Jan:24:2016 by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

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News

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Trade: U.S. Commerce Secretary, 50 others arrive Nigeria today

Nation reels under effects of dollar scarcity

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Vol. 6 No. 4

January 24, 2016

National Mirror Online

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Modern day slavery

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NUT urges Reps to probe private schools

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Ex-minister denies seeking refuge in Dubai

Supreme Court upholds Lagos court ’s death sentence

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L-R: Chief Bisi Akande; former Governor of Ogun State Aremo Olusegun Osoba; National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Chairman, Chief John OdigieOyegun and Minister for Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, during the funeral and thanksgiving service for the minister ’s father, Pa Pius Okonkwo Ngige, at St. Mary ’s Catholic Church in Alor, Anambra State, at the weekend.

FG sacks top civil servants for employment racketeering

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£33m winning lottery ticket ‘washed in jeans ’ News

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FG vows to clear land mines in North-East

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Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

What ’s new Politics

Seven Days TALKING POINTS OF THE PAST WEEK January 24, 2016

Dasukigate: Kalu, The Sun return N9m

NNPC shuts Warri renery

Passion

Akinjide, Lanlehin, ex-Rep mourn Olubadan Prominent Nigerians yesterday continued to mourn the demise of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade I, with former Senator of Oyo South, Senator Femi Lanlehin, describing him as a brave leader, who made indelible mark on the sands of time. In a condolence message signed by him on behalf of the Lanlehin dynasty, he said Oba Odulana would

continue to live on in the hearts of the people, adding that those who live for the people don ’t die. The Ekarun Bamofin of Ibadanland said the peace witnessed in Ibadan during the reign of Oba Odulana did not come as a surprise because he had demonstrated his peaceloving nature by fighting for global peace during the World War.

$1bn lost to oil swap deal –NEITI

‘No man can ruin my acting career ’ –Rekiya Abidemi Yusuf 12 Wellness Excessive alcohol causes hepatitis, liver damage –Medics

ing diseases that have continued to ravage the human race. In recent times, it has been on the increase. According to findings, some people contract it through exposure to industrial organic solvents and plants while others unfortunately bring the ailment upon themselves through the habit of consuming excessive alcohol.

Even at that, the poor habit exhibited by these habitual drinkers has not prevented the efforts of experts in the field to carry out researches into the import of the ailment on infected people. They continue to hammer on the dangers of too much alcohol intake while discovering drugs that could abate the damage caused by the disease...

Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiatives, NEITI, said Nigeria lost over $I billion in the oil swap agreement contract of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, from 2011 to 2012. NEITI stated this at the public hearing organised

by the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee to forensically investigate officials of NNPC and its subsidiaries, including the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS. NEITI, in its report noted that the objective of the swaps arrangement might have been compromised and abused.

As Nigeria ’s anticorruption war gathers momentum, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said it wanted to interrogate some beneficiaries of the N120m compensation paid to some newspaper outfits even as the Sun Newspaper recently announced that they have returned the N9million it received from the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), which was given to them from the office of the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. Managing Director/Editorin- Chief of The Sun, Mr. Eric Osagie, in a statement said it took the decision to return the

Buhari ’s N795m budget for website update a fraud –Reps Some members of the House of Representatives yesterday, expressed displeasure over the N795m budgeted for website update in the corrected version of the 2016 budget by President Muhammadu Buhari. They also frowned at the N536m earmarked to link cables from drivers ’rest room, guest house to the Aso Villa, describing it as a fraud. The lawmakers also asked Buhari to apologise to Nigerians over the unnecessary controversy he allowed to trail the 2016 Appropriation bill. They further described the corrected version of the N6.08trn budget proposal submitted to the House as waste-

Anti-corruption war: More heads to roll, says Buhari Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday granted bail to the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, in the sum of N400 million, with two sureties in the sum of N200 million each. Metuh was escorted to the court in handcuffs in company of fierce-looking and armed prison wardens. Justice Okon, who delivered the rul-

ing after hearing the bail application argued by Metuh ’s counsel, ordered that the two sureties must own property in Maitama, Abuja. The judge also ruled that the sureties must produce the Certificates of Occupancy of the property, which must be verified by the Chief Registrar of the court and confirmed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Herdsmen, farmers clash: FG to grow grass The Federal Government is set to put end to the roaming of the cattle rearers and the perennial conflicts between pastoral Fulanis and crop farmers nationwide with its new initiative aimed at commercialising production of grass for feeding cattle. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who made this pronounce-

ment yesterday, said that agribusiness in the livestock sector would be improved and expanded, maintaining that government is taking a radical step towards growing grass on a large scale all over the country. He disclosed that some grasses taken from Africa to Brazil and subjected to 16 years of research for use in that country, producing 28 per cent crude protein.

money following the controversies it has generated and also as a means to come clean. “The Man¬agement of The Sun Publishing Limited has considered the public outcry and diverse controversies generated among media houses, the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and the public over the N120 million paid by the Goodluck Jonathan administration as compensation to newspaper companies for the unlawful seizure of their newspapers and stoppage of circulation by armed soldiers in several cities across the country in June 2014, ” the statement read.

ful and a fraud. The legislators insisted that the act has caused the country an embarrassment in the eyes of the international community. Some members of the House, who made their dissatisfaction with the budget known during the debate on the Appropriation bill, accused the government of corruption. Contributing to the debate, Johnson Agbonayinma, representing Egor, Ikpoba, Okha Federal Constituency of Edo State, said he did not see the first budget that was laid before the House on 22nd December, 2015 by the President.

Siaka Nimat

A MODEL, BEAUTY QUEEN AND POTENTIAL WRITER.

MON

smooth transition in the confluence state. The chairman of Yahaya Bello transition Committee, Dr. Isah Shuaibu disclosed that the meeting with the out-going administration ’s Committee became necessary with a view to fast track the arrangement...

the shutdown of Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries because of the vandalism of its crude oil pipelines. A statement by the Corporation had informed that the plants were shut simultaneously on Sunday after the Bonny – Okrika crude supply line to the Port Harcourt Refinery and the Escravos- Warri crude supply line to the Kaduna Refinery suffered breaches.

As soon as I ’m up, I say my prayers after which I go for workout. It might not necessarily mean going to the gym but I do work out. Just to keep fit and to maintain my good physique. Then I get set and prepare for some outdoor and studio photo shoot and that keeps me busy all day.

TUE

Only recently the both APC/ Yahaya Bello and PDP/Wada Transition committees met to fashion out a peaceful transition programme and hitch free handing over of the mantle of governance in the state while prayers were offered in mosques and Church for

Nigerian National petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has shut down the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, WRPC. Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the Corporation, Mr. Ohi Alegbe confirmed in a telephone interview yesterday that the Warribased plant has also been closed. NNPC had on Wednesday announced

Still same daily routine but after I ’m back from my work out, I shower and get set to go to the library, to get inspiration and write down some stuffs. I love writing.

SUN SAT FRI THU WED

Yahaya Bello ’s tortuous road to Lugard House

After my daily routine, I attend events or meetings that might have been fixed before time and attend them as a beauty queen.

After the usual dailies, I sit down in my room to write, writing keeps me busy. This is the day I usually map out lots of designs because as a fashionista, I design what people wear and choose how best it would blend.

I visit the movies with friends, and there after go for launch and dinner together. This is the Sabbath day, I always remember to keep it holy. I don ’t do much, I try to rest on this da *By Adaeze Amos (08023012293)

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

THE

Big Read SUNDAY SPECIAL INVESTIGATION

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

Nation reels under effects of dollar scarcity

CBN Governor

For an import-dependent economy, the crash in oil prices and scarcity of dollars have taken their toll on businesses and consumers alike. PAUL OMO OBADAN writes on this ill wind that blows no one any good.

hinedu Ogbonnaya had to scream at the dollar hustlers to get them to leave him alone. Black-market hagglers peddling greenbacks in exchange for Nigerian naira surrounded the 42-year-old business owner as he made his way to the registered money changers on Broad Street in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial center. Chinedu wanted to buy U.S. currency so he could keep his clothing store boutique afloat by stock-

‘THERE IS CAUSE FOR CONCERN’

ing it with Chinese fabrics, but they made it hard for him to pass. However, his bank said they didn’t have dollars,” he confided to Sunday Mirror. Policy makers, despite the plunge in the naira, started imposing restrictions on currency trading in, a move that’s forcing many Nigerians, like Chinedu, to navigate through hordes of black-market dealers to get to registered traders.

The economy and Nigerians are left to bear the brunt under the weight of the oil drop, and a dollar shortage. To support the naira, Nigeria has depleted foreign-exchange reserves to the lowest level since Bloomberg began compiling records in July 2010. The Central Bank of Nigeria in January blocked the nation’s 2,500 exchange houses from buying foreign currency from lenders. Bureaus must sell greenbacks within a range of 3.5 per cent of what they paid for them at weekly auctions run by the central bank. “We’ve been removed from our biggest source for dollars,” Aminu Gwadabe, president of the Association of Bureau de Change of Nigeria, said in an interview with newsmen recently. “That’s putting the BDCs under pressure,” he said, The money changers want the band at which they’re allowed to sell dollars to widen to 6 per cent above or below the rate the regulator uses, Gwadabe said. That will save their businesses and make it easier to stamp out black-market trading, he said. Each bureau can buy about $30,000 a week from the central bank, giving them control of a significant part of Nigeria’s foreign-exchange market, Gwadabe said. However, some bureaus are using traders on the black market as agents to make wider margins on their foreign currency, Aliu, one of the dealers on Broad Street, said in an interview. Black market traders charge more for dollars and skip the paperwork CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 r e -

‘NIGERIA NEEDS TO DIVERSIFY THE ECONOMY’

The Big Read

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘There is cause for concern’

Ojelede

Adeosun

Buhari

The consistent rise of the United States’ Dollar against the naira has

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 quired by the exchange houses. Policy makers haven’t only targeted money changers in their efforts to shore up the local currency. They’re also using a range of rules to prevent speculation and stop people from hoarding dollars on the concern that the naira will weaken. JPMorgan Threat Foreign-exchange turnover started sliding after mid-December 2014 after the regulator ordered banks to hand over their foreign-exchange positions to the central bank on a daily basis, having previously allowed lenders to hold one percent of shareholder funds in overseas currency. They increased the limit to 0.5 per cent in January 2015 after JPMorgan Chase & Co. said the lack of liquidity could force it to reconsider including the country’s local debt in indexes tracked by more than $200 billion of funds. The central bank last February scrapped twice-weekly foreign-exchange auctions at which the naira was sold to banks at a subsidised rate in a band that varied a maximum of 5 per cent on either side of 168 per dollar. That effectively devalued the currency for the second time in three months as the regulator allowed the naira’s exchange rate to be determined only in the openly traded interbank market, rather than a pegged value at the sales. Increase Supply Those steps followed a system introduced February 13, 2015 that prevented local dealers from buying foreign currency without proving it was needed to fulfill planned transactions. Banks were banned from selling dollars to the BDCs because the process was abused. Without the ability to import fabric, Chinedu said his company will fail. He said he tried last November to follow the advice of his Nigerian bank by drawing dollars while on a business trip to China. When he was unable to, he said he resorted to the bureau de change. “My business has to continue,” Chinedu said, raising his voice in indignation. Chinedu’s ordeal resonates with the plight of importers across board. The financial sector appears to have entered a heightened pressure, as both the foreign exchange and stock market sustained major negative trends. The naira depreciated further to a 43-year low at N305 per dollar last week as scarcity of dollars intensified in the unofficial market. From an average of N287 per dollar a fortnight ago, the parallel market exchange rate rose to an average of N305 per dollar across the country. Similarly, the stock exchange, which opened this year at market capitalisation of N9.851 trillion began a free fall, closing at N8.63 trillion while the NSE ASI which opened the year at 28,642.25 points closed at 25,103.05 points. The losses were heightened in the last week with a cumulative two-day loss of N430 billion following the escalated foreign exchange management crises which came with CBN’s announcement of its decision to cease sale of foreign exchange to BDCs on account of the precarious state the operators had forced the entire economy. BDC sources who confirmed the development to Sunday Mirror, however, said that the exchange rate situation is

virtually affected the prices of electronics, stationery, clothes, building materials, food such as sugar, rice, vegetable and palm oil among others. uncertain as the rate changes from time to time. Investigation revealed that though the exchange rate touched N305 in major cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano and Abuja, it rose slightly to between N295 and N300 per dollar in Lagos and Abuja at the close of business, while it closed at N305 in Kano. A Lagos based BDC operator who spoke to Sunday Mirror on condition of anonymity said: “The Central Bank of Nigeria continues to misdiagnose the pressure on the naira,” ignoring that tumbling oil prices have hurt the country’s terms of trade and resulted in assets being sold off, The price of oil, which accounts for 90 per cent of export earnings and 70 per cent of government revenue, has tumbled more than 550.” Financial analysts believe that the CBN’s state-of-theeconomy address, which came with the BDCs forex ban are having immediate negative effects on the economy, causing investors to withdraw from the Nigerian bourse to safer securities on the continent. CBN justifies action against BDCs Justifying the ban, the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, had said: “This fall in oil prices also implies that the CBN’s monthly foreign exchange earnings has fallen from as high as $3.2 billion to current levels of as low as $1 billion. “Yet, the demand for foreign exchange by mostly domestic importers has risen significantly. For example, the last we had oil prices at about $50 per barrel for an extended period of time was in 2005. “At that time, our average import bill was N148.3 billion per month. ‘’In stark contrast, our average import bill for the first nine months of 2015 is N917.6 billion per month, even though oil prices are now less than $35 per barrel. “The net effect of these combined forces unfortunately is the depletion of our foreign exchange reserves. ‘’As of June 2014, the stock of Foreign Exchange Reserves stood at about $37.3 billion but has declined to around $28.0 billion as of today. “With the current economic realities in the country, the NSE, with the aim of hitting N200 trillion market cap by 2019, may well be moving away from its target. ‘The economic future looks gloomy’ Maxwell Ojelede, Chief Economist of Oldstone & Green, sub-saharan Africa’s leading Intelligence firm said things are going to go high because we are a highly import dependent Nation dependent Nation. “Scarcity of dollars will drive dollars prices higher and demand and demand will far exceed supply. Also taking into consideration fallen crude oil prices, which is currently at $28 per barrel- a twelve year low, and the bearish stock market, locally and internation-

ally, the economic future looks gloomy, If you watched Director General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema’s interview with CNN’S Richard Quest at Davos, he expressly stated that there is cause for concern. And he put the economic outlook at 8 on the worry wall, two points short of 10. Ten is gloom,” Ojelede said. Prices of goods inflated over forex scarcity Meanwhile, the scarcity of foreign exchange has taken a heavy toll as the prices of some imported goods in the country were inflated in recent times. The consistent rise of the United States’ Dollar against the naira has virtually affected the prices of electronics, stationeries, and clothes, building materials, food such as sugar, rice vegetable and palm oil among others. Prices of some goods, according to recent surveys, have increased by as high as 15 per cent in some instances. A bag of sugar in some markets in Lagos are now N9,000 up from N7,500 two weeks ago, a 25 litre of vegetable and palm oil now sold at between N7,500 to N8,000 from N6,700. Battery pack AA size was N250 and now N350. Rice, a staple food in almost all the households in the country was affected by the price hike in the market, a 50 kg of imported rice is now between N10,700 to N11,000 and the 25 kg as high N5,500 from about N10,000 and N4,800 respectively in the December 2015. At the electronic markets, phone such as BlackBerry, Infinix, Samsung, Nokia, and LG and their accessories went up sharply as some distributors increased the prices by almost five per cent when the naira crashed to about N300 per dollar two weeks ago. A phone retailer in Ikeja, Mr. Nnamdi Obi told Sunday Mirror that since the crash of naira against the dollar at the parallel market, some distributors stopped supplying phones, which shot the price up in the market. Sunday Mirror investigation further revealed that as the value of the naira crashes further, business people are also readjusting values of their wares so as not to incur losses while consumers groan over the increase. For instance, a dealer in imported clothes in Alade Market, Ikeja, Lagos, Eunice Adebayo, told Sunday Mirror that she had to constantly adjust the prices of her wares because if the prices remain fixed, the losses she would incur could cripple the business. She said a new shirt for men, which previously sold at N4,200 is now sold between N4,700 to N5,000 while a pair of denim trousers rose from N3,000 to N4,000. Likewise, a housewife said she bought an imported brand of diapers, which used trade at N3,500 previously at an increased rate of N5,000 per big pack while a tin of large can of milk that sold at N1,200 was jerked up to N1,600. An economic analyst who did not want his name menCONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sunday, January 24, 2016

The Big Read

‘Nigeria needs to diversify the economy’

Mrs. Dubi Itiveh is the Managing Director, CIT Bureau De Change, a subsidiary of Capitalfield Investment Group Ltd, Lagos. She sheds more light on prolonged scarcity of dollars in this interview with PAUL OMO OBADAN.

What led to this scarcity of dollars and how can we get out of this mess? The major cause of the scarcity is the dwindling price of crude oil in the global market. As at January, 2014 the oil price per barrel was $102.10, it dropped to $45.69 in August 2015 and now it is sold below 30 dollar per barrel. This has greatly affected our earnings as a nation since we depend solely on oil. Sometimes in 2015, CBN decided to include some imported goods and services on the list of items not valid for forex in the Nigerian forex market and no BDC is to provide FX for any of the 41 items. Thirdly, some official platforms where BDCs could access fund from the banks was also shut down. These and some other policies by the CBN in the bid to reduce the depletion of our foreign reserves put so much pressure on the dollar available in the parallel market.

Diversification of the nation’s mono-cultural economy is a way to arrest the depreciation of the naira against other major currencies.

How can President Muhammadu Buhari turn around the economy of Nigeria? In turning the economy around, Buhari needs a long time plan. Restriction on foreign exchange alone is not enough. There are some certain areas he can concentrate on which are as follows; The first sector I would like to talk about is power. This is a sector that is long overdue. I hope the new minister can break the jinx that has been in existence in that sector. Though it is going to be a long time project before it can be accomplished. A lot of manufacturing companies have folded up because of the cost running on diesel. SMEs cannot thrive either because a large chunk of their supposed profit has gone into generating electricity themselves. We need honest and genuine drive to revive that sector because it will go a long way to improve our economy. Next in line is on export. Nigeria as we know today is an import dependent economy. Our balance of trade is not in any way balanced, the amount of dollars we spend is way more than we earn. Our over dependence on oil export is really affecting us with the global price of crude oil dropping and our foreign reserve also been depleted, the need to focus on export cannot be overemphasized. We have the agricultural sector, mining/solid minerals. We need to really develop these sectors so that we can earn more FX. I have also noticed that why we don’t earn much even with what we do with these sectors is because we do not add value. Value adding is another area we must look into when it comes to export. It will help us earn more. What I mean is that for instance, rather than just plucking off cashew seeds and selling at the raw stage and then they bring it back to us as finished

What the government can do to revamp the naira still boils down to ensuring that local production of goods and service is encouraged. Nigeria depends too much on imported goods; we import everything that is not good for our naira and our economy. The CBN tried out a policy by taking out some products and ser-

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 tioned said the CBN committed the biggest blunder by stopping sales to BDCs. “The correct thing to have done was to increase allocations to BDCS and increase supervision of that sector. The N305 rate may worsen, even up to N500 in a month or two. When viewed against the official rate of N200, there is a window for round-tripping dollars, profiteering without real activities, through currency speculation”, he noted. However, the BDCs are still mounting pressure on the CBN to reverse the decision banning sales of forex to BDCs. The President, Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria, ABCON, Alhaji Aminu M. Gwadabe told our correspondent they are still anticipating further action from the CBN over the issue. In the oil and gas industry, stakeholders have also been complaining of their inability to assess foreign exchange in an industry that is dollar-dominated. Consequently, many of them have been losing millions of naira, as they find it difficult to carry out their corporate contractual obligations. For Chika Ikenga, Group Managing Director, Eunisell, an indigenous oil and gas company, it is a growing concern, because his company has been losing hundreds of millions of naira due to foreign exchange scarcity. “We have lost hundreds of millions of naira due to exchange rate differences. If you had your contract already agreed upon at N200 to one dollar, and you now pay your suppliers at N300, you can imagine the loss being suffered as a result. If you multiply it with what you need to pay, it runs into hundreds of millions of naira. “What the government needs to do is to ensure that manufacturers who are bringing in raw materials have access to foreign exchange. People who are bringing in equipment

used for manufacturing have access to foreign exchange. People who are bringing in equipment in the oil industry have access to foreign exchange,” he said. The CBN had banned importers of 41 items from accessing dollars from the official forex market as part of measures aimed at preserving the external reserves from further depletion and thereby stabilize the naira. The policy has attracted strong reactions and criticisms from companies and stakeholders, including the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, which said the CBN’s action would lead to massive factory closures and job losses. According to LCCI, some of its members lost about N1.46 trillion in six months. The LCCI Director-General, Muda Yusuf, attributed the loss to stalled business activities due to inadequate supply of foreign exchange as a result of Federal Government’s policy on foreign exchange restriction. He said LCCI’s third quarter 2015 business environment survey showed that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s forex restriction policy proved the costliest of all government policies in recent years. Yusuf explained that a significant number of the 41 items banned from the official forex market constituted major raw material inputs for many manufacturers, and as such, their exclusion from the market would jeopardise the continued operations of many companies. Yusuf, who noted that firms had defaulted on contracts and lost credit lines, said, “Many companies have defaulted in fulfilling foreign obligations, even blue chip companies for the first time.” The LCCI DG noted that companies had also suffered from the CBN’s attempt to stop the dollarisation of the economy, adding that a ban on foreign currency cash de-

Itiveh

goods and sell at a higher rate, we can also process them, sell to ourselves and also export to some other countries and earn more FX. Government should do more in this area of value adding, get equipment that can process some of these minerals to get more from them before exporting, by doing this, we would earn more when we export. Nigeria is richly blessed with so many natural resources and agricultural produce. Diversification of the nation’s mono-cultural economy is a way to arrest the depreciation of the naira against other major currencies. Apart from diversification of the economy, fiscal discipline and proper economic planning are essential in strengthening the value of the Naira. As the government of the day has promised, it will be to our advantage if they can keep to their promise.

What can the government do to revamp the naira?

vices not valid for forex in the Nigerian forex market, but what they failed to address is the other leg of it which is putting the basic infrastructures in place to encourage local production, until this is done the stability and strength of the naira against the dollar will still be in doubt. What are the effects generally? The effect generally is a reduction in the value of the naira. Due to the law of demand and supply, prices will naturally go up when commodities become scarce. Because of the so much dependence on dollars, the scarcity of same has caused the rates to go up. This in turn has affected the value of the naira because more naira will be needed to purchase the same amount of dollar. This has a ripple effect on the economy; one of such effect is that importers face high cost of importation, which will in turn affect the consumer because the increase in the cost of importing those goods will have to be transferred to the consumers. What are the effects of the scarcity of dollars on your organisation? We have been in business for about eight years now. It was licensed by Central Bank of Nigeria to carry on Bureau De Change business in Nigeria. Our focus is to serve as a trusted guardian in the official foreign exchange market for end-users and offer specialized foreign exchange services. Our objective is to provide personalized and tailor-made foreign exchange services at competitive rates to our esteemed clients in Nigeria and other parts of the world using qualified manpower while operating within the stipulated regulatory framework. The effects of dollar scarcity on our organization, CIT BDC include our inability to meet our client’s demands; high purchase cost and minimal trading which leads to low revenue.

‘Forex controls have hurt manufacturers

posits had forced firms to use informal “transfer markets,” whereby people abroad wire dollars on companies’ behalf. The President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Dr. Frank Jacobs, also stated that a breakdown of the 41 items excluded from the forex market by the CBN had actually led to over 600 items in total being shut out. Both the LCCI and MAN have urged the CBN to review the ban on the 41 items by cutting down on the number. The CBN has yet to accede to the request. Instead, some stakeholders have speculated that the central bank is tinkering with the idea of extending the ban to other imported items in order to preserve the foreign exchange reserves. Some bank executives said that most banks had cut credit lines to importers. However, they said that the challenges some of the importers were facing had to do with the fact that they had the naira equivalent of the amounts they owed their foreign vendors but could not buy dollars from the CBN window due to the ban. A top official of a tier-1 bank explained that some of these importers imported the items when the dollar was going for certain rates. The naira later depreciated and the dollar went up. But they still need to buy the dollar at the CBN window to pay the banks so that the banks can in turn pay the foreign lenders. They may not source this money from the black market for a number of reasons. So, it is really a dilemma. “I think the economy is in a very serious situation. If the CBN should sell dollars to all these people, it means the external reserves will be depleted by $4bn. How many months of fuel imports can the remaining reserves cover then? I think the economy is at a major point and that is why I don’t even envy the CBN now.”

NEWS

Sunday, January 24 2016

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Trade: U.S. Commerce secretary, 50 others arrive Nigeria today Olusegun Koiki

ecretary of Commerce, United States of America, U.S.A., Penny Pritzker, will arrive in Nigeria today through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos with 50 other delegates for a meet-

ing with the Federal Government.

The delegation is expected to arrive in the country at 3 p.m. through a private jet. The 50-man team is composed of businessmen and would seek to grow the Nigerian economy through various investment oppor-

Buhari worried by low ranking of Nigerian varsities

resident Muhammadu Buhari has expressed concern over low ranking of the country’s universities. He expressed the concern yesterday in Bauchi at the 19th to 22nd convocation ceremony of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.

Represented by the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Professor Julius Okojie, he said, “It is worrisome that no Nigerian university is quoted among the top 100 universities in the world. “We rank below a thousand, if we do not aspire to be among the world-class universities, we cannot boast of robust system capable of making the country among the top economies of the world. We have abundance of talents who excel elsewhere but appear incapacitated at home. “This is unacceptable. Whatever makes our abundant talents fail at home and excel abroad must be identified and neutralised for our benefit and that of our future generation,’’ Buhari said. He blamed incessant strikes by teachers as major bottlenecks to progress of the country’s university system. “The repercussions of strike usually retard the smooth running of academic activities with heavy negative consequences,’’ he observed. The President called on the state governments to support and encourage universities situated in their states because they were responsible for harnessing local talents and promotion of local innovations. He however observed that the Treasury Single Account policy was meant to enhance accountability, transparency and revenue. “The seeming challenges, especially in tertiary

institutions, should be seen as a teething problem that will gradually vanish as the policy takes roots. MDAs should, therefore, exhibit patience and understanding, bearing in mind that Nigerians shall surely reap from the fruits of the policy,’’ he said. Chancellor of the institution, Oba Rufus Aladesanmi, urged the graduating students to explore ways of self employment. He further urged them to contribute to the technological and economic development of the country. Aladesanmi observed that in spite of large number of students that apply for admission, a few were being admitted owing to a few facilities. The chancellor called on stakeholders to urgently find both short and long term solutions to the problem. Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Saminu Ibrahim, said the university was graduating 8,127 students for its 19th and 22nd convocation. He explained that the figure included 845 diplomas, 5,577 first degrees, 1,620 postgraduate diplomas and master’s and 85 students as Doctors of Philosophy (PhD). Ibrahim further explained that of the 5,577 first degree graduates, 32 obtained First-Class, 1,203 Second-Class (Upper Division) 2,702 Second-Class (Lower Division), 1,481 Third-Class and136 Pass. On achievements made by the institution, Ibrahim said that 40 academic staff members had obtained PhD. degrees worldwide while many others were pursuing their master’s degrees. He said the institution was constructing six news hostels and renovating the existing ones as part of students’ welfare package.

tunities in the country. A source close to one of the security profiling agencies at MMIA confided in our correspondent that the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria had been notified of the impending arrival of the team and are living no stone unturned to ensure safety and security of the government’s delegates. The source disclosed that the Federal Government has too, through a circular, informed all relevant agencies including securi-

ty personnel of the planned arrival of Pritzker and her team later in the afternoon and has ordered them to work out the strategies to make the arrival hitch-free. Before proceeding to Abuja for a meeting, the delegation would hold a closed doors session with some major private investors in Lagos State. The team, our correspondent gathered, would hold a meeting with the Federal Government tomorrow.

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had last July visited the U.S., and urged investors to invest in the Nigerian economy. During his visit, Buhari addressed the United States Chamber of Commerce and Corporate Council for Africa as well as met with Nigerians resident in Washington DC. The President also met with Pritzker and the U.S. Trade representative, Michael Froman. The United States De-

partment of Commerce, DOC, is the cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. The mission of the department is to “promote job creation and improve living standards for all Americans by creating an infrastructure that promotes economic growth, technological competitiveness and sustainable development.

L-R: Presenter, Channels TV, Emana Ambrose; presenter, TVC, Dapo Aruwajoye; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohamed, and presenter, Channels TV, Sulaiman Aledeh, during the meeting of the Minister with ‘On Air Personalities’, in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO:NAN

Aminu faults governors’ unlimited access to public funds

ormer Minister of Petroleum, Prof. Jibril Aminu, yesterday expressed concern over state governors’ unlimited access to spending of public funds.

Aminu made the statement in Yola in his speech at the third edition of Adamawa Community Dialogue, organised by an NGO, Adamawa Community Advancement Initiative (ACAI). He held that a situation where a governor could

collect and spend state resources at will without recourse to due process needed to be checked if the country must progress. Aminu decried the situation in the country where governors handle state and local government resources like their personal property. “A governor just send for the Accountant-General, who very often is his best friend; maybe his cousin too to bring mon-

ey,” he said. Aminu noted that he had had cause in the past to comment on the excesses of governors who, he said, hijacked council funds and even attempted to control the Federal Government through the governors’ forum. The former senator and PDP chieftain lauded ACAI for its effort to promote unity and good governance in Adamawa. He urged the organisation not to relent in

its efforts to ensure that the state and nation’s resources were judiciously utilised for the benefit of the people. Aminu condemned politics of sentiments, saying those promoting such sentiments use it as screen to cover up their failure. “Ethnicity, religion and other pettiness are all symptoms of non performance; people who fail use ethnicity and religion as something to hang on,’’ he said.

Sultan canvasses compulsory religious studies in schools

ultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has appealed to the three tiers of government to make teaching of both Islamic and Christian Religious Knowledge compulsory subjects in the school curriculum.

Abubakar made the call during the closing ceremony of the 30th National Qur’anic Competition in Lafia yesterday. “It is important for us to

get the basic in our children’s life to have moral upbringing through teaching of religious knowledge. Education is the only legacy parents can bequeath on their children; if a child is well educated, he grows to become a reasonable and responsible leader. “I therefore want to appeal that teaching of religious subjects should be core and compulsory in the school curriculum,’’ he said. He stressed that if this was done; children would be mor-

ally brought up to become good and disciplined citizens. The sultan also appealed to Nigerians to always pray for their leaders rather than curse them so that God would give them knowledge to offer good governance. He said that the appeal had become imperative considering the negative attitude of some Nigerians toward their leaders. “It is important to always at any time of the day remember that we have a president, remember he

is our own president as God Almighty brought him there for us. “It is our duty to pray for him day and night to enable him succeed. We must change ourselves if we want to see a general change in our society; we cannot continue to be doing what we have been doing decades ago, and sit down thinking that things will change. “ Allah will not change us until we change ourselves”, the Sultan said.

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NEWS

Sunday, January 24, 2016

FG considering tax changes to ease economic crisis –VP

igeria’s government is considering changes to the tax regime as part of efforts to overcome the crisis in Africa’s biggest economy brought on by falling oil prices, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said at the weekend. The sharp drop in crude revenues, which provide 95 percent of foreign earnings, has led to the naira hitting record lows on the parallel market as foreign exchange

reserves dwindle. Nigeria is Africa’s top oil producer. Crude prices have fallen in the last few days to their lowest levels since 2003, at just over $27 a barrel, although they staged a rebound on Friday. The 2016 budget assumes an oil price of $38 per barrel. [O/R] Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun has said Nigeria plans to borrow up to $5 billion from multiple sources, including

Ex-minster denies seeking refuge in Dubai

former Minister of Transport in the immediate past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Idris Umar, has denied media reports suggesting that he has properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Umar also denied stories that he had relocated to the gulf nation and was taking refuge there. President Muhammadu Buhari had during his recent to the UAE, signed a number of bilateral agreements with the government of the UAE, one of which will see Nigerians who looted the nation’s resources losing them to the federal government. Dubai is a choice location for Nigerian officials who stash away public funds there, investing in choice properties, main-

Mugabe, who turns 92 on February 21, is the only leader that the Southern African nation has ever known, and his health is being closely watched in and outside his ruling party, ZANU-PF. The party is deeply divided over who will eventually succeed him. The president was shown on the state television network, ZBC, arriving with his wife Grace and several security aides at Harare Airport, where he was met by one of his

and so we could earn more in terms of local resources,” he said. Increasing value-added tax from 5 percent, among the world’s lowest VAT rates, and broadening the tax base were among suggestions put forward by International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde during a visit to Nigeria this month. During her visit, Lagarde also said the IMF did not support foreign exchange restrictions.

