21 dec 2014

SUNDAY SATURDAY

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Vol. 1 No. 306

Sanctity of Truth

/newtelegraph

N150

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Uba Brothers

Siblings torn apart by political ambition } 11

ANDY

UGOCHUKWU

CHRIS

Soldiers manhandle Dora Akunyili’s ex-aide in Abuja }7 Disquiet over Ekiti APC lawmakers' sitting }7

Fallout of VP slot

BUHARI, TINUBU BEG ATIKU, GOVS lParty leaders avert revolt

No going back on rerun primaries, says Obanikoro }35

}6

lOffer last-minute concessions

FALL OF THE ‘TIN GODS’ How PDP, APC governors lost out in 2015 power tussle l T he NGF connection }5 l New power blocs emerge

Why I don’t have any tattoo on my body - Empress Njamah

} 17

} 32

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Contents | 21.12.14 BODY & SOUL

Infertility: Take Action Couples faced with infertility issues should acquire knowledge, stay positive and take action

}18

POLITICS

Furore over seven warships Alleged importation of warships by a former militant leader raises security concerns ahead of 2015 elections

}31

BUSINESS

2015 budget risks failure Allocation of about 70 per cent of 2015 budget to recurrent expenditure will make government’s plan to diversify economy, a mission impossible

}23

FAITH

Unusual Catholic Priest Though rejected by the Catholic Church, Rev. Modestus Chilaka’s adoration arena in Mbano, Imo State has become pilgrims spot

}51

SPORT

‘Ajunwa should apologise’ For bungling the activities of the Appeals’ Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation, Barrister Okechukwu Ajunwa owes the country an apology

}59

Editorial

T

Creating tomorrow for today’s children

he United Nations Children Emergency Fund has described 2014 as a year of horror, fear and extreme violence for millions of children across the world. Specifically, the fund said 230 million children currently live in countries and areas affected by armed conflicts. The UNICEF, in a statement, listed abductions, rape, human trafficking and the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease as some of the occurrences in the year with crushing effects on the well -being of children around the world.

UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake, said, “This has been a devastating year for millions of children. Children have been killed while studying in the classroom and while sleeping in their beds; they have been orphaned, kidnapped, tortured, recruited, raped and even sold as slaves. Never in recent memory have so many children been subjected to such unspeakable brutality.’’ Lake noted that as many as 15 million children were caught up in violent conflicts in the Central African Republic, Iraq, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and the State of Palestine. He also lamented that 25 years after the Convention on the Rights of the Child was established, violence and trauma against children had continued to escalate.

He said, “It is sadly ironic that in this 25th anniversary year of the Convention on the Rights of the Child when we have been able to celebrate so much progress for children globally, the rights of so many millions of other children have been so brutally violated. “Violence and trauma do more than harm individual childrenthey undermine the strength of societies.

The world can and must do more to make 2015 a much-better year for every child.

For every child who grows up strong, safe, healthy and educated is a child who can go on to contribute to her own, her family’s, her community’s, her nation’s and indeed, to our common future.’’

According to a Human Rights Watch press release issued on July 15, 2014, Boko Haram insurgents have killed more than 2,053 civilians in an estimated 95 attacks since the start of 2014. The intensity of the violence has led some bodies, including the International Criminal Court (ICC), Amnesty International, and Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), to declare a non-international armed conflict in the north east Nigeria.

The Nigerian Child is at the lowest rung of the ladder in all human development index reports. According to UNESCO figures,

about 10.5 million Nigerian schoolchildren are presently out of school. Look around you. You will find them everywhere.

They form the bulk of Almajiris roaming the streets of Northern Nigeria. The Boko Haram menace has added another layer of misery to the violence Nigerian children suffer daily. The children suffer untold violence and trauma. They are not in school because their classrooms have been destroyed by insurgents who consider western education as a taboo. In the Southern part of the country, school age children roam the streets and are trafficked daily across Nigerian borders to work in harrowing conditions. The Nigerian Child is also subjected to physical violence and rape.

Every day in Nigeria, physical and sexual abuse, torture and maltreatment are perpetrated by parents, guardians and other adults in care of the child. The reported cases of sexual abuse of minors have also increased in recent times.

These and many more make our country very dangerous for the children. The infant mortality rate and several health reports have placed Nigerian children at a precarious state of health. For example, a recent report confirmed that four out of every 10 children born in Nigeria may not live up to the age of five. If he or she is not killed by malaria or polio and other avoidable diseases, he could be improperly diagnosed and might die of medical negligence in public hospitals. This lack of care is prevalent in many of our public hospitals today. Violence done to the Nigerian Child negates international agreements, charters and treaties which our country is signatory to. For example, Nigeria is one of the few countries that will not meet the Millennium Development Goals in education.

In 2000, Nigeria joined the countries that made a global pledge at the World Education Forum. The Millennium Development Education for All project mandates all state parties to educate all their school age children by 2015. It is now officially clear that our country will not meet the target. This is in spite of huge resources committed to basic education in the last 13 years. It is indeed shameful that countries with fewer resources such as Benin and Togo have met the target already.

Undoubtedly, children are the leaders of tomorrow, hence their future must be properly secured, to this end, government and all other relevant stakeholders must urgent resolve the plights and challenges confronting the children in our milieu.

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

Ag. Burea Chief, Abuja n Onwuka Nzeshi

Asst. Editor, News & Politics n Biyi Adegoroye

Business Development Manager n Taiwo Ahmed

Sales/Circulation Manager n Oyebanji Abiodun

Head, Graphics n Timothy Akinleye

Head, Admin. n Robinson Ezeh

Telegraph Adam&Eve

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21 DECEMBER, 2014

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

5

The Sunday Magazine SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014

Ameachi

Sule-Lamido

2015: Fall of the Governors T

Biyi Adegoroye hese are not the best of times for governors of the Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress, as their sphere of influence is steadily crashing.

Since 2003, the governors have been a force to reckon with, particularly in the PDP where then President Olusegun Obasanjo had to literally beg them to support his second term bid. At the time, his deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, had shown interest in running against him; therefore, it was the governors led by then governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, who decided the matter in favour of Obasanjo.

By the time the current transition terminates in May 2015, many of them will lapse into irrelevance in their respective states.

At the last count, not less than three of them had lost their senatorial bid, even as an equal number of them lost out in the power play which characterised the emergence of their successors. In Lagos State, Governor Babatunde Fashola’s prevarication over the choice of successor brought him face to face with the war chest of political manipulations of his predecessor and All Progressives Congress National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Similarly, Governor Martins Elechi of Ebonyi State is in a quandary, having been outsmarted by his deputy, Dave Umahi. Quite unusual for as deputy governor, Umahi emerged as the PDP governorship candidate in the state, against all projections that the governor’s candidate and former health minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, would carry the day. Umahi enjoyed the strong support of the Secretary to the Government of Federation, Pius Ayim.

Political analysts believe that the same scenario played out in Delta and Enugu states, where Governors Emmanuel Uduaghan and Sullivan Chime respectively capitulated under the political wizardry of rival power blocks. Chime lost his bid to replace incumbent Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, but managed to get his protégé, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, to pick the governorship ticket; albeit in controversial

circumstances.

Contrary to expectations where as party leader, he was in a position to determine who got what political office in the state, Chime was boxed into a corner in the power equation. The power struggle between Chime and Ekweremadu had all the trappings of a political warfare as the governor was not only bent on heading for the Senate but chose to zone the governorship seat to Enugu North to favour Ugwuanyi.

Asked how the peace deal was struck to save Chime’s face, a highly placed official of the State Executive Committee of the party said. “You know the deal was sealed in Abuja, and that the Presidency was directly involved. Once the governor was persuaded to shelve his ambition in return for several viable options that would still confer on him his outstanding authority as the leader of the party in the state, the problem was solved.”

Prodded further, he said juicy options were offered to Chime.

His words: “In the primaries, you know the governor had his way in producing 23 out of the 24 candidates for the state hosue of assembly.” Only Hon. Matthias Ekweremadu, who has actually done one term, came from the camp of the deputy senate president.

The source also said that the case of the governorship candidate was one quick factor for the resolution of the crisis. “Our governorship candidate, Ugwuanyi, was from the beginning acceptable to both Chime and Ekweremadu; not minding that it was the governor and stakeholders in his camp that chose him as their consensus candidate. So, since he was acceptable to both camps, and he is seen to be loved by the people across the state, the issue of governorship candidate was very easy to resolve by the factions.”

Chime was also asked to produce the senatorial candidate for Enugu North, which would be vacated next year by Senator Ayogu Eze. The senator emerged as governorship candidate at rival primaries in Enugu.

Chime’s immediate past Commissioner for Transport, Hon. Chuka Utazi, seen as the

governor’s preferred choice for the senatorial ticket, eventually emerged. Such was the negotiation that gave Chime a respite, unlike a situation where he would have had a free hand to take all.

A worse scenario played out in Delta State, where Uduaghan rolled out state machinery behind his choice candidate, Tony Obuh, who retired as Permanent Secretary at the Government House. Uduaghan’s political brinksmanship hit the rocks the moment he became indecisive on whom to choose between Obuh, an indigene of Delta North and Chief David Edevbie, a former commissioner for finance under Ibori and an Urhobo from Delta Central.

The governor’s last-minute withdrawal of support for Obuh, a frontline aspirant among 24 others, created an upset that triggered negative reactions from major stakeholders in the politics of the state.

The governor, Sunday New Telegraph gathered, allegedly had no intention of backing a candidate from Delta North. Sources said that even when he played up Obuh, he had allegedly agreed with the Urhobo Political Union, an apex decision making body in Delta Central, to secretly back Edevbie. .But Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, a leading aspirant in the race, whose political structures since the return of democracy in 1999 were established in all the local governments of the state against all odds, was unperturbed. He trudged on with his campaigns and consultations, until he demystified the governor and picked the PDP ticket.

Okowa consulted with all the chairmen of the party in the state since 1999, including Capt. Pius Sinebe (retd.) and his successor, Chief Emmanuel Ogidi, who have since been relegated to the background in the politics of the state. Both men reportedly mustered support for him.

Okowa went further to pitch tent with Uduaghan’s political opponent in his senatorial bid, Senator James Manager. The sitting senator mobilised voters for Okowa in the Ijaw

area of the state, thus enabling him to garner 406 votes during the governorship primaries.

While the Itsekiri and Urhobo hearkened to the directive of the governor and backed Edevbie, who scored 299, the Ijaw, who stood behind Manager, as well as Okowa’s Anioma kinsmen in Delta North and few others, cast their votes for the sitting senator.

Besides that, the support the former Special Adviser to Governor Uduaghan on Security Matters, Sir Michael Diden Ejele, mustered for Okowa in Delta Central also saw to his victory. Ejele used his political pressure group, the Delta Political Vanguard, to campaign vigorously for Okowa in Urhoboland; hence, Okowa was able to capture some delegates from the district to vote for him during the primaries.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was the fast-footed politics Okowa played against Uduaghan. While the governor was in the corridor of power in Government House, Asaba, issuing directives on his preferred aspirant, Okowa opted for a door-to-door campaign. The last-minute campaign culminated in the protest votes the governor’s candidate got at the primaries.

It was obvious that the electorate had become tired of backing anointed candidates of godfathers; hence, they took their destiny in their hands. They actually betrayed the confidence the governor reposed in them by voting for Okowa.

Another minus for governors While a huge number of the governors lost out in the bid to remain highly relevant in their states after the 2015 elections, some of them failed to actualise their presidential ambition. A case in point was Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, who buried his ambition in submission to party supremacy.

Ibrahim Shema, who was angling to replace Vice-President Namadi Sambo as President Goodluck Jonathan’s running mate, was advised by the party leadership to pick a Senate ticket. Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State and Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, who were said to CO NTINUED O N PAGE 12

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SUNDAY 21 DECEMBER, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

News

T

Ahaoma Kanu

he presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, MajGen. Muhammadu Buhari, and the National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, have initiated moves to pacify aggrieved top members of the party over the choice of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as the vice-presidential candidate.

Sunday New Telegraph learnt that there was disquiet in the party following Tinubu’s insistence on nominating Osinbajo as Buhari’s running mate.

Particularly miffed were the APC governors, who felt that their contributions and sacrifices were not considered in the process leading to the emergence of Osinbajo.

Although only two APC governors, Owelle Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, contested for the

Buhari, Tinubu beg Atiku, APC govs presidential ticket with Buhari, the governors of Rivers and Edo states, Rotimi Amaechi and Adams Oshiomhole respectively, were said to have shown interest in becoming the vice-presidential candidate.

Also, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, as well as the immediate past governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, were tipped to pick the slot.

There were reports that Tinubu was considered at a stage but had to withdraw due to the likely negative perception of a Muslim – Muslim ticket.

Another source of disquiet was the fact that Tinubu’s perceived ‘overbearing posture’ denied the governors the opportunity of producing the party’s national chairman. Though they backed former gover-

nor of Bayela State, Timipre Sylva, the national leader eventually had his way by ensuring victory for his candidate, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

Kwakwanso was also said to have been aggrieved that his funding of the party’s Northern chapters had not been acknowledged by the leadership.

Some of the governors openly threatened to stop funding the party because they were no longer comfortable with Tinubu’s posture.

They said that since they supported Buhari’s election, they ought to have been allowed to produce his running mate.

Party sources said the emergence of Osinbajo almost led to a revolt spearheaded by former Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

The party’s leadership moved in swiftly to quench the tension by reaching out to one of the defeated presidential aspirants, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

It was in a bid to douse the tension that Amaechi was offered the position of director-general of Buhari’s campaign organisation.

Also, the party had to adjust its projections to offer Saraki the slot for Senate president if it produces the majority in the 2015 National Assembly elections.

Tinubu has reached out to some of the governors and pleaded with time to allow peace to reign. He also pleaded with them to work for the party’s interest.

Already, the former governor has met Atiku in company with the former national chairman, Chief Adebisi Akande, and Osun

State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, in Abuja on the future of the party.

Sunday New Telegraph learnt that Buhari has called all the governors on phone and personally met some of them, appealing for support.

A member of the APC National Working Committee, who did not want to be named, confirmed the ongoing reconciliation. The source also said the party leadership was aware of the discontent among major stakeholders the party and was doing its best to reconcile all aggrieved interests.

When contacted, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said he was not aware of the development and therefore would not react to it.

But Governor Rochas Okorocha said does not believe in looking back but moving on. His Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, said their focus is not

on how anybody emerged but on the ability of the candidates to deliver.

“You will recall that Owelle had made a speech accepting the outcome of the presidential primaries and promised to work in the interest of the party. How Buhari emerged is inconsequential, the question should be if he can deliver on the aspirations of the people. And we are saying the same for the vice-presidential candidate, Prof.

Yemi Osinbajo. Our focus is not on who influenced what or on how they emerged; our focus is on the character of the candidates and their ability to deliver on the APC mandate.

“Osinbajo, for instance, is a well groomed leader of men who can hold his ground with integrity. And if indeed the governors really wanted anybody different from the people who emerged, they would have influenced that. However, this is not the appropriate time to cast blame,” he said.

APC to Dankwambo: Respect opposition Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

A All for Christmas in Lagos…yesterday

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Soldiers kill 110 Boko Haram terrorists in Damboa Ahmed Miringa

O Maiduguri

ver 110 Boko Haram terrorists were on Friday killed in Damboa, the headquarters of Damboa local Government Area of Borno State when they attacked the town.

A security source who does not want his name in print told our correspondent that the insurgents who came mostly in black uniforms, used cattle as their shield. He said they were quickly discovered and killed.

“We rounded them up and killed them all, as there was no escape route for them. We killed over 100 of them, while their vehicles and motorcycles were destroyed,” the source said.

A resident of the area, Alhaji Mohammed Bulama, told Sunday New Telegraph that “the incident

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

occurred around 1:35p.m when we are about to start Jumat (Friday congregational prayer). Suddenly, we started hearing gunshots and quickly returned to our homes. It was the youth vigilantes and soldiers who quickly responded.”

He added, “The insurgent who came with herds of cattle as their frontiers, when they started shooting.

They killed three civilians before the military and the Civilian JTF quickly rounded them up, killing over 110 of them as well as the cattle.”

He said some residents of the town, who sustained bullet wounds, had been moved to Biu General Hospital for treatment.

Security sources said the terrorists actually ran into an ambush laid by soldiers between Maiduguri and Damboa, adding that the ongoing mop-up operation would determine the

number of the terrorists who died in the encounter.

The clash followed the troops’ move to stop the terrorists who were in the process of attacking the engineers working to restore power to parts of Borno State.

A large number of the terrorists died in the process while their improvised explosive device-laden Hilux truck was destroyed.

When contacted, Defence spokesman, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, confirmed the incident but insisted that the exact casualty figures were still being ascertained.

During the encounter, the troops also captured a Hilux vehicle earlier stolen by the terrorists from the Borno State Ministry of Education, which they had repainted and mounted with an ant-aircraft gun.

Other weapons recovered by troops include rocket propelled grenades and rifles. Two soldiers, how-

ever, died in the encounter.

In a similar development, military engineers, who have been clearing terrorists’ IEDs and effecting repairs on bridges, repelled an attack while working on a bridge around Husara.

Several terrorists also died in the encounter. A total of four General Purpose Machine Guns, three rifles and two Rocket Propelled Grenade Launchers were captured from the terrorists during the encounter.

One soldier, however, died while three others were wounded in the encounter.

Meanwhile in Adamawa State, troops continued with the conduct of land patrol of towns of Mubi, Uba, Garkida, Muva and others towns and villages as they advanced through coordinated air and land operations in furtherance of the counterterrorism campaign.

ll Progressives Congress yesterday called on Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, to be tolerant to political opposition, while condemning his alleged assault on the families of a former governor of the state, Senator Danjuma Goje.

According to APC, Dankwambo has been working hard to obliterate the APC’s presence and has also been victimising the party’s members in the state.

In a statement issued yesterday in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the governor’s actions when he visited Goje’s hometown, Kashere, on Thursday were “despicable and barbaric,” and should be condemned by all right thinking people.

The party said, “‘During his visit, Governor Dankwambo personally ordered the removal of all APC billboards and posters in the town, ordered the police and the army to break into Senator Goje’s family house, where they broke down doors, teargassed and arrested his relations, including children. “‘The governor also ordered the same security forces to break into the family house of Senator Goje’s wife, where they similarly destroyed doors and teargassed the occupants, including the 90-year-old father of Senator Goje’s wife

and the senator’s wife’s 70-year-old stepmother, while all her sisters and brothers were arrested.

“All those arrested, numbering over 50, are now being detained at the police headquarters in the state capital, Gombe, while the governor has also ordered the arrest of anyone who tries to secure bail for those in detention. In Gombe town, the governor has gone further to order the police to remove all APC billboards and posters in the town. In order words, as far as the governor is concerned, it is a criminal offence for anyone to belong to the APC in his state. “‘This is intolerance of the highest order and negates the tenets of democracy. It is important for the governor’s party, the PDP, which has been professing political tolerance, to call the emerging little dictator to order before he destroys the state in a fit of primaeval rage.”

“It is also uncharitable and brazen of the governor to have treated his predecessor the way and manner he has treated Senator Goje. How will he feel if his successor treats him the same way, for no other reason than his choice of which party to belong to?” the party wondered, urging Dankwambo to toe the path of decency and tolerance henceforth.

Attempts to obtain a reaction from the governor’s aides were unsuccessful.

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NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY 21 DECEMBER 2014

News

Disquiet in Ekiti over APC lawmakers’ sitting Adesina Wahab

S

Ado-Ekiti

ecurity agents in Ekiti State and government officials have started investigations into where the All Progressives Congress members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly on Friday held their plenary session.

They had at the session presided over by the Speaker, Adewale Omirin, announced the suspension of their Peoples Democratic Party counterparts.

Investigations by Sunday New Telegraph in Ado-Ekiti revealed that the claim by Omirin that they met at a location in Ado-Ekiti, is being investigated.

A security source said go-

ing by preliminary investigation, the meeting could not have held at any known event hall in Ado-Ekiti, but probably inside the hall of a private residential area or outside the state.

The position of the security agents is hinged on the fact that since early November that the crisis in the Assembly started, the 19 APC lawmakers have not been seen together as a group anywhere in the state.

Even during their brief encounter with journalists in Ikere-Ekiti few days after the crisis began, only 16 were presented, though Omirin said others were not present due to one reason or the other.

In government circles, it was gathered that the APC lawmakers are believed

to have met somewhere either in Osun State or Lagos State.

When contacted on phone, Omirin insisted the group met in Ado-Ekiti but refused to disclose the location of their meeting for security reasons.

“For security reasons, we could not sit in the chamber of the Assembly, since thugs have been mandated to attack us. Also, I cannot disclose to you where we sat, but it was in Ado-Ekiti.

We also reserve the right to sit anywhere the leadership of the Assembly deems it fit.

“That we are in court over the crisis in the House does not stop us from sitting and continuing our business.

And will not be deterred from performing our con-

stitutional duties,”Omirin said on the phone.

From the pictures of their sitting that Omirin sent to the email addresses of journalists, it was clear that they met inside a hall.

The assembly has been polarised into two factions, with the decision of seven PDP lawmakers to remove Omirin as their speaker and elect Dele Olugbemi in his stead.

Omirin is challenging his removal in court.

Meanwhile, the management of the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti has said the lawmakers did not meet anywhere in the institution and would not do so in the future.

The Public Relations Officer of the school, Mr. Bunmi Ajibade, in a statement said

from all available facts, the lawmakers did not meet in the school.

He said that in a reaction to the statement by Omirin that the subsequent meetings of his group would hold in the school.

Ajibade’s statement came despite the strong belief that Omirin’s statement was only a dummy.

The Special Assistant to the Ekiti State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, who reacted to the sitting of the APC lawmakers in a statement issued yesterday, said, “Having been abandoned by their Lagosbased party leaders, who had promised them Eldorado, the runaway lawmakers needed to make some noise in the media so as to

be noticed once again.

“The APC lawmakers dribbled themselves beyond the field of play by going to court to challenge Omirin’s impeachment.

Having done that, they ought to know that until the court decides on the case they filed, Omirin’s impeachment stands.”

Olayinka also said the admittance in some newspaper interviews by Omirin that the lawmakers were only given N200,000 each

by Governor Ayo Fayose to fuel their cars only indicated that they probably demanded some bribe from the governor.

Olugbemi had also said in an interview that the lawmakers (both APC and PDP) were given money thrice by Fayose.

Terrorism, not peculiar to Nigeria — Army Chief Ibraheem Musa Kaduna

C

hief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, yesterday said that terrorism is a global security threat which did not start in Nigeria.

Minimah, who was the Guest of Honour at the graduation of 151 Junior Armed Forces Officers of Course 78/2014 at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna State, also noted that many other countries of the world had had to contend with the same challenge in the past.

He said, “The global security environment of the

21st Century is becoming increasingly complex, with many national, regional and transnational threats that undermine national and international security across the regions, sub-regions and the entire landscape of the world. And of course Nigeria is not an exception.

“Many nations, including ours, have had to contend with asymmetric threats that are mostly intra-state in nature. Terrorism did not develop here; it only came here and we pray it will also pass through here and go to some other place where it is going.”

The Army chief, however, told the graduating

students who were drawn from the three services of the Nigerian Armed Forces and civil defence organisations, that much is expected from them in the nation’s efforts to rid its soil of terrorism, after their training.

He advised them to “brace up to this challenge with courage, conviction and in the most professional manner. Your ability to apply the skills learnt here is imperative, now that our nation is confronting an array of internal security challenges.”

Minimah commended the Directing Staff and Management of the college for transforming the officers

Soldiers manhandle Dora Akunyili’s ex-aide in Abuja U

nidentified soldiers yesterday manhandled Mrs. Mary Ikoku, a former aide to ex-Minister of Information, late Prof.

Dora Akunyili, in Abuja.

The aide, who raised the alarm about her ordeal in a post on her Facebook page, said she was being driven to the airport when her car was stopped at a military checkpoint on Bill Clinton Drive at 9.30a.m.

In the post, Ikoku said, “Lord Jesus! What kind of democracy is this? I have an 11 o’clock flight to catch out of Abuja. The driver picked me up from my hotel this morning at exactly 8.40am so I can arrive the airport on a good time. Got to Bill Clinton Drive close to the airport toll gate at exactly 9.30am but I just received a shocker. My

driver was stopped, and I had just got off the phone with my DG and received another call from a friend Jonathan Madu.

All of a sudden, in a rather scary and loud voice, the military man asked the driver to wind down the window of the back seat where I am seated.

“The driver obeyed, the next thing I heard was, ‘You! cut that call! In short, turn off your phone!’ He ordered me to cut the phone call. I told my caller to hold on so I can hear what is going on. I then told the man to please allow

me discharge my caller at the other end besides I really didn’t see how my call will affect their discussion with the driver. My friend who was listening at the other kept saying, ‘What has your call got to do with anything! What is the meaning of that?’ The man raised his gun, threatened me to turn off my call! I am terribly shaken.’

A report on 247ureport said she was later taken her to the police station at the airport in handcuffs. Speaking to the website, she said the soldiers nearly suffocated her in the back seat of the car.

Attempts to confirm if she was eventually released were unsuccessful as a Facebook message sent to her was not replied at press-time.

into very useful human resources for national development.

Earlier, the Commandant of AFCSC, Air Vice Marshal John Ifemeje said the 21week intense training and academic activities were designed to equip the of-

ficers with the appropriate skills to function as grade 3 Staff Officers and Junior Commanders in their various services and in tri-service establishments.

Among the 151 graduands were 59 Nigerian Army Officers; 45 Nigerian

Navy Officers; 28 Nigerian Air Force Officers; and 11 non-military officers from Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Department of State Services (DSS) and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

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News Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

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ormer governor Adebayo AlaoAkala of Oyo State has cautioned his successor, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, against claiming the achievements of his administration as part of his.

Alao-Akala said this against the alleged boasting by Ajimobi that the N3.8billion newly- inaugurated ultra-modern central abattoir at Amosun Village in Akinyele Local Government Area of the state was part of his administration’s achievements.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Don’t take credit for my work, Alao-Akala warns Ajimobi

Alao-Akala in a release signed by his Director of Public Affairs, Oludare Ogunlana, made available to Sunday New Telegraph in Ibadan, told Ajimobi and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), that it was time they stopped claiming glory for what they did not do.

Governor Ajimobi had,

at the commissioning last Thursday said that the construction of the abattoir was conceived by his administration.

He said that nothing could be more irresponsible than laying claim to what somebody did not do.

Describing the abattoir project as a triumph of truth over falsehood, Ogunlana

congratulated the people of the State, especially the butchers over the completion “after more than three years of abandonment by the administration which had earlier described the project as white elephant project”.

Ogunlana said that the falsehood being peddled by the Governor Ajimobi’s

administration would soon be put to shame, explaining that, “Not long ago, the Governor Ajimobi- led administration said that the Gate-Total Garden-UCHDandaru dualization project was his achievement when in actual fact, it was executed by the Otunba Adebayo Alao administration. Also, the disposal trucks which the incumbent

APC government flaunt as one of its achievements were purchased by the Akala administration. Though we believe government is a continuum, but the truth must be told always. Just like nobody can erase what former governors did, the achievements of the AlaoAkala regime are evident in every political zones in the State.

Fabiyi Tobi

all citizens within the state have access to wholesome drinking water by enforcing compliance through regulation of the production, distribution and supply of water within the state.

Koya emphasised that the major role of the Commission was to regulate the activities of all those engaged in the provision and supply of water and other services in the state.

Lagosians assured of quality water

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he Executive Secretary of Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, Mrs. Tanwa Koya, has assured Lagosians of access to good quality water.

She gave this assurance at a workshop organised to raise awareness on drinking water quality regulations.

She said the commission was poised to ensure that

Dankwambo promises to support Federal University L-R: Regional Head, Redington, Mr. Manoj Rajasekharan; Head, Business Development, Information Technology and Mobile, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Olumide Ojo; Sales Manager Redington, Mr. Vijay Bijlan and Product Manager Smartphone, Information Technology and Mobile, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Anish Mathew, at the unveiling of the new Samsung Smartphone Galaxy Series and premiere of Banky W in Lagos. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

A’Ibom 2015: Jubilant supporters receive Udom in Uyo Tony Anichebe Uyo

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t was celebration galore yesterday at the Akwa Ibom International Airport, Uyo as thousands of supporters and party faithful received the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, who arrived the state from Abuja shortly after being affirmed as the duly nominated candidate of the party.

An Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Hussein Baba Yusuf had vacated an ex parte injunction which had sought to restrain the PDP from submitting Udom’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Minutes after receiving the verdict of an Abuja High Court, spontaneous echoes of jubilation rented the air within the court premises in Abuja. The cry of victory reverberated across the 31 local government areas of the state, resulting in the unprecedented victory march to the State interna-

tional airport.

Addressing the crowd, he said he was bringing a message of hope to his supporters.

He said the future of Akwa Ibom is in the hands of the youths and expressed joy over their warm and assuring gesture to receive and celebrate him.

Udom noted that with the foundation laid by Governor Godswill Akpabio through uncommon transformation, the state was set for full industrialisation and sustainable development.

He maintained that he was prepared to take the state to the next level come 2015, adding that with his economic policy, the state would not be shaken irrespective of the trend in global market. Udom hinted that through their support, they have joined him in writing the cheque for the bank of development, industrialisation and better life for Akwa Ibom people.

He called on the people to continue supporting President Goodluck Jonathan on his agenda of transforming

Nigeria for the better. He was full of praises for Akpabio for providing a template for effective leadership.

A PDP gubernatorial aspirant, Chief Ime Ekanem, had approached an Abuja High Court and obtained an interim injunction restraining the PDP from forwarding the result of the Special State Congress held on December 8, 2014 for the purpose of producing a gubernatorial candidate in Akwa Ibom State.

But in his ruling on Friday which lasted about one hour, Justice Yusuf who discharged the earlier injunction held that the order was granted irregularly as there was no urgency for such order to have been granted.

Among those at the airport to receive Udom were the PDP senatorial candidate, Mr. Bassey Albert, the coordinator and executive officers of Akwa Ibom Consolidation Alliance, national and state assemblymen from the state, members of the State Executive Council as well as local government chairmen.

In their separate comments at the airport, they all maintained that the court verdict was a judicial confirmation of the decision of Akwa Ibom people.

They urged the aggrieved aspirants to sheathe their swords and join the winning team to deliver more dividends of democracy to the people of the state.

Ben Ngwakwe GOMBE

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ombe State Governor, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo has expresses his administration’s readiness to support the Federal University, Kashere in order to produce quality graduates from the institution.

Addressing the entire staff and students of the university in Kashere, Dandwambo emphasised that he has put highest premium on education development above other considerations, stressing that his administration will give 100 per cent support to the federal university to enable them carry out their researches and academic functions effectively.

He said that because of the high premium placed on education, his administration has established the State College of Education, Billiri, College of Legal and Islamic Studies, Nadafa, School of Remedial and Basic Studies, Kumo, State Polytechnic which is on board and other necessary support given to Gombe State University and Federal College of Education (Technical), Gombe with the view to produce quality and excellent graduates in the state.

The governor said he has ensure a conducive atmosphere and environment for the smooth operation of the socio-economic and political development to strive despite the challenges of meager resources.

Youths attack monarchs over N15bn fund Chris Ejim Yenagoa

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ngry youths from Odi in Bayelsa State yesterday attacked the town’s deputy traditional head, Chief Ebitimi Karuiru, and some other indigenes of the community over their alleged involvement in the sharing of N15 billion compensation paid by the Federal Government for the 1999 military invasion of the community.

The compensation was paid last month by the Federal Government in compliance with a court order that the sum of N35bn be paid

for the invasion and destruction of the community by the military under President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Sunday New Telegraph gathered that out of the initial N15bn paid, a total of 40 per cent was reportedly deducted at source by the consortium of lawyers engaged by the community.

The youths descended on the homes of some prominent elders of the community over their roles in the alleged disappearance of over N600m. They claimed that the sum was deducted by the Odi Invasion Case Committee headed by

some prominent indigenes as payment for their efforts to secure the compensation for the community.

The monarch was attacked with machetes while his car was set ablaze. The youths also marched through the town, searching for those identified as the beneficiaries of the missing N600m, including chiefs and notable government officials from the community.

An eyewitness said the halfclad youths moved to the community’s burial site and invoked curses on those accused of diverting the funds meant for affected families.

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NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

APC blasts INEC over PVCs in Niger Dan Atori, MINNA

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he All Progressive Congress, in Niger State has exposed alleged plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission to deny 70 per cent of voters in the state in the ongoing permanent voters card exercise.

The state shairman of the party Mr. Mohammed Jibrin Imam told journalists on Saturday in Minna that the party condemned the ongoing PVC exercise in the state by INEC, adding that “it is unacceptable and must be stepped down to give peace a chance in the state.

He said the idea of the PVC essentially is to reduce rigging and achieve credible results in the forth coming elections in the country but the none availability of the PVC materials create

suspicion and tension in the State.

Accordingly, he said “the exercise was designed to fail, disenfranchise seventy percent of Niger state people to give way for massive rigging by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“Niger State is made up of over three million voters going by what INEC released.

Only 11 local government areas which constitute 600,000 voters have PVC materials; and what it means is that the remaining 14 LGAs that have about 2,800,000 voters which is 70% would be left without PVC”.

Imam further stated that when INEC was confronted on the issue they said they had written to the INEC headquarters for ratification but as at the time of briefing newsmen nothing has been done.

Ngilari presents N100 billion budget

Ibrahim Abdul Yola

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overnor Bala Ngilari of Adamawa State has presented a budget estimate of about N100 billion for the 2015 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly.

Pesenting the budget christened “Budget of Consolidation and Hope,” the governor noted that strict fiscal measures will be employed to ensure its success.

Ngilari said that the sum of N45,821,260,800 would be derived from the statutory federal allocation, N15,981,709,400 from the value added tax, while the sum of N26,597,595,600 would be derived from capital receipts.

Ngilari noted that the budget is articulated on the current economic indicators of $65 per barrel, 7.9 per cent inflation rate and 10 per cent GDP projection economic growth rate.

He said that the sum of N58 billion has been earmarked as recurrent expenditure while N42 billion has been set aside for capital projects.

Ngilari said that stringent fiscal control mechanisms will be employed to ensure that all loopholes and leakages are blocked in order to ensure high performance of the budget.

Commenting, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, said they will

News

scrutinise the budget in order to expunge all loopholes before approving it.

He urged the government to expand its IGR base adding that the house will synergize with the state government to ensure that the IGR profile of the state is enhanced as a way of improving the economy of the state especially in view of the dwindling oil revenue that is currently prevailing at the international market.

One killed in police/ pirate shoot-out

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gun fight between men of the Rivers State Police command and sea pirates along Opobo Queen’s Town sea in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government on overt weekend claimed the life of one of the pirates.

Other members of the gang, according to the command’s spokesman, Ahmad Mohammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) managed to escape.

Mohammad, who spoke to reporters at the police headquarters along Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, noted that the pirates were robbing

traders on the water when a member of the public tipped off a team of police on patrol.

He disclosed that the police recovered a military General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), one G3 rifle, 85 rounds of live ammunition, five assorted phones and cash.

“At the end of the gun duel, one of the robbers was fatally wounded, while the others abandoned the operation and managed to escape,” he said, adding that the command had put in measures to battle crime during the festivity.

Journalist’s daughter needs N2.5m for surgery Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti daughter of an AdoEkiti-based journalist, Emmanuel Onwusor, Gracious Chiamaka, is now battling to stay alive after being diagnosed with a holein-the-heart. She needs the sum of N2.5 million undergo corrective surgery. She is 11 months old.

Gracious’ father is a journalist with the Nigerian Television Authority, Channel 5, Ado-Ekiti.

She was diagnosed of the defect shortly after birth and has since been taken to the University College Hospital, Ibadan, where she is presently at the intensive care unit.

According to the medical report signed by Dr Tosin Majekodunmi of the Tristate Cardiovascular Institute where she went on referral for comprehensive, she was diagnosed with AntrioVentricular Septal defect, a cardiac condition requiring

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correction. Baby Gracious who is the second child of her parents, who was born through caesarean section, did not give any sign of complication at birth, her condition later turned worse.

She started by manifesting symptoms of excessive sweating, inability to breathe and serious weight loss, following which her parents had to seek medical help where the damning revelation about her health status came to the fore.

Onwusoro is pleading with good Nigerians to help his family to overcome this serious challenge. “I have spent so much and sold valuables to take her this far and it will be a colossal and devastating blow for us to lose her at this stage”, Onwusoro said. Intending helpers are to contact Onwusoro on 08067207073, or send contributions to Emmanuel Onwusoro, UBA Bank, Account Number 2004071558.

L-R: Archbishop Samson Mustapha Benjamin; Lagos State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship candidate , Jimi Agbaje; Chairman, PDP Lagos Chapter, Capt. Tunji Shelle (rtd.) and Federal House of Representative, Amuwo Odofin Federal Constituency, Hon. Oghene Egoh, at the party’s rally and stakeholders’ forum, in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

Oil spill: Monarch promises judicious use of N1.1billion Tony Anichebe

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cting paramount ruler of Eket community in Akwa Ibom, Chief Etim Abia, has said that the N1.1billion Mobil’s palliative fund would be used to renovate primary and secondary schools.

Our correspondent gathered that Mobil proposed to give Eket community the sum of N1.1 billion as palliative for the recent oil spill from its facility which occurred on June 29, 2014.

Abia told newsmen in Eket yesterday that the renovation of the schools in the area would be done in 2015.

“The money will be

used to renovate secondary schools and some primary schools in Eket that are in a very bad shape,’’ he said.

He also said that the money would be used to buy 2,200 desks, 1,500 double bunks, build perimeter fencing, building of hostels, building of classroom blocks, dormitory and other projects.

Abia said that the community consulted the schools before taking the decision to renovate them.

“We realised that the condition of some schools in Eket are very bad. Some Secondary and primary schools building are in bad shape. So, we decided that we are going to renovate the schools. We

also decided to give the schools a face lift to make them conducive for learning,’’ he said.

Abia said the palliative fund would be used to build hostel in Girls High School, Eket, and Classroom block at Government Secondary School, Afaha Eket, and Classroom block at NduoEdoho.

The ruler said the fund would also be used to build new class room block, renovate schools and build teachers quarters in Odio Community in Eket.

“I understand that any teacher sent to Odio community, won’t stay because there is no house to live, so we will build

teachers quarters,’’ he said.

He said the community would buy a speed boat for Nditia community for accessibility.

“There is no motor able road; the people will go through water before accessing their school. We decided to build a class room block and all these are in consultation with the community. ``For them to get out of the place, they need a speed boat, so we will also buy a speed boat for the school,’’ he said.

He said that the community would provide a local coordinator to assist the consultant provided

by Mobil to supervise the projects.

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

OPINION

Akpabio, Udom, OBA and quest for Greater Akwa Ibom

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Jackson Udom ike the typical African stone tripod used to cook meals in local settings and often praised for its ability to safeguard the soup pot from tripling, Akwa Ibom State in recent times has been sustained and transformed through the acumen of three men. These three men’s effective delivery of their respective services to the state have stood them out among other labourers and members of the state’s transformation train.

Call them the three wise men of Akwa Ibom; call them the triumvirate for a better Akwa Ibom or simply call them by their names Chief Godswill Akpabio; Mr. Emmanuel Udom and Obong Bassey Albert. These three men have, no doubt, etched their names on the sands of time through the running of an effective, transformational and developmentoriented administration in Akwa Ibom State.

Though it is not out of place for governance to have its challenges, as evident in one or two issues being raised about the incumbent administration, contrary to what most detractors of the Governor Akpabio’s administration will want to make the world believe, the state has been working and its people have experienced uncommon transformation in the last seven and a half years. Not only has the governor succeeded in transforming the physical landscape through countless road projects, a power plant, an international-standard airport and stadium as well as other developmental projects such as the Ibom Tropicana, he has successfully rejigged the entire infrastructure of the state.

While accepting the fact that the government of Akpabio has outperformed all previous governments and even stands shoulder above others in the Niger Delta and the entire country will be quite difficult for his detractors, their shenanigans should not be acceptable to men of good reasoning and faith who have

either seen or heard about these projects. The question to those detractors should be whether it is true Akpabio achieved everything he claims to have achieved or not.

But the governor’s impact transcended just infrastructure, before someone says he has only focused on physical development.

Though it is universally agreed that governance is a continuum and that no single government can do it all, it is incontestable that Akpabio has made great marks on the human development sector, with several laudable achievements in education, health, agricultural and woman empowerment sectors to show.

It is to the credit of the governor that school enrolment in the state has quadrupled over the years. This administration’s compulsory free education for primary and secondary school students, no doubt, was a first-of-itskind in the Niger-Delta and it must have been its ingenuity that attracted commendation from the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.

