Binder1 13 september, 2014 by Newtelegraphonline

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Saturday, September 13, 2014 Vol. 1 No. 207

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Seven die in Synagogue hostel tragedy l Collapsed structure possibly had no approval - Lagos Government

Muritala Ayinla and Tai Anyanwu

bout seven people were killed while several were injured yesterday as a six-storey building under construction owned by the Synagogue Church of All Nations

caved in. Saturday New Telegraph gathered that most of the victims were artisans who were working in the building before it collapsed on them around 1pm yesterday. It was also learnt that the building was a two-storey structure but

later converted to seven storeys without approval from the state government. According to eyewitnesses, the building which usually provided accommodation for foreign nationals who normally throng the place simply sank into the ground.

The building also housed two restaurants on the ground floor and is usually open to the public. As at press time, there were conflicting figures on the number of dead bodies evacuated from CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

MR NIGERIA Nasty things female fans do to me }13

MAUREEN EJEZIE The Palm Wine queen returns }34

DETIMBIR CHIA Dream come true for Dornier crash hero }3

Conversation

SHOWBIZ

OPENINGSHOT

Our pupils may not resume September 22, says Fashola Muritala Ayinla and Appolonia Adeyemi

overnor Babatunde Fashola yesterday said that pupils in Lagos State might not resume on September 22 as directed by the federal government, saying the state government needs to ascertain that everybody in the state is free of the virus. Fashola explained that stakeholders in the health sector ought to have been carried along before a decision on resumption date for schools was taken, adding that the Federal Ministry of Education did so unilaterally. Addressing Muslim faithful shortly after the Juma’at Prayer held at the Lagos State Secretariat Mosque, Alausa, the governor said the state government would wait for results of persons suspected of having the Ebola virus currently in isolation. According to him, that will be ready by September 18. He said: “We can’t say precisely that our pupils will resume by September 22, 2014. If it will possible, we will let you know. Why did the Federal Government postpone the resumption date for pupils? Is it not because of the deadly disease? We need to ask those in the health sector to help confirm whether it is safe for us to allow our pupils resume. “So, we are waiting for September 18, 2014 when the result of the one with us will be out. The result will determine whether we are free of the virus or not. When we CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

T.B. Joshua

SPORT Your 8-page sport thriller }25

sport splash SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMB

ER 2014

FREE Mayweather vows to crush Maidan a p.27

Arsenal, Man City Emirates showdo in wn p.28

Ideye chases first goal to Goodison Park p.28

Playing with Falcons’ stars gives me confidence – Ihezuo p.31

Nigeria’s Elderson

Echiejile keeps

AFCON quAl DON’t pANiC,iFiers: eChiejile tells Nigeri ANs

Goodnight, Stella }6

Scotland’s

Steven Naismith

at arms length

during a friendly

Ajibade Olusesa n

match

run in a competitiv uper Eagles e match against defender, Echiejile, has Elderson Africans, the result left them third the South second game of the qualifying sleep over told Nigerians not to in Group A the team’s series. wanted to winagainst South Africa. Many Nigerians chances of lose fying for We there are now The African the 2015 African Nationsquali- ability of the “My message but that is football. really team to make losing hope in the cation campaignchampions began their Cup. year. to Nigerians should keep it to Morocco is that qualifion a scrappy praying for next not down to a But in an interview the team, they they note. They give up. No surprise 3-2 went As should matter home loss cied Congo with New Telegraph, to qualify Monaco to a last for the Nationswhat, we are going the spite widesprea Saturday in Calabar. less-fan- not to give defender admonish Cup and go ed Nigerians and win the trophy up on And d criticism of there in Nigeria, again. We their performande- their performan the team. He said matches to the still although play, there ce in the ce left much fly in South Stephen Keshi-led team is still a big have four Africa in their to be desired, opening two games us,” he said. failed to chance for They played chance of making second group they still Congo, who a dour goalless game. it to Morocco. have a good rently qualified by Bafana Bafana. draw against “It is topping the default, are the of our unfortunate that we table with six curAlthough lowing up could not win first two games points they maintaine their after folvictory any despite the d their unbeaten worked hard fact that we against Sudan. South in Nigeria with another at home was to achieve that. Our Africa are four points, first second so bad but while Nigeria we improved match picking just are sitting third with one point. Sudan in our with after no point. are at the bottom

lShowers of tears as Ebola heroine is buried in Lagos

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Contents | 13.09.14 INSTYLE

The Whites Have It

Wearing all-white outfits once seemed reserved for that special occasion. This rule has been overturned with the frenzied evolution in fashion. It’s become more or less an everyday wear. But you’ve got to know how to pull it off without looking awkward

}17

THE ARTS

Different Strokes

Faces and Phases, an exhibition of works by five Nigerian artists which offers an irreverent insight into the country’s sociocultural, religious and political situation rounds off this week on a climactic note

}14

SHOWBIZ

Barracks Boy

After a brief break from the music scene following a feud with his record label, Vector (real name Olanrewaju Ogunmefun) released a mix-tape to announce his return last month. He speaks about that and growing up in the barracks

}23

SPORT

Calming Nerves Despite starting their AFCON qualification campaign on a scrappy note, Super Eagles defender, Elderson Echiejile has told fans not to write-off the team

}25

TRAVEL

Prepping for Calabar

With just a few months to the month-long Calabar Festival, Pyramid Hotels and Conference Centre is re-inventing itself for the big street party

}39

Business Sense

Edgar’s World

BroadSide

The Abuse of the New Economy

Dimgba Igwe, Fashola and other stories

Prof Jega is overrated

}47

}56

Plus: Business 9 Street Diary 10 Faceoff 45

Comment

Dimgba Igwe: Get his killer(s) now

aturday September 6, 2014 will not just pass on as a tiny dot in the annals of journalism. Dimgba Igwe, one of the nation’s brightest writers, died in circumstances which have continued to tax everyone’s imagination. Igwe, Vice chairman of the Sun publishing limited was on his usual keep fit routine along his Okota Road ,Lagos neighbourhood when he was knocked down by a fast moving vehicle in what is usually referred to as hit and run. That was so early in the day when, because of the Weekend , hundreds of others enjoy the same strenuous exercise. The shock that trailed this passage is enough to move the police into swift action to unravel the identity of the so-called hit and run driver. Commendably, the Inspector General of Police[IGP] Suleiman Abba has promised to fish out whoever caused pain to the pen profession, and Igwe’s admirers all over the globe. It is remarkable that the IGP sent two top ranking officers, Umaru Manko, an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), and Lagos state Police commissioner, Kayode Aderanti to Igwe’s Okota home. That also coincided with the visit of Lagos state governor Mr. Babatunde Fashola,a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the Chief Security Officer of Lagos state. After all the eulogies, visits and nostalgic renditions, this is time for action. There is no luxury of bureaucracy. All eyes are on Alhaji Abba to prove his mettle as a crime busting super cop. Remarkably, Igwe’s death has welcomed him to his new seat of IGP. The world expects something to come out of the promised investigations. There had been so much propaganda in the past following high profile assassinations that Nigerians want a clear departure. In our climes, the Chief law officer, Mr. Bola Ige was murdered in his Ibadan residence in 2001.The police promised to unravel the mystery behind his death. All shades of human beings were fingered, arrested and detained. That was the much that came out of the efforts the state and police offered. Frustrated, Ige’s widow ,Justice Atinuke, a judge of the Appeal court, died of heartbreak after justice was denied. There are so many other assassinations that have also remained unresolved. From Pa Alfred Rewane in 1996, to Chief Aminasoari Kala-Dikibo in 2003, Chief Harry Marshall in 2004 and to even Alvan Ikoku College of

Education, Owerri lecturer, Chief Uche Ogbe, we have a harvest of inexplicable deaths. Igwe’s death also brings to the fore, the sorry state of our health care system. For a man who was able to make a call after the knockdown, the least expectation was death. He was said to have been rushed to three hospitals successively in the bid to keep him alive. Perhaps, if proper medical attention had been applied early enough , the nation would not have been in mourning. And it sounds frustrating that the same high offices sending messages of condolence to Mrs Oby Igwe, are partly responsible for her widowhood , because money that should have been used to upgrade health facilities could have been misapplied to pursue innate and selfish ambitions. More worrisome is the sad reality that Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras would have helped the police in their investigations. It is exasperating that so much noise had been made about this very important equipment in Lagos just for the sake of it. If Dimgba’s death will lead to heightened security and traffic measures, it may sound like medicine after death. However, it is a welcome development. There are security concerns. Journalists have every reason to fear for their lives. Till date, so many deaths are buried in mystery. Dele Giwa, Bagauda Kaltho, Abayomi Ogundeji, Bayo Ohu, Chinedu Offoaro,Godwin Agbroko and many more. The task before the new IGP may not necessarily be all about fishing out Dimgba Igwe’s killer(s); it also entails reassuring his country men that the environment is safe enough for people to operate. And that is not a tall order. While it sounds ironical that the great journalist, writer and administrator died while jogging to keep fit, it also serves as a reminder to government to live up to the responsibility of protecting the lives of citizens. The need for sustained police patrol on our roads cannot, therefore, be over-emphasized. The OkotaIsolo road where Igwe met his untimely death, is a very busy route that peters out to such densely populated areas as FESTAC, Mile Two and even the Apapa port. Although the long stretch of road may not be as busy as the Apapa- Oshodi Expressway, it affords joggers a lot of safety from the fast lanes of the more popular autobahn. And because the art of keeping fit is becoming more than a passing fad, there is need to involve the Federal Road Safety Commission.

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, Saturday n Waheed Bakare

Bureau Chief, Brussels n Leo Cendrowicz

Bureau Chief, Washington DC n Marshall Comins

Editorial Coordinator, Europe n Sam Amsterdam

News Editor n Ndubuisi Ugah

Advert Manager n Taiwo Ahmed

Ag. Sales/Marketing Manager n Uchey Okezie

Head, Graphics n Timothy Akinleye

Head, Admin. n Robinson Ezeh

OpeningShot SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER, 2014

Eight years after NAF Dornier crash, boy hero’s NDA dream comes true But, wait for it, that was neither facilitated by the federal nor the state government. The community are, in fact, peeved that the promises to help the young boy who discovered the crash realise his dream of enlisting as a cadet at the Nigerian Defence Academy were never kept, writes Cephas Iorhemen

he heroism in the action of a young lad who discovers a crash site with occupants trapped in the doomed aircraft and calls for help is the kind of tale that would have ended with everyone living happily ever after. It would if there weren’t some fatalities and if locals in the community are not grumbling eight years after a Nigerian Air Force Dornier 228 aircraft conveying 13 senior military personnel to Obudu, Cross River State, for a conference crashed at the Ngokugh Hills at Mbakunu-Shangevya in Kwande local government area of Benue State. Residents of the community have expressed disappointment over the breach of promises made to them by the federal government and Benue State government. The Sunday, September 17, 2006 crash occurred 18 nautical miles from its destination - Obudu Ranch Resort. The aircraft was conveying military officers to the Resort’s Bebi Airstrip for the Chief of Army Staff retreat on the theme, “The Future of the Military in the Next Decade”. Eight generals died in the crash while five mostly middle-rank officers survived. But they sustained severe injuries and were trapped in the wreckage. The plane was first seen by then 14-year-old Detimbir Chia who called his father with one of the victim’s mobile phone to alert him of the crash. Moments later, the father rallied other villagers to the hill for the rescue effort. With cutlasses and axes, they freed the survivors, notified the authorities and kept watch over their valuables. They also administered first aid on the rescued officers and returned to the village to get food and water for them. That gesture was a refreshing contrast to the experience with Bellview crash in Lisa, Ogun State, when some unscrupulous locals had a field day looting properties of dead passengers. Locals in this case recovered 8,000 euros (about N1.32m) and N200,000 cash from the crash site. “We did not loot, our mission there was to render help in whatever way we could. The other time when a plane crashed, we learnt that the villagers ransacked the plane and robbed the dead. That kind of thing is an abomination in Tivland, and we do not want people to remember our village for that kind of thing,” a local who said the gesture stemmed from the desire to protect the community’s “good name” told Saturday New Telegraph. He added

The plane’s wreckage...

Chia as an NDA cadet and (top right) few years before his enlistment

“They promised to sponsor my son Detimbir to NDA in Kaduna, but I as his father have not seen any gesture like that. But I thank God, my son is in his first year in that school now” that it’s sad their selfless actions have gone unrewarded. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo under whose administration the incident occurred had promised to build schools, hospitals, provide potable water and construct access roads as well as sponsor the young Chia’s education to any level he desires. The boy’s demand was simple: he wants to b enrolled at the Nigeria Defence Academy in Kaduna State.

He got assurances in that regard. But Chia’s father is angry that none of those promises made to his son and the community was kept. “My son’s desire was to become a soldier,” he said, adding that he is just a peasant farmer without the resources to help him attain that dream. However, fortune smiled on the young man when his uncle who lives in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, offered

photo: nigertimes

to assist. Today, Chia is living his dream as a cadet at the military academy. “As you can see my son, we in Mbakunu in Shangev-ya where the plane crashed have not seen any sign to show a fulfilment of the promises made to us by the federal and state governments to provide social amenities in our community here. Even if the promises were made, they rests on the lips of those that made them. “I am aware they promised to sponsor my son Detimbir to NDA in Kaduna, but I as his father have not seen any gesture like that. But I thank God, my son is in his first year in that school now as we are speaking, and we his parents hardly see him. Each time he is on holiday, he prefers to stay with his uncle in Makurdi whom I believe is sponsoring his education. “And I can tell you that there is no good road in our locality, we were promised things like good roads, water, schools and even hospitals but we have never seen anything of that nature as we speak,” said Chia, the elder. Fortune may have intervened in regard to the now 21-year-old crash hero’s dream career, but there’s ample opportunity for those who have acted in a manner that is less than honourable towards the community to redeem their image. At least, that is the hope of locals in the community.

News

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

We won’t relent until N2.4 trillion reparation demand is realised, says Enwo-Igariwey

lWarns the Igbo in volatile spots in the North to evacuate relatives lIt’s wishful thinking - ACF chieftain Uwakwe Abugu, Ibraheem Musa

Enugu/Kaduna

resident-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, a pan-Igbo sociocultural group, Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey, has declared that the Igbo will not relent in their demand for a N2.4 trillion reparation from the federal government until their request is met. The money, according to him, would mitigate the heavy losses which the 30-month civil war inflicted on the Biafra war and other losses suffered by the Igbo in the country. But an executive member of the Arewa Consultative Forum has described the demand as “just an emotional outburst and wishful thinking”. The senior member of ACF who asked not to be identified because the group would rather not officially react to the agita-

tion, said the government of General Yakubu Gowon implemented the policy of ‘’reconciliation, reconstruction and rehabilitation after the civil war which had substantially taken care of what Ohanaeze is agitating at present.‘’ The ACF chieftain noted that not only were the south-eastern states rebuilt by the government, but civil servants from the defunct Biafra were reabsorbed in the federal civil service. ‘’To crown it all, Chief Emeka Ojukwu was granted pardon by the Shagari administration,’’ he added. He argued that each section of the country has real or imagined grievance against the federal government, but cautioned that ethno-political pressure groups should go about their demands in a responsible manner. ‘’Ohaneze’s posturing will only embolden MASSOB (Movement for the Ac-

tualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra) to pursue its secessionist agenda and this will not augur well for the unity of this country. A group of responsible people like Ohanaeze should not be seen to be playing to the gallery,’’ he said. However, Enwo-Igariwey dismissed suggestions that Ohanaeze was simply playing to the gallery. He insisted it “was not an irresponsible demand”, noting that the reparation would amount to N400 billion compensation to each of the five states of the SouthEast zone and the Anioma of Delta State. Enwo-Igariwey who spoke in an exclusive interview with Saturday New Telegraph also advised Igbos residing in communities in some northern states besieged by Boko Haram insuregency to evacuate their families. “They should get ready for any unforeseen developments in those areas

because it is like an all-out war now and they should know that when it gets hotter, they should take their family members out of the war zone.” The supreme decisionmaking organ of Ohanaeze Ndigbo - Imeobi - had during its meeting earlier in May 25, resolved that the Igbo demand reparation and compensation as well as an assurance that their alleged persecution in the country would stop in the interest of justice and fair play. It had set up a committee on reparation demand headed by First Republic politician, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, which eventually came up with a document titled, “The Atrocities and Injustice Against Ndigbo and Ohanaeze Ndigbo: Demand for Reparation”. Asked if the N2.4 trillion demand was feasible now, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo boss said, “yes, our demand is realisable when there is the

political will on the part of the authorities to do that. “You see, our demand is realisable because it is not an irresponsible demand. It is a request based on facts of the untold losses suffered by the people of the Igbo nation both during and after the civil war as well as the general ill-treatment against our people in this nation.” On whether there was a timeline for its demand, Enwo-Igariwey was optimistic, saying that “it is an ongoing process”. He said: “What we have done is to place our document at the appropriate quarters, but we will continue to dialogue, advocate and push for its realisation until it is consummated. Ndigbo would not relent until justice is seen to be done. “What we are demanding is compensation for losses suffered during the war and reparation for other sundry acts of injustice against Ndigbo in Nigeria,

and, for instance, we are aware that after the war the federal government promised reconstruction and rehabilitation but over time, we didn’t see much of that in the area and yet many who lost their property did not get compensation while those who did got only what was available and not based on the actual losses incurred.” The president-general also explained that following the National Executive Committee meeting of the group held last weekend in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, a meeting has been scheduled to hold today in Abuja where Igbo leaders from the various states in the North will be in attendance. He explained that during the meeting, the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Igbo leaders in the North would review the developments in the northern states with a view to strategising on the safety of the Igbo in those flashpoint states.

‘Our pupils may not resume September 22’ CONT INU E D FROM PAG E 1

Scene of Synagogue building collapse in Lagos, yesterday

Seven die in Synagogue hostel tragedy CO NTINUED FRO M PAGE 1

the rubble as the worshippers prevented emergency workers who had rushed to the scene to take proper control of the search and rescue operation. Rescue workers as well as journalists bore the brunt of worshippers anger. Some still and video cameras were also said to have been smashed to discourage anyone from recording the chaotic scene. Witnesses said about seven bodies were initially recovered from the rubble while several injured persons were also treated by the health workers in the Lagos State Ambulance Service bus. Officers of the Rapid Respond Squad, personnel of the Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Emergency

Management Agency, National Emergency Management Agency also had hectic time bringing the situation under control. Personnel of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and Kick Against Indiscipline attached to Ikotun division also battled to control the crowd and the traffic gridlock worsened by the incident. Director of Lagos State Fire Service said the building collapsed on some of masons, adding that he could not ascertain the number of people trapped in the six-storey building. Also, National Emergency Management Agency spokesperson in the Southwest, Ibrahim Farinloye said: “The church members have been very aggressive and tried attacking emer-

gency workers. Before emergency responders arrival, about 15 are said to have being rescued alive and three dead. Many are still trapped.” On whether the building had the state government approval, the Commissioner for Physical Planning And Urban Development, Toyin Ayinde, said he could not confirm whether the state government gave approval for the construction of the first two-storey in the first place. According to him, the government is not likely to approve such structure if due process were not followed. But General Manager of Lagos State Building and Control Agency, Mrs Abimbola Animashaun, said none of the church members could provide evidence of

approval for the collapsed building. According to her, “they claimed to have approval but we could not confirm it. They were told to bring the building approval authorised by the government but none of them could that. We have been here challenging them on the building approval but they haven’t said anything convincing, “she added. An emergency responder in LASEMA said the agency could not ascertain the number of the casualty in the church, saying the church didn’t allow them to have a coordinated operation. “ You can see we are going back, they are hostile many have been wounded. So we have to leave them as they demanded,” he added.

were able to contain the virus in Lagos, we also joined hands with the Rivers State in containing the virus.” He urged residents to continue to uphold the culture of hand washing with soap and water, even after the country is totally free of the deadly virus. But the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu has said there is no reason why students should not resume this September. “When the commissioner for education said they have revised the resumption of school from October 13 to September 22, we the team working on Ebola have nothing against that.” Also, Chukwu said while in schools, teachers must watch out for sick children and promptly take action to send them for medical attention. He also advised parents and guardians not send sick children to schools but to hospitals. Rationalising the need for schools to resume without further delay, the minister said, “Nigeria has not closed any single market since the EVD outbreak. The media did not tell churches and mosques to close. Everyday churches are open. Everyday mosques are open. Children follow their parents to churches and to mosques,” adding that it

Fashola

simply did not make any sense to delay the time for resumption of schools. The state government had earlier expressed a commitment towards the September 22 resumption date for pupils. A statement signed by the special adviser to the Lagos State governor on information and strategy, Mr. Lateef Raji, the decision was taken after a meeting held by members of the state executive council over the September 22 resumption date for schools across the country as announced by the federal government. “Concerning the resumption of all public and private nursery, primary and secondary schools for the 2014/2015 session, Lagos State Government supports the September 22, 2014 date, which was announced by the Federal Government after a national consultation on efforts to contain the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Nigeria,” the statement noted.

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Nigeria economy resisting Ebola, says Okonjo-Iweala

Ndubuisi Ugah he Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West African countries is not seriously affecting the Nigerian economy, contrary to reports in some quarters. Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, has recorded 21 cases of the virus, and eight people have died within its borders, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a development which the Federal Ministry of Health has said there are no current confirmed cases as at September 10. However, the minister’s reassurance came on a day WHO said the number of new Ebola cases in West Africa had grown faster than what authorities could manage, thus renewing a fresh call for health workers from around the world to go to the region to help. But as the as the death toll rose to about 2,400 people out of 4,784 cases, WHO’s director general, Margaret Chan, said the vast nature of the outbreak -- particularly in the three hardest-hit countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- required a massive emergency response. Fielding questions from Bloomberg TV Africa late yesterday, Okonjo-Iweala said:

l WHO asks for more health workers to fight virus l Death toll rises to 2,400 people out of 4,784 cases “We have a team monitoring the economic impact and we don’t feel we are yet at the point where we can say it’s having a huge impact on the economy. “There’s been some falloff in hotel occupancy, in Lagos in particular, some meetings have been postponed, but you still have other business people who are arriving.” Ebola has killed at least 2,288 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, countries on Africa’s Atlantic coast that don’t border Nigeria. On September 9, the parent of Nigeria’s biggest company, Dangote Cement (DANGCEM), said it was postponing a planned investor day in Lagos, the commercial hub, as a result of Ebolarelated travel fears. Speaking on the Excess Crude Account (ECA), where a portion of oil revenue is stored to cushion the economy against volatility, Okonjo-Iweala said the ECA stood at $4.11 billion, which was reported in the media in July. The minister said in January, she was concerned that a decline in the account balance to about $2.5 billion at that time had left the economy “vulnerable” and should be redressed this year. The country plans to

open the Development Bank of Nigeria in the next six to nine months. The lender will initially be capitalised with $2 billion, a figure that may rise to as much as $10 billion, and fill a gap in Nigerian business lending, the minister said. “It’s very difficult for business people, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to find any money for five years, seven years. Mostly they can borrow for a year to three years. If you want to build a business sustainably and you want your economy to have sustained growth you’ve got to fix access to finance. “The development bank will be partly financed by the Nigerian government, and is also due to receive $500 million each from the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB), and a credit line from the German development bank, KfW Group. It’s going to be strong and get rated,” she said. While referring to the recent African Eurobond issues, Okonjo-Iweala said governments should exercise discipline in borrowing. She negotiated debt relief for Nigeria from the Paris Club group of creditors in 2005 during her first stint as finance minister. “It has to be investment

with high returns to justify the borrowing, but even then I would be very cautious and I think on the continent we shouldn’t get too enamoured with floating these bonds,” she said. “We have to watch it so we don’t find ourselves as a continent back in the situation we were in before. Each time you go to float these Eurobonds you should do it making sure you get reasonable yields. I’m not one to say, let’s rush out and accumulate a lot of debt, maybe because of my experience trying to get debt relief,” the minister said. Meanwhile, Chan, while fielding questions from journalists at an international teleconference from Geneva, Switzerland, said: “The Ebola outbreak that is ravaging parts of West Africa is the largest and most complex and most severe in the almost four-decade history of this disease.” She stated that: “The number of new patients is moving far faster than the capacity to manage them. We need to surge at least three to four times to catch up with the outbreaks.” Chan called for urgent international support in sending doctors, nurses, medical supplies and aid to the worst-affected countries.

News

NEWS EDITOR, SATURDAY:

NDUBUISI UGAH

ndubuisi.ugah@newtelegraphonline.com; nduby001@yahoo.com; 08033617741

The Week Ahead Agagu’s remembrance comes up today Former President of Botswana, Mr. Festus Gontebanye Mogae, will today deliver a keynote address at the first anniversary of the death of a former Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, at the International Conference Centre (ICC), University of Ibadan, Oyo State at 12noon. Mogae, who is a former recipient of the prestigious Mo Ibrahim Governance Award, will speak on the theme: ‘Good Governance in Africa’. Also, former President Olusegun Obasanjo will be the chairman of the occasion, while the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; Minister of Communications Technology, Dr. Omobolanle Johnson; Mr. Oba Otudeko and former Cross River State governor, Mr. Donald Duke, will serve as the panellists.

Nollywood film festival ends tomorrow The four-day Nollywood Film Festival Germany (NFFG), will end tomorrow at Hessen’s film forum Hochst (VHS), Frankfurt. The event, which started on September 11 was geared towards creating a platform which will facilitate an opportunity for Nollywood artistes and journalists to interact with their European counterparts about the nature and future of Nollywood and the movie industry in general.

Ebola: FG’s sensitisation policy ends Sept 15 The Federal Ministry of Health’s Director of Ports Health Service, Dr. Sani Gwarzo, has directed that all teaching and non-teaching members of staff in all schools should be trained by appropriate health workers on how to handle any suspected case of Ebola Virus Diseases (EVD), which should be concluded by September 15. Consequently, the ministry has directed all state Ministries of Education to ensure that at least two members of staff in each public and private school are trained on preventive measures to check the spread of the disease. Gwazo, in a policy document on steps to be taken to prevent the spread among school children, stated that the ministries are also to embark on immediate sensitisation of all teaching and non-teaching staff in all schools on preventive measures.

House meets NMA, ministers Sept 15 Despite the Federal Government unbending over its decision for schools to resume classes on September 22, the House of Representatives has said it will hold a meeting on September 15 with all stakeholders in the sector to review the new date. The meeting, it was gathered, followed mixed reactions which had trailed the new date announced by the Federal Government on September 5.

Public hearing on BRT vandalism holds Sept 15

L-R: Mr. Yemi Cardoso; Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu; former Vice -President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme and his wife, Helen, during a requiem mass for the late Consultant Endocrinologist, First Consultant Medical Centre, Obalende, Lagos, Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos…yesterday.

Suntai, Taraba governor, returns today Sabiu Mustapha JALINGO

he Governor of Taraba State, Danbaba Suntai, will arrive the country today, after a two-month medical sojourn in London, United Kingdom (UK). In a statement issued yesterday in Jalingo, by his Chief Press Secretary

(CPS), Hassan Mijinyawa, the governor was expected to arrive through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja. The statement stated that Suntai, according to his doctors, was expected to return to the hospital in London in the next six weeks for follow-up

treatment. The governor’s return, however, is coming barely two days after the state executive council reached a resolution at end of its meeting midweek, to constitute a five-man medical panel to ascertain the health status of the governor. A resolution of the

meeting, chaired by the acting Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, was feared in some circle as a plot to further ascertain the governor’s health status. Suntai was involved in a self-piloted plane crash on October 25, 2012, in Yola, Adamawa State, along with three of his security aides, who all survived.

The Tribunal of Inquiry set up by the Lagos State Government to investigate the remote and immediate cause of the road traffic accident and subsequent arson and vandalism of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses at Palm-grove along Ikorodu Road, Lagos on July 4 will commence sitting on September 15. The venue of the sitting is the Conference Room, T Block, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alausa, Ikeja. Consequently, the tribunal, therefore, has invited the public, individuals and professional bodies to submit memoranda or participate at the hearing, which starts on September 16 to 26 at 10a.m. to 3p.m.

CBN reschedules MPC meeting for Sept 18 The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced new dates for the bi-monthly Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, saying it would hold on September 18 and 19. A statement issued by CBN’s Director of Corporate Communications, Mr. Ibrahim Mu’azu, said the meeting was earlier slated for September 22 and 23. “We wish to inform all our stakeholders that the 240th Meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) earlier scheduled to hold on September 22 and 23, 2014, is now to hold on Thursday, September 18 and Friday, September 19, 2014. Accordingly, all critical stakeholders are to take note of the change in dates and adjust their calendar,” the statement added.

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SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

CALABAR FRSC begins enforcement of Imoke tasks PDP councillors Maximum Speed limiter in 2015 on policies FCT

N EWS I N BRIEF

Beginning from June 1, 2015, motorists are expected to have Maximum Speed Limiter device in their vehicles as a means to reduce road crashes to minimal level. This was disclosed yesterday in Abuja, by road stakeholders in a communiqué issued at the end of One-day forum on The National Policy on Maximum Road Speed Limiter for Vehicles. “Installation of Speed Limiting devices on vehicles remains one of the cardinal strategies for curbing the menace of road crashes associated with speeding. Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and other stakeholders will embark on mass awareness across the nation to sensitise general public,” the statement read.

10.3m

The total population of women in Cameroon in 2012. Source: Un.org

The Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke has charged Councilors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) extraction in the state to identify with policies enunciated by the state government, which has helped in fostering peace both in the party and in the state. He gave this charge yesterday in Calabar, at the inauguration of the National PDP Councillors Forum, Cross River State Executive and Chapter Co-ordinators. Imoke, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Chief Fred Osim, said the councilors must realise that they are the link between government and the grassroots, and must use the forum to exchange ideas on how to move the party forward.

1.11%

The percentage share of passenger air travel of Kaduna airport of Nigeria’s total air passengers in 2013. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

IKEJA Lagos govt denies abandoning road projects

The Lagos State Government yesterday said it had not abandoned any road in the state. A statement signed by spokesman of the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Biola Fagunwa, debunked media reports that some roads were abandoned. Fagunwa also said road constructions were not elitist in consideration but touched all parts of the state. He mentioned the Okota-Palace roads, Ayobo, Ipaja, Isheri-OshunJakande, Iyana Ejigbo road, MushinIsolo and Mushin-Itire road projects as examples of such roads.

82.1

The number of mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of developed countries in 2005.. Source: Itu.int

Troops kill over 100 Boko Haram insurgents in Konduga l Mark tasks military on lost territory

Ahmed Miringa and Chukwu David

Maiduguri /abuja

bout 100 Boko Haram insurgents were yesterday killed by Army troops, while attempting to attack Konduga town, the headquarters of Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State. The repelling came on a day the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, tasked Nigerian Armed Forces to intensify reinforcement and reclaim some communities in the North-East, which were allegedly colonised by the outlawed Boko Haram sect. The Saturday New Telegraph gathered that the incident occurred at 4:30 a.m. when the insurgent attempted to invade Konduga town, which is about 40 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the state capital. A security source, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent that the troops successfully repelled the attack, as they got a tip-

off that the insurgents were planning to attack the town. He said: “The insurgents in over 10 vehicles and many motorcycles armed with Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG), AK 47s, Improvised Explosive Device (IEDs), who were coming through Kawuri village were ambushed by our troops at the outskirt of the town.” Meanwhile, Mark, while speaking at the graduation ceremony of the 61 Regular Course of the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), in Kaduna yesterday, said the nation was at a critical moment saying: “Our peaceful and corporate existence is threatened by insurgency, terrorism and sheer criminality.” He lamented that the war against terrorism was already taking a severe toll on the lives, finance and economy of the nation. “The huge resources that would have been used for national development are now being diverted to fight insurgency and terrorism,” he added.

S’East governors boycott PDP Integration C’ttee inauguration Onyekachi Eze Abuja

A L-R: Former Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, The Sun, Mr. Mike Awoyinfa; Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and the widow, Mrs. Obioma Igwe, during the governor’s condolence visit to the late Dimgba Igwe family in Lagos …yesterday PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

Ekwueme, Tinubu, Adefarasin, others eulogise Adadevoh GOODBYE Nigerians commend the late doctor for her steadfastness and patriotism while discharging her duties Segun Edwards, Temitope Ogunbanke and John Edu

igerians from all walks of life yesterday described the late Consultant Endocrinologist of First Consultant Medical Centre, Lagos, Dr. Stella Adadevoh as a heroine, model, a pacesetter and a Nigerian worthy of emulation. Adadevoh, who attended to the late LiberianAmerican, Patrick Sawyer,

the index Ebola case patient in Nigeria, died on August 19. Speaking on the sideline at the Holy Cross Cathedral, after the requiem mass, applauded her effort and urged Nigerians to emulate her virtues, a former Vice-President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme said: “She gave her life for Nigeria because if she had not insisted the late Sawyer would have infected many Nigerians in Calabar and other places he was planning to go. “And we should all be very grateful to her and pray that God may receive her soul and grant her eternal rest,” he said. A member of the Senate, representing Lagos Central Senatorial District, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, also called for the immortalisation of the deceased.

Speaking at her 12th edition of senatorial district town hall meeting in Lagos, Tinubu said: “This is not the first time Dr. Adadevoh has put her life on the line for Nigerians. There was a report that sometimes somebody has Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and she was the one that detected it. Again, it was her hospital that detected the Ebola case in Nigeria. We thank God because God chose her for this purpose. And I think we should all pray for the departed soul because if not for Dr. Adadevoh, Ebola spreads so quickly and only God knows what would have happened in Lagos.” Also, the General Overseer of House on the Rock, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, urged the Federal Gov-

ernment to use this opportunity to strengthen the healthcare system. He said: “She was truly the epitome of the Christian in a country where not every doctor practices the Hippocratic Oath; she sacrificed her life for the health and safety of our country." Equally, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said everyone had a role to play in curtailing the virus and should be on red alert saying that “the danger is still on. “From the testimonies of her classmates and from what I have learnt, she was certainly the true meaning of being a doctor,” he said. The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Adewale Martins, said the late Adadevoh loved her country so much that she laid down her life.

pparently not happy with the omission of members from the zone from the composition of National Integration Committee set up by the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), governors of the party yesterday, stayed away from the inauguration of the committee in Abuja. National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, had in a terse statement on Thursday, apologised to governors and party chieftains from the zone for the omission of their names. But at the inauguration yesterday in Abuja, the governors of the three PDP states from the zone - Sullivan

Chime (Enugu), Martin Elechi (Ebonyi) and Theodore Orji (Abia) stayed away. Senator Ken Nnamani, who also chairs one of the six inaugurated committees, was also absent at the meeting. Inaugurating the committee, which has the mandate of repositioning the party, reconcile aggrieved and estranged members, PDP National Chairman, Dr. Adamu Mu'azu, charged the committee members to go beyond making PDP a reformed party to a reformminded institution. “...if we all resolve to turn the fortunes of PDP around, the party will not only remain the party to beat, but will remain the toast of Nigerian people on a sustainable basis," Mu'azu noted.

Big Brother Hotshots gets new house, set for launch Oct 5 Sony Neme

rganisers of Big Brother Africa (BBA) Hotshots, M-Net and Endemol SA, yesterday announced that it had found a replacement for the burnt house, which was supposed to house the reality show housemates. In a statement made available to Saturday New Telegraph, the organisers said: “M-Net and Endemol SA are pleased to announce that Big Brother Hotshots will officially launch on October 5, AT 19:00 CAT.” With the countdown to the launch, fans across the

continent can look forward to some pleasant surprises in true Biggie fashion. “We are delighted to confirm that a new Big Brother house has been found in Johannesburg, South Africa following the devastating fire that demolished the original house on September 2,” they noted. The statement further stated that: “The search was concluded after exploring all possible options both locally and internationally, for a suitable venue to produce the 9th season of Africa’s biggest reality show."

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Ohaneze Ndigbo to hold Igbo Day Sept 27

OFFA OSOGBO Osun postpones bi-monthly No life lost in Offa Poly sanitation exercise for GCE Students’ protest- Police

l Election of women wing holds today Uwakwe Abugu

T Enugu

he National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, a pan-Igbo socio-cultrual organisation, has decided to hold this year’s Igbo Day Celebration in Awka, Anambra State. President-general of the group, Chief Gary EnwoIgariwey, told the Saturday New Telegraph, that the leaders of the group and their friends from other ethnic nationalities would converge on Awka between September 27 and 29 to mark this year’s celebration. Enwo-Igariwey, who

noted that the event would enable Igbo leaders to take stock of the collective fate of the Igbo nation, especially in view of these troubled times in Nigeria, said NEC decided to hold it at Awka, so that Governor Willie Obiano, who is the newest of the governors of the five states of the South-East would serve as the chief host. He also hinted that the much-awaited election into the offices of the Women Wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo would take place tomorrow in Enugu. The Secretary General of Ohanaeze, Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, explained that the election would take place at its national secretariat, 7 Park Avenue, GRA, Enugu.

