Sunday, October 7, 2012

Big Read News

THE

Bakassi: Dilemma of a people

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News

Pope’s butler jailed for 3 years

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I acted out of love for church –Paolo Gabriele

www.nationalmirroronline.net

Vol. 2 No. 43

Sunday, October 7, 2012

N150

Mimiko frittered away N600bn Ondo –Akintelure in four years governorship LP chieftain, wife arrested with voters’ cards Five ACN supporters remanded, accused of hooliganism race We’ll end LP’s deceit –Oke P. 12, 13-14

BLACK SATURDAY

20 wedding guests perish in auto accident P. 7

Dantong: Fear, apathy mar Plateau by-election

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Deportation of female pilgrims Tambuwal leads govt’s delegation to Saudi Arabia

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Remains of the victims being taken away from the scene, yesterday.

More criticisms trail Achebe’s comment on Awolowo, civil war

Okurounmu: He is unnecessarily sectional and tribalistic Olunloyo: Achebe’s action unfortunate Babatope: He has no right to irresponsibly murder history

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Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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What’s new 13

Mimiko has frittered away N600bn in four years –Akintelure

TALKING POINT OF THE PAST WEEK OCTOBER 7, 2012

Seriake Dickson: Dogged by controversies Applause

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Barbara Soky: My regrets as an actress Barbara Soky, the screen diva of the 1980s, hit stardom at a very young age.

She featured in two popular soaps, ‘Ripples’ and ‘Mirror in the Sun’. Today, she is in lamentation.

Barbara reveals that stardom brings loneliness as there is no one to confide in.

Wellness

Bipolar disorder: Its symptoms, causes –Experts

PTDF: N’Assembly summons Okonjo-Iweala, Sanusi, AGF

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The Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream) has summoned the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala; Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, and the Accountant- General of the Federation, Mr. Jonah Otunla, over the non-allocation of funds to the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, PTDF, in the past three years.

The directive was given

by chairman of the committee, Senator Emmanuel Paulker, who wondered how the agency had been conducting its affairs without grants since 2010.

PTDF Executive Secretary, Mr. Muttaka Rabe Darma, told the lawmakers that the agency had been operating on a grant of $100 million since 2010. The executive secretary, however, stated that the PTDF had funds to run academic programmes for the next eight months.

Legislative Budget and Research, National Planning and Aid, Loans and Debt Management scrutinising the 2013-2015 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy (MTEFF) paper submitted

by Presi- dent Goodluck 4 Jonathan.

Every week is a working week. Usually, Monday determines what happens every other day. Monday is an EXCO day. EXCO day is the day we do what we call the big assignment. It is a day we don’t compromise for anything. This is important that when you have any assignment for Monday, just forget it! All of us must come around and determine how we want to rule Lagos. There are issues begging for attention. Every Monday, we must meet to look at how to move Lagos forward. It is that that determines how we run all the days of the week because issues would crop up that would be used to plan the week. I want to tell you that every day of my week is busy. I stay in the office till late everyday because there would always be issues for me to treat. Notuntil I find that I satisfy the last person/last file, I’m still not done.

My Tuesday is same with Monday; apart from the fact that there is no EXCO meeting on this day.

It is same with my Wednesday.

That is what I’m saying that you would have had assignments throughout the week that you must set out to do. I won’t consider it as a day that I’m less busy just because it’s close to the weekend. In fact, there are times I have EXCO meeting twice in a week. Once it is like that, Thursdays are considered ideal for the second EXCO meeting. You should know that this is Lagos. We have 21 million people to take care of. If you don’t get to work and work hard, you would be overwhelmed by the challenges of the day.

My Fridays are also tight because I tidy up my table before the new week. I don’t leave a file that needs my attention untreated.

All work and no play, you know what that does to Jack. To me, there are times my Saturdays are even busier than the working day. You have some inspections to go for. You have some people that have slated you as father of the day, mother of the day, sister of the day, and all that. You have some other assignments to go for as well. Also, planning again for another Monday may start on this sixth day of the week because I have memos to go and defend. The EXCO is not a play thing. It is a very serious business because you want to convince 41 people to see the way you are seeing things.

These are the people who would not just buy into sentiments.

It is on the basis of the strength of whatever you are bringing forward.

I have Sunday for my religious and other things like settling down. I go for Asalatu, and for some other assignments too.

Some people too would have some programmes to invite you or, at times, I even go for inspections on Sundays. At times, I go to the studio to attend to some other necessary media assignments.

FG’s debts to hit $25.2bn by 2015 –DMO

Federal Government’s debts may rise to $25 billion by 2015, the Debt Management Office (DMO) disclosed this to the House People who are depressive or of Representatives. The have the symptoms associated DMO made the revelawith Bipolar disorder are tion at an interactive sesusually suicidal...If faced with sion with the House Joint a situation, they feel WEhopeless HAVE DEPLOYED D 20Committee BUSES SO FAR on –MASSOB Finance,

and depressed.

various institutions in the town.

Disturbed by the development, the President ordered a thorough investigation into the killings.

The incident dominated the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting when the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqqayat Rufai, briefed the council on the killings. The students were killed outside the hostels of three different higher institutions in the state.

MON

Grief, condemnation and outrage on Wednesday greeted the killing of 40 students in Mubi, Adamawa State, after a prolonged shooting by gunmen on Monday night.

President Goodluck Jonathan, National Assembly members, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, expressed deep concern over the gruesome killings of the students of

WED TUE

Adamawa killings: Outrage as FG, ASUU, senators condemn attack

Lateef Aderemi Ibirogba LAGOS STATE COMMISSIONER FOR INFORMATION

THU

rol stations.

The deal, announced by AMCON, came shortly after the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, technically barred banks from further granting loans to 133 companies and 419 company directors who owed banks amounts over N5 billion, saying such banks would be made to make full provision for such loans in addition to other sanctions.

and expected borrowing for 20132015, told the joint panel that for 2012, Nigeria external debt is projected at $9,021.53 billion; 2013 ($12,165.10 billion); 2014 ($14,585 billion) and 2015 ($16,765 billion).

FRI

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Prominent business man, Mr. Femi Otedola, has signed off some of his choice properties and shares in African Petroleum, AP, to defray the N141 billion debt owed the Asset Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON. The properties include residential and commercial developments in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja as well as tank farms, jetties and pet-

The figure totals the country’s foreign and domestic borrowings flowing from 2013-2015. DMO’s Director-General, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, in his presentation on Nigeria’s overall debt profile

SAT

Otedola forfeits properties in Lagos, Abuja over N141bn debt

Deputy Governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State, Dr. Paul Akintelure, said it is dangerous to label Senator Bola Tinubu an emperor, and promises that an ACN government will ensure the state is industrialised if elected.

Politics

Seven Days

SUN

Interview

*By Adaeze Amos (0802 301 2293)

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Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

THE

Big Read SUNDAY SPECIAL INVESTIGATION October 7, 2012

Entrance to New Bakassi

Bakassi: Dilemma of a people A few places have generated so much heat in Nigeria like the disputed Bakassi Peninsula in Cross River State. That, perhaps, may be the reason why the defunct Bakassi Boys, a dreaded paramilitary vigilance group in Anambra State, chose that name. With Nigeria just about to lose the fish and oil-rich peninsula to Cameroun, the inhabitants of the territory insist they are Nigerians even though the country, they said, had related with them as if they were lepers. In this report by our Correspondent, Onukwube Ofoelue, who just returned from Bakassi, we tell a story of a rejected people in a dilemma and the antics of the Camerounian government to take over the peninsula.

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or about two weeks now, Bakassi Peninsula has made the front page of most of the national newspapers with opinion on the matter varying from one individual to the other, depending on who is speaking. This is understandable; the window towards a review of the world Court at The Hague’s judgment closes by October 10, 2012.

The implication of this is that the peninsula would finally go to Cameroun if the Nigerian government does not seek a review of the judgment.

The peninsula is an ancestral island of the Efut, Efik, Ibibio and Annang people of both Cross River and Akwa Ibom states of Nigeria. The area is a network of rivulets, making the people mostly fishermen. They had lived peacefully with their Camerounian neighbours until October 10, 2002, when, in what looked like international conspiracy, they became refugees in their land of birth. And like the Makoko people in Lagos, the Bakassi case could be likened to that of the fish out of water if Cameroun eventually takes over the peninsula.

With the ceding came brutality and maltreatment from Camerounians, who were bent on ejecting Nigerians at all cost. The tales of woe was what Sunday Mirror was confronted with among some returnees. Particularly touching is the story of Chief Etubom. One of the founding fathers of Bakassi Freedom Fighters, he was a clan head in Oron village, at Bakassi Peninsula before Cameroun hostilities forced him and his people to return to Calabar, where he has a family house.

Seventy-eight-year-old, Etubom narrated the story of his family in Bakassi. His father had nine wives and he was the son of the third wife. The first wife had no children, the second had one, the third had one, and his mother had three. “That is how it was in that time – each family had their own home. The more wives and children, the more status and power.”

He came to the mainland to school and he studied as a civil engineer, and built his current home in Calabar South in 1958. After independence, he joined the police force. He

INDIGENES EXPRESS DISSATISFACTION WITH NEW SETTLEMENT

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joined the army later, during the Biafran war. He retired in 1976 and moved to his palace in the village in Bakassi.

“Before 1996, Bakassi could have been a good place if it had never belonged to the civilised world. We have everything there – an abundance of sea food. And we know how to take care of ourselves. We do not need taking care of. Life was very enjoyable,” he said.

Continuing, he narrated: “Before the Europeans arrived, we governed ourselves. The Ekpe was the government of the day. We resolved disputes and all was well.

When Nigeria came in and made it a local government area, not much changed. This was because Nigeria used our people – our own leaders. We had democratic elections and the people who ruled us were chosen by us. My ward had its own councilor.

“During this time, development came to the village.

Schools were built. We had electricity and water. Nigeria made bore holes for us so that we could get clean water.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

‘SENATE WAS RIGHT; THE PENINSULA IS OURS’

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The Big Read

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Indigenes express dissatisfaction with new settlement

Some Bakassi chiefs

Some housing units provided by the Federal Government at New Bakassi

Then, we were all fishermen. Even me, I had some boats and I would send our people in the canoes to go fish. I did not fish myself because as a Chief and a clan head, I would lose respect – it is lowly work. But I owned boats there. Everyone owns boats there. If you do not own a boat, people will look down on you. When the conflict started between Nigeria and Cameroon, we did not see it on the ground.

Nigeria left peacefully and told us to leave peacefully. Even now when I think about it, I cry. I feel sad, not for myself, but for my people who are back there. They are being abused by the gendarmeries, they cannot fish. They call me over here and there is nothing I can do to help or assist them,” he said.

Another inhabitant of Bakassi, Eneyo narrated how Cameroun ejected most of the Nigerians, who had remained in Bakassi. “They lived like tenants in their own land. Mysterious fire outbreaks burnt down people’s houses and they were not allowed to rebuild them even as they were forced to leave,” Eneyo said. Since then, he said, stern-looking security operatives have been stationed in the disputed peninsula by the Camerounian authorities with heavy and sophisticated security equipment. Sunday Mirror investigation reveals that no Nigerian is allowed on the Peninsula, except with a permit from the Camerounian Consulate in Nigeria.

Another resident, who identified himself as Abaku has relocated to the new Bakassi as the new resettlement area created by the Nigerian government is called, stated that some of them who were fishermen had wanted to remain

in the disputed area, but that the conditions given to them were quite frustrating. “We pleaded with the Camerounian authority to permit us to continue fishing in the fishrich rivulets that made it a choice home for generations of their fishing families, but they refused. They just wanted us out of the land. They did not only introduce levies but unleashed terror through their security agents. This is, in spite of my people’s pleas that they were ready to live together with the Camerounians.” However, the body language of the Camerouns finally drove them out from the area. “Though, a handful of the original Bakassi people, who are likely to be ejected after October 10, still reside on the peninsula,” Abaku said.

Although, the people of Bakassi affirmed, during the controversial International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearing of the suit filed by Cameroun on the disputed area that they are Nigerians, it did little to influence the judgment that ceded the territory to Cameroun. As a result, the Nigerian government, since that judgment, has been making efforts aimed at relocating the people from the disputed area.

The new place is called new Bakassi. But in spite of this, the people are still uncomfortable with their new homes.

They claimed the new home, which the Federal, State and Local Council governments are putting together for the people, is all land without water, thus cutting off the peoples’ aquatic life that had been their main stay for years.

Because of this, the people found it difficult to settle down in their new home. The indigenes told Sunday Mirror that

aside the building, no effort has been made to provide water or electricity. They also complain that the houses are tiny and as such, not good enough for comfort.

This has forced many of them to move to Dayspring, another area that is said to be suitable for fishing. “There are many issues against the new Bakassi. Despite the fact that it was created as a settlement for the Bakassi citizens, it is not a riverine area where they can be usefully employed.

The result is that some of them returned to the Peninsula, preferring to bear the assault and humiliation from Camerounian gendarmes instead of dying of hunger in the new settlement,” Atuk, an indigene, who spoke to Sunday Mirror in Calabar said.

Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, an indigene of Bakassi, who also spoke with Sunday Mirror on phone, explained that Dayspring was the only area of Bakassi that was not ceded to Cameroun. She stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had conducted a voters’ registration exercise as well as elections in the area during the last elections. In spite of all that, the people are bemoaning their fate as the original owners of their new homeland, the Akpabuyo people, according to them, are making it difficult for them to settle down as they see the Bakassi people as usurpers on their ancestral land. A woman, Mama Ediong, said she is the only one in her family that relocated from Bakassi. She said though the Akpabuyo people are not necessarily hostile, they (Bakassi) did not feel at home as they have no claim to the ancestral lands in their new place. She laments: “we have been neglected by the same government that promised to take good care of us. Look at the type of tiny houses they built for us. There is no water and no electricity. There is no means of survival. My family members have all left because they cannot fold their hands and just sit down here. Does the house provide food for us?”

Yet, Mama Ediong was not alone in her lamentations.

Fred, who spoke for the younger Bakassians told Sunday Mirror that though, they were persuaded to relocate to their new home, government has done little to assist them settle properly. “Our choice was Dayspring Resettlement Centre, the remaining portion of the original Peninsula that was not ceded to Cameroun. Many of the Bakassi people had moved over to Dayspring, but it is neglected, he said.

But, the chairman of the council, Hon Ekpo Ekpo Bassey, dismissed this as a barrage of lies being sponsored by some self-seeking politicians. He stated that contrary to what they allege, Dayspring was a part and parcel of new Bakassi, and not part of the old Peninsula. He also dismissed allegations that new Bakassi was landlocked, explaining that the place was full of rivulets and water channels. “If you have the time, we will take you around to see. The Akpabuyo people and those of Bakassi are one and the same people. Our main occupations are fishing and farming,” Bassey said, adding that most of the Bakassi families also had ancestral homes back in Akpabuyo. “The ancestors were people who relocated to Bakassi just to do fishing business.” He also dismissed claims by the people of not having access to the lands as frivolous. “The government foresaw that, and what it did was to revoke every license of land ownership in the new Bakassi. That means that the new people can use the lands without getting harassed,” he added.

The Federal Government had carved out an entirely new local government out of the existing Akpabuyo Local Government to cater for the needs of the people. A tour through the new Bakassi revealed that the local, state and federal governments have registered their presence strongly by contributing to its development. In an effort to relocate the fishing community, a resettlement centre was built to accommodate the Bakassi returnees. The place is a massive expanse of land, allocated for the development of housing units, consisting of self-contain apartments.

Each is for two families, equipped with a toilet, bathroom and kitchen. But, while the small ones are meant for tiny families, others are bigger, to cater for families with larger populations. A well-tarred road ran all the way from Calabar town to the end of Bakassi, making it easily accessible.

Although, there was no electric light in some of the buildings, there are electric cables connecting the large community to the main grid. Development of the area is ongoing CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

The Big Read

Sunday, October 7, 2012

5

Senate was right; the peninsula is ours –Bassey, chairman, New Bakassi Local Government Hon. Dr Ekpo Ekpo Bassey is the chairman of Bakassi Local Government. He insists, in this interview with Onukwube Ofoelue in his office at New Bakassi, Cross River State that the Federal Government must do everything within its powers to recover the Bakassi Peninsula Last week, the Senate stated that it would ensure that Nigeria appeals for the recovery of the Bakassi Peninsula from Cameroun. As chairman of the new Bakassi Local Government, what is your opinion on this?

I want to use this opportunity to thank the Senate for taking the step to ensure that the Federal Government revisits the judgment because there is basis for that. We have been able to come up with fresh facts that are sufficient for a revisit of the ICJ judgment based on treaties that were signed by the owners of the territory. The earlier treaty between the owners of the territory and Britain did not convey ownership; therefore, they could not have handed over what they did not own to the Germans. Of course, you know that Germany was the initial colonizers of Cameroun. Even at that time, there were protests from the Calabar chiefs because the treaty was that of business and friendship, not ownership. The British could not have given out what they do not have. Based on that, the position of the Senate is proper, that the Federal Government should not delay anymore the legal process of recovering the peninsula.

With the little time available, do you think Nigeria stands a chance of reclaiming that territory?

The time factor is there, but all Nigeria needs to do is register its position. Nigeria has to do that, it does not matter whether time is running out. If Nigeria does that, it should be accepted by them.

Some people have complained that New Bakassi does not meet the needs of the people ejected from the peninsula. They argue that Dayspring is the place they ought to be. How do you react to this?

Politicians that are self-seeking are always in situations like this. Those people are very few, and very selfish. The place they are referring to is part of this land; a part of this local government. It is made up of the mainland and the riverine areas. The word Dayspring just came in not too long ago, because when they did the photo-mapping of the

activities so that the public will not see. They believe that the local government was created for them, their private use, and if they have to stay where other people will be involved in political activities, they may not really have their way. So, they chose a hidden location, and they are the ones saying that they need to stay in a riverine community. As a matter of fact, the people here are all the same, fishermen and farmers.

Bassey

area, they realised that the place looks like an island, and the people decided to designate the place Dayspring 1 and Dayspring 2. The place actually belongs to the people of this area. What happened was that the people go there to fish and stay temporarily. Like you know, the business of staying in a fishing settlement is not a permanent thing.

You go there and after your fishing, you return to your home. People do not reside there permanently. The issue came when some self-seeking politicians decided that they would go to a place where they would carry out political activities in such a way that it will be unclear to the public. So, when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) came for voter registration last year, they told them that, that part is not ceded to Bakassi, and INEC did not understand this issue. So, led by the INCE commissioner, they went and started doing voter registration in a place that does not have permanent residence. If you find out the result of the exercise, even with all the efforts they made, they could not register up to 5, 000 people because it is a temporary settlement. But these self-seeking politicians needed a place they could carry out their

Most of the people here are complaining that they are not accepted in new Bakassi by the Akpabuyo people.

What is the real situation here?

Have you observed any violence or discrimination among these people since you came? The people of this area are the same people who came from the peninsula.

So, they are indirectly coming back to their home. All of us have origins in the ceded territory, and to ensure that all of us have the right over the new place, the government has revoked the certificates of occupancy of all the people in this area. Everybody has a right to use the land as they need to. So, all that needs to be done by the government has been done through integration. There is no form of discrimination between the people coming in and those who were here.

What measures have the government taken to ensure the comfort of the people of New Bakassi?

Where are these people? Are they in the place? Yes, agreed, that government has not done enough to cushion the effects of the ejection. But then you could see the housing estate built by the Federal Government. We at the local government are also trying to provide basic infrastructure for them, security and other things. The people are enjoying this, and as I told you earlier, there is no difference between the people who were here, and those who returned.

They are the same people. So, we have been trying to achieve that. What they are now calling for is, because they lost that territory to ICJ judgment, many of them could not remain under the Camerounian government because the gendarmes are hostile; many are forced to pay extra levies and taxes, and some of them lost all their property and homes, including sources of income. So, government needed to provide this for them. The people were pained by the insensitivity of Cameroon. With fresh facts coming up, agitations started again that we must recover our land.

We cannot fold our hands and let our peninsula just go like that, because that place is home for the people.

How Cameroun frustrates indigenes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 and the quality of houses is first class.

The new local government office located at another end of the community, houses the administrative blocks of the council. A complex of offices, the quarters are situated on top of a small hill, in the remote community. There is a filling station, classic shopping plaza and laundry.

According to Bassey, “the Federal Government had set out to construct 300 housing units for the people. But, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC) has added another 45 units.” Deputy Chairman of Bakassi local council, Hon Orok Edem Eneyo, also explained that the new houses consisted of a hospital and council permanent building; a hall for chiefs, staff quarters, a shopping complex, a drug store and other infrastructure. The efforts of the Federal Government were complemented by both the council and the NDDC. But, a South African Ph.D student doing a research work on Bakassi, Leanne Johansson, has observed that the people from Bakassi are not happy. She blamed the Nigerian government for making no concrete effort to appeal against the ICJ ruling, expressing fears that it may not be able to reclaim the peninsula anymore. She also argued that ICJ did not do an exhaustive research as to determine whether the land actually was ceded to Cameroun by the colonial

masters. “The information available at the time of the ruling was incomplete, and you cannot make a ruling so grave based on incomplete data,” she added, even as she stated that the document with which Britain allegedly transferred ownership rights of Bakassi from Nigeria to Germany, making it Cameroun property in 1913 were allegedly not signed. To her, the transfer lacked validity.

Johansson, however, made it clear that she has not seen the document herself.

Rev Oko Asuquo Odiong, while delivering a lecture at this year’s Independent Day celebrations at the new Bakassi, also faulted the ICJ judgment in many instances. Giving a brief history of what he called the colonial deceptions of Europe and eventual take-over of African lands in the guise of dubious treaties, Odiong stated that Nigeria still stands a strong chance of regaining Bakassi.

He told Sunday Mirror that ICJ defaulted grossly in making its ruling.

Comrade Zulu Solomon, a cultural economist, lecturer and human rights activist based in Port Harcourt has equally dismissed the whole ICJ ruling as a total fraud.

He described it along with the colonial government as satanic, wondering how Britain could be so wicked as to give out another man’s property as a gift to Germany. He stated that no government, United Nations, Nigeria or

Johansson

Cameroun has a right over the people of Bakassi, as they are a free people. He said that the land and people of Bakassi are one and any law that separates the two should not be binding on the people. “It is criminal to take away or give away Bakassi because of military might or due to business CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

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The Big Read

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ICJ defaulted by citing illegal, dubious treaties to give Bakassi to Cameroun –Comrade Zulu Solomon

Solomon

Comrade Zulu Solomon is a cultural economist, lecturer and human rights activist based in Port Harcourt. He dismisses the whole ICJ ruling as a total fraud, in a telephone interview with Onukwube Ofoelue.

What is your view about the loss of Bakassi to Cameroun?

I would like to state that a land cannot be separated from its people. Every land belongs to the people on that land, and once you take away a people’s land by force, then, automatically you have robbed them of their land. You have to conduct a plebiscite to ask the people what country they belong to. So, what is happening in Bakassi right

now is not a matter of World Court Ruling, but a matter of the choice of the people.

Are you saying that Bakassi land should not belong to Cameroun as ruled by the ICJ? According to United Nations’ Charter on the Rights of Indigenous People, people have a right to determine their own future, where they belong. They have to be able to determine it economically and politically.

You cannot, for instance, go to a place like Ife and just asked them to move to another country. The people can only cease to be Ife when you move them away from Ife land. It is their ancestral home. You cannot move them away from Ife, and get somewhere in Lagos or Edo and give them. Once you do that, you have extricated them for their land, and they cease to be Ife people. For them to remain who they are, they must insist on remaining on their land. If you move them away from their land, you have violated their fundamental human rights.

So, it is with some other prominent lands, like you go to Onitsha and moves the people away to take over the land, or you go to a place like Arochukwu, and take over the land. It is not a matter of ICJ ruling at all. Nigeria and Cameroun are giving out Bakassi as if it is a piece of land that has no occupants. You have to allow the people of the land decide where they want to belong.

That is the truth. Plebiscite should have taken place. The last we know is of Southern Sudan. People have to come together and make a choice what country they want to belong. The people of Southern Sudan chose to go their way. Eritrea also chose to secede and move away from Ethiopia.

Countries can decide where they want to belong, with their lands. For you to determine the choice of the people, you have to organise a voting process, a plebiscite. It’s not just playing politics as Nigeria and Cameroun.

Last week, the Senate suddenly made a turnaround against the presidency’s stand that Bakassi is a foreclosed matter.

They stated they were going to appeal.

What do you make of this?

Their only interest in Bakassi is not the indigenes but the oil. Unfortunately, in this country, the oil that belongs to the people

doesn’t ever come to the people. So, the government does not even care about the people who live in the oil-producing areas, and the people themselves don’t get any share of the oil. So, they are destroying the lands of the people based on Nigeria and Cameroun politics.

What would you suggest as the way out of this dilemma?

The best thing for us to do now is to ensure that we hear the voices of the owners of the land, which even the Camerounian, German, French and British governments did not care to take into cognizance. We are Africans and we know our land. We know that the place belongs to us; we know how we came there. We know that our forefathers came to that land, and you cannot forcefully move us away from that land without recognising the position of our ancestors and the nature of our people. Bakassi people are fishermen and moving them away from water is like moving fish out of water to a desert and it will eventually die. They should know that even the agreements, which were claimed to have been signed

by European countries to cede Bakassi to Cameroun, are null and void. It was illegal.

You cannot cite illegality to prove legality.

The balkanization of African lands in the first place was a breach, an infringement on the fundamental rights of the African communities that were involved in that sharing. The ICJ ruling therefore, smirks of colonialism, and is unacceptable. You cannot derive legality out of an illegal, and unacceptable, political and economic arrangement to favour the European countries in the past 100 years. For us to ensure that the rights of the people of Bakassi are well protected, we must go back to hear the voice of the people through a plebiscite and a public debate on the issue..

A territory called Bakassi Bakassi is the peninsular extension of the African territory of Calabar into the Atlantic Ocean with a population of between 150,000 and 300,000 people. It is currently ruled by Cameroun following the transfer of sovereignty from neighbouring Nigeria as a result of a judgment by the ICJ. The area has been part of Nigeria until August 14, 2008, when the territory was formally transferred to Cameroun. However, the Nigerian Senate, on November 22, 2007, rejected the transfer, arguing that the Green Tree Agreement ceding the area to Cameroun was contrary to Section 12 of the 1999 Constitution.

It is situated at the extreme eastern end of the Gulf of Guinea, where the warm east-flowing Guinea Current (called Aya Efiat in Efik) meets the cold north-flowing Benguela Current (called Aya Ubenekang also in Efik). These two great ocean currents interact, creating huge foamy breakers, which constantly advance towards the shore, and building submarine shoals rich in fish, shrimps, and an amazing variety of other marine life forms.

This makes the Bakassi area a very fertile fishing ground, comparable only to Newfoundland in North America and Scandinavia in Western Europe.

The peninsula is commonly described as “oilrich”, even though, no commercially viable deposits of oil have yet been discovered. Incidentally, the

area has been arousing considerable interest from oil companies. At least eight multinational oil companies have so far participated in the exploration of the peninsula and its offshore waters. During the European scramble for Africa, Queen Victoria allegedly signed a Treaty of Protection with the King and Chiefs of Akwa Akpa, known to Europeans as “Old Calabar”, on September 10, 1884. This enabled the United Kingdom to exercise control over the entire territory around Calabar, including Bakassi.

The territory subsequently became de facto part of the Republic of Nigeria, although the border was never permanently delineated. Interestingly, however, even after Southern Camerouns voted in 1961 to leave Nigeria and became a part of Cameroun, Bakassi remained under Calabar administration in Nigeria until ICJ judgment of 2002.

Despite what many viewed as the illegality of the colonial government’s action that ceded the territory in the first instance, Nigeria went ahead to sign on June 12, 2006, the Green Tree Agreement with Cameroun. The ceremony was witnessed by the then United Nations Secretary-General, and official representatives of France, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States of America. That, as it were, signified the beginning of peaceful implementation of the ICJ judgment.

See another report on pages 16-41

Bakassi people campaigning for co-existence with Camerounians

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NEWS

Sunday October 7, 2012

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20 wedding guests perish in Ogun auto crash FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA

I

t was another black Saturday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, yesterday as no fewer than 20 persons which included an infant, perished in an auto crash.

Our correspondent gathered that the accident which occurred before the Police College located along the Abeokuta-Siun-

Shagamu Express Road, at about 7.30 a.m., involved an 18-seater Toyota Hiace with registration number: Ogun XF 795 AAB and an articulated Volvo tipper, with number plate, Lagos JJJ 489 XB. The victims of the 18-passenger bus belonging to LUKDOS Transport Company, were said to be members of the African Church Solution Camp, sit-

uated within the entrance gate of the Sam Ewang Estate in Abeokuta. Sunday Mirror learnt that they were on their way to Lagos for a wedding programme of one of the church’s members.

The Volvo truck was said to be on its way from Shagamu en route from Abeokuta before it swerved off its lane and rammed into the bus.

As at the time Sunday Mirror visited the scene of the accident, the combined officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), State Fire Service, the Police and that of the State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) were busy evacuating the dead and the injured to the hospital.

Ogun state Sector Commander of the FRSC,

Abayomi Omiyale, who also confirmed the accident, said nine females, five males and an infant (less than one year old) died on the spot while others gave up on the way to the hospital.

He told Sunday Mirror that a two-year-old girl who sustained head injuries was being treated at the State Hospital, Ijaiye.

Omiyale, however, stated that the dead had been de-

posited at the morgue of the State Hospital, Ijaye and Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba in Abeokuta.

Meanwhile, the TRACE coordinator, Sola Bamidele, who was at the scene, blamed the accident on the truck driver’s recklessness.

He said the authorities were still trying to get in touch with the transport company to get manifest of the passengers.

Criticisms trail Achebe’s comment on Awolowo, civil war FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA

M

ore criticisms have continued to trail the comment of renowed novelist and poet, Professor Chinua Achebe on the role played by late Chief Obafemi Awolowo during the nation’s civil war.

Achebe in his recently published war memoir, There was a Country, had accused Awolowo of ethnicity and selfishness which he said made him to work against the Igbo race during the nation’s three-year civil war which ended in 1970.

Excerpts of the book: “It is my impression that Awolowo was driven by an overriding ambition for power, for himself and for his Yoruba people. There is, on the surface, at least, nothing wrong with those aspirations.

“However, Awolowo saw the dominant Igbo at the time as the obstacles to that goal, and when the opportunity arose – the Nigeria-Biafra War – his ambition drove him into a frenzy to go to every length to achieve his dreams.

“In the Biafran case, it meant hatching up a diabolical policy to reduce the numbers of his enemies significantly through starvation – eliminating over two million people, mainly

members of future generations.”

These assertions were yesterday pilloried by members of Awolowo’s political family and other prominent Yoruba elders and opinion leaders.

Speaking in a telephone conversation with Sunday Mirror, one of Awolowo’s loyalists and a member of the pan-Yoruba sociocultural organisation, Afenifere, Senator Femi Okurounmu described Achebe’s position as unfortunate.

His words:”I have read the comments that the man is said to have made in his book and from what I have read, I want to state categorically that the man was being unnecessarily sectional and tribalistic.

“It was not about Nigeria’s history but purely Igbo’s tribalistic point of view. Because when you have a war, it is part of the war instrumentality to employ blockage of instruments of warfare.

To carry out the blockage against your enemy so that they don’t get supplies to use against you.

“So, if because of the blockage you couldn’t get what you deserved, that is one of the consequences of going to war. And that is just the tribalistic reason upon which the fellow (Achebe) premised his

comment; he has looked at it from a tribalistic point of view.

“In any case, how would Awolowo become president just because they were killing Igbo? The Igbo who suffered were the ordinary masses of the Igbo; the Igbo elite did not suffer; they were still getting their foods and feeding fat.

“So it (a Biafran State) wouldn’t have in anyway affected Awolowo’s ambition to become president”.

In the same vein, other members who reacted through an online news service also condemned the playwright.

Notably, octogenarian and chieftain of Afenifere, Chief Olaniwun Ajayi, described the publication as unfortunate and an error.

His words: “It is a great error; he never said anything about what Awolowo did to prevent the civil war”.

Also, former Transport and Aviation Minister, Ebenezer Babatope, noted, “While Achebe is free to write on any topic that suits his fancy, he has no right whatsoever to irresponsibly murder history by recklessly attacking a great leader like Papa Awolowo. Nigerians should expect detailed, honest, factual and objective replies to the Achebe

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole (right), and Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Edo State branch, Rt. Rev. Peter Imasuen, at the 2012 plenary session of Edo CAN in Benin City on Thursday.

nonsense after we have copies of the book in our hands.

“This is not the first time that Achebe will publish scathing attacks on Papa Awo. He did it in his book written about 30 years ago titled, The trouble with Nigeria. The battle against falsehood has started.”

Maintaining the same position, former Oyo state governor, Dr. Omolulu Olunloyo, said, “It is unfortunate that Professor Achebe could label Chief Awolowo a tribalist. Both Awo and Zik were members of the Nigerian Youth Movement.

“He cannot begin now to blame Awolowo for the war. Awolowo did not start

the war; rather, he pleaded against it. The only thing that he said then was that if, by any error, the Igbo were allowed to leave the federation, Yoruba would also leave.

“The civil war was started by the Igbo. The Igbo, in the course of the war, killed many Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani leaders, including Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, Chief Ladoke Akintola, Festus OkotieEboh and many officers, including Ademulegun, Maimalari, leaving out their own, like Michael Okpara.

“Even while they were in government, (General Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi’s government), the Igbo

spared no thought of freeing Awolowo who was then in prison. So, why should the man be now labeled a tribalist?”

Equally, Save Nigeria Group spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, noted, “It is unfortunate that a great man of letters of Achebe’s status has descended to the arena of Biafran propagandists, who are always ready to sacrifice the truth to achieve emotional blackmail.

“He has betrayed his intellectual calling by joining in the circulation of low quality rumours against Awo. I had looked forward to reading the book, but now I doubt if I would pick up a copy even if dropped at my gate.”

NIGERIA IN BRIEF OVC: Nigerian children’s future will be bleak if… –Experts

Experts in Abuja have said the future of Nigerian children will be bleak if nothing is done about their wellbeing as well as cut down the alarming increase in the number of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC).

Speaking at the Symposium on Government Response to Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Ha-

jia Zainab, called on Nigerians to device a way to better the lives of many Nigerian children in these categories.

Worried by the Increasing number of child hawkers and child rape in the country, the minister also called for new strategies that would enhance the survival of children in the society.

She explained that OVC survival and development are no longer matters of

charity but a moral and legal obligation that requires the active participation of everybody as well as strengthening existing partnerships.

Hajia Maina tasked the experts in the sector to fashion out ways of reaching vulnerable children with a view to ensuring their inclusion in essential services and to protecting them from exploitation, abuse and neglect.

Police begin investigation into murder of three men in P’Harcourt The Rivers Police Command said on Saturday that it had commenced investigation into the lynching of three men at Aluu village, near the University of Port Harcourt.

A spokesman for the command, Mr Ben Ugwuegbulam, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt, that the victims were lynched on Friday.

“We have deposited their

bodies in a mortuary. We received a call from the scene of the crime and by the time our men got to the place, the victims were already dead. We want to unravel the circumstances that led to the killing of the victims because it is a barbaric act,” he said.

A spokesman for the University of Port Harcourt, Dr Williams Wodi, said that the university authorities could not say as at the time of filing

this report, if the victims were students of the institution.

He, however, told NAN that the incident took place outside the university.

Wodi also said that the management of the university was waiting for a report from the chief security officer of the institution on the incident.

NAN reports that the victims were lynched by an angry mob for an alleged theft in the area.

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News

Sunday October 7, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Pope’s butler jailed for 18 months

T

he pope’s butler was convicted yesterday of stealing the pontiff ’s private documents and leaking them to a journalist in the gravest Vatican security breach in recent memory. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but the Vatican said a papal pardon was likely.

Judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre read the verdict aloud two hours after the threejudge Vatican panel began deliberating Paolo Gabriele’s fate. Gabriele stood impassively as it was read out in the tiny wood-paneled tribunal tucked behind St. Peter’s Basilica.

The sentence was reduced in half to 18 months from three years because of a series of mitigating circumstances, including that Gabriele had no previous re-

cord, had acknowledged that he had betrayed the pope and was convinced, “albeit erroneously” that he was doing the right thing, Dalla Torre said.

For now, he is serving his sentence under house arrest.

Gabriele was accused of stealing the pope’s private correspondence and passing it on to journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, whose book revealed the intrigue, petty infighting and allegations of corruption and homosexual liaisons that plague the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.

He has said he leaked the documents because he felt the pope wasn’t being informed of the “evil and corruption” in the Vatican, and that exposing the problems publicly would put the church back on the right track.

In his final appeal to the court Saturday morning, Gabriele insisted he was no thief.

“The thing I feel strongly in me is the conviction that I acted out of exclusive love, I would say visceral love, for the church of Christ and its visible head,” Gabriele told the court in a steady voice. “I do not feel like a thief.”

Gabriele’s attorney, Cristiana Arru, said the sentence was “good, balanced” and said she was awaiting the judges’ written reasoning before deciding whether to appeal.

Nuzzi’s book, “His Holiness: Pope Benedict XVI’s Secret Papers” convulsed the Vatican for months and prompted an unprecedented response, with the pope naming a commission of cardinals to investigate the origin of the leaks alongside Vatican magistrates.

Arru said Gabriele would return to his Vatican City apartment to begin serving his sentence. He has been held on house arrest there since July after spending his first two months in a Vatican detention room.

Gabriele was also ordered to pay court costs.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said the possibility of a papal pardon was “concrete, likely” and that the pope would now study the court file and decide. He said there was no way to know when a papal pardon might be announced.

In something of a novelty in jurisprudence, the pope was both victim and supreme judge in this case.

As an absolute monarch of the tiny Vatican City state, Benedict wields full executive, legislative and judicial

power. He delegates that power, though, and Lombardi said the trial showed the complete independence of the Vatican judiciary.

In reading the sentence, however, in a courtroom decorated with a photograph of Benedict on the wall opposite Gabriele, Dalla Torre began: “In the name of His Holiness Benedict XVI, gloriously reigning, the tribunal invoking the Holy Trinity pronounces the following sentence...”

In her closing arguments, Arru insisted that only photocopies, not original documents, were taken from the Apostolic Palace, disputing testimony from the pope’s secretary who said he saw original letters in the evidence seized from Gabriele’s home.

•See more details on Page 23

Bakassi: Minister vows to frustrate appeal –Investigation EMMANUEL ONANI

H

ope of lodging an appeal for a review of the October 9, 2002 vexed judgement of the International Court of Justice, ICJ, that ceded the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula to the Republic of Cameroon may be dashed after all, as strong indications emerged over the weekend that, an influential minister, who has the ear of President Goodluck Jonathan, has vowed to scuttle efforts at seeking a judicial review of the fate of Bakassi indigenes.

In fact, it was learnt that the “super cabinet member” had long foreclosed the possibility of an appeal arising from the judgement, as he insisted that Nigeria does not have any fresh material evidence to warrant such action.

A top source, who craved anonymity due to the sensitive nature of matter, told Sunday Mirror that, “Even before Jonathan set up the Presidential Advisory Com-

mittee on Bakassi, the minister had told some of us that Nigeria had no case, and so going back to the ICJ will make a mockery of us.”

When asked to name the minister, he simply said, “I will not, but all I can tell you is that in the event of an appeal, he may likely lead the team of experts that will prosecute the appeal.

President Jonathan raised an advisory team to meet and scrutinise the world court judgement, with a view to exploring possible areas of appeal.

The decision was sequel to a resolution made by the Senate through a motion sponsored by the Deputy Majority Leader, Abdul Ningi.

The Federal Government has until Tuesday October 9, to file a notice of appeal.

However, this may be a tall order, given the fact that the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is yet to fulfill one of the conditions precedent to an appeal, which is

L-R: Wife of the late Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Chief Lateef Adegbite, Modinat; wife of Lagos State Governor, Dame Abimbola Fashola; daughters of the deceased, Aisa, Jemeelat, and son, Ahmed, at the 7-Day Fidau Prayer for Adegbite at the Ake palace in Abeokuta, yesterday.

that of seeking the leave of the ICJ for the purpose.

The odds against an appeal on the loss of Bakassi are further said to be strengthened by the fact that a meeting of the Presidential Advisory Committee is yet to be convened, owing to the intrigues and high-level politics that characterised the ceding of Bakassi, which culminated in the signing of a Green Tree Agreement (GTA) in October, 2006, between Nigeria and Cameroon.

Curiously, the GTA is yet

to be domesticated by the National Assembly. By law, until it is so done by the Parliament, the document lacks the force of law and to that extent, remains illegal and not binding.

Section 12 of the 1999 constitution (as amended) provides that, “No treaty between the federation and any other country shall have the force of law except to the extent which any such treaty has been enacted into law by the National Assembly.”

Speaking with Sunday Mirror on the perceived at-

tempts to scuttle the ICJ judgement, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Paul Erokoro, said, “Bakassi is an international issue and all well-meaning Nigerians should be interested. Also, the issue of the loss of 76 oil wells by Cross River State is a thing of concern.”

He continued: “Those who don’t want it reopened, what do they stand to lose?

A worst-case scenario will be that the judgement will not be reviewed. I don’t understand this politics on the issue of Bakassi.”

menced on the incident.

Fabode said the press would be fully briefed when the investigation is concluded.

It was gathered that the corper and his armed robbery accomplices during the week stormed a highbrow store along Taiwo Road, Ilorin known for sales of sophisticated handsets and accessories and held

customers and the staff hostage at gunpoint.

In the operations that allegedly lasted about 30 minutes, the armed gang forcefully collected money, phones and accessories from customers and the staff said to be worth millions of naira and bolted away in a waiting Toyota salon car.

Luck, however, ran out of

them when both the robbed customers and staff raised the alarm on the robbery incident, pointing at the runaway car, which the suspects were escaping with.

The suspects, sensing that the game was up, jumped out of the vehicle and took to their heels before they were nabbed and taken to the Police A Division in Ilorin.

NYSC member, others nabbed for robbery WOLE ADEDEJI ILORIN

Three armed robbery suspects including a member of the National Youths Serving Corps (NYSC) serving in Kwara State have been arrested by the police.

In her reaction when contacted, the Kwara State coordinator of NYSC, Mrs Ezinne Ezekwe, said she

had not been informed of the incident.

According to her, “I’m expecting the police commissioner to brief me of the incident officially before I can make any comment.”