The construction of an e-library and hundreds of school buildings across the state as well as the improved funding of state-owned institutions completed the cycle of Akpabio’s commitment to education, while the state government’s agricultural empowerment scheme

These three men have, no doubt, etched their names on the sands of time through the running of an effective, transformational and development-oriented administration in Akwa Ibom State

and the construction of health facilities such as hospitals and dialysis centres capped his total passion for the people. Without the fear of being immodest, when such a man aspires to represent his people in any capacity, he would always be accepted. That was what played out in the governor’s aspiration to represent Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District in the Senate in 2015. Contrary to naysayers’ views about Akpabio’s ambition, which has received the blessings of his people, it will bring tremendous progress to the state and the country as a whole, because the experience and influence he commands will be brought to bear on the national scene. For a man with Akpabio’s clout and acumen, being in the Senate can only be a great blessing to Akwa Ibom; meaning that the transformation project started years ago will continue even beyond his stay in office.

Another personality that is certain to ensure that the transformation train does not derail is the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state, Udom Emmanuel. A versatile banker and accomplished financial expert, Udom’s coming into Akwa Ibom governance has brought with it progress and effectiveness.

Though he has only served as Secretary to the State Government for less than two years, it is to his credit that the development template of the state has not failed; neither has the government’s vision become unachievable because Udom was not part of its conception. The Onna-born politician fitted in perfectly and the state has been the better for it, leading to the argument that he remains the best man for the job as far as succeeding Akpabio is concerned.

Udom comes across as a refined gentleman whose only passion is a better and greater Akwa Ibom. As SSG, he has gone about the business of governance with discipline and could not be said to have played politics with development; such man would better serve his people and work towards their good.

Another fine politician who has never placed his ambition above the interest of the state is the immediate past Commissioner for Finance and the PDP’s candidate for the Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District, Obong Bassey Albert (OBA). Albert, who was one of the over 30 governorship aspirants in the state, went about his governorship ambition with the passion for the development of the state and commitment to its progress while also contributing his best to the Akpabio government. And when voices of reason prevailed on him to, in the interest of Akwa Ibom, drop the governorship ambition, he simply heeded and opted to work for the progress of his dear state through the Senate in 2015. OBA had, in an interview, said: “My only prayer is that God should give us a governor that will be loyal to the people of Akwa Ibom State because in 2006/2007, despite the fact that His Excellency Obong Victor Attah purportedly supported his son in-law, people said it must be Godswill and Godswill emerged. I know that the same God is not asleep and as He did it 2007, He will also do it in 2015 because He changeth not.”

With these three committed men whose most imperative aim is to see Akwa Ibom continue to progress, the state is, no doubt, in good hands. One can only imagine the fortune and blessings the state would have with the trio at the helm of affairs as senators and governor respectively, driving the continued development and transformation of the state and working for its people.

As far as the Senate is concerned, the state is sending its Best 11, while Udom Emmanuel takes charge of proceedings in the running of the state at the home front, having been tutored in the art by the uncommon transformer, Godswill Akpabio. With this expected synergy among these political actors, the state can only be the better for it.

•Udom is Special Assistant (Media) to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.

The joke is not on General Buhari Sufuyan Ojeifo and Uche Ugboajah

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ormer Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, turned 72 on December 17. But it is not the matter of Buhari’s birthday that is trending, as it were, in the media. The buzz around the aging General is certainly about his emergence as the presidential candidate of the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Nigerian voters are now used to seeing Buhari’s name on the presidential ballot, every four years, starting with his first outing in 2003. This is in spite of the fact that the former military dictator, who is rightly or wrongly credited with high integrity, had promised that the 2011 election would be his last contest. But to the shock of many of his admirers, Buhari reversed himself by caving in, apparently to the pressures by some politicians who, although see him as unelectable as president, yet a sure ladder to climb to achieve their own selfish political interests.

While it is indeed true that many politicians have climbed the back of Buhari using his cultlike following in a certain section of the country to achieve their own selfish electoral ends, their scheming can be seen to have bedded well with Buhari’s own growing desperation to be elected president. It is not a crime for the former military dictator to seek to be president through the ballot box; though the jury is still out on whether a man who truncated a democratically elected government and did not have any thoughts whatsoever for a plan for democratic transition during his dictatorship deserves to benefit from a democratic process.

Even then, Buhari’s desperation has clearly shown in his running from pillar to post and dealing with all manner of characters, including those he would have shot on the stakes during his jackboot regime for drug dealings and other egregious malfeasance. He has had to move from one party to another since 2003 when he was imposed on the members of the now defunct ANPP as their presidential candidate. In 2011, he ran on the platform of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and in 2015, he will run on the platform of yet another different party, the APC. In all these failed attempts, Buhari has displayed an unstable persona, perhaps putting a lie to all the claims of his being strong-willed, which his admirers hitherto ascribed to him.

In 2003, his running mate was the late Chuba Okadigbo. In 2007, he ran with the late Edwin Ume-Ezeoke. In 2011, Buhari’s running mate was the fiery preacher, Tunde Bakare. And in 2015 a new face, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, is Buhari’s running mate. And it could have been Bola Ahmed Tinubu! Does this inconsistency agree with the stern portrait of firmness and consistency painted of Buhari? Your guess is just as good as ours!

Even in the choice of his current running mate, Osinbajo, Buhari was derelict. First, it was reported that he had ceded that decision to Bola Tinubu, his new political godfather and a man many believe that Buhari would not touch even with a long pole in his military days because of the many baggage the former Lagos State governor is said to be carrying along with him. But Buhari wants to be president at all costs even if, in doing that, he

throws away all his seemingly defining values for which some Nigerians have been rightly or wrongly attracted to his person.

Buhari, who has been accusing President Goodluck Jonathan of not showing firmness in dealing with insecurity, finds it extremely difficult and unable to choose who will be his own vice president. Thus for about a week, Tinubu and the other dominant forces in the APC led by the governors that defected from the ruling PDP bickered and blackmailed one another over a choice that naturally ought to be Buhari’s. Of course, what could the old soldier have done? He is simply a pawn in this chess game.

In the end, Tinubu chose his own man, Osinbajo, for Gen. Buhari as his running mate when it became clear that Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who has burnt all the bridges linking him with his people in the South-South and who possibly has realised that the VP slot might be his last opportunity to save his dying political career, was already throwing the kitchen sink to stop him (Tinubu) from emerging as Buhari’s running mate.

So, when Gen. Buhari raised the hand of Osinbajo, and started heaping praises on the character of a man he hardly knows, and presenting him to Nigerians as his running mate in the 2015 presidential election, he must be told that Nigerians are increasingly seeing him as a joker. The PDP did not have to raise the matter for, it is, indeed, too clear for Nigerians and interested watchers of our politics to see that Osinbajo is not Buhari’s choice; he is Tinubu’s choice! The point though, which the PDP people are making and which nobody,

including diehard supporters of APC, cannot discountenance is that Buhari, early in the day, has displayed extreme weakness and incapacity in making decisions. And this brings to the fore the question by many Nigerians: is this the kind of president that Nigeria deserves in 2015?

Buhari’s fourth attempt in the ballot is not only disturbingly getting desperate; it is turning comical as well. His minders have forgotten that the former head of state is getting rusty in a modern world and seems not to be catching up with the speed and complexity of today’s world. His response to a simple question in THISDAY’s presidential interview series on how he was going to run the Nigerian economy if elected was most laughable. For those who missed the report, the old General argued that he was going to use the Navy and the Air force to revamp the economy.

And in the attempt to cover this very visible fact that Buhari is not abreast with global issues of today and tomorrow, his minders have resorted to the disingenuous strategy of dressing him up in European suits and presenting him as secularist, amiable and compassionate, which the General himself knows he is not.

His last running mate was a pastor in Latter Rain Assembly, his latest running mate is said to be a pastor from a bigger Church. As Buhari continues to transform like a chameleon just to win an election, the joke is, however, not on Buhari, but on those dressing him up in borrowed robes, robes he is not in the least comfortable in!

•Messrs Ojeifo and Ugboajah sent this piece from Abuja

Life 11

SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014

Uba brothers: Siblings

torn apart by political ambition

Senator Andy Uba

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Ahaoma Kanu ne of the states in Nigeria that has a vibrant, rough and rugged political climate is Anambra State, South-East Nigeria.

Known as Home for All, Anambra State has not only produced renowned literary figures, diplomats, business men and women, captains of industry and sports personalities of repute, it has also spawned great leaders that played major roles in the shaping of Nigeria.

Among the founding fathers of Nigeria, a son of Anambra, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, was not only among the leading figures in the agitation for Independence from British rule but went ahead to become the first President of the country. Also, leaders like Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and Prof. Dora Akunyili are among the generation of Anambrarians that have made a mark in the country.

But there is one family which has risen from relative obscurity to being among top decision makers in the leadership of the state - the Uba family from Uga in Aguata Local Government Area. This family has, within a space of 15 years, loomed large in the political atmosphere of the state and has produced one governor and two senators, with a possible

Ugochukwu Uba

third in the making. Not only have the two senators, at separate times, represented their constituency (Anambra South) in the Senate, they have been credited with being among the ‘godfathers’ that installed a former governor in the state along with all state and federal lawmakers in the state.

Dr. Ugochukwu Uba, the eldest of the three Uba brothers, is a physician, who was practising in Jos, the Plateau State capital before he ventured into politics under the failed Abacha transition programme. He later became a PDP senator from 2003- 2007.

Senator Nnanmdi (Andy) Uba was resident in the United States before being recalled to serve in former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Domestic Affairs.

He later contested in the governorship elections in 2007 on the platform of PDP and won.

He was sworn in as governor but holds the record of being the shortest serving governor in the history of the state and country. He was in office for 17 days before being sacked by the Supreme Court, which declared that impeached Governor Peter Obi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance had not completed his term.

The youngest of the Uba brothers, Chris aka Eselu, is a business man and chieftain

Chris Uba

As for me, or together with my brothers, we are just normal Nigerians who are struggling to actualise ourselves like any other Nigerian

of the PDP. He is a self-acclaimed godfather in the political terrain of the state. Though he has never held any political office, he directed the system to deliver a governor, all National Assembly seats in the Senate and House of Representatives as well as all members of the state house of assembly in 2003. He has just won the ticket to run for the Senate in 2015. If he succeeds at the polls, then all the Uba brothers would have held the Senate seat for Anambra South.

Unlike the Bush and Kennedy families in the United States that have become famous and built a political dynasty on principle and integrity, the Uba family would be described as having built their political relevance on controversies, opportunism and playing hard ball. These assumed characteristics are not meted out to just

their opponents but to themselves. Andy took over the senatorial ticket from his elder brother, Ugochukwu, after the latter was defeated by Senator Obiorah Ugwu in 2007. The dream of Andy for a second shot at the Senate has been jeopardized somehow with his displacement by Chris, who said he would want his brother to support his ambition. Of the three brothers, analysts credit Andy as being the person on whose platform the Uba family’s dominance in Anambra politics was built.

The Obasanjo factor Prior to becoming an aide to ex-President Obasanjo, Andy’s wife is said to have been a friend to former first lady, Stella Obasanjo.

On assuming office as the President in 1999, Obasanjo recalled Andy who was resident in the United States to become his aide.

His appointment was so powerful that he was described as the President’s right-hand man, and also the gatekeeper for people who wished to talk to the President. He was the last person Obasanjo usually saw before going to bed and the first he met when he awoke.

So many insinuations and allegations were made concerning Andy’s closeness to the former president. Also, some incidents that occurred during the tenure of C ON TI N UE D ON PAGE 12

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SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Life

Siblings torn apart by political ambition C ONT I NUED FROM PAG E 11

Obasanjo gave some credence to the allegations.

In September 2003, Andy was accused of smuggling $170,000 cash into the United States on a Nigerian presidential jet; when he accompanied Obasanjo to New York for a meeting of the United Nations.

Though U.S authorities confirmed the case, they cited that it was a civil issue and reached a settlement where Uba had to forfeit $26,000 to the authorities. In July 2007, Andy Uba was accused by former governor of Jigawa State, Saminu Turaki, of overseeing bribes given to lawmakers to approve the alleged third term bid of Obasanjo; he denied the allegation. While he always wriggled out of the accusations levelled against him, Andy was instrumental in installing his elder brother as a senator in 2003. Ugochukwu was said to be Obasanjo’s choice for Senate President but being a new member of the upper legislative house, he was halted by the Senate resolution that new members would not be allowed to stand for election into its principal offices. He, however, got compensated with the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Power and Steel.

Andy said that there was nothing special about the Uba family other than their being normal Nigerians.

“As for me, or together with my brothers, we are just normal Nigerians who are struggling to actualise ourselves like any other Nigerian.... Knowing the President or someone working in the presidency is normal because it is human beings that are working there. So there is nothing peculiar about the Ubas,” he said.

Chief Chris Uba While the elder Uba brothers held sway in different arms of government, the younger Uba, Chris, showed his political muscle in 2003 when he singlehandedly installed the government in Anambra State, from the governor to the members of the state assembly. In an interview with a national newspaper, he was quoted as saying: “God merely used me to touch some lives, and mind you, it is not just the governor and his deputy. There are also three senators, 10 members of the House of Representatives and 30 members of the House of Assembly of the state. I sponsored them. I put them there though only 29 House of Assembly members eventually made it... This is the first time in the history of Anambra State that one single individual would be putting every public officer in the state in power.”

But no sooner had his political god son, Governor Chris Ngige, assumed office, than the two fell apart in an episode that can be best described as Anambra’s day of infamy. The July 10, 2003 broad daylight kidnapping of the governor and the Hollywood style announcement of his resignation brought to light the extent Godfatherism had eaten into the Anambra polity. The disagreement between Chris Uba and his estranged godson, Ngige, exposed the secret and illegal dealings the people that had taken over governance in the state were involved in. Ngige, after being rescued from a hotel he was held captive, reportedly identified Chris as the mastermind of his kidnapping for his failure to ‘sign away’ state government fund as secretly agreed.

The Uba group responded in a press conference that Ngige signed an agreement and swore to a secret oath of obedience and loyalty to his group of sponsors of political candidates, even at a deadly fetish evil forest and shrine in Okija, Anambra State, in order to be made the governor.

Chris and his associates also reportedly stated that following the rituals which Ngige performed at the shrine during their midnight visit, they then rigged

him into office even though he did not win election. Chris produced written agreements signed by Ngige.

The spate of destructions and violence that followed the fall out of the row between the politicians was among the reasons given by late Prof. Chinua Achebe for rejecting a national honour awarded him by the Obasanjo administration in 2004. Achebe in an emotion-laden letter described Uba and his gang as a clique of renegades determined to turn the state into a bankrupt and lawless fiefdom.

“I write this letter with very heavy heart.

For some time now, I have watched events in Nigeria with alarm and dismay. I have watched particularly the chaos in my own state of Anambra where a small clique of renegades, openly boasting its connections in high places, seems determined to turn my homeland into a bankrupt and lawless fiefdom. I am appalled by the brazenness of this clique and the silence, if not connivance, of the presidency. Nigeria’s condition today under your watch is, however, too dangerous for silence. I must register my disappointment and protest by declining to accept the high honour awarded me in the 2004 Honours list,” Achebe wrote.

The table turned against Chris when his brother Andy, embarrassed by the brazen display of arrogance by his younger brother, sidelined him from government and disrupted his control of the PDP machinery in the state. Chris did not work for his brother during the 2007 election and even after Andy was removed as gover-

nor by the Supreme Court in 2007, he was also not part of his 2010 bid for governorship. But in 2011, both brothers reconciled at the instance of their mother and Andy got voted into the Senate. In November 2013, during the governorship election in Anambra State, both brothers united and worked together to realise Andy governorship ambition on the platform of PDP. But instead of participating in the governorship primaries held by the party state chairman, Chief Ken Emeakanyi, he went ahead to conduct parallel primaries under the chairmanship of Ejike Oguebeogu. His primaries was recognised and attended by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission. But the PDP sanctioned him for encouraging acts of indiscipline and illegality and he was later suspended from the party after refusing to honour its leadership’s order for the five members to appear before the National Working Committee at its national headquarters.

Andy ended up not being on the ballot on Election Day on November 16, 2013; instead the governorship flag bearer of the PDP was Comrade Tony Nwoye, who was one of Andy’s boys. Nwoye fell out with Uba and found solace in billionaire businessman, Prince Arthur Eze, under whose tutelage Chris grew. Eze’s support for Nwoye was meant to spite Andy, who was said to have connived with Chris to stop Eze from selling the properties of a prodigal aide and recovering debts owed him.

The camps of Andy and Chris almost

fought during the PDP National Convention held in August 2013 at Eagle Square.

That reunion of the brothers is looking like it has cracked with the recent victory of Chris in picking up the ticket for the Senate to occupy the seat Andy is currently holding in the Senate. Chris is claiming that most politicians detach themselves from the masses after elections, thereby subjecting them to untold hardship, a situation he said he would correct.

He has dismissed insinuations that he is at loggerheads with his brother, saying: “It’s not true that I’m at war with my brother Andy, over this bid. But this is politics; everybody has his interests and objectives to accomplish in life. I think I have helped so many people to actualise their ambitions and be great, so that they could help others, but I think most people are selfish and greedy.

“This time, I want to go there myself and help the less privileged in the seven local government areas that make up my constituency and beyond. As I drive past each time, I notice that many people are suffering without hope and this is the time to change the situation,” he said.

Though Andy has yet to make a statement about the ambition of his younger brother, the battle between the Uba brothers will be among the contests to watch.

This will be the first time the two brothers will test their strength and popularity in the polls, an exercise that will prove between the two brothers who is the real godfather of Anambra politics.

How governors lost out in power tussle CO N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 5

be nursing a presidential ambition, quietly opted for Senate tickets.

But not so for the likes of Rochas Okorocha and Rabiu Kwakwanso of Imo and Kano states respectively, who made a good showing at the presidential primaries of the APC. But these governors, who should have been given the right of first refusal, not only lost grip of the delegates but caved in to the superior dictates of the party leadership.

As if that was not enough, the names of serving governors like Rotimi Amaechi, Adams Oshiomhole and Babatunde Fashola of Rivers, Edo and Lagos states featured prominently in the choice of a vice-presidential candidate for the APC, following the emergence of Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, as the presidential candidate.

The emergence of a relatively unknown Prof.

Yemi Osinbajo as Buhari’s running mate, over and above the serving gover nors, represents another chapter in the progressive decline in the relevance of the governors. From all indications, they have Emmanuel-Uduaghan lost their famed influence which towered very high few years ago.

Though the governors fought hard for one of their own to be chosen as Buhari’s running mate, APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu carried the day by pushing Osinbajo’s candidature ‘very strongly.’

The NGF connection From 2003, the governors were very assertive, and were every influential on every national issue such that they could hold even the Presidency to ransom.

The governors’ voices steadily became stronger with e formation of the Southern Governors’ Forum in 1999 in answer to the Northern Governors Forum. They soon got together to form the Nigeria Governors Forum, which became a formidable voice against the Federal Government, and took strong positions on national issues.

In the run-up to the 2007 elections, the highly influential NGF played a major role in determining the choice of a successor for Obasanjo. The names of some governors featured prominently before the list was narrowed down to then governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua.

Even when a deputy was being considered for Yar’Adua, the names of governors like Peter Odili, Donald Duke and James Ibori received wide consideration, before the governor of Bayelsa State, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, was eventually picked.

Even with Yar’Adua’s incapacitation and hospitalisation in Saudi Arabia, many governors were opposed to the emergence of Jonathan as Acting President, before street protests by the Save Nigeria Group forced the National Assembly to invoke the hitherto unknown Doctrine

of Necessity. This led to Jonathan’s emergence as Acting President and subsequently President upon the death of Yar’Adua.

When it was time to choose a vice-president for Jonathan, the NGF ensured that one of them, Namadi Sambo, then the governor of Kaduna State, was chosen.

So powerful were the governors that they took the Federal Government to court over the legality of the Sovereign Wealth Fund as well as sundry deductions from the statutory allocations of their states. They insisted that all funds accruing to the Federation Account should be warehoused therein and not anywhere else.

While that persisted, the PDP governors called for the resignation of the then Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. It was a long drawn battle which eventually led to the formation of a factional PDP by five PDP governors – Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano); and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa). When the Presidency used security agencies to muzzle out the New PDP, the governors quit the party in November 2013.

Tukur also buckled under pressure and quit on January 15, 2014.

Sometime last year, Jonathan feared that his political tussle with Amaechi would whittle down his influence as President and then decided to cut the governors to size. He quickly engineered the factionalisation of the forum, after a failed bid by pro-Jonathan governors to oust Amaechi in May 2013.

Thus, a rival NGF faction led by Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State was born. Almost immediately, the PDP Governors Forum was formed and headed by pro-Jonathan Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State.

In response, APC governors raised the profile of the Progressive Governors Forum, to shore up Amaechi’s NGF and counter Jang’s faction.

Attempting to identify the cause of the governors’ fall, constitutional lawyer, Fred Agbaje, described the current state chief executives as ‘political paper weights,’ who rode on the backs of their godfathers to office.

“The governors don’t have political structures of their own. Unlike the previous ones in 1999 and 2003, who came into office through popular mandates, these ones are political paper weights,” Agbaje said.

The lawyer said they benefitted from godfatherism, having been installed by their predecessors, and had not shifted the anointing to their proteges. To him, it is a case of ‘he who pays the piper dictates the tune.’

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

13

Moment

L-R: Director General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Dikki; Chairman, Technical Committee of National Council on Privatization, Atedo Peterside; Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Mohammed Musa Sada; Mr. Benbon Upah and Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Umar Sani, after the meeting of National Council on Privatization, in Abuja...on Thursday. PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

L-R: President, National Postgraduates Medical College of Nigeria, Prof. Rasheed Arogundade; Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju and Registrar, National Postgraduates Medical College of Nigeria, Prof. Oluwole Atoyebi, during the presentation of certificate of accreditation of the Residency training programme in Akure…on Friday

L-R: Deputy Director, Information, Directorate of State Security (DSS), Mrs. Marilyn Ogar; Coordinating Spokesperson, National Information Centre (NIC), Mr. Mike Omeri and Police Public Relations Officer, Compol Emmanuel Ojukwu, at a press conference on the state of the nation in Abuja

L-R: Senior Product Manager, Microsoft Mobile, West and Central Africa, Olumide Balogun; General Manager, Microsoft Mobile Devices and Services, West Africa, Joseph Umunakwe; 8th Winner of the on-going Lumia Christmas Promo “#MakeItHappen”, and the Rhythm On-air personality, Anita Isedeh (Omolicha), during the Lumia Christmas Promo third draw in Lagos...recently

L-R: Wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Helen Mark; Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Hosea Agboola; Senate President, David Mark and Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Diocese, Dr. John Cardinal Onaiyekan, during a Christmas Carol at the Senate President’s residence in Apo, Abuja…on Wednesday

Group Managing Director, New Nigeria Development Company, (NNDC), Dr. Ahmed Muhammed (right), presenting a document to the President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Mr. Chidi Ajaegbu, after signing an MoU with ICAN on Students Special Project in Kaduna…on Friday

L-R: Senator Ganiu Olanrewaju Solomon; Secretary, Oasis Women Organisation, Adenike Kayode and Funke Oguntuga, during the presentation of gifts to widows by Senator Ganiu Solomon in Lagos … yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

L-R: Chairman, Bura Bible Translation Committee, Revd. Yaro Bwala; President of Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, Revd. Dr. Samuel Dali; National President, Bible Society of Nigeria, Dr. Aaron Nuhu and General Secretary, Dare Ajiboye, during the dedication of the 23rd complete Bible in Nigerian language- Bura Bible in Abuja…recently

14

SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

News Emmanuel Onani,

FG won’t succumb to terrorists – DSS boss

irector General of the Department of State Services, Mr. Ita Ekpenyong, has maintained that Nigeria will never yield to the campaign of terror and bloodletting, propagated by the outlawed Boko Haram sect.

He also assured that the ‘divisive tendencies’ promoted by those he referred to as ‘unscrupulous politicians,’ would not prevail against the nation’s corporate existence.

Ekpenyong gave the assurances yesterday in Abuja, at the graduation of 48

D Abuja

members of 48 Executive Intelligence Management Courts (EIMC) 7.

The secret service DG noted, that the service has since undertaken a ‘comprehensive’ approach in dealing with, and responding to the home-grown terrorism.

He further noted that ‘threat indicators’ are made

explicit, through the service’s ‘intelligence collection efforts.’

His words: “No machination by uninformed terror elements or unscrupulous politicians with divisive tendencies would succeed against Nigeria.

“Like every other country on earth today, Nigeria

is grappling with its own share of global insecurity.

As a service, our responses to prevailing threats to national security has been very comprehensive.

“They include continuous human capacity development, extensive intelligence collection programmes and collabo-

ration with stakeholders both within and outside the country.

“Our intelligence collection efforts make threat indicators explicit and are also geared toward ensuring the success of government policies and programmes,’’ Ekpenyong stated.

Obanikoro lambasts Bode George over comments I mmediate past Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro has said former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George needs asistance in post-traumatic stress management.

George had on Friday described Obanikoro as a lunatic over his desire to seek justice and redress in the allegedly rigged governorship primaries of the PDP. In a statement signed by the former Minister, he said that if not to set records straight, engaging Chief Bode George in an exchange of words would mean painfully indulging a man in desperate need of social rehabilitation a stint in jail.

He said there was nothing unexpected about the recent tantrums by Chief George targeted him in spite of the role he allegedly played in the unacceptable outcome of the Lagos PDP gubernatorial primaries.

“As Chief Bode George embarks on his feeble attempts at painting a picture

of me that exists only in his perverted imagination, let someone remind him that the post-traumatic stress disorder that comes with a time in jail would take more than just an unholy alliance with a pharmacist to heal. “ It is instructive to state here that not only that I am properly raised in the best of Yoruba tradition, I owe a large part of my successful public service career to a childhood and education built on godly principles and sound moral values.

He said in all his life and public service career, he has never been accused, arrested or convicted for fraud whether at home in Nigeria or abroad. “I have been happily and responsibly married for 34 years.“ Obanikoro said his decision to challenge the outcome of the primaries was his fundamental human rights based on his conviction that the primaries was flawed and that he was therefore seeking a redress and it should not become a reason for character assassination.

Ogun assures workers on November salary

O

gun State Government yesterday expressed its empathy, sympathy and understanding with the entire work force and labour leaders in the state who have been agitated by the delayed payment of November salary to some of its senior workers. In a statement by Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, the state government reminded the workers that despite the dwindling revenue allocation from the Federation Account, which has adversely affected all the states in the federation, Ogun State has kept faith with workers through prompt and regular payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities.

“We are proud to say that since the last 42 months that this administration has

been in office, we have not defaulted in the payment of workers’ salaries. The delay in the payment of November 2014 salaries to certain categories of workers is definitely unusual and will soon be sorted out. We hereby assure all the workers and their unions that efforts are being made to ensure that they all have a good Christmas and New Year celebration,” the government stated.

On the issue of co-operatives and other deductions mentioned in the December 16, 2014 letter by the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, the state government said most of the outstanding deductions were inherited from past administrations.

It said it was set to work out an arrangement with the workers on the payment of the deductions.

Chairman, Air Peace, Barr. Allen Onyema and Chief Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, during a visit by Air Peace management team to the Defence Headquarters in Abuja

Peterside wants issue-based campaigns in 2015 Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA

A

head of the 2015 elections, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has called on all candidates of the political parties to focus on issues rather than resorting to name-calling and spiteful comments in their electioneering campaigns.

Peterside stated this at the weekend during the grand finale of Rivers State Annual Cultural Festival, known as CARNIRIV in Port Harcourt, asked APC support-

P

ers to unite and ensure that they reject candidates who have no programme for Rivers State and its people.

“You know that if we don’t work together, some other persons who are interested in something else other than service; some other persons who are interested in the state’s purse; some other persons who do not fear God, will come and destroy our heritage and endanger our future.

We must not allow them to destroy our future and the future of our children.

“We know them by their conduct and comments.

When they go to campaign, they will not say what they

have done or what they will do for Rivers people. They only use such platforms to criticise and attack personalities but we do not have such time. At every opportunity, we tell you how we will better the lives of our people. We tell you how we can give you hope; we tell you how we can sustain the legacies of the current administration and improve on it. It is our promise that when you elect an APC government to take over from Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, we will spend every second, every minute working for you, working for a prosperous Rivers State,” he said.

Peterside acknowledged Governor Amaechi’s commitment and unmatched efforts towards boosting human capital, improving lives and building world class infrastructure in Rivers State. He described Amaechi as a man of foresight and consummate administrator who will always be loved and remembered for his contributions to the development f the state.

He pledged to build on the foundation already laid by the current administration, stressing that tourism would be given a pride of place by making it a critical component of the new economic order in Rivers State.

Mark calls for sustenance of democracy

resident of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has tasked Nigerians on the need to work hard for the development of a sound democratic culture through the sustenance of the parliament as the pivot of democracy in Nigeria.

Mark threw the challenge at the presentation of eight books on the history of law making and treaties in Nigeria from the colonial era till date. The books were adapted from

archival documents on the legislature by the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS), the training and Research wing of the National Assembly.

Unveiling the books, Mark said the compilation would guide the present and future lawmakers in Nigeria on how best to make the legislature and democracy work better than ever before in the country.

The books, Mark said,

would become reference materials for the lawmakers to safe guard democracy stressing that “we are laying a solid foundation for the legislature and democracy to thrive.

Everything must be done to make the legislature succeed because if the legislature fails, then democracy has failed”.

According to him, the NILS is living up to its billings as a centre for research and a reservoir of Knowledge for legislators and academic in-

stitutions. The institution, he said, had become a necessary tool for democratic practice because the legislature is the only arm of government that has always been truncated and largely misunderstood by the people. He pledged that the National Assembly would continue to encourage NILS in its research and documentation efforts in order to help in the sustenance of the legislature and democracy in Nigeria.

15

Fashion

Edgy knot wrapper 22-43

Bed, Work & Life

Those pesky secrets!

20

Body Soul SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

Don’t ask me how I proposed to my wife - Nordica boss, Abayomi Ajayi

16

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Contents 21.12.2014 COVER

I wake up hungry, everyday, asking what I can do to improve our health care system

-Abayomi Ajayi

} 18-19

BEAUTY

Buy good m a ke u p products to enhance your looks all through the festive period

} 21

GLAM DUDES As it is few d ay s to Christmas, you can shop for unique traditional attires from Nigerian designers to showcase our culture and also promote economic growth

} 44

FASHION One of the traditional clothes we see women wear during festive seasons is the Iro and Buba

T h e Te a m Juliet Bumah (Editor)

Vanessa Okwara (Correspondent) Wole Adepoju

} 22&43

Biwom Iklaki (Correspondent) Ugochukwu Nnakwe (Graphics)

MY PASSION I am not in the category of actresses who do a lot of kissing and between the sheets romance. Not that I forbid it... } 17

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

Associates

BED, WORK & LIFE True friendship is based on truth. But truth is bitter. This truth that is threatening to spill is not only bitter, but...

Alice takes a deep breath and begins, “Kiki, I took you as a sister from the first day we met years ago. True sisters do not keep secrets

from each other’s...

} 20

Helen Paul

Eyitayo Aloh

17

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

Body&Soul

children talk. Once on Linda Ikeji’s blog someone attacked me. Whatever I would have responded, responded on my behalf.

I didn’t say it, the Bible did, so why don’t you attack the Bible? It could be spiritual for some, fashion, demonic, initiation; I will not have such on my body.

How were your growing up years like?

My mom is Cameroon and my dad is Igbo, so it was crazy. I did most of my primary school years in Cameroon then the UK, to Festac Girls, then Olabisi Onabanjo University. My schooling was pretty scattered. I was a tomboy till I got to a certain age when I had to embrace my feminism.

What is your signature clothing or accessory?

No coloured hair for a while to advertise my hairline. But it’s my hair and nails. I always wear full hair, a kilo (10 bundles). I have never fixed short nails, always acrylic, designs, 3D etc. I am comfortable cooking.

I cannot do something I am uncomfortable with and say its fashion. I am training myself to do stuff with my natural nails or wear shorter nails, you know, for whenever my baby comes…

What mischief and pranks did you get up to?

I played a lot of football. I still do but not like before. I was a social prefect in secondary school. Once in a while, we scaled the fence, which was normal.

How important is acting to you and how did you start?

Acting is a part of me and has always been my dream. I don’t really like telling people that I started it like a mistake because how I got my first role was by escorting my brother to a set where the character did not show up.

So I read for the absent person. They called me later to ask if I wanted the role and I said yes.

Do you remember your first movie paycheck?

My first movie did not come out for whatever reason and my second movie ‘Diamond Ring’ was in 1998. My first lead role was in ‘Girls Hostel,’ which was shot in 1999. In the movie, Olu Jacobs was my dad and Ngozi Ezeonu was my mom. Till date, they still call me Tinuke Roberts, which was my name in the movie. I don’t know how much the pay check was, it was given to my brother who gave it to my mom. I wasn’t even bothered about it at the time because I was too excited to be acting in the first place.

What challenges did you meet along the way?

I always tell people I don’t like talking about challenges. This is because most times, it’s the challenges that set you on the right path. I don’t count my challenges; rather, I count what the challenges did for me at that point.

How did your parents take your career choice?

Oh! My dad was never in support of it, but at some point I used to sneak out for rehearsals. He heard the rumours that I was going into the movie industry. So one day after he watched the 9p.m news, my mom played the movie I had done and he watched glumly without saying a word. I couldn’t sleep that night. I wondered if the part I played was ok, if I acted well, if he liked it. The next day, he called me and said if that was what I wanted to do, even though he didn’t support it, this is what I would encounter in the industry.

Most of those things he said then are actually happening now. My mom just wanted her daughter to be happy.

Lately, we have missed your face on the screen. Is that deliberate?

It’s been crazy lately because I have been trying to put House of Empress in order. I run House of Empress Foundation for motherless babies and women on wheel chair, widows and blind children for eight years now. I also run House of Empress boutique, House of Empress Spa and House of Empress Beauty Salon. My clothing line is just unveiling, which is House of Empress. In the last three years, I have been trying to get my designs together and they finally came out. Along the line I have been able to do some movies and two or three have come out. The movie is not running away, but the designs will definitely fade out. Running the foundation has taken a lot of my time; I have about 1300 children.

As at my birthday a few weeks ago, we had 180 women on wheel chair. So that has been taking my time. My first love, the movie, has not been too far from me. I do what I can do when I can.

What are you most passionate about right now?

As a hyperactive person, I am passionate about what I am passionate about at a particular time. I am a lover of dogs. My dogs are even on blogs, a pug, Eskimo, Chihuahua and more. Will I say I am passionate about cars? I have a lot of cars. Maybe I would say cars if I had the kind of money to buy the kind of cars I want.

Which cars do you have?

Ah! I don’t like to count all those things; vanity.

I have a perfume shrine - Empress Njama Nollywood actress, Empress Njama, talks about her life in this interview with BIWOM IKLAKI

How do you handle critics and fans?

The way a child that was brought up in a proper Christian home would, is the way I handle them. Sometimes, it freaks you out but always just hold yourself. We are human so sometimes people just hate. But for you to hate someone like Empress, you are hating Christ. I am not perfect but basically I try as much as possible not to step on toes. But some people just don’t want to see you smile.

That is my makeup and I put it on every day.

You recently celebrated your birthday royal style. How old you are and what did you do that day?

Ok, that’s where this interview ends (laughter). My birthday has not changed for the last couple of years. I bring all my kids together, the widows, the blind and a couple of my colleagues to have fun. I just want them to see these people they usually see on TV for real. There are gifts for everyone, football games, badminton on wheel chairs, race with the blind, beauty pageants, a day filled with fun generally. I educate them on what charity work is, not just giving out one pack of noodles and loading the pictures on Instagram. I am not really a paparazzi person.

We are planning a Christmas party soon. I call them the privileged kids. They are not less privileged, they have me. And I am also old enough to get a licence to drive a car… (laughter). Nothing wey you wan talk to collect that age (more laughter).

With all of this going on, any man in your life?

Er...you need to give your time to a relationship and time is what I do not have right now.

I am too busy to even take care of myself. I

have a lot of things to tie up and so, I don’t have time to keep a solid relationship.

Some might say you are a rebel as an actress and in real life. What do you say?

I just think, don’t judge a book by the cover.

Sometimes you need to get close to the person, understand them and know where they are coming from. I want to thank technology and social media. Even if you do not know someone one on one, with Facebook, Instagram and so on, you can follow what they are about and get to know them a bit better.

I am very different from what people see on the screen. When people get to meet me, they are like, I didn’t know you were like this; you are different. I am a wonderful person, even if I blow my own trumpet.

Which sex scene was easier for you to flow with?

Basically, I am not in the category of actresses who do a lot of kissing and between the sheets romance. Not like I forbid it, but I have not been in that. I am too playful to even remember anything. When all is done, you often hear “Wow, Empress, I am going to miss you” and all that. Acting is living someone’s life at a particular time so you don’t remember it after it’s done.

Any tatoos? Where?

People say I must have a tattoo on my butt.

And I say, God don catch you! Though I like to wear colourful hair, I have never given myself a tattoo. The Bible is against it. Someone even went on a blog and attacked me; remain small the person for shoot me. Saying all kinds of stuff, her name happens to be Tonto. It’s not every time you react when

Describe your style?

Simple, classy and confused.

Favourite designer?

House of Empress, because she makes comfy clothes, her designs are fabulous for every occasion.

Favourite perfume?

I can never spray less than three perfumes at a time. I do masculine perfumes toned down with feminine. I buy like 50 bottles at once. I actually have a perfume shrine. It’s crazy. I can’t do without my perfumes and my bags. I can’t stand people who don’t have a signature smell.

Beauty regime?

I don’t have one. I go with the flow. I don’t favour this product over that if not, I would have toned or bleached my body.

Fitness regime?

I try to work out when I can. I used to be a freak, but I can’t meet up. I go to bed late, I wake up late. I like being chubby so I don’t work out to lose weight, just for health reasons.

Most expensive fashion item you own?

HMMM… everything is expensive o! Can I go to my wardrobe and probably call you back next week? (laughter). Er...I think my money goes on wrist watches.

Which one is your favourite and how much?

I won’t say the amount. The most expensive are Rolex and Hublot.

How do you relax?

I relax while working. I can’t be caught not doing something.

Where did you have your best holiday?

I try to go on holiday but end up doing business. When I travel, I don’t go to one country, I do three to four countries at once.

It’s not about where you go, it’s how you make it fun.

Favourite song and movie?

I love gospel. I watch any lovely movie. I don’t want to say this movie and years later, someone will say “Ah! Empress na wa o!” but I love Angelina Jolie’s ‘Salt.’

18

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

Don’t ask me how I proposed to my Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, a consultant Obsterician and Gynaecologist, is the Managing Director, Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos, a clinic that specialises in In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and treatment of infertility. In this interview with CHIJIOKE IREMEKA, he talks about his work, family and sundry issues When fertility medicine is mentioned in Nigeria, NORDICA Fertility Centre comes to mind. How did you get to where you are today, despite the challenges?

Well, I don’t know which position I am now but everything is God’s favour. God favoured us for the fact that we were willing to launch into an unknown territory. About 11 years ago, when we moved into fertility treatment in Nigeria, it was still an unknown terrain.

People were saying it would not work due to poor infrastructure.

In fact, fertility treatment requires a lot of infrastructure and I’d say that the problems anybody who wants to go into this sector will face is that of infrastructure, power and others. Also, there is no support from the government and its parastatals. When we started, the government parastatals did not take into cognisance, the difference between imported household furniture and laboratory equipment for treatment. The first time I brought in my equipment, they categorised it as metallic furniture. Yet those were my incubators. These were some of the things we went through initially but I think it’s getting better now. But they still find it difficult categorising these equipment for fertility treatment as medicals.

How small was Nordica when you started? In one room or in a cubicle?

Nope! Nope!! I started big from day one because I worked in another hospital. This made me understand that you probably can’t start a good thing alone; rather you need to partner others to raise the funds. From day one, I started with everything required for good practice. But before then, we needed to look at the gap in the Nigerian health sector to see those things that people said were impossible and find solutions to them. That was the mindset I had to give to these people; the kind of service that they can get anywhere in the world.

What really spurred you into fertility medicine?

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. Since training as a doctor, I always wanted to go into gynaecology. So, when I finished, the only thing that appealed to me was fertility medicine.

Why? It was one part of gynaecology that we don’t get good results from.

I f y o u look around, you will discover that a lot of people who are accomplished in life don’t have children; and medical sciences in Nigeria could not attend to their needs. Then, one of the things that was on my mind was, how to solve these needs. In some parts of the world, IVF is a solution and people were discouraging me that it wasn’t going to happen in Nigeria. While they

were saying all this, somebody came in from the UK to start his IVF clinic in Nigeria. And that was the impetus I needed. I said, if this person can do it, I can also do it. That was how we started Nordica.

