Saturday,18th of August, 2012

Police after top American rapper, Rick Ross

Vol. 02 No. 36

VC’s Kidnapping

P. 8

ESUT leaves negotiations to family P. 51

Chimaroke Nnamani NOT dead

N150

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Waiting for Sallah customers

P. 8

1,000 rendered homeless in Benue flood

Tomato dealers agonise over poor sales at a perishable goods market in Yola ...yesterday

PHOTO: NAN

Fuel subsidy scam

P. 2

Conoil, MRS, 19 others under probe –Okonjo-Iweala

P. 7

Ibori moved to maximum security prison

Alleged $620,000 subsidy scam:

FG yet to brief any lawyer...for Farouk Lawan’s prosecution

P. 7

...along with terrorists, violent criminals

P. 8

2

Living

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

August 18, 2012

INSIDE

Water, water everywhere

Community lost •Jang visits flood victims in Plateau in time P.36&37

Pregnancy alert!

z Women who drink during pregnancy affect their child’s growth for nine years

P.25

m

Child maths prodigy, 10, set for university P.26

Fruit seller hit by stray bullets P.54

JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

T

he Plateau State government has called on the Federal Government to come to the aid of the rescue of recent flood victims in the state. Governor Jang, who made the call after visiting the Southern part of the state, which was the worst hit, said most of the areas affected by the flood were beyond the finances of the state government. The flood killed more than 35 people and washed away eight bridges including economic trees and farm lands.

The governor, who toured all the six local government areas affected by the flood, said the call had become necessary to enable the victims resume nor-

MAKURD

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lives. Governor Jang was accompanied on the spot assessment tour by his deputy, Mr. Ignatius Longjan; the Senator representing Plateau South, Senator Victor Lar; the Minister of Water Resources Sarah Reng Ochekpe and other top executive’s council members.

It was observed that the damage caused by the flood disaster had totally cut off most communities within the same council areas and as a result, residents of the same communities are temporally using boats as the only alternative means to transit to other parts of the council.

Governor Jang, while addressing news men noted with concern that most of the bridges affected by the flood are on federal roads; and the harm done by the disaster to the bridges was beyond the finances of the state government, therefore the need to call on the Federal Government to come to the aid of the state and enable affected persons resume normal lives.

Jang said that serous precautionary measures had to be put in place to avoid fu-

... As 1,000 houses are submerged in Benue HENRY IYORKASE

Man arrested for killing 51-year old man in Ibadan

a

ture occurrence. He appealed to the affected communities, families and individuals to observe precautionary measures given by experts to prevent further calamity.

The governor told the affected communities to consider relocating from their present abode to other hinterlands, as a means of preventing further disasters that seem to be threatening, according to experts.

He revealed that the state government was working toward ensuring that victims of the flood not only at the Southern zone, but in the entire state; do not suffer unnecessary hardship, particularly in provision of foodstuff and other human needs. Jang informed that government had planned purchasing enough grains to supply to the affected farmers to replace what they might have lost.

Contributing separately in an interview with reporters in Shendam after their assessments, the Senator representing Plateau South, Senator Victor Lar, and the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Reng Ochekpe, gave their views on the rate of havoc caused by the flood, as they both sympathized with the victims and assured the of government immediate support towards alleviating the suffering of the people following the mayhem.

Commenting on the havoc done his constituents, Senator Lar particularly stressed that he would provide additional relief materials to the earlier ones donated by him earlier before the visit of the governor and his team.

The Water Resources Minister, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, while assuring victims of Federal Government support, said adequate technical measures would be taken by the Federal Government to prevent future occurrence.

She, however, revealed that government had already taken immediate steps to ensure that no that there was no outbreak of diseases as an aftermath of the flood in all the villages and communities affected.

It was observed that some of the bridges affected were among those commissioned

by President Jonathan shortly before the 2011 general election.

ver 1000 homes were submerged in Benue State as a heavy downpour ravaged the state capital.

The rain, which started Thursday night, continued until the afternoon of yesterday and has left in its trail several thousands of people homeless.

It will be recalled that the heavy downpour had been predicted by Meteorological Services to the effect that heavy downpour is expected in the state, known as the Food Basket of the Nation. When it came, it came down in torrents without the usual airy blaze.

A survey by Saturday Mirror showed that areas worst hit include; Wadata, Me-

dia village, Achusa, Wurukum as well as KuchaUtebe, an outskirt of the capital city, were badly affected as homes, farms and property were submerged while in some instances properties were destroyed.

A resident at Achusa, who preferred to remain anonymous, told our correspondent that government had not taken the plight of the people serious as they had severally complained over the swampy nature of the environment and also craved for construction of an access road leading to Kanshio so as the problem would be put to an end.

He asserted that government had, at various times, pledged to bring infrastructural development to the area, adding that part of the agreement was for the community to lease out their land in acceptance with government to erect new structures and bring

about the needed social amenities.

While at Wadata area, John Hule called for the construction of drainage systems, especially in places occupied by the Hausa community stressing that these flash points constitute the major problem of water-logged areas thereby making it difficult for the water to pass to its proper channel.

Efforts to get the comments of the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources Mr. John Ngbede, were abortive as several calls put on his mobile phone were not be returned.

It will be recalled that the officials of the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources had at various times warned those inhabitants whose house are erected on water channels to give way to avoid any eventuality.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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August 18, 2012

Saturday Starter T

he approach of the London 2012 Olympics was greeted with zeal and enthusiasm not only in Nigeria but practically all over the world. The expectation, as usual for most competitions was high in Nigeria. But the eventual outcome of the games for Team Nigeria has left the mouth sour and the heart heavy.

While most countries, even those of the developing world plucked from the medal tree Nigeria could not get any. Even her most flaunted athletes, who had achieved feats in world class sporting competitions before the Olympics, could not do much. The best some of them could do was just to appear in the finals of their respective events.

The spirit of the Olympics is often said to be to participate and not only to win.

This, however, did not prevent countries like China, Great Britain, the United States (US) and even Jamaica from going home with multiple medals.

President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a probe of the dismal performance of Team Nigeria. When will the heads begin to roll?

London 2012 Olympics

No tears for

Team Nigeria

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August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Saturday Starter

Why Team Nigeria failed ANDREW EKEJIUBA AND YEMI OLUS

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igeria’s first appearance at the Olympics was in 1952 at the Helsinki Games in Finland and prior to the London 2012 Olympics, the country has participated in 16 previous Olympic Games winning more than 23 medals in their kitty. Except for the boycotted 1976 Summer Olympics in protest of apartheid, then in South Africa, Nigeria has been sending athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since her debut in Helsinki.

The country’s first medal at the Olympics was a bronze won by Nojim Maiyegun at the Tokyo 1964 Games, in the 67-71kg (light-middleweight) boxing event. And Nigeria’s second medal Uruemu which was also a bronze was won in Germany after two successive Games HE PERFORMANCE at the Munich 1972 by another boxer, WAS NOT BAD BUT Isaac Ikhouria, in the 75-81kg (lightheavyweight) category.

THEY COULD HAVE Nigeria’s best outing so far at the Olympics was recorded in the United DONE BETTER IF THEY States(US) at the Atlanta 1996 Games HAD BEEN SUPPORTED where the country won two gold, one silver and two bronze medals. There, EARLY ENOUGH Chioma Ajunwa, leapt to gold in the long jump event for women, while the –Uruemu, athletics coach men’s football team (Dream Team), coached by Dutchman, Jo Bonfrere, defeated a star-studded Brazilian team in the semi-finals before trashing Argentina 2-1 on its way to picking the Olympic From the preparations of Team Nigesoccer gold; the first ever by an African ria for the Olympic Games, many Nigecountry. rians who spoke with Saturday Mirror In summary, Nigeria has won a total expressed their fears about the country’s of 23 medals at the Olympics; two gold, chances at the Games in London. nine silver and 12 bronze medals since According to many sport pundits, the joining the league of sporting nations London 2012 Olympics was relatively, a in the global event. It is worthy to note deceptive one for Nigeria when one comthat most of the medals won by Nigeri- pares the population of the country with an athletes at the Olympics came most- that of a relatively minute nation like ly in athletics and boxing.

Grenada that came off with a gold medal.

One thing that has always been a Grenada has a population of just remarkable feature of the Olympics 110,000 people and got her independence has been the fact that victorious ath- in 1974; and if compared to Nigeria which letes are honoured, idolised, feted, and is a sport-loving nation with a population praised. Their deeds are heralded and of over 160 million, then questions need chronicled so that future generations to be asked why she (Nigeria) failed to can appreciate their accomplishments. raise a rock-solid team that would make That is why the gold medal at the Olym- the nation proud. pics, till date is won for life and a winIn the Sydney 2008 Olympics for exner does not necessarily have to put it ample, Nigeria won a total of four medon the line come the next event. als, comprising of one silver and three The 2012 version in London saw over bronze medals; but in London she could 12,850 athletes in action competing in 33 not boast of a single medal which indidifferent sports and nearly 400 events. cates that her athletes truly failed.

And to say the least, it was the worst Prior to Nigeria’s poor show at the the nation witnessed for more than Games, the Cross River State Commisthree decades because of the failure of sioner for Youth and Sports, Patrick Team Nigeria to win a medal after the Ugbe, was among the early birds warning country spent about N2billion in the on Team Nigeria’s wild goose chase at the preparation and execution of the event. London 2012 Olympics.

A lot of reasons had been adduced He picked holes in the preparations by many stakeholders in the nation’s for the event and called on sports adminsports industry as the reasons for the istrators to emulate the sports developfailure of the country in London and ment programme of his state (Cross they include poor or late preparations, River State, if the country must excel in lack of sports development policy, field- sports globally. ing of aged athletes and athletes burnThe commissioner revealed that the ing out.

T

,

Poor or late preparations

Efe

Nwankpa

WE FAILED, BECAUSE

THEY BRING FOREIGN

WE PLANNED TO

COACHES TWO OR

FAIL.

WE ARE IN A

COUNTRY WHERE LESSONS ARE NOT LEARNT –Efe, sports journalist country has not been developing good athletes over the years despite the fact that many of them could still be found at the grassroots. Because of this, he laid emphasis on having a grassroots-oriented programme, a replica of that being run in his state that would help expose talented athletes.

He also added that the various sporting federations could harness and train such athletes if discovered, so that they could be of great benefit to the nation than over relying on ageing athletes to win medals for the country.

“The only advice I have for our sports administrators is that they should take a cue from Cross River State in ensuring that we develop our athletes because any nation that fails to develop her athletes will have the kind of results we have been faced with; we often go to competitions with athletes that continuously fail to achieve good results in competitions.

“We must develop a programme that captures talented athletes at very tender ages, then train and develop them to stardom. That is the only way that we can ensure that when they run against their peers, they do better,” he said.

The other sports like canoeing, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling, had the same problem of poor preparation.

Lack of sports development policy

Like rightly noted by Ugbe, the lack of sports development is a major factor that reared its ugly head in London and also made it impossible for the nation’s

THREE MONTHS BEFORE MAJOR

TOURNAMENTS.

WHAT CAN SUCH A COACH, WHO IS A STRANGER, DO WITHIN THAT TIME FRAME? –Nwankpa, boxing coach athletes to win a medal at the just concluded Olympics in London.

A good sports development policy will always have a positive effect in the discovery and development of various sports.

Boxing, which was also touted as one of Nigeria’s strongest medal’s hopes in London, had it own fair share of the problem as the two male boxers and one female boxer of Team Nigeria could not survive the fire-power of their opponents before crashing out at the early stages of the competition.

The two male boxers, Lukmon Lawal (light-heavyweight) and Muideen Akanji (middleweight) earned their places on the Olympic train following their performances in the African qualifying event in April and the female boxer, Edith Agu Ogoke, who won a place at the World Championships in China in the middle-weight division. Unexpectedly, they eventually turned out to be monumental failures in their weight categories as things fell apart.

To say the least, Ogoke could not surmount all opposition not talk of conquering the inner jitter that often grab first timers at the Olympics to make a statement in her weight category.

From the foregoing, the failure of the aforementioned pugilists confirmed that they were not the best the nation could afford in a highly competitive global event like the Olympics, thus ex-

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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August 18, 2012

Saturday Starter

posing the inadequacies of the National Sports Commission (NSC) in conjunction with the Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) in getting quality boxers from the grassroots who could stand among the best in the world.

‘Olympic medals are about hard cash’

Fielding of aged athletes

Ageing is one major factor that affects the performance of an athlete, no matter how good. And as a popular adage says, “one cannot cheat nature”.

In the table tennis event in London, Nigeria presented an ageing team that may not have a credible replacement come 2016 Olympics in Brazil if something urgently is not done now.

Prior to the London 2012 Olympics, the national table tennis coach, Nasiru Bello, affirmed that the players were in top shape and eager to make the country proud. But he failed to tell Nigerians that the athletes that he would field had passed their prime.

The tennis team made up of Funke Oshonaike, Offiong Edem, Segun Toriola and Aruna Quadri featured in the single’s event, and were not able to win any medal as they all crashed-out in the preliminary rounds.

Toriola, who was touted as a potential gold medallist in London was a shadow of himself and on account of being 37 years of age. He only succeeded in making history as Nigeria’s record participant at the quadrennial event with a consecutive sixth appearance since Barcelona ’92.

It is true that the France-based star has dominated Africa and the Commonwealth Games with unrivalled records in table tennis, especially his five-star performance at the Beijing 2008 Olympics by becoming the first and only African to make it to the quarter finals stage of the global event. However, the man needed a miracle to replicate such feat in London because of age. And just like others in the team, he crashed out at the preliminary round in a manner that confirmed the fears of sports pundits on the country’s medal chances.

Athletes burning out

Prior to the Olympics in London there was that general belief held by the administrators in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) that Nigeria would do well, especially in athletics without consideration for an external factor relating to athletes burning out.

This pseudo confidence might have moved Navy Captain O. Nesiama (AFN Technical Director) to tell who cared to listen during the games that Team Nigeria was raring to go and win medals for the country in London.

“Our athletes are raring to go and we in the AFN have perfected our technical strategies to make Nigerians proud.

“The spirit in camp is high. It’s a winning spirit and we are doing everything to maintain it at that tempo. I know that many Nigerians are apprehensive that Team Nigeria has not yet gotten any medal, they should not worry; the athletic team will bring smile to their faces,”

Abdullahi

Odigbo

IT IS NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT THE MEDALS TABLE APPEARS TO REFLECT THE LEVEL OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRIES –Abdullahi, sports minister he said.

Even when it was clear that the chances of winning a bronze medal at the Games was getting bleak, another ex-international with the AFN, Yussuf Alli, still remained optimist that Nigeria would not leave London without a medal in athletics.

“Athletics is coming up on Friday. I still maintain that Team Nigeria will win four medals in athletics.” Asked if the medals will be gold, Ali retorted: ‘’Gold? I don’t know their colour, but I know that we will win up to four medals.”

One of Nigeria brightest chances of winning medals came in the women’s 100m and 4X100m.

In the 100m, Blessing Okagbare who finished with a Personal and Season’s Best of 10:92 secs in the semi-finals to qualify for the finals failed to live up to expectation as she finished at a distant 8th position in the final at a time of 11:01 secs.

In deed Okagbare’s case brought to the fore the likelihood of burning out before the Olympics proper, because a week to the London Games she had beaten the gold and silver medallists in the 100m in a Golden League.

In the 4X100m women, the chances of Nigeria winning medals were again dashed as the team finished in fourth

Ugbe

TIMELY FUNDING IS KEY –Odigbo, sports journalist place reconfirming the aforementioned factor.

On the other hand, some of the athletes displayed courage and performed to the level they have not reached before, for instance to reach 100m women final Blessing had to run 10.92 and Muizat ‘Ajoke’ Odumosu ran 54.40seconds to be finalist in 400m hurdles women (a new national record).

Stakeholders react

A number of reasons have been attributed for the poor performance of Team Nigeria at the just concluded London 2012 Olympics which include lack of funding, late preparation and corruption to mention but a few.

Sports journalist, Benedict Efe, believes that the root of Team Nigeria’s poor performance can be traced to lack of preparation and inefficiency of the National Sports Commission.

“We failed, because we planned to fail.

We are in a country where lessons are not learnt. How could we win gold in 1996 and 2000, bronze in 2004 and 2008 and then in 2012 stuck in the mud of disgrace? Preparations for the London Olympics started in Atlanta just in April for athletics and even at that, the wrong set of athletes were called into camp.

“Again the National Sports Commission (NSC) failed to release funds for the campaign on time and training grants were not given to elite athletes who had possible chances of winning medals.

Olympics preparations require financing, but it wasn’t forth coming and even when it came, personal interest of officials came first,” Efe said.

A member of the team who did not want to be named also gave credence to

THERE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANY SERIOUS PREPARATIONS FOR OUR ATHLETES IN THREE MONTHS –Ugbe, Commissioner of Sports, Cross River State this assertion, blaming the officials of the sports ministry for the team’s failure: “Personally I believe our performance was very bad, but I can say the NSC caused all that happened because our training started very late. Despite that, the preparation was still not superb as many athletes were training alongside people below their standard.

No athlete was happy due to the meagre allowances given to us because money is a motivator.

“We heard that the NSC collected about N2.3billion and we athletes were not up to 50. It was unbelievable that no athlete was given up to a million naira out of this huge amount of money. Some athletes were even fighting days ago in London because they were not paid their allowances. It was a very sad situation,” the athlete lamented.

Former boxing champion and erstwhile national boxing coach, Obisia Nwankpa, heaped the whole blame for Nigeria’s performance at the feet of the Director General of the NSC, Chief Patrick Ekeji, whom he accused of paying lip service to sports development in the country.

“We have seen it all. After all some of us have been talking but no one listened to us. It is too late to cry now because it is regretful that we have betrayers of efforts among us. We have a lot of them in CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Saturday Starter

... And the medals refused to come CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 sports administration, but the key person is the Director General himself. He frustrates the efforts of sports men and women and he is not even concerned about protecting the country’s image.

“We as coaches have at different times sent programmes to him, but since he is not focused on getting results, he frustrates our efforts and ends up bringing foreign coaches two or three months before major tournaments. What can such a coach, who is a stranger, do within that time frame?” Obisia queried.

However, one person would want to disagree with popular opinion that the country was a total failure at the Olympics. Though he admited that the outcome could have been better, athletics coach, Adu Uruemu, believed that considering the circumstances, the athletes tried their best.

“The performance was not bad, but they could have done better if they had been supported early enough. We are always blinded by the rage to get medals but most of us did not see that more Nigerians got to the finals than ever before.

Note that only three months grants were given our athletes; no kits, no allowances and all of that.

“I think our women 4x100m relay team did well if not for some setbacks.

Although I was not too comfortable with the makeup of the 4x400m team, either Gloria Asumnu or Blessing Okagbare should have been persuaded to run in the team just like Allyson Felix did for the US team, but our athletes were not motivated due to non-payment of their allowances,” he said.

Another sports journalist, Uzor Odigbo, believed that lack of skilled and equipped coaches contributed to the tragedy that played out in London.

“It could not have been worse than we experienced it. We had similar results in Seoul ‘88 and Moscow ‘80. It was sad more so for the athletes. We failed because officials were not able to harness the talents available on time for the Olympics and because Nigeria lacks the super scale trainers and administrators.

“Again, funding was a problem; the Nigerian government is yet to know that sport is big business and embrace it as such.

“Federations were not empowered to engage all talents available and put them into competition for a good finished product to emerge, which is why other countries appear better than us in sports and talent management,” he said.

Lessons from London 2012 Olympics

Following Nigeria’s dismal outing in London, the Sports Minister and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, hastily agreed by describing Team Nigeria’s predicament at the Olympics without a medal as a clear testimony to how far Nigerian sports have fallen behind. Instead of passing the buck, he further

Morton

agreed that he had learnt some lessons from Team Nigeria’s flop.

“We shall therefore not attempt any excuses or indulge in any unproductive blame game. Rather than see this as a failure, we must see it as an opportunity to rebuild. When other countries found themselves in this kind of situation in the past, they used the galvanizing power of disappointment to get down to work. At Atlanta 1996 Olympics, Team Great Britain won only one gold medal.

“Returning home, the right questions were asked, and the necessary actions were taken. Four years later in Sydney, they returned with 11 gold out of 28 medals. In Beijing four years ago, they returned with 19 gold medals out of 47, placing them in the fourth position.

“Today, they are able to look back and say they have moved from ‘zeroes to heroes’. This is our chance. We can also do it. We must see this crisis as the necessary disequilibrium required for serious actions and drastic change. We will not allow this opportunity to pass,” he said.

Aside some of the hard lessons he received from Nigeria’s dismal outing in London, he cited many reasons why Team Nigeria failed, and admitted how the bureaucratic processes in government especially in the release of funds affected the preparations of Team Nigeria.

“Olympics medal is about hard cash.

It is not a coincidence that the medals table appears to reflect the level of economic development of the countries.

“But having the resources is one thing, making the right strategic investment is another. Team Great Britain largely owes its dramatic success to what is described as ‘unprecedented financial investment’ totalling up to more than £740 million over 15 years. The current annual spending on sports stands at £100 million. However, only 40% of this comes from the treasury, while the remaining 60% is lottery fund.

“Conversely, Australia finished fourth in Sydney with 16 gold medals. In London, Australia has fallen outside the top 10 with six gold medals. Australians have blamed reduced funding for elite athletes and lack of facilities at the grassroots levels,” the minister said.

Okagbare

He further revealed that every medal is clearly projected and carefully planned for both in financial and technical terms by the advanced sporting nations and that there is no short cut to success at the Olympics.

The Sports Minister added that one of the lessons he learnt from London 2012 Olympics was that medals are won by people who have worked hardest and not by those who have prayed hard.

“We can only win medals by building systems that are capable of producing medallists and champions not by selecting athletes that we hope can win medals,” he concluded.

Ugbe, however, believes Nigeria got what she bargained for as no medals could be won without adequate preparations.

“Were you expecting miracles from Team Nigeria?” he asked, adding, “Every serious nation started preparations for the Olympics four years ago. There could not have been any serious preparations for our athletes in three months.”

He added that Nigeria could take some positive lessons from the London Olympics flop.

“The lesson there is that we must always prepare well ahead of major sporting events. We cannot be talking about winning medals without adequate preparations,” he said.

Way Forward

Despite the myriad of problems facing Nigeria, a lot of people are of the opinion that all hope is not lost if the right structures are put in place, especially, considering that talents abound in the country.

Odigbo believes that for a different scenario to play out in Rio, Brazil, in four years time, the few successes of the London games must be built upon.

“We can always remedy the situation by retracing our steps. For instance in athletics, we had six finalists in their various events. What we do with these finalists will largely determine the colour of medals Nigeria will win in Rio 2016.

Funding is key and on time too.

“Also liaising with countries that know it better than us for effective management of talents is vital for our sports develop-

Diogu

ment now and the rest belong to the athletes,” he affirmed.

A number of those who spoke with Saturday Mirror canvassed for a return to the grassroots where young talents are sought and nurtured so that no gap is created by the time the next Olympics get underway.

“We need to focus on producing young athletes and not to rely on the present bunch because by 2016, most of them would have attained 30 years at least. If we can identify 20 potential young athletes in all events, fund their training and education, Nigeria will draw close to winning a medal in Rio,” Efe stressed.

Uruemu added: “I think more youths should be identified, supported and nurtured for the future. We should now concentrate on training the coaches and athletes on a long term basis, say six months in camp, with all the necessary equipment and motivation. A long term training program will surely get us there.”

An athlete who wants to remain anonymous is of the opinion that the welfare of his colleagues should be the priority of the NSC if they are expected to give their best to the nation in turn.

He said, “Preparation should start early and huge allowances and encouragement should be given to athletes.

The country needs to embark on long term training and we should be well exposed to international tournaments consistently. Our welfare should be a priority.

“The right people should be given the opportunity to take care of sports in Nigeria. Administrators that love specific sports should be removed because we do not want officials who only love football.

We want those that love all sports.”

However, Nwankpa believes that all that is needed is a change of guards at the National Sports Commission.

“The way forward is to remove the Director General of the NSC, Chief Patrick Ekeji. He has not been able to make any positive input despite the number of years he has spent in charge of the sports commission. Hence, there is no need for him to continue being at the helm of affairs in the NSC,” Nwankpa added.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

National News

August 18, 2012

7

Fuel subsidy scam: Conoil, MRS Oil, 19 others under probe TOLA AKINMUTIMI ABUJA

T

he federal government yesterday listed 21 oil marketing companies as having cases to answer over fuel subsidy payments even as it restated its commitment to ensure that all genuine importers of petroleum products are paid their subsidy claims on timely basis.

Government listed oil marketers being investigated based on evidence that they may have engaged in fraudulent activities under the fuel subsidy regime to

include, Alminnur Resources Limited; Brilla Energy Limited; Caades Oil and Gas Limited; Capital Oil and Gas Industry Limited; Conoil Plc; Downstream Energy Source Limited; Eterna Plc; Euraafric Oil and Gas Limited; and Lumen Skies Limited.

Others are Majope Investment Limited; Matrix Energy Limited; Menon Oil And Gas Limited; Mob International Services; MRS Oil and Gas Limited; Nasaman Oil Services Limited; Natacel Petroleum Limited; Ocean Energy Trading and Services; Pinnacle Contractors Limited; Sifax Oil and

Gas Company; Tonique Oil Services Limited; and Top Oil And Gas Development Company Limited.

The disclosure of the names of oil marketers under probe came barely 24 hours after the Minsister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, promised to do so.

At a press briefing on Thursday where she promised to make public the names of the companies, she also disclosed government’s willingness to negotiate with indicted oil firms.

In a statement by OkonjoIweala, signed by her Senior Special Assistant, Paul

Nwabiukwu, yesterday, she clarified that for oil marketers under investigation for possible refund to the government, payments would only be made to them after their investigations on the condition that their 2012 outstanding claims will be netted out against their expected refunds to government and those with a positive net balance, that is, outstanding claims greater than expected refunds will be processed and paid.

In addition, government stated that oil marketers with negative balance with government, that is, those that owe government more

Representative of Permanent Secretary to Lagos State on Special Duties, Mrs. Cordecillia Okechukwu; Chief Executive Officer, Thinkimpact, Mr. Saul Garlick and Public Affairs Officer, United States Consulate, Mr. Dan Withman, during a Youth Empowerment Programme on Sparking Creative and Innovation in Lagos, yesterday.

PHOTO: BAYOOR EWUOSO

Alleged $620,000 subsidy scam: FG yet to appoint prosecuting lawyer EMMANUEL ONANI

C

ontrary to stories making the rounds that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria has been appointed by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), to lead the prosecution of embattled member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Farouk Lawan, on the alleged $620,000 subsidy scam, the AGF is yet to brief any lawyer in that respect.

This finding was made following Saturday Mirror’s investigation.

Saturday Mirror gathered from an authoritative source in the bribe-forclearance imbroglio that no letter of instruction has been issued any lawyer to prosecute the suspended chairman of the House’ adhoc committee that probed

oil subsidy disbursements by the federal government, Lawan.

The source, who pleaded not to be named due to the sensitive nature of the matter, maintained that, he had been in touch with very senior lawyers but none had confirmed having been briefed to take up the legal gauntlet against the suspect.

His words: “Well, whatever is in public domain today may afterall exist in the fertile imagination of authors and originators of the stories. As far as I know, the AGF has not briefed any counsel, I mean prominent Senior Advocate of Nigeria, on the Faroukgate scandal.

It’s only when he does that that one can be certain of the dimension the criminal case will take.”

On when trial will likely take place in the face of the development he quipped: “How will trial commence when the prime suspect is

in Mecca performing the Lesser hajj?”

He continued: “In law, criminal trials are not done in absentia; the accused person must be properly put in the dock, where he will take his guilty or not guilty plea. That is what is called arraignment.”

Inquiries from the spokesman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr. Folu Olamiti, on the state of the matter yielded no results as he simply said “No idea yet”.

It will be recalled that Lawan’s “confessional statement” to the police to the effect that the controversial bribe sum was kept with the House committee chairman on Narcotics and Financial Crimes, Hon. Adams Jagaba, has been punctured by Jagaba, who addressed a press conference where he threatened to

drag Lawan to court if the latter did not apologise over the “misleading” claim.

He noted that, “Hon. Farouk Lawan alleged that he wrote a letter to me attaching $500,000. That is callously untrue and in fact, calculated to smear my hard-earned reputation, a reputation I painstakingly built since 1999. I never received any letter, or money, or any other exhibit from Farouk…”

Lawan is alleged to have collected $620, 000 bribe from the oil magnate and chairman of Zenon Oil and Gas, Mr. Femi Otedola, to delete the names of his companies, Zenon Petroleum and Gas as well as Synopsis Enterprises Limited from the list of companies allegedly found guilty of defrauding the federal government of billions of naira, in what is termed “sting operation”, in security circles.

in refunds than government owes them, the AigImoukhuede committee would accelerate review of their documents after the ‘Sallah’ break so that their claims could be processed and settled, if cleared, without further delay.

According to the minister, there is a second group of companies with infractions which are relatively minor which are currently discussing with government for a quick resolution of their issues.

For these second categories of marketers, government said it was prepared to settle their claims as soon as issues of their minor infractions are resolved.

For other oil marketers that may not be in the above categories but who have other issues or claims, government said their claims will also be attended to with the same dispatch.

