Saturday, September 1, 2012

Arepo pipeline explosion

Vandals attack government officials, journalists

Vol. 02 No. 38

P. 49

Paralympics

Nwokorie grabs Nigeria’s second gold ...As As O Onwuchukwu n ch k wins ins sil silver e

Saturday, September 1, 2012

P. 56

N150

900 escape death in Lagos train accident P. 9

INSIDE

Celebrity

P. 18

Rukky Sanda

Living Articulated vehicle crushed by train at Ilupeju area of Lagos, yesterday.

Enugu church bans women from wearing gele P. 36

PHOTO: NAN

N5,000 note: NBA threatens to sue FG •Accuses NJC of aiding corruption

Secret data leakage

SSS moves to nab masterminds

P. 8

P. 8

Ibori’s $15m bribery money

Chigbue drops suit ...Leaves money for FG P. 10

2

Living

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

September 1, 2012

INSIDE

How Alaafin rescued football great, Sam Ojebode, from public cemetery P.35

Police arraign 10 without case file for Oshiomhole’s aide murder P.53

Rape: The highest

Victims: Chidinma, survived

Blame failed marriages onn Nigerian actors – Toyosi P.24 Adesanya desanya desanya

Woman lives with 16,400 shoes P.25

Hoodlums sack NURTW office, cart away N.35m P.52

Cynthia, died

denigration of womanhood A time was when cases of rape and defilement were staggered and far between.

A frightening dimension has, however, crept in.

Assaults on the feminine sex especially violent ones are now on the rise. What could have brought about this ugly development, how could it be stemmed if not brought down, what are the contributing factors?

Questions, questions and questions.

K AYODE FALADE

O

n Tuesday August 21, the nation woke to the rude shock of the discovery of the body of Cynthia Osukoya, the 23-year-old daughter of Major General Frank Osukogu, in a Lagos

mortuary. She had been declared missing for nearly a month.

Her body had been brought by the police when it was discovered at Cosmilla Hotel, Lake View Estate, Amuwo Odofin Lagos. It had been found by hotel workers with mouth gagged and chained to the bed. Her private parts were also splattered with semen. The hotel room was also dotted with used condoms.

The tall, beautiful, post graduate student and business executive had been brutally assaulted, violated and raped before she was murdered by those who raped her.

While the world rose in condemnation of the killers of the General’s daughter and law enforcement agents pursued them relentlessly until they were smoked out of their hidings and subsequently charged to court, little or nothing was heard of the case of 15-year-old Chidinma Olosota (not real names) who was also raped not by one but three men in the same Lagos.

The SS3 Arts student is a victim of serial rape. The girl was returning home from an outing when one of the straps of her sandals got cut off. It was while waiting under the shade of a tree near a house that she was lured in by an adult male who kept her with him for two days and raped her several times.

When she eventually got home her fu-

rious parents went for the man. He was subsequently arrested by the police. It was while Chidima was awaiting her turn to be interrogated by the police officer who is also the Station Officer that she experienced her second ordeal.

The senior police officer detained her under some excuses, released the accused rapist and asked Chidinma into his office.

There and then, he forced the hapless girl on to the couch and subsequently raped her after threatening to lock her up in a mosquito infested police cell.

After, having his way with her, the police officer released her. When Chidinma got home, she could not tell anybody. She took it in her strides.

Days after, accompanied by a friend, Chidima wanted to buy a GSM handset.

The shop keeper threatened her with a knife, stabbed her and raped her. He also snatched the money she had come with to buy the handset.

Chidinma was devastated and her parents inconsolable. The father made to take her to the police station to report yet another case of defilement of his daughter but she would not bulge. After some cajoling and pressure, she disclosed to her shell shocked parents that the senior policeman in charge of her case had also raped her.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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September 1, 2012

Saturday Starter

The trio of General Editor, Lanre Oyetade, Oseyiza Oogbodo, and Temitope Ogunbanke takes a careful look at the proposed restructuring of the nation’s currency regime, as announced recently by the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, highlighting the purported rationale and furore generated by stakeholders’ concerns on the matter.

Much ado about N5,000 note T

he governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sausi, had, penultimate Thursday, announced that, beginning from the first quarter of 2013, the apex bank would effect a restructuring of the nation’s currencies by introducing a N5,000 bank note, the 50 kobo, N1 and N2 coins, and converting the N5, N10 and N20 notes into coins.

If the move finally sails through, it will effectively make the nation’s currency structure consist of six coins and six bank notes, namely the 50 kobo, N1, N2, N5, N10 and N20 coins and the N50, N100, N200, N500, N1000 and N5000 bank notes.

The CBN governor also announced that the faces of three Nigerian women, namely, Margaret Ekpo, Olufunmilayo Ransome-Kuti and Gambo Sawaba, would adorn the front page of the new N5,000 note because of the ‘strong love’ he and President Jonathan had for women, while the back page would be adorned with the portrait of the National Assembly, a move that has been translated in some quarters as an attempt to curry the favour of the lawmakers.

Sanusi had argued that, according to international best practices, monetary authorities were required to review their nation’s currencies at intervals of between five and eight years. In the case of the Nigerian

currency, the CBN governor said the various denominations had been circulating without any major review.

For instance, he said the N100 note, restructured in 1999, had been in existence for 13 years, while the N200 note, which was also restructured in 2000, had been in existence for 12 years.

“The same goes for N500 note, which was restructured in April 2001 and has been in existence for 11 years, while the N1,000 note, which was restructured in October 2005 had been existing for seven years.”

Sanusi said the apex bank had conducted several stakeholders’ meetings where it was agreed that there was need to encourage the usage of coins and for the apex bank to introduce higher denomination bank notes to discourage dollarisation, reduce the volume of bank notes and the overall cost of currency management, and complement the Bank’s cashless economy policy, which it had introduced in 2011.

According to Sanusi, the CBN board had considered and approved the new currency series, with subsequent approval from President Goodluck Jonathan in November 2011.

Under the new currency restructuring programme, the existing denominations of N50, N100, N200, N500

and N1,000 are to be redesigned with additional new security features.

Kudos, flaks for the governor No sooner had the proposed currency restructuring been reported than a flurry of reactions, mostly criticisms, started flying in from many quarters in the direction of the apex bank and its governor, mainly from opposition political parties and other concerned stakeholders who saw more pitfalls than benefits in the move, especially as concerns the N5,000 note. One clear thing that most of the reactions established is that the public is quite unclear about the motives of the measure and the benefits cum disadvantages that will accrue there from.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) asked the CBN to have a rethink on its plan to introduce the N5,000 stressing that its demerits far outweigh the merits.

According to the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, there is strong historical evidence that the introduction of higher face value currency notes in an economy often signifies a regime of increased and sustained fiscal deficit financing.

Also, the party said the issuance of such high value

4

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

September 1, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Saturday Starter

Rewane

Sani

Ladi-Ibrahim

Onyereri

SUCH A LARGE

FROM NEXT YEAR

CBN SHOULD MAKE

THE HOUSE WILL

DENOMINATION

THERE WILL BE A FULL

MORE SMALLER

ENSURE THAT DUE

(AS THE N5,000 NOTE)

CASHLESS ECONOMY, AND AT THAT POINT,

DENOMINATIONS

PROCESS IS FOLLOWED...

AVAILABLE IN

AND IS INTERESTED

WILL KILL

THE DENOMINATION OF

CIRCULATION FOR

IN THE EFFECT OF

SMALLER

THE NAIRA BECOMES

THE POOR AND

THE MEASURE ON THE

NOTES

IRRELEVANT

LOWLY PAID

ORDINARY CITIZENS

‘CBN must take care not to send wrong signals’ currency notes was likely to be perceived as an indication of government’s failure to effectively control inflation, adding that “unfortunately once this perception takes hold, increased inflationary expectations can be built up quite rapidly and these have pushed many countries into a situation of hyper-inflation in the past, which has typically culminated in the redenomination or even complete abandonment of the entire currency system.”

The party also stated that the issuance of the N5,000 currency note ran counter to the recent policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria to promote a cashless economy by encouraging the increased use of non-cash transaction instruments.

“The issuance of the new N5,000 currency note also runs counter to the government’s often repeated commitment to fight corruption. It is widely recognised that large scale corruption tends to be facilitated by the ease with which unrecorded and large cash transactions can be made.”

ACN added that the introduction of the denomination would lead to increased illegal/criminal, drug-related and terrorist activities as money laundering was known to be facilitated by such unrecorded and large scale cash transactions.

The party said, “The ease with which the new N5,000 currency notes can be transported will make it an ideal instrument for the facilitation of these undesirable activities.” It added that the close relationship between inflation and the issuance of high value currency notes is perhaps best illustrated with real life experiences of a number of countries.

“Between 1975 and 1991, Argentina experienced a period of inflation dur-

ing which increasingly higher face value notes were issued,” it offered.

The National Assembly has also shown a good deal of interest in the matter.

While the House of Representatives Committee on Banking and Currency said it would invite the CBN to clarify its position on the measure, the Senate out rightly directed the apex bank to suspend its plan to introduce the N5, 000 note, describing it as a policy somersault.

The chairman of the House committee, Hon Jones Onyereri, was interested in how the higher currency note would complement or contradict the cashless policy, and “ensure that due process is followed and the rule of law adhered to in the entire process,” adding that the House would also be mindful of the effect of the measure on the ordinary citizens.

Onyereri also enumerated factors that would be key to the House consideration to include the cost of implementing the policy to government, the inflationary trend, devaluation implication and the cashless policy derivative. He added that the committee had not received any information from the CBN on its plan to introduce the N5, 000 note into the economy. He said the House, which had oversight responsibility over the banking industry, would set up the processes to immediately address the matter.

On his part, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Currency and other Financial Institutions, Senator Bassey Otu, slammed Sanusi for not informing the National Assembly before rolling out the plan, saying the Senate would soon formally send a memo to the CBN to stop all further actions on the matter until the Senate is properly briefed.

Insisting that the Senate’s move against the proposed new currency note did not

imply that it was against the independence of the apex bank, Otu said the upper chamber was concerned about how adversely the new currency would affect Nigerians.

He added: “I believe that at some point, we will be able to sit down together and look at the merits and demerits of this currency policy, but till date, we don’t know anything about it and what the people stand to gain. Until that is properly put through, we say everything about it must stop. A project of this nature requires parliamentary approval because there are numerous and fiscal implications on the entire economy.

This type of action is only taken where there is a major financial crisis and the CBN must be very careful in order not to send a wrong signal or message to households, the domestic economy and even the external one that the Nigerian currency is valueless, which I believe it is definitely not, and that for every unit of value, they need to carry a large quantity of cash.”

He warned that the conversion of some denominations into coins would lead to a waste of public funds as a previous exercise did not yield the desired result. “In 2005, the CBN undertook a major currency restructuring to recoin some denominations, which ran into billions of naira. Till date, a proper valuation has not been done to know its costs to the Nigerian taxpayers and the extent of the benefits. It did not work at all because both the goldsmiths and the blacksmiths converted the coins to moulding bangles, earrings and so on.

“So, the CBN will have to prove that the policy is not a clear contradiction or at variance with cashless economy project, which it (CBN) is even yet to jus-

tify and whether this is the popular economic way to go. So, we are asking and we are sending a letter to them (CBN) to stop all further actions on this until the Senate of the federal republic is properly briefed.”

Also the apex northern socio cultural organization, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), joined the league of stakeholders castigating the planned introduction of the N5,000 banknote, insisting it would encourage corruption, increase inflationary pressures as well as kill the cashless economy project.

The forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani, told Saturday Mirror in Kaduna that such a large denomination would also kill smaller notes Some other stakeholders that have criticized the plan did so on the ground that it would promote money laundering, encourage currency trafficking and also increase the financing of terrorist activities. They also argued that the plan would further adversely affect the economy and thereby worsen the living conditions of the common populace.

However, the CBN governor had insisted that contrary to undermining the cashless economy project, the new currency regime would actually complement it by reducing the volume of currency in circulation in the long-term.

Also, in an attempt to disabuse the minds of Nigerians on the tendency of the new currency restructuring exercise to fuel inflation, among other perceived disadvantages, the apex bank boss said inflation in Nigeria was a monetary phenomenon. Besides, he said in countries where there were higher denominations of currencies such as Japan, Singapore and Germany, the levels of inflation as of CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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September 1, 2012

Saturday Starter

Step in the right direction but…–Teriba Dr. Ayo Teriba is chief executive officer at Economic Associates. In this interview with Lanre Oyetade on the proposed change in the country’s currency structure by the central bank, he states that there is much to be desired in the measure but more needs to be done. Excerpts: What are your views on the proposed currency restructuring, especially the introduction of the N5,000 note, which has caused so much controversy?

I had advocated the scheme since 1996. I had advocated the introduction of larger notes and coining of smaller notes since then. It is indeed a step in the right direction and I don’t think we have gone far enough with the N5,000 note. Moreover, the gap between the periods we introduce new larger notes is too wide. I think we should do up to a N10,000 and N20,000 notes and coin up to our N200. It is a step in the right direction but definitely not enough. Until your coin can buy a newspaper, pay for urban transport and snacks, for instance, it is unlikely the coin will be used. The argument that your coin will be used for change is not tenable; rather, your coin should buy reasonable items or else people may not use them. Until you can give your child a coin that will be able to buy snacks and drinks at lunch, you will not be motivat-

ed to use them. The same thing applies to currency notes. If you think about it, the rationale should be ‘I want to buy a bag of rice at N9,500’. You will need to count 10 of the N1,000 notes; it doesn’t make sense. Or you want to buy a car tyre; a note should be available to do that transaction. Carrying piles of notes will not make sense; we should think about notes that make sense.

But there has been the argument that such a large note may fuel corruption, terrorism and money laundering activities…

So because you want to prevent one per cent of the population from doing something bad, you should deter 99 per cent of the population? It’s a faulty logic.

You can’t stop doing what is right simply because it will be abused. With the current N1,000 as the highest denomination, the printing of currency is too costly. Doing higher denominations will reduce the cost of printing notes by reducing the number of notes you have to print. The storage space required, the nuisance of bullion vans and of bulk rooms in banks will all be reduced. Do we exist because of people who want to steal? Do people do money laundering in naira? I think the whole argument doesn’t make sense.

Money laundering is done in foreign currencies. The UK, I think, is about to introduce the 100 pound bill and coin the five pound bill.

Teriba

There has also been the arguments that the N5,000 note will only serve the rich and also that if people reject the coins, as they are likely to, it may fuel inflation as prices of small retail transactions will be rounded off to the nearest note. What is your take on this?

Let’s take the issues one after the oth-

Currency restructuring and inflation:

Experiences from other lands

I

n a recent report, a professor of economics at the University of Ibadan, Ademola Oyejide, while examining the close relationship between inflation and the issuance of highvalue currency notes, noted that during 1975 to 1991, Argentina experienced a period of inflation during which increasingly higher face value notes were issued.

“At the beginning of 1975, the highest denomination was 1,000 pesos. This rose to 5,000 pesos in Oyejide late 1976, then to 10,000 pesos in 1979, and was 1,000,000 pesos in 1981,” he stated.

According to him, as this trend became clearly unsustainable, a series of currency reforms followed. “In 1983, the currency was re-named peso argentino, one unit of which was exchanged for 10,000 pesos. In 1985, another name change occurred and a unit of the new currency (austral) was exchanged for 1,000 pesos argentinos. Finally, in 1992, one new peso was exchanged for 10,000 australes,” he added.

Oyejide also gave examples from Africa; namely, Zaire/ DRC and Zimbabwe.

“Zaire experienced an inflationary period between 1986 and 1996. In 1988, the highest currency note denomination was 5,000 zaires, which rose to 5,000,000 zaires by 1992. The 1993 currency reform created the nouveau zaire, a unit of which was exchanged for 3,000,000 zaires.

“In 1996, the highest denomination was 1,000,000 new zaires.

In 1997, the country was re-named the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the currency was changed to francs, one unit of which was exchanged for 100,000 new zaires,” he stated.

According to him, the case of Zimbabwe shows how rapidly Sanusi things can get out of control. “On May 5, 2007, Zimbabwe issued currency notes with face values of Z$100 million and Z$250 million. On May 15, 2007, a new bank note of Z$500 million was issued, followed by the issue on May 20, 2007 of currency notes in denominations of Z$5 billion, Z$25 billion and Z$50 billion.

“Finally, on July 21 2007, bank notes with a face value of Z$100 billion were issued. Eventually, Zimbabwe abandoned its own currency and legalised the use of only foreign currencies,” he explained.

Oyejide concluded that Nigeria had been experiencing bouts of inflation for a long time and that efforts to extinguish this dangerous trend had not been successful, adding that “the introduction of the 5,000 naira currency note may be a step in the wrong direction and down a slippery slope towards hyper-inflation.”

er. Let’s take the first one about the larger denominations being for the rich. Talking about the rich and the poor in the society, as long as the world exists, there will be the rich and the poor and the poor are the ones that are likely to become rich. Should we then say we should not create government reservation areas of low population densities because of the poor? There are people in the UK that have not and will never see the 50 pound bill and there are people who will never ride a Rolls Royce car. Does that then mean that these should not be created?

We should not go into irrelevances. The N5,000 is not for the rich; the minimum wage in Nigeria is N18,000 so the lowest income people can also be paid in N5,000 notes. The N5,000 will also serve as a good pool of storage of accounts or savings and it will also be quite portable.

On pricing and the possibility of causing inflation, this calls for a proper understanding of the role of money. Money is like a measuring rod and your measuring rod should be flexible to suit what you are measuring. It should be flexible enough to measure both short and long measurements. The problem comes only when it is either too long or too short.

The currency system should be flexible enough to measure both small and large denominations. I think the CBN should pay careful attention by designing coins that will be desirable to hold. The N1 coin for instance does not make sense. Also the N5 coin should be small enough as to be commensurate with its value. I’m not just advocating large denominational notes but also functional sensibly-sized coins for pricing purposes. If we have functional coins, the effect will be that it will puncture inflation because you will be able to price to the last penny. However, if they are not functional, it will promote rounding off of prices and not necessarily inflation. Inflation is all about the amount of money in circulation and not about the denominations.

Would you agree that the proposed introduction of the N5,000 note will be at cross-purposes with the cashless economy project like it has been argued in some quarters?

E-payments and the currency structure should not be confused. Electronic payment is all about one party transferring money to another and these are likely to be wholesale and not retail payments. Cash on the other hand is meant for spontaneous purchases, and where there is no access to e-payment facilities. There are certain transfers that can be made in cash and such are what you use notes for. Saying the new currency regime will be at variance with the cashless economy project misses the point; they are two separate and distinct issues and we should not confuse them. It’s unlikely that a person going to eat in an eatery will need e-payment. Many transactions will still be done in cash, while e-payments will mainly be for bulk payments.

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September 1, 2012

Saturday Starter

‘I am shocked at the N40bn proposed for printing currency’ Chief John Oyegun, former Federal Permanent Secretary and Third Republic governor of Edo State.

How do you see the CBN’s plan to introduce a N5,000 note and change some naira notes to coins?

It is very clear that our currency has lost value considerably to the extent that the lower value absolutely has no worth at all. In Nigeria today, any child of about 10 to 15 years doesn’t definitely know what our coins look like. So, I don’t see what all the faults are about introduction of the N5, 000 note. The problem with corruption is not the bill, the problem is lack of will to deal with corruption, so the fact that we now have a N5, 000 note does not stop or encourage corruption in any way. The only thing that can stop corruption is punishment.

So, I don’t understand all the noise about the new N5,000 note. For me, it is very welcome because it make it less bulky to carry reasonable amount of money in someone pocket, which you can use to buy ordinary day-to-day things. The cashless economy is not there yet, so it is impossible at times to trade with cheques, drafts because at times some of the equipments and machines don’t work effectively.

But many people are of the view

only reasonable note that we have in the country today is the N1,000 note. If you want N100, 000, l may decide to give it to you in N200 bills and you will need a bag to carry it. You will need a nylon bag to carry N100,000, which you will need to pay just two or three domestic staffs. So we must face reality; we are always multiplying problems and creating problems where there is none. We are so full of contradictions; we don’t sit down to think and think to see things through.

Oyegun

that the introduction of the new currency would fuel inflation.

The introduction of N5, 000 note will just make it possible for people to carry less bulk of money in their pockets. The

There is an insinuation that the Federal Government’s plan to pump N40 billion into the printing of the new currency is a move by some public office holders to siphon public funds. What is your take on this?

I must confess I was shocked when I saw the figure. Everything in the country is now in billions and trillions; people are now stealing public funds in billions and trillions. Look at the fuel subsidy crisis, which we are still facing, the money were stolen in trillions. People usually muddle things somehow and we would continue to have the situations we have mainly because we don’t enforce our laws. So the level of impunity is just totally incredible. I was shocked when I saw that N40 billion will be use to carry out the exercise. Nigeria is full of shock and surprises, and nobody is doing anything about it, so we just have to learn how to survive.

‘It is not hiking of denominations that creates inflation’ Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, renowned economist and former Minister of Finance What is your view about CBN’s plan to introduce new N5,000 note?

In 1973, there were uproars when the N20 note was introduced. I am of the view that the real issue is that we should be worried about the economy.

We should be worried about saving and productive investments; creation of wealth and jobs, diversification of economy including diversification of our exports and improvement in infrastructures and qualities of life. Those are the issues we should be worried about and not currency units. N5,000 note is merely to make it easy to carry notes. So, it is not the issuing of denominations or hiking of units that creates inflation or that should cause so much uproar.

As an Economist, what are the advantages and disadvantages of the new N5,000 note?

One, instead of carrying five N1,000 notes, you carry only one. I think we have more serious issues with the economy than issues that has to do with issuing of N5,000 note. It is the prerogative

of the central bank that manages currencies, circulation and liquidity, to decide advice and get approval on improving the mobility of resources and currency.

What is your take on the insinuation that the Federal Government’s plan to pump N40billion into printing of the new currencies is a move by some public office holders to siphon public funds?

You have to relate it to other things in term of what it normally costs to carry out a project. And from that sense, some people have argued that there are a lot of things that can be done with that kind of money. Therefore, given the fact that this is just to improve the ease to carry notes, whether it’s the most efficient way to spend that kind of money is a different issue.

How will such moves affect the country’s economy?

How much did we spend on the Olympic? How much did we spend on the general election? How much did we spend on the National Identity Card project that we never quite got a hold on? There are so many other expenses, so the N40 billion is just another expense by the Federal Government. It is not spending the

Kalu

N40 billion that matters but the outcome of what the money is spent on. I believe that once it is not the issuing of currencies that creates inflation, when one is relating the expenditure, you relate it to other expenditures and then it is for government to decide the net benefits of any specific expenditure vis-à-vis others.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘With cashless economy, naira denomination becomes irrelevant’ CONTINUED FROM 4 2010 were as low as 2.8 per cent, 1.1 per cent and -0.7 per cent, respectively.

To encourage the usage of coins, he said, the CBN would liaise with relevant ministries, departments and agencies, deposit money banks, road transport workers, market operators, small business operators, supermarkets, vendors, among others, to create avenues for the usage of the coins.

Expert opinions The chief executive officer of Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane, was also of the opinion that, since the policy will make the naira more portable, it is good measure, adding, however, that it is a largely belated move, as the introduction of the cashless economy project has rendered it of less significance.

“Portability is one of the features of money thus anything that will improve the portability of the naira is a welcome development. However, from next year there will be a full cashless economy, thus at that point, the denomination of the naira becomes irrelevant and is no more than an academic exercise,” he asserted.

“Why would you need larger notes when everyone is using ATM’s?” he asked.

On its part, the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria assured that the planned N5,000 note would not trigger inflation in the country.

The President of the body, Hajia Maryam Ladi-Ibrahim, said, “Looking at it from the macro-economic aspect, it will not for now produce outright increase in inflation.” According to her, somebody earning N50,000 will still collect the same amount.

She, however, explained that in the long run, the effects would depend on the implementation of the policy by the apex bank. She said restructuring of currency denominations had always been a common thing to nations, stressing that it had been a practice with the apex banks of countries for restructuring purposes. She added, “In doing this, they consider the advantages and disadvantages. In the current case, however, we expected it was going to be something from N1,000 to N2,000.”

The ANAN boss, who is also a former Auditor-General of Kogi State, nevertheless, advised that the government should make more available the smaller denominations of naira notes to be in circulation because of its implication for the poor and lowly paid.

“In all sectors, you have people doing menial jobs and they are paid very little amount. If you give them a single note of N5,000, they still need to go and break it down to make purchases,” she said.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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September 1, 2012

Saturday Starter

N5,000 note: What do Nigerians say?

Saturday Mirror went out to get a sense of the masses’ feelings and understanding of the apex bank’s proposed restructuring of the nation’s currency and serve you a ‘pot pourri’ of reactions:

‘It will have serious effects on the masses’ Alhaja Aminat Irawo, human rights activist

I

am not in support of it at all.

It will create confusion and impoverish the people, especially the common masses of Nigeria. The introducing of a N5,000 note and changing some denominations to coins will lead to inflation in the market and it will spoil our economy. The CBN’s plan is going to have serious effects on the down-trodden people. I see the CBN’s plan as a deliberate move by the political class to create an avenue to make stealing of public funds very easy.

With the N5,000 note, it would be easy for public office holders to steal from the treasury. With the N5,000 note, it

would also be easy for people to steal public funds and take it overseas for safe keeping. The CBN’s plan is not a good idea and government should stop it in the interest of the masses. We don’t even need a N2, 000 note talk less of a N5,000 note. With a conversion of N5, N10, N20 and N50 to coins, it would be difficult for some parents to provide for the need of their children, especially the young ones. The school children would not be able to buy biscuits and sweets again because there would not be coins again. Coins don’t work in Nigeria. For now we don’t need the N5,000 notes and the coins.

‘We don’t need the current option of CBN’ Mr. Olukayode Salako, President of Change Agent of Nigeria (CAN) and business man

I

t is a measure to continue to impoverish the Nigerian people. With the introduction of the N5,000 note, it means that there would only be four notes in the envelope of somebody that is collecting N20,000 as monthly salary. Those selling pure water will definitely move the price of sachet water from N5 to N100 because they would not like to collect coins. Nigerians naturally don’t like coins and definitely traders are going to naturally shift the prices of things of what we buy at N20 or N50 to N100 so that they can handle naira notes. Then, in terms of corruption, it means that with N5,000 note, if a politician wants to steal N1million, all he needs is just nylon of bread. Someone can also steal about N100 million in just a N5 polythene bag.

I know that CBN has their reasons of introducing the new currency but Nigeria is still a developing country; we don’t need that type of higher value of naira to be able to stabilise our economy.

The introduction of the N5,000 note and the coins will lead to serious inflation and encourage corruption in the system. It will encourage corruption because it would give opportunity for politicians and public office holders to easily steal public funds. Today, many Nigerian politicians don’t spend naira again, what they spend is dollars. They prefer dollars because the dollar denomination can concede more naira for them. $100 is about N15,000, so Nigerian politician now perpetrate high levels of corruption using US dollars. The introduction of the N5,000 note is to allow the cabals to perpetuate a high level of corruption. With N5,000 note, somebody can put N1million in a back pocket and that will enhance easy and effective mo-

bilisation of Nigerian currency through fraudulent means. I am against it and I am not in support of it. Change Agent of Nigeria is totally against it and we are behind the Senate that has put a stop to it.

The Nigeria system does not need the N5,000 note now because it would continue to impoverish the common people and make Nigerian politicians to be richer and richer in their corruptive tendencies.

I believe that the N40 billion earmarked for the project is the exact amount a politician needs to move more money out of this system in preparation for the 2015 general elections.

Why is CBN in a hurry to print N5,000 single bill notes? How long have they sought the opinions and views of the Nigeria stakeholders? Why should that policy be hurriedly implemented when the National Assembly has not ratified it for adoption? That shows that that is the amount of money that the Nigerian politicians want to quickly print in N5,000 notes so that they can move it out of the Nigeria system through corruption. It is all about continuing to defraud the Nigerian system and an effort to continue killing the Nigerian masses. The value of N5,000 in single bill is going to be the actual value of the present N500 note in nearest future.

And very soon what present the N500 can buy is what the N5,000 would buy because Nigerians don’t like handling coins. What I would have preferred is for the CBN to go for Soludo’s option of removing two zeros from the Nigerian currency, the way it was done in Ghana. Let the CBN adopt the Ghana option. We don’t need the current option of the CBN.

‘It is good only for the rich’ Oluwaseun Sani, businessman

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o start with, it will help in the mobility of cash to prevent theft or robbery but it will lead to inflation. It will also lead to c o r r u p tion as more money will be easy to stack in Ghana must go bag. As per ATMs, many banks will load the ATM machines with N5,000 notes and the implication is that if you don’t have up to N5,000 in your account, you not be able to withdraw money. The divisibility will be difficult because if a man has the money he will comply get the value for the money before he can divide it.

Simply put the N5,000 note is good for the rich.

‘It will add to the people’s hardship through inflation’ Comrade Daniel Ezekiel, public analyst and human rights activist

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irst and foremost, I want to appreciate the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for rejecting the N5,000 note. These distinguished senators by their action have shown that they are indeed the people’s voice. Sometimes, I wonder where this central bank governor is from, and why he loves controversy baffles me. It is either he is introducing Islamic banking or urging Mr. President to further pauperise the masses by removing fuel subsidy. Now here he is again, with another attention-seeking antic. I am one of the stakeholders who is against the introduction of the N5,000 note because it will add to the hardship of our people through inflation. I am so sure that our politicians will be dancing now, because the CBN governor has opened another easy window for them to steal our commonwealth. Imagine just few pieces of it equals to millions. I pray Lamido Sanusi will not kill us in this country. I just can’t see any advantage(s) in this brainwave ideal from ‘Mr. Know it all,’ but a means by the ruling class to scientifically perfect way(s) of looting our treasury.

‘It is totally inimical to a sustainable economy’ Alhaji Abdullahi Abdulmajeed, President of Nigerian Youth United Action Coalition (NYUAC)

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t is totally inimical to a s u s tainable econo m y.

