Saturday, april 16, 2016 binder1

Fulani ‘killings’: Igbos ask Buhari to probe dss, Pg.4 nsa

News

Crime

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I suspect foul play, says mother of slain Falae’s guard Pg.10

Gay allegation: Nigeria can’t try Swiss Ambassador Pg.3 –Lawyers

Mayoorza

SATURDAY Saturday, April 16, 2016

Vol. 3 No. 787

/newtelegraph

@newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com

N150

rescued girl’s shocker:

I want to go back to b’haram Pg.5

...people call me Boko Haram wife, criminal ●They rejected me, were happy when my child died

Windstorm wrecks havoc in Lagos, Benin Pg.54 Telecoms mast destroyed by rainstorm in Lagos...yesterday.

INSET: A billboard that fell and destroyed a building and truck, in Benin City, Edo State…

PHOTOS: SULAIMAN HUSSAINI/ NAN

Tade Ogidan: How I discovered RMD, Ogogo, Esiri

Pg.13

CCT trial: Your claim has no basis in law, court tells Saraki

Pg.54

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SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

SATURDAY

Comment

Contents | 16.04.16

Ikechukwu must not die in vain

W

eapons handling is part of the rudimentary training of law enforcement agencies. An officer who does not accord respect to the trigger does not in any way deserve a riffle in the first place. The killing of a young Nigerian simply identified as Ikechukwu by an operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) is as senseless as it is saddening.

Ikechukwu, according to reports was alleged to have gone to a filling station in FESTAC town Lagos to buy fuel in a jerry can. As he was heading home, he was accosted by an NSCDC patrol team.

The young man held on to the product refusing to let go when so ordered. He even pleaded that he was not one of the nascent fuel hawkers. All that fell on deaf ears as he was shot dead.

Three others were also shot but were lucky to remain alive albeit with different degrees of injury. The killer, a woman, was ordered to deal with Ikechukwu by a male superior officer who led the patrol team.

Nigerians are not animals that should be hunted like game in the forest. A security operative is not just trained to kill at will simply because of the power of his weapon. Law enforcement also goes beyond using the barrel of the gun to terrorise innocent defenceless civilians.

The NSCDC is a para military organisation which lacked bite and was virtually a neighbourhood patrol squad before the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo Presidency.

Operatives did not have more than sticks as their weapons.

However, following the alarming rise in pipelines destruction and oil theft, government empowered them with weapons. Today they carry AK-47 rifles like the police.

Poor Ikechukwu would not have gone to the filling station to die as it were if we had a listening government. There has been scarcity of petroleum products for a while and having five litres of fuel in a household is something to celebrate. There is no electricity so most homes and businesses rely on generators to keep going.

Nigerians are forced to sleep in filling stations and that is no guarantee that they would get fuel after all the efforts. Ikechukwu could have spent days before purchasing what eventually took his life.

We know there are fuel hawkers and black marketers. That was why the Lagos State government set up a Task Force to monitor the distribution and sale of fuel.

Government we are sure did not send any para military organisation on a mission to kill defenceless Lagosians.

We condemn this act. This is a case of murder and the patrol team that carried this out should be punished. The female operative who went trigger happy is a threat to the society and must be dismissed from service after which she must be handed over to the police for prosecution.

This will drum into the ears of some of these gun totting organisations that we are in a democracy. There appears to be rivalry among the para military organisations. They are trying to prove to civilians that they are all deadly and must kill to show how serious the threat is.

This show of force and power must stop. Our law enforcement agencies should not allow criminals in their midst turn the society against them. Part of their training should be psychology. This senseless notion of treating civilians as animals must stop.

DAILY TELEGRAPH PUBLISHING COMPANY LIMITED Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief

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3

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

I Pictures that tell stories

SEPARATED COJOINED TWINS

n January 1987, Theresia Binder was eight months pregnant and suicidal.

“I wanted to kill them and myself as well,” she said, according to Ben Carson’s best-selling book “Gifted Hands.” She had just learned that her babies were stuck together and felt as if “a sick, ugly

monster” was writhing inside of her.

She contemplated swallowing pills.

She considered opening up the window of a tall building and jumping out. Instead, on Feb. 2, 1987, she gave birth to her boys.

“After studying the available information, I tentatively agreed to do the surgery knowing it would be the

News

Gay allegation: Nigeria can’t try Swiss envoy –Lawyers Tunde Oyesina

R ABUJA

eactions yesterday continued to trail the media report, which alleged that the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Eric Mayoorza, was being investigated by the Federal Government for allegedly coming to the country with a gay partner.

While the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, in a statement has said: “The government has ordered an investigation and appropriate measures will be taken for any wrongdoing”, a cross-section of lawyers who spoke with Saturday Telegraph said the Nigerian law could not catch up with the Swiss envoy.

The lawyers hinged their opinions on the grounds that there was diplomatic immunity for the envoy.

Commenting on this, Mr. Awa Kalu (SAN) said Mayoorza’s immunity was total.

“If he has a gay partner, that is his private affair.

Moreover, if the marriage was not contracted in Nigeria, it makes it more difficult for him to be prosecuted under Nigerian law.

At any rate, once you have called him a diplomat and he is accredited, then that puts an end to the inquiry,” he said.

Corroborating Kalu’s position, Mr. Yusuf Ali (SAN), said the Swiss Ambassador had diplomatic immunity and, therefore, couldn't be tried in the

country of his service.

“This is because the premises of an embassy is like the country of origin.

That is why you can't arrest people in an embassy, you cannot also invade an embassy.

“The only way he can be tried here in Nigeria is if his country waives the immunity, if not no country can do anything about it,” Ali said.

Also commenting, a constitutional lawyer, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, said a diplomat could not be tried under the law of the country where he is serving different from his country.

“There is diplomatic immunity for the Ambassador. The laws of his nation protect him. The only thing is that his partner can be prosecuted if he steps out of diplomatic protected area.

“For instance, if he goes to Eko Hotels, he can be arrested. But the Ambassador himself cannot be

arrested. To arrest an Ambassador, you have to notify his country.

“However, the act by the Swiss is disrespect to the laws of Nigeria. The Western society had continued to push the immorality to us in Nigeria. This case is an attempt to further push the abnormality on the country.

The norm is that an Ambassador should be sensitive to the laws of the country he is serving.

“It should also be noted that every country has its own law, I think the case at hand should be between the Government of Switzerland and that of Nigeria. It is a violation of Nigerian law by the Swiss government. It should be looked at beyond the personality now but the country itself,” he stated.

Also stating his own position, the President of Public Interest Lawyers League (PILL), Mr. Abdul Mahmud, said Mayoorza could not be tried under

the Nigerian law for the alleged offence.

“The first question should be whether the partner is a Nigerian? If the answer is no, then there is no way that a law which was enacted by the National Assembly two years ago can be used to arrest and prosecute him.

“He is an Ambassador and he has diplomatic immunity, but if he decides on his own to exercise his sexuality outside the boundary of the Swiss embassy, he may have committed a crime against Nigerian law.

“The only thing we can do is to ask the Swiss government to withdraw the diplomatic immunity of the Ambassador so that he can be tried if he has committed any offense, but as long as his gay activities happen around the premises of the Swiss embassy, he has not committed any offence against Nigerian law,” he said.

riskiest and most demanding thing I had ever done. “But I also knew it would give the boys a chance — their only chance — to live normally,” Carson said. On September 2, Carson led a team of doctors who had a successful surgery on the conjoined twins.

Nearly 30 years later, those kids are now adults.

Senate queries FIRS over N1.6 billion budget on retirees’ welfare package Chukwu David Abuja

T

he Senate Committee on Finance, yesterday, kicked against the appropriation of the sum of N1.6 billion by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), as welfare package of its intending retirees in 2016.

FIRS had explained that the amount was meant for its annual event to recognise its retired staff, noting that the event had not taken place in the last two years due to lack of funds.

The committee also queried the agency for N700 million budget it made for medical bills of staff while also decrying the appropriation of over N16 billion as salaries of staff yet to be recruited.

Chairman of the committee, Senator John Enoh, while speaking during a budget defence session with the FIRS, said the welfare package was quite

2019: PDP to adopt Option A4 to elect presidential candidate, others Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

T

he leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it will adopt Option A4 to elect its presidential candidate and other candidates of the party at all levels for the 2019 general elections.

This is one of the reforms being embarked upon by the party as it re-

positions after losing the 2015 general elections.

The proposal, which was in line with the recommendations of Senator Ike Ekweremadu-led PostElection Reform Committee, is part of amendments in the PDP Constitution, which will be presented for adoption by delegates to the May 21 National Convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, who disclosed this when he played host to the former National Chairman of New Patriotic Party (NPP) of Ghana, Mr. Peter MacManu, yesterday said the constitutional amendment was for the party to chart its own reforms.

Metuh, who was reacting to the NPP’s expansion of delegates to the nomina-

tion of its presidential candidate from 3,000 to about 140,000, said whoever wants to fly the PDP flag for 2019 presidential election would have toured round the country before he could emerge.

“We are going to change our system to be that our presidential candidate would be voted for by all party members in the country," he said.

outrageous given that the agency had not spent such amounts mentioned in its previous approvals.

Consequently, he asked the FIRS to present a total breakdown of the proposed expenditure and also submit details of what it spent last on its retired staff.

He said: "We will need a presentation that tries to explain some particular cases of variation".

His action followed observation by members of the committee that the budget for the retired staff welfare was unreasonable since the agency was known for not spending such huge amount for that purpose in the past.

The committee also observed that the FIRS proposed the sum of N350 million in the 2015 budget and received approval of N148 million but was only able to spend N116 million out of the amount and wondered why it budgeted N700 million in the 2016 budget.

“We need to have a breakdown of this indication, of this N35.9 million as was spent for 2015. We also need the proposed expenditure of N1.6 billion on this,” Enoh added.

The lawmaker pointed out that since FIRS claimed that it had not held the event for two years, it should provide the details of its last expenditure.

The committee further frowned at the appropriation of over N16 billion for salaries of 1,250 staff yet to be recruited in 2016 by the FIRS.

4

News

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Igbo group petitions Buhari over 'killing' of Fulani herdsmen

I

Ndubuisi Ugah gbo intellectuals under the aegis of Igbo Intelligentsia Forum (IIF) have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over the recent claim by the Department of State Service (DSS) that some Hausa Fulanis were abducted in Abia State.

The allegation was made against the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who were accused of killing and secretly buried the herdsmen in a mass grave.

The Forum in an open letter signed by its Coordinator, Mr. Joe Ikunna, and Publicity Committee Secretary, Dr. Katch Ononuju, urged President Buhari to set up “a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to determine the truth of the news statement by the DSS and to investigate the spread of Fulani herdsmen’s clashes with agrarian communities in different parts of Nigeria.”

The group also aasked the president to sanction “the National Security Adviser and the Director General of the DSS, and other officers of their department that contrived the news statement”; and “to direct the DSS to publish a public apology to the Igbos for the heist targeted against them.”

The open letter reads: “We are concerned citizens

l Demands probe, ‘sanctioning’ of NSA, DSS DG, others l Oppose public funding of grazing reserves of Nigeria. Our attention has been drawn to a recent news statement by the Department of State Services (DSS) as widely published by a section of the media alleging the discovery by the DSS of a mass grave in Abia State.

The statement further claimed the discovery of decomposing bodies of five Fulani men in a shallow grave who were allegedly killed and buried by elements affiliated to IPOB. “We are alarmed by these allegations as we do not condone violence of any sort by or against any person or group of persons.

Our history as Igbo shows that we have lived peacefully with people of different ethnicities for generations.

“Your Excellency will recall that an on the spot assessment by the governments of Abia and Imo states exposed the shameful propaganda of the DSS as it became obvious that the five bodies found in a shallow grave in a bush in Uturu town were actually kidnap victims and that the unfortunate incident has no ethnic coloration whatsoever.

“It is nevertheless impor-

tant to properly situate this news statement as issued by the DSS in the light of contemporary events in Nigeria hence part of our immediate concern is the motive behind the DSS news statement: “1. The DSS failed to show evidence of the alleged killing/massacre and the exact picture and location of the alleged grave.

“2. No mention was made of any forensics conducted on the said bodies to determine the cause and time of death or the true identities of the victims.

“3. There was no mention of a Coroner’s inquest on the Killings.

4. There was no mention of any investigation by the police who are constitutionally obliged to investigate and prosecute as appropriate “5. There was no mention of arrest of any suspects.

“6. The basic rudiments of a criminal investigation were not observed.

“7. It is on record that Nigeria in recent time has been a theatre of killings and beheadings by Fulani Herdsmen. For instance; Fulani Herdsmen were reported to have fought and

massacred over 500 Idoma citizens in an effort to convert their ancestral farmlands as cattle grazing field.

“8. We do not know of any arrests by the DSS or prosecution by the authorities of these notorious insurgents, now ranked as the 4th most deadly terrorist organisation in the world.

“9. It is common knowledge that the Fulani Herdsmen bear arms especially the infamous AK47 assault rifles. They move about freely in a country that does not permit the bearing of such arms by private citizens.

“Now let it be known that Igbos are peace loving people and they do not have a history of violence targeted against other ethnic nationalities, religion or culture.

“The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have repeatedly stated that they do not bear arms and that their agitations for selfdetermination is based on their conscientious objection to membership of the Nigerian State.

“The DSS news statement tendentious. It is unnerving for those serving in our security services to

turn around and stoke a conflagration with capacity to cause ethnic massacre of a segment of the country namely, the Igbo nation.

“We therefore demand unequivocally as follows. . .

“1. That the President of Nigeria should set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to determine the truth of the news statement by the DSS and to investigate the spread of Fulani Herdsmen’s Clashes with agrarian communities in different parts of Nigeria.

“2. To sanction the National Security Adviser and the Director General of the DSS, and other officers of their department that contrived the news statement.

“3. To direct the DSS to publish a public apology to the Igbos for the heist targeted against them.

4. To immediately disarm all unauthorised bearing of arms in Nigeria by ethnic militias including the Fulani Herdsmen whom the Inspector General of Police claimed are foreigners.

“Our position is same as that of the Tiv, Igala, Igbira koto and Igbira Okene, Bassa, Agatu, Igede, Yoru-

ba, Nupe, Hausa, Tangale, Taruk, Birom. Angas, Afor, Doma, Gbagi, Bini, Izon, Uhrobo, Efik, Annang, Ibibbio, Kanuri, Kaje, Bokkos, Ishan, Afemai, Itsekri. Jukun, Kataf, Chiboki, Mada, Obi, Gwandara, Idoma, Kanuri, Bachama etc. and others who inhabit the Sahel savannah and the rain Forrest regions of Nigeria.

“We urge the members of the Miyetti Allah to see agriculture as a business that demands considerable investment and responsibility.

“We recommend that investors in cattle breeding take a page from the poultry industry by acquiring ranches as Your Excellency did in Daura.

“The government must not allow the business interests of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), a trade association with membership in the civil service, politics and other Fulani investors clash against and undermine national security and corporate wellbeing of Nigeria.

“We condemn the push by members of the Miyetti Allah at the National Assembly to appropriate lands from various communities to aid and profit its members at the expense of national security."

News

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

5

Chibok girl shocker: I want to go back to Boko Haram Ndubuisi Ugah, Lanre Odukoya and Olushola Ricketts

A

girl, identified simply as Zara, who was abducted by Boko Haram but was later rescued by the Nigerian Army has expressed her willingness to join the terror group because of the stigma she is now experiencing after she was reunited with her family.

This is just as Ahmad Salkida, a journalist known to have unfettered access to Boko Haram, said that the government’s decision to close down the Chibok school was a sign of victory for the terror group since their plan was to discourage western education.

However, the story of Zara (not real name), who is a 17-year-old girl, is one among the myriad of young girls, whose lives have been “cut short” by the invasion of the sect in various communities in the North-East.

Recounting her ordeal in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Zara said she was kidnapped by the Boko Haram and then freed by the army, a development that had made her sometimes wishing she were back in the forest (Sambisa) rather than suffering the stigma as a Boko Haram “bride”.

Though unconfirmed if she was one of the missing Chibok schoolgirls, Zara said until now she didn’t have her own social media hashtag, but like thousands of others - free or still captive – she is deeply traumatised.

In telling #ZarasStory, being the first time she was speaking to outsiders about her “terrible experience” a year on, and the pain she still suffers to this day, Zara said: “They gave us a choice - to be married, or to be a slave. I decided to marry. One of the militants had once told her: “You are only coming to school for prostitution. Boko (Western education) is Haram (forbidden) so what are you doing in school?”

But as she continued in her narration, there was so much confusion in her face and in her answers even though she claimed not being a killer, but just a child.

Continuing, Zara said: “The feeling for the forest is strong now, but it will go away. I will forget the time with Boko Haram, but not yet.”

She said she was in love with her husband although she believes she had been brainwashed, a development which made her feel abandoned by her fam-

President Muhammudu Buhari (left) and the Mayor of Shanghai City, Mr. Yang Xiong, during a visit by the president to the Mayor's office in China…Thursday Photo: STATE HOUSE

ily and stigmatised by her community.

While she lamented the precarious state in which she had found herself, it became so obvious that there was little or no difference in her story, except for the fact that child she was soon to bear a child.

Collaborating her story, her uncle, Mohamed Umaru, said: “Life was tough and dangerous. The air force jets bombarded the vast Sambisa Forest where the militants have their camps and from where soldiers rescued her and eventually returned her to her relatives.

“The women in our family realised she was three months pregnant. In our family it happens that some of us are Christians and some are Muslims. She was a Christian before she was kidnapped but the Boko Haram who married her turned her into a Muslim.”

On whether to give birth to the unborn baby or not, Umaru said there was a split in the family over what to do and they took a vote as to whether she should abort or keep the child. The majority prevailed and she gave birth to a boy.

“She said her husband’s father is called Usman, so that is how she named the child,” Mohamed said.

Immediately “Usman” was born, according to him, the insults began.

“People call me a Boko Haram wife and called me a criminal. They didn’t want me near. They didn't like me,” Zara said as a tear slowly slipped down her cheek.

She now sits inside the small walled compound

around her house, afraid to go outside because of the cruel insults of the neighbourhood children - messages of hate learned from their parents.

“They didn’t like my child. When he fell sick nobody would look after him,” she said.

To justify this fact, Zara said last weekend, as she slept outside with “Usman” who was just nine months old because of the heat, a snake got into their compound and the boy was killed.

She stated that half of the family celebrated what they called God’s will.

“Some were happy that he died. They were happy the blood of Boko Haram had gone from the family,” Zara said.

“They said thank God that the kid is dead, that God has answered their prayers. Sometimes she says she wants to go to school and become a doctor and help society, but sometimes, when people insult her, she says she wants to go back to the Sambisa Forest.

“She always talks about her husband who happens to be a Boko Haram commander. She says the guy is nice to her and that he wants to start a new life with her,” Mohamed explained.

Listening to Zara’s story, told quietly with eyes flicking down at the ground, it is hard to imagine anyone going through what she has gone though, let alone a 17-year-old girl.

By implication, Mohamed said Zara’s life had become so intolerably hard that on one occasion she had said she wanted to “go and do a suicide mission”.

“She will, she will, she will definitely do that if she gets the chance. She is sad, she is angry, she is confused. She is 17.

“People should understand that these children didn't create this, but if we continue to stigmatise people with such trauma we might create something much, much bigger than Boko Haram in the future,” her uncle says.

“You are creating a more dangerous thing than Boko Haram if you grow up not welcomed by society and with nobody wanting to help you.

“My prayer is for the government to do something. They should come to their aid and reintegrate them and show them love,” he added.

Meanwhile, Salkida who took to his tweeter handle to mark the second anniversary of the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls, said that soldiers were put on guard of the dilapidated Chibok school overgrown with weeds to ensure that reporters do not continue to show Nigerians and the world the ruins of that institution.

"By this alone, government has surrendered to the designs of Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP, another name for Boko Haram). They couldn’t even demonstrate defiance by making sure the schools run even if periodically as symbolic statement of defeat of BH." He shared that it had been two years since over 200 girls were abducted in the embattled town of Chibok. According to him, there have been several other abductions, but none is as symbolic and taken as

seriously by the captors as those of Chibok girls.

"As far as ISWAP is concerned, only these schoolgirls and dozens of other men and women are regarded as their real captives."

He pointed out that in the last eight months, ISWAP has lost significant turf following constant attacks by the Nigerian Army and the other military operatives.

“The captors have succeeded in keeping their most prized possession to themselves and refused the girls unconditionally.

Till date the captors have insisted on their demands for the release of the girls and every rescue attempt, if there were, have failed.

Investigation revealed that more than half of the girls are still alive and the majority of those alive are eager to reunite with their loved ones,” Salkida said.

He stressed that since the use of force had failed to bring out a positive result and government wanted their release on their own terms, negotiated resolution would still suffer.

“Today, I join parents of the girls and other wellmeaning persons to appeal to ISWAP to release the girls for the sake of Allah alone. Let’s consider the lives of these poor captives.

He stated that If Nigerians could hardly bear the hardship of fuel scarcity, lack of electricity and austerity, what about fellow citizens in captivity?

"Chibok girls have been able to survive two years of failed rescue, failed negotiation because people in government have no fire

in their belly over this. The only thing reasonable now is to plead with ISWAP for their release or demand a timeline for action or transparent negotiations from government.”

In a related development, the senator representing Kaduna Central, Sheu Sanni, has urged the government to negotiate with Boko Haram to secure the release of the schoolgirls.

The senator, who spoke on Channels Television’s breakfast show, ‘Sunrise Daily,’ said: “I know some academic arguments that if A happens, B would happen. We all know that all over the world, when you have this kind of hostage situation, the persons holding them hostage have very little to lose. That is why I’m insisting that we should coordinate the approach because this is very necessary to protect our people, our territory and to also give them a clear message that you can’t win by bombing and other forms of violence.”

When asked his view on an unnamed Australian negotiator and Salkida’s advice that the government should negotiate with the terror group, Sanni, who had also tried to broker peace between Boko Haram and the government, unequivocally favours Zalkida’s advice.

“Well, I don’t know who is the Australian negotiator but I know of Zalkida, had we taken Zalkida’s advice, things should have been better by now. He’s finally fled from the country to save his life but he had given some useful advice on how this thing should be done.

And you cannot dismiss his idea when you haven’t implemented it.

“I think if we don’t doubt the credibility of his involvement, we’ve not implemented what he’d suggested. We can’t just take his idea, put it on the table, look at it and close the pages and move to the next one. Then later say that we need another one again. We need to follow it through. I believe he’s a credible source whose idea should be taken into serious consideration,” he said.

He expressed hope that it was not the end of the road for the over 200 girls held in captivity for a little over two years now.

Sanni added: “We want the girls back. So, I think we need to bring his idea to the table again and go ahead with what he has said. All we need to do is get a few credible people to join him. I firmly believe that these girls will come back home.”

6

News

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Parents of Chibok girls: FG ‘is not carrying us along’

Ndubuisi Ugah and Ahmed Miringa

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wo years after they were abducted by the Boko Haram sect, one of the parents of the Chibok’s schoolgirls, Mr. Bukar Apagu, has called on the federal government to be proactive in its bid to rescue the girls, especially in carrying along the parents of the abducted girls when the needs arises.

He said this became imperative given the recent controversies that trailed the claims by the Cameroonian authority that one of the Chibok girls was arrested trying to carry out a suicide attack.

Speaking exclusively with Saturday Telegraph in Maiduguri, Apagu alleged that the federal government did not formally invite them to come and identify whether the arrested girl was truly one of the Chibok girls but only “for them (parents) to hear some government officials explaining that the girl is not among the Chibok girls.”

His clarification also came on a day the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, said the military was determined not only to rescue the Chibok Schoolgirls but all those under the captivity of the Boko Haram insurgency.

Apagu, who said he was optimistic that one day he would be re-united with his daughter alive and healthy, said the report that they have been getting from those rescued from Boko Haram indicates that they are still alive.

He said: “I am optimistic

l We’ll rescue all Boko Haram victims —Buratai l Obama, Clinton urge release of schoolgirls

Some members of #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG), in solidarity protest commemoration of two years abduction of the Chibok girls in Abuja…Thursday.

PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

that my daughter and her colleagues are still alive, because from the reports we have been getting from those who escaped from their Boko Haram’s abductors and those rescued by the military indicates that our daughters are still alive and we hope to see them someday alive and healthy.

“With the recent commitment and dedication by our armed forces in clearing the Boko Haram hideouts and rescuing hundreds of people, we believe one day they will rescue our daughters.”

He further said: “We expect that government should contact us the parents of the missing girls to go and identify if they are among our daughters. We can even

speak our local language to interrogate her to know if she is really one of the girls.”

He called on President Muhammdu Buhari to intensify effort in rescuing the girls, as the issue of shifting blames does not arise, because government is a continuous one whether the past government has handled the issue with lackadaisical attitude or not, rescuing the girls is their constitutional right.

Commenting also, another parent of the Chibok girls, Mrs. Thessy John, said she wanted to see her daughter dead or alive, as the family continued to undergo a serious psychological trauma and hardship as a result of the incident and

prayed that one day their daughters will be rescued.

She said: “The continued abduction of our innocent daughters for so long is worrisome, I believe if it were daughters of the so called political leaders they would have made effort and rescued them. I don’t believe even if they find them that we will get all our daughters, because it has been too long.”

John called on Buhari to seek the assistance of the International communities in intelligent gathering and technical knowhow to help the military in rescuing the schoolgirls, so that they will know whether their daughters are alive or not.

On whether the Chibok

Stakeholders task N’Assembly to review 43-year-old Act Chukwu David Abuja

S

takeholders in the environment sector have asked the National Assembly to help strengthen the legal framework of the sector by repealing the 43year old Forestry Research Institute Act, and re-enact a new law that would be able to drive operations of the nation's forestry.

The stakeholders at a one-day joint public hearing of the Senate and the House of Representatives Committee on Environment, asked the lawmakers to re-enact the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria Act 1973 through the passage of the Forestry Research Institute Bill, 2015.

Led by the Minister of State for Environment, Alhaji Jibril Ibrahim Usman, who read the address of the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, the stakeholders said the Act as currently implemented, was obsolete and without the required force to facilitate re-

searches in areas of forestry, bio-diversity conservation, sustainable environmental management, technical manpower development in forestry and allied discipline and agro-forestry.

The position of the stakeholders tallied with that of Mrs. Mohammed, who recalled that the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) was a premier Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria established in 1954 and by Or-

der 35 establishing Research Institutes of 1975, explaining that it would be of huge advantage if the Act establishing it in 1973 was repealed and new one brought to effect.

The session, which held at the Senate Wing of the National Assembly was jointly chaired by Chairmen of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Environment, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and Obinna Chidoka.

Declaring the forum open, Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, represented

by Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate, Senator Ibn N’Allah, said the National Assembly was aware of the hindrances the delay in the review of the old laws were creating for the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria and assured that the current legislature would see to the re-enactment of the proposed bill for the institute.

Oshiomhole appoints VC for Tayo Akpata Varsity

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do State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has appointed Prof SEO Aduwa Ogiegbaen as the Vice- Chancellor of the Tayo Akpata University of Education, Ekiadolor.

Until his appointment, Ogiegbaen was the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Ekehuan campus, Benin City.

In a letter dated April 14, the governor said: “I wish to inform you that Edo State Government has

approved the up-grading of the Edo State College of Education, Ekiadolor to a University of Education to be known and called Tayo Akpata University of Education, Ekiadolor.

“I feel privileged to have the honour by virtue of the powers conferred on me as the Visitor by the enabling laws establishing the university to appoint you as the Vice-Chancellor of the University with effect from April 18.

“Given your resourcefulness, expertise, experience, global network and reach, I believe that the university would benefit enormously from your uncommon visionary leadership,” the governor said.

Aduwa-Ogiegbaen, a descendant of the Benin Royal Family is the Enogie (Duke) of Egaben/Ogbeson in Benin Kingdom who has combined academics with the traditional administration of his Dukedom.

girls would be rescued alive and healthy, she said only time would tell, as the controversy surrounding their abduction and rescued efforts continued to generate debate.

In another development, Buratai who was speaking in Maiduguri, while inaugurating a relaxation centre at the Maimalari Barrack, Maiduguri, said in the past one month, the military had rescued over 11,000 people.

He said: “With the recent successes we have been recoding in liberating more communities, in just last month, we rescued over 11,000 persons and we hope to not only rescue the Chibok girls but everybody under the captivity of the insurgents.”

The army chief said he was in the state as part of his routine visit to his men on the field at the theater of operation, stressing that he was impressed with the recent successes of counter insurgency operations.

While commending the

gallant efforts of the soldiers, Buratai said he would always make the welfare of troops his priority.

On the day of the commemoration of their abduction, the wife of the United States president, Mrs. Michelle Obama and a candidate for the Democratic Party for U.S President, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, expressed sadness over the non-release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, two years after the incident.

Speaking on the development, Obama noted that the incident was shocking, even for those who were familiar with stories of extremist violence.

“Why, two years ago, would terrorists be so threatened by the prospect of girls going to school that they would break into a dormitory in the middle of the night?” she queried, describing it as hideous crime.

She said the hashtag campaign, designed to bring attention to the kidnappings, had already reached one million tweets by the time her husband, Obama, joined, but insisted that her statement still made a splash.

“Many people in the US who hadn't heard about the kidnappings or weren't aware of Boko Haram - suddenly were.

“And now that the first lady was involved, calling for their return, the Nigerian schoolgirls seemed to have a better chance at freedom,” she said.

On her part, Clinton in a statement issued yesterday said: “Today marks two years since hundreds of schoolgirls were kidnapped in Chibok, Nigeria. They were taken from their dormitory in the dead of night by the terrorist group, Boko Haram. Until they’re freed, they and their families won’t know peace.

Sharia police arrest 21 underage girls for immoral activities T he Kano State Hisbah Board has arrested 21 underage girls engaged in immoral activities in the state capital.

The Board’s Deputy Superintendent In-charge of Operations, Mallam Sani Sidi, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Thursday.

He said: “Of the 21 suspects arrested, all of them are between the ages of 14 and 20. Our men were on patrol in the afternoon hours about 12noon on Wednesday and arrested 13 suspects at Dogon Gida, along Abedie Street while in the evening hours about 10pm, they arrested anoth-

er eight suspects around Tishama and Naibawa.”

He explained that all the suspects were screened and the first offenders were released on bail, while those found to be habitual offenders were referred to the Board’s Legal Department for further action.

Sidi, who said the mandate of the board was to discourage bad deeds and encourage good ones in the society, added that most of the suspects were from broken homes.

He advised parents to endeavour to tolerate each other and work for increased stability in marriages, to stem acts of immorality in their children and wards.

News

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

7

AIG: 458 suspected criminals arrested in Kaduna Ndubuisi Ugah

T

with agency report

he Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 7, Mr. Ballah Nasarawa, yesterday said a total of 458 suspected criminals had been arrested in Kaduna State, in the last 10 days.

The arrest came also on a day the Navy yesterday said it had impounded a wooden boat laden with 27 jerrycans of stolen petrol from suspected pipeline

…promises mass transfer of policemen l Navy intercepts pipeline vandals, recovers stolen petrol vandals at the Atlas Cove area of Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the AIG had relocated to the state, following the spate of kidnappings and other criminal activities in the state.

Part of his mandate was to rid the state of criminals, reorganise and streamline police operation in the state.

Speaking at a news brief-

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ing in Kaduna, Nasarawa said among those arrested were 27 suspected kidnappers including those who abducted three Reverends, and a director in Dangote Group.

The police chief said one car snatcher was apprehended while attempting to sell a 4-wheel runner jeep with registration GGE 222 AM. Nasarawa added that a suspected cattle rustler was also arrested by the police and that 71 cattle and 33 sheep were recovered from him.

Igbeaku Orji UMUAHIA

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he recent report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that credited Abia State as the fifth state in the profile of high debtor states with a whooping N78 billion to financial institutions is not true, the state Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Obinna Oriaku, has said.

But he clarified that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has borrowed a total of N24 billion since he assumed office 11 months ago.

Oriaku, who said this while reacting to the statistics released by NBS, insisted that the figures given by the bureau were inaccurate.

He, however, disclosed that the state government had engaged a team of consultants who are currently working to reconcile the financial position of the state.

Oriaku said: “Well, I am yet to see the document. I totally disagreed with the figures they are mentioning and our rating. If I heard you right, you mentioned N78 billion, it is totally unacceptable and I doubt where they got their source.

“Though government is a continuum, from the pe-

SIGNED: LAWYER: KINGSLEY NNAJIAKA ESQ.

riod we took over I want to believe that this figures are wrong. For what we got as bailout was N14.1billion, what we got of course was uniform to every state. What we got from the excess crude was N10 billion, which makes a total of N24billion.

“This is the major make up of our debt, then of course, this does not exclude other little debts by way of foreign loans incurred by the

O

peratives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos have discovered 193 wraps of cocaine inside a passenger’s socks.

The drug, which tested positive for cocaine with a total weight of 3.4 kilogrammes, was detected during routine screening of passengers on an Emirates flight from Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE).

The suspect who is a commercial bus driver in Lagos has also been arrested.

Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Col. Mu-

Illegal operations: Nasarawa arraigns two filling stations owners NEWS IN BRIE F

ST

last administration or during the period we were at the old Imo State.

“As I talk to you, we have engaged a team of consultants that are working on reconciling those figures with the Debt Management Office (DMO) and they have made substantial progress, any moment from now we will be engaging the DMO based on the deductions from the Federal Allocation Account."

NDLEA recovers 193 wraps of cocaine in passenger's socks

LAFIA

The General Public is hereby notified that the above named has applied for registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

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

Ex-minister tasks CPC on consumers’ satisfaction, protection

Abia disowns N78bn NBS debt report A

SEAT OF AMAZING GRACE INTERNATIONALUNION MINISTRY EZEMA PEOPLES PROGRESSIVE

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: To contribute to the development of our community at home in Eziama Ngo Okpala Imo State and in Abuja to the self fulfillment of all members of the union.

ers, and promised to bring them to book.

On the reorganisation, Nasarawa announced that the process may be concluded by next week and “will see to the transfer of many policemen out of the Kaduna State Police Command.”

Meanwhile, the naval authorities said the seizure was made on Thursday night after the vandals abandoned the boat on sighting a naval team and fled into the bush to evade arrest.

Commander of NNS BEECROFT, Commodore

Ezekiel Adesawe

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. EZE ONYEKPERE 2. JOE ONYEBUENYI 3. KENNETH NWAOKWA

“Five AK47 raffles with many rounds of different types of ammunition have been recovered; a sizeable quantity of hard drugs as well as Indian hemp and other intoxicants were also recovered,” he said.

The AIG said the 458 suspects arrested in various raids across the state “are being interrogated and profiled.”

He said the police had identified many criminal hideouts of armed bandits including “renowned car snatchers” and receiv-

Abraham Adaji, which carried out the operation, told journalists that the navy was determined to rid the country’s waterways of oil thieves and vandals.

“We are also in partnership with local authorities that are closest to where these assets are and who are the first to know if anything is going on,” he said.

Nasarawa State Urban Development Board (NUDP) yesterday arraigned two filling stations owners before a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lafia for operating in residential areas.

The defendants were MM Nigeria Limited and Chibo Oil Investment Limited.

Representatives of the two stations, Adamu Usman and Mamman Maji, applied for out of court settlement.

The Acting General Manager Development Control of NUDP, Juliana Haruna, told journalists that: “Everyone knows the degree of hazards posed by sitting filling stations close to people’s houses. So, we are out to ensure that things are done properly.”

hammad Mustapha Abdallah (rtd), has called for stringent monitoring of Dubai-Lagos route by his officers.

Abdallah said: “This is an interesting arrest and I commend the officers for the discovery. Dubai-Lagos route is gradually gaining notoriety and we are monitoring it closely. Let me assure members of the public that the NDLEA is working very hard in preventing illicit drug production, trafficking and abuse in the country.”

NDLEA commander at the airport, Ahmadu Garba, gave the name of the suspect as Maduewesi Ugochukwu Samuel.

IKEJA Ambode to declare open NUJ’s NEC meeting today

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, will today declare open the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

NEC, which is the highest policy making body of the NUJ consists of the National President, his Deputy, Vice-Presidents, National Trustees and Chairmen and Secretaries of the 36 states Councils and Abuja.

According to a statement signed

by Messrs Deji Elumoye and Bimbo Oyetunde, chairman and secretary of Lagos State Council of the NUJ respectively, the chairman of Centre for Free Speech, Mr. Richard Akinnola, will deliver a lecture on the theme of the meeting: Journalists As Agent of Change, at the event being hosted by Lagos NUJ.

former Minister of Information and Culture, Prince Tony Momoh, has tasked the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) to ensure that consumers generally derive maximum benefits and satisfaction from products and services so as not to threaten the safety and wellbeing of Nigerians.

Momoh, while speaking at an event to commemorate the World Consumer Rights Day 2016 tagged “Antibiotics; Off the Menu,” said consumers have the right to be treated in high esteem, hence, the need to frown at any action that will infringe upon consumers’ right.

The former minister, who was represented by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tee-Mark Limited, Dr. Taiwo Ayodeji, said national interest would be affected if consumers are not given the right treatment for the goods and services they paid for.

He said: “I urge the Consumer Protection Council to ensure consumers derive maximum benefits and satisfaction from products and services and also stand up for our rights in the marketplace through continuous consumer advocacy which includes educating individuals about their rights and provide help in seeking redress where necessary.

