Leadership Newspapers ,E-Paper,31/ 3 /2018

SATURDAY No. 634

N300

31.03.18

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

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NIGERIA'S MOST INFLUENTIAL NEWSPAPER

MY SECRET LIFE:

DAD, MY STRENGTH, INSPIRATION – FATI ➔ PAGE 71

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BUHARI, SARAKI, DOGARA MOURN REPS’ DEPUTY LEADER, JIBRIN

➔ PAGE 4

FG Names Looters Under Jonathan’s Watch

BY JONATHAN NDA- ISAIAH, MUYIWA OYINLOLA, CHIBUZO UKAIBE AND TUNDE OGUNTOLA, Abuja

The federal government has

Mention convicted members – PDP released a list of some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who allegedly looted the

Nigerians want their money back, says Presidency

nation’streasur y while the party was in power.

In response to allegations by

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo of monumental corruption under the Jonathan administration, the

PDP had challenged the governing ➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Famine Threatens As Goronyo Dam, Lake Chad Dry Up 6 Also Inside

L-R: Senior special assistant on Sustainable Devt Goals (SDGs), Mrs. Orelope-Adefulire; APC Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; President Muhammadu Buhari, and Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, during the president’s visit to Eko Atlantic City, Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO BY STATE HOUSE

Eko Atlantic City Project Will 20 Boost Nigeria’s Economy – PMB

➔ PAGE 9

7 Easter: Travellers Stranded At Motor Parks

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The Return Of Dapchi Girls

here was unmistakable relief in the community of Dapchi in Yobe State and across Nigeria when Boko Haram returned over 100 schoolgirls it had abducted from the Government Science and Technical College located in the town after holding them captive for a month.

The federal government had announced beforehand that it was negotiating their release and President Muhammadu Buhari had promised, during his visit to the town, that his administration would secure the release of the girls without any ‘incident’ . That had raised hopes of an early return of the girls unlike in the case of Chibok girls in which official denial, footdragging and tetchiness meant that some of them are still in captivity since April 2014. For this reason, Nigerians commended the present administration for the feat.

However, the celebration of their return has thrown up a few niggling issues that the government cannot afford to gloss over. Six of the girls are still unaccounted for , and the whole matter was somehow soured by the story that filtered out that one of them, Leah Sharibu, was held back for refusing to convert to Islam.

Considering the religious tension her case has generated among Nigerians, the administration should do its utmost to secure her freedom, like it did for her mates, along with the remaining five whose fate are unknown.

Then there is the matter of the remaining Chibok girls. This administration, true to its promise, has facilitated the return of 106 of them. However a portion of the 276 girls abducted four years ago is still in captivity. The return of the Dapchi girls would no doubt have raised both hope and apprehension among the parents. The federal government should take advantage of the strategy it employed in Dapchi to bring succour to the long suffering families in Chibok. We make a similar call for the other girls and women in the captivity of Boko Haram.

Apart from the return of the kidnapped girls, there are other worrying dimensions to the whole saga. One is the negative impact

this mass abduction would have on education, particularly girl- child education, in the region.

One of the lucky students to escape the attack on Dapchi, Rakiya Adagu, an SS2 student, has bluntly declared in an interview that she would not be returning to school.

She would not be the only one with this stance at the moment.

Apart from Dapchi and Chibok, the terrorists had destroyed numerous schools , and killed many teachers

and students in pursuit of its warped ideology that western education is forbidden. The traumatic experience of encountering these insurgents is enough to drive many out of school.

That would be handing victory to Boko Haram whose stated motive is to scare people from seeking modern education.

For a country already with over 10 million out-of-school children, most of them in the north, Nigeria has an enormous challenge to

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

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CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Dele Fanimo

POLITICAL DIRECTOR/ STATE HOUSE Jonathan Nda-Isaiah EDITOR Kayode Falade

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Christian Ochiama

DEPUTY EDITORS Pembi David-Stephen Victoria Omuya Usman

ASS. MANAGING EDITOR George Agba COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD Suleiman Abdullahi

GENERAL EDITOR Silas Ezeugwu

GROUP LTD CHAIRMAN Sam Nda-Isaiah GMD, LEADERSHIP GROUP Abdul Gombe GMD, LEADERSHIP HOLDINGS David Chinda GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Felicia Ogbonlaiye Geoffrey Essien HR DIRECTOR Solomon Nda-Isaiah CHIEF PROCUREMENT & ASSETS OFFICER Mrs Zipporah Tanko DIRECTOR, HAUSA PUBLICATIONS Mubarak Umar GENERAL MANAGERS Ibrahim Halilu Femi Adekunle Ebriku John

LEADERSHIP is a national paper symbolically embedded in the nation’s capital.

We shall stand up for good governance. We shall defend the interest of Nigerian people even against their rulers, and we shall raise our pen at all times in defence of what is right. These are the values by which we intend to be assessed.

We shall never, ever for any reason forget the noble reason of our coming into being:

For God

and

Country!

change this dismal statistic. It must articulate a strategy that would counter this threat by Boko Haram to plant ignorance among the coming generations. Government at all levels must deploy its mass media units to disabuse the minds of children and parents that there is an alternative to education. However, it must first secure the schools and make the environment conducive for learning.

It is doubtful if the government’s promise, in the aftermath of the girls’ release, to provide security at schools in the North East is anything other than rhetoric. With about 10 internal security operations going on in different parts of the country, it is understandable that the military may be overstretched and cannot cover every blade of grass in the North East. However, the armed forces must draw up workable strategies, assisted by technology , to ensure quick response to distress situations.

In the interim, government should consider closing all boarding schools in the North East until it can deal with the threat posed to them by the insurgents.

There are a lot of suspicions around this kidnap that have given rise to incredulity among the discerning public. Apart from the reported withdrawal of troops from the town a fortnight to the attack, a credible organisation like Amnesty International has accused military authorities in the area of receiving warnings ahead of the attack but choosing to do nothing.

The Dapchi abduction must have taken hours to execute and the terrorists were said to have travelled through towns and open land in a long convoy both before and after the attack such that had the security forces been alive to their responsibilities, the attack would have been foiled and the country would have been spared this massive embarrassment.

It is our considered opinion that the federal government should institute a public enquiry into the Dapchi abduction to expose and punish those whose actions and inactions were instrumental to this crime. This is one sure way to dispel the insinuation that the whole saga was a rip-off.

4 NEWS ACROSS THE STATES

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Easter: Northern CAN Task Nigerians Against Prejudice The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and Abuja, has advised Nigerians to put away all forms of prejudices against one another in the interest of national development.

Rev John Joseph Hayab, the Spokesman of the group, in a statement, also appealed to Nigerians to start demonstrating Jesus’ spirit of forgiveness, endurance and tolerance in order to make the country great.

“At Easter, Jesus taught us to forgive those who have caused us pain, because He himself was patient with those who held different opinions or views from Him and He endured hardships so that he could complete his mission here on earth for our Salvation.

“Christians therefore should be patient, endure hardship and forgive always. Jesus did not only teach us these virtues but he demonstrated them at Easter.

“Our communities, states and nation will become a better place if all Nigerians, irrespective of our identities, can stop thinking evil of others or those we feel have wronged us.

“Instead, persevere in hardship, frankly correct all misunderstandings or misrepresentation and then work patiently together to improve things around us.

“Our leaders, at all levels, must make honest sacrifices as Jesus did for the people to have a good future.

By Midat Joseph, Kaduna

... We Must Love And Sacrifice Like Christ – Oduah As Christians around the World celebrate Easter, Senator Stella Oduah has called on all Nigerians to emulate the virtues of love and sacrifice which Jesus Christ exhibited by dying on the cross.

In an Easter message personally signed by her, the lawmaker, who represents Anambra North in the National Assembly, said that with love, Nigeria could surmount all its challenges.

Her words: “We must learn to love like Christ loved and we must sacrifice in the way Christ has exemplified for us.

“If we love one another, the wanton killing, clashes, kidnapping theft and all other vices that bedevil our society, would not exist.

“With love and sacrifice including empathy, understanding, tolerance and coexistence, we would indeed be united if we love one another.

“Just as Christ taught us and as it is taught in Islam and many other religions, love is a virtue which conquers all, where there is love all other good virtues go along with it”.

The former Aviation Minister said that Nigerians must also learn to give in helping the poor and the needy around them and avoid indulging in lavish celebrations while their neighbours go hungry.

By Ahuraka Isah, Abuja

BY OGUNTADE ISMAILA, Lagos

PMB, Saraki, Dogara Mourns Reps’ Deputy Leader, Jibrin

BY JONATHAN NDA – ISAIAH, AHURAKA ISAH AND ADEBIYI ADEDAPO, ABUJA

President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the family of the Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Umar Buba Jibril who passed on early Friday.

The President in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu sympathised with the leadership and members of the House of Representatives in particular and the National Assembly in general, over the sad demise of the humble and vibrant national legislator.

President Buhari also extended heartfelt condolences to the people of Kogi State whom the late lawmaker represented creditably for many years at both the state and national legislatures.

The President prayed that Allah would comfort all who mourn the late Jibril and grant his soul eternal rest.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has expressed sadness over the passing of Rt Hon Umar Buba Jibrin, the Deputy Leader of the House of Representatives, who died in the early hours of Friday.

In posts on his social media pages, Saraki said that Nigeria has lost another seasoned legislator and champion of the common man.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the family and constituents of the late Rt Hon Umar Buba Jibrin, deputy leader of the House of Representatives, who passed away early this morning.

“As a former Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Jibrin, was a seasoned legislator and a conscientious lawmaker, who always put the interests of the common man first — and championed them at the federal level. He will be greatly missed.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has

described the late deputy majority leader, Hon. Buba Jibril as an astute lawmaker, who was committed to his people up till the point of death.

According to Dogara, late Buba is one of those people that if wishes were horses, we would wish that he would live forever.

“Unfortunately, this is a call which all of us who are clothed in mortality have to answer one day or the other and he has answered the call.

You could see the fighting spirit with which he fought this sickness; I was with him in London and even last week, the entirety of the leadership of the House of Representatives went to the hospital and we sat down, chatted, laughed.”

He regretted that the 8th House of Representatives lost a leader in Buba, at a time when his contribution t nationhood was needed most.

44 Die In 74 Road Crashes – Omiyale

BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto

No fewer than 44 persons have died from the recorded 76 road crashes in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara within the last three months, ACM Ayobami Omiyale confirmed.

Omiyale, who is the Zonal Command Officer of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara noted that, a good number of the road crashes were as a result of over speeding, over loading and dangerous over takings.

While urging motorists to kindly observe all traffic laws to help in reducing accidents, Omiyale said the Command had impounded about 700 vehicles.

Omiyale, who decried that some road users are deliberately refusing to do the right thing, added that, they have over 1000 unclaimed drivers’ licenses in the region.

Speaking when leadership of the State Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) paid him a courtesy call in his office, Omiyale divulged that, the Command has commenced 24 hours patrol to ensure accident-free Easter break in the zone.

“Your coming here is timely because we need you to reach out to the public with our sensitisation activities.

“We also want you to be monitoring our men and report any

act of wrongdoing by them. We have sensitised all the sector commands in this zone and we have mobilised all our staff and special marshals as well as engaging other security agencies to forestall any loss of life as a result of accidents in the states of the zone” Omiyale stressed further that, they are all on the road, looking out at critical offences such as over-loading, overspeeding and wrong overtaking among others,” “The line between security and safety is very thin. Nobody on the road has planned to die or take somebody’s life on the road. We are empowered by the law to enforce traffic laws and ensure safety of road users,” Omiyale noted.

Police Nab Most Wanted Cultist In Lagos

Lagos State Police command on Friday said they had arrested members of notorious dreaded group terrorising Lagos and its environs based on credible intelligence available to Lagos State Police Command, According to Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), Superintendent of Police, SP, Chike Oti, some cultists led by one Kanmi a.k.a Father, were planning to strike in Ilasamaja community on the 29th day of March

2018, He said the Commissioner of Police, CP, Edgal Imohimi, directed the Divisional Police Officer of Ilasamaja, Superintendent of Police , SP, Oriyomi Oluwasanmi Titilayo to bring to an end the reign of the blood thirsty Cult henchman who had been terrorising the Community for a long time now and had become worse since he came back from the prison.

“At exactly 5pm, Kanmi whose trade marks were sorrow, tears and blood arrived the community with his gang

unknown to him that his rank had been infiltrated by the underground operatives of the Command”.

He added that, the DPO and the team who were on standby for him and his gang, sighted Kanmi a.k.a Father at Hassan Street, Ilasamaja with two of his criminal associates in a fight with a young man suspected to be a member of a rival confraternity.

Kanmi had lifted his matchet to cut his rival before he was challenged by the police team.

He immediately took to his heels and

was pursued and arrested by the police.

Oti further stated that, Kanni was frisked and a locally made pistol loaded with two cartridges was recovered from him.

Meanwhile, he was arrested with one Alami Samuel, 22 years of age, an associate of Kanmi the Father.

The CP Lagos wishes to use this medium to warn all those who belong to these nefarious clandestine societies to renounce their membership or be arrested and dealt with according to the law.

Traders display tubers of yam for sale by the road-side at Madalla market in Niger yesterday PHOTO B Y NAN

Resentment, Heavy Security, Shows Buhari’s Unpopularity In Lagos – PDP The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday, said the public resentment and the resort to heavy security during President Muhammadu Buhari’s Thursday visit to Lagos State, indicates a sinking image of the President and that of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State.

The party also lampooned President Buhari for failing to initiate or execute any project in Lagos State since assumption of office.

It also described the visit as a ridiculous face-saving stunt that saw President Buhari commissioning just anything, including a bus stop.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, said President Buhari should not allow himself to be deceived by praise singers at the Tinubu Colloquium, urging him to draw a lesson from the public resentment that trailed his visit.

“Usually, citizens throng out with joy, in open streets, to receive their leaders, but the opposite was the case in Lagos when the APC completely locked down the city and deployed heavy security to restrain the people, having realised the citizens’ overwhelming indignation against the President,” the statement said.

The PDP spokesman further added that it was obvious that President Buhari’s handlers were mortally afraid of his being embarrassed by Lagosians, who are direct victims of the noxious policies of the Buhari Presidency, including what the party says, are discredited monetary, foreign exchange and import restriction policies, which had led to the collapse of private businesses; multiple taxes and general government ineptitude, nepotism and dictatorial tendencies in the last three years under President Buhari.

PDP added, “The handlers had to lockdown the city, regardless of the huge economic loss and inconvenience to citizens and holed their principal into the safety of the colloquium hall where he was surrounded by praise singers, away from the people.

“Lagosians are aware that Mr President suddenly remembered the State just because elections are around the corner.

“They have not forgotten that this was the same leader who, in 1984, canceled the Lagos metro rail project only to come back 34 years after, without any form of remorse, to commission a regular bus stop built by the state government.

By Chibuzo Ukaibe, Abuja

Saturday, March 31, 2018

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Famine Threatens As Goronyo Dam, Lake Chad Dry Up

BY SUNDAY ISUWA, Abuja AND ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto

As the Lake Chad in the Northeast and Goronyo Dam in Northwest geopolitical zones of the federation decrease by the day, there are dangers of impending famine, unless urgent steps are taken to save the situation, LEADERSHIP Weekend checks have revealed.

It was gathered that both the Lake Chad and the Goronyo Dam might have devastating impact on Nigeria because of the way the waters were drying up in recent times.

Indigenes have warned that if no urgent step is taken, the sudden depletion of Goronyo dam would not only affect onion, garlic, tomatoes, water melon and sugar cane production in Sokoto state, but will also heighten chances of hunger in both Sokoto and Kebbi states.

On the Lake Chad, it was gathered that states like Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Taraba and Bauchi might be affected negatively by the time the water dries up.

Speaking to LEADERSHIP Weekend on what would be their fate this year, some of the indigenes said they were devastated beyond words.

One of them, Alhaji Umaru Katsira, said he was still wondering how to feed his family of 23 this year, as all hope of a bomber harvest from the dry season farming had been truncated by the sudden decrease of the Goronyo dam.

He said, “For most of us within this Goronyo dam, it has been a source of blessing since it was constructed because

Buhari

we effectively use water from the dam in our irrigation farming, thereby keeping us agriculturally productive all through the year.

“And like human endeavours differ, others engage in all year round fishing as source of survival, courtesy of the Goronyo dam.”

According to him, if nothing is done urgently by both the federal and state governments on the dwindling Goronyo dam, hunger will hit both Sokoto and Kebbi states this year.

When our correspondent visited some of the villages in Kebbi State that make use of the water from the Goronyo dam for their irrigation farming, the natives admitted that there is an impending hunger.

Sokoto and Kebbi states are among

the largest producers of onions, garlic, watermelon and tomatoes.

Aside the imminent hunger, the Goronyo dam depletion is equally posing a great threat of water scarcity to over four million people within Sokoto and Kebbi.

Confirming this, Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, said the two states must work together to tackle the problem of water shortage at the dam.

Expressing worries over the development, Tambuwal who led a team of stakeholders on an on-the-spot assessment of the dam said the dam, which served as primary source of water for domestic and irrigation purposes for over four million people in Sokoto and Kebbi States, had shrunk by almost 90 per cent.

Said Tambuwal, “The depletion of the dam’s water level is alarming as the reservoir of Goronyo dam was constructed to hold one billion cubic meter of water. But as we have seen today, the water in it is just about 100 million cubic meters.

“This has resulted in inadequate supply of water to our Water Board and in effect, we had to resort to rationing water to the people.

Our farmers are also suffering because output from this year’s dry season farming will invariably be affected” Appealing that action be expedited in resuscitating the Goronyo dam, Tambuwal said, “We are urging all stakeholders, especially the federal government, to take the lead in rescuing this important dam considering the number of people that rely on its water for domestic use and income purposes”.

On his part, managing director of Sokoto

Rima River Basin Development Authority, Buhari Bature, said the depletion was the worst witnessed in the dam in over 25 years.

Bature who conducted the governor round the dam site attributed the problem to shortage of rainfall in 2017, climate change, among other factors.

Bature lamented that shortage of water in Goronyo dam had affected water supply to water board and irrigation farms in Sokoto and Kebbi States.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, while warning about the dwindling nature of Lake Chad, described it as an ecological catastrophe.

Human population expansion and unsustainable human water extraction from Lake Chad have caused several natural species to be stressed and threatened by declining lake levels.

The shrinking of the lake has also caused several different conflicts to emerge as to which countries that border Lake Chad have the rights to the remaining water.

Along with the conflicts that involve the countries, violence is increasing among the lake dwellers. Farmers and herders want the water for their crops and livestock and are constantly diverting the water.

The fishermen, however, want the remaining water in the lake to stay so they can continue to fish and not have to worry about the lake shrinking more and decreasing their already strained supply of fish.

This is creating a problem for the ecosystem and the population in the environment. The birds and animals in the Lake Chad area are threatened, as they are important sources of food for the local human population.

Easter: Travellers Stranded At Motor Parks

BY OUR CORRESPONDENTS

As preparation for the Easter celebrations gets to its peak, travelers in the country have decried non-availability of vehicles to travel for the festival.

LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that as at yesterday, passengers were stranded at the various motor parks in Abuja and Lagos due to lack of vehicles.

Our correspondent who visited the popular Abdullahi Adamu Motor Park, close to Orange Market, in Mararaba, Karu local government area of Nasarawa State, reported that passengers were seen sitting with their luggages as they waited for vehicles.

One of the passengers, Mrs Grace Adamu, a civil servant, traveling to Jos for the Easter, said vehicles were not available at the park.

She said, “We have been here for close to one hour and no vehicle to board. It is like the patronage is high and almost all the vehicles have left.

“I just hope to get a vehicle that will take me to Jos. I prefer the park because it is safe, but if I see that time is against me, I will look for an alternative”.

Another traveler, Miss Helen Bako, said she arrived the motor park and was disappointed that the only bus available was going to Gombe and Bauchi.

It was a similar situation at the nation’s airports, as the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja yesterday, witnessed an upsurge of traffic, with hundreds of passengers travelling to different parts of the country for Easter celebration.

The upsurge was said to be more in the domestic wing, even as the international terminal also looked busy.

An official of the airport, who pleaded anonymity, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the airport was busier on Thursday than Friday.

He explained that the Thursday traffic was more on the Lagos route, attributing it to the

celebration of Bola Tinubu’s birthday that took place in Lagos.

Mr Abdullahi Saroke, Max Air Station Manager, said all flights had been fully booked for the past three days to different parts of the country.

Traders Count Losses As Prices Of Farm Produce Crash Meanwhile, traders of perishable farm produce, especially vegetables, are counting losses as farmers now flood markets across the country with their harvests, bringing down prices significantly.

Our correspondent who conducted survey of the market ahead of the Easter celebration observed that major receiving points in Lagos like the Mile 12 market was now flooded with tomatoes, cucumber, onions, cabbage, green beans, among other farm produce, thus crashing the prices, just as traders lamented they were not making sales.

Mohammed Abdul, secretary of the Arewa Perishable Foodstuffs Association in Mile 12, Lagos, stated that because of bumper harvest, farmers had flooded the market with tomatoes few days to the Easter.

According to Abdul, in the last two days, there has been influx of trucks with tomatoes and because farmers don’t have storage facilities, they are forced to sell at give away prices.

He said, “Before now a basket of tomatoes was sold for either N12,000 or N13,000 depending on the grade, but as of today (Thursday), a basket sells for as low as N3,000 per basket. We bought each basket between N7,500 and N8,000 from the farmers and we are now losing about N6,000 on each basket, which include N2,000 for transportation cost.

“We also have realized that many of the trucks are meant for Eastern market, like Onitsha, Aba, Port Harcourt and other major markets in that region but they decided to bring them here.

“In this market, the capacity can take about

30 trucks and each truck carries about 400 baskets and each of the baskets weighs 40 to 50 kilograms, so we don’t have the market for all these volumes”.

Also, chairman of vegetable association of Mile 12 market, Alhaji Saidu Husaini, said the Easter season brought some shortages to them as lack of storage facilities forced them to sell off their products without bargaining.

For cabbage, Husaini said the price was previously N3,000 to N3,500, but now it sells for between N4,000 to N4,500 per sack, while cucumber, which was sold for N2,500 and N3,000, now sells for N3,500 or N4,000.

Green pepper sells for N6,000 and N6,500 per carton as against N8,000 before, depending on the grade. The green pepper comes from Jos, Plateau State.

Govs, Atiku, Others Urge Nigerians To Emulate Christ Also, state governors and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have called on Nigerians to imbibe the virtues of love and sacrifice that characterised the life of Jesus Christ.

In his Easter message issued by his media office yesterday, Atiku described these two qualities as essential to the unity of Nigeria, especially at a time “when vested and provincial interests threaten to tear the nation apart’’.

He also encouraged Nigerians in leadership positions to use the opportunity of the Easter celebration to reflect on their stewardship to the people and the nation.

On his part, Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, called on Nigerians to tolerate one another and continue to sacrifice for the greatness of Nigeria like Jesus Christ.

The governor who made this known in a statement signed by his director general of media and publicity, Kingsley Fanwo, urged Nigerians to show love to all, regardless of status, colour or race in the spirit of Jesus Christ who died for all to make the world a

better place for all.

The statement reads: ”Jesus Christ came to die for all to be saved. He sacrificed for the greatness of the world. He loved all humans on the face of the earth and never discriminated against anyone, not even the sinners.

“We owe this season a great sense of sacrifice and tolerance. We need to show love to all our brothers across the world and shun hate and discriminatory pangs. As Jesus Christ accommodated all, let us accommodate ➔ CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

LOW GI FOR BETTER SLEEP You may have heard about the health benefits a low-GI diet can have for youmore steady energy levels, less bloating, no sugar cravings – but eating a low-GI diet can also be beneficial for your sleep quality. GI stands for Glycaemic index – the ranking of carbohydrate – containing foods based on their overall effect on blood glucose levels. When we eat foods with a high GI, such as white bread, pastries and sweets, our blood sugar spikes and then drops rapidly, leaving us tired, irritable and hungry. This can continue on into the night, so if you have finished the evening off with sweetened tea and biscuits, you can wake in the night with feelings of hunger. Eating low-GI foods helps ensure your body is fuelled throughout the night, meaning you don’t get the midnight snack-attack and have steadier sleep.

– Culled from “50 Tips To Help You Sleep Well”

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Easter: Travellers Stranded At Motor Parks FROM COVER

all because we are all creatures of God”.

Governor Bello also charged Nigerians to support the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to achieve its set goals for the nation, assuring them that their sacrifices is already “hatching a great nation”.

He said, “We have great potentials as a nation, almost unmatched by any black nation on earth. But the greed of the past brought the nation on her knees. The giant became the beggar.

“The advent of the present administration has relaunched the hope of the nation with shoestring measures that challenged our patience.

“We must continue to make sacrifices, make the right choices and believe in the sterling leadership of Mr President to stir the nation away from its shambling past into

hope and faith in our nation.

“In Kogi State, my administration has made tough choices to strengthen our institutions and erect big, strong and dependable development pillars.

“Today, Kogi is better and will be one of the best in the nation.

I urge our people to keep faith in our administration and continue to support us through the ladder of progress”.

Taraba State governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku, called on Christians in the state to imbibe and emulate the exemplary lessons of humility and sacrifice which the life of Jesus Christ teaches mankind.

Ishaku, who stated this yesterday in Jalingo to mark this year’s Easter celebrations, charged Christians to also use this period of Easter to remind themselves of the virtues of honesty and selfless service which are the hallmark of Christianity.

He explained that peace in

Taraba State remains the most important need of the people, just as he informed that his administration wants Tarabans irrespective of tribe and religion, to resolve to work for peace.

Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and his deputy, Dr Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, felicitated with Christians on the 2018 Eastercelebration, urging them to emulate Jesus Christ by making sacrifices that will advance the course of development.

Wike, in his Easter message to Christians in the state, noted that Easter exemplifies the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus Christ to savemankind, adding that as individuals, Christians must take into consideration the welfare of others.

The governor called on the people of Rivers State to rededicate themselves to the service of the state, as they reflect on the ideals of Good Friday and Easter

celebration.

He assured the people of Rivers State that he will continue to make sacrifices for the state, defend her interests and ensure that the people always enjoy good governance.

Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom assured the people of the state that his administration will continued to place priority on the security of lives, property and their general welfare.

According to Ortom, the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, which is the meaning of Easter, is a period when Christians needed todraw closer to God so that they can appreciate His abundant grace and mercy upon their lives in the face of adversities.

Governor Umaru Tanko AlMakura of Nasarawa State felicitated with Christian faithful and all Nigerians on the occasion of Easter celebrations.

The governor, in a statement

signed by his chief press secretary, Musa Elayo, enjoined Christian faithful and all Nigerians to employ the spiritual lessons of Easter.

Al-Makura, also called on Christians to use the Easter as a period to reflect soberly on the teachings and what Jesus Christ stood and diedfor.

Also, Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, urged Nigerians, especially Christians to use the occasion of this year’s Easter celebrations to pray fervently for the country to overcome the socio-economic challenges currently confronting it.

The governor in his Easter message issued by his special adviser on communication and strategy, Mr. Bolaji Tunji on Friday in Ibadan called on the Christians to pray for the restoration of peace and tranquillity in all the trouble spots across the country, particularly in the North-East.

FG Names Looters Under Jonathan’s Watch FROM COVER

All Progressives Congress (APC)led federal government to name the looters.

Rising up to the challenge, the minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammad, yesterday unveiled the list of alleged looters under PDP government during a press conference in Lagos.

In the few days, the APC and the PDP had been entangled in a media war, trading accusations and counter accusations against each other, with each party accusing the other of looting public funds.

The media tirade continued yesterday when the Information minister insisted that Nigeria was looted blind under PDP’s watch, and that the starting point in tendering an apology is for them to return the loot.

The list of looters includes the current PDP national chairman, Uche Secondus and former PDP national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh.

Mohammed said the release of the list was a response to PDP’s public challenge for the government to unveil the names of looters it claimed looted the country dry for three years.

In the list, which contains six names, Secondus is accused of taking N200 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on February 19, 2015.

Metuh is listed as being on trial for allegedly collecting N1.4 billion from the ONSA, while Chief Raymond Dokpesi is listed as being on trial for allegedly taking N2.1 billion from ONSA. Others on the list are Dudafa Waripamo-Owei, a former aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who is listed as being on trial forallegedly keeping over N830 million in accounts of four different companies, and the former president’s cousin, Robert Azibaola, who is facing trial following a Federal High Court ruling that he has a case to answer for allegedly

collecting $40 million from the ONSA. The last person on the list is a former PDP financial secretary who is alleged of taking N600 million from the ONSA on October 24, 2018.

Mohammed said the fact that most of them are in court and trying to cut a deal with the government is a clear indication that the PDP damaged Nigeria with corruption and cannot be trusted to return to power.

He stated: “The PDP has challenged us to name the looters under their watch. They said they did not loot the treasury. Well, I am sure theyknow that the treasury was looted dry under their watch.

Yet they decided to grandstand.

This shows the hollowness of their apology.

“They are in court and the records are available. Some of the people on this list are seeking to plea bargain, and that is a fact. We insist that Nigeria was looted blind under the watch of the PDP and that the starting point in tendering an apology is for them to return the loot.”

Mention Convicted Members – PDP But in a swift reaction, the PDP yesterday dismissed the list of alleged looters published by the federal government as hollow and laughable, just as it challenged APC-led to come up with names of its members against whom the federal government had secured convictions.

The opposition party argued that the list of purported looters is an extension of federal government’s media trial that amounts to a cheap blackmail, as none of those listed have been indicted or convicted by any court of competent jurisdiction or any panel of enquiry in the country.

PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement said the list issued by the Minister of Information, only goes to show that

the APC and the presidency have no prove of corruption against the PDP. The party expressed surprise that in its frenzy and desperation, the federal government even included names of individuals who are not standing trial or under investigation for any act of corruption, as well as those who are not even PDP members.

The PDP statement made available to LEADERSHIP Weekend noted: “The Buhariled Federal Government has manifested its frenzy by going after matters that are in court and in which none of the persons have been convicted, thus betraying their wickedness and desperation to mislead the public, the court and divert attention from the heavy looting involving their members.

“We are not in doubt that the individuals he has mentioned will take their legitimate stride and pursue appropriate action in the court. However, attacks on individuals, who are members of our party, does not in anyway detract from the fact that the PDP, as a political platform, is not a party of corruption.

“It is unfortunate that the APC and its government under whose watch horrendous sleazes are happening on daily basis and a government that has failed to fulfill the littlest of its campaign promises, can spend a wholesome three years searching for flimsy allegations to discredit our party and its members.

In a counter accusation, the PDP described the current administration as a government that is yet to account for $26 billion (N9 trillion) stolen through corrupt oil contracts in the NNPC. According to the PDP, other funds that are yet to be accounted for under the current administration include N1.1 trillion worth of crude diverted to service APC interests, N18 billion Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) intervention fund allegedly stolen

by APC officials, the N10 billion National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the Mainagate.

It further said, “This is in addition to cover provided for serving ministers indicted for corrupt enrichment, among whom is a prominent former APC governor from the southsouth, who was indicted by his state for stealing billions of naira to fund President Buhari’s campaign in 2015.

“We emphatically say that the PDP is on a rebound and such flimsy allegations by the APC and its horde of looters, who stole humongouswealth from their respective states of the federation to sponsor an incompetent candidate in 2015, cannot stop us from challenging theFederal Government to fulfill its campaign promises.

“Since, the APC has decided to draw this attack, we will no longer hold back but appropriately commence a serialization of all looters hiding in APC and the Presidency”.

Be Ready To Prove Your Claim In Court, Secondus Tells Lai Mohammed Also, the national chairman of PDP, Prince Uche yesterday told the Minister of information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to be ready to establish his allegations in court that he (Second-us) collected N200million from the former National Security Adviser.

The party chairman, who denied collecting any money from the former NSA, however noted that the minister’s ploy is to distract him from serving the PDP. A statement by spokesman to the national chairman of PDP, Ike Abonyi, noted: “The agenda of the Minister is to damage his reputation and distract him from serving his party but he has failed woefully. For the purposes of some gullible public Prince Secondus never collected any money from the NSA under any guise.”

Nigerians Want Their Money

Back, Not Apologies – Presidency Meanwhile, the presidency yesterday advised Nigerians to be cautious of the “less-than-honest apology” offered by the PDP national chairman, Uche Secondus.

In a statement by the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the presidency said the point made by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, is apt and on cue, that there are heavy moral duties that go with apologies if the culprits want to be taken seriously.

According to Shehu, the PDP is desperate to recapture power because it no longer has unhindered access to national resources for private uses and therefore, its apology should be seen in this context.

The presidential spokesman observed that the PDP has not even acknowledged the fact that it plundered the national economy.

He said for a party that dismissed the anti-corruption war as a political witch-hunt, it is impossible to believe that its public apology comes from the bottom of the heart.

Shehu contended that even desperate thieves apologise because they are caught and not because they are incapable of repeating the crime if they hav another opportunity.

He said, “We believe that the PDP should not only apologize for the imposition of candidates, and the culture of impunity, but must also come clean and acknowledge that they participated in large scale corruption and massive diversions of public funds to private pockets while poverty was ravaging the ordinary Nigerians.”

Shehu noted that instead of addressing the cogent issues raised by the minister, the PDP veered off to accuse the Buhari administration ofborrowing money “but failed in that regard to admit that they borrowed to steal while Buhari administration is borrowing to set up long-delayed infrastructure”.

8 NEWS ACROSS THE STATES

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Religious Leaders Must Lead Anti-corruption War – Cleric A Faith based non-governmental organisation (NGO) the Just Foundation, has taken its anticorruption advocacy to Islamic leaders in Osun State.

The Organisation tasked the leaders to use the followership they command, to drive government’s anti-corruption battle.

The Just Foundation, through its ‘Encouraging Accountability and Transparency through Faith -based Institutions’ project tagged project EATFin, has previously held advocacy and sensitisation programmes for Islamic Leaders in Abuja and Kaduna state.

The Executive Director of the Foundation, Imam Fuad Adeyemi, during the advocacy to the League of Imams in Gbongan, Osun State, said “the Foundation, with support from MacArthur Foundation, would train Imams on how to use their pulpits to deliver messages to combat corruption in the country.”

According to Imam Adeyemi “the Foundation would train Islamic clerics in the State on how to speak on the negative effects of corruption and disseminate same to their followers.

“The clerics would fight corruption from the grassroots through their teachings and preaching, while government continues to fight from the top” he said.

By Ruth Tene Natsa, Abuja

House Ad -Hoc Committee Pledges To Investigate Dapchi Abduction

The Chairman and members of the House Committee has assured the Yobe State government that the House will investigate the remote and immediate cause of the abduction of Government Girls Science Technical Secondary School Students of Yobe State.

The Committee of the House, under the Chairman, Hon Yusuf Buba Yakubu, who paid a courtesy call at the Government House Damaturu, Yobe State, said through the Ad-hoc committee that extends the committee’s sympathy to government and good people of the state over accidents.

He disclosed that the 12-man committee, would seriously investigate the reason and purpose why military were withdrawn a few days before suspected members of Boko Haram abducted over 100 children in a secondary school and report back within a four-week time frame.

According to him, “the aim of the committee is to find lasting solutions to the issues of abduction and other security matters for peace to reign in the North East and the country at large.”

Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, who was represented by his deputy, Abubakar D Aliyu, has commended the Federal Government, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the entire members for the establishment of the Committee.

By Hussaini Jirgi, Damaturu

INEC Debunks Rumours Of Extortion

BY SUNDAY ISUWA, ABUJA

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Enugu State, has refuted an allegation that the commission’s staff was extorting money from citizens to get registered in the on-going Continuous Voter Registration exercise in the state. It advised citizens not to pay money to anyone before and after being registered.

Resident Electoral Commissioner

(REC) in Enugu, Emeka Ononamadu, made the clarification, in a statement signed and issued yesterday.

The statement said the Commission’s attention had been drawn to a video circulating on social media platforms, suggesting that some registrants were asked to pay money before they were registered - an act it strongly condemned and assured that investigation into the allegation

was ongoing.

“INEC Enugu State wishes to dissociate itself from the claim as there was no time or circumstance that could warrant any INEC registration officer or staff to demand money from any registrant.

“INEC has taken steps to unravel the allegation and those behind the act by setting up an investigation panel, whose outcome and report will be made public immediately it is ready.

Visionscape Sanitation Leads Environmentalists On Tour

BY ORJIME MOSES, Abuja

In commemoration of World Forest Day 2018, officials of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative organised a comprehensive tour of the engineered sanitary landfill located in Epe, under construction by Visionscape Sanitation.

Visionscape Sanitation, residential waste collection concessionaires in Lagos State, had won the tender process in August 2016, and as part of their agreement, commenced construction of the landfill in 2017 amongst other infrastructural projects and reforms in the state.

The purpose of the tour, which was well attended by key environmentalists, environmental advocacy groups,

waste management companies, nongovernmental organisations and representatives from government institutions in the State, such as; Kids Beach Garden, 123Recycle, Recycle Points, E-Terra, and others, was to give members of the public, an insight into the workings of an engineered sanitary landfill and the process of waste management within a controlled environment.

Mr Sumeet Singh, the Landfill Operations Manager, who revealed that over 350 scavengers had been registered and inducted into Visionscape’s processes, handled the tour.

According to Singh, an average of 30 trucks from various waste collection operators in the state already visit the landfill daily to dispose waste, which is then leveled to prevent waste piling.

Sumeet reiterated the Company’s commitment to working with all waste collection operators, saying “Visionscape is committed to building local capacity in the Waste Management industry, we will work and support all players to improve standards and overall efficiency of all Waste Management operations”.

Visionscape kick started operations at the landfill in January 2018, it takes an average of 18-24 months to construct an Engineered Sanitary Landfill.

The landfill at Epe is the first one in Nigeria and is expected to serve as an Ecopark where wasteto-energy plans, wastewater treatment, material recycling, and other vital environmental friendly procedures are carried out daily.

Easter: Minister Tasks Residents On Peaceful Coexistence

BY DAVID ADUGE-ANI, ABUJA

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has enjoined FCT residents, especially the Christian faithful, to use the occasion of the Easter celebrations to rededicate themselves to the virtues of love and service to our fatherland.

Bello stated that the season offers the residents an opportunity to reflect on the life and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, as a pathway for peaceful coexistence and service to humanity.

The minister, who made the call in his message to FCT residents on the occasion of the Easter season commencing with the Good Friday, also underscored the ideals of national unity and oneness on which the FCT was founded.

He assured residents that the administration has put in place measures to ensure the security of lives and property both during and after the Easter season, just as he enjoined them to be alert to the happenings around them in order to thwart any efforts by

miscreants to take advantage of the festive season to cause any breach of peace the Territory has been enjoying.

Bello further thanked the residents for their contributions and support to the administration as it works to implement projects that are designed to improve the living standards of the residents.

He disclosed that efforts are ongoing to improve facilities in the FCT educational sector with the recent release of N600 million as counterpart funding to access over N1.2 billion

Universal Basic Education grant.

He said that 12 generators have been procured and installed so far to ensure steady streetlights during power outage, while the administration is on course to improve the outlook of major highways by stemming illegal trading, dumping of refuse and vehicular recklessness.

Similarly, procurement of the major coaches required for the full operation of the Abuja Light Rail is underway while the trial phase will soon commence with the three test coaches, which are already on ground.

