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I wore same clothes for days after Dele Giwa’s murder - Oghuma } 18 } 17

CHIBOK GIRLS

nigeria HIRES 100 MERCENARIES FOR RESCUE OPERATIONS lBuys weapons from black market } 6 lChadian jets bomb second Nigerian town

PDP insists on Jonathan/Buhari live debate I don’t wish Buhari dead, Fayose tells U.S ambassador

Obasanjo to launch banned book in London

Nigeria votes

2015

ria Nige

13 Anxiety over

2015

go...

s vote days to

ex-CJN KatsinaAlu’s health } 7

You’re pompous, fan blasts Monalisa } 5

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Contents | 01.02.15 BODY & SOUL

Dele Giwa, Newswatch & I Veteran journalist, Austen Ogumah, reflects on the death of Dele Giwa, Chibok girls and Boko Haram

}18

POLITICS

Peace accord Despite the Abuja Peace Accord, hate speeches and violent attacks still characterise electioneering campaigns

}31

BUSINESS

Shaky Naira As NNPC steps up measures to stem the rapid depreciation of Naira value, the currency continues to trade outside its target band of 160-176

}23

FAITH

All hope on God Beyond the noise and political manoeuvering, a solem gathering of God’s people gave the creator a pride of place

}51

SPORT

Amodu on cancer Devastated by Wilfred Agbonavbare’s death, fourtimes Super Eagles chief coach, Amodu Shauibu, has called on the world to find answer to cancer

}59

SUNDAY

Editorial

The perennial scourge of oil theft

il bunkering has continued unabated with serious negative impact on the Nigerian economy. Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani AlisonMadueke revealed that in the last three years Nigeria has lost between 100, 000 to 400, 000 barrels per day. To this end, there is the need for regional and continental collaboration to this festering economic sabotage, as oil bunkering costs the nation $9 billion monthly. The Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) also revealed that over 136 million barrels of crude oil worth $ 10.9 billion were stolen between 2009 and 2011, which represented 7.7 per cent of the total revenue. About 10 million barrels valued at $ 894 million was also lost to various nefarious activities including pipeline vandalisation in the first quarter of 2014. These figures are at best conservative estimates. The figures bandied around are just a tip of the iceberg. It is an established fact that Nigeria does not know for sure the exact barrels of oil it produces per day, it does not know the exact barrels of oil it imports into the country from various parts of the globe, it does not know the exact amount that goes into the Federation Account, hence it is difficult to know the exact amount being stolen under different guises. The recent sharp drop in global oil prices has only compounded an already bad situation. With an estimated 400,000 barrels of crude oil lost to oil theft daily, the price volatility in crude futures underlines the dangers confronting the nation’s finances, which is already feeling the shockwaves including devaluation of the naira, adjustments to the 2015 budgets and the looming spectre of a moratorium on new government projects. Furthermore, the African Development Bank Group had in its African Economic Outlook 2014 listed oil theft as one of the factors responsible for the drop in oil revenue in Nigeria. The report, which covers 54 African countries, presents the current state of economic and social development as well as prospects for countries in the continent. According to the report, Nigeria had been battling with serious disruptions in oil production and lifting operations occasioned by multiple leaks, pipeline vandalism and oil theft. According to reports, Nigeria is ranked worse than Mexico, Iraq, Russia and Indonesia among the top five countries most plagued by oil theft. Oil bunkering is very big business for lo-

cal cabals and their international conspirators. It has been alleged that those involved are very highly placed and strategically located in and out of government, and they fund politics and elections in the country. Hence, they belong to the exclusive class of the untouchables, because if government brings them to book it would amount to class suicide. Government needs to deal decisively with culprits no matter how highly placed or connected. There cannot be two sets of laws in the country, one for the rich and the other for the poor, because equality before the law is a cardinal principle of the rule of law and democratic ethos. This government has said it has zero tolerance for corruption; this is one area that it should really show a zeal for fighting corruption. The President who is also the Commanderin - Chief of the armed forces should read out the riot act to the security agencies and give them a free hand to operate. Nigeria that used to be the sixth largest oil producing country in the world and a key member of OPEC, is now placed 12th with most of the oil used locally in the country externally sourced. It would be recalled that only recently the Federal Government said, it would fight oil theft with $1 billion by putting in place a comprehensive programme to check crude oil and gas infrastructure, including the arrest and prosecution of crude oil thieves. According to the Federal Government, “oil theft is an aspect of global terrorism, which has become a big industry on its own. It has become a major threat to the Nigerian economy and we need to work with all stakeholders to curb it. The thieves must be traced, apprehended and prosecuted”. Government must move speedily from mere expression of intentions to really tackling the menace. The only reason the illegal oil laden vessels disappear is that compromises must have been made because of pecuniary gains. Policing oil pipelines and oil installations should not be a big deal, but in Nigeria it has be a major challenge. Those that are supposed to protect the oil facilities in the country are also part and parcel of the problem because they are benefiting from the illicit transactions. Hence, there is the exigent need for the deployment of technology to rescue the deteriorating situation in the crucial sector. There must be regional, continental and inter-continental collaboration to effectively stem the scourge, as well as the political will and sincerity on the part of government.

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FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

News

PDP insists on Jonathan/Buhari debate Onyekachi Eze,

P Abuja

eoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation yesterday insisted on going ahead with a live debate Buhari’s participation in a live television debate with President Goodluck Jona-

than. Director of Media and Publicity of the PDPPCO, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, in a statement in Abuja, said the PDP was ready to attend any debate, anywhere in the country with Buhari, even if that debate was organised by APC spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and the APC itself, as long as it would be televised live. Fani-Kayode said, “The decision of the APC not to participate in the debate organised by the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria on grounds of alleged bias is baseless and absurd. The decision of the APC to boycott the debate provides ample evidence of their cowardice and their unrelenting contempt

for the Nigerian people. “The truth is that the electorate would like to see the presidential candidates of all the political parties square up in a television debate to answer questions on their blueprint for governance and national development. “The PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation is interested in our candidate, President Jonathan, engaging Gen. Buhari in a robust and lively debate so that both men can speak about issues like corruption, insurgency, the fight against terrorism and the economy; all of which are areas in which Buhari has grounded his unjustifiable and mischievous attacks on our candidate. “Since the APC is not comfortable with anyone else handling and organising the debate and since they keep alleging bias on the part of any sensible and impartial organiser, we challenge them to organise the debate themselves. As long as the debate is live and they will allow our candidate to speak his mind on all issues, without any interruption and without cutting him short, we assure them that we will attend.”

Meanwhile, the National Unity Group, a coalition of interest groups working for Jonathan’s re-election, yesterday said nine other presidential candidates may step down for the President. Secretary of NUG, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, who addressed journalists in Abuja said the discussion with the leaders of the party may be concluded today. He, however, refused to mention the parties involved so as not to jeopardise the discussion. Fourteen political parties are fielding candidates for the presidential election. Flanked by former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife; ex-Edo State Governor, Senator Osonbor and Senator Chris Ukpabi, Ojougboh said there was the need for Jonathan’s re-election; and expressed the hope that Nigerians would be allowed to vote a candidate of their choice. “The PDP campaign is progressing satisfactory. I want to use this opportunity to thank the people of the North. Before now people said Jonathan would not campaign in the North; but you see how he was warmly received by the people. “We made appreciable progress in the meeting with the candidates. They asked that they should be allowed to go back and consult with their parties. The meeting has been postponed till tomorrow,” he added. Meanwhile, PDP said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, yesterday that with Jonathan’s soaring popularity among the voting population across the country, it would win more than two-third of the total votes cast as well as the required 25 per cent in all the states of the federation. He hinged his reasons on numerous development projects he executed in the region and appointments he made in the North, which he said have placed Jonathan ahead of Buhari. “Indeed, Nigerians in the North are eager to re-elect President Goodluck Jonathan come February 14, 2015. Voters in the region appreciate the direct positive impact of the numerous development projects executed by the Jonathan administration in all sectors of life. “They appreciate the fact that recognizing that agriculture is the mainstay of the northern economy, President Jonathan ensured that out of the 2.7 million direct farm jobs achieved by his administration, over two million are in the North. “They appreciate the fact that President Jonathan established the e-wallet system, which eliminated the corruption in the distribution of fertiliser and other farm inputs, making the products directly accessible to millions of farmers in the region thereby boosting their productivity. They appreciate the fact that silos are brimming and food pyramids are returning in the North,” the statement added. He stated that the people were happy with the president for his efforts in tackling desertification in the region especially with the establish of more than 80 km of 15–row Green Belt in addition to the Presidential Initiative on Afforestation in Kano and 10 other Northern states. The party also recalled the increased attention to the health needs of the area, especially the interventions towards polio eradication and treatment of VVF among others.

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

News

Jonathan pledges to revive Kaduna textiles Ibraheem Musa,

P Kaduna

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday promised to revive textile industries in Kaduna State if re-elected. The President, who made this pledge during his campaign tour, noted that the state had benefited tremendously in education, transportation and other areas from the Federal Government, saying the attention would not shifted to revamping textile industries. Jonathan, however, underscored the importance of education as the key for development. “But the greater thing we

need to do within the next one year is to revive Kaduna textile industries. We understand that it will generate employment opportunities for our people,” he added. According to him, with the improvement of power supply in the country, “reviving these companies and ensuring continuity will now be easy.” In his remarks, Senate President David Mark described Kaduna as the political melting pot of Northern Nigeria. He asked the people of the state to vote Jonathan in the February 14 election, so that he could continue with his transformation agenda of which the state is a major beneficiary.

“Kaduna should not make mistakes to vote wrong people because we are all looking up to the state. We must not allow those who will rig to succeed. We must stay and defend our votes. “Mr. President has the love of the country at heart than any other presidential can-

didate today. Here is a man who has done a lot for the country. The least you can do is vote for him to continue his transformation agenda,” Mark added. Earlier in his welcome address, Governor Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna State had commended the President

for his transformation programme, saying the state has benefited immensely from them. The governor reiterated the commitment of his people to voting Jonathan, Vice-President Namadi Sambo and all PDP candidates in the forthcoming elections.

“Kaduna has been a PDP state since 1999 and it will continue to be a PDP state,” he noted Yero also thanked Jonathan for choosing Sambo as his running mate, just as he described the vice-president as a brother and father of the people of Kaduna State.

Jonathan accepts invitation to presidential debate Ahaoma Kanu

resident Goodluck Jonathan has accepted to participate in a presidential debate scheduled for Tuesday, according to a statement by the Newspapers Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria. It said a statement that the debate is scheduled to take place at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. “In a letter dated January 14, 2015, to the initiators of the debate - Channels Television, ARISE Television as well as THISDAY and Guardian Newspapers Limited on behalf of The Newspapers Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) - Senator Ahmadu Ali, Director General of the Jonathan/Sambo 2015 Presidential Campaign Organisation, said the President has accepted to participate in the debate. “While General Buhari Campaign Organisation have indicated - in principle - that they would also participate in the debate, no official letter has been received from them at press-time,” it stated.

It noted that Jonathan and Buhari were formally invited to the debate through a January 11, 2015 letter. In the letter, the organisers noted that “too many of the troubles we now face stem from governance: decisions made behind closed doors, regulations removed when no one was looking, or reckless actions and impunity across the polity.” The letter added: “Our nation is strongest when our elected leaders are accessible and accountable to its citizens, explaining decisions and answering tough questions. That standard of openness and transparency must start long before Election Day on February 14, 2015.” The organisers include all member organisations of NPAN, Channels Television and ARISE Television. “Footage will be made available LIVE to all broadcast stations as well as on social media: Twitter, Facebook and Google. The audience for the debate will include civil society groups, youth groups and other stakeholders. Attendance at the debate will be strictly by invitation,” it added

L-R: Lamido of Adamawa, Alhaji Muhammadu Barkindo; Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, Alhaji Muhammadu Tahir and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, inaugurating Adama Beverage new plant, in Yola…yesterday. PHOTO-NAN

Suspected APC thugs attack PDP members in Edo Cajetan Mmuta,

A BENIN

rmed thugs suspected to be loyal to the ruling All Progressives Congress in Orhionmwon Council Area of Edo State yesterday attacked and wounded members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the area. The suspected thugs were said to have swooped on the PDP members from Igbanke community at Urhomehe, the political strong base of the state Deputy Governor Dr. Pius Odubu.

You’re pompous, fan blasts Monalisa Vanessa Okwara

n angry female fan, Nonye Iwuayanwu, has accused celebrated Nollywood actress, Monalisa Chinda, of being rude and pompous. The fan, who was commenting on pictures posted by Chinda on her Instagram page on Friday, said the Nollywood diva was rude to her friends when they approached her to support a charitable cause. The fan said Monalisa was

discourteous to her friends when they approached her at Silverbird Galleria to buy their cheap tasty cupcakes. She said they wanted to raise funds for a breast cancer awareness initiative. The comment, written with @nonyemadu handle, reads: “Pretty lady but u were too rude to my friends @ Silverbird galleria yesterday they were only selling cheap tasty cupcakes to raise funds to support the breast cancer fight!!Beauty is rubbish wen worn on a

rude and arrogant body..I trust you can do better.. thanks for a better 2015 attitude!!” Monalisa deleted the comment yesterday. But she apparently forgot to delete a response to Nonye’s comment by another fan, Queen Iyobosa Omole (@queeniyobosa), which reads: “@nonyemadu take it easy O. Lol ur blood is really hot! I can feel it. Lol.” Attempts to reach Monalisa for a response were not successful.

Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, who made the allegation during the rally warned that the opposition party would no longer fold its hands and allow miscreants unleash terror on its members in the name of politics. Orbih urged the leadership of APC and the state government to call their members to order in the interest of peace and unity of people of the state. The PDP members from Igbanke had headed in a convoy of four commercial buses through Uronigwe towards Umoghun-Nokhua

community for the party’s campaign rally/commissioning of an ultra-modern hospital built by popular businessman, Chief Clifford Osawaru, when they were attacked by the suspected APC thugs at Urhomehe. Orbih cautioned that the party would not watch a repeat of unwarranted attacks and exhibition of political rascality by suspected thugs as was carried out recently on the convoy of President Goodluck Jonathan during the PDP Presidential campaign rally in Taraba and Bauchi states. But the Publicity Sectary

Youths disrupt PDP rally at acting gov’s town

ome irate youths yesterday in KarimLamido, the hometown of Taraba State acting governor, Sani Abubakar Danladi, disrupted the ongoing local government campaign tour of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, dragging a party chieftain identified as ‘Garkuwa’ from a podium and inflicting serious injuries on him. Trouble started when the man was called upon to deliver his goodwill message at the gathering. Immediately, the youths

started shouting at him before descending on him. Security personnel responded immediately by firing gunshots into the air to disperse the youths and rescue the man. The incident caused panic among the people attending the event, until it was put under control with the effort of the security men. Addressing the crowd, Abubakar Danladi expressed his disappointment at the incident, saying that such a thing should not have happened

of APC in the state, Comrade Godwin Erhahon, said the allegation was a strategy by the PDP and Orbih to smear the name of the deputy governor. Erhahon stated that though he was not aware of any reported attack on members of the opposition party in the area, he noted that Urhomehe people are peace loving members of the society and that there are also PDP members living among them. He said there must be more to the allegation than the PDP leadership told members of the public.

Okorocha plans 100 factories

overnor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has said that in the next dispensation his administration will establish over 100 factories for massive job creation. Speaking at the South East Business and Investment Summit held in Lagos yesterday, the governor said that the industrial policy of the state centres on the provision of infrastructure and creating an economic atmosphere for the state.

SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARY, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

News

Chibok girls: Nigeria hires 100 mercenaries

Biyi Adegoroye and Emmanuel Onani

igeria has hired no fewer than 100 mercenaries to help rescue the remaining female pupils of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, seized by Boko Haram in April last year. The mercenaries, who are ex-South African soldiers, were hired by a private military and security company, Executive Outcomes, to assist the Nigerian military in rescuing the girls and training its soldiers. Executive Outcomes, which was founded in 1989 by former Lt-Col. Eeben Barlow of the South African Defence Forces. It has previously fought in Angola, Sierra Leone, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia and has had contracts with De Beers, Chevron, JFPI Corporation, Rio Tinto Zinc and Texaco. The South African government responded by describing the former South African soldiers as ‘mercenaries’ who would be arrested when they returned home. The ex-soldiers were hired by a security firm, Executive Outcomes. South Africa’s Defence Minister, Nosiviwe MapisaNqakula, has meanwhile called for the ‘prompt arrest’ of the mercenaries whenever they return home. Mapisa-Nqakula, who described the ex-soldiers as ‘mercenaries,’ noted that there were sufficient laws in South Africa, to sanction anyone found to have offered military assistance to another country, without the consent of or deployment

by government, City Press newspaper reports. Reacting to the ‘deployment’ of the retired soldiers to bolster the ongoing counter-terrorism war, by the Executive Outcomes, the Defence minister said during a summit of the African Union (AU), that: “The police have a responsibility to ensure that, when they come back, those people are arrested and the (National Prosecutions Authority) has a responsibility to charge them. There are consequences for going out of the country and provide any form of military assistance as a mercenary, not as part of the deployment by government. “It should be that you’re doing it so that you can secure a conviction so that it sends a message to all of the South Africans who are going around as mercenaries. A member of the South African team, however, told South Africa’s City Press newspaper that they weren’t mercenaries, but helped with training to skill Nigerian soldiers. The first goal would be to stop the terrorists’ bloody raids, and also to free the remainder of the 200 Chibok girls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram last year, he added. Also speaking, the minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Maite Nkoana Mashabane, expressed her “dismay” about the development. “We always discourage South Africans to enter the fray in a situation like that. “I want to refer to them as mercenaries. They are mercenaries whether they are training, skilling the Nigerian defence force, or scout-

ing for them. The point is they have no business to be there,” she noted. It is a crime under South Africa’s Foreign Military Assistance Act, for any form of military assistance to be provided outside, without government’s approval. Meanwhile, frustrated by its inability to procure weapons from the United States and other Western governments, Nigeria has fallen back on the black market to shore up its fight against Boko Haram. Giving an insight into the latest development, a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, told American newspaper, The Globe and Mail, in an interview on Friday that Nigeria was “desperate” for

military supplies and had to turn to the black market because Western governments were unwilling to help. “The world might regard this as illegal, but we were being stopped from getting help and our people were being slaughtered,” Ribadu told the newspaper. “We were being wiped out, and the world didn’t give a damn. Nigeria was forced into the black market.” The United States and other countries, including Canada, had promised to provide surveillance equipment to help Nigeria search for more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram last year, but they broke their promises, Ribadu said. “They did not give us anything,” he said. “It was just niceties.”

Suspicions of black-market weapons-buying have been floating around Nigeria since last September, when South Africa detained a mysterious Nigerian plane carrying $9.3 million in cash. Media reports at the time said the money was intended for illicit arms purchases. Ribadu acknowledged that Nigerian authorities had “gotten into trouble” when they shopped for weapons on the black market, including in South Africa. “They were looking for tools of war from anywhere in the world.” Ribadu said he could not give details of Nigeria’s black-market arms purchases. “The world arms market is a very murky one,” he said. “The arms could come from

anywhere in the world.” He said the black-market weapons helped Nigerian troops regain control of several towns Boko Haram had captured in Adamawa, the state where he is running for governor as the candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. “They didn’t have enough bullets, and now they have enough,” he said. “There are some helicopter gunships that they have bought recently. I have heard them moving around.” The United States and other Western countries have been reluctant to send military aid to Nigeria because of concerns about corruption and human-rights abuses by Nigeria’s army. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, addressing party supporters at Sango Ward 1, during his ward-to-ward re-election campaign rally in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area...yesterday.

Buhari: We’re scared of Nigerians’ high expectations Biodun Oyeleye

K Ilorin

wara stood still yesterday for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who said the party was scred of the high expectations of Nigerians and would do its best within the shortest possible time to meet its promises. The former head of state also described as ‘frightening’, the level of ‘desperation’ within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to secure a second term for President Goodluck Jonathan. Buhari, whose team arrived Ilorin International Airport at about 10.45am, spent about two hours getting to the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambari, a journey that should have taken

about 10 minutes with official convoy. It took him roughly the same length of time to arrive at the Ilorin Metropolitan Square, venue of the party’s presidential campaign in Kwara State. Buhari told the ecstatic crowd of supporters that if Nigerians fail to change the ruling party in the coming elections, the country would be further ruined while the APC Campaign’s Director General, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State said the reception was evident of genuine demand for change by Nigerians. Amaechi said, “From the Emir’s palace I was just thinking very aloud and to myself that this is the last opportunity for Nigerian elite to either change or the people will force them to change. This is the last opportunity for the elite to change from bad to good. This is the time

for the elite to realise that whether they like it or not change must take place.” Buhari , who identified corruption, insecurity and unemployment as the three most dangerous problems in the country, pledged that his administration would channel whatever is recovered from its anticorruption crusade towards implementing qualitative education in all states. He said, “If you allow the PDP by any chance to continue to rule this country, God forbid, you are ruining yourself and you are ruining this country. The desperation in that camp is frightening and with so much resources in their hands, and with the coercive resources. at their command, we have a problem but God willing we will overcome that problem. “When I look at the crowd

wherever we go, and statistics confirm it, more than 60 percent of them are youths and they are unemployed whether they finished school or not. This is very dangerous for the nation state. The savings we make from corruption will be heavily invested in education, infrastructure etc. The best we can do for the coming generation is to give them qualitative and quantitative education and APC government throughout the federation will do that.” Earlier, the leader of the APC in the state and former governor, Senator Bukola Saraki, had dismissed attacks on Buhari’s previous records as military ruler; saying the current generation of 2015 voters are youths who have no interest in the allegations against Buharri. He said such voters are not con-

cerned about the past as all they want is to change what is on ground now for the sake of their future. Earlier during a courtesy call on the emir, Buhari said the party is aware of the high expectations of Nigerians concerning the party’s electoral promises and would not fail to implement them. He said, “Corruption has been endemic in this country, especially in the last 16 years. You don’t know the magnitude but you hear of it. The cycle of corruption has done great damage to the security and economy of this country. The APC is determined to break the vicious cycle of insecurity, unemployment and corruption. “We need your understanding. We are even scared of the high expectations of the people; that if we succeed, they would want to get jobs the follow-

ing week, to get power and to work freely and work 24 hours a day without fear of assault. We have to be persuading people to bear with us. But we will make all these things available as soon as we can within the shortest possible time.” In his response, Gambari described Buhari as a man of justice and said Nigerians hope to him to do justice in the country. The traditional ruler described the reception accorded Buhari by Kwarans as akin to how they received and loved the late Second Republic Senate Leader, Dr. Olusola Saraki. He said, “It is like during the days of late Saraki in Kwara. If you are sitting down and you don’t want to greet Saraki, by the time he gets to your house, all your children would be saying, ‘Oloye, Oloye.’ So you have no choice than to go and join them. ”

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARY, 2015

News

Anxiety over ex-CJN Katsina-Alu’s health Tunde Oyesina,

M Abuja

ajor stakeholders in the nation’s justice administration have been thrown into confusion, following anxiety over the health of a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Iyorgyer Katsina-Alu . The former CJN was rumoured to have passed on following a relapse in his health. But a source who pleaded anonymity dismissed the rumour as false. “Though he allegedly suffered ‘a partial stroke, the former CJN is still alive,” the source said. Justice Katsina-Alu emerged as the 11th Chief

Justice of Nigeria in controversial circumstances. Although he was the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court to succeed his predecessor, Justice Legbo Kutigi, Katsina-Alu remains the only CJN that had his Oath of office administered on him by his predecessor; contrary to the constitutional requirement that it should be done by the President. Katsina-Alu succeeded Justice Kutigi in 2009 and retired in 2011, having attained the mandatory age of 70. He had lived a low profile life since he bowed out of office, no thanks to his ill-health. However, the former CJN’s health suffered a relapse as he allegedly fell into a coma.

This, however, raised speculation over the state of his health last week as the rumour of his passingon was discussed in hushed tones among members of the Bar and Bench. The former CJN was admitted to the National Hospital, Abuja in 2013, when he allegedly complained of an ailment in the lower part of his body. Sunday Telegraph learnt that after several tests, his doctors concluded that the retired CJN was allegedly suffering from a kidneyrelated problem. This was confirmed by international medical experts when he was flown abroad by the Federal Government. He has been on dialysis for about two

years, the source said. According to the source, the former CJN suffered partial stroke shortly after his medical trip, following his complaint that blood was coming out of his anus. More tests were conducted on him, with a view to confirming the nature of his health problem. The source said: “I think his sickness is more of psychological trauma. You know he had some problems about the time he left the Supreme Court. No ceremony was held in his honour when he left the office of CJN. He is the first CJN for whom a valedictory service was not held. “There is this emotional problem too which bothers on the death of his wife in a

tragic way. “All this could have led to his breakdown,” the source said Justice Katsina-Alu was born on August 24, 1941. He is from Ushongo in Benue State. The retired CJN served with the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, at the Mons Military Training College, Aldershot, England before he abandoned the military for law when he attended the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, between 1963 and 1964. After his LL.B, Justice Katsina-Alu headed for the Inns of Court School of Law, Gibson & Weldon College of Law, School of Studies, University of Lon-

don, between 1964 and 67. He was called to the English Bar in October 1967. He attended the Nigerian Law School between 1967 and 1968. After a stint in private legal practice, he was appointed Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Benue State, in 1978. He was a Judge of the State High Court Judge for about six years, from where he was elevated to the Court of Appeal, where he served from 1985 to 1998. On December 30, 2009, Justice Katsina-Alu was sworn in as the Chief Justice of Nigeria by his predecessor, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, following the illhealth of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Obasanjo to launch memoir in London

ormer President Olusegun Obsanjo is scheduled to launch his controversial memoir, My Watch, in London on Wednesday. UK-based blogger, Uche Igwe, said in a statement posted on Facebook on Friday that the event would hold at Royal Society of Medicine in London. He said the former president would discuss the explosive book with British journalist, Richard Dowden, as well as Obasanjo’s life in service from his time as Nigeria’s military ruler in 1976 to his presidency which ended in 2007. “This event launches the former president’s explosive autobiography which is currently banned in Nigeria on the eve of a crucial and closely fought presi-

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Human rights groups have alleged that the Nigerian military routinely commits atrocities in the northeast of the country. However, a Swedish weapons expert, Pieter Wezeman, gave an insight into the countries where Nigeria had procured weapons from in recent times. Responding to a questionnaire from Sunday Telegraph, Wezeman said Nigeria had “bought weapons of all kinds from Italy, France, China, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Israel, South Africa and the UAE. The result is a patchwork of different weapon types that raises questions about the thinking behind the procurement. It must be a logistical challenge to work with so many relatively small batches of diverse weaponry, in particular in a

dential election. “Olusegun Obasanjo’s My Watch is a memoir of a lifetime spent in service to country. This book follows in the steps of his previous memoirs, My Command and Not My Will. My Watch spans large expanses of time, from the pre-colonial Owu history, to early Abeokuta and the last throes of an independent city state at turn-ofthe-century colonial Nigeria. The memoir explores the early life of its author, his civil war experience and his stewardship of the transitional government of 1976-1979 as well as his second appearance on the national scene as a civilian president on Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999,” the statement said.

