African Voice Newspaper Issue 617

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Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016 ISSUE 617

SINCE 2001

£1.00 B R I TA I N ’ S N O . 1 A F R I C A N N E W S PA P E R Trooper John Should Nigeria storms to Devalue It’s Rising Star BAFTA Currency?

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SEE PAGE 15

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Foreign business students told

Senator Rose Oko restores hope for Diasporans

to leave UK

Senator Rose Oko

By Olubunmi Omoogun Chief Correspondent, Nigeria

By Alan Oakley One of the UK’s largest private licence was reinstated.

Fast-forward to 1 September 2015 and colleges has had its Tier 4 sponthe institution, which is part of Global sorship licence revoked.

The London School of Business and Finance (LSBF) lost its sponsorship licence, which allows them to recruit nonEU students, after the institution failed its annual compliance check, which all Tier 4 visa sponsors are subjected to.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Businesses and educational institutions that benefit from the UK immigration system must ensure they have robust compliance systems in place or risk losing their privilege to sponsor workers and students.”

It’s not the first time the LSBF, the third largest private college recipient of funding via the publicly funded Student Loans Company, has fallen foul of a Tier 4 assessment. In 2014, the institution was one of 57 private college to have its licence suspended. On that occasion the

University Systems [GUS], an international network of higher-education institutions, once again had its Tier 4 sponsorship licence suspended prohibiting it from sponsoring new students or workers from outside of the European Union.

Following suspension the LSBF had the opportunity to make further submissions.

It is presumably after the Home Office received these submissions and had time to consider them that they then decided to take things further and revoke the Tier 4 sponsorship licence.

This time, with its licence revoked, the LSBF is likely to have to wait two years before it can even apply to sponsor international students on Tier 4 visas again.

Continued on page 2

It is usual for media men or women to write about people in political circles. But few ones out of the lots really stand out and apply their acquired intelligence and genuine virtues to drive the required change.

Maurits van Rooijen, CEO and rector at the London School of Business and Finance, is “surprised” the Government has elected to revoke the college’s Tier 4 sponsorship licence

We hear about change all the time.

For Senator Rose Oko, she is not only living a distinguished life worthy of a true Cross riverian of note but a life full of renewed hope, greater opportunities for Nigerians home and abroad. She chairs the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Civil Society. On inauguration and to highlight how important the Committee is, the Senate President Bukola Saraki said “The Diaspora community have became a very important source for national development.

Countries that have done well in harnessing its potentials have a lot to gain as a result.

Continued on page 19

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Have You News Got News Be Clear on Cancer: ‘blood in pee’ a Key Symptom For Us Newsdesk: 020 3737 3077

Email: africanvoicenews@gmail.com

BT announce opportunities for apprentices

As part of the recruitment drive, the company has committed to offering a wide range of opportunities including roles in cyber security and software development. The new cohort of apprentices and graduates will be based across the country including London, Glasgow and Liverpool.

Welcoming the news, Skills Minister Nick Boles said: Three million more apprenticeships by 2020 will create exciting opportunities for working people of all ages and help businesses around the country acquire the skills they need to compete.

On the benefits of the apprenticeship route, Gavin Patterson, Chief Executive of BT, commented: Technology is changing all the time and companies need to support and train young people to develop the skills required for successful careers in essential areas such as science, engineering and information technology.

Public Health England on 16 February 2016 launches a nationwide ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign with the aim of raising awareness of a key symptom for both bladder and kidney cancers, blood in pee.

Around 17,450 people in England are diagnosed with bladder or kidney cancer every year and around 7,600 people die annually. Blood in pee is a symptom in over half of bladder cancers and almost a fifth of kidney cancers, so being aware of this is crucial.

The Be Clear on Cancer ‘blood in pee’ campaign ran nationally in 2013 and 2014. Analysis of diagnoses during the 2013 campaign period shows a statistically significant increase in the number of bladder and kidney cancers diagnosed at pre-cancerous and early stage, and a reduction in late stage diagnoses for bladder cancer. This early detection has been equated to the prevention of around 70 bladder cancer deaths and about 25 kidney cancer deaths.

While it is not possible to link these findings to the campaign in isolation, the findings suggest that it is highly likely that the campaign has made an impact.

Early diagnosis of bladder and kidney cancer increases the chances of survival. For those diagnosed at the earliest stage (stage 1), the likelihood of surviving 5 years or more can be as high as 84% for kidney cancer and 77% for bladder cancer. However for those diagnosed

at a late stage (stage 4), survival is as low as only 10% for kidney cancer and 9% for bladder cancer.

The campaign is aimed at men and women aged 50 and over, as between 90 to 97% of bladder and kidney cancer diagnoses are in people in this age group. It encourages anyone who notices blood in their pee, even if it’s ‘just the once’, to visit their GP to get it checked out.

Given that people may not spot blood in their pee unless they check, this year’s campaign also promotes a ‘look before you flush’ message, particularly to women, who may be less likely to do so.

Dr Jenny Harries, Regional Director, for South of England, Public Health England said: Evidence shows that Be Clear on Cancer campaigns really do make a difference. The rise in the number of bladder and kidney cancers being picked up early is important; it is this early detection that saves lives.

It’s vital that we all do our bit to raise awareness that blood in pee could be an early sign of bladder or kidney cancer, and encourage anyone with this symptom to go to their GP. We know that people don’t always immediately visit their doctor if they spot blood in pee, which can be for a number of reasons. Some might ignore the symptoms, especially if it only happens once, or may pass the symptom off as cystitis. If you do notice blood in your pee, don’t wait for it to happen again before getting it checked out, visit your GP straight away.

BBC journalist and radio presenter, and kidney cancer survivor, Nicholas Owen, commented: I was extremely lucky because my tumour was found early. Early diagnosis saves lives, so everyone should look out for key symptoms, like blood in your pee. Don’t delay, the sooner you speak to your GP, the sooner you know what you’re dealing with.

Ian Lavender, actor and star of Dad’s Army who is a bladder cancer survivor, said: I’m supporting this year’s ‘blood in pee’ campaign as a survivor of bladder cancer. It’s a simple message ‘look before you flush’ and make sure you go and see your GP if you notice blood in your pee. Spread the word, someone you know might have this symptom and reminding them to get it checked could save their life - it saved mine, and I’m 70 and still happy to be working.

The nationwide Be Clear on Cancer ‘blood in pee’ campaign will begin on Tuesday 16 February and run for 6 weeks.

New child abuse helpline launched Continued from front page

Publisher and Editor-In-Chief Mike Abiola Editorial Board Adviser Dr Ola Ogunyemi Managing Editor Alan Oakley News Editor Peter Olorunnisomo Sports Editor Abiodun Teriba Arts Editor Golda John Columnists Milton Tella Photo Journalist Isaac Adegbite Graphic Designer Edward Mirza Accountant Fanla Agboola Chief Correspondent, Nigeria Olubunmi Omoogun London Office: Unit 7 Holles House Overton Road London SW9 7AP

Tel: 020 3737 3077

Email: africanvoicenews@gmail.com

African Voice is published by African Voice UK.

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At the time of writing we have no news on the LSBF Tier 2 sponsorship licence to employ skilled workers from outside the EU that was also suspended from September 2015.

According to LSBF’s CEO and rector, Maurits van Rooijen, the Home Office told the institution its licence, which was suspended in September, was revoked because it was a “fraction of a percentage” above the 10% upper limit on visa refusals an institution is allowed in order to continue operating.

Not only has the LSBF lost its Tier 4 sponsorship licence to sponsor non-EU students, hundreds of the students currently studying at the institution have been told they have to leave the UK by the end of March. Van Rooijen confirmed that ‘a few hundred’ students had been affected by the decision.

The majority are on professional qualification courses, with a smaller number – under 100 – on a one-year postgraduate programme or in the final year of an undergraduate degree programme, and four students on the second year of their degree.

Curtailment letters issued by the Home Office inform students that “there is no evidence that you have made a fresh application for entry clearance, leave to enter or leave to remain in the United Kingdom in any capacity”, the BBC reported.

“It is not considered that the circumstances in your case are such that discretion should be exercised in your favour,” it continues.

“The secretary of state has therefore decided to curtail your leave to enter or remain.”

Van Roojien said that LSBF will try to ensure that as many students as possible are able to complete their studies before leaving the country.

“What we have agreed to do is to intensify and accelerate the teaching programme, so that they can complete their degree programmes,” he said.

Students will then be able to sit exams and complete their dissertations in their home country, he added.

In addition, students enrolled on accountancy programmes (which make up the majority of those affected) will be able to continue their studies either at another institution operated

by Global University Systems, which owns LSBF, or through online delivery.

Van Roojien explained that LSBF was “surprised” by the suspension, and that its own independent auditor’s review had contradicted the Home Office’s findings that LSBF had breached the visa refusal threshold.

The LSBF said it didn’t want to get into ‘a public argument’ about the situation because it’s an argument they can’t win and they’ll just

have to accept the decision. The institution described the decision to revoke their licence as ‘annoying and sad’, but added that it won’t do any significant damage to the LSBF’s finances.

Presumably the LSBF does not wish to go ahead with a legal challenge via Judicial Review.

While the LSBF losing its licence does not have a direct impact on any other Tier 4 licence holders operated by GUS, Home Office guidance notes state: “When considering any institution’s suitability to hold a Tier 4 licence, UK visa and immigration (UKVI) services will consider whether any key personnel and individuals involved in the day-to-day running have complied with the Immigration Rules and sponsor guidance in the past.”

The National Union of Students says the college’s plans to “squash” courses into a shorter timeframe or to move students to institutions in France or Italy are not good enough and called for better protection for international students facing course changes and closures.

NUS spokesman Mostafa Rajaai said international students too often faced “unfair and unjust treatment”.

“The government cannot treat international students the way it does and expect the UK to remain a desirable destination for prospective students,” said Mr Rajaai.

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Forum

Nigerian Diaspora wants Buhari to The Nigerian Diaspora in the UK are yet to comprehend the news of the appointment of Hon. Abike Dabiri as the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs & Diaspora instead of someone among the diaspora and exactly what her roles will be, when some British MPs of Nigerian heritage joined their colleagues in the All-Party Parliamentary Groups, an informal group on a mission to Nigeria. Going by the discussions trending on Facebook it is obvious some do not believe the British MPs represent the views of majority in the Nigerian community in the UK. On African Voice Forum this week, we take reactions from community leaders highlighting some expectations from the current administration in Nigeria regarding the Diaspora..

Hon Abike Dabiri’s role as the SAA Foreign Affairs and Diaspora to PMB is challenging, but significant in building trust and strengthening relations between Nigeria and her diaspora.

Arguably, Nigeria faces its toughest economic challenges since independence in 1960. At the national level, it must overcome its over-reliance on petroleum for revenue. The implication for Nigeria is to look inwards for economic revival by harnessing her natural and human resources appropriately and sustainably. And at the global level, it needs to attract major investors including from the Nigerian diaspora in order

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to achieve the lofty aims of the economy diversification agenda. The Nigerian diaspora have not only the capacity, but are also willing to help judging from the numerous small projects and charity activities some of them have been doing in Nigeria.

However, there is a need for concerted efforts that will pull their resources to achieve massive growth. This is why it is imperative for Nigeria to launch a National Project Renewal (NPR) that will twin Nigerian diaspora communities with Nigerian villages to help develop them through the provision of social amenities. A similar project was successfully established during the 1980s to allow Israeli diaspora to help in the refurbishment of working class Israeli

Dr Ola Ogunyemi, Principal Lecturer in Journalism.

University of Lincoln, UK cities. The reason why I prioritise villages over cities is to redress the concentration of amenities in urban centres which caused the influx of youths, population congestion and pressure on social resources.

It is ironic that that the villages that provide the food for the teeming population in urban centres have been left in a sorry state of neglect with bad roads, poor electricity and water supply. No wonder farmers struggle to get their produce to the market and no wonder they have a diminishing capacity to produce more food as their average age hovers above 56 years. However, village regeneration is essential to the economy diversification agenda. This will include changing the mind set of Nigerians, especially the youths, to motivate them to take up farming and teaching in rural communities. This is where the Nigerian diaspora could help by contributing their expertise and acting as role models for young people.

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Forum

Champion a National Project Renewal

The NPR should prioritise programmes such as education, health and agriculture because these sectors are essential to growth, prosperity, food security and wellbeing of Nigerians. It could be funded through social investment bonds which will enable Nigerian diaspora to become social investors in partnership with the government. Social investors could invest cash or expertise and will get a certificate and a chance to be nominated to receive a national award for outstanding contribution, performance and services.