It is v e r y c l e a r that they are only talking about an increase in an unsustainable inflationary trend in the country. If we are talking about cashless economy idea in Nigeria, we should look at cashless economy strictly. If we are talking about cashless, we should not be looking at a situation whereby we would be bringing about currencies that would make the easy flow of cash to lead to inflation in the system. When you are talking about returning N20 note to coins, it means that obviously, very soon a petty trader will not expect N20 from you. A sachet of pure water will not sell for anything less than N100 because nobody keeps coins in this country.

‘It won’t serve us well’ Babatope Morakinyo, human rights activist:

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ith

successive governments and the problems of policy inconsistencies that failed to raise the income and confidentiality of the poor in the empowerment programmes, I want to say the introduction of N5,000 note by the Lamido Sanusi-led CBN will not fare well on the economy by all indices, more so on the inflation rate indices because for inflation to be reduced to a single digit, currency must or has to be mopped up from circulation, and this will not be able to create job because we know how much is being moved around by corrupt civil servants and politicians when the smaller currency notes are being used, not to talk of now that such a bill is to be introduced.

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National News

September 1, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

N5000 note: NBA threatens to sue CBN

•Warns FG over Bakassi EMMANUEL ONANI ABUJA

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he last may not have not been heard about the planned introduction of N5000 note as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has threatened to drag the Central Bank of Nigeria and its governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to court.

The action, the association said, is to ensure that the decision is rescinded.

Describing the proposal as a “shallow, poorly thought-out,” the NBA warned that the new policy had the potential of de-

valuing the naira as well as diminishing the lives of Nigerians.

The NBA said it would “further push corruption and money laundering to a new unimaginable heights”.

The NBA wondered why the CBN governor could contemplate the policy of “redenomination”, without seeking legislative approval from the National Assembly, which it considered as representing the aggregate wishes of majority of Nigerians.

It commended the Senate for ordering a stay of action on the policy, pending detailed briefing on the

expected benefits of the new policy regime.

It maintained that “if the CBN persists in its reckless plan to negatively alter the face of the Nigerian economy, it will go to court to seek redress.”

In rejecting the argument of CBN that the new measure would not cause inflation in the economy, NBA noted that the peculiar economic realities in Nigeria were different from what it described as the “Western Business Models” that the apex financial institution is familiar with.

It observed, therefore that, “Such a measure that

will affect the lives of Nigerians in many ways is not a mere fiscal measure that the CBN can claim exclusive jurisdiction over” adding that, “it is a legislative matter, with ramifications on the lives of all Nigerians that is within the sole legislative province of the National Assembly…”

Warning that the CBN is not the fourth arm of government but an executive body, it advised Sanusi to “submit the measure for legislative approval which the National Assembly is expected to consider in line with the wishes of majority of Nigerians.”

In the meantime, the bar

association has warned the federal government on the violations of the rights of the people of Bakassi by the Cameroonian authorities saying, it has the “potential of spiraling into major insurrection” unless urgent steps were taken to redress the injustice occasioned by the October 10, 2002 judgement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ceded Bakassi to Cameroon.

The body of lawyers, accordingly, urged the federal government to, as a matter of urgent national importance, seek a revision of the vexed judgement that has since rendered the

people of Bakassi in Cross River State, “homeless” and “stateless”.

In a communique at the end of its 52nd Annual conference, the NBA called on President Goodluck Jonathan to, “without further delay, apply under Article 61 of the ICJ statute of 1946, to the ICJ for a revision of what is an unjust judgement over Bakassi.”

This warning, the NBA stated, is consequent upon Article 61 (5) of the ICJ law, which provides among others that, “No application for revision may be made after the lapse of ten years from the date of the judgement.”

...Accuses NJC of aiding corruption EMMANUEL ONANI ABUJA

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L-R: Publishing Director of Learn Africa Plc, Gbola Aiyedun (middle), and Emmanuel Abeen, receiving the Best Book Publishing Company Award from Dr John Ndanusa Akanya (Right), former Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria and Advisory Board member, Institute for Government Research & Leadership Technology, at the African Governance & Corporate Leadership Awards 2012.

Identity leakage: SSS moves to nab masterminds OUR REPORTER

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ndications emerged last night that the State Security Service (SSS) may have launched a manhunt to track down those responsible for the leakage of details of some of its past and serving agents on the internet.

The spy agency is said to have adopted an “openminded” approach to the issue as it is convinced that there could have been a collaboration between the mastermind and some of its agents.

“It was nothing other than a ploy to embarass the Service. Is it possible to have placed details of 60

personnel of the Service online? They even mentioned our Director General. Even as a journalist, have you ever seen the DG since you have been covering this place (SSS)? So, it is the work of mischief makers and I have not even seen the postings myself ”, said a top SSS personnel.

The Associated Press (AP) had reported on Thursday that the names and other personal details of former and serving members of SSS, have been leaked online.

It said the personal details leaked included home addresses and names of immediate family members.

“The data of about

more than 60 operatives of State Security Service remained easily accessible on the Internet for days.

It also had details about the agency’s director general, including his mobile phone number, bank account details and contact information for his son”, the AP reported.

Officials of the secret police are rarely seen and their operations shrouded in secrecy but they have become more visible with the advent of democracy and the wave of Islamic insurgency in most parts of the north.

The personnel rarely have any pages on the social media except where they use pseudonyms.

Although, the Deputy Director, Public Relations of the Service could not be reached as at last night, she had earlier told our correspondent on Thursday that she would not make any official comments on the matter, challenging AP to supply the link to the leaked material.

“I cannot comment on a matter that I am not aware of. Why is it only AP that saw the posting and not BBC or AFP, it smacks of mischief ”, she said.

According to AP, the information leak came in two postings earlier this month on a website that provides rewritten news on Nigeria.

he Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference ended yesterday, with the body of lawyers accusing the National Judicial Council (NJC) of contributing to “systemic corruption” by not being firm in the fight against corruption in the judiciary.

This allegation was contained in a communique read by the out-gone president of the NBA, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN).

He called on the chairman of the NJC and Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Mukhtar, to, as a matter of urgency, address the “institutional weakness”, with a view to restoring the lost confidence in the judiciary.

As a way of strengthening the judiciary for effective and efficient dispensation of justice, the NBA urged judges who are could no longer live up to their oath and professional calling to resign honourably, warning that the bar would not hesitate to disgrace such judges, in the event that they remain adamant, in the face of alleged malfeasance.

“NBA calls for Judges who cannot perform the duties of their offices within the perimeters of principle and integrity to honourably resign or be

disgraced by the Bar”, the communiqué reads.

On the procedure for appointing judges the NBA resolved that henceforth, vacancies for appointment of judicial officers should be advertised, to enable qualified lawyers to apply, “as opposed to the current disgusting situation whereby cronies, relatives and adopted sons and daughters of a select few are appointed to the exclusion of otherwise meritorious candidates and corrosion of an effective Justice Delivery Sector.”

Meanwhile, the newlyinaugurated president of the NBA, Mr. Okey Wali (SAN), has pledged the readiness of the bar to partner with the National Assembly in a determined effort to make good laws for the country.

Wali, who gave this indication in his maiden speech shortly after being sworn-in by Daudu, also promised to run an all-inclusive administration.

He, however, warned against moves by some lawyers to begin campaigns for the 2014 NBA elections, threatening to “disqualify any candidate involved in electioneering before the National Executive Committee (NEC) of NBA lifts ban on campaign.”

Committees such as the NBA Elders Forum and Constitution review committee were set up by the new president.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

National News

September 1, 2012

N7.4 billion debt: Police contractors spoil for war OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

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ontractors registered under the aegis of Association of Police Contractors have threatened stage a protest if the Nigeria Police Force fail to pay them N7.4 billion being the total amount owed them since 2008/2009 till date for various degrees contracts executed.

To this end, it has given both the Ministry of Police Affairs and the Nigeria Police Force one-week ultimatum to act or face the wrath of its members.

In its bid to ensure that the debt was settled, the association had appealed to the National Assembly, the Ministry of Finance, the Debt Management Office, the Bureau for

Public Procurement and other civil rights groups to prevail on the Inspector General of Police and the Ministry of Police Affairs to use their 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarter allocations to offset the debt in order to alleviate the suffering of their members.

In a letter signed by the association’s chairman and secretary, Chief Patrick Ojo and Chief Aloysius Okonkwo, respectively, the association noted that some of the contracts were ongoing projects under the five-year rolling plan while some had been completed.

The letter noted that in spite of several appeals and meetings with the Minister of Police Affairs, Captain Caleb Olubolade as well as the Inspector General of Police, Mo-

hammed Abubakar, no concrete effort had been made to correct the unwholesome system of fund and project management in both the police force and the ministry.

According the letter dated August 28, 2012, the contractors had earlier submitted another letter dated May 17, 2012 to the Minister of Police Affairs detailing the alleged unwholesome happenings and irrespective of the minister’s order to stop award of new contracts until outstanding liabilities resulting from past contracts are settled, the IGP is still awarding new contracts, processing and collecting tender fees.

“This action smacks of gross insensitivity, recklessness and an attempt to further impoverish and

pauperise our members.

The action of the Ministry of Police Affairs and the Nigerian Police in handling the problem is at variance with the Bureau of Public Procurement act”, the letter noted.

It lamented that the non-payment was causing its members so much trauma as most of them took loans to execute the contracts.

It added that their collaterals were being called in by various banks and that their accounts attract debt interests.

The letter further stated that two of their members had lost their lives due to stress, high blood pressure and stroke arising from frustrations, impoverishment and inability to meet primary responsibility to their families.

No casualty in fire outbreak –LUTH TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

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he management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) yesterday assured its patients, relations and the general public that there was no casualty recorded in the fire outbreak on Thursday night at a bungalow used for APIN Outpatient clinic.

The institution, in a statement made available to Saturday Mirror yesterday by its Head of Corporate Services Division, Hope Nwawolo, however regretted the incident.

The statement reads: “Management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital regrets to state that on August 30, 2012 at about 7.00pm a

PHOTO: NAN

N591.6bn: Minister, ASUU, others laud TETfund on disbursement TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE

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he Minister of Education, Prof.

Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i , the Academic Staff of Union of Universities (ASUU), Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) and some other stakeholders in the education sector have lauded the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for

what they called judicious utilisation of public funds in their coffer.

The commendation was given in Lagos yesterday at a taxpayers’ forum organised by the agency where it showcased its intervention activities and interacted with companies that paid its 2 per cent accessible profit as Education Tax. They said from all indications and testimonies so far, the organisation

established as an intervention agency under the Education Tax Act No. 7 of 1993 and amended by Education Tax (Amendment) Act No. 40 0f 1998 had lived above board in its responsibilities.

The minister, who confirmed that a total of N591.6 billion was accrued to the agency since inception 18 years ago, said she was satisfied with how the money had been disbursed to beneficial tertiary institutions

in the country, adding that she was particularly impressed by the monitoring of projects the funds are being dedicated to.

According to her, TETFund activities have brought significant development to the tertiary education in the country in terms of infrastructural development, staff capacity building and development, teaching and instructional materials and so on.

bungalow used for the APIN Outpatient clinic caught fire.

“However, the Lagos State Fire Services and others were able to contain the fire to that building alone. Therefore management wishes to state categorically that the children wards and emergency centre were not affected by the fire.

“Management hereby assures its patients, relations and the general public that there was no casualty recorded in the inferno.

“Management has also put in place measures to ensure that our patients’ clinical treatment and access to their drugs are not affected. Data of patients are also backed up electronically and so there is no need for alarm.”

900 passengers escape death as train crushes trailer

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Workers salvaging property at HIV/AIDS Prevention Initiative Clinic in Lagos after a fire incident, yesterday.

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n Iddo-bound passengers train on Friday rammed into an articulated vehicle at the Ilupeju Railway Crossing near Oshodi in Lagos State.

Although no life was lost, the incident which happened at about 7.30 a.m. led to gridlock along the Ilupeju/Oshodi road for several hours, reports on online publication, CKN. Ademuyiwa Adekanbi, Lagos District Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, confirmed the incident pointing out that no life was lost.

Adekanbi said that the corporation has embarked on enough enlightenment campaigns on the use of the railway crossings.

“We have done enough jingles on radio and television, we have organised rallies and distributed fliers to sensitise people of the right of way of a train at level crossings,” he said.

Each of the coaches on the train has 90 seats which are usually over-

loaded.

An eyewitness told journalists that the articulated vehicle blocked the railway crossing when the train was already close by.

The loaded trailer had crashed into the double barriers on the railway crossing shortly before the train arrived.

On seeing the approaching train, the driver jumped out of the trailer and ran away. The train then dragged the truck for some distance, scattering the goods inside it, which were mostly empty cartons of Malta Guinness drink, along the track.

The dragging of the truck also led to the damaging of some vehicles parked along the rail track by motor mechanics.

It was gathered that the accident caused some damage to the engine of the locomotive and the track.

The incident makes it the third time in August that passengers trains have rammed into vehicles at railway crossings in the Lagos metropolis.

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National News

September 1, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ibori’s $15m bribery money: Chigbue drops suit, leaves money for FG

•CPC calls on Uba, Lamorde to speak up ISE-OLUWA IGE AND OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

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ess than 24 hours after Lagos lawyer, Mr Festus Keyamo, advised the federal government to arrest and interrogate all those who allegedly had links with the controversial $15 million bribe money allegedly offered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)by former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, latest claimant and staunch member of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chibuike Achigbu, has filed a motion seeking

to withdraw the suit he instituted to take possession of the fund.

Achigbu had said that the controversial fund that was given to the EFCC through Andy Uba was from him.

He however did not give any reason for withdrawing the case.

In the notice of withdrawal filed at the registry of the Abuja Federal High Court and made available to our correspondent, he said he was withdrawing his case against the CBN, the federal government and Delta State government.

Chigbue had hired three

prominent members of the inner bar, including an Ibadan-based Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) to file a suit laying claim to the controversial $15m dollars.

In the affidavit he filed, Achigbue claimed that he offered the controversial money to Andy Uba who was Special Assistant to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Domestic Matters as donation towards the election if late President Umaru Yar’Adua and Vice President Goodluck Jonathan.

According to him, he said he sought advice from legal experts on whether he could raise money in

support of the PDP and its candidates throughout the country, with a view to ensuring a clean sweep for the party He further claimed that though he set a target of N3 billion for himself and friends, he was able to raise more than N2 billion

by April 2007.

In order to expend the fund legitimately, Achigbue said he approached Uba, now a Senator, and agencies of government to investigate to ensure that he raised the funds legitimately and in good faith.

Uba, he alleged, advised him to deliver the fund to him (Uba) for onward

transmission to EFCC being the agency of the federal government empowered to certify such.

In an affidavit he filed in support of the application, he said: “Andy Uba was a Special Assistant in the Presidency who offered to take custody of the fund with a view to inviting EFCC to carry out the audit and certification before being donated to the PDP.” Meanwhile, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has called on Uba and chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, to come clean on their roles on the alleged $15 million bribe money reportedly of-

fered to the anti-corruption agency by Ibori in 2007.

The party said that with the formal conviction and subsequent incarceration of Chief Ibori for money laundering offences by a British court, the need for the proper disposal of the money had become a major issue.

The party, in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Rotimi Fashakin, said that Nigerians deserved to know the truth concerning the controversial money which had been in the custody of the EFCC as revealed by the former chairman of the body, Nuhu Ribadu.

Babatope warns FG over unemployment SINA FADARE

F Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima; his counterpart from Niger State, Babangida Aliyu; Mayor of the City of Frankfurt, Dr. Martin Wilke; Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi; Katsina State governor, Ibrahim Shema; Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State and Enugu State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr. Jude Akubuilo, during Nigerian Governors Forum’s trip to understudy the German federal system of government in Berlin, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

FG to include herbal medicine in school curriculum MARCUS FATUNMOLE ABUJA

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he federal government has expressed its readiness to integrate herbal medicine education into the curriculum of the nation’s tertiary institutions.

This was contained in an address delivered by the Minister of Health, Prof.

Onyebuchi Chukwu at a press briefing that marked this year’s celebration of African Traditional Medicine Day in Abuja, yesterday.

Speaking on the need to ensure the integration of herbal medicine into the nation’s health care delivery system and also realise its economic benefits, the minister, repre-

sented by Director of Food and Drugs in the ministry, Mary Okpeseyi, said the federal government would inaugurate two committees this month to “develop the capacity of the private sector of the economy, working with relevant agencies of government such as the universities and research institutions, to develop and produce herbal medicinal

products for both local and international markets; and, to advise government on steps for development of a curriculum for the training on herbal medicine at tertiary levels.”

The objective of this, the minister said, was to produce skilled personnel for the practice of herbal medicine in some of the nation’s hospitals.

Exposing corrupt members, our achievement –PDP OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

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eoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the government’s exposure of involvement of top party officials in corruption should be applauded and not considered as a great

achievement by the party.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, made this remark while reeling out PDP’s achievements in governance since it got registered as a political party on August 31, 1998.

He explained that people

got to know about the shoddy deals involved in by some of the party’s top officials, because PDP was not prepared to hide anything from the public.

He said: “For the party to allow any of its officials or supporters to be exposed for corrupt practices shows that

we are with the people and we have no room for corrupt tendencies.

“PDP is insisting that nothing can be hidden from the people. With the entrance of EFCC, ICPC and other anti-graft efforts, we have proved that nothing can be swept under the carpet.”

ormer Minister of Transport and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Chief Ebenezer Babatope has warned the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, tackle the issue of unemployment of the army of Nigerians youths who are trooping out of the university in droves, before it is too late.

Babatope gave the warning at the weekend in Lagos at a public lecture.

He noted that, as long as unemployment

continues to grow in Nigeria, the economic indices of progress in Nigeria will continue to be bad.

“We have now recorded thirty years of graduate unemployment in our country. I remember too well that graduate unemployment started to become a national problem in 1982,” he said.

The member of the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, noted that the trend which had forced university graduates to be hawking various articles on the streets while many are involved in armed robbery, is a sign that all is not well.

Learn Africa wins award

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learning resource company, Learn Africa Plc, has emerged the Best Book Publishing Company at the 2012 African Governance & Corporate Leadership Awards held recently in Abuja.

The awards were organised by the Institute for Government Research & Leadership Technology to honour political office holders and corporate bodies that have delivered leadership in their areas of competence.

The Best Book Publish-

ing Company Award was given to Learn Africa Plc in recognition of its leadership of the publishing sector.

The company is the first organisation to be so honoured in the publishing industry.

According to the organisers, some of the parameters that informed the award included the company’s expertise in the publication of first-rate books, outstanding provision of service, competence in handling specialised contracts for the production and supply of books.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

POLITICS

September 1, 2012

11

‘Disintegration, not in any ethnic group’s interest’ W

hat is your reaction to the state of insecurity in the country?

It is saddening that under- development and poverty is at an alarming rate in Nigeria. It is instructional to note that Nigeria, as a country, has gone through difficult moments, characterised by the prevalence of ethno-religious violence and of course, political crisis that have resulted in the loss of thousands of precious lives. The crises have led to separation of families and the destruction of economic and social infrastructures in the country. The crises, amplified by the emerging trend of insurgency and terrorism, have compelled thousands of Nigerians to abandon their places of abode to seek refuge in their towns of origin or in neighbouring states. While the country battles perennially with ethno-religious and political crises with the quantum of dismal and far reaching consequences on innocent citizens unabated, a new and more dangerous dimension of hostility and bloodshed has suddenly resurfaced in the annals of Nigeria. Militancy, insurgency and several acts of terrorism are fast becoming the means adopted by different segments of the country’s population to register some forms of discontent, reservation, cry of marginalisation or alienation of their ethno-religious groups or regions.

Our major concern is that young people who are also the most vulnerable to the aftermath effects of these incidents are mostly used to power the uprisings ignorantly. This crisis is gradually destroying our social fabric and threatening to paralyze our economy. Since the October 1, 2010 bomb blasts and the ethno-religious crisis that followed the 2011 general elections in some parts of the country, peace has remained elusive for our country. The rise of militancy in the South and insurgency in the North that is threatening to snowball into fullscale terrorism and civil war, if unmitigated, is alarming and detrimental to our continued coexistence as a country.

An ominous cloud of suspicion has increasingly coloured our culture of fear as widespread and reoccurring violence, misinformation, sharp division and disagreement at all levels have suddenly become the order of the day. Mass killings in the name of religion resulting in mutual distrust and hatred across ethnic and religious lines is seriously impeding the growth and development of this country thus rapidly pushing it unto the precipice of a full blown civil war and state of anarchy.

Many Nigerians across all divides are beginning to contemplate and even hold firm belief and reliance on the disintegration of our country as the only cure for all the ills presently witnessed in the country. This is a negative proposition that urgently needs to be suppressed with concrete words and action in the interest of all the peoples of this nation.

Alhaji Abdullahi Abdulmajeed, President of Nigerian Youth United Action Coalition (NYUAC) and Convener of Nigerian Youths Multi-Stakeholders Dialogue Summit, believes that the agitation for disintegration of Nigeria will not be in the interest of any group.

He also states, in this interview with TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE, that any attempt by the federal government to convene a Sovereign National Conference may pose a threat to the continuous existence of Nigeria. Excerpts:

Abdulmajeed

Do you think the President Goodluck Jonathan-led government is doing enough to tackle insecurity in the country?

The government is spending resources in tackling the challenges of socio-political crisis, insurgencies and militancy, but little is being done to attack the underlining constant factors that are responsible for these problems that we have. We do not have appropriate constitutional settlement; the youths are largely unemployed; they are unengaged and not empowered; there is a lot of mutual disgust in the air. We require national reconciliation, integration and social harmony. Youths should stop making noise on the streets as it will not take us anywhere. The youths cannot ordinarily leave the street except the gov-

ernment shows some sense of sincerity and ensure these people are empowered.

Spending so much money on security is done just to contain it temporarily. But if the youths can be well taken care of, obviously, there will be peace. Yesterday, it was Niger Delta; today it is Boko Haram; tomorrow may be another sect like the hydro-power producing communities.

They may be agitating to cut off power from the country.

What is your view about the proposed plan by the federal government to negotiate with Boko Haram?

The crisis of Boko Haram is a political crisis and only a political approach to the issue can give us a long lasting solution.

My own take is that government should negotiate with Boko Haram if negotiation will bring about a stop to the inces-

sant killings and violence in the country.

I am also of the view that mass citizens’ support and participation in the collective quest for peace will definitely reposition the country and its people firmly on the pathway of sustainable development.

It is believed that corruption has caused a lot of set back to the growth and development of Nigeria. As a Nigerian what is your view about this trend?

What corruption simply means is to compromise and mortgage the future of young people. Because in an environment where corruption strives, what it does is to set back developmental strides of such a nation. So, we are worried as Nigerians, especially as young people and one of our major concerns is that CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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POLITICS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 government needs to do more in the area of ensuring that corruption is nipped in the bud.

How do you think corruption can be tackled in Nigeria?

The first way is to preach, foster and institutionalise ethics. Let us build an ethical system and bring about reorientation of values; civic ethics and value reorientation. This system needs to be institutionalised. And when people are found to have mismanaged public funds anywhere, they should try appropriately.

There has been serious agitation for a Sovereign National Conference.

Do you think the exercise will solve the nation’s problems?

Yes, I backed the call for the national conference, but the word Sovereign is the major challenge that has made the conference difficult for the government to convene. What we are saying is that take the issue of “sovereign” away and call it a national conference that will bring people of the different ethnics in Nigeria together to decide how they want to coexist. I believe there is need for Nigerians to sit down and look at the problems that we have and collectively agree to solve the problems in a way that is mutually acceptable. According to some elder statesmen and those who are well versed in the issue of Law, talking about the convocation of a sovereign national conference is actually a threat probably to the continuous existence of Nigeria.

Talking about sovereign national conference, some people might decide to use the fora to begin to talk about the disintegration of Nigeria. So, if the word “sovereign” is going to pose such a threat to the sustainability of the Nigerian project, let the “sovereign” be taking away and let us

September 1, 2012

‘Disintegration, not in any ethnic group’s interest’ have a national conference to discuss the way forward for Nigeria.

You said that convening a sovereign national conference may lead to the disintegration of Nigeria, but without it, many people and ethnic groups are fuelling the ember of disintegration.

To a large extent, a lot of people, elder statesmen and people who really understand the implication of this pronouncement have really gone ahead to say that talking about the disintegration of Nigeria is not going to be in the interest of any region of the country at the moment. Every part of the country has what it takes to sustain itself. It is not only about survival when it comes to the issue of the funds got from oil. We have a shared history of cohabitation and relationship. We have inter-marriages and we do businesses together.

We have many things that have tied us together as a nation. So, when you are talking about the disintegration of the country, it is not only a group that will suffer; many groups will suffer. Staying together as a country will make us stronger but if we break into small units, we would lose our values and relevance. So, basically I think that the issue of agitation for disintegration is only a means by some group of people to say, “We want to discuss certain issues; we want certain things to be changed from the country’s structures.” They

Bode George returns next week

think that the best way they can get the attention of the power that be, is to begin to threaten secession and whatever.

I don’t think any section of this country will want to disintegration Nigeria.

You are planning to organise a summit that would bring the youths

together to talk about peace. What is your main motive?

Nigeria belongs to all of us and youths happen to be the most populated sector in the country. If this country works, it works for us and we will benefit even more than those in government.

And if this country fails, we will lose more than they lose. This uneasy calm that we have in some parts of the country is worrisome and it is obvious that there are a whole lot of problems. These are problems that government alone cannot resolve and it is in view of this that we brought together stakeholders who can complement efforts of government and other institutions to secure solutions to the problems of Nigeria.

As a preliminary effort to lay a foundation for the proposed national dialogue to consult widely and integrate the input and opinion of all stakeholders into the summit agenda, the summit group has decided to host a final presummit conference after the regional grassroots conferences with leaders of all major youth organisations, civil society organisations and faith based groups in order to ensure that the proposed multi-stakeholders summit is all inclusive and encompassing of every diverse interest in the country.

In your refreshingly different How states fund the police

The debate on the feasibility or otherwise of State Police is still ongoing. Some states and stakeholders are agitating for the decentralisation of the police. Others are opposed to it. For those calling for the state police, they believe they are already doing more than enough in taking over the Federal Government’s responsibility. So what are the states really doing?

Sunday Mirror beams its searchlight on security spending.

The report is revealing. Lagos spent over N9 billion in the last five years. In Katsina State, the government donated about 54 Hilux vans recently. Borno equally donated about 200 patrol vehicles …. And so on. Read all they are doing tomorrow

The Yoruba agenda

Within a week of each other, two major meetings were held in the South West.

The first meeting was held in Ikenne, Ogun State under the aegis of the Yoruba Unity Group. The second meeting was held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, under the auspices of the Yoruba General Assembly. The question is; what is responsible for these meetings? Would it be connected with the marginalisation of the Yoruba in national affairs, the call for state police and sovereign national conference? We give you detailed report of the two meetings and what General Alani Akinrinade, rtd, convener of the Ibadan meeting, has to say on this.

ENCOUNTER WITH A NEWSMAKER

F

ormer Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, is expected back in the country next week, the Financial Secretary of PDP in Lagos State, Chief Taiwo Kuye, has said.

It would be recalled that George was reported to be critically ill and receiving treatment out of the country.

But while denying the story of George being sick, Kuye said he would return to the country next week.

Speaking to Saturday Mirror, Kuye said the former number two PDP leader is hale and healthy.

He argued that the news about George’s health emanated from the camp of detractors.

His words: “Chief Bode George is hale and hearty. I still spoke to him some hours ago and he is in sound health. He only travelled out of the country to take some rest after working assiduously for his party and his businesses. So, I believe the man deserves some rest outside the country. I don’t see anything wrong in somebody travelling out of the country

to rest and look at his businesses.

“This is not the first time Chief Bode George would be travelling out of the country for medical check up and for business, so, why is there so much apprehension over his recent travelling.

“At his age he deserves a lot of rest because if it comes back now it may take him another one or one and half years before he can travel out for another round of check up. So, he needs to check up properly and take adequate rest and come back fit and fiddle so that he can face all his political engagements.”

Abdulmajeed

Interview

TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

A senator’s antidote for corruption

Corruption has become a way of life or so the saying goes. To many Nigerians, not much has been done to curb this problem. One of such is Senator Femi Okurounmu, the Secretary-General of the socio-political organisation, Afenifere, who has a home-grown prescription on how to effectively curb corruption in the society. What is his prescription? Keep a date with your favourite Sunday Mirror.

M sleeping-with-dog My l i g ith d g story t –Cossy Orjiakor

Cossy Orjiakor, remember her? She is the naturally endowed dancer and entertainer. In recent time, she has been enmeshed in some controversies relating to her calling as an entertainer. Specifically, she was said to have slept with a dog in video. Cossy, as she is popularly called, has come out to tell the story. She also speaks about the other side of Cossy that people hardly see.

George

These and many more available tomorrow in your

Sport

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

September 1, 2012

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Japan 2012 S/Finals Sayo Ogundeji

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fter despatching the hard-fighting Mexicans to qualify for next Tuesday’s semi-final of the ongoing FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup in Japan against the United States, a former assistant coach of the Super Falcons, Joy Etim, says Nigeria’s Falconets have the potential to win the tournament.

Etim, however, adds that the Nigerian girls must not be complacent as they go into the last stage of the competition.

Falconets last Thursday dominated the first hour of their quarter-finals but were unable to break through until Desire Oparanozie’s header from Ugo Njoku’s cross in the 109th minute at the Tokyo National Stadium beat the Mexican keeper and ensured that Coach Edwin Okon-led side made it to the last four.

The Falconets, who were the runners-up at the 2010 tournament, will face the United States of America next Tuesday and Etim who has been impressed with the team’s performances so far in the bi-annual tournament, believes they must maintain discipline if they are to emerge champions.

According to Etim who has come to be known as mother to most female footballers in the country, the Falconets would have beaten their opponents with wide margin earlier in the game but most of the players lacked tactical discipline.

She, however, called on the coaching crew to work on the lapses discovered during the game in order for them to play better in the rest of the tournament.