President Goodluck Jonathan, acknowledging his supporters, during the PDP Presidential campaign rally in Kaduna …yesterday PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

Nigeria hires 100 mercenaries developing country in the middle of a war.” Wezeman, who is a Senior Researcher, Arms Transfers and Arms Production Programme at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Solna, Sweden, added, “If Nigeria wants weapons, it will have no difficulty to find a provider as long as Nigeria can pay. However, ending the terror of Boko Haram requires a lot more than bringing together an assortment of varied weapons from all corners in the world.” Efforts to obtain comments from Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters failed, as its spokesman, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, could not be reached. In a related development,

influential American paper, Los Angeles Times, has said that corruption is fuelling the insurgency. The report detailed cases involving alleged corrupt dealings by powerful government figures, which it says is worsening Nigeria’s economic woes and pushing people to embrace Boko Haram. Many see in such practices the genesis of the biggest threat to Nigeria’s security: Boko Haram, the paper reports. “Boko Haram initially had the principle of kicking back against the corruption of the state,” says Kemi Okenyodo, director of an organisation that advocates for justicesector reform. Indeed, at first, Boko Haram went af-

ter the police – notorious for abuse – and other government offices. Only recently have attacks on civilians been predominant. For Muhammed Tabiu, former Nigerian Bar Association Chairman in Kano, radicalisation in the Muslim north is driven in part by “a search for a solution to corruption; you can’t get a fair deal. You have to bribe.” First, Tabiu says, came a push for sharia law. But when that failed to deliver change, some sought more radical solutions. Meanwhile, Chadian jets yesterday bombed the Nigerian town of Gamboru in Borno State, as they targeted Boko Haram, Agence France Presse reports. An initial raid was car-

ried out around midday by two fighter jets on the town in Nigeria’s far northeast along the Cameroon border, sources from Chad and Cameroon said on condition of anonymity. It was followed by further bombings of areas around the town, Chadian sources said. The raids were aimed at “allowing Chadian soldiers to enter Gamboru,” a Cameroon security source told AFP. Details on damage or casualties were not immediately clear. Chad had some days ago retaken the Nigerian town of Malumfatori from Boko Haram. The Cameroon town of Fotokol and its surroundings, just across the border from Gamboru, saw fighting

between Chadian soldiers and Boko Haram extremists on Thursday and Friday. Chad’s military said three of its soldiers and 123 militants were killed in the two days of fighting in the area. Chad has deployed soldiers to Cameroon to help in the fight against the Islamists. Nigeria’s military said on Thursday that its fighter jets had bombed the northeast town of Malam Fatori, also controlled by Boko Haram. Witnesses and some media reports said troops and airforce planes from Chad were also involved in that operation on Nigerian soil but Abuja neither confirmed nor denied the claim. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday gave his backing to an African Union proposal to set up a regional five-nation force of 7,500 troops to fight Boko Haram.

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

News

I don’t wish Buhari dead, says Fayose AdesinaWahab

Ado-Ekiti

n an apparent volte face, Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, has again reacted to the condemnation which greeted his recent adverts comparing some of the nation’s former leaders who

died in the State House with the All Progressives Congress’ presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, stating that he does not wish him dead. Speaking while playing host to a team of diplomats led by the United States Consular General in Lagos, Mr. Jeffrey Hawkins over

the weekend, he said: “I am not wishing him dead, but I placed the advert to appeal to our sense of reasoning that he is too old to lead this country at this period. Fayose had sponsored the cover page adverts in some newspapers a couple of weeks ago with photographs of former Heads

of State Generals Murtala Mohammed, Sani Abacha and former President Umar Yar’Adua, and that of Buhari, stating that history might repeat itself should the latter be voted into office. Despite the controversy generated by the publication, the state government

L-R: Coordinator, Goodluck Good Governance Group (G4), Pastor Jemilehin Adedayo; Leader/Coordinator, Lagos, Alhaji Rasak Adetokunbo Yusuf; Convener, Otunba Femi Ajayi; Hon. Eronmonsele Celestine and Women Coordinator, Mrs. Abdulhammed Omowunmi, during the group’s takeholders’ meeting in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

ECOWAS gives condition for sending observers to North-East Onyekachi Eze,

T ABUJA

he Economic Community of West African States has said the outcome of its meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission will determine whether it would send observers to monitor the February general elec-

tions in the North East. ECOWAS’s Head of Democracy and Good Governance, Eyesan Okorodudo, who led the ECOWAS election observer team to interact with officials of INEC yesterday, said the commission had made its views known to INEC and it is awaiting response. At the end of their onehour closed-door meeting

with the INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega and other national commissioners, Okorodudo said they have been satisfied with what the commission intimated them with. He said they were at the commission “just to clear some of the concerns that we observed from our consultations with stakeholders and I think the

Judge Jonathan by his track records– Ajayi Chijioke Iremeka

he Executive Secretary Petroleum Technological Development Fund (PTDF), Mr. Yemi Ajayi, has called on Nigerians to judge President Goodluck Jonathan by his track records and re-elect him instead of being swayed by sentiments. Speaking at a book presentation by a group Goodluck Good Governance Group G4, in Lagos yesterday, Ajayi said “It would be a great injustice if we urge the electorates to re-elect the President based on sentiments. He should be strictly judged on his track record of achievements since he became the

number one political leader of Nigeria in year 2010. He has proved to be a role model for democracy and good governance since he became president of Nigeria.” “While it’s tempting to ask electorate to re-elect him because he is an easy going, likeable and humble gentleman or on the basis of his coming from a region that produces Nigeria’s black gold (Oil revenue), this election should not be run on sentiments,” he said. Ajayi noted that his respect for upholding of human rights and fundamental freedoms has been unprecedented among Nigeria heads of state, saying that he has shown

deference for rule of law, respect for court judgment and facilitated free and fair elections. Apart from the tangible but crucial benefits of democracy, he stated, Jonathan has made giant strides in sustainable development as visible in regular and stable fuel, power sector reforms, transport sector transformation (road construction and railway rehabilitation) and agriculture revolution. Speaking on the achievements of the Jonathan, he continued, “I want to draw the attention of Nigerians to what the President has done towards youth empowerment and employment since he assumed leadership in the year 2010.

chairman has done that and I think we are satisfied with the explanations ha has given. “We discussed in camera and I think what we discussed are very positive for the conduct of the election and ECOWAS will work closely with INEC to ensure that this process lead to success.” When asked of sending its observer to the northeast, Mr. Okorodudu said “We have discussed that with INEC and whatever they have come with, we will communicate that with the Nigerian people. “Professor Jega is highly respected by ECOWAS. We do belief that those implementations that he has put in place would be very productive and very helpful to the electoral process.” INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega, had earlier told the delegation that INEC was ready for the polls in February and welcomed the body’s partnership with the commission. He said while there are challenges in the build up to the election, he assured ECOWAS that INEC was on top of such challenges to conduct free, fair and credible elections.

issued a press release, standing by its action, even as the Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign organisation washed its hands off the advert. But reversing his earlier position yesterday, Fayose assured the diplomats that in spite of all anxieties, Nigeria will conduct a peaceful election this month, just like it did in the state last year. Fayose said the state witnessed a peaceful poll last year during the governorship election, expressing confidence that the standard this time around would not be lower in the general elections. The governor also told the team that the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, would win the February 14 election. “Our party, the Peoples Democratic Party, abhors violence. In the build up to last year’s governorship election in the state, there was no record of members of our party being indicted for violence. “We conducted ourselves in peaceful manner and

the records are there that it is All Progressives Congress members that were involved in violence. A number of them have murder cases hanging on their necks. Some are still wanted by the police and cannot come to the state. Fayose also appealed to political gladiators in the country to put national interests above personal ones. In his remarks, Hawkins said the unity of Nigeria should be paramount in the mind of politicians. He decried the tension in the polity, saying elections should not be seen as war. Hawkins added that the United States was interested in smooth transition and election in Nigeria. Hawkins also expressed readiness of the American government to support Nigeria to conduct credible polls, adding that Nigeria was important to the stability of the continent. He called on politicians, political parties and the electoral body to play their roles sincerely and allow the true wish of the people to prevail.

Elechi frets over inability to access N15bn bond Uchenna Inya,

Abakaliki

he hope of Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State to access a N15 billion bond from the capital market may have hit the rocks despite approval by the Security and Exchange Commission. Elechi said since the approval was granted last year, the fund has not been made whereas deductions from the state’s Federal Allocation for repayment of the bond had commenced since last November. Addressing the forum of Permanent Secretaries and Directors-General in the state public service that paid him a courtesy call at Government House, Abakaliki, Elechi said because of politics, his administration was caged by prominent politicians in the state who are fighting hard to ensure he does not succeed in securing the loan. Elechi explained that he was seeking the bond to enable him complete the projects his administration embarked upon before the end of his tenure and promised to utilise it if eventually released. According to him, de-

spite the fact that the bond was duly discussed in the House of Assembly and a resounding resolution was made approving it, some powerful indigenes of the state, including some of those who deliberated over its application are fighting hard to ensure the state is unable to access it. He said ‘’even though we have been refunding it for three months now because the commitment was entered into and from November 2014, deductions started from our Federation Account in keeping with the agreement, today prominent sons of Ebonyi State are still fighting tooth and nail to frustrate it including taking us to court and that is politics for you. He recalled that some of his Commissioners, one Permanent Secretary and “my son have been invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to make statements and were granted bail. He said these were geared towards ensuring that his government does not have funds to run the state, especially since they believe that the funds will be used to fund elections of some other people. He describes that as a funny idea.’’

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015

News

Hassan Jirgi Damaturu

arents of some of the captives released recently by members of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, have accused security operatives in Yobe State of preventing them from meeting the freed hostages. Boko Haram last week released 192 people out of the 218 abducted at Katarko villages in Gujba Local Government Area after spending three weeks in the insurgents’ custody. Some of the parents who were desperate to ascertain whether their children were among those released told Sunday Telegraph in Damaturu, the state capital, that the suspense they were made to experience has worsened their ordeal. Mallam Mohammed

Yobe attack: Relations seek reunion with former abductees

Usman, a resident of the area whose wife, Hajiya Aishatu, was kidnapped four days after childbirth told Sunday Telegraph that he was elated when news filtered that his wife had regained freedom, but the security operatives in the state prevented him from seeing her and the baby. “I was at the Model Secondary School where those released were camped by the security men. I am not happy that they have held my wife for six days without seeing her. I want to see my wife and child but the

security men feel that I am impatient, “he said. He appealed to the security agents to allow them access to their loved ones even if they would remain in protective custody. “They should allow us speak to them in order for us to know their health status even if we are not taking them home “he said. Another relation of the victims, Alhaji Goni Mali, gave a rather pathetic tale of how five of his family members including his wife were abducted from the same village. He said

he was pained because he spent the whole day waiting to be reunited with his family but was frustrated by the protocols of the security agents. “I was there all day but I didn’t see my wife and four children. I want to the state government and security agencies to release those recently released to their respective families,” he said. Another relation of the victims told Sunday Telegraph that while they were excited by the release, they were also worried about the

Scene of an accident involving a trailer loaded with soft drinks and 10 cars at Ado Junction, Koroduma Keffi Road, Nasarawa State…yesterday. PHOTO-NAN

Buhari campaign group tackles Jonathan over development Babatope Okeowo Akure

he Buhari/Osibajo campaign organisation in Ondo State yesterday tackled President Goodluck Jonathan and the People’s Democratic Party over their commitment to the development of the state. President Jonathan and Alhaji Adamu Muazu had at a campaign rally in Akure, the state capital said the Federal Government and the PDP are committed to the development of the people and the land. The duo also said the Yoruba people of the SouthWest, particularly, the people of the state, prefer the PDP and Dr. Jonathan to APC and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, saying his tenure as President as well

as his impact on the lives of the people amount to the best of progressive governance and that an APC government would amount dictatorship, intolerance and a one man show. But the State Coordinator of the Buhari/Osibajo campaign organisation, Hon. Ife Oyedele said there was no sensible imprints of PDP and Jonathan’s administration that could be pointed to in the state. Oyedele said the achievements of Buhari when he was Head of State speak volume and the people of the state would not forget in a hurry all those landmark projects and achievements when he was at the saddle. He said the unfortunate campaign of Jonathan could best be described as an embarrassment to the

sense of history and sensibilities of the people of the state, saying it was clear that President Jonathan and his party members in the state are merely entertaining themselves by tickling themselves in the armpits. His words “General Muhammadu Buhari has been Head of State before and has a solid record of discipline, Spartan lifestyle, deep focus and unquestionable patriotism. His efforts to protect Nigeria and her economy from mindless corruption, ostentatious living and patriotism are good deeds to his credit till date unlike the present rudderless ship of state, eaten out by corruption, impunity, cluelessness and executive incompetence, under the management of the PDP Government.”

Instead of boasting of his none existence achievements in the state, Oyedele said the President should focus on the crisis rocking his PDP in the state. His words “we therefore wish to advise President Jonathan to intensify efforts at resolving the intractable crisis within the remnants of his irredeemably disintegrated PDP in Ondo State, instead of giving excuses for his present failures and selling pipe dreams about the future to the people. “It needs to be stressed that just as PDP has become a symbol of crisis, confusion, betrayal and corruption to everyone in Ondo State, so has every parent who means well for the future of her offspring determined to vote for the Buhari/Osibajo ticket which represents Change.”

whereabouts of four of their family members. “Ten out 14 of my kidnapped family members returned,” one of the sobbing relations said. Ba’aji mallu Gujba who received his daughters confirmed that the insurgents

had called them to come and pick the captives at Woron Village yesterday. He added that he had been reunited with four out of five family members abducted by the Boko Haram.

APC playing politics of denial- Obanikoro

mmediate past Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro has chided the All Progressives Congress for denying that their presidential candidate was stoned in Lagos, adding that he wasn’t surprised, because the party was fond of defending and promoting falsehood. Obanikoro also challenged the party which questioned his recent nomination as a Minister, saying that he is absolutely competent considering his academic qualifications and unparalleled record of service to the state and Nigeria at large. In a statement signed by Obanikoro himself, he stated that he does not believe in repaying evil with evil hence, hence he condemned the stoning of General Buhari in Lagos. He said: “It is not surprising to see the All Progressives Congress quickly swinging into action denying the incident that occurred where their presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) was stoned at Idumagbo area of Isale-Eko, Lagos by an irate mob while making his way to the APC Presidential rally in Lagos. “Some people have described the incident as well-deserved, considering the suffering inflicted

on the people of Nigeria by General Muhammadu Buhari while he was Head of State, notably in the case of Lagos, the cancellation of the Lagos monorail project initiated by Governor Lateef Jakande. However, I belong to the school of thought that we must not repay evil with evil and as such cannot condone any form of violence or reprisal attacks on the person of General Buhari. He expressed his admiration for Mr. Lai Mohammed’s devotion to his role as the mouthpiece of “a dysfunctional and sinking political party heading towards extinction. His loyalty to his oppressors is touching. That he chose to call into question my second ministerial nomination by overlooking my academic credentials and record of service to Lagos and Nigeria ..lends credence to his party’s protracted challenge with academic qualifications from their National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to their presidential candidate. “Unlike General Buhari who has a track record of maintaining silence as a tacit approval of violence conducted in his name, the PDP and of course Lagosians do not abide by such principles.

Mimiko sets up panel on chieftaincy crisis

Babatope Okeowo Akure

overnor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State has inaugurated a five-man Judicial Commission of Inquiry into deserving cases of recognition, adjustment, upgrading and elevation of chieftaincy stools in the state. The commission, which is headed by Justice Chris Ajama of the State High Court, has Mr. Steve Adebowale, Mr. Gbenga Adelayi, Mr, Sunday Aladenika and Magistrate Adeola Mapamile as members. The chairman of the commission, Ajama vowed to justify the confidence reposed in

members of the commission by being fear and just in the discharge of responsibility assigned to them. Mimiko, while inaugurating the commission in Akure yesterday said that it has three months to submit its report to government except if an extension is granted. He said: “The commission is permitted to submit a report periodically on specific areas or specific chieftaincy titles and make its recommendations notwithstanding that the final report in respect of other respective areas and chieftaincy titles have not been submitted”.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

OPINION

The Ali-Anenih story: Oshiomhole as a modern-day revisionist

Francis Ehigiator

eading through a story without a byline in Daily Sun of Thursday, January 29, 2015 on Page 11 with the headline: ‘Anenih’ll fail again in Edo, says Oshiomhole,’ I marvelled at the ridiculous attempt by the Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, to revise history. For those who are not conversant with the history that Oshiomhole tried to rewrite for despicable political gains, the tendency would be for them to swallow his skewed narrative, laced with mendacity, hook, line and sinker. I have always known Oshiomhole to be a public space man, who enjoys playing to the gallery and cheap populism. He did that with the labour platform while he was president of the Nigeria Labour Congress. He is at his optimum best now reenacting that pastime as governor. One thing that rankles about the comrade governor is that he is always interested in listening to himself speak; the kind that assures him that he is endowed with some measure of oratorical prowess. Sincerely, I find it difficult to relate with that. Rather, I see Oshiomhole as one who seizes the centre stage to inundate the rest of us with perspectives that are designed to suit his predeterminations. Other perspectives do not always matter to him. When he speaks, he does so, as a matter of fact, to superimpose his worldview either on those with whom he is having discussions or his listeners. There may be nothing wrong with that, excepting when he tangentially employs

propaganda to bamboozle and appeal to the sentiments of the people. He has used this as his veritable weapon over and again to gain popular support in the ecology of Edo polity. He has a way of explaining away his apparent failings. The good thing is that the opposition party - the Peoples Democratic Party, in Edo State, which was completely discomfited by him in his first tenure, has now been able to put him on his toes, exposing him for who he truly is: an archetypical Nigerian public office holder who preaches accountability when there are wide gaps between verbal exhortations and transparency in the administration of Edo State finances. Well, that is an issue that will be fully interrogated in the nearest future. However, the mission of this writer at the moment is to revisit Oshiomhole’s attempt, at a rally of his party, All Progressives Congress in Ekpoma, to revise the political events that happened in the old Bendel State in the defunct Second Republic. I guess, he decided to do that after assessing the potential and actual damage the PDP had done earlier on at a rally in Edo Central, where the daughter of the late former governor of the State, Prof. Ambrose Ali, had, in an emotion-laden voice, called on the people to reject the APC’s presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, at the poll. Her argument was clear: Buhari clamped her father in detention, following his military coup that terminated the Second Republic and Ali was denied medical treatment, which eventually led to his demise. It is a documented fact of history that Buhari clamped all the civilian governors at the time in detention, tried and jailed them, both the corrupt

and incorrupt ones, for donkey’s years. Buhari came on board with a macabre sense of vengeance to settle scores with the politicians whom he saw as corrupt; even though his regime too had his shortcomings; otherwise, General Ibrahim Babangida would not have toppled him. But it was disingenuous for Oshiomhole to now posit that the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, played a role in Ali’s incarceration. I can understand that desperation had motivated the governor’s barefaced adventure because he wanted to minimise the collateral damage that the support Ali’s daughter gave to Jonathan had done to Buhari’s candidature in the state. Pray, was that the reason he wove the Ekpoma falsehood? Does Oshiomhole not know that many Nigerians are on top of the events that shaped that era? Now, how on earth could the Comrade Governor say that Anenih, who was then Chairman of the NPN in the old Bendel State, played a role in the incarceration of Ali? He must have been extremely desperate to tar Anenih with a brush of malfeasance just to counter the PDP masterstroke pulled by the prominence given to the narrative of Ali’s daughter. And, perhaps, in a bid to attack the basis of incredulity that his narrative might evoke in his listeners, he had cleverly made up a nexus in a bogus claim of a contract awarded by Ali to an unnamed leader (a top notch member of the PDP today) who did not do the job. If anyone, apart from Oshiomhole, believes this story, he or she would believe anything. I know that Oshiomhole himself does not be-

lieve his story because he knows in his heart of hearts that he was being dishonest. Ali was governor on the platform of United Party of Nigeria while those who ensured his defeat were in NPN. Is Oshiomhole saying that Ali gave contracts to his political opponents? Can Oshiomhole do that? I sincerely believe that at the time the people of old Bendel State voted out Prof. Ali, he (Ali) was not in a position to give out contracts to any NPN leader. It was the people of Bendel State, as it then was, that rejected Ali and his minority party, the UPN, at the poll; and voted massively for NPN and its governorship candidate, Brig. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia. And when that civilian administration under President Shehu Shagari was overthrown by Buhari who threw wide his dragnet for political actors, Ali, Anenih and Ogbemudia were all caught and detained. I understand that Anenih and Ali were both detained at Kirikiri Prison. So, if Anenih played a role in Ali’s detention, what was Anenih himself doing in detention? The Comrade Governor should not take our people for fools. A majority of us are educated and can reason logically. He cannot rewrite this history because even if many of our people do not know or cannot remember the events of the time, this narrative of his simply beggars description. I expect that our governor will attempt more revisionism as electioneering intensifies in the days ahead because desperation is in the air and he is indeed consumed by it; which is understandable but not excusable.

Jonathan’s agenda for stable power sector Marie Peters

resident Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s government has made good its promises to use the plethora of projects and programmes conceived under its Transformation Agenda to significantly grow the economy and improve the living standard of the citizens. Though the opposition shies away from this fact, the transformation is obvious to all and sundry to see. Against all odds, Nigeria is on the verge of permanently resolving its power sector crisis. The government made a significant leap towards solving the decades-long power sector crisis recently when it increased the electricity generation above 4,000 megawatts, the highest ever. A former minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, had stated that it had reduced the incidence of system collapses in the power sector. In his words: “Nigeria used to experience an average of four system collapses every month; that is, almost 50 system failures annually. Much as we have reduced the failures in the last one year, our goal is to reduce them to zero.” According to him, the achievements recorded in the sector in recent time have raised fresh hopes of meeting the 15,000mw target by 2014 and 40,000mw for stable electricity in 2020. Nnaji recently announced that despite the challenges facing the sector, the government has made stable electricity a top priority by the end of 2012. The administration acknowledges that in many homes there is no power, but it is working hard to improve that. The Jonathan administration’s goal is to make Nigerians enjoy power continuously for 24 hours. Based on this, it has now set up a framework for all stakeholders to be involved in delivering power.

As part of plans to achieve stable power supply, the government launched the power sector reform road-map and invested huge resources in the project. Also, as part of measures to achieve sustainable industrial growth, the government had put in place certain measures to attract foreign investors into the power sector. Notable development in this regard was the establishment of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc., to enhance smooth operations between the various independent power producers and distribution companies. In its bid to make the sector attractive to private investment, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission also introduced new electricity tariffs to take effect from June, 2012. ”There are opportunities in that; this is a business which is not serving us efficiently enough, generating revenue of N300-N400 billion. We estimate that within the next five years, it will go well over N1.5 trillion,” explained NERC Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi. The commission has also made provision for free meters, in a bid to help solve the problems of estimated billings. The initiatives are already bearing fruit, as the government has struck a number of power development deals. In March, Nigeria received the highest expression of investment support by a foreign investor in the power sector when the Federal Government and General Electric Energy of the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding for $10 billion power projects. Under the MoU, which was signed at the Nigerian High Commission in London, the $10 billion would be invested in various power plants with combined capacity of 10,000mw, with GE taking 15 per cent equity in each of the power plants. The government has already signed another agreement with two French companies, valued at about $200 million, for the

expansion of the country’s transmission network. The deal which also enjoyed the blessing of the French government will see the companies undertake the feasibility studies for the transmission upgrade, and thereafter, select and construct a high voltage transmission line and substations. Transmission hiccups remain the biggest challenge in Nigeria’s power delivery system, as the existing 330 and 132 kv network continue to suffer from prolonged and frequent outages, thus underscoring the need for fortification. Sequel to the new deal, the French power firms - Electricite de France (EDF) and the Enterprise de Transporte et Distribution D’electricity (ETDE) - will source the funds from their home government in form of grants to execute the projects. According to the Ministry of Power, the French companies are to partner a Nigerian company, Transnational Energy and Power Systems (TEPS) Ltd, for the execution of the project, in line with government’s local content policy. This, indeed, is a sign of investors growing confidence on the power sector reform. It is believed that the Jonathan administration is on the threshold of providing Nigerians with the true dividends of democracy and democratic leadership. The Federal Government also sealed a N240 billion ($1.6 billion) energy and housing deal with a consortium of Swiss and European investors last September. The group, comprising Seagas Services Limited and Oceanmar Services Limited, was led by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Head of International Affairs and Investments, Republic of Kosovo, Behgjet Pacolli. The government’s effort to improve power generation in the country, especially through renewable energy, also got a boost

when it received a grant of $7.84 million (N2billion) from the government of Japan. The donation under ‘The Project for Introduction of Clean Energy by Solar Electricity Generation System’ was granted to Nigeria for the provision of solar electricity generation systems and to tackle climate change. Besides wooing foreign investors, the government has taken practical measures to involve local investors in the efforts to solve the country’s electricity crisis. To this end, the NERC recently issued two new regulations that empower states, local governments and communities with the financial muscle to generate and distribute electricity. Through the regulations entitled: ‘NERC Regulation on Embedded Generation 2012,’ the government has practically relinquished its exclusive rights over power. Meanwhile, a recent investigation revealed noticeable improvement in power supply in many parts of the country, on the strength of government’s interventions in the sector. Certain areas that experienced severe outages are now enjoying hours of power supply daily. In conjunction with other economic team players, the administration has taken proactive measures to tackle inefficiency in the power sector. One of such measures was the placement of all chief executives of the 18 PHCN successor companies on performance indicators to engender efficient service delivery. To demonstrate that it would back up words with action, government had sacked non-performing managers and chief executives in the sector, replacing them with more competent ones. And since government started wielding the big stick, services across the distribution and transmission channels have improved tremendously. •Marie Peters writes from Lagos.