Ahmed, Atunwa, PDP mourn Kwara APC scribe Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

wara State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed; Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Alhaji Razaq Atunwa; the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday described as painful and shocking the death of the state Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Yemi Afolayan. Though the details about his demise were still scanty as at the time of filing this report a statement by the party’s publicity secretary, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari, said Afolayan died after a brief illness. Until his demise, Afolayan was a constant figure in the Saraki political structure for many years. In a condolence message signed on the governor’s behalf by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, said Afolayan’s passage was at a time his political experience and commitment to deepening

News

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

of democratic culture in the state were highly needed. Equally, the APC in a statement, said: “It is with heavy heart of grief and loss that we announce the death of our general secretary, Afolayan. Prince Yemi Afolayan passed away this morning after a brief illness. Funeral arrangements will be announced later by the family." Atunwa, in a statement by his Media Assistant, Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Sanni, described Afolayan as democrat and parliamentarian per excellence whose immeasurable contributions to the nation’s hard won democracy would be greatly missed. Also, the state publicity secretary of PDP, Chief Rex Olawoye, expressed condolence to the leadership of APC in the state over Afolayan’s death. “The PDP particularly condoles with the family of late Afolayan and the good people of Isin Local Government Area where the deceased hailed from for the irreparable loss," he said.

NEWS IN BRIEF

General Manager, Osun Waste Management Agency (OWMA), Mr. Ganiyu Oyeladun, yesterday announced the postponement of the state’s bi-monthly environmental sanitation exercise. The postponement, according to the The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), was contained in a statement signed by Oyeladun and made available to journalists in Osogbo. The OWMA boss said, the postponement was, “to allow candidates sitting for the General Certificate Examination (GCE) have easy access to examination centres. “In spite of the postponement, residents of Osun are enjoined to keep their homes and surroundings clean on Saturday and at all times.”

152,715

The Kwara State Police Command yesterday said the protest embarked upon by the students of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa with the Police did not claim any lives as been speculated in some quarters. The command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Samuel Okasanmi, said this when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in llorin. He said although a protest erupted on Friday when a lorry running away from police arrest knocked down two students of the institution on a motorbike. Okansanmi described as unfounded, rumour that the two students died instantly. The Police image maker said no casualty was recorded during the protest.

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions of Benin Republic in 2011. Source: Itu.int

1.5m

The number of deaths caused by diarrhoeal disease, often related to contaminated drinking water of children under age five annually. Source: Unesco.org

ILORIN Shagaya promises to deliver Kwara for Jonathan An aspirant for the House of Representatives for Ilorin West and Asa federal constituency, in Kwara State, Alhaji Sheriff Shagaya, has dismissed speculations that the state will vote against President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 general elections. Shagaya, who is seeking to contest on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) told newsmen in Ilorin, the state capital, that he was very confident that the state would vote enmasse for the president and his party during the polls, adding that the state would be a no-go area for presidential candidates of the opposition parties in the country.

20,080

The number of refugees in Tibet (China) at the beginning of 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

Politicians not influencing oil theft probe –EFCC DENIAL From the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has come a refutal on alleged interference with its investigation by the presidency. Emmanuel Onani, and Ahmed Miringa

Abuja/Maiduguri

he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has explained that its investigation of a suspect in the celebrated oil subsidy scam, is still ongoing. It also dissociated itself from a report alleging that a suspect, Jarett Tenebe, had

l IPMAN seeks financial help from Borno govt implicated some public officials in his confession to the anti-graft agency. The clarifications were contained in a statement signed yesterday, by the commission's head of media and publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren. The statement reads in part: "The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to a report entitled, Crude Oil Theft: PDP Governorship Candidate Jarret Tenebe Arrested, Implicates Jonathan’s former Chief of Staff, Anenih and Petroleum Minister, which appeared on Sharareporters, an online news service, on Thursday, September 11, 2014. “The said report, quoting

sources at the EFCC, made wide ranging allegations linking top government officials, both former and serving, to the activities of a certain, Jarret Tenebe, a suspect who is under investigation for oil theft. “It is important to state here that no serving or former petroleum resources minister or public figure has been linked to the investigation in question. Consequently, the commission dissociates itself from the report in its entirety. “However, the matter for which Tenebe, the managing director of Fenix Impex Limited, was arrested is still under investigation and in due course the commission will make its findings public.”

Meanwhile, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), has called on Borno State Government to assist its members with funds to boost their capital, as they are now bankrupt given the difficulty it encounters to transport their products. Speaking during a courtesy call on Governor Kashim Shettima at the Government House, Maiduguri, the chairman of the association, Alhaji Mohammed Kullu, said: “Our members' capital which hitherto hindered by the insurgency facing the state, as currently most of our members are stranded as a result of non movement of petroleum products in and out of Maiduguri.”

Presidency plans national summit for pro-Jonathan groups Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Presidency yesterday said it has set up a committee to do content analysis of all the pro-Jonathan groups with a view to monitoring their activities. This is against the backdrop of the activities of one of the groups, which few days ago, incurred the anger of President Goodluck Jonathan. President Jonathan had ordered the immediate dismantling of all billboards carrying the inscription #BringBackJonathan2015 mounted by one of pro-

Jonathan groups. Senior Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Prof. Rufia Ahmed Alkali, who addressed a press conference in Abuja, said information gathered by the committee would help his office to put into check the activities of groups campaigning for President Jonathan's re-election. Alkali, who is also the National Coordinator, Goodluck Support Group (GSG) observed that he had earlier set up a Screening and Verification Committee of all support groups routing for the re-election of the president in 2015.

L-R: Ebonyi State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Chukwuma Nwandugo; MTN Regional Sales Manager, South-East, Ms. Ifeanyi Udom; Governor Martin Elechi; Director of MTN Foundation, Mr. Denis Okoro and MTN Trade Partner for Ebonyi State, Mr. Dennis Agbo, at the presentation of security vehicles to the state government, in Abakaliki…yesterday

News

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

PORT HARCOURT Police confirm death of Amaechi’s uncle

N EWS I N BRIEF

Rivers State Police Command yesterday said it had commenced investigation into the alleged killing of Mr. Sabinus Ordu, the Vice-Principal of Government Secondary School, Aluu. Spokesman of the command, Mr Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Port Harcourt that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Elele in Ikwerre Council area of the state reported the incident. “We have commenced investigation on the killing of Mr Sabinus Ordu. No arrest has been made, but detectives from the state police headquarters have taken over the case,” he said.

MAKURDI Tsav hails Suswam over Hajj sponsorship

The Amirul Hajj in Benue State, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, has commended Governor Gabriel Suswam for the sponsorship of Muslims for pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, despite contending security bottlenecks which the state is a grappling with. Tsav, who stated this yesterday during the two-day workshop organised by the state Pilgrims Welfare Board for intending pilgrims from the state, stated that the only way the pilgrims could reciprocate the gesture was to be good ambassadors of the state in particular and country in general during the pilgrimage.

The number of people in refugee-like situation in Syria at the beginning of 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

YOLA INEC: No change in Adamawa by-election date

The Independent National Electoral Commission (NAN) yesterday restated that it had not changed its plan to conduct the governorship by-election in all parts of Adamawa on October 11. The INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzi, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. “We are continuing with our plan to hold election in all parts of the state, but subject to security clarification,’’ Osaze-Uzi said. He said the commission was still working with security agencies to ensure that it provided adequate security for voters to exercise their civic responsibility during the election.

€139,500 The world record transfer paid for Omar Sivori by Juventus 1957. Source: Goal.com

8.75m

The total population of Burundi in 2012. Source: Un.org

Sheriff: Nigeria's envoy to Chad dismisses ‘false social media reports’ REFUTAL

Nigeria's envoy to Chad insists that Sheriff was not on the president's entourage Temitope Ogunbanke and Johnchuks Onuanyim

T Abuja

he Nigerian ambassador to Chad, Mr. Mohammed Dauda, yesterday dismissed reports that a former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, travelled with President Goodluck Jonathan to the country on September 8. Also, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the presidency of being economical with the truth in its response to the condemnation of President Jonathan for hobnobbing with Sheriff. Sheriff was recently accused by an Australian,

l Presidency lied over Modu Sheriff 's presence in Chad – APC Stephen Davis, of being one of the chief sponsors of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, an accusation he denies. Dauda, who spoke on the telephone with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), from N’Djamena, the Chadian capital, described the reports as baseless and cheap politics. He also noted that the former governor did not participate in Monday’s private security meeting between Jonathan and President Idriss Debby of Chad as reported. “There are a lot of friends that actually have been calling to say that, ‘Ah! The president came with Governor Ali Modu Sheriff on his entourage, you know. “So, I just want to put the record straight, you know, as far as the embassy is concerned; I just want to be fair to the president.

“Actually, he (Jonathan) was not aware (that Sheriff would be at the airport to welcome him), and Ali Sheriff is almost a permanent resident here. “He stays here, I think, more than he stays in Nigeria, and when he (Jonathan) arrived at the airport, he was not even aware of his (Sheriff’s) presence. “But he (Sheriff) came with the host president, and no one can tell the host president whom to come with. It was when the host president was coming that we saw Ali Sheriff. He was not on the entourage. Yes, he came around, and he is a very close friend of President Debby.” Addressing State House correspondents yesterday in Abuja, Abati, described the reports and the opposition’s accusation as spurious and mischievous. Meanwhile, APC in a statement issued in Dubai,

United Arab Emirate (UAE) yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the presidency's defence of Sheriff's presence in Chad had shown that the APC was right to have called for the trial of Sheriff and other alleged Boko Haram sponsors by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The party said: “How can you prosecute a person who accompanies you on a high level security meeting to a foreign head of state? “The presidency said the security agencies are investigating Sheriff and that the President will not interfere, but what message was the President sending to the security agencies by circulating the picture of the accused with himself? Is that a subtle message to the security agencies that the accused is a friend of the President hence he is untouchable?"

Navy arrest six for impersonation Flora Onwudiwe

ix persons have been arrested by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft for disguising as Navy personnel and handed to the Nigeria Police and the Economic Financial and Crimes Commission(EFCC) for prosecution. The Navy personnel also impounded two vessels from the suspects. The suspects, who were arrested in Lagos were Arigo Royal, Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi, Emmanuel Jolayemi, Olusegun Ogundola, Juliet Onwuzurike and Sunny Oyeyipo who was their commander were handed over to the Area B of the Lagos Police Command. While the impersonators were being paraded , the Flag Officer Commanding of the Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ilesanmi Alade said that the Navy would not fold its hands and watch them soil our name. Alade said they were arrested in Navy uniform and had the following items; an

2015: Ikwo Clan endorses Elechi for Senate Charles Onyekwere ABAKALIKI

olitical leaders, stakeholders and leaders of thought from Ikwo Noyo clan in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have endorsed Governor Martin Elechi for Ebonyi Central Senatorial zone in 2015. This was contained in a nine-point communiqué issued at the end of its crucial peace and development meeting, comprising top traditional rulers and miscreants, Ozos held on September 6. The communiqué, which was read by Senator Emmanuel Onwe and signed by 24 others of Ikwo Noyo clan and made available to journalists in yesterday

Abakaliki, commended Elechi for his tremendous achievements recorded over the last seven years. The communiqué also stated that Elechi had earned the peoples’ admiration, praise and great respect for his outstanding ability to sustain peace and stability in the state, despite occasional mischief-making by few undisciplined and thoughtless citizens. According to the communiqué, the governor has demonstrated extraordinary capacity to manage complex relationships with competing political interests within Ebonyi State, both at the lowest and the highest levels, thereby giving the state the positive public image it had ever enjoyed, nationally and internationally.

Crisis rocks Ekiti APC Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

L-R: Head of Department, Leisure & Tourism Department, Yaba College of Technology, Mr Okunlola Gabriel , Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Dr. Sally Mbanefo and Council Member, YabaTech, Mr. Philip Olabode Aiuoji, during a courtesy call on the Director General by the YabaTech delegation in Abuja... recently

identity card, logo, ranks as well as other military accoutrements . He said: “It is worrisome when these crop of people commit all sorts of crime under the guise of being naval personnel, giving the public the impression that the unwholesome act was committed by the military. The command would not watch while the good name of the Nigerian Navy which has been in existence since 1956 is being dragged into the mud. “We are hereby warning these unscrupulous criminals to desist from the act of impersonating naval personnel or prepare to face the full wrath of the law. Members of the public should be quick to report any person in military uniform behaving in a manner that is not synonymous with military discipline.” The Commander, NNS BEECROFT, Commodore Uwadiae Ovenseri, said also that no individual can form a navy, adding that throwing a blind eye to their activities is like creating another monster for the country.

picture of what the fortunes of the All Progressives Congress (APC) may look like after the end of the tenure of Governor Kayode Fayemi has started emerging with crisis rocking the party as it holds it congresses to elect new officers from ward to state levels. The genesis of the crisis, it was gathered, is the attempt to perpetuate some people in office and it has already led to some APC leaders threatening to dump the party. For instance in EfonAlaaye, headquarters of Efon Local Government Area, some aggrieved APC members on Friday, accused a special adviser of Fayemi of imposing aged people, who had been in the saddle as the chairmen

of wards and local government areas since the time of Otunba Niyi Adebayo in 1999, contrary to expectation that free and fair primaries would be held. Spokesman of the group and former Assistant Financial Secretary of the Party, Mr. Smart Oyeyemi, said the members would dump the party for Accord or Labour Party should they allow the imposition to go unchecked by party leaders.

see News extra on page 52

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known and addressed as MISS EZINNE ROSELINE EKEOMA now wish to be known and addressed as to MRS EZINNE ROSELINE NWAZULU. All former documents remain valid, Sterling Bank and general public should please note.

Companies & Stock SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER, 2014

CCNN: Profit still on random walk

igerian Stock Exchange listed company, Cement Company of Northern Nigeria’s (CCNN) Plc’s earnings performance is going through a dwindling fortunes of rise and fall. The random pattern of profit is yet to guarantee any certainty in the current year. This year looks very much like an upturn, as the cement manufacturing company seems to be making a reasonable progress in pushing sales volume that has been static in the past two years. With that, the weak profit recovery seen last year could have a chance of strengthening up and the company can look forward to closing this year’s operations with a good profit. The company management, under Mr. Alf Karlsen, faces the task of rebuilding profit after a big fall that happened in 2012. He is making an impressive headway so far in the current year with after tax profit already ahead of the 2013 full year figure at the end of the first half of the year. The progress is built on an all-round cost reduction that has lifted profit margin considerably. If he is able to maintain the current growth rate, the company can be expected to close this year’s operations with a new peak in profit. If he loses grip, the full year earnings outcome will be uncertain. It closed second quarter operations with sales revenue of over N9.39 billion, which is an increase of 7 per cent over the corresponding figure in 2013. This represents a slowdown in the growth rate from the turnover figure of N4.88 billion the company generated in the first quarter. The full year outlook is however indicating a much stronger growth, as last year’s second quarter growth rate decelerated at full year. Whether the current growth rate will be maintained or lost in the second half is the caution on the company for now. If it is maintained, turnover is expected to stand in the region ofN19.8 billion for CCNN in 2014. This will be an increase of 25.4 per cent over the sales revenue figure in the preceding year. The chance remains that the loss of revenue growth momentum in the second half of last year might repeat itself this year. The company has not been able to grow sales revenue reasonably over the past two years. After tax profit amounted to N1.59 billion at the end of the second quarter, which is a major advance of 91 per cent over the corresponding figure last year. This represents an accelerated growth from N700 million the company posted in the first quarter. Based on the current growth rate, net profit is projected at N3.4 billion for the current year. This will be an exceptional growth of 139.4 per cent in 2014, which will be a new peak in profit for the company, also marking a full recovery from a drop of

Smart Products Audited results 2013

2012

Change

Turnover

N44.59 million N36.13 million

23.4%

Profit before tax

N19.33 million

N14.81 million

303%

Taxation

N7.31 million

N3.15 million

132.0%

Profit/loss after tax

N12.02 million

N11.65 million

3.1%

Smart Products maintain consistent earnings, dividend growth

CCNN CEO, Mr. Karlsen (left) and Chairman, Rabiu

CCNN Q1 2014 Results 2014 Revenue

2013

N4.88 billion

Profit/loss before tax N1.02 billion

Change

N5.02 billion

-2.7%

N553.84 million

85.4%

Taxation

N328.94 million N177.23 million

-85.6%

Profit/loss after tax

N699.02 million N376.61 million

85.6%

about 48 per cent in after tax profit in 2012. The full year profit projection should be read with caution, as the company has no established trend in profit performance and this has been the experience for many years. Profit outcomes have followed a random walk of rise and fall that leaves an overall impression of uncertainty. The profit figure of N1.42 billion in 2013 is below the N1.81 billion reported in 2009 and the N1.20 billion in 2012 was down from the 2008 figure of N1.53 billion. The high growth in profit against moderate improvement in sales revenue indicates that a significant cost reduction has occurred in the company’s operations this year. It is indeed an all-round cost reduction for the company in the second quarter. The biggest cost saving came from distribution/administrative expenses, which dropped by 44 per cent to N1.32 billion year-on-year at the end of the second quarter. That is followed by interest expenses, which went down by 30 per cent and then cost of sales, which declined marginally at N5.71 billion during the same period. Profit margins have improved significantly out of both the improvement in sales revenue and the cost reductions achieved. Gross profit margin improved from 34.8 per cent to 39.2 per cent over the review period. The changes in the balance sheet resulted in a robust cash flow position for the company with net cash generated from operating activities

advancing by 158 per cent to over N3.0 billion. This was much more than the cash requirements for investing and financing activities, leaving a net cash increase of about N1.9 billion at the end of June. The company earned N1.26 per share at the end of the second quarter, up from 66 kobo in the corresponding quarter last year. The full year outlook is N2.70 per share for CCNN in 2014, an anticipated leap from N1.13 at the end of 2013. The company paid out 70 kobo per share in cash dividend for its 2013 operations.

mart Products Nigeria Plc has continued to maintain stable and consistent growth in earnings and dividend payment over the past five years. The small-sized property letting and investing company is showing the kind of resilience on earnings performance that many large companies have not been able to maintain since the financial crisis. Revenue and profit has grown every year since 2009 and dividend payment has been both regular and improved each year since. The ability to maintain stable growth for shareholders is what the company has to offer. It is maintaining one of the highest dividend pay-out ratios in the entire equities market at 77.2 per cent in 2012 and 84.2 per cent in 2013. The company improved its total income by 18.8 per cent to N47.51 million in the 2013 financial year. This is a continuing growth each year since 2009 when the company grossed N17.36 million. The company’s principal income line is rental income from properties, which is supported by income from financial asset investments and other income. Dividend income from financial asset investments dropped by 75.7 per cent to N0.48 million in 2013 and other income also went down by 18.6 per cent to N3.15 million. Rental income however countered the drops in those income lines with an improvement of 29 per cent to N44.12 million. Management kept operating cost in check and achieved sig-

nificant cost moderation during the year. Personnel expenses increased only marginally at 2.4 per cent to N5.05 million and other operating expenses also grew less rapidly than revenue at N15.3 per cent to N23.36 million. The cost moderation permitted a leap of 30.5 per cent in pre-tax profit during the year. The gains however failed to reach the bottom line with an upsurge of 132 per cent in tax liability to N7.31 million. Profit for the year amounted to N12.02 million, an improvement of 3.1 per cent from the 2012 figure of N11.60 million. With a drop of 54.2 per cent in appreciation of available for sale financial assets, the company’s total comprehensive income declined by 7.2 per cent in the year.

Aderonmu... CEO, Smart Products

FRC flays SEC’s non submission of audit reports T he Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), has indicted the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the apex regulatory authority of the Nigerian capital market over its failure to submit its audit financial report to the Commission in the last five years. Appraising the development, the acting Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Victor Muruako, said that the failure of the commission to submit its audited financial reports for five years was not the characteristics of an agency concerned with transparency and accountability. “In the process of monitoring the compliance of SEC to the FRA 2007, we observed that there is no evidence that SEC has produced its audited financial reports from 2009 to 2013. “In spite of the commission’s

various requests, SEC has not availed the FRC of its three year estimates of revenue and expenditure for 2010-2012, 2012-2013 and 2014. “For 2007, records show that you paid N808.7 million as operating surplus instead of N11.15 billion. “SEC has, therefore, unduly withheld the balance of N10.3 billion due to the Federal Government,’’ Mr. Muruako said. Responding to the alleged infraction by the capital market apex regulator, SEC said it has not been able to fulfil its statutory requirement of submitting its annual audit report to FRC because it has not made any profit since 2009 because of the downturn of economic activities in the capital market. Its head of Finance and Accounts, Sunday Garba, who dis-

closed this at a stakeholders’ meeting with the management of Fiscal Responsibility Commission agreed that the commission has failed in its statutory responsibility. While stating that SEC had not remitted the mandatory 80 per cent of its operating surplus into the Consolidated Revenue Funds Accounts since 2009, he said, “Since the downturn of the capital market, we have not been making profit. In fact, running the office has remained a challenge to us. Continuing, he said, “You know SEC is not being financed by the Federal Government but rather through fees we collect from various activities in the capital market. He further said. “We make money when the capital market is doing well and we all know of the meltdown the capital market experienced some years back,’’ he said.

Street Diary

Would you divorce your spouse on the grounds of infidelity? p.12

SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Don’t allow flood to sweep us away – Lagos community Some communities in Okokomaiko, Lagos State are not enjoying basic amenities that make life meaningful. Our correspondent, OLUSHOLA RICKETTS, who visited the area, writes on the plight of the people.

kokomaiko, in Iba Local Community Development Area (LCDA) Lagos, became more prominent following the location of Lagos State University (LASU) in the neighbourhood. Although businesses flourish in the area, however, the present state of some of the communities in Iba Local Community Development Area (LCDA) leaves a lot to be desired. They are battling with flooding that poses threat to lives and properties of people residing there. The affected areas are Jimoh, Ora, Ashagbon Close, Kaka-Bakare, Church Close, Diris Ife-dayo, Ikale, Moshalashi, Ayepe, Alowonle, Femi, Abeokuta streets. Others are LASU Close, Aro, Sule, Popo Igunmu, Niyi, Mgbowo, Eleri Ijaye, Cardinal, Amadi, Church streets and Niyi Close. New Telegraph on Saturday during a recent visit to the area gathered that the condition was a by-product of the Lagos State Government’s megacity project and the handiwork of the Executive Chairman of Iba LCDA, Mrs. Ramota Adeyeri Oseni. The visit also revealed that the condition of the areas is hazardous to residents, especially children who have turned the contaminated water to their playing field. And if help do not come on time, their lives could be endangered. The shapes of most of the houses are a reflection of the structural defect that has become the lots of the places where the inhabitants call homes. They look greenish, cracked and weeds are gaining more grounds. Some vulnerable buildings are already being swallowed by the ground, forcing occupants to flee. The roads to the areas too are hard to navigate. Cars get stuck inside the water and quite a number of motorists lamented that they spent a reasonable part of their income to repair their vehicles, which got damaged often. Their water system, which is essential, is contaminated. New Telegraph on Saturday observed traces of effluent littering the streets. Cans, nylons and other waste products are sharing the streets with the residents. The hygiene of the people of the area is very low, and the environment falls short of the

Flooded areas in the community

expectation of local health officials. Despite the apparent danger, during our reporter’s visit, some children were playing in the highly- contaminated water and unhygienic environment. Notably was a group of eight male minors who were playing ‘monkey post.” Another set of three girls with the eldest backing the youngest were splashing the dirty water with stick. There was also a young boy between the age of six and nine, strolling happily through the water without knowledge of the danger Some adults too have developed a thick skin to the unpleasant environment. At Jimoh Street a pregnant woman who sat in front of her house was eating in the open. Around her are the stinking flood and a sewage tank filled to the brim and already spilling a yellowish substance into the water. Loads of flies were hovering and perching around the woman. In a cry out letter to Governor

Some vulnerable buildings are already being swallowed by the ground, forcing occupants to flee

Raji Fashola (SAN), the landlords and residents of the affected areas, under the platform of Positive Forum Association, pleaded with the governor to come to their rescue. The letter, titled; ‘Environmental Degradation And Call For Urgent Help: Omiyale Agbara Yasobu At Okokomaiko In Iba Local Community Development Area of Lagos,’ dated August 15, 2014, was signed by a Mr Samuel O.M on behalf of the landlords and residents of the area. The letter states: “Precisely two decades ago, motorists can connect Okokomaiko by driving through PPL Bus Stop, via Ora and or Olanrewaju streets through to Badagry Express. Properties within these vicinities were valued at high rates and residents were pleased to move in at that time. Though, no government presence was visible at the time—no drainage system, good roads, and so on. “In 2004, through self-help project, a drainage system was constructed through Jimoh Street, to Kaka-Bakary and Moshalashi streets. Residents in the area can testify to the effectiveness of the drainage system. We have experienced a seven-day downpour, yet there was no harm done to the residence, in respect of flooding. “In 2013, March precisely, Iba LCDA, under the chairmanship

of Ramota Adeyeri Oseni (with good intention) approved the construction of a drainage system for us, through Igbo-igunnu, Jimoh and Kaka-Bakery streets. The drainage system was not effectively constructed. Rather than alleviating the flooding menace in the area, it compounded it. In fact, we (the residents) within these communities have never experienced this kind of flooding that we experienced after the rains of 27th and 28th of July 2014. There was no single building that was not flooded. On the 28/7/2014, being the Eid-Il-Fitri celebration, many of the residents were forced to go and buy pumping machines to bail out the flood in their homes. At least, 10 known residences have bought these engines. This community has been exposed to water-borne disease.” However, residents who spoke to our reporter admitted that there used to be flood in the areas after downpour, but it disappeared after the rain. They maintained that their ordeal was complicated by the construction of drainage system at Jimoh Street, a blunder by the government. Chairperson of Progressive Forum Association, Alhaja Sarat Gbodiyan, lamented she had been accused several times by politicians that her group’s agitations

were politically motivated. “It’s so ridiculous. How can people be using other peoples’ lives to play politics? Our people are suffering here. Whenever the sky becomes cloudy, we become hypertensive. This is because we know the implication of any downpour in terms of flooding. “Landlords and tenants have lost their valuable properties to the problem. People just go to work and return to see that their properties have been flooded and destroyed. Children fall seek every now and then. Some of us are regular at the hospital because of the problem and some politicians now have the gut to say that we are playing bad politics with them. That is not fair. We are talking about matters of life and death. Government needs to come to our aid as soon as possible,” she explained. The Chairman, Community Development Association (CDA) of the area, Chief Emmanuel Ajila, said since he moved to the area 40 years ago, the residents had never experienced flooding until 10 years ago. He attributed the cause to lack of comprehensive master plan and infrastructural development for the areas as well as encroachment on the drainage system by home owners in some parts of the area. Ajila added that the Council Engineer, Mr. Sulaimon Adeniyi, who supervised the project last year, ought to be held responsible for his negligence. “When the project began, I, in my capacity as the CDA chairman of the area, told the supervising engineer, who doubled as the Iba LCDA Chief Engineer then, Mr. Sulaimon Adeniyi, that the direction they were taking the drainage, was wrong. I explained the normal flow of downpour in the area to him whenever it rained but he arrogantly ignored me. I went to him again and again but he never listened. Because of my persistence, he reported me to the LCDA Chairman (Ramota Oseni) that I was using some boys to harass him at the site. She in turn, became angry and had since been quarrelling with me over the issue. “The engineer never listened. At a time, he told me that he doesn’t care about the outcome of the project because he doesn’t live in the area. So, he did a shoddy job, which to me, amounted to pure wasting of government resources. The shallow and tinny drainage doesn’t discharge the flood, instead, it redirected it to people’s homes, escalating their sufferings,” he added. Efforts to get to the Chairman of Iba LCDA, Oseni, were abortive as she did not respond to the text message sent by our reports.

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Woman commits suicide in Lagos

esidents of Isheri Olofin in Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area of Lagos State yesterday deserted their homes when the news of the death of a middle aged woman who committed suicide filtered into the town. It was gathered that the resident of the area fled their homes from the fear of being arrested by the police because the woman’s identity was unknown. The incident took place at No 31, Bankole Street, in front of a welder workshop, opposite Isheri Grammar School. It was gathered that the body was found dangling on a tree by a resident who was going to the mosque in the morning and he quickly alerted some elders in the community. “I was going to the mosque in the morning when I saw the something dangling on the tree in front of the welder’s workshop. This prompted me to call the attention of the chief Imam and some elders in the community. “After the prayer, we went around the town and informed everybody about the development, while those who had the emergency number of the Lagos State Emergency Agency were asked to call the agency.” As at the time of filing this report, none of the residents knew the woman’s identity or where she resided. When our correspondent visited the scene, officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU), Nigerian Security and

Civil Defence Corps and policemen from Isheri Division were all on the ground. The General Manager of LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke Osanyintolu, said, “We received a distressed call from the residents of Isheri Olofin about a woman who committed suicide in the community. “We rushed to the scene of the incident and found a middle aged woman who committed suicide in front of a welder’s workshop. Her body was dangling on a tree and we removed it and took the corpse to Lagos Mainland Hospital mortuary. However, a mild drama played out when some of the residents insisted that they should be allowed to perform some rituals to wade off “evil spirits” from the community before the officials could bring down the corpse from the tree. The officials eventually let them have their way when some members of the community filed out in procession to perform the rituals. An elderly man held a cock while a youth had a bottle of gin. The man, who was mumbling some incantations, used his hand to severe the cock’s head and sprinkled the blood on the corpse before allowing the officials to remove it. When the corpse was brought down, the woman who put on a pink skirt and grey top with a scarf to cover her head looked haggard and unkempt. After a closer look, the majority of the residents insisted that the woman did not reside in the community while a few others said they had seen her before wandering in the area. Also an accident occurred at

MusaPam Jos

The woman

Toyota Bus Stop along ApapaOshodi Expressway yesterday. The incident occurred when a truck carrying a container with registration JJJ488U lost control and rammed into two vehicles – an aviation-laden tanker marked AKD339XH and a Honda accord car- along the road. The tanker was heading towards Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja. The windscreen of the car was damaged.

Baby factory: Detectives arrest General Overseer’s wife Juliana Francis

etectives attached to the Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Ikoyi, Lagos State, have finally arrested Dr. Precious Chinyere Emeka, wife of a popular General Overseer of a church in Elelewo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. She was earlier declared wanted by the police in connection with her alleged involvement in baby-making factory. A police source revealed Emeka, who is believed to be a pastor, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, a few days ago when she returned to the country from the United States of America. As at Thursday afternoon, she was still being detained at the Lagos office of the PSFU at Milverton Road, Ikoyi. Some weeks back, two groups of policemen had clashed over Emeka and threatened to exchange gunfire. The first set of policemen com-

prised men from (PSFU), Lagos and Rivers state police commands was detailed to arrest the woman, but policemen serving as the suspect’s guards from the Special Protection Unit botched the arrest. In the midst of the drama, Emeka allegedly fled the scene and absconded to the USA.

Emeka

Rape attracts minimum 18 years imprisonment, says commissioner

� Truck rams into fuel tanker Taiwo Jimoh

Street Diary

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

The attempt to arrest the woman started after the police received petitions from the US Consulate allegedly that she was involved in series of baby-making factory incidents. The US Consulate had in one of the petitions said, “ one Christiana Ogeyi Omagu , a female Nigerian -American citizen with Nigerian Passport AO49173747 and US passport 458926040 appeared at the consulate in pursuance of a US passport for a male child, who she gave birth to at God’ s Gift Clinic and Maternity, Elelewo , Port Harcourt , Rivers State “The applicant , apart from submitting apparent questionable documents, also claimed that a certain doctor, who she identified as Chinyere Precious Emeka took her delivery at God’ s Gift Clinic and Maternity in Rivers State.” But police investigations revealed that a nurse, Peace Effiong, who was arrested at the hospital, said no woman was delivered of a baby at the time Omagu claimed she had her baby at the clinic.

Men of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Transport Management, and policemen from Area D Command were also on the ground to control traffic and ensure there was no breakdown of law and order. When the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, was contacted on phone to confirm the incidents, she said, “I have not been fully briefed; when I am briefed I will get to back to you.”

he Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Plateau State, Mr. Edward Pwajok, has said whoever is found guilty of rape in the state will be sentenced to either 18 years or life imprisonment. Pwajok, who said this at a news conference in Jos on Friday, added that the punishment would hold only if the victim was under 18 years. He noted that the state government took the step because the 1963 law and criminal procedure code in Northern Nigeria could no longer meet current realities and were archaic. Pwajok said the laws had been replaced with new laws which he described as the product of extensive research work which began six years ago. According to him, for now the minimum fine for any convicted person in any court in the state will be N10, 000, saying there is no maximum. “If you are convicted of N20 billion, the court has the latitude at its discretion to fine you N1 billion and above because there is no maximum,” he said. He added that in the state’s new laws, an offence like rape was a serious concern now in the society and as a result, the government had liberalised the law to the extent that the victim did not need collaboration witness to prove her case. Pwajok maintained that witness was now immaterial once the victim proved the allegation of penetration, adding, “the offender will be sentenced to 21 years or life imprisonment whether the girl’s consent was sought or not. The law says it is rape.”

Three killed, properties destroyed as hoodlums invade community Camillus Nnaji

t least, three people were killed and properties worth millions of naira were destroyed as hoodlums invaded Otodo Egbame Community in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State. During the invasion, it was learnt the hoodlums set fire to some of the properties. Although the identities of the victims were unknown, it was learnt that they were a set of twins of Igbo stock and an Hausa man. NT correspondent gathered that the community which is along the MTN Project fame axis is occupied by settlers from different tribes of the country. The community was said to have been sandfilled by an unnamed buyer who bought the land from the Elegusi Family of Otodo Egbame about 20 years ago. “Since the said owner has not come to develop his property, people from different tribes started settling in the area,” a source from the community said. Youth leader of the community, Mr. Celestine Zannu, who spoke

with our correspondent, alleged that some area boys led by one Wasiu started surreptitiously selling parts of the land. He added that the crisis climaxed when the hoodlums invaded the community and a set fire on some properties. “It all started when a group of boys led by one Wasiu started selling land at night. Early today (yesterday), they set fire on the settlement while people were away to work,” Zannu said. Zaanu said dwellers were mainly fishermen and women from different parts of the country. “The woman who lost her twins went to ease herself at the backyard and before she returned, the hoodlums had set fire to her home and her twins were burnt to death,” he said. Confirming the incident, Baale of the community, Mr. Dasu Efe, said the commissioner of police had been briefed and would soon visit the area. When contacted, a police source from Makoko, under whose jurisdiction the incident occurred, said the matter was being investigated.

Voices (VOX POP)

SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Would you divorce your spouse on the grounds of infidelity? I will seek God’s intervention I will not file for divorce because personally I do not want to have a broken family and bring another woman to mother my children. I think the best thing is to take it to God in prayer and leave it for Him to intervene. (Uzoabaka Emeka, NYSC member) I will separate from her first Infidelity in marriage is a very hard thing to deal with and I for one will not take it lightly. I will likely get separated from my wife but not file for divorce as my family and children’s future depends on the togetherness of the family. The need to address the issue is very important to avert it happening again. (Ago Confidence, NYSC member) I will call for family intervention Infidelity is a very serious issue to ponder and has been seen as the major cause of broken homes and marriages. But not withstanding I will not divorce my wife as I prefer to call on the members of the family to assist in addressing this issue. If I divorce my wife it can have a negative effect on the growing kids. (Sunday Enemuo NYSC member) We will talk it over No. From the spiritual perspective I will say he must have been tempted by evil spirit and I will prefer to call him and know what the problem is, to know if I am not doing my job effectively and how I can be better. We can attack it spiritually. (Obadan Quentin, NYSC member)

I will counsel him otherwise… I would try and talk to him to change but if it has gotten to the height of it I would. (Bunmi Adebayo, a graduate)

Fidelity is not enough grounds for divorce No, because I feel that can’t be enough to break us. There is more to a long married life than infidelity. (Yinka Omotosho, electrician)

So long as he cares for the family Provided he takes care of the children and me, I won’t. (Dolapo Ajewole, teacher)

She can’t, I will attack her She will not try that nonsense. In fact, I will attack her. I can’t imagine that situation, so I have no answer to give as to what I will do. (Victor Olaiya, trader)

I will give him a second chance I can but I will still give him a chance to change. (Olajide Toyosi, student) I should be able to fix my home as a virtuous woman I am a Christian and some things should not be heard among us and there is no place in the bible where separation is permitted except on death. S o I should be able to fix my home no matter what. It is because as a virtuous woman I am the pillar of my home. (Pastor Chika Gold) Love is about faithfulness Of course yes, if I can’t trust you why sustain the marriage. Love entails faithfulness and sincere trust. (Ajola Timilehin, printer) I will sue for divorce I will file for divorce because being faithful to each other is part of the reason we married in the first place. (Omolola Nikky, a student of Lagos State University)

I will file for divorce Good Lord. That is a terrible sin for automatic hell. In the infinite mercies of the Lord I will not come across such person. But if so, I will file for divorce. (Tobi Mohammed, student) We would resolve it amicably It is a sin to file for divorce. I will rather seek to solve the problem between us. (Tayo Omololuwa, student)

I will give her a second chance I will give her a second chance. If at the second time, infidelity occurs, I’ll file for divorce immediately. The reason I’m giving her a second chance is because sometimes things occur to test the level of love we have for each other. (Alaba Adeshina, teacher)

compiled by

FAITH OBADAN, KEVWE OWUMI, DUROJAIYE AYORINDE, SHADRACK YUSUF AND BOLA KAREEM

SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2014

WeekendDelight FREE

C o n v e r s at i o n

Instyle

Flatter your legs with micro-shorts p.15

Arts

Different strokes, Faces and Phases p.14

Hospitality

Pyramid Hotels preps for Calabar Festival p.39

Ideas & Brands

Spirit of Lagos: Rekindling the past p.33

Mr. Nigeria: Nasty things female fans do to me Emmanuel Ifeanyi Ikubese earned an enviable stripe when he emerged first runner-up at the Mr. World pageant held in the United Kingdom last month. It has been a fast climb for the singer, actor, model and TV host since winning the Mr. Nigeria contest. He speaks to LANRE ODUKOYA about the journey to stardom. How do you joggle roles as an actor, musician and a model? I’m also a TV host and I have done a couple of shows that will be airing very soon. It’s fun because it’s always something I wanted to do. But for now, I’m concentrating on my acting and hosting and also doing lots of charity work. Everything solely depends on proper planning, in fact I can take much more than I’m handling at the moment as long as I have an understanding with the people or organisations I’m working with. Somehow being Mr. Nigeria has placed modelling above others. What’s next for you after emerging first runner up on the global stage? That’s absolutely correct because I get to do runway shows both in Nigeria and outside the country as a model. But I still focus more on my acting. I will be attending the New York Film Academy next year to do a course in acting. What were your fears when you made it to the international level? I knew I was competing with the best from all around the world, it should send some jitters, but I was very confident because I had prayed about it. How would you describe your relatinship with representatives from other parts of the world? I have a good relationship with the other guys; we keep in touch from time to time. What will happen to your music and acting talents now that modelling has started paying the bills? Well, I’m focusing more on acting and hosting of shows for now. They also pay the bills too.

