12th oct 2014 by Newtelegraphonline

SUNDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY

Sanctity of Truth

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Vol. 1 No. 236

/newtelegraph /newtelegraph

@newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com @newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com

N150

Mayhem in Edo legislative quarters

lMajority leader’s wife, son in coma as thugs attack lawmakers’ homes lPolice arrest 10 suspects Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

uns boomed endlessly as suspected Peoples Fashion Create class looks with ic white shirts 22&43

Bed Work &

Life

Life is like yo-yo

Democratic Party thugs invaded the Edo State Legislative Quarters on Ihama Road, Government Reservation Area in Benin, the state

Body Soul

capital yesterday morning. Witnesses said the over 150 armed thugs stormed the premises around 5am, shooting sporadically and

attacking houses and residents. In the attack, the Speaker, Uyi Igbe; Majority leader, Phillip Shaibu; a principal

officer, Kabiru Adjoto, and some All Progressives Congress lawmakers were seriously affected, as their cars and personal effects were

destroyed. Exotic cars belonging to Shaibu, Sunday Aghedo, Folly Ogedengbe and Bright CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER,

AMOS ADAMU

TONY ELUMELU

WAR FOR THE SENATE

I’m not an accidental sports expert }60

The Africapitalism champion }24

Governors move to unseat senators

2014

I look good when my curves are accentuated -Clarion Chukwurah

Fani-Kayode’s column, Crossfire, debuts tomorrow in New Telegraph

Ahaoma Kanu

ormer Minister of Aviation and Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, who joined the league of notable Nigerians that would be writing for the New Telegraph, will tomorrow debut with his weekly column entitled Crossfire. Renowned for his prolific delivery of fearless, in-depth, expository and extensively researched essays, Crossfire promises to be a must read column for minds seeking a better understanding of sound commentaries on issues affecting Nigeria, Africa and the world in general. Born October 16, 1960, Femi Fani-Kayode comes from a prominent political and legal family in Nigeria and has an educational career that took him through Brighton College, Brighton in the United Kingdom. He later attended Holmewood House School in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, SouthEast England, Harrow School in Harrow on the Hill, also in the UK as well as Kelly CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Oil shocks won’t affect Nigeria’s growth, says IMF

}31

2015

TINUBU’S GAMEPLAN }4&5

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Contents | 12.10.14 BODY & SOUL

I like fitted clothes When a friend of mine told Prof. Wole Soyinka about my pregnancy, he said, ‘Oh really? Fantastic!’ He just opened a bottle of choice Champagne, Chauvet 1959...

}15

LIFE

Ojude Oba unites all Ojude Oba festival gives you a feeling of tradition in its purest form

}40

POLITICS

War for the Senate As more outgoing governors angle for the Senate, what are the implications for the incumbent representatives of the constituencies?

}31

BUSINESS

Nigeria’s business index status Nigeria’s quest to attract Foreign Direct Investment will not yield optimum result until it reveses its poor position on World Bank Group Ease of Doing business index

}23

FAITH

Lagosians want fair inquest Only a fair and open inquest will put an end to the controversies that have trailed Synagogue Church of All Nations’ guest house collapse

}51

SPORT

Adamu on his achievement Former CAF and FIFA Executive Committee member, Dr. Amos Adamu, said he did’t get into sports by accident but on merit.

}60

Editorial

Proliferation of small arms and light weapons

he recent seizure of a T-55 armoured tank, a highly sophisticated Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) from Boko Haram insurgents by the Nigerian Army, after a fierce battle in Konduga, Borno State came as an eye opener to the dangerous manner of ownership and use of arms in Nigeria. While we applaud the gallantry of the military in seizing the weapons from the insurgents, the event also reminds us of the deleterious effect of the proliferation of small arms on whatever gains our troops may record in their fight against insurgency. The Konduga recovery came as a frightening indication of how well armed the insurgents and other armed bandits in Nigeria are and explains why the government must do everything possible to mop up arms from civil space and ensure that they are kept with people who are licensed to use them. The seizure came on the heels of a renewed attempt by the insurgents to take over Konduga, a town that has witnessed incessant battles and disastrous outings by the insurgents in the past few weeks. As the insurgents tried to reenter the embattled Konduga, they were confronted by Nigerian troops who successfully repelled the insurgents’ attack and seized from them an armoured tank and some other weapons in the process. And yet, what still remains unclear is how equipment in the caliber of a T-55 armoured tank got into the country and into the hands of insurgents. Indeed, several questions beg for answers: how did the equipment get into Nigeria in the first place, without being detected by security operatives at the borders? Did it come by land or sea? Could it have been seized by the insurgents from the Nigerian Army? Was it flown into the country? Like it or not, the seizure confirms the popular opinion that the insurgents are well-funded and versed in military tactics, a fact the military must take into consideration in planning its maneuvers against the Islamist insurgents. It is estimated that out of the $ 18 billion that is being spent on conflicts in Africa, West Africa accounts for about 8m out of the 100m small arms currently in circulation within the continent. Similarly, Nigeria accounts for over 70 per cent of the illegal small arms and light weapons circulating in the subregion. To say the least, this grim situation does not bode well for our national security. For, apart from the serious security challenge with which the nation is currently confronted, having plenty of small arms in circulation in Nigeria barely five months to

a crucial election year is, to put it succinctly, dangerous. The situation here is not helped by Africa’s burgeoning conflicts. But, it is compounded by Nigeria’s porous borders. It is difficult to say what would happen in 2015, if individuals could move armoured tank into the country with such bravado and without detection by security operatives. There are fears about the negative impact on the political economy generally of so many arms and ammunition in the system. Consider oil bunkering, for instance. Illegal bunkering is carried out by people who have enough weapons to overthrow a regular army, hence the seeming impunity with which they operate. Similarly, armed robbers, kidnappers and other categories of criminals are remarkable these days for the monstrosity of the arms they possess and the guns they fire. Against this background, just imagine what could happen in the event of even a minor disputation over the outcome of next year’s presidential election. What is even worse is that even those said to spiriting these dangerous weapons into the country and arming the insurgents and who may be known to the government, are left without any reprimand. But, stem the tide of influx of small arms into the country the government must. Thus,the authorities must as a matter of urgency, promptly demilitarize the country and reduce the influx of arms and ammunition. The immediate challenge is how the deal with the menace that is already here with us. We urge government to faithfully manage the situation with a view to reducing the national security threat that a proliferation of SALWs poses to the country. Very importantly too, lax arms control legislation and enforcement, porous borders, the actions of sub-regional states, transnational arms dealers, which are contributory factors to arms proliferation must be urgently addressed too by government to ensure sustainable security of lives and property in the country. Above all, government must also work within the framework of ECOWAS to encourage Member states to demonstrate strong commitment towards strengthening import and export control mechanisms and practices within their borders to curb the illegal importation distribution of illegal arms and ammunition within the subregion. Nigeria as a country must establish a National Commission against the proliferation of SALWs to coordinate and implement activities to combat the menace in line with ECOWAS Convention on SALWs.

Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief n Eric Osagie Deputy Managing Directors n Gabriel Akinadewo

Felix Oguejiofor Abugu

Managing Editor n Suleiman Uba Gaya

Editor, Daily n Yemi Ajayi

Editor, Saturday n Laurence Ani

Editor, Sunday n Emeka Madunagu

Deputy Editor, Sunday n Juliet Bumah

Bureau Chief, Brussels n Leo Cendrowicz

Bureau Chief, Washington DC n Marshall Comins

Editorial Coordinator, Europe n Sam Amsterdam

Asst. Editor, News & Politics n Biyi Adegoroye

Business Development Manager n Taiwo Ahmed

Ag. Sales/Circulation Manager n Uchey Okezie

Head, Graphics n Timothy Akinleye

Head, Admin. n Robinson Ezeh

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER 2014

Take two for the price of one, from October 6, 2014. Read the International New York Times in every Monday Edition of the New Telegraph

Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s authoritative Newspaper in Business and Politics

www.newtelegraphonline.com www.facebook.com/newtelegraph www.twitter.com/newtelegraph1

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

The Sunday Magazine SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER 2014

Bola Tinubu

2015: Tinubu’s gameplan A

Ahaoma Kanu & Chijioke Iremeka s the All Progressives Congress (APC) gets set for its December 2 national convention to pick the standard-bearer for the February 14, 2015 presidential election, stakeholders in the party have intensified efforts to decide where the pendulum swings to. While several chieftains of the party have publicly declared their intentions to have a shot at the presidency, the race for the ticket appears to be between former Head of State, Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. Others that are also angling for the ticket are Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, his Kano and Edo counterparts, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Adams Oshiomole. The Edo State governor is said to have already picked the Declaration of Interest form. Also in the race is the publisher of Leadership Newspapers, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah, who last week declared his intention to test his popularity in the much-awaited primaries to produce the candidate that would ultimately run against President Goodluck Jonathan, who has emerged the consensus candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

What Tinubu resorted to doing was to bring in a familiar foe of Atiku, to use in disorganising his ambition yet again But one major player in the game, who is quietly fine-tuning his strategy to manoeuvre and shock the APC contenders, is a national leader of the party and former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Reliable sources revealed to Sunday New Telegraph the former governor’s hidden quest to hijack the mandate of the APC, whose formation he was instrumental to. “You know that Tinubu is an astute politician and knows how to play his cards. He has never hidden his ambition to be in the presidency and has laboured for so long to realise this long term goal. As a thorough bred politician with the ability to understand the future, Tinubu knows that 2015 is the right time for him to take a shot at the presidency and if you look at the crop of persons lined up for the primaries, he towers above them in

different ways,” said an APC chieftain with a knowledge of the hidden agenda. He added: “One thing Tinubu has going for him that Atiku and Buhari don’t have is his success at the polls. It was under his leadership that the Action Congress (now defunct) reclaimed most of the South-West states taken by PDP. But the same cannot be said about Atiku or Buhari who are now perceived as serial failures at the polls. This is one advantage Tinubu will be advertising when he unveils his plan to be part of the primaries.” While it has been rumoured that Tinubu is working for the emergence of Atiku, the source dismissed such, saying though the relationship between both men has been cordial ever since their days in the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) under late General Shehu Musa Yar Adua, there is no way the former Lagos governor would support the former vice president’s 2015 ambition. Sunday New Telegraph learnt that Tinubu is seriously plotting to stop the former vice president from getting APC’s ticket. “You know that Atiku Abubakar is a very influential politician, who has a very solid platform across the country. He is among the candidates to beat and he is ready for the primaries. So what Tinubu resorted to do-

ing was to bring in a familiar foe of Atiku to use in disorganising his ambition yet again. That person is former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Tinubu’s visit to Otta some few days back has a string attached to pull the rug off Atiku’s feet,” the source said. He added: “One attitude of Atiku that Jagaban (Tinubu) despises is his desperation and the way he flaunts it. Everybody knows that Atiku is desperate to become the president and is ready to trade places for an opportunity. When he ran on the platform of ACN in 2007, he did not really have a clear agenda and that affected his campaigns and ultimately made him fail in the elections. “He was neither lucky when he ran back to PDP and instigated the consensus candidate episode from the North, he also did not present a better agenda but instead was very bent on attacking the person of President Goodluck Jonathan that when the latter came to deliver his speech, he won the primaries.” Another source, who spoke with Sunday New Telegraph, however revealed that Tinubu is not really out to contest the 2015 presidency, but to ensure that his anointed emerges the APC candidate. C ON TI N UE D ON PAGE 5

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

2015: Tinubu’s gameplan

The Sunday Magazine

APC Chieftains during the party’s Convention C O N T ’ D F R O M PAG E 4

The source hinged his position on the outcome of the recent meeting between Tinubu and Obasanjo at his hilltop residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The former Lagos governor had told journalists after the meeting that “we are here to pay homage to our former president and discuss with him because he has a number of influences in the political sphere. We need to talk to find out his thinking about Nigeria and the future. We need to seek his observation on some of his former boys who are running for presidency in our party.” According to the source, Tinubu had seized the opportunity to intensify lobby for the emergence of Buhari as the APC candidate at the December 2 national convention of the party. He is also said to be mobilising the party structures and providing the initial funding in the pursuit of Buhari’s aspiration. In return, it was learnt that Buhari had agreed that should he win, Tinubu would pick his running mate for him. According to the source, Tinubu had on several occasions met with Buhari in Lagos and Abuja to fine-tune the arrangements while associates of the APC presidential aspirant had held strategic meetings with Tinubu in Lagos and London on the presidential project. Tinubu’s associate, who is a member of the Board of Trustees of the APC told Sunday New Telegraph that Tinubu is providing logistics and rallying the party structures behind the former military ruler who has contested the presidential elections three times – 2003, 2007 and 2011– based on the belief that he is the best candidate for the party to defeat the PDP and its adopted candidate, President Jonathan. The source said: “We have the right to support our choice of the presidential candidate. We are working towards the emergence of Buhari as the APC candidate. We are not considering Atiku at all. He has the money, but we have the party structures. “What Buhari lacks in finance, we will provide for his campaign. Don’t forget that we provided Atiku with the platform in 2007, but shortly after the election, he jumped ship and moved to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “When he had issues with President Olusegun Obasanjo, we provided six Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to defend him. But what did we get in return? Nothing. So, we can’t take the gamble on Atiku again. We have pitched our tent with Buhari and we will ensure that he wins the election.” As part of the plan, it was gathered that the Buhari/Tinubu camp is assembling a team

Jonathan

Buhari

that will reach out to delegates to the national convention. “At the end, Buhari will emerge as the candidate,” another source said. An aide to Tinubu confirmed that the former governor has been engaging APC governors and other stakeholders on the need to have Buhari on the ballot rather than Atiku. This is hinged on his electoral strength as demonstrated in the 2011 presidential election. He won in 12 of the 19 northern states of Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara. Jonathan, as an incumbent, polled 22, 350, 242 votes to defeat Buhari, who got 11, 914,953 votes. Most of Jonathan’s votes came from the South. The various permutations, notwithstanding, Tinubu will definitely have a hand in who emerges APC’s presidential candidate. But, should his calculations fail, there is the likelihood that he may opt for a deal that rock the party’s chances. Many regard the former Lagos governor as a very smart fellow who may negotiate with the PDP if he is left in the dark by the APC. Those who expressed this view recalled that the reason the merger between the ACN and CPC fell through ahead of the 2011 elections was because of some demands Tinubu presented towards the election. They alleged that Tinubu met with President Jonathan and made a deal which included getting the EFCC off his business; PDP’s relinquishing of Ogun and Oyo States

to ACN as well as oil pipeline contracts in the South-West. With that sealed, Tinubu allegedly swung into action and presented his proposal that Buhari’s running mate, Pastor Tunde Bakare, should step down for him. With the alliance deadlocked, Tinubu, it was further alleged, went ahead and secretly endorsed Jonathan and got the states promised in the alleged deal which further promoted his influence in the South-West. But, with the coalition of five parties – ACN, CPC, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and factions of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) forming the APC, the stage was set for a real test of might among Atiku, Buhari and Tinubu. Tinubu is not new to political scheming, but he seems to have perfected the art over with time. In the run-up to the 1999 elections, he was said to have lost the Alliance for Democracy (AD) governorship ticket to late Funso Williams, but explored his closeness to the party’s leaders – Abraham Adesanya and Ayo Adebanjo to reclaim the ticket, and went ahead to win the election. His political sagacity was to come to the fore in 2003 when he opted out of the political arrangement that saw other AD governors in the South-West backing former President Olusegun Obasanjo re-election bid. The governors and the leadership of AD agreed not to field a presidential candidate for the election, so that Obasanjo could secure

Abubakar

the votes of the zone. Only Tinubu saw the handwriting on the wall and refused to be part of the deal with the opposition. It was therefore not shocking when he was the only AD governor that retained his mandate after the elections. The PDP dealt AD a heavy blow and claimed the other South Western states. The consequence of this was a bitter struggle with Obasanjo over whether Lagos State had the right to create new Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to meet the needs of its large population. In the ensuing controversy, the Federal Government seized funds meant for local councils in the state. During the latter part of his term in office, he was engaged in continuous clashes with PDP powers in the state led by Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, a former Lagos State senator who became minister of Works, and Chief Olabode George, the South-West chairman of the PDP. However, the political game that swept off the AD governors presented Tinubu an opportunity not only to become the last man standing in the South-West but to become a regional leader in the likes of late Premier of the then Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Tinubu, being a master strategist, quickly left AD and formed the Action Congress (AC) which later became the platform on which the rest of the South-West states were reclaimed from the PDP in the 2007 elections.

SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

News

Mayhem in Edo legislative quarters CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Osayande were riddled with bullets during the attack that lasted for 30 minutes. It was gathered that security aides attached to the quarters could not withstand the firepower of the rampaging thugs. Shaibu’s wife and son are presently in a coma at an undisclosed hospital in the state capital, following deep stab wounds they sustained when the thugs stormed their house. The thugs were said to have swooped on the residence of Shaibu representing Etsako West Constituency 2, shot into the building and destroyed all his official cars. It was gathered that when they (thugs) could not locate Shaibu upon gaining entrance into his living room, they stabbed the wife in the neck and descended on the son whom they also stabbed in the back. One of Shaibu’s domestic employees told newsmen that he also sustained a deep injury in his left leg, in an attempt to rescue his boss’ wife and children. The PDP thugs were said to have been led by one ‘Shaba’ in about 10 Hiace buses. APC thugs were later mobilised to repel the attackers but they had left by the time the rescue team arrived. Yesterday’s invasion may not be unconnected with Tuesday’s violent attack on

the PDP lawmaker representing Etsako West 1 constituency, Mr. Abdul Razaq Momoh, by APC thugs. Momoh is currently at the intensive care unit of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, where he was rushed to after he was assaulted, following a hot argument with Shaibu. Igbe yesterday petitioned the state commissioner of police, Foluso Adebanjo, over the incident, alleging that the state chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Osi Orbih; as former Secretary to the State Government, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu; a PDP chieftain, Chief Lucky Imasuen; and the lawmaker representing Orhionmwon South constituency, Mr. Friday Ogierhiakhi, masterminded the invasion. In his letter, he said, “The group of assassins and thugs in their hundreds were led into the legislators’ quarters by known faces. After the exit of the hoodlums, a cap was found on the premises with the inscription ‘Final Push,’ which is a slogan of a group believed to be sponsored by one Friday Ogierhiakhi.” He, however, reminded the police boss that “having heard the information of the possible attack yesterday, we expected that security in and around the premises would have been beefed up to foil the attack. Moreso, the few police officers that were supposedly

posted to the legislative quarters were absent at the time of the attack.” But Orbih in his reaction said, “There is no truth whatsoever in the allegations. After welcoming Mr. President to Edo State on Friday, many of us when to our houses, had a light dinner and went to bed. “It is common knowledge that what happened may have been borne out of the attack on Hon. Rasaq Momoh and the fact that those accused are now free today. What happened this morn-

ing was not the work of our party. We believe in the law enforcement agencies to deal with the situation.” He explained that it was regrettable that days after the attack on Momoh, “Governor Adams Oshiomhole has not deemed it fit to condemn the attack on an elected member of the Edo State House of Assembly. Miscreants and officially known thugs are now part of the Edo State Government occupying offices.” Already, a detachment of armed riot policemen have

been deployed in the quarters in over 28 patrol vans while security has also been beefed up at Chief Anthony Enahoro legislative complex on Kings Square. When Sunday New Telegraph visited the legislative quarters, armed policemen barred all human and vehicular movements from the area. Ten persons have been arrested by the Edo State Police Command in connection with the incident, according to the commissioner of police.

L-R: Former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi; Professor of Sustainable Development, Jeffrey David Sachs; and Director-General of Nigeria’s Budget Office, Dr. Bright Okogu, at the 2015 World Bank/IMF Spring meetings in Washington, yesterday.

Oil shocks won’t affect Nigeria’s growth, says IMF Ayodele Aminu Washington D.C.

he International Monetary Fund yesterday allayed fears that the sudden drop in the price of crude oil in the international market would hurt Nigeria’s growth. There had been fears that Nigeria’s 2014 budget could face challenges when crude, which is the cash cow of the country’s economy, crashed to $88 per barrel last Friday, a price not seen since November 2010. Nigeria, Africa’s biggest crude exporter, which depends largely on proceeds from crude to service over 85 per cent of its budget, has a budget of N4.962 trillion for 2014, which it pegged on $77.5 per barrel. But responding to questions from Nigerian journalists at the ongoing IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington DC, United States of America, on the effect of oil on Nigeria’s growth, Director, African Department, Ms. Antoinette Sayeh, said the country likely to be more resilient to shocks that may come oil. “But Nigeria’s, you know, outlook looks very robust. You may know that from the rebasing that Nigeria just recently

Sunday New Telegraph gathered that all the suspects linked with the invasion and destruction of over 38 cars and other valuable properties at the quarters would be arraigned on Monday. Adebanjo confirmed the incident, saying it was being investigated. The ugly incident came barely less than 24 hours after an Oredo Magistrates’ Court granted bail in the sum of N200,000 each to Shaibu, Aghedo and three others for the alleged attack on Momoh.

did that the economy is, in fact, a lot more diverse than we had previously, all of us, thought. That the services sector is, indeed, a major one. Some 50 per cent of Nigerian GDP now is from the services sector. So, a more diversified economy, for that reason, makes a country likely to be more resilient to shocks that may come from things like oil,” she said. Sayeh, however, acknowledged that the shale oil had reduced the US oil imports from Nigeria and other countries. “Nigeria’s exports to the U.S have already ceased, in oil, and from that we don’t see any major impact on the economy in the growth. The prospects and outlook we see for Nigeria, currently, we’re still projecting some seven per cent growth this year for Nigeria,” she added. The Fund had last Tuesday slashed Nigeria’s economic growth forecast for this year to seven per cent, compared with 7.1 per cent last April. Nigeria’s economy had grown by 6.21 per cent in the first quarter of 2014, up from 4.45 percent in the same period last year. The Federal Government has slashed the projected growth

for this year to 6.5 percent “based on some of their concerns about some of the security conditions the country is facing,” she added. Meanwhile, African ministers spoke with one voice yesterday on Ebola, saying that the outbreak of the dreaded disease in some parts of West Africa had impacted negatively on the otherwise promising economic growth trajectory in many African countries. They lamented that in spite of the nascent international support to help contain the virus in some parts of West Africa, though late, it still fell short of the financial, material and manpower needs required to combat the epidemic. While appreciating the support of the global community, including the IMF and the World Bank, the ministers called on the Fund to make its facility more flexible and adopt a more responsive posture to Africa with the World Bank. Addressing journalists at meetings, the ministers of Finance from Sierra Leone, Kenya, Guinea Bissau, and Chad—Kafala Marah, Henry Rotich, Geraldo Joao Martins and Bedoumra Korodge - said the over-sensationalisation of

the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia had created a severe economic threat to the affected countries. Marah said prior to the outbreak of Ebola, the country’s GDP growth was impressive standing at about 12 per cent as at December 12 per cent, adding that prior to the outbreak, economic growth for 2014 was projected at over 11 per cent. He regretted that with the impact of Ebola so far and what he described as economic isolation and economic embargo imposed on the country, growth hovers between three and four per cent, with activities in virtually all the sectors of the economy almost grounded to a halt. “GDP growth rate as we anticipated was 11.3 per cent. We did our initial assessment and we came to realise that it could be around seven per cent. Unfortunately, clear-cut reality showed that it is not possible. It now hovers around three to four per cent and it could be worse. “Unfortunately, London Minning is going down and it has worsened the situation. And Sierra Leone Brewery Limited is set to lose 24, 000 jobs and this will affect 600 farmers producing sorghum,” he said.

Fani-Kayode’s column, Crossfire, debuts CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

College in Tavistock, UK, where he completed the rest of his public school education. In 1980, he proceeded to the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies where he graduated with an LL.B law degree in 1983 and later gained admission into the prestigious into Cambridge University (Pembroke College) after finishing from Cambridge Femi Fani-Kayode went to the Nigerian Law School and in 1985 was called to the Nigerian Bar. In 1993, under the tutelage of Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams of Ghana, Femi Fani-Kayode became a Pentecostal Christian. He decided to go back to school to study theology at the Christian Action Faith Bible Seminary in Accra, Ghana, gaining a diploma in theology in 1995. In July 2003, he was appointed Special Assistant on Public Affairs to former President Olusegun Obasanjo from July 2003 until June 2006, when he was appointed as Minister of Culture and Tourism before being redeployed to the Aviation Ministry. Fani-Kayode had a stint with the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) until June 2014 when he returned to the ruling party.

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014

News

Scenes at the burial of The Sun Vice Chairman, Pastor Dimgba Igwe, in Igbere, Abia State on Saturday

Widow of Late Igwe, Obioma, with her children during the burial

Elder Ekeoma Ekeoma, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and former Minister of State for FCT, Chuka Odom

Eze Uche Dimgba, Chief Michael Esse and Barr. Ifeanyi Iboko, Special Adviser to the Governor of Abia State

General Overseer of Evangel Pentecostal Church, General Paul Toun; Bishop Humphrey Erumaka and Pastor Amaechi Udeze

Mr. Femi Adesina and Mrs. Anyalechi

Mr. Mike Awoyinfa and his wife, Bukola

L-R: Andy Azike; Mr. Chima Anyaso and Anambra State Commissioner for Information Ichie Tony Onyima

L-R: Mr. Steve Nwosu, Mr. Felix Ofou, Bonnie Iwuoha, Mr. Sola Oshunkeye, Mr. Onuoha Ukeh and Mr. Obioma Ogukwe

News Onyekachi Eze, Abuja Charles Onyekwere, Abakaliki

olitical crisis is now brewing in Ebonyi State over the adoption of Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu as Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in the next year’s election. Although state governor, Chief Martin Elechi has invoked Ebonyi Charter of Equity to zone the governorship to Afigbo block since Abakaliki bloc has ruled the state since 1999, some political interest groups in the state have rejected it, describing it as good pregnancy that will never come to life. Ebonyi State, which was carved out of old Enugu and Abia States in 1996, consists of two blocs - Abakaliki and Afigbo. The former has nine local government areas with 73 per cent of the population as against the latter with four local governments and 27 per cent of the population

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Crisis brews in Ebonyi over Chukwu’s adoption

In line with the rotational principle of the Peoples Democratic Party, Elechi, at a Sallah party in Abakaliki, the state capital proposed Onyebuchi Chukwu as consensus governorship candidate of the party in the state. But a group, which calls itself “Concerned Citizens of Ebonyi State,” said the Minister’s adoption was taken without the knowledge and approval of leaders of thought and state chapter of PDP in Ebonyi State. At a press conference yesterday in Abuja, President of the group, Dr. Jerry Uhuo argued that there is no provision for rotation of power or consensus candidacy in

the PDP constitution. Instead, he added, the party believes in the enthronement of internal democracy. “This gives vent to party democracy and affords party members the opportunity to choose their leaders and candidates for any election. Political parties that have practised true democracy always maintain that the right of party members to choose

their leaders should not be circumscribed in any form or shape”, Uhuo noted. Meanwhile, Ebonyi North senatorial zone has backed the endorsement of Chukwu as the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the forthcoming general election come 2OI5. The zone comprises Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Izzi, and Ohaukwu local government areas of the state.

In a communique issued yesterday in Abakaliki and signed by the representatives of each of the four LGAs, applauded the unanimous agreement that Ebonyi South senatorial zone, should be allowed to produce the next governor of the state. The communique also stated that it is equitable and just to rotate the governorship of Ebonyi State,

between the three zones, was in order to guarantee political stability, social cohesion and multilateral contributions to the growth and development of the young state, They called on the President Goodluck Jonathan to hearken to the yearning and aspiration by releasing Chukwu to come home to contest the forthcoming gubernatorial election.

S’West PDP elects Makanjuola amidst protest Sola Adeyemo, Ibadan

outh-West zonal chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party yesterday elected a new National Vice Chairman in person of Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe. Ogundipe was the Chairman of the party in Ekiti State until his election yesterday in Ibadan, Oyo State capital. Makanjuola replaced Chief Ishola Filani, the Caretaker Chairman of the party in the zone of the country. Filani who made a brief appearance at the venue

of the congress held at the Apex Multipurpose Hall, Agodi in Ibadan, however presented his protest letter to the chairman of the congress committee distancing himself from the election of Makanjuola. Copied the protest letter were sent to the National Chairman of the party; the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Chief of Staff to Mr. President, Governor Segun Mimiko, Governor-elect Of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose and the party’s Board of Trustees in the zone under the leadership of Chief Olabode George.

Jonathan congratulates Malala, co-winner

resident Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has congratulated the joint-recipients of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, Pakistani girl-child education activist, Malala Yousafzai and Indian children’s rights campaigner, Kailash Satyarthi. President Jonathan believes that Malala and her co-winner are very worthy recipients of the Noble Peace Prize in view of their globally-acclaimed and very courageous advocacy against bigotry, discrimination, oppression and extremism even in the most difficult of circumstances. Jonathan who recalled his meeting with Malala earlier this year when she visited Nigeria, salutes her indomitable spirit, resilience, courage and conviction in pro-

moting young girls’ right to education. In a statement signed by Mr..Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said President Jonathan similarly commended Satyarthi’s peaceful campaign against human trafficking and abuse of children as slave labourers, urging others with grievances around the world to emulate her method of non-violent protests. The President enjoined both Nobel laureates to draw greater strength from the global honour and recognition which the Nobel Peace Prize represents and carry on their brave advocacy for the rights of girls, women and oppressed persons with renewed vigour and impetus.

L-R: Chairman, Dugo Limited, Dr. Nwachukwu Nzegwu; Managing Director/CEO, Mrs. Ngozi Nzegwu; Pastor Taiwo Odukoya and his wife, Pastor Nomthi, during the inauguration of Dugo Limited new world-class showroom in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

2015: States defy PDP NEC on consensus candidate Ndubuisi Ugah

trong indications emerged yesterday that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be heading for a crisis over the adoption of ‘consensus’ candidates by states on its platform. The PDP national secretariat had warned last week that no state chapter should adopt a consensus candidate as only the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had the powers to do so. The party’s warning came after some states indicated they may follow the example set by the party in adopting President Goodluck Jonathan as the PDP’s consensus candidate for the 2015 presidential elections. However, states such as Enugu, Ebonyi have already announced their consensus candidates for the governorship contest, while Delta

and Niger states are yet to announce theirs. Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State has said the PDP candidate will emerge this week, while other states appear still uncertain about who flies their flags. Similarly, the PDP caucus in old Abakaliki political bloc also endorsed the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu as its consensus candidate for the 2015 governorship election in Ebonyi State. But the same cannot be said of Ogun and Lagos states, though not controlled by the PDP, but which are already having the problem of who takes over from Governors Ibikunle Amosun and Babatunde Raji Fashola respectively. However, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, in underscoring the importance of the directive, had assured party

members that its leadership would not allow the imposition of candidates on members in any state of the federation. Speaking in Abuja, while addressing some aggrieved Ijaw youths from Rivers State who stormed the party national headquarters to protest against an alleged plan to impose an indigene on the people of the state, Metuh said the party members would be given the opportunity to elect and nominate aspirants of their choices. “We are promising you that that is what will happen in Rivers and every single state of the federation. Our party is against consensus candidate and any idea of intimidating the people. There should be no intimidation and coercion,” he said. But feelers from across the states outside those who have already announced their ‘consensus’ candidates

shows that a possible crisis of confidence may arise in such states. For instance, Enugu State chapter of the PDP led by Governor Sullivan Chime had adopted Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who is a member of the House of Representatives, representing Igbo-Eze North/Udenu Federal constituency as its ‘consensus’ governorship candidate. The move, it was gathered, is believed to have sparked off another fresh leadership crisis in the state, particularly with the governorship ambition of the Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and his loyalists. Impeccable sources told Sunday New Telegraph that Ugwuanyi’s emergence may have ruffled some political blocs within the party in state. But the governor in adopting Ugwuanyi said: “I do not see why any party at any level should be against negotiation.

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014

News

Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

t least three communities in Logo Local Government Area, the homestead of Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, have been overtaken by flood, rendering over 300 families homeless. The incident occurred barely three days after hundreds of people were forced out of their homes in the outskirts of Makurdi, the state capital. The affected communities are Ukemberagya in Gaambetyev, Iorza and Anawa . The flood occasioned by a continuous downpour, wrecked serious havoc to the people as their farms and houses were washed away. A victim of the disaster, Chief Joseph Anawa, who

Flood sacks Suswam’s village, three communities in Benue is also a Senior Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Public Affairs, told Sunday New Telegraph that most houses and farms of the people have been buried by water. Anawa said that no fewer than 300 people who have been displaced are currently taking refuge at the Local Authority Primary School, Iorza. The governor ’s aide expressed shock at the extent of damage done by the flood and appealed to relevant agencies such as the State Emergency Management Agency

(SEMA), the Ministry of Environment and spirited individuals to come to the aid of the victims. Another victim who spoke to Sunday New Telegraph, Joshua Ogbu, lamented that their source

of water has been contaminated by the flood and solicited the immediate intervention of the government and relevant agencies to their plights. Sunday New Telegraph recalls that last week, 105

houses situated along the coastal areas of River Benue were submerged in water, with hundreds of occupants rendered homeless when the river over flowed its banks. The areas worst hit were

residences behind Kucha Utebe and Gyado Villa area settlements as well as New Garage, Wadata Rise Mill, the Agboughol community and Nyongon settlements.

83- year old Oba Olutoye gets staff of office Babatope Okeowo Akure

ormer member of the Supreme Military Council (SMC), Major Gen Olufemi Olutoye (rtd) was yesterday crowned as the Alani of Idoani in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State. Olutoye who was born on May 18, 1931 was the Minister of Youth Development during the General Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo regime became monarch of his community years after the stool became vacant. The 83 years old retired General was chosen by nine out of the 15 kingmakers in the town to succeed late Oba Atewogboye who died many years ago. Presenting instrument and staff of office to the newly installed monarch, the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko said the processes of appointed scaled through

due diligence of law. The governor who was represented by Secretary to the government, Dr. Rotimi Adelola said the appointment of Olutoye was the collective wish of the entire people of Idoani and should do everything not to let them down. Mimiko said the development of the town should be of paramount importance to the new monarch and he should be fair, transparent to all the indegenes of the town. In his remark, the Chairman of the local government, Mr. Victor Olotu, said the process and struggle to elect new monarch of the town had been rigorous but that the process follow met the required standard. The new monarch who was flanked by his wife, Prof Olutoye said he would embark on the process of reconciliation with all the warring factions.

Gunmen kill 6 in Plateau Buhari Bello Jos

bout six men were ambushed and killed in the early hours of yesterday between Shonong and Badok villages in Riyom Council Area of Plateau State One of the victims who escaped the mayhem narrated that they were in the farm when a group of men opened fire on them instantly killing the six persons on the spot . He said he managed to escape. Confirming the incident, the Chairperson of the local government, Josephine Piyo, said, the victims were on their way from Shonong to Badok village and were ambushed and killed by the gunmen.

“I reported the incident to the Special Task force on Jos Crisis and I believe by now they should have gone there’’ she said. Efforts to contact the Media Officer of the STF, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, prooved abortive, at the time of filing this report. However the Police Public Relation Officer of the State Command, DSP Abuh Emmanuel confirmed the attack in a telephone interview, but said he had no knowledge of number of casualties involved in the incident. It could be recalled that 12 persons from four villages of the same local government area were attacked and killed by yet to be identified gunmen last week.

Representative of the Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Rotimi Adelola handing staff of office to Major Gen Olufemi Olutoye (rtd) at his coronation ceremony as the Alani of Idoani in Ose Local Government Area of the state yesterday

Cohesion, key to African development -Jonathan

resident Goodluck Jonathan has said that greater cohesion between African countries is key to surmounting developmental challenges on the continent. The President made this assertion on Friday when he received the Lifetime Africa Achievement Prize for Leadership for National Cohesion and Stability In Africa, by the Millennium Excellence Foundation at an event which held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Jonathan, represented by Vice-President Namadi Sambo, said unity among fellow African countries would not only help stabilize the continent, but would also “help remedy the challenges we face, real or contrived.” The President said Nigeria stood for the ideals of Pan-Africanism, observing that, “No matter how independent we may be as individual African states. The truth is, we are indeed more interdependent than we so often realise. “We are one people from the womb of one Africa! Whatever affects one may affect the other positively or negatively.” Speaking further, Jonathan said national boundaries should not be a cog in the fight against terrorism and

other social vices, as well as diseases like Ebola, stressing that the surest way of defeating them, was through collective efforts. “We must again lean on cooperation, collaboration and shared experiences as we battle the degrading ills of poverty, illiteracy and underdevelopment. We must work for unity, we must cooperate, we must stand together,” he emphasised. MEF Chairman, Ambassador Ashim Morton, said it MEF sets standards of zealous principles to recognise meritorious achievements and therefore subscribes to

its belief that whosoever merits praise, deserves honour. He thanked Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, for hosting the event. The 2014 LAAP laureates include His Royal Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene of Ghana for Traditional Governance in Africa; Dr. Check Modibo Diarra for science research in Africa; Prof. Calestous Juma for food security, agro processing and development and quality; Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, for humanitarianism and equity; Jay Naidoo, for democratic governance

and development; Tony O. Elumelu, for Sustainable development in Africa; Tidjane Thiam, for Action for Africa; Folorunsho Alakija, for Action for Africa; Dr. Manilal Premchand Chandaria, for economic development in Africa; Jim Ovia, for Economic development in Africa; Donald Kaberuka, for nation building and African leadership; Ashish J. Thakkar, for entrepreneurial excellence in Africa; Amadou Mahtar Ba, for media development in Africa; Haile Gebrselassie, for black star of Africa; and Didier Drogba for Black Stars of Africa.

P&G applies research in fabric care innovation Vanessa Okwara

&G Fabric Care, one of the subsidiaries of Procter & Gamble conglomerate is applying cognitive science to understand why people fall out of love with their wardrobe, leading to many using only 20 per cent of their wardrobe, 80 percent of the time. P&G which serves approximately 4.8 billion people around the world with its brands such as Always and Ariel said the company will utilise this knowledge to create products that can help to prolong longevity and beau-

ty of clothes people love. In a survey conducted on behalf of P&G, revealed that 84 percent of women would like to reinvigorate the clothes inside of their wardrobe. The Vice President of P&G Fabric Care Europe, Robert van Pappelendam stated that “it is P&G Fabric Care’s belief that people are increasingly looking to the clothing industry, as well as fabric care experts, to make fashion more accessible and easier to clean and care for. This is why we have been working with fashion designer Giles Deacon and

respected fabric trends forecaster Première Vision, to forge a link between fabric care and fashion so we can develop products that respond to macro trends in the fashion and fabric industry. He said: “At the same time, we’ve also been working with the leading cognitive science professor, Dr. Lawrence Rosenblum, to better understand how people’s perception and relationship with their clothes is unconsciously influenced by the multi-sensory properties of fabrics. This knowledge is at the very heart of our latest innovations.’’

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

OPINION Enugu politics and political naivety of S’East

Law Mefor ithout a doubt, South-East Nigeria is the least politically conscious zone in the country. The atomisation and fragmentations evident in the zone’s political life have been so deeply engrained that whoever manages to come to power in the precinct carries on in a manner worse than the Russian Czars of antiquity - a rot earl trashing the way to power and doing even worse things to remain in power. How else can one explain the raw power being exhibited by the Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, who has arrogated to himself the power to decide who runs or returns for all the elective positions accruing to the state? What is more! Through such politics, the zone has continued to rob the South-East and indeed Nigeria so much. Nigerian politics is ever fully charged and calling for the best of brinkmanship. Other regions in the country all understand this and pushing their best eleven forward, except the South-East. To the apolitical region, it really doesn’t matter for as long as some narrow business interests are served. Enugu State remains a damning example of the demonstrations of how and why the South-East is politically backward in Nigeria. Apart from being the headquarters of the zone and its political permutations, Enugu State, since the return to the current civil dispensation in 1999, has remained a hotbed of some kind of political atavism and politics of exclusion. In a nation where unitary federalism is practised, every federating unit and its regional groupings have to carefully aggregate their interests and enter the political struggle from a position of strength. Regrettably, the SouthEast is not doing this. It is rather always encouraging divisions, shooting itself in the foot and busy playing to the gallery; destroying even those who reared their heads both in the states and at the centre. Are Igbos meant to kill their own species? Pull Him Down Syndrome has always been rife in the region. At the verge of the 2011 Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential primaries and Election, Chime vs. Nwodo brou-

haha consumed Okwesilieze Nwodo and the position of National Chairman of the ruling party zoned to it and occupied by him. Alhaji Ahmed Alkali was put in an acting capacity and soon after, Alhaji Bamaga Tukur assumed the same office in substantive capacity, and Igbos never returned to it till date, no thanks to the said politics of attrition in Enugu and South-East. For the avoidance of doubt, media reports had it that the so-called aggrieved members of the PDP who then dragged Nwodo to court were allegedly sponsored by Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State. It was exactly the same show of shame when the Senate presidency was zoned to the South-East. It travelled through all the five South-East states between 1999 and 2005. The best of the zone’s political class, including the erudite and charismatic Chuba Okadigbo were burnt in the furnace of the zone’s destructive politics. More recently, the desire of the outgoing Governor Chime to muscle his way to the Senate is replaying the same murky politics. Like many other governors who now see the Nigerian Senate as a retiring benefit, where most of them merely warm the seats, Chime sees going to the Red Chamber as more important than sustaining the South-East interest. For the avoidance of doubt, the Office of the Deputy Senate President is zoned to the South-East and the possibility of the region retaining it or moving up the ladder depends on the number of ranking senators to return from the zone. More importantly, the return of its incumbent in the person of Ike Ekweremadu. This will not be if the governor, who has imposed his will, is allowed to have his way. The issues at stake are truly beyond Enugu State. The South-East ought to examine the matter and begin to articulate its interest ahead of 2015. Those who claim that it is the democratic right of the governor to contest the senatorial seat should take another look at the electoral process in the state and see how democratic it is. The election of Governor Sullivan Chime to the Senate is bound to set the South-East back. To begin with, as a non-ranking senator, it is almost certain that he would not succeed Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President.