Cases of male and female infertility are on the rise in Nigeria. What are the causes of this condition?

I wish I knew. But all over the world, it’s happening. It’s not a Nigerian thing. Many people are debating whether the things that cause infertility are what happened when we were born or when we were still in the womb, or inherited or from external environment. What we have seen is that there are many factors responsible for it.

So, it isn’t as if there’s something we are doing wrongly?

No, it’s a worldwide thing. There are many factors responsible, including environment, lifestyle, but there is no singular factor one can say causes it. If there is, it would have been easy to prevent.

It’s multi-factoral. But one thing is certain, the more one lives a healthy life, the more you take away many vices – alcohol, tobacco, and drugs - the better for us. Also, the nature of job one does can contribute to male infertility.

Does it have a perfect treatment?

If a man inherited it, can you cure it? Anything that is inherited cannot be cured but could be treated and helped to have children. This technology is making us bypass the problem, not solve the problem.

So, no matter your sperm count, as long as you have sperm in your testicles, we can make you have children.

Can’t stem cell technology cure it?

Well, maybe it might be able to help in that regards. Stem cell, fine, you can make sperm anywhere in the laboratory and we might be able to solve the problem at that point.

Where do you get this technology from?

We are Nordica, so that means we are from Denmark. Our headquarters is in Denmark.

What has been your most trying case in this practice?

The most interesting case was the oldest mother at the centre, who had her babies at 56. Here in Africa, there are many social and religious factors that affect fertility treatment.

We see people with the mindset that non-conception and bringing children up is a myth. We met her, when she was 53 and couldn’t have her treatment because there were some legal issues. So, she didn’t have her children until she was 56. With one treatment, she had her first set of children. In another case, they said a certain patient was a witch because she was bleeding from some funny parts of the body and we had that to contend with. Some women had a fibroid operation and had their wombs damaged.

So, what are your hobbies?

That’s one question I don’t like answering because I don’t know if I have one, but I watch football. Sometimes, I play golf but don’t have time to play.

Do you find time to spend with your family?

Yes, once I’m not travelling, I sit down with them. Many years ago, when I was developing myself, I didn’t have time for my family and I think this is the payback time, to be with them. I like being with my family. I just want to be around them. Almost every evening when I’m home, I stay with my children.

19

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

Body&Soul

wife - Nordica boss, Abayomi Ajayi Is your wife also a doctor?

No, she is a nurse.

So, how did you meet her?

Where else does a doctor meet a nurse?

It’s in the hospital.

In what circumstance did you meet her?

Oh gosh! I think I was a youth corps member then. I just came into the hospital, and that was my first day in the hospital. So, I saw this fine and dashing young lady. Hmmmmm, one thing led to the other and another to the other and here we are 29 years after that experience. Hahaha.

Were you really prepared for marriage then?

No, I was a young man enjoying myself. But after a while I said, why not pull the trigger?

How did she find her way into your heart?

She was just a nice woman and she understood me. She understood the fact that everything around me was trying to build a career. She could understand and fit into that dream. And that was the most important to me.

Eventually, how did you propose to her?

Hahaha. Please don’t go to that side because that is the area my wife would like to read. Hmmm, please don’t start the story. This is the area she would concentrate on. All I can say now is that we are looking forward to becoming grandparents. Thank you!

Have you ever cooked a special meal for her?

I don’t know how to cook. I’m not that kind of man that goes to the kitchen.

Hmm but for you to think of this, you must know how to cook. Lucky you! No, I don’t know how to cook at all.

Your favourite meal.

Do I really have any? I’m not a food person. I can eat anything and I can live anywhere in the world. That’s why I travel everywhere and I don’t miss food because I have to eat anything they have there. Maybe I would say fried plantain. I like anything sweet. Give me ice cream, chocolate once in a while, when I could indulge but not food.

Much sugar, they say, is not good for a man That’s why I said when I can indulge, but I look forward to those days because I have a sweet tooth.

Your lifestyle.

Simple! The only thing I’m particular about is dressing nice, but it doesn’t have to be expensive.

What type of perfume do you wear?

Oh God, I like perfumes but I’m not a freak to any particular one. I’m okay with any good perfume. It must not be too strong. I’m a collector of good perfumes. I love perfumes.

Do you do jewellery?

Jewellery? Come on! I’m a man. Hmm. my wrist watches and rings are okay for me. I don’t do jewellery.

How many children is your marriage blessed with?

My marriage to Mrs. Oluranti is

blessed with four children – three girls, and one boy. My first daughter is married. The second one is a doctor.

Could you make a brief of your family and educational background?

I hail from the family of late Mr. and late Mrs. Ebenezer Oludotun Ajayi. I’m from Owo in Abeokuta in Ogun State.

I’m the eldest of three children – two males and a female. My father was an exceptional disciplinarian. He brought us up in a different way. Then, it was tough but now, I give thanks to them because that training shaped me. Unfortunately, these are the good things we don’t pass on to our children. We say things have changed but I don’t think values have changed. We are fast losing those values. Call it civilisation or so, but it’s bad. Parents don’t have time for their children anymore. When I was in secondary school, my father was self-employed. So, he would be waiting for me at home after school, and God so help me that I come back late, then I would explain why I came back late.

You don’t find these things now. Too

bad! I trained in Nigeria all through and that is why after health, I’m interested in Nigerian education. All my trainings were done here in Nigeria. It was when I finished my postgraduate that I moved abroad for other professional courses.

I started my primary school education at Salvation Army and moved to CMS Grammar School for my secondary school education. Then, University of Lagos for my first degree in Medicine, after which, I did my postgraduate Programme at UCH, Ibadan.

Now, Christmas is calling, and many couples seeking children will encounter hard times with their in-laws. What is your advice to the in-laws, as well as the couples?

First of all, to everybody, we should understand that children come from the Lord. When you are faced with the problem of infertility, the worst thing you can do is to stay alone, even when you are being persecuted. There is no need for a sober mood. Be happy even when someone wants you moody. The first thing you need to know is that you are

not the only one affected. About one in five couples in Nigeria have infertility problem. So, you are not the only one affected. There is no stigma to it. It’s not because of anything that you have done.

It’s a medical condition and therefore, you should seek help. Those who have succeeded in the IVF treatment, who didn’t see it as their responsibility to let people know what they did, should speak up to encourage others. Instead of doing this, they go to churches and give all kinds of testimonies. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a deacon in Baptist Church but I think church is really the last place one can tell lies or wrong stories.

Also, it’s a counter culture that many people in Nigeria don’t read. But I urge that when you have any problem or challenge, the first thing for you to do is to be knowledgeable about the problem.

I would say that anything that involves emotion, of which having children is one, one should be careful with it. As there are real ones, there are also fake ones. If you must invest your time and money, then you need to be sure that you are in the right place and doing the right thing.

The only way to know is having the right knowledge so that nobody promises you what can’t be delivered. Anybody that is facing any kind of challenge in life, including infertility, should be knowledgeable about the problem. You must also choose what to read because there is a lot of rubbish on the Internet. Health is something over which we don’t have a choice, but must dedicate time to. Not only in infertility. I’m not saying challenge your doctors, but they must be accountable and you must be able to ask them some intelligent questions, in order for you to be carried along.

As I always say, nobody should take any drug that he doesn’t know its name.

Gone are the days when that happened.

People must be interested in how they want to solve their problems. Let the doctor explain to you in simple language what he is doing; because even when you are doing the best thing, it’s not 100 per cent guaranteed. There is no need wasting your time and money.

You should be knowledgeable enough to take decisions so that you don’t make wrong decisions. Some people make decisions that can never give them babies, yet they say they are getting treated.

For instance, if you buy a new Mercedes Benz and you take it to the beach, and you want to drive by the sea side, it will sink because it’s a tube-wheeled car. But if you bought a tokunbo fourwheel drive, you will get there.

So, it is not how much you have spent.

It doesn’t matter if one is new and the other old, it’s by applying the right method or technology. The same thing goes to IVF. If you are applying the right procedure in the wrong way, you will get a wrong result. So, knowledge is key. That’s what I try to make people understand.

What’s your highpoint in life?

Those are things I don’t think about because I believe I have not reached anywhere. Sometimes, I get disconnected when people say I have done this and that. I wake up hungry, everyday, saying what can I do to improve our health care system? Seriously, I have not seen any high point yet, may be soon, I will be able to say, oh yes, I have a high point. Yes, people talk about milestones, yes, we have that.

20

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

with

Juliet Bumah +234 81 1 675 9770

julietbumah@gmail.com

A

lice looks Kathryn in the eye.

Kathryn observes that Alice’s beautiful eyes have aged a little.

She isn’t getting any younger. She’s in her middle forties.

Kathryn recalls the day they met nine years ago. A roommate of hers had invited her to a shindig in town. She went, not because she wanted to hang out that night, but because she was hungry and had no money. It was a chance for her to have a bite. She also didn’t want to offend her roommate who she had been indebted to for so long. Apart from squatting in Vixen’s room, she was eating from her pot.

It was a birthday cum Christmas party. The host, a middle-aged lady called ‘Madam Million Dollars’, was based in Italy. There were many ‘just returned’ in attendance. You could eat and drink to your heart desire and still have enough to take home if you wished.

Kathryn had come with a fairly-sized bag. She was lucky. It seemed her table was for important guests because the ushers kept making return journeys to their table bearing choice meals and drinks. After eating to her heart desire, she sat back a bit and whenever she felt no one was watching, she would drop a piece of meat into a waterproof bag inside her handbag. She did that a number of times.

The beautiful lady sitting beside her, at a point, called the attention of one of the ushers and said something into his ears.

The usher left and came back, minutes later, with a large bowl filled with fried meat and fish which he placed before the lady. The lady pushed the bowl towards Kathryn and whispered, “For you. You can take them home.”

Kathryn wished the ground would open and swallow her, she thought no one had seen her moves.

“I’m not trying to embarrass you dear.

I also did that at a point. I guess you’re a student. My name is Alice,” the kind lady said in a friendly tone while wrapping the pieces of meat and fish with serviettes.

“I’m Kathryn. My friends call me Kiki,” Kathryn told her.

“I guess I’ve become your friend so I’ll call you Kiki,” she replied with a little laugh.

“Here,” she said, thrusting the neatly packed meat on top of Kathryn’s bag on her lap.

“Thanks,” Kathryn said and threw the package into her handbag.

They got talking and two days later, Vixen took her to meet Auntie Alice. That meeting would mark a turning point in her life. She was officially inducted into the world of prostitution.

“Every prostitute was once a virgin,” Alice told her then, adding, “You can become a virgin afterward, if you so desire.”

After the initial inhibitions, she decided to do it for a couple of years and then, cut off clean, but it wasn’t to be.

Money started pouring in and she forgot herself. Auntie Alice got her an International Passport and visa. She also funded her first travel abroad...to Italy... to meet Madam Million Dollars. It was a very rewarding trip. She got herself a two-room ‘self contain’ apartment on her return and joined the league of happening big girls in town. In less than a year, she ‘repaid’ Alice and was able to stand on her own...until she decided to become a virgin again, so to say.

Kathryn shakes off the thought and gets back to the present.

Alice is looking into space.

Those pesky secrets!

“Auntie Alice, are you alright? Auntie...” she asks.

“Yeah,” Alice responds with a vacant look.

“I asked if you were pregnant before you got married,” Kathryn says.

Alice sighs and begins, “Hmmmmmmmmm...it’s a long story Kiki. I wasn’t pregnant then. I didn’t plan to lie to James. We met in a church. He thought I worked in a bank. That was the impression I gave him that day inside the church. We liked each other. I didn’t see him as a prospective client. You don’t go to the house of God with such sinful thoughts. We became friends and had lunch a number of times. I refused to visit his home but visited him in his office.

“After two months, I told him I had resigned from the bank. I couldn’t keep the lie any longer and it was a big issue for me, going to a bank when I had no transaction to make just because I wanted him to see me come out from there on days he insisted on picking me for lunch.

“I told him I wanted to travel, which I actually wanted to do. He got desperate.

One day, I agreed to visit his home. It was a Friday evening. I cooked and we ate, drank and got tipsy. We had a romp and he got hooked.

“One day, he got careless and apologized later. I fell ill about a month later and he told me he was sure he had impregnated me. When he insisted and said we should get married immediately, I played along. I couldn’t throw such an opportunity away. Of course, I ‘lost’ the pregnancy after our wedding and we have been trying for a baby since then.”

Tears are running down Alices’ cheeks.

“It’s okay auntie. Stop crying,” Kathryn tells her, tears falling down her own cheeks.

They hold on to each other and cry silently. After a while, Alice, in a tear laden voice, says, “I feel so sad that I can’t give James a child. He is such a good man.

A child would have been a way to say ‘thank you’ to a man who took me away

from the streets and made me a responsible woman. The doctors say nothing is wrong with me. I’ve toured a number of hospitals. I believe this childlessness is a punishment for my wayward years.

But I still believe God. I believe He will forgive me and bless me with a child, if not for me, for James who has remained true to me all these years.”

Something tugs at Kathryn’s heart.

Faithful indeed! James who has two kids with another woman? She holds herself with difficulty.

For how long will she be able to hold this secret? The problem is that if she must spill the truth, she must spill everything. How will Alice feel if she hears that her ‘saintly’ husband has not only shagged her, a whore, for three years, but has two children secretly from probably another whore outside their home? This truth must be told!

“Auntie, there’s nothing God cannot do.

Did you eventually tell James the truth about your past?” Kathryn asks.

“No Kiki. James cannot stand commercial sex workers. He has only curses for them,” Alice says.

“Hmmmmmm...this is sad indeed. I believe God will do something soon,” Kathryn says.

“Amen o. Enough of this agony, let’s talk about your wedding. We need to plan a perfect wedding for you,” Alice says, trying to cheer up.

They make plans for Kathryn’s wedding.

“I don’t want anything elaborate. A little ceremony will do,” Kathryn says.

“You’re right dear. A loud ceremony will bring unnecessary attention which you do not need,” Alice says.

It seems something is eating Alice up all of a sudden. Kathryn observes her closely.

“Auntie, what is the problem? You seem worried,” Kathryn says, concern in her voice.

Yes, Alice is worried. True friendship is based on truth. But truth is bitter. This truth that is threatening to spill is not only bitter, but...

Alice takes a deep breath and begins, “Kiki, I took you as a sister from the first day we met years ago. True sisters do not keep secrets from each other’s...” The lock turns at the door and they are both startled. The men are back!

Kathryn exhales loudly, she has been holding her breath without knowing it.

What does Alice know?

“Hope we didn’t stay too long?” Dave asks with a wink and adds, “We gave you girls enough time to gist to your hearts desire.” He moves to Kathryn and gives her a kiss.

“Can women gist enough?” James asks with a smile as he crashes into a divan besides his wife and hugs her.

The ladies laugh.

“So much love in the air. We’re making plans for the wedding. We need to choose a specific date for the wedding so we’ll have a goal for our plans,” Alice says.

They all laugh. ******* Hmmmmm...this seems a season of letting out those pesky secrets. What does Alice know? You won’t know if you don’t join me here next Sunday!

•Send your observations to the email above.

21

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

&

Give yourself a treat this season

Vanessa Okwara

C

hristmas is that time of the year everyone likes to look their best. We take extra hours with our makeup and hair than we usually do on ordinary days, buy new clothes and generally make extra efforts with our overall grooming and appearance.

Makeovers are very important to create the new you for this festive season. If you are single and still searching, this is the period you have the greatest opportunity to catch Mr. Right.

Makeovers are a great way to cheer up and generally feel good. If you want to look fabulous, then it’s time to take a good look at yourself in the mirror and decide which part of your body needs the most help. It could be the hair, face, clothes, fingers and toe nails or even the whole hog.

This Christmas week, go shop-

ping for all the things you will need. Buy good makeup products to enhance your looks all through the festive period. Engage professionals, especially in the area of manicure, pedicure and makeup to get an extra polished look. A makeover is another way of pampering yourself.

So go and enjoy a little spoiling in a good spa, have your facials done and general prepping done at the spa.

Then it’s time to take care of your hair. Get a new hairstyle.

One of the most important things that will help you feel good about yourself is your hair. Don’t do the normal hairstyles you have been wearing all through the year. Go for hairstyles that give more depth to your face, like an up do or a side swept look.

Once you have a new hairstyle, it’s time to get a makeover for your face and skin. Go through magazines to know the a p p ro p r i a t e products that are good for your skin and colour.

For this period, it’s best to engage a makeup artist to do your

make up. Pay close attention and ask a million questions. Also, if you usually wear a ton of makeup, a makeover could maybe mean a make-under! This means that if you use tons of foundation and bright red lipstick, taking some off can do wonders! Your basic makeup can be: A little bit of concealer to cover up pimples.

A little mascara opens up your eyes and makes you look wideawake. A little lip gloss or a bit of lipstick ties together your look!

With your hair and makeup done, it’s time to makeover your wardrobe. For a complete new you, it’s wise to take a friend shopping to help you pick out clothes to go with your new hairstyle and makeup. That way, you avoid the normal things you usually buy when you go alone. A simple way to add flair to your look is with new shoes and accessories. If your wardrobe itself is looking rather bland, spice it up with bright pops of colour, shine and texture from shoes, jewelry and handbags.

For extra dose of self- confidence this period, get a makeover that will boost your spirit and help you enjoy a fabulous Christmas and New Year!

Body&Soul

Body&Soul

22

T

his is the Christmas week and the festive frenzy has caught up with everyone as people hurry to put finishing touches to their Christmas and New Year preparations.

Before embarking on your holiday, don’t forget to make sure you have packed all the trendy clothes you will need this season.

One of the traditional clothes we see women wear during festive seasons is the Iro and Buba. This has been a fashion staple in Africa for decades and keeps evolving as modernisation takes over Africa. As you attend those special occasions and religious activities this season, add pizazz to your looks with the knot wrapper style.

This trend is also known as the Oleku twist or Lily wrap dress.

This style of tying wrapper has been around since the 60s but made a huge comeback on the Nigerian fashion scene with the Tiffany Amber’s 2011 collection – Fearless Luxury. It has remained in fashion since then.

This year, different fabrics

Vanessa Okwara

-George wrappers, velvet, Ankara, chiffon, satin and silk - are used to make this style. Before buying, we should understand that fabrics tell stories. Silk and chiffon drape really well for knot wrappers though people knot with velvets as well. The blouse and the wrapper can be from the same fabric or you can try a little bit of colour blocking with fabrics of different colours and patterns. Accessorise with chunky statement necklaces, high sling back or strappy sandals and platforms shoes to compliment your ensemble. You can finish off with ‘Gele’ on your head or simply let your hair frame your face for that fabulous appearance.

To learn or perfect this look before Christmas day, here’s what you need: Wrapper: Length of fabric depends on your size and how long you want the wrapper to be.

Steps to knot a wrapper • Grab both ends of the wrapper in each hand.

• Bring the ends across each other by moving the ends to opposing sides and interchange your hands.

• Do a double twist from one end to the other, switch them across each other and take to the back.

• Tie neatly at the back. You can either tuck the loose ends in or leave them hanging from the knotted edge. Now you are ready for that edgy smashing Christmas look!

Edgy knot wrapper

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

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23

SundayBusiness SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014

News Origin is R&D driven, says Guinness p.24

Transport

Ford voted most improved vehicle in 2014 p.25

Newsfeatures

Christmas: We sleep in salons to meet customers’ demands –Hairdressers, Tailors p.27

News

Falling oil price: $1trn investments stranded in oil fields p.28

Goodluck Jonathan

Experts decry 2015 budget’s ‘heavy’ recurrent figure F Paul Ogbuokiri

Paul Ogbuokiri Head, Business paulogbuokiri@newtelegraph online.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

or the second time in two years, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, laid the national appropriation bill before the National Assembly on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan.

This development which has engendered debate in financial and political circles is not the thrust of this story, because there are indications that the drastic drop in the 2015 budget by N562bn (N4.357trn) from N4.962trn appropriated in the 2014 budget Act, is a reflection of the weakness of Africa’s biggest economy.

Experts say the low appropriation in the 2015 budget proposal is only one of the negative impacts of the drop in the price crude oil. The price of Brent price of Brent fell below $59 per barrel on Wednesday, December 17. Since June, the price crude in the international market has gone down by over 50 per cent.

But surprisingly the government left its benchmark oil price at $65 per barrel, a difference of about $17.50. The benchmark price for 2014 is $77.50 per barrel.

Economist and Managing Director of Financial Derivatives, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, thinks

The price of Brent price of Brent fell below $59 per barrel on Wednesday, December 17.

Since June, the price crude in the international market has gone down by over 50 per cent

inflation will hit double digits for the first time in two years by January.

“That’s a difficult situation for Jonathan. You really don’t need this two months before an election,” he said.

But government does seem to agree that there is such a danger in the air as Okonjo-Iweala said during her presentation of the budget to the National Assembly that, “…inflation rate as estimated by the National Bureau of Statistics has fallen from 8.1 to 7.9 per cent.”

She said the Nigerian budget for 2015 would concentrate on measures that would stimulate the

diversification of the nation’s economy.

“This budget really focuses on moving us to diversify economy and raise non-oil revenue. We have made up for the fall of $13 per barrel, from $17 to $65, by raising non-oil revenue through various types of taxes and policies. The surcharge on luxury goods is there, plus additional tax efforts to close leakages in revenue,” she maintained.

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria devalued the naira by eight per cent last month and widened its target trading band to 160-176 naira against the dollar, but few analysts believe that level can hold, given dwindling oil revenues and declining reserves.

As at December 8, foreign reserves stood at $35.95bn, down nearly 20 per cent from a year ago after attempts to defend the naira in the face of a near-halving of global oil prices in the last five months.

The central bank intervened again to prop up the naira on Thursday after its efforts to stamp out speculation by barring commercial banks from holding dollars failed to prevent the currency hitting another record low.

Analysts said regulatory interventions against ‘speculators’ were unlikely to solve Nigeria’s basic C ON TI N UE D ON PAGE 24

24

SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Business/News

Origin is R&D driven, says Guinness

G

Azubike Nnadozie uinness Nigeria has said its latest product, Origin Bitters, was a product of its Research and Development (R&D) efforts after a careful study of current trends in the Nigerian beverages market.

Speaking to select media representatives during a recent tour of the Origin production lines at its Ogba Plant in Lagos, Corporate Relations Director, Mr. Sesan Sobowale emphasised the importance of continuous research and innovation in the life of Guinness as a 21st Century manufacturing concern.

“At Guinness Nigeria, R&D is critical to any decision to innovate. Our research has confirmed that adult Africans want to stand up and be counted as part of the modern world while still staying connected to their African identity and traditions. These findings led to the birth of Orijin - a drink made for Africans

by Africans,” he said.

On the relatively wide acceptance enjoyed

by Origin in the nation’s beverages market, Sobowale stated that any new innovation from Guinness Nigeria only gets to the market after extensive research and development has taken place to determine what the consumer really wants.

According to him, Orijin is no exception, as the drink meets the needs of the modern African who wants to enjoy the benefits of modern life without necessarily compromising on their African roots, adding, “I think that it is this unique offering and the fact that it is produced by a well-respected, quality conscious company with outstanding experience in producing world beating global brands dating well over 250 year that makes the brand so successful.”

He said the addition of Origin in the company’s offerings was part of Guinness Nigeria’s capacity expansion programme which saw an investment of N52bn injected into increasing capacity at its Benin and Ogba breweries, which he said, places the company in a better position than it had ever been to meet demand for all its products.

While conducting members of the media round the plant, the Ogba Plant Manager, Mr. Tunde Adegbola explained that Origin was made of the finest, health promoting herbal ingredients. “Orijin is made of herbs, fruits and alcohol. There is nothing in Orijin that is harmful to health. Just shake the glass and enjoy your Orijin, he added.

According to Adegbola, unlike beers that go through the brewing process, Origin is blended, thereby retaining most of its natural

health promoting ingredients. “Orijin is an alcoholic blend with the flavours of African herbs and fruits, combined to give a refreshing

bitter-sweet taste and we are proud and happy that Nigerians adore this brand so much,” he added.

(Right) Acting Managing Director, Mouka Limited, Mr Femi Fapohunda, Board Member, Mouka Limited, Mr Hasib Moukarim presenting the Platinum and Long Service Award winner to Mouka Distributor, Chief. Jude Evergreen Onyedun and his wife Mrs. Evergreen Onyedun during the 2014 Mouka Distributors’ End-Of-The-Year Awards Party held at Time Square Event Centre, Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja, Lagos

M

Mouka rewards distributors

Manufacturer of mattresses and other polyurethane products, Mouka Limited has rewarded its numerous distributors with various mouth-watering gifts including the star prize of three brand new cars.

The reward came in various categories as the distributors were hosted to a time of fun and merriment at the annual Mouka Distributors End of the year Awards Party.

Some of the prizes won include, Air conditioners, Fridges, Television sets, Gas cookers and Washing Machine.

Speaking at the colourful ceremony in Lagos which attracted esteemed distributors, members of the Mouka board of directors as well as trade partners, the Acting Managing Director, Mouka Limited, Mr. Femi Fapohunda stated that the End

of Year Awards Party is designed to appreciate the good works of partners who have worked impressively in the year.

Fapohunda appreciated the distributors and said that the growth of the Mouka business and continued sustenance of the firm is based on their unwavering patronage and support, ‘We hold our distributors and partners in high esteem and recognise their key contributions in achieving our mission of adding comfort to lives”.

While presenting awards to the lucky distributors, National Business Manager, Mouka Limited, Mr. Oluwafemi Asa said that the last twelve months has been an exciting journey for Mouka as the company got a lot of support from distributors, retailers and customers. “It is amazing to see what our esteemed distributors have

done with their business in the year 2014” he said.

One of the star prize winners of a brand new Toyota Corolla car Platinum award and Long serviceaward, Chief Evergreen Onyedum who couldn’t hide this joy, was full of praises to God for making him achieve such feat. He also thanked Mouka Limited for recognizing his effort.

“I am very grateful to God for winning this award again, I give glory to God and hope that other distributors will achieve and surpass this feat,” he said.

The Platinum Award Category comes with a 5 days all expensed paid trip to Dubai for two, 1,500 customized calendars, 100 customised T-shirts, household electronic appliance and a plaque of recognition.

Experts decry 2015 budget’s ‘heavy’ recurrent figure CON TINUED FR O M PAGE 23

problem - too few dollars coming in from oil sales.

Standard Bank Currency analyst, Yvette Babb, told Reuters that, “The fundamentals remain problematic - the fact that there is less supply of dollars than there is demand for dollars. That is not resolved by a one-off regulatory measure.”

He noted that because Nigeria is a consumerist nation, with the 2015 budget heavily on the recurrent side, it becomes difficult to diversify. He said that that would need more capital appropriation.

President of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Mr. Chidi Ajaegbu, says at the current price of oil, it is obvious that government cannot be able to generate enough revenue from oil to fund the budget. Unless the price of oil rebounds, it would have to look elsewhere for the shortfall. “What we have is a deficit budget. This is because what is estimated will come in from oil will not come in at the current price of the oil,” he said.

But the Standard Chartered Bank’s Head of Africa Research, Razia Khan, said, “Nigeria with its low debt ratios and fairly liquid markets has more capacity than most Afri-

can countries and other Emerging Markets to increase borrowing ... to see it through a short-term price shock.”

He said however that the problem of the budget as it had been over the years is that it is heavily on the recurrent side, meaning that little will go to development and building of infrastructure which the country is in dire need of.

According to Prof. Sunny Oladele of Department of Economics, University of Lagos, there is nothing wrong with a deficit budget, insofar as the country can source the balance able to pay back the borrowed funds from what it generates.

“That is where the problem is in our situation in this country. There is corruption, there is misplacement of priority. We are consuming our future today. If our budget continues to be at this rate of 70 per cent recurrent to 30 per cent capital, the country will never witness meaningful development. We will end up borrowing to fund what we are going to eat today. So the budget like others before it is already a failure, because it will not be able to stimulate production and create employment,” he noted.

He further said that government was not serious with its claim to diversify the econo-

my, saying that that would only be possible if more money goes to capital projects.

But President of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Chief Eugene Nweke, lauded the decision of government to increase revenue through tax, saying it can generate over 40 percent of the 2015 budget expenses from Customs Duty.

“All governments needs to do is partner us so that we can work closely with the Nigeria Customs Service, close all the leakages in the customs system and the current revenue generated by NCS would be doubled.”

As contained in the budget, N627.16bn will be spent on capital expenditure. This includes N380.70bn for the Ministries, Departments and Agencies; N144.42bn will be capital expenditure in statutory transfers; and N102.03bn for the Subsidy Re-investment Empowerment Programme, SURE-P).

A total of N2, 622.42trn (about 70 per cent of the total budget) has been earmarked for recurrent expenditure, which includes personnel costs for MDAs that stands at N1, 801trn; overheads, N216,56bn; pensions, N228,81bn; and N376.05 budgeted for other service wide votes. Servicing of domestic debts is expected to gulp N894.61bn while that of foreign debts will take N48.39bn.

Out of the N4.695bn budget in 2014, N408.687bn was for statutory transfers, N712bn for debt servicing, N2.454trn for recurrent expenditure and N1.119trn for capital expenditure.

The budget passed was based on the estimated oil price of $77.5 per barrel. Crude oil production was set at the rate of 2.3883m barrels per day.

In the appropriation bill for the 2013 fiscal year, government proposed a N4.92-trn spending plan, representing an increase of five per cent over the N4.7trn appropriated for the 2012 fiscal year.

The aggregate expenditure figure comprises N1.54trn for capital expenditure; N2.41trn for recurrent expenditure; N380.02bn for statutory transfers; and N591.76bn for debt servicing.

In the 2012 appropriation bill signed into law on April 13, 2012, the total budget was N4.2trn; capital expenditure stood at N3.357trn; while N1.34trn was appropriated for recurrent.

The 2010 budget of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was N4.4trn, consisting of N2.1trn in recurrent expenditures and N1.5trn in capital expenditures. The balance was in debt servicing and statutory transfers.

25

Transport

SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014

Ford voted most improved vehicle in 2014

Honda is most searched auto brand on Google in 2014 G

T

Paul Ogbuokiri he Ford ranges of automobiles were voted the most improved auto brand at an event held in Lagos recently.

A statement by the Marketing Manager of Briescoford, Felix Adesoye, said in arriving at the decision by one of the veritable stakeholders of the Nigerian automobile industry, “the Nigerian Motoring Journalists has not overlooked the enormous upgrade Ford has done to the brand. As such, BriscoeFord on behalf of Ford Motor Corporation, wish to appreciate the organisers for recognising the effort of our manufacturer at improving living conditions globally through the production and supply of vehicles which guarantees safety, smart and safe driving as well as environmental friendliness.”

He said the award, which was jointly received on behalf of Ford by BriscoeFord

and Coscharis Motors, laid credence to the acceptability and adoption of the brand by different segments of the Nigerian market.

According to him, Nigerian road users now enjoy the friendliness of the Ford brand through consistent performance, reliability to deliver on usage, interior comfort, easy-to-use connectivity gadgets on the dashboard, unprecedented fuel economy and many other benefits being enjoyed in the vehicle. He also said that BriscoeFord has even made is easy for auto lovers through an array of options ranging from the Ranger T6 pick up series, SUVs which include Explorer, Edge, Escape, Ecosport and Sedans such as Taurus, Fusion, Focus and the entry level, Figo.

Similarly, the efficiency and improvement in Ford vehicles has not gone unnoticed in other markets across the globe.

For instance, Ford’s ultra-fuel efficient and spirited 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine, designed and engineered in the UK, was

named 2013 International Engine of the Year, marking the second straight year Ford’s acclaimed three-cylinder engine has captured the award. The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine – which combines direct fuel injection, turbo-charging and variable valve timing to lower fuel consumption without sacrificing power – received the highest score in the history of the awards.

The engine also won the “Best Engine Under 1.0-litre” category at the annual awards presented by Engine Technology International magazine.

Ford America is expanding the industryleading range of powerful and efficient powertrains with the addition of an allnew 2.7-liter EcoBoost® with standard Auto Start-Stop engineered specifically for the next-generation Ford F-150. The highoutput twin-turbo 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 features an entirely new design that delivers power and performance in a stronger, smarter package.

FERMA boss bags award

T

Sunday Ojeme

he African Forum Scotland has conferred the prestigious award for Infrastructure Achievement on Managing Director/CEO of Federal Road Maintenance Agency, Gabriel Amuchi.

A statement made available to Sunday New Telegraph said the African Forum Scotland set up by Africans from different backgrounds and professions resident in Scotland based their findings on feedback from their clients, random sampling of opinion of members of the Nigerian public as well as Nigerians in the Diaspora who travelled home between 2012 and June 2014.

The statement signed by the Assistant General Manager/Head Communications FERMA, Mrs. Maryam Sanusi, said the forum submitted that based on these feedbacks, it was evident that the FERMA MD/CEO’s contributions were a great factor for progress in Nigeria

in particular and Africa in general.

The organisers stated that the major objective of the forum as a social enterprise is to recognise, celebrate and promote excellence among African people, leaders and professionals through the annual award. It also uses the award ceremony as a platform for African professional and business leaders to interact with their Scottish and UK counterparts with a view to forging critical alliances to develop the continent.

According to the Forum, Amuchi’s award is in recognition of his extra-ordinary and visionary achievements, his leadership role and Infrastructure managed in Nigeria. It stated further that no other nominee for award in the category had put in as much effort and dedication in their leadership role as Amuchi did, as attested to by numerous Nigerians.

Similarly, Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State on Friday, December 12, 2014 awarded the FERMA boss an Honorary Doctor of Science (D. Sc.) for his exemplary leadership,

contribution to the development of Nigeria’s engineering capacity and the marked improvements the agency has made on federal roads and highways nationwide, in the past three years.

This is coming on the heels of earlier ones, in recognition of the accomplishments of the managing director and the Agency in fundamentally turning around for better the condition of Federal roads within daunting challenges.

Some of the awards are Outstanding Performance by the Engineering Forum of Nigerian, the United Kingdom, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda African Leadership award for marked improvement on Nigeria’s roads infrastructure (South Africa), Paul Harris Fellow Award, Rotary international, Citation on Excellence by Governor of Maryland, Maryland, Baltimore USA, Leadership Award by the Constituency for Africa (CFA) Washington, USA and the Most Outstanding Public Institution in Nigeria 2012-2013 for effective and efficient service delivery as voted by Nigerians.

oogle Zeitgeist 2014 lists Honda as the most searched brand and the Honda Mobilio as the most searched car for 2014. It’s no surprise as the Japanese carmaker had two successful launches this year that are clocking high sales figures every month. The Honda City was launched in January and the Mobilio went on sale mid-year.

A surprise entrant in the number two spot is the Chevrolet Spark. Google has no explanation for it and we don’t either. Our love for SUVs though comes through in the searches as well with the Mahindra Scorpio and Ford EcoSport coming up in third and fourth spot. Indian petrolheads also wanted to know a lot more about the Huracan and Aventador as Lamborghini was searched more than the Hyundai Xcent and Tata Zest, rounding up the top seven. Now Lamborghini is a brand and not a car but as they say, Google only gives you answers (and gives us lists in this case), no explanations.

Among manufacturers, with Honda on pole position, Maruti couldn’t be left far behind taking up the number two spot on the list. Size and presence matters online for all big brands and it shows with Hyundai being the third most searched brand in 2014. Again Chevrolet in fourth is a bit tough to explain. Audi, Ford and Nissan come in next.

Google Zeitgeist is a great way to get some behind the scenes data on what people are searching for. We’ve only compiled the list of top searched twowheelers here, but you can go back to 2001 at the Google Zeitgeist Archives and search for all kinds of data, even those completely unrelated to automobiles.

Hyundai iX35 SUV thrills youths

H

yundai Motors Nigeria has donated a Hyundai iX35 sport utility vehicle to reggae and dancehall music sensation, Patoranking, winner of the ‘Next Rated’ commemorative plaque at the 2014 Hip-Hop World Awards popularly called Headies.

Patoranking defeated rival nominees, Runtown, Orezi, Skales and Yemi Alade, to emerge winner in the Next Rated category, arguably the most coveted grouping in the Headies Awards since 2006 with previous winners like Asa, Wande Coal, Omawumi, Wizkid, Davido and Sean Tizzle.

Headies is Nigeria’s adaptation of the prestigious Grammy Awards, where outstanding local and potentially inspiring and upcoming artistes are honoured.

The Next Rated category of the award has been traditionally sponsored by Hyundai Motors Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of the Stallion Group, since 2011 to encourage upcoming and outstanding artistes in the local music industry.

26

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Bears dominate despite late rallies

I

n an interesting turn of events, the market gained significantly on two of five trading days. These gains, however, were not sufficient to produce a positive Week-on-Week (WoW) performance, as the index pared by 1.49%.

The minimal turnaround seen in the last two trading days was largely driven by the impressive gains posted by large cap stocks such as NB, NESTLE and DANGCEM. We believe the rally witnessed on major counters at the tail end of the week may not be unrelated to the temporary rebound in global oil price.

Highest gainers for the week were ETRANZACT, WAPIC, BETAGLAS, HONYFLOUR and MANSARD returning 15.29%, 10.53%, 10.25%, 9.03% and 8.62% in that order. Conversely, leading the laggards were CHAMPION, FLOURMILL, PZ, SEPLAT and RTBRISCOE shedding 29.58%, 18.82%, 18.49%, 18.41% and 15.85% respectively.

Liquidity in the money market eased slightly as the OBB and OVN rates reduced by an average of 2.53% as NIBOR CALL rate also declined by 10.21%. Alongside the issuance of NGN260.57bn in the primary treasury bills and bonds markets, yields on treasury bills closed 0.23% higher while average yield on bonds expanded 0.82%, as sell pressures persisted in the market amidst weak demand. The naira also traded in line with the bearish mood depreciating 2.84% WoW even as the apex bank continued its support of the currency through its RDAS auctions during the week.

This report reviews the performance of Nigerian financial markets in the week, and presents an outlook for the coming week while considering internal and external factors influencing prices.

Economic Round Up: 2015 proposed Budget pegs GDP growth at 5.5%

Oil prices continued to spiral downward, touching USD59pb before rising back to USD61pb by the close of the week. The US Fed-FOMC left fed fund rates unchanged as the committee concluded its last meeting for the year. As against speculations, the Fed chair noted that hike in rate may not happen until mid-2015.

In a related event, the Russian central bank increased its bench mark interest rate to 17% (from 10.5%), this is coming after the Ruble crashed 45% against the Dollar so far in the year as western sanction takes its toll on the country’s economy.

In India, latest growth forecast sees March 2015 GDP growth at 5.5%.

The 46th session of Heads of government of ECOWAS witnessed the re-admission of BurkinaFaso into the body as the chairman re-affirmed the need for concerted effort against terrorism in the region. Also, 101 Ethiopian medical personnel joined fellow AU members in the fight against Ebola in West Africa.

In the local scene, run up to 2015 general election heightened further as Professor Yemi Osinbajo emerged as the presidential running mate to Major Gen Muhammadu Buhari of the APC during the week.

Away from politics, the coordinating minister of the economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Eweala presented the 2015 budget to the National Assembly. The bill pegs the oil price benchmark at USD65pb and crude oil production at 2.27bpd. It also assumes FX rate and GDP growth of NGN/USD165 and 5.5% (down from 6.35%). The government also expects to generate Revenue of NGN3.60tr whilst total expenditure is estimated to be NGN4.36tr.

Meanwhile, Oil workers who had embarked on a strike earlier in the week reversed their stance after a close door session in Abuja.

Fixed Income Brief: CBN curtails speculative FOREX purchases

Changes on the CALL, 1M, 3M, and 6M NIBOR rates were -10.21%, -1.20%, -0.87%, and -0.49% for the week to peg at 15.17%, 15.91%, 16.41%, and 17.04% correspondingly. Average change on money market rates was -2.53% as the OBB and OVN rates closed at 15.50% and 16.70% respectively.

Contributing to this was the downward review from 1% to Zero percent of shareholders’ fund available as FOREX Trading Position of Individual Authorized Dealers which took effect in the week.

We expect liquidity to increase in the system when the approved NGN638.775bn FAAC allocation hits the system.

Activities in the fixed income market closed sideways, even as selloff persists. Average yield on Tbills rose by 0.23% across the maturities, as the 1M, 2M, 3M, 6M, 9M, and 12M bills closed at 14.17%, 14.51%, 14.84%, 14.96%, 15.65%, and 15.72% in that order. In the bond market however, there was

…as oil price continues free fall

a price appreciation of 2.73% WoW, following the decline of 7.33% it recorded in the previous week.