On the amounts paid by government to oil marketers between April and August this year, the minister disclosed that in all, N42.666 billion had been paid to 31 oil marketers in respect of 2012 PMS claims.

She stated: “The position of the federal government on fuel subsidy payments is clear: We will do our best to encourage honest efforts by genuine

companies engaged in fuel importation but we will not fall for the cheap blackmail of indicted marketers who are using all kinds of subterfuge to escape sanctions.

“We know that Nigerians are fully in support of this position because the money belongs to all Nigerians and it is important that the correct steps are taken to protect the public interest”, the minister added.

Okonjo-Iweala pointed out that the statement was issued “to apprise Nigerians of some key developments in the management of fuel subsidy payments which are important to understanding the approach adopted by the federal government on this issue which understandably has attracted a lot of public attention.

She restated government’s position that those behind the petroleum tanker drivers’ strike are marketers being investigated for possible fraud who have now resorted to hiding behind the unions to unnecessarily antagonise government and create hardship for Nigerians.

The minister said government would fully investigate their activities and if found guilty, bring them to book and recover all public funds fraudulently obtained, in the guise of fuel subsidy claims.

Lagos inaugurates special offences court MURITALA AYINLA

I

n its determination to further bring sanity to the state, theLagos State government has commissioned a Special Offence Court to prosecute environmental offenders in the State.

The court is under the Ministry of the Environment in collaboration with Ministry of Justice. Commanders of Kick Against Indispline (KAI) Brigade will bring offenders, especially street traders for pros-

ecution at the mobile court.

While declaring the court open, the Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, said the court would serve as a model for other zones in the state, adding that Lagos State government was determined to focus more on law and order in the coming years. He said that the traffic law had environmental components as its part.

According to Bello, “We need to restore sanity in Lagos State, other countries are making progress because there is law and order.”

Lagos CP bags leadership award

T

he Bennie Sisters Outreach and Media Concept, recently organised Diamond/Golden partner’s recognition award at the Lagos Television Hall 2, Ikeja.

Lagos State Police Commissioner, Umar manko, was among those who re-

ceived awards of recognition at the event.

Presenting the awards to CP Manko, president and founder of the organisation, Pastor Bennie Ogbomo, thanked the Lagos Police Commissioner for his vigour at ridding the state of criminals, which made him receive the award.

8

National News

August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ibori moved to maximum security prison …along with terrorists, violent criminals

C

onvicted former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, has been transferred to a maximum-security prison, the Worcestershire Long Lartin Prison outside London.

According to an online publication, SaharaReporters, a UK prison officials in the United Kingdom confirmed the transfer to our correspondent, but said they could not tell what informed the move.

“Yes, Mr. Ibori is now serving his prison term in the Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire,” said an official of the UK prisons.

The maximum-security

prison houses terrorists, rapists, drug barons and other violent criminals.

A recent report in The Guardian, a major UK newspaper, portrayed the prison as a rough, lawless facility where gangsters reign supreme.

In April this year, Mr. Ibori was sentenced to 13 years in prison for using UK financial institutions to launder hundreds of millions of pound sterling he stole from public funds in Delta State.

The looted funds enabled Mr. Ibori, his family and mistress to live lavish lifestyles that included

purchase of private jets, luxurious cars and to own plush homes as well as apartments in some of the swankiest areas in London.

Mr. Ibori is expected to serve at least seven years in the UK since he received credit for his detention in the United Arab Emirates as well as the UK prior to his trial.

The US Department of Justice recently restrained assets belonging to the former governor in Texas and Massachusetts.

A US attorney told SaharaReporters that the action means that Mr. Ibori is in legal trouble in the US

whenever he serves out his prison term in the UK. One of Mr. Ibori’s lawyers, Bhadresh Gohil, his wife, Theresa Nkoyo, sister, Christine Ibori-Ibie, and mistress, Udoamaka Okoronkwo, were all sentenced to prison terms for aiding and abetting the former governor in his money laundering activities.

Meanwhile, several sources in Abuja and Asaba, the Delta State capital, have told SaharaReporters that Mr. Ibori has now perfected plans to reclaim the $15 million with which he tried, but failed, to bribe Nuhu Ribadu, the former

chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The Delta State government, led by Ibori’s cousin, Emmanuel Uduaghan, recently stepped forward to claim the $15 million bribe which has been deposited at the Central Bank of Nigeria for several years.

Several sources had told SaharaReporters that Mr. Ibori frowned at the state government’s move, worried that an open admission that he gave the bribe would complicate things for him.

However, Saharareporters further learnt yesterday that the Attorney General of the Federa-

tion, Mohammed Adoke, who initiated a lawsuit in which the federal government sought to take over the money from the Central Bank, had struck a deal with Delta State Governor to enable Mr. Ibori to ultimately reclaim the money. The deal was communicated to Ibori to calm him down.

Saharareporters’ sources revealed that claims

by Mr. Ibori’s associates which will be planted in several Nigerian blogs to the effect that the cash was not intended as a bribe were part of a series of complex schemes to clear the way for Mr. Ibori to reclaim the money.

I am not dead, says Nnamani OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

F Akwa Ibom State governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio (2nd right); his deputy, Nsima Ekere (2nd left); Secretary to State Government (SSG), Umana Okon Umana, (far right) at the funeral service for Pastor Oyong Asuquo, a former Commissioner for Youths and Sports in the state, at Oron Township Stadium, yesterday.

Police after top American rapper, Rick Ross OSEYIZA OOGBODO

A

merican rapper, Rick Ross, who was threatened with a lawsuit by the Cross River State government for failing to turn up to perform at last year’s edition of the state’s annual Carnival Calabar has played into the hands of the state with

his arrival in the country yesterday to headline Summer Jam Fest scheduled to hold at the Eko Hotel and Suites yesterday.

Ross was supposed to arrive Thursday night but arrived yesterday mid-day.

All the same, the police were waiting for him and they moved into action immediately he was confirmed to be in the country.

NFIU seeks collaboration with NLDEA

OLUSEGUN KOIKI

D

irector of Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Ms. Juliet Ibekaku, has said that a collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) will go a long way in moving the coun-

try forward.

Speaking at the NDLEA’s Ikoyi office in Lagos yesterday, Ibekaku said that a symbiotic relationship with NFIU would be an immense benefit for the anti-narcotic agency, adding that the unit currently collaborates with several of government’s anti-fraud agencies.

The police action was at the instance of the Cross River State government, which alleges that Ross refused to perform despite paying him $200,000 as agreed.

Saturday Mirror reliably learnt that the efforts of policemen from the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) in Lagos to arrest the rapper affected the com-

mencement of Summer Jam Fest as Ross couldn’t come down from his hotel room.

He was afraid that his arrest would be effected if he did and he would be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) based on a petition being acted on by a lawyer for the Cross River State government.

ormer Enugu State governor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, has said that he is well, alive and only recuperating from the heart surgery he underwent in a London hospital two months ago.

Dr. Nnamani who governed Enugu State between 1999 and 2007 before being elected into the Senate between 2007 and 2011 also said that the latest rumour of his death was the handiwork of his political enemies.

He said it was a privilege to be among the very few who had the opportunity of reading their obituaries while alive.

The rumour which emanated from an online news network had it that the former governor died of stroke in the early hours of Friday in a London hospital.

But an official statement by the former governor’s

spokesperson and the past administration’s Commissioner for Information, Igbonekwu Ogazimorah, debunked the rumour saying that there is no truth whatsoever in the claim by some people that former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani is dead or gripped with any terminal illness.

According to him, “Yes, Nnamani undertook a successful open heart surgery two months ago and has been recuperating. He personally spoke to me twice yesterday (Thursday) and at exactly 4.35 pm today, Friday, August 17.

“In high spirit, Chimaroke Nnamani requested me to tell his followers that he considers it a privilege to be among the very few who had the opportunity of reading their obituaries. Friends and well wishers are advised to ignore the rumour as Nnamani is alive and well, though currently staying out of Nigeria because of the surgery.”

Politics

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

August 18, 2012

9

Stirring a hornet’s nest with de-registration plan

Balarabe

TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

W

hen the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, was planning to declare the decision of his commission to continue to de-register political parties, he must have known that he was going to stir the hornet’s nest.

And that was what he did as the declaration has generated controversy.

Speaking at a forum in Abuja on Sunday, Jega said the commission was empowered by law to de-register political parties and it would not hesitate to do so to any party that failed to meet up with the provisions of the Electoral Acts.

The INEC boss said the commission was determined to review the process of registering political parties to ensure that they met certain conditions before they could field candidates for elective positions. He also added that INEC had already proposed some recommendations for constitutional amendment to vary the process of registration, while maintaining multiparty system of democracy.

His words: “The Constitution and the Electoral Acts gave INEC the power to de-register political parties and

Jega

we have commenced that process and it is ongoing. So, until there is a change in the legislation, obviously, any political party that does not comply with the provisions of the Electoral Acts, we are obligated to de-register them. So, it is an ongoing process. It is a continuous process and we will do it. I think there are very useful models of registration of political parties in other countries that we can learn from.

“It is good to have a multi-party system and to allow as many parties as possible to register, but we really need to sanitise the process of registering political parties. This will ensure that only the most deserving in terms of their programmes, their constitution, and their physical presence in states and in localities that are registered.

“But being a registered political party does not necessarily mean that you must field candidates in all elections. It may be necessary for some parties to bid their time until they are ripe enough to field candidates at elections. So, we think that is the way to go rather than to limit the number of registered parties to just a few.’’

INEC’s position to de-register some political parties may not have gone down well with a number of the parties likely to be affected, it has however renewed the call for reduction of polit-

Iwu

ical parties in Nigeria considering that many of them only exist on paper, so to speak.

For example, despite the fact that about 63 political parties were registered prior to the April 2011 general elections, not less than 20 parties participated fully in the election. The failure of majority of the registered political parties to take part made some political analysts to conclude that reducing the population of the parties would not be a bad idea.

That was, perhaps, why the de-registration of seven political parties by INEC on the account that they did not win seat during the April 2011 general election did not really receive outright condemnation.

The de-registered parties are the Democratic Alternative (DA); National Democratic Council (NDC); National Action Council (NAC); Masses Movement of Nigeria (MMN); Nigeria People’s Congress (NPC); Nigerian Element Progressive Party (NEPP) and National Unity Party (NUP).

Jega said the commission’s decision was based on the provisions of Section 78 (7) & (11) of the Electoral Act 2011, which states that: “Any political party which contests election and does not win any electoral seat shall be deregistered.”

He said INEC would implement the provisions on those parties that had been unable to meet the requirement of the Electoral Act. Although the decision of INEC to de-register some political parties has been commended by some, and seen as a big step in the bid to sanitise the polity, quite a number of others believe that the step would cause confusion in the electoral process in the country.

To those who favour the decision of INEC, the move would help sanitise the polity and restore political behaviour and electoral process in the country. They believe that the present number of political parties - 53 - is rather unwieldy and always causing some logistic problems during the conduct of elections. The argument has been that no matter how hard INEC had tried to reflect all the parties and their insignia on the ballot papers, their sheer number end up confusing the voters.

But how did it get to this? It would be recalled that prior to the beginning of the Four Republic in Nigeria on May 29, 1999, three political parties were registered in 1998. The political parties were Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alliance for Democracy (AD) and All Peoples Party (APP). During the April 1999 general elections, the CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

10

H

POLITICS

ow do you feel at 71?

I am aging, but gracefully, and I thank God. What is your message to Nigerians?

We have said it before, we want Nigerians to try and live in peace with one another. That is the best way we can go forward in this country. The country has a lot of potentials; it has a lot of good people. I think what we need to do is live in peace so that we can channel this virtue of ours towards achieving a greater country, not only for us, but generations to come.

One of the major problems confronting this nation today is Boko Haram, and a lot of accusations have been made, especially against you and Northern elders that you are involved.

What would you really say about this?

I believe we are in a democratic society.

Isn’t it? Those who say Northern elders are involved or some of us are involved, they know what to do and they should do what they ought to do so as to help us Nigerians. So, I will ask them to do what needs to be done.

How do you normally feel when you are so accused?

Well, normally, I don’t consider it to be a problem to be very honest with you because in the last 22 or 23 years since I left office, when accused I don’t consider it as a problem. In the last 22 years since I left office, it’s the same sing song either by the media, the columnist and so on. If somebody looks at me and says, yes during his time he institutionalised corruption, now the question is, in the name of God aren’t we capable of doing something in the last 22 years? Are we going to fold our arms and wait until somebody talks, and then we will say, ha, this I did 22 years ago.

There were a lot of governments since I left and governments are for the welfare of the people. You mean we didn’t have people that are capable of righting the wrongs that somebody did. We just talk about it until we are satisfied; when we talk we should offer solutions.

When OBJ and I talked, we talked of a solution; we offered a proposition; we offered a solution. It’s laziness for somebody to say we were there when it is happening. Okay, yes, we were there, but look at what is happening now. We shouldn’t be deprived the right to make contributions when things are happening. We have presidents who authorised some bombings of some countries, they are not castigated because they organised it, but I do understand this Nigeria, maybe in the next 50 years, when some of us would have gone, some people will sit around and design the situation much differently. I have come to understand that for every subject you brought in this country, there as many as 160 million opinions.

Supposing you are the president of this country, what would you have done differently from what President Jonathan is doing on the Boko Haram and other security challenges?

President Jonathan, Babangida, Buhari, Obasanjo do know that we are a developing country. What we are going through now others had gone through before, but we should not fold our arms. It’s the ability to dialogue, that these countries used. We should be sensible to know, that as a developing country, as long as we are ready to learn from our mistakes, we will get there.

August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

I am on good terms with President Jonathan - IBB Former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, turned 71 years yesterday. He played host to a cross-section of journalists in the country at his residence in Minna, Niger State, where he spoke on burning issues affecting the growth of the nation, Boko Haram, state police, the call for President Goodluck Jonathan’s resignation, as well as the political ambition of his son, amongst others. PRISCILLA DENNIS reports.

Babangida

What kind of mistakes?

No, I say as a developing country, we can learn from where we went wrong. I don’t believe we will likely go into another civil war, despite the bombs.

As the president, what would you have done differently?

Well, we will support the president to bring peace and peaceful co-existence in this country; we don’t have any other country except this one. So, we must support any effort he is making to bring about peace. We will continue to support him to achieve that.

What would you have done?

(Laughed) Babangida’s presidency expired 22 years ago.

Are you still considering going to court with Chief Edwin Clark as stated in your statement with regards to some perceived direct attacks on you by him on the Boko Haram’s bloodletting against some innocent citizens?

Chief Edwin Clark is my friend and if you people like write it. He is my friend; I have known him for the past 30-35 years.

There is a mutual respect between me and him. So, I wouldn’t get drawn into a face-off with him because I do respect him and he would not deny me as his friend. So, that is settled.

Sir, if truly you are friends, why did the two of you bring your differences to the media rather than resolving them privately?

If I would be honest with you, I think you heightened it and when I say you, I mean the media. It was very unnecessary.

You were supposed to look at what is sensible and write the sensible thing and throw away the nonsense.

Don’t you think that the state of insecurity in the country is capable of affecting negatively a smooth transition from civilian to civilian rule come 2015?

No. You know why? When I was growing up I was involved in so many things in this country, which border on what I will call psychology of this country. From 1963 to 1964, the nation faced so many things - riots, Tiv riots, Isaac Adaka Boro insurgency and you name it, including Operation ‘Wetie’. These are all because we are a developing country. So, we went through what we had to go through but in a different dimension. I participated in every operation from 1964, still I left office. But I was perhaps sensible enough to know that all developing countries go through some processes. We have to go through that and I believe this is a passing phase. I told some students of a unity school that I didn’t have the pleasure or the luxury of going to a school where virtually everybody is there. But with your generation, you virtually have a friend everywhere, so that one day you have to come together to save this country.

Recently, the Boko Haram called for the resignation of President Goodluck Jonathan. What is your take on this?

(Laughter) My view is to laugh.

What do you mean to laugh?

I have answered and my view is to laugh.

What is your main challenge in life during your 71 years?

I listed 13 things in life and I was looking for psychologists, to sit with and chat with so that I can pour out my experiences; then he will be able to make sense out of it about my experiences in life. I have not seen and I am still looking for him. But if there is someone who knows, he can connect me with him. I am not kidding. As a leader you have to go through certain things in life. Some will be sitting down and be asking you how do you assess certain situations in life. But the sum total, God has been most kind to me.

So, June 12 was not a challenge?

It is the challenge of leadership. It is a challenge and the ability not to allow it to break this country. I think it is the greatest. Because then when anybody comes to Nigeria, all you do is to pick up one of your papers. And you will swear that in the next one week, there will be war in this country.

But there was no war; that means Nigerians were determined to move forward.

Why did you and Obasanjo not come to the public to speak about the state of the nation?

The answer to that is no. We are in good terms with President Goodluck Jonathan; we talked to him, but it’s the same Nigerians that we talked to and live with. I have been accused of not talking. What we did is to take the opportunity of the Ramadan CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

POLITICS

August 18, 2012

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 three political parties registered their presence in the nook and cranny of the country and they all posed a great challenge to one another. At the end of the election, PDP won 21 states; APP, nine states and AD, six states.

However, immediately after the 1999 general election, late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, went to court to demand the registration of more political parties and the process led to the birth of his party, National Conscience Party (NCP). The registration of NCP paved way for many political parties to be registered ahead of the 2003 general elections. Many of the disgruntled members of AD, APP and PDP defected from their parties to establish different ones.

At present over 50 political parties are on INEC’s list but the visible ones are not up to 10. These visible ones are those with membership and offices that cut across the entire country; they have parties’ structures, manifestoes, programmes and policies that projected them as formidable parties. The remaining ones merely exist on paper; they can be said to be in hibernation and only come to life during elections with the expectation of sharing electoral funds handed out to parties.

In the past some of the parties take part in the general elections but not as such any longer, following the decision of INEC to stop funding political parties. In fact, the decision forced some of the parties to withdraw from circulation ahead of the 2011 general election. With the fund from INEC stopped, and some of their founders and chieftains not financially buoyant, the parties had no choice but to remain quiet.

With the latest declaration by INEC that it would continue the de-registration exercise, stakeholders as well as general political analysts are baring their minds. While some believe that the action would bring about sanity in the electoral process, some argue that it would end up denying many the opportunity to achieve their political ambitions.

Some are also of the opinion that the action would make politics a door-die affair as some possible alternatives would have been killed.

It would be relevant to recall that in its reaction to the issue of the deregistration of seven political parties earlier, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) is presently challenging INEC at a Federal High Court in Abuja, appealing to the court to declare null and void the de-registration exercise.

The leadership of the National Conscience Party (NCP) are also challenging INEC at a Lagos Federal High Court over the disqualification of his party.

Speaking to Saturday Mirror, the chairman of CNPP, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, said CNPP, which is the umbrel-

la body of all the political parties in Nigeria would do everything possible to oppose the de-registration of any political parties.

Said he: “We are already in court.

CNPP has taken INEC to court over the issue and the Federal High Court has given an injunction stopping INEC from de-registering any political parties. I think INEC should wait for the case in court to be decided before carrying out any action. We are going to oppose the de-registration of any political parties and we are opposing it on the basis of Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which bans INEC from deregistering any political party that has already been registered.

“INEC is relying on the Electoral Acts 2010, as amended. But the Electoral Acts is subject to the provision of the 1999 Constitution. INEC is relying on Section 78 of the Electoral Act to de-register political parties and that section is in conflict with the constitution.”

Also speaking, a lawyer and national leader of Citizen Popular Party (CPP), Chief Maxi Okwu, said, any attempt by INEC to de-register any political party would amount to contempt of court.

“Jega has shown himself to be essentially against many political parties.

No matter what people may say about the former INEC chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu, he gave room for multi-party system in Nigeria and he gave opportunity to many political parties to be registered. But Jega seems not to be totally satisfied with the registration of many political parties.

“The issue of de-registration of political parties is presently in court in Lagos and Abuja and Jega would be involving in contempt of court to rush to such a decision. So, Jega should not to run foul of the law and his judicial adviser should advice him not to embarrass the court,” he said.

Many political parties also differ on INEC’s proposed plan. In fact many of the parties that escaped the April deregistration have taken action to forestall being denied party status by suing the commission in Abuja and urging the court to expunge section 78 (7) from the Electoral Act 2011 as it runs counter to section 40 of the Nigerian constitution. The parties are asking the court to declare null, void and unconstitutional the portion of the Electoral Act that talks about de-registration of political parties.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Engr. Rotimi Fashakin, in a recent interview said INEC was breaching the provision of the constitution which states that people can freely form and belong to associations of their choice.

While the National Publicity Secretary of All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), Emma Emeukwu, believes that the action is a welcome idea since the action was in accordance with the Electoral Acts.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 period as other leaders, and if you observed both present and former leaders all said something about this country in the spirit of Ramadan. That we should live in peace and in the spirit of the season, we thought we should say so. So, we thought it is only appropriate to do so. By doing it, we were appealing to people on behalf of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and there is nothing wrong with that.

We maintain very good relationship with the current president. We knew it, people saw the two us and they will say how come, Babangida at 70 was quarrelling with OBJ and they are talking together now. But we knew who we were and there are certain things we know. I know if there is one man that believes in the unity of this country today, it is Obasanjo. I also share the same. So, if we have a common thing which is for the common good of the country, why not. Before then we have been talking, but want to disabuse your minds that we didn’t sit idle doing nothing. That we didn’t talk.

Your son, Mohammed, has publicly declared his intention to vie for the governorship in Niger State.

Let me correct you. I read what he said and I am very grateful to the people who considered him worthy of any political office. He didn’t say he wants to be a governor.

I am very critical if it concerns me. And when this big headline came I said he was misquoted.

Sir, is your son not nursing the governorship ambition?

No, politically! He said people considered him worthy. That he was grateful, it could be for the position of chairman of

11

I am on good terms with President Jonathan - IBB local government, it could be councillor, and also as party secretary. ‘I am grateful that you consider me worthy’, that’s what he said. Whether he will do it is a different thing. And if he does, I think I will myself do what a father does to his child. He is a grown up man and I will lay every thing on the table.

What is your take on the state of the economy?

Between 1985 and 1993, I managed poverty. So, give credit for the ability to manage it. I still say I operated when a barrel of oil was 12 dollars, so, that is my luck and I don’t blame anybody for it. But I came at that time when there was oil crisis and all that but I was able to manage. God again made Nigeria to prosper from 90 to 115 dollars. So, while I managed poverty others managed affluence and maybe you see the difference.

Can you critically assess the nation’s democracy, whether we are performing well or not?

I hate to talk about this, but I can always give you an example. Well, you operate a democracy and I did not, I was a dictator.

I removed a governor for N300, 000 but no one can remove them now for N3 billion.

In your refreshingly different PHCN: What manner of road map?

The road map for the power sector has been unveiled. But two years after, the roadmap has pitched the government against the PHCN workers. What are the issues at stake? What does the government plan to do to resolve the impasse? Would the present discussion between government and workers’ union yield any result?

Would the country be thrown into darkness as the workers have threatened? You‘ll get the answers to these posers, tomorrow.

State police: To be or not?

The agitation for State Police is not new, but today, it is gradually becoming an apple of discord. It has pitched the governors from the North against their southern counterparts. While the southern governors are pushing, their northern counterparts who had initially supported the idea are backing out. So what are the fears? What is the cause of the schism?

ENCOUNTER WITH A NEWSMAKER

Stirring a hornet’s nest with de-registration plan

Interview

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Igbo warm up for 2015 challenge

The Igbo have the bits between the teeth. They are insisting that 2015 is the year of Igbo presidency and they have been strategising for that.

What are the strategies? We serve you the answer in this exhaustive interview with former Enugu State governor, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.

Hear him: This is our case and if we don’t make the case, nobody will make it for us.

‘‘Extramarital Extramarital affairs affairs do do not appeal to me’

In these days when the news waves are replete with crashed marriages of artistes and others in the movie world, owing to adultrous conducts, Laide Bakare Okofuluwe, a film-maker, mother and wife, is proud of her marital life. In this interview with Sunday Mirror, she says it will be unnecessary for her to stray or have extra-marital affairs, even with a moneybag. You are apparently desirous to know why. She tells you; along with other things, tomorrow.

These and many more available tomorrow in your

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National News

August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sallah: Security beefed up in the North AUGUSTINE MADU-WEST, ADEMU IDAKWO, AZA MSUE AND INUSA NDAHI

S

ecurity has been beefed up in some states of the North with incessant bombardment by the terrorists group, Boko Haram, in the past few months.

Investigations by Saturday Mirror show that, among others, Kano, Kaduna, Borno and Kogi State are with high presence of security personnel with the aim of ensuring safety of lives and property before, during and after the festival.

In Kano State, the Police Command said it had intensified patrol of the metropolitan city to provide the needed security in places of worship and flash points.

The action is a measure

to ensure a hitch-free Eidel-Fitri .

There is heavy police presence at all governmentowned establishments in the city, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a part of measures by the Command to ensure the security of lives and property of the citizenry.

At intervals of 20 minutes, our Correspondent observed the presence of a combined team of heavily armed and stern-looking security personnel in convoy of military vehicles, led by armoured personnel carriers patrolling the streets.

Besides, the police in Kano are still enforcing the order on all commercial motorcycle operators to disembark at police check points for screening, alongside their passengers.

This is to keep “undesirable elements” at bay.

Meanwhile, the Police Command, in a statement, signed and issued in Kano, yesterday by ASP Magaji Majia on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris, advised members of the public, particularly Muslim faithful, to be vigilant and promptly report suspicious movement of persons to the police for immediate action.

Among others, the Police advised all Muslim faithful to be armed only with their praying mats at worship venues during the celebration.

Motorists were warned against reckless and dangerous driving, as well as to obey traffic rules.

Also, the Police Command advised parents and guardians not to allow their under aged and unlicensed children have access to their vehicles.

Police also advised them

to ensure that their children are accompanied by elderly persons before, during and after the “Sallah” celebrations, so as to avoid cases of missing children.

To ensure effective performance, the Police and other security agents are seeking the cooperation of members of the public to ensure a crime- free sallah celebration.

In Kaduna, the state police command yesterday said heavy security personnel had been deployed in the twenty three local government areas for the protection of lives and property during and after Sallah.

Spokesman of the command, Mallam Balteh Abubakar, told Saturday Mirror in a telephone interview that all worship centres, recreational parks and other strategic places are being placed on twenty

four hours security surveillance to avert any break down of law and order.

His words: “Our police command headquarters directed all the 44 divisions in twenty three local government areas to fortify all worship centres, parks like Gamji, Galaxy here in the metropolis and throughout the state to maintain peace and order.

“We cannot tell you the number of personnel deployed because it is classified information. But we are all on ground to protect lives and property during and after the celebration.

We are calling on the public to remain law abiding as the command will not tolerate trouble makers.”

Our correspondent who went round Kaduna metropolis saw some armoured tanks stationed in strategic positions.

The situation is the

same in Maiduguri, Borno State and Damaturu in Yobe State.

Security men are positioned in different strategic areas in the two states to protect lives and properties.

Most of the prayer grounds are also being protected by stern-looking security men.

In Kogi State, security has been provided around the central mosque in Okene.

Two soldiers were killed in mosque in the wake of mass murder of some members of Deeper Life Church in Ottite in Adavi local government area of the state.

Muslim s who were trooping down to the mosque for the Friday pray were surprised to meet heavy detachment of police and military men around the mosque.

…Passenger traffic increases at Lagos airport OLUSEGUN KOIKI

F

L - R: Mr. Kola Ogunlana, Asst. Director; Mr. Oluremi Obayomi, Permanent Secretary, Political Affairs and Administration; Mrs. Susan Folarin, Chairman, Ogun State Civil Service Commission; Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun State Governor; Mr. Adekunle Anwo (rtd. Perm Sec.); Mrs. Modupe Adekunle, Head of Service, and Dr. Tunde Olowonyo, Permanent Secretary, Hospital Management Board, during the inauguration of the Ogun State Public Service Review/Restructuring Committee at the Governor’s Office, Abeokuta...yesterday.

Clark makes U-turn, eulogises Babangida at 71 SOLA ADEBAYO

I

jaw National Leader, Chief Edwin Clark, yesterday jetissioned his differences with former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, as he eulogised him on the occasion of his 71 years birthday.

Clark, who recently engaged in a verbal war with Babangida on the state of the nation, especially the security challenges posed by the activities of the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, in the northern part of the

country, said the ex-military ruler contributed immensely to national development.

Clark said the history of the country would not be complete without the contributions of Babangida to national growth and development, adding that Babangida remained a recurring decimal in public life.

It would be recalled that Clark, at a recent public lecture in Abuja, accused Babangida of being privy to the dastardly operations of the Islamic sect.

He added that the activities of the sect enjoyed tacit

support and encouragement of Babangida and other political leaders of the North.

He challenged Babangida to openly denounce the group and asked him to assist the government to checkmate and put an end to the nefarious activities of the sect.

But Babangida fired back, declaring that Clark was mischievous.

The former military president denied knowledge and association with the group.

But speaking on the occasion of the birthday of Babangida, Clark, in a state-

ment said it was an incontrovertible fact that he (Babangida) carved a niche for himself in the annals of the country.

Despite his political differences with Babangida, Clark said the ex-military leader remained his friend, adding that their relationship spanned decades.

Clark said he shared the same vision with Babangida of a Nigeria, where all Nigerians could attain the highest political office in the country irrespective of religion, ethnicity and other cultural differences.

or the first time in over three months, the Murtala Mohammed Airport, 2, witnessed a large crowd of passengers travelling out of Lagos.