The socio-economic challenges demand that all Nigerians make sacrifices and give something back to the country. This is the time to stand up and be counted. Are you ready?

By: Dr Ola Ogunyemi, Principal Lecturer in Journalism, University of Lincoln, UK.

There is no doubt that Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa performed wonderfully well as the immediate past Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora Matters in the 7th National Assembly, especially on matters affecting Nigerians in diaspora. Therefore, her appointment as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora is a welcome development.

Bimbo Roberts Folayan The Nigerian Diaspora is currently in disarray but this is because our country does not have a policy to drive the engagement of its Diaspora like other nations where the Diaspora contributes meaningfully to national development.

Nigerians abroad are reputed to be some of the most educated and skilled workforce in any part of the world where they find themselves. Recently, it was reported that Nigerians in America are indeed the most educated people in America.

The father of the most brilliant children in the UK is a Nigerian. Unfortunately, Nigerians have not been able

Otunba Obafemi Adenuga However, her appointment as the SSA on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora

by President Muhammadu Buhari have reinforced my belief that each state in Nigeria should have an office on foreign and diaspora matters. While the Federal Government have blazed the trail in appointing a SSA on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, it is my suggestion that such appointment should be extended to each of the thirty-six states in Nigeria.

The task ahead the SSA is enormous, but since she is in a familiar terrain, her past position as the Chairman of House Committee on Diaspora matters should place her in good stead. Also, there is no doubt that the expectations of Nigerians in diaspora from the government are high, we hope and wish for a better performance over and above her previous achievement.

So what is our expectations from the Nigerian government in relation to those of us in diaspora? About a week to capitalize on their God given talents for the betterment of their country. This means that we do excel individually but always struggle when it comes to working together as one body. In countries like Israel and India the Diaspora are known to be major stakeholders in their country but the Nigerian Diaspora is still groping in the dark, partly because of their lack of cohesion on one hand and more importantly because of the lack of help from home to help move things to the next level. The resilience of this important group is so significant that in spite of the confusion, Diaspora remittances to Nigeria are still the highest in sub Saharan Africa. It is so huge that some people have compared it to the national budget of Nigeria on annual basis.

I personally believe like others that the establishment of a Diaspora Commission will turn things around in no time.

Many believe that it will be great for the government to lead the way and to help create a platform for the engagement of her Diaspora by establishing the much talked about Diaspora commission. The Diaspora commission when established will become the platform for the engagement of the Diaspora. People in the Dispora can then take all their issues to

ago, the President in response to a Daily Telegraph reporter’s question said that Nigeria and indeed Nigerians have image problems. While we cannot shy away from this fact, the main reason why some people accused the president of criminalising his own citizens in that interview was because he did not in any way recognise the efforts of majority of Nigerians who are honest, hardworking, law abiding, and as such, are positively contributing to the image of Nigeria in diaspora.

The SSA on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora must therefore put in place necessary machineries that will at all time emphasise the positive contributions of Nigerians in diaspora, rather than the negative. She must device a means whereby government leaders, whether in the executive, legislative, and the judiciary, must not make it a habit of harping on the negatives of Nigerians in diaspora without acknowledging the goodness of the majority diasporas. Her office must make sure that our leaders, especially in relation to those of us in diaspora must always remember to acknowledge the honest and hardworking Nigerians in diaspora, who are making positive contributions to Nigeria and the world at large.

When the SSA on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora was the Chairman House Committee on Diaspora matters, one agenda this commission. The newly appointed Special Adviser to Mr President, Madam Abike Dabiri is known to be an action lady and I am sure will push for the establishment of this body. The new Chair of the House Committee on Diaspora, Hon Rita Orji is a known hardworking action lady who all believe will work together with the adviser to the President to push for this commission.. When established, this body will trigger other activities like Diaspora Voting and several other issues waiting to be resolved.

Bimbo Roberts Folayan FIIM, (MBCS CITP) is the Executive Director, Nigerian Diaspora Direct Investment Summit (NDDIS) and Immediate Past Chairman, (2011-2015), Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (CANUK).

Abike Dabiri-Arewa’s appointment as SSA to the President is a great news. Whilst we hope for more women at the President’s top job, I do not see her appointment as a token for women. As chairperson on Diaspora Affairs during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration she has

that was top on the list then was her drive to achieve ‘voting rights for Nigerians in diaspora’. As the SSA on foreign affairs and diaspora, the issue of diaspora voting for Nigerians outside the country must be given special attention to enable us perform our civic duties in terms of voting.

The opportunity is now for the SSA to achieve what she was unable to achieve in terms of voting rights for Nigerians in diaspora during her tenure as Chairman House Committee on Diaspora. Hopefully this time around, she would put this agenda on overdrive so that Nigerians in diaspora shall be able to vote during the 2019 general elections.

It is a known fact that Nigerians with high professional and business skills are not in short supply in the diaspora. The SSA must provide an avenue through which her office and these professionals can regularly engage each other in areas of common interest for the benefit of our country Nigeria. Doing that will also bring out the best of us in diaspora and project a positive image for our dear nation through press releases from the SSA highlighting the positive achievements of Nigerians in diaspora, especially to the media in western world that only project Nigeria and Nigerians negatively.

Otunba Tajudeen Obafemi Adenuga is the CEO, Femade (UK) Limited

Cllr. Kate Anolue the qualification and experience which makes her the right person for the job.

President Buhari is keen on cleaning out Nigerian corrupt politicians and officers, I believe that Abike is one of the politicians whose name has not been linked with corrupt practices.

She is a patriotic Nigerian who will maintain a positive image of Nigeria.

She is fair and inclusive and was one of the members of the House of Representatives who stands for the right of the masses.

As a Diaspora I would like to be able to vote in all elections in Nigeria. This is one of the main tasks I would like her to achieve during her tenure.

Cllr. Kate Anolue is former Mayor of London borough of Enfield.

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Health News £1.5m to help young people spot signs of mental illness A £1.5 million fund driven by young people to help them develop support networks and talk about mental health, with online advice and workshops to help set them up, has been announced on 17 February 2016 by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan.

Within this, a digital innovation fund will be used to provide new and engaging online resources for parents and young people such as mobile phone apps.

We know that young people are often the first to spot when something is wrong with their friends and often confide in each other first - whether that’s a friend who is suffering from an eating disorder or someone not coping with exam stress at school.

That’s why we must train them in how to spot the signs so they can then get the help they need.

A new advisory group will gather evidence from young people about their experiences and work with schools that are running successful peer to peer support networks, so this approach can be extended to thousands of schools across the country.

The group will be supported by experts from charities, including Young Minds; head teachers, and young people themselves.

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Young people want to be involved and to share their views, and often turn to social media to do this. So today, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan is urging young people to get involved and tell the government what help they would need to set up peer support networks.

The call for evidence has been launched on social media platforms such as Twitter and sites such as Sugar scape to make it easier for young people to get involved.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: We know that if mental health issues aren’t tackled in children, it can blight their lives as adults. That’s why I think all schools should be having an open and frank conversation about mental health so that we continue to tackle the stigma that still surrounds it and ensure every child gets the support they need.

The truth is that the people who best understand the pressures that young people face are their classmates and friends - they’re the ones that spot the telltale signs that their friends are experiencing problems, and the people to whom children are most likely to turn for support. That’s why today’s announcements are about giving young people the training they need to spot the signs of mental health issues and get the support they need. To do that we will be working with schools, mental health experts, charities - and most importantly young people themselves.

Education and Childcare Minister Sam Gyimah

The information gathered through the call for evidence, launched today, will be used by the advisory group to develop peer support pilot schemes - setting up projects learning from those that are already doing it well - to inspire other young people.

The group will also be looking at key issues that affect specific groups of young people, such as helping vulnerable groups, including children in care, as well as helping parents understand how to talk about mental health with their children and working with schools.

Today’s announcement builds on the package of support announced by the Prime Minister this week, which included £1 billion to put mental health and physical health on an equal footing by 2020 providing mental health care to 70,000 more children and young people.

It is part of a wider package of work being done by the Department for Education to improve children’s mental health, including a £3 million joint pilot scheme with NHS England for schools and local mental health services to provide more joined up support; counselling guidance, and the appointment of Sam Gyimah as the first ever DfE Minister with responsibility for mental health.

Peer support networks can mean anything from informal buddying schemes to one-on-one and group sessions with trained support, and can happen face-to-face or online.

They can help young people show solidarity with their classmates and friends; tackle the isolation and insecurity that often accompany mental illness; and help take the stigma out of mental health by improving young people’s understanding.

There are already great examples of this kind of support happening. In Sandon School in Essex pupils volunteer as mentors and wear a badge so they can be easily identified by other pupils who might need someone to talk to about issues they are facing.

At any one time, 1 in 10 children are suffering from a mental illness. More than half of all adults who face mental health problems later on in life were diagnosed with these issues as a child demonstrating why it is so important that they are able to access support at school.

For example eating disorders, including anorexia, kill more young people than any other mental illness. That is why the government has

introduced a new eating disorder waiting time standard - aiming for 95% of patients being seen within 4 weeks, or 1 week for urgent cases, by 2020. We want to complement this by also providing support in schools, through early intervention and peer support.

Peer support can also help build character and resilience, ensuring no child is left behind, whatever their background or start in life.

Earlier this week, the Mental Health Taskforce identified clear links between work and good mental health. Young people need good mental health, character and resilience to be able to succeed later in life.

Education and Childcare Minister Sam Gyimah said: We are at a turning point in how we tackle children’s mental health issues and we are determined to put children and young people at the heart of this process.

That’s why today, I am excited to announce this funding to help encourage young people to champion each other’s mental wellbeing, and work together to promote good mental health.

I have met some impressive young people who have shown that peer support can work really well, and I want to see more of this high-quality support benefiting young people up and down the country.

Helen Newman, Assistant Head Teacher at Sandon School and member of the advisory group, said: Peer support is a very important part of our school. The work that peer mentors and their mentees do together builds resilience and selfesteem on both sides. Young people that would otherwise find it difficult to engage with support feel reassured knowing that they have someone in school to turn to who is close to them in age, who may have had similar experiences to them and who won’t judge them. Mentors, some of whom have been mentees themselves in the past, embrace the responsibility for supporting others and the high esteem in which they are held by students and staff helps them develop their own confidence.

The Department for Education has also updated its counselling guidance, which provides practical, evidence-based advice, informed by experts on how to make sure school counselling works for children and young people. This will help all schools make counselling available to their pupils.

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New child abuse helpline launched

Opinion

SHOULD NIGERIA DEVALUE IT’S CURRENCY?

Ronke Adegbo With the steady depreciation of Nigeria’s currency in the last few weeks, many have expressed concern for Africa’s largest economy, should this be the right time to devalue the naira?

Minister for Preventing Abuse, Exploitation and Crime, Karen Bradley

Minister for Preventing Abuse, Exploitation and Crime, Karen Bradley, has officially launched a new whistleblowing helpline for employees to speak out about child protection failures.

The NSPCC will deliver this service, which includes a helpline and email support, on behalf of the Home Office. The Government has provided £500,000 to set up the helpline in this financial year.

The helpline, which will be open Monday to Friday, will handle calls from employees from any sector, who are afraid to raise concerns about the way their organisation is dealing with cases of child abuse, or who feel they have exhausted all avenues with their employer directly.

Minister for Preventing Abuse, Exploitation and Crime Karen Bradley said: The new NSPCC whistleblowing helpline will be a vital service in our fight to end child abuse, including sexual exploitation.

Every child deserves to be safe from abuse, and organisations that are trusted to protect our children must work as effectively as possible to achieve this.

Some employers are making great strides in strengthening whistleblowing processes. But more can be done to encourage employees to report malpractice without fear of victimisation - particularly in relation to children where the cost of failure is so high.

No one should be afraid to report concerns about failures in child protection. Employees will be offered advice about the whistleblowing process and will be legally protected from any future workplace discrimination arising as a result of their concerns.

Any concerns raised will be passed on to relevant investigatory bodies to pursue.

The new service will also highlight patterns of failure across the country. The NSPCC will work with authorities to gather information about reports relating to child abuse in order to identify and address trends sooner.

NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless said: If an employee thinks a child is in danger or has been failed by their organisation then nothing should stand in the way of them speaking out.