OWERRI Nwaneri passes on

The death has been announced of Mr. John Nwaneri Bekee Chineke Nwaneri of Umukoto Nekede, Owerri of Imo State.

Until his death, Mr. Nwaneri was a devoted Christian of the Catholic faith and God-fearing. According to his son-in-law, Nwaneri died a good man and a friend of Jesus.

He was survived by seven children and many grandchildren amongst whom are Mrs. Ihuoma Anaeme (the wife) of Mr. Charles Anaeme of New Telegraph Newspapers.

He will be buried in his country home at Umokoto Nekede on April 23 by 10am.

8

News

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Soldiers smash gang of kidnappers, rapists in Aba Victor Mba

L-R: Rivers State Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Mr. Ibibia Walter and his Ministry of Agriculture counterpart, Mrs. Onimin Jacks, at the inauguration of Urban Water Sector Reform, and Sanitation Project in Port Harcourt …yesterday.

ABA

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PHOTO:NAN

'China to invest $6bn in Nigeria' DIVIDEND

President Buhari's visits to China has yielded an investment worth $6 billion

C

Anule Emmanuel Abuja

hina has signed bilateral and economic agreements with the Federal Government that will attract no fewer than $6billion into the country.

The agreements were sealed during the one weeklong visit to China by President Muhammadu Buhari.

A statement by the senior special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Malam Garba

Shehu, yesterday said President Buhari had expressed satisfaction with the outcome of his working visit to China.

According to the statement, President Buhari believes that the several agreements concluded with the Chinese during the visit will have a huge and positive impact on key sectors of the Nigerian economy including power, solid minerals, agriculture, housing and rail transportation.

In the power sector, North South Power Company Limited and Sinohydro Corporation Limited signed an agreement valued at $478,657,941.28 for the construction of 300 Mega Watts solar power in Shiriro, Niger State.

Fayose hails US govt, UK Telegraph reports on Buhari

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kiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has hailed the international community, especially the United States of America and the United Kingdom for joining lovers of democracy in Nigeria to speak out against the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government of President Muhammadu Buhari’s use of state security apparatus to oppress opposition.

Fayose called on the British government to investigate the allegation of the use of British foreign aid given to Nigeria to help combat Boko Haram terrorists to fund a witchhunt against opposition politicians with a view to preventing continuous use of fund belonging to the country wrongly.

Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor said the international community must focus attention on Nigeria under President Buhari, saying; "rights of Nigeri-

ans are now being trampled upon with impunity."

In its report, the US Department of States, accused the Nigerian police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the military of gross abuse of power which include citizens brutality, arbitrary detention, bribery among other scandals Also, the UK-based Telegraph newspaper had published this week that hundreds of millions of pounds of British foreign aid given to Nigeria to help combat Boko Haram terrorists was instead being used to fund a witch-hunt against opposition politicians.

Fayose, who is presently in Guangzhou, China to attend the 119th China Import and Export Fair otherwise known as the Canton Fair between April 14 and 19, said the United Kingdom Telegraph newspaper was right in its report that the Buhari’s government was using British aid money to target his political opponents, particularly through anti-corruption agencies and the DSS.

Garba said in the solid minerals sector, Granite and Marble Nigeria Limited and Shanghai Shibang signed an agreement valued at $55 million for the construction and equipping of granite mining plant in Nigeria.

A total of $1 billion is to be invested in the development of a greenfield expressway for Abuja-IbadanLagos under an agreement reached by the Infrastructure Bank and Sinohydro Corporation Limited.

For the housing sector, both companies also sealed a $250 million deal to develop an ultra modern 27-storey high rise complex and a $2.5 billion agreement for the development of the Lagos Metro Rail Transit Red Line project.

Other agreements announced and signed during the visit include a $1 billion for the establishment of a Hitech industrial park in OgunGuangdong Free Trade Zone in Igbesa, Ogun State.

Furthermore, the Ogun-

Guangdong Free Trade Zone and CNG (Nigeria) Investment Limited also signed an agreement valued at $200million for the construction of two 500MT/day float gas facilities.

An agreement valued at $363 million for the establishment of a comprehensive farm and downstream industrial park in Kogi state was also announced at the Nigeria-China business forum.

Other agreements undergoing negotiations include a $500 million project for the provision of television broadcast equipment and a $25 million facility for production of pre-paid smart meters between Mojec International Limited and Microstar Company Limited.

About 100 Nigerian businesses and 300 Chinese firms participated in the Nigeria-China business forum which took place a day after President Buhari began his visit to China.

gang of five teenagers including a woman who specialise in kidnapping girls, rape them and demand ransom from parents, ranging from three to N10 million, had been smashed in Aba, the commercial capital of Abia State, following the intervention of the military at a check point in Obikabia area of the city.

The female member, Rita Iheanyi, who said she was a sales girl in Port Harcourt, was allegedly recruited by the gang to lure innocent girls looking for assistance to pass their examinations.

Her duty was to lure them to the gang’s abode at Ngwaokohia in Obingwa Local Government Area of the state, military sources said.

The practice of the gang had been to tie their victims, rape them and put

Amosun, Osoba can’t save APC from defeat in 2019 —Adebutu Kunle Olayeni, Abeokuta

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House of Representatives member, Oladipupo Adebutu, has said the influence of both Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, and a former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba, would not save the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from defeat in the state in 2019.

Adebutu, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, declared that his party was committed to reclaiming the state from APC in the next general elections.

Dickson: We should be commended over workers’ salaries Chris Ejim Yenagoa

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ayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has faulted media reports over non payment of salaries of civil servants in the state for two months, describing them as the height of mischief and irresponsibility.

He said the journalists, who authored the stories, “have decided not to see anything good in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led state administration.”

A statement issued yes-

terday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said some of the journalists reporting the story were taking undue advantage of the liberal and media friendly posture of the government.

Dickson said the governments of some of the home states of the journalists are owing salary arrears of up to eight, nine and even 10 months, which they have deliberately refused to report.

He explained that the state government remains

calls across to their parents, ordering them to pay ransom according to the status of the victim’s family.

Luck however ran out on them when one of their victims supposedly fell in love with one of the kidnappers while in captivity, not knowing that it was a decoy.

The suspected kidnapper, Eze Izuchukwu, accepted the girl’s offer and untied his new ‘lover’, letting her loose in the process.

The girl was said to have escaped by sneaking out at midnight and ran to a nearby military checkpoint, where she reported her abductors.

The soldiers swung into action and arrested members of the gang.

According to police reports, the leader of the gang, one Enyinanya Maduforo Ika Ezenwata, is a notorious kidnapper, who is already wanted by the police.

Unfortunately, he escaped and now on the run.

one of the least indebted states in terms of salary arrears to its workers in the country.

The governor said his “Restoration Government” had always fulfilled its salary obligations, until after the last elections, occasioned by the free fall in the state’s monthly allocation from the federal government.

He said the government had to borrow a number of times to make up the shortfall to ensure that, salaries are paid.

He spoke during the inauguration of his constituency office in Isara, Remo North Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking against the backdrop of the return of Osoba to APC, the lawmaker, representing Remo Federal Constituency, said the ongoing reconciliation within the ruling party in the state is not a threat to the opposition PDP. According to him, the ruling party's reconciliation would soon hit the rocks because its members are strange bedfellows.

Adebutu said: “The truth of the matter is that it is not the first time we are seeing that reconciliation and we must remember that party was born from day one with strange bedfellows."

“And gradually from day one when Amosun was brought in to become the gubernatorial candidate of that party barely five years ago, it did not take long before he attempted to swallow the heads of all the leaders of the party in the arrangement.

“And I don’t think his rationale or thinking has changed and I don't see why it should change. After all, he is not going for further election. I don't think he should bash the head, he should just swallow the whole body.”

Buhari pushes for additional investments in mining, manufacturing Anule Emmanuel Abuja

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resident Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said his administration would take urgent steps to restructure Nigeria’s economy by encourag-

ing new investments in mining, agriculture and manufacturing.

The President stated this in Guangzhou, China, at a reception in his honour by the Communist Party of China, Buhari said that Nigeria will

welcome the support of the Chinese government, foreign investors and local businesses for efforts to diversify the nation’s economy.

He noted that the diversification of the Nigerian economy was long over-

due as continued reliance on crude oil exports had always made the economy vulnerable to shocks.

“This time we will be more deliberate. The government and businesses will be involved,” President Buhari said.

News

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

9

Gainful employment of youths is my priority – Dangote

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resident of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has assured Nigerians that top on his priority is how to contribute his own quota towards reducing the high rate of unemployment in the country.

Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony of the new six million metric tonnes capacity cement plant, located in Okpella, Edo State, Dangote said with more of his cement plants ready for inauguration in the next few months, more qualified youths will be gainfully employed.

19.8

“The high rate of unemployment in the country is worrisome. No doubt, the government is trying by creating an enabling environment for private businesses to grow and employ people with the right policies. I am optimistic that the high unemployment rate will soon be significantly reduced,” he said.

While noting that the newly commissioned plant would employ a minimum of 45,000 Nigerians in both direct and indirect capacity, Dangote said the number of Nigerians that would be employed in its ongoing

The number of active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of developing countries in 2013.

Source: Itu.int

fertilizer and petrochemical plants will be far more than the cement plants figure.

He urged youths to shun unpatriotic acts, assuring them that the country is surely on the right track of growth and development.

Earlier, the Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomole, lauded Dangote for investing in the state. He urged other rich Nigerians to take a cue from Dangote and invest in the country.

The new six million metric tons cement plant is coming on the heels of similar arrangement for another six million metric tons ce-

$7.05trn The aggregate net worth of 1,826 billionaires in 2014.

Source: Forbes.com

ment plant in Itori, in Ogun State where the company is currently running a 12 million mtpa cement plants at Ibese, in Yewa division of the state.

By this investment, Dangote’s production capacity would go up further to 41m mtpa, in Nigeria alone.

Impressed at the continuous investments in cement production despite having met local demands, the Federal government said the gains of the backward integration in the cement sector of the construction industry, as championed by the Dangote Group is sav-

62,668 The number of refugees/people in refugee-like situation in Liberia at the beginning of 2010.

Source: Blatantworld.com

ing the nation huge billions of foreign exchange.

The Minister for Solid Mineral Development, Dr. Kayide Fayemi and his counterpart in Trade and Investments, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, said government was pleased with the exploits of Dangote cement in ensuring that the nation freed itself from the shackles of endless importation and becoming net exporter.

In his remark, Dangote said he would never shy away from investing in Nigeria saying Nigeria still remains the best place to invest in the world.

Police arrest fleeing highway robbers knocked down by trailer Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

T L-R: Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Senator Gbenga Ashafa, at the First Quarter Town Hall meeting at Ikorodu…Thursday Photo: LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT

Low savings: I didn’t indict Jonathan, says Okonjo-Iweala Johnchuks Onuanyim and Wale Elegbede

F

Abuja/Lagos

ormer Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has clarified that she never indicted former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration when she shared her view about Nigeria’s low savings, which made headlines in the media.

Also, the South-East chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for the prosecution of the former minister, insisting that she failed woefully to save Nigeria’s humongous crude oil windfall under her watch.

The former minister was said to have stated that in her first appointment as Minister of Finance they saved $22 billion because of the political will of the President then, but in her second appointment it was because of lack of political will.

But Okonjo-Iweala in

•APC calls for ex-finance minister’s prosecution a statement on the issue signed her Media Adviser, Mr. Paul Nwabiuku, chided the media for given her view a slant reporting suggesting she was criticising the former president under whom she served as a cabinet minister.

The statement reads: “Some recent media reports have distorted comments made by former Finance Minister Dr Ngozi OkonjoIweala regarding how lack of political will negatively impacted national savings over the past few years.

Contrary to the slant given by these loud headlines, Okonjo-Iweala did not indict the Jonathan administration in which she served.”

Contrary to a slant headline given to her view, she said Nigerians already knew what she was referring to, adding: “The strong opposition by some governors to the Jonathan government’s efforts to save in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) and the Sovereign Wealth Fund

(SWF) sabotaged this important national priority.”

The former finance minister said the body of governors’ forum was staunch critics of her calls for the country to save for the rainy day.

“It will be recalled that this opposition culminated in the governors taking the Jonathan government to the Supreme Court in furtherance of their position that the Federal Government had no right to “compel” them to save. Several knowledgeable persons including former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi have confirmed these facts,” Paul said in his statement.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the South-East chapter of the APC, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, in a statement said: “We saved $22 billion because the political will to do it was there. This time round, and this is the key now, you need not only to have the instrument, but you also need the political

will. In my second time as finance minister, from 2011 to 2015, we had the instrument, we had the means, we had done it before, but zero political will.”

Okechukwu, in reacting to her position, stated that she ought to have reigned and since she didn't do that she should be prosecuted for watching the economy being drained.

He said: “It is not just a statement; it is self-confession of Okonjo-Iweala to the effect that she failed woefully to save Nigeria’s humongous crude oil windfall under her watch, in an economy, which Jonathan innocently handed over to her to coordinate. Please it is self confession.

“Okonjo-Iweala should be prosecuted for her conspiracy in squandering the humongous crude oil windfall which accrued under her watch as Minister of Finance and the Coordinator of the economy.''

He said: “a key factor that drives investments in an economy is the presence of an investor-friendly business climate. Indeed, Edo State today, is one of the most attractive investment destinations in Nigeria.

“The economic reforms in Edo State especially in the area of tax, innovations in rural finance and investment on infrastructure, have produced an enabling environment that has further provided a platform for future growth.

All these factors made us consider investing in the state.''

he police in Ogun State have arrested two members of an armed robbery gang operating on the long bridge towards Isheri end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway after they were knocked down by a moving trailer.

The suspected robbers, Sola Bilaminu and Ibrahim Sandi, had allegedly robbed some motorists in front of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry camp at about 10:40pm on Thursday.

They, however, attempted to escape from the scene after they sighted police operatives but got knocked down by a trailer.

The bandits were said to have sustained serious injuries in the process.

Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said police operatives attached to Ibafo Division arrested the sus-

pects and recovered stolen items from them.

Adejobi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, added that a motorcycle used for robbery operation was also recovered from the suspects.

He disclosed that the victims of the robbery had already identified the suspected robbers and the items stolen from them.

The PPRO said the recovered items had been returned immediately to the owners, who had also given useful information to the police.

He stated that the state Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali, had directed that the suspects be transferred to the Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS), Magbon, Abeokuta for thorough investigation.

Adejobi said: “CP Ali also directed that the expressway must be adequately policed on a regular basis to protect road users who have fears of plying the expressway at night time.''

Making roads safe, act of God – Zamfara govt

T

he Acting Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed, has pledged the support of the state government to the operations of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC).

He said making the roads safe for people as FRSC is doing is an act of service to God which requires the collective support of government and all public spirited individuals.

“Zamfara State Government will support the FRSC to ensure the success of its activities not only in the state, but the country at large,” he stated.

A statement issued by the Head, Media Relations and Strategy of FRSC, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, said Mohammed stated this while receiving the Corps Marshal of the

FRSC, Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, at the Government House, Gusau.

According to him, Islam enjoins Muslims and the leaders to engage in acts that promote safety of lives and property on the road, noting that people should be encouraged to get involved in such acts as removal of obstruction from the road and avoidance of practices that undermine safety of people’s lives.

“It is the responsibility of government to support the FRSC by constructing and maintaining the roads, and for people to obey traffic rules and regulations so that the roads would be safe, not only for human beings, but even animals whose safety the leaders would account for on the day of judgement,” he stated.

City & crime update

10

Voices Would you feel comfortable leaving your handset with your spouse for a day?p.12

SATURDAY, 16 APRIL 2016

I was told Fulani herdsmen killed my son but I suspect foul play –Mother of slain OPC leader Babatope Okeowo

S Akure

even days after they heard about the killing of Ayodele Ige, a leader of Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State in the farm of Chief Olu Falae in Ilado in the council area, the wife and mother of the deceased, Funmilayo and Rachael respectively, refused to be consoled. When our correspondent, BABATOPE OKEOWO visited the home of the bereaved on Oshodi Street in Akure, the state capital, tears refused to dry up and they said the situation would remain until the killers of their son and husband are found.

Wife and mother of the murdered Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) leader, Ayodele Ige, who was killed in Chief Olu Falae’s farm, Funmilayo and Rachael Ige, have sought the intervention of the government in unravelling the circumstances of the death and to bring those responsible for it to book.

Ayodele was a leader of the OPC in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State before he was killed by suspected herdsmen in the farm of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae last weekend. Since then, members of the organisation have been demanding the arrest and prosecution of the killers of the late OPC leader.

While fingers were being pointed at the direction of Fulani herdsmen who have been terrorising different parts of the country, the mother of the deceased, Rachael, suspected a foul play among members of the OPC who she claimed could be responsible for the killing.

The woman who is in her 80s told Saturday Telegraph that Ayodele had told her about the plan to wrestle the leadership of the OPC from him and that he was ready to resist any attempt to dethrone him. According to her, he said he would not go down without a fight.

She said: “Ayo came home last Saturday and told me that some people were trying to depose him as the coordinator of the OPC. He now informed me that before the end of the month, the people would know his position on the leadership tussle. I was praying for him. I don’t know this is how it would happen”.

Rachael who was sobbing intermittently as she narrated the incident said the deceased was 33 years and her last child. She said her husband died when the deceased was a toddler.

She said: “He was my last born. He was the sixth of my children. When it happened, they did not allow me to know. It was three days after the incident that I saw pastors of my church and some family members. I asked them what happened. They did not tell me. They started preaching to me and I asked them to come straight. They now explained that Ayo Ige who was the head of the security in Chief Falae’s farm has been killed.

“I am pained because I suffered on him. He was a toddler when his father died. I was the only one taking care of

I will miss him for many reasons. He promised to buy a sewing machine for me. I just completed my apprenticeship

Ayodele

him and other children. I sent him to school, but when he was not doing well, I sent him to mechanic workshop as an apprentice. He spent six years as an apprentice. I established a workshop for him and he was doing well as a mechanic.

“It was later that thieves started disturbing him. They would remove tyres and engines of vehicles in his workshop.

He ran into debt and eventually, the land he was using for the workshop was sold.

It was that that pushed him into security work with Chief Falae. It was after two months that I knew he was working with Chief Falae.”

Narrating how it happened as told by the deceased friends, she said: “I heard

that they had worked and driven the Fulani herdsmen and their cows away.

They had closed for the day and had returned to rest. I was told that he was at a place sleeping when two people came to call him and told him to follow them so that they can play around the farm.

“He told them he was tired. When he decided to follow them, he wanted to take his amulets and charms but those people said it was not necessary. They said he tried to wrestle with them. I was told they tied noose around his neck in order to kill him. After killing him, they removed his heart and tied a stone around his body and threw him into the river.”

Demanding justice for her late son, the woman said: “The father has no family members, there is nobody to fight for me.

The government should help me find the killers. He had a plot of land where he was buried. He had two children and they need care. I have no work to take care of these children.”

Similarly, Ayo’s wife, Funmilayo, demanded justice, saying the killers of her husband should not go unpunished. The widow who

is in her 20s said her late husband made many promises before he left for work on Tuesday.

Funmilayo who was observing widowhood rites according to Yoruba custom, said: “Before he went to work on Sunday, he came to me and said he was coming back on Tuesday .In the evening of Tuesday, I tried his number when I did not see him. On Friday, someone called me and said my husband had an accident with Chief Olu Falae. I said he was not a driver and could not have had an accident.

“I called his friend that came to my house with my husband. He allayed my fears that nothing will happen to him. My mother came to me and said she heard that my husband had an accident. She said she heard when she went to Chief Falae’s house; he said they were still looking for him. It was later they said he was seen at the bank of a river after he had been killed.

“I will miss him for many reasons. He promised to buy a sewing machine for me. I just completed my apprenticeship.

I have two children for him. I don’t know how to take care of them. I will forever remember him.”

Meanwhile, members of OPC have demanded justice for the late OPC leader, saying the killers must not go unpunished. Speaking when they paid a visit to Governor Olusegun Mimiko, the leaders said the only thing that would prevent reprisal attack is for the killers of the OPC leader to be found and prosecuted.

Rachael and deceased children.

Inset: Funmilayo

City&crime update 11

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Fuel scarcity: 'God has really blessed us' •I made almost N1m during hardship –Jerrycan seller •Our prayers have been answered through scarcity •Scarcity, queues linger in Lagos, Port Harcourt

“I

Our Correspondents

have made over N900, 000 within this short period, that is almost a million naira.

Since I have been in this jerrycan business, this is the first time God is blessing me. I really thank God and I wish this fuel scarcity would continue forever.

“For years, I have been praying to God to look with pity upon me. I have been paying my tithe, so why will God not bless me in a time like this?”

Those were the words of Olaide Hassan (not real names), one of the numerous jerrycan sellers and black market operators, who spoke with Saturday Telegraph on their new found fortune, arising from the current hardship occasioned by the lingering fuel scarcity and power outage in the country.

Like a popular local idiom says, ‘one man’s meat is another man’s poison’, investigations by Saturday Telegraph revealed that the petroleum scarcity and power outage has become a major blessing to some illegal marketers, while major business owners are lamenting the huge cost of running their businesses.

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, had promised Nigerians that the fuel scarcity would abate by April 7.

However, the shortage has continued to linger, while jerrycan sellers and black market operators are laughing all the way to the bank.

While artisans, such as, barbers and welders are lamenting that the non-availability of fuel is crippling their businesses, it has been the other way for jerrycan sellers and those who deal in road-side selling of the product.

Truly, this had become different tales for different folks, as the Organised Private Sector (OPS) has said that the ongoing fuel scarcity and epileptic power supply in the country, has cost manufacturers over N100 billion to run their businesses.

Market survey revealed that prices of 5,10, 25, and 50-litre kegs and jerrycans which were previously sold for N100, N250, N400, and N500 are now being sold

at N150, N350, N500, and N1,000 respectively owing to the rush for its use.

In Delta State, artisans, like barbers, jerrycan sellers, fashion designers, sachet water sellers, among others, are having a field day, having made fortune from the lingering fuel scarcity. The product rose from the arbitrary pump price of N200 per litre to N220 in Asaba and its environs.

A plastic keg seller in Asaba, who identified himself as Tony said he relocated from his store in Ogbeogonogo Market along Nnebisi road in Asaba to the front of a popular petrol station (name withheld) along Okpanam Road, to sell his kegs for those struggling to buy petrol.

Tony said since the scarcity began over 30 days ago, he has sold almost 2000 pieces of plastic kegs, breaking it down as 360 pieces of 10-litre kegs, 670 pieces of 25-litre kegs and over 700 pieces of 50-litre containers.

Tony, who estimated the fortune he had made in the course of the crisis to about N700, 000 said, God had answered his prayers through fuel scarcity.

He attributed the fortune he made in the ongoing fuel crisis to the seed he had been sowing in his Church.

“For years, I have been praying to God to bless me. I have been paying my tithe regularly, so this is the time for me to reap the blessings”.

Corroborating Tony, a tailor at Umuagu Quarters in Asaba, Ojo Ade, said the shirt and trousers, which he used to sow between N1, 200 and N1, 500, now goes for N3, 000, owing to the price of petrol to power his generator, saying he made more money in the troubled situation.

“The situation permits me to charge customers arbitrarily”, he said with emphasis.

In Umuahia, the Abia State capital, the price hike did not affect the sale of jerrycans but filling stations are making huge sales.

One of the attendants at a filling station told Saturday Telegraph that filling stations with product even sell higher than the black marketers.

“Some of the independent marketers are selling but at cutthroat price. The price

has gone higher than N200 per litre, it was N194 last week, but the margin has been increased with about N10.

Checks in Kaduna show that the prices of commodities have doubled because petrol is being procured at 250 per cent more than the official price at black market, in spite of the ban on illegal operators.

A four-litre gallon of petrol that used to cost N800 now sells at N2, 000, and that is even when a buyer is fortunate to get one.

In Enugu and its environs, jerrycan traders and some artisans were praying for the period to last longer.

Saturday Telegraph’s findings in some of the markets visited revealed that a new five-litre jerrycan, which sold for N100, now sells for N500.

Some jerrycan hawkers revealed that the profit made during the period has made them to order for more from suppliers in Onitsha, Lagos and Aba while majority of the shops visited were empty.

Those who spoke with one of our correspondents said before the fuel scarcity, they were closing shops between 5pm and 6:30pm, but now, they close by 10pm to enable them to attend to black market operators.

A black-market dealer, Mr. Peter Ugwu, said since the scarcity began, he had made much money than he ever made, saying “if not for the hardship posed by non availability of the product, I would have loved it to continue”.

He further revealed that those selling jerrycans have made huge gains within the period, as sales became a daily occurrence.

In Lagos, the situation has turned many unemployed graduates to petrol vendors, while touts are taking advantage of the situation, selling jerrycans along the line.

A litre of fuel in many areas visited across Niger State sold for between N200 and N250. One of the artisans cum black marketer who was simply addressed as 'General' told the Saturday Telegraph that law enforcements agents were aiding their illegal business.

“The business is lucrative and the security men are very cooperative. The only problem we have is when the Department

of Petroleum Resources (DPR) visits the filling stations. Even NNPC sells fuel to us at night for N190 and we re-sell for N220 or N250 per litre.

“If you come at night, you will see a lot of wrong things between staff of the NNPC and the Independent Petroleum Marketers, then why won't we (black marketers) do our own business?

A Jerrycan seller at the Tunga Market, Mrs Fatima Abdullahi, said the scarcity increased the sales of only jerrycans as other products were not patronised.

Another Jerrycan seller, Suleiman Gajera, said, "I have really made some profit, the gallon we use to sell for N250 is now N350 and the industrial one we formerly sell for N500 is now N800 and people are rushing to buy.

"The people that use to supply us also increased the prices, the sales of jerrycan increased."

In Osun, the scarcity has enriched many people, especially artisans and those selling jerrycans. Others, who also benefited from the rot, were those who sold the commodity in the black market.

Saturday Telegraph investigations revealed that, artisans colluded with some petrol attendants at various filling stations in the state who sold it for them at the rate of N200 to N220 and re-sell it for motorists between N300 to N350.

A motorist who spoke with one of our reporters said: "these petrol attendants always sell the products for their targeted artisans in jerrycan instead of selling it to motorists who are in queue at their filling stations for hours."

The motorist who identified himself as Adekunle Adelani said: "They do this because at the end of the day, both the petrol attendants and the artisans who are majorly mechanics and road side hawkers would share the profit make out of the black-market sold to members of the public."

In Rivers State, especially in Port Harcourt, the situation took a turn for the worse as black marketers, who openly hawk fuel in jerrycan are those in continuous possession of the product, while filling stations were without fuel.

One of the hawkers at a filling station along Aba Road said his fortunes improved whenever there is scarcity.

"I can't tell you exactly how much I make, but fuel scarcity helps to raise my standard of living".

An operator of a soccer-viewing centre, who complained that he bought fuel at N200 per litre to power his generator, lamented that he had been unable to charge viewers extra, especially during football matches.

In Onitsha, Anambra State, business and other activities have been totally grounded, following acute fuel scarcity that has lasted over four weeks.

Checks show that the situation is getting worse by the day, as a litre of fuel now sells between 200 and 250 naira in the state, a situation some black marketers have attributed to divine intervention.

“God has buttered our bread, black marketers now have field day,” a retailer said, even as the product is sold at a cutthroat price of 300 naira per litre.

Mr. Kenneth Nworah who deals on the commodity along Oguta Road, told our correspondent that he made between N15, 000 to N20, 000 daily since the scarcity started, praying that the situation should last longer.

“We are selling but some people prefer going to waste their time at the filling station and at the end they will buy at N250, what is the gain? If I have a car and I can’t buy the fuel then I will park it. I want the situation to continue to at least one month”.

Voices

12

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Would you feel comfortable leaving your handset with your spouse for a day?

There is no justification for that

It is a difficult one It is a hard question to answer. I might leave my phone with her if I know the important business numbers are not stored there because I don't want her interrogation.

—Izu Alex, banker

If my husband is the understanding type It all depends on the kind of husband that I have. If he is an understandable person I would leave my phone but if he is a fault finder, I won't.

—Juliet Ebohjiaye, civil servant

There is no hidden agenda Yes I can. There's nothing hidden in my relationship so there's no need for me to panic about leaving my phone with my spouse.

—Ahmed Akanbi, businessman

I will not give her that privilege I wouldn’t give her such a privilege because she will abuse it one day by going into my privacy which might result to misunderstanding between us. So it will be better I call a spade a spade when it comes to relationship and just a mere friendship.

—Yusuf Olatunji

I would rather switch off the phone My spouse is a jealous type so leaving my phone with him for a day may cause problem in my relationship. The best thing is to put the phone off because if anyone calls or drops a message, if it is someone he doesn't know, I would need to explain to him.

—Idara Bassey, civil servant

I wouldn’t because there isn’t any justifiable reason why I should do that. Knowing women for whom they are she will read your messages and other things that will result to issues between you both.

—Nkwazema Henry, civil servant

It depends on our intimacy Why I wouldn’t if he requested for it? It also depends on the intimacy between us because if he is not a responsible man to me then why should I be a submissive woman to him talk more of leaving my phone with him for a day?

—Adefowope Tolulope

Women are unpredictable It is such a difficult task for me because women are unpredictable. She might search all the contacts and messages just to find a question. I cannot leave my phone.

—Moses John, civil servant

Not even for a second

My take on this is very simple. I shall not leave my handset with my spouse for a second. As a matter of fact and understanding, I do not pick my wife's calls or read her text messages and vice versa. It is a historic agreement that preceded our partnership or marriage. And the essence is to secure the marriage and promote the sanctity of the home, especially from disintegration, and not borne out of the desire for adultery. Societies where the reverse is the practice has more number of broken home and abandoned children who lack parental care that is central to child growth and nurturing.

—EgbuodikeNohebedim Ezike, ED, CLO

Gladly, rightly so Of course yes. Spouse algebraic formula is 1+1=1.

Second is a symbol of trust; no skeleton in our cupboard.

—Oseafiana Edith, self-employed

compiled by: JOHN EDU AND NGOZI OGBOLU

If I don’t have any secret agenda Why not since if I don’t have cockroaches in my cupboard or having any secret agenda. But the moment he starts to act funny over any little message or calls I make or receive then that is the end of it.

—Damilanre Quadri

That will be courting trouble No because I know he is definitely up to something by asking for my phone.

Maybe he might be suspecting something that is not true and instead of him confronting me over it or he doesn’t want to raise false alarm he will then pretend to demand for the phone so as to be sure of his fact.

—Shafaru Kafayat

I will to avoid trouble in the house I will if I don’t want her trouble because if I don’t, then that is the beginning of war and trouble in the house. But in the case of boyfriend and girlfriend definitely I wouldn’t.

—Opeyemi Oyeyemi

I will because I don’t cheat on him

I will because I don’t cheat on him and if I don’t it will create room for suspicious, trouble, quarrel and break up in the relationship.

—Aderonke Akintibubo

That could threaten our relationship My handset is a component of things that should be in my private space. I won't cheat on her but she has to understand that and let me have my privacy. Second, I won't because it could be a source of extreme and dangerous jealousy, which will threaten the relationship. Ladies and women remain part of my business contacts, hence must occasionally reach me on phone.

—Otei Oham , journalist/publisher

WeekendBliss

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

HOW I DISCOVERED RMD, ESIRI, OGOGO, OTHERS Master of the game, Akintade Ogidan’s career hasn’t come to a halt, his flair for churning out more classic films hasn’t even waned either. In this interview with LANRE ODUKOYA, the man who recognised the appropriate time Richard Mofe-Damijo, Taiwo Hassan, Justus Esiri and Femi Adebayo were ready for fame and fortune recalls a brilliant past and promises a continued era of great cinematic experience

I

t’s very unlikely that as a lover of Nigerian movies and TV drama series, you haven’t watched 'Dangerous Twins', 'Owo Blow', 'Hostages', 'Madam Dearest', 'Diamond Ring' among other riveting works of enigmatic script writer, producer and director, Akintade Ogidan, whose showbiz moniker is Tade Ogidan. His absence seems too long and fans are waiting for movies or ‘soaps’ that will match if not surpass the success of his captivating repertoire. When should this maverick’s teeming fans expect another blockbuster?

“There’s a project that we released but which hasn’t achieved the kind of circulation that we want. A lot of people have actually been waiting for that- it’s called ‘Family on Fire’. We’ve promoted this work in ‘Madam Dearest’, so a lot of people want to see it. It’s actually out there already and people should look out for it. We’re trying to rejig the publicity for it. This is because a lot of people have asked me, ‘what happened to that movie? Aren’t you going to release it?’ And I would say, ‘but we’ve released it.’ And I would get the riposte: ‘you’re kidding me, when did you release it?’ ‘Family on Fire’ also has a Yoruba title called ‘Wahala Kunle’. At the premiere of the movie, people froze from the beginning to the end. It’s one of those good works that will still get much bigger publicity,” he explains.

Seldom do you get the depth of story and huge budget that went into producing ‘Hostages’, a TV drama series that got the country talking in the ‘90s featuring Tope Idowu, Ofuafo Otemowo, Antar Laniyan, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Lanre Balogun, Taiwo Obileye among a host of other superstars. Understandably so, movie buffs continue to crave an encore. Ogidan interjects: “I don’t know how easy achieving that kind of project will be now. Some of the privileges of that time aren’t easy to get nowadays. The landscape of that time was different; when we were producing 'Hostages', film-making was quite a bit of novelty and to even get a

house for the rich man’s role was quite a problem at a time. It’s unlike now that you get so many of such buildings. But I’m also preparing something really massive.

I want to do something huge for the television that will thrill the audience practically all over the world. You’re just going to have to wait for it. It’s called ‘Streets of Gold’. It’s something we will film in Nigeria and a few countries in Europe, the U.S., Ghana and South Africa. Kunle Afolayan and I are working on that. It’s something to look forward to.”

It may well interest you to know that Ogidan’s Midas touch led to the discovery of some of the finest actors in Nigeria most of whom have traversed the world and know the score. At the risk of sounding C o n t i n u e d o n pa g e 1 4

N O P U E S O L C GIDAN TADE O

Instyle

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Off the shoulder neckline: Flattering yet elegant

p.15

The Arts

Hospitality

Review: A Night In The Morning

Westwood Hotel: Proudly Nigeria

TV & Radio

p.37

p.41

p.44

SunRise Daily: Fixing the economy

13

14

Close Up

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

'Mum used to chide me for writing scripts overnight' C o n t i n u e d f r o m pa g e 1 3

immodest, Ogidan would unapologetically take credit for discovering Richard Mofe-Damijo a.k.a. RMD, Taiwo Hassan otherwise known as ‘Ogogo’ (in Owo Blow), Femi Adebayo, to mention a few.

And when these actors finally give him credit for ‘finding’ them, they do with all sense of pride. But who discovered Ogidan? He chuckles for a moment and recounts: “Who actually discovered me?

I think I’m just somebody who has this passion and since my days in secondary school, I would write scripts and my schoolmates would be waiting desperately for the break so that they would pass this exercise book from one person to the other. After reading, they’d say ‘are you sure you’re the one who writes these things? They’re so mature and out of your league.’ I finished from school, joined the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and started to make waves almost immediately. My works stood out and I was assigned to handle some of the special projects at the time. Then I started to develop some of those projects that I eventually made into films after I left NTA. Some of the works are 'Madam Dearest', 'Hostages' and others which I’d written in my days at the NTA. And then they’d post me to some places and I’d come up with something that would be totally outstanding for it and then, the system would say that: ‘we don’t have this kind of money.’ And for me, it’s not always about money.

They would say: ‘don’t you ever listen to what is called budget?’ For most of my projects in NTA then, I would ‘blow’ my personal money and my parents’ money, but everybody wanted to be involved in the kinds of works that I do because they call attention to themselves. Those projects are the kinds that continually delight people. That means one has achieved something. A lot of them who have become superstars today, you’d see those potential in them already because I really take my time to audition over and over again. I said to RMD, you’re going to be awesome.

We used to rehearse in my dad’s house in Surulere and the talent I saw in him was awesome. I told him someday this country’s production value would be better and would be bigger; then you would be a star. And I’m glad it came to pass.”

Gifted with a strong presence of mind, Ogidan would seamlessly recall even those golden days of ‘Village Headmaster’. “While we were recording Village Headmaster many years ago, I saw the deep talent in Justus Esiri, and it all thrilled me.

And I prayed that someday would come when we would be able to do movies the way we desire to do them. I told him, ‘you’re deeper than what you’re playing as a headmaster in that series at the time. And I’m glad, he became that. So, when I also saw Femi Adebayo, in grooming him, we would cry together and do most things you guys saw in Owo Blow. For my audience to weep, I’d have cried several times when I’m working on those films; by the time you’re filming it, you already know the emotions you’re going to get. So, I’m glad a whole lot of them are doing well. From Streets of Gold, we’re going to create another line

up of stars, mark my words. We’re still in pre-production stages now.”

Away from the demands made on him by the art, what manner of man is Ogidan back home? Is he one of those who take time to do any chores at all?

What kind of ‘honey’ and ‘daddy’ is he? “I’m a very homely person who doesn’t go out much. I believe that our works stay out in the public domain and everybody has a good time experiencing them. I enjoy the little time I have for myself and I would like to play with the family, cook sometimes when I feel like cooking too. I cook very well and anybody who knows me well enough will tell you that,” he explains.

Every good cook had his or her bad day in the kitchen at some point, what has been Ogidan’s most horrible cooking blunder? “I was seven years old and I cooked a stew waiting for my mother to return. Normally, my parents have this arrangement for supply of the foodstuffs they would need.