“The Falconets played very well and deserved to score more goals going by the ball possession but the most important thing to do is to get the victory and they must be commended for a job well done,” Etim who is the first female football coach in Nigeria told Saturday Mirror shortly after the encounter.

“The team I saw against Mexico is a balanced team with experience and I strongly believe they have the potential to go all the way to the final of this competition but they must show discipline and the forwards must be more potent in front of goals.

“They got to the final of the last tournament before losing to the host but they have the opportunity of making things right this time around by not repeating the same mistakes and I have no doubt in my mind that they have the required strength and character to achieve that,” said Etim.

While Nigeria is on the road to making her second consecutive final appearance on the big stage and could become the first African nation to win a FIFA Women’s World Cup, Etim is of the opinion that nothing has changed between 2010 and 2012, except that all the girls who were already there

Desire Oparanozie (L) of Nigeria and Bianca Sierra (R) of Mexico battle for the ball during the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Japan 2012, quarter final match.

This is no time for complacency, warns Joy Etim have worked hard and improved.

Since the tournament gets tougher as the final approaches, she charges the players to show more dedication and commitment.

“This is a very difficult stage of the tournament compared to the group stage where you have the opportunity of making

Nigerian sports need surgical operation –Iheagwam P. 41

amendments for mistakes, which means the Falconets must be at their best each time they are on the pitch to play.

“Having appeared in the final before is an advantage because we have some of the players who have played on this stage in the team and all they need is to show extra commitment and dedication which obvi-

Rangers declare Ofoedu missing

ously will play a vital role in who emerges champions.

“They have shown characteristics of champions from what we have seen of them so far in the tournament but they must realise that Nigerians will settle for nothing but the cup, and I have no doubt they will make the country proud,” Etim concluded.

Rooney to return in a month P. 42

P. 43

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SPORT

September 1, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

IFFHS: Nothing to celebrate about NPL!

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ne of the numerous strategies employed by the organisers of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) is the use of falsehood to convince doubting Thomases that all is well with the football league in the country, despite all the glaring shortfalls.

Also, so many critics have over the years referred to the NPL as the longest in the football calendar worldwide when compared to that of other countries, because of the consistent shifting of match fixtures and the failure of the administrators to learn from their past mistakes.

Only recently, the NPL and its cohorts were basking in the euphoria from a recent release by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) that the Nigerian league is the best in Africa, which many soccer pundits disagree with.

Beginning from 1990 when professional league began in Nigeria, most of the administrators of the game have failed to lift the standard of the league talk less of the premier league, which they later forced on clubs few years later.

Therefore, how can we celebrate a league or a football industry in which corruption reigns supreme? Or do we need to celebrate a league where fans witness referees being beaten almost on weekly bases?

Aside the tenure of Chief Oyuki Obaseki and a flash of Davidson Owumi’s era, there is nothing to really celebrate from IFFHS claims that our league is the best in the continent.

From available records, IFFHS is an organization that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded on March 27, 1984 at Leipzig (then East Germany) by Dr. Alfredo

Hard Tackle with

Andrew Ekejiuba anelsports@yahoo.com

08034343377

A typical Nigeria Premier League action.

Poge with the blessings of general secretary of the FIFA at the time, Dr. Helmut Kaser.

Until 2002, the IFFHS concentrated on publishing quarterly football magazines and these had to be discontinued for reasons which were not officially told.

Today, the statistical organization has now confined its publishing activities to its website, receiving logistical support from FIFA, the organization that recognise the IFFHS and its work. Although the latter has no affiliation with the world football’s governing body.

IFFHS committed its first blun-

der in 2009, when it released the results of a statistical study which determined the best continental clubs of the 20th Century. The ranking did not consider the performance of some of the teams in national football tournaments, their performance in the intercontinental or world-wide club competitions.

More criticisms came following the fact that the IFFHS was not created by a committee of national bodies linked to football or the compilation of statistics related to the sport.

Also many saw the use of the

words “federation” and “international” in its name as misleading about the origin and nature of the organization.

Another incident that saw continental football bodies at odds with IFFHS statistics was when the South American Football Federation (CONMEBOL), recently ranked Ecuadorian Liga de Quito and Brazilian Internacional as first and second above thirdplaced Club Universidad de Chile in the pan-South America rankings. In comparison, the IFFHS ranked Quito and Internacional in 54th and 36th place respectively.

Following the aforementioned criticisms, Karl Lennartz, a soccer expert and professor at the University of Cologne, Germany, labelled the organization “obscure”, and further described it as a one man show of its chairman Alfredo Poge.

To say the least, the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), Germany’s largest press agency, has refused to publish stories involving IFFHS statistics, but the eggheads in the NPL were quick to take credits and bask in the euphoria of the recent publication by the organisation that the Nigeria Premier League is the best in Africa.

In addition to many low points of the NPL, the welfare of players has often been neglected by clubs as many players play on very difficult conditions, with empty stomachs as a result of irregular payment of monthly salaries and unpaid signon fees for several years.

This season alone, clubs like Dolphins of Port Harcourt and Niger Tornadoes of Minna, have gone on strike to press for the payment of their various monies, coupled with the fact that medical care and insurance cover are almost non-existent for the players

in the NPL generally.

As if that was not enough, NPL matches are played in virtually empty stadia because fans have deserted the arenas for fear of their safety and poor standard of football on offer. So where are the fans to make the league attractive or glamorous as claimed by IFFHS? That notwithstanding, hooliganism and massive corruption among match officials has not helped matters, but has joined to cripple what remains of our league.

Since the exit of long-serving chairman Oyuki Obaseki, the NPL has been bedevilled with lingering leadership tussles shortly after Davidson Owumi was unceremoniously deposed, while Victor Baribote’s appointment is still being contested by Akin Akinbobola.

Today, the prize money for the NPL champions is N5 million, but for the past two soccer seasons, the NPL has remained cash strapped, thus they do not have the financial muscle to propel the league. Even the NPL is yet to decide on a title sponsor for the second straight season, as clubs have continued to complain that they are yet to receive a kobo from the sale of television rights for the competition for the past six years.

All these must have made the local media to virtually black out the NPL, while at the same time hyping on the English Premier League and other European leagues.

Today, the stars discovered in the league often leave the shores of the country in droves because they believe that they do not have a future playing in a sub-standard league like the NPL, and partly due to the lure to play overseas.

But the truth is that the NPL can hardly boast of genuine stars and there is need to correct this statistical anomaly set by IFFHS.

SPORT NEWS

Enugu SWAN mourns Arsenal legend Ray Parlour to attend ARS clinic departed vice chairman Dennis Agbo ENUGU

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he Enugu State chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria {SWAN}, has received with deep shock the sudden demise of its vice chairman, Comrade Bartholomew Ezike, describing his death as a great loss to the family and association.

Until his death last Sunday, 26th August 2012 at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku Ozalla, the late 38-year-old Ezike, was a sports reporter with the

Enugu zonal office of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He hailed from Akuma, in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo state, and left behind his wife, Mrs. Ijeoma Ezike, and a two-year-old baby boy.

In a statement signed and made available to sports writers in Enugu yesterday by the state secretary of SWAN, Ignatius Okpara, the association, regretted that the hard working and committed Ezike, passed on at a time when the family and sports journalists in the coal city of Enugu needed him most.

A

rsenal has confirmed that one of its most decorated club legends, Ray Parlour, will attend the closing ceremony of the Airtel Rising Stars clinic in Accra today.

Ray was a key member of the club’s ‘Invincibles’ squad that registered an unbeaten league campaign during 2003/4, playing twenty five times over the course of the season. Ray rose through the ranks at Arsenal to become a fans’ favourite and picked up eight major trophies during his time with the club.

After making his debut under George Graham in 1992, Ray blossomed under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger

to emerge as a key part of the Frenchman’s side.

He would attend the first ever Arsenal-managed clinic in the African continent.

The clinic which started on August 28, has brought together forty-one talented youngsters from Nigeria, Zambia, Uganda and hosts – Ghana, and is aimed at enhancing the technical skills of the young boys and girls who were selected during Airtel Rising Stars regional and national programmes in their respective countries.

So far, the starlets are being taken through a specialised course taught by two experienced coaches from the Arsenal Soccer Schools

Members of the Airtel Rising Stars in a group photograph with officials of Airtel Nigeria before their departure.

programme.

Speaking about the planned visit, Airtel Africa’s Chief Marketing officer, Andre Beyers said: “The Airtel Rising Stars programme was structured to provide a platform for upcoming talents to showcase

their raw talents and improve through interaction with coaches and top players. We are happy that we have a partner in Arsenal, a club that believes in nurturing young players and giving them the opportunities to excel.”

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

September 1, 2012

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SPORT

September 1, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NPL orders clubs to workshop on TMS ANDREW EKEJIUBA

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he management of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has mandated all premier league clubs to send representatives to the forthcoming workshop on Transfer Matching System (TMS) organized by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in collaboration with the world football governing body, FIFA. According to a statement signed by Sunday Obaseki on behalf of the Acting Executive Secretary of the NPL, Tunji Babalola the training programme is fixed for September 12, 2012 at Digital Bridge Institute, Utako District, Abuja as from 9.00am-5.30pm. Each

Enyimba to reorganise squad ahead next season

Sunshine Stars’ Izu Azuka (right) on the prowl against Esperance when they clashed in Ijebu-Ode.

Sunshine Stars will stun A Esperance in Tunis, says Idehen SAYO OGUNDEJI

D

espite his team’s qualification for the semi-final stage of the CAF Champions League, Sunshine Stars forward, Osas Idehen, says his team’s intention is to top the group and go all out for victory against Esperance of Tu-

nisia tomorrow in Tunis.

The Coach Gbenga Ogunbote-led side are joint leaders of Group B with six points and have both made it to the last four of the competition following the expulsion of Etoile du Sahel as a result of the violence that broke out in their last game against local rivals Esperance which forced the ref-

eree to stop the match in the 69th minute as Etoile fans invaded the pitch.

Esperance defeated the Akure-based side 2-0 in Nigeria at the start of the group phase, but Sunshine Stars bounced back from that defeat after a couple of good results.

Idehen believes his team has learnt from their early setbacks and

would do their best to inflict the same defeat to their opponent.

“This game means a lot to everyone of us because they beat us early on in the competition, but we have shown positive characters of a true champions going by our results and we will try to beat them at their own backyard come Sunday also,” he said.

I joined 36 Lion FC to Female FA Cup: Rivers prove myself –Eglimez Angels top Calabar Zone

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hen the 2012/2013 season of the Nigeria National League (NNL) kicks off, 36 Lion FC one of the clubs participating in the nation’s second tier, will have a foreign coach in their dugout in Hasan Egilmez.

The 35-year-old coach told supersport.com that he opted for the NNL club to “prove myself and help to set up new structure in a young team.”

“I chose the difficult way where I can prove myself and help set up new structure in a young team where we want more development of future

players for the national teams,” Egilmez said.

The German-Turk said he would have jumped at offers from Nigeria Premier League (NPL) sides with huge budgets. But he is not into the game for solely money as he is stickler for football development and would prefer to work with young players and 36 Lion offer him that chance in spite of their shoe-string budget.

The ex-Vfl Sindelfingen striker stated that he has been assured by the chairman of 36 Lion FC, Gafar Liameed, of a longterm deal to help groom youngsters.

T

he Rivers Angels FC of Port Harcourt on Thursday maintained their leadership of the Calabar centre of the ongoing 2012 Female Challenge Cup (FA Cup) by defeating Osun Babes 7-0.

The match played at the U.J. Esuene Stadium was the second by both teams in the preliminaries of the competition.

With the victory, Rivers Angels have reached the quarter-finals of the tournament.

They had earlier whitewashed Tewo Babes of Oyo 7-1 in their first group match, while Osun beat Standard Babes of Abia

club is expected to send only one representative with participation fee of fifty thousand naira, (N50, 000) only.

The TMS workshop according to the statement is also mandatory for National League clubs and optional to Amateur League clubs and football academies.

International transfers are transparent through the FIFA TMS and clubs are now totally in control of International transfer activities of players.

The NFF can only come in after the club has concluded all transfer agreement with their foreign counterparts and all documents relating to the transfer are up-loaded on the TMS.

2-1.

Angel FC, which now has six points with 14 goals advantage, will meet Standard Babes in their third match to fulfill the rules today.

Coach Whyte Ogonda of Angel FC told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the team was well motivated to reach the quarter-finals.

“We are well motivated and our target is to reach the quarter-finals and win the cup,” he said, adding that the team was ready to face any opposition.

He also said that the officiating had been fair and called on the officials to sustain it.

clear-out looms at former Nigerian and African champions, Enyimba, as the 2011/2012 Nigeria Premier League (NPL) season ends next week.

The Aba Elephants are out of contention for a place in Africa in 2013 and are ready to prevent a second consecutive absence amongst Africa’s elite clubs.

With one match to go in the NPL, Enyimba remain fourth on the log on 55 points behind Kano Pillars, Lobi Stars and Enugu Rangers.

Interestingly, the trio of Pillars, Lobi and Rangers will share the continental spots from the league, while Heartland emerged Federation Cup champions, last Sunday, to earn a place in the 2013 CAF Con-

federation Cup. “We’ll re-organise the club ahead of the new season,” club supremo, Felix Anyansi Agwu said.

Some players will be released as part of the reorganisation process to reposition the club for the new season.

In addition, the club will take a position concerning the vacant managerial seat since former World Cup star, Austin Eguavoen left the club after the Federation Cup exit to lower division side, Prime FC. Eguavoen’s assistant, Abdul Maikaba, has remained stand-in coach.

Since 2002, Enyimba have emerged as Nigeria’s most consistent team on the continent, but missed out in 2007, 2009 and 2012 respectively.

Enyimba boss, Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu.

MAGAZ INE Fashion •Flattering the apple shape •Red through the ages

Sex talk •Hot super stud tips

Relationships •Sexual harassment: Can men be victims?

Rukky

Simply sultry!

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September 1, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘I’m blessed to be beautiful’ Rukky Sanda, one of Nollywood’s leading lights, spoke with OSEYIZA OOGBODO about her career, vision and other matters. Excerpts:

W

hat influenced you to become an actress?

Basically my influence was just TV. It sounds weird, but watching the TV while I was growing up, I just knew I wanted to be in it.

Are you achieving your vision as an actress?

Yes I am definitely achieving my vision. I haven’t achieved it yet, but I definitely will because God told me so and I’m headed in the right direction workwise and in firm decision making.

What are your plans in Nollywood?

Basically, they are carving my own unique niche, telling my own stories and stories I can relate to and also giving my audience something different telling it exactly how I want it to be told. As different individuals from different places, we all have different stories to tell about different things going on around us from different views.

That way, we all offer something different not the regular type Nollywood thing. Shout out to my ladies ... Uche Jombo, Emem Isong, Tonto Dikeh, Ini Edo and others doing their own thing.

As a successful actress, are you mentoring any upcoming actress?

Yes, I have quite a few new talents I’m bringing up and giving opportunities to show their talent. I’m a risk taker, I can convince you to be an actor if you suit a character I want or would like to create. Besides actresses, I also have actors. I made it a priority to always use one or two new faces in every production I do.

What is the secret of your successful acting career?

The success for me is God, it’s really no secret but for Him guiding my path and directing my steps and showing me what to do. Also it’s been being patient, disciplined, knowing exactly what I want and working towards achieving it and mostly being optimistic, believing in what I’m doing, and loving it. I have actually really developed love for the art of film making and there’s so much I want to learn.

What is your advice to upcoming actresses?

It may sound trite, but you have to be confident, not arrogant. You have to be willing to work, and by work, I mean work hard. You have to pray harder than you work, make the best of every opportunity and give your best performance if you’re lucky to get an audi-

tion. And never take anyone for granted because you never know who can help you. Most importantly never let anyone take advantage of you, don’t be desperate, and don’t make wrong decisions you’ll have to live with for the rest of your life. If God has said that’s your ordained career, it will happen, you just need to pray, be wise and patient.

You are very beautiful. How do you feel about your beauty? Is it a blessing or a curse?

I’m blessed to be beautiful. God surely took his time creating me, so it’s definitely a blessing, a super blessing.

What has life taught you?

Life has taught me to always stay true to myself, put God first and follow my instincts, be patient and that myself and family are my main priorities.

Why did you give N500,000 to Funmi Lawal? Is it that you have too much money?

It sounds so cliche when you put it like that. I don’t know how a good deed will be perceived as an issue of having too much money or showing off. I’m comfortable, I thank God, and I don’t think there’s such a thing as having too much money. Amen. I would love to be extremely rich in every way but even the richest people want more money. So it’s nothing like that, we never even intended for it to be public, I don’t know how it got out. She needed the money more than we did and I’m glad we were able to help. So that being said, keep her in your prayers and let’s hope she recovers fully and gets back to her life in restored health.

Did you and Tonto take that decision together?

Tonto actually initiated it so most of the credit should go to her. I knew absolutely nothing about the story or the lady. Tee had heard about it and she was really worried and concerned. She has such an amazing heart, that crazy girl. She actually called me at 6am on Tuesday morning because it bothered her and she could not sleep. But I didn’t really get what she was saying because I was sleeping. I told her I’d call when I woke up. When I finally did at 2pm we spoke and she expressed her sympathy and said she wanted us to do something.

So we decided to make the donation and we contributed equally.

How close are you and Tonto?

She’s one of my best friends. She’s fun, naughty and amazing. She’s my baby.

Celebrity

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

19

September 1, 2012

Entervaganza

With OSEYIZA OOGBODO

08023755142 kingseiza@gmail.com

KSA anniversary plans hit London

A

Coal

, y z z a J n o D KSB car pets nude clips r o f l a o C e d n Wa ning them’ tio u a c ly n o ’m I , m e h ‘I don’t hate t

K

ennis Music artiste, KSB, has lashed out at Don Jazzy and Wande Coal in, Twitter, the worldwide internet social network site. Lashing the Mavin Records duo indicates that KSB is really angry about the issue she is taking up with them and she confirmed it to Entervaganza.

“I reached out to them on Twitter just to let them know their re-introduction of nudity in their music videos is wrong. They had stopped the nudity before because of an NBC ban but they have started again and the video in question now, Wande Coal’s Go Low, is being shown on terrestrial TV and our children are watching.

Inadvertently, they are encouraging rape, and a girl was raped to death recently that we are all aware of.”

But why through Twitter? “How do you get them to talk to them,” she asked rhetorically. “Where can you see them to correct them?”

She continued:“Look, if we can’t shame their action publicly, then we have no right to condemn the government. This is the only industry that doesn’t have regulators to correct the excesses of its practitioners, because PMAN has collapsed.

“If Don Jazzy is encouraging nudity, what will Davido do? Oliver Twist is the number one song out of Africa right now and it doesn’t have nudity. Even Adele who is the topselling artiste in the world currently doesn’t do nudity. So, it’s not necessary.”

She lamented that she couldn’t get her brother, the entertainment mogul, Keke Ogungbe, to talk to the duo that have erred in her sight.

KSB

“I know he wouldn’t because he would say he’s also a record label owner and they would allege envy. It’s not that I hate them but I must caution them being their senior and one of those who have ensured that Nigerian music becomes accepted,” she added.

Not only did she tweet against them on August 24, she also copied her tweets to prominent radio stations and on-air personalities.

Below the tweets: “We don’t want rape cases to increase o. Pls @wandecoal @ DONJAZZY stop dis nudity in ur videos b4 God stops you.”

“U r bringing nudity back to Nigeria videos to increase cases of RAPE in our society. It has stopped. Pls stop it.”

“Naked gal in Wande Coal’s new (video) is a thumb down from me. We ave kids watching.” “@Wande Coal my dear brova … the mercy and d favor of God are the elements that brot u dis far o, not nude girls in ur video. Nana.”

s part of preparations for the global celebration of KSA’s 35th anniversary as King of Music of the Juju genre, Oloye Lekan Alabi, chairman of the anniversary planning committee, paid a courtesy visit to His Excellency, Dr Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, Nigeria’s High Commissioner in London to brief him about the London arm of the celebration.

Alabi explained that, “The primary objective for this visit is to brief Your Excellency, the High Commission and Nigerian and foreign fans of KSA about the 35th celebration of his historical crowning.

“The celebration train will pass through Lagos, London, Washington with the grand finale in Ibadan. In order for us to achieve a successful show in London, we hereby solicit Your Excellency’s support and that of the Culture and Information Departments of the High Commission.

“May I say, with all sincerity, that the planning committee members have taken your support as granted, based on the positive comments we hear and read about the efficient performance of our indefatigable High Commissioner and his staff. We are indeed proud of you, sir.”

He reiterated that the celebrations will hold in November and will feature lectures, concerts, exhibitions, drama and many other events.

Comedians perform wonders-on-wheels C omedian Seyi Law did so recently and now it’s I Go Dye. Also a comedian, he recently purchased a White-Diamond Escalade Hybrid 2012 for himself and a Range Rover Evoque for his girlfriend. Both luxury-on-wheels are reportedly worth over N20m and the comedian claims he bought them to celebrate his eighteenth anniversary in comedy.

Meanwhile, it is instructive to note that the celebrities who have doled out to charity recently are either into music (Jude Okoye and Don Jazzy) or acting (Tonto Dike and Rukky Sanda). But no comedian has been announced as having given millions to charity, yet they are able to splash millions on living luxuriously.

So when will comedians make the news for doing something really charitable?

I Go Dye wit h the Escalade

The Evoque

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ENTERVAGANZA

September 1, 2012

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CLASSICAL RYHMES

AIRWAVES LINK

GUS 9 increases the stakes TOBORE OVUORIE

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he serene community of Usaka, Akwa Ibom State, has been revealed as the location for the 2012 edition of Nigeria’s first 100 percent local content reality TV show, Gulder Ultimate Search.

Winner of this year’s GUS, which has been tagged ‘The Gate Keeper’s Fortune’ will go home with N9 million, the highest prize money since the inception of the event, along with a brand new SUV and N500,000 ‘swagger’ allowance.

The unveiling of this year’s edition, the ninth in the series, took place during a special media parley organised

by Nigerian Breweries Plc., makers of premium lager beer, Gulder, held at the impressive Oriental Hotels, Lagos.

They also seized the opportunity to unveil the official GUS radio and television commercials that will run throughout the duration of the event.

Speaking on the event, Mr. Walter Drenth, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, described GUS as a creative concept conceived to drive and promote the brand’s values of confidence, discernment, focus, courage, determination and success. The success of GUS, according to him, had made most mass market brands in the country adopt reality TV programmes as a marketing platform to communicate their brand essence and values.

Drenth added that this year’s edi-

GUS 8 winner, Chris Okagbue

tion will feature 12 participants to be selected from rigorous screening processes in four geographic zones across the federation. The cities where the screenings will hold are Makurdi, Owerri, Benin and Lagos.

The 12 lucky qualifiers will go head to head in a series of physical tests in Usaka, with the overall winner walking home with a cash prize of N9m as well as a brand new SUV worth N10m in addition to N500, 000 wardrobe allowance.

The other 11 participants will not go home empty-handed as they will get various cash prizes ranging from N3m for the first-runner-up, to N1m for the 12th placed contestant. As usual, there would be a cash prize of N1m for the

best performing female in the competition.

Also speaking during the event was Mr. Tony Agenmonmen, Marketing Manager-Lager, Nigerian Breweries Plc., who assured that all preparations have been put in place to ensure a successful hosting of the event.

“We have a tradition that we proudly maintain when it comes to GUS. That tradition will be maintained in our quest to ensure that we have another exciting episode of GUS. This year will be no different”.

Dr. Clement Bassey, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Akwa Ibom State who stood in for the governor, expressed delight that GUS will be coming to the state.

PFWA: Brenda and Kemi get the chop

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t was another emotion-laden Project Fame West Africa elimination show last Saturday, not only for the contestants but also for the studio audience who give moral support to them.

Yeside Oredugba of Alexander Forbes was invited to come in with the list of contestants with the least votes.

The contestants filed on stage with trepidation clearly written on their faces and one after the other, Joseph and Adora called out Ayo, Brenda, So-

nia, Kemi, and Grace as the contestants on probation for the evening.

These five repeated the songs they did last weekend but this time around they performed to save their lives from elimination. After successfully pulling through the songs, the judges saved Sonia for bringing on the extra factor into her performance, faculty saved Ayo and Grace narrowly escaped the claws of elimination by the votes of some fellow contestants whom in their sight she must have found favour.

When asked how they felt about their elimination, Kemi said she felt a bit disappointed but at the same time proud of herself for coming this far. Brenda on the other hand appreciated the faculty and her fans who believed in her and kept their votes coming, she decided to be strong for her mum and promised to be back soon.

Meanwhile, the show continues with 11 remaining contestants, and eliminations too continue, so keep voting for your favourite contestant so he or she doesn’t lose out of the major prizes on offer.

Jide Alabi buries father

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hythm FM and Silverbird TV on-air personality, Jide Alabi, lost his father last Monday and buried him yesterday without delay after the wake keep on Thursday.

Emmanuel Oghenede, a close colleague of Alabi, said the OAP who is also an actor is deeply saddened by his father’s death as his father’s impact on his life and career is invaluable to him.

Sorry Sorry Artiste: Femi Kuti Verse 1 If my eyes no decieve me And na true be things my ears dey hear Politicians and soldiers make e meeting Our country dem wan repair Dem dey make like say Dem know o know Say na dem a spoil our country so As dem dey dabaru am dey o Na so my people dey follow o o Chorus (2x) I sorry sorry o, I sorry for Nigeria I sorry sorry o, I sorry for Africa Sorry sorry o As we [never get decided]...

Verse 2 Look my friends Dem no like to hear word Na to dey follow follow, follow dem enemies Like zombie, dem dey go dey march dey go Dey fight for other people Wey spoil Nigeria so These politicians and soldiers Dem be one and the same No one different [from] the other My people no wan know But with kind of leaders Africa no get hope Africans will suffer We go suffer reach our bone Chorus till fade Adlibs I sorry sorry o, e gba mi o

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ENTERVAGANZA

September 1, 2012

21

BOX-OFFICE HITS

BRAIN BEHIND THE SCENE

Audu Maikori …

Entertainment genius

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hen you hear the names of superstars like MI, Ice Prince, Jesse Jagz and Brymo, you should also know that these guys wouldn’t be the superstars they are without the input of a certain Audu Maikori who is behind the scene ensuring that MI and others become and remain superstars.

A lawyer, Maikori is the founder/ CEO of Chocolate City Entertainment, the medium through which MI and co were launched to the world and through which Maikori makes reality of his vision for the Nigerian entertainment industry.

Unknown to many, Maikori has been making things happen in the entertainment industry since as far back as 2005 when he and Paul Okeugo formed the Guild of Artistes and Poets - a non-profit arts society aimed at encouraging creativity in Abuja.

It was through GAP that he met with a range of artistes and started out rendering free legal services to them. Two years later, he registered Chocolate City, a record label, recording studio, events consultancy and artiste management company.

In 2007, he co-organised the first ever Nigerian International Music Summit aimed at establishing a legal/regulatory framework for the Nigerian music industry. Over 400 music industry stakeholders drawn from all over Nigeria attended the event. His belief in the creative industries of Nigeria and Africa made him a spokesperson and mentor for many youth in and around the country.

In May 2012 he was elected to serve as a member of the board of COSON. On May 20, 2010, COSON was given the certificate of approval by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) to be Nigeria’s sole government licensed collective management organisation for musical works and sound recordings.

Maikori was one of the brains behind the lobby for the NCC to officially appoint another CMO to collect royalties for songwriters and performers after 13 years of the NCC failing to settle the dispute between the MCSN and PMRS, the previous CMOs which had been embroiled in legal battles for supremacy for years. His appointment has been lauded as the right step in the right direction by music industry stakeholders.

In September 2010 Maikori was made a judge of the first series of Nigerian Idol alongside Nigerian singer Yinka Davies and American singer/dancer Jeffrey Daniel. The

I Maikori

nspired by Los Angeles Times writer Leslie Gornstein’s article “A Jinx in a Box,” this horror film from Ghost House Pictures and director Ole Bornedal (Nightwatch) tells the tale of a broken family that comes under attack from a malevolent supernatural entity of Jewish folklore. Shortly after her parents (Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick) divorce, a young girl purchases an ornate antique box at a yard sale. In the weeks that fol-

low, the young girl forms an intense fixation on the box, her behaviour growing increasingly bizarre as she falls into the grip of a diabolical apparition. When the girl’s father discovers that the relic is in fact a holding cell for the disconnected soul of a deceased person who has been denied entry into the afterlife and needs a human host to inhabit, he fights to rid her of the evil that threatens to consume her body and soul.

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show proved to be a rating success, but a year later he left the series to concentrate on other commitments.

He received a special judges’ commendation at the finale of the International Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year where he beat nine other countries to win the global award in June 2007. At the inaugural edition of the United Kingdom Young Music Entrepreneur 2008, he was nominated to serve as a judge alongside four other British music industry judges making him the first black judge for a major British music industry competition.

Some of his awards are International Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 (Nigeria), International Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 (global winner), Entertainment Executive of the Year 2011 by the Nigerian Entertainment Award, Outstanding Award in Music and Entertainment by the National Youth Merit Awards 2011, Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2011)- Diaspora Professionals Award 2011, Mentor of the Year 2010- Enterprise Foundation, Creative Entrepreneur of the Year for Music 2011- CIAN, African Award for Entrepreneurship 2011 and Entertainment Executive of the Year 2012- Nigerian Reunion Corporation.

hree reb e l l i o u s, bootlegging brothers find the elusive American Dream within their reach and fight to maintain their grip as powerful urban gangsters reap the rewards of their hard work in this sprawling Great Depression-era crime drama from director John Hillcoat (The Road, The Proposition).

At the height of Prohibition, ambitious country boy Jack Bondurant dreams of becoming “Public Enemy #1” while reaping all the benefits that go with the gangster lifestyle. By expanding his family’s moonshining business, he plots to launch a vast criminal empire while winning the heart of beautiful Amish girl Bertha. With his older, intimidating brother Howard by his side, Jack has the brawn to get the job done, too. But they need a strong leader to guide them, a re-

sponsibility that falls on their eldest sibling Forrest. Stoic and stalwart, Forrest is the kind of man who holds his cards close, and places a high value on character. Meanwhile, as the three siblings rise to power while battling treachery on both sides of the law, a mysterious woman named Maggie appears out of nowhere, prompting the thoughtful Forrest to question the true price of his outlaw ways.

