Wednesday, October 21, 2015 Edition

Ekweremadu’s community where green snakes are kings, queens

pg.20

Bayelsa 2015: How Alamieseiyegha factor may swerve votes for Dickson

pg. 18

Daily Post

Vol. 1 Edition 10 Wednesday, October 21 - Tuesday, October 27, 2015

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South-EAST BOILs Over arrest of Nnamdi Kanu

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...Biafra Radio Director not our member - MASSOB

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NIS recruitment scandal:

EFCC quizzes Abba Moro over NIS recruitment saga page6 Ministerial screening:

Amaechi’s fate hangs page9 inside

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Youths protesting the arrest of Radio Biafra Director, Nnamdi Kanu.

Buhari sacks Kifasi as Head of Service page 6

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Not everybody that worked for APC will get appointment - Barrister Kozah Barrister Francis Kozah is the state Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State. In this interview with AMOS TAUNA, he critically looks into the

steps taken so far by the El-Rufailed administration in the state in repositioning the state in order to make it great again.

H

ow will you compare the leadership of El-Rufai and what the state went through under PDP 16 years rule in the state?

I want to appreciate the electorate of Kaduna State for standing firmly in spite of all challenges and voting El-Rufai as the governor of the state.

During the campaign, the party made it clear to the people that El-Rufai had a very clear agenda of what he wants the state to look like in the next four years. Now that he has been given the mandate, he has started putting up structures upon which he is going to fulfill his campaign promises to the people. I know that as a party leader in the state, El-Rufai administration is very determined and has positive intention for the people of the state.

In the educational sector, the governor has made it very clear that he wants to revive our schools and upgrade them to modern learning status, so that the public schools can compete favorably with either private or any school in any part of the world.

He has taken steps to recover lands that were conscripted by people and he is also ensuring that furniture is provided in all public schools in the state.

He has given a marching order to all local government areas to embark on massive rehabilitation of primary schools while feeding programme for all primary schools in the state will soon take off as a way of encouraging all children to be enrolled for primary education in the state. In addition to the free education, each primary school pupil will be given three pairs of uniforms and books as a way of making our education in primary school attractive.

In the health sector, he is also interested in bringing our health facilities to modern standards and it will interest you to know that the governor has already brought a dialysis machine to Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, Kaduna and many people are benefiting from that machine.

The governor is interested in rehabilitating all hospitals in the state by bringing them to standards with modern equipment installed in them, so that anybody can easily get assistance from these medical facilities. The governor has very clear plans for the state and l strongly believe that in the next two years of his administra-

Buhari

tion, Nigerians will begin to see and indigenes of the state will also begin to reap the dividends of democracy that has eluded them for years.

With these laudable programmes by the present administration in the state, the people will not regret voting for El-Rufai and APC. Comparing APC regime in the state with that of the PDP in the past sixteen years in the state, it is unfortunate that every facility and infrastructure collapsed during the PDP era in the state. Go round and see all these things that we are talking about and you will be convinced that the emergence of APC was timely, just to rescue the state from total collapse.

El-Rufai is very determined to revamp all these structures we are talking about. I am assuring the people of the state that in the next two years, the state will definitely be turned around for good.

Most APC members are complaining that after voting the party into power, they are not been carried along in terms of appointment and that different people who are not politicians have been given appointments. Why is it so?

It is true that party members are complaining that where you work is where you eat. The point must be made very clear that not everybody that worked for the party to come into power must be given an appointment; the appointments are very limited and ongoing.

The few appointments that have been made were to help the takeoff of the administration and l believe in the long run, most people will be given appointments, but at the same time, people should not be very much inter-

ested in been given appointments but what they should be interested in is the dividends of democracy that this government is poised to bring about by providing all the necessary infrastructures required of any modern state.

It is better to have all the necessary facilities than to be given appointment where there is nothing on ground for the people to enjoy. I am convinced that in time to come; many APC people will be given appointments because the governor is not insensitive or ungrateful to what people did for him and the party.

The governor recently embarked on demolition of structures as a way to reclaim lands that were forcefully taken by some people in schools and health institutions; though a good idea, but the people are complaining about the approach. How do you view the exercise and its implementation?

What the government is doing is to reclaim public lands back from those who encroached into them and government is very sensitive to its social responsibility as before it embarked on the exercise, it gave notice to all those involved to leave or their property will be demolished. And at the expiration of the notice, the recovery took place. What people should consider first is the general interest of the children of the masses who have been deprived of comfortable learning. In the hospital, it is the same thing as no new facilities could be built to

enhance health sector in the state because of a few individuals that have taken over such lands. If the interest of the generality of the people is going to be protected, then we should sacrifice the interest of the few. I strongly commend the El-Rufai administration for being bold enough to call spade a spade by hitting the nail on the head without fear or favour.

The past administrations in the state have run away from taking firm decisions that are in the interest of the generality of the people but here is a man who believes in what is right and has gone ahead to do it. To me, it is a decision in the right direction that will be good lessons to some people not do such things in future.

APC government in Kaduna State is about three months old, what

is your perception of the administration?

In the past three months or so, every right thinking Nigerian will agree with the present administration in the state that El-Rufai has god intention for the state through his giant strides with very good intention for the general good of the people.

Is it the educational sector? Health, agriculture, name it, you will discover that there is a total turnaround of all spheres of life. I tell you, in the next two years, the people of the state are in for a very good time with what the present administration has in store for them. At the end of it all, l don’t think anybody in the state will regret voting for the APC. There is a general outcry in the state that the people are suffering, especially with regard to late payment of workers’ salaries due to verification. Could this be the type of change the people have been yearning for?

You see, when things have gone bad and you want to correct, people are bound to suffer.

People should make

sacrifices for the good of tomorrow. What El-Rufai is doing is to sanitize the public sector and we all know the endemic corruption that is in the public service by creating fake primary schools that do not exist and collecting millions of naira every month for nothing.

We are aware of how civil servants have inflicted pay rolls in ministries and extra-ministerial departments and many others; and don’t forget, it will take time for the state government to normalize these things.

I want to appeal to the state civil servants not to see this as punitive, but to see it as a process of purging and the process is just for a while; the end result will be good for them because if all the ghost workers are fished out, more vacancies will be created and our young men and women roaming the streets will be absolved into the civil service while others will have access to promotion and many other good things coming their way.

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South East, South South boil over arrest of Nnamdi Kanu

by Ali adoyi

M

ajor cities in the SouthEast and South-South were on Tuesday shut down following protests that trailed the arrest of the Director of the outlaw Radio Biafra.

DAILY POST recalls that the Director of private radio was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on Saturday.

Kanu, who also heads Biafra Television and leads the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was arrested in Lagos.

He was arrested while on a brief visit to Nigerian from his UK base.

Kanu was, however, granted bail on Monday.

Reacting to his arrest, IPOB’s lawyer, Egechukwu Obetta lamented that Kanu was put in the same cell with terrorists without the DSS considering his life threatening health challenges.

Obetta disclosed that Kanu, who is selective to foods, had vowed never to eat any meal served by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The lawyer said Kanu was granted bail in the sum of N2 million or surety of N2 million with a civil servant of grade level 16.

Wondering why his client was arrested, Obetta recalled that “Last week, the Afenifere threatened to secede but nobody was vilified. I am talking about the recent Olu Falae’s kidnap case.

Meanwhile, the group had earlier written an open letter to world leaders over the arrest of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

A letter by Ifeanyi Chijioke on behalf of the group, said the arrest of Kanu had shown that freedom of speech in Nigeria was a ruse.

The group also threatened to fight the Nigerian government if Kanu was not freed.

“The world leaders must stand up to its integrity, pride, and in defense of the law they made,” the group said, adding that “the UN chatter on the rights of indigenous people had become endangered with the arrest of this leader of indigenous people of Biafra.”

“It’s on record that Nnamdi kanu is a law abiding leader who has disciplined indigenous people of Biafra to strictly abide by local and international law. The gut for his arrest is nothing but slap on the face of United Nations.

“Meanwhile, this is a gross provocation of indigenous people of Biafra and, as endangered people, would only wait shortly for due process and immediate release of her leader.

“The world should know that arrest of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is the making of monster in indigenous people of Biafra and to prevent and save lives, world leaders must stand up to their responsibility.

“Biafrans, as endangered species of terror, genocide, murder and unlawful detentions, must be sorted or laws will be taken into their hands.

“Biafrans call on world leaders to prevail on Buhari to with immediate effect release the leader of the people as he is charged with no crime”, he added Enugu boils Operatives of the Enugu State

Kanu Police Command, on Tuesday fired canisters on pro-Biafra protesters at the Government House, Enugu.

Several persons, including three women were injured in the process.

They were protesting the detention of Nnamdi Kanu, the director of Biafra radio.

The protesters numbering over 30 had converged opposite the entrance to the main gate of the Government House with placards with inscriptions such as ‘free Nnamdi Kanu, Nnamdi Kanu is a freedom fighter, we need justice’, before the police launched attack on them.

According to a source, “The women converged here with their placards as early as 10:30am and they comported themselves peacefully.

“Suddenly, heavily armed police men led by the Divisional Police Officer, New Haven, Enugu, CSP Okey Ambrose arrived the scene.”

The witness said that the police officers initially pounced on the men who had accompanied the women for the protest during which 19 of them were arrested.

“The arrest made the women resolute and at this point the police fired tear gas directly at them during which the canisters hit some of them, causing heavy bodily injury.

“The Commissioner of Police Mr Adamu Mohammed later arrived the scene”, he added.

The leader of the group, Mrs Onyekachi Ubenyi said that they were protesting the arrest of one Mr Nnamdi Kanu by the Department of State Security Services (DSS).

Ubenyi, who expressed shock at the level of police brutality on them, said that their protest was very peaceful.

“We are the women wing of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and what we want is justice. We are not violent,” she said.

She said that some of the women including one Mrs Chinyere Ojikeme were hit on her face by tear gas canisters shot by the police.

She said that another girl identified as Njideka Ibe was arrested along with 19 men and taken to an unknown destination by the police.

“Ojikeme was heavily injured on her nose with blood gushing out due to the shot she received and we have rushed her to the hospital,” Ubenyi said.

Meanwhile, the Enugu chapter of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has condemned the police brutality of the protesting women.

The Chairman, Dr. Osita Ogbu said that it was uncivilized for the police to have shot canisters directly on a group of unarmed people carrying out a peaceful protest.

Ogbu said that the women had the right guaranteed by law to carry out a peaceful protest without attracting such brutality from security officers.

“This is unacceptable in a civilised society as the right to freedom of assembly has been guaranteed under the Constitution.

“What the police did was a violation of their fundamental human rights,” he said.

Ogbu advised the police to be more civil in their relationship with members of the public.

Delta shut down by protesters Following the arrest and detention of the Director, a group of women on Tuesday, stormed the entrance of Delta State Government House, Asaba condemning the arrest.

The protesters, mainly women, gathered under the aegis of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Delta State chapter and demanded the immediate release of Kanu, describing his arrest as uncalled for and totally unacceptable.

While protesting, DAILY POST

reports that the women chanted songs of grievances and displaying placards which bore various inscriptions such as “Freedom for Biafra, free Nnamdi Kanu”, “We are not terrorists, we are freedom fighters”, “We are tired of intimidation and harassment by the Nigerian Government”, “Biafra on the move.”

The Secretary of IPOB, Delta State chapter, Nnenna Nwaoha, speaking during the protest, said, “The reason for the protest is for Nnamdi Kanu to be released; we have suffered enough in the hands of the Nigerian Government and we are no more comfortable with it.

“We want our freedom, that is why we are here. We are not comfortable with the Nigerian government, the intimidation, killing and all that; that is why we want our freedom. We feel very bad about his detention and it is affecting each and every one of us. We are not comfortable, we want to go.

“The federal government should release our Director, Dr. Nnamdi Kanu and we also want our freedom. As a nation that is due for freedom, we want to go; we are tired; the suffering is too much; it is not a crime to want our freedom; we want to go.”

Also speaking, one Mrs. Chinenye Udeoba expressed bitterness at the detention of Kanu, saying “we are bitter and we are giving them a strict warning and order to release him.

Business activities in Part Harcourt disrupted There was also rising tensions on the streets of Port Harcourt, as a group of people claiming to be sympathetic to the liberation of Biafra staged a protest march around the Rivers State capital.

DAILY POST reports that the demonstration by the pro-Biafra agitators took off from the ever-busy Ikoku Market, through Aba Road, down to Mile One, before heading towards Rumuokoro on Ikwerre Road.

The protesters also carried placards laden with inciting inscriptions like, “it is either Biafra or death.”

Security agencies also responded to the demonstration, with the deployment of personnel and equipment along the route of the protesters.

Armoured Personnel Carriers have also been mobilized to strategic locations across Port Harcourt to forestall a breakdown of law and order in the city.

Reports say Kanu has already been granted bail but the pro-Biafran protesters said they want a country of their own.

The pro-Biafran protest was peaceful, except for Ikoku roundabout where passersby were forced to raise their hands by security operatives.

There was also an incident when some of the protesters tried to pull down the Nigerian Flag at the premises of a commercial bank, which was resisted by the police, during which gunshots were fired.

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Radio Biafra Director is fraudster – Ex-girlfriend claims Danielle Ogbeche

T

here is an ongoing controversy over the arrest and detention of the Director of the outlawed radio station, Radio Biafra and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB group, Nnamdi Kanu, who was reportedly picked up by Nigeria secret police, the Department of State Services, DSS, on Saturday.

In the same vein, a former public relations coordinator of the controversial Radio Biafra, Ms Amaryllis Chioma, who claims to be from Imo state but resides in the United states, has accused the director of deceiving the public about his purported campaign for the “freedom of Biafra” nation.

On the controversies, it will be recalled that Kanu, who was reportedly released on Monday, was also accused by the former spokesperson of his group, of deceit and financial misappropriation.

In a Youtube video, Ms Chioma described herself as a former spouse of the controversial Radio Biafra director.

She said Kanu was the sole administrator of everything that had to do with IPOB and Radio Biafra.

The purported former Radio Biafra spokesperson claimed to have left the organization upon discovering that Kanu was being deceitful about the existence of a Biafran army on ground in Nigeria that would ensure freedom from Nigeria by December 2015.

According to her, “In 2014, Kanu demanded the donation of $8m from me and other people of Igbo origin in the diaspora, to equip the Biafra army he said was stationed in Nigeria.

“To me, he didn’t sound real.

What he said to people on the social media about ‘the group’ being registered in 88 countries, wasn’t entirely the truth. what he meant was that in 88 countries, there is at least one person who had registered IPOB, not like it had anything to do with the nation supporting the movement.

“I also discovered that Kanu had lied about the people of the South-South region being in support of the Biafran because when I eventually travelled to Nigeria, I found not a single person who knew of IPOB in Calabar,” Chioma added.”

Chioma

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Interference Allegation: Don’t go beyond your limits – CJN warns PDP, Metuh

T

he Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, has warned the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, not to go beyond bounds in its political utterances about the judiciary. This is in view of the opposition party’s allegation that the Court of Appeal is unduly interfering in the various cases before the various election petition tribunals.

The CJN through his media aide, Ahuraka Isah, wrote yesterday that “Somebody has to counsel Metuh to avoid treading where he has limited knowledge, because Judiciary is not where one makes allegations without proofs.”

It would be recalled that the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the previous day alleged that the Court of Appeal had been meddling in court cases with a view to swaying them in favour of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Metuh expressed the intent of his party to draw the attention of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa to reports of undue interferences, emanating from her office, in the activities of various election petition tribunals and other judicial cases, ostensibly to sway them against the PDP and in favour of the ruling APC. He also called on Justice Mohammed to jealously guard the independence of the judiciary, and ensure that any activity that tends to undermine the sanctity of that arm of government is stiffly resisted in the interest of democracy.