So, when I am returning from school they’d just give them to me. I just wanted to impress her. So, I cooked.

When she came back, I was very excited and I was telling her that I’d done the cooking. I’m sure she wasn’t hearing me well because that certainly wouldn’t make any sense. She just got back from work and was very tired obviously. So, I repeated myself like three times. Then she snapped back.

‘You cooked what?’ I answered in Yoruba, ‘mo ti se obe yin’ literally meaning ‘I’ve made your stew.’ She rushed

I said to RMD, you’re going to be awesome. We used to rehearse in my dad’s house in Surulere and the talent I saw in him was awesome

Ogidan

You’re not going to sleep on two beds at the same time. What are you doing with 20 to 40 houses you’ve bought?

You must be stupid. That’s not even investment anymore. If you want to leave all that for your children, you’re going to destroy them. What are they going to ever work for in life? You’ve sent them to the best schools and you now start telling them your money is in billions of dollars, you get cancer along the line and die. Those kids cannot fit properly into life because their parents are foolish. You’re not helping your children by leaving too much for them. Yes, it’s okay to set them up in such a way that they’re able to continue to grow their own legacy. Kids of people who have this kind of senseless money are always messed up because what truly is the child aspiring to? At 16 he’s driving a Range Rover Sports, by the time he’s 20 and everybody is looking at their paths in life, there’s nowhere he’s going to be looking to.

Life for them is all about having fun.”

He would later open up on information he’d never shared with the press, as against what obtains among Yoruba parents who strongly believe the maxim ‘a kii ka omo f’olomo’ to the kitchen, tasted the stew and (you don’t ask an adult to number his asked, ‘who did this?’ I said ‘it’s me’. children), he reveals his family size: She said ‘haaa, iwo lo se ni tooto’, ‘yes, “I have five kids, two boys and three you were indeed the one who cooked girls. Normally this is not a piece of this.’ She responded that way because information I put out for the public obviously there was too much salt in but it’s alright, I’m proud of my kids,” the stew. I actually cooked it with he says with contentment. firewood. Although I had a retinue of Is any of his kids taking after him in cooks, stewards and other staff but we his area of passion? “My first daughter, Korede, does projects with MNet all just enjoyed ourselves.”

The availability of that size of stew- but I want her to go back to school. ards at his beck and call as a lad sug- She loves to write, she wants to act gests he was born into wealth. Are and she has produced her first short your parents rich? But he riposted: feature. We give her some encourage“Come on, do your parents have to ment but I want her to get more edube rich to afford some domestic staff? cation. She’s through with her NYSC.” I think Nigeria was far more fun than And after all the work, how does he now and we grew up in a lot of com- relax? No, not spirit, cognac or some fort and everybody was content with brandy to relax with, he’s got another what they had. My parents were civil idea of recreation. “I just listen to music servants and we were happy. But now, across the world loud in my head with there’s so much chasing after sense- my very special headphones because I less wealth. They steal the money they get my inspiration from some of those cannot even spend. Some of these guys things. I love the beach for a family who steal from the government don’t picnic, for friends or alone. One may even know what they have. It’s a form need some time to think about what of sickness. What do you want to buy? to do next. And some of the times, I just jump into any country alone to think about how to make progress with my plans,” he says.

Ogidan’s legacy appears to be as modest as his lifestyle. “I don’t mind what anybody remembers me for. I just want to make my impact and if I was a very rich person, I’d like to touch the lives of people around me. I do that even as things are. I just want the society to be a better place,” he says with some feeling.

What exactly was Ogidan’s delinquent streak in his formative years? “I was a very quiet kid, my mother especially didn’t like the fact that I could write scripts all night but couldn’t study overnight.

She’d scream, ‘if you can put this amount of energy into writing nonsense, why can’t you give the same to reading your books? But life is interesting, the rest is history today. Sometimes if I want to taunt my mother, I still bring the issue up. She’s happy today that I made something out of it at Lanre Balogun, Kunle Afolayan and Ogidan last,” he recalls.

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16 APRIL 2016

Off the shoulder necklines: Flattering yet elegant Deborah Makoji

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f you want to make the best of your outfits, you may want to give some special consideration to the neckline you choose. Your choice of neckline will determine how the outfits accentuate your figure, and you will get the most flattering for your body if you opt for off the shoulder neckline.

Off the shoulder necklines are similar to boat necklines but are significantly lower, below the shoulders and collar bone.

They usually pass over the arms but, in the strapless neckline style; these necklines accentuate the shoulders and neck of the wearer.

The neckline can frame the shoulders, neck and face, and change the wearer’s apparent width, height and a n g u l a ri t y.

It is generally a d -

vised that the neckline shape be chosen to balance the wearer's natural features.

Off the shoulder neckline dresses attract attention to the centre of the body; this shape is incredibly flattering, and also very flexible that can be worn well by almost any kind of body shape.

Off the shoulder neckline sits off the shoulder or below and run along the collarbone. They are similar to boat necklines in that they generally cut across the figure nearly horizontally, but significantly lower, below the shoulders and collarbone.

Off the shoulders come in several different styles.

Some

expose both shoulders at once, while some expose only one shoulder. But generally, these are best for the well-endowed as it enhances flattering yet elegant effect around the bust area.

Tips

For pear shape or those with narrow shoulders, off-shoulders neckline can give shoulders a broader look.

Off shoulder tops, of course, have very wide necklines, so they are not a good choice for larger plus-sized women; dresses that expose both shoulders tend to have horizontal necklines as well, which make shoulders look even wider.

So plus

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sized people should opt for a one-shouldered dress instead.

Suitable for almost every body type and size, but best recommended for wellendowed ladies as it emphasizes the area elegantly.

Similar to the boat neck, this neckline is best paired with a longer necklace. However, because this neckline sits below the collarbone, wearing it with a choker or collar necklace is also best option to choose.

Think about how you want to be perceived, jewellery such as necklaces also combine to make necklines more flattering.

16 Instyle

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16 APRIL 2016

Acc e s s o r i e s to l i v e f o r

Pamper your feet with moccasin shoes

Deborah Makoji

I

t is usually said that a fashionable person’s style can be seen from the way they blend their attire with different types of shoes, so never be afraid to put your creativity to test when wearing moccasin shoes.

However, pairing them with a light pair of slim fit chinos or jeans will create a smart finished look and you don’t have to worry too much about clashing colours.

Moccasins are simply casual shoes made out of different materials such as sheep skin, deer skin, cow hide, suede with a strong sole which is sometimes built within. It is important to note that, moccasins are not slippers; they are probably one of the oldest shoes to date and were originally worn by indigenous people in North America. They got their name from the Proto-Algonquian word ‘maxkeseni’ which translate to ‘shoe’.

Moccasins are shoes named after the word shoes and not slippers.

Moccasins are one of the most versatile casual type of men’s shoes because they can match almost any casual outfits. There is a whole variety of an option that you can choose from, no matter what your style or personality for example. Those who love cool colours or those who love bright and for those who prefer just simple casual styles will absolutely not go wrong with moccasins.

The most basic and easy to spot difference between moccasins and loafers is that moccasins are the ones with laces that are primarily for decoration purposes and do nothing else apart from that while loafers are without laces.

Moccasins are comfortable and they come in a range of colours and styles. The good thing about them is that they don’t jump out and take over the look of an outfit.

They pretty much blend into whatever style you’re going for; so even a smart casual look works with these shoes.

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16 APRIL 2016

MY STYLE Uche Amarachi Diana Grace, popularly known as Amara Ado, is a musician that is talented in both gospel and secular music. In this interview with Deborah Makoji, the professional nurse and midwife speaks about her love for uncommon fashion items and more.

What does fashion means to you?

I love casual things. Normally, I love statement outfits that allow my presence to be noticed easily. I don’t believe in wearing exciting things to be fashionable but I believe in combining my colours in such a way that it will make me look good. When you combine your colours well, people will turn and look at you.

What determines the kind of outfits you wear?

The occasion mainly because I like coming to an event in a way that I will easily be noticed.

Is there anything you will not be caught wearing?

I don’t think I have ever worn a cap wig since I was born.

Do you consider any fashion item indispensable?

I don’t have any.

Which jewellery holds special appeal to you?

My leg chain, I love my leg chain.

Are you not bothered with the common notion that leg chains are exclusive items for lesbians?

That is why I love it, I cannot walk by without been noticed. People must turn to look at me the second time

'I combine colours to steal attention' because it is not a common trend. People don’t wear it and I wear things that are not common.

How easily do you get your fashion items in Nigeria?

I get them anywhere provided they are beautiful and not common in the market.

Who is your best designer?

Zara, I love their shoes and bags. I don’t really wear high shoes.

How do you love your makeup?

Depending on my outfits. It may be cool or loud depending on what I wear.

Do you have a signature perfume?

No, I don’t repeat a particular perfume.

How did you come up with the name Amara Ado? Amara is my name and Ado was derived from where my musical career started, that is Onitcha Ado in Anambra State and fans call me Amara Ado. What informed the decision of going into gospel music?

I do secular music but most people know me with gospel songs, very few people know me with high life songs.

Generally I do R&B, secular and high life music. I have loved music right from when I was young; I lead a musical group while in secondary school but I never knew I would become a full time musician. The interest grew from hobby; music is something I have great passion for.

How will you describe the experience so far?

It has not been easy; entertainment generally is one of the most tedious industries you can think of. You see people that are better than you and people that you are better than daily, it is highly competitive and it entails a lot of hard work and prayers.

Beauty

Natural acne remedy Deborah Makoji

A

re you tired of suffering from acne? Get rid of those chemical-ridden over-the-counter drugs and try the natural remedy of honey and cinnamon. Natural acne remedies are a good way to get rid of or at least hold at bay acne caused by pimples or any other factor.

Honey is a secret natural cosmetic product which treats acne and other beauty problems. Honey is commonly used in two ways: either as a mask or scrub, applied directly to the affected area, or as a dietary supplement to improve overall health.

Honey is sticky, and cinnamon is spicy, and it seems like they’re both things you will want to avoid getting near your skin. Surprisingly, while it may sound strange, honey and cinnamon make a total killer combination when it comes to acne.

Cinnamon has antimicrobial properties, so it can help stop bacteria from getting out of hand and honey is a natural anti-biotic

Instyle 17

and waiting to wipe the little buggers out.

Ingredients Water 2 tablespoons of honey 1 teaspoon of cinnamon Paper towels Directions Rinse your face with water and pat dry. Mix 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon together until they are thoroughly blended and have formed a sort of paste. Apply the mask to your face or the affected area and leave on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off completely, and pat your face dry. This is a sticky mixture, so make sure you have some paper towels at on hand.

Amara Ado

Does that pose serious threat to you?

Yes, it is really challenging especially for the women in the industry because of the environment. We are Africans and a lot of people see entertainers as unserious people, so it is really challenging for the women.

How will you assess government’s involvement in the entertainment industry?

I can’t remember government doing anything for us and that is the truth of the matter. African entertainers especially Nigerians are wonderful despite not been supported by their governments and I pray that the governments will understand one day that entertainment is one of the industries that has created much employment opportunities for youths.

Is there anybody you look up to as role model?

Generally I will say it is Onyeka Onwenu.

Apart from music, is there any other business you are into?

Professionally, I am a nurse, a midwife and a family planning counsellor.

Facts South Korea used to have actual fashion police who would go around measuring the miniskirt length of women. If skirts were deemed too short, they could be fined or arrested.

The first miniskirt was unveiled by designer André Courreges in 1965. It ended a modest four inches above the knee.

During the 1860s, dresses were so wide that women were often stuck in doorways.

that is ready

Michael Jordan’s dad, James Jordan, was murdered by a guy wearing a Michael Jordan T-shirt.

18 Interiors

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16 APRIL 2016

Décor appears more luxurious with exposed bricks Deborah Makoji

I

t is amazing how exposed brick interior can change an entire room giving it a country style and also a modern one.

Exposed brick is eye-catching and stands out whether the décor is rustic, industrial, modern or traditional and maintains its charm regardless of the style and the things around it.

There is nothing that can add such luxurious appearance to your décor, as exposed bricks. They are awesome because they can change the entire perception of your home, and can easily convert an ordinary room into a country ranch, as it can transform the entire look of the room into a modern and sophisticated haven.

You can recreate all that charm without actually using the original material but, with the use of exposed brick wallpaper. The easiest approach to getting exposed brick look without using bricks is with wallpaper and this solution is often used by renters for the reason that, it can be a temporary decorating technique.

One of the biggest advantages of brick walls is that they provide a feeling of warmth and cosiness. Therefore, they are always welcomed in important rooms, such as the bedroom, sitting room and dining area. An exposed central wall, covered with well-sorted bricks could look amazing; and provide some extra comfort for anyone living in such house.

Tips Bricks look best when applied in central and focal areas. For instance, the TV is the main element in every living room, which is never undermined.

Therefore, it is the best place to apply eyecatching designs. With a cool brick wall behind your TV, you will make your room very interesting.

A brick wall should be left in plain view. Therefore, a simple solution is to

put on it some simple shelves. Place on them photos or funny wall art.

Since the colour of exposed bricks is dark, it would be better to enlighten it subtly. A lamp mounted in a place from which to cast a dim light on the wall, are perfect solutions to shine the wall.

Black and white is a colour combination that never goes out of style, having a brick wall shouldn’t hinder that. You can paint your brick wall white and the adjoining wall matte black for a super sophisticated space.

Having one or more brick stones can give your room a royal appearance.

Exposed bricks interiors don’t have to look like they are creating a cold room, indeed they can warm the atmosphere with decorative live elements like plants or other objects with powerful colours.

Brick tiles are successfully used especially in the hallways, but can be also used in the kitchens, living rooms or bathrooms.

Welcome your guests with inspirational and breath-taking brick walls in the hallway. A brick wall will underline the rustic character of your place; and will create a pleasant feeling that doesn’t fade with time.

Ideally, combine the brick wall with wooden ceilings and sumptuous chandeliers.

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Marrying another wife is a betrayal I can’t afford –Sanyeri

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Showbiz

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The sole of my only shoe pulled off while about leading praises –Gospel artiste

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Being beauty queen attracts more men to me –Rita Oguebie The Beauty of Africa International Pageant (BAIP) queen/ Miss Tourism International Nigeria 2015/2016, Rita Onyinye Oguebie, 25, a graduate of Library and Information Management from Anambra State is a combo of beauty and brains. The BAIP would be staging this year’s edition to commemorate its 10th anniversary and auditions for the contestants unlike the previous ones will be regional. Abuja, Portharcourt, Kaduna, Edo, Bayelsa, Calabar, Uyo and Lagos would be playing host to the organisers when the auditions would hold sometime in October. And the current queen looks forward to an equally riveting successor. In this interview with LANRE ODUKOYA, the lady forging a career in broadcast journalism speaks about family, career and her dream man.

What exactly led you into modeling? Has it always been on the card for you?

I started modeling as a hobby, I have always been camera friendly person and I choose the pageant aspect of modeling because it gives me a platform to reach to people and add value to the society.

How did your parents take your plunge into this industry?

My mother has always been very supportive from the start, but my father's support didn't come easy because he didn't want me to be a model because he believes that a woman shouldn't be so exposed, when he saw the positive impact modeling and the height it helped me attain, he then showed his support. Today, my father is my number one fan.

What were your most emotional moments in the camp of beauty of Africa international pageant?

Every activity on camp was actually worth it, the training was top notch, we were taught poise, etiquette, catwalk, etc.

The most emotional moment for me on camp was when I was awarded the best

in talent from the talent hunt done at the camp; I couldn't hold back my joy, because I felt so honored to be recognized amongst every other talent there.

Pageants in this clime are characterized with bad tales of sexual harassment, what has been your experience?

I have never found myself in such a position, and it's quite an unpleasant remark when people say or experience such because it rubs off on the other good pageants existing. It gives bad perception to the entire process and essence.

How has winning affected your life?

Positively, I have had very good privileges that I wouldn't have if I wasn't a Queen and I get attention and recognition most places I go and that's a good thing, one to be proud of that one is recognized.

In what ways would your new title benefit humanity?

I believe I owe my service to humanity and in view of that I have been doing a lot of humanitarian works. I have a female advocacy foundation called RITA ONYINYE FOUNDATION, we are

basically into women development and empowerment, and we identify ourselves with every female related issues. You can get more information on our projects on www.ritaonyinyefoundation.org.

Does being a queen attract more men to you?

Yes, I get a lot of attention especially from males which might not be so much if I wasn't a beauty queen.

Who are the men your heart beats for?

My heart is always beating towards the direction of my father and not until I meet another man who exhibits the qualities he has, it remains that way.

What won't you ever do to be queen?

I wouldn't compromise my standards, my values for anything and wouldn't claim to be anything am not because I want to be a queen.

From this point on, what do you dream?

I’m building a career in broadcast journalism because I intend to have the best TV talk show in the country, so I designed my project in line with my career; it’s called PROJECT TAT (take a tour). You get to know more about it soon.

Oguebie

I don’t know what future holds for me on marriage –Juliet Ibrahim

G

Juliet

hana’s star actress, Juliet Ibrahim was the guest at The Brief interview session and made remarks on what she’d been silent about for months now. You may find this interesting enough. On romance and perhaps settling down soon, the pretty singer cum actress, remarks, “I have no idea what my future holds.

Whatever is meant to be will certainly be.”

In 2014, she forayed into the music industry and dropped a song with Nigerian reggae singer General Pype. She has a son from her previous marriage to Kwadwo Safo and has been rumoured to be in a relationship with a number of Nigerian actors including Emmanuel Ikubese and Brian Okwara, “nothing like that happened.

Our relationship has been totally professional,” she said.

Balancing her life as an actor and a business woman hasn’t been as daunting many would have thought, she stated that she is good at multitasking. “I multitask well, so it’s really not too much of a task. I run a production company – Jewelz Productions, a modeling talent agency, the Juliet Ibrahim Foundation, a non-

governmental organization which focuses on creating awareness about cancer of the kidney and other kidney related issues. I also run a boutique House of Glamour.

On life and how she’s managed to remain vibrant and bubbly, her words read in part,“I live one day at a time, I make out time for work and for all my engagements and I’m doing just fine. It’s just a matter of making out your schedule to work in your favour.” She would further speak on the growth of her career and brand which has seen her rise from being an usher at the GLO CAF Awards in the past to hosting the event in 2016, “I run a modeling agency, so back in the day, my agency provided models to be used as ushers for the Glo CAF awards.

It was me and 12 other girls and it was a great experience. I never dreamt of hosting the CAF awards when I was an usher, I was simply there to do my job. But if God is for you who shall be against you? Whatever is meant to be will be.

I simply advise people to be determined and work towards achieving your goals. Your luck is under your feet.”

20 Showbiz

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16 APRIL 2016

Marrying another wife is a betrayal I can’t afford –Sanyeri Olaniyi Afonja otherwise known as Sanyeri speaks about his humble beginning, romance and rising career with LANRE ODUKOYA. Excerpts.

Your appearance in the Yoruba movie entitled ‘Opa Kan’ almost suddenly made you a star; how long have you been acting before then?

Truth be told, I’ve been around for some time. I started acting as a matter of fact in 1993.

So, why did it take you that long to make it to stardom?

I was an apprentice at the time. In 1993, I was honing my skills and learning the ropes from my late boss, Oluseye Adeoye, in Oyo town, Oyo State. But he specialised in stage performance. Though we did some movies then, none of them ever made it to the shelves for viewers’ pleasure. So sometime in 1996, I left my hometown, Oyo and relocated to Lagos.

Then I joined another group, Ajala Jalingo caucus, in 1996. I left there in 1999 and started hustling all over the city before God finally answered my prayers.

How much was the most ridiculous sum of money you had been paid to feature in a movie?

Well, all that we were earning then weren’t professional fees per se, they were not even honoraria. They were just tokens to encourage us. Nobody was really paying, so anytime anybody gave us some money, it always like a big favour. So, it’s difficult to mention a particular sum.

What haven’t I seen in this industry? Is it the days N1,000, N2,000 or N5000 were offered? We never even saw them as honoraria but as something to encourage us.

Which of your works brought you the long sought breakthrough?

Breakthrough followed the movie entitled ‘Opa Kan’ that was released in August 5, 2011. After I did that movie, it’s been a phenomenal rise for my career. After that movie, I began to charge standard industry fees and I could decide what jobs to take and the ones to decline.

Now that you’ve come into considerable wealth, how have you been managing ladies who naturally would flock around you?

There’s nothing special about ladies flocking around me because it’s been so with artistes from time immemorial. It’s up to one to manage the attention. If you decide to start avoiding ladies, it means you don’t want to be seen and heard again.

So, I keep praying to God for wisdom to manage these wonderful people who I’m sure I cannot do without. I appreciate them because they’re the reason people noticed and started appreciating me.

How exactly have they been expressing appreciation towards you?

Most of the women who appreciate me actually give me money. Maybe because they all know me as a comedian, it hasn’t struck anyone of them to offer me anything other than money. There’s never been anything amorous. There were a few occasions when ladies had picked me up and said they were going to surprise their spouses (on their birthdays or special occasions) with my presence and they paid

for that.

You had an elaborate wedding two years ago; did you meet your wife long before stardom or shortly after you’ve become a household name?

I met my wife when I was living from hand to mouth. I was just living without a reasonable means. We met in 2004 and we courted till 2007 when we married but not legally. In 2007, I couldn’t do the ceremonies.

Has the marriage been blessed with kids?

Yes, all our kids are boys. Sanyeri’s blood is thick and I’m sure you don’t want to ask me how many kids we have.

Male entertainers from this clime are believed to be polygamous; do you think you might go for another wife later?

Wives are not assets that men should be piling up.

If you have a wife that gives you peace and you’re lucky she doesn’t drop dead untimely, why would you want more wives? A woman stayed by me from 2004 till 2007 before we got married unofficially and waited again till 2011 when I became comfortable, is that the kind woman I will hurt by marrying another? She doesn’t deserve that from me.

You’re mostly cast alongside your friend, Adekola Tijani a.k.a. Kamilu Kampo, how exactly did you meet?

We trained under the same master when we were in Oyo and we relocated to Lagos the same day and we resumed another training in Lagos the same day. So, we’ve known each other since 1994, because I’d spent a year as apprentice before he joined us then.

There was a live performance

by K1 De Ultimate where the Fuji expo-

Sanyeri

nent serenaded you. Tijani was so overwhelmed that he shed tears but you were full of smiles…

I remember that occasion. Our dispositions are not the same and the things that would move me to tears may be different from what stirs someone else’s emotion. Before we mounted that stage on that fateful day, I’d seen a lot of things that made me cry.

So, what happened that day wasn’t as big as the things that had moved me to tears previously. That smile you saw on my face was also to thank God that ‘finally, so someone who was as lowly as me could finally stand before

this man to sing my praises?’

Most artistes fervently pray for brand endorsements these days, are you doing anything along this line?

Well, I’ve done a few endorsements; they may not be multinational yet. I had a deal with Glo Mobile and it was on ‘payoff’ basis, it wasn’t an endorsement in the exact sense of the word. The only agreements we had was that the adverts wouldn’t be used longer than maybe three months or so. I had that kind of arrangement with Glo, MTN and I’d done something for UNILEVER on their product like Omo and currently I have a contract with MerryBet, an online lottery.

What more do you ask of God? I pray to God to give me more money and the health to enjoy it.

You’re perceived to be very rich judging by the number of movies you’ve featured in, how wealthy are you?

To God be the glory. I thank God for everything He has given me. I’m neither rich nor poor. I can assure you that I’m very comfortable and I can compete favourably with my peers. I may not have so much but I don’t beg for alms.

There are caucuses in Yoruba movie industry, do you actually belong to any?

I don’t belong to any caucus, I’m just part of an NGO being run by five of us. The members are Fathia Balogun, Femi Adebayo, Adekola Tijani, Muyiwa Ademola and I. We have K1 De Ultimate as our patron.

Aside playing comic roles, can you take up scripts that require you to play other roles?

Anyone called an actor shouldn’t be stereotyped.

A good actor must be able to take up any roles, p e o p l e may love and accept how you interpret the role or not, but you must try.

There’s no role I cannot take. Although people love to watch my comic roles, I don’t have to repeat the things I’d done in the past otherwise fans will get bored. So, I’ll also like to use this opportunity to tell my fans to bear with methey may have started noticing that I’m not frequent in movies anymore. I need to take a break, review what I’ve done and know how to entertain them better than I’ve been doing.

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

The sole of my only shoe pulled off while about leading praises –Gospel artiste Ode John popularly known as Sent John is the only male child in a family of six; he is a Benue State-born artiste with angelic voice that have carved a niche for himself in gospel music. Ode who is the most listened to gospel artiste in the northern part of the country speaks with Deborah Makoji, about the need to create a distinction between fans and intimate lovers, his most embarrassing moment as an artiste and sundry issues.

What was growing up like?

My growing wasn’t that rosy but I had fun, I had my parents who always wanted the best for me and they showed me love and care the way they could. I have two wonderful elder sisters and two lovely younger sisters whose company I enjoy tremendously.

Does your background influence who you are now?

Yes, in a way because I was born into a family of very strong and dedicated members of Assemblies of God church. I grew up seeing myself deriving so much pleasure from things that have to do with church. Church has really had a very big influence on my life.

What informed the decision of going into gospel music?

My growing up because everything about my background is tied to church activities and my mum also influenced me a lot. I remember when we were very young, my mum will wake us up early in the morning and we will recite some of those popular Christian songs.

I grew up listening to her singing daily and that was how I fell in love with gospel songs.

Did she object to your decision of taking gospel music as a career?

Not at all, she even encouraged me to join choir at the age of nine; she introduced me to the training choir as it was called then.

Apart from Christian songs, can you do other types of music like high life and hip pop?

I am strictly a gospel artist. Like I said earlier, everything about me revolves around church. Apart from my music life, so many other things I do such as my mode of dressing, the way I talk and my charisma are influenced by church.

As a handsome guy with such Godly talent, have you ever been harassed by other female choir members.

Well, let me not us the word harassed, but I have had several advances from female fans. The thing is that whether gospel or secular artists you should be able to draw a line between intimate lover and fans so that you don’t end up messing up especially when it comes to gospel music that is all about prising God, and as a Christian l have commandments that must be strictly adhered to. I treat those that come to me because they like what I do as my fans; I give them space as fans

managing estates?

I try as much as possible to create time for my music because music is my passion and my life. Most times, I use my night to rehearse my music and day time for my estate business.

while serving my God. You are celebrated almost in the whole of Abuja, how do you feel about that?

I feel great knowing that people appreciate what I do, it’s a great pleasure. It may amaze you to know that I have been in choir for close to 18 years now and I have lots of singles - the album will soon be released. I am happy because starting up was not easy because you are the only one that believes in what you have to offer. People will want to see what you have to offer before they believe in you and support you and you will agree with me that it is not easy to foot your recordings and studio bills all alone.

Which of your songs brought you to limelight?

My last single was a really big one. I am a Dunamite, I attend Dunamis Church and the title of the song was derived from the theme of 2016 for my church that is “Breaking Forth on every Side” so I decided to do a song on it and when my pastor and other members listened to it, the song became an instant hit and it is been enjoyed on some major radio stations in Nigeria. I am trying to do a video on that song.

Apart from gospel music, which other business are you into?

I am self-employed, I am into estate management.

How do you manage your time when you have to combine music and

Why music?

Music is like food to my soul, if I had not found myself in church I would still have done secular music because I love music.

Music is like a spirit and it is the only way I can express myself and it has done enough for me, it has taken me to places that ordinarily I would not have been to.

What inspires your various creations?

Most of my songs are influenced by my environment and what I have experienced personally. I praise God mostly in my songs because if look back at the things that I have done in life, it is God’s faithfulness that is keeping me.

Looking at the entertainment in general, would you say government has done enough for the industry?

Not at all, rather the entertainment industry is doing enough for the government because music is taking youths from the street and making them employers of labour. Entertainment industry is adding billions of dollars to the Gross Domestic Product in this country and I think it time the government invested in the entertainment industry. This day, you hardy see people listening to foreign artists unlike what it used to be, we have so many indigenous gospel and secular artists that are doing well musically.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

Like I said earlier, when you are growing up people don’t tend to look in your direction until you make a name for yourself. When I came to Abuja newly, I had passion for music and I was not working then and I had one embarrassing moment that I cannot forget in a hurry during this period. I was supposed to lead praise and worship and just as I was about to climb the stage, the sole of the only shoes I had pulled off. In fact, the pastor started leading the opening prayer so I quickly ran outside, luckily for me I saw a supermarket where I bought two super glue and the super glue handled it for me.

Take us through your love life The common issue with male singers is their female fans; if you are not careful you will take them as lovers, while they only love you for what you are doing. There should be a clear distinction between fans and someone who is ready to be there for you.

Keeping a woman is not easy, so it takes the grace of God to keep one but I am hooked with a lady who believes in my vision.

Sent John

So when is John settling down and with who?

I am settling down very soon and the lady is a very shy person that will not want her name mentioned, but I am hooked and the bell will ring very soon.

Showbiz 21

O u t &A b o u t

Asa ready for first concert in Nigeria Asa is set to hold her first ever concert in Nigeria on Workers' Day, May 1 at the Eko Convention Centre of Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos Asa, who has three internationally released studio albums – ‘Live in Paris’ and‘Live in Tokyo’ DVDs and chart-topping singles to her credit, will perform her most popular hits as well as tracks from her three albums including ‘Bed of Stone’.

Her name has been synonymous with quality music in Nigeria. She has performed in different cities and countries around the world, winning acclaim for her breathtaking live performances.

Her tours have led her to performing at some of the world’s most prestigious venues.

Runway Jazz

The Runway Jazz event to mark the global International Jazz Day celebration will be held at the Eko Hotel & Suites on April 29 and 30.

The two-day event is also designed to showcase Nigerian culture, talents and products. Joining the grammy award-winning musician Kirk Whalum on stage are some of Naija’s finest entertainers including Omawumi, Yinka Davies, Tosin Alao, the host band (Sweet Sound) and other amazing acts.

Runway Jazz is proudly brought to the public by Sweet Sound Promotions and Neo Mantra Ltd. It is endorsed by UNESCO and the Lagos State Government.

Alibaba for stage play Nigerian comedian, Ali Baba, is billed to headline a new stage play titled ‘Loud Whispers’ on May 1 at the Agip Recital Hall, Muson Centre Onikan, Lagos.

The play is an adaptation of the similarnamed book, written by Joseph Edgar, unconventional investment banker cum theatre enthusiast. Ali Baba and a 20-man cast, featuring other talented thespians such as Patrick Diabuah, Paul Alomona, Tony Okuyeme, Tony Offiong, and Joy Ogbekene, will be performing a series of monologues through a mixture of dance and song.

The play is produced by popular broadcaster, Olisa Adibua, Shina Peller of Quilox and Mofoluwake Edgar, and adapted and directed by the veteran thespian, scriptwriter and Artistic Director behind Quebic 4Productions, William Benson. William has successfully directed many plays including ‘The Sisters, ‘Trials of Oba Ovonramwen,’ ‘The Meeting ‘Yoruba Romance and ‘Private Lies.”

"It promises to be an exciting outing as theatre lovers would have the unique opportunity of watching Ali Baba in a genre crossing role delivering tongue in cheek quotes and massively entertaining the crowd in ways we have come to regard and respect him for," the Director, William Benson, said whilst speaking to members of the press.

22

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Social Media Craze

Trending

Gist

Photos Controversies

With Olushola Ricketts

Doris Simeon’s ex-husband speaks out

D

aniel Ademinokan gave a shocking revelation about his relationship with ex-wife Doris Simeon, describing it as great. There’ve been drama surrounding the circumstances of their dissolution and Stella Damasus has been largely held responsible.

He wrote: “I would like to take a minute to step away from my work to say a prayer for some people. Before I say this prayer, I would love to say a big thank you to everyone that has been supporting my works so far. I am humbled by your love and kind words. I have always been praying for you and I won’t stop now.

“Today, I am saying a fresh prayer to all the people who have so much hurt and pain in their hearts that the only things they can express and give out are pain, hatred, wickedness and negativity. The Bible says ‘Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.’

Those words are as real today as when they

were written thousands of years ago. It is my prayer that those whose hearts are filled with so much pain will find comfort in God’s love, grace and mercy. I pray that God will cover you with His warmth and wash you clean with the blood that Jesus shed on calvary. However, those who are not willing to be delivered and saved can NEVER be saved. I guess some people, though fully aware of the hurt and pain they feel inside, are not willing to let go of the evil that lives inside of them because they get a certain kind of ‘high’ when they have the opportunity the pour out their misguided hatred and anger towards other people that are ‘seemingly’ down. May God show you His Grace and somehow, cause you to encounter Him in a different way.

“Why this prayer today? With a huge smile on my face I state boldly; I am NOT A CELEBRITY. I am just a simple guy who has been blessed to make films and I am a product of God’s grace. I am just the simple Delta Pikin

Ademinokan

who God has blessed with a million ideas and the ability to bring these ideas into reality. I see myself as a worker in the entertainment business, the same way people are workers in banks, telecommunication, law, medicine, etc.

I just want to do my work and make the world a better place. However, my life has been an open book for the world. It’s a bitter sweet feeling though. I need everyone to take a chill pill about the negative comments towards my exwife and I with our son David. The young man just turned 8 and is doing great. He has a great relationship with his mother and we are OK. I don’t like the fact that the media and hateful

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

people will start cooking up details constantly trying to make me look bad. I’m trying to be a great father to my son the best way possible. I really didn’t want to address this, but I guess sometimes you just have to grab the bull by the horn and deal with it. I have been accused of being evasive on this matter by declining to grant interviews to the press. Call it silence, foolishness, being evasive or even maturity; but it is how I have chosen to handle this. David has continued to have a healthy relationship with his mother and it has NEVER stopped. I am not the person who posts every single detail of his family’s private life on social media, but today I will share with the ‘hateful people’ and kind hearted fans alike just two of the pictures of David and his mother taken here in Atlanta a few months ago on one of her numerous visits.

Do I have to post every phone conversation, picture and visit for everyone to sleep at night?

“Please, let us raise our son in peace. I am praying for God to give the ‘bitter people’, ‘jobless people’ and ‘sad-u-sees’ something more meaningful to do with their time, rather than fabricate stories that are non-existent for their personal, momentary and monetary satisfaction, totally oblivious of the fact that they are tarnishing the character and name that some of us have spent time to build.

“I will leave you with this thought, a person who has been down and out before does not preach or scream condemnation. He/she screams mercy and grace. I have been down and I know how it feels to be there, so all I can do is pray for grace over your life. If you are down and you still don’t have a heart of mercy and grace…I leave you in God’s hands.”

Kate Henshaw got messy with twitter user

N

PHOTO: FACEBOOK

uru Adumu would have wished he didn’t reply Kate Henshaw’s tweet.

Not satisfied with President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nollywood actor tweeted on Tuesday: “Padded and unpadded Budget… It’s almost a year and nothing worth holding on to. I guess we will hear from China during the week. Thank you.”

Nura Adamu @Sarkin_Doka then replied: “@Henshawkate your mates are getting their handles verified and you are here wailing!”

Henshaw didn’t mince words. She released her anger: “When you get to 1000 followers come back and holler at me…

Till then find a rice eater and register as a member. Your mates are not even here!

Wait for twitter to validate you, you hear?”

“My ignoring ended last year. I don’t think it has anything to do with his tribe; it is just brain cells formation. You were never mentioned on my tweet. You came, you tweeted, you degraded yourself not me. I will enter healthy banters with those who have an open mind but come with your poison ivy, I have the anecdote,” she added.

Omawumi’s season C elebrating her birthday on Wednesday, female singers Omawumi took to Instagram to share a picture and also wrote few words to appreciate God. She said: “I see through it all, I recognise God’s blessing, His mercies are New every morning. I am new! Happy birthday to me.

“Thanks to everyone for your prayers and gifts. I feel really loved by my family, my friends and my fans. God bless you all.”

Omawumi and her manager

Kate Henshaw

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Investigations

OIL INDUSTRY

23

One of the Nigeria's oil refineries

A CESSPOOL OF CORRUPTION PROLOGUE Nigeria is the 6th largest oil producer in the world and the third in Africa with its revenue accounting for about 95 per cent of her foreign exchange earnings. Currently, her daily oil production is limited by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota reductions.

A member of OPEC, Nigeria’s oil productions fluctuates in line with the cartel’s response to world oil supply. Though, it is estimated that the country has proven oil reserves totalling 35.2 billion barrels, which is said to have expanded to about 40

Isioma madike

Editor, INVESTIGATIONS isiomamadike69@gmail.com 08090896879 © Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

billion barrels by 2010.

Most of her crude oil production, comprising 10 major crude streams (including condensate), is light sweet crude, API grade 21-45, with a low sulphur content. While the country’s marker crudes on the international oil market are Bonny light and Forcados.

These crudes come from numerous, small, production fields, located in the swamps of the Niger Delta, Anambra and Benue states, Chad Basin as well as Benin. And the product is exported through seven terminals, and a number of floating production vessels.

There are estimates of about 606 oil fields, most with less than 100 million barrels of extractable reserves.

It is also estimated that Nigeria has about 176 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves.

However, the lack of gas infrastructure means that about 75 per cent

of associated gas is flared and only 12 per cent re-injected. Though, the government had planned to raise earnings from natural gas exports to 50 per cent of oil revenues, that, according to those who should know, is yet to materialise.

The country’s downstream oil industry has four refineries in Port Harcourt, Eleme, Warri and Kaduna with an approximate capacity of 438, 750 billion barrels per day (bbl/d).