Contacted, the spokesman of Kwara State Police Command, DSP Olufemi Fabode, however, confirmed the incident stressing that investigation had com-

Lagos State to sponsor 8 pupils to Germany The Lagos State Government is to sponsor eight pupils from state public schools to Germany, for their excellent performance in environmental issues, Mrs Adetokunbo Agbesanwa, Senior Special Assistant on School Advocacy and Environment, has said.

Agbesanwa told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday that government had approved the trip as an incentive to the pupils who would now be called “environmental ambassadors”.

She said that the pupils performed brilliantly in various competitions on environmental issues.

“These are children from public schools and from not well-to-do backgrounds who have done excellently well.

The government wants to show that there is no level of barrier when it comes to children and performance, “she said.

Agbesanwa said the twoweek exchange programme, entitled ‘Water for Life,’ would take the children to Bavaria, Germany.

“We will be talking about communities living around waters, how they deal with their climate change issues, how they manage their water resources and waste, and to exchange ideas on other environmental issues,” she said.

She expressed gratitude to the state government for its support and encouragement of children in the promotion of environmental and education programmes, and called on other states to follow suit.

FRSC commander warns officers against taking bribe The Lagos State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr. Nsebong Akpabio, on Saturday warned officers and men of the commission against taking bribe from road users.

Akpabio gave the warning when he visited the Ibah/ Ijanikin unit of the Commission in Badagry, Lagos State.

He urged them to be transparent in their duty of securing the lives of road users.

“I want to warn you to desist from taking bribe because if you are caught, that is the end of your job,” he said.

Akpabio said he would not spare any officer, adding that all officers must be committed to the ideals of the Commission, which is geared towards reducing road accidents.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Sunday, October 7, 2012

9

FG’s fight against terrorism on course –Sambo A ZA MSUE KADUNA

V

ice-President Namadi Sambo yesterday said the Federal Government’s fight against terrorism is on course and called on Nigerians to support government efforts.

Sambo stated this during the grand reception in honour of illustrious sons

and daughters of Kaduna State held at the Yar’adua Sport Hall in Kaduna, and added that security of lives and properties would remain government’s top priority.

According to Sambo, “The hours of power supply have increased and it will continue. Our efforts in maintaining peace has

started yielding results.

Our country men and women should support government to fight this menace.”

Sambo added that government had set aside N30 billion to complete irrigation projects in Kagarko and Kachia.

Earlier, Kaduna State Governor, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, while tasking the

celebrants to be worthy ambassadors of the state, commended President Goodluck Jonathan and his vice, Sambo, for finding Kaduna State indigenes fit for sensitive positions.

Yakowa said, “For this reason therefore, this administration wishes to implore all of us not to seat on the fence but to participate

in the rebuilding of a new Kaduna State; one devoid of ethnicity or religious bigotry. As leaders, we must be seen to be in the forefront of championing security of lives and property, unity of purpose as well as progress and development.”

The celebrants were, Minister for Environment,

Hajia Hadiza Mailafia, Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Kumai B. Akaas, National Organizing Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Alhaji Mustapha Abubakar, and Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC), Mr Andrew Yakubu.

Male guardian: Tambuwal leads govt’s delegation to Saudi Arabia

A

L-R: Senate President, David Mark; Vice-President, Namadi Sambo; Kaduna State Governor, Patrick Yakowa, and former Vice-President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, at the funeral service of Dame Ezinne Uba, at St. James Anglican Church, Uga in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, on Friday. PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

Fashola, Mamman, others address global lawyers in Dublin

T

he 2012 International Bar Association (IBA) Conference ended at the weekend in Dublin as Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Director-General, Nigerian Law School, Dr. Tahir Mamman led other Nigerian speakers to address global lawyers on wide range of legal issues.

The one-week confab which started on Sunday, September, 30 witnessed participation of Nigerian delegates led

by President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Okey Wali (SAN). Former NBA presidents namely, OCJ Okocha (SAN), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Joseph Bodunrin Daudu (SAN), former Justice Minister, Chief Bayo Ojo(SAN) were also in attendance.

Fashola who along

with Jack Blum of USA spoke on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Africa-effective tool or convenient escape’ during the African Regional Forum (AFR) session showcased the achievements of his administration.

Dr. Mamman was a member of the panel on Academic and Professional Development. The topic discussed was- ‘ Does legal education need to give higher priority to teaching ethics and professional judgment?’

Other Nigerians who spoke at the conference as resource persons are Lagos State AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice , Ade Ipaye, his immediate predecessor, Supo Shashore (SAN), ProfesA delegation from Bakassi in Cross River State arriving at the Ministry of Justice for a meeting in Abuja, on Friday.

PHOTO: NAN

sor Lanre Fagbohun and Yusuf Ali (SAN) among others.

The confab was brought to an end with the presentation of this year IBA Human Rights Award to an Iranian lawyer, Abdulfattah Solfani for his outstanding contribution as a legal practitioner to human rights.

He is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence in Iran since March 4, this year. He co-founded the Defenders of Human Rights Centre with Noble Peace winner, Ms .Shirin Ebadi.

The award presented

by IBA President, Akira Kawamura was received by his daughter, Maede Sofani and fellow Iranian lawyer, Mahnaz Parakand on behalf of the winner.

NIGERIA IN BRIEF

FRSC commander warns officers against taking bribe

The Lagos State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr. Nsebong Akpabio, on Saturday warned officers and men of the commission against taking bribe from road users.

Akpabio gave the warning when he visited the Ibah/Ijanikin unit of the Commission in Badagry, Lagos State.

He urged them to be transpar-

ent in their duty of securing the lives of road users.

“I want to warn you to desist from taking bribe because if you are caught, that is the end of your job,” he said.

Akpabio said he would not spare any officer, adding that all officers must be committed to the ideals of the Commission, which is geared towards reducing road accidents.

“You should all abide by the Accra Declaration, which states that by the year 2015, every member country must reduce road accidents by half,” he said.

The FRSC boss stated that every 30 minutes, one person dies through crashes, and urged them not to compromise their duties.

“Be firm and cautious, and don’t compromise your job of ensuring the safety of Nigerians,” he said.

Federal Government delegation, headed by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, would leave for Saudi Arabia on Sunday in connection with the deportation of Nigerian female intending pilgrims.

Sources at the office of the speaker told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday that the five-man delegation is expected to discuss the controversial issue of Mahram (male guardian) with Saudi authorities.

NAN learnt that the speaker, who was outside the country on another official assignment, returned to Abuja immediately in readi-

ness for the trip.

President Goodluck Jonathan, through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, raised the fivemember delegation on September 26.

Other members of the trip are Dr Nuruddeen Mohammed, the Minister of State (II) for Foreign Affairs; the NAHCON chairman, Muhammad Bello; Amb. Shehu Galadanchi, former Ambassador of Nigeria to Saudi Arabia, and Sheikh Ibrahim Saleh, a member of National Council of Ulamas in Nigeria.

As part of the efforts to resolve the crisis, Tam-

buwal met with the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Khalid Abdrabuh, on September 27 and he gave the assurance that the issue would be resolved.

Abdrabuh told the speaker that the detention of female pilgrims who failed to meet the country’s entry requirements was not restricted to Nigeria as some from other countries had been deported as well.

More than 95,000 Nigerians were expected to perform the 2012 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, including 10,000 pilgrims from the private operators before the deportation of the 1,000 intending female pilgrims.

Kano govt donates relief materials to Niger Republic AUGUSTINE MADU-WEST KANO

K

ano State government has donated 52 truck load of relief materials worth millions of Naira to victims of the recent flooding in neighbouring Niger Republic.

The items donated to the victims include 5,000 sacks of maize, 5,000 sacks of millet, 5,000 sacks of Guinea corn, 5,000 blankets, 5,000 pieces of Shadda brocade and 5,000 pieces of female textile wax.

Speaking during the presentation of the items held at Bandirawo city complex in Dawakin Tofa local government area, the State Governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, who sympathised with the Nigerien government and citizens over the incident

said the gesture was also “a way of saying we appreciate our relationship with Niger Republic”.

Kwankwaso, who dwelt on the long standing relationship between Kano and Niger Republic, said it was necessary for people to be their brothers’ keeper, to foster harmonious living.

He promised to continue to work with the Nigerien authorities toward promoting socio-economic ties between them.

The governor who noted that floods had also ravaged parts of Nigeria and Kano State in particular, explained that the two tiers of government had given assistance to the victims, and will provide more to alleviate their plight.

He, therefore, appealed to people of the state who are living within flood

plains to vacate such areas, pointing out that it was necessary for people to leave risky areas no matter their ancestral attachment to such places, to safeguard their lives and property.

Kwankwaso disclosed plans by his government to reconstruct half the houses in the headquarters of Makoda, Kunchi, and Warawa local government in the state, which are mostly mud to prevent them from caving in, thus causing human and material damage.

“Each of the houses will cost the government not more than N700,000 to rebuild, using cement blocks,”, the governor hinted, adding that the government would bear the total cost of the project, without counterpart support from the beneficiaries.

Three council staff members in police net over theft Three staff members of the Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State were on Friday detained by the police over alleged theft of treated mosquito nets meant for distribution to residents.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the arrest of the staff members was confirmed by the chairman of the council, Mr Suleiman Ba-

gudu, and the Fugar Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr Idehen Usunobun.

NAN reports that the treated nets were recovered from the houses of the affected staff members after they were caught selling the nets at Onitsha market in Anambra State.

The treated nets, which were part of the Federal Government strategy for the roll-back

malaria project, were meant to be distributed free to residents of the area.

The three staff members were seen selling the nets by some residents of the area, who promptly reported the issue to their clan head. NAN reports that the clan head reported the matter to the council chairman, who invited the police.

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SM Extra

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

STORIES THAT TOUCH YOU OCTOBER 7, 2012

Mubi: A town turned killing field

Following last Monday’s midnight attack on students in Mubi town of Adamawa State, in which over 40 of them lay dead, a look at the antecedents of the north-eastern town, by Owolabi Adenusi, portrays it as the headquarters for insurgents.

M

ubi town, Adamawa State, has been coming under the siege of killers, especially in the wake of ongoing northern insurgency being spearheaded by the dreaded Boko Haram, Islamic group.

In the last one year, the country particularly the northern part of it, has witnessed series of security challenges arising from terror attacks believed to be carried out by members of the Boko Haram sect.

As states in the North-East region bat-

tled to curtail the rising insecurity with more horror being unleashed on innocent citizens and property worth billions of naira being destroyed, little did states in the North-West realise it would equally be targeted by the radical Islamic extremists.

Mubi, neighbour to Borno State, which is virtually the hub of the insurgents’ activities, is one of the towns in the northern part of Adamawa State that has been on the radar of the terrorist group. Many believe that the heavy presence of security agents in Potiskum, Biu and Maiduguri,

The Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, whose students were massacred

among other places, have forced the members of the sect to gradually shift base to Adamawa State.

Besides, Mubi being a commercial nerve centre of the state, is very close to Cameroun, whose borders are very porous. Insurgents have capitalised on the security lapses of Immigration and Customs to infiltrate the densely populated town. With the strategy of hide-and-fight being adopted by members of the sect, many predicted that it would not take long for the fundamentalists to enter Mubi town.

Be that as it may, it did not take long for that prediction to come true. Today, the Adamawa State Government is grappling with how to rid the state of the heinous acts of the dare-devil group. The once busy commercial town in recent time has become a shadow of itself as residents now live under palpable tension.

The first disquiet of frightening magnitude that engulfed Mubi was when an attack was launched on a cattle market in the town.

The attack, which occurred in the first week of January 2012, left scores dead, as millions of naira were carted away by the invaders. Though, many believed the attack was an armed robbery incident, it was gathered that one of the strategies of the insurgents is to rob places where they can get money to finance their nefarious activities.

While the people of Mubi and environs

managed to live without robberies in the area, little did they know that a major onslaught was in the pipeline. Problem started when unknown gunmen opened fire in a market and killed three persons from the South-two Igbo and a Yoruba man.The incident occurred on January 5.

As residents of the town were recovering from the attack, 12 Igbo were also shot dead.

An eyewitness told Sunday Mirror that the slain persons were holding a meeting to discuss how to convey the corpses of the two Igbo and the Yoruba man shot dead earlier on by suspected hoodlums at a hotel, along Maiha Road in Mubi, when they were suddenly overrun. Unofficial reports said the casualty figure was 15 but the then Adamawa State Commissioner of Police, Aderenle Shinaba, who spoke through former Police Public Relations Officer, Altine Daniels, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said the number of those killed in the serial killing was 12.

The January Mubi killing was one incident that raised the consciousness of many Adamawa people to finally believe that terrorists have indeed entered the state.

Barely seven days after the Mubi Killings, similar shootings took place at the Christ Apostolic Church, Yola, in which 12 worshippers were shot dead by unknown gunmen. It was the Apostolic Church shooting that gave credence to the belief in many quarters that the Mubi incident

Anambra flood: 250,000 residents in danger •Put them in Govt House, if need be –Gov Obi •Seven relief camps created CHARLES OKEKE AWKA

T

he impact of the rampaging flood which has devastated coastal communities scattered across seven local government areas of Anambra State and the Igga communities of Kogi State has reached an alarming level.

It has created in its wake, refugees who have been camped in designated places, where they are being fed, clothed and catered for by the state and federal governments, public spirited individuals and organisations.

In Otuocha, headquarters of Anambra East Local Government and one of the hardest-hit areas, there are four refugees camps, located at Umuoba-Anam Central School. This is the camp where victims of the flood from Mmiata Anam, Umueze Anam, Oroma Etiti and other Anam riverrine communities, as well as refugees from Igaa section of Kogi State are housed.

There are also camps for the flood victims domiciled, respectively, at Father Joseph Memorial Secondary School, Aguleri; Umuleri General Hospital and St Raphael Primary School, Otuocha-Aguleri.

The refugees in these camps are mainly those who came from the Aguleri Otu communities of Igboezunu, Enugu-Otu, Eziagulu-Otu, Isiokwu-Otu, among other places that were completely taken over by the flood. It was gathered that there is no single open land or house available in any of these affected communities. The fact is that homes, farms, schools, churches and all the key facilities necessary to make life worth living in the affected communities have been taken over by flood. The residents of these affected communities have suddenly become nomadic refugees, as they move in droves from their homes, searching for safe places where they would stay, pending the time the flooding crisis would be resolved.

The problem is not limited to communities in Anambra East and West local government areas; the flooding crisis is also prevalent in almost all the towns in Ogbaru Local Government area, with AkiliOgidi, Akili-Ozizor, Amiyi, Atani, Mputu, Ochuche, Odekpe, Ogbakuba, Ogwu Aniocha, Ogwuikpele, Ohita, Okpoko, Ossoma, Umunankwo, Umuodu, Umuodu and Iyiowa-Odekpe as cases of towns completely sacked by flood.

Already, as the communities are cut from the rest of the state, The Federal Polytechnic, Atani Campus has been shut indefinitely. Again, as the people fled from their homes, they sought refuge in Onitsha, where many of them are now quartered at the Army Barracks and Omunwa Egboka Primary School, behind the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity Church. Communities in Awka North have also been affected, including a section of Ihiala Local Government area.

Gov. Obi addressing the victims in one of the relief camps

As the problems caused by the floods are persisting, the State Governor, Peter Obi, has visited many of the affected communities, where he offered some palliatives to the victims. At the Onitsha Resettlement Centre, he directed the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Oseloka Obaze, who is assisting in coordinating evacuation of the victims and supply of relief materials, to make use of the Governor’s Lodge in Onitsha if need be, to provide shelter for the victims. Obi has implored the flood victims to accept evacuation to safer

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SM Extra

Sunday, October 7, 2012

11

Eghagha: Waiting game continues for Delta commissioner •Kidnappers contact family for ransom SOLA ADEBAYO WARRI

S Two injured students

was perpetrated by suspected terrorists. Sequel to the January killings, the Adamawa State Government had constituted a joint security committee comprising the Army, Police, State Security Services (SSS), etc, to fight the rising spate of crime in the state.

Observers say though the security apparatus of the state government has to a large extent warded off possible and high-profile attacks in Yola, the state capital, others insist that checkmating the activities of suspected insurgents in towns like Gombi, Shuwa in Madagali, Mubi and Maiha, all bordering Cameroun, would be a Herculean task, owing to the porous nature of the country’s border with Cameroun.

As Adamawa people managed to live with the pulsating reality that Boko Haram members are hiding in Mubi, there were pockets of clandestine attacks as well as bomb explosions in the area. On several occasions, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were tossed on patrol vehicles of the Joint Task Force, most of which narrowly missed targets.

Another attack that prompted the attention of security operatives and the state government was the recent killing of Acting Chairman of Maiha Local Government, few kilometres

from Mubi. As the police and the JTF team launched investigation into the killing of the acting chairman, GSM masts belonging to MTN, Glo, Airtel and Etisalat in Mubi came under serious bomb attacks.

The damages were massive and have cut off the town from others in terms of subscribers enjoying effective communication services.

The destruction of the GSM masts in Mubi was traced to members of the dreaded Boko Haram, in view of the fact that the group had carried similar bombings on GSM facilities some states in the northern region.

However, Monday night’s mayhem might have rubbished the effort of security operatives in Adamawa although the perpetrators are still being hunted.

It is believed that insurgents were behind the massacred of over 40 students in the affected tertiary institutions.

Analysts said the Monday attack might be a power show between the sect and security operatives after the latter invaded their enclave a week to the attack, leading to the arrest of 156 of its faithful, including their wives and children.

The Independence Day massacre is seen as retaliation to the arrest of the sect members by the JTF.

places. And as expected, many of the victims, especially those who have no immediate relation to stay with, have since embraced the governor’s advice.

On the whole, about 250,000 persons spread across the 45 communities in the seven local government areas of Anambra East, Anambra West, Ogbaru, Onitsha South, Onitsha North, Awka North and Ayamelum are now bearing the brunt of the expanding flood, although the number of refugees being quartered at the various camps have been varying, as the influx of more of the stranded people continues. At the Unity Primary School in Umuoba Anam, there are no fewer than 500 refugees, and Umueri General Hospital has about 300 refugees. It was gathered that feeding is done twice daily, as women do the cooking. Armed security operatives were stationed stra-

tegically at the various camps, providing security.

The coordinator of the Umuoba Anam Primary School Camp and President-General of Nmiata-Anam Town Union, Comrade Emma Agbata, in an interview with Sunday Mirror , gave insights into the state of affairs in their camp. According to him, “we are lacking nothing for now; presently, they have given us enough food and we have been informed that any time the food finishes, we should come for replenishment. What we are lacking here are foams as some people are now sleeping on bare floor. We are about 500 refugees here; we also having water problem. We do buy water here, although they have promised to buy a generator for us to pump water.

As for toilet, you look for where to do that.”

A flooded community

unday, September 30 remains a spectacular date in the memory of the associates and members of the family of the Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof. Hope Eghagha.

Eghagha, who was racing to Asaba, the state’s capital apparently to partake in the planning of the various activities lined up for the 52th anniversary of the nation’s independence, was abducted by some gunmen at Abavo, along Effurun/Agbor Highway. His police orderly was killed in the dastardly encounter apparently in order to perfect the plot and ward off possible resistance.

Having disarmed the bewildered policeman, he was shot at close range at sensitive parts of the body. The dying policeman was abandoned writhing in pains and gasping for breath by the road side as his principal was whisked to an unknown destination. The policeman was confirmed dead at a nearby medical centre.

Thus the don, who was before his appointment into the cabinet of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos, recently renamed Moshood Abiola University, became the latest high profile victim of the unending and disturbing trend of insecurity in the state.

His whereabouts was yet to be ascertained.

Desperate efforts by the state government and all arms of security agencies to ascertain his whereabouts and possibly apprehend his kidnappers and free the embattled commissioner unhurt, one week after, have been futile.

The fate of Eghagha was uncertain as at Saturday night. Although reliable police sources hinted Sunday Mirror that the gunmen had contacted members of his family to demand for ransoms, findings showed that no significant headway had been made in the negotiation to free the erudite scholar.

Already, fresh fears have gripped his colleagues in the cabinet and members of their families, who are seeking for improved police protection by the police command.

Findings revealed that the commissioners complained that a security detail attached to each of them could not guarantee their security and wellbeing in the wake of the unending security breaches in the state.

One of the sources told Sunday Mirror that, ‘’The commissioners in the state have been panicking since Sunday when one of them (Eghagha) was abducted. They are afraid that the hoodlums could be after them. In fact they have been asking for a massive police protection to ward off criminals. ‘’They are obviously bothered that a situation whereby one policeman is being attached to a commissioner by the command is unacceptable.

They have contacted and complained to the Commissioners of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Adaba, that more policemen be attached to them to shield them from criminals,” the source added.

Police Public Relation Officer, PPRO, State Command, Mr. Charles Muka, confirmed that the whereabouts of Eghagha remained unknown in a telephone with Sunday Mirror yesterday. He described the fate of Eghagha as a bad signal and assured members of the state cabinet and other residents of the state of adequate protection by the police. However, Muka stated that efforts were being intensified to free the commissioner unhurt from captivity. “Effort is being intensified to ensure he (Eghagha) is rescued unhurt and to arrest those hoodlums, who want to live on peoples’ sweat,” Muka added.

Prior to the latest fate of Eghagha, high profile personalities in the state had become ready preys of the rampaging gunmen. The situation assumed bizarre dimension when the kidnappers operated within the confine of the Government House.

Prof. Eghagha

An uncle to the governor, Sam Uduaghan, was abducted in the state’s capital while the governor was hosting the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, on June 13, in Asaba. The governor’s uncle unwittingly sojourned at the kidnappers’ den for days in June until the Uduaghan’s family was reportedly compelled to part with some money to appease the kidnappers.

Days after the senior Uduaghan was freed from captivity, a judge of Delta State High Court, Justice Marcel Okoh and Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Mr. Ekenwan Akwagbe, were abducted at different locations on Tuesday, August 7.

Okoh, who was recently appointed a judge of the High Court of Delta State, was abducted at Oria-Abraka, in Ethiope East Local Government Area of the state. The judicial officer was on his way to work where he functioned as the vacation judge of the Warri Division of the state high court when he was waylaid by gunmen.

Akwagbe was on his way to Abuja in a vehicle operated by a popular transport company in Warri when he was abducted by the gunmen along Benin/Warri By-pass.

The families of Okoh and Akwagbe, who apparently lost faith in the security agencies to secure freedom for their breadwinners, were forced to part with ransoms to end their nightmares.

A Commissioner in the Delta State House of Assembly Commission, Barrister Ben Etanabene, also coughed out ransoms to breathe the air of freedom from the kidnappers’ den. Two spouses of the members of Delta State Executive Council, Commissioner for Primary and Basic Education, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare and his Attorney General and Justice counterpart, Mr. Ajuyah, SAN, were also guests of the kidnappers at various times.

The Warri Area Manager of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC),a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. William Enoh, was also kidnapped by gunmen along Effurun/Agbor Highway at Abraka, in a deadly circumstance in which a soldier accompanying him was murdered by the hoodlums. Enoh was reported to have purchased his freedom from the marauders.

An accomplished optician in the state and wife of a popular politician, Dr. Aghata Diden, was also picked up by the gunmen in Asaba. However, the hoodlums were overwhelmed by the recalcitrant posture of the husband of the victim, Hon. Michael Diden, popularly known as Ejele, to free the medical practitioner. Diden, a reputable politician with awesome followers across the state, was said to have mobilised intimidating supporters and security agents to subdue the hoodlums. The gunmen abandoned the medical personnel to perfect their escape bid in the sight of the invading combined team of security agents and civilian volunteers in Umunede, near the state’s capital.

However, as the waiting game for the fate of Eghagha continues, stakeholders are worried about insecurity in the state, which is gradually degenerating to an Hobbesian state.

12

News

Sunday October 7, 2012

Ondo governorship race!

Ondo governorship race!!

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ondo governorship race!!!

ACN, PDP, LP candidates engage in final debate STORIES BY OJO OYEWAMIDE AKURE

G

overnorship candidates of three political parties have been shortlisted by the Nigerian Elections Debate Group (NEDG) for the final round of the Ondo governorship election debates slated for October 20.

The candidates are Barrister Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Governor Olusegun Mimiko of the Labour Party (LP) and Chief Olusola Oke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A statement by the Chairman of NEDG, Chief Taiwo Alimi, said the choice of the candidates was based on its “field research”

on all the political parties that participated in the earlier sessions of the governorship and deputy governorship debates.

According to Alimi, the research was based on the parties’ spread in all the 203 political wards in the state, the number of campaigns organised by each of the parties across the state, their structures and acceptance beyond the threshold of five per cent of registered voters in all the wards and local governments.

He added that the research was also based on an audience poll carried out for the registered voters in the state.

Observing that the campaigns for the election had assumed an intellectual dimension after the

first and second rounds of the debates, Alimi said all the parties’ supporters are advised to be of good conduct during the final round of the exercise.

Only 11 candidates took part in the first and second sessions of the governorship debate out of the 13 who had been registered to contest the October 20 election in the state.

The candidates include Rotimi Akeredolu, ACN; Adeuti Stephen Taiye, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN); Prince Festus Oladimeji, African Party System (APS); Ayodele Olusegun, Better Nigeria Peoples Party (BNPP) and Prince Soji Ehinlanwo, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

Others are Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, LP; Oladipo Bolade, National Conscience Party (NCP); Abikanlu James Olusola, National Solidarity Democratic Party (NSDP); Victor Oluwaremi Adetunsin, People for Democratic Change (PDC); Olusola Oke, PDP; and Omoregha Olatunji, Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA).

The flag bearer of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Adeyemi Bolarinwa, and that of the Change Advocacy Party (CAP), Omoleye Afolabi Olorunwa, did not participate in both sessions.

The event is sponsored by the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Orientation Agency

(NOA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Republican Institute (IRI) Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr George Ossi, said the rapid increase in the number of vulnerable children in the country had placed heavy burdens and greater stress on the already burdened families and the government, which has streamed government’s capacity to provide assistance and deliver services.

One of the experts, Oby Okwuonu, a deputy director in the ministry who spoke on the challenges of OVC, lamented that the exploitation of these has continued unabatedly despite all effort to put an end to it..

We’ll end LP’s deceit –Oke

Police arrest LP chieftain, wife with voters’ cards A

chieftain of the Labour Party (LP) in Ondo State, Mr Olaolu Oladapo, and his wife were reportedly arrested yesterday by the Police for allegedly being in possession of more than 2,000 voters’ cards.

The couple was apprehended in Ondo, the home town of the LP’s governorship candidate and incumbent governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko.

It was gathered that the case was immediately transferred from the Ondo Police Division to the State Police Headquarters in Akure.

A source, who is a prominent politician in the state, told Sunday Mirror that he had visited the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Akure and seen the accused person making useful statements to the police.

He added that the accused put on an LP T-shirt and fez cap.

He said: “I even interrogated him by asking where he got the cards and he told me in the presence of policemen that INEC gave them unclaimed voters’ cards and that he was not alone in the business. This development has confirmed to the citizens how Mimiko and LP have perfected plans to rig the coming election.

Reacting to the incident, the Director of Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Ayo Fadaka, said: “We have taken due notice of the arrest of a prominent member of LP in Ondo State, Olaolu Oladapo, for being in possession of ballot papers and other election materials. This development is indicative of LP’s determination to rig the elections and we believe that people like him are spread across the state.

“In view of this, we call on the police and other security agencies to get to the root of the matter by exposing how election materials got to his custody and also discovering others like him across the state. We insist that this case must not be swept under the carpet as anything that will ensure the sanctity of the election must be done.

Fadaka said the LP was condemnable for the action as it was evident that the party was desperate to compromise the electoral desires of the citizenry, urging the people of the state to be vigilant and ready to protect and defend their ballot.

State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Danladi Mshelbwala, confirmed the arrest of the LP chieftain and his wife.

Five ACN supporters remanded in prison, accused of hooliganism An Akure Chief Magistrate’s Court has ordered that five supporters of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ondo State be remanded in prison custody.

They were arrested from different locations in Ondo after an ACN rally and accused of assault and conduct likely to breach the peace.

The six accused, Jimoh Adebiyi, Ojo Gbenga, Jo-

seph Ogah, Samson Otugbo and Oyewole Gabriel, however denied the allegation.

Applying for the bail of the accused, an Akurebased lawyer and rights activist, Titiloye Charles, who led the ACN legal team, urged the court to take judicial notice of the old age of the 4th to 5th accused persons who are 66 and 67 years respectively.

T

he campaign train of the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olusola Oke, moved to the Owo/Ose Federal Constituency at the weekend, with the PDP flag bearer accusing the incumbent governor, Olusegun Mimiko, of mismanaging the resources of the state.

L-R: Chairman of the Royal African Society and former Minister for Africa, Asia and the United Nations, Lord Mark Malloch-Browne; Chairman of PZ Cussons, Mr. Richard Harvey, and Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, during a Business Breakfast organised by the Royal African Society in London on Friday.

Akeredolu calls for transfer of SSS director

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he Akeredolu Campaign organisation (ACO) has called on the Director General of the State Security Services (SSS) in Abuja to immediately transfer Mrs Betty Adokie, the Director, State Security Services (SSS) Ondo Command.

A statement signed by the organisation’s Director of Media, Publicity and Strategy, Idowu Ajanaku, stated that the call became necessary because Adokie “has become a tool in the hand of Governor Olusegun Mimiko in his campaign effort in Ondo State”.

It added that, “It is a notorious fact that she has been settled by Mimiko hence her actions which are unbecoming of an occupant of such a high office in a reputable organisation like the SSS. “Mrs Adokie has devised

a gimmick of arresting members of the PDP, ACN and LP while cleverly releasing the LP members and holding the PDP and ACN members in detention on spurious charges.

“We in ACO hold the SSS in high esteem and have great confidence in the agency but Mrs Adokie has become a clog in the wheel, capable of drawing the good name of the institution in the mud.

“We also want to warn that if she continues in office with the same attitude, the members of PDP and ACN may have no choice than to resort to self help, which may not augur well for the peace of the state, hence this call for her immediate removal which we believe the director general will not take lightly.”

Sunday Mirror observed that the statement tried to

debunk the allegation by the LP that ACN was planning to bring ‘Tokyo’, the embattled former NURTW chairman in Oyo State, to Ondo State to foment trouble.

It will be recalled that ACN had been raising the alarm over the activities of LP since the beginning of the campaign.

ACO said, “The latest intimidation was an attack yesterday on market women for wearing ACN T-shirts in Akure! One wonders what the LP takes the Ondo people for; they seem to have soon forgotten the historical antecedent of the people.

It warned that the ACN was compelled to remind Mimko and his “amorphous Labour Party that the Ondo State people have a character which repels oppression and would not accept intimidation even at the risk of their lives”.

Oke said if Mimiko was sincere, his government ought to have completed the rehabilitation of the Owo township road.

The PDP candidate promised the people of the ancient town that he would complete the ongoing road project in six months if voted into power in the October 20 governorship poll in the state.

At Idoani, Oke said his government would bring to the people dividends of democracy and put an end to what he described as the Labour Party’s deceit.

His words: “Ondo State is blessed with human and natural resources that could be used to drive its development. A leadership with defined focus is what is required to deliver good governance that will translate to direct impact on the people.

“I have gone round the state and visited the 203 wards. What I saw is misplacement of priorities and cosmetic projects. At this critical stage of our development, our resources should not be splashed on town halls, old market stalls and intangibles.

“We need to move fast on the track of employment provision, delivery of quality education and reduction of government overheads so as to attain sustainable development.

13

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Interview ENCOUNTER WITH A NEWS MAKER OCTOBER 7, 2012

Mimiko has frittered away N600bn in four years –Akintelure, ACN dep gov candidate What has been your impression of Ondo State since the commencement of your campaign tour?

My impression of Ondo State is that of a total neglect of our rural areas. It is best described as man’s inhumanity to man. I like to tell you that in spite of the agrarian nature of Ondo State; in spite of the fact that we have a lot of mineral resources in the state, in spite of the fact that there is huge human capital development that is now classified as unemployed, it is unfortunate that there is still no solution to these myriads of problems, even though there is a government in place in the state. It is unfortunate that the agricultural sector which could have absorbed a lot of unemployed graduates in Ondo State has been lying prostrate.

It is so unfortunate that bad governance has been the bane of development in Ondo State. I am sorry that if care is not taken, we may be consumed by hunger and poverty.

You will recall that several governments have come and gone in the state, why have they not been able to address the problems?

I will say as a result of lack of proactive management of power. Majority of the parties that have ruled the state, apart from the Alliance for Democracy, AD, had no political programmes and manifestoes. Take for instance, what do you think the Peoples Democratic Party that could not do anything at the centre do in Ondo State? Are you talking about Labour Party, a party that has no genuine antecedent, no genuine manifesto that we can say this is what they are working with? I think it is a kind of government that will always sit down and listen to any complaints. If the people complain of hunger today, it goes to get bread for them; if tomorrow they complain of vehicles, it runs to provide ‘tokunbo’ vehicles. This stems from the fact that there is no solid or genuine planning for the development of the state. I will want Ondo State to be run by a government that has antecedent, that has programmes, that has template and manifesto. All we need in Ondo State is a cardinal programme – be it four, five or six cardinal programmes. But it must not be too much so that the resources of government will tackle them within a short period of time. May I say at this point that in Ondo State, there is misplacement of priorities. The government has been spending too much on publicity. The priority they place on publicity is derogative to the status of Ondo State. We should not be seen to be doing something by hearing, I think by seeing. By the time investors come to Ondo State they should know that something is happening. You don’t need to come to Lagos State to tell them. What is in the vogue now is that even Lagosians

Deputy Governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State, Dr. Paul Akintelure, in this interview with Biyi Adegoroye says it is dangerous to label Senator Bola Tinubu an emperor, and promises that an ACN government will ensure the state is industrialised if elected. Excerpts:

Dr. Akintelure

and DSTV subscribers know more about this funny publicity blitz than the people of Ondo State.

The people in Ondo State know the problems they face – infrastructural deficiency, no employment opportunities, we have dilapidated school buildings, no roads, teachers’ salaries are not paid as at when due and so many others. But here in the urban areas like Lagos, what is projected to the people is that Ondo State is a utopian state. I think it is wrong, and in an attempt to deceive the people, the government has put itself in a problem that can best be resolved by voting him out of power.

From your background as a medical practitioner, what do you think the health sector should look like in Ondo State as against the establishment of Mother and Child Hospitals?

Well, my dream and my party’s as regards the health sector is that of preventive medicine. What is paramount in Ondo State is tackling diseases that are related to poverty, diseases that are related to unemployment, diseases that are related to superstition. What is obtainable in the state’s health sector today is a far cry from what it should be. I agree there are different levels of healthcare delivery system. We have the primary, the secondary and the tertiary. In Ondo State, because of our agrarian nature, because of our civil service system, what we desire is absolute protective, promotive, preventive and rehabilitative medicine.

In other words, primary healthcare is the best that we could do. Let us preempt what will happen if somebody drinks bad water; let us preempt what will happen if somebody is exposed to mosquito bites.

I think by the time we prevent all these, I am sure that 75 percent of our health problems would have been taken care of, unlike what they call Mother and Child thing. What is mother and child healthcare? It is maternal or maternity, obstetrics and gynaecology or pediatrics. These are secondary levels of medicare which can be taken care of either at specialist hospitals or in some general hospitals.

May I tell you that in Ondo State, viable General Hospitals are very limited. We do not even see them. I am from Igbotako.

And I am told that there is a General Hospital there. To the best of my knowledge, this General Hospital has not functioned as expected. I don’t think we need politics in the health care sector, because the health of a nation depends on the health of the individuals. If a nation is to be CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

14

Interview

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

‘Bad governance, bane of development in Ondo’ THE PEOPLE IN ONDO STATE

WE ARE SAYING THAT THE COST OF BUILDING THIS MEGA SCHOOL IS TOO EXORBITANT. IN ONDO STATE, WE ARE TOLD IT IS BETWEEN N400 MILLION AND N650 MILLION. I THINK WE CAN EXTRACT NOTHING LESS THAN 55 SCHOOLS FROM THIS MEGA SCHOOL

KNOW THE PROBLEMS THEY FACE – INFRASTRUCTURAL DEFICIENCY, NO EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, WE HAVE DILAPIDATED SCHOOL BUILDINGS, NO ROADS, TEACHERS’ SALARIES ARE NOT PAID AS AT WHEN DUE AND SO MANY OTHERS Dr. Akintelure

wealthy, the people of that nation must be very healthy. It is, therefore, a sorry thing that somebody is now talking about secondary healthcare when we have poverty pervading the environment. And that is why when you go to the Mother and Child Hospital, you see people with malaria, headache and pains. That is not the way it should go. It is primary healthcare as advocated by the late Prof. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti when he was the Minister of Health. I think when you pursue primary healthcare assiduously, you will make good health available at affordable cost.

In a similar manner, let us look at the education sector. In the state, attention is now drawn to Mega Schools while many secondary schools in the state are said to be in a bad shape…

I think it is a jamboree. I think possibly, the governor may be interested in amassing wealth. I will not doubt that. I cannot fathom why Mega Schools are being built in Ondo State. Take for instance, the UNESCO recommendation on the distance a child has to move from house to school every day. But look at the Mega School at Igbodigo. My children at Igbotako are supposed to benefit from it. The distance between Igbotako and Igbodigo is about 30 kilometres. How do you expect the children who are in the formative years to make this trip? Mind you, these children are also expected to have a minimum of eight hours of rest every day, if they have to be in school at 8am, they must be up at 6am. I think that is bad in itself. That will be creating problems for the development of the child; it is creating problems psychologically and this child will be demoralised.

How about the cost of building Mega Schools?

We are saying that the cost of building this Mega School is too exorbitant. In Ondo State, we are told it is between N400 million and N650 million. I think we can extract nothing less than 55 schools from this mega school. The cost of building these schools is too extravagant. The existing schools should rather be developed instead of building Mega Schools. I have a solution. My solution is that the former schools should rather be developed and modernised. I also have series of options.

One of them is to convert these Mega Schools to one pre-university foundation or institutions where students can prepare for Higher School Certificate, HSC. It is good for us in this nation to allow our children to pass through advanced level, obtain the HSC as done in the UK and elsewhere. And the standard of education will improve in the process. Where are we running to? The idea that my child graduates or has his PhD at age 19 is not just it. If these Mega Schools are converted, (fortunately they are located in local governments) to HSC-awarding schools or pre-university institutions, they will

Dr. Akintelure

serve better purposes.

Do not forget that these schools, especially the one built at Igbodigo, in Okitipupa were built on a very wobbly foundation. On two occasions, the Mega School had collapsed and was blown off. It is just management, management and all that.

On both occasions, they had to work all through the night to make sure that people did not wake up to see the collapsed structures. This is very bad, it is a disservice to the people, it is man’s inhumanity to man. It is dangerous to our children.

That is why I said politics and governance don’t mix. You may be ‘Maradonic’ in politics, but I think in governance, you should be humane.

Let us look at industrial development of the state. What programmes does the ACN have to ensure industrial transformation of the state?

Industrial development of Ondo State is germane; it is key to the overall economy of Ondo State. I must be frank with you, until we industrialise the state, nothing meaningful will come out of here. If we know that we have opportunities in terms of mineral resources, in terms of mineral and agricultural resources, and human capital, you do not make progress without industrialisation. First of all, there must be the enabling environment. There must be good governance. There must be transparency, there must be accountability. When these two are lacking, there cannot be development. These two are key. In this state, most of our industrialisation must be done with agro-based industries as the bedrock. Agro-based industries in the form of cottage industries will spring up. In other words, our farmers, our petty traders will be engaged in goods and services that will be profitable to them and be beneficial to the people, and they can access funds from banks at minimal cost.

What the government needs to do is to create an enabling environment.

For instance, if we have an industrial park where mechanics, vulcanisers, electricians, tailors can work. Remove the initial cost of establishing the place for them. Supply water, electricity, motorable roads, allow them to flourish; by the time they do, they will have apprentice who will also graduate and some of them will even move out on their own to start their own trade. This is development. By the time an individual develops, you will see that the nation will develop too. I believe that creating an industrial park too, is vital for the development of the state.

We are looking at the setting up of an industrial estate at Omotosho to utilise the gas pipeline in the area. Already, there is this Independent Power Project there.

We intend to discuss with the Federal Government to give us between 100 or 200 megawatts of power for the proposed industrial park, where most of the cottage

industries will sprout. The power will also serve Okitipupa, Ilaje and other neigbhouring towns where most of the cottage industries can work. Do not forget too that a lot of people today make their revenue from barbing, baking and weaving, but you will discover that they have been hampered by power supply. Technology has made production very easy, but even when you have it, you discover that you cannot utilise it because of shortage of power supply. Having said this, you see that at Olokola, the Free Trade Zone, we can also have a port where ships can berth and you will see that the cost of transporting imported items from Lagos to Aba, Onitsha and the rest will be drastically reduced, because the distance from Olokola to Ore is about 30 kilometres, and if your ship berths there, you are assured of quick delivery anywhere in the Southeast. It is easier and more advantageous. We also have the issue of local content which is embedded in the constitution. In oil-producing areas like Ondo State, certain percentage of the skilled workers must be absorbed from the state. You know that the oil companies have not done this to a large extent.

So, why can’t we use this opportunity of Free Trade Zone to achieve this in our state? That will transform to a kind of empowerment. Don’t forget; there will be engineers there, geologists and the rest.

Some residents of the community will also emulate these ones by saying, ‘I want to be an engineer like Brother James and work at Chevron or Shell,’ Don’t also forget that companies will also be attracted to the zone. By the time there is electricity, good roads and all the rest. They will also enjoy tax holiday. So development will come in and a regime of avalanche of resources will come in for the state. There will be sachet water sellers and all the rest. We are talking of the agrarian nature. We have cocoa, palm produce, rubber and cassava. In Okitipupa and Ode Irele for instance, we have a lot of cassava. We will make sure that this is not just uprooted and sold; they must be processed to a certain level, by utilising the technical know-how of our guys from the universities and polytechnics. We will not just sell off the products like that.

The value in addition, will make more hotels to spring up because those waiting for their goods to be processed will need hotel accommodation. Others who are dealing in cash crops for export but came there with foreign currency will need to change the currency. All these will have multiplier effects that trickle down even to the woman selling sachet water there, who will proudly say, ‘I have a dollar.’

It has been said that Ondo State has not made effective use of its resources about N600 billion - which have accrued to it in the past four years. Do you agree

with this?

Billions of Naira have been taken by the Ondo State from the Federal Government in the past few years. The amount of money collected from the federal purse has not been commensurate with the level of development in the state. What you see in Ondo State today is that of window dressing, that of cosmetic development. That is not what we need. There is no point painting roadlight in the colour of your party and you think you are doing some development in Ondo State, whereas a lot of our people are languishing in poverty. You now say that you are creating fancy roundabout on a synthetic grass in a Sunshine State where there is abundant rainfall, and grass is green, in a world where we are talking about global warming. What stopped you from planting grasses that undergo photosynthesis, take carbon dioxide and give us oxygen?