Sunday Mail FEBRUARY 01, 2015

You have a right to be heard! Send your letters and photographs to sundayletters@newtelegraphonline.com. Letters should not be more than 150 words and must have the name and address of the sender. On Buhari’s boycott of the Presidential debate Dear Editor, As a general principle, and all things being equal, it is not right for a candidate to pull out of a debate. As an exception, however, where it becomes apparent that the organization organising the debate contain members who are perceived to be biased, it may be permissible to withdraw from such a debate. To do otherwise would be to expose oneself to a disadvantage, since the debate would have been skewed against one’s interest from the start. It is on this premise that I feel the APC is justified in withdrawing from the debate being organised by elements suspected to be sympathetic to the ruling PDP. Is there a precedent already set in this country for such withdrawal? Yes; President Jonathan withdrew in 2011, I believe, and organised a debate for himself! I stand to be corrected on the point. In other climes, debates of the nature being organized in Nigeria, are usually organised by wholly independent and apolitical bodies. The debate I watched on TV, organised by NEDG [hope I got their name right] featured journalists from AIT, as the anchors, and to that extent the NEDG cannot be described as independent and apolitical. The journalists in question are no doubt people of unquestionable integrity and decent people in their private lives, but that is not the issues at stake when we talk (in legal parlance) about being independent and unbiased. Chief Raymond Dokpesi is, with respect to him, not an unbiased umpire in the politics of this nation and he is an avowed PDP chieftain. The test of being independent and unbiased is the acclaimed ‘apparent bias’ test expounded by the UK House of Lords; accordingly, the modern law of apparent bias was settled by Lord Hope in Porter v Magill (2001) UKHL 67, where Lord Hope indicated that the ‘question is whether the fair-minded and informed observer, having considered the facts, would conclude that there was a real possibility that the tribunal was biased.’ Abdul Jimoh Magodo, Lagos

Let your conscience guide you Dear Editor, My people, vote your conscience. Don’t be manipulated. If your pastor says don’t vote for a Muslim, ask him if Daniel served a saint; whether Modeccai did not serve King Ahaseurus and if Joseph was not a prime Minister under Pharaoh. This election is not about North versus South, nor is it Christian versus Muslim. It is about Nigeria and good governance. Don’t allow politicians divide us. When they share money, they don’t talk about religion. When they want donations from Aliko Dangote, they don’t remember he is a Muslim. When they enter an aircraft, they don’t ask the religious faith of the pilot. When their bosses are atheists, they don’t resign from the job. When an Alhaji gives them contracts, they don’t reject it. They and their wives go to Dubai to spend money. Dubai is in United Arab Emirates but they have no problems buying houses in Dubai. But when it comes to politics back home, they say they want to ISLAMISE you. Yet, some of these people were spiritual consultants to Abacha. Vote your conscience. If you want to vote for Jonathan, vote for him based on your conviction that he has performed in your estimation and not because he is a “Christian”. If you want to vote for Buhari, vote for him because you feel disenchanted with the current government, not because he is a Muslim. Say NO to bigotry. God bless Nigeria. Lawal Mohammed Abuja

APC and Jonathan’s TV advert Dear Editor, I saw APC sponsored TV Advert regarding GEJ’s promise to run for a single term in office. Well, just the same way GMB wept and vowed he will not run for the office of the President again. I am sure that at some point they both changed their positions. So I don’t see any big deal. At least one is free to change an opinion once you have superior information. Sylvester Ehis Ebhodaghe Ikeja, Lagos State

Crab stew on his mind.

Need for meaningful campaign discourse

Dear Editor, Haven’t we had enough of the hate and distractive campaigns from both leading political parties? Yes, it is important to have the requisite qualifications, but shouldn’t we allow the courts to sort out perjury and related offences while we focus on the issues troubling our people and our country? As elites, we must rise to the occasion and compel the parties and their candidates to dwell on their agenda they have to make life worth living for the people. It’s the reason I think APC is shooting itself in the foot by pulling out of the presidential debate. Let’s assume their allegation of bias against the debate organisers is true, would the organisers influence the articulation of the programmes of the party’s candidates? Doesn’t it give more electoral value to invade the enemy’s territory with your programme and win new converts than preach the scriptures to the converted? By the way, hate campaign have their unintended consequences. As they say in local parlance, “too much of everything is bad.” You must have heard the folktale of the tortoise and his farmer in-law. At dawn, the villagers found tortoise tied to the tree by his in-law on their way to their farms. “What did Mr Tortoise do?” they asked. “I caught him stealing from my farm,” came the response from the farmer. “Oh! He deserves his punishment. Mr Tortoise is a lazy man.” On their ways from the farms at dusk, the villagers still found tortoise on the stake. “Mr. Farmer, what happened again?” “He is serving the punishment for the yams he stole in the morning.” Then the table turned against the farmer. “Ha! Do you want to kill Mr. Tortoise over that little offence? What would you have done if he wasn’t your in-law?” Muyiwa Akintunde Lagos

APC and personal attacks on Agbaje

Dear Editor, Is it just me or is APC fretting about losing Lagos? Jimi Agbaje of the PDP seems to have connected with Lagosians in a special, intimate way. Not only did he floor Ambode, the APC candidate, in the gubernatorial debate, it appears that he is getting a boost from Lagosians disgusted with the thieving tyranny of Asiwaju and his effort to protect his financial and political empire by imposing the likes of Ambode on the people. Their anti-incumbency, throw-the-bums-out feelings have found a vessel of expression in Jimi Agbaje. Want to know who really has the momentum in that election and the anxieties running through the APC about Lagos? Look no further than the fact that, apart from a few wellplaced online banner ads, Ambode is not in the news - he is a dull, colorless, uninspiring and thus un-newsworthy figure - and the fact that every anti-Agbaje statement or press release from the APC is a personal attack on his person and character, not on his policy prescriptions. In fact, the APC would not even promote or defend the plans, if any, of their candidate and have instead decided, like GEJ’s people, that the path to victory is to damage the opponent in the eyes of the electorate. Moses Ochonu Ibadan, Oyo State

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

An advice for the elections Dear Editor, My people, vote your conscience. Don’t be manipulated. If your pastor says don’t vote for a Muslim, ask him if Daniel served a saint; whether Modeccai did not serve King Ahaseurus and if Joseph was not a prime Minister under Pharaoh. This election is not about North versus South, nor is it Christian versus Muslim. It is about Nigeria and good governance. Don’t allow politicians divide us. When they share money, they don’t talk about religion. When they want donations from Aliko Dangote, they don’t remember he is a Muslim. When they enter an aircraft, they don’t ask for the religious faith of the pilot. When their bosses are atheists, they don’t resign from the job. When an Alhaji gives them contracts, they don’t reject it. They and their wives go to Dubai to spend money. Dubai is in United Arab Emirates but they have no problems buying houses in Dubai. But when it comes to politics back home, they say they want to ISLAMISE you. Yet, some of these people were spiritual consultants to Abacha. Vote your conscience. If you want to vote for Jonathan, vote for him based on your conviction that he has performed in your estimation and not because he is a “Christian”. If you want to vote for Buhari, vote for him because you feel disenchanted with Jonathan’s government, not because he is a Muslim. Say NO to bigotry. God bless Nigeria. Vincent Abulu Lagos

Jonathan and poor publicity management

Dear Editor, The main problem with the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan administration is the failure to share information and facts on what is going on with the economy. This allows every charlatan to make bizarre assumptions and erroneous conclusions about the economy. Thank God Soludo has forced Okonjo-Iweala to finally speak so we know what is really happening. Tocini Casoni, Lagos

The Challenge of Abia State Dear Editor, The major challenge we have in Abia State is that politician sees governance as another form of buying and selling or better still as a 10% commission business. All they know is my my own. Minimal attention is paid to provision of social infrastructures, accountability is zero. The security and warfare of citizens are not in their dictionary. This is the belief of most electorate too. David Anyaele Aba, Abia State

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Moment

L-R-Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Developments, Dr. Ezekiel Oyemomi; Chief Executive Officer, National Centre For Women Development (NCWD), Onyeka Onwenu; Counsellor, Conflict Prevention and Development Co-operation, Embassy of Finland, Torun Eklund and Director, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Mohammed, during the combined Graduation of Vocational Skills Training Programme in Abuja…on Thursday

L-R: Chairman, Governing Council, Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko, AAUA, Ambassador Dele Akadiri; Immediate past Vice Chancellor, Prof. Femi Mimiko; his wife, Bosede; Governor Olusegun Mimiko and new VC of AAUA, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, at the send-off dinner in honour of the former VC by the AAUA Management in Akure…on Friday

L-R: Chief Executive Officer Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF), Imam Abdullahi Shuaib; Beneficiary of a tricycle, Yakub Folami and Chief Executive Officer, Jaiz Charity Development Foundation, Ambassador Adamu Babangida Ibrahim, during the 10th Zakat Distribution presentation ceremony organised by ZSF in Akoka, Lagos…on Friday

L-R: Tonye Best; Lola Okoye; Peter Okoye; Paul Okoye; Anita Okoye; and Lilian Okoye; during the burial of PSquare father, Chief Moses Okoye in his hometown in Ifitedunu, Anambra State…on Friday

L-R: Campaign Coordinator, Emeka Ihedioha for Governor, John Bosco Ozugbo; Chairman, Traditional Rulers Council of Nkwerre LGA, Eze Raphael Onukwuru and Imo State PDP governorship candidate, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, during the PDP Governorship rally at Nkwerre & Nwangele LGA …on Thursday

L-R: MD/CEO of Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), Uche Nworah; Bob-Manuel Udokwu and Miss Independence Anambra, Chizoba Ejike at the press conference to announce preparations for ABS at 30.

L-R: Chairman Emeritus AIT, Chief Rayond Dokpesi; General Secretary Guild of Editors, Mr. Isaac Ighure and founding Chairman, Nigeria Election Debate Group (NEDG), Aremo Taiwo Allimi, during the inspection of the venue for the Vice Presidential debate in Abuja…on Thursday

L-R: Secretary, Ambode/Adebule Youth Forum (Tertiary Institution wing), Akasoro Olamilekan; VicePresident, Faculty of Education, Lagos State University (LASU), Mustapha Damilola; President, Alliance for Reformation and Action, Durosimi Ibukunoluwa; Coordinator, Ambode/Adebule Youth Forum (Tertiary Institution Wings), Ogungbo Olawale and his Deputy, Awesu Olaniyi Williams, after a press conference to declare their support for the Lagos State Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress in Lagos…on Thursday

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARY, 2015

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

News

LP faults Buhari’s boycott of debate T Wale Elegbede

he Labour Party yesterday faulted the boycott of the planned presidential debate by the presidential candidate of the

All Progressives Congress, Major Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), urging him participate in the debate in order not to cast doubts on his ability to administer the nation. The Buhari’s campaign

...warned against arrogance

he Nigeria Posterity Project has charged Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate to drop his arrogance, selfrighteousness and talk to Nigerians in the open debate as designed by the Nigeria Election Debate Group. The NPP in a statement by its National Coordinator, Louis Ebodaghe in Abuja yesterday stated that they were not only shocked but embarrassed that someone seeking the mandate of the people is blatantly refusing to talk to the Nigerian people. “We condemn this attitude of General Buhari and point out that this has been his stock in trade over the years. We advise him to come down from his high horse and engage the Nigerian people who he is aspiring to lead as president. “His refusal to participate in the debate is an indication of the disdain, disrespect and how he despises the ordinary Nigerian. Obviously, Gen. Buhari is not someone who believes his actions or inactions should be subjected to public scrutiny and Nigerians don’t

deserve answers to pertinent questions that might be thrown at him. The statement said that the truth of the matter was that Buhari “is scared and afraid of his past which could be opened up during the presidential debate, and has only demonstrated that he’s nothing tangible to offer Nigerians except seeking vengeance, promoting hate, division and violence. “We, however, urge him to summon courage and attend the debate as the excuses he and his party have advanced are simply not tenable. We urge him to open himself to public scrutiny as all democrats would do, as the debate provides a veritable platform for that. He said that based on his antecedents, “Buhari we dare say is haunted by his records in office as Head of State where he was accused draconian laws and highhandedness in office. “We therefore challenge the APC presidential candidate to display humility and stop this impunity… Also, it’s on record that this same Gen. Buhari refused to appear before the Oputa Panel when summoned in 2000,” the statement said.

Group endorses Buhari, Osinbajo Temitope Ogunbanke

haris Royale Initiative (CRI), a faith-based organisation, has expressed their support for the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Major General Muhamudu Buhari, (rtd) and his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo for the February 14 presidential election. The Interim National Secretary of Charis Royale Initiative, Pastor Dele Adeogun said the organisation’s decision to endorse the Buhari and Osinbajo presidential ticket is in line with its mission to promote and advance the application of culturally relevant biblical principles and values in addressing the contemporary socioeconomic and political problems of the nation, Pastor Adeogun also called on all Christians

voters to come out and vote massively for General Buhari and Prof. Osinbajo who he believes best serve the interest of growth, progress and development of Nigeria irrespective of ethnic or religious bias. He, however, condemned act of violence that characterised campaigns in some states of the federation and urged politicians and citizens to eschew all forms of violence before, during and after the election. Speaking on the distribution of Permanent Voter Card (PVC), Pastor Adeogun appealed to the Federal Government to declare a free work day to enable voters collect their PVC, and urged all eligible registered voters to ensure that they collect their PVC on or before February 14 election.

team had said that he will not participate in the scheduled debates organised by the Nigeria Election Debate Group for the 14 presidential candidates and their running mates. In a statement issued in Lagos by its National Secretary, Barr Kayode Ajulo, the LP pointed out that the debate would help put issues in the proper perspective, devoid of propaganda. He said: “The excuse given by the APC candi-

date that the organisers were Federal Government parastatals agencies is not tenable because INEC too by law is a federal government agency. “It then follows that if Buhari should boycott the debate then he ought to also boycott the election since it is being organised by a federal agency. “The expectations of Nigerians and the International community will be dashed if Buhari should stay away from the de-

bate” the party said. According to the party, the major contenders in the election should take advantage of the debate platform to clear all doubts about issues raised against them by their opposition. “There are so many issues and controversies that the major contenders in the election should address. Nigerians are eager to hear them answer questions on these issues first hand. “Opportunity has been provided for all the candi-

dates and Nigerians need to see and check the physical and mental stamina, endurance, alertness and hear from their wouldbe President without any embellishment and make believe. “It will be detrimental to any candidate who chooses to stay away from the debate as that will simply imply that the candidate is either not capable to rule or has skeletons in his or her cupboard to hide,” the statement said.

Former Anambra State Governor/Deputy Director General, South, National Campaign Council, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi (left), with Mr. Alfred Nwosu, admiring a car manufactured by INNOSON Vehicles Manufacturing Company, during his visit to the company in Nnewi…recently

Alao-Akala promises revolving loans to traders Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

ormer Oyo State governor, Adebayo AlaoAkala and the Labour Party governorship candidate in state has promised to make revolving loan available to traders if re-elected. Speaking during a campaign tour of the four local governments in the Oyo zone of the state over the weekend, Alao-Akala, said that the loan would be part of his efforts at restoring the buoyant economy of the state, while lamenting the bad state of the economy in Oyo, which he attributed to capital flight and self-centeredness of the present government in the state. Alao-Akala’s campaign train was received by mammoth crowd, went through Iware, Eleekara,

Sawmill, Fiditi, Ilora, Akinmorin, Awe and to all the nook and cranny of Oyo town, where he paid homage to traditional rulers of the various communities, pledging that he would continue to respect traditional institutions. The Akibio of Ilora, Oba Oyeniyi Oparinde commended Alao-Akala for his support for the community and traditional institution in the state during his first term in office, while calling on his kinsmen to support the former governor who according to him, “will not betray the confidence reposed in him”. Also among the campaign train were Hon. Kamil Akinlabi, the House of Representatives candidate in Oyo, Gbenga Oyekola and Abdul-Fatal Okunlola, both LP candidates for the two House of Assembly seats in Oyo.

PDP chairman wife fetes 2000 Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

he wife of the chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in Imo State, Mrs. Oby Anyaehie who is also the founder of Mass Movement Initiative, yesterday empowered over 2000 indigent women with gift items and cash in her country home at Nkwerre council area of the state. The distribution of the gift items such as cooking utensils, home appliances, mosquito nets for nursing mothers and cash became part of the empowerment programmes periodically packaged by Anyaehie under the initiative to impact positively on the lives of indigent women and the less privileged. In her speech, Anyaehie noted that though married to a politician she is not a politician. “My family simply resolved to touch the lives of indigent women and less privileged persons

as a way of giving back to the society,” she said. Anyaehie explained that while MMI has continued to reach out to Imo people on humanitarian grounds, it has also become expedient to educate them on the need to sack the “insensitive government of Governor Rochas Okorocha,” and ultimately restore Imo to the path of progress and economic prosperity. She said that the task of rebuilding Imo would be largely achieved by first voting out Okorocha and his party APC from Douglas House to give way for the visionary government of the PDP that will be superintended and driven by Hon. Emeka Ihedioha. She, however, disclosed that they have taken record of the unemployed youths, widows, disabled and indigent women in Nkwerre for further empowerment programmes and urged them to vote massively for PDP to ensure realization of their dream.

SUNDAY

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Contents 01.02.2015 COVER

You must have heard so much about Gloria Okon, the story that led to the death of Dele Giwa. We were working on that story then. I was supposed to be one of the guys that were to travel to Kano

-Austen Ogumah

FASHION

High waist trousers exude sexy power; giving the illusion of a shapely figure. It flattens the tummy, and accentuates the hips/butt

T h e Te a m Juliet Bumah (Editor)

Vanessa Okwara (Correspondent) Wole Adepoju

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Biwom Iklaki (Correspondent)

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BEAUTY There are two major eyeliners that help to make the eye pop, giving you that wide eye innocence a lot of women crave

Ugochukwu Nnakwe (Graphics)

MY PASSION I love seeing my wife in short skirts because she has these crazy hot legs. I work hard because I must meet up with her standard

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

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GLAM DUDES Dressing down a suit has so many advantages. It gives you the variety of wearing your suit j a c k e t casually so you can put it on more often

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Associates

BED, WORK & LIFE

I clamped my thighs together shyly but he pulled them apar t with his arms and looked, then smiled at whatever he saw there.

‘Thank you my baby for giving me the chance to get there first. I assure you, yo u will never regret this honour you did me.’ Why thank me? Did I give him? No, he took it, he took my innocence.

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Helen Paul

Eyitayo Aloh

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015

Body&Soul

Our marriage break-up, a rumour - Leo and Maureen Mezie Nollywood’s fine boy, Leo Mezie, and his wife, Maureen, talk about their marriage, job and sundry issues in this interview with SONY NEME and VANESSA OKWARA

You have been away from the screen for a while now. Why did you leave the stage? I discovered that I was being stereotyped. The other side of me has not been fully utilized. I am an actor, not an arrogant Prince. Everywhere I go, that became my name because that was basically the role each producer wanted me to act. I suffered same fate between 2003 and 2007, when people thought I was an armed robber, because that was just the role producers reserved for me in almost all the movies I acted in. Also, I am a very good driver, so all the robbery driving stunts were reserved for me because I am good at it. It was not helping my situation. So I had to come up with excuses or hike the price, so as to avoid playing that role. Secondly what really got me off was that the scripts were similar in so many ways, the lines were too close that I did not feel challenged any more, then I decided to shut down. At that point, what was the alternative? For me it was time to take a break. And I remembered that I am a good motivational speaker, I counsel very well, and above all I can handle events better. So I moved into consultancy with corporate establishments, government agencies and top ranking individuals. And last year was when I got the biggest deals but had to slow down towards the end of the year because of the rigorous activities. But I have decided to come back to the screen this year because a fan I met in Port Harcourt encouraged me. Some of your roles are very raunchy. How does your wife take it? To be candid with you, when I met my wife and decided to marry her, she was working in a bank. I arranged for her to take her leave and took her to a location where I was going to shoot some scenes. Already, she knew my profession, but she didn’t know how it was done. I told my director that in every scene that I would be in, I wanted this woman to be allowed to watch it. She came along and saw that even the kiss, is not in a rosy mood. Because, for instance, the room where you are going to shoot a love scene is so hot because of the light that will be used. In that heat and sweat, you are covered with a duvet and your skin is touching, how comfortable do you think you can be? You want to take your role fast and leave. So the thought of getting aroused doesn’t even cross your mind. Being a cute guy, how do you handle your female fans or cope with sexual harassment? Most of the stories that make the round out there are not true. Nobody has ever asked me for anything to play a role. It is often said that the way you present yourself is the way you are received. Outside the industry, yes I have been harassed by a female fan that grabbed me. I felt so embarrassed but I had to smile and quietly

extricate myself. She knew I was not happy and she came back to apologies. I don’t give room for such. There was a time I almost cheated on my wife in Asaba. I was getting so close to one lady. And she was so nice, friendly and supportive. My wife was in Lagos. I had stayed a whole month, going to the second month in Asaba. Before we knew it, a kind of intimacy was beginning to develop. I kissed her once. What saved me was my wife’s prayer, and secondly she is a decent lady. So when I reminded her of my marital status, she reasoned with me. When I got back, I told my wife, she confirmed that she was actually praying that any woman who wanted to take her place should die. I find it hard to cheat on my wife because it will be difficult for me to hide. She will find out and that will be bad for my marriage. I just have to respect her. There is a story currently in the media that your marriage crashed. How true is that? The story is completely false! I was really shocked when somebody called me that that there was a story like that about my marriage in a newspaper. I was with my wife at a dinner on Saturday and somebody forwarded the link to me. It is very disappointing from whoever wrote that story. One of the issues in that story that baffled me even more was that I dumped my wife because she refused to smoke, how could such a story be true? You need to see my wife! Which man will have this kind of woman as a wife and play with her? She is the most beautiful girl I have come across on the surface of this earth. Even if you slap me, I will not risk quarrelling with my wife. I want to use this medium, to say that 90% of marriages of celebrities are broken by journalists. My wife has not been happy with the situation. She is a career woman and works in an oil servicing firm and manages a department. This story is not good for her at all in the office. Since we got married, we hang out together; to events and any other gathering. We hold hands whenever we are walking together or in the public. Our marriage is about five years now and it’s been blissful all the way. So between October and December, we have been busy travelling and hardly together. She was rounding up her company projects and had to put together eight different projects alone in December. So since people have been seeing us going out alone for some time now, they

just assumed that we are no longer together. What’s your style like? My style is basically casual. I love being casual. It must not be expensive or flamboyant. That is why you hardly see me at corporate events because I am not the suit and tie kind of person. When we take a peek into your wardrobe, what kind of clothes are we likely to see? You will see mostly jeans and T-shirts. Seventy per cent of my clothes are T-shirts and jeans and I have tried many times to change it to no avail. What is your passion? My passion is my wife. As I am speaking with your now, this is the second time that I am shopping for her this year. I love seeing my wife in short skirts because she has these crazy hot legs. This makes me work hard because I must meet up with her standard. She drives and keeps me happy. I love it when people see my wife and

imagine who her husband is and that is always my target. So I work hard just to spoil my wife. What are your favourite perfumes and wrist watches? I am not a perfume or cream guy. I just take my bath and wear my clothes and off I go. It is of late that my wife insists that I should use deodorant and body spray. She has been forcing me for years to use cream. It’s only when we bathe together and want to go out that I remember to use cream and all those stuff. This question goes to your wife Maureen. How did you feel when you saw the article about the crash of your marriage? Maureen: I was not happy about it. It is a pity some people wanted to use the false story to sell their papers. There was no credibility in what was written at all. Everything is okay with my marriage. We are doing well. What have been the qualities your husband has that has kept the marriage waxing strong? My husband always knows what I want.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul When was the first time you left the shores of Nigeria? The first time I went to the United States was in 1975. I went on my own to do my undergraduate studies. The university system at that time was considerably okay. What made you leave to further your education abroad? At that time, there were not enough higher institutions in Nigeria. So I had no option than to go abroad. It was the main thing at that time among young people; a young man would tell you that he was going abroad but you didn’t know what he was going to do. Basically, I went abroad to go to school. At that time you sought to go abroad, many Nigerians preferred higher institutions in the United Kingdom. Why did you choose to go to the U.S as it was not really in demand as regards university education abroad? It wasn’t as popular, no doubt, but it was an option; to go to the U.S was the main deal. The US was the main thing, Britain was just around the corner and a lot of people went there but I chose to go to the U.S. What was your experience the first time you arrived there. How did you cope with the weather changes and the cultural differences? Well, the fact is that I had a friend who also went to the U.S. He was still there then. I went to join him. Despite having a friend there, how did you cope with the environmental changes? The environmental change was very difficult; you had to look at them and deal with the suddenness of the country you were thrust into. I did not go to school immediately; I had to settle down, study the culture and attitude of the people. I actually went to Florida and from there to Los Angeles. Why did you choose to study communication? I was more like in the field while in Nigeria. At the time they were thinking of having a lot of media organisations, especially with the radios. I took along what was going on so when I went there, it was just natural