But, the refineries often operate, according to government, at less than 60 per cent of full capacity. Shortages of refined product are frequent and imports are normally used to offset domestic demand.

The Ministry of Petroleum Resources regulates the petroleum industry in Nigeria and the 100 per cent stateowned Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has control over the industry via shareholding in all the companies involved. It has the

responsibility for setting both wholesale and retail prices.

Without doubt, there has been enormous fraud in the nation’s oil industry. A few people, in the opinion of many, seemed to be taking undue advantage of the loopholes in the operating environment of the industry to make massive gains for themselves. This, many believe, is to the detriment of income flows into the Federation Account and by extension, benefits accruable to the Nigerian people.

ISIOMA MADIKE in this report takes an in-depth look into the fraud ongoing in the sector, highlighting the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), KPMG and Parliamentary reports, which have at different times indicted both regulators and operators alike continued on page 24

24

Investigations

Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Diezani Alison-Madueke

‘Shady deals, price manipulations, reigned supreme’ A

continued from page 23

s Nigerians continue to groan under the heavy burden of fuel scarcity, which has been ongoing for over a month now, the effects of the scarcity on the hapless masses across the nation, has been unimaginable. The incessant fuel crisis bedeviling one of the top six petroleum producers in the world and one of the leaders in this regard on the African continent, appears to have turned Nigeria and Nigerians to a laughing stock in the international community.

The current crisis, triggered by unsettled subsidy claims by Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA), has lingered more than anticipated, resulting in unpleasant consequences on the country’s fragile economy.

For decades, NNPC, Nigeria’s state oil company, has been perceived by the populace as the leading symbol of official corruption and a seemingly boundless source of political patronage. Faced with plummeting global oil prices and dwindling state coffers, many believe the government cannot afford to allow the corporation, under a veneer of reform, to operate much as it did before now.

Problems of inefficiency and conflicts of interest within the NNPC have been acknowledged at various times by government. This has led it to order for a comprehensive audit of the corporation at some point. However, many of the issues associated with this are supposed to be addressed by wide-ranging reforms contained within the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) currently before the parliament.

But, the PIB has been repeatedly delayed and though, former President Goodluck Jonathan, pledged a speedy passage of the law, frequent amendments have left question marks over what the final version will include and successfully achieve. Delays have also, according to informed minds, put billions of dollars of potential investment on hold. Other stakeholders are equally concerned it

could increase the cost of operating in one of Africa’s largest oil industry. There is growing appetite, in this confusion, for closure on the reform process.

“There is no certainty as to how a new system might improve transparency,” said Antony Goldman, head of Londonbased PM Consulting. “But more and more people seem to be saying that any law would be better than no law at all.

The stakeholders may not like all elements of new legislation in whatever final form it emerges, but they like the current uncertainty even less.”

President Muhammadu Buhari seeming commitment, combined with the various NEITI reports, could put more pressure on the parliament to pass the bill, which some feared may never become law. NEITI is a unit of a project launched in a number of countries by former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair in 2002, aimed at improving transparency by getting companies to publish what they pay and governments to disclose what they receive.

Nigeria, which produces more than two million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil, is ranked by transparency watchdogs as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Analysts have consistently said also that mismanagement at the NNPC has made it one of the major black holes in the country’s public finances. Even the government at different times has had to acknowledge the presence of cabals, which it admitted has invariably held up the sector.

Nigeria, which produces more than two million barrels per day of crude oil, is ranked by transparency watchdogs as one of the most corrupt countries in the world

Obaseki

Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, immediate past executive secretary of NEITI, said, in the search for answers and a concern to enthrone transparency and accountability, NEITI had conducted three audits in the oil and gas sector. These are the 19992004 audit, 2005, and the one covering the period 2006-2008. She explained that the focus of the Audit Reports is on crude oil and gas revenues.

“It is designed to explain the amount earned by the Federation from the sales of crude oil and gas in each of the years ended 31 December 2004 to 31 December 2008. It is also to explain the amount remitted to the Federation Account by the NNPC during the period under review,” she further explained.

The reports’ findings were laced with mindboggling revelations and inconsistencies. One of such huge discrepancies came from the $4.73bn recorded as outstanding payment for domestic crude given to NNPC. Other such enormous shortfalls were from royalties payments amounting to $321.98m and $241.87m from Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT). For example, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was said to have recorded $4.68bn in royalties payments for the award of oil blocks, while the oil companies showed payments of only $4.36bn, leaving a balance of about $322m unac-

Lawan

counted for.

The CBN, it was said, also recorded about $10.46bn as profit tax received for the oil companies, paid through NNPC, but claimed to have paid $10.64bn, leaving another shortfall of $241.87bn. Other discrepancies are the $207m unconfirmed payments by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Ltd. to NNPC for various transactions.

And the outstanding sum of $116m payments for signature bonuses for oil block awards by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), as opposed to what the companies said they paid during the 2005 oil licensing round.

There were also shortfalls in the payments of about $50.615m and N1.2bn arising from statutory contributions to the market movements before choosing the most favourably pricing option to buy Nigeria’s crude oil.

“All other oil companies picked the pricing options as both buyer and agent for the seller (the government) to make profit at the expense of the Federation,” the reports said, adding that “restructuring of NNPC should ensure arm’s length dealing between the Federation and NNPC in relation to the sale of crude.”

NEITI is mandated by law to promote transparency and accountability in the management of Nigeria’s oil, gas

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Interview

I don't need boyfriend now, says Falcons star, Orji p.27

Sport Splash

25

Global

Leicester face West Ham as surprising

season winds down p.28

Super Eagles' Kelechi Iheanacho (right) vies for the ball gainst Egypt's Elneny

F

Ajibade Olusesan ormer Green Eagles winger, Adokiye Amiesiamaka, has said that crisis in Nigerian football will not end because of fundamental flaws in the establishment of the Nigeria Football Federation and the running of the organisations.

The former Rivers State Commissioner for Justice said that there would be more controversies in Nigerian football until an alternative conflict resolution body was established.

He said that the country needs an alternative court and was excited when named the chairman of the committee to draft the framework for the establishment of Nigeria Court of Arbitration for Sports.

He said such legal body would have taken care of all sports related cases without recourse to regular courts and problems in Nigerian sports would be drastically minimised.

“I was privileged to be the chairman of the committee set up by the Nigeria Olympic Committee to set up a framework for the establishment of our own version of CAS just like they have in Switzerland.

We spent a lot of money to put this thing together, some of us spent private resouces, it was well received by the NOC AGM in 2012, and everybody was happy but implements it, no way.

“Former NOC President Sani Ndanusa

Adokiye: NFF crisis will persist until…

• Says federation is illegal and I went to Switzerland to meet the IOC President, he was very excited about what Nigeria was trying to do and volunteered to support us to implement this, but they said let us come back from the 2012 Olympics and up till now we never took advantage of that.

“What that would have done for us is that, sports federations whether football, basketball or whatever will be made to amend their constitutions to submit themselves to the jurisdiction of this arbitration body that

will try to resolve sports-related cases .

“If you have a grievance of course you go to courts, the constitution of Nigeria does not preclude an aggrieved party even in a sportsrelated matter from going to court. You can go there because we have no alternative. If we had this CAS as an alternative, cases will be brought before it and the way we designed it made it in such a way that resolutions of the court will be final.

“FIFA itself is subject to the jurisdiction

Pinnick

Adokiye

The Team Ajibade Olusesan l Co-ordinator

Charles Ogundiya l Correspondent

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

of CAS in Switzerland and encourages its members to submit themselves to alternative arbitration body. That would have taken care of this unending crisis in Nigerian football. As it is now, people can continue to go to court; you cannot deny people of their right.”

He said that the NFF was an illegal body, insisting that the federation was not incorporated under Nigerian laws as claimed. He said it was important to register the body at the Corporate Affairs Commission with government’s roles clearly defined without bothering about an act of parliament.

“FIFA is properly incorporated in Switzerland and the NFF is not incorporated anywhere. Meanwhile, some NFF people said they incorporated it as a private body under the laws of Nigeria which is a lie. It is easy to know why they are not incorporated because they are not subject to anybody outside their own statutes, if they are incorporated they will be subject to Memorandum of Association, laws as applicable to something like rendering of accounts and the rest, they are not accountable to anyone outside themselves, not even to the Federal Government who is a major stakeholder.

“FIFA think they are actually incorporated under the laws of Nigeria. All they need to do is to properly register as an NGO under Part C of the Corporate Affairs and Allied Act, as the major stakeholder, government’s role will be captured in the Memorandum of Association, and the statutes of the NFF that will be registered at the Corporate Affairs Commission, after that then the NFF will submit itself to a jurisdiction of an alternative conflict resolution body and we will have less problems in our sports,” he said.

26

Sport

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Nigerian League Rendezvous

Shooting, Heartland renew rivalry

I

Stories: Charles Ogundiya t will be another battle of old rivals in Ibadan this weekend when Shooting Stars take on Heartland of Owerri in one of the Week 12 Nigeria Professional Football League matches.

Their rivalry dates back to the 70s when Heartland were known as Iwuanyanwu Nationale, with both teams winning five titles each in their history.

The two teams have been struggling in the league this season with two points separating them on the table.

A win for the Oluyole Warriors will take them above their opponents while Heartland will be looking for their first

MATCHDAY 12 Nasarawa Utd vs Plateau Utd Sunshine vs El-Kanemi Shooting vs Heartland Rivers Utd vs Kano Pillars Giwa vs Rangers IfeanyiUbah vs Warri Wolves MFM vs Wikki Enyimba vs Abia Warriors Lobi vs Akwa Utd Tornadoes vs Ikorodu Utd

NPFL LEAGUE TABLE

Heartland's captain, Chinedu Efugh (left) in action against Warri Wolves in a league match

TM’s plans for Enugu Rangers “P layers deserve more than what they are getting, the game is all about them and not the management,” those were the words of the Team Manager of Enugu Rangers, Amobi Ezeaku.

Since Ezeaku was named the TM of one of the foremost clubs in the country two months ago, Rangers have been soaring higher.

Rangers are currently top of the league table, with the players displaying better skills and understanding.

Some of the players described the TM as a very wonderful man despite being younger than some of them.

Ezeaku said he relates very well with the

players and often train with them to deepen relationship.

“I played the game and understand what it means to be a footballer. My players must get the best of everything because without them, there is no Rangers.

“I will rather sacrifice all I have to make them happy so that they can give me the result on the field of play.”

The lawyer turned club administrator added that he had decided to put a lot in place so as to reposition the club.

He further said the plan was to put a strong structure on ground that any other person will build on even if he is no more at the club.

Team

P

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

PTS

1 Rangers FC

11

6

3

2

17

11

6

21

2 Abia Warriors

10

5

5

0

12

6

6

20

3 IfeanyiUbah

11

6

1

4

14

10

4

19

4 Akwa United

11

5

3

3

17

11

6

18

5 Kano Pillars

10

5

3

2

14

11

3

18

6 Wikki

10

4

4

2

12

5

7

16

7 Rivers Utd

11

5

1

5

13

12

1

16

8 MFM FC

11

4

4

3

12

12

0

16

9 Warri Wolves

10

4

4

2

5

6

-1

16

10 Lobi Stars

11

4

3

4

13

11

2

15

11 Heartland

10

4

2

4

7

7

0

14

12 Giwa FC

11

4

2

5

11

14

-3

14

13 Plateau Utd

11

4

2

5

11

16

-5

14

14 El-Kanemi

11

4

1

6

13

15

-2

13

15 Shooting

10

4

0

6

11

13

-2

12

16 Sunshine

10

2

5

3

10

11

-1

11

17 Tornadoes

11

3

2

6

13

16

-3

11

18 Enyimba

7

3

0

4

6

7

-1

9

19 Nasarawa

9

3

0

6

8

12

-4

9

20 Ikorodu Utd

11

1

3

7

6

18

-12

6

My best yet to come, says Udoh N

Udoh

igeria Professional Football League record goal scorer with 23 goals, Mfon Udoh, has been exceptional for the defending champions, Enyimba, on the continent this year. He has scored seven goals in five matches making him the top scorer of the competition so far.

But he is yet to translate that form to the league.

The player who had a turbulent season last time told League Rendezvous that he was yet to get back to his

best.

“I am happy with my goals return on the continent, but I know that I am yet to get back to my best,” he said.

“The injury I had last season really affected my career but I am grateful to God that I am playing well again.

“People will soon see the best of Udoh this season but I am taking it easy with myself, and very soon I will be banging goals in the league like I do on the continent.”

away victory of the new term.

In some of the others matches of the weekend, Nasarawa United will host Plateau United in Lafia while Sunshine Stars will be hoping for a win in their game against El-Kanemi Warriors to make it a back-to-back victories after their 2-1 home victory against Enyimba midweek.

Leaders, Rangers of Enugu, will be the guests of Giwa FC while it will be a local battle in Aba between brothers, Enyimba and Abia Warriors.

Rivers United will be at home against former champions, Kano Pillars, as Lobi Stars take on Akwa United.

Tornadoes battle Ikorodu United on Sunday, Warri Wolves will be away to IfeanyiUbah.

Nasarawa will turn things around soon – Dogo

O

ne of the revelations of the 2015 Nigeria Professional Football League season was Nasarawa United, playing some eye-catching football to the delight of fans and football lovers alike.

Some of the highlights of their season was the away victories against Kano Pillars and Sunshine Stars ending years of unbeaten home runs for the two sides as they marched onto CAF Confederation Cup qualification.

However, it has been a tough start to the season for the Solid Miners, currently languishing in the 19th position on the log after winning a paltry three games while losing six.

But according to the coach of the team, Kabiru Dogo, they are going to turn the situation around soon and climb up the table.

“We just need to get our confidence back and gradually move up the ladder,” Dogo said.

“The victory against Giwa in our rescheduled game has helped the team a little and people will start seeing more changes as the season progresses.”

The former ABS of Ilorin coach expressed appreciation to the management and fans of the club for supporting the team despite their current position as he promised to work harder with his players to take the club higher.

Dogo

Sport

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

I don't need boyfriend now, says Falcons star, Orji

27

In an exclusive interview with Saturday Telegraph’s CHARLES OGUNDIYA, Super Falcons player, Ebere Orji, says the team had what it takes to be great again after their failure to qualify for the Olympics. Excerpts… better? I am a professional and I always try to do my best.

Orji

How does it feel returning to the Super Falcons?

I feel very happy returning to the national team after such a long time away. The dream of every player is to play for the national team. After my exclusion from the squad, I continued to work hard and I am glad that my consistency paid off with my recent invitation. Now that I am back, I must go the extra mile to retain my position in the team by working harder and give my all for the team to succeed.

Florence Omagbemi was named the new head coach, do you see her and the other members of the technical crew taking the Super Falcons back to the summit of African women football and also go a step further in the world?

They are all ex-internationals and as players they did a lot for this country. They won trophies and I believe they have what it takes to help the team achieve success.

It’s like a new team with new orientation. With what I have seen since joining the squad, I see the team going beyond the level we attained in the past.

Since winning the last African Women Championship, it has been like a downward trend for the team after failing to qualify for the Olympics. You also had a dismal outing at the last All Africa Games, what can you attribute this to?

I want to say that there is no team in the world that will be happy losing even a friendly game. It was disappointing that we failed to qualify for the Olympics because after the World Cup, it is the Olympics. But I believe it was a setback and surely we are going to get back to our best position. Other teams on the continent are beginning to step up their game and all we need to do is to raise our game above their standards.

All eyes on the team now after the failure of Super Eagles, can the team put smiles on Nigerians’ faces?

Of course we can do that. We will never let Nigerians down. We have been doing that in the past and now we, as a team, have put it on ourselves to go extra mile especially now that we have qualified for the AWC. Now it is for us to do everything possible to retain the cup in Cameroon as the defending champions. We are not going to let the country down.

How did you become a footballer?

That’s a big question; seriously I can’t say when actually I started playing football. I started when I was very small, playing on the streets with boys. I had passion for football when I was a child, and this helped my decision to pick the game as a career.

What was your parents’ reaction to your choice of career?

At a stage they were not in support at all, it was very difficult for me going out to try and play football against my father's instruction. But when all efforts to stop me proved futile, I was allowed to face the game squarely.

Describe how you survive in the men’s dominated football world?

In this modern age, everybody knows that football is not just for men alone, it is for everybody and sometimes, women can even play better than the men. For example in Nigeria, the Falcons have won more Nations Cup than the Super Eagles, so who said women are not

Do you notice any difference between the male and women's football?

In life generally we can’t even compare male and female, because God created both men and women with different features and characters. Maybe I will say in the area of publicity and glamour. Also the investment in the men’s football cannot be compared with that of women's football.

If you were not a footballer, what would you have become?

If I had not played football, I would have gone to school and maybe become a successful lawyer or accountant.

What can you say about your club, Ferencváros?

I joined the club in 2015 and was very fortunate to be part of the players that won the Women’s Hungarian Football League for the first time and also qualified the team for their first Champions League; although we didn’t go far, it was a good move for me. We have players that can take the team to the next level and hopefully the next Champions League will be better for us.

You have recorded 23 goals and currently the top scorer in the league, what is the secret?

There is no secret anywhere apart from hard work, dedication and God’s favour. I want to use the opportunity to appreciate my teammates for helping me because without them I won't be where I am now. The coaches too have been wonderful.

use of anything that comes, nothing special.

What is the biggest thing you ever bought as a footballer?

All what I have bought even down to pen are all big because it comes from my sweat. It depends on how you cherish whatever you have as an individual.

Could you describe your relationship with Desire Oparanozie, especially graduating from the youth team together?

All I can say is, she is someone that understands me very well, when I make a move, she knows where I am going and what I will do next. When I give a signal she understands even without calling her name.

Name the best coach you ever worked with?

I have worked under so many wonderful coaches and they have impacted a lot on my career, so I can’t really say this or that one is the best. I still have a long way to go in the game and will meet a lot of coaches.

Tell us about the man in your life?

I think there is no one for now. All I think about is football and my career. I am hoping to get there but for now, it is just football.

Was that the reason you extended your contract till 2017?

I am enjoying my stay with the club and want to achieve a lot. We are already in the final of the Hungarian Cup final, and my immediate target will be to win the trophy and also the league.

You played in the Nigerian league for a long time before your move to Europe; can you compare the two leagues?

There is no comparison, there is a big difference, starting from the facilities, the weather, the coaching and the way they use to play over there. They have put in place a lot of things to develop women football over there. If you talk about strength, we have it in Africa, but when you talk of tactics, they are far better than us.

What are your favourite food, drink and perfume?

I love rice a lot, and for me I don’t take alcohol, but juice always. For perfume, I make

In this modern age, everybody knows that football is not just for men alone... women can even play better than the men Orji (right)

anchester United play hosts to Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday in the Premier League, as the home side look to continue their push for Champions League football for next season.

Manchester United suffered a 3-0 defeat at title chasing Tottenham last time out. Three goals in the last three minutes from Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela sealed victory for the side from north London.

United are now four points behind fourth place Manchester City in the race for a place in the top four. Louis van Gaal’s team are desperately in need of a win to keep those Champions League hopes alive.

The visitor’s relegation to the Championship has been all-but confirmed, after the Villans suffered a 2-1 home defeat against Bournemouth last time out in the Premier League. Steve Cook and Joshua King gave the Cherries a two goal lead, before Andre Ayew scored a late consolation goal for Villa.

The defeat means that the Villans are not yet mathematically relegated, but it is now only a matter of time before the Villans relegation is confirmed.

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Man United push for Champions League spot

Benitez

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eicester's next hurdle in its unexpected run to the English title is against the Premier League's other surprise package.

In the league's most unpredictable season since its inception in 1992, Leicester will face sixth-place West Ham on Sunday with both teams seeking their highest finish in the Premier League era.

Leicester will be looking to maintain its seven-point lead over Tottenham at the top, while West Ham tries to close the gap on fourth-place Manchester City. A loss for Leicester could see Tottenham, which plays at Stoke on Monday, cut the lead to only four points with four games remaining.

Leicester's rise to the top of English soccer is widely regarded as one of the league's most surprising events since Blackburn won the top division in 1995. Like Blackburn, Leicester's success has been largely because of its attacking prowess, although instead of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton, it's Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez.

Vardy has scored 21 goals this season, including two against Sunderland last week, and trails league leader Harry Kane by only one.

"He deserves everything he gets," Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel said of Vardy. "He works so hard and he's a top

Kickoff: 1:30pm

Leicester face West Ham as surprising season winds down

afael Benitez feels home advantage could make the difference for Newcastle United in their battle against relegation and believes a win over Swansea City on Saturday could kickstart a remarkable escape.

Newcastle have taken just one point from their last seven Premier League outings and sit 19th, trailing 17th-placed Norwich City by six points.

Four of Newcastle's remaining six games will

be played at St James' Park, though, and Benitez is desperate to make the most of that in the weeks to come, urging his players to show unity in the decisive stages of the season.

"I think that the players know that it's not the time to look for responsibility, just to stick together. That's the only way; to stick together and try to do our best," Benitez told nufcTV. "I think the home games can be really important for us. We have these four games at home, so we need them. We have to start winning and if we can do it at home, the team will have more confidence for the rest of the games.

Benitez wants to make most of home advantage

P Pts 32 76 32 70 32 64 32 58 32 56 32 49 32 48 32 45 32 44 32 40 32 39 32 39 32 37 32 36 32 36 32 34 32 28 32 28 32 27 32 22

LA LIGA

BUNDESLIGA No Clubs 1 Bayern 2 Dortmund 3 Berlin 4 Leverkusen 5 M’gladbach 6 Mainz 7 Schalke 8 Wolfsburg 9 Ingolstadt 10 Hamburger 11 FC Cologne 12 Stuttgart 13 Darmstadt 14 Hoffenheim 15 Augsburg 16 Bremen 17 Frankfurt 18 Hannover

P Pts 29 75 29 68 29 49 29 48 29 45 29 45 29 45 29 39 29 39 29 34 29 34 29 33 29 32 29 31 29 30 29 28 29 27 29 18

No Clubs P Pts 1 Barcelona 32 76 2 Atletico 32 73 3 Real Madrid 32 72 4 Villareal 32 60 5 Celta Vigo 32 52 6 Bilbao 32 51 7 Sevilla 32 48 8 Malaga 32 41 9 Sociedad 32 41 10 Las Palmas 32 39 11 Eibar 32 38 12 Deportivo 32 37 13 Real Betis 32 37 14 Valencia 32 37 15 Espanyol 32 36 16 Vallecano 32 31 17 Granada 32 30 18 Gijon 32 28 19 Getafe 32 28 20 Levante 32 25

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ayern Munich and second-placed Borussia Dortmund have already opened a big gap at the top of the table. Leaders Bayern, who have 75 points and are chasing a record fourth consecutive Bundesliga crown, host Schalke on Saturday.

Europa League quarter-finalists Dortmund, who still have an outside

ons League football next season, are on 68 points and entertain Hamburg SV on Sunday.

Hertha travel on Saturday to fifth from bottom Hoffenheim who are battling to avoid the drop. Last season's runners-up VfL Wolfsburg, eliminated from the Champions League

by Real Madrid on Tuesday, are down in eighth position and visit Werder

Bayern inch closer to record title

No Clubs 1 Juventus 2 SSC Napoli 3 Roma 4 Inter 5 Fiorentina 6 AC Milan 7 Sassuolo 8 Lazio 9 Chievo 10 Genoa 11 Torino 12 Empoli 13 Bologna 14 Atalanta 15 Sampdoria 16 Udinese 17 Carpi 18 Palermo 19 Frosinone 20 Verona

SERIE A

TABLE

No Clubs P Pts 1 Leicester 33 72 2 Tottenham 33 65 3 Arsenal 32 59 4 Manc City 32 57 5 Man United 32 53 6 West Ham 32 52 7 Southampton 33 50 8 Liverpool 31 48 9 Stoke City 33 47 10 Chelsea 32 44 11 Bournemouth33 41 12 Everton 32 40 13 Swansea 33 40 14 West Brom 32 40 15 Watford 32 38 16 Palace 33 38 17 Norwich 33 31 18 Sunderland 32 27 19 Newcastle 32 25 20 Aston Villa 33 16

TABLE

Premier league

Global Football Special www.newtelegraphonline.com

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

28

Sport SATURDAY

16 AP

Getafe v Real Madrid 4pm

Augsburg v VfB Stuttgart

SATURDAY Norwich v Sunderland 12:45pm Everton v Southampton 3pm Man United v Aston Villa 3pm Newcastle v Swansea City 3pm West Brom v Watford 3pm Chelsea v Man City 5:30pm SUNDAY B'mouth v Liverpool 1:30pm Leicester v West Ham 1:30pm Arsenal v Palace 4p

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esus Navas has called on Manchester City to forget the Champions League and focus fully on Saturday's Premier League trip to Chelsea.

City reached their maiden Champions League semi-final with a thrilling 3-2 aggregate win over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, a triumph sealed by 1-0 second-leg victory at the Etihad Stadium.

Kevin De Bruyne's stunning 76th-minute strike sparked delirious celebrations from City players and fans alike, with Manuel Pellegrini's team now looking forward to Friday's last-four draw that will see them paired with Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid.

However, City still have work to do if they are to take their seat at European football's top table next season by virtue of finishing in the Premier League's top four.

Pellegrini's men are well placed to do just that, sitting four points clear of arch-rivals Manchester United with six games to play after bouncing back from their derby defeat with wins over AFC Bournemouth and West Brom.

But, with a continental glamour tie on the horizon, winger Navas has urged his teammates to avoid taking their eye off the ball domestically - especially at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

"We have to keep getting three points out of each game. We have done well in the last couple of games and we must keep it that way,” he said.

Nico Rosberg was quick to downplay Lewis Hamilton's suggestion that his grid penalty will make the German's life easier in the Chinese GP, citing the form of Ferrari and also the potential for Lewis to still challenge for victory.

“I have taken notice of that [penalty],” Rosberg said. “But it hasn't really changed my approach at all, because a Hamilton that starts sixth is still going to challenge for the win, and we know that.

Nico Rosberg

Lazio v Empoli 6pm

Udinese v Chievo 3pm

Juventus v Palermo3pm

Hellas v Frosinone3pm

Fiorentina v Sassuolo

Atalanta v Roma 12:30pm

SUNDAY

Inter v Napoli 8:55pm

Carpi v Genoa 6pm

Bologna v Torino 3pm

SATURDAY

Serie A

Barcelona v Valencia 8:30pm

Mainz v Cologne 5:30pm

EPL

Atletico v Granada 6: 15pm

Vallecano v Villarreal 6: 15pm

SUNDAY

Sevilla v Deportivo 4pm

17:30 Bayern v Schalke 6:30pm

Dortmund v Hamburger 3:30pm

SUNDAY

Malaga v Bilbao 12pm

Bremen v Wolfsburg 3:30pm

Darmstadt v Ingolstadt 3:30pm

Hoffenheim v Hertha 3:30pm

Eibar v Sociedad 8:30pm

Celta Vigo v Betis 10:05pm

Leverkusen v Frankfurt

Las Palmas v Gijon 6:15p

SATURDAY

3:30pm

La Liga

SATURDAY

FIXTURES

Bundesliga

Rasford

for focus as Man City visit Chelsea

Navas calls

lad around the dressing room. He's a good influence on everybody.

"Even balls that are put into areas that some strikers maybe wouldn't go for them, he runs them down.

He makes bad balls into good balls and good balls into great balls."

West Ham also has plenty to play for in its first season under manager Slaven Bilic. The team is still fighting for a place in next season's Champions League, a vast improvement on last year's 12th-place finish.

French Open

Bremen on Saturday.

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Iwobi

Ronaldo and Marcelo

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but back-to-back league defeats against Madrid and Real Sociedad - have checked their momentum.

Madrid, by contrast, are on a six-match winning run in La Liga since losing to city rivals Atleti in February, and overcame a 2-0 firstleg deficit to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League at the expense of Wolfsburg on Tuesday, with Cristiano Ronaldo netting a hat-trick.

Barca, who host Valencia on Sunday, were dumped out of Europe by Atleti a day later to further add to their recent troubles, and Madrid will hope to turn up the heat at struggling Getafe.

Boxing enthusiasts may not have seen the last of Manny Pacquiao in the ring after all.

Another fight looms in the horizon for the boxing superstar who admitted on Thursday that he is open to a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. “I don’t want to say something that you know we don’t know yet.

Manny Pacquiao

eal Madrid can pull within a point of faltering La Liga leaders Barcelona with victory at Getafe on Saturday.

Barca's sudden and unexpected dip in form has seen the Catalans fail to register a win in three league fixtures, allowing chasing duo Atletico Madrid and Real to close in.

Luis Enrique's men looked to be coasting to the defence of their title,

Real close in on faltering Barca

rsenal play hosts to Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday, both sides look to finish the season in a positive style.

Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes look all-but over after the Gunners drew 3-3 with West Ham last time out. The Gunners established a two goal lead through goals from Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, only for two let first half goals from Andy Carroll to level the scores.

Carroll gave the Hammers the lead early in the second half, but French centre-back Laurent Koscielny rescued a point for the side from north London.

The draw did little for Arsene Wenger’s side’s chances of winning the title, as the Gunners are now 13 points behind league leaders Leicester, although the side from north London do have a game in-hand.

Palace moved closer to the magic point’s total of 40 by drawing 0-0 with Everton last time. The Eagles failed to take advantage of the Toffees playing for much of the second half with ten men, after James McCarthy saw red.

PRIL 2016

French Open prize money will increase by 14 percent this year, with the men's and women's champions taking home 2 million euros ($2.25 million) each -- an increase of 200,000 euros ($225,000).

Roland Garros organizers say the total prize money of about 32 million euros ($36 million) is an increase of 4 million euros ($4.5 million) from last year.

SPORT BRIEFLY

Navas

shot at the title and are sure of playing Champi-

Arsenal, Palace seek positive end

Vidal

Y TELEGRAPH

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SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

No pushover in 'You can't write something our group – Amoo better than this' N P Kobe calls time on career:

Stories: Charles Ogundiya

laying in the last game of his 20-year career, Kobe Bryant put on a show for a sold-out Staples Center crowd one final time, pouring in a season-high 60 points and steering his team to a 101-96 comeback win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.

After outscoring the Jazz by himself 23-21 in the fourth quarter, Bryant checked out with 4.1 seconds left, serenaded by "Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!'' chants.

In his surreal career-ending game, Kobe Bryant emptied his basketball soul at Staples Center. His team, his legion of fans and his family loved it.

"I can't believe how fast 20 years went by. Man, this is crazy," Bryant, an 18-time All-Star, said while addressing the crowd after the game. "This is absolutely crazy ... and to be standing at center court with you guys, my teammates behind me, appreciating the journey that we've been on -- we've been through our ups, been through our downs. I think the most important part is we all stayed together throughout."

Bryant spoke about growing up a "die-hard Laker fan" and the trade that led to him spending 20 years with the organisation and winning five NBA championships.

"You can't write something better than this," he said.

Wednesday's win wrapped up the Lakers' worst season in franchise history at 17-65, but Bryant said he took pride in the down years "because we didn't run. We played through all that stuff, and we got our championships, and we did it the right way."

Bryant attempted 50 shots Wednesday night, the most taken by anyone in an NBA game in the past 30 seasons, according to Stats LLC. It was the sixth 60-point game of his career and marked

the most points scored by a player in his final regular-season game. No Hall of Famer reached 30 points in his final game, with John Havlicek's 29 in 1978 leading the way.

"What's funny -- the thing that had me cracking up all night long -- the fact that I go through 20 years of everybody screaming to pass the ball, and then the last night they're like, 'Don't pass it!'"

Bryant said, laughing.

"All I can do here is thank you guys," he told the crowd. "Thank you guys for all the years of support. Thank you guys for all the motivation. Thank you for all the inspiration."

"What can I say? Mamba out," Bryant said with a smile in closing.

Bryant's teammates sprayed him with champagne upon entering the locker room, to which he responded: "That's only for championships."

Bryant said he plans to continue to work out Thursday, if only to avoid falling into bad habits.

Hours before Wednesday's game, thousands of fans gathered outside Staples Center, creating a scene reminiscent of a championship celebration.

Enormous photos of iconic moments from Bryant's 20-season NBA career graced the walls outside the arena with the hashtag #ThankYouKobe.

Inside the arena, a sold-out crowd showered Bryant with love and adoration as lengthy video tributes played before and during the game.

"He never cheated us as fans," Lakers icon Magic Johnson said as he addressed fans before the game. "He has played hurt, and we have five championship banners to show for it."

Kobe Could Top Them All No player currently in the Hall of Fame scored 30 points in his final regular-season game, giving Kobe Bryant a chance to top them all.

ational U-23 assistant coach, Fatai Amoo, has said there are no pushovers in Group B of the Rio Olympic Games football event.

Nigeria on Thursday was grouped alongside European champion, Sweden, Asia champions, Japan, and South American side, Colombia, in a draw conducted in Rio, Brazil.

Reacting to the draws, Amoo informed Saturday Telegraph that preparations must start in earnest if the team was to survive the group.

“I will not subscribe to people’s opinion that we have an easy draw,” he said.

“If you look at the way all the other teams in the group qualified for the Olympics, you will know that they are all good sides.

“For me, we have a new challenge as a team that we have to overcome and stop looking at it as if we are going to have an easy ride in the group.”

The coach who led Nigeria to a 1-0 defeat of the Brazil U-23 team in a friendly match in March added that everyone must be ready to contribute their quotas for the success of the team.

According to him, Olympics is not a child’s play, but expressed his believe that the country will excel in Brazil.

Amoo said: “There are lot to be done by all the stakeholders starting from the coaching crew, the backroom staff, the players, the management and the supporters.

“Everybody must be ready to contribute their quota, the FA who are to play their own roles too. We have to work together.

“The Nigeria Football Federation must provide an enabling environment for the team to succeed. Top players are coming like Christiano Ronaldo for Portugal, Neymar for Brazil, so we must be at our full strength.

“We must plan very well because failure to plan means we are planning to fail.”

U-23 striker, Junior Ajayi (left)

Schneider Electric honours marathoners

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ncomiums were showered on two Nigerian athletes, Philibus Sharubutu and Dinatu Yohanna, sponsored to the 2016 Paris Marathon by Schneider Electric following their outstanding performance at the race held on April 3.

Sharubutu made Nigeria proud by finishing in the top 40 out of over 50,000 runners at the annual race. He clocked 2 hours 32 seconds, 25 minutes behind the eventual winner, Cyprian Kotut of Kenya.

There was a welcome reception in honour of the two athletes held at the Lagos office of Schneider Electric.

Expressing their gratitude, the marathoners appreciated Schneider Electric Nigeria, the Federal Government for giving them such a rare opportunity to compete with some of the world’s best in long-distance races and for celebrating them with such a beautiful welcome despite not emerging winner at the Marathon.

Speaking at the reception ceremony, Walid Sheta, the Country President , Schneider Electric, Nigeria said: ‘’It is amazing Nigeria’s representatives made it at the record time. Their performance is a mark of champions. Schneider Electric will continue to support Nigerian Governments at all levels to encourage home grown talents.”

Federation Cup: Bridge FC, Wikki Feeders, others in play off

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Kobe

wo-time winners of the Federation Cup, Bridge FC (formerly Julius Berger), is one of the 20 teams that will be playing this weekend in play-off matches of this year’s men Federation Cup competition.

Bridge FC lost 4-1 to MFM FC in Lagos State final and will be up against Diamond Stars of Cross River State in Benin, Edo State on Saturday.

Wikki Feeders of Bauchi will also be in the playoff as they take on Zaria Strikers from Kaduna in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

Emmanuel Adesanya, Head of Federation Cup unit, said that 20 teams will participate in the play –off round, which will involve the rookie teams that have qualified for the national finals by virtue of reaching the final of the competition in the various States.

While nine of the matches will come up on Saturday, the match between Katsina United Jnr and Niger Tornadoes Feeders will come up on Sunday, April 17 in Kaduna.

The play –off round will throw up 10 teams that will now complete the 64 to enter the pots for the National Draw, coming up on May 5.

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16 APRIL 2016

31

Joshua and other Nigerian-born boxers with different nationalities

Joshua

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Anthony Joshua oshua announced his arrival on the world stage when he won silver medal at the 2011 World Boxing Championship but he took it to the next level a year later as he claimed gold medal at the super heavyweight division at the 2012 London Olympics. At just 26, he is the current IBF heavyweight champion, and also holds the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles.

Just like the British, many Nigerians celebrated Joshua’s victory when he defeated Charles Martin to win the IBF World Heavyweight title, his first professional world title, on April 9, with a knockout in the 2nd round. They had the right to do so because Joshua was born to a Nigerian mother and a father of Nigerian and Irish descent. His middle names are Oluwafemi and Olaseni even though he can hardly pronounce those names because he was born in Watford, England.

Joshua has broken several records in just 16 professional fights; he is the second British boxer, after James DeGale, to win both a gold medal at the Olympics and a world title by a major professional sanctioning body, as well as being the first British heavyweight to do so. He is also only the second boxer in history, after Joe Frazier, to win a professional world heavyweight title while still reigning as the Olympic champion at the top weight.

He is been touted as the next big thing after Lennox Lewis and could face Tyson Fury soon for unification bout.

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Henry Akinwande kinwande is a former heavyweight champion. He was born in England but spent most of his youth age in Lagos before he moved back to the European country as a 21-year-old.

He chose to represent Britain in international competitions as an amateur boxer. He was the world amateur boxing champion in 1988 and 1989, beating Hide and represented Great Britain in the heavyweight di-

Akinwande

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Ola Afolabi folabi was born to Nigerian parents some 31 years ago but he is today a British.