How did your parents react to your career

choice when they first heard about it? My parents have been very supportive. Their agreement was for me to graduate with good grades in school. I did and now they are holding their own end of the bargain. They are my biggest supporters. They encourage me tremendously. Where did you draw the resilience from when all began to seem impossible? It’s a by-product of family support. So, you understand where I’m coming from whenever I reiterate that I’m a family person. My family members have been there for me through it all and I’m blessed to have them. Who is your greatest influence in modelling? I won’t say I have someone I look up to in modelling, but one of my mentors will be Will Smith. He has managed to be very successful in all fields including modelling and I like the fact that he he’s a family man. What was your earliest childhood fantasy? I have always wanted to represent my country in one thing or the other. I didn’t know what exactly I was going to be representing my country for, but I just wanted to be the face of Nigeria for something good. That is why representing Nigeria at the Mr World contest was a dream come true for me. I’m glad I flew my countries flag high in England. Fame and fortune attract more of the opposite sex; how have you handled both? To be candid, it really does. But it’s all about knowing what you want and staying away from distractions. I’ve discerned how to draw the line even before I became famous. What is the nastiest thing a female fan ever did or said to you? Well a random girl once told me that, ‘I

want you to be the father of my kids’ and a girl had grabbed me in the club and kissed me. You studied international relations; in what aspect have you been putting this to use? Studying international relations has really helped me a lot in putting up my charity initiatives as I get to work with a lot of international organizations and I have put up presentations. Researching is very important. These are some of the few things I studied as an international relations major. Why did you go to Kenya to study when there are good universities in Nigeria? I wanted something different but not very far from home. What fond memories do you have of childhood? Growing up in Ajegunle and having to play street soccer with other kids still return to my mind as if they happened just yesterday. I hold the memories of those good old days with a lot of fondness. Where is your favourite travel spot? For now, it’s actually the Bahamas and US. Are you a lover of colognes? How much can you spend acquiring one? I love colognes and I can spend any amount to smell good. But I wouldn’t endorse any brand now. Do you have a fetish for automobiles? Do you have a favourite? Yes, I love fast cars. I have a fetish for sexy sport cars. My immediate preference is a Porsche and a high end Mercedes Benz car. How tall is your dream as a young man? The height of my dream is amazing. I’m always dreaming big. It has really helped me a lot and I don’t intend to stop anytime soon. Would you say that stardom came to you when expected? I didn’t just become a star over night. I have been doing a lot of underground works for a very long time. People are just seeing the evidence of it now.

The Arts SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2014

REFLECTION

When Ebola Speaks... Timothy Akinleye Life teaches us sundry lessons So, Nkem, my daughter, make a choice While I entreat you my voice hearken, For when Ebola speaks, the world listens A deadly plaque is sojourning in our lands Health authorities call it Ebola! A defiant virus defying the King's commands: Padlocking the gates to our pastures and farmlands. Our communal life is in danger Kingsmen denied funeral rites for the deads Fathers, mothers, children disposed of by masked strangers Ebola is on rampage like a monster. Nkem my daughter, obey simple rules of hygiene, Wash your hands regularly with soap Share not with anyone, not even a syringe And from bush meat, for now keep a distance. Touch not the blood or secretions from any Sawyer For his likes are veritable merchants of deaths Your medical tools must reside in your sterilizer And remember Ebola may announce itself as high fever. Close your eyes to your brothers in DRC Put on hold your trip to Liberia, Gabon, Ivory Coast, for now you must not see Sudan and Uganda, until otherwise, are dead sea. I understand your best friend is in isolation Being tended by strangers in yellow kitty I know how heavy this must be on your emotion Much less the irreparable losses to our nation. Please keep an eye on neighbours in your area Those with red eyes and skin rash, Bloody nose or gums and diarrhea Joint muscle and chest pain plus nausea May it be sore throat, headache and weakness, Stomach pain, cough and cold, Tarry not to call health giver nearest So treatment can commence in earnest When Ebola speaks, we must all listen. © Tim: August 2014 0809 866 8480

It's different strokes, Faces and Phases A group exhibition of works by five Nigerian artists offers an irreverent insight into the country's sociocultural, religious and political situation. But it also sheds light on their different techniques, passions and reaction to those thoughtprovoking moment in their lives. TONY OKUYEME writes.

Family Ties by Chinedu Uzoma

rtists, notes the CEO, Makadel Design and Style School, Nita– Nkese Ephraim, are contributors to economic growth and development of the nation by maximally contributing their creativity. “A work of art is more than an object, more than a commodity. It represents a vision of the world; a few signs marked on paper. A barely touched canvas or a vast installation can amount to different ways of world making.” That was Ephraim's introductory notes to Faces and Phases, a group exhibition of works by five Nigerian artists, Olumide Onadipe, Chinedu Uzoma, Segun Akintoye, Donald Ekpo, and Ade Odunfa, which opened last Saturday at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos. A painter from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he obtained his first degree, Onadipe was born in 1982. He is versatile with his paintings and installation Arts that continue to draw the attention of Art watchers and collectors. He has participated in various exhibitions in Nigeria, especially in Lagos where he is based and from where he works as a studio artist. Born in April 21, 1967 in Surulere, Lagos, Ekpo graduated from Yaba College of Technology in 2001. He has participated in many exhibitions in Nigeria and outside the country. He is also a member of the AARC that has an annual exhibition since 1992. Noted for his anatomy sculptures, he won the best sculptor award in 2001 and 2008. He chooses to work with fibre glass, other found object and metal. Odunfa was born in Lagos on May 19, 1973 and is from Imala, Ogun state. He graduated with a degree in Fine Art with a specialization in painting from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1998. An accomplished painter known for his durbars; He is proficient in a variety of media including oils, acrylics, water colour, pastels and photography. Ade loves experimenting and pushing the boundaries of artistic creativity. Ade has participated in several solo and group exhibitions. Uzomais an undergraduate of the Lagos State Polytechnic, where he is studying fine arts. Born on May 1, 1986, he is acclaimed as a talented artist and sought after by Art lovers.His drawing continues to attract positive reviews. Akintoye is a painter and illustrator from Ondo town, Ondo state. He began his studio practice in 2008 shortly after he left a publishing firm. His work is influenced by indigo patterns of Yoruba design culture and a self-styled rendering of female figure and landscapes. He has participated in several exhibitions across the country. According to Ephraim, this exhibition

Beautiful 1 by Ade Odunfa

will “give you the freedom to see what you want to see, each piece creating a peculiar feeling of uniqueness, inspiration and reflection to you. “The gift of the artist is to help others engage their senses through artistic creations to fully experience the sensory and thrills that surround us. We need to be aware of them. We need to be open to being perpetually surprised. Artists need to create stuff that appeal to and nourishes everyone which these fine artists have done with their various styles through paintings, drawings and sculptures that are blended in for the sheer visual delight." This can be seen in the works of Ekpo who works from a threedimensional perspective using fibre glass to create unique works which show creative craftsmanship. In Onadipe’s works, he has captivated viewers with his renowned painting of leaves to form different figures, faces and structures. Among the artists in this exhibition, Uzoma differs with his charcoal on paper works which draws a lot of feelings and captivates one at a glance. Odunfa’s lace works in new, fresh and very captivating. He mixes the universal use of lace an African arts to give his paintings an unmistakable character. While Akintoye deals with abstract in nature where he interprets figures in his own creative way with African motifs which are very colourful. Odunfa explained that Faces and Phases is a “concept from our different faces, different phases, different artists, different style, different ideas coming together to show what we have. “This is actually the second running of ‘Faces and Phases’. The first running was four years ago when I did my solo, it was titled ‘Faces and Phases’. It is actually to document a period. It is all about different periods in the life of artists, since our works are not stereotype, we keep changing style, and so it needs to be documented.” The exhibition ended yesterday.

Virtuous Woman by Chinedu Uzoma

Conversation 2 by Donald Ekpo

Little Rascal by Donald Ekpo

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Flaunt your legs in micro shorts S Angela Davies

horts are an alluring staple to incorporate into your wardrobe. They are comfortable, stylish and feminine. They are also super chic and versatile hot options to grace any charming pair of legs. Shorts come in a variety of styles to select from ranging from short-shorts to retro style down to the classic short. However, fashionable women today wear the short-shorts to informal events which were once limited to the confine of the homes. These smart and sexy shorts come in a number of colours, fabric, cut and length to choose from. To wear short-shorts, you should ensure that you choose a length you will be comfortable in. For an evening event, stilettos are the perfect shoes to pair with short-shorts. These shorts can be styled in a number of ways depending on how you want it. It can be paired with a simple t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, silky blouse and sleeveless top. Some women, who want the chic look with an African touch, wear short-shorts made with Ankara fabric. Footwear that could be paired with this outfit ranges from gladiator sandals, wedge or pumps and even stilettos depending on your style.

Dolapo Oni

TIPS ON WEARING SHORT-SHORTS • Wear short-shorts that fit and flatter your figure: Select and wear the right style to flatter your body type. However, remember that if your shorts are tight, wear a loose top and if they are free, wear a fitted top and if you have to tuck-in to flatter you figure, then, do so. • Tall women with long legs should wear shorts with cuffs and roll up features to help break up a long, thin line and give added shape making legs looking curvier for a great look. • Short legged women should avoid cuffs or rolled up styles as they will only make your legs look shorter. They should wear short-shorts with straight cut. • Wear shorts that are reasonably short with clean, straight legs. Do not wear extremely short-shorts. • And if you want to create a versatile look you can make the change from sophisticated to casual by simply pairing with different shoes. Know that shortshorts will lengthen your leg, giving the impression of height. However, to wear this hot sexy outfit, ensure your legs are spotless because wearing shorts is all about flaunting your legs.

Kemi Adetiba

Belinda Effah

Instyle

Everything that flatters Leggy model Ugochi Latoya Igwilo is fascinated with short dresses that are comfortable and flatter her strong points, writes ANGELA DAVIES. Define your style? Stylish, nothing too exaggerated. What determines the kind of outfit you wear? It is my comfort. I wear clothes that make me comfortable, bring out my figure and height as well as complement my body. I don’t like outrageous clothes. What kinds of clothing item make up a larger part of your wardrobe? Well, I think short dresses. I love to flaunt my legs in short dresses. What is that clothing item you will never be caught wearing? I can wear everything at the right time. For instance, I will not wear pyjamas in the day time and I will not wear it out. I will only wear it at night when I want to go to bed. Best designer Right now my best designer in Nigeria is Deola Sagoe because she has put Nigerian as well as other African designers on the global fashion map. Also, her designs are exquisite and unique. Signature perfume Right now I am using Lady Million by Paco Rabanne for women. The fragrance is for the ideal woman. It possesses incredible sensuality. Fashion accessory you cannot leave home without That will be my bracelets and necklaces. How do you love your make-up? I love it natural except if I am going for a dramatic look, then, I put a little bit of drama in it. What is your kind of jewelleries? I love neck pieces, rings, bracelets and perhaps anything with some stylish stones. Best colour Right now I love orange. It is a bright colour and it makes me feel good. What kind of shoes do you love? I love high heels shoes. I love heels from designers like Forever 21, Aldo, Charles and Keith. If you were a fashion item, which would it be? I will like to be a jacket. I find jackets really stylish. I also don’t mind being a handbag. Style icon I will say that my style icon is myself. I like the way I dress. I do not try to dress like anyone but me because I am unique. It's there a reason for your choice of low haircut? I wear a low cut hairstyle because as a model you have to look neat. This hairstyle does not only make you look neat but also youthful and refreshed. It is also easy to maintain. Igwilo

Instyle

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Accessories to live for

Fashionable faux pearl stretch bracelets

Facts Folake Coker, founder of the Tiffany Amber brand was exposed to different cultures at an early age. Born in Lagos and schooled in Europe, she developed a curiosity for cultures which she later channelled into her love for fashion. She is globally recognized because of the depth of her colourful creations and that made her the only African designer to grace the Mercedes Fashion week in New York two years in a row.

Suitable for any occasion, faux pearl stretch bracelets are perfect stylish accessories that add some glam to your wrist. ANGELA DAVIES writes.

aux pearl stretch bracelets are a simple and timeless jewellery pieces. They are just perfect for making that subtle yet elegant statement. These bracelets are stretchy for an easy wear and fit. That means no hard to open clasps or uncomfortable fits. These stylish bracelets are great as an everyday wear accessory or for dressier looks when you want to create a show stopping appearance. Hence, they complement any outfit whether it is for the office or a special event. You can dress your office outfit with a multiple strand medium size faux pearl stretch bracelet with clear diamante embellishment or colourful gemstones. You can also dress down your jean and top with fancy stretch bracelets in multiple strands. For a special evening outing, choose and wear faux pearl stretch bracelet that are colourful and intricate such as multiple strands with rhinestone accents, silver stone, metals beads as well as other materials for a more stylish appeal. Faux pearl stretch bracelets strands can range from two to eight and also come in simple as well as intricate designs; just wear select and wear one that speaks your style. It does not matter if your wrists are tiny or wide, there is always a faux pearl stretch bracelet that will fit perfectly.

Mark Twain invented the bra strap clasp.

The largest bra cup ever made has a size 1222B cup that was made to build awareness about breast cancer.

In the late 1800s, women wore live chameleons as broaches. They pinned them up to the lapels of their dress.

FASHION ETIQUETTE

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

Appropriate earrings for the office t is good to adorn some accessories Iyour to the office outfit to complement look. However, it is inappropri-

Patterned floor length evening gown

ate to accessorise as if you are going to a party, thus, wearing sparkly or excessively flamboyant earrings. Most women no doubt cannot do without wearing earrings to enhance their face; however, the question is what should be the appropriate earrings for the office? It should be modest and trendy. You should avoid wearing glittery earrings as well as hoops as large as bracelets or dangling earrings that brush your shoulder. Instead stick with simpler pieces that speak professionalism and also suit your face shape like a cute pearl, clip, pin or short dangling earrings that do not extend very far past your earlobe. All these gives a professional and office look.

Adaure Achumba

he fashion face-off this week is between sultry Nollywood actress and producer, Funke Akindele and another Nollywood actress, Adunni Ade. And the outfit in contention is patterned floor length evening gown. The comic screen diva, Akindele wowed on the red carpet of the 9th Nigeria Entertainment Awards (NEA) which held on Sunday, August 31 at the NYU Skirball Center for Performing Arts in New York in a black and chocolate patterned long sleeve floor length gown that flattered her figure. The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Jenifaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; star styled her evening look with a silver and gold drop earrings, gold box clutch, cocktail ring and pumps. She then completed her look wearing radiant red lipsticks, light shadow and side part long curly locks. Ade who also attended the same event, strut the red carpet elegantly dressed in black and silver patterned one sleeve floor length evening gown. She accessorised with a blue and silver coloured drop earrings, black box clutch, gold bracelet and blue strappy stiletto sandals. She harmonized her evening look with a light make-up, red lipstick and spotted a doughnut hairstyle. Although both Akindele and Ade wore gorgeous flattering patterned floor length evening gowns, however, which of them do you think wore it better?

Akindele

Ade

Instyle | Trends

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

The whites have it

Yvonne Ekwere

Trendy in fitted white pants and top

Sika Osei Omawumi Mgbele

Angela Davies

nce upon a time, wearing allwhite outfit was reserved for special occasions. Reason being that it signifies simplicity, purity and can easily get soiled. Consequently, women stored their bright white outfits and only wore them for special occasions. However, this rule has been broken with the evolution of fashion. Today, wearing all-white attire has never looked hotter. It has become a popular choice amongst trendsetters. International celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Rita Ora, Anne Hathaway and a few others have been seen rocking the all-white trend fashionably at different occasions. Therefore, to try this trend, some fashion aficionados have incorporated different white fashion pieces into their wardrobe to create looks that are classy, sexy and flattering. Women rock this flattering colour in different ensembles in exceptionally stylish look to events that suits their style and the fashion statement they intend to make. While this trend may seem like a tricky trend to pull off, there are plenty of ways that you can wear white without looking frumpy. You could opt for white dress in any fabric or cut of your

chosen, white pants, inner and blazer, palazzo pant and blouse, fitted jean and top or even skirt and blouse, then accessories properly. It all depends on your style. One key factor in wearing all-white outfit is confidence. It is not your little black dress that you are used to, so just have fun with your look and do not be afraid to experiment. If you are in a dilemma on how to wear this trend, you could take inspiration from your favourite celebrities and use their outfits as a guide on how to pull off the trending all-white look. Knowing how to wear an all-white outfit will help you pull off the hottest trends right now. So, here are some tips to help you. • The easiest way to put together a head-to-toe white outfit is to wear matching pieces. You could wear a matching top and pant or pencil skirt and blouse combination to achieve a chic look. • You should keep your all-white outfits looking smart and stylish by creating a sense of structure and shape. If you are wearing voluminous pant, wear a fitted top or tuck in. Then, cinch a loose-fitting dress with a lovely belt or by wearing a structured blazer. • If you are wearing tight pants, balance out your look by wearing an over-

sized top or jackets. Creating a noticeable silhouette will help keep your all-white outfit looking smart and stylish. • Avoid wearing white underwear because it will be quite visible beneath your white outfit and draw attention to the wrong place. • You should apply your perfume before getting dressed to avoid staining your outfit. • Apply your makeup after wearing your outfit to avoid smudging when wearing. • You can easily change the feel of your all-white outfit with accessories. Glam it up with metallic jewellery and clutches or dress it down with bright baubles and patterned accessories. • When it comes to shoes, choose an appropriate shoe colour to match your all-white outfit that will stand you out. Silver, bronze, brown, gold metallic, red or pink are always perfect for white. However, you can also opt for white shoes or sandals if you desire. No doubt, some women will feel a bit wary to try this trend because they believe wearing all-white outfit is basically a disaster waiting to happen. However, you can get inspiration from these gorgeous all-white look from the women on this page. Therefore, if you have to try any trend right now, it should be the allwhite look for a classier, flattering look.

Tara Fela-Durotoye

Short Story

Writer in focus:

Michael Uchebuaku

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

The Officer’s Wife (2) c o n t i n u e d F R O M L A S T w ee k

having sex with you,” Chris spat at her angrily. Rose sadly shook her head and sighed. She didn’t know how to make him understand. “Don’t you know that I am a married woman?” she said to him. “I only contracted you to get me pregnant because my husband was unable to make me conceive. But now that I have four children, I no longer need your services. “My body and soul have been torn apart for so long. I gave you my body but my husband has my soul. Now I want to reunite my body and soul in my marriage to my husband. So please try to understand and leave me alone. I don’t want to ruin my marriage and destroy my happy family.” Chris angrily walked away from Rose. The following day, he tried calling her on phone for them to meet up again at the hotel and have sex but Rose refused to answer his calls. He sent text messages to her but she didn’t reply. She had deleted his number and wasn’t going to have anything to do with him anymore. She expected him to get the message but Chris couldn’t face this new reality. The real reason Chris didn’t want to let go of Rose was that he had been living off her largesse. He was after her money and had been surviving from her purse all these years. Chris was lazy and didn’t want to work. All he wanted was for Rose to continue to give him money and more money. He knew she was rich and that the money would stop coming once their affair was over. Chris decided to kill Rose’s husband so that he could have her all to himself and be in control of her money too. He used to be a cultist at school and he was well connected with hired killers. He knew exactly where to find the man who would accompany him to shoot Sergeant Frank Okoro, Rose’s husband.

I will follow my heart to the grave. I will stand by my family to the end.

er mother-in-law looked at her with a mixture of both anger and joy when Rose announced that she was pregnant and was going to run away with her pregnancy if her in-laws insisted on throwing her belongings out of her husband’s house. The old woman appeared speechless for a while, and when she regained her breath, she opened her arms and invited Rose to give her a hug. “Come and give me a hug, my daughter,” she said. “You have made my heart glad today with what you have just said. If what you have just said is true, it calls for a celebration.” So that day, Rose had a party with her in-laws instead of having her belongings thrown out. They popped champagne and treated themselves to a sumptuous dinner together and it all looked so good. Her sister-inlaw even suggested she travel to the United States to have her baby when her time was due. Before her in-laws departed that day, Rose had become ‘fully’ accepted in the family. She had at last become a ‘full’ member of her husband’s family just because she was pregnant!

No matter how fast I run, I can’t run away from the look in your eyes. When her husband returned from the peace-keeping mission to Liberia, Rose would never forget the look in his eyes when he saw her at the airport where she had gone to welcome him. His eyes were so full of love and he had hugged her so tightly and broken down in tears because of all the love he had for her and how much he had missed her. He had apologized to her for all the insults and embarrassment she had suffered in the hands of his mother and siblings. Her husband had appeared truly sorry for all the pain and rejection she had endured in his absence. “I’m a soldier and I am trained to fight. But I am sorry for not being there to fight for you when my mother and siblings came to throw your belongings out of my house,” he said, with tears in his eyes. “I heard what happened and I thank God that they didn’t succeed because you’re now pregnant. Just because a woman is yet to have a child for her husband does not mean she should be rejected by her husband’s family. I’m sorry for the way they treated you all these years.” “I thought you had forgotten me, my love,” Rose said to her husband. “I thought you had left me to be ridiculed and shamed by your relatives even though I am legally married to you, just because we were yet to have a child.” “No, my love, I never forgot about you,” the Sergeant answered. “I thought about you every day, and dreamed of you every night. I have a feeling that it’s because of you God kept me alive at the war front. It is because of you I survived and I am now back home for good.” ************************************** Rose gave birth to her first child in the United States and returned to Nigeria full of joy. Now that she had finally become ‘productive’ her in-laws stopped bothering her, and she and her husband had peace of mind. Rose continued her discreet affair with Chris, her undergraduate student, and in the course of time she went on to have three more children for her husband by sleeping with her student lover. Every time she got pregnant, she paid Chris a huge sum of money, bigger than

His eyes were so full of love and he had hugged her so tightly and broken down in tears because of all the love he had for her and how much he had missed her the usual allowance she used to give him. They were so discreet that their affair remained a secret between both of them and nobody knew that the pretty female lecturer and her student were meeting up in a hotel room time and time again. After Rose had given birth to her fourth child, she told Chris that the relationship between them was over. Chris was shocked when she broke the news to him. He could not believe that it could ever be over between him and Rose. Although he had now graduated from the university, he had never imagined that one day he would have to stop sleeping with his lovely sugar mum lecturer. He thought he was going to enjoy her sexy body for the rest of his life and he found it hard to let go of her. “But how can we ever stop this affair when I love

************************************** It was almost midnight when Rambo saw a shadow creeping towards the uncompleted building where he slept. He quickly grabbed his pistol and then took a closer look at the approaching figure. It was Chris so he didn’t have to worry. “I have a job that I want you to do with me and we have to do it immediately,” Chris whispered. “Of course, I will pay you very well if you join me on this job,’ he quickly added. “How much?” Rambo asked. “A hundred thousand.” “Okay, but you must give me half the money now before we proceed and the other half when we return after completing the job.” Chris quickly gave Rambo a half of the money – Rose’s money – and they both disappeared into the night on the way to Rose’s home. When they got to Rose and husband’s residence, they quickly tied up the security guard on duty and made their way into the house. Unknown to them, Rose had installed a Closed Circuit TV. This CCTV made her and her husband aware about the intruders. Her husband quickly grabbed his gun, turned off the bedroom lights and waited in the dark for the intruders. The officer opened fire on the intruders as soon as they entered the bedroom he shared with his wife, and when he was sure that they were both dead he called in the police. Before the police took away the bodies, Rose stepped forward to take a look at the faces of the supposed bandits. After all, there was nothing wrong in looking at the faces of the intruders who had attempted to kill her and her husband, she thought. She collapsed when she saw Chris’s face. “Did you know the dead man before,” her husband asked her, after she had been revived at the hospital. “No, I never knew the man,” she answered. "I only collapsed at the thought of losing you."

True Confession: 'I lied about being a lesbian'

p.22

Life Experience: 'I snatched my mother’s boyfriend' p.20

L ve&Lv ng SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2014

'How my former girlfriend saved my marriage' Love Confession Breaking up with someone usually comes with bitter feelings and both parties hardly desire to have anything to do with each other afterward. However, in this story, a lady goes the extra mile in kindness towards her former lover. I cry whenever I think of leaving you.

hen I wedded in the Catholic Church, the priest made it clear the church forbids divorce. But after several years of marriage without a child, I took my wife to see a doctor and after I and my wife had been examined, it was revealed that both me and my wife have serious fertility issues. When the problem became too much for me to bear, I went to see my parish priest in his office for counseling. He told me he would offer Masses for me and pray for me. He counseled me, saying that if childlessness was my cross, I must bear it like Abraham, with faith and trust in God, and that at God’s time, my miracle would happen. He told me not to think of marrying a second wife. I told him I cry whenever I think of divorcing my wife. And to my surprise I noticed the priest was so touched that there were tears in his eyes as he spoke to me. He said to me: “Abu, do not worry because God, who sees all in secret, would be your refuge as you carry your cross and follow Jesus.” Never judge a book by the cover. It was during this my period of trial that I heard a rumour that the girlfriend I had in Jos in my secondary school days, had had a child for me.

I investigated the rumour and was advised by a reliable source to retrace her family back in Jos if I knew what was good for me. So I traveled to Jos and used my memory of where her family used to live in those days to find her. I finally found Joan’s parents. They were very angry with me and said that it was true Joan had had a child for me, a baby boy, after I’d dumped her when I heard she was pregnant. I said I was sorry for putting them through so much pain. I told them what I was suffering in my marriage and why I had come. Joan’s parents pitied me and agreed to summon Joan. They said Joan was married and had four children for her husband, but that the boy she had for me lived with her. They said Joan’s husband had been a wonderful step-father to my son. Two days later, Joan arrived. Joan said she was happily married to her husband and that it would give her joy to see me and my wife living happily together too. She said that if childlessness was the cause of all the trouble in my home, she was ready to release her son to me, to live with me and my wife as our own child. She said she had put the past behind her and that she is grateful to God that I finally found out that she had a son for me 15 years ago. I brought Joan’s son, my son, to my house last year, and since then, people have stopped referring to me and my wife as a childless couple. When my parish priest heard, he was full of praises to God. The Rev. Fr. told me that I must not judge a book by its cover, because things that may appear useless to us now, are the very things God may use in helping us tomorrow. Life has taught me never to judge a book by the cover, because appearances may be deceitful. Imagine Joan, the girl I dumped in Jos 15 years ago because she told me that she had missed her period, is now the one God has used to give me peace of mind. The rejected stone of my past has now become the pillar of my marriage. May God bless virtuous women like Joan that have a forgiving spirit. My former girlfriend saved my marriage. Now, I and my wife are living happily together again.

Romantic Quotes “My nightmares are usually about losing you. I'm okay once I realize you're here.” ― Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire

“He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.” ― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina Carson

MODEL OF THE WEEK Name: OGE Tel: 0809 347 3190

Love&Living

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Love News

Love Songs

Duchess of Cambridge pregnant with her second child

Hold On Hold on to your love Don't let go Hold on to your dreams, Dreams and hopes baby Fight with me, 'cause destiny Every fear, every cry was in vein Every smile, always lost If you leave me be, you're losing me and us Oooooooooh Just hold on the memories in your heart listen to the silence Hold on and bring my love tonight Hold on to me my baby [2x] Hold on to our love, Don't let go Hold on to our dreams, Dreams and hopes baby

zz But is being treated for severe morning sickness

he Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant again, Kensington Palace announced this morning. Kate, 32, whose son, Prince George is just a year old, is expecting her second baby with husband Prince William next year. The Duchess is once again suffering from the debilitating condition hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes extreme sickness in pregnant women. Unlike her first pregnancy, however, Kate is being treated by doctors at Kensington Palace and has not been admitted to hospital. A senior royal source said: ‘The couple only found out very recently. The Duchess has not even reached the crucial 12-week stage. 'But when it became apparent that she was no well enough to join the Duke on a joint engagement in Oxford today and that the number of forthcoming engagements could be affected, the Duke and Duchess have taken the difficult decision to be fully open about the pregnancy.’ In a statement the palace said: ‘Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duch-

AKCENT

ess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their second child. The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news. As with her first pregnancy, The Duchess is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum. ‘Her Royal Highness will no longer accompany The Duke of Cambridge on their planned engagement in Oxford today. The Duchess is being treated by doctors at Kensington Palace. ‘ Kate’s sickness means that her first solo foreign visit to Malta later this month is seriously in doubt. A palace source said that a decision would be made nearer the time. But the Duchess does plan to support her brother-in-law, Prince Harry, at the opening ceremony of his Invictus Games in London on Wednesday. The following day she is due to attend a solemn Drumhead service at Lee Valley Athletics Centre with the Duke and Harry, and later with William to watch Invictus competitors taking part in matches and heats. The Duchess is due to make her

first official solo overseas tour for two days in two weeks' time, from September 20-21. A palace spokesman said: 'We will be planning this on a case by case basis.' Prime Minister David Cameron offered his congratulations to the couple today, saying: 'Many congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I'm delighted by the happy news that they're expecting another baby.' Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said: ‘This is very happy news for any couple, and on behalf of the people of Scotland, I am delighted to send our best wishes to the Countess and our hearty congratulations to the royal couple.’ The Duchess is known in Scotland as the Countess of Strathearn. A Twitter spokesman told MailOnline shortly after the announcement that #RoyalBaby was the top trend worldwide and in Britain - and the news was also four out of ten of the top trends.

Fight with me, 'Cause destiny Every fear, every cry was in vein Every smile, always lost If you leave me be, you're losing me and us Oooooooooh Hold on the memories in your heart Listen to the silence Hold on and bring my love tonight Hold on to me my baby [2x] Just hold on the memories in your heart Listen to the silence Hold on and bring my love tonight Hold on to me my baby Hold on to me my baby...

Mrs. Creeves Love Poem From My Heart

Courtesy: Daily Mail

A million stars up in the sky one shines brighter I can't deny A love so precious a love so true a love that comes from me to you The angels sing when you are near within your arms I have nothing to fear You always know just what to say just talking to you makes my day I love you honey with all of my heart together forever and never to part.

*Send your love poems along with your name and number to ireto007@yahoo.com

Romantic Jokes

How people were born

A child asked his father, "How were people born?" So his father said, "Adam and Eve made babies, then their babies became adults and made babies, and so on." The child then went to his mother, asked her the same question and she told him, "We were monkeys then we evolved to become like we are now." The child ran back to his father and said, "You lied to me!" His father replied, "No, your mom was talking about her side of the family."

A programme for Singles and Married takes place at Holy Family Catholic Church, Festac Town, Lagos, every Monday by 7.00pm. Hosted by Rev. Fr. Sebastine Ukwandu.

'I snatched my mother’s boyfriend'

ight now, I’m in love and love is blind. That’s why my love for my man is threatening to tear my family apart. In fact, it has made me and my mother enemies. But is it really my fault? They say that when love comes in, everything else goes out the window. That’s why I don’t give a damn. My mother was a single mother and she raised me in the best way a single mother could raise a child. On her own she worked hard to feed me, clothe me, shelter me and send me to school and I appreciate her for it. My mum had married at a very young age and my father had died two months before I was born. My mum was still young and needed a man to take care of her, so I grew up used to seeing different boyfriends around my mother. She instructed me to call them ‘uncles’ and that, I did respectfully. However, at 19, I was ready for my own relationships and men started flocking to the flat I shared with my mum to look for me. My mum warned me to beware of men, but I didn’t feel such a warning was necessary as I was used to seeing men around my mum. “Sade,” my mummy said, “men are

Life Experience He held me like a lover in a million and when he caressed me between the thighs, I longed for him to go further and take all of me not to be trusted, so be careful with them.” But if men were so bad, I thought, why was mother still seeing them? How was I to know that my failure to heed mother’s warning would make us quarrel over a man? By the age of 27 I was in my final year studying Micro-biology in one of the universities in the South-West and returned from school one day to meet my mother in the arms of a very handsome young man in our living room. His name was Adams and I fell in love with him at first sight. I desired him from the very first moment I set my eyes on him, and I was willing to pay any price to unite our hearts and bodies together. When he looked into my eyes, I felt weak in the knees. Thoughts of Adams were like spangles on my heart. Dreams of him were like petals on my

soul. Life was beautiful with him and nothing else in the world made me wake up in the morning. In no time, the chemistry between us had grown to the point that I made him start cheating on my mother by going out secretly with me. Adams was certainly much younger than my mother. My mother was like a sugar mummy to him. So I didn’t really feel guilty about dating him. After all, I thought, why should mum be going out with a younger man, especially one young enough to be my boyfriend? The first time Adams made love to me was in my off campus apartment at school. The moon had risen and his kisses seemed to drown me. They were so sweet that I just held on to him and let him undress me. He held me like a lover in a million and when he caressed me between the thighs, I longed for him to go further and take all of me. Our illicit affair had been on for three years without my mum’s notice when Adams suddenly proposed marriage to me. “Adams, are you out of your mind?” I asked him. “How do you expect me to marry you when you are my mother’s boyfriend?” “If my mother finds out, what do you think she’d do to us?” “I’ll talk to her about it and make her see reason,” Adams replied. “After all, she knows that I could never marry her. I’m too young for her and besides, I’m c o n t i n u e d o n pa g e 2 2

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Relationships & Love Advice

'My boyfriend still keeps his exgirlfriend's pictures' Dear Love Doctor, I'm in a relationship with my boyfriend for more than 3 years. He still has his ex's photos and refuses to remove them. They were with each other for 5 years. He says that he doesn't have any feeling about her or her pictures but these photos have to be saved because they are his memories and remind him of his past. He also mentions that I will never see them but maybe, after 20 years or so, we will check them together and laugh. I say why shoud he have these photos of being in each other's arms, hugging or kissing each other or their portraits. I can't understand it. From Helen.

However, sometimes people keep old photos or maintain contact with their ex because they are unhappy with their present lover. It's usually the most recent ex that attracts their attention. There is an old saying that you should never get involved with someone who is rebounding from a failed relationship. Other times, people cannot let go of the feelings they had for their previous lover. This does not bode well for the success of the next relationship. Painful as this might be, you may have to give your boyfriend the choice of you or the pictures. I doubt that you will ever look back on the photos in the future with a laugh. It's not a laughing matter.

Love Doctor’s Advice: Dear Helen, Everyone has past relationships. However, for lovers to feel confidence and trust in one another, they need to know that the past is over and done. How can you feel confident about your boyfriend if he holds onto photos of his ex girlfriend? You cannot. Your boyfriend needs to assure you that he is happy and content being with you, and does not intend to go back to his past lover.

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Love&Living

Is this proof humans have TELEPATHIC powers? Odd News

ith a blindfold covering his eyes, and earplugs cancelling out almost all sound, Dr Michel Berg sat in a state-of-the-art laboratory at the University of Strasbourg in northeastern France, and began to think. Nearly 5,000 miles away, at a research facility in the Indian city of Kerala, a young Spanish man called Dr Alejandro Riera pulled on a tightly fitting hat, placed a laptop computer on a white table, and also began to think. Over the course of the next hour, on March 28 this year, the 51-year-old Dr Berg and his faraway counterpart would attempt something that had only previously occurred in the exotic realms of science fiction. The two men aimed to send a simple message between each other, across the continents, without using any of the five senses that human beings — and indeed animals — have for millennia used to communicate. They instead hoped to achieve what scientists call ‘mind-to-mind direct technological communication’ — and the rest of us would recognise by a single, tantalising word: telepathy. The experiment in speaking via ‘thought’ happened in conditions of absolute secrecy. Until recently, only a small team numbering a dozen researchers (including Dr Berg and Dr Riera) were even aware of its existence. That all changed a few days ago, however, when PLOS ONE, a website little known outside academia, published a peer-reviewed scientific paper detailing its outcome. The report is lengthy and jargon-ridden. But to a layman, its findings seem little short of sensational. For on that afternoon in March, Dr Berg and Dr Riera were indeed able to achieve ‘conscious brain-to-brain communication’. This, in layman’s terms, means they carried out the first scientifically documented telepathic conversation in human history. The exchange was nothing if not brief. The duo shared just two words: the Spanish greeting ‘hola’, and the Italian ‘ciao’. Yet what it might have lacked in colour and complexity, it surely made up for in potential historic importance. ‘We have shown that it is possible to send a mental message between two people, without using sight, touch, sound, taste or smell,’ Dr Berg told me yesterday.