Too often people with concerns have kept silent because they have been fearful of the consequences for their jobs, and this can have devastating consequences for the children involved.

A feature of the child abuse scandals of recent years has been people who said they thought something wasn’t right but were unsure whether they could discuss their concerns confidentially outside their organisation.

The new whistleblowing helpline is a vital new initiative and will provide a confidential, safe place for anyone who has concerns and wants support or advice.

Does the high exchange rate against the dollar and pounds benefit anyone or is this a means to increase inflow of remittances in the face of dwindling oil revenue?

While, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the former CBN governor now Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, and many other economists favour the devaluation of the naira, in this opinion piece for African Voice, ‘Ronke Adeagbo, a Chartered Accountant and former President of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) UK chapter expresses a different perspective.

With the Naira falling over 50% in the last one year alone, there are no prizes for guessing that the Naira is in trouble.

But is devaluation the silver bullet?

The exchange rate is not set by government or banks. It is set by the laws of demand and supply, just like any other commodity. Although it can be influenced by government policies.

Oil revenues, being the cash cow of the Nigerian economy is at its lowest in the last two decades, therefore acute dollar supply. But the demand for dollar has not changed. So in line with the elasticity rules, when you have more Naira chasing few Dollars, it triggers a default devaluation of the Naira.

We need to aim to boost exports, reduce our dependency on oil and imports, increase access to credit to stimulate the economy and attract Foreign Direct Investment to help redress the infrastructural deficit.

Nigeria spends a lot on importing refined petroleum products. It is not rocket science, we simply need to revive our refineries to reduce our demand for the dollar to buy back these refined petroleum

products and create jobs and increase retained earnings in the process.

The current exchange rate benefits Nigerians in diaspora, as their hardearned money will get them more Naira. But with a potential inflation in the horizon in Nigeria, that extra value, could soon disappear. But an influx of diaspora remittances, in my view is a ‘low-hanging’ solution. Essentially, our remittances needs to be the ‘new oil’.

With the current forex crisis, Diasporas remittances becomes very important.

We are increasingly become part of the solution. This has been demonstrated in other economies such as India etc.

We need to rise up to the challenge and help save our Naira. Send more money home and ensure this is used for more capital-oriented projects to create jobs and encourage your folks to spend those remittances locally. We also, need to encourage the government to ensure Diasporas’ are well represented at the decision-making table and the diaspora commission becomes a reality.

With the implementation of some of the above strategies, the Naira would find its level, hopefully a favourable and sustainable one. Whilst I appreciate that a cheaper currency will discourage imports and by default reduce demand for dollar, encourage exports and influx of dollar and sustain jobs created by the exports, encourage more influx of diaspora remittances and FDI. However, the painful aspect is that if we devalue, it would become too expensive to buy some necessary imports such as refined petroleum products, wheat etc. and inflation could be triggered. But in my opinion, this pain may be a ‘nice problem’, as it will encourage us to look for local substitute. Nigeria cannot cut demand for forex without some draconian and comprehensive approach that encourages ‘produce-and-buy Nigeria’.

The Naira must be allowed to find it’s level…… so let it float.

Mrs ‘Ronke Adeagbo is a chartered accountant and Treasurer of CANUK 7

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Help to Buy creates surge in newly built homes New research has found that 43% of new homes built under the Help to Buy: equity loan scheme since 2013 would have not been built without introduction of the scheme.

A report published also found that 82% of buyers under Help to Buy: equity loan would not have been able to purchase their home without the scheme helping them meet their ownership aspirations.

Launched in 2013, the Help to Buy scheme was set up to support hard-working people who could pay a mortgage but struggle to save the deposits required by lenders.

Now more than 130,000 people have now been able to become homeowners since the launch. The report found no evidence that the scheme has driven up house prices but did find that housebuilders have much more confidence in the housing market.

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said: Anyone who works hard and aspires to own their own home should

have the opportunity to do so and this report shows how the government’s Help to Buy scheme continues to turn those dreams into a reality.

We’ve got the country building again and seen the number of new homes increase by 25% in the last year alone with thousands of people across the country helped by the scheme.

The number of owners assisted by other government schemes is also expected to continue rising through London Help to Buy and the Help to Buy: ISA, which has now been opened by more than 250,000 people.

Confidence in the market Help to Buy is supporting the country’s economy by getting Britain building again.

The report shows that builders have seen improved confidence in the market because of the scheme and that it has encouraged more lenders to enter the market. It is also helping people move up to bigger homes.

The research found that the average price of homes under the scheme is

£212,000, £55,000 below the UK average of £267,000 and that it has brought down the average deposit needed.

Help to Buy: equity loan has been extended to 2021 through a further £8.6 billion and will help up to 145,000 more people take steps towards owning their own home.

Customer satisfaction 93% of buyers were satisfied with the experience of buying a property using the Help to Buy scheme.

On 1 February 2016 London Help to Buy opened its doors, allowing Londoners to buy a home with just a 5% deposit and a mortgage as low as

55% – in one week alone there were 15,000 expressions of interest.

An extension of the successful Help to Buy: equity loan scheme, London Help to Buy offers first-time buyers and second-steppers the opportunity to own a new build home in the capital with a 5% deposit backed by an equity loan of up to 40% from the government.

This is on top of news that a quarter of a million first time buyers have opened a Help to Buy: ISA since its launch on 1 December 2015.

The figure is equivalent to one person opening an account every 30 seconds, or over 3,000 a day.

PROPERTY INVESTMENT FORUM FOR FIRST TIME BUYERS There are now a plethora of policies and laws passed by the Government to benefit First Time Buyers. Godwin Okri, a Property Investment Strategist will be offering advice to FTB on how to benefit from these policies and access the London property market.

The Property Forum for FTB will be held at Lewisham Library on the 28th February 2016 and the 1st of March 2016. Entry is free to FTB. WHAT: This Forum is open to everyone in the community who is a First Time Buyer or investor looking to buy property. The Forum will cover:

-How to access the Help-2-Buy Scheme -How to benefit from the Help-2Buy ISA -Understanding Government policies in the property market 8

Godwin Okri

-How to deal with the current changes affecting the BTL market -How to invest in property.

WHERE: Meeting Room, Lewisham Library, 199-201 Lewisham High Street, London SE13 6LG

TIME: 2pm – 5pm

WHEN: 24 February 2016 & 1st March 2016.

FREE ENTRY TO ALL

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Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016

Comment Arts Culture

Of Buharists, Jonathanians and a Simple Analysis of Political Immaturity

by Akintokunbo Adejumo “We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.” Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

It is appalling to know that Nigerians are now polarised into two main caucuses, which is not even anywhere near political, but rather individualism, and most times bordering on ethnic lines and religious affiliation - the Buharists and the Jonathanians - as if these are the most important situation and life-changing experience we need now.

The Buharists, if I may try to define it, are those who the supporters of ex-President Jonathan derogatorily refer to, as those who insist that President Muhammadu Buhari is a god, or at least, a demi-god, and can do no wrong in his singular pursuit of a corruption free and better life for his fellow Nigerians. Buharists are those who believe in the singularity and sincerity of purpose of President Buhari to set Nigeria on a different course from what the country has been subjected to during sixteen years of ignoble and disastrous PDP rule.

The Jonathanians, again if I may hazard a definition, are those willing to swear by God that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was the best president Nigerians ever had, and should never have been voted out to allow a Northern ex-dictator into power to continue to perpetrate witch-hunting and lies against sixteen years of PDP rule in Nigeria. They do not believe Buhari has a moral claim in trying to clean the country of the pathogenic and endemic corruption that has ravaged the country. They further believe that Buhari is a fraud and is only fighting a Northern cause The two terms are simply an exhibition and proof of our political immaturity as a people.

For sixteen years of PDP rule since 1999, who has ever heard of such inanity being spewed on the streets? Were there ever Obasanjonists, or Yar ‘Aduanians? Even during the six year reign of Mr Jonathan himself, there was never anything so hearable - I never heard anybody being called a Jonathanian between 2010 and 2015. This was probably as a result of the fact that the ruling party then were the absolute rulers, and never for once thought they would be removed from power. In fact, they were so entrenched and invincible that they themselves were reminding their fellow Nigerians that they were going to rule for sixty years; nine hundred and forty years short of Hitler’s one thousand year Third Reich.

President Muhammadu Buhari

During that short-lived sixteen years, the opposition in all the elections that took place in Nigeria, except 2015, were at best, noise-makers, and at worst, as clueless as the ruling party, PDP. They had no plans, no vision, and no focus, except to grab power, and then continue to do like the incumbent party was doing. Of course, they failed. The current president never had a chance, despite appearing thrice in two different political parties. There was no Buharist then of note, or wait a minute, I know a very few supporters of Buhari then – the current Ogun State governor, Mr Ibikunle Amosun, who was in the same ANPP with Buhari; a couple of my Igbo (yes, Igbo from South East Nigeria) friends in the UK who have been diehard Buhari supporters since 2007; and ah, of course, the current Minister for Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, who was the Oyo State flagbearer for Buhari’s CPC at the 2011 Elections; and now I remember one of my first cousins who lives in Abuja and has always been what you can call a Buharist – and that’s about it, at least as far as I know. Even me, I was not convinced of Mr Buhari’s possible success in winning an election in Nigeria, though I have always held him in the highest esteem mainly because of his anti-corruption antecedents, honesty, sincerity, patriotic and stoic stand.

Was there ever a Ribaduist, that is, a person who followed Nuhu Ribadu of the ACN in the 2011 Elections? None that I can think of, or can you? Who else again from all the other charlatans and clowns who call themselves political parties? The AD, Labour, ANPP, SDP, etc. some of who never even had Presidential candidates in those elections and prefer to mortgage their conscience and ideals with the bigger parties?

So here we are in 2016, and the social media of Nigerians are full of Jonathanians and Buharists, and to most of them, that is what politics and democracy in Nigeria is all about. The so-called Jonathanians are bitter and vicious because their “hero” lost an election, the first time such has ever

occurred in Nigeria – for an incumbent, who planned an election to concede defeat.

It is unheard of, and a lot of them cannot only bear it, but they also refuse to come to terms with that political disaster. To them, they refuse to accept that Mr Jonathan has had his chance, blew it, and can never ever come back to rule Nigeria again.

My advice to them is to start looking for a more credible hero who will be able to uproot Mr Buhari from Aso Rock in 2019.

2015 is gone, together with Mr Jonathan.

There is a lot of work to be done to really move Nigeria forward, if that has ever been their real intention, and not what they had perpetrated on the good people of Nigeria in the last sixteen years of their grip on the treasury and political terrain of the country.

And now to the so-called Buharists (some people even think I am one), life in the fast lane of Aso Rock in Abuja is very short. They must be mindful of the fact that Mr Buhari is surrounded by some men of questionable characters and integrity, much like Mr Jonathan indeed was, but the only saving grace or hope, is that Mr Buhari is a man of his own, a man of integrity and a man known to be devoid of greed and selfishness.

There must not be hero-worshipping of Mr Buhari. A recent example is the botched budget; a very bad publicity, show of shame and incompetence, if not outright irresponsibility and corruption, and it must be vigorously criticised by all, not minding which side of the fence you are, for the sake of Nigeria. They also need to keep reminding Mr Buhari that he does not have a lot of time on his hands. Four years will soon be over, in fact, less than two years now, before the hounds of the opposition parties will soon be barking and besieging him and hurling missiles from every corner of the world. It ain’t gonna be a pretty sight.

To those of us who erroneously pride ourselves in being politically-savvy, we have been made to look like charlatans. In the 2011 Elections, we made so much issue of voting for the individual and not the party. Why? Another political immaturity, guided by a lack of defined and delineated

political ideology imposed on us by crude, vicious and uneducated politicians who were there to take advantage of the ignorant masses, and then loot the common wealth.

I was a guilty, ignorant villain then; I voted for Jonathan and not the PDP, I liked to assure myself then, all to my mortification and cost. In the 2015 Election, some people said the same: we voted for Buhari and not the APC. I hope we will not again be disappointed.

Even when we deviate a little from the stupidity, we resort to calling each other “APC apologists” or “PDP die-hards”, phrases which should not even be heard in sane political and democratic environments, because in such environments, people have the right of association and affiliation to a political party or the other, and should therefore be respected, not killed or pilloried for that. That is what politics and democracy are all about. But trust my people; there is no room or tolerance for opposition politics or diverse opinion or ideas. Hence, once again, a confirmation of our political immaturity, even after sixteen years.