He is a two-time former WBO interim cruiserweight champion, as well as a twotime former IBO cruiserweight champion.

Nicknamed "Kryptonite", Afolabi was known

British boxer, Anthony Joshua, won the IBF heavyweight title earlier in the month and his victory was well celebrated by Nigerians because the fighter has his roots in the country despite representing England.

AJIBADE OLUSESAN in this piece highlights some of the boxers who are of Nigerian descent but represent other countries.

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Herbie Hide ide is another Nigerian-born boxer with a world title belt.

He did away with anything Nigerian when he dropped his local name Okechukwu Maduagwu for a more foreign one, Herbie Hide. He was also born in Nigerian before he moved to England as a boy.

Hide has fought for most of his career at heavyweight, but later in his career decided to take a step down to cruiserweight. He is known as The Dancing Destroyer and has had a successful career, rising to domestic success at a very young age for a heavyweight. Hide has twice won the lesser regarded (at the time) WBO heavyweight title. Hide had total number of 53 fights; he won 49 of them, 43 of them by knockout. He

suffered four losses, including defeats in the hands of former world champions Rickie Bowe and Vitali Klitschko.

Hide struggled with crime; he was charged for rape, assault a n d w a s sentenced to 22 months imprisonment for selling cocaine in 2013.

I

Ileyemi

vision at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.

Akinwande made his professional debut in 1989 against Carlton Headley in London and won all of his first 18 bouts.

In 1996 Akinwande faced American Jeremy Williams for the WBO World Heavyweight title which had been vacated by Riddick Bowe, a fight which Akinwande was to win via a 3rd round stoppage. Akinwande went on to defend the belt twice.

Akinwande vacated the WBO belt so that he could pursue a challenge to WBC champion Lennox Lewis in 1997. The fight took place at Caesars Tahoe in Nevada.

Akinwande was strangely subdued and spent much of the fight attempting to clinch Lewis. He was disqualified in the 5th round for repeated holding.

Akinwande had 55 fights career fights, winning 50 of them. 30 of his wins ended in knock out while he suffered four losses and drew a bout. The 50-year-old has been living in his mansion somewhere around Agbado area of Lagos for years.

in the ring for his slickness, counterpunching skills and durability.

Afolabi began his professional career in 2002, fighting at super middleweight and light heavyweight but he became popular when he knocked out undefeated highly touted Golden Gloves champion Eric Fields in 2008.

Afolabi

Oyebola

A Hide

Ben Ileyemi leyemi is the cousin of Joshua and he is regarded as one of the best up and coming boxers in the cruiserweight division.

His development has not been as rapid as that of his nephew whom he introduced to the game some years ago. He has just three professional bouts under his belt since he turned professional about the same time as Joshua in 2013 and won two of those fights with his last one ending in a draw.

Ileyemi who was born in Liverpool has been flying the flag of England in his professional career.

James Oyebola lthough Oyebola was born in Lagos, Nigeria, the late boxer changed nationality when he moved to England at a very young age. He represented United Kingdom at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburg, Scotland, where he won a bronze medal in the Super Heavyweight category.

He also became the world amateur boxing champion the following year before he turned professional.

Oyebola won the WBC International Heavyweight title in 1993 and the vacant British Heavyweight title on 19 November 1994 at the National Ice Rink, Cardiff, Wales when he knocked out Clifton Mitchell in four rounds.

The boxer who was nicknamed ‘Big Bad’ fought in the orthodox stance and won 18 of his 23 fights, 16 by knockout, losing four and drawing one before he retired in 1996 after losing to Julius Francis. He never represented his fatherland in his professional career.

The Nigerian-born pugilist however was pronounced brain dead after injuries sustained through gunshot wounds to his head after a nightclub altercation.

H

Wale Omotoso e is a former African amateur champion but Omotoso has since naturalised in Australia where he has been living for years.

The 30-year-old is lucky to have been managed by a top boxing promoter Freddie Roach.

He has a pro career that is blossoming after becoming IBF Pan Pacific Welterweight Champion. He is still undefeated winning all 22 of his fights, 18 by knockout. He has been representing Australia.

Omotoso

B

Oboh

Peter Oboh ible-thumping Oboh is regarded as one of the most underrated British boxers. He is also a world champion but he quit the sport as soon as his career started blossoming after he claimed God called him into ministry.

He was born in Nigeria and was close to representing the country at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics but was forced to change nationality after the British government failed to grant him licence for a Commonwealth title fight. He went ahead to become British light heavyweight champion, Commonwealth and later world champion.

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Sport

Lifestyle of Sportsmen

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Mikel’s girlfriend shares new family photo

S

uper Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has got himself a nice family.

Mikel and his girlfriend Olga Diyachenko have twin daughters together; the girls were born on Monday, September 14.

When he’s not in training, the midfielder seems to be spending a lot of time with his girlfriend. Olga shared a photo of all of them relaxing.

“Retro afternoon in the #famjam

#playtime #sunshine #retro,” she captioned the photo.

Diyachenko and Mikel started dating in 2013 after reportedly meeting him in London where her millionaire father runs a chain of businesses.

She was recently a target of attacks from some jealous Nigerians girls.

Some vile words were used on her by some Nigerian girls in the comment section of a photo she shared on Instagram.

Mikel and family

Footballer had his mohawk hairstyle cut by referee

Sosa

Madrid's super fan A posts nude selfie after Ronaldo's hat-trick

M

eet the avid Real Madrid fan who shows her love for her team by sharing nearly naked pics of herself in tiny versions of their kit.

Mirtha Sosa, from Paraguay, confirms on her social media pages that she is with Real Madrid: "Till the end."

The saucy brunette shows off her perfect hourglass figure in nearly naked photos with cut-off Real Madrid T-shirts and socks.

One particularly revealing photo shows her in a white thong and a tiny cut off T-shirt with just the Real Madrid sponsor Fly Emirates visible on her chest, and which leaves little to the imagination.

footballer in Saudi Arabia was forced to have haircut at the side of the pitch due to the country’s crackdown on “unIslamic hairstyles” in the sport.

Waleed Abdullah, a goalkeeper who plays for Al-Shabaab football club and Saudi Arabia’s national football team, had his mohawk style hairstyle chopped off by

the referee before he could play.

The decision to ban the hairstyles comes after an announcement by Saudi Arabia’s youth federation asking football clubs and the Olympic committee to “ban the qazaa phenomenon,” using the Arabic term for eccentric hairstyles worn by foreign athletes.

Martial splits with wife

M

anchester United striker, Anthony Martial, has ended his marriage to his wife, Samantha, following cheating allegations.

Martial reportedly had an affair with 2013 Miss Great Britain finalist Emily Wademan whom he allegedly seduced on Snapchat.

According to news reports, Samantha has unfollowed Martial on Instagram and has deleted all the pictures of him off her page.

A source said, “Martial kept his marriage problems quiet in the dressing room, but it was known that Samantha was homesick.

"She was always flying to France to spend time with her family so it’s not that surprising she’s gone back permanently."

Evidently in a bid to move on from her sadness, Samantha posted a picture of herself and daughter, Peyton with the caption, “I just want to be with you for life Peyton… I just want to be a mum…”.

Samantha was reported to have always been homesick, preferring to be in France than with the footballer in England.

Golf champion cradles new-born child

D

anny Willett was pictured holding his newborn son Zachariah at Lindrick Golf Club in Worksop on Wednesday, as he returned to England following his incredible success at the Masters on Sunday.

Wearing the famous green jacket, the 28-yearold Sheffield-native cradled his young boy and posed with wife Nicole on a sunny Wednesday afternoon at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest.

Willett considered skipping the Masters if Nicole had Willet not given

birth by the start of the tournament on April 7 but luckily the baby arrived early on March 30.

Zachariah's due date was on April 10 - the day of Willett's success - but Nicole had a C-section at the end of last month, with the golfer then tweeting: 'Well well well!! Me and @Nicolewillett88 are home with our new addition... Zachariah James Willett!!! Mum and baby doing awesome!! #daddio.'

The rest was history, as Willett finished on five under par, beating Jordan Spieth by three shots, aided by the 22-yearold Texan's collapse on the 12th hole during the final round.

Willett - who is the first Englishman to win the Augusta tournament since Sir Nick Faldo in 1996 - landed at Manchester airport on Tuesday morning proudly wearing the green jacket.

Abdullah

Martial

Stories courtesy : Dailymail

Investigations 33

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Zainab Ahmed

Ndoma-Egba

Abe

The committee described NNPC’s operations, record keeping, and tendering processes as shoddy and fraudulent

Fuel queues as one of the effects of corruption in the oil sector. photo: www.dailytrust.com.ng

and mining revenues. A major component of the ongoing anti-corruption reform in Nigeria, it is the natural version of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which is a global movement aimed at ensuring that extractive resources aid sustainable development.

The Report on its 2005 Audits on the extractive industries in Nigeria was, indeed, damming. It indicted the NNPC, CBN and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) just as it discloses that Nigeria’s oil production is still unknown. The report stated that the CBN did not record some PPT payments by oil companies, amounting to $241m net difference while there are discrepancies in the revenues that oil companies paid to the NDDC and the one declared by the commission itself. Former executive secretary of NEITI, Haruna Yunusa Sa’eed, explained that the agency was facilitating remediation efforts aimed at getting to the root of the outstanding N654bn unremitted revenue by the NNPC. Sa’eed said: “In the case of the NNPC, there were issues regarding withholding revenue, payments for lifting, being a buyer of Nigeria’s crude oil. They were expected to pay fully for what they lifted. That payment was short and at the last count, it was N654bn based on the 2005 audit. There was also the issue of accounting systems, funds

not well accounted for. There were equally issues that we worked with both FIRS and DPR to determine the net amounts payable by the companies.

“Although, we could not recover anything from the NNPC in terms of money, considering the claim by the corporation that part of the money was deployed as subsidy for petroleum products, but efforts were made to make such recovery almost seamless,” he said.

On DPR, it was revealed that the department provided production data that differed from the data provided by the oil companies. In most instances, the company data appeared to be more consistent with other data obtained.

The department could not even resolve a glaring disagreement between Shell and Chevron about the amount of Chevron production piped to Bonny Terminal during July-November 2005. The amount at issue is 0.5 million barrels.

NEITI Audit said: “We could not resolve this due to the problem of attributing stocks. Production, exports and refinery lifting’s have been materially reconciled to the operational and company data provided. Production data provided by the DPR, however, could not be fully reconciled.”

Sa’eed said NEITI talked about the secrecy in the oil sector because the

country does not know exactly the quantity it produces at any time. He said that complaints received from the oil companies and DPR had always been that it would not be possible to determine oil volume by just installing meters at the well head because the well head contains all the components, including water, sediments and gas. But, Sa’eed noted that NEITI believed there has to be a point where these things are separated before one can tell how much oil is produced.

The National Assembly has equally conducted 18 legislative probes into sundry cases of crude theft, pipeline vandalism, misappropriation, Joint Venture agreements, missing crude revenue in Nigeria’s corruption-tainted oil and gas sector from 1999-2014. According to the outcomes of the selected major probes in the oil sector, about $15bn was lost to fraud while a whopping $6.8bn subsidy was unaccounted for.

The period also witnessed the alleged missing of N500bn SURE-P claims for oil subsidy for a period of time.

This information is contained in a released study by the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS). The study made public on October 20, 2015 contains a detailed report of 82 key probes and investigative public hearings undertaken by the National Assembly since inception.

In 2000, a 14-member House Ad-hoc Committee investigated the federal government’s crude exports and refined imports among other oil and gas industry issues for the period of May 1999-2000.

The Ibrahim Ganyama-led House Adhoc Committee in its findings reported that Nigeria lost $80m crude revenue from January-August 2000 as a result of NNPC’s failure to follow the statutory empowerment of lifting 300,000 barrels per day. The committee described NNPC’s operations, record keeping, and tendering processes as “shoddy” and “fraudulent”.

“Illegal sale of petroleum products becomes a booming business as Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF) continues to pay equalisation claims while the

NNPC continues with endless bridging, and DPR went to sleep in the exercise of monitoring,” the 2000 probe reported.

In 2007, a Senate Ad-hoc Committee again investigated allegations of impropriety in the handling of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).

The Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba-led Committee in its report gave three controversial rulings: First, that (former) President Olusegun Obasanjo acted outside the law but should be advised to follow due process in the future; second that (former) Vice President Atiku Abubakar diverted and mismanaged public funds and should be sanctioned; and finally that certain other persons, Adamu Maina Waziri, Ahmed Vanderpuye, Hussein Jallo, Hamisu Abubakar and Otunba Johnson Fasawe, should refund money to the federal government and face prosecution.

In 2008, the House investigated former NNPC group managing director, Gaius Obaseki, over the mismanagement of funds of the corporation.

Obaseki was indicted for wasting over N2bn in less than four years on hotel accommodation. Also in 2008, the House probed operations of the NNPC and its subsidiaries from 1999-2007. The probe uncovered “deliberate and unaccounted” increase in the daily quota of petroleum production against OPEC allocation. It also uncovered that funds budgeted for Turn-Around Maintenance (TAM) of the country’s refineries were “misappropriated”.

Nigeria also lost $5.74 crude revenue as a result of NNPC’s “shady deals” with marketers and “manipulation of prices” of crude allocation to its refineries. In 2011, the Senate probed oil subsidy expenditure. The Senator Magnus Abechaired joint committee found that the NNPC paid itself N847.94 bn even after it had been paid N844.94 billion by the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, suggesting that the NNPC had been making double withdrawals for years from the public treasury.

In 2012, the Senate investigated the contentious Malabu Oil Field transaction. The Upper House re-opened investigation into an allegation of $1.1 billion round-tripping involving the federal government and two international oil companies – Shell and Eni (Agip) – over the sale of a contentious OPL 245 oil block. No report was submitted.

Also in 2012, a petroleum subsidy probe conducted by the Farouk Lawanled House Ad hoc committee was rocked by a bribery scandal. The probe, however, revealed that $6.8 bn oil revenue was unaccounted for. The House in 2013 investigated the propriety of contracting the protection Nigeria’s waterways and pipelines to private firms reportedly owned by ex-militants.

Also in 2013, a Senate Committee that investigated a “missing” N500bn SURE-P fund reported that the NNPC could not account for the N32 removed as subsidy on each litre of petrol sold from January 2012 to September 2013.

The same 2013, the House launched a forensic inquest into NNPC’s Joint Venture agreements with some multi-nationals. No report was submitted. And in 2014, the Senate probed allegations by former CBN governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, that the NNPC failed to remit $49.8 bn. At the end of the probe, the committee’s report debunked the claim.

It also accused Sanusi (now Emir of Kano) of jumping to conclusions and generating falsehood allegation against NNPC. In the same year, former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, was investigated over allegations of financial recklessness. The probe was inconclusive. to be continued

34 Showbiz

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Mz Kiss: Comparing me with Olamide is okay if it brings money Clarence Peters’ Singer, Akindele Omowunmi aka Mz Kiss, is not shy to tell people that she was inspired by the street culture. The female rapper tells OLUSHOLA RICKETTS about her new Extended Play (EP) and forces behind her music. ey to my pocket, it is okay. I have no problems How would you describe the reception of with that. I just started coming into limelight your EP, ‘Street On The Loose’ ?

It is really amazing and I am highly hum- and what is really vital to me right now is to bled. The acceptance has been huge and every- make good music and get it across to people one seems to like it. Radio stations are always as much as possible. This means a lot to me; it means more than money. playing the songs on the EP very well.

Olamide and I are just colleagues. Though I think people were not expecting me to come out soon the way I did because I just he lived in Bariga at some point too, you won’t believe that we’ve got signed to Capital never met one-onHill last year. There is one. It is possible this general impreshe knows me or sion that once a female Olamide and I are just has heard my singer drops one or two songs, though. singles she disappears colleagues. Though he Anytime we are from the music scene. billed to perform at lived in Bariga at some With the EP, I am certain a show, it is either that people will start to point too, you won’t he has performed pay more attention to before I got there me. I wanted people to believe that we’ve or I left before he know more about my never met one-on-one arrived. music and the rapper Mz Kiss. I wanted to Why do you sing show people what I am with so much capable of. aggression?

Do you have some As a rapper videos? coming from the streets you must talk about I just shot videos for ‘Last Year’ and two things going on around you. You have to other songs on the EP. act those things and make them real. The streets is aggressive; we have a lot of people How do you feel when people liken you to on the streets who are hustling every day Olamide? to get their daily bread. It is not easy at all If comparing me with Olamide brings mon- for most people. If you are from the streets,

A FAN DID TO ME –Racheal Oniga

I

t is all those ‘area boys’ who are always asking one to settle them by all means. They would threaten to break your wind screen if you don’t drop a particular amount of money.

I just look at them and when they get tired they leave. I am even used to it. It is an ugly situation, but you just have to walk away politely.

you cannot claim to be calm or at ease. You have to let out all the street elements inside you.

What message do you try to pass with your music?

I talk about things around me. I rap about things I see. When you listen to my music, it is either I am talking about things on the street or about myself. I also try to make people understand what I can do.

How much did your background influence you?

I started doing rapping when I met my first producer, Soplain, in Bariga.

Representing Bariga is like admitting that the place made me who I am today. The people there actually inspired me.

Music is not a new thing in my family because we all started in the church; my brother is also a producer.

But I thought of being a rapper when I heard the late Dagrin's songs. I loved his style and I thought I could do it. I tried it and it sounded good. People then advised me to stick to rap music since we have so many singers already. I guess it has finally paid off for me Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

I see my music moving around the globe. I see my music changing certain things in the society.

Do you plan to drop an album this year?

Right now, I am just focused on my music. I am just working on my singles; I am trying to get my music out there more.

People should expect more music from me because there are still other sides of me unknown to the public.

Do you do other things?

Right now, I am just after my music. I studied fashion but I am yet to work on that side of me. I just want to give everything to music and see how far I can go.

What do you want your music to achieve?

I just want my music to be evergreen. I want my music to bring peace and happiness to people.

Don’t you think being an indigenous musician has limitations?

I don’t think that is happening to any of us. We have someone like Sakordie who is from Ghana. I don’t know what

Mz Kiss

he says most times but I love his music.

We all appreciate what we don’t understand. We have many people that their music is global despite the language barrier. Do you always understand all what foreigners are saying? Most times people follow the energy, the drive and flow; it is not about the language anymore. Music is beyond that.

How do you spend your day?

I just work. Yesterday (Wednesday) I went for a photo and video shoot. At night, I went for the Industry Nite where they hosted female musicians before heading to another club to support a friend. It is always work for me.

What happens if your husband wants you to stop music?

Well, we should wait till then because I am not planning to marry anytime soon.

What drives my music is passion. So no matter how hard things become, it would be hard to leave music.

Showbiz 35

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

9 APRIL 2016

LANRE ODUKOYA

SHOWBIZ TODAY

Chidinma, Flavour and the brazen kisses S

uddenly, real kisses in musical videos passes ‘un-queried’, it’s just for the show- Chidinma Chid and Flavour N’abania would force that crab down our throats. After that seemingly romantic outing in the video entitled ‘Ife’ wherein Chidinma featured Flavour, shreds of doubts were removed from the judgments of discerning minds. A reason to doubt that Chidinma could start such a romance is the ‘purity’ card she sold after winning Project Fame West Africa. And she was a ‘virgin’ in real and literal terms to the industry with open hands to welcome her kind of breed. So, it was a cruel idea for anyone to blame Phyno, Viper or even Clarence Peters for passing advances at this growing diva.

You see why nobody queries the eligibility of other guys but Flavour’s? But love is blind and Chidinma is proving so. To say that Flavour who displays at will his masculinity to the drooling of star-struck girls and one with two known tales of ‘Baby-Mama’ is Ekile’s Mr. Right is confounding. The duo has formed a legendary alliance, mostly spotted together and unapologetically appearing love-struck.

The industry is waiting, seeing, and hoping perhaps that Chidinma recovers quickly enough from this hypnosis.

08059296445 lanre.odukoya@newtelegraphonline.com

Wizkid first Nigerian pop star on Billboard chart

S

ince 1958, The Billboard Hot 100 has been the music industry standard record chart in the United States for hit singles and till date no Nigerian act has ever made it to the list.

But recently on April 5, Canadian rapper, Drake released two songs , ‘Pop style’ featuring Kanye West and Jay Z, and ‘One dance’ featuring Kyla and Nigerian pop star, Wizkid. Both songs released by Drake claimed the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the real-time Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 as it became the most shared and discussed songs on the social media network after their release.

With this, Wizkid becomes the first Nigerian artiste to emerge on Billboard’s Twitter Last 24 hours chart and can only hope that the song makes it to the coveted Billboard Top 100 chart when the next ranking is released.

Flavour and Chidinma

TURNING P INT Ras Kimono It was when I dropped the ‘Rumba Stylée’ album on December 1988. From 1989, people started getting to know Ras Kimono but I was a reggae Disc Jockey before then. We stationed a boat on the sea in Marina, Lagos and we also had a mobile system which we used to move from one place to another. We visited places like University of Ilorin, University of Ibadan, Obafemi Aw o l o w o U n i v e r s i t y, University of Benin, University of Port Harcourt, University of Lagos and m a n y others to prom o t e re g g a e music.

So I h a d small audience before the major break.

Married actors, Mide Martins, Afeez Owo part ways

I

ndications are rife that another Nollywood marriage is on the verge of collapse and this is authoritative.

Popular actress, Mide Martins’ marriage with actor and producer Afeez Owo may have crashed due to a secret the estranged coupled kept close to each other’s hearts.

On April 13, a development sparked off the controversy. It was on Owo’s birthday and fans were surprised his spouse did not congratulate him on any of her social media platforms while other actors sent him torrents of goodwill messages.

More sources revealed that both have been living apart for months and are no longer each other’s contacts on watsapp, Blackberry Messenger, Instagram and others. The allegation is that Afeez got upset that Mide was becoming too close to an unnamed property merchant.

Meanwhile, more informants squealed that close friends had settled their fracas days back, which explains why Owo wished her well on his BBM as a sign of maturity, but Mide refused to reciprocate the kind gesture when it was his turn.

Afeez Owo And Mide Martins

Wizkid

Uriel Oputa evicted from BET Top Actor Africa

Uriel Oputa has become the first Nigerian contestant to be evicted from the ongoing BET Top Actor Africa after seven weeks of intense competition.

The eviction came after contestants received their biggest challenge since the show began; a complex crime drama short film, separated into three scenes (crime scene, crime lab and courtroom trial).

The episode also featured a surprise appearance from Jay Ellis (BET’s The Game), who served as a mentor to the contestants and guest judge.

Following Uriel’s exit, Ifeanyi Dike and Tobechi Nnaji are now the two Nigerians left on the show, alongside Shamilla Miller (South Africa),Alex Khayo (Kenya) and Jesse Suntele (South Africa).

36 Showbiz

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Celebrity RÈsume Real name: Adeola Itandire Elizabeth Adebo Stage name: Ire D Stage Devi First producer: Wole Oni First song: ‘Agbajowo’ Frist studio: Wole Oni’s studio Major Influence: My grandmother, Henrietta Ikediashi Mentor: Anjelique Kidjo Most wanted collaboration: Asha Bhosle Ugliest moment on stage: Wardrobe malfunctioning but I didn’t know until I got to the stage. I had to perform like that carefully.

Reaction of parents to career: I have very supportive parents Most played song: Adekunle Gold’s ‘Orente.’

Ring tone: ‘Orente’ Man crush: Tyler Perry Best personal items: My recorder and book of connotations Best colour: I love all colours Best food: Garri and fresh fish State of orign: Ogun State Favourite holiday spot: Honolulu, an island in US Zodiac sign: Libera

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

REVIEW Book title: A Night In The Morning Author: Omotola Ayodele Number of pages: 88 Reviewer: Tony Okuyeme

A Night In The Morning

I

n this gripping portrait, Omotola Ayodele not only offers readers a refreshing and stimulating memoir about growing up, in all its innocence; splashes of humour and sarcasm, pulsating landscapes that are familiar, even when they make you curious, he also seek to show why even ‘the poor and not successful’ deserve to tell their stories, share their experiences so that society can also learn from them.

A Night In The Morning is not one of your usual memoirs; and as the author notes, “it is an unusual piece of literature.

Unusual, because it has elected to dump time-honoured rules guiding authorship or birthing of autobiographies, especially from the point of view that only the life experiences of celebrities, the affluent and successful are good materials for such”.

The 88-page book is divided into 27 chapters, an Author’s foreword letter and an introduction. It opens with Author’s foreword letter in which he explains the inspiration behind the writing of this book.

The author notes…, “many things propel a writer, even if it is just to offload built-up ideas, pent-up emotions, desires, expectations, frustrations and all; not just of his own, but also of others with whom he had come in contact. For me, the writer is an over-laden lorry, for which there would be no respite until it had been opportune to offload.

“It provides a platform to release intellectual creativity, and

37

The Arts

16 APRIL 2016

to give mental innovations and inner-burning expression.”

A Night In The Morning, he states, is a rendition of his ordeal… “It’s like a traveller who wants to pour unto a piece of paper all that he ever saw and experienced. This account is like a tale from a hunter relating the experience of the forest to other hunters and indeed any other who cared to listen. How could

Many things propel a writer, even if it is just to offload builtup ideas

a hunter forget easily, the rigour in chasing a game, for example, the panic when the boas turned back, the sheer scarcity of water in the midst of raging sun, and which had succeeded in baking the soil beneath.”

The encounters, he continues, “may not all be sad, neither pleasant, but it is difficult to forget happenstances when they succeeded in shaping and or, reshaping a minor’s destiny.

So is this book”.

But he also notes that A Night In The Morning “is not an attempt to self-pity, rather, a demonstration of a higher desire for creative thinking and writing.

“It is an unusual piece of literature. Unusual, because it has elected to dump time-honoured rules guiding authorship or birthing of autobiographies, especially from the point of view that only the life experiences of celebrities, the affluent and successful are good materials for such.

“What a wrong thought! I rather suggest that, even accounts of the lives of failures should be displayed in our bookstores to serve as cautionary guides for those alive or coming behind.

“Here I also have to say that, it is certain that not all persons would be called to the podium of celebration, but everyone’s story is important”.

The opening chapters, as some of the titles suggest, “In The Womb I Was Nurtured”, “I Was Trained In The Lion’s Den”, “Our TV Faced The Wall”, “A Journey Without a Visa”, “Welcome To A World Of Hunger”, and “Igboora”, give insight into upbringing, growing up, envi-

ronment (socio-cultural and economic), and education.

For instance, growing up in a suburb of Lagos, in the late '80s, in the city where “life is far different”… and the “city had a lot of wonders: sometimes a pitch on a knob against the wall was what it took to illuminate a room, bright and clean. Here, the peace of the neighbourhood was ever at war with the blare from vehicle drivers…

The following chapters, namely “The Brave Warrior”, “Far From Your Mother’s Sight”, “Still Visitors”, “The Heaps And Ridges of Araromi”, in “Why Should Education Be Expensive?”, the author recalls how, early in life, one of the things he was forced, by circumstance, to do, was to parley with books. “I was just thirteen in Igboora and the sudden liberty of jettisoning the reading culture came to play. It was a necessity not for the sake of pride. That disposition helped people like me, even though the financial implication for seeking knowledge was to dawn on me later…”

The concluding chapters are a narrative on his ordeal, his travails and triumphs in his quest for knowledge, education, his socio-cultural environment among others, as we find in “The Heads Are Not The Same”, “No Church Like Farm”, “Ediko, The Mad Man”, “Olookun Picnic”, “The Hurlyburly Of Masquerade Festival”, “Songs of the Night”, “Pur – Hobbers”, “And Fahun Died!”.

Written in simple and lucid language, garnished with local idioms and proverbs, A Night In The Morning is indeed a very compelling book.

Shifting Horizons: Reaching out through art Moses Kadiri

T

wo friends of like mind Godwin Arikpo and Promise O’nali seek to put smiles on the faces of children with special need in the society by staging a charity art exhibition titled Shifting Horizons, to raise funds for less privileged children in Eruobodo House.

Scheduled to hold on Saturday, April 23 at Quintessence Gallery, lkoyi, Lagos the exhibition will feature recent works of Arikpo and O’nali which tactically addresses some salient issues in and around the country.

With about 24 works, Arikpo and O’nali pour express their mind in an interesting manner that appeals to one’s sensibility in warm and cool colours. Arikpo paints hardship, and love. The artist keeps his message in view. The work “A Place in the Sky”, shows how much life hold for human beings. Arikpo shows that there are no boundaries in the sky. “You can choose to go north and you can equally chose to go south, you are not held by religion or whatever prejudice it might be; everyone is equal and deserve a place to

be happy. The sky is a representation of who we are as humans; we don’t need to go very far for that sky; you can be that sky to the next person to you, that is the soul of this exhibition,” he said.

Another work from Arikpo, “Horizons of Expectation”, is in series. The piece focuses on individual expectations. The artist preaches hope. According to him we do not need to go 360 degree to get what we need. “Everything lies within us. You can be that expectation, that need, solution to that expectation such individual needs, and looking at the country, we often time shift blame to government alone. That is another area we need to look at critically.

We need a paradigm shift, we have to always believe that you can be that result to that solution,” he disclosed.

His other work titled “Cosmic Love”, shows how beautiful the universe which prove rain, sun, air can be. “We don’t pay anything for all these, so if the universe holds this so much for us then we should do enough to also be there for one another,” he emphasised.

For O’nali, his paintings have not changed. His works keep evolving. The

artist, who studied painting at University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has continually used his work to search and explore for new things. The work are mostly abstract and academically in nature.

His pieces for the exhibition address issues in Shifting Horizons. The work “Parallel, Paradigm”, is about the ups and down push in human nature, where things are working against human being. “Will you relax and say I have had enough or are you going to push further?” he asked. His other work is a series the artist has been exploring. It is titled Dimkpa, a word for matured individual, someone who is able to handle issues. He said there are so many issues human being has to go through in life, “right now there is fuel scarcity, traffic, epileptic power supply, and you still have to take care of your children, in all of these you need to meet up with your expectations and you also need to deliver at work place.

This is what the work is taking about.”

This is the second time both artists will be organizing such show and the proceeds goes to charity. According to Arikpo “Promise and I have a brand name which is, God Promise, it is from

our names. This is something we hope to do because it is about reaching out; God Promise started in Port Harcourt in 2012, to touch people lives; it is not easy to find people who reach out totally because we know what it involve in creating art, apart from the creative aspect that goes into art it is not easy for you to bring your art and give it out to charity, but for us this is an integral part of what we do and we hope to do more,” he said.

For O’nali who has been planning his solo exhibition, but he decided to reach out to charity before he staged his own show.

“When I first came to Lagos in 2014 Quintessence Gallery gave me a platform to show my work and since then it has been a wonderful journey, there is no better way to say thank you than to do this charity exhibition and reach out to Eruobodo House which cater for children with special need; some of them cannot go to school and they need our help,” he said. “I want to shift attention from doing my own thing that will give me credit and doing something for those that really need assistance and to also show appreciation to Quintessence for what they have done for me.”

38

FRED NWAOZOR

‘S

he’s talkative, brainless, possessed and troublesome, though naturally pretty.’ That was the apt way the 17-year-old Funke could be described by anyone who knew her person to the core. The annoying teen who was still in J.S.S-3 owing to her several failures during exams wasn’t just a nonentity but a girl everyone saw as someone who was mistakenly created. When others were learning, she would be busy disturbing the class. Every effort displayed by her teachers and kin to reshape her unbearable lifestyle were all in vain. The most worrisome was that no one including her helpless parents could prevent her from doing whatever she intended to. She was indeed naughty.

The good side of her idiosyncrasies was that being the first child of the parents among their six children she was a good cook, though she could help her mother, Jumoke in the kitchen only when she felt like. She was really giving her mother hell; to assert the least, she detested Jumoke unconditionally with passion. Going by her actions, it seemed as if Jumoke was sharing the same man with her. She had been like that from birth, but the attitude was ignored or laughed over hoping that she would definitely turn a new leaf when she grew up.

‘What could be the problem?’

‘Something must be wrong somewhere.’ everyone wondered. In spite of the gravity of the insinuations accompanied with wonders, the bone of contention remained to see who could unravel the mystery.

The unfortunate intrigues proceeded unendingly to the extent that one fateful day she framed an unspeakable lie against her mum. She falsely notified her dad, Mr Biodun that her mum had been sleeping around with several men.

“What?” Mr Biodun exclaimed at the top of his voice right in his sitting room the moment he got the forged news.

“Dad,” she called passionately.

“Have I lied to you before?”

Mr. Biodun who was still shocked shook his head.

Another good side of Funke who was her parents’ only daughter was that, although talkative, she hardly told lies and everyone to include her parents could attest to the fact.

Both of them were seated in separate upholstery chairs in the sitting room. It was about 3:17pm; she had earlier in the day told the dad that she had something very tangible to discuss with him when she returned from school.

The man in question couldn’t wait for her arrival because that was the first time she would engage him in such appointment.

Jumoke - a hardworking civil servant and an industrious housewife, was yet to return when the lamentable incident was transpiring.

“So I wouldn’t start now.”

ShortStory

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frednwaozor@gmail.com +2348028608056 Follow: @mediambassador

What goes around

Funke claimed.

“But why haven’t you said this all these while?” Mr Biodun queried.

“Dad, there’s time for everything.”

“Oh my God!” the confused Biodun lamented. “Are you very sure about this?” He added.

“Since you don’t seem to believe me,” she furiously said, stood up. “I’m out of here.”

“Hold on, hold on, hold on.”

He urged.

“What’s it?” the brat ranted, stood still.

“Sit down, my daughter.”

She hastily resumed her seat, frowning.

“Since when have you been noticing this?”

“Dad, I have told you all I know,” she responded unfriendly.

“No further questions.”

Thereafter, the successful trader, Mr. Biodun couldn’t wait for his wife’s arrival to confront her with the breaking news. In less than fifteen minutes time, the awaited guest whom could best be described as ‘the most wanted’ arrived home just as her intended host anticipated. Therein without much ado, she was confronted with the weird allegation, which she refuted frantically in a depressed and shattered mood. He never disclosed to her the source

Jumoke was reckoned to be virtuous that everyone within saw her as an epitome of a real housewife, and every bachelor that knew her longed to settle down with her like

of the information.

Consequently, despite the frantic rebuttal from the accused person, within 24 hours Mr Biodun got estranged with her. He sent her back to her paternal home that was virtually deserted owing to her parents’ eternal exit.

None of her male siblings was residing at home; three of them were all resident in the city. Only members of the extended family could be found within the vicin-

ity. Jumoke was the last child and only daughter of her departed parents amidst their four children.

Biodun’s abrupt divorce, though informal, with Jumoke was the greatest mistake he had made so far. Jumoke was reckoned to be virtuous that everyone within saw her as an epitome of a real housewife, and every bachelor that knew her longed to settle down with her like. Owing to this, he was severely blamed by all his friends and kin for the unceremonious action taken by him.

He never told anyone, except his intimate pals, the genesis of the whole brouhaha. The deed had been done; the most valid question then was who could proffer a remedy to the unwanted scenario.

Funke later blamed herself for the wicked lie told against her mother. Apart from the guilt, Jumoke’s absence was seriously telling on her alongside her younger siblings; that was when she understood the inevitable impact of a mother, even a cruel type, on her children.

In spite of the overwhelming speculations as well as blames, Biodun remained firm in his decision, even though the situation was also telling on his person.

And, the circumstance lingered unbearably for several months.

Those who knew the origin of the incidence were of the opinion that Biodun really went astray. To start with, how could he have listened to a girl who was believed by all and sundry to be a member of a coven?

Jumoke was left with no choice than to go in search of the root cause of her predicament. With the help of one of her childhood friends, Kemi who was deeply touched by her condition, she was lucky to meet a genuine soothsayer who told her the story of her life that was seemingly forgotten.

“My daughter,” the soothsayer called Jumoke in the company of her friend. “You are the cause of your problem.” He frankly hinted.

“What?” Kemi exclaimed in awe.

“How do you mean, Baba?”

Jumoke enquired apprehensively.

“Many years ago…” the soothsayer began the awaited tale.

Jumoke being the only daughter of her late parents, prior to her marriage with Biodun, she was the only companion her mother had when she was still alive, after her father’s departure. And, she was a very stubborn and wild girl, though she later calmed down the moment she tied the nuptial knots, that in most occasions she ended up nagging with or talking rudely to her mother; she never cared a bit for her (the mother).

Her endless unconditional hostility towards her aged mother was giving the woman invariable sleepless nights. The series of intervention coupled with severe warnings from her elder brothers whom were visiting home at intervals, proved abortive. The awful experience lingered till one fateful day when the old woman cast a spell on her (Jumoke); she was told that her daughter would definitely treat her in a similar way when she got married.

Kemi and Jumoke were left dumbfounded after the narrative essay; it was really an untold story. Truly, what goes around comes around. All the men of God Jumoke and her estranged husband had consulted regarding their daughter’s plight never disclosed such tale.

“What do we do, Baba?” Kemi said.

“She needs to appease the spirit of her late mother.” The old man landed succinctly.

After all said and done, Funke was delivered from the attack and her parents were happily married again. The reunion as well as the deliverance ushered in a totally different era in the family of eight.