This is at variance with better and deft calculations of Ekweremadu’s counterparts in the other regions. The example of the Idoma people as regards Senator David Mark is instructive. They do not want to gamble away the office of the Senate President by insisting that Mark had been to the Senate for a record four times and would be returning for the fifth time. They are aware of the high stakes and strategic position Mark occupies in the nation’s polity due to the office of the Senate President which he occupies. The South-East ought to play the same politics in the case of Ekweremadu by prevailing on Chime to sidestep the Senate and set his eyes on other positions, which would come to Enugu State, such as ambassadorial or ministerial slots. Such would guarantee that he (Chime) remains relevant in Enugu nay Nigeria’s politics if this is his preoccupation. Ekweremadu is not just a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Igbos ought to reciprocate his exemplary representation, which has transcended Nigeria, to encompass West Africa, where he is the incumbent Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament. In his position as the Deputy President of the Senate, Ekweremadu also became the chairman of the Senate Committee on the Amendment of the 1999 Constitution. The nation could not successfully amend the constitution up till 2007. But since he set out on the onerous assignment in that year, he has guided the Senate to a record three successful amendments of the 1999 Constitution and at verge of completing the fourth. The 1999 Constitution was contrived by the departing military to retain Nigeria as a unitary system despite Nigeria being a federal environment. Ekweremadu has been pushing for the return of the country to a true federal system, where there shall be State Police, Local Government autonomy, an independent Judiciary, independent State Assemblies as well as a return to regionalism or the creation of an equity state in the South-East to bring the region to par with the rest of the country in the meantime. Not only has he completed his PhD specialising in Constitutional Law, he is very much sought after by many important educational and international organisations in and outside Nigeria, including the Johns

Hopkins University, in USA; York University in Canada; Commonwealth organisations, etc where he has dissected these themes. Ekweremadu has therefore been a great asset to both Enugu State and the South-East and indeed to the nation and West Africa. To permit the ill-advised senatorial ambition of the governor to terminate such a thriving representation of an ebullient and energetic intellectual and grassroots transformer will be a disservice of the highest order. Ekweremadu as a representative par excellence has also complemented the developmental efforts of the Enugu State Government and the South-East by attracting well over 168 projects to the state, about half of which are road projects. Many impassable communities in Enugu State now have access roads. Ekweremadu has also worked with Mark to deliver the most stable Senate since the return to democracy. Mark can sleep with two eyes closed, knowing he has a loyal and equally experienced deputy. Their bonding is all too obvious. Chime’s decree that representatives of Enugu extraction who have been to either State or Federal Assemblies twice should forget another term is dictatorial and undemocratic, especially when he too wants to go to the Senate after two terms as governor. Let the people decide. More importantly, in the case of Ekweremadu, there ought to be an exception even if such a decree is benevolent in any sense. If Benue says Mark should return, why would Chime or the South-East try to stop Ekweremadu? The South-East leaders ought to assert themselves on such cases where the interest of the entire race is being compromised and do all they can to compel the belligerent forces acting in reflux to regain perspective. That way, the interest of the region is protected and its place in the nation’s polity guaranteed. To ignore such will mean that the atomisation and fragmentation of the South-East people will continue and leave the region as the weakling of the nation’s politics, as it has always been. •Law Mefor, a Forensic Psychologist and Author, is National Coordinator, Transform Nigeria Movement, TNM, Abuja; Tel: +234-803-787-2893; email: lawmefor@gmail.com

Rethinking how Africa engages the world (2)

Ejike E. Okpa ead ‘Constitution Money’, ‘Den of Thieves’ to see how money as a tool is used to run over unsuspecting nations, and how a few people in New York Stock Exchange can make everyone in the world have a heart attack as stocks are manipulated. The Six Functions of Money do not change with geography. What changes is the attitude of the legal tender holder and how confident they are in making others believe in their currency. I leave you with this – ‘were the world to trade in one currency’, immigration would almost cease and the western economies would hit structural shock that they may never recover from. That being the case, they will resist currency harmonisation and or equalization happen. But nations that feel they have been dealt wrong hands in trade and investment, need not back down. Disruptive leadership is essential tool and ingredients needed to effect changes. Were Nigeria, for instance, to regain the Naira versus Dollar exchange rate of mid80s and harmonise the interest rate on borrowed money such that it is in the lower single digits, Nigeria’s economy will rank

among 10 Top Economies in the world. With that comes prestige and influence. It is long overdue for a successful black nation in the world, and Nigeria holds that key; given its size, population and a latent citizenry that is seen/perceived as ‘smart’ and educated but right now, in doldrums. Its domestic leadership is engulfed running after one foreign interest or the other. That ought to stop. But since Nigeria is a lame giant and a single commodity nation – literally, depending on what in economics is called ‘Unearned Income’ oil/gas, it is a joke of the world especially being the most populous black nation but has no clout worthy of mention. Nigeria’s population is half that of U.S, but her annual federal government budget source of spending for the entire nation is less than $40bn, a figure global most corporations make monthly. Altogether, it is hard to see corresponding budgets from Nigeria corporations that match this single source. Nigerian states depend on the federal government’s budget for up to 75 per cent of their spending, as majority of the states- merely generate small amounts. As such, they are unable to supplement with internal sources. Money is never enough. It is the attitude to money and its ability to be

stretched that creates impact. Nigeria’s non-oil/gas trade, as reported recently, for first quarter 2014, is about $330m – N5.5tr. Assuming that number holds true for the remaining three-quarters, it can only expect $1.2bn. Again, nothing to be proud of given a population of 165m people. As it goes, Nigeria’s federal government budget is far bigger than that of the states, an uncomfortable constitutional relationship that strangulates and chokes each other. Despite Nigeria ‘jumping up and down’ as giant of Africa, its annual revenue from oil is less than $50bn and mid-2000. It was the first time Nigeria ever made significant revenue from oil, reaching about $70bn. I have records of Nigeria’s oil revenues since 1975, when such started being tracked. When Africa was colonised, the currency value was the same in the colonial masters’ home as well as the colonies. But once independence was gained, the colonial masters sought ways to teach the former colonies lessons and currency devaluation became a tool of international relations, politics and trade. Sub-Saharan Africa may want to create monetary and currency zones; no more than four, to handle the wild and wide exchange rates between nations and the hard

currencies of Pound, Dollar and Euro. If that happens and they enhance trade among themselves, which currently stands at mere 15%, they will see an increase in development and stability of their economies. They need not borrow from outside sources except if they have to. Right now, they borrow excessively, reason their foreign reserve is never at level to stabilise the local currency or enhance growth. Couple that with interest rate on borrowed money that runs in high double digits and loans that are hardly on amortisation schedule, and one has a recipe for disastrous and fluid economic outcomes. Again, the Six Functions of Money hold true in all geographies. What makes money useful and a utility for economic development is the legal environment that creates its acceptance as a legal tender. Lome Convention should be done away with - http://www.eu-oplysningen.dk/ euo_en/spsv/all/97/?print=1. So should many other agreements that Africa naively signed on the heels of independence or during the Cold War be done away with. These agreements favour foreign control and dominance over development in Africa. Why? •Ejike E. Okpa writes from Dallas, Texas, United States

Sunday Mail OCTOBER 12, 2014

You have a right to be heard! Send your letters and photographs to sundayletters@newtelegraphonline.com. Letters should not be more than 150 words and must have the name and address of the sender. What does IP mean in a new world like ‘2014’? The Aye Dee v Linda drama Dear Editor, The Linda Ikeji Drama presents a good time to discuss what really is IP in 2014 - at a time that there are 1.23 Billion Users on Facebook and 271 million users on Twitter; does the SHARE and RETWEET buttons automatically suppose that you have sought permission to use the IP of someone else? What is the difference with you sharing or retweeting a message from another users’ blog and copying/pasting same on your own blog? When both outlets still represent ‘your page’ in a way? What is the IP with copying and pasting articles from a Newspapers or blogger’s online page to your own wall or timeline? Who would be the global ombudsman that would be checking these 1.5 Billion+ users all over the place on a daily basis to differentiate between what can be called an IP or just info that every other person can share? Is there anyone alive today that can call himself/herself a well-followed blogger that doesn’t depend on building web traffic to his page by copying/pasting info from a myriad of sources? Is Mr Aye Dee not guilty of the same offences he has chosen to ‘maim’ Linda for? And I would really like to seek out the opinion of other bloggers in this respect - Let’s chat on this Favour B. Afolabi Ikeja, Lagos

On the #AeroRespectMyTime campaign Dear Editor, It is curious that in all the threads about #AeroRespectMyTime on FB, Twitter etc, which has generated hundreds of comments and thousands of viewings, no one has said anything positive about their experience with Aero. All I’ve heard and read is about delayed and cancelled flights, poor customer service and no compensation for wasted time. So, they have relatively safe travelling history but how safe are you when you get to your destination at 1am, 2am or even 3am? Someone wrote about how he was attacked by armed robbers when he got to his destination around 2am. Surprisingly, this has been said to be going on since 2009 and I wonder why and how they’ve been getting away with this since that period. I can only console myself that the expiry date for their recklessness and impunity is now! Meanwhile, as we speak, Aero has not come out to say anything or make promises of better service. I bet someone thinks we’ll get tired or run out of juice. Well, that someone thought wrong. We will be on them like white on rice until they not only hear us but they give assurances that they’ll start treating Nigerians with respect and dignity. #AeroRespectMyTime Olufunmilayo Odunaike Lagos

Linda ikeji Plagiarism saga: Time to set things straight Dear Editor, These are no doubt trying times for Lindai Ikeji. She has erred no doubt and needs to make recompense-somehow. In a sense her travail may be the spark needed to set things straight. It is so easy to savage her and call her names, one thing is clear to me and I believe that if we searched our consciences deeply we will admit that she was only following in the traditions of our mainstream media. There, plagiarism is alive and well. If in doubt, pick up copies of today’s papers and then flip to their sports and business pages and tell me what you find. You are sure to find pages of unacknowledged material from foreign newspapers and magazines. For years we have willfully and irresponsibly lifted material from foreign media platforms without acknowledging our sources. Hopefully, the Linda Ikeji saga will help address it. Nnamdi Okosieme Abuja

The burden of survival…

APC, Buhari and Atiku Dear Editor, Two factors are contributing to denying Nigerians an opportunity to see President Goodluck Jonathan faced with a good fight in 2015. 1. The first factor is the erroneous belief by some that there is no other Nigerian qualified to lead Nigeria but General Muhammadu Buhari. The group propagating this have forgotten that in playing their dirty politics, a powerful propaganda machinery which penetrated the South and Middlebelt electorates was deployed by then Vice President Atiku Abubakar Turaki (he was also ACN Presidential candidate) to portray Muhammadu Buhari to gullible Nigerians as a religious fanatic. The result of that propaganda is the malicious label around the neck of GMB in the minds of most grassroots electorate in the SS, SE, SW and in substantial parts of southern fringes of NC and NE. 2. The second factor derives from the militant posture of proponents of the first. Because of that erroneous belief of NO ONE BUT BUHARI, the General’s support base has concluded that the amalgam known as the APC is a special purpose vehicle to deliver the Presidency of Nigeria to Buhari. For the foregoing reason, and not withstanding what any APC person will be mouthing, should any candidate emerge in APC but Buhari, there is every likelihood that the candidate may not get the support of the “Buhari Mass”. It is interesting to note that in spite of an earlier promise not to contest the Presidency, General Buhari is not only reneging but calling for a consensus arrangement to select the party’s flag bearer (instead of elective primaries). Needless to say, in the minds of his mass of followers, no one else is qualified to be chosen as a consensus flag bearer but the General. The consequence/effect of not selecting Buhari is therefore better imagined for APC and by extension Nigeria. As for Atiku, I think his ambition is dead on arrival. Some are wont to say its only Atiku Abubakar who has the clout and machinery to compete with President Goodluck Jonathan. I beg to disagree! In 2007 and in 2011, he was thoroughly out played in the game that he thought he was a master in. We shall discuss Atiku in another thread. By the way, time is running out! Its barely 5 months to election and APC is still groping probably because of the over bearing image of Buhari over the party or Atiku’s deep pockets and his banking of predictions by well funded marabouts. I expected that by now, the likes Oshiomole, Babatunde Fashola, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi or Rochas Okorocha should have joined the race to add element to the quest for the Presidency. In summary both Buhari and Atiku are not winnable candidates against President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. I am out of here... Danjuma Azemobo Musa Abuja

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

APC 2015 presidential ticket: The Devil and the deep blue sea Dear Editor, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and Alhaji Turaki Abubakar are front line presidential aspirants of the APC. It is like a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. This description has nothing to do with their personalities or integrity. The two super aspirants are not winnable. None of them can deliver the presidency to the APC. They have been politically damaged beyond redemption. I will vote for any of the two (preferably Buhari) against President Jonathan but that WILL NOT be enough to stop the PDP. People can dream and get drunk with the possibility of any of them emerging as president in 2015. That will not happen. Kelechi Eme

Still on Ayo Oristshejafor Dear Editor, That is what the ecclesiastic responsibility of his calling as a gospel minister dictates, once he finds himself in a situation where his continued occupation of public office suffers a moral deficit, on account of any error of commission or omission. If one may ask: why should Pastor Ayo’s jet be the one that was chartered for this ill-fated transaction when there are numerous competitors in that business in which he is obviously a new player? It is very difficult to sustain the argument that a civilian aircraft is ideal to ferry weapons of war. Ubadire Ashiegbu Lagos

US blocking Nigeria from arms acquisition Dear Editor, So, the US actually frustrated efforts by Nigeria to legally procure arms using their stupid human rights nonsense as excuse? Which means that the South African trip may be a desperate measure after all. Let the FG threaten all major South African concerns in Nigeria and let them understand that if the US can support Al Qaeda and now the terrorists that became ISIS that they can fund and support Boko Haram and as such must look for long term partners that will help Nigeria solve her security problems. Afam Nnaji Enugu

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Moment

L-R: Managing Director, Redemption Television Ministry (RTM), Pastor Bamisile Badmus; Regional Pastor, RCCG, South Africa, Pastor Elijah Daramola; Chairman of the occasion Pastor (Mrs) Folu Adeboye; National Coordinator, RCCG Drama Unit, Pastor Segun Adegbiji; and Special Assistant to General Overseer on Personnel, Pastor John Odesola at the World Premiere of the movie, ‘With Wings’, and a television serial ‘Pastors Wives’, by the RTM South Africa and RCCG Drama Department, at the Redemption Camp, Ogun State…recently

Oba Fatai Oyeyinka Aremu Aromire Ojora (right), distributing Eid-El-kabir food stuff to some Muslim faithful, during the celebration in Ijora, Lagos. PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

L-R: Medical Director, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Dr. Taiwo Sheikh; Chairman, Board of Directors, Alhaji Lamaran Yero and District Head of Barnawa, Alhaji Kabir Zubairu, at the public lecture to mark the 2014 World Mental Health Day in Kaduna…on Friday

Representative of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mrs. Angele Atangana (left), and Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda, during an Official visit to Bauchi in preparation for the establishment of a UNHCR Zonal Centre in the state…on Tuesday

L-R: First Osun State Civilian Governor, Senator Isiaka Adeleke; Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti; Assistant Chief of Staff to Governor Aregbesola, Mudathir Toogun and Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, during the thanksgiving and victory party over Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s electoral victory at Iwo, Osun State…recently

L-R: Olu of Agege, Oba Kamila Oyedeji Isiba; Chief Imam, Agege Central Mosque, Alhaji Hamzat Habeeblai Olayiwola and Chairman, Agege Local Government Council, Hon Jubreel Ayodeji Abdulkareem, during the Eid-El-kabir prayers at the Yidi Praying Ground, Agege, Lagos

L-R. General Manager, Momas Electricity Meters Manufacturing Company Limited (MEMMCOL), Mr. Olayinka Lawal; Human Resources/Admin Manager, Shade Afuwape, Head of Operations, Abuja, Mr. Daniel Oshobitan and Deputy Chairman, Institute for Government Research Leadership Technology, Prof. John Ndanusa Akanya, during the presentation of the 2014 African Governance and Corporate Leadership award to MEMMCOL in Abuja…recently

L-R: Host, Simeon Olushola Oguntimehin; Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd) and Otunba Adekunle Ojora, during the 80th birthday anniversary of Oguntimehin, in Ondo State…recently. PHOTO: ADEYANJU OLOWOJOBA

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014

Moment

L-R: Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) , Dr. Paul Orhii; Chairman, Governing Council, Prof, John Ibu and Benue State Governor, Dr. Gabriel Suswam, at a sensitisation workshop on the promotion of export processed and semi processed food commodities in the North central Geo-political zone in Makurdi…recently

L-R: Former Treasurer, Lagos Archdiocese, Methodist Church, Nigeria, Sir Herbert Agbebiyi; former Lay President, Diocese of Lagos Mainland, Sir David Oderinde; First Conference Lay President, Methodist Church, Nigeria, Sir David Soremekun and Senior Class Leader, Folawiyo Bankole Circuit, Surulere, Sir Akin Lawanson, at the first Choral Evening of the Lagos State Council of Knights, Methodist Church Nigeria, in Lagos…on Wednesday

L-R: Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Ima Niboro; Director-General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mallam Abubakar Jijiwa; Executive Director, Editorial Operations, NAN, Mr. Isaac Ighure and Chairman, VON Board of Directors, Chief Andy Aghaji, during a condolence visit by VON Executives in Abuja…on Friday

R-L: Commissioner, Engineering Standard and Safety Division, Electricity Distribution Company, Mary Awolokun; Commissioner, Market Competition and Rates Division, Eyo Ekpo and Director General, Tariff and Rates, Dr. Halliru Dikko, during a meeting of Electricity Distribution Companies with stakeholders on the Aggregate Technical Commercial and collection (ATCC) and Customer Number Enumeration, in Lagos…on Wednesday. PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

L-R: Lagos State Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Ben Akabueze; Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; Governor Babatunde Fashola and Commissioner for Information, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, during the End of the 3rd Quarter Budget Review of the state in Lagos …on Friday

L-R: Former Managing Director, LINTAS, Mr. Dele Adetiba; Renowned Actress, Mrs. Taiwo Ajayi-Lycytt; Vice President, Institute of Directors (IoD), Mr. Yemi Akeju and former Director-General, Nigerian Television Authority/celebrant, Mr. Vincent Maduka, during the presentation of birthday card for the 79th birthday celebration of Mauka, in Lagos…on Friday. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

L-R: General Secretary, Advocates for Collective Transformation (ACT), Comrade Ifetoluwa Ajayi; President, Comrade Tayo Fashogobon and South West Coordinator, Kunle Adepoju, during ACT Independence Anniversary Youth rally in Lagos...on Wednesday

L-R: Senior Brand Manager, Colas, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Gbolahun Sanni; Marketing Manager, Colas, Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi; Fast rising rap sensation, Reminisce and Media Manager, Nigeria and West Africa Franchises, Coca-Cola, Festus Akobundu, at the Coke Studio season 2 Campus Concert in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife…on Friday

News Muhammad Kabir Kano

he last surviving son of one time Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed, Abba Risqua, has joined the governorship race in Kano State, promising to revive Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) as the only means to make the state the hub of agricultural development if elected. Risqua, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, said that mechanised farming will be the main focus of his administration in order to an create an export-oriented agriculture reminiscent of the OFN programme of the late 70s. He explained that the priority of his administration

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Murtala’s son to revive OFN if elected Kano gov is to put food on the table of the less privileged people in Kano as a basis for peace and collective security. He said that his administration will roll out five key areas of development namely energy, agriculture, education, healthcare, and infrastructure, as the catalyst for making the state an investment destination. Disclosing that large hectres of arable land will be made available for the pur-

pose the agricultural programme, Risqua stated that if elected him will encourage private/public partnership to develop mechanised farming across the state. On education, he promised to ensure that during his tenure, he will promote industrial harmony as a measure to avoid any strike among teachers, lecturers, and ensure prompt payment of their entitlements by also reduce number of

students per class to 40. In order for business transaction to thrive in a peaceful atmosphere, Risqua said that his administration will address the ongoing security challenges that has plunged the country into unpleasant circumstances. He promised to promote wealth creation and enhance the state’s ability to increase internally generated revenue for further rapid development of the state.

According to him, the administration will collaborate with agencies to ensure adequate security of lives and property for private citizens and all categories of businesses so as to create an enabling conducive atmosphere for business.

Group mobilises Ndigbo in Lagos for 2015 Felix Nwaneri

L-R: Wife of Akwa-Ibom State Governor, Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio; Vice-President, Namadi Sambo; Idara Akpabio; Governor Godswill Akpabio and Chairman, LAAP, Amb. Ashim Morton, at the Award of LAAP, in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State…yesterday

Kirikiri riot: One inmate dead, three hospitalised - Prisons Service Juliana Francis

he Nigerian Prison Service yesterday said one person died and three were hospitalised after Friday’s attempted jailbreak by inmates of Kirikiri Medium Security Prison. This was at variance with information obtained by our correspondent that the bloody riot claimed four lives and left seven others injured. There were reports on Saturday that scores of inmates were shot dead Spokesperson for the Nigerian Prisons Service, Mr. Ope Fatinikun, who confirmed the development to Sunday New Telegraph on the telephone, said the inmate died yesterday morning. Fatinikun said: “There was a riot at medium security prison yesterday. It happened at about 1:30pm. It was a riot, not a jailbreak. The riot was quickly brought under control. The Acting Comptroller of Prisons, Mr. Aminu Sule, has set

up a probe panel, headed by Assistant Comptroller General of Prisons, Operations, to look into the cause of the riot. Seven inmates sustained injuries. Three were treated and discharged, while four were hospitalised. One died this morning, remaining three in the hospital.” A prison source, however, said he and others saw four shot inmates who were suspected to have died. He added that the head count could not be taken yesterday because the inmates were “now clamped down.” He added: “Clampdown means all inmates would be locked up in their cells, under tight security.” The source, who said no warder was killed in the clash, said the issue started like a child’s play and snowballed into a riot, with some inmates rushing towards the wall of the prison, in an obvious attempt to escape. “The whole issue started because of our pastor. We call him the ‘general overseer.’ You see, there are sev-

eral pastors in prison, but he’s the general overseer of all. The fan in question had been repaired and the pastor wanted to retrieve it, but a funny warder wouldn’t allow him. Instead, the warder locked him up. “The inmates started shouting, ‘we no gree!’ ‘We no gree!’ They started throwing stones and began to break glasses. The next thing was that those soldiers who are always at the gates with dogs were brought in. The soldiers started shooting. No warder was killed, but many inmates were injured. Four inmates are suspected to have been killed. “Soldiers in such a situation usually shoot into the air, but some of the inmates wanted to seize the opportunity to escape. Those shot were inmates who moved towards the wall, probably with intent to escape,” the source stated. He revealed that the general overseer would be punished, as it is against the rules for an inmate to challenge a warder.

Another inmates said only one person died, adding that the riot was not caused by the general overseer, but by the arrival of a new Deputy Comptroller of Prisons who imposed new rules. These include seizing inmates’ comfort items like fans, stoves, pots, phones, among other items.

He promised to govern a Kano State where all residents would not only be proud of but will be willing to co-exist and work in by building an equitable state, which will be the pride of residents and an envy of the country.

group, Igbo Leaders Forum, has commenced the mobilisation of Ndigbo living in Lagos State for them to participate actively in the forthcoming 2015 elections. Part of this mobilisation is the collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to relocate Igbos who registered erroneously in the South-East, and around their various markets and places of work in Lagos in the last voters’ registration exercise to their respective areas of abode, so that they can exercise their franchise during the forthcoming elections. Chairman of the group, Igwe Amobi Moghalu told journalists in Lagos, “We are mobilising our people so they can use their votes to effect change come 2015, particularly in Lagos State, where they reside, because no sensible person will ignore the issue of governance around him. On the agitation by some Igbos for the deputy governorship position of Lagos in 2015, Moghalu said the demand is in order given the voting strength of Ndigbo in the state. “A Lagos deputy governor of Igbo extraction is feasible in Lagos given our voting strength in the state. By

conservative estimate, Igbos in Lagos are 40 per cent of the voting population in Lagos, so it is not impossible for an Igbo man to emerge as deputy governor of the state.” He added: “We are the deal breakers come 2015, so it is to the advantage of the various contenders for the Lagos governorship to reach out to our people. The era of empty promises is gone, this time we would be convinced on what is in stock for us before we pledge our support for anyone.” Speaking on the recent endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term by some Igbo groups, Moghalu said Ndigbo have not taken a position yet. “We quarrel with the blanket support for Jonathan by some of our people. That is wrong. What does his government have in stock for us? The construction of Second Niger Bridge has not commenced. All the federal roads in the South-East are in bad shape,” he said. The Forum leader also used the opportunity to warn the ruling Peoples Democratic Party against complacency in the coming elections, saying: “Complacency is creeping into the PDP; the party thinks that the 2015 presidential election is a done deal.

Udenwa, Uzodinma unite as Amako returns to PDP Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

t was a rousing reception for the former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State, Chief Cyprian Amako as he led hundreds of his supporters to formerly defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The event which took place at the premises of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Irete in Owerri West Local Government Area of the state, saw major political

gladiators in the state such as former governor of the state, Chief Achike Udenwa, Senator Hope Uzodinma, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, state chairman of PDP, Chief Nnamdi Anyaehie, Chief Ambrose Ejiogu, Hon. Chris Asoluka and many others with diverging political interests coming together for the first time in a long while. Speaking at the event, Udenwa expressed happiness that those who made PDP what it was in the past are gradually returning to the party.

Addressing the rally, Senator Uzodinma said Chief Amako’s return to the party was reminiscence of the 1998 era when every well meaning Imo politician was in the PDP, adding that the party stakeholders trooped out to receive him because of his importance to the party. Welcoming Chief Amako back to the party, the state chairman of the PDP, Chief Nnamdi Anyaehie commended him for returning to his roots and assured him of equal opportunity in the party.

Fashion Create classic looks with white shirts 22&43

Bed Work & Life

Life is like yo-yo 20

Body Soul SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014

I look good when my curves are accentuated -Clarion Chukwurah

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

heart y m m o r f t h g Strai

ou y&S Bod

e& Win

at r gre

Dine

49 Pg.

skin

t fo r’ who I’ll best ice i a ‘scorned love by s; u d on re J ss so le on ty sp ? en a blog’ din was e has learnt pl anan wn Linda Ikeji m! Thank God she’s back. Sh B o the ‘bring do m tard? Hmmmm h she made predicament. describe as a re hing from her with the Aye Dee guy, whic ally meetet m so nt ar le tu of Ikeji’s chat we all have also ars without ac backbone ugh the thread was for them to chat for ye of ro d n th ki g a in e go m e co il Wh s had be possible it er w ik ho on e never had h m ed t n er id d re ith diffe legedly sa w al ’ y public, I won ee gu D e ye th ‘A l, oup g. Wel y as the ut) s g ing, especiall ..unless I missed somethin ds? in n ak m a as E w e s. go (pe ye Dee’ felt sh to her busines n with Ikeji! Story for the nut te because ‘A d si io s at i’ n rs ej ve Ik n n u co dow such Gro vered that a gle didn’t take hammer ’. probably disco a criminal It Anyway, Goo y. on d ic e ol h p ‘s s r it ch of erty is im afte shakara for h own a site that was in brea Theft of intellectual prop P y. d gl ok in to rd e co ac d Googl te ow ac kn d mmitted an , Ikeji does not ctice crime was co plagiarism. e social media th on e g the pra ad tr so e rules guidin plying her ar of offence; so al e s er ar th ye at t th gh w, ter ei s and media la Obviously, af d witch is called ethic at h w is ying like a ba in of e cr er as w . i that th d is ba as L alism. Too luwadare of the Alaaf of citizen journ ple said that Jagumolu O use of his telling picture ld them he had Pg. 50 s eo i’ p to ej I e er Ik edit, When som ket in Aba ov t giving him cr ar ou M h it ia w ar ri og A bl brain on her caught in your was used ives in London Crack pecially as it es , d ge Oyo and his w in. d le ow pla ave been ackn a right to com ture should h ic p at ot only wilight stories th of e T plagiarism, n The sourc of e. ty il os gu rp u e p ing gers ar for money mak Unfortunately, many blog e bid to blog O entrants. In th and startw ne by ly ai Ikeji. d re is swelled gers - both old different The blogosphe rtune, many of these blog om Gags to fo g headlines fr themselves in 2am to hunt for interestin ey chance upon any, they at th ers - wake up ns all over the world. Once -without giving credit. le puzz s io te at si ic r word ism. Some Cross s on thei ar online publ ie gi or la st p ’ te of as ty p il and ts are also gu s and even interviews simply ‘copy gers, journalis ie or og st bl e ol om h fr w t Apar ience lift sc n co t d indeed. ou sa h it ry journalists w r bylines to them. Sad, ve ei ament. and append th l learnt from Ikeji’s predic al ve e’ w ! r Art essed I hope Colou and remain bl ay d n Su y p Hap

of bl e t ca pa i n a l m le e l i as w el tt ro rtan and in g prev en er impo tions It is as ca nc s an n func tion. nt in g cells. so play e brai oduc pressa al s an in th one pr ti-de toph s ouIt is r indian rm ha fo w ith tryp ch ho tural e hi ert good al s te d a na conv n, w on th vi du t re la an d and ro to ni effe ct r he ar le m s olesothe to se lm in g ob ls ch ith are ca n ca pr g a l w ss ntro n. win yo u brai e follo ne fit s d a glasur co rol leve po ta te Th ad be yo hi gh th to you ic e its . he al when ju ic e m na ju ok e ic t siu lo na ju ge na ls. na Ba na yo u ger. us of ba mea bana stimul at ak es youn ta dailyglass of ed a te r th - m d feel ns vi lp A nsider bo os g men - an co nt ai at he e th is co m in d provin concenes It in s th w n in g an d in im ss and hanc y m ow do of ag ove aids enne also enmemor v- sl oc es s impr ke tal ion. It al’s by se t pr d help ion. trat dividu eived atmen . an mplex in es an is perc s as trediseas re co and doctor brain ay cu eral certain ice m it ensju for nana as e asiv e sy It Ba c di se ge st th ly. di ce lia s th e n sm ooviate ulch ab le to ru to alle resear te m helps ing to nalso accord ai n th be e cer, ngs. heal th re co nt di of rs fin na na s ssium lot nt ai ns su ga sa d l Ba pota vihold . It cona tu ra os e an e r gh is ef its re nt , su cr provid e hi d ot he an d an in s na na ca l at di ffeuc to se which ost th g ba t lo gi a ta m erals th fr to bo en ea tine m os in in g - - ucose ergy in . min e as rich ter. mpy rv th at of th to at ta ow? Ba l gl eat en systemjuice is esos se al is bo g lu ste to are gr une on e oa ch dy. H most bein the pa mix; nana hich s to m ergy nanas to be yode d ap pr thy boains al and min it imAlso, ba in B6 w , help its from Ba ed a Ka r to um nut soup. Ad d sti season ts uw tam health an d o, heal cont mins dies so rt g ok pres w an d unol in Vi ial to ot ei ns n. Als the soup an ainin . Co es nana n vitaour bo a pa an na ste m Ibuk onsent st pr ilizatio ba na on e ng the the re lt to ta minut s. eknows that ays be seas d n ge d ve rybe st ro ev er th w your - di oper ut B6 in atio with er an l ad and sa e to 10 thickentter liv eral ld al eal. ar fiv ef up g pp to th y. N ne is in ep t til in Pr on be n, pe boil ou e soup hed bi to shou ur m spice your ba it pr ta m in e he al everyo e. Certa ng for ab til th e was r three Seas be, onio er and d th of you can icing eating e Vi into ki t lif th un d Ad fo at in ncu ic y . no d in ju g e , dr tin Yo by th ing Add w done fish, po h or en ad d cook t th d of na ju rve less a heal ding en gr na eal stea g, ea d th and cu es, if y. Se m, salt. ost well oked crayfis . Th ves an es. ing ts inclu okin not en - m na in e. Ba ed r sm d ol an ash lea minut is read d ya piec na e tim de e habi hol, sm foods, s re gu. to co der. W tiny are othep- almck fish, ps an ar cook to up with l th f sto shrim is ne water d fivYour so poun ina or alco althy erci se health n al pow s into . Prep the pe r lea eba, semol mo, n beef t 60cl boil, ad t bitte unhe ng ex d for sh ow leave ht fresh grind ith d sour hed s whe abou let it for aboup- w heat an e. n go or was be ga gi are bach ha bougedients, fish. te and co d w te ric soup ca armed dd pe gh er cu p of larly re se ar ingr and cray ds tas enou e A e pot anand cookAdd 1 cu stock e pepp whi e: The best w ould g A per lm oil ad ups, sod to mak t- th lm oil inutes. ion sh ste 1 bi cayenn Not so it is freezer. ste. so ta pa Bi pa e m Pa our quire ve. a g r on the sily, Dry to taste to your are it re tracti n the thre leftove Make t usin t. ea red in the lour will be at dow Salt g on prep . This nu r, it ak sto po d. ok in a nd so it pe so lo tone , le , nd y es addee grou e soup nds to cook fish in r of soup e: soup depe e peop getabl friendl Not re you d dry ater fo - the leaf helpof the nefits do be ith th m th the grou Som out ve time e. be fro w w s fo u t ts nd ter tnes d Be fish an cold ite grea if yo you ee depe e. with is qu prepar liqui preven or stock l of hot inutes they ar e swill be ofalth. So t tooth, soup easy to This t bow to 10 m hard boil th . w e’s he a swee r leaf. dili and ound es ndnu er O nts eled gr five on how ed to minut t on t have e bitte grou with edie Esth ing may ner some oundnun- no ould us t or ade her Ingr raw pe fish eanu is m d ot AfYou fish fo raw gr ng co e sh 500g eanuts)smoked (p soup uts an staple pustockast the n, stirri achiev e nuts ied fish/ a id u pa Ro peants. It is tly po The Dr t fry till yo . Set as os ea a m ia. ien ef m lts ) , e er in ed Be rted tripe usly resu ingr cuisineern Nig on in th e tinuo sired Asso i (cow ponmo de rican north comm o Stat the fish Shak es of ec lar in is also of Ed i Itsag cray 4 pi oil ed ons soup hi area lled Omvour . Palm blespo ca Auc re it is hly fla tritiouso2 ta ded) whe The ric ly nu of pr u roun gh we. is hi source er. Yo ht (g soup a good etary fib or lig It is and di it thick tein make can 14

R, 20

, 12 NDAY

H SU

GRAP

NEW

TELE

BE OCTO

AY, 12 SUND

om erest.c w.pint e: ww Sourc

and th ‘P’ letrt wi of ? I sta usands ow mehave tho u kn tI letDo yoth ‘E’, bu five I? s, the is the end wi hat am Office when letter R, what W st o me s. Po ter aks d tw ORTE The u ad rld bre t am I? Ans: n yo comes SH the wo e. Wha Whe rd be tim one in ter wo? Every eak every t in an sp u pu word SHORT they Silence can yo Ans: Ans: nges ge, the ora an or many r? first . How containe pty ter the empty One. Af longer em Ans: r is no ine conta

om oho.c p.moz w.aeso e: ww Sourc

Juliet

z nd.bi w.yoa e: ww -Sourc

Contents 12.10.2014

The white shirt is a classic closet staple and the perfect canvas for a variety of truly chic looks

T h e Te a m Juliet Bumah (Editor)

Vanessa Okwara (Correspondent) Wole Adepoju

} 22&43

Biwom Iklaki (Correspondent)

} 18-19

BEAUTY

Ugochukwu Nnakwe (Graphics)

ACCESSORIES

} 21

GLAM DUDES Shoes and socks are the perfect environment for sweat and bacteria to mingle, that is why it’s critical to maintain p r o p e r hygiene

} 44

ks.com gbuc g.swa e: blo Sourc

FASHION

-Clarion Chukwurah

Groom your lashes as you do your hair. Brush your lashes twice a day with an eyelash brush or a clean mascara brush. Add a few drops of Vitamin E oil to the brush

GRAP

TELE

t the fox me to ys, thed decided the an few da on - a rk again er prank s the point sto anoth le it wa disap and ugh play This tim e stork we d altho the fox an stork ed for the soup. d stork. s turn. Th happily urn th car rk’ ere ret , fox wi sto y ed wom pay a fox off wl. ed the happ by Bi was cunning llow bo to com d him to ner. d iled The p in a sha nned invite have din happy anto Compi als e, s stu te it to sou Iklak a tim ry the stork wa in the shl of vis e fox wa on a da rk on p e Th ve bil up cided r. The Sto d nce lived a o al- Th ve the sou e long from y de ne foo wh d ha bowl! Th nted it fox the the din favourite e there ve an ing fox have for his cook sam cunn to cheat aw- low stork pre p. As thefrom asked ered to sou soup the nted with its the ’t off wa d the and ner. taking licked the rk wasn The fox ways others d an rk’s sto th ve acts. of the sto for dinday arrive easily te, the decei d stupid others wi te a bit ed The ched thed soup to the pla even tas touched thel. ful an to deceive . He us to rea ve to t als bil used eaky minder anim stable She jus tip of its rk, fox ce. She serasked him soup. with the its sn eak to oth him tru a the sto n’t pla fox and t. the soup firs served in . soup Fox asked p? Do to sp ly to make s The is the sou cheat have soup wa a long-neck sweet y. d to lied, The jar with le to drink ‘How e it?’ worth day he trie nded the rk rep ve th w ab One He befrie her trust. you likHungry stobut I ha ’t narrostork was easily withe , d e ry od e rk. r can od ine Th ve go ve I Th sto go p ga a we and it is and a very for the soug bill, ho stork ed like ed a lot it- ‘Oh ch upsetsoup!’ enlon ling to ’t. its ub He actwho car y, he inv stoma ymore ldn fox d st an d for tro da fox couasked the d showein frien rk. One have a fea to take sorry fox. h She soup. An dishes ‘I’m d the d, ‘O the sto stork to wanted liap sai ry. the ious replie ed the and he with de rk you’,e stork n’t say sor m joy eral delic s. The dis mhim jar d ble do sto Th y sto sev ed with his frien happy d, ‘M leavplease alth pro you g-neck treat food. The itation. er dear, some he joy what of lon ed fox saiinful. I’m int ve place e pa po t en car I ha cious ted the inv sed to off t the very take canno ach is w’ and lef accep fox promi food to the- and Please no ing de e nk world ing Th tasty ring the by offer. health.’ g. Kids ce tha and runnin ed from your left the pla rich Conside posed rpro -Cull She . unde ained stork. s dinner m stork atrk rem y. fun.co the fox ver, the been che liciou , the sto whole da his Howe t it had d decided the foxry for the stork to tha ter an the hung took the gised to ke stood the fox lesson. Af Fox He apolo not ma ed by ch him a ld . ess home that he cou his illn e to tea to stork ing due e soup. Th anyth ered som and off

COVER

NEW 2014

&Sou

Body

My friends wanted me to abort (Clarence) but I knew precisely what I wanted. This was because when my father was on his death bed, he said he was going to come back to me. That is why everyone in the family calls Clarence ‘Daddy

ER, OCTOB

Belts can flatter the figure, create curves, highlight your waist or create the illusion of a waist

Edwin Usoboh (Graphics) +234 (0) 811 675 9770, +234 (0) 701 110 1014 julietbumah@gmail.com julietbumah@newtelegraphonline.com

} 17

Associates

BED, WORK & LIFE

“Why does that stepsister of mine turn up where she is not wanted? To think she changed her name to Ann! A change of name won’t change what she is -greedy, selfish and quarrelsome as her mum.”

} 20

Helen Paul

Eyitayo Aloh

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014

Accessories

Body&Soul

Belt with style, go skinny Vanessa Okwara

dding a belt to an outfit is a great way to enhance style. Belts can flatter the figure, create curves, highlight your waist or create the illusion of a waist and generally help pull a look together. They can flatter your body shape, transform outfits, add colour or texture, and make an outfit look chic or even reassuringly expensive. It is therefore important to know how to rock belts to flatter your figure, keep things in

place, and generally help your outfits look awesome. Skinny belts are great for dresses and skirts to help accentuate your hips and waist. Skinny belts, also known as tiny belt or narrow waist belt, can be use to accessorize a dress or a top. Like most belt styles, you can wear them just below the bust line, on the waist or below, or in belt loops on trousers, jeans and skirts. A woman must first consider her body type, outfit colours, where to position the belt, and belt construction. The key to belting it out in style is know-

ing which waist-cinch is right for you; both in terms of look and fit. If you are Pear-shaped, opt for a skinny belt worn round your waist. It helps to show off your tiny waist and curves. If you have the Hourglass figure, also go for thin belts to showcase your naturally tiny waist. For the plus-sized ladies, wear skinny belts at the waist, they make you look leaner while thicker belts can make your waist appear bigger. Belts are great accessory worth investing in; go get yours and cinch that waist.

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

I look good when my curves are Veteran actress, producer, director, philanthropist and mother of Clarence Peters, an award winning music director, Clarion Chukwurah, talks about her humanitarian project, UN peace envoy award, childhood and life after 50 in this interview with VANESSA OKWARA

You are regarded as one of Nollywood’s pioneers. How does that make you feel? I feel honoured to be one of the pioneers of a good thing, an industry that is a blessing to Nigeria throughout the world. I am glad to be one of those that persevered and didn’t abandon ship; and I am still with it. I am also honoured that the grace of God has been with me with the support of my fans and family and that 35 years running, I am still relevant and in fact an authority in the Nigerian acting industry, the film industry and the Arts as a whole in Africa. How did it all start? It began when I was a child. As far back as when I was five years old, when my father had the habit of taking us to the Nigerian Television house in Victoria Island which later became the NTA. We would go there to watch the Art Alade Show recorded live. All those shows were recorded with live audiences way back then. We used to be taken to the cinema too. I was struck quite early by Michael Jackson’s shows and Elizabeth Taylor in the movie, Cleopatra, that she starred in. I had all that forming in my mind. By the time I was six, I had my father buy me the posters of Michael Jackson to use as wall paper in my room. I had a very exciting childhood. I was exposed to entertainment deliberately by my father. So when did you actually start to act? I started acting from my primary school, All Saints Primary School, Montgomery, Yaba in Lagos and I played Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist. In my high school, Queen of Our Rosary School Onitsha, I played Mary Magdalene. This was when I was between 10 and 14. Then, I joined Odu Themes, Prof. Bode Sowande’s theatre group in the University of Ibadan from late 1979. From there to NTV plays in NTV Ibadan, then to my first family series ‘Bello’s Way’ in the University of Ibadan Performing Company, then to drama school. I starred in ‘Mirror in the Sun’ and the rest, of course, is history. When I was in drama school, I did ‘Money Power,’ which was my first film and this won me my first award in 1984. I was the first Nigerian actress to win Best Actress at the All African Film Festival at Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso for African films that spanned the decade of ‘74- ‘84. Since then, I have won several awards too numerous to mention.