“While we would not want to believe that the President of the Court of Appeal is so involved, given the sensitivity of her office, we wish to caution, in very strong terms, that such is completely unacceptable as it principally detracts from the sanctity of the judiciary as the citadel of justice and erode the trust reposed on it by the people,” the PDP mouthpiece had said.

But angered by the weighty allegations made by the opposition party, the CJN said the party and its spokesperson needed to be counseled that they must not tread where they have little or no knowledge about.

He added that it is not his wish “to join issues with people exercising their rights to freedom of speech, except the sensitive and sacred nature of the Judiciary in the society.”

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

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EFCC quizzes Abba Moro over NIS recruitment saga A

former Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro is reported to have been interrogated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over the tragedy that rocked the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS recruitment on March 15, 2014.

Following an invitation to respond to allegations of fraud in the recruitment process which ended tragically with 16 deaths, TheCable reports that he arrived the Abuja office of the anti-graft agencyon Monday morning.

The unfortunate recruitment test which was written last year attracted 6.5 million applicants, 700,772 of whom paid N1000 each as online registration fee for 4,000 vacant positions. Questions were raised over the N700 million generated by the consultant through online registration fee and why adequate measures

T

Moro

were not taken to prevent overcrowding and stampede at the test centres.

It would be recalled that Mr. David Parradang, who was also interrogated in September by

the EFCC over the saga, was in the month before removed as Comptroller-General of NIS by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Lagos Police raid ‘black spots’, arrest 40 T he Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of the Lagos State Police Command says it has arrested about 40 persons from ‘black spots’ in the state.

According to reports, the suspects who ranged from ages 17 to 50 were said to be hemp smokers, robbers, and miscreants roaming the Oshodi, Jibowu, Mile 2, Ajegunle and Ijora areas, among others.

The RRS Commander, ACP

Olatunji Disu said the exercise was an onslaught against the criminally-minded people to ensure a safe environment for residents and visitors in the state.

Disu also noted that the arrest would continue until the areas were entirely free from activities of criminals.

According to him, “We are ready to calm the latest upsurge in crime in the state.

“The arrest will be contin-

uous, as the government is determined to rid the state of criminals and create an enabling environment for residents and business owners.

“The governor has given us an order to comb the black spots. We were able to arrest 40 suspects during a raid on suspected hideouts in Oshodi, Jibowu, Victoria Island and Mile 2, among others,” the Commander added.

Federal Government revives 14 assembly plants

T

he Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, NADDC, Mr Aminu Jalal has disclosed that fourteen (14) assembly plants, which existed before the birth of the national automotive policy, had been revived.

Jalal, who made this known in Lagos on Tuesday at a stakeholders meeting of the Committee on Implementation of the Nigerian Auto Policy, said the policy objective of bringing back the automobile assembly plants had been achieved.

The NADDC boss said that new entrants in the automobile business were also doing well, adding that the council had suspended the issuance of new assembly plant licenses.

While noting that there were plans to partner with a bank to run a vehicle financing scheme to enable Nigerians buy made-in-Nigeria vehicles with ease, he expressed concern at the huge cost of operating a vehicle assembly plant, saying that the investment stages had been broken down into three.

According to him, “The reason why we break the assembly operations into three is that a new vehicle assembly plant is quite expensive to set up.

“If you are setting it up, the minimum you can do will cost you over $50 million (N11 billion) for about 10,000 units

Group says 160,000 die from stroke yearly

per year.

“After about a year, they start with SKD 2 (Semi-Knocked Down), which is a painted body, bringing in the internal and external fittings.

“Then you move to SKD1 where you have a body that is not painted, you have to paint it and so on.

“Then you move to CKD 1 (Completely- Knocked-Down) when you have to weld all the pieces together, paint and do the assembly.

“That is a transition in 12 months to the next phase,” he said.

The NADDC DG, however, said that Innoson Motors had already started doing CKD. He said Ashok-Leyland buses were CKD while Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) already had the full complement of investment in CKD and would start CKD in 2016.

Mr Tokunbo Aromolaran, the Managing Director, Volkswagen of Nigeria Automobiles and Chairman, Nigerian Automobile Manufacturers Association, said it was best for Nigeria to make a start in automobile manufacturing.

He said investment in the industry was expensive in terms of funds and technological needs, adding that Nigeria had done well in building capacity.

“The automobile manufacturing process is capital intensive and a technological-

ly- advanced one.

“You have to start from some point. We would never have been able to start if we did not start in a systematic and segmented way.

“We have taken the first baby step which is establishing the assembly plant.

“There is a lot of technology that is still required to get to the utmost but we would never get there if we never start,” Aromolaran said.

He said that for Nigeria to derive the benefit of automobile policy, automobile companies should start manufacturing components.

Aromolaran said the automotive policy would enable Nigerian companies to produce vehicles as done in other parts of world and create jobs for the unemployed.

On his part, the President of Coscharis Motors, Mr Cosmas Maduka said Nigeria had done well by keying into the programme.

He said the gains might be long-term considering the level of patronage and the foreign exchange that would be saved when vehicles were produced locally.

The Industrialist urged Nigerians to be patient with the automobile development plan, adding that it would benefit the nation’s economy with time.

he Nigeria Stroke Reference Group, an advocacy group on stroke care in Nigeria, says more than 160,000 Nigerians die from stroke every year.

A statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by Dr Biodun Ogungbo, an executive member of the group, said stroke was a leading cause of long-term disability and death in Nigeria. ``It is more than malaria and HIV combined and is not truly recognised as a killer,’’ it said.

According to the statement, many of the deaths and disability caused by stroke have oftentimes been ascribed to malaria and witchcraft. ``A stroke is a `brain attack’ and can happen to anyone at any time. ``It occurs when blood flow to an area of brain is cut off and when this happens, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and begin to die. ``When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain such as memory and muscle power are lost. ``For survivors and their families, the long-term cost, both financial and in terms of quality of life, are often overwhelming,’’ the statement read in part.

It said over two-thirds of survivors must live with chronic conditions, such as paralysis and reduced physical activity, speech problems and the ability to understand speech.

The statement said the conditions could impact on an individual’s ability to return to work, return to school, and become a functioning member of society once again.

It stressed the need for Nigerians to be sensitised on the subject matter in order to reduce the number of deaths and disabilities recorded as a result of the condition. ``The World Stroke Day is a time to raise awareness for the devastating impact, causes and symptoms of stroke. ``As our leader, you must ensure Nigerians understand that stroke is treatable and preventable, as long as citizens arm themselves with the proper diagnostic tools and health information. ``Common stroke symptoms include: sudden weakness of the face, arm, or leg; sudden confusion; trouble speaking or understanding speech and sudden trouble walking or seeing. ``Others include loss of balance; and sudden, severe headache,’’ it emphasised.

The statement said the ability to recognise the symptoms and seek medical attention immediately was critical to surviving a stroke and minimising long-term disability.

The group stressed the need to develop an emergency telephone number for Nigeria and a coordinated ambulance service as well.

It also emphasised the need for the establishment of more treatment centres to address the increasing number of stroke patients in the country.

The statement said a brain scan was mandatory and must be performed immediately to see what type of stroke the person has suffered.”

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

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We have shed ourselves of godfatherism

How ex-Imo Governor, Ohakim paid N270m cash for Abuja property

– PDP National Chairman

T

he national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Tuesday declared that the era of godfatherism was over as it has resolved to return the PDP to the grass-roots ahead of the 2019 general elections. It therefore called on anyone eager to secure the party’s ticket to make him or herself popular among the people.

Speaking in Abuja while receiving members of a pressure group in the party - the PDP National Rebirth Group who paid a solidarity visit to the National Working Committee, NWC of the Party, the PDP acting National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, noted that the opposition party has learnt its lessons and was not ready to repeat the mistakes of the past.

He assured the group that all the recommendations of the Chief

Ike Ekweremadu-led Post Election Review Committee approved last week by the National Executive Committee, NEC, would be implemented to the letter by the party’s NWC. In Secondus’ words, “the first step towards returning the party to the grass root, who are the owners, is to kick-start the biometric membership registration nationwide in two weeks time.

“We have done the pilot scheme in Edo state and it was very successful, with this, we are going to move to the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, for membership drive.

“With this development, there will be no remote control of the party by any influential individual member or groups, no one, I

repeat, no one will stop anybody from realising his or her ambition of becoming anything in the party,” he assured.

Prince Secondus who reiterated that the party would pick its Presidential candidate from the Northern part of the Country in line with the Committee’s Report also assured that in the new dispensation, the youths would be deeply involved in all the Party’s programmes and allowed them to seek for elective offices at all time in the future elections Speaking earlier, the National Coordinator of the Group, Comrade Franklyn Edebe disclosed that the group was formed following the woeful outing of the party in the last general elections in order to contribute its quota towards the rebuilding of the party ahead of

P Secondus the future elections.

Comrade Edebe who took a swipe at the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government over what he termed the governing party’s misrule since assuming office, however expressed confidence in the current Party’s NWC led by Secondus as regards rebranding the party and taking it to the promised land.

Buhari removes Kifasi as Head of Service, considers Igbo as replacement I

n an effort to ensure the entrenchment of the federal character principle as enshrined in the Nigeria’s Constitution, the Federal Government has remove the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Barrister Danladi Kifasi.

Taraba-born Kifasi is from the same North-East zone as the Sec-

retary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal who hails from Adamawa State.

He had served as Permanent Secretary in several ministries including Federal Ministry of Finance and Petroleum and is said to have prepared for smooth handover in an event of the an-

nouncement of new HOS who may likely be from the southern part of Nigeria.

However, DAILY POST gathered that President Muhammadu Buhari is looking at the SouthEast region to produce Mr. Kifasi’s replacement.

The South-East has been the least favoured zone since Buhari

I became Vice President because I’m an Igbo man - Ekwueme

N

igeria’s former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, on Tuesday gave insight into how he clinched the position.

Speaking in Enugu, Ekwueme disclosed that he rose to become the vice-president during the Shehu Shagariled administration because he was an Igbo man.

He, however, bemoaned the dying nature of the Igbo language among the present generation of Igbo people.

Ekwueme spoke at the 16th Annual National Convention of the Igbo Youth Movement (IYM) held at Nike Lake Resort in Enugu State.

He maintained that people of the Igbo extraction were highly revered in the country

and called on the students and youth present at the event to embrace and appreciate the Igbo language rather than allowing it to dwindle.

Also speaking at the convention, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, former governor of Abia State and ministerial nominee of President Muhammadu Buhari, said that the occasion was significant especially as it served the useful purpose of showing off the rich past and heritage of the Igbos.

Onu said: “Today, our society is faced with the danger that the Igbo language may not survive for long. It is sad that most of our children find it difficult to communicate in our native language. The attraction of foreign values has become

Ekwueme

almost an obsession that has weakened our self-confidence and injured our self-esteem.

“We cannot rediscover ourselves if we do not reclaim our cultural heritage. It has become important because a people without culture is a people without self-confidence. If a people lack self-confidence then such a people lose the will, determination and drive to successfully engage the development process in the pursuit of the common good.

“I wish to assure you all that the APC led federal government of President Buhari will initiate visionary and sustained efforts to help Nigerians

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took over reins of power on May 29, 2015.

“We already heard that the position is going to the South and expect that it would particularly be South-East. South-West is not on the cards,” a senior federal civil servant told our correspondent.

rediscover their rich past. In doing so, such efforts will be guided by the knowledge that cultural reawakening is an important tool in the economic, social and political development of our beloved country.”

The President of IYM, Mr. Elliot Uko said the theme of this year’s annual convention “ Ibuli Asusu Igbo” was carefully chosen to encourage and propagate interest in Igbo language, adding that IYM would continue to fight for true federalism which would restore confidence in the unity of the country as well as.give the citizenry a sense of belonging.

Uko said that the movement would also continue to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign against corruption and terrorism.

Plaques were given to Dr Ekwueme; Dr Onu; renowned constitutional lawyer, Prof.

Ben Nwabueze; iconic actor, Mr. John Okafor (Mr.Ibu) and veteran novelist, Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike. Students who participated in an essay writing contest and a quiz also received certificates and cash rewards instituted by former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi. The first position got N50,000, the 1st runner-up got N30,000 and the 2nd runner-up took home N20,000.

roceedings in the trial of former Imo State governor, Ikedi Ohakim, before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court Abuja, resumed Tuesday, with the prosecution witness giving a blow-by-blow account of how the former governor allegedly made a cash payment of $2, 290,000.00 (Two Million, Two Hundred and Ninety Thousand Dollars), for a piece of land at Plot No. 1098 Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District, otherwise known as No.60, Kwame Nkurumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja.

Justice Ademola, had admitted Ohakim to bail on Thursday, July 9, 2015, following his arraignment on Wednesday, July 8, 2015 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering.

At today’s hearing, prosecution witness, Ishaya Dauda, said investigation into the alleged offence began in 2010, after the Commission received petitions coupled with intelligence reports.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Festus Keyamo, Dauda, a Senior Detective Superintendent, SDS, with the EFCC, said the accused person, who served as Imo State governor between 2007 and 2011, was invited to the EFCC office in 2013.

“I gave him the petitions to go through and asked him if he would be willing to volunteer statement or not and he answered in the affirmative.

“I then admiistered the word of caution and EFCC statement form on him. I also asked him whether he understood the word of caution and he said yes; then, he signed the form, indicating that he understood the word of caution,” he told the court.

According to him, the accused person was given the EFCC Asset Declaration form to fill, in addition to his statements that were obtained five times between 2013 and 2015.

Copies of the five statements, which were obtained on January 25, 2013; January 31, 2013; June 18, 2015; June 22, 2015 and June 29, 2015, were tendered and admitted in evidence as exhibits EFCC 1 to five.

Giving further evidence, Dauda said the accused person made copious statements regarding the said property.

“Working on the intelligence reports at our disposal, after the accused person had declared his assets, it was discovered that there was no banking transaction for the purchase of the property.

“We found out that only cash payment was made in respect of the property. So, we took the accused person to the property.

When we brought him back to our office, we asked him who owns the property and he said he rented the property through one Abu Sule, Managing Director, Tweeenex Consociate H.D. Limited.’’

However, the prosecution witness said Abu Sule, who initially denied ownership of the property during interrogation by the EFCC, said the accused person gave him $2.2million, which was equivalent of N270m at as that time, in one payment.

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Ministerial clearance: Gov Dickson urges lawmakers to support Lokpobiri B ayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson has appealed to National Assembly lawmakers from the state to close ranks and work to ensure the successful screening of Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, a ministerial nominee from the state.

DAILY POST reports that Lokpobiri, who hails from Ekeremor local government area of the state, is one of the ministerial nominees who will be appearing before the Senate onTuesday, October 20.

Dickson made the call when Bayelsa lawmakers under the aegis of National Assembly Caucus Forum paid him a condolence visit over the recent passing away of Chief Diepreye Alamieseiyegha.

He urged the lawmakers to always commit themselves to the unity and progress of the State.

The governor reminded them that the progress and development of Bayelsa was paramount regardless of party affiliations or personal interest.

He expressed his resolve to collaborate with representatives of the state at the national level towards accelerating

Dickson

the pace of development in the state.

Dickson lauded the National Assembly lawmakers for partnering with the state government with a view to actualizing its vision, stressing that the development of the state

was a collective responsibility.

On the death of Alamieyeseigha, the Governor described the late former governor as one of the foremost Ijaw leaders, whose demise has created a vacuum in the political life of the Ijaw nation.

He however admonished the people of the state to take solace in the Lord, saying that one cannot query God, because He giveth and He taketh.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Bayelsa State National Assembly Caucus Forum, Senator Foster Ogola had described Chief Alamieyeseigha as a political colossus, who laid the foundation for the development of the state.