The central bank, whose monetary policy committee will meet on Monday and Tuesday, imposed FX restrictions last year aimed at conserving foreign exchange reserves and there have been calls from investors for these to be eased. “We know that the central bank will just have to do the right thing at this time,” said Osinbajo. “The central bank has told us, and it was announced even in the pres-

ident’s budget speech, that they intend to take a flexible approach and deploy whatever tools are necessary to ensure that we stay competitive.” The naira, which has been hit by the foreign exchange scarcity, fell to a record low of 305 per dollar on the parallel market last week, compared with the official rate of 197. The slump has prompted speculation that a formal devaluation of the currency may be imminent.

ly apartments and hotel rooms. One of the agreements signed between Nigeria and the UAE will facilitate the deportation of people suspected of stealing from the nation’s treasury and also the repatriation of illgotten wealth. Following the agreements, which, analysts say, have caused panic among the Nigerian elite,. Umar was named in media reports among those likely to be affected. The former minister, however, said in a statement issued by his spokesman, Mr. Innocent Ebirim, that the former Senator “does not own any property in Dubai and he is in Abuja at his usual place of abode and has no reason whatsoever to hide in faraway Dubai”.

Zimbabwe’s Mugabe back home after heart attack rumours

imbabwean President Robert Mugabe returned home late on Friday after a month-long holiday in the Far East, just over a week after the presidency dismissed rumours that Africa’s oldest president had suffered a heart attack and collapsed.

the Eurobond market, to plug its budget deficit and Osinbajo said changes to taxation were also being considered. “We are looking at increasing our tax coverage,” Osinbajo, who is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, told CNBC in a television interview. “VAT, for instance -we have been doing just about 20 percent coverage. We think that just by increasing coverage we could do much more

vice presidents, Emmerson Mnangagwa, cabinet ministers and security chiefs. Mugabe did not speak to journalists from ZBC or the state-owned press. . Reports about the declining health of Mugabe, who is showing signs of his advancing age, are common, but he likes to describe himself as “fit as a fiddle.” On Saturday, Mugabe will meet another long-ruling African leader, Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who arrived in Zimbabwe on Friday on a three-day official state visit. In 2014 Mugabe was reelected to lead ZANU-PF for another five years, automatically making him the party’s presidential candidate in the next general elections, in 2018.

A cross section of PhD graduating students of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, during the 2010-2014 combined convocation ceremony in Bauchi, yesterday.

Onaiyekan calls for synergy between FG, religious institutions to curb corruption

he Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has called for synergy between the Federal Government and religious institutions to curb corruption in the country. Onaiyekan made the call on Saturday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen at a priestly ordination of nine priests at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria, Pro- Cathedral Catholic Church. He said that the church was ready to cooperate with the government in the fight against corruption. He advised Christians

to contribute in their own way to tackle the problem, adding that the Catholic Church had fought and condemned corrupt practices for 20 years. He said: “There should be a clear synergy between government institutions and religious institutions to come together in the corruption battle. There should be some arrangements whereby government and religious leaders can sit down and see how they can contribute towards the fight against corruption. “If the government wants people to change,

they have to get religious institutions involved. `They (religious institutions) are experienced in that aspect but if you are not reaching out to them, then people will not listen,’’ he said. Earlier during his homily, Onaiyekan told the newly ordained priests to standout for spiritual realities and honest living so that other people would emulate the virtues from them. “This is the first mark of a long journey and we expect you to stay focused and resolute. `We must acknowledge that we are beneficiaries of God’s

grace; we must bring the good news to the society. “You must embrace the priesthood that will come with challenges and desist from material things,” he said. In an interview with newsmen, Rev. Fr Cephas Magaji, one of the newly ordained priests, said that priesthood was a precious gift from God and should not be taken for granted. Also speaking, Rev. Fr. Vincent Iletogbe, another ordained priest, said that the watchword of priesthood should be service and obedience to the will of God.

News

January 24, 2016

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Modern day slavery: NUT urges Reps to probe private schools REGINA OTOKPA

he Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, has called on the House of Representatives to beam its searchlight on private schools indulging in “modern day slavery ” under the guise of employment. This was even as the NUT warned state governments dithering on the payment of teachers ’ sala-

ries to discontinue the act or face the wrath of the union. President of NUT, Comrade Michael Olukoya, speaking in Abuja during its 2016 National Solemn Assembly and Prayers, an annual forum where Christian and Muslim clerics come together to pray for the union and government, had noted that the national union would continue to support industrial actions in states where its

members were being maltreated. According to him, since the House of Representatives have threatened to picket foreign firms over their harsh anti-labour policies, the legislators should first descend on private schools in Nigeria “because charity begins at home. ” He said: “The House of Representatives should beam their search light on those Nigerians that are

operating modern day slavery by way of recruitment and appointment. “The House of Representative private schools who don ’t pay minimum wage and do not respect our labour laws, be they locally owned or owned by foreigners. The way they treat graduates in private schools is very disappointing. “There is no future, no stability, no salaries, and pensions are not there. You cannot even question the

owners on something that should ordinarily be an interaction. We can ’t just sit down here and believe that things are working well. Enough of modern day slavery. “That was why we were very happy when the House of Representatives rose up that they want to go and fight Lebanese and Indian employers. Charity begins at home; there is nobody in Nigeria who has ruled this country in the past that is not having schools. Even religious leaders who came in the name of evangelism are niversity owners. ” The NUT President stressed that although he may not be able to ascertain the statistics of unemployed teachers in Nigeria, it has been common knowledge that Universities and Colleges of Education, on yearly basis churn out

qualified teachers “who, up till tomorrow, have not been employed. ” He said, “Since the opportunity avails itself, we have decided to ask on their behalf because this is their opportunity. Don ’t forget that the NUT is both an aluta and a professional organisation. We owe it as a responsibility to advise our government, especially a government that is coming with a mantra of positive change and correcting anomalies to engage qualified teachers. “There are some states in this country they pay their salary as they like, as a general warning we want to warn all states that are paying half salary or that are paying as they like to stop it before we ask all these states to make their respective states ungovernable.

£33m ticket ‘washed in jeans ’, says potential jackpot winner in UK

Some artists ponder over their fate as their stalls were demolished and artworks destroyed at the Artists Village, National Theatre premises, Iganmu PHOTO:NAN in Lagos, yesterday.

Supreme Court upholds Lagos court ’s death sentence

he Supreme Court on Friday upheld the judgment of a Lagos High Court sentencing a man, Nonso Okeke to death for murder of one Chinwe Ofomatu on October 28, 2004. According to a statement issued yesterday by Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Bola Akingbade, the Appeal Court in Lagos had earlier affirmed the judgment of the lower court. Okeke was convicted by the Lagos High Court on April 13, 2010 for the

offence of conspiracy to commit murder and murder of Ofomatu at her residence in House 18, A Close, Road 403, Festac Town. He was found guilty of the allegations, convicted and sentenced to death by the Court. Specifically, Okeke was convicted and sentenced to death by the trial court for conspiracy and murder contrary to Sections 324 and 319(1) of the Criminal Code Act Cap 17, Laws of Lagos State, 2003. Dissatisfied, Okeke approached the Court of Appeal in Lagos and asked

that the judgment of the lower court be upturned. But the appeal failed as the appellate court dismissed the application. Again, Okeke took his case before the Supreme Court in Abuja and asked that the judgments of the lower courts be upturned. While arguing the case before the apex court, the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem had urged the court to dismiss the appeal and uphold the judgments of the lower courts. Kazeem, who was repre-

sented by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs. Idowu Alakija and Mr. Justin Jacobs had argued that the appeal was devoid of merit, and ought to be dismissed. In its judgment, the apex court upheld the arguments canvassed by the State Government, and held that the appeal of Nonso Okeke lacked merit. The court, in the lead judgment delivered by Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammed thereafter dismissed the appeal and upheld the decision of the lower courts.

woman has come forward to claim the £33m National Lottery jackpot - but said the ticket had been washed in a pair of jeans. The unnamed woman went to a newsagent in Worcester, England with the ticket bearing the winning numbers, but the date and barcode are illegible, Natu Patel, who runs Ambleside News in Warndon said. Camelot confirmed on Friday the winning ticket was bought in Worcester. It has urged the woman to get in touch and send it in within 30 days. The National Lottery operator said: “If anybody believes they have bought the ticket and think they may have lost it, or washed it in their jeans, or it ’s been stolen, they need to make a claim within 30 days. ” The prize money is half the record Lotto jackpot win - shared with a couple from Hawick who claimed their prize within days of

the 9 January draw. Newsagent Mr Patel said the woman was convinced hers was the winning ticket and was “rather nervous and frightened ”. “She said to me it had been through the wash, ” he told BBC News. “It was in a washed condition and so, of course, in a slightly poor state. “But I think if Camelot have the ability to be able to break it down and check it, they ’ll do what they have to do. ” Mr. Patel said the only visible date was 2016 and the serial number and barcode had faded. “We secured it on card and put it in a bag and I asked her to send it to Camelot as they requested, ” he added. Camelot said on Friday it would not reveal the exact location where the ticket was purchased, but hoped that by naming the area it could increase local interest and help find the winner.

According to her, the three injured persons were immediately rushed to Ikorodu General Hospital and have since been transferred to LUTH for further treatment. The LASWA boss said the enforcement of lifejackets on waterways reduced the number of casualties as all

passengers on board were wearing their life jackets. She said immediately the incident was reported, LASWA deployed its water guards to monitor and oversight the situation adding that the Marine Police have also been notified and are currently carrying out an investigation.

One killed as boats collide on Ikorodu waterways FRANCIS SUBERU

he Lagos State Government at the weekend confirmed the boat collision incident reported at Ibeshe in Ikorodu axis of the state on January 21, just as it restated its commitment to continue to im-

prove on safety on the state waterways. A statement signed by the Managing Director of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Mrs. Abisola Kamson, said the incident which occurred at about 8:05 a.m. was as a result of the early morning fog which led to poor vis-

ibility for the captains of the two boats. She said the Authority was able to ascertain what led to the incident from its information gathering machinery and onsite water guards. According to her, one of the boats (MV Cherio), which had 20 passengers

on board was operating at high speed and by the time it noticed the second boat (Olaoluwa) which had no passengers on board, it was too late to avoid a collision. Kamson disclosed that the impact of the collision claimed the life of a passenger on board and left three other persons injured.

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Politics PROVIDING FRESH PERSPECTIVES TO ISSUES

January 24, 2016

Benue people tired of David Mark –Onjeh P 10&40

THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN TAKING MONEY HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO LIGHT. IT IS NOW THE PDP PUBLICITY SECRETARY THAT HAS BEEN ARRESTED. I AM GOING ABOUT FREELY WHILE MY OGA IS IN THE EFCC NET. –DEPUTY NATIONAL PUBLICITY SECRETARY OF PDP, ALHAJI ABDULLAHI JALO.

Kogi:

Yahaya Bello ’s tortuous road to Lugard House

Bello

Faleke

Ahead of the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) new administration to be led by the Governor-elect, Alhaji Yahaya Bello (popularly known as Fairplus), many activities have been put in place to ensure a smooth transition from the Peoples Democratic Party administration to All Progressives Congress in Kogi State. Wale Ibrahim reports on the tortuous road to Lugard House and the challenges of the new administration.

nly recently the both APC/Yahaya Bello and PDP/Wada Transition committees met to fashion out a peaceful transition programme and hitch free handing over of the mantle of governance in the state while prayers

were offered in mosques and Church for smooth transition in the confluence state. The chairman of Yahaya Bello transition Committee, Dr. Isah Shuaibu disclosed that the meeting with the out-go-

ing administration ’s Committee became necessary with a view to fast track the arrangement by the state government for a successful transition, noting that it CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

Ijebus deserve their own state –Awosedo

P 38-39

Briefly APC governorship aspirant seeks credible primaries in Ondo

ince major political parties in Ondo State have returned to the drawing board to map out strategies and put machineries in place on how to outsmart one another in the next gubernatorial election slated for October this year, one of the conditions given by one of the leaders of All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state and a gubernatorial aspirant, Olatayo Aribo, is the organisation of free, fair, transparent and credible primary election. He said this at the media briefing organised by Oyato Campaign Group to drum up support for the APC in the state. In the release, signed by Aribo himself, there must be a primary election devoid of manipulation and imposition, adding that those who voted PDP are now regretting ever associating with the party, popularly known and referred to as party of deceit that produced a sectional governor who has concentrated only on Central senatorial district in terms of development since he became governor of the state. He said that due to the failure of the ruling party to fulfill its electioneering promises, the people of Ondo State have realized their mistakes and are anxiously waiting to put an end to the inglorious and misrule of PDP in the state. He added with the reality on ground it is very certain that the PDP government of cannot fulfill 25 per cent of its promises to the people of Ondo State, adding: “Our state cannot afford to lag behind any longer. Descrbing Ondo and Ekiti states as the worst states in the entire South Westerns states, whose givernors are not different from former President Goodluck Jonathan, who ran the country aground during his tenure, Aribo said: “As a stakeholder and popular political leader in the state, my campaign group is set to mobilize support for whoever emerges as the party ’s gubernatorial candidate through credible primary election. I hereby call on all aspirants to work for the collective interests of the party at all times. “As former House of Representatives and gubernatorial aspirant in the state, so many people have been calling on me to contest again, but all of us cannot be governor at the same time. What is more important to me is the collective interest of the party. That is why our group has started to work across the state to ensure that whoever emerges as party ’s candidate becomes governor come October.

Politics

January 24, 2016

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Benue people tired of David Mark –Onjeh The All Progressive Congress, APC Senatorial Candidate for the February 13 rerun election in Benue South West Senatorial District, Comrade Daniel Onjeh in an exclusive interview with Henry Iyorkase said that it is time up for Senator David Mark now. He said the people of the senatorial district have tolerated the former two times Senate President for too long and have now vowed to replace him. Excerpts: Can you share with us your vision and why you are working assiduously to dislodge the former Senate President, David Mark from the National Assembly? It is very, very simple and the reason I am in the context to oust David Mark is not farfetched. Senator David Mark has been in the Senate for over 16 years and his long years of stay in the Senate have not been commiserate with the development on ground in Benue South. Also, the people have not felt the impact of his leadership. When the people can no longer feel the power or impact of a leader, then a new one is on the way. He had said severally that Benue South is so small a minority and cannot risk being in the opposition in order to attract development from the Federal Government. Now, the same man who made that assertion severally is desperately; very desperately trying to plunge the people into opposition out of sheer greed not knowing that the people have accommodated his leadership ineptitude enough. He has been in power for the past 16 years; the first time he was ever truly elected was when he returned from his self acclaimed exile in 1999. The people sympathetically gave him a chance to lead them and shortly after that his true colours evolved. And because of that, there was agitation to have a change of leadership but because he had found his way deeply into the corridor of power, all the successive governments of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP ensured he enjoyed the federal might and support. As such, all efforts to vote him out have proved abortive because he had always had the state ’s instrument of harassment at his beck and call to put to use in rigging elections; of course he had always had the political structure vis-a-viz the local government structures in his control and he had always had the security at his disposal to use at will thus perpetrating himself in the office against the popular will of the people that has always been expressed at the ballot. From hiding under the guise of Apa State creation to the issue of being the Senate President and as such taking the Idoma people into positions of “prominence ” which did not translate to the advancement and development of the people and now to the issue of defence of the home front against our Tiv brothers. At this juncture, I want to mention emphatically that the Idoma people are not at war with the Tiv. If anything, we have enjoyed an age long relationship and we should be commended for the peaceful co-existence between the Tiv and the Idoma. All over Nigeria, where you have two or more major ethnic groups in a state there has been one form of clash or the other; we haven ’t recorded any. So it is a dangerous precedence that David Mark is trying to set in

Onjeh

BUHARI WILL NOT LEND HIS EARS TO SENATOR DAVID MARK HAVING KNOWN THE INFLUENCE HE ENJOYED IN TIME PAST AND WITH HIS ABYSMAL PERFORMANCE IN TERMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIS PEOPLE

place, which is very, very bad and must be condemned by all well meaning sons and daughters of Benue. What would you wish to do that has not been done by former Senator David Mark? A whole lot. Asides from the primary role of a legislator, our constitutional framework has provided for secondary roles of carrying out oversight functions. Over the past 16 years, there has been series of federal constituency projects that funds were earmarked and made available for but they are nowhere to be found not even their foundations. My opponent is quick to build up a defence that he wasn ’t the contractor. That answer is not good enough to give to the pertinent questions that the people of Benue South

are asking at this point in time of our history because the failure of Senator David Mark to carry out his oversight functions is a pointer and an indication of his culpability in the conspiracy against Benue South. The idea of not been a contractor is not the excuse; he failed completely in the area of carrying out his oversight function. This is one thing I am coming to do; to ensure that whatever resources that are meant for Benue South are judiciously put to use and also, to religiously carry out my secondary functions of oversight on the Federal Government Constituency projects to ensure that a new lease of life is given to the people of Benue South and this I believe is what matters more to the people. Even though we go to legislate, we don ’t legislate strictly for the people we represent alone but

our legislation affects the entire nation. As such, what concerns the people most is applied at home. I am going to be the voice of the voiceless at the National Assembly by presenting their case effectively to ensure proper and adequate attention of the Federal Government. There are a whole lot of things that have been going on and some have even lingered on for decades. For instance, the crisis between the Fulani/Tiv, Agatu/Fulani, we expected as a representative of our people, this crisis would have been resolved by now. Particularly, a Senate President for eight years who wielded power and influence and at some point taunted or considered as the de facto President; he enjoyed that influence which was sufficient enough to arrest such ugly situations in Benue South. The young men who hitherto were predominantly occupied or engaged in farming and fishing have abandoned all of these and have taken to arms in defence of their communities. We believe that in our coming in we shall put in place peace initiatives that would provide for a lasting peace and tranquility in Agatu Local Government Area so that these young people can return to their economic activities. Aside from that, we have so many sectors and aspects of our socio-political and economic life that require the Federal Government ’s attention. In the last 16 years of David Mark in the Senate, there hadn ’t been federal presence in Benue South. This I will ensure happens. Apart from that, I am more and better situated to attract development from the Federal Government and even the State to Benue South and the reason being that darkness and light are incompatible. Buhari will not lend his ears to Senator David Mark having known the influence he enjoyed in time past and with his abysmal performance in terms of the development of his people. We wonder what new David Mark hopes to achieve in the remaining three years at the Senate that he couldn ’t achieve in the whole of his 17 years as a Senator and twice as the Senate President. He became redundant in the Senate and was widely touted as the Senate Chairman Committee on Observation, which for us demeans the collective intelligence of the Idoma people because he practically silenced the voice of the majority of the Idoma people at the Senate; he is not contributing to issues at the Senate, he is not sponsoring bills, he is not chairing any committee, he is just lying redundant there. So it is just a mere act of sheer greed to insist on remaining at the Senate. Since David Mark is not our god and he is not the only one who can represent the people of Benue South, the people have resolved that enough is enough. The issue of defending the Idoma nation against the Tiv, we are not at war with our Tiv brothers and the claim that I am being sponsored by external bodies ’ viss-viz Senator George Akume, Governor Samuel Ortom and Senator Barnabas Gemade to distort the Benue South politics are just mere lies. If one may ask, in what way am I been sponsored, is it in terms of financial war chest? Senator David Mark CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

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January 24, 2016

Man in the News High Chief Saliu Akanmu Olatunpo Adetunji

Controversy dogs ascension of new Olubadan of Ibadan AYO ESAN

ith the passing away of Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Odulana Odugade1 last Wednesday, the new Olubadan in waiting is Chief Saliu Adetunji who until now was the Balogun of Ibadanland. The newspapers, radio and televisions broadcast for the past few days are beaming their searchlight on the successor to the late Olubadan of Ibadan land. Though Adetunji and High Chief Lekan Balogun are both qualified for the position of the traditional rulership of Ibadan, Olubadan but the fact that the late Olubadan came from the same royal line with Lekan Balogun, makes it the turn of the Balogun line of which Adetunji is top in its hierarchy. The system that produced Chief Adetunji as the next Olubadan is a non- hereditary but a graduated system in which descendants of certain households graduate through various stages to mount the throne of the ancient city of Ibadan land. Adetunji, the new Olubadan-designate was recently promoted to the exalted position of the Balogun of Ibadan land by the late Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade which thus put him as the next in line to be crowned Olubadan Adetunji ’s promotion along with others High Chiefs by late Oba Odulana brought misunderstanding between him and the Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi. The cause of the misunderstanding was because late Olubadan had in defiance to the order of the Oyo State Government that all high chiefs wanting to be promoted and installed by the Olubadan should surrender themselves to security check and a medical report installed nine chiefs to fill the vacancies in the Olubadan-in-Council without fulfilling the government requirement. The nine High Chiefs he installed then and which caused uproar included the Accord Party chieftain and former governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, as Osi Olubadan of Ibadan land, High Chief Saliu A.O. Adetunji as the new Balogun of Ibadan land; Chief Lekan Balogun as the Otun Olubadan; Chief Akinloye Owolabi Olakulehin as Otun Balogun and Chief Olufemi Olaifa as Osi Balogun of Ibadan land. He also elevated Chief Eddy Oyewole to the rank of the Ashipa Olubadan; High Chief Tajudeen Abimbola as Ashipa Balogun; High Chief Kola Daisi as the Ekerin Olubadan and High Chief Solomon A. Adabale as the Ekerin Balogun. Others are two high-ranking chiefs, the Balogun Olubadan of Ibadan and Otun Olubadan, Chief Sulaimon Adegboyega Omiyale and Chief Omowale Kuye who died shortly before the exercise in November, last year. The Olubadan in his defence explained that the presentation of health certificate as pre-requisite for promotion of chiefs in the Olubadan lines was not in tune with the culture and tradition of Ibadan A terrible conflict was however averted as some prominent leaders of the ancient

city waded into the matter. Ajimobi not only bowed to their pressure but retraced his steps and softened the state government ’s earlier hard stance, by allowing the elevated chiefs to maintain the status quo, while the chiefs also made some concessions, by agreeing to follow procedures as laid down by the state government Adetunji, who is the next Olubadan was a tailor in his early days and he was said to be famous in crowded Lagos Island where he displayed his excellence in making of both native and English dresses. He later in his life veered into music industry where he started with musical recording which prompted him later to establish his own record label. He started marketing of records produced by his customers and later founded his first record label, Baba Laje Records in 1960 Adetunji jumped the queue in the line of succession to the throne as a result of the death of the Otun Balogun of the land, Chief Sulaimon Adegboyega Omiyale. He later founded and became the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of music marketing companies with subsidiaries known as Omo Aje Sound Studio and Adetunji Label . It was in this endeavour that he was crowned with success of being the man behind the discovery and success of popular leading Fuji star such as the likes of Salami Balogun, Alhaji Amoda Shijuade, Daudu Epo Akara, Saka Olayigbade, and of late, Wasiu Ayinde KWAM 1. One thing that has been seen as a plus for the Ibadan people over the years was the peaceful succession to the Olubadan throne as there were clearly defined hierarchy which made succession easy to com-

prehend and has avoided litigations like the case in many Yoruba towns and cities . But a new dimension was brought to the succession of late Olubadan as for the first time in Ibadan history, there is a conflict as to who to succeed the late Olubadan although many believe that the conflict is non-existent. The conflict has to do with the head of the Seriki chieftaincy line in Ibadan, Chief Adebayo Oyediji who has launched a legal bid to stop the installation of High Chief Saliu Adetunji as the automatic successor to Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade as the Olubadan. Oyediji, along with five other members of the family filed the motion seeking a court order to make the Oyo State Government and the Olubadan-In-Council install him instead of Adetunji, as the Olubadan. Oyediji and others based their prayer on a 1989 Supreme Court judgment, which ordered the recognition of the Seriki as the third line to produce the Olubadan. He accused the Olubadan-in-council of disobeying the court judgement. According to the motion filed by his lawyer, A.G. Adeniran, before the Oyo state Chief Judge, Justice Mukthar Abimbola, the Olubadan -in-Council had since 1989 when the Seriki line obtained a Supreme Court judgment in their favour, denied them the opportunity of being admitted into the Olubadan line. The motion will be heard on Wednesday. According to him, the alleged marginalisation of the Seriki line began since the last Otun Seriki, Chief Adisa Akinloye, was denied the opportunity before he died in 2007. He said that Seriki was the third line in the chieftaincy of Olubadan, adding upon

the denial, the Supreme Court in 1989 ordered that Seriki line be included as the third line to the appointment of Olubadan. Oyediji claimed that the problem with the Seriki line started with the making of the 1959 Ekerin Balogun of Ibadan Chieftaincy Declaration which put Seriki under the Ekerin Balogun of Ibadan and provided for the first time that Seriki can only be promoted to Ekerin Balogun only if there are two simultaneous vacancies occurring in the Ashipa and Ekerin Balogun titles. He explained that upon winning against the then Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Oloyede Asanke, and all the chiefs in Balogun and Olubadan line, after challenging the said chieftaincy declaration, the Olubadan then prevailed on the Seriki chiefs not to insist on three lines for the Olubadan chieftaincy, but that rather chiefs in the Seriki line should cross to Ekerin Balogun and Ekerin Olubadan on the two lines whenever there is a vacancy in any of the two lines. According to him, the out-of-court agreement was that the Balogun and Olubadan lines would each have two steps of promotion from Ekarun to Ekerin in their lines before the Seriki line shall have its own promotion to Ekerin in any of the two lines. Chief Oyediji said that it was the time of Seriki to have a shot at the Olubadan, stressing: “When the agreement was reached, the late Oba Odulana was the only senior ranking high chief in the Olubadan line and we were in the same rank. If that agreement was followed, I am the next person to succeed him. ” In the new motion filed by his lawyer, Adeniran, dated 19/01/2016 marked I/421/07 seeking an amendment to reflect the earlier order of the court, he sought a declaration that “by the provision of the consent judgment delivered by the high court in suit No. I/313/88, it is the turn of the claimants to produce the next Olubadan of Ibadan on both the Olubadan line and the Balogun line ”. He also sought the order of the court “setting aside the purported appointments made by the 1st defendant (Oba Odulana) to fill vacancies existing in the chieftaincy titles of Ekerin Olubadan, Ashipa Olubadan, Osi Olubadan, Otun Olubadan and Balogun Olubadan of Ibadan since the 21st of November, 2008 up till the last appointment he made on the 1st of January, 2016 ”. Oyediji also called for an order “setting aside the purported approval granted by the Governor of a Oyo state on the 5th of January, 2016 or thereabout to the appointments made by the 1st defendant on the 1st of January, 2016 to fill vacancies existing in the chieftaincy titles ”. But following the clamour by the leader of Seriki Line, Chief Adebayo Oyediji to be the next Olubadan, the Olubadan-in-Council held a meeting at the palace of Oba Odulana last Thursday insisting that Cheif Saliu Adetunji is the next Olubadan designate. All Ibadan indigenes are eagerly waiting for the governor to formally announce who succeeds the late Olubadan.

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Wellness YOUR HEALTH AND HEALTH RELATED ISSUES January 24, 2016

Excessive alcohol causes hepatitis, liver damage –Medics

Victims of hepatitis

TITILOPE MORAKINYO

epatitis is one of the life-threatening diseases that have continued to ravage the human race. In recent times, it has been on the increase. According to findings, some people contract it through exposure to industrial organic solvents and plants while others unfortunately bring the ailment upon themselves through the habit of consuming excessive alcohol. Even at that, the poor habit exhibited by these habitual drinkers has not prevented the efforts of experts in the field to carry out researches into the import of the ailment on infected people. They continue to hammer on the dangers of too much alcohol intake while discovering drugs that could abate the damage caused by the disease. According to a medical practitioner with Mount Carmel Hospitals, Ikorodu, Lagos, Dr. John Osondu, hepatitis is a medical condition characterised by the inflammation of the liver and the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar, the root being hepat, meaning liver, and suffix, meaning “inflammation ”. The condition can be self-limiting (healing on its own) or can progress to fibrosis (scarring) and cirrhosis. Hepatitis may occur with limited or no symptoms, but often leads to jaundice, anorexia (poor appetite) and malaise. The disease is said to be acute when it lasts less than six months and chronic when it persists longer. Worldwide, hepatitis viruses are the most common cause of the condition, but it can be caused by other infections, toxic substances (notably alcohol, certain medications, some industrial

organic solvents and plants) and autoimmune diseases. Initial features, the doctor said, are of nonspecific flu-like symptoms, common to almost all acute viral infections and may include malaise, muscle and joint aches, fever, nausea or vomiting, diarrhoea, and headache. More specific symptoms, which can be present in acute hepatitis from any cause, are profound loss of appetite, aversion to smoking among smokers, dark urine, yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice) and abdominal discomfort. Physical findings are usually minimal, apart from jaundice, tender hepatomegaly (swelling of the liver), lymphadenopathy (enlarged lymph nodes, in 5 per cent), and splenomegaly (enlargement of the spleen). Acute viral hepatitis is more likely to be asymptomatic in children. Symptomatic individuals may present after a convalescent stage of seven to 10 days, with the total illness lasting weeks. A small proportion of people with acute hepatitis progress to acute liver failure, in which the liver is unable to remove harmful substances from the blood (leading to confusion and coma due to hepatic encephalopathy) and produce blood proteins, (leading to peripheral edema and bleeding). Chronic hepatitis may cause nonspecific symptoms such as malaise, tiredness and weakness, and often leads to no symptoms at all. It is commonly identified on blood tests performed either for screening or to evaluate nonspecific symptoms. The presence of jaundice indicates advanced liver damage. On physical examination there may be enlargement of the liver. Acne, abnormal menstruation, lung scarring, inflammation of the thyroid gland and kidneys may be present in women with the ailment. The outcome of hepatitis depends heavily on the disease or con-

dition that is causing the symptoms. For some causes, such as subclinical Hepatitis A infection, the person may not experience any symptom and will recover without any long term effects. For other causes, the ailment can result in irreparable damage to the liver and require a liver transplant. Dr Osondu said viral hepatitis is the most common cause of the disease worldwide. “The most common causes of viral hepatitis are the five unrelated hepatotropic viruses hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D and hepatitis E. Other common causes of hepatitis include toxic and drug-induced, alcoholic, autoimmune, fatty liver, and metabolic disorders. Hepatitis could also be caused by bacterial, parasitic, fungal, mycobacterial and protozoal infections. “Complications in pregnancy and decreased blood flow to the liver can induce hepatitis. Cholestasis (obstruction of bile flow) due to hepatocellular dysfunction, biliary tract obstruction, or biliary atresia can result in liver damage and hepatitis. Excessive alcohol consumption is a significant cause of hepatitis and liver damage (cirrhosis). Alcoholic hepatitis usually develops after a long period of exposure to alcohol so people should be aware that excessive intake of alcohol, Acetaminophen (paracetamol) and antibiotics are hazardous to their health, ” he disclosed. The medic said that giant cell hepatitis is a rare form that predominantly occurs in newborns and children. Diagnosis is made on the basis of the presence of multinucleated hepatocyte giant cells on liver biopsy. The cause of giant cell hepatitis is unknown but the condition is associated with viral infection, autoimmune disorders, and drug toxicity. Herbal remedies and dietary supplements also cause hepatitis. Exposure to other hepatotoxins

can occur accidentally or intentionally through ingestion, inhalation, and skin absorption, Mushroom poisoning is a common toxic exposure that may result in hepatitis. Massive hepatic necrosis is also known and is usually rapidly fatal. The pathology resembles that of sub-massive necrosis but is more marked in both degree and extent. He explained that chronic hepatitis with piecemeal (periportal) necrosis (or interface hepatitis) with or without fibrosis (formerly chronic active hepatitis) is any case of hepatitis occurring for more than six months with portal based inflammation, fibrosis, disruption of the terminal plate, and piecemeal necrosis. This term has now been replaced by the diagnosis of ‘chronic hepatitis ’. Chronic hepatitis without piecemeal necrosis (formerly called chronic persistent hepatitis) has no significant periportal necrosis or regeneration with a fairly dense mononuclear portal infiltrate. Councilman bodies are frequently seen within the lobule. Instead it includes persistent parenchymal focal hepatocyte necrosis (apoptosis) with mononuclear sinusoidal infiltrates. Hepatitis E causes different histological patterns that depend on the host ’s background. In immunocompetent patients the typical pattern is of severe intralobular necrosis and acute cholangitis in the portal tract with numerous neutrophils. This normally resolves without sequelae. Disease is more severe in those with preexisting liver disease such as cirrhosis. In the immunocompromised patients chronic infection may result with rapid progression to cirrhosis. The histology is similar to that found in hepatitis C virus with dense lymphocytic portal infiltrate, constant piecemeal necrosis and fibrosis. Dr Osondu noted that the Autoimmune hepatitis which is genetic causes abnormal immune response against liver cells. “Autoimmune hepatitis has a genetic predisposition as it is associated with certain human leukocyte antigens. The symptoms are similar to other hepatitides and may have a fluctuating course from mild to very severe. Women with the disease may have abnormal menstruation or become amenorrheic. The disease occurs in people of all ages but most commonly in young women. The disease which he termed as lifethreatening affects the liver more than any organ in the body as it also affects liver cells, especially the ischemic hepatitis which occurs due to insufficient blood or oxygen. He said: “The condition is most often associated with heart failure but can also be caused by shock or sepsis. Blood testing of a person with ischemic hepatitis will show very high levels of transaminase enzymes (AST and ALT). The condition usually resolves if the underlying cause is treated successfully. Ischemic hepatitis rarely causes permanent liver damage. In viral hepatitis, the presence of the virus in the liver cells causes the immune system to attack the liver, resulting in inflammation and impaired function. In autoimmune hepatitis, the immune system attacks the liver due to the autoimmune disease. Some hepatitis, often including hepatitis caused by alcoholism, fat deposits accumulate in the liver, resulting in fatty liver disease, also called steatohepatitis. ”

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EDIFYING GOD

The Bible said that man fell and lost his relationship with God and God “drove the man out” Gen 3:24a. The reality here is that the fall of man takes away the humanness and dignity that comes with being made in image of God.

