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MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015 VOL. 1. NO.94

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South Africa taunts Nigeria over recall of envoys g4

L-R: Director, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Chief Kola Jamodu; Group Managing Director/CEO, UBA Plc, Mr. Phillips Oduoza; Chairman, UBA Plc, Mr Tony O. Elumelu, CON and Vice-Chairman, UBA Plc, Ambassador Joe Keshi at the 53rd Annual General Meeting of the Bank held in Lagos… on Friday

I’ll probe ‘missing’ $20b oil money –Buhari g4

Indonesia gives 72-hr execution notice to four Nigerians, other drug convicts g12 •Taraba APC guber candidate goes to court as PDP wins g4

Ihedioha kicks as INEC names Okorocha Imo gov.

Arsenal draw pushes Chelsea nearer league title gX2

2

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

3

Politics Page Three Æ s Editorial Revamping Nigeria’s agriculture

I

t is cheering to hear from the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina that Nigeria’s cocoa production could top one million metric tonnes in 2020. Speaking recently in London, the minister revealed that his ministry has distributed more than 140 million seedlings of high-yielding varieties in an effort to recapitalise the cocoa plantations.

Definitely, we welcome all initiatives by the government to revamp agriculture, especially cash crops. For decades, the country’s agricultural sector has not only been retrogressing, crops such as Cocoa, Palm oil, groundnut, cotton, gum Arabica, cassava and rubber are all but abandoned.

This grim development is traceable to the discovery of oil at Oloibiri, Baylesa State in the late 1950’s, which led to the abandonment of agriculture.

Before then, agriculture employed more than 70 percent of the population and was responsible for 80 percent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings. In that period, Nigeria became the largest producer of rubber, groundnuts, palm oil and the second largest producer of cocoa. Basking in its newfound oil wealth, succeeding governments simply allowed investment in agriculture to decline to a ridiculous state.

Ironically, the nation’s founding fathers built the country’s prosperity from proceeds of these cash crops.

Today, the agricultural sector is reeling from neglect and lack of attention. Even when programmes such as Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) by the Olusegun Obasanjo regime in 1976, the Green Revolution of Shehu Shagari and the Ibrahim Babangida DFFRI might have been

well-intended, they did not quite bail out the country’s agricultural sector. In spite of all criticisms, the out-going Jonathan administration must be commended for making considerable efforts towards steering agriculture in the right direction, especially in curbing the rampant corruption in fertilizer distribution.

If there was ever a time when agriculture needed to be taken seriously in Nigeria, it is now.

With Nigeria’s crude oil sales plummeting daily, one of the ways of addressing the situation is to revamp the ailing agriculture sector. The country’s sole dependence on crude oil makes the economy vulnerable, as fluctuation in commodity prices easily makes it unstable. It is imperative government appreciates the potentials of agriculture as a catalyst for economic and industrial transformation.

Consequently, it needs to recreate a modernised professional and commercial farming sector, supported by improved infrastructure and research into high performance seeds and livestock. Moreover, it should encourage the teeming army of un-employed youths to take to farming, by making access to loans much easier, while large scale, agriculture powered by mechanised infrastructures should be the central goal.

That way, Nigeria’s golden age of agriculture will be reenacted, as the country would once more emerge as a net exporter of cash crops to the world.

With Nigeria’s population expected to hit 250 million by 2025, the nation’s economic managers must realise the urgent need for the rapid development of agriculture. Hopefully, Nigeria may once more become Africa’s agriculture powerhouse.

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NLC crisis: Can the gladiators allow peace?

Sam Nzeh

•••The failure of

personalities behind the ongoing crisis rocking the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to resolve their differences more than a month after its botched national delegates’ election came to the fore last Thursday when rival factions held separate conferences in several states, heightening fears that the once vibrant congress may have finally lost the ability to call government and public office holders in the country to order.

That the crisis has subsisted shows that until unions free themselves from

the apron strings of leaders, they will continue to lose relevance in the eyes of workers among others.

Recall that the two factions of the NLC at separate venues held parallel conferences in Kano, Kaduna, Kogi, Kwara, Edo, Oyo, Delta states among others and produced separate executives.

No doubt that labour unions as human organisations will from time to time witness one crisis or the other but what is worrisome in the current crisis is that the gladiators have refused to see reasons to sheathe their swords.

With this crisis, there is no gain-saying that the once powerful apex labour union in Nigeria has lost its bite.

Rather than concern itself with proffering solutions

Words On Marble :

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to the worsening plight of workers, NLC leaders are now engrossed in supremacy fight.

But this logjam need not continue. And for it not to continue, the gladiators in this crisis- Comrades Ayuba Wabba and Joe Ajaero and those behind them should come to a roundtable, iron out their differences and allow peace to reign. And if jettisoning their ambitions is the only way to restore vibrancy to the NLC, then this may not be a sacrifice too much for them and their backers. After all, both parties will be happier to see the NLC get back to its erstwhile position where it commanded the respect of the all -- the government, public officials and workers among others.

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The opinions expressed in the articles published in this newspaper are solely those of the authors. Articles may be reproduced, provided that the original source is indicated.

Ernest Gaines

Oprah Winfrey

Malcolm X

There will always be men struggling to change, and there will always be those who are controlled by the past.

We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are. Become the change you want to see - those are words I live by.

You’re not to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.

News 4

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Ihedioha kicks as INEC names Okorocha Imo gov

Monday Agu Jnr

•••ALL doubts as to whether the allegation of missing $20 billion oil fund may have been rested were on Sunday cleared by the Presidentelect, Major General Muhammadu Buhari.

The allegation was levelled by the then Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), now emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi 11.

Shortly before the last general elections, the outgoing Federal Government disclosed that a forensic audit report put the sum at $1.48 billion.

One of General Buhari’s closest allies, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, had late last week disputed the Federal Government’s figure and given indication that the allegation would be reopened.

The President-elect spoke in the same vein on Sunday.

Buhari, who received a delegation of supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and newly elected officers from Adamawa State at the party’s campaign office in Abuja, declared that the allegation would be fully probed.

He also plans to investigate claims that some persons had started returning looted funds to the treasury, and expressed surprise that rather than probe the allegation, the Goodluck Jonathan administration elected to sack then CBN Governor.

He addressed the audience in Hausa language.

According to him, since Sanusi’s claim was documented, his incoming administration will take a second look at the document when it assumes power on May 29th.

Buhari said, “On the issue of corruption, I heard that some peo-

•Taraba APC candidate rejects guber sresult Val Okara Owerri

•••

to the Federation Account. On Wednesday last week, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, told State House reporters that the NNPC had started refunding the $1.48 billion.

However, Sanusi, told Christiane Amanpour of the Cable News Network (CNN) during an interview that the level of corruption in the oil sector was still high.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Imo State, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, has dismissed the gubernatorial results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a sham and unacceptable to his party.

Ihedioha, who is the Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, in a message he read to the people of the state on Sunday, said that in spite of identified electoral malpractice, including the arrest of over 25 INEC staff that conspired with the opposition to manipulate and change results of the elections declared in favour of the PDP, the electoral body went ahead to declare APC candidate the winner of the election.

“In spite also of public confession of an INEC returning officer who was forced under gunpoint to declare false result in favour of the APC in the gubernatorial election and several arrests of

Continued on page 12

Continued on page 12

Ogun State Governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun (middle), his wife, Olufunso (right) and Chairman, Abeokuta South Local Government Council, Engr. Lanre Edun (left) during an on-the-spot assessment of the damage caused by rainstorm to Oba Lipede Market, Kuto, Abeokuta...at the weekend

I’ll probe missing oil funds, says Buhari ple have started returning money. I will not believe it until I go and see for myself.

Sanusi had in March this year insisted that the issues surrounding the allegedly missing $20bn oil money had not been adequately addressed by the government. He had earlier put the alleged missing fund at $49 billion, while the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, said the unaccounted-for sum was between $10 billion and $12 billion, adding that the money

was for crude oil sales which often captured in government accounts only after payment. She added that the payment system was not irregular.

The Jonathan administration thereafter hired an international forensic audit firm, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, to audit the account of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. When the audit firm’s report was made public, it was said to have concluded that the NNPC must remit $1.48bn

South Africa attacks Nigeria over recall of envoys •••The decision by the Nigerian

government to recall its ambassadors in South Africa over the recent xenophobic attacks on foreigners in that country appears to have touched the raw nerves of Pretoria.

The South African government cast aside diplomatic language and called for a street fight with Nigeria. It taunted the Goodluck Jonathan government over the abducted Chibok girls, reminded the country of the building collapse at the church of Pastor Temitope Joshua in Lagos, in which 68 South Africans died, and the ill-manner that it said the bodies of the dead victims were kept. The South African government promised to take the matter up with the incoming federal administration in Nigeria.

Xenophobic attacks by South

Africans on fellow Africans in the last few weeks led to the death of at least seven people. Shops of foreigners, including Nigerians, were looted while those who survived physical brutality currently live in fear.

Last Saturday, the Federal Government recalled the country’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Martin Cobham, and his deputy, Uche Okeke.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, foreign affairs minister, who announced the recall via a press statement, said that the envoys were being withdrawn for consultations in relation to the xenophobic attacks.

The statement read: “The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, has summoned for consultation, Nigeria’s senior diplomats on tour

of duty in South Africa. These are the Acting High Commissioner in Pretoria, Ambassador Martin Cobham, and the Deputy High Commissioner in Johannesburg, Ambassador Uche Ajulu-Okeke.

“The invitation is in connection with the ongoing xenophobia in South Africa targeting foreigners, mainly African migrants.

“It will be recalled that the current spate of attacks began about three weeks ago, and have so far claimed some seven lives, destruction of property and created fear and uncertainty in the minds of African migrants in the former apartheid enclave.

“The South African President, Mr. Jacob Zuma, has condemned the attacks in a statement presented to the South African National Assembly. Ditto for the Zulu Monarch, Goodwill Zwelithini, whose

alleged inciting comment provoked the attacks. Well meaning South Africans have also organised peace marches against xenophobia.”

But, barely 24 hours after, the South African government on Sunday reacted angrily to the Nigerian government’s decision.

“We are not sure which actions or behaviour of the South African Government the Nigerian Government is protesting,” the South African foreign ministry said in a statement.

“If this action is based on the incidents of attacks on foreign nationals in some parts of our country, it would be curious for a sisterly country to want to exploit such a painful episode for whatever agenda,” the ministry added, lamenting Nigeria’s “unfortunate and regrettable step.”

Taking aim at Nigeria which is

known to be Spouth Africa’s rival for economic and political dominance in Africa, Pretoria said it had held off blaming Nigeria’s government when 84 South Africans were killed in the collapse of a church building in Lagos last year.

It said it had also refrained from blaming Nigerian authorities for the “more than nine months delay” in the repatriation of the bodies “or for the fact that when these bodies eventually returned, they were in a state that they could not be touched or viewed as required by our burial practice.

“We hope that the more than 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram will someday be reunited with their families,” South Africa said referring to a group of students kidnapped in Chibok town in Borno State, that have been missing for over a year.

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

5 News

Guber fallout: Abia APGA rejects polls result, heads to Tribunal Sunday Nwakanma Umuahia

President Goodluck Jonathan (right); President Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ayo Oritsejafor (left); former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd) (2nd left) and former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan at the 5th Presidential Prayer Breakfast… at the weekend

APC alleges last-minute looting , hurried recruitment, others Segun Adio The All Progressives Congress (APC) has decried the reported last-minute looting of the nation’s resources, hurried recruitment into the public service and rushed privatisation of key financial institutions by the Jonathan Administration, warning that such actions will have serious repercussions.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said apart from the instances of such cases that have been reported by the local media, it has been inundated with calls and messages by concerned Nigerians, alerting it to the unscrupulous actions of some Jonathan Administration officials.

It said while the Jonathan Administration remains in office till midnight of May 28th and governance in the country will not stop because a new President has been elected, it is incumbent upon the outgoing Administration not to create any more problems for the incoming government than it had already done, or to tie the new government’s hands through some suspicious actions.

APC said while it is true that the incoming Buhari Administration will not get itself bogged down by an endless probe of the activities of the Jonathan Administration, all actions taken since the result of the May 28th presidential election was announced may come under the searchlight.

‘’For example, the National Council on Privatization, which is headed by the Vice President, has just approved the financial bid opening for transaction advisers for the privatization of the three Development Finance Institutions in the country - the Bank of Agriculture, Bank of Industry and Nigeria Commodity Exchange. The question is: What is the rationale for rushing this exercise with just weeks left for this administration? ‘’Also, there have been reports, yet unrefuted, of a planned hurried recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration Service, after a previous attempt ended in a national tragedy and the fleecing of innocent job seekers by mindless federal government officials. Apart from the fact that this last-minute recruitment is

suspect, it is irregular. ‘’The Civil Defense, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board (CDFIPSB) is only empowered to recruit, promote and discipline only senior officers (levels 8 and above).

The power to recruit, promote and discipline junior officers is vested in the different services, in this case the Nigeria Immigration Service. ‘’Therefore, the recruitment exercise now being conducted by the Federal Civil Service under the auspices of the Presidential Committee to Assist on Immigration Recruitment usurps the functions of the Board as it relates to recruitment of Senior Officers (level 08) and that of the Immigration Service as it relates to Junior Officers (levels 07 and below),’’ the party said.

Three burnt to death in Ogun, 10 injured in Ondo auto crashes •••Three persons were burnt to

death over the weekend in a lone auto crash which occurred along the Abeokuta - Kobape -Siun expressway in Ogun State just as 10 people almost lost their lives in another crash at Oka-Akoko, in Ondo State.

The accident, which happened at Adedero village in the Obafemi - Owode Local Government Area of Ogun state around 9: 30 pm on Saturday, involved a Honda car with registration number (LAGOS) AGX 930 BL, bearing

the three occupants who were all roasted beyond recognition.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ogun state Traffic Compliant and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, who confirmed the auto crash to journalists in Abeokuta, the state capital, explained that one of the tyres of the Honda car in which the victims were travelling burst “on top speed” which made the vehicle to skid off the road and hit a tree before catching fire.

Boboye Oyeyemi, FRSC boss

In a similar vein, 10 people on Saturday evening nearly lost their lives in an auto crash in Oka-Akoko in Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State.

They, however, sustained varying degrees of injuries in the accident, which an eyewitness said was caused by a truck.

The accident, which occurred along Lagos-Abuja express road in Oka-Akoko, was said to have been the second one to happen within one week.

•••Following the outcome of the governorship election and its subsequent supplementary election, the National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, on Sunday evening in Umuahia, rejected the result of the polls won by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stating that APGA will challenge the result at the tribunal.

Umeh, who joined voices with the governorship candidate of APGA, Dr. Alex Otti said the election was marred by violence, rigging and snatching of boxes especially in three Local Government Areas of Obingwa, Osisioma and Isiala Ngwa North.

This, he said led to the cancellation of the elections held in the area by the state Returning Officer of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof.

Benjamin Ozumba.

Five feared dead in Kano pedestrian bridge collapse •••Five passengers in a taxi were

believed to have died Sunday evening in Kano, when a pedestrian bridge under construction on Sheik Jafar road, collapsed on the moving cab.

The pedestrian bridge, which is located at Karshen waya by Gidan mai was designed to check and curtail risk associated with pedestrian crossing at the densely populated Doroyi suburb.

Eyewitness, Salisu Ibrahim told our correspondent that the incident occurred around 5.00 pm.

Malam Ibrahim said that the taxi cab had five passengers including the driver, adding that “it would only take miracle for any of the passengers to survive the accident.”

The eyewitness further disclosed that the passengers were trapped, pointing out that it would take a crane to rescue the battered automobile and its occupants. When contacted, the police spokesperson in Kano, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Magaji Musa Majia, said that rescue effort was on to free the trapped passengers.

6

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Olanusi: Ondo APC slams lawmakers over impeachment process 'Tosin Ajuwon Akure

•••The

All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ondo State, has decried what it termed the undue process being followed by lawmakers in the House of Assembly to impeach the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, over allegations of gross misconduct.

The party also threatened that refusal to follow the country's constitution in the bid to remove the Deputy Governor, might cause crisis.

In a statement issued by the party's Publicity Secretary, Omo'ba Abayomi Adesanya, to journalists, on Sunday, in Akure, the state capital said the impeachment process of Olanusi had begun on a wrong

premise and was not in keeping with the constitution of the country.

"The House of Assembly has commenced the impeachment of the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, on a wrong premise, by pasting the impeachment notice on the gate of his (Olanusi) residence, at the Government House, Alagbaka.

“The law requires the investigative panel a duration of three (3) months to do its findings on a very sensitive issue of impeachment of Governor or Deputy.”

Adesanya said Olanusi had earlier, on Friday, April 17, 2015, written to Governor Mimiko, with Ref. No. OBG/A/136/67, to the effect that he would be going on routine medical check-up outside the country.

“The Deputy Governor who had travelled, since Saturday, April 18, 2105, is unaware of any impeachment notice or proceeding against him, as he has not been duly served.

Therefore, he (Deputy Governor) could not be expected to reply to allegations he is not aware of.

“To further display Mimiko's desperation to unlawfully remove Ali Olanusi from office as the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, 48 hours after the purported service of impeachment on him, an investigative panel was set up by the Chief Judge on April 23, 2105.

"The said panel, on the same day, went ahead to paste a summons to the Deputy Governor, to appear before it, the following day, April 24, 2015, on the fence of the Deputy Governor's residence. Why the hur-

ry?” he queried.

Adesanya also accused the Chief Judge and the investigative panel of taking bribe from Mimiko for which they seem to be acting out a script.

“We have it on good authority that each member of the sevenman panel was bribed with N20 million, the chairman Mr. Olatunji Adeniyan, N30 million, while the Chief Judge, Olasehinde Kumuyi, was bribed with N50 million to rectify the names submitted to him

by Governor Olusegun Mimiko, as panel members,” he said.

The party will therefore not accept the recommendations of the panel set up by the Chief Judge on allegations levelled against the State Deputy Governor,” Adesanya alleged.

Why we can't stop free schools feeding - Aregbesola

L-R: Winner in the Hobie Class Event, Lloyd Crisp; National Commercial Director, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited, Matthieu Seguin and another winner in the Hobie Class Event, Claire Marion at the NBC 2015 Coca-Cola Cup held at the Lagos Yacht Club… at the weekend

Sodiq Adekunle Osogbo

••• Osun State Governor, Mr.

Rauf Aregbesola, has given reasons why the state government cannot afford to stop school feeding programme.

The governor said this, while reacting to a news item published by a national newspaper (not the Daily Times) that the Osun State government might stop free feeding of school children, based on recommendation by labour leaders.

Labour leaders, under the umbrella of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, had given the recommendation, when asked to suggest ways through which Osun government could generate more fund.

But the governor explained that the scheme had been a means of creating employment in the state.

He also said that enrolment of pupils increased from 155,318 on May 31 to 194,253 in June 30, 2012, and December 2012.

The governor said: “The feeding programme has been one of our most socially impactful ones.

How can a responsible government, like ours, think of reviewing a programme that has been adjudged as one of the best to come out of the country? Does that not stand logic on its head?

7 News

Islamic cleric explains bane of Nigerian clergy •••

The National President of Islamic Education Trust (IET) of Nigeria, Shiekh Ahmed Lemu, has described greed, selfish and quest for leadership positions as the bane of many clerics in the country.

Shiekh Lemu, who stated this at the weekend, in Minna, at a two-day seminar with the theme: “Inter-faith Relations and Political Stability in Nigeria: Breaking the cycle of identity politics,” organised by Development Initiative of West Africa (DIWA) of Nigeria in collaboration with IET, said their efforts were mostly geared towards satisfying their selfish desires rather than those of the people.

He noted that “selfishness with a desire to accumulate massive wealth than we can spend, and quest for power and followers devoid of consciousness of accountability before God (Creator) are the major causes of problems bedeviling the nation – alongside insecurity, indiscipline and insurgency."

APC urges Jega to caution Rivers REC •••

PDP candidate challenges Saraki’s victory at tribunal Kehinde Akinpelu Ilorin

•••

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial standard bearer for Kwara Central, in the March 28 polls, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, and his party, have filed a petition before the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Ilorin, the state capital, challenging the election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

Abdulrasaq and PDP as 1st and 2nd petitioners respectively in their petition with reference number: NAT/LEG/EPT/IL/2/2015, dated April 13, 2015, alleged that

the election of Saraki was invalid “by reason of corrupt practices or non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.” He further alleged that the election was characterised by abnormalities, manipulation and irregularities.

The petition filed through their counsel, Ambali Abdulkadir Mujahid, Esq. and made available to the Daily Times, joined the APC, INEC and the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) as 2nd, 3rd and 4th respondents, respectively.

The petitioners, therefore, prayed the tribunal to declare the election of the 1st respondent

void and declare the 1st Petitioner as the winner of the polls. Other reliefs sought by the petitioners, through a motion ex-parte, filed before the three-man tribunal, headed by Hon. Justice J. J.Majebi, include an order of the tribunal to inspect the electoral materials before the pre-hearing session.

Saraki

The All Progressives Congress (APC), in Rivers State, has urged the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, to caution the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Gesilla Khan.

It expressed dissatisfaction with the state INEC’s refusal to allow its agents to have access to election materials, which were to be presented before the Election Petitions Tribunal in the state.

State Chairman of the APC, Dr. Davies Ikanya, in a statement, in Port Harcourt on Sunday, appealed to Jega to immediately move all sensitive materials used for the elections away from Rivers.

Ikanya, who spoke through his Senior Special Adviser, Media and Public Affairs, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, argued that the safety of such materials used during the Presidential/National Assembly and the Governorship/House of Assembly elections was not guaranteed under Khan’s watch.

8

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Politics Mustapha Akanbi

Æs

Politics Editor: Akinjide Akintola E-mail: akinjide.akintola@dailytimes.com.ng

MUSTAPHA AKANBI

Corrupt allies pulled down Jonathan’s government

Despite a national merit award of CFR, he deserves a Nobel Prize as a jurist with unquestionable integrity, one whose voluminous profile attests to a man of tested and proven integrity, an incorruptible judge and model per excellence. Justice Mustapha Akanbi, retired President of the Court of Appeal was born on 11th September, 1932 in Accra, Ghana. He obtained the Senior Cambridge School Certificate in 1953 and later attended the Institute of Administration,

Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria. After these, he proceeded to School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and Gibson Weldon College of Law, London from 1961 to 1962.

He was called to the English Bar at the Middle Temple, London on 9th July 1963. He did a post final course at the Council of Legal Education, United Kingdom in 1963. He is a holder of certificate for Commonwealth Law officer obtained between 1967 – 1968.

He was Former Governor, the

National Judicial Institute; he was Former Member of the National Judicial Council (NJC), Past Chairman, Nigeria Body of Benchers. Life Bencher, Body of Benchers. Former Member, privileges Committee Responsible for Appointment of Senior Advocates of Nigeria. He spoke to KEHINDE AKINPELU, in Ilorin over issues of national importance.

As Nigerians are rejoicing on CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Rage over constitution amendment

Akinjide Akintola

In what appears to be a constitutional crisis, the Executive and Legislative arms of government have for over two weeks been pitched in a battle over the recent amendments made by the National Assembly.

And perhaps to be able to have an overhand in the ongoing war, the Executive Arm of the Federal Government last Wednesday approached the Supreme Court asking it to declare as a null and void the passage of the proposed amendment of the constitution by the National Assembly.

The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, instituted the fresh suit with SC/214/2015 on behalf of the executive arm of government asking the court to nullify any attempt by the National Assembly to override the President’s veto powers.

President Goodluck Jonathan had earlier vetoed the amendment passed by the legislators when he withheld his assent on the bill already passed by the as-

Onovo

sembly.

In the suit, the executive arm argued that the bill was not passed by at least four-fifths majority of all members of each House of the National Assembly as stipulated in sections 48 and 49 of the Constitution.

The suit follows the crisis that had developed over President Jonathan’s refusal to assent the fourth Alteration Bill of the Constitution. After his veto, the President wrote to the National Assembly last week listing some grey areas that he said were contentious.

But the National Assembly threatened to override the President’s veto powers as it relates to the bill as a result of which the president went to court.

Already, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana has warned the National Assembly against passing the bill without looking critically at some of the arguments given by President Jonathan.

Falana, in a statement, said if the National Assembly failed to review the grey areas as raised by

What Buhari should do, by Onovo, NCP Presidential candidate

the President before overriding his assent, it could result in legal issues that could be challenged.

Falana, who also criticised the refusal of President Jonathan to assent to the bill, recalled that the last alterations to the constitution sanctioned by the President in 2010 and 2011, were passed by the same two-thirds majority of the federal and state legislators recalling further how former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba, challenged an attempt by the National Assembly to amend the constitution without recourse to the President.