That will promote a symbiotic relationship between animals and human beings?

Look at it. The grass cannot absorb water.

When the fountain discharges waters, it runs into the road. And in road maintenance, what we were told is that you must prevent water log on the tarmac so that the road is not damaged. But what the government is doing is just the contrary. The government has got its priorities wrong, it has played to the gallery and I think this is not what Ondo State deserves.

How do you respond to the allegation by some defectors from your party that a vote for ACN is a vote for the move to make Asiwaju Bola Tinubu an emperor in the Southwest?

That assertion from the defectors is not only wrong but dangerous. Of course, no one should take this allegation seriously. The fact is that Asiwaju Tinubu is a nationalist who has done a lot for the development and integration of the Southwest of the country at a great sacrifice. At one point, he sold his property for this purpose. Remember too that he was a Senator in this country, who was involved in the struggle during the June 12 crises. He is a leader and protagonist of the political integration of the Southwest, for which he was witch-hunted. Remember he was arraigned by the Code of Conduct Bureau but nothing was found against him.

And by the way, when all parties in the Southwest were united under the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, did anyone describe Awolowo as an emperor? You will recall that through his political and economic shrewdness, he provided free education, built Cocoa House and at one point, out of all the first five universities in the country, three were in the Southwest - the University of Ibadan, University of Lagos and the then University of Ife. So, it is dangerous to address Tinubu as such.

15

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics PROVIDING FRESH PERSPECTIVES TO ISSUES

IF

OCTOBER 7, 2012

WE COMPARE THE QUANTUM OF RESOURCES WE HAVE WITH

THE RATE WITH WHICH WE HAVE PROGRESSED , CERTAINLY WE HAVE NOT DONE ENOUGH .

ESPECIALLY IN

A SIA ,

T HERE

ARE SEVERAL COUNTRIES ,

WHICH WERE AT OUR LEVEL AT A

TIME … NOW THEY ARE MILES AHEAD OF US IN TERMS OF

National Assembly and the Bakassi conundrum

DEVELOPMENT

–D R O LUSEGUN A GAGU

Anxiety in Edo as Oshiomhole prepares to dissolve cabinet

Briefly

P. 16, 41

P. 40

Ebonyi: APGA mobilises for 2013 council polls

The late General Sani Abacha

Gov. Seriake Dickson

Alamieyeseigha

Seriake Dickson: Dogged

by controversies EMMA GBEMUDU BAYELSA

B

ayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson’s, penchant for courting controversies or taking decisions that draw the public ire is gradually becoming legendary. It is not clear whether he deliberately courts such controversies or controversies actually dog his steps, willingly or otherwise.

Shortly after assuming office, the governor appointed Dame Patience Jonathan, wife President Goodluck Jonathan as a permanent secretary. In spite of public condemnation that the issue generated, the governor was unmoved as he went ahead to swear in the First Lady into his cabinet.

Also in August this year, the state introduced its own flag, coat of arms and anthem. The move equally generated controversies, with the governor being accused of pursuing a separatist agenda.

According to the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Joseph Daudu, what the governor did was an act of secession as it has no place in the country’s constitution.

“It is therefore unconstitutional and illegal for any state or segment of the country to launch its own flag, anthem, coat of arms,” Daudu reportedly said at the time.

Another controversy in Bayelsa also occurred shortly after the governor assumed leadership of the state. The crisis generated by the issuance of Certificates of Return to two different candidates in the state’s local government election in 2010 and who subsequently challenged the legality of the action, also cropped up when the aggrieved council chairmen secured victory in 2012. The governor was said to have been opposed to the reinstatement of the victorious candidates because they allegedly did not support him during the governorship election in the state in February this year.

As if these were not enough, Seriake has again stirred up a hornet’s nest by honouring the late former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, and the ex-governor of the state, Chief Dipreye Alamieyeseigha, during the 52nd independence anniversary in the state.

Abacha was honoured for creating Bayelsa State about 16 years ago, thus a proposed 150-duplex housing estate

The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in Ebonyi said at weekend that it had begun the mobilisation of men and materials for the 2013 local government polls in the state.

Chairman of the party in the state, Mr Jerry Obasi, disclosed in Abakaliki that the state party machinery had been overhauled and properly repositioned for electoral challenges in.

He said the internal squabble that bedeviled the party at the centre was part of the democratic process that would see it emerge better and stronger.

He dismissed insinuations that the leadership crisis in APGA would affect the electoral fortunes of the party in the 2013 council elections in Ebonyi.

Obasi stressed that he would ensure that internal democracy was adhered to in choosing the party’s flag-bearers for the exercise.

“We will make sure that credible candidates emerge as our party’s aspirants in the polls,’’ he said.

The chairman added that APGA would prosecute the election vigorously and expressed optimism that the outcome would have a ripple effect on its fortunes in subsequent elections.

Ondo guber poll: Borrofice optimistic about Akeredolu’s triumph along Opulo Road was named after him. The newly commissioned auditorium of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) was as well named after the late despot. Abacha’s son, Mohammed, was present at the event. The governor had described Abacha as a leader who was loved by the country and the Ijaw nation, and who had the courage to do what was right by giving the Ijaw ethnic stock a ‘homogenous’ state. Governor Seriake, however, noted that irrespective of whatever opinion people might hold against Abacha by virtue of Bayelsa State creation, he had earned a place in the hearts of the Ijaw people, for which they are eternally grateful.

His words: “Gen. Abacha was one leader who loved Nigeria and the Ijaw nation and had the courage to do what was right by giving the Ijaw a homogenous state. Irrespective of whatever opinion people may hold, which is their legitimate right, Gen. Abacha by virtue of the creation of the homogenous state of the Ijaw nation, has earned a place in the heart of the Ijaw people for which we are eternally grateful.”

He went on: “In addition, government will invite the family to plant a memorial tree in his honour at the CONTINUED ON PAGE 16, 41

The senator representing Ondo North Senatorial District, Professor Borrofice, has expressed confidence that the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) gubernatorial candidate in the state, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu, would defeat the incumbent governor and Labour Party candidate, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko in the October 20, 2012 election.

Borrofice spoke through the vice-president of the Akoko Elite Forum, Prince Boye Ologbese, who represented him at a reception organised last Monday in Oka-Akoko for LP members who voluntarily resigned their appointment recently and defected to the ACN. They include Ambassador Bayo Yussfu, Chief Goke Ajisafe, an LP aspirant for the Akoko South-West/South-East Federal constituency in the 2011 election.

Others are four former Special Assistants to governor Mimiko: Mr Opeyemi Igbede, Mr Soji Ojomo, Engr. Chris Anota and Mr Kayode Agunloye.

While welcoming them to the party, Borrofice assured of a level playing ground in ACN and called on them to work hard to ensure the party’s victory in the forthcoming election.

Sen. Boroffice

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Politics

TORDUE SALEM ABUJA

T

he Federal Government has decided to look into the 2002 Judgement by the International Court of Justice, ceding the Bakassi territory to the Republic of Cameroun.

The region was ceded to Bakassi in 2002 by the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo and in 2008, the government of President Umar Yar’Adua evacuated some of the inhabitants of the community from its borders as they yelled and kicked.

The Federal Government has since set up a committee to look into the possibility of a review of the judgement by the appeal at the International Court of Justice.

In a letter to the House of Representatives last week, the Justice Minister, Muhammed Adoke, who sought to be exempted from appearing before a House panel, disclosed the decision of the government which has come at the cusp of the appeal deadline of October 10, 2012.

“I most respectively write to request the postponement of the public hearing scheduled to take place from October 4-5 to another date to enable me attend to the urgent review of the 2002 ICJ Judgment in respect of the Cameroun/Nigeria boundary dispute”, Adoke wrote the House.

Agitations have heightened in the country over the ceding of Bakassi to the Republic of Cameroon, through the Green Tree Agreement which was signed by former President Obasanjo.

The judgment also rendered Cross River a littoral state and has attracted harsh criticisms from Nigerians in general and the people of Bakassi in particular.

Some members of the committee have even threatened selfrule; it was promptly followed a few years ago by the hoisting of the flag and coat of arms of the Bakassi people, threatening the unity of Nigeria.

A former diplomat and now member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Nkoyo Toyo, who represents Calabar/Odukpani Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, said the main reason the people of Cross River State were angry with the judgement was that “what befell Bakassi was responsible for where we are today with regard to the 76 oil wells that were awarded to Akwa Ibom State.”

Toyo who is also a lawyer said that although she wasn’t in court the day the recent apex court’s judgement was delivered, she heard that the judges had relied on a letter that was written by former President Obasanjo stating that Cross River State was entitled to the 76 oil wells on account of the Federal Government’s then on-going negotiations with Cameroon to retain Western Bakassi.

According to her, “If there was an intention like that to take back Western Bakassi from Cameroon, the question that arises now is: what has happened to that intention?”

She remarked that the Federal Government only had a short time before Cameroon finally takes over Bakassi permanently.

She asked: “Has the Federal Government given up completely on the people of Cross River State?”

She further stated that the people of the state felt sad about

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Bakassi: Nigerian

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

the judgment because “it looks like we have been completely abandoned by the Nigerian State. All these is happening because we seem to have lost Bakassi. But before Bakassi was given up, the indigenous people and the Nigerian state were in possession for about four hundred years.”

She expressed the view that the agitation for the complete implementation of the Green Tree Agreement needs to be revisited.

Said she: “There should be absolutely no hurry in handing over Bakassi because the consequences of handing over Bakassi have not been addressed.” She further opined that the Federal Government needs to lodge a complaint with the ICJ about the failure of the Green Tree Agreement in line with the provisions of the same agreement.

She explained that “This is primarily because there are many Nigerians who have now become stateless; they are neither Nigerians nor Cameroonians.”

Gov. Imoke

Hon. Nkoyo further pointe answered issues surroundin including the map.

Said she: “We are still lo indicates the correct bounda oon. That official map has maps that are available are i are in the process of being d authenticated.

If we can have such a ma mentally address the situatio The House of Representat President Goodluck Jonathan before October 10, when the The House of Representat tion, initiated moves to over insula to the Republic of Cam

A governor trail

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

Mrs. Patience Jonathan

Heroes Garden, which I have just established. By this singular gesture, let the family be assured that our thoughts and prayers have been and will always be with them and that they can always call Bayelsa their home too. In the same vein, we recognise and are indebted to worthy Nigerian leaders like President Olusegun Obasanjo and the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and others whose actions have impacted positively on us. ‘Government will honour them in due course.”

The governor, during the celebration, equally honoured the state’s ex-governor, Chief Alamieyeseigha. The former governor had been indicted for corrupt practices in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Alamieyeseigha was honoured for his “commitment to the Ijaw struggle”. One of

the halls in the INC secretariat w him.

Reacting to the development, a crusader and project officer, Enviro Action (ERA), Alagoa Morris, said of Abacha by the state governmen as good to a great number of Bayel the injustices in the system and p creation, in appreciating the creat by the former military leader.

“But, I belong to the few who see for the state government to honour with which he killed Ken Saro-wiw that Abacha was an impatient and v leader. He also looted Nigeria’s tr and wanted to transform into a civ by force. I pray that another govern

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Sunday, October 7, 2012

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Jonathan’s UN speech on rule of law

P

resident Goodluck Jonathan was in New York in the United States last week to attend the 67th session of the United Nations’ General Assembly.

The President met with his counterparts from China, France, South Korea, Brazil, Bulgaria, Finland and Switzerland. He delivered a speech at the plenary session on the rule of law; and joined the Prime Minister of Norway, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, with whom he serves as Co-Chairperson of the UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children, to present a report to the UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, among other responsibilities he attended to.

Our verdict, however, is that President Jonathan’s speech on the rule of law appeared the high point of his last UN outing, particularly with reference to his averment that it was imperative for the rule of law to be strengthened at national and international levels to ensure equity and fairness for all. Indeed, no known principle of governance may be able to nurture democracy, freedom and fundamental human rights like the rule of law. Therefore, Jonathan’s assurance in his UN speech of not just his government’s commitment to respecting it, but giving deference to the country’s pledges to the international community, deserves special recognition.

By the same token, the UN General Assembly plenary on the rule of law draws attention to the authoritarian governments in Africa and elsewhere; some of which don the garb of democracies. In truth, it does seem that a lot of African countries presently make a huge mockery of democracy against the backdrops of ridiculously rigged elections, repression of political opposition, prolonged tenure of incumbents, withering political participation and voter apathy, etc. The political situations in Togo, Gambia, Uganda, Zimbabwe,

Guinea, Cameroon and others may be cited as good examples of countries where authoritarian rule, subversion of the rule of law, denial of freedom and the abuse of fundamental rights still thrive.

The African Union (AU), most unfortunately, has not proven proactive enough to implement the African Peer Review Mechanism to help sustain and keep the democratic process and the rule of law on course in the region. The recent killing of political prisoners in Gambia draws attention to the abuse of human rights and the rule of law. There were also recent protests in Togo by the opposition against government repression by state-sponsored militia; while President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda is currently doing a fifth term in office amidst repression of political opponents, boycotted elections and popular public wrath. In Zimbabwe, Robert Gabriel Mugabe has been in power since 1980 when the country gained globally recognised independence from Britain, under such conditions as are prevailing in Uganda.

Back home, the United Nations’ examination of the rule of law likewise offers the opportunity to assess the situation in Nigeria. The military era was characterised by dictatorship, the denial of rights and the subversion of the rule of law. Indications are that the successive civilian political leadership that emerged in 1999 inherited militarised cultures, which have been on exhibition through the body language and, sometimes, the practical conduct of public officials.

While Jonathan has to some extent tried not to embrace ‘the rule of impunity’, he still faces the serious challenges of resisting a relapse to it, de-militarising and re-civilianising the polity; and building institutional

safeguards for the rule of law. The security agencies in Nigeria, especially the Nigeria Police Force, have blighted the country’s human rights credentials with unending allegations of corrupt practices, high handedness, and profound extra judicial killings.

In addition, the deafening graft in the Nigerian judiciary that has stripped it of neutrality and transformed it to one of the most impotent judicial organs of government worldwide, has also been linked to politically-induced corruption. The obviously deliberate under-funding of the nation’s judiciary has left behind desperate judicial officers whose eyes seem perpetually fixed on the crumbs that fall from the tables of the executive arm of government; on the one hand, and bribes from crooks and corrupt litigants, on the other. The cumulative result can be visualised through the low morale of judges, delayed trials, outright denial of justice and prison congestion nationwide.

Present Jonathan might have done well with his rule of law sermon at the UN. What remains is how he translates same to action to foster equity and fairness. For, in our considered opinion, anti-people economic policies and conditions, repression of popular protests (like the last January fuel subsidy protests in Lagos), rigged elections, etc., affront equity, fairness and justice; and are therefore antithetical to the rule of law. Beyond international rhetoric, therefore, President Jonathan should sincerely strive to deepen democracy through the rule of law in Nigeria and initiate policies and programmes that would reduce the level of hardship, hopelessness, bitterness, anger, desperation and insecurity in the country.

Reminiscences OCTOBER 7, IN HISTORY 1919: Netherlands’ KLM Airlines founded KLM Royal Dutch Airlines of the Netherlands was founded. Its first flight was the following year from London Croydon to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for journalists, and it began scheduled flights in 1921. It is the oldest airline still operating under its original name.

1959: England’s Southend pier gutted by fire The pavilion at the end of the world’s longest pleasure pier at Southend on sea was gutted by fire and 300 people were rescued by sea.

1960: Nigeria admitted to the United Nations Nigeria was admitted to the United Nations, UN, as the 99th member.

One of its earliest and most significant contributions to the UN was to furnish troops for the peacekeeping operation in Zaire in the early 1960s.

2001: US-led coalition attacks Taliban Following the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, a USled coalition began attacks on Talibancontrolled Afghanistan. An intense bombing campaign by American and British forces was employed in a bid to locate and destroy the terrorist Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida organisation 2003: California governor, Gray Davis, recalled The Governor of California, Gray Davis, became the second governor to be recalled in American history. The first was North Dakota’s Lynn J. Frazier in 1921. On November 17 after the recall election, Republican Arnold A. Schwarzenegger was elected.

2006: Russia’s Anna Politkovskaya found dead Respected Russian journalist and human rights activist, Anna Politkovskaya, was found dead after being shot in an elevator in her apartment complex in Moscow. The journalist was known for exposing human rights abuses by the Russian military in Chechnya.

2007: 28 die, 70 injured in Cuba train crash Some 28 people died after a train and a bus crashed in Cuba. Over 70 people were also injured in the incident.

18

Opinion

Sunday October 7, 2012

Uncensored U nc

Sheriff S Folarin

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

P

ension thefts, pension scams, misappropriations, mismanagement and so forth, have grown like malignant tumour in the Nigerian financial landscape with the oversight personnel being the main culprits while their employer, the Federal Government, has watched over the years with haplessness, as this problem undercuts the hardworking Nigerian public servants. The aged pensioners are regularly subjected to rigorous exercise whenever someone in the Pension House (insurance companies, administrators, government personnel) has dipped his sticky and wonky fingers into pension fund. In the process, such pensioners, after giving their all to the nation, come to line up for one screening exercise or the other that usually ends up in disaster: if they do not drop dead while in endless queuing, they may not live to collect the horrible pittance that the authorities are handing out as pension. I hope the Finance Minster, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will read this piece and use her good offices, as usual, to right the plethora of wrongs in the country’s pension administration.

FYA (his initials), had worked with the Federal Government in one of the defunct federal boards for almost 30 years. He had traversed the North and South in patriotic service to the nation. But government, in its usual policy confusion, dissolved the marketing and grains boards in 1987, thus ending abruptly FYA’s career as an honest and hardworking Accountant. He had not prepared for such exit, but his faithful contributions under the pension scheme should have bailed him out. But just after retirement, the pension scheme seemed

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Govt and the horrible experience of pensioners

solvent after all as he could not get a kobo until months after. When fortunes started smiling on him, what he began to get every three months as pension is between N3,000 and N5,000. He later joined a big private company in Lagos, and under the pension scheme, he could transfer his pension details for the purpose of synchronism and future payment. After 11 years with that company, he retired and settled at his Ibadan country home; but as we discuss this moment, all the grammar about synchronisation of his pension accounts seemed a farce as the NSITF had to inform him several times that there were gaps and outright omission of his data in their databank.

If FYA’s experience was unfair, now read this pathetic story of Mr. Jonathan Oligbinde who lives in Itaosin, Abeokuta. Mr. Oligbinde had to write in the newspaper to call the Federal Government’s attention to his plight; but weeks after nothing had been done, he yet wrote again. I quote him: “Almost a year after a biometric verification for Federal pensioners, and my further appeal to the Head of Service, nothing has emerged for me to be paid my 12-year pension arrears. I had thought that the vegetative condition with which I appeared before the panel would elicit urgent action, but the exercise went the way of previous representations to Abuja and Abeokuta offices.”

The most pathetic path of Oligbinde’s letter reads: “Or, can N1,743 (one thousand seven hundred and forty-three naira) being paid haphazardly now be correct for a November 1999 (35-year service) retiree? Urgent action should be made to pay my dues before I die, as my health deteriorates. Let my spirit feel obliged to pray for this nation” What else can we call this treatment towards Pa Oligbinde and millions of other pensioners than sheer and unpardonable wickedness, extreme callousness as well as the height of man’s inhumanity to man?

The question is, has anything been done yet, after all those save-my-soul letters?

It cannot be a surprise if the likes of FYA and Pa Olingbinde are neglected by the

rotund cheeks and big bellies in government and pension administration that continually attract curses of the cheated souls upon our dear nation. Even powerful, more vociferous calls by strong bodies such as the Federal Universities Pensioners Association (FUPA) have been ignored. FUPA has, at national and local chapter levels in some universities written, petitioned and appealed for thoughtfulness and transparency in their pension administration on several occasions. For instance, when the Federal Government increased pension by 53 per cent with effect from July 1, 2009, the calculations done by stakeholders, including the National Universities Commission (NUC) for payment of arrears up to 2011 put the sum at N28.7 billion. However, when government disclosed a budget of only N13.1 billion as arrears and N15.6 billion for 2012 pension payment, and only went ahead to release N13.1 billion to cover arrears from 2009 and 2012 payment, FUPA cried out in May 2012, asking government to at least use the N13.1 billion to jumpstart the arrears payment and then to do the right thing subsequently. Did government do the right thing?

On August 16, 2012, FUPA alerted the NUC of the lack of the development in a letter it copied the Honourable Minister of Finance, Director-General of Budget Office of the Ministry, Chairman of House Committee on Pension of the National Assembly and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. It described FG’s action as “regrettable” but still demonstrated understanding by appealing that the shortfalls be addressed in the 2013 budget, presenting a total sum of N34 billion as the cost implications to remedy the situation.

FUPA had also lamented policy implementation delays in a communication to the House Committee on Pension led by Honourable Bawa Kanba. The universities’ pensioners had blamed pension fraud and mismanagement on delayed policy execution, counselling that government should effect the 53 per cent immediately. Their fears were right; the delay led to the odious

outcome of release of the N13.1 billion peanuts as payment from 2009 to 2012, when N28 billion is actually required. Also, FUPA had condemned the policy of recourse to the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), describing the PFAs’ drive of a new pension scheme as counterproductive to the interest of those who had belonged in the old scheme.

In an open petition to President Goodluck Jonathan on August 16, they rejected the new scheme for certain reasons. First, the insurance companies that handle pension under the new scheme subject the pensioners to painful waiting games that yield no gratuities in the long run. Second, the premium of the insurers is uppermost and not the welfare of pensioners, and as such, the insurers are always reluctant to pay the pensions and thus subject the poor pensioners to the endless and discouraging wait. Third, the insurers play “god” and can be vindictive as well as nepotistic in the disbursement of the pensions. FUPA declared that they were more comfortable with the system in which funds are disbursed through the Office of the Accountant-General to the Central Bank and to the universities, in that order.

My worry is why some people would not feel any pricking in their consciences stealing money that belong to other people, particularly money meant for the aged or the dead. How would they feel if others did that to their fathers, mothers or children? What legacy are they leaving behind for those that see them as role models? What future are they creating for their children when they absorb so much intangible but efficacious curses that go with such ignominy? What Nigeria are they inventing or reinventing by such acts of brazen thievery and kleptomania? If they do not fear God, why not at least just be nice to fellow men, particularly these aged pensioners who have sweated to create the wealth on which they now sit?

•Dr. Sheriff F. Folarin teaches Politics and Inernational Relations at Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria.

Osun cocoa industry: Dead or alive?

OLUMIDE L AWAL

“T

his cocoa products industry has a big story surrounding it. I, therefore, owe great gratitude to many people in government and outside it. The then Military Government was very ardent to break a monopoly of bad fortunes for Ede by actively supporting the quest to site the industry here. It is my earnest prayer that everyone connected with the operation of the factory in whatever category would find joy and happiness in all their undertakings”.

That was His Majesty, the late Oba Tijani Oladokun Oyewusi, Agbonran II, Timi of Ede’s message of hope delivered at the commissioning of the multi-milliion naira Cocoa Products Industry, Ede on October 17, 1982, with late Chief Bola Ige as old Oyo State governor in attendance. This writer covered the event for Radio Nigeria, Ibadan. But that hope is now almost lost, as this supposedly promising major foreign exchange earner for the economy of Osun State is not meeting the yearnings and aspirations of its founding fathers. The present state of operation in the company is not encouraging. Several avoidable factors were responsible for the situation, as the industry was a child of circumstance.

From the onset, one squabble or other reared its ugly head. The first expatriate Managing Director of the company, Mr. K.

W. Sheldon tried his best to put it on sound footings but he lost out in a dirty board-room politics in a dramatic manner. The government-owner of the company thereafter felt concerned about happenings in the company and decided in 1990 to lease it out.

This brought about a ‘marriage of strange bed partners’. And the resultant effect saw another round of squabbles. The two principal leases of the factory at the time, i.e.

Worldwide Industrial Ventures Limited and Dalami (Nig.) Limited, got involved in allegations and counter-allegations, which resulted in legal action, that saw two legal luminaries –the late Chief Fredrick Rotimi Alade Williams (Timi the Law, SAN) and Chief Afe BAbalola (SAN) slugging it out at an Osogbo High Court.

This went on for a period before sanity prevailed, as the administration of Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke, the first executive governor of Osun State took the bull by the horns by giving the final nod to Worldwide Industrial Venture Limited to effectively run the affairs of the company. Dalami (Nig.) Limited again went to court to contest its termination and this went on for years before it was resolved

by Oyinlola government.

R. P. Singh and his managers at Worldwide Industrial Venture Limited may not readily concede to the fact that they possessed the proverbial magic wands. But that exactly appeared to be what they employed in breathing a new lease of life to the hitherto

troubled Cocoa Products Industry Ede, following an agreement it struck with the government of Osun State. It started operation fully on February 1, 1992 after a protracted play against concerted forces of fate.

At the time Worldwide Ventures Limited took over, production capacity was at five percent level. But it raised the production capacity to 60 percent, by injecting substantial funds into importation of spare – parts as well as locally sourced ones from the Nigeria Machine Tool Limited Osogbo and Nigeria Sugar Company Foundries, Bacita.

The FFA contents of cocoa cake and butter under Worldwide Ventures Limited hovered between 1.40 and 1.55 as against 2.24 before it took over. Globally acceptable FFA standard for cocoa butter is 1.50.

Most unfortunately, the unexpected happened in 1995, when the leasehold agreement of Worldwide Ventures Limited with Osun State Government was crudely, illegally and arrogantly terminated by some over-zealous officials of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, acting on the instruction of the then military administrator, Anthony Udofia. And Worldwide Ventures Limited was thrown out of Cocoa Product Industry premises in a jungle manner. It was like scaring away foreign investors. What followed could be better imagined than described. There and then began the unending and protracted problem of the industry till today.

Osun State Government’s only industry,

which in fact is a goldmine, if properly managed, is the Cocoa Product Industry, Ede. It is a veritable source of foreign exchange earnings for the state. It is capable of generating the much needed internal revenue for the state at this crucial moment of its development.

But then, it is left for the state government and the State House of Assembly, to take decisive measure, by telling Osun indigenes, what a Chinese promoter - QUIAN CHUAN Living Spring Cocoa Investment Company Limited, is doing in the factory site for upward of more than three years now. They were brought in by the administration of former Governor Oyinlola. And since they took physical possession of the company, nobody has deemed it fit to explain to the members of the public on what terms the Chinese people are set to run the cocoa Industry. So many things are shrouded in secrecy. We need to know.

Is this not another subtle attempt to scare away foreign investors? There should be no bad blood, as regards who brought them into the scene. What we need in Osun State is accelerated industrial development. We just need to be briefed on how much the Chinese investors paid to Osun State Government through the administration of former Governor Oyinlola before it was given the nod to come in.

•Olumide Lawal lives in Crystal Villa, Ede, Osun State.

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Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Applause LIFESTYLE, FASHION & ENTERTAINMENT OCTOBER 7, 2012 Some actresses usually say if the pay is right, they wouldn’t mind acting nude.

What’s your opinion on this?

It is ignorance and desperation to make money. We would also not remove the age factor. Most of them are young. We do know that young people show youthful exuberance. That is when the love of a family comes to play a vital role because as a youth, there is tendency for you to stray. Maybe because of peer roup pressure, but the love in your family pulls you. Such a love is power.

Stardom is a burden, a problem on its own.

Once you become a star, you are exposed.

Imagine when one is exposed in a world so cruel and cold. That is where the problem comes from. What you have next around you is deception, deceit, slander, blackmail, envy and jealousy. These would become the devils that you would have to deal with. You would not find a true love.

Barbara Soky: My regrets as an actress Barbara Soky, the screen diva of the 1980s, hit stardom at a very young age. She featured in two popular soaps, ‘Ripples’ and ‘Mirror in the Sun’. Today, she is in lamentation. Barbara, in this interview with Adaeze Amos, reveals that stardom brings loneliness as there is no one to confide in.

She counsels the young generation of actresses to beware of deception, among others.

Are you serious about this, that stardom is problematic?

I am. This is very shocking but it is the truth. It is the wrong people that come around you for different motives. Real and genuine love cannot come. It is worse when stardom and fame come to you at a young age, because the way a young person would handle fame is not the way a mature person would. Now, I refer to that age-period as foolish time because at that time you are young and gullible. The bitter part of it is that you can hardly see who is right because the wrong ones surround you. There might just be a good friend somewhere but I think 95 per cent of the people around you are not the people that should be there for you. A child’s stardom is worst.

When you begin to age, gracefully, your experiences become blessings. Each experience now becomes knowledge. You can now handle the issue of deception and intimidation to a reasonable extent. If fame is not well managed, it becomes destruction because most stars have suffered such a pain. It is even deadlier in this part of the world because you are dealing with a society which perception is not receptive. That is why I still maintain the fact that stardom is a problem. Imagine the issue of gossip, falsehood and rumour that are inherent in stardom? People take advantage of it. A lot of stars had committed suicide, leaving all the money and the fame behind because it gets to a point where the money and fame mean nothing to you anymore, at the expense of your peace and joy.

Don’t you think if you had amassed much money, you wouldn’t have felt the effect of blackmail and slander?

You are right! Money helps because with money, you can have security around you. You can live in a beautiful mansion, have choice cars, wear designer clothes. Money cushions a lot of pain. But even at that, now think of it the other way round without the comfort, fame is pain. Now, you are expected to be a smiling, nice and polite person, but nobody knows the shoe that you wear where it pinches. Unease lies the

‘I’M MORE FULFILLED AS A MODEL THAN A BIOCHEMIST’

20

head that wears the crown. The most painful side is that of betrayals and falsehood. Do you know when I now look back, I realise it was the closest people that hurt me the most? How then can you find a confidant when you are exposed? It hurts most when you realise that you are on your own at last.

How would you counsel the young ones in the same profession?

For the sake of the young ones, it is one thing to say you don’t have good advisers, it is another to adhere to the good advice. If someone is a star, along the line, there would still be a good person in your life. Either as an aunty, an uncle or a good Samaritan in your church. It’s one thing to have someone tell you the truth and another thing not to listen. Young people have the habit of not listening. If that is what is happening to you, watch it, because people may want to deceive you to your death.

They would push you to the road of destruction; that’s the truth. First of all, nothing works without God. You need the love of God because I do not know of any outsider that can tell you the truth, except on a few occasions that you may meet a very good person that would be able to advise you.

What is your advice to actresses who do lewd roles because of money?

For this generation, it is all about money. Money has always been a problem right from creation. People do crazy things for money and it keeps getting worse. Some are so materialistic that they can kill for money. That is why a young girl that is beautiful would not hesitate to pull off her clothes for money. She thinks it is okay. How many people are willing to wait and make money genuinely? They have seen their peers riding choice cars.

They did not care to find out how these people made such money. This generation baffles me, to say the least.

Because everybody is doing it, you want to do it! Do you know what anybody else is doing? All you do is that you see them in their beautiful cars, live in big mansions and wear beautiful clothes. You just follow without asking questions. I’m happy that wisdom always comes at the tail end. That is why it is called wisdom because you need to gather the experiences. My prayer is that these experiences would not kill you. One day you would be gone. We all have a date with the Lord, that someday you would go; so what would you leave?

Everyone has one regret or the other, what’s yours?

My regret today is wrong association! There are people you ought not to associate with. Wrong association is the bomb that can send you to hell. If you associate wrongly, you’ll go to the wrong direction. Even in age, you may not realise you are going the wrong way. There is a word the Yoruba call ‘Agbaya’. Even in age, some people over the years refuse to learn. I thank God that I learned.

What did you lose through stardom?

I don’t know what I lost but I know what I gained. I was young when I hit stardom and so many things were happening around me. All I had was the love of God and the love of my home. Can you imagine being an idol to millions of people and you are not happy? All I had apart from God was basically my mum. She was there for me.

She is my best friend because she would tell me how it is.

She would tell me and I know it is true. We had our differences sometimes, argued over things but I know she is always right. Many things were happening around CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

‘PEOPLE BELIEVE I’M ARROGANT AND SNOBBISH, BUT I’M NOT’

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Applause

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Sunday Sun Su S un u nd day da ay Mir ay Mirror Mi M irr ir www.nationalmirroronline.net na n attiiio on nal a almi mir m mirr irro ir rror orro o on onl nllin n iine n ne e.n n

‘I’m more fulfilled as a model than a biochemist’ Momodu Efe, a mother and a wife, has been into modelling for about nine years. She is a fashion pundit-cum-designer. Efe, who studied Biochemistry at the Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, tells Adaeze Amos in this interview that she is fulfilled as a model than as a biochemist.

You studied Biochemistry. You are supposed to be in a science laboratory. Why are you in fashion and modelling world?

I actually have passion for fashion and modeling. After graduation, I did my youth service in Shell Petroleum after which I got a job with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) but I wasn’t fulfilled. I felt something was lacking in me. I resigned and went back to what I have passion for.

I decided to chase my dream - fashion and modeling. I’m happier now, in fact, more fulfilled.

Why do you not have passion for a course you studied in the university?

The thing is you can be working somewhere and you are not really happy. It’s not all about the money they pay but you are not fulfilled even while you are there. As time goes on, you still want to really pursue what you love doing and be satisfied with what you are doing.

Are there no challenges in fashion and modelling that you have passion for?

Yes, there are challenges but your passion would drive you into overcoming your challenges. The challenge I’m faced with is, sometimes, clients are difficult to satisfy. You would want to give them a very perfect job.

How do you come up with your designs?

Sometimes it could be what I see people wearing. What I’m surrounded with inspires my designs. I could go out to somewhere and all of a sudden ideas could flow in. I deal with embroidery and stones; I could be very creative. I don’t opt for common designs you see everywhere.

As a wife and mother, how do you cope with modeling?

I still model irrespective of the fact that I’m married with a child. Right now, I was just coming from a job. I have done a couple of big jobs this year. I do mostly commercial modeling - billboards, TV commercials, handbills and all that.

Most models believe that marriage or child-bearing can obstruct their career, how true is this?

It is not true. It won’t obstruct anything. You can actually get married and still do what you love doing. You can be who you are even while you are married. Marriage is one thing we must all do in life but at some point, you still have to go for what you love doing.

What is your advice to some ladies in their late 20s who feel they are too young to get married?

My advice is that so long as you are an adult and you are mature enough to go with whatever that comes with it, you can get married. It’s not always a bed of roses but at some point, it’s worth it.

There is no perfect age for marriage. Being an adult is very important.

How do you combine motherhood with modeling?

It’s easy because my husband is very supportive of whatever I’m doing. At some point, I may want to do one or two things and my baby may need my attention. I think it’s normal, so I’m not really complaining about it.

Did you discuss your career with him before marriage?

Yes I did. It’s better to get married to a man who supports your dream and loves you for who you are. I think before even entering into any marriage, your husband or your spouse should know whatever you really love doing and be supportive of it.

What is your style?

My style is distinctive and special. I try as much as possible not to design for my clients styles that everyone is wearing. I also try not to wear such common styles. I always like to stand out in whatever I’m putting on. I think that is very unique about me. I customise clothes and styles for my clients in such a way that you may not see anybody wearing that style in the country.

Fashion allows you to show off your good sides and cover your flaws. What can you flaunt with shoulders high?

My hips and my waist are what I flaunt with shoulders high.

That is why I wear things that accentuate my waistline. I also thank God that I have a very nice body. Letting my boobs to be on display is what I frown at but I can flaunt my cleavages a little bit.

Who are the Nigerian fashionistas you admire?

I love Zizi Cardow because she plays around stones in her designs. I love Marata Foe; he is good too. I also love Tribal Mark; he is an up-and-coming artiste.

What is that fashion accessory you wouldn’t mind spending a fortune on?

I wouldn’t mind spending good money to have good sunglasses and it has to be a designer label. I prefer Prader and Channel designer sunglasses.

What are the beauty rituals you must observe to look good?

I don’t wear make-up to bed. No matter how tired I am. I don’t have pimples and I don’t have to worry about so many things but I try to cleanse my face when necessary to allow my facial pores to breath and to make me feel fresh.

Modeling is full of glamour, bliss and razzmatazz; what are those things that can make models lament or cry at times?

What makes us cry at times is that in Nigeria, people don’t really respect models. There is the misconception in our society about models sleeping around, that we are prostitutes, not homely. This is not true. In the western world, models are highly respected.

They take it as a career but just because we are here in Nigeria we are not respected, that is why some models would do one or two other things to keep body and soul together. I think it is because of the respect we don’t have here that is the cause of the peanuts we are paid.

What are your wishes for the modeling profession?

I wish models would have a union, a body that would take care of us. All the modelling agencies should stand up for what they know is best for models.

Have you ever regretted being a model?

Not at all. Apart from when I was coming back from Edo State and someone snatched my bag and all the moneys I was paid for the job were stolen, but so far no regrets. It’s been good.

Would you wish your daughter to take modelling as a career?

I wouldn’t mind. Right now she is a model. They wanted to use her for a job but she was too young for that. She was barely five

months old then and because the camera lights are not good on babies, I had to suspend that. Right now, she can model pampers, baby cream and so on.

How do you feel being a woman?

Personally, I love being a woman because it gives me room to cook. I enjoy cooking even with all the things that I do because I do make-up too and I know how to make hair. But what annoys me in this part of the world is the way men would look down on women. Some would even shout at you to keep quiet, that you don’t need to talk when men are talking, and things like that.

When you are down, what do you do to derive your inspiration?

I sing praises to God.

‘Fame denied me peace’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

me and I knew I was breaking inside. I knew I needed something but I couldn’t put my fingers to it. Many things were happening; I just had to cry unto the Lord because I needed peace that fame was denying me. At that point in time, every other thing could go to hell because I needed a relationship with God. It is only in your quiet moment that you could hear the voice of God because His voice is soft and subtle. You hardly hear Him when you are in the crowd. You go with

the crowd, you get destroyed. The crowd has nothing good to offer . I withdrew from the crowd so that I could hear the voice of the Lord and get the best from Him. When I heard Him, he said to me, ‘go to the wilderness’. My peace was more important to me because even with all the money and you didn’t have peace, it was equal to nothing. Little wonder the Bible says, ‘what does a man gain if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?’ There is time when you need something higher than everything material. Let me tell you one thing you may not know: stars are the most lonely people. What

you see most often is the glamour and the fame.

Why are stars, with all the fame and glamour, lonely?

It is all about trust; there is no one to trust, no one to confide in. That is why somehow along the line, if they can’t handle loneliness, they take to drugs. Some even commit suicide. Honestly, stardom is a problem.

When stardom comes, you begin to learn how to deal with what people would say because they would definitely talk!

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Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

A Fashionista’s

World OCTOBER 7, 2012

People believe I’m arrogant and snobbish, but I’m not –Amaka

Amaka Jane Anakwe is an up-and-coming actress based in South Africa.

The fair-complexioned fashionista told Angela Davies that her fashion statement comes with simplicity.

From afar you look like Monalisa Chinda. Has anybody told you that?

Yes, I hear that all the time. I think she is my sister from another mother.

Have you met her before?

No, I have not met her in person.

Tell us a little about yourself Amaka is a gentle girl from Ananbra State and she lives in South Africa. I am in Nigeria as an upand-coming actress. So far, it has been nice. Very soon, you will be seeing some of the movies I have done.

How was growing up for you?

I cannot really say I was born with a silver spoon but I had some privilege that most people did not have. I can say I enjoyed my growing up.

Define your fashion statement My fashion statement comes with simplicity because I am a simple woman. But, I usually dress to suit the event I am going for.

What kind of clothes do you love to wear?

I love wearing clothes that suit my body structure. It could be a gown or a dress. When I dress, I reveal a little to be looked at. I am a simple but classy lady.

What is that fashion item you cannot do without as a woman?

I cannot do without a lot of things like my makeup, dress and shoes. Make-up makes a woman beautiful. I cannot go out without applying it.

What is that fashion item you cannot be caught wearing at any time of the day?

You cannot catch me wearing transparent clothes. I am light-skinned so if I should wear a transparent outfit people will keep staring at me.

As an actress, can you act nude?

No, I cannot. Not even for all the money in the world because I am a classic lady.

Who is your role model in the Nollywood industry?

That should be my sister from another mother, Monalisa Chinda, because we look alike. Aside from that she is a classic lady and she is good in what she does.

What is your best colour?

I will go for black and red. Black is always beautiful and it is an all-time colour while red makes me look bold.

What puts you off people?

I am easily put off by arrogance. I hate proud

people.

I believe you pray. What do you tell God? I ask for mercy everyday because we are all sinners. Nobody is above sin and nobody is above mistakes.

Everybody has one fear or the other. What is your greatest fear in life?

My greatest fear is not achieving what I set my mind to do. I don’t like being seen as a failure; that is why I try hard to ensure that I succeed in whatever I do.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

In the next five years, I think if the sky is the limit, I should be seeing myself at the top of the ladder with my dreams and aspirations accomplished. In the future, Amaka is going to have a clothing line too.

What is the misconception you think people have about you?

A lot of people always think I am arrogant and snobbish but I am not. When you come closer to me that is when you will discover that I am a very friendly person.

What is that fashion style that you detest in this country?

When some people wear clothes that do not fit their body structure just because they see someone else putting on that outfit. Or when they see someone dressed in a particular way and they too want to follow suit even when it does not fit them.

Who are those fashionistas in the style world you admire?

In the style world, I admire people like Rita Dominic, Genevieve Nnaji and Monalisa Chinda. You can never catch them wear what does not suit them or even wear inappropriate outfits. They know what suits their body structure and they go for it. They are always looking stunning and stylish.

How do you love to carry your hair?

I like to let my hair down but people say short hair suits me better. Honestly, I don’t know about that but I love to carry my hair down.

What is your signature perfume?

It is Versace any day. The fragrance is alluring.

What is your philosophy of life?

Do good to people whenever you can, in whichever way you can, and wherever you can.

What are your hobbies?

I love swimming, reading and listening to music.

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Movies & Music

Stories by Oseyiza Oogbodo

Sunday, October 7, 2012

08036961187 e-mail: Kingseiza@gmail.com

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Alaafin endorses KSA 35th crowning anniversary The KSA 3-in-1 festival has received a big boost following the support and consent of the Alaafin of Oyo, Iku Baba Yeye, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, which was publicly declared last week inside his palace, when some members of the planning committee visited him.

The KSA Festival 2012 Planning Committee Chairman, Akogun Lekun Alabi, led King Sunny Ade, Aare M.A. Latoosa, Chief (Mrs) Bimbo Adesanya, Barr.

Gbenga Makinde, Engr. Tunde Bibilari and others on a courtesy visit to the Alaafin of Oyo to seek his royal consent.