President Muhammadu Buhari (2nd right); President of the Senate, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki (2nd left); Nasarawa State governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura (right), and Bauchi State governor Barr Mohammed Abubakar (left), during the wedding Fatiha of Hamza Halilu Ahmed and Hadiza Shuaibu Jika at the National Mosque in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO BY STATE HOUSE

Emir Of Fika Confers Traditional Title On Jirgi The Chairman, Yobe State Council of Chiefs, Emir of Fika, Alhaji (Dr) Muhammad Abali Ibn Muhammedu Idrissa, CON, has conferred a traditional title of Bauran Fika on Alhaji Audu Muhammad Jirgi In a letter of approval, signed

by Air Cdra Ibrahim Alkali (rtd) OFR, Dallatun Fika, which was made available to LEADERSHIP Weekend, said that he conferred the title on Alhaji Audu Jirgi, because of his contributions to the welfare of less privileged, emirate, and the entire local government council.

Audu Jirgi was born in Potiskum, and he is the brother to Alhaji Ibrahim Jirgi, former media adviser to former governor of Yobe State, Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim.

The Emir said, “He has done a lot for Potiskum and Fika emirate and is a dedicated and industrious man. This is why my emirate decided to honour him.

He charged the new traditional titleholder to discharge his responsibility diligently.”

Those who spoke to our correspondent in the area, described that, Audu Jirgi is a man with youthful energy who exhibits the characteristics of gentleness, frugality, humility and vision.

Some also said that, he’s a selfless leader that has the norms, values, qualities and capacity to stand up for the good people of Fika emirate. He is an individual with capacity to translate a vision into reality.

He is hard working, diligent and has a proven commitment to the ideals of quality service delivery. He is a man with unique character that is second to none.

In his response, the traditional titleholder, Alhaji Audu Muhammed Jirgi, thanked the Emir for recognising his contributions. He assured that he would continue to respect the traditional institution.

By Hussaini Jirgi, Damaturu

Rendezvous Saturday, March 31, 2018

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e v a H ’t ex n o D S I r o F Urge wncy - Cro awu Any

l e s h g c a a R am B Bak riotic e Pat n Of Th d Ico r Awar Yea

Mo’Hits Stars Plan Reunion Tour

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Mo’Hits Stars Plan Reunion Tour

BY SAMUEL ABULUDE, Lagos

The good old days always feels good no matter what so much that Mo’Hits music group can’t but explore the prospect of coming back to sing together for a business reason.

After teasing fans at concert shows with one or more unannounced appearance, the most notable being Davido‘s

30 Billion Concert in December 2017, the Mo’hits team is planning a reunion tour.

Both D’Banj and Don Jazzy on their Instagram pages shared a video announcing the

Mo’Hits Reunion Tour.

The exact dates or venues or musicians performing have not been stated, the prospect is good for the industry and for the solo careers of the artistes involved.

All Agog For AY Live On Easter Sunday

BY SAMUEL ABULUDE, LAGOS

All is set for the AY Live comedy and music show slated to hold at the Expo Hall of Eko Hotel & Suites.

There is so much suspense about AY Live 2018 and perhaps it is a business decision for the convener, showbiz entrepreneur and movie maker, Ayo Makun But your guess is as good as mine as the comedy skits , stand-up comedies of a score of both established and upcoming comedians and music from Nigeria’s finest music stars will be the order of the day.

Thus, AY Live this year which has been supported by global brands should live up to expectation.

Lepacious Bose, Alibaba, Others Thrill In '200 Million'

BY SAMUEL ABULUDE, Lagos

The movie titled '200 Million' portrays the challenging lives of two disenchanted men who explored crime as a remedy to issues limiting them from enjoying comfort.

A chain of paranormal events soon occurred leaving an indelible mark on their entire existence.

Directed by August Udoh, the 16- man cast includes Kiki Omeili, Hafiz Oyetoro, Daniel Lloyd, TEAM: 0dunlade Adekola, Basorge Tariah, ENTERTAINMENT &TOURISM Frank Donga, Mercy Aigbe,EDITOR: Chigurl, ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM Alibaba and Woli Arole.

REPORTERS:

STELLA-MARIES AMUWA SAMUEL ABULUDE EMAIL: tkmmedia2012@gmail.com SMS ONLY: 08053686156

Small Doctor, Amb. Wahala, Others Headline Kill Corruption Concert

BY ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM, ABUJA

As part of efforts to assist EFCC in the fight against Corruption, Abuja-based comedian, Ambassador Wahala, will be having a free concert to support the activities of the EFCC In Nigeria by using music and comedy to preach the Anti-Corruption Message.

Slated for the Unity Fountain, Maitama, the event has promised to thrill guests with top-notch Nigeria musicians and comedians

like Small D o c t o r , Solidstar, Dr Ayuba, K o b o k o Master and many more.

Recall that Ambassador Wahala also became a close friend to the former First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, after mimicking her in Ali Baba 1 January, 2015 January concert.

March 31, 2018

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CLOSE-UP 11

I Don’t Have Urge For Sex - Crowncy Anyawu In her journey of two years in Nollywood, Crowncy Anyanwu has made a mark and has produced her own movies. In this interview with SAMUEL ABULUDE, the Obowo, Imo State-born actress shares her story How long have you been in the movie world?

Two years now. I have always wanted to be an actress though. Before now, I have been doing some ‘Waka pass’ roles, but at the end of the day, the movie won’t come out.

But I kept pushing because I have always dreamt of it.

Can you recall your first movie and how much you were paid?

I was so lucky, later I was given a good role and was paid a good amount. The movie is titled ‘Bank Money’ and I played the role of Bishop Okon’s lover. It also had Mr. Ibu and Francis Duru.

How did you feel acting alongside those top shots in the industry?

crushing on the likes of John Dumelo, Jim Iyke, et el?

You are really funny. John Dumelo and Jim Iyke are very cute. Only setting eyes on them can ....you know.. You understand na? But I can’t crush on a married man.

Aside dark skin, what else do you want in a man?

I want him dark and handsome and must be God fearing and most importantly very rich.

How many movie have you produced on your own?

I have produced a couple of movies

They were very friendly.

There were no much challenges at all. Because it’s a comedy movie, top actors were making everyone laugh at location.

Who are those you always admire and look up acting with?

Oh!!

My sweetheart, Genevieve Nnaji. I love her so much. I pray God will take me to her level with someday.

I love Tonto Dike has as well.

Tonto Dikeh? You also love her controversial way?

Yeah. Everything about her inspires me a lot.

One actress had said she loves Genevieve so much that she turns her on, do you feel same way?

Nooo!! I don’t oh. I’m only struggling to get to her level.

That’s all.

So your love for her doesn't turn you on?

Why are you particular about this turn on? Do you think I’m a lesbian? Or have you had any rumour that I am a lesbian as well? Please oh, count me out.

How about your male colleagues, who are those you admire?

Yeah!! I love Zubby Michael and his madness. Gosh! I just love dark guys!!

So it’s safe to say you are

already; “War For Love”, with Zubby Michael, Rachael Okonkwo, then “A Minute Decision”, with Ken Eric’s and Harry B. Anyanwu, Onny Micheal. I also produced “Hunted Bride”, featuring Zubby Michael, Eve Esin and co.

Wow, just within two years you joined the industry? How did you make that happen?

Most of my colleagues are surprised as well, but it’s just the Lord’s doing.

Movie producing is quite capital intensive, how did you cope?

Yes it costs me a lot of millions but when you plan well, the result is always good.

Everything is God. It has been awesome, so far.

Aside movies what else do you do?

I import things from outside Nigeria. Although, I have been to China only once, Dubai is my main route. I import hair and women things like bags in large quantity. I have a shop in Abuja and Owerri. Don’t mind me I started looking for money on time precisely at the age of eight years. I made my first 1000 at the age of eight.

Not From uncle and aunties

gifts oh, but from my hustle.

But for now I want to focus on my Away from movies, can you define your fashion and style?

I dress simple and decent.

Jeans and trousers-well fitted. I love nude colours. My personal dresses often come in nude colour.

What was your parent’s reaction when you told them you were going into movies?

My mum supported full time, she will always give me money for transport to go for movie auditions or movie rehearsals those days. But I don’t have a good relationship with my dad, so I don’t care if he supports my career or not.

Why?

Yes, I was trained singlehandedly by my mother. I promise to make her proud. My both parents are still very much alive but not living together. The separation wasn’t easy on us the kids. It is not a good experience, but my mother made us not to feel the absence of our dad that much.

At what age did you live last with your father?

I think two years.

So you don't have any fond memory of your father?

I visit him sometimes. Please, let’s not talk about my family again. It is making me emotional.

Are you presently relationship?

in

a

No I am not. I am still a virgin.

Yes oh, it may be hard to believe but that’s the truth. The majority of people out there think virgins are hard to find in Nollywood.

That’s why it may be hard to believe but on the contrary I am.

I’m a proof.

When do you plan to 'feel like a woman'?

I repeat, boyfriends can wait first. My career is more important but rich guys can get close on a neutral relationship though.

What are your plans to take your work to a higher level?

I’m going to double my work.

Hard work leads to success.

So, in those lonely nights, how do you conquer the urge to be with a man?

As a virgin, I don’t have an urge for sex. I think maybe because I have not done it before and I don’t also believe in masturbation. My virginity is hard to believe, right? But that’s the honest truth.

Yes oh, it may be hard to believe but that’s the truth.

The majority of people out there think virgins are hard to find in Nollywood

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Hauwa Alhabura, Mr. Ibu Grace Private Screening of 'The Eve'

BY SAMUEL ABULUDE, LAGOS

Aala Ife Screens At National Theatre

BY SAMUEL ABULUDE, LAGOS

This movie on the essence of love is among those that will be screened at the National Arts Theatre during the Easter holiday.

Titled ‘Aala Ife’ which means

“Boundary of Love”, the movie produced by a journalist par excellence, Gbolahan Adetayo stars Femi Adebayo, Jumoke George, Liz Dalsiva, Tamilore Ojo Martins, Ladi Afolarin, Kudi Ogunro, Mofe Onibiyo and Oluwatoyin Oki.

The movie which was released late last year has been getting rave reviews on account of its good picture quality and suspense-filled drama as a mother eager to protect her son from vices of women gets entangled into

another issue.

According Adetayo, Aala Ife, his first production was borne out of the need to give quality production laced with a rich story-scripts to Nigerians.

The movie is directed by Okiki Afolayan.

Rachel Bakam Bags Patriotic Icon Of The Year Award

BY SOLOMON NDA-ISAIAH

Television Presenter, Rachel Bakam aka Rachel the Piper, has been honoured at the Nigerian Women Achievers Award as the "Patriotic Icon Of The Year" along with great humanitarians and high achievers like Empress Njamah, Shimite Katung, Tonto Dike, Toyin Lawani and other super women impacting positively on the society.

The trailblazer CEO, television producer, presenter, actress, antihuman trafficking and GoBack-To-School ambassador says the romance she shares

with her motherland has spurred her over the years to travel round the world promoting Nigeria and calling on tourists and investors.

In the process, she made history by founding an alien sport The Nigerian Water Ski and Wakeboard Federation (NWWF) which is set to make another history come May. Rachel, who is the President of the Federation, will lead the NWWF team to Jordan for the International Water Ski and Wakeboard World Cup. This has never happened before. This is history being made.

Obaland Academy To Recognise 60,000 Nigerian Patriots

BY ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM

No fewer than 60,000 Nigerians from various professions are to bag the prestigious monarch's award known as “Obaland awards” which is the official Africa Grammy of Oba Ewuare II of Benin Kingdom.

This was made known

by Adesuwa Omoyemen Obatta, popularly known as (Dqueen) , the Ceo Of Edos Reggae Festival Inc. who also doubles as one of the governing body of the Obaland academy, during the

17th extraordinary monarch meetings with some of the traditional rulers in Lagos state.

Explaining why 2,000 Nigerian female entertainers and hardworking female patriots should receive the most prestigious monarchs awards to the committee during the extraordinary meeting, she said why this is different is because they are not just nominating people who haven't contributed to their community or even family but those women who have been attested to as

reputable and just by their spouses.

Dqueen explain that this is to enable hard working house wives stand out from the other women, who barely care about taking proper care of their homes.

"Women in Nigeria have no notable recognition, this year 2018. So we are including good house wives to receive the prestigious award, for the very first time in Africa, because showing appreciations to Africa women has an impact.

"All officially married

men in various locations in Nigeria, should write an essay to Obaland Academy and tell us how useful and honest their wives have been, mostly the women with little income," she stated.

She also added that Obaland academy will also recognise a detainee, under (Amnesty) who voluntarily renounced criminal act, as a tool to reinstate them to the society to partake in social gatherings."For this type of prestigious recognition, only the Police warders could request for detainees."

It was a night of style and grandeur when movie lovers and social influencers as well as practitioners in the film industry came for the premiere of the talk-ofthe-town movie titled 'The Eve'.

The event which was held last Saturday at Ember Creek, Lagos had star-studded guest appearances including top Nollywood actors, movie makers, entertainers, the media and movie lovers.

‘The Eve’ is a romantic comedy that parades a seasoned cast which includes Beverly Naya, Adeolu Adefarasin, John Okafor aka ‘Mr. Ibu’, Ronke Oshodi, and many more.

Delectable Hauwa Alhabura, one of producers of the movie, noted that “The Eve” which is a RomCom is one movie that buffs would love to watch on account of the diverse cast and hilarious scenes.

Written by the trio of Tunde Babalola, Tosin Igho and Martin Adieze, it tells the story of a young man, Funso, who has a bachelor’s eve to go through (you read that right) but isn’t really prepared for the drama, passion and ridiculousness that he is eventually thrust in that night.

Adeolu Adefarasin plays Funso and Beverly Naya who isn’t a newcomer in the romcom department, plays his annoying fiancé, Yewande.

Both of them are in love – or so it seems – and are supposed to get married a day after their lives are visited by questions that make them reconsider the big ‘I do’.

However, while they fight these battles, individually, the couple realize the biggest fight lies between them and what’s more, there are secrets that once revealed may just cause them to rethink certain decisions made. Kunle Remi would be a lead singer in a boy band featuring Efa, Adeolu Adefarasin and Mawuli Gavor. With the synchronisation of good music, beautiful pictures, extremely sexy feel and great cinematography, “The Eve” wouldn’t only entertain you, but it would leave you wondering when Nollywood would take the bull by the horn and maybe have another scintillating relationship with musicals.

SCENES & HAPPENINGS 13

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Mixed Feelings Trail Proposed 100 Community Cinemas

BY SAMUEL ABULUDE, Lagos

‘Searching’ Is Different From Other Movies

BY SAMUEL ABULUDE, LAGOS

Fresh from the stable of Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen is the thriller titled “Crushed”.

The movie sponsored by ROK Studios and Iceberg Films is a

suspense filled drama.

Starring AMAA 2016 Best Supporting Actor and AMVCA 2017 Best Actor, Sambasa Nzeribe, Lilian Esoro , Seun Akindele and Matilda Obaseki, the movie has been in the

cinemas for a few weeks now and is generating rave reviews.

“Crushed” was written by Jeanne C. Okafor, the movie is suspense fillec and one that movie buffs will love to watch as it is produced and directed

by the Bini Prince, Lancelot Oduwa-Imasuen.

Already screening at Kada Cinemas in Benin and in some cinemas in Lagos, Crushed showcases the villain Sambasa Nzeribe in a new element.

script writer, Josephine Anumbor Abraham, decided that someone who hasn’t tasted fame would tell the story better.

Abraham, who is also the producer, believes that script writers have bigger jobs to do when translating scripts into movie.

According to her, she wanted the impact of the movie to be felt by movie lovers who know what it entails to make a real movie that can affect lives. “ ‘Searching’ is not just a movie, it is a message to the world. My intention is to make Nigerians and everybody across the globe know the effect of early marriage and child abandonment on our children. I want

it to be felt by everyone who comes across it, not by the personality in the movie, but the message itself, that is why I decided to use new faces for the lead roles.

“It is good to use top faces in a movie, but on this occasion, I wanted the story to be original as possible. I wanted the story to be told exactly the way it is in the script, without taking anything away from it.

Sometimes, when you use top faces to tell a story, it could remove the vital ingredients from it. I didn’t want that,” she stated.

Speaking to one of the lead cast of the movie, Charity Nnodi, who played the character of Orgal, she said starring in the

movie gave her the opportunity to discover herself and turn one of her passions into a reality.

“I love the fact that this movie talks about love, what so many people are missing in their lives today. Most people walk around with a feeling of emptiness, looking for what could fill the vacuum but never find satisfaction. I was like that also, but in the course of the movie I got to understand that earthly things can never fill up that vacuum. Only Christ can fill up the vacuum and shower us with all the love we need. All you have to do is trust and believe in Him,” she explained.

‘Searching’ Is Different From Other Movies

BY ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM, ABUJA

Recently, ‘Searching’, a new movie, premiered at the Odeon Cinema, United Kingdom which centres on the evils of early-child marriage and child sexual abuse, was also taken to villages and remote communities to create awareness. The movie has drawn positive responses from all those who have reviewed or watched it.

Starring Eucharia Anunobi, Yemi Blac and others, the movie highlights a new approach to movie production. While the known faces clamoured for the lead role, the

Tim Godfrey Unveils Record Label

BY SAMUEL ABULUDE, LAGOS

After over a decade’s experience as a song producer, director, vocal coach and a songwriter with unpredictable live performances, Tim Godfrey has announced the launch of his record label ROX Nation. ROX is an acronym for Republic of Xtreme, and the label already has on its roster four

talented artistes; Okey Sokay, IBK, Blessyn, and SMJ who is also a producer.

“ROX Nation is not your typical music record label as we go beyond producing music and promoting artistes; there is also an arm involved in movie production, stage shows, and general entertainment business” said Godfrey at the unveiling

which was held at the new ROX Nation Headquarters in Gbagada, Lagos; a facility that also hosts a live and audio recording studio fitted with video camera for live footage. ROX Nation also engages in content creation including jingles and TVCs for agencies, production engagement for recording artists and studio rental.

Tim Godfrey is also currently running a music reality show tagged Sound Check, a platform he says will help to train young people with raw musical talents and give them a platform to showcase their gifts to the world. “We are hoping to give younger people opportunity to find expression with their gifts,” he said.

When the news of the Minister of Information, Culture And Tourism, Lai Mohammed, stating that government is seeking to build a hundred community cinemas across the six geopolitical zones, the film industry is jolted and could not believe the statement thinking it was too good to be true.

When LEADERSHIP e-Rendezvous sought to know how feasible was the project and other modalities from Mohammed in January, he noted that government was looking to wooing foreign investors who would invest 100,000 dollars each to build a community cinemas and the state government would only have to provide land for the edifice.

That was lofty and laudable coming from the minister as it meant that it would be privatepublic partnership or outright private business.

All over the world using the German or the UK models, community cinemas are sited closer to the people.

An investor who does not want his name mentioned noted that the port city Liverpool which has a population of five million the size of just Somolu-Bariga environ, Lagos has a total of 20 cinemas, both CC (community cinemas )and mallstructured standard cinemas that could sit 200 people.

Nigeria can only boast of what Liverpool has as there are just about 20 standard cinemas scattered around different cities: Lagos (8), Port Harcourt (4), Warri (1), Benin (1), Abuja (2) , Kano (1), Ibadan (2), Akure (1) Owerri (1) and Enugu (1).

Building a community cinema in addition to these will boost return on investment on each production work. But many stakeholders in the film industry are wary of government involvement to build C.C or run the cinemas as government has no business running a community cinema but creating an enabling environment and encouraging both local and foreign investors to invest in Nollywood via infrastructure development and establishing robust distribution company networks.

Our correspondent’s effort to seek more clarification on the modalities and level of development on the investors to partner government in the C.C building, proved abortive as the minister’s aide promised to update on the proposed 100 C.C. A reputable film maker, Wale Adenuga, in an earlier interview noted that by now there ought to be pockets of community cinemas in Lagos alone as an average resident of Ikotun-Egbe would not travel to Lekki to watch a movie because it is not economically wise when he can rent a Yoruba movie from his local vendor and equally enjoy himself. So when would Nigerians see the 100 cinemas promised by the minister? Time shall tell.

14 NEWS ACROSS THE STATES

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Gosa Market Demolition: NHRC To Summon Minister, FCDA

BY BIDON MIBZAR, ABUJA.

L-R: Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on FCT Area Council and Ancillary Matters, Hon Zaphania Jisalo; Clerk of the committee, Malam Tata Tukur, members of the committee, Hon Timothy Golu and Hon Bashir Baballe, during a one- day public hearing on a bill for an act to establish FCT Area Councils Service Commission at the National Assembly, yesterday.

PHOTO BY OYEDELE OMOKAGBO

Ministry Charges Youths On N500, 000 Empowerment Fund

BY RICHARD NDOMA, CALABAR The Federal Government has charged youths who benefited from its capacity building/empowerment programme through the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in Agriculture and other value chain programmes, not to misuse the funds released to them by the ministry in frivolous ventures but use the fund to kick-start their small-scale enterprises so that they can better their lots.

Minister for Niger Delta Affairs,

FECA Matriculates 412 Students For 2017/2018 Academic Session

BY TOPE FAYEHUN, AKURE

The Federal College of Agriculture, Akure (FECA), for the first time since the college was established in 1957, matriculated 412 students for the 2017/2018 academic year.

This is apart from Higher National Diploma (HND) II and National Diploma (ND) II students, which facilitated the increment in students population.

The Provost of the college, Dr Samson Adeola Odedina, in his address as the ceremony, admonished the students to shun cultism, examination malpractice, drug abuse and other vices, warning that the collage would not condone such habits.

Odedina, who hailed the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) for approving five additional new courses for the institution, urged the students to be disciplined and dedicate themselves to studies to achieve academic excellence.

According to the Provost, the additional courses include, National Diploma in Computer Science, National Diploma in Forestry Technology, National Diploma in Fisheries Technology, National Diploma in Horticulture and Land Scape Design and Higher National Diploma in Pasture and Range Management.

Odedina enthused that the institution now has 13 academic programmes for National and Higher Diploma students, stressing that the management of the college was encouraged by the youth who have voluntarily chosen FECA to advance their careers in Agriculture.

His words: “the College has continued to focus on her pursuit of excellence in teaching, value chain training, research and service to the society as enshrined in the college’s watchword of ‘Agriculture with Result.

“The Federal College of Agriculture, Akure has continued to focus on her pursuit of excellence in teaching, value chain training, research and service to the society as enshrined in the college’s watchword “Agriculture with Result.

Usani Uguru Usani, gave the charge while fielding questions from journalists at the closing ceremony of the capacity building and empowerment in Agriculture and other value chain programmes for women and youths in the South South zone.

The Minister urged beneficiaries of the programme to take advantage of the numerous entrepreneurial opportunities offered them by the government to better their lots.

The event, which took place at the

University of Calabar, attracted well wishers from across the Niger Delta region.

Usani, who was billed to be represented by the Hon Minister for State in the Niger Delta Affairs ministry, Prof Claudius Daramola, but was also being represented at the event by the Deputy Director in the ministry, Mr Ndiomu Ebiogeh Philips, stated that the ministry’s initiative was to help in the eradication of poverty which has been a great pain on the lives of young people in the region.

Usani stated that the N500, OOO released to the beneficiaries, was to enable them begin their enterprise, adding that any training done without capital outlay, will mean nothing to beneficiaries of the programme, adding that it was in that vein that the N500,000 had to be made available as take off grant.

“The ministry is aware that training without support is an effort in futility, thus the provision of N500, 000 to each participant to start their businesses.

APC To Receive 7,000 PDP Members Sunday

BY HUSSAINI JIRGI, DAMATURU

Seven thousands members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe State, have concluded their plan to join All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday.

In an interview on phone, the APC Vice Chairman, Potiskum Local Government, Muhammad Alkali Accama Sarkiyo, said that, they have reached all their arrangement to received 7,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC) due

to the poor leadership of their PDP senator.

LEADERSHIP Weekend learnt that, the aggrieved PDP members, who decided to defect to the APC, expressed that, “I came from PDP, PDP does not have a blueprint, I was in PDP since 1999 and I know that their house is not in order.”

According to the defectors, though they have participated in the campaign and election victories of the PDP senator in 2015, the politics of the PDP in the Zone under Senator Muhammad Hassan is oppressive, dictatorial and selfish.

One of the decamped who

spoke to our correspondent ahead of their decamp on Sunday, said they decided to dump the PDP due to the noticeable lack of internal democracy, and the fact that they are possessive, oppressive, draconian, satanic and incredibly selfish.

He likened the PDP in Yobe State to emperors and oppressors.

He said they have decided to come to seek refuge in the APC for progress and development.

He pledged the willingness of all that decamped to work hard for the success of the APC in the State and Nigeria in general for forthcoming general elections.

NARD Wants Sacked JUTH Members Recalled

BY ISAIAH BENJAMIN, KADUNA

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has resolved to issue a 30-day ultimatum, effective from Monday, 2nd April, 2018 on the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and Management of JUTH in order to recall all resident doctors in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) in order to guarantee industrial harmony.

NARD is also demanding that her members, whose appointments were

‘unjustly’ terminated since July, 2014, be paid all their emoluments.

NARD’s position was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the extraordinary National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, which held in Abuja.

The communiqué, which was jointly signed by Dr Ugochukwu Chinaka, Dr Osinachukwu Nnaji, Dr Ugochukwu A Eze, president, Secretary and Publicity and Social Secretary respectively, also demanded that all Federal Teaching Institutions, who are yet to begin implementation of the July 2014

circular – (FMC Umuahia, UBTH Benin, and UITH Ilorin) should, as a matter of urgency commence same.

“Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) is advised to dispatch the stated July 2014 extant circular to keep all chief medical directors in proper perspective.

“NEC demands that Federal Government of Nigeria meets all outstanding agreements as contained in the 06/09/2017 Memorandum of Terms of Settlement (MOTOS) between Government, NARD and NMA. “NEC unanimously requests the

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said that it will invite the Federal Capital Development Authority (FDCA), indigenes as well as write to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bello Mohammed, to give adequate account on the demolition of the Gosa Market and the events that trailed the action.

Speaking yesterday at Gosa, Airport Road, Abuja when the management and staffs of NHRC visited the demolished market, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mrs Oti Ovrawah, said that as part of their protection services, the NHRC has come to ensure that rights of citizens, as well as their means of livelihood, are not abused by the action.

“Some said their goods were destroyed in the process. As part of our protection services, we are here to ensure that rights of Nigerians are not trampled upon. We see that there is already a peace negotiation going on; since the authorities of FCDA and the representatives of the market are putting heads together to ensure that the market holds at the newly allocated site”.

“We are going back to our office, we will invite the FCDA, authorities of the market as well as write to the office of the minister to know what happened and the actions that are needed to be taken”, she said.

Earlier in his response, the Chief of Gosa Market, Wakili Istifanus, lamented that the FCDA did not give adequate notice before it embarked on demolishing the market on Saturday, 24 March, 2017. He said they were taken unawares, with so many traders and natives displaced of their valuables.

Also speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary, FCDA, the Director, Engineering Services, FCDA, Engineer Shehu Hadi, said the action was to ensure the safety of the traders and people that pass along the road, which leads to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. He revealed that an alternative site has been given and work is on going to ensure that it is operational by today.

President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to use his good office to graciously assent to the RTP Act in order to lay to rest all the contentious issues affecting Resident Doctors in Nigeria.

“That the Management of JUTH remits forthwith all monies belonging to ARD JUTH and NARD to their respective coffers.

“In the event of government’s failure to meet up with the resolutions, NARD might not be able to guaranty industrial harmony in her respective branches”.

$350m Loan: Senators Put Personal Frustrations Above Rights Of The People – Kaduna Govt

BY AZA MSUE,KADUNA

The Kaduna State government, yesterday, reacted over the Senate’s rejection of its request for the World Bank $350m loan, saying what the Senate displayed was elevating the ego of some of its members above the demands of public policy.

Addressing a news conference in Kaduna by Suleiman Abdu Kwari, the State Commissioner of Finance, he said, “As the three senators from Kaduna State spoke, it was apparent

that they have put their personal frustrations above the rights of the people of Kaduna State to decent investment in human capital development through good schools and hospitals, and better quality of life and accelerated economic growth through the provision of infrastructure.”

The Senate had on Thursday, rejected the request by the Kaduna State Government to obtain a $350m loan already approved by the World Bank.

The rejection was based on the recommendation of the Senate

Committee on Local and Foreign Debts and supported by the three senators from Kaduna State who are not in good terms with Governor Nasir el-Rufai.

However, the Kaduna State government, explaining why the loan facility is purely for development, commended the House of Representatives for its kind endorsement of the loan request.

Kwari, explained that the All Progressives Congress (APC) manifesto commits the state government to promote equality of

opportunity by expanding access to education and healthcare, to support farmers, create pathways for job creation and provide everyone with land, a transparent way to acquire valid title.

The Finance Commissioner said under Governor Nasir El-Rufai, the Kaduna State government has implemented financial reforms aimed at ensuring that the resources of the state are expanded and applied to delivering services for ordinary people.

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18 NEWS ACROSS THE STATES

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Al-Makura’s Posters Flood Nasarawa South Streets

Campaign for governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura’s Senatorial ambition in 2019 has begun with the governor’s posters and bill boards taking over strategic locations in the state capital, Lafia and other parts of Nasarawa South Senatorial district.

Similarly, the campaign posters of Hassan Mohammed Liman, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), have flooded the streets of Keffi, Akwanga and Lafia, the state capital.

Al-Makura’s posters with the inscription ‘Call to Serve 2019”, proclaimed that AlMakura, would give the people of Nasarawa South Senatorial zone, a fair representation.

Though Al-Makura, is yet to officially declare, the state APC secretary, Aliyu Bello, recently donated an office to support his senatorial ambition in Lafia town.

A staunch supporter of Al-Makura, who begged for anonymity, said the posters are part of mobilization to get the grassroots support for the governor’s senatorial ambition.

“We are mobilizing support for this cause, asking our people to join forces to call on the governor to contest for the Senate come 2019,” he said.

“Al-Makura, has performed well as the governor of Nasarawa State and we his admirers want to pay him back, that’s why we want him to contest for the Senatorial seat.”

By Danjuma Joseph, Lafia

Husband, Wife Die in Akwa Ibom Community A couple, Chief Etuk- Udo Sampson and his wife, Princess Gloria have reportedly died peacefully at their home at Atai Ndon Village in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

The Atai Ndon Village Council while announcing the sad news, expressed shock over the demise of Chief Sampson, who was once their Chairman.

Chairman of the village council, Chief Enodien Udia Enodien, a retired Army Warrant Officer says the Village Head in council and the entire people of the area received the news of the departure of the couple with sadness. ‘’Death remains one great mystery that puzzles humans; it poses a million unanswered questions whenever it strikes.

Definitely, we know that to everything there must be a season and time to every purpose under the heaven,” he said.

According to the village council, Atai Ndon Afaha-Eket is grieving with the bereaved family on the demise of their parents who they said, stood their ground to build the village as well as the AfahaEket community.

L-R: Speaker House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; his wife, Gimbiya and Senator Dino Melaye at the residence of late Hon Umar Buba Jibrin in Abuja, yesterday PHOTO BY SPEAKER MEDIA OFFICE

Unless Military Act, Many Would Be Killed In Taraba – Aide

BY ANDREW OJIH, JALINGO

The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Ishaku on Media and Publicity, Mr. Bala Dan Abu has disclosed that herdsmen may still kill more people in the state unless the Federal Government and the military apply new measures.

Bala, who stated this yesterday in Jalingo during an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend said the case against the military in Taraba State is that of outright collusion against the people which has made it easy for the Fulani militia to kill, maim and destroy valuable properties.

He added that the recent statement

made by General T. Y Danjum during the maiden convocation and 10th anniversary of the Taraba State University was a challenge to the APC administration to sit up and live up to its responsibility.

He explained that before the attack in some parts of Taraba State, Governor Ishaku complained to the federal government about the threat to peace and security of the state but there was no response.

He lamented the devastating effects of internal conflicts involving the Fulani believed to have moved into the state from neighboring countries, and the Tiv, which led to the sacking of 200

settlements in Gassol, Bali, Ibi, Donga and Gashaka local government areas.

He stressed that Governor Ishaku has always been raising the alarm on the security situation in the state but was always ignored by the federal government.

He informed that the military are not sincere in their operations, adding that the ongoing operation of “Ayam Akpatuma in the state has been discriminatory.

“While every instrument including cutlasses and kitchen knives have been taken away from the people, the herdsmen have been left with AK-47 guns,” he said.

Cleric Urges Women To Be More Diligent

BY LINDA NWAGU

Women all over the world have been called upon to be more diligent, describing them as the bedrock of the family.

In her address during a women conference at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Jesus Embassy in Apo, Abuja entitled: ‘The Queen Within; A Victorious Woman’ The convener, Pastor Mrs. Titilope Olukoya called on women to take charge of their homes and become the biblical Esther in their various homes.

Noting that although mistakes are an inevitable part of life, and as easy as it is to look past the little things, Pastor Olukoya said that mistakes in behavior can threaten the foundation of marriage, and even lead to its collapse.

She said, “The onus of the home lies on you. You should embrace the queens within you, this makes you a virtuous woman. When you treat your husband like a king, he will treat you like a queen. Be ever ready for every challenge and always be prayerful.

“A Queen is a woman with a regenerated heart, Born again, A

worshipper, virtuous with the Lips of Hannah not slander and diligent in their dealings.”

The two-day conference climaxed with empowering women with skills such as: fascinator caps and beads making, coconut oil and clothes stoning designing.

A beneficiary of the training, Mrs. Benson Adewole appreciated the efforts of the convener.

“Today has been enlightening, I have not only learnt how to stone my old clothes, I have also learnt how to be a better woman. A virtuous woman in all ramifications.”

Bichi Inaugurates N6.3bn TETFund Projects In Taraba

BY ANDREW OJIH, JALINGO.

The Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Dr. Abdullahi Baffa Bichi has inaugurated projects worth N6, 313,900 at the Federal Polytechnic in Beli Local Government Area of Taraba State.

Bichi, while inaugurating the projects in Beli said that he was highly impressed with the quality of work done as “the quality of work would definitely stand the test of time and meet the best standards available.

While noting that the Polytechnic has enjoyed the highest intervention of the fund in the country to a single institution so far, Bichi urged the management of the school to always

ensure that there was strict adherence to the Bill of Quantities to ensure that the quality of work remains consistent to specification.

Some of the projects include 14 power generator sets, five Toyota Hilux Vans, five (18 seater) Toyota Hiace Buses, two water tankers, two (60 seater ) Luxury Buses, one 30 seater bus, several water boreholes and several buildings.

The Chairman, governing council of the institution Hajia Aisha Tahir in her speech said that the role of TETFund in providing critical infrastructure and equipment for teaching, learning and staff development was indispensable, as it positions the institutions for

favorable global competition.

Tahir said the intervention from TETFund has brought about drastic development to the polytechnic that it can stand at par with any other higher institution in the country in terms of infrastructure and equipment.

She appealed for special intervention for the construction of students hostel, provision of water treatment plant and power supply as the school and zone generally is still not connected to the national grid.

Earlier, the Rector of the school, Dr. Saidu Umaru Jen disclosed that the school has received a total TETFund intervention disbursement of over N6.3 billion from 2011.

JOHESU Plans Strike In Kaduna The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly of Health Care Professionals has presented a letter to Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state requesting him to appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari on their issues to avoid the planned strike action fixed for April 17th, 2018.

The letter addressed to Governor El-Rufai and presented to the Commissioner of health, Dr. Paul M. Dogo for onward submission stated that from 2009 to date, the union has entered into several agreements with government out of which only very few have been implemented.

The letter as signed by the national chairman and secretary of JOHESU, Comrade Biobelemoye Joy Josiah and Comrade Florence Ekpebor respectively stated that the latest agreement entered into on September 30, 2017 contained adjustment of CONHESS Salary structure and Payment of arrears of CONHESS 10 among other demands.

“On the issue of CONHESS adjustment which we regard as the core of our demands, government in 2014 granted CONMESS adjustment to medical doctors and immediately paid the accruing cash benefits and arrears. CONHESS review is the upward adjustment of the CONHESS salary table inline with the same principle used in adjusting the CONMESS table for medical doctors,” Josiah said.

“Our own demand for the adjustment of CONHESS that affects about 95 percent of the health workforce have been frustrated and part of the reason for this is that the Minister of health and Minister of state for health are medical doctors while the minister of labour and employment who should be a neutral umpire in trade dispute is equally a medical doctor.

They therefore feel unconcerned on matters of welfare of other health care providers.”

JOHESU is therefore requesting that the September 30 2017 agreement freely entered into by the government be implemented in-line with the legal maxim ‘Pacta Sunt servada’ which means agreement must be kept.

By Isaiah Benjamin, Kaduna

NEWS ACROSS THE STATES 19

Saturday, March 31, 2018

FirstNation Clarifies EFCC’s Charges, Allegations

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR, Lagos

Domestic carrier, FirstNation has denied all the charges and allegations of stealing levelled against it and the CEO, Mr Kayode Odukoya.

The airline in a statement issued yesterday and signed by its spokesperson, Mr Adelola Daniel, stated: “Firstnation Airways hereby

categorically deny all the charges of fraud and stealing preferred by EFCC against us and our CEO Mr Kayode Odukoya based on the false and dubious petition by Skyebank Plc.” The statement with reference number FRN/PR/018/03/018, dated 28th March, 2008 further added that the charges are bogus and without basis and targeted to impugn their

integrity adding that they will vigorously defend themselves in court.

“As the matter is subjudice we are unable to discuss any further details but we wish to clarify and correct, malicious misrepresentations made against us to the media. Although the charge was filed as far back as December 11th 2017, the EFCC did

not inform either Mr Odukoya or First Nation of its existence even though Firstnation and Mr. Odukoya in good faith continued to visit EFCC offices on December 16th 2017, February 6th and March 13th 2018. At the same time, the wrong impression was being created in Court, that Mr. Odukoya was avoiding arraignment.

FirstNation only learnt of the charges

through social media on March 9th 2018”, it stated.

The document hinted that on becoming aware of the charges through the social media, Mr Kayode Odukoya voluntarily visited the EFCC on March 13th 2018 at 10 am and was subsequently detained despite the fact that he was already on administrative bail.

Nigeria At Crossroads, Needs Divine Intervention – DPC The Democratic People’s Congress (DPC) has said that Nigeria is at crossroads and needs divine intervention to rescue her from bad leadership.

The party stated this in a statement by the national chairman, Rev. Olusegun Peter to felicitate with Christians on the occasion of this year’s Easter celebrations.

He said the occasion calls for sober reflection on the pious life of our Lord Jesus Christ, his crucifixion and resurrection for the redemption of mankind.

He enjoined Christians to imbibe the Lord Jesus Christ’s virtues of love, peace, compassion, tolerance and sacrificial life that pointed humanity to God. The statement reads in part, “The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which Easter symbolizes is the foundation, pillar and cornerstone of the Christian doctrine. Jesus is therefore the reason for the season.

We should use the occasion of this year’s Easter to renew our passion and relationship with Christ our Saviour.

“The party urges Christians, indeed, Nigerians to use the opportunity of the Easter celebrations to pray for peace, love, unity and progress of the nation.

By Paul Uwadima, Abuja

Educationist Urges FG To Arm Students With Employability Data A professor of Science, Olufemi O. Bamiro has expressed the need to arm students with employability data to enhance them select courses that will give them employment after graduation.

Bamiro, who spoke recently in Abuja with journalists said in order to increase the graduate chances of obtaining decent jobs that match their education and training, our Nigerian universities need to equip their students with the necessary competencies to enter the labour market and to enhance their capacities to meet specific workplace demands.

He said: “This is to be achieved through formal education while still in the University rather than the present situation in the country in which great number of skills and career guidance programmes are being mounted for employed graduates.

“The responsibility for developing students employability is done almost by osmosis. It’s a natural by product of deciding on having an outcomes learning mode; on deciding the global outcomes; on deciding that you embed them and integrate them into curricular and them making sure that you have programs and services where they can be tested and applied,” he added.

He further said that providing such data to students especially secondary school graduates will help them to view the most marketable courses which which also reduce the issue of unemployment of graduates in the country.

