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Death in A bottle Ogogoro’s

NORMAN MACLEOD I arrived Nigeria during June 12 chaos ... I’m leaving also in June amid fuel crisis } 13

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lethal trail across Nigeria

LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY DON

40 MINUTES OF HELL IN THE SKY “The plane started losing altitude; the oxygen masks dropped; the pilot’s voice quavered as he spoke...”

Waheed Bakare henever there is a plane crash, perhaps what goes on in the mind of the average symphatiser is the mental picture of the last mo-

ment of those on board. Although the black box will always provide information on what went wrong, it often does not offer an account of how the passengers and crew members fought to win the battle given that the

trip is almost inevitably a journey of no return, owing to the mostly high casualty rate of air mishap. Just three years after the ill-fated Dana Air plane crash in which over 100 lives were lost, over 120 passengers last

week Friday escaped death as an Aero Contractors Airline Flight 180 from Lagos to Kaduna developed technical fault mid-air. One of the passengers, a lecturer at the Lagos State University, Ojo, and the Director of

Muslims’ Right Concern (MURIC), Prof. Ishaq Akintola (pictured above), described the traumatic experience, which lasted for at least 40 minutes, as what one should not wish one’s enemy. SEE FULL STORY ON PAGE 11

FACE-OFF OSUN APC SPOKESPERSON Aregbesola’s helicopter is PDP instigated Osun’s bleeding Osun - Diran Odeyemi predicament - Kunle Oyatomi

OSUN PDP SPOKESPERSON

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DJ LAMBOGINI

The story behind my friendship with MI goes 10 years back }19

SENATE ELECTION

I didn’t sabotage APC, says Atiku ... Ruling party softens stance, recognises Saraki }5

BOKO HARAM

Buhari promises action on Amnesty’s report of military abuse }5

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SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Contents | 13.06.15 INSTYLE

A Time for Beads

SHOWBIZ

SPORT

DESTINATION

TV&RADIO

Comment

FIFA scandal, the good and the bad

The beaded bracelet is definitely he corruption in FIFA first reared having its moment and women its ugly head far back as 1932 when are not the only ones donning then-General Secretary, Cornelis Authem. Men too are stealing the gust Wilhelm Hirschman, embezzled or lost FIFA’s money in financial speculation. moment

FIFA’s progressive years started with the era of Joao Havelange, who served as the 7th President, from 1974 to 1998. His Boundless Colours perceived clean sheet was stained in 2010 An exhibition of paintings and when a Swiss prosecutor dropped a case sculptures by five Nigerian against Havelange over a $14million bribe artists with splendid sense of taken from International Sports Leisure existential dilemma opens at (ISL) from 1992 to 2000 when the company Quintessence Gallery, in Ikoyi, served as FIFA’s marketing agency until it was bankrupt in 2001. More than $2.6milLagos, today lion was repaid and the Swiss prosecutor }18 did not pursue the case as bribery was not a crime under Swiss law at the time. FIFA Dancing Queen is run by Swiss Law. For seven years, Josephine Havelange, left with blemishes and handEwuru danced without getting ed over to his long term Secretary General, paid. But resilience has its Sepp Blatter, in 1998. Blatter has been FIFA’s president in the last 17 years controlling 209 reward; today her passion is affiliate member countries with a revenue of paying the bills $5.7 billion (NZ$8b) from 2011-14. }22 From start, there were suspicions that Blatter was a “deal man’ looking at the cirPrepping for Chad cumstance under which Nigeria secured the hosting right for the 1999 FIFA Under-20 Super Eagles midfielder, World Cup and the U-17 FIFA World Cup Ogenyi Onazi, has warned in 2009. Exposed Blatter’s hatchet man, his teammates that their 2017 Jack Warner, who resigned as vice presiAfrica Nations Cup qualifier dent some years ago, was always at hand against Chad today will not be to perform the magic. walkover The FBI, miffed by the suspicious loss of the hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA }25 World Cup by England and the United States Alluring Canaan City respectively, went into action and were able to unearth a chain of corruption allegations Calabar is one city that often elicits a repeat visit, thanks to the which include a $10million bribe collected from South Africa’s former president Thabo fascinating array of experiences Mbeki for the hosting of the 2010 World Cup. it offers. A Saturday Telegraph A former FIFA executive, Chuck Blazer, concorrespondent presents the fessed to taking a $250,000 bribe as a share highlights of the warm city. from the $10million loot. Ismail Bhamjee, a FIFA executive committee member, claimed }42 that he believed Morocco had won more votes than South Africa, but FIFA manipuA Wannabe’s Tale lated the results of the secret ballot. Jenifa’s Diary, a comedy series Still on the 2010 World Cup which was that airs on Africa Independent tagged the African Mundial, former Egypt Television is cracking up Minister of Youth and Sports, Aley Eddine audiences with the hilarious Helal, accused Jack Warner of asking for tale of a countryside eager to $7million in 2004 to sway votes for Egypt to win the hosting right. Ahead of the France impress in the city 98 World Cup, enormous bribes were col}44 lected, the same was the case for the Korea/ Japan 2002 World Cup, while the dimension

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THE ARTS

SATURDAY

Plus: Street Diary 11 | Perspectives 52

of bribes changed for the 2006 World Cup in Germany where the Germans allegedly supplied Saudi Arabia with rocket-propelled grenades as bribe to sway votes. This deal was made in 2000 by then German chancellor Gerhard Schroder. Jack Warner was also accused of converting to personal use a $750,000 FIFA Development Fund for the Caribbean countries paid into his account and placed under his supervision. The $5million paid to the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to cover for a referee’s blunder in a match Thierry Henry of France scored a goal with his hand that eliminated Ireland from the World Cup finals was also put on the burner. Amidst all these allegations, Blatter announced his resignation as FIFA’s president few days after he was voted in for a fifth term in office. The shocking revelations of how votes for previous hosting right were manipulated right from the 1998 edition of the World Cup however discredited the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 hosting rights. We condemn corruption in its entirety, and we call for complete FIFA reforms to reduce the power of the organization. The reform should include the fact that if FIFA cannot be sued on football matters, it should be nailed for criminality and corruption. We should not be swayed by Europeans protesting the failure to win hosting rights for various editions of the World Cup. The IOC Salt Lake City scandal also serves as positives for change. As ugly as it was, a clear resolution helped reshape the voting for the Olympic Games which is what the IOC boss Thomas Bach is asking FIFA to embrace. He also advised that FIFA presidency tenure should not exceed four years. The whole scenario showed clearly that Nigeria’s Dr. Amos Adamu was made a scape goat by FIFA to pacify the angry London 2018 Bid Committee after they lost the right to host the World Cup finals. Because, if it’s FIFA’s norm to accept millions of dollars to develop facilities in countries with poor stadia, banning Adamu for three years for asking for materials to build artificial pitches in Nigeria could be likened to using a hammer to kill a fly. FIFA should continue to set aside funds for the development of facilities across the world, but this must be supervised by men of integrity. In all of these, however, Africa and Asia have benefitted immensely from the reign of Blatter who ignored the dominant European countries and the United States.

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

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Editor n Yemi Ajayi

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SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Congratulations!

His ExcEllENcY, AMiNU TAMbUwAl, Executive Governor, sokoto state

My family and I wish to congratulate Your Excellency Aminu Tambuwal on your election as the Executive Governor of Sokoto State. This is a true attestation of your ability by the people of Sokoto State to take the state to the next level. We wish you a successful tenure in office. Signed

Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, MON Chairman,

Slok ShIppInG

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Atiku: I didn't sabotage APC Johnchuks Onuanyim and Anule Emmanuel

l Finally, party recognises Saraki

as it simply an innocuous visit or one made by a grateful acolyte to a benefactor? Deciphering the motive behind the visit to former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, by Senator Bukola Saraki, after his emergence as Senate president may largely be conjectural. Meanwhile, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has backed down as it has finally accepted the leadership of the National Assembly. This new development was made known by the chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. But a notion that has gained currency in the last couple of days suggests the answer to the question reside in the latter option. The visit to the former vice president was the first major courtesy call undertaken by Saraki after he was elected president of the Senate, a development that had drawn the ire of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, the insinuation of complicity in the events that culminated in Saraki's triumph is one the Atiku camp is uncomfortable with. "It is baseless and unfounded to suggest that Atiku conspired with the PDP or Saraki to ‘sabotage’ the APC”, said Mr. Paul Ibe, head of Atiku Media Office and spokesman for the former vice-president. “He could have congrat-

President Muhammadu Buhari (left), receiving the All Progressives Congress (APC) Transition Committee's report, from its Chairman, Malam Ahmed Joda, in Abuja …yesterday PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

W Abuja

ulated Senator Ahmed Lawan (or any other leader) if he had won. It is simplistic to attribute conspiratorial agenda to an innocuous congratulatory visit. “Atiku’s loyalty to his party is indisputable. He remains a loyal party member. He, in fact, threw his political assets behind the Buhari presidential campaign. Any suggestion that he conspired with Saraki or anybody is the figment of someone’s imagination,” he said. Some reports had claimed that Saraki’s emergence as the Senate president was, more or less, orchestrated by the former vice president who drew on his clout among PDP senators and a handful of APC senators

who had been part of the “New PDP” that would later quit the PDP and, ultimately, set the tone for the crisis that led to its huge loss at the last general elections. Ibe pointed out that Atiku did not orchestrate the emergence of the new leadership in the National Assembly, adding that it's "nothing but political mischief as he had refused to leave the party or work for the PDP even when then President Jonathan was desperate for his (Atiku’s) support. According to him, visits by politicians and the APC leaders including that of the Senate President are common political rituals in the former vice president's Asokoro residence.

“For the purposes of emphasis, the President has confidence in him and that explains why he had drafted him as an envoy of sorts in the race leading up to the emergence of a Nigerian President of African Development Bank (AfDB),” he said. The APC hierarchy had described Saraki’s emergence as the product of treachery and threatened to sanction members who went against the party's wishes. Saturday Telegraph learnt that the apparent revolt also stemmed by the fact that the group of five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors have a separate grouse with the powers-that-be in the

APC. There was a growing concern among members of the PDP component in the APC that they were sidelined and emasculated in the power-sharing arrangements following the success of the party in the general elections. “If the elections in the National Assembly had gone the way proposed by the party, the New PDP, ANPP and other stakeholders component of the party would have been left empty handed with its attendant crisis. Moreover, either by default or divine intervention, the South-East geo-political zone has now been accommodated in the leadership in this unusual coalition government in the leadership of

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the Senate,” a ranking senator said on Thursday. However, Odigie-Oyegun, while fielding questions from State House Correspondents at the Defence House in Abuja yesterday, said there was no cause for alarm over the emergence of Sakari as the President of the Senate since he was duly elected by his colleagues. He said: “Of course, he has been duly elected by his colleagues. We have a reality and we must live with it.” Odigie-Oyegun said what happened within the party was a family issue which could easily be settled. “There is no next step, what has happened is within the APC family and we are sorting it out within the family. People say they are going to court which is their right, but as a party we are looking at everything and we are coming out strong. “We have faced greater challenges before and this too shall pass away. No. It is not the first or second time we have passed through and we came out strong. This may not even be the last time, we come out every time stronger and more determined,” he said. Speaking on Saraki's aborted visit to the APC secretariat on Thursday, he said: “Nothing went wrong, there were a lot of consultations and you can't be in two places at the same time and so it was not comfortable for us, but we have been talking. We don’t want to make a song and dance of it, everything being put in proper perspective.”

Rights abuse: Buhari’ll act on Amnesty International report, says Shehu Ndubuisi Ugah

resident Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that his administration will “closely study” the report released recently by global watchdog, Amnesty International (AI), which accused senior Nigerian military officials of gross human rights abuse. The reassurance is contained in a statement issued by the president’s Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja yesterday. Shehu said: “The president is quite disturbed by the allegations contained in the report. The next step is to look into the allegations and confirm or disprove the disturbing details.” He said President Buhari had already decided that one of the first assignments of the incoming AttorneyGeneral of the Federation

l AI insists crimes by military must be ‘punished’ l Exonerates Ihejirika from sponsorship of sect

would be to look into the AI report and advise the government on an appropriate course of action. “This is in addition to the internal inquiry he asked the armed services to undertake by themselves,” Shehu said. “Any allegation of human rights abuse that takes place during the tenure of President Buhari’s government will be swiftly investigated and dealt with,” he said. Meanwhile, AI has insisted that crimes committed by the military should be punished. AI’s Researcher on Nigeria, Mr. Daniel Eyre, while speaking as a guest at HEDA Resource Centre’s weekly tweet chat session, #MondayTango, said: “If I can steal $1000/day and

you train me to earn $10/ day, what will I do? Crimes by the military must be punished.” He said there were more to be done concerning the killings, stressing that the passing of the Anti-Torture Bill into law and the development of Police Human Rights Manual were steps in the right direction. It would be recalled that on June 3, the AI had released a report titled: “Nigeria: Stars on their Shoulders. Blood on their Hands: War Crimes committed by the Nigerian Military”, wherein the military was alleged to have committed various acts which constitute war crimes for which military commanders bore both individual and command responsibility.

But Eyre who spoke on the topic: ‘Human Rights Values and Fighting Terrorism in Nigeria, Amnesty Report in Focus”, said he had worked on Nigeria for a year. Responding to a question on his assessment of Nigeria’s human rights performance in broad perspective, Eyre said the report indicting the military in its prosecution of the war against Boko Haram took nine months to research, write and approve. According to him, AI has researched Boko Haram since 2009 and evidence available to them covers crimes from March 2011 to 2015. The report comprised 400 interviews, 90 videos and 800 official documents. Eyre said the body could

not do its work without active partnership with committed local activists, journalists, government officials, lawyers and others. He explained that AI waited till after the general elections before releasing the report. He said: “The timing is said to be irrespective of who emerged victorious at the polls, “because it must be top of the agenda for any government”. On the allegation that a former Chief of Army Staff, General Azubuike Ihejirika, was a Boko Haram sponsor and the report had indicted him of atrocities against the sect, Eyre affirmed that they had no evidence of the former COAS sponsorship of the sect. Instead, he said the AI had evidence of his knowledge of thousands dying in military cells and his failure to abate the situation. He stated further that

AI was reporting facts and campaign to end human rights violations by everyone including Boko Haram, United Kingdom, United States, ISIS, and so on. Also, they want the Nigerian Army to be strong enough to protect civilians saying they must protect civilians and not target them, citing the example of Baga town. Eyre cleared the air on his organisation’s request for International Criminal Court (ICC) trial for named members of the military high command. According to him, it is not a vote of no confidence on the Nigerian Judiciary. “However, they have requested Nigeria to investigate nine people named in their report and all others who have a case to answer. The ICC should only step in if Nigeria is unwilling or unable to investigate," he said.

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SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Declare June 12 Democracy Day, Tinubu, Amosun, Ambode, Soyinka, Adams tell Buhari

Dominik Umosen, Muritala Ayinla, Taiwo Jimoh, Wale Elegbede, Temitope Ogunbanke and Kunle Olayeni

l 30-year-old daughter marks birthday, extols father’s virtue

wenty- two years after Nigerians overwhelmingly voted for late Chief MKO Abiola in the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, wellmeaning Nigerians across the country yesterday eulogised the late politician with a call on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare the day as Democracy Day in order to immortalise the acclaimed winner of the election. This, they argued, was the best national recognition the struggle deserves, saying June 12 should be declared Democracy Day to honour Abiola. Prominent among those who made the call yesterday were the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; his Lagos State counterpart, Akinwunmi Ambode; the immediate past Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji; Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka; Prof. Akin Oyebode, National Coordinator of the Oodua People's Congress (OPC), Chief Gani Adams; former military governor of Lagos State, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (rtd); and the convener of Women Arise, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumaki. Others were the Deputy Speaker, Ogun House of Assembly, Mr. Olakunle Oluomo; founder, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Mr. Debo Adeniran and Mr. Yinka Odumakin, one of the daughters of the late Abiola, Miss. Habiba Abiola; one of Abiola's brothers, Alhaji Muritala Abiola; Prof. Godini Darah of the Delta State University (DELSU), among others. Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 1993 presidential election died in prison. Commenting on the significance of the event, Tinubu said: “As we remember the June 12 struggle, we are challenged to guard our hard won democratic freedom and prevent any hijack or abuse of the very principles of constitutional democracy. This anniversary offers us another reminder that this country is set for greatness. “Chief Moshood Abiola, the symbol of June 12 struggle is one of the greatest Nigerian to ever live. Through his life, we glean selfless service and commitment to people. Through his political struggle, we glean

L-R: Executive Director, Centre for Culture and Development, Prof. Sophie Oluwole; Trustee, Urhobo Advancement Foundation, Prof. Godini Darah; National Coordinator, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Chief Gani Adams; President, Women Arise for Change Initiative and Campaign for Democracy (CD), Dr. Joe Okoi-Odumakin; Osunla of Erusu Kingdom, Ondo State, Chief Sunday Mogaji and President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shetima, at the celebration of the 22nd anniversary of the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential election, at Excellency Hotel, Ogba, Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

courage and incorrigible commitment to principles of the just, free and humane society. Today, our democracy thrives on the selfless sacrifices he made. His politics was without bitterness and rancour. “We must also make sure that the People remain the focus of our policy and politics. This is the commitment the new APC government has made to the people of this great country and by God’s grace we intend to keep it under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.” Speaking on the occasion, Amosun, who spoke at a novelty football match between ex-Abiola Babes Internationals and the All Stars Team of Ogun State held to commemorate the event, called on the Federal Government to officially recognise Abiola as the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. The match, which ended 2-2, was held at the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta. It attracted ex-football stars, including Tajudeen Disu, Friday Ekpo and Benard Alada. Speaking with journalists shortly before kicking the match off, Amosun described the late Abiola as a selfless politician who paid the supreme price for the democracy being enjoyed by all Nigerians. He said: “People now look back and realise that the democracy we are experiencing now; I am not saying it was only Abiola that did it but he, more than anybody else, of course symbolised and represents all that democracy stands for and he paid the supreme price for that.” On his part, Ambode

while speaking at the June 12 Rally at the Lagos Television ground, Ikeja in Lagos, said there was need for the present administration to immortalise Abiola and other martyrs. He said: “That personified our desire to liberate ourselves and take charge of our destiny. June 12 symbolised the patriotism of all Nigerians as the election fired up hope in the mind of the people.” Soyinka has urged President Buhari not to empower the clique of paedophiles by signing into law the passed bill on child marriage. The Nobel Laureate while taking a swipe at the Senate for passing 47 bills under three hours, said once a society re-define female adulthood as marital status, all subsequent protection bills for the girl-child are worthless and cynical. He said: “In this sup-

posedly progressive bill, sponsored by the respected Senator Chris Inyanwu. I could not help but notice a reiteration – as if to ensure that there is no ambiguity – of the word 'child', near superfluously. Well, we understand 'child' as defined in most dictionaries." Speaking also, Oyebode, who chaired the occasion described Abiola as a titanic hero who must be immortalised, saying that June 12 showed that nobody could suppress the wish of the people. Oyebode said: “Abiola was a precursor of the change we are celebrating today.” Adeniran said Abiola deserved to be immortalised rather than June 12 as he was the symbol of the botched election. Also speaking, a former Commissioner for Transportation in Lagos State, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, said: "June 12 symbolised the real

struggle after independent in Nigeria, I was part of it, we knew what we were fighting for and we have it now.” Ikuforiji urged President Buhari to name Aso Rock Villa in Abuja after Abiola. Speaking yesterday at Abiola’s residence in Ikeja, during the event organised by June 12 Movement in conjunction with Change Agents of Nigeria Network, Ikuforiji said without the sacrifice made by Abiola, public office holders would have found no place in politics. He said: “President Buhari should declare June 12 as Democracy Day and name monument in each state after MKO Abiola. Aso Rock should be change to MKO Abiola Rock because without MKO Abiola, there won't be President Buhari in Aso Rock.” Similarly, Odumakin said: “The very essence that did

Buhari receives Chibok girls’ mothers in Abuja Anule Emmanuel Abuja

t was a moment of grief and weeping when President Muhammadu Buhari at the a Defence House Abuja received two mothers of the over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped from Chibok a year ago. Buhari received the women at an event which was attended by his wife, Aisha and wife of the VicePresident, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo. Osinbajo’s wife in an interview with State House Correspondents after the meeting, said: “Hajia Aisha Buhari had for many months, wanted to visit Chibok.

Osinbajo said: “She also wanted to meet with the mothers. Today, we had an opportunity for them to meet face to face. We had two of the mothers who still have their daughters missing after a year. “Hajia being a mother met with them, held them and they cried, everybody cried. What only a mother will do is to say wait, I want you to see your father and see what your father will do. We were all extremely overwhelmed, that at this time when the President is so busy, he had time to meet with the women from Chibok.” The Vice-President’s wife told reporters that President Buhari spoke to

the women in both English and Hausa. Journalists, however, did not enter the venue where the President met the women. “He spoke to them in English and Hausa. He explained to them how he keeps telling everybody to put themselves in their place. So, today, we have had the opportunity for the President and Hajia to show that they are our father and mother, for that we are glad,” Osinbajo noted. No journalist could however speak to the Chibok women's who where hurriedly driven away in company with the vice-president's wife.

not allow June 12 to stay is still very much with us now. At the National Conference 2014, when somebody raised a motion to recognise Abiola, it was shut down." Commenting also, Adams suggested the renaming of the National Stadium, Surulere, after Abiola, even as he commended former President Goodluck Jonathan for naming the University of Lagos (UNILAG) after the deceased. He said: “I call on President Buhari, as a matter of urgency, to renovate and rename the National Stadium after Bashorun Abiola. Apart from giving justice to a man whom much is owed by Nigerians, the decision will also encourage the young ones to know that whatever sacrifice they make for their country is not in vain. “While credit must be given to former President Goodluck Jonathan for his decision to name the UNILAG after the hero of our democracy, I believe a lot still need to be done to honour Bashorun MKO Abiola and stamp his name as a true hero of our democracy.” In his remarks, Oluomo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta that the day was a watershed in the country's political and economic development. Delivering keynote address, Darah recalled that the struggle for June 12 had recorded gains and upsets. “In the two decades, there have been the victors and the vanquished. The formation of political parties in 1998 signalled the dispersal of former fellow travellers. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) evolved from the womb of 34 democrats who dared Abacha; many of them are now in different camps.” In another development, Miss Habiba Abiola, one of the daughters of the late Abiola, yesterday said June 12 had remained a reminder of how much she missed having a father on her birthday. In a statement issued in Lagos, Habiba who clocked 30 yesterday, said the June 12 celebrations which coincided with her birthday reminded her of the many years she missed being with a father on her special day. “At eight years old, I could not begin to understand the importance and significance of such a tremendous victory by my father. I did not realise it was the beginning of true democracy but also eventually the end of many years of military rule,” she said. Meanwhile, family members of the late Abiola yesterday organised a special prayer for the late icon of democracy at their Gbagura family compound in Abeokuta.

13 JUNE 2015

CBN signs N6.5bn loan for gas supply Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

o ease the gridlock in the supply of gas to power, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday signed a loan facility of N6.9 billion to power firms to enable a hitch free supply of gas by gas supply firms. The payments to gas suppliers, represents debts by the power sector and was in proportion to the obligations to repay the facility by the five DiscosEko, Ibadan, Kano, PortHarcourt and Enugu. The loan facility, first of such to gas supplying firms by CBN is geared at enhancing the sector with a view to revitalising Nigeria energy sector. A breakdown of the disbursement indicated that Shell Petroleum Development Company received N965 million, Chevron

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SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

N2.04 billion, Pan Ocean N230 million, Seplat N739 million, NPDC N407 million, NDWestern N852 million, while Ibom Power received N1.7 billion. Speaking during the occasion in Abuja, CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, said the loan was the first time that the apex bank was able to make payment to the gas suppliers. “Last year at one of our Bankers Committee retreats, where we focused on Gas to Power, we explored the issues in the gas to power value chain. During these deliberations, it became clear to us, the CBN and the banking sector, that one of the reasons for the low power generation by the generation companies was inadequate gas supply and given the importance of gas to power sector we could not stand by and do nothing,” he recalled.

SOKOTO Tambuwal dissolves board of parastatals

NEWS IN BRIE F

Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has dissolved governing boards of government parastatals, agencies and departments. A statement issued by his spokesman, Malam Imam Imam, said the dissolution does not affect agencies whose tenures are guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or extant laws of the state government. The statement reads in full: “In line with established tradition and precedents, and with the coming into office of the new administration in Sokoto State, members of the public are hereby notified that all governing boards of government departments, agencies and parastatals, except those whose tenures are guaranteed by the Constitution and the extant Laws, do hereby stand dissolved."

4.23m

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

LILLE Ex-IMF chief acquitted of pimping charges in France

Former International Monetary Fund chief, Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has been cleared of pimping charges in a French trial that hinged on sex parties that took place in the midst of the global financial crisis. The verdict yesterday closed the four years of legal drama, which saw 10 others also acquitted. Strauss-Kahn had told the court the parties were much-needed “recreational sessions” and he did not know the women who took part were prostitutes. In often sordid testimony, the women described sometimes brutal get-togethers that, they said, were not fun for them at all. Allegations against Strauss-Kahn started when a New York hotel maid accused him of sexual assault in 2011. That case was settled out of court.

IKEJA Use Ramadan to get closer to God, Imam urges Muslims

A lecturer in Islamic Studies, Lagos State University (LASU), Ojoo, Imam Mustapha Adebello, yesterday urged Muslims to fast with the intention of getting closer to God. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the Ramadan fast is expected to commence on June 18. Adebello told NAN in a telephone interview in Lagos that the fasting period was a holy period when Muslims do their utmost best to stay away from sin and get closer to Allah. “Muslims must ensure that Ramadan is observed with all the rules of fasting. People should not fast in a manner that after breaking their fast they consume what they have missed during fasting or go back to the sins they stayed away from, that is not the purpose,” he said.

$27.1m

The total pay (including salary/ winnings & endorsements) of Peyton Manning (NFL) for 2014. Source: Forbes.com

21.46%

The percentage of individuals using the internet in Bahrain in 2004. Source: Itu.int

N8bn currency scam: EFCC arrests fleeing suspects Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

he Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday announced the arrest of one of the suspects standing trial before the Federal High Court, Ibadan Division, in the ongoing N8 billion mutilated cash scam, Tijani Olusoga. The suspect and Onabanjo Olumayowa were said to have taken to their heels when other staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other commercial banks were last week arraigned before Justice Olayinka Faaji in Ibadan. While addressing the court on the need to make some amends to an error in the name of one of the suspects, counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), said the agency had arrested Olusoga, who was at large,

and that he intended to take the amendments together. Confirming the arrest, Jacobs told journalists after the sitting that Olusoga, who is facing an 11- count charge alongside four others will be charged accordingly. After listening to various arguments from counsel to all the applicants, Justice Faaji, adjourned the ruling on the bail applications filed before it by counsel till June 19. Those that appeared in court yesterday for the first batch were: Kolawole Babalola, Muniru Adeola, Toogun Kayode Philip of CBN, while Kehinde Fadokun and Olutunde are from commercial banks. For the second batch were Kolawole Babalola, Muniru Adeola, Toogun Kayode Philip of CBN, while Ajuwon Bolade and Samuel Ogbeide, are from commercial banks.

Osun crisis beyond my control, says Aregbesola Anule Emmanuel Abuja

sun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, yesterday said he was overwhelmed by the financial crisis rocking the state, which had led the state government inability to pay workers’ salaries for about seven months now. Speaking to State House correspondents at the Defence House in Abuja, Aregbesola said the situation was as a result of dwindling revenue in terms of allocation from the federation account. “I led an administration in receipt of regular allocation in which I do my budget. Unfortunately, this

allocation started falling in rapid form that totally disorganised my budget and any other arrangement. “But no matter how sad (I don't want to use the word ‘depressed’), no matter how unhappy I am, the truth is that I will not fail to say that it is a situation absolutely beyond my control. “It is heart-rending that I am in this quagmire. For those who want to be objective, Osun State of November 2010 when I assumed office and Osun State of today are not the same. People must give credit to the changes that we have brought about in Osun,” he said.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki (left) and British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Andrew Pocook, during the envoy’s visit to Saraki in Abuja…yesterday. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

‘Why NNPC management staff were quizzed’ Johnchuks Onuanyim

T Abuja

he management of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday explained the circumstances behind the interrogation of its management staff by security agencies. The corporation, however, debunked the report of a newspaper that their international passports were seized by the security agencies. Debunking the report of international passport seizure, the corporation in a statement issued by Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, said: “We, therefore, wish to state in most unequivocal terms: That the NNPC officials named in the said publication are scheduled and delegated management staff of the corporation who only carried out their legitimate official assignments within the NNPC and were only invited to shed light on same by the law enforcement

l Unpaid subsidy claims hinder fuel importation –DAPPMA l Oil prices threatened as Saudis set to raise output agencies. “That the invitation of the officials is nothing unusual as NNPC regularly interfaces with other government agencies to provide information on relevant activities of the corporation. ‘‘Also that none of the NNPC officials was arrested nor detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or the Department of State Security (DSS) in connection with investigation into the crude swap programme and the Offshore Processing Agreements; that none of the NNPC officials has had his international passport seized by any of the law enforcement agencies mentioned in connection with the investigation. “We wish to call on all media houses and media practitioners to always verify their facts in keeping with the tenets of jour-

nalism before going public with them.” According to him, the story listed the NNPC officials involved to include the Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Mr. Anthony Muoneke; Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division, Mr. Gbenga Komolafe; and Executive Director (Commercial), Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Mr. Frank Amego. Similarly, the Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association (DAPPMA) yesterday said unpaid subsidy claims owed by the Federal Government had continued to hinder importation of petroleum products into the country. The Executive Secretary of the association, Mr. Olufemi Adewole, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that

banks were not ready to give loans to members of his association again. Adewole said the few marketers that had the products were loading while the others were looking forward to when the government would settle them. He commended the NNPC’s efforts in seeing that the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited start refining crude oil in July. Meanwhile, oil prices slipped yesterday after the world's top crude exporter, Saudi Arabia, said it was ready to raise output to new record highs, potentially adding to a global supply glut. Besides, the United States currency strengthened against the euro, also weighing on dollar-denominated oil, after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pulled out of stalled debt talks with Greece.

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SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

ENUGU I won’t fight ‘old guards’ -Ugwuanyi

N EWS I N BRIEF

Enugu State Governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has said his administration will not fight the “old guards to settle old scores.” Ugwuanyi, who said this shortly after he announced his first set of appointments since assuming office, said the development of the state was uppermost in his mind. “Where there is no peace, the people will not make meaningful progress. I will not fight old guards as the practice of new guards fighting old guards is over. As we are reconstituting, we cannot ignore the experiences of formers leaders of our state,” he said. The governor said he had reached out to eminent indigenes of the state, including past leaders and opinion leaders, to join hands with him to move the state forward.

€2.78bn The total value of Barcelona CF in 2015. Source: Forbes.com

OWERRI College tasks FG on TETFUND’s allocation

UKANAFUN Umoh for burial June 20

The remains of Deaconess Grace Mfon Ben The Federal College of Land Resource Umoh, would be (FECOLART), Oforola, Imo State, has buried on June 20 at appealed to the Federal Government to Ikot Akpa idem vilreconsider including it among institutions lage, Ukanafun Local benefitting from allocations from the Government Area of Tertiary Education Fund (TETFUND). Akwa Ibom State. Umoh The Provost of the college, Mr. Pius Osaji, Aged 68, Umoh, a church and made the call yesterday in Oforola, at a community leader who occupied a position news briefing on the state of affairs at the of a Deaconess for well over four decades permanent site of the college in Oforola. in The Apostolic Church as well as serving Osaji said the college, which was the Government of Old Cross River State as a Juvenile Court Assessor was survived established by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, was delisted from TETFUND by her husband and four children including Mr. Samuel Umoh, an Abuja-based media in 2012 by the Federal Government. executive, Dr. Israel Ben, Princess Uyai Ben, a “It was in 2012 that a circular came to the college to the effect that the federal University administrator and Mr. Ubong Ben of The Presidency, two daughters-in-law and Ministry of education had delisted four grand children among other relations. FECOLART."

The estimated deployment of electricity (TWh/year) in the total hydro market area of Central and Eastern Europe in 2010. Source: Unesco.org

The sex ratio of men to 100 women in the 60+ age group of Cyprus in 2012. Source: Un.org

Fraud allegation against YABATECH rector baseless, says Babatope UNTRUE

Former minister of aviation absolves rector of culpability in fraud allegation.

Mojeed Alabi hairman of the Governing Council of Yaba College of Technology, (YABATECH), Lagos, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, has described as unfounded and baseless the allegation of fraud levelled against the institution’s Rector, Dr. Margaret Ladipo. According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria, Babatope had through the Public Relations Officer of the polytechnic, Dr. Charles Oni, issued a statement confirming the exoneration of the rector of all the allegations levelled against her by various committees

and offices set up to investigate her. It would be recalled that the polytechnic’s former Bursar, Mr. Olu Ibirogba, had made public in 2013 allegations of large scale stealing, double deals, nepotism and money laundering, among others against the rector. He had sent copies of the petition to the school’s Governing Council, offices of the Head of Service, Inspector General of Police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC). But in his reaction, Babatope had dismissed the petitioners as “shameless” and “enemies” of modern society, expressing surprise at the magnitude of falsehood the petitioners were capable of raking up. He said: “Every single contract awarded under the

rector’s watch went through the due process, and no single member of the council was in any way rewarded for facilitating her second term. She got it purely on the basis of merit and her exceptional achievements in her first tenure.” According to him, Ladipo with the support of the governing council and amid paucity of funds had been able to consolidate on the achievements. The statement added: “On the N5 million security vote, every minute of the day, the college is confronted with one security challenge or the other. And it is not strange for chief executives to have security vote. Moreover, this was appropriately approved by the college’s governing council which has the statutory authority to do so. “The petitions were sent to the various government agencies- the Ministry of

Education, EFCC, ICPC, Inspector General of Police, Chief of Staff to the President, the Head of Service and the governing council of the college. “Interestingly, the reports received so far have given her (the rector) a clean bill of health. Babatope set up a five-man committee led by Mr. Shehu Kagara, to investigate the allegations and came up with a report dated September 13, 2013, and addressed to the Minister of Education. “The report cleared the rector of the allegations of corrupt practices. A letter of acquittal of the rector, dated September 27, 2013, was copied the registrar and secretary to the council. “The council was satisfied with the findings of the committee that the allegations were spurious and baseless; and a mischief, intended to malign the character of the rector."