The purpose of their trips, is connected to the celebration of the Muslim festival, Eid-el-Fitri.

Passengers traffic in all the airports in the country had dropped by over 60 per cent since June 3, 2012 following the crash of Dana plane at Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos State.

The crash claimed the lives of over 163 souls on board and on ground.

Many passengers who had hitherto flown with domestic airlines had embraced road transportation to get to their destinations.

But the situation was different yesterday as the complex and the General Aviation Terminal of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, experienced a huge traffic.

Saturday Mirror observed that airlines like Aero, Arik and IRS had a field day as their counters were full of passengers who were eager to travel

to different destinations in the country.

The passengers formed a long queue to buy their tickets or get their boarding passes in front of the various airlines’ counters.

One of the passengers who identified himself as Alhaji Mohammed Zahraddeen said he was just coming back from Saudi Arabia where he went to observe the lesser hajj.

He stressed that he decided to come back to the country to spend the Eidel-Fitri with his family.

He was billed to travel to Kano with one of the domestic operators yesterday.

He said that he was not surprised at the large turnout of passengers at the airport, pointing out that it was an annual ritual for air passengers to travel to their states to celebrate any festivity.

However, another passenger , Mrs. Stella Momoh, expressed surprise at the huge traffic at the airport yesterday.

Momoh explained that after the Dana plane crash, most of the passengers had abdicated the sector.

She wondered why they returned after over three months break.

Sport

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

August 18, 2012

13

SAYO OGUNDEJI

F

ollowing the Super Eagles goalless draw against the Mena of Niger in an international friendly on Wednesday, former internationals, Mutiu Adepoju and Ajibade Babalade, have thrown their weights behind the team, saying the team would come good with time.

The entertaining but explosive encounter played at the 50,000 capacity Stade General Seyni Kountche in Niamey, saw both sides at their best, with Nigeria having the edge in a match that saw three yellow cards to the visitors and one to the hosts.

The encounter, apart from being a FIFA evaluation match, also served as a test match for both teams who would be involved in the third and final round of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in September.

Eagles’ coach, Stephen Keshi, expressed satisfaction with the attitude of the players who he said kept their concentration to the optimum throughout the encounter, and adding that their focus was to get a favourable result against the Liberians.

“It’s a good warm-up for our upcoming game against Liberia, as we hope to pick a good result in the encounter, because we hope to play with the compliments of our Europe-based stars,” he said.

While the Eagles, under former coach Samson Siasia, failed to make it to the last edition of the tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, a couple of good results in the qualifying games have placed the coach Stephen Keshi-led side in a vantage position of making it to South Africa, venue of the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Unlike Samson Siasia, Keshi has given the domestic players opportunity to showcase their talents and both Adepoju and Babalade, who have represented the country at the highest levels of the game, are of the opinion that the team would soon return to greatness.

According to the former Eagles players, though the team played a goalless draw against Niger, the match will put them in the right frame of mind going into the much important qualifier against the Lone Stars of Liberia in three weeks’ time.

“The game against Liberia is very important to the country and playing a top friendly like this is a good way of getting the team ready for that encounter.

“I think the team has improved a lot since the new manager took over and I believe that is down to the fact that he has given more opportunity to the

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, dishing out instructions to Godfrey Oboabona (left) during a recent match.

Niger friendly: Adepoju, Babalade tip Eagles for greatness domestic players as well as the foreignbased ones, which is what an ideal team needed to succeed.

“Missing out of the last Nations Cup is not good for our football development, but I believe the present team has shown its determination and readiness to make sure Nigeria makes it to the competition next year,” Adepoju, who currently manages Shooting Stars of

Iheagwam disappointed with Olympic flop P. 14

Ibadan explained.

Also, despite the team’s obvious improvement of late, Babalade, who also praised Keshi’s efforts with the team so far, believes the addition of some of the foreign-based professionals will enhance the strength of the team.

“The outcome of our match against Liberia is key to our qualification, but I believe the team would be more formi-

Coaches, analysts commend P. 16 Jonathan’s order on sports overhaul

dable by the time the foreign professionals join the team, which will put us in a better position of beating the Liberians.

“Nigeria has the quality to beat any opponents on the continent, but we must do our home work the way it should be done so that we can get the desired results at the end of the day,” the former SK Sturm Graz of Switzerland defender added.

Vermaelen named Arsenal captain P. 43

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SPORT

August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

London 2012 flop and need to sanitise NSC T

he date was Sunday, August 12, when the flames of the London 2012 Olympics was extinguished, marking the end of a quadrennial international sporting showpiece and the beginning of another Olympic circle, which will culminate in seeing the world converge again in 2016 in Rio, Brazil for another edition of the event.

Unfortunately, as the glorious Olympic flames were being turned off, Team Nigeria members were found licking their wounds because they could not garner any medal.

In fact, those countries who had something to celebrate at the end of the day were 71 in number, with some athletes of African countries also making it to the podium, yet Team Nigeria could not muster a medal.

As a kicker, the outing of Team Nigeria at the London 2012 Olympic Games was one that many sports-loving Nigerians would like to forget in a hurry because of the dismal manner, which all our athletes crashed out of their various events.

Top among the worst culprits were those whom the administrators of sports in the country had banked so much hope on them.

The list includes Blessing Okagbare (100 and 200m), Amaechi Morton (400m hurdles), Jonathan Akinyemi (canoeing), Chika Chukwumerije (taekwondo) and Segun Toriola (table tennis) to

HARD TACKLE with

Andrew Ekejiuba anelsports@yahoo.com mention but a few.

The most annoying part of the athletes’ lack of remorse for their failures was evident when Okagbare posted on her Facebook a nauseating comment that will remain indelible in my reference diary, insulting teeming Nigerian sport fans who were expecting her to rise to the occasion during her 100m women’s final race where she placed last with a time of 11:01secs as against the 10:92secs she recorded in the semi-finals.

Her comments read:”For those who want me to live up to their expectations, too bad for them and they better get over it bcos (because) I have my own dreams and expectations.”

The million-dollar question for this young enterprising lady whom I did have great respect for, before her sweeping comments came few hours after her disastrous 100m final crash is, “Can she candidly share with Nigerians her dreams and expectations before

08034343377

that embarrassing race she had?”

Frankly, Okagbare failed to understand that the dreams of Nigerians for her in London were of good and of utmost importance than hers; because it was through the exploits of Nigerian coaches that she was discovered.

It was also these coaches and administrators that gave her the opportunity to showcase her talents before she became what she is in the athletics world. And it was based on this fact that I saw her comment as that of an ungrateful fella who has no respect for her country.

Looking at the factors that militated against Team Nigeria’s poor show in London, one cannot deny the fact that corruption had a big influence as most of the administrators in the National Sports Commission (NSC) were short of ideas.

Many were only after what would line their pockets with rather than giving our sports a

facelift. This crop of sports administrators are like wolves in sheep’s skin. Their selfish interest came first above that of the nation. Or how best can one explain how more than N2billion was spent on Team Nigeria with such dismal results, despite Chief Patrick Ekeji’s assurance that our athletes are going to London for serious business of winning medals?

The Sports Minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, also did not hide his feelings, when he overrated Team Nigeria with his comments prior to the Olympics.

Today, the picture is clear! We can now draw the line between those fooling the great majority of Nigerians in sports and those who genuinely want our sports to rise from its present state of obscurity.

Certainly, the time for change in NSC is ripe, since the demon, which has strangulated our football and brought it to its present sorry state, has also caught up with the numerous ‘brainless’ sports administrators in the NSC. HT welcomes the decision of the Federal Government to order a comprehensive reorganisation of Nigeria’s sports industry, following the dismal performance of Team Nigeria in the just-concluded London 2012 Olympics.

Though, this action may be coming late because all the indicators for the past few years had shown that we needed a radical organ-

isation of our sports beginning from the grassroots where abundant talents are rotting away.

A total overhaul of the sports sector is what the country needs most because those who have been calling the shorts have failed to match their words with action.

The key actors in the NSC must as a matter of necessity account for every dime that was released to them for the Olympics because that will be the best way to commence the sanitisation of the ailing ministry.

Equally, the present government has not helped sports in several ways because it is one thing to vote funds for sports and another to monitor how effectively the funds are managed. On HT for example, we have repeatedly said it that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should not limit their fight against corruption to politicians, but sport deserves a greater attention.

It is true that Mr. President, Goodluck Jonathan, was not happy with the performance of Team Nigeria in London, but what becomes of his recent move to reorganise the sector will surely set the tone for our sports development that is on a free fall.

We need a new beginning in sports, by flushing out the cabals that have refused to let go, and bring in tested technocrats so that Nigerian sports will have a new lease of life.

SPORT NEWS

Iheagwam disappointed with Olympic flop

F

ormer African female 100 and 200 meters champion, Tina Iheagwam, has expressed regrets at Team Nigeria’s poor performance at the London 2012 Olympics, warning that unless the country stops employing a fire brigade approach to the preparation of athletes for major competitions, it would continue unabated.

“It is unfortunate that Nigeria went to the Olympics without anything to show for it. During our time, no matter how tough the game is, we always came out with medals. It might not be much, but we would ensure the country’s name appears on the medals table,” she said.

She stated that Nigeria should emulate other coun-

Amedu tasks NBF on basketball development ANDREW EKEJIUBA

P Iheagwam

tries and start early preparation of athletes and not to wait for six months to a major competition before camping them.

“I am appealing to our sport administrators to emulate other countries and embark on grassroots sport development where athletes could be discovered, monitored and nurtured to be-

come future champions.

“It is also important that athletes are given scholarships, training grants and sent on training tours overseas on time, as well as sponsored to participate in many competitions to enable them get the required exposure before competing at either the Commonwealth or Olympic Games,” she concluded.

roprietor of Dodan Warriors Basketball Club of Lagos, Col Sam Amedu (rtd), has urged the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBF) to introduce programmes that will develop the game in the country.

In an interview with our correspondent, he stated that NBF, as presently constituted, is not interested in grassroots development of the game, which he said had impacted negatively on the sport.

“Many times when basketball clinics are organized, you hardly see any member of the Federation coming to give sup-

port to such projects and the game cannot grow like that,” Amedu said.

According to him, the Federation needs to encourage more corporate organizations to invest in the slam and dunk game.

Amedu while commending D’Tigers for participating in the Olympics for the first time noted that the Federation must build on the achievement to ensure Nigeria becomes a force to be reckoned with in the game of basketball in the continent.

“I must commend D’Tigers for being at the London 2012 Olympics, but the NBF must build on that success and come up with ideas and programmes that will make

Amedu

Nigeria a dominant force in the game of basketball in the continent because if this is not done we will still go back to the era where Angola and Tunisia will be dictating the pace for us,” he warned.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

August 18, 2012

15

16

SPORT

August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Bundesliga experts Coaches, analysts commend LFP, storm Soccerex seminar Jonathan’s order on sports overhaul F ANDREW EKEJIUBA

C

oaches and sports analysts have expressed delight with President Goodluck Jonathan’s order for the overhaul of the sports sector, in a bid to intensify preparations for the 2016 Olympic Games.

The Minister of Information and Communication, Mr Labaran Maku, announced the president’s order after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.

The buffs told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the time had come for the sports sector to be fully looked into, in order to avoid further embarrassments in international competitions.

Former Super Falcons Coach, Paul Hamilton, said that he supported the overhaul of the sports ministry, adding that the country’s inability to win a medal at the London Games was shameful.

He said that frequent changes in sports administration and late prepa-

rations were part of the problems facing sports, but he, however, called for caution in the reorganisation process.

“Overhauling should be handled with care and a good frame of mind, to ensure that the right people are made to run sports.

“People who have the knowledge of sports, with a keen interest for progress, should be given the opportunity to be on the saddle and not selfish individuals,” he said.

Also reacting, Lateef Erinfolami, Head coach of First Deep Water Basketball Club of Lagos, said the decision was a step in the right direction.

He added that the time had come for the right people and the right structures to be put in place, in order to be able to get it right in 2016.

Chris Eseka, a sports analyst, said that the decision was long overdue, adding that a lot of administrators had overstayed their tenure.

Eseka advised that the

Jonathan

selection should not be done with sentiments, but based on integrity and the desire to effect a change.

“We must not be biased in choosing who to run our sports because that will seem like we are taking a step forward and two steps backward,” Eseka said.

Ferguson Oluigbo, President, Taekwondo Referee’s Association, said that employing sport experts in various fields would give Nigerian sports a new face.

Femi Babafemi, former head coach of the Lagos State Amateur Boxing As-

sociation, noted that the decision would play a key role in reviving sports.

“This will go a long way in reviving our sports. If he is able to implement it, we will be on the right track,” he said.

Tunde Disu, a former Flying Eagles coach, said that reorganising the sports sector would lay a good foundation for sports.

“Going in the right direction requires that only qualified persons should be put in the right places in the sports federations,” Disu said.

Coaches suggest ways to move sports forward

F

ootball coaches in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Friday said that inadequate utilisation of human and material resources and inadequate preparation were responsible for the country’s poor performance in international competitions.

The coaches, who spoke against the backdrop of Team Nigeria’s woeful outing at the just-concluded London Games, said that there was need for the country to adequately prepare for such competitions.

Godwin Bamigboye, Chairman, Nigeria Coaches Association, Abuja Chapter, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the major problem was the underutilisation of the nation’s human and material resources.

“It is sad that Nigeria went to a competition and came back without

rench Football League’s (LFP) International Development Manager, Redha Chibani, CEO of NIEMANN International and former CEO of DFL Sports, Dr Robert Niemann, will be joining Nigerian football legend, Adokiye Amiesimaka, at the Soccerex seminar Lagos, scheduled for Lagos between 27 and 28 September on a session looking at the challenges of running a local professional league.

With the European Leagues dominating broadcast times and the fans attention, it has become more challenging to run a successful local league in West Africa. In this session the panel will put their extensive experience into practice and discuss possible ways to increase the quality of participation at all levels of Nigerian football, both on and off the pitch; with the aim of attracting new sponsors and bringing back fans to make regional football more popular again.

Adokiye Amiesimaka will also be able to give firsthand experience of how popular local football used to be during his illustrious playing career.

Redha Chibani has

spent his entire career in the football industry working for major media companies like Canal France International and TV5Monde. He then moved to the LFP as the International Development Manager focusing on their international media rights for the League 1, League 2, League Cup and the Champions Trophy.

Dr Robert Niemann has had a distinguished football business career having held senior positions at DFL Sports Enterprises and football club 1860 Munich. NIEMANN International was founded in 2001 and focuses on a range of services across the football industry. His job as CEO of DFL Sports Enterprises allowed him to develop the Bundesliga and secure new television rights makes him an important addition to the panel.

Adokiye Amiesimaka is a rare and exemplary role model in the world of football, having played for the Nigerian national team as well as being an accomplished legal practitioner. He played for the national team whilst studying law and rose to become state attorney general. Mr Amiesimaka is now a distinguished journalist commenting on football and social issues affecting Nigeria.

Mctracker club wins Lagos wrestling tourney ANDREW EKEJIUBA

M Sports Minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi (middle), with NOC President, Alh. Sanni Ndanusa (left) and the Director General of the NSC, Chief Patrick Ekeji (right) at a press conference in London during the Olympic Games.

medals. The question I ask myself is that we have the human resources but we are not harnessing them well, if not, we would have been among the best in the world,’’ Bamigboye said.

According to him, if the sports facilities were properly utilised and the sports camp on the Mambilla Plateau be used appropriately, Nigerian athletes will beat most of their foreign coun-

terparts, especially in the races.

Bamigboye noted that this year’s performance should be a lesson for the National Sports Commission (NSC), but they shouldn’t be left alone in the development process.

Coach Mansur Abdullahi, Secretary of FCT Football Association said the development of sports at the grassroots was the

way forward.

“The basic thing is that we have to start early preparations and then, we have to start from the grassroots, from the primary and secondary schools.

“Olympics is a four-year event and if the next edition is coming up in 2016, by the end of this year, we should start preparations by discovering the right athletes,’’ he said.

ctracker Wrestling Club has emerged the overall winners of the 2nd edition of Lagos State Senior Inter-Club Wrestling Championship.

The championship which was held at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere Lagos saw wrestlers from the club winning most of the medals while Laotem and Kirikiri wrestling clubs, came second and third respectively.

In the 84kg, David Makinde won the gold with Festus Philip and Segun Adeniyi settling for the silver and bronze medals respectively.

Segun Agbogu won the gold in the 74kg freestyle; Ugo Peter took the silver leaving the bronze for Gideon Balogun.

Segun Adebanwo displayed great wrestling skills to be crowned the undisputed champion in the 55kg beating Olubade Folawole who took the silver, while Julius Adekunle won the bronze.

In the female category, Seyi Ogunbanwo defeated other wrestlers to win the gold in the 72kg while Fumi Olas and Sanusi Olaito went home with silver and bronze.

Also in the female 48kg contest, Bilikat Subairu emerged the champion with Chioma Anazodo and Ghanaian Mausi- Vialla settling for the second and third positions.

MAGAZ INE Fashion •Chiffon glamour •8 curly hair tips

Sex talk •How much sex is too much or too little? (II)

Relationships •Can your spouse be of another faith?

Cynthia Sizzling screen siren

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August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘I dress to attract people to Christ’ Celebrity Cynthia Agholor is a Nollywood actress of almost 20 years experience.

In this interview with OSEYIZA OOGBODO, she speaks about her career, the competition in the industry and other matters. Excerpts:

Where do you hope to be professionally?

It’s anywhere God takes me. I’ve been striving since I came back in 2005 to be up there. I’ve been working very hard with the grace of God and I know that by His grace, I’m going to be where He wants me to be.

Which is your most challenging role?

I did a job, My Sister My Child, and I’ll say it’s been the most challenging because I played a triple role in it. I was a well-pampered teenager, on to a maltreated adult, then a self-employed person who has made it: three different characters in one movie.

Is acting fulfilling for you?

Acting is now business. The money is very good now, so you can say fine, this is what I achieved from acting How many movies have you acted in? and this is what I own from I can’t count them. I’ve done quite a few as every- acting.

And it’s all from one is aware and I just can’t count them. getting paid for doing something you How long have you been acting? love doing.

I’m very close to 20 years in acting now. Very close. Just about a year and some months What shy of 20 years. a r e Would you then say you are as popular as Omotola or Genevieve?

No, you won’t say that because I’m Cynthia, I’m on my own. I actually left the movie industry for five years, went to school, concentrated on modelling and came back finally after my youth service in 2005. Since then, I’ve featured in many movies so I wouldn’t compare myself with others because they’ve been there and I was out for some years.

Are you undecided between acting and modelling?

They are almost the same thing. I have the features, I model. I like modelling and I faced it while I was in school because i t didn’t really take much of my time. I just did some runway, some calendar jobs, billboards and all that and then faced my studies whereas acting takes a lot of time. Anyway, it’s not about being undecided, they are the same. It’s showbiz. I’m an MC too and I still do other things that are showbiz. If you have the showbiz thing in you, you should be able to do anything showbiz I’m also a presenter.

Of all these jobs you do, which one has favoured you the most?

I wouldn’t really want to say one has favoured me the most because they have all favoured me in one way or the other. But I’ll say acting has improved me so much.

Though I lack my privacy sometimes, acting has actually exposed me to some of the modelling jobs I’ve done, MC, presenting and all that. So let’s say acting is the overall for me because it is where people identified my talent and got to know who Cynthia is.

those assets y o u

have acquired?

I should now come and start saying my assets? I can’t tell you what they are but I know I’ve achieved; financially too.

Are you a millionaire?

I claim it, but then, I wouldn’t want to start using such words on the pages of newspapers. But I’m okay. I don’t have to be a millionaire. I feed myself, I have people under me that I feed, we’re comfortable, I’ve a home where we stay, you know, after going about, you come in and lay your head there, we have food to eat, so I’m okay, I’m comfortable.

How old were you when you started acting?

I don’t want to say it.

What’s wrong in revealing your age?

I don’t wanna say it. I was a teenager, period.

You are a Christian. Are you born gain?

Yeah, I’m a born-again Christian.

Is it possible to be born again in an industry such as Nollywood with all its vices and loose morals?

Why not?

But you have to kiss in movies and lie in bed with your male colleagues.

That’s not a sin. That’s acting.

Kissing someone you’re not legally married to?

It’s acting. You’re not doing it, you’re acting. Your feelings are not there.

But is the image you are projecting synonymous with that of someone who has given her life to Christ?

Must I go about dirty or underdressed because I’m bornagain? I need to look good so that when someone approaches me, they will say hey you look good. I now tell the person that hey it’s Jesus. Then I start preaching.

Something has to attract somebody to come to me. Considering the fact that I’m an actress and I’m preaching to you and you have seen my movie and liked it, of course, if you look at yourself, you will want to surrender to God. For instance, I went to my friend’s church one day and the pastor, who knows me, introduced me after the service and people were like wow, if you can be born-again in your profession, what are we waiting for?

Considering everything you have said, are you a virgin?

Na wah for you oh. This your question.

Is it a crime to be a virgin?

I think I should just say that if I’m a virgin or not is no concern of yours.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

19

August 18, 2012

Entervaganza

With OSEYIZA OOGBODO

May7ven performs for charity

08023755142 kingseiza@gmail.com

Talents audition for N10m

E

xceptionally talented Nigerians continue to troop to the Nigeria’s Got Talent auditions. Auditions held at Port Harcourt, Benin and Warri this week and old and young people auditioned for a chance to win the eventual N10 million prize.

The huge number of talented people that graced the auditions in all the three cities, and indeed in the cities visited earlier, Abuja, Enugu and Calabar, have proven that bringing the Got Talent franchise to Ni-

L

ondon-based Nigerian singer and daughter of ex-soccer international, Segun Odegbami, is all set to contribute to a worthwhile cause when she performs today at the annual gala of the UK-registered charity, Path to Possibilities, at the Grange City Hotel, Tower Hill, London.

Speaking about the gala, Titilola Bello, the organiser, said, “This event has been designed to provide maximum entertainment to our guests as well as provide a solid platform for generating awareness about the education crisis and immense talent in Nigeria.”

Consequently, May7ven and other performers, Omar and Saeon, will entertain guests while they are dining on a sumptuous three-course meal. Fashion designers will also showcase their collections and proceeds from the event will go to charitable causes. May7ven

geria, only the second African country to get it, makes sense.

There were Guinness World record chasers, physically challenged persons, dancers, acrobats, singers, ball jugglers, magicians, and many other incredible talents in each of the audition cities.

The age range of those auditioned was between 11 years to 65 years, making Nigeria’s Got Talent the most diverse and audacious reality TV show in the country. Auditions hold today and tomorrow in Lagos.

More on KSA’s 35th anniversary blues

T

he chairman of the planning committee of the upcoming KSA’s 35th crowning anniversary as the King of Music of the Juju genre, Oloye Lekan Alabi, has released more details about the keenly anticipated celebration.

“The celebration’s events will include concerts, exhibitions, lectures, awards and drama in Lagos and Ibadan in November. The anniversary month is actually April but KSA is fully booked till next year so we are just squeezing out the time to hold it in November.”

Adding that the creativity, excellence, durability and world acceptability of KSA are being celebrated, Alabi said that individuals and corporate bodies which share these values were welcome to join hands with his committee in the celebration of the music icon.

“What we are doing is noble and worthwhile. The whole essence of the celebration is to actually highlight excellence, a value which is diminishing in our society. We intend to emphasise the need for excellence and that everything is not about money, money as it seems right now.

When you are excellent, money will come and we will ensure we point that out.”

KSA

Chinda

Monalisa Chinda rubbishes lesbian tale

N

ollywood actress and Glo ambassador Monalisa Chinda has rubbished the tale making the rounds that she might be a lesbian. The tale surfaced after a picture of her in an intimate manner with another woman entered the public domain.

Reacting to the tale, Chinda said, “I don’t have time for this kind of rubbish because I am busy. If people feel like they can

cook up stories where there is none, then they should go ahead.

Imagine this type of nonsense. It was a glorious day for me where we went to celebrate my sister’s anniversary.

“We were all taking pictures in a public place, how does that translate to the rubbish people were saying online? You saw the picture, what do you make of it?

I don’t have time for this please.

I won’t be dragged into it at all.”

20

ENTERVAGANZA

August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

CLASSICAL RYHMES

AIRWAVES LINK

Project Fame West Africa: Eliminations beckon

A

fter a week’s stay in the PFWA Academy, it was time for the contestants to prove on stage what they had learnt so far. They treated the whole of West Africa to a delightful cocktail of music performances last weekend.

Saturday evening kicked off with Didi, Marvellous and Musulyn singing Michael Bolton’s Lean on Me, So Amazing by Luther Vandross and Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You respectively. They opened the floor with their individual performances easing everyone into the show fully.

Ayo, Kemi and Chinyere too did not let themselves down. They raised the bar as they performed Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, Beyonce’s Best Thing I Never Had and Adele’s Someone Like You in that order.

After these six phenomenal per-

formances came Adetoun, Tega and Grace beautifully rendering Listen by Beyonce, Toni Braxton’s Unbreak My Heat ‘and Can’t I Live by Toni Braxton.

The next set of contestants also sang their way into everyone’s hearts effortlessly. Oyinkansade sang So Sick

by Ne-Yo, Edward performed All Night Long by Lionel Richie and Brenda energetically delivered Beyonce’s Halo.’

After these 12 awesome performances, the last three contestants, Sonia, Joshua and Christian took up the challenge and brought the day to a climax with Vanessa William’s Colour Of The Wind, My Girl by The Temptations and Reuben Studdard’s Flying Without Wings.

While Brenda got a lot of accolades from the faculty who observed that they all seemed to have sang in their

comfort zones, the judges also felt the contestants were good but advised them to bring something exceptional to the table because only the very exceptional will survive.

On Sunday, they performed contemporary African hits and they put in their best again. Adetoun did Fall In Love by D’Banj, Ayo (Ara by Brymo), Brenda (No Kele Kele Love

by Tiwa Savage), Chinyere (Fire On The Mountain by Asa), Christian (Beautiful Onyinye by P-Square), Didi (Azonto by Fuse), Edward (African Queen by Tuface), Grace (Kedike by Chidinma), Joshua (You Go Kill Me Oh by Sarkodie), Kemi (Bibanke by Asa), Marvellous (Afurumginaya by Praiz), Musulyn (Be My Man by Asa), Oyinkansade (See Me So by Tuface), Sonia (Bottom Belle by Omawunmi) and Tega (Love My Baby by Wizkid).

Meet the contestants

Styl Plus

Olufunmi Artist: Styl Plus Verse 1 When I said to you that I never want to love another woman girl it was true, So true I meant to marry you and when I did, I’d be the one to take care of you for you, Now you say you want to leave me girl, when around you I have built my world Whatever you heard about me baby is definitely crazy Please give me one chance to show Chorus Olufunmi ooo Ma pa mi lekun ooo Olufunmilola Mase fimi sile lai lai Durotimi ooo Olufunmi o Verse 2 Girl I’ll wait for you and I know I’ll never love another woman no one can do but you I’ll pause my heart for you when you come home, you’d be the one to make it move only you But before you finally leave me girl, think about what you do to my world, Whatever you do to hurt me baby is going to drive me crazy, Please give me one chance to show Chorus Rap Come on girl You could be the one to make me smile You could be the one to make me wanna have a child You could be the one I’d take on a date down the aisle And be the first and the last girl to become my bride You could be the one to make a fool of me, And you could be the one that’d be confusing me Or you could be the girl in the world that I know through the rough times going to stay true to me, You could be my Juliet I may, not have his looks but I would still be your Romeo.

You could be my princess I’d be your charming prince at the service of only you.

That’s why I never want to love another woman That’s why I know I’ll never love another woman That’s why I can never love another woman That’s why Bridge That’s why when I think about you leaving I find myself grieving Though it seems deceiving I’m stillsss believing girl you’ll stay with me forever And I’ll remain humbly kneeling while your heart is healing Tear drops revealing the way that I’m feeling girl please stay with me forever Chorus Outro Styl Plus, T-Jazz, Joey, Mekoyo, Sunky, yeah Styl Plus, peace out

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ENTERVAGANZA

August 18, 2012

21

BOX-OFFICE HITS

BRAIN BEHIND THE SCENE

Onye Ubanatu …

Cinematographer and producer

Ubanatu

O

saw a passion in television business as a tool for making my environment, Africa and this world a better place.

Today that passion coupled with focus, buttered by God’s grace and toasted with hard work has got me standing.”

Truly, he is standing tall now. His credits say it all. Some of the television commercials he’s done include Union Homes, Turbo King, Glo Profit Max Promo, Cadbury Breast Cancer Awareness.

He was the director of photography for the music videos of DJ Jimmy Jatt’s Too Hot, Kaka’s Bring It Over Here and Ese Baba and director-producer of several others. He has worked on the drama series, The Station, the feature film Small Boy and TV shows Momoments With Mo’ and Malta Guinness Street Dance.

Frankly, trying to list all his credits is a Herculean task in itself. Little wonder that he has won many awards at home and abroad, of which he says, “I’m not putting my bragging rights forward. I’m only amazed at how much we can become by just by focusing on our passion, gift and place of service with consistent application of developmental activities.

I believe nobody is born empty. There is something in the inside of you. You can make it, if only you keep on trying and never give up.”

nye Ubanatu is definitely a first class brain behind the scenes.