• Nwaozor novelist, playwright and poet, is Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research & Career Development - Owerri

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Travel & Tourism

CHEF'S CORNER

O

bviously we know the challenge with power in this part of the world. However that shouldn’t discourage us from making life easier for ourselves in any way we can especially when it comes to preserving certain ingredients that can be of great help in terms of emergency when you need to make something nice and easy without the stress of having to visit the market or grocery store within the neighbourhood.

To make things easier we have put together a list comprising 10 of such items. It could be more if you so wish. Here is the first five items to consider:

10 ingredients to have in your cooler (1)

ally already been frozen. Keep a bag of frozen shrimp and add it to pastas or salads for easy weeknight dinners. It stays good in the freezer for up to a year.

Bacon Bacon freezes beautifully and adds a jolt of flavour to just about any dish.

Wrap individual slices into coils and freeze them in a Ziploc bag.

Butter An emergency supply of butter will never go to waste. Freeze it whole in sticks, or with herbs and spices in ice trays for a single-serve flavour booster.

Chicken stock From soups and stews to rice and grains, lots of recipes call for a small amount of chicken stock. Freeze the liquid in muffin tins so you can easily thaw a little at a time.

Fruit Slice up your favourite fruits then assemble into little frozen smoothen packs. Just toss them into the blender with yogurt or milk for an on-the-go breakfast.

Frozen Shrimp We hate to burst your bubble, but most shellfish you buy “fresh” has actu-

TRAVEL BEATS The St. Regis Dubai’s Signature Suite opens

Travel Personality Grace Affiong Edet: The matriarch of Nigeria hospitality

p.40

Hospitality

Westwood Hotel: Proudly Nigeria

p.41

Destination

Calabar: The colour, thrills of Nigeria’s number one fun city

p.42

ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA Editor, TRAVEL&TOURISM iroandy@ymail.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

39

The St. Regis Dubai has launched of its signature Imperial Suite, further strengthening the recently opened hotel’s suite offering. Spread across 913 square metres, the suite is the largest of the hotel’s 52 luxurious suites and even bigger than the hotel’s 800-square-metre Astor Ballroom. Located over two-floors, the threebedroom suite features a vast living room, a formal 12-seater dining room, elegant study, relaxing lounge area and a spacious majlis that is ideal for meetings.

The suite’s three bedrooms include a master bedroom that is connected to a generously sized bathroom with an exquisite free-standing bathtub in the centre and adjoining separate male and female walk-in dressing rooms. The additional two bedrooms - one king bed and a pair of twin beds - feature their own double vanity bathrooms. The suite’s pièce de résistance is a majestic in-room spiral staircase that leads into the central dome of the hotel, where a rooftop plunge pool and generously sized majlis reveal panoramic views of the landscaped gardens and surrounds.

The 234-room hotel marked the debut of the St. Regis brand in Dubai when it opened in November last year. Located within Al Habtoor City on Sheikh Zayed Road, The St. Regis Dubai features French beaux-arts architecture and neo-classical interiors. The 52 suites at The St. Regis Dubai present a bright and airy ambiance with impeccable detailing and luxurious touches such as crystal chandeliers, marble bathrooms and signature St. Regis beds, offering the ultimate grace and sophistication.

DG of NIHOTOUR, Chika Balogun, heads National Mirror Committee The Director General of the National Institute for Hospitality (NIHOTOUR), Mrs. Chika Balogun, has been elected as the chairperson for the National Mirror Committee (NMC), which is under the auspices of Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) with the Vice President of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), South West, Mr. Abiodun Odusanwo, as the vice chairman.

Speaking after the inauguration in Lagos recently, Balogun pledged the commitment of the committee to achieving speedy results and delivering on its mandate within the stipulated time frame.

However, she appealed to the members and all stakeholders in tourism industry to ensure that they give their best in every aspect of the committee’s work as they couldn’t afford to fail the country or make it to lag behind at the international level.

The committee’s main work is to review some of the existing standards in the tourism industry and also set new ones in

all the aspects of tourism operations and related services in the country in line with international best practice.

Speaking during the inauguration of the NMC, the SON acting DG, Dr. Paul Angya, who was represented by SON’s Director of Standards Directorate, Mr. Abiola Komolafe, said the committee “is expected to be the voice of our country at International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) and ECOWAS committees in developing standards specifically for the tourism industry.”

Therefore, Angya said that “in order to attract visitors to the country, all our tourism related activities and products should be standardised to ensure the health, safety and environment of the tourists,” even as he harped on the importance of tourism services being delivered by the operators, adding that more emphasis should be placed on it given the prevailing economy of the country.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts signs deal for UK Aloft Hotel

Starwood Hotels and Resorts has disclosed a new deal for Aloft Hotel, the fourth in the United Kingdom In partnership with Brighton and Hove Albion. It is a 150 room facility, which is due to open in September 2017.

Others include two in London (Aloft London Tobacco Dock opening 2018) and one in Liverpool.

Located adjacent to the new American Express Community Stadium, home of Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club, Aloft Brighton will form a key part of a new major development that includes a proposed specialist cancer treatment centre underneath the hotel. The site also enjoys superb transport links, with an on-site mainline rail station and parking for 422 cars (including 27 disabled spaces), and is located within close proximity to Brighton city-centre and its popular attractions.

Aloft Brighton will be managed by Interstate Europe’s UK division, part of the leading global hotel management company, Interstate Hotels and Resorts.

L-R: Director Standards, SON, Abiola Komolafe; vice president, NMC, Abiodun Odusanwo; chairman, NMC, Chika Balogun; Director of Operation, SON, Felix Nyado and secretary to NMC, Chidinma Ekenobi during the Standard Organisation of Nigeria and Tourism Stakeholders hold National Mirror Committee on Tourism Standards Catalyst for Hospitality Business in Lagos recently

40 Travel&Tourism

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16 APRIL 2016

GRACE AFFIONG EDET

The matriarch of Nigeria hospitality Chief (Mrs.) Grace Affiong Edet, owner of Marian Hotels, Calabar, rightly qualifies to be called the matriarch of Nigeria hospitality sector given her pioneering role as one of the earliest few female workers in the sector and founding the first ever privately-run hotel, Marian Guest House in Lagos State and Marian Hotels in Calabar, Cross River State. She speaks with ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA on her pioneering role and odyssey

M

arian Hotels located on Old Ikang Road, off Marian Road in Calabar, Cross River State needs no introduction to any first time visit to the city because the name easily pops at you when making enquiries about booking hotel in the Canaan City. This writer had stayed few nights at the hotel, the last being during one of the Carnival Calabar in December but then one was oblivious of the rich history of the hotel and ancestral of its owner, Chief Grace Affiong Edet, fondly called Mama Marian by most of her admirers, until last year November.

It was during the celebration of the Hoteliers Association of Cross River (HACR) debutant Calabar Hospitality Fiesta (CALHOSFI) that one met her at close quarters and got acquainted with her antecedents when on the award and gala night she was honoured with outstanding and long service award.

One couldn’t resist the temptation to interview the woman of the moment who many of the hoteliers not only celebrate but look up to for motherly guidance as she is seen as the matriarch of Nigeria hospitality. The opportunity finally came on February 12 this year when one was driven to her palatial house in Calabar by HACR’s chairman, Charles Oga, who brokered the interview appointment.

Mama Marian was ill-disposed on this day but she still exuded grace and matronly as well as hospitable disposition insisting on granting the reporter audience for few minutes, which later lasted for over an hour as she opened the window to her life as a wife, mother, hospitality worker, hotelier, community leader and her uncompromising religious commitment among others.

One of the things that easily catches any one’s attention is the avalanche of awards’ certificates and plagues of all sorts that papered the wall of her office.

She appears to have lost count of them but she is however, grateful and cherished them all because they are a reflec-

TRAVEL PERSONALITY tion of her life’s journey and people’s appreciation of her service to humanity.

On these awards, she says: “I think God has been gracious to me because some I deserved but I don’t know what people have seen in me or think of me but they just keep pouring in. From 1978 to date I think I have gotten over 170 awards from different groups and organisations and over 11 chieftaincy titles.

“I think God favoured me,” concludes Mama Maria whose membership and leadership of different humanitarian, socio-cultural, business and religious outfits is well acknowledged, ranging from Boys Scout, Girls Guard to Lion Club.

Growing up Mama Marian who is an elder in the Presbyterian Church of over 35 years standing was born in the old Cross River State but grew up in Lagos. At age 12 in 1949, she was taken to Lagos where she had her primary and secondary education and thereafter began her working and married life.

She started out as an employee of the former Post and Telecommunication

GebreMariam

Edet

Company of Nigeria in the telegraph section as a printing operator. She was one of the pioneers of the section and was very excited about the prospect.

“I worked there from 1958 – 1960 and I left them and joined the Morning Post owned by late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. By this time my husband and I had moved to Enugu. I joined Morning Post in 1961 and about a year after the Eastern Nigerian government offered scholarship to train people at the Hotel Presidential in Enugu,” she recalled with nostalgic undertone.

Journey into the hospitality world She recalled that she was one of the 24 people that benefitted from the scholarship scheme where they were trained in Presidential Hotel Enugu, which was about the oldest hotel in the country then as it opened in 1963 for business.

She trained as a housekeeper and thereafter was employed and made to take charge of the housekeeping department as the general house keeper.

Thus began her romance with the hospitality world, which spanned over the last four decades. Unfortunately, her stint at the hotel was short lived as she was egg hunted by the Federal Palace Hotel in 1965 to work in the housekeeping department.

“I worked there till 1966,” she says,

Exterior of Marian Hotels

where she was privileged to cater for a lot of African and Nigerian leaders including the late Prime Minister, Tafawa Balewa and Minister of Finance, Chief Festus Okotie Eboh.

“I was happy that I served these people then,” she says as she also recalls her years in Nigeria Tobacco Company (NTC), which she joined years later and was in charge of the directors’ mess and the management restaurant from 1966 to 1972.

Birth of Marian Hotels While still at the employment of NTC she started on the side line a guesthouse of six bedrooms known as Marian Guest House somewhere in Surulere area of Lagos. That was in 1971 and by March 31, 1972, she resigned from NTC to give full attention to her guesthouse.

“I came to face the guesthouse, Marian Guest House. At the time I was the first person, the only woman, who ran a guesthouse in Lagos.

“God was wonderful because it was burning like fire. The progress was very fast and enormous and with God on my side I was able to save money to improve on it from six rooms to eight rooms, to 12 and 20 rooms. We became very famous,” she enthuses.

With the instant success of the Lagos guest house, she began to dream of building a hotel in Calabar, her ancestral home.

“There was a rapid progress and I was able to save enough money and with the help of some banks I built Marian Hotels in Calabar. The foundation was laid in 1976 and the hotel was ready by 1980.

“At that time there was shortage of hotels. It was only Metro (Now Transcorp Hotel) that was the only good hotel but when I came I was the only private hotel here and that made us very famous. In fact from Port Harcourt down to Obudu we were the only private hotel, good hotel of international standard.

continued on page 43

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41

HOSPITALITY

ormerly Protea Westwood Hotel and now Westwood Hotel, South West Ikoyi, Lagos, the hospitality home, which is located on Awolowo Road, near the Military Hospital, has gradually transformed into one of the most sought after hospitality homes with a penchant for offering standard facilities and services laced in a truly Nigerian tradition.

It drapes with rich history as it is known as the first ever West Africa multistorey residential building, ‘Ile gogoro,’ in Yoruba local parlance, by the former Western Government in 1959.

It was part of the independence story of Nigeria in 1960 and has continued to play critical role in the development of the country until 2006 when the 20 bedroom flats was converted into a hotel with great scenery as it is nestled against the Cowries Creek.

Continuing in that tradition, the owners conceived the hotel as a truly Nigerian outfit as it is meant to reflect Nigeria’s cultural elements and traditional hospitality. The General Manager of the Hotel, Paul Kavanaugh, speaks glowingly of the philosophy and business proposition of the hotel.

According to him, it is about maintaining legacy and reputation. “But fundamentally, Westwood is about proudly Nigeria, wanting to show all the positives of Nigeria. We may be the only hotel in this country that plays Nigeria music on Westwood hotel a regular basis. seaside view “We have a playlist specifically for Friday night for Nigerian music. We design the play list to build the spirit and energy inside the hotel. We don’t hide the fact that we are Nigerians. We celebrate the fact that we are Nigerians. I see it and feel it and want to be part of it.

“We train to the best standard and we have some of our managers having international experiences and have actually worked in Europe. We have infrastructure that is of international standard,” he said.

ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA who was at the hotel and spoke with the On the hotel’s concept, Kavanaugh said: “This is obviously very much a general manager writes on its rich history, mission, facilities and services business hotel. That is predominantly what it is.” The hotel’s location, he said, hotel, he says, is that it is “twice as friendly ing the staff of our hotel to meet with the is the best and makes it a melting pot of and half the price. We sell the fact that we people whether you are a housekeeper or some sorts for people seeking business are beautiful people looking after beautireceptionist, meet the people and talk to and even a leisure alcove. ful guests. them. We want to be known as the friendli“We know the people in our hotel, we “If you are leaving in the mainland and est and most positive and at the level we are, we are the best.” you work on the island this is the place to connect with the people in our hotel and we employ professionalism because we come for a beer or stay before goThe Facilities want it to be fun and friendly. We ing home and if you are having The facilities of the hotel are excepare training our people not just business meetings and you tionally sophisticated and of internawant to be on the island on how to serve but how to tional standard. When closeted inside and your guests are staydo it with a smile and how the hotel exudes an uncommon aesthetiing in Victoria Island or to connect with the people cal ambience and an enchanting appeal wherever, you bring and it is really nice when engaging one’s sensitive and sensibilities them here. you see people and they as you perhaps glide from one setting “It is the most conlike actually asking for our to another. veniently located in the staff by names and the staff It boasts of 52 rooms of Standard, Decity. We are the closet to equally know them by their luxe and Suite categories; all stylishly the airport. That is a huge names. furnished and fitted with the best hosand wonderful advantage.”

“For us, it is very much pitality amenities and also offering great Another uniqueness of the about the people and empowerKavanaugh

Westwood Hotel: Proudly Nigeria

views, such as the lagoon view and best of Lagos night view.

The restaurant is creatively crafted and with an easy flow to the bar terrace and waiting lounge, offering rich menu comprising African and continental dishes and a wide selection of drinks, tea and coffee.

The lounge and terrace are exceptionally good sceneries offering a view of the lagoon with the natural element as well as the airy and breezy nature swirling and enveloping you.

Added to this./, is a new terrace being constructed at the upper deck section of the hotel, which the general manager said would offer great amenities and services as well.

“It will be amazing, made of glass and steel. A year round outdoor venue, a different food offering; very exciting and unusual food offering. Something not seen here before and probably not seen anywhere else in the world because we are using Nigerian food as well as those of others,” he says of the lounge that will be completed before the end of the year.

On the conference side, the hotel has two dedicated facilities for all sorts of events and meetings. It also has a library that is well stocked for its guests’ pleasure and this is not common in this part of the world. The gymnasium is also a good spot to be featuring treadmill, elliptical machines, ergometer, stationary bike, tummy trimmer sit up bench with dumbbells, barbells with an extensive variation of weights, and yoga and exercise mats.

The swimming pool offers you a refreshing and relaxing feel for swimming and great dip and ample seat out area to reconnect with your inner self after a great swim or dip with drinks and munchies to cap it all.

The future The future of the hotel is great as Kavanaugh tells you “with Westwood we are at just at that embryo stage, we will take steps forward and we know that. We all know where we want to get to and we all know where we are going and we are all working in the same direction to get there.

“We know we want to grow, we know we want to take our principles and our values and bring them into other places and we also know that we are right at the beginning of this journey but the nice thing is that we all know this journey and we know where we want this journey to lead us to.”

NEW TELEGRAPH PARTNER HOTELS B E N E F I TS 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, e-mail: iroandy@ymail.com

FESTAC, LAGOS

ABA LAGOS

REE DANIELS HOTEL AND SUITES

Panda Hotel Suites & Lounge

CAPITOL HOTEL, AGEGE

29, OROLEYE CRESCENT, OFF ABEL ORENIYI, OFF SALAVATION RD, OPEBI, LAGOS

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DESTINATION

Mirage Hotel

Calabar: The colour, thrills of Nigeria’s number one fun city ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA writes on the evergreen nature of Calabar following a recent city tour

T

he city of Calabar is always refreshing and exciting to visit as you can never get enough of the quintessential Nigeria’s number one fun city, which for many visitors across the globe rocks on every December. That is during the annual Calabar Festival, a 31-day of fun time headline by the Carnival Calabar among other colourful and entertaining activities.

One never gets tired of exploring the city on each visit if for nothing else but the peaceful ambience and warmth as well as the naturally magical feel that makes the city gets under your skin.

On one’s many visits, one has never given up any opportunity to go on tour of the city because each exploration comes up with something different and refreshing. So, it was on this fateful Friday when an opportunity presented itself for a city tour organised by the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) as part of its 2016 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Tourism Conference, which held in Calabar.

It was an exciting and refreshing moment touring the city for the first time on Double Decker tour bus operated by NovaRoaster, a destination management company.

It offered a bird’s eye view to explore the city. The pick-up point was Transcorp Hotel and by 9.32am the tour bus made it way out of the hotel and unto the highway for the commencement of the city tour taking us through designated routes. We were availed the opportunity of seeing some of the tourist attractions that make Calabar an alluring destination to visit and regaled with the rich historical and political antecedents of the city.

Martins Isek, the tour guide, was at his best wits and displayed his understanding and total grasp of the historicity of the city as he related the history and antecedents of many of the sections, institutions, icons and people along the various routes.

The first of the historical institutions

Mary Slessor's statue

Hope Waddell Training Institute

of the city that came into sight was the Hope Waddell Training Institute, reputed as the first training or secondary school in Nigeria, which produced such notable nationalists like the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe who rose to become the first ceremonial President of Nigeria.

Owned by the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, the school, which was built around 1895, has no doubt undergone series of transformation but interestingly many of the old structures have been retain alongside new ones.

The first church building and the

first printing press ever in the country are also well preserved.

At the opposite side of the institute are the long stretch Calabar creek and the inland waterways. Activities at the port from our standpoint was at its peak with the tour guide explaining how the port was used to ferry slaves out of the city to Europe during the heydays of the obnoxious slave trade era.

The state Police Command Headquarters on Diamond Road also came to sight. It was buzzing with activities with coming and going by men of the force and others while some of them

were seen undergoing early morning drills. From there we drove through the section housing the government house, state secretariat, the state assembly complex, the stadium and the Naval base (NNS Victory).

We made a detour to the Millennium Park for our first stop to walk through the luscious and beautiful park, which houses the sate cenotaph and has over the years become a centre of attraction for the people. Besides, it plays host to a number of state and private functions such as the gathering point for the yearly Carnival Calabar flag off.

The next stop was the Marina Resort, which is one of the tourist attractions and spot for harvesting fun in the city.

The resort houses a number of leisure attractions including the club house, outdoor garden where people seat out to savour drinks and other cookies.

There is also children play ground with such facilities as carousel, a traditional hut, indoor bar, which booms at night, a jetty where you can embark on boat cruise to savour the beautiful Calabar Creek or River.

Then the Slave History Museum offers a lot of historicity and telling images and exhibits in its different sections, including those of colonial and modern political history of Nigeria, Nigeria arts cutting across the various regions and ages as well as the inner room, which harbours a ship that was recreated around 2002 and 2003 to reflect how slaves were loaded and ferried through the transatlantic route.

Perhaps the most graphic section have to do with the dark room where the exhibits of the slave trade era are displayed.

Eerie section no doubt you are confronted in real time and action with some of the moving sceneries of the era ranging from how slaves were captured, slave market scene where they were sold off, expansive plantation where they slaved for their masters, the abuse and exploitation of the slaves both physically and sexually, to some of the slave masters including Nigerian slave merchants from the region and other parts of the country then the abolitionists.

This section evokes a lot of emotions and catharsis from people and some could not hold the tears back.

We then moved on to the highway again onto Mary Slessor Road down to the roundabout where you have the im-

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Garden Park, Marina Resort

Old Residency

age of the Scottish woman who fought for the abolition of the killing of twins.

That is another rich history of the people and city that should be consciously put at the market domain for the public to patronise.

Aside this, the avenue is also home to the most famous grilled meat – suya market in Bogobiri which is dominated by the Hausa people whose trade in stock is the suya meat. Coming up in this section too is a Shoprite complex, which on completion will change the colours of the area. It is also on this avenue that you have the first ever botanical garden and Calabar zoo, which used to be a popular leisure spot but has over the years lost its glam.

The avenue terminates at the University of Calabar, which is also fast becoming another very busy part of the city with commercial and social activities booming for most hours of the day while night time takes on a different colouration as many visitors parade the area for fun and exciting time.

Then we drove through the long c o n t i n u e d f rom pa g e 4 0

Having a good life “Since then we have been on ground, we have done 35 years and on our 36 years now,” and still counting, she recounts but not without the attendant challenges.

However, she admitted that the business then was booming and afforded her the good things of life, including elevating the status of her family as she described her background then as poor.

“I came from a very poor family, we lived in thatched houses.

Till 1971 and 1972 we were still living in thatched houses in Calabar. I had to work day and night, waking up around 3am. I was making good in the business, it was viable. I worked with joy and happiness, you see progress and I was able to build a good house for the family which we never had.

A pathfinder In many respect, Mama Marian was a pathfinder in the hospitality business not just in Calabar but across the country as her success attracted more investors into the sector. “Because the business was not common as many people were ignorant of what the business was until they started seeing me exploding and people became aware of it and then people leaving their businesses and now everybody wants to run a hotel.

“We are the eye opener in this area and even in Lagos because

stretch of former Ndidem Iso Usang Road now Marian Road, which has become the most popular in Calabar.

Besides, it is also becoming a commercially thriving centre with all sorts of businesses cropping up. And just in case you don’t know, it has become a social circuit of some sort taking over from MCC Road and others.

Many like to refer to it as the new ‘red light district’ of Calabar. Life here is continuum, in perpetual motion with the best eateries and bars and other leisure spots located on the long stretch road with a large concentrate from the section known as Quality bakery area towards the end of the road.

Given that this road is one of the designated route for the annual carnival celebration with the governor’s booth and one of the adjudicating points located here, the place rocks during the carnival until the train moves over to the stadium for the final party and gyration.

The final lap of the tour took us through MCC Road, which also is very popular for harvest of fun with a num-

ber of outdoor leisure spots but Marian Road has overtaken it. However, it plays host to a number of hotels and guesthouses with The Mirage Hotel owned by the former Minister of Culture and Tourism, Edem Duke, as one of them. Others include Channel View

and La Chateau Hotels.

Under construction in the area is Axari Towers, 14-floor building, which on completion will be the tallest building in the city.

We were back to Transcorp thus signalling the end of the city tour, which for many people was very exciting and insightful as it opened up a new perspective to the city and gave an opportunity of exploring the many elements and sides to the city and its people who are known for their legendary hospitality. In the last one decade, the commercial scale of the city has moved up following the adoption of the tourism economy by the state government and it enjoys a total buy in from the people.

This for many of us is the beauty of the tourism industry in the state as its success is not dependent on or driven by the government as the government only sets the pace and the enabling environment for the business to thrive.

One of the fallout of this is the avalanche of hotels and guest houses as well as eateries and leisure spots in almost every nook and cranny of the city.

Some of the tourists

The matriarch of Nigeria hospitality after the war (The civil war) there was nothing and the Federal Government bought Federal Palace Hotel from Leventis. Nigerians were not aware of what hotel meant until the early 1970s going to 1980s that people started running into hotel business because they now see that there is money in it.”

Christ her bedrock Running Marian Hotel in the last 35 years, she says, has not be an easy task especially given the present business environment and the fact that hotels are on the increase in Calabar while the patronage shrinks daily. “We are under Christ’s protection otherwise I think we would had folded up because sometimes on the verge of folding God will perform His

Mama Marian being presented with an outstanding and long service award by the Chairman of HACR, Charles

miracle and we start moving again,” she discloses happily.

She admits as a matter of fact that “I owe it to Christ that Marian is still surviving.” She reveals that she has retired from active involvement in the running of the hotel over eight years ago when she turned 70. She also admits that she was hands-on then and was totally involved in every aspect of the hotel including recruiting and training of the hotel’s personnel.

She discloses that she never poached any employee from any hotel rather employed greenhorns and personally groomed them until recently when her daughter who was running the hotel had to relocate from Calabar to join her family. She says, this made her for the first time

in the life of the hotel to employ a manager with experience garnered from other hotels who now runs the hotel.

Devotion to God Her commitment to the work of God is something she admits is sacrosanct as she is totally sold out for God’s work. She reveals building and equipping fully a church in the Satellite axis of Calabar, which she donated to the Presbyterian Church on the occasion of her 70th birthday celebration.

Besides, she has a chapel in her compound where people come for prayers, and by her admission, it is expanding daily. Therefore, she reveals that “if I have the opportunity to build another church I will be very happy for God to use it to change some of our area boys, the kidnappers and others because if the churches are doing what they are supposed to do, I don’t see why we can’t change many people.”

A legacy of service “God has used me marvellously in different ways. For all the areas that God used me I am thankful and appreciative and if I leave today I know that I have left my footprint on the sand of time.

I think that I have contributed a lot in many areas; religion, social, health and an employer of labour for over 40 years.

“I have trained a lot of people. I

think God has done it all for me.

Everything comes from heaven because without God it can’t happen. Most of the people that I started with have died and gone.

“I think it is the Lord’s doing.

You don’t succeed because you are the best but I think God destiny has a lot to do with it.

I owe my success in life to God “I own my success in life to God. It was what God has ordained for me. I know I work hard but there were also a lot of people who worked very hard in my days and we were running here and there but some of them did not make what I have made out of life but I don’t give the credit to myself because I was working harder than them.

“It is God because without Him I wouldn’t have made it.

Advice to hoteliers My advice to hoteliers is that number one know God and have a relationship with Him and that will motivate you to do what is right; number two be honest in whatever you are doing; concentrate on one thing. So many people want to do 200 things at the same time, running after contracts instead of them sitting down in their hotels to see to the proper running but would rather delegate duties to their workers.

“Try to keep your hotel clean whether the business is viable or not so that when people come to your hotel they would go away with good impression.”

44

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

TV&Radio

16 APRIL 2016

with Deborah Makoji

This weekend TELEVISION

Channels

MITV

1:00 News Track 2:00 News Track 3:00 News Track 3:30 Road Map 2015 4:00 News Round 5:00 News Track 6:00 News Track 6:30 MDGs Track 7:00 Capital Market 7:30 Dateline Abuja 8:00 News Track 8:30 The Gavel 9:00 Entertainment News 9:30 Art House 10:00 News at 10 Sunday 7:00 Art House 8:00 Entertainment News 8:30 Turning Point 9:00 News Track 9:30 Metro File 10:00 News Track 10:30 Health Matters 11:00 News Track 12:00 News Track 12:15 Channels Sports Sunday 2:00 Sports Ville 2:30 Inside Out with Agatha 3:00 Rubbin’ Minds 4:00 News Track 4:30 Community Report 6:00 News Track 6:10 Seriously Speaking 7:00 News Track 7:30 Walk The Talk 8:00 Politics Today 9:00 Channels Discovery 9:30 Law Weekly 10:00 News at 10

5:30 People and Places 6:00 Tax Talk 7:00 MITV Kitchen 7:30 Awotunwo 8:00 WWTBM 9:00 News Special 9:30 Jogunomu 10:30 Atmosphere For Faith

Saturday 8:00 News Track 8:30 One Cubed Naija 9:00 Sunrise Saturday 12:00 Metro File 12:30 Health Matters

Ogunseye (Guest speaker)

Sunrise Daily: Fixing the economy

S

unrise daily is a daily programme that reviews trending stories, it is aired on Channels Television at 7am daily.

It is no longer news that the nation’s economy is on a free fall and this has affected many Nigerians as some states have not paid workers’ salaries for some months now. In general, the cost of consumer goods is on the rise while income remains the same. Now that the country is facing this serious issue of economy downturn, many experts have suggested diversification and industrialisation as the way out of the ugly situation. Tuesday’s edition of sunrise daily focused on fixing the economy and has Bolaji Ogunseye, a development economist, as the guest speaker.

Ogunseye said many states are not able to pay their workers’ salaries because of the nation’s economic situation.

“For some months now, so many states are not able to pay salaries and that tells a story that the narrative at every level is a multi-layered narrative one about what is wrong with the structure of the country in terms of economic development. The big headline narrative is that Nigeria is not structured for economic development. For instance, can you imagine a bank managing director

saying ‘I cannot pay salaries?’ That bank is gone if it happens it’s not able to pay salaries at the end of every months. The fact that we are in this situation over 50 years after independence, where states which are economic entities are now not able to pay salaries, shows that we cannot build values around capital formation,” he said.

He suggested that merging about four to five states will bring about economic development. “I believe we need to move like four to five states back together and begin to look at restructuring Nigeria for economic development. I am not talking about political or geo political zone development, I do not believe in geo political zones, rather we should have geo economic zones so that we have the different parts of Nigeria in rivalry in other to be more productive. It should be in such a way that we will be in a competition in other for us to be more viable,” he stated.

The country is moving farther away from a structure for developmental governance and moving more into a structure for reward, Ogunseye added.

He advocated that Nigeria should go back to 12 states structure. He said: “States were created under the military in this country and there are also some developmentally unserious confounding reasons why states were created. I

FACE BEHIND THE VOICE

A

Cool FM’s Shine

nino Judy Shine Begho is an Itsekiri girl from Delta state; she is a fun loving, entertaining girl and people usually say "never a dull moment with Shine".

Shine is a graduate of mass communication from Madonna University, Okija, Anambra State. Shine has move around different media organisations therefore giving her lots of experience. She started as a TV presenter with Galaxy Television, Lagos, in 2007, then found radio in 2008 with Eko FM Lagos. He then moved to Hot FM Abuja to Classic FM Lagos, then City FM Lagos and Shine off to Rainbow FM

then Zoodrums radio (internet radio) and now her dream station 96.9 Cool FM Lagos. Although on the side, she still does TV, making appearances in different stations.

Shine is also a voice over artist and has voiced for Nokia, Dettol, Kaneakalon Hair, Morning Fresh, Canoe soap, Unicef among others.

She has also hosted a lot of events like the Kennis Music Easter fiesta 2011 and 2012, fashion shows , Movado in Lagos and the list goes on and she has co-hosted alongside Ali Baba , Jedi ,Ill Rymes , Mc Larry D, Samson Say , Vanessa Michaels and others.

think Nigeria should have states and I am still an advocate of 12 states, each unit is viable enough to do what I call wholesale and to plan wholesale development. Many of these states in Nigeria almost 30 out of 36 can rarely engage in development, they cannot do anything more apart from buying motor circle for people or giving water pump to communities. This is 2016 and apart from the fact that we are dealing with ‘bread and butter’ routine governance problems, we still cannot figure how to tackle electricity, water, education, drainage and that is by the way. We need to restructure Nigeria so that the structure can deliver economic development; we need a strong centre and strong units, that is everybody being strong at the right time for the right reason. For instance, as far as I am concerned, the federal government is strong enough to have a federal fire service but most fire incidents happen in local government areas.

He identified the nation’s problem to be partly that of leadership and strategic management failure. “It is partly a problem of leadership failure and failure of strategic management, the governors now are projecting themselves as victims.

Remember, these are the same governors who in years back will take the federal government to court for wanting to establish the sovereign wealth fund”.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the objective of governors at their forum.

“These are the same state governors who formed Governors Forum to fight the federal government over excess crude among other objectives.

Programme summary

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Daily @7 am

It is a morning programme that talks about daily life challenges and activities.

Sky World Review and business SkyN (channel 402) Monday @ 6:30 am It presents a comprehensive look at the biggest stories from around the globe. Stories regarding weather, sports and business.

Saturday 8:00 Yoruba Nollywood 10:00 Salvation ½ Hour 10:30 Sports World 11:30 Blissful Saturday 12:00 Mid-day News 1:00 My name is Earl 2:00 New Testament Voice 3:00 Train To Win 3:30 Education Zone 4:00 Little Miss Jocelyn 5:00 FAB 5:30 Arrested Development 6:10 Nollywood English 7:30 Monster Hit Banger 8:00 Sparkle 8:30 Awotunwo 9:00 Wetin Dey 9:30 World News 10:00 EL Clon 10:30 Wrestling Sunday 7:00 What The Bible Says 8:00 Peoples Palava 9:00 Ashiri Ihinrere 10:00 Woleola 10:30 EL Clone 11:20 The Storm 12:00 News 1:00 Nollywood English 3:00 Let The Nations Hear 4:00 My name is Earl 4:30 Covenant Discovery ½ hour 5:00 Movie

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Saturday 7:00 Yoruba Sports 8:00 Voices 10:00 Entertainment Splash 11:30 Strictly Comedy 12:15 Yoruba News 12:30 World Sports 2:00 Saturday Afternoon Jamz 6:00 News at Six 7:20 Religious Belt 10:00 Night Shift 11:00 Dj In The Mix

Sunday 7:00 Yoruba Sports 8:00 Turn It Up 10:00 Wakati Iyin 12:00 English News 12:15 Yoruba News 1:00 Dj in the Mix 2:15 Editorial Review 3:00 Reggae Time 7:20 Religious Belt 10:00 Heart Matters

Smooth FM 98.1 Saturday 6:00 Breakfast in Bed 7:30 Venus Rising 8:30 Soul Food 9:00 Bite Size 9:30 Entertainment News 10:00 Smooth Book Review 11:00 Total Football 12:00 Metro Life 5:00 Luxury Soul 09:00 Late Night Blues

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Smooth Motivations Music Mix Sunday Brunch Music Mix Soulfully Yours Music Mix

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Plateau PDP falls apart

p.46

Politics

45 APC manifesto won’t allow us to charge school fees – Benue SUBEB boss

p.47

Buhari’s foreign trips have redeemed Nigeria’s image – Prof. Nguru Professor Muhammad Mu'azu Nguru is the Director General, Nigeria Arabic Language Village in Ngala, Maiduguri, Borno State. In this interview with HASSAN JIRGI, he speaks on one year administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and insurgency in the North East.

Excerpts…

Looking at the war against terrorism and the anti-corruption posture of the current administration, how would you say President Muhammadu Buhari has fared in just one year in office?

Buhari is a man of God. I would say for Buhari that his one year in office so far, so good, I say this is on the grounds of visible changes that are being noticed. These changes might not be as a character can bring to bear on a nation as big as Nigeria for just being in a position of power. In the past 11 months he has spent in office, Buhari has made a lot of accomplishments.

As such, Buhari and his government received Kudos from Nigerians.

Insecurity has reached scaring and alarming proportion in Nigeria. We are losing our lives every day. Terrorism has become an obstacle to our entire progress. Our properties are plundered and looted by the hideous elements.

Hostile raids are launched on our cities and villages by the notorious lots.

Our highways became dangerous for motorists and travelers. Kidnapping has become rampant and in full sway.

Robbery is everywhere in the country, states like Borno, Yobe and Adamawa have become war zones. Book Haram has become a real menace to the whole nation. All these scoundrel activities were in top gear during the previous years, but they are now drastically reduced. We the people of North-East know this healthy development very well. This utmost achievement is made by the Almighty Allah through our dauntless and dignified army.

Our troops became laughing stock during the previous administration; they were centre of mockery worldwide, they were cowardly and easily intimidated, fleeing away from their enemies and leaving their weapons behind. They could not surmount these handful destructive lots. They were always overpowered and defeated, as if they were just paper tigers or robots.

Indeed it was very disgraceful and lamentable situation. It embarrassed Nigerians seriously.

But now our soldiers have regained

OLALEKAN OSIADE Assistant Editor 08033076969 lekanosiade@gmail.com lekanosiade@yahoo.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

their lost glory. Now, they are demonstrating and exhibiting courageous endurance. Today they are power to reckon with. Their audacity and braveness are clear.

Everybody is happy with them. We are very proud to associate ourselves with them. We are kept abreast of their achievements during the World War, Biafra, and in peacekeeping missions in Africa and elsewhere.

Let me tell you one thing, the miscreant Boko Haram insurgents are on the run. They are no more offensive like before, they are now defensive.

They ceased to take over towns and villages at will.

They have stopped crossing our highways to kill hundreds of motorists and travelers. The hazardous and dangerous roads that were not motorable for years are now opened for travelers. The people of Maiduguri city are no more in fear of possible attack at any time. Damaturu, Gombe, Yola and Bauchi are now secured, safe for the explosions here and there, and that too will end soon Insha Allah. Big towns like Gwoza, Bama, Dambua, Gamboru and the rest are liberated fully. Villagers have started going back to their villages. Hundreds of the gruesome and horrendous elements are surrendering to our gallant troops, for they are cornered to unescapable position.

Do you agree with those who say that foreign trips of Buhari are unnecessary?

The foreign trips are in the interest of our beloved country. In our world of today, no serious person can assume to work in isolation. We are a global village and we need one another. By his travelling, Buhari has achieved a lot for Nigeria. Our neighbours have buckled down seriously to defeat Boko Haram, we got sophisticated weapons to deal with Boko Haram and other criminals and our police are well equipped. He undimmed the dimly name of our country. During the previous administration the name of Nigeria was so tarnished, but now it is redeemed.

America, Europe, Middle East and other parts of the world are now assisting Buhari to track down the malfeasants; the looters of our funds while securing financial assistance from the United Nations for the IDPs. He has been canvassing to secure nuclear energy, a powerful form of energy and also Secured American grant of about 600 million dollars.