Ortom puts Benue’s debt at N90bn Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

enue State Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom, has said preliminary investigation has revealed that the actual debt burden of the state is N90 billion. The governor said this yesterday during separate meetings with students and other union leaders from the state university at the old Banquet Hall of Benue Peoples House. Ortom listed the debts as N50 billion for ongoing contracts, N18 billion for certified ones, N12 billion for salary arrears and about N10 billion for bonds and bank loans. According to him, the state government has concluded arrangements to borrow funds to pay one month's salary across board and also ensure the take off

of both the executive and legislative arms of government. He said the development was necessitated by the need to demonstrate to the state workers that he was concerned about their plight and to persuade striking state university lecturers to call off their strike. Ortom said he had received offers from some banks and would soon approach the state House of Assembly for approval to obtain a loan. He said all efforts to persuade the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the university to call off their strike had failed as they insisted that he should pay at least one month’s salary. The governor, who said he would also attend to urgent issues of accreditation at the university with the loan, appealed for understanding and support.

Police arrest five cult members Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

prime suspect and his accomplices who unleashed terror that led to the killing of one Abu Iboje in Benin City, Edo State, have been arrested by operatives of the state police command. The suspect, Lazarus Anthony, told journalists yesterday that he shot the deceased after he and others went on a reprisal on a rival member of a cult group whose activities sparked public outcry following the killing of over 25 persons in the state. Other members of the five-man gang, who were alleged to have carried out the attack on April 27, were Greatman Ita, Sylvester Ikhifa, Obiaosa Noble and Okeh Godstime. They were arrested on Thursday after months of manhunt by the police who also recovered dangerous weapons including black

caps belonging to the Neo Black Movement, five live cartridges and ritzla during a raid on the suspects. The suspects were said to have swooped on the deceased, a welder at his workshop at Eke Street, Off Upper Sakponba Road in Benin City. Narrating his involvement in cult activities, the 21-year-old suspect and an indigene of Emu in Esan, said: “I am a cult member and the name of my group is Black Axe. The matter happened when Abu and his squad killed Kelvin at Mikky Yaga house at Upper Sakponba. “The next day we went to kill Abu and we shot him in the afternoon. We used short gun to kill him. Edoba, who stays at Ikki got the idea that we should go and kill him. It was me who fired the shot. It was only that one that I ever participated in. I was confused after the killing. I didn’t know what came over me.”

Four Nigerians, 60 others win Queen of England’s Leaders Award

L-R: Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun; Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and Leader of Taraba State Caucus in the House, Rima Kwewum, during the group’s solidarity visit to the Speaker in Abuja …yesterday

er Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 11, will present the inaugural Queen’s Young Leaders Awards to four young Nigerians at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on June 22. The four Nigerians - Kelvin Ogholi, Oladipupo Ajiroba, Nkechikwu Azinge and Isaiah Owolabi, are among 60 exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth who has been recognised by The Queen for taking the lead in transforming the lives of others and make a lasting difference in their communities. Twenty-six year-old Ogholi from Benin City, Edo

State, who is a social entrepreneur, was recognised for his social enterprise project that halved the cost of feed for farmers, while 28-year-old Ajiroba from Sagamu, Ogun State, was selected in recognition of his work to champion environmental issues. Twenty-six year-old Azinge from Abuja was acknowledged for her efforts to encourage young people to get tested for sickle cell anaemia, while 27-year-old Owolabi from Lagos State was also selected in recognition of his health initiative which helps disadvantaged women and children to lead healthy lives.

13 JUNE 2015

Buhari receives APC transition c'ttee report Anule Emmanuel Abuja

resident Muhammadu Buhari yesterday received the final report of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Transition Committee at the Defence House in Abuja. The report is a combined submission of the preliminary report by the committee and review of handover notes collected from the Anyim Pius Anyim-led Federal Government transition committee under former President Goodluck Jonathan. Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Ahmed Joda, while speaking with State House correspondents after submitting the 800 paged report, said they had in the last five week been re-

ceiving memorandum and presentations across the country. He said: “For about five weeks we went through memorandum, listening to presentations from all over this country. Today we submitted about 800 pages of the report to Mr. President, it is now his property and I believe in due course he will begin to act on it. “One of the terms of references for our committee is to receive the handover note of President Jonathan and this we did not receive until about weeks after our inauguration. We received the handover note on May 25 and that report was about 18,000 pages and it took time to even sort them out and to make sense from them. Read them, analyse them and come up with recommendations."

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UMUAHIA Seven SANs, 40 lawyers appear for Alex Otti

NEWS IN BRIE F

It was a sea of lawyers yesterday at the Umuahia High Court as the Abia State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal resumed sitting. Seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) and 40 other lawyers were in attendance for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate in the April 11 poll, Dr. Alex Otti. Otti had on May 15 filed a petition seeking the nullification of the election of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It was gathered that yesterday’s proceeding was for mention, with the case being adjourned to June 15, for report of service and compliance to order of court for inspection of materials used for the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

€279.4m The total revenue of Juventus FC in the 2013-2014 season. Source: Goal.com

ABEOKUTA ILORIN NAICOM organised over 200 Osinbajo, Obasanjo for Crescent varsity anniversary workshops -Daniel The Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; his Ogun State counterpart, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and the Sultan ‎of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, are among eminent Nigerians billed to attend the 10th anniversary of Crescent University, Abeokuta today. Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Ibraheem Gbajabiamila, said this at a press conference heralding the 10th anniversary of the institution in Abeokuta According to him, the vice-president would deliver the anniversary lecture tagged: “Nigerian economy and the future.”

The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) yesterday said it had organised more than 200 workshops and training programmes for insurance practitioners and journalists to expand their knowledge about the sector. The Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Fola Daniel, said this while declaring open a one-day training for insurance journalists in Ilorin, Kwara State. He said: “The objectives of the training include engendering better working relationship with media practitioners and public awareness. To address media on latest policies and developments and curb bad press among others.” Daniel said as part of the efforts to reposition the sector, the commission was considering introducing insurance training in secondary and primary schools in the country.

860,000

The estimated number of male circumcision needed to reach 80% coverage among males 15 – 49 years old in Kenya. Source: Who.int

£24,960

The weekly salary of Ronaldinho Gaucho of Atletico Mineiro. Source: Paywizard.co.uk

'Camouflage uniforms now exclusive to Army, Navy, Air Force' Emmanuel Onani Abuja

he National Security Council (NSC) has restricted the use of camouflage uniforms to the Armed Forces comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force. Consequently, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) as well as Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), have been banned from using the uniforms. The new policy, however, affects the Nigeria Police Force partially, as they can only use the camouflage uniform, when they are in a joint operation with the military, or during specific operation such as "specific anti-riot missions." The new security arrangement, may take effect from January 2016, when the organisations affected, are to withdraw the said

uniforms from their inventory. A statement conveying the directive and signed by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major General Chris Olukolade, said by the directive, the military would adopt only two types of camouflage for the three Armed Forces. The statement noted that the directive by the Security Council, was necessitated by the security implication occasioned by the proliferation and duplicity of the use of camouflage uniforms in the country. The Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), had been mandated to implement the directive to the letter, even as the Federal Ministry of Justice and other law enforcement agencies, are to ensure that extant laws guiding use of uniforms, are strictly adhered to.

New TV soap, ‘Taste of Love’ gets Glo sponsorship

n award-winning soap opera currently making waves on television and cable networks, Taste of Love, has received a boost courtesy Globacom, the total quality information communication technology company. In a statement released in Lagos recently, Globacom said it was powering the serialised telenovella to achieve deep customer engagement with a view to connecting the brand to its existing and potential customers. Sixty-five episodes of the soap will run per quarter. The telenovella already runs on AIT at 10p.m -10.30 p.m. yesterday and today; and Silverbird TV at 7.30-8

pm from Monday to Friday as well as Africa Magic on DSTV Channel 151 from 8.30-9 p.m. on Monday to Thursday. Globacom said the family-focused story deals with familiar happenings within privileged families and expressed the belief that it would appeal to youths who are trend seekers as well as the middle aged people who may be dealing with issues of business realities or betrayals as it affects them or their loved ones directly. “It is a story of pain, joy, love, betrayal and intrigues that will also provoke the values of Nigeria and give our urban and contemporary audiences good quality televiewing,” the statement said.

L-R: Mrs. Nneka Ezeemo, Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe and Leader, Anambra State Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA), Mr. Godwin Ezeemo, during a visit by PPA to the Igwe in Onitsha …yesterday. PHOTO:NAN

UK hails Saraki, pledges support to Senate leadership ACCEPTANCE

From the UK envoy to Nigeria has come approval and support for the senate-led leadership of Saraki. Chukwu David

T Abuja

he emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as the President of the Senate yesterday received a boost when the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Andrew Pocock, expressed his country’s recognition of the new Senate President and support for the upper chamber of the National Assembly. Pocock said this when he paid Saraki a courtesy call at his National Assembly office in Abuja. While congratulating him on the success of his

election, the British envoy described Saraki’s victory as a well-deserved development, which should be supported by well-meaning Nigerians and friends of Nigeria. He assured Saraki that the UK would always work in harmony with the Nigerian government to ensure good governance at all levels. Pocock said UK would cooperate with the Senate leadership in the area of capacity building and others, saying his country would also collaborate with Nigeria in the area of economic development, especially by encouraging Nigeria to diversify her economy. “We came for two reasons; we came to congratulate the new Senate President on his elevation to the job, and to make a commitment to him and to the Nigerian Senate that the British government and the

British High Commissioner here in Abuja will continue to work very closely with the Senate on a whole range of areas in which we can help. “We discussed capacity building for the Senate both in general terms and also in areas of particular interest and difficulty, complex pieces of legislation. We discussed how we might help with some ideas about the management of the Nigerian economy, areas in which the UK can make a contribution and we briefly discussed some of the security inputs that we might make to help with the stabilisation of the security situation in the North-East. “We agreed that the basic structure of Nigeria’s economy needs to change a bit. That while the huge potential here in terms of revenue streams for the government, it is still too dependent on one commodity.

“So, how that commodity in our industry is better managed on the one hand and how the economy is better diversified on the other and how the National Assembly, in this case the Senate, can make a contribution through legislations, through oversights, through monitoring to the fundamental economic changes needed. “We discussed all these things well, while we didn’t come up with instant solutions. We had a very substantive discussion. We are going to come back to the Senate and to the Senate President for further ideas,” he said. The envoy, however, pointed out that he would not get involved in the intra and inter party politics in Nigeria, thereby refusing to comment on the controversies and crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC).

News

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

ENUGU Ugwuanyi appoints SSG, media aides

N EWS I N BRIEF

Enugu State Governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has appointed Mr. Gabriel Ajah as the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG). The governor, who announced the appointment at a media parley on Thursday night in Enugu, also named Mr. Sylvanus Onoyima as the Chairman of state Tenders Board and Due Process office. He also appointed Mr. Uwakwe Abugu of the New Telegraph Newspaper as his Chief Press Secretary and Mr. Linus Amoke as Senior Special Assistant, Media. The new SSG had served as permanent secretary in eight ministries in the state since 2001. “This is the time for us to work, because the elections are over; we need to get the right people in the right places,” Ugwuanyi said.

The rate by which total wage costs of Premier League clubs grew in 2013-14 season. Source: Goal.com

GOMBE Govt to create four new tertiary institutions

Gombe State Government said yesterday that it would establish four additional tertiary institutions to increase youths’ access to tertiary education in the state. Already, a committee has been set up for the implementation of the initiative and would from time-to-time advice the government on the projects. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education, Dr. Daniel Musa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Gombe that the committee would commence work as soon as it was inaugurated. Musa named the institutions as the state University of Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Institute of Sports and Institute of Journalism.

SANGO-OTA Covenant varsity VC tasks FG on e-governance

The Vice-Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota in Ogun State, Prof. Charles Ayo, yesterday urged the Federal Government to embrace e-governance, to tackle corruption. Ayo, who made the plea at the closing ceremony of a three-day conference on e-governance organised by the university in Ota, advised the Federal Government to adopt Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to check the excesses of corrupt civil servants. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the conference entitled: “Prospects and Challenges for Civil Engagement and Participation”. “We have seen cases of corruption in many government ministries where files will not be treated by government officials until they are given a bribe,” he said.

N24,435.3bn The total value of Nigeria’s external merchandise trade at the end of 2014. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

48.75

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of Andorra in 2002. Source: Itu.int

Polls: Jonathan responsible for INEC’s success, says Jega …dismisses allegations of electoral fraud in Rivers

COMMENDATION

INEC's successes attributed to former President Goodluck Jonathan

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has commended the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan for the support the commission received in “guaranteeing the independence of the commission.” Jega said this in Washington DC, United States

Ndubuisi Ugah

n what appears to be his first ‘public pronouncement’ after the March 28 presidential election, Chairman of the

PUBLIC NOTICE

SEAT OF AMAZING GRACE INTERNATIONAL SPRINGBOARD FOUNDATIONMINISTRY NOTICE is hereby given to the general public that the above named organization has applied to the Corporate Affairs Corporation for registration under part “C” of the Company and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Mr. Oluwatosin Oreoluwa Bolaji - President Ms. Tochukwu Chinedum Okoye-Secretary Dr. Adekolarin Wonuola Adewole Ms. Oluwakemi Olorunkosebi

5. Ms. Ruth Amarachi Mbanali 6. Mrs. Anuoluwapo Akinola 7. Mr. Olusegun Abodunrin

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:

1. To create initiatives and provide incentives that enhance the delivery of quality education to under privileged children in Nigeria, especially those in public primary and secondary schools. 2. To train, equip and mentor teachers towards better performance and professionalism in delivering quality education. 3. To raise funds for the building of schools and maintenance of the buildings including libraries, laboratories, information technology facilities and such initiatives that will help ensure quality education for the pupils and students. 4. To raise funds voluntarily and receive donations, gifts, grants for the Foundation from bequests, from members and the general public for financing any of the above objectives and purposes and to organize such fund raising activities as may be decided upon by the trustees. 5. To carry out the various aims and objectives through inter-alia establishment of standing committees when necessary. 6. To promote quality education and the good citizenship among the pupils and students. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, District Abuja, within 28 days of this publication. Signed: Tochukwu Chinedum Okoye Secretary

PUBLIC NOTICE

ASSOCIATION OF CONCERNED TRADERS OF ALADE MARKET SEAT OF AMAZING GRACE INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY NOTICE is hereby given to the general public that the above named ASSOCIATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Corporation for registration under part “C” of the Company and Allied Matters Act 1990. THE TRUSTEES: 1. Mrs. Yemi Oyediji 2. Mrs. Sulola Dania 3. Ms. Tosin Shodunke 4. Mrs. Taiwo Onafowokan 5. Mrs. Olayinka Asekun 6. Mrs. Idowu Ogunlesi

7. Mrs. Olufunmilayo Famudimu 8. Mrs. Abayomi Adebule 9. Alhaja Folasade Shote 10. Mrs. Foluke Kupoluyi 11. Mrs. Mosunmola Awokola 12. Mrs. Iyabode Balogun

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: 1. To care for members' welfare 2 To promote peace and unity among members Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, District Abuja, within 28 days of this publication. Signed: TRUSTEES

on Thursday, during a oneday programme hosted by the US Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). An online news portal, Per Second News, quoted Jega as saying: “INEC was probably the most independent of the commission in Nigeria’s history, largely because of some reform measures implemented after the Justice Muhammadu Uwais electoral reform committee of 2008 and 2009.” The INEC chairman, who praised Jonathan as being responsible for the success recorded by the commission, said: “Under the Jonathan administration, the financial autonomy of the commission was guaranteed, immediately the funds were appropriated by the National Assembly, it was released.” Meanwhile, Jega has dismissed the allegations that the elections conducted in Rivers State was manipulated and flawed, stressing that it had been exaggerated. He said the elections in the state were credible and the commission did the right by announcing the winner. “We created a three-man team to investigate the alle-

gations of electoral malpractice. It was not true that elections didn’t take place in the majority of the state; it was not true that results sheets were manipulated. There were no evidence of malpractice or photocopied result sheets, and no substantive evidence to establish alterations,” he explained. The INEC chairman made this disclosure in Washington, DC during a conversation with US policy makers, think-tanks and members of the international community. The event tagged: “Nigeria's 2015 Elections: What Have We Learned?” was hosted by CSIS and anchored by Director, African Programmed at the institute, Jenniffer Cooke. Speaking further, he said: “Rivers State has become quite a big issue and we did our best to be able to have enough evidence to make an informed decision before results were returned. We received reports of fake results sheets, use of photocopied result sheets, substitution of trend of INEC personnel and allegation of no election taking place in some polling units."

Buhari attends AU summit today Anule Emmanuel Abuja

resident Muhammadu Buhari will today depart for South Africa to participate at the 25th African Union (AU) Summit currently taking place in Johannesburg. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Ad-

esina, said the President would chair the meeting of the Peace and Security Committee of the AU summit. President Buhari will also during the trip hold a number of bilateral meetings that will consolidate his ongoing drive to secure Nigeria and the neighbouring countries from Boko Haram.

Lagos seeks voluntary blood donation Muritala Ayinla

agos State Government yesterday called on residents and individuals alike to support the drive at ensuring that 100 per cent of all blood for transfusion are from voluntary blood donors by donating and encouraging more people to donate blood voluntarily. Chairman of the state Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC), Dr. Adetoun Agbe-Davies, who said this yesterday while briefing journalists on activities to commemorate this year’s World Blood Donor Day, said recruitment of voluntary blood donors was major activity of the LSBTC. Agbe-Davies, who said the action was in realisation that safe blood starts with the voluntary donor, also said the theme of this year’s campaign and celebration was entitled: “Thank you for saving my life” with the slogan; “Give freely, give often, blood donation matters.”

She explained that the theme focused on thanking blood donors who save lives every day through their blood donations and strongly encourage more people, all over the world to donate blood voluntarily. “The World Blood Donor Day is held annually all over the world on 14th June. This year’s campaign and celebration features stories from people whose lives have been saved through blood donation, so that regular blood donors can continue donation and also motivate other healthy people to join in doing so,” she said. The LSBTC chairman stressed the need to meet the year 2020 World Health Organisation (WHO) set goal of 100 per cent of all blood for transfusion should be from voluntary blood donors would go a long way in addressing issues of touting as well as the demand for family replacement of blood through family donation for mothers at ante natal booking.

Buhari, Atiku hails Amuka-Pemu at 80 Anule Emmanuel Abuja

resident Muhammadu Buhari yesterday extolled the virtues of Chairman and Publisher of Vanguard Media Limited, Chief Sam Amuka-Pemu. The President in a statement personally signed by himself, said AmukaPemu had provided worthy example of the fruits of professionalism, industry and teamwork to achieve desired goals in the country. In a letter he personally wrote to congratulate the media mogul on his 80th birthday, the President said the event billed to hold today (Saturday) provided an opportunity for him and his family as well as millions

Nigerians to felicitate with Amuka who he described as talented “gentleman of the press.” Meanwhile, former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar yesterday congratulated the Publisher of the Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka-Pemu, on the occasion of his 80th birthday anniversary celebration today. In a statement issued by his media office in Abuja and signed by Mr. Paul Ibe, Atiku described the 80 years sojourn on earth of the veteran journalist, publisher and businessman as "a milestone and a testimony to the life of moderation, discipline, kindness and contentment that he has lived.”

NEXIM N25bn crisis: Group flays assault on Anyim, Oke Dominic Adewole ASABA

he Nigeria Career and Leadership Study Group (NCLSG) yesterday flayed incessant verbal attacks on the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim. The group condemned the linking of Anyim and the Executive Director, Business and Development Department of NEXIM Bank, Folake Itohan Oke, to the fraud that trailed the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) N25 billion grant to the bank. In a three-page letter, jointly-signed by its Execu-

tive Secretary, Samson Igho and the Public Relations Officer, Okechukwu Onyemaijem, in Asaba, yesterday, the group wondered why such an allegation would be made against the two personalities. The group said the campaigns of calumny against the persons in question were attempts to tarnish their image, describing such an attack as “hopeless fabricated words and complete misrepresentation of facts.” The group said it had since been established that no money was missing in the bank or had missed in the past that had any connection to the relationship between the SGF and the Executive Director.

SATURDAY

Street Diary SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015 On your way to a conference last week, you said the plane you boarded from Lagos to Kaduna almost crashed. Could you tell us what happened exactly? I will start by thanking Allah, because Allah says, "if you thank me, I will give you more blessings." so if I thank him for this, He will give me more protection. Actually, the plane, Aero flight MG181 took off from Lagos about 6:30pm and in mid flight, about 20minutes into the flight, we noticed that there was trouble. When you are in a plane and it is no longer smooth, you will know. It started with being bumpy and all of a sudden it started losing altitude and people started looking at one another in the plane. All of a sudden, the gas mask which they normally demonstrate before planes take off fell off from the cabins on our laps and people screamed because they had demonstrated it to us before we took off. I sat on the aisle. My seat was 17D.The gas masks of the seat opposite mine failed to drop for the three passengers and they began to scream since they knew it was time to use extra material to get enough oxygen which they couldn’t get. Honestly I must commend the calmness and professionalism of the crew on that flight and they are mostly ladies. They behaved like men and they quickly came to assist the three passengers to get their masks. However, the screaming continued because the plane was wobbling and suddenly, one of the passengers called our attention to the smoke oozing out of one of the engines. Did you see the smoke? Though I couldn’t see it clearly because it was already late but those by the window could see it clearly. The pilot spoke told us that he had been instructed to divert from his route (Kaduna) to Abuja because Abuja was closer than Kaduna. He diverted and he told us that Abuja was about 120miles away and that it would be done in 15 minutes. About five minutes later, he corrected himself that it would be done in 25 minutes. While the pilot must be commended for carefully handling the turbulence, we were terrified as he spoke. He was not coherent, his voice trembled because he knew what happened. Before the gas mask dropped, was there any announcement? No, there was no announcement, it just dropped. How many times did he address you? He addressed us twice. What was the reaction of the passengers? The reaction was chaotic, the women were screaming, even a guy behind us kept shouting. I think he was angry for something else. A few were calm and praying, and to the glory of God, I was among those who were calm and praying. I prayed like I never prayed before but I didn’t scream be-

People who face imminent death, what do you think would be going on in their minds? So, if you say that they exaggerated, you are being unfair and unkind

Our 40 minutes of hell in the sky –Prof. Akintola A professor at the Lagos State University, Ishaq Akintola, narrates his experience when the plane he and some passengers boarded from Lagos to Kaduna last week Friday ran into turbulence just a few minutes after take-off. He spoke with WAHEED BAKARE cause I know life is ephemeral. Every soul will taste death, there is no escape from death, it doesn’t matter your age. Though no one wishes to die such kind of death but you can’t choose the kind of death you want, you can’t choose how to be born; you can’t choose where to be born. So if we have our ways, we want to choose to die in our homes, we want to choose our tombs, we want to talk to our children before we die, but in that circumstance, my thought was spontaneous. It wasn’t my choice but from Allah we came and to Him we will return. I continued to pray as the turbulence continued until we reached Abuja. For 25 minutes people were shouting and nobody was at rest. And I want to suggest that there should be a mobile clinic in every airport because people who came out of that flight should have been treated for shock. I know of lady who sat closest to the other side of where I was. I was afraid that the lady would die of fright, she was horrified, screaming and weeping, she cried throughout. Was she the only one crying? She wasn’t the only one but she was the one that was close to where I was. I couldn’t see the faces of others aside hearing their screaming and prayers. Before you got to Abuja, what were the hostesses doing? Don’t forget that the hostesses also needed to use the masks. I don’t know if we ever used the oxygen, the thing was on us and I was trying to know if the oxygen was there already. When you draw the string you have to feel something but I didn’t feel it. I think the oxygen mask that dropped was a kind of pre-caution just in case. Anyway, I shouldn’t judge, I wouldn’t know if I was actually using

Akintola

their oxygen because I’m not in that profession to know exactly what happened. Does it mean that you didn’t have any feeling that you were using the extra oxygen? No, I didn’t have any feeling. When the pressure dropped, did you have any feeling that the pressure had dropped? I didn’t have any feeling either. So there is no difference when the pressure dropped and when you put on the gas mask? I didn’t have any feeling. For those 20 minutes, what were you thinking? Did you believe the pilot when he told you that you would be there in 25 minutes? I didn’t believe we would get to Abuja. I thought this is it so let me prepare my last minutes and say my last prayer, which I did. For a Muslim, in such moment, we should communicate with Allah and give one’s testimony immediately, in case that death comes earlier than expected. So I uttered my ‘Khelima’ and testified that I have no other

God except Allah and that Mohammed is His messenger. It is Allah who gives and takes life, so that’s a testimony that I accept Allah. So if I die in that state, I would die as a Muslim. I am covered and my sins are forgiven, so after saying that I started appealling to Allah. I did a lot of prayers because I kept thinking in particular about my father. I pitied my father who marked 100 years some months ago. His prayer is that we should live on after him. This was what I didn’t call for but at the same time Allah owns my father and I. He can take me anytime He wishes and I don’t have any choice. Others were my loved ones, my wife, and children and so on. And I knew they would overcome it (if I die) because they had been trained. Each time we pray at home, I lecture them that death can come at any time, I urge them to face their studies and not look at what daddy can do for them. Some are saying the issue was exaggerated and there is no big deal if a plane makes air return. Did you agree to that? I pray that those who called it exaggeration should not experience what we went through. One of my friends teased me on the phone and called me professor Ayorunbo, that is a professor who cheated death. I want to challenge the airline to make available the record of the turbulence as recorded by the aircraft. Better still, they can through the manifest invite those on board to give accounts of what they experience and let us see how many of them will controvert what I said. Was that the first time you experienced turbulence in aircraft? No, I have experienced turbulence. There is no way you will take a flight maybe from Abuja to Lagos that you won’t experience turbulence for some seconds. We all know what turbulence means, a plane hits the cloud and later it will go through it. But you can’t be in turbulence for 40 minutes and say it was exaggerated. Was it up to 40 minutes? Yes, when we took off at 6:30pm, the turbulence began about 20 minutes into the flight and also I read the Aero version of the story that the turbulence began 19 minutes into the flight. People who face imminent death, what do you think would be going on in their minds? So, if you say that they exaggerated, you are being unfair and unkind. Neither the officials nor the average Nigerian should accuse those on board of exaggerating because it’s only those that feel it that knows it. We saw death and we came back, that was what happened and don’t forget that it was in the sky. You can’t park that plane and say let us repair it here, like you park a car by the roadside. There was no way it could CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Street Diary

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

fter escaping the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls, these Nigerian girls are adjusting to a strange new life in small US town, Oregon. Grace slept through the sounds of gunfire in the night. Exhausted from final exams at her boarding school in Nigeria, she awoke when her roommate Mary prodded her, “Get up!” Suddenly, the girls saw a gang of men spreading across the school grounds. “They said they were soldiers. They said they were there to protect us,” Grace says. “They told us all to stay together.” Terrified, the girls did as they were told. The men made their way to the pantry, grabbing all the food. Then they headed for the administrative office. On the way, they began shouting, “Allahu akbar! Allahu akbar!” It means “God is great” in Arabic. They lit the office on fire. “We realised they were impostors,” Grace says. “They were not there to help us.” But it was too late to run. The girls were forced into trucks at gunpoint. Grace sat with Mary as their vehicle roared off into the dawn. As the school burned in their wake, lighting the sky, Grace thought, these men are going to kill us. That was more than a year ago, in April. Terrorist group Boko Haram seized hundreds of schoolgirls from the town of Chibok, threatening to sell them as slaves. Global outrage followed. Social media erupted with the Bring Back Our Girls campaign. Hillary Clinton and Angelina Jolie joined the rallying cry. A few dozen of the kidnapped girls managed to escape. Yet at press time, more than 200 remained missing, despite a recent military offensive that freed hundreds of other captives. Boko Haram has waged an increasingly bloody war in recent years, beheading, burning alive, and gunning down thousands of people in an effort to create an Islamic state and wipe out Western influence from the country's schools. At least 2,000 women and girls have been kidnapped since the start of last year, according to Amnesty International. Some were reportedly stoned to death. Today, Grace is living a world away from all that, at a high school in Canyonville, Oregon, a town ringed by mountains and towering redwoods. She and three other Chibok girls are quietly finishing their education at the Canyonville Christian Academy, a cosy boarding school, with students from more than a dozen countries. Grace wants her tale of escape to be told. But she is not too eager to do the telling. I sense this the moment I meet her. It's a chilly spring Tuesday, and she and the other Chibok girls are leaning against a chain-link fence, relaxing after track practice. Cathy Lovato, the head of school, introduces me, and the girls turn to me, their faces suddenly serious. Grace barely makes eye contact. For the girls, arriving in America was like landing on Mars. They had grown up in deeply poor, rural villages with no Internet access and in some cases a sole landline

L-R: Mercy, Deborah and Sarah

Chibok girls find new life in US school phone for the entire village. In Oregon, everything was new: winter weather, puffy coats, remote controls, trampolines, yogurt-covered pretzels, cheerleaders, ice skating, karaoke. They spoke only a little English. The first girl to arrive, Mercy, came this past November. School president Doug Wead recalls Mercy's first-ever encounter with an escalator. As she stepped onto the moving staircase at the airport, she panicked and dropped her bag. That night, at the hotel, she took a bath and stayed there for hours. “Later, my wife checked in on her, and she was asleep on the bed, lying on top of the fluffy comforter,” says Wead. “Her coat was on, fully zipped.” The girls came to Canyonville with the help of a non-profit group in Virginia, the Jubilee Campaign, and activists from Nigeria. The girls, all of whom are Christians, live in constant uncertainty, unsure whether relatives are alive or dead, whether their homes have been burned. They keep in touch with loved ones by phone when possible amid the chaos. In a campus lounge overlooking a creek and a bridge, Grace arrives for her interview on a Wednesday afternoon. Wearing skinny jeans and pink flip-

They said they were soldiers. They said they were there to protect us. They told us all to stay together flops, she looks like a typical American student, except for the deep anxiety on her face. Her counsellor, Debbie Horton, is there with me. The Chibok girls, all 18 years old, have been meeting with the counsellor since their arrival. Grace came in December with classmates Sarah and Deborah, a few weeks after Mercy. Cosmopolitan is withholding their last names for safety. Grace recently lost her brother, two uncles, and a cousin, all killed by Boko Haram. The youngest of five children, Grace says she imagined becoming a teacher when she finished boarding school in Chibok. Speaking in her native language and using a translator, she begins to cry, covering her face with one hand, while her counsellor

holds the other. On the night of the terrorist attack, she says, the men drove the girls to a sprawling forest, shouting, "You should not have been going to school! We are in control of you now." It was daylight, she recalls, when they arrived at the forest hideout. "The men said there was nowhere to run," says Grace. They described a "wide-open space" beyond the trees, where runaway girls would be caught. Grace puts her head down on the table. There is a long silence. Outside, students stroll by with tennis rackets, laughing. The counselor asks Grace if she wants to stop. She says no and continues, her head still down on the table, speech muffled. She recalls an overwhelming urge to escape the camp. She told Mary she had a plan: She would ask the men if she could go to the bathroom — in the bush — and then run. Mary wasn't sure if that was such a good idea. The men were escorting girls to the bush and could shoot them dead. Says Grace: "I decided I would rather die trying to escape than be killed by these men." • Culled from Elombah.Com

‘Our 40 minutes of hell in the sky' CONTINUED from PAGE 11

be repaired, we faced death. When they eventually announced that the plane had landed, how did you feel? He didn’t land easily, he was coming from rough circumstances, someone sitting close to me said the pilot was finding it difficult to land and that he couldn’t turn. In my own view, it was difficult for the tyres to come out. We give all thanks to Allah, the creator, Supreme Being, He knew why He put us through this and why He saved us and we are grateful to Him.

When you landed, what was the reaction of the people? People danced and praised God. Personally when we landed the first thing I did was to perform prostration of appreciation of thankfulness by putting my forehead on the ground to praise Allah, and I prayed in that position before I stood up. What did the pilot say when you landed? Was there any arrangement made for you to continue with your journey? When we landed, they didn’t open the door, we remained on board. The first announcement was made by one of the host-

esses, she said now we are in Abuja, that the aero technician will come and repair the plane and we will continue the trip to Kaduna with the same plane.

for my comment. Looking at the way people screamed and the hostesses going round to calm them, I think that was a height of professionalism.

And what was the reaction? The reaction was spontaneous, people said: "oh no no". Then she said anyone who wants to come down here should stand up and a large number of people stood up. Before we disembarked, they took our names through the boarding pass and registered our names, returned our boarding passes to us and asked us to go. I personally commended the members of the crew as I descended the stairs and they were very happy

And how did you return to Lagos? I took Aero on my way back to Lagos, despite the fact that people called me not to take it. I told them that after Dana Air crashed, people who have faith will still take Dana. It wasn’t their making that it crashed, and Aero didn’t create that technical fault. If people start avoiding Aero, then they are causing economic problem for that airline. Aero has been good over the years and I didn’t see why we should boycott it. I didn’t boycott it.

SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015

SATURDAY

WeekendDelight 13

C o n v e r s at i o n

Instyle Layer up for the cold weather p.15

TV & Radio A glimpse of Jenifa’s Diary p.34

Love & Living ‘My husband’s mistress changed my life’ p.35

Hospitality

Pearl One Suites: Standing out in a crowded field p.41

Norman

Macleod

I ARRIVED NIGERIA DURING JUNE 12 CHAOS ... I’M LEAVING ALSO IN JUNE AMID FUEL CRISIS

Norman Macleod plays the bagpipe, wears a kilt and carries a bonhomie that hardly suggest he is a senior executive in one of the world’s oldest oil companies. Married to a Nigerian, Josephine Ajiehiegbe Oboh, the Scot has spent 21 years in Nigeria. As he prepares to move back to his home country, he speaks with ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA about growing up and memories of his stay in Nigeria.