–Prof Kunle Macaulay

Sunday, January 24, 2016

A sign from Heaven

QUOTE

The word of God is true 17

Need for self-discipline 32

Prophecies and Christian beliefs

14 & 15

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he name prophet, which is of Greek origin meaning fore-speaker signifies a delegate or mouthpiece of another. From the general Semitic sense of the root, prophesying means to declare or announce.

The term prophecy can be defined as the foretelling or prediction of what is to come; it something that is declared by a prophet, especially a divinely inspired prediction, utterance or revelation, instruction or exhortation. A prophet to a certain degree could be said to be a seer. The usage of these words gives the historical starting-point for inquiring as to the development of true prophetic practice. At the same time, it must be remembered that seeing is always an essential condition of true prophecy; hence the continued use of the term vision to the last days of prophetic history, long after the time when seeing had ceased to be the most distinctive function of the prophet. According to the historic order of Hebrew prophecy, prophesying began with Moses, who introduced the worship of Yahweh (God) among his people, and gave them the rudiments of law and direction; which subsequent true prophets such as Samuel, Amos and a host of others who kept Israel in the same right course along the line of religious and moral development. These prophets or seers as the case may be, seem to be most active at times of great national or religious peril. Just like Elijah and Elisha in the critical age of the Philistine oppression, were prominent in the days of the Phenician Ba’al-worship. These prophets were not merely seers and diviners, but ministers and companions of leading reformers and national deliverers who instilled in the people, the ideas of God’s immediate rule and the urgency of their claims been so deeply felt by anybody or class of men as in the centuries which witnessed the struggle waged by the prophets of Israel for the supremacy of Yahweh and the rule of justice and righteousness which was His (God) will. Going by this account, the words uttered by the prophets of old were not just mere words, but principles of the divine government and of the right to human and national life. The revelations which were concrete realities given through these seers and preachers whose words both attest and commemorate their visions, confirmed the very nature of true prophetic practice to be spontaneous and, so to speak, non-institutional, as their great service in their day is undeniable. These days, it is the common practice for clerics, particularly those in Nigeria to begin the year with series of prophecies, in which they highlight the things (good and bad) that would happen in the year. While the majority of these prophecies are greeted with so much euphoria by the populace, nothing much has been done in examining them when the year in review runs out. Did the prophecies actually come to pass, or did they end up being figments of some clerics’ imagination? Of all the years past, 2015 being an election year, could be said to record the most predictions from clerics in the country. Prophetic statements were made by men of God who claimed that

Sunday, January 24, 2016

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Prophecies and

Worshippers

From time immemorial, people have always been interested in knowing about the future and there has been no shortages of prophets that have made predictions which they claim were based on some divine inspiration. Yet some of these predictions come to pass, some do not. Odinaka Oruakpa looks at the prophetic predictions from the Christian perspective. God spoke to them concerning the presidential elections in Nigeria. Many predicted peaceful elections, while some said the presidential election will be rigged, marred in violence and end up in court case. Some clerics were cautious enough that year (2015) as their New Year Day statement on the election was very guarded. A popular GO in this category ended up saying, ‘all is well that ends well.’” Yet, another category of clerics made statements like seeing Goodluck Jonathan being reelected as president. Some saw nothing but war and troubles, while others prophesied that Nigeria will not break up. We heard people prophesy military intervention and interim government. A particular cleric predicted that the Presidential election will be inconclusive and that the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega would be confused during the polls as there would be several gimmicks to cajole the INEC to rig the election. Some stated obvious facts like the E-voting system not working, snatching of ballot box and stuffing of electoral paper during the election. A new year, (2016) has begun, so also have prophecies begin to come from

These days, it is the common practice for clerics, particularly those in Nigeria to begin the year with series of prophecies, in which they highlight the things (good and bad) that would happen in the year. men of God of things to expect in the year. Some clerics have predicted that Nigeria will experience economic boom in 2016, adding that the country’s currency would gain strength in the first quarter of the year. Yet, some have predicted that the country will continue to witness economic recession this year. Recounting the historical background of prophecies, Professor Kunle Macaulay, Director of Studies, United Bible University, Ojodu, Ogun State points out that in the Bible days, prophecies existed because in those days, the Israelites were prone to going out of order with God’s command and God used the prophets as mouth piece to pass messages or the mind of God to the people. ”In the Bible days, the Israelites were prone to going out of line with God’s commands and God was very much annoyed

with them. Now, what happened then was that the Israelites were influenced by the religions around them and then, they wanted a king for themselves because on Mount Sinai, God made a promise to them that He would make them a nation and that He would be their God. He (God) gave them constitution; the laws that would govern them, but after moving round for some time, they had contact with some strange nations. What I mean by strange is that the way the people worshipped their gods, the people (Israelites) wanted to be like that. They asked their leader at the time, Samuel to give them a leader. Samuel went to God and presented the people’s request and God said, ‘since they have refused to accept me as their leader, give them a leader, but from now on, I will not be with them; I will not talk to them. I will

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Cover

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Christian beliefs choose my own people, I will put my words in their mouth and they will speak to them. That was the beginning of prophecy. So, during that time, the prophets would say, ‘thus says the Lord’, ‘the Lord said this.’ But the time of prophecy had actually come to an end with the presence of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The Bible states, ‘no man would tell you about me because my spirit will be in you and I will tell you everything.’ Jesus Christ said, ‘what the Holy Spirit finds with the father, He would bring to you.’ So, Christians are expected to have the presence of Holy Spirit them. This idea of prophecy to me in Christianity is very strange. Many things in the Old Testament stopped with the presence of Jesus Christ. People will tell you this or that is written in the Old Testament. Yes, that is true, but then they should follow this Bible historically. When it comes to prophecy, these people who call themselves prophets now, are not prophets; they are deceiving people. It is time for us to let people know that if you are a Christian, you have right to go to God, and God will speak to you. We have to understand that Nigeria belongs to God; whether we have many religions or not; it doesn’t matter. People decide who they want to worship and what they want to worship. But in reality, the whole world is created by God. I don’t see why anybody should come out to tell us what is going to happen. We have accepted Jesus Christ by faith, we have accepted the word of God by faith, and we should hold on to it. If there are promises in the Bible, ‘I will be with you, I will protect you; let us hold on to it. These are the promises of God the father, the creator. We don’t need anybody else to tell us how Nigeria is going to be in June or July. I have read these things in the paper, and it is very strange; it is embarrassing. As far as I am concerned, anybody who says he sees something or is prophesying, I accept him as a fake prophet”, he stated. On people still having the gift of being able to foresee what would happen in future, Macaulay said: “Nobody can foresee the future. Christianity is a religion of spirituality. When you study the Bible properly, the Bible has told us from the beginning of Christianity to the end of Christianity, you don’t need any other medium. If you read your Bible, everything is there; what is going to happen if you believe in God, and what would happen if you don’t believe in God. If you ask from God peacefully; what you are going to get, everything is the Bible. Where you are going if you die, depending on your faith, and how you practice your faith; it is in the Bible. Any nation that is against God, God

will not support that nation. Look at Nineveh, the people of Nineveh were full of very bad acts and God condemned Nineveh. But when Jonah went there, and told them, they changed and God blessed them. This is very simple. What we need are pastors and leaders who can teach the word of God and allow people practice Christianity i.e. what God wants; that is it. We don’t need people telling us today, there would be this or that. Somebody said that our politicians are not given to us by God that we selected. Of course, automatically, we have to select our own politicians, but then, we will expect that God is directing us, God is giving them to us and that is where we are choosing right. I still believe that spiritually, biblically and theologically, nobody would stand in the front or middle of a church, to say that this is what God says; it is very wrong.” According to Rev Fr. Paschal Obioma, Director of Lay Apostolate, Abbi, Delta State, people predict things only to voice their personal opinions of things happening around them, adding that if the prediction come true or not, nobody will hold it against them. “If someone says something according to what they think, that is their personal opinion and they should make it static so that people will know. Everybody is not called to be a prophet. Somebody can predict; it may come true, it may not come true, but nobody will hold it against that person; it’s just only a prediction. Clerics should learn to do that and let people know that they are just predicting as individuals and not prophesying as God’s mouth piece. They are not called to be fortune tellers or diviners. That is the mistake many of these pastors make, they want to tell the people that what they have said will come true; that they are prophets in that way. You can say something that may happen especially when you read the times, if you follow consistently what has been happening, you can predict something. But it would not be like a prophet saying what God has told him to say. Many of these so called prophets of this time claim that God speaks to them and at the end, the things they prophesy don’t come true”, he stressed. When asked if giving prophesies was meant for just the prophets of the Old Testament and their time only, Obioma said: “It depends on the way people understand prophecy. Prophecy or prophesying is just to say the mind of God. It is not necessarily to say what is going to happen in the future. Somebody can prophecy by telling people the mind of God in any situation. So, it is not completely out of use in our time. But when somebody says, ‘God told me’, you have to watch that person because there are so many things that speak to human be-

While advising Christians to avoid listening to any person(s) whose prophecies never came to pass, Adeboye claimed that true and genuine prophets also exist even in the midst of the fake ones.

ings and they should not confuse it with almighty God.” He advised clerics who claim to be prophets to be mindful of what they say because people take them seriously, adding that they should not go deceiving people that God told them something when it is not actually Him (God) speaking to them. Expressing his concern on prophecies made by clerics in the country, Reverend Dare Ajiboye, General Secretary, Bible Society of Nigeria opines that most preachers who claim to be prophets make predictions that would endear people to them and eventually enrich themselves via the people involved in their prophecies. “I am deeply concerned about the way clerics make predictions, but it is not strange to me because the Bible states that some preachers are out to serve their own belly. By making those terrifying prophecies they know quite well that some gullible politicians will run to them and they will claim they will pray for them (politicians) to avert those things and when they pray, knowing that those things are not going to happen in the first place, and when the predicted omen ends up not happening, the person they prayed for will believe God has answered the prayer of the

prophet and as a result, they would come with thanksgiving envelopes. The Bible states; ‘woe unto him who says when God has not said; that means the Bible had already foreseen that people would be saying ‘thus says the Lord’ when God has not said anything. But again, the Bible has told us that we shall know them by their fruits”, he claimed. While advising Christians to avoid listening to any person(s) whose prophecies never came to pass, Adeboye claimed that true and genuine prophets also exist even in the midst of the fake ones. “We had pastors who prophesied that Nigeria will not disintegrate, even when many thought and prophesied it would. So, we still have genuine prophets, but we have a lot of fake prophets who are out to serve their bellies. What I would say is that people, especially the media should take record and compile those prophesies being made yearly, mark those prophets whose prophesies don’t come to pass, then, publish their names with their prophesies. I think by the time you keep publishing this every year, and give yearly analysis of prophesies, names of those who said what and it never came to pass, that would caution them and they would be careful to say what God has not said”, he submitted.

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From the

Pulpit Sunday, January 24, 2016

A sign from Heaven (1)

General Overseer of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministry, Pastor Lazarus Muoka, in this piece, teaches on rapture, when the Lord shall appear from heaven to take the saints away. Excerpts:

Thess 5:1-3 says, “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape”

Having seen that the world is now characterized by death- defying situation, there is no doubt that the rapture of the saints is at hand. No one should therefore be carried away with the temporary peace that the world is clamoring for. The reason being that in the face of this peace sudden destruction awaits those who are in darkness, those who are still living in sin, those who may not make rapture and compromisers. There is no harmony in the peace initiated and designed by the people of the world. Those that hope in it will be sunk in security. In it the world may think that they will be saved. Thus they will see no danger in it or give heed to warning. But at that time the rapture will take place for God’s visitation always comes when the wicked least expected it. So it was in the time of the flood; in the destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, and in the overthrow of Babylon; so it is when the sinner dies. One of the most remarkable facts about the history of man is, that he takes no warning from the warning signs of his Maker. 1 Thess 5:3-5, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness” So take note that very shortly in the face of the peace the world is clamouring for, the Lord shall appear and all those that are not born again will not have opportunity to be born again any longer. So let it be known to you who are born again and are children of God that we must not be carried away by the temporary peace, and joy we are seeing in the world. We must not work like those without knowledge, those in darkness rather we should all be ready, watchful because that day is at hand. Remember, anti-Christ is taking position all over the world. You may know it or not but the fact is that anti-Christ is taking position all over the world. There is no country of the world today that has no present of anti-Christ. One remarkable sign of their presence is the trouble that emerge in any nation they step their foot, and the whole world is in turmoil because of them. They are reacting because they know that there time is at hand. Perceiving the church as an obstacle to their wicked enterprise, they quickly embark upon destroying Churches and persecuting Christians for there is little or no more time for them. That’s why they are coursing

trouble everywhere so that their leader the beast can emerge with counterfeit peace and sinners who are clamouring for peace will accept him and his number. All I want you to understand is that if you are a Christian, the world is not your home. If you are a child of God, don’t be deceived or carried away by all the programme of the world. You should understand that all that is happening in the world today are the work of anti-Christ who are the forerunners of the beast and are preparing for their leader, the beast, that man of sin to emerge and if you look around, you will see they are almost taking over because there’s no more time. 1 John 2:18 says, “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” You have heard that ant-Christ will come but there are so many antichrists’ already who are preparing the way for the main anti-Christ, the beast himself to appear. If there were many antichrists in the days of the apostles – those that opposed Christ, how much more this end time that is why in the world today, they are taking over. That is why today the world is in turmoil. And the mayhem and confusion are warnings to all believers to take heed to themselves that they may not be carried away by the fantasies of the world and be not corrupted for the end in is at hand. 2 Thess 2:6-8, “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” Now take note my brothers and sisters, why have antichrist yet to appear, it is because there are people who through prayers and righteous living are vehemently opposing and binding him. And as long as these people are found on earth, his appearance will remain opposed until they are taken away, that is until rapture when the saints shall go to meet with the Lord. Then at that time, at the sound of the trumpet he shall appear. That is why he is going around the world ensuring that Christianity

is terminated and believers are weakened so that there will be no real believer in the world any longer. So that, as the world is being polluted by the introduction of homosexuality, legalization of gay marriages, abortion, etc and armed robbers, divorces, prostitution and cultists continue to increase, and God seeing that they have provoked Him enough, will appear and take the saints away and then the main anti-Christ who they are waiting and preparing for will appear. But take note, he will not appear when there are many people that are righteous and praying and hindering him. That is why it seems there is still a break in the catastrophe besieging the world. Already, they are doing everything to provoke the Lord to come and take His people away so that, the wicked man shall appear. The Bible said that his coming is as a representative of Satan. 2 Thess 2:8-9 states, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders”. The antichrist is coming with all kinds of wickedness, including lying miracles, signs and wonders to devour people who will not make rapture. But he will not yet come because of the righteous people that are hindering and opposing him. And because of the good work of these people, the Lord will not come to take them away for He knows that these righteous people are going about, preaching the world and trying to turn the world unto Him and trying to win souls unto Him but the antichrist, the forerunners are doing a lot of things to provoke God, to weaken believers so that they will be weak and the Lord will come to take away the remnant that will be saved. Beloved, God has revealed Antichrist to the world, let none willfully shut his eyes against this revelation, but let him open his eyes wide and see signs of the end and take advantage to amend his ways. Rev 13:11-18 says, “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 And he causeth all, Pastor Muoka both small

and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” The point is that after the rapture, this wicked man, the beast that will appear will have powers to give images that can speak and then, when it speaks those people that will refuse to believe or worship him, will be killed, including those people that will refuse to take the mark of the beast will not buy or sell and will be tormented on earth for a good number of years. Such time, even believer who are careless, those that are not truly born again but refuse to receive the mark, will find it difficult to move around and cannot buy or sell. So, if anybody did not accept Christ now when there is grace, it is not when the grace is taken away, when Christ is gone and the grace is gone, when the blood of Jesus will be meaningless that they can be able to be saved. One thing that is very factual is that, if you are not saved now by the grace of God, by the blood of Jesus then you cannot be saved then, so the best thing for you is to take advantage of the grace, escape and be saved and be sure of rapture. This is because when this evil personality will come, when the rapture must have taken place, it will be difficult for you as a child of God to live in the world, move around, buy or sell, in fact it will be a troublous time for you when the beast comes in with a counterfeit peace after three and a half years. After which he will begin to deal with people who did not make rapture. So if you are reading this sermon today, you have the opportunity to escape and amend your ways before the trumpet sounds. You must not be carried away with all the temporal peace that people of the world are carried about with or the things of the world. You should not be carried away by whatever is the enjoyment, whatever peace, whatever the people of the world are looking for. Rather what all of you should be looking for is the sign from heaven. Looking up when the Lord shall come. Whatever you are doing now, please look out for a sign because one day, that sign shall appear. We should not be looking at what is happening in the world, we should look up and begin to prepare because when the trumpet shall sound the Lord will take His people home. My prayer is that nobody reading this sermon will miss rapture in Jesus name. 1 Thess 4:16-18 says, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words” I want to let you know that very shortly the trumpet shall sound, and the Lord shall appear from heaven to take the saints away. The wicked will remain behind, while the righteous, being absolved, shall be assessors with their Lord in the judgment. I pray that every one of us will be among those that shall meet Him on the air in Jesus name.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

From the Pulpit

Sunday, January 24, 2016

The word of God is true

General Overseer of Omnipotence Mission of God, Prophet Joshua Daramola Oloruntimilehin, in this admonition, teaches about the word of God. Excerpts:

he words of God are the truth but it is human being that are not truthful. Many people see and know the truth but refused to say the truth and when it is mentioned who will accept. Some people believe what they say is the truth but it is actually untrue verse versa. A lot of people are not honest and courageous to say the truth.

The Bible says everybody has failed and this is pointed out in Plasm 130 verse 3 “ If you Lord should mark iniquities O Lord who could stand?“ This implies that everybody is guilty and sinful. There is a thing in everybody’s life that is sinful. Imagine a person will abuse another person using that shortcoming to do so forgetting that he or she has his or her own shortcomings. Therefore many people are not honest and truthful. People betray God in oneway or the other even themselves. Some men are pursing wives of other men. Similarly some women do it. A lot of rich people donate huge some of money to churches and mosques and if the sources of the money are not clean, then the money is not accepted by God. It is only the Pastor and the congregation that would appreciate and thank the donor. The donor can only receive goodness from the congregation because they do not know the source of the money. There is no record of such money

and appreciation of the congregation in heaven. People that receive bribes to prevent normal course or procedure to prevail inflict injuries death on others have committed sin. For instance those that are responsible to control and prevent the influx of fake drugs into the country should receive bribe and allow the drugs to enter the markets realising that taking the drugs would cause death of people. Then the giver and receiver of the bribe are guilty and sinned before God because the bribe money is already stained and unacceptable by God. These kinds of people would not be honoured in heaven. In recent time many government pensioners lost their in course of collecting their pension funds. They were invited to come and collect their pension fund but they were shocked when they informed them no fund was forthcoming. Infact this incidence led to collapse and death of some pensioners. It was revealed later that some govt officials had embezzled the fund meant for the pensioners inflicting agony and pains on elderly people. If the people that caused the problems for the pensioners now donates such money to the churches or mosques then they are in danger, they will not be honoured in heaven and God will always be by the side of the oppressed. The Bible says in Proverb 22 verse 22 – 23 “ Do

not rob the poor because he is poor. Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate. For the Lord will plead their cause…”. Some people make others to commit sins and they are always serving God diligently and work in the church. Some ladies seduce Pastors and men of God and make them to fall before. They have commited great sin. Also some members of the same churcu would lure other members to herbalists and eventually destroy their lives. Some years ago a man came to me, he was captain of a fishing trawler. He was jobless and I prayed for him and did some spiritual work for him and things changed for better for him. Unfortunately a member of the church took him and the wife to a herbalist where all he had was destroyed and his life. Infact he stopped coming to church again and was avoiding me. But I sent some people to him when revealed to me that he was toying the path of destruction, he did not heed the

event, a place, a habit, a pleasure, an entertainment, and an honor. But if this otherwise good thing drags you down, you must strip it away. Any seemingly innocent thing that lures you downward and sin-ward must be tossed aside and forgotten. What are the “weights” that we should remove so that we might win the race? The Jules Verne novel, “The Mysterious Island,” recounts the ordeal of five men traveling in a hot air balloon. The wind blew the balloon over the ocean. After much time, the balloon began dropping toward the water until they were just above the surface. To get rid of excess weight they threw overboard nonessentials like shoes, coats and weapons and the balloon rose slightly. As it sank again, they tossed over their food, saying: “Better to be alive in the air and hungry, than dead with a full stomach.” When the balloon began to sink again, they cut away the basket they were standing on and hung onto the ropes. It worked! The balloon rose! They landed safely and were saved! They learned: That as long as they surrounded themselves with things they thought essential they continued to sink toward death. Divest Sin: We should also get rid of “the sin that so easily entangles” (Heb. 12:1, NIV). Each one of us must examine ourselves to know what sins easily entangle us. Yours may be different from mine. Each one has his price! However, the writer may also want us to avoid the sin of unbelief. It was unbelief that kept Israel out of the Promised Land, and it is unbelief that hinders us from entering into our spiritual inheritance in Christ. What sin is it that so easily entangles you? Sensuality? Covetousness? Envy? Criticism? Laziness? Hatred? Lust? Dishonesty? Angry

outbursts? Unthankfulness? Pride? Whatever sin it is, it must be stripped off and left behind. Divest sin now! Before sin deals with you and degrades you! A young girl was being examined for membership in a local church. “Has Christ made a difference in your life?” one deacon asked. She replied that He certainly had. Trying to draw her out more, he asked, “Well, then do you sin anymore?” The girl admitted that she did. “Well, if you sinned before you were a Christian and you sin since you became a Christian, how has Christ made a difference in your life?” The girl thought a moment. “Sir, I think it is this: before I was a Christian. I ran after sin. Now I run from it though sometimes I am still overtaken.” Dearly beloved, run from sin vigorously! Look at Jesus Christ! (vv. 2–4) He is “the author [originator] and finisher of our faith.” It was in “looking to Him” that we were saved, for to look means “to trust.” When the dying Jews looked to the uplifted serpent, they were healed (Num 21:4-9; John 3:14-16). “Looking unto Jesus” describes an attitude of faith and not just a single act. Like Peter, when we get our eyes of faith off the Saviour, we start to sink (Matt. 14:22-33). Since Christ is the “author and finisher of our faith,” trusting Him releases His power in our lives. Christ is both the exemplar and the enabler! As we see Him in the Word and yield to His Spirit, He increases our faith and enables us to run the race. [Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 2: 323]. JESUS IS YOUR PERSONAL COACH: This Christian race can be compared to running in the Olympics. We are all Olympic runners in the heavenly Olympics. A runner in the Olympics needs a good coach to help devise a winning strategy. The coach studies and analyzes the opponent’s lying and devious tactics

Running to win (1)

ife is a long distance race, not a 100 meter dash! The race is not for the swift. It is God who gives mercy. You must run the race God has set for you at the pace God determines for you. You must not run at another person’s pace or with another’s clock. Three divine resources in Hebrews 12 encourage a Christian to keep running at all costs: looking at winners gone before us, looking at oneself, and looking onto Jesus.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross . . .” (Heb 12:1-3). Look at yourself! (v. 1b). This is call to divestment, the throwing off of everything. This has reference to the radical stripping off of one’s clothing before a race, as in the Greek custom of the day. This calls for a conscious, systematic divestment of all sins and hindrances—a divestment that is regularly performed. Remember, all it takes is one sin or one hindrance to sabotage the runner’s soul! Divest Hindrances: Not all hindrances or weights are sins, however. In fact, what is a hindrance to you may not be a hindrance in any way to someone else. A hindrance is something, otherwise good, that weighs you down spiritually and hinder your progress. It could be a friendship, an association, an

message of God. Eventually he and the wife died ina ghastly motor accident on his way back to Lagos. Brethren what would happen to the person that misled him to embrace Satan.Imagine the person that misled him to leave did not leave the church. I implore people that realise that they have perpetrated one evil or other to retrace their steps and do correction. Let people heed this message because the Bible says in James verse 22 “ But be doer of the word, and not hearer only, deceiving yourselves…”

Prophet Oloruntimilehin

and tells the runner what to avoid. Jesus is our Coach. The Holy Ghost is our Personal Trainer. For each runner, there is a customized training regiment and running gear. Christ the Coach helps each one to identify the flaws and weaknesses that slow them down and points out their strengths while prescribing appropriate exercises to get them in shape. We are guaranteed to win as long as we listen to Jesus and follow the Holy Spirit. Focus on Jesus’ Attitude: “who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame” (v. 2b). We must be totally absorbed with Jesus. He must be the measure of all things. CONSIDER AND CALCULATE JESUS! (V. 3). God does not want you to “grow weary and lose heart” (v. 3). You shall not experience exhausted collapse in Jesus’ name. The phrase “consider him” means to carefully calculate (we derive our word logarithm from the Greek word translated “consider”). We must study and calculate Jesus to the minutest detail. As you run the race of life. Victory is sure for you. Be encouraged by the successes of our pioneers in faith. Take nothing for granted in your personal life. Be watchful and prayerful. Look at Jesus! Calculate Jesus! He is your personal Coach who never loses. You are in for a wonderful ride! •Pastor Afolarin Olutunde Ojewole (Ph.D.), is an Associate Professor of Old Testament Exegesis and Church Ministry; University Pastor and Associate Vice-President, Spiritual Life in Babcock University Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria. For your copy of his new book, GOD’S FOOTPRINTS, call/SMS +2348058299434 or +234806037677 Alternative email: ojewolea@babcock. edu.ng.

January 24, 2016

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A PUBLICATION OF GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LTD BARRISTER JIMOH IBRAHIM, CFR PUBLISHER All the Facts, All the Sides

SUNDAY OLAJIDE MANAGING DIRECTOR/CEO BEN MEMULETIWON ACTING DAILY EDITOR GBEMI OLUJOBI SATURDAY EDITOR AYO OLESIN SUNDAY EDITOR OBIORA IFOH AG ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF DOZIE OKEBALAMA COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD CALLISTUS OKE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR

FG and Lassa fever containment strategy

nce again, the perennial Lassa fever scourge has hit Nigeria, leaving in its wake deaths, sorrow, despondency and anguish for the deceased families, political leaderships, health officials and the general public. Tuesday week when the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, gave an update of the outbreak of the disease, it was obvious that the nation has a serious health challenge before it. The statistics released by the minister during the emergency National Council of Health meeting in Abuja called to assess the situation confirmed 63 deaths in 212 suspected cases found in 64 local government areas across 17 states of the federation. The listed affected states are Bauchi, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Oyo and Ondo. Others are Edo, Plateau, Gombe, Nasarawa, Lagos, Delta, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Zamfara and Kogi. The Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, also featured on the list. By every standard, the situation is both scary and pathetic. This newspaper reasons within the context of the rapid increase in both the fatality and spread of the disease between the first reported cases in Bauchi State last November and the date of the current update. For example, on January 6 during the first ministerial briefing on the scourge by Professor Adewoye, only eight states – Bauchi, Nassarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Edo and Oyo – had been affected. The total number of suspected cases then was 76 with 35 deaths. Just 13 days later, the figures of reported cases and deaths climbed to 212 and 63 respectively. The surge in both suspected cases and deaths, coming after the Federal Government had articulated containment measures, makes the development troubling. Among such measures are: i. Immediate release of adequate quantities of ribavirin, the specific antiviral drug for Lassa fever to all the affected states for prompt and adequate treatment of cases. ii. Deployment of rapid response teams from the Ministry to all the affected states to assist in investigating and verifying the cases and tracing of contracts. iii. Sensitisation and mobilisation of clinicians and relevant healthcare work-

NIGERIANS MUST SEE THE IMPERATIVE TO CLEAN THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND ENSURE THAT RATS ’ URINE AND DROPPINGS DO NOT MIX WITH THEIR FOODS. ers in areas of patient management and care in the affected states. iv. Urging affected states to intensify awareness creation on the signs and symptoms and general hygiene. The Federal Ministry of Health also reportedly sensitised health facilities in the country on the routine infection prevention and control measures. Such measures include free treatment for victims; safety measures for family members and health care workers; and effective response template with emphasis on speedy communication that would facilitate early warning, among others. The World Health Organization (WHO) was put on notice for the necessary synergy, while the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was mobilised for effective coordination of all response activities. Above all, the Federal Government also took surveillance and social health educationenhancing measures with emphasis on information dissemination. These measures put in place by the Federal Government appear proactive enough and thus deserve commendation. However, the mere fact that the elaborative measures were unable to meet national containment expectations proves some of them their inadequacies. This is the position of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). Its national president, Dr Muhammad Askira, picked

holes in the emergency response arrangement set up by the FG to address the issue. The Senate faulted the ineffective sensitisation campaigns of the containment strategy, while the specialists at the Lassa Fever Research Centre at the Irrua Specialist Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, accused the Federal Government of not giving the scourge the attention it deserved. As credible as these observable lapses on the part of the federal authorities appear, we align with the position of Professor Adewoye that the bad situation the country has found itself on the issue is not helped by what he called a ‘conspiracy of silence among the states ’. “There is a high level of denial and a conspiracy of silence in some of our states. I think people take delight in saying we have no case and to me that is not the issue ”, was how he put it. We believe the first right step to the treatment of an ailment is full disclosure by the patients. This allows for effective diagnosis and treatment. The empirical validation of this prognosis is the effective containment strategy for the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease scourge in the country. One noticeable defect in the Lassa fever containment strategy is poor public enlightenment. Our health authorities have a responsibility to tell the citizens what is expected of them to prevent a further spread of the infection, and for individual victims, how to access the right medical care. Such messages should be in English, Pidgin and major Nigerian languages. According to experts, the period between now and next March, when the disease vector, multimammate rats, procreate heavily, is portentous. So, the nation still needs the enlightenment campaigns. Such campaigns should also emphasise environmental hygiene. Nigerians must see the imperative to clean their environment and ensure that rats ’ urine and droppings do not mix with their foods. Particularly in the rural areas of the country, there should be proactive and remediation measures to control the population of rodents, the Lassa virus vector. During treatment, it is advisable that the sharing of medical equipment such as hypodermic needles and syringes should be avoided.

Reminiscences JANUARY 24 IN HISTORY 1935: U.S. - First canned beer sold The first canned beer goes on sale ‘Krueger Cream Ale ’, sold by Krueger Brewing Co. of Richmond, Va. to the general public. 1939: 30,000 killed in Chilean earthquake 30,000 people are killed by a magnitude 8.3 devastating earthquake in Chillán, Chile. 1956: WWII - England rebuilds Barbican Plans are being submitted and there will be a public enquiry to build thousands of homes including residential tower blocks, offices and shops in one of the worst hit areas (Barbican) in London during the World War II bombing. 1961: Mexico - Marilyn Monroe divorces The divorce of Marilyn Monroe to playwright Arthur Miller is granted in Mexico, where a judge signed the decree. The grounds of divorce were listed as ‘incompatibility ’. 1965: Winston Churchill dies at 90 Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, died aged 90 years old. He was best known as leading his country through World War II as a great speaker and raising morale of his countrymen. 1966: Air India crashes, kills 117 passengers An Air India Boeing 707 crashed into Mount Blanc, the highest peak of the Alps with the loss of life for 117 passengers. 1980: U.S. to sell military equipment to China In reaction to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the United States had announced plans to sell military equipment to China. The sale of this equipment would not include the purchase of weapons. 1995: Trial of O.J. Simpson begins The trial started of O.J. Simpson for the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. 2014: Chile - Pinochet era officers arrested Four former army officers that had been in service during Augusto Pinochet ’s government were arrested after being accused of poisoning prisoners during that era.