The bearish sentiments on SEPLAT persisted as the counter shed 18.41% WoW recording the highest price decline in the sector for the week to close at NGN265.02. At the current price, the counter has declined by 54% from its Initial Public Offer (IPO) price of NGN576. Other laggards for the week were OANDO, CONOIL, TOTAL, ETERNA and MOBIL with their respective prices declining by 7.73%, 9.73%, 9.30%, 5.14% and 5.00%%.

We are of the opinion that with the full and the partial exposure of SEPLAT and OANDO to the upstream sector of the oil and gas value chain, the negative sentiments on the counters might not subside in the near term as there are still risks on the horizon. selloff at the mid and long end of the curve as average yield grew by 0.82% across the curve. Average offer yields on both Benchmark and Off-the-Run bonds were 15.01% and 14.14% respectively. In our opinion, the continuous decline in global oil price amidst other concerns contributes to the selloffs witnessed in this space.

During the week, the debt management office (DMO) auctioned a total sum of NGN195.574 in 91-day, 182-day, and 364-day bond instruments.

In the same vein, total sum of NGN65 was auctioned in the bond market. A sum of NGN10bn, NGN30bn and NGN25bn was issued in the AUG2016, MAR-2024 and JUL-2034 in that order.

Mid-quote for the Naira pegged at NGN184.55 for the week as the domestic currency weakened by 2.84% against the greenback for the week. The downward review of the Net Open Operations of banks is expected to curtail speculative purchases of the dollar, thereby stabilizing the Naira in the weeks coming.

Banking Sector: Pressure begins to abate at week’s end

The majority of the tickers in the sector declined during this week’s trading, as new 52-week lows are continually being reached. The gainers for the week included FIDELITYBK (3.33%), DIAMONDBK (2.04%), and STANBIC (1.72%), while on the other side UBA (7.35%), ZENITHBANK (7.33%) and UBN (5.79%) led the losers’ chart, just as UNITYBNK stayed flat.

There was a significant volume witnessed on UBN on the last trading day of the week, with 3.5bn shares traded as Atlas Mara completed its previously announced purchase from AMCON for USD250mn, to bring its ownership stake up to 29.9%.

At the current pace we do not believe the sector stocks have bottomed out yet, and so advise that investors time the market, watching for the end of the cycle before taking position for the resurgence of the sector, and market as a whole.

Industrial goods: Late rally eases WtD loss

The industrial goods sector witnessed a major rally in the last two trading days of the week with most of the counters recording price gains thus driving the Meri-Industrial index o.16% up.

CCNN and WAPCO closed the week in the

positive region having gained 4.75% and 2.60% respectively just as DANGCEM reversed the 4.4% loss from the first three trading days of the week.

PORTPAINT failed to benefit from the late rally as the stock shed the most to peg its share price at NGN4.29 having declined by 9.68% WtD. The other two price losers were CUTIX (-4.62%) and CAP (-4.31%).

We believe investors are taking advantage of the low prices of most stocks in the industrial goods basket , we however do not see a continuation of the recent trend due to the uncertainties and prevalent risk factors in the country.

Consumer Goods: Bears overshadow the Bulls

Sector stays depressed by poor market sentiments, a reflection of the macroeconomic expectation of the country. NSEFB10 fell 0.63% as sector heavy weights like FLOURMILL, CADBURY, PZ, GUINNESS and UNILEVER all closed negatively save for a few.

7UP led the gainers chart joined by HONYFLOUR, NESTLE, GUINNESS, and NB gaining 2.96%, 9.03%, 4.41%, 1.92% and 0.97% respectively during the week’s trading section. CHAMPION led the decliners’ chart with -29.58%, followed by FLOURMILL with -18.82% while DANGSUGAR fared better with -3.14% change during the week.

PREMBREW, NNFM, and INTBREW however were not moved by activities in the sector and market, remaining flat.

In the Conglomerates space, AGLEVENT and UACN gave in to the raging storm shedding -5.45% and -4.58% accordingly.

We suspect that bargain hunting might change the sector’s mood in the coming week, as most counters now trade at attractive prices, but caution is still necessary as full year performance of key players in this sector remained pressured by challenges in the north-east, Ebola outbreak during the year and other head winds such as naira devaluation and likely higher cost of production.

Oil and Gas: SEPLAT’s IPO Price Suffers 54% Loss

The sector registered a negative breadth as only one stocks appreciated in price against five stocks that depreciated, thus index level pared 5.82% WoW. FO emerged as the only stock that recorded

Insurance Sector: Sector reverses gain as all counters trend south

In spite of the negative sentiment ravaging the Nigerian equities market, the insurance sector outperformed all sectors for the week as it gained 3.96% WoW to peg YtD return at 14.92%. Albeit, market breadth (0.50x) was in favour of losers as 2 stocks appreciated in price against 4 decliners.

The sector’s most capitalized stock, MANSARD, recorded the highest price appreciation of 8.62% WoW to close at NGN3.15 (vs. NGN2.90 in previous week). This was followed by CUSTODYINS which expanded its price by 5.23% gain as position taking ensued following the significant selloff it witnessed in the previous week that waned its price by 13.35%. On the down side, AIICO pared the most with 11.69% loss, followed by CONTINSURE, NEM and ROYALEX with respective losses of 5.68%, 5.08% and 3.70%.

We attribute the performance of the sector to position taking by foreign investors in anticipation of future untapped resources embedded in the sector. However, we continue to preach cautious trading due to the general negative sentiments in the equities market.

Healthcare Sector: FIDSON and PHARMADEKO posted positive YtD returns The healthcare sector closed the week in the negative zone as the stocks in the basket continued to shed points. The Meri-Health index shed 0.05% during the week, pegging the YtD return at -23.32%. Only two stocks- FIDSON and PHARMADEKO - have posted gains in the year and currently trade with positive YtD returns of 20.07% and 21.62% respectively.

FIDSON emerged as the only price gainer, advancing in share value by 8.41% and closing the week at NGN3.35. NEIMETH on the other hand, was the major laggard for the week following share price decline of 12.79% to NGN0.75. Other major price losers included NIG-GERMAN and PHARMADEKO which declined by 9.71% and 4.66% accordingly.

Generally, we can say that the sector’s performance trailed the market for the year. However, we expect retraction in some counters’ performance next year. This would be upon effective utilization of their new capacity in line with good manufacturing practice (GMP) and the expected impact on operations.

Agric Sector: Negative mood persists

The Agric. sector did not fare any better this week as all the stocks in the sector stayed depressed.

OKOMU OIL dipped the most with the market value dipping by 9.72% return followed closely

by PRESCO and LIVESTOCK with a decline of 9.70% and 2.72% respectively while other counters traded flat.

We suspect the possibility of bargain hunting in the coming week.

Services Sector: TRANSCORP bounces back to trail ACADEMY as top gainers

The services sector closed negative to align with the gloomy mood of the equities market with the MERISERV index settling -5.56% down WoW. ACADEMY topped the gainers with 4.42%. It was followed by TRANSCORP with 0.98% after a poor showing in the previous week with a 23.56% plunge.

Conversely, five stocks pared with RTBRISCOE leading the decliners with 15.85%. ABCTRANS, AIRSERVICE, NAHCO, and IKEJAHOTEL, with 7.02%, 5.52%, 3.07%, and 0.26% in that order while others traded flat.

We anticipate that the negative mood which has permeated the market so far this year will continue to influence the sentiments in the services sector as the year draws to a close.

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SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

SundayBusiness Newsfeatures

Christmas: We sleep in salons to meet customers’ demands–Hairdressers, Tailors

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Chijioke Iremeka

ooking good is a serious business for most women, especially as the Christmas approaches. Many of them are ready to sleep in fashion houses and beauty salons, just to get some fine clothes and a dazzling hairdo for the season.

Sunday New Telegraph visited some operators of fashion houses and beauty palours in Lagos, to determine their activities for the Yuletide. One of them, who did not want to be named said, “Our business styles and patterns are no longer what they used to be prior to the peak of Christmas preparation.

We are changing our styles to meet the huge demands that come with the season.”

They said they were being overwhelmed by the high demand. Their clients include students, who are on Christmas vacation as well as those with upcoming functions.

Managing Director of Niceey Salon, Yaba in Lagos, Ngozi Okolo, said, “Working late hours and sleeping in the shop are practices that are not avoidable during this period.

There are huge demands that come with this season.

“While Christians are preparing for the Christmas, the New Year celebration creeps in, increasing demand. So, you now see that we have the whole month to work. We can’t finish the jobs at hand, if we are to go by normal routine, except we puts in extra time.

The extra time is money for us anywhere.

“December is a month many people look forward to, including the beauty salons and fashion houses. I have not slept in the office before but I know that in some places, people lock themselves up to do their jobs.

I haven’t slept in the office because I have to consider our security first.

“Many customers, who are busy during the day, find overnight service a good alternative. Yes, they are served with snacks and drinks, which is part of the money they are charged.”

At De Loft Beauty Saloon, Adeniran Ogunsanya Road, Lagos, a hairdresser, Ijeoma Unenwa, said, “During the season like this, we follow the trend and change our styles to meet up with the demands of the customers, who are ready to part with a certain amount of money.”

She noted that when the demand is high, they resort to sleeping in the salon to ensure that they finish their jobs, saying that they prepare people for the celebration but don’t take part in the celebration. According to her, they have to wait for clients arriving on Christmas Day. She said, “As from December 18 of every year, there is no celebration for us. We suffer waist and back pain because we have to stand all through the day, dressing customers’ hair. Sometimes, one will be feeling dizzy, with matter made worse by troublesome customers.

“On one occasion, one out of the six girls I hired to help me do the job collapsed while working. She stood for so long. Making money anywhere is not easy. Even the ritualists would tell you the same.”

Corroborating her assertion, Miss Mercy Okon of LookGood Saloon, Broad Street, Lagos Island, said, “The way we work during festive periods like Christmas is different.

We hire more hands to meet our targets. We stay late. We charge high, especially those desperate ones, who need to do one thing or the other.

“Christmas is the biggest festive season for women, going by the efforts they put into preparation for it. It’s also heightened by the New Year celebration, which comes barely few days after Christmas. As Christ-

Akinbode Oluwafemi

Hairdressing salon

mas draws closer, the hairdressing saloons experience a serious business boom.”

A roving hairdresser on Ojuelegba-Yaba Road in Surulere, Mutiat Afolabi, said, “We eat and drink in the shop. Yes, there is money in it but it comes with a lot of challenges.

We make money, which we never made in the other days in the year. People must look good at all cost. Most women come to prepare themselves for their husbands.

“This is a woman’s world. Also, many men who have an eye for beauty would

come back from abroad in search of good looking women to marry and women have to be prepared to meet them. This is why some ladies will always spend their yearlong savings to look good.”

She noted that married men also give good money to their wives to look good during this season, saying that most men are ready to empty their pockets.

Asked why she has been sleeping in the salon, another hairdresser at Obalende, Miss Victoria Osinach, said, “Money is the chang-

ing factor. In fact, if they ask me to continue to dress their hair till January 1, I will do it and collect my money.”

Of course, at Ajegunle, it’s a different kettle of fish altogether. Most streets and roads have make-shift salons for braiding, retouching and weaving among others.

This is so because the area is populated with craftsmen and women. Their ideal salon is one with posters of different hairstyles in front of their houses and under sheds.

Mrs. Benita Ogundipe of Down Town Beauty Salon at Bode Thomas, Surulere, Lagos, said, “I don’t joke with the first day in the year. Any job that I’m doing has to stop because I have to seriously pray to my God for the grace to start off the New Year’s journey. I have to rest that day too.

“There must be a day to rest after this fire brigade approach given to the business. You have to be alive to enjoy the money, else, the person that didn’t suffer will gain it or one spends it in the hospital. Last year, I know those who worked hard to make this money but couldn’t enjoy it.”

Also, a makeup artist, Blessing Okala, said her job does not involve sleeping in the shop because clients don’t have to sleep with makeup on.

“We don’t have the same business as beauty salons or fashion designers. We do our own during the day for immediate use, which fades after few hours. So, the time of the event is important when making our customers up. So we don’t have to sleep in the office, instead we go to clients’ houses,” she added.

A dressmaker in Festac, Don Klean, said in every service where target is involved, putting extra hours to work can never be ruled out.

“You have to be awake when others are sleeping. You have to do what others don’t find comfortable doing. So, we sleep in shops. Sometimes, for days I don’t go home because I have to meet my targets.

Remember that I have promised a number of people that they would collect their clothes at a particular time and they must not come and hear that their materials are not ready. It’s bad. You can lose a customer by that singular act. So, sleeping in the shop during Christmas is very normal for me.”

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SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

SundayBusiness/News

Falling oil price: $1trn investments stranded in oil fields Paul Ogbuokiri

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with Agency report

fter crude prices dropped 49 per cent in six months, oil projects planned for next year are at a dead end - still standing upright, but with little hope of a productive future.

These zombie projects proliferate in expensive Arctic oil, deepwater-drilling regions and tar sands from Canada to Venezuela.

In a stunning analysis this week, Goldman Sachs found almost $1trn in investments in future oil projects at risk. They looked at 400 of the world’s largest new oil and gas fields -- excluding U.S. shale - and found projects representing $930bn of future investment that are no longer profitable with Brent crude at $70. In the U.S., the shale-oil party isn’t over yet, but zombies are beginning to crash it.

The chart 1 below shows the break-even points for the top 400 new fields and how much future oil production they represent.

Less than a third of projects are still profitable with oil at $70. If the unprofitable projects were scuttled, it would mean a loss of 7.5m barrels per day of production in 2025, equivalent to eight per cent of current global demand.

Making matters worse, Brent prices this week dipped further, below $60 a barrel for the first time in more than five years. Why? The U.S. shale-oil boom has flooded the market with new supply, global demand led by China has softened, and the Saudis have so far refused to curb production to prop up prices.

It’s not clear yet how far OPEC is willing to let prices slide. The UAE’s energy minister

said on December 14 that OPEC wouldn’t trim production even if prices fall to $40 a barrel. An all-out price war could take up to 18 months to play out, said Kevin Book, managing director at ClearView Energy Partners LLC, a financial research group in Washington.

The Goldman tally takes the long view of project finance as it plays out over the next decade or more. But the initial impact of low prices may be swift. Next year alone, oil and gas companies will make final investment decisions on 800 projects worth $500 billion, said Lars Eirik Nicolaisen, a partner at Oslo-based Rystad Energy. If the price of oil averages $70 in 2015, he wrote in an email, $150 billion will be pulled from oil and gas exploration around the world.

An oil price of $65 a barrel next year would trigger the biggest drop in project finance in decades, according to a Sanford C. Bernstein analysis last week.

A pause in exploration and development may sound like good news for investors concerned about climate change. A vocal minority have been warning for years that potentially trillions of dollars of untapped assets may become stranded due to climate policies and improved energy efficiency. The challenges faced by oil developers today may provide a small sense of what’s to come.

However, these glut-driven prices can’t stay low forever. Oil production hasn’t slowed yet, but as zombie projects go unfunded, it will. This is how the boom-bustboom of the oil market goes: prices fall, then production follows, pushing prices higher again. The longer this standoff goes, the more zombies will languish and the sharper the rebounding price spike may be.

L-R; Head, Business Development, Information Technology and Mobile, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Olumide Ojo; Head, Product Marketing, Information Technology and Mobile, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Ms. Olajumoke Okikiolu; Samsung Electronics Brand Ambassador, Banky W and Business Development Director, Information Technology and Mobile, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Daesong Ra, at the unveiling of the new Samsung Galaxy A Smartphone Series and premiere of Banky W’s “A Music Film Experience” movie. The event took place at the Genesis Deluxe Cinema in Lekki, Lagos on Thursday, December 18, 2014.

British Council creative expo harps on collaboration Edwin Usoboh

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Chart one

Chart two

he British Council recently held the fourth edition of its creative industries expo in Lagos.

This year’s edition themed ‘Collaboration,’ was a pitching contest in which selected creative and digital entrepreneurs presented their business ideas in front of the audience and panel of hub owners and creative entrepreneurs, for a chance to win logistics and business development support from various hubs.

The speakers shared their experiences, expertise, vision and strategies for building collaborative work practices and gave examples of the diverse forms of collaboration taking place in Nigeria and around the world.

Members of the lively and highly participatory audience also shared their experiences and thoughts on collaboration, and there was much discussion around the issues of trust, values, having clear parameters or agreements and the need to develop a mindset that is open to collaboration.

Interspersed with the presentations, four young entrepreneurs gave short testimonials tagged #MyCollaborationStory, telling of how collaboration had helped each of them grow in business and as individuals. A group of hub owners also held a moderated action-planning session to identify and take decisions on the key steps needed to develop more collaborative working within the creative sector.

This action plan will be available on the British Council website in due course.

In an interview with CEO of Enterprise Creative, producers of the 2014 Expo, Nkiru Asika, concerning the enterprise creative HotHouse, she said the enterprise offers office space, resources, collaborative work space for creative professionals and entrepreneurship, providing growing businesses with affordable and flexible workspace and professional environment which is located in a fully wire-

less and secure building on Allen Avenue, in the heart of Ikeja.

“It is a concept that is needed and people will embrace it because it is not easy working alone. The whole idea is that an individual is independent but not working alone, you have people around you to encourage, share ideas with and also learn from, and really we will get there and people will love it, most especially because of the cost,” she said.

In a lecture at the event, Chief Operating Officer of Amaka Igwe Studios, one of Nigeria’s leading audio-visual production companies, Chris Ihidero, encouraged Nigerians to work together.

“I have worked as director of Studies at the Centre for Excellence in Film and Media Studies, Lagos, the research and training arm of AIS. I have directed over 100 hours of TV drama and has made 2 short films. In September 2013, I became the Chief Operating Officer of Q Entertainment Network and have officially launched PinPoint Media in September 2014, all this I didn’t achieve on my own, I worked with people.

“Several times I have a project, I don’t have to be there because I have got capable hands that will work in my absence. That’s the spirit of collaboration with people. That doesn’t mean I lord it over them or they are subjected to me.

But we all have a purpose and we need to work together to achieve our goal and the end result means gain,” he stated.

Also speaking at the event, Director of Art, British council of Nigeria, Ojoma Ochai, said the Nigerian Creative Economy among other factors is held back by lack of knowledge and information sharing and collaboration within and across creative industry sub sectors. He said this year’s Expo will create opportunity for networking and information and knowledge exchange within the creative industries, showcase the benefits of the hub model and the benefits of collaboration on the creative economy.

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SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Parable of a lost opportunity (2) Success Nuggets Victor Okwudiri 08037674300 (SMS only) (Continued from last week) After the commercial break, the show host instructed that the performance scores be posted for all to see.

It turned out that Yinka was the actual winner, but then he had lost out for opting for the N2m.

Yinka’s feet could no longer hold him. He lay on the floor in tears. How could he have come so close, yet missed out? If only he had exercised more faith in his performance and God whom he had always believed could not abandon him after bringing him far in the contest? What happened to his faith? These and many more questions ran through Yinka’s mind.

Femi, for his part, almost froze in shock. He couldn’t believe his eyes.

It was a remarkable experience for both Femi and Yinka, as it caused them their greatest joy and pain, respectively.

LESSONS n Great things, sometimes, start small.

Yinka began his music career by entertaining himself and his family members.

Friend, do not wait until you are too competent before you launch out.

Launch out. You will get better with

It was such that one wondered where he left those virtues on the day of the grand finale.

Did he forget the same God at home when leaving for the venue of the contest? time. n Your age is no excuse to remain in the cage Yinka began his music career at 8. At 11, he was already a singing sensation. I charge you not to limit yourself, thinking you are too small. Come out of your cage. Spread your wings and fly. n It is better to prepare for an opportunity you will never have than to have one you were never prepared for.

When the opportunity for the singing contest came at 23, Yinka was prepared. He didn’t sit, waiting for the opportunity to come calling. He was doing what he loved doing, before the opportunity came. n Self-confidence works Each time he was asked by the show host whether he thought he would emerge the winner at that stage of the competition or preferred to go for the money, he confessed the positive – that he was going to emerge the winner and he emerged winner, until the final

stage. It was when he lost his confidence that he lost the opportunity.

Friend, believe in yourself. Think of possibilities. Your thoughts set the pace for your realities. nFaith in God influences your fate.

Yinka was not only confident in himself, he had faith in God. On a particular day, at an advanced stage of the competition, when the performances were too close to call, the show host asked him, “Yinka, this is a close one.

What do you think?” His reply – “God who has brought me this far will not let me down.” It worked for him until the last day, when he lost his faith. n The virtues that take you to the top will keep you there All through the competition, Yinka, in addition to excellent performances, rode on the wings of faith in God and self-confidence. It was such that one wondered where he left those virtues on the day of the grand finale. Did he forget the same God at home when leaving for the venue of the contest?

Friend, if God took you there, He can keep you there, if you trust Him. One more thing …

n Not every bird at hand is worth

two in the bush.

Yinka fell for the temptation of N2m as against N10m, probably because of the philosophy that a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. That is true sometimes, but there are times you should just go for what you want and settle for nothing less. While asking yourself, “What if I don’t get it?” ask yourself, “What if I get it?”

You will succeed.

Grattitude is one of the laws of the universe The Big Picture Julian Atufunwa 08032810713 (SMS only)

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I had woken up droopy that early morning, on the 30th day of the month of December 2012. It was going to be a thanksgiving /love feast day in my church. It was about 4am. I had wanted to cook and be in church early for rehearsals. Just then I started thinking, taking stock of all that had happened throughout that year.

Honestly, all I could remember were the bad, bad things and one after the other I recalled the pains, the agony, the period of lack, the criticisms, the debts, my failures. On and on I went thinking till it got to a stage that I was asking myself whether there was the need to go for the thanksgiving. Just then, I stretched my hand to carry a kettle and I felt that it was weak, very weak. It dropped to my side. What!!

What is wrong with my hands. Then, I felt weakness in my legs too and I slumped on a nearby seat. Then, I knew I was in trouble. I made efforts to alert just anybody but people were still asleep. I made an attempt to shout but I could not. I was helpless and the only thing that was active was my mind. I started speaking in my mind, saying: ‘So is this how death is?

Lord, please don’t let me die.’ Then, I remembered that someone died in my neigbourhood on the 26th after Christmas. Just like that, I said. ‘Lord, please

if this is how am going to die please forgive me my sins and help me make Heaven.’ Suddenly I heard a voice say: ‘Can you lift your hands?’ I said, ‘No.’ ‘Can you stand?’ ‘I cannot.’ ‘I heard you this morning thinking about all the negative things that happened to you this year, but never were you grateful that you can move your hands, you can stand, you can talk. How many times this year were you rushed to the hospital? How many times this year did you rush your loved ones to the hospital? God gave you strength, God gave you wisdom, everything that happened to you was for a reason, for a purpose. Before a hair can drop from your hair, I knew all about it.’ The voice sounded like a whip tearing me apart.

Already, tears were flowing down my cheeks. I was begging: Please Lord, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ Then, the voice ceased.

I spoke out. My strength came back to me. I cleaned myself up because I had thrown up. I rushed back into the room and woke everybody up. I said in tears: Please, let’s thank God. Please, let’s be grateful to God that we can move our hands.’ Everyone was staring at me.

I told my neighbors the same thing.

You don’t have to wait to experience this kind of incident before you are appreciative of what you already have.

Everything we need will come if we can learn to be grateful. Gratitude can transform every aspect of our life.

What grattitude will do for you (1) Gratitude will attract to you what you want: If you are always complaining about what you don’t have, be sure you won’t get it. I didn’t say this; it is a law of the universe. When you send out negative vibrations through

your thoughts to the universe, all you will attract are negativity. Jealousy, hate, ingratitude are negative emotions.

(2) Gratitude improves your health: When you are thankful, you are happy and merry. This works like medicine.

If you want to be free from disease, be thankful, be happy, think health. If you want to lose weight, hold the thought of how you want to look in your mind.

Send out positive vibrations to the universe. What you think of is always reflected back to you in your circumstances. Be thankful in advance, feel like you already got what you wanted.

(3) Gratitude improves relationships: No one wants to stay around negative, unthankful, grumbling persons. Such people are always complaining, looking grumpy to attract attention. They carry a face that says: ‘Hey everyone! I’m having a bad day.’

Of course you will only attract people of your kind, then you go all the way complaining non-stop.

(4) Gratitude lifts your spirit: No down moments with a grateful person.

You are always full of energy and joy and that makes you stay youthful.

Finally, there is no better time to be grateful to God than this season. Let’s sit down and count our blessings. Forget about who is wearing what, who is eating what. If you’ve got money to celebrate big, fine! If you don’t have, celebrate anyway. Celebrate life, celebrate the fact that you are alive and healthy. Another season will come again and again. Let’s remember the fatherless and the orphans at this time.

Let someone be grateful to God for you.

World / News

Air Peace team visits Defence House

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he atmosphere was l i v e l y.

Though, it appeared to be a military affair, the presence of a few civilians at the gathering gave it a different colour. There was a seamless flow of excitement and every gaze rested on the man in white popularly called Senator. The man, Allen Onyema, chief executive officer and chairman, Air Peace Airline, and his team, comprising Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olajide, the airline’s Chief Operating Officer; Florence Obia, head corporate service; and Obiageli Nwachukwu, head of procurement, visited Defence Headquarters, Abuja.

To receive the airline’s team at the august occasion was the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal, Alex Badeh.

At the event, Onyema reiterated his airline’s commitment to encouraging members of the Nigerian armed forces.

Onyema said, “At our launch, I did mention that all members of the armed forces, whether serving or retired since 1960 to date, will only pay N10,000 as fare in our airline.”

For Onyema, the visit was to show that the airline was not show boating or grandstanding.

He added, “I didn’t give the rebate because of the insurgency, but as a way encouraging members of the armed forces, who lay down their lives to protect others. All we do is to look for loopholes to deride and make them lose their morale.”

While calling on Nigerians to look for things that make us happy and celebrate them, the Air Peace boss said, “In other countries, the military board a plane even before first class passengers, but in Nigeria this is not the case.”

The CDS, while welcoming the team, commended Air Peace for identifying with the military. He recalled his experience in August 2013, when he was travelling to Vancouver, Canada from Dallas, USA, how the airline had to announce that two military officers were in the flight and should be given a round of applause.

“In Nigeria, if they see us, we will probably be abused,” he added.

Badeh used the opportunity to tell the airline’s

management team to operate credibly. “I know for facts that airlines in Nigeria cut corners to remain afloat, don’t go that way. I want to urge you not to look for quick returns. It will come when you operate safely” In his reply, Onyema said profit was not the motivation for the airline. While noting that safety is ensured and assured, said the airline came as a result of vision to plough back to the society the blessing God has given to me.

Onyema added, “I know that the aviation industry is a very turbulent one, not only in Nigeria, but also in other parts of the world. But I have to ask questions on how to contribute to the growth of my nation by creating jobs and someone told me that one airplane could give about 100 people a job.”

He added, “So, I decided to go into aviation because I want to create jobs and not because I want to make money. If I want to make money I will leave my money in the banks. Nigerian banks give you double digit interest rates over 13 per cent and I will be making a lot of money sitting down in my house.

“I decided to create jobs for other people.

Much of the insecurity we have in the country today is as result of poverty, so this is my own way of alleviation poverty by putting food on the table of other Nigerians. And, again I discovered that a lot of Nigerians are scared of flying because of the incidents of the past I now decided to make a difference by floating Air Peace. So, all my plans are anchored on peace; so that we can provide Nigerians with excellent service delivery zero tolerance for unsafe practices. That is why we are floating Air Peace. We have excellent aircraft, equipment and also we are providing Nigerians with good maintenance culture.”

He confessed that Air Peace is being maintained by a major maintenance company from BCT Aviation Maintenance Company, United Kingdom, which also maintains so many major airlines in the world at a huge cost, “but again in order to ensure passengers safety.”

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

31

Politics SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

The Sunday Interview

Ndume: Emergency rule won’t end Boko Haram insurgency p.32-33

Apprehension trails alleged acquisition of warships Against the volatility of the Niger Delta and threat of violence in the country ahead of the 2015 elections, BIYI ADEGOROYE and JOE OBENDE examine the issues around the alleged importation of warships by a former militant leader and the implications for national security

Interview

I want re-run, says Obanikoro p.35

Interview

Isiaka: I didn’t promise Kashamu N.5bn p.37

The fast-speed Hulk-class guided missile boat (inset) Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Oyibe Jibrin

W

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

hen a Norwegian newspaper, Dagbladet, broke the news that former Niger Delta militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, (Tompolo), recently acquired some decommissioned and deactivated warships, not a few Nigerians received the news with trepidation. The apprehension was heightened by reports of the capacity and capability of the fast-speed Hulk-class guided missile boats laden with sophisticated arms and ammunition manufactured by a British firm.

The warships were ostensibly procured for deployment for coastline surveillance and maritime security by Tompolo’s company. Though when photographs of the ships went viral on the internet, Tompolo and the Nigerian Navy denied the procurement, the news has heightened more unease in the nation.

The report came at a period when Boko Haram insurgents are holding hundreds of Nigerians hostage and decimating villages. Just a couple of months to the 2015 elections, over which some Niger Delta leaders have threatened a war should President Goodluck Jonathan lose, the alleged purchase of the gunboats has further generated much tension.

Feelers showed that since Global West Vessel Specialists Limited, a company said to be close to Tompolo was awarded the multi-billion naira contract for the surveillance of Niger Delta waters by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety

Agency, could this alleged acquisition have been done to enable it to discharge this duties?

Given the fact that the ex-militant leader recently allegedly purchased a KNM Horten, a fast-attack craft said to have been deployed to fight piracy in the Niger Delta, could this have been done to sharpen its operations and ensure maritime safety?

While that was raging, the Chief of Training and Operations of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Austin Oyagha, said the report was untrue. He explained that the said gunboats belonged to NIMASA, and were being manned by personnel of the Nigerian Navy from the maritime component of the service, in consonance with a pact between the agency and the navy.

At a media briefing last week, NIMASA said the seven Norwegian warships being reported as having been acquired by “a NIMASA contractor are the same boats we have taken most journalists to see in operation. Three of them were on ground during the commissioning of the Maritime University by Mr. President.”

Director-General of NIMASA, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, said: “They are not gunboats as reported; they were decommissioned warships but were rearmed by the Nigerian Navy and manned by their officers and men. Solders of the Nigerian Army are also onboard with Navy.

“The beauty of the boats is that they have enabled us to respond faster to emergency situ-

ations and outrun and outgun pirates. Check the records of the global maritime watchdog, International Maritime Bureau this year; you will agree with me that Nigeria is winning its anti-piracy war.

“It would not have been easy for us to achieve the results we are achieving if we were to rely on the bureaucracies of the government agencies. That is where our partnership with Global West Vessel Specialists Limited has worked, in terms of enforcement of the laws governing the Nigerian territorial waters, including collection of revenues.”

He said the role of Global West in this partnership was to just “to provide the platforms, maintain them, bunker and crew them, while the military provides security. All that NIMASA officials do is jump into the boat anytime it wants to go into the waters.”

Musa Gemu, a Naval Commodore and Commander of NNS Delta in Warri, dismissed the report of the purchase with a wave of the hand, saying it is ludicrous.

“Are warships akara or crayfish that you just pick up? Where are the ships? Are they on these waters we patrol? You can’t hide warships, no!” he disagreed emphatically.

Also speaking to one of our correspondents, a spokesman for Tompolo, Mr. Paul Bebenimibo, said the whole thing was ‘laughable blackmail’ CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 201

The Sunday Interview

Ndume: Emergency rule won’t end Boko Haram insurgency Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume represents Borno South Senatorial District at the Senate. In this interview with YEKEEN NURUDEEN, Ndume who is still standing Kukah trial for allegedly sponsoring Boko Haram laments that the insecurity challenges in the North-East went out of hands due to lack of seriousness and sincerity on the part of the Federal Government Could you please speak about the identity of Boko Haram as many believe them working for government while some believe they are an Islamic sect that is just interested in islamising the country?

Well, this issue of Boko Haram has been there for quite a while, so defining or classifying them as such is not new to Nigerians by now. What they want to achieve doesn’t make sense at all because if you want to Islamise parts of a country that is not how to do it. You don’t Islamise the country by killing everybody. You Islamise by forcing people to convert to Islam or leave the country and not just killing people and looting their properties. That’s not part of Islam.

Islam clearly says that there’s no compulsion in religion. The issue of Boko Haram in the North-East, is rather very unfortunate. One cannot place it here or there. But one thing that I know and one thing that I have been saying is that the government has not been sincere and serious; it has not shown the sign of seriousness.

And now that has degenerated to a situation where you find Nigerian Army that are known

for their gallantry and bravery in international engagements running away from their duty post because they think that the country is not worth dying for.

When you said government is not sincere about fighting Boko Haram, in what way is government failing?

They say this is a war. Isn’t it? They are not deploying enough troops; the troops deployed are not well equipped; they are not well motivated in terms of payment of their stipends and all that. Generally if you look at the way the war against insurgency is currently being prosecuted by the federal government, there is no seriousness at all. If there’s seriousness, this thing would have been history by now.

But government is voting money to fight insurgency....

Cuts in… Voting money and using the money for what it is meant for are different things. You know that the level of corruption that’s allowed to thrive in this country makes corruption a legitimate business. When you hear the President saying that stealing is not corruption, that kind

of legitimises all this and therefore people do things or steal with impunity.

The problem we have is lack of seriousness.

I have said it several times. The government is not serious; the government is not sincere.

When Boko Haram started, government was busy trivialising the issue, giving it a religious colouration, sectional colouration, political colouration and then the government was very busy trying to get a scapegoat instead of looking for solutions to the problem.

Government is not even coming out to tell the truth, and anybody that says anything or calls for action or speaks against government’s inability to fight this corruption is considered as government’s enemy. When people speak out, government over-reacts and when people make suggestions, government fails to react and dismisses it. This government is so allergic to anything that’s not in its mindset.

But why would you think that a government that has the responsibility of securing lives and property of the citizens would trivialise an

Ndume

issue as big as insecurity?

That’s the situation we have found ourselves.

We found ourselves in a situation where government is more concerned about election instead of its fundamental constitutional role. The constitution says clearly that the main purpose of government is the security and welfare of the citizen. But as it looks in this country these days, the main purpose of this government is election: 2015 elections.

In the face of all this, there are crises everywhere in the country. Is there any possibility of elections holding next year?

Well, I’m a positive person. I’m a very optimistic person. If this government is serious election can hold. If government is serious and sincere, everything can come to an end. This issue of insurgents, I have always been saying that if there is any level of seriousness on the part of government they can bring it to an end within a reasonable time. Of course the doors are opened there and the international communities are willing to assist but here you have a govern-

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14 NEW TELEGRAPH

You know that the extension or imposition of the state of emergency has moved the situation from bad to worse ment that’s very arrogant so to say.

When you are on your knees, you are saying you are on top of the situation when actually you are below the situation. The situation is on top of you but the government will always come and say that they are on top of the situation. The President will come out and say the issue of insurgency is over exaggerated. As I’m telling you now, Damasak village in Northern Borno Senatorial District is under siege and even yesterday again, the Southern part

of Borno where I represent, Moussa village was attacked and several people were killed and the President is on television saying the issue is over exaggerated.

not talking about the bargain again. You know at one time the Ambassador and the Presidency were involved; they ran to the press that they were doing something in Chad.

What’s your take on the demand by the President to extend the emergency rule in the three troubled states?

Our stake is in the North-East and generally most of the senators; if you do something once and fail, you do it twice and get the same result, you then try it the third time, you still fail.

Won’t you change the strategy? Won’t you do it in a different way to see if there’s a result?

You know that the extension or imposition of the state of emergency has moved the situation from bad to worse. They said ‘extend it and we will do something’ and we did it. It continued degenerating. This time around, asking for the fourth time we say no. You don’t even need to declare a state of emergency to execute your constitutional role.

Security and welfare of the citizens are the main purposes of government. And before they deploy more troops, when we say they give them a state of emergency, nothing will be left; get the approval and go. Nothing happens, nothing changes. They asked for approval for $1billion to buy weapons, we gave them the approval but nothing happened. We didn’t hear anything again. And then when they went and bought equipment, the few equipment they bought and took them to the site.

They abandoned it and ran away. And the Boko Haram carted them away. So what is the use? I ask you, what is the use of the extension again? Because the consequences of the extension are on the innocent citizens: they cut off the communication, they block the road, people don’t move at night because of curfew and therefore the insurgents have been having a field day.

When they cut off communication, they can afford to buy Thuraya phones and use them for their communication and innocent citizens cannot afford to buy Thuraya. They don’t have access, the insurgents have access; they can move day and night, we heard about that.

When they clamp down on a village or a locality they cannot run anywhere in the night because there is curfew and then the insurgents take advantage of that. All these restrictions without results are unnecessary. Besides, as I said, the President can deploy more troops. All that he needs now is to be more committed. It should not be the issue of granting state of emergency, no.

When you impose a state of emergency, the government will show extraordinary efforts but we have granted the state of emergency several times and there’s nothing. No extraordinary effort is being made, instead it is Boko Haram that is putting extra-ordinary effort taking more of our territories and in fact declaring my own local government and others as their own caliphate.

They sit down there and relax and even conduct a court session, hold Jumat prayer.

The Air Force is there; they cannot attack Boko Haram but keep bombing innocent citizens when they move on the streets. The people we represent are saying ‘don’t do that’ and we won’t do it. We are not supporting it. I’m representing the people and our people issued a statement yesterday; the Borno Yobe Elders Forum. They said if we dare approve the state of emergency we should stay in Abuja because

About the Bringbackourgirls (BBOG) advocacy group, not many Nigerians believe in the group; they believe it is an arm of AP. Some Nigerians believe the Chibok girls were not actually kidnapped. But you were at the group’s sit-out recently where you identified with its members. What’s your view on the activities of the group?

Let me correct this impression that you said many people don’t believe in the group. No, many people out there believe in BBOG. There are just few people there, especially those politicians that feel that the activities of BBOG expose their inadequacies and they look at it as a political organisation.

In fact as I said yesterday at a recent BBOG sitout the government is supposed to look at the BBOG as an awareness group not criticising the government but helping the government to do what is supposed to do. If someone is criticising objectively we should look at that person as a partner in progress. But this government, I have said it several times, is more interested in praise singers. The government believes more in sycophants.

The BBOG is trying to create awareness and then it comes up with suggestions as to what the government is supposed to do. Such an organisation is supposed to be embraced by government just as the whole world embraces BBOG. So I disagree with you when you said people out there think BBOG is a political arm but if you say the government out there think that BBOG is antagonistic I would agree with you. And you know this government is a minority and the majority is the people.

Ndume we are not representing them. You know that the House has clearly thrown it out even if we approve in the Senate it won’t work.

You were giving some alternatives to improving the security situation, what are those things you think government should do?

Number one, the biggest issue that will bring result is commitment; the government should be sincere and committed. What is sincerity?

Government should be open, take in everybody that can give you information in confidence; give them protection; give them the confidence that they can come forward to assist. That is one. What is seriousness? The citizens should be involved. We have seen that the youths are willing to sacrifice themselves; they are willing to volunteer in order to join the Army in the fight against insurgents.

We have lots of unemployed youths that you can use that are willing and have formed themselves into civilian JTF which we agreed on last time. And then you should deploy more troops. Government should be committed to deploying more troops. As at now, we have over 100,000 Nigerian Army and there is no war anywhere except in the North-East. Why don’t you deploy 50,000 there now? If you deploy troops massively, the equipment should also be deployed massively.

In fact, if that is not enough, you can call the Police to go in massively and address the situation. But as it is now, they allow the situation to degenerate, expand and even if you become serious, they have a big landscape or territory to deal with. It will take you longer than when it was in Borno and Yobe states.

The other time, we heard that the US government offered to assist and sent some of its military personnel. How far has this helped the situation?

What we understand is that America and other super powers were willing to assist but the Nigerian government is reluctant. You know what is happening? Even the West African countries were willing to join the Task Force in order to fight the insurgents only for them to announce that there was ceasefire. That has been the story for nearly two months now. But the Nigerian /Cameroon governments agreed when they met in France that they should form a Joint Task Force and come out seriously to address the problem of insurgency. They came here to sign a bilaterial agreement and a communique only for Chief of Defence Staff to say they were talking to group of swindlers saying they are Boko Haram.

If the government is sincere if you have part of Boko Haram, then you can use the part of Boko Haram to fight Boko Haram. We know that what they were talking about was not true.

The government was swindled; I believe so. If somebody is saying there is cease fire, they are sitting down negotiating that the abducted girls would be released.

Then you heard nothing again and government says no ceasefire. I hope money is not involved as we heard. Some have said that about $5, $6 and $50million were involved; that government was swindled. I hope it is not true and it seems it is a fluke even the government is

Is there hope that the abducted girls will be rescued or is there any trace of them at all?