I wore same clothes for days after Dele Giwa’s death - Ogumah Austen Ogumah is a veteran journalist who has practised in the US and Nigeria. In this interview with BIYI ADEGOROYE and AHAOMA KANU, he recalls his undergraduate days in USA and years spent in Newswatch magazine I went into mass communication. You had been exposed to the Nigerian media. So when you took up mass communication what differences did you observe? The fact is that there is a major difference between the media here and in the US. In Nigeria, it is centralised, in the sense that you had NBS (defunct Nigeria Broadcasting Service) broadcasting mainly in Lagos; but out there it was done on state lines. You didn’t know what was going on in the next town or state. But in Nigeria there was only one radio station. Tell us about the period you went to school and how you related with your fellow students. Were you ahead in your class? No, I was not ahead of my class. One thing is that you may know much about general media but they want you to know about the American press. That was a problem. They told me that they didn’t have room for teachers to teach me as an international student and that was it. Outside school or in between, what was the first job you took up? How was the experience like? The thing was that I did work here in Nigeria at Newswatch and that was where I got the experience. So after studying in the US you came back to Nigeria. When was that? I came back in 1983. So you were at Newswatch when Dele Giwa was killed? Yes. How did that affect you? I was very devastated. I was at Ibadan that Sunday the incident happened. I went there to pursue a story. His name was Kayode Williams. He came to tell me at the hotel I was staying that something had happened; he said that Dele Giwa had been killed. Earlier that day, he came to pick me up and took me around. Kayode Williams was a member of a gang

of armed robbers; he was a member of the Oyenusi gang and I was doing a story on the gang then. He got a prison sentence of 25 years and got converted as a bornagain Christian while in prison. Because of Dele Giwa’s death, I never wrote that story. From there, I went to the airport, flew to Lagos and headed straight to Dele Giwa’s home. It was one of those things that you had to take as it came. Working inside the newsroom at Newswatch, could you describe the mood when the incident happened. Did his death inspire you and others to write more stories or was it demoralizing? It was very inspiring; you wanted to do whatever you could do to show the military who had everything that they could not kill the profession. The clothes I wore to Ibadan were the same clothes I wore to Lagos and until he was buried. A few weeks ago, a satirical magazine was attacked in Paris, France and a number of journalists killed. How will this affect journalism? It will not affect it because other journalists are going to branch out and start doing that same thing which the terrorists tried to stop. It is only those that have committed a crime that will have a sense of remorse. It will not affect the journalists and they will go on and do what they were doing. For the fact that they were attacked makes them more determined to do what they set out to do. The journalists in them will come out more daring. One of the issues that Africa as a continent is going through is corruption. Having been a journalist at home and abroad, what is the main role of journalists in tackling corruption? The role of the media is to expose them. When you see them, you write about them and it is left for the government to prosecute them. Is the Nigeria media doing enough of that in your view? No, it is not doing enough. How does the tradition of politicians owning media houses affect exposing corruption? It is okay but are they going to be able to fund them for life? That is the question. But for them to say that they are going to break them by funding them, I wish them luck. You practised journalism in the military era. Can you tell us some of the encounters you had with the government then? I can tell you some of the stories I initiated. After the Gideon Orkar coup in 1990, I suggested we should do a story on the army coverage; the way the soldiers protect the presidency, what is it that the soldiers do to cover the president. Well, somehow it turned out that that story was stopped. Who stopped the story? The story was stopped by the military, by the Babangida regime. Was it stopped through your editors? Yes. How did they know the story was being planned? That is the question. The message came

to the editors, that that story should not be pursued and that story was not done. Does it not suggest that there was a mole in your midst? There was a possibility of a mole being within us but it looked more like our office was bugged. Were there other instances like that? You must have heard so much about Gloria Okon, the story that led to the death of Dele Giwa. We were working on that story then. I was supposed to be one of the guys that were to travel to Kano because I had the contact of a source close to the doctor that issued the death certificate. He happened to know one of the customs officers that arrested the lady so that was how we started the story and I was asked to go. I was still planning on going to Kano when the bomb exploded on Dele Giwa. At that time, he was supposed to go to the US with his children; he brought them home during summer. That story was never done. Did his death not inspire you to go on with that story? Was it that you became afraid to pursue the story further? I will not say we were afraid; the girl that came up with the story travelled to Kano and she was followed by security agents to see whom she was going to meet. Nigeria has been battling with insurgency. Has the government done enough to deal with the issue? The government is not united; there are a lot of saboteurs. The governor of Borno State, because he belongs to the opposition party, seems to be taking the problem very lightly. It is more like he is taking it as a joke. So the whole thing is that they want to put pressure on the President to leave office because they feel he took over their turn to lead the country. For the insurgency to have degenerated to this level is uncalled for. Nigeria has approached the U.S a couple of times to procure weapons to fight the insurgency and they have refused, citing human rights concerns as the reasons for their decision. But they also raise concerns that the government has not been doing enough to fight the insurgency. How will you categorically assess the involvement of the U.S government in the fight against this menace? The U.S has been involved in Iraq and some other countries but you should know that U.S and Britain are much in compliance and follow things as one. If Britain cannot get involved, U.S will not be involved. U.S involvement is biased because there is no real form for them. Real form in what sense? It seems to them that the Chibok girls were not really kidnapped or are being hidden somewhere. You know when that incident happened, Obama came and said that they would assist in rescuing the girls. They sent their forces and they came but the forces on ground were not ready to go. Why do you think Niger, Chad and Cameroon are not really showing much interest in helping to eliminate Boko Haram? They are not interested and I think it is a personal issue. They should be worried but they were not worried until recently.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2015

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

with

Juliet Bumah +234 81 1 675 9770

julietbumah@gmail.com

And mom’s hubby took my innocence

lice adjusts herself on the divan. She’s oblivious to the stares from Kathryn and Dave. She is in a world of her own. James gazes at her with rapt attention, wondering what else she’ll say. He wishes she would stop talking but he can do nothing about it. If Alice decides to pour out her mind in the presence of family members, so be it. He sneaks a look at Kathryn, wondering what secret she’s hiding deep in her soul. A common whore who chances upon good fortune. He will deal with her at the most appropriate time. He believes that Kathryn revealed his secret family to Alice. He’s sure Dave will go bonkers when he hears that his cherished wife is worse than a tramp. He wonders if Kathryn’s pregnancy is truly Dave’s. To think that Dave actually fell in love with a whore! Alice clears her throat subtly. She turns to her husband and smiles ruefully. She begins again, “Uncles breath was on my face. He was angry. His fingers got rough with me and I cried out. ‘Sorry, my baby. I won’t hurt you again,” he said to me. ‘I had kept you for myself. I didn’t know that your bastard teacher has been toying with you. Promise me you won’t allow him to touch you again.’ I nodded, wondering how I was going to do that. “Then, uncle went for my boobs again and I began to enjoy it. I think they fascinated him. He seemed to like the fact that they were big and firm. ‘My baby, yes that’s what I’ll call you henceforth when your mother is not around.’ The mention of momma did something to me. I became afraid. She would kill me if she found out I did this with her man. But then, momma and I weren’t exactly the best of friends. My grandparents took care of me and when I came to live with momma, we were like strangers at first. Momma will kill me if she sees us,’ I told uncle. ‘Relax. She won’t see us. I will take you out of this village. I will take you to a school in the city. I will buy you fine things. A beautiful girl like you deserves the best. I will ensure you get that. Just be true to me and you will know no poverty. Uncle’s four fingers were inside my cave, going in and out smoothly. I had gone very wet down there. Uncle’s hands on my nipples usually did that to me. For three years, I had experienced the feeling. I relaxed. I think he felt it. Then he did what no man had done to me before. He kissed me on the mouth and I became lost. As his tongue prodded inside my mouth, I noticed that his peen was very hard. ‘My baby, I will not hurt you,’ he said, breathing heavily. “Then, he laid on me and put his huge peen between my now very wet thighs. I panicked. ‘Relax, I told you I won’t hurt you. I used my fingers to make it easier,’ he told me. ‘I want to pee’, I replied and he told me to hold it. Gently, he forced my legs apart with his legs and pushed his peen against my vee. One, two, three and he pushed through. I felt a sharp pain, but not in the magnitude of what they said would come with it the first time and I worried. Had I lost it earlier to my teacher’s fingers?

Uncle pushed in and out gradually until I could take the whole of him. I didn’t understand how I felt but he seemed to be enjoying it. He grabbed my boobs, kissed them, kissed my mouth and was behaving strangely. His breathing came faster, then, he suddenly pulled his peen out of my cave. He started shaking and I felt something wet and slimy on my thigh. I was scared. Uncle was shaking and shaking. After a while, it subsided. “He got off me and checked my cave. I clamped my thighs together shyly but he pulled them apart with his arms and looked, then smiled at whatever he saw there. ‘Thank you my baby for giving me the chance to get there first. I assure you, you will never regret this honour you did me.’ Why thank me? Did I give him? No, he took it, he took my innocence. ‘Was it painful?’ he asked and I nodded. ‘I’m sorry my baby. You won’t feel much pain the next time.’ The next time was there and then because he was already playing with my boobs again. He was right, the next time was better. I think I enjoyed it. He asked me to take a bath afterward, which I did. I didn’t go to school that day. I felt tired and wanted to rest. Then, I understood why momma normally slept after uncle left her. That day, he gave me more money when he was leaving. “It was a new chapter in my life. It became a frequent occurrence. Uncle would come when momma was not in and I looked forward to his visits. He took better care of us and we were happier. “One day, momma called me into her

room and told me that uncle had secured admission for me into a school in the city. I stared at her. So uncle meant it? He had been having me frequently for four months and I had been missing school often. He was 36 and a widower with three kids who were living with their maternal grandmother. He made it a point of duty to eat breakfast in our house most times if he was in the village and that became frequent. Momma’s business was thriving and he forbade her to have a shop assistant which meant she left home very early every morning. I would prepare food for my siblings and they would go to school. Uncle would come in early for a bite and a cunt. I had begun to enjoy it. He taught me so many tricks. I had become daring. He would tell me what to do and I would do it. I smiled and momma caught me. ‘Alice, I don’t know why I have a feeling that you are hiding something from me,’ she said and I nearly jumped out of my skin. ‘No momma, I’m hiding nothing from you,’ I said, looking away. ‘Well, you have no choice, but John seems not to want you in the house. He’s been complaining about you so much of late. He provides everything for us in this house. He is not sending you away though, he is taking you to the city to stay with his friend’s family from where you will go to school,’ momma said and I heaved a sigh of relief. “Two days later, uncle took me to town. He kept me in the house of his married friend whose wife was never at home. She ran a beer palour and came

back home very late each night. I would go to school in the morning and help Aunty in her shop in the evening. Uncle would come to the house in the afternoon and I would satisfy him. Then, aunty’s husband started having it with me also. Later, Aunty started using me as bait to get more men to patronise her shop.” James feels like retching. Oh no! Has he been living with a cheap whore as a wife? No! He looks at his cousin and his wife. They must be laughing at him in their minds. Kathryn looks at her friend and soul sister. She is so bold to talk about her past. Kathryn admires her. Dave’s face is a study. He is confused. How could Alice have gone through what she just narrated when he was convinced that he took her virginity? Why would Alice cook up such a tale just to spite her husband? Alice seems to read his mind. “Whenever Aunty got a new client, she would give me to him as a ‘virgin’. She had something she gave me to tighten down there and the man would think it was my first time,” she says, looking directly into Dave’s eyes. Dave’s eyes dilates. He understands that that last information is meant for him. James stares at them... ******* What is happening here? You won’t find out if you don’t keep a date with me next Sunday! •Send your observations to the email above.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015

Eyeliner is the look!

Vanessa Okwara

yeliner can make even the smallest eyes appear larger. Eyeliner is not only a way to play with colour and make a statement, it’s also the perfect instrument to reshape your eye. Eyeliner is not intended simply to enhance a look. In 2015, eyeliner is the look! For every possible variation of look you may want to create, there is a liner for the task! There are liners that are as thick as crayons and those as thin as a human hair; there are liners that smudge and liners that won’t smudge

for days; there are liners that dot, smear, and stick. They also come in different shades and colours to help add drama to your eyes. There are two major eyeliners that help to make the eye pop, giving you that wide eye innocence a lot of women crave for. You can create these looks with either pencil eyeliner or with liquid or gel eye liner. You can use an eyeliner pencil, a liquid liner or an eyeliner brush dipped in a deep shadow to line eyes. If you use a pencil, set the line with eye shadow because penciled lines tend to melt and won’t stay put all day.

To apply liquid eyeliner, line the eye from the inside of the lashes outward in one big sweep. You can also line the eye from the middle of the lash line outward and then finish the line from the inner corner of the eye to the middle. To make eyes appear wider, on the upper lashes, dot the liquid liner into the spaces between the lashes, wiggling the liner into the lashes. The result is to look as if the lashes themselves are super thick at the root. If you want to do the little flick at the end, creating the cat eyes, a good trick is to take any type of thin plastic and holding

at an angle starting from your lower lash line, use that as a guide. It makes it much easier if you don’t have a very steady hand. Then fill in the point to match the rest of the line. The final step is to apply some mascara to your eyelashes. It helps to blend everything in together. Check yourself out in the mirror, make sure you don’t have any streaks or smudges, and you’re ready to go. Whether you choose a soft line or a dramatic stroke, you can embellish the windows to your soul by spending just a few minutes in front of a mirror with an eyeliner.

Body&Soul

Vanessa Okwara

he 80s high waist style is back! They are causing a massive stir in the fashion world from high waist skirts and shorts to trousers. They are simply amazing and adored on women of all shapes. The high

cluding straight-leg pants, flared jeans, skinny jeans and flowing palazzo pants. High-waisted bottoms not only appeal to women of all ages, but also to women of all shapes. They work with a variety of body types, and you don’t have to be a supermodel to wear them. For petite women, high-waist trousers and shorts can elongate the legs to make you look taller. For

tops, you can’t rely on a flowing shirt to cover your flaws. Also, they have to fit perfectly. No matter how expensive they are, if it’s short, pulling across the hips or sagging in the crotch, it just looks so wrong and bad. One of the qualities of high-waisted trousers is their ability to elongate your legs, so you need to pay close attention to the pair of shoes you wear with them. As much as wear-

Flattering high waist glam

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

SundayBusiness SUNDAY

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2015

Transport

2015 Mercedes set to enter Nigerian market p.24

Brands

Poster war: Group threatens to drag police to NHRC, PSC p.27

Interview

Soon, no business without national identity number – Onyemenam p.29

Emefiele

Fears persist over shaky Naira T

Paul Ogbuokiri and Chijioke Iremeka

Paul Ogbuokiri Head, Business paulogbuokiri@newtelegraph online.com

Amangbo

he Naira, which has been depreciating in value against other currencies on Wednesday had a momentary respite after the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation sold around $350 million to the banks. This helped the currency recover from a record low against the dollar. The interbank rate closed at N186 to the dollar, gaining 3.55 per cent in volatile trade from Tuesday’s record low close of N192.10 to the dollar. NNPC, which accounts for the bulk of hard currency traded on the interbank market, sells dollars every month to buy Naira for its local operations. This is coming as the Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday, said it is considering stopping the sale of dollars for the importation of goods that are already manufactured in the country as it seeks to reduce pressure on the Naira, hit by a drop in oil prices. CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, said at an interactive session with the private sector in Lagos that the Apex Bank, “will meet legitimate demands, but we will not be concerned about illegitimate demands.” According to him, the speculative demand for the dollar in the foreign exchange market may compel the central bank to stop allocating dollars for the importation of certain category of items, such as rice, that can be produced in the country. Though he assured the businessmen that no fiscal measure that could hurt their businesses would be taken by government, he, however, said, “With the way we are going, we will not allocate foreign exchange for you to import rice. The same way we would graduate it to other products.” He also said that if the CBN allows the Nairato trade more freely (free float) then “it will

The only thing that will reduce pressure on our currency is by producing those things we are importing today, Emefiele was quoted as saying by New Telegraph on Tuesday. He was further quoted by Bloomberg TV Africa as saying that the central bank has no plans to further devalue the currency

lead to a major depreciation” as Nigeria is not yet an export-driven economy. “The only thing that will reduce pressure on our currency is by producing those things we are importing today,” Emefiele was quoted as saying by New Telegraph on Tuesday. He was further quoted by Bloomberg TV Africa as saying that the central bank has no plans to further devalue the currency, adding, “We will continue to take all measures to defend the currency at the current exchange rate.” The central bank devalued the naira in November and raised the benchmark interest rate to 13 per cent. The CBN, that month, also banned the use of dollars purchased at its twice-weekly auctions for the importation of items including electronics, telecommunication equipment and generators. The naira has slumped 16 per cent against the dollar on the interbank market in the past six months, the most among 24 African countries tracked by Bloomberg. It traded at N192.45 at of 12.43 pm on Tuesday in Lagos, its lowest on record. Analysts projected the success of measures implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria to safeguard

the value of the Naira. Safeguarding the value of the currency and the country’s external reserves were at the forefront of the Monetary Policy Committee’s considerations at its November meeting, when it devalued the Naira. The committee undertook to tighten monetary conditions by utilising instruments it believed to be most potent in addressing excess liquidity in the banking system. A 100bp increase in the MPR with a 500bp escalation in the cash reserve requirement (CRR) on private sector deposits was expected to bring about orderly behaviour among banks and ensure that funds are deployed in more productive sectors. This opinion was shared by Kunle Ezun, an analyst with Ecobank Transnational Inc in Lagos, in an interview with Reuters. He said: “A drop in forex inflows will continue to put immense pressure on reserves and affect the ability of Central Bank to continue to support the currency.” The Financial Derivatives Company, in its recent monthly economic report, blamed the depreciation of the Naira on foreign exchange round-tripping, speculation and repatriation of profits by foreign companies. The company said speculators are besieging the market to take positions, due to their expectations of a weaker currency as a result of declining trend in oil prices. This will result in a slowdown in external reserves accretion and the ability of the CBN to continue its support of the Naira. “The divestment of international investors’ funds from high yield government securities is increasing the demand for forex; round-tripping between the official and parallel market. The spread between parallel and official rates has widened to levels last seen in December 2009 and early January 2010. The gap between the official spot rate and the parallel cash rate is currently N9.1, from a low of N2.94 in March,” the company further said. Meanwhile, the Financial Markets Dealers AsC ON TI N UE D ON PAGE 25

SUNDAY

Transport

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2015

2015 Mercedes set to enter Nigerian market

Paul Ogbuokiri he 2015 Mercedes’ GLA Class will soon be available for the Nigerian market, Public Relations Manager, Westar Associates, Funmi Lawuyi, has said. She told Sunday Telegraph that the vehicle completes the small car triple-play so beloved of its compatriots Audi, VW and BMW - a hatchback-based SUV. “It has the extra height and the four-wheel drive its 4Matic badge implies.” According to her, the vehicle has some chunky urban warrior chic black plastic, big wheels to fill its huge arches and that now unmistakable Mercedes aesthetics. Lawuyi said in a way, the GLA kicks off the second-generation of German small SUVs by being the last of the first. “Whichever it is, it needs to be good to take on the competition. In its base form your money gets you a six-speaker stereo with USB and Bluetooth, cruise control, dual-zone climate control, alarm with tow away and motion sensor, man-made ‘leather’ trim, rear-vision camera, front and rear proximity sensors, electric front seats with memory and heating, auto headlights and wipers, active bi-xenon headlights, keyless entry, gigantic panoramic sunroof and power mirrors and windows,” she said. She said that Driving Assistance adds active cruise and lane departure warning while the Comand package throws in DAB digital radio, 12-speaker stereo, internet bridging with your mobile’s data

connection and an inbuilt hard drive. According to her, the slightly blunt front end of the vehicle is capped by a shapely bonnet and the rest is basically standard raised hatchback, with wheelarches in unpainted plastic. The front and rear

put-together and slickly designed. “The accommodation is good, with plenty of headroom and adequate legroom for rear passengers, but a long-range five-seater it isn’t, at least not if you value those rear passengers,” she said.

Mercedes GLA class

Nigeria imports N600bn vehicles in 2014

New Lexus NX 300h in British market

Lexus NX 300h

he new, futuristic-looking Lexus NX 300h hybrid sports utility vehicle hits Britain’s roads this month. According to the Mail Online, more than 800 advance orders have been taken for the mid-sized, compact, petrolelectric crossover, costing from £29,495 for the entry level S version with frontwheel drive and up to £42,995 for the fully loaded, all-wheel-drive Premier trim variant. Five equipment grades are on offer. They’re creating a buzz and I’ve already had people ask whether they should opt to buy one before considering its archrival, the Range Rover Evoque, another radically styled vehicle. Mail reported that the vehicle features wireless charging for smart phones, a panoramic view monitor, head-up display and blind spot monitor. It also features wireless charging

bumpers have satin chrome inserts. It’s not a heavy-handed SUV, just enough to convince the SUV buyer that they’re buying one, she said. She said its interior is instantly familiar to A/CLA owners, even as it is well

for smart phones, a panoramic view monitor, head-up display and blind spot monitor Mail noted that the Lexus NX will be the first model to feature Lexus’s ‘pre-crash’ safety system and adaptive cruise control as standard. Add wireless charging for smart phones, a panoramic view monitor, head-up display and blind spot monitor and it’s quite a package. Standard features of the S include 17in alloy wheels, hill assist control and speed-sensitive automatic door locking. Comfort and gadget levels increase through the trim levels. The flagship Premier includes 18in alloys, Lexus premium navigation, a 360-degree panoramic view, lanekeep assist and heated steering wheel. The NX 200t, with a new 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine, follows next March.

igeria’s dependence on imported vehicles further depleted the nation’s foreign reserve in 2014 by over N600 billion (about $4 billion by last year’s exchange rate). Director General of National Automotive Council, Mr. Aminu Jalal disclosed this on Friday in Lagos in a ceremony to mark the graduation of 1002 trainee mechanics, trained in repair of modern vehicles. He said the country imported 400,000 vehicles last year out of which 100,000 were new vehicles and the rest used. According to Jalala, the foreign exchange was expended on purchase of vehicles, spare parts and tyres. “The automotive industry is currently the second largest user of foreign in Nigeria,” he said. Representative of the chairman of the Board of NAC, Chief Tunde Zedomi said that the Federal Government aims to end capital flight caused by importation of vehicles, saying, this it intends to do by ensuring that the nation’s automotive industry takes over the manufacturing of Nigeria’s vehicle needs and also produce for export. He said the National Automotive Development Plan is part of the country’s industrial revolution plan that aims to increase the contribution of the industry to the GDP from 7 per cent to 2014 to 10 per cent in 2015 and 13 per cent in 2017. The chairman Lagos State chapter, Nigeria Automotive Technicians Association, Asiwaju Jacob Fayemi lamented the long neglect of the sector by the past administrations in the country, saying if the current effort of the Federal Government is sustained, Nigeria would soon become self-sufficient in the automotive

industry. He also praised the Lagos State for its effort in the training of auto workers. He also said that it will not be in the best interest of Nigeria for the implementation of the National Automotive Policy to be postponed beyond the first quarter 2015, saying with the nation’s income from oil dwindling very rapidly, efforts to ensure that the country produces the vehicles it needs must be reinvigorate. The 3-week training which was put together by SURE-P, NAC and SEMEDAN for auto technicians from the 36 states of the federation and Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria, trained 1004 Mechanics last year in similar exercise which was aimed at equipping the beneficiaries with the necessary skills to repair modern generation vehicles. Jalal said, this is in line with the newly approved NAIDP. “Last year, the NAC conducted a skill gap analysis on mechanics in Nigeria, i e the knowledge of Nigerian mechanics and basic needs for vehicle repairs. Unfortunately, it was observed that lot of Nigerian mechanics lacked the skill/or equipment to properly maintain modern vehicles. As a result, NAC began various training programmes for auto workers from 2006 tom date… The Council in collaboration with SURE-P and SEMEDAN put in serious efforts to making a success, NAC provided the trainers, training manuals, books and other logistics support, SEMEDAN provided entrepreneurship training while SURE-P financed the whole programme including the empowerment tools… and allowances, Jalal said.

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

News CONTINUED FR O M PAGE 25

sociation (FMDA), as the club of 40 banks, discount houses and brokerages is known, reportedly on Wednesday agreed to halt trade if the Naira fell more than two per cent in a day. FMDA chief executive, Wale Abe, insisted that no Central bank officials were present at Wednesday’s meeting and said it was an entirely voluntary measure to curb volatility, in line with the body’s support for financial market stability and maturity. Reuters however expressed, fears that the seemingly ad hoc decisions from a collective of rival banks raise questions about transparency, suspecting hidden Central bank regulation. “This is extraordinary, especially when you’re trying to encourage an independent market where market forces determine the rate and you don’t have regulators casting a heavy hand,” said one currency strategist, who asked not to be named. “They’re basically setting limits on where the interbank market can trade,” the strategist added. “It’s very informal and that’s the problem. You can’t begin to understand the market if you’re not sure what the underlying policy is,” Reuters said on Wednesday. Sources close to the Central Bank said on Tuesday that the apex bank in the last one year, the Central Bank, has burned through 20 per cent of its reserves -- $28 million a day -- in defence of a currency that has remained under unrelenting pressure because of a basic lack of petro-dollars. In mid-January, reserves stood at $34.5 billion. Besides an official eight per cent devaluation in November accompanied by a 100 basis point interest rate hike to a record 13 per cent. The dwindling reserves have forced the Central Bank into less orthodox measures. Prominent among these has been to declare war on currency ‘speculation’ by making commercial banks close off their currency positions at the end of a trading day, rather than maintain an overnight stance on either the naira or dollar. It relaxed that ban an inch last week but the market remains very illiquid, to the concern of outside investors such as JP Morgan, which threatened this month to eject Nigeria from its influential Emerging Markets Bond Index as a result. “Notwithstanding the positive effect of the lower oil price on fuel costs, a weaker Naira will have a more pronounced impact on headline inflation due to Nigeria’s reliance on imports of raw materials, refined products and consumer goods. While the 12-month change in core inflation remains sticky at 7.1 per cent, it is at risk of becoming unhinged owing to second-round effects, necessitating tighter monetary policy,” RMB stated. “Taken together, the CBN’s measures should reduce pressure on the Naira and slow the depletion of foreign exchange reserves. The unsettling prospect for Nigeria is that irrespective of the monetary policy response, the economy will be subject to painful adjustments, reinforcing the need to diversify the country’s export base and fiscal revenues. The Naira will serve as an automatic stabiliser to combat the loss of productivity resulting from the adverse terms of trade shock.” Meanwhile, the prices of goods and services, especially dollar-based services, are progressively going higher and higher every day. As at Wednesday at the Bureaux De Change (BDC) market, Golden Treasure Bureaux De Change, Island, Lagos, sold dollar for N208 on Monday and N210 on Wednesday. The operator stated that the prices are gradually going up, which might hit N220 per dollar. “Nigeria is a dollar-sourced economy. We need dollars to transact our businesses, even within the local trade, dollar sometimes is needed. We are selling one dollar for N208, while one pound sells for N307,” says the Managing Director of an Abuja-based Bani

Fears persist over shaky Naira Look at the situation where you generate oil locally and refine at a particular price. When it comes back, the price would have fallen below the price at which you are importing and you will be forced to sell, else you won’t be able to manage the effect of the demurrage on your business

Adeola

Oduoza

Mbaka Bureau De Change, Mohammed Lawal. Also, at the parallel market, Mallam Alhaji Garba Isa bought dollars at N210 and sold at N205, while he bought pounds for N295 and sold N300. He also believes that the rates will further go up, which according to Jibril Adamu, is a better business for the parallel markets. However, at the CBN website the prices are pegged at N167 buying while selling at N168 on Monday. According to the tr aders, the exchange rates are the determining factors that affect the prices of goods and services. Now, naira

is losing its value and the dollar is ruling the world economy, things are never the same again, they said. The Managing Director, Merit Healthcare Limited, Dr. Lalu Ojo said, “Exchange rates affect our business. We don’t manufacture here, we import our drugs and the rates at which we import determine the price we are going to sell the products. “This has also affected the prices of some of our products.” Also, in the oil and gas sector, the Managing Director of a private oil firm, Ebuku Oil Limited, Mr. Olusoji Johnson, said some products in the local markets are being sold

in dollar instead of Naira as a result the rapid fall in the value of Naira. “Many individual oil marketers now sell their products locally in dollar instead of selling in Naira. This is because after conversion of the currency, based on the current exchange rates, the marketer would discover that he is losing money. “The exchange rates of the dollar affect everything we do because Nigeria is an import dependent economy. We don’t manufacture anything and that is the reason we need to refine oil locally. “Look at the situation where you generate oil locally and refine at a particular price. When it comes back, the price would have fallen below the price at which you are importing and you will be forced to sell, else you won’t be able to manage the effect of the demurrage on your business. “In fact, the price of AGO may increase next week because importers are scared of importing new products. They are trying to sell off all that they have. With the free fall of the Naira, we may go and import and before it gets here, it would have fallen beyond imagination.” On the side of clearing agencies, the Managing Director, Elfina-Elimina West African Ltd, Mr. Emmanuel Orji, said one of the major problems with the importation of goods in the country in the wake of Naira predicament is the selling at a loss. “If you go to China to import a product with a certain exchange, let’s say, N180 per dollar, when you get to Nigeria to discover that the exchange rate is now N210 per dollar, of course, common sense tells you to increase the price of the product, if not, after selling at the original price, you will find it difficult to import again because your capital would have been depleted.” On its effects on the world online business, Mr. Joseph Adewale, a web designer said, “Currently, the cost of hosting a domain on the web is about $50 across the world, but what this means is that the fall in Naira will make customers in Nigeria to pay higher than other countries. “If we are going by economy, Nigeria will have to pay higher to own a website in the country and this will also affect the cost of Internet and web advertorials as well as online shopping and activities in the country.” On foodstuff, Mrs. Elizabeth Peters said fall in the Naira has not started impacting negatively on the prices of products in the market due to the fact that the people have their old stocks, but noted that it will shore up prices in no distant time. She said, “Whatever business we do in this country is dependent on the price of dollar because we don’t have control over the market. We are selling according to how we purchased.”