Recounting Alamieseiyegha’s achievements while he was Governor, Senator Ogola said the late leader represented the voice of the Ijaw people across the country and protected their interest.

Senator Ogola, who represents Bayelsa West in the Senate, disclosed that a motion has been moved to formally notify the National Assembly of Chief Alamieyeseigha’s death.

He said that a minute silence was observed in the floor of the House in Alameiseiyegha’s honour and promised to participate in the funeral ceremony for the departed leader.

Highpoint of the visit was the signing of the condolence register by members of the Assembly.

Tribunal ruling, a judicial 419 - Senator Abe laments F ormer member of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Magnus Abe of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers state has described the ruling of the tribunal that dismissed his petition as a judicial fraud.

DAILY POST recalls that the Rivers State National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal dismissed the petition filed by former senator, Magnus Abe challenging the victory of Senator Olaka Wogu for Rivers South East Senatorial District.

In its final judgment; the

Tribunal held that the petitioner did not satisfy the position of the law by proving beyond reasonable doubt that election did not hold in Rivers SouthEast Senatorial District.

The tribunal also held that allegations of election malpractice and violence were not proven by the petitioner.

The judges held that evidence brought forward by the petitioners did not meet the standard requirement, adding that the evidence were generic and lack specifics.

According to the tribunal,

the petitioner also did not sufficiently prove that the election was not in compliance with the Electoral Act. Senator Abe in his reaction to the Judgement said it was impossible for him as the petitioner to meet all the requirement of the tribunal within a short time.

While expressing hope in the judicial system of the country, Abe said he will head to the appellate court to challenge the judgment of the tribunal.

“I consider what has happened as a judicial ‘419’ be-

cause even the court itself held that we were supposed to call witnesses from all the polling units of over one thousand units.

“The court knew that what it expected of us from the beginning was practically incapable of being sustained,” Senator Abe said.

The Rivers state National Assembly Election Petition tribunal has so far struck out the petition of 11 APC candidates and all the three Senatorial candidates in the March 28 elections.

Supreme Court ruling on Ambode’s victory, final nail in PDP’s coffin - Obasa

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he Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa has described the Supreme Court verdict on the governorship election in Lagos State as the final nail in the coffin of the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Reacting to the verdict by the nation’s highest court affirming the state Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode’s victory in the election, Obasa stated that the court verdict has

put the final legal seal on the victory of the governor in particular, and the party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in general in the election.

“That the people of Lagos love Ambode and APC is not in doubt. Thus this Supreme Court victory is a final legal seal in the victory of our governor and the party at large,” he said.

The Lagos Assembly Speaker stated further that the people of Lagos are happy with the performance of the party in the state hence they will con-

tinue to vote for the party and its candidates.

“Our party has been tested and Lagosians have come to trust us hence their support for us.

“By going to court, the PDP and its candidate wanted to exercise their legal rights and thank God, the courts have proved to them that the mandate the Governor and our party is holding is legitimately given to them by the people of this state. It is final nail in their coffin,” he said.

Obasa congratulated Am-

Ambode

bode and the APC on the victory, noting that it is the right tonic for the newly sworn-in executive council members to begin their work.

Senate Committee clears embattled Sokoto nominee

Abubakar

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he Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Ethics, Public Petitions and Privileges on Monday absolved Sokoto Ministerial nominee, Aisha Abubakar of allegation of incompetence raised against her and presented at plenary last Thursday by Senator Ibrahim Gobir.

The Committee which began hearing today observed that the Petition was addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari and not the President of the Senate as is the guiding rule of the Senate that has powers of investigation.

Senator Dino Melaye observed: “I have gone through the petition and I discovered that it was not addressed to the Senate President in compliance with Section 41 of Senate rules which requires that all petitions be addressed to the Senate President. Therefore, this petition against Sokoto Ministerial nominee, Aisha Abubakar is dead on arrival,” he said.

The sitting which lasted less than 10 minutes began when Dino Melaye and Senior Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly, Ita Enang had a brief discussion with the nominee behind closed doors, but in what appears to be premeditated, Melaye said that Abubakar Aisha seems to have met the requirements as enshrined in section 147 and 14(3), section 66 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, which stipulates the qualifications of a potential minister, hence, it should be dismissed.

Responding to inquiries whether she belongs to any political party, the nominee responded that she is a public servant and that she is still in service.

The Chairman in his ruling noted that its report would be ready as soon as possible.

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Ministerial screening

Amaechi’s fate hangs as Senate adjourns after screening two nominees

By Ali Adoyi and Sylvester Ugwanyi

O

ut of the three ministerial nominees scheduled for Tuesday’s screening, only two were screened, as the Senate adjourned till Wednesday for the screening of the remaining nominees.

DAILY POST recalls that three people were earlier scheduled for Tuesday screening. Those billed to be screened Tuesday were Barrister Shittu Adebayo Claudius Omoleye Daramola and Khadija Abba Ibrahim.

Meanwhile, the Senate Adhoc Committee on Information, Senator Dino Malaye further cleared the air on why only three were scheduled for Tuesday. According to Melaye, it was due to popular demands by Nigerian’s on the need to avoid rush on the questions that will be thrown at the nominees.

He said the essence was to do a thorough job to the satisfaction of Nigerians who are yearning for a better screening exercise.

Malaye further assured Nigerians that the senate was doing its best to ensure that the right people are picked as ministers, adding that Nigerians will surely be proud of their efforts at the end of the exercise.

But at exactly 1:45pm, only two nominees - Barrister Shittu Adebayo and Khadija Abba Ibrahim were screened and the Senate adjourned till Wednesday. No reason was however given by the Senate on its decision to adjourn.

Amaechi Meanwhile, ministerial nominee, Barr Adebayo Shittu, from Oyo State, took a bow after spending over an hour answering questions from the Senators. Shittu who advocated for religious teachers said, “If I have my way, religious teachers would be recruited by government to preach ideals for maintenance of peace in the society.”

Shittu used his screening to urge Nigerians to adopt the four cardinal programmes of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, “because it is people-centered”. He maintained that, “one

of the objectives of free education is to produce citizens who would respect law and order and not engage in excess. One major solution to the issues of youth excesses and restiveness is for people to be engaged in education. I have idea on how government can ensure that everybody is educated.”

The Islamic scholar, who clarified that it was wrong to force everybody to practice one region, said, “Everybody should enjoy freedom of worship. Everything Boko Haram is doing is unislamic.

All they do are antithetical to the

tenets of Islam. I don’t want to comment much because I still have a family to take care of. I still want to live.”

On what he did as Commissioner of Justice in Oyo state, he noted that he ensured that training of few lawyers in the state government’s employ outside the state was stopped allowing for the trainers to come into the state to train all law officers at a reduced cost. He added that he worked for the evolvement of N1m grant to all state government lawyers to buy cars rather than have them contribute for their ministry to procure a bus.

He noted that this grant helped boost the lawyers’ productivity as they became more mobile. He added that if made the Justice Minister, he would work for every ministry and government department to have a sitting lawyer serving there.

In a related development and in what appeared like a comic relief, the Senate cheered their colleague, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, when his wife, Khadija Abba Ibrahim was called for screening. After her bio data, Senate President, Bukola Saraki called her husband to ask her the first question. Abba who did not hesitate asked ‘’ “All the elections you won, no one ever took you to the tribunal. How will you react if the senate asks you to take a bow and go?”

The Senate immediately asked her to take a bow and go, bringing the exercise to a close.

Distortion of nationhood is Nigeria’s major problem - Kukah T he Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, yesterday identified distortion of nationhood as the main challenge confronting Nigeria as a country.

The Activist Priest insisted that Nigeria must learn to manage and maximize her diversity, if the country is serious about achieving its goals of sustainable development.

Kukah stressed that getting it right in the education sector will help in the transformation of values and a positive generational change capable of launching Nigeria into the league of most developed nations of the world.

He made this assertion while delivering the 3rd convocation lecture of the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, titled: “Education and Leadership Recruitment for a Plural Society: A Case of Nigeria.”

The lecture was chaired by the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega and was attended by the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Alhaji Ado Ibrahim, ABUAD Founder, Aare Afe Babalola among other dignitaries.

Kukah used the event to canvas support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade, but argued that the fight against corruption could

only guarantee a stable nation when it is complemented by entrenchment and protection of social justice and the rule of law.

Leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has disowned the Director of the pirate Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, who was arrested yesterday by operatives of the Department of State Security, DSS. Uwazuruike, who spoke through his Assistant Director of information, Mr. Sunday Okereafor, in Owerri on Monday, described Kanu as a rebel who had long been expelled by MASSOB for inciting violence among members.

Police offers protection as Pro-Biafran protesters besiege Port Harcourt

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here have been rising tensions on the streets of Port Harcourt, as a group of people claiming to be sympathetic to the liberation of Biafra staged a protest march around the Rivers State capital.

DAILY POST reports that the demonstration by the pro-Biafra agitators took off from the ever-busy Ikoku Market, through Aba Road, down to Mile One, before heading towards Rumuokoro on Ikwerre Road.

The protesters also carried placards laden with inciting inscriptions like, “it is either Biafra or death.”

Security agencies also responded to the demonstration, with the deployment of personnel and equipment along the route of the protesters.

Armoured Personnel Carriers have also been mobilized to strategic locations across Port Harcourt to forestall a breakdown of law and order in the city.

The pro-Biafra protesters were motivated by media reports of the detention of the Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu by operatives of the Department of State Security Service.

Reports say Kanu has already been granted bail but the pro-Biafran protesters said they want a country of their own.

The pro-Biafran protest was peaceful, except for Ikoku roundabout where passersby were forced to raise their hands by security operatives.

There was also an incident when some of the protesters tried to pull down the Nigerian Flag at the premises of a commercial bank, which was resisted by the police, during which gunshots were fired.

Army begins probe of personnel involved alleged rigging of in Ekiti, Osun polls

T

Kukah

Noting that Kanu had been summarily dismissed for breaking the group’s nonviolence approach, the MASSOB leader insisted that “Kanu’s arrest has nothing to do with the struggle for a sovereign state of Biafra.”

he Nigerian Army has set up a high powered Board of Inquiry (BOI) to investigate involvement of its personnel in Ekiti and Osun States governorship polls last year.

Colonel Sani Usman, Acting Director Army Public Relations, in a statement said the BOI has the mandate to investigate the alleged unprofessional and unethical conduct of some Nigerian Army personnel in the two states, as well as in any other State in Nigeria where other similar allegations were made during the 2015 general elections in the country.

As part of its Terms of Reference, the BOI is to also review the involvement of the Nigerian Army formations/units and its personnel in elections and other duties in aid to civil authority.

“The essence of the Board is to prevent future unprofessional conduct by officers and men in the performance of the constitutional roles while strengthening Nigerian Army’s support to democratic values and structures in Nigeria,” the statement added.

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business Mobile payment transactions hits N815.5bn

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he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday put the total value and volume of mobile payment transactions at N815.5billion.

It said there were a total number of 98,158 mobile payment agents and 24,383,263 subscribers.

CBN’s Director of Banking and Payments System Department, Mr. Dipo Fatokun, who was represented by Mr. Sola Agboola, gave the figures in Ilorin at the annual conference organised by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance cashless mobile money for members of the Finance Correspondents of Nigeria (FICAN) and business editors.

Speaking on the topic: “Enhancing the capacity of Micro, Small & Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) for job creation through mobile payment system, Fatokun said the CBN was about licensing three major telecoms operators to act as super-agent Mobile Money Operators (MMOs).

He said the coming on board of the three telecoms operators, whose identities are still concealed, is the CBN’s fresh initiative aimed at expanding mobile money transactions system in the country.

“Some leading telecoms have applied and we are processing their licences and very soon, they will get licences to operate as super agents.”

He added that the services of agent banking operators, especially in the rural settings where their services are desirable, had led to the creation of jobs while additional incomes are also generated.

“In Nigeria, as well as other developing countries, the majority of the ‘unbanked’ have to rely on cash or informal financial services which are typically unsafe, inconvenient and expensive.

“Traditional “bricks and mortar” banking infrastructure struggle to make the business model work to serve low-income customers, particularly in rural areas.

“Large populations live in the rural areas at subsistence levels, with no access to banking, but their family members usually work in cities and remit money home, using informal, expensive or risky means.

“This set of people has a need to bank, save and transfer money, but are unable to do so because of lack of access to banking service,” he said.

He stated that 21 MMOs had, so far, been fully licensed and were carrying out commercial operations while eight others were at various stages of concluding a pilot run. Of the 21 licensed MMOs, he said seven were banks while 14 were nonbanking institutions.

On the CBN’s rationale for conceiving mobile payment, he said the apex bank took advantage of huge and rapid expansion in mobile telephone in Nigeria.

MAN laments inability of SMEs to access N520bn CBN fund

T

he Manufacturers Association of Nigeria has lamented the inability of Small and Medium-scale Enterprises in the South-East and South-South to access the N520bn provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria to boost small businesses in the country.

The Rivers/Bayelsa State Chairman of MAN, Mr. Charles Beke, said the situation could affect the development of the SMEs in the two geo-political zones if nothing was done to address it.

Beke spoke in Port Harcourt on Monday while briefing journalists on the forthcoming first made-in-Nigeria exhibition to be held in the Rivers State capital on October 28 and 29, 2015.

He said that a financial analyst, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, who would be a guest speaker at the event, would be talking to the SME operators on how to access the CBN fund.

Ohuabunwa, according to him, will specifically be delivering the lecture entitled: ‘CBN bailout funds for SMEs: Dismantling the roadblocks’.

Beke said, “You are aware that the Central Bank of Nigeria has set aside N520bn to help in revamping many micro, small and medium-scale enterprises across the country.

“Unfortunately, our investigation shows that many of the SMEs in the South-South and SouthEast regions of this country have not accessed this very important fund meant to help bring a bigger industrial base in our country.

President of Ghana, John Mahama and NNPC GMD, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, at a meeting in Kumasi, Ghana.

“We are happy to announce to you that a distinguished financial analyst, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, the Lead Consultant at the Star Team Consult, Lagos, is the guest speaker. His lecture will throw light on how to access the fund and the measures required to benefit from the fund.”

He, however, called on the SME operators to take advantage of the made-in-Nigeria exhibition organised by MAN and avail themselves of the opportunity of getting information on how to access funds from the CBN.

NNPC may adopt co-location model to cut refining costs N igerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has announced plan to reduce the cost of refining crude oil in country through resource co-location.

Group Managing Director, NNPC, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, said the model which is still at proposal level will ensure that new refineries are situated in clusters, to allow for sharing of critical infrastructure like power, pipelines

and technologies, and a host of other resources.

He explained that the model is aimed at encouraging the private sector to invest in new refineries.

Nigeria’s four refineries have combined refining capacity of about 450,000 barrels of oil, but a large proportion is not effectively utilised.

According to Kachikwu, the co-location model for new refiner-

ies is feasible and had the capacity to drive efficiency in the midstream segment of the petroleum industry.

“The co-location model for the refineries is actually a proposal.

I will like a situation where we will deal with our own existing refineries and then find individuals who are willing and ready to invest in other refineries,” he said.

NEITI, stakeholders condemn pioneer status

T

he Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, and other experts in the oil and gas sector have called on the Federal Government to desist from issuing pioneer status, PS, to companies in the oil and gas industry.

Pioneer Status is a tax holiday incentive, designed by the federal government and backed by the law granted to targeted industries, products and services, designated as priority areas and growth drivers of the economy.

The Nigerian Investment Promotion Council, NIPC, had between 2009 and 2014, granted pioneer status to a total of 22 oil and gas companies. But NIPC has now issued letters to some of the companies that were granted the incentives for five straight years, informing them that the holidays should have been for an initial

three years period.