Not yet because the areas we are expecting that the girls are have been captured too and are not accessible to ordinary citizens. People suspect they are in Sambisa which is the base of Boko Haram but nobody can go there. The parents and hunters tried to go there but government said it would be suicidal and the government said they know where the girls are.

Why don’t you people ask the government where the girls are? The Chief of Defence Staff said he knows where the girls are. This was five months ago. Is he taking care of them?

The other time he was the one that went to the press and announced the ceasefire. So he knows where the girls are. If he knows where the girls are he should be held responsible. If you know where the girls are it means you are part of the people keeping them. If you are the Chief of Defence Staff, you say know where the girls are, you don’t want anything to happen to them.

Then, it means if anything happens to them you should be responsible.

We learned that your life was targeted in an aerial attack. What really happened?

That was a long story. Actually, what happened that time was that there was a crisis between Muslims and Christians in my area and I happen to come from both sides. My father is a Muslim and my mother is a Christian. I went there to reconcile the people. After the reconciliation, I wanted to go to Gwosa and on the high way in a particular town called Fika, I was lucky to be alive, the Air Force bombed me.

Four missiles were thrown and luckily none of them got to my convoy because we had a convoy of four vehicles. My car, another spare one and two pick up vans. A detachment of soldiers that were escorting and at the back was a detachment of Police that were also with me.

When that happened, it went viral immediately. There were some youths who said “ina lilahi ina ilai rajihun. Senator Ali Ndume has just been killed by the Nigerian Air Force.” By the time I got to Gwosa, people were calling my team and my people to confirm whether I was dead or alive. Fortunately as I said not even a scratch was on me. When I went to Maiduguri, the media people were already waiting for me in the house. I told them what happened and also issued a press statement.

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Politics

Apprehension trails alleged acquisition of warships C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 1

to discredit his boss. To him, it is ‘grossly unusual’ for a civilian to import such a weapon for a government agency or for whatever purpose. He said the current campaign was a fallout of the Peoples Democratic Party primaries in Delta State where some people lost out.

“If NIMASA and the Nigeria Navy have come out to denounce the whole thing, while are people making a fuss about it?” he asked.

Despite the explanations provided by the Nigerian Navy and NIMASA on the procurement of seven gunboats for the maritime agency, the House of Representatives and many well-meaning Nigerians have expressed concern over the development.

The House spokesman, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, said that the development was fearsome, thus propelling the lower chamber to consider the probe of the purchase of the military hardware by the ex-militant on resumption in January 2015. He said it was uncomfortable with the manner a private coastal security company owned by Tompolo procured the seven gunboats.

“This is a cause for concern. We have got certain systems wrong in the country. The development is scary and worrisome. We thought such procurements are handled by the navy. On resumption, the relevant House committees will look into it to know the facts of the matter. The individual (Tompolo) was paid to protect our waterways, but the irony is that we still have a lot of leakages. The House of Representatives faulted that contract but our reservations were buried in sentiments,” Mohammed said.

In 2013, the House of Representatives had queried NIMASA over the payment of $326 million to Tompolo’s company, in connection with a contract for the surveillance of the waterways by the agency. The rationale for awarding the contract to Tompolo’s company was the subject of a probe by the House of Representatives and maritime security experts.

In his defence, Akpobolokemi said the payment was in conformity with an agreement between the Federal Government through the agency and the firm; that 50 per cent of extra revenue generated by NIMASA should be paid as consultancy fees to Global West.

The disclosure further exacerbated the anger of the lawmakers who directed NIMASA to make available to the House the total amount generated under the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, backed with bank statements to ascertain that the said payment actually represented 50 per cent of extra revenue.

On the maritime security contract, Bebenimibo said Tompolo has no affiliation with Global West Vessel Service. “Go to Corporate Affairs Commission and you will discover that Tompolo is not on the list of its directors.

The owner of the company was a Nigerian security expert who returned here to set up the company. Unfortunately, he died in the sea a couple of years ago.”

Antecedents While the company is at liberty to transact business within the ambit of the law, the concerns of many Nigerians are the sensitivity of the weapons and Tompolo’s antecedents. For instance, for a number of years, Tompolo held sway in the Niger Delta like a colossus. Like many of his former colleagues, he held the nation by the jugular. He held sway in the creeks of the Niger Delta to protest the degradation and under-development of the region.

As a result, the nation’s economy suffered.

The Nigerian Army lost officers and men who confronted him with the sole aim of dislodging him and his boys. Though not a familiar terrain for the Nigerian infantry, nay the amphibious soldiers, scores of them were deployed to the region. The creeks were, however, a very familiar battle ground for Tompolo and his resilient foot soldiers.

While the crisis raged, militants were on a

Akpobolokemi

kidnapping spree for ransom in the Niger Delta. Theft of the nation’s crude went on unabated in the creeks. The stolen crude was allegedly bartered for arms and other logistics to execute the war against the Federal Government over the neglect of the region.

After a long spell of militancy in which oil facilities valued at billions of dollars got blown up, the Federal Government reckoned, after some wise counsel that the only way to win the war was to grant Tompolo and his colleagues. This was done by President Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration between August 6 and October 4, 2009. The amnesty was extended to other less formidable groups in the region.

The concomitant effect was the surrender of heaps of arms and ammunition by the militants. These included the popular AK 47, MG 1s (bipod and mounted types), rocket launchers, Carl Gustavs, bombs, grenades, other explosives, all sorts of weaponry, military uniforms and boots. The military grinned with envy when they saw what the ‘bloody civilians’ had stockpiled.

All the ex-militant leaders embraced the amnesty programme which culminated in the establishment of foreign and local training programmes for their wards.

Threats from ex-militants Since the commencement of the current transition programme, a number of the exmilitants of Ijaw extraction have adopted various means to make case for a second term for their kinsman. The agitation became more ferocious when the North insisted that Jonathan, having spent six years in office, was not qualified to contest the 2015 elections, since doing so would amount to spending a total of 10 years in office by 2019.

The case against Jonathan’s eligibility suffered a setback last week at the Supreme Court. But prior to them, the leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Asari Dokubo, had insisted that there would be bloodshed in 2015 if their kinsman was not re-elected. In a recent interview, he declared: “If Goodluck Jonathan is not re-elected in 2015, except God takes his life, which we don’t pray for, there will be no peace in Nigeria. Jonathan must have an uninterrupted eight years of two terms as President, according to the Nigerian Constitution. “We must have our uninterrupted eight years of two terms. For a very long time, resources from the Niger Delta have been used to feed and fund Nigeria, and some people are still feel-

Tompolo

ing that Nigeria is their personal property, and that they can manage it the way they like. But those days are gone forever; they can never come back. The days when we will elect a President and some people will annul our mandate, and place the winner of that mandate in their dungeon and murder him, are over and will never come again.

“They threatened to make the polity ungovernable, but we thank Almighty Allah that he who rides on the back of the tiger might end up in the belly of the tiger. And what is happening in the North is a clear testimony that you cannot turn the hands of the clock.

When change comes, nobody can stop it; it is like a moving train.”

Besides the above, another source of trepidation were warnings by some clerics and politicians. For instance, former vice-presidential candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, Pastor Tunde Bakare, had warned that post-election violence is inevitable in 2015.

“If Jonathan wins, there will be violence, if he loses, there will also be violence,” he said in an interview.

Reactions Viewed against this premises, the alleged importation of gunboats has be roundly condemned by many Nigerians and organisations. The Executive Director of Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged, Oghenejabor Ikimi, took exception to the rearmament of the said boats which he described as ‘a criminal step.’

Recalling the known activities of Tompolo and the implications of yielding matters of national security concerns over to individuals or companies as not being part of the nation’s security set-up, Ikimi called for an urgent step to be taken in the interest of national security.

“While we concede that the fast moving decommissioned and deactivated gunboats may have been sold as patrol boats to CAS Global before selling same to Tompolo and his firm to check piracy as warships are not sold to individuals in the international market. We, however, take very serious exceptions to the re-arming of the said patrol boats as criminal and we call on the National Assembly to immediately carry out an inquest into the said claim in the interest of national security and peace.

“We are also not oblivious of claims by some Nigerians that Tompolo was accused of masterminding the abduction of 14 senior journalists in Delta State in the course of their

duties.”

The abducted journalists were said to have seen the class of weapons Tompolo’s soldiers displayed while they were in his custody.

Ikimi therefore called on the National Assembly to put machinery in place to probe the purported acquisition of these warships

by Tompolo.

“It is in the light of the foregoing that we call on the Federal Government to establish a coastguard to secure the Nigerian coastline from piracy and other acts of lawlessness and impunity obtainable therein. Contracting the security of our coastlines to a private company or an individual is an aberration.

“The above scenario can be likened to contracting the maintenance of our internal security to a private firm rather than the establishment of a police force. This, no doubt, speaks volumes about the Federal Government’s lack of seriousness at securing the Nigerian coastline. We therefore call for a rethink,” Ikimi said.

The Warri Study Group has also expressed apprehension. Its Chairman, Edward Ekpoko, read a tribal undertone to the entire scenario. He said that since President Jonathan, Tompolo and Akpobolokemi are all of Ijaw extraction, it was likely that “a script is being acted out. Nigeria is the only country in the world where an individual – a rehabilitated militant for that matter – is awarded a contract to oversee the security of the coastline of a nation and with powers to import warships and sophisticated arms.”

He said assigning to Tompolo, a civilian, the protection and security of the nation’s coastline, amounted to usurping the role of the Nigerian Navy – a vital security agency which has been complaining of underfunding. He wondered if the Ministry of Defence was aware of the arms deal.

Beyond the denial, he called for a thorough investigation into the gunboats issue, to see whether the warships and arms deals were designed to fight piracy and other criminal activities on the nation’s coastline or to intimidate other ethnic nationalities, especially the Itsekiri in the Niger Delta, or cause destabilisation as is the case in the North-East.

In response, Tompolo’s aide described the entire report as an Itsekiri agenda to scandalise the Ijaw.

“Look at the contract in question. Are you aware that it is based on a percentage of whatever revenue that is generated? That is the point I am making. People should face the fact and stop misleading the nation,” he said.

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NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

Politics

Why I want a re-run, by Obanikoro Immediate past Minister of State for Defence and former Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, spoke with BIYI ADEGOROYE on his rejection of the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship primaries in Lagos State

Why do you want to govern Lagos State?

My vision is to salvage the citizens of Lagos from bondage. My passion for Lagos is limitless. We experienced the Lagos of Mobolaji Johnson and Alhaji Lateef Jakande. It was a period of selfless service to the people. That I have to sacrifice my personal comfort as a minister for this mission tells you how passionate I am about Lagos. It breaks my heart when I see the focus of government and major infrastructural upgrade in the areas harbouring the rich and privileged. We have seen billions of naira spent to link Ozumba Mbadiwe Road with Falomo Bridge; we have seen billions spent to link Lekki with Ikoyi; we have seen billions spent in sand filling our waters in order to construct so-called low-cost housing; we have seen billions spent on Bourdillon Road and so on. I believe it is time for a new direction. I believe it is time for government to spend billions of naira upgrading the infrastructure in Alimosho, in Somolu, in Epe, in Agege, in Mushin, in Ikorodu, in Kosofe, and in Ajeromi. It is time to focus on the masses and majority of Lagosians, for it is only when the masses are catered for, only when the masses thrive in Lagos that we can truly say Lagos is working.

That is the Lagos of my dream and that is why I want to govern Lagos State.

Before the governorship primaries, it was alleged that the leadership of the party in the state didn’t want you, going by their actions and utterances. What is your take on this?

It is simple. Obanikoro stands for justice and the truth. The likes of Bode George and Adeseye Ogunlewe cannot stand my guts for truth and my standing by what is right.

They fear that if Obanikoro is allowed to run, he will win and then they will become irrelevant is what this is all about. Nothing more. They know I am a no-nonsense person when it comes to standing for the right thing. The only reason they are kicking against me is to perpetuate themselves in power so that anyone who will become anything in Lagos PDP must bow to them and lick their feet. It is unfortunate.

It has been said that at the primaries, the ovation that greeted your introduction was the loudest and some felt that it was a done deal. Did you anticipate that you won’t win?

Of course we were prepared for the primaries; we worked very hard and put in all that we needed to throw into it. But I

also knew something could go amiss if the atmosphere was not free and fair. In a free and fair process, I was confident that I would win any day anytime. What I did not envisage however was the brazen manipulation of the process, in collusion with some elements from Abuja who were supposed to stand as unbiased umpires in the process. The moment the number of votes exceeded the number of accredited delegates, even a child in kindergarten knew the sensible thing to do was to cancel it and rerun the election because the process had been tainted. But what we saw was the delivery of a tainted and fraudulent victory to Jimi Agbaje.

In the midst of the discrepancies where about 806 accredited voters became 866, why did you not raised the alarm over the irregularity?

I spoke when I needed to. I made my point. You will recall that I raised an objection when after 806 delegates were accredited, votes were cast and delegates had left the voting arena, Rahman Owokoniran, the director-general of Jimi Agbaje Campaign Organisation came into the venue demanding to vote. When it became clear that the whole process was moving towards a premeditated outcome, I maintained my cool, still trusting in the ability of the electoral committee chairman to do what is right.

More so, I’m a loyal party man. There are procedures for seeking redress even when you have been cheated and I was confident that whatever the outcome, we would approach the relevant channels as stipulated in our party guidelines, which is what we have done.

Why did you go to court if you said you are a loyal party man?

It is too early to make a sweeping assessment. I want to give the party the benefit of the doubt. In every system run by humans, there are bound to be imperfections here and there. I want to believe that at the appropriate time, the party will do the needful. We are waiting and the world is watching to see how committed our party is to democratic principles.

I suppose there was an understanding that no candidate should drag the party to court. Don’t you think the party hierarchy may frown at your action?

I haven’t dragged the party to court. I have only gone to the court to compel our party to take a decision on our appeal as

stipulated by the PDP Electoral Guidelines, considering the fact that the 48-hour timeline required for them to respond has elapsed.

You have publicly accused Chief George and Senator Ogunlewe of supervising an electoral sham. Do you see any reconciliation in future?

It’s beyond me. It’s not about what I am capable of doing or not doing. The two of them have crossed the Rubicon on anything morally upright or honourable. They are irredeemable in terms of character and trust.

Do you have plans to defect to another party to realise your governorship ambition?

Not at all!

What are your expectations over the emergence of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and President Jonathan as presidential candidates for their parties?

I see President Goodluck Jonathan winning a landslide!

How will you react to accusations about the fire which occurred at the City Hall when you were the chairman of the Island Local Government some years back?

Well, this is an old issue but I am reacting again for the following reasons; First, for the new generation of Nigerians to know what really transpired at that time and also to further educate those who do not know what happened on that unfortunate day.

Second is for the mischief-makers to know that no matter how fast lies travel, truth will definitely catch up.

This is my story. The day the fire incident occurred was a working day in the morning and I was not in the office when the fire started. Based on the briefings I received, immediately my staff discovered the fire outbreak, they tried to contact the fire service and at the same time while waiting for the fire service to come, they were also trying everything humanly possible to put out the fire.

The fire affected only the office of the Chairman and also the council chamber where legislative discussions are held. The office of the Secretary to the local government where administrative records are kept was not affected at all. More importantly, the office of the Treasurer to the council was also not affected. For emphasis, the only section, of City Hall that was

affected was my office as the Chairman, which was badly damaged.

Meanwhile the council chamber that was affected was just an open space where legislative discussions are held. No records or files of any importance are kept there at all.

The insinuation and allegations that the fire was generated or created to cover up for anything is an unkind attempt to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. I also consider it much ado about nothing because no document of strategic importance was missing at that point.

Let us not forget that this incident happened under the regime of the late General Sani Abacha, a military dictator. However, at this time, we had a very responsible and progressive administrator of Lagos State in person of Brigadier General Buba Marwa (rtd) who came personally to inspect the scene of the fire outbreak and immediately set up a panel to probe the incident. The panel was headed by no other person but the late Engr. Pinhero, a respected Lagosian who was then Commissioner for Works in Lagos State.

At the end of their investigations and findings, the Pinhero Panel came up with a report that it was a power surge from an electrical point that created the fire incident.

I am a proud Lagosian and there is no way that I will do anything that will affect our heritage. I am committed to Lagos and I am very passionate about Lagos.

Fortunately in 1999, I was appointed as Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture and the Fire Service Department was directly placed under my office. Realizing what transpired at City Hall when there was a fire incident and we couldn’t get a good response time or an efficient fire service operation, I decided to make that challenge something we needed to overcome. I sent in a memo asking to make it a Lagos State Government policy to build at least one fire service station in every local government area of the state and also create an institution where studies on fire service and emergency management issues will be handled. Unfortunately that memo was thrown out by the then Governor of Lagos State, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Otherwise it would have become a policy and today we would have had at least one fire service station in every local government area of Lagos State and also by extension the only Emergency and Fire Service Training Institute in Nigeria. But as I speak, there is none.

36

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Politics / Column

Former ministers’ costly move and party supremacy Villa Notes emmyanule@yahoo.com

Anule Emmanuel

O

ne can remember President Goodluck Jonathan’ parting words on October 15, 2015 this year, to seven members of his cabinet inside the council chambers of the Presidential Villa.

The memory of his farewell gives a nostalgic feeling of the excitement that had appeared on the faces of the President’s henchmen whom as far as they were concerned,

Obaze

were leaving not only to pursue their ambitions but to expand the political tentacles of their principal as his able lieutenants.

It was obvious that moving mostly from positions of certainty as Aso Rock stakeholders, several of the former ministers like Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, Labaran Maku, Emeka Wogu. Samuel Ortom, Darius Ishaku and Musiliu Obanikoro, had been assured of an easy sail in their efforts to clinch the Peoples Democratic Party gubernatorial tickets.

Recalling what transpired at the valedictory session held in honour of the cabinet members on that day, President Jonathan did not fail to warn those who had not perfected their plans against throwing in the towel.

Sounding prophetic though, the President gave the ministers a leeway in case they wanted to change their minds.

In compliance with the party guidelines for the 2015 elections, the PDP had given any of its members holding public offices at all levels of government up to October 20, 2014 to resign before contesting.

When the President sounded the warning, only the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed saw the handwriting on the wall. Bala in fact, was first to have nursed the idea of contesting for the Bauchi State governorship election. However, his name was missing on the list when President Jonathan announced those leaving the cabinet.

For Senator Bala, unlike his colleagues who walloped in the euphoria of promises, he was conversant of the many odds standing on his way and therefore wasted no time to jettison the plan. Both the zoning arrange-

ment in the state, his past unfriendly disposition with the current National Chairman of the party, Adamu Muazu and the present Bauchi State governor Isa Yuguda seemed to have hunted him to drop the ambition.

Sadly, penultimate week, when the PDP concluded its governorship primaries in all the states, all the former ministers lost to aspirants who were far below their pedigrees.

Only Wike, made it. Could they have been that unpopular?

At the time they were throwing in the towel, the general belief was that even Professor Chukwu who not too long distinguished himself in the successful manner government was able to contain the Ebola Virus Disease, was the only one so sure of the clinching the party ticket. The story then was that his state governor, Martin Elechi, had actually prevailed on him to throw his hat into the ring.

Unfortunately, he could not make it due to power play in the state.

In Benue State, the former Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Ortom lost to little known politician who was anointed by Governor Gabriel Suswan. Vexed by the development, Ortom defected from the platform of several years to the All Progressive Congress, where he has been offered the party’s ticket to challenge the PDP governorship candidate in the forth-coming polls. Indications are that Ortom may sail through the elections considering his popularity and the readiness of the APC to unseat the PDP in the state.

But, if the hands of the clock were to be turned back, these former ministers would choose to return to their duty posts. My worry, however, is whether President Jonathan did not in any way show support to these ministers whose emergence would have definitely widened his political empire. Most of them had really demonstrated their loyalty but they now feel left in the lurch.

Imagine Ortom, a former national officer of the PDP turning back on his party to flaunt the APC flag! Where is the principle? As it is, should he decides to work for President Jonathan’s victory in the forth-coming polls while pursuing his own success in the APC, he will be accused of anti party politics. What it means therefore is that he has no choice but to work against the interest of his immediate past principal.

Apart from Ortom and Wike who are still hopeful in the elections, the rest of the former ministers though would be out of office for now, can still work for the success of their party at their respective states. That is how to be a loyal party man. For now, President Jonathan may have lost some good friends in these ministers having left them to be entangled by political power play in their states like a non-caring hen would do to its chicks. But where there is party discipline, it only provided the opportunity for them to display their loyalty to the party.

37

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

Politics / Interview

Isiaka: I didn’t promise Kashamu N.5bn The outcome of the governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State has been mired in controversy. But in this interview with journalists, Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, who was declared winner of the ticket, sheds light on the thorny issues in the party. KUNLE OLAYENI was there and filed this report Congratulations on winning the PDP governorship ticket in Ogun State. But why the controversy after the primaries and contradicting reports from the national secretariat of the party?

The fact is that there is not much controversy about the primaries of the PDP in Ogun State, but we have to acknowledge the fact that the opposition party is trying to ignite controversy. Yes, in the contest of this nature, there are some people that think it should have gone their way, but that is the beauty of democracy; minority will have their say but the majority will have their way. I think in this particular case, we had the primaries on the 8th of December; out of over 800 votes, I scored 705, about 82 per cent of the votes cast, to defeat my opponent who scored 151 votes and I was declared the winner.

For me, after the primaries, the other process has started; which is to look forward to the election and how to organise ourselves to win it. Any other thing outside this is just normal post-primary election reactions that are expected in any democratic party like the PDP. But in this particular case, what we have is the opposition trying to play up non-issues and you can observe that they deployed the social media. If you see people talking there, they are opposition members that are afraid of the unity and the strength of the PDP now.

They feel the best way to go is to generate controversy and internal rift where there is none. But for us, the primary is lost and won, but we expect people to express their feelings and the process to take care of that is in place.

We have passed the stage of primaries, and we have reached the stage to start preparing for the election. I am the candidate and there is no controversy about that.

Dimeji Bankole, to see reasons why we should all come together and let us give our best for our party to win all elections, including the presidential election for President Goodluck Jonathan in Ogun State. I have been trying to reach out to all of them and I am optimistic that we will all work together in the bid to take over the Government House in Abeokuta, come February 2015.

Some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party are allegedly rooting for a former Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole. What would you say about this?

Hon. Dimeji Bankole was one of the aspirants and he also passed through the process.

He is not new to this process and therefore he knows that at the primaries, somebody must win and somebody must lose. I am sure he knows this and that was what has happened in this case. I have not heard him saying anything in the public or read him in the newspapers challenging the primaries. But we have heard some people on social media that claimed to be speaking for him, most of whom are of unknown addresses that we cannot specifically say who they are. I cannot link any official position or comment to Bankole in this case. We believe he has accepted the decision of the members of our great party and he has moved on. But if he has any issue, the party is democratic and big enough to resolve it. But for us, the primaries are a forgone conclusion and we are already looking forward to the next stage. But I also want to appeal to all co-aspirants, including Hon.

How would you react to allegations that you have some godfathers in the party that forced you to pay N500 million for the ticket?

Some have alleged that you had to take an oath before you got their support.

You see, some of the drawbacks of our democracy are mischief, lies and deliberate falsehood. These are the order of the day; and for those who engage in these vices, all is fair in war. However, let me state emphatically that there is no iota of truth in this and it is a wicked lie from those anti-democratic elements. You should know that in a process of this nature, the keenly contested primaries we just held, rumours are bound to fly around all over the place. I am not new to this type of falsehood. I contested in 2011, and one of the things they said was that the whole assets of Gateway Holdings and the assets of the state are in my account but events thereafter, including several probes and audits, have yet to trace anything to me. The truth is that nobody collected a dime from me. They do not see how anybody can be loyal to a governor or to a leader as I am to Otunba Gbenga Daniel who has never told me to take an oath of allegiance. I did not take any oath

Are you not entertaining fears of a re-occurrence of the 2011 scenario when you lost the ticket via a court judgment?

I am not. The major difference between what happened in 2011 and now is that in 2011, there were parallel primaries which produced two candidates until the court pronounced someone. Besides, the party was factionalisd.

But in this case, there was just a single primary and it produced me as the candidate for the party; so no other person can claim that.

Also, there is no faction of the PDP in Ogun State now. But some people may complain about the process and as I said, the party is big enough to deal with that. No process is perfect but there are processes of challenging any anomalies found in the process. The tenure of our national chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, has just been confirmed in the last convention at Abuja where I was as a delegate.

That shows our confidence in his ability to resolve this kind of crisis.

We are not talking of parallel primaries in 2015 as it was in 2011. And the party guidelines and processes were duly followed to produce the candidate. Besides, there was no division in the party as we had it in 2011; we have all come together to work for the success of the party. So, I am appealing to other nine aspirants to let us work together.

Isiaka

and he never asked me to do such a thing. I am someone who believes you must be loyal to your leader, especially when the process is going on as expected, but immediately I felt otherwise during the process of crossing over to the PDP from the Labour Party, I had to do something else. And that put paid to lies that I took oath with OGD in the first instance.

The same thing is happening now with Prince Buruji Kashamu and there is nothing like oath-taking. But people cannot imagine how I moved back to the party within eight weeks and got this far. But they tend to forget the fact that we have been in this process and know what it takes. I think they cannot imagine how it happened, but I have contested this election before. I have a peculiarity of being around the government, in terms of value to add and connection to the electorate. I have them above other aspirants and these are part of what the leadership of the party considered to support me.

There are a number of other people that got to the party almost at the same time like me and they won the primaries in their locations; did they also take oaths to win? I also remember that in 2011 that Hon. Dimeji Bankole, myself and several other aspirants worked together in the same faction of the party, but when Prince Buruji Kashamu won the case against us, Bankole and a few others moved to Buruji’s side and got the ticket, I wonder if they all took oaths. The truth is that some people could still not understand how it happened. There is nothing like that, I did not give anybody any dime and if anybody has evidence to support the allegation that I coughed any amount to get the ticket, I will be happy to see, maybe I will claim the money back. I don’t have that kind of money to put into this process and that is the truth. Once I believe in any leader and the process, I am loyal and committed. The issue of oath-taking will remain in the imagination of those peddling the rumour. I am not perturbed because if you don’t want these types of rumours to be peddled against you, then you don’t have to come into politics. The fact is that I was the one that won the primary election and I am looking forward to the only oath I am going to take on May 29, 2015 as the governor of Ogun State.

Do you think the PDP is popular enough in Ogun State to defeat the APC in 2015?

I am convinced that if we hold an election today in this state, PDP will record a resounding victory with an unprecedented margin.

I don’t have any iota of doubt in my mind about that. And we are still getting stronger because the worst is over. Until September we were scattered in different political parties, we had a lot of our people in Labour Party, PDP and the rest, but we have all come back to the PDP; and we had very free and transparent primaries. We are resolving all controversies that came after the primaries. I strongly believe that our trying time is over. I am the only candidate coming from Ogun West Senatorial District and the political awareness in that zone is very strong now. And if you consider the level of agitation in the zone especially in the last one week, you will agree with me that we shall return the largest number of votes. We expect to do very well in other locations, so I do not have any doubt in my mind that PDP will have it in 2015. Besides, the determination of all the big players in the party to work together also re-assures one of impending victory. But whatever little areas that needed to be welded, we shall not hesitate to do that.

The other factor that will work for us is the inability of the current government to deliver dividends of democracy to the people.

Amosun is running an ultra-elitist, rudderless and anti-people government which has disconnected him from the people. And this is very clear. Besides, the platform he used to come to power has been divided into two and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) that came out of APC is having a chunk of their membership. Therefore, whatever happened to PDP in 2011 is what is happening to the APC now. It is clear to all discerning minds that Senator Ibikunle Amosun has just six months to spend in office and he will certainly hand over to the PDP government and to me as the governor. I am very confident that the PDP will reclaim Ogun State by the benevolence of Almighty God come February 28 2015. Let me also assure Ogun people that under my leadership, life will be more abundant for them.

38

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Politics / Column

Senate’s concern for internally displaced persons From the

Red Chamber chukwudavid68@yahoo.com

I

Chukwu David

n the past eight months, the terrorist activities of the Boko Haram insurgents have rendered thousands of the North eastern Nigeria residents homeless and reduced them to refugees in their own country. Those who escaped from the various violent onslaughts of the sect ran to nearby communities or countries for safety.

The worrisome security situation in the country, particularly in the North -East has posed diverse socio-economic and political problems to both the directly affected people and the government at all levels.

Like, the internally displaced persons (IDPs) need extra funds from the government for their upkeep. It has been reported severally that the refugees at the various centres in the country are in very pathetic, deplorable conditions, especially health wise as they don’t receive sufficient care from relevant authorities.

Consequently, many of them are said to be suffering from all sorts of ailments including communicable diseases as a result of the poor sanitary conditions of the camps. The senators representing the affected people had brought motions and others proposals to the Senate on how to ameliorate their agonizing conditions.

Of serious concern to the lawmakers representing the Boko Haram ravaged

Senate President David Mark

territories in the area, is the tendency of the security situation to disenfranchise the IDPs. Thinking ahead on how to forestall this, Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South Senatorial District, on Tuesday brought a bill before the Senate, seeking to immediate amendment of the Electoral Act 2014 in order to accommodate the refugees in the 2015 elections.

However, the Senate, cognizant of the cumbersome nature of constitution amendment process, rather than subject

the bill to due legislative process, reduced it to a motion and passed a resolution, directing its Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission, to liaise with the authorities of the Commission to establish special polling units for the IDPs. Senator Ndume’s bill was seeking an amendment to section 42 of the Electoral Act to make provisions for the enfranchisement of the IDPs in their various camps nationwide. In his lead debate on the general principles of the bill, the legislator argued that the quality of election was usually not only measured by the extent to which the franchised is guaranteed but also by accommodating the enfranchised voters who were marginalized in the polity.

He enumerated Afghanistan, Syria, Cuba, and Iraq among countries which suffered serious conflicts that led to the displacement of many of their citizens, and had incorporated the IDPs in their electoral system, urging Nigeria to emulate them. He said, “elections are important means by which IDPs can have their say in the political, economic and social decisions affecting their lives. As citizens of the country in which they are uprooted, IDPs are entitled to vote and participate in public affairs”.

The politician posited that disenfranchisement of IDPs placed a lot of doubts on the legitimacy of the forthcoming general elections and urged Nigerians to borrow examples from Afghanistan, Syria, Cuba, Iraq and so many other countries which had all incorporated IDPs into their electoral system.

In sympathy with the pathetic situation

of the victims of the lingering insurgency, many senators who contributed to the debate agreed that though the passage of the bill might not be necessary since the process of the amendment it was seeking might not be completed before the forthcoming general elections, it was imperative to provide administrative mechanism that would proffer short term solution to the problem.

Consequently, the legislators suggested that the Senate should rather pass a resolution that would mandate the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that the interest of all the internally displaced persons were protected and accommodated to enable them exercise their voting right during the 2015 elections.

In tandem with this initiative, the senators therefore, voted for the withdrawal of Ndume’s bill and instead passed a resolution, directing its Committee on INEC to ensure that the electoral umpire put all necessary measures in place to guarantee that all IDPs nationwide, exercise their franchise in the forthcoming elections.

Senate President, Senator David Mark, who presided over the session, said, “When we have a large internally displaced persons, they should vote irrespective of their locations. However, the process of amending the Electoral Act as being suggested by the bill is long.”

If INEC adheres to the suggestion put forward by the Upper Chamber, it means that new polling units will be created for these innocent victims of the on-going terrorism against the Nigerian state, so that, in spite of their pains, they can participate in the various elections coming up in 2015.

Umeh’s tears for Ndigbo Tony Okafor AWKA

O

ne will be stating the obvious that Victor Umeh, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, is a courageous man of strong character. All the ‘wars’ he had fought, both internally and externally, to keep APGA as one indivisible entity for nearly a decade now attest to this assertion.

Interestingly, he said he learnt his courage from the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu under whom, he (Umeh) underwent political pupilage for five years as APGA executive while Ojukwu was the national leader of the party.

Narrating his pupilage under Ojukwu recently, Umeh said Ojukwu on one occasion told him: “If they don’t like you, cause them to fear you.” But on October 29 this year when Umeh visited Chukwuma Bamidele Azikiwe, the first son of late pioneer President of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, at his Onitsha Onisa Orila residence in Onitsha, Umeh’s courage failed him as he wept like a baby while narrating the political travails of Ndigbo in Nigeria as well the obvious lackadaisical attitude of the Igbo on political issues.

Specifically, Umeh was referring to the seeming abandonment of APGA, a political party believed to be a platform through which the Igbo can achieve their political objective and representation.

Hear him, “I’m here to brief you sir about the happenings in our party, as well as to urge you to come out and speak to Ndigbo to wake up from their political slumber...

In a few months time, my tenure as the national chairman of APGA will come to an end. Who will take over from me and what will be the fate of the party and Ndigbo by the time I leave?

“Your father, the Great Zik, was a great gift to Africa, Nigeria, Ndigbo and Onitsha in particular. It pains me that since the demise of the Owelle of Africa and the subsequent demise of great Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Ndigbo have been at the crossroads. Zik fought for the entire black race and the Igbo were very proud and respected people, but tragedy came when they started killing us and it became very unbearable and God raised Odumegwu-Ojukwu.”

“Today, Igbo have been plunged into difficulties and all weapons, includ­ing political starvation are being used against us. During the long military rule, the Igbo were consigned into hopelessness and till today, we are made the insignificant minority in Nigeria, which your father, the great legendry Nnamdi Azikiwe fought for.”

Continuing, he sobbed and said APGA and Igbo stood behind former Governor Peter Obi and Governor Rochas Okorocha to win elections in their respective states, only for them to dump the party on which they ascended to the positions.

“Ndigbo are at the crossroads. I have been fighting this war with some of them with fake Igbo interests. I came to you because even though your fa­ther, the great Zik, is no more, Ndigbo still believe in you.

As the representa­tive of your father, whatever you say is as good as your father’s; call Ndigbo back. Ndigbo must go back to the basics. APGA and Ndigbo stood behind Chief Peter Obi and he became the governor of Anambra State for unbroken eight years of two terms. The party led Ro­ chas Okorocha of Imo State to vic­tory in Imo State in 2011 and today, these people have wandered away to PDP and APC, respectively,” he sobbed Umeh did not recover from that emotional breakdown throughout his address

to the Owelle (Zik’s son) as he continued to sob all through his speech . To many, the lamentation of Umeh on that fateful day called for a reflection. This is so because all through history, every Igbo leader must have wept over the seeming attitudes of their people.

The most succinct reference could be portrayals of this in the Chinua Achebe’s book, “Things Fall Apart,“ where the major character, Okonkwo, had to commit suicide apparently because his kinsmen for whom he had planned to fight the white man abandoned him.Okonkwo in that narrative, looked back to see his kinsmen in that fight against the white man only to discover that they had deserted him.

He said the Okonkwo story was not a fiction. “During the Nigeria Civil War of 1967-1970 led by late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, a similar scenario played out where the war was sabotaged by some Igbo who had earlier urged Ojukwu to declare war against the entire Nigeria in secession bid to become Biafra Republic.

“When it became impossible to sustain the war, Ojukwu had to flee the country from the Uli airstrip to take refuge in Ivory Coast.

“When eventually Ojukwu was granted amnesty by the Shehu Shagari government in 1982, he joined the National party of Nigeria against the prevailing political party in the East -the Nigerian People’s Party (NPP) of the Late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe,.

Ojukwu’s kinsmen began to castigate him over his role in the war. They even carried the calumny against the late Igbo leader’s senatorial election in 1983 when he lost to a political minnow, so to speak, Dr. Edwin Onwudiwe. In fact, Ojukwu was caricatured by his own people with the name Ogbaoso Ndigbo (runaway soldier of Igboland).

“Even several memoirs on the war by

Ojukwu’s kinsmen in one form or another attacked Ojukwu over the war, without remembering the fact that Ojukwu literally lavished his father’s wealth , running into millions of any currency, on that war to emancipate his people.

“Even the war world-respected Late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was not spared this leadership agony by his people. Often, one would see even riffraffs criticizing the Zik of Africa for not leading Ndigbo alright.

F”or them, Ndigbo would have fared better in Nigeria if Zik had been a “tribalist” and less privaricative on issues that concerned Ndigbo in Nigeria. No wonder, Ojukwu, himself in a forum said “to lead Ndigbo is a thankless job.” The question is when shall Igbo leaders stop “crying” for leading their people?.

For him, “things are not going the desired direction for the Igbo in Nigeria. Umeh has used APGA to reasonably propagate and project the image of Ndigbo in the political atmosphere of Nigeria despite all odds. He breathes, dresses and smells Igbo Senator Joy Emodi, once said that if given the desired support and encouragement , Umeh would be the new rising sun from the South-East that would have the capacity, audacity and courage to lead Ndigbo, because he is fanatical on issues concerning Ndigbo.

General Ike Nwachukwu (rtd) also made similar observation of Umeh after his close contact with the APGA leader at the National Conference, where Umeh even reported late as a result of court matters over the leadership of APGA. The enviable contributions of Umeh at that conference stood him tall like an Iroko tree in the forest. But how far he will go in this quest to set agenda for his Igbo people in the political history of Nigeria remains to be seen. That is the passion of one man about his people.

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

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40

Abuja Beats SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

FCT Minister moves against illegal motor parks

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Yekeen Nurudeen ith just few days to the Christmas celebration, hard times are ahead for operators of illegal motor parks in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, has ordered a clamp down on all illegal motor parks within the city.

He directed the FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services and security agencies to rid Abuja metropolis of all illegal motor parks.

The minister, who gave this directive in his office, observed that such illegal motor parks cause traffic bottlenecks around roundabouts and interchanges across the city especially at peak hours.

He specifically instructed that DRTS personnel to be deployed to monitor illegal motor parks around Berger junction; NICON junction; Area 1, Garki; A.Y.A. Asokoro District; Area 3, Garki District; Federal Secretariat,

Central Business District; and Wuse District.

Mohammed urged security agents to ensure that illegal motor parks in Wuse Market, Wuse Bridge, Galadimawa and Eagle Square are also dislodged.

He stressed that the measure would help to improve the flow of human and vehicular traffic as well as safeguard the locations from hoodlums.

While announcing that 3,241 commercial motorcycles were impounded between January and November 17, 2014, the minister said another 16 persons were also prosecuted and jailed for two weeks for riding ‘Okada’ in the city despite the ban.

“A total of 42 Okada riders pleaded guilty and paid various penalties, while nine of them were discharged and acquitted by the FCT Mobile Court for Traffic Offences”. He said He noed that the FCT Administration issued 41,000 number plates for private cars; 12,987 commercial

number plates; 98 fancies and 85 out of series to members of public between January and November 18, 2014.

“The FCT Administra-

tion also issued out 18,768 driver’s licences to residents of the Federal Capital Territory between January and October 18, 2014”, he added.

Mohammed

Okada snatcher bags 12 months imprisonment Caleb Onwe

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n Abuja Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting at Karu, Abuja has convicted and sentenced one Yusuf Musa to 12 months imprisonment for conspiring to snatch a motorcycle belonging to one Abdulahi Angulu.

The accused has been standing trial since January 8, 2014 for joint act, criminal force,aAssault and theft while his accomplice is still at large.

Musa and his accomplice were said to have boarded their victim’s motorcycle on December 31, 2013, from Nyanya towards Jikwoyi, Abuja.

While they were approaching Jukwoyi both men allegedly forced the rider to take a bush path where he was overpowered and beaten.

His motorcycle was snatched afterward from him.

The prosecutor, Corporal Gloria Iheanacho, who presented evidence that led to the conviction and

SDS fetes physically challenged persons in Abuja Yekeen Nurudeen

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s the rest of the world celebrated the 2014 Day of the Physically Challenged

Persons, the Social Development Secretariat (SDS), of the Federal Capital Territory Administration also marked the day with physically challenged per-

Onuh

sons in Abuja.

SDS also showered them with food and gift items.

Items distributed to the beneficiaries included bags of rice, beans, salt, corn, millet, red and groundnut oil, as well as assorted clothing materials.

In her welcome address during the distribution of the items, the Secretary SDS, Mrs. Blessing Onuh, explained that the secretariat embarked on the gesture to discourage the physically challenged from begging.

While stressing that it’s the obligation of the secretariat to cater for people with disabilities, Onuh said, “You can attest to the fact that some of your friends have lost their lives as a result of carelessness of drivers who ran them over. So, I encourage you not to engage in street

begging because it is not good for you and the FCT Administration is totally against it,” she advised.

On the need to equip them with skills, she encouraged them to always make good use of the opportunities provided by the SDS to acquire necessary skills and knowledge that will make their lives meaningful.

“The form to enrol in the skills acquisition centre is free. Just few months ago, some people graduated from one of our skills acquisition centres located in Bwari Area Council, and each of them was given N100,000 to start life,” she said.