Falana stated: “In 2010, the National Assembly had purportedly empowered itself to amend the Constitution without the assent of the President of the Republic.

“The action was challenged in the Federal High Court by Olisa Agbakoba SAN, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association. The court declared the amendment illegal and unconstitutional and proceeded to set it CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Chief Martin Onovo, Presidential Candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP) in the March 28 Presidential election has urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to recycle “old and overused politicians” in the incoming federal government.

Onovo gave the advice in La-

Jonathan

gos at his award presentation ceremony where the Pan-African Students Congress (PASCON) honoured him.

PASCON, an umbrella body that covers all students within the 51 AU recognised African countries, conferred on Onovo the “Pan-African Icon Award of Excellence” at the weekend.

According to him, the success of the APC- led administration depend on the fact that recycled, failed politicians must give room for fresh hands.

“The old and recycled politicians have failed many times and must give room for younger people with brighter vision, to push CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

9

Politics

Buhari can reshape Nigeria in four years- Akanbi CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

the election of General Muhammadu Buhari, expectations are very high, what are your views on this?

To sum up all that Buhari said during his campaign; that he was going to fight corruption, stamp out insurgency, insecurity and embark on economic transformation in the area of poverty alleviation and what have you; these are critical issues but I am particularly fascinated by the promise to stamp out corruption; I believe that if he is able to tackle this corruption, other things will be easy for him to do and he can only do that by putting the right people in the positions and the right people around him; But if he makes the mistake of gathering around him people who are not patriotic, not nationalistic, who are not honest, people who are corrupt then of cause no headway can be made, there is no magic he can do but I want to believe in principle.

Though I never worked closely with him but I was a judge of the court of appeal when he took over government. Then he introduced the War Against Indiscipline, WAI, because they wanted a clean decent society, but unfortunately they were overthrown in less than two years. The issue is, where there is no discipline, there can’t be progress. So if he has this feelings and he stands by all he had said, he would make Nigeria a better place than it is now.

Because everybody knows that looking at the caliber of most of the people that worked with the outgoing President, their body

language, even the way they talk, what they talk, the language they apply do not show that they can assist the man to succeed and we all saw the outcome. I was not surprised when he conceded defeat; I strongly believe that he never consulted those people before taking the decision or making the statement to accept defeat. So the change that we are having is good, we should experience what Buhari too can do differently. He has tried three times to be President of this country but failed but his doggedness, reticence and courage to persists brought him thus far and I want to believe it is the act of God for him to become President, so if he stands by all he had promised and with a free hand to operate; I say this because APC, to which he belongs now is not the party he formed long time ago, which is CPC; on board APC there are different types of characters, everybody will want to sell his own ideas but if he is able to imbibe a give and take approach, keep to his believe and principle. He must be able to conduct the affairs the best way he deems fit; then I think we shall make headway.

If you are opportune to give General Buhari some advice, what will you tell him?

The situation in which he finds himself now, it appears a lot of things had gone so bad; but he should not be carried away by the euphoria of joy and commendation, he should spend some time to see what is on the table, access the situation of things; acting in haste, he might do the wrong things. My advice is that

he should not only assess what is on the table, since he came in with manifestoes, he should stick to it. He said he would do just one term, by the end of one term people will begin to say he has not done anything, so since he has his own programmes, he must just follow it to letter, but most importantly he must face this issue of corruption because things have gone so bad. In the last days before elections we saw how people were spending Dollars, there was this programme where they showed the Governor of Central Bank releasing Billions of Dollars, all these must be looked into; anywhere he has to recover money back to government purse he should do so. He should let the anticorruption body work and be given target and that if they fail to perform, they would be sanctioned. If you starve an anti-corruption body of money, they can-

‘‘He has tried three times to be President of this country but failed but his doggedness, reticence and courage to persists brought him thus far and I want to believe it is the act of God for him to become President’’

Buhari not perform. Development must start immediately; it must be a practical thing. All those around him must be given a target and in fact, anybody who he is going to appoint as minister must be given targets; they should present their proposal of what they want to do within six months in office and let such persons achieve that target.

For every failure to perform there must be a punishment to serve as deterrent. What he told us is that he is not hungry for power or money and going by his track records, I believe he is saying the truth. All those who are following him should follow his example and he must lead by example. His Yes must be Yes, his No must be

No. I want to believe that all those who are with him also want to cooperate with him. Happily, he has a Vice President who I know as a lawyer, a very brilliant lawyer, a committed Christian and a gentleman. And am sure if they put brains together, they would lead us to the Promised Land.

Are you saying that Nigeria now has a perfect combination of President and Vice that is needed for the desired change?

That is exactly what I am saying; I once delivered a lecture when Osinbajo was the Attorney General of Lagos State, I knew the cooperation I got from him on corruption, I worked with CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

‘‘His Yes must be Yes, his No must be No. I want to believe that all those who are with him also want to cooperate with him. Happily, he has a Vice President who I know as a lawyer, a very brilliant lawyer, a committed Christian and a gentleman.

And am sure if they put brains together, they would lead us to the Promised Land.’’

Osinbajo

Politics 10 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

“In view of the fundamental errors which have characterised the 4th Alteration to the Constitution, the National Assembly members should go back to the drawing table.

“They should have no difficulty in jettisoning the alteration of section 9 of the Constitution as it is the height of legislative dictatorship to amend the Constitution of a country without the assent of the President and the endorsement of the people via a referendum.

“While the concern of the legislators for the rights of Nigerians to basic education and health is appreciated the inclusion of both rights in chapter four of the Constitution is unnecessary as both rights have been statutorily recognised.

“However, if the members of the National Assembly refuse to remove the objectionable provisions before overriding the veto of the President they would have engaged in a futile exercise which is likely to be challenged in a law court.

“Apart from the serious observations raised by the President some of the provisions of the Amendment completely negate national interests.

“Whereas majority of Nigerians have consistently demanded for the removal of immunity clause from the Constitution the amendment seeks to confer immunity on legislators in addition to the heads of the executive arm of government.

“Another objectionable proposition in the 4th amendment is the provision of pension for life for former leaders of the National Assembly.

“Indeed, one of the former speakers of the House of Representatives who will be a beneficiary of the largesse spent a few months in office and resigned for fear of impeachment.

Onovo: With Buhari, it should not be business as usual

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

“Another retired speaker who served for less than four years is barely 40 years old. The National Assembly should justify why Nigerians should pay pension for life to such legislators for rendering part time service in the parliament”, Falana stressed.

In an originating summons filed by Chief Bayo Ojo , SAN, on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke (SAN), the Federal Government averred that the purported Fourth Alteration Act 2015 passed the National Assembly was not done with the mandatory requirement of four-fifths majority of members of the Assembly as mandated by the relevant sections of the extant Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

It therefore asked the Supreme Court to make an order nullifying and setting aside Sections 3, 4, 12, 14, 21, 23, 36, 39, 40, 43 and 44 of the Fourth Alteration Act, 2015 purportedly passed by the National Assembly.

In the summons, the Federal Government also wants the apex court to determine the following two questions: Whether the proposed amendment to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (hereinafter referred to as the Constitution) by the Defendant through sections 3, 4, 12, 14, 21, 23, 36, 39, 40, 43 and 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, ((Fourth Alteration) Act 2015 (hereinafter referred to as The Fourth Alteration Act 2015) which purportedly altered sections 8, 9, 34, 35, 39, 42, 45, 58, 84, 150, 174 and 211 of the Constitution without compliance with the requirements of section 9(3) of the Constitution is not unconstitutional, invalid, illegal, null and void?

Whether in the absence of compliance by the Defendant with the mandatory requirement of section 9(3) of the Constitution in the passage of the Fourth Alteration

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

the developmental agenda of this nation.

“This group of old people has a lot of self interest stopping them from fighting corruption.

“The new administration should be a merger between old and new. If we continue with business as usual, then sorry to Nigeria,” he said.

According to him, the most important thing and the only way forward for Nigeria today is the government of national unity.

“If we keep fighting, four years will pass. Our objective should be national development.

“If we do not have synergy,

Constitution crisis imminent

Mark

Tambuwal

“Another retired speaker who served for less than four years is barely 40 years old.

The National Assembly should justify why Nigerians should pay pension for life to such legislators for rendering part time service in the parliament”, Falana stressed.

Act, 2015, the Defendant can competently exercise its powers under section 58(5) of the Constitution to enable the purported Act to become Law? The Federal Government therefore asked the apex court to hold that the proposed amendments to the Constitution through sections 3, 4, 12, 14, 21, 23, 36, 39, 40, 43 and 44 of the Fourth Alteration Act, 2015 which purportedly altered sections 8, 9, 34, 35, 39, 42, 45, 58, 84, 150, 174 and 211 of the Constitution and passed by the Defendant without complying with the mandatory requirement of section 9(3) and (4) of the said Constitution stipulating passage by at least four-fifths majority of

all members of each House specified in sections 48 and 49 of the Constitution is unconstitutional, invalid, illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.

It also prayed the court to declare that in the absence of compliance by the Defendant with the mandatory requirements of section 9(3) of the Fourth Alteration Act, 2015 which purportedly altered sections 8, 9, 34, 35, 39, 42, 45, 58, 84, 150, 174 and 211 of the Constitution, it is unconstitutional for the Defendant to exercise its powers under section 58(5) of the Constitution to enable the purported Act to become Law. The originating summons is

our effectiveness will be compromised.

“APC campaign priority, corruption, which is number one, is a good one as Nigeria cannot go anywhere without tackling it.

“There is need to improve on power generation. If we don’t power the economy it will not grow,” he said.

According to him, the nation owes its youth a clear direction and good education.

“You can do all theoretically but action speaks louder than voice.

It is critical that we act right and show them good example.

He said he accepted the PASCON award because as a student in the University of Ibadan, he

was a student leader and it would help him continue to contribute his quota in helping students.

Onovo said that the African students remain the most strategic group for Africa’s future.

“The youths here will be making critical decisions in the next five years. I am not excited by awards. I get a stream of offers but I decline.

“We must intervene with the youth, especially the undergraduates, if we want our future to be great because they are critical to national development,” he said.

In his speech, the PASCON President, Mr Degboe Ayih from Malawi, said that Onovo was chosen for the award for his contribu-

tions to the growth of education and students in Nigeria.

“The Pan-African Students Congress Conference held at the University of Livingstonia, Malawi where Onovo’s contributions to education were brought to the front burner by PASCON Nigerian representatives,” he said.

Ayih said that Africa was faced with the dire consequence of years of neglect of youths in its ranks, which had resulted in various social vices.

He also used the opportunity to express worry at the Xenophobic attacks in South Africa, urging the South African government to checkmate it. (NAN)

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

11

Politics

OBJ sent plane to ferry me to Abuja thrice- Akanbi CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

him, this is not a question of third party telling me about him, we worked together; Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu was the Governor then, I was invited. The lecture with Osinbajo and the stuff he delivered convinces me such that the day he was appointed, I was very happy. And as for Buhari, its not that I didn’t know him at all, he was in government with our man here, Tunde Idiagbon and we have a mutual friend in Nasarawa state, Ahmed Jubril, he is very sick now. He is a very straight forward man. If you enter his room, you will find Aminu Kano’s photograph and you will find that of Buhari. When Buhari was GOC in Jos, I’m one of the eight people invited for dinner to welcome him, but the relationship was not so cordial. However, I have APC confidence in him too.

The two of them can do well.

Assuming you are invited to come back to ICPC would you want to render service to Nigeria?

Again at 82 plus! That would be unfair to other people; I can give advice, if my advice is sought but for me to take up a job again after I have established all these things I am doing. I am more into writing now, as you can see, this is a book that I am writing about the nation and things that would happen besides, I like my present stance, I am not under anybody’s control, Since I am on my own there is nothing that happen in the country that I don’t make my opinion known; Anything

that will affect the destiny of this country, I will not be indifferent, I will speak out and give advice.

If the conduct is right I will commend it, if it is going wrong I will criticize. I had the opportunity of doing a second tenure but I turned it down. I don’t believe in people sticking to the office just for the sake of it. There are so many other people, let them try it too and use their brain, but that is not to mean that if government ask advice on an issue, I will not give after all when I left ICPC Obasanjo sent an airplane to carry me about three times and he made good use of the advise.

Will four years be enough for Buhari to achieve all that Nigerians expect of his administration?

Four years is alright, even if as a head he is to spend one year, since he has a target he would be able to achieve it. All he needs do is set his target within the limit of the time he has. Four years is good enough a period to work with. Late General Muritala spent just six months and his name remains on the lips of Nigerians ever since. So he must work with a time table and utilize principle of division of labour; the people he would work with must be men of honour and integrity; that is the first thing he must be sure of.

Not that he should appoint people just because they are members of the party, square pegs in a round hole. He must look at the individuals who can work with him irrespective of the party affiliation; some may not even be apolitical.

You seem to have so much

faith in Nigeria, can this country work again?

(Cuts in sharply) Nigeria can work and it will work. People think that things are so bad, that extreme position is that of pessimists, see me here, what I have achieved since I left government I didn’t even achieve them while I was in government. I strongly believe that there are crop of decent honest men here and there; some of them decide to keep quiet because of the fear of what can happen to them for speaking out, but like Shakespeare said “Cowards die many times before their deaths. The brave experience death only once. The other thing Buhari should note is that in the Islamic teaching, a hypocrite can be known by three things; If he talks it’s a lie, if he makes a promise he would break it, if you give him trust, he would betray it.

In the Bible Jesus said that some people honour me with their lips but their heart is far away from me; it is not all that call the name of the Lord will be saved; and my little knowledge of literature, Shakespeare said “The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. An evil soul producing holy witness is like a villain with a smiling cheek, A goodly apple rotten at the heart. O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!”

Buhari should beware of those hypocrites, people whom Shakespeare describe as goodly apples rotten at the heart So once he knows the men to use, he can reach his goal in no time. He can achieve a lot. With that, in three years, the people will shout Ho-

Obasanjo sanna or shout well - done. Only then he would know that he has done well. With the little I know about him, I think we can trust him. Let us flash back on Jega; when they were criticizing him, I stood firm, defending him because I know him when he was ASUU President, then I was in Abuja; everywhere he was, he demonstrated honesty. I know he is doing what he knows to do best, after much criticism, now people are praising him, so if you have a focus, if you have the determina-

tion and commitment, following it to the letter you won’t fail.

Nigeria will not fail because Africa is looking up to us. Some people predicted that Nigeria will collapse in 2015 but it will not collapse. As long as there are few people like us who value dignity, people with respect and integrity, many of them are afraid to come out and talk but I can assure you that there are many people who still have integrity in Nigeria, by the grace of God, Nigeria will survive.

Executive-Legislature clash imminent CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

supported by an affidavit deposed to by a lawyer in Bayo Ojo’s chambers, Mr Theophilus Okwute, who claimed the AGF told him that the purported Fourth Alteration Act 2015 was not passed with the mandatory requirement of four-fifths majority of members of the Defendant and the mandatory due processes provided for under the relevant sections of the extant Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

He said the Defendant is making moves, with the tacit consent of all the State Houses of Assembly to employ certain provisions of the Constitution to now pass the purported Fourth Alteration Act, 2015 into Law. He also claimed that the said

purported Fourth Alteration Act 2015 contains many proposed amendments inconsistent with the spirit of federalism, separation of powers and checks and balances, all of which constitute the hallmark of the Constitution and democracy.

Maintaining that most of the provisions of the purported Fourth Alteration Act 2015 are contrary to public policy and good governance, he said that it will be in the interest of justice to grant all the prayers sought in the suit.

In withholding his assent, President Jonathan queried the decision of the National Assembly to whittle down some executive powers of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, whilst also faulting some amendments which gives executive powers and duties to the Legislature and the

Judiciary.

In a seven-page letter to Senate President David Mark and House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, President Jonathan explained his position on the amendment and why he declined to sign the document into law.

The President concluded by saying: “In view of the foregoing and absence of credible evidence that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Fourth Alteration) Act 2015 satisfied the strict requirements of Section 9(3) of the 1999 Constitution, it will be unconstitutional for me to assent to it.

“I therefore withhold my assent and accordingly remit Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Fourth Alteration) Act 2015 to the Senate /House of Represen-

tatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

He listed some faults in the amendment: • Non-compliance with the threshold specified in Section 9(3) of the 1999 Constitution on amendments; • Alteration to constitution cannot be valid with mere voice votes unless supported by the votes of not less than four-fifths majority all members of National Assembly and two-thirds of all the 36 State Houses of Assembly; • Right to free basic education and primary and maternal care services imposed on private institutions • Flagrant violation of the doctrine of separation of powers, • Unjustified whittling down of the Executive powers of the Federation vested in the President by

virtue of Section 5(1) of the 1999 Constitution; • 30 days allowed for assent of the President; and • Limiting expenditure in default of appropriation from 6months to three months • Creation of the Office of Accountant-General of the Federation distinct from the Accountant General of the Federal Government • Empowering National Economic Council to appoint the Accountant-General of the Federation instead of the President; • Allowing NJC to now appoint the Attorney-General of the Federation rather than the President; • Unwittingly whittling down the discretionary powers of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

News 12

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Buhari affirms plan to probe NNPC Continued from page 4 He said for instance, no one had accounted for the billions of dollars paid in kerosene subsidy which was not approved by the National Assembly.

Sanusi added that Nigeria’s economic crisis caused by the fall in oil prices, the stock market crash and the devaluation of the naira, was due to the mismanagement of oil funds.

He said, “My position in the Central Bank was that there was always this gap of $20bn after reconciliation between what the NNPC exported and what it deposited into the Federation Account.

I raised a number of issues that I think have not yet been discussed and addressed sufficiently.

“One of them is the billions of dollars being paid in kerosene subsidies without appropriation by the National Assembly and against a presidential order and we don’t know who authorised those payments and yet no one has owned up to say I authorised the payments, I made a mistake.

It must stop. I think those issues need to be addressed and until we address them and begin to close all the loopholes in government revenues, we are going to continue to create opportunity for the destruction of the economy.

“It could be $20bn at the end of the day. After reconciliation it could amount to $14(bn) or $12(bn) and I think these issues reflect unconstitutional and illegal withholding of revenues from the Fed-

eration Account.

“The country is paying the price today; oil prices have crashed, the currency has been devalued, the stock market has collapsed, government revenues are in a very bad shape. Whoever wins, whether this government or the opposition, will have to deal with these issues. The petroleum sector is a major drain on the resources of the country and this has to be looked at.”

Last week, Fayemi who is the Director of Policy, Research and Strategy of the APC Presidential Campaign, told Bloomberg that the NNPC would need to refund more than $1.48 billion. Fayemi added that the incoming APC administration would publish the full audit report of the NNPC

Kano State Governor, Alh. Rabi’u Kwankwaso (right) condoling with the family of the late elder statesman Imamu Abubakar Wali, CON, at the residence of the deceased at Daneji Quarters, Kano City… on Sunday.

and expected that the corporation would need to repay the government more than previously recommended.

He said: “I have a figure that’s more than $1.5 billion that’s being

talked about. We’ve seen credible information that what PwC says is more than that. We will release the report. We’ll make it available to Nigerians as soon as we have full information on this.”

Ihedioha kicks as INEC names Okorocha Imo gov Continued from page 4 fully-armed men impersonation police officers and recorded inducement of INEC staff at Government House, Owerri on the eve of the election as captured in photographs, audio and video recordings by local and international observes, and in spite of the proven widespread incidents of swapping of PDP votes in favour of APC, all of which eroded the validity and credibility of the exercise, INEC has gone ahead to declare the APC candidate as the winner.”

“As a democrat and a law-abiding citizen, I wish to acknowledge the declaration of the results by INEC. We will study the details of the results announced very carefully and communicate our position in the near future.

He urged the people of the state to maintain the peace and keep the dream of rebuilding the state together alive.

In a related development, the APC candidate in the just-concluded governorship election in Taraba State, Senator Aisha Al-

hassan, has rejected the results of the poll announced by INEC on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference in Jalingo, shortly after the announcement of the results, Alhassan described the entire elections process as “daylight robbery” saying the party would challenge the results in the elections tribunal.

“The combined governorship elections in Taraba were characterised by violence, massive rigging, ballot-snatching and abuse of the card readers in substantial parts of the state by the PDP and their allies,” she said.

She contended that results ascribed to Wukari, Donga, Takum, Sardauna, Zing, Yorro, Kurmi and some parts of Ussa, KarimLamido, Bali, Ardo-Kola and Lau local government areas were not acceptable as they did not reflect the true results of the election in Taraba.

Alhassan said all the complaints on the irregularities and abuse of the election guidelines were promptly reported to INEC, but that no action was taken.

Indonesia gives 72-hour execution notice to drug traffickers •••

Time ticks dangerously – 72 hours counting from Sunday – for four Nigerian men and five others who have been convicted for drug trafficking in Indonesia.

By the decision, the Indonesian government brushed aside pleas from the global community, including the United Nations.

The Indonesian government on Sunday notified the nine foreigners and a local man that their executions would be carried out within days, ignoring appeals by the U.N. chief and foreign leaders to spare them.

Also on the death row are, two Australian men, a Filipino woman, and one man each from Brazil, France and Indonesia. They were on Sunday told to ask to make known their last wishes, the Agence France Presse (AFC) quoted the spokesman for the attorney general, Tony Spon-

tana, as saying.

He said the legal options of nine of them had been exhausted, while Frenchman Serge Atlaoui still had an outstanding legal complaint over the procedure followed in his request for clemency. Spontana said he expected the Supreme Court to rule on it Monday.

The 72-hour notice indicates the executions by firing squad in Besi prison on Nusakambangan Island will be carried out at the earliest on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The pending executions have caused an international outcry, particularly in Australia, France and the Philippines, which are opposed to the death penalty.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to “urgently consider declaring a moratorium on capital punishment in Indonesia,

with a view toward abolition.”

French President Francois Hollande has warned of diplomatic consequences if Atlaoui is executed, and said on Saturday that there could be possible economic fallout as well.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, whose government has been pressuring Indonesia to spare the two Australians, arrived on a visit to Paris on Saturday night and was expected to discuss the situation with Hollande.

Australian heroin traffickers Andrew Chan, 31, and Myuran Sukumaran, 33, were the ringleaders of a gang of nine Australians arrested in April 2005 while trying to smuggle more than 8 kilograms of heroin from the resort island of Bali to Sydney. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said on Sunday that he would again appeal the case of Fili-

pino convict Mary Jane Veloso to Jokowi when they meet at an annual summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Malaysia on Monday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila issued over the weekend Veloso’s handwritten letters from her Indonesian prison where she pleaded to Aquino and other officials to continue efforts to save her.

She repeated that she was tricked by a compatriot into carrying illegal drugs in a luggage as she traveled in the hope of landing a job as a house helper.

“Please save my life, I have two children who need the love of their mother,” Veloso wrote to Aquino.

“We’re poor and I wanted to change our life but I could never commit the crime they have accused me of.”

About 100 left-wing activists from women’s and migrant workers’ groups carried Veloso’s portraits, lit

candles and demanded that Jokowi spare her life in a vigil late Sunday at the Indonesian Embassy in Manila.

They held up placards that read: “Stop execution” and “Mercy and compassion for Mary Jane.”

Consular officials and relatives were arriving on Sunday at a town near Nusakambangan, the high-security prison island, for the last visit to the convicts.

Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws and often executes smugglers. More than 130 people are on death row, mostly for drug crimes.

About a third of them are foreigners.

In January, six convicted drug smugglers, including five from Brazil, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Nigeria and Malawi, were executed at the same prison, prompting the Netherlands and Brazil to recall their ambassadors in protest.

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Somali refugees deny camps used to train, plan terror

People sing as they attend a memorial concert at the "Freedom Corner" in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, April 14, 2015, in memory of the Garissa University students who were killed by gunmen.

•••

The Kenyan government has attributed recent terror attacks in the country to the presence of Somali refugees at the sprawling Dadaab camps, a claim denied by the refugees.

Kenyan officials and security authorities have called for the Dadaab refugee camps in the country's north to be closed and

its population sent back to liberated areas under the control of African Union forces and the Somali government.

Kenyan leaders have insisted Somalia's Islamist militant group, al-Shabab, uses refugee camps to train and plan attacks in the country.

Mohamed Olow Odowa, a secu-

rity chairman at Ifo camp, one of the five camps in Dadaab, denied the charge, calling it an insult to the Kenyan government and its security apparatus.

Odowa, who is also the spokesman for the security committee of the Dadaab camps, noted that like any other town in the country, bad and good people visit the

US condemns Burundi president's re-election bid •••

The United States has condemned Burundi President, Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial bid for a third term in office, warning that the central African country "is losing an historic opportunity to strengthen its democracy.