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Bears remain on the prowl A

s the general elections draw nearer, and the level of uncertainty in the economy is being further pressured by declining oil prices, the equities market has been greatly hit, as investors reallocate resources towards less risky investments. Consequently, the market recorded losses in three of four trading weeks in January, and the NSEASI declined by 14.70%. Despite the overall negative market mood, nineteen (19) stocks posted positive returns in the month, led by PRESCO (33.31%), PZ (24.54%), CUTIX (19.23%), UBN (11.76%) and UACN (9.41%). There were however sixty-nine (69) losers, led by DIAMONDBNK (35.84%), DANGFLOUR (34.07%), JBERGER (26.00%), SKYEBANK (25.19%) and FIDELITYBK (22.84%). The pressures on the local currency persisted in the month, as the naira depreciated by 1.60% despite the continued efforts of the CBN (through RDAS sales), as well as US Dollar sales by IOCs. The MPC met during the month and decided to hold all rates constant, as the economy is expected to find stability following the policy pronouncements made in November. Activities in the bond market, as measured by our MERIBond Index were largely dominated by sales, as the index shed 0.81% in the month. Overall, we expect increased cautiousness by investors going into February, as events following the general elections in the month will largely influence investors’ decisions. Economic round-up: ECB takes out the ‘bazooka’! ECB President Mario Draghi, during the week ended, revealed the intention of the bank to boost growth in the stuttering Euro-Economy with a bigger than anticipated stimulus package. The ECB will buy government bonds worth about EUR1.1 trillion (USD1.3 trillion) as part of its asset-purchase program. The USA Federal Reserve, in its first policy meeting for the year, maintained its policy stance, noting that recovery is on track and as such will ‘exercise patience’ before raising interest rates due to low inflation. In Nigeria, the CBN governor reiterated the commitment of the Bank to maintain stability in the FX market. While ruling out further devaluation, the governor insisted that pressure on the Naira remained driven by speculative activities. However, the Naira closed the week t NGN187.55/USD at the interbank, while naira in the parallel market traded above NGN200/ USD during the week. NBS, in its Economic Review and 2015-2017 Outlook, noted that as against political spending, naira devaluation is expected to pressure inflation in 2015. Hence, inflation is projected to average 8.8% in 2015, and moderately stabilize at 8.13% up to 2017 period. Meanwhile, the economy is expected to expand by 5.5% in 2015 and 5.7% through to 2017, with the major driver being the non-oil sector. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) said that it generated N4.69tn from taxes 2014, surpassing target by NGN400bn according to its Quarterly Revenue Report issued in Abuja on Thursday. The report shows that the said revenue for 2014 was NGN106bn less than that of 2013 of NGN4.80bn. The report also noted that revenue components include petroleum profit tax and non-oil taxes (personal income, gas income, capital gain, stamp duty and value added taxes). The political scenery remained active, as dominant parties held rallies in Lagos (APC), Oyo (APC), Cross River (PDP) and Yola (PDP) during the week. We believe that news flows in the Euro-Zone and the US should impact the Nigerian financial markets positively, supported by the CBN governor’s reassurance. Nevertheless, we maintain that uncertainties in the socio-political arena as well as the global oil market concerns remain drags to market performance. Fixed Income Brief: CBN mops liquidity Average change in NIBOR was -0.25%, as the system was hit with NGN234.672bn matured OMO bills in the course of the week. This resulted in the CALL, 1M, 3M, and 6M rates settling at 9.25%, 13.73%, 15.09%, and 16.10% correspondingly. In a bid to mop up liquidity, OMO sales to the tune of NGN322.650bn were made. The OBB and OVN rates closed at 8.67% (-2.21%) and 9.25% (-1.92%) respectively. The CBN is also expected to sell T-Bills worth NGN192.39bn in the coming week. Yields on short term bonds trended up for the week by 0.54%, as the country’s primary election draws near amidst increasing tension. The same trend was also noticed at the long end of the curve by our Meri Bond Index (+0.58%), just

…as NSEASI returns -14.70% YtD

as oil prices failed to hold a solid footing, and JP Morgan gave a hint of removing Nigeria’s bond from their Emerging Market Bond Index (EMBI) due to liquidity concerns. A total of NGN299.89bn T-Bills and bonds were sold at the primary market for the month of January, with stop rates maintained at high levels relative to rates pre-increase in MPR. The Naira appreciated 1.36% to peg mid-quote at NGN187.55, as the CBN sold USD485.089mn at the RDAS window during the week to further support the local currency in the face of continuing pressures. Agric. Sector: OKOMUOIL takes an impressive leap with 12.22% The Agricultural sector closed in the positive zone with the MERI-AGRI index gaining 0.72% during the week to further hike YtD return to 20.88%. OKOMUOIL topped the gainers’ chart with 12.22% to close at NGN27.45. PRESCO followed suit with a 10.23% gain to close at NGN32.66 from previous week’s price of NGN29.63. Conversely, LIVESTOCK declined by 3.08% to peg price at NGN2.20. All other counters traded flat. We believe the ongoing reforms in the Agric sector has been a major driver of the positive sentiments and returns witnessed in the sector stocks so far, despite the gloomy mood in the equities market. We expect this trend to continue in the coming weeks driven by a continuation of the government’s transformation agenda in the sector as well as the potential opportunity it portends for investors. Banking Sector: Stocks trades in line with market In another negative outing for the banking sector, the MERI-BANK Index lost -4.10% as the sector breadth for the week pegged at 0.44x, with 4 stocks appreciating, nine stocks losing, while two stocks remained flat. Leading the gainers were ETI, UBN, ACCESS and WEMABANK with respective gains of 7.51%, 4.97%, 3.81% and 1.09%. Top losers for the week, however, were DIAMONDBK, ZENITHBANK, FIDELITYBK, SKYEBANK and STERLNBANK, which posted corresponding losses of 10.50%, 8.51%, 6.72%, 6.57% and 6.07%. Access Bank, during the week, commenced its 1-for-3 rights issue to existing shareholders, in a bid to raise NGN52.6bn Tier 1 capital. The rights issue is being done at an offer price of NGN6.90, which represents a 30.87% premium to current market price, transaction costs inclusive. Therefore, we opine that for retail investors looking to

increase their shareholdings in the bank, given its recent impressive performance and our positive expectations, purchasing extra shares in the secondary market seems more prudent. Going forward, we expect a level of bargain hunting as investors take advantage of lower prices, which may inform a marginally positive close in the coming week. Consumer Goods: Sector records marginal gains The sector continued on its positive trend, as indicated by the NSEFB10 index which closed the week 0.48% up. In this period, 7 stocks recorded price gains, the same number declined in value with the remaining stocks in the basket trading flat. DANGSUGAR took over from UACN to lead the gainers’ chart with 23.33%, joined by, CADBURY, NASCON, PZ, UNILEVER, UACN, and INTBREW with week-on-week (WOW) gains of 0.88%, 5.52%, 18.56%, 1.47%, 0.54%, and 1.73% respectively. HONYFLOUR, NNFM, VONO, AGLEVENT, GUINNESS, and PREMBREW however remained flat. The decliners chart had 7UP, DANGFLOUR, FLOURMILL, NESTLE, VITAFOAM, NB, and CHAMPION with WoW declines of 3.70%, 5.96%, 4.51%, 3.60%, 4.27%, 1.37%, and 7.57% accordingly. Honeywell Flour Mills Plc released its Q3:2015 result showing 27.93% and 64.48% increases in revenue and gross profit respectively while PATdeclined by 9.59%. PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc also released Q2: 2015 results during the week, reflecting all round declines in revenue, gross profit and PAT by 2.47%, 36.90% and 37.82% in that order. Seven Up Bottling Co on the other hand declared Q3 results showing growth in revenue (8.87%) and profit after tax (15.93%). Healthcare Sector: Negative mood persists The mood in the Healthcare sector remained tempered, as most stocks traded flat during the week. The MERI-HLTH index dipped marginally by 0.02% during the week as YtD return settled at -19.64%. NEIMETH emerged as the only gainer for the week, advancing by 2.78% to peg price at NGN0.74, while FIDSON and MAYBAKER shed 1.21% and 8.86% respectively to drag share prices to NGN3.26 and NGN 1.44 respectively. In line with our expectations, trading activities on Healthcare counters remained sluggish, largely due to the general mood in the market. We expect this trend to persist until the conclusion of the general elections. However, we

expect mild trading activities in some stocks in the coming week, as investors continue to trade cautiously and take profits. Industrial goods: DANGCEM drags sector performance in January The Industrial goods sector closed the first month of the year under water as the Meristem Industrial Goods Index closed 19.87% down. The mood in the sector was also bearish as evidenced in the sector’s breadth which settled at 0.8X (representing 3 gainers vs 4 decliners in January). CUTIX led the performers’ list following a 19.23% increase in share price during the period while CAP and WAPCO expanded their share prices by 3.33% and 2.55% respectively. DANGCEM emerged the major laggard for the month as its price declined from NGN200 at the end of the prior month to NGN156 by the end of January, implying a loss of -22% monthon-month (MoM). Other price decliners were ASHAKACEM, PAINTCOM and PORTPAINT which shed 2.74%, 2.60% and 0.26% respectively MoM. We believe the negative sentiments which persisted all through the month of January was largely due to the bearish trend in the general market. This was further compounded by the not–so–favourable outlook for the industrial goods sector which is premised on the expectation of a slowdown in economic growth. We do not expect news inflow into the sector that will significantly alter the existing trading patterns of investors, thus we envisage a sustenance of the current bearish trend in the near term. Insurance Sector: Pared by 1.69% WoW, as market breadth favoured decliners. In contrast to previous week’s positive performance, the insurance sector index waned by 1.69% to peg year-to-date return at -2.41%. Market breadth (0.67x) favoured decliners as 2 stocks appreciated in price against 3 decliners. CUSTODYINS gained 2.62% WoW to close at NGN3.91 just as it outperformed all counters in the sector. This was followed by AIICO which expanded its price by 2.56% WoW. On the flip side, NEM pared 7.02% WoW to champion underperformers for the week, accompanied by MANSARD and CONTINSURE with respective loses of 4.76% and 2.17% while other counters traded flat for the week. Mansard Insurance Plc. confirmed the acquisition of 60% shares in Penman Pensions Limited to extend its subsidiaries to four (including asset management, health insurance and property segments). Furthermore, MTN Y’ello Biz also launched insurance service, offered in collaboration with Mansard Insurance plc, to protect small businesses against flood, fire and other risks. We expect more of these collaborations as well as Mergers & Acquisitions among domestic players with their attendant effects on return performance in 2015. Oil and Gas: OANDO reviews rights issue price downward The Oil and Gas sector could not sustain the bullish performance it recorded in the previous week as its index shed 0.04% during the week, just as sector’s breadth stayed in favour of decliners as only two stocks appreciated against four decliners. The gainer’s chart was led by FO which expanded its price by 2.68% to close at NGN230. Following the loss recorded in the previous week, SEPLAT’s price appreciated by 1.56% to close at NGN305.23. On the converse, OANDO and MRS led the loser’s chart with 5% price declines apiece. Other decliners for the week were CONOIL and ETERNA with respective price losses of 4.99% and 0.74%, while other counters closed flat for the week. In a bid to align its rights price to investor’s perception of the stock’s value in the secondary market, OANDO announced a change in Offer Terms on its ongoing rights issue. The initial offer size, price and ratio of 2,217,265,185 ordinary shares each at NGN22 per share (1:4) has been updated to 2,956,353,579 ordinary shares at NGN16.50 per share (1:3). Looking forward, we are of the opinion that most counters in the sector may provide significant upside returns given the current level of prices. However, the risks surrounding the Nigerian economy continues to hinder resurgence in eroded investors’ confidence. Services Sector: Ikeja Hotel remains resilient despite Boardroom Politics The services sector remains downbeat to align with the negative equities market mood. The MERI-SER index declined by 0.37% WoW to drag YtD returns to -4.44% YtD. IKEJAHOTEL ended the week as the sole gainer, rising by 12.86% to close at NGN3.04 from NGN2.60 in the previous week.

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

SundayBusiness/Brands

Dele Alao

he last may not have been heard on the ongoing posters war across the states, as the clock ticks gradually towards the February elections. A rights group, Centre for Rights and Grassroots Initiative, which had earlier petitioned Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, over election campaign poster controversy in the state, has expressed readiness to drag the state police command to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Police Service Commission (PSC) over the development. Executive Director, CRGI, Nelson Ekujumi, in a chat with Sunday Telegraph, said the group is ready to report the state command to the two bodies if it fails to take appropriate action on the petition earlier sent to the command. In the petition, the rights group sought the immediate intervention of the police boss to avert imminent anarchy in Lagos. The petition reads in part, “We wish to bring to your notice for urgent redress, threats to the constitution, public peace, health, democratic and economic rights of Lagosians by the indiscriminate and unregulated pasting of posters and billboards of political parties ahead of the 2015 general elections. “We are concerned about the indiscriminate and unregulated pasting of posters by political parties, which are nauseating, offensive, constituting environmental nuisance, degradation, hazardous to health and is a strong potential for breakdown of law and order.” The group said its investigation revealed that the act of lawlessness and impunity had resulted in the termination of two outdoor agencies’ advertisements by their sponsors and economic loss to the tune of over N350 million to the advertising sector. It argued that such act should not be encouraged, given the nation’s already comatose economy and urged the law enforcement agency not to take sides, but to ensure the rule of law prevails. The rights group added in the petition, “We are quite aware that your office, in utter disregard to your oath, is responsible for engineering this flagrant violation of the constitution based on your press statement of January 5, 2015, whereby you served notice that you have directed your men and officers in the state to arrest personnel of the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, LASAA, from performing their statutory function. “For your information sir, LASAA is an agency set up under the laws of Lagos State, under the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to regulate and control outdoor signage advertisements and hoardings in Lagos, which it has been performing professionally. “However, we are disturbed that your office, which is constitutionally empowered to maintain public peace, order and synergise with other state agencies for public good, is seen as a protagonist of these latest acts of lawlessness and impunity, which have the potential of threatening public peace and tranquility. “We are disappointed that the police, as an agency of the state set up by law, can threaten and intimidate another agency of the state (LASAA), established by the same law from performing its statutory responsibilities.” A few days ago in Anambra State, the Peoples Democratic Party accused members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance and All Progressives Congress of vandalising, defacing and destroying campaign posters, billboards and other materials of PDP candidates in parts of the state. Officials of the state’s Signage and Advertisements Agency, for instance, were accused of pulling down a campaign bill-

Poster war: Group threatens to drag police to NHRC, PSC

Noah

board of the APC candidate for Ogbaru Federal constituency, Hon. Afam Ogene, at Obodo- Ukwu junction. In Lagos, the last few weeks have witnessed many controversies about posters and hoardings. The controversies surrounding the hoardings and posters of the two major political parties in Lagos State – APC and PDP - have, however, continued, with some twists. Despite warnings to all political parties from LASAA, the posters of candidates dot various spaces across the state indiscriminately. But, the state police command in a move to ensure all political parties have equal opportunity to present their posters to the public warned LASAA to desist from removing campaign materials. The state Commissioner of Police, Kay-

Aderanti

ode Aderanti, said the need for LASAA to tread with caution became necessary, as his office had recently been inundated with series of complaints from candidates, alleging the destruction of their campaign materials by officials of the agency. Citing Section 100 (2) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), Aderanti stated that LASAA, as a state apparatus, must desist from any act that would call to question its purpose against any political party, warning that “if it fails to desist from the illegal act, the command would invoke the full wrath of the law before, during or after the elections on any individual or agency of government that conducts himself or itself in any way that is inimical to peaceful campaigns and elections.” Despite the CP’s warning, on January 23, LASAA was said to have directed one of the campaign groups of President

Goodluck Jonathan, the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, to remove all campaign posters and materials of the President, illegally placed on street lights poles in the state. The LASAA boss, George Noah, who issued this directive, warned that if the order was not acted upon, its enforcement team would remove the offending posters. According to Noah, the usurpation of the poles for the PDP campaign threatens a N50 billion outdoor advertising industry in the state and has already made two outdoor agencies - Touch Point Limited and Clearedge Limited - lose contracts worth N350 million. Apparently displaying its might, the Federal Government, on January 23, was said to have terminated existing approvals for outdoor sites previously given to outdoor practitioners in Lagos State.

Chemstar Paints rewards workers G roup Managing Director and Executive Chairman of Chemstar Paints Industry (Nig.) Limited, a leading paint manufacturing company in Nigeria and manufacturers of Finecoat and Shield Paint products, Mr. Aderemi Emmanuel Awode, has described the workers as greatest assets of the company. He, however, said they should be well motivated and rewarded in order for them to put in their optimum needed to grow the production chains and the firm. Awode, an engineer, spoke recently during the grand finale of the 2015 edition of the week-long Staff Week, which featured various sporting activities and in-door games. The event took place within the company’s corporate headquarters on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Lagos. The activities marking this year’s edition kicked-off with some in-door games on Wednesday last week. Inter-house football matches was the climax of the week-long event. The GMD, who recalled that the 20-yearold company’s Staff Week, was instituted

15 years ago as a platform for the workers to have fun after the busy previous year work, said the management and workers all look forward to January every year for the week. While stressing that the company has a crop of dedicated work force, Awode, noted that the over 700 workers are grouped into four houses - Gossamer, Grey, Jasmine and Pacific - which are named after the prominent colours of paints produced by the company. These houses compete for trophies and prizes. The company, which will mark its 20 years of quality service and product, according to the GMD, introduced the week as part of the management’s strategies to give the workers a sense of belonging and to provide a forum for them to interact in a relaxed venue. Awode said: “The yearly Staff Week is an avenue for us to come together once in a year to have fun. The staff week comes with all kinds of games including inter-house football match, which is being played today. We have already conclud-

ed competitions in scrabble, Ayo game, draught, table tennis, four-in-a-roll and computer games in which the workers are free to participate.” Addressing the workers while drawing the curtains on the week, the GMD assured them of the company’s determination to make their working environment more interesting and attractive. According to him, the winners and the winning houses will be rewarded appropriately with cash and gifts in May, when the company will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Speaking on the week, the AGM Strategic and Business Development, Dr. Tunde Olaniya, said the events were introduced over 15 years ago to appeal to the health needs of the workers as well as create time for them within the year to have fun and interact. He said part of the objectives is to allow members of staff to display their God-given talents as well as promote unity among them, and a healthy body required for the working environment.

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

SundayBusiness/Brands

P&G tightens screw on marketing spend as sales fall

L-R: Consul General, South African High Commission, Mokgethi Monaisa; Chairman, Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce, Foluso Phillips; Managing Partner, KPMG, Ajibola Olomola; DG/CEO, National Identity Management Commission, Chris Onyemenam and CEO, Protection Plus Services Limited, Ubong King, at the breakfast meeting of Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce, recently.

Payporte unveils brand ambassadors

ne of the fastest growing online retail shopping brands, PayPorte, has for the first time since it berthed in Nigeria, signed its first ever brand ambassadors -media personality and popular blogger, Toke Makinwa, and Big Brother Africa Season 9 housemate from Nigeria, Tayo Faniran. Payporte, which is fast proving itself to be a trendsetter in the e-commerce industry in Nigeria, caters to young and aspiring urban professionals and mature adults, “making shopping easy for a cross section of demographics from the comfort of your home, car and mobile devices.” Speaking at the formal media unveiling

Curve introduces free-info service

s part of its effort to provide and support access to real-time information, Curve Communications has introduced a free-info service on its web platform to tackle data challenges. The advisory service provides corporate organisations and the business community with an opportunity for top level strategy sessions for day to day activities. According to the Chief Executive Officer, Curve Communications, Adeola Odunowo, the web platform offers free-info service to top decision makers, business gurus, mobile executives, government institutions, brand managers, business executives and young entrepreneurs with strategies and ideas for the future. “The platform combines access to instant chat sessions with webinars, e-mailing service, calling system and personal appointments to reach several target audiences, using experienced information professionals. The most important element in 21st Century business operations is the access to real-time information on-the-go. To achieve top performance in today’s workplace, teams require access to prompt professional advices, strategic planning, and up-to-date information database,” he said. Odunowo added that over time, communication methods have transformed from the three way – in person, telephone and postal mail – to a nearly endless variety of media combinations. “This means communication needs to be real-time, accessible and social in nature to position businesses ahead of the curve,” he said.Curve Communications Limited was incorporated in 2012 as a marketing communications company with the vision to be the preferred channel of communications, projecting African brands to the World.

and announcement in Lagos, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Payporte Global Systems Limited, Mr. Eyo Bassey, said: “Payporte is very happy with its choice of ambassadors and very excited about this new journey. We are a fast growing online business with the young, urban professionals and mature adults as our target audience and our brand is strongly committed to delivering best services. We are very confident that Toke and Tayo will do an exemplary job in not just retaining our brand values, but in also promoting those values.” Talking about their new endorsements, the two ambassadors expressed their en-

thusiasm in helping to grow the brand. “We are very excited and look forward to an amazing business yet friendly partnership with Payporte,” they said. Payporte launched in 2012 and caters to a wide variety of customers, providing an ever expanding offering of products which include fashion and accessories for men, women and kids, furniture, foot wear, home appliances, furniture, trendy gadgets, electronics and lots more. The brand also offers what is known as ‘Affiliate Program’ and has presence in five African countries - Egypt, South Africa, Ghana, Morocco, Kenya and two offices in Nigeria – Lagos and Abuja.

ast Moving Consumer Goods giant, Procter & Gamble, has said it will continue to drive marketing efficiency as sales fell four per cent over the quarter to December. Sales over the three months to December fell to $20.2 billion and net sales fell across all categories, P&G said devaluation of major currencies had impacted performance. “Net sales across beauty, hair and personal care fell six per cent; sales across grooming fell five per cent and fabric and home care sales dropped four per cent. However four out of five categories reported organic growth - with overall organic growth up two per cent,” the company said. On a call to investors, Chief Financial Officer of the company, Jon Moeller, said it would continue to improve marketing efficiency and productivity through an ‘optimised’ marketing mix, driven by “new, more efficient digital media.” He stated, “We have quietly strengthened and invested in all of our digital capabilities, including mobile, search and social with a wide range of partners. More than 30 per cent of our working media is now digital. We have developed proprietary systems to target digital media more precisely and more efficiently,” Moeller said. He added that the company had an opportunity to drive further marketing spend efficiencies as the business continued to focus on driving productivity improvement.

‘Leadership choice needs to be driven with skilled communications’ Mr. Rotimi Oladele is the President and Chairman of Council, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR). He bares his mind on the role of Public Relations in democracy and preparations for the Institute’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) holding this week in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in this interview with DELE ALAO What informed the choice of Abuja for the AGM? Many reasons, including security and because members are all over the country. Abuja is central and then we also believe that people should be safer in Abuja than some parts of the country. Then, we have also held it in so many places. We normally move round so that every part of the country will feel the presence and impact of the institute. But, when we don’t have agreement on where to go, we go for the capital of the country which is everybody’s place. Are there plans to meet with government officials as one of the benefits or an opportunity of hosting the event in the seat of power? This time around, no, because we want to do our own business, face professionalism and our own beat. The government is busy with the electoral process now and we don’t want a situation where our movements, our courtesy calls, our talks are seen as being part of any political party since we are not a political party. Individuals may be members of political parties but the Institute is not inclined to any party. And for that reason, we must be very careful so that we are not misi terpreted. What is the theme for the AGM?

Medium Enterprises (SMEs) the Nigerian environment will run.