Oba Adeyemi, it was, who crowned Sunny Ade in 1977 after a three-month-long poll which was conducted by The Entertainer edited by Mr. Olutade Makinde, declaring him the winner, after a thorough collation of the result.

While receiving them, Alaafin praised KSA for his consistency and uprightness. He said he would support the festival because he is a king who loves culture and that he’s a father that appreciates what KSA has now become after 35 years.

“It seems like yesterday when the event held. I am happy for you and how you have used music to promote Nigerian culture. I only urge you to always remember that God used some people to get you where you are today. Continue to be good to them as you have been to others.”

He promised to be at the historical anniversary on November 16 in Ibadan, just as he expressed his desire to see “as many as possible of those who were part of the project 35 years ago.”

GUS contestants finally emerge today After undergoing a series of screening exercises, the final 12 contestants that will compete in this year’s edition of Gulder Ultimate Search are about to be revealed at a Final Selection Party. The party is scheduled to hold today at the New Expo Hall of Eko Hotel, Lagos.

This year, over 30,000 individuals registered to participate in Gulder Ultimate Search 9. After registration, the individuals had to undergo several physical and mental exercises at locations in Owerri, Benin, Makurdi and Lagos. Of the thousands that registered their interest, 30 individuals were selected and are currently in Lagos for the final selection process.

Only 12 will proceed to the Usaka Forest in Obot Akara Local Government area of Akwa Ibom State, where this year’s edition of Gulder Ultimate Search will hold. The winner walks away with N9 million, N500, 000 swagger allowance and a brand new SUV worth N10 million. This is in addition to the bragging rights of being referred to as the Ultimate Man or Woman, with its numerous benefits.

It is also expected that the ‘host(s)’ of Gulder Ultimate Search 9 will be revealed at the event. Last year, two anchors hosted the programme for the first time in the show’s nine year history. It remains to be seen whether the show will retain the Gulder Ultimate Search 8 two-anchor format, or whether it will revert to the single anchor format as in the show’s preceding years.

For this year, three past winners of Gulder Ultimate Search will be playing the role of Gatekeepers. They are Dominic Mudabai (Gulder Ultimate Search 4 winner), Michael Nwachukwu (Gulder Ultimate Search 5 winner) and Christopher Okagbue (Gulder Ultimate Search 8 winner).

Nosa sings for Nigeria Chocolate City new boy, Nosa, has released a song for and about Nigeria. He however doesn’t tread the path other artists do when singing about the nation.

His words: “I didn’t want to address what others address in their songs. The bad roads, poor power supply, e.t.c., are not the problem of the country. It is the wrong mindset and low level of patriotism. It is a systematic problem whereby everyone is involved, whether directly or indirectly. Bad citizenry can never produce good leadership. So this song was written to buttress my hope in a better Nigeria which will come through a new mindset and a new attitude.”

A Benin ‘boy’, Nosa is not new to music, especially inspirational music. His most popular single before ‘Nigeria, Always Pray For You’, was a sensational output, back in 2009, and it made people know that he was a very promising artist. It is, therefore, not surprising to industry watchrs that he has now been signed on by the same label that has the superstars MI, Ice Prince, Brymo and Jesse Jagz.

Hollyw Nigeria

Mfon Ekpo, entre er of Premier Pione the Golden Quill by in Hollywood.

The Best Sellers s September 2012 at t lywood, California, Mfon Ekpo was h ing book, “The Only jointly wrote with Multiple streams of expert Brian Tracy, was the inspiration Tom Cruise in the A and a host of other The book, which er status in three A - reaching as high a entrepreneurship a Mfon, the founde professionals from areas they are pas new book about “T Outstanding Team.

Her contribution 2012, an award that orative books.

23

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Characteristics of parents of Glorious Generation,

by Pastor Adeboye

Praise Worship E-mail:richardeghaghe@yahoo.com

E-mail:titusanyanwu.2012@gmail.com

EDIFYING GOD

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October 7, 2012

How butler stole Pope’s secret documents, by Police TAI ANYANWU WITH AGENCY REPORT

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atican police testifying at the trial of the pope’s former butler, Paolo Gabriele, have told a court that they found coded Vatican correspondence in his house alongside documents on which the pope wrote “to be destroyed” in German.

The four officers were giving evidence on the third day of Gabriele’s trial for stealing Pope Benedict XVI’s private letters, which detailed allegations of corruption at the Vatican, and leaking them to Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi, who turned them into a bestselling book.

Police decided to search Gabriele’s Vatican apartment after noting that letters published in the book could only have been seen by someone close to the pontiff.

Officers told the Vatican court they entered the house on the afternoon of 23 May to find “tens of thousands” of documents packed into large cupboards in Gabriele’s living room and study.

Among the documents the police found during the search, which lasted until 11pm, were private documents about the pope’s inner circle, letters in code issued by the Vatican’s secretariate of state – as is custom when it writes to nuncios around the world – and letters signed by the Pope.

When one officer said documents were found with the phrase “to be destroyed” written in German – the language of Bavaria-born Benedict, Gabriele smiled.

The search turned up documents that had been published in Nuzzi’s book. “For us that was the first proof,” said Stefano de Santis.

Police from the tiny city state’s police force also recalled finding documents about masking mobile phone calls and a large number of computer USBs. Police inspector Stefano Carli said there were more than 1,000 documents relevant

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Methodist holds Festival of Hymns and Songs The stage is now set for the third edition of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Diocese of Lagos West’s Festival of Hymns and Songs. The oneday event comes up at Methodist Church Nigeria, Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos next Sunday at 4 p.m.

According to the Chief Host, the Diocesan Bishop, Rt. Revd. Isaac Ayo Olawuyi, “as Methodist, one of the greatest and renowned composers of hymns that have ever lived remains Charles Wesley, the brother of John Wesley (Founder of Methodist Church). This Festival of Hymns is to identify with one of the most valued elements of Methodist as a Church of God; whereby we communicate the gospel through glorious hymns to all and sundry.”

Sir Abidoye Ayoola who is the chairman, Planning Committee also reiterated that this year’s Festival of Hymns is going to be special with the grand performance of the renowned gospel artist, Evangelist Tope Alabi, as the guest artist, together with the Diocesan Choir Group.

Condolence for Okoh over mother’s death

Pope Benedict XVI

to the investigation, and these were hidden among other documents, which a second officer said totalled tens of thousands.

Those documents, including newspaper clippings and internet downloads, concerned famous Italian criminal conspiracies, some which involved the Vatican, including the mysterious death of banker Roberto Calvi and the shadowy P2 masonic lodge, which counted senior Italian politicians in its ranks.

Other documents referred to mysticism, the Vatican bank, yoga, Silvio Berlusconi, Christianity, Buddhism and other religions.

Officers addressing the court took the

chance to deny earlier accusations made

by Gabriele that he was held in a tiny cell with the light kept on 24 hours a day.

“Gabriele thanked us more than once for the way he and his family were treated,” said Luca Cintia, an officer who took part in the search. “He was treated with kid gloves.”

The case has placed the Vatican police in the spotlight since one of the chapters in Nuzzi’s book alleges corruption in its ranks.

Gabriele faces four years in prison for aggravated theft, but may benefit from a papal pardon. He denies the charge but had admitted photocopying private papal letters. A final summing up and verdict is expected at the next hearing on Saturday.

Pastor accused of raping, impregnating minor

n Abuja Chief Magistrate’s Court in Karu has adjourned to November 13, a case of criminal conspiracy, impersonation, criminal intimidation and assault brought against a pastor, Basil Princewill, and one of his church members, Pauline Okoh.

The police said Princewill allegedly raped a 14-year-old minor.

The prosecutor gave Princewill’s address as Mountain Mover Fire Ministry, Nyanya, Abuja, and Pauline Okoh, of FCDA Owner Occupier, Nyanya.

The offences contravene sections 97, 179, 397(B) and 268 of the Penal Code.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Bulus Samuel, told the court that the FCT Police command, sometime in July, received a transferred case file with a covering letter from the

Briefly

National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffick Persons.

He said that they got information that Princewill unlawfully had sexual intercourse in his office with the minor, who is a member of his church.

Samuel said that the accused committed the offence under the pretence of carrying out ``deliverance’’ on the victim and got her pregnant. ``When he discovered that the girl was pregnant, he conspired with one of his church coordinators, Pauline Okoh, and took her to Fantanu Head Medical Centre, Mararaba, Nasarawa State, for an abortion.

The prosecutor said that the accused impersonated the victim’s father and aborted the pregnancy without her con-

‘FOR EVERY PROBLEM, THERE IS A FORCE ’

sent. ``He equally criminally intimidated the victim never to disclose the situation to anybody,’’ he said.

The mother of the girl, Mr Ngozi Iwuoha, said that her daughter refused to tell her anything when she noticed that she was bleeding. ``She insisted that she is in her normal menstrual flow. ``I became worried and took her to our church pastor who is the accused; he asked me to take her home and pray for God’s intervention and divine visitation. ``After enough persuasion, she (my daughter) told me that it was Papa, our church General Overseer that did it to her.

Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christians’ Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Mr. John Kennedy Opara, has condoled with the Chairman of the commission, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, over the death of his mother, the late Mrs. Sarah Nwagho Okoh, who died recently.

Okoh is the Primate, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion Paying a condolence visit to the chairman at the primate’s residence in Abuja, the NCPC scribe said, “We are here to commiserate with you on the death of your mother”.

He consoled him with these comforting words, “no matter how long you live, a day will come when you will no longer be in charge”.

He stated that the late Mrs. Okoh lived a well fulfilled life worthy of emulation, and thanked God “for the fact that she lived to see her children become responsible people in the society”.

Opara encouraged the chairman to be strong, while describing the late Mrs. Okoh’s demise “as a celebration of life”.

Sunday Mirror/Babcock University Bible Quiz: Winners of Sept 23, 2012 •Femi Ojetunji (08186353527) • Favour Nnedinso Eze (07030417780)

Winners of Sept 30, 2012 • Sunday Ogwiji (08032847374) • (Anonymous (08081734467) • Current and past winners can collect their prizes from the office of the Editor, Sunday Mirror, 151/161 Broad Street, Lagos anytime from Monday to Friday. Participants should always indicate their names when sending their entries.

QUOTE

Those who will produce children that will belong to the glorious generation must be pure, holy and blameless.

29 IS IT RIGHT TO BE PREGNANT BEFORE MARRIAGE?

–Pastor Adeboye

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Sunday October 7, 2012

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Flood: Cleric urges govt to be proactive The Founder of Omega Fire Ministry, Apostle Johnson Suleiman, has stressed the need for the government to be proactive on environmental issues.

The cleric told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Auchi, Edo State, that precautionary measures would reduce the impact of any flood disaster.

Suleiman said that the flooding currently ravaging some parts of the country could have been reduced, if all stakeholders had reacted positively to the earlier warnings.

He advised the three tiers of government to embark on ``massive’’ drainage construction and advised individuals to desist from blocking the drains with refuse.

“If the government had heeded the warnings given on this flooding sometime ago, this problem would not have been as seri-

ous as it is now.

“We have this emergency approach to issues in Nigeria; this is a problem. We do not even have a good drainage system to minimise the effect of this problem.

“I think that in the next two years, we are going to have the worst problem as predicted, if we don’t nip the problem in the bud,” he emphasised.

Suleiman commended the government for providing relief materials to the flood victims and urged government to properly resettle the displaced persons, to avoid more societal problems.

“The government should give the victims interim accommodation and monthly stipends for their upkeep.

“These people have lost their means of livelihood as well as their valuables. They have nothing to fall back on, if they eventually live these camps,” he noted.

Be serious with anti-corruption fight, clergyman tells FG

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clergyman, Mr Emmanuel Tega, at the weekend in Abuja, called on the Federal Government to adopt proactive measures in the fight against corruption.

He said there was the need for government to look at other possible ways of fighting corruption in order to achieve relative peace in the country.

“If government takes a look at the root causes of corruption, and begins to nip the menace in the bud, then Nigeria will make progress.

“It is not that we are not making progress, government is doing its best: so far, our best is not good enough.”

Tega noted that the country was facing other development

challenges which could be tackled by the intellectuals.

He also called for the strengthening of security agencies to make them more effective in the discharge of their duties.

Tega said that Nigerians should be grateful with the level of achievements recorded in the last 52 years, and urged them to cooperate with government on how to move the nation forward.

In a related development, a Civil Servant, Emeka Ifezomo, said “Nigeria has come of age and as such, our leaders should right every wrong experienced in the past years.’’

He said Nigerian leaders needed a re-orientation to have a new sense of direction in order to forge ahead.

‘Prayer, fasting should be institutionalised’ OSEYIZA OOGBODO

I

n the spirit of Nigeria’s 52nd independence anniversary, organisers of the National Prayer Initiative, NPS, which held a National Prayer Summit on October 1st to mark the country’s anniversary, has said that prayer has to be institutionalised in order for the nation to move forward.

Speaking at the second edition of the NPS, which held at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, Evangelist Elishama Ideh and Adetayo Akintunde explained why the NPS is an annual event.

“NPS is organized, just to pray for Nigeria, to make people believe in the Nigerian project and to lift Nigeria instead of condemning it; so the NPS is interceding on Nigeria’s behalf as we believe that Nigeria must rise and shine again.

“The return of democracy has not brought about the desired change. Graduates are unemployable, no Nigerian university is ranked in the top thousand in the world; life expectancy is below 50 years, cost of living is very high, corruption is institutionalised and the roads are death traps.”

L-R: Rev. Cannon Olu Adejimi and Rt. Rev. Ephraim Adebola Ademowo, Archbishop of Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Lagos, on the occasion of the former’s appointment as the Venerable to the See of Lekki Archdiocese of the church.

Atlanta ’96 gold medallists to honour Oritsejafor

C

ome Saturday, November 3, the all-conquering Atlanta 1996 Dream Team will reenact the magic that produced the first African Olympic gold in football. Members of that team will file out at the Warri township stadium for a novelty match in honour of the National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.

Eighteen Nigerian footballers including Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Amuneke, Tijjani Babangida, Celestine Babayaro, Emmanuel Babayaro, Teslim Fatusi, Victor Ikpeba, Dosu Joseph, Nwankwo Kanu, Garba Lawal, Abiodun Obafemi, Kingsley Obiekwu, Uche Okechukwu, JayJay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Mobi Oparaku, Wilson Oruma and Taribo West conquered the world to win the first African gold medal

in football in Atlanta in 1996.

The team, coached by Jo Bonfrere and Coach Musa Abdulahi was said to have exhibited youthful exuberance, speed, technicality, endurance and patriotism. It also brought suspense and entertainment to the Olympic arena like never before.

The players which trained in Tallahassee, Florida, unnoticed and unannounced, defeated football giants like Hungary, Japan, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina to clinch the title and raise Nigerian profile in world football.

Sources close to the Warribased Word of Life Bible Church stated during the week that the former Borussia Dortmund ace defending midfielder, Taribo West, is currently reaching out to some of his colleagues in that gold-winning team to join him in honouring Pastor Oritsejafor

who will be celebrating a triple jubilee of his birthday, his church silver jubilee and 40 year of being in the ministry.

According to the source, Taribo West, who is now a pastor based in Italy, has already secured the nod of Kanu Nwankwo, JayJay Okocha, and the national team coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi , for the novelty match. He is still in the process of trying to recruit more of that gold winning team to be part of the epoch making event in Warri.

Apart from using the match to honour the CAN president, there are indications that the match which will be against a local side, would also serve as a veritable tool for talent hunt in the Niger Delta as it will be a flag-off for a soccer academy that Taribo West has been trying to put in place, to engage the Niger Delta youths.

Military, cause of nation’s underdevelopment, says Kukah The Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Sokoto State, Most Rev. Hassan Kukah, has said the military administrations were responsible for the lack of meaningful development in Nigeria.

Kukah told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto that the military only succeeded in destroying the solid foundation

of the nation’s democracy.

He said that other countries that had similar military incursions in leadership had a different experience. ``But in our own case the greed of the military led to their intervention which destroyed the foundation laid by the nation’s founding fathers,’’

he said.

He explained that the Nigeria military had no capacity to provide basic infrastructure to the governed for all the years they were in power.

He said, ``the greed of the military that led to the myriad of military coups destroyed even the foundation of the mili-

tary itself and this truncated democracy in Nigeria.’’

Kukah called on Nigerians to exercise patience as democracy was the only option needed to ensure rapid political growth of the country.

He said that the country could have been better in the hands of civilian administra-

tions rather than the military. ``Patience, understanding and support from Nigerians are the only guarantees to the nation’s even socio-economic and political development. ``It is only by so doing that Nigerians from all nooks and crannies could feel the impact of the dividends of democracy.’

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

RICHARD EGHAGHE

I

n the last nine months, series of activities have held to mark the 170 years of the Methodist Church in Nigeria. The events were also packaged to celebrate the golden jubilee of the Methodist’s transmutation to an Autonomous Church, in Nigeria. These culminated in the week-long event, which began with a special inter-denominational remembrance service on Sunday, September 23, 2012 at the site of the Agia Tree in Badagry, where the Methodist Church began in Nigeria on September 24, 1842.

Other activities include the grand ceremony at the Gateway International Stadium, Sagamu, Ogun State, held on Monday September 24, 2012, and which ran through Tuesday, September, 25, 2012. There was equally the Grand Performance by the association of Methodist Brigade; a march past by representatives of all the participating Archdioceses in their various colours; football competition, Bible quiz and singing competition.

As a socially responsible Christian organisation, reputed as a pioneer of quality education and healthcare delivery services in the country, the church crowned the event with a N5 billion fund raising dinner for the establishment of a Methodist Medical Centre. The ultra-modern healthcare project, according to the Prelate, His Eminence, Dr. Sunday Ola-Makinde, is not only to commemorate the 170 years of the church in Nigeria, but also in response to the desperate need for an intervention in our healthcare system which is struggling at the moment for salvation.

The Health Centre, the clergyman added, “will also mark the continuation of the progressive partnership forged with the people of this great nation, one hundred years ago, in 1912, with the establishment of the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesha, and the under-fives clinic at Imesi-Ile in the late 1950s.

“I would like to assure Nigerians, that there is no looking back until this project is completed”, he said at the grand thanksgiving service of the Methodist Church of the Trinity, Tinubu, Lagos, on Sunday, September 30, 2012. The event which was the crescendo of the week-long celebration, was attended by members across the country.

No doubt, it has been a remarkable journey for the Methodist Church in Nigeria: one of fulfilment and accomplishment.

But like the scripture states, “the harvest is plenty, but the labourers are few.” However, Prelate OlaMakinde assured that the church simply cannot afford to rest on its oars, when the country, is in desperate need of positive change and transformation. “The poverty level in the country is deepening, just as unemployment is at an all-time high. Social justice has become a mirage while the gap between the rich and the poor is an unprecedented gulf. Today, there is no middle class in our society and the economy is not encouraging for entrepreneurs. We are at a crucial and critical stage in our drive to Nationhood. The threat of insecurity has become a daunting and monstrous challenge”, he noted.

As a Church, the cleric said, the Methodist would not close its eyes to these ills. “We are not prepared to keep quiet and watch the ship of State sink. Rather, we are committed, more than ever, to

Sunday October 7, 2012

Praise & Worship

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Methodist Church rolls out the drums at 170 years celebration

A group of Methodist clerics at the 170th year anniversary

Governor Godswill Akpabio, represented by his Deputy, Mr. Nsima Ekere (left), receiving the Golden Impact Award from the Prelate of the Methodist Church, Dr. Ola Makinde (right), while the Lay President of the Church, Sir Jimmy Coker looks on.

The Prelate (middle) during a guard of honour

L-R: Anglican Bishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Ephraim Ademowo, a member of the clergy and His Eminence, Dr. Ola Makinde, during the anniversary

A march past event on the occasion

join forces with the progressive elements in the Land, in ensuring that we have a safe landing. We have a passion which is renewed towards forming a progressive partnership with Governments at all levels, Communities and Neighbourhoods, as well as ensuring that we bequeath a lasting legacy to our Children’s Children and the generation unborn, just as we inherited from our forefathers who fought with everything in them to give us a Nation.”

A clear evidence of the church commitment to social responsibility and national development over the years can be found in its foray into the areas of science and technology with the setting up of a Wesley University of Science and Technology, in Ondo town, where it is partnering with the government to build capacity in many young minds. The very first clinic that the missionaries helped to develop in Nigeria, is the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, Oyo State.

Thereafter, the Wesley Guild, UK, helped to establish more hospitals through partnering with the Methodist Church, Nigeria. The hospitals and clinics are the Royal

ers established schools alongside the preaching of the gospel. As far back as 1842, a nursery school was established in Badagry by the church. Later, secondary schools and Teachers’ Training Colleges were established with aids from the overseas Churches. They include Methodist Boys High School, Victoria Island, Lagos, founded in 1879; Methodist Girls High Schools, Yaba, Lagos, founded in 1879; Methodist Boy’s High school, Oron, Akwa Ibom State; Jesus College Otukpo, Benue State, established in January 1954 and the former Teachers’ Training College, Sagamu, Ogun State, among others.

By the last count, the Methodist established 95 nursery and primary Schools and 72 secondary schools across the country.

The schools in no small way, contributed to the education and training of many notable leaders of our nation, both present and past. For instance, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, former Premier of defunct Western Region; Dr Nnamidi Azikwe, former President of Nigeria; Chief Alvan Ikoku and Pastor D.K. Olukoya of Mountain of fire and Miracle, as

Cross Methodist Hospital, Uzuakoli, reputed as a hospital of international standard, which will soon have a Methodist Church, Nigeria School of Nursing; Motherless Babies Home also in Uzuakoli, and Leprosy Centre, Uzuakoli, renowned to have treated and rehabilitated over 7,000 lepers. Bethseda Hospital in Ikachi Ainu, in Igede Diocese, Benue State and The School of Health Technology, situated at Igede also in Benue State are all to the credit of the church. The Methodist also established three psychiatric hospitals. They include: The Restoration Centre at Agboke in Benue State, Psychiatric Hospital at Igede, Amudo Itumbauzo, and the Centre for Psychiatric Illness, at Uzuakoli Diocese in Abia State.

This is in addition to the Methodist Hospital at Ifaki, in Ondo State and the Dr Andrew Pearosn Hospital at Igbo-Ora in Oyo State.

It is also not an understatement to pronounce Methodist Church, Nigeria as one of the pioneers of western education in Nigeria. During the Missionaries’ era, they did not only bring the gospel of Christ.

Thomas Birch Freeman and oth-

well as many lawyers, doctor, engineers and professors, including the incumbent Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Raji Fashola (SAN), passed through some of the Methodist schools. Till date, the country still benefits from the legacies these leaders left behind while the living among them are shining examples.

As Nigeria marked her 52 years independent anniversary, the Methodist is of the position that the country is overdue for a national renaissance. According to His Eminence Dr. Makinde, it is time for all hands to be on deck to save the Ship of State from sinking. “While our Independence Day is a day to thank God and celebrate our freedom and the opportunity to be the Captain of our own Ship, it is equally a day of stock-taking, a time for us to look back and evaluate our successes and failures. It is equally that time when we look at what our forefathers, who used everything within them to fight and make our Independence possible, bequeathed to us and what we are bequeathing to our Children’s Children and the generations unborn,” he said.

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Dr. Okereke with the less privileged.

Pastor Okereke during prayers

Mercy praising God

The joy of independence –Pastor Okereke

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ast Monday was October 1. That day, Nigeria celebrated 52 years of freedom from the rulership of the colonial masters. The Bible told us of two types of freedom, which is being ‘free ordinarily’ that is without much relevant results to show for this freedom and the second but powerful freedom, according to John 8:36, to be ‘free indeed’. That is true freedom with lots of results to show for it. The question now; which of the above mentioned freedoms is Nigeria celebrating in this month of October?

Proverbs 14:34, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people”. What is sin? It simply means disobedience to God’s commandment and disobedience to the laws of the Land. It is God who rules in all nations of the earth, but He giveth the power to any one he wishes. In Daniel 4:32, the Bible tells us how God humbled a king called Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven away from men and he went to dwell with beasts of the field. He was made to eat grass as Oxen for seven years until he realised that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men but giveth it to whosoever he wills. Nebuchadnezzar was very great to the extent that he was almost ruling other kingdoms, apart from Babylon; yet God humbled him.

The Lord wants our leaders to know that He rules in Nigeria and every other part of the world but allows certain people to rule on His behalf at different times for different reasons. Isaiah

THE FIRST AND TRUE REASON ANY CITIZEN OF NIGERIA SHOULD GO FOR ANY POSITION OF AUTHORITY IS TO SERVE THE PEOPLE WITH LOVE 55:9, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”. Whoever occupies any position at any time in Nigeria, whether as a president, governor, senator, and so on, God allows the person to be there at that time for a particular purpose. In Psalms 115:2-3, “Wherefore should the heathen say, where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased”. He doeth what He pleased and no one can challenge or question His authority. So let’s know actually that He is the one totally in charge.

What does He require of our leaders so that Nigerian masses shall be free indeed from poverty, bad roads, lack of good health care delivery system, bad security situation and many more. Someone who is free indeed will not die of hunger in an oil producing nation. Someone in freedom will not just be killed while in the church or any other part of Nigeria, even when the person has the right as a Nigerian to live anywhere in the country and worship anywhere he chooses. Now, does the security situation suggest that

the people are free? The rate of poverty and unemployment is indeed too high in this freedom.

What then is the joy of independence?

The Nigerian national anthem says, ‘to serve with love’ in one of its stanzas, but is the love really existing in the lives of those serving the nation towards her people? If this love is existing, one person would not collect billions meant to serve the masses and divert same into private accounts. The first and true reason any citizen of Nigeria should go for any position of authority is to serve the people with love.

I really think that people in Nigeria need constant touch from God, mainly the leaders, because the kind of mind some of our people have towards this nation and her people is confusing. Many do travel out of the country. Our leaders also do travel. I was in the United States recently, precisely New York, when our leaders arrived for the UN meetings. We see how the system is over there; people come into power to serve and leave a legacy behind but I do not know what actually is wrong with this part of the world. The

money from Nigeria oil alone that God gave us, if well utilized, will go a long way in alleviating poverty in this country to a certain level. Food is not supposed to be a big deal to 80 per cent of the families in Nigeria; but many people are living on the mercies of others. If Nigeria at 52 years is experiencing no steady power supply, in terms of electricity, then there are many questions that are begging for answers.

Nigerians need the joy of independence. Those at the middle class should also ensure that we all support movement for change. This is our nation; even if I am an American citizen today and Nigerian citizen at the same time; that is dual nationality. Something right inside tells me that there is no place like home.

Let us come together and build a strong and mighty nation so that when we answer giant, truly we shall be seen as one.

A happy independence celebration; the Lord bless Nigeria, Africa and the world in Jesus’ name.

•You are invited to our ongoing Wednesdays and Sundays programme at Global Success Ministries church auditorium.

The theme is ‘Rain of Favour’.

Dr. Emmanuel Chima Okereke, General Overseer, would be ministering on the occasion.

•For more information and enquiries about our programmes and church activities, please send text messages only to these numbers: 08067802407, 07038638984, and 08033599027.

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Praise & Worship

Sunday October 7, 2012

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Prepare for life’s journey –Pastor Oloruntimilehin “Many people who pray to attain old age even do not want to die. But people that stay longer in their journey or outside will experience a lot of things. My prayer for these people is that God will render help to them to overcome the bad situation confronting them and make them complete their journey in life,” says Pastor Oloruntimilehin Joshua Daramole, founder, Omnipotence Mission of God. Excerpts:

W

hen you embark on a journey, there is need for you to prepare very well for the journey. There are reasons for you to make adequate preparation.

First, you prepare not to be late; secondly, for night not to meet you and thirdly, you prepare to be able to meet what you are going there to do.

People do not always know what the outcome of a journey would be. One also needs to be ready to handle or contend with uncertainties that might be encountered on the way. Therefore, one’s mind ought to have a mentally picture about all that the journey portends.

For instance, when I was to embark on holy pilgrimage to Israel, I had a mindset regarding how some places should look like, e.g. Nazareth, Gethsemane and other places. But to my surprise, all I saw violated my expectations.

I had thought that pickpockets and thieves would not exist in Nazareth, the birth place of Jesus Christ. I was surprised when our escorts warned us to beware of thieves in the town. Sometime, the mind may tell you about how a place is supposed to be; but you meet different setting on ground.

Similarly is the journey of age. A 20 or 30 years old person sees a 50 or a 60-yearold person to have had a terrible life; and the older person sees the younger one as a person who knows nothing. Why?

This is because the young person has not attained the age of 50 which the older person had already attained. People must prepare for the journey from their mind.

A traveller often discovers that the clean clothes he or she wore before leaving the house becomes dirty and untidy.

The dirtiness and untidiness comes as result of the fact that journeying or travelling often involves passage through rough terrains. Also, there are journeys people embark on that are so far than their expectation.

They eventually realise in the middle of the journey that their destination is very far and that they could not discontinue the journey but complete them. In a journey, one sees lots of things.

Some people encounter what may make them cry and others come across what would make them laugh. Sometime they see amazing things, something they had never seen in their life. Some travellers may see what may make him or her cry and show sympathy. These are all journeys. Goodness and evil can be experienced in the course of a journey.

Now everybody is in a journey in life and the journey is rough and unpleasant.

In the course of the journey, we may eat or starve. At times we cry and wail; at times we laugh and rejoice; at times we feel cold and at other times we feel warm because the Bible says everything has its

time (Ecclesiastes 3 verse 1-8).

There is a time people embark on a journey hoping to stay long but unfortunately they return early. Those who are aware of the journey will be surprised to see them return earlier than expected.

Some people will be prepared and ready to embark on a journey but suddenly they will not set out again.

Similarly, those that came hurriedly and returned hurriedly or a child that was born and dies the same day, does not complete his or her journey. Everybody is in journey. Is it far, rough? To what extent have you reached? What wisdom have we applied? Do we have the strength to continue the journey or are we tired?

Many people pray to attain old age even do not want to die. But people that stay longer in their journey or outside will experience a lot of things.

There was an old man who attained the age of 140 years. All his biological children had passed on except one; and the grand and great-grand children. This old man had also witnessed evil at very old age.

But a person that dies prematurely leaves nothing behind. Nothing will be remembered about his or her journey in life. Therefore, is your journey unpleasant? A rough or unpleasant journey is the one a person embarks on and never gets any helper to assist him or her to ac-

Pastor Oloruntimilehin

complish and complete the journey, e.g. an orphan, a husband or wife that is undergoing a terrible situation in his or her matrimonial home.

My prayer for these people is that God Almighty will render help to them to overcome the bad situation confronting them and make them complete their journey in life. Amen.

•For counseling, contact Pastor Oloruntimilehin Joshua Daramola (JP), founder of Omnipotence Mission of God, on 08023002834.

Use what you have to get what you need, by Pastor Bamidele Pastor Lai Bamidele, founder of Christ Glorious End-time Evangelical Ministries, reveals that the principle of financial increase is embedded in obeying the law of using what you have in your hand to get what you need. Excerpts presented by Tai Anyanwu

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hat you need in time of desperate need is the word of God. God wants us to start with what we want; not what we do not have. Take for instance the book of 2Kings 4: 2, Prophet Elisha met with a widow. Elisha asked the widow, “What do you have at home?”

The widow told Prophet Elisha that she had nothing; but Elisha insisted that she had something. She told the prophet that the only thing she had in the whole world was just a bottle of oil. The woman brought the oil before the prophet. Elisha spoke a word to the oil and asked the widow to go and borrow as many drums as possible. As she went round to borrow empty drums from her neighbours, I believe God that the woman must have borrowed up to 100 drums from the neighbours.

After Elisha pronounced the word to what the widow had, he instructed the widow to begin to pour the oil into the drums. She poured the oil till the whole drums were filled, and she had a leftover.

In the journey of every Christian’s life, there is always something in your life

that will make him or her become somebody. That thing you have in your hand that you don’t value can take you to your peak. That thing you don’t reckon with can make you great.

So many believers today, especially those that have postgraduate degrees, are looking for white collar jobs while there is something little in their hands that can bring out greatness from their lives. God will always use what we have to create greatness.

In John 6: 9, the Bible says that Jesus fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fishes. With only five loaves 5,000 people were fed and 12 baskets full were picked as leftover.

According to my own biblical analysis, after feeding the 5,000, I believe that Jesus instructed his disciples to return the 12 baskets of leftover to the young man that gave the five loaves of bread that he had.

Those who believe and talk lack hardly have enough. Many believe who have little and always complain that they have enough; that is why many of them end up

in lack. That is why many of them will never have. Why? Because it is what you declare that you become.

Inside every adversary lies a seed of miracle. Inside ever calamity there is glory hidden therein. Until you recognise that seed, you cannot go into financial harvest. Listen to me; it is only a few seeds of maize that becomes baskets of maize.

That little thing in your hand can bring out greatness in you. That little thing you do not reckon with can turn your nothing to something. That little thing you do no t value or believe can become a great thing in your hand tomorrow.

The principle of financial increase is obeying the law: using what you have in your hand to get what you need. When a loser sees a problem, a winner sees an opportunity. Where a loser sees an obstacle, a winner sees the seed of financial miracle. Increase is obeying the law of sowing and reaping.

•For counselling contact: pst_lai@yahoo. com, phone08074484415, 08027502864 and 08161285586

Pastor Bamidele

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Praise & Worship

Sunday October 7, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Let’s pray like Paul and Silas, says Pastor Muoka As the international crusade of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries enters the grand finale today, Richard Eghaghe brings you excerpts of the sermon delivered by the General Overseer, Pastor Lazarus Muoka, at the church’s auditorium at Ijesha, Lagos.

Worshippers at the Lord’s Chosen crusade programme

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saiah 65:24 says, “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear”.

We thank God that our prayers will receive answer today in Jesus’ name. No matter what your problem may be, if you pray today that is the grand finale of our crusade, regardless of where you are, my God will answer you. The God of Chosen is a prayer-answering God. This is one of His titles of honour. He is the God that hears prayers and it is as truly ascribed to Him as mercy or justice. He hears all prayers and that is why all flesh must come to Him. He never rejects anybody that deserves answer to prayer, no matter how weak or unworthy the petitioner is.

The Scripture says, He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. As sure as God is the true God, so sure is it that none who seeks him diligently departs from him without a reward. Our God rewards all seekers, and if all, why not you? Every right and sincere prayer of a chosen is as surely heard as it is offered.

I am very sure that as we conclude today’s programme, our God will give answer to all our requests as a proof that He answers prayers in Jesus’ name.

We, the chosen people, have lots of evidences in our midst to prove that God answers prayers. Thus we take time to celebrate testimonies because every one of us has one testimony or the other to give on a daily basis. This does not mean that the chosen people are exempted from trouble; but they have God’s promise that in all their trials He will be with them, deliver and make them partakers of His everlasting salvation. As He gives answers to the chosen people so also He does to all that keep to the precept and practice of the Scripture.

1 Jn 5:13- 14 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we

Pastor Muoka

Lord’s Chosen offers monetary rewards to repented criminals As part of its corporate social responsibility, The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries doled out cash and other gifts to some of the newly converted criminals and people of various vices that turned a new leaf recently in the church. Those that benefitted from benevolence confessed and renounced their past wicked ways of life and have sufficiently demonstrated that they have given their lives to Christ.

Speaking on behalf of the church and the General Overseer, Pastor Lazarus Muoka, the head of the Spiritual Welfare and Intercessory Department, Pastor Moses Akalaka Eze, told all present to forego their wicked ways. He said they should embrace Christ who has brought them out from the pit of perdition, where nothing is heard except the howling of wild beasts and has given them salvation.

Quoting from the Book of Psalms 40: 2, which says, “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the

LORD.” Pastor Eze told them that the miry clay is symbolically the mud of corruption, a ruinous state of a sinner where the heart is utterly corrupt, only waiting for eternal destruction. He said God by His benevolence had pardoned their guilt thus they should henceforth walk steadily in the way that leads to God’s kingdom. “They should from this day seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all things shall be given to them”.

The high point of the event was the doling out of monetary gifts to all present on the occasion. On receiving the money, some, mostly the women among them, started shedding tears of joy. They explained that they had never had it so good like this in their lives, that a person would be delivered from heinous crimes and instead of being taken to the stakes to die, was pardoned, accepted and settled.

On the occasion were members of the security departments made up of serving and retired personnel, some pastors, senior leaders of the ministry and reporters from different media houses.

ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him”.

There is no doubt that today being the grand finale of our crusade; answers will be poured from heaven to wet the desire of the participants.

The advantage accruing to us by the privilege of being present today is that If we know that He heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. Great

are His deliverances, mercies, and blessings, which the holy petitioner needs. To know that our petitions are heard or accepted is as good as to know that they are answered.

We should not pray for ourselves alone today, we must pray for others as well; for our brethren of mankind, that they may be enlightened, converted, and saved; for our brethren in the Christian profession, that they may be sincere, that their sins may be pardoned. We pray that they may be delivered from evils, the chastisements of God, preserved in Christ Jesus

and above all we must pray for Nigeria for peace to reign.

Acts 16:25-26 says, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken:and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed”.

No matter your condition, situation, bondage, etc; the same God that answered Moses and the apostles of old is still alive to answer your prayers in Jesus’ name. In the case of Paul above, never before had such sounds at midnight been heard from that inner dungeon Paul and Silas bound, fettered, tortured prayed and praised God. God heard and answered them, for there was a great earthquake. In any situation, we may cry unto God. No place, no time is amiss for prayer. No trouble, however grievous, should hinder us from prayer.

Prayer is all about getting answers to them and you know that there are places where many have gone to pray without answers. I assure you that at the end of this crusade, my God will answer you in Jesus’ name.

For those who will not be privileged to be in the crusade, I want to let them understand that there is no barrier in prayer. If they will confess and renounce their sins, and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, God will hear their prayers and answer shall be given to their request.

Jn 9: 31 says, “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.” If you regard iniquity in your heart, or wish to be saved, and yet abide in your sins, or will not separate yourself from the workers and works of iniquity, your prayers would not be answered.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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ow let me spend some time talking to the parents; the parents of the glorious generation. They too have certain characteristics that we need to highlight. Take Abraham, the father of Isaac, for example: Genesis 15 verses 3 to 6 tells us that when God told Abraham that he was going to be the father of many nations, he believed God. The father of the one, who is going to be part of the glorious generation, must be a man of faith. What about the wife who is going to produce this child that will be in the glorious generation? In Genesis 18 v. 12, the Bible shows us clearly that Sarah calls Abraham, my Lord; submissive wife, the wife who honoured her husband, to the extent that she called him, my Lord.

Still reading the same Genesis 18 v. 1 – 14, those who will be parents of this glorious generation must be feeders of God, those who feed God. Now, you may think that means those who give offerings. That might be true but it goes deeper than that.

God is not interested in pounded yam; He is not interested in rice or any other food.

His food is to win souls, to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish His workto win the world to Him; that is the meat He wants. Anyone who is going to be a parent of a glorious generation must be a soul winner. Take my word for it. If you really mean business that you want to be part of the people who will produce this glorious generation from this moment onward you will take soul wining as a matter of life and death.

Praise & Worship

Sunday October 7, 2012

Characteristics of parents of Glorious Generation,

by Pastor Adeboye In this sermon, which was delivered at the September Holy Ghost service of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), held at the Redemption Camp Grounds on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, General Overseer of the Church, Pastor E. A. Adeboye, x-rayed some of the sterling qualities of parents of a ‘Glorious Generation.’

Richard Eghaghe brings you the excerpts

Characteristics of those who will bring forth this glorious generation

I Samuel 1 v. 1-3, the Bible tells us clearly that Elkanah, the father of Samuel, was a worshipper of God; a committed worshipper of God. The father of one of these children must be a committed worshipper of God. I have observed many times that when it comes to worshipping God, women are in the forefront. May the Almighty God bless the women! You can watch us on the altar here, when the music is going on and things are wonderfully going on. You will see the women standing up to dance. Maybe the men thought that because I am not standing up is a sign to them that they should sit down but they are making a mistake; because the reason why I remain seated is because I am going to stand for a long time. And many times, whether you believe it or not, when I have to come and preach because of several days of fasting, travelling from my seat to the altar here takes a lot of strength and energy. It is only that as soon as I get here, power comes. So, I sit down reserving the little energy that I have left, so that I have enough energy to walk from my seat to the altar. I know once I get to the altar, the rest is settled. So, I want to encourage you brothers, from now on, don’t let the women beat us. Let’s beat them; we can dance, can’t we? Let the men shout hallelujah!

Elkanah was a committed worshipper of God; don’t forget God says he is seeking for worshippers. He said God is a spirit and that they that worship Him shall worship Him in truth and in Spirit; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. Don’t tell me, ‘we are men, we are big; so, big men should dance gently.’ Why don’t you ask David? He was king, he danced until his belly came out of his garment and that is why the Almighty God said ‘David, I promise you; there will always be someone from your family on the throne’, just because he praised God. Let’s begin to take worshipping God seriously. And then in 1 Samuel 1 v. 12 &13, look at Hannah, the mother of Samuel; while the husband was a committed worshipper, Hannah

Pastor Adeboye

Pastor Adeboye

was a prayer warrior. Hannah could pray; she prayed so much that even the priest noticed her. When we read these things in the Bible, many at times, we don’t get the full impact, because we don’t know the details.

When people go to Shiloh, it is like when people come to our convention. In Shiloh in those days, the whole nation will gather in one place to worship God. I imagine one person praying in that great crowd and the man of God noticed her. Imagine someone praying in this crowd that the General Overseer would notice her. That must have been some serious prayer. Hannah was a

prayer warrior; today we are going to have an opportunity to pray, when that time comes. I beseech all of us; let us pray like we have never prayed before, because, even a dead person can feel the presence of God. God is here today, do you believe that? Let me hear your amen loud and clear!

Who is going to be a parent of a child that will belong to the glorious generation?

He must be a covenant keeper. In 1 Samuel 1 v 9- 11, Hannah promised God; she said give me a son and I will give him back to you. In 1samuel 1 v. 24-28, she fulfilled her vow; she didn’t say ‘well, I have only this

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one, maybe when He gives me one more, I will give Him. So let me keep this one.’

She fulfilled her vow. Covenant keepers!

In Psalm 51:15, David said, ‘open thou my lips and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. I will want to encourage all of us who are trusting God for one breakthrough or the other. This time, I am not just talking to those trusting God for the fruit of the womb; let us make today a day of covenant. A day when we say to the Almighty God that you solve this problem in my life, the world will hear. You do this for me, I will tell everyone; but then make sure you keep your own side of the covenant because our God is a covenant-keeping God. Finally, those who will produce children that will belong to the glorious generation must be pure, they must be holy, and they must be blameless. In Luke 1 v. 5 -6, the Bible tells us concerning Zachariah and Elizabeth: he said in all things, they were blameless. I have said it before and I keep on repeating it, if you want a miracle and you still don’t want to live holy, then what you want is not a miracle, what you want is magic. Go to the devil; the devil can give you magic.