Early days in Nigeria I first came to Nigeria in June 9, 1994, and on June 12, 1994, three days after I arrived, we had the M. K. O. Abiola situation. So, my first experience was a little bit of chaos as we had this national strike. I remember that quite distinctly. So, that was the beginning and if I now look at the end and see the relative chaos that we are now experiencing today with the fuel issue, tankers all over the roads, no fuel for people and their cars. That was the beginning and I supposed this is the end. We are leaving in June with mixed feelings. We would have gone back anyway probably in another six months or a year, but we decided to go now because business is quiet and it is summer time in Europe. It is an easier time to arrive back and settle down than it will be in the winter. Packing up 21 years of your life, of all the things that you have done is quite a task. I first came here with Shell. I have been working with Shell International for many years, basically, since I left university. I was posted here to set up

and head Shell’s deepwater operations in Nigeria. There was a lot of excitement about this project, so we came here in 1994 and we set up the operation. We set up quite a different company, Shell Nigeria Exploration Company. Of course, there were a lot of interactions and a lot of my early months were spent travelling to Warri. That gave me an opportunity to travel to the Delta area. Challenges travelling around If there is a major regret that I have about Nigeria which is unusual for me compared to any other country that I have worked in, it is that it is very difficult to travel around Nigeria as an expatriate just to experience the country and to learn about the country. I have gone to places as a result of my work and I might not I have seen as much of the country as I have. And the reason majorly is that the transport infrastructure is not good, the roads are not good, security is difficult and the hotels are not very good. It may be a little easier now because we

have more flights. But in those early days it was quite difficult. We were chartering planes for business to go to Jos or wherever, and if it has not been for that I will probably not have seen very much of the country. For me, that would have been a major regret and it is still a bit of regret having spent all these times here in West Africa, I have only seen a little bit of Nigeria and I have only been once or twice to Ghana. We got around a little bit but I would have loved to see more places. Interestingly, my wife, Josephine, comes from Edo State, we have been to Benin several times and was conferred with chieftaincy title there (Ewu) and it was interesting. That was an opportunity for someone like me because you certainly can’t buy that sort of experience. That was a great experience and I was very honoured to be made a chief in 2012 in the same village. We are both chiefs in Edo State and last year, 2014 we were both conferred with chieftaincy titles here in Lagos, in Ikateland. CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

Weekend Delight

| Conversation

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

‘I was in my skirt with my pipe when I met my wife’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

Most memorable moments I think some of the traditional ceremonies that I have attended in the village, like traditional dance and music performances, the large crowd of people gathering and the experience dressing up for those events. Those really are nice experiences. I would think that those sorts of things are some of the best moments. Another feature that I have enjoyed very much was my interacting with my music and the African percussion. I have enjoyed that very much, but of course from a work perspective, our deepwater project was very successful. We had an exploration success. Playing the bagpipe I play the bagpipe and I play the piano a little bit as well but not so much these days. But my instrument is the bagpipe. The rhythm was something that I have always liked but the rhythm that we use in Scotland is more of military style, straightforward style of percussion. But what you find here in Africa and Nigeria is that the percussion of the local instruments is much more syncopated and almost arrhythmic because you can be fighting sometimes to find the beats. That is the kind of fascination about it and I just loved listening to it whenever there was a band playing or a talking drum playing. It was just a nice experience and then I said it will be nice to try the pipes along with that sort of sound and then that opportunity came along and we started experimenting with it. Gradually, it grew and we ended up making a CD, first of some Scottish tunes with African percussion together. We did some videos as well. We were doing that at the end of the 1990s. People like the mix of the pipes and the African rhythms and the traditional dances. We wanted to do a lot of that but time never permitted it. Lagos is unpredictable Lagos is a dirty, noisy, bustling and unpredictable place. When it rains it is chaotic and when we have the harmattan in the winter, it can be quite awkward as well. I remember when I first arrived, the airport was very dirty and broken down. And you felt that you were coming into a very much third world place. And I said this is interesting. It reminded me of Manila because I had been in the Philippines. This is a big ... with wife, Jesephine (2nd left), Femi Kuti (5th left) and some guests at an event

tropical city. So that was my first introduction. It was never as busy as it is now. Even in those days I used to drive myself many, many times to the office but you don’t really think of doing that now. I think from an urban planning perspective Lagos suffers a lot because there isn’t enough recreational facilities for the population here and that manifests itself I think in some of the frustrations that seem to boil over very easily in Lagos. It doesn’t take much for some huge argument to erupt and everybody is jumping up and screaming. So there are a lot of social issues that need to be addressed. You will always like to leave Lagos and get away after some weeks but maybe after two weeks of that trip you look to coming back again. But why is it that we all want to come back? That is a dilemma that I have not been able to solve. It is almost a survival city, if you are not a survivalist then you won’t survive here. If you are a bit of survivalist and you like the challenge then Lagos always will be an attraction. Always a challenge and a bit of the unexpected, but if you can master that and get around it then you see the enjoyment in it. There is never a dull moment, there is always something going on but unpredictable though. I’ll miss the fact that this was home for 21 years You can’t be in a place for 20 years and not miss the memories. So, I will miss the fact that this was home for me where I have lived and worked and made lots of friends. There was always a desire to live and work overseas. Going back to the UK is going against what my natural spirit really wants me to do. Of my 40 odd working years, 21 of those years have been spent in Nigeria, so more than half of my working life has been in Nigeria. I am part of the country now and we would be back. There is no question about it. The children have got to be settled and if it were not for the children we probably would stay on. We have a house here, we have our connections here. I think Nigeria is not the most attractive country at the moment to live in, perhaps. I met my wife while playing at the MUSON Centre I first met Josephine at the MUSON Centre here in Lagos where I was playing and Josephine was attending as a guest. I was in my skirt with my pipe when we met. She actually thought I came from the UK specially to play for the event. She was

very interested in my culture and my music. That is her nature because she is very artistic. We talked and got to know each other. And we ended up marrying. She’s a very proud Nigerian individual from a very proud family with a very strong history. Both parents are high chiefs in their respective villages. The father was a senior officer in the Nigerian Army and her mother was a very successful businesswoman. Although my mother–in–law) really didn’t speak English, but we were able somehow to communicate. We always

enjoyed each other’s company. Those were in the days when the family’s house was in the Ajegunle area. We used to go there every Sunday to see mum. I met her brothers and sisters of course, several of them. But I would have loved to meet the father as well. He was very much into music, traditional music and I would have enjoyed that conversation. So, my experience with Josephine has been illuminating, the fact that you are with a Nigerian person means that you will get to meet and see people that you will never normally have seen or met. For me and someone who has always wanted to live and work in overseas perhaps it is fitting and inevitable conclusion that I would end up marrying someone outside.

Macleod in his chieftaincy attire

...playing his highland bagpipes

...with wife and children ...in his Scottish national dress

13 JUNE 2015

Layer up for the cold weather

fashion etiquette Wearing white undershirts

Angela Davies he rainy season is here again and the cold could be unbearable sometimes. However you do not have to sacrifice your style for the cold weather. Just because the weather is cold does not mean your clothes should be dull and unflattering. Despite the weather, you should still look attractive and comfortable. But it does not mean you need a new wardrobe to keep warm. It is all about layering. If you are not used to wearing suits to the office, then, you should take a dark jacket with you because the weather can be unpredictable sometimes. So when the weather becomes cold, simply wear the jacket over your outfit to help keep the cold at bay. In addition, opt for outfits in fabrics that will keep you warm, chic and comfortable. But, if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to wear a jacket over your outfit, then, forget about shirts or tops that will expose your body. So, it is a good time to wear long sleeve and turtle neck outfits. Also, you could keep your neck area warm with a colourful pashmina or lovely thick scarf. For casual outings especially in the evenings, you have a variety of outfits to opt for to keep you warm and chic. You could wear a long sleeve body hug especially black under a loose fitting sleeveless top or nice top with blazer paired with jeans or pants. There are also beautiful and elegant styles and colours of cardigan you can wear on your outfit for a trendy look. Also, you could opt for nice sweater dresses. Long sleeve cardigans with buttons made from a blend of cotton, rayon, and nylon that provides both comfort and warmth is also a good choice. You can wear them over tops or camisole paired with pants, jeans or skirts. Black is a good insulator for cold. So incorporating black outfits in different styles and fabrics will be appropriate. It is also an ideal time to consider the boyfriend jacket. Although many boyfriend jackets look oversized, but when worn over a top and paired with jeans, pants or skirt, they give a stylish and balanced look especially when cinched with a tinny sleek belt. Boyfriend jacket adds a touch of sophistication to any casual ensemble while also offering a layer of protection against cold. You should also remember to take along a portable umbrella, fancy plastic footwear and shower cap if possible because you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know where the rain will catch up with you. So, to ward-off cold, you should layer properly to stay chic, warm and comfortable.

Instyle

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

Stella Damasus

Ure Eke

Seyi Shay

Jasmine Tukur

Take a jacket to keep you warm

Ibiere Julius Agwu

Well dressed for the cold

Elohor Aisien

t looks unfashionable when people see your crewneck undershirt showing in the collar of your dress shirt. If you are wearing a white crewneck undershirt with a buttonup dress shirt, but casually leave the top few buttons undone, then, your crewneck undershirt will certainly peek through. The disadvantage of the classic crewneck style is its high neckline. So, if you are planning on wearing a button-up dress shirt, you will need to keep it buttoned up all the way to hide the crewneck undershirt. Depending on the height of the undershirt and the cut of the dress shirt, you may find undershirts that can only be worn with a buttoned collar and necktie. Having a white undershirt peek out from an unbuttoned collar of a dress shirt tends to look unfashionable. To avoid your white crewneck undershirt from showing, it is advisable to opt for a V-neck. V-necks undershirts are more appropriate than the standard crewneck in case you plan on loosening your tie and unbuttoning the top button. However, the depth of the V-shape varies, but many of them are cut so that you can leave at least one button of your dress shirt open without showing your white undershirt aside the collar button.

Instyle

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Accessories to live for

Beaded bracelets for men Beaded bracelets give your wrist an endearing and unique look. ANGELA DAVIES writes.

he beaded bracelet is definitely having its moment. Women are not the only ones who wear bracelets. Stylish men use bracelets to subtly express their personality and style. Hence, they adorn their wrists with stylish and colourful beaded bracelet. Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beaded bracelet can be made with materials such as onyx, amber, glass, quartz to wood and the prices vary accordingly. However, there is one rule of thumb that should be applied to any beaded bracelet. And that is the bigger the bead, the more casual the bracelet. For a formal and sophisticated look, keep it simple with the smaller, peasized beads. For an informal look, you can wear different colours and sizes of beads if you wish. Some men adorn their wrists with as many as three different sizes, styles and colours of beaded bracelets add some oomph to their dressing. However, many stylish men go for brown or black colours given that they can be paired with any colour of outfit. Whilst others own different colours that will match various colour of outfits. Always opt for beaded bracelets that make you feel comfortable and noticeable. When making your choice, go for styles and colours that suit your personality and style. Beaded bracelets come in a lot of designs that are sleek enough to be fashionable and casual enough to wear with most outfits. But, before you rush out to buy or order for one, it's important first to check out the latest styles of beaded bracelets for men in fashion magazine as well as online stores. Many styles of breaded bracelet offer easy slip-on style for comfortable wear.

13 JUNE 2015

MY STYLE

Instyle

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

Simple, chic and audacious Celebrity photographer and musician, Toni Tones, never goes unnoticed on the red carpet. Simply put, she walks the audacious path with regard to style. ANGELA DAVIES writes. How would you define your style? My style is simple, sexy and chic.

a pair of hot sunglasses on it which makes it dressy instantly.

What determines the kind of outfits you wear? It really depends on my mood. But for red carpet events basically I’m a big risk taker. I like to not wear the expected all the time.

Signature perfume It is Chanel Chance. I have been using it for about nine years. I love the smell and it’s elegant. The smell reminds people of me now.

Which outfits take up the most space in your wardrobe? I like neon so you will see a lot of neon in my wardrobe. You will also see a lot of purple outfits and backless outfits. Is there any outfit you’re unlikely to be seen wearing? I would probably not be caught wearing chinos trouser or anything chinos. Do you think there's a fashion item you cannot do without? My sunglasses. I always have two pairs in my bag. I think a nice way to spice up a simple outfit is to wear

What kinds of shoes hold a special appeal to you? During the day, I love to wear shoes that are comfortable but still sort of edgy. So, I have a lot of strappy, gladiator sandals and ballet flats. And for events you can’t go wrong with a pair of Louboutin shoes. They go with anything either the nude or black ones. What kind of jewelry appeals to you? It really depends on what I’m wearing. But I like simple jewelry. What fashion rule do you live by? Keep it simple but special. You will never see me with anything too much. I don’t like it when things are overdone.

If you were a fashion item, what would you be? I would be a pair of aviator sunglasses because they go with everything and they are timeless. Who do you consider the best designer? I love Victoria Beckham’s brand; her designs are really beautiful and elegant. How do you love your hair? I have natural hair at the moment so I use Brazilian wigs or do pony tail with my natural hair and it’s quite long now. How do you love your makeup? I like it simple. On a typical day, I use eyeliner, blusher and lip gloss. But I will do something more dramatic if I’m going to an event. Best colour Neon yellow and green because I think it’s very catchy and the colour is so strong that you don’t have to do much with the outfit. Neon gives anything drama.

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

T-shirt and jeans

Tones

Facts

Motunrayo Jimoh, creative director of Maju, decided to open her label in 2008 because whenever she went shopping, she would see a dress she loved but often thought it didn’t look so great because it lacked a certain detail. The brand speaks for the accentuation of feminine beauty.

Tee A

Owen G

Umbrellas were invented originally to protect people from the sun and not the rain.

The modern era of perfume began in 1921 with Coco Chanel's launch of Chanel No. 5, an exotic floral blend created by Ernest Beaux.

Ancient Rome was the first shopping mall that sold clothing.

he fashion showdown this week is between two prominent comedians, Tunde Adewale popularly known as Tee A and Owen Osamwengie, better referred to as Owen G. And the outfit in contention is different colours of branded tshirt and jeans which both men wore to the same event. Tee A wore a black branded crewneck t-shirt with a pair

of black jeans to Yaw Live on Stage, a comedy and music event tagged “You” on Saturday, May 30 at Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos. He styled his casual look with sunshade, silver chain bracelet, black leather wristwatch, yellow wristband and black and white sneakers. Owen G who also attended the same event was spotted on the red carpet in black and white

branded crew neck t-shirt paired with blue jeans. He accessorised his look with a long silver crucifix neck chain, black leather wristwatch, leather wristband and light blue and black sneakers. Although both men rocked different colours of branded t-shirts and jeans, but, who in your opinion wore it better? Is it comedian and compere, Tee A or comedian and actor, Owen G?

SATURDAY

The Arts SATURDAY 13 JUNE 2015

Celebrating boundaries in colours An art exhibition of paintings, sculptures by five artists with splendid sense of existential dilemma opens at Quintessence Gallery, lkoyi, Lagos, on Saturday June 13, writes MOSES KADIRI.

ith a catchy theme, Same Boundary, the artists comprising Stella Ubigho, Oguntimehin Ariyo, Luke Iyorah, Okoro Nathan, and Chijioke Nwoga individually showcase works that cut across diverse tribe and societal issues. No doubt, the works expresses the artists individual skills in their chosen genre, as they celebrate boundaries in what could be described as a group showcase. With five pieces each making a total of 25 works in the showcase, the works are subtle, warm and refreshing. Ubigho, the only female in the team notes that the idea started August 2014 during a workshop at the Greenhouse Gallery organized by Princess Odogwu. This was what brought three of the five artists Ubigho, Ariyo, and Nathan together to start planning what is now showing at Quintessence Gallery. "Apart from that we live in the same environment, and we did not know each other," she said. "I exhibited in Greenhouse Gallery where l met Ariyo who is a wizard in pastel; during our interaction l discovered that we are residing in the same area in Ogun State. Others were my school mates. We are also living in the same area; so after the show we thought of coming together and do something to create awareness in our environment to have a kind of voice foe people to know they are living with artists. That is what initiated the show," she said. Her work, Daily Income, captures a market setting where people buy and sell, and market women display their wares. The work, oil on canvass brings lots of things to the mind. Carefully painted the activities in the paintings are visible, Ubigho uses an umbrella to relate her message with mild colours. Her other work, God Ubigho Watches Over Us tells The Nigerian Breweries Plc and African Artists' Foundation (AAF) have called for entries for the 8th edition of the National Art Competition. This year’s theme, “Future Histories,” requires artists creating work in these mediums and beyond to express to the nation what a future history is, what it can be, and what it must be for Nigerians and artists alike. Artists are encouraged to think laterally about the social, political, and cultural climate of their local communities and Nigeria as a country, whilst exploring their terra incognita art practice. "Future Histories", the organisers

Daily Income by Ubigho

God Watches Over Us

Will I See You Again? by Ubigho

the story of a little child, Ubigho likened the work to the Lagos typical life of hustling that does not know anyone irrespective of one's status either young or old. "ln all of these troubles, God watches over us," she submitted. Will I See You Again, is another work from Ubigho. This piece brings memories of the Chibok Girls alive. The work depicts a sober mother that has lost a child, she is really affected by what has happen to her. Each day she is at her window imaging the face of her daughter in the midst of other children and thinking: will l ever see her again? In the work she use wall as a boundary to shade mother and child, the mother cannot see what is going likewise the child. The mother did not know where the child is, the child cannot see her mother too. The touch of pink makes the piece unique. Another exhibiting artist, Nathan, uses his

works to tell people what about his believe. Nathan believe is different what others believe. This is evident in the piece, Over Crowded Society where he paints lots of activities ranging from traffic, buses among others. "My philosophy is that l do not praise or condemn people, l just see you the way you are," he said. The particular work takes a look at urbanization, "wherever the colonial masters settled people concentrate more in that place, either to serve as civil servant or otherwise, but before you know it such place become a city that is how urbanization started in West Africa. When the capital of Nigeria was situated in Lagos people concentrated in Lagos, now that it has been moved to Abuja, people starts leaving for Abuja, Lagos has become a kind of economic base, that is why people still come to the city because of

the impact it has already created, that concept is almost in the whole world; there is always a particular city that is overcrowded and people still go to that place. There is this belief that where there are people, there is market." Luke Iyora, a sculptor presents elegant images in Same Boundary. His works has depth and heights that is intimidating. One of such is the Fulani Milk Maid, where he pictures a beautiful Fulani lady with calabash ready to embark on dairy business. The artist brings elegance to bear in the work depicting the milk maid which dominated the art scene years ago. But for Iyora his presentations contain unique patterns that have rarely been explored. He incorporated so many materials in the work and the outcome is quite a beauty to behold. Same Boundary Iyora will run for two weeks.

National Art Competition: Organisers call for proposal stated, is a creative production of how art explores both the imaginary and the inevitable elements of the future while maintaining its innate quality of documentation and foresight. “What material goods are those of the future, and how does our historical past play into their creation? With Lagos’ status as an art capitol manifesting before our eyes, what is at stake for Nigerian artists? Through the creation of innovative work that both presents and continues to question those viewing it,

Nigerian Breweries and African Artists Foundation asks you to participate in Future Histories.” The competition includes a cash prize of N2 million for the first place winner and provides the artist with national and international exposure and exhibition opportunities and a cash prize of N1 million each for both second and third place winners. This year’s competition is open to all mediums, however, according to the organisers, only proposals would be

accepted while completed or existing artwork will be disqualified. All entries should be sent as a pdf attachment to nac2015@africanartists.org.” Deadline for the submission of works is July 3. AAF is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion and development of contemporary African art. Established in 2007 in Lagos, African Artists’ Foundation aims to encourage the highest standard of art in Africa. African Artists’ Foundation serves a

significant role in art and academic communities through organising art exhibitions, festivals, competitions, residencies, and workshops with the aim of unearthing and developing talent, creating societal awareness, and providing a platform to express creativity. By providing assistance to professional and emerging artists in Africa and support to international exhibitions and community outreach programs, African Artists’ Foundation views the contribution to a strong cultural landscape in Africa as a transformative element in driving social change.

SATURDAY

Ozzy Agu

Josephine Ewuru

My heart belongs to Genevieve Nnaji

I danced for seven years without pay

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p.22

ShowBiz SATURDAY 13 JUNE 2015

My relationship with MI started 10 years ago –Female DJ Lambogini Though DJ Lambogini started out as an on-air personality, she is equally good with her hands. In this encounter with OLUSHOLA RICKETTS, the Chocolate City’s DJ talks about her relationship with MI and what makes her different. How did you develop flair for your job? I started out as an on-air personality in Abuja. I was with Raypower at a time and I worked in other stations too. I have always loved music, so with time I developed more interest in it. Being a DJ wasn’t difficult for me because I was already an OAP. So, you’ve practically dumped OAP? I would not say I dumped it, but music has taken all my time right now. How did your parents react to your decision to be a DJ? My dad was a DJ back in the days, so it was something he accepted easily. My parents were just scared that being a DJ might not be able to pay my bills, but I have been able to convince them. I am from a family where one is allowed to express one’s creativity. We are five children; my younger brother is a make-up artist while my first brother is a photographer. This should tell you that we are talented in my family. Could we say watching your father those days influenced you? Yes, because I have always wanted to be a DJ. I couldn’t just think about it seriously at a time because then DJs were not respected and I am a girl. But after a while I just said I would do it. I am happy that God has brought me thus far. But I feel I still have a long way to go because I see life as a journey. I am not even half way through the place I want to be. Were you doing music in secondary school? Like I said, music has been part of me right from while I was tender. Though I wasn't doing active music, most people who knew me in secondary school are not surprised I am a DJ now. In school, you will always see me at the centre of social activities. How long have you been doing this? It’s about five years now. My first paid job was at a club in Abuja. I was not paid that much, but it felt good. I used to stay in Abuja; I moved to Lagos 2012.

Why did you relocate to Lagos? I had thought of moving to Lagos long ago because it is the capital of Nigeria, but the biggest influence was when MI invited me to be his official DJ. Though it took a while to make the decision, I came based on the

fact that I had a job with MI in Lagos. Could you tell us about the song you featured MI last year? No Mercy was my first single and I released it last year February. I was trying to create something and I said we should do a remix of Kanye West’s Lamborghini Mercy. It took us like three minutes to come up with the idea. It was a very interesting process for me and an eye-opening. I would be releasing another single by the end of this month. What exactly do you do for Chocolate City? I am signed to Chocolate City as an artiste and I am also MI’s personal DJ. What that means is that I follow him whenever he goes to perform, within and outside Nigeria. How did you meet MI? I first met MI in 2005. Though we got along well, we lost contact. It was later a friend of mine met MI and told him I had become a DJ. MI was delighted and put a call to me. He then asked me to come and work for him since he needed a DJ. MI is my very good friend, a mentor and he is very inspiring. I see him as a perfectionist. Don’t you feel intimidated by growing numbers of male DJs? I grew up among four boys, so I have developed stick skin. I am not intimidated b y anyone. I don't let what people do bother me; I just play and do my things my own way. Would you call yourself Nigeria’s no 1 female DJ? Of course, I am Africa’s number one female DJ. I am different; my entire brand is different. My look and the way I do my thing are like none other. I also take what I do very seriously. How did you come about the name Lambogini? My name is Olawunmi and they always called me Lam Lam when I was younger. When I grew older my friends changed it to Lambo and it started from there. So, I am known as Lambogini (name of a car) now, which means I am strong and expensive.

What is the lowest and highest you could charge for a show? It depends on the show really. I can do gigs for free and I can also decide that I must be paid. The amount I collect for jobs has no limit. Did you have any formal training? There was nothing formal; it has just been years of practice. Though, I got several influences from the likes of DJ Bombay and other DJ friends. These people influenced my style and I learnt things from them. How were you able to combine your academics with DJ? Before I became a DJ, I was already a graduate of English Literature from the University of Abuja. What gives you satisfaction about the job? The job itself is so fulfilling. Every time I am on deck and I make people happy, I feel fulfilled. What does an award mean to you? Award makes a big impression in one’s career. It gives you an edge. Last year, I was awarded the most outstanding DJ at the TAWA Awards. I was very happy about that. What do you do apart from DJ? DJing is pretty much my life; it is a fulltime job for me. Was there a time you almost dumped DJ? I have been frustrated a lot of time, but not strong enough to think of leaving DJ. I just wanted to move back to Abuja where I came from. Life in Lagos is very different from that of Abuja and settling down in Lagos was not easy. I didn’t have a place of my own to stay when I came in newly; I was living with different people. I didn’t have a car as well. But all is gone now. What gave you hope all those periods? I was just convinced that it has to work out. What is the craziest thing you’ve done for love? Nothing; I haven’t done any crazy thing for love. I cannot remember doing any crazy thing. How would you rate the impact of female DJs in Nigeria? I am not satisfied and I think we still have a long way to go. But I am happy we are now making attempt and more females are coming out to show the world their talent. What should we expect from you let say in the next five years? You should be expecting a lot. Five years is a long time. My album should be out by then and I would have completed some other projects I plan to embark on. I would definitely do songs where I would sing from beginning to the end too. I don’t know when, but I am looking forward to doing that.

Showbiz

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

CHIZZY HARDY

Acting nude for me depends on... Fast rising actress, Chizzy Hardy, eyes a career in movie production. The Imo State-born University of Lagos graduate speaks to LANRE ODUKOYA about her career. Tell us a bit more about yourself I’m Assumpta Chizoba Hardy popularly known as Chizzy. I'm from Uzoagba Ikeduru Local Government Area in Imo State. I had my primary and secondary school in my state, afterwards I went to Alvan Ikoku College of Education where I bagged NCE in English and literature, before proceeding to the University of Lagos for my B.Sc. in psychology. I also went to the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, to get a diploma in ssychology.

I have always seen myself acting and becoming a great actress, sometimes when I was at home alone, I always rehearsed acting while looking in the mirror. Apparently, I picked up acting when I saw Rita Nzelu on a red carpet premier in London in 2013. Fortunately for me, she gave me a role in her production, and that's how I soaked myself into acting.

How long have you been acting? I started acting right from my secondary school, but I stopped along the line and then picked it up again in 2005 when I was studying in Alvan. At that point I abandoned acting again because I went into modelling and got slightly distracted when I won Miss Campus in 2005. So, I felt I needed to focus on my studies then without any interference, so I kept myself behind the scenes for years till 2013.

Has it been a challenging career so far? Well it has been wonderful, challenging and interesting. I am really happy and satisfied that I'm into it fully now. Oh yes, when I was asked to portray a difficult character in a short time and needed to bring out the best in it.

How did it all begin for you? It all began right from my childhood,

Before acting, what were you doing? I was studying, modelling and working.

Have you ever faced sexual harassment in the industry? It has never happened, in fact, that's what I have never experienced in my career so far. All the people I’ve met have been so nice and helpful to me, I must say I'm

I’m strictly married to my job for now and it will remain so for some time to come

favoured by God to be sharing a tasteful story in this regard. Will you consider acting nude if the pay is good? (Chuckles) Well it all depends on the level it could be, although I've not acted such. (She wouldn't budge after probing further). Who are the actresses you look up to in the industry? I have quite a few role models, such as Rita Nzelu, Genevieve Nnaji, Patience Ozokwor, Theodore Ibekwe and Angelina Jolie in Hollywood. Apart from acting, what else do you do? For now, acting is my full time job, in fact, I have never had time to do other things. What's been your most challenging movie role so far? ‘My God, Ibu and Oku in London’ is a movie that readily comes to mind as a matter of fact. And that’s because it’s a movie where I practically jumped down

from high fence from which I terribly got injured. So far, will you say you are fulfilled returning to your first love? Yes, I feel very fulfilled, I’m so happy that I have gotten back my passion. I am glad and satisfied in what I do which is very central to my happiness. My career means a lot to me and I enjoy doing it. I thank God for making this possible. Which of the actors, either home and abroad, do you dream to acting with? I’ve stopped dreaming of acting with anyone, but there are some actors who just sweep you off your feet. I would love to act with Patience Ozokwor, Rita Dominic and in Hollywood, it has to be Angelina Jolie. How did your parents feel with your career choice? Now I really wish that this question didn’t come up. (Pondered the answer) At first, they didn’t like the idea, but as time went by, it also began to interest them and now they’re my biggest fans. Who is your kind of man? I’m not expecting an out-of-the-world guy; I like an averagely tall guy, gentle, God-fearing, humorous and selfless. I don’t like men who smoke or alcoholics. Have you found that man already? Of course not, no one in my life at the moment and I’m not searching. I have no such expectations now sincerely. Relationship is not my priority, I’m strictly married to my job for now and it will remain so for some time to come. Which parts of your body do you treasure most? I’m certain it’s my face and my nose in particular.

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Showbiz

Ozzy Agu: My heart belongs to Genevieve Nnaji Ozzy Agu’s roles in Tinsel and Desperate Housewives (the Nigerian version) are testaments to his acting prowess. Agu recounts his journey to stardom in this interview with LANRE ODUKOYA. Your outing in the Nigerian version of Desperate Housewives remains enchanting, but many didn't know you before now. What's your story? (Chuckles) First I must thank you for the compliment. For an artist, it's nice to know that your work is appreciated while you are still alive. Well, for my story, I think childhood is a good place to start. I was raised in Port Harcourt, Rivers State where I attended Berretton Primary School. I made friends easily and I remember always trekking to a friend’s house after school to watch Captain Planet and all those cartoons back then. I didn't know it at the time, but I loved those cartoons for their engaging storytelling. In secondary school I thought I would become a writer and by SS1, I was elected social prefect at El-Amin International school, Minna, Niger State. After graduation, I went to further my studies in America at Mercer University, Georgia and being there exposed me to a variety of new interests that I enjoyed learning about. I even had a hard time picking a major because I wanted to do everything. I finally settled on business administration, but as fate would have it, after graduation my latent love for the arts and culture drew me back to school - this time to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Drama school felt like I had come home. It was natural. Then I worked in the theatre doing plays and such before coming home to do my NYSC in Lagos. I served at Royal Arts Academy in Surulere as a drama teacher and enjoyed sharing what I had learnt abroad with the bright, talented students there. I also started going for acting auditions and that's how I ended up on TV, first on Tinsel as Omar Babayaro and now on Desperate Housewives Africa as Shina Lawal.

if I want a long career. You have a striking semblance with two distinguished artists, Basketmouth and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Do you frequently get this remark and how do you react to it. [Chuckles] If I had a dollar for every time I get those comparisons, I would overthrow Dangote as the richest man in Africa. That is an exaggeration, but you get my point. I have met both men actually. Basketmouth is always jovial about it. He laughs and says that he is not offended because I don't have an ugly face. Then he turns serious and says, "But if anybody ever gives you any money meant for me, you better bring it to me." Chiwetel on the other hand, isn't as jovial. Plus I was clean-shaven at the time so resemblance never came up. All in all, I welcome the comparison. Both are good looking blokes so it's not a bad company to be in.

How tall is your dream as an actor? My dream is very tall. I want to develop interesting stories for Film and TV, and touch people’s lives for the better. Entertainment, yes. But there are also thought-provoking conversations you can start with quality media and if I win an AMVCA or an Oscar, that’s not bad. Who are your best actors? My favorite actor abroad is Mark Rylance and my favourite actor at home is Richard Mofe-Damijo. I would love to work with him on a project. Another favourite actor that I've worked with is Majid Michel. I can't keep a straight face around Majid - always laughing.

Haven't you had a crush on anyone in the industry? My heart belongs to one celebrity though, Genevieve Nnaji. If she walks in here now, my heart will explode. Sorry but the interview will be over. How do you handle overbearing female fans who want more than platonic affair? Well I haven't had to deal with that so I'll cross that bridge when I get there, I suppose. The fans I've come across have been respectfully charming. Where exactly do you draw inspiration to deliver your roles so well? Thank you. I draw inspiration from the script. It always starts with good writing. Good writing feeds the imagination. What do you find striking in a woman? She must be bold, have a sense of humour and comfortable in her own skin. Cooking is optional because I already cook for myself. What fond memories do you have of childhood? Going to the village for Christmas and chasing my grandfather's goats around for no particular reason. It doesn't make sense to me now, but back then it was my favourite thing to do. I could do it for hours and not get tired. I think I just wanted a pet badly.

Has your path crossed with either of your look alike? Yes, it has. And I already know the title of the movie we will do together. I call it "Triplets: Separated at Birth." What was your first love before your present vocation? Hmm, good question. I would have to say basketball. I remember I shot up in height almost overnight so I was very tall for my age. Everyone used to say that I would become an NBA player. One Christmas, my father got me this Space Jam basketball jersey and I nearly fainted. I was so obsessed with basketball.

Are there things you would have done differently in life if you had a second chance? Yes. I would have asked Genevieve for her number when I met her.

You're also a TV presenter; how do you joggle acting with that? Yes, I present on the lifestyle and fashion magazine show, 53Extra, on Africa Magic and that keeps me very busy. I find that I like to keep very busy if not I get bored. But I blend both acting and presenting quite seamlessly. It's all a matter of time management really. When I'm not presenting, I'm acting and vice versa. Why didn't you consider a career along business administration which you studied? I did funny enough, but as I paid more attention to what made me click as a human being, I discovered that it wasn't necessarily numbers. I learnt that my true passion lies in arts and culture. The irony however is that the arts is now big business, so I may have to dust off those old business textbooks

BIG SCREEN Last Knights A fallen warrior rises against a corrupt and sadistic ruler to avenge his dishonored master. Featuring: Clive Owen, Morgan Freeman, Aksel Hennie.

Pitch Perfect 2 After a humiliating command performance at Lincoln Center, the Barden Bellas enter an international competition that no American group has ever won in order to regain their status and right to perform. Featuring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld.

Avengers: Age of Ultron When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans. Featuring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo.

The Age of Adaline

A young woman, born at the turn of the 20th century, is rendered ageless after an accident. After many solitary years, she meets a man who complicates the eternal life she has settled into. Featuring: Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Harrison Ford.

Showbiz

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

‘I danced for seven years without pay’

entertain him too. The first time I entertained him was at a book launch and other jobs later came up. I was also among the 180 dancers that were selected for the centenary celebration.