She, however, solicited the support of well-meaning citizens for the efforts to rehabilitate the disabled and the destitute.

For her part, the Coor-

dinator, Society Against Prostitution and Child Labour in Nigeria, Mrs. Grace Adogo, warned them to desist from street begging, as the secretariat would not hesitate anyone who does so.

“Remain in your various homes and camps, and I promise you that we will be visiting you periodically with all that you need to make life better for you,” Adogo said.

Responding, one of the association’s leaders in Abuja, Suleiman Ahmed, expressed gratitude to the secretariat for remembering them with food and clothes.

While assuring the cooperation of the physically challenged persons to leave the street, Ahmed stressed the need for the resuscitation of the facilities used by the blind.

sentencing of the accused, told journalists that the act was contrary to the provisions of sections 79, 229 and 286 of the Penal Code Laws.

While delivering his judgment, A. O. Oyeyipo stated that he had carefully evaluated all the evidence presented by the prosecution in the matter, and has come to a conclusion that the accused was guilty as charged.

Oyeyipo said the convict had to be punished as a deterrent to others, adding, “However, since the convict has been in custody since he was granted bail since January 2014, for not been able to perfect his bail conditions, he will spend 12 months in prison.” Oyeyipo ruled

Lecturer urges FCTA to develop Kuje film village

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lecturer with the University of Abuja, Dr. Daniel Omatsola, has appealed to the Federal Capital Territory Administration to, as a matter of urgency, allocate funds for the building of the permanent site of the Abuja Films Village located in Kuje Area Council.

Omatsola, who made the appeal in an interview with journalists during the launching of his book titled: ‘The Rhythmic Eyes’ in Abuja, said the village would attract investors to the area.

He called on the FCT administration to provide facilities in the village, for the benefit of topographers in the FCT and Nigeria at large.

He further called on the government to set aside grants for media houses to carry out their social responsibility effectively.

He pleaded with the nation’s leaders to provide employment for unemployed youths.

The author, however, used the occasion to advise youths to always imbibe the reading culture so they can effectively contribute their quota to the development of the society.

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Education on Sunday SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014

Day college stood still for Nwafor Orizu

Some of the students on queue to cast their votes Governor Obiano (right) and Dr. Uzozie at the convocation ceremony

ENCOMIUM

The management of Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe, Anambra State, top government functionaries, friends and family members of the former Senate President and Acting President, late Dr. Akwaeke Nwafor Orizu, gathered last week at the college to celebrate the late political icon.

Emeka Onwudinjo,

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UNIZIK

t was time last week for the management, staff and students of Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe in Anambra State, to roll out the drums to celebrate and honour one of their own; the former Second Republic Senate President and Acting President of the country, the late Dr. Akwaeke Abyssinia Nwafor Orizu, after whom the college was named.

The two-day event, which was the 16th graduation ceremony of the college, was flagged off with a memorial lecture in honour of the late political icon, author and erudite scholar.

Dignitaries at the event included the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who was represented by the ViceChancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku; Governor Willie Obiano, who was the chief host; the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who was represented

by Prof. Leo Muoghalu chaired the event; Senator Andy Uba and other top government officials; as well as members of the academia, religious and traditional leaders.

The third annual memorial lecture of the late Dr. Nwafor Orizu, was entitled: Nwafor Orizu and Horizontal Education.

In his keynote address delivered by Prof.

Ahaneku on his behalf, the Minister, however, noted that the late Dr. Nwafor Orizu was in the league of nationalists such as the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and others who fought for Nigeria’s Independence.

“To think of Nwafor Orizu and his contemporaries such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Prof. Eyo Ita and others and reflect on our times raises the question of leadership failure,” Shekarau said.

While extolling the leadership qualities of the former Senate, the Minister urged Nigerians to emulate his good deeds in order to move the country forward.

“I congratulate the management of this college for organising this event and I am hopefully looking forward that the ideas generated through the lecture will help immensely in the transformation agenda of the Federal Government,” he added.

The Chairman of the occasion, Senator Ekweremadu, charged Nigerians to emulate the shinning exemplary life and dogged struggle of the late icon to free his country from colonial rule and enthronement of quality education.

The Deputy Senate President, who was represented by Prof. Muoghalu, said that for the country to develop there was the need for attitudinal change among the people.

He said Nigerians should be ready to render selfless service to the country at all times, regretting that the country is far away from the dream of its founding fathers, even as he urged the leaders to work towards realizing such dream and aspirations.

“Dr Orizu is a good example of a servant leader, who laboured day and night to promote unity and good education for our children in the country. We must know that Ni-

geria is the only country we can call our own and therefore, must contribute selflessly to make it great. We should make sacrifices so that the struggles of our nationalist heroes will not be in vain. We must shun bribery and corruption in every position we find ourselves in order to move the country to an enviable height,’’ he said.

He further lauded the college for instituting the memorial lecture, which according him, was another way of honouring the late scholar and political icon, saying “nothing will be too much to honour and immortalise Nwafor Orizu’s selfless service to the humanity.”

In his paper entitled: “Education, State and Democracy in Nigeria,” a Professor of Philosophy and the ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Ike Odimegwu of UNIZIK, argued that the nation’s education system could only do well when all the issues confronting the sector were properly addressed.

“The future of Nigeria’s education is tied to the system of government being run in the country,” Odimegwu said, even as the don urged Nigerians to contribute meaningfully to the development of the education sector in order to fulfill the dream of our past heroes.

“The management of education today, requires all to contribute and change its face to meet the current realities,” he said.

In the second paper delivered by Mr. Emeka Maduewesi, a legal practitioner, entitled: “Nwafor Orizu and Horizontal Education,” he extolled the virtues of the late Dr Orizu, whom he said always practiced what he preached.

According to him, Dr. Orizu knew that the foundation of education is the secondary school which propelled him to establish a school at his home town.

He said: “As we remember him today. I urge Anambra State Government to pass the necessary legislation which will convert

the Nwafor Orizu College of Education to Nwafor Orizu University of Education. Dr. Orizu was an advocate of the “Horizontal” broad of American education as opposed to the narrow “Perpendicular” British system.

“This earned him the nickname ‘Orizontal’ as he was passionate about introducing the American system of education to Nigeria, and it was for that reason he established the American Council on American Education (ACAE), which obtained numerous tuition scholarships from American for the benefit of African students.”

Speaking on behalf of Dr. Nwafor Orizu family, his daughter, Princess Udunna Nwafor Orizu, thanked the management of the college, led by its Provost, Dr. Ego Uzoezie, for honouring her late father.

She said: “I am very happy today. Organising this memorial lecture for my late father shows that some people still remember his immense contributions to the nation.

Our present leaders should try to emulate selfless contributions of our nationalists, who fought doggedly to ensure the country gained independence from its colonial masters.

“We should be patriotic and transparent in serving our country so that the struggles of our heroes will not be in vain.”

In her remarks, the Provost, Dr. Uzozie noted that the convocation was unique in the sense that the college last held its convocation four years ago, lauding the Governor Obiano for what she described as uncommon commitment to the development of the college and the welfare of its workers.

Governor Obiano, who congratulated the graduating students and extolled the leadership of the college for writing the name of the institution in gold, however said his administration focuses mainly on development of infrastructure, students and teachers’ welfare in order to sustain the current tempo of education in the state.

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SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Education

UNILAG student wins car in Onga campus cooking contest

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t was a dream come true for a 22-yearold Law undergraduate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Miss Temitope Oyedija, who was crowned the overall winner in the 2014 Onga National Campus Cooking competition.

For shinning brightest in the competition, instituted in August by Promasidor Nigeria Limited, manufacturers of Onga Seasoning and Cowbell Milk, Oyedija smiled home with the star prize, a 2014 KIA Rio Full Option and a gold medal.

Oyedija won the competition with the okro soup and garri which she prepared at the grand finale of the contest, which took place at the Indoor Sports Hall of the University of Lagos, venue of the grand finale of the competition.

She was said to have dazzled other regional winners from other 13 universities in the country that reached the finals.

The Executive Director, Commercial of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, sponsors of the competition, Kachi Onubogu, while the announcing the winners, said cooking is a universal art which is being carried out in every part of the world.

Onubogu, who hinted that Promasidor’s target, was to make the competition a premium among Nigerian youths, stated that as a national competition, the cooking contest launched in August 2014, was activated in 14 campuses in the country for many willing students to participate.

Overwhelmed by the successful hosting of the competition, he advised all the finalists to see themselves as winners.

His words: “We are proud to have all of you here today. I want you to see yourselves as winners whether or not you clinch the star prize. As long as you are one of the 14 contestants here today, you are a winner.

You will definitely go home with a prize.”

Basking in the euphoria of her emergence as the overall winner, Oyedija recalled that when the competition began, she was somehow confused about what to cook and where to start her cooking from.

On who inspired her cooking skills, she attributed it to God, who endowed her with the culinary skills, dedicating her victory first to God, and to her mother.

Expressing satisfaction over the competition, the Senior Category Manager, Proma-

sidor, Edna Obi, explained that part of the objectives of the competition include providing the students in the select campuses the opportunity to sharpen their culinary skills; enlighten the public on the wide variety of dishes enjoyed by different cultures across the country; and create an emotional bond between the brand’s target audience and the Onga Seasoning through active engagement and one-on-one interaction.

She assured stakeholders of Promasidor’s commitment to embrace any laudable idea that would contribute meaningfully to the development of its target audience and the society at large.

Other contestants at the grand finale of the competition are the first runner up, Isaac Uzoenyi of Abia State University; Jessica Egbenwonu, a student of Faculty of Technology at the University of Ibadan; Miss Arafat Azeez, a student of Environmental Resources Management of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB); and Christopher Xyztus, an undergraduate of School of Natural and Applied Science, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State.

Izegbuwa Izevbare, category Manger, Onga; Obi; Oyedija (winner) and Onubogu at the grandfinale of the competition

Orji slashes Abia varsity fees by 20 % Uchechukwu Amanze, ABSU

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his will be cheering news to the students of Abia State University (ABSU): the stage government has slashed their school fees by 20 per cent.

The Governor, Chief Theodore Orji, in a statement released on his behalf by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), said reduction had become necessary in view of the challenges currently facing the nation’s economy at the moment.

The students’ school fee was hiked by 100 per cent in 2011 by the same administration.

Meanwhile, the students were said to have gone into wide jubilation when the news of the slash of their school fees filtered into the air, after it was confirmed in a statement by the President of the institution’s Students’ Union, Israel Ahaemfula on his face book timeline.

But to a section of the students, who was said to have received the news with a lukewarm attitude, added that the government should not be taken serious, just as they queried why the government had to increase the fees in the first instance.

Speaking to Telegraph Campus, the Chairman of the university’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. David Chikezie, however, confirmed the news of the reduction of the students’ school fee by the state government.

“It is true that the state government has reduced the school fee by 20 per cent, however, the government is yet to write formally to us concerning the reduction.”

When Telegraph Campus visited the university Micro Finance Bank, it was gathered that fresh students had been ordered to suspend further payment of their school fees, till next year. An official of the bank, who pleaded anonymity, told Telegraph Campus that the school fee had already been

reduced, but that its implementation will only commence next semester.

“Towards this end, all fresh students have been advised to go on with their registration, but to suspend payment of school fee for now,” the official said. A fresher at the Department of Medicine and Surgery, who gave her name as Goodness Ihemelandu described the government’s action as a welcome development, recalling how the exorbitant school fees nearly caused her, her admission into the university.

“I am happy that the government has thought it right to reduce it, and I strongly believe that this avail the less-privileged students to apply and study in this university,” she added.

Kelechi Okorie, a 400 -Level undergraduate at the Faculty of Law described the reduction as a good initiative on the part of the government, saying: “I thank the governor for this commendable act, for he has proven to be a lover of education.”

UNIJOS don wins Marsh award Buhari Bello, JOS

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scientist and the Head of A.G. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute (AGLORI), the Biological Conservatory at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Dr. Shiiwua Manu has become the recipient of this years’ Marsh Award for International Ornithology.

He won the award in recognition of his exceptional work in advancing the knowledge about birds in the country.

AGLORI is the only field station dedicated to Ornithological research and conservation training in West Africa.

The award was presented to Manu by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip at a ceremony hosted by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Society for Wildlife Artists (SWLA) at the Mall Gallery in London, United Kingdom.

The Marsh Award for International Ornithology is awarded to an individual scientist whose work on the international stage has had significant influence on British Ornithology, especially as reflected in the work of BTO scientists and volunteers.

Under Manu’s guidance, up to eight West African students enroll yearly into the university’s MSc programme in Conservation Biology; with the aim of building the much needed biodiversity conservation capacity for West Africa.

The programme has been running for 12 years and has been highly successful, with several alumni now working in renowned international conservation agencies operating in Africa.

AGLORI also hosts many researchers from Nigeria and other African countries, as well as countries around the world.

The researchers were said to work on a broad range of topics, ranging from the ecology of the birds in Jos Plateau, to broader questions about bird migration and wintering ecology of long-distance intra- and intercontinental migrants.

The institute also supports research on other biota, including plants.

Subsequently, AGLORI undertakes community development work in the institute’s vicinity, to in order to educate local people about the region’s biodiversity requirements, as well as to promote sustainable living alongside the birds and other wildlife supported by their immediate and wider surroundings.

Many of the local people are employed in AGLORI, and this contributes significantly to the local economy and fosters invaluable goodwill towards the conservation efforts of APLORI. Part of the responsibilities of Manu is to oversee all these initiatives, and skillfully navigate the bureaucracy that could impede such endeavours in the country.

Besides, the scientist ensures that AGLORI remains a powerful force for conservation in West Africa.

While receiving the award, Manu expressed gratitude to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) for the recognition, even as he noted that the A. G. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute (AGLORI) in the university provided him the enabling environment for achieving the feat.

He also thanked his colleagues in AGLORI as well as the host Laminga community from where the institute operates, for contributing immensely to the recognition.

BTO Director, Andy Clements explained that the Marsh Awards for Ornithology enables BTO to recognise the excellent work of ornithologists at a variety of scales, all of whom are partners with BTO in ensuring science contributes to conservation.

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

Give your style a distinct appeal Vanessa Okwara

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raditional wear is a popular trend among men. If you are attending a special event like traditional wedding, coronation or an event that demands an ethnic touch this season, you will not go wrong with unique attires made from different African fabrics.

The fabrics can be Ankara, Guinea brocade, lace or good cotton material.

As it is few days to Christmas, you can shop for unique traditional attires from Nigerian designers to showcase our culture and also promote economic growth. It is important you choose clothes with unique designs and perfect tailoring.

There are a lot of traditional styles to choose from such

as kaftan, ‘Agbada’, jumpers and so on. If you are looking for traditional clothing for men with a modern twist, there are fantastic styles in a variety of colours and sizes that will give you a charming appearance. The beautifully made embroidery on these clothes should have a seamless flow which is a testament to detail designs and tailoring. Accessorise the traditional attire with slippers, sandals or comfy shoes of your choice to showcase your African heritage.

Ethnic clothes are unique and allow embellishments that suit your lifestyle and body shape. To stand out from the rest this season, make sure your ethnic clothes are designed with artistic embroidery to give it a distinct, creative appeal for that glam look.

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NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

Body&Soul

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Spice up your love life this Christmas

ulia and Tamuno have been married for about six years now and blessed with two lovely boys. Tamuno works with one of the oil servicing companies in Port Harcourt and comes home every two weeks from the rig. Julia had to quit her job after she had their first son to manage the home front.

Lately, she has noticed that her relationship with her husband has been a bit strained. When he comes home from the rig, he’s hardly available for them to spend quality time together as a couple and this is affecting their marital relationship. He keeps hanging out with his friends instead of coming home to his family. He practically complains about everything she does and the time she gives to the children. It’s as if he’s never happy to come home to his family again and this is giving her great concern.

Initially, she thought maybe he was having an affair. When she confronted him with her fears, he assured her he was not fraternising with the prostitutes that stream to their ship like most of his colleagues. So what could be the reason behind his attitude of not wanting to spend quality time with her then?

As Christmas is fast approaching, Julia decided to do something radical to bring back the excitement in her marriage. She decided to recreate their courtship days.

Since she has been prudent with the money Tamuno sent into her account every month, she decided she would spend something substantial on creating a ro-

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CONNECT NG vanessaonsunday@yahoo.com mantic Christmas getaway exclusively for two, without the pressure of caring for the kids. She managed to convince her sister-in-law to help her take care of the children so that she and Tamuno would spend the Christmas week with each other. She had planned for them to go for a romantic retreat at an exclusive holiday resort just off Port Harcourt beach. Her friend, Ifeoma, and her husband spent some days there last Christmas and she had been dreaming of going there with her own husband. “This is just what we need to bring back romance to our marriage,’’ she said to herself.

She went shopping for some sexy lingerie that would make her husband find her attractive again. She had a well laid out plan on how she was going to seduce and make him fall in love with her all over again.

By the time her husband came back from the rig for the Christmas break, she had a good plan for their getaway. When she announced her Christmas plans to him, Tamuno was pleasantly surprised

that she had gone to all that trouble just for them to spend some quality time together. As they reached their destination and rekindled their love one more time in the privacy of their lush hotel room, Tamuno once again swore his undying love for her and promised to be a more caring husband and lover for the rest of their lives.

You see, it takes a little effort to put back some spark to that relationship that has lost its excitement and lustre.

It only takes one person in the relationship willing to take the initiative to make some changes when they notice that the spice has gone out of their marriage or committed relationship.

The wine in every relationship has the capacity to dry up if both do nothing to constantly fill it up. Instead of sitting on the fence and accusing your husband of extra marital affair, why don’t you take positive steps to salvage your marriage especially during this Christmas period when most workers and even business men take a break from their busy sched-

ule?

Don’t spend this season just cooking and feeding your family; think creatively of what you can do to make it a memorable Christmas for everyone. Surprise them by announcing a family picnic at the beach, holiday or even something as simple as going to the cinema to watch a movie or a show in the town you are staying.

If you are in a serious relationship with that special person in your life, begin today to plans how you can make it a memorable holiday season for him/her.

Don’t allow the economic situation in the country to make a mess of this season for you. Sit down and count the cost of what it will take to make your significant other happy this Christmas.

It may just be a little outing to any of the fast food joints near you or to a romantic getaway like Julia and Tamuno did. It can even be something as simple as organising a house party just for the two of you. Select choice music you know your partner likes and just dance away the day and make merry.

Don’t just stand there; do something to bring smiles and laughter to the lips of your loved one in this season of joy.

Don’t think of ways to spice the Christmas chicken alone; come up with ways to also spice up your love life. Make sure to thank me for a rejuvenated love life in the New Year. Have a blissful Christmas everyone!

Send your views to the email above!

Between legendary music and drug peddling

will open today with a health warning: Smoking Marijuana is dangerous to your health even if it is branded with the name of Bob Marley. Now that we have that out of the way, I will now begin to tell you why it has become imperative to give out such warning. In the ultimate display of the creativity embedded in the capitalist society that we live in, some smart Alecs have approached and apparently received the blessings of the Bob Marley family and estate to brand and package marijuana for sale with the name and picture of Bob Marley. This Marijuana wraps will be sold in ‘medicinal quantities’ in the states within the US where Marijuana sale is legal as well as other parts of the world that permits such activities to take place.

The bottom line is profit. Privateer Holdings, the company behind the whole operation, is simply packaging weed from Jamaica and have found a way of standing out on the street and on the shelves that allow it to be sold.

Marley Natural is said to be the ultimate weed and the best ganja money can buy. I daresay that doesn’t sound original one bit. However, I am worried that it seems the family of the late reggae crooner have given their blessing to this venture. Worried because they have fallen into the hands manipulators to twist the Marley legacy in the wrong direction. What the family has done is say that Marley stood for nothing but the smoking of weed, which is absolutely false. They have simply narrowed his legacy to the one act that does not represent the man but forms part of the rebellious persona that Marley foisted on the world.

While I can understand the economic impact on the family, who may have felt betrayed by the world that seems to have forgotten their father’s struggle except when it is mentioned in connection with one uprising or the other, I am also of the opinion that there are other ways of making money off the name of Marley outside the peddling of dangerous drug even if done in the name of medicine. The royalties from Marley’s music must be worth something as well as the copyrighted name of Marley itself. This action is demystifying the man and I hope the family will have a change of heart. Already, certain quarters of the western media are proclaiming Marley’s name as being ‘synonymous with the smoking of pot (Marijuana).’ I disagree with the statement to the highest level possible.

Other than Lorna Goodson, I do not think Jamaica can boast of any other poet of note apart from Marley. Take away the lyrics from his songs and what you are left with are some of the most powerful poetry ever known to the contemporary man. Lines like “No, Woman no cry/My feet is my only carriage/so I’ve got to push on through/ oh while I am gone/everything’s gonna be alright,’ were way ahead of their time and preceded most of the feminist movement that we know today. In fact, this song and the lines have become the torch and standard for women rallies world over. Most anti-racism rallies can also be heard chanting ‘one love/ one heart/let’s get together and feel alright.’ These are Marley’s legacy to the literary world. The indebtedness of the music world to reggae and Marley

The indebtedness of the music world to reggae and Marley are not even quantifiable and I am not going to try. The man is a legend and a national treasure in Jamaica and dare I say, the black world at large.

Sadly, all of these is about to be thrown away with the endorsement of Marijuana

are not even quantifiable and I am not going to try. The man is a legend and a national treasure in Jamaica and dare I say, the black world at large. Sadly, all of these is about to be thrown away with the endorsement of Marijuana.

Now, what all the youths of the world that are yet to be exposed to the man’s music and struggle will know about Marley is the brand name on Marijuana packet. The man deserves a better legacy and the world deserves a better memory and monument.

And that is why my fear and disappointment extends to the shores of Nigeria. How soon before this money chasing business men in crass suit shift their attention to Nigeria and consider putting the name of Fela on their next product? With the world in the borderless state that it is today, thanks to the Internet, how soon before our kids begin to see the smoking of Marijuana as socially acceptable and making a call for it to be legalized? How soon before we start magnifying the human flaw of our heroes and thus push to the background the real issues that these men stood for?

Perhaps, I am asking this questions too late. Only last week, I was informed that ‘Caro’ in Nigerian palance is code name for Marijuana and a sizable percentage of Nigerian musicians are hooked on the thing. I believe it because they are putting it in the lyrics of their songs, glorifying the most destructive of addictions.

The Marleys must realize that they owe it to Bob to make his legacies live on in people’s mind. Putting his name on a packet of Marijuana is certainly not the way to do this.

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

with

Wole Adepoju 07037763410

Lanre and Dupe Ogunlesi’s undying love

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udging from all angles, the love that exists between the proprietor of fashion outfit, Sophisticat, Lanre Ogunlesi, and his wife, Modupe, sure is one that is made in heaven.

In these days when marriages of both old and young are crumbling like a pack of badly stacked cards, their love is waxing stronger.

Sometime ago, the lovebirds, having scaled all hurdles to remain together as one, rolled out drums to celebrate well over 30 years of being in holy and happy matrimony. With children and grandchildren to show for their union, the sweet couple can only be grateful to God while they are not showing any sign of slowing down, even as they age gracefully. Recently, the couple who also run an upscale fashion outfit somewhere in G.R.A, Ikeja, Lagos known as Adam & Eve, began festive sales in a very peculiar way as they invited friends and clients to wine and dine with them at the outlet.

Aside of the usual way of kick-starting festive sales, which was a significant one, another thing that never ceased to amaze attendees was how the lovebirds were all over each other like teenagers in love.

Bola Tinubu’s new project T

he story of one of the strongest politicians in the country and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is one that could be described as opportunity and preparation.

After the abolition of the Third Republic Senate, to which Tinubu was elected, he joined the crusade to entrench democracy in Nigeria. Few thought Tinubu, also fondly known as Jagaban, would become what he is today, politically. Like a number of those who were at the vanguard of the campaign against military rule that scampered abroad to avoid arrest, Tinubu also sojourned in the United States, from where he was lending his voice against the regime of then military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha. Eventually, the former accountant of Exxon Mobil was among the 36 governors that were enthroned in 1999.

In the South-West where he governed Lagos State for eight years, he soon became a voice and a personality to reckon with. While his programmes as governor were laudable, his political relevance grew by the day because he was never caught napping. Tinubu soon became a rallying point in the South-West when he emerged as the only Alliance for Democracy governor that retained his seat in 2003. The remaining five states were swept by the Peoples Democratic Party. Jagaban is now a force to reckon with, not only in the South-West but across the nation for his prowess and foresight as a politician.

Being a man who is always ahead of his peers, his calculation to invest in the media seems to be a step in the right direction, not only because it is working in his favour but because he’s being commended by the populace who sees these investments as a job creation avenue. Currently, Tinubu is believed to be the proprietor of electronic media outfits. Information reaching us from dependable sources says another TV station is on the way.

Those who should know say that efforts are at a final stage to ensure it becomes a reality. The station is expected to be situated in Osun State to complement the existing Unique FM radio station. The television station, which we learnt is likely to take off early next year, will be known as Freedom Television.

Angela Adebayo’s ace

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t will amount to stating the obvious that Erelu Angela, the light-skinned, pretty wife of former governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, has a place among attractive wives of former state governors. As the first lady, her pretty face and gorgeous looks were unique points that gave her an edge over her peers, as celebrity tabloids were ever eager to use her face to grace their covers.

The couple can be said to be two of a kind - going by their good looks and stylish ways. Just as the couple is fashion conscious and whatever they adorn sure looks good on them, their ranking on the social scene is also something to write home about.

Ever before the former governor thought of ruling his state, his wife was to a great extent a factor on the social radar.

Her influence on the social scene has also never been in doubt, even after their exit from

woleadepoju@yahoo.com

government house. Their presence at high octane events had always not gone unnoticed, though the elegant former first lady could be said to be selective about social events.

She had a brief stint in banking and oil and gas before venturing into private practice. While her husband is the scion of the Governor of the old Western Region of Nigeria, Gen, Adeyinka Adebayo. Erelu Angela comes from the popular Lagos family, the Da- Silva.

Biodun Olujimi’s hubby sells property

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eputy governor of Ekiti State during the first reign of Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose, Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi, may have become a public figure whose attention is craved by many.

This piece really is about her husband.

Sources told Celeb Lounge that Biodun and her husband were residents of a Lagos/ Ogun border town, Ajuwon, before for-

tune smiled on her when she became a deputy governor and later acting governor. The Olujimis immediately relocated to the highbrow area of Magodo but with the husband still running a filling station, Reflex, with a guest house at the same location.

It was reported in this medium that the place was eventually shut down. Information from reliable sources has it that the man has eventually put the fuel station and the guest house up for sale. The man, we learnt, pocketed over N100 million from the sale because of the location and the facilities available at the site. The new owner, we learnt, has since renovated the fuel station and work has started already.

Oscar Ibru defies wicked rumour

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s c a r, fashi o n able scion of billionaire business man, Olorogun Michael Ibru, appears to be a quiet man who loves to keep a low profile.

No matter how hard he tries, his position and status always give him

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NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

Body&Soul

away so much that his moves are being monitored by some and whatever he does becomes news.

Oscar made the cover of many celebrity magazines not too long ago when he staged a superlative wedding for his daughter in faraway Paris. That event has finally given him out as a gold fish that has no hiding place just like a number of those from the Ibru dynasty.

A few weeks ago, a part of the media was awash with the tale that the man who is the overseer of Olorogun’s business concerns was down with a terrible illness. Since no fact was given to substantiate the tale, it did not gain so much attention. However, the light-skinned and self-styled Oscar may have defied the illness tale as he’s been sighted at a few public functions recently. Most recently, he was spotted adorning an all-white attire at a business function.

Wedding tale trails Bouqi

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a r k , prett y and cute gospel s i n g e r, Bukola A f o layan, who is popularly known a s Bouqui, happens to be one person who never thought she could sing, talkless of becoming a professional singer. However, in her bid to try her hands on what her elder brother was doing as a singer, she discovered her strength and eventually became the one whose name cuts across, even beyond that of her brother.

The brother is doing well in the music industry but as a production personnel.

Stylish Bouqui, through a few albums she dropped, became a force to be reckoned with in her own right and she was making fortunes from the art. After frequent musical shows, she decided to relocate to the United States. Feelers indicate that she’s still very much in demand.

Meanwhile, while she was here in Nigeria, she enjoyed a flourishing musical career so much that she had become a role model to up and coming artistes and a toast among her peers. Another edge she enjoyed over her colleagues in the gospel world was her cute dress sense which endeared her to secular musicians.

While she enjoyed a rising career, many were concerned about her marital status as she remained single, even in her 30s. However, if information reaching Celeb Lounge is anything to go by, the talented singer may have found a man in whom she’s well pleased. Although unconfirmed, but dependable sources said she’s in a relationship in America and that from the look of things, wedding bells may ring sooner than expected.

Senator Bukola Saraki; former senator, Gbemisola Saraki; and Laolu are the most popular.

However, while Bukola and Gbemi are still very much in the public glare, Laolu, for reasons best known to him, may have excused himself from the public glare.

The last that was heard of him in the public domain was when he worked as an aide to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, and he has since kept a low pace. A family insider told Celeb Lounge that Laolu is very much into family life, rocking with his Spanish wife and their set of twins. He’s also said to still find time to hang out with his friends, among whom is the son of former UN Secretary, Kofi Annan, Kojo.

Ifeoma Williams glows

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feoma Williams shot into the limelight when she won Miss Lux photo pageant some years back. Before then, Ifeoma was just another University of Lagos student. On being crowned, her status changed from the girl next door to a fashion icon and a cynosure of all eyes wherever she went.

When it was time for her to dump spinsterhood, among several suitors that craved her attention and love, the younger brother of ex-football administrator and socialite, Kojo Williams, Andre, was the lucky man who won her heart. The rest is now history as they have long been pronounced husband and wife. Meanwhile, even after she quit spinsterhood, the former beauty queen and legal practitioner has not done less in stamping her footprints on the social scene. On the other hand, beautiful and stylish Ifeoma is not letting down her guard as far as her profession is concerned. Fruition, the image consultancy outfit atop which she sits, boasts of high profile clients.

Still dominating the social radar, Ifeoma was recently spotted at a function organised by a fashion icon and she was simply a beauty to behold; even in the black skirt and white top in which she was garbed.

Paul Cole’s rising profile

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he name, Paul Cole, may not ring a bell; but certainly not in the maritime world where he plies his trade and in the entertainment world where he’s an influential stakeholder.

A graduate of Lagos State University, Paul Cole is a director in a firm that deals in shipping and oil & gas, Ocean Glory Commodities, and CEO of top entertainment company, Achievas.

From a humble background, Paul, who is popularly known as O.C, and his siblings, upon graduating from higher institutions many years ago, decided to concentrate on the maritime industry.

The rest is history, as the firm is now one of the leading names in the maritime industry. Having made a fortune, Paul did not forget his root as he was determined to give back to the society. Hence, he floated Achievas Entertainment, an umbrella under which talents are groomed and made better. Achievas is an organisation that deals in music, boxing and many more. Notable among products of Achievas is songster, Solidstar.

Through Achivas, young ones who chose the line of boxing have at various times travelled abroad for competitions

Segun Obe’s secret pain any would readily believe that

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handsome gospel singer, Segun Obe, rode on the fame of his elder brother, Tunde Obe, of T.W.O fame to stardom but that is far from the truth because Segun has been able to maintain a particular height he’s attained in the industry.

Unknown to many, Segun has a school in the United States where he does voice training. We learnt that he’s making a fortune from the service he renders. On the other hand, there is an issue which has been a source of concern to Segun and a handful of members of his family: that is remaining a bachelor at a very ripe age.

Segun is said to be trying to quit bachelorhood but the problem is that he reportedly worries that ladies he’s come across are only after what he has to offer financially. He’s also said to have been encouraged to keep searching and not be deterred by that fact.

and exposure. Also, as part of efforts to keep the young ones off crime, Achievas organises a yearly football competition.

At the recently concluded edition of the competition, the likes of Samson Siasia, Victor Agali and several other Super Eagles ex-players were in attendance. They spiced up the day at Festac Twon, Lagos where the final was played. On the heels of his laudable activities, Paul has not ceased to endear himself to many who are delighted to associate with his laudable projects.

Laolu Saraki lies low

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aolu is one of the c h i l dren of late Turaki of I l o r i n , Chief Olusola Saraki.

Among the children of the late political big wig are former governor of Kwara State,

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

Miscellany Alley

Life is rich sometimes and painful at other times, but it is mostly full.

Let’s share our experiences on this page, after all, everyday is an opporShiloh for pr ayer and adul tunity to learn...send yours to julietbumah@gmail.com tery People travel East and Wes from the North, South, ns od is t s traditio n more fo is considered of Nigeria for Shiloh. It Christma d, food, and eve mily dinner to be filled w ing and pow ith anointFood, foo ature on most fa l be groaner il tinguished m ful messages from disies hat will fe w days. Tables w ch food in em en w Who is san en of God. M God of my r faou u fe ch m ta a at w o c e in s la w look forwar f s n an u o s? y people ctable Christmas eight d to this mee Sometimes, whe w d e an s tews, sau , he th S atc r . m s e is ay y d pl a a ting all year s n and when it se m tr u tea a ll g d so rt ba n e ot n in a many differ that talks a ss s , fin vourite fo b en start praying. different platters asta, salads, de stes the spirit”. R ally arrives, they are “in p exhaust all t themes. You may out we are under pressure, we ta , h d ife with exp s en, fi nev res an o e other team ecta the holy spir about them f them if you start ta er Pray, do you think that th you think es, chick their sizes, textu for the famiit and lookin tion from lk . g for anointing, healing God? Don’t fruits, in d. All these are ll, there will the ‘father I like that Santa Cla ing and edifica does not believe in a ’ of Christ un us is e match and th re tion. On the other hand, fo be ed ay will abo n afford it. After try, governm pr u a sed him to it is they also lead? n eir a th c u n get good b s. My parents t o tai a c ain for spouses to also a ripe opportunity r m th u to s ady. lie ehavior ou severally. It ty in o e also praying ri jump the hu ar ho te w s er u there alre red t bb a o ro ’t w f e n ed o u b m rk s beds of thei rd re ar n e ed e le o th in w o th of s to e o la if en the it works th but I won rw r Think als . As if w ave dec re they go out fo separate fro aiting lovers in a town ment said it is they who h erence in the sneak into ese days. Does San der ays and fasts befo ccessful, he goes m where th pr e ta s iff p o st d e o p ill ple’s hom eir spouses are. A lady s, the it is su I sup mysteriou es and d left operations. When along. Ye ay know esss Lagos and ca Cross River State for k ‘God’ for a succ ch that m ve been there all xcess and an u th s to your wish gifts that have bee rop ch ur ch mped in the to ed e ha in e list all yea n on home of her married lov the person he robb word. W be everywhere, your neighr still find o er ful outing. While l er ut if we ha long? Does he There are . il b ve w ali m m for the festiv whose wife travelled e d hi t o m lef fo ve been na r two or nice? D ities with th crying – if he . Just re e is d id let te Yu s u ything fo kids o is a g es n th h a in w ty ei h So n were togeth e r kids. They n in. e h te co ea v a ery e e r ev t so e a to o b me beatin out the g er t two sides his thre o has n for the dura living as man and wife ur blessings, coun bour wh has been giving mber to take nannies d gs we endured from ruetion of Shiloh ason, consider yo se d di he e d u all r m n ri o fo e a n d u g R r speaking wit the ye and were aise Go nly. days ome our gifts b h them daily and pr d water o e orphanages, h hen ips you igger? Did ar, and make sh n rd a ha e d th as though th their respective spouses a of re ve cti b th pe w came first es h irr d to e u, n s k ey were goin yo a n r . , ie fo o ell w th od als in g about thei lives as expec u are alive and w some go , prisons, hospit ay a prayer this year w my class? I hope m at I r te may have faced. Yo s ed ople are y gift ill reflect a g to pe a y o an e m question is th d. A true story. So, my ls w th a irit ho f r o ll the good Dear Santa embe rely, you know is, husband e real sp g Su m fam th re , I ds , d is C en o id fri t la d a ur ? u wife to husb to wife and yo h u s, e o T in er th w . y n e is a m is m e y So e a ea e. healthy, h r, all I w an no mor ith th true m . But you the Shiloh g d who claims to be on or two w as. That is the to carry you food on ou appy family with en ant ues, pastor, kids, etc ose has ag lle rounds, in th co , ily n tm r o Frank Olize e words of n. Your purp of Chris That is a traditio t Christmas. of the Lord table to celebrate the ugh o are, there is a reaso Focus your energy g. ta birth . Of course, s in ju iv t you know w f NTA Newsline, “Do g o t. f n ye o d have that ro it wont hu h not been fulfille the year, se rt to ction and a spouse is?” ere your (children are) through lidays!

Lexus Cou wood clutch, nor th g to God for dire in ay Don’t be a le pr e on o Th h e. e p os 2 y arn Emmanuel higher purp 0yrs Happ have been e. Be kind to me San 015 Asiwaju, 33 er o! glimpse of your d Andor 4 fin u ta k a yo , ll ic n a he y s tr ea W I a yr u. r. Thank y P Benin s yo d ate cre d Pauline A Go ou! reason hat! m Ikeja lfilled no matter w Anambra aga, 45yrs that, you will be fu s yr 26 , im As Faith Warri

Health Wellness Natasha Ellah

adaukuonsunday@gmail.com

I

n a bid to boost healthy living, we are featuring some African superfoods that ought to be listed along with foods of Western origin in local and afro-centric magazines. Why these plants may be underutilised, especially in areas beyond the traditional localities where they are found and consumed, may be as a result of the lack of public knowledge on the specific nutrients and phytochemicals present in a large number of the native vegetables species with which Africa is richly endowed.

Indeed, the fresh drive for agriculture and Africa as the food basket for the world could help international individuals also benefit from these superfoods.

This article is here to tell you that eating healthy needn’t be expensive, a chore or difficult to imagine. A healthy temperament is right on your doorstep and all you need to do is taste, see and enjoy!

Waterleaf Wa t e r leaf (scientific Ta l i n u m triangulare) nutrit i o n a l l y, has been shown to possess the essential nutrients such as Bcarotene, miner-

The average African superfood (2)

als (such as calcium, potassium and magnesium), and pectin for lowering cholesterol and vitamins, appreciable amount of flavonoids, alkaloids and saponins. These ‘-oid’ compounds are especially needed for their anti-ageing benefits and if one has a tendency for frequent colds and cramps as they help protect blood vessels from rupture or leakage. They enhance the function of Vitamin C, protect cells from oxygen damage and prevent excessive inflammation throughout the body. Easy ways to incorporate waterleaf into your diet is through native soups; ensure you do not over cook it, as the important watersoluble nutrients will be lost. Or after washing it thoroughly with clean water, drop a handful of leaves into smoothies, or simmer it lightly with onions, tomatoes, some dry fish and pepper as a side dish for any meal.

Ube

Ube, African pear or Safou (Dacryodes edulis) is an evergreen tree found in the humid tropical forests of Africa, as far south as Angola, and as far north as Nigeria. The fruits are oblong, dark blue to violet in colour with varying lengths from two to five inches long with pale green flesh inside. These fatty fruits are rumoured to have the ability to put an end to starvation in Africa, as 48% of the fruit is made up of essential fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins and triglycerides.

The delicious Ube is normally eaten boiled or roasted with corn in Nigeria and have a nutty lime flavour. It contains vital water-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin and thiamine. It is a good source of minerals such as Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Iron, Zinc, Copper and Manganese.

All of these are excellent for providing younger looking, glowing skin, strong hair and nails and boosting your immunity and metabolism function. It also contains Tannins, Alkaloids, Phenols, Flavonoids, Saponins which serve as natural antibiotics, helping the body to fight infections and microbial invasions, thus, making it a good candidate for treating fungal and yeast infections.

As it has such a high fat content, avoid eating too many in one sitting!

Ambarella The Ambarella fruit or plum is best eaten by those with a sweet tooth when the skin is golden yellow. This is when its at its sweetest and loses the sharp taste that accompanies the fruit. Then, its texture is similar to a mango. While still green, it is crisp and juicy with a

pineapple fragrance and flavour. It is high in Vitamin C, a great antioxidant, providing 60% of the recommended daily allowance, beta-carotene for eye health and the fibrous fruit provides the beneficial fibre needed for a healthy digestive system. The Sri Lanka Agriculture Department recommends ambarella for diabetes mellitus, indigestion, urinary tract infections, hypertension and haemorrhoids. Ambarella is eaten by peeling off the skin with a knife like a mango and either cutting the fruit into pieces or eating the fruit straight on.

However, you need to be careful if eating it in hand as the pip has spiky fibres that could irritate your lip.

So if your local fruit and vegetable person does not stock any of these, please ask them to!