PASSION

25 19

Sunday, January 24, 2016

A Lifestyle Magazine

APPLAUSE

Behold Nigeria’s first female flutist

‘No man can ruin my acting career’ >>21

>>20

Passion

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘No man can ruin my acting career’

Kogi State-born Rekiya Abidemi Yusuf is the fourth child in a family of five siblings. She received a degree in microbiology from Kogi State University. She tells ADAEZE AMOS in this interview why she dumped microbiology for acting, among others. You studied microbiology, why did you choose acting as a career? I knew you were going to ask me this question. Well, for me, I never really gave acting a thought, but after practising microbiology for a short while at Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals company, I realised there was no way I could do this for the rest of my life. In school, I used to host a few campus shows and that gave me much pleasure. So, I decided to try out my hands in the entertainment industry and found myself in acting school. How many movies have you featured in? I have featured in a few movies and series such as ‘The Calabash’ by Obi Emelonye, ‘Ojays’ by Paul Igwe the producer of ‘Clinic Matters’, ‘Desperate House Girls’ by Iroko TV , ‘Spotlight’, a student m o v i e by Emem I s o n g , among others and m o s t recently ‘Fine G i r l ’ by Uduak Isong Would you consider yourself as being in the limelight already? Not yet! I just started my acting career because I’ve only been acting for approximately a year now. I wouldn’t exactly say I’m in the limelight. But I have worked with renowned names in the industry and I think that’s a pretty good start. What’s your most challenging movie role? My most challenging movie role was played in the ‘Calabash’ because my character was a marketer in a bank that was to be closed. It had to take stringent measures to stay in business. I was battling a terminal disease and also

had to deal with the pressure of work. My character was emotional. It was a bit challenging getting into the character sometimes. But I did it. What thrills you most about acting? It is the fact that I can be anybody. Today a market seller, tomorrow a medical doctor and next tomorrow a village champion and next, a sophisticated urban socialite. It trills me because it’s a gateway for me to take a break from my reality. What was the craziest thing a male fan ever did to you? So far, I have got just smiles. Nothing crazy yet. What do you think acting took from you? I missed the time with my family and friends. I also missed opportunities and good moments. Besides acting, what else do you do? Aside from acting, I also work for a fashion label, Sly Monay Fashion, as t h e oper-

ations manager. We create very stylish native collections which can serve as alternative to suits on red carpets and formal events. What lessons has life taught you as an actress? Life has taught me patience! At times, from attending auditions, waiting for call back which sometimes won’t come but then again you cannot quit just because you didn’t get a job. Just keep going at it. Like veteran actor, Olu Jacobs said, ‘keep doing! Don’t stop until you get there’. What is your philosophy? Never ever take the easy way out. It always comes with a price and oftentimes it takes its toll Should your future husband ask you to quit acting, what would be your reaction? I cannot be with someone who doesn’t support my career as an actress. W e won’t e v e n get to the altar let alone think o f quitting a career. But he’ll need to be very understanding because it won’t be an easy one. What

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Applause

Sunday, January 24, 2016

part of your body do you flaunt proudly? The best fashion accessory anybody can have is a beautiful smile. Because I’ve been told that I have a dubious, yet charming smile, I would proudly flaunt my smile on any outfit. What are the qualities of your ideal man? Above all things, he must fear God. He must be selfless and understanding, down to earth and intelligent. What puts you off people? Arrogance! I can’t stand it. When you had a heart break, what did you do to get over it? I don’t think one can completely get over a heart break. But what I did was to get busy such that I had little time to think about it. But to me, the best way to get over a heart break is to love the next person that comes along as much as you loved the last. And don’t let a broken heart make you bitter. Are you proud to be a woman? I’m a feminist, a huge fan of Chimamanda Adichie. I most especially love her quotes which encourage women to be self-confident. Believe me, today’s women are taking over the world. Take it or not, we are much more than we are being given credit for. And continually we continue to prove society wrong for thinking we are second fiddle. What’s the naughtiest thing you have ever done? I’m too embarrassed to share it. But I insist! Okay, let me say it. When I was in high school, I used to steal my elder sister’s brand new underwear and sport them to school. One day she found out it was me. She came to my class during lunch break and asked me to take them off right there. I was terribly embarrassed. Anyway, we ended up in the staff room.

Behold Nigeria’s first female flutist Adaeze Amos

bele Ezeamakam aka Ebele D’ Flutist, is an incredible fellow. This tall, chocolate-skinned lady is reserved and loves God passionately. She is the CEO, Ebele’s World. She received a degree in Business Administration and later a postgraduate in Accounting from Benson Idahosa University, Benin. How did she become a flutist? “I run a company known as Ebele’s World which comprises music training, talk show, health and fitness and the flute. I’m happy today that I’m an expert in flute. I started playing it at a young age of 14. I was inspired by a Philippine lady who taught me the trade. She also lent me her flute to use because my parents were not keen on my learning it. They wanted me to face my studies not learning how to play the flute. But later, my dad bought me my first flute at 14 when he was invited to the school and saw me playing it confidently,” she recalled. It never occurred to this accountant that at a time in her life, she would become popular because of the flute. “No, not at all! I never knew I would be this known due to my flute. All glory to God. My flute has taken me to a lot of places. I have toured the world. I travel out to entertain people using my flute. I think I’m admired or appreciated more outside my country,” said Ebele. Interestingly, she composes songs using her flute. “I compose songs and God has been my ultimate inspiration when it comes to my songs. I get inspired when I medi-

tate or when I’m praying and also when I’m in a thanksgiving mood,” she explained. Ebele D’ Flutist has really empowered a lot of people. “I believe a lot have been empowered with my flute, especially since I started giving flute training tips online. For now, it’s an online thing, people read and get inspired by my teaching in my fan page on facebook. But soon, I would have a school for everyone who is interested in musical instruments and in music generally to enrol for learning,” she disclosed. Ebele is the only female Nigerian flutist, for now “and I see it as a challenge to sit up and work. Though we have other females who play, they play in classical forms. What makes me the first female flutist in Nigeria is because I have been able to use the flute to play different genres of songs.” The diva said she has been using her talent to glorify

God, but how has she been doing this you may ask. “I do this by using my flute to influence people positively. I listen to God and whatever He directs me to do to uplift His name, that I do without asking questions,” she said. Atb a time when so many Nigerian women are doing extraordinary positive things in different spheres that are maledominated, she feels happy about that. “Sure, I am proud of womanhood. Nigerian women are doing their best in different walks of life. I’m convinced now that whatever a man can do, a woman can do even better. When a woman puts her energy in anything, she goes all out,” she said. Valentine’s Day is a few weeks from now, and this entertainer says she’s getting set to evoke the spirit of love for couples using her flute. “Why not! With my flute and songs I would release from it, broken homes would be mended. Music is power. If I’m invited to a function for couples, I would give in my best! I have done this prev i o u s l y, m a n y times and I had posi-

tive results. Watching people touched by my music and getting entertained when I perform make me happy,” she said. Some female Nigerians who do extraordinary things have said they are appreciated more outside the country; does this also apply to her? “That’s true in a way because when you perform outside Nigeria, they pay well, showing that they appreciate you. But most places in Nigeria don’t pay, some tell you they would promote your brand, while others pay a little. It’s a few places that really pay well here. Right now, I send my charge before coming to any programme. Nigerians appreciate good music but it’s the paying that we have problem with. This should be redefined, good music, good pay,” she asserted. What does she do whenever she is downcast or depressed? “I meditate on God’s goodness. Of course I play my flute and when I do, nothing else matters. Interesting, the first time she played the flute before a large audience, she wasn’t frightened. “That was interesting really. I wasn’t frightened at all. I was 14 then, I played in a crowd. I was being examined, and I did very well so much that my dad ordered my first flute. I wasn’t frightened,” she shrugged.

Opinion

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Uncensored

Sheriff Folarin

E-mail: sheffie2004@yahoo.co.uk 08094217972 (SMS only)

unmen invaded Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, opened fire on the guests and murdered about two dozens of people. With no particular reason for committing the heinous crime, Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the assault. Sometime last year, a group of terrorists attacked a foreigners’ haven in Bamako, Mali and wasted dozens of guests in the hotel. Islamic militants, who unleashed the terror, gave no specific (sensible or senseless) explanation for the obnoxious rage of violence. Al-Shabab militants in Mogadishu, Somalia, have, over the years, raided hotels, schools, ambushed government or civilian convoys and attacked malls and institutions in neighbouring Kenya and Uganda, killing thousands of people. Al-Shabab has never had any coherent reason for their over a decade murderous rage, other than the fact that they are fighting an Islamist cause and wish to take control of the failed state.

But ISIS/ISIL, which emerged a couple of years ago, claims to be an Islamic group spearheading a Jihad to liberate Islamic states under western control and establish an Islamic “Eldorado” in the world, where everyone would be probably, wearing turban, jalamiya and hijab and no man or woman would go near alcohol, western schools, clubs, pubs, casinos, or even churches. ISIS’ agenda is not clear. They do not want anything western, yet they use western media and assault instruments to carry out their grotesque murders or disseminate their propaganda. The Islamic State targets western nationals and their apologists. In a series of blood-cuddling campaigns, there have been scores and scores and scores of hostage-tak-

Safety Tips with

Jonas Agwu

Email: j.agwu@Ofrsc.gov.ng Tel: -8033026491, 8077690055

am a mother and grandmother in my 50s and for the sake of this write-up I would prefer to be called Lydia. Going through your last week column, which of course, I could not get myself to read to the concluding part, just for the singular reason that it seemed I was living through a bad dream over again. Although, the story was about the plight, trauma, and regrets of a father, I imagined what the wife, who saw it all as a mother, would be going through right now. I have remained in this state for the past three years now, hoping that somehow someday I would wake up and realize it has been only but a dream. I did not just lose a daughter, I lost three children – a six months pregnant daughter with a set of her unborn twins; and that was exactly eight months after her wedding, cutting short my joy that my two daugh-

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The intractable dimensions of global violence ings with beheadings of their very soft targets. Also, there have been attacks in Europe, with France as the most recent case in which dozens of persons were killed. ISIS, like their Al-Qaeda counterparts and affiliates around the Middle East, Africa and Europe has military forces too, with which it stages combats in Syria, Iraq and Libya to “liberate” these places for what it calls “Islam”. A critical look at ISIS agenda and operations would not show any clear or convincing reason for the raids, kidnappings, assaults and beheadings. It looks every inch like sheer madness from an ideologically drunk mind. In Central African Republic (CAR), where Seleka (a militant Islamic group) under the leadership of Djotodia, a protégé of Chad’s President Idris Deby, had violently jostled for power with democratically elected Francois Bozize (a ‘white garment’ Christian) and thrown the erstwhile noiseless political space and country into chaos, one could understand that the Islamic extremists here had a specific goal, which was to establish Moslem dominance in a country that is predominantly Christian. The ambitious run of the Seleka provoked a counter-Seleka group, Anti-Balaka to rise to the occasion. In the orgy of violence that followed, hundreds of women and children were killed, tens of thousands lost their sources of livelihood and millions became homeless, which led to a phenomenal rise in the incidence of internally displaced persons and mass movement of refugees to Cameroon, Congo and West Africa. The motive of the Islamists in CAR is a bit clear- to seize power and have (fanatical) Moslems in charge, the same motive of Islamists around the world- but it is senseless. CAR is almost 90% Christian. Moslems could just live peacefully and in harmony with their Christian brothers. But the Seleka, a fundamentalist group, which is in fact unIslamic in approach like its brothers ISIS, AlQaeda, Al Shabbab and Boko Haram, opted to make an ‘Islamic State” of Christians. Boko Haram’s operations in Nigeria and

Cameroon have led to the displacement of about 15 million people and death of almost 300,000 persons. Their casualties are toddlers, children of school age, young girls, women and unarmed men. Their targets are churches, mosques, motor/bus stations, schools, market places and high profile offices. The motive of Boko Haram, like that of its allies in Mali, CAR, Somalia and Syria, among other countries, is to “liberate” this part of Africa from “infidel” Christians and moderate Moslems and establish an Islamic Caliphate devoid of the ‘many sins’ of western education. In fits of unfathomable fury, entire settlements have been wiped out, territories annexed, military barracks invaded and ambushed military personnel have been beheaded. But like their unthinking friends in Seleka and ISIS, the world cannot be theirs alone and even Moslems do not associate themselves with their ungodly and inhuman ideology. True Moslems do not behead children or adults, bomb human habitations, rape teenagers, forcefully marry unwilling women, destroy peace and property. Islam, many true Moslems have spoken, is a religion of peace. The group cannot possibly achieve their aim in a country of about 170 million, where there are tens and tens of millions of non-Moslems and good Moslems. So, these Islamists in Northern Nigeria and Cameroon are playing the fool and are only perpetrating, by their killings and destruction, crimes against humanity. The agenda is stupid. The actions are foolish. In the western world, guns are like toys, and there are daily occurrences of indiscriminate shootings and attacks by lone-wolves or armed gangs. A white teenager in Charleston, South Carolina (where I once stayed), who simply “detested” the idea that black people are moving up in America and may end up ruling the world, took a gun, entered a church meeting of blacks and shot at them, thinking he could avert those imagined possibilities by reducing their number. Similar cases, many of them not race-related, have oc-

curred across the length and breadth of the USA, which compelled President Barack Obama to shed some tears a couple of days ago. Also, Norway was a victim of lonewolf attack sometime last year. Passenger planes have become the targets in a latest wave of attacks- no fewer than four planes have been shot down in Europe in the last two years; while one, a Malaysian jet flying over the Indian Ocean, simply disappeared for over a year and was never found again, and when something that looked like it was found, it was unbelievably, somewhere around France! All of these instances above are incidences of global terror and in some cases, fallouts of mismanagement of instruments of violence as we have seen in Europe, North and South America. In South America, drug-related and gangster violence in cities and blighted neighbourhoods is phenomenal. Colombia, Mexico and Brazil are the worst-hit. Moreover, aside religious and terror-related violence, all sorts of strange natural disasters do take their toll on global human population. Also, Africa witnesses lots of killings and disappearances that are associated with ritual practices, ethnic and communal fighting, xenophobia, insurgencies, police brutality and “army arrangements”. Man’s inhumanity to man has never been more horrendous than what we are currently seeing in the 21st century. Human life now seems to make no meaning any longer to persons, groups or societies. Human blood has become cheaper than that of a domestic animal’s. News media delight in reeling out headlines about deaths and human calamities because these guarantee sales. Is this a confirmation of the manifestation of the end-time or an emerging “civilization” of incivility? Sheriff Folarin (PhD), an Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, writes from Sango Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.

A bereaved mother’s cry over rear seat belt deaths ters got married within an interval of 5 months and both of them got pregnant immediately they moved into their husbands houses. One of my daughters, by name Ngozisinachi, was travelling with her husband and two colleagues of his to Enugu state to attend an annual convention of his professional body. She was reluctant to part with her husband even for a day, typical of every newlywed, but before getting to Koto-Karfe, the vehicle driven by the husband, vied off the road into a ditch while trying to avoid a head-on collision with a truck. The husband and his colleague in the front seat survived with minor injuries because they were on seat belt, the other colleague have a spinal cord injury and has been restricted to wheel chair since then but my daughter died few hours on getting to the hospital. She was at the back seat, not on seat belt, obviously because of the pregnancy. When I heard, my world came to a stop. Mr Jonas, how does a mother handle the pain of losing her little child, a child she shielded right from her womb, through birth, devoted her life watching over her crawl, took the first step,

rumbled and tumbled until the little feet grew strong enough to patter around the house; only to lose the child due to her own mistakes? Often times, I have seen parents driving around town with their little children on their laps, a child standing at the back seat or worst still, in front seat without restraint and at such times something in me will scream! But of course, like every cry in a nightmare, nobody else ever hears. Endless blames. Endless regrets. We regret letting the child have his/ her way with such flimsy excuses like, “she doesn’t like being on child restraint”, “she cried for too long being in the restraint so I had to remove her”., “she cannot be controlled”, “we are just within the street”, etc. Is it out of ignorance or mere carelessness that a parent would fail to put his/her child on restraint when he/she is on seat belt? As I try to reflect now, I ask myself, what knowledge does an average Nigeria parent have on how to handle children while on the road? Our adherence to traffic rules is it with the understanding that they are for our own safety or

do we have the mindset that we need to obey only when we see traffic enforcers on the road? Really, for me, illiteracy is no longer ones inability to read and write, but inability to make right decisions or be current with basic facts of life. Adversity and affliction are supposed to stimulate our survival instinct, but Sir, must we all wait to learn from ugly experiences? As a Christian, I am guided by the biblical injunction that says, affliction shall not arise the second time. This injunction simply awakes my responsibility as an adult, a mother, a wife and a citizen; I believe that there should be a clear cut demarcation between over indulgence by a parent, as a display of affection and an outright foolishness. Enough of us parents passing as glorified illiterates, using the roads and causing avoidable deaths, especially deaths of the future leaders of this nation. Thank you for letting me share my bitter experience maybe, some parents could learn from it. •Agwu, an Assistant Corps Marshal, is Zonal Commanding Officer, Zone 7HQ of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).

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Opinion

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Ambode paints picture of a brighter future Niyi Anibaba

n furtherance of his vow to frequently engage the people on the state of affairs in the polity, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday, January 19, 2016 rendered the account of his stewardship in the last three month, where he explained how he had turned the State into a construction site with various completed and ongoing projects.

The Town Hall Meeting, which is the second since the assumption of office by the Governor, was a platform designed for government and the governed to rub minds on the projects that have been done, projects being done, as well as other projects and areas to consider. Governor Ambode, at the meeting held at the City Hall in Lagos, wasted no time in utilizing the opportunity provided by the platform to reel out his achievements and also reaffirmed his commitment to remain resolute to serve and justify the trust reposed in him. He specifically assured that he would continue to work tirelessly to deliver good governance for the collective good of all Lagosians. Governor Ambode further assured that his administration will continue to stay true to its overall policy built on a tripod of security, infrastructural development and job creation. Addressing a large gathering of party chieftains, market men and women, captains of industry, members of the diplomatic corps as well as top government functionaries, Governor Ambode said his administration is fully aware that a safer Lagos will attract more investments from local and foreign investors, hence he kept to his promise in the first quarter to improve on the security in the state with investment in security equipment worth

over N4.7billion. The Governor reported that the investment in the security equipment has led to the reduction of crime rate in the state by 65 percent in the last quarter of 2015. “I am happy to report that our State is a lot safer today as statistics show that crime rate reduced by 65% during the last quarter compared to Year 2014,” he said. Governor Ambode said his administration, in another spirited effort to tackle crime, invested towards the “Light Up Lagos” project, which has since restored light on major highways and inner roads in the state at night. He said an Advisory Committee on Power, chaired by the Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs) Idiat Oluranti-Adebule was also set up to keep faith with the promise to ensure that every nook and cranny of the state is lit-up, just as he urged residents to key into the project in return for a reward. “In the past few months, we have fixed street lights from Berger in Ojodu to Lekki, Ikorodu to Lagos Island, the entire Ikeja axis, Victoria Island and Ikoyi. We are taking this project to every part of the State. If we are not yet in your neighbourhood, give us a little time; we will soon be there. As we light up the State, we expect crime to reduce as criminals will have nowhere to hide and operate. “I call on individuals and corporate bodies to join our “Light Up Lagos” project by adopting a street and lighting it up either by connecting it to your meter or your generator. In return, these individuals and institutions will receive special concessions on Land Use Charge and commendation from the State and Local Governments”. The Governor also said in the last quarter, 49 transformers were donated to communities that were hitherto in darkness for five years, while electricity has now been restored to 63 Communities starting

from Eleko to Ode-Omi in Ibeju Lekki Local Government. “We also commissioned the 33kva Electrical Sub-Station in Gberigbe Community, Ikorodu. This is expected to improve the electricity situation in that axis,” he said. On infrastructural development, Governor Ambode said that over 300 roads were rehabilitated during the period under review, adding that 66 major road projects are at various stages of completion while 80 road grading and surface dressing projects will soon be completed in all the Local Government Area (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of the State. He listed some of the completed roads to include Afa Nla Road, Agege; CIPM Road, Alausa; Ijegun-Ikotun Road, Mba Street, Ajegunle; 1st and 2nd Avenue, Festac Town; Afolabi Ege Street, Ojo; Thomson Road, Ikoyi; 2nd Avenue, Ikoyi; Queens Drive, Ikoyi; Ebutte Ero Road, Lagos Island and Akin Adeshola Road, Victoria Island. “In addition to this, the construction of two roads in each of the 20 Local Government and 37 Local Government Development Areas in the State was flagged off last week. A total of 114 roads will be delivered through this intervention in the next six months at a cost of N17.5b,” the Governor said. Governor Ambode also listed other strides of his administration in the last quarter including the injection of 434 new BRT buses, the commencement of construction of fly-overs in high traffic areas of Ajah roundabout, Abule – Egba Junction and Berger Bus stop as well as the resumption of work on the Blue Line Rail Project expected to be completed by December 2016. He also said that the State Govern-

ment has embarked on the rehabilitation of schools, construction of new classroom blocks and provision of furniture to the tune of N2.5bn, jointly funded with the Federal Government under the Universal Basic Education (UBEC) scheme with the State adding an additional N526 million. On the projection for the first quarter of 2016, he assured that with the budget already in place, his administration will kick-start the N25billion Employment Trust Fund, employ new staff into Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Fire Service and Hospitals, strengthen the state security infrastructure as well as take the Light Up Lagos Project to more areas. He added: “As your Governor, I am resolute in my commitment to you; to serve and justify the trust you have reposed in me and work tirelessly to deliver good governance for the collective good of all Lagosians. “All we need is your support and cooperation. We thank you for your direct feedback to us. We take them on board but we also need you to always fulfill your side of the social contract by ensuring regular payment of your taxes and willful compliance with the State Laws. “There are better days ahead. Together, we are building a Lagos that we are all proud of,” the Governor said. For sure, the town hall engagement provided yet again another opportunity for the governor to re-enforced the social contract between him and the people of the state that was signed on May 29, 2015. The picture of a brighter future he painted is already manifesting in every parts of the state and it can only get better. •Anibaba, an economist, wrote in from Gbagada, Lagos

2016 Budget and the imperatives of public borrowing Ifeanyi Omokwe

he 2016 budget like previous budgets can be described as ‘promising’ for the betterment of the Nigerian people. Indeed, it is a step towards making our nation great. Conscious steps ranging from the budget on capital expenditure, welfare services to be offered to the teeming youth, and the slash in cost of servicing the executive arm of government, shows nothing but promises for a brighter future. Whereas we must celebrate the content of the budget, coupled with the integrity of President Muhammadu Buhari, there is much that can be achieved in the positive light. Politically, we must recognize that the president has gone great lengths in accomplishing part of his campaign mantra of “change” to Nigerians. However, we must not be overexcited about the initiative until we have subjected it to intellectual scrutiny as to the effects of the budget on the Nigerian economy and to posterity. It is important to note that the failure to do this will automatically make Nigerians similar to the proverbial beggars that ride on horses and cruise in Ferraris. This similarity exists ultimately because our collective intelligence has been toyed with time and over again by the political warlords, due to our inability to conduct a proper causal analysis of our intended actions

as a nation. The following paragraphs should explain better. If we were to study politics 101, the first thing we would be taught is the superstructure and substructure theology, where it is believed that the economy (substructure) controls or influences the political, cultural and social spheres (superstructure) of the society. However, the central truth remains that the politicians control the economy irrespective of what comes after. The Nigerian experience under President Buhari is that it is ultimately unchecked politics that destroys the economy. This is evident in the war against corruption and the promises it holds for the proper management of public funds. In simple English, all this banter just goes to say that the President has made a politically correct step. And the implications transcend to projected economic prosperity. Naysayers and prophets of doom will be hasty accusers of the source of revenue; especially the issue of public borrowing vis-à-vis the nation’s debt profile. The implications of public borrowing are enormous for us as a country. Economic expert Nimal Sandaratne puts it thus: Government borrowing is not necessarily detrimental to an economy. In fact it could be advantageous if the funds borrowed are used for the long term development of the country and gives a return higher than the interest paid on the borrowing. Borrowing is a means of increasing total savings to en-

able increased investment. Short term foreign borrowing can assist in resolving constraints in foreign resources to tide over temporary balance of payments difficulties such as under the Stand-by Agreement with the IMF or Chinese government owned banks. Large development projects that confer benefits in the long run need borrowed funds. Therefore government borrowing is not inherently bad. In fact it could be an important means of spurring an economy to a higher trajectory of economic growth than its current resources permit. Let us attempt to find a correlation between the concept of political correctness and economic prosperity. This is very crucial to our understanding of the subject matter because we cannot overlook the environment with which the promises were made and are being kept. At the time the promises were made, the price of oil was at a whooping sum of $120 per barrel. The implication therefore is that the policy would have incurred minimal borrowing under such fiscal regime. However, the reality of the Nigerian oil predicament today is that oil sells for about $32 per barrel and is expected to drop to $20 based on IMF speculations. For a country that is making bold steps in diversifying the economy, this spells great boom especially as the funds is budgeted for capital expenditure. Besides, Nigeria’s economy has been described as one of the most attractive investment destinations in the emerging markets despite

the headwind blowing across most oil producing nations since 2014; this can be well attributed to the emergence of the Debt Management Office (DMO) and its effectiveness in successfully restructuring Nigeria’s loan. It would be recalled that the DMO resuscitated the Domestic Bond Market in 2003 when it first issued FGN Bonds. This landmark achievement was intended to restructure the Government’s domestic borrowing which was predominantly short term and to develop the domestic bond market which had been moribund for about 20 years. The emergence of Dr. Abraham Nwankwo at the helm of DMO on July 1 2007 almost coincided with the final exit of Nigeria from both the Paris and London club debts in 2006. Before then, our external debts had remained unsustainable as a result of the crushing debt burden arising from the external debt overhang. Following the exit from both Paris and London club debts, our external debt fell from an all-time high of about $35 billion in 2004 with an external debt-to-GDP ratio of over 40 percent to about 3.5 billion in 2006 and an external debt-to-GDP ratio of 2.3 percent respectively. Under his guidance, DMO has relentlessly pursued the realization of its statutory mandate and has recorded verifiable achievements, making it the pride of the nation across Africa and the world. •Omokwe wrote from Lagos.

Perfect Cut

African Look Alluring designs Adaeze Amos

opular Yoruba actress and power dresser, Lara Gold, also patronises African fabrics. She told African Look: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes, African print fabrics are my favourite, my best! With its bold feminine colours and durability, ankara is number one. It is versatile. Your designer may not really need to crack his or her head trying to give you styles that would stand you out in that some cool, alluring designs of the fabrics are enough to make you stand out. Hence, you are good to go in any simple style as far as you use the fabrics,â&#x20AC;?. Maintenance tips? Simple! Wash with laundry soap, leave to dry in the sun and iron if need be.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

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Look suav

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sunday, January 24, 2016

ve in African fabrics Adaeze Amos

tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interesting that so many fashionistas and celebrities have embraced the African fabrics vogue which indeed is waxing stronger. In the days past African print fabrics were left for mothers and grannies. But today fashion pacesetters have embraced such fabrics as Daviva and Excellence which hardly lose their colours no matter how many times you wash them. Another fascinating fact is that you can actually casually combine the western concept with these materials and come out looking dashing or debonair. You can as well blend two different African fabrics together provided the bold colours blend and still look good. Check out Queen Sandra Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concepts on this page and take a cue from her.

Perfect Cut

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Dude Style

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net victorudoh804@yahoo.com 07067124302

‘I don’t follow what’s in vogue sheepishly’ Olawale Lawal, popularly known as Olawalemi, is a fast-rising artiste from Ogun State. This sociology graduate came into music at the age of 15 with a group called LSD. In this interview with VICTOR UDOH, he speaks about his passion for music and his dress sense. How did you come into music? I have been into music since I was in secondary school where I developed a passion for singing. I sing whenever I am washing cloth or even taking a bath. Music is part of me. I am not doing it because it is the trend but for the love I have for it.

helps me to internalise so many beautiful melodies which can be converted to songs. Last is my environment that inspires progress. How was your first experience on stage? It was electrifying and inspiring doing a solo song in a major church programme. The audience was amazing, they wanted more. For me, that was a confirmation to take my music to the next level to the glory of God.

Why did you choose music after studying sociology? Music was the first thing I had in mind to study in school. But along the way, I found myself studying sociology. The beauty of the course is such that it even contains mu- What thrills you about music? My thrills come from the spiritual uplift, sic as part of it, which I studied. I have no good melodies and rhythms as well as the inregrets studying sociology. spirational atmosphere. How do you intend to take your music to What dressing displeases you? the next level? Sagging of trouser and dotting of tattoo I believe what you know how to do best will always make a way for you. Right from are not acceptable styles for me. when I was small, I had been destined to make a difference in any thing I do. My mu- What is your style signature? My unique style signature includes the sic cuts across every age. With time everybody will get to know me better because I use of lyrics in creating great melodies with am coming out with a unique concept that great pitch and rhythm. will attract more people and fans to my kind of music. Where are Nigerians not getting it right in fashion? Have you any current record on air? Despite that A couple of songs are ready but have not fashion been officially released. This is because my is a major focus has been on training and raisw a y ing more songs, as well as organising live of exconcerts. But the songs will be released very soon. pressi n g p e rWhat do you stands you out among your soncontemporaries? a l I believe everyone is unique. My personal style and creativity with the use of good melodies, great pitch, inspiring lyrics gives me a great advantage. How do you get your inspiration? My number one source of inspiration is the beautiful spirit of God who inspires me with great lyrics and melodies. Next is my consistent rehearsal which

styles and feeling through dressing, a couple of people are carried away by what is popular or in vogue, whether it is right or wrong. I believe fashion should be beautiful, entertaining and yet decent. What is your philosophy? Your source of inspiration, personal commitment and belief system propel you in making success in your personal life as you impact other people positively. What books do you read? My number one book is the Bible. I also read inspiring and books on the economy.

Which Nigerian musician do you admire most? 2face Idebia, is my mentor, I respect is kind of music and his humbleness Where do you see yourself in the next five years? I see myself impacting on a good number of upcoming singers and also a source of blessing and inspiration to other music ministers as well as taking the good news around the world through music and the word. How was your growing up? My growing wasn’t fantastic like that, my father died when I was very young. So I was already expose to the street, my grandma was the one

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January 24, 2016

Pregnancy Talk

Naughtiest Thing

with

Adaeze Amos ߾ࠆ߾ࠀࠁ߾߿ࠀࠀࠇࠁ ߶ࠡࠛࠡ ࠝࠜࠚࠧ߷

The naughtiest thing I ’ve ever done

Comfort Ikwumonu

Why you must avoid soaked garri during pregnancy

efore you missed your flow, you noticed that you weren ’t a good fan of soaked garri. But when you are some months gone, soaked garri has become your favourite local delicacy because of its sour taste and the way it hits your palate and prevents you from vomiting or spitting. Those are the reasons most pregnant mothers take it early in the morning or late in the evening. Okay, if soaked garri has been working wonders for you to prevent spitting, you still need to watch out and desist from that habit. Who doesn ’t know that when a pregnant mum who is addicted to garri deinking is told to desist, she would give you a thousand and one reasons for taking it. When you remind her that such food has no nutritious benefits, she would be quick to tell you that she usually adds beverages and milk into hers thus making it nutritious. Please, enough of such reasons! As medical and Health Workers ’ Union, Lagos State Council recently said, it would embark on public enlightenment to discourage consumption of soaked garri for now to prevent the spread of lassa fever. And you know this fever is no respecter of persons; you don ’t have immunity against it just because you are pregnant. If you are not yet convinced, you need to know that the Chairman of the union, Mr Razak Adeo-falade, said the house rats that cause lassa fever are mostly in contact with our most staple food garri, a cassava product. “We are going to encourage members of the public to depart from the process of drinking garri at this moment, it is better that the cassava flour is utilised for eba, because of the use of hot water. We are waging total war and that is war against rats, and that is what we are going to do to ensure we do not have more victims of lassa fever in the state. We would also be telling them to ensure fruits and raw vegetables are properly washed if they must be consumed raw, ” he counselled. He did not exclude expectant mums, so desist from soaked garri. Did you ask what you would do to the remaining garri which you carefully poured into an empty and clean container with a cap that is always covered? Well, it ’s up to you. It has always been said that prevention is better than cure. Don ’t let your crave for soaked garri make you ignore vital safety tips for you and your baby. There are some other things you can soak, such as cabin biscuits, corn flakes or golden morn. They are well packaged and hygienic such that they could replace soaked garri, at least for now.

a p u t a e b e c n ‘I o policeman ’

he naughtiest thing I have done happened in the year 2000. I was a tomboy to the core at the time and I was very strong. I never allowed anyone to intimidate any member of my family. Or, I would fight it out with the person. This was how I grew up but I have started tread softly on some t h i n g s now that I ’m fully grown. So, it happened 16 years ago. I was with my mother when a neighbour called a policeman to arrest her over a trivial issue. He came and told my mum that she was under arrest for grinding some guinea corn or something, I can ’t remember exactly. My mum was shocked and needed more explanations from the policeman but he wasn ’t in the mood to talk. He walked into my mother ’s bedroom where she was dressing up to follow him to the police station and dragged her. This was right in my

presence not and mindful if he was injuring her. When I saw my mother being dragged on the floor like a bag of rotten potatoes, I lost my temper. temper What I did was to pounce on the policeman unexpectedly and beat him up. I usually have extra strength from nowhere whenever I became extremely angry. While I was beating and biting him, he managed to wriggle out of my grip and ran away. •Comfort Ene Ikwumonu is a Nollywood actress who has starred in many movies. -ADAEZE AMOS

Movies & Music

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

& usic M Movies With Victor Udoh 07067124302 e-mail: victorudoh804@yahoo.com

L Tuface, Waje, others unveiled as The Voice coaches

eading Nigerian vocalists, Tuface Idibia, Waje, Timi Dakolo and Patoranking have been announced as coaches for the maiden edition of the Airtel-sponsored show, The Voice Nigeria. This was made known on Tuesday at The George Hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos. The announcement comes as preparations for the maiden edition of the show reach feverish pitch following talent auditions in Calabar, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Lagos. Speaking at the press conference, the Director, M-Net West Africa, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu said: “It’s an exciting time for us at MNet. The Voice is an internationally renowned franchise and has consistently provided exciting television content whilst giving great opportunities to talented individuals to showcase their talent to the world. The Nigerian adaptation will be no different and our viewers can expect the best television entertainment even as we wait to discover the next generation of talented singers!” Since its original launch in 2010, The Voice has won audienc-

es in countries such as the U.S., Australia, South Africa and UK, where other renowned artistes have occupied the show’s famous red chairs as coaches. The Voice Nigeria employs the same format including a panel of four coaches who critique the contestants’ performances. The coaches guide their teams of selected artistes through the remainder of the season whilst also competing to ensure that their act wins the competition. Commenting on the unveiling of coaches, the Chief Commercial Officer of Airtel Nigeria, sponsors of The Voice Nigeria, Mr. Ahmad Mokhles, noted that Airtel was passionate about creating platforms that would delight, excite, entertain and engage talented youths as well as telecoms consumers across the country. His words: “The Voice Nigeria demonstrates Airtel’s commitment to its vision of connecting Nigerians to their dreams. We are pleased by the fact that the majority of the coaches are not just icons in their respective music genres but also members of the Airtel family, underscoring our intense interest and support for the entertainment and creative industry.”