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ENTERVAGANZA

CELEBRITY FAVOURITES

September 1, 2012

SHOWBIZ SNOOPS

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Omo Jesu changes to Mr. No Nonsense T

Efe Omorogbe Favourite Food

STARCH AND BANGA SOUP Favourite Drink COKE Favourite Designer (Intl) NONE. I FEEL GOOD IN ANY GOOD OUTFIT Favourite Restaurant/Bar THE PLACE, ISAAC JOHN STREET, IKEJA.

Omo Jesu

West African Idols finalist returns Y

Favourite Day Of The Week SUNDAY Favourite Perfume TOM FORD BLACK FORD Favourite Fashion Item WRIST WATCHES Favourite Movie THE MATRIX Favourite Brand Of Telephone Handset NONE IN PARTICULAR Favourite Quote MAKE YOUR LITTLE SPACE A BETTER PLACE

alented comedian, Daniel Isiwele, popularly known as Omo Jesu, has hinted that he now prefers to be addressed as Mr. No Nonsense.

This is coming on the heels of his new music-comedy song entitled Mr. No Nonsense that will hit the airwaves in the next few days.

T h e Uromi, Edo State-born artiste said the new sobriquet is as a result of his new face. He said he has rebranded his career to better reposition him in the humour market and to also meet the demands of his teeming fans.

“I will prefer to be known henceforth as Mr. No Nonsense. I’ve been working hard for some time now to give the very best to my fans and now, I’m out with a new concept that will attract every individual especially, the kids. I believe this is what my fans have been waiting for,” he said.

According to him, his new posture is to educate and entertain the young ones who are always left out in the comedy terrain. He noted that his new work is a reminiscence of school days activities that will surely fascinate the kids.

The song was produced by prolific producer and singer, Zee World.

Omo Jesu who is one of the most-sought-after comedians in the country, most especially in the Lagos circle based on his eclectic humour and delivery, already has to his credit a music-comedy album entitled Phase 2 with tracks like Italo, Confirm, Holy Ghost Koboko, Eko Di Mega, Who Funny Past, John Bull and many other hilarious and entertaining songs.

Ekpai

ears after West African Idols catapulted Timi Dakolo and Omawumi Megbele to success, another Idols finalist, Joan Ekpai, has released another song that might just finally make her hug the limelight like Dakolo and Megbele.

While Idols served the purpose of bestowing all its contestants with the necessary platform to launch their music careers, only Dakolo and Megbele have really capitalised on the opportunity it presented them with.

Ekpai, who is also a professional songwriter and a sound engineer, is now aiming to take her place beside Dakolo and Megebele with her new single, Lighters Up. Still as a consequence of the exposure she has already received from participating in Idols, Lighters Up is already spreading fast and only time will tell how far it will go.

Ekpai is however optimistic about it. “It symbolises dreams, thoughts of success, and making every little thing you have in you turn great,” she says.

It was produced by Cobhams Asuquo using the techno style which is the current vogue in order to make it quickly acceptable to the music loving public.

Amadi

Adieu Ogbonnaya Amadi

…his last chat with Entervaganza

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he death of veteran entertainment journalist, Ogbonnaya Amadi, is still sending shock waves across the world because of its suddenness on Wednesday evening and because he was always full of life and a veritable man about town.

The death is also shocking to Entervaganza as Amadi was with Entervaganza last Sunday and he was as usual vocal on issues discussed.

Eerily, it almost seemed as if he had a premonition of his own death as he told Entervaganza that “I’ve started making way for the people under me to prove themselves. I realised recently that if you don’t make way for others, no one else will shine and I’ve told them in my office that they should get someone who can replace me or I will resign.”

According to him, his stance stemmed from the fact that he has been doing the job for so long that he was bored. He also likened his stance to that of Arsene Wenger and Arsenal FC of England.

“What Wenger does by selling his star players is that he gives others the room to shine. If Henry was still at Arsenal, van Persie would never have shone and now that van Persie is gone, you can be sure that someone else will shine.”

Speaking about his family, he said he had four children, all boys, and that if they started fighting at home, it was always a handful to contain the situation.

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September 1, 2012

23

SHOWBIZ SNOOPS

Ice Berg Season 2 Party goes down tomorrow

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he second edition of the Ice Berg Party organised by Brandworld Media Ventures holds tomorrow.

Cornell Udofia, celebrity publicist who is one of the promoters of the party, disclosed to Entervaganza that “Ice Berg Season 2 Party will be very hot tomorrow. It’s going to be extreme fun and it’s not one party that anyone in his right senses should miss.”

He added that, “many celebrities are going to be at the party so it’s going to be starstudded. The concept of the party is all about introducing urban brands to the youths so the celebrities we are expecting are also the youthful ones mainly like W4, Mo’ Cheddah, Maheeda, Vector and many others.”

Adding that fast rising singer Nina David and Soundcity’s Adams are the hosts, he concluded that “we need parties like Ice Berg in Nigeria to relieve the stress of our everyday living so I will urge people to come to Ice Berg to have fun with celebrities in an environment where they will also get to know all about the trendy products in town.”

David

Chuddy K

‘Chuddy K’s wrong nomination, a mistake’ F or a long time now, Nigerianorganised awards have been perceived as shady. Sore losers of award categories always allege that the winners were chosen on a partial basis.

Nigeria’s current premier music award, Headies, which was formerly known as the Hip Hop World Awards, has also been tainted by allegations of awarding the undeserving.

Gaga Crazy crooner, Chuddy K, was nominated in the Headies 2012 Next

Rated category. And after releasing the nominees’ names, the organisers have now come out to say he is ineligible for the Next Rated category because he released his album, I Am Me, in 2010 and that category is supposed to be for artistes who are unofficially released in the nomination year under review.

Chuddy K is a popular artiste and it is common knowledge that he released an album. And the organisers too should definitely have known that.

… as Mode 9 finally misses out

F

inally, people who have been beefing Mode 9 for always winning the Lyricist On The Roll category of the Headies every year since inception now have something to be happy about as the rapper won’t be winning

the category this year. As a matter of fact, he won’t even win any Heady at all because he wasn’t nominated in any of the categories.

So all you Mode 9 haters, you all happy now?

Stella Damasus, Daniel Ademinokan hold concert

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tella Damasus might not be in the news that much again but she is nonetheless making things happen still. Alongside her business partner, movie director Daniel Ademinokan, she recently organised a gospel concert, The Alternative, in Abuja, and they gave cash gifts and scholarships to some of the youths who attended.

During the event, Daniel and Stella, who are more prominent in the movie industry, showed their dexterity as complete entertainers. In turns, they dazzled the audience with live musical performances with a band named One Heart, One Sound.

Popular television presenter, Denrele Edun and Lamboghinny were guests at the event. While the former shared an emotional testimony with the audience, the latter thrilled with hit songs from his album.

Speaking on why he organised the concert, Ademinokan said, “I have always been a church guy, not the regular church guy though I have been crazy for Jesus Christ a long time ago. It is just that because of my profession, people always say how can a man who makes films where people kiss claim to be a staunch Christian. I was born in a gospel church, nurtured in the way of God. My mother is a heavy prayer warrior.

People who know me very well know that this is who Daniel is; doing church stuffs like this. So by calling, I have gospel music in me, but as a profession, I’m a filmmaker. So people can be surprised, but those who have known me for the past 20 years cannot be surprised that I did this.”

In her own case, Damasus said The Alternative “is Daniel’s idea because he owns the group, but when he told me

about it, it was a welcome idea because I have been singing for a while and I felt like someone that didn’t have a sense of direction when it comes to the music that I wanted to do.

“I wanted to work for God but I’ve not been bold enough to come out and say it. So we came together, gathered young people and auditioned them for the band.

We decided to invite other wonderful youths like Denrele and Lamboghinny because we don’t want the concert to be like the conventional gospel ones where people who can’t speak in tongues would be seen as unholy people.

“What we did was not the regular gospel show. This is because young people came for the show and they needed people they can relate with. At the end of the day, we didn’t expect the number of crowd that came. Everybody felt God’s presence at the concert.”

Damasus

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September 1, 2012

Woman

Blame failed marriages on Nigerian actors – Toyosi Adesanya Toyosi Adesanya Ilesanmi is a popular Yoruba uba actress in w with YEMISI the Nigerian movie industry. In this interview riages involving ADENIRAN, she speaks on why many marriages peaks on, among actors and actresses collapse. She also speaks other things, the peculiarity of her tutelage as a young actress. Excerpts:

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any actresses are into one business or the e other, particularly, selling and buying. Would it be right ight to say that acting no longer pays your bills?

This observation is not peculiar to actresses alone, even ven actors and other people in other professions. I am into some trading ding businesses too and it is not due to any financial problem butt to keep myself busy and invest my money. If you are not doing something mething by the side, the tendency of becoming extravagant is very ery high.

One is easily drawn into some impulse purchase that will ll end up being very unnecessary. It is therefore sensible to try and tie your money down to one enterprise or the other. Besides, prevention, vention, most of the time is always better than cure. It is not wise e to wait until there is the need before venturing into a business. s. If you make hay while the sun is shining, you are on the safer side. de. Talking personally now, I am an hyperactive person, I just can’t an’t stay idle; that’s why I am always buying and selling. When I am m not on location, I am busy doing something tangible.

When exactly did you come into acting and how w has it been?

My acting career took off in 1993 when I became a member ember of the Odunfa caucus. This caucus involved Yinka Quadri, ri, Taiwo Hassan, Abbey Lanre and other.stars. The journey, I would say has been good; there were the good times and the bad d times. I started when there was serious discipline in the industry; try; when you would face real corporal punishment if you go wrong ng in any way during your training. The big boys would order you u to kneel down and actually give you some strokes of the cane. It was as bad d as that. I started when they would pay me N10.00 for a role. ole. When this token failed to come, you just had to go on without even trying to show it otherwise, you are dropped off. The rule wass tough but I knew what I wanted, I love what I was doing and I was as ready to pay my dues. I thank God that I am still alive to witness and be part of the better days of acting in the country. Some people le had died; I mean those who really struggled towards the realisation on of home video and movies, the likes of Alade Aromire, Ireti and some others.

Even the pioneer fathers of theatre in Nigeria, all died d before they could actually reap the fruits of their labour. Papa Hubert bert Ogunde, Oyin Adejobi, Ade Love, Kola Ogunmola, Ray Eyiwumi and the rest laboured so much but really didn’t live till old age before dying. Thank God, their children are alive and are still keeping their flags ags flying. So, so far, I would say the journey has been fair, fulfilling , challenging hallenging and for sure it can be better.

Toyosi

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What would you say stardom has taken away from you?

Generally, it takes privacy from everyone. As an actress, you cannot be free outside, you have to be cautious of what you do in the public otherwise you will find yourself on the front page of a newspaper the next day or also on the internet as it is the vogue these days. However, I don’t allow stardom to make me what I am not or what I cannot be. I remain myself anyday and I am sure people know me for that. I try to play, joke and feel free even with the press people.

Where did you grow up and what was it like?

I grew up in Abeokuta and had a fantastic childhood like every other child.

I had very strict parents who wouldn’t take any nonsense from you but catered for all our needs. They respected our interests and would do anything, go any length to support us. When I showed interest in acting, they gave their support on the condition that I was not going to allow it affect my education. When I had issues with my big brothers in the group, they didn’t see it as any big deal to get me discouraged.

I had a lot of people to play with and to learn from. It was an interesting period for me.

How did you meet your husband and how has marriage been?

We met at an event in Abeokuta and he sent Fathia Balogun to me. From the onset, he was talking marriage and I was surprised. Of course, I dismissed it as one of the jokes that comes time after time. It had never come to me that way before, so, I did not take him so seriously. Besides, I thought I was going to get married to an actor just like me. That was my aim then. I believed an actor would understand me better since we are in the same profession. I did not know I was wrong; all the same, I thank God for choosing the right man for me. I have been enjoying his trust and care since our marriage despite all the challenges I face. He has been supportive and I don’t think I can have it better elsewhere. Trust is what a woman needs most from her spouse no matter our career. If your man can’t trust you, you can’t last in your marriage; you can’t also go far in your career which is why most marriages are failing these days.

Why didn’t you marry an actor before he came?

That is not my fault but the way God wanted it. I was searching and waiting for a good one to come but when they didn’t come, I wouldn’t wait for eternity and really, I have no regret whatsoever.

What would you say is responsible for the collapse of the marriages of many actresses?

For those who married themselves, that is, actors and actresses, and had their homes broken, I would tell you clearly that the men are to be blamed.

I see no big deal in actors marrying actresses after all we have many artistes in the years past who married

WOMAN

September 1, 2012

actresses and they were together till death. The likes of Pa Hubert Ogunde; Pa Oyin Adejobi; Isho Pepper; Ade Love; Kola Ogunmola; Ayo Mogaji of the Feyikogbon fame; Ayox Arisekola, Baba Sala to mention a few.

It is also the same in other professions and it is even better because it allows both to be closer and see more of each other. They will be able to predict each other’s movement and whereabouts. But you see, 90 per cent of our actors today are very unfaithful, they lie easily and will disappoint you any day. They cannot take away their eyes from women and they will do it right under your nose and still be denying it. Like any other women going into marriage, actresses want to keep their homes, not with the amount of glitz and money they expend on such marriages and the name they even have in the society. You can’t imagine how hard we run from scandals and anything negative about us. So, broken homes, failed marriages are the last thing we desire. But what can you do when a man decides to break your heart? As for those who got married to men in other professions and still have it broken, a lot of other factors are involved. For instance, genuine love is definitely not there, trust is also lacking and maturity of both is not again enough. Many are also deeply ignorant of the kind of person they got married to. If you are going into a marriage with a celebrity, an actress, you should have known what her job is all about and be ready to live with it. It will be nonsensical for you to be complaining after the marriage. Unless she gave you her words to stop acting after marriage, you will not have any reason to criticise her work mode. Unfortunately, these men just get carried away by the screen glitz and in a bid to be part of the lady’s fame decided to marry her without ensuring whether his stamina can go all the way. So, he began to have problems with her on the screen and since the woman’s passion for her career isn’t debatable, she sticks to her gun and of course, the marriage scatters. These and others are some of the reasons responsible for the many failed marriages. But it is not peculiar to us alone, it happens in all other professions.

What’s the secret of your own successful home so far?

I think God has just been helping me. I have an understanding man who wouldn’t act on any rumour about his wife and who also has a high level of trust in me. He is very caring and mature. He knows where I am at any given time and I know here he is too. Besides, I got married when I was ready for it.

I understood the dictates of marriage and I meant all I declared when taking the oath during my marriage ceremony. It is actually for better for worst and I am ready to give it all the patience and obedience that it takes. I intend and pray to hold or keep my marriage till I die. I am ready to give my husband the best of myself to convince him that actresses are not as bad as they have painted us. I am trying tom be a good wife and I pray that God will help me.

25

Keeping ABREAST

Darlene Flynn started collecting shoes following a divorce in 2001

Woman lives with 16,400 shoes T

hink you love shoes? Try Darlene Flynn, 57, of California (USA).

The shoe-obsessed woman has broken her own record for the world’s largest footwear-themed collection, with an amazing 16,400 pieces.

Flynn, otherwise known as ‘The Shoe Lady’, or ‘Queen of Sole’, started her collection following a divorce in 2001. By 2006 she had 7,765 items and had been inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Now, with a collection over double that size, estimated to be worth $500,000, her entry has been updated for the 2013 edition.

Darlene, who started her shoe collec-

tion after her divorce in 2001 says, “I don’t know why it had to be shoes. I just love them and it kind of got out of control.”

“I didn’t have to focus on a husband anymore and I had time to concentrate on the shoes,” she says.

“I love having them around. I look at them every day and I remember when I bought them and my travels around the world.”

The mother-of-one says she can wear ‘only’ about 100 pairs from her shoe collection, and aspires to one day create a shoe museum.

“I would live in a shoe, if it was big enough to hold my other shoes,” she admits.

Women who give birth LATER have lower risk of womb cancer

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others who have their children earlier are less likely to suffer from complications during the pregnancy. However, a new study has found giving birth later has its advantages.

Researchers found women who have their last baby when they are 40 or older have a 44 per cent decreased risk of developing womb cancer than those who have their children by the age of 25.

They added that this protective effect continued for decades after.

Womb or endometrial cancer strikes the endometrium, the tissue lining the womb and is arguably the most common gynecological cancer. Most cases affect women in their fifties and sixties.

A team from the University of Southern California (USA) found the risk begins to decrease after age 30 by around 13 per cent for each five-year delay in last births.

Compared to women who last give birth before age 25, those who have their last child between age 30 and 34 reduce their risk by 17 per cent and those

between age 35 and 39 reduce their risk by 32 per cent.

According to the lead researcher, “The size of this study definitively shows that late age at last birth is a significant protective factor after taking into account other factors known to influence the disease - body weight, number of kids and oral contraceptive use.

“We found that the lower risk of endometrial cancer continued for older mothers across different age-at-diagnosis groups, including under 50, 50-59, 6069, and over 70 - which shows that the protection persists for many years.”

The researchers argue, however, that “several potential mechanisms are being considered. It may be that women capable of becoming pregnant at an older age may possess a healthy endometrium or experience fewer menstrual cycles without ovulation. Another possibility is that prolonged exposure to the hormone progesterone during pregnancy may be especially beneficial at older ages.

Culled from www.mailonline.com

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September 1, 2012

Parenting

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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

Treating children’s cough and cold safely

T

he recent change in weather seems to have brought with it a Flu epidemic. If your child gets sick, you want to ease the cough, catarrh, aches, pain and fever as soon as possible.

But to do so safely, it’s important to follow careful guidelines to ensure that s/he gets the correct medication in the correct dose.

If they’re not used right, nonprescription or OTC (over the counter) children’s medicines can cause serious and even life-threatening complications. To make sure you are using those cough, catarrh and pain-relieving medicines safely for your child, follow these tips.  Read the ‘Drug Facts’ label every time you use a medicine The ‘Drug Facts’ label will tell you the active ingredients, what the drug is used for, how much to give your child, how often to give it, potential drug interactions or side effects, and when to call the doctor. Why should you read it if you’ve used the medicine before?

Things may have changed since the last time. For example, your child may have gotten older or gained weight, so the proper dosage may be different this time.  Look for the active ingredient This is what makes the medication work, and you need to know what it is and what it does. Re-

member that the name of the active ingredient is different than the brand name of the medicine.

This means that two different brands of medicine can have the same active ingredient. So it’s important to be sure you are not giving your child two different medicines with the same active ingredient.

Different active ingredients can also do the same thing. For example, both acetaminophen and ibuprofen help reduce pain and fever. Knowing what the active ingredient is and what it does can also help you avoid accidentally giving your child two medicines that do the same thing.  Give the right formulation Medicines to help ease cold and flu symptoms are formulated differently for children and adults.

You should never give an adult cold medicine to a child, not even in a smaller amount.  Always follow dosage instructions Some medication dosages are based on weight and some are based on age, so be sure to follow what the package recommends.

For those based on a child’s age, it’s a good idea to consult with your child’s doctor if your child is very light or very heavy for his age. That way, you can be sure that you are giving the right amount of medicine. Also, never give more

ParentingUpdate

than the recommended dose.  Only use the dosing tool that comes with the medication Never use a kitchen spoon or a dosing cup from a different medicine to give your child medication.

Kitchen spoons can vary in size, as can dosing cups, so you can’t be sure that you’re giving the correct amount. Always be sure that the markings on the dosing device match the dose listed in the Drug Facts box on the medication label.  Know your measurement abbreviations When reading the label, be sure you can tell the difference between a tablespoon (tbsp) and a teaspoon (tsp), as well as between a milligram (mg), millilitre (ml), and ounce (oz).  Don’t give medicine to your child in the dark Children are often sick at night, so it’s not unusual to be half awake and fumbling for medicine in the dark. Take a minute to turn on the lights and put on your glasses, if you wear reading glasses, so that you can clearly read the medicine label and dosing device.  Ask your doctor or pharmacist before giving more than one OTC medicine If your child has a cough and a headache, it may seem logical to give him two medicines -- one for each problem. But many cough and catarrh remedies have the

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same ingredients as pain relievers. If you give your child both, it could lead to an accidental overdose. Reading the Drug Facts label can help you spot the same ingredients, but you should still check with the pharmacist or your doctor before using more than one OTC medicine.  If symptoms persist after

two days...

If your child has had a cold for a few days and is not getting any better or gets worse, go to the hospital right away. Don’t give any medicine for longer than the length of time listed on the package.

•Culled from www.webmd. com

Another reason why breast is best z Mother’s milk promotes a healthier gut

T

he benefits of breast milk have long been appreciated, but now scientists have found yet another reason why mother’s should try and use their own milk rather than formula.

A team at Duke University Medical Center found newborns fed breast milk develop a healthier gut compared to those on infant formula.

This is because lab tests revealed a mother’s milk fosters unique colonies of microbiotic flora that aid nutrient absorption and boost immune system development.

Study leader Dr William Parker, said: ‘This study is the first we know of that examines the effects of infant nutrition on the way that bacteria grow, providing insight to the mechanisms underlying the benefits of breast feeding over formula feeding for newborns.

‘Only breast milk appears to

promote a healthy colonisation of beneficial biofilms, and these insights suggest there may be potential approaches for developing substitutes that more closely mimic those benefits in cases where breast milk cannot be provided.’

Earlier studies have shown that breast milk lowers the incidence of diarrhoea, influenza and respiratory infections during infancy. It also protects against the later development of allergies, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other illnesses.

As scientists have learned more about the role intestinal flora plays in health, they have gained appreciation for how an infant’s early diet can affect this beneficial microbial universe.

In their study, the Duke researchers grew bacteria in samples of infant formulas, cow’s milk and breast milk.

The samples were incubated with two strains of E. coli bacte-

ria – necessary early inhabitants of the gut that are helpful cousins to the dangerous organisms associated with food poisoning.

Within minutes, the bacteria began multiplying in all of the specimens, but there was an immediate difference in the way the bacteria grew. In the breast milk, bacteria stuck together to form biofilms - thin, adherent layers of bacteria that serve as a shield against pathogens and infections.

Bacteria in the infant formula and cow’s milk proliferated but it did not aggregate to form a protective barrier.

Dr Parker said: ‘Knowing how breast milk conveys its benefits could help in the development of infant formulas that better mimic nature.

‘This could have a long-lasting effect on the health of infants who, for many reasons, may not get mother’s milk.’

•Culled from www.ivillage.com

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

27

September 1, 2012

le StyGlam and

with Yemisi Adeniran

T

(08037801158) ydiran@yahoo.com

o be an apple-shaped body is to be apple-top-heavy. 14 per cent of women fall into this category; their bust is usually three or more inches bigger than hips. If you have this body type, you will feel great by following these guides to dress yourself up: Elongate your legs: No matter what your body type, making your legs look longer is generally flattering. Stock up on miniskirts and bright tights to make the most of your great legs Draw attention away from your waist and shoulders/arms: Wear long sleeves and draw attention to your bust and neck.

Shape your bust: If you have an apple or hourglass shape, you probably have an ample bust; your main concern should be to wear a supportive bra so that your chest looks perky, not droopy. Book yourself a professional bra fitting; it’s life-changing and will make your chest look fantastic!

Stock up on V-neck dresses and tops: They’re super flattering on big-busted girls.

They are good if you don’t want to draw attention to your chest.

Stay away from necklaces, wear chunky bangles instead.

Wear plain colours around your bust and go for patterned and colourful bottoms instead.

Choose flared pants over straight-leg or skinny pants. It helps balance out wide shoulders and/ or a heavy upper body.

Wear what you feel most comfortable in for confidence. And make sure that your clothes fit properly. Clothes that are too tight or too big will not necessarily make you look better.

28

STYLE & GLAM

September 1, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

F

YEMISI ADENIRAN

W

hatever your age, height or shape, you definitely wouldn’t go wrong in the attention grabbing ravishing red. It is a colour which denotes power, confidence, happiness, prosperity, joy and of course, a celebrative mood. Amazingly, red is a colour which should be embraced by all ages; worn in the days of your playful youth and in your independent adulthood. Here is how to go about this: Red in your teens: The teen years are the free years; you can get away with just about anything! From red miniskirts to jumpsuits, shorts and red jeans, you will make a free fashion statement any day. In your late teens, however, go for print and solid block red dresses which are short, playful and cute.

Red in your 20s and 30s: Since 30 is the new 20 as they say, you can afford to do an all red or mix it up with a tube and sleeveless dresses or just have it spiced up in whichever way you choose.

Red in your 40s and 50s: Doing an all red at this age will not be too good. Although you can have it short in dresses or maxi, exposing your upper arms and necks which are likely no longer firm again will spoil your outing. Be careful to avoid short lengths too if you have no great legs.

Red in your 60s, 70s and 80s: A not–too-loud colour will be very right for these ages. Avoid baring any part of your body, no short style and combine with other colours of accessories.

BEAUTY

Q&A

Your candid response to all fashion questions Unwanted hair growth

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 new razor to cut off the hair at the surface of the skin. Shaving needs to be repeated every few days to maintain smooth skin, but it is a quick, effective and cheap way to temporarily put a stop to your unwanted hair.

Step 2 Wax of your skin one fast m rip out yo weeks bef skin irrit

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

September 1, 2012

Fashion Frenzy

ff your unwanted hair. Simply heat up the wax, apply it to n, and then place a waxing strip over it. Pull the strip off in movement in the opposite direction of hair growth. This will our hair at the root, providing for smooth skin for several fore it starts to grow back. Waxing can be painful and cause tation. However, test it in a small area before trying to re-

STYLE & GLAM

29

Facelift

Ghana weaving to the rescue

T

move all the hair from your legs, for instance.

Step 3 Apply a depilatory cream to the unwanted hair. After setting for several minutes, the cream will penetrate the hair follicle and cause the entire hair to fall out. Your skin will be smooth for several weeks following use, though it’s possible to suffer from a chemical burn if the cream is used wrongly.

he hair of a woman remains her crown because it is what immediately uplifts her face and total appearance. Like any other fashion, hairstyles come and go; one hair style that has been constantly committed to, not only beautifying a woman but cuts off her age by at least 10 years is braids and weaving.

Most preferable of them all is the Ghana weaving. Ghana weaving, over the years can be safely said to have become a popular alternative for Africa’s fashion-conscious women.

It is an African hairstyle that comes in different styles to add elegance to your outlook any day. And with the different colours of attachments available, you will be giving yourself panache by picking one that suits your hair and skin colour most. This hairstyle is also suitable for bristly hair because it allows the braider to pull the hair tighter, without causing any damage or breakage to the hair. To have your Ghana weaving longlasting and grow the hair, apply a mouse made for attachment all over the hair immediately after making your hair.

30

STYLE & GLAM

September 1, 2012

Model

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Trendz

Omolara Majekodunmi is as passionate about her education as she is about modelling.

‘Education is the real wing with which anyone can have his or her passion fly, so, I’m a work in progress,’ she tells YEMISI ADENIRAN in this interview.

Ethnic hair accessories YEMISI ADENIRAN

I

H

ow did you get into modelling?

I would say it is not a planned thing and I actually took a serious step about it when I got into the university.

That was where friends started disturbing me about it. They actually pushed me into it. They kept saying I looked cute, I had what it takes to be a model, I should give it a trial and so on. After a long while, I decided to make a move about it. I did and here we are today. I got linked up with modelling agencies and I have been having it good since. But really, I have always loved to pose behind the mirror and all that even while I was younger.

Would you say these physical attributes referred to by your friends worked for you so far?

Yes. To a reasonable extent and of course by the grace of God almighty who makes all things possible. If He had not placed those attributes there, I wouldn’t have had anything to stand me out as a model.

What are your best body assets?

My lips, my face, my legs and my slim shape generally.

How do you cope with your studies and this modelling career?

It has not been easy but I just have to cope and I really have no other option than to cope well. Apart from the fact that education is the foundation of all successes in life, I had an agreement with my parents not to allow my education to suffer because of my modelling passion and I must keep to it. I’m passionate about modelling but it can never be to the detriment of my education. Education is the key to whatever door of achievement we desire in life and so, I see it as a must to cope with both. Meanwhile, I must also admit that my friends have been of immense assistance all these while. They help me copy notes whenever I’m not around and I make it a point of duty to read and pass, so, I’m a work in progress and I hope to succeed in both endeavours at the end of everything.

What special thing do you do to sustain your good look?

Although beauty runs in our family, I always give glory to God in heaven for the perfect shape and to my sweet mother whom I got the shape from. In addition to this, I engage in regular physical exercises, watch what I eat and swallow good food to sustain a good skin and body system.

f you love hair accessories then you will be delighted to hear that they y are not just hot this season but are no longer items for the younger brands unger ones. From the Alice Band brand ds to the many ny ones designed by the ever creative fashion ashion designers around, a sophisticated ticated lady will have her wardrobe obe filled with different types. They add drama to your hair and nd outfit and make your hair air glitz throughout your party arty time. You don’t have to o be too loud with it if you u are the simple type or you want it forr the office Only fice time. Onl nly pick a less-decorative less-decorrative type and nd you will be good to go. Bu But ut if you are not, you may u m ay choose the ones wit with th beautiful feathered- de designs, beads, stones and sequence e for a more pronounced statement. ent.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

31

September 1, 2012

Male Essentials

08036961187

with Oseyiza Oogbodo kingseiza@yahoo.com w kingse eiza@yahoo.com

The blond look

W

hen it comes to being fashionable, entertainers rs are a very lucky set of people. They wear what they ey like when they like and are therefore able to set fashion ashion n trends. And it is still their set that is able to rock the blond d look. look k.

Blond hair is coveted worldwide. However, since everyone ryon ne can’t be a nat natural acquire atural blond, someone who isn’t can still ac cquirre it by tinting g his hair. And that is what some N Nigerian igerian celebrities are doing to m make ake themselves stand out.