‘This is of course early days, but the discovery could eventually have a profound impact on civilisation.’ The possibilities of telepathy are, indeed, endless. Dr Berg believes that in the coming decades, it could be used to help stroke victims, extreme paraplegics, and sufferers of ‘locked-in syndrome’ to speak and move again, using their brains to transmit instructions either to other people or to artificial limbs. ‘Take someone in a coma,’ he says. ‘At the moment, it is not possible to tell what they might want. This could open up the possibility of being able to communicate with them.’ A way from the field of medicine, soldiers may one day be able to use telepathy to speak across a noisy battlefield, without having to rely on radio or satellite equipment that could break, or be intercepted by their enemies. Families could use it to have conversations without needing a telephone. In a vaguely Orwellian realm, which raises profound ethical questions, policemen might use it to find a way to read the minds of potential criminals, and courts could ensure witnesses are telling the truth. We may even be able to communicate with the dead (if a way is found to keep their brains ‘alive’). ‘This is the first step towards opening a new way of allowing direct communication between brains,’ says Dr Carles Grau, a professor at the University of Barcelona, who worked on the project. ‘New legal protocols will of course one day be necessary to regulate the complexity of a future brain-to-brain civilisation.’ The concept of telepathy is as old as the hills. Psychics, for example, claim to be able to read the minds of strangers. Mothers often experience ugly premonitions when something unfortunate has happened to their child. Long before the era of mobiles and ‘caller ID’, many people claimed to be able to predict which friend was calling when they heard the telephone ring. There are also endless examples of identical twins claiming to experience the same feelings and emotions, and make similar life decisions, despite being miles, or even continents apart — sometimes without having ever met. We have shown that it is possible to send a mental message between two people, without using sight, touch, sound, taste or smell. Courtesy: Daily Mail.

Love&Living

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Love Education

True Confession From Overseas

What is Sexual Orientation?

'I lied about being a lesbian' C hristian and I had been best friends for ages when he was horribly dumped by his longterm girlfriend. I'd just got out of a relationship myself and been absolutely crushed by it. We were together in my apartment one night, drinking and complaining about how cruel love was, when one thing led to another. By the end of the week, we were a couple. Things were great at the beginning. It helped that we had a long history and understood each other, but then Christian began to get really needy. He began hinting about marriage and babies. It was just too fast for me. I knew it was a result of him being dumped, but as a friend, I felt really bad about discouraging his crazy ideas, so I didn't. But I was slowly feeling trapped, so I subconsciously began to distance myself from him. That made things even worse. He would text me up to 10 times a day. One day, he arrived on my doorstep

I lied and said that my last relationship had really made me distrust men and that I couldn't picture a future with a man any more

and asked me what was wrong. I didn't have the heart to tell him it was him, so I did the worst thing possible and said I thought I was a lesbian. I lied and said that my last relationship had really made me distrust men and that I couldn't picture a future with a man any more. I went on to say that I had been interested in women for a really long time but fear of rejection had made me never pursue the idea. Christian was surprised, but took it really well because it wasn't his fault. He turned into my best friend again and

'I snatched my mother’s boyfriend' c o n t i n u e d f r o m pa g e 2 0

madly in love with you,” he said. “Please let us not take our luck that far by getting married,” I pleaded. Adams swore that he would talk it over with my mum and secure her consent to marry me. He said he would talk to her the following weekend, so I hurriedly packed my bags and ran back to school. I didn’t want to be there to see my mum’s reaction. Expectedly, mum got very angry when he told her, and she told me to come home and pack my things and leave the house. Now, I’ve moved in with Adams and we plan to wed in a few weeks time. I’ve begged my mother to forgive me but she said over her dead body. I feel so bad about having hurt my mum so much. She says I’ve added insult to injury by opting to marry her gigolo. But I’ve pleaded with her that all I feel for Adams is love. Mum says we’ll never have a happy married life. But come to think of it, mum was only using Adams as her bedmate, and at the end of the day, she was going to use and dump him. Why do sugar mummies ruin young men’s lives? I know for sure that mummy would never marry him. So why can’t she just let go and wish us well? All I know is that by agreeing to marry Adams I’m following my heart and love is all that matters.

was very supportive. He even tried to set me up with his lesbian friends! I went along with it for a few months. We would go to the mall and "check out" girls together or we'd research articles on the Web about lesbianism. It was really good to have my best friend back, even though I felt bad about lying to him. In the meantime, he was out and about and met a girl he really liked. After a few dates, they were an item. I was happy that he had moved on. I eventually met a guy I was interested in and told Christian that the lesbian thing was a phase and I'd finally met the guy who could turn things around for me. At that point, he was so delighted with his relationship that he was happy for me! Because of that massive white lie, I managed to salvage our friendship. I can't feel bad about that. It only cost me a few months of singledom … and a long-term guilt trip! Courtesy: ninems.com

Wedding Traditions

China: Killing a chick to set the wedding date

here is a group of people called the Daur that live in Chinese Inner Mongolia. In order to finalize the wedding date the bride and groom are required to kill a baby chick while holding the knife together. They then proceed to gut the chick and inspect it’s liver. If the liver looks good then they are allowed to set a date. If not, then they have to repeat the process until they find a satisfactory liver. Courtesy: list.com

exual orientation is an enduring personal quality that inclines people to feel romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generally subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality, while asexuality (the lack of sexual attraction to others) is sometimes identified as the fourth category. These categories are aspects of the more nuanced nature of sexual identity. For example, people may use other labels, such as pansexual or polysexual, or none at all. According to the American Psychological Association, sexual orientation "also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions". The term sexual preference largely overlaps with sexual orientation, but is generally distinguished in psychological research. A person who identifies as bisexual, for example, may sexually prefer one sex over the other. Sexual preference may also suggest a degree of voluntary choice, whereas the scientific consensus is that sexual orientation is not a choice. There is no consensus among scientists about why a person develops a particular sexual orientation; however, biologicallybased theories for the cause of sexual orientation are favored by experts, which point to genetic factors, the early uterine environment, or both combinations. Moreover, there is no substantive evidence which suggests parenting or early childhood experiences play a role when it comes to sexual orientation; when it comes to same-sex sexual behavior, shared or familial environment plays no role for men and minor role for women. Research over several decades has demonstrated that sexual orientation ranges along a continuum, from exclusive attraction to the opposite sex to exclusive attraction to the same sex. While sexual orientation is reported primarily within biology and psychology, including sexology, for reports within anthropology and history, including social constructionism, there are other explanations that relate to sexual orientation and culture. Courtesy: Wikipedia

John Dumelo, Yvonne Nelson The new love tale

Maureen Ejezie The palm wine queen returns p.34

p.24

ShowBiz SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2014

life. He came to the studio, he heard it and supported it. This was in 2010 and the song went a long way. I then did Angeli featuring 9ice, which also gave me relevance in the industry. The track I featured Jamaican born Mavado, Born Leader, now summed the whole thing up. At a point some people struggled to relate with your music. What did you later do differently? What I did was that I took the music to what was appealing to Nigerians. People say my music is too mindtaxing, but I don’t believe we should all do the same thing. However, God also gave me the gift to be able to dilute or blend. So I took my music, we approached the label, we approached Tuface and he supported me. I started getting the attention from there. Then 9ice did the chorus of Angeli. I went to his studio and he didn’t charge me anything. I then later worked with Adewale Ayuba on Happy People and there we go. Basically my music is adaptable; it accommodates other kinds of music we have in Nigeria.

‘I grew up in the barracks ... So what?’ After a brief break in the industry following a feud with his former record label, YSG Entertainment, Vector Tha Viper whose real name is Olanrewaju Ogunmefun, released a mix-tape to announce his return last month. He speaks with OLUSHOLA RICKETTS. You had a spat not long ago with your record label company. What actually went wrong? I was signed to a record company and we had our differences. We have settled now and I am doing what I know how to do best. I really appreciated our relationship then, as they helped me grow in the industry. If it wasn't for them it's possible I would not be where I am today; but it got to a point where we had to go our separate ways. We are great now and I am running my music personally. But I choose to say I have been on a break and I stick to it. I got a chance during the break to observe the industry and try to grow more because when you are actively into it you might never have the chance to look deeply and analyze things well. I am back a better person. Right now, with the knowledge I have gathered, I should be able to do one or two things myself. Tell us about your new project? I put out a new mix-tape, #A7, last month, precisely on my birthday. August 7 happens to be the month I was born and A7 signifies a rebirth of sorts. I have been away for a while and it was only appropriate for me to come back during my birthday. The mix-tape is quickly skyrocketing by the grace of God. We have 15 tracks and a bonus track on it. Why rap music? The rap side of me just happens to be the first thing that caught the attention of the world. I play the guitar slightly and I took the lead in my church choir back then. So I can actually sing too. Was music what you really wanted to do? When I was younger I loved everything that got to do

with biology. It was so certain I would be going into the sciences and likely something related to biology. But with time I soon saw there was more about life than biology, and so I did philosophy at the University of Lagos. It was really wonderful to have studied philosophy because it made me to know the essence of things. I also knew along the way that I might do well in music too because we used to do rap battles. And for four years I spent in school I remained unbeaten. What was your background like? My dad is an officer, so I grew up in the barracks on Lagos Island. My mum is a caterer and business woman. We had plenty food to eat and a lot of discipline too. I have two sisters and two brothers. What's your reaction to the notion that children who grow up in barracks are notorious? We have to prove to the world that people from the barracks don’t necessarily become miscreants or robbers. I grew up in the barracks and I had good education there and I have friends there who are doing well too. When you say barracks in the industry people quickly remember Vector but D'banj, Kswitch are also grew up in the barracks. Which song would you say brought you to limelight? I can’t really say because it was a progress. I featured in a song Pal my with Samklef. It was even before I got a record deal and it was when people first took note of me. I did Shayo remix with Bigiano, I did Champion remix with General Pype and the fan base started from there. So when I did Get Down, my own song, Tubaba helped me. I featured him on the song and I appreciate Tuface in my

What were the initial challenges? It was tasking to prove myself to Nigerians because there’ve been a lot of negativity. When a particular music is trending it becomes the way forward in Nigeria. And when you are fresh it is so hard to penetrate. Nigerians would test you to see whether you are really worthy of their attention. The initial hurdle is the stage of acceptance by Nigerians. There were also instances where you meet people who will promise you heaven and earth, but they cannot do anything. Some people as agents will also promise to get you all the shows and before you know it you start getting frustrated. If you are able to survive and still give Nigerians what they want you are indeed worthy of the spotlight. What do you consider your selling points? I read a lot of things. Some people say I make them think in my music, while some ladies think it is the way I smile. Others think it is because I am tall. But I think it is because my music is different. What’s the true story behind your proposal to Chidinma? Chidinma is my cool friend. We were trying to tease Phenom because there was a rumour some days before that they were dating. So we were now updating pictures on Instagram on our way for a show in Abuja and before we knew it we were in the news. Are you getting married anytime soon? You never can tell. Once you are matured you want to get to the next level at a certain point in your life. You have to find a woman to settle with because you want to be able to play football with your son. It is not good if you get carried away by fame and forget that you have to start your family early. Is there any major reason you wear baseball caps? I really like baseball caps. The last time I checked I had like 30. For everyday in a month I can wear one cap and will never repeat it. I also give out a lot. It is just something I like to do; it does not signify anything. When should we expect your next album? I am working on my album, but what we have right now is the #A7. People love it and it is not just about rap music; we have different kinds of songs there. I am a man of my words. Since I had promised my fans that I would do a free album for them I had to do it. An album is expected to follow. The album is ready; we have recorded over 50 songs already. You co-hosted the last edition of the Future Awards Africa in Port Harcourt. What was it like? I would say thank you to the organizers of the awards because they are doing what is not common in Nigeria in promoting the youth. They don’t care what you are trained to do. Once they believe in you they will support you and I think they are impacting greatly in their own ways. Now I can say I had tried this before and I can even do it better. Since then I have been invited to host a lot of shows, but the Future Awards is the biggest I have done so far. It was awesome because they saw in me what I didn’t see in myself. It is great for the youths and artistes themselves. I didn’t think I could do it but they made me do it.

Showbiz

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

SHOWBIZ TODAY

LANRE ODUKOYA

One out, nine left as Tuface wows at Project Fame A nother contestant has been evicted from the MTN Project Fame Academy as the competition moves closer to what promises to be a climactic end. This was obvious in the previous nomination show which had the contestants entertaining all with reggae tunes. Fate stands and despite the brilliant performances, the viewers’ votes still determine the most impressive contestant and the head the crown fits. The contestants’ group performance (a medley of Boyz2Men's and New Edition's hit tracks) opened the evening, and expectedly, it was an enthralling display. For the week, the contestants with the least number of votes turned out to be Ugo, Flourish, Daniella, and Emeka. So they each stepped on stage again to perform their songs from the previous nomination show for a chance to remain in the competition. Just before the judges, faculty, and contestants saved only one, Niniola (Season 6 third runner-up) lit up the stage with her personal composition titled Ibadi. It was heart-warming to see that an alumnus of the Academy was doing remarkably well in the music industry. Coming back to the business of the night, the judges saved Emeka, the faculty saved Ugo, which left the contestants with a choice to either save Daniella or Flourish. In the end, their verdict favoured Daniella and this marked the end of Flourish’s sojourn in the competition. She had words of appreciation for the judges, faculty and everyone who supported and made her stay in the Academy worthwhile. Flourish bowed out of the competition singing Tuface’s Raindrops. The past week in the Academy was another eventful one. The contestants as usual had tons of lessons to glean from members

of the Faculty. The highlight of the week was Tuface Idibia’s visit to the Academy. The joy of meeting him surely lingered and reflected even in their individual performances. The evening’s nomination show was dedicated to celebrate this icon - Tuface Idibia. Little wonder the contestants stepped on the stage in style and glam for their group performance - a medley of hit tracks by the defunct “Plantashun Boiz”. This can be said to have brought back some profound memories for 2face who was in the studio as a guest judge and other members of the audience. Christian opened the floor with his performance of the famous African Queen. Next up was Daniella who performed True Love. Shola brought down the house with For Instance, followed by Debbie who smoothly did If Love is a Crime. After these four performances, Clement took the centre stage with Nfana Ibaga, then came Ugo’s turn and he engaged everyone with Implication. Ruky took up the challenge with See Me So to everyone’s delight. Emeka entertained the audience, singing Ihe Neme. To wrapup their individual performances was Geoffrey and he did well with Only Me. To draw the curtains on the night’s show was Tuface who entertained and got everyone dancing with his amazing renditions.

E-BRIEFS

Flourish Flourish

With their sixth album, P-Square’s got a hurdle to scale

T Fans urge John Dumelo, Yvonne Nelson to take the vow J

ohn Dumelo and Yvonne Nelson have joined the list of African actors, especially from Ghana, who demonstrate affection off and on set. They repeatedly claim to be friends, perhaps because Dumelo is legally married. But fans do not seem quite convinced as some of these reactions show: “Yvonne Nelson and John Dumelo should stop deceiving themselves and get married. We all know they are dating but they keep denying the fact but what they do behind the scene is quite obvious. So what are they hiding?" – Kwame Derick. "Those who know the two closely can attest to the fact that they are dating.. so what is the point hiding it from the public? They are both adults and they should do the right thing instead of deceiving themselves." - Esther Bossman. "I am a movie person and I have been on set where I have seen Yvonne and John do things only lovers do, so I get surprised when they keep telling people they are mere friends. They are more than that and should do the right thing and get married because they are of age and no one can tell them what to do." – Kaaki O.

The leggy actress and producer had an affair with singer, Iyanya, sometime last year but it ended unceremoniously. Understandably, Nelson probably needs a waltz out of that despair and it doesn’t really matter how it happens.

he release of P-Square’s latest song, Eje-a-jo, already evokes mixed reactions among their fans. This certainly means the singing duo has a lot of convincing to do. P-square’s album titled Double Trouble had its release date at September 12. This is more so because it would be their first outing after the family rancour that almost sank the empire. While it contains songs like Testimony, Personally and Alingo which did great in Nigerian music charts, the release of their latest song Eje-a-jo which is one of the tracks, got mixed feelings from a lot of people, most of whom believed it was not composed with the specific market in mind. The 13-track album features the likes of Don Jazzy, T.I, Awilo and Jermaine Jackson on some of its tracks, and has Personally, Alingo and Testimony as its three bonus tracks. Sustaining the standards already set by their previous albums like Get Squared, Game Over, Danger and The Invasion, how far this album would fly remains a nagging concern.

Did Desmond Elliot ask fans to help Ini Edo with prayers?

Facebook account bears the name of Nollywood actor and director, Desmond Elliot, and the same posted a message which reads: “We all know actress, Ini Edo, has been married for a while now without any issue. Many of us have laughed at her, insulted her, judged her without knowing the pains she goes through indoors. She has entertained us, made us laugh and has inspired many of us. Today, let us come together and pray for her. Ini Edo, this year, 2014 will not pass you by, you will not only get pregnant, you will also give birth safe and sound. As you write AMEN to this, may God answer all your hidden prayers. Why not write amen? Your amen is so powerful, just type amen on her behalf. God bless you.”

The message generated over 100,000 replies with many Nigerians saying "amen" Edo and Elliot to the prayer. Prior to this time, the same account had posted scores of heart-rending human angle tales most of which attracted immense replies. But in these days of cyber cloning, it could well be an impersonator. We called the actor who didn’t pick his phone and equally refused to reply our message to authenticate the owner of the said account.

Oboli and children

Omoni Oboli must be joking N

ollywood actress, Omoni Oboli, has called on Nigerians to storm cinemas to watch her recently premiered movie, Being Mrs Elliot, to enable her recover her money. Omoni reportedly says she is "praying and hoping with all of my heart and soul that the movie do well in the Cinemas" so that she could pay her children's school fees. What an affront, some say. Not after the private screening staged for President Goodluck Jonathan. Though she once said she made no money from the screening, fans had barely managed to excuse that claim apparently to rest the scandal on her dramatic dress choice in front of the grand commander. She further explained that she expects the movie to yield returns of about N200 million, which she says will be her biggest money. But how much is the "tuition fees" the family is waiting for N200 million to offset? The movie has started showing in cinemas across Nigeria since September 5.

SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2014

FREE

Sport Splash 25

Mayweather vows to crush Maidana p.27

Arsenal, Man City in Emirates showdown p.28

Ideye chases first goal to Goodison Park p.28

Playing with Falcons’ stars gives me confidence – Ihezuo p.31

Nigeria’s Elderson Echiejile keeps Scotland’s Steven Naismith at arms length during a friendly match

AFCON qualifiers: Don’t panic, Echiejile tells Nigerians

Ajibade Olusesan

uper Eagles defender, Elderson Echiejile, has told Nigerians not to lose sleep over the team’s chances of qualifying for the 2015 African Nations Cup. The African champions began their qualification campaign on a scrappy note. They went down to a surprise 3-2 home loss to a less-fancied Congo last Saturday in Calabar. And despite widespread criticism of their performance in Nigeria, the Stephen Keshi-led team failed to fly in South Africa in their second group game. They played a dour goalless draw against the Bafana Bafana. Although they maintained their unbeaten

run in a competitive match against the South Africans, the result left them third in Group A of the qualifying series. Many Nigerians are now losing hope in the ability of the team to make it to Morocco next year. But in an interview with New Telegraph, the As Monaco defender admonished Nigerians not to give up on the team. He said although their performance in the opening two games left much to be desired, they still have a good chance of making it to Morocco. “It is unfortunate that we could not win any of our first two games despite the fact that we worked hard to achieve that. Our first match at home was so bad but we improved in our

second game against South Africa. We really wanted to win there but that is football. “My message to Nigerians is that they should keep praying for the team, they should not give up. No matter what, we are going to qualify for the Nations Cup and go there and win the trophy again. We still have four matches to play, there is still a big chance for us,” he said. Congo, who qualified by default, are currently topping the table with six points after following up their victory in Nigeria with another against Sudan. South Africa are second with four points, while Nigeria are sitting third after picking just one point. Sudan are at the bottom with no point.

Sport

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Nigerian League Rendezvous with charles Ogundiya

charlesog2001@yahoo.com, charles.ogundiya@newtelegraphonline.com

08098042287

Players celebrate resumption of league

t was jubilations galore among players after the announcement of resumption across the various leagues in the country. The league went on break after the Nigeria Referees Association withdrew its services to the different divisions following the crisis that the Nigeria Football Federation has been embroiled in.

Affected by the referees’ boycott were the Nigeria Professional Football League, the Nigeria National League, the Nigeria Nationwide League and the Nigeria Women’s League. However, the NRA announced during the week their readiness to officiate matches starting on Wednesday. Speaking with League Rendezvous, El-Kanemi Warriors

Glo league table No

Team

Pts

Kano Pillars

Nasarawa Utd

Enyimba

Dolphins FC

Abia Warriors

Sunshine Stars

Warri Wolves

-1

Lobi Stars FC

-3

Akwa Utd

-1

El-Kanemi

Sharks FC

Giwa FC

Heartland FC

Gombe Utd

Taraba FC

-10

Rangers

Bayelsa Utd

-8

Kaduna Utd

-10

Crown FC

-12

Nembe City

-21

League to end as scheduled

eague Rendezvous can reveal that the league will continue as scheduled despite the two weeks break necessitated by the withdrawal of Nigeria Referees Association from officiating matches. Speaking with our correspondent, an official of the League Management Company said the Nigeria Professional Football League would be concluded on the original date earlier proposed. In the fixtures released by the LMC, the week 38 matches will be played on November 9 to round off the 2013/2014 league season. “We are going to work within the schedule; the only difference is that we are going to be having some midweek matches to compensate for the two weekends we missed. “The only thing that can derail the league now will be the Federations Cup final because we are yet to be informed about the date,” the official said. Week 26 matches will be played across various centres in the country on Wednesday September 17, with the league leader and defending champion, Kano Pillars, staking their title credential against FC Taraba. Crown will be home to title hopeful, Nasarawa United in Ibadan.

midfielder, Eugene Obi, said: “I am happy that the league is finally set to resume. The players are tired of staying at home doing nothing and it was with a excitement that we received the news of the resumption.” “During the World Cup, we were redundant for a whole month. Our expectation was to conclude the league as soon as possible only for us to go on

another forced break. Thank God we are back doing what we know how to do,” Victor Ezuruike, a defender with Dolphins of Port Harcourt, informed our correspondent. Defending champions Kano Pillars are top of the standings with 43 points after 25 round of matches while in the NNL, Wikki Tourists and 3SC lead Group A and B respectively.

MATCH DAY 26 (SEPT 17) BAYELSA VS NEMBE FC TARABA VS KANO HEARTLAND VS KADUNA CROWN VS NASARAWA SHARKS VS GOMBE LOBI STARS VS EL-KANEMI AKWA VS ENYIMBA ABIA VS GIWA FC RANGERS VS DOLPHINS WARRI vs SUNSHINE Stats after 25 matches Total matches played: 249 Highest home win: Gombe Utd 6-0 Nembe Highest away win: Bayelsa Utd 1-3 Abia Warriors Goals per matchday: 20.68 Goals per match: 2.08 Home goals: 393 Away goals: 124

Top scorers Ighodaro Osaguona (Rangers)

13 goals

Peter Ebimobowei (Bayelsa Utd)

13 goals

Rabiu Ali (Kano Pillars)

11 goals

Mfom Udoh (Enyimba)

11 goals

Gbolahan Salami (Warri Wolves)

10 goals

Adamu Mohammed (Gombe Utd)

9 goals

Adamu Hassan (Kano Pillars)

9 goals

Egbune Harrison of Crown FC

PHOTO:shengolpixs

Government still silent on Akwa United’s pay

he players of Nigeria Professional Football League side, Akwa United, have informed League Rendezvous that they would continue their strike for as long as the Akwa Ibom State government refuses to settle their outstanding entitlements. According to some of the players the government has not been sensitive to their plight hence their decision to embark on strike to press home their demands. The Promise Keepers, as the club is known, have not trained since the beginning of the week and has vowed to continue with the boycott until the arrears of last season’s sign-on fees and current salaries are fully paid. Investigations by League Rendezvous revealed that the players were owed four months’ salaries and two match bonuses. One of the players who spoke with our correspondent said they are tired of promises, saying all they wanted was the money to be paid. “Every time they keep assuring us that they will pay, but we can’t take that any longer. We have families too and they are looking up to us,” the player who craved anonymity said. Media officer of the club, Uwem

Ekoh, said the government has assured the players that their salaries would be paid. “The governor has informed us that he has released the funds but it is just that we are yet to receive it. The management of the club keeps appealing to the players to resume training,” he said. Meanwhile, the technical adviser of the club, Patrick Udoh, has pleaded with the players to discontinue the boycott of training over unpaid entitlements and salaries. Udoh said although he under-

stands the difficult position of the players, he still implores them to re-consider their tough stance and return to training while discussion with the management continues. “I’m equally sharing their plight as well, but for the sake of the team as well as our names we all need to come together to save the team,” he said. Akwa United are ninth on the league table with 36 points from 25 league matches and will host Enyimba in match day 26 when league resumes.

Akwa United’s Namso Edo takes a free-kick against Nasarawa United

Oguns

Leave league to the private sector F

ormer Sunshine Stars coach, Segun Oguns, has revealed to League Rendezvous that the best way to improve on the standard of the league is to get the private sector involved. According to him, some of the clubs are having problems because of government involvement. Speaking with our correspondent, he said the only way to make the league more lucrative and competitive is to involve companies and organisations that are ready to put their money into clubs so as to run them as real professional outfits. “In our days we had clubs that were sponsored by individuals and also the private sector, that was when we had real club owners unlike now that some club administrators call themselves club owners. “Some people will get funds from government and fail to give the players, but a private sector sponsor will want to know how their money is spent, they will demand accountability. But government will give you money and how you spend it is entirely up to you. That doesn’t encourage accountability,” he said. He added: “How many local clubs have academies where young talents are produced? And that is something that we need to help the national teams.” On the failure of league players to measure up when invited to the national team, Oguns said it was the fault of the coaches and advised that they should do more of teaching than coaching, while also making sure they give more opportunities to the league players in the national team.

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Israel switch will help my Eagles return, says Ogu

Ifeanyi Ibeh igeria midfielder, John Ogu, has informed New Telegraph that he hopes his switch to Israeli Premier Division side, Hapoel Be’er Sheva, will improve his chances of getting a recall to the Super Eagles. Ogu recently joined the Israeli side on a four-year deal after enduring a torrid year at Portuguese club, Academica de Coimbra, where he had found first team football hard to come by after falling out of favour with the club’s erstwhile coach, Sergio Conceicao, who is now in charge at Sporting Braga. Ogu’s situation at Academica began after featuring for the Super Eagles in an August 2013 international friendly against South Africa, a game Conceicao, a former Portuguese international, had told the midfielder not to attend. After returning from the game against the South Africans, Ogu was frozen out of the first team and never got to play a competitive game for Academica, a situation which made him to miss out on the Super Eagles’ squad to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. But Ogu, who hasn’t featured for the Super Eagles since last November’s 2-2 draw against Italy in London, is now hoping to

have a successful campaign with Hapoel Be’er Sheva and play his way back into the national team. “I’m really delighted with the move. It’s a great opportunity for me to play regular football again,” said Ogu. “They have given me a chance and I want to repay their faith in me by doing all I can to help the club to success in the league and, hopefully, get the attention of the national team coaches.” Hapoel Be’er Sheva have not won the Israeli Championship since 1976 but finished last season in second place. “I understand we haven’t won the title in a very long time, so I am hoping we can do enough to finish this season in first place,” added Ogu.

igerian-born Falcons defensive end, Osi Umenyiora, has condemned Atlanta Hawks general manager’s comments about NBA forward Luol Deng and his African heritage. Umenyiora took particular offense at Hawks general manager Danny Ferry saying Luol Deng “has a little African in him” with the implication that Deng’s heritage makes him “a two-faced liar and cheat.” “It’s ridiculous, man,” Umenyiora said. “It’s ridiculous. It’s really sad. You (media) are going to have to help us out with that one because if you don’t say nothing, nobody else will.” Umenyiora was born in Britain to Nigerian parents. The family later moved back to Nigeria and eventually to Auburn, Alabama, where Umenyiora took up football. Ferry made the comments during a conference call to discuss free-agent players. Ferry and the Hawks maintain that Ferry was reading the racially-charged words from a scouting report prepared by someone else. However, Yahoo Sports says it obtained a transcript of the call and reports: “In context of the transcripts, it appears that those had been Ferry’s own interjections on the call, somehow supporting the intel culled outside of the Hawks.”

Ike Uche battles fitness, Onazi eyes debut

Ajibade Olusesan

Uche

ut-of-favour Super Eagles striker, Ike Uche, is battling fitness test ahead of Villarreal’s trip to Granada. Uche was not selected for their 1-0 home loss to Barcelona before the break after he suffered a knock ahead of the tie and it remains to be seen if the player will be fit to make a return to Granada where he spent a season on loan two years ago. Uche was the highest goal scorer for the Yellow Submarine last season and has opened his account for this season already. In Italy, Ogenyi Onazi could play a part in Lazio’s Serie A match against Cesena. The youngster was not selected for their season opener due to injury but after playing two international matches for Nigeria in the last one week, there is no doubt that the player has regained his fitness.

Floyd Mayweather lands a punch on an opponent

Mayweather vows to crush Maidana

loyd Mayweather, coming from one of the biggest scares of his undefeated boxing career, wants to send a message Saturday when he faces Argentine brawler Marcos Maidana. Mayweather, who won a majority decision over Maidana in May, will battle the South American again for the World Boxing Association welterweight title and World Boxing Council welterweight and junior middleweight crowns. This is just the second rematch Mayweather has given since turning pro in 1996. Mayweather won a controversial unanimous decision over Jose Castillo in 2002. The pair fought again eight months later for the WBC lightweight title and Mayweather won by another decision. Mayweather, 46-0 with 26 knockouts, will need to get off to a better start against Maidana than he did in their first fight in order to keep his perfect record intact.

La Liga:

Racism: Umenyiora slams Atlanta Hawks GM

Sport

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

“I’ve been here before and I know what it takes to win at this level. We put it all on the line in the first fight. The fans demanded the rematch so we owe it to them to put it all on the line again. Maidana’s rugged. He’s a cool fighter and we’ll see how it plays out on Saturday. “I have to focus on my fight. I can’t focus on anything else going on, I have a tough fighter in front me and he needs all my focus. We’ve had a remarkable training camp. Truly unbelievable. I feel a lot stronger than last time. It’s about hard work, dedication, prayers, belief and a good team. I know I’m almost 40, but I’m still going strong. I want to go out there and perform. Maidana will be trying to pace himself so that he doesn’t run out of steam in the later rounds. “I don’t have to make any adjustments. He do,” Mayweather said. “I won. He has to make adjustments.” Maidana, 35-4 with 31 knock-

outs, came the closest of anyone to becoming the first fighter to beat Mayweather, landing 51 percent of his punches with Mayweather on the ropes. “I am very well prepared but this time around I already know him,” Maidana said. “Floyd is not used to giving rematches. So I got this great opportunity.”

I am ready for Dauda challenge – Ekeng Henshaw Charles Ogundiya

igeria’s cruiserweight champion, Ekeng Henshaw, has said that he can’t wait to step in the ring against title contender, Mohammed Dauda. Speaking exclusively to New Telegraph, Henshaw said nothing would stop him from knocking out his opponent on September 28. The fight scheduled to hold at the Brai Ayonote Boxing Gym of the National Stadium in Lagos, will see Henshaw defending the title he won against Dauda last year. “The last time I defeated Dauda, he said he was robbed, but this time around, I am going to knock him out before the last round. I want to show him that my victory against him was not a fluke by teaching him a boxing lesson,” he said. Henshaw who lost his quest to dethrone Mabika Taylor of Gabon as the African cruiserweight champion said he has learnt a lot during that fight. The inspector of police said the fight has given him some exposure and that his opponent will not believe what hit him when they meet in the ring. “I am fully fit and ready for the fight. I lost against Taylor because of injury, but now I am fully healed and raring to go.” Speaking on his next target, Henshaw said: “I will be going for the West African Cruiserweight title in Senegal later in the year against Anicet Amoussou of Benin Republic, and I am going to use this fight to assess my level of preparedness for the fight.” The fight is being organised by the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control.

‘Anelka too expensive for Serie A’

he agent of former Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka has denied that his client had an agreement with Fiorentina or Palermo. Nicolas Anelka was linked with Fiorentina and Palermo before agreeing to join Indian side Mumbai FC but it seems the Serie A clubs couldn’t afford him. The 35-year-old has agreed to play in India until December, joining a string of stars headed for the inaugural Indian Super

League season. Anelka had been without a club since leaving West Brom under controversial circumstances earlier in the year. The French international’s agent has clarified that while there was interest from Italy, Anelka’s wage demands made him an unrealistic proposition for a Serie A side. “Fiorentina never made contact with Anelka,” representative Alexander Garini told Violanews.com.

Ideye

igeria international, Brown Ideye, will be looking forward to scoring his first Premier League goal as West Brom take on Everton at the Goodison Park today. Ideye has played three league matches since he made his record £10 million move from Dynamo Kiev at the summer but he’s yet to find the back of the net. Baggies fans could lose their patience if the Nigerian tarries in finding his scoring boots, and the former Sochaux of France hit man will fight to open his goal account at Everton. Similarly, Victor Moses is expected to continue his redemption at Stoke City when the club hosts Leicester City. He dazzled in his league debut when Stoke recorded an unbelievable 1-0 win at Man City before the break. Mikel Obi could add to his 23 minutes of Premier League action when Chelsea clash with Swansea in top-of-the-table match at the Stamford Bridge. The player was introduced in the 75th minute when the Blues walloped Everton 6-3 and he gave the assist for the sixth goal.

Ideye chases first goal to Goodison Park

EAGLES FOCUS

www.newtelegraphonline.com/metro

NEW TELEGRAPH

Real,Atleticodobattleagain

Time: 7:00pm

Olivier Giroud to injury. While a shortage of strikers cannot be blamed for City’s inconsistent start, manager Manuel Pellegrini said they lacked a creative

Venue: Emirates Stadium Arsenal Man City Played: 184 184 Won: 93 49 Drawn: 42 42 Lost: 49 93

spark when they slipped to a surprise 1-0 home defeat to Stoke City. In a bid to ease their attacking woes, Arsenal snapped up Danny Welbeck on the final day of the transfer window and the former Manchester United striker is confident his style of play will fit in perfectly at The Emirates. Along with Giroud, midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who has scored in two of Arsenal’s three Premier League games this sea-

son, could miss Saturday’s clash after twisting his ankle in Wales’ 2-1 win over Andorra on Tuesday. Champions City, so potent in front of goal last season, head to north London having let Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo join Valencia, while inform forward Stevan Jovetic, who scored two goals against Liverpool, is struggling with a hamstring injury.

assimiliano Allegri will have to contend with a growing injury list as Juventus welcome Udinese in Serie A on Saturday. With Arturo Vidal (thigh), Andrea Pirlo (hip), Andrea Barzagli (Achilles) and Giorgio Chiellini (calf) all unavailable, it now looks as though Carlos Tevez could also be set for a spell on the sidelines. Reports in the Italian press claimed that the Argentina forward limped out of training on Wednesday with a suspected hamstring injury. It leaves Sebastian Giovinco and Fernando Llorente as Allegri’s primary striking options for

Injuries mount for Juventus

he two-week break for internationals has forced Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal to wait patiently

United set to unleash ‘Galaticos’ on QPR

Rooney

arseille will attempt to put Marcelo Bielsa’s outburst about lack of transfer activity and allowing some player to leave to the back of their minds and seal a third consecutive Ligue 1 win at Evian. Bielsa’s verbal volley came on the back of a 1-0 win at Guingamp and a 4-0 hammering of Nice last time out and Marseille will fancy their chances of securing another victory on Sunday against an Evian side that is bottom of the table with only a point to their name. Paris-Saint Germain made a statement of intent when they hammered Saint-Etienne 5-0 before the international break and the champions travel to Rennes on Saturday. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a hat-trick in that resounding victory and was in the headlines again when he was fortunate not to be sent off after he caught Austria defender David Alaba in the face with a swinging arm during his 100th cap for Sweden on Tuesday. Early leaders Bordeaux will be aiming to continue their impressive start when they travel to Guingamp, while Lille host Nantes in the other game to be played on Sunday. Reims will attempt to secure their first win of the campaign at home to Toulouse on Saturday, while Bastia host Lens, Montpellier entertain Lorient and Caen take on Saint-Etienne at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

Bielsa’s Marseille look for third win in a row

Sport

Madrid derby

rsenal and Manchester City meet at The Emirates today when both teams will seek to bounce back life after making spluttering starts to their Premier League campaigns. A month after demolishing City 3-0 in the Community Shield at Wembley, seventh-placed Arsenal have failed to reach the same high level, drawing their last two league matches and losing French striker

Arsenal, man city in emirates showdown

Clash of the titans

Time: 12:45pm

Global Football Special 28 SATURDAY N 13 SEPTE

Ronaldo

title winners last term before their season was soured somewhat by defeat to Real after extra time in the UEFA Champions League final. And while it may be stretching the truth to suggest that Atletico’s Supercopa de Espana win over Real – 2-1 over two legs last month – was a form of revenge, they will hope to get one over their rivals again at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. Real could hand striker Javier Hernandez a debut after he arrived on loan from Manchester United before the transfer window closed. Carlo Ancelotti has added James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos and Hernandez to a squad already brimming with world-class talents, but he has already been criticised for letting winger Angel di Maria and midfielder Xabi Alonso leave the club. Real sit 10th in the embryonic Liga table after losing 4-2 at Real Sociedad last time out, while Atletico are sixth. wansea city will travel to West London to face Chelsea on Saturday at the bridge. Both Premier League teams will fight to the end for the pole position of the EPL table, one of the sides currently first and second in the fledgling table will drop their first points of the season. Chelsea and Swansea have won all three Premier League matches this season. Chelsea

Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka unite in Geneva this weekend as Switzerland bids for its first appearance in a Davis Cup final in 22 years. Federer and Wawrinka, who are slated to play the singles and doubles rubbers for their country, are joined by Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer as they face Italians Fabio Fognini, Andreas Seppi, Paolo Lorenzi and Simone Bolelli in the tie hosted on a hard court constructed in Geneva’s Palexpo.