Lots of productions won’t be out there if not for his golden touch. A cinematographer and producer, he has worked with ABC News, CNN, BBC and many other world renowned brands.

Winner of the 2009 Future Award for Screen Producer of the Year, he has done virtually every form of production: music videos, television commercials, short film. Name it, he has done it at one time or the other.

Funny enough, this production genius studied Mineral Resources Engineering at Petroleum Training Institute in Warri, Delta State but he’s not mining natural resources, he’s mining production in all its elements at the very highest level.

Such is the passion he has for it that he claims that “I breathe, live, feel, smell, eat and talk cinematography. It is amazing, isn’t it? A ghetto boy from the streets and slum of Effurun, Warri, Ubanatu on set

H

eroes And Zeros, which will soon open in cinemas, is a sure to be a box office success. It parades an array of top Nollywood actors and most importantly, its plot is thrilling.

It is the story of Amos Fele (Bimbo Manuel) who has fallen on hard times after being a wealthy, powerful and respected Nollywood director. Now making do on low-paying commission jobs, stuck in a joyless marriage and with the future seeming even bleaker, hope comes his way again when he is chosen to direct a big budget France, Nigeria collaboration film.

An emotional rollercoaster of a

ride, Heroes And Zeroes begins to lead you to the realities of life when Fele, who is having a second chance in life, displays his weak, human side by falling in love with the lead actress of the new project he’s entrusted with instead of just concentrating on getting the job done.

And not only that, he becomes cannon fodder for the press who sees his revived success as an opportunity so they begin to feast on every aspect of his life.

Can Fele cope with all the mental and psychological stress he has to undergo and overcome to reclaim his lost glory? Find out in this forthcoming blockbuster.

I

t’s rare that a sequel trumps the original, but The Expendables 2 manages to do just that, with a steady stream of one-liners and welcome, weathered faces as well as a few new ingredients.

Jean-Claude Van Damme comes in as the villain (named Vilain, of course) and Chuck Norris and Arnold Schwarzenegger pop up in smaller roles alongside previous Expendables Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, Terry Crews and Randy Couture.

E2 is a little more adventurous and a little more introspective than its first part. Two new additions to the crew seem to throw everyone for a loop in one way or another. Liam Hemsworth shows up as Bill the Kid, a sniper who left the military after a raid in Afghanistan went horribly wrong.

Nan Yu joins the team as Maggie

who is apparently the only person who can disarm the safe that holds whatever secret thing Church (Willis) has sent them to retrieve. And if the Expendables don’t get her back alive, Church will make them pay, because even though Maggie is some sort of multilingual computer genius with a vicious roundhouse, she’s a lady.

All said and done, E2 is an action movie that will do well at the box office and that’s what matters at the end of the day.

ENTERVAGANZA

22

CELEBRITY FAVOURITES

August 18, 2012

SHOWBIZ SNOOPS

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United Sounds of Africa tour flops in America

Tunde Obe

Favourite Food

POUNDED YAM AND EGUSI SOUP Favourite Drink LONG ISLAND ICE TEA Favourite Designer (Intl) VERSACE Favourite Restaurant/Bar PROTEA HOTEL, GRA, IKEJA Favourite Day of The Week FRIDAY Favourite Perfume ISSEY MIYAKI Favourite Fashion Item HATS Favourite Movie SCARFACE Favourite Brand of Telephone Handset NOKIA COMMUNICATOR E 90 Favourite Quote THE ONLY CERTAIN THING ABOUT LIFE IS DEATH … LET’S LIVE LIFE LIKE TODAY IS OUR LAST DAY ON EARTH

I

t was much hyped and believed to be a significant step forward for the Nigerian music industry; a 7-city tour of the United States of America headlined by urban Nigerian artistes Tuface Idibia and MI supported by J Martins, Timi Dakolo and others.

Unfortunately, after holding in some of the proposed cities Houston, Atlanta and Washington DC, its last three cities were cancelled due to logistics.

Apologising to fans for the cancellation, Efe Omorogbe, a topshot with Now Muzik, Tuface Idibia’s management and one of the principal promoters of the tour, released a statement for the cancellation without explaining why.

“We at Now Muzik, on behalf of ourselves and partners,

Ladies vie for most photogenic laurel

Mayor Wete pursues Dagrin, 9ice

T

A

fter years of hustling, Mayor Wete, who is tipped as the next Dagrin and 9ice may finally be heading for the success levels of the latter mentioned artistes.

Pundits have long rated Wete as the next artiste to shine like the late Dagrin and 9ice because he is also an indigenous lyricist.

So far, his talent has enabled him to collaborate with big names like Pasuma, Mode 9, Sheyman, J Sleek and Sound Sultan.

A former fuji artiste, and a Dagrin lookalike, the future is predicted as bright for Wete because he only delved into the contemporary music sector in 2009 with his single Wete. It was a success, but being a newcomer then, he had to pay his dues to gain relevance.

Now, he is back not only with a hot new single but also a record deal.

Titled Mawomi, the song further buttresses the point that he is pursuing 9ice and Dagrin’s records.

Hypertek Entertainment and Chocolate City Music Group and the advertised artistes would like to express our sincere apologies to fans in Houston, Toronto and LA for the unfortunate cancellation of the United Sounds of Africa concerts in their cities.

“The artistes had looked forward to connecting with their numerous fans in all the cities listed and the crew back in Nigeria had worked extremely hard to ensure that the experience was pleasant and unforgettable for both the fans and the artistes.

“Unfortunately we made the grave mistake of entrusting the US end of the arrangements to Mr. Bunmi Jinadu and Interglobe Entertainment Group. We truly are indeed, sorry.”

Wete

wenty-three ladies will soon go head-to-head to determine which 10 of them will make it to the finals of the maiden edition of Snap to Stardom.

The 23 were chosen from auditions of over 200 hopefuls and they too will eventually be pruned down to 10 when they are camped for training and grooming.

Kanbi Owolabi, the project’s principal consultant, said that StS is not just about packaging another photo pageant, but breaking the norm by holding it in a manner that is for the entire family.

“Our mission is to discover and empower young Nigerian ladies and wannabe models between the ages of 18 and 26 irrespective of size, shape, colour and height that can be camera friendly, and to discover the potentials in them through their pictures and uncover the beauty in them within their lifestyle.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Zaaki Azzay’s marriage crashes, wife alleges battery •She kidnapped the kids – Zaaki

Azzay

ENTERVAGANZA

August 18, 2012

SHOWBIZ SNOOPS

I

t was K-Solo who made the news recently not only for problems in his marriage but also that he used to assault his wife, Kikelomo. Unsparingly, she exposed all the sordid details of their union and got tongues.

Even as the echoes of K-Solo’s marital problems are yet to die down, that of another more popular musician has taken over. This time it is Zaaki Azzay, and the reports flying around now have it that all has not been rosy in his marriage for quite some time.

Just like K-Solo’s wife, Zaaki’s wife, Adiza, too is claiming that he had been battering her for years but she was putting up with it for the sake of their children but she finally moved out of their home finally in April because she doesn’t want to end up as another dead wife.

This followed eight years of marriage, three children, constant declarations of blissful union to the world and a seemingly peaceful façade to back up the successful marriage toga.

But now the centre can no longer hold and they too have become a hot topic for the public.

They are not the first though. Kefee and Alec Godwin went through it, Fred and Agatha Amata too and it is certain that Azzay and wife won’t be the last.

Adiza is currently reported to be with an NGO that takes care of battered women as she was a housewife so she wasn’t prepared for the sudden exit from her matrimonial home. The custody of the three children of the union has become a major issue as both parents accuse each other of intent to hurt the other.

Zaaki in a statement reacting to Adiza’s allegations of battery said: “For now, I do not want to run foul of whatever the court ethics are. From my understanding of issues, once a matter is in court, every party strives as much as possible to refrain from making comments on such matters or anything relating to it.

“I am surprised that Project Alert or whatever they call themselves and the person who ran away from her matrimonial home months back, and who, after a few months came with thugs, hefty looking men, in a black unregistered car, beat up my cousin and injured her on her way back from picking the kids from school and forcefully abducted my children, and then went to court after doing that, can now run to the press and post so many statements to tarnish my image on the internet.

“I am not ready to afford them the opportunity for cheap publicity which I am sure is what they are looking for. A good lawyer should fight his case in court and not on the pages of newspapers. I am happy with some of the responses they are getting on the net.

“FOR EXAMPLE #JUSTASKING ANON AT 8/15/2012 5:00:57AM (www.nigeriafilms.com) Quote...’Pls i need to understand ds amara of a woman, has she made any effort to @list try and see if the marriage wud work out or any oda sort of attempt? Ha being very quick to get a place for d woman and ha kids worries me. “‘The fact dat ha own marriage is over for gud according to ha does give ha d rite to think others can’t work out eventually. Amara needs to be questioned. Besides i hear she doesnt practice what she preaches, most of d people around her complains she is very wicked and has a terrible character.

“Even if the woman has been punched several times, dere shud be a room for a last chance, probably get dem counselled or sumtn of sort” “If they need further info or clarification they can get it from the court or my counsel.

“I have never raised my hands on her and I never sent her out of my house.”

23

K-Solo and Kike, when the going was good

… As K-Solo picks up the pieces

M

eanwhile, K-Solo, another entertainer who also passed through the storms associated with the breakup of a marriage just a couple of months ago, is already bouncing back.

He released his second album, Mr Pedigree, after his marital woes, and has even dropped a song, Lobatan, in which he talks about his problems and advises people to mind their own business instead of concentrating on his when they don’t even know the whole details of what they are talking about.

Indeed, his demeanour is that of someone who didn’t have a problem very recently as he is even planning a concert to hold soon at the prestigious Eko Hotel and Suites.

Ezeonu

Ngozi Ezeonu reaps reward of hard work

L

ast Sunday was a momentous one for one of Nollywood’s Ngozi Ezeonu. She was bestowed with a chieftaincy title in Ihiteoweri, Imo State by His Royal Majesty CFN Ezerioha III in the presence of her family, friends and colleagues including Queen Nwokoye, Solo Amaco and Emeka Ani. As hard working as they come and talented to boot, Ezeonu is one of the really commercially appealing actresses. She is in high demand to feature in films and has consequently featured in over a hundred movies.

24

August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Woman f o r e h t o m d e l l fi I’m a ful e g r o e G e l e D . v e R – y n a m When, in 1994, Reverend Christiana Bamidele George decided with her husband to establish a home dedicated to the cause of abused and abandoned children, she never bargained for the current population in it. Today, the home, Little Saints Orphanage, has rehabilitated thousands of babies who are currently doing well in the society. The excited mother of many told YEMISI ADENIRAN all about the journey, the challenges and her view on Nigerians’ disposition to adoption. Excerpts:

W

omen are more disposed to establishing regular schools than orphanages.

What prompted you to do this?

It is a calling. I just didn’t go into it for the sake of it. I was led into it by God. After I was through with child bearing, I decided to adopt children in response to my calling which had come via a dream. I had had this burden to contribute my quota to the lives of abandoned children by putting a house over their heads and re-writing their stories all over again. Funnily, at the onset, our plan was to have just 25 of them and we prepared a space for that. As God would have it however, these children kept coming, and before we knew it, they had increased into this large number that we cannot but be overwhelmed by the way God works. Our intention is to make a home away from home for these children, give them hope of a promising life and ensure by God’s special grace that they do well in life. We discovered that there is a serious problem of child abandonment in Nigeria, so, we have risen to this challenge ever since.

How would you describe the journey so far?

I would say so far it has been tough but very fruitful. God has helped us to cope with their large numbers with the help of

the Lagos State social welfare sector. Gladly, I need to tell you also that these children are adequately adopted by responsible parents who had taken many of them abroad for better living.

How do you monitor those who adopt them especially in the area of ensuring the welfare of the children?

We do this with the assistance of the Ministry of Youths and Development. You don’t just walk up to us and say you want to adopt a child and have your wish granted without scrutiny.

These children are special to us and we are committed to accounting for them here on earth and even in heaven. Like I said, it is neither a play nor just a funfair venture. It is a calling and so, it is a very serious matter. We are not ignorant of the danger that are in giving out a child to just anybody. So, we try as much as possible to be careful not to hand over our precious children to untimely death and other pains. The children are precious to us and our main aim at the orphanage is to make life better for them and not otherwise.

What are the fundamental requirements of an adopter?

He or she must prove the genuineness of his or her interest.

He must really be in need of a child. Such a family must possess a good and habitable home

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WOMAN

August 18, 2012

and environment where a respectable child can grow. The environment must be void of abuse and anything that can make life unbearable for the child. We always do our groundwork well, so also does the Ministry of Youths and Development that we work handin-hand with. It is always based on the healthy information gathered that we allow an adopter to take custody of our children. The orphanage stands for three solid reasons: to rehabilitate, reform and to reintegrate children as much as possible. These are the main programmes we have for children and we have been keeping to it from inception.

What was your childhood like and how much of your experience then would you say informed what you are doing presently?

I grew up in a polygamous home. There were lots of people to live with unlike the me-andmy-family style that the majority of Nigerians are adopting today.

Most of those who lived with us then were not even related to us in any way and we had great times together. My father accommodated many and cared for them likewise. It was hard for anyone to differentiate his biological children from those that were not. I can say this had a great influence on me and you know, it makes this calling easy for me. Unfortunately, the world has drifted away from that. In those days, taking care of a child is the responsibility of everyone in the community, so, it is difficult for one to be involved in any kind of negative act and go without being noticed.

How would you describe Nigerians’ attitude towards adoption?

Generally, Nigerians’ attitude to child adoption is not good enough. It is low when compared with what we have in other civilised countries. We are yet to be there. Not many families fancy this; nobody wants to take extra responsibilities. May be because of our level of exposure, culture or the state of economy, but I tell you, it comes with a great reward from God. Children are gifts from God and where there are parents not willing to care for them but abandon them in terrible places; putting smiles on the faces of such children can never go unnoticed by God. In cases where we have adopters, they do it secretly and not openly.

But why?

It boils down to the same reason - our society. People who adopt children want to have them permanently and because the society attaches much importance to having biological children, they want to keep it secret to

avoid stigmatisation on them and even on the child involved. My sincere prayer is that Nigerians will soon get to the level where they will make adoption a normal part of their lives. There are lots of people who are comfortable enough to do this and I tell you more babies are abandoned daily.

Why do we continue to have abandoned babies despite so much campaign on family planning and child spacing?

Some people still end up with unwanted kids one way or the other. Besides, some children are not intentionally abandoned, they end up alone as result of the sudden death of their parents or they just get lost and are too young to tell their names let alone mention their parents’ names or house. We have them like that and to God’s glory, they are doing well. In all, Nigerians have come to be more civilised about their unwanted children.

These days, many just walk in here with their babies on their own to keep. At least, two young girls do this every week. And I tell you this is better. Instead of dumping them in dustbins, refuse sites where these babies can die or get eaten up by some wild pigs or even end up in the hands of a ritualist, they just bring them here voluntarily.

Do such mothers come back for the babies?

Most times they don’t even when they promised to. What is good in this is that they cared to ensure the safety of their babies.

Does this assignment not clash with your role as a mother and wife?

Not in any way. It is a family affair, we are all into this. My children enjoy this too.

What’s the age of the oldest child in the orphanage?

The oldest male is 28 while the oldest female is 24 this year. The former was abandoned by his Indian mother and was brought in at age 10; the latter, however was brought in at seven.

What’s your advice for Nigerians on adoption and babies generally?

Like I said, they should see adoption as no big deal but a privilege. Any child you adopt or foster will never forget you. Even if by chance, he or she does, heaven can never forget. It is a labour of love that the Bible says God will never forget. If one is not able to take a child in totally, he can foster him by taking full responsibility of the child while he resides outside his home. What is important is to sow into the life of a less-privileged child in a life time.

25

Keeping ABREAST

Pregnancy alert!

Women who drink during pregnancy stunt their child’s growth for nine years  Women who drink three units of alcohol a day have babies with stunted features  Alcohol-related growth restriction present in early infancy and persists through to nine years of age

E

xpectant mothers who drink a large glass of wine a day stunt their children’s growth up to the age of nine, research reveals.

Scientists at Harvard Medical School found pregnant women who had three units of alcohol a day had babies with a lower height, weight and head circumference than light or nondrinkers.

These effects lasted well past infancy and into childhood, said the study – one of the longest-running into the effects of alcohol on the unborn child.

The researchers tested a group of 85 pregnant women, defined as ‘heavy drinkers’, who drank the equivalent of at least a large (250ml) glass of wine a day.

This group was compared with a group of 63 women from the same prenatal clinic, who either did not drink at all or drank ‘lightly’ – defined as less than one unit a day and no bingeing.

Their children’s height, weight and head circumference was measured at the ages of six months, a year, five years and nine years.

The lead researcher said: “We found that children born to women who drank heavily during pregnancy had reductions in weight, height, and head circumference, an indicator of brain

growth.

“This alcohol-related growth restriction was present in early infancy and persisted through to nine years of age.”

He said the effects may be permanent and affect brain development, giving children a lower IQ for life.

Children born to heavy drinkers had a four times higher chance of a low birth weight and were significantly lighter at a year old.

The researchers said developmental problems caused by alcohol could stop them feeding properly during infancy.

By the age of five, the children’s weight in relation to their height was normal, but they were six times as likely to be anaemic as the children of non-drinking mothers, regardless of their diet.

Those with iron deficiency anaemia at birth were more likely to have stunted growth and it seemed to be a direct effect of alcohol exposure in the womb.

Between the ages of five and nine, the children of non-drinking mothers had an average increase in head circumference of 2 centimetres, compared with 1.6 centimetres for the heavy drinkers.

The women were all of low socioeconomic background and mixed race, recruited from a clinic in Cape Town, South Africa.

The heavy drinkers were encouraged to abstain or cut down but 17 of them – a fifth of the sample – gave birth to children with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, the main cause of mental retardation in children in the West.

Another 22 had Partial Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

The effects of heavy drinking were regardless of the women’s age at giving birth and whether they smoked or took drugs.

The stunted growth in later childhood was not related to food intake.

It is thought foetal exposure to alcohol inhibits growth hormones.

Culled from www.mailonline.com

26

August 18 , 2012

Parenting

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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

I

t’s an alarming sight for parents: buttocks that are red and splotchy, thighs that look rubbed raw, and genital areas that look inflamed. Some children may experience just a mild case, while for others, diaper rash only seems to worsen and linger.

There are different types of diaper rash and different contributing factors. The soreness, rash and chafing that are the hallmarks of diaper rash can be caused by friction, moisture, bacteria, antibiotics and even chemicals. Generally, an initial irritant such as moisture agitates the skin, leaving the weakened skin susceptible to other factors such as bacteria. Fortunately, babies are less prone to diaper rash as they get older and their skin toughens up a bit.

The following five preventive measures will help keep your baby happy, healthy and full of smiles during diaper changes. . The dry way or the cry way Moisture is your main adversary in the fight against diaper rash, but a little extra effort can greatly diminish this foe.

Moisture can enter the diaper when a freshly bathed child isn’t fully dry, but more often than not, diaper rash is directly preceded by the prolonged wearing of a urine-heavy diaper.

Before putting a fresh diaper on a child, make sure the diaper area is clean. You will want to be gentle as you clean and dry your child, so as not to further damage or irritate the skin. For areas that already have diaper rash, carefully pat -- not wipe -- them dry. . A fortress of ointment No matter how often you change your baby’s diapers, there will still be plenty of occasion for baby’s soft skin to be in contact with a wet diaper. However, by liberally applying ointments that contain either zinc oxide or pe-

1

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Top 5 ways to win the diaper rash war 5

troleum, you can create a barrier on your baby’s skin that will prevent moisture from coming into contact with it.

Take note: blocking agents, such as creams and ointments, will trap moisture in as well as keep it out, so make sure your baby is completely dry before applying any.

There are a number of medicated products sold over the counter to treat diaper rash. Some of these may contain ingredients that may cause an allergic reaction. Check with your pediatrician to learn which one is right for you and yours. . More diapers less trouble The best way to prevent excessive moisture in your baby’s diaper is to change diapers frequently. Change the baby’s diaper as soon as you realize it’s soiled.

This will keep the urine and feces in the diaper from coming into prolonged contact with your baby’s delicate skin. Urine contributes to diaper rash in a number of ways. First, the moisture itself leads to weakening and tiny abra-

3

ParentingUpdate Yasha the prodigy

sions in the skin. Second, urine is acidic, and this too will damage that area of skin. Finally, when urine is left in contact with feces, bacteria from the feces begins to break down the urea, producing ammonia. Ammonia has no effect on unblemished skin, but if there’s a breach in the skin, then ammonia causes further damage. . Let baby roam free The next best thing to frequent diaper changes is letting your child go diaper-free. This doesn’t have to be for any great length of time. It can just be for a few minutes after he or she has been bathed or had a diaper change. Too much time (or the wrong time) without a diaper will result in smelly ‘accidents,’ so let baby explore on a spread-out sheet or blanket just in case. You can also put a mattress-protecting sheet in your baby’s crib, so that baby can go free for five to 10 minutes. If your child already has diaper rash, you can let him or her sleep without diapers, so long as the room is warm and cozy.

4

. Switch methods It’s extremely frustrating to do absolutely everything you can to prevent diaper rash, only to have it keep showing up or sticking around. If you’re winning every battle but losing the war on diaper rash, you might consider making some random but strategic changes.

Since there’s not one cause of diaper rash, and no single cure-all, you might find an elusive solution to your particular dilemma by performing a methodical switchout. For instance, some disposable diapers have chemicals in them that don’t react well with some children’s skin. So, changing to a

different brand of diaper may turn the tide. If that doesn’t work, consider switching to cloth diapers.

Likewise, if you use cloth diapers, consider switching detergents or switching entirely to disposable diapers. There are a variety of different types of wet wipes, and some have perfumes or other chemicals that may be irritating your baby’s skin. Try switching to a hypoallergenic, unscented wet wipe.

Certain foods ingested by breastfeeding mothers (such as anything tomato-based) can also aggravate diaper rash. Since your infant is receiving his or her nutrition from you, make sure to speak with your pediatrician before making any dietary changes.

You may also consider switching to different kinds of baby lotions or powders, in case the type you currently use are contributing factors.

•Culled from www.discoveryfitandhealth.com

Tiny Feet

NAME: Ayomide Daniel Ajasa

BORN TO: Mr. & Mrs Aboyede Ajasa AGE: 5 months BIRTH WEIGHT: 3.5kg Have you just had a baby? Send a picture of your bundle of joy to mirrorbabies@gmail.com

Child maths prodigy, 10, set for university z Teacher says, “He has a brain like a calculator” z Got an A* in Maths and an A in Pure Maths at eight

W

hile most teenagers are quivering with nerves when it comes to taking their maths A Level, Yasha Asley described it as easy peasy - and he was just seven years-old.

Now the prodigy has gained his third top-grade A-level pass at the tender age of ten.

Yasha, whose teacher claims he has ‘a brain like a calculator,’ achieved an A* in Statistics and now hopes to go to university.

He already has an A* in Maths

and an A in Pure Maths - both of which he gained at the age of eight.

He is the youngest person in the world to have achieved a grade A in Maths - scoring 100 per cent and 99 per cent in two of the six papers two years ago.

Yasha, from Leicester (UK), says he did not suffer from exam nerves as he tackled his Statistics exam paper this year.

He said : “I opened it, looked at the first question and just started writing.”

His father, Moussa Asley, a 49-year-old Iranian, who raised his son single-handedly after his marriage broke up, said : “It just confirmed my expectation. I felt very pleased and very proud.

“He doesn’t work that hard at all. He just does the minimum.

He was born with a talent.”

Yasha, who is still in Junior School is now hoping to find a university that will let him enrol in a Maths course.

•Culled from www.mailonline.com

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

27

August 18, 2012

le StyGlam and

with Yemisi Adeniran

(08037801158) ydiran@yahoo.com

C

hif fon is a beautiful, breathable fabric that is easy to wear any day. It can be very cheap and sturdy despite its light weight. Although some are made of silk, others cotton, nylon, rayon or polyester, there are many gorgeous and simple styles that can be created from the fabric. Often sheer and summery, designers, like never before, are currently taking the fabric a notch higher.

With the reigning ankara and adire fabrics, they trim the chiffon on the neck, helm, waist and the bust areas for that great formal wear and other casual and elaborate parties. Whether you now decide to have yours in a short vintage art dress or a long flowing frock of whatever colour, be ready to be a show stopper. With its alliance with all kinds of accessories, costume or real jewellery, you will have your body well-flattered no matter its peculiarity and you can look just stunning.

28

STYLE & GLAM

August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

8 curly hair tips

as wet as poss ur hair should be Yo ur yo s ep e it ke s. After shamp lon’s sink) becaus the styling proces gin be e lat pu hair (besides a sa ni u ma el dry. In fact, don ward. The more yo ditioning, do not tow curls pointing down u . ur curls. Instead, sq ely they are to frizz YEMISI ADENIRAN anywhere near yo curls, the more lik tow urised hair and throw a Keep it well-moist sure consistently well-de- water from your ir ha rly ys to en l or a weave, cu One of the best wa th oils, shoulders. hether it is natura sections can be moisturized. Not wi ey em Th th s. g ht in sig ep ke on Divide hair into is fined curls itioning. nd co styles are not comm ep de on your hair if d t t an uc Bu g od in ying to put pr lar condition lt to maintain.

Tr gu cu re ffi di th e t wi th t bu ve bu ul ha tif beau with well-defi simply won’t lowprobably find you rls soonest, the fol e dry and parched ll cu ar d wi at ne th . efi rls ve ll-d ha Cu ll we g wi d curls you are seekin derneath. at well-conditione and frizzy curls un you out same definition th et w ing tips will stand le hi ower Apply products w Shampoo in the sh anse and condition your y to cle This is the best wa

W

BEAUTY

Q&A

Your candid response to all fashion questions “I have unwanted hair above my lip and some other odd places. Will they grow back thicker if I pluck them?”

No. This is an old wives’ tale! Hair tapers as it grows in and only seems thicker at the root. Having hair on your body is normal, but having it in some areas can be annoying and even embarrassing. For

areas where hair is unwanted, there are ways to stop the growth and gain smooth skin. You might need to employ a few hair removal methods, but with persistence, you should gain the smooth, hairless skin you’ve always wanted.

Step 1 Shave off your unwanted hair growth. Slather on a shaving cream

and use a ing needs it is a quic unwanted Step 2 Wax of

s

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

August 18, 2012

Fashion Frenzy

enever possible Let hair air dry wh your hair air ays have time to let alw t no y ma h u nc Yo e less heat you Do not scru sible when you at’s trying to become dry, but do it whenever you can. Th th ir ha vy wa for blow drying, even Scrunching is your hair and it’s pooing and conir in the for m of in ha ts uc ur od yo pr on , ve ce ha pla h . Once you e your hair retains n’t bring a towel curly tion, do not scrunc the more moistur fac d, tis se sa ffu ur di yo s at it’ th to if h hy curls ed throug maintaining healt rly will only cause ueeze the excess comb ich is crucial for ir that’s already cu wh ha ng hi nc ru Sc ur it. wel around yo . don’t frizz. it to become frizzy ts uc od pr y it al Avoid oils qu Use good ts that are not oil with a high-quality ned curls, produc lts su efi re ll-d r we tte r be Fo ch You’ ll get mu store brand, which as one big piece better results. based will give you ll from a cheap drug wi u yo an th l top ge d. d parche ined hair on feeling crunchy an usually leaves hair

STYLE & GLAM

29

Facelift

Would you match

lips

with your your dress?

There is a beauty myth that you shouldn’t match your lipstick to your dress. And guess what? It’s wrong! Just take a look at fashionistas who match their lips with their outfits and you will agree that indeed if done right you can break beauty conventions without looking like a total rebel.

Below are three top tips for getting matchymatchy and looking cute still: Step 1 Get the look...

To nail this approach, make sure the colour and the texture of your lipstick is as dressed up as your outfit. A full glam dress should be paired with full pigment lipsticks. Sheer glosses go best with casual looks.

Step 2 For a more relaxed, modern approach, choose a lipstick that’s the same tone as the fabric (warm or cool). But that doesn’t mean you have to wear blue lipstick with your denim jeans. Instead, a sheer bluebased pink that flatters all skin tones goes perfectly with denim.

new razor to cut off the hair at the surface of the skin. Shavto be repeated every few days to maintain smooth skin, but ck, effective and cheap way to temporarily put a stop to your d hair. f your unwanted hair. Simply heat up the wax, apply it to

your skin, then place a waxing strip over it. Pull the strip off in one fast movement in the opposite direction of hair growth. This will rip out your hair at the root, providing for smooth skin for several weeks before it starts to grow back. Waxing can be painful and cause skin irritation, however, so test it in a small area before trying to remove all the hair from your legs, for instance.

Step3 To avoid colour match overkill, accentuate just lips, just nails or just eyes with a pop of colour—but never all at the same time

30

STYLE & GLAM

August 18, 2012

Model

‘Can’t go anywhere

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Trendz

without jewellery’ Yemisi Akeju, a model in her early 20s shared with YEMISI ADENIRAN her rare mission in modelling. She

also spoke about her love for jewellery: “I can’t go anywhere without it,’ she said.

W

hat informs your way of dressing?

My mood. There are times I love to appear in traditional outfits and there are times I choose to go the Western way. But I love to carve something unique for myself.