So what lessons do we learn from this? The lesson a man learns from any issue is dependent on his experience or mistake. Nigerians have neither learnt from experience or their mistakes, and so perhaps, adaptation or aspiration to a more politically-beneficial environment and a fair and just society may be of a tall order.

As Charles Darwin said, “False facts are highly injurious to the progress of science, for they often endure long; but false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, for everyone takes a salutary pleasure in proving their falseness; and when this is done, one path towards error is closed and the road to truth is often at the same time opened.”

Nigeria is not about Jonathan or Buhari.

It is about Nigeria. It is our responsibility, and would be beneficial to all of us to get the right people into power, and the wrong people out of power. We have gotten rid of Mr Jonathan in 2015; we can get rid of Mr Buhari in 2019 if he failed us. We have all the power in the universe to do this, but only if we are sincere with ourselves, devoid of ethnic, religious and personal bigotry. I do not believe in Buharists or Jonathanians and I personally take umbrage when I am referred to as a Buharist or APC apologist.

Whichever of these two camps you belong to, why isn’t there anything like “Nigerianians”? For me, it is about Nigeria, and I have the right to swing to the camp I think is better or best for my survival as a Nigerian and for Nigeria in general.

Whoever those political “experts” who came up with these two labels are – Buharist and Jonathanian – into our political lexicon should have their heads examined.

Let the Truth be told always and those who want to hear it hear it and accept it.

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Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016

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Arts

Theatre, Shows and Musicals

By Edward Mirza

WEST AFRICA: WORD, SYMBOL, SONG AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY Now – February 16th, 2016

An exhibition of literature and music – from the great African empires of the Middle Ages to the cultural dynamism of West Africa today.

Fascinating stories from the region’s 17 nations show how West Africans have harnessed the power of words to build societies, drive political movements, sustain religious belief and fight injustice.

Beautiful manuscripts, historic film and sound recordings, books, photographs, and woven and printed textiles offer a unique insight into a profound and engaging literary culture with centuries-old written heritage existing alongside ancient oral traditions.

Hear the myth of the founding of ancient Mali in recorded performance. See the influence of religion through colourful fabric and a saddlebag Qur’an. Celebrate writers and artists including Africa’s first Nobel prize winner, Wole Soyinka, and internationally acclaimed musician and human rights activist Fela Kuti.

British Library, 96, Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB

KINKY BOOTS Now – May 28th 2016

The UK première of Kinky Boots, Broadway’s huge-hearted, high-heeled hit opens at London’s Adelphi Theatre on 15 September 2015, with previews from 21 August.

With a book by Broadway legend and four-time Tony® Award-winner Harvey Fierstein (La Cage Aux Folles), and songs

by Grammy® and Tony® winning pop icon Cyndi Lauper, this joyous musical celebration is about the friendships we discover, and the belief that you can change the world when you change your mind.

Inspired by true events, Kinky Boots takes you from a gentlemen’s shoe factory in Northampton to the glamorous catwalks of Milan. Charlie Price is struggling to live up to his father’s expectations and continue the family business of Price & Son. With the factory’s future hanging in the balance, help arrives in the unlikely but spectacular form of Lola, a fabulous performer in need of some sturdy new stilettos.

The Adelphi Theatre, Strand, London WC2R 0NS

RED VELVET 23 Jan - 27 Feb 2016

Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, 1833.

Edmund Kean, the greatest actor of his generation, has collapsed on stage whilst playing Othello. A young black American 10

actor has been asked to take over the role.

But as the public riot in the streets over the abolition of slavery, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theatre?

The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company has announced the full cast for Red Velvet, the third production in the inaugural Plays at the Garrick season. The production originally premiered at the Tricycle Theatre in 2012 before transferring to St Ann’s Warehouse in New York in 2014. Red Velvet is written by Lolita Chakrabarti with direction by Indhu Rubasingham and stars Adrian Lester as Ira Aldridge [read interview].

Kenneth Branagh said “Writing, direction and performance are exceptional in Red Velvet. I’m immensely proud to be presenting this work”.

The Garrick Theatre 2 Charing Cross Road London, WC2H 0HH .

THE ROLLING STONE Jan 14 - February 20, 2016

Dembe and Sam have been seeing each other for a while. They should be wondering where this is going and when to introduce each other to their families. But they’re gay and this is Uganda. The consequences of their relationship being discovered will be explosive. Especially for Dembe, whose brother goes into the pulpit each week to denounce the evils of one man loving another.

The Rolling Stone was the winner of a Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting in 2013 and first premiered at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in April 2015 to critical acclaim. Chris Urch’s plays include Land of Our Fathers (Theatre503/Trafalgar Studios).

The Orange Tree Theatre 1 Clarence Street, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2SA

THRILLER - LIVE Now - April 17, 2016

Thriller - Live, the spectacular concert show that celebrates the music of the world’s greatest entertainer and undisputed King of Pop, Michael and the Jackson 5, is celebrating its 2,000th West End performance on Thursday October 24.

Smashing all previous records at the Lyric Theatre, where it recently celebrated becoming the longest-running production in the theatre’s 125-year history, Thriller - Live first moonwalked into the West End in January 2009 after three acclaimed UK tours. It has just extended its West End booking period to Sunday 28 September, 2014 Several world tours have seen the show play to acclaim in 26 countries, including Germany, Italy, Poland, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Singapore, South Africa, China, Sweden, Finland and Norway, Japan and Brazil.

The Rolling Stone, at The Orange Tree Theatre

More than 1 million people have seen the show at the Lyric Theatre and more than 2.5million people have seen the show worldwide.

Unlike other West End productions, Thriller - Live is not a rigid book musical with set songs, but is a constantly evolving music concert celebration. When Michael Jackson died, the Lyric theatre became a focus for fans from all over the world, who created a massive shrine of flowers, candles, and tributes. More than 40 books of condolence were signed in the foyer then sent to the Jackson family. A year after his death, a permanent West End memorial to Michael was unveiled in the theatre foyer. Thriller - Live brings to life on stage the distinctive high-energy dancing and pulsating sound of many of pop’s greatest hits, blending eye-popping video footage and effects together with dazzling choreography by the show’s award-winning director Gary Lloyd. The show has regularly been updated with additional songs, new visuals and choreography.

Thriller - Live was originally conceived and created by Adrian Grant, a long time associate of Michael Jackson, and author of Michael Jackson – The Visual Documentary. Thriller - Live is produced by Paul Walden and Derek Nicol for Flying Music in association with Adrian Grant for Key Concerts.

Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue London W1D 7ES

A RAISIN IN THE SUN Jan 28 - March 26, 2016

Injustice, inequality and a housing crisis lead to family tension in Lorraine Hansberry’s landmark play, revived by the UK’s leading Black-led national touring company Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking play, the first on Broadway written by a Black woman, is to tour the UK in a new production directed by Eclipse Theatre’s Dawn Walton. This intense family drama, written on the cusp of the civil rights era, sees the Younger family await the arrival of a cheque for a life changing $10,000.

Driven to conflict as they encounter issues of inequality, housing and lack of opportunity that continue to resonate today, the play acts as a stark warning to anyone who measures happiness and personal worth in capital gain.

UK tour: 28 Jan – 13 Feb Sheffield Theatres 55 Norfolk St, www. sheffieldtheatres.co.uk | 0114 249 6000; 17 Feb – 20 Feb, New Wolsey Theatre, www.wolseytheatre.co.uk | 01473 295900, 23 – 27 Feb, Nuffield Theatre, www.nuffieldtheatre.co.uk | 023 8067 1771; 2 Mar – 5 Mar, Liverpool Playhouse, www.everymanplayhouse.com | 0151 709 4776; 8 Mar – 12 Mar, Watford Palace Theatre, www. watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk | 01923 225671 ; 16 – 19 Mar, The Albany, www.thealbany. org.uk | 020 8692 4446; 22 – 26 Mar, Belgrade Theatre, www.belgrade.co.uk | 0247 6553055

Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016

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Culture Charly Boy Says Julius Agwu’s Valentine’s Day Concert Boring, Tells Comedian To Stop Preaching Hear what Abuja Area fada Charly Boy said about Julius Agwu’s valentine’s day concert

Haba Julius, Where’s The Genius??!!

Julius Agwu is my friend and a brother, one of the many comedians I have encouraged in their careers through the years.

When I lost my buddy, my father, he was there to give me all the moral support I needed. I love Julius as much as some great Nigerian comedians, artistes and actors that have passed through the University of CharlyBoyism, who are now doing pretty well in their respective fields.

I was at my guy’s LIFE AS I SEE IT show with my family at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja on February 14, 2016.

Mehnnnn, was I bored to tears!!!

First of all, the show that was billed to start at 4pm didn’t start till around 8.30pm, and wouldn’t you expect that such a show already starting so late would compensate the audience by blowing off the roof with powerful ribcrackers back to back? For where!

I wasn’t sure whether we were at a musical/comedy show or in a pentecostal revival ground.

We had trickles of respite when other artistes did their thing but each time Julius came up, it was like he was on a mission to convert us sinners in the hall. He kept preaching, oblivious of many people’s disapproval, boredom

and disgust for turning a comedy show into a sermonized gospel rant and chant. Kai! I understand what my brother must have gone through when he had to be flown abroad for his brain surgery. As he told me before the show started, “Charly, I almost died, I was actually being wheeled to the mortuary before God’s intervention”. I am sure all that incident must have been very traumatic for my dear friend who felt he had to give thanks to the Lord for keeping him alive. Yes o, I agree, we all need to constantly do that because without God’s grace and mercy, who for dey alive?

So praise The Lord…Halleluyah!!!!

However, the fact remains that people came there for the sole purpose of laughter, not to be preached at, after-all, the Christians in the building would have gone to Church earlier that day, being a Sunday. Abi? We had people of different religions, denominations: Muslims, Crossbearers, Bhuddists, even Atheists in the hall that night, who didn’t come to worship but to be entertained.

As I peered into some people’s faces, I could read their strong objection and disdain about how the night was turning out.

Julius should have been sensitive, biko.

There were a few high points of the show though, when the likes of Bovi and Akpororo took control of the microphone. They were good! Very good.

Julius Agwu - Centre

My dear brother, it is good to have a grateful heart when the Lord delivers one from the jaws of death, but a comedy show is not a revival and the people in the hall can’t all be Christians.

There are many people also that the Lord has saved, giving thanks therefore, should be a personal thing with your Maker; don’t get it twisted with comedy.

I felt ripped off.

God has also saved people like us and we are grateful for what He has done in our lives, but we don’t go round terrorising people with Bible verses and the word of God. And just in case you want to start your own church, all well and good for you but biko, don’t do it on the heels of people who have paid their hard earned money to watch a comedy show, either alone or with family and friends.

Peter Okoye wants brother fired as P-Square’s manager In a series of tweets on Tuesday on his Twitter handle @PeterPsquare, 34-year-old Peter revealed that he wants his brother, Jude, fired from managing P-square.

He, however, said he remained loyal to his twin brother and singing partner, Paul Okoye, as well as their fans.

He tweeted, “I don’t have a problem with Paul but the management.

“My loyalty for P-square and the fans still remains 100% but a manager is been employed by the artiste and not the other way round. #truthBeTold,” Peter noted.

“Please, who so ever makes any transaction with North Side Entertainment or Jude Okoye on P-square’s behalf does so at their on risk. #warning.

“Family business can be a pain in the a$$.”

It would be recalled that Jude Okoye, the elder brother of the singing duo, has been the manager of P-square since the group came into existence.

On his Instagram page @judeengees, Jude’s bio reads “President/C.E.O Northside Inc. Managers of Psquare & Cynthia Morgan.”

Peter Okoye of the Nigerian singing duo, P-square, says he no longer wants his elder brother, Jude Okoye, to manage P-square

But reacting to the development, Jude Okoye, elder brother to the duo said Peter needs prayers.

Jude on his Twitter handle @judeengees, said, “Abeg join us pray for him too. He’s been going through a lot lately.

“My brother please be prayerful. Only God can rescue you.”

11

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News

Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016

UK leads Deadly clashes mar Uganda election drive response to food crisis in Malawi The UK is stepping up humanitarian support including food packages and medical supplies to help Malawi’s most vulnerable families survive one of the country’s worst food shortage crises in over a decade.

As one of the leading humanitarian donors to Malawi, the UK has been at the forefront of the response to Malawi’s international appeal for emergency aid following widespread droughts and flooding due to El Nino weather effects. Today’s announcement brings the UK’s humanitarian support in Malawi since October 2015 to £14.5m.