Federer

Kagawa

Zanotti

SPORT BRIEFLY

damage for the second time in four months while representing Germany. Xabi Alonso and Mehdi Benatia will each hope to shake off injuries in order to represent champions Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena for the first time. Bayern face Stuttgart - a side they have beaten in 11 successive meetings - on Saturday, but Alonso (foot), who made his debut in a 1-1 draw at Schalke on August 30 after arriving from Real Madrid, and former Roma defender Benatia (muscular problems) are not guaranteed to feature. Franck Ribery has declared himself available to Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, after overcoming a knee problem.

Fabrizio Zanotti has been discharged from hospital after being struck on the head by a ball during the first round of the KLM Open on Thursday (local time). The 31-year-old Paraguayan was on the 16th fairway at the Kennemer Golf Club in the Dutch coastal town of Zandvoort when he was struck by a ball hit from the 14th tee by Frenchman Alexandre Kaleka. Play was suspended for nearly two hours but Zanotti, who won the BMW International Open earlier this season, did not lose consciousness and received treatment on the course before being taken to hospital.

host of new signings could make Bundesliga debuts this weekend, with a familiar face at Borussia Dortmund set to command the most attention. In the first round of fixtures since the transfer window closed, Dortmund appear likely to hand a second debut to Japan playmaker Shinji Kagawa, who rejoined the club from Manchester United at the end of last month, when they play host to Freiburg. While question marks remain over Kagawa’s match sharpness due to his lack of action this term, he may well be utilised from the start against Freiburg, particularly after Marco Reus suffered ankle ligament

Chelsea’s Diego Costa scores against Everton’s Tim Howard

LA Liga Barcelona v Ath Bilbao Málaga v Levante Real Madrid v Atletic Celta dVigo v Sociedad Sunday Vallecano v Elche Valencia v Espanyol Sevilla v Getafe Granada CF v Villarreal

Ligue 1 Saturday Dortmund v Freiburg Bayern v Stuttgart Hertha 1. Mainz Paderborn v Köln Hoffenheim v Wolfsburg M’gladbach v Schalke Sunday Frankfurt v FC Augsburg Hannover 96 v Hamburger

NO TEAM 1 Milan 2 Roma 3 Udinese 4 Napoli 5 Cesena 6 Juventus 7 Cagliari 8 Palermo 9 Sampdoria 10 Sassuolo 11 Atalanta 12 Inter Milan 13 Torino 14 Verona 15 Genoa 16 Chievo 17 Parma 18 Lazio 19 Empoli 20 Fiorentina

Serie A

NO TEAM 1 Chelsea 2 Swansea 3 Aston Villa 4 Man City 5 Liverpool 6 Tottenham 7 Arsenal 8 Soton 9 Hull 10 Stoke 11 West Ham 12 QPR 13 Sunderland 14 Man Utd 15 Leicester 16 Newcastle 17 Everton 18 West Brom 19 C’Palace 20 Burnley

P 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

PTS 9 9 7 6 6 6 5 4 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 P 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

PTS 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

PREMIER LEAGUE

Llorente

his first home match in charge. Juve coach Allegri could, however, be boosted by the return of close-season signing Alvaro Morata, who has made a swift recovery from the knee surgery he had in July.

PTS 6 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0

PTS 6 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 0

Bundesliga NO TEAM P 1 Leverkusen 2 2 Paderborn 2 3 Hoffenheim 2 4 Köln 2 5 Bayern 2 5 Frankfurt 2 7 Hannover 2 8 Dortmund 2 9 Bremen 2 10 Mainz 05 2 11 M’gladbach 2 12 Wolfsburg 2 13 Schalke 2 14 Freiburg 2 15 Hertha 2 16 Stuttgart 2 17 Hamburger 2 18 FC Augsburg 2

La Liga

NO TEAM P 1 Barcelona 2 2 Valencia 2 3 Celta Vigo 2 4 Granada CF 2 5 Sevilla 2 6 Atl Madrid 2 7 Ath Bilbao 2 8 Sociedad 2 9 Villarreal 2 10 Real Madrid 2 11 Eibar 2 12 Getafe 2 13 Málaga 2 14 Vallecano 2 15 Deportivo 2 16 Espanyol 2 17 Almería 2 18 Córdoba 2 19 Elche 2 20 Levante 2

before unleashing his glut of new, expensive signings. The wait is almost over, with Radamel Falcao, Daley Blind, Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo all set to make their competitive debuts for United against Queens Park Rangers on Sunday. And Van Gaal will be desperate for his new players to settle in quickly with United yet to win any of its first three games in the English Premier League, continuing the team’s miserable form from last season.

Mike Tyson has been hanging out in Toronto, Canada, with incumbent Mayor Rob Ford, who is currently running for re-election. Tyson went on Canadian cable channel CP24 Wednesday and talked about his visit, according to BuzzFeed. During the interview, reporter Nathan Downer asked Tyson about his criminal past: “There’s a race for mayor, we know you’re a convicted rapist, this could hurt his campaign. Now how do you respond to that?” Tyson got pissed, First, he said that the only person bringing up the rape was Downer: “I don’t know who said that. You’re the only one I heard who said that.”

Mike Tyson

Alonso

Serie A Empoli v Roma Juventus v Udinese Sunday Sampdoria v Torino Cagliari v Atalanta Fiorentina v Genoa Inter v Sassuolo Lazio v Cesena Napoli v Chievo Parma v Milan

Premier League Arsenal v Man City Chelsea v Swansea Crystal Palace v Burnley Soton v Newcastle Stoke v Leicester Sunderland v Tottenham West Brom v Everton Liverpool v Aston Villa Sunday Man Utd v QPR

FIXTURES

scoring a total of 11goals and conceding four. Meanwhile, Swansea currently second on the log have found the back of the net six times and conceded just two goals this season. Swansea City looking spectacular in their opening matches of the season showing they are contender for the EPL trophy. However, José Mourinho and his boys are confident they can win the EPL this season.

Chelsea, Swansea in topof-the-table clash

Kagawa debuts for Dortmund as Alonso battles for fitness A

uper Eagles duo of Ahmed Musa and Emmanuel Emenike are expected to continue from where they left off before the international break when they file out for their clubs this weekend. Musa scored two goals as CSKA Moscow walloped Rostov 6-0 and could be thrown into action again when they confront Arsenal Tula today. Emenike scored Fernabahce first league goal this season in their 3-2 home win against Karabusspor and will be looking to add to that haul when his club travels to Trabsunspor. John Utaka was among the goals penultimate weekend when his Sivasspor lost at home 2-1 to Gazientespor and he is expected to lead his team’s charge against Belediyespor.

Musa, Emenike, Uche set to consolidate

Emenike

ity rivals Real and Atletico Madrid clash for the third time in less than a month in the pick of this weekend’s La Liga fixtures. As the Liga season resumes following an international break, the Madrid derby and Barcelona’s tricky home clash against Athletic Bilbao stand out. Diego Simeo n e ’ s Atletico were surprise Liga

NEW TELEGRAPH EMBER 2014

Sport

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

AFCON: Eagles spark off another season of permutations

Vincent Eboigbe he last time Nigeria failed to defend the AFCON trophy was in 1996, after triumphing two years earlier in Tunisia, following the decision by then head-of-state, General Sani Abacha, to stop the Super Eagles from the championship in South Africa. The decision was political, and stemmed from the differences Abacha had with then South African president, Nelson Mandela. 20 years on, Nigeria is again caught in the same web, albeit the difference is that this time the inability to qualify – if it eventually comes to that - will not be as a result of politics, but failure on the pitch. This parallel is where the comparison ends. While the team that ruled Africa in 1994, is widely acclaimed as Nigeria’s greatest ever, the 2014 class has not managed to rise above the pedestrian tag. After an abysmal 3-2 loss to Congo at home in the first match of the 2015 African Nations Cup qualifiers, the Super Eagles could only struggle to a goalless draw against South Africa in Cape Town. As it stands now, Nigeria has only one point from a maximum of six, while Congo, who won their second encounter in the series against Sudan, has six. South Africa is second in Group A with four points. The Eagles will attempt to pick up the pieces of the shattered qualifiers next month when they confront Sudan home and away, before tangling with Congo away and South Africa at home. The permutations, nail biting, hand wringing and prayers have begun again. The hope now is that Eagles can pick six points from Sudan, while hoping

Our chances are still bright, as bright as those of Congo or South Africa. I believe we will surely beat Sudan in Sudan and at home in Nigeria

that both Congo and South Africa cancel out each other and leave some room for the Nigerians to sneak into the second position, before the final round of matches in the qualifiers. It has become something of a ritual. Nigeria also failed to qualify for the Nations Cup in 2012 Gabon/Equatorial Guinea because the qualifiers were horribly bungled from the beginning. The team not only lost the opening match of the series to Guinea, Austin Eguavoen had to be drafted from the U-23 team as interim coach, because

the senior side had no substantive coach, as Samson Siasia’s appointment was yet to be firmed up. It was in the midst of all that uncertainty that the team lost in Conakry, but they still managed to remain in contention until the last game in Nigeria against Guinea. The permutation was such that a draw would be enough to qualify for the championship, but it was not to be: leading 2-1 as the match neared conclusion, Eagles conceded late and that was the end of the dream. It later transpired that Siasia did not

Keshi... all not well

Mikel Obi goes to the ground during the World Cup in Brazil

know that Nigeria needed just a draw and so continued to urge his players to go for another goal thereby leaving themselves susceptible to counterattacks. That episode would cost Siasia his job. It is the same thing all over again. Keshi’s contract talk is still dragging. Nigeria has also started the qualifiers on a very shaky note, but hope springs eternal and Nigerians, ever the optimists, are still vey confident of making it to Morocco in 2015. Under 20 assistant chief coach, Nduka Ugbade, says it is not over yet for the Super Eagles and that the team still has as good a chance as the other group A sides. “Our chances are still bright, as bright as those of Congo or South Africa. I believe we will surely beat Sudan in Sudan and at home in Nigeria, but we must also ensure we beat South Africa here while also beating Congo away,” Ugbade said. “The bottom line in all this is that we must win three and get a draw in the four matches left. If that happens then the chances of qualifying are very bright and I think we are capable of winning three matches,” added Ugbade who is also a former Super Eagles defender. Toyin Ayinla also believes that the Super Eagles still have a chance especially with a positive attitude not only from the players, but from Nigerians. “We must think positive, we cannot concede defeat when there is still up to four matches left in the qualifying series. What happened to us in the first match can also happen to the others. Who says Congo cannot lose to South Africa at home or vice versa. Anything can still happen, football after all is an unpredictable sport,” Ayinla said. The retired Eagles star absolved Keshi of blame in the outcome of the matches against Congo and South Africa, arguing that he (Keshi) cannot suddenly become a bad coach. “Keshi is a good coach, he won the Nations Cup, qualified for the World Cup and got to the second round of the competition; so he can’t become bad overnight. His ability is not in doubt,” Ayinla added. Former Eagles skipper, Henry Nwosu, also argues that there is still so much to play for although he concedes that it has become tougher now. “It is not impossible. I’m still hopeful. I think we can beat Sudan home and away, beat Congo and South Africa here too, but the only thing now is that we must work harder,” noted Nwosu. Nigerian football has been mired in crisis, in the last weeks, with two factions claiming the right to lead Nigeria Football Federation. World football-governing body FIFA threatened to suspend the country from football, in fact actually did before later lifting it. Some semblance of peace has returned to the game, but the crisis is widely seen as having affected the players in some way. “There is no way the problem in the federation won’t have affected the players. It is only natural especially with regard to the preparation, but I believe they must have learnt their lesson now,” added Ayinla. “What we need to do now is rally round the players and the coaches because they are not playing for themselves or their families. They are representing the entire country. So we must support and encourage them to the very end.” “The crisis obviously played a role in the results we got in the two matches. There is no way it won’t have affected the players, they are human beings. What this also shows is that we must learn to avoid such crisis in the future” Nwosu said.

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Sport

31 Ihezuo

Playing with Falcons’ stars gives me confidence – Ihezuo Super Falcons star, Chinwendu Ihezuo, came to prominence when she won the silver boot at the Women’s U-17 World Cup in Azerbaijan in 2012. She was also part of the U-20 team that lost to Germany in the final of the last Women’s U-20 World Cup in Canada. She discusses her journey so far in the game and dreams for the future with CHARLES OGUNDIYA. Excerpts: Beginning I grew up in the Ajegunle area of Lagos State, and the common thing then was children playing football on the streets. Nobody taught me how to play the game. My brothers usually got me balls and we played together in our living room and on the streets. As the last child of the house I didn’t have too much chores. So anytime I was at home I played football.

threw it away. We would have won the final because we were better than the Germans, but God knows best.

Support from parents I was supported by my parents especially my mother. She usually bought kits for me when I was very young. Unfortunately my dad is not alive to see me now. He died when I was just seven leaving my mother to cater for us all alone. We are eight, five boys and three girls, with my mother working hard to provide for us. Although my brothers play football, it is just the usual street games and not as professionals. I am the only professional footballer in my family. I am grateful to God that I am able to make my family happy with what I have achieved in football.

Playing abroad I am still a young player and have a lot of years ahead of me. I am praying to God to open doors for me, so that I can travel abroad to further my career. At the World Cup some clubs contacted me but nothing concrete came out of it. Playing abroad is the ultimate for any serious player and mine will not be an exception.

First professional contract The first club I played for as a professional is still my current club, Pelican Stars of Calabar. I signed for the club in 2011. It was while I was with the team that I was invited to the national team for the 2012 World Cup in Azerbaijan. It was a big opportunity for me and I put in my best to help my country. Although we failed to win the trophy, I won my first individual award as a player after finishing the tournament as the second highest goal scorer. World Cup experiences Nothing can be compared to it. I was able to represent Nigeria in three different World Cups at a very tender age. I was in Azerbaijan as a 15-year-old and this year I represented my country at another U-17 World Cup in Costa Rica before the U-20 World Cup in Canada where we lost to Germany in the final. Women’s U-20 World Cup final loss Losing is part of the game, but it was very painful that we were so close to winning the trophy in Canada but somehow

Difference between U-17 and U-20 championships There was a big difference in the two competitions, especially for me as a person. I learnt a lot during the U-20 World Cup under Coach Peter Dedevbo. He is a very good coach with a lot of experience.

Invitation to the Super Falcons I am always ready to give my best for my country, and this also applies to playing for the Super Falcons. It is a great honour to represent your country, and I am looking forward to the experience playing alongside established stars like Perpetua Nkwocha, Stella Mbachu, Desire Oparanozie and the rest. Target at the African Women Champion-

profile • Native of Orsu Local government of Imo State • Attended Awodi Ora School, Ajegunle, Lagos • Began her professional career with Pelican Stars of Calabar, Cross River State in 2011 • Attended two FIFA U-17 Female World Cup, Azerbaijan 2012 and Costa Rica 2014 • Silver boot winner at FIFA U-17 Female World Cup, Azerbaijan 2012 • Silver medalist at FIFA U-20 Female World Cup, Canada 2014

Ihezuo in action at the last U-20 Women’s World Cup

ship When you talk about women’s football in Africa, Nigeria is number one and we want to reclaim our place as the top country on the continent. We lost the trophy at the last competition and now we want to take our crown back. I believe we have the team to win. I will give my all to be part of the team to Namibia and also help the team to the victory at the end of the competition.

and took up something else. I will forever be grateful to him.

Chances of Falconets’ players making the senior team During the U-20 World Cup some of us that were included in the main team agreed that we were going to the national team to justify our inclusion. To say the truth, we are not intimidated with the calibre of players in the team; we are going to make it difficult for the technical crew to drop any of us from the final squad.

Education I am through with my secondary school education, I wrote my final exams recently and I am thinking of furthering my education to the university. I know it will not be easy because of my tight schedule as a footballer, but I am not going to relent until I achieve my goal.

Best coach played under I will say Coach Edet Egat who gave me my break in football in 2011. I was very small when I joined Pelicans in 2011. I had no strength to contend with the big players, but he took me under his wings and gave me the confidence needed to get to where I am today. If not for him, maybe I would have dropped football

Role model My role model in football is Lionel Messi. On the local scene I will say Perpetua Nkwocha. It is a big privilege for me to be playing alongside her. She is someone I looked up to while playing as a kid and I am happy to be playing beside her in the national team now.

Happiest moment I was very happy when I won the silver boot in 2012 and my silver medal at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada. Biggest regret I have none apart from losing my father at a very tender age. In football I believe so many things will still happen to me as I progress in my career.

Sport

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Meet WAGs of new Premier League stars

rom Radamel Falcao’s wife to Graziano Pelle’s girlfriend, meet the women who have joined the stars in England this summer Lots of exciting talent have arrived the Premier League - and they have brought their gorgeous WAGs with them. From Manchester United’s £60million British-record signing Angel di Maria and his wife Jorgelina Cardoso to Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez and his girlfriend Laia Grassi, there have been plenty of new additions the Premier League WAG community. Jorgelina Cardoso (Angel di

Maria) United’s British-record signing Di Maria, who arrived from Real Madrid for £60m this summer, is married to the beautiful Jorgelina Cardoso. Cardoso and Di Maria tied the knot in 2011 after dating for two years - the 32-year-old is a feisty character, regularly defending her husband in public and in the media. She is officially Di Maria’s ‘manager’ and posts messages of encouragement to the Argentinian on her Instagram and Twitter. Lorelei Taron (Radamel Falcao) Falcao is earning a mouthwatering £280,000-a-week at Old Trafford - meaning he won’t

Lifestyle

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

“It was just a phone call and I did not hear from him again. It kind of just ended.”

Tennis star Caroline Wozniacki on her breakup with golfer Rory McIlroy.

struggle to treat his 26-year-old wife Lorelei Taron to some nice birthday gifts. Taron, who has been married to Falcao since 2007 after meeting him at church, is a talented singer who is well-known on the South American musical scene. Laia Grassi (Alexis Sanchez) Arsenal’s £30million summer signing Sanchez brings with him 25-year-old girlfriend Laia Grassi. The Spanish beauty is not necessarily your typical WAG, however, as she is an art director and a designer. But fear not, she still has the looks of a Premier League footballer’s girlfriend. Obafemi Martins, girlfriend Abigail and their little son Kendrick

Proud Dad! Obafemi Martins tattoos son’s face on his arm

igerian football star, Obafemi Martins, tattooed his 11 month old son’s face on his arm. Kendrick is the son he shares with Abigail Barwuah. Barwuah is a sibling of Mario Balotelli of

Liverpool. Martins who has played in Inter Milan, Newcastle, Wolfsburg, Rubin Kazan and Levante now represent Seattle Sounders in the Major League Soccer in United States.

Laia Grassi, Alexis Sanchez’s girlfriend

Serena parties with friends

Serena parties all night after US Open win

S Lorelei Taron, Radamel Falcao’s wife

Jorgelina Cardoso, Di Maria’s wife

erena Williams missed all of her morning TV appearances after winning the US Open championship because she partied all night with Caroline Wozniacki. Williams, 32, was due on NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America” followed by “Live With Kelly and Michael” with her trophy on Monday after winning her 18th Grand Slam title. But the superstar canceled her appearances because she was too tired after she celebrated with her friend and final opponent Wozniacki — who’s become close to Williams following Wozniacki’s split with golfer Rory McIlroy — at Tao and VIP Room, where they posted pictures of themselves with Joe Jonas and model Gigi Hadid. Fellow clubgoers at VIP Room said Williams’ group of nearly 30 ordered Champagne and vodka and danced until around 3 a.m. Stories courtesy Dailymail

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Showbiz

‘Singing at the Presidential Villa was a huge thrill’ Anne Emmanuel Ibrahim has a compelling voice that has been described in terms like angelic. It’s no surprise she is one of gospel music’s most influential voices despite being in the industry for just a few years. One of the closest allies of late Kefee, she relives moments with the late singer and reflects on marriage and career in this interview with LANRE ODUKOYA. You released your second album two years ago; what have you been working on since then? I have dropped a couple of singles since the release of my second album. Songs like Happy Day, Peace around the World featuring all stars and most recently, I No Go Fear. Is it true that you have commenced work on the third album? Yes, I am working on my third album right now to be released next year God willing. Who are the gospel acts you have collaboration with ahead of the launch of your new album? Permit me to make that a surprise. But trust me you will indeed be surprised. You featured in the late Kefee Don Momoh’s musical video titled Beautiful. What was the experience like? I was in that video to play a specific role she wanted only me to play and I was glad I availed myself. It was such fun on set; we laughed a lot because of certain scenes. As usual she was very happy about the turnout of the video. Can you recall the last discussion you had with her as a friend? We spoke the day before the collapse. I was asking her how her new song, Them Go Talk, was doing and she was so happy it was picking up fast and she asked also about the video shoot I had just concluded. I sent her a 40-second version of the making because she had just returned to the US. And she said, ‘lovely’. That was it. You had your tertiary education in the north. Was it just education that took you there? My father was in the army, so we always moved from one state to another. What was your earliest career fantasy? I wanted to become a doctor so much that I did sciences in my junior secondary school. But I had to change to the arts later on. You also delved into fashion; how would you combine that with gospel music? The truth of the matter is that music and fashion go hand in hand. You can hardly take away one from the other. Also, my mother and big sister were in the business of fashion before me. So, naturally, I took that up. And it does complement my music. And no, it does not disturb my music career at all. It runs even when I’m not around because I have able hands to see to its smooth running.

profile l Began as a child chorister in the 80s l Released her debut album, Your Mercy, in 2009 l Gospel Artiste of the Year, 2009 l Studied banking and finance in Kano State Polytechnic l Master’s degree holder in Management Studies from Bayero University, Kano l Musical collaborations with Sammie Okposo, Kefee, Soul-E, Mekoyo and Wole Oni l Founder of Annylove Educational Foundation

Do you share the notion that gospel music is less rewarding? Well, that term is relative and does not apply to everyone. I will rather say when God is in whatever you do, then rest assured of success. The factor of hard work and quality comes to play here too. And that has been my success story sincerely. You have performed for President Goodluck Jonathan; how did you get the deal? God bless her soul. It was my friend, Kefee that hooked me up to Sammie Okposo back then. And the deals came along. It was during the presidential campaign in 2011 and subsequently for events at the Aso Villa for events like the presidential fundraiser, victory celebration party and so on. How did you feel when you got the invitation? We’re talking about the president of a country here; I felt really excited. And understandably, anyone would feel good. It was a huge plus to my career and achievements. How is life in marriage? It’s been beautiful I must say. My husband is my friend not just a husband. He understands me well enough. He is also very supportive of my passion. God is helping us daily deal with any challenge we ever face. Would you say your husband has been the same man you married years back? My husband is even better than the man I married years ago. He has been such a massive support system to me as a wife and as a singer. Even as a father figure, he has

surpassed my expectations. So I am grateful to God for him. How do you find motherhood? Motherhood on its own is a job and it is the best any woman can ever ask for. I am blessed with peaceful and blessed kids. My girls never trouble me. They are my world. Who are the international singers you’d like to share the stage with? Mary J-Blige is someone I respect a lot. So I would like to be on the same stage with her. Alicia Keys is another musical influence I have. What has been your greatest challenge singing gospel music? As a musician, there are various challenges I face ranging from family time to sponsorship and so on. But moving ahead is the only choice in this beautiful race. Are you considering any international collaboration yet? Definitely, I am giving that serious consideration, but no names yet because it’s just going to be unwise to count your chicks before they are hatched. As a soldier’s daughter, how was growing up like for you? It was eventful and very adventure-inclined. Living in the barracks makes you strong and accommodating. You learn to live with people from various parts of the country with different cultures. And you learn to be “fearless”.

Showbiz

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

The palm wine queen Maureen Ejezie returns Maureen Ejezie broke into limelight in 1991 with I Love Palm Wine, which became an anthem at social gatherings. But her disappearance was just as sudden as her emergence on Nigeria's music scene. She tells SONY NEME what she has been up to at her Ikeja, Lagos residence. 23 years after your hit debut, I Love Palm Wine, you seem to have gone into the shadows. How did it all begin? I started very early in Asagba Primary School Asaba in the then Bendel State, participating in dances. It continued at Asaba Technical College, where I was dancing with the cultural troupe. We were the best then, coming out first in all intra-state competitions. This was in the late '70s. Then my mother thought differently; she insisted that I must be educated. I tried going into music that early but my mum stood her grounds. So I went to read a course I equally love, agricultural science at Federal University of Agriculture, Umidike, in Abia State. How did that decision affect you? I never stopped even while at school. We had events such as Students Week, Bendel Day and all that. I performed at such opportunities, and that continued until I started my recording. I was combining both academics and music which was my hobby then. So in between when I was taking my final papers and writing my project, I was already in the studio with Lemmy Jackson. You can imagine my joy when the album came out in January 1991 when I was at Shagamu, Ogun State, for my NYSC orientation, before being posted to Lagos. . How did it affect your service? I enjoyed all the glitz and blitz that came with it. I was serving when the album was released. I was posted to Command Secondary School, Ojo Alaba after my orientation at Shagamu, before I was redeployed to a private company at Surulere. At the orientation camp it was huge as I became an instant celebrity as most of the entertainment reporters gave me very positive write ups. Can you recall the most enduring highlight of that popular album? There were lots of it, but one I will always remember was that it got me a show at Ghana where I was signed to perform for a month-long deal at Golden Tulip, Accra in 1992. That was a year after my service. I was paid in dollars. It was a massive deal as the song was very popular in Ghana. After that I got married, had my kids and started taking care of them. Now that is done. Though I never really left the stage completely, I had to move down to Asaba, had my equipment and lease them out regularly. I was also performing at select shows for top government functionaries and other top brass within the state. Now that you are done with family matters, any news from the studios? I’m fully back to music as I have performances regularly with my band, Energy Band, at Ibis Hotel in Ikeja,

Lagos. I also rent out my equipment. We also perform at celebrity birthdays, and other top occasions across Lagos. We are very busy week in, week out. My work is ready, but Boy Chyko’s new single is where my energy is being channelled now. When I am done with that, which is very soon, then I will set sail with mine. Already I have assembled a team of music critics and administrators who are working out details. I am coming back in a way expected of my class and dignity, Apart from Mrs. Maiden Ibru’s daughter’s wedding few months back, we recently entertained guests at the wedding of Patrick Doyle's daughter among others too numerous to mention. We have massive live band equipment that can serve at concerts featuring 5,000 people, be it at the stadium or at any open space. You were promoting the idea of female musicians group; what has become of it? I still have that in mind. It has been properly registered as Female Musicians Association of Nigeria. We are still looking for sponsors to take up the recognition and reward female artistes in their 90s who are our pathfinders. That is the project we are working on and we are looking at early next year. The date and venue will be unveiled at a very colourful ceremony. I will keep you posted One of your children has a new single; how is he doing? Music is in my family as my mum also led a cultural troupe during her days. She inspired me. Boy Chyko is my last child. I am giving him my best, because the song is already doing well. We are giving the best push sible. Though mine is ready, decided to step it down till February next year as I have to push that of Chyko for now.

posI have early

Nollywood actress thumbs-up Mansard Insurance One Direction in November

eeks after meeting her insurance needs, popular Tinsel actress, Nkiru Kiki Omeili, has commended the efficiency of Mansard Insurance Plc. She made the remarks while narrating her ordeal in the hands of hoodlums who broke into her car and removed valuable parts. Omeili is listed as one of the 25 Hottest New Talents in Nollywood by the Nigerian Entertainment Today; and her repertory includes Lekki Wives, Married But Living Single and Footprints among others. “I went to see a friend and parked my car outside. On my return, I noticed that my trunk was partly opened, which was not the way I left it. I was dazed when I discovered that it had been ransacked and my glove comOmeili partment cleaned

out. Even the brainbox of my car had been removed,” she said. Omeili, one of the stars of Tinsel, the hugely popular Mnet series, further said that she promptly, got across to a friend who had introduced her to Mansard Insurance. Her words: “The incident happened on a Thursday and before the end of that day, the company sent me the claims form, which I filled. And by the following Monday, I got the Discharge Voucher that I also filled and sent back to them. On Tuesday, I got an alert from my bank that payment that will cover the cost of fixing my car had been made by the insurance firm. I was pleasantly shocked and surprised. For me, that was really commendable.” The graduate of University of Lagos medical school said, “My shock stemmed from the fact that Mansard proved to be a refreshing difference in a society where mediocrity and inefficiency are the order of the day. And the fact that some of us see insurance as expensive, while in all fairness, the risks insurance helps to mitigate has proven unquantifiable. Without Mansard, how convenient do you think it would have been for me to replace the brainbox of my car?”

17 album release date op band, One Direction, is set for a return with P their new album, Fireproof,' written by Louis and Liam with John Ryan, Jamie Scott and Julian Bunetta.

It will be released on November 17. It is a follow-up to Midnight Memories, which was the World’s best-selling album of 2013. To herald the album announcement, the band is giving out a brand new track, Fireproof, from the record as a free download for a limited period of 24 hours only. With a staggering 94 number ones and over 46 million records sold in just four years, One Direction have gone from energetic pop upstarts to international superstars. Third album Midnight Memories made them the first band in history to debut at the top of the US Billboard chart with their first three albums and saw them named the IFPI’s Global Artist of 2013 for becoming the biggest selling act in the world. The album follows the global success of their huge sell out Where We Are stadium tour and their 3D film documentary This Is Us. Add all this to their YouTube views, 109 million combined Twitter followers and 33 million Facebook fans and it’s clear that Liam, Harry, Louis, Niall and Zayn genuinely are a worldwide phenomenon.

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

... a finger on the city’s pulse

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LANRE ODUKOYA

Tonye Cole’s way of setting the records straight

roup managing director of Sahara Energy, Tonye Cole, is an enviable public character on many fronts. Not only does he mentor people on how to be adequately rich, he’s a testimonial of the virtues he extols. But the news that made the rounds about the seemingly spotless man a few months back brought a lot about him to question. Happily married with kids, the dandy was allegedly seeing another woman,

Pomp as Aquafina Elite Model search rounds offs

he Aquafina Elite Model Look Nigeria 2014 contest came to a glamorous end last Saturday at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, with Victor Ndigwe and Mayowa Nicholas emerging the winners of the prestigious modelling showpiece. Expectedly, it offered a night of style, fashion and high octane entertainment as the male and female contestants dazzled in different outfits by top local and international designers. Some of the designers comprise Sanusi Lagos, Grey, Tzar, Andrea Iyamah, Agbani Darego, Sisiano, Mimi Lee London among a host of others. The event attracted celebrities from diverse callings. Some of the superstars who stormed the event are Genevieve Nnaji, Peter Okoye, DJ Sose and Rasaq and Shade Okoya. Yemi Alade, Praiz, Chidinma, Traffic, Ruby Gyang and Robot Man were the acts that serenaded the classy audience. Addressing the media, the managing director of Seven Up Bottling Company, Mr. Sunil Sawhney said: “This is the second year that Aquafina is getting associated with Elite Model Look Nigeria because we believe that beauty comes from within. If you are talking of real beauty it is from within and what better table water product than Aquafina, to be the premium table water brand which talks of purity guaranteed and therein lies Aquafina.” Overwhelmed by emotion, the female winner, Mayowa, remarked: “This is the happiest moment of my life, I feel so great. The journey to winning this contest was very challenging but it was fun because I learnt a lot - how to smile and pose.

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10. UREA 11. ANAL 12. HA 16. AB 17. CALM 18. BAIL

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But when I heard my name I didn’t believe it at first. I thank Aquafina for this opportunity, believe me, you don’t know what winning the Aquafina Elite Model Look Nigeria contest means to me.” Mayowa’s male counterpart, Victor Ndigwe, commended Aquafina for giving him a new story: “Take it from me, Aquafina is purity guaranteed and the brand together with Elite Model Look proved that true beauty is indeed from within. It wasn’t easy, from thousands to 20 contestants, I couldn’t hold back my tears even as a man because the joy was too great to suppress.” The winners won for themselves $5,000 and will represent Nigeria in the global edition of the contest with the chance of winning $150,000. The team of judges for the event comprised well fashion connoisseurs like Agbani Darego, Taofeek Okoya, Kelechi Amadi-Obi, Declan Eytan, Lola Maja, Bola Balogun and the Senior Marketing Manager of PepsiCo International, Mr. Shakeel Akram.

Kenya Moore, a 43-year-old American model and the media was super fast in availing the world their photos together. That set off some storm allegedly on the home front. The man about town disappointed many last Saturday when he sauntered onto a red carpet event with his wife hand-in-hand. The sight of this celebrity couple together immediately began to alter the perception of many who had predicted the worst for the union.

Tonye and wife

Modupe Ozolua hits the slow lane? T

o the high society, the name Modupe Ozolua resonates like a nostalgic ballad. She was the chief executive officer of Body Enhancement Limited, a frontline spa located on Victoria Island, Lagos, before it was shut down. The roll call of her major patrons read like the who's who of high society. In fact, the property hosting the spa which belonged to her is said to have been completely sold off. It remains unknown why she chose to dispose the choice property, but people in the know claim that her faith as a member of Mountain of Fire Ministries, an ultra-conservative Pentecostal movement, frowns on Ozolua's beauty trade. Edo-born Ozolua, a mother of one and an unabashed socialite once told the public she had undergone breast enlargement surgery. But since 2011 when she left active practice and scampered off the social radar, her return has been taking forever to happen. She now concentrates her effort on charity works, it is said.

Ideas & Brands SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Spirit of Lagos: Rekindling the past L agos, the commercial capital of Nigeria and the most populous city in Africa was a destination point for many in the rural areas of the country. Back then, the name Lagos was like a song in the ears and its stories were like folk tales under the moon light. The city was revered and was, indeed, a beautiful place to live in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The orderliness then was evident in the people’s lifestyle and the joy of living in Lagos gave residents some bragging rights. From history, the city was developed through the selfless contributions of its residents based on clear understanding that everyone has a part to play in the wellbeing of their environment. People could move freely without any fear but, unfortunately, the same story now sounds like a fable. The tide continued to turn negative as so many unpleasant stories of the decadence in the city rent the air. Lagosians go through untold hardship to make ends meet; gangsters prowl the streets and extort money from commercial bus drivers and property developers; heaps of refuse litter the city centre; non maintenance of public utilities and all sort of hideous stories are now commonplace. But Olaniyi Omotosho, the project director of Spirit of Lagos and his team believe that the good old days can be recalled through their dream project. Their dream is hinged on the need to bring back the lost glory of Lagos State. He explained that the Spirit of Lagos is the life of Lagos, the embodiment of all things good about Lagos and the very lifeline that connects its glorious past with the future. Emphasizing the need for attitudinal change by Lagosians, he said that the once vibrant, courageous, neighbourly, law abiding, enterprising and accommodating spirit has been challenged and diluted by a combination of factors that love what it represents but are unlearned about its workings and the grace, energy, resilience and excellence that made it triumph. “There is now the need to revisit its fundamentals, restore them, share them and protect them. For this dream to become a reality, there is no doubt about the need for the residents of Lagos to start thinking change as a precursor for a change in behaviour necessary to complement and sustain the extraordinary physical infrastructural and economic development going on in the state,” Omotosho said, listing the four cardinal dimension of the Spirit of Lagos as social justice, civic responsibility, neighborliness and citizenship. The social justice platform says everyone deserves the same set of rules and fairness: rich or poor, educated or literate, adult or child. Citizenship speaks to the need for everyone to play by the rules, obey the laws and carry his responsibilities to self, others and the entire community. “We are our brothers’ keepers. Family is where we live and work. Civic responsibility is a way of life. Get involved in the community, volunteer, get involved, drive your areas of interest and make a change.