Mirror in the Sun brought you to limelight. What was it like being part of the cast? ‘Mirror in the Sun’ was great. I was 1921 years old during ‘Mirror in the Sun.’ It was an experience out of a Hollywood television movie. It was an experience that I’m still waiting for someone to repeat exactly like that; and not just technically but artistically and socially. These three came together and it was about the art. It was not a competition like we have it today. It was about showcasing your art and honing the edges of your skill and craft and learning to get better. It was not about what you were wearing or how pretty you are. In what ways can such professionalism

be brought back to Nollywood? Recently, the Federal Government sponsored a distribution network for Nollywood and it was launched by G Media. I believe with a couple of other partners who are in this business for quality and progress to evolve a commerce-driven qualitative industry that can compete in the foreign market. I am looking forward to a separation of the wheat from the chaff. We also have the Mahmood Ali-Balogun copyright project for Nollywood that will see royalties being paid to actors and actress for their work which we have been agitating for so we can have actors making money. Then of course the audience will be able to tell the difference because professionals will come back to make movies and they will do the right thing. Once it is successful, others will come on board. That is the next phase of Nollywood. Can you elaborate on the rift between you and Ibinabo Fiberisima? The Ibinabo Fiberisima issue was made unnecessarily into a personality clash which I think was targeted at embarrassing me and to make me withdraw my intention to run for the presidency of the Actors Guild of Nigeria. I saw the resistance to change that is necessary to come into the Actors Guild of Nigeria and over the entirety of leadership. Reducing the whole thing to such a petty level was because t h e

people at the helm of affairs supporting Ibinabo and part of her group were afraid of my pedigree and personality. They sought to embarrass me to make me withdraw but that was not what made me to withdraw. What made me withdraw was that I saw how petty the whole thing became and the desperation of their resistance. That meant these people knew they were done as far as the craft is concerned and this is the only thing they have to hold on to. So it is time that will fade them out with the new

changes coming into the industry. Like I said, the wheat will be separated from the chaff so that the industry and Nollywood can move forward. For sometime you were off the radar in terms of acting in Nollywood movies. Does it have to do with things going on in Nollywood? I left for two years because a lot of rubbish had gone down. The last two movies I worked on before I stepped away, I experienced the fact that the person who called himself the director could not speak to the actress. I was troubled and kept wondering: ‘Is this how far the industry has fallen?’ As I was saying, ‘No this is wrong and I am done with this’, the United Nations Peace Corps appointed me as the United Nations International Peace Envoy. This took me to Kenya. The UN award was given to me for my work and initiative- the Clarion Chukwura Initiative International. That took me away for two years for humanitarian works. Let’s talk about your

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014

Body&Soul

accentuated -Clarion Chukwurah humanitarian works. How did it start? Clarion Chukwura Initiative International started in 1999. We are 15 years old this year. We started with young people who were the youth wing of my church, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Parish Kings Court at the Airport Hotel. The project was to assist to re-orient them because they were going in the wrong direction. So we did a seminar on the educational rights abuses with JAMB and lecturers blackmailing students to pay rather than teaching classes. They blackmail them to buy their books or sleep with them. We did that in conjunction with the New Jazz 38 supporting us with the venue. We also had seminars on HIV and youths in prostitution. We had youths in agriculture with the Lagos State Government. We got support from Mobil. That was how we started. Later, we started the orphanage support with the Arrows of God Orphanage. Over the years, we have supported 16 other orphanages and three riverine communities in Ondo State. We have done training programmes in association with Fast Training Services, Wembley, UK. We had the VVF project for about three years. And this year, the Clarion Chukwura Initiative International project will have an end of year charity entertainment show where we will have orphans participate. Being an actress, what inspired you to start all these projects? I have always been like that. I lost my father early when I was just 11 years old. I learnt what it means to have to go from up to down. Our home then was home for lots of relations. They always came for one help or the other. I have always been one that even from my days in ‘Mirror in the Sun’, a lot of young people came to my home for assistance. So I have always been like that. I love to reach out to people, it gives me joy. Even my biological kids are also like that. They grew up to become like me as well in terms of philanthropy. For instance, the bulk of the finances for our projects have come from my pocket and recently from Capital Dreams Pictures Limited which belongs to my son, Clarence Peters. In your career, what can you say is the highest point you have attained? Over time, I do hit ceilings. I go back and reinvent myself, I come back and I hit another ceiling. That is how I do it. I have gotten uncountable awards, too numerous to mention. I will just give you a list of some of them. I was away for some time from the industry and when I came back, I won the Best Actress for the 2014 AMMA award. Some people say that particular award was overdue. You clocked 50 years in July. How does it feel celebrating your golden age? For my 50th birthday, I wanted to go away to internalize, re-organise my priority and go in a different direction for life after 50. So I will not be doing a lot of acting anymore. For Nollywood, I will be doing more of directing and producing. Then, of course, I will be part of projects that will outlive me. That will impact seriously on this country and the younger generation. I will be part of projects that will help in nation building. I will do more of being a part of moving this nation forward in the area that I am most passionate about, which is social development. In this era of entertainers and Nollywood actors coming out for political

positions, are we expecting you to also come out? You see, I do not believe you need to be a politician to move a nation forward. Politics right now in Nigeria is synonymous with robbing the people. One has to be careful of losing credibility. Do you think players in the entertainment industry who want to contest for political positions in 2015 can contribute to nation building? They know what they are planning to contribute. Each person has their own projections. They have their own reasons; I cannot speak for any of them. And neither will I condemn anyone’s initiative. If any of them asks you to campaign or support them what would you say? I cannot support anyone because I have not seen prior to going into politics what they have done. I need to have seen what they have done that will make me know they have had a passion to help the masses and they desire to turn things around. I have not seen anything that you have done or part of anything that is selfless and you ask me to come and support you? No, I cannot do that. A lot of people go into politics simply because that is where the money is. In as much as I cannot condemn anyone’s initiative, that does not mean I do not have my reservations about their motives. How do you feel being the mother of a son, Clarence Peters, a star in the entertainment industry like yourself? I give God the glory first and foremost. Then secondly, I believe that it is a proof to people that I am not a fluke; that my talent and art is ingrained and it is not something that is fake. I mean, if you don’t have it or if you were not born with it, you cannot be motivated to start acting at the age of five. So God has vindicated me and enlarged my coast and He had said yes to my dream of breeding an art family and a dynasty in the arts. When you got pregnant with Clarence as a young girl, did it ever occur to you to go for an abortion? I was in the university when I got pregnant with Clarence. My friends wanted me to abort. I remember telling my friend, Ebunoluwa Jakande. She said we should go and tell Kongi, that is Prof. Wole Soyinka. When my friend told

him about the p r e g n a n c y, he said ‘Oh really? Fantastic!’ He just opened a bottle of choice Champagne, Chauvet 1959; I will

never forget that. Then he asked me what I wanted to do and I said I would like to keep it. My friends wanted me to abort but I knew precisely what I wanted. This was because when my father was on his death bed, he said he was going to come back to me. That is why everyone in the family calls Clarence ‘Daddy.’ When people say Clarence was a mistake, I tend to look at them and smile because I had three different opportunities to abort the pregnancy that other people were going to pay for. I had a deep-seated reason to want to keep the child because the death of my father hurt me so badly. The thought that this could be my father coming back to me was greater than any other thing. Can you tell us about your relationship with Shina Peters and being pregnant for him? No please! I have no comment. Sir Shina Peters is a married man, so nothing to talk about. You still look very beautiful and I am sure men are flocking around you all the time. Who is the new man in your life now? Of course I have secret and open admirers but that is my private life. I have thousands of secret admirers and may not be able to count them. There is no special person. At 50, you still dress glamorously. What informs your style? What informs my fashion sense are comfort, self-confidence and looking good. I have to feel confident when I step out. To feel confident, I have to feel comfortable in what I’m wearing and then of course I have to look good. So that when I look at myself in the mirror, there is a deep sense of satisfaction in how I look. What do you think should be the dress sense of a woman after 50? I think you are as old as you feel. So your dress sense should be based on how old you feel. If you are 40 years old and look 60, then you will be wearing kaftans and boubous. But if at the age of 50 you are looking like a 35 year old, then you wear what 35-year-olds wear. That is just how I feel about it. What is your style like? I like fitted clothes. I am a busty person and I have a shapely figure. I only feel that I look good when my curves are accentuated. What kinds of clothes do you like wearing? I like pants, jackets, dresses and suits. What kind of shoes do you like? I do not like wearing anything that is less than five inches high. And watches? For my wrist watches, I do Aldo. I like platinum watches and gold. What of perfumes? I am a Gucci person and love Kenzo perfumes. And Blue water for my toiletries.

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

with

ave observes Kathryn silently. He wonders what is going on in her mind. He feels for her. She has gone through much difficulties as a young girl. He admires her spirit. Growing up for him was not easy. He has his own tale of woe. He reaches out to her again. “My love, few rich people slept on bed of roses as kids. Many of us navigated the thorns that life strew on our paths. Some of us got our feet pierced but we trudged on till we got to fairer ground,” he says. Kathryn looks at him with disbelief. Dave doesn’t look like he passed through hard times. He continues, “Yes, my wife, life was unfair to me as a young boy. We weren’t very comfortable but we were very happy as a family. My dad worked in a private firm owned by a white man and my mum managed a provision kiosk opposite our house. Everything went smoothly until the white man folded his business and went back to his country. He was old. According to my dad, he called all his workers to a meeting one morning and told them he was closing shop. He told them he wanted to spend his last days with his family. “He paid off his workers, my dad inclusive, a few days later and that was the end of the business. Dad sought for another job without success. After two months, he decided to go into business. Someone had told him he could import some goods from UK. My dad staked all his money and the goods were seized by Customs. With no money and job, he found solace in alcohol...then women. “My mum struggled, put food on the table and paid our school fees. We were lucky, we were living in our own house. Dad spent most of what he got as rent on alcohol and women. Mum did all she could, sold off many of her prized possessions to make ends meet.” He takes a breath and Kathryn asks, “Where are they now? I mean your parents.” “Oh, they are in their house. They are very old now. My father is wiser now. He’s forever thankful to God for blessing him with a good wife,” Dave says with a chuckle. “You see, whatever hard punch life deals you, make the best of it. I learnt something from my mum, when life yoyoes you up and down, remember the good past and look up to a better future. You’ll meet her soon, quite a remarkable woman,” he adds. “I’m already in love with her,” she says with a smile. Then a cloud flickers across her face. Akudo! She asks, “You said you are in love with my step sister, Akudo. Where does that leave me?” Dave sign and says, slowly, “I said I was in love with her...was. I was in love with her. I’m no longer in love with her. Whatever I felt for her died the day I saw her come out of a guest house with a friend of mine.” “You are no longer in love with her and she still comes to your house at will? That’s hard to believe,” she says. “I’ve told you the truth, nothing but the truth,” he replies, reaching for her shoulders. She shakes him off. “Oh, I can’t touch you again? Hmmmmmmm...now tell me, what happened to the appointment you fixed with your boyfriend on the phone? You wanted me out of your house so you could go and meet him. It must have been a very

Juliet Bumah +234 81 1 675 9770

julietbumah@gmail.com

Life is like yo-yo

short meeting or he stood you up? No?” Dave is really angry. Kathryn stares at him, her eyes wide with surprise. “Baby, I didn’t see anybody. You have to believe me. Yes, I spoke to a man on the phone but he’s a just friend,” she says. “Of course, he must be a friend. I didn’t expect you to be chatting with an enemy on the phone,” Dave says sarcastically and walks out of the room. His stomach rumbles. He goes downstairs to the kitchen. He needs to eat something. The hangover of the previous night has not cleared totally. He pours some nuts into a saucer, pours fruit juice in a glass and makes himself comfortable on the divan in the sitting room. “Gawd, I need a wife. How long will I wait for Kathryn to realise I really love her and wants her as a wife? Why is she proving so difficult? So Ann is Kathryn’s step sister? Oh, not Ann...Akudo. Sisters!”

After munching on the nuts for some minutes, he switches on the television and turns on a sports channel. ***** Kathryn goes to the window to peep. Nothing. The gateman is probably asleep. She stands there, happy that Dave is in the house. She relaxes a bit. He is getting unnecessarily worked up over nothing. She’s in love with him and not Ben. Ben is just a Plan B incase things do no work out fine with Dave. “I love Dave,” she says aloud to no one. Akudo! “Why does that step sister of mine turn up where she is not wanted? To think she changed her name to Ann! A change of name won’t change what she is -greedy, selfish and quarrelsome as her mum.” She goes back to the bed and tries to rest. No use. She tosses this way and that on the bed. After about half an hour, she decides to go look for Dave. Does she love him? Yes!

She tiptoes downstairs. Dave slouches on the divan. On a closer look, she realises that he has dozed off. She changes the television channel to one that catches her fancy and kneels before him. He looks so tired. She begins to massage his legs, from his toes to the knees and back. He opens his eyes and smiles at her. She continues, past the knees up the thighs, resting briefly just before his man and down again. He squirms and makes himself more comfortable on the seat. She continues, her palm hovering around his man and moving to the knees. “My wife, can we go to the room? My brothers may come in,” he says, lips clenched. “A moment,” she says, running her hands all over him and driving him gaga. He feels like she is tickling him with feathers. His man becomes turgid and he grabs her by the waist. “You can’t continue to torment me like this my darling. I want you to be with me always,” he says, drawing her into his arms. “Baby, relax. Lemme give you a lap dance,” she tells him huskily. She sits on his laps, backing him and and begins to slowly grind her ample derrière on his laps. Despite the layers of clothing between them, Dave feels the force building up in him, threatening to overpower him. She continues. If she’s aware of the volcano building up under her, she shows no sign. She rubs, grinds and pounds at intervals, gently, her eyes glued to the television. Dave’s body begins to shiver. The more he tries to hold himself together, the more he loses it. He screams as he feels the volcano erupting. Kathryn rocks gently as the spasm gradually dies out. She then stands up, turns around and says sweetly, “Wonder if you still have enough strength to make me feel like a woman.” He nods. “Good, meet me in the room,” she says and sashays out. Dave looks down between his legs and gives a short laugh. He has messed up his boxers. “If I don’t have her for a wife, no one will,” he says as he walks up the stair way. ******* Hmmmmmmmm...where does that leave Ben? Lets meet here next Sunday. Send your observations to the email above.

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014

Body&Soul

Ditch fake lashes, grow yours naturally Vanessa Okwara

ashionable women want striking eyes which is achieved with beautiful eyelashes. Some women born with scanty eyelashes create the sweeping eyelash look with extensions. Also, beauty queens and models use fake eyelashes and eyelash extensions to enhance their natural beauty. Fixing of eyelashes has become an increasing popular trend that fashion forward ladies adopt to put final touches to a perfect red carpet look. Brides also adorn eyelash extensions on their wedding day to enhance their makeup and bring more drama to their looks. If you have short, stubby eyelashes or thinning eyelashes, eyelash extensions can make your lashes appear fuller and more dramatic. The problem is that fixing extensions on the eyelash has certain side effects. The adhesive used in attaching the extension causes allergies like swelling of the eyelids, lead-

ing to redness of the eyes. According to health experts, false eyelashes are a considerable hygiene risk because they trap dirt and bacteria. Natural eyelashes protect the eyes from dust, sweat and other impurities while low-quality and unhygienic false eyelashes cause irritation and infection. Equally, studies show that repeated use of eyelash extensions can cause Traction Alopecia, a condition where the hair falls out due to excessive tension placed on the hair shaft. As a result, this can damage the hair follicle and your natural eyelashe s .

Some people can even have permanent hair loss due to this condition. For women who still want more definition without fake eyelashes, you can grow your lashes naturally and accomplish the desired look using eye shadows and mascara. Here are a few tips that will help in giving you the sweeping eyelash without using extensions: Groom your lashes as you do your hair. Brush your lashes twice a day with an eyelash brush or a clean mascara brush. Add a few drops of Vitamin E oil to the brush, or apply directly onto the lashes. Vitamin E oil helps prevent lashes from shed-

ding. Vaseline is a good substitute for the oil. Just add it to your lash brush and brush through your lashes. For best results, condition at night, then rinse the product off in the morning. Apply olive oil to your lashes. Olive oil is widely used to strengthen hair and stimulate hair growth. Apply a few drops on a cotton ball and dab on eyelashes. Leave it on for five minutes then rinse off with tepid water. Repeat often for about four weeks or until you get desired results. Eat a healthy diet. Choose foods that are high in protein and essential fatty acids. Nuts, eggs, lean beef, chicken, turkey, beans and tuna are all good choices for foods high in protein or essential fatty acids. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay with your doctor, consider taking a daily vitamin or Omega-3 supplement to help your lashes grow. Keep your lashes healthy by removing all eye makeup before going to bed for the night. The stronger and healthier your lashes, the greater chance you have of them growing.

Body&Soul

he white shirt is a classic closet staple and the perfect canvas for a variety of truly chic looks. There is nothing like a white shirt you can wear any time of the year. Whether fitted, buttoned down, sleeveless, loose, sheer, cotton or silk, they all have their

Vanessa Okwara

White shirts look good with virtually all skirts -mini, maxi, midi, pleated, skater and flared skirts. During the cold weather, wear a white shirt with a cardigan to the office, bring out the collar and cuffs on the cardigan and step out looking very stylish. To an evening get-together, you can sport a white shirt with blue

white ensemble; the possibilities are simply endless. Style them with strappy flats, court shoes, high or pencil heels, whichever is comfortable for you. You can also throw in a chunky neckpiece to make a chic statement. A smokey eye makeup will create an aura of mystery around you when rocked with white shirt.

Create classic looks with white shirts

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

SundayBusiness SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER, 2014

Personality

Tony Elumelu: The Africapitalism champion p.24

Transport

Volkswagen delivers 3.56m cars in 7 months p.25

Interview

Filmmaking: Shortcuts kill a director’s career –Teco Benson p.27

News

MPC, interest rates and Nigeria’s economic challenges p.28

Oleseguntradetransformationagenda.com

Nigeria’s Ease of Doing Business status erodes investors’ confidence –Experts

Paul Ogbuokiri

Okonjo-Iweala

igeria will have to rapidly improve on its ranking on the World Bank Ease of Doing Business index if it hopes to attract meaningful foreign investment to the economy, experts have said. Most of these experts spoke against the backdrop of the World Bank report on Ease of Doing Business which was released on Tuesday. They told Sunday New Telegraph in separate interviews on Thursday that Nigeria’s 147th position on the list of 189 economies surveyed by the World Bank might discourage investors from establishing their businesses in Africa’s largest economy. According to the Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Plc, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, the rating of Nigeria at the bottom of the ladder of Ease of Doing Business is not good for the country’s quest for Foreign Direct Investment. He described infrastructural challenges as the most important issues facing the country, “because you need power to maintain your ICT platforms and keep them working. Most of the reforms instituted by governments at the state and federal levels will reflect more on ease of doing business in the country when the country becomes able to transact most of its businesses online,” he said. The Head, Corporate Finance and Subsidiaries of Futureview, Tochukwu Nkemakolam, noted that reforms instituted by

“In 2005, the figure was 113 days for the bottom 25 per cent of economies, and 29 days for the rest – a gap of 85 days. The 2014 report finds that that gap has narrowed to 33 days,” the report noted” Nigerian leaders had not impacted on the ease of doing business, saying a lot more needs to be done to make the country investment-friendly. The report launched on Tuesday indicated that Nigeria made some improvements this year, but remained at the same bottom position of 147th out of 189 countries globally, the position it occupied in the 2013 report. The report launched in Abuja by the World Bank, in conjunction with its development partners, showed that Nigeria recorded remarkable improvement in 34 vital thematic requirements. Some of these requirements, according to the report, include easy access to fund transfer, improved access to credit information, implementation of regulatory reform and tax holidays for outstanding entrepreneurs. Other requirements that have reportedly improved Nigeria’s performance on the ease of doing business scale are the government’s cashless policy and the lifting of some socio-economic burdens on various categories of businesses. Surprisingly, Rwanda is ranked topmost in Africa on the Ease of Doing Business index, and

32nd globally. It takes an average of 33 days to start a business in Nigeria. The steps include: Reserve a unique company name at the Corporate Affairs Commission (four days); prepare the requisite incorporation documents and pay the stamp duty (seven days); notarise the declaration of compliance with the requirements of CAMA (CAC 4) (one day); register at CAC and pay the fees at its bank desk (11 days); make a company seal (one day); register for income tax and VAT at the Federal Inland Revenue Service (four days); register for personal income tax PAYE at the State Tax Office (four days); and register business premises with the state government and pay the business premises levy at a designated bank (one day). In Rwanda, it takes just two days to start a business: Day one, pay registration fee, and on day two, check company name, submit registration application and obtain certificate of incorporation. However, the World Bank in the report said big improvements had been made globally in reducing the amount of time it takes to start a business. “In 2005, the figure was 113 days for the bottom 25 per cent of economies, and 29 days for the rest – a gap of 85 days. The 2014 report finds that that gap has narrowed to 33 days,” the report noted. World Bank Group director for Global Indicators and Analysis, Mr. Aigusto Lopez, was quoted by the report as saying that this change is “a very remarkable narrowing.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Business/Personality

Tony Elumelu: The Africapitalism champion

Tony Elumelu

Paul Ogbuokiri

an capitalism really save Africa? Tony O. Elumelu (CON), Chairman, United Bank of Africa (UBA) Plc, believes it may be the answer to Africa’s poverty challenge. However, he is not advocating capitalism without a heart. Moulded by years of successful entrepreneurism, Mr. Tony O Elumelu has become a strong advocate that Africa’s salvation lies not in charity or foreign aid, but in Africans investing in Africa for profit and creating social well being in the process. “Never has the business case for Africa been stronger, nor has the potential for private enterprise to do so much good for so many while achieving a healthy return on its investment.” This is basically the case for ‘Africapitalism,’ a concept championed by one of Africa’s foremost entrepreneurs, Elumelu. Many will agree that Elumelu knows what he is talking about because he has a track record in building highly successful businesses from scratch on a continent often scorned, but in which he has proven that great wealth can be made. Elumelu’s entrepreneurial journeys started from a rather young age. In 1997, he led a group of entrepreneurs in the acquisition of the distressed Crystal Bank, which had closed its few branches after running into liquidity crisis, forcing the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) to put its banking licence on sale. Elumelu and his team set about rebuilding the distressed financial institution, rebranding it as Standard Trust Bank (STB) to signal a fresh start. The team saw an opportunity in the Nigerian market where many saw challenges. In a nation, which at the time had about 110 million people, fewer than 10 per cent had bank accounts. This, for Elumelu’s team represented a huge banking opportunity, as it believed that many of the unbanked were bankable with the right strategies deployed. He saw at the heart his mission a social vision: to democratise the banking sector in

Nigeria. Within seven years, STB grew to become one of Nigeria’s top five banks, with 100 branches, and the first Nigerian bank to build the largest branch network offering real-time, online integration. Surprisingly, STB’s business decision to go online real-time turned out to meet a critical social need in the Nigerian society. Parents and guardians with children in school in other Nigerian states had until then been faced with the challenge of having to physically travel to other states where their children schooled to be able to give them pocket money or to pay their school fees. This was highly inconveniencing and risky, considering the poor state of roads in Nigeria. But with STB online real time and with branches across the country, many parents were now able to do this transfer right from their desk-tops in their offices or homes as long as they had an STB account. The impact was huge. Having an account at STB became a status symbol, a badge of progress that indicated a person’s accession to the cutting-edge, new Nigeria. This was especially true among young customers. STB later merged with United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, in one of the biggest mergers to have taken place on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), which resulted in the creation of one of Africa’s largest financial institutions. UBA today operates in 19 African countries and in New York, London and Paris. The bank has more than 700 business offices, over 10 million customers and employs about 25,000 people. UBA has also become a significant economic enabler across the continent, supporting significant investment in critical infrastructure and in key sectors of the economy including; agriculture and agro-processing, power, oil and gas, manufacturing and telecoms. As at half year 2014, UBA’s loan exposure to the African economy was in excess of USD5.6 billion and had total assets in excess of USD15 billion. With its spread across Africa, the bank is now one of the biggest facilitators of intra and inter-African trade.

With UBA, not only did Elumelu do well for himself and shareholders, but they used the instruments of the market to tackle critical social challenges, supporting African businesses to expand their operations and employ new hands, supporting governments to build critical infrastructure and also expanding financial inclusion on the continent. Elumelu has been able to replicate the UBA story when he retired from the bank as GMD/CEO in 2010 to set up Heirs Holdings (HH), a pan-African proprietary investment company with interests in a number of African businesses including Transcorp, Nigeria’s largest conglomerate by market capitalisation. Transcorp has significant investments in Nigeria’s power sector, where it has expanded the capacity of one Nigeria’s largest power producing plants by over 300% from 150 megawatts to 453 megawatts in less than a year with a plan to hit 700 megawatts by December 2014. Considering Nigeria’s challenges with power, this is another investment with a significant social impact. Heirs Holdings also has investments in oil and gas, tourism and hotels, agriculture and agro-allied businesses, ICT among others. The heart of Africapitalism as preached by Elumelu is private enterprise flourishing by delivering value to consumers, creating wealth in local communities, and delivering substantial, sustainable returns to investors. “This is the story of the ‘new’ Africa: a reinvigorated private sector solving social problems by building businesses and creating social wealth,” says Elumelu. He rightly argues that businesses and investors from all parts of the globe, but especially within Africa, will benefit from opening their eyes to the growing opportunity to profit from wealth creation on the continent before their competition grabs the opportunity away from them. The ultimate goal of Africapitalism, he says, is for greater economic prosperity and social wealth for all Africans driven by Africa’s private sector, its domestic economies, markets, and businesses

“This is the story of the ‘new’ Africa: a reinvigorated private sector solving social problems by building businesses and creating social wealth”

Quick Facts

Tony O. Elumelu is a visionary entrepreneur and a philanthropist. Born, raised and educated in Africa, Elumelu has been responsible for creating businesses across the continent, in sectors critical to Africa’s economic development. In 2010, he founded Heirs Holdings, an African investment holding company, with investments in financial services, power generation, oil and gas, agribusiness, real estate and hospitality. In the same year, he established the Tony Elumelu Foundation, an Africa-based and African-funded philanthropy, dedicated to catalyzing entrepreneurship across Africa. He is Chairman of Heirs Holdings as well as UBA Group Plc and Transcorp Plc, which is Nigeria’s largest listed conglomerate. In his early career, Elumelu turned the financially distressed Standard Trust Bank (STB) into a top-five financial services player in Nigeria. In 2005, he led the largest merger in the banking sector in sub-Saharan Africa, between STB and United Bank for Africa (UBA). Today, UBA operates in 19 African countries, as well as New York, London and Paris. Elumelu is the author and leading proponent of ‘Africapitalism,’ an economic philosophy which advocates for the private sector’s commitment to Africa’s development through long-term investment in strategic sectors of the economy, that drive economic prosperity and social wealth. In 2003, the federal government of Nigeria conferred the honour of Member of the Federal Republic on Elumelu. In 2012, he was awarded named a Commander of the Order of the Niger for his service in promoting private enterprise. In 2013, Elumelu received the Leadership Award in Business and Philanthropy from the Africa-America Institute Awards. He was also named African Business Icon at the 2013 African Business Awards. Elumelu currently serves as a member of the Global Advisory Board of the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All Initiative (SE4ALL) and USAID’s Private Capital Group for Africa Partners Forum. He sits on the Nigerian President’s Agricultural Transformation Implementation Council and serves as Co-Chair of the Aspen Institute Dialogue Series on Global Food Security. He played a leading role in the formation of the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria and now serves as its vice chairman. He chairs the Ministerial Committee to establish world-class hospitals and diagnostic centres across Nigeria, at the invitation of the Federal Government.

UBA Share Trading History (Previous 10 trading days) Date 09 Oct, 2014 08 Oct, 2014 03 Oct, 2014 02 Oct, 2014 30 Sep, 2014 29 Sep, 2014 26 Sep, 2014 25 Sep, 2014 24 Sep, 2014 23 Sep, 2014

Open 2.16 2.13 2.18 2.15 2.06 2.05 2.05 2.10 2.12 2.03

High Low Close Chg 2.16 2.14 2.15 -0.03 2.18 2.11 2.18 +0.00 2.20 2.17 2.18 +0.01 2.17 2.14 2.17 +0.05 2.13 2.05 2.12 +0.07 2.08 2.05 2.05 +0.02 2.08 2.05 2.05 +0.02 2.10 2.03 2.03 -0.02 2.18 2.05 2.05 -0.04 2.10 2.02 2.09 +0.04

% Chg Vol Value Deals -1.38 1,059,926 2,282,091.00 N/A +0.00 4,951,227 10,683,740.00 N/A +0.46 6,289,604 13,764,550.00 N/A +2.36 2,927,643 6,299,782.00 N/A +3.41 5,842,376 12,257,550.00 N/A +0.99 12,611,080 25,861,460.00 N/A +0.99 12,611,080 25,861,460.00 N/A -0.98 2,249,460 4,649,970.00 N/A -1.91 154,377,700 324,151,700.00 N/A +1.95 3,157,557 6,438,450.00 N/A

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Transport

SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER , 2014

Volkswagen delivers 3.56m cars in 7 months

Paul Ogbuokiri he Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 3.56 million vehicles in the first seven months of the year. Deliveries grew by 4.0 percent in July, with the brand hand-

“The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand recorded a slight decrease in deliveries in Central and Eastern Europe, where 146,300 vehicles were handed over to customers”

ing over 491,600 vehicles to customers in that month. “We are pleased with the way the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand has started the second half of the year. The Asia-Pacific region tops the delivery table, followed by Western Europe. But we are still facing challenging market developments in some sales regions,” Christian Klingler, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, said in Wolfsburg recently. She said in an online statement made available to our correspondent that Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 1.00 million vehicles on the overall European market

from January to July, of which 517,200 were handed over in Western Europe, adding that the home market of Germany also saw deliveries rise, with 340,700 customers taking possession of a new Volkswagen in the period to July. He said in contrast, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand recorded a slight decrease in deliveries in Central and Eastern Europe, where 146,300 vehicles were handed over to customers. According to him, the company delivered 76,400 units in Russia during the period. Sunday New Telegraph learnt that Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 333,400 vehicles in the North America region, of which 209,700 new models were handed over to their owners in

the United States. In the South America region, deliveries for the period to July fell by 20.1 percent to 372,300 units, of which 301,800 were handed over in Brazil. The brand reported a substantial 16.2 percent increase in deliveries in the Asia-Pacific region from January to July, handing over 1.72 million vehicles to customers there, of which 1.60 million units were delivered in China, the largest single market. In Nigeria, Volkswagen cars have continued to give a good account of themselves in the market courtesy of Volkswagen Centre (an arm of Stallion Motors) which provides the vehicles through a nationwide dealership network that accommodates after-sales service.

Isuzu Pick-up enhanced to meet users’ needs

eneral Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra and her executive leadership team have outlined the company’s customer-focused strategic plan to become the most valued automotive company at a conference for investors and financial analysts held last weekend at the company’s Milford Proving Ground, South Africa. “In the nine months that this leadership team has been together, we have spent a significant amount of time setting our goals for the future of GM and developing a specific action plan,” Barra said. “Our strategic plan is a pathway to earn customers for life and create significant shareholder value in the process. Every chance to connect with customers is an opportunity to build a stronger relationship.” An email message signed by the SubSaharan Africa Communications Co-ordinator, General Motors South Africa, Mr. Nandi Matomela, said GM’s strategic plan includes several major initiatives that the company anticipates will help it achieve 9- to 10-percent margins on an EBIT-adjusted basis by early next decade. He said in 2015, about 27 per cent of GM’s global sales volume is expected to come from products new or refreshed within 18 months. That figure is expected to rise to 38 per cent in 2016 and 2017, and

GM outlines strategic plan reach 47 per cent in 2019, he stressed. According to him, during the same time frame, GM plans to execute the world’s largest automotive deployment of 4G LTE high-speed mobile broadband, introduce vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity in the 2017 Cadillac CTS and launch a highly-automated driving technology currently called Super Cruise, which allows for extended periods of hands-free driving on highways. He said GM has also developed an innovative Mixed Material Body Structure that uses GM-patented welding technology and a combination of steel and aluminium stampings, castings and extrusions to deliver designs that are lightweight, use 20 per cent fewer parts, have class-leading torsional stiffness and exhibit superior noise and vibration characteristics. Matomela said that GM is establishing its flagship brand as a separate business unit headquartered in New York City to pursue growth opportunities in the luxury market with more focus and clarity. “Cadillac expects to introduce four new vehicles in North America in 2015,

including the recently announced CT6. In addition, Cadillac plans to introduce nine new models in the next five years in China, which is expected to become the world’s largest luxury car market later this decade,” he said. He further said that GM’s joint ventures in China are planning to invest $14bn from 2014 through 2018 to open five new vehicle- manufacturing plants and support sales of just under five million vehicles annually. In the same time frame, GM expects to launch 60 new or refreshed vehicles, including nine new sport utility vehicles, he said. Meanwhile, Sunday New Telegraph learnt that GM Financial, which has seen its earning assets grow from $8.7bn in 2010 to $37bn early this week, continues to invest to support the sale of new GM cars, trucks and crossovers around the world. GM Financial has sharply increased the number of GM customers it serves in the United States, Canada, South America and Europe. Later this year, GM Financial expects to enter the growing Chinese market.

he South African-engineered and built Isuzu Pick-up has received subtle cosmetic updates. According to the Vice President Vehicle Sales Services and Marketing (VSSM) at General Motors South Africa (GMSA), Mr. Brian Olson, product enhancements have been made in response to meet the needs of the customers in Sub-Saharan Africa. “We constantly strive to improve our products and with the added advantage of the sixth-generation Isuzu Pick-up being developed, engineered and built in South Africa for the Sub-Saharan Africa market, we are able to introduce updates with quick turnaround times for maximum effect. “The subtle new tweaks to the Isuzu Pick-up are all geared at enhancing visual appeal and creating a better driving experience,” he said. Sunday New Telegraph learnt that over the coming months, the updates include a new overhead storage compartment including a sunglasses holder on LX extended cab and double cab models, and on LE and LX models, new Anthracite Grey upholstery moves the interior ambience more upmarket. Olson, in a statement to Sunday New Telegraph, said the LE models now feature a more striking Anthracite Grey radiator grille and a black rear bumper as well. He also said that the LX double cab now features a chrome lockable tailgate handle, and all models now feature a centre-high-mounted stop lamp. “The changes are now reflected on a streamlined range of 18 Isuzu Pickup derivatives, all powered by our renowned diesel engines,” concludes Olson. According to him, all Isuzu Pick-up models are sold with a fully-comprehensive 3-year/ 100 000 km warranty and a 3-year/ unlimited mileage anti-corrosion warranty. Called D-Max in Nigeria, Isuzu Pickup was launched into the local market at elaborate ceremonies in Lagos by the brand’s representative, Koncept Auto centre, which maintains a distribution network in the nation’s commercial and other parts of the country.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Bears dominate market trade

he bears resurfaced after the holiday as the market shed a cumulative 1.60% at the end of 3 trading days week to peg YtD returns and the index level at -2.14% and 40,444.39pts respectively. Negative mood permeated the market as all sectors posted losses during the week. A total of 20 stocks recorded price appreciation, 39 posted declines while 148 remained flat during the week. Signaling the start of the earnings season, quarterly results of ACCESS, UBN, PZ, TOURIST, HMARKINS, INFINITY, THOMASWY and IKEJAHOTEL hit the market with companies performances largely mixed. IKEJAHOTEL, CHAMPION, CONOIL, LEARNAFRICA and CUTIX led the gainers chart for the week with returns of 33.00%, 27.37%, 10.23%, 9.09% and 5.00% in that order. On the other hand, AGLEVENT, UAC-PROP, STANBIC, ZENITHBANK and UBCAP led the losers’ chart with respective returns of -13.64%, -8.52%, -8.49%, -6.17% and -5.96%. Volume and value of transactions for the week were lower by 48% and 42% respectively due to lesser number of trading days and frailer buying sentiments. We are of the opinion that the market direction will be largely determined in coming weeks by the nature of earnings scorecards posted by listed companies even though technical indicators point to a possible halt in losses for the coming week.

…as earnings season commences

scorecards for the companies in the sector as major triggers to dictate the direction of trades in the coming weeks.

Consumer Good Sector … and the bears had it

Whilst the bulls had an upper hand in previous week’s trading, the bears seem to have taken over within the consumer goods space as the sector shed 0.33% WoW (vs. previous +0.10%). This week, most of the companies had a negative run, though CHAMPION had a really good outing with a WoW gain of +27.37%. PZ released its Q1:2015 results which showed a year-on-year decline in turnover of 0.31%, with a huge 30.31% cut in earnings which was as a result of 9.04% jump in operating expenses. CHAMPION retained its position as the highest gainer for the sector while being trailed by NB and CADBURY with 1.89% and 0.58% gains respectively. Some counters such as 7UP, NNFM, DANGFLOUR, FLOURMILL, VITAFOAM, NESTLE, and UNILEVER traded flat WoW. On the other hand, PREMBREW led the pack of sector’s decliners, with -5.00% joined by DANGSUGAR, HONYFLOUR, NASCON, PZ, GUINNESS, and INTBREW with -0.86%, -4.25%, -1.17%, 0.72%, 3.93% and -1.29% WoW respectively. The conglomerate sector had a similar run with both UACN and AGLEVENT shedding 0.84% and 13.64% WoW respectively. In anticipation of more corporate results in the coming week, we are of the view that the sector will likely remain subdued barring any fantastic third quarter results expectations from any of the sector heavyweights.

Banking Sector: Profit taking ensues

It was a negative week for the banking sector as the sector breadth pegged at 0.2x, representing 2 gainers against 10 decliners. By and large, the sector ended the week with a WoW loss of 3.83% as investors booked their profits following gains posted last week. Access Bank and Unity Bank’s 9M:2014 results were released recently and both performed well. ACCESS reported 17.3% and 18.1% growth in top and bottom lines in that order. The growth in gross earnings was driven by the 19.9% and 13.7% respective growths seen in interest and fees & commission income. The significant increase in interest income was consequent upon the 34.3% growth seen in loans to customers, as the bank shrank its investment securities holdings by 21.4%. Growth in earnings was supported by the 1.9% decline in operating expenses as well as the 14.2% decline in taxes during the period. UNITYBNK reported growths of 6.1% and 858.8% in gross earnings and profit after tax respectively. Interest income and non-interest income grew by 2.9% and 21.5% in that order. The astonishing 858.8% growth seen in earnings was largely due to the base effect of the bank’s NGN1.15bn profit position as at 9M: 2013 (largely as a result of higher expenses in form of interest, personnel and other operating expenses). However, the bank’s divestment from some of its subsidiaries has had a positive effect on its level of expenses in the year. We expect a minimal rebound in coming weeks as gains from investors’ position-taking into companies with impressive 9M results is expected to outweigh the panic in the banking sector consequent upon banks’ adoption of Basel 2 risk weightings.

Oil & Gas Sector: Returns negative WoW as positive mood turns

The Oil and Gas sector returned marginally negative at the end of the week to peg the sector’s WtD return at -0.07%, thus paring Yearto-Date (YtD) return to 24.65%. The sector took a turn as all counters which returned positive in the previous week fell to the negative zone. OANDO, which was one of the top gainers in the previous week, led the losers’ chart as the counter shed 4.06% to close at NGN25.30 (vs. NGN26.37 in previous week). FO also featured on the list with 3.31% loss to close at NGN217.55, while TOTAL and SEPLAT declined by 2.50% and 0.08% respectively. On the flip side, Investors were bullish on CONOIL as it gained 10.23% to close at NGN51.82 compared to NGN47.01 in the previous week. ETERNA and MOBIL followed

Healthcare sector: Losing streak continues

suit with 1.87% and 1.69% gains in that order, while all other counter remained flat.

Industrial Goods: Bears continue to drag sector mood.

In line with the general market mood for the week, the Industrial goods sector continued to shed points as the MERI-IND index closed -1.46% down, thus dragging returns so far in the month of October to -1.87%. CUTIX generated the highest return for the week following a +5.0% change in price. WAPCO also defied general market sentiments to close trading for the week at NGN127.99, representing a 0.8% increase from previous week’s closing price. . Positive sentiments on CCNN, however, took a breather this week as the stock closed the week’s trading -4.8% down. DANGCEM, the other loser for the week, depreciated in value by 1.7%. We believe that given the recent bearish mood in the market in general and the industrial goods sector specifically, the inflow of positive Q3:2014 earnings will help drive activities in the sector in coming weeks.

Insurance: No Counter Closed Positive

The Insurance sector continued its losing streak, mounting on the loss recorded in the previous week with a 2.55% week-on-week (WoW) decline, as no counter in the sector closed positive. In spite of the recent profittaking on large capitalization stocks in the sector, the year-to-date (YtD) performance remains positive at 13.17%. The performance for the week was largely dragged by MANSARD and CUSTODYINS, with respective prices declining by 4.83% and 2.69%, as investors took profit following the significant appreciation the tickers recorded

two weeks ago. Other underperformers for the week were INTENEGINS, WAPIC and NEM as they recorded price depreciation of 5.08%, 4.05% and 2.53% in that order. We remain optimistic of a possible recovery for the sector in the coming week as we envisage position taking in counters that shed this week, even as we foresee a thug-of-war between the bulls and bears on MANSARD and CUSTODYINS as both tickers seek new support levels.

Agric: Sector posts -1.89% WtD return, as sentiments remain weak

Trading activities commenced on a weak note on Wednesday as all Agric. sector stocks traded flat on modest volumes (except for LIVESTOCK that posted mild decline of 1.33%). Trading activities continued on Thursday and Friday with LIVESTOCK closing 3.01% up at NGN3.08 to become the only stock in the sector to return positive in the week. FTNCOCOA on the other hand traded flat through the week to remain at NGN0.50. No trades was observed on ELLAHLAKES in the week while PRESCO and OKOMUOIL shed 1.07% and 2.91% respectively to settle at NGN37.10 and NGN33.01. Commodities prices data from World Bank revealed that the average price of Palm Oil and Technical Rubber declined 12.97% and 5.70% in Q3:2014 relative to Q2:2014 prices. This brings the average changes in oil palm and rubber prices to 0.94% and -32.57% YtD respectively, against earlier projections of +3.0% and -21% price changes for 2014. Maize and Wheat prices, major inputs for millers, have declined 32.54% and c.10% so far in the year. We continue to await Q3:2014 earnings

The sector continued its negative trend, shedding 2.52% to peg the YtD return at 10.24%. The week’s loss was driven by the 2.57% decline by GSK which accounts for c.82% of the sector’s market capitalization. The sectoral breadth pegged at 0.33x as one (1) stock appreciated against three (3) that shed points while other stocks in the sector closed flat in the week. FIDSON was the only stock that posted gains in the week, appreciating 2.10% to settle the price at NGN3.40. EVANSMED, GSK and MAYBAKER shed points, declining 2.57%, 2.38% and 1.69% respectively. The management of FIDSON agreed to issue a NGN2billion secured fixed-rate bond to the market, the proceeds of which will be used to pay off outstanding loans (76.163%), as working capital (20.264%) and issue costs (3.573%). The mood in the sector has remained dreary since the beginning of the year but we expect Q3:2014 numbers to trigger activities in the sector in subsequent weeks.

Services sector: Bullish trend continues

The Services sector closed in the negative zone for the week as it dipped -3.20% even though it posted more gainers than losers. Six counters gained, two stocks dipped while nine traded flat. IKEJAHOTEL topped the gainers’ chart for the week with 23.00% returns which was however 8.58% lower than it posted last week. It was followed by LEARNAFRICA, ABCTRANS, RTBRISCOE, NAHCO and UPL with 9.09%, 1.47%, 1.18%, 1.00% and 0.97% respectively. Contrariwise, TRANSCORP led the decliners with 5.18% loss followed by CAVERTON (-3.20%) while ACADEMY, ASL, C&I LEASING, LENNARDS, NSLTECH, REDSTAREX, STUDPRESS, TANTALIZERS and TRANSEXPR all traded flat. In another development, Ikeja Hotel Plc. released its first quarter 2014 result; turnover was 14.87% lower while profit slumped by 107.88% compared to the corresponding quarter in 2013 due to a combination of 11.69% increase in operating expenses and an astronomical 7794% rise in finance cost.