These plants and fruits are easily available and the aim is to inspire the urban supermarkets to stock these as well and encourage the local African agroindustry.

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

Wine & Dine

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Body&Soul

Palate punch idea for the Yuletide Ibukunoluwa Kayode

C

HRISTMAS isn’t a time to improvise. The holiday season is all about spending time with family and friends, basking in the warm glow of the familiar. It’s the same with wine.

At this time of the year, many will like to pull out old favourites, confident in the knowledge of brands they know to relax and enjoy them for what they are. Of course, it’s not a bad Idea, but it’s also nice to try new brands as well.

This season, more than any other occasion, it’s the name and label on the bottle that counts, making calls on variety of choices to lavish the palate.

It’s a season we love to share with people, to leave a pleasant memory of togetherness on a table. Toasting the moment with wine is a perfect mix for the party, since wine is made available to both the high and the low, so that no one feels left out during get together with family and friends this Yuletide season.

To enjoy the best of the season, any wine grapes will deliver the refreshing moment -from the red, white, pinks to the ultimate Champagne.

Most of us base our Christmas meal around some sort of roast and ham. A good tip is to pair wines that have the same weight and texture as the food. The juicy red pairs perfectly with turkey, as it doesn’t have an overwhelming flavour.

Californian Zinfandel, Merlot, Shiraz all work as the perfect festive indulgence with the familiar.

If you’re serving smoked fish, barbecue, roasted chicken, asun and all, you’ll need a white wine high in acidity to counter the oily texture and fat. Unoaked Chardonnay or white Burgundy will work magic on your palate and worth stocking up as a crowd-pleaser like the Sauvignon Blanc grape wines.

The Riesling will make a reservation for those meals where you fancy a wine with a little more complexity.

Finally, it’s always worth stocking up on a few fortified and sweet wines. A dry fino sherry goes wonderfully with almonds as an aperitif. When buying a sweet wine, go for something light and delicate; for many, it’s a long month of entertaining, and the risk of palate fatigue can be very real!

So it’s time, choose your price and make a pick. Enjoy.

F

Biwom Iklaki estive period calls for festive recipes and treats. Most Nigerian homes will serve rice and stew with chicken or choice starch (pounded yam, semo, garri, Akpa, etc) with an indigenous soup. So no matter how many homes you visit, you are likely to be served the same meals with just a few variations in spice quantity.

My advice is to mix it up.

Rice and stew is expected, so do the unexpected and serve something different.

Try my Christmas chicken curry recipe and the aroma from your kitchen will be superior and definitely stand out from others.

INGREDIENTS • 1 kilo chicken • 5 medium carrots • 1 cup peas • 1 cup sweet corn • 2 cup green beans • 2 green peppers • 1 medium cabbage

• 3 spoons flour (thickener) • 2 tbs curry •2 bulbs onions (chopped) • 1 tbs thyme • Ginger and garlic (blended) • 3 Stock cubes • 1 tsp nutmeg • 1 tsp cinnamon • Salt to taste PREPARATION Chop cabbage, carrots, green beans, and green peppers into bite size chunks or smaller if you prefer. Parboil your chicken till semi tender. Spice with some onions, stock cube, thyme, curry and some salt. Add the cabbage, peas, carrots and green beans first and allow to cook a bit before adding green pepper and sweet corn. This is also the time to add the remaining spices and thickener. Stir and let simmer for about 2 minutes and its ready.

Fresh, aromatic Christmas chicken curry with all the goodness of nutrients from vegetables.

Christmas chicken curry

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

O

nce upon a time, there was a girl named Ella.

She was a very selfish girl who never loved to share.

She was also very unkind about it. She would neither share her time nor possessions with anyone, even her family.

She only cared about herself.

If a person didn’t share anything with her, she would say the person is selfish. Days passed by and she was still the same, but one thing she didn’t know was that a certain man in the clouds was watching her. A man called Santa Clause.

“This girl is really selfish. If she doesn’t change her ways before Christmas she won’t get a present from me!” said Santa.

Santa watched her, but she never changed. Soon after, Christmas Eve rolled in. Ella was expecting a gift from Santa on Christmas so she brought milk and cookies from the cupboard as fast as she could, then laid the table. By 8pm, she went to bed without even being told. Everyone was so surprised as this had never happened before. Christmas day finally arrived. Ella and her younger brother rushed downstairs when their mum shouted “time for presents!”

Each of them searched the tree for their presents and everyone found theirs except Ella. Her brother Preston, who was kind, generous and loved to share with others, got a double dose of presents.

“Where are my presents?” she asked her parents.

“We don’t know,” they replied.

“Why?” Ella asked.

“We just don’t know”. Her parents responded again.

“I just want to know why I didn’t get any presents” “Maybe it’s because you are selfish?” They replied.

“Selfish!” She exclaimed.

Ella the selfish girl

“Oh yes. Maybe if you had been a generous person who loved to share with others, Santa would have given you some presents. But alas, you have been selfish,” her mother said.

After much thought and with a lot of remorse, Ella asked tearfully, “How can I change?”

“Simple! Her parents said. “Just be generous, share with others and be kind and loving”.

Needless to say, from that day forward, Ella became kind and generous.

• Moral lesson When you are selfish and unkind, you lose everything, but when you are generous and kind, you gain much more.

Unaigwe Ekene Year 5 Onyx Chrisland School, Opebi

Picture puzzle

Gags What did the digital clock say to the grandfather clock?

Ans: Look, Grandpa! No hands!

What would you call a sleeping bull?

Ans: A bulldozer.

What has four wheels and flies?

Ans: A garbage truck.

What has one eye but cannot see?

Ans: A needle.

What nails do carpenters hate hammering?

Ans: Fingernails

What do you get when you cross a cheetah and a burger?

Ans: Fast food

What did the fork say to the knife?

Ans: “You’re looking sharp!”

What kind of button can’t be bought from a tailor?

Ans: A belly button!

Gags

What animal can jump higher than a house?

Ans: Any animal — a house can’t jump.

What did the frog order at the diner?

Ans: French flies and a diet Croak.

Colour Art

Faith 51

SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014

News

Rejected by Catholic Church, priest declares: My church marches on

Interview

Modestus Chiedozie Chilaka is the first ordained priest of the Catholic Church of the East Nigeria.

Despite his proscription by the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria, Fr. Chilaka, who was ordained last year by Most Rev. Ramzi R. Musallam, Archbishop D.D., M.Div. B.A, has carried on with the work of God - healing the sick. EBERE AMEH, who was at his ministry recently, reports

Cleric decries Christians’ apathy to politics p.52

Why Christian schools are expensive –Pastor Obong-Ekam p.54

Sermon

Christ was not born on December 25 p.55

Sermon

Christmas is a family celebration p.56

Tai Anyanwu Head, religous Desk titus.anyanwu@newtelegraph online.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

A

ll roads seem to lead to Obiohuru, Isiala Mbano in Imo State. Taxi drivers and commercial motorcyclists in and around Mbano don’t need much descriptions before they take you to the location of the Blessed Family Adoration Ministry, where Rev. Fr. Modestus Chiedozie Chilaka holds sway.

Women of the community use the opportunity of the ministry to make brisk business on adoration days, giving the entrance the semblance of a mini-market.

Not far from there is an open field where hundreds of cars and buses with inscriptions showing they are from different parts of the Nigeria are parked. They have brought people from far and near to be ministered to by the priest.

While multitudes of people are gathered under canopies in front of St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, venue of the adoration; giving testimonies of what God has done for them through Fr. Chilaka, a peep into the church hall reveals that it is filled to capacity.

Many people are waiting to have an audience with the priest; a procedure called ‘searching.’

“Will he see all these people today? Before the adoration?” I asked my companion but got an unsolicited reply from an excited parishioner standing close by.

“Ah! Father will not only see everybody, he will tell you your problem and proffer a solution.

Just wait and see. You people came late, we have just finished with the Rosary and the Holy Mass,” the middle aged woman said excitedly.

Not long afterwards, the priest could be heard telling people things about themselves. In some cases, he named the alleged perpetrators of complaints brought by some of the attendees, to the astonishment of many.

On the altar at the adoration ground is a monstrance bearing the Blessed Sacrament but Fr. Chilaka never sat down. He mingled with the crowd, calling out some to tell them why they came.

A woman whose son was jailed abroad was one of those the priest attended to that day. Though she said she had been told that the son had died, the priest debunked that

piece of information. He also not only assured her that he is alive but in jail, he also connected the two via a phone he collected from a worshipper. Suddenly, the formerly distraught mother was full of joy at the sound of her son’s voice.

He is also said to have raised a dead woman, who was brought to his church from the mortuary. Another account says he once raised a dead man.

When our reporter sought comments from him on the feats, he said, “The brother of the lady and other relatives brought her picture; that the lady died around 3am the previous day and they wanted to know what killed her.

God ministered to me that they should not put the body in the fridge (mortuary); that He wants to do something. But before they got to the hospital, they had injected the body with their chemicals and put the body in the mortuary. They insisted and managed to retrieve the body and brought her here. I just noticed that there was a commotion and I asked what was going on. I was told they brought a dead body here.

I asked them to bring it and prayers were going on. God took control and the woman rose Fr. Chilaka from the dead.”

The church has turned Obiohuru in Isiala Mbano to a Mecca of sorts. Worshippers could be seen digging the ground with their hands to get sand from the adoration ground after some testified to its efficacy.

Though there are claims that many had got their problem solved, a good number of others are said to have left without an answer. They return, though, hopeful of getting a response. Fr. Chilaka attributed to faith.

“If there is no faith, there is no miracle. The boy had the faith that his sister would be raised if she was brought here and it happened. If you are coming here because of Fr. Dozie, you will be disappointed. Many are coming

for the sake of the miracles and not for salvation and they get disappointed. If you come with faith, for God to see you, He will see you.”

The priests faces stiff opposition from the Catholic Church in Nigeria. He has been castigated severally through diverse media and Catholics have been advised to avoid him. However, his ministry continues to draw crowds.

Speaking on his face-off with the Catholic Church, Fr Chilaka, who is the priest in charge of St. Francis of Assissi Cathedral, said, “We are Catholic Church of the East.

We are an independent Catholic Church but we profess the same faith. A priest is a priest forever.

I’m just doing the work God has assigned me to do and I don’t go for anyone. God has already blessed me and made me who I am today. So I don’t need acceptance from any human being.”

Barely one year into the establishment of the church in Nigeria, Fr. Chilaka revealed that Archbishop Musallam, who ordained him, will be in Nigeria next year to perform the rites of confirmation on his teeming parishioners.

The priest, whose chequered career began with the All Hallows Seminary, Onitsha before he proceeded to the USA, where he joined the Catholic Church of the East, said the church has come to stay.

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SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith

We ordain more pastors to win souls for Christ, says Pastor Osuloye

Cleric decries Christians’ apathy to politics Steve Uzoechi

F OWERRI

ounder of the Christian Citizenship Network International, Rev. Emmanuel Ihim, has decried the non-involvement of Christians in the politics of Nigeria.

Ihim, while addressing newsmen in Owerri, blamed Christians for falling short of fulfilling the Biblical mandate of serving as the salt and light of the earth. He said they had adopted sanctimonious practices for which they abdicated the

most critical area of society, which is politics and governance.

Describing the perception of Christians which suggest that politics is ungodly as both defective and negative, Ihim noted with dismay that such attitude has not only created a leadership lacuna but has conceded a lot of power to men with little or no fear for God. This same people will preside and even legislate in the affairs of the so called Christians.

He said: “Christianity and spirituality are displaced and shut out to an insignificant and isolated part of life with the erroneous notion

that Christians have no plans for positions of authority or power.”

Ihim noted that Islam is far more enlightened in this area as its adherents are perfectly keyed into politics and governance, to the extent that most of their spiritual leaders wield enormous political power inside or outside of government.

Speaking on the 2015 elections, he advised Christians to actively engage in politics to ensure that only worthy candidates are voted into office.

He said: “The degree and measure of power and authority of-

fered to our leaders are so enormous that if misplaced or falls into wrong hands due to the apathy of Christians, could lead to disastrous consequences affecting even the Christians.”

Ihim reminded Christians that the ultimate rulers in a democracy are not governors, legislators or even the president, but rather the people, especially the voting public. The cleric gave the assurance that the organisation would continue in its advocacy to enlighten Christians on the need to be active players and stakeholders in the politics of Nigeria.

T

he Auditorium hall of new life gospel mission church, along, Ogudu Ojota road, was full to capacity recently when some new Pastors were ordained and charged to propagate the word of Christ to the nook and cranies of the world.

The elated General Overseer of the church and his wife pastor Zacheus Osuloye walked into the waiting hands of the members of the church and the invited guest.

The National Secretary of the church, Pastor Monday Aleburu said we cannot remain indifferent to the fact that every true child of God has been called to this ministry of reconciliation.

Aleburu further said ‘ our coming here today is to ordained and install ministers of God as true battle axes for the work of the master and instruments of reconciliation of the perishing souls in our world.”

Take charge with your talents”

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t’s good to start or embark on a project but it is best to complete it because better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof. This speaks to the character of Grace Spring Vocational Centre (GSVC) of The Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, as she marked her 10th Graduation Ceremony.

The ceremony which held on Wednesday, December 17, was also graduation of the 11th& 12th weekly sessions of the school.

Commemorating with the graduating students at the event which took place at the auditorium of the church were dignitaries which included, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya,Senior Pastor of the church and the key speaker, Pastor Nomthi Odukoya, Chairman, Fountain Initiative for Social Development (FISD), Pastor Biodun Shoderu, Assistant HOD, Ruth & Boaz, Pastor Dapo Williams, Pastor Gbenga Onabanjo, Mrs. Yetunde. Holloway, Principal GSVC, Mrs. Mayowa Adenrele, Acting Principal, GSVC, families and friends of the grandaunts.

In his address to the graduating students, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, reminded them of how well equipped they are now, saying that with their talent, they can take charge. “You are a model, blazing the trail. So be confident because the Master has confidence in you. Don’t ever doubt that you will succeed. Instead, keep doing something with the seeming little that you have at your disposal,” he stated.

Charging them never to relax on the training they’ve acquired at the institute, pastor Odukoya said, “Now that you are well equipped with the needed skills, I therefore urge you all to never rest on your oars but rather employ hard work, focus, determination and dedication.

53

SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith

Avoid mundane Xmas celebration-Cleric urges

T

Tai Anyanwu he presiding minster of the Christian Fellowship Group international, Bishop John Ogbansiegbe, has enjoined Christians to celebrate the Xmas in sober reflection and retrospect rather than engage in unnecessary mundane merry making.

The cleric gave the charge at the church’s last thanksgiving service for the year, which featured glorious carol by different groups and choir as well as special prayer sessions.

He noted that God’s divine intervention in the affairs of man brought peace in a turbulent and chaotic world.

Among the series of prayers offered at the service included a special session devoted

to the peace of Nigeria.

He led the saints of God to lift up the country as they fervently prayed for smooth and trouble free elections in 2015.

The Bishop also took time to anoint attendees and usher them in for the best of the season’s blessings and protection through the remaining part of the year and year 2015.

The climax of the event was a sumptuous banquet from which participants too their feel. Ogbansiegbe also led the congregants to the dancing floor as the people expressed appreciation for the blessing that God brought their way during the year.

Scenes from the Thanksgiving service of the Christian Fellowship Group International, held at the church’s headquarters in Aba, Abia State.

Bishop Ogbansiegbe offering prayer of protection at Thanksgiving and Annointing Service

Bishop John Ogbansiegbe welcoming the congregation to the 2014 Thanksgiving and Annointing Service held in Aba recently

The Christian fellowship Group choir presenting a Special Xmas Carol at the event

The crowd dancing to the glorious renditions at the occassion The Bishop leading the congregation through fervent prayers for Nigeria at the event

Ogbansiegbe ministering at the event

Participants freely partaking in the banquett served at the event

54

SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith How do you feel about the 8th anniversary of your ministry?

I bless the Lord who has been so gracious to me. When I remember where he brought me from and where I am now and where he is taking me to, I just can’t but worship him.

It’s in fulfilment of the will and prophesy of God. This is our city of wonder which is going to be 80,000 seater auditoriums.

Thus, we are here to appreciate God and to do the ground breaking ceremony of the project.

Your prediction about the 2015 general election during your sermon, can you shed more light on that?

Yes, its the voice of God. He sent me to warn Nigerians that they should pray against bloodbath that might erupt five days after the general election in 2015. He said they should watch and pray against a bloodshed that has never been witnessed before in the history of Nigeria. Check my tract records and you will know that I don’t just prophesy without Gods directives. God told me to warn those that will lose in the forthcoming elections to be careful because he will not forgive them for the lives they are planning to destroy. He said I should warn losers of the presidential election in particular to be careful that he will never forgive them if lives were lost due to their actions and that he will inflict on them such measures in a hurdred fold.

2015 election will be free but I can’t say

2015: Nigerians should pray against bloodshed–Iginla Prophet Joshua Iginla of Champions Royal Assembly, Kubwa, Abuja has released shocking revelations warning that Nigeria should pray hard against bloodshed that has never been recorded in the history of Nigeria specifically five days after the election. In a brief chat with Edwin Usoboh he shed more light on his predictions. it will be fair because there will be lots of intrigues.

Mark my words, the president will experience a lot of betrayals and he will know that when he wins the election, it’s not because he is powerful but because God knows why he still has a plan for him.

Also, Nigerians should pray for INEC and take note of these four states, Lagos, Rivers, Adamawa and Yobe.”

matches will be won and specifically according to your predictions they won and qualified Yes its true. I was in my hotel room when they brought him. Initially I didn’t want to attend to him but after much pressure I prayed for him and gave him precise predictions on what will happen and at least he confirmed it to you. Sadly, Nigeria didn’t qualify.

The Zambian coach declared here in the church during the service that when the chips were down, he was introduced to you while you were on a visit to Zambia and you predicted that the last three

Interestingly, you gave a journalist and a clergy new cars, why?

I am addicted to giving. I was once a barrack boy who has experienced what poverty is all about. Thus, I give out cheer-

Iginla

fully so as to help people interprete their dreams. Its not a show up but a heart of God given nature. I can’t drive more than one car nor live in more than one house at a time. Thus, giving has become part of me. I can’t tell the numbers of cars I have given and number of lives have touched.

You are not a success or prosperous until you affect your generations.

Why Christian schools are expensive –Pastor Obong-Ekam The presiding minister of Royal Priesthood Chapel, Pastor Uyo-Obong Ekam, and proprietor of Segula Schools, Ikeja, Lagos speaks on various issues. STANLEY IHEDIGBO reports Could you tell us about your church’s annual programme?

Every December, we have a conference called Olives Conference. God gave the vision to deliver His people from captivity, bondage and demonic possession. We have experienced the great power of God during past conferences. In 2 Samuel 15: 31, the Bible says that Absalom wanted to dethrone David, as the king of Israel.

David ran to the Mount of Olives and took refuge. It was also on the Mount of Olives that David prayed that the counsel of Ahithophel be turned into foolishness.

Again, the Mount of Olives was a place Jesus normally went to pray alone and God answered Him. When is it happening?

The conference started on December 1; and ended on December 7. We had seminars in the mornings; then crusades held in the evenings. Every year, the topic of our celebrations remains the same: ‘Sanctification and Stewardship.’ Some of the Christians don’t know that to work with God, one must be sanctified and his household must in like manner be sanctified. In Matthew 5:38, the Bible says that be ye perfect as your father in heaven is perfect.

So God said this is the topic we must teach at the Olives Conference to guide people and direct them. When someone is sanctified, breakthrough is free and nobody can hinder their breakthrough.

When God called me, He took me to the Bible in John 1:1: In the beginning was the word and the word was with God, the word was God. So, I only speak the word and things happen because God is the word. The theme of our celebration was ‘The Power of His Might.’ I have seen God in His power and the word of God is greater than anything. The word God dwelt in the midst of the people.

How do you relax when you are not preaching, praying or teaching the word?

I read books that concern my vision, which includes healing, faith and wisdom.

the woman and give her things. I began to think about what those young people could do if they didn’t have a good education. That inspired me to start a school where the fees are affordable. My target is to get more young ones and put morals that will destroy conscious indiscipline.

Nigerians are suffering from conscious indiscipline. Someone will know that this thing is not good but the person will still do it and believe that he or her is doing the right thing. We need to teach high level moral knowledge to the children, who are the leaders of tomorrow. That is the purpose of our school.

The Power of His Might.’ I have seen God in His power and the word of God is greater than anything. The word God dwelt in the midst of the people What do you think of men of God who live away from their wives?

Well, in the course of life, when people are trying things in life, some may be because of the situation in the country. Their wives may have something to do abroad that will help to sustain them as a family. And they allow their wife to do that by staying overseas; and some of the pastor’s wives go to school there too. In the kingdom of God, studying is every day and some allow their wives to go for study. But in the real sense of it, I don’t approve of separation. Some of them have branches in other countries and they see that their wives would be able to run the branches, according to their vision.

They allow the woman to go there.

Obong-Ekam

One would expect that a man of God would raise followers who can be sent to run such branches?

You are right; but in the ministries when you are faithful, God will give you the people that will do the work. But sometimes, it doesn’t come as quickly. Sometimes, men of God send their wives to run the churches because they are the only ones that can be trusted with the projects.

must have the calling of God. The church is not a family business where you want your children to take after you when you are not around. Whether you are called by birth or they lay hands on you, and you receive your calling such cannot take over the ministry from their parents.

Are you bringing up your children to take after you in the ministry?

Not all of them will be pastors. My grandfather was a prophet and my uncles are not pastors but they are good Christians.

Though my father was a pastor, I am not a pastor because my father was a pastor. To train someone to take after you, the person

You own a school too. What made you to venture into education?

My mother-in-law was the head teacher of a school. She had much love for the young people in her school. Whenever I go there, I always see that some of them had graduated and are doing well in their chosen careers. They always come back to

It is common knowledge that less privileged church members cannot pay the high cost of sponsoring their wards in schools owned by their churches. Why is this so?

When I had not started the school, I criticised those schools owned by churches for charging high fees. But I have come to realise that the cost of running a standard school is not cheap. All the same, some pupils are on scholarship courtesy of some of the pastors. That’s what I am doing in this school. From the day I started this school, I knew that education was not cheap. Some parents don’t pay school fees. We don’t get fees of up to 20 pupils in a term, but teachers are teaching and their salaries must be paid. If we don’t pay, the teachers will not come to teach.

Before now, I used to argue based on my understanding of the feat performed

by Catholic schools. But the Catholic Church is like a country of its own. These Nigerian churches don’t own any other income but the Catholic Church’s budget can be compared to some West African countries’ total budget. The church has various businesses they are running for years to provide these monies. Another church I know that has the biggest insurance company in the world is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They don’t give offerings rather they base on tithing and seed.

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SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith

Christ was not born on December 25 Mystery ofAnxiety John Ogbansiegbe

0803 341 6327

P

rimitive Christianity knew much about our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To the 12 apostles of the Lord the name ‘Christmas’ might have sounded a little strange for there is no Biblical evidence to show that they knew about the ‘Mass’ off Christ which Christmas simple means.

There is no doubt that first century Christianity, which of course, was primitive has the blessedness of direct apostolic ministration and influence. Although the early apostles. In accordance with the commission they received, aimed at the whole world, they were quite conservative in the matter of truth-preservation.

The gospels and the epistles bear enough evidence of the fact that the apostles would like to see a strict maintenance of the original spiritual standard and vision of Christianity. That was the burden in St. Jude’s heart when he wrote. “When I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation; it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith

which was once delivered unto the saints -Jude 1:5.

The synoptic gospels carry many details about the birth of Christ and his genealogy. Nothing is in black and white about the mass of Christ or Christmas as it is commonly called. Nothing also was expressly written down by the apostles about the manner of its celebration. Suffice it therefore to say that Christmas, as it stands today, is a later introduction in Christianity, occasioned perhaps, by gospel propagation and Church growth. The idea of the mass of Christ is both festival and memorial. Liturgically, it is a solemn time marked by songs and prayers. The angelic herald of Christ’s birth sparked off the ideas of Christmas carol, remember that the humble shepherds were keeping watch over their flock by Night when they heard the wonderful melody of the heavenly host praising God and saying “Glory to God in the highest; And on earth peace, goodwill towards men”.

Three wise men from the east gave precious gifts to the infant Christ. We should not therefore be surprised to see that Christmas is characteristically marked by songs of praises, exchange of gifts and greetings including amicable visitations.

It is really a time for merriment but in the right spirit of reverence and solemnity.

The medieval age was characterized by much religiosity and ecclesiastical authority, the Renaissance came in as a great transition period between medieval age and the modern world. This great period of intellectual and allied awakening did not destroy many of the instincts

Christianity teaches honour to whom honour is due, but the hnourable is being abused and disrespected. Where then are we heading to? people can agree to disgrace and all still remain friendly but such is so uncommon in our world today of medieval piety.

It rather refined most of them. Individual and corporate rights and liberates; now more possible, family altars, friendly get-together and religious ceremonies and observances were quite common. It was therefore habitual and cultural for families and family friends to come together on Christmas Eve. Their children would be told some stories about Christmas the children would be made happy by presents given to them to mark season. Thus the idea and practice of the Christmas tree prospered and is well amplified by our flamboyant and decadent generation. These are merely ceremonies connected with the mass.

I have nothing against such practices so long as they do not bring shame to Christ.

I am, however opposed to that which affects the glory of His Holy and wonderful name. Chronologically, there no positive evidence to show that Christ was bone

exactly on December 25. The accuracy of that date will ever continue to raise a question mark, and we must here, give church historians a chance to reconcile on the issue.

The sun is certainly shining and giving light. One’s inability to describe the sun and its radiance in perfect detail does not in any way cancel the fact about the existence of the sun. A fact is fact in spite of the manners of its presentation.

A face is an established reality and it is outside the premises of doubt. A savior was born in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no doubt as to whether or not a person like that ever existed.

The whole world inevitable accepts the fact that Christ was born. The birth of Christ drew a historical line of demarcation marked by the phrase. Anno Domini (A.D.), the accuracy or inaccuracy of the particular date of His birth.

This brings us at once to the significance of Christmas. The feast is memorial and in honour of Jesus Christ the son of God whom came into the world through the Immaculate Conception it was a case of God in incarnation; hence he is very God and very man. The Logos was made flesh and dwelt among men, and we behold His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of Grace and Truth, (John 1 verse 14): He was born for a purpose the salvation of mankind. That is why His birth meant good news to the shepherds. In fact, everything about Christ will ever bring joy to the humbly Christ is called the prince.

The angels said … and on earth peace

The priesthood: Is it Pastor & Pastor (Mrs.) Aaron? the of

Oracles God

Frank Oboden Olomukoro frankolomukoro@yahoo.com

0703 362 1866

The Aaronic and the melchisedec order The Priest is the minister of divine worship, especially the highest act of worship and sacrifice. In this sense, the priest exercises more or less exalted sacred functions as an intermediary between man and the divinity. “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.” (Hebrews 5:1) God is the root, the offspring and the consummation of the priesthood, starting with Aaron and his sons only and finishing in Christ Jesus, the High priest after the order of Melchisedec. Aaron is made after the law of a carnal commandment pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ “who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.” (Hebrew 5:15-17).

The origin of the priesthood by God It all started in Exodus after Israel was separated from Egypt. In the wilderness, God unveiled His statues and ordinances for the kind of relationship He wants with His children, a far cry from the undisciplined slavish life in Egypt.

Moses was a prophet, a deliverer and a law giver fore-shadowing our Lord Jesus Christ who also came as a prophet, deliverer, saviour and a law giver. Moses

was commanded (because the Word of the Lord comes to the prophet) to ordain Aaron and his sons (exclusive of his wife, Mrs. Aaron and his daughters). Unlike today, there was nothing in the Bible that suggested Pastor and Pastor (Mrs.) Aaron or Priest and Priest (Mrs.) Aaron. None!

God was very clear in His instructions to Moses.

“And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and wash them with water (a type of sanctification and cleansing with the washing of water by the word of God in the New Testament. (Eph. 5:26) Would Aaron’s wife and daughters been stripped naked to the waste in the public for washing as the men? Our God is decent. He has respect for womanhood and ensures their dignity is protected. This condemns so-called servants of God who bathe and wash married women by the waterside and in the secret, in the name of Jesus Christ. These are unwholesome doctrine, teaching and practice that have no scriptural support.

“And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments and anoint him and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest office.” It was clear “that he (Aaron) may minister … “not them” not Aaron and his wife.” This is the oracle of God, the very thought and idea of God, the initiator of the priesthood. It therefore cannot be modified, as doing so will definitely spell death. When once Aaron’s two sons (Nadab and Abihu) despised an injunction in the priestly function as defined, they were discretionary instead of obeying, they paid dearly for it by being consumed by the fire that proceeded from God. (Lev. 10:1 – 3) Is there a priestly partnership of husband and wife?

Our God is decent. He has respect for womanhood and ensures their dignity is protected Can we say that the Pastors and Pastor (Mrs.), Revd. (Dr.) and Pastor (Mrs.), Bishops and Bishop (Mrs.), Arch Bishop and Arch Bishop (Mrs) we have today in the vineyard are sanctifying and glorifying the Lord? No Sir! “Then Moses said unto Aaron, this is that the Lord spake, saying I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified.

And Aaron held his peace.” (Lev. 10:3).

How will our respected Pastors, Apostles, Prophets, Teachers and Evangelists who allow their wives to be ordained as Pastors, Lady Evangelist, Bishops and Arch-Bishops explain away their transgression to their master? They certainly will hold their peace like Aaron and await the pronouncement of our Lord…”depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”(Matt. 7:22). It is a laughable trend that has swept across the ornate portals of the sanctuary and like a spiritual bug, breeds nothing but condemnation because the Word of God is despised.

Surely, God is no respecter of persons. So what happen to our Pastor( Mrs) dancing around the ALTAR? They must revert to status quo else…

No member of the human body in the plan and eternal purpose of God is superior or inferior to the other member. Each is placed and positioned for a unique assignment, and the assignment do not confer superiority or inferiority on Aaron or his wife respectively. Whoever thinks that Aaron as a high priest is superior to

his wife has got it all wrong.

Aaron may be the mouth piece of God and thus a public figure but his wife, untitled, is quietly behind the scene carrying out very vital duties that enable and enhance her husband’s excellent performance. That the name of Aaron’s wife was not even mentioned one time in the Bible is in material, but for her to assume co-responsibility of the priestly office as husband and wife is to transgress God’s commandment. These Pastor (Mrs.) that strive in prominence with their husbands are certainly a round peg in a square hole, they have no root in the scripture for their altar services. They may raise the dead and kill the living with accompanied evidence of miraculous signs and wonders, it only amount to doing God a service without His will. “…. but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven, the same is not a worker of iniquity. (Matt. 7:21).

Follow the due order of the pattern A lesson from David in 1 Chronicles 13 speaks volume. He was doing God a service by bringing the Ark of God to Jerusalem but he was beclouded by zeal; the revival, the singing, the new cart and the large multitude in attendance notwithstanding, because David overlooked the order and procedure of carrying the Ark of the covenant. He breached God’s will and Uzzah died in that revival, one of the handlers of the Ark of the covenant. Rather than engage the Levites, he consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader.

Remember, David was a man after God’s own heart. Did God overlook his folly?

God must honour His word.

We must follow due order, not sentiments or emotions. These must be subjected to the will of God, the word of God.

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SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith

Christmas is a family celebration Firm Faith:

Right Reason Most Rev.

Emmanuel A. Badejo fradebadejo@yahoo.

0803 949 4219 (SMS only)

God being on our side The evidence is incontrovertible. God is with us. God is on our side. Had it not been so, how did we happen here?

Someone, somehow put us here. None of us caused it to happen, none gave counsel about his existence. God asked Job a related question to correct his meandering focus during his trials. “Must a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?

Let him who would correct God answer.” (Job 38-39). The Bible and our religious sensibilities teach us that God put us all here. One of the most-widely used English phrases in Nigeria must be: “With God on our side.”. From politicians to students, business men to traders, clergymen and students, everybody invokes that phrase to put a stamp of assurance on whatever they say or plan to do. There is justification in this practice.

After all, Isaiah, the prophet, said of the son of God: “For a child is born unto us, a son is given to us; the royal ornament is laid upon his shoulder, and his name is proclaimed: ‘Wonderful Counselor Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. To the increase of his powerful rule there will be no end’” (Is 9: 5-6).

Who would fail to constantly invoke

such a powerful ally? It is in God’s nature to be on everybody’s side for He created all. He is father of all. “For he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good; and he gives rain to both the just and the unjust.” (Matt. 5: 45). So, God is on everybody’s side for He does not wish anyone of His children to be lost. This is a very reassuring fact. “If God is with us, who shall be against us? If he did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not give us all things with him,” queried Saint Paul (Rom. 8:31). If God is really on everybody’s side what then happens when we pursue different interests? What then makes the difference between good and evil people?

If God indeed is on everybody’s side what does that make God?” Does that make him indecisive or two-timing? That conundrum hardly applies to God. What then is it that determines who God actually sides with? We simply have to turn to the Bible again for an answer.

On whose side is God? Perhaps the more instructive question to ask really is this. “Who is on God’s side?” It is whether we are on God’s side in the choices we make in life. It is preposterous of human beings to think that God will be on their side in choices they make in life which oppose God’s will. God sides only with the truth. The human family is the first station in life where we meet God. When God created Adam in His own image and likeness, He saw that it was not good for man to be alone and so he created the Eve. He told them both to increase and multiply and thus, the first human family was born.

When the fall of man occurred and Adam and Eve were punished, God in his

“As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live”. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches that the family is prior to any recognition by public authority, which has an obligation to recognize it

compassion and not wanting the work of his hands to be lost, promised to send them a saviour who would deliver them (Gen 2-3). So Jesus Christ came (Jn. 15:16, Phil 2 5-13), born to Mary who had been overshadowed by the Holy Spirit. God ensured that His Son had “an earthly mother and an earthly father” in Joseph and Mary, the holy family.

God’s camp endangered Today, all families are threatened by an exaggerated lobby of rights and freedom of choice, sponsored by powerful coalitions, persons and organisations, working against traditional and religious definitions of the family.

The recent Synod of Catholic Bishops on the Family organized by the Vatican addressed the challenges facing the family in contemporary times. The traditional family, in Catholic belief, is a means of self-realisation, sanctification and

salvation for all its members. It is also ordered to the education of children.

Jesus himself benefited from it. (Lk. 2:5152). No wonder that Saint John Paul II in his lifetime said: “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches that the family is prior to any recognition by public authority, which has an obligation to recognise it. It should be considered the normal reference point by which the different forms of family relationship are to be evaluated (CCC 2202). All this today is under threat and attack.

Now is the time of salvation At Christmas we must cherish and celebrate God’s endorsement of the family, comprising father, mother and children, seeking the good of one another. Joseph and Mary showed their commitment to that relationship in the Bible; when they fled to Egypt to protect the baby Jesus (Matt. 2;14-18) and when they went looking for Him, believing that He was lost, during their journey (Lk.2:41- 50).

The same was the case when Mary went looking for Jesus as He preached to the people (Matt 12: 46-50) and even as she accompanied Him at the foot of the cross (Jn. 19). Thus must everyone cherish the family! Jesus obeyed His parents and also ensured even while on the cross, that His mother would be cared for after His death. Thus, in God’s family, the father, mother and children all have a duty to preserve and celebrate one another.

That is the mind and will of God and the assurance that we are on the side of God for whom nothing shall be impossible.

Merry Christmas to all families!

I am coming out of this pit (2) Insight Rev.

Femi Akinola

www.thehebrewsng.com

01-790 3163; 0808 584 5864

O

ur God is a humorous God. He always shows up (and shows Himself strong too) when all human efforts have proved abortive. He has the right prescription to every seeming difficult situation. Can you visualize the rescue team sent from the stable of heaven to bring you out of that pit of confusion and endless tears? In whichever area or situation you happen to find yourself, relax for when God will show up, your mockers will be forced to withdraw into their shell while your sympathizers will be amazed. This will happen soonest in Jesus name.

When god shows up Whatever the Lord does, it is forever. In essence, God does not start with you and abandon you mid-way, rather He will take you till the end, He will ensure and see to it that He establishes you on the Rock not on an ordinary ground (this speaks about the Rock of Ages which is Jesus

Christ.

“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Ps 40:2 (KJV) A keen examination of the word, ‘establish’ revealed its meaning; it implies God will settle and establish you such that you will become a channel of blessing to other people.

Thus, after He has brought you out, He goes to the next phase of setting you on the rock. Shout this with boldness; ‘I am coming out of this pit of barrenness’, ‘I am coming out of this pit of joblessness’, ‘I am coming out of this pit of financial mess’, ‘I am coming out with an outstanding testimony in Jesus name’. The blood that runs in your vein is that of a conqueror not a failure because your heavenly Father is a Warrior and Great is His name.

Sing out!

The awesomeness of our God surpasses the wisdom of men; by way of reasoning from the pit to establishment on the Rock and the peak is this: “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” Ps 40:3 (KJV) When your deliverance from the horrible pit of life becomes a reality, God will cause a fountain of praise out of your mouth. This is not a consolation song but a song of victory.

Perhaps, you have never composed a song or you have never sang a song

“O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen

of victory before, get ready because your Redeemer is about to close every chapter of unpalatable situation in your life.

What type of song have you been singing, by your song people around you can tell what you are passing through. It is time you desist from all appearances of unbelief and connect to the fountain of unending praises for ceaseless flow of heavenly intervention and provision. After He has brought you out of the wicked and demonic pit; He will establish and secure you and He will finally settle you with a victory song.

“O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The LORD hath made known his salvation: his

righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.” Ps 98:1-4 (KJV) I don’t know the problem you are experiencing now that you find it difficult to lift your voice in praise and appreciation to Him. The solution to that problem is close by; shout this in faith that I am coming out and I will sing a new song.

This is not the season to continue to magnify that problem but to be full of praises to God because surely you are coming out of that difficult horrible pit in Jesus name.

Pray these prayers aggressively

n

I reject the anointing of leftover and half bread! n Every pit that has swallowed my destiny, vomit me now by fire! n I refuse to accept delay as part of my destiny! n Anybody or power sitting on my glorious destiny, be unseated by fire. n This month, I burst out into laughter and singing by the reason of what God will do in my life! n I will not end this year in deficit but in abundance and surplus! …in Jesus name

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SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith

Triggers of favour Taming your Emotions Bishop

Lawrence Osagie 0806 325 0667 www.powerlineministriesinc.org mail:powerlineministries@mail.com

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here are spiritual buttons that you can press to provoke and invoke favour upon yourself.

First, locate where favour is and go there. Everyone that identifies with the favour of Noah became a beneficiary from that favour and they were saved from that disaster that ended their generation. As they followed the man favoured they were secured in the Ark of Covenant.

Wisdom is better than the weapons of war – get wisdom. Wisdom will save you from a lot of struggle, so apply wisdom in your own life.

Everybody that followed Noah may not have abided by the standard of Noah, but by faith they believed him and followed him; so when the flood came with destruction they averted it because they followed the man carrying favour.

Another perfect example in this context is Abraham and Lot. God had called Abraham and asked him to leave his kindred and land of nativ-

ity. In Genesis 12:13, we read that “The Lord had said to Abram ‘Get out of your country; from your family and from your father’s house, to a land I will show you. I will make you a generation; I will bless you and make you name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed – Gen. 12:13.

God, in his unconditional love, appeared to Abraham and set him apart for his generational blessing. The desire to have a people, a peculiar nation, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood was God’s innate decision and Abraham met God’s choice. The Bible confirm that Abraham departed but in the company of Lot his late brother’s son. So Abraham departed as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him; and Abraham was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran – Gen 12:4. Lot located where favour is and went with it. Go and read genesis 13, the bible testifies that Abraham became great. He went forward and waxed greatly, he was rich in silver, in cattle, in gold and all manner of material things as the favour of God manifested the goodness of God. Lot did not just follow Abraham; he joined him in the animal husbandry business and prospered too. Lot prospered as much as Abraham was prospering. That is what favour can do. When the favour of God locates you, anything you lay your hands upon prospers. The favour of God upon

When the favour of God locates you, anything you lay your hands upon prospers

Abraham robbed off on Lot and the guy prospered. Not because Lot was the chosen one, but because he located where favour was and decided to abide by it.

Genesisbn13:1-7 reveals that, “Abram went up to Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the south. Abraham was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the south as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginni9ng, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abraham called on the name of the Lord.

Lot also, who went with Abraham, had flocks and herds and tenets. Now the land was not able to support them that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abraham’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock.

Lot became so rich that there was contention in the camp. The land was becoming too small to inhabit their possession. Imagine the kind of blessing that makes a settlement become too small for only two families. The favour

of God produced that kind of manifestation. Favour will produce in your life what man could never have imagined.