L-R: General Manager, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), Xu Huajiang; Chief Executive Officer, Lekki Port, Nuan Nahata; Relationship Director Lekki Port, Adesuwa Ladoja; Chairman, CHEC, Lin Yichong; Managing Director for the Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala Usman; Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; President Muhammadu Buhari; Chairman, Tolaram Group, Mohan Vasurani; Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode; Managing Director Africa, Tolaram Group, Haresh Aswani; Vice President , CHEC, Li Yi, and Managing Director, CHEC Nigeria, Zhang Wenfeng, during a meeting with the President on the developers of Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos, yesterday PHOTO BY STATE HOUSE

Fertilizer: Unity Bank Assures FEPSAN Registered Distributors Access To Finance

BY ISAIAH BENJAMIN, Kaduna

As the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI), plans to produce one million metric tons of NPK in 2018, the Unity Bank PLC has assured registered distributors under the aupices of the Fertilizer Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN), of their readiness to offer them financial credit.

General manager of the bank, Mr Bonaventure Ohiamo disclosed this at a meeting between the bank and

FESPAN registered distributors, which held in Kaduna.

According to the bank manager, Unity Bank is committed to the agricultural sector haven supported the sector with intervention funding that runs into billions.

He disclosed that the loan has been categorised into three; the first category is for those seeking from two hundred million naira and above which requires a security and legal mortgage, the second category is for those seeking between 50-99 million naira who will

be required to deposit 10 per cent of that sum with no collateral required but a letter of confirmation of FEPSAN membership and previous performance with PFI. The third and last category is for those seeking between 10-49.9 million naira and will also be required to deposit 15 per cent of that sum with no collateral required but previous performance with PFI and confirmation letter from FEPSAN. He disclosed however that the loans are not in cash but that the fertilizers

Family Planning Panecea To Poverty Reduction – AAFP

BY HENRY TYOHEMBA, ABUJA

The Association For The Advancement Of Family Planning (AAFP), has stressed that many families are suffering as a result of inadequate knowledge of family planning, saying that if birth are controlled the rate of poverty in the country will be reduce.

The out going president of the association, Professor O. A Ladipo who spoke in Abuja while briefing journalists on the topic: “Towards Achieving Nigeria Renewed FP2020 Commitments” said if we do not let our people know the benefits of family planning, nature will do it for us mercilessly.

He said there is urgent need to convince people on the importance of birth control. “For me

population should be an asset not a liability because the more we are the more difficult it is for government to turn things around. Like I always say, from any family today the only legacy they have for their children is poverty.

“So therefore, we must make effort to convince people that there is wisdom in moderating population growth. Only have the number of children that you can take care of. Don’t have about 10 children and then transfer the responsibility to somebody who has a smaller family size. Don’t be a liability to someone else who has moderated his own family size.

“People should learn how to adopt smaller family sizes. It should be 4 children per man and they will live a good quality life,

“ he added.

Cautioning Nigerians on the need to embark on family planning measures, the chairman Technical Management Committee, AAFP, Dr Ejike Oji said family planning is important as women who chose it are healthier and face lower risks of maternal death.

“Children born to such women are healthier and survive better.

Such women are better empowered to seek and contribute more to their families and nation’s prosperity. Their children are more likely to receive better education, helping to trigger a cycle of prosperity that carries well into future generations.

Voluntary family planning as a human right is central towards poverty reduction,” he added.

will be purchased for them from the blending plants and deposited for the distributors in their warehouses with sales supervision from their agent.

Earlier in his address, the executive secretary FEPSAN, Ahmed Rabiu Kwa emphasised that the meeting was basically to make funancing availabke under the fertilizer value chain through the PFI which is to boost businesa activities.

He urged the distributors to take advantage of the meeting to improve their business.

PMB Mourns Ogbeh’s Brother President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, over the passing away of his younger brother, Clement Ogbeh.

The President in a statement by his media aide ,Garba Shehu sent his condolences to the immediate family, the Otukpa community of Benue State and friends of the deceased, who worked at the Central Bank of Nigeria and is being buried today.

President Buhari prayed that God will comfort the family of the departed, and grant his soul eternal rest.

By Jonathan Nda Isaiah

20 NEWS ACROSS THE STATES

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Eko Atlantic City Project Will Boost Nigeria’s Economy – PMB

BY GEORGE OKOJIE, Lagos

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday hailed the initiators of the Eko Atlantic City, saying he was extremely impressed with the potentials of the project to create jobs and boost Nigeria’s economy.

Buhari who toured the Eko Atlantic City as part of activities to commemorate his two-day official visit to the State with the state Governor Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and other top government officials said, “I have just gone round to see the Eko

Atlantic City. I am impressed with the potentiality of this project and the amount of jobs and positive effect which this project is capable of having on the economy.

“I am really grateful for those who agreed to invest so much in our country to get a secured area

for operations capable of handling big businesses and investments throughout Africa.’’

Speaking after conducting President Buhari round the Eko Atlantic City (EAC) which is a multibillion dollar project expected to accommodate over 150,000 people

who would reside there and another 250,000 who would work and commute within the city on a daily basis, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode said the project was a practical example of how the private sector could partner with government to boost the economy.

He recalled that the project, which was conceived and initiated during the tenure of former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was a brilliant engineering display which had saved the whole of Victoria Island from ocean surge and other threats.

CSO Seeks Mimiko’s Probe A group, operating under the aegis of Campaign for Democracy (CD) has issued one-month ultimatum to the state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, to set up a panel of inquiry that will look into the financial activities of the previous administration of Dr Olusegun Mimiko.

The group, in a statement jointly issued by its southwest chairman, Samuel Olaseinde Aina and Secretary, Ifeanyi Odili, said failure to comply with the ultimatum might mar the good working relationship it hoped to maintain with the Akeredolu government.

Akeredolu had, in a recent media chat, reiterated his earlier claim that the Mimiko government left behind a debt of N220 billion.

The CD said, “Since this assertion was made, the campaign for democracy has been expecting the Governor to institute a panel of enquiry to investigate the circumstances that led to such a huge debt by a government that inherited over 32 billion naira from its predecessor, Dr Olusegun Agagu.

By Tope Fayehun, Akure

Vitafoam Donates Materials To Lagos Neuropsychiatric Hospital As part of its corporate initiatives to boost government’s efforts in creating a conducive environment for treatment of psychiatric patients in Nigeria, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, has furnished the first Government Sleep Laboratory at Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, with quality mattresses, pillows, beds, duvet and bed sheets.

Speaking at Vitafoam’s celebration of this year’s World Sleep Day tagged: “Preserve Your Rhythm To Enjoy Life”, the company’s group managing director, Mr Taiwo Adeniyi, who was represented by the Technical and Development Director, Mr Abaggana Abatcha, disclosed that the donated materials would enhance the sleeping conditions of people with sleep challenges.

According to him, the organisation will continue to support World Sleep Day in creating sleep awareness to enable Nigerians achieve a good night’s sleep. He added that sound sleep would always aid memory, repair cells and enhance physical and psychological states of an individual.

“This year, beyond providing quality sleep products like mattresses, pillows, duvets, bed sheets and beds to Nigerians, Vitafoam is giving back to the society by furnishing the first Government Sleep Laboratory at Federal Neuro-psychiatric Hospital Yaba, with quality mattresses, pillows, beds, duvet and bed sheets, to enhance the sleeping conditions of people with sleep challenges.

By Odiri Uchenunu-Ibeh, Lagos

Members of St Mary’s Catholic Church dramatising the Passion of Christ in Suleja, Niger State yesterday. PHOTO BY NAN.

Boko Haram: Borno Deploys District Heads To Scrutinise Returning Bama IDPs

BY FRANCIS OKOYE MAIDUGURI

Following the planned return of Bama Internally Displaced persons ( IDPs), back to Bama in phases from 2nd of April this year, the Borno state government said it has fully engaged village Heads of various districts to painstakingly scrutinze the returning displaced persons .

The government said is to avoid a situation where the remnants of the Boko Haram terroriststs will capitalise

on the window of the ressettlement program to infiltrate and cause further havoc on the rebuilt town.

Borno state Governor, Kashim Shettima stated this yesterday in Bama shortly after arrival for his 2-Day working Visit to assess the level of infrastructure in the town ahead of the return of the IDPs .

Shettima regreted the condition the insurgents had placed Bama , which he described as once vibrant town , full of activities , that has been brought down

to its knees by the demented monsters called Boko Haram.

“This is a town that used to be a vibrant city, with full of activities , was brought down to its knees by those demented monsters called Boko Haram.

The second biggest town in Borno was turned to a ghost town, where they harvested deaths, destruction and disharmony.

“I commend the officers and men of the Nigeran Armed Forces for the sacrifices they made for us to have

peace . I commend the resilience of the people of the Northeast for holding their heads high despite the challenges of the insurgency. “ We have to put the right mechanism on ground before the IDPs return so as not grant the remnants of the Boko Haram terroriststs another opportunity.

We will use the various Districts Heads to painstakingly scrutinze the returning IDPs to avoid the infiltration of the IDPs by the terroriststs through the window of return,” Shettima said.

25, 000 People Benefit From Ogbedo Eye-care Programme

BY NOSA ERESOYEN, Asaba

No fewer than 25, 000 persons across Delta State have benefited from the Ogbedo Eye-care Programme which kicked started last Thursday in Asaba.

Wife of the state governor, DAME Edith Okowa who commended the organiser, Dr Ernest Ogbedo for its selfless efforts, described the free eye service as good signs of God uplifting the state to enviable

height.

She said: “We have now many people who have been lifted up by this eye care programme. Dr. Ogbedo is a man which a large heart in doing work of humanity” and called on Nigerians to emulate Ogbedo’s legacy in giving, as well as putting samples on the faces of the people. Describing the origin of recovering sight to the blind, and the visually impared, DAME Okowa said that Ogbedo’s inspiration

may had been taken from Saint Luke 4:17-19 on recovering of sight to the blind from the lesspriviledged. She said that over 40 percent of people in Delta State were blind, adding that lots of children close to 18 percent cannot see well due to cataract or minor ailments treatable, insisting that “if government interest on eye health care, it will reduce gender equality and infant mortality”.

Meanwhile, the Delta State

Esa Sunday Ogbu Takes Over As Kogi CP

BY SAM EGWU, LOKOJA

The drama following the removal of Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Alih Janga on Wednesday following the alleged escape of six suspects from Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) cell in Lokoja, CP Esa Sunday Ogbu has finally take over.

Ogbu resumed office as commissioner of Police Kogi State yesterday at the command headquarters Lokoja, Kogi State.

This followed order by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Idris Ibrahim CP Alih Janga resumed office in Lokoja after CP Wilson Inalegwu was removed,

redeployed over the complicity of June 1 attack on Kogi State Assembly when a member was beaten to stupor.

The coming of the new commissioner of police has brought to six the number of commissioners of police who have passed through Kogi State, police command in the last 24 Months.

government has expressed its willingness to partner with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) , Delta State Command in the training of drivers in the civil service. Mr. Reginald Bavoko, the State Head of Service who confirmed this to journalists in Asaba, said the present administration places high premium on the capacity building of the workforce for optimum performance, adding that training of civil servants, especially drivers on road safety and traffic management would no doubts improve their knowledge and enhance the performance of their job. Bayoko however commended the sector commander, Mr. Random Kumvea for ensuring reduction of road accidents in the recent times on Asaba Onitsha Expressway, assuring that, the State Government will continue to co-operate with road safety workers to enhance its performances of its statutory duties.

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Dapchi Girls

Insurgency: Chasing The Girls Out Of School

The persistent cases of abduction of schoolgirls in the North by the Boko Haram insurgents have raised serious threat to the campaign for girl-child education in Nigeria. CHIKA MEFOR reports.

E

ducation is said to be the backbone of any development in a nation. It empowers people and strengthens the nation.

Girl-child education by its right not only helps in nation building, but it is imperative for sustainable economic growth. Nigeria still has 10.5 million out-of-school children, the world’s highest number. Sixty per cent of those children are in northern Nigeria. In the north, girl child education has often been given a minimal attention. Though girl-child education is under the Millennium Development goal enshrined under the United Nation’s resolution in 1996, and which Nigeria is a signatory to, but many girls are still out school.

According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 40 per cent of Nigerian children aged six to 11 do not attend any primary school with the

Northern region recording the lowest school attendance rate in the country, particularly for girls.

Rachel Hatch, Research Associate at the Education Policy and Data Center, added that in many northern states more than 50 per cent of young women ages 15-24 have no experience with formal education. This was even before the insurgency and the various abductions in schools.

The abduction of an estimated 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram testified to the magnitude of risk that girls and young women bear when they attend school. Though some of the abducted Chibok school girls either returned themselves or were rescued, it sent a signal that the fragile girl-child education in the country especially in the north was at a breaking point.

While about 113 girls were yet to return after four years,

the nation woke up to the news of another abduction of 110 girls in their school in Dapchi, Yobe state. Though the girls were later returned except for Leah Sharibu who was held back because she refused to convert to Islam, the tale they brought back from their sojourn were the same; their captors had asked them never to return to school.

One of the freed Dapchi girls Aisha Kachalla, said during an interview with newsmen that the Boko Haram warned her and the other girls not to pursue their education any further. Aisha who has been reunited with her parents, said she was scared to go back to school because of the Boko Haram warning.

Kachalla Bukar, who is the secretary of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls’ parents’ group, also reechoed Kachala’s words that the sect has urged the parents not to send their children to school.

“When they came, they told us that they were returning the girls not because somebody gave them money, but out of their freewill. We thanked them. Then they told us that we must never return our girls to western school again; we said we will do as they s a i d .

They preached to us for some time, and we said we will heed to their sermons,” he said.

Many fear that the warning by the sect would make many parents to withdraw their children from school. Kenneth Menyi, a psychologist who works at the Psychologist Magazine expressed fear that many children would be scared of going to school, thereby increasing the rate of out of school children.

“Even if the children will want to go, the parents will not allow them. I can tell you that with the trauma, the returned girls went through, before they will want to go to ➔ CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE

22 WEEKEND FEATURE

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Saturday, March 31, 2018

Insurgency: Chasing The Girls Out Of School

Adamu ➔ FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

The existing schools in Maiduguri are overstretched because many students are coming in from other local government areas and even neighboring states

school, it will take time.

That is the reason they need counseling after what they passed through,” he said.

Dr. Manassah Allen, an activist and a native of Chibok where the first schoolgirls abduction was recorded, said that insurgency had no doubt brought about a lower drive for education, particularly, the girl-child education.

According to him, many girls in the Northeast had escaped the insurgency, while others are with child, children for the Boko Haram fighters adding that their lives were negatively affected and that education is far from their minds.

“It affected education of girlchild a great deal. Even before the insurgency, education was at the lowest level. You can see an entire local government without secondary school, only few functional primary schools. Some of the schools don’t have qualified teachers while others don’t have teachers at all.

“The insurgency and abductions have further aggravated the problem. If you come to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps, you will see teenagers, young children just breeding children. You will hear stories that they were in school before but due to the insurgency they are no more. All they could do is to get married.

“That is those that are lucky to escape, while those that are not lucky, are married

Dan-Ali

off to the insurgents. That has affected not just their education but their life negatively and having given birth to children, some of them, will not like to go back to school again. They are just thinking about how to get empowered and cater for their children. The issue of school is far from their mind.

“I have met one girl that had escaped with her mother to Cameroon. The insurgents killed her father.

She came back to look for her grandmother and was abducted. Her mother died in Cameroon. She was married off to a Boko Haram fighter who was later killed. She then escaped but went to her community. There she saw that sects were still living around her community. She had to come back to the IDP camp.

We were able to get something here through the nongovernmental organisation to assist and counsel her. She is already having a baby who is four years old. She is just 21. Without the insurgency, she would have finished her secondary education by now and probably would have been in higher institution. But now she is thinking of how to survive and take care of her baby,” he said.

Allen added that the various aids from various organisations and government was geared toward building accommodation and providing feeding for the numerous displaced persons adding that insurgency has dealt a

serious blow on the access to education especially in the North east.

“On ground, you see massive schools being rebuild in Maiduguri. Majority of them have not been completed for the past six years. The existing schools in Maiduguri are overstretched because many students are coming in from other local government areas and even neighboring states,” he said, adding, “Bama, has not been rebuilt and it is the largest local government after Maiduguri metropolis. We are concentrating on building houses where people will live.

School is not the priority now.”

Allen however stated that the abduction of the girls in his community, Chibok, though a huge blow, has not deterred his people from seeking education.

He said: “In Chibok, most of the schools where built by the missionaries, most of the people are aware of the value of education long before the abduction. Many of the people in Chibok have sent their children away to other places so that they would be able to go to school. Some have gone as far as Lagos. Generally the interest is there, but some of our people with merger income, especially the peasant farmers cannot afford to send their children out.”

Also speaking, Ummi Bukar who is working with a Nongovernmental Organisation, Page Initiative, lamented that insurgency especially in the north has really lowered

access to education as most of the people, especially girls are only thinking of how to survive in their world characterized by insecurity.

“Girl-child education in the northeast is already the poorest because of the insurgency, not just the abduction. In our work we usually come across girls who are out of school either because the insurgents have set their homes ablaze or they are in IDP camps,” Bukar said.

“Some are no longer thinking about school because they have to fend for themselves. The girls are the ones who fend for their families.”

However, the father of the only girl, Leah, who is still in the hands of the Boko Haram, Nata Shabiru said that even with the abduction of his daughter, he will never withdraw his children from school.

Shabiru, who spoke with LEADERSHIP Newspaper over the phone, wondered what would be the fate of children in the country without education adding that to defeat the insurgency, girl-child education must be encouraged.

“No, I will not withdraw any of my children from school.

Even now my daughters are still in school. By God’s grace when she (Leah) comes back, she will still continue with her education. If they say we should not take our children to school, what will be their fate?” he queried.

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FEATURE 23

Nigeria’s Looted Iconic Artifacts Resident Abroad

Nigeria is blessed with great artists who have produced great works that should be adorning the nation’s galleries and museums, unfortunately, these works which are part of the nation’s history and artistry have been denied Nigerians as they were looted and taken abroad. CHINELO CHIKELU reports.

W

The British Museum held a major exhibition entitled Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures of West Africa which displayed works of art found in and around Ife

ithin the past 10 decades, there has been an increased global interest in contemporary African Art. Nigerian artists such as Yusuf Grillo, and Ben Enwonwu are fast becoming household names globally for collectors and galleries.

Today, thousands of Nigerian Artifacts from across the country are scattered in museums and institutions, in Europe and America.

In his piece Nigeria Celebrates Return of Lost Treasures: The Lost Nigerian Treasures Are Not Yet Back, Dr. Kwame Opoku listed three museums as possessing the largest number of looted Nigerian artifacts; the Ethnology Museum, Berlin which has 508 Benin artifacts, World Museum, Vienna which has 167 Benin artifacts, and the British Museum which is believed to be holding the largest number of looted traditional and iconic African art.

LEADERSHIP Weekend reviews a few of these iconic artworks still resident abroad, what has been done so far to retrieve them with incised striations, but the and the way forward for their full lips are unmarked. The headdress repatriation to Nigeria. composed of different layers of tube shaped beads and tassels, typical of The Igbo-Ukwu Bronze bronze heads from Ife. The lifelike Believed to be dated as far as rendering of the sculptures from the 9th Century, the Igbo-Ukwu medieval Ife is exceptional in subbronze was first discovered in 1939 Saharan African Art. From March in the present southeastern part to July, 2014, the British Museum of the country, by a local villager, held a major exhibition entitled Isaiah Anozie, while digging beside Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures of West his home. Other art pieces were Africa which displayed works of art excavated in 1959 by archaeologist found in and around Ife. Thurstan Shaw at the request of the Nigerian government. Igbo Ukwu Benin Art artifacts include, a small staff, a During the 1897 punitive head of a ram, a large manila, an expedition by the British military intricately designed crescent- of the 16th century Benin Empire, shaped vessel and a small pendant prior to the exiling of the Oba to in the shape of a tribal chief’s head Calabar, they looted the empire with tattoo marks on the face. These confiscating about 3,000 art pieces are resident in the British Museum, of its royal art treasury. Some they UK. Radio-carbon dating placed gave to individual officers but the sites around the 9th and 10th auctioned off most of it in London century or earlier, which makes to recover the cost of the expedition. the Igbo Ukwu culture the earliest Looted Benin treasures can be known example of bronze casting found in Ethnology Museum, Berlin, in the region. The craftsmen were Germany; World Museum, Vienna, working centuries before those Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, who made the more well-known Metropolitan Museum, New York.

Ife bronzes.

Some of the iconic Benin Artifacts looted are: Ile Ife Art The Benin Ivory Mask, a Made up of the ancient and miniature sculptural portrait naturalistic bronze, stone, ivory of the Queen Mother of the terracotta sculptures as well as glass 16th century of Benin Empire. beads, whose artistry peaked in the Presently it is located at the British 1200s to 1400 AD. Museum; the Benin pendant mask now known as the FESTAC Mask; a The Ife Head similar image of Queen Idia is also The Bronze Head: is one of the 18 found in the Metropolitan Museum copper alloy sculptures unearthed of Art, New York, put larger than the in 1938 at Ife, now Osun State, ivory pendant. In July 2017, the Nigeria, the religious and former bust of Queen Idia, in Ethnology royal center of the Yoruba people. Museum, Berlin, was projected for The head presently located at the transfer to the Humboldt Forum, British Museum is that of a ruler Berlin, Germany.

Ooni, made under the patronage The Ibis Bird: the bird was just of King Obalufon II. The head is one of the 3, 000 bronze artifacts made using the lost wax technique removed by the British Military and is approximately three quarters from the Oba’s palace in Benin, in life-size, measuring 35cm high. 1897.

The head is designed to appear Head of Oba of Benin: According naturalistic; the face covered to Dr. Opoku, as of February

24, 2018 the Head of Oba, a commemorative head and nine other Benin bronze relief panels were last seen in part of Nazilooted art, up for auction, ZemanekMünster, Wurzburg, Germany.

The Benin objects were part of the Rudolf Mosse art collection that the Nazis confiscated and compulsorily auctioned in 1934. After several changes in ownership, these Benin objects became part of the estate of Gerda Bassenge (1915-1995) who acquired them in 1966 and are still part of the Bassenge property.

Of this particular artifact, a German Felix von Luschan, Die Altertumer von said in 1919: “These Benin works stand among the highest heights of European casting. Benvenuto Cell could not have made a better cast himself, nor anyone before or after him, even to the present day. These bronzes reach the very heights of what is technically possible.”

Okukor: A Bronze cockerel also stolen from the Benin Royal palace in Nigeria. The Cockerel was bequeathed to Jesus College in 1930 by an army captain, George William Neville, whose son attended the college. In 2016, the College’s Student Union approved a motion supporting the repatriation of the cockerel. The debate was opened by Ghanaian student Amatey Doku, who said Okukor was stolen on a punitive expedition in reprisal for the killing of British traders in which the Kingdom of Benin was destroyed and 3, 000 pieces of art were stolen.

Pair of Leopard Figures: In the collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in London, UK, the commanders of the British Punitive Expedition force to Benin in 1897 sent a pair of the leopards to the British Queen soon after the looting and burning of Benin City.

Repatriation Efforts Since before the creation of

National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), of which the organ’s first director general and Nigerian Art historian and writer, Ekpo Eyo, Nigeria has pursued the repatriation of the looted artifacts via international policies and instruments like United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and International Council of Museum (ICOM).

However, the resulting resolution modified to read like a general appeal for restitution and circulated

by Nigeria to embassies and high commissions of countries known to have large stock of Benin Artifacts received no response.

Dr. Opoku who finds suspect NCMM’s 2017 exhibition tagged, “The Return of the Lost Treasures: An Exhibition of Repatriated Artifacts, said, “none of the Nigerian iconic and famous artifacts mentioned above, was among the pieces displayed in Nigeria.”

According to him, “Most of the artifacts displayed at the exhibition appear inferior in quality to the Nigerian artifacts that are at present in western museums in Boston, Berlin, Paris and London.

They do not appear in authoritative works as those written by the great Ekpo Eyo. The artifacts were seized at a Nigerian border, the Owode Border.”

Besides individual efforts, as in 2014 by retired British medical consultant, Mark Walker who decided to give back to the Oba of Benin, two bronze sculptures taken from his grandfather, the Nigerian government hasn’t taken much decisive step to retrieve the stolen artifacts.

Some are of the opinion that in the past 57 years quiet diplomacy to persuade countries to repatriate the stolen artifacts has met no success.

Nigeria must intensify pressure on the countries to repatriate the stolen artifacts.

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NEWS

High Cargo Dwell Time At Seaports Affecting Businesses – NACCIMA

BY YUSUF BABALOLA, Lagos

The National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has appealed to the federal government to improve the state of infrastructure at the nation’s seaports.

President of NACCIMA, Mrs. Alaba Lawson Who made the appeal on` behalf of importers, said the long delay is negatively affecting business in the country.

Speaking at a summit organised

by Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) in Lagos, Mrs. Lawson said the port has a low level of modern functional technology.

Lawson who was represented by Mrs. Flora Takim Ndifor said, “The

lingering delay clearing a container at Nigerian ports still persist despite various interventions by the government. The facilities we have at our ports are far cry from what is accessible at other African ports such as Ghana and Benin Republic.”

NACCIMA, the apex business association however urged the federal government to improve the overall efficiency of the ports and reduce the cost of doing business.

“Our association urges government and other relevant port agencies to put in place more effective strategies to improve the overall efficiency of the Port and reduce the cost of doing business at the ports which will enhance the ease of doing business in the country and make the Nigerian

Ports the hub for international freight and trade in West Africa” said Lawson.

Also speaking, a former president, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Eugene Nweke confirmed that it takes 20 days to clear cargoes off the nation’s seaports.

His words: “The dwell time of cargoes when it has been discharged from the port and when it will go out takes about 20 days on the average and to them, that is a very bad business. If international best practices is adhered to, it is expected that shipping lines will do advance manifest transmission to Customs and when they do that they have no issue of rotation numbers issued by customs.”

L-R: Secretary general, Association of Corporate Affairs Managers of Banks (ACAMB), Rasheed Bolarinwa, guest speaker, Professor Bankole Shodipo, vice-president, ACAMB, Mrs. Ugochukwu Okezie-Ekaidem and President, ACAMB, Charles Aigbe at the Q1 ACAMB sponsored seminar on Copyright Issues in Nigeria which held in Lagos,recently.

Delta Introduces Lagos-New York Nonstop Flight Operations

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR, Lagos

Delta Air Lines has launched a new nonstop service from Lagos to New York-JFK with a lot of incentives for passengers flying that route. The New YorkJFK route unveiled yesterday complements the airline’s existing flight to Atlanta, providing a daily departure and more travel choice to the U.S. than ever before.

The New York-JFK flight, which began March 25, 2018, will operate three times weekly, with Delta’s existing services to Atlanta departing on the other four days. Customers flying to Delta’s New York-JFK hub will benefit from more than XX connections across the U.S. to destinations including: Washington D.C., Baltimore and Chicago.

“With the U.S. the largest foreign investor in Nigeria, this new route underscores our commitment to the market by facilitating trade and commerce

between our nations,” said Corneel Koster, Delta’s senior vice president – Europe, Middle East, Africa and India. “We’re proud of Delta’s 10-year history in Nigeria and that we are the only airline to offer daily nonstop flights, bringing benefits to Nigerian business travellers while also providing more opportunities to reunite with families and friends across the United States.”

Delta’s New York-JFK and Atlanta flights from Lagos are operated using 234-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Offering an elevated onboard experience in every cabin, Delta’s services from Lagos feature: Fully flat-bed seats in Delta One that extend to 6’4” in length and offer greater privacy through their angled configuration.

Regionally-inspired menus created using locally-sourced ingredients and served with a wide selection of fruit juices and complimentary spirits, beers and wines – including prosecco – in Main Cabin.

CPC Is Not Usurping Functions Of NCAA – Irukera The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has stated categorically that it is not usurping the functions of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) with its protection of air travellers in the country.

So far, the Nigerian aviation industry was among the three sectors that received the highest complaints from the public in the preceding year in the council.

Mr. Babatunde Irukera, the director-general of CPC, stated this recently in Lagos in an interaction with aviation journalists.

According to Irukera, there is no confusion in the laws setting up the two organisations; NCAA and CPC, insisting that his agency was not overlapping on the activities of the aviation industry regulatory body, rather ensuring that the rights of consumers were always protected.

He explained that the statutory role of CPC was to protect the consumers in all sectors of the economy, including the aviation industry and wondered why some players in the sector expressed worry in its attempts to protect the flying public especially when their rights were trampled

upon by the airlines and other organsiations in the sector.

He specifically hinted that CPC was not violating any aspect of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) recommended practices with its intervention when the rights of the flying public, stressing that it would continue to play its vital roles as entrenched in the Act establishing it.

Irukera insisted that the council had been working with NCAA in its bid to protect the flying public over the years and mentioned the abandonment of Nigerian students by Turkish Airlines in United States in 2017, as among the areas both agencies collaborated to protect the country’s citizens from international carriers among many others.

He said, “Overlapping regulation is not confusion, error or legislative blunder, but deliberate design and it always underscores the importance of what is being regulated. The constitutional responsibility of government is to protect the citizens, including exploitation of citizens by organisations and even the government.

Savannah Petroleum Loses $27.4m Post Seven Energy Transaction

BY CHIKA IZUORA, Lagos

Savannah Petroleum Plc, at the weekend said for 2017, the pretax loss recorded by oil firm widened to $27.4 million from $8.3 million the previous year, as operating expenses increased to $27.1 million from $8.4 million in 2016.

This was due to exceptional costs associated with its Seven Energy International Ltd transaction. The increase in overall general and administrative expenses during the year was as a result of exceptional business development costs of

$18.5 million in relation to the Seven Energy transaction, the company said.

Savannah CEO Andrew Knott said “the acquisition of assets from Seven Energy creates a full cycle exploration and production company, capable of paying a dividend from the cash flows generated by its upstream assets.

The deal also enables us to enhance our operational capabilities and provide the business with a strong platform to deliver further value accretive organic and inorganic growth in the future.”

During the year, Savannah placed $125 million to fund, inter alia, the expected acquisition of certain assets from Seven Energy. As a result of the transaction, Savannah is expected to hold working interests in two large, producing onshore oil and gas fields in Nigeria as well as a 20 per cent interest in the Accugas midstream business.

Over the course of the year, exploration and evaluation assets grew to $112.0 million at year end-2017 from $97.0 million at the end of 2016. Much of this increase related to the successful

completion of the R3 East 3D seismic survey.

The oil group also incurred expenditure associated with the signature of its rig contract with Great Wall Drilling Company Niger SARL, and procurement of the necessary long-lead tangible equipment in anticipation of its planned drilling program. A logistics base and pipe yard was constructed on Agadem for use in the campaign, with most of the drilling equipment mobilised on site.

Furthermore, the firm recorded

$15.0 million year-end cash position which excludes proceeds from the second tranche of the placing, down from $23.0 million in 2016. No dividend was recommended for 2017, in line with the previous year, although the group announced its intention to commence payment of an annual dividend assuming the successful completion of the Seven Energy transaction. This is initially expected to be $12.5 million, assuming appropriate business performance during 2018, and payable in 2019.

Saturday

March 31, 2018 EDITION: 252

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DISC VERY Breakthroughs That Could Revolutionize Medicine

WOMEN’S

HEALTH

Overnight Beauty Tricks For Waking Up Healthy, Happy

Why You Should Quit Smoking

KIDS HEALTH

How To Recognize Malnutrition

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March 31, 2018

Orange As Medicine R’S EDITO

NOTE

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) And Your Belief

In-vitro fertilization is a controversial issue and it is a matter of conviction from whatever Faith you believe in.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is the process of fertilising eggs with sperm outside of the human body. Once the eggs are fertilised, the resulting embryos are placed in the woman’s uterus in the hope that a successful pregnancy will follow.

With the view that the society views childlessness as a scorn, most couples in Nigeria searching for baby will do anything to get one, from hospital to regular spiritual houses’ visit.

The good news is that IVF is one of the most common assisted reproduction technique used among couples struggling with infertility.

Factors to consider with IVF include age as any woman who is still ovulating may try IVF, although success rates decline as a woman ages. Women under age 35 have the greatest chance of success with this technique.

Generally, women who use IVF to establish a live birth, about 63 per cent are single babies, 32 per cent are twins, and 5 per cent are triplets or more.

According to statistics, Nigerian Yoruba women have one of the highest incidence rates of having twins in the world, every 45 of every 1,000 births? Because of this, however, Yoruba women are also at higher risk of developing polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or Ovarian Hyper-stimulation Syndrome (OHSS).

However, couples who have been unable to conceive naturally for over one year should seek advice from a fertility specialist to assess and determine the possible causes. The cause of infertility can relate to factors in both men and women. The most common cause of infertility in women (accounting for 40 per cent of cases) relates to the ovarian cycle, where women may not be releasing enough or viable eggs; or physical abnormalities such as blockages in the fallopian tubes, uterine abnormalities, endometriosis (growth of uterine wall tissue outside the uterus), or PCOS. Goodluck!

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he orange is both a literal and symbolic embodiment of the sun, from whose light it is formed.

As a whole food it irradiates us with a spectrum of healing properties, the most prominent of which some call “vitamin C activity,” Science now confirms the orange has a broad range of medicinal properties, which is why the ancients knew it both as a food and a medicine.

Orange is one such foodmedicine marvel, containing a broad range of compounds increasingly being recognized to be essential for human health and a natural remedy for toothache, dysentery, fever, headache and its antiscorbutic, antimicrobial and anthelmintic this antimicrobial agent can be found in many compounds,

flow freely without the aid of fertilizer.

The fruits twigs, stem and bark of this plant are useful as medicine for the treatment of some deadly disease. A single orange can meet more than 100 percent of your daily requirement of Vitamin C. This vital nutrient helps improve your immunity, keeping you free from diseases and infections.

Also, as we grow older, our skin along with other body parts suffers from free radical damage. Even though it is inevitable, oranges are packed with antioxidants and Vitamin C which slows down the process and makes you look younger than your age.

Along with our skin, our eyes too suffer from damage as we grow older. Oranges are rich in nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin C and potassium

which are great for your eyes.

One of the reasons why people get heart disease is because their arteries are blocked due to unhealthy lifestyles and consumption of junk food. Oranges have flavonoids like hesperidin which reduces cholesterol and prevents your arteries from getting blocked. This, in turn protects you from heart attack and various other cardiovascular diseases.

Research has shown that a compound called D – limonene present in oranges can prevent various types of cancer like lung cancer, breast cancer and skin cancer. Additionally, the antioxidants and Vitamin C help promote the body’s immunity which helps in fighting cancer cells. Here are some food habits to keep cancer at bay.

E-mail: miminaija@yahoo.com 08029606414 (text only)

EDITOR: Raliat Ahmed-Yusuf CONTENT: Tunde Oguntola DESIGN/LAYOUT: Xtanlee Uche Echidi

EDITOR: Kayode Falade

CHAIRMAN: Sam Nda-Isaiah GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR: Abdul Gombe

I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you... Joyce Meyer

March 31, 2018

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Why You Should Quit Smoking

BY TUNDE OGUNTOLA

Smoking is bad for your health, you will feel the benefits from the day you quit. Stopping smoking increases your chances of living a longer and healthier life. Not only will you to start to save money but you will experience a reduced risk of dying young.

Quitting smoking helps to live longer Your life expectancy will be greater, and you’ll notice an improvement in the symptoms of smoking related diseases.

Half of all long-term smokers die early from smokingrelated diseases, including heart disease, lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. Men who quit smoking by 30 add 10 years to their life. People who kick the habit at 60 add

three years to their life. In other words, it’s never too late to benefit from stopping.

Quitting not only adds years to your life, but it also greatly improves the chance of a disease-free, mobile, happier old age.

Stop smoking for more energy Within two to 12 weeks of stopping smoking, your circulation improves. This makes all physical activity, including walking and running, much easier.

Quitting smoking improves smell and taste Kicking the smoking habit gives your senses of smell and taste a boost. The body is recovering from being dulled by the hundreds of toxic chemicals found in cigarettes.

Stopping smoking improves

fertility Non-smokers find it easier to get pregnant. Quitting smoking improves the lining of the womb and can make men’s sperm more potent.

Becoming a non-smoker increases the possibility of conceiving through IVF and reduces the likelihood of having a miscarriage. Most importantly, it improves the chances of giving birth to a healthy baby.

Immune Boost Quitting also boosts your immune system, making it easier to fight off colds and flu.

The increase in oxygen in the body makes ex-smokers less tired and less likely to have headaches.

Stop smoking for younger looking skin Stopping smoking has been

found to slow facial ageing and delay the appearance of wrinkles. The skin of a nonsmoker gets more nutrients, including oxygen, and can reverse the sallow, lined complexion that smokers often have.

Quitting leads to better sex Stopping smoking improves the body’s bloodflow, so improves sensitivity. Men who stop smoking may get better erections. Women may find that their orgasms improve and they become aroused more easily. It’s also been found that non-smokers are three times more appealing to prospective partners than smokers (one of the advantages, perhaps, of smelling fresh).

Ex-smokers have whiter teeth Giving up tobacco stops

teeth becoming stained, and you’ll have fresher breath.

Ex-smokers are less likely than smokers to get gum disease and lose their teeth prematurely.

Stopping smoking lets you breathe easier People breathe more easily and cough less when they give up smoking because their lung capacity improves by up to 10 per cent within nine months.

In your 20s and 30s, the effect of smoking on your lung capacity may not be noticeable until you go for a run, but lung capacity naturally diminishes with age. In later years, having maximum lung capacity can mean the difference between having an active, healthy old age and wheezing when going for a walk or climbing the stairs.

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March 24, 2018

,

Strange But True!

Doctors Find Teeth In Baby’s Brain Tumor A 4-month-old infant started to grow teeth in the most unusual and unexpected place — his brain tumor. The boy, who underwent brain surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center, was diagnosed with craniopharyngioma.

This brain tumor most commonly occurs in children but can also be found in men and women.

The benign tumor develops near the pituitary gland, which is a small endocrine gland at the base of the

What You Need To Know About Alcohol

T

hroughout the 10,000 or so years that humans have been drinking fermented beverages, they’ve also been arguing about their merits and demerits. Hence, it is becoming more complicated to answer question on the flipside of alcohol intake, especially in the wake of several recent studies linking even a little drinking of alcohol to a higher risk of cancers.

Drinking small amounts, especially of red wine, is linked to various health benefits. On the other hand, alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction are linked to severe negative effects on both physical and mental health. If you enjoy alcohol and you can keep it moderate, then by all means continue to do what you are doing.

A recent study found that women who had as little as one drink a day boosted their risk of cancer of the breast, liver, rectum, throat, mouth, and esophagus. Meanwhile, numerous studies dating back decades show that alcohol and heart health have a positive relationship.

So what’s a health-conscious person to do? WebMD asked experts in cardiology, oncology, epidemiology, and internal medicine who are familiar with the latest research to clarify the risks and benefits of alcohol intake.

Although classified as a depressant, the amount of alcohol consumed determines the type of effect. Most people drink for the stimulant effect, such as a beer or glass of wine taken to “loosen up.” But if a person consumes more than the body can handle, they then experience alcohol’s depressant effect.

While the experts disagree on some answers, they do agree that no one who has or had a problem with alcohol dependency should drink, nor should any woman who is pregnant.

If you regularly drink above the lower-risk guidelines, cutting back on alcohol can help your general well-being. Once you start cutting back, you’ll probably notice the benefits quite quickly: • Feeling better in the mornings

• Having more energy and feeling less tired during the day • Your skin may start to look better On top of this, too much booze can really pile on the pounds.