2727

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

SundayBusiness/Media

Filmmaking: Shortcuts kill a director’s career –Teco Benson

Nollywood super-director and multiple award winner, Teco Benson, in this interview with OJIAKU KALU, x-rays the business of film making

How much of self does the film director permit each of his works? If you are asking for my personal opinion, and not theoretical position, I will answer thus: to a great extent, film works should reflect the personality behind it. As you know, the director is the major artistic force behind any film production. He directs the affairs of the cast and crew through preproduction, production and post-production. Just as the writer is the author of the script, the director is the author of the film. As he reads the script, he develops his interpretation, and that’s what he films for people to see as a movie. In other words, any film is its director’s interpretation. Interpretation and style are the two major things that distinguish one director from the other, and these two indices are based on the personality of the director: talking about his life experi-

Benson

ence, exposure, education, social class, beliefs, moral values, principles, etc. This is why some directors particularly stand out from the rest. If you give two directors the same script, you will see two different films, and that explains it all. In answering your question, everything about oneself should be reflected in the film, but one thing is always key - objectivity. What is constantly primary in the director’s mind as he wields the clapboard on set? Of course, to come up with the best film that justifies the confidence of the people that employed him. Most times the director is hired, except when he is producing and directing the same job. Every deepthinking director knows his works should outlive him, so he/she wants to come up with a job that will be both artistic and commercial success and at the same time, b e come a societal refe r ence

“Our value system is embedded in our culture and tradition and that is exactly what Nollywood is primarily depicting. Every Nollywood movie, no matter how badly done, has good resolution with good triumphing over evil” point – now and in future. In casting, which takes precedence – the camera-face or the acting ace? I would say a combination of both. Casting is one of the major determinants of a film’s credibility and eventual success. If you get it wrong, then you have failed and your film will obviously fail. A film’s success is determined by the audience, and you have to make your story credible enough to attract public attention to it; and right casting is one thing that makes a story convincing. You must put square pegs in square holes and round pegs in round holes. Wrong casting can kill a great story and no matter the style - special effect and acrobatics employed, those can never salvage the situation. That is why a good casting director must not be sentimental. If you have the acting ace and you don’t have the corresponding camera face, then you’ve lost it also. The FACE is critical, but the ACE is the determinant. During casting, you can spot out 10 camera faces that tally with the character you are searching for. Then the acting-ace is used to screen and prune them until the best ace with the right face emerges for each persona. The camera face is not always the beautiful face. When you are looking for people to play witches and wizards or to do some horror, terrorist characters, then ugly, queer faces become an asset. So anyhow you are created by God, there is a proper role for you in the industry - as long as you have the acting ace. What specific requisite traits must a director possess to be adjudged good? Passion, creativity, attention to details, versatility, focus, good listening skill, vast knowledge of the art, desire for excellence and of course, patience. In your opinion, are Nigerian indigenous directors truly caught in ethical decline? Not quite. I don’t like making sweeping statements. While ethical decline cannot be ruled out among some folks in the industry, still within the bunch, you have a good number of directors who are very ethical in their practice – for them, it is either the best or nothing. Currently, the industry lacks what could be held as code of ethics and in a clime as this, a director should rely on broad common sensibility and conscience. But when it is eventually put in place and with proper enforcement, some young directors who are culprits will be beaten into proper professionalism. Some of them are unethical only because they have never really understood the ethics of the profession. They just stumble into the world of filmmaking and with that, start calling the shots without requisite apprenticeship and

mentoring. What makes a good movie – the storyline or the cast and crew? It’s, indeed, a combination of all those. But the major factor is the storyline. When the story is good, and you combine the story power with a good director, good cast and crew, then you are sure the film will succeed. A bad story cannot be remedied, just like a house with a poor foundation cannot be saved, no matter how much you patch it with cement and paint. These days, people with bad stories seem to be making big cash because they use sex and porn to hook the gullible. People rush to buy such movies not because of the storylines, but simply to see how naked and how deep the actors in the sex scenes went. Of course, those movies have a short span on the shelves and have the potentialities of destroying the practitioner’s career. At the same time, a good story will also die a natural death when a good director and the right cast and crew are complementing it. No two ways about it, professional shortcuts will always cut short your career! Besides growing Nigeria’s gross domestic products (GDP), do you think Nollywood has helped in raising the nation’s value system? To a great extent, yes. I say so because before the emergence of Nollywood, Western movies did a lot of damage to our social psychology. Nollywood has helped a great deal in growing Nigeria’s value system by reflecting, sustaining the culture and traditions of the people. Our value system is embedded in our culture and tradition and that is exactly what Nollywood is primarily depicting. Every Nollywood movie, no matter how badly done, has good resolution with good triumphing over evil. Evil practices are frowned at. Whenever any character is labelled evil, a good and equal punishment is meted to such a character in the end. These act as a deterrent to criminality and immorality. Things like taboos, abominations and moral ethos are constant features in Nollywood. A few terrible films have emerged in difference to our local norm, but they are in the very minority. Sex sells in Nigerian movies. As a director, how do you balance the urge to sell and the preservation of pristine innocence? I personally frown on sex and nudity in the industry. Filmmakers only resort to extreme sex portrayal when they do not have good stories to tell, as I mentioned earlier. When sex must feature in your story, there is a modest way of doing it in an African way, rather than going all out like they do in the Western movies where culture and moral values have long died. Today, you see African actors and directors justifying nudity and graphic sex in movies with the excuse that an actor should be able to interprete every role. Much as we want to sell, we should remember that we are role models and the society is looking up to us. We are supposed to be change agents, using the media power inherent in film to preserve societal innocence. Such is the reason for cause and effects, effective resolution, triumph of light over darkness etc. People are easily influenced by the movies they see because it is a powerful meCO NTINUED O N PAGE 29

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

SundayBusiness/Feature

MPC, interest rates and Nigeria’s economic challenges T

Chijioke Iremeka

hough the long awaited meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria has come and gone but the ripples generated by its impact continue to spread, especially on the issue of further tightening the already stretched Monetary Policy Rate. The meeting, which was held in September against the backdrop of the increasingly limited choices for monetary policy, especially in the emerging market and developing economies; tapered recovery in the euro coupled with the social and political tensions in the domestic and global environment, of which have had fundamental impact on domestic macroeconomic management ended with a communiqué. In view of the developments, the committee, which reviewed key developments in the global and domestic economy up to mid-September 2014, and the outlook for the near-term was divided between retaining the current stance of monetary policy of 12 per cent and its further tightening. The brewing rupture, however, got to its apex when six members voted to retain the current stance of monetary policy, while five members voted to increase private sector Cash Reserve Requirement and one member voted for increasing public sector CRR. In addition, one member voted for an asymmetric corridor around the MPR. Eventually, the MPC decided by a majority vote to retain the MPR at 12 per cent with a corridor of +/-200 basis points around the midpoint; retain the public sector Cash Reserve Requirement at 75.0 per cent; and retain the private sector CRR at 15.0 per cent. In the MPC’s communiqué (No.97) issued and signed by CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on September 19, 2014, after the meeting, the committee reached a number of decisions by popular voting and presented issues of importance to the situational economic development of Nigeria, especially in the areas of macro and micro economic advancement. The committee noted that the restrictive stance of monetary policy provided important defences against structural liquidity in the banking system and also reaffirmed the willingness to play a key role in managing expectations around exchange rate and inflation vulnerabilities. It stated that adequate consideration would be accorded to the goal of controlling banking system liquidity to safeguard the objective of price stability. The MPC was, however, concerned that banks were holding large excess reserves averaging over N300 billion even when there were ample opportunities for productive and profitable lending to the real sector of the economy. The concern was further strengthened by the reality of injecting an additional N866 billion into the system through the redemption of maturing AMCON bonds in October. Given the apathy to lending, banks may be inclined more to placing these new funds in the SDF or using it to increase pressure on the exchange rate. It advised the CBN to explore ways of encouraging banks to lend such excess reserves to the real sector. In the light of the foregoing and consideration of other key risk factors, the MPC was of the view that the direction for policy in the short-to medium term would be either to retain the

Emefiele

current tight stance of monetary policy or further tighten monetary policy. On the emerging markets and developing economies, growth is projected at 4.6 per cent in 2014, which is 0.2 percentage point lower than the 3 earlier projections. The sources of growth include strong external demand from the advanced economies; however, the tight financial condition is expected to dampen growth in domestic aggregate demand. The MPC expressed satisfaction with the relative stability in the economy, while noting the risks that lie ahead. The key risks include: the possibility of capital reversals as the Fed’s Quantitative Easing in the US finally ends in October, amidst dwindling oil output and declining oil prices; domestic security challenges; and upward trending headline inflation. The MPC further expressed concern about high banking system liquidity and its potential effects on inflation and the exchange rate. The policy challenges, the committee noted, would include sustaining the stability of the naira exchange rate, managing the vulnerability to capital flow reversal, building fiscal buffers to insure against global shocks, managing inflation and exchange rate expectations and safeguarding the financial system stability as well as a buildup in election-related spending. On the prices, headline inflation rose to 8.5 per cent in August from 8.3 in July 2014. The mild but sustained underlying inflationary pressures were attributable mainly

“Net domestic credit, however, increased by 5.31 per cent in August relative to the end-December 2013 level”

Photo: nigeriapoliticsonline.com

to food production and distribution challenges posed by the insurgency activities. From 9.4 per cent in April 2014, food inflation, measured on a year-on-year basis rose to 10.0 per cent in August while core inflation moderated consecutively in the last two months since June 2014. In August 2014, the year-on-year core inflation was 6.3 per cent, down from 8.1 and 7.1 per cent in June and July, respectively. The MPC was also concerned that the insurgency was forcing a switching from domestic to imported food to meet domestic shortfall with huge impact on external reserves and underscored the need to expedite action to restore normalcy to the troubled region to sustain the tempo of growth, reaffirming its commitment to sustain efforts at ensuring price stability. More so, on the monetary, credit and financial markets’ developments analysis, the committee observed that the broad money supply (M2) grew by 2.94 per cent in August 2014 over the level at end-December 2013 compared with 4.83 per cent in July. The annualised growth of 4.41 per cent in August 2014 was below the growth benchmark of 14.52 per cent for the year. Net domestic credit, however, increased by 5.31 per cent in August relative to the end-December 2013 level. When annualised, net domestic credit rose by 7.96 per cent, compared with the growth benchmark of 28.5 per cent for fiscal 2014. The rather slow expansion in money supply in August reflected the 10. 17 per cent contraction in net foreign assets of the banking system (NFA), the money market interest rates, however, remained within the MPR corridor as the overnight and collaterised OBB rates moderated from 11.30 and 11.49 per cent in August to 11. 08 and 10.62 per cent in September 11, 2014, respectively. The MPC noted that both rates traded around the lower band of the MPR cor-

ridor on account of the liquidity surfeit in the banking system, adding that activities in the capital market were bearish during the period with the All-Share Index (ASI) decreasing by 4.3 per cent from 42,482.48 on June 30, 2014 to 40,672.94 on September 12, 2014. Also, Market Capitalisation (MC) also decreased by 4.3 per cent from N14.03 trillion on June 30, 2014 to N13.43 trillion on September 12, 2014. Market indicators declined owing to the profit taking activities of investors. On Domestic Economic and Financial Development Output, MPC observed a continued resilience of the economy as real GDP grew by 6.54 per cent in Q2, 2014 compared with 5.40 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2013. They observed also that growth rate also surpassed the 6.21 per cent recorded in the Q1 of 2014. The non-oil sector remained the main driver of growth recording 6.71 per cent in Q2, 2014; although lower than the 8.21 and 8.88 per cent recorded in Q1, 2014 and the corresponding quarter of 2013, respectively. The decline in growth of non-oil GDP was traced to the decline in agricultural output, construction, trade and services relative to the levels recorded in Q1, 2014. The slowdown in agricultural output was attributed to the insurgency activities in the North Eastern axis and some parts of the North Central States, which led to displacement of farming communities, thereby limiting agricultural activities and, hence, output from that region. Growth in the services and industry sectors, the committee noted, remained relatively stable compared with the corresponding period in 2013, stating that the oil sector grew by 5.14 per cent in Q2 2014, a marked reversal from the decline recorded in the preceding four quarters. The MPC also welcomed the intensification of efforts by government at addressing vandalism of oil facilities and theft of crude oil in the Niger Delta as well as efforts towards addressing gas supply shortages to the power plants, reiterating its commitment to continuing support in facilitating other measures aimed at promoting inclusive non-inflationary growth. On the external sector developments, the MPC said the average naira exchange rate remained considerably stable in all segments of the foreign exchange market, adding that the exchange rate at the retailDutch Auction System Segment (rDAS) was stable at N157.29/US$, but depreciated at the inter-bank and substantially at the BDC segments between July and August 29, 2014. At the interbank segment, the naira depreciated slightly by N0.32 or 0.20 per cent to $/N162.40 from $/N162.08. Similarly, at the BDC segment, the exchange rate depreciated by N2.00 or 1.2per cent from $/N167.00 to $/N169.00. Also, the premium between the rDAS and interbank rates was 3.25 per cent, while that between the rDAS and BDC rates stood at 7.45 per cent in the review period and gross official reserves rose from $39.1 billion at end of July to $40.7 billion on September 17, 2014. The current level of external reserves provides approximately seven months of imports cover. Consequently, the MPC decided by a majority vote to retain the MPR at 12 per cent with a corridor of +/-200 basis points around the midpoint; retain the public sector Cash Reserve Requirement at 75.0 per cent; and retain the private sector Cash Reserve Requirement at 15.0 per cent.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

World / News

‘Nigeria’s Ease of Doing Business status erodes investors’ confidence’ CON TINUED FR O M PAGE 23

The report tagged: ‘Doing Business 2014: Understanding Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises’ ranked Mauritius at 20th position; Rwanda 32nd; South Africa 41st; Tunisia 51st; Botswana 56th; Ghana 67th; Zambia 83rd; Morocco 87th; Namibia 98th; and Cape Verde 121st on the position of countries on the Ease of Doing Business index. Singapore took the number one position, followed by Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and China, as joint second. New Zealand, United States, Denmark and Malaysia are ranked third, fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. Meanwhile, Managing Director of BGK Exhibition Limited, organisers of Abuja Motor Fair, Mr. Ifeanyichukwu Agwu, says the high cost of operating businesses in the country, makes it difficult for SMEs and even large companies to compete favourably with their counterparts in other emerging markets. This high cost includes financial, social and regulatory costs, he said. “It must be said that these costs have far-reaching implications because they make the growth of SMEs to large-scale

enterprises difficult, especially in the absence of government intervention. They also invariably limit the lifespan of these businesses and reduce their ability to keep pace with innovation,” Agwu said. New Telegraph reported on Tuesday that in the last five years, Nigeria has lost a whopping $40bn investment in the oil and gas sector due to the delayed passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill by the National Assembly. The report cited data released by Wood Mackenzie as showing that $37bn out of this was lost to delay in PIB passage, which has in return resulted in industry stagnation between 2008 and 2012 Non-passage of the bill is, according to the report, responsible for the reduced investments; reduced crude oil production reduced government revenues increased debt and increased borrowings. Capital and operational expenditures of $37bn were lost due to industry stagnation, which has also created vicious cycle in Federal Government’s revenues, the report added. But the World Bank Group noted that most states across Nigeria have continued to implement regulatory business reforms, with Cross River, Ekiti, Niger, Ogun, and Rivers making the biggest

“It must be said that these costs have far-reaching implications because they make the growth of SMEs to large-scale enterprises difficult, especially in the absence of government intervention. They also invariably limit the lifespan of these businesses and reduce their ability to keep pace with innovation” strides. According to the World Bank report on business climate, challenges and hurdles to local entrepreneurs have persisted in the country’s business climate. The report tagged ‘Doing Business in Nigeria 2014’ found that there is room to learn from each other, with good practices being implemented in some parts

L-R: Globacom’s National Head, Business Support, Mr. Yomi Ogunbamowo, Wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs Olufunso Amosun, Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Dr. Sikiru Adetona and the Special Guest of Honour at the 2014 Ojude Oba Festival, Lt-Gen.Theophilus Y. Danjuma during the grand finale of the festival in Ijebu Ode

of the country that can benefit other states, if applied. The report further said that the 36 Nigerian states in addition to Abuja, FCT were benchmarked in the entire study. The report covers four indicators, including starting a business, dealing with construction permits, registering property and enforcing contracts. The report finds that 22 states have improved in at least one of the areas measured since the last benchmarking exercise in January 2010. The findings show big strides achieved in the past few years by some states. Ogun, one of the lowest ranked overall performers in both 2008 and 2010, is one of the top reforming states in 2014. A concerted effort across federal and state authorities, and in collaboration with the private sector, helped improve Ogun on three of the four indicators benchmarked. The report also finds that most of the reforms documented focused on streamlining the complexity and cost of regulatory processes. One-stop centres have improved the time to issue a building permit in Rivers, Delta and Oyo, in some cases dropping by 50 per cent or more since 2010. Findings show that the case management provisions introduced by Ekiti’s new civil procedure rules in 2011 helped reduce average trial time by nine months. Data shows that states continued to digitise land records and introduce geographical information systems, making property registration more secure and efficient. Despite these improvements, challenges persist, with no single state ranking at the top on all indicators. For instance, Abuja and Lagos are among the top performing states on the ease of starting a business, but rank in the bottom two positions on the ease of dealing with construction permits. Similarly, Sokoto and Osun rank second and third in dealing with construction permits, but 30th and 33rd in starting a business, respectively. Additionally, the study revealed that Nigerian entrepreneurs face different regulatory hurdles, depending on where they establish their businesses. Varied state regulations and practices along with uneven implementation of federal legislation drive these differences and impact local entrepreneurs differently.

Shortcuts kill a director’s career –Benson dium of communication and what you

CON TINUED FR O M PAGE 27

constantly put in front of them will influence and affect not just this present but the coming generations. So much as we want to sell, we should strike a balance and remember that even our own children, if we have none now, will grow one day and see their parents’ private parts on TV. Think about the trauma the kids will go through in school, church and community. What kind of kids will they become? Action is a common denominator in your works. Is this by design or accident of scripts? Well, I can say it is by design. This is because as a director/producer, you are inundated with thousands of scripts from writers who want to sell. Seeing many good scripts in different genres and choosing to stick to ACTION is an indication that it is by design and not by accident.

My first action film, EYE FOR EYE, was made in 1997 and the choice was informed by my desire to consciously push Nollywood in a different direction. My decision was a response to frequent media criticism of rituals and blood money which was a frequent feature in all Nollywood movies of that era. Don’t forget, the pioneer movie, Living In Bondage, was made five years earlier with the same subject and it became an instant hit. So with bandwagon and spiral effects, most films after that tended towards that until the media began to take a swipe at the industry. As a good listener, one who is conscious of comments made on what I have chosen to be my profession. I decided to respond by switching to action. Strangely, the film became an instant success. So I immediately followed it with Executive Crime in 1999 and State of Emergency in 2000. From State of Emergency which became a monster hit, it became obvious that the society was in love with them. Later I made others like Broaddaylight, War Front, Formidable

Force, Terror etc. How did you enter moviedom? Did you transit from acting or did you hit the set directing? I got into the movie industry in 1994, two years after Living in Bondage. If you recall, the movie was shot in Igbo language and so were all the successive movies in that era. So, the implication was that production activities began to feature around Onitsha environs, where the Igbo business men domiciled. Being a civil servant in one of the government establishments in Onitsha then, it became easy for me to get involved. At first sight I was given a major role in the audition. We rehearsed for three months non-stop, including Saturdays and Sundays. In the end, the movie was shot, but never saw the light of the day. It was later that I attended the audition for another pioneer film called FORBIDDEN by Amaco Production, produced for them by Mike Oriihedimma. The film was released in 1995 and became an instant hit, putting all of us in the limelight. That

was how my journey began, but my desire to use the film as a medium of change made me jettison acting for Producing and directing. My first producing job was in 1996, the movie Compromise. Can you tell a potential talent just by sight? To some extent, but like you know, the taste of the pudding lies in the eating. In my career, I have made the mistake of casting someone by sight and I paid dearly for it. Who is your most telling influence – especially on the international scene? I’m afraid to disappoint you with my answer. The truth is that I do not have any example on the foreign scene because their works run amock with our culture and tradition as they tend to erode our value system. I’m rather comfortable with being original, innovative and completely African in my outlook.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Sunday/ Business

Value & Values: Two Essential Ingredients

he word ‘values’ speaks of moral standards or principles. It speaks of what one represents. In a world where people are ready to make it by any means, it is common to find people who have no values. Just anything goes for them, as long as they get what they want. Many believe that “the end justifies the means.” That philosophy is not right. Getting it does not make the way you got it right. If the process is faulty, the product is questionable. If the means is wrong, the product is contaminated. It was Usman Danfodio who said, “The conscience is an open wound. Only truth can heal it.” Socrates, for his part, said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” Another person, known as Apostle Paul, a jurist of sorts, who lived close to two millenia ago, said, “And herein do I exercise myself to have a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men.” Friend, there is something called the conscience. It is an instrument of ‘heartcheck’ (not the biological heart) resident in everyone of us. Do not ignore it. Only last week, on Monday, September 30, 2014, precisely, we watched a taxi driver given a national honours award by President Goodluck Jonathan, for returning the sum of N18 million forgotten in his car. Can you beat that? That was someone whom some may refer to as a common man, awarded an highly envied national honour that many highly placed people have not been privileged to receive. As

ave you ever wondered how life would have been if we had control over our time? Many would set their time to have a marathon day, long days without nights so they could work and work without rest. I bet some would only sleep when they have fainted. How about seasons? Some would prefer to have all dry season while others wet season. It would have been chaotic but thank God for the wisdom behind creation that gave nobody control over time. Nobody except God allotted equal time to everyone - young and old, rich and poor has equal time. Managing your time is very vital to success; proper time management is proper life management for time is life. What is Time? Time is a means through which people record and observe changes in their environment. It can also be defined as a sequence of events relative to the clock. You cannot control time but you can control the events of your life thereby controlling time. The difference between the rich and the poor is what they do with their time. Success and failure are the sum total of what you do with every second. If you notice, the poorest countries of the world have no regard for time. It was underdeveloped countries that invented the African Time, no regard for their time and other people’s time. African time is a show of indiscipline. Time is a convertible resource. Time is money and if you make productive use of your time, success is inevitable. Ways to effectively manage your time a. Establish your value: What are values? Values are your principles of behaviour; what you regard as important to your life. Those things you will be willing to run a risk for. Your governing values are the foundation of personal fulfilment. For example, my values are A. Love B. Honesty C. Health/vitality D.

Success Nuggets

Victor Okwudiri

08037674300 (SMS only)

though that was not enough, he became entitled to a property in Abuja on the orders of the President. Some people will do anything to own a house in the Federal Capital Territory, but this man got it at no financial cost, simply by doing what is right. That shows that ‘PRINCIPLE’ can make someone a PRINCIPAL person. It shows that VALUES can increase someone’s VALUE in society. Some people might have seen that N18m as an opportunity to change their lives and generations after them forever. Some people might have branded that man as ‘stupid’ for returning that money; but see how his STUPIDITY fetched him positive FAME. He was privileged to meet with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, one-on-one. If, however, he had kept back that money, instead of being in the company of Mr. President, he might have been in the company of prison inmates by now; instead of the positive FAME, he might have wasted in OBSCURITY; instead of standing on the PAVILION of greatness, he might

have decimated into OBLIVION; instead of the FAME, he might have ended up in SHAME. Also among those honoured last week by the Nigerian government was the Head Presidential Steward. According to President Jonathan, the said Presidential Steward had served many Presidents of Nigeria, from President Shehu Shagari to Jonathan. As such, President Jonathan described the steward as a great man. If you think of it, you will agree that only a principled person could have successfully served successive presidents for 35 years. It is not common for a person to maintain decorum in the corridors of affluence and power. Prior to that day, many had not known the said presidential steward, but his values brought him to limelight. Beloved, money is not everything, neither is it the greatest thing. No! Service is greater than money, and will bring money in return. A good name is better than money, and will bring money in return. Is it not unfortunate that some people, after holding political office, take to their heels? Why should someone who claims to have served his people be on the run? Is it not rightly said that a clear conscience fears no accusation? One can run away from legal justice, but cannot run away from natural justice.

The Big Picture

Julian Atufunwa nly) 32810713 (SMS o

(080

Time your way to success Contribution E. Success F. Learning etc. The only way to experience peace is living or spending your time in agreement with your values. Any activity outside your value causes you pain. So live according to your values and never be apologetic for being yourself. 1. Set goals: It is necessary to set goals it helps you know what to focus on, your goals must be time bound. It must be specific; your goals must be measurable and attainable. 2. Plan your day: List out schedules for the day, write down your to do list, writing it down help it sink into you that even when you misplace your list, you would still remember what’s written. After listing out, prioritise each task, because some tasks are more important than others. Do the most important and harder task first before the rest. People will always have time for what is important to them. Create time for yourself, family and friends and use every opportunity to acquire knowledge to grow. a. Guard against time robbers: Fulfilment in life is being at peace with God and yourself. Do not give in to unnecessary A. Interruption: People can be selfish if you let them, nothing should make you give an excuse for an undone task. It

shows you are not fit for that task. b. Unclear job description: Your task should be spelt out. You should know what is expected of you. It will save the time you would have invested doing a trivial task. c. Unnecessary meetings can rob you of your time. d. Mistakes of others: train people to handle tasks well. Rectifying a mistake wastes time. e. Inter-office travel: Before anyone travels, plans should be made to keep work going. f. Delegation is very important: To achieve more and save time you need to engage people. You should rather set 10 men to work than do the work of 10 men. Train people to work effectively. Any task that someone else can do, let them do it. All you need to do is follow up. The advantages of delegating are enormous. It will help you concentrate on key areas, and release other people’s potential. Finally, there are tasks that are urgent and important. There are tasks that are not urgent but important. If you keep putting them off, it may get to crises level. Procrastination is a time killer.

080395121535 (SMS only)

My Father’s Name is ‘Daddy’

fter the Ebola-induced holiday extension, most schools in Nigeria reopened this week for the 2014/2015 academic session. For many parents and guardians, the main concern this season is how to pay school fees and properly kit their children and wards for the new school session. It is a challenge most parents face practically every school term. But the nature of Nigeria today would require parents to worry about a whole lot more than the ever skyrocketing fees paid to the ever increasing number of private schools across the country. Don’t go splitting hairs about how to also protect your children from the dreaded Ebola virus. Thanks to our government, the scourge has been largely contained in the country. But there are critical issues that most parents do not appear to be worried about and that is to do with the security of their children. We have heard cases of children being kidnapped as they leave their schools for their homes. There have also been cases of these kids just wandering off, “Don’t go splitting leaving their lives at the mercies of hairs about how to either God Samaritans of kidnapers. also protect your Question is how children from the well do your children know you? dreaded Ebola In most families virus. Thanks to today, children are taught to know our government, the not the names of their parents and guardscourge has been ians. The father is largely contained in ‘daddy.’ The mother is ‘mummy.’ The the country” uncle and auntie or other adults living with them are simply known as ‘uncle’ or ‘aunty’ as the cases may be. I have seen a child that wandered off on a certain Sunday morning and all he could do was point his finger forward when asked the street he lived. As much as people wanted to help, this boy could neither remember his street address nor was he able to mention any of his parents’ names. Most parents do not know that letting their children know their real names will not bring them down in their estimation. It also will certainly not make them call you by your first name in case that is what you are trying to avoid. But even then, would any parent want to compromise the security of his or her children just because he fears he may lose face when his child calls him by name? Let us even move away from the issue of names. What about your street address? As busy as we always are, it is very critical that our children are taught to remember where they live. It comes in very useful in the frequent cases of emergency that have become the lot of Nigeria. As noted earlier, the child that wanders off from either school, church or even a party could end up in the hands of good people or bad men of the underworld. There are ritual killers all over the place. Three things are critical for our children to know from us for their personal security. They include our names, our street addresses and our phone numbers. I am sure many of us would think this could also pose security risks of their own, considering that impressionable children could reveal them to strangers who may not really mean well for us parents. This could be true. But we also can teach them to not reveal them to just anybody. Our kids are not as daft as some of us might think. Even then, it is our duty to guide them on the circumstances under which they could reveal our IDs.

Politics SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014

The Sunday Interview

Fasanmi: Nigeria, hostage to political marauders p.32

Interview

‘Ethnicity ‘ll play major role in Benue guber race’ p.36 Abi/Yakurr deserves change - Egbona p.38

Akpabio

Chime

War for the Senate:

Governors move to unseat Senators With the increasing number of outgoing governors eyeing the Senate, BIYI ADEGOROYE examines the reasons behind their newfound love for the Upper House, reactions and implications for the affected constituencies

I Biyi Adegoroye biyi.fire@yahoo.com 08033024007 © Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

f there is an issue today that generates much attention besides insurgency and the court verdict on Adamawa State governorship impeachment saga, it is the increasing list of outgoing governors seeking election into the Senate. Like a fad with infectious acceptance, the development has generated and is still generating discussions within and outside political circles. Not a few people have expressed concern over the reason behind their renewed interest to serve in the Senate. Are the outgoing governors driven by passion to perform or could this be a manifestation of perceived obsession with power and a way of seeking continued relevance in the scheme of things? Yet, could they have been motivated by the de-

sire to maintain a stranglehold on governance in their respective states (after they would have installed loyal successors); yet occupy a top position in the governance to frustrate any attempt by the anti-graft agencies to investigate their activities as governors? A number of reports have described this development with various grubby expressions such as ‘unholy senatorial ambition,’ borne out of the desire to “desecrate the hallowed chambers.” On the flip side, some optimists are of the view that these highly experienced individuals would bring to the floor of the Senate a broader perception through robust contribution to legislative issues. As at the last count, no fewer than 10 of them had either indicated interest or are nursing the

ambition. They are Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta); Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); Sullivan Chime (Enugu); Gabriel Suswam (Benue); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Isa Yuguda (Bauchi); Jonah Jang (Plateau); Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi); and Theodore Orji (Abia). From all indications, they seem to be taking a cue from the 10 former governors currently in the Senate. They are Senators George Akume (Benue North-East); Chris Ngige (Anambra Central); Mohammed Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central); Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna North); and Abubakar Saraki (Kwara Central). Others are Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West); CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2014

The Sunday

Fasanmi: Nigeria, hos to political marauder Pa Ayo Fasanmi is a nationalist and a great democrat who upholds the principles of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He is nation builder who served the nation in many capacities as a councillor in his native Ijero Local Government of Ekiti State before independence, member, House of Representatives in the First Republic and a senator in the Second Republic on the platform of the Unity Party of Nigeria. In this interview with ADEOLU ADEYEMO, he speaks on the state of the nation after 54 years of Independence.

Nigeria just celebrated 54 years of independence. How would you describe the state of things in the country? I am very much happy that I was part of the struggle for independent Nigeria. In a modest way, I played my role under the leadership of the great house. Nigeria became independent 54 years ago; if you are going on a journey of 54kilometres you are bound to encounter all sorts of problems. Sometimes you have traffic jams, sometimes potholes on the road, at times the road is good at some places and bad at others. And even the life of a 54 year old person, he is bound to encounter certain problems, a troublesome infant in the nurseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hand, the school boy going to school and gradually becoming an adult and then at 54, he must be able to tell the success of his life which must be attributed to some problems. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m trying to give a background to what is peculiar to a man who walks 54 kilometres or a man of 54 years, the ups and down. When we got our independence, it was said that we got it on a platter but as of today, we are not even using platter of silver or platter of brass. After 54 years, many of us are beginning to ask, what has really happened to our nation? After 54 years, Nigeria appears like a very sick nation and the problem is first and foremost corruption. Corruption has eaten so deep into the society. At independence it was not as bad as this. Now you suddenly hear that a young man, an undergraduate has stolen N10 - N20million or a person working at a filling station has stolen N10m. Apart from corruption, youths who go to the universities are not employed, the standard of education has drastically fallen, ASUU is on strike for months; while we are expected to spend about 26 per cent of our budget on education, not even 10 per cent is spent today. We are in a situation where an undergraduate cannot give a correct simple sentence over a matter or as we heard in Edo State where a graduate teacher was said to be unable to read what she swore to! The health sector also is as bad as that. Now we travel abroad for treatment, whereas as a country, if we are developing at the rate at which we should, the situation would have been different. Also, we thank God for the journey of Nigeria from its amalgamation in 1914 till date. Nigeria has been a Fasanmi

blessed nation but our leaders have been the major problem of this country. The situation of things in the country in recent times calls for sober reflection by those who believe in Nigeria. If you look at the various aspects of our national life, especially economy and politics, one will feel very much disappointed. Talk of education, employment, security, social infrastructure, they are all comatose. The most worrisome of all the aspects of our national life is security. There is insecurity in the country, especially in the northern part. Any leader or political party that cannot guarantee the security of the citizens is not fit to be in power. Our infrastructure have gone to ruins and our educational system is nothing to write home about. We have a lot of universities, over 100 of them but the education standard is falling by the day. The standard of education is very low now compared with what it used to be. Now, a graduate cannot speak or write correct English. If you ask a graduate of Accountancy to multiply seven by five, he will be silent for a long time before he gives a wrong answer. Also, our infrastructure have decayed and the government is closing its eyes on them. We all know what is happening in the country, especially in the South-South, South-East and the North. We are

4 NEW TELEGRAPH

y Interview

stage rs fortunate in the South-West in terms of security. There is crime in the society now and criminals roam the streets of our cities every day. There is massive corruption at the top. The issue of corruption in Nigeria has taken a terrible dimension. These and many more have contributed to the problems of this great nation. However, in our own active days, there was nothing like this high level of corruption. I could remember when I was a councillor in Ijero Local Government Area of the then Western region and now Ekiti State. We were doing very well. We didn’t allow money to entice us. Also, when I was at the House of Representatives and the Senate, we were doing very well. Of course, as at that time we were operating a parliamentary system of government and later we went to presidential system of government which is the most expensive system of government in any country. Today, we get so much money for development but some people pocket it. When we talk of the judiciary today, which is supposed to be the last hope of the common man, we are talking of another corrupt area. The whole system is corrupt now and that is why a single person could take away money meant for pensioners. Any system that creates a gap between a few people and the masses is not helping the cause of democracy by any way, and that is the exact thing we are experiencing in the country today. Any government that encourages mass unemployment of people is not helping the society and that is why there are so many criminals in the society. Nobody is safe again in Nigeria; even in broad day light we are not safe. Also, the issue of power is another challenge confronting the nation and the leaders at the centre are not doing anything on it. There is epileptic power supply in all parts of the country. There are places where there is no electricity for a whole month. In some places, there is no potable water and some children do not have access to education. The journey has been so terrible and no one feels happy with the situation of things in the country. We have found ourselves in a terrible place and only God can save our land. However, with the developments in the SouthWest geo political zone by the coming on board of those I will describe as ‘Political Daniels,’ one feels elated and happy. I’m saying this not because I am a member of the All Progressives Congress of Nigeria, but because the APC governors in the South-West are revolutionists who have come to give us hope and also tell us that the country still has hope. Look at what is happening in Lagos State. Anyone who gets to Lagos now will see the wonders Governor Babatunde Fashola is performing in that state. The governors of Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states are also doing similar things. They are

all performing wonders and there is a wonderful transformation in these states, hence the need to commend them. One thing that gladdens my heart since the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was set up is that there is no governor of the APC that has been prosecuted by this antigraft agency. This is because of their transparency and accountability. Who should be held responsible for the problems confronting the nation? The army’s intervention in our political life has altered so many factors. When Awolowo was in government, there was nothing like someone being the First Lady, even during the time of Bisi Akande’s tenure between 1999 and 2003. But the army entered into the political life and the idea of First Lady came and we institutionalised it. So, the advent of the army into the political system has bastardised the system and consequently 54 years of our independence, the army ruled from 1966 - 1979 and from 1983 - 1989. So that brought all sort of problems, they became an institution. To the question of whose fault? It is the leadership’s fault; it is the fault of the whole lot of us, the system we now operate places more premium on wealth. It does not matter how you acquired it. If you are able to steal big money, then you have arrived. So it is the combined responsibility of the leader and the follower. If the head is rotten, what is the impact of the body? Also, the leadership problem has contributed negatively to the advancement of the country. The major cause of Nigerian problems is poor leadership. Once the leadership is corrupt and those at the top cannot do what is right then there will be a problem. Our leaders lack transparency and they are not ready to serve the people; but they are in office to enrich themselves, they only want to pocket what is meant for the generality of the people. Also, the presidential system of government being practised in the country cannot help us. We should also ask ourselves if truly we are operating a federal system of government. There are certain things the Federal Government should not look into if we are operating a true federal system of government. The Federal Government should only be concerned with the concurrent list. Must we continue to make the police a federal agency in a federal system of government that we claim to operate and deny the states the opportunity to have their own police forces? The system has to be re-examined. We place so much prominence on money in Nigeria and people don’t care where you get the money. This is too bad of us in Nigeria. What do you expect from a country that gives state pardon to a criminally minded person? Honesty and dedication do not matter again in Nigeria. You will see people in party ‘A’ today, tomorrow they are in party ‘B’ because they want to make money. This country has to be redeemed, especially at this crucial time when we marked our centenary anniversary. Also, the different ethnic nationalities need to come together to address the problems of this country and think of ways to progress. The different ethnic groups should express their feelings and also chart a way forward. What is your impression of the APC in addressing the needs of the masses and the advancement of the country? One day, during the days of the late sage, the only political hero that Yorubas worshipped and that we shall continue to worship, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo, we were at the leaders’ conference in his home town, Ikenne, Ogun State and it was agreed that all progressive folks in the country must come together if this country must progress. Today, we are doing a similar thing. The progressive elements must come together to salvage this country from political marauders. That is the best way to take over the government of this country from the PDP. As the largest country in Africa, everyone in this continent looks forward to seeing this country setting the pace for others and that can only take place when the progressives take over. Those who love this country should pray for APC to win elections in 2015. Those who prefer darkness to light are those who do not want APC in power, but we are so sure that the APC will rule this country from 2015, and no force will stop it. That is the only way to save Nigeria from destruction by the PDP. I am happy that the leadership of the APC is peopled by men of integrity. They are principled men who cannot sell their consciences for a plate of porridge. My advice is that the party

The whole system is corrupt now and that is why a single person could take away money meant for pensioners should move such that the revolution in the South-West can also happen in all parts of the country. Do you think APC can wrest power from the PDP? With the present situation of things and with the efforts being put together by the leaders of this new party, the APC has hope and it is the only party that can send the PDP packing from Aso Rock. Let’s wait and see what will happen in 2015. I’m sure the APC will by the grace of God take over from the PDP. How would you describe the dreams of the founding leaders? Are their targets being met? Well, with the founding of the APC, I am very hopeful that the future will be bright. The dreams of the founding fathers, the ideas have gone to the dogs. When I was a member of the House of Representatives in 1964, I remember what we were doing; money was not the consideration but service and what the society wanted but the situation is different now. The dreams of the founding leaders have been tampered with because of negative reactions to issues. Like I said, with APC on board, I’m very optimistic considering the states being governed by the APC, then you would know there is every hope for the future. Is Nigeria better today than it was in pre- independence era? No matter what you say about Nigeria, the force of nationalism is no longer there. When we sing our National Anthem today, we are on our own now. The self-governing country that had served under the tutelage of British imperialism is certainly better. We have made mistakes but we have recorded successes, for example, the freedom of speech. No matter what you think of an independent entity, you cannot compare it with a country under the political and economic tutelage of another country. We are okay. The rate of progress has been slow and corrective measures to ameliorate our problems have not clearly achieved much success. Institutions that have been set up to look into our problems have not been allowed to function. Some of them are politicised. EFCC for instance is one. The Pan Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, is divided. What is the cause of the division and what are you doing to unite the

organisation in order to regain its lost recognition in the country? The situation in Afenifere actually touches my heart. As a matter of fact, we all have to come together in the interest of the Yoruba nation. The major cause of the division in Afenifere is personal ambition. There is the Afenifere under the leadership of Rueben Fasoranti and there is also the Afenifere Renewal group under the leadership of Wale Oshun. The division in Afenifere occurred as a result of personal interest and ambition. Fasoranti has been my friend for nearly 60 years now. Ayo Adebanjo is also a very good friend and most of the members of the Afenifere under Fasoranti are my very good friends and I wonder why we cannot come together. It is important for Yorubas to come together now for the interest of the Yoruba nation to be properly handled. The Afenifere Renewal Group is made up of young energetic Yorubas who are very active and I know most of them very well. In those good old days, those who were chosen were young individuals. For instance, Mathew Mbu was a Minister at a young age, Kola Balogun was just over 30 when he was made a minister, Gowon was equally a young when he took over as military Head of State. So, I have no doubt that these young men and women who are in Afenifere Renewal Group will perform creditably with the advice and support of the elders. So, I am appealing to my colleagues on the other side to come together. Although, some of them are supporting the PDP, and of course Afenifere members can be in any political party, but we need to come together under one umbrella. The hero we worship in politics in Yoruba land, Chief Awolowo, will be happy in heaven if we all come together. Let us use the opportunity of the current travails of the Awolowo family to forget our differences and come together, so as for the spirit of Awolowo to bless all of us. What would you like to be remembered for after your sojourn on earth? I would like people to know that there was a man called Ayo Fasanmi who came to this world, participated in politics and conquered. I have been in the progressive camp since I ventured into politics at the early stage of my life. I was a member of the Action Group, later Unity Party of Nigeria. I was in the Social Democratic Party. I was also the National Vice-Chairman of the Alliance for Democracy and up till we formed ACN. I have not left the progressive camp. I was a councillor, House of Representatives member and a member of the Senate in the Second Republic. I am very grateful to God for the journey of my life and I will remain grateful to him. I would like to be remembered as Ayo Fasanmi who came into politics and saw the terrain and in his membership of the progressive parties conquered. As a human being, I cannot claim to be perfect, but I have not allowed the benefits of office to govern me. I want to be remembered as a lover of the common people. I would like to be remembered as a man who had a humble beginning and did not enrich himself in any of the offices. I would like to be remembered as a politician who made his mark in the country. I would like to be remembered as a man who fought for the downtrodden and promoted the government of the people by the people and for the people. What are your dreams and hopes for Nigeria? My dreams for this country are to see a country that is united, where there is love, peace, unity and security. A country where there is no shedding of blood and a country where there is no corruption. I also pray to see a country where its leaders will serve the people with dedication, commitment and fear of God. My wish is to see a country where the wishes of the masses will be supreme to the wishes of the leaders. What is your major desire now? To thank God and seek the face of the Lord daily for His guidance. Also, my desire is to see a better Nigeria that will bring the dreams of the founding fathers to fulfillment.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Politics / Analysis

War for the Senate: Governors C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 1

Abubakar Saraki (Kwara Central). Others are Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West); Joshua Dariye (Plateau Central); Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe East); Mohammed Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara North); and Kabiru Gaya (Kano South). Looking at the contributions of these senators to debates on the floor of the Senate, it is clear that only Akume, Ngige, Gaya, Dariye and Makarfi are very vocal and visible. However, there are reservations when it comes to their roles in sponsoring spectacular bills or motions that have made or will make remarkable impact on the polity. Rather, it is a popular opinion that some of them have indulged in activities that stirred rancour in the Senate in the past, especially during the era of defection that caused serious setback in the Upper Chamber about eight months ago. There is also the view that if these governors have their way, they would unseat 10 ranking senators. While one of the senators is the number two man in the Senate, some of the others are the chairmen of influential committees. Ike Ekweremadu, whose seat is being targeted by Chime, is the Deputy Senate President. If Ekweremadu loses out, then the slot would have to be moved to another ranking senator from the South-East, if the current zoning arrangement is retained after the 2015 elections. Others, whose seats are being threatened, are James Manager (Delta South); Nkechi Nwaorgu (Abia Central); Barnabas Gemade (Benue North East); Nuhu Zagbayi (Niger East); Aloysius Etok (Ikot Ekpene); Gyang Pwajok (Plateau North); Adamu Ibrahim Gumba (Bauchi South); Abubakar Sirika (Kebbi North); and Isa Mohammed Gazaudu (Kebbi North). Emmanuel Uduaghan vs James Manager (Delta South) Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s reported ambition to unseat James Manager has spawned heated debates in the senatorial district. While the eight local government areas in the district, popularly known as ‘the G-8,’ comprising the former chairmen, vice chairmen, former and incumbent caretaker committee chairmen, councilors (old and new) and opinion leaders, led by their National Coordinator, Hon. Elijah Ologe, and his Secretary, Blexon Omadoye, have since last year cleared the coast for the governor, Manager, who is warming up for his third term, has allegedly continued to ask those that care to listen that “who told the governor that I have finished at the Senate and where does the governor want me to go?” The group (G-8) categorically told Manager to accept defeat before the dice is cast in 2015, describing Uduaghan as the best the district will push forward in next year’s National Assembly election. It is believed that since the governor performed well as former Governor James Ibori’s Commissioner for Health and Secretary to the State Government and is about finishing on a strong slate as governor for eight years, the Senate is the next place for him. “The governor has largely delivered on peace and security, human capital and infrastructural development; things he promised the people of the state in 2007. Besides, he knows how legislators attract projects to their constituency. The projects he started and completed are sure hopes that as senator, Dr. Uduaghan will influence infrastructural projects from the National budget to Delta South and the state at large. “With Dr. Uduaghan’s charisma at the Senate in 2015, Delta South will be the fastest growing senatorial district in the

Fashola

country. I am not mincing words when I say this; at least, going by his achievements in health, education, information, job creation, youth and women empowerment, in the last eight years,” Ologe said. Unperturbed by Manager’s incumbency, the governor said at the Government House, Asaba, some time ago that he is “eminently qualified for Senate in 2015.” According to him, the undying political arrangement in Delta South favours the Itsekiris where he hails from, in 2015, which makes him an eligible contender in the race. “There was an unwritten zonal arrangement among the three ethnic nationalities in Delta South, which favours my people (the Itsekiris) in 2015. So, that makes me quite eligible to contest the election if I so desire,” the governor said. However, Senator Manager, a political heavy weight, using his pressure group – the Ijaw for Governor Outreach Movement - said he was not done with the Upper Chamber. Similarly, IGOM’s President-General, Comrade Fullpower Bussa, has vowed to resist an Itsekiri man, “from a minority ethnic nationality, unseating a major Ijaw man. We will never forget our Ijaw leaders if they fail to come together and annex their resources to enable an Ijaw man to return to the Senate. They must act fast, knowing fully well that the incumbent governor is interested in the Senate, which is presently being occupied by an Ijaw son (Manager). “It will be an injustice to the Ijaw nation if we lose the Senate seat in 2015. We are not going to take it lightly; we will promote violence if our position is not considered,” the group said. Undeterred, Uduaghan, who described himself as ‘a life member of the PDP,’ is maintaining that as a foundation member of the party, he will actualise his dream in the party and not anywhere else. He boasted, “If PDP is sinking I will sink with it. No matter what happens, I will swim and sink with PDP.”