This is in line with the Industrial Development Income Tax Relief Act, IDITRA, of 1971, which states three years but renewable for another two years.

While the act continues to generate controversy due to the dwindling oil revenue, the Federal Government says it was granting waivers for employment generation, foreign and local investment, among others.

However, the Tax Justice and Governance Platform, TJ&GP, in a report tagged, ‘’Pioneer Status in Oil and Gas Industry; Is It Worth It?,” said the colossal revenue losses of $2.1 billion to the pioneer status far outweighed the little benefit of 2,208 employment generated by 11 of the 22 companies.

At a forum to deliberate on the report in Abuja, stakeholders

questioned the rationale behind the tax exemption to companies in the oil and gas industry by NIPC management.

A Representative of NEITI, Mr. Abdultayib Sheidu, said the country witnessed a colossal loss due to waiver granted to some oil and gas industry. He maintained that some of the companies granted tax waivers had outgrown the pioneer status, but they still hold on to the pioneer status at the expense of the country’s development.

Sheidu noted that companies in the oil and gas industry did not need to be granted pioneer status, because activities in the upstream oil and gas sector are regulated by the Petroleum Profit Tax Act, PPTA, which gives tax breaks and concessions.

Nigeria earns N5trillion from oil sales

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igeria earned $25.105 billion, about N5.021 trillion from the sale of crude oil between January and July 2015, according to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. This represents total earnings from crude oil sales by the Federal Government, the NNPC and oil companies and a host of others according to the NNPC Financial and Operations Report for August.

Giving a breakdown of the figure, the report said the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, and the Department for Petroleum Resources, DPR, earned $1.966 billion about N393.2 billion, and $229.668 million or N45.93 billion respectively from Production Sharing Contract, PSC revenue.

The report further said the country earned $2.01 billion (N401.6 billion) and $5.148 billion (N1.029 trillion) from crude oil export and domestic sales of crude oil respectively.

In addition, the NNPC earned $7.156 billion or N1.43 trillion in the period under review, while the amount accrued to the Federal Government was $9.351 billion (N1.87 trillion).

Oil companies including the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, earned $15.077 billion or N3.02 trillion, while Alternative Finance received $676.287 million (N135.257 billion).

The report said: “A total volume of 63.7 million barrels of crude oil and condensate was lifted in the month of July 2015 by all parties. Out of this volume, 25.2 million barrels was lifted for and on behalf of the Federal government of Nigeria comprising of 17.4 million barrels lifted on the account of NNPC and 7.8 million barrels lifted on the account of FIRS.

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DESCRIPTION: 5 units of 5 bedroom ter granite raced duplex with all rooms ensuite, and finished with granite tiles. Its situated in a secured & serene environment.

LOCATION: Guzape by Asokoro Extension Abuja PRICE: N1.8 Billion.

LAND SIZE: N4000sqm (C of O) FACILITIES: • Swimming pool of 12 by 18sqm • Ample parking space for minimum of 50 cars • Fitted Kitchens • Serene Green Garden Areas • Fitted Air conditioners in all areas • Standby 150k VA Generator and water treatment plant DESCRIPTION: 3 units of 5 bedrooms terraced duplex with all rooms ensuite, finished with marble tiles. It’s located in a secure & serene environment.

LOCATION: Guzape by Asokoro Extension Abuja PRICE: N900 Million LAND SIZE: 1,450sqm (C of O) FACILITIES: • Swimming pool • Ample parking space • Secure & Serene • Fitted Kitchens • Standby Generator • Fitted Air conditioners in all areas • water treatment plant DESCRIPTION: 5 units of 5 bedroom terraced duplex with all rooms ensuite and finished with granite tiles LOCATION: Utako District Abuja PRICE: N750 Million LAND SIZE: 1,350sqm (C of O) FACILITIES: • Granite finished • Secure & Serene environment • Ample parking space • Fitted Kitchens • Standby Generator • Fitted Air conditioners in all areas

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• Water treatment plant DESCRIPTION: 6 units of 4 bedroom terraced duplex with all rooms ensuite LOCATION: Guzape by Asokoro Extension Abuja PRICE: N1.2 Billion LAND SIZE: 1,500sqm (C of O) FACILITIES: • Granite finished • Secure & Serene environment • Ample parking space • Fitted Kitchens • Fitted Air conditioners in all areas • Standby Generator • Water treatment plant DESCRIPTION: A MULTI-PURPOSE COMMERCIAL OFFICE COMPLEX LOCATION: ALONG AHMADU BELLO WAY OPPOSITE ROCHAS FOUNDATION, GARKI AREA 11, ABUJA. LETTABLE SPACE: 11,120SQM RENT: N45,000.00/SQM SERVICE CHARGE: N5,000.00/SQM CONDITION: LETTABLE SPACE FROM 300SQM ABOVE FACILITIES: • 2 Nos. left • Ample parking space • 2 Nos. 250 KVA Standby generator • Underground and over head storage tank • Well paved land scape • Secure and serene environment • Underground parking lot • Dedicated transformation DESCRIPTION: Nicely Finished Eight (8) Units Of Five (5) Bedroom Serviced Duplexes With Bq LOCATION: Mini - Estate, Behind Apo Legislative Quarters RENT: N5 Million/Duplex

S/CHARGE: N1 Million/Duplex FACILITIES: • Ample parking space • Dedicated transformer • Well fitted kitchen • Master bedroom fitted with Jacuzzi • Well landscape and interlocked premises • Carport • Well fitted Air conditioner in all rooms DESCRIPTION: FIVE (5) UNITS OF FIVE (5) BEDROOM TERRACED DUPLEX FACILITIES: • Swimming pool • Ample parking space for minimum of 50 cars • Fitted Kitchens • Serene Green Garden Areas • Fitted Air conditioners in all rooms • Standby 150KVA Generator and water treatment plant LOCATION: GUZAPE BY ASOKORO EXTENSION, ABUJA LAND SIZE: 400sqm (C of O) PRICE: N2.5 BILLION DESCRIPTION: 3 UNITS OF FIVE (5) BEDROOM TERRACED DUPLEX WITH ALL ROOMS ENSUITE LOCATION: GUZAPE BY ASOKORO EXTENSION ABUJA LAND SIZE: 1,450SQM (C OF O) PRICE: N1 BILLION FACILITES: • Swimming pool • Ample parking space • Secure & Serene • Fitted Kitchens • Standby Generator • Fitted Air conditioners in all areas • water treatment plant

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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

entertainment

with

Ameh Comrade Godwin comrade.ameh@dailypost.ng

I’m not Jay Z, my name is Jude – MI Abaga In this interview with DAILY POST’s ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, AMEH COMRADE GODWIN, African Rapper No. 1, Jude ‘M.I’ Abaga, who is currently overseeing one of Nigeria’s successful record labels, Chocolate City speaks on his journey to the top and other germane issues.

This is the story of Jude Abaga as told by Mr. Incredible himself.

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ongratulations on your elevation as the new CEO of ChocCity Record label.

Thank you bro. Na God. Why is it taking you that long to settle down?

When are you getting married?

You see, what I am promising you is, when I know, you will be informed, but for now, I do not know yet.

What happened to all your numerous girlfriends?

(Make I drink water before I answer this your question) They are many, one of them is married, Larry Hood, another one passed away recently.

So, who is your ideal woman?

You know that picture of a real African woman? I think we have not really done much to appreciate African mothers. Do you know what they do?

They take care of the kids and shop and take the kids to school and do many other things.

Talking about the physical side of what I want in a woman, I want my children to be tall, so, she must be tall because I am not tall.

Then I don’t care about complexion.

If she is fair, that would be a problem because I would have to see her childhood picture to confirm if that colour is natural or artificial.

Most ladies that claim to be fair or appear to be fair these days use unnatural means to achieve it.

So, getting her childhood picture would tell me all I need to know concerning her true complexion.

What about your baby mama?

No one that I know sir.

If someone should walk up to you now and say that she is pregnant for you, will you accept that?

Yes, if I have a proof that we have been together and because I believe that the best way for a child to be raised is for both parents to be around. Look at somebody like 2Face, he has shown love to all his kids and they are very close.

Not only that, he has also maintained a good relationship with the mothers. When such situations arise, the best you can do is to make the most of them by staying true to yourself and be fair to all concerned.

You dropped out of school, when are you going

back to complete your education?

I wanted to but I have been working since, so there is no chance of going back any more. I am looking for a time that I would be able to finish my education and get my degree and we will take it from there.

As the new ‘Lord’ of ChocCity, what should we expect from you in the next one year or two in terms of music?

This is probably my most productive period. I am shooting a lot of videos. I am also making a lot of music.

I have seventy songs left over from the Mr Chairman’s album.

I recorded them as an EP but I don’t want to put them

out now. I have an album that is waiting, but again, as a big artiste, I have been talking with Tyga to feature in my album.

So it is not what you will rush into, it is going to take time to put all those things together. The bigger we get here in Nigeria the more we are noticed internationally even in America. The only thing Americans do that is different from what we do is that, they sell their identity so well but the reality now is that we are not so far behind them.

As the new CEO of Chocolate City, where do you think the record label will be in the next five to six years and your opinion on rap music?

First of all, as the new CEO, we want to be number one every year.

You should not compete unless you want to be the number one.

Talking about rap music in Nigeria, I think I became a little bit relaxed at a point as a rapper because the competition was not like that when I was coming in.

When I came in, we had the likes of Mode 9, Ruggedman, Sourcekid, Ikechukwu among others.

There was no way to pass but at certain point I dropped African rapper number 1, it became a little bit very competitive because I was like the only person running the show. But now I am grateful to go to shows.

We see the likes of Ice-Prince, Vector, Ilbliss, Olamide, and Reminisce as rappers. We have rappers everywhere and that competition is there. So competition is not only in record labels, it is also in music.

Aside doing music, what other plans do you have for your brand extension?

There is a plan for that and that will come out very soon. I also want to go into clothing and stuff like that.

I am willing to go into fashion but you know, you need to be very careful because fashion has its own attitude. In fashion, you have to be very careful but there is a serious plan for that. We will get there.

I come from Taraba state and I know there is a huge farmland there. I would like to have a farm, I might not call it MI farm but agriculture is certainly the way to go forward. Hopefully, we are going to get to a point where everyone will accept Koko garri and probably see it as a rival to Ijebu garri.

Aside doing music, what else would you have done well?

I would probably be playing for Nigerian Super Eagle as a defensive midfielder and Arsenal FC as well. I would also have something to do with music or advertising.

What is your take on people comparing you with Jay Z. I’m not Jay Z, I’m Jude, I wish to make good music like him though.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

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I’ll not marry a transgender or man - Denrele Edun D

enrele Edun, Media personality and event compere, has disclosed that his marriage will be a surprise and something out of the ordinary.

On Hiptv, the model also said his planned wedding will not have an invitation card like the normal weddings around.

He said despite the names he is being called, he has decided not to claim any preference.

“I have been called a homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual, ‘hip’sexual’, sexual sexual. I am a sexual outlaw.

Take it and take it! I am not claiming any preference.”

When asked about what kind of wedding he intends to have, Denrele noted that it was going to be carnival-like where everyone will be open to attend without any special invite.

“I am just going to put billboards everywhere and

invite everyone. There will be no VIPs because I don’t believe in all that VIP crap.

Unexpected!

“Will anyone know the person I am going to marry?

NO. I am not going to reveal or disclose the identity of the person. I am not going to put that person through all that media brouhaha,” he said comically.

“I am going to wrap the person up like a mummy and it is only when we are about to kiss that I am going to open the mouth; out of the ordinary you know!”

Speaking further, he said, “If you want to know who I am getting married to? Get ready to drop the money like it’s hot. In the pre-wedding photos that I have done, it is only the person’s curves you will see, so you will be sure it is not a transgender and the person is not a man.“She is a woman,” he stated.

COSON to inaugurate I’m not an attention seeker like my Nigerian Digital Music colleagues – Stella Damasus Monitoring

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ollywood actress, Stella Damsaus, who has purportedly been silent lately on the social media unlike her other colleagues, has stressed that with nothing to update, she has no reason to flaunt herself around like ‘the others.’

According to the star actress, if she has no meaningful thing to update her fans with, she sees no reason to start posting her photographs on the internet.

“If I have nothing inspirational or

encouraging to say, why should I post random pictures?” Stella rhetorically noted.

Apparently saying that she is not an attention freak, the award-winning actress said, “Don’t get me wrong. I just don’t deem it necessary when it is actually not necessary. No unnecessary attention, no nothing,” she said.

“I would only post online when I have inspirational or encouraging words to share,” Stella added.

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he Nigerian Digital Music Monitoring Group, NDMMG, at its Headquarters in Opebi, Lagos, has been given a time frame of 12 months to implement the resolutions adopted at the just concluded Nigerian Digital Music Summit.

The setting up of the NDMMG was one of the major resolutions adopted at the just concluded summit in which the Copyright Society of Nigeria, COSON, rounded off plans for the inauguration of NDMMG, on Thursday, October 22, 2015.

Members of the Group include top music industry executives, copyright experts, government agencies and representatives of telecommunications operators in Nigeria.

It will be recalled that COSON had in September, hosted the Nigerian Digital Music Summit in collaboration with the Growth & Employment Project (GEM) (funded by the World Bank and domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment).

The summit had the theme: “Establishing the Basic Rules of Engagement in the Digital Environment”. At the end of the 2-day summit resolutions were adopted for immediate execution.

By the resolutions, the Group is mandated to work closely with the Nigerian Copyright Commission, the Nigerian Communications Commission, the National Information Technology Development Agency, the National Assembly and other relevant bodies to develop specific methods for the implementation of the resolutions of the Summit.

The Group is also charged to monitor progress in the exploitation of music in the digital environment and report at regular intervals on the state of progress made.

Mr. Efe Omorogbe, CEO of NowMuzik and member of the Nigerian Digital Music Monitoring Group speaking on the development, said, “This is coming at a time our music industry needs it the most. I am particularly excited at what the future holds for our industry.

“I want to urge all with interests in Nigerian music to forge closer and work for the growth of our industry while we still have the chance to,” Omoregbe said.

Also, the General Manager of COSON, Mr. Chinedu Chukwuji, said, “Every member of the monitoring group was carefully selected by the summit because of the enormous task ahead. The monitoring group has been given a time frame of 12 months with which to implement the resolutions adopted at the summit.

I won’t forgive Ruggedman unless he apologises - 9ice

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igerian music act, born Alexander Ajifolajifaola and popularly referred to as 9ice, has revealed that that he is yet to forgive Nigerian rapper, Ruggedman, as what caused the ‘malice’ between them was yet to be settled.

It will be recalled that the duo have been very close companions. However in recent times, some people alleged 9ice became well known when the rapper featured him in one of his songs ‘Ruggeddy Baba.’

While featuring in a Television Continental, TVC, programme recently, the ‘Gongo Aso’ crooner disclosed that he is still not in good terms with Ruggedman, and that the rapper has not yet apologized.

According to what some insiders reportedly said, the ‘Alapomeji’ founder met his former wife, Toni Payne through Ruggedman. But today, the two allegedly hardly see ‘eye-to-eye.’

Their alleged ‘malice’ however, erupted when 9ice released his controversial single, ‘Once Bitten’, tongues wagged that 9ice sang about his marriage in the song.

Meanwhile, many were quick to say 9ice was referring to Ruggedman as the man he said he caught sleeping with his lover.

What made the issue to look credible was that it was almost after the release of the controversial song that 9ice allegedly ended his marriage with Toni Payne.

According to him, “Ruggedman did not sleep with Toni Payne, he dare not do that.”

Speaking further in Yoruba, the award winner said, “Iyawo ole ni won ma ngba” which means “it is only a lazy man’s wife that can be taken away.”