Jesse Jagz,, Kas, Zee World, Tony Tet Tetuila, tuila, Osaze Odemwingie and d Terry G are some of the celeb celebrities ebrities who have gone blond.. A And if you wanna go blond ond yourself to stand out in the crowd, just visit a decent saloon, request for your hair to be tinted blond and I can assure you that you will become the cynosure of all eyes.

Essential fashion tips you must know

D

isregard trends: Beware of buying something just because it’s ‘in’ right now – stick to what you truly like. A lot of people rush to get in on the latest trend and end up with a bunch of clothes they don’t wear. It’s better to learn to build a versatile and timeless wardrobe first – then bring in your own twists with some of the new fashion. This one tip will save you so much money!

Don’t be a sucker for brand names: Before you decide to purchase an item, ask yourself if you are buying it simply because of the brand name or because you love the quality and style. Ask yourself, “Would I buy this if there was no logo on it?”

Continually cultivate your image: Invest more time and money into your image. Cultivate your fashion sense.

Your style is a huge mode of communication, and is worth caring for as much

as your education, career, and relationships. Oscar Schoffler, longtime fashion editor of Esquire, once said, “Never underestimate the power of what you wear.

After all, there’s just a small bit of yourself sticking out at the collar and cuff.

The rest of the world sees what you drape on your frame.”

Ask for real feedback: Most of your friends and family aren’t going to go out of their way to tell you what looks bad.

You have to ask for it. In fact, ask anyone and everyone you trust to tell you the truth. Ask your hairstylist, ask your best friend, ask your mother!

Upgrade your shave: Even if your fashion is golden, an unkempt beard can be an attraction killer. Achieve a perfect shave by trying a shave brush and oldfashioned double-edged razor.

Experiment with style: The only way you’ll really learn is if you go out there and try new things. I make an effort

to try something completely mpletely out of my comfort zone whenever enever I’m at a store… many times es you’ll end d up loving something you u never thought ught you would.

If uld. you u make m i s t a ke s, life goes on.

Many ny guys are afraid to express themselves mselves through their ir style.

You don’t u have ve to be one of them.

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September 1, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Relationships

Sexual harassment: It is real

S

exual harassment is all about power. Years of macho tripping and constant input from the media about the problems faced by women, the society, including men themselves, make us to believe that harassment of men in any form, sexual being one of them, is a funny topic.

Most people tend to believe that it’s only women that have been sexually harassed or that can be sexually harassed. I want to point it out here that I believe men are also getting sexually harassed because I’ve been a victim too.

Sexual harassment is any unwelcome and unsolicited sexual advance or conduct that creates an intimidating or hostile environment. It can come in many forms. It can be verbal or physical. It can even be psychological or emotional. It is a gender-neutral offence, even though most people do not think so.

Yes, laugh as much as you want, but it is the truth. What do you call a systematic approach to belittling you in front of colleagues and other staff by a senior female officer all because you are playing ‘hard ball’ because you have refused to understand her verbal and visual signals to have a relationship with her.

Few people are taking the issue of sexual harassment against men serious. In fact, most women and a lot of men who are pretending will say it’s not happening. Here in this part of the world, most men will not want to speak up about such cases of sexual harassment because of the fear of their being made fun of by their friends and co-workers like it happened to me.

Another reason most men don’t openly come out to say they are being sexually harassed is because they don’t want their names bandied around the office gossip grapevine. The embarrassment of being looked down on by other men is a problem. Another is

that most men want to have the good life in this part of the world and dating your boss is an opportunity to step up a bit in the office power play for them.

To call a spade a spade, sexual harassment is all about creating a hostile working environment for the harassed. It is a systematic approach to making the harassed lose all self-esteem they may have. You the harassed will get to a point at which it’ll seem as if the world should just end for you. Yes that’s really one of the emotional upheavals that one will experience because it will seem as if you can’t just do anything right.

Unbelievable enough, male sexual harassments just don’t happen in the work place. It most often starts from the home when a growing male child is always told by adults around not to be aggressive towards females in the house because he’s a male child without these same adults explaining more. This in some cases will create an environment in which the child starts getting sexually harassed and abused by older females and he won’t be able to feel secure enough to tell his parents or adults around who can help him in combating the abuser.

In some cases the abuser may even be the house help or older neighbours and family. It then moves to the educational sector. The higher institutions are also a hot bed for male sexual harassments. It is just that like I said before, that men are not talking. That a woman is more vulnerable to being sexually harassed or that they’ve been the ones bearing the brunt of it doesn’t mean that men are not getting sexually harassed too.

Unsolicited sexual innuendoes that comes as a barrage of fun in the working environment especially in offices that have a predominantly female population will make a man feel low in his self esteem especially if he’s made to feel less of a man in that kind of situation.

SEX TALK

This column is x-rated

Hot super stud tips Have you ever wanted to achieve more sexual pleasure for you and your partner? Ever wondered how to last longer in bed as a man?

Have you ever felt like your sexual patterns are preventing you and your lover from experiencing sex as blissfully as you know it can be? Does the prospect of 1. Slow down It may seem obvious, but the number one way to make sex last longer is to do everything slower. Breathing, feeling, foreplay, kissing and intercourse are all parts of the sex act that do not need to be rushed.

having sex sometimes seem too daunting just because of a history of unsatisfying experiences?

Changing your sexual patterns may be a burning issue for you, a passing curiosity or perhaps you know someone that will find the following informative and interesting. logue that may be interfering with our natural enjoyment of the sex. Here’s a hint, try synchronising your deep slow breathing with your partner’s.

2. Give everything time Every moment in sex is worth experiencing fully. Let things unfold in their own time and you will be rewarded with richer experiences during sex and more learning and satisfaction from sex.

4. Let go of expectations Without expectations around sex, we are free to more naturally savour the experience... however it is! We can be more open to the experience and learn more as a result. Without expectations we free ourselves from disappointment.

Here’s a trick... see if you can implement these techniques to improve your sex, without caring whether they work!

3. Deepen your breathing Our breath connects us deeply to our body and its rhythms, as well as the rhythm of other bodies near us. Focusing on breathing also helps to quiet the mind and sooth any internal dia-

5. Focus on pleasure in sex rather than the sex act or outcome Regardless of certain ideas of sex perpetuated in the world, sex is not about the ending, it is about the whole experience. Getting the girl, having an

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

RELATIONSHIPS

September 1, 2012

33

CHINWE ANNIE AMAECHI 07028684481 chinweamaechi@gmail.com

Can men be victims?

It happens

Q

This column is x-rated

This column is x-rated orgasm, giving an orgasm... these are all important aspects of sex.

But the most important element of sex is pleasure! When you start enjoying every moment of sex... it will go on as long as you want!

6. Increase knowledge of your body Take the time to understand what brings you pleasure and learn how to pleasure yourself better. Don’t forget to share your new knowledge with your partner too.

Read up about anatomy. The human body is amazing!

7. Increase knowledge of your partner’s body Don’t be afraid to ask questions and always be open to trying new things in bed. Explore every part of your partner’s body like you have never seen or touched it before. Every time you engage in sex it is a perfect opportunity to expand your sexual knowledge. You can learn a lot about the human body by asking friends about their experiences too.

8. Reframe sex as a nurturing healing act When we attach shame and guilt to sex it is no wonder that it doesn’t flow naturally. Adjust your mindset around sex to reflect only positive aspects. Sex feels so good, how could a gift like this be any-

thing other than healing!

9. Let go of performance anxiety Performance anxiety is unnecessary. Be kind to yourself. Learn to forgive yourself if things don’t go perfectly, and then learn to stop caring about perfect anyway. in

10. Feel your body from with-

Our sensual experience can be deepened dramatically by focusing on our experience from within our body. Get out of your head and let your consciousness move to the centre of your body.

11. Be present Don’t let the mind wander or engage in pointless internal chatter. Don’t let your fantasies and thoughts take you further from the experience at hand. Be in the present experience and the present moment.

Any of these tips individually can start to impact on your sexual performance right now. If you learn them all, you will be a master of your body in and out of the bedroom. You will find how to last longer in bed, too. Don’t be daunted if it takes a little time though... these are life changing techniques and may take a bit of practice.

And most importantly of course, enjoy yourself practicing!

uite a number of men are nostalgic and often misplace affection for the first person that they ever had sex with. They often describe experiences like the afore-mentioned with soft voices and wistful expressions but if the truth must be said much of what transpired would not have a place in a Daniel Steele novel, it would probably be more appropriate in a sexually explicit narrative that leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

Reason is that most of these first sexual experiences were initiated by women in their 20s or 30s who took advantage of a teenage or pre-teenage boy.

The fact that the sexual experience was pleasurable didn’t make it right.

A man once confessed to me that his first sexual experience happened when he was 17 years old. It happened with a 25 year old woman who he had a crush on and who had a boyfriend. He told me of how grateful he was and still is that the woman was nice enough to teach him about sex.

Another man told me of a similar experience. His was with a widow in her 30s.

I get disgusted when I hear tales like this simply because the average man who is so obsessed about sex doesn’t recognise rape when he sees it. The average woman on the other hand is more discerning. She usually doesn’t romanticise the fact that she has been violated. Most of these men who are nostalgic must realise that at that time, they were under aged people and that they were seduced and lured into the acts by desperate and sick women who needed sexual release at all cost.

Over time, women have become bolder and more expressive in sexual matters. They are not only willing to be seen and heard; they have also become brazen. Tales and tales abound of how women who are in places of authority take advantage of their position to cause havoc. The biblical tale of Joseph, the boy that was sold into slavery best illustrates the happenings of the day.

Males get just as harassed as the typical female but they foolishly keep mum as they often think that they can handle whatever is coming to them. Sometimes, they even feel as if incidences like that are their due as they give them

one more reason to validate their masculinity or need to prove that they still have what it takes to attract women.

Sadly men being who they are rarely recognise that their space is being encroached. They often leave it too late before they take any action. A man should be discerning and realise when a woman is getting too close for comfort, he should be comfortable and sensible enough to put her in her place. He shouldn’t in the bid to be described as a Mr. Nice Guy, give in into anything and everything. People who often get embroiled in such unhealthy and unbecoming relationships often get burnt.

They often regret their actions.

For adult men, they are often confronted by sexual harassment in the course of their careers. The driver or cook may get harassed by ‘Oga’s’ wife.

For those that consent, they are doing that at the detriment of their career or even their lives. For other groups of men, sexual harassment comes their way in office settings. They may suddenly get their stern faced boss who the week before could not stand them, inviting them for a sexual romp in a seedy hotel. Succumbing is usually a disaster because sooner than later they may fall out of favour or they may be caught in the most embarrassing way conceivable.

A man who gets accosted by a desperate lady should be man enough to tell the woman running after him to jump into the nearest lagoon. Even if his job is at stake, he should not allow anybody to intimidate him. He should know that he is being used so he should resist such overtures as much as possible.

In instances where it is applicable, he should report to the appropriate authorities. Romantic relationships are beautiful only when they end up being tales one can recount with pride to his or her grandchild. Nothing is as beautiful as seeing two adults who are fully aware of the immediate and remote consequences, getting into romantic relationships. Nothing is as beautiful as seeing two people who have taken the time to court and be courted finally culminating their relationship in a way that the majority as well as their consciences will be comfortable. No use for one to get into a relationship that is not worth a pinch of salt.

34

September 1, 2012

Dear Igho

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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

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

I am a 30-year-old virgin

Dear Igho, My name is Ignatious Paul. I live at No. XXX Ojiegbu Street, Mile 3, Diobu, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

I’m 29 years old and need big ladies from any part of the country.

I need rich ladies

Dear Ignatious, We don’t offer such services in Saturday Mirror because we encourage dignity in all we do that is why your con-

tact is not published. Besides, I’ll advise you take your life much more serious by adding value to yourself rather than scavenging for rich women. Good luck.

Need a God fearing man Dear Igho, My name is Stella and I am a single mother of two kids; a boy and a girl. I want a God fearing husband.

May God help me.

Dear Igho, I am in my late 30s and have never slept with a woman. I’m planning to get married soon, but I have a very small penis. Can a penis be too small that it cannot satisfy a woman?

E. Simple, Benin City.

Dear E. Simple, Let me start by commending you for retaining your chastity; it’s the best gift you’ll be giving your wife especially in this morality scarce era. However, another good news is that a penis can never be too small to the extent of it not satisfying a woman. You see, besides size, a man

needs to empower himself with adequate skills on how to use his penis. One could have a very long manhood yet won’t satisfy his woman if he doesn’t acquire varieties of skills and styles to keep her wanting him. It’s not in the size, but the knowledge and soul tie between you and your wife. A woman’s vagina is created to be quite elastic, so, if she is also a virgin, or less exposed, be rest assured of sexually fulfilling times ahead.

Don’t get too anxious; with time in marriage, you’ll get more experienced.

Should you and your wife maintain a loving and healthy relationship, sexuality in marriage will be the icing of your cake. Wishing you an adventurous matrimony ahead!

He wants to marry me at 14 Dear Igho, I am a 14-year-old-girl and have a boyfriend who loves me so much and wants to marry me. He promised never to have sex with me before marriage but I’m scared about my education.

Anonymous, Lagos.

Dear Anonymous, You need to be scared about your entire being, not your edu-

cation alone! I’m still wondering what a 14-year-old girl is doing with a boyfriend when you have your education and a lot more to occupy you. Or are you that jobless? By the way, how old is that your boyfriend who’s promising to marry a 14-yearold-girl?

Sincerely, I’ll advise you keep only casual friends and concentrate on your education and future ambition. Telling you he won’t sleep with you until he

Dear Stella, The Lord will grant you your heart desire. Since you didn’t provide the means through which you could be reached, any interested person would have to contact me and I’ll get in touch with you. Cheers!

Need a sugar mummy Dear Igho, I am Yinka by name. I’m a tall, slim fit and cute guy. I need a caring, sexy and rich sugar mummy that can care for me. She should be between 25-40 years. Any interested person should reach me on 080974...

I am 27 years old. Thanks so much.

Dear Yinka, It’s such a big shame that a 27-yearold able bodied man is busy looking for a sugar mummy!

Are you that lazy and have no ambi-

marries you is quite suspicious because that is a familiar line guys now render to unsuspecting girls just to appear responsible and easily get the girl laid. If that young man is really responsible, he will have you as just a friend, not a girlfriend and would watch you grow into the person you are supposed to be.

Besides, what is the guaranty that he will still fit into your picture of an ideal man when you’re 21years old or a graduate? Sweet heart, utilise your time and life better and forget about boyfriends now; you still have more time ahead of you to fall in and out of love.

tion for life? I’ll advise you redefine yourself and what you want out of life.

I also can’t believe you’re even looking for a lady below your age who would be feeding you; it’s quite ridiculous! Well, we don’t offer such services in Saturday Mirror because we encourage dignity in all we do that is why your contact is not published. Wishing you what you hope for in life.

Need sugar lady strictly for sex!

Dear Igho, I am really happy to text you. Kindly hook me up with a sugar lady here in Lagos or Abuja for one-onone sex only. Any sugar lady can ring me 0816xxxxxxx or BB pin: 310XXXXX. Kayode, Lagos State.

Dear Kayode, I’m still wondering if you think life is a big party. What exactly do you want? I can recall that last week you sent a text indicating that you were in need of a Muslim lady between the ages 20-31 years for a serious relationship, so why are you now requesting for a sugar lady just for sex? Saturday Mirror is no play ground, so quit the indignity. By the way, we don’t offer such services.

Living

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

September 1, 2012

35

But for Providence and the magnanimity Oba Lamidi Olayowola Adeyemi III, the late Nigerian international, Sam Ojebode, would not have had a grand funeral.

He might not have even been buried in Oyo town, Oyo State, where he hailed from.

KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

T

hat the Oyo-born Samuel Ojebode, former captain of the Industrial Investment Credit Corporation (IICC) Shooting Stars, (now 3SC), 1976 African Cup Winners team, died on July 4, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, was painful to his family.

However, what probably caused them more pains and consternation was the fact that the ex-International never had a befitting edifice to his name in his Oyo hometown when he passed on at the age of 68 years. Not only that, there was anxiety as to where to bury him. The family never wanted to bury him in a public cemetery.

There anxiety was, however, laid to rest with the intervention of Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, the Alaafin of Oyo, who completed the late Ojewumi’s uncompleted struture in just seven days.

Eventually he was buried in the presence of a large crowd of supporters of the Ibadan team, members of the football fraternity in the country and top government officials at the frontage of a 4-bedroom-flat built in his memory for the family by the Alaafin.

It took the referred monarch just seven days to complete.

Pa James Oladejo Ojebode, the head of the family of the erstwhile board chairman of the 3SC who lost life’s battle to cancer of the lung at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, told Saturday Mirror that the family was in a quandary when the late footballer died not because of any other thing but where to bury him in Oyo town.

The belief among the family was that given the prestige the late footballer brought to the family, the state and the country as a whole, it would be a great embarrassment to bury him outside Oyo town.

And that was they set out to achieve.

But how this would be, considering the stage and state of the structure was when the ace football passed on.

According to the elder Ojebode, though Sam died on July 4, but as of August 11, the family was still at loss as to the place to bury the late Sam Ojebode.

He explained that all the efforts the family made to raise money to complete Ojebode’s abandoned structure which

The house built by Alaafin

How Alaafin rescued football great, Sam Ojebode, from public cemetery z ... Built N5.7m house in seven days

was at Ojebode the lintel level yielded no meaningful result.

The retired insurance manager explained further that when it was becoming glaring that the family might find itself in ridicule, members mustered courage and sought help from the traditional ruler.

According to him, it took the family repeated calls at the palace before they could gain audience with the monarch. However, the problem was solved the very day they were able to get his ears. There and then, the traditional promised to build the structure now named, Sam Ojebode House.

“While my late younger brother died on July 4, but it was only on August 11 that

the family could be said to have heaved a sigh of relief on where his final resting place would be. It was the wish of members that he should be buried at home but we were sad that with the name he had acquired, he and the family had no presentable place befitting his status.

When the revered traditional ruler then gave us his words on that day after many visits of trying to see him by granting our wish, the entire members of the family were on top of the world, shedding tears of joy that the family would retain the pride that Sam had brought to the family,” he added.

Pa Ojebode said that he was visiting the house located at Ile Amo Compound, Sakutu Ogbegbe area, Oyo, everyday alongside other members of the family to put finishing touches to the burial programme of the football legend.

He was also effusive in his praises for the royal father.

He added that the first class monarch apart from building the house also promised to assist the family to give Sam Ojebode a befitting burial that would bring honour to the family and the ancient town.

“The entire members of the family and even generations yet unborn will continue to be grateful to Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, for the miracle he brought to the family. It was a miracle as the monarch said the house would be completed

within seven days and this came to be, indeed since the house was finished, it has become a source of wonder not only to the people of the area but every resident of Oyo. Even if the deceased were to build the house himself, it could not have been more than what the Alaafin did. The role played by the royal father in the burial was even more than any member of the family.”

The death of Ojebode who left behind nine children, four males and five females, Olumide, Bimbo, Deji, Sola, Seyi, Funke, Wunmi, Fehintola and Damilola, from three wives, was also described as an irreparable loss to the entire family.

He, however, expressed happiness that the wish to bury him in his home town became a reality.

“Sam brought honour and glory to the family and his home town, so we are happy that he received the last honour in Oyo. To us, if it had been otherwise, it would have been a disgrace to the entire family and the royal father.

“I therefore thank Oba Adeyemi for the magnanimity he extended to the Ojebode family; the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and his entire cabinet for the support to the family; Christian and Muslim groups and the media for the prayers and support so far,” he added.

Also speaking with the Saturday Mirror, the deceased’s eldest child, Olumide, who returned from the United States (US) during the week after leading the Oyo State Academicals to the country said he was surprised by the gesture of the royal father.

He said that he could not believe his CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

36

LIVING

September 1, 2012

From the archives: Sam Ojebode with the 1976 African Cup, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III and Chief Lekan Salami

It’s one of the Seven Wonders of the World –Ojebode’s first son CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 eyes when he saw the house, given the stage of the structure left by his father who he said on his death bed told him a secret which he (Olumide) was not ready

to divulge to anybody.

“The Seven Wonders of the World could only have come from the Alaafin of Oyo himself, the house is the most beautiful in the area and we, the children of Sam Ojebode, are proud of his home town, our

home town, Oyo,” he stated.

The contractor who finished the house in seven days, Mr. Salau Ibrahim, said the miracle of the house was made possible through the provision of the entire fund, N5.7 million needed by Oba Lamidi Adey-

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

emi.

The royal father while speaking with the Saturday Mirror, explained that he did the gesture to encourage the young ones who are into sports at the grassroots level so that they would not be forgotten.

He maintained that the time had come for the nation’s leaders to put in place policies that would encourage sports men and women to put in their best in the service of the country and not neglect them when they are old.

Oba Adeyemi who said the Sam Ojebode House completed within seven days, was just the beginning of what to come from him to serve as booster to the youths, disclosed that there would be Hall of Fame, to honour those in sports before they die while the three councils of Atiba, Oyo West and Oyo East would provide a borehole in the house that will serve the entire area and also tarred the road leading to the house, to be named Sam Ojebode House.

“There should be sincerity on the part of our leaders in taking care of the people. On my part, all my life, I have been striving to live up to all what I promised and this I did by building the Sam Ojebode House to honour our son who through football brought glory and honour to Oyo. It is a shame that our national sports have been nose diving day by day, all because of the actions of those at the helms of affairs who do not care a hoot about those they are supposed to serve.

“This action of mine was to influence government at all levels to put in place an enduring policies where there will be incentives for our sports men and women, we should not wait for our sports people to die before we accord them the honour that they deserved,” the first class monarch said.

Enugu church bans women from wearing gele A s from September 9, female members of the St Theresa’s Cathedral Church in Enugu the Enugu State capital who cannot do without elaborate and tall traditional headgears, known as gele may have to find another place to worship.

Reason: the church has banned its female congregation from wearing headwraps amid security fears.

The church introduced the measure saying the tall headwraps formed a ‘barricade’ when women sit together on a row.

At a mass on Sunday, Reverend Father Uche Obodoechina explained that the ban would take effect from September 9, 2012 because the geles make identification difficult.

“Please, in view of the present security challenges, the church has urged women to stop coming to Sunday service with big headgears and bags to enable security men know when bomb will be smuggled into the church,” he told worshippers.

The church has directed security men at the church gate to seize big headgears and bags.

“This measure is aimed towards enhancing the security of the faithful during Sunday mass,” he added.

Geles have been worn by Nigerian women for generations and are usu-

ally worn by females with traditional attire, for special occasions like weddings, naming ceremonies, burials, church services, and religious celebrations.

The gravity-defying wraps come in different fabrics such as damask, brocade.

Among Nigerian women, one of the most popular fabrics is a metallic cloth made from jacquard.

The decision to ban them was met with surprise as Catholic churches in the country usually state that women must cover their heads during a mass.

But the crackdown is thought to be in reaction to a series of attacks by militant Islamist group, Boko Haram, on churches in the northern and central parts of the country in recent months as part of an insurgency that has killed hundreds.

Earlier this month, gunmen opened fire on an evangelical church during a service Okene, Kogi Sate killing at least 19 people.

Boko Haram has also attacked Muslim figures as well as a range of other targets, including the United Nations building in Abuja.

In mid-July, a bomb went off near another church in Okene, but there were no casualties.

•Culled from mailonline.com

A gorgeously dressed woman wearing gele

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

LIVING

September 1, 2012

Oba Adegoroye

Govt should restore powers of traditional rulers–Oba Adegoroye Today, Oba Nurudeen Adeniyi Adegoroye I, the Oloba of Oba Akoko Kingdom in Ondo State clocks 40 years on the throne of his forefathers which he ascended when he was also 40 years old.

While counting his blessings, the monarch also has some requests.

OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU AND OJO OYEWAMIDE

F

or Oba Nurudeen Adeniyi Adegoroye I, the Oloba of Oba Akoko Kingdom in Ondo State, it is double celebration today.

Exactly 40 years ago today, he ascended the throne of his forefathers and last Tuesday, the royal father joined the league of octogenarians when he clocked 80 years of age.

It is for these reasons that his subjects decided to roll out the drums today and celebrate the cerebral and quintessential traditional ruler whose reign has brought tremendous development to the seedy town in Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State.

Expressing gratitude to God, his chiefs and subjects, without whom, he said, today wouldn’t have been made possible, Oba Adegoroye, in a chat with Saturday Mirror, said that he was very happy to attain his current age, saying: “I am happy that God has spared my life to clock 80

years. If I can spend 10 years more, I will be very grateful.

“I don’t want to be old to the extent that I will not know what I am doing.”

Going down memory lane, Oba Adegoroye said that he went into paid employment immediately after his secondary education and worked with the United Trading Company (UTC) on Broad Street in Lagos.

He left for the RTB School in Apapa, where he worked for four years before heeding the call of his people to ascend the throne of his progenitors.

Enumerating few of his achievements since he became the traditional ruler of Oba Akoko, Oba Adegoroye disclosed that as at the time he became the monarch in 1972, there was no secondary school in the community, while there were only two primary schools, but today, the community can boast of no fewer than five secondary schools, both public and private while the number of primary schools has grown beyond half a dozen.

Oba Adegoroye told Saturday Mirror that this perhaps is his major achievement, not only because he is the first educated Oloba of Oba Akoko, but also because of his belief that education is the bedrock of any community, state or nation.

He said: “I could remember that we had only three graduates in the community when I became the Oloba. But today, we have scores of graduates; we have professors, lecturers, permanent secretaries. We have produced three commissioners at the state level, with one of them currently serving.”

He also added that the community’s postal agency was upgraded to a full post office during his reign.

However, the monarch said that whatever modest achievements recorded during his 40-year-reign, came with sundry challenges. The major challenge, according to the traditional ruler is financial incapacita-

tion, without which little or nothing could have been achieved.

Agreeing that though money is not everything, Oba Adegoroye said that no tangible development can take place in any community if it lacks financial capability and manpower.

Another major challenge the monarch said he had to contend with is the absence of a bank in the community. This he believes would afford his subjects to save the proceeds from their farm and also give them access to loans to improve their well being.

According to Oba Adegoroye, his people used to travel as far as Oka Akoko and Ikare Akoko, the headquarters of Akoko South West and North West Local Government areas respectively for their banking transactions until the establishment of the Adekunle Ajasin University at Akungba, a neighbouring town by the late Adebayo Adefarati administration.

He therefore appealed to the government to assist his community to have a bank. He also lamented that the health centre built by the late Adekunle Ajasin administration over 20 years ago had remained a health centre and appealed to the state government for it to be upgraded to a general hospital or a comprehensive health centre, so that a doctor can be posted to the community to serve his people.

“My people have been travelling here and there before they can see a doctor. This problem is agitating the minds of the generality of my people here. We are at the centre of gravity. If you are travelling to Abuja, you pass through this town. If you are travelling to Lagos, you pass through this town.

This place is centralised,” he added.

The monarch also lamented the relocation of the local government headquarters from the town in 1997 and the subsequent invasion of the town by the police who molested his people.

37

He disclosed: “We were molested by policemen. They brought an armoured personnel carrier (APC) to fight us here but it had an accident. It somersaulted and up till this morning, they cannot repair it. So, anybody who wants to wage a war against Oba should tighten his belt very well.”

Enumerating other challenges, Oba Adegoroye said that his community is ravaged by erosion and while he also lamented the neglect of the community by successive governments in the State, adding that there was no good drainage system in the entire community.

He cited the case of a garri processing industry that was about to be established by the then administration of Olusegun Agagu, but which never saw the light of the day, despite that land had been allocated by the community.

He appealed to the state government to consider Oba Akoko in the next local government creation exercise, disclosing that his community and Ikun Akoko, its closest neighbour had sent a memo to the government making case for Oba-Ikun Local Government Area.

The Oloba of Oba Akoko also disclosed that “we have vast land for any government to establish anything they want. If the state government wants to establish the Adekunle Ajasin University’s Faculty of Agriculture, let them come here. We will give them land.”

The Oba also lamented the marginalisation he suffered in the categorisation of traditional rulers in Ondo State. Going down memory lane, the monarch said that before the advent of the Adefarati administration, he, together with five other traditional rulers in Akokoland, including the Olusua of Isua-Akoko, the Saki of Arigidi Akoko, the Onirun of Irun Akoko, and Owa of Ogbagi Akoko were Grade C traditional rulers.

However, a commission, set up by the Adefarati administration moved the other monarchs to Grade B and left only him in Grade C, a development which had since then put him at the receiving end.

The traditional ruler disclosed that he enjoys a cordial relationship with his fellow monarchs in the entire Akokoland and beyond.

Priding himself as the longest ruling monarch amongst his peers, though he may not be the oldest, Oba Adegoroye eulogised his fellow obas for their respect for him as the “only Oba who has spent 40 years on the throne.”

He told Saturday Mirror that the relationship between the indigenes and nonindigenes of his community is more than cordial, and that it is home to different ethnic nationalities from different parts of the country.

Oba Adegoroye disagreed with agitators for constitutional roles for traditional rulers, because according to him, “giving constitutional roles to traditional rulers will drag them into the mud.” He would rather the government return to traditional rulers, the powers it took from them in the first instance, which include the power to regulate the forest reserves and the administration of the customary courts.

“As the custodians of tradition, traditional rulers do not need constitutional roles, but traditional roles. So, I think the government should first return the powers it had taken from the traditional institution to it, rather than talk about making constitutional role for them.”

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LIVING

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 Findings by Saturday Mirror revealed that rape and defilement cases have never been this high in the country.

Also a couple of months ago a 13-yearold girl was defiled by a 40-year-old man in Osun State. The victim is a Junior Secondary School (JSS) 1 pupil. Her mother is a petty trader.

It was gathered that around 8:30 pm one weekend, the suspect, who is one of the victim’s mother’s customers, asked her to go and buy a recharge card for him.

It was learnt that the suspect trailed the unsuspecting girl and attacked her at a dark corner in Owode-Igbona, where he forcibly had canal knowledge of her.