Omawumi features Angelique Kidjo in Play na play Tuface

Malta Guinness unveils BasketMouth as brand ambassador

BasketMouth

alta Guinness has recently stepped up its inspirational You Vs Campaign as it unveiled BasketMouth as its official brand ambassador. BasketMouth, a Nigerian comedian was announced as the ambassador during a sign-on event at Guinness headquarters Lagos. The signing is geared towards expanding the You Vs campaign, designed to inspire Nigerians to take on their daily challenges with determination and a smile on their faces Launched in a bid to celebrate the can-do attitude of Nigerians, the Malta Guinness You Vs campaign generated public interest with its You Vs traffic challenge in the last quarter of 2015. During activation, the company provided commuters in Lagos with free bus rides to and from work for the day as they enjoyed their free cans of refreshing Malta Guinness. bSpeaking on the campaign and the endorsement of BasketMouth as ambassador, Marketing and Innovation Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Gavin Pike, said ‘it is a move to consolidate on the ongoing success of the You Vs campaign. “The You Vs campaign recognises the determination Nigerians draw on to face their daily challenges and we believe a smile on your face and spring in your step will definitely help you achieve positive results. The free bus rides marking the start of this campaign was our way of acknowledging one of the many daily challenges Nigerians face and demonstrate how this challenge can be conquered with a simple heartfelt smile. Thus, we have signed up BasketMouth as an ambassador because he has a story to tell. His story is an example of how positive attitudes in facing your challenges can help you achieve unprecedented success,” Pike emphasised.

Omawumi

oming off the heels of her critically acclaimed cover of Adele’s Hello, Omawumi releases her new single ‘Play Na Play’ featuring Grammy awardwinning artiste, Angelique Kidjo. The video which is on vevo is a colourful hit which shows the Beninoise diva arrayed in colourful attire and Omawumi showing the depth of African culture and tradition. Play Na Play’ is a live production arranged by Cobhams Asuquo. The video was shot on location in New Jersey by George Steuber for Monstar Film and Produced by Bukola Aré for OF A KIND Creatives. Omawumi was styled by Rosemary Kokuhilwa and the Make Up by Joyce Jacobs. The live album features production from longtime collaborator Cobhams Asuque,

Grammy award-winning artist Angelique Kidjo, Grammy nominated artist Salif Keita and more yet to be announced international collaborations. Meanwhile, Omawumi has announced the release of her yet untitled third album due to be out in the middle of the year. The entertainer introduces fans and newcomers alike to a new musical journey by recording a completely live album.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Movies & Music

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Teenage actor, Olamide David, is dead

Spaghetti Records signs new act, A’Dam

David

hild Actor, Olamide David, who came into the limelight in 2014, is dead. The promising actor came into the limelight with his role in the movie, Cobwebs produced by Nollywood actress, Foluke Daramola. Sadly, he has been cut in his prime. Olamide, who is 14 years old, was said to have died at the General Hospital Ikeja, Lagos where he was rushed to after complaining of stomach pains. The young lad was said to have been kicked in the stomach while playing football with his friends last Sunday. Nollywood actress, Foluke Daramola, announced the demise of the youngster via her Instagram handle posting a photo of the teen actor. She lamented thus: “Death! Where is your sting? Olamide David, my lead character in Cobweb, why does it have to be now? Why why why?”

A’Dam

paghetti Records owned by Mike Abdul of Midnight Crew has unveiled a new act. He’s A’dam featured in his solo album, Mo rire. A’dam, who was born in Lagos and hails from Ilesha, Osun

State, has also dropped his first single under the label. The song ‘Face to Face‘ is his latest effort borne out of a deep fellowship with the Holy Spirit. ‘Face to Face’ expresses the core of the writer’s desire to be able to give God true worship without distractions, veils, dogma and religion. A’dam is the new player in the Spaghetti Records team. The label has Mike Abdul and MoniQue, famous for the popular song ‘Oba gbogo Aye’. Monique dropped ‘Powerflow’ in 2014. Aluko Oludamilola Adewale popularly known as A’dam is easily identified by his strong and soulful voice in many gospel songs and indigenous movie soundtracks. Having worked with such artistes as Midnight Crew, Kenny K’ore, Mike Abdul and many more, he is particularly admired by many for his prolific songwriting. In his early age, he drew his inspiration by sitting very close to the choir department in his church and that was as far as he could go because he was considered too young to join the choir. He continued to develop his talents by being part of musical groups in school, musical groups such as ‘Abisco boyz’, ‘Psalmist Family’, among others.

Orjiakor

Kenny K’Ore drops Dide

Kenny

alented gospel artiste, Kenny K’Ore, has dropped a new single entitled Dide. The singer who with his former group, Infinity, gained fame with their smash hit, Olori Oko, has not looked back since he went solo releasing songs that have made waves. Not afraid to experiment with different beats and genres, Kenny Akinbode (his real names) has gone ahead to show his depth. Dide is one of the songs of his upcoming album. The singer had released different songs that can be termed as hits. They include Eledumare, Eledumare Classics, Yalako, Your peace and others. Dide, produced by Stobeats, has an upbeat feel of a creature calling on his creator for divine intervention. Kenny K’Ore has done collaborations with established artistes as well as upcoming ones. He’s on demand in concerts and churches, displaying his creativity seamlessly. Olori Oko is still one of his best hit songs so far.

Techno Own the Stage hits town

Actor Dede One Day for burial February he final burial rites of the late Nollywood actor, Mr Onwuzurike Onyehidelam aka Dede One Day has been released. The actor cum comedian died last year, December 15 in Abia State having worked that day before developing challenges in his health and finally succumbed to high blood pressure. According to information released by the bereaved family, Dede One will be laid to rest on February 13. Christian wake will hold Friday, February 12 at Umuarusilam, Umuagwu Mbieri in Mbaitolu local council of Imo State. For years, Dede One Day made Nigerians laugh and be happy. Possessing a gift for comedy, he cheered many up and taught moral lessons through his jokes.

Vimbai

echno Own The Stage went on air on Sunday, with the contestants saddled with the unenviable job of performing songs by some of the biggest bands in musical history. The first contestant to be introduced by the show’s hosts – Uti Nwachukwu and Vimbai, who looked dazzling in their outfits – was Yubu. The Nairobi born lad performed The Eagles’ 1976 Grammy award-winning track, Hotel California. Sadly for him, his performance didn’t cut it for the judges – Bien, Yemi and M.I. – who were unanimous in their verdict that they expected more from the Kenyan. They felt that Yubu needed to take more risks if he hoped to remain in contention for the $25,000 star prize. Next to hit the stage was another Kenyan, Sikin, who gave her rendition of En Vogue’s 1997 hit, Don’t Let Go. Her performance was quickly followed by a rendition of Boyz II Men’s End of the Road by Ramar254, who gave an unforgettable performance that got Yemi excited and ensured that Sunday’s episode wasn’t the end of the road for the gifted Kenyan. It was Zooccu’s turn to take to the stage, with the Tanzanian performing Footprints, the song released in 2005 by the Jamaican dancehall group, T.O.K. Steeped in some irony, Nandy the next performer sang to Destiny Child’s epic tune, Survivor, which was release in 2001. Her rendition was quite fitting and in sync with the show considering that the Tanzanian came close to getting evicted in penultimate weekend’s episode before she was let off the hook by the judges. Tosin, the first Nigerian to perform on the night took to the stage and sang Westlife’s My Love, a song that was released in 2000. Following Tosin’s subdued performance of the Irish boy band’s song, Mary, the Kenyan turned up the screws with an exhilarating rendition of another Westlife hit track You Raise Me Up. Pascal, also from Kenya, wowed the audience with Aerosmith’s 1997 hit track I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing, followed by an equally sensational rendition of Boyz II Men’s 1994 smash hit, Water Runs Dry, by Shaapera from Nigeria.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

January 24, 2016

Lessons of Life TRUE LIFE STORY ON MATTERS OF THE HEART

ADAEZE AMOS Adanneamos@gmail.com 08023012293 (sms only)

‘How Stella, my childhood friend, ruined my marriage ’(3)

In need of a serious relationship/marriage My name is Ali, 24. I need a nice lady that is ready to settle down. She has to be above 35. 08057901234 I need a soul mate or girlfriend. 09054136442 My name is sam, 36 and I live in Lagos. I need a caring and supportive woman of 45 years and above for a serious relationship. 08068553322 Seun is my name. I need a female close friend that would take care of me. 07089941948. Uche, 30 lives in Lagos. I need a female friend as a confidant who is 45 or 55 years. 09097190683. Israel, 51, based in Akure, Ondo state needs educated and beautiful lady of not less than 50. She has to be financially capable. 08094050684. Amara is my name from Enugu, 25 years old. I want a caring and working class man who is ready to settle down for a relationship. Must be a Christian. 07066724868. Paul, 45, a business man, handsome and caring. I need a woman between age 27-48 for marriage. 07030809667

Toba, 40, a graduate and working. I need a fat Yoruba lady for a relationship that can lead to marriage 08060439348 Sam, 36 needs a caring and supportive lady who is 45 years and above. 08068553322.

Prince Olamide, 23, lives in Lagos, needs a sugar mummy for fun. 08187641034. Jokotade, 20, lives in Oyo and a mother of one. She needs a 35-45 bouyant sugar daddy who resides either in Lagos, Idbadan or Oyo state. 08167622738. Michael, 33, needs a lady between 22-26 for a serious relationship that will lead to marriage. 07031138330.

NOTICE: Please note that we don ’t do personal connections outside this column. Calls to connect privately are not allowed. Just send an SMS or email and we ’ll get your request published. The request is published on first come first served basis. Thank you!

A model

This is the concluding part of Amanda, Gilbert and Stella ’s story started penultimate Sunday. When Amanda and Gilbert got married, for five years there was no child. Though she was conceiving, but she was having series of miscarriage so much that it started giving Gilbert some concerns. While Amanda was in the heat of her problem was when fate brought Stella her way. Stella her childhood friend who avoided her for years just because her WASC result was extremely poor.

hat Saturday afternoon, Gilbert left a written note for his wife Amanda that he was going to a salon for a haircut. He didn ’t want to disturb her because she had cried for hours and needed rest. She in fact cried herself to sleep because Gilbert ’s mother had called on the phone asking her what had been preventing her from giving her son a child. Hence, she got so worried that she cried heavily. When she eventually woke up, she read the note her husband had dropped for her and smiled. “The line that made me smile was where he wrote that he still loved me despite our pregnancy issues. ” She sprang up from bed, scurried into her bath tub and hurried her bath just to meet Gilbert at the sa-

lon. While she was driving to the salon, she had to pull over at a grocery shop to buy some fruits and vegetables especially cucumbers which her doctor said she should be eating. That those greenish rolls have good tendency of inducing ovulation. So, she alighted and packed heaps of cucumbers as if her whole life depended on them. While she was busy selecting fresh ones, a woman who was also buying groceries called her gently. That voice sounded so familiar that she had to look up to see the person. Behold the lady who called her was her one time good friend, who avoided her because she had a poor result and had to rewrite her WASC exam. “We hugged each other, we chatted and laughed. In fact, we had a lot to discuss and never knew where to start from. All she told me at once was that she just graduated from Nsukka, same university I finished from and that she was in Lagos for her youth service. I nodded in pity, knowing that she ought to have finished some five or six years back when I finished. But because she was not brilliant enough, she had some delays. She also told me how accommodation had been a big issue for her and that she was tired of squatting from one place to the other. While she was telling me her stories, we walked to

where I parked my car and she hopped in. She was amazed that I was driving such a big car. She saw my wedding band on my marriage finger and said she was happy for me, ” she enthused. Amanda drove Stella home and changed her mind from going to see her husband at the salon. They came home and the first thing Amanda did was to give her friend her wedding album. When Amanda saw Gilbert ’s picture smiling with his wife Amanda, she looked at the picture very closely and nodded. Her mind wandered off to where and when he met him. She remembered that Gilbert was her friend ’s brother whom she met so many years ago in a party. Then he was still in the university. University of Port Harcourt to be precise. “I met him in a party and his kid sister Eunice introduced him to me. We got talking, danced together, drank together and became close friends. When the party was over, I didn ’t go back to school. Eunice and I came home because of her brother ’s party so we stayed and spent some days before we went back to school. She had told me about him and assured me that her brother would like me because I was dark skinned and beautiful. Those were her words. And just as he said, the guy was all over me. We dated for a while, he was coming to visit me in school where I was having pre degree studies. I couldn ’t gain

admission into university at the right time because my JAMB scores were poor. So, when I started having some issues with Eunice his sister, he boasted that she would see to it that her brother stopped seeing me. And honestly she did. Gilbert stopped coming and that was how we parted ways. I never knew what she told her brother and that was how the affair stopped, ” Stella said. All these thoughts were running riot in Stella ’s brain even as she went through Amanda ’s album. “But I never told her I had something to do with her husband. That would sound stupid of me. But I felt bad what Eunice did to me because I knew then that Gilbert loved me. But Eunice who was good in painting one black. She must have told her brother something bad about me that made him stopped coming to me. Even when I visited, he was cold to me and asked me to leave that he had an important place to go and that he would come to see me but he never did. I regretted not being his wife, I told myself times without number that I would have been his wife if not Eunice the spoiler, ” she soliloquized. Amanda was in the kitchen trying to fix lunch when Gilbert opened the door to the living room and walked in. When Stella saw him, he called him by his name and Gilbert knew the voice. “What are you doing here? ” “I came to see my good friend Amanda. We met at the grocery shop this afternoon. She is in the kitchen. Oh Gilbert it ’s been ages. Remember the old times, how you promised.. ” “I hope you have not told Amanda what happened between us? ” He cut in. “Oh never! That should be a top secret. She would never know. Meanwhile how is Eunice your sister? ” “She is in London with her family. ” “Oh that ’s nice. She boasted that she was going to make her brother stopped seeing me and she did. Powerful girl. ”

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Chapel of Holiness and Testimony with Pastor K. I.

Bona

CONTINUED FROM TOPIC 1 OF LAST WEEK:

Sunday, January 24, 2016

hey are everywhere. In Daniel 10:13-14 “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days“ The prince of the kingdom of Persia who with stood the Angel of God who was sent to give answers to Daniel prayer was one of the Chief prince of the rulers of darkness. Which are of the rulers of this dark age. They operated within the geographical zone of Persian kingdom. They were territorial powers, that operated within the domain of Daniel. Dear child of God perhaps it may not be powers of your evil family altars that are causing blockades, and hindrances to your endeavours. It could be powers operating within the territory of your domain causing all these set-backs you complain about. Just as the prince of Persia operating within the hamlet of Daniel domain delayed the delivery of the answers to his prayer. Therefore I urge you in the Lord, be provoked in the spirit, rise now in prayers against territorial forces operating where you live. And GOD will surely give, you victory is Jesus name. HOW DOES TERRITORIAL POWERS OPERATE WITHIN THEIR DOMAIN: Identification of the mode of operation of territorial powers, may not be easy, except by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. One have to be very prayerful and watchful to know the operational morand of these wicked powers. If you are not spiritually alive you may doubt their existence. However, they are there looking for victims. Which is why I advise every one, to look for a good Bible believing, prayerful church and become a strong member. I pity most people who live in a given environment either a town, city or community, who do not go to church. Such people have always become handkerchief in devil’s pocket. A canal or wayward person will never understand the operational system of territorial powers. Those who dreams and forget and those who claims they do not dream,

Familiar spirits (10)

Territorial powers and their bondages (2) have always remained the food for these wicked environmental powers. Territorial powers have very good network of communication and receiving of information. They are not everywhere but they have channels through which they receive and distribute informations. They have an excellent network system. They operate at both day and night. However, most of their major operations and wickedness are carried out in the middle of the night. Which is why every child of God wishing to progress in the city or in any environment where he/she find himself/herself must develop attitude for midnight prayers. It is at mid-night they perform most of their wicked schemes. Such schemes as: a) Changing of sex of the baby in the womb b) Turning upcoming appointments to disappointments c) Exchanging of people’s glories d) Projection of spider webs or cobwebs on their victim’s life and endeavours. Such a victim walks on the road with spider webs and or cobwebs covering him/her. e) Locking up peoples, shops and business. Those affected go as to their business without sales or patronages. f) Projections of coins, into their victims drawers, pockets or bags. Those affected complains, since they packed into this yard, their wealths and progress have gone down g) Sending strange hands, to search people’s pockets, or bags. Those affected complains, money never stays in their hand. h) Spiritually, they perforates the bags, pockets, and palms of their victims. They complains, when they have money on their hands for business, projects or adventures they do not know how the money disappears. i) They transforms to familiar face, to have sex with those women victims who are in their early conception period causing miscarriages j) Sometimes they project red objects into the vision of these women who are their victims. These women complain, each time they see red objects in their dreams, they menstruate or their early conceived pregnancy drops. k) They drop stones of misunderstanding in homes to cause serious quarrelling and fighting in marriages. l) They turn images of male and female against each other after making enchantment to

break a marriage causing divorce m) They manipulate menstrual circle of their victims causing irregular mensuration, resulting to delay in conception n) They project terrifying objects to the vision of children or babies making them to carry unceasingly at night. Such images as: 1) Snakes 2) Serpents 3) Cats 4) Masquerades 5) Dogs 6) Rats or any fearful moving objects o) When they plant evil seed into their victims life in the dreams. Physically, traces of unruly and or bad behaviours are seen in them. Examples of such evil plantation and the life they manifests are: 1) Excessive lust for opposite sex, it can happen to a teenagers, youth or adult 2) Spirit of lie telling 3) Stubborn spirit 4) Spirit of wastage 5) Spirit of talkativeness 6) Spirit of anger and or wrath 7) Convulsion spirit 8) Spirit of epilepsy 9) Stealing spirit 10) Spirit of incest 11) Spirit of masturbation 12) Spirit of forgetfulness 13) Loss of memory 14) Spirit of absent mindedness 15) Spirit of foolishness p) Territorial powers, sends arrows of convulsion to children within their jurisdiction q) Spiritually they lock their victims shops and business causing them to fold up r) They rob enchanted oil or perfumes on their victims in their dreams, causing them to suffer hatred from their bosses, or sometimes loose their jobs. s) They deposit something in your file, in the office making you to work without recommendation or promotion t) They project dry heaven into their victims expectation making them to experience hanging, benefits, favours, promises, money and or rights u) They sow seed of afflictions into the lives of their victims by making them to eat in their dreams.

The wickedness of these terrible satanic powers are numerous and their snares are highly deceptive. Thank God for Jesus in whom we command authority over them. In Matthew 13:24-30. The Bible says “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, an enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” TESTIMONIES – IT IS THE FINGER OF GOD For more than two years, my husband was sick. He’s based outside this country. He was brought home and all treatments were given him. He did not improve. We visited general hospital herbal homes native doctors, and several churches. The result was not encouraging. At a stage he could not stand up on his own, or walk on his own, it was at this stage of his sickness somebody directed us to this church. The man of God placed him on deliverance and prayed for him. He told me, as he had prayed for him, the next day he would walk on his own. Brethren, it happened like that, when we got home, he asked for food, after eating, he layed down and slept. Behold when he woke up, he stood up on his own and began to walk, since that day. Today my husband is strong and healthy, praise the Lord! Sis. Ugoma •Address: Pastor Kingson I. Bona, General Overseer Chapel of Holiness and Testimonies Ministries, No. 6, David Egbetuyi Street, Fagbile Estate, Ijegun, Ikotun, Lagos. Tel: 08023404926, 08038206508 Website: wwwchapelholiness.org Facebook: pstbona@chapelholiness.org

News

ACTS recommend ways to improve theology education Odinaka Uruakpa

embers of the governing council, National Executive Council (NEC) of Association of Christian Theologians (ACTS), have assessed the present state of theological education and profession in Nigeria as they deliberated on ways to improve standards as well as give credibility to theological scholarship and profession.

This was revealed in a communiqué issued by the Association of Christian Theologians at the end of the group’s national conference held in Ibadan, oyo state At the meeting which had in attendance theologians, Christian Scholars and theological students, the council considered

the effect of Christianity, theological education and profession on the Nigerian nation and citizens. After consideration of all the issues affecting the profession, it was resolved that since theology affects every aspect of humanity, theologians should develop theologies that will improve the life of Nigerians. It was also recommended that government at all levels, should be convinced to listen to the advice of theologians to improve the morals of citizens as well as employ certified theological teachers (CTT) to build the morals and behaviours of children in secondary schools in particular. While urging ACTS to approve all courses in accredited colleges, discourage secular courses, as well develop programmes for community service for the products

of accredited colleges, the council recommended a unified curriculum for academic regularity and credibility, adding that the schools adhere strictly to their grades so they can demand for upgrading when necessary. Accredited colleges were urged to encourage the use of certified theological teachers as well as discourage the use of untrained pastors for teaching in Bible and theological colleges. The group condemned the inclusion of secular courses in colleges that teach theology and interference of National Universities Commission (NUC) in accrediting Bible and theological courses which they claim is the priority of Association of Christian Theologians (ACTS). Urging ACTS to build up church ap-

prenticeship scheme to develop church professionalism, the council denounced the issuance of credentials by accredited colleges to untrained Christians and Christian leaders who offer money in exchange of academic credentials. They further recommended that ACTS set up an award board that would recognize and honour outstanding members, theologians and contributors to the progress of theological education and profession worldwide. In conclusion, the group expressed believe that theologians and the public will through this release know that Association of Christian Theologians is not a social club, but a regulatory body for Christian and theological education and profession in Nigeria with specific mandate.

From the Pulpit Learn with Kunle

Macaulay

Email: profkunlemacaulay@ yahoo.com (08023032698, sms pls)

he Bible confirms that God created man perfect because after the days of creation, the Bible said, “God saw all that he had made and it was very good …… Gen 1:31. What he made included man. The book of Genesis focuses on our creation in the image of God. It stated that man and woman walk with God in the cool of the day - a picture of relationship and companionship with God. Man is definitely created for companionship with God. In the Garden of Eden where God placed them, the man and the woman were given the opportunity to choose either to do right or wrong thing. They had freedom to exercise their free will and make choices... There is no doubt that the freedom to choose is an essential part of our humanity and taking responsibility for our choices is also an essential part of our humanness. The Bible said that man fell and lost his relationship with God and God “drove the man out” Gen 3:24a. The reality here is that the fall of man takes away the humanness and dignity that comes with being made in image of God. I am sure that from that moment, there is no more perfection in humanity. Holy Bible confirms our weakness and the need for dependence on God. Jesus said ‘’…apart from me you can do nothing” John 15:5. He said further, “… I will ask the Father and he will

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Need for self-discipline give you another Counselor to be with you forever… he lives with you and will be in you” Jn14:16-17. He confirmed that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. The fall of man in the Garden had made man imperfect and to be perfect, he needs the presence of God, the Holy Spirit. Man has sinful nature which the Bible said desires what is contrary to the Spirit.It is essential to know and understand the Word of God in this day of religious confusion. In today’s self-glorifying society, the Bible warns “Your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.’’ It is true that the world is contaminated and it is controlled by Satan and his agents. Many people do not feel comfortable in a good and godly life but a deceitful life. The Bible said that Satan is out to steal, kill and destroy. Jn. 10:10a. Many people cannot deny the fact that Satan is in our government, in our churches, homes, businesses and society. We are in a science world where life is moving very fast and many of us cannot accept responsibility for our actions. We blame government and others for our inability to do right thing. As a matter of fact, the life of an average Nigerian is decided and controlled by the society of the day. We imitate and do what others do. Christians are not exempted because the way we dress, music and dancing during devotional services are not different to the world that is corrupted. I want to confirm here that we need help to make us maintain self-discipline. How do we explain the attitude of a bank man-

ager, highly paid with great and pleasant conditions of service but still embezzles or how do we explain the behavior of our politicians trusted to represent our interest but take advantage to empty the treasury in their care. Thank God, the power of Holy Spirit is made available to help us. Bible confirms that spiritual attainment cannot be reached by attendance in any University or even attending any particular church. It is the grace of God because the sinful nature of man lusts against the spiritual nature of God. Let us quickly study this text - “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…. It is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do, no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it” Romans 7: 14-20. From the study of this passage, it confirms that every man is weak, so, we can see why our political leaders from the independence of the nation up till now are not good. They do not allow God to control them or even destroy their sinful nature. They take pride in their power and position and destroy instead of building. The behavior of Nigerians is determined by the society hence nearly every aspect of Nigerian society is corrupt from the police, custom, teachers, judges and even traffic managers.

I believe that our choices between “good” and ‘’evil’’ are determined by our state of mind. We can see our political culture. People are desperate to become politicians by all means even if it means killing people and destroying properties. Christianly speaking, we are created in the image of God who will hold us responsible for our actions. As a matter of fact, the principles of good life are not written in heaven but in every heart. Our knowledge of neurotheology confirms that environmental influences relate to certain behaviours. There is no good man on earth but the Spirit of God can recreate all men if they depend on him, hence Jesus talked about the presence of Holy Spirit in man. Nigerians need God now more than any other time in the history of this nation. The President of this nation and members of his cabinet are exposed to temptation, noting the huge responsible, power and resources made available to them, they need God. All Nigerians need God to help us humble ourselves, obey the laws of the nation and become responsible and patriotic citizens. Our nation cannot grow if the people in authority are not responsible, if laws are made and not implemented and citizens are not law-abiding. So far the country to grow, there must be self discipline from students, to parents, workers, civil servants and business people. •Prof Kunle Macaulay is the Director of Studies United Bible University, Lagos Phone: 0802 – 303 – 2698: email : profkunlemacaulay@ yahoo.com Twitter : KunleMacaulay1

Church as God designed it – Breakthrough annointing (3) Priesthood House with Pastor Bola

Bello

ur last thought on apostolic breakthrough anointing was impactful and provocative for witnessing and evangelism. This is the core assignment of the believers. Most Churches with genuine growth in terms of numerical strength are those whose set men are with evangelical breakthrough anointing. However, evangelical breakthrough anointing is not enough for harvest, since harvest entails maturity, perfection, coming to the unity of faith and being adopted as son, before the harvest can become precious to God. Hence the need for apostolic equipping, mentoring and discipleship, before the saints of God could become a harvest. The topic on apostolic equipping capacity shall be discussed in the future so as to exhaustively look at the role of the Ministry Gifts in this direction. In today’s topic however, we shall be looking at the requirement for breakthrough anointing and the sacrifices entailed. The breakthrough anointing for ministry necessitate that you are called into it for a specific assignment within the ambit of five-fold ministry. It is needful to say it loud that your calling is within the ministry gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher (Eph. 4:11). Though there are other assignments apart from the five-fold ministry, and such assignments are secondary ministries; like government, workers of miracles, gift of healings, and diversities of tongues, administration and other assignments according to the gifts the Holy Spirit bestowed

on people. These are appointed official to assist the Ministry gifts (1 Cor. 12:18). The word “set the members” is the same word for, “appointed members as officers”. These officers are appointed because of the gifts of the Spirit bestowed on them and being relevant in the local Church before their appointment. Such members are not found under the categories of Ministry gifts which were the primary ministry officers or gifts appointed by Christ at His ascension. Paul clearly stated this in (Eph. 4:10) “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill all things. And he gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers”. Paul clearly stated that these are for the works of the ministry. Therefore, any other assignments apart from these five-fold ministries are helps ministry and it falls under the ambit of membership or secondary ministry. Peter and others disciples were with Christ, they were operating under membership ministries before they became apostles. They could heal the sick, cast out demons, work miracles yet; they were members of Jesus congregation. If any member is empowered to do such, though this should be the normal roles of Church members, it is not enough to see such as healing ministry or deliverance ministry, or transform it to miracle Church or other funny names that are scattered all over except he/she is called into ministry to operate under five-fold ministry. These are basic design or functions of members of the body of Christ. My basic emphasis is the need for a calling before the breakthrough anointing could be impacted. It is true that there are many Churches whose shepherds are not called, yet there are major or quantum of breakthrough in such places. This is possible since such people could operate under worldly or satanic wisdom to gather crowd. Some are found in “Finishing School” where they were taught on public image, public presentation and packaging, this is also ok, but the need for ordination or calling by Christ is what validate your work before God the Father. Many consult with Lucifer, illuminants wisdom, new age styles and motivational power to gather crowd. These are not genu-

ine calling and Jesus called such “workers of iniquity”. Some may have calling and yet were not equipped or fails to wait for the appropriate time before venturing into ministry, such people may go through struggles, trial and errors with leak anointing. In other words, the template of the Apostles, who stayed in the School of discipleship for 30 years, was a major key to breakthrough anointing. They were already impacted with the life of Christ, mode of his operations and styles of Jesus ministries. They were Christ-like in all things. In our days, most branch pastors under many ministries that have breakthrough graces have learnt the ways of their general overseers and replicate almost the same things in their branch Churches. Such is ok, if what they replicate is the reminiscent of Jesus work. This is what training could achieve for trainees. Jesus emphasis on this, “learn of me for I am meek and lowly”. Apart from training, waiting for the appropriate time and being called genuinely, the period of proofing before validation, is determined by God. “But the God of all grace, whom hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you” (I Pet. 5:10). In other words, there are period of impacting needful grace to make the ministry effective and functional for the assignment. This is a normal anticipated period of trial to reform, to direct, to focus all attention on the one who calls and to validate or justify the calling. This period is appointed by Christ. However, yielding to instructions, obedient to faith and willingness to learn what is desired for you to learn would hasten up the process. It is instructive to note that Jesus ministry of three years was with learning and waiting of thirty years. He was proved, tested before he could be trusted. No wonder, God poured anointing upon him without measure. Being called does not bring breakthrough grace within two years or three years. The nature of your work determines the nature of your waiting. If the intention is to build a work with eternal weight

of glory, the waiting may be long, say ten years or more before breakthrough. Such individual should not opt out from the assignment. Your calling is genuine and breakthrough is in sight. Every winner of contest must learn to endure one more round. This is the nature of champion. Quitting is not the characteristic or the nature of the assignment. Paul emphasis this; “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down but not destroyed. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” (2 Cor. 4:9). Paul had in him the treasure of apostolic grace yet he learnt endurance. You need to endure more before the breakthrough. Having previously stated that breakthrough anointing for harvest is basically the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the last week edition of this piece, I must stated that the Holy Spirit response to prayers. The prayers led by the spirit are different from the canal prayers being witnessed by believers today. Every man has the tendency to pray according to own needs. Praying for own needs is biblical but putting all energy on perceived needs is gentile mentality. Paul stated this to Romans; “Likewise the Spirit helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray as we ought but the Spirit makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. Praying in the Holy Spirit gives directions to prayers. Certain things, impediments, hindrances to breakthrough could be revealed by the Spirit. We need to pray more in Holy Spirit than our perceived needs. We shall continue with this, next week. Do fellowship with us at Power and Glory Tabernacle, Futa South Gate, beside Solab Hotel. You will surely be equipped there.