Josephine Ewuru aka Jojo has become a dancer of note with her performance in recent highflying musical videos. The graduate of University of Calabar who recently featured in Korede Bello’s Godwin video tells OLUSHOLA RICKETTS about her burgeoning career.

Were there times you got frustrated? There were times things were not just moving well. I saw that the stress was bigger than the gain and I had personal issues that crowded my thought. So, I thought I should stop dancing and take up a full-time job. How were you able to fight the situation? I realised that this (dancing) is my life and I have to put in my best. I revisited some of my videos and I asked myself what I was thinking of.

How has it been as a dancer? It has been a bit taxing, but things have been going well with the help of God. Since this is what I live for, it is an enjoyable stress.

What are your plans in the near future? I plan to own a dance studio and work with people who are interested in taking dance to the next level. I also want to be a good wife to my husband and mother to my kids.

When did you start dancing? I started professionally in 2000. Apart from dancing, I act and I do a bit of buying and selling too. I could function in any kind of business as far as it is buying and selling. I do shoes, consumes and jewellery.

What singular factor has been the major influence in your career? The love of my family is priceless. They just have a way of encouraging me and they like what I do. My father is like my greatest fan.

How do you joggle acting and dancing? I have a timetable where I underline the things I need to do. When it is time to concentrate on dancing I do and when it is time to be on set I give it total attention.

How do you deal with inappropriate advances from potential male clients? I have never experienced such. People say they experience it, but God has a way of helping me through.

Which is the more lucrative? Dancing or acting? I would say dance because I haven’t really gone deep with acting. Though I know movie should pay more if I get really involved, it is dance all the way for now. When I am dancing I forget my worries. It is when I am done I normally remember there is something disturbing me. How did you develop dancing skills? I cannot really say. I was told I developed the skill when I was four years old. I would run out of my house to dance to Shina Peters’ music (the rave of the moment at a time) and people will be all over me. Whenever my mother saw a crowd she just knew I would be in the middle. Even when I grew older I didn’t know I would take dance seriously. I went to science class, but at the end of my secondary education I realised that it was not me. I had to go back to lessons, did art courses and went to school to study theatre arts at the University of Calabar. Could you tell us some recent projects? I have done many projects recently, though some are not in the public yet. I featured in Korede Bello’s Godwin video, DJ Exclusive’s new video and Wande Coal’s video. I have done other jobs whose details I cannot remember right now. I am still expected to do some jobs this week. How did you get over the fact that the society at a time didn’t take dancers seriously? I was never worried about what people say. The picture you paint about yourself is what people see. If you appear wayward people will see you in that direction. I try to appear in such a way that when you see me you would respect me or treat me right. I don’t dress anyhow. I feel it is

Are you under any management? No, I am not. I have someone acting as my manager, but there is nothing serious to it.

Ewuru

the way some dancers carry themselves make people to have bad impression about them. But I don’t think it is a right thing to look at people the same way. How did you come about the Godwin’s video? I am in two groups, DNA and Kaffy led group, Awanjo. I was just called up that they wanted to shoot a video the normal way we get called for jobs. Though my phone was switched off that day, Kaffy looked for a way to get to me through my siblings. I got there, we had rehearsal and Korede’s manager (Casper) liked what he saw. They even went ahead to invite us for the concert they had in Ghana. That shows that people will always remember if you for a good job. Is Godwin your biggest job so far? No, it is not. I think the Calabar carnival job is my biggest so far. I was an instructor during the carnival and the man I worked with is a well-respected politician. I have been doing the Calabar job for four years now. If the former Governor of Cross River State (Liyel Imoke) was having a party I used to

Are you satisfied with the attention or treatment dancers get? How would I be? They usually discard dancers’ worth, but people often forget that without us a show cannot be completed. The pay could also be annoying and some dancers go for anything because of the need to survive. I feel we should be given more attention because we make things happen. Could you recall your first paid job? That was in 2004; I was still young. I went for a studio recording job at Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). Then, they had a show known as All Stars All Ages (ASAA). The artiste we performed for gave me N10, 000. I was surprised because I never thought I could get that much as a dancer. What gave you hope when dancing was not paying your bills? My passion gave me hope. I danced for seven years without being paid and I didn’t give up at any time. I am enjoying the reward now. How would you encourage other dancers? I would just tell them that if they find happiness in doing something they should stick to it because happiness is what matters and talent pays more at the end of the day. How do you love to be remembered? I love to be remembered for my good work and the fact that I made people laugh. I even have friends that tell me now that when I am not around they remember me and smile.

O u t &A b o u t

Asa to lead performance, as Idol 5 ends today Later today, singer Asa will be leading other acts at the grand finale of the Nigerian Idol Season 5. Other performers include the top 12 finalists and the reality show's judges (Dede Mabiaku, Darey ‘Art’ Alade and Yinka Davies). According to the executive producer of Optima Media Group, the licence holders for Nigerian Idol, Ugochi Pedro, the decision to bring Asa on is a reflection of the brand’s sustained connection with the millions of individuals and families as the leading music reality show. “Besides being a bespoke platform which budding music talents can maximize for stardom, Nigerian Idol offers the type of entertainment that resonates with the entertainment needs of the teeming millions of individuals and families that follow. Asa is well-respected for what she has done for herself and the country using music. There is no doubt these young talents look up to people like her. This is why we are glad about the fact she will be part of our history-making team this year,” she said. The two last contenders, K-Peace and Dolu, gave a good account of themselves during their last competitive performances. The eventual winner will be rewarded with N7.5 million cash reward, a brand new SUV, a recording deal worth N7.5 million with SouthAfrica’s Universal Music label and some highend devices. The first runner up will also go home with N1.5 million cash reward, a car and some devices, while the second runner-up will be a million naira richer.

Ebonylife TV and Jega EbonyLife TV is set to host 100 young leaders to an exclusive meeting with the chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),Professor Attahiru Jega. The participants will have the opportunity to converse with Jega about his experiences, the most recent elections and other issues. The event will be held on Saturday, June 20, at the Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Music meets basketball Sound Sultan will be thrilling audience, as Lagos Islanders play Union Bank tomorrow at the Landmark Event Centre, Oniru, Lagos. Other celebrities expected at the game include 2face, Darey Art Alade, Olamide, Sasha, Wande Coal, Pasuma and Teebillz.

Iyabo Ojo’s kind heart Tomorrow, Yoruba actress Iyabo Ojo will be visiting the Family Vocational Institute for the disabled in Sango Otta, Ogun State to put smile on their faces. The name of her non-governmental organisation is Pinkies Foundation.

Investigations SATURDAY TELEGRAPH 13 JUNE, 2015

23 Shepe patrons photo: dailypost.ng

Ogogoro The killer gin April is the month for All Fools Day. The last, however, was much more than that. Nigerians had woken up to the sad news of the deaths of some consumers of a locally-brewed gin, popularly called Ogogoro in parts of the country on that fateful day. Since then, according to ISIOMA MADIKE and EMMANUEL MASHA in this report, many who often drink it for pleasure and its medicinal value, have equally lost their lives, mainly due to misuse

luwole is an estate most people fear to tread. It is located along Abiodun Jagun Street, opposite the popular Retail Market in Ogba, in the outskirt of Lagos. Behind the estate are small Shepe stores where Ogogoro and Marijuana are sold to mainly local “Area Boys” and commercial bus drivers, who come from far and near to “nice up”. One of the regulars, who identified himself simply as Ifeanyi, explained to this reporter why they are so notorious for drinking Ogogoro. “When I dey vex, I dey drink am, and I no go vex again,” explained Ifeanyi, who could no longer remember the name of his village somewhere in Ebonyi State. The stores, with glass cabinets, full

Isioma madike

Editor, INVESTIGATIONS isioma.madike@newtelegraphonline.com © Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

of alcohol and cigarettes sell a variety of local and foreign drinks, including Ogidiga and Ganja. “Anytime I’m angry, if I want to make myself okay, then I come here,” said another “Area Boy” pointing to one of the Ogogoro stores. “E dey make me dey ginger,” he added. The owner of one of the Shepe stores, who declined to give her name, has been in business for years now. “My main clients are usually young men. And the best days we sell are weekends, on Saturday and Sunday from morning to down,” she said. However, Ogogoro drinkers are rated lowly, ridiculed and maligned as the dregs of the society. Just like in Oluwole Estate, its consumption has become widespread across the country. It is cheap and readily available in most neighbourhood. It has different names in different Nigerian communities; Sapele water, Shepe, Paraga, Ogidiga, Kai-kai, Pushme-I-push-you, Crim-kena, Akpuru-achia, Moonshine, Homebrew, Akpeteshe, Jembele, and Kin-n-kana are some of its ritual names. Interestingly, some foreigners who

have had the privilege of savouring Ogogoro testify that its imported counterparts do not taste better. They, nonetheless, stressed that a lot needs to be done in making it healthier to provoke a change in the people’s perception of the gin. They did not stop there but went on to propose new strategies such as refining and packaging procedures for the drink. If those involved in the production of the local gin had heeded the advice, perhaps, the havoc the drink is causing in the country at present would have been avoided. It started in Ondo State when in April Nigerians woke up to the sad news of the deaths of some of its consumers. Reports said the victims took the brew, and within 24 hours, things started happening, as they progressed from one level of horror to the other. First, according to findings, they started experiencing severe headaches, followed by instant blindness. As a result, about 18 of them died within hours of onset of the symptoms. Only an urgent and highly specialised medical intervention saved other victims

from the cruel fate. Contamination with methanol was suspected. According to a virologist and Associate Professor of Medicine, Dr. Rotimi Samuel, who spoke to one of the newspapers that reported the incident, methanol is extremely poisonous. Samuel said as little as two tablespoons can be deadly for a child; while about one cup can be deadly for an adult. The reported mysterious death of three persons some days after the 18 deaths was equally traced to the consumption of the substance at Oka Motor Park in Ondo town, Ondo State. This was after the state government said it had curtailed the outbreak of what was initially thought was a strange disease, ravaging many communities in the Irele area of the state. Within days, 23 people were confirmed to have died after consuming the poisonous ethanol. The deceased persons included a member of the National Union of CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

Investigations

Paraga joint (inset: Dog meat)

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

photo: topetempler.worldpress.com and news2.onlinenigeria.com

Bottles of Akpetes

‘Shepe helps me to concentrate C O N T I N U E D f r o m PA G E 2 3

Road Transport Workers (NURTW), in the park, an electrician and another person working in the motor park. The three were said to have consumed the local gin at the park and immediately complained of stomach upset. Other members of the union reportedly applied local herbs to calm them down, but the remedy was late as they became unconscious soon after. In Rivers State, it started in a different manner. Though, dog meat had been a delicacy in parts of the state, the news that broke that some persons died after eating the delicacy, jolted not just a few. Most residents of Port Harcourt, who do not eat dog meat, however, felt relatively unperturbed. To those who consume the delicacy, dog meat had been a strong weapon against malaria parasite, back pain and a recipe for agility. This group dismissed the report, arguing instead that the meat helps to preserve life rather than snuff it out. But, dog meat was not the only palaver. Those who died were also said to have drank Ogogoro with which they washed down the meat. The local gin, which is quite popular, dots most corners, garages and bus-stops in many

Mimiko

neigbourhood across Port Harcourt. The first deaths occurred in Woji Community, an outskirt of Port Harcourt in Obio/Akpor, one of the richest council areas in the country. It was the epicenter of the political crisis that rocked Rivers State in 2013 when AIG Mbu Joseph Mbu was the commissioner of police. By the time other people died in places like Bonny and Gokana, the matter had somewhat become endemic. Before the victims passed on, they were feverish, seriously weak, had stomach trouble, vomited and were almost completely blind. These symptoms were similar to those that manifested in Ondo State. Yet, it caught the authorities napping. By the time they comprehend what was happening, 60 persons had crossed to the other side. In Woji where it all started, more than 20 persons were confirmed dead, while over 34 reportedly died in Bonny and Gokana respectively. The huge deaths prompted the Rivers State government to ban the sale of local gin in the state, just like in Ondo where the state government had taking such step to curtail the deaths. However, the ban did not prevent irate youths in Woji, who reacted angrily by burning down a joint, a shack standing on an undeveloped land, where most of the victims in the area had converged and eaten the dog meat. To them, the proprietor of the joint, Friday Dickson, aka “Etiaba” may have intentionally poisoned his dog meat, or the Ogogoro he sold in his bar. The joint had also served as a gist and gossip centre to many. But, Ogogoro matter did not start today. It has been a long running battle between sellers and state governments, many of which had passed a law forbidding the sale of it. In time past, hordes of Ogogoro sellers in faraway northern states had made brisk businesses also, becoming very wealthy. Some of the

Ogogoro can harm sperm production, stopping them from developing properly and reducing their ability to swim towards an egg

merchants had five to six wives stationed in most towns scattered across Gboko, Oturkpo, and Makurdi in Benue State. Their consignments are drums of Ogogoro, a business they had invested massively in. The product is also popular among the Izons in the Niger Delta, who, apart from being a home to the Black Gold, had been a major production and consumption hub of the local brew. The traditional open air markets remain the largest distribution channels for Ogogoro in Nigeria. However, a large segment of its consumers, according to investigations, are growing old. Consumption of it, experts warn, has to slow down in order to avoid the increased health risks associated with alcohol. But, the people long who have a penchant for drinking Ogogoro, perhaps, have various reasons for doing so. For instance, Toba, a Keke Marwa driver along BergerOgba road in Lagos, said that he drinks Ogogoro regularly because the spirit had been quite helpful to him in his efforts to cope with stressful conditions. He said that he would have been long dead but for the gin, which provided him some psychological relief from his numerous troubles.

“Brother, there are lots of things running in my head at once. So, after each day’s hustling, I try to relax by sipping something. If I just go straight home without relaxing that way first, it would be quite tormenting. I may not be able to sleep; I will just be lying down and looking at the ceiling thinking, aside from my wife’s usual troubles,’’ Toba said. At the Bayelsa Park inside the Mile 1 Flyover, a driver who plies Port Harcourt to Yenagoa route said he understands the danger associated with the consumption of Ogogoro, but claims to have been taking it for the past 15 years without any problem. He has, however, vowed to continue the consumption of the now banned product. He said: “It is true that some persons have been killed after drinking Ogogoro, but it does not mean that all the Ogogoro in town are poisonous. I know that drinking and driving is dangerous, but as a driver, Ogogoro helps me to concentrate on the steering. I only take a little, and I have never had an accident.” Ogogoro is distilled from palm wine that is whitish in colour (tapped from oil palm tree or raffia palm) through prolonged fermentation. Production

Ajekigbe

SATURDAY 13 JUNE 2015

SATURDAY

FREE

Sport Splash 25

Interview

Abridged league is lazy idea – Osho p.26

Feature

Ezeugo running to bridge the divide for Buhari p.27

Women's W'Cup

We can beat USA, says Falcons captain p.30

Lifestyle

Neighbours complain of Bolt's incessant partying, loud music p.32

The Team Vincent Eboigbe l Assistant Editor Ajibade Olusesan l Correspondent Charles Ogundiya l Correspondent © Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Onazi:

Chad

won’t be a walkover S

Ajibade Olusesan uper Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi, has warned his teammates that their 2017 Africa Nations Cup qualifier against Chad will not be a walkover. The Lazio midfielder told our correspondent that hard work, focus and prayers can help them get their 2017 AFCON qualifiers on a solid start saying they are condemned to win against Chad on Saturday (today) . “We expect a good match. The Chadians are not going to be pushovers because they also have quality in their team. But we are ready for them. I am quite happy because of the mood in camp, all the lads are looking forward to this match with great enthusiasm and we are ready to show our commitment throughout the match. “Thankfully, we have enough time to train together before this match. It has been great seeing new guys and those of us in the team already blending very well and we hope to carry all this into the game and by God’s grace, we will celebrate the victory at the end of the day,” he said. Nigeria tackle Chad today at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna and Onazi stressed that a good start was important for the Eagles. It's worth recalling that Nigeria lost 3-2 to Congo DR in the opening fixture of the 2015 AFCON qualifiers in Calabar and that result proved decisive at the end of the series. “It is the beginning, but we also know it is important to start well since every match is very crucial to the overall success of the team. We also have to learn from our past mistakes. The first match we lost in the 2015 qualifiers affected us and so we are taking all games seriously this time,” Onazi added.

Sport

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Nigerian League Rendezvous

Abridged league is lazy idea – Osho What has been the secret of Supreme Court’s success so far? I will say it is early preparation. As early as January, we have been attending various pre-season competitions to make these players from various backgrounds a formidable unit. It's really paying off now with what we have achieved.

Fatai Osho has taken Supreme Court FC to the top of the Nigeria National League table after four matches. In this interview with CHARLES OGUNDIYA, the former Remo Stars coach said it was too early thinking about promotion among other issues. Excerpts...

You said getting to the top is not difficult but staying there is the tough; how do you want to achieve that? When you work with young players as a coach, you must be aware that little things satisfy them quite quickly. To top the table, some of them may think they've done well because of their mentality. Some of them are coming from academies and amateur league sides and mere signing the pro contract is a fulfilment on its own to them. I just have to let them realise it goes beyond that and they can achieve more as young as they are. Having early success is not a crime. You complained about the abridged league at the start of the season. How well is your team adjusting to it? Abridged league is a waste, antigrowth and lazy idea. Imagine, the Nationwide league that started last month is already at half season, that's Osho ridiculous. How do you develop players like that? We are wasting a whole year of our footballers’ life be- promotion, we need to take it one cause of the decision of some people. match at a time and see how far we can go at the end of the season. What has been the support from How did you come into coaching? the management like? Supreme Court management has I started football coaching been trying and we have to say so. early in my life. Then in my comThe team has been enjoying tremen- munity, Agege, I had a friend who dous support since the beginning of also loved football and would althe season. ways go to Agege to hire quality players to play competitions in After four matches your team Iju where we lived. We usually is currently at the top of the ended up winning such competable, is it too early to talk about tition. It got to a time in 1988, I promotion? was not really pleased with the Yes it is too early to talk about arrogance and indiscipline some

It is too early to talk about promotion, we need to take it one match at a time of these players often exhibited, due to the fact that we always beg them to play, so I told my friend to let us start our own team of local Iju players. I was training them and he took the position of team manager. We were both in secondary school then. Who motivated you into becoming a coach? I went into coaching out of doing the needful like I narrated earlier. Along the line, I met coaches that inspired me with the way they work. Coaches like Akeem

Heartland ready for resumption Tosin Obisesan

eartland FC of Owerri are ready to return to winning ways when the Nigeria Professional Football League resumes this weekend. Speaking to Saturday Telegraph on the telephone, the media officer of the team, Cajetan Nkwopara, said everything had been put in place to take the team back to the top on the league table. “We are ready for resumption like every other team in the league,” Nkwopara said. “All the players are in top shape apart from of them with injuries, but we hope they will be ready for the game against Bayelsa United.” Nkwopara also said the team would be going all out for the league title after waiting for so long. “Heartland are ready for the title but nobody can be more ready than the competition itself. We can talk as human beings but only

God knows what the results will be, the decision of God above others will surely prevail,” he said. Heartland started the league on a blistering form but have since faltered, losing two games at home leading to the management of the club giving the coaches and players of the team an ultimatum to perform or get the sack.

Efugh

assignment for you since you became a coach? The Kogi United job has been the most difficult one for me because coming from Remo Stars, where I enjoyed total freedom on how we play and who gets to play, it was a bit difficult adjusting to an environment where my view has to be our view. There is nothing wrong with that but the truth is that my style of play is completely different from others. If you are not patient, you can never understand me. You will even think my team is just joking on the field but far from it; we are result-oriented. I just hate doing things the way other people do. I always told my course mates while at the National Institute for Sports that if the lecturer tells us that to get to four, we need to add two and two together, I will get to my four adding three and one together or removing four from eight. That's the type of coach I am. Can you say you are fulfilled as a coach? I will only be fulfilled when I win the World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and seeing coaches that have worked under me repeat same.

Olayemi, Nitel and Wikki Tourists coach, Coach R. A Taiwo, he was called Alhaji Mokan of LSDPC FC of Lagos. He is the hardest working coach anywhere in the world, I learnt hard work from him. Coach Joe Erico is somebody that can inspire any creature as long as there is still breath in them. Coach Ramon Bello of Prodigy Academy of Lagos is an epitome of discipline while Coach Kayode Olasehinde is a silent worker. I love and respect these coaches. Which was the most difficult

Matchday 11 Giwa FC vs Gabros Dolphins vs Sharks El-Kanemi vs Taraba Wikki vs Enyimba Heartland vs Bayelsa Utd Shooting vs Lobi Stars Nasarawa vs Akwa Utd Kwara Utd vs Rangers Abia Warriors vs Sunshine Warri Wolves vs Kano Pillars Top Scorers 5 GOALS

Ibrahim Shuaibu (Giwa FC) Tunde Adeniji (Sunshine Stars) 4 GOALS Mfon Udoh (Enyimba) Bright Ejike (Heartland) Mohammed Usman (FC Taraba) Chisom Chikatara (Abia Warriors) Esosa Igbinoba (Nasarawa Utd) Ubong Ekpai (Kano Pillars) 3 GOALS Victor Yakubu (Wikki Tourists) Segun Alebiosu (Kwara United) Mubarak Umar (Wikki Tourists

What can you say are the problems affecting Nigerian coaches especially the younger ones, from making their mark? Our culture really contributes to that. We respect elders a lot in our country and when senior coaches come to you and give advice, we feel it's a must we carry it out and that's wrong to me. If we continue with that trend, we can’t be innovative and free. We should do more to be our own man but if there is reasonable advice, we shouldn't turn it down. There is still a long way to go for upcoming coaches in this country. NPFL LEAGUE TABLE

No.

Team

PTS

Sunshine

Kano Pillars

Enyimba

Gabros Utd

Giwa FC

Wikki

El-Kanemi

Heartland FC

Warri Wolves

Abia Warriors

-2

Nasarawa

-3

Rangers

-1

Taraba FC

-1

Kwara Utd

-4

Akwa Utd

-5

Dolphins FC

-2

Bayelsa Utd

-4

Lobi Stars

-4

Sharks FC

-4

Shooting

-4

Sport

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Ezeugo running to bridge the divide for Buhari I

Vincent Eboigbe n his first incarnation, Emeka Ezeugo was a defender of the hardest hue, who not only featured in Nigeria and for Nigeria, but also played his football all over the world- in places as far-flung as Peru in South America, India in Asia, Hungary and Denmark in Europe and Connecticut in the United States, just to name a few. But Ezeugo is not playing football these days, he is running to galvanise nationwide support for President Muhammadu Buhari in a country that is, he says, fractured along ethnic, regional and religious divides, so that the president can be able to solve the myriad of problems besetting the nation. “I am running for the president, to bridge those divides that have decimated this country. It is sad that in 2015 we are still voting along tribal lines; the South South and South East voted for former president Goodluck Jonathan, while the North West and South West voted for Buhari. “The hateful campaign of calumny against Buhari in the South East was terrible; they said he was a Muslim, a malam who should not be given votes in that part of the country. We should be thinking as Nigerians not along party or ethnic lines. I believe that Buhari is the quintessential Nigerian who can fight corruption and change this country positively and the way for him to succeed is to give him nationwide support. “That is the reason I’m doing this, not only to call attention to, but also take action in this connection,”Ezeugo says. At a time when several others have trekked from various places to Abuja to felicitate with Buhari on his electoral victory on March 28 and the various imputations that has attracted, Ezeugo insists his effort is different in more ways than one. He says he is taking this activism to a new level and that when people see him doing it they will take note not least due to the fact that he is a well-known Nigerian. He clarifies: “First, I don’t know of anyone who has run or is running for Buhari. The ones I read of in the newspapers were of some people trekking, but this is different, it is actually running and not walking. Second, mine is a known name in the country and as such it will attract attention when I do it. Again, I am doing this because I have observed Buhari for over 30 years and I see him as one of the very few Nigerians who have the pedigree and temperament to lift Nigeria from the abyss it had sunk into for years.” Ezeugo was similarly scandalised when reminded that his quest could be misconstrued and seen by many as an opportunity to cash in on the prevailing circumstances and curry favour from Buhari. While noting that he is not unaware of this notion, he however

Ezeugo (middle) with some of his crew members

I believe that Buhari is the quintessential Nigerian who can fight corruption and change this country positively

On the move (Ezeugo)

dismisses it as the usual Nigerian predilection for seeing everything through blinkered lenses. “It is sad that we always see negative things not the positives. Some people have actually accused me of embarking on this because of my ‘stomach’. Some have attacked me for supporting a Hausa Fulani;

I don’t have access to Buhari and it is not important whether he is interested in my quest or not. I’m doing this for the respect I have for the man and the love I have for my country.” He went on to argue that it is as a result of this kind of conclusion that people are likely to draw that he is

not particularly concerned about getting state governments in the South East or elsewhere involved, saying that if they pitch in fine but otherwise it is equally okay. He however reveals that he sent letters to some of the governors and that while some are enthusiastic others are not so enthusiastic.

“I’ve been in contact with some of the governors, sent letters to some of them. The Abia State Chief of Staff met with me and he is interested in what I’m doing, but like I said my aim is to sensitise the governors on the need to mobilise their people especially in the South East and South South to support the president. When I get to the government houses in any state if they receive me, that will be fine, if they are also not present to receive me, it is also fine,” he says. Ezeugo who intimates that he has a total of 49 people in his crew with cars coming ahead of him and behind, says they sleep wherever night falls to continue the running the next day. He also says that the feeding, accommodation, fuelling the cars and sundry expenses associated with the project are solely selffinanced, although he is quick to add that in other climes, multinational organisations would buy into the idea and support it in whatever way they could. “I have 49 people in my crew, younger men, some are in cars behind and others are ahead, spreading the news of the race and delivering letters to state governments. They must eat, they must be housed; the cars would need to be fuelled. Everything is financed by me, there is no assistance from anywhere. Elsewhere, you can be sure that there will be some involvement from the corporate world but it is always different in our country. Imagine Julius Berger, Coca Cola or Cadbury for instance printing T-shirts and having their names emblazoned on them for me and my crew.” At over 50 years of age and not as active as in his playing days, isn’t Ezeugo tempting fate a little bit by embarking on a race from Port Harcourt to Aba, veering to Akwa Ibom, Ikot Ekpene, Uyo, Umuahia, Owerri crossing Onitsha to Asaba. And then making a return trip to Onitsha, before heading to Akwa, Enugu, Makurdi, Lafia, Abuja, Minna and finally ending it in Kaduna? “I have a clean bill of health, there is no cause for worry,” Ezeugo allays fears. “I also have two doctors in my team, so like I said everything has been well planned.” On the reason for the rather circuitous nature of the trip, crossing Onitsha to Asaba before returning to Onitsha again and then heading northwards, he says he needed to involve that part of the South South in the itinerary. “I wanted the route to cover all parts of the country, although there was no way I could involve the South West region, I had to get to Asaba, because the hate campaign against Buhari was more in the South South and South East, so it is important that area is part of my race so that the governors will appreciate the need to mobilise support for the president,” he notes.

in excellent form, but there is no evidence to suggest they can bridge a 142-place gap in the FIFA rankings. Arch-predator Asamoah Gyan has recovered from injury to lead the Ghana attack, although injured creator Andre Ayew misses out. There is considerable excitement among Ghanaians

gypt will aim for a fast start in Group G of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when they host Tanzania in Alexandria on Sunday. The Pharaohs boast a record seven AFCON titles, but in recent years they have failed to even appear at

Egypt target fast start

hana, runners-up to the Ivory Coast in the 2015 Cup of Nations last February, will face Mauritius in an Africa Nations Cup qualifier and the Black Stars are bookmakers favourites to claim all three points in the tie. Mauritius go to Accra with goalkeeper Kevin Jean-Louis

over Bernard Mensah, a 20-year-old midfielder with a venomous shot who plays in Portugal and is reportedly being watched by Manchester United. Black Stars captain, Gyan, is aware of the enormity of the challenge of starting their campaign in front of their home fans but the striker said

they were ready to rise to the challenge "I believe that fans, like everyone else, always want to see good football as well as the team winning. Somehow, such expectation and, perhaps, the reaction enter into our games compared to other venues," he told the Graphic Sports.

outh Africa will begin their quest to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations when they host Gambia for their opening Group M match on Saturday. Bafana Bafana will

B'Bafana set for the Scorpions S

Wayne Rooney

stage at the expense of Kek's Slovenia. Slovenia have won their last four competitive home games without conceding. Slovenia's 6-0 success against San Marino in their last qualifier was their biggest home victory to date.

x-international Michael Hughes expects the Windsor Park atmosphere to be red-hot as Northern Ireland face Romania in a crunch Euro 2016 qualifier this weekend. Michael O’Neill’s men are just a point behind the Group F leaders after five games, and a win in Saturday night’s showdown would put them right on course to qualify for next year’s championships in France. And while Carrick Rangers chief executive Hughes, part of the last Northern Ireland team to beat Romania at home in 1994, describes Saturday’s clash as a ‘massive opportunity’, he also

and everybody’s tails are up. “It’s a massive opportunity for the team and for the crowd to get behind them to help them progress. Northern Ireland don’t usually get into these positions, so it’s new territory. “The atmosphere will be redhot as it always is at a Northern Ireland game, but this has a bit of spice to it. Expectations are high but we also have to be very careful because this Romania team is a good side. It would be foolish to go in gung-ho, expecting us to take the game to them.

ortugal have yet to be beaten by Armenia as the sides prepare to meet in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group I, but two home draws will give the visitors some hope. Portugal and Armenia have met five times before, with Portugal boasting the record W3 D2 L0 (W3 D0 L0 at home, W0 D2 L0 away). Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal of the game when the teams met in their first Group I meeting in Faro-Loule on November 14. The sides first came together in 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Long-serving Armenia goalkeeper Roman Berezovski made his international debut as the teams drew 0-0 in Yerevan on 31 August 1996, but Artur Jorge's Portugal won the return fixture 3-1, Domingos Paciência , Luís Figo and Pedro Barbosa all on target for the home side in Setubal, where Éric Assadourian (46) scored Armenia's goal. More recently, the teams were paired in UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying. Cristiano Ronaldo (37) cancelled out Robert Arzumanyan's 11thminute opener as Ian Porterfield's Armenia held

Portugal battle to protect unbeaten run

Ronaldo

Hughes wary of Romania threat P E

lovenia can take comfort from a decent home record of late as they prepare to face UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group E leaders England, who have made a perfect start. Slovenia have not conceded in their last four competitive home fixtures as they take on an England side who are yet to drop a point in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group E. England recovered from a Jordan Henderson own goal to beat Slovenia 3-1 at Wembley in the teams' first Group E meeting back in November. The nations first met in a friendly game at Wembley on September 5, 2009, Fabio Capello's England running out 2-1 winners. Frank Lampard's penalty and a deflected strike from Jermain Defoe established their lead before Zlatan Ljubijankič headed Matjaž Kek's side back into contention. Defoe scored the only goal when the sides crossed paths in more significant circumstances – their final 2010 FIFA World Cup group stage game in Port Elizabeth. Victory took Capello's England to the knockout

Slovenia bank on home record against England

EURO Championship

Global Football Special

Ghana ready to gun down Mauritius

Ghana's Gyan (middle) battling for the ball against Cote d'Ivoire players

AFCON 2015 QUALIFIERS

www.newtelegraphonline.com

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

28 Sport SATURDAY N 13 JU

ali are hosting South Sudan in Bamako on Saturday, as the two sides are launching their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Group C qualifying campaign. Runners-up of the 1972 edition of the continental showpiece, the Eagles are eyeing a sixth consecutive AFCON finals appearance after earning a first round exit to a drawing of lots with Guinea at the latest tournament in Equatorial Guinea. National coach Alain Giresse, who has resumed his second spell at the helm of Mali, had to review his plans

in the absence of several key players due to injuries, including Molla Wagué, Tongo Hamed Doumbia, Sigamary Diarra, Fousseyni Diawara, Mustapha Yatabaré, Abdoulaye Diaby and Cheick Tidiane Diabaté. The former Gabon and Senegal boss will however be able to count on Samba Sow, Cheibane Traoré, Cheick Fantamady Diarra and Abdoulaye Sissoko, who are making their return to the Eagles, and decided to strengthen his back line with 24-year-old Dijon FCO defender Ousseynou Cissé.

be looking for a repeat of their impressive qualifying campaign for the 2015 edition, which saw Shakes Mashaba’s side surprisingly top their preliminary group ahead of Sudan, Congo and then-reigning champions Nigeria. They may have gone on to disappoint at the finals in Equatorial Guinea, dropping out of the tournament at the first hurdle, but there was enough promise shown to suggest that South Africa are at least on an upward curve. That momentum is something Mashaba and his troops will have to rebuild, starting with this match against the Scorpions – a team the hosts admit to knowing very little about. Gambia have never qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations and they weren’t even allowed the chance to do so for the previous edition due to a ban applied by CAF as punishment for deliberately fielding an overage player in a 2015 African U-20 Championships qualifying match.

ambia will be favorites when they host Guinea Bissau in their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Group E qualifier at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on Saturday. The common factor amongst these two national teams is that both their U17 and U20 teams failed to escape the group stage of their respective youth tournaments. Zambia winger Allan Mukuka said he is ready to help the team win and he is confident after his friendly match performance where he scored the only goal for Zambia against Ethiopia. “I am ready to help make this team win and I am confident because I played well in the friendly and I will definitely score again,” Mukuka said. Mukuka had an outstanding 2015 Cosafa Cup outing in South Africa, recording a Musakanya

man-of-the-match award in Zambia’s 3-0 win over Ghana in the Plate semifinal on May 27 in Rustenburg. Mukuka has scored twice in six games since ex-coach Honour Janza recalled him in March to end his five-year hiatus from the team.