When she returned home, her mother noticed that she was bleeding and the girl told her what happened. It was learnt that the mother reported the case to the police, but the suspect was nowhere to be found.

Shortly afterwards, a 29-year-old Mathematics and Social Studies graduate of a college of education, Mr. Seun Oyeleke, was caught pants down with a sevenyear-old female pupil in a school toilet.

Oyeleke was teaching at a private nursery and primary school on Church Street also in Osogbo, Osun State.

One of the pupils’ mother, Mrs. A Ajiboye, had been informed by her son, who attended Oyeleke’s tutorials with her fiveyear-old sister, that the teacher was fond of taking the girl out of the classroom to an unknown destination.

“I told my brother, who is a policeman, and he urged me to be patient. My

September 1, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘Highest denigration of womanhood’

IGP, Abubakar

brother then devised a plan with which we caught the teacher,” she said.

Ajiboye told her son that whenever the teacher took his sister out, he should run home and inform her immediately.

It was not long before the deed was done again. Some days after, Oyeleke allegedly took another girl to the toilet on the school premises and the boy quickly dashed

home to inform her mother. The mother rushed to the school, where he found the teacher on top of the seven-year-old inside the toilet.

He was subsequently taken to Dugbe Police Station in Osogbo.

Also, in April a nine-year-old pupil of Sunshine Nursery and Primary School narrated before a High Court sitting in

Ife, Osun State, how she was raped by her teacher, Mr. Francis Ijiwande when she went to urinate behind her classroom.

At the hearing, the pupil (name withheld) alleged that Teacher Francis had forceful carnal knowledge of her in 2010.

A Professor of Gynecology, Orji Okechukwu, who conducted a test on the victim, confirmed that the pupil was actually raped.

All over the land, statistics have shown a rise in the cases of sex crimes particularly defilement as the sexual crime against a minor is called.

Rape is a form of Gender Base Violence (GBV) against women, according to the Beijing declaration and platform for action. It defines violence against women as “any act of GBV that result in or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women (and girls), including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life. Among the forms of sexual violence against women, rape is the most prevalent and disturbing in Nigeria.

The question on most lips now is why the sudden prevalence of rape and defilement in the society.

Lousia Ono Eikhomun, the Executive Director of Echoes of Women in Africa Initiative said it is fuelled by the lackadaisical way in which most rape cases are handled.

‘It is the highest denigration of womanhood’ Adekunle Ojo, is a former Second Vice President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and onetime chairman of the Ikeja, Lagos branch of the association. He spoke with KAYODE FALADE on rape, prosecution of victims and securing convictions. Excerpts:

Ojo

W

hat exactly is the difference between defilement and rape?

Basically it is an age issue. Defilement is somebody that is 13 years of age or below, when it is rape you must have grown beyond that. For somebody to be raped there must be a level of maturity. If it is rape, you do not need a corroborative evidence of anybody for the offender to be convicted. But I

think that these are basically the differences under our law.

Some of us have actually argued that the dicothomy is uncalled for because if we won’t need witness for rape then why are you asking for extra witness in the case of defilement? We feel that the segregation is highly uncalled for and should not be.

The general belief is that it is difficult to secure conviction for an alleged rapist. Why is this so?

I don’t really believe that it is that difficult to get a person convicted for rape because if the person is able to establish especially through medical report that there was a penetration by a man and that it was unlawful and done without the consent of the victim, it should not be that difficult.

I think the problem we actually have is the society and the stigma attached to rape. Most people would because of this prefer not to even talk about it, or expose themselves as a victim of rape.

The person is likely to suffer some deprivation in the society; nobody wants to marry a rape victim; people see such a person as somebody whom an unusual thing has happened to and rather than securing favourable disposition from people, she becomes an anathema. I think that is why most people

would not come to say that they have been raped.

Take for instance, man that raped a woman but who had drugged her before the act or maybe hypnotised her one way or the other, the case would be very difficult to prove.

But having said that much, where the evidence can be established; where the person was able to show that she was actually raped and the circumstances pointing to the fact that it is only the accused person that had the opportunity to do it and the medical report corroborating it, it becomes as easy as any other case to secure conviction.

Like you have said, some elements have to be there before rape could be established. Why is this so in view of the act that the victim did not plan for it?

I am aware that for a person to be convicted of rape there must be penetration. I don’t think it is a position of the law that there must be a deposit of anything because rape is rape. What is needed to be established is penetration. If there is penetration, what other evidence do we need? Must we wait until the man deposited semen into the woman before we know that he has raped her? I don’t really think that this issue of deposit is an issue.

Why do convicted rapists receive such sentences considered light by many?

Basically the sentence a convict receives is largely dependent on many factors. A judge that convicts must have looked at the law whether or not it permits him to reduce it to a particular minimum or he can go further. Basically a judge that will not convict on a term that is not agreeable to the law.

I think a lot of discretion comes in when a judge convicts. Conviction is a conviction. But when he sentences he may choose that, this man is a first offender. So many things go into it.

However, I think I will be on the side of stricter penalties for rapists because it is the height of the denigration of womanhood. Because of this, I would rather subscribe to the view that rapists should be severely punished.

Even if they are not earning the maximum, they should earn something big enough that would keep them in the cooler for a very long time.

But again, we should look at our prison system. If you look at our prison system you begin to wonder if someone could really be reformed. Someone who goes to jail for the offence of rape would come back from jail only to have CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Lousia Ono Eikhomun is the Executive Director of Echoes of Women in Africa Initiative, NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO). She spoke with KAYODE FALADE on rape, trauma management of victims and obstacles in the path of securing justice for victims. Excerpts:

H

ow fast do the rape victims locate you?

Rape victims do not go to NGOs first. Their first port of call is usually the police. Or they keep quiet. They go to the police station to report the matter. It is when they do not get the desired justice that either the doctor at the hospital or some other members of the society direct them to us. When the victims go to the police, what they do is to first take them (the victims) to a government hospital after the matter has been incidented. But in most cases, the police connive with the suspect and they start foot-dragging and putting one obstacle or the other before the victims, to get them frustrated or seek out of court settlements. So, eventually they do not usually take the case to court.

Since the victims usually come to you after some time after the incident, how easy or otherwise does the situation allow prosecution?

Whatever the case maybe, the law must take its course. Rape is rape. So far it has been established that there was rape, the law must take its course. Whenever a case is reported to us, the first thing we also do is go to the police then to the hospital to carry out some tests to establish that there was defilement or rape as the case maybe, HIV infection or any Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), pregnancy and the rest. We will also ensure that the victim goes through counselling because rape is a very traumatic experience for anybody either a minor or an adult woman.

become a homosexual or so many other things and so you begin to ask yourself: are we really reforming? I think these are questions we really need to ask but above all, I believe that people should pay for the crimes they are convicted for.

But again, the system of Nigeria is not foolproof because very often people lie, people deceive, people do all sorts of things. Some people would claim someone raped them while actually it never happened. They just did it to get at their target. So, in actual fact, we really need to be aware of some of these things and the apparatus or the requisite systemic of determining whether or not it actually happened.

In the western world it is easier even if there is a penetration without semen; the white people would determine whether or not it was that man that actually entered. If you remember the

39

‘Rape is traumatic’ What are the things you do to ensure that it is not difficult to secure the conviction of the suspect?

The first thing is to establish corroboration. That is why in most cases we go to the hospital to conduct test that will establish this. A rapist will not go and call people and say come I want to rape this person. So the medical tests usually establish corroboration. They will establish that there was penetration and if the suspect did not use condom then they would also establish the deposit of semen and or bruises, the presence of HIV or any STI and pregnancy. All these help to establish corroboration.

What has your experience with the police been so far?

In most cases the police refer victims to hospitals for medical attention. But sadly, mostly, that is where it ends. When it gets to taking the matter to court, they begin to stall. Why? It is because, mostly, they are already in connivance with the suspect to ensure that the matter does not get to court.

That is when they begin to tell the victim, parents or guardian to settle out of court.

They will be telling them that the court process is long and tedious and that since there would be no compensation, they should settle out of court. This and many other tales they tell the victim and parents to discourage them from going to court.

And of course, in Nigeria, most parents yield because we like trying to leave everything in the hands of God, so at the end of the day, they yield and nothing happens.

But if the parents insist that they must get their right and that they must get judgement from a competent court of law, the police now begin to intimidate or frustrate the process.

How do they frustrate the process?

They harass them, ask them to bring money and keep asking them to come to the police station while they must have released the suspect on bail.

With the way rape suspects are handled rape will continue. Father, cousins, friends, uncles and so on are into it and so

...Denigration of womanhood CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38

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September 1, 2012

World Bank or IMF president’s case, it was almost closed, the man said no, I did not rape her but I did this. But in Nigeria, it is different. If Jesus had come to say stone adulterers, imagine Nigerians would carry big stones and stone the adulterer. Somebody was alleged to have killed his wife; he was seen with the knife and so many other things on the basis on which he was brought to court. But in the court he still insisted that he did not do it. If he didn’t do it, then who did?

I think we are really living in a society that we actually need the grace of God to get things done properly and we need to buckle up because of our forensic analysis. I am not even sure that in Nigeria anything is working.

If there is need for forensic analysis we have to beckon to foreign experts to do them for us. So if we are thinking of severe punishment, we also should be thinking of a foolproof analysis of happenings before conviction.

Eikhomun

it continues. A minor cannot give consent.

Even if she is naked before a man, he must not sleep with her. If he does, it is defilement. Children should also be given preventive tips. Parents and guardians should not allow rape to happen before they act.

Parents have a lot of work to do in this area. They should also know that they should be able to shout out so that somebody nearby would hear and help. In most cases, victims do not shout, they only try to struggle. The only thing in their mind is escape. This is not good enough.

There is the belief in some quarters that it is very difficult for one man to rape one woman and that eventually when the deed is done the woman must have consented one way or the other. What is your take?

Rape is a game of power. It is a game of the stronger power overcoming the weaker. The view that one man cannot rape a woman is wrong. A woman does not prepare for rape but a man does. It is usually premeditated. He must have planned that this and this were what he

would do. So she is brought to the scene of rape or he goes to her. The shock itself is a weapon against the victim. The shock first paralyses the woman. The fact that she knew that she was going to be raped is paralysing. Most times, they just struggle, they just want to escape. They do not even remember to scream or shout so they end up giving consent under pressure. But remember that the consent was given under pressure and the law says that even if consent is obtained under duress or threat or intimidation, it is still rape. There are no two ways to it, she was forced. Whether she was lured to the place or not, once her consent was not freely obtained it is rape.

Take the case of Cynthia Osukogu that was lured into a hotel in Lagos where she was later gagged and raped. It is still rape.

Some people would say what did she go to the hotel for? It is still rape. Did she go there to be raped? Can you tell a woman or girl that come here I want to rape you? No victim is prepared for rape.

Why is it that most rape suspects get off with light sentences?

The reason is simple. The police prefer taking rape cases to Magistrates’ Courts and these courts do not give heavy sentences. Only cases brought to the High Courts get heavy sentences. Once these cases are taken to the Magistrates’ Court the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) looks into the case and advises. It is the office that would now transfer the case from the Magistrates’ Court to the High Court.

For instance, some years ago, a man raped a six-year-old girl and used a handkerchief to collect his semen for ritual purpose. The case was taken to a Magistrates’ Court and knowing that this man would not get a heavy sentence from this court, we went to the DPP and asked that the case be transferred to a High Court. So it depends on the police and where they take the case.

Criminal Code Assaults on Females: Abduction 357.

Any person who has unlawful carnal knowledge of a woman or girl, without her consent, or with her consent, if the consent is obtained by force or by means of threats or intimidation of any kind, or by fear of harm, or by means of false and fraudulent representation as to the nature of the act, or, in the case of a married woman, by personating her husband, is guilty of an offence which is called rape.

358.

Any person who commits the offence of rape is liable to imprisonment for life, with or without caning.

359.

Any person who attempts to commit the offence of rape is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years, with or without caning.

360.

Any person who unlawfully and indecently assaults a woman or girl is guilty of a misdemeanour, and is liable to imprisonment for two years.

361.

Any person who, with intent to marry or carnally know a female of any age, or to cause her to be married, or carnally known by any other person, takes her away, or detains her, against her will, is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.

362.

Any person who unlawfully takes an unmarried girl under the age of sixteen years out of the custody or protection of her father or mother or other person having the lawful care or charge of her, and against the will of such father or mother or other person, is guilty of a misdemeanour, and is liable to imprisonment for two years.

363.

In the case of proceedings in respect of an offence under the preceding section(a) it is immaterial that the offender believed the girl to be of or above the age of sixteen years; (b) it is immaterial that the girl was taken with her own consent or at her own suggestion.

40

LIVING

Death, though regarded in many Nigerian societies as a rite of passage, is often accompanied with tears and sorrow. The pervading air of gloom is usually characterizes such events as funeral is now wearing a look of gaiety even as families and friends struggle with their loss. YEMISI ADENIRAN reports.

September 1, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sending the dead home with delight

YEMISI ADENIRAN

T

he death of a beloved one is often accompanied with sadness.

No matter how old the deceased was, not many would be glad at their departure. It is therefore not surprising that the family, friends and associates of the deceased mourn during such a departure.

It is at times not only for the love of the deceased that many mourn the deceased. More than for any other reason, many are thrown into a mourning mood because it has just dawned on them that death is real.

In the African setting, funeral activities are often carried out with a great amount of sobriety. Laughter is often a rarity and heads are often bowed in last respect for the departed. The fun and celebration of life is then reserved for sometime after the remains have been interred.

But the situation is no longer the same now, thanks to the booming business of the funeral directors otherwise referred to as undertakers. With the popularity of the business these days, the sombreness that comes with funeral activities has fast given way to excitement. That is why, these days, on the streets of major towns across the country, particularly on Friday when interment is carried out, drums are rolled out, families, friends and associates of the deceased are gaily dressed and form processions behind or around funeral directors as they see their loved ones to their final resting places.

With the sounds of drums and the trumpets complementing one another to make a harmonious whole, mourners today are left with no other choice than to wiggle and wriggle in excitement.

The general atmosphere is made pleasant in different ways. From the attires donned by the pall bearers to the manner the casket is lifted and even lowered into the grave, the activities are usually made very interesting.

For example, the pall bearers who are dressed according to “specification” dance with the casket, throwing it up with the expertise that often gets many thrilled. Even when the remains are being transported in hearses, the procession is nevertheless made convivial.

If not for any other thing, the bereaved are excited, at least, for the fact that their departed souls are being given befitting burial activities.

But how do the funeral directors turn funeral activities to one full of excitement? Could it have been that the society is fast appreciating the fact that death is inevitable, hence the need to carry on as if it is a normal thing? Most importantly, the question is: How do the funeral directors do the magic of exciting the bereaved on a day, in particular, when their loved one is being interred?

Speaking in an interview with Saturday Mirror, a popular funeral director based in Lagos, Mr. Dehinde Harrison of Ebony Funeral Home said death is unavoidable and since it is the duty of those in the business to care for the dead, they just must do it judiciously.

His words: “What we do basically is to study the ethnic background of the deceased , preferred attires, or peculiar way of appearance , adopt it and entertain guests with related songs and dance steps as we carry the body from the mortuary to its destination.”

Another funeral director, Mr. Isiaka Babalola of Peak Funeral Undertakers, added that considerations are equally given to the deceased’s profession.

“We also display the deceased’s kind of profession in the kind of coffin we make. We may design it to show that he was a pilot, a doctor, a business tycoon or an Oba in a way that anyone will be able to tell from mere looking at it. It

is just to add colour and quality to the event,” he said.

Doing all in their capacity to make exciting an otherwise sad situation may not be out of their jurisdiction. Going by the dictate of their profession, funeral directors are expected to take over the funeral activities from the family who may have been too depressed, following the loss, to carry them out.

In a specific term, the funeral director is deeply involved in the funeral activities. He relates with the families very well to have an understanding of what they want, how and when as they relate to the burial. In addition to even helping to determine the placement of the obituary in the local newspapers, printing and pasting of obituary posters, the funeral directors take charge of the corpse from the morgue, preparing it for the activities lined up, up to the interment.

How, really, do the bereaved take the funeral activities as handled by the professional funeral directors?

According to Mrs. Arinola Adejumobi who had the burial of her husband handled by one of the major funeral homes in Lagos, the experience was good, especially in view of the fact that the burden of organising the activities was taken away from the family.

“At a point, our attention, I must tell you was taken from the dead body inside the casket to the entertaining steps of the undertakers. Some people couldn’t even remember that the dead

man still have aged parents when they started clapping for them. They really were at their best as the video recorded. Even after the interment, they still stayed back to dish out some more exciting displays,” the widow added.

But was she really excited? “It was not really about excitement for me, but the fact that my husband needed to be given a befitting burial. No one wished that he died when he did but since he had laboured hard for all he had, we couldn’t go lower than that kind of burial. We wouldn’t have him buried just ordinarily,” she said.

A member of another family who employed the services of one of their loved ones handled by a funeral home also spoke on the experience.

She said: “I did not know how they got someone who almost looked like my brother to lead the undertakers as they carried the coffin from the morgue.

We almost thought we were seeing the man privately, you know like the man’s spirit and presence was leading the crew. He was clad in one of his popular attires and this made everyone to begin to wail after coming out of the exciting shock.”

Without doubt, the services are not without costs implications.

Speaking on the charges, a funeral director said an interested customer can get as much of these services or more rendered for as low as N150,000 and as high as N1 million and above, depending on the person’s dictate.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SPORT

September 1, 2012

41

Nigerian sports need surgical operation –Iheagwam Tina Iheagwam is an ex-international sprinter, who made her mark in the 100 and 200 metres, winning many laurels for the country. She was recently honoured by her home state for her contributions to sports development in the country. In this interview with IFEANYI EDUZOR, she speaks on a wide range of issues, offering solutions on how to reposition the country’s sports.

Y

ou were recently honoured by the Imo State Towns Union Development Association during the remembrance of late Sam Okwaraji, how did you feel about the award?

I feel highly delighted to be remembered by my home state especially when it seems that the Federal and State Governments have done little or nothing to honour those of us that brought glory to the country. You know that apart from myself, other Imo indigenes like Henry Nwosu, Chioma Ajunwa-Opara, Emmanuel Amuneke and Stella Mbachu were also recognised, not by the state government but by the various towns in the state which is an indication that our people really appreciate our efforts and I give kudos to them for the bold initiative which I hope will encourage the young ones to put in their best and write the countryís name in gold in international competitions.

Can you tell us the implication of the award, especially when it is coming from a non- governmental organisation?

The award coming from the town unions is an indication that the government has failed in its responsibilities to appreciate sportsmen and women in the country who toiled day and night and used their Godgiven talents to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians. The town unions doing what the government is supposed to do is also an indication that government at all levels do not care about the plight of retired athletes who are now living in penury many years after winning medals for their fatherland. They should understand that money is not everything and a mere recognition like this, will surely go a long way in making people feel that their country recognises their efforts. I also want to say that it is unfortunate that since the death of Sam Okwaraji in 1989, the government has not done anything to immortalise him and when one looks at the whole scenario; it seems the country is not worth dying for.

What is the best way you think the country can immortalise him?

Like, I said earlier, it is unfortunate that after about 23 years of his demise playing for the country in a World Cup qualifier against Angola at the National Stadium Lagos, nothing has been done either to immortalise him or compensate his family financially for the great loss. Although no amount of money is enough to replace a loved one but such financial compensation will go a long way in re-assuring his family and other athletes that he did not die in vain. It took the efforts of Lagos State Government before his statue was unveiled at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. But there is the need for the government to find a suitable way of immortalising him which could come in the form of naming one of the stadia after him or even naming a major street in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja after him.

Looking at Team Nigeria at the justconcluded London 2012 Olympics, what do you think contributed to Nigeria not winning a single medal at the Games?

I must have to say that it is unfortunate and sad that a country as big as Nigeria will go to the Olympics and come home emptyhanded especially when you consider that some countries whose population are a little above 100,000, like Grenada even registered their names on the medals table. In fact, I do not know what happened to the athletes, coaches and officials. It is an indication that something is really wrong with our sport and it needs surgical operation.

Nigeria has never had it so bad like this year’s Olympics. During our time, no matter how tough and hard the Game might be, we would definitely come home with medals. Although the medals we came back with might not be many, but we would not be disgraced.

As an ex- international, who has won many laurels for the country, what do

L-R: Tina Iheagwam, Beatrice Utondu, Christy Opara and Mary Onyali celebrate after winning bronze medal in 4X100m at Barce-lona ‘92 Olympics

you think is the best way to reposition the country’s sport? ?

Like I said earlier Nigerian sports ports need surgical operation. For the country ntry to have any meaningful impact in the 2016 Olympics, we have to start now to prepare for the Games because in other countries, preparation for any Olympics starts with the end of one. In doing this, there is the need for us to go back to the grassroots and revive school sports. Most of us were discovered through school sports and I wonder why sports administrators are no longer looking in that direction. They should realise that sports have gone scientific and people perform optimally when they are younger and we saw these at the London 2012 Games where young Chinese with adequate preparation surprised the world.

It is also important that the country gives scholarships to its athletes to enable them combine sports with education, so that by the time they are retired, they will see something to fall back on. A situation where a coach will toil day and night training an athlete only for him to be dropped at the last minute and another coach employed to handle the athlete does not only affect the athleteís performance but kills morale, which is one of the things affecting their performances. There is also the need for the country to take the issue of age group competitions serious and embark on serious grassroots sports development as that is the only way to discover talents and avoid the practice of recycling old athletes who are at the end of their career.

Are you in support of the recent announcement by the Sports Minister that Nigeria will now concentrate on

five sports where we have comparative advantage?

I am sure the Minister made that statement out of frustration. He was frustrated because it is now on record that during his time the country went on Olympics jamboree. Having said this, I think the Minister was in a hurry to issue such a statement.

When you cast your mind back to Atlanta ‘96, nobody gave Chioma Ajunwa chance of winning a medal, but she surprised the world by winning gold in high jump.

What this shows is that we have abundant talents in this country that can make us proud. You can never know the sport that will fetch us medals. All we need to do is prepare our athletes well and allow those who qualify for Olympics to go and represent the country in whatever sport.

Tina Iheagwam

What have you been doing since you retired as an athlete?

Presently, I am a business woman and also a fitness trainer here in Lagos. I do not want to join the bandwagon of ex- internationals that relocated to Europe and America because I want to stay here and contribute my quota towards the development of young talents in the country. I am also doing a coaching course at the National Institute for Sports and hopefully on graduation, I hope to be more involved in the training of young athletes. But I am still skeptical about this because young athletes these days are not ready to undergo the type of vigorous training we went through during our time.

42

SPORT

September 1, 2012

Injured Eagles’ duo still recuperating

S

uper Eagles’ pair of Gabriel Reuben and Papa Idris are still recuperating from injuries they cupped up recently.

Both Kano Pillars’ players are nursing groin injuries as the Nigerian side prepare for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying against Liberia in Monrovia on September 7.

“I’ve been playing with the injury before our semifinal game in the Federation Cup,” Reuben said.

Reuben and Idris, since returning to the team’s camp in Abuja, have been training separately under

the supervision of the Super Eagles’ medical crew of Dr Ibrahim Gyaran and Wale Oladejo.

Oladejo, who described the injuries as “normal knocks,” assured that both players will join up with the rest of the squad for their full training schedule by this weekend. “(They have) normal knocks that footballers get every now and then. They will be fully fit to train with the rest of the squad

by Saturday,” he said.

Reuben and Idris are among 23 players currently training in the Super Eagles’ camp in Abuja.

Aneke nears Al Masry deal

N

igeria Premier League (NPL) record goal-scorer, Jude Aneke, appear to have agreed to join Egyptian side, Al Masry.

Saturday Mirror learnt Aneke will be penning a three-year contract once he arrives in Port Said, Egypt soon.

The transfer fee for Aneke remains undisclosed though he is valued for around $300,000 (about N48 million).

The Warri Wolves’ striker and his representative are expected to wrap up the deal by sorting out his personal terms barring any hitch.

Aneke became the first player to score 20 goals in a single season in the Nigerian top flight while in the books of Kaduna United last season.

Gabriel Reuben

CCL: Commissioner charges Sunshine against Esperance

T

he Ondo State Government has charged the stateowned Sunshine Stars of Akure, to defeat the Esperance of Tunisia in Sunday’s CAF Champions League (CCL) encounter in Tunis.

Esperance had on July 7, defeated Sunshine 2-0 in the opening match of the league in Ijebu-Ode. The State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Yekini Olanipekun, in a statement on Thursday in Akure, urged Sunshine to revenge their home loss.

“I urged the team to explore the opportunity opened to them after qualification to get their deserved victory by avenging their opening day defeat in the hands of Esperance.

“Although Sunshine

had qualified through CAF rulings, they should try and play the game motivationally and get results by defeating Esperance in Tunis,” Olanipekun said.

Sunshine has qualified following CAF’s disqualification of Etoile Du Sahel of Tunisia.

Etoile fans in anger had rioted and caused the abandonment of a group stage match against Esperance on August 18 in Sousse, Tunisia.

Sunshine Stars are in group A with Esperance, disqualified Etoile and Aso Chlef of Algeria.

Sunshine on August 18 scored a 2-1 away victory against Aso Chlef to consolidate its position in the group, amassing seven points after the fourth match day.

Rangers declare Ofoedu missing

R

angers International FC of Enugu has declared its top striker, Chikeluba Ofoedu, wanted for abandoning the club for trials in Europe.

Media Officer of the club, Foster Chime, told newsmen in Enugu on Thursday that the player abandoned the camp on August 26 without permission.

Chime said the club had since found out that the

player was in Turkey for trials and had reported the matter to the management of the Nigeria Premier League.

He said the club had withheld the player’s salary, balance of his 2012 sign-on fee and other entitlements.

The spokesman recalled that Ofoedu embarked on a similar mission earlier in the year without permission.

NIPOGA moves secretariat to Bida Poly Ofoedu

IFEANYI EDUZOR

NFF refuses Egypt friendly F T he NFF has refused to accept the terms for the proposed Nigeria and Egypt friendly.

Samir Adly of the EFA’s technical staff informed Supersport that the proposed clash in Alexandria is now off and Nigeria has been replaced with Cameroon.

Fédération Camerounaise de Football (FECAFOOT) he informed has since inked the deal with the same terms.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Aneke

Adly said, “Nigeria refused the offer from the game sponsors without giving any good reasons and the EFA has to respect that”.

Both teams had met earlier in a spirited clash featuring mostly domestic players. The North Africans won that game 3-2.

This match would have been different at least for the Egyptians who invited all their foreign-based players.

ollowing the success of the NIPOGA council meeting held at Federal Polytechnic Bida, Niger State, the association has officially moved its secretariat to the institution for effective organizing and hosting of the 18th edition of the games.

This was made known to our correspondent by the chairman of the school sports’ committee, Alhaji Usman Buhari, who noted that the decision became necessary for easy coordination and

planning since the school will be hosting the competition later in the year.

He also stated that the council equally inspected some of the sporting facilities already on ground and gave the school go ahead in the construction of the remaining facilities.

Buhari who is also the Chief Bursar of the school noted that the association has elected Prince Onijala of Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara State as the new Technical Committee chairman to replace the former chairman Julius Idowu of the Ibadan Polytechnic.

Ex-table tennis star laments poor standard of sport

E

x-Nigerian table tennis international, Kehinde Okenla, on Thursday decried the declining standard of the game.

Okenla said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta that the standard of the game had dropped considerably compared with what it used to be.

“It is saddening to note the declining standard of table tennis in our country and if something urgent is not done to reverse

the trend, the future of the game will be bleak,” Okenla said.

The former African table tennis female champion attributed the situation to lack of sponsorship of competitions, over concentration on football and poor funding among others.

Okenla called for the revival of age-group table tennis competitions and more commitment from coaches as other means of improving the declined standard of the game.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SPORT

September 1, 2012

Jol captures Berbatov for Fulham

EURO BRIEFS

Remy happy to stay put in Marseille

T

ottenham target Loic Remy has confirmed talks have taken place with the North London club, however the Marseille striker has reiterated his commitment to his club. Remy, 25, has been a long-term target for Tottenham and after the sale of Luka Modric to Real Madrid there is money in the bank for a new striker, while the France international has admitted talks are ongoing.

F

Wayne Rooney (middle) suffered a leg gash when Manchester United played against Fulham last weekend.

Remy

Adam swaps Liverpool for Stoke

S

toke City have signed Scotland midfielder Charlie Adam for £4million from Liverpool.

The 28-year-old was greeted by manager Tony Pulis at Stoke’s training ground on Friday morning before undergoing a medical and signing a four-year deal.

Rooney to return in a month M anchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed Wayne Rooney will return to action in four weeks.

The former Everton star received a deep gash to his thigh after coming on as a substitute in United’s 3-2 win against Fulham at Old Trafford.

Early signs suggested it could keep Rooney out for some time,

but Ferguson has now confirmed the 26-year-old will return to action soon.

“Wayne’s out for four weeks.

It’s nothing serious on the actual gash - it’s a bad one but it was treated carefully very quickly.

We don’t expect any complications from it. I think he’ll be back in four weeks.

“The fact it’s a gash and not a muscle or joint injury means he

Milan complete De Jong signing

Adam

Richards’ return date uncertain

M

anchester City boss Roberto Mancini admits he is uncertain when Micah Richards will be welcomed back into his first team plans. The 24-year-old has been forced to sit out the start of the season after picking up an ankle injury while representing Team GB at the 2012 Olympics.

Richard

Richardson signs three-year Fulham deal

K

ieran Richardson has completed his move from Sunderland to Fulham. The 27-year-old, who was born in London, signed a three-year deal, with an additional year’s option, for fee of £2million.

43

A

C Milan have announced the signing of Nigel de Jong from Manchester City for an undisclosed fee.

The Dutch defensive midfielder revealed that playing for the Italian giants has been a childhood dream of his, and is looking forward to the opportunity.

He also challenged his new team-mates to compete for honours both domestically and abroad - saying the quality of the squad is good enough to fight on all fronts.