"We regret this significant missed opportunity, but the hard work of building democratic practices and institutions must continue," acting state department spokesperson, Marie Harf said, accusing the ruling party of disregarding the term-limit provisions of the Arusha Accords.

"In that spirit, we urge all parties to participate in the legislative and national elections and ensure these electoral processes are inclusive, transparent, credible, free and conducted in an environment without threats, intimidation, or violence."

Burundi only emerged from civil war in 2006 and there are

fears that Nkurunziza's effort to cling to power could push the nation back into violence.

Opposition and civil society groups in Burundi have branded Nkurunziza's bid to run again as an unconstitutional violation of the Arusha Accords that ended the 1993-2006 civil war.

"We specifically call on the Burundian government to respect the rights of all peaceful political parties and their candidates to campaign, hold meetings and rallies and express their views," Harf said in a statement, hinting Washington was prepared to act if necessary.

"The United States will continue to monitor the situation in Burundi closely and take targeted measures, including, where appropriate, by denying US visas, to hold accountable those individuals who participate in, plan, or order violence against the civilian population," she said.

Stylianides

•••

South Sudan's warring leaders must strike a compromise deal, the European Union's aid chief said Saturday, warning the international community was running out of patience over the country's civil war.

"The war and the blame games must stop, and they must stop now - it is high time for peace," said EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Christos Stylianides, after travelling to both government and opposition strongholds in the war-torn country to plead with leaders to end fighting.

South Sudan's civil war started in December 2013, when President Salva Kiir accused Riek Machar, who had been sacked as vice president, of attempting a coup. Peace

camps and the government must weed out the criminals.

President Uhuru Kenyatta's government is under pressure to do something about the worsening security situation.

In early April, fighters from alShabab stormed Garissa University College in northeast Kenya, killing 148 people, mostly students.

Local politicians have vowed to help the central government with information about militant groups' activities.

Hassan Mohamed, a young man living in Dadaab, said Kenyan political leaders are shifting the blame to refugees because there is no one to defend them.

"If you are a politician, the only [people] you can attack are the innocent --- refugees, powerless and [those] who stay in muddy, dirty and dark areas. So as a politician you cannot say it's me who is behind this but you have to say they are people who are living under you or under Kenya," Mohamed said.

In the recent attack on Garissa University, investigators revealed four of the attackers were Kenyans, one of them the son of a Mandera local chief, and two from western Kenya. Authorities said they believe the fourth was from the coastal city of Mombasa.

S' Sudan leaders must strike deal for sake of nation - UN talks brokered by regional powers collapsed in March.

"The international community is becoming very frustrated," Stylianides told AFP, although he declined to say whether the EU would make further sanctions on military or political leaders, after placing asset freezes and travel bans last year on two commanders on both sides.

"I come from Cyprus, and so I know well what problems ethnic violence can cause," he added, referring to the division of the Mediterranean island between Greeks and Turks. "All of us have our narratives of our history, but the most important things are peace and security. War is no solution, compromises must be made."

13 Africa Egypt militants killed while making bombs •••

Egyptian police said on Saturday that four Islamists were killed in an accidental explosion while preparing bombs south of the capital.

Police said the suspected militants were members of the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood movement of former Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, whom the army toppled in 2013.

The explosion took place on Friday on a farm in the province of Beni Suef south of Cairo, the interior ministry said in a statement.

Police found bomb-making materials at the site, the ministry said. Morsi's overthrow, prompted by mass street protests against his year-long rule, was followed by a deadly crackdown on his supporters and a surge in militant attacks on police. His Muslim Brotherhood has been banned and designated a "terrorist" organisation, although the once-powerful grassroots movement says it eschews violence.

Togo begins vote count in presidential election •••

Togo's election officials were tallying results Sunday after voting in the presidential election that appeared to have a low turnout and would likely leave President Faure Gnassingbe in power.

Gnassingbe was running for a third five-year term, which would keep his family in power for nearly 50 years. He assumed office in 2005 upon the death of his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled the former French colony for 38 years.

Opposition leader Jean-Pierre Fabre, who also ran for president in the last election, is expected to come in second in the singleround presidential poll.

About 3.5 million people, representing half of Togo's population, were registered to vote Saturday, though the turnout was light in Lome, the capital. Observers put the turnout at about 40 percent.

Rights groups have criticized Togo for using violence against protesters.

Hundreds of election observers descended on Togo to monitor the election.

World 14

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Fresh quake hits Nepal •••

A powerful, 6.7-magnitude aftershock shook the Kathmandu area of Nepal Sunday, a day after the massive earthquake that devastated the region with more than 2,200 deaths and destruction of homes and infrastructure.

Disaster response teams from the United States and other nations are deploying to help search, rescue, and recovery efforts.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the strong aftershock was one of at least 18 lesser tremors that followed Saturday's quake. With its epicenter about 65 kilometers east of the capital, no effects of the latest quake have been announced.

Saturday's 7.8 magnitude quake struck 80 kilometers northwest of Kathmandu, destroying large parts of the city's historic center.

To the east, avalanches shook Mt. Everest --- the highest point on earth --- killing at least 17 climbers, injuring many others and burying entire base camps.

By early Sunday, sources reported to VOA deaths and extensive property damage in the Tibet Autonomous Region, hundreds of kilometers north of Kathmandu.

At least 34 people were killed in India, as other partial casualty re-

•••

Rescuers at work on Sunday

ports from far-flung regions came from Bangladesh, Bhutan and elsewhere in the vast and remote Nepal-Chinese border regions.

The United States expressed condolences for the lives lost and pledged an immediate $1 million for disaster relief.

Additionally, the Obama ad-

ministration activated an elite Virginia-based earthquake rescue team, and told another renowned team of specialists in Los Angeles to prepare for deployment.

A spokesman for the Fairfax, Virginia-based international search-and-rescue operation told VOA Saturday that its 80-mem-

ber unit --- including physicians, canine teams and structural specialists --- was ready to deploy and was awaiting final orders to do so.

India's Foreign Secretary, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, said three tons of supplies and 40 members of India's National Disaster Response Force were flying to Nepal.

Death of Ukraine Soldier puts ceasefire in question

•••

Six die in Baghdad bombings

A fragile ceasefire between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists came under renewed pressure Sunday with the Ukrainian military reporting a serviceman had been killed and seven others wounded in rebel attacks.

The casualties, which followed the death on Saturday of another serviceman in shelling in the south east, occurred as the Ukrainian military and the rebels accused each other of violating a peace deal signed in Minsk, Belarus, in February.

The latest violence has revived

concerns that the deal, brokered by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, could collapse, even though international monitors say violations were relatively limited.

More than 6,100 civilians, separatists and pro-Kyiv service staff have been killed so far in the conflict. Fighting erupted in Ukraine's Russian-speaking east after the Moscow-backed president was ousted in a public revolt and Russia annexed Crimea.

Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksander Motuzyanyk said the separatists had stepped

Airstrikes, ground fighting rage in Yemen

Fighting raged through Yemen Sunday, with jets from the Saudi-led coalition attacking Houthi-held positions near the presidential compound in the capital of Sana'a and ground clashes erupting in the southern port city of Aden. Witnesses reported at least five airstrikes on an arms depot at a military base on the outskirts of Sana'a and at a site near the palace where weapons were being transported.

Meanwhile, other air raids and naval warships targeted Houthis in Aden, with new street fighting between them and troops loyal to

•••

up their attacks against government forces and were using large-calibre artillery, all in violation of the Minsk agreement.

He said attacks were largely focused near the airport in the big regional city of Donetsk and in the south-east near Mariupol, a government-held coastal city of a half-million on the Sea of Azov.

Mariupol is of strategic importance because of its position between rebel-controlled eastern regions and Russianannexed Crimea.

“An increase in the number

of violations of the ceasefire regime by [separatist] fighters has been noticeable in the past 24 hours,” Motuzyanyk said.

He said the rebels were also using Grad rockets, again in violation of the Minsk deal which calls for heavy weaponry to be pulled back from the conflict zone.

The Ukrainian military on Saturday made similar accusations against the rebels, who in turn accused the military of opening fire on an aid convoy from Russia and of firing indiscriminately in populated areas.

President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who has fled to exile in Saudi Arabia. Other fighting erupted in the oil-rich central Marib province. Forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh aligned with the Houthis fought tribesmen on the ground while Saudi jets launched airstrikes.

The warplanes also struck prorebel sites in Shabwa and Lahj provinces. The Riyadh-led air bombardment entered its second month, Sunday, despite Saudi Arabia's announcement last week that it was scaling back its campaign.

The latest airstrikes and ground clashes show how elusive a negotiated peace may be in the Arab world's poorest country.

The United Nations has appointed Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as the new special envoy to Yemen.

The UN said Ahmed "will work closely with the members of the United Nations Security Council, the Gulf Cooperation Council, governments in the region and other partners, as well as the United Nations country team for Yemen" in an effort to start peace talks.

Iraqi officials say car bombings in and around Baghdad have killed at least six civilians.

A police officer said the deadliest in Sunday's attacks was in the nearby town of Mahmoudiya, about 30km south of Baghdad, where a car bomb exploded, killing at least four civilians and wounding nine.

Two others were killed and 11 wounded in another car bomb explosion in Baghdad's southwestern Amil neighbourhood.

Medical officials confirmed the casualties.

The attacks come as government forces are struggling to dislodge Islamic State militants from the western province of Anbar which they overran a year ago.

ISIS militants on Saturday attacked a border crossing between Iraqi and Jordan, killing four Iraqi soldiers.

Malaysia detains 12 over ISIS suspected links •••

Malaysian police have detained 12 men suspected of being linked to the Islamic State group and who are believed to be plotting attacks on strategic government targets in the country.

National police chief, Khalid Abu Bakar, says the men, all Malaysians aged from 17 to 41, were detained during an operation.

He said on Sunday that the men were believed to be responding to calls by ISIS leaders in Syria to attack secular Islamic countries.

Khalid said police also seized ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate powder, kerosene and wires, among other items that could be used to make bombs.

Malaysia has detained nearly 100 suspected supporters of the Islamic State group in the past two years.

Bakar

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

15 Opinion

Nigeria’s democratic absurdities

A

E.O. Eke

s the absurdities of the evolving Nigerian democracy mounts, it is important to remind ourselves that it took Europe many years to learn the true meaning of democracy and the rule of law. They also learnt that the rule of men allows autocracy, corruption and injustice to fester.

In Europe countries like Greece and Spain, where military dictatorship of the type we experienced in Nigeria, had taken place, the are still feeling their effect in form of entrenched corruption and economic problems.

This is perhaps why when the founding fathers of America were writing her constitution and choosing form of government, they did not forget the lessons of autocracy they learnt in Europe. They found no justification or legitimacy for power that did not follow from the consent of the people.

A country like Nigeria, which does not seem to learn from her own history, May perhaps learn from the history of other countries.

When Lord Acton said power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, he was talking about people using power the way the

Jonathans, Obasanjos, Babangidas, Abachas etc., have used it and the way the Buhari may use it in their second coming.

Nigeria’s democracy is largely unaccountable and dominated by men and women with neither vision nor moral compass. They have ruled by force and fraud. If the power delegated to governments is for the benefit of the society, the Nigeria government has failed woefully.

Those whose duty it is to enact laws to safeguard the intended civil society or enforce the laws have failed. We are left with a country, where religion and ethnicity are the divisive constructs on which the people segregate.

History may look back and conclude that the present generation of Nigerian politicians is perhaps the most insensitive, corrupt and clueless because of their inability to address corruption and enthrone probity in public life.

A country like Nigeria, ravaged by corruption and besieged by Boko Haram, which is trying to link itself with IS, should be preparing every citizen for the existential threat they pose. Rather, the government prefers to play politics with the war against terror and leave the people defenceless victims of suicide bombers and indiscriminate attacks

by Fulani herdsmen.

Why has the government allowed Fulani herdsmen to carry assault rifles? Why are villages in the Middle Belt not protected against Fulani herdsmen terrorism or allowed to arm themselves? I wonder how APC will tame the armed Fulani herdsmen now that Buhari, a Fulani has been elected president.

What can explain the way and manner the government has conducted the war against terror and approaches to probity, accountability and abuse of power? Why is the police incapable of prosecuting corrupt politicians? Why has the National Assembly failed to enact legislations to address the abuse of power? Why should we continue to operate a system, where the executive is a law into itself with criminal power of patronage and the legislators behaving as they have the power to over rule all?

These aberrations of the Nigerian democracy, like the way and manner political parties are run, are a threat to the survival of liberal democracy. A political party is not a company, it is a vehicle to seek the trust of the people and government is not a business with the right set up and exercise power for its own emolument. A political party is a vehicle to actualise the hope and aspiration of the people through a

government that is people centred.

In view of the belligerence and ineffectiveness of the Senate in addressing the real problems of Nigeria, I would propose a restructuring of the Nigerian democracy by scraping the Senate. I have often wondered what use the two legislative arms serve in Nigeria, when one can do the work better at less cost. The Nigeria senate has become a place where corrupt politicians retire to escape justice and an unjustifiable expense the country can do without.

In the last few years, the Nigerian legislature has spent its time scheming to amend the Nigeria constitution for the sole benefit of the legislative arm of government.

It is not the duty of legislators to amend constitutions to preserve their powers and interests. This is an abuse of power and betrayal of trust. Constitution should be amended by an elected constitution amending committee and its recommendations subjected to approval of the people in a referendum.

What is happening is Nigeria is rape and murder of democracy. The legislators are raping the constitution to increase their power and reduce accountability. It is a shameful self-serving and self-defeating power grab that erodes the foundation of democracy.

When lawmakers go to Equity with dirty hands

S Ignatius Okpara

ince the inception of the nation’s ongoing democratic rule, on May 29, 1999, the Enugu state House of Assembly had been synonymous with its docile, inactive, and toothless bulldog nature.

Ordinarily, legislators, ought to be persons of sound minds charged with making of human oriented laws that will truly impact on the lives of those they serve. But for many political watchers and analysts in Enugu State, the 24- member Peoples Democratic Party, PDP dominated House since 1999, had been a bundle of disappointment, especially the constituencies they represent. Because of its non proactiveness, many had adjudged the House, as the worst Assembly in the entire South- East as far as quality representation is concerned. For their selfish and personal interests, the legislators, had over the years, preferred to operate as toothless bulldogs, or rubber stamp to the executive arm so as to guarantee their welfare packages.

Enugu lawmakers, especially under the present dispensation, had turned legislative business into a mockery. It is only in the hallowed

chamber of state House of Assembly that legislators make submissions in their mother tongue, (Igbo language) during plenary proceedings, due to their speech impediment in English.

Apart from the era when exgovernor of the state Chimaroke Ogbonnaya Nnamani declared war on his political godfather, and one time governor of old Anambra state, Jim Nwobodo, the state, had never witnessed an active or vibrant legislature. In fact, most citizens are not interested in the affairs of the House, or believe in the lawmakers, as they only see them as political merchants. It was the rift between the two political giants, Nnamani/ Nwobodo, which raged for a long time that brought the then two factions of the state Assembly members into public glare and domain for the first time. During the said period, the House became controversial and divided, as both factions engaged in all manner of attacks, using both orthodox and unorthodox means.

Without prejudice, the outgoing Assembly under Barrister Eugene Odoh, seem to be the least performed in the history of the state legislature. For eight years, the Igbo Etiti politician, took over mantle of

leadership of the House, the executive arm of government under the headship of another lawyer turned politician, Sullivan Iheanacho Chime, had been engaging in series of administrative recklessness with impunity.

The executive had been using the Odoh, led legislature to perfect some of its selfish and unpopular actions, such as the impeachment of the ex-Deputy governor, Sunday Onyebuchi, who was sacked from office because he operated a poultry farm at his official residence.

Because Odoh, and his colleagues were benefiting, and getting all their entitlements from the Chime led executive, they never saw anything wrong in the administration in the past eight years, until recently when the House monthly overhead allocation was delayed due to shortage of cash. Before then, Odoh, and his fellow lawmakers, had always presented governor Chime before the public as God sent. As typical Nigerian politicians, whose personal interest always remain paramount, the Odoh led House, did not hesitate to declare political war on Chime. For those who may not know, the main bone of contention in the present Legislative/ Executive war, is the delay in the release of the House

March and April, 2015 overhead.

Apart from the non-release of the two months allocations, majority of the lawmakers, are also bitter with Chime, for not using government might to deliver them in their respective constituencies at the last general election. For many followers of Enugu politics, what is currently happening between the lawmakers, and the governor, serves the legislators right? Besides, many also believe that the lawmakers are going to equity with dirty hands.

However, the seemingly cold war between the state chief executive, and the lawmakers, had continued to assume different twists since it started about a fortnight ago. Only recently, Wednesday, April 15, 2015, had during their sitting ordered the arrest of the Accountant- General, (A-G), Mr. Basil Okolie, through the issuance of a bench warrant on him, over the non payment of the said controversial overhead.

Prior to the Wednesday’s bench warrant on the AG, the House, had at one of its plenary, suspended one of their members and close ally of Chime Hon. Johnbull Nwagu.

When the speaker, Hon. Odoh, put the motion of the bench warrant to vote, all the members present voted in favour of the arrest of the AG.

News 16

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Sanitation: 60 arrested in Kwara over disturbances Ola Yekeen Ilorin

•••

The Kwara State Police Command, on Sunday, confirmed the arrest of about 60 suspects connected with Saturday’s disturbance at Agbarere quarters of Ilorin, in which two persons were killed.

The spokesman of the command, Mr Ajayi Okasanmi, dis-

closed this while giving update on the mayhem that trailed the clash between the operatives of the National Drugs Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and drug users during the Saturday sanitation exercise in Ilorin.

Okasanmi said the Command had launched a manhunt for the ring leaders behind the disturbance.

He said the ringleader of the crisis was believed to have led his gang on a reprisal attack at the family compound of two operatives of the NDLEA. He said the NDLEA operatives were part of the team that raided the den of marijuana smokers’ at Idi-Ape- Baruba area of Ilorin last Friday.

Enraged by the attack on their hideout, the ringleader al-

legedly led his men to the family residence of the officers, setting many houses and motorcycles ablaze while a number of vehicles were also damaged.

The Police spokesman said the command had ordered thorough probe into the immediate and remote causes of the incidence while those found culpable would be prosecuted accordingly.

L-R: Regional Manager, Stanbic IBTC, Ayoolu Oni; Manager, Events and Corporate Social Investment, Stanbic IBTC, Ame Okwudi; Community Leader, Makoko, Mr. Iroko Temitope and Team leader, Makoko, Slum2School, Nkoyo Bassey with some of the school children during the distribution of mosquito nets to school children in Makoko, Lagos State

by Stanbic IBTC to mark the World Malaria Day… at the weekend

•••

Over hundreds of passengers of Arik Airline staged a protest last weekend at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for not being airlifted by the airline to their various destinations.

The stranded passengers gathered at the airport terminal and engaged in a protest which led to the disruption of operations at the counter of Arik Air as they prevented officials of the airline from carrying out their daily duties.

Daily Times gathered that some of the passengers had been at the airport for three days and could no longer bear the disappointment they had

Faith Faithful

Port Harcourt In its determination to complete all on-going projects, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) said its Ekeremor Shore Protection project in Bayelsa State and the 44 chalet built for members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at Otuoke, in Ogbia Local Government Area have almost been completed and ready for commissioning.

The Managing Director of the commission, Mr. Bassey Dan-Abia, who was in Ekeremor and Otuoke to assess the performance of its contractors disclosed this to newsmen. DanAbia also inspected the 1.8-kilometre shore-protection project at Ekeremor, in Ekeremor Local Government Area.

•••

INEC fixes April 28 for Kogi polling units re-run •••

Airline’s passengers stranded, protest at Lagos airport Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

NDDC to commission Ekeremor shore protection project

been subjected to by the airline which made them to stage the protest.

It was further gathered that passengers affected included those travelling to LondonHeathrow, Abidjan, Douala, Johannesburg, Banjul and Cotonou.

One of the passengers, who was supposed to have been flown to Abidjan, in Ivory Coast, on Sunday, Mr. Samuel Oseseamhe, said that problem started about three days ago following the grounding of Arik’s Air operations in Abuja airport over the N1.2 billion debts that the airline was owing the government.

Oseseamhe said that the situation affected them in Lagos as flights operations were also

disturbed at the MMIA while adding that as at Friday, Arik officials were still collecting their money and booking them for flights.

He further noted that the airline had not been able to airlift them to their various destinations, affirming that after boarding the aircraft for about three hours on Friday, they were asked to disembark saying that they could not fly.

He said: “The issue of Arik started three days ago when some government agencies said that they were owing them about N1.2 billion aggregate and they have not been able to pay them as required.

After giving them a warning signal, they had to ground their plane in Abuja, but as at

Sunday, they were still selling ticket.

“At the Cotonou airport in Benin Republic, they told Arik Air not to land at all, so we waited till almost 9:00 O clock in the night before they took some of us to the hotel and provided us meals hoping that when we come in the morning, they will actually take care of what they promised us, but to our surprise, we learnt that some people had been here for three days supposedly going to South Africa and perhaps Heathrow airport in London. “ Efforts to get the Corporate Affairs Manager of Arik Air, Mr. Ola Banji, proved abortive as he did not pick calls put across to him as at the time of filing in this report.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rescheduled another supplementary election for Ajaokuta constituency of Kogi State for tomorrow, Tuesday 28, April, 2015.

This followed the crisis that marred the exercise at the Local Government Headquarters in Adogo on Saturday.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Hussein Halilu Pai, disclosed this while speaking at the stakeholders meeting held at the state INEC Headquarters in Lokoja on Sunday.

Pai stated that this became necessary in order to find a way forward by conducting election into the seven polling units in the area.

Reformed PDP launched in Oyo

•••

In its determination to form a formidable opposition and eventual take-over mantle of leadership in Oyo State, come 2019, a group within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Sunday, at a meeting held at the residence of one of the party stalwarts, Alhaji Adebisi Olopoenia, in Ibadan, launched what it called a ‘Reformed PDP’.

According to the convener, Olopoenia, the motive behind the move, is to reform the party and also make it a force to reckon with in the world of politics.

Business Times Æ s Ecobank appeals $26m judgement Adesola Akindele

Tanoh, Former CEO, Eco Bank

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, parent company of the Ecobank Group, has said the company was confident of upturning a $26 million judgement against it through the appellate courts.

Ecobank, through the NSE stated that it held a special meeting in Accra to discuss recent court judgments in Côte d’Ivoire and Togo. These judgments awarded over US$26 million to the company’s former CEO, Mr Thierry Tanoh, whose appointment was terminated in March 2014 after he had spent less than two years in the position.

ETI stated that the Board evaluated its legal position in regard to these judgments, and resolved to pursue its appeals.

It is confident about the robustness and merits of these appeals, and feels assured that the higher courts will ultimately uphold them. It also resolved to continue other legal proceedings against Mr Tanoh.

ETI also stated that its new Board of Directors, which was constituted in 2014, is a highly credible and vastly experienced board; under its guidance, the group’s management has subsequently completed a rigorous 51-point action plan to implement best practice governance controls and systems, including quarterly reporting to regulators.

Since the inception of the new board and the current management team, two institutional in-

vestors, Nedbank and Qatar National Bank have both become significant ETI shareholders.

The Ecobank Group reaffirms its financial strength and its commitment to transparent corporate governance as a systemically important banking group in Africa.

The Company has signed a one-year senior unsecured loan facility of USD 50 million arranged by Deutsche Bank AG. The facility will be used for general corporate purposes.

ETI successfully raised a USD 200 million loan facility from Deutsche Bank in December 2014. This new USD 50 million loan facility brings total funding arranged by Deutsche Bank to $250 million.

Nigeria’s tech sector attracts increased investments from Finland Tony Nwakaegho

The Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury, has announced plans by more Finish companies to increase their business investments in Nigeria.

Suomela-Chowdhury said this in Lagos, adding that the companies were interested in Nigeria and Ghanas’s information technology, power supply, infrastructure and meteorological technology sectors.

The envoy added that though there were also some Finish companies currently doing business with Nigerian partners, more of the country’s investors had indicated interest in Nigeria’s investment environment. ``There are presently only few Finish companies in Nigeria and Ghana, including Nokia and Baracella, a power company. ``We have found out that Nigeria and other West African countries have not really witnessed so much investment from Finland. ``But there are presently a growing interest of Finish com-

panies to come and do business in Nigeria today,’’ she said.

Soumela-Chowdhury said that her country’s representative in East and West Africa met recently on how best Finish companies could harness the huge investment opportunities in the continent.