But if you want a miracle from a Holy God, you must be prepared to live holy.

He said, ‘you cannot expect to live in sin and expect grace to abound, God forbid!’

You cannot be committing adultery and expect the Almighty God to answer your prayer for the fruit of the womb. How many times will I tell you the story of the one who said she wanted a child, she came and we prayed and she came back and said nothing happened? I said what’s happening? You prayed and nothing happened? And God said ‘ask her how many boyfriends has she bedside the husband’ and she said ‘six’. Six! One husband, six boyfriends. If God were to answer her prayer, how would we know who is the father? Anyone who wants a miracle from God must be willing to live holy. When we talk about fruitfulness, we are not just talking about the fruit of the womb, we can talk about fruitfulness in your place of work, we can be talking about fruitfulness in your business, we can be talking about fruitfulness in your ministry, fruitfulness in several areas.

Fruitfulness in academia; it is one thing to study, it is another thing to pass. I have been a student before, so I know. I know it is possible to be a very good student and study very hard and get to the examination hall and experience blankness. I know because it has happened to me before, I have never been a poor student by any standard. I remember one occasion clearly; I had studied very hard and I know the subject. I got to the examination hall, it was eight questions, answer any five. I read the first , the second, the third, the eight and there is not a single one I could recognise. I was about to pick up my answer sheet and walk out of the hall, when something said to me, ‘sit down.’ And I wasn’t even born again then, but God who knew the future decided to be merciful unto me. Sit down and I sat down. I just sat down there, then suddenly I read the question again, I said I know this one, I remember clearly I was to answer five questions. I answered all eight and I wrote at the top, mark any five.

It is possible to be barren academically; it is possible to be fruitful academically. You can be fruitful in several areas of your life but you require holiness. When it is time to pray and we are crying to God, God makes me fruitful. Don’t think that prayer applies to those who are trusting God for the fruit of the womb alone. There are areas of your life too, where you can be fruitful and I am praying to God that today will be the beginning of fruitfulness for all of us in Jesus’ name.

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Praise & Worship

Sunday October 7, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

For every problem, there is a force –Pastor Olukoya “Problems are universal entities. They do not recognise e racial or tribal rld to another. It influence. They differ as you go from one part of the world e are particular could be suicide, expression, alcoholism, etc. And there re the words sets of spirits responsible for these problems.” These are n of Fire and of Pastor Daniel Olukoya, General Overseer of Mountain h Tai Anyanwu Miracles Ministries (MFM) in this exhortation, from which brings excerpts:

Choristers during an MFM programme

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his week, we are looking at the message entitled, “Wounded in the house of my friend.”

Zechariah 13:6 states, “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.”

A careful look at the scripture in the foregoing gives us certain information: • Someone was wounded.

•This person knew the origin of the wound.

•The wound came from an unexpected quarter.

•He knew that his wounds came from his friends.

Daniel 2:22 says, “He revealeth the deep and secret things; he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.”

There are certain things that are deep and secret, which can only be revealed by God. I Kings 14:1-3 states, “At that time, Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Abijah the prophet, which told me that I should be king over these people. And take with thee 10 loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him; he shall tell thee what shall become of the child.”

The child of Jeroboam was sick and was not responding to treatment. Jeroboam did not know what to do. So, he decided to go and find out from the prophet what was wrong. He wanted to know the source of the sickness. But because he had offended the God of Israel and could not face the prophet, he asked his wife to go there in disguise. I Kings 14:4 says, “And Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age.”

They were so far from the God of Israel they did not even know that it was not necessary to disguise because the prophet was

Pastor Olukoya

already blind.

I Kings 14:5 says, “And the Lord said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he is sick; thus and thus shall thou say unto her; for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself to be another woman.” “Before the wife of Jeroboam could call, the Holy Spirit had revealed to the prophet that somebody was coming there in disguise.

1 Kings 14:6-13 says, “And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? For I am sent to thee with heavy tidings. Go, tell Jeroboam, thus saith the Lord God of Israel, for as much as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel, and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee; and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes; But hast done evil above all that were before thee; for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back: therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone. Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat; for the Lord hath spoken it. Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good things toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.”

So, the origin of the sickness of that child was the punishment which God had

planned for the whole house of Jeroboam.

And the punishment was that none of them would be buried properly except this particular little child who had some good things in him. So, God wanted to remove him out of the way before He dealt with the rest of them.

Some statements of fact • There are some things known as problems. Problems are universal entities. They do not recognise racial or tribal influence.

They differ as you go from one part of the world to another. It could be suicide, expression, alcoholism, etc. And there are particular sets of spirits responsible for these problems. In Africa, you find a lot of poverty, witchcraft attacks, backwardness, sicknesses, etc. So, problems are universal.

• Problems are no respecters of person.

They come without anyone’s invitation.

Therefore, the whole world is filled with men and women struggling to solve one problem or another.

• Behind every problem, there is a spiritual force. Sometimes, we waste our time fighting human beings when we should be fighting the spirits behind our problems.

When Jesus told His disciples that the Son of man would go to Jerusalem and die and would be buried and would rise on the third day, Peter said, “Far be it from you Lord. You are not going to die like that.” It was Peter speaking but there was a force behind what he was saying. That force was not of God. So, Jesus had to turn back and rebuke Satan. He said, “I rebuke you Satan.” There are voices that can speak to us, which are not backed by the power of God. Behind every problem, there is a spiritual force. The truth is that the enemy has moved, tied down, loosened, and has gone from street to street, family to family, community to community, race to race and tribe to tribe in order to harass and intimidate people. He has moved to shatter, detain, afflict and wound people.

There are people who hear strange commands and begin to obey them. Many years ago, a certain fine-looking man was brought

to our meeting. He qualified as a medical doctor but some hefty men had to be beside him always because he used to run all of a sudden without anybody pursuing him. He would run until he got tired and fall down.

He would rest for some time, stand up and start running again. I asked the people who brought him if he was like that before he went to the university and they said no.

They told me the problem started when he got his first job. After some prayers, he regained consciousness a little bit and I asked why he was running. He told me he used to hear one voice, which would say to him, “Run!” And he would begin to run. A power was issuing an evil command to him and he could not resist it.

Apart from strange voices that issue evil command to people, there are also strange entities that follow people about. Some of the victims of these evil followers can see them, while some cannot. They follow people when they go for business to spoil things for them.

• Every righteous man or woman will at one time or another in life, face the plot of the wicked. It happened to Joseph and Joseph triumphed. It happened to Daniel.

Some people conspired against him and he was thrown into the lions’ den but he triumphed. It happened to Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego but they triumphed too. So, the enemies of Joseph and Daniel only rejoiced for a while. Their joy was cut off. The lions’ den and furnace of fire were God’s instruments to bury their enemies. So, what the enemy put forward as an instrument of warfare against the righteous was used to destroy the enemy. You must understand that once you remain righteous the way God wants you to remain, you will never be defeated by the enemy. The Bible states, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.” The righteous would one time or another face the plot of the wicked but the wicked will not succeed. Their instruments of wickedness will be to their own destruction. This is the stand of the scriptures.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sunday October 7, 2012

Solutions to unchristian habits –Rev. Chidi Founder, Kings in Christ Church, Rev. Chidi Anthony, in this exhortation, gives various life’s stories of how Christianity has been profaned by those who profess to be believers, noting that in all, God is not mocked. Tai Anyanwu produces excerpts from the message:

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et me start this ministration with one unforgettable experience I had in Aba, the commercial nerve centre of Abia State. A crispy weather that prevailed over the business for two days running, had just given way to gathering dark clouds.

And the cold violent wind, which slapped passers-by, dropped the hint of coming rainfall. I hurried into my car to do a quick shopping a few kilometers away.

As I drove along on that fateful day, I beheld an alarming sight. A group of fierce – looking policemen dressed in anti-riot attire bust into a hotel in an attempt to arrest prostitutes that usually hibernate there.

Sighting the charging policemen, the women of easy virtue took to their heels, knowing that prostitution is indeed an illegal

profession. It was an interesting sight; a sort of fire on the mountain. So, I parked my car carefully, to watch the unfolding drama.

I saw some harlots, running almost naked, for dear life. Some tried to jump over the walls and fell over.

A particular prostitute caught my interest in a special way.

She ran with all her strength and shouted at the top of her voice: “No weapon that is fashioned against me shall prosper.

No weapon formed against me shall prosper. No weapon formed …” Surprised, I exclaimed, “SHOO00ooh, is this prostitute also among the Christians?”

But that scene obviously confirmed that Christianity, as it is practised in our society today, has been polluted with so many funny characters in the fold.

In the nook and cranny of any

city and village, you will find churches. In Aba, where I come from, I know of one three-storey building that houses Holy Ghost Crusaders Mission. On the second floor of the same building is another church by name Satan You are on Fire Crusader Mission.

Every Sunday, ushers neatly dressed in smart suites and ties from one of the churches competed with ushers from the other as they scrambled to bring new souls to their own church.

This ‘motor-park approach’ favoured by the churches’ ushers usually throw unbelievers into religious confusion; just as much as the doctrines preached by escalating churches are erroneous.

Incidentally, proliferation of churches has not produced commensurate decrease in incidences of crime in our society.

Praise & Worship For instance, programmes on our television channels on daily basis project reports of increasing crime in different parts of our nation. Check the dailies; the story is also not different as cases of rape, robberies, kidnapping, bombings, swindling, and ritual murder fester.

In my privacy, I began to wonder and ask God, “What is the solution to un-Christian habits of believers today?” The Lord told me, “Son, opening churches here and there can never bring solution. Solution will come only if revival takes place in the Church of God.” Regrettably, today’s pastors no longer preach salvation messages to their congregation. We say we are in the era of miracles.

And falling under the anointing is celebrated more than receiving the word in many congregations.

But the question is; how can one receive what he or she does not have? The Bible said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and every other thing shall be added unto you.”

Back in the 70s, one cannot dress in worldly attires and claim that he is a pastor. Pastors in Nigeria then were easily identified through the peculiar mode of dressing. Then you know one when you see a man dressed in a black old suit with a peculiar shoe to match; and a giant Bible in his hand. As he walks along the street, he folds his hands and sings along joyfully “Only Jesus can save; only Jesus can save Halleluiah!” Then when people see your comportment, they could easily conclude that this is a Holy Ghost-filled brother or Pastor.

In those good old days, you identify a Christian lady by her long maxi-dress, flowing freely from the top to the toes; almost sweeping the road as she walks along. When you see her, you conclude joyfully, “Oh, this is a Holy Ghost-filled sister.

Then you know a powerful man of God when he prays and people get healed; he is filled with genuine anointing when he lays hands; but note-this is however not a guarantee that one would make heaven, because the Bible says “The gifts of God are without repentance.”

I went to the Lord in prayers.

In his faithfulness, he showed me from the scriptures, which I am about to share in this book.

Turn to second Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves, whether to be in faith, prove your own selves; know ye not your own selves? How that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates?”

In Romans 1:28-32, the Bible states, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things, which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, maliciousness, full of every murder, debate, deceit malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things disobedient of parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, withers natural affection, impla-

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cable, unmerciful, who knowing the judgment of God that thy which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them than do them”.

When I began to relate this scripture with what is happening today, I began to wonder what kind of world we are in now.

The other day I was ministering in the oil city of Warri, Edo State. The Lord made me to minister on Holy Ghost Baptism. After my ministration, the power of God came down so much, and one particular sister was highly moved by this power: it was so much upon her that she could not stand still.

She was staggering about and speaking in tongues because of the power. Unknown to this sister, she stepped on the foot of another sister, this sister who she stepped upon got angry and wanted to kick this other sister that has been filled in retaliation. I saw what was happening between the two sisters. I noticed that the sister who had been stepped on was mad and intoxicated with devilish anger she wanted to kick the other sister in retaliation.

Suddenly, and to my amazement, that sister started speaking in a fake tongue, pretending to be moved by the spirit.

As I watched, she deliberately stepped on the sister, who had fallen under anointing, in retaliation. I began to shed tears and asking God, what is happening these days, why should this be happening at my own time?

Perhaps you have heard this in the news; that a bishop shamelessly and publicly came out in support of Sodomy. He spoke during a series of CNN telecast, telling those who cared to listen to him, in defiance to God’s word, that homosexual marriage should be legalised in our society.

Again, an Anglican Bishop in America was reported to be encouraging the church to practise homosexuality. I am still wondering where we are heading to. Whether we believe it or not, heaven is real and hell is real.

Brethren, God’s words cannot be broken “But the fearful and unbelieving and abominable, and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liar shall have their part in the like which burneth with fire and brim stone, which is the second death.

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God and the books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast unto the book of fire.

(Rev. 20, 11, 15) There is no short cut. “Because they refused to acknowledge God, he gave them order to a reprobate mind,” the Bible adds.

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Praise & Worship

Sunday October 7, 2012

Basic rules of parenting

Text Only: 08037188392

Divine Message with Special Apostle James

Akinadewo E-mail: molailatugrow@hotmail.com

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raise God; Halleluyah. Welcome to His presence. We received your messages on the teaching series. The blessings God poured down will be your portion in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, amen.

For starters, we spoke earlier, on showing love to our children and also setting and showing the right examples for them.

In continuation of the teachings, we are moving on in telling parents in taking time to teach the children the right way.

Every parent must be a teacher, not negatively but in a positive way. It does not end with showing examples. We must sit down with our children and teach them well. I mean, very well.

Parents nowadays prefer to be occupied with other things than the future of their children – it is extremely counter-productive.

Don’t be too busy to neglect your children. Accumulating wealth and junketing all over the world all in the name of business, thereby leaving your parental role on your children undone is too bad – the results, later, will be too painful if we refuse to repent now.

Despite your tight schedule, creating time out of no time to teach and train your children will be beneficial to us and our world will become a better place.

You will leave that wealth one day but a sound future for your children will secure honour for you in Heaven.

Divine word

“In that day, I will perform against Eli all

things which I have spoken concerning his house, when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth, because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.” (I Samuel 3 verses 12-13) This word is instructive on the family of Priest Eli. He failed to train his children the right way and suffered for it.

He was too busy to train and teach his children and paid dearly for it. Right, he was doing God’s work but he neglected his family; the children became wayward and full of evil deeds and this became shameful to his calling. What a calamity.

The punishment was severe. He lost his priesthood and the glory departed from his house. He died same day after news got to him that the children lost their lives and became history in no time.

Summary – Busy but guilty. Failed to train and teach the children rightly. God will not spare anyone who fails to train his children, no matter how highly placed. For more information, ask Samuel for details.

Focus

As parents, we must examine these steps viz— •Let your child know God – Brother Joseph and Sister Mary made sure Jesus Christ was always under the teaching of elders in the church before He started His earthly ministry. They also took time in teaching Baby Jesus at home; it sharpened His focus for the global assignment given to Him from Heaven.

Eli failed to show his children the teachings of God and his ministry was thrown into the gas chamber of life.

Many children bearing Biblical names, some born in the church, have gone into the world and lost their placement in God owing to the failure of their parents to teach them the way of God. Let your children know God in their infancy; it shall be well with you in your old

age.

•Education – Parents must strive to educate their children. Let your children go to school; thousands of children roam the streets aimlessly today with many of the parents enjoying in the world. For advancement in life in this computer age, children need all-round education, those not opportuned to have western education must learn a trade to be useful to themselves tomorrow.

It is child abuse to allow them wandering, doing nothing tangible with their lives; any child like that will serve his peers.

It is also a grievous sin before God because that child was resting in Heaven when you called him to come into the world.

•Moral teaching – This is another vital point for children upbringing. The Bible charged parents to teach them spiritually, physically, educationally and morally.

They must know how to respect Elders; boys should prostrate, girls should kneel down while greeting their parents at home, and taught to do likewise for elders.

Modernisation cannot replace the word of God. It is alarming that moral teaching has developed wings in many homes and this has caused untold damage in our society.

Children do not respect elders anymore.

Regrettably, the church is imbibing such unbiblical stupidity by joining the madding crowd.

No dress code in the family anymore.

Girls wearing rags, appearing half nude, all in the name of fashion. Boys plaiting their hair, putting on earrings appearing like slaves. It is simply madness of the highest order.

Another fad among youths now is sagging and the evil swagger – Don’t they know that this sagging of a thing came from the prison?

Mubi killings: Culprits must be brought to justice –CAN

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astor Ayo Oritsejafor, President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has condemned the killing of over 40 students of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, and the School of Health Technology in Adamawa.

Oritsejafor, in a statement at the weekend, said CAN rejected the theory of election dispute as responsible for the massacre of over 40 students, having regards to the manner it was reportedly carried out.

“It believes that the reason is phoney and that such a theory, arrived at in haste, can only serve to shield the real culprits and cover up their motives.

“We are, however, consoled by the directive of President Goodluck Jonathan that security agencies should promptly arrest the killers of the students.

“CAN is of the view that the Federal Government should go beyond this directive and ensure that those caught are made to face the full weight of the laws of our land.

“It is unacceptable to CAN that students whose parents have spent fortunes on their education, would be cut down by some ele-

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Pastor Oritsejafor

ments in the society whose trademark is blood and sorrow.”

Oritsejafor noted that it was gratifying that some arrests had been made by the Police.

“We call on the authorities of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that those arrested are the real culprits, so that the innocent would not suffer for the sins of villains like the gunmen.

“The Police should not arrest those fleeing in the name of making a breakthrough.

“Security agencies must fish

out the gunmen and there should be no cover up,” he added.

The cleric said CAN believed in the oneness of Nigeria-- in accordance with her secular status-and would, therefore, kick against any divisive actions of groups or individuals. “ It is for this reason that we call on all men and women of goodwill in Nigeria to join the government to fight what may snowball into a religious or ethnic war on account of the siege on her.

This ‘demonic fashionable sagging’ has turned our youths to prisoners of the devil. Parents, beware, devil is on the prowl, you will give account to God how you trained your children, may God save this generation in Jesus mighty name, amen.

•Discipline your children– This is highly important. An over-pampered child will break your heart tomorrow. Anything a child deserves should be given him in full measure, spare the rod [cane] and spoil the child, says the book of elders.

If a child deserves spanking, give him a full dose and let him know why he was spanked. Embrace him after the punishment, that’s a reassurance that he was spanked in love, he will respect his parents more and obey instructions firmly next time.

“Cane is the god of a small child.” (Baba Omo Jesu, 1986, Ondo, Nigeria.)

Train your children well today; they will give you rest of mind tomorrow.

•Accepting your responsibility– It is a charger for parents. Never abdicate your responsibilities for your home. Parents must provide food, pay school fees, shelter and covering for the children. Providing all these is not an achievement but your responsibility.

Don’t gloat over them, they are your duties. Any child trained well now will give you joy in old age. You need to ask for forgiveness where you have gone wrong in the training of your children, God is the owner of that child, you are just the caretaker, expect your wages on the last day.

For a child wrongly trained, a generation is lost and for a right one, divine plan manifested. Are you on the right track?

Judgement beckons.

Proudly Nigerian. Jesus loves you. Run from sin. It is well.

•For enquires text 08037188392 or send email to Motailatugrow@hotmail.com.

Leave vengeance to God, cleric tells Christians Rev. Ogechi Ofurum of St. Luke Anglican Church, Akwakuma in Imo State, has advised Christians to leave vengeance for God in their ordeal in the hands of the Boko Haram Islamic sect.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Owerri, Ofurum admonished the Christians not to retaliate against Muslims because vengeance belonged to God. He said Boko Haram had to do with religion because those associated with the sect were the Islamic activists.

He added that the sect had destroyed many lives and shed innocent blood in the country, especially among Christians.

Ofurum urged Christians to emulate the teachings and life of Jesus Christ who they serve. ``Our religion does not accept retaliation and the Bible also says that vengeance is God’s; so it is not our duty to avenge, though they are smashing us,” he said.

Ofurum noted that the Boko Haram was a measure God used to awaken Christians, saying that there was complacency in worship by Christians and that people proclaimed God’s name in vain without departing from iniquity.

He maintained that the sect members were agents God used to discipline his children so that they would wake up from their slumber, adding that they too would be punished for shedding innocent blood. ``I want to tell you that the activities of the Boko Haram sect will not be perpetual; they will not go far. At a certain time, they will stop and by then, God must have achieved his purpose in the lives of his children. ``Let us not be dismayed; God is still at work, he will take absolute control of our lives as a nation and as Christians. Let us continue to pray for God’s intervention at the appointed time,” he advised.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Christian Relationship with Taiwo

Odubiyi

E-mail: info@pastortaiwoodubiyi.org.uk

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usband, you hurt your wife when you pay more attention to other people, situations or things than her.

The other people could be your mother, your father, your siblings, your extended family, your friends or another woman while other things could be your car, career, music box, pets, house etc. No wife wants this. Every woman wants to be ‘Number One’ in the life of her husband and when she’s not put in the right place in his life, there will be problems.

In Tears On My Pillow (one of my novels), when Fred and Moni were having marital challenges, they went to their pastor. During one of the counselling sessions, the pastor told Fred, “Make a priority list of the following, write them in the order of their importance to you: your children, your God, your mother, your wife, your job, and your friends.”

When Fred was through, he gave the paper to the pastor who looked at it, smiled and commented, “Hmm, you have written here: your job, your kids, your friends, your God, your mother, your wife. Based on this list, can you see why you have been having problems in your marriage and life? Your job is number one!”

Fred smiled and looked on.

The pastor spoke again, “Your job came first! Your job came before your wife, your kids, and even your God! You definitely

Sunday October 7, 2012

Praise & Worship 33

Your wife is hurt when you pay more attention to others

contributed to the problems in your marriage. Your wife is at the bottom of your list! How could you expect her to be happy?” He stared at Fred.

He cleared his throat and continued, “Even your friends and mother came before her. You definitely neglected her; there was not much care and love from you. She has been treating you the way you have been treating her. If she has been misbehaving, she has simply been responding to your treatment of her.”

Fred nodded in understanding.

The pastor went on. “Worse still, your job and friends came before God! Things don’t work that way. If God is not in the first place, the person has made a mistake.

The person will be making avoidable mistakes. You know, there are some mistakes that can be avoided but a person who doesn’t have God will just plunge in. Nothing will work.” No wonder Fred’s marriage was wobbling.

Husband, your wife is a part of you, your better half. You are to cherish and love her as you love your own body so that your progress in life and prayers will not be hindered.

Husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body. 31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the

church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:28-33 NLT) In the same way, you husbands must give honour to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together.

She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life.

Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered. (1Peter 3:7 NLT) Remember your promise to love and to cherish her, preferring her to others, till death do you part? Your wife is your partner and ‘better half ’ in all things and should be treated as such. Some husbands are closer to their siblings and parents than their wives. Your wife will sense this; she won’t like it and may begin to withdraw from you. If this happens, she will not be able to fulfil her purpose in your life, which is to be your helpmate. Regularly spending more minutes on phone with others than you spend on phone with her can be an indicator that other things are better priorities and take or occupy your attention more than your wife.

I can hear some husbands saying ‘But time spent on phone is for business that takes care of her!’ No, you got it all wrong.

You need to harness the potentials of spending sometimes fifteen minutes on phone with your wife even if you will still see her later in the evening. This will woo her as you did when you were courting. It is a tonic that works wonders more than anything. Your wife is not just another woman in your life. As your wife, she has her God-ordained role in your life which

no one else can take or fulfil. She is your partner in all things. Treat her as such.

When you come home from work and you meet your wife and baby or children in the living room, don’t go to the baby or children first, your wife should be first. Go to her, hug and show her some love before you go to the children. Even if the children meet you at the door, hold their hands and go to your wife, cuddle her and then you can shift all your attention back to the children.

Some husbands love their children more than their wives who are also the mothers of the children. Some men even say to their wives, the mothers of their children, ‘I will deal with you if you touch that boy!’

It is all right to love your children (we all should love our children) but don’t put any of your children above your wife. You met and fell in love with your wife before you had the children and she is the one who will remain with you when the children have grown up and left the house. She is also the one who will still be with you when your parents are no more.

My husband came to me first after each delivery of our children before ever taking a look at the children. This is how it is supposed to be, it shows that the man loves and appreciates his wife. Make your wife a priority; give her the love, care and attention she deserves. You met and fell in love with her before the children were born. They will eventually leave after maturing, leaving the two of you. I know we all love our children very much but your wife should always get your attention first, before the children. She is the most important person in your life.

Maximising opportunities Shepherd Life with Bishop Kingsley

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Enakirerhi

ast week, we talked about the need to maximise opportunities since opportunity lost may never be recovered again.

We looked at some of the ways we can maximise opportunities. Today, we shall look at some other ways we can maximise opportunities.

In order to maximise opportunities, one must act fast. So, many have been enslaved by the ‘disease’ called procrastination. They always want to put off for another day the decisions and actions they need to take today. Such kind of persons can never maximise opportunities.

Sometimes, the time-frame within which to make use of an opportunity can be very short. Therefore, one needs to think fast and act fast so as not to miss such opportunities. A man was given a job and told to give his response if he accepts the offer. The man took up to one week before he went back to indicate his acceptance of the offer. By the time he got there, another person had resumed in that position. Time and chance wait for no one. Those who are slow usually miss a lot of opportunities.

In order to maximise opportunities, one needs to be watchful. In Mark 13:33, the scripture says, “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time

is”. Until you are watchful, you may not even recognise that it’s an opportunity that is coming your way. It is only watchful people who recognise opportunity when it comes knocking.

In Luke 19:41-44, the Bible records a sad truth that happened. It says, “And when he was come near, he beheld the city and wept over it, saying if thou hadst known, even thou at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!

But now they are hid from thine eyes for the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee, and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another, because thou knowest not the time of thy visitation”.

Until you know the time of your visitation, you can never utilise the benefit of that visitation. To be watchful, you also need to have understanding of the times and seasons. Those who have experienced great breakthrough in business have done so simply because they understood the time and made good use of the investment opportunity. While others were not sure of prevailing economic climate, they ventured into it because they understood it was time.

Faith is another important virtue you need, to be able to maximise opportunities. Opportunities most times appear risky. It was risky for David to confront Goliath. It was risky for Esther to go into the king’s presence when she had not

been invited.

Those who are fearful never achieve much. Faith produces courage and boldness. No wonder, in Joshua 1:9, God told Joshua, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest”. It takes faith to venture, hence Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “He that observeth the wind shall not sow, and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.”

Apart from faith, you need to be diligent in order to maximise opportunities.

Someone said that opportunities are dressed in work clothes. This means that a lazy fellow cannot maximise opportunities. Only the diligent fellow can maximise opportunities. The lazy man will see opportunity as work, while the diligent man sees it as greatness and promotion.

Proverbs 26:13-14 says, “The slothful man says, there is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets. As the door turneth upon its hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.”

Now it takes sacrifice to be a hard worker. Someone attended an interview in which many people were invited. When it got to a point, he could not bear the hunger anymore and decided to go and eat. Before he came back, this name had been called and that was how he missed the opportunity. Great businessmen and ministers of the gospel sacrifice food and time in order to maximise opportunities.

Be ready to go the extra mile to be able to maximise an opportunity.

You also need to be determined in order to maximise opportunities. So many give up too easily. Once they encounter some challenges, they throw in the towel. But great inventors never quit. Blind Bartimaeus, when he heard that Jesus was passing by, made up his mind that this opportunity must not pass him by.

He shouted even though they asked him to keep quiet. At the end, he received his sight. He could have said ‘maybe today is not my day; let me keep quiet since the opposition is much.’ He would have lost that opportunity if he had kept quiet.

Don’t allow opposition to discourage you.

Whenever God is involved in a thing, that is when the opposition is strongest, so that we can give up. Please don’t give up on your education career or marriage.

You can make it work.

Finally, you need prayers in order to maximise opportunities. In 1 Corinthians 16:9, Paul said, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries”. Ephesians 6:12 makes us to understand that we are wrestling with spiritual forces. It is not everything that happens that is natural. Some have been spiritually manipulated. Some persons have been manipulated to lose or waste opportunities. This is why you must take prayers seriously. It is in the place of prayers that we can overthrow those spiritual powers standing in opposition to our breakthrough in life.

Beloved, remember that an opportunity may come only once in a lifetime; therefore, don’t waste it, maximise it!

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Praise & Worship

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sunday,October 7, 2012

How to communicate with your deceased loved one (1) Footprints with Dr. Tunde

Ojewole Email: ojewolea@babcockuni.edu.ng Phone: 08058299434

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y father died about nine years ago in a vehicle accident. I miss him a lot! It still hurts. Every major landmark in my life leaves me nostalgic; wishing he were part of it. I have lost other loved ones, including an older sister and grandparents of whom I have very fond memories. I am sure my readers can resonate with my emotions. The human race has been stung by the cold hand of death, and no family is exempt.

Death is senseless and merciless. It creates a daunting vacuum and insatiable desire to communicate with the deceased loved one(s). It is true that “a single rose for the living is better than a costly wreath at the grave.”

Over time and place, there have been various beliefs, conceptions, and perceptions regarding the explanation of the mystery of death, and these have created more problems than proffer solutions. Some believe that the dead still lives in a world unknown and so they are venerated, presented with food items and other material things. Others believe that the dead either goes to heaven or hell immediately at death. Others believe that when the dead is not treated respectfully and with care, they come back to torment their living loved ones, while some also believe that the dead remains in the grave, implying that they do not live after death. All around, there is fear of death and the dead. No wonder the musician, Tuface Idibia, in one of his songs sang: “No body wan die but everyone wan go heaven.”

The Bible throws some light on the mystery of death. Let us proceed to discover the biblical teaching on the concept of death, its origin, what happens to the dead, what hope there is for the dead, and what will happen to death itself at

Holy Inquiry with Pastor Paul

Nkirukah E-mail: pstpaul11@yahoo.com

Dear Pastor, Is it right for a Christian to be pregnant before marriage? Sir, I am asking this question because my boyfriend said until I become pregnant for him, we cannot get married.

Vivian from Edo State.

Dear reader, This is a sin to mankind and to God, or don’t you know that this will mean both of you are committing fornication? And you know that sex before or outside marriage is called fornication, which is a sin before God. Moreover, I want to also let you know that a pregnant woman cannot be married until after delivery, and even after delivery, the marriage cannot be as it is

the end. The Bible speaks volumes on these.

No matter the flowers and speeches used to beautify death, it is still an unpleasant thing to anyone and everyone’s experience, irrespective of age, position, and financial status. Death is an interrupter of life, an interference that is not natural, and an enemy attacking a foreign land. The Bible reveals that death is an existence and a dominion to be reckoned with. It has a domineering power over planet earth and its dwellers. Jeremiah describes the power of death: “death has climbed in through our windows and has entered our fortresses; it has cut off the children from the streets and the young men from the public squares,” (Jer 9:21, NIV). This implies that “death is an enemy with the power to break into human life at will anywhere with neither regard nor consideration for its victims.”

Death is the opposite of life. How was human life generated? Genesis 2:7 reveals that “the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living soul.”

The human life equation is as follows: Dust of the ground (flesh/body) + breath of life (Spirit) = Living soul (living being).

A living human being is a living soul.

He does not have a soul; he or she is a soul.

At death, a reversal of the process of life occurs. This is best described by Ecclesiastes 12:7: “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” This means that death is the state of the molded col-

lection of the dust of the ground without the breath of life from God. The death equation is as follows: Dust of the ground (flesh/body) breath of life (Spirit) = Dead soul (dead human being).

Death is described as the total cessation of life, both in expression and function. Some of the expressions used to describe death include: “breathed his last breath” (Gen 25:8); “gathered to his people” (Gen 49:33); “slept with his fathers” (1 Kings 2:10). The New Testament describes death as an end of life, dreadful and fearful (1 Cor 15:54-55; Heb 2:15; Rev. 6:8). It is portrayed as the enemy of life and people, indeed, the last enemy (1 Cor 15:26). Indeed, all the entire terms for death and dying in the Bible combines to describe a termination of all forms of the existence of the human being. Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 states: “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.”

According to the scriptures, the concept of death was first introduced

by God Himself at creation when He told our first parents that “you are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die,” (Gen 2:16, 17).

So the expression “you will surely die” is unequivocal, meaning that if they disobey, death is inescapable. However, the potential presence of death at creation

Answer these questions and win a prize 1.

Who lost all possessions including family; yet Satan did not touch his life?

2.

Where in the Bible? “Bear with each other and forgive whatever…you may have against….”-(NIV). Fill the spaces and supply the passage.

3.

Where does the LORD say He has engraved us? Supply the passage.

•Please, be informed that the first correct entry via text message wins the prize.

See next week’s column for answers to the quiz. Send your answers with your names to 08054238905. Gifts: courtesy Babcock University.

is an indication that death is not distant from life.

One may ask: “where did this mystery of death come from?” According to Romans 5:12 and 6:23, “sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned” and that the reward for sin is death. It can be deduced that death came as a result of sin. Since Satan originated sin (1 John 3:8), there is no doubt that the origin of death revolves around Satan and sin.

In the Bible, the metaphor “sleep” or “rest” is used to describe death (Deut 31:16; 1 Kings 2:10; Job 14:12; Dan 12:2; Matt 9:24; 27:51, 52; John 11:11; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor 15:18, 51; 1 Thess 4:13). This indicates its state of unconsciousness and lack of awareness. It also shows that there is something more after death, just like waking up is expected after some sleep. Resurrection is a must for all who die: some to eternal life and others to eternal death, after judgment (John 5:2529).

Until the judgment, all the dead are dead, resting in their graves (John 5:2829). I agree with Anthony Thorold that “until our Master summons us, not a hair on our head can perish, not a moment of our life be snatched from us.

When He sends for us, it should seem but the message that the child is wanted at home.” D. L. Moody concurs: “The valley of the shadow of death holds no darkness for the child of God. There must be light, else there could be no shadow. Jesus is the light. He has overcome death!”

•Tunde Ojewole, Ph.D., is the University Pastor and Associate Vice-President for Spiritual Life, Babcock University.

For enquiries: ojewolea@babcock.edu. ng; 08058299434/08060376577

Answers to September 30, 2012 Quiz 1.

Ahab; Jezebel -Kings 16:30 NIV

2.

Book of life -Rev 3:5 NIV

3.

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Is it right to be pregnant before marriage? supposed to be if you were not pregnant before marriage. Of course, you also know that there will no more be church wedding (white wedding) for you.

Furthermore, fornication is a sexual sin committed by married and unmarried woman and man. Or is there any how you can become pregnant before or without sex? And you know that sex before or without marriage is called fornication, and fornication is a sin before God; so all you need do is to find out what God said concerning fornication (sex before marriage) in the scripture, then you can be able to tell whether it is right to be pregnant before marriage or not. After that, you make a choice, either to obey God or your boyfriend.

See or read 1Corinthians 7 verses 1 and 2. The Bible says it will even be better not to touch a woman. In verse 2, the Bible went further to say we should avoid or flee fornication by marrying a woman properly to ourselves. Moreover, in 1 Corinthians 6 verses 12 to 19, the Bible talks about all things being lawful to us but

all things are not expedient and that we should not be brought under the power of any. In verse 13, it says that our body is not for fornication but for our Lord.

See verses 14 to 17; also read verses 18 and 19. God warned us to flee fornication because our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in us; so our body is not ours but God’s. Therefore, if God warned that we should flee or run away from fornication, it means fornication is forbidden. You will agree with me that anything forbidden is a sin.

In addition, see or read 1Corinthians 10 verses 5 to 9. God said in verse 5 that he was not pleased with those that committed fornication and other evil acts in the time past hence, they were overthrown in the wilderness. Verse 6 says that it was for example to us that we should not lust after evil things of the world and perish as they perished in the wilderness but that we might have everlasting life. More so, 1Thessalonians 4 verses 1 to 5 recorded that it is the will of God for us to flee or abstain from fornication for our sanc-

tification. Verse 5 said we should not act as the unbelievers or Gentiles who know not God. If I may ask before my advice to you, do you believe that the Bible is the word and commandment of God? Do you believe that every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God must be fulfilled? If yes, then you have to judge yourself.

You should know that it is not enough to be a believer but to behave what you believe. To be able to flee or avoid fornication, see or study Galatians 5 verse 16 and 17 which says you should walk in spirit so that you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh but be led by the spirit. How can one walk in spirit? You walk in spirit by obeying all the commandments of God. However, 1 Corinthians 7 verse 2 advised we should avoid or flee fornication by getting married properly, one man to one woman. Therefore, I advise that you properly get married before you become pregnant to avoid sin of fornication, be aware that fornication is a very big sin before God.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Chika Ike brings Fancy Nancy to Lagos When Chika Ike opened her Fancy Nancy (FN) store in Abuja last year, she said it was only the first in the chain of boutiques that FN will eventually become. She reiterated this to M&M earlier this year and now FN is truly spreading its tentacles as it is set to berth in Lagos soon.

wood celebrates a’s Mfon Ekpo

epreneur, consultant, maritime lawyer and foundeers Network was recognised and honoured with y The National Academy of Best Selling Authors

summit and awards gala took place on the 28th of the legendary Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Holwhere the first ever Oscars were held. honoured with the ‘Golden Quill’ for her best selly Business Book You Will Ever Need” which she New York times best seller Robert Allen of the f income fame, America’s foremost management y, NFL super agent Leigh Steinberg whose career for the ‘Show me the money ‘ character played by Academy award winning movie “Jerry Maguire”, renowned world experts. was released on March 8, 2012, reached best-sellAmazon.com categories on the first day of release as #2 in the Direct Marketing category as well as and Business Management categories. r of Premier Pioneers Network, a platform where various walks of life come together to teach on sionate and knowledgeable about, wrote in the The ‘Voltron’ Formula: Dynamics of Building an ” n in the book also won the Editor’s Choice Award t recognises outstanding contributions in collab-

Kahli Abdu blows hot Republiq Records artist/producer, Kahli Abdu, has dropped WTF, a tale of love lost and the ensuing complications, as told in his familiar narrative style of rap. WTF is fast becoming a listeners’ favourite and is set to make Abdu a household name.

And when it does, it would have been after years of paying his dues.

As part of the growing scene of artists in Jos, Abdu started his journey in 1996, becoming part of the group 11:30 which later became Eltophelli (together with Jesse Jagz now of Chocolate City Records) in 2006.

He then moved to the US in 2005 and met with Chief Willis (of Basement Batman) and later with producer Kid Konnect. With the beats they provided, Kahli recorded several songs which ended up on his first mixtape, The Grind Theory.

A few years later, he put together his second mixtape, Ministry of Corruption, and shortly after, he started and compiled his Rebel Friday Season 1.

He has worked closely with other artists like MI (Illegal Music, MI2, Illegal Music 2) and others. He is also the founder of the Republiq Records label and it is under the label that he intends to become a major player in the music industry by performing as well as producing, managing and collaborating with other artists.

His full length project is due out later this year.

Movies & Music

35

Stars on parade, for The Veterans Night Over the years, the Nigerian music scene and music patriots have been witnesses to the celebration of outstanding performances and talents in the music industry, and can at no point appraise the music industry without paying tribute to exceptional men and women who stepped into the spotlight,, broke barriers and carved an excellent niche for themselves.

These great musicians, composers and master instrumentalists, have done Nigeria proud both at local and international scenes, crafting new genres of music and making them popular and acceptable worldwide. They have been featured at the biggest musical festivals in the world, performed alongside world best musicians and won different local and international awards.

Their constructive lyrics, creative and inspiring music and grand performances across the world over the years have brought the Nigeria Music Industry from obscurity to a place of global relevance. Their hard work, tenacity and commitment with little or no returns back then have sustained the music industry to this point of international significance.

We need to recognise, appreciate and celebrate these great veterans who, through their exceptional talents, efforts and struggles have brought the Nigeria music industry to a place of honor and esteem.

For each and every edition of the Hip Hop World Awards since inception, the event has been renowned for innovation and breaking new grounds. The 2012 edition of Nigeria’s most credible, authoritative and respected music awards show is following in that trend, introducing a Veterans’ Night as part of activities leading up to the event proper.

The Veterans Night is a black tie event to honour and celebrate our musicians of yesteryears in a very convivial environment with present musicians and other industry personalities. The event will be an evening of music, fun and will see contemporary artistes performing for those who have come before. This build up event will hold at the Grand Ballroom of the Eko Hotel and Suites on October 19.

36

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Connecting

Vanessa with

Vanessaonsunday@yahoo.com

Would you marry someone who loves you or the one you love?

L

ove comes with lots of complexities and yet it is the most beautiful and powerful force on earth. Every human heart is born with the yearning to love and be loved in return. There’s an invisible tank in every man waiting to be filled with love and to give love back in return. The question now is: how possible is it to run the race of life on a love ‘tank’ that is either empty or half full?

I have heard some schools of thought who believe that love is a choice and not an emotion. They are of the opinion that just as you choose your car, shoes, the food you eat, the people you interact with and the brand of wine you drink; you also choose who you love. Another school of thought says that love is all emotional and we have no choice who to fall in love with. They reason that a rich boy can fall in love with a poor boy and a girl can fall head over heels in love with a crippled man because love

Models

is a matter of the heart and not of the head. There is yet another school of thought that is a balanced combination of the two - choice and emotions. They reason that as much as love has to do with emotions and feelings and its pull so strong that we may love someone who does not return our love; yet love will make a choice when frustration sets in and you find yourself in an unhealthy relationship. They believe that there are times when you can’t really trust your emotions. Reality has to take its rightful place when you are considering whether to continue in a potentially abusive relationship.

So what is your own opinion? Would you rather marry someone who loves you or the one you love?

An intricate question, isn’t? To love and be loved in return is a great feat everyone will like to attain to in their relationship. But most often, this love equation is difficult to balance. Every heart wishes the 50:50 kind of love in their relationship. Yet we often see it coming in as 30: 70, 60: 40 or even worse 10:90! Complex indeed!

Well, yours sincerely went to town with today’s topic and got amazing and thought-provoking answers. The male and female respondents gave divergent views and this got me thinking: men and women do have different reasons when it comes to making choices for marriage.

Below are some of the interesting ones I received.

Read, learn and send in your own opinions and experiences through the E-mail above. Have a pleasant week ahead!

RESPONSES I will prefer to marry the woman I love rather than the one dying for me, who I don’t love. Marrying the woman l love would help me to treat her like a queen, a treatment no woman can resist. Naturally, I trust that she would respond with respect as I desire. Note that in the Bible, husbands are the ones commanded to love their wives, while the wives are commanded to respect their husbands.

–Chigozie Chikere grandfather@yahoo.com 0805776**** As a woman, I will choose the person that loves me. He will go to every length for me and I am secured in all ramifications. My welfare will always be key to him.