What your strength will not produce favour will do it for you. Where your power cannot go the favour of God will go for you. There was contention in the camp between Abraham’s servants and Lot’s servants and Lot was called: Abraham said there is no need for us to begin to struggle over blessings of God. Choose what dire3ction you want to go.

Now in order words opportunity was given to Lot to separate from favour.

Listen to me, I am very serious and I want to you to be very careful. You have to be very careful because you don’t know why you are where you are. You don’t know why thing that happening in your life are happening.

If you knew you will be very careful, extra careful. Lot chose to separate and he chose the side of Sodom. Watch what happened to Sodom, and Lot and all the wealth he got in Sodom. One day under few seconds every blessing of favour that flowed into his life as a result of his relationship with Abraham went into flames in Sodom – the choice he made himself. I am saying this with emphatic discretion because it is not all that glitters that is gold. Sodom may have looked attractive to dwell but it was a place of doom. Lot chose to depart from Abraham the man God favoured. *Join me at the cross-over night on Wednesday, December 31st, to cross over into 2015; time is 10 pm -3am. Venue power Bible Church, Odolowu Bus Stop, Ijesha Tedo, Lagos.

Paul’s obsession with tongues Word of Life

Bishop

Moses Kattey

moseskattey@yahoo.co.uk

0808 770 7486

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he Lord Jesus placed speaking in tongues in its rightful place. No wonder Paul the Apostle spoke in tongues more than all the Christians in Corinth, and indeed, all over the world.

I lay great emphasis on tongues because the Lord Jesus Christ did so, and Apostle Paul understood its importance and ensured he spoke in tongues more than anybody he had ever come across.

He thanked God specifically for granting him the privilege to speak in tongues more than all others.

I thank my God I speak in tongues more than ye all (1 Corinthian 14:18) Paul desired and wanted to speak in tongues whether we feel it is difficult or impossible for it to occur. Paul became obsessed with this wish or desire that he believed that it was appearing or happening.

This desire completely filled his mind that he could not think of anything else as alternative to speaking in tongues.

It was as if he was always talking and

worrying about this issue of tongues, especially as he knew that it would annoy many believers and non-Christians alike.

Paul went as far as pleading with people not to dare forbid speaking in tongues. That was how obsessed he was with it.

Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues 1 Corinthian 14:39.

Living Bible puts it this way: “So my fellow believers, long to be prophet ….

And never say it is wrong to “speak in tongues,” -1 Corinthian 14:39.

He finally and categorically stated that everything he said on tongues was a commandment from God. He also concluded by saying that after all he has said and done, and any person still feigns ignorance on the issue of speaking in tongues, and digresses or disapproves it; we should leave him in his ignorance and disobedience, and move ahead with tongues speaking.

If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues -1 Corinthian 14:37-39.

I wish I will be more obsessed than Paul on tongue speaking. How I wish I could speak over six hours daily in tongues. No wonder what you will find in this book is a tribute to Apostle Paul, who lays great emphasis on the power of God through

This desire completely filled his mind that he could not think of anything else as alternative to speaking in tongue praying in tongues or rather praying in the spirit.

Tongues build me as a house is built The scriptures say that prophecy builds, edifies and encourages individuals as a house is built. A prophet does not build himself. Others must build him. However, speaking in tongues builds oneself as house is built.

He that spaeketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself, but he that prophesieth edifieth the church (1 Corinthian 14:4).

Living Bible version puts it clear, “So a person “speaking in tongues” helps himself grow spiritually, but one who prophesies …helps the entire church grow in holiness and happiness -1 Corinthian 14:4.

You will not be balanced spiritually if you neglect tongues. A prophet who does not speak in tongues for a long time daily will end up building others and the church, and have problem in his spiritual life. I therefore feel that if I am to be spiritually built by God, it must be through speaking in tongues, or rather pray in tongues. I know others can minister to me. I also read the word of God. I do all other things I am supposed to do.

Apostle Paul did them all but realized that none can take the place of tongues, especially, in private prayer life.

How does tongues build one self? I do not know but I believe the word of God that says the person who speaks in tongues help herself. In my spirit and in my mind, I know I am helping myself, building myself, exhorting and encouraging myself when I pray in unknown tongues.

Is prophecy greater than tongues?

Only in one sense is the gift of prophecy greater than the gift of tongues.

Prophecy builds others, tongues build oneself.

So prophecy can be said to be greater than speaking in tongues only because others are involved above self. Nevertheless, tongues has a prominent place in your life.

Tongues will build only yourself so that you can build others with prophecy Tongues build you to build others with prophecy. As you cannot use tongues to build others, so you cannot use prophecy to build yourself. It must be tongues you speak that can build you.

Your gift of prophecy cannot be used to build yourself, instead it can even make you proud.

Tongues, however, turn to prophecy when there is an interpreter of the unknown tongues.

I would that ye all spoke with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesied than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.

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

58

SUNDAY DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Faith

Understanding the demands of success (2) The Voice of Dominion by

Bishop David Oyedepo E-mail: feedback@lfcww.org

7747546-8 (SMS only)

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ast week, I brought to you the introductory part of this teaching. I said that every redeemed child of God is ordained for outstanding success. I told you it takes spiritual empowerment to command unending exploits in life.

This week, we will examine three scriptures that graphically illustrate the place of spiritual empowerment in commanding our unending exploits.

The Bible says: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek…to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound… (Isaiah 61:1-2a).

Jesus read this scripture in Luke 4:18-20, then He closed the Book in verse 2a. What this implies is that the former rain spoken of by Prophet Joel in Joel 2:23-29, ended in Isaiah 61:2a and we saw that fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. Thereafter, the latter rain fell, to herald the era of global impact and exploits in the Body of Christ through

vengeance.

When the rain of vengeance began in the Book of Acts, it slew Ananias and Sapphira in chapter five; Elymas the sorcerer became blind in chapter 13 and Peter assaulted Simon in chapter eight.

After the latter rain fell, Isaiah 61:2b-7 and Joel 2:23-29 show us the benefits accrued to the redeemed in this era. This is proof that we are in the era of exploits and beautification in the Body of Christ, and God has vowed to empower us for exploits and terminate every form of shame in our lives.

Again, the Bible says: Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring…the vine do yield their strength (Joel 2:21-22).

From this scripture, we understand that we are in the great days of the Church of Christ. When Jesus was born, it was said of Him: He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David (Luke 1:31-32).

In addition, Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, even so, send I you. The works that I do, shall you do also and greater works than these, shall you do.”

(John 14:12; 20:21). What this implies is that we are redeemed for great exploits and not mediocrity.

From Isaiah 45:1-3, 13, we understand that it takes empowerment to subdue nations and command breakthroughs unlimited. Again, we understand that divine guidance is one of the benefits of supernatural empowerment. This is because the more empowered we are,

Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan, to serve the Living God. From today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Now I know I am a child of God the more sensitive we become to the guidance of the Spirit of God. Therefore, we need to seek spiritual empowerment in ever increasing dimension.

Why do we need Spiritual Empowerment?

It is the gateway to supernatural exploits: For instance, Jesus was born of the Holy Ghost, yet, His mission had no expression until He was empowered.

Thereafter, He returned in the power of the Spirit and His fame went round about all the regions. What this means is that until we are empowered, our mission cannot find expression (Matthew 4:24, 9:31, Mark 1:28).

To be in command of what others need: We must understand that in this era of global impact and exploits, believers are

ordained to be in command. Therefore, we need to come under the latter rain of the Body of Christ, in order to command the latter rain order of proofs, where the saints are not only influencing the church, but impacting the world around them (Joel 2:23-32; Matthew 5:13-15).

The adversaries will only bow to power, not to grammar, skill or efforts: God has ordained us for exploits and success, but we have to be empowered to contend with the devil and take possession of what is rightfully ours (Luke 9:1; 1 Cor. 16:9; Deut. 2:24; Zechariah 1:17-21).

Friend, for you to be empowered for success, you must be saved. You can be saved by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If you are set for it, please say this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today.

I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins.

Cleanse me with Your precious Blood.

Deliver me from sin and satan, to serve the Living God. From today, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Now I know I am a child of God.” I will be with you next week. Be Blessed, in the name of Jesus Christ!

I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have four services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:35 a.m., 9:10 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. respectively. Every exploit in life is a product of knowledge. For further reading, please get my books — Exploring The Secrets Of Success, Success Strategies and Success Systems.

This time around Christian

Relationship Pastor

Taiwo Odubiyi

0802 300 0773 (SMS only)

A

ntonio kept his eyes on Misan, watching her like a cat would watch its prey. He would wait until she finished eating before going over. He opened his book and began to read, keeping an eye on her. Some few minutes after, he looked in her direction and saw Misan and her friend walking toward the door.

He was surprised. Didn’t they eat - he wondered as he got up with the book in his hand and followed them. He met them at the lobby, waiting for the elevator.

Misan looked at him briefly and looked away. This man is not serious, what’s his game?“Hi.” Antonio greeted Ruth with a smile, extending his hand. “I’m Antonio.”

Ruth took his hand. “I’m pleased to meet you. I’m Ruth.” She smiled at him.”

Then he greeted Misan.

She answered coolly without looking at him. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Ruth watching them.

“I’d like to see you.” Antonio said. The words were softly spoken.

Misan’s eyes went to his earring. She had been fascinated by it before. It made him look rugged at that time but now … she thought it made him look irresponsible. Yet

she had a child by him. She would not tell him about Weyin. She didn’t need such a person in her child’s life. She had to push him far away from her.

“I’m busy.” She answered, looking at the many people who went in and out of the hall.

Antonio wasn’t surprised to hear that.

That was a woman’s excuse. He decided to say what he had to say right there even though he had thought she would be alone.

“Well, I want to say this, I’m sorry for whatever my offense is, but well, I wish you’d tell me.”

He stared at her and then at Ruth who was openly staring at them and listening.

Misan didn’t like how he was talking in the presence of Ruth. That annoyed her more. She turned to tell him she didn’t know what he was talking about when the elevator came. She entered with Ruth.

He followed. “Antonio,” She called to stop him but he was already inside. As the doors slid shut she said, “Antonio, you have not offended me.” She paused and then continued, her voice trembling. “I just want you to leave me alone.”

She felt like saying: we have a child and she’s so adorable, you need to meet her but she couldn’t. Tears coursed down her cheeks. Why should the tears come now?

She wondered, feeling embarrassed.

“Why the tears?” Antonio exclaimed, clearly surprised.

The elevator stopped on the eighth floor to pick more people. Misan used the back of her right hand to clean her face as she moved back to allow the people enter. Antonio and Ruth also moved back.

“Misan, why are you crying?” Ruth asked, whispering in her ears.

Misan didn’t answer.

The elevator closed and continued its smooth descent. It stopped again on the seventh floor. Antonio had to move closer to Misan to create space for people to come in.

His hand brushed hers lightly. He looked at her and said, “I’m sorry.” He could smell her perfume. She remained quiet. Her mind was twirling at his closeness and her hand which was brushed by his, still tingled. She was surprised by her feelings. Could she still be attracted to him?

The doors closed again and the elevator didn’t stop until it reached the fourth floor.

Antonio held the doors for Misan and Ruth and they got out. He followed.

Misan stopped and faced him. “Please leave us.” “I’d like to know what is wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong.” She waited for him to leave.

“Well, I wanted to tell you that I’m a new person. I’m now a believer.”

A believer? Did she hear him right?

She turned slightly to look at him. The tiny earring was still there and she didn’t think he looked like a believer. He must be joking. What about the redhead she saw with him just some minutes ago?

Oh, probably he didn’t know she saw the lady, Misan thought and hissed under her breath. “Humph, congratulations.” She said through tight lips. “I wish you all the best.”

Or what was she supposed to say? She asked herself silently. Or did he say that just to make her want to spend some time with him? That thought angered her. What did he take her for? Well, if he had changed, she would prove to him that she had changed as well.

“Just stay away from me.” She added.

Antonio hesitated for several seconds and

then pressed the button for the elevator. As Misan turned to leave, she saw him put his hands in the pockets of his trousers, looking away. As she and Ruth walked to her room, Ruth asked her, “What exactly is the problem?”

“Well, I met him some time back. He offended me. I guess I’ve not got over it.”

Misan explained. “But he has apologised.

You should forgive him.” Ruth reasoned. “I know. I have forgiven him. It’s just that I’ve not forgotten about it.”

In Misan’s room, Ruth continued with the questions, “What exactly did he do? What was his offence?”

Misan shook her head sadly. She hoped Ruth would not persist. She couldn’t tell her.

Ruth knew she had a daughter but how could she tell her that Antonio was the father? If she told Ruth, the questions would never end. And if she told her how Weyin was made, Ruth would be shocked.

“We’ll talk about it later.” Misan said and changed the subject.

They continued talking until Ruth said, “Hey it’s almost 11. I think we need to hurry up so as to go out and see what Cozumel has to offer.”

Both of them went to the balcony, looked down toward the shore and found people were already getting off the ship into town.

Misan and Ruth also left for sightseeing, wearing sunglasses. The weather was very warm. Misan had her camera with her. They entered different shops, bought straw hats and put them on their heads.

Quite a number of the tourists wore sunglasses and straw hats as well, Misan noticed. They saw four natives playing some musical instruments.

Sport 59

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

Canada 2015

Canada 2015: Falcons to battle U.S.A, Sweden in ‘Group of death’

p.61

Rugby

Nigerian teams impress at Dubai Rugby Sevens p.61

Golf

Oyome reigns supreme at Ikoyi Ladies’ Golf p.61

Football

Cisse brace sees Blues beaten p.60

Sunday Team

Deputy Sports Editor Dapo Sotuminu Golf Reporter Ifeanyi Ibeh

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

APPEALS’ COMMITTEE SAGA:

Ajunwa owes Nigeria an apology, says Coker

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Dapo Sotuminu

he Chairman of the Appeals’ Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Barrister Okechukwu Ajunwa, owes Nigeria an apology for dragging the country’s football into disrepute and forcing it to a near crisis.

These were the words of the Secretary of the Appeals’ Committee, Mr. Dotun Coker, who told New Telegraph on Sunday that the entire situation wouldn’t have been so bad the way it turned out to be if the committee’s chairman had in the first place present to the members a copy of the appeal filed by one of the appellants, Barrister Ikye Igbokwe, an aggrieved candidate of the September 30 NFF elections.

Coker, who is also the Technical Committee chairman of the Lagos State Football Association, disclosed that, Ajunwa did not present Igbokwe’s appeal to the members until after the deadline set aside for the filing of such if any from the September 30 NFF Elections in Warri, Delta state.

“A deadline of October 28 was set for the filing of appeal by any aggrieved candidate, but the chairman did not present Igbokwe’s appeal to us until October 29, which was 24 hours after the deadline, despite the fact that he received the document far back as October 13 and had severally refused to convene a meeting.

“The revelation that the appeal was filed on October 13 was made by the appellant himself and this was confirmed by the chairman.

“If we had wanted to be strict, we wouldn’t have entertained Igbokwe’s case. But the question is why the chairman decided to keep the appeal away from members until it was late to be deliberated on. Yet we still took it in.”

Coker stressed that, this raised some suspicions that kept all the committee members at alert and the straw that broke the camel’s back was the chairman’s disclosure at our first major meeting on October 29, that, his mission was to ensure the annulment of Amaju Pinnick’s election, as it did not follow due process. This was before we deliberated on the appeal filed.

“The chairman, did not stop there as he kept lobbying the members to join him to perpetuate what I

Pinnick

believe would have dragged Nigerian football into unending crises. Members saw the evil in his act and decided not to team-up with him. It was this that led to the issue of majority and minority reports.

The Appeals’ Committee secretary revealed that, the lid blew open when Ajunwa was sited with one of the top candidates (name withheld) in the previous election held in Abuja.

“We saw the chairman with one of the candidates from the controversial election in Abuja. He was seen at 2a.m discussing with the personality at the hotel car park.

At this point we knew something was fishy and all the members including the alternate became extra conscious.

“The plot to plunge Nigerian football into a monumental crisis

by Barrister Ajunwa would have been successfully if the other members were not honourable. These are men with a great sense of humour and content. Some moves were made to get their unalloyed support towards a subjective and erroneous unanimous decisions but the honour in them repelled these. It was very clear that the members were not out to make evil wealth.”

Coker also disclosed that, when the chairman saw that he was like a crusader in the committee, he single handedly pronounced that he has

NFF Sec Gen Musa Ahmadu

been dismissed on ground that he was appointed by the former board.

“This was a very funny act as we were all appointed in readiness for the NFF elections. Such committee is not appointed after election. So, Ajunwa’s subjective decision was invalid. The good thing about it was that it came after our assignment had been concluded.

“When we had the concluding meeting in Abuja, the chairman came with an 80-page document he prepared without the input of any of the members. But the shocker he got on that date was a special one.

“While we waited for several hours for the chairman to come, the majority made up of three members out of four agreed on all the issues before us, wrote it down in a report and sent a copy to the Nigeria Football Federation and officially closed our activities. Majority, in a committee is allowed in FIFA and we were abreast of this. This was what guided us in everything we did in the Appeals’ Committee.”

He noted that, when the chairman eventually came, he was armed with an 80-page report that never had the input of members. He was prevented from reading the content out. He was overruled and we told him a majority report had just been wired to the NFF Secretary General, Barrister Musa Amadu, who acknowledged the receipt.

Coker recalled that, the issues concerning Amaju’s election as NFF president and that of Seyi Akinwunmi as vice-president were uncalled for. He stated that, Barrister Ajunwa had a mindset and acted a script.

“It was shocking to know that, after the main figure in the appeal against the NFF presidential election, Shehu Dikko, sent a letter of withdrawal signifying his intention not to question Amaju’s election, Ajunwa still insisted that the election must be annulled. His hidden agenda blew open when he ruled that a candidate who had no link with the September 30 elections should be allowed to contest in a fresh election.

“Ajunwa’s classification of the candidature of Pinnick and Akinwunmi as that of the Southern Nigeria was also embarrassing that a learned gentleman did not know the difference between the South-South and the South West.

It is a shame he didn’t know that Nigeria is divided into six geopolitical zones and not two Geopolitical zones. Somebody should please tell our learned gentleman that we are no longer in the era of the Southern and Northern Protectorates.”

Dotun Coker stated that the Appeals’ Committee members did a very good job to the best of their ability and the fear of God.

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

Sport

Uche thrilled with new Villarreal contract

S

uper Eagles striker, Ikechukwu Uche, is happy that he was able to sign yet another two-year contract extension at Villarreal that would see him play in the club until 2017. Uche joined the club in August 2011.

“I am very happy to have signed an extension to my contract with the club,” Uche said.

“I am enjoying my professional career here and the challenge that comes with representing an ambitious club like Villarreal.”

He noted: “I’d like to thank the fans for being there always, fellow players and club for their continued support.

“I believe the success the club aspires to achieve is not too far away and I want to be a part of it.”

Uche joined Villarreal from Real Zaragoza after stints at Spanish clubs Recreativo Huelva and Getafe.

He was immediately loaned out to then Spanish La Liga newboys Granada, for the whole of the season.

But he returned to relegated Villarreal for 2012-13 and emerged as top scorer with 14 goals to lead the team back to the top flight.

In 2013-14, Uche scored another 14 goals as the club finished in sixth place to secure a Europa League spot.

This season he has scored four goals in the league and one in the

T

Yaya Toure completed the rout against Crystal Palace on Saturday from a thunderous strike

Europa League.

Uche has scored 101 goals in 12 years in Spanish football.

He is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most reliable strikers at international level and is one of his nation’s all-time top scorers, with 19 goals in 47 appearances, behind Rashidi Yekini, Segun Odegbami and Yakubu Aiyegbeni.

Omotoyossi kicked out of Moroccan club

K

AC Kenitra of Morocco have announced they have ended the contract of Nigerian-born Beninoise, Razak Omotoyossi.

Omotoyossi joined KAC Kenitra last summer and had a handful of standout performances before he fell out of the team due to poor form.

“We decided to end the contract with Razak Omotoyossi.

The player was good when he joined but now his scoring ability has reduced,” Kenitra coach, Hecham El Edrisi, said.

WEEKEND RESULTS

Barclays Premier League Man. City 3 - 0 C/Palace Aston Villa 1 - 1 Man. United Hull City 0 - 1 Swansea QPR 3 - 2 West Bromwich Southampton 3 - 0 Everton Tottenham 2 - 1 Burnley West Ham 2 - 0 Leicester Germany - Bundesliga Mainz 1 - 2 Bayern Munich Augsburg 2 - 1 B. M’gladbach Leverkusen 1 - 1 Frankfurt Schalke 0 - 0 Hamburger Stuttgart 0 - 0 Paderborn Bremen 2 - 1 Dortmund Wolfsburg 2 - 1 Cologne Italy - Serie A Sassuolo 1 - 1 Cesena Spain - Liga BBVA Celta Vigo 0 - 1 Almeria Barcelona 5 - 0 Cordoba Levante 1 - 1 Real Sociedad France - Ligue 1 Lens 2 - 0 Nice PSG 0 - 0 Montpellier

Lobi Stars player Audu dies in accident

The 29-year-old Benin Republic international striker has played for clubs like Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia and Zamalek of Egypt.

Keshi on Equatorial Guinea’s radar for Nations Cup

I

f the Equatorial Guinea Football Federation finally take the decision to employ troubled Super Eagles chief coach, Stephen Keshi, as their national team handler the former Hawks of Togo boss may end up participating in the 2015 African Nations Cup competition.

Keshi’s application is of the numerous ones being given consideration by the country’s football house.

Former Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac has also applied to manage Equatorial Guinea

Falcons: Ikhana begs NFF for early preparation for Canada 2015

F

ormer Super Falcons chief coach, Kadiri Ikhana, has disclosed that the success of the Super Falcons at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada is hinged on the support they get from the Nigeria Football Federation.

Ikhana, who led the Super Falcons to a fourth place finish at the 2012 African Women’s Championship in Equatorial Guinea, also tipped Nigeria and USA to advance from the group that has Australia and Sweden.

He backed the girls to do well just as he thinks exposure to top quality friendly games will help the team get to the quarter-final stage, at least, when the competition begins.

“I have no doubt at all on the chances of the group stage. The draw is tough, but I expect the Super Falcons and the USA to qualify from the group,” Ikhana said.

“I am optimistic that if the Falcons get adequate preparations, they will go as far as the semi finals,” he said.

“The NFF should arrange some top quality friendly matches with countries like China, France, Nor-

way and Japan or even England,” he continued.

“Sweden and Australia from that group will not be pushovers but the experience and quality of USA and Nigeria will overpower them.

“The NFF should also support the coaches to improve on the game ahead,” he concluded.

Nigeria will begin their campaign to better their best-ever outing at USA 1999 where they reached the quarter finals, when the 7th edition of the Fifa Women’s World Cup kicks off against Sweden on June 8 in Winnipeg.

Kadiri Ikhana

national team, ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, which the central African country will be hosting from January 17 to February 8, 2015 but so has Stephen Keshi.

The Nzalang Nacional are in search of a renowned coach for the tournament and are likely to fire current coach Andoni Goikoetxea, whose performance is widely criticised in the country.

The Equatorial Guinea Football Federation has confirmed the receipt of several applications, with Rajevac showing as a strong candidate, according to local officials. The Serbian led the Black Stars to the quarter finals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi also figures on the list and remains a top favourite, officials said.

Although Keshi failed to qualify the outgoing African Champions Super Eagles to Afcon, he could participate at the competition if given the job.

Rajevac’s agent Marc-Antoine Kiplé has also confirmed the 60-year-old’s bid for the post.

We are talking with Keshi but I am not under pressure to employ Keshi, we just want to do the right things to work in harmony,” added the football administrator.

Pinnick indicated that relations between Keshi and the Nigeria Football Federation had not been strained but added that it would be in nobody’s best interests to make a rushed decision.

“We changed our resolve to re-engage Keshi but there are issues to be tidied up in a contract between the two parties.

“We have to look at so many issues like our budget, whether we accommodate his demands and whether he can work with our technical study group,” he added.

he Nigeria Premier League was yesterday thrown into mourning as one of its players who starred for Lobi Stars, Seriki Audu, died from injuries sustained in a car accident on Saturday.

The striker was travelling in the company of his wife and daughter in his car to Bauchi from his home town in Yobe when the accident occurred.

A Lobi Stars club official, Ganiyu Adeleke, confirmed the passing of the striker.

“We received the unfortunate news of the death of Seriki Audu.

He was driving from Yobe State, his base, with his family, wife and daughter. But he died from the accident while his wife and daughter survived. His wife is receiving treatment at the the intensive care unit of an unnamed hospital, while the daughter had a fracture from impact of the accident.

“It is a sad news at this time for Lobi Stars because Seriki was one of our top strikers, and had a life full of promises in the future ahead of him,” Lobi Stars official Adeleke said yesteday afternoon.

The late Audu who was also a policeman was elevated to the rank of a corporal a few weeks ago.

Lobi Stars player Sarki Audu who died in an accident yesterday

Ayew confident Marseille can beat title rivals

M

arseille midfielder, Andre Ayew, claimed he can “sleep easy” despite his team’s defeats on the road at their main Ligue 1 rivals.

Ahead of their last match before Ligue 1’s mid-season break, Ayew played down the importance of Marseille potentially finishing first across the first half of the season.

Instead, the Ghana international was more interested in discussing Marseille’s losses at third-placed Lyon, secondplaced Paris Saint-Germain and sixth-placed Monaco.

Monaco, who finished second in 2013-14, trumped Marseille 1-0 last week but Ayew insists his team can improve against Ligue 1’s powerhouses in the second half of the season.

“We went there [Paris, Lyon and Monaco] and even if we dominated all three games, we had more opportunities, but we lost,” Ayew said.

“We showed we don’t fear them. We went to get them in their camp. So I think we have shown a lot of character.”

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NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

Surulere FC players, officials send S.O.S to Fashola

T

he players and officials of Surulere Sports City Football Club have sent a passionate plea to the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, to save them from imminent hunger as they have not been paid their six weeks match bonus and their December has been stopped on the order of the Council Manager, Mrs Basirat Adesanya, who took over from the chairman, Honourable Tajudeen Ajide, after the conclusion of the latter’s first term in office.

In a letter jointly signed by the Team Manager, Tajudeen Disu, team’s coach, Peter Nieketen and the captain, Azeez Adamu, it was disclosed that the team’s monthly salaries were paid promptly from January 2013 to October 2014 during the tenure of Honourable Ajide.

The statement read in part: “Within the past two 2 years, we represented the Local Government in several football competitions and won the following trophies/

Fashola

prize monies: Next Titans Invitational Tournament Cup (with cash prize of N600,000), Ramadan Cup, Lagos Speaker Cup (with cash prize of N500,000), 2014 Lagos Junior League Trophy (with Cash prize of N1 Million), 2014 Senator Adefuye Cup, 2014 Ramadan Cup. “Right now, the team trains thrice

a week at Coker Pitch and have been playing friendly matches in preparation for the forth-coming 2014 Lagos Speaker Cup third place match and commencement of Lagos Junior League.

“Inspite of this, we are being owed six match allowances which the current Council Manager has refused to pay, and to add to our woes, we have been told in the second week of December, 2014 that our salaries have been stopped with effect from November 2014 by the Council Manager, Mrs. Basirat Akinsanya.

“It is on record, that the Council Manager had never wanted to support this initiative by the state government in keeping our youths engaged just like the Street Soccer programme.”

“We are therefore constrained to seek the help of the sports-loving governor to appeal to the Surulere Local Government Council Manager to see us as her children and pay owed salaries and six match allowances.

FIFA to settle MFM celebrates World Church champions in Lagos 2022 dates in

T

he Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries have reiterated its commitment to sports by hosting the church football team MFM FC to a grand reception at the MFM Youth Church in Onike Iwaya, Lagos for their heroic feat of winning the just concluded Church World Cup football competition in Goa, India.

Assistant General Overseer, Gbesan Adebambo, while commending the team for bringing glory to Nigeria, maintained that the church will continue to invest in sports and create a charitable platform for youths to excel in the country.

“We are proud of you all for bringing glory and honour to our fatherland. You are a credit to Nigeria, your clubs, and your families,” he said.

He added that, “although there is still much more work to be done, it is gratifying to note that, today, MFM FC is ranked among the best clubs in Africa and all

over the world. Therefore, on behalf of Pastor Daniel Olukoya and the entire pastorate of the MFM, I would like to specially congratulate each member of the MFM Football Club for your remarkable achievement.”

According to the chairman of the club, Godwin Enakhena, the church will continually do all it can to take Nigerian youths off the streets through football evangelism and other positive devises which serves as an opportunity to win souls for God. “The high conquering spirit in India has put a spring in our steps, golden smiles on our lips and has indicated that Nigeria is a land of opportunities,” he enthused.

The team’s captain, Atu Irumekhai, while thanking the church in general for giving them the opportunity to display their talents, attributed their success to the coach of the team who relentlessly squeezed out the best of each of the players.

March

T

he long-running saga over the timing of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be settled in March, FIFA’s executive committee decided on Friday.

January/February, May and November/December have been put forward as alternatives for the traditional June/July slot, which is considered too hot to stage the tournament even though organisers have pledged to build airconditioned stadiums.

In November, FIFA said it was closer to narrowing the choices to January/February or November/ December, although the option May is backed by the powerful European clubs and leagues.

The executive committee also confirmed that the 2018 World Cup in Russia would start on June 14 and finish on July 15.

FIFA decided that its ban on third-party ownership of players would come into force on May 1 following a transitional period.

Soccer’s governing body had decided to abolish TPO, which is when the transfer rights “I have only opened this of players are account on Facebook strict- wholly or parly because of football and tially owned by there is nothing more to this the footballer other than that,” Amuneke himself or a noted.”There is need to in- company, in teract with the fans espe- September. cially those who wants my The practice is opinion about my former widespread in Brazil and Arclub, Barcelona.”

He, however, pleaded for gentina, and is patience from those he has also present in not confirmed their friend- some European ship request because of his countries such present tight schedule:” I’m as Portugal, not going to be on Facebook but banned in all the time but I will attend others includto every request as soon as ing England, possible.”

France and Poland.

Amuneke finally opens Facebook account I n a bid to further interact with his teeming fans, Golden Eaglets’ Head coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, has finally opened an account on the famous social platform, Facebook.

The former Barcelona star recently disassociated him from a spurious account on the social platform but reckons it is about time he joins the networking train in order to mingle more with the fans.

“I think it is about time I make a presence on Facebook because of the huge demand from the fans that

wants my opinions on football issues,” said the former Nigerian international who occasionally appear on Al Jazzier Sport as soccer pundit.

He added: “It has always been my dream to share my knowledge of the game with people and I think Facebook is an opportunity to reach out to so many.”

On the last check, over 50 persons have made friend’s request to the account within just few days of opening but Amuneke has warned against any untoward conduct on the altar of social networking.

Golf Weekly I had problems with new clubs, admits McIlroy

R

ory McIlroy has finally admitted it took him far longer than expected to adjust to his new clubs after his muchpublicised equipment change in early 2013.

The world No 1 signed a lucrative endorsement deal with Nike at the end of a successful 2012 campaign in which he won his second major at the PGA Championship and topped the world rankings as well as money lists on both the European and PGA Tours.

But his form took an alarming dip throughout the following year, although he was reluctant to blame his change of club manufacturer as he insisted issues off the course were primarily to blame as he tumbled out of the world’s top 10.

The 25-year-old almost went through 2013 without a victory, but gave himself a huge confidence boost after snatching the Australian Open title ahead of Adam Scott in December.

McIlroy’s win at Royal Sydney gave him momentum going into this year, and he enjoyed the best season of his career as he collected two majors, his first WGC title and firmly established himself as the best golfer on the planet.

“The Australian win at the end of a very lean 2013 was a welcome bit of form,” said McIlroy after be-

ing named Sportsman of the Year

by Reuters. “It was the coming together of some hard work on many aspects of my game and becoming completely comfortable with the club changes I’d made.

“I then had the confidence to get the job done. I’d say it was worth the wait to get things properly in place. The major wins were really a continuation of that process.

“And, of course, hugely important, satisfying and evidence that I could win majors when I had to dig deep, rather than by comfortable margins. But don’t get me wrong. I’ve nothing against a comfortable margin.”

McIlroy also believes his improved maturity and mental strength contributed largely to his remarkable form over the last 12 months, and he is looking forward to keeping his world No 1 status for some time to come.

“Two years on tour is quite a long time, even as a 25-yearold,” he added. “I also think my game and mental approach are in many ways linked. With my swing, clubs and fitness in place, I feel confident enough to go out and win.

“Perhaps a lot of the maturity is just an extended learning curve, with each experience, good or bad, another lesson in patience, course management and knowing when, or when not, to take a risk.”

Airflow victorious at NBCC Classics

A

fter a keenly contested golf tournament, Team Airflow Engineering Ltd emerged winners of the maiden edition of the NBCC Centenary Golf Classics, organised by the Nigerian British Chamber of Commerce.

The tournament, played over 18 holes at the Ikeja Golf Club, saw Airflow Engineering scoring a total of 104 Stableford points, an aggregate of the best three scores of the four-man team.

Team Captain, Ladi Durojaiye, said: “We prepared very well for this tournament and went all out to win the trophy for our Team Sponsor. It’s an honour to win such a prestigious tournament considering the quality of players on the field. NBCC has created a viable golf property”.

Team Digital Marketing Ltd finished second with 102 points, while Team Bentley Energy (100), Frijay Consult (100) and Meristem Securities (97) were third, fourth and fifth respectively.

President of NBCC, Yemi Adefulu, stated that the tournament would be played annually as it has proven to be a very good platform of interaction among businesses.

The NBCC Centenary Golf Classics was conceptualized and managed by IGolfMDC Ltd, a golf marketing and management company. The tournament was sponsored by Staco Insurance, Light Level and Data Sciences Ltd.

62

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEW TELEGRAPH SUNDAY 21 DECEMBER 2014

63

SPORT Ajunwa owes Nigeria an apology, says Coker

‘2015: Nigerians should pray against bloodshed’

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

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S

FAITH

Sanctity of Truth

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2014

N150

Random musings (1)

ince I commenced my column over two months ago, there has been quite some flurry of reactions from members of the public. Some claim they had started buying Sunday Telegraph because of the lucidity and clarity of my thoughts and patriotic fervour exhibited in my writes-up after stumbling on an edition. I thank them all for their kind words. I have included some of the reactions here.

In yet some social media interactions, especially on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and through SMS, many Nigerians have displayed a new readiness to openly discuss God, Man, Nigeria and Nature. Some of the postings are hilarious, comical and inane. Some are very spiritual and philosophical. Yet, some others are very critical, dead serious, educative and entertaining.

Many Nigerians may not be privileged to access these comments on internet, either due to their overcrowded schedule of duties, unavailability of power, computers, or sheer disinterestedness.

I have therefore decided to take time out of my equally unenviably crowded schedule to share some of these postings with you. Some will make you laugh, others cry or weep; yet some others, to think, get educated and entertained.

Whatever, Welcome to the Nigerian Project.

SOME REACTIONS TO MY COLUMN I thank God I bought new Telegraph today, sir, I’ve been following you for a long time, your name and stylish hair being my reason, even when you were kidnapped, I fasted for one week, thank God I can talk to you now. My name is Ekene, I am based in Aba in Abia State, I am a trailer driver. God bless you my role model – EKENE - 08064532104 Mr Ozekhome in your “Let the security, debate begin (2) you stated that Gen Buhari ‘became Military Governor of newly Eastern State during the regime of Murtala Mohammed regime’. The North East was created in 1967. General Buhari, a Colonel then, was the last Military Governor of the North Eastern State. Please correct this historical factual error. Dr Abubakar Mu’azu, Dept of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri.

There is yet second error in your write up. The Nigeria Security Organisation (NSO) now called State Security Service (SSS) was not created by General Buhari - Dr Abubakar Mu’azu, Unimaid - 08036062093 Sir, I am highly surprised considering your status as a SAN and you don’t know a simple historical event pertaining to this Country. For your information Buhari never planned, participated or executed a coup against Shagari. It’s Babangida, Abacha, Joshua Dogon Yaro, and others who did it.

The

Nigerian Project

MIKE OZEKHOME san, ofr mike.ozekhome@yahoo.com 08128444555 (sms only) I have followed with great interest your advocacy for equity and justice for the masses and believe implicitly in your struggle for the actualization of the ‘Nigerian Project’. I’m a writer and a public relations consultant who needs expert legal advice. Sir, can I get an audience with you?

Have a wonderful day!

Dear Columnist Mike Ozekhome, SAN OFR, I was opportuned to read a strategically published article written by you in the Sunday, October 19, 2014 Edition, (back page) – New Telegraph News paper, themed and captioned – COMPARING NIGERIA WITH THE ASIAN TIGERS: WHERE WE MISSED IT (1) – THE NIGERIAN PROJECT. It has just taken three consecutive nights to assimilate your facts which are highly insightful and so topically unique, hence this SMS. I have drawn the attention of some young economists and some other young leaders around to enjoy & x-ray this highly enriching article (no permission granted any to go away with the copy- “lighter note though”). I don’t at the moment have a favourite News Paper, so dear SAN, can I have the privilege of publication notification of next series as suggested

MAMA LASISI

by my vendor, who even claims to be a “Hurt Victim of the VERY ARTIFICIAL BOKO HARAM”. I salute your Courage my Senior!!! I see you as someone willing to die for anything & something, we are willing also! You are justifiably right to say “TALK IS CHEAP” until they begin to “Walk the Talk”. Great Agenda for the Debate you have set! Let me rush out to prepare to hear Morning MASS of the Catholic Faith I profess. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! I have always remembered you in my prayers and hope to continue. Let this Struggle never suffer death! Engr. Innocent Nwaoha Obodo, SPE, NMS. (+fnans), Secretary, EX-NANS LEADERS FORUM”… and very honest good morning to you once again”. ENGR. INNOCENT OBODO 08035503966 YULETIDE TAKES Christmas is almost here again! Last year one man sent 3 bags of rice to me and he won American Visa lottery? He has since moved to America with his family. A Doctor sent me an Italian shoe, a designer perfume with a gold wristwatch and he shared a testimony that he got a job with WHO same week. Another Dr gave me just %5000 and he was appointed a DG of a very big Government agency. Finally someone bought me a car and he became a Minister a week later – ANONYMOUS ON WHATSAPP

I find your piece in New Telegraph sucint and free of bias. Rare traits in the otherwise murky polity. Permit me to inquire how I can humbly identify with the “NIGERIAN PROJECT”? – A. S. PASCHAL, UNIBEN – 08137012581 You are correct Mike. Logicality is on indefinite leave. Intellect is disdained.

The gunboat mentality rules. Hurrah for thunder! Even parties cant even define economics the foundation of politics talk less of Econ debates. They forgot that one is elected to run an economy. Enter the Philistines – Chris The Nigerian Project

}54

Buhari

by the caption? I am Engr. Innocent Obodo, SPE, NMS, (+FNANS), Secretary, EX-NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA STUDENTS LEADERS FORUM, in Enugu. - ENGR. INNOCENT OBODO - 08035503966 I have followed with great interest your advocacy for equity and justice for the masses and believe implicitly in your struggle for the actualization of the ‘Nigerian Project’. I’m a writer and a public relations consultant who needs expert legal advice. Sir, can I get an audience with you?

Have a wonderful day! – CYAN FRANK – HANACHOR - 08164505519 Dear Chief Ozekhome, SAN OFR, a very honest good morning to you! I was away from handy copies of the sacred sermon, Nigeria project, Sunday New Telegraph, hence my plea to combine the outstanding(s): Nov. 23 & Nov. 30, 2014 preserved & reserved for me

This year is your turn for signs and wonder.

Hurry now before the rush begins!!!

AND THIS This is to formally announce to all my lovely friends and family that I have started accepting Christmas gifts, these can be in cash, Cheques through POS, ATM credit card, Chickens, Goats, Cows, Airtime, foodstuffs, Laptops, tablets, phones, gift vouchers etc…..

Please, send yours very early to avoid the rush hour. Last minute gifts will not be accepted. Thanks. ANONYMOUS ON WHATSAPP WHEN EBOLA HELD SWAY A dying monkey goes to meet a lion and insults him: “U are stupid, you fool, coward! Catch me if u can!” but the lion didn’t say anything and the monkey added “Idiot, Jerk, Jerk, lazy man!” then the lion replied “Do u think I am not aware that u have Ebola? Please go and die elsewhere!”

• Follow me on twitter @ MikeozekhomeSAN

By Aliu Eroje

Can you cross-check where Buhari was on the of the coup? Buhari was in Jos as the GOC and he can’t execute a coup in Jos because it took place in Lagos and he was only brought after the coup was a success as an equation balancer.

Some of these people I mentioned are still alive. – MOHAMMED USMAN – 08126658917 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.