The ambassador also disclosed her government’s plan to soon follow-up on its company’s interest in Nigeria with high level visits to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Soumela-Chowdhury urged the Nigerian government to create the right investment environment for foreign investors through the provision of adequate security. ``We, however, look forward to a positive operating environment in Nigeria because no foreign company or investor would want to invest in place with security problems,’’ she said.

Soumela-Chowdhury restated her country’s commitment to sustaining political, trade and economic relations with Nigeria in the years ahead.

Suomela-Chowdhury, Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria

17

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Capital Market Report

NSE All Share Index declines as market investors trade N27.8 billion Adesola Akindele Investors on the Nigerian Stock Exchange traded 1.950 billion shares worth N27.836 billion in 19, 337 deals last sweek. This is in contrast to a total of 2.027 billion shares valued at N20.627 billion that exchanged hands penultimate week in 23,436 deals.

The NSE All-Share Index and Market Capitalisation depreciated by 8.00% to close on Friday at 27,585.26 and N 9.204 trillion respectively. Similarly, all indices finished lower during the week with exception of the NSE Oil & Gas Index that rose by 0.38%, while NSE ASeM Index closed flat.

Eleven (11) equities appreciated in price during the week, lower than forty-two (42) equities in the preceding week. Fifty-three (53) equities depreciated in price, higher than twenty-nine (29) equities in the preceding week, while one hundred and thirty-two (132) equities remained unchanged higher than one hundred and twenty-five (125) equities recorded in the preceding week.

The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 1.521 billion shares valued at N13.760 billion traded in 10,967 deals; thus contributing 78.01% and 49.43% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Consumer Goods Industry followed with a turnover of 177.396 million shares worth N10.822 billion in 3,622 deals.

The third place was occupied by the Conglomerates Industry with 171.830 million shares worth N549.426 million in 1,463 deals.

Trading in the Top Three Equities namely- FBN Holdings Plc, Access Bank Plc, and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (measured by volume) accounted for 793.727 million shares worth N7.789 billion in 5,168 deals, contributing 40.70% and 27.98% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

ETPs Also traded during the week were a total of 112,499 units of Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) valued at N1.698 million executed in 36 deals compared with a total of 114,221 units valued at N2.074 million transacted last week in 28 deals There was no activity recorded in the debt board this week. However, a total of 133 units of FGN bonds valued at N138,632.44 were executed in 1 deal in the previous week.

On New Listings, The N2billion 5-Year 15.5% Fixed Rate Secured Bonds Due 2019 issued by Fidson Healthcare Plc (Corporate Bond) was admitted to trade at the Exchange on 11th February, 2015.

Aviation 18

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Jobless pilots: FG commended over new directive Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo The directive by Federal Government that pilots who were not gainfully employed should be given jobs aboard all aircraft flying in Nigeria has been commended by Chairman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Captain Nogie Meggison.

Meggison made the commendation while fielding questions from aviation correspondents in Lagos, noting that about 327 pilots were without jobs in the country.

According to him, despite Nigeria’s population, only one out of every 100 African aviators was a Nigerian.

Meggison who is also the grand patron of the Association of Unemployed Professional Pilots added that the recent policy of the Federal Government was a welcome development and will take more people out of the streets.

“If we can have one out of every four black man to be a Nigerian, why can’t we have one out of every four African aviator to be a Nigerian?” he asked rhetorically.

“It is only logical and mutually benefitting and makes more sense when any airline operating and taking off from the country creates avenues to create jobs for the people. It is not a novel idea that Nigeria is standing alone to say that any cockpit operator or anybody flying in Nigeria is expected to take

create jobs and take people off the streets,” he added.

While stressing that many unemployed pilots will benefit from the directive of the Federal Government, Meggison said it was cheaper to get Nigerian pilots than it is to get their foreign counterparts.

He added: “Today, we have about 327 unemployed pilots who are registered and looking for jobs.

The minister made a statement,

he said there are 90 airplanes and private jets operating in Nigeria with foreign registrations. There are two sets of crew per airplane so if you even take 90 alone and two sets of crew per airplane, they cannot fly continuously.

“So, if you take two per airplane immediately, that is 180. If you take the helicaopters people fly in the nation, there are maybe about 50 to 70 helicopters, times two, that is 140.

Passengers cash-in on British Airways special fares slash Passengers have begun cashing in on British Airways recently announced special low fares to air travellers on its World Traveller and World Traveller plus cabin from Lagos & Abuja to select global destinations including London, Europe and North America.

The special fares, which went live from Friday, 30 January, offer customers great value for money with return flights to the

UK and Europe starting from as low as $309.

According to British Airways Country Commercial Manager for West Africa, Mr. Kola Olayinka, said with $309, customers travelling to London can book on British Airways World Traveller cabin and $341 to Europe.

For customers going farther, Olayinka said they can book via Terminal 5 to New York from $722 in World Traveller and

Medview Airlines has secured slots for flights into Jeddah and Dubai in Saudi Arabia and the United Arabs Emirates (UAE), its managing director, Alhaji Munner Bankoke, has disclosed.

Bankole said the airline was granted four weekly flight slots from the Lagos - Abuja - Kano airports into Jeddah by the General Civil Aviation Authority of Saudi Arabia.

The airline he said was also granted three weekly slots for flight on the Abuja - Dubai route.

Bankole spoke in an interview in Lagos, while Medview took delivery of a Boring 737- 400 aircraft that flew in from Thailand to boost its operations.

He said another Boeing 767300 aircraft extended range will arrive in three months to service its long haul operations.

He said with the increasing aircraft fleet the airline will open new domestic routes, which he listed to include: Asaba, Uyo and Kano.

He disclosed that the Jeddah and Dubai operations will soon be unveiled as the airline was putting We hope to improve our ser-

Bankoke, Medview, boss

vice delivery by developing new routes that will contribute to the economic development of Nigeria. In doing, we remain committed to the training of our pilots, and other key personnel, which is our bedrock to add value to aviation business.

We call on government to put in place policies that will drive private investment for the growth of air transport.”

On the Accra operations, Bankole said: ”We suspended flights into Ghana to watch developments there because of Ebola, as the situation improves, we will resume flights and connect Accra into the other parts of West Africa.”

NAHCO engages NSCDC to beef up terminal security

Meggison, AON Chairman

Nigerians in the cockpit. This will

Medview operations expand into Jeddah, Dubai

$1585 in World Traveller Plus.

“At British Airways, we are always looking for opportunities to provide our Nigerian customers excellent value for money with an unparallelled service that they have come to expect from us. With these great fares we are hoping that our customers are spoilt for choice when choosing their favourite destinations,” he said.

Ground handling operator, Nahco Aviance, has signed up the services of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in its continued efforts to shore up security at the nation’s foremost airport, the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja.

The deployment of the NSCDC operatives is a fallout of the fracas which ensued between men and officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and licenced agents in November last year. The fracas led to the closure of the Cargo terminal for about two weeks by the Federal Government.

Armed operatives of the NSCDC had since January taken up positions in various sections of the terminal. They would have the responsibility to further enhance the security of the terminal.

The operatives who are about 25 in number would complement other security arrangements already put in place by the ground handler, who also has a subsisting MoU with the

Nigeria Air Force.

According to the Head, Corporate Services, Nahco Aviance, Mr. Bashir Ahmed Gulma, all will be done to ensure that the terminal is sanitised in line with the stakeholders’ agreement of December 2014.

He said, “The deployment of Civil Defence operatives in several areas of operations is just one in our series of efforts to ensure that the cargo terminal meets international requirements. We are committed to fulfilling our own part of the agreement we have with the Nigeria Customs Service.”

NSCDC men

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

19 Interview

Privatisation, best thing to happen to Nigeria’s power sector- Ikeja Electric boss Engineer Abiodun Ajifowobaje is Managing Director/CEO, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Plc. In this interview, the Ikeja Electric boss appraises the over one year handover of Distribution companies to the private sector, lists measures put in place by the company to connect with customers and reveals challenges facing the power sector among other issues.

Excerpts:

Ajifowobaje It’s over a year since the Federal Government handed over the Distribution companies to the private sector; so, how has Ikeja DISCO fared in the last one year?

It has indeed been a very challenging journey but I will say interesting and forward looking.

The challenge to make a change in the power sector and by extension empowering Nigerians has been the driving force that guided the company’s operation in the last one year. When the baton was handed to us on November 1, 2013, we immediately hit the ground running and I am happy to say that with the support of our customers and stakeholders, we have established a foundation for enhanced service delivery driven by our contact center, ongoing infrastructure upgrade, robust customer engagement and deployment of new technology.

The high point of this first year and one which I am very passionate about is our change of identity from IKEDC to IE which stands for IKEJA ELECTRIC. For us, this is not just a change in logo or identity; it is a whole new paradigm shift that promises innovativeness and service delivery at its best.

Can you shed more light on this change from IKEDC to

Now, more than ever, Ikeja Electric remains committed to upgrading service excellence within our network Ikeja Electric?

The new logo symbolises renewed dynamism, professionalism and innovation and we have earmarked several engagement activities to ensure customers are carried along with the identity change which will be reflected across all our touch points with customers. Now, more than ever, Ikeja Electric remains committed to upgrading service excellence within our network. Our new look is a symbol of a new spirit, new energy and a new drive that promises a brighter future for our customers. In fact, Ikeja Electric as we go along will become known and embraced as a symbol of service excellence and reference point for innovativeness in the sector. I must also add that the change in logo implies new digits and email address for its contact center operations which have been widely commended for bridging the gap between the company and its customers.

Customers can now reach us on 01-4483900, 07000225543 and 08000225543 or send an email to customercare@ikejaelectric.com for instant access to solutions for their queries and complaints.

From your own perspective, can it be said that transferring Distribution companies to private sector is a justified step

by the Federal Government?

The best thing that could happen to the power sector in this country is the privatization. Nigerians should give kudos to Federal Government for this laudable achievement. Prior to the privatisation, the industry was in need of fresh investments to boost capacity and supply. Privatisation has given the sector a boost with the introduction of private sector initiative, which is completely changing the operational framework of the sector all over the country.

It is as if there is no difference between the pre-privatisation and post privatisation period. Electricity supply has not improved contrary to people’s expectation. What’s your take?

Transition to uninterrupted power supply is work in progress in Nigeria and I am certain that the advent of privatisation will deliver that project in our nation.

However, Nigerians must realise that it will take time to reach the desired levels of gas availability, infrastructure, human capital and financial backing needed for the transformation to be complete. We all need to work together to ensure this happens. Every Nigerian needs to have a stake in the transition; we should work together to stop the activities of vandals and those that specialise in energy theft and destruction of power facilities and installations.

Is there anything your company plans to do to ameliorate the power problem now that there is inadequate allocation from the National grid?

Well, in the face of inadequate allocation, we have to ration power supply to our customers. We resort to what we technically call load-shedding. Let me explain better; our daily maximum power demand is about 1,250MW, while

what we have gotten between the day we took over and now on average is about 300 to 400MW. What we have to put in place is a sustainable effective load management to ensure that there is equitable power allocation to all levels of our customers. We are also looking at alternative sources to compliment the allocation from the grid. This is what we call embedded generation to feed some customers within the locality outside the national grid system. Plans are already on-going to achieve this. We have received

‘‘Transition to uninterrupted power supply is work in progress in Nigeria and I am certain that the advent of privatisation will deliver that project in our nation.’’ proposals from many companies who have expressed their willingness to partner with us in generating power. We have invested over N1billion in network rehabilitation and expansion in the last one year and we are continuously investing on infrastructure upgrade, new technology and human capital development.

One of the problems plaguing the industry is vandalism of power equipment. How has it affected your company and what are you doing to mitigate against it?

Vandalism is like a virus which is destroying the power industry

in Nigeria. The socio-economic implication of vandalism is colossal. It throws communities into darkness and hit the commercial and industrial activities of the affected areas. By the time we took over, there were 42 transformer substations out of circuit due to vandalism. We had to spend huge sum of money to bring the substations back, so that the affected communities can have their power supply restored. Such money spent to replace stolen/damaged equipment would have been better used to expand the network.

What we have done is to enlighten the public through the media on the effect of vandalism. We are also partnering with security agencies in Lagos, soliciting their support in curbing vandalism.

We have visited the State Security Services, the Lagos State Police Command and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps. We are also in constant touch with the Community leaders propping them to assist in securing these equipment in their domains.

It is evident that the Power industry has over the years had image problem. What is your company doing to change the perception of the company in the eyes of the public?

The image problem of the power sector is basically as a result of inadequate power supply. The billing and metering issues are also there. For us in Ikeja Electric, I am sure the public will agree that we are currently moving away from the past in terms of service delivery. This is still work in progress and this is why we are taking on a new identity to help us move the conversation of effective service delivery further. Unlike in the past, customers can now contact us without leaving the comfort of their homes or offices through our call centre. Once a CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

Interview 20

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Transition to uninterrupted power supply is work in progress - Ajifowobaje CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30

call or e-mail is put through, customers are sure of getting a feedback to their complaints via our call centre which I have stated above. We also have a rebranded walk-in customer care with properly trained customer service executives who courteously handle customers’ issues. Moreover, we are constantly empowering our field operations staff to serve customers with respect and courtesy.

Our outlook has also changed with our rebranded new service vehicles and properly kitted technical staff while at work who are always ready to be of help to customers.

Extortion has been a thorny issue in the Power industry. Over the years, people have accused staff of DISCOs of extorting money from them in rendering service. This has not stopped.

What is your take?

Ikeja Electric has always been against extortion in any form by our staff. This policy has been communicated to all staff and they are aware that any staff caught in this web will be summarily dismissed if proved to be true. We have also communicated this to customers at various engagement sessions, encouraging them to always demand for proper identification from our staff and report anyone who requests for money to render duly approved services. The challenge we have been contending with is the fact that most customers who report extortion back out when asked to prove it. But the company’s policy is that customers should not bribe our staff while our staff know that they should not ask for bribe to do their job.

We are very resolute when it comes to upholding our integrity and professionalism Public opinion on staff attitude of the privatised power sector is not different from the defunct PHCN. Is there anything your company is doing to change the attitude of your staff ?

It’s a whole new world for us at Ikeja Electric. We carry out periodic staff development programmes, which border mostly on attitudinal change and a paradigm shift that puts the customer first. Ikeja Electric has a policy of regular training and learning sessions for all classes of staff.

We also hold quarterly town hall

‘‘In Ikeja Electric, our customers remain the focal point of all our operations and processes. We hold all our customers in high esteem’’ meetings where the Board and Management meet with all staff to create harmonious relationship and better understanding of the company’s policy and focus. I strongly believe there is a paradigm shift in staff work ethics and attitude.

Many communities have accused your company of charging them for transformer installation. Are communities supposed to pay for installing transformer and accessories?

Ikeja Electric does not charge for transformer installation. We have heard reported cases of communities contributing money to get transformer installed.

This I say emphatically is not at the instance of the management of Ikeja Electric. We have discovered along the line that there is always connivance between some community leaders and some perceived staff of Distribution Companies in this regard. In Ikeja Electric, our policy is that we don’t demand money from any customers to install transformers or other electrical equipment.

As a company in transition, how have you been relating with your customers?

Well in Ikeja Electric, our customers remain the focal point of all our operations and processes.

We hold all our customers in high esteem. I can say that we have made a lot of progress through our regular forums of engagement with customers. In fact, we believe that Ikeja Electric comes first in this regard. Since takeover, we have held series of meetings with Community Development Associations (CDAs) and Community Development Committees (CDCs) within our network. These fora are held

regularly to create better working relationship with our customers.

At these meetings, outstanding problems are resolved while issues raised are amicably resolved and customers are educated on the operations of the company.

We have opened channels of communication where customers can reach us and get feedback. I just mentioned the call centre, which is very much at the heart of the company. The Ikeja Electric call centre is the first of its kind in the power industry to cater for the customers within the Business Units in English, Yoruba and Hausa languages via telephone calls and e-mails for quick response to complaints. We also contribute to development in the community through social responsibility initiatives. We have had free eye surgeries for customers, medical checkup, malaria treatment, high blood pressure checks as well as awareness missions to schools to educate students on how power works and how we can sustainably use power to the benefit of all.

What is your company doing to give pre-payment meters to customers and when?

Metering is a key issue in distribution companies. We have realised there is wide gap in customer metering. Over 70 percent of our customers are either without meters or have meters that are obsolete. We are poised to fill this gap. For now, we have ordered meters and will start metering before the end of the year. We will be rolling out 500,000 meters in the next three years aimed at ensuring effective billings on electricity consumption of customers. We are working on a robust metering model that will promote transparency in billing and eradicate energy theft.

So far, about 136,000 customers within the company have been provided with prepaid meters to date. The ugly side of it is that some people have perfected the act of by-passing the meters.

To date, about 36,000 customers have been discovered to have bypassed the meters, which poses a serious challenge to the company.

We are working with the security operatives in the state to enforce prosecution of offenders and urge all our customers and members of the public to report people involved in this act as it ends up affecting the network, a develop-

Ajifowobaje

ment which throws more homes into darkness, economic losses from surges and possible death through electrocution.

Inappropriate billing, what customers call estimated billing, is what many of your customers are getting. This many perceive to be cheating. What do you have to say on this?

Estimated billing is unavoidable for customers who don’t have meters or customers with bad meters. We use scientific methodology through energy delivered to the transformer feeding the customers. However, metering of customers will solve the problem associated with estimated billing.

This is where we are headed in Ikeja Electric and I am confident that we will achieve this.

How would you describe the progress you have made in terms of CSR initiatives?

Ikeja Electric is socially responsible as we have since established a framework for reaching out to the communities where we operate and impacting lives positively through our initiatives. We have organised corporate social responsibility programmes in various communities within our network. We carried out health

programmes which involved free hypertension and diabetic checks and treatment, free eye tests with free eye glasses and surgery, where necessary. We also carried out enlightenment programmes in Senior Secondary Schools on electricity valve chains, conservation of energy, illegal connection and vandalism. Educative gifts were freely given to the participating schools. With regards to our installations, I am happy to say that the accident rates have dropped within the network following our robust strategy and investment in re-conductoring of weak lines. We have also concluded arrangements to carry out safety enlightenment campaigns within the network. Very soon, people will be seeing various safety signs along our network to draw public attention to dangerous electrical facilities. The government and the public have roles to play.

Living, trading and working under high tension lines should be avoided to reduce the risk of electrical accidents. We will always be ready and willing to spearhead initiatives aimed at ensuring safety within the sector as the vision of Ikeja Electric is to extend our services beyond the shores of Nigeria.

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

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Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Today in History Æ s Compiled by ‘Tunji Okegbola

Cartoons from our Archives

1963 High school freshman Little Peggy March earns a no 1 hit with “I Will Follow Him” On April 27, 1963, Margaret Annemarie Battavio’s very first single, “I Will Follow Him,” reached #1 on the U.S. pop charts. With her 15th birthday only six weeks behind her, and three more years of high school ahead of her, the singer better known as Little Peggy March became the youngest female performer ever to top the Billboard Hot 100, but she’d never crack the top 10 again. Financial exploitation by an unscrupulous manager and a string of disappointing singles thwarted Peggy’s efforts to capitalize on her early success, but if this sounds like the familiar start of a depressing episode of VH1’s Behind the Music, think again. Her domestic career may have peaked while she was still in pigtails, but Little Peggy March pulled herself up by her bootstraps to build a career of impressive proportions in the parallel universe of Europop.

Little Peggy March went on to

1978

score hits in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Japan, but the place that really made her career was Germany. Maybe it was because she learned their language, or maybe it was because “I Will Follow Him” pushed some kind of button in their national psyche, but whatever the reason, the Germans went bonkers for Peggy March. Songs like “I Wish I Were A Princess,” “My Teenage Castle (Is Crumbling Down)” and “Johnny Cool” fell flat commercially in America. But over in Germany, where the magician David Copperfield is revered as a Sex Got and David Hasselhoff was the first human invited to sing on the toppled Berlin Wall, little Margaret Battavio from Lansdale, Pennsylvania, spent the 1960s and 70s scoring hits like “Telegram aus Tennessee,” winning the BadenBaden Shlagerfestspiele and raking in the deutsche marks with albums like Hey, Das Ist Musik Für Mich.

Afghan president is overthrown and murdered

Afghanistan President Sardar Mohammed Daoud was overthrown and murdered in a coup led by procommunist rebels. The brutal action marked the beginning of political upheaval in Afghanistan that resulted in intervention by Soviet troops less than two years later.

Daoud had ruled Afghanistan since coming to power in a coup in 1973. His relations with the neighbouring Soviet Union had grown progressively worse since that time as he pursued a campaign against Afghan communists. The murder of a leading Afghan Communist Party leader in early April 1978 may have encouraged the communists to launch their successful campaign against the Daoud regime later that month. In the political chaos that followed the death of Daoud, Nur Mohammed Taraki, head of the Afghan Communist Party, took over the presidency.

In December 1978, Afghanistan signed a 20-year “friendship treaty” with the Soviet Union, by which increasing amounts of Russian military and economic assistance flowed into the country. None of this, however, could

stabilize the Taraki government.

His dictatorial style and his decision to turn Afghanistan into a one-party state alienated many people in the heavily Moslem country. In September 1979, Taraki was himself overthrown and murdered. Three months later, Soviet troops crossed into Afghanistan and installed a government acceptable to the Russians, and a war between Afghan rebels and Soviet troops erupted. The conflict lasted until Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev withdrew the Soviet forces in 1988.

In the years following the Soviet intervention, Afghanistan became a Cold War battlefield. The United States responded quickly and harshly to the Soviet action by freezing arms talks, cutting wheat sales to Russia, and boycotting the 1980 Olympic games in Moscow. Tension increased after Ronald Reagan became president in 1981. The United States provided arms and other assistance to what Reagan referred to as the “freedom fighters” in Afghanistan. For the Soviets, the Afghanistan intervention was a disaster, draining both Soviet finances and manpower.

Daily Times April 27, 1961

1997

Cunanan begins his killing spree

Andrew Cunanan killed Jeffrey Trail by beating him to death with a claw hammer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Trail’s murder set Cunanan off on a killing spree that ended in July when he killed himself on a houseboat in Miami Beach.

Cunanan spent most of his adult life as the kept companion of wealthy older men, living a very expensive lifestyle in San Diego, California, that was far beyond his own means. In April 1997, Cunanan told his friends that he was moving to San Francisco. However, he actually bought a one-way ticket to Minnesota after begging his credit card company to extend his credit limit.

In Minnesota, Cunanan met up with David Madson, whom he had briefly dated in the past. Apparently, Cunanan went there in an

1941 German forces enter Athens

attempt to continue the relationship. On April 27, Jeffrey Trail, an acquaintance of both Cunanan and Madson, met the two at Madson’s apartment, but the details of what happened there are still unknown. Authorities know only that Cunanan killed Trail with a hammer and then went to East Rush Lake, where he killed Madson two days later with one shot to the head.

Cunanan then took Madson’s jeep and drove to Chicago where he found his next victim: 72-year-old millionaire Lee Miglin. Miglin was bound by duct tape, stabbed with gardening shears, and then killed when Cunanan cut his throat with a saw. On May 9, after driving east to New Jersey in Miglin’s Lexus, Cunanan killed his fourth victim, again escaping with the victim’s car.

A massive manhunt ensued when the FBI placed Cunanan on its Ten Most Wanted List. The press ran with the story, and Cunanan was featured multiple times on America’s Most Wanted. His celebrity reached its peak on July 15, when Cunanan killed famous designer Gianni Versace outside his mansion in the South Beach section of Miami.

On July 23, Fernando Carreira, the caretaker of a houseboat in Miami, found an intruder on the boat and called police. Apparently sensing his capture, Cunanan shot himself in the head, but police, unaware, engaged in a fivehour standoff with the already dead killer.

No solid motive for Cunanan’s murders has emerged, although rumours abound that he was HIV positive and sought to take revenge for his condition. In the end, Cunanan lived up to his high school classmate’s billing as the student “most likely not to be forgotten.”

On this day in 1941, the German army entered the Greek capital, signalling the end of Greek resistance. All mainlands Greece and all the Greek Aegean islands except Crete are under German

occupation by May 11. In fending off the Axis invaders, the Greeks suffered the loss of 15,700 men.

Greece was not to be liberated until 1944, by British troops from the Mediterranean theatre

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

23 News

Ondo Govt bans Ogogoro production Tosin Ajuwon Akure

•••

The Ondo State Government says the production of locally made gin otherwise known as “Ogogoro” is now prohibited in the state Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, the Commissioner for Health, said this at the weekend, while addressing journalists, in Akure, the capital city.

He said the ministry had reviewed strategies and embarked on sensitisation to let people know that locally-made gin was prohibited.