When asked the offence the rapper committed, the 35-year-old entertainer, who is now a Special Assistant to the Oyo State governor, said, “For interfering in another man’s matter, I haven’t forgiven Ruggedman.”

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Navy destroys 1,500 drums of diesel, one illegal refinery in Delta

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he Central Naval Command in Bayelsa has destroyed 1, 500 drums of diesel and one illegal oil refining camp in Ekpemu Community, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta.

Real Admiral Apochi Suleiman, Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) of the Command, who disclosed this on Sunday in Warri, said the operation was in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy Ship.

Suleiman said that a 30-year-old lady and two men, suspected to be oil thieves, were also arrest during the operation.

“The illegal petroleum refining camp destroyed is one of the major camps in the Niger-Delta region basically for illegal oil business.

“In the camp, we also discovered 15 containers filled with oil products, 10 locally made boats and stolen crude oil.

“The Nigerian Navy is ready to flush oil thieves out of the Niger-Delta region; there is no room for criminals in the waterways this season,’’ he said.

Suleiman advised youths in the area to engage in legitimate business as the Navy was poised to deal with all forms of illegal oil activities in the region.

“You must support our activities by giving useful information to combat this form of crime along the waterways.

NAN

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

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Seun Opejobi seun.opejobi@dailypost.ng

Gunmen kill pastor, wife in Bauchi A

pastor, one Obi William and his wife, Ebere, a thrift collector, were Thursday, killed by gunmen at the Bayan Gari area of Bauchi Metropolis, on their way back from church.

The deceased who reports say hailed from Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State and his wife, an indigene of Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, reportedly had four children.

The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Bauchi command, Haruna Mohammed who confirmed the incident, said the gunmen attacked the couple at Bayan Gari area in the state capital at about 7:45 pm on the said day.

He said ammunition of 7.62 mm was recovered at the scene of the crime.

He said the suspects took a bag from Ebere containing undisclosed amount of money being savings collected from

members of the Igbo community, assuring them of the security of their lives and property.

He said efforts were ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

Mohammed also stated that the Commissioner of Police had enjoined members of the Igbo community to always give police necessary information that will prevent crimes in the state.

Gunmen

her customers that day as contributions and fled after shooting the couple.

Mohammed further noted that police detectives attached to the Estate Division rushed to the scene and evacuated Williams and his wife to the

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching hospital, ATBUTH, Bauchi where they were certified dead.

He said following the killing, the Commissioner of Police, Mohammed K. Mohammed, held a meeting with

Police corporal allegedly rapes 3-year-old girl in Ebonyi

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ne Samuel Okere, a police corporal serving at Ugbodo Division in Ebonyi local government area of the state, has been reportedly arrested by the state Juvenile Welfare Centre (JWC) for allegedly raping an unnamed three-year-old girl.

According to reports, Okere allegedly committed the act at the victim’s father’s house in Ugbodo when she returned from school.

It was believed the victim’s parents had gone for their teaching jobs when the police officer allegedly committed the act. On their return, however, the little girl started complaining of pains in her private part as she could not walk properly.

According to the girl, the policeman inserted ‘something’ inside her.

Following his daughter’s confession after alleged sessions of questioning, Emmanuel Iyiekuna

Arase reportedly went to Okere’s house and he (Okere) allegedly admitted to committing the crime but said he only used finger on the girl and did not insert his manhood.

He, however, reportedly appealed to Iyiekuna not to disclose the matter to anyone and had offered N50, 000 to take care of the victim which was rejected.

Reports indicated further that Iyiekuna later took his daughter to a nearby clinic for medical examination afterwards where a nurse told him his daughter’s hymen had been broken.

Subsequently, the case was reported to the state Family Law Centre, FLC, a special court in charge of treating such cases and other issues.

Mrs. Elizabeth Nwali, the Chairman of the FLC court, reportedly petitioned the state Commissioner of Police, CP, Peace Ibekwe, over the matter after the suspect denied having carnal knowledge of the girl.

Nwali called for the CP’s intervention and investigation.

Man clubs 63-year-old step father to death in Lagos

By Seun Opejobi

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ragedy struck in Illupeju, Mushin area of Lagos State as a 30-year-old man, Seye Okanlawon allegedly clubbed his stepfather, 63, Alex Momoh to death.

The deceased who hails from Edo State and worked as a driver in a cosmetics company, reportedly had eight children from three women, before marrying his fourth wife, Lola who also had four children from a previous union before getting married to the deceased. Among the children were Seye and Moyo, who were both married.

However, Moyo reportedly moved in with the Momohs at their Ilupeju residence after her husband’s apartment was demolished.

Trouble ensued after Alex reported to Lola, that Moyo had

dropped a piece of cake on his bed where he wanted to sleep. This irked Moyo, who reported to his brother, Seye, who was on a visit at the time.

Seye reportedly took hold of a pestle with which he hit the deceased on his head and leg, the impact of the hit made Alex to pass out.

Alex was later rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba, where he eventually gave up the ghost.

The matter is said to have been reported at the Ilupeju Police Division.

One of the children of the deceased, Osagie, 19, said, “It was between 6pm and 7pm. My sister complained to Seye after my father reported her to mum. He then started abusing my father, who ignored him and went to his room.

“But Seyi followed him inside and picked a pestle with which

he hit him in the head and blood started coming out. He became unconscious and we rushed him to a hospital.”

Wife of the deceased, Lola however said the incident occurred late at night.

“I am a trader and I have my shop opposite the house. I had four children before I married him. He had three wives and they all had children for him.

“On that day, my husband had gone to work in the morning and returned around 5.30pm. At about 10.30pm, he came to my shop and reported that my daughter placed a cake on his bed where he wanted to sleep.

“Seye was sitting beside me when Alex came to report and he scolded his sister for disrespecting my husband. Moyo then explained to him that the mattress had been

taken out when she placed the cake on the bed.”

“My husband went inside his room and Seye followed him in and started abusing him. Osagie, the son I had for my husband, challenged Seye for abusing his father, and he picked the pestle and started chasing him with it.

He ran away.”

She added that she later went inside the room and saw that Alex had a swollen head and she was informed that her husband was injured during a scuffle with the suspect.

Lola said she poured water on his head to resuscitate him, and when it failed, he was rushed to a private hospital before being transferred to LUTH. “Osagie was not around when the incident happened and our neighbours had slept off,” she added.

Fulani herdsmen raping, killing our people - Enugu women

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nugu women on Tuesday called on the State government to send Fulani herdsmen packing from the State.

The angry women, who stormed the State House of Assembly in their number, said the herdsmen were engaging in serial rape of women.

They carried placards, which read: “Fulani herdsmen are killing our men with AK 47’; ‘All we are saying is, Fulani, leave our farmlands’ ‘They butchered two men at Eke’ ‘Stop robbing us at the high ways’ ‘Stop raping our women.”

They alleged that apart from molesting and raping women, the herdsmen were equally destroying their farms.

Leader of the group, Mrs Achogaonye Eze, who spoke on behalf of the protesting women, said unless the herdsmen were stopped, their lives would be in grave danger because the herdsmen were always armed with sophisticated weapons.

Eze, who is the wife of Bishop Sostenas Eze of the Enugu North Anglican Diocese, pointed out that apart from raping women and killing people in the communities, the herdsmen also engaged in robbery and kidnapping.

She lamented that they were helpless because they had complained to the law enforcement agencies to no avail.

She disclosed that people were now afraid to go to farm unless they were in groups for fear of rape or outright killing.

According to her, “They have butchered two men who tried to confront them, they rape women and destroy their crops.

“They pretend to be selling bush meat and when you stop over to buy, their gang will come out of the bush and rob you of your belongings.

“They are now wielding AK 47 guns against villagers who confront them; and since the vigilante do not have such sophisticated weapons, they are helpless.”

She added that, “our people are molested, who now behave as if they own the land. If we don’t stop them, they may rape your own wives.”

Addressing the women, speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon.Edward Ubosi, represented by the Public

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

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Policemen arrested for robbery in Onitsha

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metro “I formed a gang of armed robbers. We robbed passengers travelling from Anambra State to Imo State.

Peter who disclosed he is a native of Udi Local Govern¬ment Area of Enugu State said sometimes, they mounted road block as though they were carrying out stop-and-search, and then rob people, or snatch big cars from the owners.

“After snatching the car,” he said, “a member of the gang will sell the car and give me my own share, which may be from N100, 000 to N200, 000. I received regular returns from members of my gang even when I was on course at the police college.

“I went on course for promotion to rank of corporal at Oji River Police College, Enugu State.

My gang members still continued with the armed robbery operations and always sent money to me during the course. I went into armed robbery five years ago.

“Sometimes, I give out my arm and ammunition to the gang to use for armed robbery operations.

I never imagined that one day I would be caught.

Peter went further to reveal that on June 5, 2015, he and a member of the gang had snatched a Lexus SUV with registration number BBC 105JT, along Ozubulu road, belonging to one Mrs.

ome policemen suspected to be armed robbers, have been arrested in Onitsha, Anambra State, for robbery and impersonation.

DAILY POST gathered that the two policemen, a 37-year-old Constable, Nicholas Ogbianu, who was dismissed from the Delta State Police Command and one Corporal I.L.O. Peter, 37, serving at Oguta Division of the Imo State Police Command, were arrested alongside their accomplices during a joint operation of the Anambra State Commissioner of Police Monitoring Unit and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, of the command.

Following reports by individuals that they had been robbed or their vehicles snatched on the highway by policemen who were wrongly assumed by innocent members of the public to be on official duty at checkpoints, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP, Mr. Hosea Karma, said

the Commander of Anambra SARS, Supol James Nwafor and his men had been keeping close tabs on the two alleged police culprits.

According to reports, Corporal Peter and his accomplices, one Ekene Uche Ohanusi and Benjamin Obinwanne, were caught during one of their operations.

The CP, speaking with newsmen in Onitsha, recounted some of the past escapades of the gang.

26-year-old banker in court for forging WASCE, university results

Makurdi court remands four persons for rape, alleged conspiracy

By Seun Opejobi

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26-year-old banker, Daniel Makanjuola, has been arraigned before a Tinubu Magistrate’s Court sitting in Lagos for using a fake West African Senior School Certificate and Lagos State University’s statement of result to secure a job at Wema Bank Plc, Marina branch.

Prior to Makanjuola’s arrest, he claimed to be a degree holder in marketing with a Second Class Upper Division.

According to the police, Makanjuola tendered a forged National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate and a reference letter to the bank, adding that he got the letter from the United Bank for Africa where he formerly worked.

Makunjoula, a native of Ijero Local Government Area in Ekiti State, was said to have been employed by the bank in 2013, but was sacked in July 2015 following the discovery that his documents were fake.

The fraudulent act was discovered after the management sent a letter to UBA to verify the genuineness of the reference letter in which they denied knowledge of the suspect and the letter.

Following this discovery, Wema was said to have written to West African Examinations Council and LASU, which also denied the results.

Equipped with this knowledge Makanjoula was arrested after the matter was reported at the Lion Building Police Station in the state.

Reacting to the incident, Wema Spokesperson, Emela Esohe, noted that the suspect confessed to the fraud before a disciplinary committee.

Makanjoula who owned up to the crime during interrogation by the police said he committed the act because he wanted to alleviate the poverty in his family, adding that it was one Vincent who helped him to get the reference

He said, “The gang has been involved in several cases of armed robbery operations and snatching of cars along Onitsha-Owerri Expressway and robbing several commercial vehicles both during the day and at night.

“Also, we also got intelligence information that some policemen had been robbing people along the highway. So we set up a monitoring team that worked with the Commander of SARS and his men.

That was how we arrested the suspect, Corporal Peter and his

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Makurdi Magistrates’ Court on Monday remanded four suspects, Tersoo Tume, Aondona Ibiam, Aondonyerga Tyav and Terungwa Iorkyaan, in connection with the rape of an unnamed married woman.

According to reports, they were charged by the police for criminal conspiracy, administering obnoxious substance and having carnal knowledge without consent.

The Prosecutor, Insp Imo Edward told the court that the case was reported at Ukum Divisional Police Station on September 21, by one Dr. Daniel Iorkaa of Yam Market area

gang members during their operation,” Karma added.

Speaking further, he said Ogbianu was dismissed from the Delta State Police Command, following his transfer to Adamawa State Police Command in 2013.

“Ogbianu launched into a new career of impersonating genuine police officers and engaging in illegal duties at Onitsha and collecting money from motorists and commercial motorcyclists. It was in the course of this that officers of the Monitoring Unit arrested him at No. 1 Anglican Lane, Nkpor-Agu, Upper Iweka, Onitsha, while fully dressed in police uniform,” the CP said.

Corporal Peter, confessing before newsmen while being paraded, said, “I was recruited into the Nigeria Police Force at Oji-Rivers Police College, Enugu State, in 1999 and posted to Imo State Police Command, where I was serving at the Oguta Division of the state command.

in Zaki-Biam.

The complainant had reported that he discovered his younger brother’s wife, who lived in the same address, behaving in an abnormal manner.

“When Iorkaa inquired from her what was wrong, she alleged that Ibiam and Iorkyaan took her to a herbalist, Tersoo Tume, who administered some substance on her.

“After the substance was administered, the woman was rendered helpless and Ibiam had carnal knowledge of her without her consent,” Edward said.

The prosecutor said investi-

gation into the matter was still ongoing and asked the court for another date for mention.

He said the offences contravened Sections 97, 250 and 284 of the Penal Code, Laws of Benue State (Revised Edition), 2004.

Meanwhile, the plea of the accused persons was not taken.

The Magistrate, Mrs Theresa Wergba, however, ordered them to be remanded at the Federal Prisons, Makurdi.

Wergba adjourned the case to November 18 for further mention.

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Police nab 71-year-old man for raping primary six pupil in Ogun

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he Ogun State Police Command has apprehended a 71-year-old physically-challenged man, Richard Odiwe, for allegedly raping a primary six pupil.

It was learnt that the victim who resides with her grandmother in Ago-Alagbede in the Agbado area of the State, fled home last Tuesday in order to escape been punished by her uncle for unruly behaviour. Odiwe was alleged to have taken the 12-year-old in at his resident at Atila, a neighbouring community, where he raped her.

Odigwe who had been staying with his younger brother, who is a tenant to the victims grandmother was sent packing in 2013 following a discovery that he was allegedly assaulting female children in the community sexually.

PUNCH reports that the 12-year-old while disclosing what happened said the septuganrian had been having sleeping with her since 2013, adding that he gives her money any time he defiles her while warning her not to disclose the did to anybody. She noted that he had sex with her twice during the two days she spent with him.

She said, “He has been having sex with me for a long time. My friends and I would go to beg him for money. He would give us N50 or N200 at times; have sex with us and warn us not to tell anybody.

“My sister told me that my uncle wanted to beat me. Out of fear, I fled home and headed for Baba’s (Odiwe’s) house. I met his daughter in the living room, mopping the floor. I went into the inner room. While the daughter was still busy with domestic chores, he had sex with me.

“When I was asleep on Tuesday night, he touched me. I woke up and told him that I was not interested, but he forced me and had sex with me again. I went out on Wednesday, and was returning to his house in the evening when my sister saw me and took me home.”

Boko Haram: Residents reveal how Molai bomber killed self

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merging facts have revealed after the bomb blasts attack in Molai area of Maiduguri, that, one of the residents, Bukar Alhaji, who was recently killed in an explosion at his house was actually the man behind the mosque attack ,as well as the attack on rescuer of bomb explosion last week.

Residents of Molai, who prayed anonymous said most of the people living around his house know the fellow to be member of the deadly Boko Haram sect and one of the experts in bomb making.

According to them, the man was killed by his own hands while attempting to make the 4th explosion that rocked his home, killing himself and his entire household.