Chipolopolo favourites over unknown G'Bissau Z

South Africa's Tokelo Rantie (front) dribbles past Nigeria's Godfrey Oboabona

Injury-hit Mali in the unknown against South Sudan

Mali's Yatabaré (left)

Salah

the tournament finals, missing out on the 2012, 2013 and 2015 editions after winning three straight crowns from 2006 to 2010. Argentine manager Hector Cuper is the man who has been tasked with returning the North African heavyweights to the continental championships, having been appointed in March this year. Cuper’s squad for the match against Tanzania is one which features a blend of youth and experience, though he will surely look to star players such as Mohamed Salah, Mohamed El-Nenny, Ahmed Elmohamady and Ahmed Fathy as the men to build the team around. Tanzania, who have not been to the Nations Cup finals since 1980, start as complete underdogs, but coach Mart Nooij is a canny operator and will hope to make best use of the fact that the game will be played behind closed doors due to previous violence in Egyptian football. Hughes

Luiz Felipe Scolari's Portugal 1-1 in Yerevan on 22 August 2007. Hugo Almeida then struck the winner (42) as Portugal – under Flávio Teixeira, who was covering for the suspended Scolari – beat Vardan Minasyan's Armenia 1-0 in the return fixture in Leiria on November 17, 2007.

AFCON 2017 qualifiers Angola v CAR Mali v South Sudan Uganda v Botswana Burkina Faso v Comoros Zambia v Guinea-Bissau Cape Verde v Sao Tome Nigeria v Chad Algeria v Seychelles SATURDAY Senegal v Burundi Malawi v Zimbabwe South Africa v Gambia Sunday Togo v Liberia DR Congo v Madagascar E'Guinea v Benin Congo v Kenya Egypt v Tanzania Mozambique v Rwanda Ghana v Mauritius Sudan v Sierra Leone Ethiopia v Lesotho Niger v Namibia Cameroun v Mauritania

EURO 2016 qualifiers Saturday Ireland v Scotland Poland v Georgia Gibraltar v Germany Finland v Hungary Faroe Islands v Greece N.Ireland v Romania Armenia v Portugal Denmark v Serbia Sunday Ukraine v Luxembourg Belarus v Spain Slovakia v Macedonia Estonia v San Marino Slovenia v England Lithuania v Switzerland Liechtenstein v Moldova Russia v Austria Sweden v Montenegro

COPA AMERICA

Mario Gotze

were beaten 2-1 in China and lost 2-0 to Korea. Argentina, lost a heartbreaking World Cup final last year to Germany, going down 1-0 in Extra Time. It would have been so special to win the tournament on South American soil but it wasn't to be, although there is something to be said for them shutting Germany out for

Messi

90 minutes in a high pressured match, the same Germany that had just stuck 7 past Brazil! The defence is going to shine in this one and the feeling is rather than focus on Lionel Messi and what happens in attack, back the defence to make life easy for the attack and so a win to nil looks the call here.

exico's inexperienced Copa America squad will need to pick up some confidence in their opening game against Bolivia if they are to avoid a tough tournament. With Mexico set to compete in both the Copa America and CONCACAF Gold Cup over the next two months, coach Miguel Herrera has been forced to name two separate squads for the respective conti-

Sport

nental championships. Herrera announced his Gold Cup squad on

Hernandez

Wednesday, including the likes of Real Madrid's Javier Hernandez, Giovani dos Santos of Villarreal and Porto's Hector Herrera, confirming that CONCACAF's premier event is Mexico's first priority. But before that event kicks off on July 7, Mexico have to navigate CONMEBOL's Copa America in Chile, with Herrera turning to his next generation plus a handful of veterans.

Inexperienced Mexico face Bolivia test

roup B favourites Argentina will be expecting nothing but a win when they play Paraguay in the late game this Saturday. Argentina's last friendly saw them dismantle Bolivia 5-0 and that was their 3rd straight win, having beaten Ecuador 2-1 and El Salvador 2-0. Argentina did lose 1-0 to Portugal before that in a hard fought game but there have been impressive wins too, like the 7-0 walloping of Hong Kong and the 2-1 win over Croatia. Paraguay have just 1 win in their last 6 friendlies, and that was a 2-1 victory over Peru. Immediately after that they lost 2-1 to Peru and their last two friendlies prior to this tournament have seen them fail to score, drawing 0-0 with Costa Rica and losing 10 to Mexico. Last year they

level, Thomas Müller, Mario Götze and a Yogan Santos own goal gave the world champions a 4-0 victory against Gibraltar in Nuremberg. "Words cannot describe what I feel about my players and the back-room staff," said then Gibraltar coach Allen Bula afterwards. Gibraltar have lost all five of their qualifiers to date, but achieved a notable breakthrough last time out, Lee Casciaro scoring their first competitive goal in a 6-1 loss to Scotland.

Paraguay at Messi’s mercy in Chile G

ibraltar welcome world champions Germany in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group D looking for more accolades after scoring their first competitive goal last time out. Gibraltar's loss to Germany in November was greeted as something of a triumph, with new coach Dave Wilson hoping to spring a bigger surprise in their UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group D rematch. In the only previous meeting between sides from these countries at any European

Gibraltar welcome German machine

warns that a cautious approach is what’s required against strong opposition. “If we win it looks like it will be deal done,” Hughes said. “Even a draw would be a great result for us, but we’re at home NEW TELEGRAPH UNE 2015

Sport

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Nicholas, Wisdom shine in AFN Golden League

Charles Ogundiya mhoapermhe Nicholas and Igbinosun Wisdom were the star attraction at the first Athletics Federation of Nigeria Golden League inside the newly-laid tartan track of the Rojenny Games Mini Stadium in Oba, Anambra State. Nicholas won the men’s 100m in 10.23secs his season’s best ahead of Africa Junior Champion, Divine Oduduru, who finished second in 10.37secs as the battle for the AFN N1.5m prize money begins. Odele Tega however finished third in 10.50secs. Nicholas was happy with his performance and promised to work better in subsequent meets to be able to win the prize money. In the women’s sprint event, Wisdom outpaced Ezealah Nkem to win in 11.68secs while Ezealah returned in 11.72secs to place second as Lagos State athlete Cecelia Francis finished third in 11.77secs. In the 400m, Orukpe Erayokan outran veterans Noah Akwu and Isah Salihu to place first with 46.28secs which was his season's

Nike signs eight-year NBA deal

Osinbajo Temidayo (left) winner up Amusan Tobiloba

Three foreign-based players get call-up for Nigeria Sevens squad

ichmond RFC winger Danjuma Mshelia and Gravesend RFC scrumhalf Temitope Okenla have been called up to the Black Stallions Sevens squad for The All Africa Games and Olympics pre-qualifiers in Lome, Togo, next month. Both players feature in the UK and were involved in the Black Stallions team in 2013 at the Mombasa Sports Club, Kenya, when Nigeria got to the plate semi finals at The CAR 7s in which Danjuma scored a try against Kenya Shujaa and helped Nigeria reach the plate semi final in the tournament.

The NRFF had earlier extended an invite to University of Buffalo junior, Ike Onwukanjo, who holds dual United States and Nigerian citizenship. The Nigerian Rugby Football Federation has been looking for overseas players eligible to compete for Nigeria as a way to boost their efforts to qualify for the Rio Olympics and is happy to have Danjuma and Temitope back in the team. Nigeria will play Ghana, Morrocco, Cote d’ Ivoire, Mali and host Togo in the Tournament to be held on Saturday, June 6.

S sportswear giant Nike has secured a long-term deal to become the official on-court apparel provider of the National Basketball Association in North America. The agreement will run for eight years, from the start of the 2017-18 campaign to the end of the 2024-25 season. Financial terms were not disclosed, but ESPN.com reported that the deal is worth a total of about $1bn (€916m) – a 245-per-cent increase in annual terms in comparison with the NBA’s existing deal with Adidas. In March, Adidas announced that it would not seek to extend its relationship with the NBA, which began in 2006 when it replaced its affiliated Reebok brand. Nike will become the first NBA apparel partner to have its logo on the on-court uniforms, a significant break from the organisation’s deals with Adidas and Reebok. Nike will also have the global rights to design and manufacture authentic and Swingman jerseys as well as on-court warm-ups and shooting shirts. Having served as a partner of the Women’s NBA since 1997, it will now have an expanded presence at the WNBA All-Star game and other flagship league events, while becoming a marketing partner of the NBA Development League. The NBA now sits alongside American football’s National Football League, which linked up with Nike in 2012 and has extended that deal until the end of the 2019 season.

best. Despite his performance, Orukpe insisted that the track affected his race. He however said that the 46.2secs he ran in Rojenny will be improved upon in Kaduna, the next leg of the Golden League. In other results of the day, Osinbajo Temidayo won the women's 100m hurdles in 13.98secs with Amusan Oluwatobi taking the second position in 14.07secs, while Efe Favour came third in 14.36secs. Martins Ogierakhi won the men 110m huddles event in 14.07secs, Okon Samuel came second in 14.18secs and Wisdom Benjamin finished third in 14.28secs.

We can beat USA, says Falcons captain Emmanuel Tobi Canada

aptain of Nigeria's senior women's team, Evelyn Nwabuoku, has declared that the Super Falcons can beat the USA women's team when both teams play in the final group game in Vancouver, Canada. In their three previous meetings at the World Cup, the Super Falcons lost 7-1 to USA in 1999, and recorded a 5-0 whitewash in 2003 before suffering a narrow 1-0 loss in 2007. The Biik Kazygurt FC of Kazakhstan midfielder stressed that with tactical discipline and determination, Nigeria will triumph against the two-time champions. “The USA team is beatable like any other team. We can stop them because they don’t look like the great teams we played in the past,” she said. When asked if he would change his starting line-up against the USA, Super Falcons Coach Edwin Okon said, “We have a team that doesn’t fear anybody even if we win, lose or draw any game. The team is a mixture of young and experienced players and the technical crew can rotate the team. The other 11 players can face the next opponent. It’s not compulsory that we have to change all the players every 45 minutes.” The United States, champions in 1991 and 1999, are the number one ranked team in the world while Nigeria, currently ranked 35th in the world, have only progressed beyond the group stages of the World Cup once - in 1999 when they reached the last eight.

NBSA invite 35 to camp ahead of World Junior Championship T

he Nigeria Baseball and Softball Association has released the names of 35 players expected to arrive in camp on June 15, ahead of the forthcoming 11th World Junior Softball Championship scheduled to hold in Oklahoma, United States of America. The NBSA’s Secretary, Kehinde Laniyan, said that the players would commence a 40-day programme in Port Harcourt and other locations in the country ahead of the competition. Laniyan disclosed that the invited players were selected from tryouts that were held in Ibadan and Port

Harcourt in May. ``The camp is for the purpose of preparing our players ahead of the upcoming championship and we are already putting everything in place to ensure a good outing for our team. ``The invited players have already gone through tryouts which is the first thing we do before inviting players to camp. ``The 40-day time frame is to enable our technical officials work thoroughly, while feeding and accommodation for players and technical officials will be adequately provided,’’ he said.

He added that 20 players would be eventually selected based on merit to represent the country at the championship. The scribe, however, appealed to corporate organisations and philanthropists to support the team’s preparations for the event. Nigeria is in pool A alongside Ecuador, China, Britain and Japan, the defending champion. Nigeria is the only Africa representative among the 18 countries that will feature in the World Baseball Softball Confederation-sanctioned event holding from August 9 to 15.

Nwabuoku

13 JUNE 2015

Lifestyle

Sport

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

Copa America: Venezuelan female TV presenters strip naked to support team

eports say Venezuelan female TV presenters have stripped naked in support of the national team ahead of 2015 Copa America. Venezuelan TV show Desnudando La Noticia has previous experience of using scantily clad,

or even naked, women to help boost ratings. Earlier this seasons presenter Yuvi Pallares stripped whilst discussing Cristiano Ronaldo and it appears the channel are looking to go one better with this one.

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, or worn. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude - Denis Waitley The presenters

Gyan buys $3m mansion G Van Persie... enjoying the sights before him

hanaian footballer Asamoah Gyan has reportedly purchased a $3m mansion. His latest acquisition is a monument to his status as the best paid athlete in his country. The captain of Black Stars of Ghana's new home is said to be located at Weija Dam, a suburb of Accra.

According to AllSport.com. gh, the former Sunderland striker splashed a whooping $3m for the massive threestorey mansion. The building is located at upscale McCarthy Hills enclave in Accra and comes with two bars and a massive swimming pool.

Van Persie spotted ogling half-naked ladies

etherlands Striker Robin Van Persie was caught on camera starring at exposed and half-naked ladies as his wife looks unconcerned

during their vacation in Rome, Italy. The 31-year Manchester United Striker is unsettled and looks like he is not in Louis Van Gaal plans for the future, as they plan to try and wrestle the EPL

title back from Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. Van Persie and wife Bouchra were spotted doing a bit of shopping and signing autographs for fans.

Neighbours complain of Bolt's incessant partying, loud music

eighbours of Jamaican and world number one sprinter, Usain Bolt, are complaining of his incessant partying and loud music. It has been claimed that Bolt parties so much, disturbing the peace of the neighbourhood. A displeased neighbour went as far as describing the athlete as a 'neighbour from hell'. The neighbour of Bolt in the exclusive Norbrook housing complex in a surburb of Kingston, Jamaica revealed that the Olympic Gold medal winner parties

from afternoon to whenever he likes. One of the neighbours, Jodi ‘Jinx’ Stewart-Henriques, who is also the wife of Dance Hall star, Sean Paul, claims she has had to endure constant noise ever since she bought a home next to the Bolts. "Between the bikes, loud, horrid music, parties and screams, I honestly wish he would go back to where he came from. He’s a horrible neighbour," the model wrote on Facebook last week. "He takes his nasty behaviour with him everywhere. He’s the ultimate party clown."

Gyan's new mansion

Moses shows off cute daughter

uper Eagles forward Victor Moses is currently spending time with his kids as he recovers from injury during the holidays. The father of two took to Twitter to show off his fourmonth old baby girl, Nyah. "Chilling with my baby girl Nyah," the forward wrote on Twitter along with a photo of himself and his cute daughter.

Bolt enjoying himself at a party

Moses and daughter, Nyah

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

she

Ogidiga used as herbal drug

photo: 247nigerianewsupdate.co

photo: realnewsmagazine.net Heart burn photo: news2.onlinenigeria.com

Life in the jungle

photo: tony eguaye

Herbal drinks photo: thecitizenng.com

Ogogoro joint destroyed by irate youths in Port Harcourt photo: emmanuel masha

Orhii

on the steering'

and consumption of this alcoholic brew is on the increase but the volume is highly unrecorded due to its illegal and local productions, and the paucity of data on the commodity. Consultant nutritionist, Dr. Hope Dominic, points to the symptoms of ethanol poisoning to include abdominal pain, coma, intestinal bleeding, slowed breathing, slurred speech, stupor, inability to walk normally and vomiting. Dominic noted that short-term health effects of its abuse include a hangover and a bad night’s sleep. She, however, said the long-term health effects usually come when it is too late Contrary to myths, physicians warn

Investigations

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

It may increase chances of liver damage, heart disease, cancer, anxiety and depression

that excessive consumption of Ogogoro could affect men’s sexual performance. In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) specialist, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru, said the alcohol consumption can reduce a man’s ability to impregnate his wife; but that if a man reduces the intake, the effects on his sex life can be quickly reversed. In like manner, Dr. Grace Obong said that it reduces testosterone levels – a situation that can lead to loss of libido and reduce sperm quantity and quality, which causes infertility. Obong insist that it is directly toxic to the testes. “Alcohol can harm sperm production, stopping them from developing properly and reducing their

Ogogoro vendor in Akure

ability to swim towards an egg. It may also affect the structure and movement of sperm by stopping the liver from properly metabolising vitamin A, which is needed for sperm to develop,” she added. Worse still, doctors warn that Ogogoro can cause impotence, as it depresses the central nervous system and makes it difficult for some men to get, and keep, an erection. Indeed, researchers say men who drink ogogoro in excessive quantity and over a long term risk withering of the testicles, enlargement of the breasts and loss of hair on the body. “In the long term, drinking to excess can have many adverse effects on anyone’s health, including increasing their chances of liver damage, heart disease, cancer, bone disease, inflamed pancreas, irritated stomach, type 2 diabetes, anxiety and depression,” another doctor who craved anonymity, said. Professor of oncology, Remi Ajekigbe, warned women too. He said the more alcohol a woman drinks, the higher her risk of developing cancer. “Drinking alcohol can increase a woman’s risk of several types of cancer, including cancers of the liver, bowel, breast, mouth, oesophagus and larynx,” Ajekigbe said. Little wonder, the federal government proclaimed Ogogoro banned across the country. The director-general of National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, confirmed that the recent deaths in Ondo and Rivers were associated with the consumption of the local gin. Orhii, who was joined by the director of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Prof. Abdulrahman Nasidi, explained that all indications showed that “these symptoms are the hallmark signs of methanol poisoning. People should stop consuming Ogogoro, unless they want to embark on a suicide mission,” he added. However, there appears to be an imminent collision between government and several people who consume the product. Even though, the government announced the ban in order to save lives, many patrons are against the move, as according to them, “there is no correlation between consuming

photo: vanguardngr.com

the substance and the recent tragic disease.” For these staunch consumers, ban order announced was mere waste of time. Ogogoro has, over the years, become a field of investment. It has helped the poor weather the hash economy system. According to one commentator, who does not want his name in print, “once the liquor is banned, the sale and consumption will go underground.” True to this insinuation, traders of Ogogoro are said to be recording a boom in business since its ban. A check conducted by Saturday Telegraph revealed that the product was being sold on streets, bars and motor-parks in most urban centres and other smaller towns across the federation. The sudden increase in demand is attributed to the prevailing cold weather in some states. A cross section of the traders, who spoke to this paper, said the embargo placed on the sale of the product was abrupt and calculated to drive them out of business. "If I am asked to stop this business now, I will be jobless. I don't want to kill people with the drink, but government will have to find us something else to do," said a woman who identified herself simply as Mama Ngozi. She sells Ogogoro around Mowe Motor Park in Ogun State. There are also reports that Ogogoro is heavily sold at Rice Mill, North Bank, Rice Mill Wadata, Lafia Motor Park, Wurukum Park and Kanshio Market in Makurdi, the Benue State capital despite the recent ban.

Wike

StartUp SATURDAY TELEGRAPH 13 JUNE, 2015

Nkemdilim Uwaje-Begho

‘My father has big shoes to fill for anyone that attempts it' For children of parents with a distinguished career, there is always a looming shadow difficult to step out from. But Nkemdilim UwajeBegho, daughter of Chris Uwaje, has carved an impressive niche for herself in a similar field. In this encounter with OLUSHOLA RICKETTS, the managing director of Future Software who was last July named as one of the top 10 female tech founders in Africa by Forbes, talks about her modest beginnings.

He taught me that if I work harder than everyone else then I would get better results than everyone else

Why did you decide to pursue a career in information technology? Information technology is fascinating and engaging. It has transformed the world in the past three decades. Also, computer becomes part of you when you grow up with it right from age three. If you didn’t know how to use the computer in my house it was a problem. Computer was something we breathed, slept and ate. How did you come about the establishment of Future Software? Prior to starting out Futuresoft I had worked on various research projects in Germany at the Max Plank Institute for Psychiatric Research in the department of Statistical Genetics and Proteomics as well as Affectis Pharmaceuticals. The research projects encompassed the development of software solutions for complex biological, chemical calculations and simulations, database design and administration as well as statistical analysis. I later moved back to Nigeria and worked in an IT firm called Leapsoft before my National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) at Specialized Outsourcing. After my NYSC I took a few months break, wrote my business plan and started Futuresoft. The company was already in existence on paper since 1990, but I completely rebranded it. I changed the focus from stand-alone solutions to webbased educational enterprise and business solutions, believing that it was the future and it was more flexible. The company was registered by my father years ago with the intent that it becomes mine in the future. How was the experience working in Germany? I was privileged to work in research all through the University, and I had firsthand work experience and the opportunity to apply everything I learnt. I studied Bioinformatics at the Ludwig Maximum University as well as the Technical University of Munich. I enjoyed the challenges of working and schooling at the same time and ensuring that I was up to speed with industry standards. I would say working in Germany taught me due diligence, efficiency and working smart. What exactly do you do at Futuresoft? Future Software Resources Ltd. is an IT

Service company that focuses on three areas, which are online solution, e-learning and IT security. We focus on SMEs and start-ups and create solutions that are tailored to their needs. Customer service and quality, as well as timely delivery are our core values. We have had the pleasure to work with brands such as WIMBIZ, Energo Building, DO.II Designs, Palms Mall, Forever Living, Inglot Cosmetics to name a few. Our client base is at approximately 60 clients now and is constantly growing. What were the start-up challenges? I think that the main challenges I faced were not having a portfolio or track record in the field that I was embarking on, having a very slim budget and being very young and a woman in an industry dominated by men. Talking about slim budget, I started the company by getting a logo, business cards and a website. Then, I started telling people that this is what I do and they should patronise me. I started the company with $600 at the time the exchange rate was still N170. In what ways has your company contributed to the growth of IT in Nigeria? I have been running the business for seven years now and our core goal is to create solutions that have global standards within the local context. We educate business owners on how they can leverage on the power of the internet and social media to grow their businesses beyond their wildest dreams. Our solutions are tailored to suit businesses on the continent and take Africa’s peculiar challenges such as slow internet connections, low level of IT savvy target audience etc. into consideration. We make sure that our solutions are optimised to the highest level to fit the local climate, without compromising quality.

Are you fulfilled as an entrepreneur? I am happy with what we are now, though we still have a lot of plan for the future. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wake up and I am excited about each day and the opportunities it would bring. I don’t think many people can actually say that about what they do. What are the basic things you’ve learnt from your father? The question is what didn’t I learn from him? People who are familiar with my father know that he is very knowledgeable when it comes to anything that has to do with IT. I have learnt many things I cannot quantify from him. He taught me never to give up and to always believe in my dreams, even if no one else does. He taught me that if I work harder than everyone else then I would get better results than everyone else. He taught me the need to stand up for what I believe in and stay true to myself. Do you see yourself surpassing his accomplishments? He is not done yet, so that’s a hard one. He has big shoes to fill for anyone that attempts it. I will try my best to make him proud. What has been your greatest moment and disappointment on the job? I don’t think I have had any great disappointments. I think it would probably be when a client owed me money and claimed he was broke, but suddenly he travelled to London. I felt it was really unfair and it took us several months for him to pay us. This was in the early days, but it was painful. I think I have developed a thicker skin and a

better spread cash-flow, so such occurrences don’t bother me much anymore. How do you handle clients who are hard to satisfy? I have learnt how to be very diplomatic over the years. However, sometimes you need to ensure that your clients understand boundaries and understand where your service delivery starts and ends. The key is to have terms and conditions agreements that are signed by both parties and stipulate exactly what the client should expect. You will always have demanding clients and difficult clients, but that’s the beauty of business. What are the practical steps needed to be successful in IT? There are many factors that come to play to be successful in IT. You must know your stuff; build a solid service offering that has standard pricing; strive for excellence; build a big client base that helps you distribute the risk of losing a single client; be innovative; offer great customer support and be open to learning. Of all the awards and recognitions you've received which do you consider the most precious? The most recent achievement was being featured as one of the top 10 female tech founders in Africa by Forbes, July last year. Being recognised within Nigeria is one thing, but being recognised within Africa is a whole new ball game. I was also invited to speak at the global innovation forum in Daejeon South Korea, which was organised by the UNESCO and the Korean Government. That was definitely a proud moment. It is humbling when the world recognizes you as a leader and an authority in your field.

SATURDAY

Dear Love Doctor, 窶連m I right to go back to my ex?'

p.37

Life Experience

'The best relationship of my life was with a sex addict' p.38

L ve&Lv ng SATURDAY 13 JUNE 2015

'My husband's mistress changed my life' Confession It's often said that every disappointment is a blessing in disguise. In this story, a woman feels heartbroken because of her husband's infidelity. She engages in a fight with her husband's mistress. But in the process, the mistress teaches her a lesson of a lifetime...

have always heard people say that men will be men. But I never knew that my husband would act like the so-called typical married man who cheats on his wife. Since he is a very good medical doctor, my husband managed to get a job abroad. Through his success in his medical practice abroad, he was also able to bring some of his brothers and sisters abroad. However, some of my husband's brothers who weren't fortunate enough to bring their families overseas with them, succumbed to the temptation of being with other women. Two of them have already broken their families in the process. My husband was always very critical of his brothers who had broken homes. According to him, no responsible man would have a broken home. Therefore, I would never have believed if anyone had told me that my husband would ever be unfaithful to me, because he knew the implication. He knew that infidelity in marriage could lead to a broken home. When my husband got a job in the U.S., he took me and our three children along. We lived together in New Jersey where he worked for about 10 years until my husband started having nostalgic feelings about his motherland. He woke me up from sleep one night and said: "Martha, I'm seriously thinking of returning to Nigeria." "Why?" I asked him. "Because there is no place like home," he said. My husband advised that I returned to the country to buy a piece of land in order to build a house for the family, while he remained in the U.S. and be sending me money both for the construction of the family house and for the upkeep of myself and the children. He said I had to do these things in order to make way for him to return permanently to Nigeria after five more years in the USA. So I returned to the country according to my husband's advice. I bought a piece of land in a choice location and began to build a house. My husband promised to visit us regularly. However, I started to suspect my husband was cheating around three years ago. When my husband first visited us in the country, he used to come straight

to our house to sleep. But later on, he started acting strangely whenever he visited. For example, when he visited last April, he didn't let me come and pick him at the airport. Before he boarded the plane from the U.S., he called me and said there was no point for me coming to the airport to wait for him. He insisted I stayed at home to take care of the children because he could and would find his way home by himself. To my further surprise, my husband checked into a hotel immediately on arrival, instead of coming straight to the house where the children and I were. From the hotel, my husband traveled to Abuja and came back two weeks later with an apology. He claimed to have gone on a very important business trip. According to him, it was for a business which demanded his immediate attention the moment he arrived the country. "My dear, oil and gas business is like that," my husband had said to me. "It demands your instant and total attention." I forgave him even though I knew he was lying, but I didn't forget. Days later, I started getting reports from people who claimed they had seen my husband on several occasions at the same hotel with a particular lady. So I dropped by the hotel unexpectedly. I caught him having drinks with a lady, whom he introduced to me as his "business partner." That day, I let the issue of his infi-

delity rest without making any trouble. Three days later, my husband returned to America. Approximately six months ago, he visited Nigeria again and I suspected he was still seeing that particular woman. On my way to a popular mall called Justrite on a weekend afternoon, I recognized his car on the road. I stopped and watched from a safe distance. About five minutes later, my husband appeared and entered his car with that same woman I had seen with him at the hotel. He turned on the engine and turned the car around. The way he was now taking showed that they were headed towards the hotel. I forgot about what I wanted to buy at the mall and followed them from a safe distance. Trailing my husband and his mistress broke my heart. And I wept in my car as I secretly followed them to the hotel. While my husband drove straight into the hotel, I parked my car outside the hotel to avoid detection and sneaked inside. I managed to conceal myself until my husband and his mistress had gone into one of the rooms in the hotel. Then I bribed the hotel staff to tell me the number of the room in which they were lodged. After getting the room number, I went and knocked on the door of their room. The first time I knocked, there was no answer, so I knocked harder. "Who is that," came a male voice from inside the

room. It was obviously my husband. I pretended as if I was a member of the hotel staff who had come to serve them free drinks. So, using a fake accent, I said: "The hotel manager sent me to serve you free drinks in appreciation of your patronage." "Oh that's good," came my husband's voice from inside the room. Not knowing it was me, he opened the door to receive the so-called free drinks. Immediately my husband opened the door, I pushed him out of my way and forced myself into the room. I saw the lady naked on the bed and pounced on her instantly. It was a big fight. I had a shoe in my hand and I hit her with it, and she fought back. But what pained me the most was that she mocked and insulted me as she fought me back. For example, after I had slapped her the first time, I tried to slap her again, but she held my hand and asked me: "When was the last time you had sex with your husband? When last were you intimate with your so-called man? Are you even sure he is still your husband?" Her words stung me. It was like a sword had pierced my heart. But everything she had said was the truth. Even though the hotel staff threw my husband's mistress out of the hotel, I went home that day feeling guilty. The fact was that after I had given continued on page 38

Love&Living

Love News

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Headmistress accused of seducing under-age boy 'didn't sleep with husband'

he headmistress was suffering a marriage breakdown at the time she is said to have seduced two underage boys, a court has heard. Anne Lakey did not have sex with her then-husband Eamonn Toland for the last 18 months of their two-year marriage and her husband felt 'pushed aside', Teesside Crown Court was told. The jury heard today that one of Lakey's alleged victims would call her 'mommy' when talking about her to a friend. The 55-year-old, from Stanley, County Durham, has been described as a 'sexual predator' by the prosecution but denies six counts of indecent assault on a boy aged 13 or 14 and another seven counts of indecent assault on an alleged victim who was 15. The offences were said to have occurred over a three-year period at the end of the 1980s. The prosecution has alleged the younger boy was groomed for sex while Lakey's husband was out. Mr Toland said in a statement read to the jury that they were married in 1986 and it lasted two years. After living in Huddersfield together,

they moved to a house in Stanley on the same street as her parents. He said: 'We moved to the North East. She was teaching at various schools during this time and I thought life was pretty good.' He worked for Ratners jewellers and his new job saw him travelling across the North, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the court heard. 'I remember our relationship began to suffer,' he said. 'The marriage nose-dived and we didn't get on. I felt pushed aside. 'I suppose, looking back, I was not always around, which was different from when we lived in Huddersfield. 'For the last 18 months we didn't have sex. I knew things were not right and she didn't want anything to do with me. I was hurt as I loved her. I was totally besotted with her.' He said he returned home from working away one day and 'Anne took me into another room and basically stated that our marriage was over'.

Four Five Seconds I think I've had enough I might get a little drunk I say what's on my mind I might do a little time 'Cause all of my kindness Is taken for weakness

Woke up an optimist Sun was shinin', I'm positive Then I heard you was talkin' trash Hold me back, I'm 'bout to spaz I'm FourFiveSeconds from wildin' And we got three more days 'til Friday I'm tryna make it back home by Monday mornin' I swear I wish somebody would tell me Ooh, that's all I want

The best relationship of my life was with a sex addict stammered. “You need to at least have an actual reason!” I proceed to shove a handful of peanut M&M’s into my mouth in an effort to diffuse the tension. “Well, for starters, I’m a sex addict.” I half laughed/half choked at his response, unintentionally spewing a fine layer of masticated chocolate across the back of my friend's couch. She wasn’t going to be happy, but my best friend who I had a huge crush on had just told me that he was a sex addict. He started to elaborate—probably thinking that he had my best interest in mind—explaining that he watched porn daily, cycled through various women with reckless abandon and couldn’t maintain anything resembling a healthy relationship. I had always known that he had been through a string of tumultuous relationships in the past, but I had no idea the extent of it. I was at a complete and total loss. In a moment of panic, I excused myself to the bathroom muttering about needing to find floss (I’m not

Rihanna

Now I'm FourFiveSeconds from wildin' And we got three more days 'til Friday I'm just tryna make it back home by Monday mornin' I swear I wish somebody would tell me Ooh, that's all I want

Life Experience

espite our brushes with unfaithfulness, STD scares and emotional drama, dating a sex addict was pretty awesome. The first time I ever walked into a sex shop it was at the behest of my boyfriend, Greg. I remember meekly shuffling around the aisles with my eyes bulging out of my head in complete terror. As a self-described prude who considers shower sex to hit the upper limit of my experimentation threshold, I didn’t understand how that could go there. No, thank you. How had I, a straight-laced, missionary-loving individual ended up in a relationship where anonymous threesomes, online porn and sex toys had entered our standard vernacular? Before we started dating, Greg and I had been friends for two years. There was always a palpable sexual tension that existed between us, and I think deep down we acknowledge that it was only a matter of time before things escalated. I knew everything about him—his regrets about failing out of college, his strained relationship with his family and his struggle to stay sober after a year-long drug-and-alcohol-fueled spiral following the death of a close friend—but we never discussed taking our relationship to the next level. All that changed in December 2013. We were both at a requisite holiday party thrown by a mutual friend, plotting ways to escape so we could avoid socializing with a room full of people we didn’t know wearing Christmas sweaters. My personal filter had been disabled about two drinks ago, and I figured now was as good a time as any to ask Greg why we never hooked up or even contemplated dating. I took another swig of my rose and mustered up the courage to ask him if we could, in theory, ever date. Don’t think that’s a very good idea…for a lot of reasons,” he retorted. I was a little pissed. I didn’t understand how he could manage to blatantly ignore the fact that we both wanted to be together. “That’s not a valid reason,” I

Love Songs

that smooth under pressure) and hid behind the locked door Googling “sex addiction.” There is some debate as to whether sex addiction is a real disorder, and many cite the fact that it was excluded from the DSM-V (the unequivocal “Bible” for all psychological diagnoses) as a rationale for denying its validity. That said, many psychologists assert that it is a real condition, but at it’s root, it’s not about sex at all—sex is merely the mechanism that these folks use to hide from deeper emotional issues. Given that Greg had previously been an addict, it made sense. It was incredibly difficult for me to wrap my brain around this—this wasn’t the person I knew. The person I knew was one of the most caring, sensitive and all-around amazing people I’ve ever met in my life. He’d been there for me in some pretty difficult times throughout the years we’d known each other, and I trusted him implicitly. Fast forward a few months after this bombshell revelation, and the unthinkable had happened—despite every single rational fiber in my body, Greg and I actually started dating. It happened rather gradually as we began spending more and more time together. I continued to see him as the person I’d gotten to know over the course of our friendship, not as this self-described sex addict. Our values and beliefs lined up perfectly. I trusted him implicitly. I felt safe. I knew that I could tell him anything, regardless of how dark or serious or sensitive the topic. It was really the first time in my life I could call my boyfriend my best friend. On top of that, the sex was good. Like really, really good. Then it began to take a turn. It started with some porn in the background here, the odd bizarre request there. I could tell he wanted his sexual relationships to mimic what he saw on screen, and I grew increasingly uncomfortable and self-conscious. Greg started to become more distant and detached, and I sensed that he was having a tough time processing sex as part of our relationship. I went along with it, thinking that we were just working out the kinks (no pun intended). continued on page 38

And I know that you're up tonight Thinkin', "How could I be so selfish?" But you called 'bout a thousand times Wondering where I've been Now I know that you're up tonight Thinkin' "How could I be so reckless?" But I just can't apologize I hope you can understand If I go to jail tonight Promise you'll pay my bail See they want to buy my pride But that just ain't up for sale See all of my kindness Is taken for weakness Now I'm FourFiveSeconds from wildin' And we got three more days 'til Friday I'm tryna make it back home by Monday mornin' I swear I wish somebody would tell me Ooh, that's all I want FourFiveSeconds from wildin' And we got three more days 'til Friday I'm just tryna make it back home by Monday mornin' I swear I wish somebody would tell me That's all I want

Love Poem

Joanna Fuchs

Fool for Your Charms Every day with you gives me a thrill; All my dreams you richly fulfill. I’m a fool for your charms; You belong in my arms; Love me; please say that you will.