“We appeal to the general public to desist from drinking the gin until we are able to identify the source of contamination or find out how the methanol got into the drinks”, he said.

He noted that until the state government got to the root of

how the locally made gin was contaminated, production and consumption remained banned.

“Until we are able to get the source of contamination or how the methanol got into the ‘Ogogoro’, it would remain banned in the entire state, not even only in Irele.

“We don’t know the extent of the contamination. We just need this sacrifice now, so that Ondo State would be free from this

deadly disease,” Adeyanju said.

He disclosed that about 33 persons were officially affected by the sudden outbreak of the strange ailment, adding that ten people were still receiving treatment in a hospital.

He added that two of them had already regained their sight, and are back to their respective homes.

Adeyanju noted that toxicology test had already shown, through

symptoms from victims of the sudden outbreak, that they were suffering from a methanol contamination.

“The five samples sent to the NAFDAC laboratory in Lagos revealed to us that it contained heavy concentration of methanol as high as 16.3 percent.

“This actually confirmed what we have been thinking, and that we have been dealing with methanol poison,” he said.

Buhari inauguration: Another man to trek from Yola to Abuja Tom Garba Yola

Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan (right) and his Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama at the funeral service in honour of Justice Sylvanus Ajuyah in Delta State… at the weekend

•••

As Hashimu Suleiman is receiving both local and international recognition for a journey he embarked for over two weeks to cover 700 hundreds kilometers in other to honour the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, as the new democratically elected president of Nigeria, another trekker from Yola, on Sunday, set out to cover over 900 kilometres, a journey that would take three weeks to Abuja.

Plateau election tribunal begins sitting Chijioke Kingsley Jos

•••

The Election Petitions Tribunal in Plateau State has had its inaugural sitting. The tribunal is divided into two panels for easy and timely determination of the petitions challenging the outcome of the election conducted by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) on March 28 and April 11.

While one of the panel is to determine the governorship petition, the other would deal with petitions arising from the elections of the National and State

Jonathan

Houses of Assembly.

At the court session, Daily Times gathered that the tribunal had in its record seven (7) petitions, challenging the elections and result of the senatorial elections conducted for Plateau North and South Senatorial Districts and petitions challenging the House of Representatives’ election results for Wase, Jos South, Jos East, Mikang-Shendam-Quanpan, and Mangu-Bokkos Federal House of Assembly.

Mrs. Ayisa Sambo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Plateau North Senatorial

Jonathan motivates local health workers – Minister

District and Gen. John Shagaya, the APC candidate for Plateau Southern Senatorial Districts, are challenging the victories of Governor Jang and Gen. Jerry Useni respectively.

However, during the tribunal’s inaugural sitting, on Friday, April 21, counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) guber candidate Sen. GNS Pwajok, Mr. Peter Obishai (SAN), told the tribunal of their intention to file a case. Obishai said it had to file a suit to the tribunal to enable it grant the party leave to access and inspect documents in the custody of INEC.

Jacob Mbam Abakaliki

•••

The Minister of State for Health, Engr. Fidelis Nwankwo, has said that motivating existing local health manpower and encouraging Nigerian health experts based abroad to return and ensure easy access to high quality health was part of

He considers the journey “a pay back and a show of solidarity with Buhari” for what he has done to him and celebrates him for being patient enough to wait for God’s appointed time to win the elections in the atmosphere of peace.

Abubakar Duduware bade his relations and friends farewell as many well-wishers accompanied him up to the city gate of Yola, promising to trek to Abuja to fulfill his long time plan he had intended to carry out after the 2011 general election had Buhari emerged victorious.

Osun transport workers embark on road repair Sodiq Adekunle To reduce road accidents on Osogbo township roads, road workers with the City Bus Olorunda/Osogbo Town Service (Korope) have patched all the potholes on the affected roads.

To ensure the success of the humanitarian service, members of the transport union in conjunction with Road Transport Employers Association of Nigerian (RTEAN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and National As-

sociation of Co-operative Transporters (NACT) took an active part in the exercise.

Among the roads patched were Ola-Iya, Odi-Olowo, Gbaemu, Ita-Olokan, Atelewo and Igbona.

The state Chairman of the union, Mr. Yemi Onifade, lamented that many roads in Osogbo have been abandoned by government road maintenance agencies.

According to him the patched roads had caused several accidents and had become impassable for motorists.

President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda.

Nwankwo, who made this remark on the inauguration of some completed projects at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, said the country’s health care system had witnessed remarkable improvement as government had invested heavily in strengthening

human resources.

He reiterated the administration’s commitment to providing world class health services to Nigeria through adequate funding, provision of modern facilities and well-trained personnel, ensuring conducive environment for healthcare workers, as well as institution of peopleoriented policy.

Osogbo

•••

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

FORTUNE HEALTH PLUS INITIATIVE The general public is hereby notified that the above named initiative has applied for registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, Under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matter Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE:1. Dr (High Chief) Olusoji Isaac Ijidale 2. Chief (Mrs) Omoyemi Faith Ijidale 3.Barr. Olaniyi Amoo Okin 4. Sen. Donald Omotayo Alasoadura 5. Chief Michael Osuolale Ogunrinde.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:To provide free medical services to less privilege people Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication.

Signed: TRUSTEES

OASIS BETTERLIFE FOUNDATION

24 Public Notice

AGAPE WOMEN’S CLUB OF NIGERIA

Notice is hereby given to the General Public that the above named organisation has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, for the registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Acts No. 1 of 1990.

TRUSTEES: 1. Mrs. Julita Obiageli Chikezie - Chairlady 2. Mrs. Nkiru Francisca Ifedigbo 3. Mrs. Felicia Nwosu 4. Mrs. Gladys Okafor - Secretary 5. Mrs. Ifeoma Monica Obuka 6. Mrs. Kate Morah 7. Mrs. Angela Ubah

The Trustees are: 1. Vincent Oluwatomi 2. Nwabuokei Helen Nneka 3. Ajao Micheal Oluwaseyi 4. Oriwoh Monday 5. Onyegbuna Deborah

Aims and Objectives 1. To organize into a single coherent Association that will serve as an Umbrella to promote progress, oneness and co-operation among members.

2. To establish and maintain a high standard way of living.

3. To motivate, co-ordinate, encourage and unite all members for upliftment of the educational standard within our selves.

4. To help the motherless babies, Prisoners and less privileged ones in our society.

Aims & Objectives 1. To raise Kings and Priests that will rule and reign on the earth 2. To redeem the people from themselves, their tribes, society and nations through the teaching of the blood of Jesus Christ 3. To impact the people with spiritual gifts for establishment 4. To understand the will of God concerning your life productively 5. To reposition the people successfully and progressively who were distressed, indebted and discontented.

6. To achieve all these and beyond through the teaching of the wisdom of God practically.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the registrar general, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, P.M.B 198, Garki Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed; Barr. Mrs. Ugochukwu Ndigwe-Ogbonna 46 Zik’s Avenue, Awka. Anambra State 08037565297

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar–General Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Ivory Solicitors Legal Practitioners & Notaries Public 374, Ikorodu Road, Maryland, Lagos 08037122564

PRECIOUS STONE BROTHERS CLUB OF NIGERIA

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

Notice is hereby given to the General Public that the above named organisation has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja, for the registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Acts No. 1 of 1990.

This is to inform the General Public that the above named CLUB has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, for registration under ‘Part C’ of the Company And Allied Matters Act, 1990.

The Trustees are: 1. Vincent Abayomi Ariwaodo 2. Aderibigbe Oluwagbenga Temitope

THE TRUSTEES ARE:1. Chinedu Onwuatu Cornelius 2. Onuba Anthony Somadina 3. Ikueze Izuchukwu James 4. Izuchukwu Okeke 5. Okeke Chidi C

Aims & Objectives 1. To be a catalyst for development of disadvantaged communities 2. To engage in social work, community development, child welfare/youth development programs and similar activities.

3. To instill disciple and give vocational training to disadvantaged communities.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar–General Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Ivory Solicitors Legal Practitioners & Notaries Public 374, Ikorodu Road, Maryland, Lagos 08037122564

YOKE BREAKER’S PROPHETIC MINISTRIES The General Public is hereby notified that the above named ministries has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

Trustee: 1. Amb. Prophet Ugokwe Prince(chairman), 2. Sis. Chioma Light Ugokwu(sec), 3. prohetess Mrs. Nkechi Ugokwe, 4 Rev. Chiamanda David Great Ugokwe, 5 Deacon Jumbo Anemikaye.

Aims: 1. To preach and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. To plant vibrant churches and engage in training, mentoring and ordination of ministers of God. Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the registrar general, corporate affairs commission, plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi street, Maitama, P.M.B 198, Garki Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: secretary

GLORIOUS ZION DELIVERANCE BIBLE ASSEMBLY This is to inform the General Public that the above named assembly has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission, for registration under ‘Part C’ of the Company And Allied Matters Act,1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE:1. Senior Apostle Joseph Eyo -Chairman 2. Lady Evang. Christiana Joseph Eyo 3. Bro. Emmanuel Joseph Eyo. 4. Bro Samuel Joseph Eyo 5. Prophet Anthory Edet Asia 6. Evang. Stephen John Uko. 7. Elder Clement Asuguo Umoh.

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE IS: 1. To preach the Gospel of Christ.

2. To deliver the oppressed and the captives free.

3. Do all such things as may be deemed conduare in inadental to the attament of the above objects or any of them.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, FCT,Abuja,within 28 days from the date of this publication SIGNED BY:- Chairman

CHRISTWAY PRAYER & EVANGELICAL CHURCH The general public is hereby notify that the above named has applied to the corporate affairs commission Abuja for registration under the part c of the companies and allied matters act 1990.

Trustees: 1. Mr. Aminu Momoh- Chairman 2. Mrs. Osaze Ukpemhen Momoh- Secretary 3. Mrs. Violet Oyarekua- Member 4. Mrs. Augustina Ossai- Member.

Aims & Objectives: 1. To provide moral and financial support to the indigent students in our community 2. To provide welfare to the less priviledged people.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the registrar general corporate affairs commission, plot 420 Tigris crescent, off aguiyi ironsi street, maitama Abuja within 28days from the date of this publication.

Signed: Mr. Aminu Momoh- Chairman

DIVINE IMPARTATION MINISTRY

The general public is hereby notified that the above named club has applied to Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under part “C” of the Companies And Allied Matters Act, No. 1 of 1990.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE:1. To foster love and unity among members 2. To assist less privileged in the society Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, FCT,Abuja,within 28 days from the date of this publication SIGNED BY:- SECRETARY

This is to inform the general public of the loss of original Registered deed of Assignment / power of Attorney and other hand paper in respect of Plot 71, File NO MISC 63275 , cadastral Zone 0705 , Kubwa ,Abuja covered by Customary certification of 0ccupancy NO ; MZTP / LA / 7029 belonging to innovation era (Nig) limited. All effort to trace the document have proved abortive general public should take note.

GIVETH LIGHT APOSTOLIC WONDER CHURCH

POWER HOUSE MIRACLE EVANGELICAL MINISTRY

The general public is hereby notified that the above name ministry has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

The general public is hereby notified that the above name Ministry has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES: 1. Apostle Samuel Olugbenga Luke -Founder/President 2. Pastor Adaramola Samuel Oluwato -Secretary 3. Prophetess Samuel Esther -Member 4. Evang. Daramola Busuyi Niyi -Member 5. Elder Atunde Oladayo Luke -Treasurer 6. Mr. Francis Martins Tete -Member 7. Mrs. Atunde Comfort Opeyemi -Member AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. Preaching the gospel as a need for repentance from evil work 2. Teaching God’s principles for living life well and leadership training 3. Prayer for healthy and healing 4. To win souls for Christ 5. To show the world the light of the living God Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, District Abuja, within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: AJAYI MOSES 08035797477, 08094210036

DE DIVINE FRIENDS CLUB OFM LAGOS, NIGERIA Take notice that the under listed trustees have applied for registration under part C of the Company and Allied Matters Act. 1. Mr. Charles Ndubuisi - President 2. Mr. Okechukwu Ihuonye – Vice President 3. Mr. Theophilus Igwe – Secretary 4. Mr. Gabriel Ume – Treasurer 5. Mr. Uche Okolie – Financial Secretary 6. Mr. Chidiebere Ukwuadi – Public Relations Officer 7. Mr. Paul Aguosuo – Welfare Officer 8. Mr. Bartholomew Chukwujekwu – Member 9. Mr. Aloysius Akamelu – Member 10. Mr. Nnamdi Uzoka – Provost Any objection to registration should be forwarded to the Director General, Corporate Affairs Commission within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Obiorah Umeh, ESQ (Solicitor)

PLACE YOUR ADVERT HERE

THE TRUSTEES: 1. Rev. John Olafimihan Akinloye - Gen. Overseer.

2. Mrs. Janet owoyemi - Sec. 3. Pastor Mrs. Victoria Akinloye 4. Dn. Noah Akinloye 5. Evang. Stephen Afolabi .

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: To preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, District Abuja, within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Prince kunle Johnson.

Publicity Secretary

JESUS KINGS ROYAL CHAPLAIN The general public is hereby notified that the above named has applied for registration to the Corporate Affairs Commission under part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, No 1 of 1990.

The trustees are: 1. Solomon Oladimeji Wahab - President/C. G 2. Abraham Johnson Aideji - General Secretary 3. Oladipupo Sunday Michael - Treasurer 4. Akinmurele Iyanujesu Joseph - Member 5. Adeniyi Olalekan Israel - Member Aims & objectives are; 1. To train and reawaken all ministers 2. To support peace and tranquility in Nigeria and the world at large 3. To retain the gospel of lord Jesus Christ Any objections to the changes should be forwarded to the Registrar- General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi street, Maintama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed by: Oladimeji Wahab

PLACE YOUR ADVERT HERE

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Defectors are fair weather politicians, says PDP Senator-elect •••

A senator-elect in Ekiti North Senatorial District, Hon. Duro Faseyi, has condemned the mass defection of members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shortly after the March 28 presidential election, won by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (rtd), saying those dumping the PDP for the APC were “fair weather politicians, who are only interested in their pockets.”

He told reporters, at the

weekend, at Iludun Ekiti, while commenting on various political developments in the country that “it is unfortunate that people are defecting; this is not healthy for our democracy.

Those doing that are commercial politicians, who are for what to eat. I have remained a faithful party member since I joined politics and I will remain so.

I see no reason why people should dump the PDP, because the APC won at the centre.

“They are supposed

to have come together to form a formidable opposition,” he added.

Faseyi declared that none of the newly-elected members of the PDP from Ekiti State would dump the party for the APC. He insisted that rather, they would join hands with Governor Ayo Fayose to form a formidable opposition to the incoming APC federal government.

He dismissed insinuation that the incoming State House of Assembly would be a rubber stamp

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to the Governor Ayo Fayose-led government, saying every bill and policies by the Executive would be critically examined to ensure that the people derive maximally from the dividends of democracy.

He maintained that all the nine National Assembly and State House of Assembly members-elect, on the platform of the PDP, would work together as a team to fight for what rightfully belong to Ekiti State from the federal government.

Church commissions new Cathedral for late leader Joy Ekeke

•••The Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, Ayo Ni O, Surulere District, has commissioned a memorial CaObliqueness/Ambiguity Syntactic Errors thedral, in hopnour of the Cluttering - Verbosity - Monotonylate Pophet (Dr.) Gabriel Inadvertent Tense shifts Olubunmi Fakeye, who Sloopy Plot Redundant Parallelism was buried on the April Drab Dialogue Misplaced modification 17, 2015 at his home town Imesi-Ile, Osun State.

Weak Imagery Poor Punctuation and spelling The thanksgiving serProvincial Tongue Interference vice and commissioning Sloveness of the memorial cathe(Nigerian English) Malapropism dral of Fakeye, was held on Sunday, April 26, at the 08033081953, 08157561201 Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, Ayo e-mail: t.okegbola@folioholdings.com Ni O, at Surulere, Lagos. www.1stoctober.com Speaking after the service with Daily Times, Mrs. A. Ogunsanwo, Head of Media and PubResearching licity, said: “Our leader Indexing was a meek and humble Library, Archives, Media & ICT Consultant man, he was a person of manifest devotion to famPrinter & Publisher ily and friends; a visionDigitization (Converting Books into CDs) ary leader with profound Promotions knowledge, and appreciation of history. His passing away was celebrated not just by the C & S, but the entire Christendom.”

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25 News

Kogi CJ frees seven prison inmates •••The

Chief Judge of Kogi State, Justice Nasiru Ajanah, has released seven prison inmates and granted bail to one accused person, in a renewed efforts to decongest Nigeria Prisons.

Ajanah gave the order of unconditional release to seven accused persons, after a review of their cases at Kabba Federal Prison, at weekend.

While reviewing a total of 28 cases comprising criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, culpable homicide and theft and rape, it was discovered that some of the inmates had stayed in prison custody for almost two years, without proper trial in the

Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

•••A

visiting top-level technical team of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority has expressed delight in the capacity and performance of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) equipment in guaranteeing safety of air navigation in the country.

The Director-General of the Ghana CAA, Mr. Abdulahi Alhassan, who led the Ghanaian delegation to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), made his view known after a facility tour of some of the agency’s installations at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, in Lagos, including the TRACON site and control tower.

“We are highly impressed with what we have seen here, both in terms of technical infrastructure and human capacity to effectively man these facilities and guarantee safety of air travel in the country,” Alhassan said.

Earlier, in a reception at the NAMA headquarters complex, in Lagos, Alhassan told NAMA officials that their mission to Nigeria was to seek the nation’s support in the co-management of the Accra airspace, which includes Togo and Benin as against plan to sectorise the airspace.

Alhassan said: “It is

court of competent jurisdiction.

Those granted unconditional release were Mohammed Lawal, 36, Abubarka Hussein, 29, Abubarka Aliyu, 21, and Mohammed Abubarka, 31, had been in prison custody, since August 10, 2013, without trial.

Olubunmi Faleye, who is into tree business, and hails from Ekiti State, got a relief for being wrongfully charged with a criminal breach of trust, instead of civil case.

Christopher David and Moses Jacob were released unconditionally because of their state of their health even before arrest.

Ajanah in his ruling stated the four accused persons have been in prison custody for over 19 months without trial, saying that their continued stay in detention was repugnant to natural justice.

Nigerian aviation equipment receives recognition our belief that ASECNA has not followed due process in its bid to sectorise the Accra airspace. It is a matter that the three bodies (ASECNA, GCAA and NAMA) should discuss at a round table, because of its regional safety and security implications and the position of Ghana is that we co-manage the airspace rather than sectorise it.”

In his remarks, the Managing Director of NAMA, Engr. Ibrahim Abdulsalam, maintained that, as neighbours, Nigeria was in the middle of the whole issue, which made it necessary for a quick resolution.

Abdulsalam

26

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Our Heritage Æ s Jonathan Butler, Somi comes for Satchmo’s Jazzfest Day jam Agozino Agozino Multiple Grammy Award nominee South African singer, songwriter and guitarist, Jonathan Butler and East African sensational vocalist, Somi have been disclosed as the star acts of this year’s UNESCO International Jazz Day jam in Lagos organised by Satchmo Jazzfest 2015.

The two international jazz artistes will thrill in Lagos in the four day music jam billed to take place in four different venues.

From Thursday April 30 to May 3, Satchmo Jazzfest 2015 intends to hold concerts and jazz-related activities at various venues that include Oceanview Marquee, Oriental Hotel, German Consulate-General, Aera GQ, Queens Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos, Miliki among others.

Leading Nigerian jazz musicians on the bill also includes, Yemi Sax, a young saxophonist who has become famous for his popular hit songs: Kwitee and The Hot Seven.

Other international support acts include Tunde Jegede and Nomadic Mystics, HKB FiNN trio, Kasse Mady & ACM Ensemble, Cleveland Watkins and Trioivoire.

Since UNESCO announced the adoption of April 30 as International Jazz Day in 2011, this is the first time that the day would be celebrated in Nigeria with the commitment and seriousness of purpose it rightly deserves.

Jonathan Butler, the South African singersongwriter, guitarist and multiple Grammy Award nominees, is one of the jazz’s most enduring figures. He is reputed for his outstanding gift in jazz music and engaging performance which has become phenomenal while Somi holds the record of being the African leading vocalist whose renditions has thrilled many jazz lovers. Somi, whose vocal range and power have become astonishingly impressive in recent times is based in New York, she enjoys remarkable fan worship in Lagos.

Jazz- related films such as Blue

Amstrong popularly called Satchmo was a legendary Jazz musician.

Note, Last Song Before the War and Play Your Own Thing, will be screened while the organisers also seize the opportunity of the festival to honour Nigerians who have made outstanding contributions to jazz music in the country.

The profiles of the acts line up for the concert lift the spirit of jazz music enthusiast and give hint of a four day celebration package from organisers of the yearly concert series. Satchmo’s Jazzfest , Lagos.

Announcing the array of acts last Thursday during a press conference at the Goethe Institut Lagos, Mr. Dolapo Ajayi, who is the founder of Satcmo’s Jazzfest and Festival Director, said that this year’s edition of the festival is being planned to surpass what others has done in the past jams.

According to Ajayi, all arraignment has been made to ensure that this year’s event will not only be the best but also showcase the best in terms of current musical test of jazz lovers in the local and global entertainment industry. He therefore assured that jazz fans will enjoy this best this festival season with jazz.

Throwing more light into the history of the show however, Ajayi said the Satcmo’s Jazzfest, is intended to be an annual phenomenon in keeping with International Jazz Day. “Each year, Satcmo’s Jazzfest intends to present more than 50 dazzling

performances in nearly 20 venues throughout the city of Lagos, making it the largest and most diverse music festival in Nigeria.

From main stages at the various venues, to exciting performances at museums, neighbourhood clubs, restaurants, hotels and the co-host venues at the Oceanview Marquee and Oriental Hotel, Jazz fest will reach more than 10,000 live attendees and visitors throughout the nation’s financial capital.

But our mission does not end there. Throughout the year, the festival will sponsor and support the community with free musical educational programmes implemented by the Satcmo residence in Lagos Island and at the MUSON Centre, in collaboration with the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz.”

According to Ajayi, it is now a tradition that every April 30, the world would celebrate this International Jazz Day in recognition of jazz, as a force for peace, intercultural dialogue and cooperation. ‘‘In 2014, organisers from 196 countries produced a record number of events. Certainly, this makes Jazz Day one of the fastest growing and most enthusiastically supported international days, with every single UNESCO member state and more private members participating every year.”

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

27 Our Heritage

Soyinka gives Lagos

The Beatification of Area Boy Agozino Agozino Last Thursday, playwright Wole Soyinka took the drama-starved Lagos audience back into time to pry into a persistent human folly and ambition when the final day celebration of this year’s Lagos Black Heritage Festival (LBHF) celebration turned into a dramatic thrill with a grand performance of Beatification of Area Boy. The play written and directed by Soyinka, a renowned Professor of drama and literature set the evening in frenzy with pregnant pangs of suspense, bust of laughter and all the traits of holistic entertainment. Even in the deep technical and reflective nature of the production, marked by peculiarities in the use of language as well as long span of time, the large audience felt no boredom throughout the presentation.

The play brought to the fore the intrigue of love and funny thrills that marks Soyinka’s theatre.

Dwelling on the bane of the Nigerian state as the playwright usually does, the play served a healthy dose of traditional music and spectacular costume with large cast strength of over 50 artistes. It was the first premiere of the play in Lagos which had its first outing in Leeds, England, from where it toured numbers of European countries including Australia and Jamaican.

Rich description, elaborate sense, and fascinating character are interwoven in a narrative style laced with side-splitting

humour and elevated language.

Staged as part of this year’s LBHF final day events, the play is a reminder of the relevance of the Nobel Laureate to the political, social and national development of the nation. Soyinka, who directed the play was upbeat during the event as people came en mass to watch the play, outsitting the open space inside the park.

According to Soyinka, who is also the consultant to Lagos State government on BHF, Beatification of Area Boy is a play to draw rich lesson about Nigeria, as it unveils characters and actions that sometimes, funny but has shaped recent Nigeria history. Considering the bane of the play, its thematic trust and recent political development, Soyinka, who is a globally renowned playwright, said that Beatification of Area Boy, though enriched with funny characters, is a lesson for today’s leaders. The elements in the play make it very relevant to the present democratic leaders and the masses to learn that all are interconnect in a society.

He further stated the production takes audience “through the seamy underbelly of a bustling, chaotic and predatory environment that still seethes beneath the surface of Lagos, despite all physical transformation since the days of the military, indeed, Lagos would no longer be Lagos without that underbelly”.