–Obiageli Chukwuka 08024937*** If I marry the one who loves me, I may not be able to love back. So it should be the one I love so that I can be able to swallow some friction that goes with it.

–Ekene Nwankwo 080340076** Love is not a choice. If that was the case, people would be with the person that treats them the best instead of someriff raff thatdoesn’tcareforthem.Loveisjustsomethingthathappens.Iwillgowiththemanthatlovesme.

–Bolanle 080313360*** This question is not balanced. It is balanced when the one I love loves me back. This is because anything away from that is love slavery and shouldn’t be accepted. When you love, you need your partner’s love to survive. Love does not grow on selfish grounds.

–Godwin Robinson 08033085*** I will go for the one who loves me. The reason is that I have the capacity to love someone when I set my mind to it. But if I marry someone who I love more, I will consistently struggle to ensure I win that person’s love and I may not succeed. A woman can forgive an unfaithful man, but a man may not be able to forgive an unfaithful wife –David 08032006**** Love is a choice. I choose to love my spouse even though he knows how to get on my last nerve. I choose to be with this imperfect person for the rest of my life and to stand by him no matter what happens. I prefer to be with the one I love. –Bimbola Akinwale 080557321*** Most women love someone who loves someone else. They don’t give attention to the guy who is loves them just because he seems not to have their unrealistic qualities. They go on like this till the guy finally finds someone who loves him and then he is no longer available. I will go for the woman I love. –Richard Aluko 080936002***

Sunday y Mir Mirror ror www.nationalmirroronline.net onl nli lin ine ine e.ne net net

Heart-throb Send text only to 08025253996 96 6

In need of a serious relationship/marriage /maarriiagee My name is Wole Adeniyi, 43 years old, 5.8ft tall, dark-complexioned, a graduate of Architecture and a business man. I am from Ekiti State. I need a serious and responsible hardworking lady as partner that can lead to marriage –07060865212.

I am Olawale Adeoye, 44 years old. I need an intelligent, responsible and God-fearing woman, between 36 and 40 years old for a relationship that will lead to marriage –07032929710.

I am Joy. I am 29 years old. I want a God-fearing guy for a serious relationship that will lead to marriage –08170648902.

My name is Kamsiyochukwu, 21 years old. I live in Onitsha. I require a responsible female friend –08180091011.

My name is Betty, 48 years old. I am a widow, slim and living in Lagos. I desire a God-fearing widower with a good job, between 50 and 60 years old for a relationship that will lead to marriage –08091331297.

Cindy is my name, 26 years old. I live in FCT. I need a guy that can last for 30 minutes for a serious relationship. Most guys I have met only last for 5-10 minutes –08070449410.

I am Chinedu 35, 5.6ft tall. I am a business man from Enugu. I need a serious and lovely woman of 30 years and above for a tight relationship that will lead to marriage –08162240701.

Lanrewaju is my name, 45 years old man. I am a construction worker in Lagos but from Oyo State. I need a God-fearing lady, either a Christian or a Muslim, of between 25 and 35 years of age –08027780162.

Wasiu is my name. I am 32 years old, from Lagos State. I want a responsible, caring and God-fearing lady for a serious relationship –080839300199.

My name is Philip. I am 20 years old, dark in complexion. I live in Benue State. I need a girl for a relationship –08160676140.

I am Alhaji, 35 years old. I need a Muslim lady, below 30 years old, for marriage –08087074640, 08170141833.

Oluwaseyi is my name. I am 24 years old. I require a sincere girl, between 18 and 24 years of age, for a relationship that will lead to marriage –08164637575.

I am Ken, 28 years old, a medical intern, tall and husky. I live in Benin City. I need a mature lady for a romantic affair –07059561969.

I am Yusuf, 41 years old. I need a very beautiful, faithful Yoruba Muslim lady, between 27 and 32 years old for marriage –08033086629.

Bamidele is my name. I am 36 years old. I am employed and based in Lagos.

I want a plump, responsible lady, between24 and 32 years old, preferably a Yoruba or from Middle Belt –08078840230.

In need of a sugar mummy/daddy I am Lawal, 32 years old, an accountant from Ekiti State. I am well behaved and need a sugar mummy –07069020468.

I am Friday from Edo State, 25 years old. I need a sugar mummy who is caring –08168592519, 08023301976.

I am Ken, 32 years old. I am tall, dark in complexion and well built. I need a fat sugar mummy, between 38 and 50 years old for a serious date –08060042989.

My name is Lucky. I am 28 years old undergraduate from Delta State. I need a rich sugar mummy, between 29 and 35 years old who is ready to assist me financially for a good relationship –07058388043.

My name is Lucky. I am 28 years old undergraduate from Delta State. I need a rich sugar mummy, between 29 and 35 years old who is ready to assist me financially for a good relationship –07058388043.

I am Morris, 32 years old. I need a serious lady or big madam ready for satisfaction. She should be humble and a working-class –08023991961.

My name is Mavis. I am 28 years old. I am 5.7ft tall, chocolate in complexion, romantic, sexy, handsome and having a good sense of humour. I need a sugar mummy who is kind-hearted, down to earth, affluent and influential, between 37 and 50 years old, that I will satisfy me –07084991111.

I am David, 35 years old, tall, handsome decent and educated. I want a rich, curvy and pretty sugar mummy, between 25 and 47 years old for a discreet relationship –08125010726.

I am Max, 29 years old, tall, handsome and fair in complexion. I need a sugar mummy, between 45 and 55 years old. She must live in Abuja or Lagos -08107774162 or email: maxwellmcdonald@rocketmail.com Bayo is my name, 27 years old. I live in Ikire. I need a beautiful sugar mummy that will take good care of me in a mature way –07082464014.

I am Adebayo, 27 years old. I am tall, dark and cute. I work and I live in Lagos. I require a sugar mummy of between 30 and 50 years old that lives in the South-West –07089262236.

My name is Nnamdi, 35 years old. I live and do business in Lagos. I need a sugar mummy living also in Lagos who will support me financially and I will satisfy her –07031212199, 070041868555.

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!

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

37

&

Weddings Engagements CELEBRATING THE JOY IN MARITAL BLISS OCTOBER 7, 2012

Joy as Otunola Awoniyi, Omolara Sobambi marry

I

t was a day of unlimited celebration when Omolara Oyindamola Sobambi and Otunola Adebayo Awoniyi were joined in holy matrimony at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Ikate, Surulere, Lagos recently.

Members of their family, friends and loved ones turned out en masse to celebrate their new beginning as they became one flesh. After the joining, the priest prayed for the couple that their union would be fruitful and blessed.

After the holy solemnisation, an excellent reception took place at Yard 158 on Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun, Lagos. The couple arrived at the reception venue accompanied by welldressed and cheerful-looking groomsmen and bridesmaids in about six well-decorated, exotic cars. Immediately, photographers had a field day taking different shots of the couple be-

fore they were ushered into the hall.

The couple danced happily into the venue to different tunes before settling down in the seating arena reserved for them. It was a replica of a traditional ruler’s palace.

Top comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka, compered the ceremony.

He did not disappoint guests as he rolled out rib-cracking jokes.

An up-and-coming comedian, MC Ajele, also thrilled the audience with rib-cracking jokes which also livened the event.

The zenith of the ceremony was when king of fuji music, Wasiu Ayinde Marshall popularly known as KWAM 1, took over the stage. The musician dished out melodious tunes of contemporary fuji music to the delight of everyone. For lovers of fuji, it was a good time to have fun.

The themes for the day were orange and olive green. While members of the bride’s family stunned all in their orange mixed with green outfits, matched with headgears and caps, the groom’s family and friends turned out in all olive green attire.

Theses same colours were used in the decoration of the hall, which added flair to the glamorous wedding.

The couple’s journey into matrimony began with an elaborate engagement ceremony a day before the church wedding.

It took place at the Holy Trinity Church hall, Ikate, Surulere, Lagos. The hall was superbly decorated in pink and gold. The event was anchored by five comperes popularly known as alaga iduro and alaga ijoko in Yoruba. They all ensured that there was no dull moment as they handled every aspect of the ceremony flawlessly.

Some guests who graced the occasion included Nollywood stars, Fathia Balogun, Moji Olaiya, Sunkanmi Omobolanle, Ireti Osayemi and Lola Margaret. Others were Oba Onitedo of Ibeju Lekki, Bolaji Esho and businessmen, among others.

Otunola is a Lagos-based businessman and the son of Joseph Awoniyi, a prominent politician in Kwara State. Omolara is the daughter of Engr. Abayomi Sobambi a well known Mechanical Engineer in Ogun State.

‘I knew she’s the woman I wanted for wife’ OLUWASEGUN IJABIKEN

S

her hands while singing a romantic love song. She was already blushing, so when I asked her to marry me, her answer was affirmative. She said, yes,” Kayode revealed.

After the church blessings, guests were hosted to a grand reception at The Blue Ribbon, Oko-Oba. The arena had a large influx of guests such that the hall was filled to capacity and extended to the overflow. Toyin Kawojue, a broadcaster with Lagos Television (LTV) anchored the event.

The colours of the day were blue and

aturday September 22 will not be forgotten in a hurry by the families of Mafe and Opeyemi as the glorious day their children Oluwakayode Mafe and Adekanmbi Opeyemi said ‘I do” in style.

The wedding took place at the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Halleluyah Parish, Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos.

Kayode, who hails from Ogun State, met his heartthrob, Adekanmbi,, three years ago at Tantalizers, Abule-Egba in Lagos. Though she snubbed him initially, an undaunted Kayode cleverly got her phone number. This was the beginning of the relationship. It was followed by frequent phone calls, persistence, disturbances and eventually visits by Kayode.

Two years into the relationship, precisely, October 2011, Kayode professed his undying love for Adekanmbi before finally proposing to her. “I knew she was the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.

The day I proposed, I went down on my knees, holding Mr. and Mrs. Opeyemi

silver. These were conspicuously seen at the venue and they were loudly expressed in different variances of Asoebi, the decoration and outfits of the bridal train.

The groom appeared splendid in a slim-fit grey suit, white shirt and a blue bow-tie, paired with a pocket square.

His bride, Opeyemi, wore a white tube gown with a transparent bolero. She complemented her radiant look with a white hair fascinator, necklace and earrings. The newlyweds could not hide their excitement as they danced rhythmically to the melodious tunes rendered by Kas Musical Organisation.

Their traditional wedding took place a day before the white wedding at the Blue Ribbon Event Centre, Oko-Oba, Lagos.

Speaking on what he cherishes in Opeyemi, Kayode said, “She is nice, sexy, beautiful, God-fearing and she takes care of me. I appreciate her for these.”

Opeyemi appreciates everything about Kayode and has no doubt in her mind that she made the right choice in marrying him.

You have a story to tell us about your wedding/engagement, or your new born baby.

Please call this line: 08051980588

BABIES OF THE WEEK

Godsgift Chidera Iwuagwu was born at Madonna Hospital, Awka to Ogbonna and Faith Iwuagwu. She was delivered at 1:23 a.m. and weighed 3:25 kg.

According to Faith, “during the pregnancy, I craved for moi-moi. I also cherished ogbono and okro soup with eba. For fruits, I ate lots of pineapple, watermelon and oranges.”

Were there obvious physical body changes? “I looked more beautiful but I did not put on much weight. However, my legs were swollen,” Faith emphasised.

What irritated her during the pregnancy?

“I was irritated by the smell of the anti-natal drugs only,” she revealed.

What do Godsgift parents love most about her? Excited Ogbonna said, “We love her smiles. We also love her eating and sleeping habits.”

What do Godsgift’s parents want her to become in future? “We would love her to become a medical doctor. Also, we would want her to become a positive instrument in her generation,” Ogbonna stated.

What is the meaning of her names?

“Chidera means what is written by God stands,” Ogbonna explained.

Glory Chimamaka Nzechukwu was born at General Hospital, Isolo to Chidi and Vera Nzechukwu. She was delivered at 7: 44 p.m. and weighed 3.1 kg.

“I desired yoghurts and fruit drinks during the pregnancy,” Vera revealed.

Speaking about her obvious body changes, she said, “I had breakout of acne and general darkening of the body. My feet were also swollen in the ninth month.”

What do Glory’s parents love most about her? “We love her smiles and calm conduct,” said Vera.

What do they want her to become in future?

“We want her to become a reference point.

We want her to serve humanity and also touch the lives of all she comes in contact with,” she revealed.

What is the meaning of her names? “Glory means God’s glory while Chimamaka means my God is awesome,” Vera explained.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

38

Lessons of Life

ANGELA DAVIES lessonsoflife2@yahoo.com 08023342083

TRUE LIFE STORY ON MATTERS OF THE HEART OCTOBER 7, 2012

‘Cletus, I’m sorry I cannot marry an illiterate’ M y name is Tonia. I was only eight years old when my parents and younger brother died from food poisoning. On the night before they died, I went to bed early hence I didn’t eat the yam porridge they all had as dinner.

The next morning, they all complained of stomach pain and were rushed to the hospital by our driver but not before calling Aunty Vivian, my mother’s younger sister.

She promised to go straight to the

hospital to see them. She, however, promised to come and take me to see them as soon as possible. “Tonia, please stay at home with the maid. I will go straight to the hospital and see your parents and brother. I promise to come and take you to see them as soon as possible,” she said over the phone.

However, she came to see me about three hours later just to give me the sad news that changed my life forever.

“Tonia my dear, there is something

you must know. I know you are no longer a child. Your parents and brother are dead. The doctor said they died as a result of food poisoning,” Aunty Vivian revealed. She cuddled me while we both cried out our hearts.

Immediately after their burial, my father’s siblings took over all his property and left me with nothing. I was very sad and lonely but Aunty Vivian promised to take good care of me. I had to start living with her family. I used to attend an expensive private school but with all that happened, I had to stop going to school for sometime because Aunty Vivian could not afford my school fees. Later, she enrolled me in the public school which her two children attended. However, she could not fulfil her promise for long as her husband won the American Visa lottery and they had to travel out of the country. I could not go with them since I was not their child.

Nevertheless, before they eventually travelled, she handed me over to her best friend, Monica and her family.

Aunty Vivian in my presence pleaded with Monica to take good care of me and treat me like her own child. I thought I had finally found a family and a home where I will be loved and accepted but how wrong I was. The six years I stayed with Aunty Monica and her family was like living in hell. I was treated more like a house help. Aside from being maltreated, I had to drop out of school in JSS 3 because Aunty Monica informed me that Aunty Vivian had stopped sending her money to take care of my personal and educational needs, thus, she could not waste her hard-earned money on someone like me. When I could not bear the maltreatment any longer, I ran away not even knowing where I was headed.

All I knew was that I had to leave the house before she killed me.

At age 14, I found myself on the street. I slept in an uncompleted building for one week while I begged to eat.

Nevertheless, I didn’t know that the

man who sold fruits some houses from the uncompleted building had noticed that I begged around the area. One day he called me and said, “Young girl, I have noticed that you beg people for money every day. Don’t you have a family?” “No, uncle I don’t have a family,” I said. He introduced himself as Cletus the fruit seller and I introduced myself as Tonia. He told me that I could come to him for any assistance. I accepted.

Three days later, he told me he wanted to have a serious talk with me. He said, “Tonia, I want you to stop begging. I promise to take good care of you. Second, I want you to stop sleeping in that uncompleted building because it is too dangerous for you. Finally, I want you to come and live with me and my younger ones. We live in a two-bedroom apartment, you can share a room with my sister if you don’t mind,” Cletus suggested. “Thank you. I am very grateful and I appreciate all your help,” I said. He took me home that evening and introduced me to his younger sister, Mercy. She accepted me with open hands and we started living together as a family.

Cletus promised to cater for my education and, immediately, he sent me back to school. Although, I had to start from JSS 2, I knew it was better than not going to school at all. Cletus continued selling fruits by the street side to pay our fees, meet our personal and general needs as well. Thank God his fruit business continued to prosper.

Unfortunately, Mercy died mysteriously when she was 16 years old and this affected him so much.

However, a year later, I got admission into the university to study Economics. When I informed Cletus, he reminded me that he promised to cater for my education and so he would fulfil his promise.

To be concluded next week.

Please send your advice to the phone number or e-mail address above. No calls, please.

RESPONSES

Re: ‘Can I marry the man my father rejected before his death?’

I would advise you to accept Jimmy so that he can perform the marriage rites on the ground that he loves you, you have a daughter for him and he is currently without a wife. After all, your father is dead. In addition, I suggest that you and Jimmy should go for deliverance from any curse your father might have placed on you before he died. He meant to make your life miserable but God loves you and wants to make you happy and fulfilled.

Patrick Adiasor, Surulere – 08033452087.

God has reserved Jimmy for you all these while. So, stop doubting your mind. Grab him now to avoid you regretting a lost golden opportunity. Your father has given way already.

Apeji Onesi, Lagos – 08060504740.

Since your father didn’t give any strong and important reasons for not marrying Jimmy, now that he is dead, if I were you I

will go ahead and marry him. After all, he is the father of your daughter, so it will be better to bear more children with him than marrying another man.

08126612925.

I will advise that you prayerfully marry Jimmy because from the beginning he never abandoned her nor failed to love you. Also, he is the father of your daughter. Your father did not have any good reason why you should not marry him.

07030419907.

I think God is involved in your matter. Please ask for your father’s forgiveness and marry the love of your life.

08083513995.

My advice is that Helen should go ahead and marry Jimmy for the following reasons. Age is no longer on her side, she loves him, her father said over his dead body will he allow her to marry him

for reasons known to him alone and now he is dead. After all, he said over his dead body.

Sam, Lagos – 08024927974.

It is obvious that you and Jimmy are meant for each other and that may possibly be the reason why Jimmy has not been able to have another child (with the strange woman). Also, the man who has been putting them asunder is no more. Therefore you can go ahead and get married. Your marriage is already blessed so you don’t need to waste time about it.

H – 08164467147.

Since your father could not give you any reason to marry him, maybe owing to some family problems, my opinion is for you to marry him if you love him.

Victor Ikotun, victor.adoga@yahoo.co.uk

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

O

Opinion

Sunday October 7, 2012

39

The death penalty controversy

n Wednesday, October 10, 2012, sober assemblies of humanists, who are perfunctorily imbued with the milk of human kindness, are billed for respective countries of the world. They would gather to broach over successes so far recorded in the strident campaigns against the death sentence. That day, tagged ‘The World Day Against the Death Penalty’, was deified 10 years ago, as one set aside to push for the abolition of death penalty. Buoyed by the support of Amnesty International, those deploring the death penalty for convicts under severe corporal offences, will find, come Wednesday, if much has been achieved in the effort to discourage the taking of human life, usually assailed by the mantra, ‘What has been done cannot be undone.’

The logic in that mantra is that, a man, for instance, convicted under homicide culpability and sentenced to death, could in the long run turn out a victim of miscarriage of justice. And after the execution he is found to be innocent, he can never be correctly atoned. Any correct atonement for the injustice done him would be to restore life to him, which is not possible.

In the glee of this endearing campaign of mercy to protect the human life, however, lies the booby trap it sets for what the intendment of the law is, for those convicted, for instance, for murder.

If someone who willfully shoots a victim dead and after having been caught and tried, is slammed with maybe a 10-year jail term, what is the assurance that this murderer will be reformed, and would have repented, when he returns home?

Again, drug trafficking is a veritable offence that has warranted the death sentence. For it, traffickers in hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine, barbiturates, ketamine, Indian hemp, benzodiazepines and amphetamines have been put to death. During the siamese military rule of Major-General Mohammadu Buhari and Brigadier Tunde Idiagbon in 1984/85, three young Nigerians were publicly executed with the gun, for trafficking in hard drugs. For what it is worth, the setback done by the drug trade to human sanity, otherwise needed for political and socioeconomic drive, can hardly be quantified for any country under its spell.

Even then, the question needs to be asked: what would befall a wayfarer or even a citizen, outwardly perceived to be responsible but who inwardly suffers some psychosomatic disorder, when he suddenly picks up a gun and regales in a shooting spree? In the end, a dozen or more persons have lain dead. If the law, as it probably will, appreciates the mental challenge facing the mad shooter, and he is confined to a psychiatric encampment, how would his victims be atoned?

These and many more dialectics will engage pundits as the western world particularly, seeks ideals that will ennoble its march through civilisation. Amnesty International is especially enthused by the successes recorded in its campaigns against the death sentence, stating that, in 2011, only 21 countries recorded executions; whereas, 10 years earlier, 31 countries did same, thus counting its gains in 10 countries. The body also swaggers to the fact that its campaigns have substantially borne fruit in that, no fewer than 19

countries have abolished the death sentence. Some of the countries cited include Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Bhutan, Burundi, Cook Islands, Gabon, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Mexico, the Philippines, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Togo, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

But coming nearer home, the way and manner of dispensation of justice in Nigeria are as inchoate as they are befuddling.

They patently begin with turning deaf ears to the saying that ‘justice delayed is justice denied.’ This is so in that, a case of murder or of armed robbery can last for over 10 years, in which the imprisoned suspect would have been damaged mentally, physically and perceivably, spiritually.

While in the prison, the accused person, who will be cramped in a dark, damp and filthy room, is often barely fed, as growths that resemble mushroom plant sprout out of their body parts. Even if allowed out of the solitary confinement inside the larger confinement of the prison yard, the persona of the detained naturally turns a second-class citizen in the prison, as the ‘legitimate prisoners’ subject him to a grueling spell of servitude.

After all the suffering and a decade of privation, if the accused is still found guilty of murder, should he still be put to death and not considered to have suffered triple jeopardy? The first jeopardy is the 10 years of living a hell of life in the prison; the second is the purposed execution itself, and the third is the social cum religious belief that God, in the above, would still sentence him to an eternal torture inside some hell-fire.

Looked at differently, if after 10 years, the accused person is pronounced in-

Kayode Fasua

kayodefasua@nationalmirroronline.net (08034101207; SMS only, pls)

nocent and set free, what would atone for the injustice done him? And from where would he start life? After all, a man savouring his freedom for upwards of two decades is very much wracked by squalid squalor, with accompanying hunger; how much less, a prison returnee?

This inexorably leads to the other problem of shoddy investigation of cases by the police and the typical Nigerian cop’s enslavement to pecuniary gains, while prosecuting cases. Though there could be isolated cases of miscarriage of justice through judges’ corruptibility, the kernel of the rot in the country’s justice dispensation system is still the criminal neglect of processes by the government.

Upgrading the prisons to modern standard, ensuring that cases are treated with dispatch, and raising attorneys for indigent suspects would help the cause of the humanists who would converge on October 10, and even that of the conservatives, who believe that the death sentence should remain.

But until then, no life of a death convict in Nigeria deserves to be taken, because, whenever the truth of a perverted case is unearthed, what has been done can never be undone.

Mimiko’s profligacy and ACN’s broom revolution IDOWU AJANAKU

T

he recent mammoth crowd of the diehard supporters of Action Congress of Nigeria, CAN, at Ikare-Akoko, Ondo and Ore venues for the party’s campaign train to sell the candidature of Barrister Rotimi Akeredolu’s gubernatorial ambition signifies one thing - CHANGE. The pendulum of political power is about to swing in the acclaimed Sunshine State, away from Mimiko’s Labour Party, LP, to the ACN. But why? That is the million naira question.

The answer, I dare say is not far-fetched to the long-suffering indigenes and those who care to pay an unbiased visit to Ondo State.

In spite of the media hoopla that has trailed the phantom achievements of the incumbent governor, Dr.Olusegun Mimiko, the bare facts on ground point to the gross lack of value for the whopping sum of N660 billion he has so far collected on behalf of the oil-rich state from the Federation Account.

Add this to the N38 billion the Dr Olusegun Agagu-led administration left in the state’s coffers and the N20 billion so far advanced from the N50 billion borrowed from the Capital Market and the picture of wanton waste seems complete. Almost.

Simply put, Ondo people have been shortchanged in the socio-economic spectrum of the vast country. The bitter truth is that the current administration has not justified the state’s huge economic potentials for three and a half years. Come October 20, the good people of Ondo state, will have the great opportunity to file out to the polls and make a choice of the man who would pilot their affairs for another four years. It would be a monumental disaster to pitch tent with the LP that has pauperised them, handing out

tokens such as boreholes and market stalls in the name of development.

As the much-respected ACN national party leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has rightly pointed out, Mimiko has “failed to deliver on roads, education, health care, water and job creation”. The rural communities are groaning, stewed in utter negligence by a governor who, at inception, boasted that he needed only one term to wave the magic wand of true transformation. Therefore, he “lacks the credibility to seek continuity in office”.

Taken ‘sectorially’, Governor Mimiko has a lot of questions to answer. Let us begin with the critical issue of infrastructure which should be the engine room to catalyse any meaningful industrial revolution. First, there is the huge N65 billion OSOPADEC Fund meant for the opening up of the oil-producing but largely neglected Ilaje community and other riverine areas now a subject of investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Many roads across the length and breadth of the state are decrepit. Among these are the failed road dualisation projects of Ondo, Arakale and the five-kilometre stretch in Owo town. The promised Igbokoda township road from Ugbo junction to the jetty is left unfulfilled. So is the N178 million reportedly spent for a 90-metre OwoOgbese road.

In a similar vein is the criminal neglect of adequate water supply both in the urban and rural areas. The multi-million naira Owena Dam project at Ondo is still comatose. The promised water project in Akure remains a pipe dream, even as the governor has metaphorically asked the people to drink the wasteful water fountain!

Honestly, were these roads and water

projects similarly neglected at the rural and urban areas in good shape, the dream of the founding fathers to make the state an industrial hub for the entire country would have long seen the light of day. It has, arguably, become the raw materials base of several much-needed minerals and agricultural materials any state would require for sustainable economic development. These would inadvertently elicit job and wealth creation.

Name them, limestone, shale, gypsum, silica sand bitumen, are all waiting to be tapped. So also are cocoa, cassava, kolanut, cashew, cowpea and coffee. Others include cash crops and food crops such as rubber, oil palm, timber, soya beans, plantain and yams, all of which could be cultivated on an industrial scale.

Unfortunately, Mimiko’s self-serving administration never thought in this direction.

Little wonder, therefore, that the wasteful Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has not a single industry to boost the state’s economy. What happened to the Okeluse Cement factory for which this administration has reportedly spent a whopping N5.6 billion but nothing on ground to show for it? The Oluwa Glass industry, the Ceramics industry in Ifon and the tomato paste factory at Arigidi in Akokoland for which N400 million had been allegedly expended have all been abandoned.

The story is not much better in the important education sector. Ondo State, which used to be the reference point in terms of sound and solid education development, with the resultant churning out of brilliant minds of international repute, now remains a shadow of its glorious past. How did we come to this sorry pass?

It all boils down to the lack of provision of an enabling learning environment conducive for meaningful learning. Though,

Dr. Agagu did his best, unfortunately his successor, Mimiko, a medical doctor, has left the sector in the still birth of an arrested development. Dilapidated school buildings dot the landscape across the state. The Mega School project promised to be replicated in all the senatorial districts, is yet unfulfilled after claiming to have spent N600 million on each. With that amount, Barrister Akeredolu insists he would restructure many more schools providing them solid buildings, well-equipped laboratories and state-of-theart libraries.

Contrary to the much-hyped achievement in the healthcare sector through the moneyguzzling Mother and Child Care Hospital Akure, this is what Comrade Sola Iji, a lawyer and politician who stepped down for Akeredolu has to say: “There are issues of healthcare which have been brandished around. If you visit our hospitals, you can hardly find qualified medical personnel around under government-managed and administered hospitals. What you hear is “Abiye”. What is it? Is Abiye the only medical centre that would be used throughout the 18 local governments and 203 wards by the people of Ondo State?” That sums up the true feelings of the citizens in that lifesaving sector. Similar tales of woe trail the tourism, sports and entertainment sectors.

Evidently, the dark, socio-economic cloud which has lingered and loomed over the horizon of the acclaimed Sunshine State for three and a half years is what the Akeredolu’s proposed ACN administration is out to sweep away into the dustbin of history with the Broom Revolution. You better get ready for it.

•Idowu Ajanaku is the Director of Media, Publicity and Strategy of the Akeredolu Campaign Organisation.

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Politics

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Anxiety in Edo over cabinet shake-up SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN BENIN CITY

T

here is a palpable unease in Benin City, the Edo State capital, as high-ranking government officials, especially cabinet Commissioners, Advisers and others prepare for an imminent dissolution of the state government anytime from this week.

Sunday Mirror gathered that the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, is being expected to announce anytime soon, a dissolution and reconstitution of the state government cabinet. The move, that be allencompassing.

The anxious expectation of the formal announcement by the heads of the different ministries, departments and agencies has created a seemingly obvious lull in the civil service and governance of the state as some Commissioners, Advisers and, by extension, Assistants, adjudged to have failed woefully in the governor’s first-term, are now silently preparing to hand-over the reins of their official duties to in-coming replacements. Another issue affecting the speed and quality of governance in the state is the ongoing petition against the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) government’s re-election, an issue that many people now regard as a distraction after the main issue of the petition was thrown out penultimate week.

Also the massive construction works being undertaken by the government, have been suffering what some citizens have called go slow. Although, it is not known whether it is solely owing to the anticipated cabinet dissolution, yet government sources say it is also as a result of the downpours that are witnessed daily in the state nowadays while a few others have also countered by arguing that Edo State is usually financially dry after every governorship elec-

FEMI OYEWESO, ABEOKUTA

T

he end seems to have come to the lingering crisis which has bedeviled the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for over two years, as the political gladiators appear resolved to sheathe their swords, This clearly showed in the recent media report credited to the former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, that he has “re-emerged as the overall leader of the state chapter of PDP”.

The statement explained that the factional crisis in the state chapter of the party was substantially resolved when three major factions settled their differences and resolved to work together for the progress of the party in the state.

The three factions that came together, according to the statement, were those led by the immediate past governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; a former Minister, Chief Jubril Martins-Kuye, and Prince Buruji Kashamu.

At the meeting which was said to have held at the Lekki home of Chief Jubril Martins Kuye (JMK) on Tuesday, October 2, 2012, it was said to have been unanimously resolved that Daniel should be the overall leader of the party in the state.

“Otunba Daniel was given this responsibility on the basis of his capacity to bring both leaders and followers together, his soaring popularity in the state, resources and resourcefulness - all which the leaders agreed he should deploy to return the PDP to its winning ways in the state, the statement said”.

Apart from the three leaders of the three factions, the statement further claimed that others in attendance included Alhaji Sule Onabiyi, Senator Osolake, Apostle Dave Salako, Hon. Sarafa Tunji Ishola, Alhaji Agboola Alausa, Senator Lekan Mustapha, Mr. Sina Kawonise, Mr. Ola Kukoyi,

Gov. Oshiomhole

tion. This latter group added that the tempo can only pick up again after the swearing-in ceremony on Monday, November 12.

There is however a lot of speculations in the state that one of the ministries that would affected in the shake-up is the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Apart from alleged nonperformance, the commissioner, Ms. Anita Evbuoman, has remained on the seat for the past four years. For example, Edo State Sports Council contingent to the justconcluded zonal elimination contests with Delta and host Bayelsa States lost all but one event that were contested by the participating states. Instead of picking the available tickets to the forthcoming National Sports Festival in Lagos State, Edo contingent came with an avalanche of woes and bags of excuses.

Some of the other ministries citizens of the state are yearning for changes that could sustain the ongoing development by the Oshiomhole administration beyond the next four years include: Women Affairs and Social Development; Health; Commerce and Industry, and Special Duties (Oil and Gas). Although, the governor has already acted ahead of time by sacking the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Dr. (Mrs.) Inumidun Idehen, just before his re-election in July, that of the Ministry for Environment and Public Utilities, Prince Clem Agba, resigned last month to return to his job at Chevron after four eventful years in the cabinet.

Further investigations Sunday Mirror checks revealed that even as the cabinet members are already sweating over the announcement that should sack and reshuffle most of them in one fell swoop, top government sources say Oshiomhole is keeping his game plan to his chest in line with his tradition of surprising the people. One of the surprises, as we gathered, includes the consideration of a constant and continuous sacking and reshuffling of the cabinet instead of an outright dissolution. This strategy is reinforced by the overwhelming votes Oshiomhole received from all the 192 wards, 18 local governments and three senatorial districts of the state in the governorship election, which marked a first in the political history of Edo State, and which has imposed the necessity of a more balanced representation in the state government.

According to top government officials that craved anonymity on the matter, whichever method Oshiomhole eventually decides to adopt, under-performing Commissioners, Advisers, Assistants and heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the state are due for removal if the total development of the state that the governor promised to pursue during his campaigns was to be realised in the next four years.

Finally, peace returns to Ogun PDP

Chief Gbenga Daniel

Dr. Martins-Kuye

Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, Senator Ayo Otegbola, Chief (Mrs.) Iyabo Apampa, Chief Dayo Abatan, Mr. Semiu Sodipo, Mr. Semiu Babatunde, Chief Fadun, Chief Niyi Adegbenro, and Chief Kola Ogunjobi.

The statement concluded that “the Obasanjo faction of the Ogun PDP is the only one remaining to join the reconciliation train”.

But in a swift reaction, the state Executive Committee of the party under Senator Dipo Odujinrin described as misleading and far from the truth, the report that former Governor Daniel had been appointed as the overall leader of the party in the state.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sunday Mirror, the Ogun State PDP Publicity Secretary, Bidemi Osunbiyi, declared that whatever arrangement concluded on at the Lekki home of Chief Martins-Kuye last Tuesday was the exclusive business of the few remaining aggrieved members of the party and not that of the state executive committee of Ogun PDP under the state

chairmanship of Dipo Odujinrin.

Osunbiyi further said that those who were said to have been elected were the aggrieved members who deserted the party to form the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) as well as the “undisciplined” members who have failed to comply with the provisions of the party’s constitution.

He explained that the remaining aggrieved members, who included former Governor Daniel, were trying to forge a common ground for their return to the party by presenting the ex-governor as their leader to enable them use him to bargain for whatever they wanted and not as the leader of the party in the state.

Osunbiyi further said that Ogun PDP had not inaugurated the elders’ caucus as provided for in its constitution, where the overall leader of the party would emerge, as against the said publication.

He also explained that the three groups which said they were aggrieved have already sent emissaries to the party leadership in Ogun, signifying their intention to

appear before the reconciliation committee and pave ways for their return to the party.

“I know emissaries have gone to several of our leaders like the state chairman, Senator Odujinrin and his Secretary, Dapo Adeyemi and even former President Olusegun Obasanjo from these groups that these people are coming, but they said they wanted some party positions, which is not possible”.

“It is not possible because the party constitution says that everybody should go back to his ward and re-register; while a lot of them have not done that, substantial number of their followers have done that.

“We can only confirm if they are members of the party only if their ward chairmen say they have gone to re-register; and we have not heard that”.

It would be recalled that after several court judgements and injunctions, on Saturday August 4, 2012, the state chapter of the party held a statewide congress in Abeokuta, and elected 29 members of the state Executive Committee to direct its affairs for the next four years.

At the statewide congress, Second Republic Senator and the 1999 Ogun State coordinator of Obasanjo/Atiku presidential campaign organisation, Oladipo Odujinrin, emerged as the new state chairman of the party in an election held under the watch of PDP’s National delegates led by the party’s National Congress Committee Chairman, Umaru Mohammed Tambuwal.

Analyst and watchers of the event in the ‘Gateway State’, however, were of the view that the crisis rocking the umbrella party would come to an end with the emergence of Odujinrin as the new party chairman in the state.

The contending issue within the party basically, bothered on the control of the State Executive Committee, which had resulted in the factionalisation of the party.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Sunday, October 7, 2012

41

n government’s Gordian knot

Muhammed Adoke

ed out that there were many ung the controversial Treaty

ooking for the official map that ary between Nigeria and Camernot yet been published. All the illustrative- these are maps that developed but have not yet been

ap, it would be helpful to fundaon.” tives had two months ago, urged n to appeal the verdict of the ICJ time for appeal expires. ives, through an emergency morturn the ceding of Bakassi Penmeroun.

An International Court of Justice ruling, had in 2002 awarded Bakassi area, shared by Cross River, Borno, Taraba and Adamawa States to the Central African Country, based on a 1913 Anglo-German Treaty.

Later, after serious agitation, the United Nations through a Green Tree Agreement, re-affirmed the decision of ICJ. But a Motion of Urgent National Importance brought by Hon. Essien Ekpenyong Ayi (PDP-Cross River) sought the contestation of that ruling and the accompanying Green Tree Agreement in line with section 12 of the 1999 Constitution and legal precedents.

That section provides that all treaties or agreements entered into by Nigeria and any other country must be ratified by the National Assembly.

The urgent motion entitled, “A Call for Review of the International Court of Justice Judgment on Bakassi”, noted that the ruling of October 10, 2002, must be reviewed based

of controversies

was named after

a human rights onmental Rights d the honouring nt might be seen lsans because of politics of state tion of the state

no justification r him. The speed wa makes me feel violent military reasury heavily vilian president nor come and re-

move Abacha’s name in the Ijaw house. After all, even universities were renamed recently in Nigeria,” Morris posited.

In his reaction, the state chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Philip Iki, said the honour of Abacha by the Bayelsa State government was well deserved having created the state after several disappointments from previous administrations in the country.

“It is a good thing to honour whom honour is due. Since Bayelsa State was created from the old Rivers State, the Ijaw man had kicked against the creation of Bayelsa State as they preferred remaining in old Rivers State. This part of the world was grossly under-developed before it was created on October 1, 1996.

“We can now see the benefit of state creation. It

on new realities.

According to Ayi, “The Bakassi people are insisting on having a United Nations-supervised plebiscite where they will exercise their right to self-determination, which is an inalienable right provided for in Article 1 of 1966 International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, General Assembly Resolution 2200A, which provides for the right of all people to self-determination by virtue of which they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

Hon. Ayi stressed his awareness of “article 61 of the Statute of ICJ which provides that an application for the revision of a judgment may be made only when it is based on the discovery of some facts of such a nature as to be a decisive factor, which fact was when the judgment was given, unknown to the court and also to the party claiming revision”.

He cited legal precedents where ICJ judgments were challenged and reversed in the case of El Salvador Vs. Honduras in 2002; Yugoslavia Vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2001 and Tunisia Vs. Libya in 1982.

In his contribution to the motion, the Chairman, Committee on Business and Rules, Hon. Albert Sam-Tsokwa (PDP-Taraba), said, the House must pass the motion for the process of rescind the ICJ judgment to begin in earnest.

According to him, “whatever yardstick the decision to cede Bakassi was based on, it must be ratified by the National Assembly or it cannot stand”.

He stressed that “by the statute of the ICJ, we have the right to apply for a review of the ICJ judgment”.

But besides the House and Senate’s position that the judgment be appealed, the ceding process remains legally inchoate or incomplete without its ratification by the National Assembly and the people of Bakassi who have rightly insisted that as far as they are concerned, Bakassi is their land and that they are Nigerians.

Their position is backed by section 12 of the 1999 Constitution that says such a judgment or the Green Tree Agreement or any other international treaty must be adopted by the parliament before it can stand as legitimate or binding on the people for whom it is meant.

Bakassi also remains one of the 774 Local Governments of Nigeria and is so listed among the Local Governments in Nigeria.

The most annoying aspect to many analysts of the Bakassi issue is that, since 1853 when the area was said to be in the grip of Germany, no referendum or plebiscite has been conducted to determine the fate of the communities in the area.

With the ongoing agitation, it is becoming obvious that the Bakassi Pennisula issue is turning out to be the federal government’s Gordian knot.

brings development to neglected areas. It attracts federal presence. Bayelsa State sustains the nation’s economy with crude oil but the communities are wallowing in poverty. Social amenities are scarce in the local communities. We feed the whole nation, but we are suffering. God has given us these resources, oil and gas. Unfortunately, the Ijaw man is a greedy and poor,” Iki said.

Ijaw leader and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart in the state, Chief Thompson Okorotie, argued that the immortalisation of Abacha was justified because he was the hero of the state.

“One thing that is outstanding about Governor Seriake Dickson is that he does not just talk but take definite actions. Whatever people may say about Abacha, as far as we are concerned, he is our hero. I think that if you feel that nobody has done

something, it is a lifetime show of love. Whether the man is alive or not, he should be honoured, “I am personally happy that the honouring had taken place. I think that it will encourage others to try and know that no matter how weak a group of people are, if they deserve something by virtue of their contributions to the economic well being of the state of the economy of the country, they should be properly compensated or considered for major national decisions,” Okorotie insisted.

A community leader and rights activist, Nengi James, believe there was nothing wrong in honouring someone who had done a good thing for the state.

“It is thumbs up for the state government for honouring Abacha for creating the state. We as a group, and as a member of the founding fathers of

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Sunday, October 7, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

JOKE

GROWING UP The fire chief and the Aunty Angela mathematician with

growingup5@yahoo.com

Hello children, How was your week? I hope you are enjoying your new class? Education is still the best gift your parents can give to you; please endeavour to make them proud in your studies. I wish you a wonderful week ahead.

DID YOU KNOW? Rafflesia arnoldii produced the largest individual flower on earth

R

afflesia arnoldii is a member of the genus Rafflesia. It is noted for producing the largest individual flower on earth. It weighs 7 kg (15 pounds).

The species is named after the naturalist, Sir Stamford Raffles, who founded the British colony of Singapore in 1819. It has a strong odour of a decaying flesh, thus, earning it the name “corpse flower”. It is an endemic plant that grows only in the rainforests of Sumatra Island, Indonesia.

O

ne day a mathematician decided that he was sick of math. So, he walked down to the fire department and announced ced that he wanted to become a fireman.

The fire chief said to him, “Well, you look like a good man. I will be glad to hire you, but first I have to give you a little test.” st.” “No problem,” said the mathematician. atician.

The fire chief took the mathematician to the alley behind the fire department which h contains a dumpster, ter, a spigot, and a hose. The chieff then said, “If you are walking in n the alley and you see the dumpster pster here is on fire, what do you do?”

The mathematician tician replied, “Well, I will hook up the hose to the spigot, turn the he water on, and put out the fire.” re.”

The chief was so impressed i d and he said, “That is great… perfect.

Now I have to ask you just one more question. What do you do if you are walking down the alley and you see is not on the dumpster dump fire?”

The mathematician puzzled over the quesa while and tion for f finally said, “I will final light the dumpster fire.” on fi The chief yelled, Th “What? That is hor“Wh rible. Why would you rible light the dumpster on fire?”

The mathematician replied, “Well, that way I “ will reduce the problem red to one I have already solved.” solved The mathematician replied, “Well, I have replie to t create a problem so that I can solve it.”

WHO INVENTED WHAT…?

Jim Henson created Muppets

I

n 1954, more than 235 million people watched a new show called The Muppet Show, created by Jim Henson. He called his creations Muppets because they are part puppets and part marionettes.