The kind of event I am billed to attend also dictates the way I appear. Overall, I love to appear simple and beautiful.

But you are not as daring as one would expect of a model?

It is not until you display your sensitive parts that you are said to be beautiful. When you leave those things for people, especially men, to imagine, it paints you better and draws them more to you. In any case, I was not brought up to flaunt my private parts and I will not, not for anything. Africa is beautiful, we have the curves where they are right and covering them up makes them more admirable. I love to model good impression and not carelessness. My aim in modelling is to influence the world of modelling; teach other aspiring ones that modelling is not for prostitutes or careless ladies. It is for decent people. This has stood me out and has brought jobs my way.

What if you are in a big contest and you have to be in beach wears, bikinis and all that?

Oh! There is no problem about that. There are bikinis that are not totally expository and besides, I will use any of the Nigerian fabrics to sew it in a way that the message will not be lost. African ladies also have several ways of displaying their beautiful skin, cleavages and all that. You don’t have to be absolutely naked. For instance, we are the originator of strapless, mini outfits in form of skimpy wrappers and skirts.

What is that fashion item you cannot do without?

It is my jewelleries. I love wearing bold and beautiful jewelleries, not necessarily expensive. I also make some on my own. I can’t go anywhere without my jewelleries. They add beauty and glamour to a woman.

Be earthly

toned YEMISI ADENIRAN

M

ore practical than ash and often considered as neutral, the grey colour is a hue that seems dull but looks good on everyone regardless of skin colour. It is cool and easy to accessorise. Quite serious and glamorous, it is friendly with other colours. But if you are a loud colour fan and you must wear grey, you can create an exquisite look by combining it with a bright colour of the accessory of your choice. Best for warm seasons and elegant on all shapes, the grey colour comes in any kind of pieces from dresses to shirts, blouses, pants, shoes and other accessories.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

31

August 18, 2012

Male Essentials

08036961187

with Oseyiza Oogbodo kingseiza@yahoo.com w

Polo panache U

ntil you wear one and d people you on start to commend y how good you look, you won’t know how valuable a polo sshirt is.

Always short sleeved and made of m cotton like the T-shirt, it has a collar however, unli unlike the T-shirt, and mak makes the wearer smart wearer look sma art a and corporate casual corpo orate in a cas sual way y.

It suitable I is suita abl ble for only semi-formal on nly semii--formal and an nd informal inform ma al occasions siions an and itt can be worn worn in a v variety of ways, m making it more morrre e verver satile.

You can wear a jacket jack ket over it, tuck it in, in, fly it, with a Tw shirt

underneath, with jeans, chinos or dress trousers, dress shoes or sneakers.

Any way you choose to wear it, you will always be a winner as you will end up looking dapper. The only condition of note in wearing it is just that you should buy those that fit your body. other In words, those t ose not th t o o tight a n d not too loose o n your body.

What you need to know about accessories 1

. Match your belt to your shoes. It doesn’t have to be a perfect match, as long as you wear a black belt with black shoes and a brown belt with brown shoes. . Match your socks to your pants.

Again, it doesn’t have to be a perfect match – a little lighter or darker is fine.

If you don’t have socks to match your pants, you can match your shoes, or just wear black socks. . White socks are for sports. Only.

Unless you are a) wearing sneakers, and b) doing something athletic in them, avoid white socks. . Your tie should reach your belt. Anything short of your belt makes you

2

3 4

look like a rube. . Try a front-pocket wallet or money clip. This will save wear-and-tear on your back pocket (helping to avoid the heartbreak of “buttsquare”), help avoid pickpockets (a little – the good ones know…) and save your back. Plus: classy! . You’re allowed one affectation. A fedora. A pocket watch. A bracelet or class ring. A vest (if you’re not wearing a three-piece suit). An expensive wristwatch. Pick one, but no more – give your whatever-it-is space to say whatever-itsays.

5 6

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August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Relationships

Can your spouse be It is difficult

R

eligion is one of the most salient factors that can either make or mar a relationship, especially marriage.

Whether we like it or not, it will continue to be a very important issue in the growth of the relationship. It is always difficult to marry someone of a different religion to yours.

The reasons are varied and so diverse that when you hear them, you will begin to wonder if people ever consider love, trust, communication, honesty or even commitment above other things when choosing a life partner.

People have taken the matter of religion to a different perspective. Most often, the issue of religion and whether to marry a partner from another faith comes from the prejudices of our parents and other family members which they show as an act out of concern. Marriage is an institution which is full of obstacles at the best of times.

And being married to a partner of a different religion is an obstacle most people would rather do without if they can. This is because the religious dogmas will be different.Trying to adjust or understand a different dogma as the new accepted truth especially if it is at variance with what you may have been taught or believed in will be difficult if not downright impossible.

In my many years of practice as a relationship expert, I’ve come to realise that in most cases if not all, what drives people apart are basically the basic differences pertaining to issues of how partners relate to sex related matters, financial issues and how partners deal with them and the third parties that are forever trying to come between the partners. The third parties may be as far from them as friends and relatives and as close as the children in the union.

Of course, disputes of religious leanings are important too. I believe that handling issues of religious differences may not be easy when looked at

from a distance, but there are a number of interesting and productive ways of managing religious differences. In any intimate relationship, a couple can certainly stay together as a couple by being open minded about issues relating to religion and by resisting the urge to push their individual beliefs onto their spouses.

One of the major ways of handling the issue of having different religious view points and living harmoniously is to respect each other’s points of view, especially since the issue of religion is a personal choice between you and your Maker.

Whether I want to make heaven is a personal thing; you cannot and should not live my life for me. If you can relate with respecting your partner’s point of view, you will avoid the potentially damaging consequences of insulting each other’s beliefs.

Respecting your spouse’s faith will also ultimately help to build a strong foundation for your relationship.

Compromising is also very important. If the relationship has been built on compromise, tolerance and mutual respect, it’ll be very easy to communicate your religious points of view to your spouse and children. This can be parleyed into educating your spouse and the children on the tenets and selling points of your beliefs. Ultimately, no matter how strict you are as a parent, your children will still follow a faith they are comfortable with. So, insisting they follow your faith now, even if you and your spouse are of the same faith, does not guarantee that they will practise it. The easiest way to create bad blood is to try and force anyone to follow your faith against their wishes, even if they are your children.

I believe that the success of most marital relationships is based on having similar value systems and not religious beliefs. If both of you are tolerant, supportive and understanding of each other’s beliefs it will be

SEX TALK

This column is x-rated

The great sex debate

How much sex is too much or too little?

The Western perspective Ejaculation for a man over 30 should be twice a week and for a man over 50 once a week is good. For those who are 60 maybe twice a month and once a month for those over 70 yrs old. For teenagers and below 30s, two to three times a day is fine -Sex researchers  Is twice a day too much sex – when you love and desire your partner?  Is twice a week too little – when you are stressed, aching, sick or low on stamina?  Is twice a month acceptable – in a longterm relationship between two aging partners?  Is twice a year better than nothing - when you are 85 and your wife is 80?

So how much sex is not enough? Perhaps the answer is one time less than what you want. How much is too much? Maybe one time more than you desire or have strength for. Are we supposed to believe that our desire for sex remains constant throughout our lives? In truth, the amount of sex we have is determined by many things: how we’re feeling, our relationships, access to a partner, our health and how much we feel like compromising in a given moment. The only practical yardstick to determine whether you and your partner are having “enough” sex is how both of you feel about it.

One of the major factors that determine approximately how much sex is “normal” is your age. Much younger people, especially young hormonal boys, want sex many more times than they are usually getting. Their sexual appetites far exceed what would be considered normal. Newly married couples or couples that have just gotten together are more likely to have more active sex lives. It is “normal” for these couples to have sex at least once a day. However, it may be more or less. Their “normal” is much higher than couples that have been together for a while. People

in their forties will have less sex than people in their twenties but still more than older couples.

Their frequency is more likely to be a few times a week or a few times every few weeks. Then you have people in their fifties and higher that are likely to still have sexual desires but are much more diminished. They may have sex a few times a month and that is considered their “normal”.

The amount of sex you have also depends on the stage of life you are in. Young people without any major responsibilities are likely to have more time for sex but less opportunity. If they are serious students, they may be busier with school work and have less time but more opportunity.

Couples that have married, gotten their first big jobs, and started families are extremely busy and may be too tired to have sex all the time. Couples who have established their careers and have kids that are grown still have strong desires and more time to indulge them. Older couples definitely have the time but their desires are not as strong, so are less likely to have sex.

There are numerous factors that can affect your sex life besides just age and stage in your life. Factors such as stress, diminished desire, and illness can affect your frequency as a couple.

The important thing to remember is there is no across the board number that is “normal”. What should be considered normal is what is right for you and your partner. No matter what your number is, as long as both parties are satisfied there is no need to worry about normalcy.

If you are having too much sex, your system will tell you so in a variety of ways you cannot possibly miss.

1.

Getting sore- Perhaps the most annoying effects of too much sex is the soreness. The friction that is created during sex can be totally nice. But too much friction--especially dry friction--can cause you to become sore during and after sex. The best way to save your genitals from

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RELATIONSHIPS

August 18, 2012

33

CHINWE ANNIE AMAECHI 07028684481 chinweamaechi@gmail.com

of another faith?

A foundation for complication

M

This column is x-rated friction is to take a break or make sure to keep plenty of lubricant on hand.

2.

Dopamine overdose- Dopamine is one of many hormones that the brain produces during sex. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that drives us to have sex and makes it oh so very, very good. One of the effects of having too much sex is your body needs more and more dopamine to feel good and maintain your natural sexual high. Some scientists have even suggested that there may be a link between dopamine and sexual addiction.

3.

Loss of sensation- Friction not only can cause you to be sore, but it can also cause you to temporarily loose sensation. If you take a breather, the sensation will return and you can go back to being the sex machine you want to be. But if loss of sensation happens often or lasts for more than a few minutes, it’s time to have the doctor take a look at your under parts.

4.

Difficulty keeping your mojo going- Going at it for hours and hours on end may make you feel like a sex machine for a while, but sometimes that can do more harm than good. When you are having a marathon sex session, you are not giving your body or your genitals time to rest and replenish oxygen. This lack of oxygen can lead to decreased blood flow and ejaculation issues.

Frequent ejaculation stimulates parasympathetic nervous functions. Excessive stimulation can result in over production of sex hormones and neurotransmitters such as acethylcoline, dopamine and serotonin. Too much of these hormones and neurotransmitters can cause the brain and adrenal glands to perform excessive dopamine-norepinephrine-epinephrine conversion, which will bring about a big change of body chemistry. Changes in the body chemistry will cause the following side effects: Fatigue, lower back pain, hair loss or thinning of hair, weak erection, premature ejaculation, eye floaters or fuzzy vision, groin/testicular pain, pain in the pelvic cavity, de-

This column is x-rated pression and memory problems Too much ejaculation can also cause seminal leakage. The sperm oozes or leaks out of the penis without erection.

Semen leakage is embarrassing and may cause you to feel uncomfortable. Semen leakage is one sign that the parasympathetic nerve, which keeps the ejaculation valve shut and is responsible for erection is weakening as a result of too much ejaculation. Maintaining an erection is impossible if you have a weak nerve. In addition, too much ejaculation can affect the liver’s ability to release enzymes that aid in hormone production. It can also cause youthful impotence or erectile dysfunction.

On the other hand, there are definitive psychological dangers associated with not getting enough sex. A healthy sex life confers a wealth of side benefits, such as cardiovascular exercise, a lower incidence of cold and flu, better sleep, longer life, reduced depression, and surprisingly, an improved sense of smell! Regular sex sessions will firm a woman’s tummy and buttocks and also improve her posture. Women who abstain from sex run the risk of vaginal atrophy. The opening of the vagina narrows from disuse. This condition can lead to dysparenia, or pain associated with intercourse.

One last word…It can be challenging to find the balance between fulfilling your sexual needs, meeting the needs of your partner, having autonomy over how much sex you have, and keeping up with your other responsibilities. As long as you and your partner are content, no one’s getting hurt, you’re protecting your body, and sex isn’t getting in the way of the rest of your life, there’s no need to worry about how much sex you are having. Many people are completely happy abstaining, and others get on it like rabbits. Just be safe, pay attention to your intuition, and don’t over stress yourself. If you are happy, safe, and healthy, it’s enough.

Watch out perspective

for…The

Nigerian

arriage is one of the exceptions to the rules of Mathematics in the sense that in marriage (ideally), 1 + 1 = 1. In this regard, even though marriage is the union of two different individuals with separate bodies, souls, temperaments, ideologies and beliefs, it is expected that there should be oneness in certain aspects of the couple’s lives. In fact, the higher the areas of oneness, the better the marriage. Our focus this week is on one key area - religion/faith/spiritual compatibility. Must marriage partners share the same religion?

When it comes to choosing a spouse, the criteria employed differ from person to person. On Mr. A’s scale of preference, spiritual compatibility may be the foremost or amongst the top three, while on Mr. B’s it may be way below or excluded.

People say that marriage should be premised on love and not religion, but the question is this: how deep can love be when the religious beliefs of the ‘lovers’ are divergent? Faith goes deep into the spirit, the core of one’s being; therefore if love must be deep, the partners must have a solid spiritual connection.

An interfaith marriage is not one of the cases in which diversity makes life more interesting. In fact, this is one of the cases where diversity makes life more complicated than it is by default.

Despite the challenges, inter-tribal marriages can create beautiful pictures of unity in diversity. But can we say the same about interfaith marriages? I strongly doubt.

I really wonder why people say that religious differences are not fundamental when we all know that every interfaith marriage must necessarily experience challenges, even from the onset. I am yet to hear a success story of an interfaith marriage, success in this sense being assessed with regard to zero conflict in issues surrounding the differences in spiritual beliefs and doctrines.

Let us face facts; the problems of interfaith marriage begin long before the marriage. The couple must consider several issues: How do we convince our families to accept the union? Under what faith should we conduct the marriage ceremony? Should we agree on one faith or do we continue in our separate faiths? What faith should we introduce to our children? The questions are endless. My question is this: can’t all this confusion be avoided?

It is very easy to expect the woman to flow with her husband’s faith, but we fail to realise that faith (as it should be) is deep-rooted and one cannot just transit from one to another the way a

woman changes her name upon ma marriage. Even if a woman agrees to change to her husband’s faith, implementation is usually challenging. This is because one’s choice of faith/religion must be premised on personal conviction, as against ‘migration necessitated by marriage’.

The key issue which people seem to ignore is the fact that it is the woman who does most of the home training and grooming of children. She teaches them how to pray, and instils values in them.

Tell me how well a woman will play this role if she gets married to a man of a faith different from hers?

I believe that before two people decide to get married, they must think about the future, particularly the children that will eventually come. Undoubtedly, the primary victims of wrong choices in marriage are the children. If two people decide that they are so “in love” such that they sweep the issue of religious differences under the carpet, they are, in my opinion, definitely selfish and myopic.

People should know that marriage is not just about the husband and his wife.

It is a marriage of two families and the foundation of several generations to come. The ‘love birds’ will eventually become parents and their home will become the first learning institution and agent of socialisation for each child.

What kind of orientation do children in interfaith marriages have? Whose faith should they be introduced to; mum or dad’s?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not an advocate of religious intolerance. Not at all! In fact, I believe that faith/religion is by choice and that no one should discriminate on the basis of divergence in religious/faith issues. However, I opine that a decision not to marry a person of another faith is not a sign of religious intolerance. Rather, it is a mode of avoiding the introduction of confusion into children’s first stage of learning.

A child needs not be born into an interfaith marriage to learn religious tolerance.

Marriage on its own is bound to be challenging because two people cannot be the same. It is only wise to narrow down the points of conflict by insisting on having certain similarities with a person before you tie the knot.

The members of a healthy family pray together, attend the same place of worship and share the same values. Most interfaith marriages lack these bonding elements.

So, how successful can a marriage of people from different religions be? I wonder!

34

August 18, 2012

Dear Igho

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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

s r e b m e She rem e h s n e h w y l n o e m is broke Dear Igho, I’m in love with a girl who claims she loves me too. Recently, she said I should take an oath with her but I refused. The only problem I’m having with her is that she only remembers to call me or to come to my house whenever she needs money. Please help me because I’m confused. I don’t know if she truly loves me or not.

Opeoluwa, Ondo State.

Dear Opeoluwa, It’s good as you rejected taking an oath with her. Though you didn’t state your ages and what you do for a living; if you both are working or students, I would advise that you should be patient.

To be sincere, are you people really in a relationship? If so, how do you get to see since your message indicates she

only remembers, calls and comes to you only when she needs money.

Since I don’t have sufficient information about this relationship, I would advise you discuss your fears with her, pour your heart to her without attack-

What is sex like?

Dear Igho, I’m still a virgin but I have had my traditional marriage. We are, however, waiting for the church wedding. Please, I want to know what sex is before marriage. I also want to know the precaution to take to avoid pregnancy before marriage. My husband says he wants to settle down before sex so that I’ll not do it when he’s not around. I’m 23years old.

Blessing.

Dear Blessing, If your husband says he wants to settle down before touching you, what ex-

actly are you looking for? It’s rare to have men like your husband today. If you’ve been able to keep yourself this long, why soil your white cloth with permanent ink? Virginity is a precious gift a man or woman can give to his/her spouse, so keep it till your wedding night.

As regards knowledge of sex before the much awaited wedding night, don’t be worried about that. Since you’re having a church wedding, the marriage counsellors will put you through that while your husband will be gentle and lead you.

If you’re both virgins, with the information from the counsellors which I’m certain will be Godly, you’ll learn, get experienced and enjoy your matrimony.

Wishing you the best ahead!

She does not trust me Dear Igho, I am 24 years old and in love with a girl of 15. We love each other like nothing can separate us. I’m her first boyfriend. But since I got admission into college, everything stopped going the same because she thought I would be having something with other girls while my female course mates now hate me because I don’t want to befriend any of them. Please I need your help.

Dominic.

Life partners needed!

Hello, Igho. * I need a serious relationship that will lead to marriage. The lady must be a wife material, good looking and Muslim. She should also be a working class and between the ages of 20-31years. Please, I don’t need a game girl. Any serious lady can ring me on 08168332203. *I’m Kayode. I reside in Lagos and

29 years old. I am slim and good looking. I’m a Muslim, God fearing and will care for whoever is ready to love me. Thanks. *I’m a 38-year-old business woman living with HIV. In order not to spread it, please l need someone living with HIV for a relationship. Please don’t disclose my number. Thanks.

ing her person. But personally, I feel she could be one of those people who have the habit of not making calls; it may not mean that she doesn’t love you. Discuss with her and let me know how it fares. Good luck!

Dear Dominic,

(Please anyone interested in this lady can reach me for her contact details).

I’m 24, AS genotype and in need of a Christian or Muslim girl for a serious relationship. She has to be kind-hearted, honest, gentle, patient, romantic, tall, and a student between 20-23yrs.

08026916647 is my number.

I commend you for remaining faithful but don’t you think you’re not getting your priorities right?

It’s nice to be in love but don’t you think doing this with a 15-yearold could be quite misleading?

As regards your class mates, remain steadfast in your decision of not wanting to date them. To be candid, you still have years ahead of you to fall in and possibly out of love; so be patient.

Rather, be platonic friends with them and every other lady and girl. This way, you’ll understand ladies better, not lose concentration in your studies and when you’re ready to get married, you’ll be able to make a wise choice from your friends.

This is not to say you should abandon the initial girl you wrote about; remain close to her, help her with her school work, relate with her the way you would want other men to treat your blood sister. Please, don’t go fiddling with her body or emotions. By keeping the relationship pure, you’ll keep her dignity and yours too. Should things work out well for you both in future, she’ll trust and respect you. And if other wise, though she’ll be hurt initially, you’ll yet stand tall in her sight. Good luck!

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

EVENTS

August 18, 2012

35

At the holy matrimony of Adedayo & Eniola Adedapo The holy matrimony between Eniola Odusami and Adedayo Adedapo held recently in Lagos. Traditional wedding was on August 2 at NECA House while the church wedding held on Saturday August 4 at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Acme Road, Ikeja, Lagos. Reception was at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja.

Bride and groom signing the marriage certificate ...

.... at their traditional wedding

Groom’s parents Prince and Mrs Adewale Adedapo L-R: Bride’s mother, Mrs Jumoke Odusami with bride’s uncle, Mr. Adebayo Odusami and a relation

Groom, Adedayo and bride, Eniola with the Best Man and Chief Bride’s Maid

Guests at the occasion

L-R: Guests: Mr. Bisoye Fagade, Kunle Afolayan and Kingsley James

Mrs Moji Siwoku, from London, and Mrs Tunrayo Odusami

36

Living

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

August 18, 2012

While rain to most people on earth is often longed for and seen as a blessing, the people of Anambra West Local Government of Anambra State consider it somehow differently. They are a people hounded by perennial problems of flood and erosion.

TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

R

ainy season to every farmer is that of joy. It is when the much needed rains for nurturing and growth of crops come. Therefore, farmers see the season as a blessing. Some communities even pray for the season to come quickly.

But for the people of Anambra West Local Government in Anambra State, especially the farmers, the rainy season is almost dreaded for it brings them mostly agony and pains. Reason: Erosion.

The area is surrounded by the River Niger. This probably also affects the rate of development in the place; it is laid back in time. For this community, social amenities such as pipe-born water, hospitals, and schools, among others are foreign.

The local government, which has its headquarters at Nzam, shares boundary with Delta and Kogi states. Hardly can somebody have access to some of the communities within the council without passing through the great river.

The major towns that make up the local government are: Ezi Anam, Ifite Anam, Nzam, Olumbanasa, Oroma-etiti, Umueze-Anam, Umuenwelum Anam, Umukwu-Anam. The villages in the council are Igbedor, Igbokenyin, Odeh, Amomona, Amomgobu, Aduja, Ohogoja, Osheda, Oyowo, Oche, Ajagba, among others.

Community lost in time Despite being regarded as the ‘Food Basket of Anambra State’ the state of affairs and living condition of the people of Anambra West Local Government leave more to be desired.

The council is majorly divided into two major groups: the Igbo and the Igala speaking communities. The Igbo speaking section is made up of those living within the various towns. To some extent, this section is closer to civilization.

However, the same cannot be said of the section occupied by the Igala speaking

people. They inhabit the villages and they are worse off in terms of neglect, social amenities and infrastructure In a visit to some of the towns in the community, Saturday Mirror learnt that the people and their settlement can be best regarded as the ‘forgotten ones’ as a result of the kind of life they live.

According to Saturday Mirror investigation, thousands of people living in Anambra West have been subjected to a life of poverty forcing them to be feeding from hand to mouth.

Besides the unavailability of social infrastructure, the road to the community is almost inexistent. A situation that has forced members of the community to adopt transportation by water and motorcycle.

Saturday Mirror also learnt that despite its backward status, the cost of living in these communities is rather high.

For instance, the inhabitants of these communities pay through their noses for potable water. True they are CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

‘We are forgotten and neglected’

W

hat has been the major problem of this community?

Flooding is a vital problem to us in this community because we are on an island. Sometimes we do plant but before five months flood would have washed everything away and at the end of the day we cannot harvest anything. Flood is disturbing us seriously. We don’t have means of transportation. We find it difficult to feed ourselves and educate our children.

Some of our students, after their secondary school, do find it difficult to progress with their education because there is nobody to assist them.

So, the only thing we can do after our secondary school is to venture into farming because government is not

– Comrade Samuel Uzor, teacher

Uzor

helping us and they are not ready to listen to us.

What about those you voted for?

They are not doing anything for us.

They only come during their campaign period and they will promise heaven and earth. But after the election they will not come to this area again. We have gone to the local government several times to lodge our complaints and personally I have written to the local and state governments several times.

Nothing positive has come out of our petitions and appeals to the government. We don’t have anybody at the top.

We are a minority in Anambra West; we are the Igala speaking communities while others are Igbo. In terms of population and every other thing,

the Igbo speaking communities are more than the Igalas. We have been forgotten and neglected. We are just like a bird in the cage.

What do you want the government to do for you?

We are using this medium to call on the government to help us. They should provide drinking water for us because our people are drinking from the swamps and people are dying of cholera. Our transportation is nothing to write home about.

To travel to Otuocha, bikes would charge between N2, 000 – N3,000, while a boat ride to Ila or Onitsha is between N500 and N1,000. We are appealing to the government to come to our rescue.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

LIVING

August 18, 2012

37

When rain becomes a curse CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36 surrounded by the River Niger, but the water of the great river is not hygienic hence unsafe for drinking. Thus, they resort to buying water. For this choice, they are forced to make, they pay heavily.

A bag of water goes for N200 in many of the communities, compared to N100 in some of the neighbouring towns and cities.

Also, a litre of petrol is sold for N200.

This is about 200 per cent higher than the prescribed N97. This is so because there is no single petrol station in all the communities. The nearest filling station to the communities is about 10 kilometres. Based on the high cost of petrol in the state, people do pay between N500N1,000 for motorcycle to the closest city.

Otuocha in Anambra State or Ila in Delta State. The two are about five kilometres away from the communities.

Those who cannot afford the motorcycle have to resort to canoe as means of transportation. But the irony of water transportation in this area is that it is only effective during the rainy season because some of the rivers are dry up during the dry season.

The state of education and health care in the communities is also devastating.

For example in the whole Igbedor, Odeh, Igbokeyin and other villages, there is only one secondary school. The school which is situated in Igbedor is in a bad condition. Classrooms in the primary schools in some of the villages are also inadequate and teachers few. Due to lack of teachers some of the schools combine pupils of Primary 1-4 together and put Primary 5-6 pupils in the same class.

Speaking with Saturday Mirror, the Head Mistress of Community Primary School Odeh, Lady Okeke Rose, said that getting qualified teachers for the pupils is a major challenge.

“We lack teachers and teaching materials. Many of the teachers we employed have run away because there is no social amenity in our community. Even some of the teachers that were posted here have run away. Before, we have about 374 students but some of them have run away because of lack of teachers to take care of them,” she said.

Expressing her view about the state of health in the community, the head of the medical team at the private owned St. Joseph Clinic, Igbedor, Mrs Udoh Adaku, said that many of the cases being treated at the hospital are malaria related due to the fact that many of the villagers are exposed to mosquito bites and poor water.

“People of this community rely so much on traditional medicine and it is only a few people that usually patronise the hospital for treatment. Some of the cases we treated here are malaria parasite and typhoid because of the kind of environment the people are exposed to and the water they drink,” she added.

Speaking to Saturday Mirror, some of the residents lamented government’s negligence of the area. They accused

A major road in the community

both local and state governments of neglecting them, adding that their various communities have not really benefitted from government largesse.

The Igwe of Igbokenyi, Osaji Ogbama, corroborated this claim, adding that his community has not benefited something significant from the government.

He therefore called on the government to provide potable water, electricity and other social amenities for his people.

The Principal of Community Secondary School, Igbedor, Dr. Benjamin Oguno, said the community seems to be a forgotten area.

“This community is virtually cut off.

It seems to be a forgotten area. The communities rely on nearby streams and these streams are infected with various kinds of diseases. So we need more help from the government. This area is known as the food basket of Anambra State but the people are really suffering.

“We need help in this area in all human endeavours. During flood season you cannot pass through the roads in this area. We need good roads; we need electricity and we need functional hospitals.

All the communities in this local govern-

ment are surrounded by water. We need government to help us build bridges so that people can easily move their products to the town. We are Igalas and we are in the minority in Anambra State.

We the Igalas are not represented in the government and we want them to recognise us as part of Anambra,” he said.

In his view, a clergyman, Revd Clem Omachonu, blamed the politicians for lack of development in the communities, saying that the people in public office rather than represent the people and attract development to their various communities are busy amassing wealth for selfish reasons. He therefore tasked the people of the community to cultivate the habit of voting for people they can trust with their votes.

He said: “The politicians are not doing anything to help the people. We have people representing us at the National and State House of Assemblies but we are not really feeling their impacts. They are not true representatives of the people.

All they are concerned about is using public office to enrich themselves at the expense of the public.”

A farmer, Mrs Rosarine Loku, also ex-

pressed her bitterness at the poor state of her community. She said: “We are very hardworking people but we usually lost a lot of our products during the rainy season. We get nothing from our products during the harvest period. We plant a lot of farm products and before the time of harvest, floods do destroy some of the products. I do lose about N300,000 – N500, 000 on yearly basis due to the flooding problem. We are also very backward in terms of development.”

Several efforts to speak with any of the council officials on what the local government has been doing for the people did not yield any fruit as the council secretariat was closed on Monday around 2:pm when Saturday Mirror visited the secretariat.

One of the security officials who spoke with Saturday Mirror on anonymity said; “The chairman is not around and none of the council officials is around. They don’t usually come to office. Majority of the council officials are not living within this community and they come to office anytime they like.”

Will government ever come to the rescue of these people? Only time will tell.

‘Government has never come to our aid’ – Francis Nwunjuke, farmer

W

hat is the major problem of this community?

One of our major problems is flood. It happens during the rainy season. It covers our products and this usually forces many of us to harvest our farm products before the normal harvesting period. The flood usually covers our products and this has forced many of us to harvest our products prematurely to prevent loss.

What has government been doing for you?

Government has never come to our aid. They have never done anything to

help us. We do complain to them during the flood period. We have been calling on the government for long to come to our rescue but they are yet to do anything for us. Even some of the boreholes they provided are not working effectively.

How have you been coping?