Ekweremadu

Between Gov Orji and Senator Nwaorgu Senator Nkechi Nwaorgu is one of the few bright politicians in Abia State, and a very articulate female senator in the male-dominated Senate. Representing Abia Central since 2007, she has not hidden her umbrage at the zoning of the governorship position of the state in 2015 to Abia South. She is from Osisioma Ngwa and the zoning arrangement excludes her from contesting for the governorship election. Nwaorgu, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Oil and Gas, is no pushover in politics and she exudes confidence in discharging her duties. In 1999, she was the representative of Osisioma, Ugwunagbo and Obingwa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, a position she held for eight years. For now, she seems to be fighting from two fronts, having been zoned out of the governorship race and now contesting for her senatorial seat. It is a matter of conjecture whether she will relinquish the senatorial seat without a fight. Nonetheless, she has not hidden her desire for the office of the governor, though she has done or said nothing about returning to the Senate, which her loyalists say is her plan ‘B’. They believe that she might want to hang on to the Senate and in that case it will be a confrontation with the governor since the party will not reverse its position on the zoning arrangement. Though Orji is yet to make his senatorial ambition open, there is groundswell of opinion that he just might succeed. Suswam battles Gemade In consonance with his aspiration, two of the nine local governments in Benue North East Senatorial district endorsed Governor Gabriel Suswam during the week. The decision of the people of Ushongo and Kwande local government areas whose turn it is to produce the next senator along with their traditional rulers gave a ‘Yes’ to Suswan’s bid for the seat. Signatories to the deal included a former Attorney General of the Federation and

Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN); Director General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Botwev Orhii; and the Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Import Bank, Mr. Robert Orya, as well as 20 others. Expectedly, the elated governor has accepted the endorsement, saying that “this adoption has now put paid to all manner of insinuations and rumours being peddled by certain political interests that the adoption in Kwande was not supported by the Ushongo local government,” he stated. Suswam used the occasion to state that his administration has favoured Ushongo people as evidenced in their appointments at both the state and national levels, and promised to consider the creation of Aper Aku Local Government as one of the development areas in honour of the first civilian governor of the state, the late Aper Aku, who coincidentally hailed from Ushongo in acknowledgement of his immense contributions to the development of their state. Suswam will, however, have to contend with the incumbent Senator and former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Barnabas Gemade. Interestingly, Suswam seems to be going in circles, having contested and won the governorship position upon the completion of his two terms in the House of Representatives. He is taking after his predecessor, George Akume, who moved from the State House to the Senate. Recent developments in Benue show that Suswam and Gemade are at each other’s jugular over who occupies the seat next year. While the tussle for the position has reached feverish peak, the governor, who left the House of Representatives to win the governor’s office in 2007, is leaving no stone unturned to snatch the position from Gemade. Suswam has since built his political structures through the setting up of his coordinating teams in the senatorial district as part of strategies to unseat Gemade. He has also been holding meetings aimed at smoothening all rough edges, and identifying his foot

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014

Politics / Analysis

move to unseat Senators

Uduaghan

soldiers. He is mobilising his foot soldiers ahead of the party primaries and weeding out those that may working against his ambition. As part of the game plan, the governor has made overtures to the people of Kwande and Ushongo who are likely to pose a threat to his senatorial bid, including setting up a team to carry out the horse-trading with them. Though some political leaders in the area are favourably disposed to his ambition, they are said to have concluded plans to field a “prominent and widely accepted person” to fight him at the polls. For his part, Gemade has been having sleepless nights over Suswam’s ambition, and has even rejected the ambassadorial position which has been reserved for him as compensation next year. Though Gemade has been silent over the matter, observers said the governor’s doggedness has set Gemade’s camp on edge. Gov Chime up against Ekweremadu Following the endorsement of Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as the governorship candidate of the PDP in Enugu State, what remains a hydra-headed dilemma for the party is who represents Enugu West Senatorial zone in the Senate in 2015. Already, Governor Sullivan Chime and Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, are locking horns for the position. In fact, since most of the PDP leaders across board appear to be in agreement with the emergence of Ugwuanyi from Enugu North as the consensus candidate for governorship, the next question is what happens in the political arena when Ekweremadu and Chime will engage in their inevitable duel? A number of issues readily come to play in assessing the war that is breaking grounds and claiming victims like traditional rulers and even party chieftains who have taken sides. Whereas the governor seemingly holds the structure of the party almost intact, the senator has been working hard to break or loosen that grip. But in the process, some traditional rulers found to be

Aliyu

caught in the web of the politicking have been dethroned. The same fate has befallen the PDP chairman in the governor’s Udi Local Council Area, Uche Ogbodo. He was alleged to have supported Ekweremadu unknown to Chime - a development the latter felt was a great affront. As both men lock horns for the seat, two issues that would play a great role are their popularity in the local governments and their purses. While the governor is banking on the support of the local government chairmen, it is believed that the deputy president of the Senate has to his credit the ability to match the governor in the area of funds. One issue that might dim the hope of the ranking senator is the aversion of the electorate to his bid to spend a fourth term in the Senate. This factor has continued to blur the chances of Ekweremadu and the camp of the governor has continued to explore it. In recent times, some politicians from Awgu Local Government Area have raised issues on that factor. Another plank is the controversial agreement Chime had with all elective office holders, especially in the state and National Assembly, during the last general elections that all those who had served two terms and above would have to give way to new entrants in 2015. This agreement reached in the spirit of making the positions go round to as many party faithful as possible, has also caught up with Ekweremadu. The governor is evoking this clause and he seems to be getting the people to buy into it. Gov Aliyu to succeed Zagbayi In Minna, the Niger State capital, no fewer than 500,000 party faithful from Niger East Senatorial Zone have unanimously adopted Governor Babangida Aliyu as the sole candidate for the Senate for the zone come 2015. The adoption came at a solidarity rally in the nine local government areas of the zone organised by a political group, Talba Success Movement, where over 500, 000 signatures were collected calling on the

Suswam

governor contest the election. The signatories cut across party elders and youths from the nine local government areas that made up the zone. Also, last weekend some 250,000 women from the zone under the auspices, of Women in Politics endorsed Aliyu for Senate. According to the coordinator of the women’s group, Hon. Fati L. Abubakar, the women believe that he has given much to women and deserves to represent them at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly. She stated that the women have also vowed to march to the residence of the governor if he refuses to heed to their demand to contest. She added that additional 450,000 signatures will be collected for onward delivery to the governor. From all indications, he might replace Dr. Shem Nuhu Zagbayi, who was elected in a bye-election in August. Coordinator of TSM, Alhaji Hamisu Jankaro, said already the people of Suleja have conceded the position to Aliyu if he wants to contest even though Zagbayi is from the emirate. While some insiders believe that Zagbayi should have been allowed to seek reelection in 2015, others said he must have reached a silent agreement with the governor to serve in the Senate for less than six months. Chances Regarding their electability, a PDP chieftain who did not want his name in print said that the governors as party leaders in their respective states have great chances of emerging as senators. He said their chances are even brighter because as incumbents, they enjoy the support of President Goodluck Jonathan who also counts on their popularity to secure reelection. A former governor of Kaduna State, Balarabe Musa, said the motive behind it is the desire to be highly relevant, and have sustained income. “An average senator gets N5million monthly, and wields a lot of power while in office. We need to change our political

system such that less emphasis is placed on such an office, where the votes of the electorate count,” he said. Akpabio battles Etok The battle for Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District took on a more interesting dimension recently with the entrance of Governor Godswill Akpabio into the race. The incumbent Senator, Dr. Alloysius Etok, who is in his second term in the Senate and Akpabio are from the same Ikot Ekpene area of the senatorial district. However, there are still pockets of opposition to the governor’s ambition. It is led by a former member House of Representatives from Ika Local Government Area, Hon Ekperikpe Luke Ekpo, former deputy speakers in the State Assembly, Mr. Uwem Udoma, and former deputy speaker, Hon. Okon Uwah; ex-DIG Udom Ekpo Udom, and erstwhile Petroleum Minister, Atekong Don Etiebet; all from the Abak end of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District. Babatunde Fashola vs Oluremi Tinubu Though he has been silent about his rumoured ambition, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, appears to be working underground to actualise the bid. There are indications that he might be interested in replacing Senator Oluremi Tinubu in Lagos Central while she picks another position. There is also the likelihood that Fashola will pick the slot for Lagos West, currently being occupied by Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon. The sitting senator is interested in running for governor. There have been speculations that the governor might dump the All Progressives Congress for the PDP or Labour Party to actualise his ambition. However, none of his associates or aides was willing to speak on his bid. With additional reports from Chukwu David (Abuja), Tony Anichebe (Uyo), Uwakwe Abugu (Enugu), Dominic Adewole (Asaba), Igbeaku Orji (Umuahia), Cephas Iorhemen (Makurdi) and Dan Atori, Minna

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Politics / Interview

‘Ethnicity ‘ll play major role in Benue guber race’ Mrs. Rosaline Ada Chenge is the Managing Director of Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority, who took a shot at the Benue State governorship seat in 2007 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. Though she is yet consulting on next year’s elections, she tells CEPHAS IORHEMEN, that ethnicity will play a major role What is your opinion on where the next Benue State governor should come from in 2015? To start with, the Jechira people, (the Tiv political block in Benue) have a case. Jechira was favoured to produce the governor immediately after Kwande, (their Idoma counterpart) were sent packing by the soldiers some decades ago. At the return to democracy in 1999, Nigerians agreed that the zoning should start where it stopped. That was why Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was brought in to take the slot of Chief Moshood Abiola, despite the fact that Ernest Shonekan had served as Head of the Interim Government. This was because elected President had not come from Yorubaland as at then. Even when Chief Alex Ekwueme contested the primaries against Obasanjo, Nigerians, knowing very well that Yoruba nation needed to produce an elected President voted for Obasanjo. So, back to Benue issue, after the end of Governor Moses Adasu’s tenure, the Jechira people ought to have been given a chance to produce the governor in a democratic dispensation. They were very right to demand for that. The Minda people where the capital of Benue State is also have the right to demand for it because they say as sons of Tiv nation; they have not had their share… But I alone cannot determine that. I can only present my opinion. When the opinions are put together, they form a report and then the majority carries the day according to democratic principles. But are you going to stop the Idoma people who have never produced the governor of the state to vote for their daughter who is married to Tiv man? In 2006, I came into the contest for governorship election from the private sector. I was the only woman who contested in the primaries. Must I use public funds to contest election? Did Ada Chenge use public funds in 2006? No! I had no access to public funds. I contested and I lost. When I lost, I was the only woman at the age of 35. I married at the age of 18 and imagine a small girl at 18 leaving her tribe to another tribe to marry a man! That means I was able to

Chenge

calculate well. At 35, I contested the governorship seat; I did not withdraw, I lost in the primaries. I have my gubernatorial clearance certificate given to me by the PDP in 2006 and by His grace, If my people say I should contest, when the time comes nobody is going to stop me. But if my people say ‘no, we have seen somebody better’, so be it. In 2006 when I contested, the Benue people saw Gabriel Suswam as a better candidate. What did Ada Chenge do? I was not annoyed; I am not the type that took him to court. I went to him and congratulated him because you must admit that somebody is more acceptable than you if the person defeats you in an election. You must admit, there is no sentiment about it. I had a manifesto that I wanted to execute for Benue and I handed it over to him. I said: ‘Your Excellency, if I had become governor, this is what I would have done’ and from that day he said, ‘Ada Chenge, I will not forget you,’ I was rewarded one month and seven days after he became the governor with an appointment. Three and a half years after that, he was reelected the governor. A lot of people within the party within were opposed to his ambition. A lot of people after he empowered them looked for how to pull him down, but that’s not me. And since I came into this office, I have remained focused, doing what is required of my office and the achievements are there for the public to see. We will get pictures of projects executed during my time for your publication; some of the projects are completed while some are nearing completion. And as I earlier told you that in 2006, I had not come into any public office, yet I financed my campaign. So, whoever says

By His grace, I executed my gubernatorial ambition in 2006 though I came from the private sector and I would say, if God permits me, you will see me again prosecuting my elections very soon. that I am using the contractors to foot my campaign bills is telling a lie. And if anybody tells you that I have compelled him, I suppose you have been here waiting for me, apart from government officials, how many contractors did you see coming in? By His grace, I executed my gubernatorial ambition in 2006 though I came from the private sector and I would say, if God permits me, you will see me again prosecuting my elections very soon. How true is the allegation that you are having a running battle with the EFCC in connection with contract awards? I want to state categorically that I have no running battle with EFCC; not all. Not even one that I know of. Most of the time when I work, I am prudent and I am rather rewarded because I work diligently. When I was the General Manager of Benue State Water Board, I executed the Greater Makurdi Water Works design. It was a design that would have produced 45,000 cubic metres of water per day. When the governor was about signing the contract, I said ‘your Excellency, if we sign the 45,000 cubic metres

of water per day, it will do us for the next 10 years and if God gives you a second term, you are going to build another set of water works. Can we make it 100,000 cubic metres of water per day?’ And His Excellency obliged. While I was working there, I was picked by the Federal Government and was moved from the General Manager of Benue State Water Board, to be Managing Director of Lower Benue River Basin not on the basis of lobbying but on merit. So I want to tell you clearly that I have no issue with EFCC and I will never have any. Are you in dilemma on whether to lobby for a second term or go in for the governorship primaries? No, I am not in any dilemma; I am not such a woman. Let’s face the truth, at 18, I got married. This is a woman that is science oriented. I read Mechanical Engineering and became the first woman to do so in Benue. I am a very descent person. If I am going to run, I will take the decision but I am not in the dilemma aboutu whether I should renew my tenure or should I contest for governorship position? No, I am not in a dilemma. If you finally decide to run for governorship election, how will you place yourself given that you will be in a capital intensive and considering also the other big wigs in the race? I refer you to 2006; the men were there, 21 of them and I was there with them. I was the only female student of the Commercial Pilot School in the School of Aviation Zaria in the whole Nigeria and a whole lot of other things. So I am not scared.

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014

Politics / Column

Jonathan’s affluence and the new rating

he array of attack in the direction of President Goodluck Jonathan has not stopped coming, What seems obvious in the last couple of months, however, is that Mr. President has been put on the hot seat embroiled by a lot of criticisms while his aides continue to rise to the situation. Interestingly, his supporters and sympathisers alike perceive the attacks as mere distractions. Only recently, the President received knocks for what was described as an unpresidential action over his purported romance with the former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, who has been allegedly fingered as a sponsor of the Boko Haram insurgents. Within this period, the President was also not spared for the wrong doing of his political supporters who chose to make jest of a serious issue that has since attracted global attention, the over 200 kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls. In this instance, his offence was the use of a campaign slogan by a group in support of his re-election bid in 2015 which pasted several posters carrying the slogan @BringBackJonathan which was later described as a mockery of the pressure group, ‘@BringBackOurGirls campaign by an American based newspaper. While the memory of these criticisms is yet over, the President has again been brought to lime light with a high rating of his financial status. On Wednesday last week, a US based online website, the RichestLifestyle.com, in its publication on richest African Presidents 2014, announced Jonathan as the 6th richest African leader with a net worth of $100m next to Paul Biya of Cameroon. Obviously infuriated by the publication, the presidency did not waste time in condemning it with a threat of legal actions

Anule Emmanuel emmyanule@yahoo.com

Apparently afraid of the threat of litigation as threatened by the Presidency, the organisation has already delisted President Jonathan against the organisation if an apology was not tendered to the effect. Dr. Reuben Abati, special adviser on media and publicity to the President, in defence of his principal insisted that it was indeed another attempt to unjustifiably portray his boss as a corrupt leader and incite the public against him. Apparently afraid of the threat of litigation as threatened by the Presidency, the organisation has already delisted President Jonathan. This swift action from the online news outlet only brings to doubt the authenticity of its sources and basis for the ranking. In fact, while condemning the publication, the presidential spokesman had argued about basis for arriving at the conclusion.

As far as the President’s handlers are concerned, he has never been a businessman or entrepreneur, but a public servant and since 1999, continuous without personal income other than his official remuneration as Deputy Governor, Vice President, Acting President and now President. If this analogy is anything to go by, one wonders whether the ranking of the online news organisation would suffice. But this is not without a question on the lips of many Nigerians who still believe that President Jonathan’s financial worth until the present day remains a matter of secrecy. The possibility here is that, were the President to declare his assets publicly as against declaring only before the Code of Conduct Bureau which he did in 2011, there would be no basis for a speculative ranking such as the one done by RichestLifestyle. Agreed that there is no law compelling a Nigerian President and other public officers to declare their assets publicly, if this would assuage the curiosity and suspicion of the citizens, there is really no harm in doing so, after all, President Jonathan himself at some point did concur that “the issue of public asset declaration is a matter of personal principle”. The President himself had always in-

sisted on the issue of transparency and accountability for public servants, and it is expected that as the preacher of such virtues, he should be seen to practise what he preaches. Anything to the contrary would not be different from Chinua Achebe’s proverbial lizard of the homestead who neglects to do what its kind is being Klein for and therefore is being mistaken for the lizard of the farmland. In leading by example, like his predecessor, late Umaru Yar’Adua, President Jonathan needs to proceed and make his assets public in order to save Nigerians from such future embarrassments. The publication by the organisation should only serve as a challenge to him, in realising the fact that an asset declaration open to public scrutiny is a way for citizens to ensure leaders do not abuse their power for personal gains. Indeed, there should ordinarily be nothing secretive about a public officer especially at the highest level of the President. This is why I do also believe in the views of Patrick Henry, American colonial revolutionary who once noted that, “the liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.” Nigerians would need to know how many shoes he finally had when he became President, as compared with what he told us earlier. When he leaves office after serving out his tenure, there will also be nothing wrong to know if he has acquired too many shoes than his legitimate income can buy. The ball is in the President’s court. He should play it in style and purpose but must remember that not every Nigerian has access to the CCB, without prejudice to the freedom of information Act.

Waiting for the 2015 budget

ince the return of democracy in 1999, one area the nation has been unable to get it right is the budgeting process and its implementation. Budget proposals are either submitted late, passed late and even when passed on time, it is hardly implemented. This has become a recurrent decimal and a vicious circle that has proven a hard nut to crack. In fact, many analysts have described the budgeting process in Nigeria as just an annual ritual. Budgeting itself ought to be an integral component of constitutional democracy. Apart from serving as machinery to promote transparency and accountability in public fund management, it is also a fiscal instrument for self-assessment. Post budget review activities are used to assess the overall performance of a government. But are we doing this in Nigeria? We have abandoned strict compliance with appropriation laws. The poor budget implementation by the executive arm of government has sadly over the past 14 years stunted the growth of key public infrastructure such as transportation, power, health, education and a host of other essential services. What this has translated to is that the cost of doing business in Nigeria has risen thereby scaring away potential foreign investors. Also, insurgency by Boko Haram has further worsened our woes in the last three years, visiting wanton violence and destruction on the people and the nation. High level corruption is also responsible for the non-realisation of budgets in the country. There have been allegations of ‘padding of budget’ by the legislature while the executive is often accused of cir-

From the

GreenChamber

Philip Nyam cumventing contracts in connivance with the lawmakers. The issue of oversight, which could have helped in righting some of these wrongs has also become a veritable avenue to make good fortune at the expense of the citizenry. The 2007 Fiscal Responsibility Act stipulates that budget estimates for the next fiscal year shall be presented before the joint session of the National Assembly at least three months to the end of the year. But with less than three months to the end of the year, the 2015 appropriation bill is yet to be submitted to the National Assembly by the executive. The executive has not even hinted as to when it is planning to forward it. This development has caused apprehension particularly in the National Assembly. Only last week, the chairman of the House of Representatives committee on rules and business, Hon. Albert Sam-Tsokwa made a passionate call to the executive to immediately send the 2015 budget proposal to ensure its early passage. Sam-Tsokwa’s concern was anchored on the fact that by February next year, the general election will be holding and if there is no budget

ternyam@gmail.com

My appeal to our leaders is to avoid playing politics with budgets because it is central to the development of the nation in place, preparations for the polls may be affected. He said: “It is an election year and it will not be in the interest of Nigeria for the budget to be approved late, it is not the National Assembly that will initiate the budget, it has to come from the executive. Chairman of the National Assembly, Senator David Mark had earlier sounded the same warning at an event. The 2014 budget was passed in April and the implementation commenced probably in June. In other words, the ministries, depart-

ments and agencies (MDAs) were left with just about half of the year to implement a 12-month financial programme. In the other years: 2010, 2011 and 2012, the period for implementation of the budgets had to be extended by three months to achieve a meaningful percentage of execution. So, what is delaying the 2015 budget proposal? This is worrisome because when this document is finally presented, the lawmakers would have to screen it and the various MDAs will be required to defend their proposals. This also takes time and if adequate time is not accorded to it, we would end up with a poorly planned budget that will not impact positively on the lives of already beleaguered citizenry. The most disturbing aspect of budgeting in the country is the unending disagreements between the executive and the legislature that often made the former to abandon the signed budget and instead implement the proposal. Although Appropriation Act is a law in Nigeria, it is flagrantly violated by those who should ordinary seek to protect it. By November, almost all the political parties will start primaries for the 2015 elections and the lawmakers’ attention will be divided hence, we should be rest assured that the next appropriation bill will not be given due scrutiny. My appeal to our leaders is to avoid playing politics with budgets because it is central to the development of the nation, and if faithfully implemented, it will put smiles on the faces of the average Nigerian. There may be no morality in politics but I believe there is in leadership. Let’s have our budget now. The earlier the better!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Politics / Interview

Abi/Yakurr deserves change - Egbona Dr. Alex Egbona was once a councillor in Abi Local Government of Cross River State and grew from there to become deputy chief of staff to Governor Liyel Imoke. He resigned lately as chief of staff to seek the Peoples Democratic Party’s ticket for Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives. He outlines his vision to CHIJIOKE IREMEKA Local Government and by divine design, Yakurr men have stayed there for 16 good years; first Hon. Okorn Obeten was there from 19992007, then Hon.Bassey Ewa took over from him till now, so equity and fairness demands that the position should move to Abi. Like I said, my people believe that I have what it takes to represent them and I had to leave the office which you say is lucrative, to serve my people. All the concern is about service, service to mankind and I believe I have what it takes to offer good service at the national level.

Egbona

The current occupant of the Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency seat is planning to return to the House of Representatives for the third time and you are also planning to contest against him. Let me start by thanking you for the privilege of this meeting. My brother, Bassey Ewah, has been there for about eight years now. He has the right to seek a third term. I also have a right to that seat. He has done his best and I think it is time for a change of guard. Let me also say that my relationship with him is very cordial. I can tell you that I was the person who moved the motion that made him to go to the House of Representatives. There was this clamour of who would replace the incumbent as at that time, Hon. Obeten Okorn. There was a tussle on who would come in and we in Abi decided that it had to be the person who indicated interest in Yakurr. We endorsed Bassey and that has been the story till now. Bassey has been winning with Abi votes; all the Abi men and women have been voting for Bassey in all the elections. I will tap from his knowledge and experience. Incidentally, he has experience in the legislature too; he had been in the House of Assembly as the speaker before he moved to the House of Representatives. He has done his own bidding and I’m actually going to improve on what he has done. If there is anything he has not done, I will look at it and try to do even better. What do you intend to achieve differently from what has been happening there? I want to leave a legacy of proper service. I want to leave a legacy that people can feel and enjoy within the next 48 months, to put up a cottage hospital. I want to decongest the General Hospital at Ugep and with the new polytechnic that is actually called School of Management Technology, students of that school will have the benefit of a nearby health facility that is of standard. This is because my

idea is that we will put a resident doctor there to offer 24 hours service. In 48 months, I think I can we achieve that and that is my first target for my people. There is saying that a healthy man is a wealthy man; in Nigeria people don’t pay attention to health, that is why you see people going to India. What you just need to do is to provide some facilities here, bring some medical experts even from the same India. With a conducive environment, an Indian doctor can work in Ugep, can work in Mkpani, can work in Ekori, can work in can work even in Ekureku, can work in Itigidi or any part of the local government. An Mkpani person doesn’t need go to Ugep because for now that is the only hospital, very far from Nko, very far from Ekori. I have already started my consultations and the response has been very interesting. I have met a lot of very prominent Yakurr and Abi people, men and women and I am still consulting. I am already moving ahead and as I told you I am not working alone. My people are with me and together we will get there. One would have thought that as chief of staff to the governor, you would not have the need to seek other political offices. Life, for me, is all about service. I have served as a councillor before. I served as special assistant to the former governor, Donald Duke. I have been deputy chief of staff and then I moved up to become chief of staff. These were various platforms for service. And now, duty calls again. The only constant thing in life, as we are told, is change. We must keep moving. The more you move, the more opportunities you have to touch lives; and this is my preoccupation. I have always derived pleasure in serving our people and I believe that since I have served for almost eight years as the chief of staff and now have the call from my people to serve them in a higher capacity, to represent them in the House of Representatives, it is a constituency we actually share with Yakurr

What gives you the conviction? Having assessed my antecedents and having assessed my past records, right from when I was a young man at any level I find myself I offer service, I have been one prefect or the other during my school days; in the secondary school I was a prefect, in the higher institution I was what they call hall master, in the university I was involved in students union politics and since I left the university, I have been serving. As soon as I left the university, I was a councillor, that was early 1991, it has been all service, from national service to serving my people as a councillor. I have always served. I want to believe that His Excellency, the former governor, Donald Duke, saw this spirit of service in me when he decided to make me his special assistant. That was in September 2001. It is all about service. How will your experience as chief of staff help you as a member of parliament, since you have not been there before? I told you before that I have been a councillor before. That was the beginning. In fact, there can be no better way to be a better lawmaker than to start from the scratch. I started learning from the very scratch. I hold a Ph.D and I read a lot. My job as chief of staff exposed me to the rudiments of legislative functions. Don’t forget, the office of chief of staff has no end, it has no boundary actually because you are involved in a lot of activities. You are even involved in receiving the House of Representatives people when they come into your state. When they come for what they call oversight functions, you interface with everybody, you interface with the federal government officials, you interface with other state governments, you interface with the police, you interface with the customs and everybody. So it is a very large office and in any case it is the hub of government. When anybody needs one form of assistance or the other you are directed to the chief of staff. You are just like the next person to the governor because for the governor to move, you must have an idea where he is moving to. If he is not sleeping well you will be called upon; if the governor wants to move to anywhere you are involved, so it is an office where you are faced with many challenges but you rise to the occasion and that is exactly what we are going

to do in Abuja. To me, Abuja is even smaller. In the sense of service, Abuja is smaller, the chief of staff’s office is more challenging than the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives is to make laws for your people; three basic things - you make laws, you do appropriation and oversight functions but the office of the chief of staff goes beyond that. Let me give you a small example: in the office of the chief of staff, let’s say in the case of Cross River, it’s an office that embodies so many things. The office must work, with or without funds. There is nothing like no fuel in the governor’s car; there is nothing like there is no light. You must create an opportunity. If the governor wants to travel he will just tell you he is travelling, for instance to the United States this week and how he goes to the US is your own responsibility. That is how the office is structured. If the president of the country is coming, it is your duty to make sure you receive the advance team. Even where the President is going to stay, you take adequate care of that, it is your responsibility to make sure there is power supply 24 hours. So it is a very challenging office. I have a lot of experience because I started as a deputy chief of staff. I think that, to a large extent, assisted me. I don’t need capacity building from anybody because I had been deputy chief of staff and it prepared me actually for the challenges of the office of chief of staff. Having worked as chief of staff for almost eight years, I have acquired so much experience in leadership, in dealing with people, in handling issues of development and all that. Believe me, I am very prepared for this assignment. Did you inform the governor about your aspiration? Yes of course, he has given me the go ahead to go and run. First he granted me permission to go and consult and test the waters and after that I told him I would resign. He gave me the nod and I actually resigned. What was it like, working with Imoke? Awesome. You need to work with him. I learnt humility from Governor Imoke. He is humble to a fault, very unassuming, intelligent. That is what I have learnt from him. Imoke is a governor that if you are on the dining table with him, he will be the one serving you. It doesn’t take anything from him. He normally tells me to do things well, he will also tell me that there is a difference between government money and public money; that public money should be meant for the people. He doesn’t encourage waste. He believes in perfection too. He will also advise me not to do things wrong because of tomorrow. What are your parting words? Let the people of Abi/Yakurr get ready for positive change; change that they can feel, change that will shock them, change that will make them happy that their life is being given a new meaning.They should be looking forward to a very vibrant representation and I have told that I have a target of 36-48 months and if I don’t do well I will not be asking for another mandate because I have certain things I will show case, which are very dear to my people.

Life

SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER 2014

Arts, culture can gain from oil & gas – Okpah Dr. Patrick Okpah is the President of Pat Kairos Group and Nigerian Arts Group. He is also the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Pat Kairos Consult. He spoke to CHIJIOKE IREMEKA on the plan to forge a partnership for culture, tourism and oil & gas in Nigeria What is the

Okpah Nigerian Arts Group all about? Nigerian Arts Group is a joint initiative of Pat Kairos Group and Pat Kairos Gallery with the primary aim of promoting Nigerian arts and culture globally. We are looking at selling and packaging Nigerian arts and culture to the outside world to increase love and patronage of arts, also in Nigeria. Beyond this, we do a lot on African arts generally. What do you want to achieve with the forthcoming oil and gas conference slated for October 30 and 31, 2014? Over 13 years now, we have various programmes and initiatives to be able to step-by-step achieve our vision of promoting arts and culture all over the world. And one of the core things we have done is organising arts exhibitions, where we bring over 82 students in the country to empower and expose them. As a way of showcasing our arts and culture outside Nigeria, in 2003 we took the initiative to Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Meeting (CHOGOM) in Abuja, where the students participated. Beyond that, we have done several other projects aimed at the same purpose. Recently, we did another exhibition in maritime sector. We realise that it is challenging for key players in the sector to attend arts and cultural exhibitions elsewhere, so we felt it was better to take the programme to them and build capacity in their respective industries, and at the same time, have an arts exhibition as part of the overall programme. Two years ago, we did the same in the area of sports. Our focus then was how to marry arts and sports. And there is nowhere in the world that arts, sports and tourism are not good attractions. So, part of what we did was to use the 2012 exhibition around sports. The first part of the project was to take students and arts practitioners to ensure that they exhibited our arts and culture at the London 2012 Olympic Games. We were there for a month, showcasing Nigerian arts and culture. Upon return, we also packaged an exhibition of the National Sports Festival, EKO 2012. Last year, like I said, we targeted the maritime sector and we held a programme called Nigerian Maritime Arts Exhibition and Lecture (NIMATEL), which was a huge success. The programme was also to celebrate an icon in the maritime, Sir Earnest Shonekan. This year, we are focusing on oil and gas, knowing that the sector has a lot to do with arts and culture. No matter what we say, Oloibiri is the first place oil was discovered in Nige-

ria and it has a monument that could draw cultural and tourism attraction both within and outside Nigeria. In the programme, the issues of environment would be addressed too. And we are doing it as part of this NOGARTEL event 2014. However, the event is also designed in memory of the great legend in the oil and gas industry, the former Minister for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Rilwan Lukman, who lived and died this year, propagating oil and gas.

Going by the theme of this exhibition: Modern Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry: A commitment to strategic partnership for productivity enhancement, how do you intend to realise this? With the theme, we are clearly focusing on the core people in the oil and gas industry and arts to ensure that speakers at the conference would build the capacity of the participants. I want to confirm to you that as we speak now, we are expecting confirmation of the speakers. We have confirmed that the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Content Management Board, Engr. Ernest Nwakpa, will be speaking at the event. We also have the confirmation of the Minister of ICT because you can’t talk about Nigerian modern oil and gas without ICT and technology. Insurance players will be there too. We have one of the immediate past president of Custodian Insurance Company, Mr. Wole Osin. Others are Director General, Nigerian Institute of Cultural Orientation, DG, National Arts and Culture and other core industry players. Again, the idea is to boost the capacity of the participants in the lecture and arts exhibitions. The theme will be well dealt with at the conference. Apart from the speeches, is there any other strategic engagement between the intending partners and the speakers? Yes. Clearly speaking, we believe there will be in the lecture aspect. Now, there are two major platforms for this. The lecture aspect is the major day and we are going to have speeches moderated by the chairman of the event, Chief Philip Asiodu. He will coordinate it and there will be a question and answer session. Beyond this, we are a expecting a few oil and gas producing states. Governors from the oil producing states are expected to be there. We are expecting Akwa Ibom, Delta and Ondo state governors. We are also expecting confirmation from other governors. Above all, there is a NOGARTEL award dinner, which will be held on the last day of the programme, November 1, 2012. The dinner is an exclusive dinner, first in memory of Lukman and to appreciate the key players, who have given their lives to see that oil and gas develop in Nigeria. We have various forms of awards. We called the dinner, ‘the night of fun and networking.’ We have some players who, have been in the industry for 30 years, and they will be honoured with Pathfinder award. Also, we have the emerging titans’ awards for those, who have been in the sector between 15 and 20 years and made impact in the sector. But it is not yet the time to reveal the award recipients

but I can assure you that it is a major event that the global players are looking forward to. Again, how would this bring about partnership for arts and oil and gas? In the partnership, first and foremost, the fact that regulatory agencies will be there, the fact that the players will be there, the fact that practitioners, media and other people, including arts practitioners will be there, the programme aims to sensitise the people on the opportunity that exists in the oil and gas industry and how to consummate a marriage between Arts and the oil and gas industry. Modern oil and gas has a lot to do with Arts. There are a lot happening in the sector, globally. The world is, more or less, a global village. If you cough in your house, someone in the UK might be watching you over there. What that means, technically speaking, is that partnership can be developed even beyond normal terrain of what we think. We believe that this kind of networking opportunity and platforms creation could naturally result to a clear and huge partnership that would catalyse the growth and development of the industry and of course, Nigeria at large. How would you explain modern oil and gas? We believe that as the world is gradually becoming more and more a global house, and everything we do today affects someone, somewhere, it means that if someone chooses not to buy what you have, it affects you, either positively or negatively. The oil and gas industry is moving beyond just getting crude. There are adjustments and amendments, as well as experimentations and researches being carried out, which point towards developing better products and desirable processes. And in developing modern Nigeria oil and gas, there is the need for the players to be at the cutting edge of what is happening. And ultimately, we are anticipating that Nigeria will grow, especially with the rebasing that was recently done. We have good news that oil and gas sector gives above 70 per cent of the rebased GDP, though we are still looking at the sector to contribute, at least, one third of the GDP and not contributing over 85 per cent of the GDP. There are other contributors to GDP and we believe that oil and gas income will reduce, but not necessarily dropping, in terms of revenue generation but its contribution to the GDP. We believe that as we bring other sectors and build partnership within other sectors of the economy, through arts, culture and tourism among others, there will be opportunity for other sectors to develop and contribute higher to the GDP. The finance minister said recently that the dream of this country will be that oil and gas industry will contribute only one-third of the total GDP in the near future. This is what we are looking at and we know it will happen in our time and very soon. How do you wish to create the bond between arts and oil/ gas in this conference? Nigeria should first of all take priority in the area of arts and tourism. We are blessed with abundant resources but we must take our pride of place in the tourism industry. I always tell people that tourism is not all about inviting people to come to your country, it’s for you to get your arts together. When people come for tourism, they need to see content.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Life

Ojude Oba: Fusion of culture and art

Edwin Usoboh

jebu Ode in Ogun State, Nigeria, was aglow in celebration of an event that is over 100 years old. The Ojude Oba festival has become a unifying factor for all sons and daughters of Ijebuland at home and in the Diaspora. Ojude Oba takes place the third day of Eid el kabir, but is now celebrated by Muslims and Christians of Ijebu origin. It has been celebrated for over 100 years since the first set of Muslim converts thought it fit to visit the then Awujale to express gratitude to him for giving them free rein to practice their new found faith. They also seized the opportunity to pray for his long life and prosperity of the town. At the turn of the 19th Century, the Ijebu people came into wealth by virtue of their diligence and industry and this further led to the systemic internalisation of different age grades into its social fabric. Each of the groups comprises of people born within the age bracket of three years and their nomenclatures also signalled major happenings. These groups have, in time, crystallised into instruments of social cohesion and mobilization for the development of the Ijebu nation. The regberegbes can be summed up as unique and age-old institution established to unite the society into age groups, male and female for the purpose of bringing development and progress to the community. There are about 36 groups with an average of at least 50 members per group and each of them bears names that are connected to the throne. Bobayo for instance means ‘those who rejoice with the King’, Bobakeye means ‘those who join the king in splendour’, Bobajolu means ‘those who assist the King to unite the town’ while Gbobaniyi denotes ‘those who honour the King’. The present Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, himself, belongs to Egbe Mafowoku which is for people born between 1932 and 1934 and is one of the groups of the elderly in Ijebuland today. The list has since grown from the last celebration as some new groups including Egbe Maiyegun Akile Ijebu comprising people born between January 1, 1974 and December 31, 1976 were recently inaugurated. Each group, bedecked in the latest in fashion, ‘march’ to the tunes of traditional music at the background, to pay homage to the king. The entire palace ground venue is enveloped in glitz and glamour. The parade of the descendants of the war heroes who gained notable victories for the Ijebu nation during the inter-ethnic Yoruba wars in the pre-colonial history of Nigeria would then follow after the parade of regberegbes. The festival avails these classes of people the opportunity to simulate the battle shows and displays. Each of the families including the Otubu, Kuku and Balogun would file out with the leader of the family - in most cases the eldest in the family or his child or grandchild - on horsebacks and dancing to war-like drumbeats. The town would usually wear Globacom’s trademark lemon green colour as branded parasols, kiosks, and eventspecific banners dotted all the nooks and crannies of the ancient town. Even a first time visitor to the town needed no verbose explanation to understand that this was one festival which had become synonymous with Globacom. The company’s sponsorship of the event has raised it to an enviable tourists’ delight which attracts people from all walks of life.

