It requires a further renegotiation of the trade terms, building on the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) initiated by President Bill Clinton, to offer African goods unfettered market access into the US. Obama is already looking to improve AGOA with the August 2012 legislation which was enacted to extend AGOA’s important third country fabric provision to 2015. The administration can be expected to make similar improvements in this new term. Also, like his predecessors Bill Clinton and George Bush, Obama must focus on improving America’s assistance in the control and eradication of diseases in Africa. The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) launched by the Bush administration has been hugely successful in combating the HIV/AIDS scourge in Africa. Another successful health initiative of the Bush administra-

with President Olusegun Obasanjo hexcellency2011@yahoo.com

WITH HIS SECOND TERM FIRMLY ESTABLISHED, OBAMA HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO THROW OUT ANY CAUTION HE MIGHT HAVE HAD IN HIS FIRST TERM AS REGARDS HIS FOREIGN POLICY AGENDA FOR tion is the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI). Africa expects the Obama administration to pay special attention to the bottom billion poorest members of the human race, most of who reside in Africa. Several other opportunities exist for

AFRICA

better cooperation between America and Africa including growing terrorism in some parts of Africa. Priority for America’s support and assistance to Africa must therefore be in the area of peace and stability. Already, America has offered significant support and training to African

SPORT EXTRA

AFCON: Black Stars, Blue Sharks battle for semi-final slot SAYO OGUNDEJI

WITH AGENCY REPORTS

aving defied pre-tournament expectations, the Black Stars of Ghana are set to halt the Cinderella run of the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde Islands today when the two sides meet in their quarter-final fixture of the ongoing AFCON 2013 in Port Elizabeth with Asamoah Gyan promising the debutants a tough time. Ghana’s encounter with Cape Verde at this stage of the competition could either bring a disappointing end to the former’s title quest or a shattering anticlimax to the latter’s fairytale cruise which began with the elimination of mighty Cameroon during the qualifiers last year.

While the Blue Sharks have been overshadowing giants like Morocco and Angola to emerge second in Group A proved a surprise, the Black Stars quite expectedly topped their own pile, having improved tremendously following their sloppy start against old foes DR Congo The clash, for Cape Verde, will be their toughest task yet in their maiden campaign and a win over the four-time African champions will certainly add to their ever-expanding collection of souvenirs as they look to achieve more. Cape Verde coach Lucio Antunes said, ““We have played three good games. We came here very determined, and I’m very happy about what we have achieved.” But Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan , who

scored his first goal in the tournament, says confidence has sky-rocketed ahead of today’s quarter-final clash against Cape Verde. “We came here with the mentality of doing well in this Nations Cup. “All the players are happy and their confidence level is growing and I believe we’ll go into the next game with a strong conviction,” Gyan said. The two West African nations have a history of only three previous meetings, two of which were played out in the form of World Cup qualifiers ahead of Germany 2006, and the remainder a preAfcon 2013 friendly in Portugal. Each time, Ghana triumphed, with an aggregate of seven goals scored and none conceded.

security agencies to combat terrorism. Improved partnerships in the area of security will help to protect America’s and Africa’s short and long term interests. But care must be taken to ensure that America’s intervention does not infringe on the rights of African governments in the management of their internal affairs. Finally, the most enduring footprint of an eight-year Barack Obama administration in Africa would be rapid investment in Africa’s infrastructure, technology and human capital development led by the private sector. As African governments continue to open up their economies to the world, there is urgent need to ensure that Africans have the capacity to take the opportunities that come with these partnerships. For the most part, this is what the Chinese are doing in Africa. With his second term firmly established, Obama has the opportunity to throw out any caution he might have had in his first term as regards his foreign policy agenda for Africa. From his father’s Kenya to the streets of Dakar, Africans are again looking up to Obama with high but realistic hopes and expectations. It will be in the mutual interest of Africa and America that the expectations are realized.

CONCLUDED

PREMIERSHIP FIXTURES Today’s Matches QPR v Norwich 12:45 Arsenal v Stoke 15:00 Everton v Aston Villa 15:00 Newcastle v Chelsea 15:00 Reading v Sunderland 15:00 West Ham v Swansea 15:00 Wigan v Southampton 15:00 Fulhamv Man United 17:30

Sunday, February 3, 2013 West Brom v Tottenham 13:30 Man City v Liverpool 16:00

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