We are just living our life like our forefathers lived. We have swamps around us and we go to the swamps to get the water that we drink. There is no electricity here; people only rely on generator. It is very expensive for us because of the price of petrol here but since we don’t have any option, we have learnt how to cope with the situation.

Nwunjuke

38

LIVING

August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Mushin ... on the march against crime

Market women association also joined in the protest

Some of the protesters

Mushin is a popular area of Lagos. Instead of being renowned for its large market and the industry of its residents, Lagosians and indeed law enforcement officers are unanimous that it is one of the black spots of the megacity. The residents are, however, kicking against this tag.

SEGUN ADIO

W

hile crime is associated mostly with densely populated areas, it is also a feature of a megacity and Lagos is a megacity. As prone to crime as the city is some areas are more notorious than others. One of its flashpoints is the Mushin and Shomolu/Bariga axis.

Hardly does any day go by that a major crime would not be reported in these two localities. It may be strange to learn that hoodlums and cult members are not the only perpetrators of the crimes in these areas. Some law enforcement agents are alleged to contribute to their notoriety.

But last Saturday, the residents of Mushin took a stance against this cankerworm gradually decimating their ranks.

They took to the streets in protest.

They said they could and would no longer watch while their loved ones are raped, maimed or felled by assailants’ bullets. They said they were fed up with incessant day light robberies and raids by notorious cults that have made Mushin their abode.

The Mushin residents recently took their destiny into their own hands. On Saturday August 11, 2012, scores of landlords, tenants, and shop owners in the vast Mushin area converged on Ojo Street to protest the continuous alleged harassment of their sons and daughters by some law enforcement agents and also the incessant inter cult clashes that have become a norm in the area.

During the protest march, nearly three dozens of senior citizens bore placards of various sizes bearing different inscriptions. They were joined in the march by several market women doing their trade

GONE ARE THE DAYS WHEN WE ALLOWED DISGRUNTLED ELEMENTS TO TARNISH THE IMAGE OF THE GOOD PEOPLE OF

MUSHIN. WE ARE READY

TO CHASE THEM OUT OF THIS PLACE NEVER TO RETURN AGAIN in Mushin and its environs. Children too were not left behind.

As if their cries to the authorities for normalcy in Mushin did not get to the people concerned, the protesters also took to the streets on following day, Sunday, August 12, 2012 and even on Monday, August 13, 2012.

For the three days the protesters shook Mushin to its foundations. The protesters took their grievances to major and supposedly notorious spots. Some of the areas touched by the protesters included the notorious Akala Street, Lawani Street, Bada Street, Odunsi Street, Moshalashi area.

As early as 7:00a.m, on the first day of the protest march, the entire Ojo Street, in Mushin was packed full of the protesters while their placards were supplied much later.

The convener of the protest march, Alhaja Sikiratu Olomowewe, an acclaimed leader of herbs seller in Mushin (Iya Gbogbo Elewe Omo General) did not mince words when addressing members of the fourth estate of the realm that converged on Ojo Street.

The protesters also used the occasion to impress it on the government to step up security of lives and property in the area.

That was not all. They also alleged that a senior police officer in the state was behind some of the notorious gangs disturbing the peace of the area.

In an interview with Saturday Mirror, Alhaja Olomowewe claimed that the concerned residents of Mushin had sent emissaries to local council authorities in the area but with little result. Hence, their reason for take to the streets.

Her words: “We can no longer fold our arms and watch this mayhem happening in Mushin without acting. This was the same Mushin that many of us grew up and we lived peacefully then. But things have changed now. No one is free to walk the streets even in day time again. The time is now when we pour our minds out on the crisis in Mushin and how it will become a thing of the past. Only yesterday an innocent man was brutally killed by some thugs in the area. We are all tired of threats to our lives and our children’s.”

Alhaja Olomowewe also used the occasion to allege that some law enforcement agents often come to smoke marijuana in some bad spots in the area.

She continued: “It has got to a stage where some people meant to provide security for the citizens even collaborate with these bad boys to unleash terror on the area. They even come to smoke marijuana in some joints in Mushin.”

Concluding, Alhaja Olomowewe says it would be no re-treat, no surrender between the hoodlums and residents of Mushin henceforth.

“Gone were the days that we look and

allow some disgruntled elements in the society to come and tarnish the image of the good people of Mushin. We are ready to chase them out of this place and never to return here again,” she said.

Fatai Odumosu is one of the leaders in Mushin community and one of the organisers of the protest. Speaking with Saturday Mirror on telephone, Odumosu claimed that the protest march became necessary in the light of series of threats to the lives of residents in the hands of a group of notorious boys who come to hibernate in Mushin.

“We residents of Mushin had waited for long before we decided to take our destiny in our own hands. There is a group of notorious boys that operate in Shomolu and Bariga and run to Mushin to hide. On many occasions they bring their guns to hide in Mushin,” Odumosu alleged.

According to the community leader, on several occasions when law enforcement agents come to effect arrest of the boys, allegedly headed by one Tobi, some innocent youths of the area would be whisked away in place of the gang members.

“Sometime in 2010, these bad boys brought some 30 weapons to hide in Mushin. We alerted police authorities to the development. Back then, the boys were rounded up and arrested. They later confessed that they actually brought in the weapons,” Odumosu said.

He also claimed that the story changed when a policeman they invited to investigate the matter suddenly reportedly began to take sides with the gang. He claimed that the gang members are now regrouping to re-launch their heinous crimes in the area. Hence, their determination to take to the streets to alert the world of the new development.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

LIVING

August 18, 2012

39

AUGUSTINE MADU-WEST, K ANO AND A ZA MSUE, K ADUNA

T

he bloody events recently in Kano and Kaduna states have necessitated the deployment of more security agents in the flashpoints ahead of the Eid Fitr celebrations which begin today.

There has been palpable fear across the commercial city of Kano particularly as the day draws nearer with residents obviously panic-stricken while security agents in the state intensify their raids on suspected hideouts of the sect members.

The fear was largely generated by a wide spread rumour that members of the Boko Haram sect have threatened to launch attacks on strategic locations in the commercial town.

The rumour became more pronounced in the middle of the Ramadan period, prompting security agents to place their men on red alert.

While the agents of State Security Service (SSS) were busy nosing for clues about the movement of the gang members by deploying its plain cloth personnel in suspected flashpoints, the Military-led Joint Task Force (JTF) has been busy raiding Kano suburbs in desperate search for the sect members who have been carrying out pocket of attacks in those areas.

Apparently disturbed by the anxiety the Sallah celebration is generating in Muslims and non-Muslims, natives and non natives alike and the need to improve security in and around Kano, especially during this festive period, police authorities in Kano have held several meetings with Islamic leaders in the state on how to achieve the desired result in that regard.

The state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris, said that the meeting with religious chiefs had been successful, resulting in some major decisions.

This is as the Kaduna State Police Command also said that heavy security personnel have been deployed in its 23 local government areas for the protection of lives and property during and after sallah celebration.

The Kano Police Commissioner said at the latest meeting with religious leaders with members of the Hisbah, Vigilante, Civil Defence and FRSC in attendance, it was agreed that during this period, persons coming to mosques shall remain there until the close of prayers and no loitering around the mosques, erection of barricades where and when applicable.

Also, people with bags, parcel and containers should not be allowed into the vicinity of the mosques, while any strange object should be reported to the security agencies.

He added that preachers should avoid making inciting comments, while suspicious movement should attract Police attention. Vehicles and motorcycles are also expected to parked at a safe distance and abandoned ones around the mosques must be promptly reported.

Idris in a chat with Saturday Mirror highlighted some of the measures taken by his men to rid the state of criminals during the festivities.

According to the police boss, members of the Anti-Bomb Squad of the Command have been deployed in various parts of the city in search of abandoned explosives as he confirmed that a total of 963 undetonated explosives had been recovered from various parts of the state capital in the last

Impounded arms and ammunitions

Kano CP Ibrahim Idris (R) addressing the newsmen on security situation in Kano recently

Sallah: Celebrating on the edge...in Kano, Kaduna, others eight months.

These, he said, included two primed car bombs among other dangerous weapons.

“My men are still nosing around for undetonated explosives abandoned by terrorists in different parts of the city; so far, we have detonated 963 uncovered in parts of the city,” he added.

He told reporters that men of the Anti Bomb Squad of the Police Command also intercepted a high calibre explosive in the premises of the Federal College of Education, Kano which was successfully detonated.

He pointed out that the IED was concealed in an aviation gas tube.

“Also on July 29 this year, the Command Anti Bomb squad recovered 10 undetonated explosives at Rijiya Zaki along Jamblock Estate while on August 1, four IEDs were also uncovered and detonated at Rijiya Zaki while one of such explosives was detonated in the main campus of Bayero University, Kano. All the live explosives uncovered were successfully detonated as no harm was done to either lives or properties in the process,” he pointed out.

As part of the measures to ensure adequate security in the state during this period, Idris disclosed that three suspects were in Police net in connection with prohibited firearms.

He gave their names as: Mathew Oshobgemi from Kogi, Dominic Urji; Anambra and Umaru Nasarawa of Kaduna State, adding that two pistols, 11 pump action rifles, one air pistol, nine double barrel rifles, 176 cartridges were recovered from them.

Also, while four men suspected of being members of an unlawful gang known as “Yandaba” are cooling off their feet in police custody. From them were recovered, three knives, cutlasses, swords and wraps of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp.

He also said that the Command made a number of arrests in connection with armed robbery committed in the city within the period.

“On August 2012, a distress call was received that some armed men numbering about four invaded a shop at Chiranchi

area. Police responded promptly leading to the arrest of Saka and Musa Tijjani, both 25 years from whom two cut-to-size pump action rifles were recovered and they confessed carrying out numerous robbery attacks within Kano and neighbouring states”.

The police boss also hinted that no fewer than 103 suspects are being detained for offences ranging from armed robbery to car theft, criminal conspiracy and house breaking.

Just recently men of the Kano militaryled Joint Task Force in one of their early morning raids in the Kano suburb of Tamburawa town intercepted a bomb making factory.

Three suspects were also arrested by military men who also uncovered assorted dangerous weapons in the arms factory which was later demolished by the JTF. Spokesman for the 3 Mechanized Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Kano, LT Chukudike Iweha, said some of the items recovered were, 15 Ak 47magazines, 20 gas cylinders, seven bags of fertilizer, army uniforms, bomb making equipment and large quantities of live ammunition.

The shocking news that the Kano State Emirate council has announced the suspension all activities lined up to mark the end of the Ramadan and usher in the Eid-Fitr celebration slated for the weekend was due to the frail health of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero has been seen by many as a security strategy, so as not to allow for the kind of crowd that could pave way or enhance any form of attack.

The security source told our correspondent that the decision to cancel the traditional activities associated with Sallah was taken after a series of meetings between the State Security Council and the Emirate Council, during which the implications of implementing all the programmes usually associated with the Muslim festivity were made known.

Apart from the traditional Eid–prayer that would be held as planned, the popular Hawan Nassarawa, Dushe and Dorayi, the Durbah and other ceremonial activities

have been placed on hold, the council said, including the horse riding by the Emir of Kano.

The Wamban Kano, Alhaji Abbas Sanusi, who announced the suspension of the Sallah activities, cited the Emir’s falling health.

“The suspension of the festivities was due to the Emir of Kano’s health condition’. The Muslim Ummah is to celebrate the Sallah in peace and use the occasion to visit friends and relatives”.

Yesterday, security was tightened in the commercial town with Armoured Personnel Carriers deployed to strategic and sensitive locations of Kano by the 3 Brigade of the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Police Force.

The fighter vehicles were sighted along the Government House, Emir’s Palace, 3 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Bompai Area, accommodating the Bompai Police Headquarters, the Immigration and the Bompai industrial estate. Vehicular patrol by the police had also improved tremendously while military men were spotted in the nooks and crannies of the city.

Spokesman of the 3 Brigade Kano, Lt. Iweha also confirmed the deployment of soldiers in Kano by Army Headquarters in keeping with the promise of Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika to move more men to the city to assist combat the growing terrorism.

The Kaduna State Police Command yesterday said heavy security personnel had been deployed in the 23 local government areas.

Spokesman of the command, Mallam Balteh Abubakar told Saturday Mirror in a telephone interview that all worship centres, recreational parks and other strategic places are been placed on 24 hours security surveillance for any break down of law and order.

His words: “Our police command headquarters directed all the 44 divisions in 23 local government areas to fortify all worship centres, parks like Gamji, Galaxy here in the metropolis and throughout the state to maintain peace and order.”

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LIVING

August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Brothers, 82 and 84, reunited after EIGHTY YEARS zThey were separated after their mother died in 1932. Kenny was sent to an orphanage while Edward was raised by their father.

T

wo elderly brothers who were separated when one was sent to an orphanage aged two have finally been reunited after more than 80 years apart.

Ed Muir, 84, travelled from his home in Naples, Florida to Fargo, North Dakota to see his brother, Kenneth Corcoran, 82, after Corcoran’s family tracked him down using the internet.

“I recognised him as soon as he came off the plane,” Corcoran says.

“Well, 80 years. I looked and said, there he is.”

The boys were split up after their mother died in 1932 and their father feared he could not afford to raise them. Muir and another brother stayed at home in Chicago, while Corcoran and two more siblings were sent to an orphanage.

The three siblings who were sent to the orphanage changed their names and were raised in different states, with Corcoran growing up in North Dakota.

“I worried about them,” Muir says.

“I often thought about the rest of my family how they ever turned out, but I had no idea.”

But as it happens, the brothers did not turn out too dissimilar. They both served in the military, raised their children in the same way and share the identical favourite song - Wabash Cannonball.

Muir joined the Air Force in 1946 and later married and raised four children in Chicago. He worked as an electrician until 1987, and moved to Naples, Florida in 1997.

Corcoran also joined the Navy as a young man, worked as a railroad lineman, married and raised six children.

Their three other siblings - two brothers and a sister - have all since died.

The brothers were reunited with the help of the internet and a lot of willing relatives.

Corcoran’s daughter, Pam Gregerson, spent nine years trying to track down her father’s sibling’s names, birth dates and hometowns.

But she only realised years into the search that Corcoran had changed his surname to that of his mother’s maiden name.

Struggling to come up with any trace of him, Gregerson’s teenage son, Alex, stepped in last month.

“He said, “Mom you need a break, just go away, let me play with this”,’ she recounts. “And within 15 minutes he’s yelling, ‘Mom get in here, I think I found him.’ And he did.”

Within hours, they were speaking with Muir on the phone and booking

Edward Muir, 82, right, and Kenny Corcoran, 84, left.

WE GOT TOGETHER AND JOKED AND IT WASN’T TWO OR

THREE DAYS LATER. IT WAS RIGHT FROM THE START.

THAT’S

FAMILY plane tickets.

She adds: “Those two old guys are totally twins. They’re identical. They look alike, they act alike, how they raised us. Everything is the same.”

Corcoran agrees: “We got together and joked and it wasn’t two or three days later, it was right from the start.

Well that’s family. That’s the way it goes.”

He adds that he plans to fly to Florida as soon as he can. “I want to see him every day,” he says. “We’re not going to make it another 80 years before we see each other.”

Split up: Muir points out himself in a picture of the boys when they were young.

Muir agrees it has been fantastic getting to know his long-lost brother.

“Eighty years is a long time being separated. It’s sad to think of all those lost years. I don’t know how to make

up for it. I just told him I’m glad we were able to get in touch with one another,” he says.

•Culled from www.mailonline. com

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SPORT

August 18, 2012

UK Sport tasks Britain’s Paralympics team

U

Venus Williams sets target for self W hen Venus Williams was knocked off the top of the women’s tennis world rankings by younger sister Serena in July 2002, she couldn’t have imagined that over a decade later she would still be waiting for a return to the summit.

Despite winning three further Wimbledon singles titles since last being No. 1, the American has endured a 10-year spell blighted by losses of form and fitness, culminating in being diagnosed with

Sjogren’s syndrome at last year’s U.S. Open.

But the 32-year-old is on the comeback trail, setting her sights on a return to the top of the world, plus singles and doubles glory at Flushing Meadows after Thursday’s third-round win over French Open runner-up Sara Errani at the Cincinnati Masters.

“Before all my injuries and illnesses I was No. 2 in the world and Serena was No. 1, and we were No. 1 in doubles.

“We were literally on top of the world until a lot

Venus

of things came crashing down on us. I’d like to work my way back. Of course that’s a dream for me. I dream of those things.

That’s why I’m here, because I feel like I still have it. It’s one match at a time, pretty much,” the seventime grand slam winner, now ranked 64th, said.

Williams’ reward is a quarterfinal match against third seed Sam Stosur, the Australian who beat Serena in an ill-tempered 2011 U.S. Open final to claim her first grand slam title.

Hoy out of Glasgow velodrome opening

S

ir Chris Hoy will not be competing when the Glasgow velodrome named after him opens with a round of the UCI Track World Cup series in November.

The winner of six Olympic gold medals used Twitter to say he will not be racing at the newly constructed 2014 Commonwealth Games venue.

However, the 36-year-old will be present at the 16-18 November event.

Fellow gold medal winners from London 2012 - Jason Kenny, Laura Trott and Dani King - are expected to race.

“For those asking about Glasgow WC in Nov, I won’t be racing but definitely will be there spectating,” wrote Hoy on the social networking site. He added: “Hopefully will see some of you there!”

Sir Chris became the most successful British Olympian of all time after his triumph in the keirin,

Hoy

with his six golds taking him past rowing great Sir Steve Redgrave’s five.

The Scot is unlikely to carry on for a fifth Olympic Games in 2016, but track cycling’s greatestever sprinter has indicated he will compete in Glasgow in 2014.

The Track World Cup is a qualifying event for the 2013 World Championships and the Glasgow leg will give fans the first opportunity to see the GB Cycling Team in international action after the success of the Olympic Games.

K Sport have set Paralympics GB the target of winning at least 103 medals from at least 12 different sports, with the overall goal of once again finishing second in the medal table.

Britain’s Paralympic campaign for London 2012 has been backed by more than £49million of funding over the last four years, with money being distributed to 18 different sports.

The overall Paralympics GB medal range is set between 95 and 145, with 16 sports targeting podium success.

Britain won 102 medals, including 42 golds, in Beijing four years ago to claim second place for a third consecutive Paralympic Games.

Retaining that position, but winning more medals than in Beijing, is seen by UK Sport as a bold ambition given how competitive the Paralympic Games will be.

Liz Nicholl, chief executive of UK Sport, said: “The collective targets of all the Paralympic sports announced today show us that our Paralympians are in a great position to deliver more magical and inspirational performances to keep the overwhelming sense of national pride in Great Britain at an alltime high.

“Our Paralympians are among the best prepared and supported in the world; with cutting edge technology, science and medical support, excellent coaching, and the support of our enthusiastic home crowds, they are sure to be a force to be reckoned with on home turf.”

Murray upbeat about US Open

N

ew Olympic champion Andy Murray remained upbeat about his U.S. Open hopes despite suffering a surprise loss in the third round of the Cincinnati Masters on Thursday, going down 6-4 6-4 to 38th-ranked Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.

Murray, the defending champion, was playing only his third match since winning gold, having rushed to Toronto where he won his opener but pulled out before the next due to a knee worry.

Cincinnati is the last major tournament before the final grand slam of the

year, which begins in New York on August 27.

“Going into the big tournaments, sometimes I’ve won tournaments in the buildup and it hasn’t helped me. I had break points in the first set. If I had maybe gone up there, maybe I would have started to play better. But when I went behind, he started serving better and he was going for his shots.

“This year at Wimbledon I lost in the first round at Queen’s and made the final there for the first time.

I have won Queen’s before and not done well at Wimbledon,” Murray said.

Murray

Froome eyes glory in Spain

T

our de France runner-up and Olympic bronze medallist Chris Froome starts the Vuelta a Espana today looking to go one better than 12 months ago.

Last year he finished runner-up, 13 seconds behind winner Juan Jose Cobo, but after an impressive few months the 27-year-old will spearhead Team Sky’s bid to win back-to-back grand tours after Bradley Wiggins was crowned champion in Paris last month.

“It’s been a pretty chaotic summer so far.

My focus was on getting

through the Tour, and then to the end of it. What we did there was a huge achievement for the team and then to carry straight on to the Olympics after that made it an epic summer.

“It wasn’t easy to retain my focus after the Tour and the schedule has made it harder because I’ve not had the time to tailor my training specifically for the Vuelta so I’m not going into it the same way as I did the Tour. But I’m confident, still very motivated, and eager to lead the team for the first time,” he said.

Rio Ferdinand fined for ‘choc ice’ tweet

M

anchester United’s Rio Ferdinand has been found guilty of improper conduct and fined £45,000 by the Football Association for comments on Twitter.

An independent com-

41

mission concluded Ferdinand’s response to a tweet describing Chelsea’s Ashley Cole as a “choc ice” did not make him a racist.

But it was ruled the centrehalf had brought the game into disrepute.

“The commission found

that the breach included a reference to ethnic origin, colour or race,” read an FA statement.

Ferdinand was also warned as to his future conduct. Manchester United have decided not to appeal against the decision.

42

SPORT

August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Nigerian foreign-based stars on the move Taye Taiwo

As the 2012/2013 European season kicks off this weekend, Sayo Ogundeji takes a look at some of the Nigerian players who switched clubs during the transfer window and their chances with their new clubs in the new season.

AC Milan (Italy) to Dynamo Kiev (Ukrainian)

N

Vincent Enyeama

On loan from Lille OSC (France) to Maccabi Tel Aviv (Isreal)

A

fter enduring a tumultuous time at the French Club, Lille OSC, where he failed to break into the first team, the Nigerian international goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, made a career saving back to Israel having completed a season-long loan move to Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv from French side Lille.

Joining Maccabi Tel Aviv is seen as a good move for Enyeama who scored eight times in 113 appearances for Hapoel as he battles to remain relevant both on club and international level.

The former Enyimba of Aba player won the Israeli

Sone Aluko

Rangers to Hull City (England)

N

igeria star Sone Aluko agreed a two-year deal with English Championship side Hull City after he passed a medical at the KC Stadium thus ending his lone year relationship with the Scottish club.

Aluko who has also played for the Scottish Premier League club, Aberdeen, came through the ranks at Birmingham City

league with Hapoel in 2010 and also enjoyed back-to-

back Israeli cup success both in 2010 and 2011.

Dickson Etuhu

Ekigho Ehiosun Warri Wolves (Nigeria) to Genclerbirligi (Turkey)

Fulham (England) to Blackburn Rovers (England)

T

Joseph Yobo Everton FC (England) to Fenerbahçe (Turkey)

S

uper Eagles captain and former Olympic Marseilles, Joseph Yobo has joined Fenerbahçe of Turkey having helped them to the league title and the Turkish Cup during a two-year loan spell.

The Nigerian international was David Moyes’ first signing when he joined from Marseilles on loan in 2002, making the move permanent a year later.

Yobo who made more than 250 appearances

for Everton, was an instant hit at the Goodison Park and helped them qualify for the Champions League in 2005 and playing in the side that lost the 2009 FA Cup final to Chelsea.

He has been a consistent for the Turkish outfit since joining them on loan and his permanent arrival will only boost the club chances of their European adventure having become surplus to requirement under Moyes prior his loan move to Turkey.

he Nigerian international Dickson Etuhu completed a four-year deal to the NPower Championship side, Blackburn Rovers from Fulham FC after spending four seasons at Craven Cottage.

The former Sunderland midfielder helped the then coach Roy Hodgson to the final of the UEFA Europa League which they lost to Spanish club Atlético Madrid at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, Germany.

The former Manchester City player who found his place threatened since the arrival of new manager Martin Jol confessed that the chance of playing alongside former Fulham team-mate Danny Murphy convinced him to join relegated Blackburn Rovers whose coach Steve Kean who believes the arrival of the Etuhu will help the club’s ambition to return to the English elite league.

during Steve Bruce’s time in charge at St Andrew’s and was available on a free after rejecting the transfer of his contract to Rangers.

Hull City manager Steve Bruce is looking forward to working with winger Aluko again after agreeing a deal to sign the former Rangers forward who scored 12 goals in 21 SPL appearances last season after joining Rangers in November.

igeria defender Taye Taiwo has joined Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev from AC Milan on a season-long loan.

The 27-year-old joined Milan from Marseille last summer struggled for a regular first-team place, spending the second half of the campaign on loan at Premier League club QPR. After being frozen out in pre-season at Milan, the former Lobi Stars has opted to sign for the Ukrainian side with the hope of getting a regular playing time. Taiwo has featured twice since his arrival for his new club and will be buoyed by the presence of his Nigerian brother, Yusuf Ayila, Haruna Lukman and Brown Ideye who all ply their trade with the same club.

N

igeria striker Ekigho Ehiosun has signed a threeyear contract with Turkish top side Genclerbirligi.

The forward who scored in his debut for the Super Eagles, spent the last season on loan with Samsunspor from Warri Wolves.

Ehiosun is following in the footsteps of compatriot Promise Isaac who played for the Ankara club between 2005 and 2008 and is expected to better his last season performance for the relegated Samsunspor which saw him score 15 goals in 34 appearances.

Simon Zenke

Samsunspor (Turkey) to AS Nancy (France)

F

ormer Nigeria U20 star Simon Zenke has signed for French Ligue 1 side AS Nancy.

Zenke, who was released from his contract by Turkish club Samsunspor, sealed a two-year deal with the modest French team.

After spending time in France, the stocky exNiger Tornadoes striker, who featured for Nigeria at the 2005 African Junior Championship in Gambia, is expected to help his new club fight for honours in the French league.

Danny Shittu Bolton to Millwall (England)

M

illwall have signed Nigeria international defender Danny Shittu.

The 30-year-old former Watford man, who is a free agent after leaving Bolton, has signed a three-month deal at The New Den. “I will enjoy the next three months. There is every chance that something longer term could be arranged,” Shittu said regarding his future.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SPORT

August 18, 2012

Vermaelen named Arsenal captain

T

homas Vermaelen has been named the new captain of Arsenal following the sale of Robin van Persie, manager Arsene Wenger has revealed.

With Van Persie’s departure to Manchester United completed, the Frenchman was keen to name a replacement skipper ahead of today’s Premier League opener against Sunderland.

Mikel Arteta has been appointed vice-captain, in only his second season at the club after joining from Everton last year.

Vermaelen moved to Arsenal from Ajax in June 2009, instantly establishing himself as first-team regular, scoring on his debut against Everton and notching several more goals in his first season.

Wenger insisted the club wanted to keep Van Persie but is confident they can cope with his loss.

The Dutchman officially signed a four-year deal with Manchester United on Friday, ending his eight-year association with the London outfit.

RVP: Mancini tips Man Utd as title favourites

R

oberto Mancini believes Robin van Persie’s move to Manchester United makes Sir Alex Ferguson’s team firm favourites, to lift the title this season.

Manchester City were interested in taking Van Persie to the Etihad Stadium but, for the first time since Dimitar Berbatov preferred the red half of Manchester in 2008, they have missed out on a player to their rivals.

However, Mancini has said a deal to take Van Persie to City would not have been possible, given that his quartet of forwards - Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez - all remain at the club.

Mancini had already argued that

United were the team to beat in the title race but believes the combination of Van Persie and Wayne Rooney, the division’s two top scorers last season, cements that.

“United play for the title every year for 20 years. We won the last championship but we can’t change this in one year. For this reason, they are favourites for the title and now with Van Persie... he is a really top player and was the best striker last year. With Rooney they will be one of the best couple of strikers in the Premier League.

“I think a fit Van Persie is one of the best strikers in the world.

If they bought him because they need another striker, I am sure that now they are better with Van Persie,” he said.

Van Persie (left) with Alex Ferguson at his unveilling ceremony

Vermaelen

Soriano replaces Cook at City

M

anchester City have appointed former Barcelona vice-president Ferran Soriano as their new chief executive officer.

The Spaniard will start work on September 1 as the longawaited replacement for former chief executive Garry Cook, who resigned 12 months ago following the publication of insensitive emails to a player’s family member.

“I am delighted to take up the position of chief executive officer of Manchester City Football Club.

“The vision of the owner together with his commitment, and that of the chairman and board, makes this opportunity absolutely compelling.

“The club has incredible potential to be fulfilled both on and off the field. I very much look forward to playing my part to ensure that happens,” Soriano said.

The club’s owners now want Soriano to help expand the club’s brand across the globe, and oversee the 300 millionpound redevelopment of Etihad Stadium and its immediate surrounds.

QPR quiet on Bosingwa

Q

ueens Park Rangers chairman, Tony Fernandes, has refused to confirm whether the club has signed Jose Bosingwa.

The former Chelsea defender was set to follow the likes of Rob Green, Park Jisung, Junior Hoilett and Fa-

bio among seven new players into Loftus Road.

But while Fernandes has admitted Bosingwa, who left Chelsea this summer after not being offered a new contract, is a target, he has declined the chance to announce any deal.

EURO BRIEFS Buffon Gaal delighted optimistic of Van with RVP move Juve success N

G

ianluigi Buffon said he is upbeat about Juventus’ title chances, ahead of the 2012-13 Serie A campaign.

The Turin giants won the Serie A title last term without losing a single game, while making it to the final of the Coppa Italia as well, and got the new term off to a great start by winning the Supercoppa Italiana.

And the veteran goalkeeper is optimistic about the season ahead, despite Coach Antonio Conte receiving a 10-month ban for failing to report match-fixing activities.