Oladele This year’s AGM is, ‘Building a Sustainable Non-oil Economy for Nigeria: The stake of Public Relations.’ The AGM is looking at the role of communications, particularly PR, in making entrepreneurships and small scale businesses the bedrock of the Nigerian economy because we have all run away from the fact for too long. And for now as a stakeholder in the polity, economy and social governance, we want to take it seriously that we need to empower the nation at large and every individual regarding how to drive small businesses with corporate information, with strategies and as well as with collaboration; using the platform of personal integrity to build up trust and of course service delivery. We believe these will sincerely influence the quality of Small and

Who are the likely guest speakers at the AGM and how fully is the institute is prepared for the AGM? We are fully prepared. We are ready because our members from far and near are aware of the date, the agenda. And of course, the Chapters chairmen and secretaries have started reminding their members at the local level. The Local Organising Committee (LOC) at the national secretariat has been together in the last six weeks on the AGM. So, we are fully ready. This AGM is a working session. So we have the Executive Director of SME in the Bank of Industry (BoI), Mr. Waheed Olagunju, as the guest speaker and a top official from the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria and clusters of stakeholders in that sector. They will come and discuss with us and also communications experts too. They are coming to discuss how to synergise communications with small scale businesses and entrepreneurship as well. And what roles do you think PR can play to enhance democracy? A lot of roles, a lot. The political platform for leadership selection needs to be driven with professional communications,

not propaganda. The electoral body, which is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for example, has been very forthcoming for professional public relations. It will even interest you to know that someone at the level of a commissioner in INEC was humble enough to be part of the Master Class done recently for public relations practitioners who are at the top to show you their interest. And apart from this too, the way the media has been engaged over time means a lot to the professionals more than it has been and we are seeing changes. However, we are not happy about the contestants at the ongoing campaigns. We are not happy about the political parties which are not toeing the line of professionalism because the message contents of campaigns leave a lot to be decided. It actually gives everybody a bad taste. Campaigns are supposed to be communications of deliverables a contestant will pass to the wouldbe voters; what are you going to do if elected? So, the manifestos should be a list of promises, achievable objectives, goals that you are sure you can deliver. So, we don’t have the reason to go into vainglory, self-aggrandizements, accusations, allegations, character assassination, digging into history in order to provoke one set or the other.

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Business/Interview

Soon, no business without national identity number – Onyemenam Director General/Chief Executive Officer, National Identity Management Commission, Mr. Chris Onyemenam, tells STANLEY IHEDIGBO about the challenges facing the commission Nigerians are confused on what the National Identity Card policy aims to achieve. What makes it different from other modes of identification in the country? Let me start with the fact that the commission which was mandated to carry out the enrolment of citizens and legal residents as provided for in the Act. The commission creates and operates the National Identity Database. It provides a secure means to access the National Identity Database so that an individual can irrefutably assert his/her identity. The agency also harmonises and integrates identity databases in government agencies to achieve resource optimisation through shared services platforms. We also collaborate with private sector and/or public sector institutions. Where there is a high level of fraudulent practices in the country, it doesn’t help in creating the environment for business to thrive. So, what we are doing is going to impact positively on identity management and help by extension to reduce fraudulent practices that are flowing from unsuccessful identity. The activities of the agency will improve the business environment because it will reduce the cost of establishing identities. What that means is that when you are able to easily ascertain your identity, the consumer’s credit institution can extend facilities to individuals. What that means is that it will gradually take away emphasis on cash to credit as the driver of the economy. That is one of the most important things in the value chain which helped to drive the economy. The second most important one has to do with the financial inclusion strategy of the Central Bank of Nigeria. If you have a financial inclusion strategy that is founded on the unique identities, you will never get it right. If we get it right it will be for a period. Therefore, to be able to establish a basic financial inclusion structure, we need a national identity management system that guarantees an infrastructure to confirmed identities. What we have done is not only to provide the infrastructure, but we added a virtual payment solution. This will begin to make the financial inclusion strategy extremely important and possible. Again, the next most important thing is the fight or the war against criminal activities and terrorism. These people are human beings, they can be identified and if the law enforcement agencies are able to take the fingerprint evidences from crime scenes and be able to trace them to the individuals and they are apprehended, it will help them a lot because if you know that you will be caught when you are involved in a crime, that understanding or awareness itself is a primary point for criminal activities. Criminality is high in our society because the perpetrators believe that they can do anything and get away with it. With the identity policy fully complied with, the era of unknown soldiers or police, murders or fraudulent cases that beat the imagination and people not getting answers to the puzzles, is going to be a thing of the past. You can at least identity the individual you are dealing with; that is from the security point of view. It also impacts on social welfare benefits like ensuring that subsidies get to those they are meant for. There are a lot of benefits from these and all we need to do is to populate the data

that we are currently discussing to make sure that connections are established. This is so that going forward they will have all their processes streamlined and the national identification number that we issued will now become a primary requirement for you to get your Bank Verification Number. So, that is the way we are going to integrate what the banks are doing. In that case, what of the ones they have already done? The ones they have already done is the one we called legacy data. The legacy data will then be immigrated to what we have done. When it is immigrated, in going forward, we then need your national identification number which gives the basic identity before you then get your bank verification number which is the functional identity. When can we say is the closing date for the scheme? Is there any provision to ensure all Nigerians are registered before then? When you said a closing date, you are as well saying that nobody should give birth to children again (Laugh). Nigerians give birth every day, so there is no closing date for the identity registration. And that is one of the innovations we have now. It is continuous as we have 404 locations. We are planning to have a location in every local government because we need to take the enrollment exercise closest to the citizens. With regards to when we will cover the population, we hope in the next 20 months, we will be able to achieve that and it will then enable us to continue.

Onyemenam

The National Identity Management Commission is the institution that establishes these basic identities, so it should not be the job of everybody base and continue to make it available to other agencies as well as to private sector organisations. The National Identity Card project is running at the same time that banks are issuing Bank Verification Numbers. The Driver’s Licence and International Passports are also there. People are wondering why they cannot be collapsed into one for convenience. The way the Bank Verification Number is currently structured is that they have combined foundation identity with functional identit,y which is wrong. What is obtainable in civilised societies and what the World Bank has recommended and which is currently running in over 230 countries is a functional identity that gives you basic identities. Functional identities take a cue

from the basic or foundational identities. The National Identity Management Commission is the institution that establishes these basic identities, so it should not be the job of everybody. Otherwise you will just have multiplicity of data bases and the national resources are being spent on the same issues. Nobody is really providing data for everybody. The BVN started after we came onboard and all we needed to have done was to ensure that when they started, they started on the premise that they were doing functional identity. If you are doing functional identity, there are certain things you take from the basic identity or the foundational identity, or you comply with the central authority. This is because they must be only one central identity repository in any country for you to have the semblance of others and to make sure, like I said, that everybody is singing from the same page of the hymn book. If they say that I am Chris Onyemanam in the banking sector and in my driver’s licence, in the government sector, I should be the same Chris Onyemanam. There is a possibility that I can claim a second identity because all these agencies and institutions have not taken a cue from the identity that has been established by the NIMC. The commission’s identity is the basic identity; it can only be done by one establishment. That is the reservation I have but the good news is

People pay N300 to N500 before they are issued with the pre-registration forms in most centres in the country. Is that the approved fee of your commission? Do you have evidence of that? If you have evidence show me. The forms are free of charge and the commission will not ask anybody to pay money for the free pre-registration form. The form is on our website, you can download it free from our site. And if you go to our offices, you will collect it free. We don’t collect any money for issuing the forms. Secondly, you don’t pay anything to get enrolled. The cards are even issued free. What will happen to those who could not register at the end of the exercise? On the date to be announced by the commission it will be mandatory for everybody to have the national identification number before he or she will transact any business in the country. We will make that known very soon. The old cards don’t have chips and the new ones have. Will the old ones be rejected? There is a transition period which is slightly extended. But the transition period says that when you get your new card, you drop the old one. That is how the commission will gradually phase out the old cards. Currently it is accepted, so when you get a new one, you stop using your old card. By the date we will announce, we will now put a final cut off point. We will be reasonably sure that we have covered a lot of areas and registered a lot of Nigerians with offices in many locations.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

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Dayo Ayeyemi

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Vol. 1

42-43

Bodo spill: N16 billion Group faults Shell’s compensati on

Communities in the NigerDelta have been drastically affected by activities of oil companies

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Vol. 1 No. 327

Monday, January 12, 2015

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Hon Osagie: Postponing elections ‘ll cause constitutional crisis p.32-33

Interview

How Nigeria can win war against Boko Haram - Swedish arms expert p.35 APC’s VP slot to Yorubas a gimmick, says Adebanjo p.37 Jonathan

Buhari

Political violence despite peace accord Despite the Abuja Peace Accord signed by presidential candidates and chairmen of 14 major political parties participating in this month’s general elections, hate speeches and violent attacks still characterise electioneering campaigns. ONYEKACHI EZE writes on the challenges of implementing the peace pact

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

o both local and international election observers, the peace accord signed by major political parties in the February general elections was the best thing to happen to this country at this moment. The accord, which was signed on January 14, enjoins the parties fielding candidates contesting in the general elections to take “measures to prevent electoral violence before, during and after the elections,” and to maintain “peaceful environment for the 2015 general elections.” The pact further binds the parties and their candidates to “avoid any conduct or behaviour that will endanger the political stability and national security of Nigeria” and to promote “the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria as an indivisible entity.” They were compelled ”to run issue-based campaigns at national, state and local government levels”, and “to refrain from campaigns that will involve religious incitement, ethnic or tribal profiling” both by themselves and agents acting in their names, as well as “to refrain from making, or causing to make (in) our names or that of our party, any public statements, pronouncements,

declarations or speeches that have the capacity to incite any form of violence, before, during and after the elections.” Apart from signing the pact, the party chairmen and their presidential candidates pledged to commit themselves and political parties “to the monitoring of adherence to this accord by a national peace committee made up of respected statesmen and women, traditional and religious leaders,” while they except that “all institutions of government including INEC and security agencies act with impartiality and to forcefully and publicly speak out against provocative utterances and oppose all acts of electoral violence whether perpetrated by our supporters and/or opponents.” The pact is in line with section 95 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). Specifically, section 95 (1) of the Act provides that “a political campaign or slogan shall not be tainted with abusive language directly or indirectly likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feeling”. At the same time, Section 95 (2) of the same Act abhors the use of “abusive intemperate, slanderous or base language or insinuations or innuendos

designed or likely to provoke violent reactions or emotions...” Unlike the Abuja Peace Accord, the Electoral Act prescribes punishments for the offenders. Section 95(7) of the Act provides that a political party or person who contravenes the provisions of the Act commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of N1 million or imprisonment for the term of 12 months. And for the party, the Act imposes a fine of N2 million in the first instance and N1 million for any subsequent offence. Despite the existence of the provision of the Act, the use of offensive language during electioneering campaign and violent act by party supporters still characterise our electoral process. And there is not any known case of conviction or punishment of any form, on the offender. Even the recently signed Abuja Peace Accord was breached a few days after the principal actors appended their signatures on the sacred document. The actions of the supporters of the two major political parties - the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the main opposition All Progressives Congress, repudiated the agreement signed by their leaders CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2015

The Sunday In

Hon Osagie: Postpo ‘ll cause constitutio The Minority Whip in the House of Representatives, Hon. Samson Osagie, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Edo South Senatorial District, speaks with AHAOMA KANU on some national issues including the recent threat by some ex-militants to cause havoc should President Goodluck Jonathan lose this month’s election You served at the state legislature for eight years and as a House of Representatives member for another eight years. Now you want to represent Edo South Senatorial district in the Senate, why are you making this move? I am driven by the fact that for every individual there is a natural urge to grow from one position to another. In this case, the natural urge is to serve my people in a larger constituency of my senatorial district at the level of the Senate by using my position to make contributions to the entire senatorial district as against the two local governments I have been representing in the House of Representatives. I am further inspired by the fact that my constituency and indeed leaders of my party have given me so much encouragement in the modest effort that I put in the advancement of good governance in this country and for the development of our democracy and the contributions to national development. Any time I go around and party leaders give me kudos both in the APC and the PDP, I get very e n c o u raged; nothing

Osagie

encourages you than when people appreciate your efforts. With that encouragement I feel obliged to continue to offer myself for service. Why should the electorate in this senatorial district vote for you? First I am the best candidate in the race and that is the truth of the matter because I do not know of any other candidate of any other political party that has at least one day experience in legislative business apart from me. I have 16 years’ experience in legislative business and that is no joke. In a democracy that has grown up to 16 years, our people cannot afford to send a learner to the Senate. I have made tremendous impact in virtually all facets of legislative business. Is it in terms of contributions to the debates on the floor of the house? Is it in terms of initiating bills and ensuring that the House passes resolutions arising from motions? Is it in terms of facilitating and attracting development to my constituency? I have made tremendous impacts in all these sectors and my people appreciate that, people can see it across party lines. So this is my major plank upon which I stand to seek to represent this senatorial district and no other candidate by what other name called in whatever political party has any of these at all. And I believe my senatorial district deserves the best. If I were to be an electorate, a voter who is not running for election I cannot leave a man who has 16 years’ experience and has done so well for a man who has legislative experience. Talking about your time at the House of Representatives, you were not known for sponsoring many legislations or bills passed into law? Well, you know legislative business is not a one man show. I sponsored and co-sponsored well over 40 bills amongst which are the Diaspora Voting Rights which I pushed; the amendment to the Investment and Security Exchange Act, you remember in the wake of the depression in the stock market. I sponsored an Act to control the rate at which people were offering shares for sale, the rate at which corporate bodies were offering shares to the unsuspecting public be-

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oning elections onal crisis cause at the end of the day some people made some losses. I have sponsored bills on ecological matters for the control of erosion and so on. I have sponsored so many resolutions bordering on how to check corruption, insecurity, on education, on executive recklessness and nonimplementation of the budget and a whole lot of others. The records are there for all to see. You were among the first House members to push for action when a Nigerian deportee, Osamuyi Aikpitanhi, was killed by Spanish officials in 2007 and followed the case up. What is the status of that very incident now eight years after? Nine years down the line, all I can say is that the matter is remained in the Spanish court in Alicante and the family has continued to seek justice through legal representative in Spain, and only recently the family was invited by the Spanish Embassy for them to individually make statements even though that is still part of the judicial investigations. Of course, within the first year, the Spanish authorities undertook to bring back the corpse and pay part of the burial expenses as at that time, but justice is still being sought and that matter has remained the reference point in our pursuit for citizens’ diplomacy. And that matter has remained the plank upon which subsequent incidences of that nature has been based. In fact, that matter led to so many things; the creation of the Committee on Diaspora Matters in the House of Representatives, the creation of the Diaspora Commission which eventually was supposed to translate into a full blown agency of government and all that. But the judicial process of that case is still on and only recently the family was invited but unfortunately the head of that family recently passed on. Recently, two Nigerians were executed in Indonesia for drug trafficking and related offences along with nationals of other countries. Brazil and Netherlands recalled their ambassadors for consultations in a kind of protest over the execution, but our government did not do so. Do you think that action our government took was appropriate when compared with what Brazil and Netherlands’? You know the problem we have now is that we have a government at the centre that is not actually responsive to citizens’ plight. So I am not surprised that this government will not do anything. This government is very quick at sending condolence messages and they stop at that. They don’t know that as government you owe your people the responsibility to protect their interests through some proactive measures. Imagine what Brazil and another country have done in protest! So we are very slow in taking significant actions and that is why we have lost our respect mostly in the international community and in the comity of nations. I would have expected that Nigeria would have followed what Brazil had done by registering their protest and following it up even with a presidential visit to that country because the soul of one Nigerian is very important, and when a government does not take seriously the deaths and killings of its citizens anywhere in the world, it means it is not justifying its oath of office of protecting lives and property of its citizen. Ironically, that is what this government has been reputed for; not bothering about what happens

You know the problem we have now is that we have a government at the centre that is not actually responsive to citizens’ plight. So I am not surprised that this government will not do anything to individual lives and properties. They are only quick to send condolence messages. The coming elections are regarded as the most dicey since the return to democracy. What advantage do you think the APC has over the PDP that will make them win? It is not even a matter for the APC, this election is very critical to the survival of the Nigerian state. In the last six years that President Goodluck Jonathan has been in the saddle, most of the sectors have been on reverse gear. What I mean in this regard is that corruption has attained the highest peak. It was in this administration that we had had to know that several trillions of Naira was spent on fuel subsidy between 2009 and 2011 - the highest degree of subsidy scam we have had is within this administration. It is within this administration that a Central Bank governor alerted the Nigeria people of huge sums of money that were missing from the country’s vault; it is in this administration that ministers have been most reckless in expenditure. That is why a Minister for Aviation will buy two cars for N240m and the President will not care a hoot and you know in all these cases. This administration has refused to fight corruption related issues head long; no minister has been sacked for corrupt practices. So the APC is just the change agent. The battle to revive and retrieve Nigeria from the clutches of maladministration by this government is in the hands of the Nigeria people and the people today can see for themselves. The question they ask ‘is that this country better off than when Jonathan took over? The answer is no. Today people pay electricity companies for light not supplied; unemployment is at its highest peak. It was in this government that unemployed Nigerian youths were fleeced by the Ministry for Interior and many of them were killed in the process of conducting an interview. Even the jobs that were promised to families of the victims who died have not been given. Never in the history of this country had we had an administration that has been so deceitful to the citizens and have been so fraudulent to its people. Nigerian youths were asked to pay N1000 to apply for immigration jobs at the end of the day, they sought to carry out interviews at stadium and there was stampede and people died. Nothing happened, rather, the Minister who conducted that exercise was instead given National Honours as the Commander of the Order of the Niger. This administration has every index of a failed government. In terms

of security too this administration has failed to secure the lives of Nigerians. What will you say was responsible for the cohesive merger of the various political parties that formed the APC this time unlike others in the past? Yes it is the mis-governance of the PDP; there is an extent to which you can push a people. No doubt a lot of people who are in the APC today were in the PDP. But you can fool the people some of the time but not all the time. The PDP government has offered nothing to the Nigerian people. Each step they take offers the opposition the strength to continue to fight for a change of government and there are people in this democracy. If you don’t have an alternative then anarchy will set in, you will be in a dictatorial government. So our people are ready to exploit the opportunity of an alternative platform to ensure that this government is thrown out. So what has given the APC the strength it has today is the bad governance that the PDP has given to the Nigerian people. Besides corruption, one area your party is accusing PDP is that of insecurity. What gives you the feeling that the APC is capable of eliminating these problems if voted into power? It is a matter of leadership. We believe that the presidential candidate of the APC has better leadership qualities, courage and the political will to be able to tackle many of the issues confronting our country. For example, you don’t expect a General Mohammadu Buhari to tolerate the kind of monumental corruption that is going on in this government; he will not do it. He was a Head of State and we all knew that in his time there was discipline. Gen. Buhari is himself a disciplined man and as a retired military officer, he possesses the courage and political will to take decisions no matter whose ox is gored for the betterment of the general society. For us our candidate is a sure change agent under the present circumstances that we have found ourselves. And as if that is not enough he is a retired military general who probably understands what it means to fight against insurgency. During his time in the military, he crushed the Matatsine riot that took place in the North. This administration has no spine, has no will, has no courage to confront the insurgents. And they begin to give excuses as to lack of formidable weapons and yet the National Assembly has appropriated trillions of Naira to fight this insurgence and we had taken a loan for this purpose yet and yet there is no respite. This are the same soldiers we have used in international peace missions to fight and liberate some countries in Africa. So our problem right now in this country is leadership and unless we get the leadership question right there is nothing anybody can do about it. And to retrieve our country from the brinks of precipice, we have to get that leadership question right. The National Security Adviser recently called for a postponement of the elections to enable INEC distribute more PVCs to the electorate. Why is the APC opposing this suggestion? The NSA does not oversee INEC; it is not in his place and so coming from him is suspect. I feel he was playing the card of the ruling party.

Because within this same period we have used these PVCs to conduct election in Ekiti and Osun and what is the percentage of voters that collected their PVCs before the Ekiti and Osun elections? So it does not arise but in any case it is INEC that should have told us that under the circumstance it cannot conduct elections or even the National Assembly. The NSA as far as I am concerned is just a busy body or at best flying a kite given to him by his paymasters which is the presidency because they are afraid of defeat. So in the APC, we are opposed to it because it will throw this country into serious constitutional and legal crises. The administration President Jonathan ends on May 29, extending or postponing elections by three months as has been suggested will mean that he will postpone elections beyond the end of this administration. The National Assembly will not be ready to extend the tenure of any administration. And what does that mean that President Jonathan’s administration will end May 29, a day beyond that beyond that makes the government illegal and that throws up an illegality. But many analysts are blaming INEC for starting the distribution of the PVCs too late. Do you agree with that opinion? I don’t because we have forgotten so soon that Nigerians are just realising that they need to participate in the electoral process; there has been a huge level of apathy on the part of the Nigeria people because many of them have resigned to fate that government does not work so they don’t even show interest. So INEC has been doing their best. I am not holding brief for them but they have been doing their best to tell people to come out and collect their PVCs. Political parties have also been doing their best in this regard. But a good number of Nigerians or some Nigerians do not really care; either those who have changed their former place of abode or those who have travelled out or those who are dead or a few others who could not see themselves wasting time to spend a whole day collecting PVCs, that is why you see a huge number of PVCs yet to be collected but what is important really is that we should understand that there is still a huge level of apathy on the part of the Nigerian people. And for us politicians, in my campaigns I use to tell them that look participating in voting is the inenarrable right to take part in the decision making of government. If you don’t take participate then you cannot be part of that decision. Some ex-militants met some days ago in Bayelsa State warned that if President Jonathan loses the election there will be chaos. How do you react to that? I expect the Directorate of State Security and security agencies to take that one up. That is a threat to the unity of this country and it is treasonable. I expect the security agencies to do something about that. No particular zone can make a president. If we agree that we are a Federal Republic, then we must be ready to accept the results of any free and fair elections that throw up a winner. We are preparing for elections in some few days’ time but yet over 200 girls from the Girls Government Secondary School, Chibok, are still missing. How do you feel as a parent and leader? I feel sad, terribly sad and it is a reflection of leadership failure as I said. That our territories have been opened up for insurgents to take over our people and take over our land is saddening. Are the excuses the government has given for its inability to rescue the girls tenable? One cannot find any credible reason for the failure of government to bring those girls back. It shows the fact that this government is not competent to handle our security. The Constitution says that the security of lives and property shall be the primary responsibility of government, anything short of that is unacceptable. It just shows that the government is not able to secure our lives and defend our territories; they are just giving mere excuses. Is it that we have not spent enough money? That is not the issue; we have spent enough resources to give us results in this direction. So it shows a complete lack of will to deal decisively with this situation and that is the only thing you can find out of it.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Politics

Political violence despite peace accord

APC Secretariat at Okrika, Rivers State C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 1

and unleashed violence on innocent people, vehicles and properties suspected to belong to their opponents. Just two days after signing the peace accord, the APC secretariat in Ngor community, Andoni Local Government area of Rivers State was bombed by unknown persons. This was the second time the APC secretariat was attacked in the state. The January 16 bomb blast, which dynamites was suspected to have been used, occurred in the early hours of the day; at about 3.14 am. The party chairman, Amos Gogo Amos, said: “The building has been completely razed by the inferno. We are calling on the government to come to our aid as we are no longer safe in the community. Anything can happen in the night. As we speak, fire is still raging in the building.” The police, through its public relations officer, DSP Ahmadu Mohammadu, said while the information available to them was sketchy, the matter was being investigated. But even before the police could conclude their investigation, APC was already pointing accusing fingers in the direction of the PDP. The APC and PDP are the two parties heating up the polity not only in Rivers State but in other parts of the country. After the bomb blast at the party’s secretariat in Okrika, APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, who was in the community to assess the extent of the damage, expressed worry that the PDP and its supporters had initiated a pattern of attacks on the people of the state. “The police and other security agencies should tackle the excesses of the opposition party. This development is very sad and it is unfortunate that some persons in the society have decided to choose this path. If you have noticed, there has been a pattern of violence lately. On January 6, when we had our presidential rally at the Adokiye Amesiemeka Stadium, you would have noted that some of our people who were coming from Abonnema, Degema and Asari-Toru axis were attacked around Sa-Ama Junction. “The persons who were coming from Kaani and Gokana were attacked around Saakpenwa Junction. Some other groups who were coming for the same rally were attacked around Elele. All fingers point to the other political party, the PDP. We have raised these issues with the Commissioner of Police; we have raised it with the security agencies. Not much has been done after then. Aside from that, you must also have observed a trend. A few days ago, they were in Abonnema to campaign; a faction of PDP fought with another faction of the PDP and two persons were confirmed dead,” Peterside alleged. Last weekend in the same state, political thugs invaded the proposed venue of the APC

Bonfire during demonstration after attack on Jonathan’s convoy in Katsina

governorship rally in Okrika Local Government Area in the early hours of last Saturday, destroying equipment being set up for the exercise. The armed youths, according to the APC Chairman in Okrika, Mr. Christian Asifamaka, shot sporadically at about 3.45am at the venue of the party’s governorship campaign. Asifamaka said the hoodlums threw dynamites into the National School Field venue of the rally at Okrika. PDP on the other hand had accused the APC of perpetrating violence. Several weeks ago, the party in a statement, said it had intelligence report that its presidential campaign train would be attacked when it moves to the North, the support base of the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari. PDP had noted that the completion of the APC campaign rallies in the South-East and South-South without any incidence of harassment or violence was a demonstration of its unflinching resolve for peaceful campaigns. It however, advised the APC to take a cue from that and urgently stop plans by miscreants acting in its name to disrupt PDP campaign rallies in some parts of the North. It seemed like the caution they hinted was not heeded by the APC as PDP was ridiculed in the first state it visited for its presidential campaign. Few hours after President Goodluck Jonathan and members of his presidential campaign train left the palace of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, hundreds of youths took to the street near the palace of the Sultan to carry out a symbolic sweeping of the floor. One of the sweepers, Malam Ibrahim Musa, was quoted to have said that the exercise was to demonstrate to the PDP leaders that the people of the state are bent on ensuring total victory for Buhari. ”You can see things for yourself. Mr. President just passed and we youths mobilised ourselves to clear our area for peace, progress and political growth of our country,” he said. Neither the APC national secretariat nor the state chapter of the party condemned the action of the youths which had become a common practice by the party in many states. But this was just a tip of the iceberg. The PDP presidential campaign entourage was attacked in Katsina, Bauchi, and then Taraba states by suspected APC supporters. In Jos a couple of weeks earlier, two vehicles belonging to the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation were burnt by some youths. The Bauchi attack, which was meshed in controversy, occurred when President Jonathan’s convoy was stoned by angry youths who chanted choruses in support of the APC presidential flag bearer, Major General Buhari. It left six presidential bodyguards injured. The DPO of Township Police Division, Bauchi State Police Command, Danlami Garba,

was also said to have sustained severe injuries while trying to disperse the irate youth protesting against President Jonathan’s visit to the state. The hoodlums threw sachet water bags and stones at the convoy as they surge in their large numbers towards moving vehicles. In Jalingo last Thursday, angry youths threw stones at President Jonathan’s convoy, breaking windshields and windows of several vehicles. Police came to the rescue with tear gas and whips to disperse the mob. In another incident, angry youths also stormed the state secretariat of the PDP and vandalised the building and parked vehicles. The attack on the secretariat left many people scampering for safety when they saw over 100 armed youths surging towards the secretariat. No fewer than 10 vehicles were damaged while the building was razed in several places. Besides physical attacks, hate speeches still characterised the nationwide campaign tours of the parties. For instance in Ibadan last Thursday during the APC rally, with almost all their governorship candidates and party leaders in attendance, successive party leaders took to the podium raining curses on anyone who will vote for PDP, Accord and Labour Party in the next elections! Governor Rauf Aregbesola, spotting his white caftan and cap rained causes on supporters of other parties who might vote for them and against the PDP. The grimace on the face of Hon. Abike Dabiri, who was the master of the ceremony, underscored even her aversion for the governor’s utterances covered live by the Television Continental. Such use of inciting speech reminded one of the hate speech reported in some vernacular services in some parts of the country recently. In view of such utterances and following apparent increasing broadcast of provocative materials by some broadcast stations, the National Broadcasting Commission in Enugu last week directed all stations across the country to stop the broadcast of offensive political messages which could incite further violence in the country. Director General of the Commission, Emeka Mba told stakeholders at a one-day sensitization event that management of the stations had the responsibility to educate the masses and politicians on the dangers of smear campaigns against political opponents. He stressed the need for stations to promote peace in all their broadcasts and balance their commercial and editorial judgments. Another dimension to this was a wraparound advertisement placed in two national newspapers by the governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, where he compared the General Buhari with former Nigerian presidents who died in office. He, however, came under heavy attack even from his party, as he was disowned.