If you drink 10 pints a week, you could be taking on more than 120,000 calories a year.

And there are more calories in a single measure of spirits than in the same volume of single cream. So if you cut back you’ll start to feel in better shape.

On top of this, because regular drinking can affect your immune system, heavy drinkers can have more problems with infectious diseases. So if you cut down, your system will be able to fight off bugs more easily which can contribute to better general health.

What may seem like just a drink or two most evenings can do a lot of harm to your body, inside and out.

You might notice that you’re building up a bit of a spare tyre, if you drink alcohol regularly.

That’s because there can be a lot of calories in alcohol. Or perhaps your mood can be a bit low in the mornings. Maybe your skin’s not as clear as it was.

Medical Terms And Meanings Heterochromia iridis A difference in colour between the iris of one eye and the iris of the other eye. A person with one brown eye and one blue eye has heterochromia iridis.

Immunotoxin: A hybrid molecule created by coupling an antibody or antigen with part or all of a toxin. The hybrid molecule combines the specificity of the antibody or antigen with the toxicity of the toxin. The possible targets of immunotoxins include cancer cells and cells containing HIV.

IBS (irritable bowel syndrome): A common gastrointestinal disorder involving an abnormal condition of gut contractions (motility) and gut sensation (hypersensitivity) characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, mucous in stools, and irregular bowel habits with constipation or diarrhea or alternating diarrhea and constipation, symptoms that tend to be chronic and to wax and wane over the years. Although irritable bowel syndrome can cause chronic recurrent discomfort, it does not lead to any serious abdominal organ problems.

brain.

Upon removing the tumor, Drs. Narlin Beaty and Edward Ahn, physicians at University of Maryland Medical Center and Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, found multiple teeth forming inside the brain, according to the case report published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Despite its unusual occurrence, this isn’t the first time teeth have been found in a human brain. They’ve appeared in teratoma tumors. The boy’s teeth were sent to a lab for further examination.

Your Sexual Health Question Answered I have an STD. Did my partner cheat on me?

Not necessarily.Many STDs can stay hidden with no symptoms for years. So, while your partner may have given it to you, he or she may have had it before they were with you. The most important thing is for both of you to get tested and treated at the same time so you don’t reinfect each other.

How can I avoid getting an STD? There are many things you can do to reduce your chances of getting an STD. Be faithful. Have sex with only one other person whom you trust. Having sexual contact only with someone who is not infected means that you won’t get an STD from them and they won’t get one from you.

Use condoms. Used correctly every time you have sex, latex or polyurethane condoms can be very good protection against many STDs. Have fewer partners.

The more people you have sex with, the greater your chances of getting an STD. Go with new partners to get tested.

Don’t mix drugs and alcohol with sex. Getting drunk or high can affect your ability to make smart decisions about sex.

JOKE High Fever Joke My four year old daughter had a terrible case of the flu, she was achy, had a high fever, and was terribly hoarse. After waiting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office for over an

Don’t use IV street drugs and never share needles.

Many STDs are transmitted through blood.

Don’t have sex. Abstinence is the surest way to avoid getting an STD. Can I get an STD from oral sex?

Yes. A common misconception is that you cannot get an STD from giving or receiving oral sex.

This is not true. Gonorrhea and herpes are commonly transmitted through oral sex.

Can I get an STD if I’m a virgin?

It really depends on how you define being a virgin. As mentioned before, STDs can be transmitted through oral and anal sex, but many people believe that if they haven’t had vaginal intercourse they are still a virgin. Some STDs can be transmitted through intimate skin-to-skin contact even when there isn’t any penetration.

Are condoms effective against all STDs? Not 100%, but if used correctly every time, condoms are a great way to protect yourself from STDs that are spread through body fluids, like semen or vaginal secretions.

They don’t protect as well against STDs that are spread through skinto-skin contact. hour we were finally admitted to see the Doctor.

After the usual routine of listening to her breathing and checking her ears, the Doctor looked my daughter in the eye and said, “so what would you say is bothering you the most?”

Without skipping a beat my daughter promptly answered, “Billy, he always breaks my toys!”

MARCH 31, 2018

Kapil Dev: Cricket Legend Who Turned To Golf Few countries around the world embrace a sport like India embraces cricket. Kapil Dev who is good at it is also a good golfer and represents his country in both sports.

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Saturday, March 31, 2018

STARTINGBLOCKS Africa, the world's largest collective diamond producer accounts for half of the global diamond production.

AFRICANFACTS

THE PACESETTING PAGES Mali and Niger are the largest Rock music markets in Africa.

TALENTED DESIGNER WILLIAMS CHECHET

PROUDLY NIGERIA ALEX OKOSI

Media trailblazer He is passionate and enterprising. Alex Okosi sits at the helm of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), as the senior vice president and managing director.

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he youngest of seven children, Okosi left home at age 12 to pursue his education in the US. He attended various schools in Florida, Nebraska, Missouri, and New York before proceeding to Philips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. He later got the opportunity to attend university with a basketball scholarship, and received strong grades.

Okosi is a graduate of St Michael’s College, Vermont, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1998, with a double major in business administration and economics. Through exposure to various internships, he succeeded in securing a job at MTV networks Africa, and worked his way to the top. In 2005 he was responsible for launching the music channel MTV Africa on the continent, and today heads Viacom’s Africa subsidiary.

A man of many parts, the global corporate executive is responsible for building and driving the growth of a multimedia portfolio of VIMN brands in Africa, encompassing MTV, VH1 Classic, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and BET. At a very young age, Okosi found his passion- to showcase the realities of the rich African culture and heritage to the world, having been exposed to many of the misconceptions surrounding the continent as a teenager in the US. As soon as he got into MTV, he recognized his opportunity and

STRICTLY FOR JJCs Quacks don’t have the right papers

immediately took advantage of it.

In 2004 Okosi got the long a w a i t e d approval to launch out in Africa.

It was indeed a

dream come t r u e .

W i t h o p t i m i s m and clarity of purpose, the icon went all in and within two and half years of launching the media conglomerate in Africa, they broke even.

He has remained a mighty force behind VIMN’s rapid expansion of its brand across Africa distributed on multiple platforms including cable and satellite, internet, mobile and radio; “since we launched, we have been the fastest growing within Viacom in terms of revenue growth,” He tells Forbes Magazine.

VIMN Africa is currently distributed via a combination of pay-T V / Direct-To-Home (DTH), Internet Protocol Television (IPT V) and Digital Terrestrial

Television (DT T) affiliates and can be seen on a variety of distribution platforms in 50 African countries including pan Africa on Dstv, Kenya on Zuku, Angola, Mozambique on Zap, Cape Verde on CV Multimedia, Burundi, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda on StarTimes, Nigeria on Silverbird T V and AIT, Uganda on WBS, and Ghana on GHOne. VINM’s key objective is to reach a wide range of Africans; youths especially, mostly between the ages of 1624. The business m o d e l makes profit in 3 primary ways; distribution model paid from their distribution partners (Dstv etc), advertising a n d partnerships and sponsorships.

Based on his experience, Okosi insists that a sure way to ride unto success is through determination, passion and recognizing opportunities. At every opportunity, he shares his most valued business experiencethe encounter with Viacom’s global CEO that changed his life forever It was this encounter that translated his dream to reality and transformed his life. And so he advises other young people to always be keen and ready to take advantage of opportunities as they are presented.

Ways to identify a quack doctor

So you visit the doctor and he says “you have less than 5 months to live. There is nothing any doctor If you visit a doctor and you just anywhere can do to help you. don’t feel ‘right’ about the medic, Please close my door gently as you do yourself some good and ask to leave.” A doctor ought to show see his credentials. Real doctors in Quacks claim to have a ‘cure it some level of compassion not Nigeria graduate from universities all’ minding his level of stress. or medical schools. A degree is A good doctor will never try to Quacks won’t cooperate with needed to obtain the medical sell you medicine or treatment. you in your own healing license.

Rather, he would take time to consider which treatment or Real health practitioners will Quacks prescribe medicine medicine is right for you. cooperate with you in your own without tests Quacks have poor communication treatment. They will consider your Doctors require scientific methods skills feelings and your ideas; they will to be able to diagnose ailments and prescribe treatment. If you feel your doctor gives the impression of lacking adequate knowledge, don’t hesitate to change such.

An illustrator, talented designer, and muralist with a string of globally acclaimed contemporary art pieces to his name; he is the individual behind the gorgeous graffiti in Hard Rock cafe, the best of MTV Base’s murals and most of M.I Abaga’s astonishing album covers.

Chechet grew up drawing and painting but didn’t think he’d pursue art as a profession. During his secondary school and university days he got more involved.

He decided to focus on art when he gave up his degree in Building Engineering in his third year to study Industrial Design at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and his Northern heritage is very evident in his recent works.

Before his formal training, Chechet was self-taught for a while, discovering his style by studying the great artists and researching their abilities that set them apart from their peers while telling their stories or expressing themselves through art.

Chechet’s art is a lot of postpop art mixed with Afro-futurism and this was influenced by the cultural influences he imbibed while growing up in Nigeria.

He strongly believes that art has the power to heal, inspire, and bring people together. He wants to give back to the community by inspiring younger designers to master and pursue their passions in art.

Chechet perceives our culture and heritage as rich and worthy to be shared with the world. He has chosen to tell these stories by fusing western pop art and traditional African elements.

According to him, “art is a form of expression and communication.

It is the creative way I express my deepest emotions, passions, feelings, and thoughts. Art gives me the freedom to use my wildest imaginations while giving me the courage to conquer my fears. To me, everything around our physical space is art but we just don’t realize it.”

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Saturday, March 31, 2018

THE BIG STORY

BIGGEST FINANCIAL FRAUDS IN HISTORY The world’s most notorious swindlers have much in common: many came from poor backgrounds and many were ingenious, as well as ruthless in their exploitation of victims. Here are some of the most infamous scammers of all time, along with the stories behind their schemes.

Charles Ponzi - The Ponzi scheme An Italian immigrant living in Boston in the early twentieth century, he was said by his worshipful followers to have “discovered money.” In fact, what he really discovered was a way to milk the public out of millions of dollars by means of a financial pyramid scheme.

A Ponzi, or pyramid, scheme involves luring in investors with promises of high returns. The con artist invents a story to explain how the high returns are generated, but in reality he simply pays the first investors with money obtained from later investors. It’s a take-from-Peterto-pay-Paul system. As long as the scam artist manages to recruit larger and larger numbers of new investors the system works, but as soon as the flow of new money stops, it collapses.

Ponzi schemes always collapse, sooner or later.

Ponzi’s bait to lure in investors was the idea that postal coupons purchased in Europe could be redeemed in America for six

times their value, because of the difference in currency values. He established a company in late 1919 to take advantage of this

discovery and invited people to invest with him, promising them that his scheme was so lucrative that they would double their

money in ninety days.

At first people were skeptical, but when he actually began paying out returns to the early investors, a Ponzi-mania set in.

Thousands of people lined up to give him cash. It’s said that he had over 40,000 investors, allowing him to rake in somewhere in the region of 15 million dollars by mid-1920.

The inevitable crash came in 1920 when newspapers and banks started to investigate him. Rumors of his criminal past emerged.

Investors panicked and began withdrawing their money from his company. This caused the entire scheme to come crashing down like a house of cards.

Oddly enough, Ponzi didn’t simply take the money and run.

If he had been smarter, he would have. Instead he waited around until the police arrived and ended up being sentenced to five years in jail, of which he served three-anda-half years.

Ponzi spent the rest of his life drifting in and out of trouble with the law.

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Saturday, March 31, 2018

BIGGEST FINANCIAL FRAUDS IN HISTORY

Kazutsugi Nami L&G bedding bankruptcy Founded in 2000, Japanese bedding linen company Ladies & Gentlemen (L & G) governed by Kazutsugi Nami had operated for seven years, but during that time managed to attract 128.5 billion yen by promising income of 36 percent.

An estimated 37,000 people were believed to have been defrauded of more than 1.4 billion dollars in the early 2000s.

Nami promised investors annual returns of more than 30pc. He also invented his own digital currency called ‘Enten’.

Questions were quickly followed by lawsuits when he started paying dividends to investors in the form of Enten.

L & G also launched its own e-currency, called Enten, which investors received in return for their invested funds.

The investigation against the top management of L & G started in 2007 when the company stopped payments on deposits and refused to return the money. In fact, there was no money on its accounts: only 300 million yen (about 3 million dollars) was found during the investigation.

The investigation lasted for three years, and in the spring of 2010, the 76-yearold Kazutsugi Nami was sentenced to nearly 18 years in prison. This might bring moral satisfaction to deceived investors, but did not compensate for their financial losses.

When he was arrested, he was asked if he was sorry.

He said: “Why do I have to apologise?

I’m the poorest victim. Nobody lost more than I did. You should be aware that high returns come with a high risk.”

Frank Abagnale ‘Catch Me If You Can’ imposter His story has been told many times.

His biography explored his life as a self-taught imposter and master forger of cheques.

Abagnale started dabbling in fraud as a teenage runaway in 1960s New York.

At 16, he changed the date on his driver’s licence to make himself older and then started altering cheques and cashing them.

He began posing as pilots and doctors among other aliases as he discovered uniforms worked in his favour.

By the time he was old enough to drink, he had cashed approximately 2.5 million dollars in fake cheques through his various guises.

According to him, “what landed me in jail was my other habit, which was my enthusiasm for passing bad cheques. The main reason I adopted those guises was to give

me credibility when I cashed hot cheques — and to satisfy my great taste for women. Through my various hustles, I passed something like 2.5 million dollars’ worth of cheques, a blizzard of paper that I scattered in earnest throughout all 50 states and 26 countries, all before I was legally allowed to drink. I was proficient enough at cashing fraudulent cheques that I earned the distinction of becoming one of the most hunted criminals by the F.B.I.” At 21, he had settled in France and was arrested. He spent five years in French, Swedish and American prisons.

He was released on the condition that he would help the US government understand his fraudulent methods. He has been working for the FBI for over 35 years.

OTHER FINANCIAL FRAUDS IN HISTORY Charles Keating He was a World War Two pilot, a champion swimmer and a devout church-goer. He was also a successful property investor. But he scammed 23,000 investors out of 250 million dollars.

In 1984, Keating bought Lincoln Savings and Loans, a small and conservative mortgage lender based in California.

Industry regulations had been relaxed in the early 1980s and businesses were able to take more risks with depositor’s cash.

Keating exploited this and invested savers’ cash in high

risk ventures, without telling depositors their cash was at risk.

Keating lived the life of a corporate executive, travelling by private jet and throwing ostentatious parties.

The business failed in 1989.

Thousands of elderly investors were left with worthless bonds.

Keating was convicted of fraud and served four-and-half years in prison. He died in 2014 aged 90.

Artur Virgilio Alves Reis The Portuguese fraudster was responsible for the worst case of counterfeiting known by any government to date.

His large-scale scam, known as

the Portuguese Bank Note Crisis, was so significant many believe it contributed to the collapse of the Portuguese Republic in 1926.

Reis was serving time in prison for forging cheques and arms dealing when he dreamed up the scheme.

Posing as a Bank of Portugal representative and armed with a forged contract, he convinced a London-based company to print him his own banknotes.

He claimed it was part of a secret project to financially aid Angola, then a struggling Portugese colony. The printers obliged and

Reis injected the equivalent of £1,007,963 in fake notes into the Portugese economy.

He opened his own bank to launder the funds. It all crumbled in 1925 when 28-yearold Reis was arrested. He tried to forge documents to suggest the Bank of Portugal was involved in the scam. He was released in 1935 and died in poverty in 1945.

Portugal was unstable before the Bank Note Crisis but many believe it worsened the situation by stoking inflation, weakening the currency and destroying confidence in the government.

Saturday, March 31, 2018

BIGGEST FINANCIAL FRAUDS IN HISTORY

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Bernard Madoff former stockbroker turned fraudster Bernard Madoff came from humble beginnings. He started up his own investment company in 1960 with 5,000 dollars he earned from his jobs as a lifeguard and sprinkler installer, and a further 50,000 dollars from his in-laws.

Almost 50 years later in 2009, Madoff had swindled investors out of 65 billion pounds and pleaded guilty to one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history.

Madoff didn’t overstretch himself by offering unsustainably high returns to everyone.

Instead, he worked with a small, elite circle and promised to match the returns of the S&P 500, an index of the largest American companies.

Madoff kept it up for years. But in the financial crisis of 2008 the market was deteriorating and clients were keen to liquidate their assets.

Madoff was put in handcuffs one day after he came clean to his sons about his company’s trickery, and his sons went to authorities with the information. He eventually pleaded guilty to eleven federal felony counts, and was sentenced to the maximum sentence of 150 years in prison.

The Madoff trial ended in 2009, but defendants are still pleading guilty to this day. The effects of the scheme hit Madoff ’s family especially hard as well, as his son would later commit suicide. Considering the enormity of the Madoff scheme as a whole, the 70 year old could count himself as lucky that he will only be spending a relatively small portion of his century and a half jail sentence behind bars, as time is sure to catch up with him sooner or later.

Victor Lustig the man who sold the Eiffel Tower twice He was fluent in five different languages and had many aliases throughout the 1900s.

As a teenager, he used to pick the pockets of the wealthy and learnt every card trick in the book.

Then he went big, with a fraud involving the Eiffel Tower.

The iconic landmark was in need of repair and some Parisians wanted it gone.

Lustig managed to forge government credentials and sold the tower to a scrap metal dealer for 70,000 dollars.

Shockingly, when the dealer discovered he’d been had, he was too embarrassed to go to the police, despite the huge sum that had changed hands. He decided to keep his mouth shut. The money was probably gone either way, but at least by keeping quiet, he could keep himself from becoming the laughingstock of

the Parisian business world. So in the end, the price of being embarrassed and potentially being arrested for bribery made it not worth it.

Months later, Lustig pulled the same stunt again. Another of Lustig’s cons was to sell his “money duplicating machine” to rich opportunists.

In 1930, a large scale counterfeit operation saw him release 100,000 dollars (1,432,700 dollars today) of bogus notes into the US economy each week.

Lustig was eventually caught in 1935 when his girlfriend, who suspected him of having an affair, turned him in.

On the day before his trial, he tied together bed sheets and escaped from the Federal Detention Headquarters in Manahattan.

Police found him a month later in Pittsburgh and he was sentenced to 20 years in Alcatraz. He died in prison in 1947.

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Saturday, March 31, 2018

TRAVELOGUE In Skopje, Macedonia, every tourist is sure to get a taste of how the country’s combination of old and new reflects on the Stone Bridge which links the new side of the city to the old Ottoman quarter.

DESIRABLES

THEMUST-READS ANDLINGER-ONS

Kapil Dev: Cricket Legend Who Turned To Golf Few countries around the world embrace a sport like India embraces cricket. Kapil Dev who is good at it is also a good golfer and represents his country in both sports.

L

ike many other sports, golf has struggled to emerge from under cricket’s shadow -although there are many similarities between the two sports.

The British Raj introduced both during its rule over India from 1858 to 1947.

There’s the cadence to compare, the time between shots being hit; and also the hand-eye coordination between bat, or club, and ball.

Few know more about the parallels between both sports than cricketing legend Kapil Dev, who is the only player in history to have taken more than 400 wickets and scored over 5,000 test runs.

Now, 59-years-old and a single figure handicap golfer, Dev has represented India in a number of senior amateur golf tournaments.

During a recent round with CNN’s Shane O’Donoghue at Delhi Golf Club, Dev compared his two sporting passions. ‘’When you play cricket, you’re always depending on somebody. In golf it’s up to you,” he said in an interview.

“You can feel proud about the shot you play, you play a bad shot you really can’t criticize anybody. ‘’I feel happy to have represented two sports for my country. When I was 12 I didn’t realize the importance of playing cricket for India. Then I

picked up golf at the age of 37 and it felt great to represent my country again,’’ he stated.

In 1983, Dev captained India to an historic world cup victory over the West Indies, taking the popularity of cricket in his country to an even higher level.

Dev knows that golf faces an uphill task to ever compete with India’s most beloved sport. ‘’It’s very difficult because golf needs land, almost a minimum of 150 acres of land to play,’’ he explains. ‘’With cricket you can play in the backyard, you can play in the streets, you can play anywhere. But I have noticed a difference.

“Now if you want to

play on Saturday or Sunday at Delhi Golf Club you have to book a week in advance. That’s the change in the game of golf. If more youngsters start playing golf in India the game could be huge.’’

Dev has also noticed how more young Indians now view sport as a possible profession compared to when he was growing up. ‘’When I was a kid I don’t think any parents would encourage their children to go out and play,” he said.

“They said to go and study, there was no time for

sports’’ he says. ‘’But today parents say if you’re not good in school go and become something, play sports, play any sports.

“The exposure of sport is so good and the money is so good that the parents think, if their children can make a life through sports, then why not? This change has only happened in the last 15 years.’’

With Dev inspiring the next generation both as a cricketing legend and as a senior golfer, expect both sports to continue to flourish in India.

Saturday, March 31, 2018 CROSSWORD

SUDOKU CLASSIC

ACROSS

DOWN

35

36

Saturday, March 31, 2018

BONUSPACK $94.8 83 billion kmh

THE TAKE-AWAYS THIS WEEK

KEEPSAKES

MOST EXPENSIVE THINGS MADE OF GOLD

1

3

Violence

No question that the enemy has tried to spread sectarian violence. They use violence as a tool to do that.

GEORGE W. BUSH

2

This was designed by Patel Philippe with the estimated value of 11 million dollars. It took almost 5 years to design and make this pocket watch to participate in a competition. It features almost 24 functional features in it. It is made from pure 18 karat solid gold and is the most demanded watch all around the world.

Geoffrey Parker poker set Poker is the game which is all about money, and this poker set was designed by Geoffrey Parker and is made from 18 carat white gold which is also studded with 384 stones and diamonds on it. This whole set is made from alligator skin and has a full suede lining, and it is fully plated with platinum.

Bugatti Veyron diamond ltd It was designed by Stuart Hughes and also Swiss luxury car Maker Company was involved in it. It is made from 24 carat gold and diamonds. It has a functional steering and only 3 models of this type and can be kept as the decoration piece for a long time.

4

5

Toilet and toilet paper is quite an important thing in every house.

The estimated value of this gold toilet is 2.5 million dollars, and toilet paper has the value of 1.3 million dollars. It has embellished solid gold on the walls and with some jewels to enhance the beauty of this bathroom.

This tree has an estimated value of 2 million dollars. It is made of pure gold which is studded with 240 precious jewels which include pearls and diamond studs. It has a shining gold star on the top which is made from a pure gold ad is sparkling one.

That’s one of the tragedies of this life – that the men who are most in need of a beating up are always enormous.

JOHN D. HACKENSACKER

Geography

We had brought a large map representing the sea, without the least vestige of land: And the crew was much pleased when they found it to be a map they could all understand.

LEWIS CARROLL I stopped a man from Wigan in the street on the way to the football and I asked him, “How do you get to the JJB Stadium?” And he said, “me brother takes me?”

DAVE SPIKEY

Toilet and toilet paper

Ginza Tanaka Christmas tree

In a dangerous neighbourhood, always walk backward so that no one can sneak up on you.

BARRY BLYVEIS

Hoping to improve my son’s knowledge of geography, I bought him an atlas for Christmas. A few days later I asked him, “where is Portugal?” He answered, “three pages after France.”

LAURA GREEN

please cut along this line and keep

A bag/bundle of nerves An extremely nervous or agitated person.

Get on somebody’s nerves To begin to irritate or distress somebody. It is very tragic, of course, but you must not get yourself mixed up in it. I see by the standard that she was seventeen. I should have thought she was almost younger than that.

She looked such a child and seemed to know so little about acting. Dorian, you must not let this thing get on your nerves.

Have/need nerves of steel To show or need great composure and not be easily upset. It’s an ugly job, though, all the same... to have to deal with a case of the kind, when a woman is in fault. We soldiers need nerves of steel!

Live on one’s nerves/one’s nerve ends To live an emotionally demanding life.

Lose one’s nerve To become uneasy or overcautious about something one was previously determined about. Hit or not, the steersman lost his nerve and shrank from the coming shock.

Strain every nerve To make a great physical effort. Strain every nerve and bid the vessel fly. IIf from yon jostling rocks and wavy war Jove safety grants; he grants it to your care.

Touch a raw nerve To cause somebody to react by mentioning a sensitive matter, often unintentionally.

Health and medicine

Call

Oh, love, can you get me some of that cunnilinctus for my cough?

EDNA STEELE

The call of nature The need to urinate or defecate. Show me a city so macerated with expectation – who neither eat or drank, or slept or prayed, or harkened to the calls of either religion or nature for seven and twenty days together, who could have held out one day longer.

Call the shots/tune To have the initiative or be in control.

In England, the daily business of politics is not controlled by the Prime Minister or Westminster: it is Whitehall that calls the tune.

You might get bird flu if you ate ground-up turkey droppings on your cornflakes for a week, or there again you might not.

BORIS JOHNSON

My whole family is lactose-intolerant; when we take pictures we can’t say ‘cheese.’

JAY LONDON

6

Nerve

l

This is made of pure gold, platinum and is further enhanced with diamonds.

The estimated value of this Lamborghini is 62 million dollars. It is a small version of the original car but is much expensive than the real one.

JUST UNBELIEVABLE The total net worth of Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and the world's richest man.

ENGLISH PHRASES

SEEN & OVERHEARD

Lamborghini

Gold pocket watch

FASTFORWARD The highest speed attained by a destroyer ship, the 2,900 tonne French ship, Le terrible in 1935.

Funeral

Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t go to yours.

YOGI BERA I was prostate with grief.

TONY SOPRANO He was such a hypochondriac that they buried him next to a doctor.

STEVE LAWRENCE

Spoon Make a spoon or spoil a horn To be resolved to achieve something, whether this is a success or a failure.

Win the wooden spoon To come last in a race or contest. Sure my invention must be down at zero and I grown one of many ‘wooden spoons’. Of verse (the name with which we Cantabs please to dub the last honours in degrees).

fashion & style MARCH 31, 2018

beauty lounge

interview

fashion

looks

MEN'S CORNER

Bright Hues for the Ultra Stylish man FASHION

Get stylish with a little black dress BEAUTY LOUNGE

5 Ways To Control Oily Skin

A Badly Finished Dress Is Like Rotten Food - Adeaga

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interview

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March 31, 2018

A Badly Finished Dress Is Like Rotten Food – Adeaga

jobs I did for her she made me the face of her hair. Now that was an exciting feeling.

Having to see my face on her website, on products package got me really excited. Now my clothing label takes most of my time, so no time to hustle on another job.

Who are your favourite designers and why?

My favourite designer Oluwabukunmi Adeaga is the brain behind Accost Collection, a budding fashion firm. In this is Victoria Beckham. Her I had always loved fashion interview with OLUWATOYIN AGUDA, she talks about growing her brand and what every patterns are amazing, not but I discovered it in my fashion entrepreneur must know. only that, she is very good When did you realise you wanted to become a fashion designer?

second year in the university.

However, the urge to create and execute new ideas inspired me into being a designer.

I always wanted to create something new for myself and my sister most importantly.

Was it always something you always knew you would do?

Yes, because I love playing dress up when I was much younger. I had dolls I also made dresses for.

How did Accost Collection come to be?

It started with a fashion show themed “Dress Sense” in 2008. I made a collection of mostly ready to wear designs for both male and female and that were majorly made with Ankara fabric. I had my friends who were into modelling at that time model them. Not just that, I gave out the outfits to the models.

Some thought it

was a waste of resources, as they felt the pieces should be sold. It was rather a marketing strategy to get the brand seen by students absent at the show. It worked and that was how I started building my customer base.

Why

t h e

name Accost?

I have been asked this severally but firstly I will like to give a few dictionary meaning of the word accost. It means to confront boldly, to approach, especially with a greeting, question or remark. My immediate environment had a major influence on my label, being in a Christian private university; indecent dressing is held as a great offence, which some students got suspended for. In fact we have courtesy officers (popularly called fashion police) on campus whose duty was to apprehend indecently dressed students. So the need to have female students dress in a manner they won’t be harassed led to the creation of my first collection.

My collection had garments that were decent yet very fashionable.

To achieve a “sexy” look so to say, I had to concentrate on other features of a woman’s body that won’t get any one into trouble. I went for well fitted waistlines,

semi fitted bust and hip lines, as opposed the revealing of cleavage, short skirts or high slits. I also added a bit of urban look into the label. I still remember vividly how people accepted the Ankara hoodie shirts.

How do you stay true to your vision?

I keep myself charged by studying fashion trends, meeting new clients, attending fashion shows and events.

If you weren’t a fashion designer what would you do instead?

I love fashion so much. If I hadn’t been into fashion designing, I will probably own a boutique or would have pursued my modelling career.

Since I was in my senior secondary school, I always got comment on my height and some advised me to go into modelling. Growing up to understand modelling as a career, I figured it is more than being six feet tall or posing for the cameras. It is more like the ability to create a story with yourself through expressions such as attitude.I did modelling for a while, one of them was getting an amazing deal with a hair company. It is a company that majors in the sale of human hair and beauty products. When I first took part in her fashion show, I guessed she liked me.

And after three

with dart manipulation; she has created several beautiful garments with that. I respect her a lot for that. I also love her brand personality, simple (less is always more). I just have to give it to her!

What is your advice for aspiring designers?

I am still a very young designer and I always remind myself to always think outside the box. I get inspirations from other people’s work, but copying is not an option.

Creativity is key in this business. That’s my advice to others.

What are your plans for the future?

I plan to step up my game and find a comfortable place in the international market. I think I am someone who has been built to multitask, so at every point in time, I try to lay my hands on more than a thing. I am on TV, I also host events. The major plan is to stay relevant, useful and of course be of positive impact to my society. It is a gradual process.

What matters to you most as a fashion designer?

Two things matter to me the most. One is fabric, the second is good finishing. I always tell my customers that most times, the fabric is the major determinant of the total outcome of a garment. The design might be fantastic but if the fabric choice is wrong, then the whole garment is in trouble. Sometimes, clients come to me with a picture of a dress they want to make which looks good, but then they come with a fabric not appropriate for it. So most times I have to try to convince them to see situations from my angle.

Good finishing is also very important; I do say a badly finished dress is like a rotten food. No matter what kind of food it is, even if it’s your favourite, it’s no longer edible.

No matter how beautiful the garment is, if the finishing is poor it is out of the equation for me.

Saturday, March 31, 2018

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BeautyLOUNGE

BY OLUWATOYIN AGUDA Many people battle oily skin, while some might want to confuse oily skin and well moisturized skin, there is a difference as a well moisturized skin will look supple and soft, while an oily skin will look like there is oil running down your face especially around your nose, forehead and chin.

Over secretion of this oil called sebum by the oil glands can clog your pores, cause acne, blemish, redness, swelling and general discomfort. However, there are certain things and lifestyle habits to reduce if not totally eradicate it.

Use the right cleanser Oil cleansers were made for greasy skin types as contradictory as it may

5 Ways To Control Oily Skin sound. The oil in the face wash attracts your skin’s oil or sebum, so you can rinse both away without stripping your face. This will make your skin soft after washing. Beauty experts recommend cleansers containing salicylic acid, which

not only exfoliates but removes pimples.

Hydrate your skin The outer layer of skin is in charge of blocking out external irritants like bacteria or UV rays, hence it is imperative to keep your skin moisturized. While many people would go for creams with ingredients like Shea butter or coconut oil, you should know these products are more beneficial for dry skin, as they are known to clog pores on oily skin. Instead look for lightweight lotions or serums

containing hyaluronic acid or glycerin.

Also drinks lots of water, as water is known to flush out toxins from our bodies, it also aids in pH balance, and regulating body temperature.

Consult a dermatologist There is nothing wrong in seeking help Rather than play a guessing game, defer to your dermatologist. And if you are struggling with excess oil or mild, acne, blackheads and whiteheads at

fashion & style 39

any age, see your dermatologist before it worsens and becomes harder to treat.

Choose the right makeup When it comes to your skin, avoid foundations that feel heavy and eventually clog your skin.. Look for lighter textures and keywords like oilcontrol or mattifying. And if there is only a little you want to cover up, choose powder over foundation. Also never forget the much emphasized rule of removing your makeup before you go to sleep, your skin needs to breathe too.

Eat right It is common myth that oily food causes oily skin, this may however not be true as certain types of oils, like fish oils which are high in omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help reduce acne, because they have anti-inflammatory properties..

On the other hand, dairy products, sugary foods and processed carbohydrates are said to worsen acne breakouts.

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March 31, 2018

The Little White Dress Dynamism

BY MILLICENT AREBUN ONUOHA

The little white dress (LWD) has once again become the rage in the social scene both locally and internationally

with the re-emergence of the minimalism in the fashion scene worldwide.

Just like the little black dress (LBD), it’s a musthave dress staple that is perfect, for that last-minute emergency event that you

have to be at but have no time to go shopping for.

The LWD can be worn to all and every occasion or event, since it can be dressed up or down, depending on how you accessorize it. If you don’t have this

vital fashion staple in your wardrobe yet, then it time to go shopping, for you can never know, when having it turns out to be a life saver. Below are a few pictures of some of our style

Saturday, March 31, 2018

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Get stylish with a little black dress

BY OLUWATOYIN AGUDA

A little black dress is very critical to a woman’s wardrobe, as you can accessorize, add details, switch up your jewelry and layer it in unique ways, all of which allow you to wear it in multiple ways.

Here are 5 ways to switch your look with a little black dress Add a belt A great belt will add more style and sophistication to your little black dress. It breaks up the dress and highlights your waist to reveal your beautiful figure.

Accessorize Any of your

fashion

accessories might just be right for your little black dress, whether it is a scarf, a broach or pearls. Let your accessories do the talking when you wear a statement jewelry piece with a little black dress. If you wear a big statement necklace, be sure to keep other accessories to a minimum.

Add a pop of colour A pop of colour isn’t a bad idea for your little black dress; you can add bold colours like neon and orange as colour choice for your shoes and bags.

You can also try metallic gold or silver pop of colour to create that sparkling look Choose the right shoes

You can glam up your little black dress without piling on accessories; all you need is a classic shoe. Classic evening shoes will go well with dressy black dress for a cocktail party; dressy ballerina flats look great to create that girly look, ankle boots for a bolder statement, or sandals for a relaxed, casual style.

Add an outerwear A little black dress can actually be everything to everybody. This piece can serve as a dinner wear, a casual outfit or a formal wear with the right accessory. Denims, kimonos, jackets, blazers or suits can create different looks for different occasions.

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fashion & style 41

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March 31, 2018

Style Sightings at Lagos Fashion Week A/W 2018

BY MILLICENT AREBUN ONUOHA

The fashion crowd turned up in their fashion finery to the just concluded and rebranded Lagos Fashion Week Autumn/ Winter Showcase 2018, held last weekend in the city

of Lagos Nigeria. Thrilling fashion lovers and potential buyers with a successful raft of fashion presentations designers like Mo Agusto, Maxivive, Style Temple, Orange Culture and more, LFW18 also debuted their new

buy-what-you-see showcase mode, where the audience can immediately order what they see on the runway for themselves.

Below are style sightings we loved from the events.

As usual, the newly rebranded

Lagos Fashion Week brought out the fashion cognoscentiour best and brightest if you will. Scroll through to see some of the most flawless looks from the stylish crowd of influencers, bloggers, editors and designers.

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fashion & style 43

Bright Hues for the Ultra Stylish man

BY MILLICENT AREBUN ONUOHA

Men’s fashion is no longer about being a conservative tweed, boring grey fashion killjoy or wallflower. Bold colors, Pastels, Bright combos and statement suits in strong primary colors are now the vogue look to rock for men. A common thread in the new male fashion forward movement, is the love for pop colors incorporated into the everyday looks including the high street, ethnic, sportman, geek, rock-edge or casual look.

The stylish male with a passion for style, is no longer afraid of colors and now enthusiastically, wear it liberally in his style ensembles. From Mai Atafo , Kola Kuddus print pants, Orange Culture to Tarylor Gabriels bespoke bright hued suits, pastel shirts and tribal print pants, bright clothing, and pop colored accessorizing, for the metro man is here to stay.

Our Nigerian style celebrities are definitely, not too shy to rock the trend, as the likes of Noble Igwe, Mai Atafo, Ebuka, Alex Ebudo, Praise, Dayo Ephiram, JJCskillz, Tinie Tempah, Emmy Collins and lots more, have already been spotted rocking the trend at various red carpet functions and events..

Tip: An easy way to get the look, without worrying yourself sick, is to stick a bright hued staple to a general nude ensemble. For instance, pairing a canary (sunny yellow) wide-bow tie to your navy suit and accessorizing with the same colored socks.

Ensure the hem of your trouser is not too long, so as not to defeat t h e

44 fashion & style

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March 31, 2018

The Perfect Nursery Essentials!

BY OLUWATOYIN AGUDA

Expecting a baby demands so much attention from the parents and care givers, so many things have to be put in place before the birth of the child and setting up a comfortable space that meets your needs and at the same time comfortable is one of the many things that needs to be put in place.

Here are ideas for your baby’s nursery:

Use dark curtains Bright nurseries that are all white and full of natural light look amazing. Your nursery should not be too bright; otherwise your baby won’t be able to sleep. And sleep is what they need a lot of in the first year. Ensure you have some curtains and darkened blinds as this will make the room dark enough for your baby to get to sleep during the day.

process. You can choose from a variety of bedding, including crib sheets, bumper pads, pillows and blankets

Buy a comfortable chair A nursery chair is not only a stylish piece of design for your room, but also a practical necessity as you will spend a lot of time in a chair either breastfeeding, bottle feeding, mixing food or attending to the baby.

space. Get rid of unnecessary furniture to utilize your space judiciously.

Shelves are important too Shelves are a great idea to beautifully store books, games, puzzles, jewelry boxes, photo frames, and all toys.

Use a rug A rug can divide the room allowing parents to keep their bed arrangement while acting as a divider from their baby. A neutral shade is mostly recommended for babies.

Use multi-purpose furniture Multi-purpose furniture is essentially important in homes where there is little

Bedding Baby bedding is not just a necessity for your child’s comfort; it can also be a fun part of the decorating

Comfort is key In all you do, never forget that comfort should be a priority, you should create a space that meets and suits your needs.

March 31, 2018

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@leadershipNGA Simple Steps To Healthy Living as

Fitness Beauty Wellness

Overnight Beauty Tricks For Waking Up Healthy, Happy

A

ll women are alike when it comes to their beauty routines.

The thing is that as we get older it gets more and more important to take proper care of yourself since something that was granted to us by mother nature seems to fade away if not tended to properly.

It goes without saying that sleep is highly important not only when you want to stay healthy but also when you want to preserve your natural beauty. You may already know that many complex processes are going on while we rest and it is only natural to carry out some additional routines to intensify the effect.

That is why today we are going to discuss 7 routines you should better get used to if you want to wake up flawless looking every morning.

Antioxidant cream There are many things that our skin

Live Well Tips

gets affected with throughout the day, that is why it is a clever idea to help it get rid of all the toxins when you fall asleep. Use a rich antioxidant night cream to serve the purpose.

Wet hair Sometimes we like to treat ourselves to a nice late night bath and go to bed with our locks wet. That is the worst thing you can do to your hair, seriously. If the inevitable happened, wrap your hair in an old T-shirt and go to sleep like that instead.

Humidifier This is the best way to hydrate your skin while you are letting your beauty rest.

Hair moisturizing You should use your moisturizing leave-in conditioner on your hair right before you go to sleep, it will have a much better effect on your hair.

Pillow against puffy eye If you are afraid that you are going Live well tips are NOT medical advice. Please consult your doctor before taking medicine or supplement, changing diet or exercise.

• Yoga can help maintain muscle tone and keep you flexible with little if any impact on your joints. But you may have to augment a

to wake up with your eyes all swollen and puffy in the morning all you need to do is to use an extra pillow and sleep on your back.