“It is a different environment with respect to last year. There is more positivity and belief around the place,” the Italy international said.

The goalkeeper then went on to discuss his side’s Champions League ambitions, and stressed they will employ a similar approach to what helped them to Serie A glory last term.

“As far as the Champions League is concerned, we will face it with the same approach shown in the league just a few months ago,” he said.

Juve last featured in the Champions League in 2009-10, when they failed to get out of the group stage.

etherlands manager Louis van Gaal has welcomed the news Robin van Persie has left Arsenal to join Manchester United.

The prolific striker, who netted 30 league goals last term, underwent a medical at United on Thursday and the Old Trafford made the signing official on Friday.

Van Gaal

City eye De Rossi

M

anchester City are stepping up their interest in Daniele De Rossi after the midfielder’s agent on Thursday flew to England for talks. The Italy international has long been linked with a move to Etihad Stadium and his impressive performances at Euro 2012 only underlined his ability and versatility.

De Rossi

Song set for exit –Wenger

A

rsene Wenger has conceded that Alex Song could be sold before the transfer window closes, with Barcelona known to be keen on his services. The Cameroon international has emerged as a shock target for the Catalan giants, as they look to add steel to a midfield brimming with creative talent. Song has spent the last seven years with Arsenal, having been plucked from French football in 2005.

Buffon

Jol slams Reds over Dempsey interest

F

Bosingwa

43

ulham manager Martin Jol has slammed Liverpool for unsettling Clint Dempsey after the American forward was left out of the Cottagers’ squad for their Premier League opener against Norwich today. Dempsey pulled out of Fulham’s pre-season training camp in Switzerland earlier this month after Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers told his own club’s website that he had made an inquiry about the player.

Song

Martinez resigned to Moses exit

W

igan manager Roberto Martinez says Victor Moses may leave the club but only after his transfer value is met. Chelsea have been consistently linked with a move for forward Moses throughout pre-season, however the Champions League winners have refused to budge on their nine million-pound offer, with Wigan believed to be holding out for 10.

44

LEISURE

August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

45

August 18, 2012

tions that are toxic to the adult tapeworm. The medication your doctor prescribes depends on the species of tapeworm involved and the site of the infection. These drugs target the adult tapeworm, not the eggs, so it’s important to avoid re-infecting yourself. Always wash your hands after using the toilet and before eating.

To be certain that your tapeworm infection has cleared, your doctor will probably have your stool samples checked at certain intervals after you’ve finished taking your medication. Successful treatment — meaning that your stool is free of tapeworm eggs, larvae or proglottids — is most likely if you receive appropriate treatment for the type of tapeworm causing your infection.

CONCLUDED

Tapeworm CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK  Organ function disruption.

When larvae migrate to the liver, lungs or other organs, they become cysts. Over time, these cysts grow, sometimes large enough to crowd the functioning parts of the organ or reduce its blood supply. Tapeworm cysts sometimes rupture, releasing more larvae, which can move to other organs and form additional cysts. A ruptured or leaking cyst can cause an allergy-like reaction, with itching, hives, swelling and difficulty breathing. Surgery or organ transplantation may be needed in severe cases.

Tests and diagnosis To diagnose a tapeworm infection, your doctor may rely on one of the following:  Stool sample analysis. For an intestinal tapeworm infection, your doctor may check your stool or send samples to a laboratory for testing. A laboratory uses microscopic identification techniques to check for eggs or tapeworm segments in your faeces. Because the eggs and segments are passed irregularly, the lab may need to collect two to three samples over a period of time to detect the parasite.  Blood test. For tissue-invasive infections, your doctor may also test your blood for antibodies your body may have produced to fight tapeworm infection.

The presence of these antibodies indicates tapeworm infestation.  Imaging exam. Certain types of imaging, such as CT or MRI scans, Xrays or ultrasounds of cysts, may suggest invasive tapeworm infection.

Treatments Some people with tapeworm infections never need treatment, for the tapeworm exits the body on its own. Others don’t realise they have it because they have no symptoms. However, if you’re diagnosed with intestinal tapeworm infection, medication will likely be prescribed to get rid of it.

Treatments for intestinal infections The most common treatment for tapeworm infection involves oral medica-

LIFE SAVERS To prevent tapeworm infection:  Wash your hands with soap and water before eating or handling food and after using the toilet.  When travelling in areas where tapeworm is more common, wash and cook all fruits and vegetables with safe water before eating.  Eliminate livestock exposure to tapeworm eggs by properly disposing of animal and human faeces.  Thoroughly cook meat at temperatures of at least 125 F (52 C) to kill tapeworm eggs or larvae.  Freeze meat for at least 12 hours and fish for at least 24 hours to kill tapeworm eggs and larvae.  Avoid eating raw or undercooked pork, beef and fish.  Promptly treat dogs infected with tapeworm.

LETTER

Can I have children after ectopic pregnancy?

Dear Doctor, I’m a 29 year-old lady. Five years ago, I had a miscarriage at seven months. Then in 1998, I was pregnant again and suddenly by the second month, I experienced a sharp abdominal pain and I could not walk or even lift my leg up from a sitting position. I was now having pain in my stomach with the slighted movement. Similarly, I started experiencing progressive dizziness, general body weakness and I was feeling faint. I had to be rushed to the hospital where it was confirmed that I had ectopic pregnancy. I was immediately rushed to the theatre for a surgery after which I was given two pints of blood. Up till now, I am yet to fully understand what ectopic pregnancy is. What are its causes and effects on a woman? Is it

advisable to continue to raise children with a previous ectopic pregnancy and still birth as in my case?

Mirror doctor replies: Ectopic pregnancy, also called tubal pregnancy takes place when a fertilised egg is implanted and begins to grow outside the womb (uterus). The most common site of ectopic pregnancy is one of the two fallopian tubes. Normally, an egg is fertilised in a fallopian tube and it then travels through the tube to the uterus. Sometimes, however, the egg implants itself in one of the tubes or less commonly, on an ovary or on the outside of the womb.

The cause of ectopic pregnancy is not always clear but in about half of all causes, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) appears to be a contributing factor. PID, an infection of the female repro-

ductive organs, causes scarring of the tissue inside the fallopian tubes which can damage or block them completely.

The narrowing of the tube as a result of pelvic infection following criminal abortion is another important predisposing factor. Hence, partial obstruction of the fallopian tube can cause an ectopic pregnancy because the fertilised egg can be arrested along the tube if not free and becomes implanted there. Complete obstruction to the tube usually causes infertility.

Extrinsic tumour within the pelvis can also cause narrowing of the tube. Intrauterine contraceptive Device (IUCD) with a precipitating infection can indirectly cause ectopic pregnancy since this leads to PID when, it is left untreated. Patients who had tubal surgery are also prone to having ectopic pregnancy in future because rechannelisation of the tube can bring about

its relative narrowing. Diagnosis is based on pelvic examination to see if the woman has an enlarged womb, a tender cervix or a discernible growth outside the womb. Ultrasound, a painless procedure that uses sound waves and their echoes to visualise internal organs can confirm this. The doctor may also perform a procedure called culdocentesis, in which a fluid sample is removed from the vaginal cul-sac (the area behind the vagina and in front of the rectum to check the presence of blood). The usual treatment remains surgical operation.

In your own case, I don’t think your previous ectopic pregnancy should deter you from having more babies if you still desire. I will not however advise that you have too many. I know women who had at least two or three children after previous history of ectopic pregnancy so long as the other tube is intact.

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August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘Car wash paid off better than I expected’

THE LOCATION OF THE

FUNMI SALOME JOHNSON

“A

car wash business is one of the very profitable businesses in Nigeria more so because of the nature of our roads, which are either dusty or muddy or even both. For this reason, cars are often dirty even when parked,” noted Taiwo Davies, the managing director of Tada Car Wash located in Alausa area of Ikeja in Lagos.

No doubt, the ever-busy schedule of most Lagosians may not afford quite a number of people the time to wash their cars themselves thus paving the way for those in the car wash business to thrive.

Davies, who has been into the business since 2002, explained to Saturday Mirror that he ventured into the business when he lost his job in the banking sector, into which he had put seven years. He never realized back then that car wash business was a money spinner but he only knew that it is a ‘classless’ business that everyone interested could go into whether on a low class or high class.

For him, he entered into the business to earn a living temporarily, hoping to later go into proper consultancy business. However, today, he has three other branches in Lagos where he does car wash business aside his consultancy business.

“I never knew the business is such a money spinner; my intention was to do it temporarily till I was able to raise fund enough to commence my consultancy business but today I have three other outlets in Ikoyi, Ketu and Ejigbo areas aside my consultancy business,” he said.

BUSINESS DETERMINES ITS SUCCESS...

THE MAJOR ‘RAW MATERIAL’ FOR THE BUSINESS TO THRIVE IS THE AVAILABILITY OF WATER

Davies

According to him, “the location of the business determines its success. In a situation where the location is hidden, the level of patronage would be low. Getting a good space at a visible location is a major challenge in this business because the location determines the level of patronage one would get in most cases. Another major ‘raw material’ for the business to thrive is the availability of water.”

Davies further stated that the price charged for the services is based on the type of car that is washed. “For instance, a salon car attracts N500 if it is washed in and out. Washing of the engine attracts an extra N500 and cleaning the boot and other specific cleaning attracts additional N500 depending on what the customer wants.” But for bigger cars like Jeep, he said he charges N1, 000 for the washing while other services

aside washing the body attracts additional N500 each.

However, Davies noted that the major challenge that led him to create other branches was the disturbance constituted by officials of the ‘task force’ at the Alausa location. However, Davies “has a lot of reasons to thank God for His mercies on me and for the speedy growth the business has enjoyed in the last ten years.”

According to this Yoruba entrepreneur, “If you are in a good location like a fuel station, you can make between N10, 000 to N25, 000 on a daily basis depending on the level of patronage at that time.

However, fund also determines the kind of location one may likely get.

“Before now, some of these fuel stations used to rent out space for between N120, 000 to N150, 000 annually but it has gone up now to as much as N800,000 and above, then tell me how much do we now charge to be able to meet up with the payment,’ explained Davies.

According to Davies, it requires huge capital to venture into the mobile carwash business because of the equipment needed for it. However, if one does

not have such resources, one can still start on a low key.

“The mobile car wash business requires heavy equipment like trucks, and some designed equipment that come with the truck like customized spoke. Before going into the big aspect, one should have developed a business that is recognized so that people will see you and know that you have been there,” he added.

Davies further noted that it is important to go through formal training on the business to learn the nitty gritty of the business.

“I advise that before you set out to have your own car wash business, you should apply for training with an already existing car wash business. For what it’s worth, there is a difference between the way regular people wash their cars and how trained ones do with a touch of professionalism. So take one to three months to learn the basic skills and tips involved in the business. Don’t be in a hurry to become a car wash business owner. Undergo training first, the longer the training, the better for you,” insisted Davies.

Another important thing, according to him, is to ensure registration of the business.

“Make sure that before you start a car wash business in this country or render any service to the public that your company is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, Nigeria. The cost of getting a business name and registering your business is affordable. So while you are acquiring the basic skills that go with the business, go ahead and register your own business,” he exhorted.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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August 18, 2012

inder now sells for over N3,000, which is high considering the fact that Nigeria is one the leading nations in natural gas production.

That also points to the fact that more investors are needed in this area either engaging on bulk storage of LPG or engaging on refilling of gas cylinders at a batch.

Raw materials The required raw material for this project will be sourced 100 per cent locally as a by-product of petroleum refining activities.

Thus, our refineries at Warri, Port-Harcourt and Kaduna will supply the raw materials. Apart from our refineries, there are individual marketing companies that are now engaged in importation of LPG. One can purchase from them at prevailing market prices.

Details will be given to prospective investors.

Location

Gas cylinders

Investing in LPG bottling plants I

ntroduction

Nigeria has so many investment opportunities in various sectors; oil & gas, manufacturing, financial, estates, etc. The oil and gas sector, as well as other sectors, are expanding and investment opportunities open up on a daily basis.

The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) industry offers a tremendous investment opportunity within the petrochemical industry. The LPG is an industry specifically developed to cater for the nation’s industrial and domestic gas requirements. LPG is needed in almost every aspect of economic activity.

For instance, it is highly demanded by the automotive industry, manufacturing plants and electricity generation

via thermal energy.

At the domestic level, most households, particularly the middle and upper classes of the society, now depend on gas for cooking purposes. Hotels, catering outfits, restaurants and bakers all demand the LPG as an alternative source of energy since the firewood and kerosene stove are fast becoming obsolete.

Following the unprecedented demand for LPG in Nigeria and attendant scarcity of the product, which has resulted in sharp and arbitrary price increases, the distribution of gas products has been deregulated. Consequently, private individuals and firms can now set up LPG plants. Despite the de-regulation, however, a 12.5kg cyl-

With particular reference to the tropics, LPG installations may be sited anywhere, but considering that by its nature, LPG is denser than air, one may be cautious about sitting them at the bottom of a valley. Other sitting requirement may be to try to minimize the potential risk to adjacent environment/property and vice versa.

Other considerations to make include proximity to populated areas; proximity to public ways; risk from adjacent facility; storage quantities; present and future development of adjacent properties; topography including elevation and slope of the site; access for emergency response; availability of needed utilities; requirement for the receipt and shipment of products; local codes and regulations and Prevailing wind conditions.

Having chosen the site with the help of professionals/consultants, the positioning or sitting of the shell of pressurized LPG tank and line of adjoining property that may be developed should also be considered. Certain locations may not be used to accommodate LPG storage tanks. Existing infrastructure should equally be considered.

Facilities The required facilities include storage tanks, filling shed, containers, cylinders, and pump/compressor. There should also be a workshop for servicing cylinders. Machinery and equipment include gas storage tanks complete with fittings, filling heads and scales, chain conveyor, piping and valves, as well as fire-fighting equipment.

Labour and training Labour requirement will include a

plant manager, engineer, marketing manager, accountant, supervisors, operators, drivers and messengers etc.

All employees should be trained on fire prevention and safety measures. Bold warnings against the use of naked fire should be erected at strategic places, and this should be strictly adhered to.

Capacity, cost and projected revenue The proposed plant will have a capacity for filling 500 cylinders or more (depending on the capacity the promoter wants) of 12.5kg each day. Operating at 75 per cent capacity for 280 days per annum, a total of 105,000 cylinders will be filled and sold at a conservative price of N2,000 each, thus generating a first year turnover of N126 million. Plant capacity will be increased if the need arises.

Viability analysis of the project indicates that the initial capital outlay of N23 million will be recouped within the first year of business. The reason is not farfetched. Gas is obtained at a considerably cheap rate since Nigeria is abundantly blessed with the commodity.

Apart from the short payback period, the NPV, IPR and profitability index all point to the immense financial benefits, which will be derived by any serious investor who takes advantage of this investment opportunity offered by the gas industry.

Financial estimates Pre-Investment N500, 000 (feasibility studies) Land & N1, 500,000 building (variable) Machinery & N10, Equipment 000,000 (depends on capacity) Fixtures & N120, 000 fittings Project Vehicles N4, 000,000 Capital utilities N3, 500,000 Working capital N5, 000,000 Contingency N1, 000,000 margin Total take-off N25, 620,000 cost It should be noted that this cost is variable depending on the location and cost of equipment. The best approach to taking an investment decision is to commission professionals to conduct feasibility studies and come up with a comprehensive feasibility reports.

Courtesy: Uba Godwin, 08034494437, e-mail: ubagodwin@yahoo.com

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People

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

August 18, 2012

Augusta Ufford: Moving up the ladder OSEYIZA OOGBODO

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utwardly, Augusta Ufford is shy and reserved. She could be called an introvert. Inwardly however, she is the polar opposite. She is brimming with a burning ambition that is not introverted but extroverted.

“I want to be the biggest most-talkedabout event coordinator in Nigeria with lots of money. That is what I want and I am working very hard to achieve it,” she said.

“I see myself as eventually becoming Nigeria’s biggest event coordinator and when you can see something, you can certainly achieve it. I can’t do it all by myself though. It can only be by the grace of God and I’m sure that very soon, I would have achieved it by God’s grace.”

Currently, Ufford manages the activities of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) and Mr Nigeria for the popular Silverbird Group and she has been gaining valuable experience thereby.

“My job with Silverbird is really help-

ing me garner all the necessary experience I need to achieve my ambition. I have coordinated events like MBGN, Mr Nigeria, Miss Orekelewa, Miss Silverbird International and Silverbird Model. These were all events that required one to be resourceful, astute and smart and I’m all the better off from handling them.”

Of all the professions in the world, she chose to be an event coordinator and she gives her reason. “I love events and that’s where my interest is. It’s the only career I’m passionate about that makes me feel alive when I start thinking of how to plan and execute an event successfully.”

Nonetheless, she admits that fate played a hand in her becoming an event coordinator. “First when I joined Silverbird, I was a librarian and I remember the pageant manager needed help during MBGN 2003 and that’s how I joined the team. I started studying the way things were done and with time I was given the opportunity to prove myself. I would not say I know it all. Believe me, I

am still learning, but I’m learning fast and at the right place.”

Exhibiting her feminine side, she said, “Being a woman is also helping me in coordinating events. You know as a woman, you have to manage the home front and that is not a piece of cake but doing it enables you to take important decisions all the time. And events coordination too is all about taking decisions, vital decisions. There are many

decisions you will have to take on the spur of the moment. There are many things you planned that will not want to go your way so you have to take fast decisions to save the day.”

Speaking more on the challenges she faces in coordinating events, she said, “Dealing with sponsors’ tantrums and getting along with team members to make sure they carry out their responsibilities and keep to schedule.”

Kunle Ogundeji: Rare passion for Jazz

FUNMI SALOME JOHNSON

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n an era that a lot of young and upcoming artistes are out to sing hip hop, Kunle Ogundeji is different.

Born almost 30 years ago to Mr and Mrs. Ogundeji of the Ilaje tribe, Kunle had a tough childhood. Although he was born in Lagos and raised in Lagos, he also spent part of his childhood in Ondo State.

His sojourn into the musical world began in the University of Lagos.

“I was born and bred in Lagos but had part of my childhood in Ondo, my state of origin. I got all the exposure I have in school. I am a member of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church, Unilag Chapter. There at the church I was a member of the choir and we were taught how to use all the musical instruments and this experience gingered me up in music.

“After being a member of the choir for some time, I joined the musical school which was owned by the church where I cut my teeth in music,” he said.

At the end of his training in the church school, Ogundeji decided to go into the specialization of clarinet.

“Although I wanted saxophone or piano, the specialists for them were not around for that period and so I chose clarinet and I have no regret for that,” remarked Ogundeji.

While speaking on his experience so far musically, Ogundeji said he had been opportune to work with the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church Orchestra where he learnt a lot of things musically.

He explained that he got to secular music because he needed to know what was obtainable there and have a taste of it to make him complete.

“I was also a member of a musical band called Ola smiles’ n Jazzy faces for a period of one year. We used to play regularly in hotels clubs like Comfort Hotels in Tin can and Danulle Hotels in Ogudu GRA in Lagos.

“In course of being together, we recorded an album titled Monday morning which was a six tracker Afro jazz’ enthused Ogundeji.

“After recording the album, things got tough and the band was dissolved for finance reasons. I then went solo. I am still not able to do a solo album but I have been playing at various places and occasions.

“Although, jazz has never made the right impression especially to young ones, the fact is that no matter how few, jazz has its own crowd. It is music for the matured minds’ he said.

However, the impression of the young ones is the way it is because of the advent of hip hop music. And for him, that is the major challenge that jazz music is facing.

Another challenge according to Ogundeji is that because it is not a popularly accepted brand, getting marketers to promote you is not so easy.

Ogundeji made a clarion call to the society at large to save the jazz music and not let it die.

“Despite the fact that jazz music has generated more income than any other brand in western countries, we are yet to get that realization in this part of the world’ he said.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

REGIONAL NEWS

August 18, 2012

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Bakassi: Ita-Giwa, others task FG on permanent abode Bayelsa to demolish over 4,000 buildings EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

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t least, 4,000 buildings including part of Governor Seriake Dickson’s home in Yenagoa and its suburbs in Bayelsa State would be demolished by the state government as it commences the construction and dualization of major roads in the state capital.

The state government said 350 buildings would also pulled down following construction of internal roads in the state governor’s community, Toru-Orua In Sagbama local government.

Bayelsa State Commissioner for Works, Lawrence Erudjakpo, who disclosed this yesterday in Yenagoa, during Governor Dickson’s monthly transparency briefing to journalists, noted that N515 million had been earmarked for compensation to landlords of demolished buildings.

TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

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he Bakassi Peoples General Assembly yesterday appealed to the Federal Government to give the people of Bakassi a permanent place rather than allowing them to be roaming around the streets without a place to call their own following the ceding of the Bakassi area to Cameroon.

Addressing a press conference in Lagos yesterday, the group, led by Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, former Special Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo on National Assembly Matters, also dissociated itself from the purported declaration of sovereignty of Bakassi by a group of people.

Senator Ita-Giwa disclosed that the people of Bakassi had no intention of seceding from the Federal Government of Nigeria, stressing that the basic issues affecting the region would not be solved by the declaration of independence but relocating the residents to

a permanent abode where the people can live freely.

Her words: “As we speak to you now, 10 years after the ICJ ceding of our homeland to Cameroon and 6 years after the exodus of our people from our homeland, no Bakassi indigene has been properly resettled at the place of our choice. The Bakassi people are now roaming the streets of Calabar wallowing in abject

poverty and in complete penury. Anything left of our dignity has been completely shattered. What was promised as the relocation of our traditional, political, social and economic institution intact has resulted in a complete reversal of our destiny.

“We dissociate ourselves from the recent purported declaration of a sovereign state of Bakassi and we strongly

advise against any form of violence with regards to the Bakassi issue as in our view and estimation, this will further exacerbate the already delicate security issues confronting the nation. We are Nigerians and descendants of the Efik Kingdom of Calabar in Cross River State.

“We demand the urgent and expeditious development of the unceded parts

of Bakassi known as Day Spring Islands 1 and 2 as well as Kwa Island for the comprehensive resettlement of Bakassi indigenes who have since 2006 been roaming around hopelessly. It is our contention that this responsibility be carried out forthwith by the Federal Government and the United Nations as well as all countries that were signatory to the Green Tree Agreement.”

JTF indicted in Bayelsa monarch’s death EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

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he Joint Military Taskforce (JTF) operating in parts of Bayelsa State has been accused of complicity in the death of a Bayelsa State monarch, Chief Patrick Erie, whose passenger boat capsized at Igbomotoru, Southern Ijaw local government, when the security outfit was chasing another boat.

Six passengers were rescued during the mishap. They are reported to be receiving treatment in

an undisclosed hospital in Yenagoa, the state capital. The situation is generating tension and anger among inhabitants of the community where illegal bunkering activities is believed to be going on at an alarming rate.

Speaking with Saturday Mirror, a youth leader in the community, Ibegi Alakurogha, insisted that the JTF men were responsible for the incident and death of the traditional ruler.

His words, “The passenger boat was heading

to Ikibiri community and loaded with about six persons including a sick indigene of Igbomotoru.

The passengers were harassed and pursued by the men of the JTF. The sad news came to the community that a traditional ruler in our community was missing in the river due to the undue harassment and intimidation by the men of the JTF,” Alakurogba said.

But in a swift reaction to the allegation, spokesman of the JTF, Lt. Col. Onyema Nwachukwu

denied the allegation, saying that the anger of people of the community was misplaced. Nwachukwu claimed that the incident was muddled up to incite the people of the community.

Investigation by Saturday Mirror yesterday indicated that the incident occurred at about 9pm last Thursday, as a traditional ruler disappeared from the passenger boat shortly after a JTF gun boat patrolling the waterways rammed into the boat in the area.

Lagos moves to curb highway mortality with 5 ambulances Ogun inaugurates public service review committee

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gun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has inaugurated a Public Service Review/ Restructuring Committee with a charge on members to critically review existing ministries and extra-ministerial departments in order to make them more effective and result-oriented.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to Amosun on Media & Communications, Funmi Wakama, said the six-member committee includes the Chairman, Civil Service Commission, Chief (Mrs.) Susan Folarin, who is the Chairman of the committee; Mr. Adekunle Anwo (rtd. permanent secretary); Dr Tunde Olowonyo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, and others.

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he Lagos State Government on Friday inaugurated five new ambulances worth N150 million in a bid to reduce the morbidity and mortality rate on highways in the state.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr JideI dris, while inaugurating the ambulances at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), said they would assist in conveying victims of road or domestic accidents to hospitals.

“We are recording high mortality and morbidity rate on our roads and in our homes, occasioned by fire and collapsed buildings. This is the reason why the state government is putting emphasis on emergency care, so as to reduce the rate of mortality and morbidity,” Idris said.

Idris also said that the state government was willing to expand the provision of ambulances to other hospitals to improve emergency services across the state.

“This service is some-

thing that will be built on because we currently have a fleet of about 30 ambulances which are functioning, but we need to have more.

“We also have 160 members of staff, which include

paramedics and ambulance drivers.

“We are going to invest in the training of personnel and restructure emergency units in the state hospitals.

“There is no point tak-

ing the victims of accidents to an emergency unit that is not functioning,” he said.

Idris said that the state government would partner with some private establishments who had

signified interest in training the paramedics for the purpose of the service.

He urged the public not to vandalise the ambulances and give way for them during emergency situation.

The Special Adviser to the Oyo State Governor on Security, Colonel Christopher Fatumbi (rtd.) handing over the keys of one of the 66 security patrol vehicles bought by the state government for its security outfit to Mrs. Janet Urebu, Deputy Comptroller, Nigeria Immigration Service, Oyo State Command at the Government House, Ibadan on Friday. With them is Mr. Adekunle Oluwafemi, an Immigration Officer.

PHOTO: OYO STATE GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

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REGIONAL NEWS

August 18, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Group doles out cash to HIV/AIDs patients in Benue HENRY IYORKASE

Wada tasks Kogi Muslims on security ADEMU IDAKWO LOKOJA

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overnor Idris Wada of Kogi State has called on Muslim faithful in the state to use the Eidel-fitr period to ask for peace, progress and security in the state and the nation at large.

Wada, in a Sallah message to the people yesterday in Lokoja, congratulated Muslims for the successful completion of the Ramadan fast, which he said is one the obligations of the Islamic faith.

He called for mutual trust amongst people of different religious believes saying that it is only in an atmosphere of insecurity, mutual distrust, crisis and violence.

The governor enjoined all residents of the state, irrespective of religious beliefs, to pray to God for peace.

MAKURDI

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non-gover nmental organization, Development Exchange Centre for Economic Empowerment (DECEE) has doled out cash incentives to people living with HIV/AIDS in Benue State. This was disclosed to Saturday Mirror by the Benue State head of the organization, Emmanuel Yare, in an exclusive interview in Makurdi.

Yare said that the move by the group was aimed at ensuring that victims of the dreaded disease do not suffer untold hardship, especially in providing them with means of livelihood.

The organization usual gives financial assistance to victims of the disease in cash ranging from N10, 000 and above, depending on their need.

Yare noted that the organization had taken it upon itself to give assistance to this class of people because of their precarious condition by donating cash to encourage them to embark on a chosen trade in view to be self reliant.

Yare further contended

that often times they are encouraged to give livestock to rear and raise for food and economic purpose while after a given period a female offspring of the animal is taken back as payment and subsequently given to another beneficiary.

According to him, the purpose of this scheme is aimed at supporting someone who is in dire need and also to be one’s brother’s keeper especially in the case of people with this problem.

He further explained that the organization is

an NGO being funded by DFID as well as other codonors for the purpose of catering for the well being of people living with HIV and other less privileged in the society.

The manager stressed the need for people living with HIV to avail them-

selves of this opportunity with a view to improving the well being of their conditions noting that it is one of the measure to cushion the effect of the ailment as well as to ensure longevity and self dependence of the affected patients.

One injured as bomb explodes near Jos police station JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

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t least one person was injured yesterday after an explosive believed to be targeted at a police post went off at the Rikkos area of Jos, the Plateau State capital. The explosion, which destroyed part of the police station, also damaged three residential apartments A residence, who gave his name as Adamu, said he had already retired to bed when a loud explosion, which shook his building, woke them up at the early hours of Friday.

Spokesman of the Special Task Force (STF) on the Jos crisis, Captain Mustapha Salisu, con-

firmed the incident in a statement yesterday.

He said an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded between a police outpost and some residence In Layin Walin Rikkos of Jos North Local Government Area at about 11:05 pm.

He said a police post, three houses and a vehicle were affected by the blast. He also confirmed that one person was injured and has been taken to the hospital for treatment. He added that investigation was going on and that the situation in the area was calm. The statement also called on the people of the state to be vigilant and report any suspicious objects and persons in their area

to security agencies.

Meanwhile, a man who was injured in the Rikkos bomb blast, Abubakar Adam, while narrating his ordeal from a hospital bed yesterday, said, “I saw the greatest calamity of my life. I woke up around 11 in the night to eat my food in my sitting room with one of my children.

Some minutes later, I heard a very loud sound.

At that moment I thought it was thunderstorm, but before I knew it, smoke filled everywhere and that is what I could remember as I finally saw myself in a hospital bed.”

Adam said he learnt later that the wall of his sitting room fell on him and that only God rescued him and his family.