According to residents, he was a quiet but deadly terrorist, and people around him kept sealed lips as they were afraid of ultimate victimization. A resident said, ‘’ even though we were aware he was such a bad person, we couldn’t have done anything as you don’t trust anyone.

Who would you have reported to since everybody seems to be suspecting everybody.

Sometimes, you don’t trust the security men either.”

Another resident, who did not want his identity disclosed told Our Correspondent that Bukar was arrested and released by security men twice on suspicion of attacks on Molai General Hospital.

“You see, it is not easy to speak when you know that

your life is not safe when you speak. I am telling you this now because the man is dead and I know you will not reveal my identity. The people around here are dangerous.

They all know about this, but nobody spoke about it until now. “ I did not blame them though because some of us believe that, the security operatives are aware of a lot of things going on around here.

So, they are the ones that are supposed to act. They have their intelligence and they know everybody around here.

It is now clear that the maker of bombs is the same person they arrested sometimes ago and later set free. Ours is to continue to pray and God will surely save us.” he said.

Meanwhile, a text message forwarded to the Acting, Army Director of Information and Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman on whether the Army was aware of this development could not get a direct response as the Army Spokesman requested for a more specific question. When our correspondent asked whether the army believe that the man was a Boko Haram Bomb maker, he said, ‘’ lt’s not matter of belief but matter of facts.’’

But when our correspondent asked whether he was aware Bukar was set free by security agencies after initial arrest, he said he speaks for the Nigerian Army and not the entire security agencies.

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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

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Kogi 2015: PDP, APC enmeshed in hard financial difficulties

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he November 21 governorship election in Kogi state would solely be the electorates’ affairs contrary to what was obtainable in the previous elections, as major contestants are likely to be starved of funds to prosecute the election.

DAILY POST investigation reveals that the All Progressives Congress (APC) camp is facing serious cash crunch as donors to the campaign purse are reluctant over the credibility of the their flag bearer, Prince Abubakar Audu whose allegation of corruption is still pending at the High Court.

Their decision to keep their monies away has equally been linked to the internal wrangling that trailed the party’s primary.

Relatively, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is also enmeshed in financial crisis despite its incumbency status.

The government, apart from

being unable to pay workers’ salaries, has failed to access its N50b bailout fund granted by the federal government. The non-release of the bailout fund is reportedly a deliberate act by the APC government just to ensure that the government does not divert the fund for the coming election.

It was gathered that while critical stake holders in PDP are ready to contribute to the campaign fund, the state government is still desperate to ensure the release of the bailout loan which sources close to the party said will equally enhance the chances of PDP for the November election, as workers’ salaries would have been paid before the election.

The ruling party has consequently blamed the opposition for the delay of the approved fund to settle workers’ salaries.

According to the party, some prominent APC members

have gone to Abuja to block the release of the fund on the account of probable mismanagement of the money for the November election.

Though there is yet to be an official reaction from the APC on the allegation, DAILY POST gathered that the party would be more comfortable if the money is delayed before the election. A source in the APC told DAILY POST that, ‘’the opposition suspects that the money will be used to campaign for the PDP, as the main beneficiaries like civil servants who have been denied salaries for several months would after getting their salaries think it’s out of the benevolence of the State government.’’

DAILY POST recalls that the state governor, Captain Idris Wada has alleged that some prominent indigenes of the state are behind the suffering of the workers as the bailout meant for the settlement of

Wada

Audu

their owed salaries and allowances are being sabotaged by those clamouring to govern them.

Wada explained that the loan if released would definitely be disbursed to teachers and local government workers who have been patiently receiving various percentages of salaries.

He described those trying to truncate the goodwill of the

federal government as saboteurs and unpatriotic who do not wish the people well.

For now, the state government is still battling to access the over N50bn at the Central bank while financial activities of the government continue to suffer.

Boko Haram fighting their last battle - Army Spokesperson

By Idris Ahmed.

T

he acting Army Information Officer (IO), Colonel Sani Usman has said that the recent terrorists attacks in some parts of Maiduguri were signs that the insurgents were desperately fighting their last battle. The IO in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST’s Editor, Adoyi Ali assures Nigerians that with the motivation and support the military enjoys at the moment, the December deadline of putting insurgency behind the country is realizable.

Maiduguri was attacked five consecutive times in 24 hours? What is really happening? We need to really be in the know.

We have been talking to the press and we are saying there is no cause for alarm. If you noticed, the police commissioner has been talking to the press.

The whole idea is to carry the people along. If for whatever reasons, one of the security agencies will at least talk so we can avoid contradicting ourselves. The whole idea is so we don’t create a lacuna or information that is not reliable.

With the renewed attacks, do you think the insurgents are being suppressed?

Well, if you are talking to me officially I will rather tell you that it is sign of

desperation and end times.

Agreed, we are losing human lives and properties and nobody is happy about that, but I can tell you that having lost the capacity to launch major attacks in towns and communities like they were doing before, they are now depressed and are fighting to survive. I can also assure you that a lot is being done by the security agents, including the people of the town, and civilians JTF. So definitely, it will not go beyond this, I can assure you.

So one can now say that the December deadline is certain?

We are working towards that. We hope and pray to accomplish the task before then.

What is the situation in Maiduguri now?

Right now, I am out of Maiduguri but we have sources and officers that we have been in constant touch with 247, so if there are other developments, they will definitely let us know. But I can assure you that from my last check, Maiduguri is cool and calm because the recent bomb blasts were not inside Maiduguri city, they were at the outskirts. These people look out for vulnerable and soft targets to attack.

We keep telling people to do more in terms of being security conscious and vigilant. You heard the story

Col. Usman

of the girl who was scavenging around before the bomb detonated. So people should be security conscious and be active. Everything brings challenges and with these challenges, there are renewed awareness and efforts to curtail the efforts of the Boko Haram terrorists.

Initially if you recall, you hear cases of bomb blasts like three or four in differ-

ent places left, right, centre, but now, it is being restricted to a particular area and we are working hard to curb that.

Would you say the improvement on that level is because the Military has been motivated in any way by this current administration?

Naturally, the Military is highly motivated in terms

of welfare, equipment as well as provisions of arms and ammunition. Everyday we get that. I can rest assure you that they are in high fighting spirit that they are even anxious to be given tasks so that they can meet their targets and that must have informed also the level of progress we have recorded so far, especially within the last few months.

So what about the Chibok girls? Are there special squads deployed for their rescue?

Let me tell you, the issue of the Chibok school girls that were abducted sometimes back, say a year and some months, is a serious concern not only to the Nigerian people but to every right thinking human being on this earth. So we are conscious of our responsibilities to their parents and to Nigerians and of course to the International community on the rescue and safe return of these girls, and by the grace of God, we have that at the back of our minds; we are going to do so but it is not just about Chibok girls, there are quite a number of other people that are held captive by these terrorists. It is our hope and prayer that we can rescue them from the clutches of these terrorists and re-unite them with their families.

We owe this responsibility to everybody and we are conscious of that fact.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

interview

dailypost.ng

17

I don’t see President Buhari being slow in governance - Gbonigi

By Abiodun Badejo

A retired Bishop of Anglican Communion, Bolanle Gbonigi in this interview with DAILY POST’s Abiodun Badejo, bares his mind on the state of the nation and also speaks on the need for President Muham-

H

ow would you analyze the state of the nation?

Talking about the state of our nation-Nigeria is a very big question. Briefly, I will say that we have a lot to thank God for, because there had been a lot that we had done which we ought not to have done and a lot which we have left undone, for which, if God were to judge us, He would have destroyed us.

According to the Bible in Genesis, the world was so bad sometimes ago; that is Genesis Chapter 6, and God regretted that he ever created human beings. And so, He wiped out his creations as at that time, and spared only eight souls.

We have done so bad.

Again in the Bible, we have the incident of two cities- Sodom and Gomorrah; they were so sinful that God decided to wipe them out. The messenger He sent to do it, to go and see whether Sodom and Gomorrah was as bad as He noticed stayed with Abraham and his wife, Sarah.

Abraham was given the opportunity to plead and he started from 50; and he said God, you are a righteous God and as a righteous God, you will not destroy the righteous with the wicked. He asked if God would still destroy the city if he found 50 righteous people in the two cities, and God said no.

And God allowed him and pleaded again that supposing we can only find ten, and God said if I can only find ten, I will spare them.

We thank God that definitely and undoubtedly; there are more than ten righteous people in Nigeria today. But when some of us Christians look at it, we feel that there’s no even one of us that can be called righteous. So we thank God that He has not been looking at us as if we are alone, but looking us as if we have Jesus and having mercy on us. God has many attributes and He is God of love, that’s number one attribute and He’s God of mercy, God of righteousness, God of Justice and God of Peace.

He has been so loving and merciful to us in this country and gracious and compassionate in so many ways. He relates with us and that’s why we are still a country today.

You remember that some people predicted that by 2015, Nigeria will no longer exist as a political entity. The Americans made the prediction and when I heard it, I chuckled and said yes, we are very bad, but we are God’s creation, and because He created us in His image and likeness, therefore He loves us but hates our sins.

So because of what Christ has done for our sake, He will have mercy but He will discipline us.

God requires obedience from all the people in the world, and when

madu Buhari to consider youths in his administration. He says under President Buhari, the country is on a steady move to transformation and change as he believes the government is fast and proactive enough to tackle the nation’s problems. Experts:

we are obedient to him, He allows us to repent and just as it happens in Nineveh when God sent Jonah and they repented and He forgave them, so Nigeria is still Nigeria, especially politically, we are still a political entity and we are still together as we were amalgamated in 1914 by the foreign powers and we thank God for this.

Look at the election we had this year, many Nigerians thought that we won’t be able to have the election with the way politicians were behaving and talking, but those of us who are related to God in Christ, praying and fasting, were confident that God in His mercies should allow us to hold the election and we held it successfully, especially the presidential election. We prayed that He should give us the President of His own choice to lead us in a new way.

So, we kept praying and fasting and holding night vigils in our homes and Muslims were not left out, doing the same thing and God allowed us to hold the election and we held it successfully and something happened, the political party that has led us for sixteen years lost to a new political party. The candidate of that political party accepted defeat and conceded to his opponent and called him and congratulated him and said even though they have not announced the result of the election officially, I can see that you have won.

That was wonderful. We really don’t know what God did for us.

For former President, Goodluck Jonathan to have accepted defeat, he did a wonderful thing and God will continue to bless him for that action because that his singular action saved us from a lot of trouble and only God knows what would have happened if he decided not to accept the result of that election. Some people who were ready and set to be instrument in the hands of Satan to destroy this country would have gone out and begin to kill and maim and destroy properties.

What Dr. Goodluck Jonathan did saved us from that of kind of situation predicted before the election, and for us still being together as an entity today, God is wonderful and awesome.

But some politicians have said that what the former President did was not unusual, that he should not be seen as someone who has done something unusual for the country, what is your take?

How many politicians have done that in our political history?

I would have loved the people to tell me. I want them to mention their names. Since we became a nation and had election, from 1960, the year we became independent to date, no politician ever accepted defeat. I want them to

tell me who has done that before Jonathan. In other countries, it’s not unusual as that’s what they do, before Jonathan did it in Nigeria. Maybe, it happened in one or two local government elections, but in a presidential election, no one as far as I can remember has ever done such.

We thank God for that and we thank God for the man who was declared the winner, President Muhammadu Buhari. He as far as I can see has started very well. He is leading us very well especially because he is leading with courage. He is also leading by example.

Leadership by example is very important. For instance, in the bible, St. Paul in writing his letters to the church at Corinthians said follow me as I follow Christ. He was confident that he was following Christ and therefore he was able to tell the followers, that he was walking after God and doing the will of God. So the President is doing what is right and that is a great lesson for Nigerians.

You will recall that the President decided that the salary and allowances for the office of the

“We kept

praying and fasting and holding night vigils in our homes and Muslims were not left out, doing the same thing and God allowed us to hold the election and we held it successfully and something happened, the political party that has led us for sixteen years lost to a new political party”

Gbonigi President was too much especially in this period of financial crunch in the country and slashed his salary to half, and we thank God that his Vice, Prof. Yemi Osibajo followed the example of the President. Leading by example is very important, so whatever he says or does now, people will say the man is not just talking. We have seen in him what I would call active concern.

You may have concern for someone who is suffering but doing nothing practical to help him out of the situation. He has shown total concern to the welfare of Nigeria as a country and Nigerians.

He has demonstrated it practically by visiting neighboring countries, Niger, Chad Cameroon and others to ask for their cooperation in putting an end to insurgency in the country and in those countries.

He went to them and appealed to them to work together in order to put an end to violence, killing and destruction of lives and property.

The Presidents of these nations listened to him because he’s leading by examples and not expressing concerns verbally but practically. He is being concerned that many people have been killed in the country and would like to put an end to it and the President wants us to live in peace.

We thank God for the state of the nation as it is now.

But despite all you have said that the president has done, there is still criticism that his government is too slow.

Slow and steady wins the race.

He is steady and talking about slowness, I don’t see President Buhari as being slow. He is only taking care and watching his steps and not rushing. If he had rushed to take actions and made mistakes, then we will be criticizing him that he has just started and not even try to settle down and study the situation before he begins to act.

People will wonder why he’s such in a hurry and they will condemn and criticize him. Let’s appreciate him for not being in hurry and not making mistakes and adding to our problems. He consults with people; I’ve just given you the example of how he consulted with leaders of some neighboring countries on how to put an end to terrorism in order to save Nigeria. He consulted and didn’t just rush out. It was after he had consulted that he came back and called the security leaders and gave them the assignment to go and stop these Boko Haram

people.

Your assessment of President Buhari so far?

He has tried. I heard over the radio some months ago, that some people said the President never at any time promise to do some things within the first 100 days of his office. If that is true, then It is wrong to accuse him of not performing to expectation within his first 100 days in the office. I’ve mentioned how he went to neighboring countries and America and some European countries too, seeking their understanding on how to help the country. He also met with Nigerians in the Diaspora, talked with them within these 100 days in office. He has also made some number of appointments, he has been working and meeting with people and consulting, asking for help in order to be able to do things and do these things well and rightly. He is not rushing to make mistakes and add to our problems. I think he has done well.

Considering the challenges confronting the nation, if you have the opportunity of meeting the President, what advice would you offer him on things he should give priority to?

I would thank the President for what he has done so far. I would say I feel he is trying but he should take a look into the plight of young people seriously. I have been saying this over the years.

We have millions of able bodied, educated, learned, graduates of university, Polytechnic and colleges of education, millions of young men and women who have two or three degrees and masters. I know somebody with three masters degrees because there’s no work.

A country that has that kind of millions of young able bodied men and women and producing them every year, I call it a formidable army. It is a formidable army which the government should pay serious attention to and take care of quickly because if it bursts, it will be very bad. They have reasons to be angry because these young people, millions of them, with all their qualifications, - academic and professional qualifications with no work to even earn a kobo, and are hearing and reading that we have Nigerians, politicians, members of House of Representatives and the Senate taking home more than N20 million every month. We are hearing it, reading it and they have not denied it.

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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

dailypost.ng

Bayelsa 2015: How Alamieseiyegha factor may swerve votes for Dickson

By Valentine Franco

A

s the December 5 governorship election in Bayelsa State gathers momentum, indications are rife that Governor Seriake Dickson and his ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) may be banking to usurp the opposition, APC with sympathy votes following the recent passing away of Chief Diepreye Alamieseiyega.

DAILY POST investigations revealed that Alamieseiyegha, who is regarded as the father of modern Bayelsa and ‘Governor General’ of Ijaw nation, even in death, commanded great followership, respect and loyalty among the political class and ordinary people of the state.