Cross-section of dancers during Ojude Oba festival

Female dancers showcasing the rich culture of Ojube during the festival

Globacom, it will be recalled, has been the festival’s main sponsor since 2006. It has also become an avenue for the company to empower indigent indigenes of Ijebuland by establishing well-equipped commercial telephone call centres for them as well as bringing the products and services of the company closer to the grassroots. Globacom brought excitement to this year’s Ojude Oba festival as it featured popular Fuji artiste, Saheed Osupa, and ace afro hip hop crooner, Burna Boy, at the post-event musical show in Ijebu Ode. The musical fiesta which also featured American-Nigeria female soul singer of the Sexy Nana fame, Janelia, and an upcoming artiste, Fearless, pulled a massive crowd of fun-lovers from Ijebu Ode and environs. DJ Top was on the juke box while Gbenga Adeyinka compeered the occasion. The show was held on the expansive grounds of Equity Hotel and Resort along

Bobayo for instance means ‘those who rejoice with the King’, Bobakeye means ‘those who join the king in splendour’, Bobajolu means ‘those who assist the King to unite the town’ while Gbobaniyi denotes ‘those who honour the King Erunwon Road in Ijebu Ode. Globacom, which has sponsored the post-Eid el Kabir festival for eight consecutive years, said the musical fiesta which is a spice on its sponsorship of the festival, was to add music, dance and comedy to the camaraderie engendered by the festival. “The musical fiesta is the icing on the

cake of the sponsorship as it brings both the young and the young at heart together to hobnob, dance and be merry,” Mr. Yomi Ogunbamowo, National Head of Business Support, Globacom said at the fiesta. There were also plenty of freebies in form of branded T-shirts, fez caps, carrier bags and bandanas which were won in singing and dancing competitions which was part of the event. Adedayo Rufai, an indigene of Ijebu Ode who attended the fiesta gave kudos to Globacom for its continued support for Ojude Oba and especially for the musical event which he described as a breath of fresh air in the town. Another regular attendee of Glo musical shows, Olabisi Oretuga, noted that Globacom had displayed its commitment to the welfare of Nigerians by not only making its products and services available but by providing an atmosphere of glee and euphoria for the benefit of funloving Nigerian youths.

Abuja Beats SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014

Yusuf Shuaibu n the streets of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, the tricycle otherwise known as ‘Keke NAPEP’ among the locals with its bold green or yellow colours is a unique solution to transportation challenges in the city. The tricycle is designed to complement other means of transport within the FCT and especially taxis which are not into some parts of the city are seen on only a few roads, due to the clampdown on them by FCT authorities. Their operators are daily arrested by personnel of the Directorate of Vehicle Inspection also known as VIO and other law enforcement agents. Keke NAPEP became an important means of transportation in the FCT to reduce poverty and also replace the outlawed commercial motorcycles during the era of then FCT Minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai. It has since become an integral part of Abuja city life. While speaking with Abuja Beats, an operator of Keke NAPEP, Bala Zubairu, who is on Area 10-Garki Market route, explained that the tricycle he operates is owned by someone to whom he remits about N20,000 to at the end of every week. This is because he collected the tricycle on a hire purchase basis. But now he cannot make such amount of money because of the arrests by the law enforcement agents. “This Keke NAPEP we are using now is not owned by government. We col-

Abuja residents take solace in Keke NAPEP lected it on hire purchase and the only route we ply is between Garki modern market and Area 3. Most times, we do that with the fear of law enforcement agents. The original cost of the Keke now is running to about N450,000 to N500,000 and we agreed to collect and pay N700,000, of which we pay N20,000 to the owners every week for a period of one year. Most of us collect it because we have no other job at hand. “Talking about profit, we don’t make much profit now since the removal of the oil subsidy and the inability to ply other lucrative routes. Years back before the removal of the oil subsidy, an average Keke NAPEP operator made an average of between N25,000 and N30,000 on a weekly basis. By the time we remit our balance to the owners we will still have some money left to feed our family and attend to other needs. “On a weekly basis after filling our tanks with petrol even though we charge N30 per passenger at that time, but now that we charge the passengers N50 only because of the fuel increase we don’t make much profit as the cost of filling our fuel tank now cost slightly above N1,600. This is not enough to carry the Keke for a

whole day any longer. In this way, we do not make much profit but only working for the owners of the Keke,” Zubairu explained. He added, “Another most worrisome aspect of the job is that the FCT administration has banned the operators of Keke NAPEP from plying routes like Area 11, Wuse, Central Area and some other places and even in Area 10 that will enable us to earn more money to pay the owners of these tricycles and as well make some money for ourselves.

“The only route we ply now is the Garki area which is not enough because the Keke NAPEP are too many on this route. Now if you go to Garki Modern market you will find over 100 of these tricycles parked and waiting for passengers “If you decide on your own to go along the road to look for passengers, you may end up picking one or two persons until we get to your destination with nothing to show for it. By so doing, you waste fuel and make little money at

Ebola: Transcorp’s handheld thermometer faulty ...Nnamdi Azikwe Airport’s too Yekeen Nurudeen

s the nation continues to bask in the euphoria of success recorded in the fight against the deadly Ebola Virus Disease, there are indications that the handheld thermometer used at the Abuja Transcorp Hilton hotel might not be working. The machine which is placed on visitors’ heads before they enter the magnificent hotel to measure their temperature reads between 37.4 and 37.7 de-

gree centigrade as against normal human body temperature of 36 degree centigrade. When Abuja Beats visited the hotel, an employee designated to measure visitors’ temperature with the equipment explained that anybody whose temperature is between 38 and 39 degree centigrade is not allowed into the hotel as such person is considered as having high fever. However, Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, who

also raised the alarm when the machine measured his temperature to be 37.7 as he was about entering the hotel, told Abuja Beats that the 37.4 and 37.7 degree centigrade are temperature levels that indicate fever. He said that his observations at the entrance of Transcorp Hilton as the equipment was being used on different visitors revealed that the thermometer was measuring the same temperature for everybody. “I’m not sure that device is working because I was measured 37.7 degree

centigrade and I waited to see what was measured for other people. It was the same 37.7,” he said. He, however, explained that the handheld thermometer might have been wrongly calibrated or that the man operating it did not understand its operation. Parker said he had a similar experience at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja two weeks ago when the handheld thermometer being used there too was measuring 39 degree centigrade.

the end of the day. “As we talk now, don’t be surprised to see those task force men coming to arrest and extort money from us for nothing. Most times, they will be the ones to stand along the road to flag us down as if they are genuine passengers. By the time we stop to carry them, they will arrest us and demand for between N 5,000 and N8,000 for carrying passengers at the wrong place.” He said the owners of the tricycles are private individuals who buy them from Gudu district and Gwarinpa and in turn give it to riders. FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, had said his administration had, through its Transport Secretariat, established special patrol teams to impound defaulting tricycles. According to the administration, most of the riders of the tricycles impounded had no licence and, by implication, were riding on the highways illegally and risking the lives of commuters. The minister further stated that the operators had taken over the city and extended their operations to unauthorised areas, including some parts of Garki, Ring Road 1 and 2,

with the exception of ApoGudu route. However, residents of the FCT have raised the alarm over severe hardship experienced as a result of the sudden withdrawal of Keke NAPEP from operating within the designated areas. “We want government to assist us by allowing us to ply some of the roads in the FCT where we can make money to pay for the Keke we are using, and as well instruct the task force men to stop harassing, arresting and extorting money from us,” Zubairu said Another Keke NAPEP operator, Musa Balarabe, who plies the Gwarimpa Estate route in Abuja, said he hired the tricycle from people who were privileged to collect theirs on hire purchase. In order to make the agreed returns to them at the end of the day, in what he referred to as ‘sojanhire,’ he had to wake up very early to comb the estate for customers. Balarabe, who spoke in Hausa, explained that when he started the business his dream was to save enough money to purchase his own tricycle. The reverse has, however, been the case as much money has not come in.

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Abuja Beats

Tourists bemoan poor state of Abuja park, zoo Amadi Nnamdi

any tourists who visited the Abuja Children Parks and Zoo during the last Sallah holidays were disappointed at the poor state of facilities at the once famous national

tourist sites. The facilities had in the past attracted an average of 113,000 visitors and 2000 educational institutions annually. The park has always been a beehive of activities during festive periods, as hundreds of

FCT: Lack of access road hinders court proceedings Caleb Onwe

he Customary Court of Appeal situated at Gbagalape area under Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) in the Federal Capital Territory appears not to be in the catalogue of FCT administration’s projects designed to foster development. Reason: It is begging for attention as the only access road to where it is located is in a deplorable condition. Gbagalape Community is less than five minutes’ drive from Mopol Junction, Nyanya, a suburb of the FCT. However, traveling through the road that leads to the court is a terrible nightmare. Our correspondent who visited the court recently discovered that the building is not only isolated but sandwiched by bushes at the extreme end of the community. The community’s enthusiasm at the commencement of the project has apparently died off, as the expected development which usually comes with such has remained a mirage. Speaking with Abuja Beats, the Chief of Gbaga-

FCT minister

lape who lamented the lack of access road to the community, expressed concern over the fate of the court. He pleaded with the FCT administration to come to construct the road. Though judicial operations have started but the court is regularly under lock and key. One of the staff who didn’t want his name mentioned stated that even the judges and key officers assigned to the court are afraid to come to office for fear of being attacked by hoodlums, since the area is devoid of security. A resident of the community who identified himself as Stephen Madaki said that “building the court in that area was a miscalculated venture.” When contacted, the Chief Registrar of the Customary Court of Appeal headquarters located in Jabi Abuja, who is the administrative head of all customary courts in Nigeria, refused to make any comment about the Gbagalape court. “I’m a civil servant who does not have the authority to speak to the press,” he said.

people throng there to relax and engage in recreational activities as witnessed during the Sallah celebration. Suleiman Ahmed, a regular visitor to the park, said he likes the place because of its serenity and its location away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, hence his decision to make it his favourite rendezvous for relaxation. He, however, lamented that “the place is anything but a zoo because of the few numbers of variety of animals within the site.” Ahmed noted that the place is only filled with ostriches and monkeys that are poorly catered for as well as dilapidated buildings and sheds. For first-time visitors to the once famous park like Mrs. Vicky Chukwu whom Abuja Beats met at the park last week, “the park is just okay, although not too wonderful but I enjoyed the serene environment and weather here.” When asked if she would love to visit or recommend the tourist site to her friends and other acquaintances, she replied: “Yes I will come

Edem Duke back, but only during a festive period. I can imagine how dry this place will be during a non-festive period.” She observed that a lot needs to be done to raise the standard of the place. These include get-

ting more animals into the zoo and renovating some structures within the park. “So many things are not working well. I didn’t see many animals as expected in a zoo like the one at Jos that has lions, chee-

tahs and different kinds of animals,” she added. Abuja Beats had published an earlier investigative report on the poor state of the site, which was captioned: ‘Fading glory of National Children’s Park and Zoo.’ In it, the decadence and utter mismanagement that have eclipsed the park were brought to the fore. The report revealed that President Goodluck Jonathan irked by the state of the park set up an interim management committee to evaluate the facility, manage and make recommendations for the rehabilitation of the tourist site. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the committee was given six months to complete its work, till date little or nothing has been done. All efforts to get the management to comment on this issue proved abortive. As tourists continue to lament the gradual slide of the National Children Park and Zoo, Abuja into a comatose state, all eyes are on the government and other institutions to save this national monument.

Day Julius Agwu declared gov ambition Amadi Nnamdi

ce comedian and Rivers State governorship aspirant, Julius Agwu, popularly known as ‘Julius the Genius’ led a pack of young talented comedians to stage the Independence edition of his famous ‘Crack Ya Ribs’ show in Abuja recently. The event tagged: ‘The Declaration,’ according to the internationally acclaimed comedian, was strategically staged to provide a platform for the promotion of up and coming entertainers. It was also an opportunity for him to formally declare his governorship aspiration. The ninth edition of the Abuja annual show, as the name announced, left many guests reeling with laughter from the avalanche of humorous jokes reeled out by talented comedians led by Agwu and his co-host, Okey Bakassi. Expectedly, the event which held at the magnificient Transcorp Hilton was over susbscribed by Abuja show lovers who confessed to have really had value for their money. Ejiro Okpihwo, an Abu-

ja-based showbiz entrepreneur, attested to this, saying: “It was a good show. People laughed and I am really impressed because Abuja really came out today and had fun.” Some of the comedians at the show were MCs Osama, Longs, Jay and Tripple White. Others were Romeo, Pencil, Jay and Monkals. The audience were also thrilled by the musical performance of Patoranking and Seyi Shay. The dreaded Ebola Virus disease was highly ridiculed at the event as

it featured as the predominant theme of the jokes reeled out by the comedians. At the show, Agwu’s multi-dimensional personality was brought to the fore as he opened the hilarious event with a religious aspect. Gradually, he unravelled the comic genius in him before transmuting to the politician that comically declared his intention to run for the governorship of Rivers State. In a narration laced with humour, he recounted his mother ’s reaction to the

news of his political ambition thus: “Chinwe (his native name). Leave am for them ooo, dem dey for Ogboni meeting ooo. Abeg leave am for them ooo, before dem go come kidnap me.” This sent the audience into another round of laughter. Julius noted that “the entertainment industry has really placed Nigeria on the global map and therefore entertainers should really be acknowledged and appreciated in the country.”

Julius Agwu and Okey Bakassi flanged by other Comedians at the event

charm and uses. You can easily re-create at least 10 knockout ensembles with just one white shirt in your wardrobe. If you have an official meeting to attend or just want to look elegant without really pulling off an office suit, tuck a white shirt into a slim pencil or an A-line skirt.

denims or black jeans. Pair your button-down shirt with a pair of black trousers for an evening of fun but make sure you sport equally stylish footwear to elevate your style. White shirts can also be paired with a bit of menswear, not to mention metallics, Ankara skirts or trousers, blazers and head-to-toe

Beneath the white shirt, wear a bra that matches your skin tone, and if the shirt is transparent, wear a white camisole. White shirt is a wardrobe essential that never goes out of style. Every woman should own at least one, including you!

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

Avoid smelly feet, maintain proper hygiene Vanessa Okwara

ou may not want to take off your shoes in the office or other people’s homes because of the odour trapped in there. It is really bad if you take off your socks in public and people tweak their noses. Smelly feet, medically known as bromodosis, is unpleasant and can be embarrassing. The problem is not your feet; it is what you are wearing your shoes! Smelly feet are primarily caused by non exposure of your feet to air. The feet have more sweat glands than any other part of the body. Feet smell because they sweat inside shoes. Bacteria then break down the sweat, producing compounds responsible for the offensive odour. Feet become smelly if sweat soaks into shoes and they don’t dry before you wear them again. Fungal

infections, such as athlete’s foot, can also cause foot odour. Shoes and socks are the perfect environment for sweat and bacteria to mingle, that is why it’s critical to maintain proper hygiene. You may not notice the odour at first, which may only be in your shoes. Eventually, however, the odour will become hard for you and everyone else to ignore. You’re also more likely to have sweaty feet if you’re on your feet all day and have not had time to remove them from your shoes. Keeping feet fresh and sweet smelling is all down to good personal hygiene and changing your shoes regularly. If possible, don’t wear the same shoe two days in a row. This will help reduce the odour. Wash your body every day, and if you have a his-

tory of foot odour, wash your feet with an antibacterial soap. Excessive sweat will increase your chances of getting smelly feet, so do not wear thick socks, boots and pants if you know it will be hot outside. Buy a variety of high-quality shoes so you can give each about 24 hours before you wear them again. The socks you wear are also important. Wear socks made ideally with wool or cotton, not nylon, and pick a clean pair each day. Wearing the same pair too frequently can contribute to smelly feet. You can also use anti-

bacterial foot powder and Athlete’s Foot cream on your feet or spritz antifungal shoe spray inside your shoes. Be sure to keep your feet dry, clean and cool to prevent smelly feet.

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014

Body&Soul

Find out if you are truly in love L

oving and being loved in return gives a thrilling feeling of walking on cloud nine. You smile at the mention of your partner’s name. When your phone rings, you wish the call is from your love even before you see the name of the caller. You yearn to spend every special moment of your life with him or her. Love brings new meaning and excitement into your life. You go around with this sheepish smile on your face and people close to you wonder why you have this glow of happiness all around you. This feeling is even stronger when your love is reciprocated by the subject of your desire. We all desire to be loved at every stage in our lives. Nature has wired the human heart to yearn for the love of another human being. Love is a magic word that catches everyone’s attention anytime, any day. Our hearts yearn to love and be loved in return. For the sake of love, we do incredible things and go through unimaginable heartaches; yet we still go back seeking for love and have our hearts broken all over again. At a point, it becomes a vicious circle and you realise that you keep falling in and out of love like a table tennis ball. As exciting as the feelings I have described above are, there’s no hard and fast rule that says you must have these feelings registered in your life before

you know that you are actually in love. Most times, these feelings can only be pure lust or mere infatuation and as such deceptive and misleading. That is why much emphasis should be laid on how you truly feel about he/she and not necessarily how fast the heart beats when that person walks through the door. Falling in love is a giddy feeling that is often mistaken with infatuation and lust. The excitement of meeting someone you find interesting can make your adrenalin pump faster and this increases sexual tension between two people who are attracted to each other. More often than not, this sexual chemistry is erroneously believed to be love but in the end, it is just good old lust rearing its ugly head. Lust has been around for decades, deceiving even the smartest to think they have fallen in love. That is why you need to know how to separate love and lust in your feelings for someone. If you can sit down and take a quick in-

ventory of your love life, you will realise that you must have fallen in and out of love with quite a number of people in your lifetime. The question is: did you really love all of them the same way? Often times, we allow lust and infatuation to overrule our thinking and we fail to ask the right questions that will help us to know if this person fits the criteria of the kind of person we wish to spend the rest of our lives with or not. Our personalities or what psychologists call temperaments often play a part in the way we approach the issues of love. Some approach it in a formal way, while others get all romantic and fairy tale-like when dealing with matters of the heart. Do you believe in fairy tale love or are you the type that looks at every issue logically including love? They way you see love determines your approach to it and what you also get in return. If you can truthfully answer these questions about yourself, then you are half way

to finding out if you are truly in love or not. One of the litmus test I always tell people to use to ascertain if they are truly in love or not is to first of all rid their partner of every paraphernalia around them that may cloud your rational judgment such as the kind of job they do, wealth, beauty, properties and every other thing that may look like physical attributes. This is a mental exercise where you blank out everything physical about your partner and look inward to see the real person behind the goodies. This will help you to know if the real reason you love that person has nothing to do with what they have but for who they are. True love does not look at physical attributes or worldly possessions but is based on finding that person who fits or compliments you in every way. In all, I’ll just say: FOLLOW YOUR HEART. If you are the type that rationalise and analyse, find out if that person has the kind of personality you wish to spend the rest of your life with and also gauge if romance and chemistry ( which I call the oils of love) can be felt in that relationship. Once you have been able to identify the kind of person you want to be with, then go ahead and enjoy the exhilarating feelings only love can bring into your life. You only live once! Send your views to the email above!

Lessons of sorrow in the house of laughter

aughter is definitely in short supply this period as the world mourns the death of not just one, but two comedy greats. Joan Rivers and Robbie Williams brought laughter to many and I am yet to recover from the shock of their death; particularly the circumstances surrounding both events. Robbie was so dedicated to his craft that he dreaded the thought of him making people frown and sad when all he ever wanted to do was the opposite. He must have reasoned; how will the children who fell in love with the genie in Disney’s Aladdin movie feel when they realize he wasn’t such a jolly and happy fellow? How will the adults who flocked to his many comedy shows feel when they realize he was a depressed human who couldn’t make himself happy? He may have opted for suicide and I do not in any way support that. I am of the opinion he should have shopped for help. Talked to someone, check into rehab anonymously, do something other than end it all the way he did. However, I do not blame him for this is not about blame. That man made people laugh so much you almost want to find something comical to say about his death, except it is not funny. This is also not a time for passing blame, but examining the issues his death brought to the fore. In life, he made people happy, something medical professionals are beginning to realize is important for a balanced state of mind, something sociologists are realizing is important to social wellbeing and are now carrying

out research into the happiness index of each country. In death, he probably made us think of what we consider necessary for happiness. His money didn’t buy him happiness and so we need to look deeper into how we can achieve a happy human society. There are many who are suffering in silence, who mask their inner pain and demon with an outward smile. Like actors, these ones walk amongst us unnoticed and we do not know until it is too late that they need help. Depression is a silent killer and unlike physical ailment, it is unseen unless the sufferer speaks out. That is why we need to renegotiate our existence and renew neighbourly love; something we seem to be losing with every passing day despite all the religions preaching it. We must find a way to rediscover the communal belonging that

made all of us to be proud members of any community that we belong to. Don’t be afraid, check on your neighbor. Say good morning to them. Ask after their welfare, ask after their family. Make your neighbor feel loved and perhaps we will unmask some of the demons within before it is too late. And making your neighbor feel loved and confident is the area where the death of Joan Rivers hurts the most. The woman with the sharpest tongue in Hollywood cannot be said to be lacking in confidence; or can she? The procedure that led to Joan’s death has been described as routine and I believe it. But the unanswered question is: If she were to be the ordinary, everyday woman on the street, would she need to undergo surgery for throat or vocal defect or infection? Would, say, resting for a speci-

Yet in her own caustic way, she gave laughter to us all and made light of issues others take too serious. Joan will be the first to laugh at herself and made the cult of celebrity worship an open platform for jokes of any kind

fied number of weeks not have helped rather than the quick fix of surgery? For a woman who believes so much in the power of the surgeon to stay beautiful, can we say she was totally confident as the character she portrays? At 81, Joan Rivers represents a demographic that is seriously being neglected by our blind dash through the alleyway of modernism and capitalism. We focus so much on the young, their beautiful and athletic body and the things that body can accomplish that we forget the wisdom embodied in the aging body. We forget the active minds encased in those bodies and what that body once accomplished. Little wonder, to stay relevant, Joan had to stay young and beautiful and it probably led her to the grave. Yet in her own caustic way, she gave laughter to us all and made light of issues others take too serious. Joan will be the first to laugh at herself and made the cult of celebrity worship an open platform for jokes of any kind. It is high time we reconsidered how we viewed the elderly amongst us and do more for their care. It is not even the time to point at one agency or the other, it probably is time to ask what I have done to show worthy respect to these worthy members of the community. In death, Joan and Robbie gave us laughter, just as they have done in life. However, the issues raised by their deaths must not be laughed at. We must examine them closely and help eradicate the silent killers that walk amongst us. Adieu Joan and Robbie.

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

with

Wole Adepoju 08085003746

woleadepoju@yahoo.com

Tale bearers on Titi Aina Okoya’s lingering dream B Oseni again U nited Statestrained business administrator, Titi Oseni, is one of the few lucky ones who got into the spotlight not too long after she became a politician. The woman came into political recognition and relevance when she became the first female speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly -a feat celebrated by many because it was seen as a leap for gender equality in the society. Titi, however, assumed a controversial status when her influence in the corridors of power under Governor Gbenga Daniel became a source of worry to many. Her rubber stamp disposition towards positions of the executive arm of government on different issues also put her on the spot. Another controversy, aside politics, soon trailed her. Her alleged affairs with the governor reportedly took

a toll on her marriage although she maintained that her marriage was intact. Upon the ouster of the PDP-led government, which swept off majority of its elected office-holders, among them Oseni, she and Daniel went their separate ways, but not without discordant tunes trailing them. She disappeared from the political scene but the 50th birthday gig she staged recently might have brought her back to the limelight. The event, which was held in Lagos, had top politicians and influential Nigerians in attendance. What was, however, significant at the gig was the absence of her husband, Kunle Oseni. Since then, a lot of people have been wondering if it is a confirmation that her hubby has dumped her. Daniel, with whom she has said she is not having any problems, was also absent.

ukky Aina is one of the children of billionaire industrialist, Chief Razak Akanni Okoya. Like her elder ones, Biola and Taofek, she takes interest in being in the limelight. By the virtue of her family background, her purse and all she enjoys as a silver spoon kid, she’s been able to find a place for herself in the society, so much that her influence on the scene cannot be shoved aside. Aina, who is in her 30s, is said to have slowed down her appearance on the social radar to focus on the section of the family business placed in her care. She’s the toast of her peers and is envied by many but this lady sure has a dream which has lingered for a while. This dream is one that is synonymous with any young lady who aspires to own a home. Hadiza, a younger Okoya, sometime ago, hooked the son of former governor of Oyo State, Olamiju Akala, but the dream of the older Aina to own a man of hers is still on. Aina, it will be recall, was in a relationship with the son of a popular late Lagos-born jurist that many thought was alter-bound before they parted ways.

Femi Hamzat on the spot About Tunde Mark T U hat Lagos Commissioner for Works, Dr. Femi Kadiri Hamzat, is interested in succeeding the outgoing governor of the state, Babatunde Fashola, is no longer news. However, Femi is currently facing challenges. It will be recalled that Hamzat recently placed an advertorial in a newspaper where he corrected a statement credited to him in an

interview. Hamzat clearly stated his loyalty to the All Progressives Congress National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, even as he claimed that the former governor of Lagos State made him what he is is politically. According to close sources, Akin Ambode, another aspirant touted to have been endorsed by Tinubu, is said to be taking advantage of the situation between Hamzat and Tinubu to blackmail him and set him against the APC national leader and godfather of Lagos politics. Ambode, who is said to be doing everything possible to bring down his fellow contenders, is said to be trying to dismantle Hamzat’s ambition.

Apart from touting the fact that Hamzat is ineligible to contest Lagos governorship because of his root, Ewekoro in Ogun State where his father is a traditional ruler, Governor Fashola’s alleged endorsement of Hamzat has become an issue that Ambode is drawing attention to. Ambode is said to be referring

to the relationship between Hamzat and Fashola as a gang-up against Tinubu. Senator Gbenga Ashafa’s dropping of his governorship ambition is also being referred to as an example that Hamzat should follow or risk being accused of challenging Ambode. These issues, according to a source, are making Hazmat jittery.

Usual result for Queen Ure!

ueen Ure, 40-something years old beautiful daughter of a former minister, Chief JOJ Okezie, during her days in the banking world, came into the societal consciousness when she became an item with then rave of the musical industry, Emmanuel Okosie, a.k.a Soul E. The pretty lady who had suffered a marriage break up earlier left the banking world to manage her lover boy’s musical career. The career of her lover boy soon ran aground, with their union also breaking up. Meanwhile, she pioneered a gospel ministry inside Omole Estate which failed.

Summoning courage to move on from her series of failed projects, she was again engaged in a micro-finance bank after which she went into a life coaching programme, but all went the usual way. With financial help from her mother and members of her family, Queen Ure decided to try her hands on music and she has a number of songs to her credit. Although many were skeptical about her foray into music, some felt that the funds in her possession might make a difference. But over a year down the line, her musical career has not yielded any dividend.

nlike many children of the rich who love to display affluence and a flamboyant lifestyle, Tunde, son of the Senate President, David Mark, appreciates a low profile lifestyle. This first son of the number three man in the country fondly called Tee Mark, upon returning to Nigeria some years ago, worked as a personal assistant to his father before deciding to man the family business. Tunde, who is in his 40s, studied Biochemistry in the United Kingdom and he’s happily married with kids.

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014

Body&Soul

with

THINKING ALOUD

paulhelenproductions@yahoo.com; 08072709777

08085003746

Wole Adepoju

with Helen Paul

Aregbesola back at work

t has always been a fierce battle between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the opposition party, All Progressives Congress. Apart from being a regular critic of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, the battle has not been any less

fierce at the polls. Therefore, it was normal for Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola to be disturbed just before the last governorship election in his state. Prior to the Osun State governorship election that held a few weeks ago, Aregbesola’s counterpart in Ekiti State, Governor Kayode Fayemi, had lost his seat to Ayodele Fayose of PDP, and this incident did put fear into APC supporters as well as Aregbesola, who was equally seeking re-election then. The determination of the PDP leadership to replicate the feat it achieved in Ekiti State made things worse for Aregbesola, even as masked security men were deployed in the state for the election. The election has, however, come and gone and Aregbesola has retained the coveted seat of number one indigene in the state. Having gone through the rigour of an election, even though the PDP defeated candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has since gone to the tribunal to challenge the result, Aregbesola almost immediately took time off to rest. His destination was Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he spent a couple of days. However, the former commissioner for works in Lagos State has since returned from his trip and resumed work on October 2.

Bolaji Rosiji unveils foundation board

n his quest to continue to give out the best to the public through his NGO, Gurapad Foundation, Bolaji Rosiji has added another arm to the initiative known as Gaurapad Reality Board. Top Nollywood actress, Patience Ozokwor, and Head Medical Consultant of Gaurapad Charities, Dr. Daniel Famutimi, were among guests at the unveiling. Gaurapad Foundation is known for its commitment to helping the wid-

ows, unemployed and the less privileged in the society. Bolaji - a celibate, former PMAN president and son of twotime former minister, Chief Ayo Rosiji -founded the Gaurapad Foundation in 2004 and has funded many NGOs through this foundation.

Kasamu makes silent moves

ot many envisaged that Ijebuborn controversial business man, Kasamu Buruji, would dabble into partisan politics probably because of unpalatable tales that continually trailed him. However, the hugely-framed Buruji has not only made inroad into the political scene, but has equally become a figure to reckon with in South West, where he hails from. As the coordinator of PDP in South-West, his influence is not in doubt, even with his deep pocket which has played a role in his attainment of leadership position so soon. From what sources say, calculation may have changed now that some aggrieved members of the party are back in the fold of PDP ahead of the next general elections. Sources alleged that there are moves by Kashamu to vie for an elective post come 2015. His decision, we were told, might have been borne out of his quest to remain relevant, even after the elections, when kingmakers are usually relegated to the background. Celeb Lounge learnt that his alleged decision to pick his party’s ticket for Ogun East Senatorial District might

also be a way of blocking Otunba Daniel from regaining the leadership of the party in the state. They had been arch-rivals until recently when they closed ranks in the interest of the party.

Lessons from the Eagle (2) I

n the very midst of the storm, the male and female eagle snuggle in their nest, knowing that they are secure –because they’ve built their nest properly to begin with. In the same way, when you get hold of God’s word and you build your life correctly on the foundation of His word, you too can be secure. The devil can howl all he wants. The unfavourable circumstances and the storms of life can come. But you’ll snuggle firmly in your spiritual house, knowing that it will stand and that nothing that comes against it can destroy it. But you see, that kind of security only comes from knowing what God’s word says and then building your life on the solid foundation of the Word. But the problem with many people is that they haven’t taken the time to build their lives properly on the Word. Then when the enemy hits them, they have to go back and start reconstruction. Do you know that it’s harder to rebuild something than it is to build it the first time? Just talk to anyone who knows anything about construction. They’ll tell you that it’s cheaper, easier, and a whole lot more practical to construct a building right from the foundation, than it is to redo it later. Well, if that is true in building a natural house or dwelling, how much more is it going to be true when you build your spiritual house –your framework for a life of faith in God. I tell you, you’d better build your spiritual house right the first time because when the devil comes in, sometimes you don’t have time for a reconstruction project. He’ll attack and try to destroy your faith before you can even get started. But thank God, you don’t have to worry if you’ve taken the time to build your house on the Word, right from the start. When the male and female eagles complete their nest, they’re then ready to start their family. Sometime in the spring, the mama eagle lays one or two eggs, which hatch after a few weeks. From the time she lays those eggs until after they’ve hatched, the papa eagle spends his time providing for the needs of his family. Then when the newly hatched chicks begin to feather, the mother eagle helps the father eagle provide food for the developing eaglets. Now here is something we can see from God’s word as we learn another lesson from the eagle. The Bible instructs the Christian man to provide for his family as the head of his household. It tells him to put his wife and children first, and his personal needs, wants and desires

Do you know that it’s harder to rebuild something than it is to build it the first time? Just talk to anyone who knows anything about construction. They’ll tell you that it’s cheaper, easier, and a whole lot more practical to construct a building right from the first time, than it is to go back and have to redo it later second. After the baby eaglets hatch out of their eggs, they have it easy for a while. They sit in their soft, downy nest, and everything that they need in life is brought to them. But one day, things change. There comes a day when the mother eagle stirs up the nest. On that day, mama eagle gets down in the nest and begins to flap and flutter her wings, making those little baby eagles get up and walk around. Then she may start taking away all the soft leaves and downy feathers so the eaglets can’t get comfortable –when her young ones try to lie down, the sticks prick them. You see, it’s time for the babes to grow up. You may be at the same place in your spiritual walk. God has provided for you and helped you along. But you’ve heard enough word now, and it’s time for you to grow up spiritually. It’s time for you to start believing God’s word on your own. Sometimes people reach a place in their walk with the Lord where they wonder why things are not as comfortable as they used to be. Well, it may be that they need to grow up. It may be that God is stirring them just as mama eagle stirs up her nest and flutters over her young. That is what the Lord may be doing with you. He’s fluttering over you. He’s taking away all the downy feathers –all the things in your life that make it easy to stay spiritually complacent. He’s trying to help you get up to begin to move out of your comfort zone and learn how to believe Him for yourself. Hope I’m not boring or sounding more like a pastor now (I’m not a pastor o)? I just feel that we all have a lot to learn from this my ‘sermon’. See you next week.

DIY on the GO

Body&Soul

Try your hands on bead making

Esther Odili

ead making has become big business in the country. A lot of people, both men and women, have gone into it. Women rock beads and wire works for different occasions. They have become great accessories for traditional marriage and other special occasions. A bead maker, Modupe Oderinde Odunayo, will take us through the rudiment of bead making. Odunayo is a graduate of History and Diplomatic Studies from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye. After her time at the National Youth Service Corps, she decided to learn a craft instead of waiting for a white collar job. She acquired skills as a bead maker and caterer. Odunayo talks about her craft, “I am a bead maker and a caterer. This is a full time business for me. I started my training in July, 2011 and I am still learning till now. In this type of business, one cannot learn everything at a go, it is a continuous thing. Today, I am the CEO of Ariyamatters, my own company. We create different types of jewelry, beaded bags, purses, flower vase and key holders.” When asked if making beads is difficult, Odunayo says, “I believe bead making and wire work must be a hobby so that one will not be tired of it. For someone like me, I just like making it and I enjoy doing it.” To take up bead making as a hobby or trade, you need to go for training to know

the tools and the materials needed to string beads whether for personal or commercial purposes. For basic wire works and beads, you need to undergo at least one month training. According to Odunayo, for a start, you need to get the tools. “Wire works have so many tools. For starters, you need to buy tools of about N20,000,and training is fee is about N30,000. For beads, you start with tools worth N5000 and N40,000 for training fee. There are also different types of beads such as plastics beads, coral beads, crystals chain and broken beads and they come in different prices. You can start with whichever type of beads you like to wear,” she says. How to make beaded balls To bead 12 balls earring, you need 12 pieces of size 6 crystal beads and size 35 fishing line. Use tape rule to measure out about 15 inches length. With your tools, put three beads inside the fishing line, use one bead to cross it. After that, put one into left hand and one into right and use another one to cross it. The next stage, your beads will remain two, so put into left and second one into right and put your fishing line into the last bead down to cross and make it a ball. For a bead maker to make beautiful designs, inspiration and your passion for jewellery is very important. You can also go on the Internet to see different types of beads and learn to create your own.

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014

Wine & Dine

Body&Soul

Banana? Juice it for great skin

Ibukunoluwa Kayode

veryone wants to be strong and healthy. Nevertheless, not everyone is living a healthy life. Certain habits including drinking alcohol, smoking, eating unhealthy foods, not engaging exercises regularly are bad for health. A research has shown

that eating banana is one of the most logical approach to attaining a healthy body. How? Banana contains almost all known vitamins and minerals that our bodies so it should always be a part of your meal. You can spice up your meal by juicing your banana instead of eating it all the time. Banana juice

holds a lot of health benefits. It contains three different natural sugars - fructose, sucrose and glucose - which provide great energy to boost the immune system. Also, banana juice is rich in Vitamin B6 which is essential to health, helps to digest proteins and its proper utilization. Also, Vitamin B6 in banana

plays an important role in the brain functions and hormone production. It is a natural anti-depressant and convert tryptophan to serotonin, which has a calming effect on the brain. The following are other health benefits you can get when you add a glass of banana juice to your daily meals. A glass of banana juice is considered a stimulus and mind booster that aids in improving mental keenness and concentration. It also enhances an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s memory and is perceived by several doctors as treatment for certain brain diseases. Banana juice may cure celiac disease as it enables the digestive system to run smoothly. It also helps to alleviate ulcer, according to research findings. Bananas contain high potassium and other vitamins and minerals that serve as energy booster. Bananas are presumed to be

capable of eliminating as well as preventing cancerous cells. It is also good for individuals with heart related problems and controls cholesterol level with its high potassium. Banana juice makes you look and feel younger. It contains vitamins that help slow down the process of aging and help improve complexion.

Groundnut (peanut) soup Esther Odili

eanut or groundnut soup is made with peanuts and other ingredients. It is a staple African cuisine, mostly popular in northern Nigeria. The soup is also common in the Auchi area of Edo State where it is called Omi Itsagwe. The richly flavoured soup is highly nutritious. It is a good source of protein and dietary fiber. You can make it thick or light

depending on your taste. Some people prepare it without vegetables. This soup is quite time friendly and easy to prepare.

Ingredients 500g raw peeled groundnuts (peanuts) Dried fish/smoked fish Beef Assorted meat Shaki (cow tripe) 4 pieces of ponmo Palm oil 2 tablespoons crayfish (grounded)

1 cup of washed bitter leaf 1 big stock cube Dry cayenne pepper Salt to taste

Note: Before you cook, soak the stock fish and dry fish in a bowl of hot or cold water for five to 10 minutes depending on how hard they are. You may need to boil the stock fish for some minutes. Roast the raw groundnut in a fry pan, stirring continuously till you achieve the desired results. Set aside

to cool and then grind into powder. Wash and cut the leaves into tiny pieces, if bought fresh. Prepare other ingredients, grind the pepper and crayfish. Palm oil adds taste and colour to our soups, so enough of it will be required to make the soup look attractive. Bitter leaf helps tone down the sweetness of the soup, so it will be of great benefits to oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health. So if you do not have a sweet tooth, you should use bitter leaf.

Preparation Season beef with seasoning cube, onion, pepper and salt. Add water and boil till almost well done. Add the stock fish, smoked fish, ponmo, shrimps and crayfish when beef is near cooked. Add about 60cl water to the pot and let it boil, add palm oil and cook for about three minutes. Add pepper, leftover onion should be added. Make a paste with the groundnut using liquid from the soup pot. This prevents the ground-

nut from being lumpy in the soup. Add the paste to the soup and stir to mix; add the remaining seasoning and salt to taste. Cook for about five to 10 minutes or until the soup thickens. Then add the washed bitter leaves and cook for three to five minutes. Your soup is ready. Serve with eba, pounded yam, wheat and semolina or with white rice. Note: The soup can go sour easily, so it is best warmed or stored in the freezer.

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

Crack your brain

Twilight stories Compiled by Biwom Iklaki

nce upon a time, there lived a very cunning fox who always wanted to cheat and deceive others with its awful and stupid acts. The fox used to deceive others with its sneaky mind. He used to speak to other animals sweetly to make him trustworthy. One day he tried to cheat a stork. He befriended the stork and gained her trust. He acted like a very good friend who cared a lot for the stork. One day, he invited the stork to have a feast with him and he wanted to treat his friend with delicious food. The happy stork accepted the invitation. The fox promised to offer rich and tasty food to the stork. Considering the delicious dinner proposed by the fox, the stork remained hungry for the whole day. Fox took the stork to his home. He apologised to the stork that he could not make anything due to his illness and offered some soup. The

stork although disappointed, cared for the fox and was happy with the soup. The cunning fox offered the soup in a shallow bowl. The stork was stunned to have the soup in the shallow bowl! The long bill of the stork prevented it from taking the soup. As the fox easily licked the soup from the plate, the stork wasn’t able to even taste a bit of the soup. She just touched the soup with the tip of its bill. The Fox asked the stork, ‘How is the soup? Don’t you like it?’ The Hungry stork replied, ‘Oh it is good, but I have stomach upset and I can’t take anymore soup!’ ‘I’m sorry for troubling you’, said the fox. The stork replied, ‘Oh dear, please don’t say sorry. I have some health problem and cannot enjoy what you offer. Please take care of your health.’ She left the place thanking the fox. However, the stork understood that it had been cheated by the fox and decided to teach him a lesson. After

a few days, the fox met the stork again and decided to play another prank on the stork. This time it was the stork’s turn. The stork welcomed the fox happily and invited him to pay a return visit to have dinner. The fox was happy and they decided on a date to have the dinner. The Stork asked for his favourite food and offered to cook same for dinner. The day arrived and the fox reached the stork’s place. She served soup to the fox and asked him to have soup first. The soup was served in a narrow jar with a long-neck. The stork was able to drink the soup very easily with its long bill, however the fox couldn’t. She asked the fox to enjoy the soup. And showed several delicious dishes in long-necked jars. The disappointed fox said, ‘My stomach is very painful. I’m leaving now’ and left the place running. -Culled from Kidsworldfun.com

Source: www.pinterest.com

Gags When you add two letters, the five letter word becomes SHORTER, what is the word? Ans: SHORT How many oranges can you put in an empty container? Ans: One. After the first orange, the container is no longer empty.

Do you know me? I start with ‘P’ and end with ‘E’, but I have thousands of letters. What am I? Ans: The Post Office Everyone in the world breaks me when they speak every time. What am I? Ans: Silence

Source: www.aesop.mozoho.com

Cross word puzzle

Colour Art

-Source: www.yoand.biz

Source: blog.swagbucks.com

Faith 51

SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER 2014

Sermon

This time around p.54

Interview

Why we have good and bad Christians -Adebiyi p.52

Sermon

The need for great leaders p.56 Gov. Fashola

Goodluck-Jonathan

Sermon

Who is the mighty? p.58

President Joseph Zuma of South Africa

Joshua

Expectations as Synagogue inquest begins tomorrow

Tai Anyanwu

Expectations are high that the Lagos State Government’s inquest into the September 12 collapse of a Synagogue Church of All Nations guest house in Ikotun, Lagos State will unravel the truth behind the incident. In the past, there had been cases of building collapses within Lagos and in different parts of Nigeria. But none has generated the curiosity and controversy similar to that which trailed the collapse of the guest house, in which about 116 people died and several hundreds were severely injured. Neither had any other attracted visitations by local and foreign dignitaries, including President Goodluck Jonathan.

Yet the calamity had left, in the minds of Nigerians and foreigners, such effects that had not been assuaged by any explanations so far given as to the real cause of the building collapse. Many just can’t understand why so many people had to die at once. The curiosity is heightened especially because of the mixed impressions about the founder of the church, Temitope Balogun Joshua. The beginning On that fateful day, business activities in the usually congested Ikotun area of Lagos State were going on like any ordinary Friday. Within SCOAN premises, there was a beehive of activities as Nigerians from outside Lagos and foreign nationals eager to join the following Sunday’s service were

arriving. Some of the visiting worshippers had taken abode in the six-storey guest house located beside the auditorium, where incidentally construction work was still ongoing. Others settled themselves within alternative accommodations offered by numerous hospitality outfits in the neighbourhood of SCOAN. Having secured a space, a Cameroonian national told Sunday New Telegraph in confidence that he had visited one of the two canteens at the base of the guest house to get some food. But unknown to him and many other patrons at the eatery, disaster was just lurking by the corner. “I thank God that I am alive. I only sustained injuries on my legs. I had just finished eating and was

stepping out of the door of the canteen when I hadstrange noise of collapsing structure and the entire guest house collapsed into mighty rubbles. It missed me by inches,” he explained. As it turned out, many who were working, resting, sleeping or eating within the building were not as lucky as the Cameroonian. Many were trapped in the rubble for days, while rescue operations lasted. The shocking news spread across the world, leading to reactions. First, responders from the National Emergency Management Agency and their Lagos State counterparts swung into action. As journalists and responders rushed to the scene, overzealous members of the church attacked C ON TI N UE D ON PAGE 55

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith

Why we have good and bad Christians -Adebiyi As Kwara State gets set to host international cleric, Williams Kumuyi, the Kwara State Overseer for Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor David Oluwadare Adebiyi, explains why there is a mix of the bad and the good in Christendom but with an emphasis that no one can bastardise the standard of God. Excerpts by BIODUN OYELEYE to lead the people to heaven. They cannot make merchandise of anybody because if they do, their purpose of coming to the gospel will be defeated and they cannot even get to Heaven. That’s a simple answer to that question.