“I’m happy, AC Milan is a great club and they are a new important chance for me in my life.

“Everyone knows AC Milan’s history. Everyone wants to play for AC Milan as a child.

“With this team we can compete both in Italy and in Europe, we have so many good players,” De Jong said.

S

Afellay loaned to Schalke, as Saviola heads to Malaga

S

De Jong

Meanwhile, AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has praised his club’s recent moves in the transfer market, and told Coach Massimiliano Allegri that only winning Serie A would be an acceptable return in exchange.

Allardyce delighted with Carroll am Allardyce refused to reveal if Andy Carroll would be in the West Ham team on Saturday but insists fans should be excited at his arrival.

The 23-year-old has been the Hammers’ top transfer target over the summer, following a

can do a lot of work in the gymnasium. We’re not too bad with that,” said Ferguson.

As well as missing England’s qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine, Rooney will be out for crunch games against Tottenham and Liverpool next month, while also looking doutbful for the Red Devils’ Champions League opener against Galatasaray.

pursuit that has lasted most of the window.

Liverpool have finally agreed to a loan with a view to a £17million permanent deal for the England international after buying him from Newcastle for £35m in January 2011.

chalke have completed the signing of Netherlands international Ibrahim Afellay from Barcelona on a oneyear loan deal.

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova recently revealed Afellay was unlikely to play a major role at Camp Nou this season, prompting the 26-year-old to seek a move for his development.

Meanwhile, Champions League side Malaga have completed the transfer of Argentina international Javier Saviola from Benfica.

ulham manager Martin Jol is delighted at signing striker Dimitar Berbatov from Manchester United.

The 31-year-old marksman looked set for a switch to Italy after Serie A duo Fiorentina and Juventus had a bid accepted.

However, Berbatov made a dramatic U-turn when he heard Fulham were interested, snubbing a move to Italy in favour of linking up with his former coach at Craven Cottage.

And, after the Bulgarian forward underwent a medical on Thursday, the Dutchman could not hide his delight at having sealed such a high-profile signing.

“I’m a very happy man and I think our fans will be very happy and proud because it is probably the biggest (signing) in the history of the club that is how I feel.

“I said in my last period at Spurs he would go over my dead body but I’m still here and so is he.

“We have a good relationship. He knows he will enjoy his football with me that is for sure, hopefully he will score goals with other good players around him.

“He has got a very good record, if you look at his record internationally, and if you look at his record at Manchester United I don’t think there are a lot of strikers, maybe (Robin) van Persie in five years’ time, who could achieve that,” Jol enthused.

Berbatov

EUROPA 2012/13 GROUPINGS Group A: Liverpool, Udinese, Young Boys, Anzhi Group B: Atletico Madrid, H. Tel-Aviv, Plzen, Academia Group C: Marseille, Fenerbahce, Borussia Monchengladbach, AEL Group D: Bordeaux, Club Brugge, Newcastle, Martimo Group E: Stuttgart, Kobenhavn, Steaua Bucharest, Molde Group F: PSV, Napoli, Dnipro, AIK Group G: Sporting Lisbon, Basel, Genk, Videoton Group H: Inter, Rubin Kazan, Partizan Belgrade, Neftci Group I: Lyon, Athletic Bilbao, Sparta Prague, Hapoel Kiryat Shmona Group J: Tottenham, Panathinaikos, Lazio, Maribor Group K: Bayer Leverkusen, Metalist Kharkiv, Rosenborg, Rapid Vienna Group L: FC Twente, Hannover, Levante, Helsingborg

44

LEISURE

September 1, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

45

September 1, 2012

Headaches

W

hat is a headache?

Headache is a symptom associated with many illnesses. It is defined as a pain in the head that is located above the eyes, or ears, behind the head (occipital), or in the back of the upper neck.

Headache like chest pain or dizziness has many causes.

How are headaches classified?

Headaches have numerous causes and according to the classification by the international headache society, there are 3 major categories of headaches namely: 1.

Primary headaches 2.

Secondary headaches

3.

Cranial neuralgias, facial pain and other headaches.

What are primary headaches?

These are headaches not associated with (caused by) other diseases. They include migraine, tension, and cluster headaches, as well as a variety of other less common types of headache.  Tension headaches are the most common types of primary headaches.

Up to 90% of adults have had or will have tension headaches. Tension headaches occur more commonly among women than men.  Migraine headaches are the second most common type of primary headache. Migraine headaches affect

children as well as adults. Before puberty, boys and girls are affected equally by migraine headaches, but after puberty, more women than men are affected.  Cluster headaches are a rare type of primary headache. It commonly affects men in their late 20s though women and children can also suffer these types of headaches.  Primary headaches can affect the quality of life. Some people have occasional headaches that resolve quickly while others are debilitated. While these headaches are life-threatening, they maybe associated with symptoms that can mimic strokes or intracranial bleeding.

While tension headaches are the most frequently occurring type of headache, their cause is not known. The most likely cause is contraction of the muscles that cover the skull. When the muscles covering the skull are stressed, there maybe spasm and this causes pain. Common sites include the base of the skull, the temple where muscles that move the jaw are located, and the forehead. Tension headaches from little research, has been confirmed to occur because of physical or emotional stress placed on the body. These stressors can cause the muscles surrounding the skull to clench the teeth and go into spasm.

What are secondary headaches?

What are the symptoms of tension headaches?

These are headaches caused by associated diseases such as brain tumours, strokes, caffeine and, discontinuation of analgesics. In rare occasions headache may signal heart attacks. Other causes include bleeding in the brain, seizures, hypertension, dehydration, meningitis, problems with the eyes, ears, nose, throat, and teeth.

The pain symptoms of tension headaches are as follows:  The pain begins in the back of the head and upper neck and is described as a band-like tightness or pressure.  Often is described as pressure encircling the head with the most intense pressure over the eyebrows.  The pain usually is mild (not disturbing) and affects both sides of the head.  The pain is not associated with an aura for example nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light and sound.  The pain occurs spontaneously (infrequently and without a pattern) but can occur frequently and even daily in some people.  The pain allows most people to function normally despite the headache.

What are cranial neuralgias, facial pain, and other headaches?

Neuralgia means nerve pain. Cranial neuralgia describes a group of headaches that occur because the nerves in the head and upper neck become inflamed and become the source of the pain in the blood.

What causes tension headaches?

TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

LETTERS Dear Doctor, I am a 17-year-old-girl and my private part itches. Most times, I scratch to the extent that blood comes out of it. It is also associated with vaginal discharge. It has been happening for the past four years.

234708-----75

Mirror Doctor replies, I wonder why you had to wait for three through years to seek help! You have not given me enough information from your mail. The colour and odour of the discharge is important in the treatment of vaginal discharge.

Vaginal discharge, itching and burning are common symptoms of the various vaginitis. Some vaginal discharges are normal in child bearing age. If the discharge is abnormal in colour such as green, has a fowl smell, changes consistency or is significantly increased or decreased in amount, you may be devel-

My private parts itch oping a form of vaginitis.

A non-sticky clear or white discharge is usually a physiologic discharge. That

means it is not caused by any particular disease or infection but is an exaggeration of the normal slight discharge that

I have low sperm count Dear Doctor, For sometime, I have been having movement all over my body. The movement is like worm. Laboratory test confirms staph. This is making me have low sperm count and premature ejaculation. Please advise me on what to do.

234803-----83

Mirror Doctor replies,

The only problem in your mail is low sperm count and premature ejaculation.

Good to know that you already did test confirming staph. The movement all over your body is more of a psychological effect as a result of the assumed low sperm count and premature ejaculation.

The exact cause of premature ejaculation isn’t known. While it was once thought to be only psychological, doctors now know premature ejaculation is more complicated and involves a complex interaction of both psychological and biological factors. Some psychological factors that may play a role

all women have naturally.

First I advice you pay more attention to your personal hygiene. You have to go to your doctor for examination and possible laboratory investigations. The specimen result will determine the medication you will be given. It is a simple condition to treat.

in causing premature ejaculation include erectile dysfunction, anxiety and relationship problems. While biological problems include abnormal hormone levels, abnormal levels of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, abnormal reflex activity of the ejaculatory system, certain thyroid hormones, inflammation and infection of the prostate or urethra.

Low sperm count can be as a result of many factors including infection. If you really did the lab test which I presume is seminal fluid analysis (SFA) and staphyloccocus was confirmed, the sensitivity pattern will indicate the drug of choice for the treatment. I advice you visit your health care provider for proper evaluation and management.

46

September 1, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘Referrals are key in automobile business’ FUNMI SALOME JOHNSON

D

espite the present economic situation in Nigeria, people are still buying automobiles either for private or corporate use, day in day out.

No doubt, it is a thriving business.

In this line, Prince Adefemi Omogbolahan, managing director of Prince Adefemi Motors, located inside Gowon Estate in Lagos, who has been into the business for over seven years, says the business is quite lucrative but very capital intensive, adding that it is a business one can do for many years if one is a good manager.

Omogbolahan remarked that another good side to this business is the fact that it is not one that depends on the activities of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to get on with the business.

“Unlike in manufacturing businesses that largely depend on the operations of PHCN, automobile business does not. It has very little or nothing to do with electricity supply,” noted Omogbolahan.

The HND holder in Business Administration and Ondo State-born prince noted that a major challenge of the business is capital to start and expand with.

“The business is a very capital intensive one and it is not easy raising such fund because of the state of the economy at the moment. Raising money is tough now and the business requires heavy capital because we import the cars and as such we need a large sum of money to do the business. For instance to start this business minimally, it requires at least between $15,000 to

YOU MUST LEARN TO TREAT EVERY OF YOUR CUSTOMERS WELL AS IF THEY ARE YOUR

ONLY CUSTOMERS...

THE TRUTH IS THAT ON THIS JOB, WHEN YOU GET REFERRALS, IT

HELPS YOU CLIMB FAST ON THE LADDER OF SUCCESS BECAUSE THIS BUSINESS HAS A LOT TO DO WITH CONTACTS AND REFERRALS $20,000 and this is even when you do not have to travel down to those countries to get the goods yourself but rather, have a contact in those countries that you could transfer the money to, to help you get the goods.

“Otherwise, if you have to go yourself and get the goods, you will be talking of $40,000 and above. This is so because you will have to pay for tickets, visas and other travelling documents and then, you still have to clear the goods at the port. It is a very capital demanding business and the banks are not particularly giving out loans nolw,” stated Omogbolahan.

Another challenge usually encountered is the issue of clearing agents.

Omogbolahan noted, “Some agents do not like paying all mandatory fees even

Omogbolahan

when they have collected their charges and as such this delays our goods from being cleared on time and another issue entirely will come up when the custom discovers that some fees are yet unpaid.

It is the major challenge we face from time to time.”

He further disclosed that the cashless policy is “also in a way another hindrance for us. When we need to clear goods, most of the times it requires cash payments and because of the constraint of the cashless policy, getting such lump sum in cash is usually very difficult.

Most times, we have to wait for days to be able to get out the required cash. The system is very tough but Nigeria is yet a fertile ground for business,” added Omogbolahan.”

When asked what other things are entailed in the business for new investors, Omogbolahan explains that apart from the fund to get these vehicles in and clear them, one must also think of an office space where he would showcase the vehicles.

“You also need an office space where these vehicles will be showcased and it

also must be a safe place with enough security. It should also be a conspicuous place where people can easily access and find,” he mentioned.

Omogbolahan emphasized the need to have a strong network of contacts especially in the corporate and political sectors. “Having a strong network of contacts is very important because if you actually wait on individual patronage, you may never find this job easy at all because such sales don’t come all the time. But if you have strong contacts in the corporate and political terrains, then you can get good contracts to supply their official cars and all that.

For instance, if you get a contract to supply a multinational company about fifty to hundred cars in a row, you can imagine the profit on that, but such jobs don’t come all the time,” explains Omogbolahan.

He also explained that patronage is usually high during festive periods, especially towards the end of each year while patronage is very low around January to March.

Speaking on those littler things that set one apart amongst equals, Omogbolahan noted that treating every customer like the only one is important.

“You must learn to treat every of your customers well as if they are your only customers. When you are polite, nice and concerned about their welfare, they will also want to do business with you and also connect you to other people who may as well need your services. And the truth is that on this job, when you get referrals, it helps you climb fast on the ladder of success because this business has a lot to do with contacts and referrals.”

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

47

September 1, 2012

Investing in corn flakes production

I

ntroduction

A nation that wants to grow must look inwards so as to harness those areas where it has comparative advantage over other nations. When this is done, then efforts would be made to develop those areas to the advantage of the nation.

Apart from petroleum, Nigeria is blessed with other agricultural products, which when processed and exported, can fetch up to 60 per cent of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.

Unfortunately, some of those natural resources endowed to the country are not fully utilized.

Could you imagine that before then President Olusegun Obasanjo announced the ban on importation p of some items,

some

basic items were being imported into this country? President Goodluck Jonathan has continued with the economic reforms.

This does not tell well of a nation that wants to generate employment to its teeming unemployed school leavers. It does not tell well of a nation that wants to generate more foreign exchange to correct imbalance of payments.

It does not tell well of a nation that wants to develop rural areas.

Therefore there is an urgent need to think of how to make good use of what we have to get what we want.

In this write-up, we shall discuss how to establish a corn flakes project using abundant raw materials grown in abundant in Nigeria.

Raw materials Ra Cornflakes is a fast food eaten in i almost all households in Nigeria by both the old and the g young.

It can be easily prepared y with milk and hot or cold water. w The major raw material necessary for the production of ess cornflake is maize (corn). Maize is corn grown grow in all the parts of the country. T Therefore the raw material for the project is readily available. Othp er raw materials include sugar solution, malt and salt. These are also in abundant supply in Nigeria. abun Maize, the major raw material is Ma cultivated in all parts of the councultiv try an and the cultivation is very easy, cheap while the gestation period is also sshort. Also, maize thrives well in all th the states of the federation. The prevailing prevailin climatic and soil conditions

in Nigeria are good for mass production of maize.

From records available, there is so much wastage of maize during the growing season due to inadequate storage facilities. The waste could be prevented by the provision of cheap silos for maize storage and preservation.

This project is also seen as one of the ways to prevent wastages.

Supply/Competition From our study, there is virtually no small-scale commercial manufacturer of high quality corn flakes in Nigeria today. There are only two major companies producing cornflakes in Nigeria and their production output is too small to meet up with the increasing demand for cornflakes.

Corn flakes are a consumable demanded on a daily basis. To meet up with the increasing consumption rate, more small-scale investors are highly needed to boost the supply.

Small-scale prospective investors who carried out a comprehensive studies backed up with effective marketing strategies should be able to economize costs to reap huge benefits resulting from the existing supply-demand gap in this area.

Required machinery To set up this project, the required machinery and equipment include boilers, separators, sifter, mixer, granulators, rotary oven tanks, silos, screening and cooling equipment.

These machines and equipment are locally available and details informa-

tion will be given to prospective investors.

The plant will be able to process up to 10 metric tonnes of corn/maize in a shift of eight hours, producing about 5 tonnes of cornflakes in a shift. It can be operated in a double shift of eight hours each in a day.

Production process The production process is simple.

Briefly put, it involves storing maize in the silos, cleaning and grinding process; mixing up with other ingredients such as sugar, malt and salt and drying the products with a rotary drying oven.

After drying, the cooling process is carried out, followed by packaging process.

The project can be set up in any part of the country, since maize (corn) is grown in all the parts of the country.

Cost implication/Turnover projections From preliminary feasibility carried out, the project can be started with a total sum of N48.6 million. The project cost may be more depending on the proposed location.

Based on investment analysis carried out, a turnover of N150.0 million is achievable in the first year working for an average of 250 working days in a year. The payback period is within two years, and return on investment is over 76 per cent.

Courtesy: Uba Godwin, 08034494437, Email: ubagodwin@yahoo.com

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Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

REGIONAL NEWS

September 1, 2012

49

Police to shut Bayelsa hotels harbouring cult groups Cross River invests N13.3bn on rural roads

T

he Cross River State Government said on Thursday in Calabar that it had invested N13.3 billion on the construction and rehabilitation of 474 kilometres of rural roads.

Gov. Liyel Imoke, who announced this at a ceremony organised by the state’s Rural Access and Mobility Project (CR-RAMP), said the investment was a huge step in the right direction.

“The selection of the 474 kilometres of the rural roads was determined by the criteria approved by the African Development Bank (ADB).

“With over 70 per cent of the population of the state living in the rural areas, my government considers rural roads as essential for rural development,’’ Imoke said.

EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

B

ayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Kingsley Omire , yesterday warned that hotels harbouring cult groups for their meetings and lodgings in the state would be shut down.

Omire said the Police had detailed its surveillance team to monitor some hotels being patronized by the cult groups, stressing that these hotels would soon be raided to serve as a deterrent to others.

The Police boss, who spoke in Yenagoa yesterday while addressing journalists at a press briefing, said a list of the cult groups had been handed over to the Police to effect arrest and prosecution.

He said the action became imperative following the enactment of anti-cult law by the state government, noting that some suspected cultists had been arrested and would soon

be paraded .The Commissioner warned that vigilance groups linked with cultism would also be arrested .

Omire, however, advised persons linked with cult organizations to renounce cultism or be arrested and face prosecution, noting that the Police would not arrest any cultist that renounces membership and

submits his arms to the Police. “Provisions have been made for the rehabilitation of the cultists who renounce their membership.

He said some cultists arrested would soon appear in court and that members of the public should visit the office of the Police Public Relations Officer in the state to know the lists of the

cult groups prohibited by the state government.

Omire informed that the ban on the prohibition of motorcycles in Yenagoa capital territory had taken effect from today (Saturday), noting that defaulters would have their motorcycles impounded and auctioned by government.

The Commissioner said all the communities

in the state capital territory and Amassoma, host community to the Niger Delta University, would no longer welcome the plying of motorcycles.

He added that the Police had cleared a site where impounded motorcycles would be kept, adding that the defaulters would be convicted to reduce the rate of accidents in the state capital.

Akpabio rates A’Ibom investment potential high

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overnor Godswill Akpabio has described Akwa Ibom State as a destination of choice for investors and investment hub in Nigeria.

A statement from the governor’s office made available to Saturday Mirror disclosed this recently when 14 diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led by Dr. Ali B. Magashi paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Uyo, The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State

Government, Umana Okon Umana, thanked the diplomats for coming to the state for a study tour, adding that he believed that a study of Akwa Ibom would give an in-depth knowledge of the workings of the country.

“Akwa Ibom is now a destination choice for investors. The state is a good brand and a place to reckon with. The story of uncommon transformation is a product of good governance and transformation that has touched every part of the state in

such areas as free, compulsory education, free health care-delivery services for the aged and the pregnant,” he stated.

Responding, the leader of the delegation, Dr. Magashi commended the state’s hospitality, pointing out that their visit to the state was a study tour.

Dr. Magashi, who commended the governor for his developmental strides, noted that success attracts jealousy, envy and criticisms, among others, urging him not to get distracted.

According to him, the state is building the infrastructure for the future, and that Akwa Ibom people should be proud of the great leader they have, pointing out that Akwa Ibom is on the right track and they would carry the reports of what they had seen in the state to every part of the country.

In another development, the Akwa Ibom Government may soon introduce the use of solar-powered water treatment plants for rural communities in the state.

Arepo inferno: Vandals attack govt officials Ajimobi seeks strong partnership with private sector

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overnor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State yesterday said that his administration would continue to maintain a cordial relationship with the private sector to enhance the socio-economic development of the state and promote the interest of the people.

According to a release by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Festus Adedayo, made available to Saturday Mirror, Ajimobi stated this in Ibadan while receiving members of the management team of Stanbic IBTC Bank led by the Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Sola Davies, who were on a courtesy visit to him in his office.

FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA

O

fficials of National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) in Ogun, their counterparts at the Federal Fire Service, as well as those of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), were yesterday chased away by hooligans from Arepo Village where a petroleum pipeline of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was vandalised.

The NNPC pipeline, which runs along the Arepo Village in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, had on late Thursday evening, gone up in flames, following suspected activities of the vandals.

Both officials of NEMA, NSCDC as well as journalists and others who were at the scene to monitor the rescue operations in the canoes escaped death by the whiskers in the hands of the vandals who had laid

siege in the bush and water leading to the scene.

The development forced all the officials to disembark from the canoes and scamper for safety when they noticed the development.

Speaking with newsmen, NEMA Informa-

tion Officer, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said that the agency and others were at the scene to recover dead bodies and put the scene in order.

“Our intention was to evacuate bodies and to help the firefighter extinguish the fire that has

been burning since yesterday. But as you can see the vandals had refused to allow us perform our work, we are even lucky to still be alive but we have contacted the military men and they are on their way.

“We don’t want the

bodies to decompose and begin to pollute the environment. The remains from the bodies will spill into the surrounding streams and pollute the water used for drinking and other domestic purposes, and this will definitely be a risk,” he said.

L – R (Front row): Ogun State Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr. Gbenga Otenuga; Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Suraj Adekunbi Ishola; National President, Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), Comrade Fatai Jimoh; the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; National Vice President of PASAN, Barrister Hadiza Mohammed; Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Hadjia Monsurat Sunmonu; and Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa; with other members of PASAN during a courtesy visit to the governor, recently.

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September 1, 2012

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

PDP leading Nigeria on the right path – Niger Gov Saraki urges concerted effort against poverty WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

S

enator Bukola Saraki has canvassed a holistic approach to tackle poverty in the country. This, according to him, would be the most potent weapon to tackle the situation, which is quite worrisome and degrading in the country.

Saraki, representing Kwara Central District and former governor of the state, said this yesterday in Ilorin at the inspection of the surveyed sites for 26 bore holes in his constituencies. The senator said he believed that poverty would continue to stare Nigerians in the face as long as the major stake holders make the duties of provisions of social amenities for the citizens the exclusive functions of the executive arm of government.

PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

G

overnor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State said, despite the criticisms and painful comments from civil society and opposition parties, the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the last 13 years has led Nigeria on the right path.

The party clocked 14 years of existence as a political party yesterday (Friday). Aliyu said, “Since PDP came into power against the background of a turbulent period of military rule, which reached its heights in 1998, the party has made significant progress in returning the country to the path of sustainable and steady economic growth.”

In a press statement signed by his chief press secretary, Mallam Danladi Ndayebo, he noted that in the last 13 years, PDP officials (both elected and appointed) at all levels of government, had worked tirelessly to inject fresh ideas into all

sectors of the economy that have yielded a lot of result.

“The PDP and indeed Nigerians have every cause to celebrate. The nation has for the first time witnessed 13 years of an

uninterrupted journey to the proverbial Promised Land. Although we are not there yet, the journey is no longer as far as it used to be.”

The governor thanked the founding

fathers of the party and party supporters across the country for their continued belief in the PDP and its leadership.

He urged them to continue to keep faith with the party, while call-

ing on Nigerians irrespective of political affiliation to support the transformation agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led PDP administration for the desired change.

Plateau inaugurates Mangu education secretariat

T

he Plateau State Government on Friday inaugurated an Area Education Secretariat at Mangu, Plateau, built with levies collected from secondary school students.

The state’s Commissioner for Education, Mr. Nanle Dashen, at a ceremony to inaugurate the secretariat, commended the initiators of the project.

The project, for which all secondary school students in Mangu local government contributed N100 each, was initiated by the Zonal and Area Directorate of Education and the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPS) in Mangu.

“I commend your initiative, drive and commitment in carrying out

this project that has cost N9 million. I am highly delighted that you people were able to source for funds through the ANCOPSS Project levy. I strongly appreciate parents and guardians of our students for sharing in this vision of repositioning education demonstrated by their payment of the ANCOPSS Project levy for their wards and children.

“We are glad that people no longer wait for the government to do everything for them,” he said.

He urged staff of the Mangu Education Area Directorate to jealously protect the building by imbibing the maintenance culture and ensuring that the facility was used only for educational purposes.

Dashen, however, re-

gretted the protracted industrial action by primary school teachers in the state in the past four months over salary issues.

“I am not disputing the right of the staff to collectively bargain on issues that concern their welfare but caution must be taken not to throw away the baby with the bath water.

“Strike is counterproductive and we have just discovered that parents are withdrawing their wards from public schools, due to incessant strikes,” he added.

He said that government had not closed its door to dialogue, appealing to the striking teachers to suspend the strike in the interest of the pupils.

The Area Director of

Education in Mangu, Mrs. Naomi Gomen, commended the ParentTeachers Association, the Area Education Directorate in Mangu and ANCOPS for making the project a success.

Gomen, however, drew government’s attention to the incessant complaints of shortage of teachers, especially in core subjects, appealing that more teachers be recruited.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the secretariat has a conference hall, 15 offices and five toilets.

Gov Jang

Bauchi to pay N3.5m for indigene’s kidney operation Fuel shortage hits Makurdi

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ong queues of vehicles have reappeared in most parts of Makurdi, the Benue State Capital, due to scarcity of petroleum products, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

A correspondent of NAN, who visited most of the filling stations in the area on Friday, reports that many of the stations had no petrol.

The few that had the products sold the product at exorbitant rates, ranging from N110 to N130 per litre.

Many motorists, who spoke to NAN, blamed the development on marketers who were deliberately hoarding the product.

Mr. James Anwe, a commercial bus driver, said that he marketers were responsible for the shortage.

T

he Bauchi State Government has approved $22,000 (about N3.5m) for a kidney transplant in India on a 25-year-old man, Abubakar Buba, whose kidneys were removed at a private clinic in the state.

The suspects allegedly involved in the surgery that led to the removal of the man’s kidney, Mijinyawa Abdullahi and Yusuf Zangina, are currently standing trial before a Bauchi Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly removing Buba’s kidneys.

Speaking in an interview with the News Agency Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Bauchi, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Sani Malami, said that the money was meant to cater for Buba’s travelling and medical expenses in India.

Malami said that the gesture was to enable Buba regain his lost kidneys. “Already, the governor has approved $22,000 to assist the young man

Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda (l), presenting cash to Malam Jibrin Amare, at the official launching and disbursement of Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) to the targeted beneficiaries in Miri Village, Bauchi Local Government Area of Bauchi State, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

travel to India. “Similarly, we have been advised by the doctor handling the case of the young man that he is on daily dialysis and this of course is not sustainable.

“And so, we have estab-

lished contact with some doctors in India, who are experts in kidney transplantation. And now there is a process involved such as tissues typing for the donor and we are also processing the visa and other

travelling documents, which is taking a little bit of time.

“But we are very hopeful that the young man will be transferred to an Indian hospital where he will benefit from the kid-

ney transplant. The dialysis will be conducted and he will be received in India, the trip to India takes at most 10 to 18 hours and so, the life of this young man will not be in jeopardy,” he said.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

REGIONAL NEWS

September 1, 2012

51

My relationship with Kwankwaso cordial – Kano Dep Gov Disease kills 300 goats, sheep in Katsina JAMES DANJUMA KATSINA

N

o less than 300 goats and sheep have died in Rimi Local Government Area of Katsina State following an outbreak of an animal-related disease in some parts of the state.

Several domestic animal owners, who narrated their loss to newsmen, said the outbreak of the disease, which was first reported at Majen Gobir village, has remained a source of concern to people in the area.

The farmers lamented that the end of the outbreak of the disease may yet be far away, as the large number that had died in a short period of time may be a harbinger of greater losses to come.

AUGUSTINE MADU-WEST KANO

K

ano State deputy governor, Dr Umar Ganduje, has said he enjoys a cordial relationship with his boss, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, unlike the situation in some states where governors and their deputies are at loggerhead.

He told Saturday Mirror in a chat that he never disagreed with his boss on state matters, adding that they both understand each other very well.

Ganduje said his views are always sought on issues of governance, pointing that it is for that reason that they are recording tremendous success in the nation’s most populous state. “There is mutual respect in the team, every aide of the governor is given the chance to contribute his quota

and that is promoting stability in our system,” he said.

Continuing, Ganduje said, “In some states you hear about conflicts between governors and their deputies in form of

either silent or open confrontation. It has never happened here largely because of the maturity displayed by our governor in handling issues affecting the state,” he said.

According to the depu-

ty governor, who served governor Kwankwaso in the same capacity in 1999, “The second coming of Kwankwaso as governor of Kano State will turn the state around with the implementation

of his people-oriented programmes, which are already yielding positive results. By the end of his tenure in 2015, the difference will be felt by Kano residents and beyond,” Ganduje declared.

Northern religious leaders to shun provocative teachings A ZA MSUE KADUNA

F

ollowing a peace forum organized by the National Peace Makers Initiatives Forum (NPMIF) in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity Foundation (HHF), a non-governmental organization in Kaduna, religious leaders in the northern part of the country have agreed to put an end to provocative sermons and lectures as a way of ensuring peace reigns in the region.

President NPMIF, Mallam Bello Sa’eed, said the workshop was to create

an atmosphere of peace in the northern region and Nigeria at large.

Mallam Sa’eed urged religious leaders to preach peace and harmony among their followers for stability of the nation.

According to him, “We have to understand ourselves, assist ourselves and love one another irrespective of our differences as we are all Nigerians and we don’t have anywhere than our Country. We have to stand-up and pull ourselves out from the security challenges we are facing for the sake of ourselves, our children and the nation

itself. Both Christian and Muslim clerics should not relent in preaching peace,” Sa’eed said.

Earlier, President of Peace and Conflict Resolution, Ibadan, Bishop Goodluck Akpede, had advised aggrieved individuals or groups with grievances to embrace dialogue as the only way for peace.

Bishop Akpede added “When I told my family I was visiting Kaduna for this programme, they were worried, but here I am today things are not bad as people believe.”

However, a Jos-based Pastor, Mr. Yohana Mar-

gif , noted that Christians and Muslims were not at war. Margif ’s words, “We want to change people’s mentality and announce to the world that Muslims and Christians can join heads together to do anything, as the trouble makers are not Muslims or Christians,” he said.

Gov Yakowa

Task force demolishes illegal structures in Awka Orji raises taskforce on immunization

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overnor Theodore Orji of Abia State yesterday in Umuahia inaugurated an 18-member taskforce on immunisation for the state.