The scholar, who described the performance as his own gift to the Lagos Black Heritage Festival,

said this of the production: “The play is set in the middle of military dictatorship. Action centres on a day in the life of a rather unusual ‘megadi’in charge of an upscale plaza that jostles with a slum environment.

The ‘megadi’, not only looks after the plaza but overseas the local habituees, shoppers, and other oddities to the area, among them a disbarred lawyer with a slippery seizure on reality”.

Beatification of Area Boy as directed by Soyinka, features cast replete with established artistes, comprising veteran guest artiste and other artistes of the National Troupe. Among the star acts are Sir Peter Badejo, Ropo Ewenla, Makinde Adeniran, Sola Roberts Iwaotan, Jennifer Osammor, Wale Ojo, Ijeoma Agu, Jebutu Mofehintolaoluwa, Tunji Oyelana, Adeola Aroso, Precious Anyanwu, Toyin Oshinike,

“Beatification of Area Boy is a play to draw rich lesson about Nigeria, as it unveils characters and actions that sometimes, funny but has shaped recent Nigeria history.”

Soyinka Fakunle Rotimi, Tunji Sotimirin, Ife Owosuna, Kemi Akindoju, Austin Onuoha, Akinbulu Oladimeji, Okorie Michael, Omoyele O l u w a s e y i , Anthony Abayomi Soyinka’s The Beatifification and others. of Area Boy during the T h e m a t i c a l l y , performance at the festival The Beatification w i t h of Area Boy is a n great, if sometimes excessive, example of static, ritualistic cockiness and suavity by Femi drama, an extended exposition Elufowoju, Jr. Sanda alone seems of alienated and plaintive to understand the situation in existence in a postcolonial and both Lagos and Nigeria as a post traditional world. In such whole. As he explains to his old a world, modern conditions co- flame, Miseyi, he had dropped out exist with pre-modern, ethnic, of university, one year short of and traditional ones. The play’s graduating, because as a security central figures are the Barber, officer, he earns more than the who is superstitious to a fault; salary of a college graduate. the Trader, who is naive and Sanda is astute, even cunning, ignorant; Mama Put, a “chop- and the play takes great pains to bar” operator, who seems all set him and the Lagos Area Boys heart and bile; and the mad, he represents, apart from the disbarred lawyer (Judge), other criminals that are satirised who believes that his prayers and demonised. He is presented influence the morning sun. The as a figure of counter-culture, a distance between affluent and better version of free enterprise, poor in this play is captured and so on. But Sanda’s version in the stark contrast between of free enterprise nevertheless the towering modern shopping perpetuates the criminal culture center with its sharp concrete and mentality that plagues such steps and cold clear glass doors communities. and dirty, pot-holed, low-lying Near the beginning of the play, areas in which the Barber, Sanda calls Mama Put “some Trader, and Mama Put ply their kind of Mother Courage . . . even trades and bemoan their fate. down to the superstitious bit.”

The single exception to this Sanda is wrong, however. He, pathetic cast of characters, not Mama Put, is the “Mother who otherwise lack a profound Courage” of Area Boy: he is the understanding of their plight, one who makes other people is Sandal a university drop-out, rob and cheat while providing “La Plaza” security guard, and himself with a shield of distance leader of the Area Boys -- played and deniability.

Ben Okri, others for African literature festival Nigerian-born Booker award winning naturalised British author, Ben Okri, will be the main attraction at the 4th edition of the Royal African Society’s (RAS) annual African literature and book festival scheduled for the British Library (Euston road), from Friday, July 3rd till Sunday, July 5th.

Poet, essayist and author of 10 novels, including the 1991 Booker Prize winning The famished Road, Okri, whose works have been translated into 26 languages, will take centre stage inside the British Library’s Conference Centre in the evening of Saturday, July 4th, in a session tagged

‘Meditations on Greatness: Ben Okri in Conversation.’ He will be discussing ‘African Books to Inspire.’

Other events lined up include “African Books to inspire,” which will be hosted on the Friday evening of the festival

by Hannah Pool. During the session, a select group of writers and personalities will share their favorite titles of African literature. As expected of a literary festival of this nature, there will be a book fair and the festival will also provide an opportunity for aspiring African writers to have face-face meetings with book industry guests, who will then share vital information and tips on getting

published with them.

Launched in 2012, the festival, United Kingdom’s biggest celebration of contemporary African writing, will showcase established and emerging talent from both within the African continent and its diaspora. Last year’s edition featured “An Audience with Ama Ata Aidoo,” Ghana’s foremost author, poet, playwright and a former Minister of Education in her country. Three years ago, award winning author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, gave a lecture commemorating the 50th anniversary of the African Writers Series.

In a related development, the library will later in the year host

a five-month exhibition, ‘West Africa: Cultures of the Word’ between October and February 2016.

Curator of African Collections at the British Library, Dr. Marion Wallace, who also doubles as the lead curator for the exhibition, has been penciled down to introduce the exhibition’s key concepts .

The exhibition will explore the power of the word in the region and according to a statement on the library’s website, the exhibition will in addition, showcase West Africa’s complex and fascinating written oral literatures over the last three centuries. This will be done through a rich mix of visual items, sound, film and objects.

Ben Okri

28

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Features An Igbo who sells pineapple says...

We all cannot be selling motor parts

It is not strange to see a man peeling orange and selling pine apple in the northern part of the country, but a young and healthy Ibo man peeling and selling pine apple for a living in Lagos would raise eyebrows.

OVIE DANIEL spotted one recently and talked with him.

His report.

In the Southern states of Nigeria, housewives, single parents and girls are the promoters of roadside grocery trade, but 35 years old

Æs

Features Editor: Gbubemi God’s Covenant Snr. E-mail: gbubemi.godscovenantsnr@dailytimes.com.ng

Emmanuel Chinonso Maduga, from Ezinochi, in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State didn’t fit into these categories.

Between peeling and selling at his duty post at the busy and dusty Iyana-Ejigbo bus stop, along the Mushin-Ikotun road, he told his story to our correspondent.

“After I finished secondary school at home, I saw that there was nothing to look forward to in Aba, so I came to Lagos. That was ten years ago.

“I started some little business to survive, and eventually I

secured a shop at Yaba where I was selling shoes I used to buy from Kutonou and Togo.

Business was good for some years until Tejuoso market caught fire and everything we had went with the fire.”

Emmanuel gathered the physical cash he had at the time and attempted to check out of the country, but ran into a problem. “I was deported the same day I travelled. I didn’t have money to start anything again and I didn’t even have any place to stay. That was the

point an old friend introduced me to the pine apple business.

“I didn’t know anything about fruits before but anything was better than just hanging around with nothing to do, so I brazed myself and started the business.”

About six years on in the business now, Emmanuel looks back and has cause to thank God and rejoice in His mercy.

“Business is good for me, and I really thank God. After CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

SUPER INTERNATIONAL MARKET:

The Wall Street of auto spare Super International Market located on the Lagos-Abeokuta Express road is acclaimed the biggest motor parts market in Africa, boasting of clients from all over the continent.

GUBEMI GOD’S COVENENT SNR visited the mega auto parts mall and discovered a massive market of manifold dimensions.

His report.

Our correspondent pushed through a massive explosion of human beings from the Super bus stop on the express road to access the auto market; it was like being caught in the belly of a shark.

Every square inch of land was occupied by a trader, a buyer or the stuff being sold.

There was not a place to stand still for a moment and there was not a shop or land space that was free. If nature had not made oxygen abundant and free in the atmosphere, suffocation would have become a medical emergency here every second.

Daily Times discovered upon inquiry that Super International Market shares unmarked boundary with the famous Katankowa second hand clothes (okrika) market.

52 years old Otumba Olabode Afuye, from Ikare-Ekiti in the South-Western State of Ekiti is the President-General of Katangowa and Super international market.

In this exclusive interview at his office inside the market, Olabode took Daily Times to the genesis of Katankowa that has become a household name.

“Although Katankowa is the popular name known

everywhere, we didn’t register this market in that name: the real name of this market is Super International Market.

“By interpretation, Katangowa means God will provide for all of us; and the person behind this name only registered a street after his name around here in the days before the market built up and became popular. Just because people always use the name to direct or describe the location of the market which developed and increased over time, Katankowa became synonymous with the market and it gained ground since then until now and that was about 34 or so years ago.

“So Katangowa is just a pet name, you know, an acronym of a sort. It’s like where I come from in Ekiti, we have some people there that acronyms have taken over their family names; that’s exactly what is happening here.”

The market structure “There are two major wings in this market; as you can see for yourself, the place is very large. The second hand clothes area to the far end of the market is known as Abule Egba International market because that wing is located on AbuleEgba land along the Abule-Egba Express area.

“The second wing is the auto spare parts wing which is the Super International Market.

Now, both the second-hand market wing and the auto spare parts wing are registered under one name and that is SUPER INTERNATIONAL MARKET and that is our officially

A shelf of engine blocks and CKD parts recognized name.”

The making of the market The market has been in existence since the name of the man was muted about 35 years ago, but it didn’t attract much public attention until the late 1990s. Olabode recounts the build-up that metamorphosed into the mega market we have now.

The auto market foundation “There was a time in the late 1990s when Lagos State Government started some development at Yaba, and the

traders who used the railway line and Tejuosho environment to sell second-hand clothes were driven from that area, and most of them came and continued their businesses here.

“Similarly, when those automobile spare parts dealers were driven from Lagos Island, some went to Owode Onirin (the steel and motor-parts market after Mile 12 on your way to Ikorodu town); while some of them came to this place.

This was how the automobile section suddenly sprang up and continued to develop to what it

is now. As you approach Super bus-stop from Iyana-Ipaja you can see the auto spare parts section, just like you have at Owode-Onirin but Super is a more standard and well planned version.”

The main business that dominates the Katangowa market are purely second-hand clothes which includes second hand bags, shoes and things like that, he said, “While the core business of the spare parts section is automobile spare CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

29 Features

People mocked me when I started – Maduga CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28

Maduga

one year, it got better, by the second year after I started, I got married, and as I am talking to you, God has blessed me with two children - all from this business. I did my traditional marriage in 2009 and you know what amount of money is involved when an Ibo man does his traditional marriage.”

With young men from the Eastern part of the country dominating the auto spare parts markets nationwide, it’s a wonder Emmanuel found grocery comfortable, but he says he weighed the pros and

cons before delving into the business.

“Everybody cannot be selling motor parts. Apart from the competition, one needs to do apprenticeship for many years, sometimes up to six years before he gains his freedom to trade in it, and there is some risk that the master may not settle him at the end of the agreement. Then again, you know that six or seven years is a long time to take that kind of risk, so that was why I preferred this business.

“Of course some people mocked me when I started; they said pine apple is a common

thing for women and not for young men like me, but I know what God has done for me inside this business.”

He said of the seasons and species of pine apple.

“I go all the way to Kutonou to buy my pine apple, not because we don’t have this fruit in Nigeria, but because customers prefer the Kutonou pine apple; they say it is sweeter than our local ones, and after many days, even one week, it will still be sweet and good, not like our own that will spoil after a few days.”

Emmanuel puts the capital cost of starting a fruit business at N25,000, stressing that it

parts market in Africa

Otunba Afuye

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28

parts market where one can buy completely knocked down (CKD) auto parts. Engine blocks and part-units of all manner of vehicles can be found here, and you can also buy FBU (Fully built up) engines and stripped chassis in this market.”

The president is unclear about the geographical area of the market but is certain it is as big, even bigger than some major markets in Lagos mainland and Island in terms of land space.

How is the president able

A section of vehicle spare parts at super international market

to coordinate a human explosion of this magnitude?

“Just as you have rightly observed, it requires matured people with high sense of responsibility and levelheadedness. In this automobile and motor spare parts section alone, I have about 15 Chairmen who oversee the administration of particular areas. There are people selling airbrush, some sell springs of different kinds, even engine parts of different makes and kinds, and these chairmen must know everything that is going on in their particular areas, so they

form association each according to their section. Every Tuesday and Wednesday they hold a meeting where everybody will come together to share their ideas and experiences as to what is happening and bring suggestions for improved infrastructure and management.”

International status “If you’re talking about status, people come from Ghana, from Mali, virtually from everywhere to buy spare parts here, and I can assure you that Super International is one of the biggest auto spare

parts market on the African continent.

“If you’re talking of International Trade Fairs, you will be talking of this place. Go there and see the Super International auto spare parts section, you will see it’s a standard market. Then go to Ghana magazine which is another big auto spare parts market in Accra, and you will hear of this market because they come here to buy from us. If you go there and you say you are from Nigeria, they will ask you, do you know Super International market?

could be more or a little less because of the rising cost of fruits generally, according to its season.

“Although pine apple is a fruit of all seasons, but we have a period of sales boom, especially during the hot and dry season. Also when Muslims are in their fasting period, fruits sell very well.

“On the other hand, even without the fasting period, the constant rains don’t allow the fruit to grow well, so the much we can get to buy does not come cheap. Either way, fasting or no fasting and rain or no rain, we are in business.”

It would be recalled that the demand for auto parts in the pre and immediate post Nigeria Independence was limited to the small population of expatriates and Nigerians, apart from the military and other security arms of government. Supplies then were either brought in directly from Britain by Government or imported and used exclusively by the few motor companies like Leventis Motors and Mandilas.

The vogue of that generation was placing of orders to car manufacturers abroad which made them to specification for the elite class, notable among them was the first Federal Minister of Finance, OmimiEjor, Festus Okotiebo; the Henry Fajemirokuns; transport magnate, S.B. Bakare, the tire mogul, Chief Odutola, and so on. The cars in vogue then were branded pleasure cars in the range of Chevrolet, Pontiac, Citroën and few faces of Volvo; the Peugeot brand made its debut shortly afterwards.

Then came Volkswagen of Nigeria with its Completely Knocked Down (CKD) vehicles.

With its assembly plant in Ojo town, the company shipped in CKD parts in crates and had their helicopter fly them from Wharf to the company.

Now the CKD innovation by Volkswagen of Nigeria opened the floodgate to the auto parts market as many of the crates smuggled out of the company found its way to the open market.

Few Nigerians who worked with Leventis Motors and Mandilas pulled out of their employment and started their own mechanic workshops which heralded the road side mechanic business.

Staffers of Volkswagen plant who were either sacked or resigned increased the indigenous mechanic population that blossomed to what you see today.

News 30

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

Oshiomhole slams Nigerian varsities over indiscriminate honourary awards Titus Akhigbe Benin-City

•••Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Saturday, berated some universities in the country for giving honourary awards to people of questionable character and therefore advised them to stop in order to maintain the sanctity of the ivory towers.

Oshiomhole gave this advice during the 19th convocation of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, where three prominent Nigerians, Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri, a philanthropist and business mogul, Dr. Lee Ikpea and Pastor

Chris Oyakkhilome of Believers Love World, were honoured by the school.

“One of the problems that confront us today as a nation is that even the ivory tower seems to have given up and many are now in a hurry to award honourary degrees to people of clearly questionable character. That a man is rich doesn’t mean he is successful, what defines a successful man is the overall totality of his lifestyle and so when we see universities giving honours to those who can dole out, it becomes award for the highest bidder and of course it disturbs the values of our younger ones.

“So, when universities

give honour to people just because they are rich and even when the source of the richness is so clear that it is not as a result of industry and hard work, then I think it is very sad for Nigeria,” he said.

The governor, who is the Visitor to the University, said there was need for a new national policy on education that would provide equal opportunity to both the rich and poor as far as they are intellectually capable.

His words: “We must revisit the question of appropriate national education policy so that it must be possible for the child of the poor to have quality education. No child should be denied access to

the best schools. Even Oxford has had to reverse its policies notorious for providing spaces for only the children of the elite; they now have quota to ensure that a worker with requisite knowledge can go to Oxford University and the state provides subsidy to make that possible.”

He called on the people not to give up on Nigeria as he strongly believe that with focused leadership, the country would get ti right. “Every nation has its challenges, Nigeria has its own fair share, whether these are security challenges, challenges of unemployment, of poverty and all of that, but I ask that we must never give up on our country.”

•••Anioma leaders on Sunday, described the Majority Leader of Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Monday Ovwigho Igbuya, as a focused, visionary and steadfast leader, pledging to work for his emergence as the next Speaker.

The leaders, led by Chief Magnus Okonta, stressed that the Anioma people were proud of Igbuya.

“Monday Igbuya remains our candidate for the Speaker of the House.

He is an outstanding man and eminently qualified and extremely competent for the position of the speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly,” they said.

Addressing prominent Anioma leaders in Asaba, Okonta stated that Igbuya was a rare gem, a healing balm and a unifying factor.

“If there is anybody to

Port Harcourt

••• In a bid to take the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Rivers State Council to the next level, the newly elected factional leader, Comrade Prince Adda Williams, has promised to overhaul the union in the state.

During an exclusive interview with the Daily Times in Port Harcourt, Comrade Williams said his

Anglican Church consecrates el-Rufai warns against vengeance over Kaduna attack three Bishops Sunday Isuwa

•••

Kaduna State Governor-elect, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, at the weekend, urged people of the state not to be provoked by the evil elements in the society and engage in acts of re-

el-Rufai

venge. el-Rufai, who was speaking after the funeral of one of his coordinators, Mr. Markus Ishaya, killed last week by gunmen in Jema'a Local Government Area, said Kaduna people should follow the rule of law and press the institutions of law-enforcement to do their jobs.

The governor-elect insisted that evildoers should not be allowed to derail the civilised values of love and compassion towards all humans.

Mr. Ishaya was el-Rufai's coordinator in Atuku Ward,

where he played an active role in the success achieved

by All Progressives Congress (APC) in the local government area.

The governor-elect, who was represented by his deputy, Arc. Bala Barnabas Bantex, said: "We received the news of Markus's murder with pain, but we pray that the Almighty God will grant him eternal rest.

Though, he was cut in his prime, he exhibited courage, fearlessness and commitment in the struggle for better Nigeria. He resisted injustice and stood firm even in the heat of the gen-

eral election.

"Markus did his best to uphold democratic principles. He lived a short life but wrote his name in gold and died upholding the common good. What happened is evil and a desecration of human life. We will not relent in demanding justice, not minding how long it will take."

The governor-elect, who appealed for peace and calm, further said, "Markus lived a worthy life. We will not forget his sacrifice. Our hearty condolences to his immediate family, community and fellow party members."

be credited with the growing stability and unity of the state, it is Igbuya. He is a man of wisdom and dedication. He is a passionate advocate for his constituents, a voice for the underdog, a respected politician and a sincere confidant to those closest to him,’ the leaders said.

They also heaped praises on Igbuya for promoting democracy, rule of law and raising his voice for the down-trodden segments of the society.

Rivers NLC in crisis as Williams emerges factional chair Faith Faithful

Cross section of intending Pilgrims during their screening for this year's Hajj at Kwami Local Government Area of Gombe State… at the weekend

Anioma leaders back Igbuya for Delta Speaker

Nkiru Nwagbo Awka

•••The Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, on Sunday, consecrated three bishops.

The ceremony took place at All Saints' Cathedral, Onitsha, Anambra State.

The Metropolitan Archbishop and Primate of Church of Nigeria, Most Reverend Nicholas Okoh, presided over the consecration.

The new bishops are: Moses Bukpe Tabwale (Gwagwalada diocese),

administration will put anti-union activities to an end as welfare of workers would be a priority and pursuance of other rights in the system.

The former NIPOST and Telecommunication Union Vice-Chairman of the old NLC was in well-attended delegates' conference, drawn from over thirty-one (31) affiliates union in Rivers State, elected factional chairman at the weekend, in Port Harcourt.

Johnson Nwaohalama Ekwe (Niger West) and Dr. Isaac Iwabi Oluyamo (Ijesa North).

In his sermon, the bishop of Akoko diocese, Gabriel Akinbiyi, enjoined Christians to always strive to lead exemplary life.

He expressed dissatisfaction at the spate of crimes in society these days, regretting that more often Christians were associated with such vices.

Akinbiyi stressed that Christians should always show humility and love in their disposition, adding that without the two attributes, there would be no unity.

In his charge, the Anglican Primate, Okoh, tasked the newly consecrated bishops to be diligent in their service to God and humanity.

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, April 27, 2015

31

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Is this an oversight?

Yinka Odumakin

•••

Friday Newspapers had a seeming exciting news from the Presidentelect,General Muhammadu Buhari. The man of the moment made it clear that people of questionable integrity would have no role to play in his administration.That is understandable as he ran on anti-corruption train.I had hardly dropped the newspaper when a beep came on my

phone.I opened and behold it was a message from my friend sending the EFCC charge sheet against the first appointee of the President-elect.I believe the attention of the good General was not drawn to the corruption case filed

by Festus Keyamo on behalf of the EFCC against TIMIPRE SYLVA in 2012 which I understand is still pending in court. “ THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT HOLDEN AT ABUJA CHARGE NO.: FHC/ ABJ/CR/23/2012 BETWEEN: FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA…………

COMPLAINANT AND TIMIPRE SYLVA ……………………………….

ACCUSED PERSON CHARGE COUNT 1: That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, sometime between October, 2009 and February, 2010, at various places in Nigeria, including Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court did conspire to commit a crime to wit: conversion of properties

and resources amounting to N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion Naira) belonging to Bayelsa State Government and derived from an illegal act, with the aim of concealing the illicit origin of the said amount and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act), 2004 and punishable under Section 14(1) of the same Act. COUNT 2: That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the 22nd of January, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N380,000,000.00 (Three Hundred and Eighty Million Naira), property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one Habibu Sani Maigidia, a Bureau De Change Operator with Account No. 221433478108, in Fin Bank, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section

14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act. COUNT 3: That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the 5th of February, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira), property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one Enson Benmer Limited with Account No. 6152030001946, in First Bank, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act. COUNT 4: That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the 5th of February, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdic-

tion of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million Naira), property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one John Daukoru with Account No. 04800250000418, in United Bank for Africa, Plc, which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the same Act. COUNT 5: That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, sometime between October, 2009 and February, 2010, at various places in Nigeria, including Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court did conspire to commit a crime to wit: inducing Union Bank, Plc, with the intent to defraud, to deliver to Bayelsa State Government the sum of N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion Naira), under the

false pretence of using the amount to augment salaries of the Bayelsa State Government and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) and punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2004.

COUNT 6: That you, Timipre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at large, sometime between October, 2009 and February, 2010, at various places in Nigeria, including Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court induced Union Bank, Plc, with the intent to defraud, to grant an overdraft facility of the sum of N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion Naira) to the Bayelsa State Government under the false pretence of using the amount to augment salaries of the Bayelsa State Government and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2004 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act. Dated This 24th Day Of February, 2012.”

Published by FOLIO COMMUNICATIONS LTD, Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja. website: www.dailytimes.com.ng; email: info@dailytimes.com.ng. Tel: 018447948. EDITOR: YINKA OLUJIMI News Hotlines: 08138773277, 08173901838. Advert Hotlines: 08169118913, 08075038528

Life&

TIMES Monday, April 27, 2015

Halima

Abubakar The unassuming

humane thespian L2 Beautify your All you need home with to know about wall decors L5 L3 the bow tie P

P

P

Interview L2

Daily Times Nigeria Monday April 27, 2015

I was stubborn growing up - Halima Abubakar

What movie jobs are you working on presently?

I just completed the shoot of my movie, How I was raped which featured Iyabo Ojo, Ani Danja, Ricardo Agbor and many others. It was directed by Frank Ubaka and produced by my very self. The movie is centered on the menace of rape, its effects and possible solutions. I don’t need to tell you all, I am sure movie lovers will love it when the movie gets released.

Mutiat Alli Having spent a decade in the movie industry, Halima Abubakar, one of the few Nollywood acts from the North has national and international recognitions to show for her hard work in the movie industry. In this chat, the curvy actress and CEO of Modehouse Entertainment, a music label and entertainment management company speaks on her acting career, challenges and sundry issues.

With such a title for your movie, one begins to wonder if you have a family or close associate who has gone through such an experience to warrant you shooting a movie on it.

No, this is a project I have been working on for so long and I felt this was the right time to shoot it. I have heard and seen several rape cases in the country and that alone can serve as source of inspiration for any story line.

When did you first get your first movie role and what was the movie all about?

My first movie was The Rejected but it’s not out till date.

Then I did another one, Sabotage. I can’t remember the names of most of my early movies except a few like But Why, Sabotage and Gangster Paradise which I did around year 2000.

What do you do in your own little way to give back to society?

The society I find myself has been so acceptable so my little contribution is through my Halima Abubakar Foundation for the Poor where I cater for the less privileged because I have come to discover that people don’t really need money, all they need is care, shelter, clothes and most importantly food. That is my own way of giving back to the society that has done so much for me.

What has been the most memorable movie you’ve featured in so far?