Hands & Feet It is not a surprise for anyone that with this hectic way of living we often forget about our hands and feet and they need proper care as well. But, you can deal with this right before you go to bed, apply your favorite products to your hands and feet and go to bed. You can put on cotton socks and gloves for better effect.

Lips Your lips also require scrubbing and moisturizing, and there is no better time for these routines than right before you go to bed.

Your health is a valuable thing; look after your body and your mind so that you can live your life to the fullest.

Remember you only get one!

Source: healthyandhappygroup.com

yoga regimen with walking or swimming several times a week to give your heart a workout.

• Stretching is wonderful for keeping your body limber and relaxed and preventing muscle strain.

Add stretching to your cardiovascular exercises to get a complete workout.

• Green tea contain

45

Anti-Aging Foods You Should Eat

While we are yet to find the ‘’Fountain of Youth’’ we have discovered through research anti-aging foods that help you maintain a healthy, young-looking skin.

Ultimately, poor-quality foods like trans-fats, causes inflammation and aging while, anti-aging foods like fruits and vegetables are essentially good for your skin this includes: Water Are you getting your full eight glasses of water every day? Water is not only critical for hydration, but also helps your body naturally flush out toxins, rejuvenate its skin, and efficiently fulfil internal functions.

Protein Instead of simply looking at what foods you consume, it’s important to consider your key dietary components as well. Since metabolism slows with age, it’s critical to eat sources rich in protein to protect muscle mass and prevent unnecessary weight gain. Eggs, skinless chicken, and turkey breasts are excellent sources of protein that are easy to consume.

Coconut Oil Pound for pound, coconut oil is one of the single most nutritious superfoods you can put in your body. It has a vast array of incredible health benefits including: healthier skin and hair, lower cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased levels of immunity, proper digestion and metabolism.

Spices If you open your spice cabinet right now, you may find ginger, paprika, and cayenne pepper. These are incredibly delicious on our foods, but did you know that they’re filled with anti-aging benefits as well? These can lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol by fighting high blood pressure, and also improve circulation throughout the body.

Avocado Considered one of the “super foods” of the world, avocado is rich in the vitamins and nutrients needed to keep the body as healthy as possible. Similar to nuts, however, guacamole is high in fat calories, so be sure and conscious about your intake.

Spinach One of the vitamins we rarely hear about is vitamin K, which improves bone density and strength. Leafy greens, such as spinach, are primary sources of vitamin K and a single serving is over one-and-a-half times your daily requirement of the vitamin. Aside from strengthening your skeleton, spinach also provides nutrients to keep your eyesight healthy.

compounds that prevent cell damage and has been effective in slowing down or preventing tumour development.

• Soy (tofu, soy beans, soy nuts, miso, tempeh, soy burger has) isoflavones that inhibit cancer growth if consumed during adolescence.

• Tomatoes appear to protect against some cancers by

prevent cellular damage.

• Whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat, whole grain, oat meal, popcorn, wild rice, tortilla, kasha, tabbouleh) are anti-cancer agents.

• Please brush your teeth before reaching for your cup in the morning. Don’t forget to brush at night too.

Clean teeth = zero cavities.

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March 31, 2018

KIDS HEALTH

How To Recognize Malnutrition

This is why regular weighing or measuring around the middle upper arm of young children is so important

M

alnutrition is often most severe in children, who need lots of nutritious food to grow well and stay healthy. There are different forms of malnutrition: This most common form of malnutrition is the mild malnutrition, but it is not always obvious. The child simply does not grow or gain weight as fast as a well- nourished child.

Although he may appear rather small and thin, he usually does not look sick. However,

because he is poorly nourished, he may lack strength (resistance) to fight infections. So he becomes more seriously ill and takes longer to get well than a well-nourished child.

Consequently, children with this form of malnutrition suffer more from diarrhoea and colds. Their colds usually last longer and are more likely to turn into pneumonia. Measles, tuberculosis and many other infectious diseases are far more dangerous for these malnourished children. ‘More

of them die.

It is imperative that children like this get special care and enough food before they become seriously ill. This is why regular weighing or measuring around the middle upper arm of young children is so important. It helps us to recognize mild malnutrition early and correct it.

Severe malnutrition which occurs most often in babies who stopped breast feeding early or suddenly, and who are not given sufficient high energy foods often enough

starts when a child has diarrhoea or another infection.

We can usually recognize children who are severely malnourished without taking any measurements. The numbers increase dramatically in poor communities during times of famine due to drought or civil war. Two types are describeddry and wet.

For dry malnutrition-or marasmus, a child does not get enough of any kind of food.

Is said to, have a dry malnutrition or marasmus. In other words, he is starved.

PHOBIA

Novercaphobia – Fear Of Your Step-Mother Novercaphobia is the fear of your step-mother. This is fairly uncommon because a lot of us do not have step-mothers to begin with. This fear is said to be closely related to other phobias such as Pentheraphobia which is the fear of your mother-in-law, Vitricophobia

or the fear of your step-father.

People with this fear usually have fear of authority figures, especially parental figures, and this fear is aggravated by the fact that one’s mother is not a biological parent but is someone that just assumed the responsibility of taking care

of him or her. This fear could have also been due to watching on TV horror-stories about having cruel step-mothers and is best seen in Cinderella, the story of a young girl who has left in the cinders by her wicked step-mother and evil stepsisters.

Symptoms include avoidance of the step-mother, as well as symptoms of anxiety may be seen in patients with this phobia including palpitations, nausea, vomiting, tremors.

Treatment usually includes behavioral and cognitive psychotherapy.

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March 31, 2018

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DISC VERY

47

Breakthroughs That Could Revolutionize Medicine

T

he past decade has seen remarkable progress in the field of medicine. Since scientists with the International Human Genome Project released a rough draft of the human genome to the public, the impact of science and technology on medicine has arguably been more salient than ever. New discoveries and inventions have opened up new possibilities in both the treatment and prevention of human sickness, so far that diseases that were once instant death sentences like cancer and HIV/AIDS, while still potentially fatal, a little less horrifying.

In recent years, a handful of recent discoveries have provided glimmers of hope for both effective and affordable health care. Here, a list of seven recent discoveries that could revolutionize medicine.

Disarming HIV HIV/AIDS kills around 1.8 million people a year,

and ranks as the third leading cause of death in lowincome countries. But a recent study in journal Blood presents a potentially new way to combat the disease: instead of killing the virus, make the body resistant to it. When a person is infected, the body’s innate immune system provides an immediate but flawed defense; HIV takes its membrane or “skin” from the cell that it infects.

Researchers led by scientists at Imperial College London and Johns Hopkins University exposed HIV by removing cholesterol from this cellular wall, producing a large hole in the virus’s membrane and making it permeable, which in turn led to a stronger adaptive response, orchestrated by immune cells. While researchers have lengths to go before they can even think to announce a cure for HIV, this breakthrough could drastically reduce the amount of resources devoted to treating and combating the disease and provide insight

into fighting similarly complex diseases in the future.

A Common Cause of ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often referred to as ALS or Lou Gherig’s disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that paralyzes its victims. For years, the underlying disease process has long eluded scientists and prevented development of effective therapies. But a new Northwestern Medicine study for the first time has identified a common cause of all forms of ALS. The basis of the disorder is a broken down protein recycling system in the neurons of the spinal cord and the brain.

Optimal functioning of the neurons relies on efficient recycling of the protein building blocks in the cells. In ALS, that recycling system is broken. The cell can’t repair or maintain itself and becomes severely damaged. The discovery by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medi-

cine researchers, published in the journal Nature, could herald the end of one of the biggest medical mysteries of the 20th century.

Cellular “Leapfroging” Recently, scientists developed a method of “leapfrogging” cells, or transmuting existing cells into a totally new form. Fully mature liver cells from laboratory mice have been transformed directly into functional neurons by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. It is the first time that cells have been shown to “leapfrog” from one fundamentally different tissue type to another. These liver cells unambiguously cross tissue-type boundaries to become fully functional neural cells.

Such an advance could prove essential in generating essential cells for an ailing patient–or transmuting potentially dangerous or cancerous agents into benign cells.

Source: Interfysio

In recent years, a handful of recent discoveries have provided glimmers of hope for both effective and affordable health care

48

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March 31, 2018

Natural Remedies Cafe Wonders of Cucumber

For this reason, it increases immunity, provides energy and keeps us radiant. For best results, we can prepare a juice with this vegetable, accompanied by carrots and spinach

Did you know that cucumber is a tropical vegetable that is coveted by some? This is considered to be of tropical origin, but it is found throughout the world.

Cucumber is considered family of watermelon zucchini and pumpkin.

However, the skin of the cucumber is green and its texture is very similar to that of watermelon. But its interior is pale green and very juicy.

Normally it measures from 6 to 9 inches approximately.

This vegetable gives us many health benefits Today we want to tell you precisely about the famous benefits of consuming it regularly. It is very important that you pay close attention to the following list. In that way, you will understand the reasons why you should not stop consuming it.

Eliminates toxins By consuming a lot of water, we contribute to eliminate toxins from the body. Since cucumber is mostly liquid, it will help you eliminate toxins easily. In fact, if consumed regularly, it will help you eliminate the kidney stone.

Rich source of vitamins Cucumber is rich in vitamins A, B and C. For this reason,

it increases immunity, provides energy and keeps us radiant. For best results, we can prepare a juice with this vegetable, accompanied by carrots and spinach.

Rich in minerals Among other things, this vegetable is rich in magnesium, potassium and silicon. It is for this reason that treatments with cucumbers are very common in spas.

Promotes weight loss Many consume cucumber in their salads and soups. Thanks to this, they can lose weight quickly. You can also prepare crispy cucumber sticks with low-fat yogurt cream.

It favours the sight It is very common to see people with slices of cucumber in their eyes. Although it may not seem like it, this helps considerably to improve the view. It also helps to reduce

bags under the eyes, swelling and dark circles.

Fight cancer This vegetable greatly reduces the chances of developing several types of cancer. So it is for this reason that many are including it in their daily diet.

If your family has a history of cancer, you should consider cucumber consumption frequently.

Why You Should Always Eat Avocado The avocado is a food that has a lot of myths and therefore very few people who dare to eat it.

However, in this article we will let you know what the incredible benefits of eating an avocado a day, you will be completely fascinated and you will regret all this time that you did not eat it.

Benefits of eating an avocado a day It will not make you gain weight The fashion of the phobia for fatty foods is over. If you avoid avocados because of a mistaken and persistent belief of the 80s that these fruits are fattening, you are wrong. If you do, you’ll be losing an excellent source of monounsaturated fatty acids, the same good fats found in olive oil that help improve heart health.

In addition, avocados are rich in healthy fats and fibers that help provide a feeling of fullness and prevent hunger.

Creamy and tasty nutrients That contain? In addition to those good monounsaturated fats that we already mentioned, avocados are rich in an important number of nutrients that stimulate health for the well-being of the organism.

Beneath its green bark, there are more than 14 minerals, proteins, 18 essential amino acids, soluble fibers that help lower cholesterol, phytosterols, polyphenols, carotenoids, Omega3, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K, among other.

Long-term health benefits What does it mean to be rich in nutrients? This means a stomach that feels satiated for longer, a brain that is well supplied with nutrients necessary for its optimal functioning from now on and a body that receives the nutrients it needs to protect itself from heart disease, diabetes, cancer , degenerative eye diseases and brain diseases.

Other beneficiaries: brain and muscles Avocado contains lecithin, a particular lipid substance that also abounds in egg yolk. Lecithin fulfills several important roles in our body, including the composition of bile salts through which we

digest and assimilate better fats and all micro nutrients, such as vitamins also called fat-soluble. Lecithin also participates in brain functions, nerve impulse transmission and muscle level, thanks to its choline content.

Better control of insulin

Another important factor in metabolism is the rate of glucose in our body. Insulin is extremely powerful, and this prevents serious problems.

Now that you know this, do not miss the opportunity to eat an avocado a day Source: healthyfoodvision.com

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FEATURE 49

School Where Killing, Rape Occur A school ought to be an institution designed to inculcate values, morals and mould the character of pupils/students under the direction of teachers. But this is not the case with Government Secondary School, Koroduma, One Man Village, a school notorious for crime and cultism. TUNDE OGUNTOLA writes.

G

This school has no fence, students are always outside hanging around and these bad boys do come to attack some of the students too

overnment Secondary School, Koroduma is situated in Koroduma, a densely populated Nasarawa community, located 20 kilometres to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The school, a mixed school, accommodates both primary and secondary school students. It is a government owned secondary school without boarding facilities.

Regarded and tagged as ‘’one school with many troubles’’ by residents in the community, the school accommodates an average of 80 students in each classroom that lack instructional materials.

Being densely populated with students from varied backgrounds, mostly not biological children of the guardians, the wards are seen roaming the premises freely, just as others stroll around the streets like a herd without shepherd. It seems that the school management has left the students to decide their fate themselves, either to attend classes regularly or not.

LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that rather than be in the class, most of the students are seen in uncompleted buildings close to the school smoking marijuana, drinking sachet gin and having sex with the female students at will.

It is also not an uncommon scene to see the students looking frail, hungry and exhausted in the morning while going to school and looking for any means to get what to eat even if it takes ripping others of their pocket money before going to classroom.

Few weeks ago, a student of the school, Auwal Salisu was killed in the school premises for alleged cult activities. According to a reliable source, the Principal of the school earlier summoned all the students to the assembly ground and dismissed them to go home after he noticed that hoodlums surrounded the school. But, shortly after all the students went home, Salisu was killed.

LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that the incident makes it the second reported death case within 11 months. According to reports, a boy believed to be a student of the school allegedly killed a suspected leader of a notorious cult group very close to the school premises.

Aside clashes over girlfriends, the students disagree over sharing formula of stolen funds.

Confirming the incident, the Divisional Police Officer, New Nyanya Police Station, Sunday Obi, said that Salisu died as a result of multiple injuries inflicted on him. However, the case has been transferred to the State’s Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia.

Eleven months ago, a student, who was on his way to ease himself in the school premises, was summoned by a cult group close to the school premises and demanded

Bello

that he gives them N20. ‘’The boy said he did not have any cash left with him. He was searched thoroughly by these cultists and when they discovered that he was not with any cash, stabbed him with a bottle,” one of the students told our correspondent.

“The junior student cried to the school premises in the pool of his own blood, which drew the attention of some senior student who quickly rushed to the scene while some reported the matter to the school authorities. When the senior student arrived the scene to inquire what went wrong, the gang chased him out. In order to protect himself, the senior student also removed a jack knife from his pocket and stabbed the leader of the gang who was chasing him and the victim died immediately.”

The gangsters who operate in the school have robbed most of the students of their school fees, especially the junior ones.

The teachers are seemingly helpless due to terrifying attacks by the students. One of the teachers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to our correspondent said, some students whom he punished for an act of indiscipline waylaid him while he was on his way home recently. He said he was asked to kneel down by the students to be flogged, but he quickly asked them, if he was not a teacher in the school, would he be asked to do such?

They then asked the student who was punished to show his back, while the teacher was asked to give the said student a pat on his back and he was asked to go.

He, however, said that after the

Adamu

incident, the student did not come to school again.

The teacher also reported that one of the school prefects called Yusuf, was recently attacked at home because he disciplined a student while in school. He said he was threatened by some of the students with knives and other dangerous weapons and asked never to discipline any member of the gang again.

It was gathered that cultism thrives here, just as gang rape in uncompleted building and other social vices, including drugs and alcoholism are commonplace things and used during initiation of young students into cultism.

Another thing of concern is the security of traders who operate shops and stalls around the vicinity. Their wares and goods are not safe, especially for those that deal in soft drinks and mop sticks. The students convert bottles and the cleaning implements into weapons to fight their fellow students whenever there is serious disagreement between the suspected cult groups.

Commenting on the situation, the village head of Koroduma, Alhaji Ahmadu Bako, who confirmed the death of the boy, lamented the ugly trend, saying one of the students had died during a clash between the rival cult groups.

According to him, although the federal government is doing its best to ensure security in the community, there is urgent need for the government to help in building the school fence to provide security for the students.

He also sought for the deployment of security operatives

to help teachers who are now helpless to inculcate discipline in the students.

“This school has no fence, students are always outside hanging around and these bad boys do come to attack some of the students too.

The social vices are many and there is insecurity. So, we are calling on the state government to help build a fence around the school and add more classrooms.”

He also called on parents and guardians to help discipline their children noting that family is the first agent of socialisation.

However, investigations have revealed that most of the students in the school are being initiated into cult groups under duress. They are most times, threatened to join the group and assured of protection afterwards.

The girls are also not left out in the initiation process, as they are often raped in uncompleted buildings.

Narrating his ordeal, a senior civil servant, who gave his name as Abdullahi Garba, a resident of Koroduma, said within five months, the students had impregnated a teenage girl who was brought from the village twice.

The Principal of the school, Mr. Ali Ahmed, when contacted, did not deny or accept the allegations, saying due to civil service rules and bureaucracy, he was not allowed to speak further.

When visited by our correspondent, the Chief Inspector of Education, Karu Local Government, Nuhu Usman Bunu acknowledged that a student was recently killed in the school but declined to comment further.

50

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The Trumpet With Leonard Karshima Shilgba

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Saturday, March 31, 2018

National Business and Technical Examinations Board and Nigeria’s Devt

shilgba@yahoo.com

Any technician or artisan that is practising in Nigeria without NABTEB’s certification, validation, or certification by an examination body which has been accredited and licensed

by NABTEB, would soon be stopped from doing so

Nigeria has some of the best agencies of government with great mandates or intentions, which if intelligently, fully, and faithfully implemented, would trigger qualitative development.

The National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) is one of such agencies. Established in 1992, and given a broad mandate on Business and Technical examinations, certification, and validation of skills for wealth creation and economic self-reliance, NABTEB is so legally and constitutionally empowered by decree 70 (1993), now Act 70 of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (2004) [ CAP N12, LFN. 2004]. The Act is prefaced thus: “An Act to establish the National Business and Technical Examinations Board to have responsibility for the general control of the conduct of technical and business examinations hitherto conducted by the Royal Society of Arts of London City and Guilds of London and the West African Examinations Council and matters connected therewith.”

Section 3 of the Act, which describes the functions of NABTEB, opens thus: “Notwithstanding the provision of any other enactment the Board shall have responsibility to—.” Let me select some of the functions stated in the Act in order to strengthen the point I have set out to make. Besides the first four (4) examinations that the Act says NABTEB has responsibility to conduct, namely, National Technical Certificate (NTC), Advanced National Technical Certificate (ANTC), National Business Certificate (NBC), and Advanced National Business Certificate (ANBC), NABTEB is empowered to: A. “Take over the conduct of technical and business examinations hitherto conducted by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) of London, City and Guilds of London and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).” [Section 3 (b)] Commentary: Research into the business and technical examinations conducted by RSA and City & Guilds (which are global players) would reveal what NABTEB ought to be doing both nationally and globally. And if any university, polytechnic, or institution of learning, research, or work, recognizes or respects certificates issued by WAEC, and yet fails to do the same for any certificates issued by NABTEB, they would not only

be acting against the constitution of Nigeria, but be contradicting themselves as well.

B. “Conduct other specified examinations on behalf of or in collaboration with other examination bodies or agencies such as the London Chamber of Commerce or Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, etc.”

[Section 3 (d)] Commentary: This section empowers NABTEB to be actively engaged in the certification of all business (and technical) professionals practising in Nigeria, or the validation of certificates issued to all business and technical professionals (by any institution in the world) who wish to work in Nigeria.

Particularly, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), being specifically mentioned in this section as an example or an equivalence representative of examination bodies on behalf of or in collaboration with whom NABTEB conducts specified examinations, cannot operate henceforth without NABTEB’s full, principled, and transparently procedural involvement.

If an ICAN-certified professional (post1993) does not know about NABTEB, it is one piece of evidence that an infraction against the law is being perpetrated by the management of ICAN. The Governing Board of NABTEB would soon engage ICAN and similar bodies on this matter.

C. “Monitor, collect and keep records of continuous assessment in technical colleges and allied institutions towards the award of certificates in national business and technical examinations.”

[Section 3 (f)] Commentary: Any technician or artisan that is practising in Nigeria without NABTEB’s certification, validation, or certification by an examination body which has been accredited and licensed

by NABTEB, would soon be stopped from doing so. Certificates are operating licenses, declaring that the holder has the requisite skills to function in the field in which they are certified. Accordingly, plumbers, painters, masons, auto mechanics, auto electricians, welders or metal fabricators, carpenters, electricians, tile layers, barbers and hair saloon workers, caterers, computer hardware/software repairers, mobile phone repairers, etc., must be certified

by NABTEB and issued a coded (with a

unique number) operating license (with the requirement of re-certification every three years even as technology evolves) before they will be allowed to practice in Nigeria. First world standards must be introduced in Nigeria. Customers have suffered enough at the hands of unqualified technicians and artisans, who have destroyed our vehicles, made a mess of our buildings, and endangered our lives by their incompetence. Must we, for instance, ship our faulty auto vehicles abroad for repairs even as we fly out our sick bodies? Very soon customers can access NABTEB’s website to find qualified and certified artisans and technicians in any business and technical occupational fields. The Enforcement Unit of NABTEB would commence the sealing off of business and operating centres, and construction sites of uncertified artisans and technicians after the deadline, which shall be published after due consultation with relevant organs of government, even as NABTEB also has the responsibility to “carry out such other activities as are necessary or expedient for the full discharge of all or any of the functions conferred on it under or pursuant to this Act.” [Section 3 (i)] D.Furthermore, NABTEB has the responsibility to “conduct research, publish statistics and other information in order to develop appropriate examinations, tests and syllabi in technical and business studies.” [Section 3 (g)] Commentary: NABTEB develops suitable or appropriate examinations and tests that would set operating and performance standards in Nigeria.

NABTEB would be announcing new products and tests targeted at, among others, IDPs, veterans, faith groups, etc., and engage in systematic promotion of Technical, Entrepreneurship and Vocational Initiative (TEVI) across all the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria. NABTEB’s Research and Quality Assurance Department would soon step up in this regard. While NABTEB’s NTC/ NBC examinations also cover General Examinations, which both NECO and WAEC cover, both NECO and WAEC do not offer the many other examinations that NABTEB is empowered to.

NABTEB, in accordance to its Act, has power to obtain information: At section 18 of NABTEB Act, titled “Power to obtain

Easter Showcases Anioma Cultural Festival

BY UZOR MAXIM UZOATU The Easter season throbs with the celebration of the annual Anioma Cultural Festival in Asaba, Delta State.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the festival of royalty, glamour, pomp and pageantry. Arguably the finest cultural event in Delta State, Anioma Cultural Festival is the panoply of fashion, music, dance, traditional sports and creative arts of historical value to the Anioma people from the nine local government areas of Delta North Senatorial Zone. Initiated 15 years ago by the Organisation for the Advancement of Anioma Culture (OFAAC), the culture umbrella body of the Anioma nation, the unity-inducing festival has helped to reawaken the consciousness of the people to their cultural values. This year’s fest is anchored on the theme: “Building Bridges”. Ever since its inception in

2003, OFAAC has remained faithful to the objective of preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Anioma nation, with the festival serving as a melting-pot for the revival and appreciation of Anioma culture.Well over 300 delegates and stakeholders representing the four dialectical groups in Anioma nation gathered recently in the commodious Orchid Hotels, Asaba Delta State to put the plans for the festival in a fitting sync. The committed and irrepressible President of OFAAC, Kester Ifeadi, did not mince words in stating that the organization is committed to the Anioma cause and as such this year’s festival can only get better than previous ones. Calling on all good-spirited sons and daughters of Anioma to come together in unity of purpose so the people can achieve the Anioma of their dream, Ifeadi maintained that culture and arts are essential elements of education.

Different dance troupes, traditional wrestlers and other performing artistes from Anioma communities have upped their ante for epic performances on Easter Monday. The Asaba International Airport, the gateway to the fest, welcomes friends, culture enthusiasts, corporate organizations and stakeholders. Anioma Cultural Festival showcases the award-winning Agwuba royal dance, Egwu-Ajah maiden dance, Uloko dance, Egwu Ohuhu, Olingba dance, Amala dance and multiform occupational and contemporary dances.

The festival has over the years enjoyed the support of the venerated royal monarchs of Anioma, representatives of Federal and State governments and corporate organizations.

“Our focus is to showcase the unique culture of the Anioma people and thus enrich Anioma, Delta State and Nigeria’s cultural life by promoting cultural diversity in order to foster

information”, we have the following provisions: (1) For the purpose of carrying out the functions conferred on the Board under this Act, the Registrar or any other employee of the Board authorised in that behalf— (a) shall have a right of access to all relevant records of any institution to which this Act applies; and (b) may by notice in writing served on any person in charge of any such institution require that person to furnish or cause to be furnished information on such matters as may be specified in the notice.

(2) It shall be the duty of any person required to furnish information pursuant to sub-section (1) of this section to comply with the notice within a reasonable period of time.

This section therefore empowers NABTEB’s Enforcement Unit in its operations. Moreover, at section 22 of NABTEB Act, entitled, “Regulations”, it is provided that: The Board may, with the approval of the Minister, make regulations generally for the carrying into effect of the provisions of this Act and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, regulations may provide for— (a) the persons or categories of persons who may enter for examinations conducted by the Board; (b) the conduct of candidates during such examinations; and (c) the obligations of institutions involved in presenting candidates for the examinations conducted by the Board.

Agencies of government must work in collaboration with each other, and not at cross purposes if the business of governance would yield the desired dividends. NABTEB would always seek collaboration and consultation, while confrontation would be the last resort, where impunity rears up its head without retreat, and obduracy stands up against enlightenment. A pro-active and innovative NABTEB is a veritable answer to harnessing and enhancing the much desired skills which lead to wealth creation and economic self-reliance.

NABTEB—certifying skills for wealth creation and economic self-reliance!

– Shilgba is the Chairman of the Governing Board of National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB)

harmony and friendship among people with different cultural backgrounds.”

Arc. Kester Ifeadi looks at the 15 years of resourcefulness with delight, and remains poised on breaking new grounds in the mobilisation of Anioma people for cultural renaissance, empowerment and positive selfesteem. The major strategies for this evolution are built on advocacy, workshops, lectures, research, microcredit schemes, exhibitions, and the trailblazing publication of the colourful magazine Anioma Essence.

In seeing culture as the totality of the people’s way of life, OFAAC undertakes the onerous task of boosting smallscale businesses within the Anioma communities for poverty reduction.

There is the regular intervention of assisting interested participants from Anioma in entrepreneurial development through micro-credit schemes. This is aimed at empowering

the poor and the less-privileged in Anioma nation.

For Ifeadi, the scheme is as an important milestone in OFAAC’s poverty reduction drive in Anioma which, in his words, “is consistent with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations.

From the early beginnings 15 years ago of a handful of stalwarts, notably Ifeadi, Paddy Ugboh, Emeka Nmadu, Gideon Nwaomu and Monn Olodu, OFAAC has moved steadily to a large movement that attracts nearly 5,000 volunteers and loyalists.

The non-partisanship of the nonprofit organisation has made the body a darling of all Anioma sons and daughters. The drums have been rolled out to make the Easter season of the Anioma Cultural Festival a once-in-alifetime celebration.

– Uzoatu wrote in from Abuja.

Saturday, March 31, 2018

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WEEKEND POLITICS ANALYSIS

INTERVIEWS

REPORTS

DISCOURSE

51

Weekend Politics Editor: Chibuzo Ukaibe

Tenure Extension In APC: Who Blinks First?

Last month, the National Executive Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) extended the tenure of the national and state officers. Controversies had since been trailing the development, but President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday sounded the death knell of the extension, even though the NEC seemed to remain recalcitrant, writes OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU

O

n February 27, the National Executive Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) by fiat, extended the tenure of all executive officers of the party across all levels by one year.

By that extension, which by all indications did not go down well with many members of the party across the country, all elected party executives will remain in office till after the 2019 general elections.

Many party stalwarts have at different fora spoken against the extension, condemning it.

Many even see it as a fall out of the cold war between the party’s national chairman and national leader, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu respectively.

Tinubu, had prior to the extension saga, written an open letter to Odigie-Oyegun, accusing him of undermining the reconciliation process of his national reconciliation committee by his actions and utterances.

First to react to and condemn the tenure extension was the Lagos State chapter of the APC, which rejected the tenure elongation.

The Lagos APC after a

consultative from, shortly after the elongation decision, said it rejected the tenure extension because “it was against the country and the party’s constitution.”

Speaking on behalf of the Lagos APC, the Lagos State Central senatorial district leader, Chief Tajudeen Olusi, said, “We have taken reports of the state APC chairman in respect of the NEC meeting held in Abuja.

“We have also had the privilege of receiving great reports from our leader from the reconciliation committee.

“We have considered the issue of extension of tenure and we are of the firm belief that the decision is a breach of the constitution of our party and of the country.

“We are against the elongation of tenure. We shall continue to make our decision known to the party and to the President.”

Quoting copiously from Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to buttress his arguments, Olusi said the section, specifically “states that the constitution and rules of a political party shall provide for the periodical election on a democratic basis of the principal officers and members of the executive

committee or other governing body of the political party; and ensure that the members of the executive committee or other governing body of the political party reflect the federal character of Nigeria.”

He added, “For the purposes of this section, the election of the officers or members of the executive committee of a political party shall be deemed to be periodical only if it is made at regular intervals not exceeding four years.

“In extending the tenure, the APC National Executive Committee had relied on Article 13.3 (ii) of its constitution which states that the NEC can discharge the functions of the convention in a period of emergency.

“But the provision in Article 13.3 (ii) is not limitless and open-ended.

It is a responsibility restricted by the same constitution, which provides exclusively under Article 30 (i) that: ‘This Constitution and Schedules hereto can be amended only by the National Convention of the party’.

Olusi said that the party’s constitution provides the processes for constitution amendment, which he said had not been met before the extension was granted.

Also, a forum of young

stakeholders in the APC had also declared the tenure elongation of the party’s executives at all levels as illegal, saying that the power to elongate executives’ tenure does not rest with the NEC, but with the convention.

Addressing a press conference after a closed door meeting in Abuja, the forum’s spokesperson, Martyrs Obekpa, warned the NEC against any form of illegality and breach of the party’s constitution.

Obekpa said, “The youths stand with what our constitution says.

“We do not want illegality in this party. We want to stand by all that we have worked and voted for in this constitution. “Sneaking in any illegality will not be acceptable to the youths.

“By our party constitution, the power for tenure elongation does not rest with the NEC. The power rests in the convention and the party belongs to everybody.”

Some members had even gone to court to seek the intervention of the judiciary.

Specifically, an APC member in Imo State, Okere Uzochukwu, urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to declare the extension of ➔ CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE

We have taken reports of the state APC chairman in respect of the NEC meeting held in Abuja

52 WEEKEND POLITICS

Saturday, March 31, 2017

Tenure Extension In APC: Who Blinks First?

Buhari

Odigie-Oyegun FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Reacting to the new development, Tinubu threw his weight behaviour and the President’s stance

the tenure of the National Working Committee, NWC, by its NEC, illegal and unconstitutional.

Uzochukwu made the request in a suit he filed through his lawyer, Nnamdi Okere, and which also has the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) as respondents.

The plaintiff also argued that the APC’s national convention “never and did not meet to delegate and has not delegated any of its powers to the National Executive Committee, to warrant the unconstitutional tenure extension.”

Tuesday’s NEC meeting was widely said to have as one of the agenda disciplinary measure against members who had gone to court over party affairs without exploring the internal mechanism of the party at conflict resolution.

But in a surprise move, President Muhammadu Buhari, in his opening remarks, sounded the death knell of the tenure extension, when he reiterated that it was not in consonance with the party’s and the nation’s extant laws.

Of great significance was the fact that President Buhari’s opening remarks at the NEC meeting was all about the tenure extension and the negative effect it would have on the APC psyche.

The President said, “In particular, I think it is important for me to speak quickly on the contentious issue of the tenure of our National and State Executive Officers.

“As we all know, a motion was moved at the last NEC meeting of February 27, to the effect that when the tenure of the current executives expire in June this year, they should be allowed to continue for one year.”

The President added that even though some party members have spoken up “vehemently” against it, the motion “was duly carried by a majority of members present at the last NEC meeting.”

The President added, “Others have even taken the matter to court.

“On my own part, I have taken

some time to review and seek advice on the resolution. And what I found is that it contravenes both our party Constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“While the APC Constitution, in Article 17(1) and 13.2(B), limits the tenure of elected officers to four years, renewable once by another election, the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), in section 223, also prescribes periodic elections for party executives at regular intervals, which must not exceed four years.

“Furthermore, Article 31 of our party’s constitution provides that any principal officer wishing to re-contest or contest for another post, must resign from his current post at least one month before the election.”

Buhari said that under the circumstances, what is expected of the party is the conduct of fresh election the moment the tenure of the present executives approaches expiration.

He added that even the constitution of a caretaker committee cannot remedy the situation “and cannot validly act in place of elected officers.”

To finally put the issue beyond controversy, the President said, “Furthermore, I think if we deviate from the constitutional provisions, we might be endangering the fortunes of our party. If the tenure of our party executives can be legally faulted, then it means that any nominations and primary elections that they may conduct, can also be faulted.

“This is not to talk of divisions that would arise, and is already arising within the party, when some of our members feel that they are being denied the right to aspire to executive positions, or that internal democracy is not at play within the party.

“I am therefore of the firm view that it is better to follow strictly the dictates of our party and national constitutions, rather than put the APC and its activities at grave risk.

“Fortunately, we have already

Tinubu

approved a timetable for the holding of congresses and elections.

“I think these should be allowed to go forward and all efforts should now be geared towards making them a great success.”

Reacting to the new development, Tinubu threw his weight behaviour and the President’s stance.

In a statement he personally signed, and tilted: ‘The President Has Spoken: The APC Stands For Internal Democracy’, Tinubu praised the President for not beating about the bush in the tenure elongation saga.

Tinubu said, “In the clear, straightforward manner that is his mode of expression, and that befits the moment, President Buhari has affirmed that our party remains faithful to the principles of internal democracy and the rule of law.

“In his address to the March 27 NEC meeting, President Buhari stated that talk of extension or elongation of the tenures of national and state party executive officers was improper.

“The President declared that any such moves would contravene both the nation’s and party’s constitutions.

“Additionally, he stated that the designation of existing officers as caretaker committees also violated constitutional requirements.”

Tinubu said President Buhari’s action has saved the APC from serious legal turmoil, adding that “if the elongations were deemed illegal, then all subsequent party actions, including the nomination of all of our candidates for elective offices, might also be of questionable legality.” The APC National Leader averred that such a predicament would constitute an unnecessary and mortal blow to the party and its role in promoting progressive governance to Nigeria.

He added, “Moreover, President Buhari has affirmed for all to see that our party is one based on the rule of law, coupled with a firm adherence to internal democracy.

“While it would have been easy

to allow the ill-conceived motion of 27 February to stand, President Buhari showed principle and courage by steering the party back to its original and correct path.

“The President has spoken.

Today is a good day for those who cherish democracy and legality.

His action will also serve to strengthen the party by allowing party members, including present incumbents, to seek to contribute to the party by vying for executive offices as they see fit.

“His action will go far in advancing the process of internal reconciliation that is now underway. It is a time for the party to move forward and begin to plan and organise the needed congresses according to the existing timetables.

“After all, a party bearing the name All Progressives Congress should be the last party to resist holding congresses in which all its people have a fair say and fair chance to aspire to any position in the party for which they are qualified to hold.

“Again, this is a good day for the APC and democratic political practice in Nigeria. We shun the politics of old to move toward a new and better way of governing ourselves and this nation.”

But even then, the APC has insisted that the tenure extension still stands, despite the President’s stance against the saga.

The party, speaking through its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said that President Buhari’s rejection of the tenure extension of the party’s NWC, led by its chairman, Odigie-Oyegun, has not changed the status quo, adding that the extension still stands.

Abdullahi said that the President only expressed his personal opinion, which cannot be said to be position of the NEC. He said until the NEC reverses itself, the extension remains.

With this development, it seems the battle line is drawn and we need to wait to see who blinks first in the saga.

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POLITICS 53

Abraham

Akeredolu Vs Abraham: Gladiators Return To The Trenches TOPE FAYEHUN writes on the continued crisis rocking the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly, in the wake of the recent pronouncement of the Supreme Court on the outcome of the September 3, 2016 governorship primary election of the party, which threw up Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and which is being contested by Segun Abraham

T

he dust raised by the outcome of the September 3, 2016 governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, is yet to settle, as an appeal filed by the state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, against the order of the Federal High Court, Abuja which granted permission to Segun Abraham, an aspirant in the primary election, to serve the court processes on the governor through substituted means, was dismissed.

Abraham, first runnerup in the September 2016, governorship primary of the party, had approached a Federal High Court, Abuja, to challenge the election of Governor Akeredolu as the candidate of the APC in the last governorship election.

Prior to the judgement, the leadership of the party, including Akeredolu, had been pretending that all was well with the party, when Akeredolu said that the presence of the “peace maker,” apparently referring to the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was not needed in the state.

The governor had said during a media chat in Akure, as part of activities to mark his first year in office, that “there is stability in Ondo State, we don’t have

problems. Some people may claim there is problem in the APC in Ondo State. But there is no problem. I am sure that the peacemaker, Bola Tinubu, will have no reason to come here, because we are at peace with ourselves. We have a party. We have a chairman and the party is being run very well. We welcome people.

“The party is growing and it is growing in a manner that all of us are happy about it that we have a solid party on ground.

So, when there is no problem, you don’t need a peace maker so that he will not come and create problem. We don’t need the peace maker. We are saying that we are at peace with one another. Let us run the party the way we have been running it.”

But the recent development has renewed hostility between the two factions of the party in the state.

Abraham, who had earlier congratulated Akeredolu after he was declared the winner of the primary with a promise to support his governorship bid, later made a U-turn, alleging some discrepancies in the process of the exercise and consequently filed a petition before the Election Appeal Committee, calling for the outright cancellation of the election.

In upholding Akeredolu’s

election, the National Working Committee (NWC) struck out the report of the Appeal Committee, which had earlier recommended the cancellation of the September 3, 2016 primary election.

The party’s apex decision making organ averred that the Appeal Committee’s report was prejudicial and largely perfunctory, as its decision was based on unsubstantiated allegations and spurious claims of electoral manipulations.

And Abraham, not satisfied with the NWC’s decision, approached a Federal High Court, Abuja, to challenge the election of Akeredolu as the candidate of the APC in the November 26, 2016 governorship election in the state.

In his pre-election suit, the litigant, Abraham, prayed the court to sack Akeredolu on the ground that he was not validly nominated to participate in the poll.

Abraham insisted that the primary election which produced Akeredolu as the APC flag bearer was fraught with irregularities as affirmed by an investigative committee of the party, which also recommended a repeat of the exercise.

The Federal High Court gave an order that granted Abraham permission to serve court processes on Akeredolu through

substituted means, a decision affirmed by the Appeal Court, when Akeredolu appealed the decision of the lower court.

Not satisfied with the decision of the Appeal Court, Akeredolu approached the Supreme Court to challenge the order granted by the two lower courts. He prayed the apex court to set-aside the July 2017 judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

But the apex court, in a unanimous judgment by a fiveman panel of justices, on the appeal marked: SC/698?2017, held that Akeredolu’s contention that the suit ought to have been served on him personally, lacked merit.

Justice John Okoro, in the lead judgment, but read by Justice Ejembi Eko, upheld the earlier decision of the Court of Appeal and awarded N500,000 cost against Akeredolu, in favour of Abraham.

Reactions from both camps As the news of the Supreme Court ruling gets to the state, a group within the party, Abraham Support Group (ASG) asked Akeredolu to toe the path of nobility and resign honourably before he is disgraced out of office.