Orji said the taskforce would “actively drive the polio eradication and routine immunisation” programme in the state.

He said that the “inter-sectoral body’’ would coordinate the immunisation programme for better results through resource mobilisation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that membership of the taskforce included representatives of WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, Ministries of Education; Women Affairs and religious organisations, among others.

Represented by his deputy, Col. Emeka Ananaba (retired), Orji expressed concern over what he described as “an accumulation of rising number of unimmunised’’ children in the country.

CHARLES OKEKE AWKA

A

task-force team purportedly drawn from the Awka South local government yesterday stormed Awka, the Anambra State capital, destroying structures said to be illegal located along the Nnamdi Azikiwe Avenue.

The team, which was made of armed soldiers, who watched menacingly to deal with any trouble maker, went from one section of the ever-busy Zik Avenue to another, dismantling and demolishing shops and any object that were considered offensive to the environment with a rampaging

bulldozer. As the team got to a marked shop or house, the bulldozer positioned to do a fast job, pounded them, reducing the structures to debris.

The worst affected were shops domiciled near Georgie’s Chemist and Dike Park. As the demolition went on, people stood in groups discuss-

ing the necessity or otherwise of the exercise at this time.

The team, which were accompanied by some government workers who refused to disclose their identity, started the operation from Paul’s University axis of Zik’s Avenue, destroying illegal structures from one shop

or building to another.

And as the structures were being demolished, the owners strove to salvage their goods. So far not fewer than one hundred shops and buildings in Awka have been affected by the exercise, which has also been executed in Onistha, Nkpor and other major cities.

L-R: Minister of Works, Chief Mike Onolememen; Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu; Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and President Goodluck Jonathan, unveiling Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu’s statue in Onitsha, during the President’s visit to Anambra, recently

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September 1, 2012

Crime Watch

Crime Watch

P. 54

Contender for monarch stool killed in struggle with assailants

BRIEFS

5 arrested for bank alert forgery in Katsina

K

atsina State Police Command has arrested one Kenneth Mustapha and four others for allegedly using laptop computers to send false bank alerts to defraud people.

The Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Shehu Muhammad, said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Katsina.

He said the suspects had specialised in duping people, especially their business associates, by sending them forged bank alerts.

According to him, the syndicate usually pretend to buy goods from people and promised to send them money through their bank accounts.

The PPRO said the syndicate would instead send false bank alerts to appear as if they had deposited the money in the victims’ accounts.

Muhammad said that investigations had shown that a number of people had fallen victims of the syndicate.

He, therefore, warned the public to be conscious of people they relate with to avoid becoming victims of swindlers.

Some of the items recovered from the syndicate, he said, included five motorcycles, a generating set and a laptop computer.

The police spokesman said the suspects would be prosecuted after investigations were concluded.

Police kill 3 robbery suspects in Gombe

T

hree suspected armed robbers were killed in a gun battle with the police along the Gombe-Dukku road, the police in Gombe said.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Fwaje Atajiri, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), that the robbery suspects were killed in an exchange of fire with a police patrol team at about 3.30 a.m. yesterday.

According to him, the patrol team had followed two suspicious vehicles and on sighting the policemen the suspects opened fire, leading to a gun battle during which the three men were killed.

The PPRO said the suspects in the other vehicle escaped, while the police recovered four AK 47 rifles, 151 rounds of ammunitions, N131,365 and a red Honda Henesen car in the second car.

Atajiri assured the people of the state that of the preparedness of the police to protect lives and property, and called on residents to provide useful information to the police.

Awotubo

Awotubo’s battered head

Hoodlums sack NURTW office, cart away N.35m

Abiodun Awotubo is an official of a branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos State. He is currently nursing the injuries he sustained during a coordinated attack launched on his office by suspected hoodlums.

SEGUN ADIO

F

riday, August 24, 2012, would not be hurriedly forgotten by Abiodun Awotubo. It was the day he escaped death by the whiskers.

That day, 56-year-old Awotubo was allegedly attacked while trying to defend his office attendant from some suspected hoodlums. Awotubo is the secretary of the Shomolu, Lagos State branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

Awotubo, a father of five, after the day’s work, was relaxing at a vulcaniser’s shop around Fola Agoro Roundabout beside NITEL Exchange Office, in Shomolu as he often did. It was while there relaxing under the tree, that two men reportedly walked into the shop demanding that one of Awotubo’s office assistants give them money from the proceeds the unions purportedly made that day.

Suspecting that the hoodlums could be up to some mischief, the office assistant reportedly gave them some amount of money but the two men did not take the offered token; they demanded for a higher sum, stating that what was offered them would not go round their members.

The office assistant was said to have informed them that he could not go beyond the limit his boss had set for him. An argument then ensued and the two men reportedly subjected the office assistant to some harassment.

Awotubo’s attention was drawn to the brewing crisis in his office and he hurriedly got up to see what was amiss. Once he got to his office, Awotubo asked the two men to come out and he questioned their effrontery to harass his office assistant.

Awotubo, who holds a Higher National Diploma (HND), later identified the two men as Eba and Igbinabaro, their supposed

nicknames.

For daring to challenge them, the two men reportedly pounced on Awotubo. One of them reportedly grabbed the bowl of dirty water used by the neighbouring vulcaniser and emptied it on Awotubo. At this juncture, the NURTW scribe reportedly wanted to put up a fight but he claimed that the two men told him he would be killed if he should do such a thing as they were actually out to get him.

“When one of them poured the dirty water on my body, I could not stand it anymore. I wanted to confront them too, but the other said, ‘We will kill you here and nothing will happen. Hope you know we are the Feeling/Stealing boys.’ I still thought I could engage them in a fight. But the other one grabbed a bottle, broke it and started stabbing me with it. I was soon drenched in blood. I held tight to the cloth of the one that poured the water on me. Before I knew it again, the one that hit me with the bottle, also grabbed the vulcaniser’s big iron and hit me on the head. I crashed into the ground immediately,” Awotubo told Saturday Mirror.

He also claimed that he intended to feign unconsciousness so the attackers could depart, but that he suddenly heard that they would call for reinforcement so that they could take him to the acclaimed gang leader at Fadeyi area of the megacity.

Upon hearing that, and while the two men reportedly stepped aside apparently waiting for the reinforcement, Awotubo staggered to his feet and made a dash for it.

He reportedly ran to the Alade Police Station where he reported the case.

The law enforcement agents later gave him a medical report which he took to Oguntolu General Hospital for treatment. He was reportedly discharged that same day. While on hospital bed, however, Awotubo reported the matter also to his own immediate boss, one Alhaji Mukaila

Runsewe alias Alhaji Kaga.

Runsewe reportedly called the said the gang leader that the two men claimed sent them, and but he denied any knowledge of the incident. He was said to, however, vowed to restrain his boys from carrying out such actions again.

But when Awotubo returned to his post the following day, hardly had he settled down to work, than three other men, supposedly from the group that attacked him the previous day arrived his office still threatening fire and brimstone.

Those who came the following day, Awotubo identified as Omo Ese, Elewure (nicknames) and another member he could not place. This time, Awotubo claimed he was not touched, but only harassed.

According to Awotubo, the three men that came the second day showed surprise that he was still alive. “When they saw me, they said, ‘So you have not died. We thought you would have died.’ But I told them that ‘you cannot kill me,’ they accused me of writing petitions to Police authorities and Local Government Council. I asked if that was why they attacked me and they replied in the affirmative.”

Awotubo claimed that the hoodlums also made away with N350,000, a Nokia GSM handset and an expensive necklace which were all forcefully collected from him.

He added that the Alade Police Station where he reported the matter had been very helpful to his cause and that a senior member of the station always come to his office to be abreast of the situation and ascertain whether he had again been attacked or not.

A police source at the station who craved anonymity confirmed that the incident was reported and that the leadership of the station is on top of the situation.

Spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, when contacted, said she was not aware of the development.

Do you have a story for us? Contact 08138773277 or crimewatchmirror@yahoo.com

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

CRIME WATCH

September 1, 2012

Police arraign 10 without case file for Oshiomhole’s aide’s murder

Police nab three suspected robbers after gun duel SEGUN ADIO

L

Oshiomhole

SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN

(CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, EDO STATE)

T

he Nigeria Police Force yesterday arraigned 10 people for the murder of Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole’s Principal Private Secretary, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, even as no case file was provided for the accused persons.

The 10 suspects were arraigned before an Oredo Chief Magistrates’ Court of Mr. Francis Idake for the murder of Oyerinde.

The suspects, all male, in the case marked MOR/326C/2012 were listed as: Messrs Garba Usman Maisamari (39yrs), Danjuma Musa (23yrs), Muritala Usman (27yrs), Moses Asamah Okoro (32yrs), Auta Umaru Ali (26yrs), Umaru Adamu, alias Duna (33yrs), Rev. David Ugolor (42yrs), Wilfred Iserhienhi (30yrs), Hassan Aliyu Babete (44yrs) and Idris Abdulhamid (24yrs).

While it was reliably learnt that Ugolor and the other suspects were brought to Benin from Abuja long before Friday, giving the police ample time to prepare for the arraignment, the prosecutor failed however to produce the case file in court to the surprise of both the magistrate and defence lawyers. Investigation by our correspondent revealed later that the court clerk, whose name could not be obtained before filing this report, had to move around Benin City with police lawyers before the court could get a duplicate copy of the case file at about 4.00pm.

The eight-count charge against all the suspects, some of whom were led into the court in leg chains and handcuffs, accused them of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, murder and reception of stolen materials.

Mr. David Abuo led the prosecution for the Inspector-General of Police

Late Oyerinde

while Mr. Olayiwola Afolabi represented David Ugolor, leading four other defence lawyers that represented the other accused persons.

The first count read: “That you, Garba Usman Maisamari ‘m’, Danjuma Musa ‘m’, Moses Asamah Okoro ‘m’, Auta Umaru Ali ‘m’, Umaru Adamu alias Duna ‘m’, and Rev. David Ugolor and others now at large, on or about the 4th day of May, 2012, at about 01:00am at No. 65, 2nd Ugbor Road, GRA, Benin City in the Oredo Magisterial District, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: armed robbery and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 6 (b) and punishable under Section 1 (2) (a) and (b) of the Armed Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, CAP R II Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

The second count read: “That you, Garba Usman Maisamari ‘m’, Danjuma Musa ‘m’, Muritala Usman ‘m’, Moses Asamah Okoro ‘m’, Auta Umaru Ali ‘m’, Umaru Adamu alias Duna ‘m’, Rev. David Ugolor ‘m’ and others at large, on the same date, time and place and in the Magisterial District aforesaid, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: murder and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 324 of the Criminal Code Act CAP C.38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

The third count read: “That you, Garba Usman Maisamari ‘m’, Danjuma Musa ‘m’, Muritala Usman ‘m’, Moses Asamah Okoro ‘m’, Auta Umaru Ali’m’, Umaru Adamu Alias Duna ‘m’, Rev. David Ugolor and others at large, on the same date, time and place and in the Magisterial District aforesaid with intent to steal and while armed with three locally made pistols, did rob one Olaitan Oyerinde ‘m’

Ugolor

now deceased of the following items: (a) five blackberry telephone handsets, (b) one Nokia telephone handset with touch light, (c) two Galaxy Tab, (d) two laptop computers, (e) jewelleries, (f) one English made single barrel gun, value yet unknown and some unspecified amount of money property of One Olaitan Oyerinde (deceased) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 1 (2) (a) and (b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act CAP R II.” The case began with the clerk reading the charges to all the accused persons.

Arguing his case, Ugolor’s lawyer, Afolabi reminded the court how the police, an agency that was supposed to enforce the law, flagrantly disrespect the law by refusing to release his client on bail even after a High Court had so ordered and the order duly served on the police. Thereafter, he urged the court to ensure that the police produced a copy of the case file.

In total agreement, the Magistrate, Idake reprimanded the police for not obeying the court order but said that the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain issues on Ugolor’s suit.

Idake then directed the police to avail the court with a duplicate of the case file, which he promised to send to the Director of Public Prosecution, Edo State Ministry of Justice, for study and appropriate action.

Idake ordered the accused persons to be kept in prison custody and adjourned the case to Thursday, September 27 for mention amidst the disclosure to Saturday Mirror that the accused persons had no relationship with the six suspects who were handed over to the police penultimate week by the State Security Service (SSS) for prosecution in connection with the same murder.

53

aw enforcement agents in Bariga area of Lagos State have recorded a major victory in their bid to rid the notorious spots in the locality of robbers and other criminal elements.

Some notorious criminals, for months, had made the community their abode engaging in crimes ranging from robbery to murder.

But last Wednesday, August 29, 2012, some policemen attached to the Ilaje Division went on a manhunt for some fleeing criminals said to be on the federal list of wanted criminals. Before close of work that day, three notorious armed robbers cum murderers were apprehended at various locations in the metropolis.

The three suspects, Abiodun Onalaja aka Abe Ororo, Dayo Omotosho aka K1, and Kehinde Kazeem aka Shanko were rounded up at various locations in the metropolis. A policeman, Inspector Smart, reportedly headed the team that fished out the criminals from their hideouts. The three suspects were alleged to be followers of one notorious gang leader operating in the Mushin/Bariga/ Shomolu axis.

Kazeem was picked up by policemen at the Berger Bridge area of the metropolis following a distress call received by the law enforcement agents. The distress call had alerted the security operatives that Kazeem and some of his gang members were robbing innocent people of their valuables. He is said to be a member of the Orita Fogo Boys, a gang disrupting the peace of the vicinity.

Some of Kazeem’s gang members had reportedly been killed by police in a shootout in the recent past.

On the fateful Wednesday, Kazeem and his partners-in-crime were overpowered by the law enforcement agents and arrested immediately.

Omotosho, 32, on his part, is a notorious member of the notorious Down Town boys operating in Shomolu and Bariga axis of the metropolis while D1, as he is called, takes a prominent place in the wanted list of criminals sought for by law enforcement agents. He was reported to have been in possession of a locally made shot gun at the time of his arrest.

Onalaja, 30, otherwise called Orobo, is reported to be first and foremost a marijuana dealer and an alleged hatchet man for the said gang leader.

The suspects in police van

54

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

September 1, 2012

Crime Extra

When Boniface Ukah, a retired director of the oil giant, Shell Exploitation Nigeria Limited, joined the race for the traditional rulership of his home town, little did he know that he would not see its end. Who killed this top contender for the throne?

SEGUN ADIO

S

ix years ago, Boniface Ukah quietly left the services of Shell Exploration Nigeria Limited after a fruitful spell with the oil giant. He was a director. Ukah had dreamt of a quiet life with his wife and children. He was also a known lover of his ancestral root and his people at Itu-Ezihinnite in Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State.

Ukah loved his people and tradition such that in June 2012, he, and some few others, offered themselves to ascend the vacant stool of the traditional ruler of the town.

He did not make the shortlist of the candidates for the coveted throne, though. A Knight of the Catholic Church, Ukah, 60, would not live to enjoy the fruits of his labour as he was reportedly murdered in cold blood by unknown gunmen.

After his retirement, Ukah lived with his family at his Obiokpor Road, Rumuogba, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

On Thursday, August 16, 2012, around 10:00pm, Ukah sat astride at the terrace of his house while his family members were already in deep sleep inside.

Unknown to the engineer, three gunmen had scaled the fence of his house. They were looking for him. While still cooling off in the cool of the night, the gunmen reportedly spotted him and climbed to where he sat. On sighting them, Ukah demanded to know their mission in his compound.

For an answer the men pulled out their guns and reportedly pointed them at Ukah demanding money.

He was reported to have engaged them in a heated argument, apparently not wanting to be humiliated by the impostors.

The suspected robbers allegedly led him into his main

The street where Ukah lived

Contender for monarch stool killed in struggle with assailants building repeating their demand for money.

Saturday Mirror gathered that Ukah was made to part with some cash. But still he would not be cowed by the assailants. An argument soon ensued between Ukah and the three gunmen.

Investigations revealed that once the gunmen realised that Ukah was not going to allow them leave the premises without causing a great stir, they reportedly opened fire on him, pumping three bullets into his stomach. They returned the way they came.

Moments after the gunmen had fled the compound, Ukah’s family members raised the alarm and a hot chase was given the assailants, but to no avail.

Two of the gunmen have, however, have been apprehended and are now in the custody of the Rivers State Special Anti Robbery Squad undergoing investigations.

After the gunmen had fled the vicinity, family members and some neighbours hurriedly rushed Ukah to a private hospital. He was not so lucky; after all, he gave up the ghost on the third day. It was August 18, 2012.

In a telephone conversation with Saturday Mirror, Emma, a younger brother to the deceased, expressed the belief of close family relations that the law enforcement agents would fish out the people behind the dastardly act.

“We all are still in shock and are yet to recover from my brother’s murder. If the law enforcement agents can help to unravel the circumstances surrounding the murder we will be grateful,” he said.

Chief Nkemdirim Faraday Amaechi is a traditional title holder and also contested the vacant traditional ruler stool with the late Ukah in June, this year.

Speaking with Saturday Mirror on telephone, Amaechi, who claimed that the assailants made away with a substantial amount of money, said that the deceased was loved by the entire Itu-Ezinhinnite community for his contributions to the development of the area.

“We (the community) were all shocked by the news of Ukah’s death. The entire community was shocked. He was an illustrious son. He had contributed to the growth of the community. He was a Knight

of the Catholic Church. He always contributed to the development and the upkeep of all people that he came across. We as a community would do anything within our powers to unravel the cause of the heinous crime,” Amaechi said.

Meanwhile, Ukah might have been felled by the guns of his assailants, his memories from those who knew him.

His widow was too distraught to speak when Saturday Mirror visited his residence.

However, some of his neighbours who spoke had only good things to say about him.

Mr. Ojo Samson, who designs and builds aluminium doors and windows in the same street that late Ukah lived, has been a neighbour to the deceased for about four years.

In that time he came to find out that the “man was a good man who was not a trouble maker”.

He said what endeared him and his colleagues to the man, though he did not know him intimately, was that he usually greeted them whenever he was driving past their workshop.

“Sometimes he stopped to appreciate our work before continuing on his way”, he

said.

He said he travelled for “outside work” when the incident happened, and felt really bad when he heard the news on his return.

Mrs. Stella Emeter, who runs S.T. Beauty Zone on the same street, has lived there for 15 years. She said she was more acquainted with the man’s wife who makes her hair in her salon.

However, she said that from her observation, late Ukah was a calm person, who was not an extrovert, describing him as “not the associating type”.

On her advice to the grieving wife, Emeter reminded her that her husband was known as a calm person in the neighbourhood and there was never any negative report concerning the family; she therefore enjoined the widow to continue in the same path.

“I pray that God gives her the grace to carry the cross from where her husband stopped. Let her be assured that Jesus Christ is husband of widows”, she stressed.

On her part, another neighbour, Mrs Jacinta Ayanate Iboroma, simply said “he was a good man. He was not a troublemaker”.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

September 1, 2012

55

Scientists close to Floral tributes at Princess creating single-dose Diana’s 15th death anniversary cure for all strains of malaria S T he gates of Kensington Palace disappeared under a growing collection of notes, photographs and bouquets yesterday morning as mourners arrived to pay tribute to Princess Diana on the 15th anniversary of her death.

Diana, who died in a car accident in a Paris underpass along with her lover, Dodi Fayed, would be 51 years old had she survived the crash in 1997.

The messages and floral tributes were a poignant reminder of the scenes at Kensington Palace in the days following her death, when a sea of bouquets grew rapidly outside the wrought iron gates.

Eventually, thousands of floral tributes stretched the entire length and breadth of the path leading up to Diana’s former home.

Although there were echoes of that day 15 years ago, the Palace, now home

to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they are in London, was today a calmer and more contemplative place.

There was no official ceremony planned to mark the day, and William and Harry were expected to spend the day away from the public eye.

As he mourns the loss of his beloved mother, the Duke of Cambridge is preparing for a trip to Singapore where he will see for

the first time an orchid named in Diana’s honour.

The Dendrobium Memoria Princess Diana orchid, which grows in Singapore’s Botanical Gardens, was named in the princess’s honour in September 1997, the month after she died.

As part of the visit William and Kate will have their own orchid named in their honour, which will join Diana’s orchid in the VIP area of the Gardens.

cientists believe they are close to creating a singledose cure for all strains of malaria.

A team from the University of Cape Town said a recently discovered compound, called MMV390048, may also be able to block transmission of the parasite from person to person.

Conventional multidrug malaria treatments only work for a short period of time as the malaria parasite becomes resistant to them.

However, the UCT team led by Professor Kelly Chibale said their new treatment “killed these resistant parasites instantly” in more than 18months worth of trials.

Naledi Pandor, the Minister of Science & Technology in South Africa, said: ‘This is a significant victory in the battle to alleviate the burden of disease in the subconti-

nent.

‘Clearly the war on this disease is not yet won, but I am excited by the role that our excellent scientists have played in this milestone in finding a potential cure for malaria and possibly preventing its transmission.’

The promising new compound shows potent activity against multiple points in the malaria parasite’s lifecycle, which is why it could stop the parasite from spreading between human populations.

In 2010, malaria caused an estimated 655 000 deaths - mostly among African children.

Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting, and usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs.

Teenager with brain tumour baffles doctors with world-first infection Mourners left flowers, flags, notes and photographs on the gates of Kensington Palace yesterday, 15 years after Princess Diana was killed in a car crash

Former policeman to return as WOMAN after sex change A former police officer forced out of the job 27 years ago because he wanted a sex change is set to return to frontline duties as a woman.

Karen Gale, whose twoa-half-hour operation was controversially broadcast on television last year, has applied to be a special constable and return to the Metropolitan Police.

The 53-year-old, previously known as Keith, worked as a PC with the Met between 1981 and 1985 before being forced to resign when he told his inspector he wanted to start treatment for gender change.

Karen, from Purfleet, Essex, said: “Back then things were different. My inspec-

tor told me there was no way I could stay in the job.

“I was absolutely gutted.

I loved my job and I had spent two years passing all my exams to become a constable.”

But now Karen, who underwent the sex-change operation at Charing Cross Hospital in London in August 2011, is hopeful her application to become a special constable will be successful.

She said: ‘I can’t wait to get back on the street doing the job I love. It’s been a long time and I know the force will have changed, but I’m looking forward to it.

‘It’s not like it was in the ‘80s anymore. The police are actively trying to recruit more transgender and openly gay officers.’

Karen, who found work as an HGV driver after being forced out of the police, said her life had been transformed since becoming a woman.

She said: “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. It’s difficult to explain - I just finally feel like me. I feel complete.

“It’s such a relief that I no longer have to put on this act, pretending to be someone I’m not.”

Karen, then Keith, first knew he was “different” to other boys when aged nine, he used to lock himself in the bathroom and try on his sister’s dresses.

His cross-dressing continued in secret even after he married his first-ever girlfriend, Meryl, at the age of 21, and fathered their daughter, Laura, now 27.

But then Meryl returned home unexpectedly one day and found Keith in full make-up, stockings, skirt and a top.

Karen said: “I couldn’t go on any longer living as a bloke and made the decision to start living openly as a woman.

“I lost everything - the job I loved, my wife, my daughter, my house. I haven’t seen Laura now for 22 years - it breaks my heart.

“I managed to find her through Facebook back in March and we’ve exchanged a few messages.

“She doesn’t know yet whether she wants to see me. She says she doesn’t know whether she could cope with it. I’m just praying that she will come to terms with it.”

A

teenager has baffled doctors with an infection never recorded before in medical history.

Blake Munton, 16, from Grimsby, has lived with a brain tumour for eight years but is now recovering from a rare medical first.

After six operations and contracting meningitis, doctors discovered a fungal infection, called aspergillis, had spread from his stomach, up the shunt and into his brain - something which has never been recorded before.

Doctors at Sheffield Children’s Hospital controlled the infection just in time and Blake finally returned home this month.

He still has the aspergillis infection but it is now being controlled, although he has no idea how it will affect him in the future.

In 2004, Blake was rushed to hospital after suffering a seizure in Cuba while on holiday with his parents, Brian and Carol, and an MRI scan revealed he had a large tumour in

the back of his head.

It had caused a fluid build-up in his brain, which had been causing dizziness for nearly a year, so Cuban surgeons fitted a shunt to release the fluid into his stomach.

Since then, he has had radiotherapy in Sheffield to shrink the tumour and four more shunts fitted in the UK, but six months ago his stomach became bloated, so his parents took him back to Sheffield.

After draining the fluid, doctors discovered aspergillis on the shunt fitted in Cuba, so he underwent a second operation, this time lasting four hours, to remove it.

Blake continued to suffer with the infection, despite drips pumping his body with antibiotics and antifungicides all day long for weeks.

Doctors operated again to remove another shunt and install one on the outside of his head, which released fluid into a bag. Unfortunately, a stitch burst and he contracted meningitis through the wound.

Quote

of

the

day

We are determined to ensure that HIV transmission from mother to unborn baby is pursued to a level where the state will have zero transmission before 2015.

Dr Emmanuel Agbadu Akabe, Nasarawa State Commissioner for Health, while disclosing that the state government was worried that children were being born with HIV when there are apparatuses for preventing such.

Saturday, September 1, 2012. www.nationalmirroronline.net

Job and wealth creation in Africa

I

was privileged, as the Patron of the Africa Governance, Leadership and Management Convention jointly organized by Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) and Africa Leadership Forum (ALF) and strongly supported by the UNDP, to preside and deliver an Opening Remark recently in Mombasa, Kenya. I feel constrained to share the view I expressed at that Convention and the conclusion of the Convention with the readers of this column. But first my remarks: “We have gathered this year to follow up our previous engagements in the last three years on the need to match growth with development and improved standard of living in Africa. Last year, at this same venue, myself and other leaders of the public and private sector in Africa spent an interesting and quite engaging two days on the issues of leadership development in Africa. One of the major outcomes of that engagement was the reiteration of the fact that in spite of the good news in terms of economic growth, the challenges confronting Africa remain daunting. This is because the acclaimed growth has been accompanied by increased poverty and more joblessness. For us to address this concern more appropriately there is a need for a resurgence of dialogue on African Renaissance in content and context, anchored on the principle of public-private partnership and driven by the spirit

with President Olusegun Obasanjo hexcellency2011@yahoo.com of enterprise and entrepreneurship.

“It is, therefore, in this light, that the Secretariat of this Convention has brought us together to take a more critical look at our economic growth indices and its impact on the life of African citizens.

“The need to assess the challenges and highlight the opportunities for Sustainable Wealth and Job Creation in Africa cannot be over-emphasized. This is because it remains by far the most worrisome challenge of most African countries at the moment. Everywhere we turn to in Africa, the story is the same. Unemployed young people are in huge numbers. The lack of opportunities for them to unleash their creative energies positively has turned them into desperate young

men and women, unfortunately becoming ready-made tools for unwholesome activities.

“The memory of the ‘Arab spring’ is still fresh in our minds and it tells an apt story of what our continued foot-dragging on lifting the critical mass of people above poverty levels can unleash suddenly and destructively. Dr. Kaberuka has told us an eye-witness story of how it all began in Tunisia.

“That Africa generally is experiencing positive growth within its economic frontiers today is no more news. That we survived the global financial crisis with very little effect is also not in doubt.

What is, however, worrisome is the fact that substantial gains achieved on the economic front and the high economic

SPORT EXTRA

Paralympics: Nwokorie grabs Nigeria’s second gold

I

vory Nwokorie, who competes in the women’s -44kg powerlifting event yesterday, increased the country’s medals haul to two gold medals after topping her category with a weight of 109kg at the ongoing Paralympic Games in London.

Also Ikechukwu Onwuchukwu won silver in the men’s 52Kg category by lifting 175kg. Nigeria now has two gold medals and one silver medal.

The event took place at the Excel Exhibition Centre, South 3 Custom where Nwokorie followed the steps of her colleague, Yakubu Adesokan, who on Thursday, led the men’s -48kg with a World

Nwokorie flanked by silver and bronze medallists, Ceidem Dede (left) of Turkey and Lidia Soloviova (right) of Ukraine.

Record of 180kg, thereby shattering his former record of 177kg, which was set earlier this year at the Paralympics qualifiers held in the United Arab Emirates.

Team Nigeria’s impressive run continued with the qualification of Uwak

Unymi for the final of the 200m women T46 category in 26.65 seconds. The athlete is set to compete in the event, which is scheduled to hold later today at the main bowl of the London Olympic Stadium in Stratford.

The duo of Wasiu Yusuf and Alex Adewale will also begin their quest for a medal when the men’s wheelchair tennis singles event gets under way in London today.

Meanwhile, captain of Nigeria’s contingent, Obioma Aligekwe, has appealed to the Presidency through the Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, for equal recognition as their able-bodied counterparts.

growth rates in GDP terms have not been matched by corresponding improvement in the living standards of our people. It seems that the richer our countries become in GDP terms, the more our people get enmeshed in poverty. It is clear that in addition to GDP as a factor of measure of growth, we need another factor of measurement of the well-being and improved living standard of our people.

“This was noted in the recently launched 2012 Annual Report of the Africa Progress Panel of which I am a member. The report stated that countries across Africa are becoming richer but whole sections of society are being left behind. After a decade of buoyant growth, almost half of Africans still live on less than $1.25 a day. Wealth disparities are increasingly visible. The current pattern of trickle-down growth is leaving too many people in poverty, too many children hungry and too many people especially young people without jobs. Governments are failing to convert the rising tide of wealth into opportunities for their most marginalised citizens. Unequal access to health, education, adequate food and nutrition, water and sanitation is reinforcing wider inequalities. Smallholder agriculture has not been part of the growth surge, leaving rural populations trapped in poverty and vulnerability .

TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

Premiership Fixtures Today’s Matches West Ham v Fulham 12:45 Swansea v Sunderland 15:00 Tottenham v Norwich 15:00 West Brom v Everton 15:00 Wigan v Stoke 15:00 Manchester City v QPR 17:30

Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012 Liverpool v Arsenal 13:30 Newcastle v Aston Villa 16:00 Southampton v Man. Utd 16:00

European Super Cup Chelsea 1-4 Atletico Madrid

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