Similarly, adverts in some newspapers have showed Buhari being lifted shoulder high by a caricature of the representatives of MEND and Boko Haram, with the caption “Show me your friends and I will tell you the type of person you are,” have been seen in bad taste. They are said to portray the endorsement of the general by the two violent groups as an indication that he possess their traits. The challenge of implementing the peace accord was that it lacks binding powers. Even the police said the pact is not enforceable because it is not a legal instrument. The Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu said, “The peace accord is not a piece of law. It is not enforceable, but only morally binding on the parties involved”. Also a lawyer and human rights activist, Esther Uzoma, said the accord “is extremely persuasive but not on the ground of conviction”. According to her, none of the signatories to the accord could be held responsible by the actions of their supporters. “Criminal liability is inpersonam. The law says that the offender should be held responsible for his action,” she further explained. Both parties have ended up condemning the attacks and dissociating themselves from the actions of their supporters. The damage had already been done. Leader of the Human Rights Monitor, Festus Okoye blamed government agencies responsible for maintenance of law and order for allowing impunity to thrive by failing to investigate individuals and political parties accused of perpetrating violence. He also said INEC legal officers have failed in their duty as specified in section 150(2) of the Electoral Act to prosecute electoral offenders. He suggested the setting up of Political Parties and Electoral Offences Commission to handle violence and other offences associated with electioneering campaigns. With just two weeks to the presidential election, the parties are intensifying their campaigns. They are levying accusations and counter-accusations against one another. The use of intemperate and offensive languages is no longer limited. Nobody remembers the Abuja Peace Accord any longer. The fear of many is the likely post-election violence as witnessed in 2011 or even that if June 12, 1993. Some people are either relocating or considering doing so to places where they consider safe for them during and after the elections. Though the Federal Government is assuring people of their safety and persuading them not to flee from where they are residing with the attack on presidential convoy and the fact that nobody was arrested, one will blame ordinary Nigerians if they relocate to a safer place. Observers roundly condemned the spate of violence, warning that it is a fore gleam of what to come during and after the elections.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2015

Diplomatic Outpost

How Nigeria can win war against Boko Haram - Swedish arms expert Pieter Wezeman is a Senior Researcher, Arms Transfers and Arms Production Programme at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Solna, Sweden. He responds to questions from BIYI ADEGOROYE on Nigeria’s war with Boko Haram What is the likely source of the tanks which Boko Haram has been using? Also, how do you think Boko Haram sources fuel for its tanks and four-wheel drive vehicles? As far as I can judge, the heavy weapons, tanks and armoured vehicles used by Boko Haram have been captured from the Nigerian armed forces. To my knowledge there is no indication that they have been obtained from other sources, such as arms traders abroad or from states that would want to support Boko Haram (such states do not exist as far as I know). This would also be less likely as it is difficult to smuggle such arms to Boko Haram. The small arms and light weapons used by Boko Haram are also likely to come primarily from capture and theft from Nigerian army and security forces. However, it is possible that Boko Haram may have acquired weapons on the black market elsewhere in central, western or northern Africa. There is no particular evidence I know of that provides strong indications that Boko Haram has been able to tap into the black market in a significant manner, but it is important that Nigeria, neighbouring states and the world community as a whole remain vigilant to prevent Boko Haram from getting hold of even more arms from the black market. Where is Nigeria likely to get weapons from to prosecute its war against Boko Haram, since the United States has refused to sell weapons to Nigeria and blocked same by Israel? The USA has never been an important source of arms for Nigeria. The issue of the refusal to allow Israel to reexport U.S-made combat helicopters to Nigeria is in that sense rather unique. Until now the USA has supplied Nigeria occasionally

Wezeman

with very useful military support equipment, including transport aircraft and patrol ships. The fact that the USA refused to allow the supply of combat helicopters appears to be related to the professionalism of the Nigerian armed forces with regards to capability to operate systems, morale and human rights. The U.S refusal will not make much of a difference for Nigeria being able to procure any type of weapon, whether plain rifles or advanced combat helicopters. There are plenty of other eager suppliers in the world, who see opportunities to make money or which see a need to help Nigeria in its fight against BH. Nigeria has in recent years bought weapons of all kinds from e.g. Italy, France, China, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Israel, South Africa and the UAE. The result is a patchwork of different weapon types that raises questions about the thinking behind the procurement. It must be a logistical challenge to work with so many relatively small batches of diverse weaponry, in particular in a developing country in the middle of a war. The US refusal has however spoiled the relationship between the USA and Nigeria. It seems that the issue has been taken up high by Nigeria. If this is really needed or wise is questionable. Even if the US may not want to deliver advanced weapons, Nigeria would undoubtedly gain from other military or other support from the USA in dealing with BH. Such support included training and intelligence gathering, which are at least as important for Nigeria as complete arms.

Does ISIS pose a serious threat to Nigeria, given its recent attack on a luxury hotel in Libya? This is beyond my expertise.

However, ending the terror of Boko Haram requires a lot more than bringing together an assortment of varied weapons from all corners in the world.

Is Nigeria likely to change the United States’ stance on sale of weapons to it? Regarding major and advanced lethal weapons systems this will only happen in the longer run and probably only if Nigeria is willing to seriously reform its armed forces. In the meantime, it should not be hard for Nigeria to convince the USA to continue or restart the supply of other valuable military aid such as training, support equipment and sharing of intelligence.

With Nigeria’s recent acquisition of Chinesebuilt unmanned air combat vehicles (armed drones) for the war against Boko Haram, do you think things will change significantly? No. A few armed drones of a type untested in battle or even in general introduced by armed forces which have no experience and hardly an integrated command control, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability that can is needed to use this UCAVs at the right moment in the right place will not change the situation. Also, UCAVs bring with it he added problem that contact between security forces and the population will be lost. Dealing with a group like BH is arguably more about security forces interacting with the population they have to protect than trying to kill a few rebels at a distance.

What would Nigeria need to do to improve its local weapons manufacture capability? A lot. But it is questionable if it would make much sense to invest much in this right now. Setting up an arms industry is a difficult and long process that will not lead to the desired significant independence in arms procurement. The attempts Nigeria has made to set up an arms industry in the past seem to have been a near complete failure and a waste of resources. Instead, Nigeria should consider investing in training its armed forces so that they become experts in how to use force in the most effective way and only when absolutely needed and restore morale; invest in non-military and non-violent efforts to address underlying factors of the rise of BH; invest in a proper arms procurement procedure that does not procure weapons on an ad hoc and haphazard manner as it from my position here in Stockholm it seems appears to be doing now. Although the U.S criticism towards the capabilities of the Nigerian armed forces might not necessarily be 100% correct and sounding rather paternalistic, it might be wise to use the criticism as the starting point for a serious debate and self-reflection in Nigeria about the state of the armed forces and how they should play a role in dealing with Boko Haram. If Nigeria wants weapons, it will have no difficulty to find a provider as long as Nigeria can pay.

What kind of weapons and aircraft does Nigeria need to win the war against Boko Haram? It’s probably not the weapons that are of the greatest importance currently, but training, proper command, a well-defined strategy and a better understanding of the situation. Probably also seeking military assistance from other states. What are their capabilities and countries of manufacture? Whatever types of weapons and military equipment Nigeria finally chooses, it will be able to buy it from countries, ranging from Brazil to China, from South Africa to France, from the UAE to Russia. How do you view Nigeria’s recent engagement of 100 South African ex-soldiers to help find the missing Chibok girls and to train Nigerian soldiers? I have too little knowledge of this development to give a comment on it. What kind of satellite communication equipment will help the Nigerian government to find the missing girls and locate the terrorists when they are advancing? Getting access to satellite imagery, which can be bought commercially or requested from other countries such as the USA that understand the need of supporting Nigeria in stopping BH, is one part of the intelligence gathering effort that Nigeria has to undertake to understand the location, spread, strength and objectives of BH. However, manned aircraft equipped with a variety of imagery sensors radar and communication interception are probably more of what Nigeria would need. Of course, such equipment is only useful if Nigeria has the means, in terms of organisation and well trained staff, to interpret and use the gathered information. How would you advise the Nigerian government to tackle the recruitment of child soldiers by Boko Haram? This is outside my expertise

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Politics

Mbu’s formula for effective policing

Austen Yong

o politicians, he is a controversial cop but in police circles, he is known as a reformer and a thorough-bred professional. Hence, when he took over at the Zone II Command in Lagos last week, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, left no one in doubt about his disposition to his duties. At the event, he read a riot act at the people, giving them reasons they should respect policemen as law enforcement agents. “Policemen on the streets represent us and they are the symbol of Nigeria. They represent me, the Inspector General of Police and the President of Nigeria; hence they should be given deserved respect. Any untoward action against them is done against even the IGP.” To his officers and the people, he warned: “People should live in an orderly manner. I want the two Commissioners of Police under my command to make sure that they do their jobs very well. My men and officers should make sure they are disciplined and must not be lawless. We all must be organised. “If you are a civilian, you must obey the laws, because if you don’t, whatever your status, we

Obaze

will bring you down and take you to court, but if you obey the laws, we will not have any problem with you.” As if that was not enough, Mbu warned: “If you want to misuse my policemen, I will say no. If you are not entitled to the use of policemen, but have, I will withdraw them. If you insult my men, I will not take it, I will prosecute you.” Since the announcement of his redeployment from Zone seven, Abuja to Zone II, in Lagos. Penultimate week, not a few people have expressed some concern. The anxiety was in connection with Mbu’s story in Rivers State, when on a number of occasions he was on the war path with Governor Chibuake Amaechi. The altercations got him national attention and made him a house hold name, albeit for the wrong reasons Expectedly, the social media was awash with comments. While some Lagosians were excited about the posting others were not. Joe Igbokwe, spokesman of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State told journalists that Mbu’s posting to Zone II was for him to do the hatchet job for the PDP and the President. In response, Mbu told journalists in Abuja that he was keeping his reaction to the APC’s

insinuations in the wraps until the opportune time. The Political Science graduate of the University of Lagos, has, however, vowed that his coming to Zone II, is to discharge his duties professionally as a policeman and nothing less- an indication that tough times await criminals in Lagos and Ogun states. Besides the negative public perception of Mbu, those who are aware of his commitment to duty will refer to him as a crime buster par excellence. For instance, during his posting to Oyo State as Commissioner of police, he was faced with the challenge of who should lead Operation Burst, the anti-crime special policemilitary task force set up by the State governor, Abiola Ajimobi.. Eighty per cent of the personnel were supplied by the police but the Army, Air force and Navy headed the units. Mbu would not have that under his leadership. He had his way and ensure that the police led the units in line with their duties in a democratic Six months thereafter when he was transferred out of the state, the Oyo State House of Assembly held a special valedictory session for him for keeping the state crime-free during his short stay. It was the first sime such honour was done on any police officer by the Assembly.

Mbu

For officers of the ommand, Mbu was a wonder man. He rehabilitated the Commissioner’s Quarters to become a modern home. He refurbished several abandoned broken down vehicles and Armored Personnel Carriers. The Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners of Police working with him got new vehicles courtesy Mbu. He won the heart of Ajimobi who said that Mbu was the best commissioner he ever worked with. Earlier in Rivers State, he kept crime at a low ebb, refurbished 26 abandoned broken down vehicles and six Armored Personnel Carriers, and turned the decrepit Commissioner’s Quarters along Forces Avenue, Old GRA, into an architectural masterpiece, just as he did to the state Police Headquarters at Moscow Road and the Police Officers’ Wives Association Secretariat. Apart from re-enacting his transformation feats at the FCT Abuja Police command where he was posted next as CP, Mbu brought a social touch to his job by electrifying some dark areas in the command. Here, he bought two Mercedes Benz buses to be used for police welfare. He also renovated the command and repaired some abandoned vehicles. An appreciative Inspector General of Police was said to have communicated Mbu’s achievements at the FCT to the other police commands for them to emulate. On his promotion in May 2014, Mbu was posted to Zone 7, covering the FCT, Kaduna and Niger state commands. He immediately made the commissioners under him to understand that he will not tolerate any laxity, and shocked the zone with series of transfers, as officers who had spent seven years and above had to move. He continually craved the support of communities in the zone but implored them not to harm any officer under his command as he would not take that lightly It was not, however, without the usual dose of controversy. He had a serious brush with an AIT correspondent, Amaechi Anakwe who described him as a controversial police boss in a live interview. But the matter was resolved by Chief Raymond Dokpesi, the then chairman and CEO of Daar communications Plc. As he takes over the leadership at AIG Zone II, the highly decorated awardee cannot but look forward to the partnership of the people to ensure a safer Lagos and Ogun states especially during the elections period and beyond. •Yong is National Organising Secretary, Police Community Relations Committee.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2015

Politics / Interview

APC’s VP slot to Yorubas is a gimmick, says Adebanjo Renowned lawyer and leading member of pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, speaks on developments in the polity. CHIJIOKE IREMEKA brings excerpts Afenifere, unlike before, is no longer active. What is happening? Afenifere is still very active. In fact, very soon, we are going to meet in Akure, Ondo State. It no longer as vibrant as it used to be… Well, I am sure that would be because of the press. You are light on to the world, just like the motto of the defunct West African Pilot. There is no doubt that there is some kind of division among us caused by some rebels who didn’t want the right thing to be done, because we are strictly Obafemi Awolowo’s disciples, undiluted. We don’t modify Awo’s principles for our own interest, progressive is progressive; not those who are progressive today and conservative tomorrow. Those who were never progressives, the moment they join you, they automatically become progressives. What about the challenge of people trying to twist the principles of Awo? We shall continue to say what is right for people to decipher. There are no two ways about it. What we are doing now is to ensure that you people follow the right path. The principle of Afenifere leaders, particularly myself, is to tell you the truth because lying and falsification of things have dominated the country. But there are a lot of people now calling themselves progressives. I will say all those ones are fake. All those people in the then ACN that is now APC are fake progressives. How? They are fake in the sense that they don’t pursue the principles of Awolowo. Take, for instance, the issue of federalism. We were part and parcel of NADECO. During the NADECO days, we were the only ones shouting about the issue of Sovereign National Conference for the restructuring of the country because the federation was an awkward one. It was not balanced. And it was because the military choked us in 1966. The Constitution the colonialists gave us at independence was jettisoned after the 1966 coup. And that is why you saw the arbitrary creation of states and local governments because the people there were northerners. And we said we don’t want the country to separate; for us all to live in peace, let us all sit down and restructure the country on the principle of federalism. Federalism is the system whereby the various ethnic nationalities that formed the country can grow at their own pace and then still keep the country as one. That was what we insisted upon. You would also remember when Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar said we should go for election, and we said no, we should first of all hold a conference that would lead to a new Constitution which we would all be happy about. But he said, “No, I am in a hurry. When you get your civilian government, you can go and do it.” That was why one was held under Obasanjo’s administration. All those with us during the NADECO time that insisted on National Conference are the same set of people saying now that the Goodluck Jonathan conference was a diversion. That was what Bola Tinubu said. I have said it before, let him challenge it. Sovereign National Conference was one of the manifestoes we used in electing him into office as governor of Lagos State. It was part of the agenda of the Alliance for Democracy that there must be a national conference. When we won elections in 1999, it was because we

Pa Adebanjo

reluctantly took part in the election because we didn’t want people we didn’t believe in to win elections in South-West and claim later that we were not representing the zone. That was why we contested the elections so that everybody could see that we had the support of the people. After the elections, all the six states in the South-West where we had our governors, Afenifere leaders toured the houses of assembly led by late Pa Abraham Adesanya, for them to pass a resolution that there must be a national conference. Tinubu was there. Now because something does not suit him; because he has a motive now, he says the national conference was a diversion. Is that consistent with our policy? Now, what you find these days is the imposition of candidates which is against the principle of Awolowo. Take the issue of free education, you hear of free education in Lagos, have you been to their primary and secondary schools and seen the number of children there? Can you find any of the children of these ministers in any of the public schools? Is that what they inherited? It is a matter of principle. This was what separated us, the Afenifere, from ACN, who called themselves progressives. It is not a personal thing. Where do the Yoruba people stand in the February elections? I think that would also be a matter of principle. The question of South-South is a matter of principle of Pa Awolowo that a minority would also have the right to aim for the highest position in the country. That was what I was trying to point out about the recent national conference we had. That conference has taken care of everything concerning Nigeria. Like the issue of power, it is no longer going to be the North-West. Whenever it gets to the North, it must rotate within all other regions in the North. The same thing for the South, it is no

longer about South-West but all other regions in the South such that everybody now knows when each of the regions would be president. It is no longer the issue of we are born to rule. Why I am supporting Jonathan is because he is the only man who can implement the recommendations of the National Conference which was set up to bring equity to Yorubaland and to Nigeria. He is the only man. And once he does that, all these things we are complaining about will be rectified. People talk about corruption but they never care to know the root of corruption. The thing is that the Federal Government has more money than all other tiers of government. Now, we have closed that gap in the confab. We have done it in such a way that the states now have more powers which may not be palatable to those ones in the North. For example, how did you have more local government areas than the South? How are the local governments in Kano and Jigawa states more than those in Lagos? The military at that time just allocated states and local governments to themselves. There was really no criteria with which they arrived at those local governments. So, they now went further by allocating funds on the basis of the number of local governments. You will recall that Lagos State was denied local government funds even when the Supreme Court ruled that it should be paid. That is the kind of wholesome power the Federal Government has and that is one of the reasons I fear if Buhari should govern under this Constitution. Why? Because they have the mentality that they are born to rule. And that is why I think this romance with the South-West of picking a vice presidential candidate with him is just a mere gimmick. That is why I am insisting that all the recommendations of the confab should be implemented before the elections

because the inequality this country has been suffering all this while has been rectified with the recommendations of the confab. All the things that could cause us conflicts have been rectified. So, all our problems have been attacked from the root. And, that is why those who think it is not to their advantage don’t want it done. Everybody believes that this present Constitution is bad and we then say let us all sit down and harmonise it, what is wrong in that one? We have done it now but yet you don’t want it to be implemented. And where is the antagonism coming from? From the beneficiaries of the awkwardness of the Constitution. And they still want the Yoruba to continue to go along with that? If some Yoruba follow them sheepishly, probably because they don’t know the background, that cannot happen to someone like me. And part of the inequality we are talking about is what has come out in the Buhari certificate matter. In the First Republic, you set up a standard for everybody but when it comes to the northerner, you set another standard, that is exactly what happened in Buhari’s case. Those of us who knew all these things from the beginning are not surprised by the new turn of events... And do we have corruption on a selective basis? Look at the PTF which he superintended over. Even though Olusegun Obasanjo was trying to cover him up, has he denied anything of such? He knows that if he does, the document is there for everyone to see. There was the issue of the N25bn there. It is all in the report. So, how can I, as a NADECO man, come and support a dictator? All his antecedents are dictatorial and military like. That was then.,, Don’t give me that. When did he become a democrat? What has he done to show he is a democrat other than the fact he is saying he is being punished because he is now a democrat? When he first came as a military man, he was issuing retroactive actions to convict people for murder. We are all living witnesses to what he did with Decree 4, so, that is the type of man you want me to vote in a civilian regime? If you cannot support Buhari because of his personality, how about that of his running mate? That is not possible because his running mate has no political experience. He is a first class technocrat, a distinguished lawyer and a nice gentleman. But if you are talking of politics, it is another matter entirely. They just brought him in. Tinubu brought him in as Attorney General, he was never in politics. He comes from Ikenne. Does he know the politics of Ikenne? But, it is like Yoruba are irrevocably committed to following Buhari through Tinubu. I don’t believe Yoruba are following Tinubu. There are so many factors that made him win election in those days. When it comes to these facts, it is now left for the Yoruba to decide. When some of us suffered imprisonment during the NADECO days under Abacha, Tinubu was not around. To those of us who were really victims of dictatorship, you cannot send Buhari to us. I don’t know those who are now doing chop chop politics. From the beginning, we were never those who believed than a military person should come and rule under a civilian regime and that was one of the reasons the Yoruba strongly voted against Obasanjo in 1999. It was the military that imposed Olusegun Obasanjo on us, because it was Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar that brought him and imposed him on us. They may have disagreements later because Obasanjo didn’t perform. It was Obasanjo that brought Umar Yar’Adua, he brought Jonathan.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Politics / Interview

Umahi: It’s time to develop Ebonyi Chief Dave Nweze Umahi, is the deputy governor of Ebonyi State and the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the February election. In this interview with select journalists in Abakalliki, Umahi bares his mind on some issues including the rancor between him and the governor. CHARLES ONYEKWERE was there How would you describe the current political situation in your state today? God has opened a floodgate of political freedom in Ebonyi State. People are now free to interact; people can now air their views, people are now free to belong to any party of their choice. But the desperation of some people is bad and if allowed, it will spring up violent activities and Ebonyi State is not known for that. There is high level of desperation by the Labour Party and their agents. Very serious desperation and you can understand a political party that never existed in Ebonyi State but now wants to take over power. You know it is not a small work which has led to desperation. It started with the pulling down of Mr. President’s billboards. Ordinarily anybody could mount his or her own billboards, why then will they remove the billboards of others? We reported this matter to Commissioner of Police and since then, nothing has been done about it. Some of the billboards and posters were white-washed. I can recall that it was Chief Obinna Ogba that first reported this matter to the police but nothing was done about it. If you go to Quarry Road, Ishieke Junction, you will see what they did to the billboards. We are now witnessing a very serious attack on PDP supporters especially in Ezza South Local Government area. All the billboards bearing the pictures of Mr. President were pulled down. In the afternoon, they will say they are supporting Jonathan but in the night, they will go and pull down his billboards. That is hypocrisy. Even in Ezza South, the Divisional Police Command gave an escort to one of the House of Representative aspirant to go and attack people. Then it has escalated to Ikwo. Last night, somebody was attacked and he is now hospitalised. A week ago, some of our supporters in Ikwo were brought down with axe and we reported to the police and they are now in the hospital. We have spent over one million naira for their treatment. These developments are very bad and I wonder this kind of desperation by members of the Labour Party. The bill boards are there. The Chief Security Officer of the state, Chief Martin Elechi needed to stand up and give the state the peace it deserves. He needs to call the Labour Party to order because PDP definitely controls over 95 per cent population of the state and if they are allowed to retaliate, it will be terrible. There have been a number of people joining your campaign team, just like a mass movement. What is the magic? It is not mass movement as such, people are expressing their feelings. Don’t forget that when we go out to campaign, we say what PDP has done. What will Labour Party tell us that they have done? So it is not a case of mass movement but it is a question of PDP being a giant political party in Ebonyi State. Leaders were not given the opportunity to come out to defend the party they founded. Now there is opportunity for the leaders of the party in the state to come out to say this is PDP and

no man can put it down. They are supporting the President genuinely because it is a height of hypocrisy to tell an illiterate person to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan and then vote for Labour candidates in other elections. It is height of hypocrisy because many our people are illiterate. Some of them when you give them three ballot papers, how will they know which one is for President and which one is not? What we assure you of is that Mr. President will get more votes than what he got in last elections in Ebonyi State. How do you explain that a governor of the state that has benefitted immensely from the PDP has now forced all his executive council members and government appointees into Labour Party? Is it not shocking that they are trying to harass those of them who freed themselves from the cage? Is it not an open fraud? The fund of local government and Development Centres are openly used to fund the Labour Party and we talk of attitudinal change. I think the people of Ebonyi State will know what had happened for the past eight years of this administration. I feel very bad that the buses that belong to the state government have been painted Labour Party. That had not been done anywhere and the governor will look the other way. Who is deceiving who? Time has come for people of Ebonyi State to stand up and defend themselves. Can anybody talk of development in any part of this state since the last six months? Or have we not been collecting allocations for the past six months? I don’t think it is fair. I think Ebonyi should stand up and ask questions. The fact that you are governor, deputy governor or commissioner does not make you the owner of the state. You are just one of the custodians the people are the government. So we should stand up and reject these things that are going on in the state in the name of movement for Labour. Has the state branch of the ruling PDP informed the national executives about these allegations? The Elders of the state, the owners of PDP in Ebonyi have made their opinion known to the national leadership of PDP. It is up to them to take decision but my advice to anyone is that the right thing be done. How is your relationship with the governor? Let us trace the genesis of whatever may seem to be the disagreement. I was a state party chairman and served for four years and the governor never complained about me. At the time we were rounding off, I was prepared to go back to my business and Chief Martins Elechi offered that I should help him to be reelected. It was a very difficult task. I even had to make covenant with God that the governor should be re-elected and Elechi said to me that he will hand over to me. It became a kind of contract and a covenant between us. And I did everything within my conscience both in terms of finance and wisdom; I made sure

Umahi

that he won and since seven years now, there is nothing he said I should do, that I have not done. I looked at these things on the background of the spiritual value than physical because the man never found me wanting for seven and half years, why should it be now. I have done everything possible that a child of God can do; I have gone to kneel down for the man. I have publicly declared my loyalty to him, still the man did not agree but I have looked at it as case between Saul and David. I will not be against the governor no matter the level of provocation. The Lord is my strength and I will continue to be loyal, love and obey him. There is this rumour that the governor might be impeached? First, I am not in the picture of the said impeachment. But remember there is a separation of power among the Judiciary, Legislature and the Executive, but the way we have carried on in the past seven years, the governor has looked at them as small boys and girls who must obey him in all things, but I think there is a difference between them and the executive. For instance, you cannot appoint a caretaker committee, people who will handle public fund without them being screened by the House of Assembly and it is an impeachable offence. Two, you cannot take another bond without accounting for the one you took as required by law. And the projects for which the bond was taken are not completed. If you do that, it is an impeachable offence. I heard that the bond has been signed. How can an administration that will end in the next one month be taking a bond now? Is that in the interest of the state? I think governance is a continuum, so why the desperation to take a bond at this time if governance is a continuum? It is an impeachable offence. The legislators say that you cannot appoint coordinators without them being screened by the House of Assembly. And this is an impeachable offence. They said you cannot reconstitute some commissions without being cleared by the legislators. And I think the offence of the Secretary to the State Government was that he advised that the right thing should be done and that is why

he is having problems with him. He refused to adhere to the wisdom of the SSG and you know the man has been in governance for many years now. The point is that the governor does not listen to anybody, so I have to intervene by telling him that he had to listen and discuss with the members of the House. In as much as I don’t support impeachment, I support separation power; I support that the members of the House should be given their own constitutional right and that is the way it supposed to be done. That you are governor, deputy governor or the speaker does not make you God. We are equal before God. Any position you are occupying, God expects you to perform it with the fear of God. I don’t support his impeachment and I am not in the picture but I support the separation of power. I support that the governor should listen to the lawmakers; he should try and agree with them. Would you probe Governor Elechi if you become the governor? I have no reason to probe my father, my boss and my friend. I will not forget the good things he has done for me. I will not forget the fact that he made me party chairman and deputy governor. What is playing out now is the handiwork of darkness. It is a fight between light and darkness. So I look beyond that but one thing I must stress is that I will not allow corruption in Ebonyi State. And the leaders in this project have agreed because if you condone corruption, you are inviting poverty. Finally, what could be your mission and vision for the state? That is the main question. We shall lead our people with the fear of God and respect of their opinion. We shall not locate projects without consultations and input from the benefitting communities. We shall make civil servants enjoy along with politicians and we shall show transparency. We shall not by any disguise award contracts to our sons and wife. Of course the environment will be convenient for business. No need talking about infrastructure because you already know that God trained us in infrastructure, building of roads and every other thing good for my people.