In total, the UK’s £14.5m support will ensure: The World Food Programme (WFP) can deliver emergency food packages including basic rations of maize and nutrient-rich cereals for over 800,000 people.

Speaking during a visit to Malawi this week, the Scottish Secretary David Mundell said: Scotland can be proud of our long standing links with Malawi and we can be proud of the outstanding work civil servants from DFID’s dual headquarters in East Kilbride are leading on worldwide. My visit to Malawi this week has reaffirmed how much people here value the great bond which exists between our two nations. This new UK funding will help strengthen this bond and provide life-saving support to hundreds of thousands of Malawians.

The UK Government’s International Development Minister Nick Hurd said: Due to the El Nino weather phenomenon affecting much of Africa, widespread drought is causing millions of people to go without food, while thousands more have lost their homes and livelihoods in severe floods. The UK has been at the forefront of preventing and preparing for the effects of El Niño in the world’s poorest places, including in Malawi. Providing support is hugely important to African people and is also in the UK’s national interest.

The UK Government, through the Department for International Development (DFID), has a programme of ongoing support worth over £80m in Malawi this year in health, education, agriculture, water and sanitation, economic development, increasing access to justice for women and vulnerable groups, accountability and governance reforms.

12

Uganda

Leading contender Kizza Besigye has been arrested twice on his campaign trail in what supporters claim is targeted obstruction by a force loyal to Yoweri Museveni

Violence has marred the lead-up to this week’s presidential election in Uganda, with at least one person confirmed to have been killed as police clashed with opposition supporters in Kampala.

The clashes followed the arrest of a leading presidential candidate during campaign rallies, and involved the use of firearms and tear-gas against protesters hurling rocks and barricades.

The main opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who heads the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, was held on Monday evening, his second brief detention of the day, after marching with thousands of supporters to a rally in Kampala.

He was released soon afterwards, a party spokesperson said.

Police said Besigye was held because he did not stick to an authorised route, and his diversion would disrupt businesses.

“Police can confirm one person died during the confusion today,” Kampala police spokesman Patrick Onyango told the AFP news agency, without giving further details.

Opposition politicians told AFP that three people had been shot dead, but the claims could not be independently verified.

FDC spokesman Semujju Nganda said “several” supporters were injured during scuffles with police.

“We protest in the strongest terms police brutality towards our supporters and targeting our candidate,” he said.

But Frank Tumwebaze, minister for the presiden-

cy, said it was “madness” that Besigye had tried to hold a rally in the centre of the capital, saying the police had a duty to ensure calm. He accused Besigye of “seeking publicity ... after sensing defeat ahead”.

The outbreak of violence came just three days before presidential and parliamentary elections are due to take place on February 18. Coleen Nantongo, an FDC parliamentary candidate for Kampala Central, said the unrest cast a dark cloud over the upcoming polls.

“Uganda is doomed,” she said. “We cannot have a fair election when this is what the police do.

Whenever there are elections they tear-gas us and arrest us, so how can we be expected to have a fair competition?”

Earlier in the day, Besigye, who has lost three disputed elections against long-running president Yoweri Museveni, was also briefly detained for leading a procession of supporters in Kampala.

Opposition supporter James Magara, 40, said that the arrests raised doubts that the election would be free and fair.

“There is no democracy in Uganda, and now the whole world will see it. Museveni does not want to lose so he sends the police after us, but this time we will not accept it. We will not let him continue like this,” he told Al Jazeera.

Although parts of the campaign period have been relatively peaceful in Kampala, the international community has before raised concerns over repression of opposition figures. In October 2015, Besigye was placed under what the police called “preventive arrest” after a series of protests over high fuel prices.

UK strengthens Defence relationship with Kenya The UK’s Defence relationship with Kenya has been strengthened and UK support to Somalia boosted after a visit by the Armed Forces Minister.

During the Kenyan leg of her visit, Armed Forces Minister Penny Mordaunt met with the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Defence, Raychelle Omamo, to discuss the UK and Kenya’s long-standing Defence relationship, and the pair spoke with influential women working in the Kenyan security sector.

The Minister also met personnel from the High Commission Defence Section, British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) and British Peace Support Team East Africa, was able to see first-hand the scope and scale of UK military activity in Kenya, meet with families of BATUK personnel, and visit the International Peace Support Training Centre.

Armed Forces Minister Penny Mordaunt said: ‘I am pleased to visit Kenya where the UK carries out important capacity building work with both Kenyan and regional forces, critical operational readiness training for our own Armed Forces and is committed to support local communities in the areas in which it trains.

The UK shares a long-standing and mutually beneficial Defence relationship with Kenya, we are bound together by a wide range of shared interests and this is more important

now than ever given Kenya’s commitment to the AMISOM mission in Somalia and its fight against terrorism in the region.

During the Kenyan leg of her visit, Armed Forces Minister Penny Mordaunt met with the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Defence, Raychelle Omamo, to discuss the UK and Kenya’s long-standing Defence relationship, and the pair spoke with influential women working in the Kewwnyan security sector.

The Minister also met personnel from the High Commission Defence Section, British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) and British Peace Support Team East Africa, was able to see first-hand the scope and scale of UK military activity in Kenya, meet with families of BATUK personnel, and visit the International Peace Support Training Centre.

Armed Forces Minister Penny Mordaunt said: I am pleased to visit Kenya where the UK carries out important capacity building work with both Kenyan and regional forces, critical operational readiness training for our own Armed Forces and is committed to support local communities in the areas in which it trains.

The UK shares a long-standing and mutually beneficial Defence relationship with Kenya, we are bound together by a wide range of shared interests and this is more important now than ever given Kenya’s commitment to the AMISOM mission in Somalia and its fight

against terrorism in the region.

The Minister’s visit follows the signing of the Defence Cooperation Agreement between the UK and Kenya at the end of last year, which will confirm the UK’s ability to continue to operate in Kenya and provide the basis for developing the UK/Kenya Defence relationship further.

During the Somali leg of her visit the Minister announced an additional contribution of over £3m from the UK Government to the UN Somali National Army Trust Fund, which will help pay for essential resources, including rations, fuel and medical supplies.

The Minister met with Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke; Defence Minister General Abdulkadir Sheikh Ali (Diini); Internal Security Minister Abdirizak Omar Mohamed; the Chief of Defence Forces Major General Mohammed Aden Ahmed; the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Somalia Michael Keating;and, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia Francisco Madeira.

Armed Forces Minister Penny Mordaunt said: I am delighted to announce the UK’s further donation of over £3m to the Trust Fund, which will support the SNA in its fight to defeat Al Shabaab. This demonstrates our commitment to the SNA, and to building the foundations of lasting security in Somalia more widely.

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Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016

Thousands evicted to make way for ET China

Nine thousand Chinese villagers are being forced to leave their homes to make way for a giant radio telescope to detect extra-terrestrial life.

The Chinese government is relocating villagers around Pingtang to complete construction by September of its 500 metre-diameter Aperture Spherical Telescope – or FAST – at an estimated cost of 1.2 Chinese Yuan (£129m).

The mass relocation was announced on Tuesday in a report by Xinhua, the state news agency. The report said officials were relocating 2,029 families, a total of 9,110 people, living within a three-mile radius of the telescope in the area of Pingtang and Luodian Counties in the southwestern province of Guizhou.

Officials plan to give each person the equivalent of $1,800 for housing compensation, the report said. Guizhou is one of China’s poorest provinces.

Forced relocations for infrastructure projects are common across China, and

The finished radio telescope will be by far the largest working one on earth

the people being moved by officials often complain both of the eviction from their homes and inadequate compensation.

The Three Gorges Dam displaced more than one million people along the Yangtze

River, and the middle route of the gargantuan South-North Water Diversion Project has resulted in the relocation of 350,000 people to make way for a series of canals.

The Chinese government has announced

Canada

ambitious plans for its space program, at a time when the American one is in retreat.

China aims to put an astronaut on the moon and a space station in orbit. The FAST project is another important element in the larger plan.

If the truth is out there, then some Chinese scientists are confident that the giant telescope will find it. The current largest operational radio telescope is the 300metre-diameter Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, but FAST in Guizhou will far surpass that.

Li Di, a chief scientist with the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told China Daily last year that “with a larger signal receiving area and more flexibility, FAST will be able to scan two times more sky area than Arecibo, with three to five times higher sensitivity.”

Last November, scientists successfully tested the telescope’s “retina,” which weighs 33 tons and is suspended 460 to 525 feet above the reflector dish, which was half-finished at the time.

Mexico

Up to 4,000 Canadian women killed or kidnapped Zika continues irresistible path north

The number of indigenous women who have been murdered or gone missing in Canada since 1980 may be as high as 4,000, a federal politician has warned.

Patricia Hajdu, the minister of the status of women, cited research from the Native Women’s Association of Canada pointing to a far higher total than previously thought.

The new figures challenge a 2014 report from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police estimating that 1,200 women had disappeared between 1980 and 2012.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who took office last October, has put indigenous affairs at the heart of his platform, calling it a “top priority” for his administration. The government is now preparing to launch an inquiry into the disappearance of women belonging to indigenous peoples, also known in Canada as the First Nations.

Indigenous affairs minister Carolyn Bennett, who has been interviewing First Nations communities ahead of the inquiry, said the investigation would “examine the causes of violence against indigenous women and girls” and propose “concrete actions” to tackle them.

The disappearance of so many women was an “ongoing national tragedy” regardless of the number, she added.

Chiapas, where more than half of Mexico’s recorded cases of Zika have been identified

Mexico’s Health Department has now confirmed six pregnant women have been infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

British Columbia’s infamous ‘Highway of Tears’, named for the women murdered along its 450-mile length

The issue has been a cause of concern for some time. First Nations women are at a disproportionate risk of becoming victims of homicide, with dozens of missing women found dead every year.

The 2014 police report estimated that they were four times more likely to be murdered than non-indigenous women.

Ten First Nations women were among the 19 murdered between 1969 and 2011 on the “Highway of Tears”, a 450-mile stretch of road in British Columbia. The deaths remain unsolved, prompting accusations that a racially biased police force and media were failing to give the cases the attention they deserved.

The department said this week there were 80 confirmed cases of locally acquired Zika throughout Mexico as of Feb. 12. Forty-five cases were in Chiapas, which borders Guatemala and where four of the pregnant women live, and 25 in neighbouring Oaxaca state. Four were in the northern border state of Nuevo Leon.

Some believe the virus is linked to a spike in cases of babies born with abnormally small heads, or microcephaly, but there is as yet no definitive proof it has caused the birth defects.

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Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016

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CRIME

Two jailed for killing unborn child

A man who brutally assaulted his pregnant ex-girlfriend and killed their unborn son has been jailed for life, to serve a minimum of 16 years.

Kevin Wilson, 21, a teaching assistant, of Stansfield House, Longfield Estate, Bermondsey had previously been convicted of child destruction and grievous bodily harm with intent on Malorie Bantala after planning the attack because he did not want to be a father.

A 17-year-old from the Bermondsey area recruited by Wilson to help in the assault was also found guilty at the Old Bailey of child destruction and GBH and today, Thursday 11 February, given an extended 14 year sentence; 10 years in custody and four years on licence.

The judge lifted reporting restrictions and he can be named as Taffari Grant, 17, of Fairby House, Longfield Estate, Bermondsey.

Shortly after 20:00hrs on 15 June 2015, heavily pregnant Malorie was walking down Talfourd Place, Peckham when she was approached by two men who appeared out of the bushes wearing motorbike crash helmets.

They pushed her to the ground and continually kicked and stamped on her stomach.

The suspects then ran off, still wearing the crash helmets, in the direction of Denman Road and made off on a motorcycle or scooter.

Malorie, who was 32 weeks’ pregnant, was rushed to King’s College Hospital but her unborn baby boy could not be saved and was stillborn by emergency C-section. Malorie, aged 21, needed life-saving surgery to control bleeding from a major artery and also suffered fractures to her right hand as she tried to protect her stomach during the attack.

Kevin Wilson (L) and Taffari Grant (R)

The court heard Malorie and Wilson had begun a short relationship in the summer of 2011 while at university. After they split up they stayed on good terms, occasionally seeing each other.

In December 2014, Malorie discovered she was pregnant and told Wilson over the phone.

He said he was not ready for a child. Malorie decided she wanted to keep the baby and informed Wilson who responded: “Why are you doing this to me?”