I can’t choose because they all define me at the end of the day. Choosing one particular movie over others won’t be fair to producers.

If there is one thing you will like to change about the perception of people towards you, what would that be?

There are lot but most of the time, when I hear or read them, I just smile and let them go so that it does not weigh me down. In the past, people tagged me a lesbian, when I am not one. I get tired of people when they judge you because of the roles you play in a movie. I would love people to make their findings about me before judging. The fact is that I used to drink but I stopped when I discovered that it hinders my sleep. So I advise anyone who takes a glass to many to quit the way I did. I am one of the most loving actresses you can encounter. I don’t keep unnecessary friends and I always stay focused.

Talking about being tagged a lesbian, have you ever been approached by one?

No. I don’t look like them, so why should I be approached in the first place. If anyone tries to I will be ready to slash them with some nasty words.

Life&

T E A M

What fond childhood memories can you readily recall?

I was very stubborn while growing up and as result of that, my parents kept changing my school. Sometimes I would tell my father, “Oh I saw a ghost yesterday”, or “I saw somebody with half a leg walking”. I cooked up a lot of lies so as to leave where I am to come to Lagos. EventuEditor Nkarenyi Ukonu n.ukonu@dailytimes.com.ng 08029030427

ally I got admitted into Ojo High School in Lagos and that was the period when my love for acting started. I stayed in Lagos with my aunt but after a while I left because it was becoming discouraging and disappointing putting in so much hard work and not getting roles. As a young lady, I didn’t want to be taken advantage of so I had to go back to Kano again after my Junior Secondary School to complete my Senior Secondary Education at Army Day Secondary School, Kano.

Would you say being a celebrity has affected your relationship in any way?

You don’t have to be everywhere. I’m a low key celebrity.

The time I have for myself, I use it to sleep. I don’t come out brandishing the things that I do. I’m not the in your face kind of actress.

Why are you so obsessed with your shape?

Well, I am a complete African woman as you can see. I am well endowed and curvy and that alone gets every man crazy. I work so hard to get in shape, I don’t eat or drink too much, I am a lover of fruits and I take a lot of water. I am just me and I appreciate every part of my body.

Music Correspondent Akintayo Opeoluwani o.ogunjimi@dailytimes.com.ng 08126223784

Movie Correspondent Mutiat Alli m.alli@dailytimes.com.ng 08115557378

Society Correspondent Isaac Oguntoye i.ogundoye@dailytimes.com.ng 08069489893

What informs how you dress?

I like being different. I want people to look at me and make a comment even if it’s a weird one. I don’t have to come out wearing a mini skirt like every other person. I can’t come out wearing something that won’t allow me breath well in order for people to look at me and say “Oh, she’s a fashion icon”. I can only go as far as combining colours as long as it suits me.

What is your most expensive fashion item?

My wrist watches. I love wristwatches. And rings, I love rings. It’s amazing when you hear the amount some of these rings cost. I love accessories a lot.

How challenging is combining the role of an actress and a producer?

It is challenging handling both but believe me when you are an actress on set, you become the eyes of the producer and director but when you are the producer, the challenges are much because you begin to run helter-shelter to suit everybody on set.

What has life taught you over the years?

That things are not as easy as people make you believe and it pays to be consistent, prayerful and being focused.

Photography Quadri Olowolagba q.olowolagba@dailytimes.com.ng 08029745478

Graphics Austine Agbovi a.agbovi@dailytimes.com.ng 07060402397

Daily Times Nigeria

Monday April 27, 2015

L3 Men’s Trend

Bow tie 101 Nkarenyi Ukonu

Move aside, necktie. There’s a new sheriff in town! It is the bow tie.

You may have picked out the perfect suit, but no ensemble is complete without the right accessories. Why not switch it up and try on a bow tie? A man who wears a bow tie exudes class and sophistication. He is not afraid to occasionally step outside his comfort zone and be daring. The bow tie has the capacity to transform your outfit from unimaginative to quirky and confident. So prepare to be the center of attention with your bow tie.

How to differentiate between the self-tie, pre-tied and clip-on bow tie

The self-tie bow tie: Also known as the freestyle, self-tie means that it comes untied and you can tie it yourself. Once tied, the natural form and slight asymmetry of the self tie shows charm and quirkiness that a pre-tied bow tie can never match.

The pre-tied bow tie: This type is attached to an adjustable neck strap. Easy to size, it can be worn in a matter of seconds. A disadvan-

tage of a pre-tied bow tie is that it can look stiff and almost too-perfect. Any bow tie aficionado knows that a pre-tied bow will never have the same dimension or character as a self tie.

The clip-on bow tie: This is a pre-tied bow with a metal clasp on the back that hooks directly onto the collar of a shirt. They are recommend for young children or infants, as these will look too juvenile on adults.

Sizing your bow tie A bow tie is a one-size-fits-all affair. With a little trial and error, any adjustable bow tie should fit the average man’s neck. To measure your neck length, start by laying a dress shirt with the collar flat on an even surface. With a tape measure, measure in inches all the way around the collar band, starting and ending at the center collar button. This is your neck size. The average neck sizing of a bow tie is 14.5 inches to 17.5 inches. Adjust your bow tie to your neck size and tie it up to see how it feels. It should be snug but not uncomfortably tight.

How to tie a bow tie Learning how to tie a bow tie is

a rite of passage on the journey to becoming a true gentleman. Tying a bow tie can be difficult the first few times and takes practice to master. There are different ways to tie a bow tie.

The butterfly This is the standard style that most people are familiar with. On average, it is around 2.3 inches in height and fits most face shapes.

This particular style is very versatile and works for virtually every occasion. It is a great starting point for those who are just venturing into the world of bow ties.

The big butterfly This has a larger and more relaxed silhouette. It is sometimes worn for very formal events with a tuxedo. These are typically three inches or greater in height and recommended for those don’t mind looking a bit cheeky.

The batwing: The batwing shape, also known as a straight or slim bow tie, is the smallest in height. They are typically less than two inches in height and provide a clean and modern look. It is slightly less formal than the butterfly, but is still acceptable for black tie events.

The diamond point A shape gaining popularity is the diamond tip bow tie. Instead of having a flat end, the edges are pointed to give it diamond shape.

When tied, this style has an asymmetric look and adds even more personality to the self-tie bow tie.

Although very stylish, these are not often seen.

The rounded club The most rare of the bunch is the rounded club bow tie. Like the name suggests, the ends are rounded instead of flat. This style is not for the shy as it is very unique.

When a bow tie is the right tie

Formal Attire One of the most common places you’ll see a bow tie worn is at a formal event. The most wellknown formal dress code is Black Tie. When attending an affair with this dress code, the standard black tuxedo must be worn with a black bow tie, preferably in satin, silk or grosgrain material. A self-tie is especially important with this outfit as a pre-tied bow tie will immediately cheapen the look of your ensemble. Simply adding a matching

cummerbund or waistcoat takes your ensemble a notch up. Another place recommended for bow ties is at a White Tie event, the most formal of all dress codes. As the name suggests, a white bow tie (always self tie) is absolutely necessary.

Semi-formal attire When attending a semi-formal affair, try experimenting with different patterns and textures in your bow tie. Play with polka dots or striped patterns in various colors. Bow ties made with velvet or tweed material add a fun, modern feel to your ensemble. You can pair your neckwear with a classic dress shirt under a nice suit with a coordinating pocket square.

Casual attire For casual events, wear whatever your heart desires, even if it means breaking fashion rules.

Want to wear a plaid bow tie with a bright dress shirt and cardigan? Go for it! Show off your own personal style with funky patterns or bow ties made with light materials such as seersucker or linen. You could even frame your bow tie with great supporting accessories like suspenders and printed socks.

Clip on bow tie

Self bow tie

Pre tied bow ties

Tony Elumelu

Charles Aigbe

Rev. Paul Adefarasin

Living & Decor L4

Daily Times Nigeria Monday April 27, 2015

All you need to know about wall decors Nkarenyi Ukonu It can be boring to have a room with plain walls. Wall décor is important to any apartment’s decorating effort.

Wall décor is what makes the walls of your home or office look and have a personalized touch. Just as furniture is important so also are the items you use on your walls, as well as their placement and arrangement. By using wall decorative items, you add style and personality to your home.

Give your space a new look with the right wall décor items.

There are a number of options to consider when it comes to wall décor ideas.

Paintings and flat art work: Flat art work like paintings is what first comes to mind when you think about wall décor. There are a variety of flat art work that suits just about any style. From framed black-and-white prints to colourful textured canvases, flat art work add life to boring walls.

Family photos and other personal items: Your photos on the wall are a reminder of your favourite people, fun places visited, and more favourite things. A lot of times, pictures become part of an apartment’s wall décor when framed and hung. Apart from photos, trophies and other sentimental items can be displayed.

Mirrors, clocks and other functional items: There are items we hang on the wall that are decorative as well as functional. Mirrors and

Unique bubble wall mirrors

clocks are typical examples. Decorative mirrors hung on the wall make an apartment look bigger. Wall mounted television and accent lighting are good examples of functional wall décor.

Shelving and scones: Use shelves to store or display different items like books, compact discs, candles and other items. Shelves come in different styles to match your apartment’s décor. If you hang multiple shelves on your walls you can line them up vertically, or place them in different ways to add some creativity to their arrangement.

Sconces are nice. They add a good touch to wall décor by providing a small ledge for a light or votive.

You can use sconces to house small plants and decorative items.

Sculptures and other 3-D art work: A three dimensional art work on your wall can attract compliments and serve as a focal point of a room.

Wallpapers, boarders and appliques: Putting up wallpaper can create patterns and add multiple colours to a wall that paint can’t do.

Borders are like wall papers but on a smaller scale and can add a nice touch to a nursery or kitchen, to bring life and a theme to a nursery.

Appliques are images or letters that you can stick on your wall and can easily be taken off whenever you want. You can hang an appliqué of anything that catches your fancy.

Appliques

Decorative wall clock

Wall painting

Art works

Daily Times Nigeria

Monday April 27, 2015

L5

Nutrition

Enjoy the sweetness of

bitter leaf Judith Frank Edet

judithjudith 463@yahoo.com Life itself cannot be sweet all the time so also, not all plants are sweet. Amid the bitterness, you can discover the sweetness and the same goes with the bitter leaf plant.

Also known as Onugbu in Igbo language, Shiwaka in Hausa language, Ewuro in Yoruba language and Etidot in Ibibio language, bitter leaf plant is one of nature’s gift to man. Though famous for its culinary purposes, especially in the South East and SouthSouth part of Nigeria, it is also well known for its healing potency when chewed or juiced raw. Every part of this plant is bitter starting from the leaves to its roots. The bitterness of this plant is actually sweet for the body.

This multi-healing plant has numerous medicinal values including cure for stomach ache, skin infections, diabetes, insomnia, tooth ache, acne, pneumonia, stoke, arthritis, fatigue, cough and bleeding. It has been established that the plant has anti-parasitic, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and antihelminthic properties. Bitter leaf is also rich in carotene, proteins, ascorbic acid, iron,

folic acid.

According to a study carried out by researchers at the University of Jos, bitter leaf has an anti-diabetic effect in diabetes mellitus, Type 2 diabetes. Diabetic patient can use bitter-leaf as part of their medication to prevent high sugar level in the blood. It will not only lower the sugar level in the blood but will also repair impaired pancreas. Bitter Leaf can be used to treat breast cancer when incorporated in the diet. It slows down cancer growth and even kills cancer cells. The aqueous extract of bitter leaf can also help in inducing labour and where there is no medical help, blood oozing from fresh wound can be stopped by squeezing fresh, green bitter leaves and dropping it on the wound.

Smokers can use bitter leaf as it is helpful for acting as a shield against the pollutants from cigarettes while it burns.

Through the consumption of bitter leaf juice, smokers can help protect themselves against the health dangers associated with the habit.

This plant is very useful in toning the vital organs of the body especially the liver. it protects the liver from drug induced damage. People with liver and kidney problems

can boil bitter-leaf and drink a glass of it every day.

According to the West African Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants, the leaves of bitter leaf can also be used to cure fever. It can also be rubbed directly onto the skin to cure an itch, parasitic infections, ringworm, among others because of its antimicrobial effects. Bitter leaf juice is said to increase the milk production of a lactating mothers The leaves can be rubbed onto the breast to wean infants.

According to a 2005 edition of the African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, chewing the stem of bitter leaf helps to prevent gingivitis which is a tooth-gum problem due to its proven antimicrobial activity.

Bitter leaf juice retains its potency for as long as a month when kept properly.

A large quantity can be prepared, stored in cans and some honey added to preserve it. It may lose its bitterness but the efficacy remains the same.

The leaves are relatively cheap and rich in several nutrients especially B-carotene and vitamin C. It is also rich in minerals like iron, phosphorus, calcium and potassium.

How to extract the juice from bitter leaf

Cooking actually reduces the health potency of bitter leaf, so it is advisable to take the juice if you want to enjoy the health merits. According to nutritionist, Veronica Zaki, people should drink a glass of bitter leaf juice three times a day for healthy living.

Traditionally, the juice is extracted by rubbing the clean leaves in between your palms with the help of a little water and squeezing out the juice from the leaves.

You can also use a juicer or blend the leaves with a little water, in a blender and strain out the extract with a cheese cloth, coffee strainer or a sieve with a tight mesh. The taste can be really bitter and some may find it unbearable.

So to reduce the bitterness of the bitter leaf juice, you could blend it with spinach or fluted pumpkin. If you still find it extremely bitter, then add some sweet fruits to it like apples, oranges or pineapple. Dry bitter leaf is also potent, but it has to be properly cleaned before use.

Recipe for bitter leaf soup Preparation time: 15 minutes Serves: 4-6 people Ingredients •3 handfuls of bitter leaf • 1 cooking spoon of cocoyam (Ede ofe) • 1 teaspoon of Ogiri • 600g red beef • 500g assorted meat • 1 cup of periwinkles (Optional) • Stock fish/ dry fish • 1 diced red scotch bonnet pepper • 2 cooking spoon of palm oil • 1 cooking spoon of crayfish •2 seasoning cubes •Salt to taste Cooking instructions Step 1: Bitter leaf soup is not famously cooked to be bitter except you want to maintain the bitter taste. If you want to maintain the bitterness as some people would prefer, you only wash the leaves to remove dirts. Otherwise, wash the bitter leaf with your palms thoroughly to remove the bitter taste. A simple way to do this is to place it in a pot and boil for 10mins. While doing this, make sure the pot is left uncovered. Once you’re done boiling, strain with a sieve and rinse severally with cold water. Squeeze off excess water and set aside.

Step 2: Wash your beef, assorted meat, periwinkles , stock fish/ dry fish, pepper and put them in a medium sized pot. Add some salt and boil with little water for 15 minutes. Pour some more water just enough to cover the contents of the pot.

Step 3: Check for salt and add more if necessary, add the crushed seasoning and ogiri into the pot and mix.

Leave to boil for 5minutes till the liquid in the pot starts to bubble.

Step 4: Gradually add the cocoyam paste, leave to dissolve in the bubbling liquid.

Remember, the cocoyam being used is the non-edible type that tends to stick and not the edible type that can be boiled and eaten like yam.

As it boils, it will begin to thicken. Now add the palm oil and crayfish and leave to thicken further.

Step 5: By now you should have noticed a considerable reduction in the volume of liquid in the pot. Gently add the washed bitter leaf and mix. Leave to boil further for 10minutes more before turning off the burner. Serve with semovita or eba

Music Gists L6

Daily Times Nigeria Monday April 27, 2015

Opeoluwani Akintayo

T-ME to hold album listening party

Audu Maikori to step down as Chocolate City CEO

All hands are currently on deck to make sure Sunday, May 3rd 2015, comes off as a day to be reckoned with. That’s because upcoming hip-hop act, Timileyin Obanla a.k.a T-me, is set to unleash his new single. The unveiling of the launch is billed to take place at Anchor Event Centre, Agidingbi, Ikeja.

It will also interest you to know that T-Me, is the son of the Financial Secretary of the Association of Nigeria License Customs Agent,(ANLCA) Murtala Mohammed Chapter, Akeem Alex Obanla.

Peace Anyiam-Osigwe

Why eLDee dumped music Finally, the answer is here for those of who might have been wondering where eLDee had been all the while.

Life & Times ran into the former Trybe’s Record CEO who revealed that he’s moved on from singing and owning a record label into information technology. According to the one-time singer, he now runs a technologybased company called DataPlay which recently unveiled Playdata, a software used in tracking where, when and how many times any song is played in broadcasting houses anywhere in the world. When asked why he gave up his first love, eLDee explained that it was time to do other things as a husband and a father, “Things that would allow me have time for my family and my kids. I want to watch my children grow up under my guidance and entertainment wouldn’t allow that,” he said. When asked about the whereabouts of the acts signed under his label he said, “I let them go.”

…reveals compilation album release featuring MI, Ice Prince, Jesse Jagz, others CEO of Chocolate City, Audu Maikori, has hinted of his intention to step down as the head of the music record label in June. The announcement was made at the just concluded Nigerian Entertainment Conference (NEC) after M.I revealed the merger of his Loopy Music record label and Audu Maikori’s Chocolate City. Revealing the rationale behind the move, the rapper said that the trend of top music record labels globally, is toward consolidation. In a move reminiscent of Jay-Z and Damon Dash where they sold Rocafella Records to Island Def Jam, M.I revealed that the merger is a union to

improve their business efficiency and respond more effectively to change in the music business sector. The new CEO will be announced after Maikori leaves office. The move brings together MI, Jesse Jagz, Ruby Gyang, Loose Kaynon, Ice Prince, Nosa, DJ Caise, Dice Ailes, Victoria Kimani and DJ Lambo under one business umbrella. MI also hinted that a compilation album featuring all the artistes under the newly merged label, will be exclusively available on the Star Music app soon. Meanwhile, the label has just signed on two more artistes, Save Milli and Koker.

Audu Maikori

Shina Peller to unveil record label CEO of Quilox night club and socialite, Shina Peller, has said that he will unveil his record label, Aquila in the second week of May, 2015. As a way of showing how serious he is, Life & Times further gathered that he has already signed a few artistes like Tillaman, QPeller and Base 1 on the label.

eLDee

Movie Gists

Shina Peller

Mutiat Alli

Desperate Housewives debuts last day of April

Desperate Housewife crew A new drama series, Desperate Housewives Africa will debut on the last day of April.

The series will begin airing in Africa and beyond via EbonyLife TV, exclusively on DStv. The drama series will feature Nini Wacera, Omotu Bissong, Michelle Dede, Dolapo Oni, and Kehinde Bankole amongst others. Organizers

of the television series had earlier hinted that there will be a premiere in Lagos on Thursday April 28th, 2015 where the cast and crew of Desperate Housewives Africa will be introduced along with the all-African suburban ‘Wisteria Lane’ neighborhood where the series will be based.

Bimbo Akintola, Taiwo Ajai –Lycett take Hear Word to Oshodi Leading Nigerian actresses led by Ufuoma McDermott, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Bimbo Akintola stormed the every busy Oshodi market to stage a surprise performance of their upcoming stage drama titled Hear Word.

The drama which gained attention of passers-by as they stopped to catch a glimpse of the performance by the actors became noisy as everyone struggled to see the real action happen. Di-

rected by Ifeoma Fafunwa, the 2014 edition of the drama featured Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Joke Silva, Iretiola Doyle, Bimbo Akintola, Elvina Ibru, Kate Henshaw, Dakore Akande, Ufuoma McDermott, Rita Edwards, Zara Ejoh, Debbie Ohiri , Odenike among others. Showcasing the triumph of different Nigerian women from all walks of life, Hear Word is set to hit Muson centre in May.

Lycett, Ufuoma McDermott, Bimbo Akintola and others on set

A scene in the drama

Daily Times Nigeria

Monday April 27, 2015

L7 Movie Gists

Mutiat Alli

ON Set

Movie title: 10/10

Movie title: Etan

Cast: Patience Ozokwor, Nkem Ikeh, Ero Josh, Maureen Okpoko, Pat Attang Produced by: Pat Attang and Arsenal Bruno Directed by: Emmanuel Ayaka Location: Enugu

Produced by: Azeezat Shorunmu Directed by: Kayode Adebayo Cast: Tayo Sobola, Damola Olatunji, Abdul -Lateef Adedimeji, Azeezat Shorunmi, Tolu Labinjo.

Location: Lagos

Patience Ozokwor plays the principal

Casts on set

Tayo Sobola and Azeezat Shorunmu and a cast

Wellness

Azeezat and Abdul-Lateef

Casts on set

Ero Josh and Maureen Okpoko

Untold health risk of waist training Judith Edet-Frank

judithjudith463@yahoo.com We do it for the glamour, we do it for the attention, we do it for the selfies and we do it to get an hour glass figure, but unfortunately our health is paying the price for it. We totally understand the struggle with weight loss; it could be downright difficult. Lowering your calorie intakes, reading nutrition labels for deceptive ingredients, exercising, yet when you look into the mirror, you see no improvement. So of course, when we hear you can actually loose stomach fat and have an hour glass figure without changing your lifestyle by simply wearing a piece of cloth, your natural instinct would be to jump at it. Though it sounds too good to be true, that’s the basis for the newest trend in weight loss called waist training.

For a long time, women have always worn tight undergarments to contour their bodies for a desired, shapely appearance. It recently exploded into popularity after popular celebrities attributed their toned body to its con-

sistent use. This has caused a high demand in latex and non-latex corsets to attain an unnatural hourglass figure.

This practice involves wearing a corset-like device for hours at a time to compress your core, which is supposed to decrease the size of your waist over time.

The hope is that the body will maintain that shape and inches will be lost, creating a leaner and slimmer appearance. However, there is no evidence to show that this change will remain permanent without wearing the garment. There is also the theory that the stomach will be squeezed into a smaller shape, causing to become less hungry and reduce your calorie intake. There is no clinical proof that this is effective or beneficial to a woman, and in fact, it may be harmful to a woman’s body over time.

According to health experts, when you wear a corset, it doesn’t just squeeze you on the outside to look thin, it is also squeezes your internal organs. This pressure on the internal organs causes serious health concerns. If the lungs are

prevented from properly expanding, it can increase the risk of pneumonia. As the stomach and colon are prevented from moving its contents, heartburn and chronic constipation can occur. Forcing the ribs and muscles into a tight and restrictive garment can cause chronic pain and bruising.

The corset can also prevent the return of blood flow to the heart, which can affect blood pressure and may result in dizziness and even fainting.

While some people can get away with wearing the waist trainer without any real harm done, for a real, long-term weight-loss plan, you must think otherwise.

It has not been medically proven that cinching your waist tightly will make it permanently smaller. Once you take the garment off, your body will return to its usual shape. It’s also uncomfortable, restricts your movements, and if you wear it really tight, it can even make it difficult to breathe and could cause rib damage. Also, wearing a waist-cinching device for a workout isn’t a good idea either, especially if it restricts your mobility or your ability to take full,

deep breaths. It can really affect your ability to work hard.

Dr. Caroline Apovian, a professor of medicine says that waist trainers won’t have any lasting effect on waist size, shape, or appearance.

They’ll make you look slimmer while you wear them, but you may have to put up with some discomfort and maybe even some health risks in return. Not that waist training is completely bad,

moderation is key. If you’re going out and want to look really thin, there is no problem wearing a waist training corset. It may even help boost your confidence and encourage you to exercise and eat healthy. But if you are looking for something permanent, waist training is not the way to go.

What you need to do to shed calories around your belly is to eat healthy and exercise on a regular basis.

Twist crunches, skipping, jogging can help define those stomach muscles and to really lose inches around your waist. It’s not trendy, but it’s the one thing that works, whether you want to drop baby weight or just a few stubborn fat. There is no cheating or quick fix to fitness.What’s important to remember is that there is no perfect body, but there is a healthy body for each one of us.

Daily Times Nigeria

Monday April 27, 2015

L8 Television

Showing on

Showing on

135 BET Channel

110 M-Net Movie Action

15:30

14:17

Mon, 27 Apr | PG13

Mon, 27 Apr | 13VL

‘S1/E20 - Let’s Talk About College Boys’. After meeting Kaci and the Reeds, Jacob Matthews, a 14-year-old prodigy, decides to quit college. Alex represents his alma mater at a college fair.

101 M-Net West

Sam Jackson and Ben Affleck make formidable foes in this thought-provoking thriller that explores how a seemingly insignificant action can have life-altering consequences. Samuel L Jackson, Toni Collette, Amanda Peet, Ben Affleck.