Adebiyi What does Christian living means to you? Christian living is a call of Christianity. Without the life of Christ you are not a Christian. Before my conversion, I attended church services, I read my Bible, I sang in the choir but I was not converted; I was not living in Christ but eventually in 1976 I met the Lord ,I heard the word of God that was preached to me and I gave my life to God. I yielded my soul to God. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and saviour, and then I knew the meaning of Christianity. It was then Christian living and living for Christ became meaningful. In those old days we were going to church, we were reading the Bible; we were praying and yet committing sin. It was when I gave my life to Christ and confessed my sins that I became a Christian. Since then by the grace of God I have been walking in a new way; in the new life to the glory of God and this is true Christian living. Someone recently pronounced Nigerian churches as practising merchandise Christianity. Do you agree with this assertion? Well, we have churches; we have good churches, true and living churches of God. We have churches that make merchandise of the people, because not all churches

stand on the Bible. Some came out because they don’t have jobs or to get their daily bread, they felt starting church was a means of amassing wealth. Therefore, they make a prey of the congregation, they deceive them, collect their money and use their money to buy big cars, because they are not standing on the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is possible for a church that is not standing on the word of God to make merchandise of the word of God; but not all churches are making merchandise of the people. Those that stand on the true word of God know where they are going and they want to teach the truth, they want

“So we don’t fake miracles, we don’t pretend like somebody who is not blind and says he or she is blind. Miracles that are coming from God you cannot fake them and we don’t fake miracles in Deeper Life Bible Church”

In the past the term ‘born again’ was used for a very serious and committed disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, the term has been bastardised. Do you believe so and why? The term ‘born again’ cannot be bastardised by anybody but it can be bastardised by everybody. But the word ‘born again’ stands forever because the Bible says by their fruits we shall know them. If any man be in Christ old things are passed away. Since those modern Christians so to say are not taking the word of God seriously, they commit sin, they tell lies, but they carry the title. Being born again is not a title, it is an experience. If you are born again, it’s a real experience and you cannot manipulate experience. The experience is real, because when I was born again it was not what my mother told me; it was a personal experience. Those professing to be born again whereas they are not born again are just making a mockery of the term, so no one can bastardise the word of God but they themselves are the deceivers who are deceiving people. Someone who is not born again, somebody who is committing immorality, who is telling lies, who can cheat who can embezzle money and says am born again is a deceiver and therefore let’s call a spade a spade. He who is born again knows that he is born again. Those who are deceiving others know they are deceiving others because they don’t know the reason why someone professes that he is born again and he finds himself in sin. Today the devil is working against the church, making the people to believe in lies, because they are deluded and they just profess to know God but in works and in power they deny Him. Pastor W.F Kumuyi has been visiting various states to conduct great gospel campaigns. When will it be the turn of Kwara State? Pastor W.F Kumuyi, by the grace of God, will be coming to Kwara State from October 21 – 23, 2014.He will be ministering to the people at Deeper Life Campground, Eye-nkorin, Ilorin. The theme of this crusade is ‘Supernatural Encounter with the God of Power.’ By the grace of God all hands are on deck to host and to welcome our father in the Lord. All preparations are almost completed, all that are needed to be done in term of accommodation, electronics and gadgets, electrifying of the place and publicity and other areas are going on with high speed. What are the striking events at his previous crusades in states visited by him and your expectations in Kwara State? We heard from Osogbo that there were notable miracles of healings, blind eyes were opened, and deaf ears were opened.

Over there in Nasarawa and Benue states, there were notable miracles, signs and wonders. God normally follows our pastor wherever he goes. And I believe in Kwara State, our expectation is high, signs and wonders, miracles and deliverances will be the order of the day in Kwara State in multitudes. In Nigeria today there are many miracles that people profess to happen at their crusades. Are you sure we are going to see some of these notable miracles in Kwara State being verified? Yes, the miracles in any crusade that we hold in Deeper Life or that the Pastor is leading the church are always practical, no deceit, if they want to verify. If you say you are healed of HIV, you will bring your previous test compared with the new test, and when you discover that the hospital that tested you positive for HIV after you go back to the hospital and they tested you negative to HIV, we know that the power of God has touched you. It is not the man of God who does the work. So we don’t fake miracles, we don’t pretend like somebody who is not blind and says he or she is blind. Miracles that are coming from God you cannot fake them and we don’t fake miracles in Deeper Life Bible Church. Winners take it all and bad loser’s syndrome have been on the front burner of Nigerian politics. As the 2015 elections gathers momentum, how do you think the Nigerian politicians, electorate and electoral commissions can deepen our democracy? Well, politicians should learn from the past, they should learn from history. If you do well you will reap it. If you don’t do well the whole nation will suffer. It is unfortunate that when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. It’s the populace that suffers but if they will allow righteousness to prevail, if corruption is not allowed in the high places, I believe God that things will change and our democracy can be nurtured by righteousness, by being faithful and having the mind to help the people, they should be ready to help the people. If they are serving themselves, I doubt if our democracy can last. But if they allow righteousness and discourage corruption I believe with the power of God our democracy will be sustained. What about the electorate? The role of the electorate is that they should elect credible, trusted candidates; they should not sell their votes for peanuts or with just a small amount of money. So, if the electorate are honest and elect right persons, if they are sincere and do not collaborate with those who cannot rule them well, they will enjoy the dividend of democracy and good governance. And the electoral commission should maintain strict neutrality and shun partisanship and corruption, ethnicity and religion affiliation, and be proactive and dispassionate then it will be a new dawn on the political landscape of Nigeria.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith

Scenes from 25th anniversary power conference of Powerline Bible Church, Lagos recently

General Overseer of Powerline Bible Church, Bishop Lawrence Osagie ministrey at the event

Apostle Yemi Adefarasin preaching

Apostle Ampia Kwofi praying for powerline Bishop Osagie exhorts the congregation

Congregation listening to Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s word

Apostle Yemi Adefarasin illustrate order and decency

Bishop Fred Addo

Bishop and Pastor Mrs Osagie prays

Powerline congregation praying

Pastor Mrs Osagie exhorts the congregaton

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith

This time around

isan had felt betrayed by the man but if her sister said she was wrong she must have been wrong. She believed her sister knew what she was talking about as she lived comfortably and seemed happy as a single mother of two girls and a boy - fathered by three different men. Misan accepted the blame. This was her third serious relationship and it had also turned out to be a disaster. She would live like her sister, not bothering with men or commitment. She agreed with Jemmy. But inwardly, Misan struggled with her sister’s reasoning. She couldn’t understand it. Something was wrong. Was marriage not the purpose of a relationship? Also, her sister’s opinion that she should not build her life around a man would not work in her case as she was a one-man woman. Still feeling hurt and confused, her heart in pieces and Jemmy’s advice ringing in her ears, Misan felt she needed to prove to herself that she was still desirable and marriageable and she was the bald married man’s loss. The news of the one-week cruise seemed the perfect opportunity for her. She decided to go even though she wasn’t a church person. A cruise sounded nice as she wanted something different. She also wanted some fresh air, to spoil herself a little, learn

how not to build her life around a man, and do something different even though she had opened Head to Toes nine months earlier. She went to her father who usually gave her what she wanted as long as it didn’t affect his plans. He was a rich politician. Misan got the money and booked for a cabin with a deck on the vessel. And so, deciding to pick up the pieces of her heart, she prepared for the cruise, asking her sister to monitor the girls in Head to Toes. When it was time to go, she put some money in her purse, romance novels in her luggage, and fun in her heart. She was all set for a holiday romance, three months after her broken relationship with the married man. She met Antonio on the first day of the cruise while they were going through the immigration processes, that Sunday morning. They were among the 3,000 people who were going for the cruise. He stood behind her on the line and somehow, started to talk with her. He was so confident and so funny, and Misan found herself laughing as he talked easily as if he had had months of rehearsal. She lost him by the time they boarded the ship but in the evening, when she was taking a tour of the ship, she ran into him again by the casino. He recognised her and stopped to talk to her. She considered herself lucky since holiday romance was the

Christian relationship

whole idea. On the second day of the cruise, Antonio joined her at her seat near the swimming pool. He wore swimming trunks and a T-shirt. “May I join you or are you expecting someone?” He had asked, setting his plate of sandwich and the cup of coffee in his hands down on her table. How lucky could she be? Misan thought as she smiled at him in an encouraging way. “No, I’m not expecting anyone, I’m all alone. Do join me.” She had said, hoping the lady who invited her for the cruise would not choose that time to appear and remind her of church programmes. He pulled the second chair out and sat down. “Thanks. I’m Antonio Lopez.” He told her. “Misan Ikomi.” “Say it again?” She did, sweetly. People walked around, chatting and giggling. Most of them had plates of food or cups containing beverage or ice cream in their hands. The people in the pool were also enjoying themselves, splashing water. Misan had Antonio. She also had a cup of ice cream. Life was good and she was happy. If things continued this way, she would have the holiday fling she wanted. And she would have some cool gist for her sister. She and Antonio talked as they looked at the people swimming.

With

Pastor Taiwo Odubiyi +234082300 0773 He told her he would like to know her better and she made it clear it was alright by her as she didn’t intend to stay with the group she came with. That was how they stuck. She stayed away from the church people and their activities, giving excuses not to attend. She also avoided the lady who invited her. On the last night of the cruise which was Saturday, with a little wine which Antonio offered her, some cool jazz music in the background, the fresh air coming from the pool, the stars twinkling in the sky, and Antonio, a very terrible combination, Misan threw all caution to the wind and followed Antonio to his room … … But looking back now, she knew the way she handled the whole thing was foolish. She shouldn’t have rushed into another relationship so soon and she shouldn’t have done what she did with Antonio. ********** Misan brought her mind to the present. She had to sit down. She removed her high heeled shoes and tossed them aside. Taking her purse, she brought

Unsung heroes

elcome to another exciting time in His presence. Thank God for the miracles received. The joy of the Lord is our strength and we will continue to excel in life in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

The desire and heartbeat of our creator is daily success and excellence for His children but we need to examine ourselves if really we are on this path and dogged in our pursuit – sadly enough, many are not fulfilling destiny owing to some manmade problems and powers beyond them and it brought to fore our teaching today – unsung heroes. Cross examination •Have you taken time to study yourself and know who you are? • What is stopping you from achieving your goals? • Is it your indecision? • Man made blockages? • Is it the devil as you are mouthing daily? • Wrong companionship? • Your soul mate or soul mortar? • Is it destiny limiters? • Bandwagon effect or copycat syndrome? • It is a sure fact that you can’t succeed outside your element and elementary thinking is a limiter to your great element in life. Divine word

•For

I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. [Jeremiah 29 verse 11] During creation, God packed great potentials inside you and they are mind blowing if greatly unleashed positively in your world. You are not a counterfeit but a great original from Heaven, no one is like you. There is something great in you that is not in others. You are a total package designed to better this world, not an accidental discharge, after thought or a left over. In fact, the world is not complete without you. The expected end simply means you must not die wasted. Your potentials must blossom and you must leave the world better than you met it. Are you on the right track? Deep thoughts and searching your inner mind will give you the correct answers to this poser for Heaven is alarmed at the rate billions of souls are dying as unsung heroes. Wasted talents The place to find the best talent in the world is the burial ground – Those who came into the world and never maximized their talents and potentials. Unsung heroes with the best talents are dying daily. Many

of them are being wheeled to the mortuary now, they lived borrowed lives and died wasted. You must not come into the world unheralded and go unnoticed. David decided he was not meant for the bush, cried unto his creator and God sent Prophet Samuel to salvage his destiny. Gideon came out of the cave for he knew if he didn’t act fast, undertakers will soon take his corpse with other unsung heroes, Jacob knew his opportunity was to wrestle with the angel to survive or remain in doldrums for life – it was his last chance and a great decision and it catapulted him to greatness. It was now or never for the Biblical woman with the issue of blood and that one minute had encounter with the King of kings taken her from obscurity to prominence. Biblical blind Bartimeus raised his voice among millions of souls and Jesus Christ noticed and recognized his voice for he knew it was a lifetime opportunity. Not taking a decision in life is already a decision, yesterday is gone, you only have the now and oblivious of what tomorrow has in stock for you. It will be a tragedy for you to die unsung, charge yourself up and fulfil destiny now. Think now before it is too

her daughter’s photo out and returned the purse to the table. She walked over to the bed to sit down - and stopped. In the middle of the bed was a white towel, folded and made to look like a snake. The room attendant must have been around while she was away. She glanced round. Yes, the Jamaican man had been around from the look of things. The bottle of water she left on the centre table had been removed and put on the long table beside the closet. The Bible she put on the double seater was now on the long table also. On her first cruise trip, the attendant had made a big swan, a small one, a hand, and a boat. Misan looked at the snake-like towel again. It was very funny but she wasn’t in the mood for jokes now. And why did the man make a snake, anyway? She prayed under her breath before she took the snake-like towel, unfolded it and threw it on the centre table. Then she sank on the bed. God, what should I do? She had not been prepared to meet Antonio.

Prophetic Insight with

Rev. James Akinadewo Tel: 08037188392 (SMS only) motailatugrow@hotmail.com

late. Evil hold limiting you to a spot is roasted by fire today in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Inner search The best musician with the best album never listened to is in the burial ground. The best President who did not mount his rostrum is in the grave. The best engineer who was a great genius before the emergence of Microsoft giants was never known. The talented being who wanted to replace petrol with vegetable oil for usage in cars never emerge. The great man who wanted to use palm kernel for road construction became known by the epitaph on his gravestone. The academic who planned to produce Nigeria’s first home made car died in demonic gulag. An automatic car without a driver was only done in the mind of the inventor for he died wasted. The doctor who planned to treat patients without injec-

• • •

• • • • •

tion was only celebrated after his demise. The man who worked to his bones to invent the first microwave only licked his wound in his dying moments. The man with the best brain in the world known as Alajo Shomolu in Lagos, Nigeria is only mentioned by passing today for he died an unsung hero. The real you You are marked for greatness, don’t live below that. Enough of great talents being consumed by the grave daily. God took great time in moulding a better and wonderful you, why must you live below your potentials? Heaven is alarmed at the rate talents are being wasted by self inflicted troubles and the devil today, you must set yourself free from any hold of indecision and fulfil your potentials on earth. Mind you, God is an investor and He expect results. For those holed by the devil, you have no time to waste. Set yourself free now with divine bombshell of prayers and your success shall speak volumes.

• •

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith

Expectations as Synagogue inquest begins tomorrow C ONT I NUED FROM PAG E 51

them and blocked access to the site. In the process, some journalists lost their tools while it took time for the responders to begin evacuating the dead and injured. The shabby treatment meted to journalists earned SCOAN negative reportage in the Nigerian media and it took the visit of Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, to the scene the following day for real rescue work to begin. TB Joshua responds Joshua then saw the need to respond to enquiries made by the press. His initial explanation seemed to revolve around an unidentified plane which he insisted, had hovered over the church premises four times before the eventual collapse. A CCTV footage recording of the alleged attack was swiftly released on Youtube. It actually showed that aircraft flew over the church four times before the eventual collapse. But, the video was at variance with Joshua’s explanations. Various theories It was, however, discovered that the guest house was originally designed to bear two floors. But, apparently due to increasing number of visitors to the church on religious tourism, the building was being upgraded to a sixstorey house before it crumbled suggesting that the building may have given way due to the load on it. There has been increasing calls for the prosecution of Joshua for aiding avoidable loss of lives. However, there are others who argue that officials of relevant La-

gos State agencies should have performed their over-sight functions by ensuring that Joshua obtained approval before the building was upgraded to six stories. They insist that Joshua should not be made a scapegoat while those who failed to perform their oversight function are not penalised. Activities of corrupt officials, they maintained, have to be checked this time around as a way of finding lasting solutions to building collapse in the state. When contacted, the NEMA spokesperson in the state, Ibrahim Farinloye, observed that it never occurred to the agency that a church could be so powerful to prevent the them from taking over a scene of disaster as happened in SCOAN. “This the first time a church has proved to be so powerful and it is a reference point worthy of note for NEMA,” he said. Fashola’s visit and strange exit When Fashola visited the scene, he was visibly unhappy. Upon noticing that more floors were being added to the main church building, he enquired from a ruffled Joshua who was walking by his side, in a disapproving tone, “These ones you are adding there, do you have approval for them?” To that, Joshua gave an inaudible answer with a gesticulation that suggested: “Can we talk in the office?” Journalists were not allowed into the meeting venue. But when the governor was done with Joshua, he left through another door. Even when journalists caught up with him just before he entered his vehicle, Fashola threw his face to the other side, refusing to respond to questions.

Power in the word with

Banke David

Tel: 08034156014

oubt, the very word, is eschewed by many. Doubt is a word that denotes uncertainty or being shrouded in disbelief. Doubt, according to the Webster’s comprehensive dictionary, connotes the following n Holding as uncertain, dis belief, to hesitate or ac cept as true. n Lack of certain knowledge; uncertainty regarding the truth or reality of something. n A matter or case of dubitation; indecision. n Fear or dread You see, going by these definitions, anytime we are fearful or hesitate, are undecided or lack certain knowledge of the truth, we are already exhibiting doubt. Isn’t it amazing to know that when we hesitate, we are in doubt? Fear according to this definition is doubt . (No. 4 definition). No

wonder God always admonished his servants in the Old Testament never to be afraid. “Fear not” is a very popular injunction given to his servants before sending them on any assignment. This alone goes to show that in order to achieve success, we must be rid of fear or doubt. James 1:6-8 puts it this way - But when he asks he must believe and not doubt because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. Whenever we doubt, we remove ourselves from the position of receiving from God. Conversely, if any man wants to receive from God, he should not doubt, fear, waver, be uncertain, hesitate, disbelieve or lack knowledge of the truth. I have taken time to explain what doubt is because it hinders us in many instances from receiv-

Jonathan comes calling On September 20, exactly eight days after the tragedy, President Goodluck Jonathan visited the tragic site and promised that a ‘thorough investigation’ into the incident would be carried out in conjunction with the state authority. This set tongues wagging as to when it became a federal responsibility to probe the collapse of buildings in any jurisdiction outside the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Controversy over casualty figure There also contradictory reports regarding the actual number of deaths recorded. The South African government claimed that about 88 of her nationals died in the disaster, at a time when NEMA and the state government had put the total casualty figure at 46. Within 24 hours, the figure from the Nigerian side rose to 127. Coroner’s inquest But public outcry against the tragedy has continued, with many commentators calling for Joshua’s prosecution. Hence, the state government instituted a coroner’s inquest into the cause of the building collapse and other related issues. As the inquest to be presided over by Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe commences tomorrow at the Ikeja High Court, many Nigerians have said that nothing less than a fair and open enquiry would assuage the controversy surrounding the incident. Reactions When contacted, the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, Bishop Theophilous Taiwo Ajose, said

the group expects that the inquest will be conducted in a transparent manner. “And then the church would be able to present their own case with evidence. They have told us what happened; only God knows the truth. It is better to have an open inquest,” he said. Ajose observed that the state government’s building control agency had obviously not done its oversight function as it should. “The agency has its offices in every area in Lagos State and we have seen them marking houses under construction without valid government documents ‘X’ with red paint. So what happened in this case? Were their officials not able to get access to the place, or did they believe that SCOAN was doing the right thing or what happened? “If it were in advanced countries, the head of the agency would have resigned, knowing that this happened in his area of jurisdiction. And no one has come out. “They are very negligent of their oversight functions, if it is indeed true that SCOAN did not have valid documents for that structure,” he said. He insisted that the coroner’s

inquest could create a standard for future incidents; and therefore the coroner should be able to hold an open session such that everyone will know where things went wrong and what actually happened. “And when that happens, we leave the legal, social aspects to the court of the people of Nigeria. That way, the man of God will not be seen as being persecuted by anybody and we will not look at the government as just trying to get at the man of God anyhow,” he stated. Legal luminary, Festus Keyamo, expects the inquest to be fair, just and open. The inquest, he added, should not be about TB Joshua; but should also find out whether the building control agency performed its oversight role. A founding father of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Rev Moses Iloh, believes that most cases of building collapse areas a result of indiscipline. “When the coroner’s inquest is instituted, we must not interfere. If they find Joshua guilty, all the churches that believe in what he is doing should support him to serve the punishment. We should not give the world an occasion to laugh at God,” he said.

Month-long liberation commences

he Power of the Word Evangelical Prayer Ministry has commenced a special programme for the month of October, 2014. The program, title ‘Celebration liberation,’ comes up every Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursday at the church premises; 15, Elelu/ Sawmill Alakia-Ibadan, Oyo state. The host Pastor, Julius Ogunfolakan, told New Telegraph on Sun-

day that the event was designed to enable people passing through diverse challenges in life regain freedom. He therefore invited all to lay their situations before the Lord, adding that various anointed men of God would be on hand to speak into their situations. Among the anointed God’s expected to minister at the program are: Prophetess Samuel Asa, Abraham Imaledo and others.

Don’t doubt, have faith

ing God’s blessings (and we are not even aware of this). The man who doubts or fears is unstable, according to James and cannot receive from God. From this day forth, every fear or spirit of doubt existing in your life is cast out in Jesus name, Amen. Doubt or Fear is the opposite of faith, so whenever thoughts of doubt, insecurity or fear come to your mind, cast out that spirit immediately. Fear is a Spirit. Faith also, is a Spirit! 2 Corinthians 4: 13 - It is written: I believed; therefore I have spoken. With that same SPIRIT OF FAITH we also believe and therefore speak. You see, faith is a spirit and it speaks! I proclaim that because you have taken time out to read this article, the Spirit of faith is released into your life, right now. Receive it in Jesus name, Amen. You may be asking why it is necessary for you to have this Spirit of faith. Well, I know you need to have faith and make it work for you for the following reasons:1. Without faith, it is impossible to please God- Hebrews 11:6 2. By faith, we obtain a good report or commendation Hebrews 11:2

We can create what we do not see by what we see- Hebrews 11:3 n By faith, we need not ex peri ence sufferings or death like Enoch - Hebrews 11:5 n By faith, we can receive whatever has been promised by God like Abraham - (Hebrews 11:11) There are countless reasons we need to have the Spirit of faith, too numerous to mention. I believe you have received this Spirit of faith already. If you have not, you may be asking - what is this faith we are referring to? Well, according to God’s word, Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1). I would like to explain 2 words I refer to as key words here- evidence and substance. Evidence - To any layman, when you say you have the evidence, it means you have the proof. In the Law courts, having evidence is having a means by which the facts are established. E.g. If you say you have evidence that Mr. Ford is a thief, it means you have proof to establish the fact that Mr. Ford is a thief. Whenever you

have evidence, the fact is as good as established. Faith according to Hebrews 11 is the evidence! What other proof are you looking for to believe that what God has spoken is real in your life? Substance- I believe we all know a little Elementary Science. Permit me to refresh your memories a little bit. Matter is anything that has weight and occupies space. It is substance or can be substantiated. A table is sub stance, a fan is substance. Remember that in Hebrews 11: 1, we saw that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. If we have the evidence (proof) and what we believe for is substance (matter), then it already exists! What other evidence or proof do you need? That child, that contract, that wife or husband is real. It is concrete, it exists already, and you have the proof- your faith is the proof, your faith is the substance, your faith is real. It is yours! Whatever you have believed for, it is yours already. See with the eyes of your spirit. It is real. It already exists. It is yours. You have the evidenceyour faith is all you need! Banke David writes from Aba in Abia State

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith

The need for great leaders

Models of leadership

diagnosis of the problems of Nigeria as a nation today would recognise crisis of leadership as one of them. According to Lao Tzu, the trouble with being a leader today is that you can’t be sure whether people are following you or chasing you. Those words seem tailored for Nigeria where leadership can often be a perilous adventure. Yet, leaders will always be needed, for people need guides, companions and motivators to lead it to greatness. Various models of leadership found in the Bible are worth examining for their qualities can inspire today’s leaders. Some of such leaders of Israel are Joseph, Moses, Joshua and David.

Joseph’s integrity and forgiveness

Joseph rose to become a powerful man in spite of the hatred of his brothers who sold him into slavery (Gen. 37). His brothers certainly did not expect to ever see him again but God had a different idea. Joseph became the favourite minister of Pharaoh and got charge of the treasure stores of the whole of Egypt. He did not get to that position without serious difficulties. Had he yielded to the advances of Potiphar’s wife, Joseph would never have become great. He, however, kept his integrity. When his brothers came to him looking for food, not knowing who he was, he could

Firm faith: right reason by Most Rev. Emmanu el Ade Badejo

Tel: 08039494219 Email: fradebadejo@yahoo. have jailed them and thus exacted vengeance for their villainous action. Joseph refrained from doing this but rather forgave them and had all his people brought to live with him in the land flowing with milk and honey. When his brothers, in embarrassment, tried to apologise for their action Joseph interpreted their villainy as part of God’s plans to rescue His people. The integrity and forgiving spirit of Joseph are needed in Nigeria today.

Moses’ humility and empathy

Moses was commended as a righteous man in the Bible. It was said of him. “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than any man on the face of the earth.” (Num. 12:3). Even then, Aaron and Miriam plotted against him. In admonishing them, God said of Moses: “…my trusted servant in all my household. To him I speak face to face, openly and not in riddles, and he sees the presence of Yahweh.” (Num. 12:8). God punished Miri-

“Ah, this people has committed a very great sin. They made a god out of gold. And now please forgive their sin…if not, blot me out of the book you have written” am with leprosy. Moses pleaded on her behalf. “Heal her, o God, I beg of you.” Such compassion! Compassion is a germane quality for leaders so they can feel for their people. When Israel angered God by making and worshipping the molten calf, He decided to destroy them. Then we saw Moses the intercessor-leader, who even took his place with the guilty. He said to God: “Ah, this people have committed a very great sin. They made a god out of gold. And now please forgive their sin…if not, blot me out of

the book you have written.” (Ex. 32:31-32). Yahweh had promised to make Moses a great nation after destroying the people. Moses gave all that up for the people he was leading. How great it would be to have among us leaders who would take a punishment for even the guilty!

Joshua’s commitment and example

Joshua, as a leader, really put the people of Israel to the grindstone of commitment; asking them to say clearly whom they would follow. Then he led by example, totally declaring his own intention to follow the God of Israel with his entire household. “So fear Yahweh and be sincere and faithful in serving him … But if you do not want to serve Yahweh, make known this very day whom you shall serve…. As for me, I and my house will serve Yahweh.” (Jos. 24: 14-15). Leaders must constantly challenge their people to higher standards, and then show the people that it is possible to attain those standards by doing it themselves. Such leadership is not easily seen in these climes. David’s courage and patriotism Eliab rebuked David when he went bringing food to his brothers as Goliath threatened the people of Israel. He scolded David who refused to be daunted. David’s word to Saul showed him as a leader according to the heart of God. “Let no one be discouraged on account of this Philistine, for

your servant will engage him in battle.” (1Sam 17:32). It did not matter to David what the reward would be. His motivation was not personal interest or riches. David was a lover of his people and his God. He had asked his brothers: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine who defies the army of the living God?” David had great faith in God and believed he would see him through. As King Saul tried to dissuade him, he said: “When I was tending my father’s sheep whenever a lion or a bear came to snatch a lamb from the flock, I would run after it, kill it and rescue the victim from its mouth. If it attacked me, I would hold it by its beard and slay it. I have killed lions and bears and will do the same with this uncircumcised Philistine, for he has defied the armies of the living God…. Yahweh who delivered me from the paws of lions and bears will deliver me from the hands of the Philistine.” As it turned out David conquered Goliath and emerged the leader of his people. The Gospels teach: “If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matt. 15:14). Leaders therefore need such qualities as these in higher measure than the people they lead and may indeed draw inspiration from a number of sources. However, the one indispensable source of inspiration must be God Almighty from whom all authority derives and who clothes the rulers with his glory (Sirach 10:5).

When the enemy has a strong reason G

od always has a protective edge for all His children; a spiritual insurance key against the rage and wickedness of the devil of this age. I have also come to realise that God does jealously guide and watch over His own children and this is a proof of the fact that believers are always faced with the dangers and series of attacks from the kingdom of darkness. A popular case and story we all know of in the Bible is that of Job; this gives a clue that though as mortal beings, we might not see or feel the ever abiding presence of the God of the universe, yet He is ever available because He is the present help in the time of trouble. “GOD said to Satan, “Have you noticed my friend Job? There’s no one quite like him--honest and true to his word, totally devoted

to God and hating evil. Satan retorted, “So do you think Job does all that out of the sheer goodness of his heart? Why, no one ever had it so good! You pamper him like a pet, make sure nothing bad ever happens to him or his family or his possessions, bless everything he does--he can’t lose!” Job 1:8-10 (MSG) From the preceding scripture, it is obvious that God does guides us His children with all His might and ability and this is really assuring as God is eternally committed to protecting His children and He will doggedly do this to ward off even the slightest attack from any quarter of wickedness. Why the devil attacks… The devil cannot just walk into your life and mess it up; he always looks for a legal ground, he always wants to have an established premise for his actions.

By implication, the enemy really has no reason to attack or afflict a child of God, hence, needs a basis, something on which to capitalise because for every action, there must be a reaction. “He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.” Ecc 10:8 It does not matter what or who you are, once you break the edge, the serpent will attack. I do tell people that I know the law and will not break it because when the law is broken there is no remedy, there is a rod of chastisement lying in wait, even the protective edge is also removed and then problems and sufferings become inevitable. May be you are passing through difficult times or suffering unjustly, and the more you pray the more it seems your life is being besieged by the troubles of life, definitely there is a cause and this could be that you have opened the door of your life in a particular area but the Almighty God who is rich in mercy will step into your situation and you shall be delivered in Jesus name. “All who found them devoured them. Their enemies said, ‘We

did nothing wrong in attacking them, for they sinned against the LORD, their true place of rest, and the hope of their ancestors.” Jer 50:7 (NLT) This is an inferential declaration about the nation of Israel who forsook God in pursuit of worldly affairs and their action was capitalized upon by their enemies to punish them; this is true with many Christians today. The devil is not ‘Mr. Nice’, neither is he a gentleman, rather he is cunningly and patiently waiting for you to err in order for him to launch his attack. When a policeman knocks at your door, of course you know there is a just course for his visitation; he would also come with a warrant of arrest so as to dispel any suspicion, doubt or resistance against his action. So also, the devil has no justification to just walk into your life and mess it up if there is no valid ground or occasion for such. Anytime I sense things are not working out the way it ought to be or there seems to be an undue delay in a particular area I have been praying and answers are not forthcoming; after thorough spiritual investigation and I discover there are

satanic undertones, then I will by the leading of the Holy Spirit take direct measures to combat such advancement. “I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]” John 14:30 (AMP) Sometime ago when the devil attacked my family, the understanding of this scripture became my winning ticket against his onslaught; hence, I was able to face the enemy and placed him where he belongs because light and darkness have nothing in common. Can you sincerely tell the devil to his face when he comes knocking at your door to backoff? Give it a deep thought as this series concludes next week. In the battles of life, may you be the last man standing in Jesus name. I know this message has blessed you. Write and share your testimony withme through; info@thehebrewsng. com. Hotlines – 01-7903163, 08085845864.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith

MYSTERY OF ANXIETY with

Bishop John Ogbansie gbe

ou must also pay your tithe as a way of remembering that God is the one who gave you the power to get wealth. To this end, therefore, the word of God also said, “But thou shalth remember the Lord thy God, for is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish His covenant which He swore unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” – Deuteronomy 8:18. When you don’t pay your tithe, you suffer many losses. You keep on spending on both known and unknown sicknesses; you suffer business failure, near-success syndrome, disappointments, unforeseen contingencies and emergency expenditure. Because you don’t pay your tithe, people will always cheat you, deceive you and steal from you. Hardship, poverty and difficulties will become your immediate neighbours and companions. When you pay your tithe, God Himself becomes your business partner. God even becomes your business capital, thereby making your business ‘a no-go area’ for the devil.

Tel:08033416327

When you rob God in your tithes and offerings, you are discouraging God from helping you again. When you rob God you are technically and directly removing God’s hand from your business. When you cheat your business partner, and eat both your own and his own share, will the fellow show up next time? The answer is capital NO. You can owe any person but never you owe God who is your source of blessings. Many believers make the mistake of owing God, through their tithes and offerings or by making pledges which they cannot redeem. In view of this fact, the word of God emphatically declared, “And if a man will at all redeem ought n of his tithe, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.” (Leviticus 27:31). Here God was demonstrating total claim and ownership of your tithe. Paying your tithe is an honour to God. To this end, the word of God declared, “Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruit of thy increase. He also said in His word, “I will honour them that honour me.” (1st Samuel 2:30b).

Kingdom investment (2) God also expects us to honour Him through our offerings. When Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to God, God saw the manifestation of reverence, sincerity and honour in Abel’s offering, but in Cain’s offering, God saw the manifestation of dishonour. God was embittered. He gave Cain the permanent mark of dishonour such that any man that sees him rejects him and dishonours him. This is the simple reason many strong believers are always being dishonoured in the world today. They dishonour God by giving God the least denomination of money from their pockets. Many do not give at all, and a whole lot of other give grudgingly and not from the depth of their hearts. Honour God in your tithe and offering and God shall bestow a mighty honour upon your life and endeavours. Our Lord Jesus Christ did not discourage tithing. He, as well, paid and encouraged His disciples to do more than that. The New Testament Christians followed the example of our Lord and paid 100 per cent tithe. They gave all to the Lord. This was why the Holy Ghost accepted and honoured Barnabas who sold his land and brought all the proceeds thereof to the church, but rejected Ananias and Sapphira who in lies and deception sold their own land and only brought

Works of the devil have no foundation

ut he that heareth and doeth not, is like a man without a foundation built a house upon the earth: again which the stream did beat vehemently and immediately it fell: and the ruin of that house was great (Luke 6:49). The enemy and satan refuse to do the Word of God, and so all they do against me and against you are without foundation. How can they succeed? That sickness or illness has no foundation. That attack they plan has no foundation; it is like a house without foundation. The problem has no foundation. They cannot collapse my Life. They cannot collapse my Health. They cannot collapse my Home. Because: Death and Sickness have no foundation. They are from the enemy. The Death is begging to collapse - it is very weak and tried: The Enemy is begging the sickness to stay but it is becoming too tired and weak to do so. It is too weak to take away my life. Even the spirit of death is too tired and weak to operate, so it is collapsing. The enemy is begging it to stay, but is not possible. The Word of God and the power thereof sustain and support my life against the spirit of death. I know I will live long. I have chosen to live long. The Word of

God says so; my spirit says so. The strength of my offerings and tithes reinforces the pillar that supports my life. My prayers also support the power of His Word on which my life rests on, and your life also. My life shall reach home For I will surely deliver thee and thou shall not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee; because thou hast thy trust in me, saith the Lord (Jeremiah 39:18). Amplified Version of the Bible puts it this way: For I will surely deliver you; and you will not fall by the sword, but your life will be (as your only booting and as a reward battle to you), because you have put your trust in me, says the Lord. 12 While the New International Version of the Bible says: I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will ESCAPE WITH YOUR LIFE, because you trust me, declares the Lord. I have a very great confidence in the Word of God. It said in the above scriptures that even in battles which I know we fight spiritually every day, whatever is the situation, I shall at last escape with my life, and also my life must be my reward, and must reach home from the battle field. Whatever is the strategy of the enemy, whatever weapons they

have or whatever number that come against me, I am confident that I shall not die. In every battle or war I fight, I must be rewarded with my life. Whatever battle or war fight, I must be rewarded or come out with something special, including my life. This is the Word of God, as He has already declared that in Job 5:26. “Thou shall come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn, cometh in his season”. Must I go on and on citing more reasons why I must live long? May the Lord enable you to imbibe the spirit of longitivity. This spirit from God has the mandate to ensure you die at a ripe old age, and in full vigor. This is what we have searched out; it is true. Hear and heed it and know for yourself (for your good). Job 5:27. Hurray, 2011 -2020, the decade of your victory is here. Congrats for you I will live a very long life. A woman confessed that she refused to die when she was very sick because she pitied her husband when she considered what the man was going to pass through. For that reason she made up her mind to live. In another occasion, a lady said she had hope of living long and decided so when she considered that she met her grandparents on both sides (her father’s parents and mother’s parents). Even her

half of the proceeds to the church. In view of the above position, the Bible said thus, “And here men that die receive tithes, but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. And as I may so say, Levi also who receiveth tithe, paid tithe in Abraham; for he was then in the loins of his father, when Melchizedek met him.” (Hebrew 7:8-10). One may ask: What is the eternal destiny of all those that do not pay tithe? The Bible says in Malachi 3:8 that they are all robbers. The worst form of robbery is to rob the Almighty God who is not meant to be robbed. Since a robber is also a thief, it naturally follows that they shall all go to hell fire on Judgment Day. This was why the word of God said, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, not extortionist shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you”..... 1st Corinthians 6:9-11. Many people ask this question, “Why do people pay tithe and yet not prosper?” The answer is that many do not pay in accordance with God’s law and divine direction. The divine law says that it must be 10 per cent (10%). Again, God looks at the

heart and spirit with which they pay and give. He rejects it when it is paid grudgingly and with murmuring. He rejects it, when it is seen as a burden. He rejects it when it is paid in falsehood and deception. Do it faithfully and sincerely, and God will surprise you. Everybody is meant to pay tithe, even students. Among other things, it is in the manner you pay tithe, that God measures your faithfulness. It is God’s utmost desire to see you prosper and be in good health. Do all that is required for you to prosper, and receive divine favour from God. May I hereby leave you with this scripture which fundamentally constitutes God’s intendment for your life: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in good health, even as thy soul prospereth.” (3rd John 2). As a divine corroboration to the above divine law, the word of God also said, “If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasure.” (Job 36:11). May God perfect all that concerneth you and give you unprecedented prosperity and financial breakthrough in your business, as well as a comprehensive total wellbeing as you obey these laws of prosperity in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

WORD OF LIFE by

Bishop Moses Kat tey Tel: 08087707486, Email: moseskattey@yahoo.co.uk

father was old before he died. Her mother is still very much alive. When she thought over all these, she resolved to live and recovered. You must have a reason to live even if you find it difficult to believe the Word of God. In actual fact, one will find it naturally difficult to believe the Word of God until God Himself imparts faith to him or her. Faith itself is a gift of God. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God (Ephessians 2:8) Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is give to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracle; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the

interpretation of tongues: (Cor. 12:4-10) 13. If the Lord does not impart faith for a particular blessing and victory to you, it is not certain you will have it. Before the Lord instructed Noah to build an ark, he told some others but they refused, but for Noah he imparted faith to him to believe and Noah obeyed. The Lord also instructed others to leave home as He instructed Abram in Genesis (12:1-5) but because He gave faith to Abram, Abram obeyed. You need special faith from God to believe any of His Word in order to be delivered and blessed. 120 years fixed by the Lord for me Gen. 6:1-3 “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, my spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years”. Prior to the time the Lord made this statement people were living hundreds of years (see Genesis 5) Adam 930 years (Gen. 5:5)

SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith

THE Oracles The fullness of salvation of God by

Frank Oboden Olomukoro frankolomukoro@yahoo.com, 07033621866

y the prophecy of Joel 2:25, the Lord God promised to restore all interpretations of scriptures by man in the form of church creed, dogma and traditions. That is the ministry of Elijah in its spirit and power. If the believer does not believe the original doctrine preached by the Apostles in the New Testament, there will be no readiness for the Rapture. The last gospel preached and doctrine taught must be like the first preached and taught by the Apostles. From the days of the Apostles, wrong doctrines and gospels had begun to manifest. Paul lamented: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” (Galatians. 1:67) He further pronounced a curse on the misinterpretation, misrepresentation and dislocation of the gospel of Christ. “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” Gal.

1:8-9. The apostles’ doctrines, which also double as the doctrines of Christ, remain the only plumb line or blueprint for verifying the truth of any teaching by man or church or denomination. The time has come for God’s mighty word to be heard and the truth to be separated from deception, for the Lord is now bringing His plan of salvation to completion. In no uncertain terms do I wish to bring forth Bible teachings, to discredit the teachings or traditions of religions, which others hold dear. But if there is discrepancy between those teachings and the Word of God, one must conclude, God is right and not a religious institution. I write with respect, considering the dignity of man, which cannot be touched. I also respect what others believe. I am convinced, people have a right to believe as they desire. Faith is a personal matter, and no one should force his or her faith on someone else. Of course, God’s majesty is far above human dignity and His Word must have pre-eminence over men’s words and personal beliefs. God’s Word over-rules that of man. The task here is to show the right way as made known to us in the Book of Books. There is a right way

obscured by the divergences of the many false ways. To find this way and to walk in it is a personal decision. I do not belong to a particular denomination, because denomination or organised religion is not of God. The day one joins himself or herself to a denomination, he or she dies spiritually. He or she is dead and separated from God. Only the Word of God gives life. Therefore, I am not obligated to please others and can boldly proclaim the teachings of the Bible. Amen. Each one has a duty to compare this exposition with the original word of God and prove whether it is right and if so, be persuaded. No force is executed in the Kingdom of God, especially in teaching. Divine enlightenment will be with those who open themselves before God, who can work and perform all things in each person. It is noteworthy that with God is only one right answer, and one possibility. Let God therefore answer! For a child of God only one thing is compulsory; namely, to believe the ever valid Word of God and share it with others. Taking this stand without compromise, one has to reject everything which does not originate with God. In Christianity and other religions, we are confronted with strange teachings; therefore everything must be seen and judged in the light of the Holy Scriptures. Whoever does not receive the love for the truth personally will continue in error and be called into judgment (2 Thess.

Who is the mighty?

roverbs 16:32 says; He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city.” Who is the mighty? The man who has power, the man who can destroy, the man who can pull down anything and the Bible says that a man slow to anger is much better and influential and accomplishes more heights. I want to let you know that if you control your anger, the whole world would soon envy you. People will certainly take you for a fool if you play down your anger, you will be called lazy man and a coward but it is better to be a fool before men than ruine your life in anger. And come to think of it. If there is anything that is not shortsupplied, it is the opportunity to be angry. This morning before most of you got to church, one thing or the other may have happened that made you angry. Imaging waking up late for an event and you are to go with your wife compulsorily. You know women with their many things about dressing up. It will take only God for you not to be provoked with the way she is

taking time to dress up and the time that is already against you. So many things around you are often time spurred up to irritate you including your spouse, children and maids. And that is why you need self control or else you set your home ablaze. The Bible says, “He that has no control over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls.” This is not the time others give testimonies and you are watching. Your own testimony must be heard. You have to gain control over your anger. I am working on myself too. This is my 23rd year in ministry with brilliant ideas and hard work. And I know the enemy has used uncontrolled anger to set me back in the past. Come to think of it. I am most happy. I dance d, I joke, I encourage people, I preach and I know from testimonies that my teachings are profound. I know that I love people and that I give generously but the devil keeps referring people to one expression of anger that took place in the past. Is that not wickedness of the enemy and I said to myself, ‘Self-Control.’ No more will anger take hold of me,.