Two days later Wilson arranged for Malorie to have a consultation at an abortion clinic in Blackfriars. She was asked what treatment she wanted and explained she thought she was there just to discuss the options.

Wilson was angry as they left together, saying he could not have a child and urging Malorie to do him a “favour” by terminating the pregnancy. Malorie said he could just leave but he replied that it wasn’t an option and she needed to get rid of the baby. He called her selfish and a bitch.

They met again a few days later where Wilson tried again over dinner to persuade Malorie to have an abortion. Their relationship deteriorated. Wilson began denying he was the father, even after Malorie informed his mother.

Two weeks later, on 25 May, Wilson made his first call to the 17-year-old. From then, there were regular telephone calls between the pair up until the day of the attack on Malorie.

On Sunday, 14 June, Malorie went to buy supplies for a baby shower she was planning and noticed two males wearing motorbike helmets sitting on some railings close to her home. Other neighbours also spotted the males in the area throughout that day.

The prosecution suggested the pair were carrying out a ‘recce’ in preparation for the attack on Malorie.

Two males wearing the same crash helmets were seen in the area from around 16:00hrs on the day Malorie was assaulted, although Wilson was not one of them, having been caught on CCTV leaving work elsewhere and returning to his home address.

However, the prosecution said Wilson and the 17-year-old then travelled to Peckham, loitering in the area for some time before carrying out the attack.

Malorie immediately recognised one of her attackers as Wilson and called out his name as he made off, causing him to turn and look back at her.

Wilson, learning he was wanted, attended Walworth police station on 16 June 2015 and was arrested.

The 17-year-old was arrested on 24 August 2015. Searches of his home and the surrounding area found two motorbike helmets, one in a communal bin. A registration document showed he had owned a scooter, but he claimed he had since sold it on. Police later disproved this and also his alibi that he was out for a meal with relatives at the time of the attack.

Both defendants were subsequently charged.

Man jailed for attempted murder and abh

A man who attacked and robbed a good Samaritan as she provided directions before going on to bottle and stab a stranger in an off-licence, leaving him in a coma, has been jailed.

Abdul Rahim Sowe, 19, of no fixed abobe was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment and five additional years on licence after pleading guilty to attempted murder and ABH. The court heard how on Sunday, 20 September, Sowe stopped his first victim on Haverstock Hill and asked her for directions to the local mosque. This lady told him it was five minutes away and offered to walk with him, as she was a Muslim and going there herself. Several minutes later, Sowe accused the lady of lying and became very abusive. He then punched her in the face several times.

When she fell to the ground he kicked her in the face repeatedly before stealing 14

Abdul Rahim Sowe

money from her purse and casually walking off.

Sowe then made his way to Camden High Street soon after to buy a top-up card for a mobile phone who had purchased

with the stolen money. The top-up card did not work, having to wait to be served Sowe became increasingly impatient and abusive.

He then began to pull down goods from the shelves and throwing bottles of alcohol. The shopkeeper, in fear of his safety, ran out of the shop to alert police.

At this point Sowe walked behind the counter and picked up full size alcohol bottles and hit a male shop customer over his head until the victim passed out.

Sowe also smashed two bottles on the victims face, he then stabbed the victim in his face, throat and head with a pair of scissors while he lay unconcious.

London Ambulance Service attended and the victim, a 53-year-old man, spent two months in hospital undergoing extensive re-constructive surgery to his face, head and throat.

British Transport Police (BTP) officers also attended the scene to provide support and arrested Sowe in a nearby shop on

suspicion of attempted murder. He was charged on Tuesday, 22 September.

He appeared at Blackfriars Crown Court on Tuesday 10 February and pleaded guilty on both counts of attempted murder and ABH due to the overwhelming, forensic and CCTV footage evidence against him.

Having viewed the CCTV footage of the off-licence attack, Judge Peter Clarke said “This is the most extreme violence I have seen recorded in my 43 years at the bar, I have not seen anything like it.”

DC Sham Razzak, from Camden Community Safety Unit said: “Sowe embarked on a campaign of violence and rage against two perfect strangers who did him no harm. His first victim was attacked as she guided him to a place of worship whilst the second victim spent two months in hospital and is still being fed through a tube - through his stomach - due to the extensive injuries he suffered in his throat.

Sowe has a long time now to think about his actions in jail.”

Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016

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Sounds of Diaspora People of America

Kanye gets a Swift kick in his asinines Kanye West was made to look even more foolish than his own endeavours have accomplished at Monday’s Grammy Awards ceremony when Taylor Swift responded to a line in one of his tracks claiming to have made her famous by firing back in her Album of the Year acceptance speech.

Without mentioning West or anything he has said or done, the pop starlet announced: “I just want to say to all the young women out there, there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments—or your fame—but if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, some day when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love who put

you there and that will be the greatest feeling in the world. Thank you.”

West’s frankly ludicrous lyric alludes to the idea that his classless interruption of Swift’s Grammy acceptance speech in 2009, in which he rudely asserted that the Best Video award she won should have gone to Beyoncé, propelled Swift into the limelight. West has evidently forgotten he interrupted Swift receiving a Grammy, which is surely an acknowledgment that she must have achieved a reasonable degree of public recognition up to that juncture.

Indeed, Swift might validly argue that she, together perhaps with a certain ample-hipped lady whose celebrity stems from a ‘special interest’ home video, have made West more famous than he deserves to be if based solely on what he is paid to do. Certainly his various exploits outside the recording studio have become better

Trooper John storms to Rising Star BAFTA

Taylor Swift delivers her impassioned message (left) and Kanye West (right) hangs his head

known than any music I can remember him releasing.

I know next to nothing about Taylor Swift, but she has my wholehearted support any time she wants to go up against Kanye West, who has no class or discern-

ible talent and - (now here comes the unforgivable bit) - has no manners. He muscled in on what, for all anyone knew, could have been a young fellow artiste’s crowning achievement. I would hope his mother raised him better.

A beaming John Boyega holding up his EE Rising Star BAFTA and (right) as Finn opposite Poe Dameron (played by Oscar Isaac) in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Londoner John Boyega picked up the ‘Rising Star’ award at this year’s BAFTAs emulating James McAvoy and Tom Hardy as faces to look out for in the future.

The Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens actor called his win “a fluke” as he beat out fellow nominees Dakota Johnson, Brie Larson, Bel Powley and Taron Egerton.

The award was presented by last year’s winner Jack O’Connell at the star-studded ceremony in London’s Royal Opera House.

Accepting the award, Boyega said: “A big thank you for BAFTA for this amazing opportunity, and to the members of the public who have voted.”

He then joked: “I have-not been doing this for a long time; it’s a fluke,” before dedicating the award to “the young dreamers”

Boyega, who studied performing arts at South Thames College in Wandsworth, was born in Peckam to Nigerian parents.

One of his roles before he landed the part of Stormtrooper Finn in Star Wars Episode VII was the character Ugwu in the film adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel, Half of a Yellow Sun, alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Onyeka Onwenu, Anika Noni Rose, Genevieve Nnaji and OC Ukeje.

He will soon begin filming Star Wars Episode VIII, in which it is rumoured a ‘bromance’ could develop between his Finn character and Poe Dameron, played in The Force Awakens

by Inside Llewyn Davis star Oscar Isaac.

Star Wars Episode VII - The Force Awakens also scooped the award for the best special visual effects.

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Gospel

By Michael Adekoya

Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016

REDEEM THE TIME (PART 1)

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” Eph.5:15-16

Dear Reader, time is the most valuable commodity in life that we have. Do you agree with me? It’s more valuable than money. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you woke up this morning, God gave you a present called “today.” And with that gift comes a responsibility. The Scripture tells us to redeem the time, to make the most of every opportunity and chance we get. That simply means we must not let time go to waste.

Yesterday ended last night. Today is a new day! Don’t live this day unfocused, unhappy, angry, complaining, worried, bitter, speaking or acting negative, discouraged, defeated or depressed. Make the most of every day. God has entrusted you with His life. He has breathed His very breath into you. He has put gifts and talents on the inside of you. You have seeds of greatness deposited in you. You’re a person of destiny and you have an assignment and a purpose to fulfill on earth.

At midnight, 31 December 2015, God handed us a New Year and a new opportunity to re-define our purpose, priorities & life vision. A New Year gives us the opportunity to re-establish worthwhile costs, to lay aside every weight and sin that easily besetting us, to refuse anything and anyone that weighs us down or distracts us from going God’s will, to be careful with relationships that lessen our hunger for God or weaken our resolve to obey His commands.

A New Year is an opportunity to bury the past and move into a new future. It is an opportunity to come closer to God and live for Him. My friend, listen! The failure, defeat, disappointment, disease, betrayal’ difficulty or discouragement of last year doesn’t matter anymore. This year begins another decade in your life – a decade of extra measure of achievements, success,

favour, healing, blessings and glory. Make this year the most fruitful year of your life.

Hear me! If you are alive but sleeping spiritually, God says,” Wake up from your sleep this New Year.” If you are awake but you’re not rising up, God says, “Rise from the dead – from dead prayer life, dead Bible Study and dead in the area of obedience.

Come out among the dead. It is then Christ can shine on you in 2016” (Eph 5:14). God says, “Wake up, wake up! Clothe yourself with strength. Put on your beautiful garment of purity, prayer, power and perfect praise, for unclean and godless people will enter your gates no longer. Rise from the dust, sit in a place of honour and remove the chains of slavery from your neck” (Isa 52:1-2) God says, “Be very careful how you live in this New Year—not as unwise but

­­

Are you looking for a church?

Not settled in any particular congregation?

Perhaps now is the time to pray about it If you are not yet saved try one of the following: Jubilee International Churchmeets at 2,30pm on Sundays at Kings Avenue School, Park Hill. London SW4. Part of Jubilee International Churches Worldwide. For information, you may call (020)8697 3354 New Wine Christian Church- 11am holds meeting at Ringcross Tennants Club, Lough Road, Holloway, N7. a member of the Icthus Fellowship

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Worldwide. For more information call 020 7609 959 or 07957 757 663.

Praise Tabernacle- 10:30am holds meetings at 620 Western Avenue (A40), Park Royal Business Centre, opposite Warner Bros. Cinema Complex, W3. part of The Redeemed Christian Church of God. For information you may call 020 8993 3010 New Life Christian Centre 10.30am & 6.00pm. meetings at Cairo New Road, Croydon. The church has

as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Eph 5:15-17). In other words, use your time wisely. Don’t waste your life doing things that waste your time.

You’re sent to this world for a purpose. You should discover it, develop it and deploy it.

That’s what success is measured by.

My friend, this message is to encourage and challenge you on how to evaluate the way you are spending your time. It’s time to refocus your life. Let go of any distractions, time wasters and vision killers.

Shake off any self-pity, discouragement, disappointment of the past or any pursuit which is not of eternal value and run your race with purpose. Refuse anything that weighs you down or distracts you from doing God’s will this year.

My friend, be careful of what you sow

a Bible school, primary, is involved in extensive mission work in Eastern Europe, Italy and India. For information you may call 020 8680 7671 Ruach Ministries - holds meeting at 9am, 11am and 6pm. For information you may call 020 8678 6888 International Central Gospel Church - Battersea Chapel, holds meetings on Sundays from 2.00pm. . For information you may call 020 8684 4934 Jesus Arena International- Sunday service at 11.00am at Broadwater Farm Centre, Adams Road N17 The Bible Life Church UK- They meet on Sunday mornings at 2.30pm at St Giles Centre, Camberwell

into your life or into other people’s lives because you will always reap what you sow (Gal 6:7) As much as you give to others or give for the sake of the Gospel in 2016, that much you shall receive from God. The Bible says, “A generous person will prosper, if you refresh others, you’ll be refreshed” (Prov 11:25). Be careful of how you live and redeem the time so that you can fulfill the destiny and assignment that God has prepared for you before you were born (Eph 2:10).

My friend, if there is a time to dedicate your mind, will, and emotions to God, it is this year. Joshua said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Josh 24:15). Did you hear that?

Who would you and your family serve? This is the decision you must make this year.

It is time for us to move from a survival mentality into a position of “ruling and reigning”; from just getting by to having more than enough; from defensive to offensive and confrontation against the devil and his agents. We are not told to cope with the devil and his agents, we are commanded to resist him and he’ll flee. The devil in Africa is not different from the devil in Europe, Asia, North, South and Central America. His mandate is to steal your joy, kill your anointing and destroy your destiny, dreams and relationship.