• Please worship with us at Power and Glory Tabernacle, FUTA, South Gate, Akure. You surely rejoice you do. Pastor Bola Bello – 08033704564

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Sunday, January 24, 2016

Pirates making Bible distribution expensive –CEO, BSN

Rev Dare Ajiboye is the General Secretary of Bible Society of Nigeria. In this interview with journalists, he speaks about the upcoming 50th anniversary of BSN, the organisation’s contributions to national development, among other issues. Excerpts: Can you throw light on the upcoming anniversary celebration of Bible Society of Nigeria? The Bible Society of Nigeria will be 50 years precisely on February 8, 2016. But like I have always explained to people, that does not mean that Bible translation work and publishing started 50 years ago. Bible work started in Nigeria in 1807 by The British and Foreign Bible Society [BFBS], The American Bible Society and The Scottish Bible Society. The three of them were in this country. American Bible Society will be 200 years old by May this year while the BFBS was founded in 1804. The building i.e. BSN building was donated to us by The British and Foreign Bible Society. This was where they operated from when they were in Nigeria. Between 1959 and 1971, we had three expatriate General Secretaries; namely Reverend James Taylor, Mr. Ross Manning and Reverend William J. Wood. The first indigenous General Secretary was Most Reverend (Dr.) Joseph Shoremekun and he took over in 1971. From then till now, we have had eight indigenous General Secretaries; I being the eighth. Bible translation, like I said started and the first publication was in 1868 and that was Efik Bible. But in 1965, the then Eastern State Governor, Sir Akanu Ibiam requested that the British and Foreign Bible society should grant Nigeria their own Bible Society and on February 8, 1966, the Bible Society of Nigeria was founded in the Eastern Region Government House . Since then, we have been doing our best to translate the word of God, and adding what was translated by the other Bible societies mentioned earlier, we have translated 24 local language Bibles altogether, and trusting that this year, we should be able to add the 25th. Now what are we celebrating? We are celebrating the goodness of God to us as an organisation. You can imagine that if I am the 8th General Secretary, having seven successors, it is not a joke, and for an organisation to have passed through so many generations of leadership and still standing in an environment like ours in Nigeria; it is not a joke. In our Bible distribution, years back, precisely year 2000, we distributed less than 300,000 copies of the Bible in a year. But last year alone, we distributed Bibles in terms of quantity about 2.3million and the translation before now, we have some projects going on and we believe God that things will move faster. We have never been able to complete translation in less than 38, 40 years. We started some projects last year and we trust God that before the end of 2020, we should be able to dedicate. Can you elaborate on these projects? These translation projects are Epie and Ogbia Languages in Bayelsa State and hopefully, we are starting this year Okun Bible Language translation. Okun is a language spoken in Kogi State. We are also trusting God that these projects won’t take up to 12 years; we want them to be completed in less than 10 years. For an organisation that depends on donation, considering the nature of things in the country, it takes the grace of God to survive for 50 years. That is why we have to celebrate. This will kick off from January 31, 2016 with thanksgiving service at the Cathedral church of Christ, Marina. On February 2, we will be in Enugu where we have a lecture to be delivered by Most Rev Emmanuel Chukwuma of the Anglican Church and the chairman will be Chief Emeka Anyaoku. On February 4, we will be in Abuja for another lecture which will be delivered by Bishop Matthew Kukah and the chairman will be General Yakubu Gowon. On February 6, we will be having a luncheon with our former staff and all our past donors. Of course, there would be a Bible walk on the 5th which is a replica of Mary Jones’ walk to replicate what a young

Rev Ajiboye

Welsh girl, Mary Jones did in 1804. Mary Jones loved to read the Bible so much and her parents could not afford to buy a Bible. So she would go the church to read, but not satisfied, she would go to the house of a neighbour to read. Since her parents could not buy it, Mary saved money for six years to buy the Bible. She trekked a distance of 40 miles to get the Bible. When she got to the place, the only Bible left had already been paid for by a Priest. On hearing this, the girl broke down in tears. The person selling (a Bishop) gave her the copy saying that the priest that paid for the Bible would have to wait for the next consignment. After getting the Bible, Mary Jones walked another forty miles back to her village. So, we want to demonstrate what she did that led to the formation of Bible Society in England because when the Bishop got to London, having experienced how people suffered to get copies of the Bible, he told the people he was working with that they needed to form an organisation that would translate, publish and make the word of God available in large quantity. That was what led to the formation of the British and Foreign Bible Society and from there, they started spreading out. Today, we have 146 Bible Societies operating in 200 countries of the world. On February 7, we have another thanksgiving at Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, Lagos. The grand finale comes up on February 8 at Muson Centre, Lagos where we intend to give out 100,000 copies of the Bible, free of charge, if the funds are available. This will cost us about N50 million. We will unveil our legacy Bible which is meant to be handed from generation to generation; this Bible can last as long as 200 years. What does it take to be General Secretary of Bible Society of Nigeria? Well, it takes the grace of God. Before now, I thought knew so much about leadership having occupied leadership positions at different levels in the organisation until I became the General Secretary; now, I know better. To influence people, in an organisation like this, you need the help of the Holy

Spirit. You need also to be deeply rooted in the Word of God. You must be able to balance discipline in line with the word of God. I have seen that in a Christian organisation, people do not believe that discipline should be maintained. They will remind you that the Bible said we should love our neighbours as we love ourselves. So as a leader, you should know when to draw the line and discipline people with love. Besides the spiritual competence, occupying this position requires that you have sound leadership competence. Now I have to think of how to pay salary of about 200 staff members and for me to be able to do that it is not an easy task. It requires leadership competence. So it means you must be versed in leadership skills. You must be sound in both educational and professional competence. Your attitude to money, women must be impeccable. You must have a good home to occupy this seat because you must be a good example to others. Does BSN have her own Printing Press? Our business is not like the secular businesses because we are not profit making. We do not have a printing press because we cannot afford it. Last year, I travelled to China to see what it would cost to have a small printing press that can print 300 million copies of the Bible in a year. The machine alone will cost us nothing less than N2.5 billion; we don’t have such fund. What has been your greatest challenge since you assumed office as General Secretary of BSN? My greatest challenge as the CEO is funding and the second challenge is piracy. If I have fund, I will drive away pirates out of the market. Funds will help me render the pirates irrelevant. How would you achieve that? Very simple; I bring the Bibles and crush my prices in a way that I can afford to just make N10. If I make N10 on a Bible, pirates cannot cope with that. But they can hide between if I am making N40n even though they are selling sub standard, they can hide under that. If I am selling 340, they can bring their own to 320. If I have the funds, I can afford to give them out free of charge; which I will give directly to the

churches. There would be no need for anyone to pirate because they won’t be able to sell; such people are out to make money. The reason we are able to still beat them to it today is because we are not profit making in nature. We don’t charge the cost of translation into our prices, if we do, an average person may not be able to afford the Bible. How have the activities of BSN impacted on national development? In Nigeria we are near zero when it comes to national growth or economic development. Nigeria is one of the poorest countries in the world. Per capital income is very low. When we talk about economic growth, it is about increase in gross income or our GDP. In essence, what other companies produce in a year can increase in terms of volume. But if it does not translate into basic amenities into the personal life of people too, you cannot say you have economic development, translating to have housing, basic transportation, feeding, security. But let me relate BSN and national growth and development. Apart from national growth, BSN is contributing to securing our culture. Somebody said that the death of a language is the death of a culture. Most languages that are dead today are dead because they because they did not have any orthography i.e. written form. So, when the older generation that could only speak the language pass on, the language dies and there is nothing for anybody to refer to. We have translated the Bible to 24 Nigerian Languages and are working on 13 at the moment at the cost of N40 million per translation project. By this we are securing the language and culture of the country. Culture to a large extent is communicated through language. By translating, publishing and distributing, we employ people and pay them salary. We pay salary of over 200 staff helping them earn income which contributes to economic growth. We pay customs to clear our Bibles, we pay the shipping companies. So with all these, we are contributing to national growth. Apart from the celebration, is there any other thing Nigerians should expect from BSN this year? Looking at our core activities, we may be dedicating another Bible this year. The language is in Rivers State. We are also trusting God to officially dedicate our regional office in Ibadan which will house a modern library, modern translation centre, computer assisted publishing centre, and a warehouse which is our biggest so far. How many Bibles did you distribute in the last ten years and what has been the cost of your free Bible distribution in the last five years? In the last 10 years we have distributed about 10 million copies of the Bible while we have given out Bibles worth over N50 million. You attended a school of theology, yet you have not established your own church as is custom with people in this part of the world, why is this so? I have not been called to establish a church, and if I have my way, I will beg God not to ask me to establish one. I think some establish churches because of business not because they were called. You can see this by their attitude. I was somewhere and somebody was preaching saying that anointing without prosperity is equal to annoyance. The level of your anointing does not depend on your level of wealth. I am not against prosperity but I am worried when Pastors are more interested in the financial prosperity of their members than their spiritual wellbeing. If I have a church, I may not have crowd because my preaching will not make people stay because I will tell them the truth.

From the Pulpit

The voice of wisdom

with Dr. David

Oyedepo

e recognize from scriptures that every prophetic word is a spiritual seed. According to the parable of the sower, the seed is the Word of God, which is also defined as the incorruptible seed. As it is written: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever (1 Peter 1:23; see also Luke 8:11; 1 Timothy 1:18). Furthermore, the Word of God is also defined as a more sure word of prophecy. The Bible says: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:20-21). This means that every prophetic word is an incorruptible seed. However, every seed delivers on praise. As it is written: Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase… (Psalms 67:5-7). Therefore, every prophecy requires praise to be fulfilled. However, it is important to know that every prophecy attracts oppositions. It is written: Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have

Let’s go

BIBLE with Favour

Tioluwani Email: letsgobible@gmail.com

hat can l do and how can l go about this? I have a very close friend, my bestie, she was jilted by her to be husband. They were supposed to do their wedding on the 14th of February and all of us have been busy preparing, only for the man to come up last week to tell her that he is sorry; he just met someone that he believes he loves more than her and will prefer to spend the rest of her life with her. Oh my! What a pity? But l will approach this from two angles. Grief is hard. Even professionals trained to help people cope admit that they feel ill equipped from time to time. We weren’t born knowing how to handle grief – we seem made for a life without it. Even though there’s no end to the list of ways to serve someone who’s hurting, sometimes that intimidates us and cripples us from reaching out. But being a good friend through grief isn’t exclusively the territory of those of us who are trained or especially talented at giving advice. With a few guidelines, it’s something we all can do. It’s not really the time to join her in crying. 1. Listen without Judging or Advising For now, be okay with not having an answer. Further, be okay with not giving an answer even if you think you have one. Don’t tell her how she is feeling; let her tell you. No matter how stellar your stories might be, try letting them rest until another day and simply listen. However, Sometimes we steer clear of a friend in crisis because we don’t know what to say, you don’t need to say anything. Let her pour herself out, it will really help her. But

Sunday, January 24, 2016

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Engaging the wonders of praise for fulfilment of prophecy! given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle (Deuteronomy 2:24; see also 1 Corinthians 16:9). For instance, when Moses was born, opposition arose because a deliverer had arrived. As a result, Pharaoh ordered all male born to be killed. Meanwhile, this was 50 years ahead of the time ordained by God for Israel to be delivered from captivity in Egypt (Genesis 15:13-15). In other words, Pharaoh’s decree was made to stifle the fulfilment of God’s prophecy in the life of Moses. Also, when Christ the Saviour was born, King Herod ordered the death of all male born in the land, in a bid to kill ‘the deliverer’. This helps us to understand that it is warfare to see prophecies fulfilled. Erroneously, for a long time, the church has seen warfare as principally engaging in prayer and fasting; but praise warfare is a principal factor in securing fulfilment of prophecies. Let us examine some scriptural examples where praise warfare engendered the fulfilment of prophecies First, we must understand that praise is a platform through which God intervenes in the affairs of our lives. For instance, it took God coming down for His agenda to be fulfilled concerning the Israelites. Prior to that time, God said to Abraham: And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hun-

dred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age (Genesis 15:13-15). However, since every divine agenda naturally attracts opposition from hell, the gods of Egypt withstood that prophetic agenda through a resistance from Pharaoh and the taskmasters. Thus, there was 30 years delay; but when God came down, that prophetic word was fulfilled. As it is written: And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders (Deuteronomy 26:8; see also Exodus 12:4142). God did not only deliver them, He remained in their midst. The Bible records: When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language; Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion. The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back. The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back? Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs? Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob (Psalms 114:1-7). The presence of God that dwelt with the Israelites was the big factor that ensured their entry into the Promised Land. As a result of God’s presence with them,

they enjoyed supernatural supplies in the wilderness for 40 years till they got to the Promised Land. Thus, to retain God’s presence is to see prophecies fulfilled without sweat; but to secure God’s presence, we must engage in praise as a lifestyle, which guarantees constant fulfilment of prophecies in our lives. However, it is important to know that you cannot offer acceptable praise to God, except you are born again. Are you born again? That means to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If you have not and wish to, please say this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Deliver me from sin and Satan to serve the Living God. Today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now I know I am born again!” For further reading, please get my books: Miracle seed, Born To Win, Understanding The Power Of Praise, Understanding The Anointing, Anointing For Exploits and Anointing For Breakthrough. I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have five services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:35 a.m., 9:10 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. respectively. •I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 01-4548070, 01-4548280; or E-mail: feedback@lfcww.org

Helping others cope with grief

just show great attention to all that she is saying.

2. Validate the Experience of Grief If it was a loved one that died, we will assure the family, “You’ll see her again!” But been your friend that just went through a bad breakup you will say things like, “At least you didn’t marry him.” “Well he was to able to show who he is earlier” “It still shows he respect you by telling you now and not two day to the wedding or not even telling you but disappear with the new lady.” We dishonor their experience when we simplify it in this way. Because loss disturbs us so deeply, our impulse is to fill that awkward, empty space. But when it feels like nothing else can be said but something should be, with things that sound to us like hope. We desperately want it to be easier for our friends, but we dishonour their grief when we say things like, “It could have been worse,” and remind them to be thankful that it wasn’t. It might be true that having bits of life untouched by loss will make recovery a little easier eventually. But right now, everything is touched by loss. What your friend needs in that moment is to face the loss squarely and to grieve it for what it is -- not to feel guilty for being unable to put a positive spin on the chaos.

3. Support the Process Some people grieve by being quiet, contemplative, or withdrawn. Some people grieve by shouting unrepeatable things at the heavens. Both are okay, and both require safe places to express the grief. That first wave of grief doesn’t show up in measured doses; it just hits you. To feel that is healthy – not something we should repress. Minimizing, telling someone, “I wish you didn’t feel so bad,” heaps guilt on top of grief. It communicates that your comfort -and not your friend’s healingis your priority. Someone who respects your wish not to be made uncomfortable then has to choose whether to express this pain elsewhere or to hide it from you. Neither is a good way to keep a friend

close. These expressions of pain at seeing someone else’s pain usually come from a place of empathy. It’s natural to hurt when someone else hurts. It indicates that we’re probably not sociopaths, which counts as a healthy thing. The trouble comes when we take it a step further and impose our own personality, experience, and theories on grief on someone else. You might be armed with resilience and a brilliant testimony and excellent theories on grief, but no one can perfectly guide anyone else’s healing process. The best thing that you can do is simply stay beside them, supporting their unique process.

4. Give Grace It’s hard to be pushed away by a grieving person, or to be on the receiving end of the requisite anger, especially if you’ve grown to count on this person for something that they can’t offer at the moment. No one gets a free pass for injuring anyone, and healthy boundaries are still in play. But when we’re in the midst of grief, our world is suddenly full of triggers, and normal cycles of life seem foreign. In that place, social graces sometimes take a backseat to survival. The occasional exhibit of bad manners doesn’t mean that she dislike you; it means that she feel safe around you. I’ll come around.

5. Don’t Fix Witnessing someone else’s experience of loss triggers our own fears of loss, so we react to our lack of control in the world by grasping for control over our friends’ reactions. When we try to fix someone else, we take on a mission that’s never ours. We end up urging our friends to shortcut the necessary work that they need to do, give a nice testimony in church, and move on. People who seem to bounce back quickly might keep us more comfortable, but these people probably

have some serious reflection left to do. The temptation to appear healed before we truly are healed is strong in our self-reliant culture. This happens even in the church, where we react to loss with offerings of hope and commandments about joy instead of holding and comforting and “mourning with those who mourn,” as we’ve been told to do. We know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel and, in that case, we’d like to skip the tunnel altogether and fast-forward to the happy ending. Healing is always a process, and an often uncomfortable one. What we need is a safe place to let that process unfold. The sooner we embrace that our job is simply to be with our friends in their journey, the sooner they’ll feel like we’re on their team. Let God do His job not you otherwise you make matters worse.

6. Stay Months after the first round of friends and visitors has come and gone, months after it seems like most people have forgotten, you be the one that will be left there beside her. We always have the hope of light after darkness, but sometimes what we need most is a friend who will sit beside us in the dark, saying nothing, and wait with us for the light. Give her more time now by staying around the more.

7. Pray together The most important thing that you encourage and start doing from day one (even though she might not join u at first) is to go on your kneels and pray. The Bible says, 1 Cor. 15:18, that, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”. •You can send in your QUESTIONS and the Holy Spirit will be set to give you the ANSWERS. Barr. (Mrs.) Favour Tioluwani Tel: 08050272259 or 07062738213. Email: letsgobible@gmail.com

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Help from above!

Miracle Arena

(Text: James 1:17)

with Bishop

“

Theo Ugochukwu

very good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the father of lights…” Whatever you have been looking and searching for, that is beginning to look impossible is still possible with God. If you can redirect your focus on God, it is still possible. In Psalms 121:12, the Psalmist declared that “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth”. Challenges you cannot handle, God can handle them. Let God be your protector, your provider and source. Make Him Lord and King over your affairs and you will begin to see things run differently. Expectation is the mother of manifestation. The expectation of the righteous shall never be caught off. Allow Jesus to be at the driving seat of your boat. Let Him be the General as you face challenges of life. In 1st Samuel 30, David came back from battle only to discover that the enemy had invaded the city of Ziklag in his absence and burnt it down, looted the place and took the women captive. Verse 4, “Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice unto God and wept, until they had no more power to weep”. David was not weeping unto God but unto himself and before

From the Pulpit 35

Sunday, January 24, 2016

men. Such weeping did not and will not bring solution to the problem rather he ridicule himself, until he {David} went to God, and then solution to the problem came. The solution to those your challenges is in the hand of God. Your years of delay can be over if you begin now to look up. Do not give up rather look up, for delay is not denial. Begin now to wait on the Lord. Your prayers and fasting will never be in vain. You must have a harvest for it. I went for a program my community organized in Lagos, after the ministration, as I was leaving, a lady ran to me for prayers, that she has been married for years without a child. I laid my hand on her stomach and prayed with an unction and said “David, come forth” and months after the prayer, according to the woman, she took in and at the dot of 9months, she delivered her David. I wasn’t aware of this until the day she gave her testimony during the dedication of the child in my ministry. God is the maker and giver of all things. There is nothing in life that you need that God cannot give to you, as long as you remain within the sphere of His will and power. Few months ago, a brother I have not met before called me on phone that a colleague in his office gave him my phone number that he was diagnosed of kidney related problems as

his legs and hands were swollen and he had stopped going to work. I invited him to the church and prayed for him. After the prayer, the hands’ and legs’ swollen symptoms started disappearing and within one month God totally healed him by restoring his kidney and he went back to his work. You may be fighting the battle against sickness, debt, barrenness or lack; I want to assure you that heaven will grant you victory. Don’t give up. That problem is not your last bus stop because heaven will not allow you to end up in the land of disgrace. God’s plan and agenda is to see you prosper. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, said the Lord, thoughts of peace, not of evil, to give you expected end”. God wants to take you out of shame and disgrace. Heaven will help you locate and authorize your helper. Heaven will speak concerning you and on your behalf. The butler’s introduction of Joseph to Pharaoh was by Heaven’s mandate. Heaven will stir up a solution to your challenges. Heaven can protect and fight your battles even declare war against your secret enemies. King Saul pursued David till he committed suicide. These days, your stubborn pursuers and adversaries will commit suicide. The armies of Pharaoh that were swallowed in the red sea was by Heavenly intervention. Heaven will reveal the agenda of

those secret enemies and expose them to their own ridicule. Judas Iscariot secretly sold Jesus to the religious leaders but before Christ was crucified, Judas had already disgracefully hung himself. The children of Jacob sold their brother, Joseph into slavery, years after they had to stand under severe hunger and famine to beg for food before their same brother whom they sold. I pray that your enemies will fall into the pit they dug for you in Jesus Name. The earth is sustained through the blessings of Heaven. Begin now to be heavenly minded, for promotion cometh neither from the East, West, North nor South, but from above, including healing, deliverance, protection etc. Let your prayers be directed above unto the heavenly Father, for without God we can do nothing, but with Him, all things are possible. Believe what God can do in your life and allow Him to begin to do that. Make sure that no matter how difficult things are that the Holy Spirit is with you in that journey and you will get to your destination. •For more information, contact: Bishop Theo Ugochukwu – General Overseer, Miracle Assembly Bible Church, a.k.a. The City of Joy, 80, Ajose Street, Mende, Maryland, Lagos; Tel: 08033461482. Email: bishopgracemiracle@ ymail.com

Pulling down the evil altar

ur body is the physical structure that supports our life. When a man’s body is dominated by negative forces; that life will be full of frustrating experiences. What happens in your bodyin one way or the other determines what happens in your life. Imagine a life that has been destroyed by sickness, such a life may not spend the number of years the Lord has destined for him/her. If a man’s body is harbouring an evil altar, the life will be experiencing unpleasant situations like sicknesses, diseases, setbacks, discouragements etc. When our body is being controlled by an evil altar the devil is the lord of such life. The devil determines what happens in such a life. You need your body to serve the Lord, to work and earn money but when that body is under the control of an evil altar; all that will be severely affected. When the enemy capture your body they capture your life.Your body is a sanctuary for the Lord. The place where God desire to live on this earth is your body, when God lives in your body; he takes charge over everything in your life “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19). And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16). An altar is a raised structure where sacrifices are offered to spiritual beings to seek their favour or for them to perform certain actions. It can be a platform for the Spirit of God to work in a life if the altar is raised unto God or the devil to perform certain actin a life if it is an evil al-

tar. An evil altar will service and strengthen evil covenant against a man’s life and when such an altar is brought down in a man’s life the man will begin to blossom and flourish. Whatsoever constitutes a platform for the devil to operate in the life of a person is a form of evil altar that must be destroyed. These could include: a bad habit, a sin, an evil spell, a negative covenant etc. Examples of make evil altars in a life include: (1) Unclean Lips: Isaiah was a prophet of God that has been prophesying to the Children of Israel before he had an encounter with the glory of God. Isaiah considered himself to be a man of unclean lips which must have been limiting his ministry unknowing to him. Many people are stranded because of the evil altar (a certain bad habit) in their life. Isaiah began to experience a new dimension of God’s presence after he had overcome the issue of unclean lips in his life. We need to work on any bad habit in our life in order to destroy any altar that may serve as a platform for the devil to limit and hinder our life.So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.”(Isaiah 6:5-7) (2) Madness: This is any situation where by a person has lost the control if his/her mind. This might resulted from some bad habits or evil spell upon a man. The situation of the man in Mark 5:1-20 was caused the possession of his mind by demons. The possession of the man’s mind created a platform (evil altar) for the devil to be in control of his life and put him in a hopeless situation until he met with Christ. After the man’s deliverance, he began to proclaim the good work of Jesus upon his life.Then they came to

Opayinka

the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones..However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marvelled.(Mark 5:1-5& 19-20). (3) Infirmity: Your body is not created for infirmity but for the Lord. Sickness in a man’s life is an evil altar that must be destroyed. When your body is free; your life is free and when your body is in bondage; your life is in bondage. The infirmity in the life of this man constituted a

platform for the evil one to afflict his life. When the altar of God is missing in the life of a man, the evil one will rule such a life and that life will be messed up. After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.”And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.(John 5:1-9) How to destroy the evil altar in your body - Cry against the altar: Until you cry against the evil altar in your life, you cannot be free. Behind every evil altar in your life is a priest. You should speak the word of God against the altar and the priest burning incense on the altar. And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. Bishop Joshua Kolawole Opayinka is the Presiding Bishop of Glorious Tabernacle International located behind Ondo State Cultural Centre, Akure, Ondo State. Share your testimonies and prayer points with me at: O8060297831 joshuakolawoleo@yahoo.com

From the Pulpit

Sunday, January 24, 2016

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Nigerians must play their role –Ume

Rev Uche Ume, President of Uche Ume Evangelistic Ministries International with headquarters in Umuahia, Abia State, in this interview with journalists, speaks on how the expected change can occur in Nigeria; the 2016 Eagles’ Camp Meeting of the ministry which will hold in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State amomg other issues. What is God saying concerning our nation this year, 2016? Everybody that is sensitive to what is happening and what God is saying will know that we have actually come to the point that we need to go back to God. Presently, the economies of nations are failing; the technical knowhow of people are failing and the expertise of men is failing; even the securities of sophisticated nations are being messed up. At a time like this, what we need the most is heaven’s solution. For instance, you don’t take a car that was produced by Peugeot to Toyota to rectify its fault, but you take it back to Peugeot for repairs. The earth is the product of God and if anything is going wrong, we need to go back to God. We came from him and we are his product, so if there is any challenge, we must go back to him. Let me tell you the truth, 2016 is the year that many who used to be up will go down; it is a year when many who used to be rich will become poor. Many people that use to feed well will no longer feed well. It is also one year that some people that used to be on the ground will be lifted, but it all depends on how one relates to God and what one pays attention to. That is why we are telling people that if there is any time that we should seek God, it is now because in Egypt, God revealed to Pharaoh through Joseph that there would be seven years of bountiful harvest and seven years of scarcity. I believe that if it were to be the believers of today, they would pray that the seven years of abundance would come to pass and cancel the seven years of lack. But it was in the seven years of lack that God lifted Joseph. The promise of God in the life of Joseph was fulfilled in that seven years of lack. Pharaoh never needed him in the seven years of abundance; Joseph became relevant in those seven years of lack because he had supernatural idea on how to preserve food that could keep the nation going during the seven years of lack. If there is anything we need now, it is the supernatural idea. Everything in the natural has failed and it will continue to fail. There is nothing any man can do about it, but to look up to God. There are certain things that people do which is just trial and error. They try this policy; they see that it is not working, they change it. We shouldn’t continue like that; what we need is supernatural idea. This is the time that the Josephs of our generation should manifest and say exactly what God is saying. When you check what is happening across the world, you will realize that men do not reign by their certificate or education, they reign by ideas. Great men of the world are not men of certificates. There is nothing wrong with education, I love education and I went to school and we study every day, but the truth of the matter is that the majority of those who are making impact, those who have become a source of blessings to others, those who make others smile, who have given other people jobs and pay them salaries, are not doing so because of their certificates or education. No, it is all about divine ideas which entail telling somebody what to do. If there is any time that Nigeria as a nation needs God the most, it is now and I want to say it here that the days of asking people to go and seek God on behalf of any individual is over; God wants people who will be in His presence. There are two kinds of blessings that we get whenever we are in God’s presence, especially when it has to do with prayer. We get the blessing of changing our environment and also the blessing of changing of our inside. For some time, this nation has experienced what can be referred to as collective prayers, I call it a prayer collection which only changes our environments but the inside is not changed. Today, we talk about corruption; most of the people that you see that are taking the money that does not belong to them, still claim that they seek God. The outside is changed but the inside is not. When the inside of the individual is changed, you discover that such a person would want to live for others by putting smiles on their faces. They are not selfish since they don’t think of only themselves, they think about how they can be blessings to others and this has to do with everybody including our leaders. Oftentimes, I wonder what a state governor will be doing on a seat of power for four years, and at the end of the tenure, he begins to campaign to be reelected, not only that, he also indulges in politics of violence for people to reelect him. If such a person is really a blessing, he does not need much campaign because if the people see what he did for them, they will vote for him willingly. Take Jesus for instance, when He (Jesus) met the physical need of the people, they thought that His kingdom was

Rev Uche Ume

a physical kingdom and urged Him to come and rule over them but Jesus told them that His kingdom was not a physical kingdom or government of nations. So when people are changed on the inside, they will serve the nation very well. Once they serve the nation well, citizens will want them to remain in office, even when their tenure is over; they would keep on consulting such person(s) and continue making reference to them. It is not only that we need God to change our environment, we need Him to change our inside as well because once you seek God sincerely, your will change on the inside. Do you see President Muhammadu Buhari as that Messiah that Nigerians are waiting for, and how would you assess his government so far? As a matter of fact, I believe that it is God that enthrones people; the Bible states that if there are powers that be, they are ordained by God. No matter what a man does, if God does not want the person to be on the seat of power, he can’t get there. So the fact that God allowed President Buhari to be on the seat of power means that his emergence is the will of God. I have nothing to say about this government. I will give it sometime because many Nigerians had so much expectation when the President came on board. Our minds are open; so are our eyes; we are waiting to see the result. We want to see change in the economy, security, power and other sectors. However, we cannot say that he is doing well or that he is not doing well, we are just watching, but I think that the foundation is being laid; so, we are watching and praying for him to succeed. But my counsel for President Buhari is that he should go for results because the common man in Nigeria wants the change to reach him. Buhari should not talk about results, he should go for results. People don’t doubt results, whether someone loves or hates you, once the result is there nobody can doubt results. Buhari should fix his eyes on how to give this nation the results that the citizens are yearning for. Once he can give them the results, there is nothing that pessimists can do because you don’t doubt results. Once the nation can experience change, everybody will believe in him. So I will advise

the president to go for results. Some people are of the view that President Buhari is not objective in the current war against corruption, do you agree with that? Well, I am not a politician but what I will say is that whoever that has taken the money that should be used to develop this nation should return such money. Whether such people are in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); All Progressives Congress (APC) or any other political party, they should bring the money back for the purpose for which it was meant. On whether Buhari is objective or going after the opposition, my opinion is that they should recover the money, no matter who is involved.