The Spirit of Lagos is a Lagos State government attitudinal change initiative to return the state to the good old time when selflessness and discipline reigned. Kingsley Ogbonna reviews the campaign, its messages and capacity to inspire the needed change among Lagosians

Omotosho

“Nowhere is the true spirit of Lagos better demonstrated than the way we relate with and care for one another especially the vulnerable. It is an indication of the closeness of larger human family demonstrated by ‘all for one, one for all’. Lagos personified this bond of humanity and this sprit should be restored to challenge the pervading self-interest inclination that society is gradually slipping into. Messaging this campaign will clearly demonstrate that the good of all is the true spirit of Lagos.” The campaign since its launch has unveiled series activities which are not just events but a process to create the right attitude where people need to be more responsible for a city that millions have made their home. Recently, the Spirit of Lagos theme song competition aimed at engaging the city’s residents and create an opportunity for music talents to thrive as well as generate thought and conversation around the values campaign. According to the organisers, the winning song must promote the unique attributes that made Lagos a centre of excellence, inspire social justice, civic responsibility, citizenship and neighbourliness. As beautiful as the ideas of the campaign seems, it will take time to truly get Lagosians to buy into the objectives of the campaign. People have lost the sense of being their brothers’ keeper. A practical observation is that new entrants into the city are indoctrinated by their wards not to render any help both within and outside their neighbourhood. During robbery attacks, either on the roads or at home, neighbbours hardly rally rescue effort because it has become a city that implicitly advises all to “mind your own business”.

How will these beautiful ideas sink into the hearts of Lagosians who are often indifferent towards public utilities? This city is characterised by people who seizes every opportunity to make ends meet. Proper disposal of waste, obeying traffic rules, are some of the many ways lovers and residents of Lagos can help restore the lost glory. Omotosho who believe the campaign will achieve its set objectives if Lagosians imbibe the message concluded: “We can talk from today till next year, but it is meaningless unless we all understand that there is a responsibility which lies within us to make our world a better place. We should also take cognizance of the fact that government cannot do everything for us so we should make it a point of duty to contribute our own quota to bringing back the lost glory of Lagos. This includes neighborliness living a life worthy of emulation. We should all volunteer to do something good and positive for our society. We are tired of telling our children how beautiful Lagos was and restore everything for them. The journey of a thousand miles begins with the right step, we all should take the right step and bring back the lost glory of this land.”

Ideas & Brands

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Excitement as Turbo King offers safari prize, free airtime in promo

onsumers of Turbo King Dark Ale, a premium brand by Consolidated Breweries Plc, are in for a big treat as the brewer has commenced a promo to reward customers. The reward promotion commenced on 1 September 1 and will run till October 31. Head of marketing at Consolidated Breweries, Mr. Prashant Patwardhan, while announcing the promo, said it was conceived to reward faithful consumers of Turbo King Dark Ale and celebrate the achievements of the everyday man, who through dint of hard work are the true nation builders and Kings as they engage in road building, schools and office edifices, among other daily activities. “At Consolidated Breweries, we have a world class work ethics and we use the finest materials to produce our quality brands, including Turbo King Dark Ale, because we know that only the very best will do for those who trust in our brands. We take pride in the fact that those who consume Turbo King Dark Ale share our work ethics and have an eye for quality, which is why we decided to reward and celebrate them through the promo,” Patwardhan said. He explained that the promo has been designed to en-

sure that everybody is a winner as there are also airtime worth millions of naira to be won. To participate in the promo, according to Patwardhan, a consumer simply needs to buy a bottle of Turbo King 60cl or Turbo King 33cl, open the drink and look under the crown cork to reveal the prize he has won. Prizes to be won during the promotion include the grand prize, an all-expenses-paid Safari trip to South Africa, where the winner will visit Pilanesberg National Park, one of the largest in South Africa and home to the Big Five and other large games, including Giraffe, Hippo, Zebra and crocodile; the privately-owned Rhino & Lion Game Reserve, which houses over 700 herds of game from 25 species, including lion, cheetah, warthog, buffalo and ostrich, among other exciting locations to be visited. “The reward promotion offers our consumer the opportunity to meet the King of the Jungle in a Safari. It’s a royal meeting of some sort. A visit to these parks is always rewarding and that is why we think our loyal consumers deserve nothing less than a rewarding visit to the Safari. Real courage deserves more,” Patwardhan said of the star prize.

MDA 8: 10 families edge closer to N14M

fter an intense battle laden with excitement and suspense, 10 out of the 13 families that were selected from different regions to take part in the grand auditions have been admitted into the famed Maltina Dance All (MDA) Academy. These 10 families face the prospect of going home with a whopping 10 million naira grand prize as well as the highly coveted title of Nigeria’s number one dancing family. The first and second runnersup will take home N3million and N1million respectively. The grand auditions for the Maltina Dance All Season 8, tagged “Rhythm of Happiness,” kicked-off with a bang as the Williams family (PortHarcourt) hit the dance floor with an impressive performance which set the tone for the evening much to the delight of the audience. Second on stage was the Odigie family (Abuja), followed by the families of; Oladapo (Lagos), Maisamari, (Abuja), Utere, (Port-Harcourt), Unaka (Abuja), Awokoya (Lagos), Uzodinma (Port-Harcourt), Abunwa (Lagos), Dide (Port-Harcourt), Nwaeze (Lagos), Ezekiel (Abuja) and the Leonard family (Abuja) respectively. Highpoint of the event was

the announcement of the results. The tension amongst the families was palpable as the judges read out the results after a very painstaking selection process. The 10 families that made the cut are; Oladapo (Lagos), Maisamari, (Abuja), Utere, (Port-Harcourt), Unaka (Abuja), Uzodinma (Port-Harcourt), Dide (Port-Harcourt), Nwaeze (Lagos), Leonard (Abuja), Odigie (Abuja) and Williams (Port-Harcourt). The families of; Awokoya (Lagos), Abunwa (Lagos) and Ezekiel (Abuja) did not make it into the academy. Selection of these 10 families into the MDA Academy represents a huge step in their quest to win the 10 million naira grand prize. It would be recalled that the preparation for the MDA8 kicked off with an electrifying performance by the Maltina all-stars’ team which comprised past participants of the show, while host OsasIghodaro alongside popular comedians, GbengaAdeyinka and Lafup introduced the “Rhythm of Happiness Dance” (ROHD) to the audience that were held spellbound by the vitality and creativity which has set the show apart from others.

Key Accounts Manager, Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc, Mrs. Patricia Odia-Iletogun (2nd right), General Manager, Seven-Up Bottling Company, Ikeja Plant, Mr. Dele Abioye (4th right), Plant Manager, Seven-Up Bottling Company, Ikeja Plant (3rd left) flanked by Aquafina Elite Model Look Nigeria contestants during their visit to SBC Ikeja Plant on Wednesday, September 3,2014.

CSR: High Life Church partners medical practitioners in war against Ebola

s part of its corporate social responsibility initiative, High Life Church has initiated a partnership with the Eti Osa zone of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria in their fight to halt the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria by donating thirty infectious disease control Kits and thirty non-contact thermometers for use in the early detection of the disease in the zone. The head pastor of High Life Church, Pastor Babatunde Carlton Williams stated that the church sees doctors as ministers of God for good. “Everything that brings healing to people must be encouraged. This makes Doctors Ministers of God for good; as derivable from the fourth verse of the thirteenth chapter of Apostle Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome. This sits right at the heart of the Empowering Our Community strategy of High Life.” Speaking further, Pastor Carlton Williams noted that the Church considers the donation a civic duty as representatives of Jesus Christ, in support of the commendable commitment of the Federal and Lagos State Governments to subdue the Ebola Virus Disease. The Infectious Disease Control Kits and the non-contact thermometers were received on behalf of the Etiosa Local Government Area branch of the AGPMPN by Dr Efosa Aruede, proprietor of BAEFEM Specialist Hospital in Victoria Garden City. Aruede commented that the scourge of

the Ebola Virus Disease is yet another problem that has added to the problems of health care delivery in our society. The donations would therefore come useful even in the use for the control of some other infectious diseases that bedevil medical practice in our nation. This, he said, is the reason that the Association would ensure that the donations would be put to responsible use. Also, Dr Babatunde Palomeras, a past zonal chairman of the association thanked High Life Church for being in the forefront of fight against the dreaded Ebola virus saying the church is truly “taking the message right from the pulpit to the warfront”. Seeing the initiative as truly commendable, he remarked that this had motivated him to think

that strategically, this could open new vistas of collaboration between government and her health agencies on one hand and institutions such as the Church on the other. This he says should lead the church to consider further initiatives in the Community Health Insurance sector of the overall healthcare delivery system; a gesture that would generate an incredible multiplier effect in improving the quality of life of the people of our nation. Beyond the gesture of halting the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease, High Life has a strategic goal: to make relevant contributions to the marketplace of ideas that will lead to improvement of the systems in all spheres of life in Nigeria.

L-R: Pastor Carlton Williams of High Life Church, , Dr Mike Abah of Havilah Hospital and Dr Efosa Aruede

StartUps SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER, 2014

Video recording requires innate artistry, says Mojeed Olaide Ayinde Mojeed, the proprietor of Capstone studio, is into video recording and photography. He tells BLESSING ORUCHE that a would-be entrepreneur needs patience and technical know-how to succeed in the business. How long have you been in business? My involvement in the business has spanned four years. Give us a brief description about the business? Video coverage is the act of recording a motion picture. Editing involves cutting and rearranging, refining in order to bring conformity. While photography is the process of producing images using camera. What does it entail to go into your type of business? It takes a lot of things. Video recording is not something you wake up to be careful as not one morning and to do a bad job bebegin to handle. I cause your client requires the video went for six months training before setimmediately. But if ting up the business. you are recording to When you have an the tape to produce event to cover you at a later date, it can need to record the event take two days to edit. It and also take snapshots. is time consuming because Mojeed and (above) one It requires lots of experience sometimes we do cover for for you to deliver, because in the of his high-defination hours. The number of hours you process of covering an event, you cameras spent in video is the same hours must know how to zoom and take you will spend before the origishots, and during this stage, your hands nal becomes ready. It involves a lot of stress must be steady. Some times when the job is is involved. You need to be mentally and not accurate, you are bound to face challeng- physically prepared. You also need to feed es from some clients, who would refuse to well before any job in order to dedicate full make full payment which is usually the case. concentration and subsequently achieve the desired goal. You also need to have a transWhat is the basic requirement an intending port system, preferably a bus to convey your entrepreneur needs to begin? equipment to locations. In totality, the incise First of all you need a good location, knowledge of the art will propel you. preferably a residential area, reason being that people around you will normally What are the major challenges you have have events, this will keep you busy. Next, encountered while on the job? the equipment comes into focus, and most The major challenge I can say is electricity, of them are expensive. We have the mixer. because during the process of video coverThe cheapest mixer is N170, 000. Some are age if power goes off consider the job gone, sold for N300, 000 or even N400, 000. Then then you have to start all over. So, you need the video camera ranges from N300, 000 to a stand by generator and UPS to back up. N500, 000 or more than a million. All these Finance is also very important because depend on the type you want to begin with. either small scale or large scale, everything For photo camera, you need at least two or boils down to money. When it comes to stuthree, and their prices are between N80, 000 dio job, you need large amount of money. to N100, 000. There is also equipment called the crane, though that particular one is for movie production. You also need a moniYou need a lot of tor, printer, duplicating machines and stage light, because without it you cannot get an manpower when you are accurate video. Another important thing is recording, someone to that it is not one man’s job. So, you need a lot of manpower when you are recording, be rolling the cables, two someone to be rolling the cables, two othothers at the monitoring ers at the monitoring screen, to monitor and mix in that area. You don’t need distraction. screen, to monitor and Accuracy should be at the back of the mind of the entire work force while on the job. Anmix in that area. other thing if you are mixing direct, you need

Another challenge one can come across is the inability for some clients to up after they have been finalised. There are so many difficult customers; some will bring up issues that are not real even when their job is perfect, because they don’t want to part with their money. What is the technical know-how knowledge an entrepreneur require, to be able to provide quality service to clients? You need to be very conversant and have the ability to operate all you equipment you are working with, so that customers can appreciate your work. The business is all technical, no theoretical aspect. You also need personal interest if not the hours of work either standing or sitting might discourage. How many people have you trained since inception? I have trained about 15 people and at present, we have some that are still learning. We train students for six months. How much do you charge for training? A prospective entrepreneur in the business would be required to commit N100, 000 for a six months intensive training. Does an entrepreneur need periodic training? Yes, once you are into the business and there is a new invention you need to meet people that are more knowledgeable with the new equipment if not you might end up damaging them. In a nutshell, how much will be required to commence? You can begin with N1.5 million to N2 million on a small scale. Do you work outside Lagos? Yes we do. We travel to Benin, Port Harcourt, Delta State. We have executed jobs at these places on several occasions. What can you say in regards to the power

problem in the country? It really affects our business, but we don’t depend on it. We use our own source of electricity to finish the jobs clients have paid for. The power is not reliable, the government should try to bring a lasting solution to outage. What type of education background is needed to train with? You can later acquire a university degree or even attend the institute, if you want. Though there is BSc programme for it that should not discourage someone with secondary or primary school certificate. Your dedication is what is paramount. What kind of advice can you give to would be entrepreneurs? My advice is for interested people to think before venturing. This is because it is not a business for lazy people and you need to be careful by not messing up people’s jobs. They should take it very serious, because it is a profiting job. It is good for serious-minded people. It is open for males and females. There is a popular saying that goes like this, ‘what a man can do a woman can do even better.’ So, it is imperative for more women to practice the art not withstanding that it is a maledominated industry. Women should never be discouraged in their beliefs, hold your ideas and ambitions seriously. This is the type of legacy one can leave for one’s children. The Dangotes and the rest of the business elite of today all have stories to tell on some of the challenges they encountered. But today, they have made Nigeria proud. I want to be among those making positive impacts and contributing my own relevant quota in my country. That should be in the minds of every person. From our NYSC orientation camps corps are thought and encouraged on how to become SMEs, but many people underrate their abilities. The fear of the unknown is what has killed so many ambitions and ideas.

SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Travel &Tourism 39

Chef's Corner

HOSPITALITY

For Chef Awe, it’s been a sizzling experience p.40

Travel Personality OLADELE COKER Modules of sucess from a pioneer p.41

Destination

KADUNA: In search of the lost spark p.42

The facade of Pyramid Hotel and Conference Centre

Pyramid Hotels preps for Calabar Festival

yramid Hotels and Conference Centre is one of the leading hotels in Calabar, Cross River State. Its focus is on both the corporate and leisure ends of the business and it boasts a number of facilities geared towards making the stay of guests comfortable and relaxing. As the “Canaan city” - as Calabar residents often refer to the city - begins the countdown to the annual Calabar Festival, hotels and other related hospitality and leisure outfits in the city are already in a hot chase for business and priming their properties in readiness for the great social gathering. As a leader in the market, Pyramid Hotels and Conference Centre, which is located on Murtala Mohammed Highway, is not letting down its guard. There is at present a retooling of the brand and its services in readiness for the November–January fiesta. The director of the hotel, Mr. Charles Ogar, said the ongoing rebirth process is part of its commitment to stay ahead of competitors and offer the guest the best possible product and services with the Calabar Festival in view. For the hotel that styles itself as “…the peak of comfort,” there is no better time to reposition than now. Ogar pointed out it’s the reason that hotel has launched a widespread and aggressive marketing locally and globally. He promised that

With just a few months to the month-long Calabar Festival, Pyramid Hotels and Conference Centre is re-inventing itself for the big feast, writes ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA. guests would be treated to special packages during the festival. He explained that during last year’s festival, guests of the hotel were lavishly treated to some of the new and repackaged offerings of the hotel with the rooms in particular wearing new look and fitted to taste while the leisure section of the hotel was in full bloom. According to him, this year’s package has been greatly improved and spiced with frolicking entertainment sparks for the guests. The Bamboo bar is now up and running as well as wearing a new look. There is now as well, a new addition - an execu-

tive lounge, which has become the taste of the city. “Some good fun awaits the guests,” he said. Another spot of attraction should be the Aqua Groove section, which has been redesigned and refitted with equipment, which according to Ogar “meet the high taste of the patrons”. The intention, he added, is that the disco facility would drive the entertainment market and make the hotel live up to its billings as the peak of comfort and leisure. Ogar is confident this new section would be “talk of the town in weeks to come” as it would host most of the international and na-

tional artistes visiting the state. Local artistes too, he said, would be featured in the weekend sections while the Karaoke section would also be guests’ delight. The fitness centre has also witnessed a lift with new facilities installed in the gymnasium. The swimming pool has been expanded while the children’s pool now has an expansive sit–out area. Pyramids has over 50 bedroom en-suite; a modern restaurant for the best of continental and African dishes, especially local delicacies for which the hotel has earned some stripes; a bar section that offers special local delicacies and snacks and a Chinese restaurant. Conference and meeting planners have both the Manuel Mary Hall and mini hall to host various events from conferences, weddings, retreats, annual general meetings to workshops and seminars.

NEW TELEGRAPH PARTNER HOTELS BENEFITS FESTAC, LAGOS

ABA LAGOS

There are lots of benefits to derive as one of our partner hotels. For enquiries and details on how to join the programme, please contact Andrew Iro Okungbowa: 08023152195 (sms only), e-mail: iroandy@ymail.com or Chinyere Opara: 08063768131 (sms only) e-mail angela_curtis-2@live.com

Travel & Tourism

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

CHEF’S CORNER

bullient and stocky, he exudes passion when he speaks, especially when the subject is food. There is no doubt it's an abiding passion for him. For him, it's not just your ability to prepare delicious food that makes one a good cook. A good cook should be able to present the food in an inviting and appetizing manner. ‘‘In presenting your food, you have to garnish it very well and make it very presentable before the world,’’ he said. ‘‘A good chef has to know after cooking the food he has to decorate and garnish it (marinated). A good chef should be able to make his food enticing,’’ he adds. It is not surprising then that Richard Emmanuel Awe, the supreme executive chef of De Santos Hotel in the suburb of Shasha area of Lagos, spends as much time in making his food presentable in the restaurant just as in cooking the dish in the kitchen. This outlook has made Chef Awe an endearing figure and made him a toast of every diner at De Santos. ‘‘Our food is good and prepared in a unique style. They are tasty and presentable. We also take good care of our guests and they love our food because it is good and we care for them.’’ It is no wonder then why the hotel has been able to attract and retain a lot of guests in the brief period it has existed. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner both in buffet and a la carte. ‘‘We have all kinds of food – Italian, English, French, Chinese, India and African.’’ He takes you through the endless list of dishes he is adept at preparing. For instance, when it comes to continental or English the list include shredded chicken and beef, chicken curry, luncheon in mushroom soup, rice pilaff and braised rice as well as fried rice. Chinese shredded chicken and beef also make the list as well as Chinese noodles. For Indian cuisine, chicken curry also tops the list and for French, rice pilaff and chicken cassole, beef and chicken cordonblue, grill T–bone steak, fillet mignonn accompanied with butter rice, French fries and sauté potatoes come into the mix. For Italian cuisine, you can be sure of the different types of pizzas, spaghetti and lasangna as well as Italian rice with rice risotto. For local flavours, Chef Awe’s expertise speaks volumes. ‘‘I am very good at them because I am all over,’’ he said of indigenous soups, adding, ‘‘I am very good at pastry also. I make all kinds from bread rolls to finger foods.’’ Chef Awe noted further: ‘‘Our food is very important to us and we are very careful and we ensure that the best of hygiene is maintained and our food items are gotten from the right places and well preserved where there is the need for it.’’ The pioneer chef of De Santos also provides an insight into the signature dishes for the different days of the week. All three course meal, which he said he created from his rich repertoire and also based on the lifestyle and taste of the hotel’s frequent guests. According to him, the three course meals for Monday and Tuesday include the following. For starters: bread rolls, cream of chicken soup; main dish: grill T–bone steak, steam vegetable and French

Awe

For Chef Awe, it’s been a sizzling experience Richard Emmanuel Awe, a Benin Republic national and Supreme Executive Chef of De Santos Hotel speaks with ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA on what being a good chef entails. fries and desserts – apple pie, cream caramata and fruit salads. For Wednesday, which is tagged ladies’ night, chef Awe said: ‘‘I go Chinese for ladies’ night.’’ For Thursday, he reveals that it is more of a free style – a la carte where the guest is at liberty to request for any food that they fancy. He says this takes between 15 and 35 minutes to prepare depending on the nature of the food requested. And for weekend, that is from Friday – Sunday, special buffet is on offer with Sunday brunch a special occasion which, he says, guests and walk – in guests hardly want to miss out on because of the unique and classic nature. In his reckoning, Oha, vegetable and white soups are the favourites of locals who patronise the restaurant. As the pioneer chef, he has taken his time to create a system that works for the restaurant and stamp his authority and presence through the many things he has introduced and the manner he wants things done by his team. Creative counts For him, what stands out a good cook is his creativity and power of imagination.

BACKGROUND Awe was introduced to the culinary art by a friend. At the completion of his secondary school, he told his father boldly that he wanted to be a cook. The father didn't argue. He sent him to Paris where he studied and learnt the fine art of cooking. He worked for five years after the completion of his education in Paris. He sees himself as a globetrotter, having travelled to many parts of the world plying his skill, especially when he worked with the United Nations. Awe’s sojourn in Nigeria started in the late 1970s when he first worked at Zim Hotel Benin City in 1979. Since then, he has since crisscrossed different parts of the country and hotels. He was one of the pioneer staff of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. Besides, he has had a stint at Sofitel Hotel, Abuja, Protea Hotel, Victoria Island and Bon Voyage Hotel, Ikoyi, among others.

‘‘A good chef must be creative. I have created a lot of the things that you see in the restaurant and our food culture and the

people who visit us not only like them but are actually intrigued by them.’’ Finding fulfilment Awe is fulfilled discharging his responsibility as a cook. ‘‘I am happy and enjoying the career.’’ He would often advise friends and others to consider a career in cooking. Indeed, one of his sons has taken after him based on his advice and push. The boy is currently at the final year of his university education and once he is through, he has promised to send him to Paris to study as a chef. ‘‘It is a good career and it is more than being a banker. You should be proud of it because you can even earn more than a banker or any other professional. It is a career that I am proud of and I have trained so many people,’’ he said. For Chef Awe who has been nicknamed "food doctor", there is nothing like being a good cook loved and admired by people. It's a gesture that makes him quite happy and even more committed to his pledge to make people happy through his cooking.

TRAVEL BEATS

Uganda tourism signs up for Akwaaba 2014 Uganda is the latest country to sign up for this year’s Akwaaba, a yearly travel and tourism trade exhibition, scheduled to hold at the Expo Hall of Eko Hotels and Suites between October 26 – 28. For the east African country, tourism is a major source of revenue as its earnings for 2013/2014 was put at over $1.4 billion by the country’s central bank. This performance is attributed to the

country’s aggressive marketing and promotion of its tourism at both the domestic and international scenes. It hopes to use its participation at the event to continue to attract businesses and tourists to its base. Other countries that have also signed up for the expo include South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda and Gambia. According to the organizer of Akwaaba, Mrs. Rita Ikechi Uko, “the participation

of top destinations at Akwaaba shows Akwaaba's relevance within the region. These are countries whose economies thrive on tourism and are experienced in marketing and promotion of tourism because they have been doing this for a long time. We are expecting more tourism stakeholders to key into this by not just participating at Akwaaba, but also to network and learn from these tourism boards.”

Kenya tourism half-year performance dips A recent figure released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics has shown a dip in the half year performance of its tourism with arrivals at Kenya’s main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International, down by over 12 percent, from last year’s 409,130 – itself already reduced from 2012 – to 358,977. Mombasa also posted a grim report with arrivals down by over 20 percent. Its poor figure is said to be connected to a lot of

chartered cancellations occasioned by negative travel advisories in the wake of security incidents at the Kenya coast, which saw even Lamu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, coming under a travel ban from Western governments. These figures may finally put pay to the war of words between the government and private operators in the tourism sector who have faulted the report of high performance previously posted by the government.

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

TRAVEL PERSONALITY

OLADELE COKER Modules of success from a pioneer Oladele Coker is one of the executive directors of HSSL Global (formerly Hotel Support Services), a pioneer Nigerian hotel consultancy and management chain, which blazed the trail in the hospitality sector 24 years ago. It’s not only a reference point but has inspired a quantum leap by Nigerians in setting up legions of hotels’ management and consultancy outfits. He speaks with ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA on the journey.

W The journey

e started business October 1, 1990, about 24 years now and it has been a long journey but an interesting one. One of the primary reasons why we started was to revolutionise this industry, improve on the general standard of hospitality practice across the length and breadth of this country. That was our own way of contributing our quota to our industry because it was clear that this was not going to be done by any foreigner. We had to do it ourselves. But 24 years after did we achieve that? I will say yes. The evidence is quite clear. Getting out there, there is virtually no hotel that we don’t have our imprint, an employee that has passed through us.

Even in London there will be somebody somewhere that we have trained over the years. If that is all that we can give to this industry I will say that we have been successful and that we must be doing something right. The challenges The challenges really have to do with the revolutionary nature of the industry itself. You have to constantly remain one step ahead. We have to constantly keep on revolving and re-inventing ourselves. This is why you see that we are always restructuring. To remain relevant you have to change with it so that you don’t become a dinosaur. Now this comes with its challenges because it is time consuming and it is expensive to keep on revolving yourself. Hospitality business is my love and passion I am doing something that I love to do. Hospitality is not just what we do. It is who we are. I think the hospitality industry is not just for everybody. You have to have it in you to flourish in this industry and we are doing what we love to do. I love the pioneering effort. Even when I was in Sheraton back in the day I was a pioneer. There’s joy in helping investors realise their dreams Helping investors in our industry to achieve their dreams and their goals is a wonderful feeling. Yes, there have been challenges along the way because it has not been bed of roses. We have learnt some hard lessons. We have to

Many of these hotels are not built because the tourism business is booming but they are built for different purposes by the different owners evolve and one of the challenges that we have gone through is the transformation from hospitality practitioners to business owners. It took us a long time to realise that we are businessmen and that we are no longer employees and practitioners and we have to change our thinking because for many years we were perfectionists. We were looking at perfection but investors were looking at the bottom line and we have to look for a way to balance the two. Growth and development in tourism industry The hospitality part of the tourism industry has made appreciable progress in my own opinion. I remembered when we started in 1990 you could count on one hand the number of international brands that were in Nigeria. One of the reasons why we started Hotel Support Services was because we worked with one of those brands –Sheraton- and we realised that the gap between that standard and the standard elsewhere was so wide. We also realised that not every hotel owner would be able to bring foreign brand into the country, therefore, we decided to bridge that gap in order to help investors in our industry to get a better standard of management. So we provided a local brand of that international management based on our own exposure and experience. Then it was the sellers’ market So, we were able to offer an alternative then. Twenty four years after it is a different ball game. Number one; there is a hotel on every street corner. This was not so back in the day. We were what you called a seller’s market then. The guests were more than the hotels. When we opened the Pink Ribbon down the road (Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos) we were running about 97-98 per cent occupancy. It was crazy; in fact, if you didn’t make a booking then you won’t get a room.

Coker

Now the buyers’ market But this time around it is now the buyers’ market. There are more hotels than there are users. The hotels have to scramble, become more creative to get the little business that is available now. So, in terms of the number of hotels and their

Travel & Tourism

proliferation and the varieties of hotels, because you know you have everything from the one to the five star hotels, we have experienced tremendous growth. If you look at it on the surface it looks like the industry has really evolved. But to be frank in some ways it has. But if you look more deeply into what is informing this sudden explosion of hotels this is where we may not have done as much as we think we have. The growth is not bolstered by increasing tourism business Many of these hotels are not built because the tourism business is booming but they are built for different purposes by the different owners. If they were to rely on hotel guests to survive many of them would have closed down long time ago. In fact, many of them are closing now because there is hardly a day passes when somebody doesn’t come to us – prospective clients, they want to sell their hotels. This confirms my suspicions that this proliferation of hotels is not all about the business growing naturally. There is still a long way to go Have we arrived at where we want to be? The answer is no. We still have some way to go but have we improved from where we were then? The answer is yes. You find out that the gospel is catching on gradually. Everybody knows that they have to up their game in order to stay in the business. I believe what we did many years ago was an eye opener. The quality and standard have greatly improved By and large, I believe those who have the pedigree are trying to replicate what we did and to a large decree it is working in many areas. I will say, yes, the quality and the standard have improved. The perimeters have changed substantially from what they used to be. The kind of services that were acceptable in those days is totally unacceptable now anywhere in Nigeria. I believed that the bar has been raised. The up and down side of proliferation of international hotel brands The international brand phenomenon is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that each international brand brings with it an upping of the game. For a new brand to come in to compete, especially now that there are so many already on the ground, you have to up the game each time they come. That is number one; secondly, it gives the traveller another option at that level. So there are options. Whereas before the choice was limited. Also, they would be forced to train a lot more practitioners. So a lot more people like us in the next five, 10 years will emerge, which is also a good thing. The downside is that the transfer of knowledge is rather limited. This is where the lack of regulation is an issue. If you read the law governing expatriate it is very, very clear. Before you bring in these expatriates it must be clear that there are no Nigerians that can fill those roles. When you bring in expatriates as hotel manager, food and beverage manager, finance manager, chef, are you telling me that in the whole of this federation of about 160 million people both home and abroad, you couldn’t find any Nigerian to do this job? In many cases the answer is no. But they find a way round it. This is where the problem lies because 30 years on any group that has been here that long the key personnel should be Nigerians because the whole idea is transfer of technology. If we are not doing this then it portends danger for the industry. We must insist that this technology is transferred to Nigerians. India will not take this, they will not because you can’t just put an expatriate manager there in perpetuity. In Nigeria we are not doing that here and what it means is that in the next 20 years we will still have this situation and that is not good for the growth of our industry. By now we should be exporting managers, chefs and other personnel. The same way they bring them to Nigeria we should be sending them out too.

Travel & Tourism

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

DESTINATION

KADUNA: In search of the lost spark Kaduna State may be the political heartland of the north, but there is another side to it hardly known to many - tourism. ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA highlights its rich tourist attractions and concludes there's need for some rebirth if it hopes to rekindle the allure it once held for visitors.

Background nown as the "Liberal State", KADUNA State located in the country's north-west was created on May 27, 1967 from the old Zaria and Katsina emirates with katsina emirate carved out of the state in 1987 to form Katsina State. The state derives its name from the Hausa word, Kada, interpreted as "crocodile", while Kaduna literally means crocodiles. So bear in mind that when you visit Kaduna you are visiting the natural home of "crocs". You can catch a glimpse of this in the River Kaduna or even on a visit to Gamji Park in Kaduna where they have a number of crocs on display. Its popularity precedes it as the former political base of the defunct Northern region government as it was the administrative headquarters and home to the former premier, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello. It was also the capital of the region during the colonial era and seat of Fredrick Lugard who was formerly based in Zungeru, Niger State, but had to move his seat of power to Kaduna. Its power and significance as the political melting pot of the north may have waned in influence but yet Kaduna, the state capital, still remains the rallying point for political discourse in the north. The state is bordered by Niger State to the west, Zamfara, Kastina and Kano States to the north while to the east are Bauchi and Plateau States. The Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Nasarawa State are to the south. The landmass spans about 46,053 square kilometres with a population of 6,006,562 (2006 census). It has 23 local government councils with Kaduna, Zaria, Kagoro, Kafanchan, Zonkwa, Zango – Kataf, Birnin – Gwari and Kachia as some of the major towns to explore in the state. The state is predominately a Hausa state with Fulani, Gwari Katab and Bajju the other major tribes. But Kaduna, the state capital, is cosmopolitan as it presents a picture of a mini–Nigeria, playing host to Nigerians from across the country. It is also the commercial nerve centre of the state and the northern region as a whole with bustling business activities, especially trading. Kaduna used to be a highly industrialized city with some of the major industries and companies and manufacturing outlets located in the city from textile, oil and gas, agro–base firms, furniture, automobile to electronics and household items as well as drinks and beverages. Tourism overview With its highly cosmopolitan, industrialized and commercial nature came also a high level of socialization which made Kaduna one of the fastest growing cities in

the north and even in the country. The state is home to a number of military institutions and these used to be part of the appeal. These include the Nigerian Defence Academy and the Command and Staff College, Jaji, on the outskirts of the city. It also boasts classy facilities such as Hamdala Hotel operated by the Nigeria Hotel. But over the years, the state once noted for its liberal outlook began to wane in attraction and popularity, no thanks to latter day extremism. With the long knife driven into its social heart came abandonment of the once boisterous and enlivened tourism attractions of the city. Facilities like Hamdala Hotel and Gamji Park, later known as General Hassan Usman Park, suffered and fell into bad management. However, it was only in the early 1990s that the state began to attract a look in and get what looks like a resurgence of its tourism attractions which were in limbo. With its diverse tourism assets, ranging from its appealing and inviting landscape, enchanting culture, man-made attractions and booming hospitality and leisure scene, Kaduna should once again enjoy its commanding presence. But for this rebirth to go the full circle, it requires the government's commitment and for private operators and the people to invest time and resources in its reinvention. Zaria: This is one of the famous towns in the state with a rich history, tradition and culture. It plays a central role in the religious and political affairs of the state. Part of its rich tradition dates back to its founding days with legendary Queen Amina, the older daughter of Bakwa Turunku, the 22nd ruler of Zaria, reputed as one of the moving forces of the town whose exploits are celebrated in the town with monuments and relics raised to her honour. The aristocratic nature of the people as well as their rich art and craft are well reflected in the attractive appeal of the palace of the emir of Zaria, which today is also known as the Zazzau Kingdom. The Durbar event hosted yearly by the emir is often regarded as one of the most colourful and richest in the state and most parts of the northern region and its attracts huge following. Nok Village: It is the traditional home of the famous and world acclaimed Nok Terra Cotta. It is also the finest of the arts of the state dating back to hundreds of years. Visitors to the village can explore the wealth of this art, which has been preserved through the years. The Nok village playing host to this rich archaeological discovery, which existence is believed to date back to between 90BC - 500AD is in Jaba Local Government area, the southern end of the state. Zaria walls/gates: These were massive

Scene from a past durbar

defensive earth work created by the people of the Zazzau Kingdom to protect their community from invaders. Though many of these walls and gates, which reveal the deep ferment of the creative impulses of the people and advancement in warfare, are fallen and destroyed, but a number of them have been restored into magnificent and attractive monuments. The relics of those which couldn’t be restored have been preserved in their original state. They are about 14 walls stretching to 16 kilometres each with eight gates round the city. Palace of the emir of Zaria: Also known as the palace of the emir of Zazzau as the people of Zaria still go by the name of the former Zazzau Kingdom, it is a magnificent and appealing palace, revealing the aristocratic nature of the people and a reflection of the typical Hausa architectural prowess. Built of mud, the palace is opened to visitors and is surrounded by high walls bearing several artistic imprints. Arewa House: This is the famed residence of the former premier of the Northern Region and the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello. Located on Rabbah road, off Ali Akilu road, the house which is within a less attractive neighourhood has been preserved as a national monument in honour of the late premier. It has different sections with the large and expansive sitting room and other sections bearing his personal effects open to

public viewing. Now under the Ahmadu Bello University, the house which is perhaps the most visited and adored in the city and state have now become a research centre and library. Lord Lugard Residence: A plush cottage in the city that once served as Lord Lugard's residence where he lived and administered the country during the amalgamation period. The one–storey building stands directly opposite the amalgamation house. Both are enduring monuments with rich history in the city. Lord Lugard Hall: This is another historical monument in the city and was once the building housing the House of Assembly and House of Chiefs during the First Republic. It also served the same purpose during the Second Republic and down the line as it is still today used as the Kaduna State House of Assembly. Gamji Park: Also known as General Hassan Usman Park, the leisure park is one of the most famous relaxation spots in the city. It has received a makeover which has given it a new allure. Spanning about 7,000 metres, the park once served as the exclusive garden and park of the colonial administrators with the footbridge used then by Lord Lugard hauled from Zungeru and planted at a section of the park. Other sections of the park include swimming pool area and what could pass off as

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13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Travel & Tourism

Kajuru Castle

Emir of Zazzau's Palace wall

Lugard hall

an ecotourism section with natural vegetation such as mangrove with the Kaduna River running through it and an orchard as well. Here, boat cruise and sport fishing are possibilities. There are also the art and craft section with art works and sculpted pieces dotting the park, archive and galleries, eatery, conference hall for seminars, workshops and other social events. The park comes alive during holidays, festive periods, night hours and weekends. Fifth Chukker Resort: The home of polo game in Kaduna is a lush, warm and welcoming enclave spanning about 130 hectares. Dotting the expansive landscape is a number of leisure facilities ranging from bar, relaxation area fitted with hammocks and tents among others. The resort, which plays host to different polo tournaments and social events during the year, is a place to explore. Trappco Ranch and Resort: It's arguably Kadunaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most attractive resort to explore. Located in one of the settlements along Kaduna Airport road, on the outskirts of the metropolis, it comes with its own natural and inviting appeal. And located within this natural enclave with undulating ranges and rocky formations are stream, swimming pool, bar, chalets and children's play ground fitted with different amenities. Here, you can also enjoy horse racing, safari and others.

Foot bridge used by Lugard

Governor of Kaduna State, Ramalan Yero

Kajuru Castle: An enchanting and fascinating natural inselberg formation with expansive ground, it serves as picnic ground, relaxation, hiking, safari and biking spot. You could even enjoy sport fishing and boat cruise as well as skating. Matsirga Waterfalls: Located in Kafanchan, south of Kaduna, the waterfall is one alluring natural beauties of the state. Its surrounding is surreal, with water cascading from 30 metres into a gorge to form a pool of water that is supported by beautiful rocks. Despite its rustic nature, it presents a warm and inviting ambience.

St. Bartholomewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church: Located in Wusasa, Zaria, it is reputed to be the oldest church in this part of the country. Built of mud, it was constructed by the Church Missionary Society in 1929 and it utilizes traditional architectural design and materials such as mud, cow dung and grass. Though a new church has since been built, this building still serves the people occasionally with its facilities intact. National Museum: Located in Kaduna, it showcases the rich history and traditional and modern art and craft of the people. It features among others wood carvings, masks and terracotta from the Nok village and even Benin bronzes. You can also explore the small Hausa village at the back of the museum where different handcrafts are made and sold. The village also features Hausa storytelling exhibitions and music. Kamuku National Park: Is one of the seven national parks and it is located in Birnin Gwari and boasts a rich savannah and open wooded land with vast and rich flora and fauna. There are elephants, antelopes, oribi, waterbucks, hunting dogs, wet cat, green monkey, side stripped hyena and jackal. You can also savour birdlife in this natural enclave spanning about 1,120 square kilometres. Festivals: The state boasts a number of cultural festivals and communal events of rich colouration celebrated by the various communities throughout the year. These in-

Matsirga Waterfalls

Adriel Hotel

clude the Kaduna State Festival of Arts and Culture (KADFEST). A creation of the state ministry of culture and tourism, it is held in Kaduna for five days (late November to early December). Participants are drawn from across the state. This is one of the best periods to explore the tourism wealth of the state. There is the Durbar event, which is common with all the northern states and it is normally held during the Eid-El-Fitr and Eid-El-Kabir festivals and special occasions. Each of the emirates within the state normally holds their separate celebration, but that of the Zaria Emirate is regarded as one of the richest. Others are Afan Cultural Festival, which is celebrated by the people of Kagoro in Kaura local government area of the state; Tuk-Ham Cultural Festival, holds annually in Jaba local government area between the months of April and May; and Baranzan Cultural Festival, by the Zangon Kataf people of Bajju land in Zangon Kataf local government area and holds for two days in January. Hospitality outfits: A number of hospitality homes dot the landscape of the state ranging from boutique, luxury to budget hotels and guest houses. In Kaduna, the list includes Hamdala Hotel, Adriel Hotel, NAF Club Hotel and Command Guesthouse. Others are NTI Conference Centre, Aso Motel, Kongo Conference Hotel, Global Budget Hotel and Zecool Hotels Limited.

My Weekend SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER, 2014

Success of my clients spurs me to relaxation – Wabara

Caroline Wabara, author and digital marketing consultant with a unique perspective on social media and web design tells SEGUN EDWARDS why jogging has become a regular pastime for her.

aroline Wabara is willingly disposed to sharing the success story in her chosen endeavour without any inhibitions. She says the success stories of her clients spur her on and she derives satisfaction when her patrons’ businesses flourish. Such customers’ satisfaction, she adds, is enough for her as a form of relaxation. She does not shy away from the reality that her digital marketing consultancy for small businesses in Nigeria, who want to launch their products or services online in order to gain customers, has helped to create the desired awareness for her clients. She goes on to say her crusade in launching Nigeria into the global circle of creating awareness for businesses through digital marketing, hitherto seen as a fad, has materialised into fruition. According to the University of Lagos Igbo language graduate, the concept she emotionally nurtured since 2009 has gone a long way to giving her a great relief as a wholly Nigerian indigenous entrepreneur, creating value within the nation’s business space. Wabara notes that this is also a source of great relaxation for her. “After youth service in 2006, some thoughts of what to do started to occur to me. This is on the back of my acquiring requisite experience in both the insurance and construction sectors as a marketing executive. This is where my background in marketing came from. Of course, I also worked for a micro finance bank before moving into what I’m doing at present. “My inspiration came about during my post-graduate studies, also in Unilag in 2009, when I took interest in internet marketing after reading through a weekly entrepreneurial journal, Success Digest which drew my interest to internet marketing. From there, I developed interest in ICT. I attended several seminars on internet including a seminar where I acquired the knowledge on web designs from where I started the business of creating websites for clients. Some of the clients did not pay, some did. But that did not give me the desired breakthrough I wanted. “So, I went to acquire more skills in order to add value to the services I rendered to clients because creating websites for them wasn’t enough. I went online to do research and found out a site called Sitepoint.com, which advertises a gamut of other value added services in internet to clients apart from website building. From then on, I found out about social media, about digital marketing which I’m into today.” Although Wabara, a niece of a former Nigerian Senate President, (Senator Adolphus Wabara), she clarifies that she does not drop name. But rather wants to be seen as a Nigerian personality brand purely from what she does. “When I started talking to an unwilling clientele, she dismissed my novel idea on social media marketing as a fad. She argued that it was meant for children. However, I

Wabara

was determined to succeed and this brought my first client, a freight forwarding outfit. “From this, I had my breakthrough and had to create a social media channel for the client apart from the website design. The success recorded by this outfit made the business owner to recommend me to many people who later became my clients,” she adds. Wabara, whose clientele base cuts across the various sectors of the economy from audit firm, oil and gas, logistics to fashion outfits says her skill and affordable services give her cutting edge in her industry. Giving insight into how she manages her clients, she embarks on regular optimisation of their sites through the search engine to create awareness for their services. The advantage in this, she observes, will save the clients the trouble of “struggling to find customers for their services.” Her busy schedule notwithstanding, Wabara still finds time to wind down. “I engage in reading very interesting books as well as devote time to watching movies for my relaxation. I also engage in fitness exercise as a way to keep fit. So, every Saturday I engage in jogging at the stadium,” she adds. She says: “I do this on Saturday and any other time when I decide to do such thing. Although my tight schedules don’t afford me the opportunity, I still squeeze myself through physical exercise to stay fit.

“I get involved in regular jogging, after which I join my son at home to savour a whole weekend which ushers me into lots of relaxation that usually see us watch some very interesting movies and having adequate rest. “We also go out to catch fun at some interesting fun spots but more often I prefer to have adequate relaxation at home to loosen from the busy schedules. I’m not giving to attending events often, that does not mean I’m not a sociable person. But I don’t have preference for attending social events. I’m basically an inward person, I like to always be indoor to be able to reflect on very important things. I like to always think about what to do in enhancing the future of my business.” On whether she has any special menu for her weekend, she says, “I like plan-

We also go out to catch fun at some interesting fun spots but more often I prefer to have adequate relaxation at home to loosen from the busy schedules

tain as a special menu on some weekends which children cherish a lot. So, it is one of the special menu for me and my boy at weekend. We take it with fried egg. But if I have to eat any heavy food, I have preference for my native soup, Okazi, with swallow stuff. I like taking oat in the morning but in the afternoon I may opt for a heavy meal like wheat with sumptuous soup like my traditional soup, Okazi.” Dressing for her on weekends has to be casual and relaxing, except otherwise. “I like appearing casual out of official schedules. I opt for casual look in dressing except it is compelling to attend an important function. At such occasion, I prefer appearing semi corporate,” she enthuses. She equally adds that she relaxes even while at work. “All I do to ease stress from my busy official schedules is take some walks; it is a way to relax the nerves and become refreshed to continue to forge ahead,” she reveals. In all she has achieved in the area of business in her 34 years existence, Wabara says she is looking to enhance her business in the future in a couple of ways. “I am looking to create digital software for my clients in the future, that is one of my major aspirations that will enhance my brand and further impact on my added value focus in the digital world.” Narrating her focus in the digital marketing world, Wabara states; “I started CarolineWabara.com, a Lagos-based virtual digital marketing firm in 2009 to provide web strategy and implementation services for individuals, businesses, and organisations across industries, looking to fully leverage the internet to reach out to their customers. My clients recognise that the internet is an extremely powerful tool that can help skyrocket their businesses. “I specialise in turning clicks into clients through social media marketing, search engine optimisation, website design, consulting and training. “My outfit offers a full-service digital marketing agency with proven results providing services in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), web design, social media branding and consulting service and pay-per-click advertising the fastest traffic generation. “We get targeted traffic in your website as one of the most important tasks for any website, while we can increase the amount of visitors to your website and boost your business, with pay per click (search engine marketing – SEM). “CarolineWabara.com offers you the best advertising solutions focused on improving your online reputation, attracting hot leads and prospects likely to contact and buy from you. “With our vast experience using popular pay-per-click platforms like Google AdWords, Facebook Ads, and Linkedin ads, I can increase your position over your competitors at lower cost-per-click by implementing proven tactics increasing the quality of your account and reward by the search engine PPC platform. Our PPC Services include: keyword research generation; keyword bid management; PPC account audit; writing & tweaking ad copy; landing page A/B testing and goals/conversion set-up and tracking as PPC Ads training.”

SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Politics 45

FaceOff

Jonathanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second-term is harvest time for Nigerians, says Ayogu p.48

FaceOff

Now is time for Jonathan to quit honorably - Shomoye p.49

Politics

Anambra PDP goes spiritual as Okonkwo joins senatorial race p.50

Tribute

The Oracle of Medicine goes home p.51

Oshiomhole alienated loyalists, Edo people, says Ize-Iyamu

Pastor Ize Iyamu, renegade All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Edo state, recently led a massive defection to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and explained his grouse with Governor Adams Oshiomhole to CAJETAN MMUTA in Benin City.

How has it been since you left the APC for the PDP? Well, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so far okay. The reception has been overwhelming. I am interacting with all the leaders of the PDP and I find a very genuine feeling among them that we have returned to the PDP and we have also told them that we have come to add value. The PDP was a ruling party in the state when we left and it is our hope that, by the grace of God, in forthcoming elections, PDP will reclaim Edo state. Some are of the view that your coming back may not augur well with those who believe that you may be returning with divided minds? No, it is not true because I have told you that the reception has been very good, even before I formally announced my intention to return to the PDP. You recall that no-less a person than

the state chairman led a high-powered delegation to my office to appeal to us to join the PDP and he came with practically who-is-who in the party. I remember that day they came with some senators; the senator representing my senatorial district, Ehigie Uzamere and the senator representing Edo Central, Odion Ugbesia and a host of others. And since then, we have deliberated practically at several meetings. There is no serious meeting that the PDP has had since then that we have not been invited. The integration has been good, the reception has been overwhelming; there is a lot of excitement, the PDP has taken on a new lease of life in Edo State and everybody is eagerly awaiting the next election. How do you react to allegations that you collected millions of dollars from the Presidency

to jump ship, along with others and even as we speak, it is still alleged that some members in the state legislature were induced to defect to the PDP? Well, let me tell you categorically, that there is no truth in that story. It is all blackmail. But you yourself know that what is now APC in Edo state is predominantly former PDP members. The governor believes that once the people move, it is a matter of how much money they received. He should tell the people how much he paid all those that decamped from the PDP to the APC because he celebrated practically every day on television. So, maybe he should tell us how much he paid to give us an idea about the going rate but I can tell you categorically about our meeting with the President; we met CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

Politics

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13 SEPTEMBER 2014

‘The Grace group started in the PDP’ C O N T I N U E D f r o m PA G E 4 5

with him and no money changed hands. If it was an issue of money, it would have been very difficult to leave a party that is ruling a state and migrate into opposition. Why we left is in the public domain. Some people say that you hijacked the Grace Group and that they wrote the manifesto containing the vision and mission of the body that later transformed into the Action Congress of Democrats which, allegedly, did not favour you? No, you don’t listen to all kinds of silly stories. We need to struggle about how the Grace Group started, those of us who started the group know ourselves. You know when people who don’t have any pedigree, begin to equate themselves with their seniors, simply because they now found themselves in the corridors of power; it is sad. I will not dignify such people with any response but I can assure you that if the comrade governor or even those in the APC know that the Grace Group was started by some of us who were very high up in the PDP at that time; it was a political pressure group that was founded by leaders of PDP who were dissatisfied with the way things were going and eventually, when many of us were deregistered, we joined other like-minds across the country. And we came up with MCD, ACD, AC, ACN and of course, it was that platform that the comrade governor used to run for office and all those who piloted his campaign were basically our members, just like all those in the ACN. Are you taking about Prince Tony Omoaghe, who was chairman; Alhaji Usman Shagadi, who was the state deputy chairman; Chief Amos Osunbor or is it Mr. Philip Olumese or is it Bayo Adams who was senatorial chairman? All these were members of the Grace Group. Did you, at any point, tell the governor that you want to succeed him as governor of the state? There is no truth in it. In fact, the reverse is the case. And you know I had an interview with ITV and I said can the governor deny it that he was the one who told me that he wants me to be governor? What many people don’t realize is yes it is true that a lot of people thought I was going to run for governorship in 2007 but I want you to take your mind back; did you see any poster with Pastor Ize-Iyamu for governor? It never got to that stage. That was simply because deep inside me, I realized that somebody from my own senatorial district has been governor for eight years so it wouldn’t have made sense for me

Ize-Iyamu

to contest again. So yes I gave the struggle leadership, I was willing to play the role of leader in Grace Group but that did not mean that I wanted to be a candidate. And when Oshiomhole came to appeal to me to support him, I did not give him any pre-condition, no. Did I tell I want to be governor after him, no. I never did any of these things and he entered into government without any pre-condition. Now, on the issue of governorship; when the second term was about to start, some of us told him that we didn’t believe that the deputy governor should continue with him, that we didn’t think that the deputy governor was adding value to his government and he should look for somebody else. And he told us that the thing was already in the public domain, he didn’t want people to think that we were dictating to him. And then we had a meeting to discuss all these things in Abuja. That meeting was held in Chief Lucky Igbinedion’s office in Abuja. Chief Igbinedion was there, Captain Nosa Okunbor was there, the former SSG Dr. Simon Imokhemen was there and even Odubu was there and in that meeting, Adams Oshiomhole appealed to me and those who were against the deputy governor to allow him continue and also said that based on all I have done to assist him in his first term to come in and if I also assist him in his second term, he wants to make a pledge that he would like to support me to run for the office of governor in 2016. That was what he said and these people are all living witnesses. You can ask them. It is also on record that I didn’t jump up or say I thank you. I didn’t go with my family to say thank you but he made that promise. But since then even when I wanted to leave the APC, we held two meetings. There was one meeting he came at 10pm and he left there at 5am the next day and in that same meeting, he, again, brought up the issue of congresses that were not well done and said that let him also say that even for the governorship, he wanted to reiterate that he will support Pastor Ize Iyamu to be the governor of this state. So he said that again and that did not stop me from leaving the party but I told him that he cannot detain me in a party that I will become a farm animal in a party where autocracy, dictatorship, godfatherism which he said is fighting against, are now prevalent, you cannot detain me. When I said no man was God, I meant it. So, he cannot play God and expect me to be among those who will worship him. So if you are talking about governorship Oshiomhole knows that I have never gone to him to say make me governor. He, on the other hand, has been the one thinking that he can make me stay in the party by constantly saying he would want me to be the next governor. You can ask, he is the one asking me so.

Idahosa

PDP can never win Edo State, says Idahosa With the gale of defections and intrigues ahead of 2015. Mr. Charles Idahosa, Political Adviser to Governor Adams Oshiomhole and APC leader in the state, who clocks 61 years next week, speaks to CAJETAN MMUTA on a wide range of issues, including Chief Tom Ikimi’s defection; preparations for the party’s primaries and others issues. Tell us how 61 years feel like? Thank you very much; we thank God for His mercies. At 61, I don’t feel any different, I feel the same way I felt when I was very much younger in my 20s; it is just that a few things you used to do now is slowed down. I used to stay out late but now, I don’t enjoy night life anymore, I just stay till 10 or 11pm and I am home. But it’s still the same. I feel healthy, we thank God. You need more rest now and the grand children are coming in, so I just enjoy hanging out with them and having fun and enjoying them. How do you marry your age with politics? Politics is okay, most of the time, it’s more of consultation; people come around and say well done. I don’t run around anymore, especially now that I have disqualified myself from elective office. So I just sit down, people come to consult and it is only when you are running for an election that you have to do strenuous movements but politics is okay; am enjoying it and I am not doing too much hustling. I am coping very well. Sir, some political leaders are alleged to be extorting aspirants. Do you task aspirants to before their elections? I like the word task. When you use that word, Elama comes to my mind immediately. So, yes, I know it happens, a lot of political leaders see this period as an opportunity to make as much money from aspirants but really I am not in that class; any person that knows me will tell you that Charles Idahosa is the last person to attach money in order to assist you for any aspirant to achieve his political aspiration. No, to answer your question I don’t extort money; I don’t ask any aspirant to bring money. A friend of mine told me: This is harvest time because after the elections, you won’t see them again. It happens but I don’t really do it in the sense that when you give backing to any person aspiring for public office or elective office you lose your respect; you cannot control the person in terms of telling him what to do and as a leader, directing him to satisfy the needs of the people. You convince as a leader to assist the person. With all sense of modesty, in my area where I come from, my people respect me a lot. express appreciation to you. But I have enjoyed my style and I recommend to every other person because

I have assisted into elective and appointed positions have in turn transferred that appreciation to members of my family and my children. A lot of my family members and kids are close to elected people from my area, some appointees from my area and they come to tell me the kind of things they do for them. So you see if at the initial stage or ab initio I demanded for money they won’t do it. Looking at Nigeria in the past 14 years of democracy, as an active politician, what specific areas do you you say do not attract your interest? You see the way we go about our politics is so funny. We are supposed to be copying America, civilized democracies in the western world. I think somebody was wrote in one of the papers that they have over 80,000 support groups for President Jonathan urging him to run. I have never seen such an embarrassing thing in my life. Jonathan is a sitting president; he is a member of a political party. You see Pius Anyim, Secretary to the Federal Government saying we have collected four million signatures, begging Jonathan to run. This is a repetition of what happened during the military; one million man march, we don’t need it. They do all kinds of funny things because they want power; it is funny. So, those are the areas I can easily look at now. Are you not worried about the security situation in the country? I am very worried about the security situation. Obasanjo’s son, a Lieutenant, a situation where women see soldiers run into their homes and change into civilian uniform and run is not encouraging. About defections and the current administration of Adams Oshiomhole, do you think the APC still has that fire power to deal with the PDP in the next elections? Politicians have the right to boast. What do you expect a man to do? There is an old Benin adage that says not that I am not strong, it is just that the man that is taking my wife from me is stronger than me. So that is the situation between the APC and the PDP. The PDP can never win Edo state. I can assure of you that, any time, any day. What you are seeing is just a storm in a tea cup.

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

The abuse of the new economy

ishop David Oyedepo would probably be unpleasantly surprised to find that his prophesies about wealth and prosperity are fast becoming a source of merchandise on the large Short Message Service (SMS) network of MTN! Would be subscribers are urged to pay a token N50(fifty Naira) a week to receive pronouncements from the good Bishop. My concern is, is he in the loop here? The President of Living Faith Ministries International is not the only one whose ministry is being exploited via SMS. Pastor Ituah Ighodalo of Trinity House, a Victoria Island, Lagos based Mega Church is another one. One SMS reads “receive healing prophecies from Bishop David Oyedepo everyday!” The Trinity Pastor’s messages on the other hand tell you that “You can make the right decision all the time!” and offers Ighodalo’s messages as a guide to do this. Pastor Chris Oyakilohme’s Rhapsody of Realities also has SMS promos for people who are willing to part with N50 per week! Did the pastors sign a contract with MTN or are their interloping companies reaping from their pulpit pronouncements? This tinkering with the Word of God sounds and feels strange to the perceptive mind. It’s like asking the church-going public to pay their way into a gospel concert. A thing Christians in this part of the world find it difficult to do. Especially since the biggest gospel concert in this part of the world is free of charge: The House on the Rock powered, The Experience! SMS otherwise known as text messages is a feature of the GSM new media which is being exploited to the boot. There are a number of people who are making good money off the subscriptions that people make on a regular basis. My son got his first mobile phone when he was thirteen. Unknowingly, he clicked continually and subscribed

Perspectives

BUSINESS SENSE ALEX OGUNDADEGBE alexogundadegbe@gmail.com

The new economy is the result of the transition from a manufacturingbased economy to a service-based economy. to these services and his units were deducted so fast that he could not understand why he had nothing left to call with! If you are one of the people who has subscribed to something via text messages I urge you to check your account regularly because deductions might be made with out your knowledge if you are not careful. Christian pronouncements are not the only ones involved in this business, mark my words it is a business. There are health tips, dietary guides, love quotes and relationship advice. The biggest of them all by far is football updates from the English Premier League. A lot of ladies, except the few that do the work of sports broadcasters or analysts, do not understand the love or down right obsession involved in watching 22 men kick a ball around a pitch for 90 or more minutes, depending on the duration of the match. Between N50 and N100 a week can fetch

you updates on all the matches of all the famous leagues around the world, right on your phone! The new economy is the result of the transition from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy. This particular use of the term was popular during the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Nigeria has not done too well in the last couple of years in the area of manufacturing and even the computer enhanced “new economy” is suffering because of the lack of stable electricity and the perfunctory investment in the sector. Perhaps this accounts for the magical and rather creative turn of marketing that we have on mobile phones these days. Data are becoming easier to transfer, but the trouble really is there are still a lot of limitations. Movies are being pirated via the internet and downloaded for mass production and the movie buying public can hardly tell the difference between a pirated substandard movie and an authentic one. The general attitude of course is: who cares? I have watched people viewing movies on mobile phones and palm tops. The business is going crazy. What happens is there are a number of people who set up computers via the internet over night, download movies and spread them around for people to “dub”. The trend

is ingenious but treacherous. Movies like the Trojan Epic, 300 and super hero thriller, The X-Men are all over the place. If you are in Nigeria, you are probably wondering what the harm is: after all, the producers have made their money from the productions a long time ago. Well the harm is, if the trend is not checked soon, our own products will hit the same process just like the foreign ones. The hue and cry of piracy is one of the greatest challenges of the new economy and the new media. Movies are not the only download. There are jokes, music, voice bites and even chants. A lot of the sounds have been converted to ringtones and there is no limit to the creativity on this turf. The products via mobile phone vary. There are, Motivational based: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” A popular quote from world renowned author, leadership motivational speaker John Maxwell! His phrases and wise quotes are being sold via GSM services in Nigeria! Prayers: “God shall promote and cause you to increase in health, favor and honor. Prayers from Rhapsody of Realities! Job Hunters: Subscribe to Jobberman News for 7 days free and gist products for 7 days! Comedy: Akpos don come again o! Catch the chronicles of Akpos on your phone. All these come at a price. The list is endless. What really bothers me apart from the exploitation involved in some of these processes is the invasion of a person’s space. When I subscribe to a phone service am I told that every twenty minutes or so that I use my phone, a message will come from God-knows-where and encourage me to subscribe to a service, sometimes in terribly bad English? The minister for communications and National Communications Commission need to take note of this activity. It is being abused greatly.

Dimgba Igwe, Fashola and other stories

read the news of Mr Dimgba Igwe’s death on Sunday morning and immediately went into coma. How could someone wake up hale and hearty, kiss his wife, go for a jog and end up in a mortuary. That is the life of the average Nigerian. For us, life is laborious and short. If he knew where he would end up that day, he would have just stayed in bed, but then diabetes and high bold pressure will still be his lot. We never win in this country. Mine is not to write a sermon about his kindness, goodness and how brilliant he was as a writer. Or write about how he, along his “twin” Mike Awoyinfa, set up Weekend Concord; or his later life vocation of writing biographies. Mine is just to lament how his needless death could have been avoided if everybody stopped playing politics with our lives. I heard he lived in Okota. From what I have gleaned, the roads there are so terrible that they are almost not motorable. I once saw an NTA documentary on that part of town. The roads are so bad that a journey of thirty minutes takes over four hours and I am asking myself why it was impossible for two world-famous journalists could not use their influence to bring succour to the people who live in that dead zone. Today, all sort of very powerful people are paying their tributes to the noble man, when they could have just done the right thing and saved themselves from all these words.

EDGAR’S WORLD JOSEPH EDGAR

josephsamsponedgar@gmail.com

He has run away and instead of us devoting energy and resources in apprehending the culprit, we are busy hugging the limelight

Dimgba Igwe

Could it be that the man who drove the car was trying to avoid the terrible gullies on that road and in the process lost control and hit Mr Igwe and cowardly run away? We all run from re-

sponsibilities, we never stand by our follies. He has run away and instead of us devoting energy and resources in apprehending the culprit, we are busy hugging the limelight. I am angry that Mr. Igwe died this way, that his illustrious life was extinguished in a second as a result of poor governance and neglect. I heard there was scant attention even in the hospital. He died in Lagos, a state that prides itself as the centre of excellence.

Our governor has paid his own tribute. He drove through that terrible road and I’ve been wondering what was on his mind as he did so. Perhaps he assured himself that all other roads in Lagos have been tarred except that one; that he was even going to sign the contract on the eve of his departure. Lest I forget, the road will be tarred a day to his wake so that the party can go on unhindered. This death is one too much. We have lost too many brilliant people to our corruption and careless ways of doing things - Gani fawehinmi, Bola Ige, Samuel Okwaraji and a host of others; all died needlessly. The system failed them when it mattered the most. Mr. Igwe’s death must mean something for us otherwise he died needlessly. It must be a wake-up call, a clarion call for us as a tribe, we must lay emphasis on things that really matter in life rather than the frivolities that pervade our existence as a people. To me, the people whose jobs it is to repair and maintain our roads, those saddled with the task of running our hospitals must all share a blame. If they had done their jobs, Mr. Igwe would have been out there jogging this Saturday and Nigeria and Nigerians would have been blessed for it. Adieu, my friend.

FaceOff SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH 13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Jonathan’s second-term is harvest time for Nigerians, says Ayogu Hon. Fidel Ayogu, SouthEast Coordinator of Jonathan Actualisation Movement, (JAM), tells CHINEDU EKEJA why he thinks President Goodluck Jonathan deserves a second chance to rule Nigeria. The controversy on whether President Good Luck Jonathan deserves re-election stems from formidable challenges facing his administration. Where do you stand on this matter? Morally, everybody deserves a second chance in whatever he has done and it a culture or a tradition now in Nigeria that if you have done well in any office, you deserve a second chance. Legally, it is enshrined in the constitution that an elected president has every right to re-contest for a second term in office. But that is just by the way. On the basis of achievements, it is obvious that the president has performed distinctively, that one does not require any convincing to see them. This is a man that inherited a very dilapidated country and he has been trying to make it work. He has a lot of road maps and most of them have been realised. Look at the national conference that just came to a conclusion some weeks ago. Some people thought it was not going to happen; that it was dead on arrival Some delegates went there with the intention to destabilise the conference, but it came out successful and the country has taken a big step towards achieving success and sustainable stability in many other gray areas in the country. When you look at the elections that have been conducted in this country since Jonathan came in as president, they have forced critics to shut their mouth. Everybody has come to agree that very progressive elections have been conducted in Nigeria. Progressive in the sense that each election comes to be better than the previous one. This trend or culture, as it is going now, is something that will lead us to the Promised Land in terms of politics and democracy. When you consider other areas, the consistency we have enjoyed on the issue of fuel is another development on its own. It has been long we experienced this hitherto recurring embarassment of fuel scarcity or anything like. This stability that we are having is certainly another justification for him to re-contest. Away from that, when you look at the rail ways or transport ministry, nobody will tell you how the rail way has been revived which is like a dream come true; it has come to stay. From Lagos to Kano, the rail is there for all to see and other networks of rails under construction. Then you look at the road network, you can see Benin- Ore road, the Enugu-Onitsha road, the same when you go to the North and very many of them that one cannot start mentioning now. Or is it education or health? You can see the gallant and credible fight given to Ebola, compelling every Tom, Dick and Harry to commend the federal government; the confidence of Nigerians has been re-invented in our professionals, with everybody agreeing that government has done well in Ebola control and sensitisation. What will one mention and what will one leave out? Is it aviation? When I was an ambassador, I always felt ashamed and bad whenever I

mention names, but look at people who are being recycled in APC, for instance, are they not, abinitio, corrupt even from background to their professional levels, even before coming into politics, carrying it over like a cancerous appendage.

Ayogu

was coming to Nigeria because our airports are not, in any way, of international standard, but look at the sector today. It is not what I say, but what every Nigeria who approaches the airport can tell better. You can bear me witness. The Enugu International airport, the one in Lagos and many others are all there for anyone to see. The Enugu one is a long awaited dream that the people have been praying for God to do it to them because the people are business minded people who travel far and wide around the world, to China, Dubai, America on a daily basis, and such came during Jonathan’s regime. But many argue that some of these things are enjoyed mostly by the elite class and not the common man. How do you reconcile this with your arguments? I don’t agree with that. How can an international airport be something enjoyed by the elite alone when it brings goods, which are mostly agricultural produce to be sold in the Nigerian market and bought by same Nigeri-

How can an international airport be something enjoyed by the elite alone?

ans at affordable prices. You know Enugu International Airport has a cargo section which was specifically designed to export or import goods, especially agricultural produce. For whose benefit? Most of the things brought in are being made available for the masses. If bringing an airport to an international standards is for the elite, are the school systems for the elites too? I don’t actually know which one is for the elite and which is for the common man; we are not talking about flying presidential jet. We are talking about making access to or from Nigeria open and easy for business purposes. Is it for the elite again? The security and health issues which are being managed, are they for the elites? Then what will you say of political stability, the idea of one man one vote that has been achieved. Is it for the elite? Good governance and democracy, has it any class? Whether elite or common man, is it not for everybody? What about corruption which many critics say thrives unmolested. Don’t you think critics are justified? We are not going to look at the president in isolation of the society. As if the president is existing somewhere and the society is somewhere else, independent of each other. The people who are talking about corruption are who. Among them that are criticising and still aspiring to rule Nigeria, are they saints? Do they have better records? I don’t want to

Does that justify alleged corruption in Jonathan’s cabinet? I am not saying that that should be a justification, but corruption is every where in Nigeria, so we don’t isolate any particular department when we are talking about corruption. We have it in every aspect of Nigeria’s life. Without using that as a justification, I want to tell you that corruption is being tackled, but systematically. When you know the root of corruption and you are tackling those problems, you are at it. It is not a physical phenomenon where you do physical combat for people to know that you are tackling corruption. If you are doing the right thing to elect the right people into offices, you are tackling corruption. Politicians, these days, are more focused than ever, because they know that if you don’t bring out a good candidate during an election, people will vote him out, so everybody is playing cautiously. It is no longer business as usual. What we used to have before was god fatherism where the god father will bring out any body, whoever the person is and right there, the victory was assured. That is corruption but now it is no longer there. Look at power and electricity, it has been unbundled, the PHCN is no more handling it, and you know the level of corruption that used to emanate there from when it was NEPA to PHCN. But with this unbundling, it is no longer there. It is the same in agriculture. Before, a farmer will go through a lot of processes before he gets fertiliser, but now, the farmer gets the fertiliser direct at normal rate. The long protocols have been bridged. How certain is it that if re-elected, he is not going to lower the tempo, because Nigerian politicians have been known for that? It does not even happen in all cases. So it cannot be used as a parameter to judge all politicians. Look at Enugu state for example; the governor has consistently been working from his first tenure till this present era, even still awarding contracts running into billions with just few months to go he is even working harder. People should understand that Nigeria is changing; it was not like that even in the present dispensation. You saw what happened in Ekiti, Fayemi was there in the first term and he failed election in the second term. So things are changing. He failed because of the quality of the person that contested against him and the openness of the electoral process. Everything is changing and it is going to have a bandwagon effect on every aspect of our national life, including corruption. The issue of doing well in the first term and slowing down in the second term, I assure you, will not arise. Because Jonathan’s administration is like a farmer who has sown seeds and he is waiting for the harvest. His second term is going to a harvest time for the country, and it important is that he should be re-elected for him to supervise the growing stage of the plants that he has sown.

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

FaceOff | Politics

Comrade Ahmed Shomoye, National Publicity Secretary of New Justice Forum, (NJF), tells CHINEDU EKEJA that President Goodluck Jonathan has not done much for Nigerians to deserve a second term. Has President Goodluck Jonathan performed well enough to deserve reelection? Well, in my own view and in the view of my own organization, Mr. President got ample opportunity to prove or show the stuff he is made of as it regards his coming back to rule this country, but what we have seen, recently for heaven’s sake, indicates to all Nigerians that we need a change. For those who are of the opinion that Mr. president should come back, if you look at it, what they are giving as reasons are that he barely spent his first tenure of four years, and that he that he barely came in as a president and that he needs enough time to finish up or build on what he has done in the past. But I am not looking at it from that perspective. Mine is that Mr. President had the opportunity to become the best president Nigeria ever had even while at the acting capacity. He had a two-year opportunity which he inherited from his predecessor as an acting president, four years as an elected president, so summing that up, he has had six years. What is it that he wants to give Nigerians in the next four years that he could not have given them in six years? With the six years almost exhausted, what do we have at hand? Insecurity in its worst state, unemployment, lack of power and so many others. So what are they telling us, that we should continue in that state for the next four years? These are the reasons why we are saying that Mr. President doesn’t deserve a second term and that he needs to give way for new people that can steer the affairs of this nation. Let me tell you something, an average Nigerian believes strongly that where we are today is not where we are supposed to be, in terms of power, in terms of security, employment, infrastructure, name it. We all know what we pass through everyday, so for me, I believe we need a change and a change for good. This is not where we should be, and you cannot continue to do one thing over and over again and expect a different result. But his supporters feel he has done well and needed to consolidate on his achievement? If you follow national politics, you will discover that the money meant for the people of this country is sinking everyday without trace. For instance, the alleged NNPC missing money is there plus several other allegations of financial misappropriations all taking place in this administration. We, of course, can easily recall the immigration tragedy, so many examples like that which one can easily cite. This is enough for Nigerians to understand that, we need to change the direction we are facing currently. The president coming back is guarantee for Nigerians to keep themselves in unnecessary bondage. Some admirers however argue that the president has done well to deserve a second term, and that he would have done better if not for insecurity and other related challenges; Do you share this view? No I don’t. The purpose why you are elected, as a leader, is for you to solve problems. It is either the problem has been there before you came in or it arose and grew because of your lackadaisical attitude to leadership. You must provide solutions to those problems. One of the excuses that they have

Shomoye

Now is time for Jonathan to quit honorably - Shomoye given is that Boko Haram has been there before his assumption of office as the president. Fine, but the realm at which they operate now is far more deadly than what he met on ground. That is just an aspect. If you are talking about infrastructure, what has happened or what has been happening? I might not be able to speak for other states, but at least Lagos State where I reside or in the South-West, what has been happening to our roads? I can’t boast of any federal presence in terms of road infrastructure in Lagos here, not to talk of other SouthWest states. Look at Badagry Road, for instance, which is a major federal and international road for that matter. The Federal Government has been the one allegedly slowing the completion of the project, because they have refused to cooperate with the Lagos state government to provide enough funding for the project. Lagos–Ibadan Express Road is another major road that, on a very good day, no responsible government should pay less attention to, but look at it today how it is. It has become a dead trap to road users. He has the opportunity to do more than every other administration has done in the past. In fact, this administration has earned and controlled more money than every other administration in the past. So he cannot come and tell Nigerians that why he has not been performing is because there is no money at his disposal to make things happen. We have never had it so good in terms of resources in the past. This administration has that opportunity of making life meaningful to Nigerians, by creating jobs, giving us good infrastructure and other essentials of life, providing

security which is why government is in place. But what do we have today? Just exactly the opposite. I don’t think we should continue in that way. The president, for me, does not deserve a second term. All he needs to do is to bow out honorably. The problem is that we are not grateful in this country, Mr. Goodluck Jonathan started as a deputy-governor, governor, vice-president and subsequently, president. One can see that he has been in the government circle for the past 16 years, but that is not even the issue. At least, within the period he has been there, he would have learnt the ropes, know where and what the problems are, and the exact thing that Nigerian are yearning for. With this knowledge, his coming to the office of the president would have been to solve those problems. But he has not been able to learn through those processes and that is why we are where we are today; instead of moving forward, it is as if he was not prepared for the job. If you are prepared for the job, as he is coming in, he should have known the problem he is to encounter and with plans on how to solve them. It should not have been like this. Our government wastes too much money on propaganda as in Akwa Ibom state. If you do the right thing, it is Nigerians who

What is it that he wants to give Nigerians in the next four years that he could not have given them in six years?

are walking in the streets that will tell it, not the radio, bill boards and television or newspaper. This is because Nigerians live within these facilities you are talking about, so they are seeing them as you are putting them. Let me give you an example, Lagos state, though some people may have their reservations about how things are being run, but at least, you can see things being done. For me, I don’t see Mr. President coming back to rule us again because for him to have a second term, he has to do enough to justify his return. Now, sentiment aside, in the search for the next president, what leadership qualities do you advise Nigerians to look out for that you feel are lacking in the current president? Like I said, we need a positive change. Positive because, change could be otherwise too. For now, I will not mention names because INEC is yet to lift the ban on electioneering campaigns. But what I will advise Nigerians is that we should look critically at the person’s antecedents. This, I believe, will speak for him in many ways. Looking at what the person has been able to do, either in his private business or while in public service, either way, the people can look at your past and make a decision on your character and person. It is not by coming out to read from a prepared speech with sweet tongues and at the end of the day, the opposite will start reflecting. Nigerians should be able to critically dig into the past life of whoever that is aspiring to be our next president so as to be able to make a good and informed decision.