Satan knows that you are saved by grace through faith. His goal is to separate you from your faith. He knows that it is by faith that you receive every benefit God has promised you (Heb 11:6). He knows that without faith, you cannot please God. Give no place to the devil. Submit to God totally this year! No matter what the challenge may be this year, let there be no joy loss or fluctuation in your Christianity - your purity, prayer, praise and witnessing lifestyle.

Remain blessed and to be continued next week.

Church Street, London SE5 Christ Apostolic church (Full Gospel & Pentecostal) Surrey Docks District 163 Ilderton Rd South Bermondsey London SE16 2UT. Tel. 020 7252 2086.

Time of worship: Sunday English service 9- 11.30am. Yoruba service 11.30 -2.30pm. Prophetic counselling: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 12noon- 5pm, Saturday only 5- 7pm.

Holy Cross Church InternationalSunday 10.am- 1 pm at Crown House 71-73 Nathan Way London SE28 0BQ Tel: 07904 234 126, 07809 381 886 Times of service:Bible study: Thursdays 8pm. Night Vigil: Friday Forth-

nightly 12am Sunday Service: Sundays 10am - 1pm Winners’ Chapel London- part of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, at 1 Churchill Close, Green Street, Green Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 1QE meets Sunday 7.30am, 9.15am and 11am and Wednesdays at 7pm.

For details call: 01322 292097 Christ Apostolic Church, Surrey Docks District, Solution Centre, 47-47 High Street, Swancombe, Kent, DA10 0DA Tel: 07956 38 38 70 Time of worship: Wednesday Bible study: 7:30pm to 9:00pm Friday, Night Vigil: 9pm to 11pm Sunday Worship: 12:30pm to 3:00pm

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Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016

Africa Newsround

Zimbabwe

US cargo plane held after corpse found on board Zimbabwe’s Civil Aviation Authority has impounded a US registered cargo plane after staff noticed blood dripping from what turned out to be a dead body during refuelling.

The Florida-based Western Global Airlines Trijet MD11 had been en route from Germany to South Africa when the captain requested a technical landing at Harare International having previously had a similar request refused in Mozambique.

After the as yet unidentified corpse was found, officials boarded the plane to find a small fortune in cash on board.

Western Global Airlines, which confirmed on Monday that it owned the plane, said in a statement that the corpse was suspected to have been a stowaway “who may have entered the airplane during a previous stop.”

The airline said the plane had been leased to Network Airline Management, a longtime customer based in Britain that

Soldiers guard a US cargo plane after blood is found dripping from a dead body

uses Western Global Airlines aircraft and crews for several flights a week from Europe to Africa. Western Global said the cash was a shipment for the South African Reserve Bank.

Officials at Network Airline Management, whose headquarters are at Gatwick Airport, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Herald, Zimbabwe’s leading newspaper, which was among the first to report the episode, said the plane had been “stashed with millions of [South African] rand.” One million rand is equivalent to about £45,500.

The newspaper also said South Africa’s ambassador to Zimbabwe, Vusi Mavimbela, confirmed the episode but could not give further details.

News agency accounts said the crew members — two Americans, a South African and a Pakistani — had not been aware of the corpse. The accounts speculated that the person found dead, who had apparently sneaked into the landing gear opening, was crushed when the gear retracted after take-off.

Western Global Airlines, which is privately owned, advertises itself as one of the world’s fastest-growing low-cost air cargo companies, with clients around the world. It flew dozens of humanitarian missions to West Africa during the height of the Ebola crisis.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia famine: time is running out

Save the Children has warned that time is running out for the international community to save thousands of people from starvation in Ethiopia, as the Horn of Africa nation suffers its worst drought since the 1960s.

The two-year-long drought, worsened by the El-Nino weather pattern, has destroyed crops and livestock in Ethiopia and Somalia. Rights activist, Joachim Rahmann, of Save the Children describes the situation as “already at a magnitude where ten million people are directly dependent on food aid.

“It is not only in Ethiopia, a similar situation is unfolding in the northern regions of Somalia. Right now, we face one of the largest food insecurity crises that the region has experienced for over 50 years.

What we observe is that the situation will likely get worse over the next half a year.

“Some regions have already been without rain for over two years. And until the next major rainfalls are expected in summer, the number of people directly dependent on food aid will actually increase and we are at ten million right now already.

Deutsche Welle asked Mr Rahmann about the most vulnerable of the victims, to which he responded: “Children are absolutely the most vulnerable and it is not just the situation of food aid that makes the situation for children so bad. Children are already suffering from what we call severe acute malnutrition. 400,000 children are af-

fected by that. But the situation also bears further risks for child protection. People are leaving their regions where there used to be pasture, children are not being sent to school anymore because of the severe malnutrition - they simply cannot focus.

“Some schools have already closed. We expect that 2.5 million children will drop out of school. This is a crisis of food insecurity that is also a much larger humanitarian crisis for children.

“Compared to the famines in the past, this is a famine of huge magnitude. It is probably the biggest in the past 50 years simply when we look at the environmental dimension of the famine. But when we look now, the political systems are in place, this is a different situation than we

have experienced in the past.

“Over the last decade, Ethiopia has made huge economic gains. Child mortality has been reduced by two thirds. There were systems in place and there still are systems in place from the Ethiopian side to tackle food insecurity. There are regularly around eight million people in cash for work programs to address people’s food insecurity needs during the lean season. But the situation is so huge that the Ethiopian government cannot cope with it by itself. The Ethiopian government has already committed around 370 million dollars (330 million euros) to the crisis.

“The country is living up to the expectations. But the crisis is so large that the international community has to step

in and it would be unforgivable in a situation where the magnitude is large and where the government itself is already living up to it, where the systems are in place, where people can be reached, to not get assistance from the international community.

“From the situation where we are right now, we can say that organizations like Save the Children are already present on the ground, they are supplying direct food aid, and they are addressing children’s child protection needs. But the international appeal of which Save the Children is part of goes up to 1.4 billion. This is the scale of the crisis we are talking about.

“And if we compare it internationally, Save the Children only labels two crises right now as category one which is the Syria crisis and the Ethiopia crisis. But for the Ethiopia crisis only half of the funds needed to address the most immediate needs have been committed. And we only have a time window of three weeks to commit these funds to not risk people dying.

“If the time window is not met, the food supply chain cannot be maintained. It takes time to procure food in the magnitude that is needed to supply to people, when ten million people are already food insecure.

It is the size of the population of some European countries! And that is in direct need of food aid. That takes time. The next rains are only expected in summer. So the next three weeks are crucial to live up to these expectations.”

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Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016

Nigerian News

I Will Complete All Ongoing Projects – Aregbesola

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has reassured his administration’s commitment to ensure total completion of all ongoing projects in the state.

He pledged that in spite the current economic hardship in the country and Osun in particular, his government would not be derailed on its promasses policies calculated to turn around the state for the better of the citizenry.

Governor Aregbesola stated this in Osogbo while speaking as the Special Guest of Honour, at a lecture organized in honour of late Chief Ayo Ojewumi, a Former Commissioner for Agriculture & Natural Resources, in the Old Oyo State, during the administration of Late Chief Bola Ige. Aregbesola who attributed the slow pace of some of the ongoing projects to what he described as little or no revenue from the Federation Accounts to the state.

In his bid to avert further economic imbroglio, GovernorAregbesola disclosed that his government has taken an effective cost measure which according to him would reduce drastically the cost of governance in aspects of the economy.

He stated further that his administration has successfully implemented belt-tightening mechanism which he described as a panacea to stunted economic growth.

Ogbeni Aregbesola who described politics and democracy as real mirrors for development, however called on politicians in the country to be the symbol of development and demonstrate high sense of commitment to the people’s plights.

He also charged politicians to let honesty and sincerely be their watchword in whatever they do, saying the virtues of “Omoluabi ethos” must be prioritized by any leader.

Speaking further at the lecture which had as its theme :- “The Role of Journalism in Modern

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (left), Vice President,Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (2nd left), Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi (2nd right),and his Wife Florence Ajimobi (right), during the Funeral Service of Olubadan Of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade 1st at St Peters’ Anglican Church, Aremo, Ibadan, Oyo State

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (middle),Executive Secretary Boripe Local Government, Hon. Kehinde Hassan Moronkeji (left) and Mr fakayode Abimbola (right),during the Commissioning of Medical Equipments for Boripe Local Government at Boripe Local Government Secretariat, Iragbiji

Nigeria Politics”, Ogbeni Aregbesola described Late Chief Ojewumi as an astute politician per excellence, noting that politics is something that should be practiced with the utmost spirit to serve the masses based on loyalty and truthfulness.

Aregbesola said both leaders and followers must demonstrate genuine leadership and followership qualities that would retain and entrench the confidence reposed in them by the people.

He stressed that leadership positions ought to be handled in a way that the person will not be forgotten just like the late Chief Ojewumi.

Aregbesola also described politics as a worthy legacy that could be passed along to the younger ones inasmuch as the leaders practice it with the spirit of service to humanity and the need to impact positively on the electorates who are looking onto those in government for good life.

He added, ” a good name is the only thing that can not be forgotten, I don’t know the late chief Ojewumi, I have never met him, but I am here today because of the good deeds that I read about him.

“Nobody will ever be forgotten if such person remains loyal and humble to his political leaders.

18

If you want to be remembered for good you need to be truthful and honest.

“If you are not a persevering person, you are not likely to make an headway in politics, politics does not allow for an impatient and over ambitious individual. Whatever responsibility being given to you should be done with all sincerity.

Governor Aregbesola however reiterated that he would not rest on ensuring adequate protection of the people’s lives and property, adding that his government would continue to build much more on the effective and efficient security template which he regarded as a tool for security consciousness.

He therefore urged the residents of the state to be security conscious at all times, advising to always look for protection and cover-up whenever the sound of gunshot is heard instead of approaching the scene of such incident.

Also Speaking at the event were, the Former Nigerian Ambassador to Philippines, Professor Yemi Farounbi who was the Guest Lecture; the Olufon of IfonOsun, Oba Abdumalruf Magbagbeola, among others.

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Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016

Nigerian News

Senator Rose Oko restores hope for Diasporans

Continued from front page

By Olubunmi Omoogun Chief Correspondent, Nigeria The Nigerian community out there is beckoning that we keep their hope of a better Nigeria alive and they want to be part of the process”. Saraki went further to say “Your committee has a pivotal role to play in making this dream a reality.

Both as a liaison and a facilitator of engagement and opportunity. The Senate is hoping on you to help it develop measures and ideas on how best to engage and incorporate our diaspora community into our development plan”. Senator Rose Oko who was in the House of Representatives last year set the standard for effective representation and now at the red chamber has even developed a fresh zeal for greater and robust representation.

She is noted for carefully thought out contributions at the floor of the chambers making her a distinctive voice of her constituency, Cross River North and of course Nigerians in Diaspora.

In fulfilment of her core function as the Chair-

man Senate Committee on Diaspora and Civil Societies, her sterling performance as a woman of sound repute naturally made her to single-handedly conceived, championed and organised the first ever and unprecedented National Assembly interactive session with the over 400 Civil Society Organisations on 2016 budget, is now known as Senator Rose Oko’s brainchild. The 6 hour interactive session lent credence to her role as facilitator of engagement. The session will remain the best ever no hold bare conference to align ideas with National Assembly, and where the Civil Societies lay their reservations free without hindrance and without placards. This has become necessary as the ineffective implementation of past budgets and abandonment of projects have led to wastages that have negatively affected the nation’s economy in the last 16 years.

Senator Oko has continued to lead from the front while also applying her acquired intelligence and drive to advance what is right. In the last decades, studies on the Diaspora have shown an interest in roles played by people in government. Nigerians have formed long-established communities in Diaspora with strong tie with people at home in Nigeria. Nigerians in UK have remained great assets in the NHS and have added tremendous value to the economy of Britain. The President of America, Barack Obama was quoted as saying if you remove 13percent

Senator Rose Oko

of Nigerians in the health institutions in America the health sector of that country will collapse.

This shows the intellectual capital of Nigerians and their potentials.

The framework and strategy of Senator Oko are tailored towards value cre-

ation and continuous engagement with the people and she’s ready and willing to keep working for the people and blossom together. Even the bible in Isaiah 35 verse 1 says ‘And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the Rose’

Be creative’- Federal legislator urged MDAs

By Olubunmi Omoogun Chief Correspondent, Nigeria

The Co-Chairman National Assembly Committee on Agriculture, Rural development and Agricultural Institutions, Hon. Linus Abaa Okorie representing Ivo/Ohaozara/Onicha Federal Constituency of Ebonyi state has called on the Federal government to continue to encourage the youths to embrace Agriculture in line with the government agenda to diversify our economy.