There were occasions when I come to church and find that some lights are not on. And because I like perfection, I dwell on why was it not on. If I query whoever was in charge of the light it becomes a problem, may be because of the way I said it. And that is what people will hear and not the other good things I may have done in the past. But supposing I saw those lights that were not on and focused on those that were on and encouraged myself with them, anger will not have its place. That tells me that what you choose to focus on per time will determine your feeling which will give you right to your attitude and your attitude determines your altitude. Your attitude is what people see and that is what people talk about. Now, look at this example. I come to church, and as a preacher and leader, I built a large auditorium and expect it to be full of people. If it is not filled, I feel pain. Why did I build this big one, may be it should have been small one? You see, I may be preaching but something is killing me inside. Why, because I am looking at

2). The time has come for divine jurisdiction and clarification. The command of this hour is: Return to God and His Word. Restoration to the fullness of Salvation We shall take first the Restoration to the fullness of salvation. The process of spiritual birth has been severely manipulated by church traditions. Mere confession of sins by God-seeking sinners is attributed to being bornagain. In the natural, a woman in labour cannot just make a mere confession that she has given birth without the labour of birth pains and the process of water breaking forth, blood and the birth of the baby child. But gospel evangelists and Pentecostalists assert: “You get saved by confessing and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.” Example thus: If you are set for it, please say this prayer: I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. From today, I accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Thank you for saving me. Now I know, I am born again.” That is not in line with the Bible. One is not born-again by merely repenting. Repentance must fully combine with Water Baptism by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ to bring about Justification. (Acts 2:38). This is only the first stage of the entire process, yet the person is not born-again. Many have sincerely been swept into the church arena by mere belief and confession that only produced spiritual stillbirth. The fullness of salvation fol-

lows a Biblical pattern in Acts 2:38, as on the day of Pentecost. Every preacher should be verified to see if he measures up to the standard set by Peter, the man of God of the first hour, the apostle to whom the Lord gave the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. The last sermon, which shall be preached under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, must and will agree wit¥h the first one; the last water baptism must and will be as the first one was. What was taught and practiced in the New Testament church right at the beginning remains valid for as long as the church of Jesus Christ is on this earth. Here, it is not about Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, Redeemed Christian Church of God or any other church, but about the church of Jesus Christ, of which our Lord Himself said, “I will build my church…” And only she will not be overcome by the gates of hell. The fullness of Salvation is a process involving three definite steps. The first step is Repentance and Water Baptism; justifying you before God. This step ensures the next stage of sanctification through the blood of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin. Only then can the third stage take place, the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. This is the place of the conversion to a Saint. The fullness of salvation is accomplished in one’s life and it can be said that you are born again. Being born again is not a TAG but a Pentecost experience.

Taming your Emotions

by Bishop Lawrence Osagie Tel: 08063250667, mail:powerlineministries@mail.com, www.powerlineministriesinc.org

the wrong thing. I am focusing at the wrong thing and because I am focusing at the wrong thing it puts language in my mouth. Now, the people who came to church, I mean the faithful ones who left their homes to come and worship God and be blessed by the good message God has given me will be made to bear the aggression of my feeling caused by my wrong focus. The people who are not faithful to God are not hearing what I am saying, they are not feeling the pain of the implication of the emptiness they caused but the people who are faithful are made to bear the brunt. But I am sensible and I don’t want to put myself in anger, that I saw people at all should make me celebrate because Jesus said where two or three a gathered together in His name, not multitude, but two or three are gathered and I actually multiple the

strength of those two and make then produce more and that is what I am doing now. And because I have learnt my lessons I no longer complain. It doesn’t matter if you come to church and sleep from here, as far as they came, let them sleep when it is offering time, they will wake up. Look, what I am supposed to be doing is to celebrate you because you came. Yeah, you broke the storm, you crossed the road, you did well, you came all the way from Lekki; you came all the way from Ikorodu. So instead of getting angry over those people who didn’t come and give anger orientation message to those who came, I have decided to celebrate Jesus with those I see and now there is a better result. So we must not be led by our feelings. For as many that are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God. You are a child of God when you are spirit led.

Advertise your church events, special programmes, conventions and other church activities on these pages. Contact: tai on 07064380029

Sport 59

SUNDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER, 2014

Interview

I’m not an accidental sports expert, says Adamu p.60

Eagles

Eagles crash-land in Sudan, lose 1-0 p.62

Golf

Akakasiaka: Why Nigerian golfers won’t reach their potential p.61

AWC 2014: Falcons good for ninth title -Dilichukwu

Dapo Sotuminu

Sunday Team

Deputy Sports Editor Dapo Sotuminu Golf Reporter Ifeanyi Ibeh Graphics Edwin Usoboh © Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Dilichukwu

he Chairperson of the Women’s Football Department of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Dilichukwu Onyedinma, has stated that the country’s national women’s senior soccer team, the Super Falcons, are good enough to win their ninth title in the African Women’s Championship. The 2014 edition of the event began in Namibia yesterday with the Nigerian girls playing their first game against Cote d’Ivoire. Onyedinma noted that, she is optimistic that the Falcons would dominate at Namibia 2014 after the team had excellent preparations which had helped the players to be in their best form. “We have the confidence in the team’s chief coach, Edwin Okon, who we are rest assured would do what he loves doing best, which is winning important championships for Nigeria. He has selected the best players the country can boast of from their various clubs across the world. “We are also more confident by the response of the invited foreign-based players in the team who arrived early enough to get the necessary tutorials of the chief coach’s strategies for t h e competition. In time past, we had problems of players arriving late from their foreign clubs.

“The five superstars with the likes of Perpetua Nkwocha, Desire Oparanozie and Francisca Ordega among others joined their teammates in camp in Abuja in good time to perfect coach Okon’s strategies. The presence of Asisat Oshoala in the team is also a boost. Before the team departed the country for Namibia, the coach expressed satisfaction with what he had in stock to get the desired the result.” The Women’s football boss called on Nigerians to pray for the Falcons despite the team’s brilliant preparation, “because in everything we do we need prayers more so when I know that Nigeria this time around would come back with the champions’ trophy after losing out in the last edition held in Equatorial Guinea in 2012. The two occasions Nigeria lost the AWC title out of the ten editions held so far since 1991, were to Equatorial Guinea in 2008 and 2012. “This time around, it is no joke. We are in Namibia for business and we won’t rest until we win the title for the ninth time. But while trying to do this, we must not underrate any of the participating teams, as there are no minnows in African women’s football anymore. All the teams are contenders, but we are mindful of the stiff challenge that may come from the Black Queens of Ghana. Even Zambia and South Africa are no pushovers. You never can tell, the least team may give you the toughest time of your life so we are prepared for all our opponents.” She also expressed optimism in the Falcons grabbing one of the three African tickets for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup slated for Canada, but what the team is concerned about is winning the trophy. “Picking a ticket to play in the World Cup next year is a certainty for Nigeria, but we just have to work hard to win the cup in Namibia to regain our number one position in the continent. We want to play at Canada 2015 as African Champions,” Onyedinma said.

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Sport/Interview

I’m not an accidental

sports expert, says Adamu Dapo Sotuminu

he former Director-General of the National Sports Commission, NSC, Dr. Amos Adamu, has said that he did not become a renowned sports expert in Nigeria by accident, but achieved all that he attained strictly on merit. The former CAF and FIFA Executive Committee member told New Telegraph on Sunday that he left his job as a lecturer at the College of Education, Sokoto in 1991 to join the Ministry of Sports as Director armed with a Ph.D. in Physical and Health Education. “I was grounded and ready for the assignment I settled for as it was not easy changing the direction of Nigerian sports which has been in operation even before the country’s independence in 1960. “My professional background gave me a firm footing in sports administration at the highest level and it was this vast knowledge that helped me tremendously in reshaping the country’s sports ideology despite the that fact that some forces never wanted us to change the retrogressive system which had kept Nigerian sports static for several years. “With the mandate of the federal government, I was able to change a lot of negative things about Nigerian sports and I made lot of enemies, but in the long run they saw reasons behind my actions and today when top sporting nations are called, Nigeria is in the forefront. It wasn’t easy anyway.” Adamu, who is also a former president of the West Africa Football Union, WAFU, revealed that due to his hard work, high level initiative and commitment to move Nigerian sports forward, he was redeployed to the Nigeria Football Association, NFA, as Sole Administrator who eventually prepared the ground for Nigeria’s historic qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. This was just a few months after joining the Ministry. “I was invited to a meeting convened by the Chief of General Staff, Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, who was in charge of the country’s sports, at the State House in Lagos and was asked to serve as the secretary whose sim-

ple duty was to take minutes for record purposes. I wasn’t a member of the committee set up to look for ways turn-around Nigerian football and sports generally. “The committee which had all the top shots of Nigerian sports in attendance alongside the Minister for Sports took some decisions which were documented, but at the end of the proceedings, I begged to make some observations on all the deliberations and this was granted, but not without Admiral Aikhomu seeking the consent of all the members. “After apologizing, I began to make suggestions on how best to run a progressive sports administration in Nigeria, pointing out that the details documented as agreed by the committee if implemented would be a disservice to the country’s sports, as most of it were outdated and wouldn’t take Nigeria anywhere near the top sporting nations of the world. And that it would limit the scope of the country’s sports to African participation alone, while we continue to play second fiddle in world class events like the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, FIFA World Cup and the World Championships in all the sports. “I also told the committee the reasons militating against Nigeria’s eventual qualification for the FIFA World Cup finals despite the high rating enjoyed by the local league which was about the best in the continent at the time with clubs like Abiola Babes, Stationery Stores, Enugu Rangers, Shooting

“I was grounded and ready for the assignment I settled for as it was not easy changing the direction of Nigerian sports which has been in operation even before the country’s independence in 1960

Peter Rufai, Sunday Oliseh and captain Stephen Keshi all members of the USA 94 squad celebrating the Tunisia 94 Nations Cup victory

Stars of Ibadan, Bendel Insurance, New Nigeria Bank, Mighty Jets of Jos and BCC Lions of Gboko doing very well in the continental club competitions yet Nigeria couldn’t pick a ticket to play in the FIFA World Cup.” Adamu said that after his brief presentation, Aikhomu with the permission of the committee members gave him one week to submit a master plan to develop Nigerian football with a view to joining other top footballing nations of the world in playing in the World Cup. “To ensure a thorough job was done on the given assignment, I quickly intimated some of my

trusted professional colleagues in the top Nigeria universities about the job that was on hand. I arranged for a brainstorming session which was really explosive and successful. We gathered all the materials in one bit and made enough copies for members of the federal government committee such that each person got one. “As the secretary of the committee I had members’ contact addresses which I sent the copies to for their perusal at least seven days before the scheduled meeting. This gave the members ample time to look at the recommendations and prepared their own reactions and suggestions. This was

Aikhomu

in 1992.” The former Director-General, Ministry of Special Duties, stressed that, the scheduled meeting held as planned with Admiral Aikhomu directing affairs. The committee members asked valuable questions and I gave valuable answers to ensure everybody understood what we were doing as a team. “I was shocked to hear on NTA and Radio Nigeria later that day that I have been appointed as the Sole Administrator of the Nigeria Football Association, NFA. For me it was unexpected and I accepted the challenges making sure that we did not derail from the master plan. Of course this paid off as Nigeria in just two years, 1994, won the African Nations Cup title last won in 1980 and also qualified for the FIFA World Cup 1994 in USA. After featuring at the 1994 World Cup, Nigeria had played at the 1998, 2002, 2010 and 2014 editions missing out of the Germany 2006 due to carelessness on the part of the Super Eagles technical crew. “Today, I have served in WAFU, CAF, FIFA, Organising Committee of the All Africa Games, COJA and was Director General of the National Sports Commission, NSC, a clear indication that I did not come into football and sports generally by accident,” Adamu said.

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014

Golf Weekly N

Stories by Ifeanyi Ibeh

igerian golf legend, Peter Akakasiaka, believes the country’s golfers may never get to reach their potential owing to a lack of tournaments. In an interview with New Telegraph, in Lagos, the former Nigeria number one, who back in the 1980s was the biggest attraction at golf tournaments across the country, and even in Africa, stated that the country’s golfers have enough skills to match their contemporaries from more developed golf nations but lack the necessary encouragement. “It is not that Nigerian golfers are not good enough, the issue is that there is not much encouragement for them unlike what we had in the past,” said Akakasiaka. “Back then, we had the Safari Tour which took golfers across the continent to play tournaments in Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe and other African countries. But now we no longer have that.” The Royal Valley Golf and Country Club based golfer added: “Our professional and amateur golfers are actually good but what is lacking is encouragement and lack of tournaments, especially for the pros. “If we have a tournament or two monthly it will be a good start. In developed tours across the world, even in South Africa, there are tournaments week in, week

Akakasiaka: Why Nigerian golfers won’t reach their potential

out. So, if we have at least two tournaments in a month it will be a good way to start,” remarked the veteran

Akakasiaka

golfer who remains the only Nigerian professional golfer to have featured in the Open Championship. Established in 1860, and often referred to as the British Open, the Open Championship is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf, and Akakasiaka was one of the 153 golfers who took part in the 1988 Open won by the late Seve Ballesteros. Since that feat from 26 years ago, no Nigerian has been able to qualify for the British Open. But Akakasiaka feels all that would change if the country’s golfers are able to secure good sponsorship deals. “There are talents here,” he continued. “I believe we have boys who can beat my record but the problem is that there is no en-

‘McIlroy now one of the greats’

ory McIlroy’s accomplishments this season have helped him join Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Seve Ballesteros among the pantheon of golfing greats, according to former European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance. “Rory is as good as I’ve seen in a long, long time,” the 61-yearold was quoted as saying by Reuters. “He’s got everything. “Butch Harmon did an analy-

Men’s World Rankings 1. Rory McIlroy (Britain) 2. Adam Scott (Australia) 3. Sergio Garcia (Spain) 4. Jim Furyk (U.S.) 5. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 6. Justin Rose (Britain) 7. Bubba Watson (U.S.) 8. Jason Day (Australia) 9. Matt Kuchar (U.S.) 10. Rickie Fowler (U.S.) 11. Phil Mickelson (U.S.) 12. Martin Kaymer (Germany) 13. Billy Horschel (U.S.) 14. Jordan Spieth (U.S.) 15. Dustin Johnson (U.S.) 16. Zach Johnson (U.S.) 17. Tiger Woods (U.S.) 18. Graeme McDowell (Britain) 19. Jimmy Walker (U.S.) 20. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)

sis of his swing and every single pinpoint part was in a perfect position,” added Torrance, referring to one of the game’s leading coaches. “I don’t think Rory can get much better and I fancy him to win any tournament he plays in. Every 10 or 20 years someone like him comes along. “Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Seve Ballesteros, Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo, these guys only come along every once in a while and Rory has now ar-

rived and is here to stay.” McIlroy won this year’s British Open and U.S. PGA Championship, taking his total of major victories to four, and was an integral member of the European team that beat the U.S. by 16 1/2 points to 11 1/2 at the Ryder Cup. The 25-year-old Northern Irishman was the star of the show in the final-day singles, firing seven birdies and an eagle in a spectacular 14-hole burst to dispatch Rickie Fowler 5 & 4.

couragement. “I was sponsored and I had everything at my disposal. I practiced twice daily before the Open. I went to acclimatize and I practiced hard. “I knew the reason why I went there and my sponsor was happy with my performance. I know some still go for qualifi-

ers but whether they have good financial support is what I am not sure of.” He added: “If they have good tournaments, play and practice regularly, they can make it to the major tournaments. After all, those who play at these majors are human beings.

LeBron passes Tiger in brand value

Tiger Woods and LeBron James

here’s a new king of the sports world when it comes to their financial value, according to Forbes and he’s no longer a golfer after American basketball star, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, moved past Tiger Woods as the most valuable brand in sports this year. James took the top spot from Woods in the magazine’s 2014 rankings after the former Miami Heat star ’s brand value rose to $37 million this year, compared to Woods’ which dropped to $36 million. Woods had spent the past seven years as the individual athlete with the highest financial value. And Forbes, in explaining Woods’ value, cited the end of his video-game deal with Electronic Arts Sports (EA Sports), which was announced late last year, as one factor. Forbes also stated it calcu-

lated values for the individual athletes based on “their endorsement income, less the average endorsement income of top 10 athletes in same the sport.” Ironically, both James and Woods share the same birth date and month. Both were born on December 30 but James is nine years younger than the former world number one. World number 11, Phil Mickelson, also got in among the top 10, with the left-handed golfer in fourth place with a brand value of $29 million, just behind tennis player Roger Federer’s $32 million. Mickelson’s calculated value is up from $25 million a year earlier as Forbes cited sponsor bonuses in the wake of his 2013 Open Championship victory as well as “more than $40 million from appearances and endorsement partners.”

Upcoming Nigeria Tour events

Rory McIlroy

Port Harcourt Open @ Port Harcourt Club (13th – 19th Oct) 8th Keedak Cup @ Otukpo Golf & Country Club (23rd – 26th Oct) Seedvest Open @ Ibadan Golf Club (3rd – 9th Nov) Apagun Open @ Abeokuta Golf Club (12th – 15th Nov)

19th Air Assault Open @ Port Harcourt Club (20th – 23rd) NGF Pro-Am Tournament @ Otukpo Golf & Country Club (11th – 14th) End Of Year Golf Tournament @ Otukpo Golf & Country Club (18th – 21st)

SUNDAY, 12 OCTOBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Sport / News

he Super Eagles of Nigeria on Saturday crashed landed in Khartoum, Sudan whne they lost 1-0 to the Sudanese national soccer team in one of the qualifying matches for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. Sudan scored the only goal of the match in the 42nd minute through Babeker Bakri whose powerful header beat Nigeria’s goalkeeper and Captain Vincent Enyeama. This was Sudan’s first goal in the qualifiers in three matches. The Stephen Keshi-tutored team was close to scoring in the 11th minute, but Nosa Igiebor’s effort hit the goal post from an Ahmed Musa cross and a connection from Chelsea FC of England midfielder, Mikel Obi. Efe Ambrose and Mikel also had a pop at the Sudanese goal in quick succession in the 13th minute as Nigeria grew in confidence after a nervous start. Sudan’s claim for a penalty was waved away after Tahir’s charge at goal whipped off Ambrose’s shoulder. The Falcons of Jediane kept the Nigerian defence on their toes for a long stretch and Tahir’s effort in the 29 minute just flashed over the bar as Vincent Enyeama looked to have had it covered. Nigeria came out flying in the second half as Ambrose tested Sudan’s goalkeeper and Mikel’s follow-up went out for a corner kick which was wasted Stephen Keshi threw on Em-

Euro Qual. Results

Belarus 0 - 2 Ukraine Macedonia 3 - 2 Luxembourg Slovakia 2 - 1 Spain England 5 - 0 San Marino Lithuania 1 - 0 Estonia Slovenia 1 - 0 Switzerland Liechtenstein 0 - 0 Montenegro Moldova 1 - 2 Austria Sweden 1 - 1 Russia Latvia 0 - 3 Iceland Netherlands 3 - 1 Kazakhstan Turkey 1 - 2 Czech Republic Belgium 6 - 0 Andorra Cyprus 1 - 2 Israel Wales 0 - 0 Bosnia-Herzegovina Bulgaria 0 - 1 Croatia Italy 2 - 1 Azerbaijan Malta 0 - 3 Norway Ireland 7 - 0 Gibraltar Scotland 1 - 0 Georgia Romania 1 - 1 Hungary Armenia 1 - 1 Serbia ACF Qualification Lesotho 0 - 0 Angola Botswana 0 - 2 Egypt Senegal 0 - 0 Tunisia Congo 0 - 2 South Africa Sudan 1 - 0 Nigeria Malawi 0 - 2 Algeria Ethiopia 0 - 2 Mali Gabon 2 - 0 Burkina Faso Sierra Leone 0 - 0Cameroon DR Congo 1 - 2 Ivory Coast Uganda 0 - 1 Togo Mozambique 2 - 0 Cape Verde Niger 0 - 0 Zambia International Friendly Chile 3 - 0 Peru USA 1 - 1 Ecuador Colombia 3 - 0 El Salvador Brazil 2 - 0 Argentina Mexico 2 - 0 Honduras Japan 1 - 0 Jamaica South Korea 2 - 0 Paraguay Saudi Arabia 1 - 1 Uruguay

Eagles crash 1-0 in Sudan manuel Sunday and Raheem Lawal in a bid to get Nigeria back in the game but their introduction did not yield the much needed results. Sudan’s defence held out for a famous win despite Nigeria’s

best effort and a Mikel’s disallowed goal to chalk up their first full points in the qualifiers. Nigeria are now placed last in the group with just one point from three matches and the Super Eagles will host Sudan

Messi: Mistakes cost us against Brazil

on Wednesday at the National Stadium in Abuja South Africa earlier on beat Congo 2-0 away in Pointe Noire to leap frog the Congolese to top spot in the group with seven points.

Bafana Bafana move top of Group A

afana Bafana ended the weekend top of Group A following a 2-0 win over Congo in an action packed 2015 African Cup of Nations Qualifier at the Stade Municipal in PointeNoire on Saturday. Second-half goals from Bongani Ndulula and Tokelo Rantie secured a memorable win for Shakes Mashaba’s men who will next welcome the Red Devils to the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Wednesday. Almeria striker Thievy Bifouma forced Senzo Meyiwa into a good save in the 15th minute with the Orlando Pirates shot stopper doing well to keep out the forwards

effort at his near post. South Africa’s best chances of the half fell to Rantie and Ndulula who were both guilty of poor decision making in the opposition box. The second stanza was a lively affair with both chances creating chance after chance throughout the 45. Congo captain Delvin N’Dinga saw his shot over the bar following a mad scramble in the early exchanges before Meyiwa pulled off a superb save to deny Fode Dore who was through on goal. Mandla Masango then rattled the post for the visitors before Ndulula put South Africa in front in the 52nd minute. Thulani Hlatshwayo’s flick on found the

AmaZulu forward who directed his effort into the back of the net via a bicycle kick. Rantie doubled Bafana’s lead three minutes later. Dean Furman’s disguised pass found the Bournemouth marksman who made no mistake from close range to silence the home support. Chances continued to flow, with the hosts putting Bafana under immense pressure in the final minutes of the game. Meyiwa and his defenders stood tall with the Bafana captain making a number of top class saves to secure all three points for South Africa and subsequently send them top of the Group.

Confederation of Africa Rugby Sevens: Nigeria set to improve rating T he Technical Director of the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation, Mr. Fasimoye Olatunji, has declared that the country’s team to the 2014 edition of the Confederation of Africa Rugby Sevens slated for Harare, Zimbabwe from November 29 would ensure an improved continental rating at the end of the competition. “We are going to do well in the championship this year, Nigeria is rated 6th best in 7’s in Africa and we are determined to raise the bar this time around.” He stressed that the Nigerian team would be selected at the Independence Rugby 7’s scheduled to hold at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos from October 31 to November 1, adding that, the tournament would feature both home and foreign-based players. Olatunji noted that the Indepen-

dence Sevens tournament started in the year 2009 and has since grown to be the biggest Rugby 7s party in Nigeria. Its 2013 edition had a wider international participation with clubs from the UK, Egypt and Ghana, adding the much needed international flavour. However, clubs from every zones in Nigeria competed extremely well while two local teams made it to the finals last year as Cowrie RFC Lagos battled Nigeria Police RFC for the title. The Police team beat Cowrie RFC 12-7 to emerge the 2013 champions. This year the tournament will feature teams from Egypt, UK, Botswana, South Africa, Ghana and eleven local teams from all the regions in Nigeria. The Confederation of African Rugby on Friday awarded Zimbabwe the right to host the 2014

CAR Men Sevens tournament which will take place on November 29 and 30 in Harare, Zimbabwe. The tournament will be held at the Harare Sports Club and it would see 12 countries battle for honours. They are Kenya, Uganda, Tunisia, Nigeria, Madagascar, Namibia, Botswana, Senegal, Zambia, Ivory Coast, South Africa and the hosts Zimbabwe. CAR awarded Zimbabwe the rights as a unanimous decision after Africa’s governing body had expressed its approval of the union’s development and administration structures. CAR had its representative Jean Luc Barthes in the country a month ago and he said he was impressed with the progress the country had made in its mandate to effectively run the game of rugby.

ionel Messi was left to rue Argentina’s defensive errors as his team went down 2-0 to Brazil in the Gillette Superclasico de las Americas at the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing on Saturday. Brazil striker Diego Tardelli scored both goals of the game, first capatalising on a mishap from Federico Fernandez and Pablo Zabaleta to volley the Selecao into the lead and then finding himself unmarked to convert a second-half corner. Messi himself missed the opportunity to draw level when his penalty was saved by Jefferson shortly before the break. “The match was decided by two of our mistakes,” Messi said. “First for the first goal and then I failed from a penalty.” The match in China was new coach Gerardo Martino’s first with his own squad, after he led Argentina to a 4-2 victory over Germany last month with the same squad that finished runners-up at the World Cup.

NB International Chess Open: Adeyemi applauds sponsors

he president of the Nigeria Chess Federation, NCF, Mr. Lekan Adeyemi, has applauded the management of the Nigerian Breweries Plc for their steadfastness in ensuring that the cerebral game does not die in the country. Adeyemi said yesterday in Lagos that the contribution of NB Plc to the sustenance of Chess in Nigeria has been profitable as the country’s rating at the international federation soared in the last two years. He expressed the gratitude of the board of the NCF to NB Plc particularly as the total prize money for the 37th edition of the NB International Chess Open has been increased tremendously from N1.5million to N2.5million in one year. “We are particularly glad with the upward increment in the prize monies which to me will encourage further participation of the players who have been calling for an upward review in the incentives. But like Oliver Twist, we can always press for more so as to encourage strong players on the continent of Africa and Europe in the next few years,” he noted. Adeyemi also revealed that for the Open Championship which begins at the Molade Okoya Sports Hall inside the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos from October 16 to 19, some Nigerian star musicians would be given the opportunity to play in the opening ceremonial games a move which he said would give the competition glamour. The competition would be a nine-round Swiss event paring with the star prize winner in the Master category going home with N400, 000, second N150, 000, third and fourth N100, 000 and N50 respectively.

NEW TELEGRAPH ON SUNDAY OCTOBER 12, 2014

Consensus is not antithetical to democracy

onsensus, according to the Merriam-Webmaster, the web dictionary, is a general agreement about something; an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group. It also defines the word as group solidarity in sentiment and belief. Last Sunday, The Guardian ran a report by its Enugu Correspondent Lawrence Njoku on the recent adoption of Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi by the Enugu Chapter of the ruling PDP as the party’s consensus candidate for next year’s governorship election in the state. Apart from the hearsay reference to ships and all that, the story read quite well, indeed. But, according to a local wisecrack, once there is a BUT in a narrative, it cannot be wholesome again. For the purpose of this write-up, the BUT in the story is the claim by a group, the League of Enugu Voters for Good Governance (LEVGG) that the September 26 adoption of Hon. Ugwuanyi by the Enugu-North PDP and his subsequent validation by Enugu East and West zonal chapters as the party’s consensus candidate for next year’s governorship election, was undemocratic. In a statement signed by its chairman, Robinson Chukwuemeka and secretary Manifest Obioma, the group declared that the “so-called consensus option has forced other well- meaning aspirants on the party platform to shut up their mouth and resign to fate, albeit man-made. The result is that the larger people of Enugu State are forced with a choice made by one of three senatorial zones. While there is no question as to the right of Nsukka Zone to produce the next governor of Enugu State in 2015, that right does not extend to imposing an aspirant on the other two zones. The presentation to Enugu East Zonal Caucus on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 and Enugu West Zonal Caucus for Friday, October 1, do not (sic) and cannot validate the otherwise undemocratic methodology already adopted by the PDP.” While LEVGG’s argument may be eloquent, it unfortunately proceeds from some false premises. One, the claim that consensus as a ‘methodology’ for selecting a candidate for election by a political party is undemocratic is wrong. By its very definition, consensus is a very valid tool for democratic decision-making. If consensus means an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group, then it stands to reason that that opinion would be shared only after members of the group must have weighed the pros and cons of an issue and come to the conclusion that an agreement on such an issue serves their collective interest better. So, reaching a consensus on who is to bear its flag in an election does not in any way detract from the principles of internal democracy in a political party. Two, LEVGG argues that to allow Enugu North to produce a consensus candidate is to let the zone impose its candidate on the rest of the state and that it does not even matter that Enugu East and Enugu West have validated that choice. This is wrong-headed, in my view. Would the cause of democracy be better served in Enugu State, in LEVGG’s estimation, if the state were to organize an inevitably raucous, costly primary, with chaos and mayhem possibly in tow, just for the world to see and say, ‘yes the candidate is the product of a primary election?’ Or would it better served if stakeholders came together and unanimously agreed to present a consensus candidate, to save the state the bitterness and acrimony that that often come with primary elections in these parts? In any case, going by media reports, what happened in Enugu on September 26 cannot be reasonably equated to an imposition. According to the reports, all 14 governorship aspirants from Enugu North were invited to a meeting at the Governor’s Lodge, Enugu, with Gover-

Guest Columnist JohnPaul Ezeaku

Jonathan

Chime

Ugwuanyi

Mu’azu

“In any case, going by media reports, what happened in Enugu on September 26 cannot be reasonably equated to an imposition. According to the reports, all 14 governorship aspirants from Enugu North were invited to a meeting at the Governor’s Lodge, Enugu, with Governor Chime and all the party stakeholders from the zone” nor Chime and all the party stakeholders from the zone. At the meeting, the issue of choosing a consensus candidate so as

to make the up-coming primaries less rancorous was broached. Some of the aspirants initially objected to the idea and said so. But, after listening to contributions from other stakeholders, they became sold on the idea. One of the aspirants, Chief Fidel Ayogu, former Nigerian Ambassador to Uganda, reportedly nominated Hon. Ugwuanyi and then moved a motion for his adoption as the consensus candidate of the Enugu North chapter of the party, who would be presented to the state PDP Exco for ratification as the candidate to be supported by delegates to win the party primary slated for November 29 this year. The ayes had it. What could be more democratic than this? To be sure, the Enugu PDP only took a pre-primary action designed principally to prune down the number of governorship aspirants from Enugu North to which it has zoned the 2015 governorship. This is with a view to reducing the chances of acrimony and bitterness down the party line that could result from a laissez faire primary election featuring all 14 aspirants and their supporters. As Governor Chime clarified in an interview published in several newspapers last week,

the adoption of Hon. Ugwuanyi has not at all violated the PDP Constitution because it has not come as a substitute for party primary. When the primary election holds on November 29, Ugwuanyi will still be slugging it out with Senator Ayogu Eze, Hon. Eugene Odo and Chinedu Onuh, the three aspirants who didn’t step or haven’t stepped down for him, for the party’s ticket for the governorship election Enugu State in February next year. Those who criticize the democratic process in Enugu fail to see the larger picture in what has taken place, namely, that through deft party organization and management, the PDP leadership in the coal-city state has managed to put in place a sustainable party structure that has made the chapter probably the strongest and most peaceful of all the state chapters. The party is so well organized in the state—from the ward, local government, zonal to the state level—that Enugu is easily the only state in the country where no opposition party has had any strong footing, especially since 2007. This is because every decision taken by the party, every favour dispensed by it through the government machinery, every membership obligation discharged by stakeholders, is almost always just, equitable and fair. Isn’t it cause for applause that while the party in other states of the South East and parts of the South South are in crisis, that of Enugu is 99.9 per cent intact and at peace with itself? What is better in political calculations—in these parts—than a ruling party without an iota of crisis, which inspires a sense of belonging in every segment of the society and which gives practical expression to the vision of its founding fathers through its accent on justice, equity and fair play as the cardinal principles of governance? The disavowal of consensus candidacy by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP is a mere academic exercise and, indeed, senseless and hypocritical. It is akin to shooting oneself in the foot. Let’s face it, every candidate selection process that the PDP has undergone since its founding has been defined by consensus arrangement one way or the other. Right from Obasanjo’s candidacy, through Yar’Adua to Jonathan, party stakeholders had practically settled the matter of who would fly the party flag for the presidential election before television beamed the charade called party primary taking place in Eagle Square live to our homes. And, pray, what manner of primaries and subsequent elections brought some of the governors to power? Truth is that the only difference between what Enugu has done and what the NWC of the PDP often does is that the former is more sincere and less costly while the latter is largely hypocritical and outlandishly wasteful. But no matter. Suffice it, however, is to say that National Secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo’s preachment about the sanctity of the party’s nomination process is a mere academic exercise. He should stop wasting his time because even if his NWC manages to force party stakeholders in Enugu to verbally recant their adoption of Honourable Ugwuanyi, their hearts sure will not recant it. From the language of Oladipo’s press release, especially the aspect about not hesitating “to protect any of our members who in anyway stands to be short-changed, cheated or victimized…,” it is obvious where all this is coming from. But, he should beware of allowing himself to be used by frustrated pretenders to the throne who can’t live down the fact that they have been beaten by more popular, widely acceptable contestants, to cause crisis in an otherwise peaceful and progressive chapter. After all, consensus, especially the Enugu variant, is not antithetical to democracy! • Ezeaku, a public affairs commentator sent this piece from Enugu-Ezike, Enugu State.

SPORT

AWC 2014: Falcons good for ninth title - Dilichukwu

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

}59

FAITH

Sanctity of Truth

N150

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2014.

Why we have good and bad Christians – Adebiyi }52

The Nigerian project

project is a planned endeavour, often with a specific and predetermined goal in sight, but accomplished in several stages or phases. “The Nigerian Project” is a weekly column that discusses how to retool, re-engineer and refurbish the contraption called Nigeria. Nigeria is a country in a state of flux, nascent, inchoate and like clay, waiting to be moulded into any shape, by their midwives (leaders and led). WHY THE NIGERIAN PROJECT? In commencing this weekly column, so many titles simultaneously assailed me for picks: “The patriot”, “My world”, “My dreams”, “The truth”, “Hard facts”, “Cold facts”, “The pact”, “Full circle”, “Rainbow coalition”, “My submission”, “Mike Ozekhome on Sunday”, “Mike Ozekhome’s World”, or simply “Mike Ozekhome”. CHOICE BY ELIMINATION I went through the long, tortuous process of choice by elimination. “The Patriot”, a good title. But, many will argue that I am not the only Nigerian Patriot; So, why appropriate it solely to myself? “My World”, or “Mike Ozekhome’s World” appears too narrow. Can easily be read as attempting to impose my World views on others: So, eliminated. “My Pact”. Pact with whom, where, why, how, when and for what? Dismissed. “Hard facts”, or “Cold facts”. Very good. But, sounded to me too legalistic. The same reason I annulled (pardon me, IBB) “My submission”. “Full circle”: a little too literary, too movie-related. “Rainbow Coalition”. Won’t people think I am appropriating Jesse Jackson’s “rainbow coalition” concept with which he attempted severally, but futility to be American President? Dropped. I was left to battle with “Mike Ozekhome on Sunday”, or simply, “Mike Ozekhome”. None possessed the kind of gravitas, or effervescence, or panache I desired. After all, the column is written by me, Mike Ozekhome. And it is done on Sundays. It will therefore be otiose or tautologous to repeat my name as many columnists do. Therefore, shoved aside. “The Nigerian project” therefore appeals to me. It is a project worth dying for. All my life, I have fought for a true Nigerian project, a project owned by us all. A project in which we are proud, can identify with, can emphathise with, can relate with, can appropriate as ours, individually and collectively. I have fought for it, crusaded for it, and defended it, with uncommon passion, zeal, zest, nerve and verve. Yes, it is self-evident. THE BEAUTY OF NIGERIA Nigeria is a beautiful country crafted together by Lord Lugard on January 1, 1914. But some fatalists believe it was moulded together by God. But Nigeria would have been a greater Country by now if her citizens had not wantonly abused her, partitioning her into fiefdoms, for the sole purpose of sharing her booty, sharing the national cake, not about baking it. From age to age, since the 1898 Selbourne Commission’s report, through the 1922 Clifford’s Constitution, the 1946 Arthur Richard’s, 1951 Macpherson’s, 1954 Littleton’s, 1960 Independence, 1963 Republican, 1979, 1989 (unused) and now serially amended 1999 Federal (is this real?) Constitutions, the goal has been similar, the actors known and the methodology predictable: share the national cake. From the forgotten oil wells of Oloibiri, (first discovered in 1956) down to the rocky (Olumo Rock) terrain of Abeokuta, the serenity and temperateness of the Mambilla Plateau, the steep hills and deep caves of Abakaliki, the River Niger of Agenebode, the serene and

The

Nigerian Project

MIKE OZEKHOME san “The sleazily corrupt political elite and their collaborators both in the military and civil populace grandstand about their God-given right to pillage our national treasury and loot our common wealth” occasionally uproarious and tempestuous lagoon of Lagos, the hot desert and undulating sand dunes of Sokoto, Katsina, Birni Kebbi and Potiskum from the delicate swamps and mangroves of Amasoma and Gelegele, and the dense rubber and timber jungles of Sapele and Benin, the story is the same: share the national cake. Who bakes this cake, no one answers. No one cares. No one wants to care. No one cares to know. The sleazily corrupt political elite and their collaborators both in the military and civil populace grandstand about their Godgiven right to pillage our national treasury and loot our common wealth. They swear it is their inalienable right to roughen it over the down-trodden, the Frantz Fanon’s “wretched of the Earth”. They beat drums of war, chant expletives of hate and sloganeer religious bigotry cultural diversity, status segregation and gender inequality. This select few claims that its destiny lies in kicking the asses of already vanquished and prostrate Nigerians who feed on crumbs that trickle down from their golden tables, while their sons and daughters lazy away in ivy league institutions abroad, massaging their over bloated egos and bodies, metaphorically, literally and matter-of-factly, with the tears, pains, pangs and blood of fellow Nigerians. Haba! It is a great shame on these people who trample on the fundamental rights of others to enjoy the good life and store in barns (for generations up to the 6th), filthy wealth and smelly lucre. Do they remember God? Do they harbor any milk of human kindness? Or, like Lady Macbeth, have they replaced their milk of human kindness with odious, putrid gall?

MAMA LASISI

mike.ozekhome@yahoo.com

Do they ever remember that everyone, both rich and poor, will one day end up a mere six feet below mother earth. I write from the vantage position of a patriot, unrepentant nationalist, fired by the unquenchable embers of my love and passion for my country. The love which found me (and others of like mind) in the deep trenches against successive military juntas in Nigeria for the better part of my youth. Yes, the love that got me harassed, detained, tormented, intimidated, tear gassed, denied, oppressed, beaten and despised by successive military dictatorships. I led and at other times, joined other pro-democracy crusaders to defend the heart and soul of Nigeria, demonstrating, rallying, protesting, walking, sweating, clapping running, protesting, sitting, leafleteering, pamphleteering, meeting, writing, and singing, for Nigeria. Where was the present crop of political and military elites when a few of us patriots staked our very lives for the redemption of this our dear country? MY ONLY REGRET One regret I have in life, only one though. I will tell you: We continued the war against military tyranny with other human rights and pro-democracy activities, even after we had won, not just the battles, but the war. We fought on like Trojans. We did not even realise that the war was over, that we had won. Then suddenly from nowhere, emerged some “otokotos” (ritualists), some nepotists, some separatists, tribal warlords, some ethnic jingoists and chauvinists, business buccaneers, some religious bigots and extremists, some “419ners” (fraudsters), some drug peddlers, some turncoats, historical revisionists and some of those that major Kaduna Nzeogwu Chukwuma ( in his January 15, 1966 military putsch) figuratively referred to as “Ministers and VIPs of waste, the ten percenters and those that make the country look big for nothing before international circles”. This cabal emerged to pillage the “booty” of war. That is why many of them are undemocratic, for they know not what it means to fight for democracy, Rule of Law, or human rights. There is no shred, fibre or drop of democratic blood in their vein. Some of them are political buccaneers with the gluttonous acquisitive instincts of greedy squirrels. Like Bacchus, the god of wine, their bacchanalian propensity to acquire

material wealth is insatiable. Very few of them are honest, patriotic and nationalistic. For many of them, the fluid of democracy does not run in their over pampered bodies. Some of them have never heard of Abraham Lincoln and his 1863 “Gettysburg Declaration” of what democracy is all about: “this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people and by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth”. I shall, week after week, discuss this project called Nigeria from different angles, perspectives and times. True enough, Nigeria is a colonial contraption. It was a young lady by name Miss Flora Shaw, who in an article she wrote in the London Financial times as a correspondent in 1896, referred to this part of Africa as “Niger area”. This was later corrupted to be “Nigeria”. No wonder, Ahmadu Bello, the great Sardauna of Sokoto once referred to Nigeria as “a piece of historical mistake”, while the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in turn described Nigeria as “a piece of geographical expression”. WHAT IS TO BE DONE However, we must never give up in our attempt to help salvage Nigeria to attain true nationhood. This project must become a reality. We must take Nigeria (even though a contraption), to the promised land, the land laden with milk and honey, where justice, fairness, equality, egalitarianism, tolerance and mutual respect for one another reign supreme. This is my pact with Nigeria and Nigerians. In this self-appointed mission, feathers may be ruffled, toes marched and egos bruised. Some will yield to gnashing of teeth and some to lachrymal effusion. I shall leave no stone unturned and no turn unstoned in fighting for the realization of our collective dream Nigeria. So, help me God. WHAT THIS COLUMN WILL NOT DO Those who believe that my column will simply descend on the President of Nigeria and abuse him with the usual expletives of cluelessness (whatsoever that means), will be greatly disappointed. Those who conjecture that my weekly discourse will simply praise or lampoon the PDP, or the main opposition APC, or run down their leaders should look out for other columnists, for they will be greatly disappointed. The case must be so tough, the stakes so high, and some personalities so inextricably interwoven with the issues being Xrayed, before I will discuss personalities. I will discuss personalities vis-à-vis the issues. I will welcome reactions to this column, publish as many as space permits. But I will not welcome or publish sheer abuse, insults, expletives, or vulgarity, against any Nigerian. Focus on the issues and let us collectively move Nigeria forward. Finally, Welcome on board, Fellow Compatriots.

By Aliu Eroje

Printed and Published by Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Ltd: Head Office: No. 1A, Ajumobi Street, Off ACME Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja-Lagos. Tel: +234 1-2219496, 2219498. Abuja Office: Orji Kalu House, Plot 322, by Banex Junction, Mabushi, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Advert Hotline: 01-8541248, Email: info@newtelegraphonline.com Website: www.newtelegraphonline.com ISSN 2354-4317 Editor: EMEKA MADUNAGU.