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

Romantic Joke

The woman in the airplane

As an airplane is about to crash, a female passenger jumps up frantically and announces, "If I'm going to die, I want to die feeling like a woman." She removes all her clothing and asks, "Is there someone on this plane who is man enough to make me feel like a woman?" A man stands up, removes his shirt and says, "Here, iron this!"

13 JUNE 2015

Relationships & Love Advice

‘Am I right to go back to my ex?' Dear Love Doctor, I had a relationship that lasted for two years. I loved my boyfriend but I take it that he didn't care about my feelings. He used to tell his friends of his immeasurable love for me, but not when I’m around. I called off my relationship with him after the second year and entered a new relationship with another person. The issue now is that I don’t love this new guy and don’t feel the same way I feel for my ex. I had to go back to my ex trying to build up what we shared. Do you think my decision is right? From Tonia.

Love&Living

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

Love Doctor’s Advice: Apparently, you sound quite confused and do not know exactly what you want. Give yourself a break to clear your head and think of your future and what you want out of love. First, ask yourself if you truly love your ex. Second, what is your concept of your ideal man? Think about how you would like your ideal guy to be and the kind of qualities you would expect him to possess. That would give you a sense of direction and would help you determine if you've taken the right decision in going back to your ex.

Blackberry Connection

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Odd News

all men: "Why do some men want to marry virgins, and who will marry those girls they deflowered?" *Call Mike: 07031028714 to send questions or issues.

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Wedding Traditions

Man saves two million babies donating blood, but 'can't stand pain'

he Man with the Golden Arm" may sound like the name of some superhero in a comic book. But the nickname doesn't belong to someone donning a cape and fighting villains on his down time. It belongs to 78-year-old James Harrison -- an Australian man who has donated blood almost every week for about 60 years, saving more than 2 million babies in the process. In a recent profile featured on CNN, Harrison opened up about why he chooses to donate, even though it's not the most pleasurable experience: "Never once have I watched the needle go in my arm. I can't stand the sight of blood, and I can't stand pain." This man's blood is rare. That's because an incredibly unique antibody in Harrison's blood makes it a true lifesaver for babies who could be affected by rhesus disease. The condition occurs during some pregnancies, when a woman who has rhesus-negative blood produces antibodies that destroy her babies' cells. This can happen when the baby inherits rhesus-positive blood from the father. As the University of Rochester Medical Center points out, Rhesus disease can cause anemia and organ enlargement in babies, among many other complications. It can even be fatal. Harrison's blood helped physicians develop an injection called Anti-D in the 1960s, which prevents women who have rhesus-negative blood from developing the destructive antibodies while pregnant. After Harrison completes one of his routine donations, the plasma from his blood is put toward creating more vaccines. "I started donating in 1955, two days after I turned 18," Harrison told Sunshine Coast Daily last year. The outlet had documented his 1,075th donation. As CNN reported, every Anti-D vaccine created in Australia can be credited to a donation from Harri-

son, who holds the record for most blood donations Down Under. "A number of mothers have come up to me and said, 'Thank you very much for what you've done, because I now I have one, two, three healthy children,'" Harrison told Ten News in 2011. As the outlet reported, Harrison's own daughter, Tracey Mellowship, had been one of the approximate 17 percent of women who need Anti-D during their pregnancy. The injection helped guarantee her second son would be born healthy. "Dad had always donated -- we knew that," Mellowship told Ten News. "But until I was pregnant and knew the consequences, then it sort of hit home." Courtesy: Daily Mail.

Kissing over the cake: France

he traditional layered wedding cake originated in France, but another common cake is called the croquembouche, which is essentially a pyramid of crème-filled pastry puffs covered in a caramel glaze. These cakes probably originated from the Middle

Ages when guests would bring small cakes or pastries and stack them in a pile. If the bride and groom could kiss over the cakes without knocking them over, then supposedly they would have a lifetime of prosperity. Courtesy: Irish Central.

Love&Living

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

True Story

'I’m dating a widower, but it wasn’t love at first sight'

Just Jan en years ago I met a widower whose wife of 18 years had died the previous year. He had two sons. One was in high school the other was away at college. I wasn't too interested in him at first, no love at first sight for me. But he was persistent and eventually we started dating. It became serious rather quickly. After some time went by he asked me to move in with him. I wanted the same, I had fallen in love and hated the time we were apart. We discussed our future as I was not willing to move away from my kids, grand kids and job to be someone’s live in. I was making a huge move and needed the security of commitment. (we lived hours apart) He lived on a farm in an isolated area where there was no job opportunities. His sons had no problem with me moving to their farm and living with their dad. Three months later when the time came to tell them we were getting married, the youngest had a problem with that. He said no! The wedding was off. I moved back out. I had to move in with my sister as I had given up my apartment. I had also given away all my furnishings. Time to find a job! Three days later he called begging me back, assuring me we would get married as soon as his son graduated high school and went off to college. He felt his son had been through enough with the death of his mother. I couldn't understand why giving me the respect of marriage would cause his son any hardship. His son was fine with me living with them, cooking the meals, cleaning the house, sharing his dad's bed and helping around the farm. I thought he was being a bad parent by letting his son rule the roost but I didn't say anything. I did move back in and everything fell back into place. I dealt with all the normal widower crap (dead wife's pictures all over the place, her clothes still in the closet, cosmetics in the medicine cabinet etc.). I filled in for the missing mom, baking cakes for school raffles, washing football uniforms,

decorating for graduation party. etc. I did notice that my widower withheld showing affection towards me whenever his son was around to see. This too I let pass, though I was still thinking bad parenting. When his son moved away to college, everything was more open and carefree. We had a prenuptial agreement drawn up and he talked to his kids again about marrying me. Must not have gone over any better than the first time. My widowers bad parenting kicked in again and the wedding was off. He told me he was never getting married again and couldn't understand why I needed to get married. Why couldn't we just live together like his son wanted us to. Anyway, to sum it up. Every time I leave he begs me back with promises. I know he intends to follow through but then he puts the brakes on. I know he loves me. He just can't go against his kids wishes. Even though they are both married now. He also has guilt issues to deal with. He was a drinker during most of his married life so he wasn't the world’s best husband to her. I'm sure that plays a big part in all this. So everything is fine as long as I don't expect anything serious from the relationship. His kids even resent any money he should spend on me..So, that doesn't happen. So where am I at? I am a live in cook, maid, housekeeper and bed partner. I play the role of wife without the respect and security of marriage. I am on the outside looking in. Nothing is mine unless it needs to be cleaned. My widower doesn't or chooses not to see what I have given up and what I continue to give up. My needs are not being met. My feelings are not being taken into account. I simply exist. This is not the life he promised me. My widower, his kids and even his friends downplay my role in this relationship. Everyone is being loyal to a dead wife and mother. I have to wonder what type of a person she really was. Oh, I have heard of her greatness over and over again. That doesn't bother me. Everyone who dies is turned into a saint by the people they leave behind. I understand this silly ritual. But, if they think their treatment of me would

please the dead wife, then they either don't know her very well or she was not a very nice person. Because no woman would be pleased to see her kids and husband treat another woman so poorly. What I've learned... I've found that most widows and widowers are very selfish people after the loss of a spouse. They tend to think and do only what will make them happy. They believe they have suffered the greatest hurt imaginable so others should not complain about the small every day pains and hurt feelings. They have blinders on that keep them from seeing the pain they cause others. These blinders tend to fog over their true memories of their dead loved ones also. That's why second wives or girlfriends of widowers usually feel like they can't measure up or compete with that "perfect" late wife. Society isn't much help. Friends and family have a way of branding a widower as a sad lonely person who will never be complete again. Doesn't matter if the widower is in a new relationship, he is still expected to be sad and lonely for all eternity because he lost his one and only true love. They see second wives and girlfriends as replacements. Happy the widower found a companion to help fill in for the missing wife. Widow and widowers can predetermine that a new relationship

The best relationship of my life was with a sex addict C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 6

Then came the threesome proposition. I’m not sure if there’s ever a good way to ask your partner about having a threesome, but I can certainly say that over text a mere six months into your relationship is never a good call. But here I was, sitting at work typing away on some mind-numbing document when a little alert flashed across my phone. “I just asked a girl I used to hook up with if she wants to have a threesome with us.” I think I must have either audibly yelped or something, because my coworker immediately popped her head over the edge of our cubicle to make sure I was OK and hadn’t caught my finger in the stapler again. Frankly, that sounded preferable to a threesome with some random girl my current boyfriend used to have sex with. Literally anything sounded better. That night, I made a pros and cons list to help me sort out what I needed to do. Under “reasons to

break up” I wrote: - Don’t want to have a threesome (I underlined this three times, for clarity’s sake) - I’ll never be enough for him Then, I jotted down the pros: - I’m happy when I’m with him At its most basic level, happiness is the crux of any successful relationship. Strip away all the of the complications that arose out of our sexual relationship, and this was the happiest, most secure relationship I’d ever experienced. At the same time, I could tell that I would never be enough for Greg. There always had to be something else, something more interesting, something to push the envelope further. It was like I could never satisfy him. I know that Greg wasn’t doing this to hurt me, but at his core he had some very deep-seated issues to work out. It was hard, but we mutually agreed to take a step back and reorient as friends. I know that Greg’s addiction is ultimately the reason we had to break off

our romantic relationship, but I don’t fault him for it. What couple doesn’t hit stumbling blocks? His addiction didn’t make him any less of a person, and it didn’t make our relationship any less real or valid. It doesn’t change the fact that, in retrospect, this was the happiest, most secure relationship of my life. I realised that red flags aren’t always something to run away from—they can also be an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and the people we love. With the right person, these types of issues (and yes, that even includes sex addiction) are totally navigable. I really do commend Greg for being open about his struggle, and I know that I walked away from the experience with an entirely new respect and understanding for what makes a solid relationship. That, and I can now walk into a sex shop without covering my eyes. Courtesy: xo.com

will never be as meaningful as the one they had with their late spouse. (They can't really) But they can put the brakes on a new relationship so that it doesn't compete or out shadow the previous relationship. They do this out of loyalty to the late spouse and because society expects it of them. There is also that graveside promise they almost always make: "there will never be another one" or "I'll never love anyone as much as I did you." Doesn't matter if they couldn't stand to be in the same room together when they were both alive, they don't remember that part. (Blinders) Like I said, I've been in this relationship for ten years. It took me 1 year to get her clothes out of the closet. Two years to get her pictures off the walls. I'm not even scratching the surface yet. Is it worth it? I would say yes. For him that is. He has had the best of both worlds. After ten years of playing house, doing everything his wife did and then some. He tells me that our relationship will never mean as much to him as "theirs" did. She was his one and only true love for all eternity. My reply?..."well if you love her that darn much..go dig her up! I'm tired of doing her dishes and feeding her husband." Are we still together? Yes. But it's a work in progress. Courtesy: nine.com

'My husband's mistress changed my life' C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 5

birth to our last child, I practically stopped having sex with my husband. I refused to let him touch me on most occasions and I didn't care about his feelings or protests. I realized that my husband had taken a mistress for himself because I had neglected and abandoned him instead of fulfilling my sacred duty as a good wife to sexually satisfy my husband. I realised that my husband's mistress had done me good in the sense that she had at least told me the truth about the serious problem I had created in my marriage. And that realisation made me resolve to change for the better. Her taunting words literally changed my life. I now understand why they say that every disappointment is a blessing in disguise. My husband's mistress did good to me by saying those things she said to me, although she actually thought she was mocking and insulting me. I have learned the lesson she taught me. I am now a good or better wife. I now do everything expected of a good wife to please her husband. And I'm glad that my husband now looks much happier than he ever was and spends more time with me indoors whenever he visits, rather than going on suspicious outings and fake business trips.

SATURDAY

Travel &Tourism SATURDAY 13 JUNE 2015

Travel Personality

Michael Emordi Ojede: I want to create a business chain p.40

CHEF'S CORNER

Hospitality

Pearl One Suites: Standing out in a crowded field p.41

Destination

Calabar: Still the alluring Canaan City p.42

Chinese Braise Vegetable

Chinese Braise vegetables Chef Francois Xavier Tossou, fish is tender, stirring occasionally, remove the bouquet garni executive chef of Banex and serve. Hotel and Suites, Maryland, Main dish Lagos, shares what he calls Chinese Braise vegetables Ingredients: his special recipes.

• • • • • • • •

Starter

Preparation: Trim the meat and cut into even pieces. Partly fry off the seasoned meat, then add the carrot, onion and garlic and continue frying. Drain off the surplus fat and add the flour and mix. Singe in the oven or brown on top of the stove for a few minutes or add previously browned flour. Add the tomato puree and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the stock and season. Add the bouquet garni, bring to the boil, skim and cover with a lid. Simmer gently until cooked preferably in the oven for approximately one-two hours. When cooked, place the meat in a clean pan. Correct the sauce and pass the sauce on to the meat. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley. Eat with Boiled potato.

Mediterranean fish soup (six persons)

Ingredients: • 50g butter • 2 onions, peeled and sliced • 1 garlic clove, crushed • 2 leeks, washed, trimmed and cut into rings • 15 ml tomato pureew • 2 potatoes, peeled and sliced • 1 x 396g can tomatoes • Finely grated rind of ½ a lemon • 600ml chicken stock • Bouquet garni • Salt and freshly ground pepper • 100g filleted of croaker fish • 100g filleted COD • 30ml dry white wine • 100g peeled shrimps or prawns

ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA Editor, TRAVEL&TOURIM iroandy@ymail.com

Preparation: Melt the butter in the sauce and add the onions, garlic and leeks. Cover and cook gently for five minutes. Add the tomato puree, potatoes, tomatoes lemon ring, stock, bouquet garni and seasoning. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Cut the croaker and COD into bite-sized pieces, removing the skin and bones and add to the sauce pan with the shrimp and wine. After simmering for a further five minutes or until

• 30ml.corn oil • 3 sticks of celery, washed, trimmed and diced • 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into very fine strips • 1 green pepper, seeded and cut into very fine strips • 1 small onion, peeled and cut into very fine rings • 1 small cauliflower, washed and broken into very small sprigs • ½ cucumber, peeled and diced • 6 canned water chestnuts, sliced • 100g. mushrooms, washed and sliced • 100ml. water • Salt • 5ml. brown sugar • 10ml. soy sauce Preparation: Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and add the celery and carrots, fry for three minutes. Stir in the remaining vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes. Add the water, salt to taste, brown sugar and soy sauce, and cook briskly, stirring occasionally, for six-eight minutes.

Brown lamb

Ingredients: • Stewing lamb 500g

Oil 2tbsp Salt, pepper Onion 100 Clove garlic 1 Flour,white or wholemeal 25g Tomato puree 1 level tbsp Brown stock 500g Bouquet garni

Dessert French apple tart

Sweet flan pastry

Ingredients: • 150g. plain flour pinch of salt • 75g. butter, cut into small pieces • 15ml. caster sugar • 10ml. ground almond • 1 egg yolk

• 30-45ml. cold water • Filling • 450g. cooking apples, cooked unsweetened and pureed • 2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced • 50g. sugar • Grated rind of ½ a lemon • Glaze • 15ml. apricot jam • 10ml. water • 5ml. lemon juice Preparation: Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, add the butter and using the fingertips, rub the fat and flour together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs; add the sugar and almonds. stir in the egg and enough cold water to mix to a stiff dough with a palette knife. Turn out on to a floured surface and knead lightly for one minute, until smooth. Wrap in foil and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and use to line a 20cm. /8in. flan ring, set on a baking tray. Add the sugar and lemon ring to the apple puree and spoon into the flan case. Arrange the sliced apples neatly over the surface. Bake in a fairly hot oven (200c/400f or gas mark 6) for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and the apples golden brown. Put the jam, water and lemon juice in a saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, until syrupy, then brush or spoon the glaze over the tart. If preferred, the tart may be glazed after freezing.

Travel & Tourism

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

MICHAEL EMORDI OJEDE I want to create a business chain

TRAVEL PERSONALITY

Background

Michael Emordi Ojede is the chairman and chief executive officer of Pearl Group of Companies, owners of Pearl Removal and Delivery Services and Pearl One Suites among others. He speaks with ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA on his vision for his hotel, development in the hospitality industry and his passion for travel.

The birth of Pearl One Hotel bviously, Ojede is a man with uncanny passion for travelling, as he tells you that, “I travelled a great deal, I have travelled to different countries and I have visited a lot of hotels. I like the whole idea that embodies hotel and I like the business as it is.” Therefore, Pearl One Suites is borne out of his passion of the world of travel and hospitality: “Being someone that has travelled to different places and visited many hotels, I decided to set up one here,” he says, adding, “the vision is that I want a place where you could come and relax and you forget your stress. You forget everything that you have been thinking of.” “You sleep and then you wake up in a friendly atmosphere with the staff welcoming you courteously. Here we don’t call you a guest but we call you family, we don’t also call you a customer, we welcome you as if you are our own, we want to make you happy. “That is the basic idea of hospitality for me, a place that you go to and you relax in totality.” The problem of running hotels in Nigeria Over the years, the twosome common but now endemic problems facing hoteliers in Nigeria are those of power supply and multiple taxations. Ojede is faced with them as well and is not so happy about it, as he tells you that these have made the cost of running the hotel too high and impacting on the rate of services on offer. I love to travel, I love to meet people

I have been to almost every country in Africa. There are only very few in North Africa that I have not been to. I have been to almost everywhere in East Africa. “I have been to a few places in Europe; I have been to England, Germany, France, Spain, Russia, Italy and the US as well. I was supposed to travel to Canada now but the exchange rate is not allowing me. We can’t relax if the economy is not allowing us. “I love to meet new people, new culture, I love sightseeing, I love to see places. I love to see new people, new food, new culture and it is a lot of education.”

The Kremlin is my finest place

“One of the most beautiful things that I have seen is the Kremlin, the seat of government in Moscow. That is the finest place that I have seen till today. “It is the seat of government but it is a tourist attraction. It is a place that you have to see because you can’t just describe it and I don’t know how to explain it.”

“The cheapest room here is about N8, 000 but if the power issue is addressed such rooms can come down to about N4, 000 immediately. Besides, the CEO of Pearl Group of Companies is not too happy that many people see hotel business as investors’ nest, resulting in what he calls saturation point with hotels on almost every street corner across the country. “Another problem with the hospitality industry is saturation, a lot of the hotels are owned by politicians with idle money. So, the next thing they want to do is build a hotel,” he says. Though this may be a salutary development but he says that it is not good for the industry as most of these hotels only have fine edifices but are poorly equipped and managed. “It is not the fact that we have too many hotels but because there is nothing inside. All you see is a big edifice. The infrastructure inside is totally rubbish.” Regulatory bodies should rise up to their duty Ojede blames the government and its officials for this poor state of affairs, accusing them of under-hand dealings. “The government officials don’t care, all they want is for you to give them money and that is all. Nobody cares about the standard, what they care about is just to get the money.” To restore sanity into the industry and give the guests value for their money, he calls on the government and its regulatory bodies to wake up to their responsibilities. “So, the government needs to

Ojede is from Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha South, Delta State, but he grew up and lives in the Amuowo Odofin -FESTAC Town axis of Lagos. Tall and athletic, he could be taken for a basketball player. But Ojede is a businessman to the core, aspiring for the greatest height in his endeavours. In a way, he launched out first with a somewhat unique business, which is not common in this part of the world. Dial a cab service, offering the people luxury and air conditioned cars to pick and drop them off at any location at premium rate. Then there is also Pearl Removal and Delivery Services, which is just like dial a cab. It is also very unique, offering trucks, cooling vans and helping people to move their home items from their old homes to the new ones with ease and at a very affordable cost. Added to these is the fact that Ojede’s group also engages in the management of hospitality outfits. Having done that for so many years now, just recently, he decided to turn his full attention to the hospitality industry by building a medium size luxury hotel -Pearl One Suites in the Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, so as to further give vent to his passion.

put a lot of things in place to check the system. “We need control, we need regulation and the regulatory authority should look into standards and say you can’t go below this standard. I know it takes manpower but if you try at all people will adjust.” Nigeria is a tourist country but... He admits that Nigeria is a tourist destination. “I don’t want to believe that Nigeria is not a tourist country,” however, Ojede says nothing has been done over the years to promote and develop the various tourist attractions of the country. This coupled with the menace of Boko Haram, he says, makes

the country a hard sell for foreign tourists. “Unfortunately what Boko Haram has done in recent years has further damaged the nation’s image. The north is a very volatile area and nobody would advise any tourist to go there.” I am looking forward to an improved society We need to tackle security so that even tourism which is a big business can flourish and grow. I look forward to change, I look forward to a better power supply, I look forward to improved state of security and the economy and I look forward to the tackling of this Boko Haram menace. “Then put the fear of corruption in the people’s minds because if one or two of these people that stole without fear, without respect for money are sent to prison for 120 years and even if they grant them bail in 10 years, a lot of people would be afraid to steal.” My dream is to create a business chain For Ojede, the journey has just begun, as he says that he is aiming at creating a business empire that will serve his unborn generations. “This is the business that I want my children to wake up and be proud of and say, my dad owns that chain. I want it to be a chain, that in 100 years you are still talking about the Pearl Group,” he reveals of his dream. “I want a situation where my children working somewhere else will say let me quit there, let me go and take over the business and the business is there and their children can work there too. Their grandchildren will be directors in that business. “So, my dream is for it to be a chain that will compete with any business in the world. Our prayer is that first, let the economy improve. We are working at a different location now already and continuously like that I think the sky is the limit to the growth that we are all pushing for.”

architecture: That is all they have and that is all that they still have till tomorrow. “If you are buying a house, you are buying a house that was built in the 18th century. They call it priceless London and it is still very priceless the way it is.”

... West London it is!

“I mean West London, the South East is where the average Nigerians and Jamaicans are, ‘na only trouble, trouble dem dey make there.’ That is not my type of place. The West London it is, a most beautiful place.”

I want to explore the Orientals

“Three places that I am going to visit this year that I have not visited before are China because for some reasons I haven’t been to any Oriental place, Australia and Japan. But the economy needs to improve before we can embark on such journeys.”

London is home

“I love London a great deal and that is because aside the weather, London is home. You don’t miss home when in London and Houston too, but London is the most beautiful.”

I love the Victorian architectural appeal of London

“Besides, the old architecture, the Victorian

Ojede

Travel & Tourism

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

HOSPITALITY

Hotel's exterior and outdoor bar

earl One Suites is distinctively set off the long stretch of Ago Palace Way within Amuwo Odofin axis of Lagos. It enjoys a compelling presence once you walk into its expansive complex. The one-storey building is somewhat different from most hotels or suites with its homely ambience as the reception or the first port of call by a guest after the security checks, is not the usual open area reception. It is a beautiful enclosure with the receptionist at one end and then settees finely laid out at one end with a flat screen TV on and soft music at the background quietly serenading you. The receptionist curtsies and after listening to your enquiries, politely ushers one to the empty settees while she dashes through one of the doors. Minutes after and all smiles, she announces that the group head in charge of operations and corporate services, Mr. Francis Chidi Chilaka, would see me shortly. Few minutes later Chilaka walked through the same door with an outstretched hand. After exchanging pleasantries, he ushered one through the same door to his office and nicely set up. Then the talk session and facility tour of the suites began. Although a small size facility, the hotel has just 15 rooms, all en suite, is true to its design, a truly homely setting where Chilaka informs that guests here are not treated as mere furniture or numbers but rather as part of the family. ‘‘We don’t treat our guests as numbers but we treat them as family. We give you a touch of homely feeling and ensure that you don’t feel that you are within a hotel setting,’’ adding that the suites are all plush and attractively laid out with all the basic amenities of a home. It is their approach to guest service and the ample facilities available within

One of the rooms

PEARL ONE SUITES

Standing out in a crowded field Hotels tend to launch with a tantalizing promise that soon wanes after a few months. But Pearl One Suites has since stayed good to its promise to offer a uniquely homely ambience in its treatment of guests, writes ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA. the hotel that Chilaka says are among the features which set the hotel apart in the highly competitive environment in which it is located. There are pockets of hotels of all sorts in Amuwo Odofin competing for the guest’s attention. He also revealed that the guests are treated as kings as they listen to every of their requests or complaints and ensure they are adequately addressed. The target of the hotel, he added, is both corporate and leisure customers but with eyes on being one of the top rated spots for the Amuwo Odofin and FESTAC Town residents and other adjoining locations. Rooms The 15 suites are all furnished and laid with the finest and most sophisticated hospitality amenities.

Interestingly, the suites are all named after some popular cities in the world such as Vienna, Lisbon, Cape Town, Berlin, Cairo, Melbourne, London, Athens, Santa Fe, Florence (it has a private balcony) and Lagos. Others are Tenerife and Paris, which is about the biggest of the rooms and differently set with a massage chair and actually serves as a family suite as extra beds can be provided on request. The names may not necessarily reflect the widely travelled nature of the owner of the hotel, Mr. Michael Emordi Ojede, but Chilaka explained that the idea is to ensure that in the coming months each of the suites reflect some of the unique features of the city that they are named after. Dining/wining A nice dining and wining experience

also awaits the guests with its cute and aesthetically laid restaurant and bar offering African and continental dishes and different classes of wine, champagne, beverages and cocktails. The indoor bar is a calm and lovely place to relax for those seeking a quiet place to unwind. Occasionally, it doubles as conferences and other events venue with all the basic conference amenities provided. Entertainment A rich blend of entertainment is also at the core of its services. Chilaka is confident that Pearl One Suites is fast becoming the happening and most sought after relaxation facility in the area as a result of its entertainment packages. Its outdoor bar located at one end of the complex is the place to be for many after work hours, weekends and festive periods. It promotes Makosa and Jazz nights among others while you are treated to a rich dose of African delicacies such as goat meat, fish and chicken pepper soups, nkwobi and asun and many more. There is a suya spot for grilled meat and fish. Other facilities/services The list includes 24-hours power supply and security, bus shuttle, laundry, free Wifi and a small work station at one end of the reception where guests can sit quietly to attend to their work undisturbed. Building a brand For Chilaka, Pearl One Suites is the beginning of the audacious dream to build a Nigerian independent hotel brand that can compete effectively across the world. The dream, he says, is already on course, with a new outfit in the making at a different location in Lagos.

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 (sms only), e-mail: iroandy@ymail.com or Chinyere Opara: 08063768131 (sms only) e-mail angela_ curtis-2@live.com

ABA

FESTAC, LAGOS

LAGOS

REE DANIELS HOTEL AND SUITES

ABA

Panda Hotel Suites & Lounge

42 Travel & Tourism

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

DESTINATION

Calabar: Still the alluring Canaan City Calabar is one city that often elicits a repeat visit, thanks to the fascinating array of experiences it offers. ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA presents some of the highlights of the warm and welcoming city.

Background he city of Calabar enjoys a pride of place in the historical and political evolution of Nigeria as well as on the economic front. Dating back to the colonial days, it was once the seat of power of the Oil River Protectorate, Niger Coast Protectorate and Southern Protectorate. It was also a significant trading post and in the slave trade era, it featured as one of the shores through which slaves were shipped out of the country. It is believed that over two million slaves passed through the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seaport and some of the relics of this inglorious history have been preserved over the centuries and form part of the attractions of the city which, apart from being the seat of the Oil Protectorate, is today the capital of Cross River. Tourism economy If there is one unique feature for which the city of Calabar has been noted over the years, it is its calm and peaceful nature while the people are known for their legendary hospitality. Visitors to the city then often joined the people in savouring the good life while exploring the alluring nature of the city. A visitor was bound to return with lots of tales from the Paradise or Canaan City to the envy of his numerous listeners. But it was not until early 2000s when former governor of the state, Mr. Donald Duke, began to lay the foundation that would eventually launch a tourism dream that has become a reference point.

Agbokim fall

Perhaps the real journey to the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tourism economy started with the rejuvenation of the once famous but abandoned Obudu Cattle Ranch (now Obudu Mountain Resort). With the coming back to life of the resort came other laudable projects and then the Calabar Carnival, which later was expanded in scope and content to the present day 32 days of fun and excitement that the Calabar Festival has become. In the pursuit of this dream, the state government gave birth to Tinapa, African Business Resort, which was formally commissioned in 2007 and regarded by many as the most audacious project ever embarked on by the state government. To further boost its tourism economy and present Calabar as a complete destination, the government of Senator Liyel Imoke created the Calabar Summit Hills and Calabar International Conference Centre. The two projects are still in their formative stages and what becomes of them can only be determined by time and what the new governor of the state, Professor Ben Ayede decides. Calabar as a destination certainly enjoys a boom and glows during the Calabar Festival in the month of December with the city playing host to hundreds of visitors from across the different cities of Nigeria and the world. But somehow in the midst of the glitz and excitement of the 32 days festival with a lot of day and night activities to savour not many people perhaps remember to also explore

Tinapa Business Resort

some of the enchanting tourist attractions of the city and its adjoining towns. On a good day visiting the city, you will never miss its allure and fascinating nature while you take time to explore some of it attractions as highlighted below: Old Residency For a treat of the historical antecedents of Calabar, Old Residency is the place to visit. The building, which once housed the colonial government, is both a historical and master architectural piece to behold. It houses, among others, a museum of the relics and memorabilia of the old history of the city; ranging from the people to the economic and political exploits. It has a lush garden setting with a number of restaurants and relaxation spots where you can relax and enjoy good meals and drinks. The Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lodge, which is part of this complex, is just a distance away from the Old Residency. It has a good landscape with the Calabar River serving as its backdrop. Old Calabar/Duke Town These are two sections of the city where one can feast on the nature and colour of the old settlement, as most of the buildings are monuments to the great past of Calabar. Some of the schools, institutions, buildings and complexes that tell the tales of the old city are still in existence. One of the liv-

ing monuments of the city is the Hope Waddell Training Institute (1895), which is one of the oldest colonial schools in the country. The late Nnamdi Azikiwe was a former student of the institute. Other historical monuments in the city include the oldest post office in the country, the first general hospital, the first social club in Nigeria (The African Club) and one of the earliest military barracks in the country. Drill Ranch Calabar also offers a rich blend of eco tourism experience. Some of the spots within the city include the Drill Ranch, which is actually one of the oldest of such centres and is devoted to the care of primates such as drill monkeys and chimpanzees. It is a privately run facility. Afi Wildlife Sanctuary This forested enclave is an offshoot of the Drill Ranch in Calabar and is located in Afi forest, outside the city. It is a sanctuary dedicated to drill monkeys and chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Besides a day tour of the sanctuary, one can stay overnight or as many days as one desires, as it has lodging and camping out facilities where one can have a taste of wilderness experience. Bird watch is also another activity here as well as safari. Afi Mountain Canopy Walkway The Afi sanctuary is also where the

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Travel & Tourism 43 land or air via the Bebi Airstrip located a few kilometres from the resort. Tinapa Business Resort It’s supposed to be the signature attraction of the state but has yet to be fully operated. However, with the Lakeside Hotel and the entertainment arcade in operation, a tourist can visit the resort for a ball. The numerous facilities now in place such as the shopping complex and the Nollywood Studio are sights to behold. Tourism Village Located in the heart of the city, the tourism village normally comes alive during the Calabar Festival and other festive periods and it plays host to a number of fun-filled and exciting events and spots. Millennium Park This is another leisure and event spot in the city with its inviting lush garden. It often hosts different events particularly during the Calabar Festival.

Old Residency Museum

Obudu Mountain Resort's reception

Street carnival

Afi Mountain Canopy Walkway is located. It is an intriguing and creative walkway— a series of suspension bridges linked to platforms on trees. It offers aerial view of the forest and elicits great excitement walking on the delicately balanced structure. It is one of the most widely visited attractions in the state. CERCOPAN Is located in Calabar and it is a nature and conservation centre for the breeding of primates with conservation education, enlightenment programmes and researches undertaken too. Cross River National Park Calabar is also home to one of the nation’s eight national parks and one of the rain forested parks with Okomu National Park in Edo State as the second. The park, which has two distinct sections - Oban and Okwangwo - with one of the sections extending to Cameroun. They are home to rich varieties of fauna and flora. One of the rare species endemic to the park is the forest elephant. Agbokim and Kwa waterfalls These are two sites to also sample enchanting ambience of nature as they both have enticing landscape and waterfall. Water cascades down from immense heights in such torrential momentum to form great pool of water at the base.

Calabar creek

Ikom Monoliths Found in Ikom, some distance away from the city, the monoliths represent the enduring history and art of the people, as these are carvings and writings that date back to hundreds of years. Marina Resort Located in Duke Town, it is another good spot for dining out in the city. It is a waterfront resort with a harbour which once housed the Calabar Jetty. It has a boat club house for members while the jetty anchors boat cruising to the Tinapa Resort. Among its leisure facilities are children's playground, array of eateries, a slave museum and a hotel.

Aerial view of Marina Resort, Calabar

what commends it to visitors, as it is located about 1,576 metres above sea level and has 22 steeple and snake–like bends that take one from the base to the top. Besides the lodging facilities, the resort has ample leisure and entertainment facilities for patronage. It also has a natural enclave as Becheve Natural Reserve. The resort also plays host to the annual Obudu Mountain Race. The resort can either be accessed by

Mary Slessor's Tomb Mary Slessor was a Scottish missionary who lived and worked in Calabar. She was noted for fighting against the killing of twins. A statue of a woman carrying a baby in one of the roundabouts in the city is dedicated to her memory while her grave is located at Eyamba Street cemetery in Duke Town near the Marina Resort. Dining out Calabar is noted for its unique culinary heritage, especially the vast array of Efik menu that visitors will find tempting. In all the nooks and crannies of the city, you are sure to find different eateries in operation. One of the most visible locations in the city is the Ndidem Usang Iso Road formerly Marian Road. This long stretch of road in the heart of the city is one sure place where leisure seekers will find comforting. The list of eateries includes Genny, Mr. Fans and Mr. Bigg's as well as Sweet Sensation. While Etta Egbe Road, where the University of Calabar is located, Calabar Road and Murtala Mohammed Road – from the U.J. Esuene Stadium end to Watt Market are some of the popular roads to catch fun too. Apart from these locations, Housing Estate also feature a number of spots. One of these is Duke’s Place which, besides its fast food centre, has a section devoted to traditional Efik cuisine. The Chinese restaurant at Mirage Hotel beckons as well as that of Pyramid Hotel and Conference Centre. A visitor is also sure to have good dining spots in some of the hotels in the city such as Channel View Hotel, Metropolitan Hotel and La Chateau Hotel.