What are your thoughts on Abia State governorship tussle between Okezie Ikpeazu and Alex Otti? I am not of PDP or All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). The battle in my state is about PDP and APGA. In my ministry, I have PDP members and APGA members, but my stand has always been that leadership is about impacting on people’s lives. What is life worth if you cannot be a blessing to your generation, what are we living for; remember what I said before, when you serve the people very well, you don’t need to campaign vigorously for them to vote you in. Governor Ikpeazu just assumed office, Dr Otti has not entered, so what we are talking about is not even about governance, it is about election, who won and who did not win. The Election Petition Tribunal has passed its judgment, the Appeal Court has passed its own judgment , we are now waiting for the Supreme Court which will in a short while rule on the matter. Whosoever emerges, we will give him our support for the good of the state. The truth is that Abians now know that their votes count, the politicians are now aware that power is with the people and that the opinion of the people now count. What is happening now is also a lesson to whoever gets there; four years is not too far from today. If you don’t do well, the people will vote you out. As you prepare for this year’s camp meeting, what should the participants expect from this

event? Our annual camp meeting is in line with what I am talking about. We call it Eagles’ Camp Meeting where we teach and lead people to pray. It is where we pray with you; we don’t pray for you. We let the people know that they can do it themselves. We want people to come, hear the word of God and we pray with them. Eagles’ Camp Meeting is a meeting where you do it yourself. It is where we make people to realize that they too can relate with God and that there is no superhuman when it has to do with God; He (God) treats people equally. If another person can pray for you and get answers, you can also pray and get answers. This year’s camp meeting will hold at Women’s Development Centre, Abakaliki and will last for three days, starting from Wednesday, February 3 to Saturday February 6, 2016. We shall give God full attention and focus on Him for three days; there is no way that you come to God’s presence and leave the same. The kind of testimonies that we have been receiving from this meeting since its inception six years ago has been outstanding. It is not about me, my assignment is just to make the participants pray. When Jesus was teaching the people who had been with him for days, at a point, the disciples told him to send them away because they were hungry, but Jesus said, ‘we have to give them food,’ and they asked, ‘how can we get the food for these people?’ Jesus answered, ‘if you can make them sit down, I will give them food,’ so, the problem is sitting down. My assignment is to bring people to his presence and Jesus’ assignment is to meet them where they need Him most. When people come seeking Him with all their heart, He will reveal Himself and that is what Eagles Camp Meeting is all about. A lot of great ministers of God will be on hand with me to minister to the participants at the event, we have ministers like Dr Abel Damina of Power Word Ministries, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State; Dr Joshua Talena of Shepherds’ House, Abuja; Rev Godson Iroatu of Assemblies of God, Lagos; Rev Wisdom Maduka; Rev Elisha Anyanwu and Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Obioma. There are also many music ministers like Steve Crown; Minister Simple and Elijah Oyelade among others. It is going to be a great and wonderful time in the presence of God because of the seasoned men of God that we have invited to come and minister to the people. What advice do you have for Nigerians; leaders and the led alike? The major thing I want to tell citizens is that this country belongs to us all. Nigeria does not belong to President Buhari, Prof Yemi Osinbajo or any individual, the country belongs to every one of us. Unfortunately, some citizens want to use their positions to oppress others. A pastor wants to use his position to oppress church members; a policeman wants to use his little position to oppress and intimidate the people that he is supposed to protect and such oppressors will turn around and blame the leaders for the problems of the country. What have you done to make where you are good? If all of us can change and live up to expectation as good citizens of the country anywhere we find ourselves, Nigeria will change for the better. The change we are talking about should start from us as individuals. If we start changing from where we are by doing the right things, then, we can have real change in this country. But if we are looking at one man to bring the change, the change will never come. We must join hands to bring about the change we are expecting in this country. So my advice to every Nigerian is for them to effect change starting with them.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

January 24, 2016

Kogi: Yahaya Bello ’s tortuous road to Lugard House CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

also afforded the committee the opportunity to check the facilities in place and see what could be done before January 27,the handing over date. Kogi State Deputy Governor and Chairman of State Government transition Committee, Chief Yomi Awoniyi, stated that the present administration is working round the clock to ensure peaceful transition in the state on and before 27th January,2016. However, the people of Kogi are anxiously waiting to witness yet another epoch making inauguration of the new All Progressive Congress APC) administration in the state particularly with reference to the circumstances leading to the emergency of the governor-elect, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who has been described as a child of circumstance in the unfolding scenario following the vacuum created by the sudden death of the APC flag bearer in 21st November governorship election in Kogi State, late political icon, Prince Abubakar Audu, who had served as a two time governor of the state. His death, on the cusp of victory, still remains a mystery till today, amid the multiple claims to his candidacy and rancour among different interest in the state. Expectedly, the incumbent administration of the People Democratic Party, PDP, led by Captain Idris Wada is winding up with a lot of activities unfolding barely one week to the expiration of the tenure having lost the gubernatorial election to the APC on 21st November and confirmed by a 5th December supplementary election. In the last one week or thereabouts, Captain Wada has flagged off the construction of N4.6bn fly over bridge at Ganaja junction in Lokoja to ease the daily traffic gridlock experienced by motorists and commuters. Similarly one of the star projects of Wada ’s administration, the ultra modern mega terminal, which is the biggest in West Africa was inaugurated by the Chairman of PDP governors forum and governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko . Be that as it may, the responsibility has fallen on the young politician, Alhaji Yahaya Bello by the choice of the All Progressive Congress, APC, hierarchy at national level to replace late APC governorship candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu who died on Sunday 22nd November when the election result was being collated. No doubt, this singular decision of the party leaders has continue to generate a lot of controversies not only within the APC, but also outside the party affiliations as it has widened the political rivalry between the peoples of the three senatorial districts given the alteration of political permutations before and during the last governorship election in the state. Indeed the late Audu ’s political family led by the running mate to the governorship candidate in 21st November governorship election in Kogi state, Honourable James Abiodun Faleke, the eldest son of late politician, Mohammed Audu

Audu

Wada

SOURCES HOWEVER HINTED THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LOBBYING TO BE BELLO ’S PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM THE YORUBA OKUN SPEAKING AREA OF THE STATE INCLUDING THE FORMER ACTING GOVERNOR AND SPEAKER OF KOGI STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY,

CHIEF CLARENCE OLAFEMI AND FORMER COMMISSIONER, MRS. JUSTINA ABANIDA. and many strong party loyalists are yet to come to the terms with the decision of party leaders in choosing Yahaya Bello as replacement, a situation they described as rape of democracy. This has also led to sharp divisions between the party loyalists and elicited litigation from different quarters seeking the court interpretations of the actions of the Independent national Electoral Commission, INEC action for declaring the 21st November governorship election inconclusive, while members of the state executive of APC are polarised with some supporting one group or the other since the beginning of the political gridlock. As preparation for the inauguration of Bello as next governor of Kogi State is in top gear, watchers of political events in the confluence state are of opinion that uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, following the catalogues of problems currently facing the 24 year old state. Presently no fewer than six election petitions including that of the running mate to Audu have been filed at Kogi

State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal against the governor-elect and INEC as the tribunal commenced sitting at the premises of High Court in Lokoja amidst tight security. The Tribunal has already granted orders for respondents/ defendants in the six petitions to be served by substituted means to enable it commence its pre-hearing session preparatory to proper adjudication of the petitions. Aside, the legal battles that may take sometimes to be resolved in view of intrigues that will play out, there are other litany of problems are already threatening the existence of the state, such as backlog of salaries of Local government workers in the state, the issue of non regular payment of Primary and Basic Education teachers, nonpayment of salary arrears to Kogi State government workers. Observers say it will take some time before the new administration will settle down for real business of governance in the state. Other challenges are the issues of dilapidated infrastructures in the state that need urgent attention and coupled

with dwindling in the federal allocation to the state and inherited debt profile. For sure, the incoming governor will take some time dissipating a lot of energy to reconcile all the seemingly aggrieved parties in the current political dispute and fact that Honourable James Faleke has vehemently rejected to be Deputy Governor to Yahaya Bello are hurdles that need to be crossed. Sources however hinted that many people have been lobbying to be Bello ’s particularly those from the Yoruba Okun speaking area of the state including the former Acting Governor and Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Chief Clarence Olafemi and former Commissioner, Mrs. Justina Abanida. It was also rumoured that since Faleke has rejected the Deputy Governor seat the some forces are trying to smuggle in the name former Deputy speaker from Eastern senatorial district, Chief Simon Achuba down for the exalted position. This move, Sunday Mirror gathered is already brewing another crisis in the party. However, some people are pointing accusing fingers at the ruling PDP as fuelling the crisis to ensure its return power through technicalities arising from the cases pending before the tribunal or courts. As it were, the new administration may need to its doors for new stakeholders as aresult of alignment and realignment of forces from other political parties willing to work for the party in power. The political pundits are of the view that with all unresolved crises and other problems facing the state now, it may take a very long time for the new administration to settle down to steer the stewardship of Kogi State.

Politics

January 24, 2016

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ijebus deserve their own state –Awosedo Asiwaju Olajide Awosedo is a retired banker, philanthropist and one of the political Icons in Ogun State. He had once taken a shot at the Ogun state governorship seat in the 2011 when he contested on the platform of the Labour Party, LP. In this interview with journalists on the 40th anniversary of the creation of Ogun state, Awosedo bares his mind on the development witnessed in the state since its creation. Ayo Esan was there. Excerpts:

Fantastic! Generally speaking, Ogun East, the Ijebus have done a lot for the development of Ogun State. Talking of Baba Awolowo, he is an Ijebu man and his influence was beyond Ogun state and Nigeria. So, in terms of politics, the Ijebus have done so much. In fact, if you start mentioning the Ijebus that are involved in the politics of this country, you will discover that they are numerous. My foray into politics is one of my own contributions to my people and I have done that with high level of sanity and that is the reason I have continued to enjoy people ’s respect in my domain and those that I have worked with politically. Look at Awujale and the Odemo of Ishara, Oba Akinsanya, those are the traditional-ruler-politicians, they laid down their lives for the survival of the masses.

How has it been since you entered politics? Let me tell you this. I have contested for elective offices three times, one in 1993 as a National Delegate; second was in 2007, for the Senate to represent my zone. I mean Ogun East Senatorial District and the third attempt was for the governorship of this state in 2011. That was when I contested for the highest office in Ogun state. I must tell you that the experience had been very rewarding. It took a toll on my finances no doubt and I must tell you that because our politics is so heavily monetized. I spent some ‘stupid ’ money because I didn ’t have any political godfather and I don ’t believe in it. For somebody to look for a financier and sponsors for his political campaigns and then when you win, they hold your hands, is not my idea of democracy. That means that you have to first and foremost, satisfy them before you can satisfy the people that voted for you. So I have always said to people who want to seek elective offices that they must always on their own be prepared, able and strong enough to run for whatever office they are interested in without looking for “Mr. A ” or “Mrs. B ” to give them money before they can achieve their aim. If somebody decides to offer you any financial assistance, fine, but it mustn ’t be that you are going to start looking for a group of people that will sponsor your political intention and at the end, such sponsors would turn themselves into your tin-god and later become a problem for you. So like I said, my experience in politics is rewarding, the only elective position that I won was the National Delegate in1993 but I was deprived of that of the Senate in 2007. I was cheated out. There was nobody all over Ogun East Senatorial district that didn ’t know that I was the candidate to beat but that is history now. That only showed that in this country, our supposed leaders have been depriving the people of the opportunity to make their choices unlike in the days of late Pa (Chief) Obafemi Awolowo when the philosophy and sanctity of party supremacy was respected.

Now, Ogun state at 40, would you say the state has achieved much? I must say that we have not achieved much, apart from the fact that we have achieved an identity as a state. Beyond that, we really have not achieved much, but there is still so much room for improvement. For example, in the area of infrastructural development, Ogun state is just coming up to the mainstream of the country. For the very first time in the history of 40 years of the creation of Ogun state, Abeokuta, the capital city now looks like a proper capital befitting a state and I must commend Governor Ibikunle Amosun for that. Hitherto, Abeokuta ranked among the conventional Nigerian towns, but now, it has taken the shape of a proper state capital. For that alone, I will say we are moving forward and I ’m expecting that Governor Amosun will extend that outlook to the other zones of the state, particularly Ijebu zone. Secondly, Ogun State is too big, I must emphasize this. The state needs to be split into two. I am sure you know that Ogun State consists of two provinces: two out of the old 24 provinces in Nigeria. Remember that Nigeria under the colonial rule consisted of 24 provinces: now, 22 of those provinces have become states on their own. In fact, two (2) or three (3) states have been carved out of some of these provinces. Unfortunately, the Egba and Ijebu provinces were merged into one to make the present Ogun state. Egba Province consists of Egba and Egbado (now called Yewa) Divisions, while Ijebu province also consisted of Remo and Ijebu Divisions. So, this means that till date, the old two Provinces of Egba and Ijebu which had the four divisions under the old colonial arrangement is what make up the present Ogun state, when in reality, other twenty-two provinces have become either one or two states and of course, you know what creation of a state does for its people. It brings developments and employments. Forget about what anybody can tell you as argument against the creation of further states in Nigeria; forget about the argument that those states are not viable. There is no state that should not be viable; all you

Why is it that people don ’t vote for candidates on merit nowadays?

Awo osedo

THERE IS NO STATE THAT SHOULD NOT BE VIABLE; ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS TO CUT YOUR COAT ACCORDING TO THE SIZE OF YOUR CLOTH. IF THE STATE IS SMALL, THEN THE

INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT WILL BE IN LINE WITH IT

It has to do with poverty level, the poverty level of the people made it so difficult for them to follow their conscience. The better candidates always don ’t have money to give. When people vote their conscience away, the result of such situation for the winner of such election is impunity. He feels that he is not bound by any agreement to perform optimally; rather, he becomes richer than what he was before he contested the election. Could that have been blamed on poverty or ignorance? Yes, it is the beginning of poverty! You are poor because you are ignorant. I

wish Baba Awolowo were still alive to enable him have the privilege to pursue the policy of his free education that himself and members of his political party had imagined. If everybody in this country were educated, it ’s going to be difficult; poverty would have been reduced. Even if there is going to be poverty, it would be a poverty that we have in the developed nations. In those countries people know their rights and as such, no one can take their rights away from them. What would you say have been the contributions of Ogun East Senatorial District to the development of Ogun State?

CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

January 24, 2016

Ijebus deserve their own state –Awosedo CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38 need to do is to cut your coat according to the size of your cloth. If the state is small, then the infrastructural development will be in line with it. In any case, the kind of money that this state generates is enough for development. I mean you have seen it! Even the states that are said not to be viable, governors that rule those states have turn out to be richer than the states they are governing. So, where is the money coming from? As far as I am concerned, Ogun state should be split into two: the Ijebu people should be allowed to go on their own, while the Egba people also should be allowed to stay on their own and then we can now develop ourselves together more. Let the federal government give us Ijebu state and see what the Ijebus will do with the opportunity. I can bet it, ours in Ijebu state will be a model to other states in Nigeria. Some people have been criticising Governor Amosun ’s ongoing projects particularly they described the overhead bridges as misplaced priority. What is your view on this? Well, there is no human being that will not be criticized; there is no man on earth that will not be criticized. To some extent however, I will not call them misplaced priorities, I will rather say that

EVERY LEADER HAS REASONS FOR DOING THINGS AS LONG AS IT IS NOT CRIMINAL. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT CRIMINALITY AND SELFISHNESS BUT AS LONG AS THE

INTENTIONS ARE GENUINE AND HONEST,

WHEN YOU GET CRITICISM, YOU WILL NOW GO BACK AND WORK ON THEM.

with the opportunity provided by his second term of office, some of those things which the critics are describing and believed to be misplaced priorities, he has the ample chance to correct them now. But I want to believe that Mr. Governor has his reasons for embarking on those projects. Every leader has reasons for doing things as long as it is not criminal. I am concerned about criminality and selfishness but as long as the intentions are genuine and honest, when you get criticism, you will now go back and work on them. For example, I believe those model

schools: if that is what his administration wants, why not remodel all of those existing schools? They should have been remodeled. I mean all the money that were spent on the new structures would have been used to remodel the existing primary, secondary and our tertiary institutions and they would have gone far more better. If “model ” is the word attractive to us, then they can change our existing schools to Multi-lateral Model Colleges: Abeokuta Baptist Boys Model College and when people get there, they will realize that they are model colleges.

I mean you are not adding any structure there; you are just remodeling all the existing structures. I told somebody one day that let us imagine the number of primary and secondary schools we have in Ogun state. Let us imagine that we decide that every year we are going to spend N2 million in every school. There are three terms in a year, that means that we would have spent N10 million plus or minus in the first term of the governor in every school. If the Governor is lucky and wins the second term, he would have spent N20 million in four years on every school. You know what that means? If you translate that into the number of schools and then, the multiplier effects, the man will go down in history as an “Awolowo ”. What are your guiding principles in life and politics? Wherever I find myself, it has been God. It is not because I sat down and picked up my pen and decided this is how I am going to do it. In fact, if anybody had thought this is where I am going to be today when I was growing up, I wouldn ’t have believed it. The Bible says “the race is not for the swift, nor for the wise, nor for the royalty or wealthy, nor for the educated, but for unto him that He decided to favour ”. I am just one man that has ambitions and a good risk taker. That is all.

NEWS

APC national chairman seeks votes for senatorial candidate HENRY IYORKASE MAKURDI

he National Chairman of All Progress Congress, Chief John OdigieOyegun, has charged the people of Benue South West senatorial district to ensure the victory of the party ’s senatorial candidate, Comrade Daniel Onjeh in the February 13 re-run election in the state. The APC leader gave the charge while receiving the decampees into the party yesterday in Oturkpo, including the likes of former Second Republic Senate President Ameh Ebute alongside Stephen Lawani , Sam Ode, a former Minister of Niger Delta affairs and one time Permanent Secretary

Odigie-Oyegun

Ministry of Defence, Chief Mike Onoja as well as other prominent politicians. The former Governor of Edo State said with the calibre of entrants of personalities who has defected to the party was optimistic that come February 13, the election is as good fore gone conclusion in favour of the governing party. He further reiterated the need for people of Benue to join the band wagon and contribute their quota towards ensuring accelerated development in the country.

In his address, Governor Samuel Ortom, said his administration would provide adequate security during the polls and warned that any misconduct will severely dealt with stressing that anyone contemplating a resort to manipulations will be punished Governor Ortom urged party supporters to remain resolute until victory is achieved and told party stalwarts and decampees to work assiduously towards delivering the party ’s candidate at the

rerun elections The occasion also witnessed declaration of the senatorial flag bearer, Hon. Daniel Onjeh, who pledged to provide the needed support for his constituents, if given the mandate and sought the support of the people to enable him succeed in the contest. Onjeh is running against former Senate President, David Mark after the initial poll was voided by the Election Petition Tribunal.

Sokoto to assist victims of Kasuwar Daji market re –Tambuwal

okoto State Government will assist the victims of the fire that razed the tubers, vegetables and fruits market in Sokoto, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal, has promised. The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the market popularly called “Kasuwar Daji ” was razed by fire on Thursday night. The fire destroyed no fewer than one hundred shops, an articulated vehicle loaded with yam tubers, among others; but no life was lost and nobody sustained injury. The State deputy governor, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu, who visited the market yestyerday on behalf of the governor, commiserated with the affected traders. He expressed shock at the extent of damage caused by the fire and prayed Allah to compensate and reward those who

lost their shops and goods. “Gov. Tambuwal is away in Abuja for official engagements and he had asked me to come and commiserate with you and report back to him for urgent intervention by the government. I am sure as soon he (Tambuwal) set his foot in Sokoto, we will come back here for him to see the extent of the damage, ’ ’ Aliyu said. He assured that the market which provides perishable and food items to residents of Sokoto city and its environs would soon bounce back. He promised that action would be taken by the government to ease the hardship faced by the victims. He challenged the management of the market to take the issue of safety seriously and always abide by the rules. “You must ensure that all roads leading to the market are not indiscriminately blocked. `This is to allow fire service

vehicles easy passage to deal with any unforeseen unpalatable incidents like fire disasters and other possible emergencies, ’ ’ Aliyu said. The leader of the market, Malam Muhammad Sokoto, who expressed happiness with the visit, told the deputy governor that assorted foodstuffs worth millions of naira were lost to the fire. He said that the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained and appealed to the government to come to the aid of the victims. The Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor, Aminu Abdullahi, in a statement, said that the government would set up a committee to unravel the remote and immediate remote cause of the fire. He added that the committee would also recommend the nature of assistance to be rendered to the affected traders.

Politics

January 24, 2016

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘David Mark failed to develop his people ’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 has got more money than anybody can give me from outside. So I am not a match to him in terms of that. If one may also ask again, are they coming to vote for the Idoma people? I have looked round and I have asked questions and I have gotten answers from people. There is no community in the Benue South where there are Tiv registered voters; none of the Tiv people have PVCs from Benue South. So in what way are they sponsoring me? I have concluded that he is probably creating excuses to cover his shame after the colossal defeat that he is headed for. You ’ve asserted that the former Senate President has not done anything to improve the wellbeing of the people of Benue South West but the immediate past Minister of Interior, Abba Moro mentioned the Open University, Otukpo campus, the Oweto Bridge among others. How then would you convince the electorate that David Mark has not recorded any single achievement? Well, these claims are barefaced lies. The issue of Oweto Bridge was not started by Senator David Mark. It was a follow up by David Mark and it was expected that he had pushed or lobbied for the conclusion of this project because he stayed longer than any other Senator in Nigeria. He was close to the corridors of power in all of the successive administrations of the PDP in the 16 years of his stay at the National Assembly. He was close to President Olusegun Obasanjo, he was close to President Goodluck Jonathan. As such he had the influence to push for the completion of the project. But then, another issue quickly comes to mind. His deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu embarked on massive infrastructural development in his senatorial district. He didn ’t have as much influence as David Mark who was considered as the defacto president. So it means Senator David Mark could have done more. So he shouldn ’t take the glory or the credit for the Oweto Bridge. On the issue of the College of Health Science and the extension of the University of Agriculture Makurdi, he ought to have followed due process. While all other colleagues of his were busy pursuing projects and programmes for their people, one wonders what he was doing until the eve of the 2015 General Elections when he hurriedly influenced a project to come down to Benue South and bypass due process. The reason it was returned back to a place where it was originally allocated to was because due process was not followed. It is not the fault of anybody as he is trying to present to people that the Tiv people are denying us of that. He has been there for 16 years; even if he wants to build a private university on his own, he is capable of doing that. He has a golf course and good enough, we know that sports are good but the golf course is sports for the bourgeois. How many youth can afford playing golf ? Can they even afford to buy the golf sticks? How many jobs has he created in the golf course? But the cost of maintenance of that golf course is enough to build a university; a running university in Benue

Onjeh

I DON ’T HAVE A PINCH OF THE RESOURCES MY OPPONENT HAS. HE HAS BOASTED HE IS GOING TO WIN A HUNDRED TIMES OVER AND THAT BOASTING IS VERY, VERY SYMBOLIC

WITH RESPECT TO THE HISTORIC BATTLE OF

DAVID AND GOLIATH.

South. We can ’t keep deceiving the people. You appear to be optimistic of your victory. What are the indices that inform you that you are going to floor Mark at the rerun election? Talking about indices, the result of the last election shows clearly that I won the election. I scored over 50,000 clean votes whereas all the votes that were concocted and allocated to Senator David Mark were product of a rigged election. The processes of the election were marred by irregularities and malpractices. All these were spelt clearly on the surfaces of the result sheets. It was either from the mutilation of the result sheets or non availability of result sheets where elections do not hold and yet figures were entered at the ward and local government levels. The prima facie evidence of election holding is the result from the polling units. We had over 200 polling units where the results were not available and yet, figures were entered into the ward and local government collation forms. Now, the card reader also showed on the surface that there were over 23, 000 ghost voters, which David Mark benefitted from. If you put all these things together, clearly, I won the election even with a wide margin. But they manipulated the election in a systemic order ensuring that where they were rigging and manufacturing votes for themselves, they allocated little, little votes for me in

these polling units so that the rigging became widespread. It was difficult to challenge the result for declaration but easier to call for a rerun because the law as a principle in this issue in Nigeria is that where 50 per cent of the polling units or the votes appreciated by acts of irregularities and noncompliance, the natural consequence is to call for a rerun and that was why we relied on our alternative prayers for nullification and rerun before the courts and our prayers were answered. Contrary to his claim that it was just innocuous acts of the Electoral Officer that led to the nullification of his election, it was just a mere change of dates; they misplaced dates and that is why his election was nullified, it is not so. It was the manifestation of the irregularities; he was prophetically declared winner. I don ’t have a pinch of the resources my opponent has. He has boasted he is going to win a hundred times over and that boasting is very, very symbolic with respect to the historic battle of David and Goliath. What was remarkable about the battle wasn ’t just the size of Goliath but the boasting of Goliath to the Israelites. And the young David offered himself to fight Goliath. He may have come with all his armour; metal garment and helmet. I do not have a shoe or a javelin but I have come to him with my little sling just like David and I shall defeat him in the name of the Lord.

In some quarters, you are been ascribed to as a political neophyte to be a match of David Mark. What is your take on this? Well, to start with, we are all political animals as postulated. Aside the politics we play in our immediate environment, I have occupied positions of political leadership; I have been the President of over 20 million Nigerian Students (National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS), I have been the President of over 60 million West African Students Union, WAFU and in the course of my leadership and in defence of my primary constituency, I have had course to relate with people in high authority, I have had course to be part of policy and decision making on behalf of my constituency and by extrapolation the general public. We have also contributed enormously in shaping the opinion of the civil society and at different times putting government on her toes to do what is right and just for the people. If you know these things that we have tasked government to do in time past, then all we long for is to have the opportunity to be part of government that will take such decisions. To say that I am a neophyte is a figment of imagination of those who do not know what legislation is all about. Nobody was born with the act of legislation. All it takes is to understand our Constitution and see areas where inputs are required to have an ideal Constitution for the people and make the society a better one. What is your advice to the electorate as the rerun draws to a close? I encourage the Idoma people to protect their votes. There has been news making the rounds that my opponent has commissioned his agents to buy voters ’ cards. I am calling on them not to sell their PVCs because it is a crime before the law for both the buyers and the sellers of voters ’ card. Should anyone approach them, they should report to the nearest security post or agents because their vote is their power and it is only through the ballot that they can effect the change we all longed for in Benue South.

January 24, 2016

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

FG sacks top civil servants over employment racketeering

ome top officials of the civil service have been dismissed by the Federal Government for extorting money from 400 applicants and offering them employment illegally. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the disclosure yesterday in Lagos during a meeting with some selected OnAir-Personalities. The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the meeting was part of the minister`s five-day

consultations with critical stakeholders in the media industry. Mohammed said that the affected officers were on Grade Level 17 in one of the parastatals in the ministry. He said that the officers had included the names of the applicants in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel System, IPPIS, before the fraud was discovered. ` “The first scandal I met in one of the parastatals when I assumed office was the illegal employment of 400 people. `This scandal

started with very senior officers up to level 17 in that department. “They sent out letters and text messages asking people to apply for jobs for a fee of N400,000 and they were given letters of employment. `They did not stop there. They invited these people to go and be captured on the IPPIS and they even took cameras to hotels to get them captured. At the end of the day the bubble burst. “One of the victims told these officials, you cannot take my money and still

disengage me. I have a valid letter. ’ ’ “That is how we got to know that there is a dedicated account these people pay to. Of course, we dismissed these officials and we even handed them over to the Police ”, the minister said. Mohammed said that the incident showed how faulty the IPPIS was and how it had been compromised by unscrupulous elements. He said that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was do-

L-R: Consulate General, Political/Economic Section, United States, Thomas Hines; Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Home Affairs, Mrs. Grace Oladimeji; Special Representative, Religion and Global Affairs, United States Department of State, Shaun Casey; Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr. Abdul-Lateef Abdul-Hakeem and Consulate General/Political Officer, United States, Jessica Tesoriero, during a visit to the Lagos State Home Affairs Ministry, in Lagos, at the weekend.

Lassa fever: Govt urged to strengthen environmental health services WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

ational Vice-President, Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria (EHOAN), North Central, Mr. Nuhu Anyegwu, yesterday urged government at all levels to strengthen environmental health services to check the spread of Lassa fever. Anyegwu, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists in Idah, said there was need for more government, groups and individuals ’ commitment to environ-

mental health issues. He explained that with the prevalence of communicable diseases especially, the sudden outbreak of Lassa fever (viral haemorrhagic fever)in the country, stated that governments should advance and strengthen environmental health services to fighting the disease. “It is popularly stated that the major parameters or indices with which to measure the effectiveness and success of environmental Health services is a drastic reduction in the incidences of communi-

cable diseases and where feasible, complete elimination ”, he said. Anyegwu, who is also the Rector of Kogi College of Health Technology, Idah, attributed the outbreak of the disease to poor sanitation saying that it was similar to Ebola in terms of its etiological agents and clinical manifestations. “The spread of Lassa virus to humans occur mostly through ingestion or contact. Mastomys – rodents shed the virus in urine and droppings and direct contact with these materials cause the infection ”, he ex-

plained. The disease, he said, could be contracted through eating of contaminated food, exposure of open cuts or sores, contact with an infected person, exposure to virus in the blood, tissues, secretions or excretions of an infected individual and rodents. As part of preventive measures against the disease, the environmental expert advocated promotion of good hygiene, avoidance of contact with rats and infected humanbeings and environmental cleanliness.

ing all it could to make the IPPIS tamper-proof and guide it from people who might want to load ghost workers on it. He described On-Air Personalities as ``very important ’ ’ in the media industry and urged

them to leverage on their platforms to educate the people on government`s policies. The minister said the current war against corruption was a war of survival for the nation and urged all Nigerians to give it the necessary support.

Adamawa commissioner tasks Buhari on funding of anti-graft war LIVINUS MENEDI YOLA

resident Muhammadu Buhari has been tasked on taking his anti-corruption fight a notch higher by making funding of antigraft agencies a top priority, if his campaign against corruption must succeed. The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice for Adamawa State, Mr. Bala D. Sanga, who made the call, yesterday, also lauded President Buhari ’s political will to fight corruption saying it has been 100 per cent. He however noted that even though the President has so far demonstrated a commendable level of political will to fight corruption, he wondered “how effective are the law enforcement agencies in fighting corruption ”. Bala posited that to effectively combat corruption certain ingredients must be in place which he listed to be the political will to fight corruption, as exemplified by the President. Others which he noted were equally vital pillars for the war on corruption to be successful are effective law enforcement, judiciary, civil society and media which all need to be efficient as well but regretted that even though he still rated their performance as good yet they still too remained weak to support the war on corruption. The missing link he said is that certain capacities that should be inherent in modern law enforcement as

well as global best practices in combating corruption are still not in place. He therefore called on the President to make funding to the anti-graft agencies like the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission; the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Code of Conduct Bureau a top priority of his administration. He observed that his prior experience of working with the EFCC as a Director in charge of money laundering showed that law enforcement personnel is grossly underfunded, under trained and does not have the requisite infrastructure and equipment to fight corruption. As a result, he noted the country ’s anti-graft agencies remained ‘bulldogs ’ but they are not “powerful and truthfully bulldogs ”. “They can do better but I suspect that at the moment they are poorly trained, poorly funded and equipped, ” he said in response to the question on whether, ICPC and EFCC could not be considered as toothless bulldogs, giving the absence of the critical capacity needed to make them effective. He noted that for quite a long time this agencies have been trying to do their best with the minimal resources, and therefore urged the Buhari led All Progressive Congress, APC administration to boost them with funds to bring the anti-graft agencies up in line with global best practices.

Business

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FRESH BUSINESS NEWS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Sunday, January 24, 2016

Insurance setor to benefit from Prudential Financial, LeapFrog partnership

rudential Financial, Inc. (PFI) and LeapFrog Investments has announced the launch of a 350 million dollars (N70 billion) investment partnership to access high-growth markets in Africa. According to statement by Accounts Manager, LeapFrog, Bemigho Awala, issued yesterday in Lagos the new investment vehicle would tar-

get investments in life insurance companies in Nigeria. It will also target other leading economies, including Kenya and Ghana, to be made over a three- to five-year period,’’ It said that Charles Lowrey, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of PFI’s International Businesses, noted that the venture would expand PFI’s invest in Africa.

“This investment expands PFI’s footprint into Africa, a continent that we believe offers tremendous potential for growth over the long term. `We are delighted to partner with LeapFrog Investments, given their deep experience in Africa, and their impressive record of success as insurance investors focused on emerging consumers’’. It quoted Doug Lacey, Part-

ner at LeapFrog Investments, as saying: “The global insurance industry is looking for ways to close the protection gap for millions of people in emerging markets. `This partnership will help to address that need. Nigeria is a very exciting market, ranked in the top three in Africa for growth prospects, alongside Kenya and Ghana. According to

L-R: Branch Manager, Regional Businesses, Lagos, Diamond Bank Plc, Nkeiru Olekanma; DiamondXtra Season 8 Winner; Matthew Amuche Dike and Regional Manager, Lagos Island, Diamond Bank Plc, Ogechi Altraide, at the cheque presentation ceremony to DiamondXtra Season 8 winners in Lagos recently.

New York flights postponed due to winter storms –Arik Air Olusegun Koiki

he management of Arik Air has explained why its Lagos-New York flight originally scheduled to take off at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Laos on Friday was postponed till today, Sunday. The airline in a statement issued in Lagos by

its spokesman, Mr. Ola Adebanji said that winter storm in the United States compelled it from taking off as scheduled. Adebanji stated that following weather advice received from JFK International Airport New York, Arik Air had to cancelled its Friday flight to New York and tentatively rescheduled it to 11:30pm (local time) on Sunday 24th January, 2016.

He hinted that the 48hour postponement was intended to allow the dangerous winter storm (Jonas) and snow condition to clear before the flight’s entry into the United States airspace. He added, “Arik Air regrets the inconvenience caused by this postponement, which is highly regretted, but the safety of passengers is of uppermost importance to the

airline. “We would update passengers and confirm our next flight by 6pm Saturday, 23rd January, 2016.” It would be recalled that winter storm had disrupted lots of business activities including aviation in the US in the past week. Hundreds of flights to and outside the U.S. had been cancelled and postponed in the past week due to the storm.

Winners emerge in Skye Bank’s ’ millionaire reward scheme

here was an air of excitement at the Ariaria Market in Aba, Abia State, as more winners emerged on last week at this year’s first redemption ceremony of the ongoing ‘Reach for the Skye Millionaire Reward Scheme. The scheme which is changing many lives is an effort from one of the top financial institutions in Nigeria, Skye Bank to encourage a better savings culture among Nigerians and it has taken place in six locations across

the country since inception, including Ibadan, Onitsha, Benin, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Lagos. One of the winners, Ejiofor Nkiruka from Umuelemai Branch in Owerri, who emerged as a millionaire in Thursday’s reward scheme, screamed excitedly into the phone when she was informed of her reward. Nkiruka said, “No, it cannot be true. You mean I am a millionaire? Wow!

I am amazed. Thank you so much Skye Bank. What can I say again? Thank you.” In seven months, the Millionaire Reward scheme has produced 22 millionaires and several other consolation cash prize winners of N250, 000 and N100, 000, while others have gone home with exciting instant prizes at the draw venues. Speaking about the reward scheme, Head, Retail Banking, Skye Bank, Nko-

lika Okoli said there were still opportunities for many more to win prizes between now and July. Okoli urged Nigerians to grab the opportunity offered by Skye Bank, by opening Savings accounts with the bank, adding that, “The consistency of our Millionaire promo is in response to the enthusiasm recorded amongst our customers about the success and rewards they received during the preceding reward scheme.

Lacey,``Insurance penetration in Nigeria remains low and we see real opportunities for growth. `We are delighted to broaden our relationship with PFI, a values-driven partner whom we know well and greatly respect for its global leadership in life insurance, retirement and asset management’’. NAN reports that PFI is an investor in LeapFrog’s most recent private equity fund, and also a member of the LeapFrog Insurance Innovation Circle, a knowledgesharing and innovation initiative that convenes many of the world’s leading insurers and reinsurers. It is a financial services leader with more than $1trillion of assets under management as of September 30, 2015, with operations in the U.S., Asia, Europe and Latin America. PFI’s diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retire-

ment-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., PFI’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. On the other hand, LeapFrog invests in extraordinary businesses in Africa and Asia, and partners with their leaders to achieve leaps of growth, profitability and impact. Today, LeapFrog companies reach over 51 million people across 21 emerging markets and more than 36 million are emerging consumers, often accessing insurance, savings, pensions or credit for the first time. The LeapFrog team draws on decades of operational experience and in-market knowledge to help build companies that achieve profit with purpose. Launched seven years ago, LeapFrog has now unlocked over $1 billion in third-party assets, all dedicated to investing in companies serving emerging consumers.