Even, the president has made some turnaround repairs of some dormant refineries in the country, petroleum products are now available despite the

The people of Maiduguri city are no more in fear of possible attack at any time. Damaturu, Gombe, Yola and Bauchi are now secured, safe for the explosions here and there Nguru

effort of some saboteurs, the unpatriotic Nigerians who do not mean well for the country. They are busy hoarding and diverting the product with a view to create artificial scarcity and hence undermine the government.

But some people have argued that Buhari, is not doing enough in tackling corruption, do you share that view?

While I always do not want people to penalise leadership, as a president, there are laws that were made by the National Assembly to counter corruption tendencies. There are agencies that handle this.

The question is, are they doing their own part to tackle corruption?

It cannot be an individual thing, for instance, if someone is taken to court and the court processes are delayed, where is president's fault?

Secondly, let me tell you that Nigeria is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Bribery and stealing of public funds are the order of the day; they are our normal way of life.

He who is not corrupt is deemed as unsophisticated and unwise. Public funds and property are regarded as booty or gratis. If one is able to loot, he is free to do so as much as he wishes or desires with full impunity.

Malfeasance and embezzlement are hailed by our people mostly due

to ignorance. The perpetrators become centre for attraction. In Nigeria, it does not matter how one becomes rich, but what matters is how much one is rich. The killer disease or morbid is what made Nigeria to remain among the third world underdeveloped countries up to date. It is what is retarding the progress of our country.

We heard that some Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) have returned to liberated communities. How do you see the development?

For me, internal displaced people are now receiving solace from the government. If one compares their status quo to that of the last administration, the difference is crystal clear in terms of humanitarian assistance and feelings. They have now started going back to their villages and towns. Construction of houses for the retainers is now underway. Buhari's government has already embarked on his serious assignment.

I have no iota of doubt that any Nigerian who abdicates thievery and chooses to be honest and sincere like Buhari, can reposition this country positively, if he is given the opportunity and time. Buhari could be a billionaire, if he chooses to be so vis a vis the positions he held. I will advise the president not to be stampeded or disheartened.

46 Politics Musa Pam

S Jos

equel to the loss it suffered in the hands of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2015 governorship election, the Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been putting its house in order while boasting that it will reclaim power in the state, come 2019.

The PDP appeared to have put the APC on its toes and was striving to achieve the set goal until recently, when the party lost focus and the once cohesive unit seems to be in disarray. The party is now torn apart against itself and its centre could no longer hold, no thanks to an ‘unholy’ zoning arrangement that is now bedeviling the umbrella-symbol party.

The PDP is set to conduct congresses in all the five organs of the party; ward, local government, state, zonal and the national levels. This is by far one of the most outstanding party functions that prepare the ground for an effective electioneering. It is considered foundational because there lays the strength of the party; and if the foundation should have any crack it becomes a bad signal that their aspiration and desire to retake power in 2019 would have been put on crutches.

Notwithstanding the bitter loss, the party intends to use the forthcoming congresses to reposition itself and show its readiness to reclaim power in 2019, as such the Plateau State chapter of the PDP zoned the chairman of the party to the northern senatorial district of the state. The central zone will produce the deputy chairman while the South will get the secretary.

With the zoning arrangement, it is believed that the 2019 governorship ticket of the party has been moved from the northern part to the southern part of the state, aimed at ending series of agitation that cost the party the defeat of the 2015 governorship election.

Saturday Telegraph checks show that some party members, stakeholders and aspirants have welcomed this move and felt the zoning strategy would bring unity back to the party and also encourage aggrieved members who had defected to the APC, while some are questioning the rationale behind the zoning arrangement. Those against the idea argue that it is not in the party's constitution and that it is continued impunity to scheme them out of the contest.

Already there have been accusations and counter-accusations over alleged imposition of a former Minister of Sports, Hon. Damishi Sango, who is one of thechairmanship candidates, as he hailed from the northern part of the state where the seat has been zoned to.

The supposed imposition of Sango was said to have been done at a meeting held in Dwei, Jos South Local Government Area of the state.

But despite the zoning arrangement that favours them, some party faithful from Riyom Local Government, where the former minister hails from, are not in support. Saturday Telegraph gathered that candidates in the area have decided to contest for positions of their choice, as they are prepared to break the rules and dare the party to disqualify them.

Five persons from the northern zone had initially indicated interest to contest the chairmanship seat, but observers say they have been tactically edged out to pave the way for Sango. Those who had indicated interest to contest include former Commissioner for Works, Hon. Chris Hassan; onetime member of the House of Reps, Hon. Bitrus Kaze; a former Accountant General of Plateau State, Mr. Suka Boyi and Hon. Philip Asanato Adik.

A chairmanship candidate of the party, Hon. Philip Adik during a press conference in Jos, disagreed with the arrangement while standing his grounds to contest the elections.

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Plateau PDP falls apart •As zoning arrangement tears party

Jonah Jang

Ibrahim Mantu

Bitrus Kaze

Jeremiah Useni

Adik said the party is about to put its unpleasant past behind and looking forward to pursuing its philosophy towards enhancing democratic ideals based on equity and justice, but regrets that the ugly trend of imposition seems be rearing its ugly head and wants to put the PDP in jeopardy again.

“It is very okay to support a candidate and quite in order to exercise one’s constitutional right to adore that candidate, but it is always sensible to exercise such rights moderately and wisely especially for a party that is in opposition and aspires to take over mantle of leadership.

“It is for these reasons that I condemn in totality the decision taken on March 31, and further wish to state that the decision is not in line with the PDP constitution on zoning which places such powers with the State Executive Committee (SEC).

"Therefore, that decision is null and void and not binding on me and my aspiration.

I also wish to state in clear terms that I am still in the race for the PDP chairmanship position in the state", said Adik.

However, the immediate past governor of the state who is now representing Plateau North in the National Assembly, Senator Jonah David Jang, who had been alleged of being behind the imposition has exonerated himself from the zoning crisis, noting that as an elder statesman he would support whoever emerges as the chairman of the PDP in the state.

Jang in a press statement signed by his media aide, Clinton Garuba, said it was imperative to set the records straight and avoid the antics of a few people who wish to use falsehoods and deception to sway

Isn’t it mischievous that the very people who canvassed against the zoning of the state chairmanship in the first place, are turning round to accuse people of jettisoning the idea? unassuming party members.

The statement explained that following the failure of PDP in the state in the 2015 election, Jang had called for meetings of stakeholders to resolve the internal crisis in the party and to forge the way forward.

“During all the meetings that held, Jang had made it clear that all those contesting for positions in the next Executive Committee of the party were eminently qualified and possess the qualities to lead the party to victory in 2019, as such, he had no preferred candidates and would work with whosoever emerges as the Chairman and other EXCO members.

"As a loyal and disciplined party member and one of the elders of the party it was in the interest of the party not to support anyone before the congresses but work with anyone who emerges”, the statement reads.

Another chieftain of the party, Hon. Ayuba Pam Dangwong, also disagreed with the imposition idea and was of the view that party leaders do not only need to rethink their actions but must have a reflection on what went wrong in 2015.

“Before and well after the decisions

taken, some believed the party fell into the hands of a highly syndicated cabal that rendered the party ineffective at all levels. And we cried.

“Take it or leave it, Plateau State today is at crossroads. The unexpected happened last year. A state that had been voting PDP since 1999 suddenly voted out a PDP government, suggesting something went wrong.

"Foreclosing any reasonable thought, any neutral objective analyst would naturally ask, what went wrong? Who is to be blamed? Why and how? Many have proffered answers to these questions, but the truth remains that, majority of the Plateau people have pointed accusing fingers on the establishment or the authority.

“The simple answer is that it was the imposition and failure to respect the feelings of the people of the state and the manipulation of a clique that cost PDP the governorship", Dangwong said.

As for a former member of the House of Representative, Bitrus Kaze, who is also vying for the chairmanship seat, the zoning arrangement is a bid to get some of them out of the contest .

Kaze said: “A few persons are going about insinuating that I wouldn’t have complained if the purported attempt to zone the chairmanship seat to Riyom had favoured Jos East. Even if it favoured Jos East, what if this bad precedence is furthered by the local government chapter of the party to further zone the seat to an electoral ward other than the one I hail from?

“The principle of zoning as propounded by the founding fathers states that ‘in pursuant of the principles of equity, justice and fairness, the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels’.

“On Tuesday 29th March 2016, the SEC being the relevant level of the party in the instant case, approved the zoning of state chairmanship seat to Plateau North not Riyom. If the appropriate level to enforce the zoning of the state chairmanship were a senatorial zone, why didn’t Plateau North chapter of the party zone the seat to Riyom or any other area ahead of the SEC? The SEC has resolved that no senatorial district can override its decision in the name of consensus.

“Now that the PDP NEC has zoned Nigeria’s presidency to the North come 2019, are they suggesting that it will be justified for the 19 northern states to further zone the presidency to Kano or Katsina states?

Isn’t it mischievous that the very people who canvassed against the zoning of the state chairmanship in the first place, are turning round to accuse people of jettisoning the idea?

“In any case I have not jettisoned zoning, I accept the zoning of the chairmanship as approved by the SEC, being the appropriate body to enforce such zoning. This is what informs my decision to pursue this contest to its logical conclusion".

On his part, Senator representing the Southern Senatorial District of the state at the National Assembly, Senator Jeremiah Useni, while speaking in Langtang was full of praises for the party and the efforts so far made to correct the mistakes of the past, as he urged his people to continue to remain loyal to the PDP. Useni asked for complete loyalty from party faithful in his constituency, saying the leaders are currently trying to correct the past mistakes and pleaded for their understanding respect for leaders.

“Let there not be any rancour during the congresses and whoever wins should be celebrated and whoever loses should join hands with the winner. PDP will capture all the chairmanship seats in the coming local government elections, so always ensure peace and continue to work for the party”, he said, advising members to maintain discipline as they strive to get the PDP back to enviable heights.

Interview 47

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

APC manifesto won’t allow us to charge school fees –Benue SUBEB boss

How has it been since your assumption of duty?

Let me begin by emphasizing what is core in the minds of Governor Samuel Ortom and President Muhammadu Buhari and their body language. Education is paramount, it is an antidote against ignorance in Nigeria, against all forms of crime. The emphasis is on education. In Benue, it is primary education that is supposed to be the foundation, but it was the hard hit. When the foundation is not good enough, you can expect worst results. Universities and colleges of education graduates have poor ways of expressing themselves because of poor foundation.

The infrastructure was decaying, any person passing on the road or passing through the interior saw that we were the most backward. The structures had deteriorated, disintegrated.

Children sat where lizards competed with them. They sat in classes with open roofs and this had psychological effect on the children, parents and teachers.

Teachers will not find it conducive.

In fact, it required that federal and state

Ndukwe Oju Uka

O

governments should declare a state of emergency in that sector. That's why Governor Ortom has decided to draw the attention of stakeholders including parents, communities, teachers, pupils, workers, non-governmental organisations as well as education managers to the sorry situation by making the approval of the release of counterpart funds a priority.

Education is the bedrock of development; it should be placed in its proper place. Education should take the lead. It should be on first line charge. In all the 700 schools that would benefit from the projects, communities are represented, government will be touching parents' lives, also that of teachers; in fact, all the stakeholders attention would be drawn.

We want to review the promotion carried out on the basis of political patronage because teachers and the pupils form the bedrock of education and development Once we kick out ignorance, most of the problems would be sorted out.

What would the entire exercise entail?

It will involve renovation, construction and provision of facilities. That is why the state government is providing N3.8 billion, UBEC is to provide the other N3.8 billion. No one is going to manipulate the funds and projects.

Funds will be applied directly and we are insisting on project delivery. Contractors should not see it as patronage for politicians because all the classes of people will benefit from the contracts, which would be based purely on merit.

I am going to read riot act so that all the specifics will be met. In the past, some boreholes were not properly drilled but paid for. There is a special task force cum monitoring committee, they will see that work is done before payment, and every payment must be made based on jobs done.

Who would be the beneficiaries of the contracts?

The standards are there in the registration with the Federal Government, tax clearance is involved, registration with the state tenders board will also be there. The ICPC will be available because we do not to intend to bend rules.

Tachin

Perspective

Dr. Philip Tachin is the Executive Chairman, Benue State Universal Basic Education Board. In this interview, he marshaled plans that would enable him reposition primary education in the state and explained why Governor Samuel Ortom approved the release of N3.8 billion as counterpart fund for the provision of structures and facilities. Excerpts:

What are your plans for teachers' welfare?

We are not insensitive to the motivation of teachers. We are not insensitive to the remuneration of teachers. In fact, we want to review the promotion carried out on the basis of political patronage because teachers and the pupils form the bedrock of education and development. We are not going into the welfare aspect yet because infrastructure is in bad shape. Government is conscious of the issue of remuneration of teachers. His Excellency wants teachers to be proud of their jobs. When budget is passed, we will take it up.

We are doing a review of teacher’s promotion, not the political promotion done in the past. Once money comes in, we will implement it, offer them training so that a teacher does not shiver when a supervisor is round. We will pay salaries up to date. We will implement the promotions. If we announce the promotions now, we will be setting the cart before the horse. When we are set, we will do it.

Would Benue be able to run free primary education?

It is in the APC manifesto to run free primary education. Government does not intend to charge school fees. Even the feeding aspect, we have it in the plan that with time, we will mobilize communities to promote the free feeding policy. Government has no plan to introduce fees.

How will you be able to pay salaries?

As soon as money comes to us from the Bureau for Local Government, we will pay. We have trained the Internet people, the ICT people and the salary staff also. We are set, as soon as we start payment, all the teachers will be paid at the same time.

Teachers will know exactly how much their take home pay is. All the teachers will give us their email addresses so that we can send their pay slips electronically into their emails, so that some people will not stop their salaries unduly.

Now, who is afraid of who?

wing to the opening of proceedings on the petition filed

by Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu of the PPA against Chief Mao Ohuabunwa of PDP and INEC at the election petition tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Abia State. I was privileged to witness the mammoth crowd that came to the court in solidarity with OUK's quest to recover the stolen mandate that was wholeheartedly given to him by the people of Abia North.

This crowd as I mentioned is imcomparable to the times where people were either coerced, hired or sponsored to appear for an event by the current main opposition party in our country.

This crowd is a good example of

the confidence, believe, trust and the mandate duly recovered to enacceptance of OUK based on his able OUK start quick implementaachievement and political doggedtion of the many positive changes ness during and after his that are required to better tenure as the Abia State the lives of the Abia North Governor. people and Abia State at The mystery behind I and my team from large. the electoral fraud that We will continue to supNkporo in Ohafia L.G.A, the good people of Abia port OUK come rain, come was perpetrated against North and all those that shine and no amount of the people via the sham threats to lives, intimidafought gallantly in protecting the mandate that tions or blackmails can deter pronouncement of was given to OUK on us from expressing the civil March 5th, 2016 sincerely and fundamental rights of inconclusive and later individual on this hope that soon, very very concluded election by INEC each soon, the mystery behind course and also making sure the electoral fraud that that the democratic values would be unravelled was perpetrated against of our people are reinstated and protected accordingly. the people via the sham Meanwhile, we will conpronouncement of inconclusive and later concluded election tinue to remain steadfast and adby INEC would be unravelled and here strictly to OUK's sermon of

being law abiding citizens of this great nation even in the midst of unwarranted attacks, economic sabotage, provocations and unguided utterances by the main opposition party during and after the March, 5th Abia North senatorial rerun.

May God continue to guide us and open the eyes of those that are yet to see the good deeds of OUK during his tenure as Abia State Governor and also the immesurable dividends of democracy which is bound to come to both the old and young in Abia North, Abia State and Nigeria generally immediately after this mandate recovery process.

•Chief Ndukwe Oju Uka Oji a.k.a Okpotemba is the Deputy Campaign Chairman, OUK Campaign Committee in Ohafia L.G

48

Perspective

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Role of media in internal security operations

A

Abdulwaheed Odusile s the institution most likely to be involved in any form of internal security operation or low/high intensity conflict, it is good for the Nigerian Armed Forces as a body to know what role the media is expected to play in the reportage of such conflict and its own responsibility to the media toward achieving a fair reportage.

Understanding the media The media thrive on information and whoever provides that information, that is the source, is the reporter’s friend. The reporter does not have a permanent friend or enemy whoever it is that gives him that information to write his report (story) is his friend, and if he/she is such a reliable source, could be his friend for life, even outside the call of journalism.

In collecting the information, the reporter will have to crosscheck for its accuracy and fulfill all the other demands of the ethics of the profession, including balance and fairness. There are times he has to ascertain the motive of the source of the information first to know whether to believe or not. If he suspects the motive of the source, he may need to crosscheck over and over again with other sources who may know before filing his report. He needs to do this to convince himself that the report he is about sending to his editor is correct, accurate, truthful and fair. He has to convince himself that the story is true, because his editor relies on him, and whatever report he filed would be believed by the editor, any other report to the contrary will be circumspected by the editor.

The reporter, whether print or broadcast, works with deadline, he has to send the report on time, especially in this era of breaking news. He doesn’t have to wait for the time allotted to the news.

What this means is that you must take the peculiarities of the medium into consideration when dealing with a journalist.

A reporter wants the information immediately, even the emergence of online publication means that he also needs to file in his report immediately to meet the deadline.

In reality, to both the print and broadcast reporter, time is of the essence.

How to work with the media Knowing how to work with the media to get your message across is also important in getting to achieve your goal. In a situation of low intensity conflict, insurgency or internal security challenges as we currently have in Nigeria with the Boko Haram situation, members of the Nigerian armed forces especially those at the theatre of operation need to know how to work with the media, including the much maligned social media to get the message across to the society.

Making the information clear and unambiguous and on time to the reporter, is very essential to achieving your goal. There is no point denying the obvious. For example, it makes no sense denying there was no casualty in an explosion where corpses of the dead litter the area or where the number of the injured clearly overwhelms the medical facilities. You can make the best of a bad situation by coming out clean, explain how and why it happened, in spite of your best efforts, and seek the understanding of the media. If the military fails to give journalists the correct and accurate information, they will get it elsewhere and it might not help the cause. Try to cultivate the reporter so as to have his ears always.

Embedded Journalism Integrating the media into the fighting forces could also be a way of getting the best out of the media in the coverage/ reportage of conflicts. Made famous by the

Allied Forces in the first Iraqi war, embedded journalism as the practice was later to be known, gave western media first hand access to the theatre of operation during the war and afforded them the opportunity of reporting the conflict very well and bringing it vividly to the home of everybody around the world. This afforded the audience back home to know/see and appreciate the efforts being made by their soldiers to bring the conflict to a quick end. It not only boosted the image and prestige of the military, it also gave them a large say/influence in policies back home.

Nigeria tried it with ECOMOG during the Liberian civil war, but unfortunately the Nigerian media lost some of the reporters that were so embedded, particularly Messrs Kris Imodibe and Tayo Awotusin of The Guardian and Champion newspapers respectively. May their souls rest in perfect peace. But the appetite for embedded journalism has not waned and even some journalists are embedded by the military in the current fight against the Boko Haram insurgency.

Conflict sensitive journalism/peace journalism One of the cardinal principles of peace journalism is how media professionals can use the media pro-actively to help the complex process of conflict management and transformation to peaceful co-existence, and that while examining the ethical issues involved in reporting conflict, how can the media best play a constructive role in conflict and Post Conflict Scenarios?

Journalists should develop a thorough understanding of conflicts and convey that understanding to their audiences and readers in a way that reflects the truth of the conflicts in all their complexities. Similarly they should identify common ground, examine and evaluate any effort made at resolving such conflicts as well as the dynamics at play, and in doing so, they should know that their audiences and readers need to be provided with a foundation upon which to make informed judgments about the parties involved and in the process help to deescalate tension and help the government in taking meaningful decisions.

Journalists should strive at all times to give accurate representation of the causes of conflicts whenever and where ever they occur. Media professionals must brace up for the challenges ahead, especially since they are expected to participate in the process of social reconstruction and democratization in the aftermath of any conflict by providing a positive and participatory forum for the exchange of ideas, democracy and nation building.

Any attempt to deviate from the ethics of the profession will not augur well for the nation. Since the role of the media in Nigeria’s emerging democracy is central, media professionals must maintain the highest possible standards in their practice.

Peace building is a continuous exercise needing “constant investment, re-investment and counter-investment”. Journalists must guard against hate journalism and rather embark on development journalism.

The role of the media in peace promotion or conflict escalation has been heightened by a number of factors which include ownership and funding, editorial policy and the regulatory agencies. We recommend to participants peace journalism as an instrument to promote peace and reduce conflict to the barest minimum. The military needs to partner with the media in giving out information that promotes peace.

The media in managing conflicts have a vital role to play in nation building, because they are veritable instruments and are therefore central to any input-output functions of any political system.

The constraints of the media in this re-

with government or be fair to both sides, by bringing the truth to the public, not minding whose ox is gored, in accordance with the ethics of the profession and the code of practice.

This is a tricky terrain and the reporter has to rely on his experience, training, sense of patriotism and dictates of the ethics of his profession to know what to write/publish and what to leave out.

Both the government and the terrorists are competing for his attention understanding and support. In the face of all these, journalists need protection

Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai

NUJ President, Waheed Odusile

gard include, lack of conducive environment, mass poverty, and lack of adequate training and anti-media laws.

Terrorism The FBI definition of terrorism says that “terrorism is the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce government, the civilian population, or any segment therefore, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”

Terrorism therefore essentially tries to negate the existence of political power.

What do terrorists want from journalists?

With their objectives not often clearly spelt out, terrorists demand of journalists to publish their side of the conflict without question. In most cases these are mere propaganda. They want their attrocities broadcast/published just to strike fear into the populace and perhaps force the hands of government into either negotiating or surrendering.

This is often a difficult proposition for the journalists because it runs counter to the provisions and demands of the ethics of the journalism profession but he nonetheless has to navigate this treacherous terrain to get his story across. At times it results in fatal consequences.

What does the government want from journalists?

To the government, the journalists should blackout whatever is coming from the other side or at best give it a minor mention. But how do you report a large terrorist attack that claimed hundreds of lives in a minor way? Definitely, this is not possible or even realistic.

So the reporter is between the devil and the blue sea. To be “patriotic” by siding

Protecting journalists in a dangerous and changing world Journalists are exposed to more danger in violent armed conflict than in peace and stable situations. Threats and attacks against the media are aimed at inducing fear and self censorship. These are the basic strategies of authoritarian regimes and not democracies like in most African countries. The recourse sometimes to fierce and lethal counter reactions to reports by journalists who would challenge the statusquo or reveal discomfiting truths would not augur well for democracy.

The systematic, flagrant and widespread violations of international law in situations of armed conflict constitutes a threat to peace and security, especially the deliberate targeting of journalists, media personnel and associated personnel which is a violation of international law.

Way forward Governments must remove obstacles to journalism. They must not restrict unnecessarily, the freedom of movement of journalists or compromise the right of news media to gather, produce and disseminate information in secure and safe conditions.

People must keep their hands off media. Everyone should respect the physical integrity of journalists and media staff at work. Physical interference with filming or other journalistic work must be prohibited.

It should be made a point of duty to include training on safety and security in the curricular of Schools of Journalism in the country. Journalists who are practicing must equally receive training and retraining on safety and security as a deliberate policy if we desire to reduce the prevalent rate of impunity against media professionals and media equipment. The media as the conscience of the nation cannot be neglected, abused or frustrated. It is therefore very important to call for a comprehensive welfare package for journalists which should be enshrined in well negotiated conditions of service that will include a comprehensive insurance cover.

The media should help prevent the circulation and broadcasting of propaganda, inflammatory materials, hate materials and damaging rumour, which can destroy communities and prevent the building of trust.

Journalists are advised to give accurate and unbiased representation of facts in a conflict situation, just as they are expected to participate in the process of social reconstruction and democratisation in the aftermath of any conflict.

We advocate for the promotion of community/rural media, so that more people will have access to media information.

Timeliness should not be an excuse for unbalanced report as journalists should ensure that they uphold truth, justice, objectivity and accuracy in their reportage.

Irrespective of media ownership, journalists must always uphold and abide by the ethics of the profession.

•Odusile is the National President, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

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16 APRIL 2016

Young Telegraph with DEBORAH MAKOJI

The game of 'devil basket'

I have a few embarrassing moments and they are stock in my brain. I attended a birthday party during my secondary school days, my first party to be precise, they played a game called 'devil's basket' so I picked a paper from the basket I was asked to read and follow the instructions, mine was to pick a guy and see the colour of boxers he was putting on.

SULE MAWEDOBOJO

Question

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

A lady slapped me

My most embarrassing moment so far was when a lady slapped me for no just cause at a party. Well, the luck she had that day was the fact that she is of the weaker sex. It was quite embarrassing though because there so many people there.

MAX UTI

A guy turned down my card

I don’t have one

I don’t know if I should count it as the most embarrassing moment but I felt bad when a guy turn down my complementary card.

I don’t have any embarrassing moment because I have for long learnt to accept and appreciate whatever comes my way.

YEMI ADESINO

When I added excess salt to a meal

What was your most embarrassing moment?

GRACE OCHENI

None that I can remember

That was after so much bragging with my friends that I could cook. There was excess salt in the food to the extent that we could not eat it. I felt so embarrassed because we invited from campus to dine with us that evening.

I have had so many of them but I cannot recall which is the most embarrassing. My embarrassing moments are so many.

NOAH JOAN

ANN EDIBO

When the sole of my shoe pulled off

None yet

I was preparing to go and minister but on getting to the altar that day, the sole of my shoes pulled off so I had to hand over the microphone to my colleague then got super glue to hold it together since I could not find a cobbler.

For now, I don’t have any, I don’t know if they will come with time but I pray against it anyway. I am sure I will not have any because I am very careful.

LOVETH PAUL

JOHN ODE

ATM failed to dispense cash

I will say my most embarrassing moment was the day I could not pay my transport fare. I promised the cyclist that I will pay the money when we get to my destination but ATM failed to dispense.

I don’t have any because I count whatever happens to me as a blessing.

JOY ABU

BLESSING DAJILI

I don’t have any

50 News

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Sacked YABATECH bursar faults mgt on N1.6bn fraud

Kayode Olanrewaju

T

he sacked Bursar of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Mr. Olusegun Ibirogba, has described the fresh allegation of missing N1.6 billion levelled against him and six others as outright mischief by the management of the college.

The management of the college, in a statement by the spokesman for the institution, Dr. Charles Oni, said Ibirogba and Mr. Charles Akhariya, and five affected officers are to account for missing funds said to have been allegedly stolen from the coffers of the college between 2008 and 2013.

But Ibirogba, who spoke through a telephone interview, described the allegation as an outright mischief, calculated to demean his personality.

The money, according to a committee set up by the management to audit the College Students Account Section of the Bursary, based on questions raised

by Adebayo Arowolo & Co Auditing firm, found that about N1,682,806,539 was unaccounted for within the period.

Chairman of the investigation committee, Mr. Joseph Akeju, said Ibirogba and his colleagues –Akhariya,

Mrs. Onabanjo Olukorode, Azeez Ajewole, Michael Oyenola, Amu Foluke, Egbemi Chinwe and Florence Egbeni – jointly carted away both the software and hard copies of records of payment and other records from the Student Account Section of the bursary.

The statement quoted Akeju as saying in the report: “Although, that made the assignment tedious, but because of the commitment of the committee members, we were able to collect data from the registry on students’ enrolment, bank reconciliation reports, interview with both bursary and registry staff, we were able to get results.

“Comparing the actual with the expected earnings between 2008 and 2009, the committee found that the variance in 2008 was N108, 393,665. The variance for 2009 was N119, 807,030 and the figures continued to increase toN656, 376,570 in 2013.”

Akeju blamed the theft of huge sums of money from the bursary during the period covered by the investigation when Ibirogba and Akharayi were bursar and head of student section respectively on “the throwing up of strangers into the bursary unit to boss their seniors and rampage the system,” a serious infringement of the system.

But, to Ibirogba, the head of the investigation committee, Akeju, is the former bursar of the college and was

sacked in 2009, after spending more than 11 years in office beyond the stipulated 10-year term for a bursar.

“The same Akeju was reemployed two months ago by the incumbent Rector, Dr. Margaret Kudirat Ladipo, apparently to carry out her hatchet job,” he said, arguing: “If the documents were carted away as alleged by the management, what has the college done to other officers who are still in the service of the institution, except himself (Ibirogba) and Akhariya that had been unjustly sacked by the management,” he queried.

Akeju said in the commit-

tee’s report that Ibirogba, who was brought in from the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, and became a bursar a few months before the incumbent Rector assumed office was allegedly given accelerated promotion, and allowed to bring into the system, six other accountants from his former institution.

“These were the people he used to circumvent the system and turned the Student Accounts Section to his fiefdom between 2008 and 2013,” the college alleged.

According to the financial expert, Ibirogba used his hirelings to block the control system and circumvent the audit control mechanism thereby

allowing leakage in the revenue accruing to the College.

“Normal account reconciliation became nonexistent as the Student Accounts Section became a sacred cow where nobody dare ventured contrary to Section 2501 and 2502 of the Financial Regulation of 2009.”

Akeju described what happened between 2008 and 2013 as a period of locust ravage in the College. There were no records of students payment in any guise, no record of payment for hostel, bank records were concealed as the section operated its own cash book, no record of money collected through the

FG has no reason to be broke –US tax expert Bayo Akomolafe

A

United States tax expert, Marshal Sulayman, has said with the nation’s quantum endowments and resources, Nigeria has no business being poor if it manages its tax regime appropriately.

Sulayman, a principal partner, Deloitte Tax LLP, Houston Texas, made the statement while delivering the Faculty of Management Sciences of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technol-

ogy, Ogbomoso maiden lecture. The lecture titled: Future of Mobility and Implications of Fuel Taxes: US Experience and consequences on Nigerian Economy, was held at the university’s Tunde Afolabi Hall, Ogbomoso.

The tax expert said that government had no business being poor or broke; noting that fuel taxes alone grosses the US government billions of dollars, annually.

He, however, stressed that such healthy tax regime may not be realised until the government properly defines first, analyse and work transparently on every collected tax.

He insisted that Nigerians must pay their taxes both as individuals’ income and corporate, even as he emphasised on the need to essentially scrutinise government’s utilisation of collected taxes in the overall interest of infrastructural development and maintenance.

“It is easy to find solutions to the fuel situation in the country. It’s easy. You only need to first define the problem, analyse and accurately identify what came together, to constitute the problem.

“In my 19 years of living in the US, I have never for once had to queue for hours to get

‘Restore N60bn rail project in 2016 budget’ Babatope Okeowo Akure

A

s controversy over the 2016 budget between the executive and National Assembly rages, a bi-partisan caucus in Ondo State yesterday asked for the restoration of coastal rail project in the budget for the benefit of the Niger Delta region.

The group known as Liberal Platform Caucus comprising leaders of All Progressive sCongress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and other political groupings as well as resident professionals in the state threw its weight behind the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari on the restoration of the sum of N60 billion proposed for the coastal rail project in the 2016 budget.

The caucus in a statement signed by its Chairman and Secretary, Chief Demola Ijabiyi and Mr. Tunji Ariyomo, said the Calabar-Lagos Rail Project would open a new economic frontier in Nigeria with the attendant benefits of massive job creation, emergence of new businesses along the rail corridor with access to sea.

Also, it said it would provide alternative transportation for haulage and commuting

while reducing present heavy vehicular traffic on the weak Calabar/Uyo/Ikot-Ekpene, Port-Harcourt/Yenagoa/ Warri, Benin/Ifon/Idoani, Benin/Ifon/Owo/Akure and Benin/Ore/Shagamu highways.

The caucus said for the people of the State, the planned Calabar-Lagos rail line is some big news that calls for celebration as it would service towns within the sunshine state in addition to other towns and villages along its route from Calabar to Lagos.

The caucus, which has in its rank notable professionals, former Federal Ministers, Senators, House of Representative members, Commissioners, Special Advisers, veteran journalists, seasoned academics and business leaders, called on all sons and daughters of the State in the 8th National Assembly regardless of party affiliation to rise up and ensure that this iconic legacy project is not shunted by vested interest.

Leaders of the group appealed to all members of the National Assembly to have a re-think in the national interest since this project is strategic to the diversification, growth and development of the economy.

They added that there should not be any controversy and lengthy debates on the project.

Unified Matriculation Examination and bank records were not detailed. Worse still, Akharayi refused to hand over to his successor in office which is tantamount to annihilation of record and an attempt to cover up wrong doings.”

Receiving the report, the Rector, Ladipo, expressed dismay at the level of fraud allegedly perpetuated by the sacked bursar.

“It is evidently clear now that it is corruption fighting back as we make efforts to clear the ugly past left in the college by fraudsters thrusting themselves up as “Whistle blowers.” It is so sad.

fuel. That means they are doing something right; and we are doing something wrong.

“So, you just have to apply your senses, it is not complicated. The appropriate tax regime should also be able to ensure that there is an equitable distribution of impact.

“I don’t expect that if I am driving a Toyota Camry or a Corolla I should be made to pay the same thing as someone that is driving a Mercedes truck 911. If you look at the factors responsible for the damaged roads; part of it is because of the weight of the vehicles, especially of the trucks."

L-R: Chief Whip, Lagos State House of Assembly, Rotimi Abiru; the Majority Leader, Sanai Agunbiade; Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa; and the Deputy Majority Leader, Olumuyiwa Wahab Jimoh, at a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the assembly on ensuring safety water transportation in the state…yesterday

FCT ICPC urges Nigerians to fight corruption

NEWS IN BRIEF

ST

IKORODU

Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr. Ekpo Nta, has said Nigerians must resolve to reduce corruption to the barest minimum by eschewing and acting against it.

He stated this yesterday, while speaking to participants of 21st session of Policy, Strategy and Leadership course of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, Plateau State, at the commission`s headquarters in Abuja.

The course, which was initiated eight years ago

by NIPSS, is aimed at creating a critical means of getting technocrats involved in policy making for national development.

Speaking on “The Role of ICPC in the War Against Corruption: Mandate, Strategies and Challenges”, Nta said corruption was a huge challenge that confronted the nation and manifested at all levels.

3,717.4m

The total population of Asia region in 2000.

Source: Un.org

Chamber tasks LASG on Odogunyan Industrial Estate

BIRNIWA

The Ikorodu Chamber of Commerce and Industry has appealed to the Lagos State Government to upgrade the Odogunyan Industrial Estate for improved economic activities.

The Director-General of the chamber, Mr. Tope Oluwaleye, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos.

“For example, the road to the estate is in deplorable state. There is no water supply to the estate while power supply to the estate is being diverted by other bigger estates in the vicinity.

“The Odogunyan Industrial Estate is for small and medium entrepreneurs, but there are other bigger estates within which have hijacked most of the amenities,” he said.

₦N805m

The amount of money given out by the FG as bailout to rescue Overland from bankruptcy.Source: New Telegraph Newspaper

Birniwa LGA procures N4m hand pumps repair kits

Chairman, Birniwa Local Government Area of Jigawa State, Alhaji Danladi, yesterday said the council had spent N4 million to procure hand pumps repair kits to improve water supply.

Gambo, who said this in Birniwa in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), stated that the council had repaired about 200 hand pumps.

The chairman explained that the council had also undertaken turn around maintenance of 40 electric power generators at its water works.

He reiterated the council’s commitment to ensure adequate water supply to the people of the Local Government.

€88.3m

The estimated transfer value of Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid in 2016. Source: 101greatgoals.com

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

W

hat’s not to love about exercise?

The endorphin highs? The calories burned? The uncanny feeling that your lungs are seizing up, your legs are falling off and you are melting into a pile of foul-smelling sweat?

Believe it or not, you can learn to have fun in the gym (or on the treadmill, courts or the aerobics class or the yoga studio).

Besides being the best way to make your every-now-and-then workouts into a legitimate routine, people who enjoy their workouts reap more of exercise’s mental benefits, including lower stress levels and a decreased risk of depression.

1.

Don’t compare yourself to others Sure, there’s such a thing as healthy competition. But many women use comparisons to get down on themselves. We do it at work, at home and, yes, at the gym. The resulting negative self-talk— “she’s so much thinner than me! I’ll never be that fast!”. It is important not to compare yourself to anyone else. Go at your own pace and gradually build your fitness level.

2.

Work out with friends While some women prefer to work out solo, a lot of women who haven’t considered exercising fun in the past find that working out with others can make it feel more like a girls’ night out. Study has overtime showed that when team members exercised together, their bodies released much more feelgood endorphins than when they worked out solo. Before extending any invitations for a workout date, consider which friends will help to push you along and make exercising a positive experience 3.

Play to your workout Personality A lot of people say they hate working out because they haven’t found a routine that matches their personality style.Take an inventory of your likes and dislikes: Do you like your workouts to be social, or do you really want some alone time? What about fast-paced workouts? Or do slow paced workout in your routine? Air conditioning or the outdoors? Use the answers to determine what types of exercise to try next. “As fitness junkie who has tried everything under the sun, I can say the only way to find out what you like is to be open and try new things,” 4.

Reframe exercise as a reward If you view exercise as a punishment for that ice cream, burger or that fries you just had, you are setting yourself up to approach exercise with a sense of guilt and disappointment, Studies has shown that women found that the more dissatisfied they were with their bodies, the less likely they were to exercise. “Conversely, if you view exercise

Dad's Corner

Deborah Makoji

T

he modern day father comes in various forms. today’s fathers are no longer the traditional married bread-

In The GYM

51

With Abiola Jewoola

biola_y2k@yahoo.com

Make your workout time funtime

as a reward for a hard day of work or as a time for stress relief, you begin to build the mindset for optimal enjoyment 5.