He said this in a budget joint Committee sitting with 18 MDAs under Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at the Senate building. The Ebonyi state Honourable also commended the Federal government on enlightenment efforts so far made in Agriculture.

“I have every reason to believe that this government is committed to agriculture.

Although we have a longer way to go but where we are standing now is better than

Hon. Okorie

where we were before. We are confident it will get better”.

Okorie who advised the MDAs to be creative also said that “it is when we encourage our youths that the country can be seen as a country that has a future in agriculture. Agencies must be creative, increase infrastructures and also learn to get in touch with the private sector for innovation and Private partnership intervention and initiative”.

19

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From Europe to Africa and back When the dream of big-time European club football does not materialise, an increasing number of young African footballers and players with African roots have opted for the continent’s most professional leagues, where they are then able to gain experience before embarking on another attempt in Europe.

Ghislain N’Guessan is a case in point.

The Franco-Ivorian, who was born in Paris, went through the junior ranks at Nantes and Padova in Italy before stalling in the second team at Tours. Now 23, the forward tells FIFA.com that he was not ready for the challenge at a younger age without the promise of first team football. “When I started out, I was not serious enough. As I scored quite often, I began to take liberties with my schedule. I had a few clubs from Italy and France interested, but they all wanted me to trial and play for the reserves.”

That is when N’Guessan received an offer from an Algerian first division club and he decided to take it. “RC Arbaa was the only club that was willing to sign me straight away. I accepted because I could not afford to wait too long. I had already lost much time, and I had to play.”

After a difficult first season, the regular playing time started to pay off and he scored goals regularly in his second. A physical talent, he is now eyeing a move back to Europe. “I think if a player manages to succeed [in Algeria], he can succeed everywhere. It is a tough league. It is very physical and the pressure to do well is huge. Obviously my goal is to go back and

Ghislain N’Guessan in action

play in Europe, and I also hope to be called up by [Côte d’Ivoire].”

A growing trend At the top levels of African football, N’Guessan’s story is part of a larger trend.

Algerian journalist Maher Mezahi has been watching the talent move to the continent’s most competitive leagues. “We have seen an influx of players with African roots,” Mezahi said. “As they often hold dual nationality, they do not need work permits and salaries are competitive.”

Mezahi brings up the example of Amir Karaoui. Born in France, and a midfield talent in amateur football but unable to make the leap in his birth country, Karaoui was bought by Algerian club MC El Eulma. He impressed and won transfers to bigger clubs in Algeria, ES Setif and MC Alger, and has now been called up for the Algerian national team. He was invited

back to France by Bastia, but his current terms were better in Algeria, so he decided to stay in North Africa and wait for another opening in Europe.

Mezahi says club bosses with deep pockets are often willing to lure European-born players to Africa. “A club like Club Africain have signed Tijani Belaid, Yassin Mikari, Stephane Nater and Yoann Touzghar, all of whom have played in Europe where they were born. Some have returned for the money, some are embarking on a playing adventure, while others return to get regular top-level playing time to try to make a name for themselves in CAF competitions to be offered a chance in Europe or for their national teams.”

Beyond North Africa Although club football in North Africa has been traditionally more advanced than the rest of the continent, this trend has

spread throughout Africa. Bafana Bafana captain Dean Furman moved to England at an early age and went through the Chelsea youth ranks before joining Glasgow Rangers. A number of clubs followed and the midfielder made a name for himself with Oldham Athletic and Doncaster Rovers. However, he received a lucrative offer

by South African club SuperSport United last year. He opted to return home, hoping guaranteed play would see him keep his place in the national side and ensure a more high-level return to European football.

Like Furman, Angolan international Fredy has already had a lengthy stint in European football. The striker played youth football for Portuguese club Belenenses and progressed to the first team, playing regularly in the first and second division.

When he found that he was not featuring as often as he wanted to, he accepted an offer from Angolan club Libolo last year and returned to the country of his birth, where the 25-year-old is currently playing.

Zimbabwe international Knowledge Musona is a perfect example that a return to Africa does not have to signal the end of a European career. The striker struggled to make an impact after first joining Bundesliga club Hoffenheim from South African club Kaizer Chiefs in 2011. A loan period with Augsburg failed to improve his fortunes and Musona returned to Chiefs on loan. In familiar surroundings the striker not only found his confidence again, he also found his scoring boots and having failed to find the net in 30 matches in Germany, he was a regular scorer for Chiefs. He has since moved back to Europe, and after 26 games his ten goals for Oostende in Belgium’s Jupiler League sees him just one goal behind the league’s leading scorer.

Adebayor hits out at Tottenham chairman Levy Crystal Palace striker Emmanuel Adebayor hit out at Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy ahead of his return to White Hart Lane in the FA Cup on Sunday, saying he made his Spurs exit very difficult.

The Togo international joined the Eagles on a six-month deal in January, four months after leaving Tottenham by mutual consent.

“With the club itself, it wasn’t a good relationship with the chairman Daniel Levy as he made everything complicated,” Adebayor told the Croydon Advertiser.

“But at the end of the day, I know where I am from and if you want something, you have to stand strong for it, and I stand strong for what I think.

22

“People will judge you, but I know what I have been through in my life and what I stand for.”

However, the former Arsenal and Manchester City hitman described his relationship with Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino as ‘beautiful’.

“My relationship with Mauricio was beautiful. I think we had a very, very good relationship with man-to-man conversations,” the 31-year-old added.

“We always talked, but at the time he told me ‘Emmanuel, I can’t count on you anymore’ and I understood that. I realised my time at Tottenham was over and I moved on.

“Today, Tottenham are happy – they are playing well – and I am happy playing for Palace. We both have moved on as a club and as a player.”

Emmanuel Adebayor

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Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016

Boateng: I never came to blows with Howedes In a series of tweets on Tuesday on his Twitter handle @PeterPsquare, 34-year-old Peter revealed that he wants his brother, Jude, fired from managing P-square.

He, however, said he remained loyal to his twin brother and singing partner, Paul Okoye, as well as their fans.

He tweeted, “I don’t have a problem with Paul but the management.

“My loyalty for P-square and the fans still remains 100% but a manager is been employed by the artiste and not the other way round. #truthBeTold,” Peter noted.

“Please, who so ever makes any transaction with North Side Entertainment or Jude Okoye on P-square’s behalf does so at their on risk. #warning.

“Family business can be a pain in the a$$.”

It would be recalled that Jude Okoye, the elder brother of the singing duo, has been the manager of P-square since the group came into existence.

On his Instagram page @judeengees, Jude’s bio reads “President/C.E.O Northside Inc. Managers of Psquare & Cynthia Morgan.”

But reacting to the development, Jude Okoye, elder brother to the duo said Peter needs prayers.

Jude on his Twitter handle @judeengees, said, “Abeg join us pray for him too. He’s been going through a lot lately.

“My brother please be prayerful. Only God can rescue you.”

Kevin-Prince Boateng

Obi Mikel away goal lifts Blues Nigeria ignored

Continued from back page

in CHAN 2016 XI

No Nigeria player made the starting XI of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2016 Tournament picked by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

John Obi Mikel

Playing away from home in a lacklustre season with two of their three centre backs out injured, Chelsea’s makeshift defence kept PSG’s formidable attack at bay until a quick move inside the last fifteen minutes caught Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic flat-footed and left back Baba Rahman too far forward to recover, allowing Edinson Cavani to slot the ball home past the advancing Courtois for a 2 – 1 first leg advantage.

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink said he believes Obi Mikel’s away goal could be key in determining his team’s progress to the quarterfinal.

“I think it’s 50-50 still. You have to consider it’s a two-leg game. Scoring away is always good,” said the very experienced Hiddink.

Away goals have separated these sides in the Champions League in each of the last two seasons and Hiddink is optimistic Chelsea’s position is favourable ahead of the

March 9 second leg at Stamford Bridge.

Club captain John Terry missed the game with a hamstring injury picked up against Newcastle on Saturday and centreback partner, Frenchman Kurt Zouma, is out long term with a knee ligament problem.

To add to Chelsea’s problems, their best player last season, Eden Hazard, made ill-timed comments about how difficult it would be to resist a move to PSG in the summer. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he underperformed on Tuesday night and was substituted.

In this week’s other Round of 16 games, Real Madrid defeated Roma 2 – 0; Benfica beat Zenit St Petersburg 1 – 0; and Wolfsburg survived a late revival to pip Belgian champions Gent 3 – 2. The eight other teams still in the competition, which include Arsenal and Manchester City, will play their first leg games next Tuesday and Wednesday.

The sole representative from the Super Eagles, who failed to reach the knockout stage of the tournament in Rwanda, is striker Chisom Chikatara on the virtual subs bench. Chikatara scored four goals including only the second hat-trick ever in the tournament.

His omission from the starting lineup could largely be due to a Man of the Championship performance from DR Congo’s wide man Mechack Elia, who scored four goals and provided two assists as his country won the competition for the second time. Elia was one of four DRC players named in the tournament XI. CAF CHAN 2016 XI Goalkeeper: Ley Matampi (DRC) Defenders: Abdoul Karim Dante (Mali), Joel Kimwaki (DRC), Cheick Ibrahim Comara (Cote d’Ivoire), Mohamed Youla (Guinea) Midfielders: Ibrahima Sory Sankhon (Guinea), Mechhack Elia (DRC), N’Guessan Serve (Cote d’Ivoire), Hamidou Sinayoko (Mali) Forwards: Jonathan Bolingi (DRC), Sekou Koita (Mali) Subs: Badara Ali Sangare (Cote d’Ivoire), Djigui Diarra (Mali), Lomalisa Mutambala (DRC), Heritier Luvumbu (DRC), Daouda Camara (Guinea), Aka Essis (Cote d’Ivoire), Ernest Sugira (Rwanda), Ahmed Akaichi (Tunisia), Chisom Chikatara (Nigeria), Christopher Katongo (Zambia)

Messi scores 300th Liga goal

Lionel Messi has scored his 300th goal in La Liga, becoming the first player in Spain’s top flight to reach such a number.

The Argentina star, making his 334th league appearance for Barcelona, drilled a fine low shot into the bottom corner to give Luis Enrique’s side the lead in Wednesday’s clash against Sporting Gijon.

Messi reached 299 goals with a superb freekick in the 6-1 thrashing of Celta Vigo, but spurned the chance to reach his latest career milestone when he passed the ball to Luis Suarez from the penalty spot to allow the Uruguay striker to complete his hat-trick.

The 28-year-old, who made his debut in 2004, became La Liga’s all-time top scorer in November 2014 when he surpassed the record of 251 set by former Athletic Bilbao striker Telmo Zarra.

He now has 487 goals in all competitions for club and country in his senior career.

NFF warn coach Oliseh

Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh has been handed a stern warning by the NFF for “his unwarranted statements unbecoming of a national team coach in both regular and social media” and will now defend his call-ups before the technical committee.

“While acknowledging his apology, the executive committee made it clear that similar infractions would not be tolerated in future,” read the NFF communiqué in part.

The NFF also disclosed Oliseh will now defend his call-ups and training programmes before the technical committee.

“In line with global best practices, the committee decided that coach Oliseh MUST henceforth report to the NFF general secretary and the technical and development committee, and should be ready to defend his entire programme before the committee, including invitation of players and training programmes,” said the official statement.

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Friday, 19 February - Thursday, 25 February 2016 ISSUE 617

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Boateng: I never came to blows with Howedes

SEE PAGE 23

OBI MIKEL AWAY GOAL LIFTS BLUES

John Obi Mikel rifles home Chelsea’s equaliser in Paris

By Alan Oakley

A rare goal by John Obi Mikel has given Chelsea a slim chance of progressing to the last eight of the UEFA Champions League after the midfielder was culpable

for the west Londoners falling behind against Paris St Germain.

Obi Mikel turned his back on a Zlatan Ibrahimovic free kick, which went in off the Nigerian’s boot with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stranded in the Parc des Princes. But the man who had scored just five times previously in a decade with the

club lined up in an unusually advanced position for a corner kick just before half time, and he reacted well to a flick on from Diego Costa to slam in the equaliser from close in.

Continued on page 23

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