Although puppets already existed, there were many kinds of puppets such as hand puppets, stick puppets, finger puppets, and string puppets (marionettes).

One thing they all had in common was that the puppets’ movements are jerky, stiff and Jim wanted to change all that.

He was interested in inventing new ways of making puppets that would allow them to move in a more lifelike fashion. So, in 1958, Jim Henson came up with an idea for a new type of puppet made with a soft body that would move smoothly.

Jim started making puppets when he was just 18 years old and still in high school, for a local Saturday morning children’s television show. At college, he took a pup pet-making class and began working as a puppeteer.

Jim created Kermit the Frog and got himself a job as a puppeteer on his own television show called ‘Sam and Friends’. This was only the beginning of Jim Henson’s exiting career. He applied to the United States Patent Office for a

patent to protect his idea. Over time, his invention evolved to become the Muppets.

Jim Henson moved on with his successful career. In the 1960’s, Jim and his company of puppeteers showed up as guests on TV shows around the world. In 1969, the Muppets showed up on the television show ‘Sesame Street’. The Muppets starred in The Muppet Movie in 1979 and other shows. From 1979 to 1981, Jim made ‘The Muppet Show’, which became the most widely seen television show in the world. It featured Kermit the frog, Ms.Piggy, and all of the other Muppets.

Jim Henson

Children, you can send your contributions and pictures through this email address growingup5@yahoo.com or call telephone number: 0805 198 0588

Jim Henson was born on September 24, 1936 in Greenville, Mississippi. He died of pneumonia on May 16, 1990 in New York City.

Even though Jim died, the Muppets continued their life of excitement. They continued to be watched and people keep enjoying them.

The Muppets weren’t only for fun, they did a lot of stuff like helping in kids’ education and they delighted over 235 million people in more than 100 countries.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Growing Up

Sunday, October 7, 2012

43

ANIMAL FACTS:

Monkeys •The monkey can be classified into either of the two groups New World Monkeys (Marmosets, Capuchins, Tamarins, Spider and Woolly Monkeys) and Old World Monkeys.

•Old World Monkeys are those found in Africa, Asia, Japan and India.

•Old World Monkeys have 32 teeth while New World have 36 •Monkeys never catch cold.

•Yawning of a monkey means that either he is tired or he is mad at something.

•Monkeys never eat a banana as it is; rather they peel it first and throw away the peel.

•Monkeys eat fruit, grass, leaves, eggs, insects and spiders •Monkeys can grasp with both their fingers and their toes •Howler Monkeys are the loudest and their howl can be heard as far as 10 miles away.

•Monkeys live in groups, known as troops, tribe or mission, and travel together to find food.

•Monkeys live in trees, grasslands, mountains, forests and on high plains.

•Monkeys can breed at any time of the year.

•Monkeys use vocalisations, facial expressions and body movements to communicate.

•Grinning or pulling the lip is a sign of aggression in monkeys, along with head bobbing and jerking the head and shoulders forward.

•Monkeys express affection and make peace with others by grooming each other.

•Some of the monkeys have prehensile tails, which can grab and hold objects.

•It is common for monkeys to carry tuberculosis, hepatitis, and simian herpes B.

TONGUE TWISTERS BRAIN TEASERS

NEWS

A basket contains five apples. Do you know how to divide them among five children so that each one has an apple and one apple remains in the basket?

Answer: Four children get an apple each and then the fifth child gets an apple with the basket still containing the apple.

Amila Painting Challenge launched

T

here is good news for children who love the Arts, especially Painting. Promasidor Nigeria, makers of Amila drink, recently launched an arts competition tagged, ‘Amila Painting Challenge’ for primary school pupils in Lagos State.

Marketing Director of Promasidor, Mr. Kachi Onubogu, at the official launch affirmed that the aim of the competition is to encourage the kids to paint and have fun while at it.

“Amila Painting Challenge’ is

for pupils at the primary school level in Lagos State as we intend to use Lagos as a pilot for the competition. Pupils will compete on the basis of painting different things. We want to encourage the kids to paint and most especially to have fun. If there’s one thing I want the school to do, it is to allow the kids to have fun while they paint.”

The competition will be in three stages and there are fantastic monetary prizes to be won.

Two girls were born to the same mother, on the same day, at the same time, in the same month and year and yet they are not twins. How can this be?

Answer: The two babies are two of a set of triplets.

A loyal warrior will rarely worry why we rule A bloke’s back bike brake block broke Clean clams crammed in clean cans

New shoes

POEM

Black patent leather Buckles on the toes Click-clack! When I walk My new shoes like to talk Click-clack, there she goes!

RIDDLES

I am round like an apple Flat as a chip I have eyes But I can’t see one bit.

What am I? Answer: A button.

What always goes to sleep with his shoes on?

Answer: A horse.

What is as big as an elephant, looks like an elephant, but has no weight?

Answer: The shadow of an elephant.

POP I have a face but cannot see.

L-R: Mrs. Abiola Inawo, Manager, Brands Group (Food Enhancement and Beverages), Mr. Kachi Onubogu, Marketing Director and Mr. Justin Harris, Category Director all of Promasidor Nigeria Limited at a press briefing on ‘Amila Painting Challenge’ in Lagos.

QUOTE

We know that the outcasts and misfits are the children most likely to become violent, so it only follows that we must pull them into the arms of love and/or acceptance, and find a place where they fit. If our system doesn’t have a place where a child fits, there’s something wrong with the system, not the child.

– William G. Defoore

44

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

45

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Wellness YOUR HEALTH AND HEALTH RELATED ISSUES OCTOBER 7, 2012

World Mental Health Day:

Bipolar disorder: Its symptoms, causes –Experts VANESSA OKWARA

B

assey Ikpi is a Nigerian-born poet, writer and mental health advocate currently living in the United States, US. Her poetry stage performances have given her the opportunity to feature in international shows and awards. She was a featured cast member of the Tony Award-winning Broadway show, Russell Simmon’s Def Poetry Jam in the US. Looking at the beautiful face of Bassey as she puts on an incredible performance of her poems on stage, one would hardly believe such a talented person could have a mental health challenge; but Bassey Ikpi is living with Bipolar disorder and she is not ashamed to let the world know about her condition. This is the reason she created a nonprofit organisation called SIWE Project to be a voice for the mentally challenged people all over the world.

World Mental Health Days were also created by the World Health Organisation (WHO) with similar passions.

Its focus is to raise public awareness about mental health issues. The day promotes open discussion on mental disorders and investments in prevention, promotion and treatment services. Celebrated on October 10 every year, this year’s theme is tagged ‘Depression: A Global crisis’.

• Neurologists say depression is indeed a catalyst for different types of mental illness, and Bipolar disorder is no different. Referring to various medical researches, Bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, is a mental condition that causes serious shifts in mood, energy, thinking, and behaviour – from the highs of mania on one extreme, to the lows of depression on the other. It is a mental illness that is characterised by severe mood swings, repeated episodes of depression, and at least one episode of mania.

Dr. (Mrs.) Grace Temitayo Ijarogbe, a Consultant Psychiatrist with the Child and Adolescent Centre, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Yaba, Lagos, said statistically, Nigeria is faced with a large percentage of depressed people but it is not up 20 million that was originally pegged.

“According to the report from the National Institute of Mental Health, the risk of depression is equal in both boys and girls in early childhood. That risk rises to twofold in girls than boys during adolescence. About 2.5 per cent (2 million) children and 8.5 per cent (7 million) adolescent suffer from depression; new cases are emerging earlier than previously seen. Over 30 per cent (2.1million) of adolescents with depression will attempt suicide while 3-4 per cent (284,000) will die from suicide eventually. About one in every eight women would suffer from depression at least

Those living with Bipolar disorder are constantly on medication to live a normal life.

Dr. Temitope Ijarogbe

Bassey Ikpi, living with Bipolar 2 disorder

Facts World Mental Health Days were created by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to raise public awareness about mental health issues.

Depression is a catalyst for different types of mental illnesses and Bipolar disorder is no different.

If the public attitude towards the mentally ill changes, those who feel out of touch with this world won’t feel the need to hide in shadows; dealing with the disease on their own. once in their lifetime and risk of depression in women is higher being 20-26 per cent as against the 8-12 per cent in men no matter the race or ethnicity,’’ she revealed.

To get a first-hand information on how this diseases affect the sufferer, Ikpi told Sunday Mirror how she got di-

Bauchi earmarks N66m for polio immunisation Bauchi State Government is to spend more than N66 million on the forthcoming Polio Immunisation Plus Days (IPDs) to be conducted in the state’s 20 local government areas.

The Executive Secretary, Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BSPHCDA), Dr Nisser Umar, stated this in the state

while briefing newsmen.

He said N10 million was disbursed to the 20 councils’ task force teams to boost eradication of polio, adding that 2.22 million units of detergents were procured and distributed across the state.

Umar said that 2.22million children under the age of five across the state are

expected to be captured during the four-day exercise, adding that appropriate strategies are being employed to ensure that the targeted population was vaccinated.

He said this would be through the use of local community members as vaccinators, with a ward head in each team supervising it.

agnosed with Bipolar disorder: “I was under severe stress doing a lot of shows and tours for my poetry performances when I cracked. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had a breakdown in the dressing room when we were in Chicago Illinois. It was probably one of the frightening moments of my life. I had what they call a mixed episode. This means that I was depressed and manic at the exact time, which is the most physical uncomfortable feeling imaginable. I was sent home and went to see doctors. I was diagnosed with Bipolar 11 disorders.”

Ikpi described how difficult living with Bipolar disorder can be. “In order for me, and millions of people both in treatment and out, to live the lives that most take for granted, it takes a combination of pills, therapy, trigger avoidance, diet changes, lifestyle changes. I’ve probably had to change it in the last six years in order to lead a “normal life. And for me and many like me, “normal” means the ability to get out of bed every morning. The ability to have a conversation without checking to make sure my speech CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

HEALTH NEWS

Self medication can cause kidney disease -Experts Some medical experts have warned parents against engaging in self medication in the treatment of their children, saying it may cause kidney disease.

A pediatrician at the Osun State University Teaching Hospital in Osogbo, Dr Henry Onyia, gave the warning in Osogbo.

Onyia said the most

endangered were those who engaged in self medication or use traditional herbs continuously.

According to him, using medicine without knowing the proper dosage can cause liver damage.

“Whatever is bad for the heart is also bad for the kidney, therefore parents should be aware of the danger,” he

said.

Onyia stressed that drug abuse has a lot of social, health and psychological implications on children.

He stressed that self medication could have negative effects on the brains of children, adding that residents, especially mothers, should not buy drugs without a doctor’s prescription.

46

Wellness

Know your organs

I

Sunday, October 7, 2012

The human appendix

n human anatomy, the appendix (or vermiform appendix; or caecal appendix is a blind ended tube connected to the cecum (or caecum), from which it develops embryologically. The cecum is a pouch-like structure of the colon. The appendix is near the junction of the small intestine and the large intestine.

The term “vermiform” comes from Latin and means “worm-like in appearance”.

Its form The appendix regulars 10 cm in length, but can range from two to 20 cm. The diameter of the appendix is usually between seven and eight mm.

The longest appendix ever removed measured 26 cm in Zagreb, Croatia. The appendix is located in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen, or more specifically, the right iliac fossa The open central core of the appendix drains into the cecum. The inner lining of the appendix produces a small amount of mucus that flows through the open central core of the appendix and into the cecum. The wall of the appendix contains lymphatic tissue that is part of the immune system for making antibodies. Like the rest of the colon, the wall of the appendix also contains a layer of muscle, but the layer of muscle is poorly developed.

Scientists and its support for immune system The main function of the appendix is unknown. In the past, the appendix was considered an evolutionary leftover. Now, however, scientists acknowledge that the appendix helps support the immune system in two ways. It helps tell lympho-

cytes where they need to go to fight an infection and it boosts the large intestine’s immunity to a variety of foods and drugs. The latter helps keep your gastrointestinal tract from getting inflamed in response to certain food and medications you ingest.

The appendix can become inflamed. If an inflamed appendix is not treated immediately the appendix can burst.

Appendicitis and Carcinoid Syndrome are the most common conditions that affect the appendix.

Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix.

Carcinoid syndrome is a condition where caracinoid tumors grow in the appendix. The tumors may spread to other parts of the body.

Biological effect Given the appendix’s propensity to cause death via infection, and the seeming perfect health of those who have had their appendix removed, the biological purpose of the appendix has mystified scientists for some time. There have been cases of people who have been found, usually on laparoscopy or laparotomy, to have a congenital absence of an appendix. There have been no reports of impaired immune or gastrointestinal function in these people.

The most common complications of appendicitis are abscess and peritonitis. The most common symptoms of appendicitis are abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomitting, fever, and abdominal tenderness. Appendicitis usually is suspected on the basis of a patient’s history and physical examination; however, a white blood cell count, urinalysis, abdominal X-ray, barium enema, ultrasonography, CT scan, and laparoscopy also may be helpful in diagnosis. The treatment for appendicitis usually is antibiotics and appendectomy (appendectomy or surgery to remove the appendix). Complications of appendectomy include wound infection and abscess.

Other conditions that can mimic appendicitis include Meckel’s diverticulitis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), inflammatory diseases of the right upper abdomen (gallbladder disease, liver disease, or perforated duodenal ulcer), right-sided diverticulitis, and kidney diseases.

Head injury (2) Head injuries due to bleeding are often classified by the location of the blood within the skull.

• Epidural hematoma: With an epidural hematoma, the bleeding is located between the dura mater and the skull. This is often present along the side of the head where the middle meningeal artery runs in a groove along the temporal bone. This bone is relatively thin and offers less protection than other parts of the skull.

As the bleeding continues, the hematoma or clot expands.

There is little space in the skull for the hematoma to grow and as it expands, the adjacent brain tissue is compressed. As the pressure increases, the whole brain begins to shift and becomes compressed against the bones of the skull. The pressure tends to build quickly because the septae that attach the dura to the skull bones create small spaces that trap blood. Symptoms of head injury and decreased level of consciousness occur as the pressure increases.

• Subdural hematoma: A subdural hematoma is located beneath the dura mater (sub=below), between it and the arachnoid ma-

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Your

BONE Health with Dr. Olatunji Idowu

ter. Blood in this space is able to dissipate into a larger space because there are no septae limiting the blood flow. However, after a period of time, the amount of bleeding may cause increased pressure and cause symptoms similar to those seen with an epidural hematoma.

• Subarachnoid bleed: Subarachnoid bleeding occurs in the space beneath the arachnoid layer where the CSF is located.

Often there is intense headache and vomiting with subarachnoid bleeding. Because this space connects with the spinal canal, pressure build-up tends not to occur.

However, this injury often occurs in combination with the other types of bleeding in the brain, and the symptoms can be compounded.

• Intra-cerebral bleed: Intra-cerebral bleeding occurs within the brain tissue itself.

Sometimes the amount of bleeding is small, but like bruising in any other part of the body, swelling or edema may occur over a period of time, causing a progressive decrease in the level of consciousness and other symptoms of head injury.

If you have any problem or question about your musculoskeletal system (bones, joints and muscles) do send me a mail at tunjiidowu@live.com for advice. Meanwhile, your comments and feedback on the issues discussed are highly welcomed.

Treat people with mental issues as humans CONTINUED FROM PAGE 45

isn’t too pressured or I’m not laughing too loudly or too inappropriately. These are things that many take for granted every day,’’ she bemoaned.

Psychiatric experts agree that Bipolar disorder has three main types: • People with Bipolar disorder type I have had at least one manic episode and periods of major depression. In the past, Bipolar disorder type I was called manic depression.

• People with Bipolar disorder type II have never had full mania. Instead they experience periods of high energy levels and impulsiveness that are not as extreme as mania (called hypomania).

These periods alternate with episodes of depression.

• A mild form of Bipolar disorder called Cyclothymia involves less severe mood swings. People with this form alternate between hypomania and mild depression. People with bipolar disorder type II or cyclothymia may be wrongly diagnosed as having depression but there is a significant difference between depression and Bipolar disorders.

In most people with Bipolar disorder,

there is no clear cause for the manic or depressive episodes. External environmental and psychological factors are also believed to be involved in the development.

These external factors are called triggers: stress, medication, substance abuse, sleep deprivation and seasonal changes such as child birth.

Some symptoms associated with Bipolar disorder are a mixture of both depression and mania.

Depressive symptoms may include: • persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood • loss of interest in activities once previously enjoyed • excessive crying • increased restlessness and irritability • decreased ability to concentrate and make decisions • thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts • increased feelings of guilt, helplessness, and/or hopelessness • weight and/or appetite changes due to over- or under-eating • changes in sleep patterns Manic symptoms may include: • overly inflated self-esteem • decreased need for rest and sleep

• increased distractibility and irritability • increased physical agitation • excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that may result in painful consequence; this may include provocative, aggressive, or destructive behaviour • increased talkativeness • excessive “high” or euphoric feelings • increased sex drive • increased energy level • uncharacteristically poor judgment People who are depressive or have the symptoms associated with Bipolar disorder are usually suicidal. Dr Ijarogbe explains: “If faced with a situation, they feel hopeless and depressed about and he/ she is allowed to be in that state for a certain period of time without proper help and counseling, they can commit suicide.

Depression is one of the foremost signs a person with suicidal tendencies often exhibits.”

She advised those who have noticed that they exhibit some of the symptoms of Bipolar disorder to seek psychiatrist help immediately. She also called for more mental health awareness programs to be designed by the government so that people can do periodic checkups on their

mental health state.

Ikpi equally called for respect for the mentally challenged people, calling for them to be treated also as human beings than outcasts in the society.

“The national conversation around mental illness and health care must change. Not because we need to target the mentally ill before they cause violence to others, but because we have to allow the space for those who don’t feel “right” to be open about their issues. Mentally ill people don’t want to be mentally ill any more than a cancer patient wants to have a body attacked by tumors. But one ailment is afforded the luxury of empathy and compassion, while the other is filled with derision and offensive commentary and speculation as though we’re no longer dealing with human beings. If the public attitude towards the mentally ill changes, those who feel out of touch with this world won’t feel the need to hide in shadows; dealing with the disease on their own. The families of those with mental illness can seek help for their loved ones and there can finally be healing of hearts, minds, compassion and empathy for those who struggle on any front,” Ikpi said.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

47

Business FRESH BUSINESS NEWS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS October 7, 2012

Mr. Robert Orya, Managing Director, NEXIM Bank

Kingsley Moghalu, Deputy Governor, CBN

NEXIM Bank: Focusing on unserved markets, back to profitability UDO ONYEKA

A

fter years of a lack of focus and obvious poor performance, the Nigerian Export Import (NEXIM) Bank is back on track as a result of total overhaul of its activities and functions. The aim of the restructure, Sunday Mirror gathered was to reverse the numerous challenges facing the financial institution and also to ensure that it is able to contribute to the economic development of Nigeria.

The reconstitution of the board of directors of the bank on 14th August 2009 and appointment of a new Executive Management Team, headed by Mr. Roberts U. Orya, as Chief Executive Officer and Dr. Kingsley Moghalu, Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as board chairman, was the beginning of the turnaround.

The Bank has since started reaping the gains of this transformation exercise as it has been fully repositioned to deliver on its mandate through a robust strategy and highly skilled and motivated personnel.

According to Orya, fresh capital injection from the shareholders as well as other institutional support through supervisory and regulatory

oversight of the CBN and Federal Ministry of Finance have increased the Bank’s capacity to support the growth of the non-oil exports and complement the export credit support of the commercial banks.

He said the Bank was able to support Nigerian exporters majorly the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to the tune of N23.33 billion and also issued Guarantees valued at $27.3 million between 2009 and August 2012 to the bank’s target sectors like manufacturing, agro-processing, solid minerals and services with high growth potentials.

Speaking further on the three-year turnaround performance scorecard of the executive management of the Bank, Orya said that within 16 months of assumption of duty, the management turned around the fortunes of the Bank from negative to positive, with an impressive performance in year 2010.

“With an audited profit of N189.00 million in 2010 as against the loss of N5.460 billion incurred in 2009, we recorded a complete departure from the past. It is gratifying to inform that the Bank also improved on its performance in 2011, which is however being audited. From January 2012 to date, the Bank has continued with its impressive profit making trend”.

It was gathered that the bank would be able to facilitate the generation of estimated foreign exchange earnings of US$189.20 million annually.

With the turnaround, the Bank ensured an appreciable return on the equity investment of the shareholders, as dividend for the 2010 financial year has been paid making it the first time since year 2003 when dividend was last paid.

The Bank in the period under review achieved a cumulative loan recovery of N1.3 billion. “Loan recovery continues to be a challenge and the major focus of the management, with renewed and aggressive measures put in place to recover the delinquent loans. In that regard a Remedial Management Department has been specifically created to intensify the Bank’s debt recovery drive and ensure that its portfolio remains healthy”, Orya said.

The NEXIM boss said that for the bank to be where it was currently, the management undertook a Corporate Transformation Exercise centered on the key perspectives of strategy, risk management and corporate governance, financial performance, organization and people, with assistance from KPMG Professional Services.

“The Corporate Transformation Project led to the re-definition of the

PROSHARE, CMA TO BOOST CAPITAL MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

48

Bank’s mission, vision and strategic objectives, with the intention of channelling its resources into the development of four sectors, namely manufacturing, agro-processing, solid minerals and services, which have high level of employment and foreign exchange earning potentials in the non-oil sector of the Nigerian economy.

“The agreed strategic objectives were: to have a clear market focus and become a major contributor to non-oil exports, to build a world class institution which imbibes corporate governance and risk management practices, to be a relevant player in the export market.”

The Bank also defined its business posture going forward as that of complementing the role of the commercial banks and other Development Financial Institutions (DFI’s) by focusing on the unserved markets, especially in ECOWAS countries.

The Bank was able to transform its human capital with the engagement of highly skilled and motivated personnel such as The Chief Risk Officer, Internal Auditor, Head Strategic Planning, Head Remedial Management, Head Strategic Planning and Head Corporate Communications, while adopting a performance-driven culture along the balanced scorecard perspectives, to drive and measure the Bank’s performance.

Apart from transforming its internal activities, the financial institution has been able to enter into new alliances such as intraregional trade with the launching of ECOWAS Trade Support Facility (ETSF), the Borderless Alliance (an initiative of the USAID/ West African Trade Hub) to progress the regional initiative aimed at removing non-tariff barriers, commissioning of study on regional Sealink project for Central & West Africa and development of the facility guidelines for the creative arts and Entertainment Industry.

These initiatives, the NEXIM boss said, have been helpful to the organization and the nation at large, especially in the area of job creation.

For instance the creative arts and entertainment industry collaboration with the bank has seen the bank intervene by extending loans to eligible companies in all the value-chain within the creative arts and entertainment industry under the Nigerian Creative Arts & Entertainment Industry Facility Scheme.

Orya said “the total funding support to the Industry by NEXIM comprised of N700 million and N536 million disbursed amounts to six beneficiary cli-

ents. The Bank’s contributions are essentially towards ensuring that the industry operates in a structured manner and within global best practice standards”.

Sunday Mirror was told that the bank went into collaboration with the entertainment sub sector because of the growing profile of the industry.

In order to boost its activities, the bank is also facilitating intraregional trade in line with its strategic objectives of export diversification and deepening value-added non-oil exports. To this end the bank is in the fore front of establishing a dedicated sea link project. This project, it was gathered, would enhance competitiveness of Nigerian exports, thereby improving the contribution of manufactured exports from the current level of under 6 per cent, enable NEXIM achieve its projected credit growth towards improving intra-regional trade from current intra-regional trade levels to a minimum of 15 per cent annually and stimulating private sector funding for the development of key maritime infrastructure with the national benefit of improving the level of intra-regional formal trade among other benefits.

The Bank was established by Act 38 of 1991 as an Export Credit Agency (ECA) with a share capital of N50, 000,000,000 (Fifty billion naira) held equally by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The Bank thus replaced the Nigerian Export Credit Guarantee & Insurance Corporation earlier set up under Act 15 of 1988.

Some of the statutory functions of the bank include; provision of export credit guarantee and export credit insurance facilities to its clients, provision of credit in local currency to its clients in support of exports, establishment and management of funds connected with exports, maintaining a foreign exchange revolving fund for lending to exporters who need to import foreign inputs to facilitate export production, maintaining a trade information system in support of export business and providing of a domestic credit insurance where such a facility is likely to assist exports.

The Bank presently provides short and medium term loans to Nigerian exporters. It also provides short term guarantees for loans granted by Nigerian Banks to exporters as well as credit insurance against political and commercial risks in the event of non-payment by foreign buyers. The Bank is equally the government’s National Guarantor under the ECOWAS Inter-state Road Transit programme.

THE PRINCIPLE OF VIRTUE ASSUMPTION

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48

Business

Sunday October 7, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Proshare, CMA to boost capital market opportunities

Property Watch •For Lagos area as at Friday Oct. 5, 2012 A. Building materials Cement: Dangote Cement per bag of 50 kg.......N1,800 Burham Cement per bag of 50kg.......N1,800 Elephant Cement…………………N1,800 Sandcrete blocks 6 inches sandcrete block ..........N130 9 inches sandcrete block ..........N150 Sand Sand per tipper load .......... N12,000 Sharp sand (double) ..........N22,000 Gravel (single) ...................N18,000 Gravel (double) ..................N23,000 Granite ...............................N120,000 Reinforcement 8mm(153) pieces per ton (N125,000 10mm (153) pieces per ton .......... N135,000 12mm ............................................N161,000 16mm ........................................N172,000 20mm (53) pieces ....................N122,000

L ANRE OYETADE

T

he Capital Market Academy (CMA) London and Proshare Nigeria Limited’s forthcoming interactive workshop on “Building Foundations for Growth” promises to help develop opportunities in the Nigerian capital market.

The Managing Director, CMA, London, Delme Thompson, who spoke at a media parley made this disclosure in Lagos on Thursday.

According to Thompson, the CMA is not just another training company from London, but its vision is to come alongside emerging markets, engage the local communities, find out their needs and work with them to be able to have access to global standard

learning that will help them maximize their potentials in their field of expertise.

“The programme that we run is developed and designed with and for the local market place. Our vision is to come alongside emerging markets, find out their needs and work alongside them to be able to have access to global standard learning so as to help them develop their potentials in their respective business areas,” he affirmed.

“We had a long thought of holding this training in Nigeria with the vision, ethos and values that we see in the Nigerian capital market. Within a month of setting CMA, experienced businessmen and Nigerians in the UK said we have to look at Nigeria,” he said.

The MD of The Capital Market Academy London said

they desire to see progress and change in the Nigerian Capital Market.

Speaking at the occasion, Taba Peterside, General Manager, Listing, Sales & Retention at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) said the NSE had been talking with Thompson for awhile on the workshop.

She affirmed that, on the part of the NSE, the workshop is a welcome development and no country can build up its capital market without education across the board of all market stakeholders.

Peterside expressed the delight of the Stock Exchange to be part of the event; especially providing the hosting venue and hoped the workshop will be of value to its participants.

On his part, Olufemi Awoyemi, Managing Director/Chief

‘Why we are holding non-oil export conference’

Wood Timber (hard) 1x1x12 ..........N1,000 Timber (hard) 2x2x12 ..........N600 Timber (hard) 2x4x12 ..........N700 Soft wood 2x2x12 ..........N250 2x3x12 ..........N300

A

Plywood 3x3x6-----------------N3,500 2x4x8-----------------N2,400 Roofing Sheet Corrugated iron sheet per bundle ...N10,000 Asbestos 4x8 per piece ..................N1,600 Asbestos (solo) ............................N1,100 B. Landed property Focus area: Lagos Mainland 1. Four bedroom detached house with BQ at Omole Phase 11, Kosofe -----N40m Estimated price in 5 years------------N60m 2. 800 square metres at block 47 at Isheri North Estate, Lagos ---------- N6m Estimated price in 5 years----------N15m 3. 6 bedroom wing of duplex plus BQ at Adeniyi Jones off Opebi, Lagos------- N55m Estimated price in 5 years------------N100m 4. A land measuring 5.081 square metre at Ajasa, Ipaja, Lagos------------------------------N25m Estimated price in 5 years---------N50m 5. 2 nos bungalows on 800 square metres along Oba Akran, Lagos----------------N150m Estimated price in 5 years----------N250m 6. 1.12 acres of land with uncompleted building at Marwa Road, Satellite Town, Lagos---------------------------------------------------N1,5bn Estimated price in 5 years------------------N2bn 7. Uncompleted block of flats at Isheri -Osun, Lagos--------------------------------------------------N15m Estimated price in 5 years-------N20m 8. Four bedroom duplex at Gbagada------N18m Estimated price in 5 years-----------N30m 9. 8 nos of 3bedroom flats with BQ at Surulere, Lagos---------------------------------N80m Estimated price in 5 years----------N100m 10. A detached house at Oke Ira, Ogba, Lagos--------------------------------------------------N22m Estimated price in 5 years---------N35m •Compiled by Dayo Ayeyemi, E-mail: dayoayeyemi@yahoo.com

Executive Officer, Proshare, said the workshop was part of the way to develop the Nigerian capital market in terms of resource levels, knowledge gap and Businesses.

“Our work at Proshare - and it’s been a very simple one - is to provide a window through which stakeholders would be able to interact with the market proper,” he said.

He further affirmed that the knowledge and skills gaps, and change in mindset required was more of a driving force for Proshare as a Capital Market Analyst Firm to see how people can learn with the so much happening in the capital market.

The workshop comes up on October 08 to October 10, 2012 at the Training Room of the Nigerian Stock Exchange in Lagos, Nigeria.

CEO, Proshare Nigeria, Olufemi Awoyemi (left) and MD, Capital Market Academy, UK, Delme Thompson at the Proshare Capital Market Academy parley in Lagos on Thursday.

NACCIMA backs Aba International Trade Fair

P

resident of Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA), Chief Eleanya Okoroji, has said on Saturday that the Aba International Trade Fair, which will hold from Nov.12 to Nov. 22, had received the support of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).

Okoroji told newsmen in Aba, that “NACCIMA has licensed ACCIMA to organise the trade fair to boost the image of Nigeria and it would be the best of its kind. We are ready to give Nigeria’s economy a boost.”

Okoroji said that ACCIMA was partnering AIITEX Consortium to ensure the success of the trade fair aimed at repositioning the garment and leather industry for which Aba was mainly noted.

He said that the theme of the fair, “Boosting Nigeria’s Economy through Production for Export’’, was also aimed at revitalising and diversifying

Nigerian economy in general and the Aba business environment in particular.

He said that it would also promote Nigeria’s non-oil exports, made-in-Nigeria products and agriculture and agro-based industry, among others.

Okoroji said that participants from China, Vietnam, South Korea and Turkey had made commitments to participate in the fair.

He said that the organisers were liaising with various embassies alongside federal and state governments to ensure adequate security for both the foreign and local participants.

He commended the support of the state governor, Chief Theodore Orji, to the business community in Aba, particularly on security, which had brought improved business activity to the commercial city.

The chairman of the trade fair management team, Mr Philip Ekwempu, said that it was anticipating about 200, 000 visitors from within and

outside the country, including businessmen and foreign and local investors.

He said that participation was open to business organisations in Nigeria, overseas organisations, governments, ECOWAS member states, diplomatic missions and trade representatives.

A member of the planning committee, Mr Chucks Okoye, urged investors and businessmen, particularly Nigerians, to avail themselves of the opportunity to improve on their enterprises.

He said that Aba was the epicentre of business in the South East and a gate way to the oilrich Niger Delta, serving as a natural trade route both by rail and road to various Nigerian cities.

“Nigeria is the largest market in Africa with unique opportunities for trade and investment in almost all its economic sectors, and the timing of the fair is a unique opportunity,’’ he said.

n Export Consultant and Chief Executive Officer of Koinonia Ventures Limited, Mr. Olufemi Boyede, has said that the need for a virile non-oil export sector in Nigeria informed the Nigerian Non-Oil Export Conference, Exhibition and Awards being planned for next month in Abuja, Nigeria.

The conference is expected to attract investors from across the world and leading players in the non-oil export sector in Nigeria.

In a chat with reporters at his Lagos office, Boyede said the need for a well coordinated non- oil sector could not be over-emphasised pointing out that “What is crucial to the nonoil export sector in Nigeria is branding and quality. We have the products, we have the manpower, we have what the outside world wants but many players in the non-oil sector don’t know how to present these products in a way that will make the outside world attracted to them” He explained further that the conference would focus on marketing, branding and incentives.

“The problem of Nigeria’s manufacturers has been that of quality. Whether you are looking at the agricultural products or finished goods, it is still a question of quality,” he said Boyede, who has organised several non-oil export-oriented conferences in Europe and Nigeria, informed that the Conference would examine all issues related to quality as the session on Quality would be ignited by a lead speaker from the European Union who understands what quality is all about, and can therefore guide Nigerian exporters into how to easily penetrate the European market.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business

Sunday October 7, 2012

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The principle of Virtue Assumption YOU DO NOT GET A RAISE ON THE PROMISE OF BETTER PERFORMANCE; Inspirati with Lanre

Oyetade

NMMA Capital Market Award Winner 2004, 2005 E-mail: lanreoyetade@gmail.com, 08039428648

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e recently discussed, in some detail, the power inherent in the practice of audible autosuggestion, pointing out that we can actually speak words tallying with our desires to ourselves; and that we can keep reaffirming what we desire to our own loud hearing in our moments of devotion and meditation until the subconscious mind catches the message and influences conscious actions and efforts on a continuous basis. Particularly, I pointed out that King David and the Lord Jesus Christ employed this principle extensively in the course of their earthly lives.

Today, we treated its twin principle - that of virtue assumption, as a complementary philosophy.

Part of a whole

Like I pointed out at the beginning, these dual concepts are in line with what we shall be discussing over time aimed towards bringing out the most in all readers, mentally and materially, and we shall, God willing, continue in this line of espousing concepts that will see us become the best we can, in our journey on the path of personal effectiveness.

The principle of Virtue Assumption

According to Sidney Newton Bremer,

Money Consult Your money questions Y t answered E-mail: lanreoyetade@gmail.com, 08039428648

Quick returns from stocks still possible?

Dear Lanre, Can one still make quick returns from stocks? What’s your take on this?

Chris, 07061643862.

Dear Chris, Yes, there are still chances of quick returns from stocks but these are quite slim for now.

Small investor dreams big Dear Lanre, I am a small investor with great hope. I need your advice on ways to be successful in terms of using small money to invest in shares for short periods, and also how to get your book. Please help.

David, Benin, 08096954875.

Dear David, The stock market is NOT meant to be a short-term trading market but a long-term investment vehicle to put funds into for long term projects. If you are looking for a shorttem market, I will suggest you try the money market, which you can access through your bank. However, the returns from the money market are usually not as large as those from the capital market. In order to get my book, please call me on 08039428648.

Conoil Registrars please Dear Lanre, Sir, kindly direct me to the Registrars of National Oil (now Conoil) and how to get my bonus certificate since 2001.

Salaudeen Taiwo, 08033619848.

Dear Salaudeen,

YOU GET A RAISE ON THE DEMONSTRATION OF BETTER PERFORMANCE - ANONYMOUS virtue, simply defined, is goodness or moral excellence. But I wish to add that, in my opinion, virtue is any positive attribute that one may have or desire in order to become a better human being.

You may therefore desire to be a more knowledgeable person, or a better qualified person, or a more resource-prudent person or even a more patient person. The position of this principle is that your getting there will be made all the easier if you start assuming that virtue now in faith and start acting according to your new ‘assumptions’.

How the principle works

So for instance, you desire to be a more resource-prudent person i.e. you want to spend your money more wisely? Well, start now by assuming you are a more prudent person already. Fix in your mind the image of a hypothetical individual, say Mr. P. who is much more prudent than yourself and whose prudence you would like to emulate. Then constantly ask yourself at every point and especially at moments of expenditure the questions; how would Mr. P act in this situation? How would he budget his money? What would he buy and what wouldn’t he? What investment decisions would he take and how would he ensure that he is taking care of his future so that his future would take care of him in return? Then go right ahead and act in like manner. That, in essence, is virtue assumption, for you are already assuming a virtue you desire in Mr. P.

The Registrars to Conoil Plc are Sterling Registrars Limited, 8th floor, Knight Frank Building, 24 Campbell Street, Lagos. You can also reach them on telephone numbers 01-2635607, 2646582 or through email address ntsl@nalbank.com.ng. However, I will advise that you see them personally in order to resolve this matter quickly.

In need of finance and leasing company Dear Lanre.

Good morning sir. How are you and the family? We are seriously in need a finance and leasing company to finance lease trucks for haulage of rice and fertiliser from the Lagos port to different cities and towns in Nigeria.

We need you to advise us. While awaiting your earliest response, we remain yours faithfully.

Reader.

Dear Reader, Please call me on 08039428648 for appropriate advice.

Multiple streams of income Dear Lanre, This is my first time to read about you. May God bless you and help you as you’re helping others. Please I want to start printing recharge vouchers but I don’t know how to get the software and how to start. Can I start with N30,000? Please help me. I need your reply, if possible today. Thanks.

Olumide Aiyela, 08073068302.

Dear Olumide, While yours is a commendable effort to create an extra source of income, I do not have much know-how in this field but I am certain that there are quite a number of credible organisations that you can join. I will advise that you do some asking around to discover some of such bodies that organise such trainings. For instance, I understand there is an organisation that regularly features on LTV (Lagos Television) on this. So you may want to make enquiries at the LTV Station

Look out for ‘virtuous’ associates

You may even be more fortunate if you have a particular friend, relative or colleague in whom you see a virtue you desire; then just tailor your behaviour towards his or hers in this line (of course making allowances for individual differences) and with time and the repetition of actions, the concept of habit would take over and these repeated actions would sooner or later become one of your habits too.

Are you a student that wants to make fantastic grades? Well assume the virtues of students that make such grades, including hard work, network studying and determination.

Assume that virtue, now!

Like I said one time back, upon my entry into the University of Benin in the mid80s, I resolved to make very good grades and discreetly wrote in a small corner of my jotter the resolve that I would make ‘all round above-90 As!’ Such was my resolve, and this was backed up with the appropriate actions. I was assuming the virtues of a studious person.

Well, as it is popularly said, you aim for the sun so that you would at least land on the moon, which is not a bad bargain: I did not make all round above 90 ‘As’ but I ended up making quite good grades, and this was simply because I assumed the resolve and virtues of students that were doing well.

Stay inspired, assume the right virtues, and make the most of your life!

at Agindingbi in Ikeja, Lagos concerning the matter.

I desire change of address!

Dear Lanre, Sir, can I change the address I used when I bought my IPO shares to my CSCS account?

I am relocating so that I can get my bonus or any other thing from the company.

Reader, 08052786826.

Dear Reader, Yes, you can change your address but you may need to visit the Registrar(s) to the company(ies) whose shares you bought to effect this.

I need investment experience Dear Lanre, Good day to you sir. How is work today? I am a student member of C I S {level 2} and I just came across a recent edition of the Sunday Mirror newspaper today. I am passionately interested in investment and capital market matters and I have been seeking to have experience in this area. Please, I need your assistance. I will really appreciate it if you could just connect me with an investment firm where I can have the experience. At present, I have not gotten a job. I am looking forward to your response. Regards, Adnika Adeojo M, 0809973500.

Dear Adeojo, There are quite a number of investment firms, both of stock broking and other natures, which you can apply to for experience on the job. However, I will advise that you complete you CIS examinations, as this will give you better leverage and bargaining power. However, in the event that you still want to contact a stock broking firm now you can get a copy of my work, titled, ‘Stock market/ investment manual’, which contains a list of registered stockbrokers, according to their areas of location in alphabetic order, among some other investment tips.

Wealth Nuggets ‘Top 10’ You manage things; you lead people –Grace Murray hopper A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them –Anonymous I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody –Bill Cosby You are the same today that you are going to be five years from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read –Charles ‘Tremendous’ Jones A ship in a habour is safe but that is not what ships were built for –Anonymous You can have brilliant ideas but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere –Lee Lacocca Asking “who ought to be the boss?” is like asking “who ought to be the tenor in the quartet?” Obviously, the man who can sing tenor.

–Henry Ford Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm –Ralph Waldo Emerson

The single most important factor in determining the climate of an organisation is the top executive –Charles Galloway The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and selfrestraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.

–Theodore Roosevelt

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Zonal News

Sunday October 7, 2012

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NORTH WEST

NORTH CENTRAL

Dantong: Fear, apathy Zamfara to assist mar Plateau by-election widows get married JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

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he Plateau North Senatorial and Barkin Ladi state constituency bye elections were held yesterday amid tight security .The exercise also witnessed low turn-out of voters in most of the polling units.

An early morning rain also prevented people from coming out to vote. The rain, which started at about 1145 am, lasted till about 1.45 pm.

The governor had to wait after the rains to cast his vote after undergoing the accreditation process.

In the Jos North and Jos South Local Government areas, it was observed that the Hausa community appeared to have made up their mind not to vote as none of them was seen at the polling units.

At majority of the polling booths in Alikazaure, Bauchi Road, Rikkos, Gangere, Masalachin Juma’a, Old Bukuru Park and Dadin Kowa, residents preferred to stay at home while youths played football along the lonely road.

Also, other areas dominated by other tribes, few people came out for accrediting, mostly out of

fear of a likely breakdown of law and order.

The situation was not helped by conflicting directives from the independent National Electoral Commission.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Habu Zarma, had at a stakeholders meeting said that those without voter card would not be allowed to vote, but sensing that the turnout might be low, the state’s Independent National Electoral Commission started announcing on the state radio that people without cards could still vote in as much as they can identify themselves.

In Riyom, home of the late former Senator, Gyang Dantong, whose seat was being contested, most of the voters preferred to go to their farms in protest against the statement allegedly meted out to the wife of the late senator. People of the area had anticipated that she would be asked to replace her husband, just as the late Gyang Fulani’s wife was picked by PDP to replace her husband.

But in other local government areas of Barakin Ladi, Jos South, the turnout was relatively large. Four of the

six candidates are from these local government areas Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang voted at his Ladura Du polling around 2pm The PDP candidate, Mr. Gyang Pwajok, voted at his Angwan Dalyop polling unit in Alikazaure ward of Jos North, Speaking variously after casting their votes, Jang and Pwajok, expressed satisfaction at the voter turnout in their units.

Governor Jonah Jang said he was certain of victory for the PDP While six parties, Action Congress of Nigeria, People’s Democratic Party, All Progressive Grand Alliance, Democratic People’s Party, All Nigeria People’s Party and the Labour Party, fielded candidates for the senatorial election, only three of them presented candidates for the House of Assembly election.