Crank up the Music This might be the easiest way to give your workout enjoyment an instant boost.

Music can help motivate you during a workout. It can also help take your mind off of soreness and fatigue by keeping you grounded in your workout .For example, studies have shown that your energy level tend to increase when you listen to music while working out. That’s why you are able to perform more on that aerobic session listening to your favourite music. So the next time you want to work out put

on your favourite play list.

6.Change your routine every few weeks.

If you've been working out with the same routine for a few weeks in a row, you might begin to feel bored. Your progress might also plateau, without any continued weight loss or muscle gain. Changing up your exercise routine can help avoid these workout pitfalls and keep your workout fresh and productive.

Your body's muscles adjust and adapt to a workout routine in about six to eight weeks.

If you don't change up your routine, you may find that your progress stalls after this period. One easy way to alter your routine is by increasing the intensity of your workouts.

Role of the modern dad winner and disciplinarian in the family, they can be single or married; externally employed or stay at home or straight, an adoptive or step-parent and a more than capable caregiver to children facing physical or psychological challenges.

Two to three centuries ago, fathers’ roles were primarily to serve as breadwinners and the conveyers of moral values and religious education to their children. However, with the advent of industrialization and urbanization and as factories emerged as major sources of employment, fathers became distanced from the household and their families.

In more recent decades, the changing economic role of women has greatly impacted the role of fathers. Modern dads have a closer bond with their children than they had with their own fathers. An appreciable number of modern dads believe they enjoy a better relationship with their children than they experienced. Modern dads also make more effort to spend time with their children, communicate more frequently and effectively with them and create interests that can be commonly shared.

Children demand more of their father’s time and care regardless of whether they are the main breadwinner and modern dads increasingly view this as an opportunity to be better parents rather than simply a challenge in juggling work-life balance Simply putting food on the table just doesn't cut it anymore for fathers. Families expect much more of fathers today, especially now that there are more working mothers. Children demand more of their father’s time and care regardless of whether they are the main breadwinner and modern dads increasingly view this as an opportu-

You can do this by adding more weights (if you lift weights) or by walking/running/ biking faster and/or farther in short bursts (sometimes called interval training) If you walk, add some light jogging. If you jog or run, add some sprinting intervals by setting your sights on a target ahead of you and sprinting as fast as you can.

Then resume your normal jogging/running/walking speed.

Sometimes just changing up the sequence of your workout can help make a difference. You'll essentially be retraining your muscles in a new pattern, which can help break out of your old, repetitive routine.

nity to be better parents rather than simply a challenge in juggling work-life balance.

In the past, it was more common for mothers to handle household tasks, like cooking or taking care of children while father provide the money needed for the children’s up keep but such no longer the case.

Research on the role of fathers suggests that the influence of father love on children's development is as great as the influence of a mother's love. Fatherly love helps children develop a sense of their place in the world, which helps their social, emotional and cognitive development and functioning. Moreover, children who receive more love from their fathers are less likely to struggle with behavioral or substance abuse problems.

The modern day fathers can contribute to his children’s well-being by maintaining a healthy relationship with the other parent even in cases of divorce; providing emotional and financial support, appropriate monitoring and discipline and most importantly by remaining a permanent and loving presence in their lives.

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Perspective

16 APRIL 2016

Unreliable marriage proposal

s a single lady, how do you tell whether or not a man who has promised to marry you is serious about his proposal? How do you determine whether he is a marriage material?

Yes, “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

It is true that you need God to make this destiny decision but you have a role and there are obvious signals which no wise lady should ignore. When a guy who has promised to pay your bride prize has dated you for close to one year but has never asked you any questions regarding your parental background, relatives or even your geographical roots; when he has never met or spoken to your parents or any of your relatives and is not considering doing it, such marriage proposal is very unreliable. It even becomes more obvious when he loses interest or changes the topic each time you bring up such issues.

When the guy who addresses you as his fiancée is never available at your point of assistance need, such as illness or depression; and hardly even notices a reflection of anomaly in your voice or phone, then, your closeness has a question mark.

When your ‘husband to be’ is never bothered about your feelings or your expression of dislike for certain negative actions he takes and even walks out on you with ease frequently, this marriage proposal is unreliable.

You do not need any prophet to tell you that a man who never notices your personal challenges in career, finance and other areas, and hardly remembers things

News Extra

S

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

ome lawyers in Lagos yestderday reacted to the ongoing amendment of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Act by the Senate, describing it as selfserving and unacceptable.

The lawyers, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the amendment was ill-timed and a breach of public trust.

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is currently being tried for alleged false declaration of assets by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

The bill to amend the CCT Act, has within 48 hours, scaled the second reading in the upper chamber.

The Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikorodu Branch, Lagos State, Mr. Dotun Adetunji, said the amendment of the CCT Act at this point was a ``shameful act.’’

He said any amendment to a law based on vested interest was contrary to the rule of law and the ethics of good governance.

“This action of the Senate while its president is undergoing trial at the CCT is a shameful act. ''It is also a slap on the generality of Nigerians that voted them into office and a breach of the trust expected of them. This move by the Senate will not put this na-

Marriage Clinic with Albinus Chiedu 08038117704 (sms only) marriagecanwork@yahoo.com like your birth date even after several reminders, is not meant to be your husband.

It is even more worrisome if he ALWAYS has excuses for being absent from outings where you wish you are together such as siblings’ weddings, mother’s birthday, father’s burial ceremony, etc.

When the man who proposed to marry you always prefers to share moments with his friends instead of you at the times when he has to choose between you and them, then, his marriage proposal is not reliable.

From his utterances and attitudes, a man shows you that he believes that all women have the same character and that you are not different from other women.

The man is not preparing to be your own husband.

A man who gets angry at you whenever you complain about a particular unacceptable attitude he displays and even threatens the relationship because of that, is not serious about marrying you. If he is the type that assaults you physically when he is angry with you, leaving you with scars and wounds on your body parts, it would amount to foolishness if you go ahead to marry him and endanger your life just for the sake of having a husband.

If the man who proposed to marry you always claims to be right during a conflict and never apologises to you even when his wrongness or fault is exposed, his marriage proposal to you if accepted, would be a ladder for climbing into a marital life without joy.

If the man that proposed to marry you will never give you access to his mobile phone or text messages, there is a problem.

If the man who promised to marry you is not comfortable with your commitment to the things of God or tries to discourage you from your normal Christian activities like prayers, bible studies, evangelism, and so on, he is not ready for marriage.

If he frowns at your actions that involve defence of righteousness such as avoiding fraudulent activities in your office or business, standing for the truth even under pressure, avoiding ungodly association and so on, he cannot be your husband in a joyful marriage. If he says he will not marry you unless he has sex with you, that is sinful and dangerous.

If he is the type that tries to discourage you from life’s progressive ventures like further education, there is a problem. If he gives you impression that you are not going to be a factor in any critical decision

concerning the marriage when you get married, please, review your relationship with him.

If the man you refer to as your ‘husband to be’ is the type that uses your honestly confessed negative past against you each time he has the opportunity, he is not your friend. If your ‘husband to be’ has the habit of showing you disrespect because of some negative features of your parents or relatives, who are different from you in character, he is not your friend. Your marriage can only be joyful if you marry a true friend; someone who marries you for who you are and not what you have do not have.

I could go on and on with signals of a marriage proposal that is not reliable but “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7).

Read the book, MAKING YOUR MARRIAGE WORK by Albinus Chiedu and get more details on choosing a life partner and courtship guides. You can also reach me via contacts above this piece.

Your marriage shall be a miracle and a testimony in Jesus name. Amen.

For questions, prayers, personal counselling, seminars, wedding ministration, etc, CONTACT: The Coordinator, MARRIAGE CAN WORK MINISTRY Mobile: +234-8038117704 E-mail: marriagecanwork@yahoo.com; marriagethings@gmail.com P. O. Box, 13188, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria

CCT Bill: Lawyers divided over amendment tion in good standing in the international community,” he told NAN. According to him, the amendment of the CCT Act by the Senate will not in any way bring Nigeria close to a sane society.

“The rule of law is supposed to create a sane society and that is why its principles aim to ensure that a nation is

governed by law and not by men’s self-serving interests.

“The international community and Nigerians in the Diaspora should raise their voices in addition to all of us within the country to condemn this move by the Senate,” the NBA chief added.

Another lawyer, Mr. Ataene Spurgeon, said although the National Assem-

bly was empowered by the statute books to make laws for the country, the amendment of the CCT Act might be a “coincidence.”

“The amendment of the Code of Conduct Tribunal Act is a `coincidence’ with the trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.”

“If the laws establishing the Code of Conduct Bureau

and the Code of Conduct Tribunal are faulty, it becomes necessary for the sake of the good governance to amend the same.

“If three judges ought to sit on a particular tribunal and there are only two judges presently sitting, then there is a gap in the law which needs to be addressed for the future,” he also told NAN.

For Mr Ola Ogunbiyi, the amendment should not affect the trial of the senate president.

“The trial can only be affected if the trial is stalled till after the amendment.

The Senate can at any point amend the law, that it is being amended at this point in time is not an issue.

“The law begins to take its course the day it is signed into law; it is not going to be retrospective.''

FG tasks traditional institutions on peace ‘Include Lagos-Calabar Rail Line project in 2016 budget’

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he Federal Government yesterday tasked the state and traditional institutions in Plateau State to work towards sustainability of peace in the state.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji. Lai Mohammed, gave the charge at the 2016 Nzem Berom festival held at Rwang Pam Township hall, Jos. Mohammed noted that the revival of the festival after eight years it was suspended for security concerns, was an indication that peace had returned to the state.

He urged the authority, traditional institutions and the people in general to sustain the peaceful coex-

istence.

“The resuscitation of this festival, which heralds the rains and a bumper harvest, is a very powerful message to the world that peace is back on the Plateau, which remains a foremost home of culture and tourism.

“Culture, of which festival is a subset, is a strong instrument of unity, especially in a country with such a rich diversity as ours.

“When you understand a people's culture, you respect them more, thus reducing the areas of friction.

I have no doubt that with the good works of the state government, the wisdom of His Royal Majesty and the commitment to peace by all the good people of Plateau,

peace and tranquility will be sustained in this beautiful land,” he said.

The minister noted that the festival came at an auspicious time his ministry was collaborating with the British Council and the Tony Elumelu Foundation on the development of the sector.

He said they were mapping out all the creative arts and the various cultural festivals across the country to bring culture from the margins to the mainstream to create a huge economy.

“Under the collaboration, there will be training for all festival managers and creative artists to put them in better stead to raise the profile of their festivals and arts.

Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

T

he immediate past Commissioner for Health in Rivers State, Dr. Sampson Parker, has urged the National Assembly to revisit the issue of the Lagos-Calabar rail line project and include it in the 2016 budget in the interest of the ordinary Nigerian.

While reacting to the controversy generated by the budget misunderstanding or debacle which has resulted in omission or cancellation of the proposed Lagos-Calabar rail line in the 2016 budget, Parker in a statement issued in Abuja

yesterday said the executive and legislative arms of government agreed that there was a plan for a rail line that will run from Lagos to Calabar regardless of the argument of whether it was included in the budget or cancelled.

He said: “Whatever be the argument as to whether it was included in the budget or not, the executive and legislative arms of government agree that there is a plan for a rail line that will run from Lagos to Calabar.

This project is supposed to be financed with a loan from the Chinese government.

Nigeria’s role is to provide counterpart funding.

Perspectives

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Our potpourri of jokes and jokers Waheed Bakare “C heck who’s at the door.”

“It's uncle Chuks sir.”

“At this time? That aluta boy wants to disturb my peace with argument this night. Ok, let him come in.”

“Good evening sir.”

“What’s good in the evening? What’s that joke that you people put on the Facebook about Governor Ayo Fayose? How can you people pick a photograph of a market scene in a film where a Cameroonian actor squatted in front of a lady selling pears with exposed cleavages and claimed that the actor is Fayose? That was uncharitable. That’s why some people don’t do your Facebook stuff.

“Uncle, but I didn’t start that joke for God’s sake…”

“But you also shared it on your wall because I saw it. I expect you to be far from the maddening crowd.”

“What will you say about some of your journalist friends who also shared it on their walls too? Are they not supposed to know better? I think your social media and social responsibility mantra should even start from the media. By the way, why are you defending Fayose? He is a ‘Jonathanian’.

He criticises President Buhari all the time.”

“And when has it become a sin to criticise the President? I told you I am for constructive criticisms. I know that Fayose has a penchant for going to the markets but that is not enough to tell lies about a picture and the thing went viral on the internet within seconds. Can’t you people do self regulation if nobody regulates what goes on on the social media?”

“Sir, is going to the markets by the governor part of the populist agenda you talked about last week and is there anything wrong with that?”

“A governor can be populist but too much of it will end up creating problems in

I

on Saturday

09056089320 (sms only) waheedbakare2003@yahoo.com the long run. When last did Fayose line up people on the street to give them stomach infrastructure? How long can he sustain it in view of the harsh economic reality we are now grappling with? Economic empowerment is the key thing.”

“I agree with you sir. The man owes four months' salaries.”

“Is he the only one? It seems you don’t like the man. Osun owes six months mind you.”

“So, pupils can’t get free uniforms and free meals they hitherto enjoyed in the past in Osun?”

“Chuks, it's worse that parents cannot even feed their families because they are being owed salaries. You can see the problem with populist agenda. While will government create all manner of jobs just because they want to satisfy the electorate?”

“I didn’t get that. Government should not provide jobs?”

“They should concentrate on providing the enabling environment: stable power, security and incentives for investors and investors will provide the jobs. All these populist agenda won’t take government anywhere.”

“How about those clamouring for creation of more states?”

“They are jokers. Why create more states when the existing ones cannot cre-

atively generate revenue without going cap in hand to Abuja? If the majority of them are insolvent why do we have to create more?”

“I think Benue State is trying to be creative sir in revenue generation.”

“How?” “The state’s internal revenue service will now be charging private residents N50, 000 and private business outfits N150, 000 tax for using generators. They said the money would be used to maintain the ozone layer to avoid natural disasters.”

“You call such bunkum creativity? My friend,that’s stupidity. I don't know why government wants to take people for a ride. You don’t give them electricity, yet they pay. They still struggle to buy fuel for their generators and you want to charge them doing that under the pretext that the gas which emits from their generators will destroy the ozone layer. This is despicable!”

“Sir, since you talked about constructive criticisms, do you think the PDP did well in that area especially at the peak of no fuel, no electricity crisis?”

“They did not? They did not put on their thinking cap. Criticism is not about making uncouth noise in the media. They should have organised ‘Occupy Nigeria’ just like the All Progressives Congress and civil society groups did in 2014. You know that protest signalled the beginning of the

end for the Jonathan’s administration.”

“That’s my quarrel with the spokesman for the PDP, they didn’t take full advantage of the crisis.”

“But Oliseh Metuh has more than enough on his hands for now.”

“Who is talking about Metuh?”

“Sir, he is the spokesman for the party?”

“Fayose took over that position after the PDP lost the presidential election. Are you not aware?”

“Ha, you don’t like these people. They will all rot in jail. The DSS will clamp them in detention. They may even label them as terrorists. That will be too risky under this DSS.” “Look here, nothing will happen.”

“Something will happen o. Go ask the IPOB.” “What concerns IPOB?” “Why are you saying this? We had DSS under Jonathan and they didn’t do that.

Although I must admit that Maryln Ogar, the DSS spokesperson, acted more like the image maker of the PDP.” “Things have changed o.”

“How?” “Did you not read it in the newspaper that they said IPOB killed five Hausa-Fulani men and buried them in a shallow grave at a forest called Umuanyi in Abia State?”

“They must have carried out DNA tests on the corpses before levelling such a weighty allegation.”

“DSS did not say so. May be they only used their crystal ball to know that the corpses are those of Hausa-Fulani.”

“That is dangerous. You don’t do that in a heterogeneous society like ours where there is a mutual suspicion among the ethnic groups. These people should not set the country on fire o.”

“Uncle, you are becoming a radical o.”

“No, I am being rebellious against any system that is anti-people.”

Ranieri: ‘Tinker man’who's nearly there

f there was ever a person and club that epitomises the very unpredictable nature of football than that must be Claudio Ranieri and Leicester City.

From September 2000 to June 2004, the 64-year-old Italian managed Chelsea and guided them to the Champions League semi-final and FA Cup final during his spell at Stamford Bridge.

But rather than be applauded for this feat, Ranieri was often the butt of ridicule, especially by the very fickle English media which dubbed him the ‘Tinker Man’ because of his fondness of tinkering with his teams week in week out.

Perhaps the low point of his Blues reign was when he failed to provide the ambitious new owner of Chelsea, Roman Abramovich with a UEFA Champions League final ticket after his side lost to the less fancied Monaco in the semi-finals.

And so the curtains were drawn on his first foray into Premier League football in the summer of 2004 when Abramovich opted to place his faith in one Jose Mourinho, ‘the Special One’.

After winning Ligue 2 as manager of Monaco for the first time in their history in 2012/13, Ranieri then guided the club to second in Ligue 1 in the next campaign.

A short spell as Greece's national manager ended in November 2014 when the surprise Euro 2004 champions failed to make any impact in their quest to make the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

However, after an 11-year absence the Roma-born coach returned to management in the Barclays English Premier League when he was announced as Leicester City

TS from the Sidelines 08050498544 (sms only) tunsul2@gmail.com manager ahead of the 2015/16 season.

His announcement as Foxes’ coach caught many by surprise as it was believed that Nigel Pearson, the man who had engineered the great escape, would be allowed to continue his job with the team that was rock bottom at April 2015; but somehow went on a run that saw them becoming the first team to ever beat the drop at that stage of the season.

But Leicester, only promoted in 2014, decided to get rid of him and place their faith in a former ‘Chelsea reject’ not minding the sentimental feeling for Pearson.

Now with the season fast winding to a close, I’m sure that virtually all Leicester City fans are in seventh heaven not still believing that their team is on the verge of football history.

Since the start of the Premier League some 24 years ago, no team bottom of the table in one season has immediately gone on to win the title the very next season! But that is exactly what the Foxes are about doing.

When on December 19 Leicester defeated Everton 2–3 away at Goodison Park to

top the Premier League on Christmas Day having been bottom exactly 12 months earlier, many saw it as an aberration not expecting them to remain there for long – not when such names like Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City were in the race.

But a 0-2 victory at Sunderland last Sunday, coupled with Tottenham's 3-0 win over Manchester United on the same day, ensured Leicester's qualification for the Champions League for the first time in their history, to further confound the cynics.

And with only five games remaining for the curtains to fall on the most unpredictable season ever, the Foxes need just three more wins to be crowned champions.

This is a truly remarkable feat not only for the Foxes but especially for the very likeable Italian who has never won a league title before in his 30-year-old career as a manager.

Ever the pragmatist, Ranieri after the Sunderland win kept his team seven points ahead of Spurs, insisted that the Foxes were not yet home and dry (even though virtually all the bookies believe

53

they are).

“It’s not done yet though,” Ranieri said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport after the Sunderland game. “We’re in the Champions League, even the preliminary round of the Champions League, but the last five games will be terrible. Tottenham won’t give up and we have to stay focused. I never think about what others do but what I have to do and doing our work in the best way. If Tottenham overtake us then we’ll compliment them. That’s how sport works.”

Speaking on his team’s major strength, their work rate Ranieri said: “Our work rate? That’s our great asset. I knew right away in the training camp in Austria this team has a special moral strength. They’re good lads, facing the story of their lives with great responsibility. In the week they work hard, then when the game comes around they’re laughing and joking in the dressing room getting ready to take to the pitch. Nobody saves themselves or stops for breath.”

The Italian’s feat is made all the more amazing considering that the total wages Leicester coughed out this season after the first 19 matches was just £705,000. Compare this with the £3.6million or the £5million paid by both Manchester United and Chelsea after the same period.

So Ranieri has shown clearly that it is not every time that clubs have to break the bank in order to win the Premier League!

And even if at the end of the day Ranieri and Leicester fail to win the title, what they have achieved will be remembered for a very long time.

54 News

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

Asset declaration: Saraki loses bid to stop trial

Tunde Oyesina Abuja

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he Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, yesterday lost another bid to stop his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), as the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja affirmed the powers of the tribunal to try him.

The court also held that the trial of Saraki was not in any way a breach of his fundamental human rights.

The Senate President had approached the court seeking to enforce his fundamental human rights as provided by Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution.

He sought to stop his trial at the CCT on grounds that it lacked jurisdiction to sit over the matter while also urging the court to quash the charge against him before the tribunal.

The Federal Government

...as Federal High Court backs CCT is prosecuting Saraki before the CCT on a 13-count charge bothering on false declaration of assets.

Delivering judgment in the suit, the trial judge, Justice Abdul Kafarati, held that on careful perusal of Saraki’s application, it was meant to stop the trial at the CCT. He further held that the CCT is competent to prosecute the applicant over assets declaration related issues.

Justice Kafarati noted that the applicant had earlier taken the same application to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, and the rulings of both courts were against him.

He also noted that Saraki had also argued the same issue before the tribunal and same was dismissed.

The Judge held that if he decided otherwise, his judg-

4

The total number of matches played by Mexico in Brazil 2014 World Cup. Source: Fifa.com

ment would be in conflict with the earlier decision of the tribunal.

On the breach of Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution, the court held that the trial had not in any way breached the provision of the chapter and that the applicant can't raise a no-case submission after the prosecution had closed his trial.

He added that reliefs sought by Saraki were not available under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution hence the application constituted an abuse of court process and consequently dismissed it as "the case has no basis in law".

Saturday Telegraph recalls that Justice Kafarati had earlier intended to withdraw from delivering judgment in the suit on the basis of allegation by an online report that unspecified sum of money was paid into his ac-

10.05m

TThe number of fixed-telephone subscriptions of Australia in 2000.

Source: Itu.int

count in order to favour the applicant in his judgment.

The judge had then showed his displeasure in the report and consequently returned the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.

The CJ, Justice Ibrahim Auta, had on Tuesday mandated the judge to go ahead with the delivery of the judgment.

Meanwhile the CCT has commenced Saraki's trial with the prosecution opening its case by calling the first witness, Michael Watkas who revealed how Saraki has made lodgments into his Naira, Dollar and Pounds Sterling accounts in Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) among others.

The tribunal had since adjourned till April 18 for further continuation of examination in chief.

23%

The percentage of the population of women above 60 years of Gibraltar in 2001. Source: Un.org

L-R: Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Sports, Mr. Deji Tinubu; Marathoners, Mrs. Dinatu Yohana; Mr. Philibus Sharubutu and Country President, Schneider Electric, Mr. Walid Sheta, at the reception ceremony for the winners of this year’s Schneider sponsored Paris marathon in Lagos…recently

Windstorm wreaks havoc in Lagos, Benin Muritala Ayinla

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n early morning windstorm yesterday wreaked havoc in different parts of Lagos and Benin City, the Edo State capital, destroying many houses, offices, electric poles and uprooting trees.

Among the properties destroyed were the building housing the Ministry of Health at the Lagos Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

The wind blew off the roof of the left wing of the 6th floor of the building also known as Block 4 Alausa.

Saturday Telegraph's checks revealed that street light and electrical poles as well as billboards were also destroyed by the wind storm.

At Ikotun, the wind also led to partial collapse of a wooden structure erected on the upper part of a building at 72 Ore Ofe Street, Ile Ibadan

Leadership training, panacea to students’ unrest –FUTA VC Mojeed Alabi

V

ice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof. Adebiyi Daramola, has suggested honing students’ leadership skills and conflict management attributes by the managements of various higher institutions across the country as key to curbing what he described as unnecessary conflicts engulfing the institutions.

Daramola stated this while declaring open a three-day leadership retreat organised for the institution’s new students’ union executive council members, which held at the Premier Holiday Resort, Igbara Oke, Ondo State.

He advised students’ leaders across the country to use their positions to foster peace and unity among all stakeholders on campuses and

Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

Micro pension will guarantee devt –PENCOM

The National Pension Commission (PENCOM) yesterday said development of micro pension would guarantee the future of Nigerians in the informal sector.

Head, Micro Pension Department (PENCOM), Mr. Polycarp Anyanwu, stated this at the 2016 edition of Pension Operators (PenOp) seminar for Insurance and Pension Correspondents in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that PenOp was established in 2009 and presently has 32 pension fund operators.

Anyanwu, who was represented by Mr. Chioma Orjiako of Micro Pension Department, said micro pension was developed to alleviate the sufferings of the informal sector and older Nigerians.

“As we speak, over 70 per cent of Nigerians are not covered in pension scheme,” he said.

beyond, and contribute their quota to the current drive to make their institutions globally relevant.

“FUTA is committed not only to human resource training and development of its workforce, but also to the training of students’ union leaders who are involved in the process of governance on our campus.

“Thus, it has become the tradition of the university management to organise leadership training for the student leaders. I, therefore urge you to lead in a way that will foster peace, unity and harmony within the system.

“It is our expectation that at the end of this programme, you would have been positively impacted to lead a 21st Century students’ union imbued with dynamic academic culture that promotes dialogue, consultation and positive initiatives."

Ministry pledges supervision of roads projects in Benue

PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

IKEJA

Bus Stop. The structure caused collateral damages to other buildings beside it.

In Somolu, the gale of destruction continued as the topmost floor of a two-storey building located on Fakorede Street, which was being used as an event centre partially collapsed.

Speaking on the incidents, the General Manager of the state Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Michael Akindele, said no life was lost in the serial destructions.

He added that though the disaster was natural, he appealed to the people to be safety conscious and to always endeavour to alert the emergency agencies.

Akindele further advised property owners to ensure that the roofs of their buildings are in good condition.

The GM also advised telecom companies to ensure stability of their masts to avert collapse.

UTURU

ABSU honours Nkire

Abia State University (ABSU) will today award Mr. Theo Nkire, the first Attorney-General of Abia State, an honorary doctorate degree in Law (LL.D Honoris Causa) at its convocation ceremony in Uturu.

Nkire graduated from the Faculty of Law University of Lagos in 1978 and has been in practice for the past 37 years, including a six-year stint in New York where he handled mostly immigration issues. His practices in Nigeria are more embracing.

Nkire after secondary education at Ihie High School and Government College, Umuahia, was a teacher and worked with Radio Nigeria in Kaduna and Jos as announcer and studio manager. He was the first lawyer that Radio Nigeria employed and he set up the Legal Department of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.

He was a member of the 1988/89 National Conference that produced the 1989 Constitution. He was also the National Legal Adviser of the National Republican Party (NRC), which contested the disputed 1993 presidential election with the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

WASHINGTON

U.S. to contribute $421m to UNHCR

The United States Government yesterday said it was making an initial contribution of nearly $421 million of humanitarian assistance toward this year’s global appeal for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The Assistant Secretary and Department Spokesperson, Bureau of Public Affairs, Mr. John Kirby, said in a statement that was released in Washington.

It said the U.S. government contribution to UNHCR is nearly $698 million to date in financial year 2016.

“As more than a million people made dangerous journeys across the sea into Europe this past year, millions more refugees in countries around the world continue to hope for a brighter future and a more promising path to a better life,” it said.

B

enue State Ministry of Works, Transport and Energy, has pledged to ensure regular supervision of ongoing road projects to ensure that they were executed on time and in accordance with specification.

The state Commissioner for Works, Mr. Emmanuel Manger, made the pledge yesterday while inspecting the Daudu-Gbajimba-Origbo as well as the Mobile Police Barracks-Apir Junction roads.

The commissioner stated that the ministry was passionate about the projects as the people looked up to it for the delivery of democracy dividends, while expressing satisfaction with the pace and quality

of work done.

At the Daudu-Gbajimba Road, the site engineer, Mr. Mathias Ojomah, said 50 per cent of lateriting and about 40 per cent of surface dressing had been completed.

He expressed the hope that the project would be completed next year with the current cooperation of communities through which the road passes.

At the Gbajimba-Imande Akpu-Origbo Road, many kilometres had been cleared even as site surveyor, Mr. Yu Jixiang of Tongyi International, was seen supervising a bulldozer on site.

Site supervisor of Mobile Police Barracks-AdekeApir Junction Road, Mr. Marwan Abou Assi, said six kilometres of the road had been cleared while lateriting was going on.

Sport Extra 55

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

16 APRIL 2016

UCL: Man City, Real clash in semis

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anchester City will play Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals.

That means City could face incoming manager Pep Guardiola in the final, after his Bayern Munich side were drawn against Atletico Madrid in the other tie.

The first leg will take place in Manchester at Etihad Stadium on April 26, with the return leg in Spain's capital on May 4.

"It is a difficult draw," said former Real Madrid boss Pellegrini."It doesn't matter which team we play. The options are the same. I always prefer to finish at home but that is not the most important thing."

Pellegrini was manager at Real Madrid from 2009 to 2010, during which time Cristiano Ronaldo was bought from Manchester United for £80m, while Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso were also signed.

Former Manchester United forward Ronaldo is the leading scorer in this season's competition with 16 goals.

Ronaldo, 31, is also the competition's all-time record goalscorer, with 93 in 125 appearances, and scored a hat-trick as Real overturned a 2-0 first leg deficit against Wolfsburg in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, the Reds' reward for Thursday's dramatic victory over Borussia Dortmund is a trip to Spain for the first leg against Villareal on April 28, with the return at Anfield on May 5.

In the other semifinal, Spanish side Sevilla, who are looking to win the competition for the third successive year, face Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk.

The final takes place in Basel, Switzerland, on May 18.

Liverpool staged one of the most sensational comebacks Anfield has seen to overcome their German opponents in Thursday's quarter-final second leg.

They were twice left needing three goals to go through, with Dejan Lovren's injury-time header from James Milner's cross sealing a 5-4 aggregate victory on a night packed with drama and emotion.

Siasia reveals Olympics headache

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Adekunle Salami ational U-23 head coach, Samson Siasia, is worried about how to get the players he needs for the football event of the Olympic Games taking place in Rio, Brazil.

It is four days to the deadline of the submission of the squad list for the event and the coach said he was uncomfortable with the situation.

“We need early preparation but the situation is tough because we are not sure of those we are working with.

How do we plan early for the challenges ahead? The clubs are making things difficult for us,” he said.

None of the 30 players invited have been given leave by their clubs to join the coaches in camp which is at the moment ‘ virtually empty’ and he and his assistants have been coming up with names they hope to send to the Nigeria Olympic Committee.

Adeolu Johnson Abuja

A

member of the Chris Giwa group, Jide Fashikun, has said the Amaju Pinnick-led NFF board is courting trouble by not respecting the April 8th ruling from the Federal High Court Jos. Fashikun who is the Chairman of Marketing and Sponsorship of the Giwa faction said the group has served the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, the copy of the court order asking Pinnick to vacate the NFF Secretariat for Giwa to assume duty.

“We are only waiting for the IG to implement the court order in order for us to resume duty,” he said.

He described the petition from Pinnick which directed the IG to arrest Giwa as a huge joke, adding that the former is just fighting a lost battle.

“There is no way we can parley with him after he has

failed to take advantage of all the opportunities given to him to reconcile,” he said.

Another source said that if care is not taken the Pinnick group would be charged with contempt from the day the judgement was given.

Giwa re-listed 2014 case which stopped the election that ushered Pinnck in as President in Warri declaring it illegal.

But in a petition dated April 14 and signed by his lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, Pinnick accused Giwa of acting on a non-existent court judgment to cause disaffection in the Glass House as there was no such order compelling him to vacate the NFF office as President.

Pinnick said: "In the last few days, one Chris Giwa has threatened to take over the headquarters of the Nigerian Football Federation, citing a non-existent Arase court order in that respect.”

Adekunle Salami adekunles@yahoo.com 08050498539 (sms only)

Dalung, Giwa’s rascality and FIFA

Siasia

The draw conducted on Thursday in Brazil placed Nigeria in Group B along with Columbia, Japan and Sweden but Siasia admitted it was a fair draw for the team.

Nigeria get their campaign in Rio off on August 4 against Japan at the Amazônia Arena in Manaus. The Dream Team VI will complete their group stage campaign six days later with games against Sweden on August 7 and Colombia on August 10.

Ajayi (right)

Giwa group waits on IG to implement court order

Sport Slaming

Monte Carlo Nadal beats Wawrinka, sets up Murray tie

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afael Nadal eased past Stan Wawrinka in straight sets to set up a mouth-watering Monte Carlo Masters semifinal clash with Andy Murray.

Having won the last of his eightconsecutive titles in Monaco four years ago, Nadal is yet to lose a set this week and had few concerns as Wawrinka was beaten 6-1 6-4.

The 'King of Clay' had to live up to that reputation as Wawrinka pushed him close in the second set, but - having recovered from a defeat the last time they met on dirt courts - Nadal looks well-placed to also get revenge on Murray, who won the pair's previous meeting on clay in Madrid last year.

Wawrinka made 15 unforced errors as the first set quickly escaped his grasp, the French Open champion demolishing his racket before going 4-1 down, before complaining about crowd noises as he half-heartedly wilted.

S

o many things happened during the week and it is difficult to narrow down on just one issue. I was so shocked when I saw the injury a Senegalese female national team player inflicted on Super Falcons striker, Desire Oparanozie. It was in the first leg of the Africa Women’s Nations Cup that ended 1-1 in Senegal last week but placing studs on the face of the player which led to severe injuries that required five stitches was indeed barbaric. People can argue that such happens in the game but my anger is that the referee did not penalise the offender, and the Nigeria Football Federation is too busy with its leadership crisis to note that something should be done. The player and the match referee should be dragged to the Confederation of Africa Football. Oparanozie was lucky not to lose one of her eyes and the issue should be taken seriously.

However, we have witnessed various scenes of the neverending leadership crisis in Nigerian football. The situation is now confusing. Club owner, Chris Giwa, refiled a case that was originally dead and buried. He exhumed it and has been holding the country hostage simply because of his desire to head the NFF. Giwa’s move came just when the federation was busy over the employment of another coach for the Super Eagles. It was this same Giwa who was heating up the polity and made Nigeria to miss the ticket to the 2015 Nations Cup finals that took place in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Now, he is at it again and one wonders where he derives his The power Giwa powers from.

During the Nations Cup is wielding is so qualifier against Congo in 2014, Giwa attempted to enhuge and I ask ter the pitch to shake hands again: Where with the Super Eagles and the visiting team at the heat does he derive of the crisis. The players, fans and journalists were shocked. his powers Nigeria lost the match 3-2. from? Who are Nothing happened to Giwa and now he is at it again. those backing The ambiguity in the sohim to drag called court judgement is issue. The Jos High Nigeria’s football another court that granted Giwa’s request to relist the case on April into the mud 8 stated that hearing would be on May 30. It is ridiculous that same court asked Giwa to take over the NFF while Amaju Pinnick should quit pending the determination of the case.

The status quo is expected to ordinarily remain till the case is heard. The Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, did not see a copy of the judgment after one week. The Pinnick-led NFF said there was an appeal and stay of execution filed but no evidence to reflect such.

On Thursday, Giwa came out with a list of caretaker heads of state football associations; he advised banks not to deal with the NFF and also declared the emergency Congress held the previous day illegal. The power Giwa is wielding from his hideout is so huge and I ask again: Where does he derive his powers from? Who are those backing him to drag Nigeria’s football into the mud.

Dalung has denied overtime that he never supported Giwa but his actions are to the contrary simply because he has the power to checkmate the club owner but has refused to do so. The minister went haywire at the Congress when he physically assaulted a journalist. THAT WAS A SHAME! The FIFA threat letter is also a major issue. Some believe it is fake but I am not one of those because FIFA is a strong body that will never keep quiet if anyone toys with its integrity. I however wonder why FIFA insists on government guarantee for hosting of events but will frown at interference from government in the operations of the federations. For Nigeria and some developing countries where governments still finance sports 100 per cent, it is difficult for them (governments) not to have a say. This time it is Giwa fighting the federation but whether he is ‘secretly’ enjoying government backing is yet to be determined. Giwa should be arrested and prosecuted if he continues this way, we need PEACE.

SATURDAY, 16 APRIL 2016

SATURDAY

Sanctity of Truth

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Vardy

attacks Hammers for glory O

Adekunle Salami rdinarily, an encounter between Leicester and West Ham is not supposed to be significant especially for the run-in in the English Premier League. As a matter of fact, this fixture coming towards the end of the season could only be crucial if it is a relegation battle which the two teams are noted for based on their pedigree in the EPL. However, the arrival of Slaven Bilic for West Ham and Claudio Ranieri for Leicester have changed all that as the two teams are in the top surprisingly chasing glory. West Ham are still pushing for a place in Europe and with 52 points recorded so far, it is possible while Leicester are on top of the table with 72 points. The Foxes have seven points between them and second-placed Tottenham and look like Champions-elect of the EPL with only five matches left.

As these two teams clash today, this fixture is the most crucial with all eyes on Leicester to either continue their winning run or drop points. Four players contending for the PFA player of the year will be on duty in this match. They are Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante of Leicester and West Ham’s Dimitri Payet.

Vardy who scored the two goals in the 2-0 away win last weekend against Sunderland is key to the success story of the team. Ranieri will bank on the striker to continue from where he stopped at the Stadium of Light in this encounter against their stubborn visitors.

With 21 goals so far, Vardy is second highest scorer behind Harry Kane of Spurs. He scored 11 goals consecutively this term to emerge the striker with the longest goal scoring run in the league. Winning this match for his side will take them closer to the title and improve Vardy’s chances of grabbing the PFA award.

Apart from Payet, Bilic will also rely on in-form Andy Carroll in this crucial encounter that promises to be highly explosive.

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