Alamieseiyegha, was the first executive governor of Bayelsa under the PDP upon the inception of democratic governance in 1999 and it is on record that he championed the empowerment of many ordinary Bayelsans.

Alamco, as he is fondly called by his kinsmen and followers, especially the teeming youths, is reverend by the people of the state for his benevolence and staunch advocacy for ‘stomach infrastructure.

The late former governor provided the platform upon which many Ijaw sons and daughters in Bayelsa rose from obscurity to political prominence, after Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who he handpicked to be his deputy in 1999, rose from deputy governor to become governor, Vice-President and eventually, President of Nigeria.

Many observers in the politics of Bayelsa are of the opinion that it was Alamieseiyegha’s political empire that made the PDP a strong and dominant political party in the state, where many of his political loyalists have held sway in the politics of the state and nation over the years.

Before his sudden death on Saturday, October 10, 2015, the late former governor had championed the cause for the resurgence of the PDP in the state, after the disastrous defeat of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in the last April general elections and the subsequent exodus of many members to the opposition.

As more defections hit the PDP in the state, Governor Dickson quickly sought the intervention of Alameiseiyegha, who commanded absolute loyalty among the political class in the state to help stabilize and reunite the PDP family ahead of the Dec. 5 elections in state.

So, like a father that he was, Alamieseiyegha responded with several high-powered meetings both in and outside the state, where he met with many leaders of the party in the state and urged them to join forces and work for the PDP. A reliable source within the party who pleaded anonymity told DAILY POST that over the past three months, Alamieseiyegha labored vigorously, moving from place to place, and meeting personalities in a bid to ‘save the last dance’ for the PDP in the state.

The source, who is a PDP chieftain and a former commissioner in the State, further revealed that Governor Dickson had sought the intervention of Alamiesieyegha, in

Dickson

the wake of the massive defection that hit the party after the last April general elections.

“Dickson met with Alamco as a great leader who commands massive followership across the state, and whom Dickson holds in high esteem, to play active part in his quest for a second term in office.

“Alamieseiyegha labored, moving from place to place, holding various meetings with different interest groups within the party in the state, many of whom had left the party before now.

“He worked tirelessly for Dickson, chairing many meetings and rendering useful advices to Dickson’s Restoration Campaign Organization, all in an effort to ensure victory for the ruling PDP in the coming December 5 elections,” the source said.

So, it was a confirmation of speculations, when Governor Dickson described the death of Alamieseiyegha, as a trying time for the government and people of Bayelsa, saying the late former governor was a pillar of support for his government.

“The burden he (Alamieseiyegha) has left behind is heavy, but we can see the unity of purpose by the family and the people of the state.

“We have lost the greatest, biggest supporter and leader of our state. Only God can comfort us. Alamieseiyegha spoke up when necessary and stood up for the Ijaw course,” Dickson was quoted as saying in a Government House statement.

Consequently, in the wake of the death of Alamieseiyegha, Governor Dickson became the chief mourner, receiving solidarity visits from a cross section of important personalities cutting across the traditional institutions and politicians alike.

Only last weekend, Governor Dickson received a delegation of

the leadership of the state council of traditional rulers, led by its chairman, HRH King Alfred Diete-Spiff, the Amayanabo of Twon Brass, who said they came to mourn with the state government over the demise of Alamieseiyegha.

Also over the weekend, the governor also received members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, led by its Speaker, Hon. Benson Kanbowei, who came in their numbers to condole and show solidarity with the Dickson administration over Alamieseiyegha.

Dickson, while commending the traditional rulers and lawmakers for identifying with him in a moment of grief, revealed that Alamieyeseigha was “my confidante and a major pillar of support, who stood by me till the very end.”

Accordingly, he described the passing of the former governor as a personal loss and prayed that the vacuum created by his demise would be filled.

Many people who spoke with DAILY POST in the state, say Governor Dickson has become the chief mourner over the death of the former governor, ascribing politics to the visits of the various groups and personalities to Government House in the name of condolence and solidarity.

Also in his assessment, A PDP youth leader in Nembe local government of the state, Mr. Priye Lawson expressed the general feelings within the party that the death of Alamieseiyegha can be a rallying factor in tapping public solidarity for the PDP in the December 5 governorship elections.

He said: “However, we want to look at it, Alamco remains a unifying and stabilizing factor for the ruling party over the years, because our people listen when he talks.

“Bayelsans love him and still hold him high above every other

politician in the state because they were all empowered by Alamieseiyegha.

Lawson said that the late former governor has remained a building block for the political growth and development of Bayelsa, irrespective of the tribulations and persecutions that overclouded his short political life.

He said the sacrifices that Alameiseiyegha made before his death to ensure Bayelsa remains a PDP state would not be in vain, adding that the people of the state would not betray the helpless sacrifices of the late former governor.

“Whether in life or death, Alamieseiyegha remains a leader of the Ijaw struggle for political emancipation. He believed in the unity and progress of our people, and also believed in the political aspirations of his party, the PDP. “So, to say that our people will not disappoint him by voting for the PDP come December 5, amounts to an understatement, because we still share his vision for a better Bayelsa under the PDP government that gave our son, Goodluck Jonathan a ticket to the presidency.

But, a chieftain of the APC in the state, Chief Livinus Opuakpa was quick to dismiss the general speculations that the death of Alamieseiyegha can attract sympathy votes for the PDP in the coming elections in the state.

He posited that the people of Bayelsa would not be deceived by what he described as political blackmails and deceits, arguing that the APC has done massive homework in its determination to usurp the PDP administration in the state.

“He worked tirelessly for Dickson, chairing many meetings and rendering useful advices to Dickson’s Restoration Campaign Organization, all in an effort to ensure victory for the ruling PDP in the coming December 5 elections”

“I don’t see Governor Dickson and the PDP getting a sympathy vote, no matter the lies they tell the Bayelsa public, the APC is waxing stronger, and our people have come to embrace the change that is sweeping across the nation.

“Also, let me put it straight here that the circumstances surrounding the death of Alamco is quite clear to everyone in the state and beyond, it is just unfortunate that the PDP is rallying on that to score cheap political gains.

Opuakpa, a former South-South Vice-Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP) has remained a strong opposition voice in the politics of Bayelsa over the past six years, where he played active roles.

He insisted that the APC has become a major political force in the state, claiming that the rank of the party is swelling on daily basis with many defectors, who have left the PDP to join the APC change movement.

Opuakpa said that the party was gaining grounds every day in the state, adding that, “as a result of our growing popularity, the PDP has become afraid, that is why they are looking for sympathy votes.”

On their part, foremost Ijaw youth group, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) was quick to distanced itself from the bickering for political power by both the ruling PDP and the opposition, APC in the state.

Comrade Eric Omare, the IYC spokesman told DAILY POST that the youth body would not join issues in the politics of the state, but rather would remain focus and committed to the struggle for a better living condition for the people of the state.

“The question of whether the death of Alameiseiyegha will throw up sympathy vote in the coming elections in Bayelsa is a very delicate one, because the IYC does not join issues with political interest.

“When it comes to issue of support for politicians, especially when two Ijaw sons are contesting for a position, the IYC is very apolitical because we don’t want to be seen as playing politics against the interest of our people.

Omare stated that the basic interest of the IYC in politics is for the general wellbeing and progress of the Ijaw ethnic nationality, saying that on the December 5 elections in the state, the youth body’s only concern is that the election should be credible, free and fair.

He appealed to the federal government to ensure that the people of Bayelsa are free to exercise their franchise, by being allowed to choose a candidate of their choice, a governor who would meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people.

“As for the death of Alameiseiyegha, the IYC is still mourning, because his death is an irreparable loss to the Ijaw nation at large.

“We are shocked at Alameiseiyegha’s sudden death. He was our father and a pillar of great hope for the emancipation of the Ijaw nation,” Omare said.

The IYC spokesperson, said that Ijaw youths would continue to mourn Alamieseiyegha’s demise, saying that the late former governor was a visionary leader of Ijaw people who loved his people and stood by them.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

19

dailypost.ng

I wasn’t arrested

by EFCC, I only honoured an invitation - Akpabio

Akpabio

By Sylvester Ugwuanyi

S

enate Minority Leader and the immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio, has explained that he was only invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Com-

mission, EFCC, over an alleged siphoning of N108.1 billion from the state’s treasury, stressing that he was not arrested by the anti-graft agency.

Akpabio, who made this clarification at a news conference on Tuesday, disclosed that

“I was invited by the EFCC but that was a long time ago, just before my accident and I said okay that when I am fit that I will go to see them to respond to the allegation that they said a young lawyer wrote petition against me.

“So, when I was chanced on Friday, I went there on my own to listen to them, go through the petitions and make my response.

“And thereafter I was allowed to go and I was admitted on bail, I think that is in line with their procedure, so it wasn’t a function of an arrest.

“It was a voluntary decision on my part as a law abiding citizen to go there. That is why when I heard that some youths were very disturbed in various parts of the Niger Delta.

“It wasn’t a problem. I feel as a law abiding citizen people

write petitions against you. As a lawyer we believe in let the other side be heard,” he stated.

Akpabio, who disclosed that the figure earlier reported in the media was more than the actual figure contained in the petition filed against him, said, “The problem we have is the way sometimes things are publicised, allegation is not guilt and then of course the blotted figures that we see.

“If somebody has a petition against you for 20 billion, they will write 200 billion or 10 billion, they will then write 1trillion; and by the time it comes out, it goes all over the world that so, so person is standing trial.

“In fact, it almost like judgment, the way the press reports it. Outside that I think it is a civic responsibility.

“And the right thing for me to do as a senator that if a petition is written against me I should go and give my response to it so that they will have an informed judgment but that does not mean that is admission of guilt no.

“I just want to urge all my people in Akwa Ibom State who probably were disturbed to know that such monies were not missing from the coffers of the state; that is the simple truth.

“And if we had such additional sums as he (the petitioner) mentioned it , we would have done more for the state.’’

While observing that the petitions against him were politically motivated by some disgruntled persons in the state, Akpabio however expressed optimism that he would be vindicated after the investigation.

20

feature

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

dailypost.ng

Ekweremadu’s community where green snakes are kings, queens

By David Ujah Abakpa.

W

hen extant cultures and traditions are gradually being eroded, some communities are still stuck to their old ways and are constantly in conflict with modern worldviews and cosmology, especially Christianity. This is particularly the case of Mpu in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State.

DAILY POST reporter, David Ujah Abakpa, who visited the community, observed that the status of green snakes is equivalent to their traditional gods, and just like other ancestral worships in African religion, green snakes are sacred.

The Aninri people believe that their ancestral fathers were protected by the green snake during the civil war. The rules therefore are that no one kills the snake under any circumstance.

Residents must welcome green snakes any time they crawl to their homes, and whoever kills any of them must give it a befitting burial or faces grave consequences.

This development, according to most visitors in Aninri who spoke with DAILY POST has become a major challenge to the development of the area as it’s difficult for most visitors to cope under some rules tied to some species of snake.

Mpu is the country home of the Nigeria Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu. The entire people of Mpu and/or Aninri LGA in general, hold the green snake (Aka) at high esteem. Most times, they see those snakes as their fore-fathers.

Narrating her experience in the community, a youth corps member who pleaded not to be mentioned in print told our reporter that she was shocked when the rules were reeled out to her while she was still at the orientation camp in Awgu. She said she was also privy to an incident that happened during a Sunday Mass celebration at St. Joseph Catholic Church, where the parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Orjiene, killed one of the green snakes popularly called ‘Aka’ in the local language. The Reverend Father purportedly saw the snake crawling on the altar while Mass was being celebrated and he waved the tradition aside, killed the snake and put it in a bottle.

According to the corps member whose Place of Primary Assignment (PPA) was the Modern Secondary School (MSS) Mpu, built by Senator Ike Ekweremadu in fulfillment of his electioneering campaign to his people, immediately the Rev. Father, who was not from the community sighted the green snake on the altar, he was terrified, but later summoned courage and

smashed the head of the snake with his shoes. She added that, ‘’Fr. Ojiene did not just kill the snake and continue with the Mass but went further to put the snake in a bottle to be taken to the Bishop of the Diocese (Awgu).’’

She said, “We were in the church on that faithful morning and while taking the Gospel reading, the Rev. Father screamed. We saw him struggling with “Aka”. He killed it and put it in a bottle and later continued with the Mass. In his preaching, he condemned the culture and tradition that still upholds the worship of green snakes in this age. Adding that snake was a cursed creature and as such, God placed enemity between it and man.”

“Immediately Fr. Joseph killed the snake, the Igwe and other elders of the community in the church stood up, called out their family members, including the Principal of the Community Secondary School, (CSS), Mr. JT. Chukwuonu and they all left the Church. They never came back to that church again till I finished my service,” the corps member said.

“As if that was not enough, the youth and the women of the community upon hearing the news that the Rev. Father had killed their ‘fore-father’ on the altar, stormed the church while Mass was still ongoing and vandalized the church in protest, while also demanding for the proper burial of the snake as it was the tradition.”

“Later in the evening of that day, the community summoned the Priest to the Igwe’s palace and gave him list of items to buy. They also prescribed cash amount to be paid to appease the gods of the land. The Rev. Father who stood his ground, refused to observe any burial for the snake which he described as accursed creature by God.” The corps member narrated that, “a petition was sent to the Bishop of Awgu Diocese demanding for the priest’s compliance and immediate transfer; else he will face the consequences. The Bishop however supported the Priest and a panel was set up to look into the case and it was ongoing before our final POP,” She narrated.

The corps member disclosed further that earlier at the NYSC Orientation camp, Awgu, the first orientation they had was on the green snake. ‘’We were asked never to kill it. We were told that they were harmless and that we could see them around our rooms and everywhere, but that we should not panic as they would not hurt us and indeed that was how the snakes were, and they were equally everywhere. Each time we saw them in our rooms, we would call any of the commu-

“They also

prescribed cash amount to be paid to appease the gods of the land. The Rev. Father who stood his ground, refused to observe any burial for the snake which he described as accursed creature by God” nity members to send them out for us. Sometimes, they sprinkled water on them and sometimes they picked them with their bare hands. We were also told that even if one secretly kills “Aka”, he or she must confess his or her action; otherwise one would be troubled by the spirit. ‘’ She recalled a story of a police officer who served at Ndeabor Police Station. She said the officer accidentally killed one of the snakes but did not confess but worked out his transfer from the area in fear.

Yet few months later, he came back to Ndeabor and confessed to the act and carried out its burial before he got his peace

back. She said ‘’ In short, there were series of stories about even passing vehicles that accidentally killed Aka and it was either they paid money above a hundred thousand naira for its burial or they were burnt alive in their cars. I thank God for my successful year in this place. It was a wonderful experience,” she said.

A resident of the Community who simply identified himself as Okoro also told our reporter that the people hold the tradition at high esteem. He said it’s better to kill other domestic animals than killing those snakes that strangers may see to be harmful. He also narrated how a Pastor of one of new generation churches in Mpu who also did not support the worship of the green snake killed one of them in his living room and threw it out. He disclosed that when the community got the information, they approached the said Pastor, demanding for a befitting burial but he declined. He narrated that the community consequently set the church ablaze, including the Pastor’s house and car, while the Pastor narrowly escaped being burnt alive.

A youth leader in the community who does not want his name in print also told this reporter that those condemning the tradition were blind and had refused to see that every community has its own deity tied to its existence. He said even in another world, he will pay homage to those snakes. He said his success as a trader and farmer depended solely on his respect for those snakes. He said, ‘’ because I have favoured them, I have equally found favour in them. This is really not about being a Christian or a Muslim.

Whoever you are, so long as you live in this community, you need to respect our tradition. Just like we won’t stop you from going to church, so you shouldn’t also come and debase our tradition. For heaven sake, these snakes are not harmful. We did not say don’t kill snakes, we are saying killing of green snakes is forbidden. It’s now left for you to respect this tradition, otherwise, you will have yourself to blame,’’ he said.