Aqua Vista Holiday Resort and Farm This is a rare facility tucked away in the calm area of Anantigha (Messembe Close), Calabar. It has a natural appeal that features palm trees. It has good accommodation, dining and wining facilities while some of its leisure features include sport facilities — volleyball and tennis, boat cruise on the creek and sport fishing. Obudu Mountain Resort Formerly the popular Obudu Cattle Ranch Resort, it remains the prime tourism product of the state. Located in Obudu, it has a good landscape made of the Obudu rolling hills and plateau. The temperate climate of the resort is

Aerial view of the snake-like 22 steps steeple road to Obudu Mountain Resort

TV & Radio with Angela Davies

Jenifa’s Diary

A Wannabe's hilarious tale

enifa’s Diary is a comedy television series that depicts the hilarious and amazing adventures of an illiterate village girl, Suliat, who after getting to the city changed her name to Jenifa just to "belong" to the society by all means. In this comical drama series, Jenifa, who squats with her friend, Toyosi, in students’ hostel keeps a diary of her daily deceitful as well as fun activities written in incorrect grammar. Although on a daily basis, she speaks and keeps her diary in incorrect grammar, it does not really matter to her even when her friends make mockery of her fake lifestyle. For Jenifa, she is ready to do whatever it takes to be associated with the important personalities in the society so that she too will be called a "big girl." In the last episode, Jenifa attended Banky W’s concert where she paid N200,000 for a VIP table just to prove to her friend, Mercy (Beverly Osu), that she is in the league of the "big girls". When Banky W came on stage, she was excited and got even ecstatic when he went to meet her at her table and even danced with her. At the end of the event, Mercy sighted Jenifa giving her phone number to one of Banky W’s dancers and when she enquired, Jenifa told her Banky W had asked him to collect her number. Mercy could not stop imaging what Banky W will be doing with an uneducated girl like Jenifa but she still decided to believe her. Jenifa pays the hostel rent and also took her friends to an expensive restaurant and paid for their bills. While Toyosi was curious to know how Jenifa makes her money because she does not have a job, Mercy was only interested in Jenifa

FACE BEHIND THE VOICE

DJ Smooth

biodun Adeoye, popularly known as DJ Smooth, started his DJ career back in the 90s. He has been a guest DJ in various radio stations in Africa and worked with the likes of international DJ Mannie and Rhythm 94.7FM, Abuja, before he finally moved to Silverbird Rhythm 93.7FM, Lagos. Trying to carve a niche for himself in the industry, he decided to take giant strides by launching a Dj mix session on Silverbird Television and Kennis Music Channel. According to Adeoye, “Disk jockey as the world calls it is the best way I can make everyone happy with dance and motivate them through the expression of music. I love my job.” In 2008, he was awarded Rhythm 94.7 Best DJ and has also been nominated in various awards.

Adeoye

spending on them. Jenifa’s friends Toyosi and Mercy noticed that she does not answer her call in their presence whenever the supposed Banky W calls. And her reason was that she was still thinking about whether to give him a place in her heart or not but she was sure that he truly loves her. Meanwhile Toyosi and Mercy were eager to talk to him. Jenifa kept deceiving her friends about her supposed relationship with Banky W until she was exposed. That fateful day, she forgot her phone in the room after lying to her friends that she had a date with Banky W. Unfortunate for Jenifa, supposed Banky W called again and her friends saw it as an opportunity to talk to the super star. When Toyosi answered the call, she was disappointed to hear a strange male voice. At that point, both ladies realised that

Programme summary Kuti career’s palace (Galaxy)

Tuesday @ 5:00 pm It is a hilarious and captivating family drama about the Kuti family and their dysfunctional career choice.

Wetin Dey Radio continental 102.3

Mon- Fri @ 2:00 pm Is a two-hour programme which consists of a three-man casts set within a unique but traditional family placement.

Jenifa had saved her younger brother’s name as Banky W instead of Waheed. Also Jenifa has not been answering his calls because according to Waheed she collected the thrift entrusted in his care by the entire village and he is being threatened to be handed over to the police if he does not refund their money. When Jenifa came to the room to pick up her phone, it was already too late; her secret has already been uncovered. She had no choice but to tell her friends the truth and what she did with the money. Of course, Mercy was merciless as she backlashed her for living a fake life and trying to ‘belong.’ Due to the number of colloquial language in the drama series, it is a laudable gesture that they were all accurately translated in proper English to allow viewers who do not understand Yoruba or pidgin benefit from the drama as well. So, do you want to see more of Jenifa’s antics, funny dress sense and incorrect grammar? Then let Jenifa entertain and thrill you in every episode in this star studded drama series. Although viewers will laugh, they will equally learn from this hilarious drama series. It will keep you laughing at the edge of your seat. Jenifa’s Diary airs on African Independent Television (AIT) on Sunday at 7:30 pm. So if you loved actress Funke Akindele’s movies Jenifa and Return of Jenifa then it is time to stay glued to your television set to enjoy her new hilarious drama series, Jenifa’s Diary.

news

ONTV debuts on DStv

NTV Max a popular Free-To-Air (FTA) television station in Lagos was launched on the DStv platform on June 11. According to Multi Choice Nigeria, the channel will be available to premium, compact plus, compact, family and access subscribers on DStv Channel 257. The launch of ONTV Max brings to seven the number of Nigeria’s FTA channels on DStv. Other FTA stations on DStv include NTA I, Channels Television, Africa Independent Television (AIT), Silverbird Television, Lagos Televi-

sion and Murhi International Television (MITV). ONTV Max will deliver real time local and international news, latest music videos, fashion, lifestyle, sports, children’s edutainment and blockbuster Hollywood and Nollywood movies. The channel will also feature an exciting range of dramas, series and telenovelas that include Bella’s place, Disclosure, Housemates, Spider, Freezing points, Plus 234, Higher learning, Footprint, Saints and many more.

SATURDAY, 13 JUNE 2015

This weekend TELEVISION

AIT

ONTV

10:30 Sports File 11:30 700 Club Int’l 12:00 AIT Reports 12:30 Security Watch Africa 2:30 Best Of Sports 3:30 Activating Success 4:00 World News 5:00 Fashion Video 5:30 School Hunters 6:00 Trends 6:30 True Nigerian 8:00 News Hour 9:30 Secrets And Scandals 10:00 Taste Of Love 10:30 Beautiful liars Sunday 7:00 Hour of salvation 8:00 Catholic Mass 10:00 At Thy Word 10:30 Gospel Rhythm 11:00 700 Club Int'l 12:00 Week in Review 12:30 Bold Faces 1:00 Impact 360 1:30 The Gender Agenda 3:00 Mini Jojo 4:00 World News 4:30 Turning Point 5:00 Documentary 6:00 Hitlist N Cruzin 6:30 Personality, Places and Events 7:00 The LovelynClair Show 7:30 Jenifa’s Diary 8:00 News Hour 9:00 Tales of Eve 9:30 Nectar 10:00 Taste of love

6:20 Glam Mamas 7:05 Before 30 7:30 Saints 8:00 Sunday Paparazzi Show 8:30 Spider 9:00 On the Couch 10:25 Omnisports 10:50 Movie

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SATURDAY, 13 JUNE, 2015

SATURDAY

Politics 45

Politics

PDP cannot win a free and fair election in Delta, says Emerhor p.47

FaceOff

Aregbesola's helicopter tears Osun apart p.48

Politics

Most homicides in Nigeria are from Akwa Ibom, says Attorney-General p.50

Why legislators rebelled – Sen Aruwa

Senator Muktar Ahmed Aruwa represented Kaduna North Senatorial District from 1999 to 2007, before vying, unsuccessfully, for governorship on the platform of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party(ANPP). In 2013, he crossed over to the PDP and wanted to return to the senate but was defeated in the last election. The two-term senator tells IBRAHEEM MUSA why legislators have always resisted imposition of candidates from 1999 till date. What happened last Tuesday at the National Assembly, where the legislators jettisoned the ruling APC’s anointed candidates and voted for candidates of their choice as Senate President and House Speaker, echoed the events of 1999. You were a senator at that time, can you recall what happened 16 years ago when the first senate was inaugurated? I think that, frankly, the real thing happened this time around. In 1999, we had the influence of the executive arm of government and the party determining who becomes the Senate President which shouldn’t be. I recall the late Okadigbo of blessed memory, was the number one contender at that time but his party, the PDP and the presidency anointed Chief Evans Enwerem. Enwerem was elected but he didn’t last long. Then the senate, in its own wisdom, elected Chuba Okadigbo after the removal of Enwerem. And that trend continued throughout until 2003, when we had an anointed Senate President in the person of Senator Adolphus Wagbara. Of course, that too didn’t last and we had another President who was the choice of the members, Senator Ken Nnamanni. He took over the helm of affairs till 2007. Actually, democracy is all about choices and changes. And the National Assembly as the cradle of democracy, if things are done wrongly there, you do not expect it to be done anywhere rightly. The cradle of democracy is not in the presidency or party headquarters. It is in that institution called the National Assembly. So, the rules, if they have not been changed and even the constitution, provide for a simple majority of members to produce the leadership. So, for the party to begin to introduce anoint-

ment is just postponing the inevitable. For the party to even think of anointing and imposing it on others, is creating a problem. The rule is very clear; majority members sitting and voting, should select one of them to lead them. It should not be influenced from outside the institution; it is wrong for a party to anoint any candidate because it will not go down well with other legislators. And if a party does so, the members will eventually find one excuse or the other of removing him. From what you have just said, where do you factor in the supremacy of the party in a democracy? The party is supreme but only to the extent of manifestoes and the running of party affairs but it doesn’t extend to the legislative structures. We are not the only ones running a presidential system of government in the world. In fact, the Americans that we borrowed the system from, you see and hear the kind of battle that is going on there during such elections. If the emergence of any candidate is against the wish of the people and the constitution and the rules of the congress, forget it. Is it true that former President Olusegun Obasanjo reached out to the opposition parties of All Peoples Party(APP) which you belonged to and the Alliance for Democracy(AD), to ensure the emergence of Chief Enwerem as Senate President in 1999? A President, whether Obasanjo or any president, must lobby members of the National Assembly because it’s a separate arm of government from his own. And if Obasanjo wants anything, he can go to any

length to get it. And so is any president. If you don’t have the lobbying power and influence, forget about getting anything done in the National Assembly. The Assembly is a stand-alone institution. Although members belong to different parties but when they come in there, they are governed by the rules of the Senate or House of Representatives as the case may be. And those rules are not established by the parties or the president. Nigerians must learn to respect and abide by that; the National Assembly is an institution that should run itself, it should not be run from the party headquarters or the villa. Will you say the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President portends peace or turmoil in the months ahead in the senate? I don’t see any reason why people should start to think of turmoil. Serving amongst equals is the most difficult service on earth. Make no mistake about that. Saraki knows that he is equal to any other senator and it is out of his colleagues’ choice that they want him to lead them. It’s a very delicate balance. So, nobody should foresee any turmoil. The rules are there. Of course he has the upper hand, he can rule you out of context, he can rule you out of order and so on. If you are rowdy, he can walk you out because the majority have elected him to be their leader. So, I don’t see why the party or anyone should entertain fear. Normally, the Senate presidency is a place where you don’t want a Zombie to be there because the entire polity will suffer. So, you need CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

46 Politics

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

‘Saraki and Ekweremadu are PDP members' C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 4 5

In the composition of committees, is consideration only being given to senators’ ranking or is their areas of competence also considered? Ranking has to come in because all over the world, that is the practice and Nigeria should not be an exception.

an independent-minded person who is guided by the rules of the senate. So, you do not foresee any conflict with the Senate President coming from the ruling party and the Deputy from the opposition? As far as I’m concerned, they are all birds a feather. Saraki and Ekweremadu are all PDP members. It’s an odd coupling for the Senate President and the Deputy to come from different parties, but if they can manage it, it will augur well for democracy. But I don’t foresee any problem because senators are people of deep thinking and they know the problems of this country. They should be able to find solutions to the problems of Nigeria. So, if the odd coupling is going to work or not, we will see in the coming weeks or months. All that Nigerians want is for them to legislate thoroughly, fairly and in the best interest of the public. Some people are of the view that PDP has bounced back in the National Assembly...(Cuts in) Not only in the National Assembly but across board. Most of the governors and the people who call the shots in APC were from PDP. So, APC is a new wine in an old bottle. Apart from the President and Commander in Chief, which elected APC official was not in PDP? Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was never in PDP. He was in the AD, then ACN and APC. What I’m saying is that everyone in APC has changed clothes at one time or the other. In any case, Tinubu is not in government. He is called an APC leader. I don’t know where he is leading the party to when they have a National Chairman, a President and a Board of Trustees Chairman and yet there is somebody called a leader. There is no one of them around the APC hierarchy today that is not formerly this or that. Even the President himself was in ANPP, CPC and now APC. So, it is a mixed grill and a trial-by-error kind of thing. But the President is the only one that one can say is pure and with a focus. I hope he finds lieutenants that can advise honestly, sincerely and in the best interest of Nigeria. Some people have started complaining that two Yorubas are occupying two prominent positions of Vice President and Senate President. Do you think this will augur well for the delicate art of balancing of interests which governance ought to achieve? One simple fact that people should know is that this northernisation or southernisation is not going to help this country. Nigeria should always come first. Is Bukola Saraki not a Nigerian? We should think Nigeria and not think Hausa, Yoruba or Ibo. At the end of the day, if Saraki’s Senate Presidency is good, it will benefit all Nigerians. The biggest problems that we have today politically are two; tribalism and religion. And until we remove them from our political thinking, we will continue to have problems. So, I beg of you journalists to lay low on these divisive tendencies of religion and tribalism. They will never help Nigeria. If we agree to remain as one entity, we should be united towards national unity. Since the return of civilian administration, which Yorubaman has been senate president? None. Did the country collapse? Today Saraki, a Yoruba has emerged and some people are complaining. From all strata, Saraki is a

Will the ruling party have more committee chairmen? Of course the majority party will have majority number of chairmen. They say majority carries the day but minority have their say. So, you can all be talking your say but there is nowhere that they said that you should share equally among the parties. But there is one Committee that the majority can not take, that is the Public Account Committee. It is there in the senate rules. Some people are saying that the 8th senate is full of rookie senators and so they will not hit the ground running because most of them will have to learn the ropes in the first place. How will this affect the quality of legislation? Well, the electorate should worry about that. I’m not here to judge which candidate comes from which constituencies and what are the qualities and criteria the electorate should assess their representatives. But of course, I will feel bad if they eventually pick wrong candidates because the country will suffer it; its not only their constituencies that will suffer. The quality of debate will be defective. The manner in which the electorate will be represented will not be what they expect. This is where the ranking thing will now come to play because they will guide the new ones.

Aruwa

northerner, whether he is Yoruba or not is not my concern because there is no way he can favour only Yorubas as senate president. Even if you put a Hausaman there, there is no way that he can only favour his own people. Nigeria of today is not the Nigeria of the 50s and the 30s. In those days, the politicians were fighting for positions for their kinsmen. Reading from where they came from and where they were going. Nigeria should have been greater than this a long time ago, if we had removed this banner of ethnicity and religion. Religion crept into our politics just recently; even during the Shagari administration, religion was not very pronounced. But now, people use religion and the issue of tribe. When they see that they are not making any headway with tribe, they will introduce religion. I believe religion is the business between you and your God. The faith that you profess is not between you and I or between you and other Nigerians. So, why bring it into an affair that affects you and me? The earlier we remove tribalism and religion from our politics, the better for our country and the stronger this country will be. Some analysts argued that Senator George Akume would have been a bet-

The biggest problems that we have politically are tribalism and religion. Until we remove them from our thinking, we will continue to have problems

ter choice because he is a Christian from the Middle Belt and Tiv by tribe, one of the major tribes in the region. That his choice would have balanced the ethno-religious forces in the country. Do you share this view? There is no such thing in the rules of the senate. He is a senator, Saraki is a senator, he wanted the position and Saraki too wanted it so they should contest for it.

Why did you lose Kaduna Central senatorial District in the last election, in spite of your seeming popularity? The country generally and the north in particular, had already decided which way to go. That decision was taken two and half years ago. So, the decision was not a question of yesterday or on the day of the election. The moment the PDP split, when you had seven governors on one side, that was the beginning of losing of PDP’s election. I did not lose election, PDP lost that election. After all, I won that seat twice that is why I’m not worried. Are you saying that if you had stayed in the opposition without cross over to PDP you could have won the election? That was not an option. I had to decide where I want to be and what I want to do at any given moment of my life. That decision is squarely in my hands. And I’m not regretting where I am today. Why did you join the PDP at a time when people were defecting massively to APC? Who sent me to ANPP in the first place? Then why are you asking me? If you didn’t send me, and I decided to leave, who is there to question the rationale or reason for my doing so? At least you should explain to your supporters No, my support did not come as a result of me being a member of ANPP. I have been a social leader of right before the return of democracy in 1999. I have made my name not in the senate; I carried my name and status to the senate. And to some degree, I feel that I have lost some of it in that senate. So, I have no regrets whatsoever. Things happen, they are bound to happen, they are meant to happened and they have happened.

Politics

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

You had the conviction you would emerge the victor in the last gubernatorial election in Delta State, but you lost. What went wrong? We did not truly lose the gubernatorial election in Delta; PDP stole the election. Elections are only lost if they are conducted according to the rules and a winner emerged. In the election in Delta as well as in Rivers and Akwa Ibom, the card readers were discarded, result sheets were confiscated and fabricated results were announced in connivance with compromised INEC staff. A smokescreen of violence, intimidation and ballot boxes snatching was unleashed to provide cover for the manipulation. As you may be aware, we have filed our petition at the tribunal to cancel the purported elections. What makes you so certain that APC will win a re-run? After Buhari won, Delta was set and ready for APC. Delta did not want to remain in opposition. Even stalwarts of PDP were with us on this and they are still with us. PDP knew they would not win a proper free and fair election and that was why they did not allow an election on the field, but resort to snatching it in the air. Under a Buhari government, a rerun, I believe, will be free and fair and in an environment of neutrality by INEC and the security forces. If Deltans are truly for once allowed a free hand to choose between the 16 years of PDP misrule and APC wind of positive change, they will definitely choose APC. What is the position of Chief Great Ogboru and Labour Party on this? You are aware we had an ugly and rancorous election struggle with Ogboru/Labour. Ogboru invested all his political capital in President Jonathan's re-election bid which failed. He partnered with PDP to try to kill APC in Delta State and was rewarded with a second place position by PDP in allocating the April 11 guber election results. There ex-

PDP can't win a free and fair election in Delta, says Emerhor rigged election. The question after that is what next? We, as a party, have an objective to regroup, cancel the election and bring Delta into the APC fold. Any defector that will further this objective is welcomed. Our national leaders share in this objective and would not encourage any group whether Ogboru or PDP to come to supplant the APC Does this mean you are willing to work with in Delta. In fact, they are quite supportive of Ogboru? liberating and bringing into the APC fold, There is strength in unity of numbers the rest of the South South. and purpose, but this has to go through a process. For example, after the elections, There seems to a sort of bitterness after the first place I ran into Ogboru was in the the elections inside the Delta APC. What is house of one of my leaders in Abuja. I did going on? not know his mission, so I didn't make it There are some issues as you rightly my business. Eventually, the leader in- observed, but this is not anything unusual. vited both of us to a meeting which turned Most times when a party go into an election out to be a meeting to get both of us to where members invested so much, includco-operate to cancel the guber election at ing hope and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come out victorious, the tribunal. But I get the impression from there are bound to be some recriminations. Ogboru that he continues to rate himself as But I believe that in spite of what is going the most popular candidate and appear to on the party is in a good position. Look at suggest to our leadership that he/Labour what is going on in the national PDP after be admitted to supplant the current APC. the defeat of Jonathan; the party is almost In Delta, such approach aimed at going falling apart and there are calls for the sack over our heads and discounting us will of the chairman. In Delta APC, I believe be unhelpful. Apart from the fallacy of it, things would have been different if I had we in APC Delta have not only invested won the guber election. My being the ralin building a strong party but also took lying point of the party in the state would the risk of going against the PDP and a have automatically been above challenge. sitting president who is a Niger Delta son. So, because the election was stolen, it is not Ogboru ran from this risk and pitched his unexpected that these issues will rear their tent with Jonathan. heads. We are, however, lucky that APC won at the centre. I believe that it is even So what do your leaders expect of him? this win that has moderated the potential Like I said, as a common objective, crisis, although it has also produced its own there is sense in cooperating to cancel the challenges too.

Though he lost out, Olorogun Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;tega Emerhor ran for the Delta State gubernatorial race under the platform of the All Peoples Congress ( APC) in the last general elections. He tells OLUSHOLA RICKETTS the reason he lost, how APC plan to take over Delta State and the rest of South South.

Emerhor

ists a bitter and antagonistic divide between APC and Labour loyalists in the state. Be that as it may, we must not forget that both parties come mainly from the same stock of opposition that has always before now want PDP ousted from the state. So, Ogboru should be free, if it is now his desire, to join forces with Emerhor: APC will soon liberate Delta and the rest of South South.

Milestones

Akinlaja

Celebrating a gem @ 65

Emmanuel Ajibulu ember of the House of Representatives representing Ondo East/West Federal Constituency of Ondo State, Hon. Joseph Iranola Akinlaja, celebrated his 65th birthday on June 1. Akinlaja is arguably one of the most celebrated legislators in Ondo State. For example, while in the oil and gas industry, Hon. Akinlaja recorded many indelible milestones in the best interest of our nation without pandering to pecuniary gains. He leveraged on his achievements in the sector to launch into active politics. Amazingly, his honesty, compassion and bravery have bolstered his foray into and participation in politics. He has never compromised with selfish individuals; and he does not intend to do so: his words are bonds; his oaths are oracles. The Ondo-born legislator had risked his life several times in the past as a unionist and with his bravery he brought some positive changes to our body-politic. He is cherished for his honesty, loyalty to superior authorities and bravery. He has established himself as a well-known figure on the global scene, having featured prominently at the United Nations meetings where he represented Nigeria's interest. He neither longed nor power or fame

but has always led a simple and yet exemplary life. My admiration for him and his philosophy of life are anchored on his unmatched contributions. We need many more leaders like him. He is an ideal leader, whose nationalism and patriotic zeal are hugely immense. A graduate of Electrical/Electronics Engineering from the prestigious Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, he attended several trainings both locally and internationally, ranging from management, leadership courses and trade unionism, among other fields. A member of Governor Olusegun Mimiko's brain trust, especially on matters of policy and strategy in Ondo State, he is an accomplished businessman, having offered his best and retired in the petroleum industry. Akinlaja was formerly Assistant General Secretary of NUPENG between 1981 and 1999; he later became General Secretary from 2001 to 2004 and Deputy President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) between 2003 and 2006. He is currently the Grand Patron and Technical Consultant to Petroleum Tankers Drivers Association of Nigeria. It is gratifying that he was re-elected into the 8th session of the House of Representatives to represent Ondo East/ West Federal Constituency on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

Akinlaja

for another term. There is no doubt absolutely that he would do much more for his constituents and Nigerians at large in this new dispensation. I join well meaning compatriots and associates of his in praying to God to grant him more wisdom, knowledge and understanding as he legislates for the good of his people in particular and

Nigerians in general. Happy birthday to a resourceful icon and worthy leader! I wish you a fruitful and purposeful life. May you witness more years in sound health; may you also attain the grace to record more indelible achievements. â&#x20AC;˘ Mr Ajibulu, an online publisher, sent this tribute from Ikeja, Lagos.

FaceOff SATURDAY TELEGRAPH 13 JUNE, 2015

Aregbesolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s helicopter is bleeding Osun, says Odeyemi

Does the party consider an helicopter unnecessary burden for a poor state? The point is that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola came to Osun with a copy of exgovernor, Mr Babatunde Fashola's Lagos blueprint and ideas. He has no iota of idea of the needs of the people of Osun State. He wanted to plant flowers from Asejire boundary of Oyo State to Osogbo because Fashola planted from Ojota to Oshodi. Fashola has an helicopter so he bought one for himself. To surpass Fashola, he introduced one school uniform for all schools in Osun. What is the sense in all these?. Purchasing, servicing and maintaining an helicopter in a small state like Osun with fragile economy and revenue shows lack of sensitivity of Aregbesola, traveling in chartered plane every month to Cuba with funds sourced from bank loan with crazy interest is what has affected the payment of salaries for seven months in Osun. What this administration told us was that the helicopter was to be used for surveillance, but we have since discovered that the machine is only serving the travelling needs of Mr. Aregbesola and his family. This remains one drain pipe that must be blocked. The governor and his aides should forthwith, stop travelling in chartered aircraft around the world and if President, Muhammadu Buhari, could be travelling on British Airways, even when aircrafts in presidential fleet are available, there is need for Governor Aregbesola to borrow a leave. How would you react to the insinuation that Osun State found itself in this state of insolvent because public funds were recklessly expended on irrelevant but huge project and ventures? "The whole world is aware of the fact that former Ekiti lawmakers were heavily bribed on the bill of Osun state for several months where they mapped out strategies on how to impeach Governor Fayose. It is also fresh in minds the huge amount Ogbeni Aregbesola expended on the last Ekiti governorship poll, Lagos governorship poll, and the Presidential project of the All Progressive Congress, APC. Also, a group of miscreants called "State Boys" are being illegal armed and financed by government to unleash terror on many indigenes of the state by the ruling party. All these actions and many others wasteful spendings led us to where we are now which if they could be reversed could bring financial reserves for the state. But if Ogbeni Aregbesola will not treat this advise with disdain, and henceforth, begin to act as governor of all, we believe at least, he will be able to pay few months of the backlog of salaries owed workers and retirees. For the state lawmakers, they must have it at the back of their minds that the fragile hope of Osun indigenes now rest on them and we want to advice that they should not be rubber stamp in the hands of the governor" In the next four years, they must do

Mr. Diran Odeyemi, a communications consultant, is the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State. He tells ADEOLU ADEYEMI that rather than look for imaginary enemies, better managerial prudence than what Gov Rauf Aregbesola is offering would have steered the state away from fiscal disaster.

Odeyemi

all within their power to rescue the state from the grip of enemies and write their names in gold. Why has the PDP proved unpopular among people of Osun State? PDP is popular in Osun state until the leadership started fighting themselves and some big shots started leaving the party to strengthen APC and in some instances joining Labour Party and SDP. We have learnt our lessons in a hard way and has embarked of reconciliation, consolidation and rejuvenation of the party. We shall bounce back, Aregbesola's style of "I don't care anymore" is helping us, he is indeed our campaign coordinator if you understand what I mean. President Buhari is going around begging for help to fight insurgency, exactly what his party criticised Jonathan for. Does PDP consider this hypocritical? Insurgency and terrorism stand condemned. That APC made it a campaign issue which, to me, was a good strategy that worked for them. Manifesto is not the same as manifestation. We are waiting to see if there is any magic anywhere but it will be to the good of all if Buhari can win this war. We are praying for him.

If you buy things you do not need, you will soon sell what you need

Is the inability to announce cabinet, over a week after inauguration, evidence of indecision or cluelessness? I honestly don't believe the President should be in a rush more so that the Senate that will ratify his list of Ministers are just settling down. I want to believe that as responsible Nigerians and stakeholders, our role as opposition party must be towards a better Nigeria and not on mundane issue such as a delay in the appointing Ministers. I will rather wait to see the thrust of his policies, the crop of people he will assemble, his style of fighting corruption and other issues he campaigned with. APC in the state alleged that your ac-

cusation on the usage of helicopter by the state governor for personal reason lacks evidence as it was only leased out to beef up the Osun Swift Action Squad (SAS) for aerial surveillance. How will you react to this? I hate it when a whole government embark on deceit to justify a wrong decision. You are a journalist and lives in this state, have you ever seen this helicopter being used for surveillance? Apart from this, the lie about surveillance came after I raised the alarm about the purchase. They then try to invite the police just to cover up but the police even rejected it because according to them, it is a pleasure-made helicopter with no camera and other gadgets to suggests it was meant for security purpose. Go and confirm this from the police and ask who the pilot is and how much is his salary. Simply put, Aregbesola bought it for his numerous journeys to Lagos for instructions on how to rule Osun from his master Bola Tinubu and perhaps rival Fashola. Of what interest is this helicopter to the people whose salaries are not paid for seven months. This is why I advised him to sell it and stop chattered flights because our money are being wasted in Osun. The APC further argued that the helicopter was procured as part of Gov Aregbesola administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comprehensive security measures to drive criminals far away from the state. Are you satisfied with this?. Just like I said, this helicopter was on ground when the wife of the Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly was kidnapped, it was there when robbers robbed Banks in Osogbo, Modakeke and Ilesa. Of what use was this helicopter. I challenge you again as a seasoned journalist living in this state to investigate this helicopter and come up with your findings if it was bought for surveillance or private ride of Aregbesola. If you buy things you do not need, you will soon sell what you need. This explained what is happening in Osun, maintain an helicopter and stop workers salary. You suggested that the APC should sell the helicopter to attend to some of the workers plights but Aregbesola described the suggestion as narrow and pedestrian thinking. He said it is a sign of intellectual laziness. How disposed are you to this? I have given them something to talk about, if they resort to abuse of my person instead of addressing the issue, what it shows is that they have lost focus and have become confused. Ordinarily, when you don't have a defense for your action, you resort to abuse and insults. What is intellectual laziness in advising a government that promised wealth creation but now distributing poverty. What is narrow in my thinking by calling the attention of a governor to the sufferings of the masses due to none payment of their wages as a result of his frivolous spendings and total insensitivity?

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

FaceOff | Politics 49

PDP instigated Osun’s predicament – Oyatomi

What plans are being made by the Osun State Government to settle seven months backlog of unpaid salaries? The economic situation in the country is horrible; every sincere and even dishonest person knows that. Osun is in a bad shape, no doubt, no thanks to the crisis, but soonest it will be solved. The current economic crisis is the creation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Those who haven’t lost their memory will recall that over a year before ex-president Goodluck Jonathan came to campaign for Omisore in Osogbo in 2014, Osun had come under vicious economic hammer from the federal government when its monthly allocation began to dwindle. Jonathan came in 2014 to exacerbate the situation when he publicly told the people of Osun at the Freedom Park in Osogbo that Osun will “suffer” if Omisore lost the election. But before Jonathan himself lost his own election he had succeeded in reducing Osun’s federal allocation from N4.2 billion monthly to less than half a billion!! The last allocation before the Buhari administration was under half a billion. This is against the backdrop of a salary bill that labour agitation had hiked from N1.4 billion in 2011 to N3.6 billion in 2013. So at the best of times when Osun was receiving N4.2 billion in allocations the salary bill alone consumed about half; and from 2013 it had ballooned to N3.6 billion. Let us be clear here that Osun’s problem was as a result of monstrous mismanagement of the nation’s economy by the federal government to the extent that the Jonathan administration had to borrow to pay staff sometimes in arrears!! However its minister of finance prevented Osun and other states to access bank facilities for the same purpose.

Mr Kunle Oyatomi, a journalist and lawyer, is the spokesman of the All Progressives Congress Party in Osun State. He tells ADEOLU ADEYEMI that the opposition orchestrated the financial predicament that the state government is wallowing in.

way and the laughter of the wicked over the travails of our people will soon be brought to a shameful end, by the special grace of the same God that ended the PDP madness in Abuja.

world where a political leader known to be “reckless” has won appreciation and acknowledgement from United Nation’s agencies, the British Parliament and many other impartial observer as Aregbesola did. That should put the lie to Osun’s PDP assessment. However, it becomes incontrovertible when the same PDP federal government- and the minister of finance- had praises for the kind of people oriented projects and business friendly policies which Aregbesola instituted in Osun. Something must be seriously wrong somewhere with any PDP or SDP person on chapter canvassing that Aregbesola was reckless. We reject the claim in its entirety. If there is any strangulation of the economy of Osun State, it was done by the PDP and Jonathan’s evil administration. The evidence is in the public domain and every Nigerian knows that what Nigeria has become today is the result of PDP’s mismanagement of the resources and plunder of the nation’s fi-

What do make of the suggestion by the PDP that the governor should sell his helicopter and use the money to settle salaries of workers? We are familiar with infantile disposition of Osun PDP when it comes to addressing serious issues. Selling helicopter won’t pay salaries arrears in Osun. And which helicopter anyway? It is a cynical idea from a distorted consciousness. Ogbeni’s lifestyle in government is one of the most bohemian you can find amongst Nigerian governors. It therefore doesn’t add up to suggest that he is keeping people’s salaries to live in luxury in Government House. The Osun PDP suffers from “the grapes that are sour" syndrome and it should not be taken seriously. The economic crisis in Osun is part of a national calamity brought about by the PDP on Nigerians, and for the same PDP subsidiary in Osun to be gloating over it is sadism and its most despicable. The people of Osun shall overcome and Aregbesola will be vindicated in due course.