Another witness of the explosion, Alhaji Babangida Muhammad, gave his own account: “I was sitting with one of my children when the explosion sounded from across the police outpost. We all became confused. It was my wives and other relatives who helped in breaking the door to rescue us because the door leading to where I was got jammed.”

Muhammad added that the blast had destroyed the roof of his house and smashed the windscreen of his vehicle. “I thank the Almighty Allah because nobody will see the condition of my house and believe that nobody was hurt,” Mohammed said.

‘Let us continue to pray for peace in Borno’ INUSA NDAHI

Gunmen kill ex-Shehu of Borno’s secretary INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

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unmen on Thursday evening, reportedly shot dead Alhaji Zannah Kafilama, the former Secretary to the Late Shehu of Borno, Alhaji (Dr.) Mustapha Umar Elkanemi a minute after performing his 8pm (Tarawi) prayers at his Mosque in Polo Area of Maiduguri metropolis.

The incident, which happened immediately after prayers, scared many residents of the area who patronized the mosque to pray at another one on Friday for their normal day prayers when our reporter visited the area by 2pm.

MAIDUGURI

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s the Ramadan period comes to an end, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, has called on Muslim faithful to continue to pray for the restoration of peace in the state and other parts of the country.

In a Sallah message issued by his Special Adviser on Communications, Isa Umar Gusau, Governor Shettima said rather than slow down, Muslims should use the spiritual rebirth gained in the holy month to double their commitment by praying for Borno State and Nigeria in general, beyond the Ramadan, noting that the search for peace is an endless obligation that should be shared by every individual and institution in a progressive society.

His words, “Beyond the Ramadan, I urge every resident to regard

offering and intensified prayers for Borno and Nigeria as a personal and shared sacrifice that must be sustained for us to progress and develop our very dear state and country. The Ramadan period, I believe, has reformed us spiritually and

brought us closer to our Creator, going by Allah’s numerous bounties in the Ramadan and our increased acts of worship.

As a result, I urge us to sustain prayers for the restoration of peace in our land. Let us regard ourselves as change-

agents that will devote our time for the good of our society.

“Borno is our home, we have no other place to call ours and as such, we have a responsibility to make personal sacrifices through lawful means especially through faith-

ful prayers to make our home better for all of us. On its part, the state government, as a topmost priority, is making deliberate and concerted efforts towards the amicable and quick resolution of the challenges in Borno.

Bauchi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sani Malimi (left) presenting drugs for free maternal and child health programme to the state’s chairman, Hospitals Management Board, Alhaji Salisu Usman, at the distribution ceremony in Bauchi, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

REGIONAL NEWS

August 18, 2012

51

New naira notes thrive in Kano black markets AUGUSTINE MADU-WEST

NGO offers 6, 419 Kaduna women child spacing services A ZA MSUE KADUNA

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Non-Gover nmental Organisation, the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI), said it is currently providing child spacing programmes for over 6,419 women in selected hospitals in three local government councils of the state between September 2011 and July, 2012.

The organization said its target was to save 8,000 women in the selected health facilities in Kaduna North, South and Chikun local government areas in an effort to reduce the high maternal rate in the state.

KANO

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ew notes of the nation’s currency, which have remained visibly scarce in commercial banks, are now available in Kano black markets where they are hawked for higher fees, according to Saturday Mirror investigations.

All denominations of the naira mint are openly displayed in strategic areas of the commercial city known only to patrons of the business who are mostly well-to-do citizens who need such money for special occasions, where they spray them on stage performers and dancers.

A senior official of a commercial bank in Kano said the new currency notes get to the black markets through a syndicate recognized by top officials of the Kano branch of the CBN, who are unofficially engaged by some officials of the apex bank

as agents.

The illegal business, according to our findings, booms along Bayero Road, near Central Hotel, Kano, on Lagos Street, few meters away from the state CBN office, the popular WAPA Bureau Du Change in the heart of

the city and isolated areas operating the black market business.

Our investigations showed that as soon as the supply of new naira notes are made to state branches of CBN, they are immediately bulk purchased by the ‘agents’ and moved into

the open markets where prices are allegedly negotiated in a third party arrangement. It could not be officially ascertained how much the fresh notes are sold, but an inside source said the prices vary and the profit margin depends on the quantity sold and

the personalities involved.

All efforts to get comments from CBN officials on the development were unsuccessful as mobile police main deployed to provide security around the bank prevented any form of movement around the bank premises.

Comptroller Sanusi Abubakar Umar of Kano-Jigawa Command (r), decorating Assistant Comptroller Saleh Rabe (m) with his new rank, being assisted by Deputy Comptroller Dakingari (l) during the decoration ceremony held at Bompai Customs House, Kano, recently.

Kidnapped VC: ESUT’ll not meddle in negotiations – DVC DENNIS AGBO

CD, Police disagree on kidnapped Igbos figure

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he Campaign for Democracy has claimed that no fewer than 938 prominent sons and daughters of the South East zone are alleged to have been kidnapped between January 2008 and August 2012. But the Nigeria Police had sharply disagreed with the figure, claiming that the number is the “figment of the imagination of the group that released the figures.”

In a statement signed

by Mr. Uzor Uzor and Dr Jerry Chukwuokolo, the CD chairman and secretary, respectively in the South East, they said the kidnapped persons paid ransoms said to be valued at about N1.2 billion during the period.

The statement also said that kidnappers collected substantial amounts from their victims ranging from N5 million to N30 million per individual.

ENUGU

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he Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), yesterday, said it would not meddle into the on-going negotiation between abductors of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Cyprian Onyeji, and his family, saying it would only continue to pray for his safe release and reunion with his family and the university community.

Up till the time of filing this report, the state government had not issued any official statement on the abduction, though the university authority admitted that the state government immediately dispatched high-powered security details headed by the governor’s Chief Security Officer after the abduction occurred on Wednesday morning.

Deputy Vice Chancellor of ESUT, Prof.

Aloysius Uzoagulu, who led other officers of the university in a press briefing, yesterday, on the state of affairs of the university since

after the kidnap of the Vive Chancellor, equally confirmed from the family of the VC, that a ransom of N200 million was demanded by the kidnappers and that as at yesterday, he was not aware if the kidnappers had shifted grounds to a lesser amount.

He, however, made it clear that the university authority would not wade into negations for

the ransom, adding that there had been skeletal activities in the university as every member of the university community only come to pray for the release of the their boss and go back home.

He denied reports that the university associations had embarked on indefinite strike, stressing that such reports would make students go home.

He said that full activi-

ties would resume in the university on Wednesday next week even if the kidnapped vice chancellor is not released.

Prof. Uzoagulu also revealed that two out of three policemen shot by the kidnappers have been discharged from the hospital while the remaining one is still receiving treatment at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH).

“The management and staff of ESUT were shocked about the development and indeed, it was an embarrassment. Since then, the management, the staff and the students are really concerned and have embarked on prayer sessions for the release of our vice chancellor. The family only mentioned to us the demand of N200 million; that is the much we know.”

Encomium as Anambra Speaker’s hubby goes home NWABUEZE OKONKWO ONITSHA

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he remains of the husband Mrs. Chinwe Nwaebili, Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, late Patrick Nwaebili, was yesterday committed to Mother Earth in Odekpe, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, amidst eulogies and encomium.

Anambra State government and other sympathizers defied the heavy downpour to pay their last respects to the late spouse of their Speaker at Central School field, Odekpe.

In his homily, the Catholic Bishop of Nnewi

Diocese, Most Rev Hillary Okeke, admonished Christians to live according to God’s design, adding that they should always be conscious of death and live righteous life.

“Whatever and whenever it happens to us is God’s design and what we have to do is to accept the will of God and always strive to live according to His will and be prepared to meet the Lord at any appointed time”.

Bishop Okeke further challenged Christians to love one another and always see Christ in every individual, noting that doing the will of God is the panacea for being with Him at the last day.

Also speaking, the Chief Celebrant of the funeral mass and the Metropolitan Archbishop of Onitsha, Archbishop Valerian Okeke and his Benin Archdiocesan counterpart, Augustine Akubueze described the deceased as a peaceful man who loved others.

In his condolence message to the Speaker’s family read through the Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, President Goodluck Jonathan urged them to bear the loss with strength of God, noting “every death hurts especially death of someone from one’s family”.

Jonathan also said “as we mourn his exit, and certainly miss his pres-

ence, we take consolation in the fact that the will of God remains supreme. We therefore ask God to grant you the fortitude to bear the loss”.

The Leader of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA in the National Assembly and member representing Anaocha/ Dunukofia/Njikoka federal constituency, Mrs. UcheEkwunife described the death of the Speaker’s husband as great loss not only to his family but Anambra state in general.

Mrs. Ekwunife who is also the House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Environment, prayed God to receive his soul in His paradise.

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Crime Watch P. 54 Fruit seller hit by stray bullets

BRIEFS

Pharmacist arraigned for stealing

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52-year-old Pharmacist, Benjamin Ajepe, was on Friday docked before an Ogudu Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for allegedly stealing pharmaceutical goods worth N550,000.

The accused, who lives at No 42, Demurin St., Ketu, Lagos, was facing a two count charges of obtaining under false pretence and stealing.

The prosecutor, Cpl. Gbenga Salami, told the court that the incidence happened in Sept. 2010 at Vixa Pharmaceutical Company Ltd., No 13A, Sunny Jigidi St., Ogudu, Lagos. ``The accused, being a distributor of the company, collected some pharmaceutical goods worth N550,000 sometimes in Sept. 2010 with the intention of remitting the money after sales. ``He hasn’t been seen since then nor does anyone know his where about; in the process of looking for him, the company discovered that he wasn’t living in the address he gave them, `` Salami said.

Salami said that the offence contravened Sections 312 and 285 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State.

The accused, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Chief Magistrate Yetunde Aje-Afunwa, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

Man, 28, charged with threatening police officer’s life

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he police in Lagos on Friday arraigned a 28-year-old man for allegedly threatening to kill a police inspector and for being in possession of military materials.

The accused, John Musa, who lives in Ikeja, is facing a two-count charge of threat to life and unlawful possession of military materials at an Oshodi Magistrates’ Court.

The prosecutor, Cpl. Kehinde Olatunji, told the court that the accused committed the offences on Aug. 15 at Mafoluku in Oshodi area of Lagos.

He said the accused threatened to kill one Insp. Sule Isiaka, attached to the Divisional Police Headquarters, Mafoluku. ``The inspector with his team was on patrol when the accused was caught with an unregistered motorcycle. ``When he was searched, an army belt and a jungle cap were found on him,’’ Olatunji said.

He said the accused also broke a bottle and threatened to stab the inspector with the bottle if he did not release his motorcycle.

Crime Watch

Robbers kill bureau de change operator, shoot two others Ibrahim operated a bureau de change in Lagos. But when robbers came trailing a customer to his shop last Wednesday, he put up a fight. For his gallantry, he earned a bullet in the throat SEGUN ADIO

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he life of a Bureau de Change attendant was on Wednesday, 15 August, 2012, cut short by suspected armed robbers that stormed his office.

The ill-fated attendant, also a co-owner of the business, was cut down by the bullets of suspected robbers while he was trying to fight them.

Saturday Mirror investigations revealed that Ibrahim’s father suffered the same fate in the hands of suspected armed robbers some eight years ago and also during the Ramadan period.

Ibrahim, 36, and his elder brother, popularly called Alhaji by friends and associates, inherited the money changing business from their slain father eight years ago and they have been running the shop since. The shop is situated along Adurosakin Road, in Shomolu area of Lagos State under a popular hotel in the area.

However, last Wednesday, around 1:30pm, Alhaji and some of his co-tenants were away in a mosque for the afternoon prayer. Ibrahim would say his own prayers later when his elder brother returned from the mosque. In the interim, he would run the shop and attend to customers. Shortly after Alhaji went to the mosque, a customer, apparently with a large sum of money to change into local currency came to transact business.

Just as the customer was alighting from a commercial motorcycle that brought him to the shop, three other motorbikes screeched to a halt behind him. Six men, clad in caftan mounted the three. They were all reported to be wearing dark spectacles. Unknown to the people around, underneath the big caftans the men wore were assorted rifles.

Wondering the kind of customers that came the way they did, Ibrahim reportedly left the customer in the shop and came out to attend to them. One of the men reportedly shoved Ibrahim aside and demanded from the customer the money he came to the shop with.

Ibrahim would not stand idly by and watch his customers robbed.

He reportedly confronted the suspected robber and was ready to engage him in a fight. The suspected robber wasted no time in firing a bullet into Ibrahim’s neck. The bullet sent Ibrahim crashing onto the ground. He died immediately.

Ibrahim reportedly left behind two wives and seven children. The customer, apparently in utter shock, wanted to escape from the shop albeit having report-

Ibrahim

edly thrown the bag in his hand at the suspected robber. He was reportedly shot in the leg in the process.

The sound of the robbers’ guns elicited some reactions from the people nearby.

In no time, some men in the neighbourhood rallied round to attack the robbers.

Other members of the gang reportedly opened fire on the gathering mob.

One of the okada riders in the area, who the robbers apparently thought wanted to attack them, was reportedly shot in the mouth. Having packed the money they came for, the robbers started shooting into the air to scare people away. They succeeded in doing just that.

Not wanting to leave anything to chance, the robbers hurriedly jumped onto their motor cycles and reportedly fled through Fadeyi area.

Immediately the robbers escaped from the scene, all three victims were rushed to the hospital for medical attention, but Ibrahim could not make it. The two others are still receiving treatment at the time of going to press.

In no time, message got to Alhaji, Ibrahim’s brother, in the mosque that his younger brother had fallen victim of robbery attack. By the time Alhaji got back to his shop, his younger brother was dead. Ibrahim’s body was retrieved from the hospital same day and buried at the Idi Araba cemetery by 4:00pm according to Islamic injunctions.

Alhaji, crying like a baby on hearing that his younger brother was no more, claimed that the robbers apparently were able to strike just because he was away in the mosque.

Saturday Mirror learnt that robbers

had invaded the shop in the past but Alhaji successfully repelled them “I just went to pray as I always do every afternoon. Ibrahim was to go after I had returned. That is what we do every afternoon. I was alarmed when someone rushed into the mosque to tell me that robbers were operating in my shop. I had to cut short my prayers and rush down to the shop. But I only came to see Ibrahim lying in the pool of his own blood,” Alhaji said.

An eyewitness, who spoke with Saturday Mirror, identified as Jamiu Kolawole, claimed that the response of the law enforcement agents to the alarm raised on the robbery was slow.

“It is sad that we did not get police response on time, despite that their station was a stone throw from where the incident happened. Had they come early, we would have apprehended the robbers,” he said.

Saturday Mirror contacted the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Alade Police Station on phone to confirm the incident, but he said he could not comment on such issues via telephone.

But a policeman attached to the division said that the claim that policemen did not get to the scene on time was incorrect. The source, who pleaded not to be mentioned, maintained that law enforcement agents responded to distress calls especially under the new leadership of the station.

“Don’t mind those saying we did not respond on time. Policemen are not magicians; immediately the distress call came, some of our people dashed to the place but the robbers already fled before the people could even alert us,” he said.

Do you have a story for us? Contact 08138773277 or crimewatchmirror@yahoo.com

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

CRIME WATCH

August 18, 2012

The saying, “everyday for the thief and one for the owner”, was about working out for residents of Bajulaiye in Lagos recently but for Fate that had pity on the suspected burglar.

The residents are, however, not resting on their oars in their efforts at ridding their environs of bad elements.

SEGUN ADIO

T

he Bajulaye Community Development Association recently made good their threats to rid the area of notorious elements that hibernate in the densely populated locality in Shomolu Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The test case for the community occurred on Thursday, 9 August, 2012, when they swooped on an alleged notorious family in the locality.

The bold step taken by the community stemmed from the looting of a shop belonging to one Moshood Pedro in the wee hours of that fateful day. Pedro sells assorted telephones and their accessories in a fairly large shop along the major road.

On Wednesday, 8 August, 2012, Pedro reportedly locked all padlocks (about five) to his shop believing that it was well secured after a hard day’s work.

Pedro was raised from his deep sleep around 6:00am the following morning (August 9, 2012) by a telephone call from a supposed co-tenant at his shop to inform him that his shop had been burgled overnight.

He rushed half naked, to his shop to discover that virtually all his wares had been carted away. In the burglary, a total of 90 GSM handsets, five Blackberries belonging to Pedro’s customers, a laptop and a DVD player were reportedly stolen. He was left with only phone chargers and batteries of the stolen handsets.

A confused Pedro immediately rushed to the house of the community association chairman, who with some elders in the community later accompanied

Pedro

Trader loses 90 GSM handsets to burglars

him to the Alade Police Station, to report the incident. With assurances from the law enforcement agents that the looters would be fished out from their den, Pedro returned to his shop banking on God to provide money to re-equip it again.

With sheer dint of luck, on the third day of the burglary, a supposed customer, Tunde, walked briskly into Pedro’s shop seeking to buy the battery to a Techno handset. Pedro immediately became curi-

ous how a new handset would not have a battery. He reportedly questioned Tunde where he bought a new handset without battery from.

Apparently afraid of Pedro’s intention, Tunde claimed one Kazeem Adewale, popularly called Ororo, a resident of Popoola Street, Shomolu, who had lost his own handset sometime in the past gave him the new phone in replacement for the one he lost.

53

This revelation sent a signal to Pedro as the said Kazeem is an acclaimed member of the notorious EFCC/Fleeting gang operating in the area.

That was when Pedro alerted the community leaders and a trap was set for the said Kazeem. With the collaboration of leaders of the community, Kazeem father’s house was visited. For obvious reasons, Kazeem was not at home at the time the community leaders visited his parents’ house. But they met his father and told the elder Adewale that his son was wanted in connection with a robbery case.

In the ensuing commotion at Kazeem’s parents’ house, Wasiu’s father, identified as Wasiu, and some suspected members of his gang allegedly gave one Akin, a brother to Moshood Pedro, the beating of his life.

But luck ran out on Kazeem on Tuesday, August 14, 2012, when he was reportedly caught in his hideout somewhere in Shomolu.

Upon his arrest, Kazeem was taken to the Alade Police Station where the case was first reported. A member of the elders of the community, who was among those that launched a manhunt for Kazeem, told Saturday Mirror that at the police station, Kazeem confessed to have gone to Pedro’s shop to loot the place.

Kazeem allegedly confessed that he went with two other people he identified as Wasiu aka Bongolo and Albert.

Kazeem claimed that the gang fled to Ikorodu area of Lagos State immediately the looting was carried out. Speaking with Saturday Mirror, an elder of the community, identified as Ojuolape, maintained that the activities of the EFCC boys requires urgent government attention.

“The menace of these boys that call themselves EFCC boys has got to a stage that the government cannot afford to be indifferent again. Imagine their going to loot someone’s shop and stealing all the GSM handsets he sells and they even had the effrontery to fight those that went to accuse them of their act. Maybe very soon, no one will be able to walk in day time in Shomolu again,” Ojuolape said.

Efforts to get the Divisional Police Officer in Charge of Alade Police Station to comment on the level of investigation of the theft were futile as his phone lines were switched off.

However, a police source at the station told Saturday Mirror that the case is still being investigated apparently to fish out other members of the gang.

Man arrested for killing 51-year old man in Ibadan KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

A

young man identified as Jimoh Ejo, has been arrested while trying to escape by the Oyo State Police Command, for allegedly beating a 51-year-old man, Ahmed Kamoru, to death last weekend.

Saturday Mirror learnt at the State Special Anti-Robbery Squad that the incident occurred at Ile Alagbede, OkeAgbeni area of Ibadan last Sunday while

Jimoh was trying to escape from those pursuing him after he was caught burgling a sugar shop located at popular Agbeni market.

It was gathered that one of the children of the deceased children, Afeez , was busy helping his mother to repair a kiosk in front of their house around 4.00p.m on the fateful day when fleeing Jimoh suddenly pushed him down.

The 30-year-old Afeez then grabbed Jimoh and demanded for an apology from him, but the refusal of Jimoh, who was

in haste to get away from the scene before those pursuing him arrived, to apologise led to fisticuffs.

It was during the fight that the 51-yearold Afeez’s father, who had been observing the Ramadan fasting, came out of the house to intervene in the fight between his son and the intruder.

It was further learnt that it was while the deceased was trying to settle the quarrel that the suspect hit him at the private part with leg, and that the man immediately fell down.

But Afeez seeing that his father had been injured by Jimoh, held on to him and called the attention of the people around to the scene, and it was at this point that the suspect reportedly picked a heavy stone from the ground to scare people away.

While others at the scene, including Afeez ran for dear life, the deceased could not run away, and as a result of this, the furious Jimoh allegedly hit him on the head with the stone, and the man died immediately.

54

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

August 18, 2012

Crime Extra

When the staccato bursts of gunfire subsided that Saturday evening in Mushin, Lagos, 32-year-old Abiodun Yusuf was sprawled across the table of the road side food vendor where he was waiting for the plate of food he ordered minutes earlier. He was in a pool of his own blood. He had been hit by stray bullets.

Who fired the gun and why?

SEGUN ADIO

F

or 32 years old Abiodun Folarin Yusuf the sun set suddenly when he was allegedly gunned down by suspected cult members.

He was said to be a hardworking man who would do anything, but robbery, to make money. And he lived at No 8 Bada Street, off Moshalashi Street, Olosa, Mushin in Lagos State.

When his search for a white collar job did not lead him anywhere, Yusuf reportedly approached the leadership of a new generation church close to his house for help. Fate smiled on him as the church came to his aid. He was given an unspecified amount of money to start trading.

Without wasting time, Yusuf, an indigene of Abeokuta, Ogun State, took to selling fruit juice at the Apongbon end of Broad Street on Lagos Island. In no time, his business began to show some positive signs. Sadly, Yusuf would not live to reap the reward of his hard labour.

On his way from work on Saturday, August 11, 2012, Yusuf, a bachelor, reportedly stopped by a Hausa road side food vendor to eat. It was around 11:50pm. He was said to have ordered for Indomie with fried eggs and hot tea. Unknown to him, death lurked around the corner and he would not live to consume the food he had ordered for.

While at the kiosk of the food vendor, waiting for his order, Yusuff was hit in the head and the base of his stomach by bullets fired from the guns of some men suspected to be cult members.

The alleged cultists, eyewitnesses told Saturday Mirror, were about seven and clad in black T-shirts, chanting war songs.

The men were reported to have emerged from a hotel on Ogunjobi Street behind a Mosque where they had alleg-

edly held a nocturnal meeting before they came out shooting.

It was also alleged that one of the men lives in the said hotel. Immediately the bullets hit Yusuff, the suspected cult members reportedly fled into the Empire Area of Mushin and vanished into the night.

Curiously, Yusuf was reported to have identified one of his assailants even while he was wriggling in pains. He reportedly shouted the name of the cultist before he fell on his back spreading all over the food vendor’s table.

Yusuf was then left in the pool of his own blood. He did not give up the ghost immediately though. After the assailants had disappeared, one Shina Adigun was joined by a couple of sympathisers to rush the blood-soaked Yusuf to a nearby hospital. But he was not attended to at the hospital for lack of a police report.

Not knowing what to do, Adigun a n d o t h e r s y m pathisers reportedly carried Yusuf to Alakara Police Station where a police report was issued. With the police report in hand, Adigun quickly rushed Yusuf back to the hospital.

Unfortunately, Yusuf had lost too much blood.

He breathed his last on the way to the hospital.

When those conveying Yusuf to the hospital realised that he was gone,

Fruit seller hit by stray bullets ...while queuing for Indomie and fried eggs

they took his body back to his residence and this led to a pandemonium of sort in the neighbourhood.

Speaking with Saturday Mirror on telephone, Adigun who was in tears apparently remembering the gory scene, maintained that Yusuf kept shouting a name which was believed to be one of the assailants.

“It came like a thunderbolt. I was about going into my house to sleep after a hard day’s job when I heard sounds of gun shots from nearby. We all laid where we were until the shooting subsided. By the time we rushed to the scene where the Mallam sold tea, we found the young man in the pool of his own blood. At first no one was ready to touch him because of the amount of blood he had lost. But I summoned courage and carried him on my shoulders to a nearby hospital,” Adigun said.

Explaining how Yusuf was rejected at the hospital, Adigun continued: “It surprised me that the man was rejected at the hospital because they claimed we did

not have a police report. That was how we rushed him down to the police station and we were given the report. Just as we were heading back to the hospital, I noticed that the man had stopped responding to the noise we were making.

When we realised that he was dead, we could not go to the hospital again but had to go to his house on Bada Street,” Adigun said.

Yusuf ’s remains were buried at Matori Cemetery.

A source at the Alakara Police Station who craved anonymity, told Saturday Mirror that the deceased was issued a report after a conviction that he was truly shot by suspected cult members and not that he was involved in a robbery.

“It is normal for a police report to be issued before gunshot patients are admitted in a hospital. The victim in this case would have been certified clean of any untoward act before the station would issue such a report,” said the police source.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

August 18, 2012

55

Quote

of

the

day

The report lacks merit as the researchers and initiators f the survey did not actually carry out any research.

Lateef Raji, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Information and Strategy, reacting to the recent survey conducted Economist Intelligence Unit which ranked Lagos as the third worst city to live in the world.

Saturday, August 18, 2012. www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sudan: The broken bridge (II) I

took more than passing interest in salvaging Sudan as the great racial bridge of Africa. My attention and intervention were directed to the leaders of Sudan – President el-Nimeiri himself, his successor, Al Mahdi, and leaders like Dr. Hassan Al-Turabi.

South Sudan leaders like Gen. Lagu and Mr. Bona Mawal. I also called on neighbours of Sudan like Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

To embark on my salvaging work, I secured the partnership and cooperation of a Sudanese intellectual, Francis Deng, who is a Dimka from the South but fiercely believe in the unity of his country and would only brood the idea of separation only if solution for unity could not be found on the basis of equity, equality, fairness and justice.

Before our efforts could yield fruits, John Garang had broken rank with the Sudanese Army and went to bush with a substantial troops of South Sudan origin to resume the rebellion. But this time, Garang was seeking reform and restructuring to have a new Sudan.

He believed passionately that he could secure such a new Sudan even though, with my limited knowledge of Sudan, I was skeptical. Separation was his absolute option if a new Sudan could not be forged.

with President Olusegun Obasanjo hexcellency2011@yahoo.com The credit must be given to John Garang because the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that his organization SPM/SPMA (Sudan People’s Movement and Sudan People’s Movement Army) signed with the Khartoum Government of El-Bashir at the end of hostility and cessation of fire had all the kernels of a new Sudan which, if faithfully implemented by both sides, could have kept the bridge intact. Although the CPA contained a section for referendum to decide the wishes of the people of the South, such a referendum could have led to sustenance of oneness and unity of Sudan if three or four factors were in place.

The tragic death of John Garang was a monumental disaster for the oneness

and unity of Sudan. He was the leader, the guide, the visionary of the new Sudan. He commanded respect and love among his people, respect from the Arab Sudan and the Arab and African world.

His death took away the soul and spirit of his organization and created a vacuum that was difficult to fill.

The second factor was in spite of the CPA, the attitude of Arab Sudan especially the leadership did not change much believing that, no matter what they did or gave at that stage, the South would go, so only minimum possible was given. Why should they give too much that will be taken away to a new country after the referendum? Although one could not argue against that mindset from Khartoum, it

SPORT EXTRA

Maradona’s son signs for Argentine club side

T

he son of soccer legend, Diego Maradona has reportedly signed with Argentine fourth division side Porvenir.

Diego Armando Sinagra joins the club from ASD Quarto, a regional club near Naples in southern Italy.

Porvenir coach Luis Ventura said the 25-year-old would have to earn his place in the team.

“It’s obvious that the Maradona name is an attraction.

“I want to see him because his last name is Maradona, I won’t deny it.

“But I don’t choose the players’ names. I just select the team

that I think is strongest and give us the best chance of winning,” Ventura said.

Diego Junior is understood to have little or no contact with his father.

His mother is former model Cristiana Sinagra, whom Maradona met during his playing days with Napoli.

Diego Junior has little of the soccer talent of his father but was a member of Italy’s team at the 2008 beach volleyball World Cup in France.

“I love Argentine soccer and to play there is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Diego Junior said.

Diego Jr

then became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The third factor was the attitude and mindset of the South. After the death of Garang and seeming foot-dragging

by Khartoum on CPA implementation, the South got fully set on separation and there was not any leader in the South that could preach or advise anything to the country. The die was cast!

The fourth factor that could not be ignored is the attitude of the international community. With the CPA, all they expected was the logical conclusion of the CPA in a referendum that would balkanise Sudan.

What really are the remote and immediate causes of the outcome of Sudan? Some see it as religious, others as racist and tribal, others as political subjugation with economic and social discrimination, inequity and injustice.

All of these can be wrapped up in how the Kenya leader described the whole scenario to me – master/slave attitude and relationship stemming from the era of slavery and slave trade which some claimed still existed. For me, the separation of Sudan into two countries is a vital bridge broken. The two countries and Africa must work to surmount the challenges.

CONCLUDED

Premiership Fixtures Today’s Matches Arsenal v Sunderland 15:00 Fulham v Norwich City 15:00 QPR v Swansea 15:00 Reading v Stoke City 15:00 West Brom v Liverpool 15:00 West Ham v Aston Villa 15:00 Newcastle v Tottenham 17:30

Sunday, August 19, 2012 Wigan Athletic v Chelsea 13:30 Man City v Southampton 16:00

Monday, August 20, 2012 Everton v Man Utd 20:00

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