Responding to whether the tradition was inimical to the development of the place, he said ‘’ Even in the Western world, we have such rules. The only difference is that those rules are not tied to any particular tradition. We have rules in most of the advanced countries where certain Animals are reserved and not meant to be killed. It’s similar to what we are doing.

What will the snake do to you if you allow it to pass? These are harmless creatures, ‘’ he argued.

DAILY POST investigation further reveals that another strong point of the people’s tradition is the bond they share with the Akineze people of Ebonyi State.

Our reporter was told by a community elder that it is a bond of love that was established centuries ago and has been passed on from generation to generation. The tradition of the people forbids that an Mpu person sees an Akineze person suffering any form of injustice both home and abroad without intervention.

They are prepared to die for each other. They forbid seeing each other’s blood. According to the elder, an Akineze student/ teacher is forbidden from punishing erring student from Mpu and vice versa, even in formal schools.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

21

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22 lifestyle

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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Dress sense: Men’s body build and clothes to complement

By Danielle Ogbeche

M

en come in all shapes and sizes and for every man, there are fabrics and styles that best compliment his body type.

The Short Man The challenges of the short man are in many ways the opposite of those the tall man face. Whereas, a tall man wants eye catching details, the short man should seek to streamline his outfit as to allow an observer a smooth path from the shoes to the face. A short man in a suit wants to

look professional, not like a kid wearing his older brother’s clothes.

One major problem associateed with the short man is that his head often appears a bit larger than it should in proportion to his body; to compensate, he should not only build out his jacket’s shoulders but also ensure his hair-style does not exaggerate the size of his head.

Simply review the chart below to select the perfect size for you SHORT MAN! • Extra-Small: Chest up to 34”, Neck up to 14”, Waist up to 30” • Small: Chest 34-36”, Neck 14- 14.5”, Waist 30”32” • Medium: Chest 36-38”, Neck 15-15.5”, Waist 32”34” • Large: Chest 38-40”, Neck 16-16.5” , Waist 36”38” • X-Large: Chest 41-46”, Neck 17-17.5” , Waist 40”42” • XXL: Chest 47-50”, Neck 18-18.5”, Waist 44” or greater

The Athletic Build For the man with an athletic body build, bold patterns and colors will do. He is neither tall, nor short; neither too heavy, nor too thin. Consider stripes, checks, or windowpanes in clearly-contrasted colors that don’t need to be bright.

If you are in this category, thank your parents, dress neatly, pay attention to your complexion/ fabric combinations, and wear the right clothing for every occasion.

The Tall Man A tall man should wear stripes, but should consider patterns that are spaced farther apart and have some weight to them such as chalk stripes (vs. thin pin stripes).

Besides being both unique and classy, the horizontal lines of these patterns help the tall man to appear more substantial.

Overall, the key to a tall man looking proportionally sound is to ensure that his clothing is built relative to his size.

The Heavy/Chubby Man Men whose waists are larger than their chests face the problem of finding clothes that do not make

them appear larger than they actually are. If you’ve got bulges, wrinkles, or sagging cloth, it’s going to make your outline look sloppy.

Often times, what fit the heavy man in the shoulders are too small in the waist; therefore, the large man should seek a jacket with a generous cut and a flattering drape. Do not try to wear form fitting clothing; it’s better to have a loose fit around the midsection that says nothing than tight bunching that screams excess girth.

Switch from belts to suspenders, if you must wear jeans.

For the chubby man who hasn’t discovered suspenders, please stop reading this and seriously explore this option.

For the record, heavy-weight men should not tuck in shirts, otherwise, you may look like a lost puppy in the woods.

BIG & TALL SIZING: To help you achieve the best fit possible, here are a few tips for you to use as a guide when taking your body measurements: You should order Big if you are 6’ 2” or shorter and your waist measures the same or larger than your chest.

You should order Tall if you are 6’ 2” or taller and your waist measures less than your chest.

Determining your size: Neck: Take a shirt with a collar that fits you well. Lay the collar flat and measure from the centre of the collar button to the end of the button hole.

Chest: Measure around the fullest part of the chest, just under the arm and across your shoulder blades.

Sleeve: Bend your elbow and measure from the centre of your neck (backside) to your elbow and down to your wrist.

Waist: Measure around your waist, over a shirt (but not slacks), at the height you normally wear your slacks.

Inseam: Take a pair of pants that fit you well and measure from crotch to the bottom of the leg.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

sports

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Lewis Hamilton eyes third world title

I trusted Blatter - Platini M

23

L

ewis Hamilton has insisted it will be business as usual this weekend at the United States Grand Prix, despite being close to a third world title and a place in history.

If the Mercedes driver wins in Austin - his 10th race win of the season - he will become a three-time world champion and equal Sir Jackie Stewart’s British record, provided Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari does not finish higher than third.

In 2008 and 2014, when Hamilton clinched his previous two titles, he emerged victorious in final round showdowns. However on Sunday, he has the chance to win it with three races left.

“I’ve learned from experience that nothing is ever done until it’s done in this sport, so I won’t be taking anything for granted going into the weekend,” Hamilton said.

“I’m going into this next race with the same approach I’ve had all year. There are four races left for me to get this championship tied up and as long as it’s done by the time I cross the line in Abu Dhabi that’s what really counts.

“I’m excited to get out there, give my best and if I can come away with a third Stetson hat that would be unbelievable.”

ichel Platini has explained that he did not ask for a written contract between himself and outgoing FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, because he trusted

him.

Both Platini and Blatter have been suspended provisionally for 90 days, as Swiss authorities investigate 2 million Swiss franc (£1.35m) payment made to the UEFA chief by FIFA in 2011.

The payment was made more than nine years after Platini had finished working as an adviser to Blatter.

“For a long time I had neither a lawyer nor an agent to negotiate for me and it was a man-to-man thing,” he told Le Monde.

“He was to become Fifa president - I trusted him.”

The 60-year-old revealed the details of the work he did and insisted the payment was not fraudulent.

“I worked on the reform of the global competition calendar, on the ‘Goal Project’ - a device to aid and support to poorer federations within Fifa worldwide,” Platini explained.

“And I accompanied Blatter in many of his travels. In short, I really worked and many people can testify to that.”

Platini described the situation as “shameful” and claimed his name has been dragged in the mud.

“I was suspended for three months but what annoys me the most is to put in the same bag as the others. I find it shameful to be dragged through the mud,” he said.

“My lawyers follow FIFA procedures and will invoke the Court of Arbitration for Sport if necessary.

“I hope that all this will go quickly.”

Sanchez, Lewandowski, Aguero ill st n ca ea ls he C make 23-man Ballon d’Or shortlist win four trophies - Mourinho F IFA has released a list of 23 players, from which the next World Footballer of the Year will be chosen from.Usual suspects, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, are favourites to win the prize.

The list is made up of 11 players from La Liga, five from both the Premier League and Bundesliga and just one from both Ligue 1 and Serie A. The winner will be voted for, by the captains and head coaches of national teams, as well as media representatives.

The ceremony will take place on January 11, 2016 in Zurich.

23-man shortlist in full: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City/Argentina) Gareth Bale (Real Madrid/Wales) Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/France) Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City/ Belgium) Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium) Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain/Sweden) Andres Iniesta (Barcelona/Spain) Toni Kroos (Real Madrid/Germany) Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/Poland) Javier Mascherano (Barcelona/Argentina) Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina) Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich/Germany) Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich/Germany) Neymar (Barcelona/Brazil) Paul Pogba (Juventus/France) Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona/Croatia) Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich/Netherlands) James Rodriguez (Real Madrid/Colombia) Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal) Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal/Chile) Luis Suarez (Barcelona/Uruguay) Yaya Toure (Manchester City/Ivory Coast) Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich/Chile)

C

helsea manager, Jose Mourinho, has insisted that his team can still win all four competitions they are in this season.

The Blues are currently not in the top 10 of the Premier League and are already 10 points behind leaders, Manchester City.

Mourinho takes his team to Kiev on Tuesday night to face Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League, having lost their last game in the competition at Porto.

But despite their bad start to the season, the Portuguese is adamant that their win over Aston Villa, can give them momentum for the rest of the campaign.

He said: “We can win

all four, we can lose all four.

Everything is open. We are in October. Everything is open.

“I think to win all four is something really amazingly difficult for everyone, even if you say Man City or Man United – because they are at this moment top of the league – even for them it would be very difficult to win all four.

“In England it’s very difficult.

“Confidence is fundamental.

We need to keep the tactical awareness, the tactical discipline. The spirit. The effort.

“The concentration, because concentration is fundamental.

And step by step bring with good results the confidence levels up.

“And confidence levels are coming with results.”

daily post sports

with

‘Ifreke Inyang

ifreke.inyang@dailypost.ng

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Vol. 1 Edition 8 Wednesday, October 21 - Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Staying at one club for too long is boring - Guardiola

B

ayern Munich coach, Pep Guardiola, has disclosed that he would be bored if he stayed at the same club for 20 years.

The former Barcelona manager, has been linked with Manchester City and is yet to extend his current contract with the Bundesliga champions.

Speaking ahead of the Champions League game against Arsenal at the Emirates, Guardiola praised the work Arsene Wenger has done at the club and admitted he would not be that patient.

“20 years at one club is now impossible. Nobody has that energy any more! It can get boring for the people,” Guardiola said.

“Arsenal is an exception, like Sir Alex Ferguson was. Wenger is not only a manager, he is a sporting director.

“He changed the whole club.

They played defensively before he came.

“Wenger is more than just a manager for this club. He is almost everything. He can be at a club for that long. Me? No!”

FIFA Exco reconfirms 26 February 2016 as date of the extraordinary elective congress in Zurich - FIFA N100

Flying without Weng by ‘Ifreke Inyang

A

rsenal have boosted their slim Champions League hopes.

On Tuesday night, against all odds, they defeated Bayern Munich 2-0.

It is not as if Arsene Wenger’s men are hot favourites for the Holy Grail, but their annual excursion to Europe’s biggest club competition, would have been over if not for Petr Cech’s brilliance.

Usually, they would linger around until February, when the contenders are sifted from the pretenders.

It would have been different this season, after puzzling defeats to Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos.

Arsenal need to repeat that stunning performance against Pep Guardiola’s men at the Allianz Arena, if they are to avoid a group-stage exit for the first time in 16 years.

Before Tuesday, the Bundesliga champions had won all their nine league matches, scoring 29 times and conceding just four goals.

They might yet put a spanner in the works in the return leg. And Wenger might have to wait one more season, before a proper shot at the Champions League - which

he has never won in charge of the Gunners.

It might also be his last season in charge of the North London club, as he hinted last week.

Speaking at the annual general meeting, Wenger said: “I am resolute to commit absolutely until the last day of my contract to bring back big success to this club, and leave as well one day in a position where it can do even better when I leave.

“That is for me very important that I leave the club in the shape that the guy who comes after me can do better.

“The responsibility on my shoulders is much bigger. I know what it means for people. I know how sad people are when we don’t do well, I know how sad people are when we lose a game.”

As ambiguous as his words were, there were mixed reactions on social media. Some were glad the manager might finally be leaving and called for Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Simeone. Others were genuinely concerned about what the club will look like without Wenger.

That should worry all Gooners.

Wenger, who turns 66 this week,

Falcao’s grandmother blasts Mourinho, Van Gaal

R

adamel Falcao’s grandmother, Dona Denis King Garcia, has insisted that the players has not been given enough time to prove himself at Chelsea.

She also accused Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal of not being ‘explicit’ with him.

The Colombian striker scored only four times in 29 appearances, during his season-long loan spell at Manchester United last season and has scored only once in 192 minutes for Chelsea this campaign.

When asked if she could explain Falcao’s inability to replicate the performances he showed before his cruciate ligament injury in January 2014, she told El Universal: “I do not understand what happened.

“After the injury he suffered last year before the World Cup he has tried to return and has played some good matches; but I also think the coaches he has worked with have not been explicit with him.

“You have to show confidence in him because that is the only way he can return to what he used to be [before his injury].

“At first he was used a lot, but after that he has been

used very little; in those 10 or 15 minutes he’s being given he can’t do anything.

“And so it is very difficult for him. You have to give him more time to do what he does best.”

World Rugby admit Craig Joubert made mistake with penalty call World Rugby have admitted that referee Craig Joubert made the wrong decision, during the closing minutes of Scotland’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Australia at Twickenham.

The Aussies clinched a last-gasp victory, after Joubert awarded a penalty with one minute left to play and the Scots leading by two points.

Bernard Foley converted it, to hand the Wallabies victory.

Joubert immediately ran off the pitch following the final whistle.

World Rugby has now said in a statement that, having reviewed the incident, the “appropriate decision was a scrum to Australia for the original knock-on,” and not a penalty.

The statement reads: “The selection committee confirms that Joubert applied World Rugby Law 11.7 penalising Scotland’s Jon Welsh, who had played the ball following a knock-on by a teammate, resulting in an offside.

is obviously reaching the end of his tenure at Arsenal. But he might yet sign one more deal, to take him to his 70th birthday.

But Arsenal fans must dread the day he leaves. The Frenchman has been responsible for success, wonderful teams, sparkling football, legendary players, Doubles and the Invincibles.

He has given his life, his career, his energy to building the club for 19 years.

Wenger is constantly abused and ridiculed when it goes wrong.

And you suspect that he will only be truly respected when he steps down. Ask Manchester United fans.

If Arsenal are eventually dumped out of the Champions League, there will be a few dissenting voices, making their grievances known with the #WengerOut hashtag.

“I accept you have to be over-critical when the performances are not good, but look at number of games Arsenal played in Champions League before I arrived and look after, and come back to me,” Wenger said at the AGM last week.

This might only make sense to some Gooners, when he’s not in the dugout sometime in the near future.

Sunshine vs Rangers clash moved because of CHAN qualifier

A

Week 34 match of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NFPL), involving Sunshine Stars and Rangers, has been moved fromWednesday.

The League Management Company (LMC), confirmed that the shift in date, was because the Akure Gunners have six players with the CHAN Eagles.

A new date is to be announced before October 22.

Sunshine Stars Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Stephen Eze, Dayo Ojo, Prince Aggrey, Tunde Adeniji and Paul Onobi are with the home-based Eagles who will face Burkina Faso in a CHAN qualifier this weekend.

LMC rule states: Article 15.14; Where a club has five (5) players in the National Camps, its matches may be postponed at the request of the club in writing: provided such application is received not later than 72 hours before the scheduled match.

Emenike announces retirement from Super Eagles

E

mmanuel Emenike has announced that he is no longer available to play for Nigeria.

The 28-year-old made it known he was quitting the Super Eagles on his Instagram page.

He wrote: “For everybody that thinks I am the problem of Super Eagles, I am using this opportunity to give you a breaking and interesting news that I am no longer a Super Eagles player. It has always being my pleasure to play and win for the team.

“I am always proud of my successful years in the team and I am pleased to call it off at this point in order to avoid insults.”

The striker, who is currently on loan at Al Ain in Dubai, made this decision after it emerged Sunday Oliseh was considering dropping him from next month’s World Cup qualifier against Swaziland.

Emenike made his debut five years ago for Nigeria and was top scorer at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, which the Eagles won.

However, he has gone two years without scoring for the national team and Oliseh is beginning to lose confidence in him.

Published by Daily Post Media Limited, 308B, Murtala Mohammed Way, Yaba, Lagos. Email: newsdesk@dailypost.ng, advert@dailypost.ng. Phone: Newsroom: 07085753069, ISSN:2449-1128 Advert hotline: 07062594490. Website: dailypost.ng. Social Media: facebook.com/NigeriaDailyPost, twitter.com/@dailypostngr