Google to pay £130m back taxes –Official

oogle, now part of Alphabet Inc. says it will pay the 130 million pounds back taxes imposed on it by the British tax authority. The taxes were imposed after the British tax authority took a second look into why the company had paid low tax returns since 2005. Google said late on Friday the 130 million pounds would settle a probe by the British tax authority, which had challenged the company’s low tax returns for years. It said it had also agreed a basis on which tax in the future would be calculated. “The way multinational companies are taxed has been debated for many years and the international tax system is changing as a result. `This settlement reflects that shift, ‘’a Google spokesman said in a statement. Google has been under pressure in recent years over its practice of channeling most profits from European clients through Ireland to Bermuda, where it pays no tax on them.

In 2013, the company faced a UK parliamentary inquiry after an investigation showed the firm employed hundreds of salespeople in Britain despite saying it did not conduct sales in the country. The deal comes as governments around the world seek to clamp down on multinational companies shifting profits overseas to reduce their tax bills. EU competition authorities have investigated arrangements used by Amazon and a unit of Fiat in Luxembourg, Apple in Ireland and Starbucks in the Netherlands, and may start new probes. British Finance Minister George Osborne welcomed the deal, saying on Twitter that it reflected new rules that he had introduced but others were less impressed. The Finance Spokesman for the opposition Labour Party John McDonnell, said the tax authorities needed to explain how they had settled on the figure of 130 million pounds, which he described as relatively insignificant.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

North

January 24, 2016

FG restates commitment to clear mines in North-East LIVINUS MENEDI YOLA

eputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations in the North-East, Mr. Sotonye Wakama, at the weekend in Yola, restated Federal Government ’s readiness to demine all liberated areas in the region. This is as the Police and other paramilitary move to restore civil authority in liberated towns of North-East and pave

the way for the return of displaced persons to their homelands. Wakama noted that clearing the mines used by insurgents was a huge logistics project but it was necessary to reduce the hazards posed by the IEDs planted by the sect in farmlands and within living areas before the resettlement of displaced persons commenced in the affected areas. The police boss, who spoke while consulting with Adamawa State Com-

mandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Mohammed Iya, noted that the first task before the security agencies was to deal with the challenges posed by the prevalence of mines used by the Boko Haram sect by demining them. “Our main concern will be to de-mine all liberated areas and make them safe for people to return, ” Wakama said. He pointed out that the insurgents in waging their war against the

state had mined a lot of villages and towns and therefore heightened worries among many returnees to the threat posed by uncleared mines, and assured of government ’s readiness to de-mine all the liberated areas and clear them of IEDs and other dangerous traps used by the insurgents. He stated that the cooperation of all the internal organs of safety and security charged with reestablishing civil authority in the liberated towns

of the North-East was critical for any meaningful success to be recorded in the quick return of all displaced persons to their traditional homes. The NSCDC state commandant pledged the cooperation of his corps to come in as crime busters since the insurgents have been decimated. He also applauded the gesture of the police DIG,

who visited him, saying this signified that the NSCDC, Immigration, Customs and Military are members of one family. Earlier, Iya had visited the internally displaced persons camp at Malkiho where he donated 20 bags of rice and 10 gallons of vegetable oil on behalf of the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Alh. Mohammed Abdullahi Gana.

Kogi pledges to immortalise Abubakar Audu …as Wada gives scorecard

WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

L-R: Emir of Misau, Alhaji Ahmed Suleman; Emir of Ningi, Alhaji Yunusa Dan-Yaya, and Emir of Dass, Alhaji Usman Biliyaminu, during the 2010-2014 combined convocation ceremony of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), in Bauchi yesterday.

Nasarawa resources used to procure Rep ’s judgement –Kigbu IGBAWASE UKUMBA LAFIA

ormer member of the House of Representatives for Obi/Lafia constituency, Dr. Joseph Kigbu, has accused the government of Nasarawa State of using state resources to procure judgement for All Progressives Congress APC, at the Appeal Court. The Makurdi division of the appelate court had recently upturned the National Assembly Election Tribunal in a judgement

which Dr. Joseph Kigbu of the PDP was declared winner and in its stead declared Abubakar Sarki Dahiru of APC as winner. Speaking to Sunday Mirror when his g supporters paid him a thankyou visit in Azuba – Lafia, the erstwhile federal lawmaker who represented the constituency from 2011 to 2015 said the high and mighty in society had chosen to oppress and collect what belonged to them, describing the scenario as a fraudulent miscarriage of justice in the

Appeal Court, by using the state resources to procure judgement. He however said the battle was not over as he was seeking relief at the Federal High Court in that his opponent in the APC, Abubakar Sarki Dahiru, was fraudulent. According to him, “As a patriotic Nigerian, I think it is only proper for me to try to correct the ills perpetrated by this citizen of Nigeria so that we would have credible leaders and representatives in the parliament.

“So we have approached the court, having investigated and found out that he did not merit to even have a diploma and yet he has portrayed a barrage of certificates from diploma, HND to master ’s and even as chartered ANAN accountant. Now these certificates were obtained fraudulently and we think that the law should correct it and if he is convicted, he should leave that office for a better citizen of this country that will represent the people properly. ”

ogi State Government has pledged to immortalise the late former governor of the state and All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in last November gubernatorial election, Prince Abubakar Audu, as a mark honour for his enormous contribution to development of the state. The state governor, Captain Idris Wada, who made this pledge while giving his score card in the last four years to journalists at Government House in Lokoja, stated that the late politician contributed his quota to the overall development of Kogi State. He explained that the government would name one of the edifices in the state after him, stressing that the late Audu who died on November 22, 2015 was his friend for over 40 years. The governor, who seized the opportunity to put the record straight on some salient issues and insinuations making the rounds in the state, stressed that before now the state government had been consistent in payment of salaries until about six months ago. He stated that the inability of the government to pay workers ’ salary was as a result of dwindling

federal allocation in the last few months, adding that it was on the basis of that the state applied for bailout funds from the Federal Government, which was highly politicised by the opposition and therefore worsened the plight of the civil servants in the state. He lamented that the state government had met all the requirements for the bailout fund, insisting up till now the fund was not released to the state. He pointed out that 80 per cent of federal allocation goes for salaries, adding that before now the state internally generated revenue stood at between N150 million and N180 million but it had risen to between N500 million and N600 million. The governor corrected the impression that political officeholders were taking the large chunk of the state scarce resources, adding that the total amount accrued to them was paltry of N165 million on monthly basis while the workers went for N2.8 billion. He noted that based on the dwindling fortune of the state, two options were left for the government to take, either to downsize or cut wages, but the state government had not taken either because of the nature of Kogi as civil servants ’ state.

APC ’s litigations against Dankwambo diversionary, says PDP WILLIAMS ATTAH GOMBE

ollowing the Supreme Court ruling in Abuja which put to rest all legal battles challenging the victory of Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo ’ s election as Gombe State governor during last year ’s

election, State Secretary of the ruling PDP, Buba Shanu, has described the long court litigation as a distraction to the government. The secretary, who however, applauded the ruling which favoured the party as well as them government, said the processes

were all aimed at drawing their attention from the act of governance. His words: “We see it as a diversionary tactic. The whole court process was probably carried out to divert us from the singular attention the party has always given the people of the state. ”

He said the Appeal Court ruling in Abuja was much commended even though as expected, stressing that, “as a party and as a people, we give thanks to God for giving the judicial system the ability to not only come to the kind of decision they have come to, but

they have by that decision justified everything and every statement we have made in the past. ” Also corroborating Shanu ’s views, Speaker of Gombe State House of Assembly, Nasiru Abubakar Nono, commended the Supreme Court ruling with a call on the opposition

in the state to join hands with the Dankwambo administration to take Gombe to greater heights. He said the apex court ruling was a vindication of the sincerity of the party and government in Gombe State, having passed the three stages of litigations victorious.

South

January 24, 2016

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Court to deliver judgement in suit against senator ’s dual citizenship KEMI OLAITAN IBADAN

Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has reserved judgement in a suit seeking the removal of Senator Monsurat Sunmonu of the All

Progressives Congress, APC, Oyo State over alleged dual citizenship. The court will also deliver ruling on the preliminary objection filed by counsel to the Senator in which she is challenging the jurisdiction of the

court on the matter. In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/760/201 filed on September 14, 2015 by five voters from Oyo Central Senatorial district, the claimants are asking the court to among others remove Sunmonu

from office for alleged voluntary acquisition of the United Kingdom citizenship, compel INEC to withdraw her certificate of return and bar her from parading herself as a senator. The claimants are: Wa-

L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari; Osile of Oke-Ona, Egba, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso and Senator Lanre Tejuoso during the Osile ’s visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja at the weekend.

hab Abiodun, Alhaji Bola Akinyemi, Chief Emmanuel Olajide, Chief Samuel Elegbede and Chief Thomas Ajao, while the senator and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, are joined as first and second defendants respectively. Counsel to Senator Sunmonu, Mr. Tola Oshobi, while moving his preliminary objection, described the process as an election matter which had already been decided in favour of the defendant by the election petition tribunal and the appellate court. But counsel to the claimants, Chief Titus Ashaolu (SAN) countered that the matter was a constitutional issue requiring the court to interpret Sections 66 and 107 of the 1999 Constitution which preclude anyone with dual citizenship from holding the office of a senator. Ashaolu said his claimants were not concerned about whatever transpired at the March 28, 2015

National Assembly in Oyo Central but the legality of Senator Sunmonu ’s continued stay in office as a Senator, despite having sworn allegiance to the UK flag. He then tendered six exhibits backed with five affidavits deposed to by the claimants, including a certified true copy of Sunmonu ’s nomination forms wherein she allegedly affirmed her dual nationality. However, Sunmonu ’s counsel, further argued that since the APC senator is a Nigerian by birth, the claims made by the claimants ’ counsel only affected those who acquired another citizenship by naturalisation. Presiding judge, Justice E. S. Chukwu, after listening to the two counsel, reserved judgement on the substantive suit and ruling on the preliminary objection challenging, among others, the court ’s jurisdiction to entertain the matter to March 8.

Group urges Yoruba monarchs, leaders to chart new course for region Delta Speaker dismisses report Adeyeye Ogunwusi, to to check the trend. states to ensure developA N It advised them a the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba ment of their states and on remittance of N325m Lamidi Adeyemi, saying against engaging their BIODUN

ADO EKITI

EJO

socio-political group, Ondo State Liberation Movement (OSLM), yesterday urged Yoruba traditional rulers, leaders of thought and prominent persons to come together and fashion a way forward for the South-West region. Coordinator of the group, Mr Oladipo Ajidahun, said such was necessary in the face of the marginalisation, betrayal and decay of legacies of the heroes of the race including the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, confronting the region. Ajidahun in a chat with journalists in Ado Ekiti lauded the visit of the Ooni of Ife, Oba

unity between them was a potent force for the development of Yorubaland. OSLM lamented that selfishness of the sociopolitical organisations, representatives in the National Assembly and other political appointees had culminated in their betrayal of the region, especially as infrastructure and other development projects were concerned. The group, which condemned the manner the Yoruba were willingly being used against their fellows for political appointments, urged monarchs and prominent leaders in the region to rise swiftly

leaders on the pages of newspapers for selfish gains, saying, “Yoruba people should have common front to enhance our progress and development ”. While expressing readiness to move against the ‘forces within ’ that are dragging the region backwards, the group said: “We are going to invoke the spirit of our ancestors against them. Yoruba race is going down. Our ancestors will not forgive us if they see the region wiped away. ” Ajidahun, who expressed worries over the state of some states in the region, urged the governors of Yoruba

the heritage of the race. His words: “Some Yoruba leaders have betrayed us because when they were in positions to develop the region, they did not. They are even destroying the legacies of Chief Awolowo. Yoruba governors are not thinking of the heritage but rather working against one another and by extension, affecting the people ’s interest ”. Ajidahun, however, praised APC National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, for his efforts to ensure the Yoruba were not marginalised, saying: “Tinubu is trying and his fights for the course of Yoruba in the last six years are pronounced ”.

Dwindling revenue: Ooni harps on tax payments BOLADALE BAMIGBOLA OSOGBO

n a bid to shore up the shortfall in the revenue coming to the state from the federation account, Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has enjoined people of the state to pay their taxes and levies. The monarch disclosed this while receiving in his

palace officials of State Board of Internal Revenue led by its Chairman, Mr. Dayo Oyebamiji. According to him, in advanced countries of the world, payment of taxes and other levies are usually treated with the seriousness it deserves, adding that many nations of the world survive mainly on taxes. The monarch averred that for government to provide basic infrastruc-

tural amenities, citizens must be prepared to play their roles by paying taxes and levies. While warning the revenue collectors against sharp practices, Oba Ogunwusi demanded for a transparent tax collection system. Speaking earlier, the Chairman, Osun State Board of Internal Revenue, Dayo Oyebamiji, commended the monarch

for his effort towards enhancing unity of the Yoruba nation. He stressed that people must not treat the issue of tax payment with levity, saying by helping to sensitise the general public, especially farmers, market women, small and large scale industry owners, the Ooni had contributed to measures that would see the state record better results in its revenue generation drive.

peaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Monday Igbuya, has stressed the need for media practitioners to be thorough and be armed with accurate facts and figures in their reportage. He also dismissed report on the remittance of N325 million by local councils in the state to the Assembly. The Speaker urged them to always project the image of the state in its true perspective to counter the negative picture being presented by some individuals, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Henry Ebireri. Igbuya, who spoke while receiving the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Award of Excellence, in Legislative Competence and Exceptional Leadership in Asaba expressed disappointment at the action of some journalists in the state. “Those with sinister motives rush to online media to air their frivolous and malicious publication because it provides cover for litigation. Saharareporters and The Will should on their part check

the veracity of news item before publishing. They need to be mindful that true journalism is not a tool for witch hunt, ” he counselled. In a tone suggestive of his condemnation of falsehood, the speaker said he was disturbed when Trend, a new radio station, aired the purported resignation or threat of resignation of the managing director of DESOPADEC. “There exist a cordial relationship between the commission and the House of Assembly. The commission is being run by a board saddled with the policy formulation of the commission while the managing director and his management staff handle the implementation. The appropriate place to tender any thought of resignation is to the board, not the speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly. The pressure over budget as speculated by the aforementioned media houses is purely speculative. As I speak, the budget of the commission is not before the House. I have not seen DESOPADEC budget, ” he emphasised.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Hiddink praises Cech response to Chelsea exit

Sport

PAGE 46

KEEPING YOU ABREAST OF SPORTING NEWS

‘Mikel is not for sale’

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016

PAGE 47

‘Eagles sure of CHAN quarters’ S

uper Eagles forward, Chisom Chikatara has said the Syli Nationale of Guinea will not halt the side dream for quarterfinals berth at the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda. Eagles will clash with their West African opposite, Guinea in Tuesday’s last group game at the Stade Umuganda Rubavu, Gisenyi. The Nigerians lead the packs in Group C on four points two points ahead challengers, Guinea and Tunisia. The outcome of the group’s matches will determine qualifiers for the last eight. Chikatara said though his side do not see the clash against Guinea as a must win they will fight hard to finish the group campaign on high. “Guinea cannot stop us from booking our safe passage to the quarterfinals of the championship comes Tuesday. “Though we do not see the match as a must win we have however told ourselves we must finish on high the

group race. “Understandably, Guinea will come out tough aimed at chalking the points that will see them progress to the last eight but we will not allow them the luxury. “We have already steeled ourselves for whatever banter Guinea will come up with same way we handled the Nigeriens and Tunisians. “Tunisians were the toughest so far in the championship but we ended the clash with our shoulders held high. “I’m confident we will see off the challenge of the Guineans on Tuesday and take our title aspiration and hope up from there,” said the Abia Warriors marksman to supersport.com. The third place side, Tunisia will confront Niger in Kigali for possible qualification to the quarterfinals of the biennial football showpiece. Meanwhile, Sunday Oliseh has spoken about his displeasure with the outcome of Friday’s 2016 African Nations Championship between Nigeria and Tunisia.

The game finished 1-1 with Ahmed Akaichi cancelling out Chisom Chikatara’s opener in the Group C game. Nigeria’s national team head coach, Oliseh however felt his players “deserved more” from the contest. “The 1-1 draw with Tunisia was not a fair result because looking at the physiognomy of the game, we dominated everything; had more; we managed the game and dictated the tempo of the game. “We had a feeling that we deserved,” Oliseh told reporters after the game. Nigeria will finish as group winners if they defeat Guinea in their final preliminary game in Gisenyi on January 26 and Oliseh believes the feat can be achieved. “We expect our players to go out and try to force the result. “I am very proud of my players the way they played today on Friday. Also speaking on the chance of Home Eagles against the Guineans on Tuesday Oliseh exhibiting confidence said

though he respect their opponent Nigeria should be able to get good result. “I personally rate Guinea highly because they are a good team. We shall need to be at our best to be able to get a good result so that we top the group,” he said. Oliseh said although he is happy with the attitude of his players, he will need them to be more focused and hungry against Guinea when they face-off in the last group match. “We need to be a little tighter at the back because the kind of goals when have conceded in the tournament are all because of some lazy movement,” he added. He said he will continue to ring chances in the team because it is the best solution in such a tournament. “We need to expose our players as much as possible,” concluded the coach. The Super Eagles and Guinea will have to travel 144km to the Rubavu District where their last group game will take place, while Niger battle Tunisia in the other group game at the Nyamirambo Stadium on the same day.

Sport

Sunday, January 24, 2016

‘Mikel is not for sale’

nglish Premier League club Chelsea have turned down a bid from Chinese club Shanghai SIPG for the services of John Obi Mikel. Shanghai SIPG, who are managed by ex England boss Sven Goran Eriksson, were willing to pay six million pounds transfer fee and offered the Nigeria international approximately £3 million yearly wages. “Yes, it is true that Shanghai SIPG made a bid for Mikel but Chelsea say he is not for sale and want him to see out his contract,” a representative of Mikel told allnigeriasoccer.com. “He has to obey Chelsea but plans to hold further talks with them at the end of the season.” The 28 - year - old Mikel has cemented his place in the Blues first - team squad

Knockout with

IFEANYI Eduzor

08055829770 ifeduz24@yahoo.com

Khan hits back at Pacquiao

Mikel

since the arrival of Guus Hiddink unlike his bit-part role when Jose Mourinho was in charge.

He comes off contract with the Londoners at the end of the 20162017 season.

RSL signs Nigerian, parts ways with Jaime eal Salt Lake has acquired Nigerian midfielder Sunday Stephen Obayan, but will part ways with player Sebastian Jaime. Obayan, who played for Spain internationally in the youth system and for the Nigerian senior squad, has appeared for several teams in Spain as well as Israeli, Bulgarian,

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

and Turkish sides most recently. He is expected to make an immediate impact on RSL’s midfield depth and challenge for a starting spot, according to general manager Craig Waibel: Sunny challenges the status quo. He’s going to force the coaching staff to make tough decisions and

wo-time former World Champion, Amir Khan has denied recent reasons given by Manny Pacquiao as to why a fight between them never transpired. Amir Khan said: “I have read recent comments by Manny Pacquiao stating that the reason a fight between us never happened was because of ‘middle men’ in my team; this is totally inaccurate and false. “The only people negotiating on my behalf, as with all my fights, were my father Shah, uncle Taz and lawyer Robert Davis. They dealt directly

with Manny Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum and adviser Michael Koncz. “An initial meeting took place last September between Bob Arum and my uncle and Lawyer in London. This was at the direct request of Bob Arum. The negotiations went well to the extent that a ‘Heads of Terms’ was signed and sent from my Lawyer to Bob Arum. “My team was told by Bob Arum that it was a choice between either Terence Crawford or myself and dates in April were being explored with the fight to take place in Las Vegas or Qatar.

force players to perform at a higher level. He’s a quality player that we think can contribute right away when he adjusts to the play in America. He’s really active, physically adept and technically sound. He covers a lot of space and adds to the quality of our midfield.

CHAN: Mali knock out Zimbabwe Warriors

he Zimbabwe Warriors were knocked out of the ongoing African Nations Championships, losing 0-1 to Mali in a crucial group D match played at the Stade Umuganda in Gisenyi,Rwanda. Mali earned their sweet revenge against Zimbabwe who knocked them out from the 2014 African Nations Championship in the quarterfinal stage. The solitary goal for Mali came late in the 82nd minute as they took the lead after a left-sided free-kick from Samake was volleyed home from a couple of yards out by Sissoko to give Mali the deserved 1-0 lead. Earlier, Zimbabwe came into the game under pressure needing a win after succumbing to a 1-0 loss to Zambia in their group opener and remaining at the bottom of the group while Mali had settled for a 2-2 draw against the Uganda Cranes Mali dominated the early possession as they pushed forward in numbers but the Warriors’ defence remained impen-

etrable and very solid. In the 10th minute the Warriors embarked on a string of passes pushing forward but the resultant shot from the beautiful move was easily thwarted by Mali keeper Diarra. Mali’s Dante earned an early yellow card in the 16th minute for a foul tackle but the Zimbabwe Warriors failed to capitalise from the resultant counter attack with the shot going wide. In the 25th minute Zimbabwe’s Chirambadare showed some fantastic skills beating two defenders on his way into the Mali box, but when he tried another dummy he lost the ball after too many touches instead of shooting directly at goal. The real danger came at the half hour mark when impressive Rodrick Mutuma’s beautiful header hit the woodwork as the Warriors were unlucky, failing to get on the scoresheet first as the game went to the break 0-0. The second half was a see-saw affair with both coaches effecting tactical changes to their teams perhaps to get the much-needed goals. But it took an-

other 82 minutes for Mali to bury any dreams harboured by Zimbabwe when Sissoko gave Mali the only goal that took them to the top of group D with four points as they awaited the Zambia v Uganda game. Mali got back on track and the Zimbabwe Warriors got to the end of the road, losing both their two matches

Action recorded between Mali vs Zimbabwe

Ighalo strikes as hosts break losing streak

dion Ighalo and Craig Cathcart scored as Watford broke a run of four straight Premier League defeats to record a 2-1 home win over Newcastle United on Saturday. After a poor first period Watford took the lead 44 seconds into the second half. Troy Deeney lofted a through-ball in behind for Ighalo, who hit his seventh goal in seven games at Vicarage Road. Cathcart soon put the hosts in control with the second goal, thrash-

ing home a loose ball in the penalty area, to put Watford on track for a third win against Newcastle this season in all competitions. Jamaal Lascelles gave Newcastle a route back into the match with a 71st-minute header, but Watford held on to secure their first ever Premier League double. The three points lifts Watford back into the top half of the Premier League, while Newcastle remain in the relegation zone after their fourth straight defeat away from home.

Steve McClaren switched to a back three due to Newcastle’s defensive injury crisis and handed a first Premier League start to newcomer Henri Saivet, while Watford made one change, with Juan Carlos Paredes replacing Allan Nyom at rightback. Rolando Aarons was making his first appearance since September and he had the first sight of goal on four minutes, flashing a drive well wide after good work by Moussa Sissoko.

Amir Khan (R) in action against Chris Algier

GOtv boxing night holds on Good Friday

he sixth edition of GOtv boxing night will hold on 25 March, Good Friday. This was disclosed in Lagos by Jenkins Alumona, Managing Director, Flykite Sports, promoters of the event. According to Alumona, the forthcoming edition is scheduled to provide top class boxing entertainment during the Easter celebrations, an occasion for the family. “We have taken into consideration the fact that Easter is about the family, and families require entertainment during the celebrations. We assure boxing fans of top class entertainment, which has been the tradition of GOtv Boxing Night,” he said. While the fight lineup has not been released, Alumona said boxers to be selected will be the best available. “We are widening our search for talents.

Many amateur boxers are ready to turn professional. We will look at the most promising. The selection process will be rigorous. It is the least we can do,” he explained. Sponsored by GOtv, the event is supported by MultiChoice, SuperSport, Complete Sport, Brilla FM, Bond FM, KSquare Security, Newsbreak.ng and Paragonis Multimedia Limited. The last edition, which took place on 26 December, saw Uganda’s Edward Kakembo defeating Nigeria’s Waidi ‘Skoro’ Usman to win the African Boxing Union Featherweight title, while Stanley “Edo Boy” Eribo was named the best boxer of the event. He won the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial trophy and a cash prize of N1.5m. Fan favourite, Olaide “Fijaborn” Fijabi also defeated Sadiq Ahmed to win the national welterweight title.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Hiddink praises Cech response to Chelsea exit

etr Cech’s superb form for Arsenal this season has been praised by Chelsea interim boss Guus Hiddink. The Dutch coach worked with Cech during his first spell at Stamford Bridge and believes the 33-year-old remains one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Chelsea opted to cash in on the Czech international ahead of the 201516 season following the emergence of Thibaut Courtois, and Hiddink says Cech’s response shows the professionalism of his former player. “He was and is still one of the best,” said Hiddink, ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Arsenal today. “These kind of goalies are so determined, so ambitious, so detailed in their work. “It’s difficult to give a judgment on Chelsea selling Cech when you’re not there at the moment the decision was taken. They had also a strong goalie with Courtois and at certain moments you have to make a decision.

Cech

Zidane: Real Madrid don´t need new signings

Gaal

Vieira

Vieira: I’ll pick Mourinho before Wenger

Bale’s return to Spurs impossible

Martial

rsenal legend Patrick Vieira has told The Times that former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had more influence on him than Gunners boss Arsene Wenger due to his “unbelievable” attention to detail. Ex-France international Vieira, who played under both Wenger and Mourinho, is now a coach at Manchester City’s MLS franchise New York City FC and the former midfielder says Arsenal never approached him about a role with the club after his playing career ended. Vieira was asked to pick any manager in the world to coach his ultimate XI, and replied: “Jose.

ottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has admitted he would be interested in bringing Bale back to White Hart Lane, should the opportunity arise. But Soccer pundits believe any such deal would not be viable for Spurs - currently financing the development of their new stadium - and reckon only a cluster of English clubs would be able to foot the bill. Arsenal and Celtic legend Nicholas told Sky Sports: “There’s every chance that the clause exists, just like Arsenal had with Cesc Fabregas. “However, it’s impossibility and the reason for that is because they have to build a new stadium. “If you buy the stadium and then pay £70m for Bale and then his wages, how many players are they going to be have sell? “It’s never going to happen. It’s not feasible. It’s like when people go on about Lionel Messi learning English. Is he really? Does that mean there’s a chance he could be coming, too?” Merson would love to see Bale back in the Premier league - but also can’t see such a move.

Murray Bale

eal Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane does not feel his squad needs reinforcements before the end of the January transfer window. The Santiago Bernabeu side sits four points adrift of leaders Atletico Madrid and two behind Barcelona – who have a game in hand – at the top of La Liga. The two Madrid clubs have also been handed a FIFA transfer ban which, unless appeals delay the process, will stop them from signing players for the next two full windows. But Zidane does not have an urge to see the club dive into the transfer market during the final days of January. “No, I don’t think it is necessary to reinforce the squad,” he said at his pre-match media conference ahead of Sunday’s game at Real Betis.

Aussie Open: A Murray through to fourth round

ndy Murray recovered from a second-set slump to see off a spirited challenge from Portugal’s Joao Sousa and move into the Australian Open fourth round. The world number two easily took the first set but allowed Sousa back in before recomposing himself in a 6-2 3-6 6-2 6-2 win against the number 32 seed. The 28-year-old Briton will next play Australia’s Bernard Tomic, seeded 16th. As Murray was on court, news broke of his father-in-law Nigel Sears collapsing in the Rod Laver Arena. Sears coaches Ana Ivanovic and was watching her match against Madison Keys. Murray’s brother Jamie told reporters that the 58-year-old, who has been taken to hospital for tests, was “conscious, talking and sitting up”. Sears’ daughter Kim is not in Melbourne in support of her husband Murray as she awaits the birth of their first child in a few weeks.

N I G E R I A I N -The amount Baze University spent on research.

N10bn Vol. 6 No.4

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, 2016 www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Comment

E-mail: jimunahlive@gmail.com Jim Unah is Professor of Philosophy, University of Lagos

with Jim Unah

o one wants to join the fraternity of the prophets of doom. Unfortunately, for persons trained to say it as it is, events unfold to compel you to gravitate to the coven of such a fraternity. The title of this piece is poetic, and could probably be found in one of the poems in African collections. It symbolizes a looming darkness threatening to engulf a community of Homo sapiens accursed with generations of clueless leaders who listen to nobody; having arrogated to themselves the absolute power to decide for the majority of the people, even in perilous times. Nothing is more perilous than the frightening circumstances of the Nigerian state today. The nation’s currency is threatening to become a useless legal tender in a regime of nose-diving oil prices and a one-product economy; even as every generation of leaders and state actors merely verbalize and trumpet the vastly rich potentials of the country they govern in blindness and in utter defiance of the will and aspirations of the people. The peoples’

N150

F I G U R E S -The sum 55

N1.34trnNigerians stole in eight years.

The cloud is gathering in the red sky view and wishes count for nothing before the leaders. Majority of Nigerians, not politicians and state actors who wield power, have consistently called for the decentralization of power or a return to the regional structure to enable each distinct group tap and develop its potentials and vast material and human resources for competitive national wealth generation and speedy development of infrastructure. Ever since the collapse of the regional structure by General Aguiyi-Ironsi in the early 1960s to create an omnipotent unitaryfederal state structure where every state must go cap-in-hand to the centre, like destitute begging for alms, the country has known no peace, known no development of infrastructure to power economic, technological and industrial growth. Without competition, it is impossible for the people to tap their vast natural, material and human resources for national wealth creation. Everyone will continue to expect miracle from oil revenue, even as it hopelessly dwindles under the expert and masterly manipulation of international conspiracy. Those who call the shots in Aso Rock have bluntly refused, for self-serving reasons, to see the clear signs on the horizon, and that a return of power to the Nigerian peoples in their regions is the visible and most

profitable pathway to national selfregeneration, and the economic, technological and industrial emancipation and advancement of the country. The struggle of the ruling party to silence opposition, real or imagined, will make politicians to begin to fight dirty; a dangerous strategy that will further complicate and worsen the parlous economic plight of the nation. It is performance that will weaken opposition, not persecution. The ruling party parades a crop of tested, budding technocrats who, in the past, had vigorously canvassed the doctrine of regionalism as a strategy to get down to the serious business of genuine national integration and vibrant economic development of the country. This is the time for the government to restructure the country, cede power to the federating regions, and task them to embark on aggressive wealth generation and contribute to the centre. Only then will people begin to depend less and less on oil revenue and encouraged to explore their vast non-oil resources for accelerated infrastructure and economic development and empowerment of Nigerians. A resort to strong arm tactic against the opposition or the recourse to international monetary agencies for support and direction smacks of a loss of clue and a deliberate repeat of the costly mistakes of the past. If there must

Juve boss, Allegri plays down Chelsea link

uventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has played down reports linking him to Chelsea as “normal,” and says he is focusing on his role with the Serie A champions. Allegri has been repeatedly linked with a switch to the Premier League title holders as Chelsea search for a full-time replacement for Jose Mourinho, who departed in December. Guus Hiddink returned for a second caretaker spell at Stamford Bridge last month after Mourinho was sacked by Roman Abramovich for the second time, having presided over a disastrous start to the season. Southampton boss Ronald Koeman has spoken of his desire to replace Hiddink this summer, but Allegri is focused on trying to lead Juve to a fifth successive Scudetto. “My thoughts are on the championship, the Italian Cup and the Champions League,”

Allegri told reporters on Friday ahead of Juve’s league game at home against Roma. “I have a contract with the club until 2017 and I feel good here.” Asked about the speculation linking him with Chelsea, Allegri replied: “It feels normal. When you

coach a team like Juventus, that’s the way it is. But I’m fine here and it’s only normal that my focus is on what I have to do here.”

be borrowing for development purposes, let the borrowing be done by the regions to pursue their well thought out development agenda. This should replace the old subsisting fire brigade, trial and error approach to governance that has brought the country down to the status of a near failed state. Why the matter of a return to the regional state structure is imperative is because even with the trumpeting of agriculture as the main port of call in the proposed economic diversification effort of the incumbent administration, no return to agriculture would work under the present structure constructed on fraud and rent from oil revenue. The nose-diving oil revenue is a warning that the country should wake up from slumber if it must survive the menacing global conspiracy against it. If the Buhari government of change cannot, in addition to fighting corruption across board, execute the power structure reform in accordance with the wishes of majority of Nigerians, the initiative may be taken away from it when the oil price finally crashes; for it seems that there are insane forces working surreptitiously to export crude oil free to Nigeria’s customers to bring the country down to its knees. May those insane forces fail woefully in their sinister calculations!

Premiership Results

Norwich 4 - 5 Liverpool C/ Palace 1 - 3 Tottenham Leicester 3 - 0 Stoke Man Utd 0 - 1 Southampton Sunderland 1 - 1 Bournemouth Watford 2 - 1 Newcastle W/ Brom 0 - 0 Aston Villa

W/Ham 2 - 2 Man City

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