(2002) Roger Michell

120 BBC Entertainment

118 Telemundo

128 SONY MAX

00:05 New Tricks 01:00 Come Dine With Me 01:50 Downton Abbey 02:45 The Cube 01:25 The Paperboy 03:25 Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight 05:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 06:00 Modern Family 06:30 The Newsroom 07:30 The Fixer 08:30 Celebrity Masterchef South Africa 09:30 NCIS: Los Angeles 10:30 2 Broke Girls 11:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 12:00 MasterChef Australia 13:00 Nashville 14:00 Arrow 15:00 Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. 16:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 17:00 Mom 17:30 MasterChef Australia 18:30 Grey’s Anatomy 19:30 The Slap 20:30 Elementary 21:30 Carte Blanche 22:30 Mob City 22:30 Mob City

03:30 EastEnders 00:30 The Impostor 01:20 The Impostor 02:10 The Impostor 03:00 The Impostor 03:50 The Impostor 05:20 The Del Monte Dynasty 06:10 Aurora 07:00 Fearless Heart 07:50 Labour Of Love 08:40 The Impostor 09:30 Forbidden Passions 10:20 Aurora 11:10 Fearless Heart 12:00 Labour Of Love 12:50 The Impostor 13:40 Forbidden Passions 14:30 Labour Of Love 15:20 Fearless Heart 16:10 Queen Of Hearts 17:00 The Impostor 17:50 Forbidden Passions 18:40 Labour Of Love 19:30 Fearless Heart 20:20 Queen Of Hearts 21:10 The Impostor 22:00 Forbidden Passions 22:50 Labour Of Love 23:00 QI

04:00 EastEnders 04:30 EastEnders 05:00 Fool Britannia 05:25 QI

00:35 The Treasure Hunters

06:00 Would I Lie To You? 06:30 EastEnders 07:00 Antiques Roadshow 08:00 The Weakest Link 08:50 The Chase 09:35 Total Wipeout UK 10:30 The Cube

16:30 Deal Or No Deal 17:10 The Cube 18:05 Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

19:00 Celebrity MasterChef 20:00 Hell’s Kitchen USA

11:20 New Tricks

21:00 Hell’s Kitchen USA

12:20 Top Gear 13:15 Come Dine With Me 14:10 Total Wipeout UK 15:10 The Weakest Link

21:50 The Graham Norton Show 22:45 Would I Lie To You? 22:25 Would I Lie To You?

16:00 EastEnders

00:25 President For A Day 01:20 After The Wedding 03:00 Good Morning Africa 04:00 Days Without Rain 05:00 Redial 06:00 Good Morning Africa

03:10 World’s Wildest Police Videos 04:00 Exposed 04:30 Exposed 05:00 Ninja Warrior 05:25 Ninja Warrior 05:50 Video Zonkers 06:15 Video Zonkers 06:40 Panic Button Canada 07:35 Most Shocking 08:30 What Went Down

155 AfricaMagic World

09:00 Repo Games 09:25 World’s Wildest Police Videos 10:25 Video Zonkers 10:55 Video Zonkers 11:25 Most Shocking 12:25 Panic Button Canada

154 AfricaMagic Family 07:00 Star Gist 07:25 The Heiress 08:30 Living With Trisha 09:00 Comedy Club Live In Kampala 10:00 Good Morning Africa 11:00 Goal Diggerz 11:30 Star Gist 12:00 Channel O: Volt 12:30 Channel O 13:00 At Home With Joselyn Dumas 14:00 Through The Eyes Of An African 14:30 Glam Report 15:00 Making Of A Mogul 15:30 Coco Bill 15:45 Coco Bill 16:00 The African Child 16:30 Living With Trisha

02:20 World’s Wildest Police Videos

13:25 What Went Down 13:55 Exposed 14:20 Repo Games 14:45 Repo Games 00:00 Noose Of Gold 00:30 Good Morning Africa 01:40 The Dzigbordi Show 02:30 Good Morning Africa 03:30 Good Morning Africa 04:30 Noose Of Gold 05:00 Good Morning Africa 06:00 Foot Prints 06:30 Foot Prints 07:00 Star Gist 07:30 Star Gist 08:00 Lies That Bind 08:30 Lies That Bind 09:00 Good Morning Africa 10:00 So Wrong So Wright

10:30 So Wrong So Wright 11:00 Affections 11:30 Jara 12:00 Jara 12:30 Katemba Mu Kkooti 13:00 Music On Africa Magic 14:00 Noose Of Gold 14:30 Noose Of Gold 15:00 Deception 15:30 Foot Prints 16:00 Foot Prints 16:30 Lies That Bind 17:00 Lies That Bind 17:30 Star Gist 18:00 Star Gist 18:30 So Wrong So Wright

15:15 World’s Wildest Police Videos 16:15 1000 Ways To Die 16:40 Panic Button Canada 17:40 Video Zonkers 18:05 Video Zonkers 18:30 What Went Down 19:00 Most Shocking 20:00 Boiling Point 21:30 1000 Ways To Die 22:00 Kenny vs Spenny 22:30 Tool Academy 21:30 1000 Ways To Die

MARTINS Wonder g X3 Goal Wins Award

Poster!

ALYSIA MONTANO g X4,5 Monday, April 27, 2015

Chelsea

move towards title with

Arsenal draw g X2

UCL Easier To Win Than La Liga –Ancelotti g

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MIKEL

Plays Down Southampton Link g X3

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Monday, April 27, 2015

EXTRATIME

Alexis Sanchez face Chelsea

Everton hand Van Gaal heaviest Premiership defeat

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Chelsea move towards title with Arsenal draw

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helsea maintained their 10-point gap over their closest rivals despite a goalless draw with Arsenal as the Barclays Premier League races to a pulsating end.

The league leaders extended their unbeaten run against Arsenal to eight matches, in a match played at the Emirates Stadium.

With Sunday’s match, Chelsea can no longer win the title at Leicester City on Wednesday, but victory at King Power Stadium and at home to Crystal Palace next weekend will be enough.

In a keenly-contested stalemate, Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho also extended his unbeaten record against

Arsene Wenger in the league to 10 matches.

With Diego Costa and Loic Remy injured, Oscar began as the figurehead of Chelsea’s attack and was central to the match’s biggest talking point as he nodded a header past the onrushing David Ospina. The Brazilian collided with the Arsenal goalkeeper and, after the effort was cleared away by Hector Bellerin, Chelsea’s claims for a penalty were waved away by referee Michael Oliver.

Fabregas, in his first appearance at Emirates Stadium since leaving for Barcelona in 2011, also had claims for a spot-kick denied when he went down under a challenge by Santi

Cazorla, but Oliver booked the Chelsea midfielder for simulation.

Arsenal edged the initial stages, although Chelsea had early shouts for a penalty after seven minutes when Oscar went down under pressure from Bellerin, but Oliver was unmoved.

Arsenal continued to threaten with Olivier Giroud juggling the ball in the area before Gary Cahill dealt with the danger. Bellerin was then required to clear Oscar’s goalbound effort after a sublime ball over the top from Fabregas, with Ospina’s collision with the Brazilian going unpunished. Oscar was able to continue after medical assistance but was withdrawn at half-time.

verton earned a deserved 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Goodison Park as Roberto Martinez’s tactics outwitted those of Louis van Gaal.

The Everton manager has had a testing second season on Merseyside, but the Spaniard got his tactics spot on to earn a morale-boosting win on Sunday courtesy of goals from James McCarthy, John Stones and Kevin Mirallas.

Heeding the blueprint of Chelsea’s victory over United last week, Everton sat deep throughout, allowing the visitors to dominate possession before breaking quickly with Aaron Lennon, Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku.

Everton’s fifth-minute opener came via a swift counter, with McCarthy applying a superb finishing touch to a move that he started.

The hosts’ second goal also arrived after a spell of United pressure, with Stones’ near-post header from Leighton Baines’ corner giving Everton a two-goal cushion 35 minutes in.

Van Gaal introduced Radamel Falcao for Marouane Fellaini, who missed United’s best chance of the match, at the break in an attempt to sharpen his side’s cutting edge, but it made no difference.

Everton substitute Mirallas completed the scoring 16 minutes from time to condemn United to a second straight defeat, their first since De-

cember 2013, and their heaviest in the Barclays Premier League under Van Gaal.

United began on the front foot but were caught out by an incisive Everton breakaway after four minutes. McCarthy began the move by spreading wide to Seamus Coleman, whose cross was only partially cleared by the recalled Daley Blind.

McCarthy collected the loose ball, skipped beyond challenges from Blind and Paddy McNair and slotted low beyond David de Gea. Fellaini could have marked his first appearance at Goodison as an opposing player with an immediate equaliser, but the Belgian sidefooted over with only Tim Howard to beat after nicking possession off Gareth Barry.

Van Gaal’s side continued to probe but, for all their territorial dominance, found themselves 2-0 down 10 minutes before the break when Stones glanced home his first Everton goal from Baines’ delivery.

The pattern of the first half remained in place after the break despite Van Gaal’s introduction of Falcao and Angel di Maria, with United continuing to toil in the final third.

Everton again punished United on the counter when Mirallas raced on to a Barkley pass that was intended for the offside Lukaku before slotting past De Gea at his near post.

Monday, April 27, 2015

EXTRATIME

NIGERIA PLAYERS ABROAD

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With Mike Otanwa

MARTINS Wonder Goal Wins Award

Kehinde

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Martins

igerian striker Obafemi Martins has won the AT&T MLS Goal of Week 7 of the Major League Soccer (MLS).

His wonder goal in Seattle Sounders 3-1 win over Colorado Rapids on Saturday in Commerce City was picked ahead of other contenders with close to 70% of the total vote cast by the fans.

The former Levante forward took a long pass from Andy Rose, he superbly controlled the ball, turned both defenders, moved forward and fired shot into the net with same left leg he controlled and turned with.

Martins, 30, has been nominated for the Goal of the Week nine times since joining the Sounders in 2013, winning seven of those.

OBI On

KEHINDE FIRES HAT-TRICK IN ISRAEL

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apoel Afula hitman Olanrewaju Kehinde was the hero of his Israeli second division club as they beat Maccabi Yavne 4-2 in a promotion play-off game over the weekend.

Kehinde has scored 16 goals during the regular season. He has now scored 19 goals in the league thus far.

Hapoel Afula are fourth on the promotion table with 53 points

MIKEL

Plays Down Southampton Link

Obi

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Genoa’s Radar I

nter Milan attacking midfielder, Joel Chukwuma Obi, is on Genoa’s radar for next season, according to reports in Italy.

The Nigerian international is down in the pecking order at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini is keen to offload him to ease the wage bill.

And speculation is mounting on Obi’s future at the Serie A club.

Accodring to report, Genoa manager Gian Piero Gasperinin reportedly want a silky player to shore up his midfield at the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris and Obi fits the bill.

Obi was signed by Inter Milan in 2005 as a youth team player before being promoted to the first team.

He has been plagued with injuries and was close to sealing a move to the Middle East in January, but the deal fell through under mysterious circumstances.

from 33 games.

It was 10 minutes of magic by the Nigerian striker on Friday.

His first goal was a penalty in the 64th minute to bring the game to 1-1. He completed a brace in the 70th minute to give his side lead for the first time in the game.

He went on to complete a hat-trick with a goal in the 74th minute and seal victory for his team.

Mikel

he report alleging that John Obi Mikel part form will of the deal that will see Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin move to Stamford Bridge in the summer are wide of the mark.

The Nigerian international been heavily h a s leave to tipped C h e l s e a in the last few seasons, with the likes of Monaco, Inter Milan, Galatasaray and Schalke 04 genuinely interested in his signature.

According to Mikel, he is happy to be a Chelsea

player and is not even thinking about his future until the end of this season. ‘’All what you are reading about Mikel is paper talk, and for now he is happy in Chelsea,’’ the defensive midfielder’s intermediary confided to SL10.ng. ‘’Mikel is not talking about him staying or leaving Chelsea until after the season.’’

Obi Mikel joined Chelsea in June 2006 from Norwegian club Lyn Oslo after a protracted dispute with Manchester United.

The recently turned 28-year-old has 26 months left on his current contract with the Londoners.

About Alysia Montano was a standout college athlete who saw her Olympic dreams slip away at the 2008 Olympic Trials, but since then she has been on a roll winning four consecutive U.S. titles from 20102013. Montano earned a spot on the 2012 Olympic team where she went on to finish fifth in the final. Montano had a breakout year in 2007 when she won the NCAA indoor and outdoor title and the USA Outdoor title. During her senior year in 2008, she looked ready to repeat her success, but a nagging foot injury caught up to her at the Olympic Trials and she exited the track after the first round in a wheelchair. After healing and gaining strength for a season at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, Montano was back on her path to the top. Montano majored in theater and performing

Awards and Honors Indoor 600m American record holder - 1:23.59 (2013) 2007 PAC-10 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year

Collegiate Championships 2007 NCAA Indoor (2:03.47) and Outdoor (1:59.29) champion

International Championships 2010 World Indoor bronze medalist (1:59.60) 2006 NACAC U-23 champion (2:03.87)

USA Championships Five-time USA Outdoor champion – 2007 (1:59.47), 2010 (1:59.87), 2011 (1:58.33); 2012 (1:59.08); 2013 (1:58.67)

COUNTRY: USA United States United States DOB: Wednesday, 23 April 1986 PLACE OF BIRTH: Queens, New York, U.S.A. Event: 800m Height: 5-7 Weight: 118 PR: 1:57.34 (2010) Current Residence: Canyon Country, Calif.

Hometown: Canyon Country, Calif.)

High School: Canyon H.S. (Canyon Country, Calif.) ‘04 College: University of California ‘08 Coach: Louis Montano Agent: Louis Montano Club: Triangle Champions Track Club

ALYSIA JOHNSON MONTANO

PERSONAL INFORMATION

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EXTRATIME

Monday, April 27, 2015

MONTANO

ALYSIA

PERSONAL BESTS PROGRESSION HONOURS OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE PLACE DATE 400 Metres 52.09 Nuoro 14 JUL 2010 800 Metres 1:57.34 Monaco 22 JUL 2010 (Stade Louis II) INDOOR PERFORMANCE PLACE DATE 400 Metres 53.05 Albuquerque, NM 08 FEB 2013 600 Metres 1:23.59 New York (Armory) 16 FEB 2013 800 Metres 1:59.60 Doha (Aspire Dome)14 MAR 2010

arts at the University of California at Berkley. Her first experience in track and field was tagging along with her cousins to meets and running around the infield when she was too young to compete with the “big kids.” Formerly Alysia Johnson, she married her childhood friend Louis Montano on March 19, 2011. She’s known for running with a flower in her hair.

Monday, April 27, 2015

EXTRATIME

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Monday, April 27, 2015

EXTRATIME

BARCA

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Release Emotional Video Of Vilanova

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arcelona marked the oneyear anniversary of the death of former boss Tito Vilanova, with an emotional video on Saturday.

Vilanova sadly lost his long battle with cancer on April 25, 2014, aged just 45, after he suffered a relapse of the disease that had forced him to step down as coach of the Catalan giants a year earlier.

With Saturday marking one year since his death, Barcelona decided to pay tribute to their former manager by publishing a video called ‘A year without Tito Vilanova’ on their YouTube channel.

Vilanova spent five years at the Catalan club before taking over as head coach.

After being assistant of the B side along with Pep Guardiola, both coaches were assigned to the first team and after four of the most successful years in the club’s history, Vilanova took over as first team manager when Guardiola announced his resignation in 2012.

However, after only one season in charge where he won the La Liga title, he resigned due to a relapse from the condition.

He then passed away at the age of 45 on April 25, 2014 and the club remembered him by naming their training pitch Camp Tito Vilanova.

UCL

Easier To Win Than La Liga –Ancelotti

DYBALA

Crisis Rocks Marseille After 4th Defeat

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Vilanova

Ancelotti

arseille coach, Marcelo Bielsa, is feeling “a lot of shame” after four straight defeats plunged the club into free-fall.

The 5-3 loss to Lorient at Stade Velodrome on Friday night was the first time since 1980 that Marseille has conceded so many goals at home.

Still in the title race only three

eal Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti believes his side have a better chance of retaining the UEFA Champions League (UCL) trophy than denying Barcelona the La Liga title.

Los Blancos squeezed past Atletico Madrid to reach the last four in midweek and were rewarded with on paper the easiest draw as they face Italian champions Juventus in the semi-finals and have the second-leg at home.

However, they also remain in the hunt for La Liga, just two points behind Barcelona with six games to go.

“It is more difficult to win La Liga because we have a disadvantage. Barcelona have the lead, although it is just two points. In the Champions League we are all equal,” said the Italian, who coached Juventus between 1999 and 2001.

Injuries could have a big role to play in how successful Madrid are in the final month of the season and Ancelotti is confident both Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale will be fit to face Juventus in Turin on May 5.

Bielsa weeks ago, Marseille is now in serious danger of missing out on the Champions League and even under pressure to secure a Europa League spot, with Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux and Montpellier pushing hard.

Marseille won eight straight games near the start of the season to put early pressure on defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.

Hot In Transfer Market P alermo President Maurizio Zamparini claims “Roma, Napoli, Inter, Milan and Juventus” want Paulo Dybala.

The striker is hot property on the transfer market and has also been linked with a move abroad to Arsenal.

“For the moment he is worth €40m, but with a few more performances of the standard he’s had recently and even €50m might not be enough,” Zamparini said. “[Roma director Walter] Sabatini

is very interested in the player.

Naturally he has difficulties discussing the transfer strategy at this time, but I reminded him Roma have a very important bank behind them like Unicredit.

“So all they need to do is decide to get out the money and satisfy my requirements. Sabatini would pick him up if he could, but he has to overcome these problems.

“He is the new Leo Messi.

Napoli, Inter, Milan and Juventus are also tracking him as well as Roma obviously.

Dortmund Plots Summer Move For DZEKO G

erman giants, Borussia Dortmund are lining up a summer move for Manchester City striker, Edin Dzeko, according to report.

The Manchester City forward was once a main part of Manuel Pellegrini’s squad, however, following the

£30million arrival of former Swansea striker Wilfried Bony the player has hardly featured despite him making the reigning Premier League champions 23man squad for the Champions League ahead of Stefan Jovetic who missed out.

However, its has been learnt that Dortmund are now lining up a bid for

the Bosnian at the end of the current campaign as the look to tide a potential exodus with a host of stars as well as coach Jurgen Klopp who is heavily linked with a move to a Premier League club this summer after announcing that he will leave Dortmund as the end of the season.

Dzeko

Monday, April 27, 2015

EXTRATIME

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ATHLETICS:

Bolt

Frazer

IAAF/BTC World Relays:

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S D A E H R E S A R F , T L BO JAMAICAN TEAM

ewis Hamilton has been named the richest sportsman in Britain with a fortune of £88m, an increase of £20m on the previous year.

In a good year for Formula One, McLaren’s Jenson Button occupies third place behind the Mercedes world champion, having amassed £71m.

Splitting the drivers is Wayne Rooney, the wealthiest player in the Premier League with £72m.

His £300,000-a-week contract at Manchester United has four seasons to run and should mean the 29-year-old will join David Beckham as the only British footballer to amass a fortune of more than £100m.

Next up is Andy Murray with £48m. Winning Wimbledon in 2013 following his triumph at the US Open in 2012 and a gold medal at that summer’s Olympic Games in London have helped the flow of endorsements.

TENNIS

print superstars, Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, head Jamaica’s 44-strong squad that will go across the Caribbean to the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015, which will be staged in Nassau in May 2-3.

Jamaica finished second to the USA in the Golden Baton standings at last year’s inaugural edition of the event, when their men’s 4x200m team set a memorable world record of 1:18.63 despite the injuryenforced absence of Bolt.

Bolt, who has been named to Jamaica’s 4x100m and 4x200m teams, will return to The Bahamas for the first time in a decade, having last run there at the 2005 Central America and Caribbean Games.

“It’s going to be serious business for me in The Bahamas,” said Bolt.

FORMULA ONE:

CRICKET:

Ali

ALI Joins Growing Pakistan Injury List

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HAMILTON named Britain’s richest sportsman

Hamilton

akistani Paceman, Rahat Ali has been ruled out of the Bangladesh tour after sustaining a hamstring injury.

The left-armer will miss both Tests against the hosts and his injury is the latest in a string of setbacks for Pakistan, who lost a 20 International against Bangladesh on Friday after suffering a 3-0 defeat in the ODI series.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said Ali had not yet recovered from a hamstring concern picked up during the first ODI against Bangladesh earlier this month, with a replacement player to be named if required.

BOXING:

Haywood Set For Pepper’s Showdown

Why I Parted Ways With C Radwanska –Navratilova

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Radwanska

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artina Navratilova insists a lack of time was behind her decision to step down as Agnieszka Radwanska’s parttime coach. Navratilova began working with the 26-year-old back in December last year, with the pair hoping that the partnership would take the Polish star’s game to the next level.

She has been in or around

the top 10 for a number of years and has one Grand Slam final appearance on her CV, with a three-set defeat to Serena Williams in the 2012 Wimbledon Championships.

The Krakow-born ace has also reached two Grand Slam semi-finals and made it to the last eight on seven other occasions, but there is a sense that she has the talent to claim one of the big four events.

hampions TKO’s Jerome Haywood is set to face Scunthorpe’s Matthew Pepper on the Mark Lyons and Billy James-Elliott Wise Guys Promotions LORDS OF THE RING event, which takes place at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London on Saturday May 2, 2015.

Jerome will be making his return to York Hall, the scene of his successful professional debut in October last year, where he scored a well earned points victory over Rolandas Cesna.

Back in October, after a slightly hesitant start, Haywood soon settled down and took the fight to his more experienced opponent, pressuring the big Lithuanian with stiff jabs and heavy rights to the body.

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Monday, April 27, 2015

EXTRATIME

EXTRATIME

REAL MADRID

UCL DRAWS:

Madrid Ready For Juventus –Ancelotti C

arlo Ancelotti assured Real Madrid are “confident” in their Champions League semi-final against “legendary” Juventus.

There is a lot of history behind this fixture, as Madrid have lost three of their four knock-out Champions League ties against Juventus.

That includes the 2003 semi-final, but the Spaniards only celebrated the 1998 Final.

Ancelotti is also a former Bianconeri Coach who was never popular with the supporters thanks to two close brushes with the Scudetto from 1999 to 2001.

“Juventus are a club with a legendary

Benzema history who are returning to the s e m i -f i n a l s after 12 years,” Ancelotti said.

“They are having a very good season and have practically won the Italian championship. That means they can focus more on the Champions League.

“We are confident that we can follow our dream, which is to reach another Final last year.”

BENZEMA

Ancelotti

Returns To France For Knee Treatment

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Ronaldo’s Fitness Battle Alarming

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eal Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is facing a fitness battle and remains at a rather alarming 60% of his peak condition.

The former Manchester United hero has experienced a wonderful individual campaign on the whole, though there is the impression that it could have been a little more spectacular.

The Portuguese international started the season in ridiculous goal scoring form, netting 16 goals in his first nine La Liga matches to set a new record.

His tally of 26 before the festive

period set another landmark, and there was the general belief that Lionel Messi’s unbelievable 50-goal La Liga tally in a single season was ready to be eclipsed.

However, despite Ronaldo claiming the Ballon d’Or award, his rise at the top of the game quickly started to fade as his physical efforts started t o catch up with him slightly and Messi rediscovered his swagger.

Rodríguez

RODRÍGUEZ READY TO QUIT MADRID

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t has not been an easy season for Jese Rodriguez.

He has not been involved much since he recovered from ACL surgery in late 2014, and his performances have not been great either. According to report, he is ready to leave the club this next summer because he’s frustrated with his role.

Jesé wasn’t even happy when the team clinched the ticket to the Semifinals last Wednesday. The winger spent all the second half warming up and getting ready to come on. However, Ancelotti decided to call him when Real Madrid had already scored the winning goal.

Last March, Jesé was visibly upset at Carlo Ancelotti when the Italian coach put him on the field for the last 30 seconds of a match. Ever since, Chicharito has managed to move past him in Real’s depth chart, meaning that Jesé is not even a role player anymore.

arim Benzema has returned to his native France for treatment to aid his recovery from a knee injury in time for Real Madrid’s Champions League semifinal.

Madrid’s defence of their European crown will continue in the last four -with the two two-legged ties to kick off on May 5/6 and conclude the following week -- and it is unlikely that Benzema’s condition will be known for sure much before that.

After injuring ligaments in his right knee during the goalless first leg of his club’s quarterfinal against neighbours Atletico, the 27-yearold missed the return fixture in which Javier Hernandez, drafted in to replace him, scored the late goal that took the defending champions through 1-0 on aggregate.

In an attempt to accelerate his return to the pitch, which was initially estimated at up to two weeks, Benzema travelled to Lyon to begin a rehabilitation programme at the Paul Santy Paramedical Rehabilitation Centre, according to reports.