The group, which rolled ➔ CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE

The party is growing and it is growing in a manner that all of us are happy about it that we have a solid party on ground

54

POLITICS

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Akeredolu Vs Abraham: Gladiators Return To The Trenches

Odigie-Oyegun ➔ FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

At best, the ruling only succeeded in correcting Abraham to serve Akeredolu through substituted means in relation to the suit he (Abraham) filed

out the drums to celebrate the verdict, alleged marginalisation due to the posture of the “winner takes all” of the governor and his group, and described the Supreme Court verdict as a “victory for democracy.”

A statement issued and signed

by Mr. Kunle Eko Davies, the Director-General of the ASG, stated, “The Olusegun Abraham Campaign Organisation receives the Supreme Court judgement of March 23, 2018 with utmost respect for judiciary in Nigeria.

“The judgement, which is celebrated all over the world is a victory for democracy. We urge the people of Ondo State to remain calm, collected and continue to hope in God through the judiciary for the expected judgment in the case between Dr. Olusegun Abraham and Rotimi Akeredolu to determine the authentic flag bearer of the APC in the 2017 Ondo governorship election.

“We also want to correct the falsehood being peddled by the Akeredolu organisation that there is no case in the matter. The judgement by the Supreme Court showed that we have a good case and the frivolous attitude of Mr. Akeredolu and his cohorts will no longer be tolerated.

“Mr Akeredolu should toe the line of the noble and resign honourably before he is disgraced out of office. The perpetrated fraud that attended the party governorship primary is open and fresh in the memory of all and sundry.

“Once again, we felicitate with the good people of Ondo State and lovers of truth all over the world in an assured victory through the

Tinubu

court.”

But in a swift reaction, Segun Ajiboye, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, described the judgment as a non-issue.

Ajiboye said, “The Ondo State governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), has assured the people of the state that there is no cause for alarm over the Supreme Court ruling, which dismissed the appeal filed by him.

“He describes the ruling as a non-issue. The governor asks the peace-loving people to dismiss the ruling, adding that it is nothing to worry about and advised them to continue to support his administration in its determination to develop the state.

“What the Supreme Court ruled on was whether the service of the originating process on the APC secretariat in Abuja, instead of Governor Akeredolu, was right or not.

“At best, the ruling only succeeded in correcting Abraham to serve Akeredolu through substituted means in relation to the suit he (Abraham) filed.

“Governor Akeredolu, therefore, wants to state equivocally that there is no cause for alarm over the ruling delivered by the Supreme Court.”

Also, the state chapter of the APC, through its Director, Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, countered the group’s claim, saying Akeredolu remained Ondo governor.

According to Otaloro, the group, which he described as “political almajiris and confusionists,” misinterpreted the apex court’s verdict as “outright removal of Arakunrin Akeredolu from office and to be replaced with the applicant, Abraham.

He said, “We have read the verdict of the Supreme Court to allow the commencement of the hearing of a case filed by one of the aspirants who participated in the 2016 APC governorship primary in Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Abraham, on the outcome of the primary in the court of law.

“It’s unfortunate that this group of people decided to confuse members of our party and the good people of Ondo State that the ruling was in favour of their leader. Without prejudice to the judgement handed down by the Supreme Court, every member of the APC is convinced that the primary was free, fair and transparent.

“It is established that the authentic party register was used at the primary, which was adjudged free, fair and acceptable by the party which would still form the basis for the application of the plaintiff.

“However, we want to urge all members of our party and the good people of Ondo State to remain calm and refused to be confused on the court verdict, which is a mere permission to begin the hearing of the case itself.

“It is pertinent to let our members and people of Ondo State know that the governor is unperturbed, being a legal luminary who understands that the Supreme Court verdict only permits him to open up his defence and put the record straight.

“The veracity of the matter is largely on his (Akeredolu) side, considering the avalanche of evidence in his (Akeredolu) favour.

Arakunrin Akeredolu’s character, popularity and conviction on the fair conduct of the primary prompted other contestants in the

primary to congratulate him when he was declared winner.

“It is also clear that the apex court’s verdict is a sheer approval to commence hearing of a case that has not begun.

“Nevertheless, Abraham is currently alone on this legal journey as all other contestants in the primary have been working towards strengthening the party, while the national leadership of the party as well as our national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are already working with Arakunrin Akeredolu and Ondo State chapter of our party for successful implementation of all his peopleoriented programmes.

“Considering the current unity among members of the party, Abraham is standing alone in his illusion, trying to whip up a dead horse.”

However, watchers claim it is alleged that Akeredolu still holds grudge against those who preferred Abraham to his candidature during the last primaries and seems not ready to forgive them.

With the recent happenings, careful observers have noted that there are big egos to contain and big wars brewing among contending party leaders across the state.

The intervention of the National Reconciliation Committee headed

by Asiwaju Tinubu, according to political watchers, is highly needed in the state.

If not, recent development and many others, are some of the signals that the ruling party is toeing the same destructive path that led to the downfall of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state; and one can safely say that the battle has just begun as the gladiators have returned to the trenches to outdo each other.

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INTERVIEW 55

2019: PDP In Dreamland Over Power Takeover – Opetuga Mr Ademola Opetuga, a businessman, who also takes special interest in all the political activities going on around him shares his thoughts on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term bid and other sundry national issues with OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU Every Nigerian is a politician, do you intend to aspire to any political office now or in the near future?

good because we are going to have quality people in politics at the grassroots. A good person who will come out as an independent candidate and win election and he would be a pain in the neck in the legislature.

Whatever they want to do, he would voice out and we need some changes, practical changes in our body politick.

One of my brothers has lost so much money in politics, I feel for him, but I don’t want to be in his shoes. I will rather quietly maintain, be on the sideline and be giving my opinions as long as I have my PVC, I will be voting. I think that is very important, so that one is not left behind. I will make sure I vote and perform my civic responsibility, that is as far as I want to go.

So many state governors have not been able to meet up with payment of salaries, what do you think is responsible for it? And what do you think they should do?

Comparing Nigeria of today to Nigeria of your growing up years, what are your thoughts?

The infrastructures are developed today compared to those days.

But the conscience of people has become seriously lacerated; when a pastor can kill a girlfriend, who got pregnant for him and the girlfriend of that girl with her child, were also killed by the pastor. So you can see that people have lost conscience. There is a lot of recklessness and a lot of wickedness in the land. That is what I see as the difference in our society now from when we were growing up.

2019 is around the corner and there have been different voices from different angles for President Muhammadu Buhari to contest or not to contest, if you in the position, what would be your advice to him?

Firstly, frankly speaking, because of his health and his age, I would advise him to go and rest, so that he can use the remaining age of his lifetime peacefully. But I can see from his body language that he loves Aso Rock very well.

Maybe it is the rats that would send him away again because he did well during his past regime.

One case I will not forget easily is the one involving a man who defiled a five-yearold girl and six year old boy. The six years old boy was hungry and asked him for food

From you own assessment vis a vis where we were coming from as a nation and the problems he inherited, how would you assess his performance so far?

I will say a lot of things are happening around him, I do not see him activating a lot of policies and actions. He seems to have been captured and put into inside a cage and some people are beginning to think that there are some cabals who are doing certain things for their own narrow selfish reasons.

In fact, this nation would have gone very far if we have a man with the foresight, who had strong views about things and was ready to forcefully see those views though, but I see him as a cynical sinister-minded, with a very deep kind of character. That is my view.

Opetuga He came into power with three prong agenda: the economy, the insecurity and corruption. In your own assessment, has he done well in these areas in the last three years?

I think he has driven corruption into a corner. People are cleverly getting more corrupt.

There are politics that have mitigated corruption like BVN; and like this regulation that makes all European countries to tell the Nigerian government all the kind of funny money that are entering their countries which are not directly his own making.

On the economy, a lot of things are happening, and because the nature of Nigerians is dynamic, very hard working.

And on insecurity, we have not gotten to the promise land and they have started shouting Hallelujah. The Boko Haram sect is still causing so much troubles and when the Boko Haram scourge is going down, the herdsmen are busy causing more troubles and doing their own Boko Haram. He is busy firefighting and he doesn’t want to agree to state policing, and all those things that have been identified as panacea to the insecurity problem.

Do you think that establishing state police will go a long way to serve some of this insecurity problem?

Yes it will help. It will help

because if there is community policing and you see any strange person walking during the day, he will be accosted, and questioned. That person will be afraid so community policing would do a lot of good for this our nation.

Let’s look at National Assembly, how would you assess their performance so far?

The National Assembly has been very parochial, thinking about themselves, their selfish interest. They are concerned about their constituency project, they are very revolutionary and the Senate and the House of Representatives are the highest paid legislative bodies in the world and they are doing next to nothing to us, they are talkers.

For me, many of the state administrations are unnecessarily unwieldy. They cannot spend the budget of the state on paying salaries, so for me the next thing is to cut down the excessive expenditure for people to multi-task. They have a lot to take care of, roads, education, health, and so on. You can imagine when they will say recurrent expenditure is higher than capital expenditure.

And that means that ‘chopulating’ is more important than infrastructure development. These are the kind of nonsense that we see around.

It is better that we maintain a narrow tight administration.

Let them do infrastructural development, let there be visible development, and they will get more tax. When Babatunde Raji Fashola was there, you could see market women going to line up to pay their taxes willingly, without been compelled and that is a good sign. Down here, we are very lucky, but up there, they depend on the Federal Government.

How would you assess the opposition in Nigeria today?

There is no opposition. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has not gotten it right. They have ravaged the opposition and so, nobody takes them serious anymore. In fact, new political parties will constitute more What is your assessment of the relevant opposition than the PDP. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration of Lagos State?

I think with his emphasis on taxation, he is getting a lot of money and he is doing very well.

He tries to take care of all the divisions of the state; 100 roads, 500 roads; so he makes the money to reach the grass roots. Only the grass roots consume the money before it gets to the masses, like my friend, in their council are busy ‘chopulating’ money and it does not to get to the masses.

But they are fighting for autonomous for local government and I think it is a good thing if it is autonomous, it will be very

But the PDP is saying that it is poised to take over power from the All Progressives Congress, APC in 2019…

The PDP knows from their hearts of heart that they cannot get it; who is following them? May be those people that they give rice and beans. These are the people that are following them.

But really, somebody who has been seeing Governor Ambode critically developing the state will now go and follow a Jimi Agbaje or somebody who has no predegree? No! No! No! The PDP is just noise maker.

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Women, Men Should Have Equal Representation In Govt – Zira Francis Ansalem Zirra, a young journalist, entrepreneur, writer and the leader of Nigerianization Project, is a presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He speaks with GABRIEL ATUMEYI What is the Nigerianization which you claim to be leading?

Nigerianization is the robust intellectual diagnosis of our country by some philosophers, thinkers and men who understand the future of their own history. The vision of Nigerianization is that all Nigerians are involved in the process of making Nigeria great, where all of us will be greater than just a few of us; where one life is as significant as that of the Abuja politicians, where resources are planned, well managed and fairly distributed based on each life of all Nigerians for all lives matter.

Do you intend to contest for the presidency of Nigeria on the platform of the PDP?

Presently I am a member of the PDP. I formally declared on the 23 February. My supporters and I took to the chairman of our great party my declaration of interest letter which you have seen a copy, addressing the challenges and why I intend to run for this particular position. But I am also working with other Nigerians that are young political aspirants especially for the seat of the president and I believe that is what Nigerianization is all about. It is the renewal of our national political class by the youths who have long been said to be the leaders of a tomorrow that has dawned. So far my supporters and I have met a variety of people that are coming together as young people without discrimination. As for now I am contesting for the seat of the President.

Currently, the Not-too-young-

to-run bill despite being passed by 25 state Assemblies has not received the final nod of the National Assembly making it a law of the land. Do you think your age is sufficient to enable you to contest for this highly coveted office?

So far my supporters and I have met a variety of people that are coming together as young people without discrimination. As for now I am contesting for the seat of the President

In fact, even if the not-too-youngto-run bill is passed it wouldn’t even guarantee me to go for this particular position but the laws are made for the people. The preamble of our constitution begins with we the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are to define the kind of leadership we want, it simply means social justice. It is a question of to be or not to be. Although we have our legal team seriously working on it, I must say the change of age from 45 and 40 years is not even necessary in the first place.

The constitution of Nigeria implies that at 18 you have the right to vote and be voted for. So I think the age limitation is the first mistake of the constitution. The constitution is a very important document in the country but it is unfortunate that on 3 January, 2018 the constitution failed to protect 73 people in Benue State, it also failed to protect the Chibok girls, we thank God that the Dapchi girls are back with so many conspiracy theories. A clause in the constitution doesn’t allow me but the constitution also

gives me the power that I belong to this country and I have the right to make it better. I am not fighting with the constitution. There is this commentary that Buhari became the President of Nigeria on the basis of 3/4, 75 percent is a pass mark. He was more than 45 years as we know it, he belonged to a political party and he was a citizen of Nigeria. Although it has not yet been proven that he has no certificate, I think in my own case, the only issue is the age thing, I belong to a political party, I am a citizen of Nigeria and I am educated. So automatically with that as a backing, I still think that 75 is a pass mark. It should not be about age, we know how old many of our leaders were in the 1960s yet they held the helms of affairs.

So the Nigerian Presidency should not be reduced to the size of your pocket or age. Professor Kwaghe said in an interview granted in the first week of February, in which he insulted all the Nigerian youths, saying is it because of the constitutional age limit, why don’t we fight for it? As at now, we are not going with the Not-too-youngto-run bill. The main thing is that if we can mobilize and get ourselves together, then age is not a problem.

Of late there have been talks in the media and other cycles about the idea of independent candidature, especially given the gerontocratic and oligarchic nature of the party establishments in Nigeria, what is your view?

It is the only way out for true leaders to emerge but it is not going to be possible. Number one, you know how the system is.

Secondly, it is going to be abused

by Nigerians. While the party system is also good, we fear the overshadowing of young people like me. The independent candidature is a way out for us but I don’t see it becoming a reality anytime soon.

Now, the National political scene has been witnessing realignment in the form of a third form supported by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. What is your perception given the calibre of men in their ranks?

If you go through our letter, my declaration letter, you will see it, this sort of union prevents the free play of natural forces, halts the struggle that selects the best man and forever prevents the healthier and the stronger from achieving the necessary and final victory. I see their coalition as an interference with the process of finding a solution than they strengthen it.

Nigerians should disregard such calls as cancerous. But Obasanjo who is an Alma mater of my present institution, the National Open University of Nigeria, I have much respect for him but I want you to know that we are going to work against any coalition. If Singapore is praising Lee Kuan yu and Mandela in South Africa and other great

Zira

leaders but come to Nigeria, but come to Nigeria people don’t even celebrate Obasanjo except we bring sentiment into our analysis. Even in the South-West a lot of people don’t support the idea of Obasanjo leading a third force. Obasanjo doesn’t have a visible political base in Nigeria. What he has is sort of moral authority, when he speaks, Nigerians still give weight to his opinion. So I think the third force is a lost agenda. The PDP which I belong to is working seriously, day and night to see that it gets back to power; which it will by the grace of God. I once told an interviewer that the lion might not even enter the localities because the majority of us are in the rural areas and especially in the North, the South-East, South-West, South-South, where the majority are concerned with the broom or the umbrella, that is the APC and the PDP. So the contest is basically between the APC and the PDP. I don’t think the so-called third force can get anywhere or is a way out.

pray they do so. So automatically the money syndrome in politics will be reduced. This people have the financial wherewithal to give huge largess to delegates. But we are not deterred, and right now we have succeeded in enlisting the support of an undisclosed number of delegates. In our discussion with some of these delegates, I said, even when you put your personal gains above the general good you have not succeeded in significantly changing your lives.

That even we they partake in such jamborees they can still cast their according to the dictates of their best judgment. We understand that money involvement is part of politicking. I explained our dreams and told them this is just the way out. A lot of them bought into the idea. Some will tell you “I will get my team of delegates to see how we can work together.”

Do you think you can grab the presidential ticket of the PDP or is it just another pipe dream?

First of all, I will like to acknowledge myself as an African feminist which is quite different from the radical feminism of the European or American sociocultural context, for the past two years I have been active in women development. I have been involved in a number of women development issues. I am also an author and it may interest you to know that I have written several works which includes “in the spirit of African feminism” and the godmother equation, which is simply a source of inspiration for women. I also operate a youth club where I work with young people on self development. I have been striving assiduously to make contributions to grassroots development. Given

It is very possible. In my own dictionary I had to cut out the word impossible for a very long time.

That was even the beginning of my own motivation. For the past five or six years I have achieved what I call the Nigerian dream. At my own pace and I know the struggle I have passed through. So I don’t think there is anything that is impossible in Nigeria. As at now we are mobilizing youths to get on board. We are also working to see how we can win the support of delegates. Look at it this way, we have an issue of money politics, but thank God the EFCC has promised that they will be monitoring all the presidential primaries that will take place across the country. We

As an ambitious and aspiring youth what has been your contributions to the development of the Nigerian youths and people?

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OPINION 57

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The Ahmadu Bello Way

BY AINOKO ISRAEL AYE-EBENE & DAUDA GARUBA

In 1954, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardaunan Sokoto became the first (and only) Premier of Northern Nigeria. In the 1959 independence elections, Sir Ahmadu Bello led the (NPC) to win a plurality of the parliamentary seats. The Sardauna’s NPC forged an alliance with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NPC) to form Nigeria’s first indigenous federal government which led to independence from Britain. In forming the 1960 independence federal government of Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello as leader of the NPC, chose to remain Premier of Northern Nigeria and devolved the position of Prime Minister of the Federation to the deputy leader of the party, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

The choice to remain as the Premier of Northern Nigeria was a conscious one; a keen understanding of the fact that the building block for national development is regional development. His major priority was to push for the realisation of a Northern region that can politically and economically compete with Western and Eastern regions of Nigeria. In 2018, this has proven both prescient and foresighted, as the clamour for restructuring of the federation to grant greater powers to the sub-national entities grows even louder. The North, as we know it, is too large and important a component of Nigeria to lag behind the rest of the country. If allowed to lag, it would constitute a dead weight and drag the rest of the country back.

Prof. Isah Odidi and Dr. Baba J. Adamu have in a well-researched compilation entitled Sir Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto: The seasons of a man’s life, summarised the approach of Sir Ahmadu Bello to governance as follows: “The development strategy of the government under Ahmadu Bello may be summarized as trying to achieve regional parity through affirmative-action politics. This “northernization policy” was the basic agenda for development, and reflected a profound belief on the part of Ahmadu Bello that northerners had the capability for

rapid development, if given the opportunity. Hence, education was a top priority, and the foundation of all other development efforts.

Education and human resources were encouraged at all levels, and in all fields, and between 1954 and 1965 considerable progress was made. Importantly, Ahmadu Bello was able to diffuse the latent resentment and suspicion at the grassroots level among Muslims over the nature and purpose of western education. He was able to mobilize local leaders in the “war against ignorance,” and lay the educational foundations for the future. His crash programs in professional education in Kano and Zaria and Kaduna, and his insistence on the establishment of a northern university at a time when many felt it was premature, attest to his forward-looking view of development. He recognized that “catching up” would take at least a generation, and hence tried to provide the political climate wherein northern youth could be encouraged and even initially protected in their opportunities for education. The decade from the mid 1950s to the mid-1960s produced the first mass-educated efforts in the north, which in turn have produced the first broadly based generation of northern professional and educated leaders.”

Sir Ahmadu Bello pursued a program that sought to modernise the delivery of Islamic education in and integrate it with secular education in Northern Nigeria.

He was pro-education and promoted an aggressive policy of building world-class educational institutions all across Northern Nigeria as well as incentivising attendance at these schools. He prosecuted a war against illiteracy (“yaki da jahilici”). Unfortunately, what we have witnessed in recent times in parts of Northern Nigeria is a reversal of the gains attained through the innovations pursued

by Sir Ahmadu Bello in education and the all out war he prosecuted against illiteracy and ignorance.

We are witnessing a reinstatement of pre-colonial attitudes towards secular education in parts of Northern Nigeria, which has led in part to the emergence of the phenomenon of ‘Boko haram.’

Under Sir Ahmadu Bello, various institutions were created to drive economic growth in Northern

Nigeria. These included among several, the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation (NNDC), which was created to assist in industrial development in Northern Nigeria. The Bank of the North and the Northern Nigeria Investments Limited (NNIL), a partnership with the Commonwealth Development Corporation. Commenting further on Sir Ahmadu Bello’s approach to socio-economic development in their compilation, Prof. Odidi and Dr. Adamu wrote:Beyond education, the top development priorities were agriculture, industry and infrastructure. Ahmadu Bello believed that agriculture was the backbone of the north.

He took an active interest in farming throughout his life, and was particularly concerned with issues of water, and the introduction of new technology into grassroots-level farming. He believed that local farmers would seize the opportunities for selfImprovement if provided with resources and incentives. He also saw agriculture as providing a basis for industrialization in the north, especially in the cash-crop areas of cotton and groundnuts. His search for capital and technology in the areas of textile mills, groundnut oil mills, etc., was always accompanied by an insistence on indigenization of business opportunities, and local staff-development training schemes. He also saw the need for improved infrastructure and communications as part of the need to develop a productive agricultural economy, since without feeder roads and inter-city connections produce could not be moved to markets. His concern for infrastructure, however, was also related to strategic concerns about community consolidation, both within the north and at a national level.

The passion and commitment of Sir Alhaji Ahmadu Bello to the welfare of persons of Northern Nigerian descent and his pragmatic approach to the development of Northern Nigeria described above can be termed “the Ahmadu Bello Way” which summarises ensuring the competitiveness of Northern Nigeria within the larger construct of the Nigerian federation. To achieve this he united the ethnoreligiously diverse people of Northern Nigeria under a single

political agenda and led a cabinet that pursued the twin policies of mass education and capacity building of the citizens on the one hand, and economic development and industrialization of the region with agriculture as the back bone on the other. It is worthy of note that this approach to the growth and development of Northern Nigeria pursued by Sir Ahmadu Bello largely mirrored the approach to growth and development in Western Nigeria and Eastern Nigeria. Sir Ahmadu Bello, therefore ensured that Northern Nigeria did not lag behind the rest of Nigeria and in fact competed favourably with the rest of the country.

In our opinion, the present crop of Northern Nigerian elites who claim descent from the Sardauna’s political philosophy and claim legitimacy by his name have in fact departed from the Ahmadu Bello Way. By fixating almost exclusively on holding on to political power and office at the federal level, the present crop of Northern Nigeria elites, demonstrate a lack of passion and commitment to the people and the pragmatism depicted by the Ahmadu Bello legacy. Otherwise, they would have observed that the socio-economic and political landscapes have shifted both nationally and globally. They would have observed that political power and office alone serves only their selfish interest, and as such, grossly inadequate to lift the people of Northern Nigeria out of poverty and set them on the path of economic prosperity. They would have observed that Western and Eastern Nigeria (which is inclusive of today’s South) have evolved a system for growth and development that is based on the foundation of human capital development and almost independent of the federal government.

Coming out of the civil war, the itinerant tailor (called Obioma), who peddled his trade with a mobile sewing machine perched on his shoulder, were almost entirely persons from Eastern Nigeria as suggested by the name. Today, almost one hundred percent of the itinerant tailors are from Northern Nigeria. The commentary here is obvious – i.e. a metaphor of social mobility of two people in diametrically opposed directions.

While the Northern elites were grabbing political power with

single-minded focus, the Igbos ensured that every child either acquired education and thus become ‘employable’, or learnt a trade and became self-employed.

The result, in half a generation, was that the people of Eastern Nigeria exited low paying menial tasks for higher paying employment, thus lifting thousands out of poverty.

Western Nigeria has a similar socioeconomic structure that emphasizes education and entrepreneurship.

Were he to be with us today, Sir Ahmadu Bello would evolved with these trends and promote a sociocultural revolution in Northern Nigeria that would ensure that the North adopts the twin policies of education and entrepreneurship at the grassroots as the new way of competing. His passion and commitment for the people and pragmatic approach to life and governance would have led him to realise that political power by itself was inadequate to lift the people out of poverty. He would also have come to terms with the fact that in a constantly shifting socio-political landscape, political power at the center is not guaranteed to any section of the country. Therefore, a strategy that is hinged exclusively on holding on to political power at the center is either mischievous or myopic and unrealistic at best.

By way of conclusion, I join wellmeaning Nigerians, especially those of Northern Nigerian descent, to implore their elites and leaders of their regions to return to the Ahmadu Bello Way. We must stop blaming other people for our travails and seize our destiny by the scruff of the neck. We must use our influence with the people to promote a socio-cultural revolution that would ensure that no child is left behind. We can christen it ‘No Child Left Behind’ or any other name, as long as it ensures that every child is employable or self-employed through education, vocational training and skill acquisition programs. This will provide a basis for regional and national development that would see the north realise its true potential.

– Aye-Ebene is a lawyer, entrepreneur & development enthusiast, while Dauda Garuba is a researcher & development practitioner on questions of governance, security & development.

Women, Men Should Have Equal Representation In Govt – Zira ➔ FROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE

my age and grassroots activism, I believe it is plausible. The country is full of individuals who despite their wealth levels have not made relatively respectable contributions to grassroots and social developments. If I can give you rough statistics, women should consist of not less than 50 per cent of our society. But it is unfortunate that they are not fairly represented at the helm of affairs in this country

even at the local level.

Nigerian women have in the past demonstrated strength and power, symbolized in events like the Aba women riot of 1929, where they had to confront the colonial authorities on taxes and hike in prices. So women can achieve their successes without even being radical. In my own Administration I think it will be 50/50. Goodluck Jonathan had done some for the women, people like Dr Ngozi okonjo Iweala, are people that the world is still reckoning with. It is

good for women to contest, at least to test the waters, but it is good to follow someone that will respect your own ideology. Women should support and follow people that have a place for them. For example, one of the strategies we are trying to come up with to empower women to get politically active is that when we come on board 50 per cent of ministries and parastatals will be held and controlled by the women and after two years, they will be relieved of their duties as we will

bring in other set of women as a means of empowering them so that when they go back to their localities they could exercise political leverages and play significant roles in socio-political and economic development of the nation. They could even form an alliance and push on until somewhere in the future they can hold the highest office in the land. It is one step at a time. It is something that deals with vision. Women would have to grow beyond depending on the men

for their livelihood. It depends on bringing out the best of their God’s given talents and embarking their respective task with diligence and self respect. Therefore, African feminism is a call for women to go back to the basis, to do their social responsibility as well as strive to achieve more within the span of their own existence. Also in the African continent we can see such examples like the former Liberian president who is an embodiment of political and intellectual will.

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Saturday, March 31, 2017

Villa Diary with Jonathan Nda-Isaiah

Release Of Dapchi Schoolgirls And Matters Arising

T

his week, Aso Rock presidential villa was in a boisterous mood. The President’s men were seen around the place walking with a spring in their steps. Guess why: 30 days after the Boko Haram insurgents abducted the schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe State, the federal government secured their freedom last week.

According to the government, the freedom of the schoolgirls, including that of a boy and a girl, was negotiated through back-door channels with the insurgents.

As expected, conspiracy theorists started spinning different narratives that suggested that the abduction was a scam. The major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the abduction and release of the Dapchi was stagemanaged.

Soon after the girls were released, I told a colleague that the PDP we know must certainly find faults in the release of the girls. That, I added, should not marvel anybody because

as an opposition party that is battling hard to regain power at the centre, the PDP will clandestinely be wishing in their heart that the girls are not released before the 2019 general election so that they will use it as a veritable campaign tool.

My colleague dismissed my fears as mere thinking. He said he was sure the PDP would rise above politics this time around and congratulate the federal government because the issue at stake borders on the lives of innocent Nigerians.

But the PDP proved me right when it issued a statement picking holes in the process of releasing the girls. I immediately forwarded it to my colleague who was shocked to the marrow. He said Nigerian politicians will never grow beyond partisan politics.

Some Nigerians also became security experts. They quoted the popular maxim, which says no country negotiates with terrorists, but the truth of the matter is that all countries negotiate with terrorists if the need arises. An investigation

by The New York Times revealed that Al-Qaeda and its affiliates have taken in at least $125 million in revenue from kidnappings since 2008. These payments were made almost exclusively by European governments, which funneled the money through a network of proxies, sometimes masking it as development aid.

Also, in the Iran–Contra affair, the Reagan administration in the United States sought to free seven American hostages being held in Lebanon by Hezbollah, a paramilitary group with Iranian ties connected to the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, by selling them weapons. In May 2014, the US government secured the release of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five Taliban prisoners held in Guantanamo.

Israel in 1993 secretly negotiated the Oslo accords with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), even as the PLO continued its terrorist campaign and refused to recognise Israel’s right to exist.

Also in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, Hamas released Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in exchange for 1,027 prisoners held by Israel.

With the aforementioned examples, it is apparent that almost all the world powers actually secretly negotiate with terrorists.

Last week Friday at the presidential Villa, President Muhammad Buhari also received the released 104 Dapchi schoolgirls.

According to one of the released girls, five of the girls died due to suffocation and one of them Leah Sharibu was held back by the insurgents because she refused to renounce her faith. President Buhari vowed to secure the release of Leah and the remaining Chibok girls still in Boko Haram captivity.

The President also offered amnesty to the Boko Haram terrorists who are willing to lay down their arms.

In his address, the President also warned that security agencies will deal severely with those he described as “unscrupulous characters” who make political fortune out of

abductions in the country. Buhari equally warned that any security chief who approaches his assigned task with levity, giving room for lapses would be dealt with.

The President affirmed that Boko Haram insurgents released the Dapchi schoolgirls penultimate Wednesday unconditionally after painstaking back-channel negotiations. He said government opted for negotiation because it did not want any of the girls to be hurt, adding that the strategy paid off.

While appealing to the Chibok community never to lose hope or despair, President Buhari restated the determination of his administration to bring back the remaining Chibok girls still being held by their abductors. He urged insurgents operating in the Northeast to cease hostilities and surrender, stating that his government was ready to accept the unconditional laying down of arms by members of the Boko Haram sect who show strong commitment to do so.

the tripartite labour circle, smack of unpatriotism and selfish power play. There are whispers that the Ayuba led NLC said it has no faith in the Administrative Panel set up by the Minister when the requisite Directors of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Auditor General of the Federation , the Budget Office of the Federation , National Salaries Income and Wages Commission and three Directors from the Federal Ministry of labour all sit on the panel.

Unknown to most Nigerians, the NLC believes that with Kokori their man as chairman, and with its two statutory nominees, in addition to another two from NECA , it can do and undo in the board as well as dictate the tunes in the NSITF. This NLC’s ambitious calculation is regardless of an internal dissonance from their breakaway brothers in the newly formed federation, the United Labour Congress (ULC) which has been petitioning that its 18 affiliate unions are a sure guarantee for nominations into all the labour related parastatals such as the NSITF, National Directorate of Employment (NDE) National Productivity Centre (NPC) where the Labour Acts mentioned the NLC. I will come back to the NLC’s selfish game but let us at this juncture acknowledge that the man in the eye of the storm and who has demonstrated abundant capacity to weather storms, Ngige, appears to be neither enamoured of the internal dissension and factional contention in the labour federations nor losing sleep over the desperation and

mud-raking attending the push to get the board of NSITF prematurely inaugurated. But there is a voice of reason, a prized consolation to all workers in spite.

The United Labour Congress (UCL) through its General Secretary, Didi Adodo, in clear appreciation of the situation in the NSITF and the urgency of an in-depth cleansing, said in a recent interview. “The plundering that has taken place in the NSITF is enough for any rightthinking organisation and comrade to support a major probe that will not only unearth what has taken place but also bring the perpetrators to justice.” Adodo was supported by the Deputy President of UCL, Comrade Achese who demanded that the roles played by the representatives of the Labour and the private sector in the alleged NSITF fraud be fully probed, insisting that if found culpable, Nigerian workers should rise against the former board members for betraying them.

Interestingly, two members of the former board representing the NLC, Comrade Aderemi Adegboyaga and Chief R.U Uche, immediate past President of NECA are among the six persons including the former Chairman of the board, Ngozi Olojeme, a PDP chieftain and Campaign Finance Director to Former President Goodluck Jonathan as well as some management staff already arraigned by the EFCC for removing funds from the NSITF by E-Mandate from the First Bank, and changing same to about 48,485,127 dollars.

Ngige, Kokori And NSITF Board

BY DARLIGTON ANULE

To most Nigerians, especially stakeholders in the labour sector, the major saddle for the organised labour at the moment, ought to be the actualisation of the new minimum wage to bring the nation’s dipped working condition to the upbeat. However, the oozing tale of sleaze from the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund(NSITF) an agency whose role is cardinal to the wellbeing of the Nigerian workers through the implementation of the Employee Compensation(ECA) Act 2010 appear to have taken ascendancy. And the reason orbits primarily on an unfortunate negligence and connivance of a section of the labour leadership to the untoward development in the agency. While the organised Labour daily plays workers’ welfare as a trump, the unfolding tragedy where the statutory labour and private sector board representatives failed woefully as a bulwark against corruption is an embarrassing irony on their avowed commitment to the nation’s workforce.

The NSITF is stinking but that appears not to be the business of a section of the organised labour, especially the Ayuba Wabba led Nigerian Labour Congress(NLC) who in cahoots with the nominated chairman of the new NSITF board, Frank Kokori are engaged in desperate acts for its inauguration.

Hence, the decision of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige to counter this coup against the Nigerian workers has

pitted him in battle with them.

The minister with the nod of the President had insisted the board of the agency would be inaugurated after a nine man administrative panel of enquiry set up to probe its records from 2011 submitted its findings.

Giving his reasons for staying action on NSITF while inaugurating other boards earlier this month, Ngige said, “the NSITF is one board that has breached all aspects of the financial regulations to the extent that it has no Audited Report since 2013-five good years. The EFCC has investigated the place and discovered massive looting; has charged the chairman and some members of the former board to court, including some officials of the management that aided in the massive haemorrhaging of the agency to the tunes of billions.

About N30billion is reported to have been carted away and in one instance, about N5billion was taken away without vouchers in one day!”

He continued, “so government has set up a nine-man Administrative Panel of Enquiry comprising forensic expert and others to unearth what happened; how the internal audit mechanism in the place broke down irretrievably and unable to check this heinous and massive fraud . We want to know how the non-Executive Directors representing the NLC and Nigeria Employers Consultative Assembly (NECA) transmuted into Executive Directors and Executive Chairman.”

The report of the panel is expected in two weeks since it has taken four out its six weeks’ life. But

the minister didn’t end without sounding a note of warning that the new board which would come on stream when government has done the necessary gazette on the report of the panel must consist of men of integrity and impeccable character.

You may then ask the reason for desperation by Kokori and the NLC. Why the hurry and the skirmishes?

Though opinions are divided, it looks like the fear of the unknown is a strong tendency. With the fingers of the representatives of labour in the defunct board, deep in the pie, who knows where the trail of the probe will run to.

The “Kokori is our man” mantra in a section of the labour movement could have other meanings as his nomination could not in any way be more important than unearthing the pillaging of workers’ contributions running into billions of naira- the pillaging was so vast and diverse that Pay As You Earn( PAYEE) Tax deductions, Pension Contributions, Housing Fund Contributions as well as outstanding staff allowances such as housing, education, clothing and promotion were not sent to the appropriated bodies as they were all gutted by corruption by 2013. And that Kokori himself is not comfortable with the non-inauguration of the board notwithstanding reasons the government has given, heightens the suspicion. Is this “our man” chorus, a type of a spanner in the works, covering of tracks? Can’t say certainly but deeper developments in the internal politics of the organized labour in relation to the NSITF, the flagship agency of

– Anule is a social critic based in Abuja.

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Saturday, March 31, 2018

Mr Akan Okon; Minister of State for Aviation, Sen Hadi Sirika and former Minister of FCT, Sen Adamu Aliero, during the 4th Aviation Stakeholders Forum in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO

BY NAN.

Fidelity Bank, Andersen Organise Tax Forum Fidelity Bank Plc, in partnership with Andersen Tax Nigeria, has embarked on a sensitization programme aimed at enlightening customers, including its High Net worth Individual (HNIs) clientele on changing trends in Nigeria’s tax landscape.

The bank’s divisional head, Private Banking, Mrs. Chioma Nwankwo who spoke at a recent tax advisory forum organised by Fidelity Bank said it was designed specifically to educate customers on the current tax system and its attendant impact on their businesses and financial wellbeing.

“In view of the fast approaching Federal Government’s Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration

Easter: Senatorial Aspirant Felicitates With Christians As Christians all over the world celebrate Easter, Kaduna Central Senatorial Aspirant, Honourable Usman Ibrahim, has called on the people of the Zone and entire State to be united and renew their commitments to moral rejuvenation of the state.

In a statement signed by him and made available to newsmen in Kaduna, he congratulated Christians for a successful completion of lent.

Hon Ibrahim called on Christians to imbibe the lessons of the holy period and allow them reflect on their daily life.

“I urge Christians to remain committed to the service of God and humanity.

You should be determined to show affection, care and sympathy to all and sundry as demonstrated

by Jesus Christ.

“As you came out pure and simple from this spiritual rejuvenation, you are expected to live an exemplary life of Jesus Christ,” Hon Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim also called on the people of the state to pray for the success of the current administration in its determination to restore dignity and honour to the country.

He called on the people of kaduna Central and the state in general to support the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai as they both meant well for the people.

Scheme (VAIDS) deadline and the lack of preparedness of taxable Nigerian citizens, Fidelity decided to partner with Andersen Tax to enlighten customers on what is taxable and other related tax issues, including consequences of missing the deadline as stipulated by government,” said Nwankwo.

Nwankwo pointed out that the Bank organised two streams for customers from branches within the Lagos and South-West region, whilst another session was held exclusively for the Bank’s HNIs. Speaking at the forum, senior manager, Private Clients/Family Wealth, Andersen Tax, Mr. Israel Koledowo advised customers to conduct tax

health checks to ascertain their financial status and minimise potential risks associated with noncompliance with tax requirements. Whilst restating Federal Government’s resolve to clamp down on tax offenders, Koledowo however pointed out that tax health checks will assist the customers understand inherent gaps in tax compliance.

He urged customers with irregularities in tax compliance to take advantage of government’s VAIDS before the expiration of the deadline.

VAIDS is a time-limited opportunity for taxpayers to regularize their tax status relating to previous tax periods.

In exchange for fully and honestly declaring previously undisclosed assets

and income, tax payers will benefit from forgiveness of overdue interest and penalties, and the assurance that they will not face criminal prosecution for tax offences or be subject to tax investigations. VAIDS ushers in an opportunity to increase the nation’s general tax awareness and compliance.

Meanwhile, chief executive officer, Polysonic Nigeria Limited, Mr. Paulinus Ozonnagbo was full of praise for Fidelity Bank’s tax initiative. “This forum is quite timely and very commendable. It is a clear indication that the Bank truly values its customers because many entrepreneurs and businessmen in the country do not understand tax laws and associated matters” he stated.

Easter: NSCDC Deploys 1500 Officers As Niger Calls For Prayers

BY ABU NMODU, MINNA

The state commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Niger State, Philip Ayuba has approved the deployments of 1500 of it’s officer and men to ensure security during the Easter celebrations.

Speaking yesterday, he said the deployments will be done to all strategic place such as motor parks, eateries, churches and recreational centers in the state and it’s environs, to ensure security.

The state commandant have directed all the area commanders in

the state to fully take charge of their jurisdiction, also all the unit heads have been urge to take charge of all the deployments.

The deployments which is to commence yesterday and to be stand dawn by the state commandant on 3rd of April 2018 depending on the threat analysis.

He stated that the undercover officers have already been deployed to all the black spots in the state so as to feed the state command and control room for prompt response.