But the opposition has maintained that it was as a result of reckless spending? In addressing the nonsense that PDP is alleging to the effect that Osun crisis was a result of Ogbeni Aregbesola’s so called “reckless spending”, the records are there for sane people to evaluate. We cannot credit PDP or SDP with the capacity for intelligent and honest evaluation of Aregbesola‘s performance in the last four years. But one thing we can say for sure is that the people of Osun in their experience and wisdom, re-elected Ogbeni because they were pleased with his record of performance. I do not know anywhere in the

We cannot credit PDP or SDP with the capacity for intelligent and honest evaluation of Aregbesola‘s performance in the last four years

Oyatomi

nances. And Osun is not the only victim. Does that mean that the salaries of workers in Osun will be paid soon? Yes, we acknowledge the fact that it is a painful and regrettable experience for workers not to be paid for as long as it has happened in Osun. We have also outlined the situation for any reasonable person to have a sense of the problem. The solution will come soon as we said earlier. Nigeria was left in a state of economic collapse by the PDP. The new APC government in Abuja is already working round the clock to source funds to clear the PDP mess. It is unethical and immoral if not wicked for the PDP in Osun to pint fingers at Aregbesola over this crisis. Jonathan said Osun will “suffer” if Omisore lost and Osun has been suffering since then. Omisore and the Osun PDP are the sole beneficiaries of this crisis; and they having a wicked laugh; but not for long. Our appeal to the people of Osun is for them to be patient. Help is on the

Politics

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Most homicides in Nigeria are from

Nwoko

How would you rate the implementation of the child right law enacted by the last administration over the seven years ago? Yes the implementation of that law has been successful to some extent, though one can say that we are yet to achieve our ultimate goal. And just like any other new legislation or law that seeks to attack a status quo that has existed for a long time, it is expected that its implementation will experience teething problems and its challenges in the process of successful implementation. So you get to find out that it is not an overnight thing. This child rights law came to change a status quo that has existed with the people since their creation. You talk about children being sent on errands during school hours; children hawking in the streets; the abuse of children on false allegations of witchcraft, among others. These are things that have been endemic. It has been with this society for a very long time and no matter how sound your law is , it takes time to effectively implant new attitudes in the consciousness of people; before you can effectively implement it, no matter how good the law is, if you have not driven it into the consciousness of the people to depart from their old ways and adapt to a new one, then the implementation will be an uphill task. Even if you want to move the entire Nigeria Police Force to the state alone to implement that law, then you may have to contend with all the prisons and police cells being overwhelmed. At the end of the day, you will achieve nothing because the consciousness of the people has not adapted to a new law. So when you make a new law, there will be gradual enlightenment

Barr. Uwemedimo Nwoko was the Attorney-General and Commissioner for justice in the last administration in Akwa Ibom State. He also served as Chairman of the Governing Council of Akwa Ibom State Polythenic, Ikot Osurua. Nwoko speaks to TONY ANICHEBE on a wide range of issues affecting the state. that will help the government to ensure its successful implementation. To that extent, I believe we are on course and have achieved moderate success. So can we attribute the moderate success to poor awareness by the people? Well, it is a gradual process to get the information assimilated into the consciousness of the people, considering that the problem is as old as their existence. It will be achieved with time through persistent efforts. We will get over this problem soon. There are fears in some quarters that the free and compulsory education which the immediate past administration introduced may not be sustained because of the cost implication and absence of enabling law supporting it. Do you agree? No, it is not true, there may not be a direct statute supporting it but the child rights law prohibits anything that will make a child of school age stay away from school. So, even though there is no direct provision enforcing or seeking to enforce the free and compulsory education, the child rights law is a law that covers that area and beyond. No matter the cost of implementing it, anybody, who has the vision of lifting his own community and society, will take a cue from what the administration did. Udom Emmanuel, the new governor, is also in the mould of his predecessor.

He is the son of a teacher who knows the value of education, Udom is one man who loves and values education. I had a personal encounter with him as the Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic when he was the SSG. He suspended his appointment temporally to see me, citing the distance from the Polytechnic as his reason for insisting on seeing me against his tight schedule. He especially said he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t joke with anything education. He pleaded that we rescheduled the meeting and I knew instantly that he was a man who loves education. A huge challenge the last administration had was the problem of children who were branded witches and wizards and consequently killed. Has this problem been solved and any culprit prosecuted? It has been a great success taking up that challenge. Akwa Ibom, as a community, has that problem. It was all over the place but I can tell you that if it still exists, which I believe it could still be, it would be at an extremely infinitesimal quantum. And even those who still engage in it will be doing so in hiding because if government catches you, definitely the hide-out would be demolished and the person prosecuted. We are happy with the drastic reduction in such cases. Before now, such stories were always on the front pages of newspapers. But now you can hardly

hear of such things. It is a known fact that some fake prophets and pastors openly advertised that they are specialists in casting out witches and wizards. They dehumanised a lot of children but you hardly hear of such things again or see such advertisements by these fake prophets. If we still have such people, they must be operating under the cover of darkness, no longer in the open. It is no more a lucrative business in Akwa Ibom State. Homicide is on the upswing in the state according to Police records; cases of murder over trivialities seem unabating. Has the state been prosecuting these culprits? Hmmm, I can speak authoritatively, as the immediate past Attorney-General of the state, that more than 60 percent of the criminal cases we have in the high courts are cases of culpable homicide. I had the opportunity of discussing it with the governor and head of security agencies and it was a consensus that we needed to reconstruct the collective psyche of our people, very seriously. As a law student about 25 years ago. I discovered that between 70 and 80 percent of murder cases in the law reports in Nigeria are from this part of Nigeria. Even the murder cases in the colonial law reports are all from this part of the county; what you always see is Akpan vs State, Okon Vs State Asuquo vs State or Effiong vs state. And when you read such reports, you see how people were senselessly hacked to death, most of the time with matchet. This is a serious social problem. I am talking about pre-1927 reports till date. Then if you see cases from the Igbo speaking areas going to the Supreme Court its either land or commercial

Politics

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Akwa Ibom, says Attorney-General matters. In Yoruba-speaking areas, it is also either commercial or land matters. But those from Calabar and Akwa Ibom axis is homicide, grievous and dastardly murder cases that transcend administrations. Recently, the Akwa Ibom State Committee on Prerogative of Mercy Organised a Workshop on Prison Reforms and Rehabilitation of ex-convicts and I represented the governor. I emphasised to traditional rulers on the need to go back and reconstruct the psyche of our people. It is not an overnight thing but definite effort must start from somewhere. It is very worrisome that between September last year and November, we had 17 murder cases in the state. Four of these arose out of GSM phone dispute between husband and wife. In three of the cases the husband killed the wife and in one case, the wife killed the husband. I just treated the file of the case in which the wife killed the husband. what happened? The husband was looking for his phone and an argument ensued. In the process, even when they had not exhaustively searched for his small Nokia torch light phone, a fight started. The man reached for cutlass to hit the wife but it fell off his hand and the woman got hold of the matchet and cut his leg until he bled to death. They have 10 small children and the family sent a letter to my office saying that if you prosecute the wife who directly killed the man and she is jailed what will be the fate of the 10 children. I considered the plight of those children and pleaded with the DPP to discontinue the prosecution and withdraw the charge. Even though I am from here, I will not deny that we have these challenges because it is not what we bargained for. We must find a way of letting them know that we must place serious value on human life. We must have fear of God and have our emotions controlled and not act like holigans. It is unfortunate we have such scenario of husbands killing wives and vice versa, children killing parents and vice versa over trivial and useless issues. It doesn’t speak well of us. It is something that the community, church and every other stakeholder must come together and embark on social re-engineering to change the attitude of our people towards violent conduct.

even if the election is conducted 100 times, there is no way they can win. The reason is simple: the issue is borne out of the desire of the former governor to do justice in the state; there could be no better justice than insisting that the governorship seat of Akwa Ibom State rotates around the three senatorial district which also covers the three major ethnic groups. I have always said that Akwa Ibom was founded on a tripod, we have two tripods, ethnic and political legs in the tripod. In the ethnic tripod, we have the Ibibios, Annangs, and Oro nation. In the political tripod, we have Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Eket Senatorial Districts. Now fortunately for us, both the ethnic and political tripods have to form one unit which is the last leg of the tripod called Akwa Ibom State. So whether we chose any of the tripods, power must go to Eket Senatorial District. Tell me how fair it would be if Uyo Senatorial District and Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District have taken their turns and when it is time for the third Senatorial District in the tripod, you say no, let power return to Uyo Senatorial District first. It would have been unjust, so Akpabio decided to do something that tomorrow, his

The last election in the state is being contested by the APC in the tribunal over allegation of rigging. Are you worried by this ? The election was free, peaceful and credible in Akwa Ibom State. These people are used to crying foul where there is none. Just the other day at the INEC office where we went to inspect materials, I told my friends and brothers, who are on the other side, that we are still one family even though they are now in opposition. I told the REC that we were all in one camp in 2011, though they chose a different party in 2015. But the truth is that the same way we won in 2011 is the way we won in 2015. I thought they would embrace us as winners, drop the ligations and name calling. We had one of the most peaceful, time-tested and credible elections in Akwa Ibom State and I am proud to be part of that process. The matter is now at the tribunal. Do you see the PDP coming out unscathed? Yes, definitely yes. What evident will our friends use to upturn any of the elections? Absolutely none and Nwoko

It is unfortunate we have such scenario of husbands killing wives and children killing parents over trivial issues

children can walk freely in the state, knowing that when their father was opportuned to make a decision, he chosed justice against injustice and allow Eket Senatorial District have their turn. But people started screaming out of selfishness. Look, all those who contested election on the platform of APC left PDP less than four months to the election. When they left as leaders, they didn’t bother to look back and see if their followers went with them. These people have been in PDP for 16 years and when they left for their selfish purposes, their followers stayed put in the party because they know they are more protected within PDP in the state. These defectors forgot that the political era when Tafewa Balewa stood in Kaduna and controlled the whole North and Azikiwe stood in Enugu and controlled the entire East while Awolowo stood in Lagos and controlled the entire West had gone. Such leaders are no more anywhere in the country. So when they left, what they did was to recruit some young boys who are good at browsing the internet and facebook and got things posted on facebook to promote them and their ambition. Unfortunately, that does not translate into votes for them on the ground; they know the truth but I discovered that what they really want is to impress President Muhammadu Buhari whom they had lied to that they control the state. And so they are struggling to convince Buhari and Tinubu that they are on ground because they couldn’t explain how the votes they boasted about failed to come. President Buhari has taken overbut a cross-section of Nigerians still believe there is need for electoral reforms in the country. Do you share this view? Definitely, there is need for electoral reforms. We are not there yet. Nigeria must adopt electronic voting to further the integrity of our electoral reforms. The

present Electoral Act in Section 52, Subsection 2 expressly prohibits electronic voting and Section 52 is not definite on what constitutes electronic voting. Is it the art of thumb-printing or the art of deploying the card reader or deploying any electronic mechanism for the purpose of the election. So since there is no definition, I tell you even the card reader is under prohibition. It was used in violation of Section 52 Subsection 2. We may take it up at the tribunal because the card reader is an electronic mechanism. So if the Section 52 abhors electronic voting and you use the card reader and want to print information out from there to tender as evidence, it is left for the court to determine if that is not electronic voting. There are a lot to be done in terms of reforming our electoral act to gain more integrity and acceptability. The problem of power generation and distribution in Nigeria appears to defy solutions. Do you see the incoming administration fixing this problem? This is one area that nobody will deny needs serious attention but the last administration did well in that regard. For the first time, we had a leader who unbundled NEPA, the first major challenge. Recall that some NEPA staff were worse than armed robbers. Anytime there was an attempt to reform that defunct institution, they would threaten fire and embark on strike but for the first time, a president had the guts and strength of character to unbundle it. He equally took the major step on privatisation. Now generation, distribution and transmission have been streamlined and various DISCOs have now taken over to run it as private business. This is a step in the right direction and a difficult one at that and I believe that having laid that foundation for the departure from the old order. He set the platform for the new administration to record improvement in the sector if they will sincerely follow the path that has been laid. Tell us the legacy the Akpabio’s administration will be remembered for? If I am to wrap it up in one picture, I will say that the former governor totally redefined the image, integrity and nationally-improved the image of the Akwa Ibom man. In terms of infrastructure, he did well. In terms of human capacity development, he did much. In terms of creating a new psyche, stepping up perception of the Akwa Ibom man, Akpabio did well. I don’t know about other states whose indigenes are relocating in droves, trying to find their way back home but I can tell you the number of my friends who have relocated from Lagos, Kaduna, Abuja and other parts of the country. I have equally seen several none indigenes who have bought land here and plan to retire to Akwa Ibom State with their family. Today, anywhere an Akwa Ibom man found himself, he holds his shoulder high. The high point of Akpabio’s administration is his ability to reconstruct the perception of an average Akwa Ibom person. Finally, how would you describe Governor Udom Emmanuel? Udom is a divine messenger. In terms of his personality, I see him as a focused and honest man possibly influenced by his background as a banker. One good thing about him is that he is a child of God. I see him as someone who will come and create a new consciousness for righteousness, building on the foundation already laid and God will not just honour him but the entire Akwa Ibom people.

Perspectives

13 JUNE 2015

Of trust, betrayal and forgiveness

n August 2002, Nigeria was thrown into political turmoil and imbroglio when the leader of the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) in the House of Representatives, Mohammed Kumaila, moved a motion to impeach the then President Olusegun Obasanjo for alleged breach of the constitution he swore to uphold. Obasanjo was given two weeks by the House to resign or face impeachment. Perhaps, the period was the most turbulent political period in the annals of the former president’s eight years sojourn as the country’s leader. Obasanjo momentarily lost his stoicism and had to address the nation on the political impasse between him and the House peopled mostly by members of his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which expectedly produced the Speaker, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba. The conspiratorial gang-up against the former president was grand. The then Alliance for Democracy (AD) was part of the plot. Even, the leader of the National Mass Movement of Nigeria, Alhaji Bukar Mandara, the man who started the infamous self-succession campaign for both Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and the late Gen. Sani Abacha drummed up support for Obasanjo’s removal. It was a case of fighting a common “enemy.” Advancing reasons for the protracted disagreement between the legislature and the executive, Na’Abbah said, “It is an embarrassment to the legislature that we have at the head of the executive arm of government somebody who displays an abiding desire to assume dictatorial control of the country.” The impasse threw up the debate on the importance of party discipline in the realisation of political goals. The debate became germane again in 2011 when Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal emerged as the Speaker of the House of Reps against the wish of his party (PDP), which preferred Mrs. Mulikat AkandeAdeola from the South-West. Some PDP members in alliance with some lawmakers from the defunct Action Congress of

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

Waheed Bakare on Saturday 08124877036 (sms only) waheedbakare2003@yahoo.com Nigeria (ACN) ganged-up and scuttled the zoning arrangement of the PDP by voting in Tambuwal from the NorthWest. This was a clear case of indiscipline on the part of Tambuwal and his co-travellers, particularly those lawmakers from the PDP. Unfortunately, the euphoria of the success recorded from the rebellious act blindfolded the ACN lawmakers to see the pernicious effects of backing some PDP lawmakers who lacked modicum of party discipline by supporting Tambuwal’s vaulting ambition at the expense of the party’s consensus on its zoning arrangement. Whereas party discipline is a sine qua non if political parties are to fulfill their obligations, in liberal democracies, party leaders are expected to have control over their caucus members in the legislature. For all systems of government that allow parties to hold political power, party discipline is important because it will determine how well a government will perform. This explains why in parliamentary system of government, party discipline is sacrosanct and there is option of crossing the floor for members who have dissenting views on issues. However, the rebellious acts of Senate President Bukola Saraki and House Speaker Yakubu Dogara who beat the consensus candidates of their party, All Progressives Congress, Senator Ahmed Lawan, and Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila for Senate Presidency and the speakership respectively, has brought to fore, just like we had in 2011, the importance of party discipline. Going against the position of one’s

However, the APC should also explore conflict resolution and concept of forgiveness particularly if Saraki and Dogara reach out to all the aggrieved parties party is an act of betrayal. However, this cannot be treated in isolation without a corresponding scrutiny of how the party arrived at its decision to adopt Lawan and Gbajabiamila as its consensus candidates. How democratic was the process that threw up the consensus candidates? One of the problems associated with the defunct ACN in the past was imposition of candidates. This has cost the party political fortune through protest votes. Although ACN is an integral part of the APC, since old habit die hard, some leaders within the APC still believe in imposition of candidates who they euphemistically call consensus candidates. It is for this reason that the APC lost some seats during the recent state and national elections. For parties (APP in 2002, ACN in 2011 which are now part of APC) that played pivotal roles in encouraging indiscipline in the PDP, 2015 is payback time. The

APC has shot itself in the leg by paving the way for the PDP in 2019. It is an indication that the result of things one has done will someday hunt one. The party has been caught up in its own game, it is now the victim of its own anti-democratic practices. What goes around comes around. However, I agree with the APC that “the party is supreme and its interest (NOT INTEREST OF AN INDIVIDUAL OR A FEW INDIVIDUALS) is superior to that of its individual members; consequently, the APC leadership is meeting in a bid to re-establish discipline in the party and to mete out necessary sanctions to all those involved in what is nothing but a monumental act of indiscipline and betrayal to subject the party to ridicule and create obstacles for the new administration.” The emergence of Senator Ike Ekweremadu is a victory for the PDP and that was made possible by party discipline. The 16 who opposed Saraki at an election by the PDP senators to determine his fate agreed to team up with the 28 who supported his ambition. This is quite instructive. However, the APC should also explore conflict resolution and concept of forgiveness particularly if Saraki and Dogara reach out to all the aggrieved parties. It will do the party a lot of good if it does not throw away the baby with the bath water. The emergence of Saraki and Dogarashowed how important and popular they are among their colleagues but this should not get to their heads. The APC needs to handle the leadership crisis with utmost care otherwise this may be the beginning of the end for the party that was a few months back a beautiful bride among the electorate. The average Nigerian is not particularly interested in who become the leaders of the National Assembly. The leadership of the assembly will neither change the price of fish in the market nor put food on their table. All they want is the assembly that will make good laws for the country and bring about the desired change. The change they voted for.

A ministry of northern affairs?

oday, if most indices of measuring human development are applied to Northern Nigeria, it will register alarming, negative ratings. Much of the northern landscape is a human canvass seething with poverty and multi-hued hued crises. In a few cases, candles have been lighted in the stark darkness of want and ignorance by a few progressive governors and personalities. But this pales into insignificance given the scope of intervention needed urgently. This scenario may have prompted the United States to urge former President Goodluck Jonathan to establish a ministry tasked with the specific development of the region, like the Ministry of the Niger Delta, as a way of addressing poverty in the region and ending the Boko Haram insurgency. It hinged its advice on the argument that the establishment of the Ministry of Niger Delta by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration helped to douse tension in the region, and ended the militancy that crippled economic activities in the zone. This position was contained in an recent address titled “Nigeria: One Year After Elections,” delivered by Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Jonnie Carson, at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC. Possibly echoing this line of thinking about the same period, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola also called for the cre-

The Nation-State With Louis Achi

achilouis35@gmail.com ation the same ministry, holding it could be a solution to the security challenges in the North. He made the call while delivering a speech at symposium on “Islam and Peaceful Co-existence in Contemporary Multi-Religious State” in Abuja. Carson’s position was a compelling case. “The Nigerian Government should consider creating a Ministry of Northern Affairs or a Northern Development Commission similar to what it did in response to the crises in the Niger Delta.” He frowned at continued alienation of Nigerians from government and warned that “to fix the Boko Haram problem, the government will have to develop a new social compact with its northern citizens. It will have to develop an economic recovery strategy that complements its security strategy. It will have to draw on the support of northern governors, traditional Hausa and Fulani leaders and local officials and organisations.” According to him “northern populations are currently trapped between vio-

lent extremists on one hand and heavyhanded government responses on the other. They need to know that their president is going to extraordinary lengths to fix their problems.” “Resolving the problems in northern Nigeria will require the government to act more swiftly and to make a strategic course correction. It will need to adopt a comprehensive strategy and remain disciplined and committed in its implementation, especially at the state and local levels, where accountability is low and corruption high,” Carson stated. However, some analysts rightly or wrongly hold that the very idea of establishing special bodies for structural problems is one of the many bad ideas that Nigerians have inherited from years of military rule. Even at the level of kite flying, because the federal government never expressed a clear position on this, the idea of creating a Ministry of Northern Affairs, it is seen in several quarters as condescending and

insulting to northerners. Even the experiment in Southern Italy in the 1950s where the government of Italy intervened to stimulate economic growth and development in the less developed southern regions of Italy came to grief with extreme corruption and mismanagement of funds. According to Wikipedia, the Cassa del Mezzogiorno (Fund for the South) was a public effort by the government of Italy to stimulate economic growth and development in the less developed Southern regions of Italy. It was established in 1950 primarily to construct public works and infrastructure (roads, bridges, hydroelectric and irrigation) projects, and to provide credit subsidies and tax advantages to promote investments. It was dissolved in 1984. In Nigeria today, the much touted Ministry of Niger Delta is mirroring that Italian misadventure. Transcending intellectual laziness which has come to define governance and policy conceptualisation in Nigeria, many believe it would be better to find out the causative factors of northern poverty and resolutely deal with them. Why should a region of extraordinary promise become arena of human misery? The emerging consensus is that the core issues of quality and accountable governance must be addressed to reverse the socio-economic decay of the north. Both the federal government, the democratically elected and traditional leaders of the north must wear their thinking caps.

Sport Extra

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

Chad arrive Kaduna for Eagles without kits

Adekunle Salami he national team of Chad arrived Nigeria on Thursday surprisingly without its training kits and other equipment for the 2017 Africa Nations Cup qualifying match against the Super Eagles. As at Friday when the team arrived Kaduna, venue of the encounter, there were still no kits and no sign that the team would be able to feel the turf of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium before the match scheduled for today. Team coach, Emmanuel Tregoat, confirmed that there would be no training as the airline forgot the team’s equipment in France. He noted further that the Chad federation officials with the team had no money to make alternative arrangement for the team to enable the players to train for the match. "All my players are tired and there are no clothes, football is not very important now because some players are afraid that we are already in Nigeria and we don’t even have money to buy another Jersey,” the coach said. Tregoat was optimistic that the airline would be able to locate and return the equipment of the team early on Saturday before the match against Nigeria. “The players are worried. They are not even in a mental state for

zz Gov el-Rufai expected as NFF appeals to fans

Winnipeg, Canada

ans of the USA women’s team are in for a great party ahead of their match against Nigeria’s Super Falcons on Tuesday in Vancouver. FanHQ will bring together American fans before the third group game against Nigeria, to party and celebrate the U.S. Women’s National Team on Monday, June 15, alongside the American Outlaws, and again on Tuesday, June 16, for a prematch party. The event will feature music from DJ Spin Easy, a NYC DJ, who brought his unique sets to FanHQ events in Brazil during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and has opened up all over the world for Snoop Dogg, Akon, T-Pain, Ice Cube and others. In addition, it was recently announced that the world’s most popular sports video game, EA SPORTS FIFA 16, will feature the WNT for the first time. Fans in attendance will have the chance to get their picture taken and put themselves on the cover of EA SPORTS FIFA 16.

adekunles@yahoo.com 08050498539 (sms only)

The colossal waste, the fears … all for Chad?

S Emmanuel Emenike jumping over Giorgos Tzavellas of Greece. Emenike is out of today's encounter

the match because officials have no money to buy another set of kits for the team,” he added. Meanwhile the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, has called on the people of Kaduna to come all our and support the Eagles. “We want them to come to with

Canada Tit-bits Nigerians turned supporters club

Nigerians residents in Winnipeg turned themselves to supporters club whenever the Falcons are playing as they leave their numbered seat to join the few supporters who are in Canada in their sections. The Nigerians are mostly students schooling at the University of Manitoba. They sing and dance throughout the match whether Nigeria is playing well or not. The Nigeria Football Supporters Club members are not yet in Canada due to visa problems at the embassy in Lagos.

Oshoala’s giant photo on stadium gate

Super Falcons striker, Asisat Oshoala’s giant picture is at the entrance of the Gate A of the Winnipeg Stadium. It is a delight to behold as FIFA and the Canada LOC listed her as the star to watch from the Nigerian team. Oshoala herself is marveled by the picture as she took to Facebook to celebrate it.

green attire. We are trying to build a culture of supporting our national teams in a unique way and we want the fans to key into it.” The Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, is expected to be at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium as chief host for Saturday’s game.

Bolt: I am not afraid of Gatlin

ouble-Olympic champion Usain Bolt has dismissed suggestions he is "afraid" of facing in-form American Justin Gatlin. The 33-year-old has run 2015's fastest 100m and 200m - 9.75 and 19.68 seconds - but is yet to race Bolt this season. The pair are set to meet in the World Championships in Beijing in August, along with other leading sprinters Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell. "Afraid? When people say that, I laugh," said Jamaican Bolt, 28, who holds the world record in both events. "I've been in the sport for years and I've never dodged anybody. When it matters, I've always showed up and shown that I'm the best," he added. "Gatlin has been doing a lot of talking, saying a lot of things. He's proved he's running fast times and he's ready. So it should be exciting going into the World Championships. "I look forward to competing when people talk... because if you don't back it up you look really stupid." "I'm not in the best of shape and I'm not going to put myself out there if I know I'm just coming back," said Bolt, who announced in February that he would retire after the 2017 World Championships. "When I get to Beijing I'll be ready to go and that's when the showdown will be."

Interpol suspends €20m FIFA deal

nterpol has suspended a joint anti-match-fixing programme with FIFA over allegations of corruption against the football governing body. The international police agency is freezing the €20 million (£14m) donated by FIFA in 2011 for the programme. The 10-year "Integrity in Sport"

Sport Slaming Adekunle Salami

American fans to party ahead Nigeria match Emmanuel Tobi

agreement was intended to combat match-fixing and illegal gambling. "In light of the current context surrounding FIFA, while Interpol is still committed to developing our Integrity in Sport programme, I have decided to suspend the agreement," Juergen Stock, the head of Interpol, said in a statement.

Bolt

uper Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, struggled hard to retain the plum position he is occupying today. He stood in there to be given another chance on the job after failing to take Nigeria to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. The Nigeria Football Federation chieftains were reluctant but somehow, he got the job after the position was vacant for 283 days. Many believe Keshi got the job courtesy of power play behind the scene more than merit. However, he is a qualified coach who was also in charge when Nigeria won the Nations Cup in 2013. So, now that he is back, he needs the support of the NFF and all Nigerians to succeed. Again, one expects that the coach would have learnt his lessons. Even before his very first match Keshi has shown some signs to reflect that he is yet to learn lessons. Nigeria is billed to play Chad today in a 2017 Nations Cup qualifiers and Nigerians are afraid for many reasons. It is an off season period, matches played this time are always dicey because of the fitness of the Super Eagles players and their attitude. For instance, Mikel Obi opting out is one of such attitudes. Eagles will always be tired after every season while their other colleagues in Europe will be playing international friendlies and others featuring in Copa America. It is commendable that the players arrived camp about 10 days to the match instead of just four mandatory days but experience has shown that this period, the home-based professionals are the most reliable ones especially against an opposition like Chad. When the NFF rolled out the list of invited professionals for the encounter against Chad, it was obvious that Keshi had not learnt his lessons and it was also clear that the Big Boss was afraid of failure. He invited five unknown and yet-to-be-tested players plus 10 others. He is working with the 15 along with eight homebased players to prepare for the match. If Keshi is confident about his ability, he would have invited just a few foreign pros for Chad. Five professionals with the best players in the domestic league can deliver the results expected in this encounter. But Keshi has chosen to play to the gallery by adopting try and error approach. At a time the NFF is prosecuting two global competitions -the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the FIFA Women’s World Cup- Keshi will again make the football body spend about N120m on bonuses and ticket refund. It is absurd. It is a massive waste because such expenses could be avoided. Inviting five new players in the very first match is scandalous. The coach has the right to pick his team but there are situations whereby coaches make terrible mistakes. We all knew how poor the Eagles defence was in the 2015 qualifiers and almost all the defenders were recalled for Chad. We should be able to pick a solid back four from the domestic league that can hold Chad. It is possible if the coach is ready to work hard for it. Vincent Enyeama is the captain but there should be a deliberate effort to raise a good successor. Daniel Akpeyi was in goal in the friendly against South Africa and he did well. Enyama’s experience is needed in the team but he should not be featured all the time. Against Chad, I will prefer Akpeyi or the country’s number 2 keeper in goal. Although his first spell as the Eagles Head Coach, Keshi was rebuilding. He is starting the second spell today with obvious signs of another rebuilding process. The technical committee of the NFF should be firm on crucial matters affecting the Eagles to avoid another big embarrassment. The NFF told Nigerians about Code of Conduct for all the teams. To set the records straights and avoid ambiguity, it is crucial especially for the Eagles. The players are already agitating for $8,000 bonus for every match won rather than the $5,000 the NFF approved. I expect the NFF to rise above such threat. For a fixture against Chad, the football body has spent so much money and yet there are fears over the outcome of the match. Against Chad? I am not only expecting a win, I expect a big win. No excuses!

Faces

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

The Lord's Chosen takes 'mightier than all' crusade to Ogun State

A two-day Holy Ghost International Crusade of the Lord's Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries titled "There cometh one mightier than all" will take place at Ipakoto Senior High School, Ayede Bus Stop along Lagos-Abeokuta Express Way, Ifo, Ogun State, on Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21, 2015, at 8:00am daily. STANLEY CHIBUIHEM AMALAHA writes on the significance of the crusade

Pastor Lazarus Muoka, General Overseer, The Lord's Chosen CRM

or the first time ever in the history of the Lord's Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, Ogun State will play host to the 12-yearold Mega Ministry. The event titled "There cometh one mightier than all" will witness an outpouring God's power of old. According to Pastor Lazarus Muoka, General Overseer of the ministry, "The title of the crusade is taken from the book of Mark chapter 1 verse 7. Jesus is the one mightier than all. We are inviting everybody to come and experience the supernatural power of God. Sinners will be saved, the sick will be healed and succour will be given to all. No matter what your problem is, as you come expectantly, Jesus, the mightier than all will definitely make you to rejoice."

Sis. Philomina healed of 10 years asthmatic cough at the Lord's Chosen's crusade in Enugu

Sis. Rebecca Odi healed of 8 years stroke at the recent Lord's Chosen crusade in Enugu

Sis. Roseline healed of 5 years poison at the Lord's Chosen recent crusade in Enugu

Sis. Florence healed of 8 months poison at the recent Lord's Chosen crusade in Enugu

A poster of the forth-coming crusade

TLCCRM Ogun State Pastor Chinedu Bethel (sitting middle) with breathren preparing for the crusade

A section of the Lord's Chosen crusade planning committee Ogun State (sisters)

A section of the Lord's Chosen crusade planning committee Ogun State (brothers) in a group photograph

SATURDAY TELEGRAPH

13 JUNE 2015

UNCLE SAM IS

Mr. Sam Amuka, OFR Publisher Vanguard Newspapers

Hearty congratulations to an icon, a motivator, a leading light in Nigerian journalism and our Life Patron. Wishing you more years ahead in the service to our esteemed industry and fatherland. Happy Birthday, the Great Uncle Sam

Nduka Obaigbena Kabir Yusuf Comfort Obi, OON Mohammed Idris Lady Maiden Ibru, MON Frank Aigbogun Ray Ekpu Wale Aboderin Mrs Nwadiuto Iheakanwa Mal. Ismaila Isa, mni, OFR Sam Nda-Isaiah Chief Orji Uzor Kalu Mal. Wada Maida Nosa Igiebor Jimoh Ibrahim, CFR Victor Ifijeh Ted Iwere Bayo Onanuga Akin Ogungbe Dan Akpovwa Segun Abrams Prince Emeka Obasi Edward Dickson

President NPAN / Chairman, ThisDAy Group Deputy President / Chairman, Trust Newspapers General secretary / Publisher, The source Magazine Assistant General secretary / Publisher, Blue Print Treasurer / Publisher, Guardian Newspapers Publicity secretary / Publisher, Business Day Past President / Ex-Officio member Ex-officio member / Chairman, Punch Newspapers Ex-officio member / Group MD, Champion Newspapers Life Patron Publisher, Leadership Newspapers Publisher, sun Newspapers / New Telegraph Chairman, Peoples Daily Editor-in-Chief, Tell Magazine Publisher, Mirror Newspapers Managing Director, The Nation Managing Director, Daily independent Editor-in-Chief, The News Publisher, News star Publisher, Abuja Enquirer Publisher, Fresh Facts Publisher, hallmark Newspapers Managing Director, Tribune Newspapers

DESTINATION

Calabar: Still the alluring Canaan City

P.42

Sanctity of Truth

SATURDAY SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015

Perspectives

Of trust, betrayal and forgiveness

p.52 N150

AFCON 2017 QUALIFIERS

Keshi on the

march again

Adekunle Salami

rdinarily, a Nigeria, Chad fixture should not be a big deal in any way. It is supposed to be an easy one for Nigeria. But over the years, football has evolved so fast that there are no minnows again in the game. In addition, Nigerian football is at its lowest ebb. The Super Eagles failed to make it to the Africa Nations Cup in 2015 and that incident is still haunting the team. Head coach, Stephen Keshi, and most of the players who were part of the failure are back to try again as the 2017 Nations Cup qualifiers start across Africa this weekend. Nigeria is competing for honours in a group that comprise Chad, Tanzania and seven-time champions of the Nations Cup, Egypt. Today, Chad is the first assignment before the Eagles in an encounter billed for the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna. Egypt will also file out against Tanzania in Alexandria on Sunday (tomorrow). For the 2015 edition where the Eagles failed to make the cut, Nigeria lost the opening fixture 3-2 against Congo

Brazaville in Calabar. This is enough to keep Nigerians at the edge of their seats watching this encounter against Chad. The visitors are relatively unknown on the continent but they posted some impressive away results on the continent in recent time. They have French coach Emmanuel Trégoat and their foreign professionals are expected to play against the Eagles. In some friendly games played recently, Chad defeated Malawi 3-2 and also held Sudan to a 2-2 draw in Khartoum. Keshi has said the Chadians will not be underrated. With the number of professionals invited for the encounter, it is expected that the 'Big Boss' will deliver ‘quality’ result. “Chad may be tiny in size but football in Africa today is dynamic and we have to respect all teams,” the coach said. Victory for Eagles in this encounter is not negotiable but the margin of victory is equally important since goal difference could be decisive. Ahmed Musa on current form is the key player Nigerians can bank on for the goals. He is expected to be in the starting line up along with Odion Igalo, who was brilliant for Watford last term. A highly entertaining match is anticipated.

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