Politics

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

The origin of Igbere Day Celebration Chinasa Uche, Chairman, Local Organising Committee, LOC, of Igbere Day Celebration, tell CAMILLUS NNAJI about the historical significance of the event.

ulture, some people say, is collective programming of the mind to distinguish members of one group or category of people from another. History, on the other hand, is a systematic account of what has or might have happened, especially in the form of a narrative, play, story, or tale usually in chronological order. So Igbere day Celebration systematically interpretes the peculiar and consistent way of life of the Igbere People of Bende Local Government in Abia State. According to Chinasa Uche, Chairman Local Organising Committee, Igbere Day Celebration 2014:” the once agrarian people of Igbere are rooted in their Cultural values and heritage, even in diaspora, in order to teach our children born outside, some of our belief system, values, attitude, marriage system and techniques of doing things”. Uche’s account was corroborated by Dr. Uwakwe Esse in his presentation titled: “ Igbere Origin Facts and Fallacies”. According to him the belief that Igbere people and Igbo’s in general migrated from the lost tribe of Isreal is a fallacy and untrue. Rather Africa is the original home of the human race. “Scientists and archaeologists agree that man first evolved in Africa, in the Olduvai George in the present southern Sudan…” the second fallacy is the autochthony propounded by those who say that God created the Igbere ancestors at Eke –Igbere. According to Esse , third fallacy is about those who believe that Igbere ancestors emerged from God’s human factory at Okai Eke. This is also a lie, he said.As migration of Igbos continued from the Niger-Benue Confluence down to the Atlantic, through Owerri axis , a settlement called ‘Okomoko’ was formed. Igbere People believed that ‘Okomoko’ was the ancestral father of the Igbere People. According to Ojukwu Igu in an Interview at Ibina Igbere dated July 8, 1973,”Okomoko was the man created by God at Eke Igbere “, while C.A Guise in his intelligence report on Igbere referred Okomoko as “the commonest ancestor of the clan, but no one was able to state where he came from”. Esse warns that by so believing on Okomoko , legendry

Dr. Uwakwe Esse

stereotyping should be avoided which reduces the name both as an ancestral father and home. He added that given its geographical location , Okomoko is a mime of a place and not the common ancestor of the clan”. Some traditional historians hold the belief that, ‘Ebiri’ was the son of Okomoko and real founder of Igbere . Ukaegbu Eke wrote: “ it is the belief of an average Igbere man that Ebiri was the founder of Igbere and was also the son of Okomoko”. But for peace Igwe and Adiele Chukwu , it was rather Ebiri’s Children that founded Igbere. Esse seems not to believe in this linage when he said , “when Ebiri people , the Igbere ancestors left Okomoko, they followed the same route created by the earlier migrants as held by many opinions, …but Okomoko as a historical figure has been dismissed, consequently Ebiri cannot be the son of a nonexisting figure, rather Ebiri refers to a tribe which can be referred as a group of people associated by family relationship, preserving it’s own culture”. The Ebiri people soon had to wage a gritty battle against Igbo Ukwu people , their doggedness and invisibility in that war stoutly defended their settlement. Esse reasoned that after this attack by Igboukwu , a vast majority of Ebiri people became founders of Igbere as the largest surviving group of Ebiri tribe. However true this historical survey, the derivation of the name Igbere is still shrouded in controversy. Some believe it was originated from Okomoko’s nickname, others opine it was derived from ‘Igbo eru’ while another camp believed it originated from a tribe in Abakiliki called Igbere. Esse says ;” the Name is derived from Igboeru, which is an expression that refers to a period of tussle in early history of the Igbere people for existence between the Ebiri tribe , the Igbere ancestor and war-like adventures who attacked their Okai Oronyi settlement and subjected them to frequent attacks but never subdued”. Professor Micheal Ijioma, in his presentation, ”Igbere Culture”, notes that mythological beliefs have it that Igbere people originated from ‘Eke Igbere’ Moving from Agbo to Ovum, the various communities that made up the clan fought against a strong warrior ‘Ota Obom’, an intruder they needed to defeat to regain their settlement. Ijioma challenged the new generation of Igbere people and Nigerians generally on the spirit of togetherness and unity which characterized these ancestor, the result of which was successes in wars and community development. “ there is need for the application of human and material resources for peace, progress and development of our communities.it is in this score that anybody or any community pursuing selfish or personal and parochial interest should be seen as working against Igbere culture and by extension the Nigerian society, Ijioma advocates for revival of cultural values like decency and environmental beatification, values of honesty, faithfulness and respect for elders. Others include values of humility, hard work and perseverance. He also uphold a leadership structure where by the Leader sees his position as opportunity to serve, bring peace, encourage productivity and efficiency in the society.

Okonkwo

Anambra PDP goes spiritual as Okonkwo joins senatorial race T he entry of Obiora Okonkwo into the Anambra Central senatorial race complicates political permutations. Politicians have been urged to strengthen the sacred mandate of voters and the charter of contract between them and their constituents in order to deepen democracy at the grassroots. Giving the charge yesterday in Awka, Anambra State, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and a senatorial aspirant in Anambra Central, Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, said that “it is the poor attitude of politicians to those who elected them into office that is breeding this culture of distrust and acrimony, which manifests at every election.” Declaring his senatorial ambition at the PDP secretariat in Awka during a special praise, worship, and prayer session organized by party faithful and the entire party executive at all levels from Anambra Central Senatorial zone, and witnessed by party men including the state chairman of the party Chief Ken Emeakaiyi, Okonkwo said that the time has come for change in the way the voters are viewed as “nothing more than the people we merely go to for their votes. This is wrong and we will push for a change.” In his sermon, the Bishop of Ogbaru Diocese Anglican Communion, Rt Rev. Sam Ezeofor, advised members of the party to respect constituted authority. He told them that, “what causes acrimony is disobedience to authority. If you are disobedient you are causing problems for yourself. If you respect those in authority you respect God and if you disobey them, you disobey God.” Identifying the struggle for leadership as the major cause of crisis in a political party. In his declaration speech, “We Believe We Can Make This Change”, he stated: “We believe that the power of the people is stronger than the power of the people in power. In pushing ourselves on the need for change, we have drawn up a shared vision with the people. It is a bond between the led and the leaders; a charter of trust, a platform to rebuild confidence. It is a bond built on the absolute needs of developmental politics, morality, credibility and humility in service to God and humanity. We want to restore

pride in the people, rebuild their confidence and make them believe again that power resides in them.” Okonkwo, who is the Political and Economic Adviser to the Archbishop of Onitsha & Metropolitan of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province bemoaned how voters have been shortchanged in their ability to effect change only during elections. Noting that it is only during elections that politicians come to give stock of their mandate because they are looking for fresh votes, he said, “in the last four years, we have painfully noted how our representatives have failed to account for how the mandate has been honoured; we have not held any town hall meetings or enjoyed the privilege of an interactive session with the people where stock is taken and the contracts renewed. “We excitedly approach every election season as a time to return to the people, the custodians of the scared mandate of power to cajole them, implore them, coerce them and if possible buy them over. What do we do with this mandate? This sacred mandate, which is is sought in every election has been abused. But we want a change; we want a change and we anticipate a change. It is the reason I am here.” He said he is not in the race to make up the numbers but as an agent for sustainable change to offer service and to “significantly alter the way leaders see those, who put them in power. We insist that without these people, there would be no leaders. A leader is a servant of those who handed over power to him. That power is the power to serve the people and not the power to dominate them. Today, these leaders visualize themselves as kings, emperors, tingods who should be served while they drive their people off the roads, into poverty, distrust, hopelessness.” Okonkwo, a former Board Member of the National Metallurgical Development Centre, Jos and Coordinator of the Anambra State Good Governance Forum (ASGGOF), noted that one major consideration in the quest for elective office is the encodes ent of the people in collaboration with the party leadership. According to him, this is more important than university degrees.

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

The Oracle of Medicine goes home

Tribute

IBRAHIM CIROMA businessman and eldest son of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Alhaji Liman Ciroma, remembers the late ‘Oracle of Medicine’, Chukwuedu Nwokolo.

hen Barrister Ngozi Nwokolo-Opara called me from the United States, sometime in July and asked if I could write a tribute on her late father, Ugo Dibia Chukwuedu Nathaniel Nwokolo, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, on behalf of my family, I told her that “I will try.” As my response probably did not sound assuring, Ngozi quickly added “I am sorry, BB, but closing date for submission is in two days!’’ ‘’No problem,” I uttered. And immediately after our conversation I thought to myself, how can I “write a tribute on such a titan?” But I quickly consoled myself with the fact that I did know the old professor and have heard a lot about him from our patriarch, the late Dr. Liman Ciroma, long before I met him. And so the story went, as narrated by Mallam Liman to us, of the kind gentleman medical doctor and his family at Enugu who became his friends and host in the late 1950s during the period of his work in the 1959/60 bronzes excavations at Igbo-Ukwu, in the then Eastern Nigeria. Incidentally, Igbo-Ukwu is the home town of Dr. Nwokolo’s wife, Mrs. Njideka Priscilla Nwokolo. The first bronzes find that were reported from Igbo-Ukwu dated back to 1938 and by 1958, the then Director of the Nigerian Federal Department of Antiquities, Mr. Bernard Fagg (Malam Liman’s boss), invited the British archaeologist, Thurstan Shaw, to come from England to excavate the site on behalf of the department. On learning about the participation of a Northern Nigerian Archaeologist as an Assistant to Dr. Shaw in the bronze digs at Igbo-Ukwu, the kind and hospitable Dr. Nwokolo had sought out Mallam Liman Ciroma and invited him to his home to enable the doctor to hear about the archaeological work going on at Igbo-Ukwu, his wife’s home town. Dr.Nwokolo offered to accommodate Mallam Liman in his residence as he found out that his guest was often around Enugu on his way to Igbo-Ukwu. Mallam Liman graciously accepted the physician’s offer and so began a life-long friendship that, years later, involved their entire families in Enugu and Kaduna. Dr. Nwokolo was at that time practicing as a specialist physician in Enugu before leaving for the University College Hospital Ibadan (UCH) as senior lecturer in internal medicine in 1962. My father went on with his narration, telling us about a warm and happy family - recollecting Dr. Nwokolo’s long American car and little Ngozi smartly dressed, clad in her long white stockings with a ribbon in her hair, playing around the compound. It was clear that pre-independent Nigeria, the Ugo-Dibia (Eagle of Medicine!) was already an accomplished “Nigerian!” Amongst the late Professor Nwokolo’s children, Mallam Liman’s children got to know Ngozi more closely, having become a part of our household during her National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, in Kaduna in the early 1980s. I got to know Dr. Chuka Nwo-

kolo, Ngozi’s immediate elder brother and the eldest child (now professor of medicine in the United Kingdom); his wife Barrister Nwabueze and little daughter, Munachiso Nwokolo ( a senior medical doctor in the U.K), during my undergraduate years at the University of Jos, where Chuka Nwokolo was at the Jos University Teaching Hospital. N o s t a l gia floods me whenever I remember Nwabueze’s sumptuous Sunday lunch which I savoured whenever I went visiting from the campus and her unsuccessful attempt to get me to relish periwinkle in her soup, on noticing that I would pick them out, one by one, and pile them up at the side of my plate. I remember, heartily, when the Barrister ‘‘put it to me’’, one day, that I was culinarily “unadventurous!” Nwabueze Jaja WachukuNwokolo is now Director and Board Chair at Great Britain’s Black Solicitors Network and also sits on the Regulatory Affairs Board of the Law Society. Subsequently, we met Chuka and Ngozi’s siblings when they came to attend a ceremony at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where their father was then the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council. Other members of the Nwokolo clan that we know very well are Ngozi & Uzor’s two girls, Eziola (Zola) and Zara. However, we have heard a lot about their big boy, Nnanna and little girl, Kiki. We also know about, but are yet to meet, Chuka and Nwabueze’s Idu, Obioma and Buzz’s Logan; Mezie and Eziafakaku’s Nmesoma, Nwulia and Nodebenna; Chioma and Tochukwu’s Tobi and Kamsi; Njide and Chuma’s Zara, Codi and Sassie; and Chiedu and Uju’s Nicole, Vanessa, Witney, Russel and Nylah! I last saw late Professor Nwokolo and his dear wife in December of 1998 when I was in Enugu on a work visit during the omni-present PTF days. My cousin, Abdullahi Ciroma, who was airport manager at Enugu and a regular visi-

Nwokolo

tor at the Nwokolo’s, and I visited them to pay our respects. I remember the old professor asking me about my father’s orchard in Kaduna, after which he told me about his own orchard and asked that some oranges be brought from the orchard that I may take to my parents. We also corresponded by e-mail and conversed on phone once in a while especially after my father ’s demise in 2004. Professor Nwokolo moved to the United States about five years ago, where he was a member of the New York Academy of Sciences. He remained very much involved with SICREP (Sickle Cell Research Programme) — a sickle

Nostalgia floods me whenever I remember Nwabueze’s sumptuous Sunday lunch which I savoured whenever I went visiting

cell research charity he set up in Enugu several years ago — until his demise on Sunday 18th May, 2014 in New York, United States, at the ripe old age of 93! The late Professor Chukwuedu Nathaniel Nwokolo, University of Nigeria’s first professor emeritus, was an internationally distinguished tropical diseases expert, outstanding medical researcher; pioneer medical doctor (second Nigerian to obtain membership of the Royal College of Physicians in 1953), author, humanitarian, and acclaimed professor of medicine who served humanity with distinction throughout his lifetime. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, seven children and 21 grandchildren. He was buried beside his parents on 22 August, 2014 in Oraifite, Ekwusigo Local Government, Anambra State. The old professor will be greatly missed at home in Nigeria and well beyond. Our most heart-felt condolences go to his loving family. •

Ciroma, eldest son of the late Liman Ciroma, who retired as Secretary to the Federal Military Government in 1979, wrote from Kaduna.

News Extra

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

ILAJE

DAMATURU

KAFANCHAN

INEC blames Kwara assembly Yobe govt to conduct fitness for non-conduct of by-election examination on drivers N EWS I N BRIEF

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it cannot conduct a by-election to fill the vacant seat at the Kwara State House of Assembly because the parliament has not followed the legal procedure. The spokesman of INEC in the state, Mr. Jacob Ayanda, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in a telephone interview yesterday, that the commission was yet to be officially notified of the death of the member representing Kaiama/Wajibe/Kemaji, Mallam Idris Haliru. Haliru died on June 7, after a protracted illness, while the commission was by law, expected to organise a by-election within three months.

2.447m

The total population of Nagpur, India in 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com

Yobe State Government yesterday said it would conduct medical and fitness tests on commercial drivers to ensure the safety of passengers. The Commissioner for Transport and Energy, Alhaji Mustapha Gajerima, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Damaturu, that the decision was taken because of the high incidence of accidents on the highways. “We have completed the exercise for drivers of the state mass transit company, `Yobe Line,' and we are extending this to commercial drivers in motor parks across the state,” Gajerima said. According to the commissioner, any driver that is found with disability will be prohibited from driving.

The sex ratio of men above 60 years per 100 women in Benin Republic in 2012. Source: Un.org

Kalejaiye is dead

Pa Napheus Emiloju Kalejaiye of Odo-nla community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State is dead. Kalejaiye died on September 4 at the age of 85, after a brief illness. Until his death, Kalejaiye was a community pillar and a philanthropist of repute. He is survived by children and grandchildren, among who are Mr. Johnbull Kalejaiye (an educationist), Mrs. Justinah Ajimosu, Mr. Alex Kalejaiye, a journalist and politician, Mr. Wisdom Kalejaiye and Mrs. Kehinde Oribamise. Burial arrangement to be announced later by the family.

22.72

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of Bahrain in 2012. Source: Itu.int

Igwe: 'Nigeria has lost a rare gem' Tony Okuyeme

s tributes continue to flow for the late Vice-Chairman of The Sun Publishing Company, Mr. Dimgba Igwe, who died on Saturday, the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has described his demise as a personal loss. He said Igwe was a selfless professional, a dedicated patriot, and committed democrat who used his journalism profession to work for the good of the nation. “Nigeria has lost a rare gem, a doyen in journalism profession in Nigeria. The manner of his death is a sad statement on our security and the health sector. We all have a moral and civic responsibility to make sure that such a thing does not happen again,” he said. Fayemi said this when he paid condolence visit to the family in Okota, Lagos. He

was received on arrival by the widow of the late Igwe, Obioma, family members and Dimgba’s ‘twin brother’, Mr. Mike Awoyinfa. “I spoke with him two weeks ago. He calls me regularly. I have no words to explain what happened. The circumstance of Dimgba Igwe’s death is a statement on the decadence in our country, if this could happen to a man of his status. Whoever is responsible should not be allowed to go free,” he said. The Chairman/CEO of Tee Mac Petroleum Nigeria Limited, Dr. Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli, in his tribute, said Igwe was quiet, religious, wonderful person, good writer, and a great journalist. “Anytime he launched a book they invite me to play the National anthem with my flute. It is a big shock. Anytime life has no value anymore in Nigeria,” he said.

Censors Board arrests six illegal films’ dealers in Lagos Sony Neme

L-R: Registrar, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Otto/Ijanikin, Lagos, Mr. Olumuyiwa Coker; retired chief lecturer, AOCOED, Alhaji Surajudeen Akanbi Raufu and his wife, Ola, at a lecture in honour of Raufu at Ijanikin…recently

2015: Suswam holds ‘caucus' meeting with Moro, Ortom, Ayu MEETING

Ahead of the 2015 general elections, Gov Suswam hosts crucial session with party leaders

Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

s part of strategies by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State to ensure that it outplays opposition parties in the 2015 general election, Governor Gabriel Suswam yesterday summoned a ‘special caucus’ meeting with some stakeholders, State Working Committee (SWC) members and members of the Federal Executive Council (FCE) to fine tune ways of caging the opposition. Notable PDP stalwarts in attendance at the meet-

…Cancels November LG polls ing included a former Senate President, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu; former Minister of State for Education, Dr. Jerry Agada, Interior Minister, Abba Moro, his counterpart in the Trade, Industries and Investment Ministry, Chief Samuel Ortom, Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Terhile Ayua and some commissioners. The meeting, which lasted for over five hours, focused its deliberations on the zoning of political offices in the state, the impracticability of conducting the November local government elections and the need to consider the earlier position of the Tiv monarch's pruning down of governorship aspirants from 30 to four. Some of the delegates to the meeting confided in the

Saturday New Telegraph that the party’s resolve to put on hold the local government election and instead constitute caretaker committees, was welcomed with a thunderous applauds, as those to be planted would be used by the party as stooges to win the general elections. The Saturday New Telegraph further learnt on good authority that the decision of the party to rejig it’s political offices was because of the end of tenure of the present SWC members, but the positions were however, not spelt out. This sudden move by the PDP to clean its house came just as the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has also rolled out its code of conduct to all aspirants on the need for them to

conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of the party and ensure a hitchfree election. But briefing newsmen shortly after the meeting which took place at the New Banquet Hall, Suswam ruled out the possibility of conducting the local elections before November this year even as the tenure of the present chairmen expires, noting that the only option left for the party was to put in place caretaker committees. The governor, who gave an indefinite date for the election that it may hold before he exited from office, said part of the resolutions of the meeting was for members to evolve strategies to win the forthcoming elections in the state. He was, however, silent on the issue of pruning down of governorship aspirants to four.

n a bold step to enforce its classification decisions, the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), has clamped down on sellers of pornographic and unclassified movies in some parts of Ikoyi, Lagos. The raid, which was carried out in collaboration with the men of the Nigeria Police attached to the Dolphin Divisional Police Station, took place in Obalende, Dolphin and Awolowo Road areas of the state. The raid, which was met with strong resistance from the film sellers, particularly in Obalende, resulted in the arrest of six dealers. After the raid, about 2,000 copies of unclassified, mainly multiple in one films, both local and foreign and pornographic materi-

als were confiscated by the staff of the Board, in collaboration with the Police. Prominent among the unclassified films seized were Season 5, Arab Money and Estate Runs. Others are The Wrong Target, Ritual Men, Ibu Vs Okon and Educated Housemaids; as well as Ashawo Umunede, Blood Tonic, Strippers in Love, After the Sex among others. The South West Zonal Head of Operations, of the Board, Mr. Chinedu Azi, who spoke with journalists said the raid was informed by the desire of the Board to rid the market of pornographic movies. According to him, "It is illegal for anyone to display pornographic movies since they violate the laws of the land. As long as the films did not pass through the Board for censorship and classification they violate the laws of the land”.

Arthur-Worrey flays deployment of over 150,000 policemen on VIP duty Muritala Ayinla

he Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Security, Mr. Fola Arthur-Worrey, has described the deployment of over 150,000 policemen attached to certain individuals in the country as a big scandal. The LSSTF boss said it was unfortunate that more than half of the nation’s policemen have been sent out on private duties as guards and orderlies to companies and influential citizens at a time when the nation is undergoing serious security challenges. By law, only the President, Vice President, governors, local council chairmen, magistrates and judges are

entitled to police guards. But the reality in Nigeria today is that almost every influential Nigerians and nonNigerians have more than five policemen as orderlies. But speaking during an exclusive interview with Saturday New Telegraph, the former Director of Public Prosecutor in Lagos State said police authorities are systematically turning the police to domestic servant class by transferring the responsibility of police welfare to the affluent citizens. He said: “We must ask ourselves why in a time of terrorists’ threat and general insecurity, a police structure will give 150, 000 of its policemen to VIP service as protection guards?"

Sport Extra

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

Igiebor defends Mikel over criticism

Ghana sacks Black Stars coach

he Ghana Football Association and Black Stars coach James Kwesi Appiah have agreed to mutually part ways. Ghana football’s official website reports that he two parties met on Friday morning to reach the agreement on the departure of Mr. Appiah. The lawyers of the two parties will meet next week to decide on the severance package for Mr. Appiah based on the contract of his appointment. The GFA thanked Appiah for his diligent service to the country as the coach of the Black Stars in the past two years.

osa Igiebor has come to the defence of his Super Eagles teammate, Mikel Obi, as the Chelsea man continues to come under intense scrutiny and criticism. Mikel’s performance for the Super Eagles in recent times have been roundly criticised by the fans, but Igiebor said the former Lyn Oslo playmaker doesn’t deserve as much blames as he’s getting. “I don’t think he deserves as much blame as he’s getting because he has done well in my opinion. “I know it’s natural for the fans to criticise you when the team isn’t doing well and they probably have the right to do so but it happens when you don’t win. “But I would say he did well really, maybe not his best but he has done well,” Igiebor opined. The former Real Betis of Spain midfielder however admitted that Mikel appeared tired in the second half of their matches against Congo and South Africa, but insisted that it was the case with the entire team. “I think maybe he got tired in the second half of the games, but it wasn’t just him, it was the entire team. It affected everybody not just Mikel,” he added.

Igiebor

Nigeria’s Mikel Obi (left) battling for the ball with a South African player during their AFCON 2015 qualifier on Wednesday

Ebola: Gabon denies Eaglets entry into Libreville

he Nigeria Football Federation has sent a strong letter of protest to the Confederation of African Football over Friday’s unsavoury incident in Lome, which saw Gabonese authorities disembark members of the U-17 National Team delegation from a Gabon – bound ASKY Airline flight. Having flown from their base in Calabar to Lagos and travelled by road from Lagos to Cotonou as a result of the cancellation of all Gabon-bound flights from Lagos, the delegation members were issued boarding passes on the ASKY Airline flight from Cotonou to Libreville, via Lome, only to be subjected to the harsh treatment after landing in the Togolese capital. A team of 18 players and six

Diego Costa emerges EPL Player of the Month for August

helsea striker Diego Costa has been named the Premier League’s Player of the Month for August. The Brazilian-born Spain striker lifts the award in his first month in English football, having moved to Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid this summer. Costa, 25, scored four goals in three matches at the start of the English campaign, including individual strikes against Burnley and Leicester City and a double against Everton in a 6-3 victory. The striker was criticised by Everton boss Roberto Martinez following the game at Goodison on August 30 for shouting at Seamus Coleman after the Irish right-back had scored an own goal. “I think there are certain foreign players who, when they come to the Premier League, need to understand the ethics and it’s a completely different culture,” he said. He beat off competition

from Chelsea team-mate Cesc Fabregas, Swansea City duo Nathan Dyer and Gylfi Sigurdsson and Aston Villa’s Andreas Weimann. But Swansea were successful in the manager’s category, with Garry Monk named Manager of the Month after guiding the Welsh side to three wins from three. The Swans kicked off their Premier League campaign with a 2-1 win at Manchester United, before beating Burnley 1-0 and West Brom 3-0.

Murray

China Open: Murray gets wildcard

NFF protests to CAF officials, led by NFF Chief Technical Officer, Siji Lagunju, an ex –international, were dumbstruck when the airline informed them that Gabonese authorities had instructed that they be offloaded from the aircraft alongside their luggage. The protest letter signed by NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu, read inter alia: “On getting to Lome, our delegation members were disembarked and their luggage brought out of the aircraft, and told that they would no longer be flown to Libreville, on the orders of Gabonese authorities. “We strongly protest this harsh, unkind and unfair treatment of players below the age of 17, who

have had to go through this arduous and tiring journey only to further their career in football. We are very much aware that the Confederation of African Football has stated clearly that football matches should not to take place in only three countries, namely Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, as a result of the Ebola Virus Disease pandemic. “Our players have taken serious precautions and even have Ebola –free Medical Certificates. “The Nigeria Football Federation is sorely disappointed by this attitude of Gabonese authorities and we implore CAF to come into this matter and determine the issue of the qualifying fixture.”

ndy Murray has accepted a wildcard into this month’s China Open. The Scot, who has not played in the Beijing event since 2010, is trying to accumulate enough points to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in London. He will then move on to Shanghai to compete in the penultimate Masters event of the year. Murray, 27, is currently in 11th place in the Race to London, with only the top eight qualifying for the season-ending tournament. The new US Open champion, Marin Cilic, who has climbed above Murray in the race, is also due to play in Beijing, along with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Pistorius faces 15-year jail term

outh African athlete Oscar Pistorius faces up to 15 years in jail after he was found guilty of culpable homicide over the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.. Judge Thokozile Masipa said the athlete acted “negligently” when he fired shots through a toilet door, but in the “belief that there was an intruder”. She said the state had failed to prove he intended to kill Steenkamp. The judge allowed Pistorius to remain on bail ahead of sentencing which is to take place on October 13. Arnold Pistorius, the athlete’s uncle,

of murder and that a “big burden” had been lifted. “There are no victors in this,” he added. “We as a family remain deeply affected by the devastating, tragic event... It won’t bring Reeva back but our hearts still go out for her family and friends.” South Africa’s prosecuting authority said it was “disappointed” Pistorius was not convicted of murder but said it would wait until after sentencing to decide whether to appeal. The athlete was also found guilty on a charge of negligently handling a firearm that went off in a restaurant.

Pistorius

said the family was “deeply grateful” to the judge for finding him not guilty

GAMES/CROSS WORD PUZZLE Some Areas in Lagos-2

KEY WORDS

AKERELE ITIRE OGUNLANA YABA IJAYE ISHAGA

Costa

MONTGOMERY BALOGUN OJUELEGBA IDUMAGBO OKE SUNA GBAGADA ERIC MOORE GLOVER OJOTA TBS APONGBON ONITIRI

Y A P O N G B O N O J

R K O G U N L A N A I

E E R I T I S H A D O

M O R E V I A O T G O U J N O M U L G A J U

G L J N L N A B A Y E

T E A T E G R T E U L

N S Y G B A G A D A E

O B E O N I T I R I G

M N U G O L A B E O B

E A N U S E K O S P A

S I

T E

8 11

18 19 21

ACROSS 1 5 7 8 9 10 11 12

Africa’s most populous country Head covering Indicating maiden name Earth’s atmosphere Huge heavenly body Urine’s component Of the anus Indicating surprise

16 Human blood type 17 Serene 18 Remove water from a boat 22 5th zodiac sign 23 ‘Head’ in Igbo 24 Type of Kia car 25 Cook in oil 26 Personal

15 17

DOWN 1

E M

14 16

4 7

River in New York

14 Horse’s fastest pace

2 Citizen of Germany

15 Spittle

3 Trick

19 Amiss

4 Yearly

20 2nd republic Borno governor

5 At this place

21 Conf of African football

6 Chinese language

(abbr.)

13 Blood-sucking bat

See solution on page 35

54 Society

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

A Fidau prayer was held on Saturday, September 4, for the Late Alhaji Buliamin Balogun (alias Ejoor Sir). The event took place at Eleko Village, Ibeju-Lekki, in Lagos State and attracted several friends and professional colleagues.

A cross-section of family members

Some members of Ojodu-Berger Landlord Association

Commercial staff of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA)

Members of the Balogun and Daudu families

Members of the Association of Waste Managers (AWAM )

Association of Waste Manager (AWAM) officials

Mr. Tayo Balogun flanked by members of Olive Stores and Alfa Waste and members of Mechanic Village Association, Lagos (right)

SATURDAY NEW TELEGRAPH

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

HOSPITALITY

pyramid hotels preps for calabar festival

P.39

SPORT

w ww. n ew te l e g r ap h on l i n e . c om

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

N150

AFCON qualifiers: Don’t panic, Echiejile tells Nigerians

P.25

Professor Jega is overrated

he oath of office in respect of the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, had one existed, ought to be something along this line: “To discharge the functions of the office of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission without fear, favour or prejudice.” There should, necessarily, have been a constitutional provision for such an oath, administered by a Justice of the Court of Appeal. However, notwithstanding this hiatus in our body of laws, the spirit of the oath is presumed. In this connection, therefore, by his recent prejudicial action coated in favouritism, Prof Attahiru Jega has fallen in breach of that presumptive oath. Jega, the Chairman of INEC, has enacted a blatant act of gerrymandering through his tribally inspired allocation of 21,615 additional polling units to northern Nigeria as against 8,412 polling units to southern Nigeria in one of the more dishonourable acts by the electoral body in recent years. To put it in context, there were about 120,000 polling units across the country, split in uncontroversial proportions between the North and the South. By creating an additional 30,000 polling units, Prof Jega sought to decongest the quantum of voters at each polling unit by bringing the total number to 150,000. However, in his warped mind, and this is a sympathetic rendering of the man’s psychological alter ego, the decongestive needs of the North is vastly superior to those of the South. Consequently, he allocated less than a third of the newly created polling units to one-half of the country. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the policy strategy aimed at improving the electoral process, particularly against the backdrop of the chaos that had characterised the exercise in every zone in the country. Travelling, for example, for more than a mile to cast your vote is unacceptable. Herding more than 1000 voters into a single polling unit, especially in an environment of logistical nightmare where practically none of the components of the process works the way it ought to work, cries out for remedy. But, very much in the element of the frightfully appalling physician, Jega’s prescriptions for the cure of the disease is in danger of making the ailment more grievous than the endurance of it. Of course, curiosity is aroused by the magnitude of the increase of polling units (a whopping 25%), despite the creaking bureaucratic architecture of INEC. The nation has not been enlightened as to how this dramatic enlargement of the logistical challenge of the electoral body a few months to the general elections might aid a smooth and successful conduct of elections in February, 2015 It is submitted that thoughtlessness lies at the heart of this extravagant ambition, as it is clear that its realisation is next to impossible, and it will levy additional anxiety and misery on the Nigerian electorate. How this move might fit into the practical mechanics of the general elections in 2015 has not been explained to Nigerians by Prof Jega. Thus, the soaring suspicion that the good professor has deliberately set himself and INEC up to fail and, consequently, scuttle the elections is not as farfetched as some may

BROADSIDE EMMANUEL ONWE agubata@aol.com

Jega

presume. INEC has made song and dance of inadequacy of resources, including lack of manpower and equipment for optimum logistical capacity during elections. Further questions such as the logistical and technical measures in place to migrate electorates who are already registered and married to specific polling units to the newly created ones are yet to be answered. A breakdown of the way in which INEC has allocated the polling units provides a powerful evidential basis to condemn the man for the hypocritical jingoist that he is, despite his loud protestations to the contrary. North-West 9,906 polling units; NorthCentral 6, 318 polling units; North-East 5,201 polling units; South-West 4,160 polling units; South-South 3,087 polling units; FCT 1,120 polling units; South-East 1,167 polling units. This is the ugly picture painted in monstrous ethnic strokes. Words, logic or arguments cannot beatify it. A splash of black paint over it, or rendering it asunder is the only action that will reassure Nigerians that INEC has not fundamentally deviated from its constitutional mandate. That the Federal Capital Territory is gifted almost equal number of polling units as the South-East would be laughable if it were a matter of theatrical comedy. But this is a matter as serious as the retrenchment of a specific people’s suffrage. The number allocated to the North-West is eight-and-a-half times greater than the number allocated to the South-East. Now, pause for a moment and consider this: over the past year or more, the SouthEast has witnessed a considerable influx of citizens from the North-East, as habitation in that part of the country has been made impossible by the ravages of Boko Haram. Eastern cities such as Enugu and Owerri

have virtually been turned into construction sites, as residential homes erupt like seedlings all over the place. While reliable figures are not readily available, but it does not require scientific exactitude to observe that the shrinking population of the North-East has led directly to the population explosion in the South-East. You may now take another look at the figures above and make up your own mind. South-East – the deep-bowled latrine into which all things foul in the Nigerian republic are deposited! Why? Prof Jega waxes lyrical in his arrogant selfdefence: “I am not an ethnic or religious jingoist. My antecedents are there; I have been accused of many things. Those who don’t want progress resort to sponsoring fictitious groups to pull us down.... These critics are mischief makers who hang everything on ethnic or religious context. That is not the case as far as INEC is concerned, there is nothing we can do. We believe that all rational thinking people in those groups will later see reason with us. This is not the first time people are calling for my resignation or being fired. I will be there in 2015.” With great respect, Prof, Afenifere is not a “fictitious group”, nor is the Southern Nigeria People’s Assembly (SNPA). These important groups with customary powerful voices over the affairs of this nation have expressed deep concerns about INEC’s insensitivity, inequitable and dangerous action over this matter. They had gone further to pass a vote of no confidence on you personally. Dr Alex Ekwueme, the former Vice President, is not a “mischief-maker”, nor is the irrepressible Chief E. K. Clark. These iconic patriots have all condemned, without reservation, INEC’s blatant display of partiality and favouritism. They have called on the electoral body to either reverse itself or rectify the delineation in such a manner as to depict the clear realities of demographic composition of our nation. Prof Jega claims that “...there is nothing we can do.” Well, there is plenty that you can do, good Prof, starting with offering some explanations and persuasive reasons for your actions. Failing that, you could simply see to it that this nonsense is reversed forthwith and then proceed to dedicate yourself to honest service to motherland, guided by the principles of equity, fair-mindedness and patriotism. “Those who don’t want progress resort to sponsoring fictitious groups to pull us down.” On the contrary, Professor. It is precisely those for whom nothing is more para-

mount than the progress of our nation that your retrogressive and objectively sectional policy decision and implementation cause the greatest anxiety. There are those who have cast doubt on INEC’s authority to create additional polling units. Such doubt is misplaced. The powers are rightfully derived from the laws of the nation. But the discretion inherent in the exercise of those powers has been grossly abused on this occasion. The lopsidedness in his delineation of polling units denies the INEC Chairman any moral or legal claim to impartiality or patriotism. Jega has sought to justify his condemnable action by invoking his “antecedents”. Well, those antecedents include his disastrous superintendence over the National Assembly election in 2011. At about 3 o’clock on Saturday the 2nd of April, 2011, Jega announced to stunned Nigerians that the National Assembly election had been cancelled. He cited non-arrival of polling materials from South Africa and late distribution of the materials that were available in some parts of the country. He announced that the election had been rescheduled to the next day, Sunday the 3rd of April. This was the greatest lie ever told and the greatest electoral heist ever to be pulled off by the acclaimed “Mr Integrity.” I was not amongst and still am not amongst those he fooled. Therefore, the instigator and executioner of a civilian coup d’état has no claim to a proud antecedent. It is an antecedent that includes the presentation and successful defence (by what magic one could never tell) of a budget of N83 billion, riddled with double-accounting and sundry irregularities, before the Senate of the federal republic in August, 2010. The corresponding values that the Nigerian people derived from that staggering amount were, among other dirt-cheap bargains, third-rate computers and ancillary equipment. The result is that, today, not every Nigerian who is eligible to be registered to vote is so registered. And the fault lies not with the disenfranchised Nigerians but with Jega’s INEC. Machines at advanced stages of decrepitude were deployed for the purposes of the Automated Fingers Identification System (AFIS) and the poverty of the outcome stands as a testimony to incompetence and corruption. In the recently concluded exercise in connection with the issuance of Permanent Voters Cards, incompetence and lack of capacity were painfully too glaring. The expectations of most Nigerian were, and still remain, frustrated. The good Professor usually fails to offer satisfactory justifications or explanations for his actions. He gets away with it because Nigerians tend to be less than rigorous in their demand for accountability. Prof Attahiru Jega is grossly overrated, and discerning Nigerians know and understand this truth. That the gubernatorial elections conducted in Ekiti and Osun were awarded pass marks are not sufficient bases to absolve him of general incompetence and cowardly conduct. If he gets it right in four or five states, those will still represent the exceptions that prove INEC’s propensity to corruption, incompetence and asphyxiation by bureaucratic bottleneck.

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