The state commandant therefore warned all miscreants to stay clear from the state and it’s environs

because all the divisions have been fully fortified with personnel.

Meanwhile the Secretary to the Government of Niger State, Hon. Ibrahim Isa Ladan has called on Christians in the state to always exhibit and propagate the ideals of love, humility, tolerance and selflessness for which Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary.

Hon. Isa Ladan enjoined the people of the State to imbibe the lessons of peace, love, and sacrifice for the development of Niger State and Nigeria at large, adding that Nigerians should use this period of Easter to pray for the unity of the country.

Edo Reforms Behind Our 15,000 Hectares Expansion Project – Nwabuko Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, PRESCO Plc, Mr. Felix Nwabuko has said that the company’s 15,000 hectares expansion project is as a result of the far-reaching reforms being implemented by the Edo State Government in the agriculture sector.

Nwabuko said this during an interview with journalists in Benin City, noting, “The deliberate effort and reforms initiated by the Godwin Obaseki led-administration and the Federal Government, to prioritise

agriculture as an alternative means to derive economic growth, are highly commendable.”

He lauded Governor Obaseki’s initiative to make land available for investors, who are ready to invest in the people and other resources in Edo State.

He noted, “I am excited that the state government is mapping out land through the Geographic Information Service (GIS) initiative, for allocation of land for investors who mean business in the state.

We expect that state government would speed up the process.”

Nwabuko said the reforms contributed to the company plan to expand its operations, noting, “PRESCO is investing on green energy production through our biological assets, our plantation. Last year, we planted on 3600 hectares, in our new location in Orhionmwon Local Government Area. This year we intend to plant on 4000 hectares. If can do 100, 000 hectares in Edo State, we will do it.”

We’re Not Recruiting, NAPTIP Tells Nigerians

BY BLESSING BATURE, ABUJA

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has debunked report that the agency is recruiting.

A statement made available to LEADERSHIP Weekend yesterday in Abuja, the head, press and public relations NAPTIP, Nneka Aniagoh, urged to members of the public to disregard such information, describing it as ‘’fraudulent claims and announcements.’’

Aniagoh also urged members of the

public not to patronize anyone that approaches them with information to offer or pay money to anyone to be employed at NAPTIP. The statement reads in part: ‘’The attention of the NAPTIP has been drawn to online publications announcing a purported recruitment of personnel at NAPTIP for 2018/2019. ‘’For the records there is no recruitment exercise going on in NAPTIP at present. The announcement is fake and fraudulent. ‘’Members of the public are therefore, urged to disregard this fraudulent

claims and announcements. NAPTIP is not carrying out any recruitment, yet, and will duly inform the public through appropriate channels, if and when such a recruitment exercise comes up. ‘’The general public is therefore, advised to ignore the fraudulent publication as it has nothing to do with NAPTIP. Do not patronize the anyone that approaches you with any such offer or pay money to anyone in the name of gaining employment at NAPTIP. The Agency is not involved in any way with these online publications.’’

Group Calls For Women, Youths Involvement In Democratic Governance The Felix Osakwe Youth Movement has called on all Nigerian youths to arise from their slumber and put all hands on deck to ensure that youths assume their rightful place in the democratic governance.

The chairman, Felix Osakwe Movement, Dr. George Ikpot made the call at the first general meeting of FOYM yesterday in Abuja.

The chairman who spoke passionately said that the strength of youths and women in the nation’s building can never be overemphasized as women and youths have actually proved their strength and competence in the society in all spheres of professions but women and youths involvement in public decision making processes in the emergent Fourth Republic in Nigeria has been characterized by low representation and however said that the only way to end this seclusion, deprivation and political exclusivity is to key into the vision of this movement to vote for credible leaders during the 2019 election.

He however advised the Nigerian youths to vote for leaders and not rulers or commanders who will ditch out commands to the military without considering the effects on the citizenry, the common Nigerian. And take advantage of their numerical strength to bring real change to the country through electoral process.

The Director, Welfair and Tourism, National Youth Council of Nigeria, Mr. Rickey Nwajuofo said that it is high time for the youths to act and make a difference, adding that Nigeria is at the verge of decay and therefore we should not continue to fold our hands and watch our country collapse. He however advised youths not to see politics as a business venture rather as a call for selfless services and get ready to participate actively in the electoral process for this is the only instrument to change the country for better.

By Blessing Bature, Abuja

60 NEWS ACROSS THE STATES

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Oaondo Donates Education Materials To IDPs In Adamawa

BY HUSSAINI HAMMANGABDO, YOLA

As parts of its social responsibility, Oaondo Foundation, has donated educational materials to 6193 IDPs, pupils, in Damare and Fufore camps in Adamawa State.

Adekola Adegoke, leader of the Foundation, said the support is to enhance learning capacity of pupils affected by Boko Haram insurgency.

She also explained that, 250 teachers have been trained on basic teaching methods and school management in six schools in the State.

According to her, 8000 pupils are targeted at its second phase of the Foundation, on the ‘back to school projects’ in host communities where IDPs are hosted.

Adegoke urged the state government to replicate the projects across the state,

which she described as impactful on the growth of education system of the state.

“The goal of the Foundation is to foster sustainable development by contributing to the achievement of the SDG of universal primary education across the country.

“We constructed and donated two classroom blocks at Yolde pate, while 88 of such schools are constructed in different locations of the State.

Lawmaker Distributes Agricultural Inputs To Widows In Adamawa

BY HUSSAINI HAMMANGABDO, Yola

Member representing Hong/Gombi federal constituency, Hon Yusuf Buba, has distributed agricultural inputs to widows, as part of constituency empowerment project.

The lawmaker, during flag-off at the end of Micro Irrigation Farming and Good Agricultural Practices on horticultural crops training in Hong, charged the beneficiaries to make good

use of the items.

The training on production, storage and processing, was organised in partnership with Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin Kowa, Gombe State, for optimum yield and job creation.

Represented by Martins Ayuba, the lawmaker, distributed Wet Season Agricultural Inputs Supports, startup grant, sprayers, seeds, mats to the beneficiaries for the irrigation scheme.

Ayuba noted that, the beneficiaries are identified based on stringent criteria of grassroots vulnerability of widows and youths in the two councils.

Engr Yahaya Abubakar, from College of Horticulture, Gombe, pointed out that the participants at the grassroots would replicate the training workshop.

Abubakar advised the beneficiaries to form cooperative society in order to key in to agricultural diversification of the federal government and easy access of land to enhance food production in the area.

PMB Attends In-law’s Wedding

L-R: Senior Manager, Customer Support Operation Centre, Vodacom, Olumide Idowu; Teachers from SS Peter and Paul Nursery and Primary School, Iwalehin Oluwakemi and Azubile Godwin Abu Etu, Senior Manager: Product Portfolio, Vodacom Business Nigeria, with pupils from SS. Peter and Paul Nursery and Primary School, Ikate Elegushi, Lekki during a one day Information and Communication Technology Field Trip to Vodacom Facility in Lagos, recently.

FCT Minister Destroyed Our Means Of Livelihood – Traders

The President, Gbagyi Women Market Association, Gosa, Mrs Ladi Danladi, has blamed the FCT Administration over the destruction of their properties worth millions of naira during the demolition of the Gosa Market on Saturday, March 24, 2018.

The woman leader, who arrived the site of the demolished market in company of some women traders, when the management of the Human Rights Commission led by its executive secretary, Mrs Oti Ovrawah visited the scene of the event, said that she was beaten by the security task force with four of her children presently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

“I have recently collected loan from the bank worth hundreds of thousands to invest into my business which has been our source of livelihood, but these people came unannounced, last Saturday and started demolishing and vandalising our properties. They did not have any human face in their actions. When we wanted to resist their actions, they resorted into violence, beating me up in the presence of my children and injuring us all in the process.”

The FCT Minister and the FCDA are not fair to us, this is our ancestral land, they are coming to dispossess us of it without adequate information nor compensation. We know they want to give this land to some people. We therefore demand the compensation of the valuables they destroyed and the recovery of our land”, she said.

By Bidon Mibzar, Abuja

Reducing 17m Housing Deficit Requires Active Stakeholders’ Collaboration – Rev Chime

BY CHIKA OKEKE, ABUJA

The President of Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Rev Ugochukwu Chime, has disclosed that the challenge to reduce the housing deficit and use it as a formidable tool for employment generation and inclusive economic growth, could only be attained with active collaboration of stakeholders.

He stated this in Abuja, yesterday, on the sideline of a workshop for Real Estate Developers, organised by Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) with the theme, ‘Enhancing Real Estate Development Through Collaborative Effort’.

He said that though government has focused on making land and finance available as the only solution to affordable housing, the key challenge is a collective understanding

of stakeholders’ involvement in the value chain, their roles, responsibilities and expectations, capacity, skillset and competency enhancement.

Chime stated that the aim of the building expo is to further enunciate to stakeholders, the essence of collaboration to upscale the real estate and housing sector of Nigerian economy.

The President sought the need for a forum where all stakeholders involved in housing development like bankers, lawyers, administrators, tax consultants, building material producers, policy makers, developers, estate agents, legislators, government and other members of the real estate and housing related producers, would unite to proffer solutions to problems of finance, land acquisition, foreclosure and factors that would facilitate ease of doing real estate and housing business.

He regretted that the existing legal infrastructure and institutions couldn’t deliver the expected affordable housing in the country, even as he called for the restructuring of real estate sector in tandem with emerging trends and best practices.

On his part, the Managing Director of Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Arch Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, who was represented by Mr Godwin Agabi, maintained that FMBN has been collaborating with Mortgage Bankers Association of Nigeria (MBAN) and REDAN, to ensure that delivery of affordable housing provides employment for Nigerians.

Also, the President of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Bobbai Kaigam stated that government should provide infrastructure at the project sites to enable contractors reduce the cost of houses.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday returned to Abuja after a 2-day working visit to Lagos state where he inaugurated some projects and also attended the 10th Ahmed Tinubu’s Colloquium.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on his return, Mr. Buhari went straight to the National Mosque Abuja where he performed the 2-Raka’at Juma’at prayer.

The president also witnessed the wedding fatiha of Hamza Ahmed and Hadiza Jika which was performed immediately after the prayer session at the mosque.

The groom, Hamza, is a younger brother to Aisha Buhari, the president’s wife. The senate president, Bukola Saraki, Governors of Nasarawa and Bauchi States, Tanko Almakura and Mohammed Abubakar, respectively were among the dignitaries that witnessed the event.

Other personalities at the wedding were the National Security Adviser to the President, Babagana Mongonu, cabinet ministers and former national chairman of PDP, Ahmodu Ali. (NAN)

Oil Spill: Community Warns Against Dealing With Impostors

BY ANAYO ONUKWUGHA, Port Harcourt

The people of Opuoma Community in Ohaji/Egbema local government area of Imo State have warned the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to avoid dealing with impostors in respect to the recent oil spill that occurred in the community.

The people advised the DPR and other agencies involved in the clean up of oil impacted sites to ensure that due processes and protocol were followed in carrying out the exercise in the community.

The community, in a letter addressed to the Head, Upstream, DPR, which was

signed by the Acting Paramount Ruler of Opuoma Community, Prince Kingsley Friday Eso Ikenyiri and made available to LEADERSHIP Weekend in Port Harcourt, accused one Wilfred Anele Coleman Uwakwe of parading himself as the traditional ruler of the community.

Ikenyiri, also accused one Celestine Uwakwe, of impersonating as the Liaison Officer of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) projects in Opuoma Community, and urged the agency to direct the oil companies and oil servicing companies involved in the clean up of the oil spill not to deal with the duo and three other members of the community, whom

he described as impersonators.

The letter reads in part, “The notification of oil rushing out from the ground at ImeObodo, Umu Iyasara Town in Opuoma autonomous community, suspected to be crude oil and/or any other mineral resource, becomes necessary so as to ensure that due processes and protocol are followed in situations like this, as expected.

“I, therefore appeal to you to direct any oil company and/or other service companies that may be involved in its extraction based on our recommendation/ consent, not to have any dealings on behalf of Opuoma autonomous community with known fake Eze Igwe of Opuoma,

Wilfred Anele Coleman Uwakwe, the fake Community Liaison Officer of NDDC’s projects in Opuoma, Celestine Uwakwe, and others.

“Moreover, Opuoma autonomous community will not want to work with any company and its associates, which has a pedigree of ‘divide and rule’ in Opuoma community, to cause violence, which is very oppressive to the community, and which has neglected, failed or refused to forward their accumulated oil pipeline rentals, oil well rentals among other outstanding communal benefits spanning decades.

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62

FEATURE

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Ekiti 2018: Aspirants Woo Supporters At Easter

BY MUYIWA OYINLOLA

To get power back is not always easy, especially from the kind of governor we have in Ekiti, but we have a tested, and trusted performer in the former speaker and we realise he is the man who can do this for us and that is why I’m giving my support to him.

As the May 2018 primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Ekiti State governorship election draws near, one of the aspirants, Hon. Femi Bamisile, has promised the people of Ekiti purposeful governance if elected governor of the state.

Addressing party loyalists at the 2018 edition of his annual Easter Celebrations which he initiated during the era of Ekiti 13/13, the aspirant, a former speaker of the state house of assembly described himself as a grassroots man and promised to take governance to the poor and down trodden.

He said this is not the first time he was organizing such gathering, noting that it has been on for the past three years.

He said the event is not a show of strength, but to wine and dine with his supporters ahead of the primaries and expressed his happiness over the turnout of the Friends of BAFEM, saying that time has come for power to be taken to the door steps of the downtrodden and the less privileged.

“We have gone round the entire state three times since I declared my intention precisely on November 15, 2015, we have been to the less privileged, downtrodden and we want to make sure that the power is taking out of the government house to the grassroots,” he said.

“As a former speaker, I represent the entire state.

I have worked with almost all the former governors, while other aspirants are my brothers and we interact often.”

The aspirant congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on the success recorded in the release of some of the girls of Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, who were abducted on February 19 2018 He described the release as an achievement for the present administration, and expressed optimisms that the remaining girls still in captivity would soon be released.

Bamisile, used the opportunity of the gathering to appeal to the security agencies to increase their surveillance and double their efforts at ensuring that the country was safe for all.

He urged those who wouldn’t see the good things happening in the Buhariled administration to open their eyes wide to see the

Easter celebration held for party faithfuls, delegates by RT Hon. Olufemi Richard Bamisile

achievements recorded by the government.

Describing the abduction as unfortunate, Bamisile said that such incident could happen anywhere, urging Nigerians to be grateful and thank the creator for the kind of President the country has at this present time.

“Nobody would like to see people being murdered, houses being burnt and so on. But, I don’t think it is also right to say that the President is not doing much because he is Fulani.

If the President were Ijaw or Urhobo or any other, would it be different?” he queried.

Party members, leaders and particularly, delegates that would determine the fate of the aspirants in the forthcoming primaries of the party in May attended the Easter feast.

The celebration was also attended by some members of Edo state House of Assembly led by the Leader of the House, Chris Okaeben.

Addressing the gathering, Mrs. Omotunde Fajuyi, who is the leader, planning, strategy and research, Team BAFEM, said the aspirant, who expressed his intention to vie for the governorship seat of the state precisely on November 15, 2015 started by appealing to the conscience of the people and told them the need to revive the party and make sure it took over the governorship seat in the state again.

He has been championing the call for a home-based candidate

with cognate experience and who can wrestle and take over the state from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) adding that the team had concentrated on building an agenda for the people to know what they want and the best way to deliver on them.

“As things are now, we are putting together a realistic and workable agenda within the party manifesto. BAFEM, which means Best Assurance For Ekiti Masses is a grassroots politician, who knows the immediate needs of the people,” she said.

The Majority Leader, Edo House of Assembly, Hon. Chris Okaeben, who was also a former Commissioner for Youths and Sports, the Chairman of the occasion advised the gathering to rise up and say enough of oppression, now that Olufemi Bamisile has become a movement, not only in Ekiti, but Nigeria.

“I have seen the boldness of Bamisile and I want to implore you to support the movement in bringing the necessary change most desires in Ekiti.

“I want to urge you to show more commitment to this project, not because of our own, but for the future of our children and those yet unborn. The journey of a thousand miles starts with a step, I therefore want to charge us all to ensure that Olufemi Bamisile emerges the candidate of the APC in the forthcoming primaries. “ There were goodwill

messages from Team Bafem groups from Akure, led by Biodun Ajayi, Lagos, headed

by Mrs. Yinka Lawal and Abuja, under the leadership of Otunba Oke as well as supporters from all the local government areas in the state.

Mrs. Funke Owoseni from Ikole local government Team Bafem described Bamisile as the best of the aspirants, saying that he has all it takes to achieve success for the party.

“I’m not somebody who follow anyone dogmatically, I have searched and looked at all the aspirants, and most especially the circumstances we are in Ekiti, we can’t just pick anybody, but we need the person with the clout, charisma, name and integrity to take over the power from the PDP. “To get power back is not always easy, especially from the kind of governor we have in Ekiti, but we have a tested, and trusted performer in the former speaker and we realise he is the man who can do this for us and that is why I’m giving my support to him.”

Addressing the gathering, the aspirant, Rt Hon. Olufemi Richard Bamisile, The event also featured Free Medical Retreat as well as solidarity visit by a group known as Centre for Youth Integrity Peace and Social Development.

Rt. Hon. Olufemi Richard Bamisile hails from Kota in Ekiti East local government area of Ekiti.

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Once Upon An Almajiri

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FEATURE 63

Skill acquisition is gradually taking children off the streets of Kebbi State to workshops. The initiative has seen many Almajiris becoming artisans and transferring knowledge to others. YAHYA SARKI (Birnin Kebbi) reports on the development in the state.

T

he word Almajiri connotes students in search of knowledge, however, the word in Nigeria, especially in northern Nigeria is derogatively associated with children wondering about begging for food or soliciting for money to buy food.

By definition it means a student in search of Islamic knowledge but because the poor children involved wonder about soliciting for money to buy what to eat, they are referred to as beggars (Almajiri).

According to UNICEF data, millions of children attempt to combine learning and earning; as many as 47 per cent of child-labourers aged 5-14 years are not attending school in Nigeria.

There is no exact figure of the number of Almajiri children in northern Nigeria, but it is largely believed that there are over nine million Almajiris wondering the streets in terrible condition of living and begging for food to eat.

The story is the same in Kebbi State just like several areas in northern Nigeria. Although there are no specific records to indicate the total number of Almajiris in Kebbi, it is not out of place to say there are thousands of them in the state who are seen wondering the streets, at motor parks, markets, hotels, joints, food vendors or any other crowded place in search of livelihood.

Kebbi’s situation is quite peculiar when it comes to the number of Almajiris that are seen wondering the streets in the state as a result of its geographical location bordering two neighbouring countries of Niger and Benin Republics.

Hundreds of children in the name of Almajiri find their way from these countries into Kebbi State for one reason or the other. Recently when Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State hosted a cross section of journalists on a visit to see the rice revolution in the state, he raised the alarm on the increasing number of these young ones who trooped into the state in search of a better life.

LEADERSHIP Weekend investigation reveals that another issue which accounts for the large number of Almajiris on the streets of Kebbi is the alarming number of out of school children in the state.

Last year, the Kebbi State commissioner of Education, Alhaji Muhammadu Magawata Aliero, in an interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend in Birnin Kebbi after a visit to some schools in the state lamented that 498, 000 children are out of school in Kebbi.

“We understand that Kebbi is backward in education, we have 498, 000 out of school children within the age of 6 to 18 years in the state,” he said.

Almajiris

It took courage for the young Almajiris to change their attitude of street begging to acquiring skills and education which eventually led to some of them becoming self reliant

According to UNICEF statistics of 2012, Kebbi State has 69 per cent out of school children in primary schools.

It is interesting to note that in Kebbi State, the narrative of Almajiris wondering the streets is changing gradually. Some young Almajiris have decided to take destiny into their hands in order to better their lives by keeping off the streets to embracing useful skills in trade and western education.

It took courage for the young Almajiris to change their attitude of street begging to acquiring skills and education which eventually led to some of them becoming self reliant.

Bilyaminu Attahiru is 30 years old from Alwasa village in Argungu local government area of the state. He came to Birnin Kebbi as an Almajiri and for many years wondered the streets in search for food and money until he abandoned begging to engage in skill acquisition by learning how to fabricate and weld metals.

Attahiru is now an established welder and has successfully set up his welding shop after his training. He shared with LEADERSHIP Weekend how life has been for him in the streets and how his new found life of self reliance has turned his situation.

“The life on the street is never the same with me now. It was very difficult and full of challenges. One always have to be on his toes begging to look for what to eat and even cloth to wear. But now the story is different since I acquired skills on welding, I can now feed myself, buy clothes and even take care of myself and support others.

“My life of begging is a sorry story to tell, it’s just like a ghetto life, when you go for begging, people send you away. But today they look at me now and see a different person, some have even forgotten my past life of begging,” Attahiru narrated.

Attahiru was, however, quick to add that his transition from begging to becoming self employed was not by accident. According to him an NGO, Almajiri Support Initiative of Nigeria (ASI) salvaged his life by introducing him to skill acquisition.

“I must express my gratitude to ASI, this is the NGO that changed my life, and they stopped me from begging by introducing me to learn welding.

“My call is for government and the well to do in the society to join hands with NGOs to set up more skill acquisition centres for the Almajiri children where they can learn various trades and education so that they can become better citizens of this country.

I am ready to render assistance in my shop to also teach other Almajiris how to do welding so that they can equally shun begging on the streets and be on their own,” he said.

Attahiru told our correspondent that over 15 Almajiris have graduated from his welding shop and have now stopped begging after setting up their own businesses.

Shamsudeen Bello, is 19 years old and from Silame Village in Kebbi, an exAlmajiri who is attached to Bilyaminu Attahiru learning how to become welder. He told LEADERSHIP Weekend that he was brought a year ago by ASI to acquire welding skills.

“I was brought here by ASI to learn how to do welding, Bilya is my mentor and practically teaching me how weld irons. Now I have stopped begging completely and I am ready to also assist my fellow Almajiris if I graduate so that they can join me and acquire skills in order to be on their own.

Street begging is a bad life and waste of valuable time especially for young children who are supposed to be in school or engage in trade,” Bello said.

There are others who are engaged in tailoring like Nuhu Isah, 21, from Tungar Burku in Argungu local government area. He narrates how he came to Birnin Kebbi town in search of Islamic knowledge and had to beg to earn a living before he was introduced to skill acquisition to learn tailoring which prompted him to abandon the culture of begging.

“To tell you the fact, I was sent to this town by my parents to acquire Islamic knowledge, since I don’t have any money to feed myself, I resorted to be going to restaurants and food vendors to hang around for leftovers.

“I realised I cannot continue with that type of life, I hired a wheelbarrow from the little savings from my begging. I was opportune to get in touch with this organisation which enrolled me into its skill acquisition programme.

“It’s over five years now since I stopped going out for begging because

I am fully engaged in tailoring work, I really thank God and this NGO because even if you are in school, you will need some money to keep body and soul together and the only way to do that is to learn a trade and be on your own. Let me seize this opportunity to call on my fellow Almajiris not to resort to begging but to acquire skill and learn a trade to become self employed,’’ Isah advised.

Meanwhile, keeping the Almajiris off the streets is a Herculean task which is almost impossible going by the army of children roaming the streets, but the Almajiri Support Initiative of Nigeria (ASI) a nongovernmental organisation founded in 2002, has taken the challenge to do its best to better the lives of Kebbi Almajiris including people with disabilities.

ASI’s vision is to see the improvement of socio economic standards of all categories of Almajiris aiming to eliminate child neglect as well as child street begging. The organisation has so far facilitated the training of over 400 Almajiris in Kebbi State who are now plying their trade in various vocational fields.

The founder of the organisation, Shehu Umar, said the problem of street begging could be reduced by adopting some measures as: empowering both pupils and teachers (Malans) with vocational skills and provision of health care services and different welfare packages.

According to him, although the organisation only cater for a fraction of the children in the state, however, it is working with reliant stakeholders to support the Almajiris through skill acquisition and education to make them self reliant.

“We don’t have their total statistics because the Almajiris are not static, they come and go and you see new ones. What we do is to relate to all categories of Almajiris not only those children that come in search of Islamic knowledge but even persons with physical disabilities,” Umar said.

He explained further that: “Part of our activities is teaching handcrafts and trade that they want to learn through skill acquisition training in all the fields available including vulcanizing, welding, carpentry, tailoring and others.

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TOURISM

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Tourism As A Tool For Economic Diversification, Self Sufficiency Tourism has been described as a potential tool for Nigeria’s Economic diversification, this is in line with the federal government directive urging Nigerians to produce what they eat locally STELLAMARIES AMUWA writes.

The president said we should begin to eat what we produce instead of eating what others produce. So you can see all what is on ground now are produced

by Nigerians and it is an avenue to empower Nigerians

Whether one calls it a showcase of Nigerian Flavours or display of Nigeria’s tourism assets and products, one may not be completely wrong on both fronts.

That was exactly the message the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) intended to pass recently when it hosted what it called ‘Nigerian Flavours’.

The initiative which was in collaboration with National Institute For Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) and the Ministry of Information and Culture was in line with the objectives of the ‘Tour Nigeria” brand.

Nigerian Flavours showcased the rich culinary diversity in Nigerian cuisine and delicacies. It was an event, whose memory will linger for a long time.

The event featured over 60 food and beverage vendors across the six geopolitical zones. Also on display were Arts, fashion and safe children’s games.

Director general, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Folorunsho Coker, said the event is aimed at tactically driving the process of economic diversification in line with the policy thrust of the present administration to support made in Nigeria. Coker said: “The cheapest holiday you can ever have is a Nigerian holiday, where there is no foreign exchange, no roofing charges, no visa, no queuing in any embassy. Believe in what we have here and that is the only way we can grow into global brand that is currently consumed.

“It is all about our cultural expression, food and beverages. We are trying to make the best out of what we have in Nigeria. Our food, music, fashion, and our weather are all great. If we don’t consume what we make we are consuming what others make, it means

we are transmitting our income into the earnings of others especially outside the country.”

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Grace Isu Gekpe, who spoke to journalists at the event said, “When I came on board I had to think out of the box on how to promote what we have in Nigeria and through that empower our people. I had meetings with my chief executive and we agreed that we must have a national calendar from January to December, we should have our programmes running especially in Abuja so that people will know what we are doing in the ministry and the product that we have.

“The president said we should begin to eat what we produce instead of eating what others produce. So you can see all what is on ground now are produced

by Nigerians and it is an avenue to empower Nigerians.

Some food vendors who spoke to LEADERSHIP Weekend expressed their satisfaction but said more awareness needed to be created so that an event of that magnitude should have attracted a bigger crowd than what was seen.

A Lawyer turned food vendor, Dagogo Bristol-Keje, who showcased his catering services, stated that Nigerians are blessed with unique ways of life that cuts across, Arts and culture industries, film, rich display of cuisines, fashion styles and festival that exists across different tribes.

Dagogo, who is managing director, Keje Grill City Park said: “After I finished from the Law School and was called to Bar after that searching for greener pasture for years, I decided to establish this catering business so as to assist my mother. Gradually I have embraced the industry. All our produce are locally

made and locally spiced. This is my second year in this business.”

Another food vendor, Chef Akin Olabode, VII Bistro Restaurant, said that his kitchen currently have everything to suit everybody. He said: “The aim of coming to this show is mainly to showcase our Nigerian` flavours. So we are bringing out food to Nigerians just the way they will love it.

“I left Nigeria to Dubai for six years but when I came back I decided to settle down here and experiment more on our Yam, garri, coconut, fish and more to make a fusion of Nigerian ingredient and others which is a perfect one. We serve egusi, ogbono, ewedu soup in different parts of the world we fuse our food with international dishes”.

Similarly, Juliet Abrukwe, the managing director Julze Laurels, showcased her made in Nigeria wears.

She called on government to give loans to private business owners.

“The Nigerian fabric is beginning to be accepted worldwide even foreign celebrities wear Nigerian Ankara now,” she said.

“It has not been easy for us small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMEs) in Nigeria. The government should help us with loans to enable us cope with the poor infrastructure we have in the country.

“I have to run my generator to be in business and it’s expensive and makes the cost of production very high. You hear people saying made in Nigeria is expensive why should I buy it. Production cost is high for us too I cannot make clothes and sell at lost.”

Among the delicacies displayed at the Nigerian Flavour festival include most indigenous food like, Ukwa, Amala, African salad, Asun (peppered goat meat) roasted plantain and suya.

Some foreign pastries such as sandwiches, hamburgers, shawarma and more were showcased.

Meanwhile, Vicky Eck Chandarn an Indian tourist said: “Nigerians have a very nice culture, I can see a lot of

Nigerian dishes some that I have not taken note of since I got into this country about two months ago. I think the organisers should create more awareness.”

Hoomeum Lebebidi known as Homms, a Syrian from Damascus said, “I got to know about this Nigerian Flavour on Instagram so I decided to be here to see for myself. I have been in Nigeria for a very long time it is always nice to be part of whatever is going on here. I am having fun here the weather is beautiful, I love Nigerian dishes and I always encourage foreigners to visit Nigeria and go to the North, East, and Lagos. These are nice places to be.”

Mrs. Flora Goka, Head of Department, Hospitality department, NIHOTOUR, a government parastatal, stated that tourism and hospitality business is the industry that must be taken` seriously to boost the economy of Nigeria. “There is job for everybody to do in this sector. We are promoting our food, dress, dance everyone is represented here. Here in NIHOTOUR stand as you can see, we have our indigenous snacks because our mandate is to train the manpower within the hospitality sector, we train the chef, waiter, housekeepers and even the receptionist.

“As we are here we are creating awareness to let people know that Nigerians have a lot of things that can attract tourists. Here we teach people how to make our indigenous foods like Nkwuobi, Isiewu, Ewedu and gbegiri, miyan kuka and many more all indigenous soups that cover the six geopolitical zones we teach them.

“We also train people on tour packaging, ticketing, international programme AITA for last year within Abuja we have trained about 3,000 people, multiply that with about 8 campuses we have. We are showcasing what we have to make our tourists enjoy if possible better atmosphere in Nigeria more than what is obtainable outside the shores of Nigeria.

Saturday, March 31, 2018

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COURTS & CRIMES

65

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Woman, Grandson Arraigned For Attacking Teachers In School A woman, Abibat Alade, of No. 123, I Apata compound, Okelele, Ilorin who allegedly conspired with her grandson, Babatunde Yusuf, and assaulted the staff of Okelele Secondary School, Ilorin have been arraigned before an Ilorin Chief Magistrate’s Court.

The accused allegedly hired some hooligans and invaded the premises of Okelele Secondary School, Ilorin where they attacked the principal and a teacher of the school and also destroyed some property of the school.

The long arm of the law caught up with the accused following a distress call received on March 19 2018 at ‘C’ Division Police Station, OjaOba, Ilorin from one Shuaib Shittu Olaitan of No. 8, Fagna Street, Ilorin that the accused were fomenting trouble in the school premises.

According to the complainant, the accused criminally conspired and mobilised some group of thugs now at large to Okelele Secondary School, Ilorin and attacked both the principal and teachers in the school.

The complainant stated that the accused also destroyed some valuable property belonging to the school as revenge to moderate correction given to her grandson by the school authority over his alleged misconduct.

The Police First Information Report (FIR) stated that in the course of investigation the accused confessed to the crime.

The FIR added that investigation conducted at the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Ilorin revealed that the accused employed some thugs to attack the staff of Okelele Secondary School, Ilorin, destroyed some property and caused disturbance of public peace.

The accused were arraigned on a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, assault and inciting disturbance, which contravened Sections 97, 265 and 309 of Penal Code Law.

The dramatic Passion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday by parishioners of St. Dominic Catholic Church at Yaba,Lagos,yesterday. PHOTO BY KOLAWOLE ALIU.

Wife’s Corpse Found In Trado-medicine Vendor’s Car In Ilorin

BY ABDULLAHI OLESIN, Ilorin

The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a trado-medicine vendor, Raji Muftau after finding his wife’s corpse in his vehicle.

The suspect who resides at Asa Dam Road was arrested along Osere area, Ilorin, with his wife’s corpse in the car.

It was gathered that the suspect was apprehended by the police,

he usually drove around town hawking his local herbs with the corpse his wife in the car, ‘a ritual’ a source said is to boost sales of his product.

It was learnt that following a tip off from residents of Osere area, the suspect was nabbed by officers of the Surulere ‘B’ Divisional Police station.

A check at the said police station revealed that the suspect

had been transferred to the Police Headquarters, Ilorin for discreet investigation.

According to a police source, who is not authorised to speak on the issue, the suspect claims his wife hails from Cotonou, Republic of Benin but denies killing her.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the arrest of the suspect.

Okasanmi added that, Raji was arrested selling local herbs with a female corpse in his car.

“He was arrested at Osere area and when arrested, he claimed that the corpse is his wife’s. The corpse didn’t look like a fresh one because it had swollen.”

He said the case is still under investigation at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligent Department.

The accused was brought before the court on a one-count charge of rape, contrary to Section 282 of the Penal Code Law. Police arrested the accused following a complaint on March 17 at Ekiti Divisional Police Headquarters, Osi, Kwara State by the father of the victim that the accused had carnal knowledge of his 10-year-old daughter.

According to the father, the accused stopped the victim while she was returning from school and took her to an uncompleted

building where he (accused) forcefully had sexual intercourse with her.

The Police First Information Report (FIR) stated that during the course of investigation at the Anti-Human Trafficking Women and Children Protection Unit, Nigeria Police Headquarters, Ilorin, the accused confessed to the commission of the act.

The prosecutor, Inspector David Wodi informed the court that the alleged offence for which the accused was brought before

the court was not ordinarily bailable.

He urged the court to remand the accused in prison custody pending the outcome of on going investigation.

The trial magistrate, Mrs. M.B. Folorunsho, agreed with the submission of the prosecutor and ordered that the accused be remanded at the Federal Medium Security Prison, Mandala, until the next adjourned date.

She adjourned the case till April 5 for further mention.

Farmer,70, Remanded For Raping 10- year-old Girl

BY ABDULLAHI OLESIN, Ilorin

An Ilorin Magistrates’ Court has remanded a 70-year-old farmer, Sunday Samuel of Obbo-Ile, Ekiti Local Government Area, Kwara State at the Federal Medium Security Prison, Mandala, Ilorin for allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl.

The accused allegedly tricked the victim (name withheld) to an uncompleted building where he forcefully had sexual intercourse with her.

Amputee HND Graduate Docked For Stealing In Lagos

BY OGUNTADEISMAILA, Lagos

A 30-year-old graduate of a stateowned polytechnic, Akeem, has been arrested and arraigned before an Ejigbo Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, for stealing.

LEADERSHIP Weekend learnt that luck ran out on Akeem, when he went to Shasha area of Lagos, burgled shops at a plaza and was caught by night security guards, who handed him over to the police.

It was learnt that the suspect performed well at MAPOLY where he studied Mass Communication and graduated with HND, but

this did not last long as he was involved in an accident which led to the amputation of one of his legs and which changed his life aspirations.

After he was discharged from the hospital, LEADERSHIP learnt, life became unbearable for him and his family, as his efforts to get a job proved abortive, as he was not employed because of his condition.

LEADERSHIP gathered that he turned out to be a one-man robbery squad and robbed people in Lagos State, but before then, Akeem had already married his wife, had children and they had

to relocate to his village in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State and settle there.

Narrating his ordeal, Akeem said, “I could not farm and had no job to rely on, my family was starving and my wife said that I had to look for work despite my condition in order to survive.

“I then moved to Lagos, but to no particular place or area and I was moving about begging. In the night, I would sleep wherever I stopped, when I wake up in the morning and I will start moving around again to survive. I also tried the bus stops to solicit for work as a bus conductor. Some of the drivers that tried to use

me were forced to drop me when they discovered that I was one legged and I could not stand to call passengers even as I was wearing an artificial leg.

“The situation continued, I gradually started stealing and later went into breaking shops at night to steal items and resell. I finally moved back to Lagos, having been caught and attacked at Abeokuta for stealing and continued in Lagos.”

The one-legged thief confessed that he did not use guns but had other small tools such as master key, pliers, and chisels, with which he used to break shops to steal

items he could easily carry about.

He added that his wife and members of his family did not know he was coming to Lagos to rob, as he usually told them that he was going to Lagos to hustle and they would be surprised after seeing the publication.

Akeem was remanded in prison custody after he did not meet his bail condition.

When LEADERSHIP spoke to Akeem at the court premises, he pleaded that his story should be published so that his people would know that he had been sent to prison in Lagos in order for them to come and bail him.

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Israeli Forces Kill 7 Palestinian Protesters On Gaza Border At least seven Palestinians were killed and hundreds injured by Israeli security forces confronting one of the largest Palestinian demonstrations along the Israel-Gaza border in recent years, Gaza medical officials said.

One of the dead was aged 16 and most of the casualties were struck by gunfire, according to Palestinian medics who estimated the number of wounded at around 500 by midafternoon.

The Israeli military said that its troops had used “riot dispersal means and firing towards main instigators” and that some of the demonstrators were “rolling burning tires and hurling stones” at the border fence and at soldiers.

Palestinian health officials said Israeli forces used mostly gunfire against the protesters, in addition to tear gas and rubber bullets. Witnesses said

the military had used a drone in at least one location to drop tear gas.

The Palestinian protest marked “Land Day,” an annual commemoration of the deaths of six Arab citizens of Israel killed by Israeli security forces during demonstrations over government land confiscations in northern Israel in 1976.

The demonstrators demanded that Palestinian refugees be allowed the right of return to towns and villages which their families fled from, or were driven out of, when the state of Israel was created in 1948.

Tensions ran high at the start of the long-planned tent protest that began on Good Friday and the start of the Jewish Passover and is scheduled to last for six weeks. Israeli security forces are customarily on a state of high alert during holidays, with tighter restrictions on movement of Palestinians.

A court in Senegal sentenced opposition leader Khalifa Sall, a former mayor of the capital Dakar has been sentenced to five years in prison yesterday for embezzlement and falsifying documents.

Sall was arrested a year ago on suspicion of embezzling 1.8 billion CFA francs ($3.40 million). Prior to his arrest, he had been seen as a potential rival to President Macky Sall in elections set for next year. The two men are not related.

Two of the former mayor’s accomplices also got five years.

His supporters say the trial was politically motivated, a charge the ruling party denies.

“I feel shame for my country,” deputy Dakar mayor Cheikh Gueye told Reuters. “This decision is meant to prevent Khalifa Sall from putting his name forward as presidential candidate.”

Senegal is seen as one of West Africa’s most stable and fair democracies, an image reinforced by a peaceful and well organized 2012 presidential poll.

But in recent years, opponents of the ruling party say standards are slipping. Last year’s

legislative polls were marred by problems, with many hundreds of Senegalese voters prevented from casting ballots because of delays in issuing biometric voting cards.

Opposition supporters also decry what they say is a growing intolerance of dissent.

Demonstrations in Dakar are often scattered by police tear gas.

The coalition of 91-year-old former president Abdoulaye Wade has said his party would boycott future elections over these complaints. Wade’s group has the second highest number of seats in parliament while Khalifa

Senegal Opposition Leader Jailed 5 Years for Graft

Khalifa Sall

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Pope Never Said There Is No Hell – Vatican The Vatican has denied that Pope Francis told a well-known Italian journalist that “there is no hell”.

The quote came in an article in Italy’s La Repubblica daily. But the Vatican said “no quotations” in the article “should be considered as a faithful transcription” of the Pope’s words.

The Vatican said the article was based on a private meeting the Pope had with the daily’s founder, Eugenio Scalfari.

Catholic Church doctrine affirms the existence of hell and its eternity.

The souls of sinners descend into hell, where they suffer “eternal fire”, the Catholic catechism states.

However, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the most senior Catholic in England and Wales, said “there’s nowhere in Catholic teaching that actually says any one person is in hell”.

He told the BBC that the Pope was apparently exploring “the imagery of hell - fire and brimstone and all of that”.

“That’s never been part of Catholic teaching, it’s been part of Catholic iconography, part of Christian iconography,” he said.

Pope Francis

According to Scalfari’s article on Thursday, he asked the Pope where “bad souls” go and where they are punished. The journalist is an avowed atheist.

“Souls are not punished,” the Pope was quoted as saying in the Repubblica piece. “Those who repent obtain God’s forgiveness and go among the ranks of those

who contemplate him, but those who do not repent and cannot be forgiven disappear. There is no hell - there is the disappearance of sinful souls.”

The Vatican said it had not been an interview, but a private meeting on the occasion of Easter, and Scalfari’s article “is the fruit of his reconstruction.”

Russia Expels 4 German Diplomats In Nerve Agent Poisoning Dispute Russia yesterday expelled four German diplomats, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said, as the Kremlin responds in kind to expulsions of its own officials from Western countries standing with Britain over the poisoning of a former agent.

“The news from Moscow cames as no surprise,” Maas said in a statement. “Even in the current climate we remain ready for dialogue with Russia and we will work on both European security and constructive future relations between our countries.”

Germany this week expelled four Russian diplomats over Moscow’s suspected involvement in the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in England.

Meanwhile, Russia expelled 60 United States diplomats on Thursday and announced it would eject scores from other countries that have joined London and Washington in censuring Moscow

over the poisoning of a spy.

The US ambassador was also ordered to shut the consulate in St Petersburg, in Russia’s retaliation for the biggest expulsion of diplomats since the Cold War. The White House said Moscow’s decision marked a further deterioration in the U.S.-Russia relationship.

“Russia’s response was not unanticipated and the United States will deal with it,” the White House said in a statement without elaborating.

The expulsions precisely mirrored steps taken by Western governments against Russian diplomats and appeared to show Russia was not seeking to escalate the standoff over the nerve agent poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England, on March 4.

The State Department, however, indicated earlier that the United States could retaliate for Russia’s

“regrettable, unwarranted action,” raising the possibility that the crisis could intensify.

“We reserve the right to respond further. We’re reviewing our options,” said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, who charged that the attack on the Skripals violated an international chemical weapons ban. She declined to discuss what additional measures the Trump administration could take.

Britain has blamed Russia for the poisoning, and has been backed up by dozens of Western countries which have ordered Russian diplomats to leave. The United States charges that the 60 Russians that it targeted are intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover.

“The United States, in concert with many countries, made the decision to kick out Russian spies,” said Nauert. “We don’t see this as a diplomatic tit-for-tat.”

Kosovo PM Sacks Security Chief, Interior Minister Over Turkish Arrests Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj dismissed the country’s interior minister and the secret service chief yesterday because he was not told six Turkish nationals would be deported to Turkey.

The six were arrested in Kosovo on Thursday over alleged links to schools financed by the Gulen movement, which Ankara blames for a failed 2016 coup.

“The entire operation - revoking their residence permits, detention, emergency deportation and the secret extradition to Turkey of the

six Turkish citizens from Kosovo territory - was conducted without my knowledge and without my permission,” Haradinaj said in a statement.

Ankara said the six arrested were recruiters for a network run by the U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and had helped people accused of connections to the network to leave Turkey. Ankara blames Gulen and his movement for a failed coup attempt in 2016, which Gulen denies.

Turkey has cracked down on

the movement since the abortive coup, jailing thousands and sacking or suspending from their jobs thousands more. The European Union says the crackdown violated human rights, a position that complicates Kosovo’s relations with Turkey.

It has been under pressure from Turkey in recent weeks to take action against schools funded by the Gulen movement. But it must balance its historical ties to Turkey, one of Kosovo’s biggest investors, against its ambitions to join the EU.

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UNIFICATION BOUT

Joshua, Parker Set Battle Of Winner Take All This weekend, boxing’s marquee fight is a major event as IBF and WBA champion Anthony Joshua (20-0; 20 KOs) faces WBO champion Joseph Parker (24-0; 18 KOs). Winner walks away with all major titles outside of Deontay Wilder’s WBC belt, while the loser walks away with his first defeat.

Anthony Joshua aims to move one step closer to history when he meets Joseph Parker in the ring tonight. The Nigerian-bornBriton is gunning to become the heavyweight division first ever, four-belt king, but has a tough task ahead of him.

A sold-out Principality Stadium will once again host Britain’s most worshipped boxer and New Zealand invader Parker is

determined to stop the AJ hysteria with one blow.

With Floyd Mayweather retired, if you wanted to argue that Joshua was the most popular fighter in boxing you would certainly have a case. The 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist has been the great hope for British Heavyweight boxing since his debut in 2013, and he’s absolutely lived up to those expectations, with a flawless record.

Joshua and Parker will not be hoping to break new ground in terms of revenue, but it will still be the best performing fight on British soil this year, assuming Wilder vs Joshua does not happen in 2018.

A win will bring Joshua one step closer to his ultimate goal, while

a loss will leave the once young king of the heavyweights out in the wilderness for the first time in his pro career.

He had a major test last year against Wladimir Klitschko, and he got off the mat to put Klitschko away in the Fight of the Year and the best Heavyweight title fight in many, many years.

Amazingly, he also looks like he wants to be fighting the actual top talents out there. He is bringing the spark to Heavyweight that has been missing for so long, and it’s amazing to watch.

Where Joshua is the young fighter representing the hopes of England, Parker is the young fighter representing the hopes of New Zealand. Parker has been a pro since 2012 and started pick-

ing up steam on the international scene in the past 3 years. He won Tyson Fury’s vacant WBO title in 2016, and has defended it twice. Like Joshua, he’s a world champion and he’s undefeated, but his path to this point is quite different. Where Joshua has been shining under the increased expectations, Parker has seemed to be just getting by. He’s gone the distance in his last 3, often scraping by with wins he really shouldn’t have to struggle for. He’s a legit top 5 Heavyweight, but he’s also taking a big step here.

There’s no doubt Joshua is the better-rounded fighter, with more to his game - this should be his fight to win. Both men have power, but they aren’t the kind of wild one punch guys you see in Deontay Wilder.

Parker’s best tool is his jab and his movement.

Federer Credits Wife For Longevity Roger Federer has credited his wife, Mirka with keeping him motivated and still going strong at 36, although his longevity has “many pieces to the puzzle”.

The Swiss master won his 20th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Sunday when he defeated Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

The latest triumph – his sixth at Melbourne Park – came 15 years after he won his first major at Wimbledon in 2003, yet he continues to defy time when many of his contemporaries have fallen by the wayside.

He said having a supportive partner was key to him still being able to do what he loves, with wife Mirka courtside for most of his big games, despite now having four children to look after.

This, coupled with a careful schedule, has allowed him to remain at the top, with no thoughts of calling it quits any time soon.

“I think by not overplaying, not playing every tournament possible,” he said on what keeps him going.

“I enjoy practice, don’t mind the travel. Having a great team around me, they make it possible.”

“Then, of course, my wife who makes it all possible. Without her support, I wouldn’t be playing tennis no more since many years.

FCT Scholarship Board Endorses Primary School Athletics Meet

BY SALIFU USMAN, ABUJA Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Scholarship Board has vowed to support FCT Primary Schools Athletics championship scheduled to hold in May this year.

Ahmed Isah Rany, director of the board, who made the pledge, said the board has decided to support the event with award of scholarship to FCT indigenes that emerged best athletes during the completion.

He assured that the board under the leadership of the minister of FCT, Musa Bello, will continue to support initiatives that strive to engage and develop young Nigerians.

He further commended the organiser for the initiatives, expressing hope that it will impact and motivate the lives of little children to aspire for greatness in Life.

Reacting to the gesture, head of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Tolu Oguntimehin, applauded the FCT Scholarship Board for their immense

support.

Oguntimehin assured that the whole process of organization, monitoring and realization of the desire goals for the event will be transparent.

Meanwhile, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has also pledged to give the organisers of the event full support.

The school event that is aimed at discovering and harnessing talented athletes at the foundational level and nurtured them to stardom will be first of its kind in the Federal Capital Ter-

ritory, Abuja.

The general Ssecretary of AFN, Akano Amaechi, said AFN is committed to the School Athletics project and would put in place adequate logistics needed to successfully host the competition.

He added that the federation will also take it upon itself to groom the discovered athletes by organizing quarterly camping to engage and project them.

He praised the initiator of the idea, saying AFN is focused to bringing athletes from the cradle.

Federer

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Saturday, March 31, 2018

LONDON DERBY Chelsea, Tottenham In Shootout For Top 4

Rohr “With us all the time he’s very good, already in Poland and he was fantastic against Serbia],” Rohr told the Evening Standard.

“Perhaps some times [he did] a little too much individually, he wanted to make a show. We prefer collective football.

But when he can eliminate his opponent it’s very good. He’s with us all the time in confidence. He’s free when he has the ball.

I don’t know what the tactical options of Arsene Wenger are when he’s with Arsenal but with us he’s free offensively and he can show all his qualities.”

–Super Eagles technical adviser, Gernot Rohr has insisted that Alex Iwobi is free to express himself in the national team, as long he plays for the collective good of the team.

“The problem is that I have 25 players and only 11 can start. [Isco] wants to play more, but so do the rest. Today it can be Isco’s problem but tomorrow it could be Gareth [Bale].

I just try to do what is best for the team and manage this situation in the best possible way. I don’t see what they do in their national team when making a decision.

“Isco is of Madrid and will remain here. I want to keep all of my players. Isco is a player that I like. What he does, he does well. I’m happy with Isco.

I’m not unjust with Isco,” Zidane said. “Perhaps he does not have the same starring role here but has proved that he is an important player for the team.

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to bring to an end their 29-year wait for a victory at Stamford Bridge as they take on Chelsea in a fixture set to have massive implications on the race for the top-four.

With the Blues currently outside the Champions League qualification spots and five points behind their bitter London rivals, there is far more than just pride tomorrow.

2018 has so far been a tough year for Antonio Conte, with his Chelsea side sliding out of both the top-four and Europe.

The West Londoners are currently sat 5th in the Premier League and must make up a fivepoint gap on Spurs as they attempt to qualify for Champions League football next season.

Over recent years, Chelsea have proven just how much this fixture means to them, with the Blues always managing to find a way to frustrate Spurs, whatever their form and Sunday is likely to be no exception.

Last season, this fixture helped Chelsea to build the foundations to go on and clinch the Premier League title ahead of Tottenham.

This time, avoiding defeat for Spurs is a must in order to prevent

NJF: Nsirim Calls For Calm As Port Harcourt Hosts National

– Real Madrid coach, Zinedine Zidane saying he will not be swayed by Isco's dazzling performance against Argentina when deciding how much to play him in upcoming games.

EDITOR Kayode Falade

SPORTS

SPORTS EDITOR Salifu Usman Reporter Wale Ayeni DESIGN & LAYOUT Salifu Usman group

CHAIRMAN Sam Nda-Isaiah CHIEF OPERATIVE OFFICER Dele Fanimo

a late surge for the top-four from the Blues.

1990 was the year Spurs last won at the Bridge – a period in which has seen them endure 18 defeats and nine draws.

Tottenham will also be attempting to bring to end this long wait for a win without their star man Harry Kane who looks set to remain sidelined with ankle ligament damage.

Doubts are circulating over the fitness of both Thibaut Courtois and Andreas Christensen, however, the pair are expected to feature despite these small concerns.

Meanwhile, long-term absentees Ross Barkley and David Luiz remain sidelined.

Toby Alderweireld completed 90 minutes for Belgium against Saudi Arabia over the international break,

BY WALE AYENI, ABUJA resident of the Nigeria Judo Federation (NJF), Prince Timothy Nsirim has called for calm as the board set to hit the ground running with the national championship scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in May. According to press release signed by the media and communications director, Phemmy Adetula, when the NJF took delivery of new equipment donated by the International Judo

Federation to aid the development of the sport in Nigeria. The equipment comprising 162 mats and cartons of Jodogis for all cadres was facilitated by Prince Nsirim who restated plans to revive judo with support of all the stakeholders.

Also, screens and projectors imported from China by the NJF President for officiating and technical use were also inspected by the board while in addition complementary equipment and devices will be procured by the Federation in due course.

The NJF boss said “I want to plead with all Judokas in the country, let us be calm so that we can move the sport forward. This is the first time in over 15 years that we had this kind of opportunity. More are coming if we are at peace. If we are not at peace, we will not attain the needed height as a federation and that is why at the resolution of the board, I agreed with the choice of our new technical director. I accepted whatever decisions the board has taken and I want everybody to see it as a call for duty, a call to serve”.

On the forthcoming championship, Prince Nsirim said all Judokas wherever they are will be invited for the National Open championship in Port Harcourt in May. “It will be an all comers event, a very strong championship and it will be sponsored by the Federation, myself and the executive governor of Rivers state, Mr Nyesom Wike.

We will make it a great championship and all of us will be here, Rivers state sports commissioner, the state sports commission, all will be involved” said Nsirim.

although this is unlikely to be enough to earn him his first Premier League appearance since October.

With the defender’s contract situation remaining unresolved, the Belgian is unlikely to start against Chelsea.

Harry Kane and Harry Winks will both miss the trip to Stamford Bridge through injury.

Although Mauricio Pochettino refused to rule out Kane in his pre-match presser and a spot for the England striker on the bench cannot be entirely ruled out.

Champions League: Zidane Rest CR7 For Juventus Real Madrid’s top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo is to sit out his side’s La Liga trip to Las Palmas today in order to be in prime shape for Tuesday’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg at Juventus, Spanish media has reported.

Ronaldo has been in resurgent form after a slow start to the season and has scored 18 times in the league in 2018, plundering four goals in a 6-3 win over Girona in Real’s last game.

He struck both goals in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Egypt on 21 March and started the 3-0 defeat by the Netherlands on Monday.

Real trail runaway leaders Barcelona by 15 points and are third in the La Liga standings.

Spanish daily Marca said Ronaldo has agreed with Coach Zinedine Zidane to remain in Madrid while his teammates make the two-and-a-half hour plane journey to the Canary Islands.

Ronaldo, 33, has started and scored in all eight of Real’s Champions League games this season and is the runaway top scorer in the competition with 12 goals.

He has been persuaded to skip the occasional league game, particularly away from home, and was rested for Real’s 2-1 win at Leganes and their 1-0 defeat at Espanyol in February Ronaldo did not feature in any of his side’s six games in the Kings Cup. Real’s quarterfinal tie with Serie A leaders Juventus is a repeat of the 2017 Champions League final, which the Spanish side won 4-1 with two goals from Ronaldo.

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Saturday, March 31, 2018

Fixtures

Today’s Matches Premier League 14:30 Crystal Palace v Liverpool 17:00 Brighton v Leicester City 17:00 ManUnited vs Swansea 17:00 Newcastle vHuddersfield 17:00 Watford v Bournemouth 17:00 West Brom v Burnley 17:00 West Ham v Southampton 19:30 Everton v ManCity LaLiga 14:00 Girona v Levante 17:15 Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo 19:30 Las Palmas v Real Madrid 21:45 Sevilla v Barcelona Bundesliga 16:30 Leverkusen v Augsburg 16:30 Hannover v Leipzig 16:30 Hoffenheim v FC Cologne 16:30 Schalke 04 v Freiburg 16:30 Stuttgart v Hamburger 19:30 Munich vs Dortmund 21:30 Hertha Berlin vs Wolfsburg Ligue 1 18:00 Dijon vs Marseille Sunday’s Matches English Premier League 15:30 Arsenal v Stoke City 18:00 Chelsea v Tottenham Serie A 13:30 Bologna v Roma 16:00 Atalanta v Udinese 16:00 Cagliari v Torino 16:00 Fiorentina v Crotone 16:00 Genoa v SPAL 2013 16:00 Inter v Hellas Verona 16:00 Lazio v Benevento 19:00 ChievoVerona v Sampdoria 19:00 Sassuolo v SSC Napoli 21:45 Juventus v AC Milan LaLiga Santander 13:00 Espanyol vs Alaves 17:15 Leganes vs Valencia 19:30 Eibar vs Real Sociedad 19:30 Malaga vs Villarreal 21:45 Atletico vs Deportivo Bundesliga 16:30 Werder Bremen v Eintracht 19:00 Mainz 05 v M'gladbach 16:00 Guingamp v Bordeaux 18:00 Caen v Montpellier 18:00 Lille v Amiens 18:00 Nantes v Saint-Etienne 18:00 Strasbourg v Metz 18:00 Troyes v Nice 22:00 Lyon v Toulouse

‘Super Eagles Not In Same Level with Argentina, Croatia’

BY WALE AYENI, ABUJA Former Tottenham Hotspur manager, the legendary Osvaldo Ardiles, has placed Argentina and Croatia to top the Group D and to play the round of sixteen in Russia 2018 World Cup, he also revealed that the Super Eagles and Iceland are not on the same level as both teams.

The 1978 World Cup-winning midfielder said that Argentina and Croatia have top stars in their team and are also ranked top above two Iceland and Nigeria in Group D. Lionel Messi, (Barcelona) Gomzalo Higuain (Juventus) Sergio Agureo (Manchester City) Paulo Dybala, (Juventus will lace up for the south Americans while Modric (Real Madrid), Rakitić

(Barcelona) and Mandžukić (Juventus) are set to represent Croatia at the World Cup. ‘’In one I’m sure, Croatia and Argentina go further in the group. Everything else would be a big surprise, though,’’ Osvaldo Ardiles said to Sportske Novosti. ‘’When you see the names, then it is clear that Nigeria and Iceland cannot be on that level. ‘’With the condition that Croatia and Argentina are well placed, they are team-level at the level of their individual quality.’’

Group D contenders’ two time world champions Argentina, two European side Croatia and Iceland and the three times African champions Nigeria will all clash for a place in the round of the 16 in the Worlds Cup later this year.

Pogba Pushes For Man Utd Start Role

Jose Mourinho’s strained relations with Manchester United’s record signing Paul Pogba will again come under close scrutiny when the Premier League returns from its international break this weekend.

Mourinho’s side, out of action for two weeks since winning an FA Cup quarterfinal against Brighton, face struggling Swansea at Old Trafford on Saturday, with the United manager forced to decide whether to recall the French international to his line-up.

Pogba has been left out of the starting XI by Mourinho for United’s past three games, a shocking turn of events given that run has included a cup quarterfinal, a vital Champions League tie against Sevilla and a high-profile Premier League meeting with fierce local rivals Liverpool.

But the 25-year-old’s struggle to find consistent form, plus an obvious difficulty on Mourinho’s part to fit him into a system that suits his style of play, has seen Pogba reach what appears to be a crossroads in his career under the Portuguese manager.

Should Mourinho retain his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation against Swansea, the decision about his starting line-up may be aided by the fact that young Scotland international Scott McTominay, who has played in Pogba’s position for two of those past three fixtures, has returned from international duty with a calf injury.

Pogba strengthened his claims for a recall, turning in an impressive performance for France in their 3-1 friendly victory against World Cup hosts Russia in St Petersburg in midweek.

In keeping with the inconsistent nature of his season, however, he had been left out of the previous World Cup warm-up game, against Colombia.

Brazil, PSG Boosted

By Neymar Return Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, who is convalescing in Brazil after surgery on his injured right foot, will be back “in two to three weeks,” the club’s coach Unai Emery said, yesterday.

“I spoke with him this week, he’s good, relaxed,” Emery said.

Emery was speaking in Bordeaux where PSG, shorn of their biggest star, face Monaco on Saturday in the French League Cup final.

“We spoke about the final,” Emery said. “He’s going to follow the game.”

Neymar, who is crucial to Brazil’s hopes at the World Cup which starts in Russia on June 14, was hurt on February 25 against Marseille and returned to Brazil for treatment.

He missed the second-leg defeat to Real Madrid on March 6, which eliminated PSG from the Champions League.

Brazil’s national team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar, performed surgery on March 3 and then estimated that Neymar would be out for “two-and-

Stephens Edges Azarenka, Reaches Miami FinaL

a-half to three months.”

That time frame would have meant Neymar’s PSG season was over. But for the striker, who was injured during the last World Cup and missed Brazil’s traumatic 7-1 semifinal loss to Germany, the objective was to be fully fit for this year’s competition.

That was Stephens' mantra when her US Open championship last year was followed by eight consecutive losses, a staggering, frustrating and almost inexplicable freefall. And those words kept popping into her head Thursday, when she shook off a very slow start to beat Victoria Azarenka 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the semifinals at the Miami Open.

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Augusta Maters: Woods Favoured Despite Odd Tiger Woods’s odds of winning the Masters have shrunk with every birdie of his 2018 comeback campaign, but in reality the 42-year-old superstar faces a daunting task in his bid to add a 15th major title to his resume a decade after his last Grand Slam victory.

Since his 2008 US Open triumph at Torrey Pines took his tally of majors titles to 14, injuries and well-publicized personal woes have taken a toll, raising doubts that he would ever surpass Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 major titles.

Woods won Masters titles in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005, but his last top10 finish at Augusta National was a tie for fourth in 2013.

Woods says he missed the “rush” of competing for a Green Jacket as back trouble sidelined him in 2016 and 2017.

Now playing without pain after spinal fusion surgery last April, Woods is relishing a return to the storied Georgia course.

“Just being out there on those greens, hitting putts and being creative, there’s no other golf course like it in the world and there’s no other golf tournament like it,” Woods said.

“It’s a players’ heaven.”

Woods won his first Masters title in 1997 in historic style. His 18-under

total put him 12 shots ahead of runnerup Tom Kite and made him the youngest player and first African-American to win the Masters.

Another dominant win in 2001 gave Woods the “Tiger Slam” – making him the first golfer to hold all four of golf’s major titles simultaneously.

He successfully defended his Masters title in 2002, and in 2005 won in dramatic style – his birdie chip at the 16th on Sunday clinging to the lip before dropping to help him force a

Saturday, March 31, 2018

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Sallah Sets Sight On

Elites Statu Mohamed Salah might not have won his duel with Cristiano Ronaldo during the international break, but the Liverpool winger is on the verge of being ranked alongside the Portugal superstar after his record-breaking season.

Salah was left frustrated by Ronaldo last week as he put Egypt ahead in their friendly against Portugal, only to see his rival strike twice in stoppage-time to steal the victory.

It was fitting that Salah was on target in his shoot-out with Ronaldo as there is a growing belief the Liverpool ace can emulate the incredible achievements of Real Madrid forward Ronaldo and Barcelona striker Lionel Messi.

Salah has already had a remarkable first season with Liverpool following his move from Roma and he heads into Saturday’s Premier League clash at Crystal Palace with more milestones in his sights.

The 25-year-old’s four-goal blitz in Liverpool’s 5-0 rout of Watford before the international break set a new

playoff in which he beat Chris DiMarco.

In 2010, Woods chose the Masters for his return to action five months after humiliating revelations of infidelity that eventually spelled the end of his marriage.

After scandal and injury saw his ranking tumble, Woods returned to No 1 in 2013, but another major title has eluded him and the longer the gap between Grand Slams the less likely another appears.

NAF Holds 3rd Inter-command Combat Sports In Uyo

BY PEMBI DAVID-STEPHEN, ABUJA

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has completed plans to hold the 3rd NAF Inter Command Combat Sports Competition from 3rd to 6th April, 2018 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The competition, which is dubbed ‘Uyo 2018’, is part of efforts aimed at continually promoting combat fitness and esprit-de-corps amongpersonnel.

It is also aimed at enhancing effective service delivery, which can only be achieved when personnel are physically and mentally fit.

Briefing the newsmen ahead of the event at the MD Umar Blue Room, Headquarters NAF, yesterday, chairman organising committee, Air Commodore Mfon Ekpoh, reiterated the commitment of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, towards ensuring that all NAF personnel are physically fit and mentally alert. He further stated that the importance of sporting activities to military operations cannot be overemphasized.

According to him, this belief informed the decision of the current NAF leadership to embark on renovation, upgrading and construction of new sporting facilities across various NAF Bases to encourage regular physical fitness exercises among personnel.

The chairman noted that the 2018 NAF Inter Command Combat Sports Competition would be a symbol of regimentation, as it is also designed

to test the combat readiness of personnel in a competitive manner while simultaneously promoting participation in sporting activities.

Air Commodore Ekpoh added that the 2018 edition of the event would draw participants from HQ NAF, Tactical Air Command, Special Operations Command, Mobility Command, Air Training Command, Ground Training Command and Lo-

gistics Command as well as Direct Reporting Units.

The teams will be competing in various games, which include combat swimming, combat relay race, taekwondo, tug of war, obstacle crossing and shooting competition. Athletes who stand out during the competition will cart away medals with an opportunity to represent the NAF and possibly the nation in future competitions.

The Chairman equally announced that the City of Uyo and its environs will witness considerable movement of troops and military equipment deployed for the competition within the scheduled period. He therefore urged the general public not to panic or entertain any form of fear when they see movement of troops and equipment throughout the period, particular during the shooting exercise.

Stay Away From Drugs, Ajunwa Warns Young Athletes MATTHIAS NWOGU, UMUAHIA Olympics gold medalist, Chioma Ajunwa-Opara, has urged young athletes in the country to shun the use of performance enhancing drugs and stimulants to avoid ruining their career.

She gave the advice at the closing ceremonies of Chioma Ajunwa Under-16 Athletic Championship for Secondary schools in Umuahia Township Stadium, Abia state.

According to her, the call has become necessary because of spate of abuse of drugs like codeine and tramadol by youths.

About 34 schools participated in the competition, during which athletes competed in three different group and individual sports, including races, long and triple jumps.

She said, “I want to warn you (athletes) to beware of using illicit drugs and stimulants.”

The multi-talented athlete, who re-

called her ugly experience as a victim of banned drugs, admonished the upcoming athletes in the country to keep away from stimulants, such as Tramadol and Codeine.

“I am telling you to go away from Tramadol and Codeine so that you do not test positive when you go into a competition because they are performance enhancers.

She said her foundation had been championing the campaign among the nation’s youths because of the adverse effects it has on both the athletes and those they represent in a competition..

The competition which was jointly sponsored by the Foundation and the Abia state government to fish out budding talents, according to her, was a successful outing adding that it would be an annual event in Abia.

record for the most goals by a Reds player in his debut campaign.

Salah, who has 12 goals in his last 10 appearances in all competitions, has scored in 20 of his 30 league matches this season.

If he scores against Palace he will equal the record for a 38-match season, set by Ronaldo in 2007-08 and Robin van Persie in 2012-13.

“You can look at Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez and he is up there with any Liverpool forward to have come in,” Reds legend Ian Rush says of Salah.

“He’s been absolutely amazing but the thing with Salah is that he is so downto-earth as well.

LMC To Suspend NPFL Referees For Poor Officiating The League Management Company (LMC) have recommended the suspension of some match officials who officiated in five match day 14 fixtures from further officiating matches in the Nigeria Professional Football League pending full investigation into their performances, The five match day 14 fixtures are Heartland vs Nasarawa United, Lobi Stars vs Rivers United, Go Round vs Rangers International, Yobe Desert Stars vs Enyimba International and FC IfeanyiUbah vs Plateau United.

The first set of officials recommended for suspension by the LMC are Moroof Afolabi (Kwara), Akinsanya Segun (Oyo), and Alhaji Alhaji (Kogi) who officiated the game between Go Round FC and Enugu Rangers at the Krisdera Hotel Stadium, Omoku.

NPFL action

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My Secret Life

Dad, My Strength, Inspiration – Fati WHERE AND WHEN WERE YOU BORN? My name is Mrs Fati Ali Ma’aji from Kano Municipal in Kano State. I am a barrister at the Supreme Court. My father was the late Mallam G. A. Ali and my mother is Hajia Hawa Aliyu. I was born in Kano Municipal in Kano City on the 21 July, 1974.# WHAT POSITION ARE YOU IN YOUR FAMILY? I came from a polygamous family.

My father had two wives. I grew up to meet all of them living together, so I am the ninth out of my father’s 14 children and fifth of my mother’s.

WHERE AND WHEN DID YOU SCHOOL? I attended Magwan Special Primary School in 1974. My school was well known because of a popular restaurant near the school called Magwan. Then it was one of the best government owned primary schools apart from missionary schools like Kano Capital or St. Louis. Most of the Rich children around attended the primary school. From there I got admission into Teachers Training College Mallam Madori, when it was still part of Kano State now it is part of Jigawa; thereafter I gained admission to the Bayero University, Kano where I obtained my LLB. I immediately proceeded to the Nigeria Law School Lagos, it was my very first time of leaving Kano in fact I was even scared of taking flight to Lagos, that my sister had to help by accompanying me. I was called to bar a year latter precisely 9 December 1996, from there I finished my NYSC and served with the defunct Afribank Nigeria PLC. Immediately after my service I was retained in the bank and there I rose to the post of Chief Recovery Officer at regional level in Abuja.

It all started when I applied for Medicine at the Bayero University Kano, when that didn’t go as planned I was then counseled

by Professor Auwwalu Yadudu to take up the law admission

WHEN DID YOU START BUILDING YOUR CAREER? Actually I was a science student aspiring to be a medical doctor but since there was no career councilor then I ended up studying law and today as God will have it I’m a lawyer by profession. It all started when I applied for Medicine at the Bayero University Kano, when that didn’t go as planned I was then counseled by Professor Auwwalu Yadudu to take up the law admission. Then in 1991, I had already paid the fee of N35,000, so they sympathized with me because they knew my father was in the ministry of education and they were like how could you waste N35,000 just because you didn’t get what you applied for? They encouraged me that since I had

a good result and since I could do sciences I could also succeed in law.

I eventually took up the admission in law.

WHO TAUGHT YOU? During my primary school days there was this teacher called Mallam Mohammed. He used to encourage the girls to learn and even used to help us come out in front of the class to try and express ourselves and to have the confidence to answer questions in the presence of any body. Same for Hajiya Sade Babalola, my secondary school teacher. That helped me a lot as I went ahead pursuing my career.

WHO IS YOUR MENTOR? My mentor is Professor Auwwalu Yadudu, former Vice Chancellor of the Bayero University, Kano and dean faculty of law. He helped me a lot learning the ropes up to what I have become today.

WHAT IS YOUR INSPIRATION? My inspiration and source of strength has always being my dad. All I am today I got it from my dad. He was an educationist.

He had all the law books at home yet he wasn’t a lawyer. He had all the knowledge about police yet he wasn’t a policeman, so living around such environment that was virtually a library. I was inspired.

Thanks to my dad.

WHAT ARE YOUR DREADS AND FEARS IN LIFE? To be honest with you my fears while growing up in the North was the issue of marriage. I dreaded being seen with a man and I feared childbirth. I mean childbirth as in before or after marriage I dreaded the thought of it. But thanks to God I was able to conquer the fears with education, exposure and shared experiences of others. When people shared their experiences with me about what I feared so much it helped me build my own courage to face my greatest fears in life.

WHAT

WERE

YOUR

Fati

CHALLENGES? I think my greatest challenges then was the absence of guidance councilors; you are left alone to make decisions for yourself at that tender age. And of course my mum; my mother was not educated and as such never knew the importance of education as my dad. Had it being she bought the idea of education on time I should have been better. If I had her understanding and perhaps the support of a guiding councilor maybe I would have chosen a better career for myself. And I think I would have started earlier than I did in pursuing my dreams but I’m still thankful to God for everything.

ARE YOU SAYING YOU’RE REGRETTING YOUR CHOSEN CAREER? I’m not regretting because as a Muslim and as a human being, whatever God has destined you have nothing to do than to accept

LIFE IN BRIEF Mrs Fati Ali Ma’aji is from Kano Municipal in Kano State. I am a barrister at the Supreme Court. The ninth of her father’s 14 children, she attended Magwan Special Primary School and the Teachers Training College Mallam Madori before proceeding to the Bayero University, Kano where she obtained an LLB. She later proceeded to the Nigeria Law School Lagos.

Fati who is married with children is a barrister of the Supreme Court.

INTERVIEW BY

ISABEST OMOREGBEJI

PHOTO BY

FATI ALI MA’AJI

it in good fate and pray to be successful and get the best out of it.

WHAT ARE YOUR REGRETS? My regret was that my mum wasn’t educated and did not see any advantages in education, she wasn’t giving the female children the needed support to pursue education and you know we were always closer to her than our father so it really affected us.

HOW ARE YOU NOW DIFFERENT FROM OTHER WOMEN? I’ll be happy to say that I’m much different from other women most especially the ones that are less privileged to go to school, those that are not educated. I conduct myself, I pursue my business and even the way I run my home as a married woman, the way I train my children and the way I work and carryout activities in the society is way different from what and uneducated woman will do. if you went to school and learned definitely the way you’ll operate will be glaring.

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? I want to reach the climax of my profession up to the chief justice of Nigeria. That is my dream, that is why I left the banking sector and came back to my dream and for that fact I came to the Supreme Court to learn every aspect of the judiciary and that’s why everyday I’m in court to know the court proceedings, how the justices handle issues in court and what have you.

71

AMUSEMENT PARK

FIRST GUY (PROUDLY): “MY WIFE’S AN ANGEL!” SECOND GUY : “YOU’RE LUCKY, MINE’S STILL ALIVE.”

— Jimmy Kimmel

31.03.18

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FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

No. 634 N300

Saturday Column Daniel Omale

I

t took threats of invocation of the historic, supernatural curses of the Oba of Benin to dissuade perpetrators of human trafficking. Positive reactions to the threat are being felt in Greece, Italy, Germany, and other countries in Europe, where young girls abducted as sex workers are being released to gain their freedom from the slave masters. The fear of the aftermath of the curses has led to renunciations of the illicit trade, of which most of the actors are from the legendary Benin Kingdom. While it may sound as a fairy tale, the associated mythology rests on the 800 years of a strong institution that has safeguarded the old Benin kingdom, which only the King, whose divine traditional authority holds the key.

A curse by the Oba, according to the myth, unleashes a predetermined repercussion that may involve loss of life, assets, or total annihilation of a family clan. The hegemonic influence of the Benin King is absolute; and, sons and daughters of the kingdom are ardently aware of it. The deluge of renunciations is a testament to that traditional institution.

The preceding literature of the Benin Kingdom above, and its influence on the people

Nigeria, The Absolute Lawlessness Within domale4@gmail.com

from Edo state is completely in dissonance to the weak, lawless institutions of Nigeria, the host country. No nation can survive without strong, effective, and dependable political, judicial, and law enforcement institutions. Nigeria lacks all three. The serial reviews of the Nigerian constitution have had no effect on how the supportive institutions are managed. Instead, the strength of every institution has systematically been eroded.

Corruption, or illegality remains the most profoundly dominant, socially constructed institution to weather successive governments. If Nigerians can embrace illegality, why do they find it difficult to accept and adhere to rational, legal ways of doing things? The answer simply lies in the ease of committing crimes, the impunity. Crime without adequate punishment is bound to be repeated.And, so, corruption is ubiquitous in Nigeria; retribution is non-existent.

When the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was first created under the leadership of Nuhu Ribadu, an assistant commissioner of police, the fear of arrest, detention, and public humiliation, initially, led to insidious acts of illegality. Fragrant dis-

Sex hawkers

play of stolen wealth was concealed to give some semblance of a rational, law abiding society. As soon as the apprehension and detention of culprits became widespread, public support for the EFCC waned; the antigraft commission instantly was dubbed an agency for political witch-hunting.

A stigma that has remained rife.The necessary antidote to weaken an institution established to fight corruption has succeeded; this empirical evidence has clouded any aperture for success. The current Chairman of the commission, Ibrahim Magu, has remained in acting position because corruption, the most potent ingredient of Nigerian society, has won. Lawlessness is the first language of Nigerians; nothing can quell it.

Nigeria’s political structures are very weak. The executive is always highjacked by its surrounded kitchen cabinet members that always form a cabal-like entity. The independence of the executive arm is made or marred bythe personality of the President, not the biding constitution.The absolute power of a Nigerian President---despite constitutional limitations--is as rigid as a totalitarian regime.

The legislative arm of government in Nigeria is always in absolute weakness. Legislators’ crave illicit funds from the executive, which has rendered the national assembly a toothless bulldog, with intense acumen for barking—no bite.

The judiciary is the most corrupt arm of the Nigerian political structure. The rotten justice system has enhanced crime waves. Corrupt judges endorse the immunity of criminals—the national emblem of the Nigerian society.

A law enforcement officer in Nigeria is as good as the criminal in his domain. His immediate responsibility is to himself; how he can survive by coercing the arrested criminal to cough out money and other valuables. This daily drama is everywhere in the country, and with unemployment at its highest percentage since Nigeria’s independence, there is no difference between authentic law enforcers and imposters. Everyone is armed with assault weapons, acquired through various means. This is what makes the lawlessness situation in Nigeria unpredictably dangerous.

It is not unusual to see a fraternity of criminals in perfect collusion with law enforcement officers. There is just one objective: to rob or kill innocent citizens for prized possessions. A young girl was stabbed for her cell phone; another was strangled to death for her handbag. A young boy’s arm was cutoff in a robbery attempt to snatch an I-phone 8.

These are rituals; the police are complicit. It is more dangerous to report a robbery incident to the police;you may end up paying out of your pocket for the transportation and other expenses to the scene of the crime.

General T.Y. Danjuma, a former army chief, and a billionaire by all standards, last week, warned of the impending anarchy of ethnic cleansing, orchestrated by the Nigerian military forces and some ruthless bandits.Whether Danjuma’s perspective is acceptable to the government or not, his social status supports a credible, authoritative speaker. The hard challenge to the government in power is how to convince Nigerians that this administration can protect the masses, not the VIPswith police escorts. So far, there is very little reaction to protect innocent lives in Zamfara, Kogi, Benue, and Taraba states. Nigerians are under siege by undefined bandits with assault weapons, presumably obtained from the law enforcement officers, or imported through the porous borders. The rampant act of lawlessness within Nigerian’s sovereignty spells a state of anomie, but the government seems obscured from it.

Criminality has overshadowed a rational, stable, peaceful society where life and property are protected.

Unemployment is at the highest level ever; yet,compulsive lies embedded in government propaganda dominate the rhetoric. A situation wherein elected public servants, arrogantly steal from the treasury under the constitutionally guaranteed “immunity clause”, while everyone starves is a direct invitation to the turmoil within.Public resources are marginalized and converted to personal assets.

The EFCC is rigorously overpowered in courts; corruption is in high-gear to challenge the anticorruption efforts. All forms of legal twists are employed to reinforce the immunity of a sitting governor, who is visibly corrupt and arming his political thugs to distort his sworn- to- defend state.

This paradox is undetermined, undefined.

It seems obvious that our leaders are oblivious of the degraded stage of the fragrant lawlessness, overblown crime

08054102747 waves, and the approaching anarchy, orchestrated by politicians and bureaucrats.

Nigeria is dangerously plunging into another Somalia, with fragmented regional warlords. The big question remains: who can ensure that the various institutions will be tailored to efficiency? With varying political interests, especially those of primordial and parochial actors, there is very little hope that the greedy and selfish elites at the top of Nigeria’s affairs can reconstruct our social perception towards hope and prosperity.

The strongest institution in Nigeria today is corruption, illegality. It is embraced by most Nigerians, irrespectively of tribe, religion, and state of origin. The pervasive lawlessness is an unwritten, acceptable norm. While superficially, everyone seems to loathe the current state ofthe nation, no one is courageous enough to change the situation. Nigeria is gradually slipping into an unbearable, disorderly society.

Maybe we should take a cue from an 800 year- old Benin Kingdom to reconstruct our institutions to such a formidable anchorage; but it requires sacrifice, restraint, and a dependable leadership. Who will lead Nigeria out of this mess???

GHANA MUST GO Senate rejects $350m Kaduna loan request

— News

Senate demolition!!

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