The two seats became vacant on July 8 following the death of Senator Gyang Dantong and former Majority Leader, Mr. Gyang Fulani, while leading a funeral procession for victims of sectarian clashes between the Berom farmers and Fulani herdsmen.

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he Zamfara State Government says it has concluded plans to assist widows to fund their marriages in order to reduce the burden they face.

The Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Hajiya Bilkisu Ahmad, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau.

She said that the ministry was collaborating with stakeholders to identify such women and counsel them toward a happy and enduring married life.

She said that the idea which received the bless-

ings of the state governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, led to the receipt of some necessary materials needed to contract the wedding under the government’s sponsorship.

She said that efforts were being made to consult with traditional rulers on the best ways the ceremonies could be made to last.

She cited the example of Kano which started implementing similar exercise.

Ahmad said that the ministry, with the support of the traditional rulers would also counsel would-be husbands to

be of good behaviours to their wives so that better families could evolve under the scheme.

She, however, noted that the state government alone could not handle the matter and implored all wellto-do individuals to contribute toward ensuring the success of the scheme.

The commissioner, who could not say the number of women involved, said: ``This is still being worked out and we will contact all the affected women to come forward as soon as we finish the paper works so that the programme can start in earnest.’

Kwankwaso signs N21.1bn budget K

ano State Governor, Rabi’u Kwankwaso, has signed into law, a supplementary budget of N21.1billion following its assent by the state House of Assembly.

Speaking shortly after signing the document, Kwankwaso explained that the budget would enable the state government to execute some important projects before the end of year.

The projects include the completion of a School for Basic Midwifery at Gezawa, the senate build-

ing of the new Northwest University and a road on Kwarin Gogau in Fagge local government area.

He said government had completed all the necessary arrangements to start the construction of a flyover at Kofar Nasarawa in the state capital.

Access roads within the area were also being rehabilitated to ease traffic congestion when the project execution commences.

The governor also met with the 44 local government Interim Manage-

ment Officers in the state to discuss modalities for the execution of various projects in their respective areas.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the projects include construction of crafts schools, schools for Arabic studies, fencing and electrification of graveyards and construction of roads.

He attributed the delay in the payment of September salaries of local government workers to the problems facing biometric registration exercise.

Polio: Jigawa to prosecute parents who reject vaccine

T Senatorial candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Gyang Pwajok (left), being accredited at Ali-Kazaure ward during the Plateau North Senatorial District by-election in Jos, yesterday.

Muslim group tasks Nigerians on peace T he Muslim Congress said yesterday in Abuja that the current insecurity in the country would be a forgone issue when Nigerians uphold the principles of peaceful coexistence.

Iman Luqman Abdurraheem, the amir of the congress, said this while delivering a lecture entitled, ``Peaceful Coexistence: the Islamic Perspective’’ at a special annual lecture to

mark the nation’s independence anniversary.

Abdurraheem said that peaceful coexistence would be sustained in Nigeria when its citizens realised the need for deep conviction that peaceful coexistence is non-negotiable in a plural society.

He said that establishing a peaceful society “is a must and hence the need to entrench peace in all

communities’’.

The imam said that the government should educate the populace, using sermons, on the ethics of peace, adding that there was a need to forge interfaith harmony.

He said that “Islam is not a religion of violence and thus, does not reckon with those who kill and destroy people of other religions’’ in the name of cleansing or fighting for Allah.

he Jigawa State Government yesterday said it would prosecute parents who reject the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) for their children in the ongoing immunisation exercise in the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Tafida, told newsmen that defaulters would be sentenced to between six months and one year imprisonment without an option of fine.

Tafida said this at the beginning of the October round of Immunisation Plus Days (IPDs) exercise in Dutse.

He said that the state House of Assembly had enacted a law which was assented to by the gov-

ernor to deal with ``anybody who rejects the vaccine and also to promote participation in the exercise. ``The Assembly has enacted a law to punish those who reject polio vaccination which will be enforced during the ongoing immunisation exercise,” Tafida said.

He said that the state had also adopted effective campaign measures to sensitise communities on the importance of presenting their wards for vaccination and also mobilise participation in the exercise. ``Oral polio vaccine was administered to my sons, the children of the deputy governor and the

speaker. It is a deliberate attempt to correct the wrong misconception about the vaccine. ``This is to show to people that the vaccine is not harmful,” he added.

In a remark, the Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Nuhu Sunusi, appealed to parents in the state to present their children for immunisation.

Sunusi said the emirate council had directed district, village and ward heads to monitor the exercise in their respective wards. ``Parents have no reason to reject the vaccine.

We must contribute to ensure total eradication of the disease,” Sunusi said.

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Zonal News

Sunday October 7, 2012

NORTH EAST

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SOUTH EAST

Flood ravages farms in Bauchi

xcessive rainfall and flood experienced this year are taking their toll on farming activities in Bauchi State.

Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who monitored the situation and interviewed some farmers, report that a substantial number of farmlands had been washed away.

In addition, some cash and food crops had failed to yield the expected output due to excessive rain.

Malam Shehu Habu, the Director Planning, Research and Statistics of Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency, told NAN that no fewer than 30,381 farmlands had so far been destroyed across the state.

Some farmers interviewed lamented that their hopes of a bumper harvest had been dashed as a result of the excessive rainfall.

Malam Audu Luka, a maize farmer in Magama town of Bauchi state, said his crops were completely submerged, as such he harvested nothing. ``At the time the flood became intense, it was too late for me to plant the crop in another place, and so I lost out completely,” he said.

Gidado Adamu, a millet farmer in Bauchi town, narrated the same experience, saying that he was however lucky to escape with about 30 per cent of his harvest expectations.

Another farmer, Malam Umar Fada, whose farm was situated along Gubi

Dam in the outskirts of Bauchi metropolis, told NAN that the flood had done a substantial damage to his crops.

According to him, being close to the dam which supplies water to the Bauchi town has its advantage and disadvantage. ``When there is no flood, we enjoy the best harvest and our crops and vegetables are the delight of customers. ``Since last year when government announced the likelihood of flood, I’ve been apprehensive. ``The over flow of the dam came early and we even enjoyed it, but the volume of the rainfall was heavy and we don’t know what will come out of it,” he added.

Police go berserk, shoot pregnant woman CHRIS NJOKU OWERRI

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team of mobile policemen, yesterday in Owerri, the Imo state capital, went berserk, shooting a pregnant woman after one of their colleagues was hit by a reckless driver.

The policemen, who were angered by the death of their colleague, were said to have opened fire on the bus that hit one of them along Aba Road after the driver had escaped.

According to an eyewitness account, the incident occurred around 10.30am, when the bus which was

he Obi of Onitsha, Anambra State, Igwe Alfred Achebe, has urged government to map out strategies to forestall flood disasters in the country.

L-R: Executive Secretary, Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Nasir Umar; State Coordinator, World Health Organisation, Dr. Nuhu Ningi; Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sagir Saleh; Permanent Secretary, Bauchi State Ministry of Health, Dr. Mohammed Manga and Emir of Dass, Alhaji Usman Biyaminu, during the campaign on Immunisation Plus Day in Miri, Bauchi council, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Borno First Lady boosts anti-polio immunisation INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

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he wife of the Governor of Borno State, Hajja Nana Kashim Shettima, has said that she will do everything possible to support the fight against polio and other child killer diseases in the state.

She stated this yesterday during the flag -off of Immunization programme which took place at the Government House, Mai-

duguri.

She said appealed to all parents, guardians and care givers to please avail their children for this immunisation programme so as to ensure their healthy growth and development.

She solicited the support stakeholders in this round of immunization to make Borno one of the polio free states in Nigeria, adding that, the present administration see women and children as deserving their due

rights.

She said, “Our responsibility as parents towards our children is not to feed them, educate them and give them cloths alone, but to also take care of their safety and well-being.”

In her welcome address, the Commissioner of Health, Dr. Salma Anas Kolo, thanked the First Lady for her support in the fight against polio and other child killer diseases in the state.

Adamawa teachers criticise Mubi killings

damawa teachers at the weekend criticised the October 1 killings of 25 people mostly students in Mubi town in the state.

Speaking during the World Teachers’ Day celebration in Yola, the state chairman of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Mr Dauda Maina, said

that the incident was unfortunate.

He said that everything possible should be done to bring the perpetrators to book.

Maina urged the public to remain calm and accord government and security agencies the needed support to tackle

the issue and other security challenges facing the state.

The NUT chairman commended the state government for sustaining the payment of 27.5 per cent to teachers and urged the implementation of the new minimum wage to primary school teachers.

coming from Aba in Abia State, in an attempt to overtake another vehicle, hit the riot policeman who was riding on a motorcycle, killing him instantly.

The source informed that the driver and other occupants of the vehicle fled the moment the victim was identified, adding that no sooner they dispersed that a team of mobile policemen arrived the scene and started shooting sporadically.

According to the source, the pregnant woman who was said to be on danger list was not one of the passengers in the bus but was in a tricycle that was going to

Owerri and was hit by the stray bullet.

It was also gathered that the infuriated policemen descended on commuters and passengers plying the route after they had vandalized the bus.

At the time when our correspondent visited the scene of the incident, the body of the policeman had been removed while the woman had been rushed to an undisclosed hospital.

However, efforts to get a reaction from the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Vitalis Onugu, were abortive, as his phones were switched off.

Obi of Onitsha makes case for flood victims

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Achebe made the call in Onitsha, at the weekend on the occasion of his 10th coronation anniversary and 2012 Ofala festival.

He commiserated with victims of flood disasters in the country and commended Governor Peter Obi of Anambra for his efforts in evacuating and rehabilitating victims.

He said that peace and reconciliation built on truth and transparency had

been his guiding principle since the past 10 years. ``We have achieved the goals we set in the past 10 years but there are still areas to look into, such as education and youth empowerment, `` he said.

Achebe said he would improve on the vacation tutorial programme for the children, introduced some years ago to facilitate the admission of students from the area, to tertiary institutions.

The traditional ruler said his cabinet would design a framework for the development of Onitsha inland town in collaboration

with the state government.

He also commended the Federal Government for approving the completion of Zik’s Mausoleum, called for the creation of Orumili State from Anambra.

In his goodwill message, Governor Obi said the state government was committed to rebuilding Onitsha, citing the ongoing road project in the city as part of his administration’s efforts in that direction.

The governor congratulated the traditional ruler on his anniversary and prayed for his success on throne.

Military, civilians launch ‘Back-To-School’ Project in Onitsha NWABUEZE OKONKWO ONITSHA

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n a bid to restore the lost glory of reading culture by the youths, the Barracks Community Action for Progress which comprises military and civilian members within and outside the 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha Anambra State at the weekend, launched ‘Back-To-School’ project.

In his address on the occasion, the coordinator, Mr. Patrick Akobo, said that the body was a non-governmental organisation which membership comprised both military personnel and civilians who joined

hands to engender peace, progress and development as well as render help to the families of military personnel who lost their lives in active service.

Akobo added that the aim and objectives also included fostering the culture of entrepreneurship among those in the barracks as well as creating a framework for mental and physical awareness through sport and other recreational activities.

“The objective is also aimed at bringing school children ‘back to book’ instead of staying at home, watching home videos, foreign soccer leagues and going to cybercafés”.

He revealed further that

a skill acquisition centre would be established, including an Information Communication and Technology Centre, ICT, to make them self-reliant.

He lauded the 302 commander, Col. T.A. Gagariga; his second-in-command, Lt. Col. Fred Ozoemena, and the Commanding Officer of the 14 field Engineering Regiment, Lt. Col. B.S. Adetoro, for their contributions.

Earlier, Col. Gagariga had expressed happiness with the vision of the organisation, adding that it was a step towards the uplift of the fallen standard of education, especially among the youths.

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SOUTH WEST

SOUTH SOUTH

2015: PDP tasks chieftains Flood: Bayelsa inaugurates to capture Lagos emergency committee TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

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head of the 2015 general elections, leaders of the Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have tasked the newly inaugurated local government executive members to work tirelessly toward the party’s victory in Lagos State, come 2015.

Speaking at the inauguration of Mushin Local Government area PDP executive in Mushin, Lagos, PDP Vice Chairman (Lagos West Senatorial District), Alhaji Rasak Fakunle and Financial Secretary, Chief Taiwo Kuye, urged

the new executives to ensure PDP victory in the forthcoming election.

Fakunle said PDP was prepared to become the ruling party in Lagos State and therefore said they were “battle ready to send the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) parking from the Alausa Government House.”

He appealed to all the party members to be united and abstain from anything that may affect the success of the party in future elections.

In his own view, Chief Kuye, who is a member of the Lagos PDP Central Working Committee

(CWC), warned those fanning the embers of disunity in the party to sheathe their swords and join of the party.

A chieftain of the party, Chief Semiu Kukoyi, also called on the party members to always put party interest above personal agenda.

The Mushin PDP executive members inaugurated includes, Tunde Fabiyi (Chairman), Alhaji Ibrin Giwa (Deputy Chairman), Abayomi Elegbede (Secretary), Ibukun Anwo (Women Leader), SayeedLawal (Youth Leader), Ganiu Shola (Publicity Secretary), and Alhaji Fatai Adele (Organising Secretary).

Aregbesola supports regional solution to climate change

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sun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has commended the call for a regional co-operation to tackle the challenges of climate change, including flood and other environmental problems ravaging the country.

The governor made the remark during a workshop on climate change held at the state capital, Osogbo.

The seminar was tagged: Developing Regional Framework for Addressing Climate Change Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development.

The initiative was aimed at ensuring co-operation among all the six states in the South West including Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo and

Ekiti States respectively in tackling flooding and other environmental challenges.

According to a communiqué issued at the end of the two-day workshop, which was facilitated by HEDA Resource Centre, about 200 participants and 20 resource persons drawn from the academia, civil society groups, Federal Ministry of Environment, National Human Rights Commission (NHC), Nigeria Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ministries of Environment, Physical Planning, Finance, Agriculture, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Regional Inte-

gration from the six states were in attendance.

The meeting also received a goodwill message from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) given by the Deputy Country Director, Mr. Janthomas Hiemstra.

The workshop, which held as a result of the collaboration among the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Environment and Sanitation of the State of Osun and the UNDP under the African Adaptation Programme (AAP), according to the communiqué, was also aimed at developing a regional framework and plan of action for climate change adaptation, mitigation and environmental conservation.

NUC rating confirms Caleb varsity’s standard –Adebogun

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n Educationist and the Visitor to Caleb University, Imota, Lagos State, Dr. Ola Adebogun, has described the total success the institution recorded at the accreditation exercise carried out by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as a confirmation of the university’s commitment to high standard of education.

Adebogun, who said this in a statement at Imota over the weekend, stressed that the full accreditation status given to all the university’s programmes has confirmed the institution’s core objec-

tive of ensuring the production of quality graduates that would contribute positively to national growth.

He stated that the feat was achieved with the concerted effort of both the academic and non-academic staff members of the university who were involved in the onerous task of the students’ educational development and wellbeing, tailored at the production of required manpower and capacity building for national advancement.

The Visitor, who appraised the achievements of the university since its take-

off in 2008, said “the constant 100 percent success record of the institution is a step in the right direction, considering the quality of staff and infrastructural facilities at its disposal.”

He disclosed that Caleb University makes continuous professional development mandatory for the staff to ensure they consistently work hard to remain relevant to the system as well as uphold a culture of encouraging the students to aspire to greater heights and be the agents of change in the society.

EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

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orried by the rising flood ravaging Bayelsa State, Governor Seriake Dickson yesterday inaugurated the State Emergency Response Flood Management Committee for the immediate evacuation of flood victims in the state.

The committee headed by the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd.) would also provide relief materials to all the local governments in the state.

Due to the emergency situation created by the flood, the governor said government has already notified the leadership of the state’s legislature to reconvene and conclude work on the bill seeking to establish the State Emergency Management Agency.

Members of the committee included Commissioners, Special Advisers, all Government Special Representatives of Local Government as well as a

representative of the State Commissioner of Police, Special Adviser on Security, House Committee Chairman on Environment in the State Assembly, Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff Government House.

Investigation by Sunday Mirror revealed that the flood has invaded some parts of Yenagoa which included Agudama Epie,Ake nfa,Okutukutu,Opolo,Ake npai,as victims are relocating with their families to other areas.

The governor said the council chairmen were expected to serve as Chairmen of their respective Local Flood Relief SubCommittees as well as Commandants of their various camps.

Terms of reference given the committee include the establishment emergency relief camps in strategic high land locations in every local government area of the state and evacuating victims of all the flood ravaged communities to the relief camps.

He said:“The committee should interface with all relevant agencies of government and other international relief agencies to provide succour for all victims in the camps and work out a post-flood relief and possible mitigation measures to forestall adverse effects on the state’s economy .The Emergency Response Management Committee is also mandated to undertake any other function in the course of its assignment which may become necessary considering the peculiar nature of the flood. “ While noting that government had designated the State Sports Complex, Yenagoa as camp for people displaced by the flood , Dickson also urged the Committee to identify high grounds in the local government areas and set up camps.

Dickson said the choice of the Deputy Governor as Chairman of the Committee was necessitated by the crucial nature of the task before the committee.

Rivers State Governor Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (right) and the Chairman, Ogba/Egbema Ndoni LGA, Nwokocha Raymond, during the governor’s visit to the flooded Omoku community.

…Amaechi promises succour for victims R ivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has assured victims of Omoku and Ahoada flood disaster of his administration’s support in providing them with relief materials.

Governor Amaechi spoke Saturday at Okwuzi, one of the flooded communities in Ogba/Egbema/ Ndoni Local Government Area of the State.

Apart from Obrikom, Ebocha and Okwuzi where the governor visited, also ravaged by the flood are Egbema, Kala, Opuogbogolo in Ahoada West Local Government Area of the state.

Amaechi said, urgent

and drastic steps would be taken to provide shelter, food and healthcare services for the displaced victims.

According to Amaechi, “by Monday we expect the executive council committee to take over. They will come with mattresses, clean potable water, food and medical items. Where we have primary schools those people that are displaced should take over”.

“We will get doctors to come and see if there are water borne diseases, we will see what we can do to assist them”, he said.

Amaechi called on the federal government to come

to the rescue of the state as it has been submerged by flood like some other parts of the country.

According to him, “we will get the federal government to know that the flood also affected Rivers State. We never knew that the flood affected Rivers State until some few days ago. And it is bad, very bad. What i saw today is a monumental national disaster. We have must act quickly. I have called for an emergency State Executive Council meeting tomorrow (Sunday) for us to start addressing the flood disaster immediately.”

53

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NBB of C set to reposition boxing P. 54 –Aboderin

Sport

Khan to fight Molina on Dec. 15 P. 54

KEEPING YOU ABREAST OF SPORTING NEWS October 7, 2012

Lagos wins maiden BRF Judo competition T

Double trouble! Sergio Aguero (right), came off the bench to score Manchester City’s second goal in a comfortable win over Sunderland yesterday.

Kolarov, Aguero shine in Man City romp

M

anchester City returned to form yesterday with a deserved 3-0 victory over Sunderland thanks to goals from Aleksandar Kolarov, Sergio Aguero and James Milner.

The Premier League champions had won just one of their previous six matches in all competitions but were fine value for this win.

It was City’s first clean sheet of the season and moves them up to second in the table, behind leaders Chelsea.

Mancini admitted the quick turnaround from Wednesday’s Champions League draw with Borussia Dortmund was “a problem”.

But despite making seven changes to the line-up, his side had little trouble inflicting a first loss of the season on Sunderland.

One of those changes saw Carlos Tevez come into the side and it was a menacing run from him that led to the opener.

The Argentine surged down the left only for Carlos Cuellar to arrive with a reckless challenge.

Left-back Kolarov stepped up to curl an unstoppable free-kick past Simon Mignolet at his near post for the opening goal for City.

It was the first time Sunderland had gone a goal behind this season and they briefly pressed forward in an attempt to hit back.

The one team to come away from Etihad Stadium last season unbeaten were Sunderland - they drew 3-3 having led 3-1 after 85 minutes - and it was inevitable they would improve after half-time.

Sebastian Larsson began to find more space and his floated cross was volleyed towards goal by Fletcher, only for the excellent Micah Richards to arrive with a crucial block.

But as Sunderland improved, so did City, and the Black Cats’ greater ambition

Falcao fancies Premier P. 55 League action

made for a more open and expansive encounter.

Toure saw a powerful drive tipped over the bar after David Silva’s superb flick and Danny Rose cleared a shot off the line from Richards, who was making his first appearance of the campaign.

Kolarov produced another inviting centre from the left and Aguero met it with a superb first-time finish past Mignolet for City’s second goal.

The chances were now flowing and Tevez drilled wide, Silva chipped on to the crossbar and City keeper Joe Hart saved James McClean’s header en route to his 50th Premier League clean sheet.

Milner’s industry was rewarded when his free-kick skimmed off Gardner’s head and past Mignolet, who foiled Aguero late on but could not prevent City scoring their third goal and going into the international break on a high.

De Jong: Inexperience, the problem at Milan P. 55

he Lagos State Judo team has emerged the overall winner in the just-concluded maiden edition of the Babatunde RajI Fashola (BRF) Judo competition.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the five-day competition, which took place at the Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, featured 10 states and one club, with 26 categories each.

The Lagos team won 10 gold medals, nine silver and seven bronze medals, Nasarawa came second with five gold medals; while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) came third with two gold medals, two silver and two bronze medals.

The competition was held to prepare athletes and coaches for the forthcoming 18th National Sports Festival and also served as a forum to discover budding talents.

Following their brilliant outing, the Head Coach of the Lagos State Judo team, Omorodion Edokpolor expressed joy, saying: “Now I know my judokas are ready for the sports festival.’’

She pledged that her judokas would not rest on their oars as they would be focused and determined.

Ogochukwu Oguike, winner of the 100kg, from Imo state, told NAN that he felt elated with his performance, while Success Bako, who won in the 27kg for Nasarawa State, said that he found it difficult to believe that he won.

Bako praised his coach for mentoring him and also expressed the hope to win in the same category at the festival.

Timothy Nsirim, 1st Vice President of the Nigeria Judo Federation (NJF) also praised the Governor of Lagos State for sponsoring such a competition for the development of sports at the grassroots level.

Nsirim told NAN that sports should be taken back to schools where they could grow, adding that the local government should not relent in this regard as they have a major role to play in sports development.

Agger commits to Liverpool P. 55

54

Sport

Sunday October 7, 2012

Knockout IFEANYI Eduzor with

08055829770 ifeduz24@yahoo.com

NBB of C set to reposition boxing –Aboderin

S

ecretary General of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Remi Aboderin, says that the recent “Independence Day” boxing bonanza organized by the board is one of the ways through which it wants to reposition the sport in the country.

The championship, which was held at the Blue Roof of Lagos TV and promoted by “Freels and Threels Entertainment”, involved a two-bout title fight and five supporting bouts.

According to him, the NBB of C sanctioned the fights in order to assure Nigerians that boxing is on the verge of rising again in the country, even as he promised that Freels and Threels Entertainment which he established would soon, in conjunction with world boxing sanctioning

SAYO OGUNDEJI

C Aboderin

bodies, stage fights in Nigeria that will attract boxers from Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.

“I am very happy that the Independence fight was a huge success and my promotional outfit is thinking of contacting WBC and WBO to promote fights in the country that will attract boxers from other countries in the continent,” Aboderin said.

Mensah assures on Lagos boxers

A

head of the forthcoming 18th National Sports Festival tagged “Eko 2012,” to be hosted by Lagos State, veteran boxing coach, Joe Mensah, has expressed optimism that the state will win may gold medals in the event.

Team Lagos won a total of seven gold, three silver and two bronze medals at the last sports festival in Port Harcourt.

He told our correspondent that the state’s boxers are undergoing vigorous training that will enable them maintain its dominance in

the sport at the festival.

Mensah, who was recently engaged by the Lagos State Boxing Association to help it prepare boxers for the championship, posited that the technical crew is working tirelessly to ensure that the state’s pugilists have a clean sweep of boxing medals at the event.

“The technical crew is on top of the situation and I am happy that our boxers are responding well to training and before the commencement of the Games, they will be in top shape to win medals for the state,” Mensah said.

Khan to fight Molina on Dec. 15

F

ormer WBA and IBF world light-welterweight champion Amir Khan is set to fight unbeaten Carlos Molina in Los Angeles on December 15.

The former world champion lost his last two fights, to Danny Garcia in July and Lamont Peterson last December.

Khan also confirmed that his new trainer will be the American Virgil Hunter, following his recent split from Freddie Roach.

Molina, a 25-year-old American, is undefeated in

ACN qualifier: We can beat Nigeria at home –Gebro

18 professional bouts, winning 17 and drawing one. In June he beat Marcos Leonardo Jimenez on points to take the WBO Inter-Continental lightweight title.

“He’s a tricky fighter who possesses a lot of natural speed,” said Khan. “I always want to face hungry young fighters and in Molina I’m up against a guy who has ambitions of world title success.”

“Everyone in boxing knows about his skills and the success he has enjoyed over the last few years.

Danny Garcia (right) lands a devastating blow on Amir Khan before recording a fourth-round stoppage win when they met in Las Vegas in July.

aptain of Lone Stars of Liberia, George Gebro, says his side has the potential to shock Nigeria when the two countries meet during the final leg of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (ACN) qualifier slated for U. J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar, Cross Rivers State on October 13.

The Nigeria’s Super Eagles were held to a 2-2 draw in Monrovia, a fortnight ago during the first leg and Gebro believes his side has demonstrated the willingness to play at the big stage and will be

coming to Nigeria with the intention of getting a favourable result that will get his country the muchimportant ticket.

The Eagles, who last won the tournament in 1994 in Tunisia, failed to qualify for the last edition after being knocked out by Guinea, but stands a chance of picking the ticket provided they get at least a 1-1 draw.

Though the hosts boast of many talented players plying their professional trade in Europe, but Gebro remains confident that his side can summon the courage to scuttle Nigeria’s ambition.

Eko 2012: Ogun warns athletes over HIV scourge ANDREW EKEJIUBA

O

gun State athletes have been enjoined to be change-agents in stopping the spread of HIV/AID in the state in particular and Nigeria in general.

The Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr. Joseph Onabanjo, gave the charge at the opening ceremony of an HIV/AID sensitization workshop for all the state athletes held at the Alake Sports Centre, Ijeja, Abeokuta.

Represented by the Director of Youth Development in the Ministry, Mr. Tokunbo Salami, Mr. Onabanjo said by virtue of their popularity in the society through sports,

FEANYI

Umeh and the head of the National Female League, Mrs Dili Onyedinma.

Others include chairman, NFF Technical Committee, Chris Green; Chairman, Security committee, Chief Effiong Johnson and Chairman, Publicity Committee, Emeka Inyama.

At the arrival hall of the Murtala Mohammed airport, Lagos, Chief Mike Umeh told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), “We cannot question God. It has been destined that we were going to stop before the finals and the girls tried their best but their best was not good enough. So, we are going to prepare for the next edition of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which I know we shall do better than we have done.”

they will be able to act as change-agents counseling the youth, the elites and other segments of the society on the preventive ways of not contacting the dreaded disease.

He therefore advised them to spread the gospel of abstinence and the use of condoms and other preventive measures among their peers in other states especially during the National Sports Festival “Eko 2012.”

The workshop which was done simultaneously in all Team Ogun camps at Alake Sports Centre, ijeja, M.K.O Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta and the Dipo Dina Stadium, Ijebu-Ode had over 800 athletes in attendance.

50 wrestlers for BRF Wrestlemania

Flamingoes return from I World Cup without fanfare A T he Flamingoes of Nigeria arrived in Lagos on Friday night, after their FIFA Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan outing without fanfare.

They arrived at 9.10 p.m.

Nigeria time aboard Turkish Airlines.

It will be recalled that the team lost 3-5 to France on Thursday at the quarter final stage through penalty shoot-out.

However, the arrival of the gallant national U-17 women’s team from the competition held in Baku, Azerbaijan was devoid of the usual reception and fanfare.

Leading the team was the president, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Aminu Maigari; First Vice-President, Chief Mike

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

EDUZOR

total of 15 foreign and 35 Nigerian wrestlers will slug it out in the second edition of BRF Wrestlemania slated for November 3-19, 2012 in Lagos, just as the organizers has announced that the overall winner of the two weeks championship will go home with $20,000.

According to the coordinator of the championship and President of Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Prince Hammed Olarewaju Mohammed, the foreign wrestlers who will be coming from Europe, America, Asia, Caribbean and Africa will participate in eleven events such as royal rumble, superheavyweight, heavyweight, cruiserweight, middle weight, light heavyweight, tag team

fights among others.

He promised that this year’s event will be different from the maiden edition with the introduction of BRF beauty pageant during the championship.

“This year’s edition will be different from the maiden edition because apart from the competition, we will also organize a beauty pageant among 40 girls selected from different states of the federation and there will be fantastic prizes for the winner and some participants,” Mohammed said.

He noted that the Federation will continue to build on the successes recorded by the maiden edition and appealed to other state governments to promote wrestling or other combat sports as a way of checking crime and youth restiveness in their various states.

…Dedevbo sad over team’s ouster T

he Flamingoes’ coach, Peter Dedevbo, returned to Nigeria on Friday night and expressed sadness that his team was eliminated from the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan.

The coach said he was unhappy because he worked very hard to make sure that the team advanced to the final of the Women’s World Cup

but were eliminated by France at the quarterfinal stage.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the airport on arrival, he said: “Things did not work out the way we had planned and only God knows why they happened that way.

“Surprisingly, from the beginning of the World Cup, there was

no time that we can say we did not prepare well.

We did everything possible to get to the finals of this competition, but even as we did not get there, we are not disappointed in ourselves,” he said.

The coach, however, said that the fact that they missed a couple of chances to score against France ousted his team from Azerbaijan 2012.

Dedevbo

Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sport

Sunday October 7, 2012

Falcao fancies Premier League action A tletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao admits he would welcome the opportunity to test himself in England at some stage.

The Colombia international continues to be heavily linked with a big-money move to Chelsea, with reports suggesting that a deal could be done in the January transfer window.

A prolific strike rate has brought Falcao to the attention of Europe’s top clubs, with the 26-year-old having proven himself in South America, Portugal and Spain.

It is considered to be only

a matter of time before he embarks on another new challenge, and Falcao admits a switch to the Premier League would appeal to him.

“England? One day, I could go. It is a game I have watched for a long time and one day I would like to sample it.

“I used to watch it on television when I was a kid. Players like Roy Keane, Eric Cantona, (Gianfranco) Zola. But the one I supported was (Faustino) Asprilla, when he was at Newcastle.

“I think I could adapt to England. I think I could score goals,” Falcao said.

Falcao

Johnson regrets Man City move S

underland midfielder Adam Johnson has warned young players against a move to English Premier League champions Manchester City.

The 25-year-old moved to Etihad Stadium from Middlesbrough for seven million pounds in 2010, but never managed to hold down a first-team spot under Roberto Mancini.

The England international has now advised players that are in a similar position not to make the same mistake by joining the champions.

“Now, if I was a young lad, I wouldn’t go to City. It is excellent when a club like City come for you - hard to turn down. But you don’t actually play for the champions - you’re a squad member, which is totally different.

“It’s not that you’re not good enough, it’s just that the likes of Yaya Toure are going to play ahead of you, no matter what you do,” Johnson said.

A

De Jong

Defoe unfazed over Adebayor’s return J ermain Defoe insists he is not worried about losing his starting spot at Tottenham despite the return of Emmanuel Adebayor.

Adebayor has recovered from a hamstring problem and is available for selection for today’s home game against Aston Villa.

But Defoe will have high hopes of retaining his position as the sole striker in Andre Villas-Boas’ 4-2-3-1 formation after netting four times already this season.

“For me, him being back is not a problem,” said Defoe.

“You get pressure your whole career. There has always been pressure - it is something you get used to.”

Defoe played second fiddle to Adebayor for much of last season but is brimming with confidence after signing a new contract in August and has thanked his manager for his good run of form.

“My form this season has been the result of the manager playing me for 90 minutes. That has allowed me to relax, make sure my movement is good and make sure I don’t panic that I am going to come off after an hour. When you play games, you get fitter and sharper.

“At times, you find yourself the only striker at the club who is fit, but I haven’t been getting complacent. Every game I want to play, do well, score goals and win,” Defoe concluded.

EURO BRIEFS

Agger commits to Liverpool

D

efender Daniel Agger has pledged his future to Liverpool by signing a new long-term contract at Anfield.

The Denmark international says he is convinced that Brendan Rodgers is the right man to lead the club forward and is delighted to commit himself to the club.

Agger

Del Bosque desires uneventful Clasico

S

pain manager Vicente Del Bosque is hopeful none of his players will be injured in today’s clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid. El Clasico has been marred by controversy and physical bust-ups in recent years, leading to rumours of a rift between the opposing club players when representing the national side.

De Jong: Inexperience, the problem at Milan

C Milan midfielder Nigel de Jong says a lack of experience is to blame for his team’s disappointing start to the season.

Seasoned stars such as Clarence Seedorf, Mark van Bommel and Zlatan Ibrahimovic departed the Serie A giants in the off-season, with a precarious financial situation limiting the club’s ability to bring in established stars.

De Jong, who joined the Italian side from Manchester City late in the transfer window, insists progress is being made ahead of today’s city derby against Inter.

“I think everything revolves around a lack of experience,” the 27-year old said.

“This is a very young team. In addition, several players who were on the bench last year are now regulars. Not surprisingly, we are making progress with every game.”

Allegri has been widely criticised for his team’s performances, with many calling for the 45-year-old to be sacked, but De Jong is dismissive of such rumours, saying the squad has no problems with the Italian.

55

Ronaldo not the only threat, says Busquets

B Conte

Agnelli dismayed over Conte’s ban J

uventus president Andrea Agnelli has voiced his dismay with the decision of the TNAS not to acquit head coach Antonio Conte.

The former Siena boss saw his suspension for failing to report two instances of match-fixing reduced from 10 to four months on Friday, but Agnelli feels Conte should not have been banned at all.

“The confirmation of his suspension is an injustice which should prompt the entire footballing system to ask itself questions.

“I maintain my view, which is shared by every-

Defoe

one at Juventus, that Antonio Conte is an innocent man and in no way guilty of the charges levelled at him.

“After so much has been written and said about this issue, the appropriate sporting bodies must proceed with a far-reaching reform of the sporting justice system, so it can avoid perilous inconsistencies – in terms of the length and severity of sanctions – the likes of which have occurred over the last few years,” Agnelli said.

Conte will be able to return to the Juve bench for the clash with Palermo on December 9, one day after his ban expires.

arcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets insists there is more to Real Madrid than just Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of today’s El Clasico. The Portugal international has impressed in recent weeks with a string of fine performances as he netted trebles against both Deportivo La Coruna and Ajax.

Fergie an inspiration for Ancelotti

P

aris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti says Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson has been a personal role model during his career.

Ferguson has been in charge at Old Trafford since 1986, achieving extraordinary success during the English Premier League era.

PREMIERSHIP TABLE TEAM

P

GD

PTS

1. Chelsea

7

11

19

2. Man City

7

7

15

3. Everton

7

6

14

4. West Brom

7

4

14

5. Arsenal

7

8

12

6. Man Utd

6

5

12

7. Tottenham

6

3

11

8. West Ham

7

0

11

9. Fulham

6

4

9

10. Newcastle

6

0

9

11. Swansea

7

1

8

12. Stoke

6

1

7

13. Sunderland

6

-2

7

14. Liverpool

6

-3

5

15. Aston Villa

6

-4

5

16. Wigan

7

-6

5

17. Reading

6

-5

3

18. Southampton

6

-8

3

19. Norwich

7

-12

3

20. QPR

7

-10

2

N I G E R I A

N1.5

Vol. 2 No. 43

Sunday, October 7, 2012

www.nationalmirroronline.net

N150

I N

F I G U R E S

N20

trn, amount the President bn, sum the Ekiti State Govof Nigeria-Brazil Chamber ernor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, is of Commerce and Industry, Emmanuel demanding as compensation from Nigeria Ibru, stated as the value of bilateral trade Union of Local Government Employees between the two countries in 2011. and Western Publishing Company for libel.

Budget 2013, NASS and the Presidency

Back Page

Comment

E-mail: nwaunah@yahoo.com Unah is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Lagos

with Jim Unah

T

here is a recent worrisome report that members of the House of Representatives and the Senate (National Assembly, NASS) have jointly rejected President Goodluck Jonathan’s request to present the 2013 budget before a joint sitting of both Houses on October 4, 2012.

The President’s apparent haste to present the budget stems from the insistence of the lawmakers that budgets, especially the 2012 budget, should be implemented fully by the Presidency or risk impeachment. Although that threat from the National Assembly seems to be dying down, the issue about full implementation of budgets, especially in relation to capital projects cannot be wished away. It needs to be addressed and tackled frontally.

It appears that President Jonathan’s way of addressing and resolving the problem is to get the next budget (2013) ready in good time for effective take off and implementation from January next year. The presumption here is that when the financial year takes off effectively from January, it would be easy to achieve full implementation of the budget; in addition to setting off the economy on an even and predictable keel for investors and businesses.

That would be, for many Nigerians, a novel and refreshing break with the past. It would then be easy to make business projections and close the books at the end of the year.

Unfortunately, from the body language of the lawmakers, that dream of a predictable financial year and the prospects of a successful implementation of the national budget, may be dashed if the Presidency would not play ball. According to the legislators, there is a constitutional provision that would suffer hemorrhage if they had granted the President’s request for the October 4 presentation of the budget. The first is that if the House of Reps were to sit to listen to the President on the budget without the Upper House - Senate -, and vice-versa, it would fall foul of section 81 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which requires a joint sitting of both Houses for the presentation of the estimates of the revenues and expenditure of the federation for the next fiscal year. In other words, the constitution requires a joint sitting of the National Assembly to entertain a hearing of the budget presentation by the President or his nominee.

The second source of constitutional hemorrhage would be for the House of Reps to jettison its planned review of the implementation of the 2012 budget, an oversight function, about which they were not ready for any compromise. It would seem, therefore, that it was in the public interest to refuse the October 4 request of the President for a joint session of the National Assembly to listen to the 2013 budget presentation. Already, according to the data from the Christopher Kolade Committee, there are over 1,000 aban-

doned projects throughout the federation.

The House would need to verify that and ascertain the extent of appropriation of the 2012 budget to enable it make critical input into the estimates and expenditure profiles of the 2013 budget. So, the President should tarry awhile, in the view of the lawmakers, to enable them sort out issues appropriately.

All this would have been perfectly normal had the country had a history of responsible budget appropriation and dogged and committed budget implementation. Besides, the National Assembly has had credibility issues, in the recent past, to contend with - issues bordering on the soliciting and collection of bribes to discharge legislative functions. A former Inspector-General of Police had allegedly disclosed that the lawmakers used to demand for and collect bribes before consenting to pass police budgets. Several agencies of state and investors had complained aloud of the armtwisting strategies of the legislature in passing legislations concerning their organisations. The Oteh-Hembel and Otedola-Lawan saga are recent and eloquent examples of the moral turpitude of the National Assembly.

So, when tongues went wagging that the lawmakers are allegedly asking for gratifications to warm up to the President if he wanted express passage of the 2013 Appropriation Bill, many Nigerians surmised that the mode of dressing of the road side mechanic has made it virtually impossible to distinguish a mad man from a sane person. No one appears to know when the legislators are advancing genuine or spurious self-serving arguments in pursuit of private, pecuniary, interest often

CCL: Sunshine escapes defeat, draws Al Ahly in Ijebu-Ode SAYO OGUNDEJI

N

igeria’s sole representative at the ongoing CAF Champions League (CCL), Sunshine Stars of Akure, held visiting Al Ahly of Egypt to a 3-3 draw in their first leg, semi final clash decided at the Dipo Dina Stadium in Ijebu-Ode yesterday.

The visitors enjoyed better possession of the ball from the onset and created many goal scoring opportunities as their industrious display paid off when Mohamed Nagy opened scoring with a superb strike with the right-foot in the 18th minute of the explosive encounter.

As the game progressed, Sunshine Stars’ leading goal scorer,

Azuk Izu, looked promising for the host as he battled to equalise for his side, but his efforts could not yield any positive result.

The visitors, however, took up the gauntlet, not minding the efforts by the home side, to double the lead in the 30th minute to compound Sunshine’s woes through Al-Sayed Hamdy.

Medrano Tamen however pulled one back for Sunshine, as he curled a delightful rightfoot shot past Ahly keeper, Sherif Ekramy, to end the first half 2-1 in favour of Al Ahly.

On resumption, Sunshine Stars were persistently searching for an equalizer and it paid off in the 73rd minute when Olurundare Dele converted the resulting penalty to level the game 2-2 apiece.

As the game progressed, a defensive blunder and lack of concentration by the host however resulted in another goal for Al Ahly as Mohamed Nagy scored his second goal of the night to restore the visitors’ lead. His low shot from inside the penalty area struck Sunshine keeper’s hands before rolling into the bottom corner of the net.

With scores at 3-2 in favour of Al Ahly, the Nigerians, however ,got the much-needed equalising goal six minutes before the end of the game, when Osasco Precious scored with a superb curling free kick.

Meanwhile, the return leg of the semi-final clash will be played behind closed doors on October 21 in Cairo, Egypt.

under the subterfuge of oversight functions.

More disingenuous still is the fact that the two main arguments canvassed by the lawmakers to put off the President’s request, almost indefinitely, are tenuous and tendentious. The verification of the abandoned projects and the extent of implementation of the current budget need not be a hindrance to the President’s genuine concern to put the shameful history of unduly delayed budget approvals behind us. The report on projects performance has been there all along; and the lawmakers left it in the cooler and proceeded on recess.

Nigerians think that it is frivolous for the legislators to be going on vacation when crucial national issues like reordering the timing of getting the budget ready for effective implementation beckons. The greatest problem militating against the full implementation of past budgets is undue delays in their passage by both the Presidency and the National Assembly. Is it now that the President wants to take the bull by the horns that the lawmakers should be raking up constitutional issues that a mere emergency sitting of both Houses for 30 minutes could easily resolve? Is it not to simply listen to the President and take the document away for their input, and send it back afterward? What is the big deal about convening a joint sitting of the National Assembly, within 24 hours, if there is good will and dispassionate commitment to get the nation on course?

The legislators should be wary of thinking and acting as if Nigerians could be anybody’s fool.

Kolarov, Aguero shine in Man City romp

P. 53

PREMIERSHIP RESULTS Man City 3-0 Sunderland Chelsea 4-1 Norwich City Swansea 2-2 Reading West Brom 3-2 QPR Wigan 2-2 Everton West Ham 1-3 Arsenal

PREMIERSHIP FIXTURES Today’s Matches Southampton v Fulham 13:30 Liverpool v Stoke City 15:00 Tottenham v Aston Villa 15:00 Newcastle v Man United 16:00

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