SUNDAY

Abuja Beats SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2015

68 pharmacies, medical stores shut

Yekeen Nurudeen

etermined to rid the nation’s capital of fake and counterfeit drugs, no fewer than 68 pharmacies and medical stores were sealed off in Abuja and Nasarawa State by the FCT Task Force on Fake and Counterfeit Drugs. FCT Secretary for Health and Human Services, Dr. Demola Onakomaiya, told Abuja Beats that the sealing off was the result of collaboration between the FCT Administration and the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria. He said the raid on pharmacies and medical stores was prompted by PCN, adding that the council was impressed by the achievements recorded by the task force. He noted that it was based on this that the raid was extended to Nasarawa State.

NAFDAC, DG

“The whole point of the exercise was to ensure a sanitised drug distribution channel, make sure residents get genuine drugs as well as

ensure that drugs are stored under the right conditions. “With the influx into the FCT, more and more pharmacies are coming up,

mostly unregistered. That is why we set up a monitoring and inspection committee within the Pharmacy Department, to go and ensure that these pharmacies meet required standard and are duly registered,” he said. Also speaking, Director of FCT Pharmaceutical Services, Murna Kazzah, said the exercise also involved the destruction of drugs confiscated from the sealed pharmacies. He said 24 pharmacies and 33 patent medicines stores of the total 68 sealed off were situated in the FCT. “A total of 57 premises were sealed off in the FCT during the exercise. For the premises to be unsealed, the operator will have to pay a fine. If it is an unregistered premises, the inspectors will come and inspect to make sure the building meets required standard,” he said.

FCTA begins construction of rail stations Yekeen Nurudeen

s the Federal Capital Territory administration works to meet up with the December 2015 deadline for the completion of Lots 1A and 3 of Abuja Light Rail project, the FCT Transport Secretariat has commenced the construction of all stations and terminals in the two lots. Already, arrangements are at an advanced stage to remove all structures at the proposed site of the light rail metro station, which is expected to be at the site of the NNPC mega station in the Central Business District. Acting Director of Transportation in the secretariat, Alex Azumah, who spoke during a facility tour of the rail project sites, said the NNPC mega station, Advanced Link filling station, Forte Oil filling station and a plaza adjacent to the station have all been marked for demolition.

He said owners of those facilities had been notified just as arrangements had been made to compensate them. According to him, the construction of the metro station will commence as soon as all encumbrances are removed. He noted that a large expanse of land would also serve as the terminal for high capacity buses and the national rail. He explained that a total number of 12 stations would be constructed for Lots 1A and 3, adding, “These stations are the Abuja Metro, Stadium and National Park.” Others, according to him, are the Ring Road Two, Wapu, Idu, Airport North and Airport stations. He stated that the Idu station is the melting pot of Abuja Light Rail and National Rail. The Lots 1A and 3 project cover a total of 45.24km and is about 59 percent completed.

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SUNDAY

Reminiscences SUNDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2015

Biafran war: Why Ojukwu ignored calls to kill me –Rev. Iloh He has been an astute sport administrator, labour leader and minister of the gospel. Presiding Minister of Soul Winners Chapel, Lagos, Rev. Moses Iloh, tells TAI ANYANWU and STANLEY IHEDIGBO the story of his life Tell us about your days as a miner and labour leader? My father was a senior technician in the tin mines of old Plateau State. We had a relationship with the British mines. When I came back from school, I went to work in the mines. Later, I joined the miners’ trade union movement called Nigerian African Mine Workers Union while quietly working and relating harmoniously with the white miners. I was later chosen as the president of the trade union on a part-time basis, because I was still working with the company. The British miners weren’t pleased with that; they knew that working with them and still being the union leader was a smart move. We had 40,000 members consisting of people from Ghana, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. God gave me wisdom and encouragement. When we went for negotiations, we did very well. I also was so polite and at the same time dealt firmly. They (British) respected me; though they could have sacked me they did not do so because I was doing the right thing. When we had serious trade disputes, the Federal Government would appoint an arbitrator. And this arbitrator saw my brilliant and courageous performance. At the end of our meeting, he would congratulate me and say, “Keep it up.” I got many improvements in the working conditions of the miners in the country then. Then, we got to a stage when the Queen was to come to Nigeria. We had two very important mines, we were mining columbite and tin. The Americans was buying the columbite for their jets. It was a very important mine in the world, and the Queen wanted to come and see the mines. As a union leader I then affiliated our union to the British Tin Mines. What I knew was that we were doing very well and I wanted practical advice and assistance from the union. I asked them to send somebody and they sent one man called Mr. Hansen. When Mr. Hansen came, he stayed in the Europeans club, or in a place they

prepared for the Europeans. That day, I was to have an executive meeting for him to come and address us and teach us how to improve. I sent a driver, also an executive member of the union to pick him up. Unfortunately, Mr. Hansen saw them and called them ‘black monkeys.’ Not that alone, he drove them out from the place. The people we sent to bring the man came back to us without Mr. Hansen. Rather, they told us their experience with the European man. As a leader, I gave the employers a 21-day notice, that we would go on strike unless they sent Mr. Hansen out of the country. All the members were ready. They (British) thought I was joking. They said I should tell my members to go back to work. The Inspector-General of Police, who was a European, the magistrates also were Eu-

As a leader, I gave the employers a 21-day notice, that we would go on strike unless they sent Mr. Hansen out of the country. All the members were ready.

ropeans. Then, I told my executives that the authorities had asked them to go to work but Moses Iloh would not go back to work. The workers followed suit in solidarity. They called me a communist. Daily Times, then headed by Alhaji Babatunde Jose, wrote terrible things about

me in an editorial. He called me an irresponsible man. They threatened me with jail. Everything that came for me through my box, the police would get it, censor it and put it back in my box. On it they wrote: ‘Censored.’ I was just there and when they knew I mean business, that was when they sent the man out of the country to let the Queen come. How did you fare as a Red Cross leader during the Nigerian civil war? Glory to be God. As a result of my trade union activities, the British promoted me to what they called ‘senior service.’ So when they promoted any African man to that level, the person had the same right as the Europeans. They would give the CO NTINUED O N PAGE 41

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Reminiscences

‘Nigerian soldiers committed mass murders, looting’ person a nice house, car and stewards, so, I was elevated to that position with a condition that I would have nothing to do with the union. Before I agreed on that promotion with their condition, I told my members and the workers. The people agreed that I should take the position because I had served them well and deserved the promotion. I signed the agreement, but the Europeans didn’t trust me. They believed that somehow the workers would still come to me for advice. So, they established an office in Lagos, where they wanted me to go and be their representative. When I came to Lagos, my office was at Apapa. I was paid very well but was not active. So, I thought of what to do, to be active and I joined the Red Cross Society. I was a member in Jos; then Mrs. Mark, Red Cross director in Lagos, was told that I was in Lagos and that I was very efficient. She was told to get me. They persuaded me and I joined them as a volunteer. Then, the country was preparing for independence, which meant that Nigerians would take over from the British Red Cross and I left my high paying job to a lower paying one. One thing was certain, that I loved the less privileged people and was willing to assist them when I had the opportunity to do so. Working in Red Cross turned out to be good for me as I met my wife who has been a blessing to me. Then, when I was sent to the national Red Cross and I went to the North during the time of the killing of Igbos in the region. It was my responsibility to train all the Red Cross officers in the region, which I did. Later, I came back after I saw what happened to the Igbos over there and requested that I should be sent to the Eastern region to assist them. I really want to use my contacts to assist them, from American Red Cross to Geneva, although, the then federal government had instructed that no aid organisation should go there to help the Igbos. As God may have it, I found favour with the Chief Judge of the country, Justice Ademola. He was the national president of the Red Cross and Justice Adefarati was chairman for Lagos. They liked me so much and I went to tell them about my desire to go to the Eastern region to assist my people. I asked if they would allowed me to go. Over there, they were many injured people and no expertise. I started my work with Red Cross Enugu and the situation was tough because we had to develop a voluntary aid detachment, trained them. My wife agreed to follow me. As a good driver, she was driving a jeep ambulance. The task in the East was unbelievable, as people were being killed. As Nigerian soldiers were moving in, people were running away. We tried to stop them and assist the wounded ones; it was not a joke. The painful thing there was that I had a problem with the Igbo people. I thank God that Ojukwu was a highly educated and broad-minded person. He knew what the Red Cross meant as well as my contribution. Even one time they tried to kill me. What was the problem? It was because I did not allow them to take the food meant for poor people. The food was brought by the Red Cross only by air and you could imagine the quantity of food. Remember that Chief Obafemi Awolowo had told the then head of state, Gen. Gowon, that hunger was the weapon of war. So, the Federal Government blocked every entry point for food into the Eastern Region. As I was doing my best, the same time I was making enemies. They accused me of running a government within the government, which meant treason. They expected the head of state to condemn me as a saboteur. I didn’t know that the head of state had a very dangerous unit in the army called Directorate of Mili-

tary Intelligence. Then one of them was sent to come and join me without my knowledge to be able to monitor my activities. He was asked to know if I was against the government of the day as it was alleged. Anytime there was an executive council meeting, the bad people that didn’t like me and wanted me dead would complain because they didn’t get me to do what they wanted me. The undercover military intelligence officer was sending reports about me to the head of state about me which were positive. He told him that I was doing my job of assisting the people as a Red Cross official. Can you recall other tough experiences you had during the war? Another tough time for me was towards the end of the war. My wife was flying with children to different countries like Gabon, Saotome, Ivory Coast. Those were the countries that recognised Biafra then. Don’t forget that in a war, wherever the Red Cross flag is mounted, such a place should not be attacked. This was because it was in such places that poor children were kept and fed. I saw some foreign pilots strike such a place in the Eastern region then. They flew so low, and killed people in the Red Cross camp. God proved that He is God, because during the war, my wife and I would go to the war front to assist the wounded soldiers in the presence of Nigerian soldiers but they didn’t shoot us. God saved us through that period, even

I was elevated to that position with a condition that I would have nothing to do with the union. Before I agreed on that promotion with their condition, I told my members and the workers from all the bombings. At the end of the war, one colonel and I together with my wife when we were trying to fly out of the country. Ojukwu had sent a message to us that we should follow the plane as it was leaving. I believed him. At the boarding point, God spoke to us, that we should not go anywhere. But we went to Uli airport at night. From the airport, as we were not able to travel, suddenly, about three military jeeps carrying Nigerian soldiers stopped us. They captured the Biafran colonel and put him in their vehicle. He told the soldiers that I was Ojukwu’s best friend. He failed to tell them that I was a Red Cross officer helping wounded soldiers and assisting their children. So, I pleaded with them to allow me take my wife to the clinic, as she was very heavy, to give birth to a child. It was not so easy without an argument. They escorted us to a nearby clinic and we dropped my wife. Then, they took

me away. I drove my car and two officers were ordered to be with me in my car. I was driving around as they were busy breaking into houses and stealing their belongings. They commanded me to come and carry some of their loot. While assisting them, I had no food or water. Later, they took me to their base somewhere in Port Harcourt, where an armed officer was instructed to guard me. Fortunately for me, some of his colleagues came around and greeted him. I was able to know that he was from the North. I could speak Hausa very well, then I engaged him in a discussion. He was very happy and he was protecting me, not minding where I came from. Then that day, around evening time, I saw the flag of the Red Cross from afar. I told him that my stomach was hurting me badly and asked if I could go there and get some medicine. I pleaded with him to allowed me go to the camp. He agreed but threatened that if I tried to run away, he would shoot me from afar. I told him that I would not run away as he had been kind to me. I went to the Red Cross camp and they happened to be Nigerian Red Cross. When I mentioned my name, they said they had heard of such a name. I asked them to inform Justice Ademola and Justice Adefarati that I had been captured me; and that they should do all they could to free me. I went back to the military base and the following day the soldiers asked me to enter my car and follow them on a looting spree.

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Reminiscences

‘My wife served as my driver’ CON TINUED FR O M PAGE 41

After that, we came back. On one morning, I saw some Biafran people whom I knew very well. Some were lawyers, engineers and very important people in the region. As they were being marched away by the Nigerian soldiers, they saw me on the ground. There was no chair for me to sit on. A fellow among them, who knew me got close to me and spoke in Igbo language, saying: “Iloh, don’t let them take you where they are taking us. Those they took before us have been killed. We know that they will kill us. I heard them and they never came back as they said. Then, I knew that that was serious business. So, I prayed. The next day, the soldiers came as usual to go and loot houses and shops. We got to a place and they said I should rush out without turning off the ignition of my car. I left the car with the engine running. Before we came back to the place where I parked the car, another soldier had stolen it. Meanwhile, it was like Justice Ademola and Justice Adefarati had reported my case to the Red Cross International and the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Voice of America. I even learnt that they had appointed me into a new office but I kept quiet. As God would have it, it was like the military had been instructed to let me go. They formed a court martial; the officers invited me to stand before them and asked why I ran away from Lagos. I told them that I took permission to come and assist wounded people and children in the region. They asked so many questions such as if they maltreated me, if they slapped me or were rough to me. At the end of their questioning, I responded positively and they brought out a piece of paper and asked me to write and signed all they had asked me. I replied that they had treated me fine. That was how God saved me from the hands of death. When I got home, nobody talk to me because nobody picked up by the federal troops at the end of the civil war came back alive. Why did you give up a flourishing oil service business for a cleric’s job? Yes, I did that because I was born again. When I was 10 years old, I started preaching the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Then, I was in primary school in Jos. I played very good football in the country. One Sunday, we were playing football and the Americans came to the field to watch us playing football and they were so impressed. At the end of the game, they called us together and preached to us about giving our lives to Jesus. Later, they invited us to their centre on a Tuesday. We went and they gave us Bible verses to memorise. We accepted Jesus in our lives and they told us not to play football on Sunday. Unfortunately after four months later, there was a football match competition to be played on a Sunday at the Africa ground, in Jos then. They met us playing football that particular Sunday and after the game, they called us together and expressed their unhappiness towards us for not keeping our promise not to play football on Sundays. So, because of that, some of friends refused to go back to them, but I kept on going to them, I even followed them to markets and villages to preach and I became their interpreter. Gradually, I invited some of my friends to join us and after some time, they trained us and sent us to the villages to go and preach to the people and win souls. When you won a soul and brought the person to the centre, they would give you a small piece of paper designed in the form of a fish. They told us to put a hole in the paper and

Wife

They discouraged me, saying that God cannot say so. But I told them that if the Lord told me during the Nigerian civil war that I would not die and I was alive, why would I not obey the Lord now? hang it in our homes as a sign of winning souls for Christ Jesus. I won up to 12 souls and they gave me a fish paper. I hung it in my house. I kept on winning souls till they were 100 people. There was a big ceremony for me in their centre and they invited their fellow Christians. At the end of the occasion, they gave me a book little ladder that reached heaven as a gift. They put me there and since then, I have been consistent in serving God. In our school days, I didn’t see people that behaved like them. I didn’t see the kind of things they told me about Christians in the lives of people who called themselves Christians. When I started working, I didn’t go to any church again. Tell us more? It happened that a good friend of mine called Akintola came to me and kept telling me about the Holy Spirit. I was very interested in having that encounter again. He took me to one white garment church. Before then I was told that the whenever the Holy Spirit came upon somebody, it was a beautiful experience. But in that particular church, I saw people doing different things such as falling on the ground and turning around. I said to myself this was not what the Americans taught me about the presence of God. But my friend was encouraging me that that was the right place. I had a friend, who happened to be the only daughter of AG Leventis, who was married to a Scottish man. She was very sick and I went and told the church pastor about the woman’s case. They assured me that there was no problem. Even at that time, it was not easy to bring a white woman to the church for prayers. They asked for her name and I gave them. Every service they would see a vision of how she died. I was watching them, till the woman was

admitted to a missionary hospital. I was visiting the woman there and one of those days, I told the pastor where I was going. He said he also wanted to visit the woman in the hospital. I took him there and prayed for the woman. One day, the woman asked me to come back after seeing off my friend. I did because the woman was very good to me. I went back to see her as I promised. She told me that they trusted these church people because of me and she brought out something in a small bottle. It was blackish in colour. She showed it to me, saying that the church gave it to her and she had been drinking it. I felt very bad because I was not aware of it. I collected it from the woman. They had even told her not to let me know about the concoction. So, I went to them and expressed my disappointment about them. The painful thing was the woman died few days later. I went to the church, tore the garment I wore to the church and threw the Bible at them. That was how I left them. After that experience, I stopped going to church again. But during the Nigerian civil war, God had revealed Himself to me in the real form. At the end of the war, I told myself that God had helped me and I needed to help people spiritually. I came to Lagos after the war and refused to work for anybody. Then I had a good friend of mine who owned a company in Ikeja. So, when the man had labour issues in his companies, he would invite me to assist him and I would solve the union problem. I went there and became a blessing to them. Things were working very well with the workers and the organisation. They had Chinese nationals working there too. I made some money from the companies and I heard that they wanted to sell one company called PM Nigeria along Oba Akran Road in Ikeja. It was also during the indigenisation policy of the Federal Government. Their job was to supply petroleum equipment to companies and other things. So, I told the owners that I wanted to buy the company after my friend had told me how profitable that company was. The owners wanted cash at hand and at that time, I didn’t have the money at hand. We negotiated on the company and I was thinking of how to get the money. I paid the owner because all I had with me was not enough. That period, a friend of mine whom I helped in the Red Cross came to

my office. As we were discussing, I told him about the company. I didn’t know any bank manager who could assist me with a loan. He told me about a Union Bank manager at Ikeja, who could help me get a loan. As God would have it, the manager agreed to loan me the money to buy the company. So, I was there with some white engineers that were working there before I brought the company. It had branches in Kaduna, Ibadan and Enugu. They also had a big contact with Bauchi State government. To the glory of God, business was going as I was able to pay the bank and send my children abroad to school. One day, God spoke with me that I there was gap I should fill. I started a counselling programme in my house every Thursday. I kept touching people’s lives. From there, I started a cassette ministry, person to person. If I read about anybody in the newspapers that did what was not good, I would preach and record my message in a cassette and send to the person. It was mostly the big men in the country then, like government ministers, senior military personal and the big guys. I sent them gospel messages. Some would call and insult me, asking what right I had to criticise them. I was not angry, rather I would say to myself that that was what the Lord wanted me to do; to preach to them. Some whom I sent the message to came for counselling and shared their problems with me. We looked at the Bible together and studied what God said about their situation and they went home happily.

How did you then start your church? One day, I came back from office and I found plastic chairs in my house. I asked my domestic servant who brought those things and he told me that it was the people that were coming there for Bible studies. When the donors came, they said that what I was telling them was different from what they had been hearing in their churches. They said it was better for them to be in our house instead of attending any other church because they had heard the true message of God in my house. I told them that the Lord had not asked me to start a church; that they should still be going to their churches. I said they could only come for Bible studies and counselling as usual. Something happened, there was a big contract we had with the Bauchi State government but they refused to pay after we had finished the job. I prayed for the payment of the money, but one day, I heard from the Lord, who said I should give up those businesses and serve Him. Then, I told people around me what the Lord had said. They discouraged me, saying that God cannot say so. But I told them that if the Lord told me during the Nigerian civil war that I would not die and I was alive, why would I not obey the Lord now? Again, during the war, the Lord told me and my wife as she was pregnant, that she should not take any drug and she delivered safely. Then, I left the businesses. Before I left, I called my workers and told them that wherever they were and whatever was there was now theirs. These included vehicles, equipment and many other things. They thought I was mad. I said ‘no,’ that I was obeying a commandment of God in my life. I started a full-time church. Where we were was not conducive for us, so we began to pray for a permanent place. As I was serving God, Bauchi State government that wasowing me N1 million sent one of their commissioners to invite me to come and collect my cheques. I went to Bauchi State and collected the money. While this place we are now was for sale; I used the money to pay for the land.

waist trousers always manage to find its way back into the fashion scene with the perfect fit. This time around, it looks simply divine when paired with crop tops and patterned tucked in tops. High waist trousers exudes sexy power; giving the illusion of a shapely figure. It flattens the tummy, and accentuates the hips/butt. Here’s a secret about high-waist pants: They’re actually not ‘high-waisted’ at all. They’re higher than what we’re accustomed to, but they hit at your natural waist line. This style can be found in almost all kinds of bottom pieces inwomen of plus sizes, a trouser that is wide-legged and loose will mask many flaws. However they are not flattering by any means if the right style is not worn with the right body shape. If you’re lacking in the derriere department, you’ll probably find that high-waisted pants flatten your backside out even more. If you have wider hips, high-waisted pants might emphasize them a little too much. If your belly’s even slightly lumpy, the pants will probably bulge at a pretty unattractive spot. And because high-waist works best with fitted, tucked-in

ing flats make you feel so comfortable, high waisted pieces are designed to be worn with foot wears that adds height, anything less and you may appear unattractive as they will not flatter your figure. Heels should be worn to get maximum effect. You can combine them with simple blouses, blazers, shirts or some elegant top. Also wearing these trousers with some cool crop top will give you a stunning look. High-waisted bottoms will definitely give you a stylish and elegant look and in tune with the haute fashion of the season.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

Loosen up in dressed down suit Y

Vanessa Okwara

ou must have spent a fortune purchasing a bespoke designer suit which looks great for a special occasion but that is the only time you get to wear it before it finds its way back to your closet. Just because suits are traditionally classed as formal wear doesn’t mean they have to be pigeon-holed into that look all the time. There are many ways to relax the suit and yet add a sartorial edge to your overall look. Menswear is loosening up and it’s time you learned to dress down your suit. Dressing down a suit has so many advantages. It gives you the variety of wearing your suit jacket casually so you can put it on more often. From a casual work environment to a warm event at the weekend or just a simple fun night out, you will always look sharp anytime you appear in a dressed down suit. Dressing down a suit helps you to get the most utility out of that beautiful piece of custom tailoring. A suit can be dressed down and still manages to look casual, formal and fun. Throw on that suit jacket with a cardigan, crew or V-neck sweater for chilly days at work. For a laid back vibe, loosen the tie, opening up buttons. These make you look a bit relaxed. A shirt and tie is ‘stuffy’, whilst a simple shirt

paired with a suit is somewhat relaxed. You can also wear suit pants and blazer with a colourful and patterned shirt and loafers for an edgy look. If you want to play safe, wear a suit jacket with fitted jeans, striped/chambray shirt and trainers for a clean sleek look. There are patterns which are a lot more casual in appearance compared to plain or striped formal shirts. The check shirts you wear at the weekend can be worn under a suit to bring the formality down a notch. Other prints to consider would be floral, hibiscus, geo-metric or even polka dots. Another way of dressing down your suit is to pair the suit with a T-shirt instead of a shirt. If you own a tuxedo jacket, you can also pair it with a tee-shirt, tweed trousers and trainers for a comfy look. For a polished look, wear pants suits that are slimmer through the legs. Just remember you can wear the two pieces together or just one piece with something else, the choice is yours. Dressing down your suit can be fun and classy if you know how to style it with colourful pieces from your wardrobe. Strip off the stuffiness out of your suit style and get the unconventional look that gives a man that sexiness that is hard to resist.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015

Body&Soul

What havoc is your tongue provoking?

“

You always scold me for every little thing that goes wrong in this house! You are not appreciative of all my efforts and contributions. You’re very wicked and unloving. You are no longer the caring man I married,” Bola shouted at Kehinde. “You are a foolish woman, disrespectful and always nagging. When I ask you to do something, you first of all challenge my authority. I want a submissive wife. Two captains cannot be in the same ship,” Kehinde shouted back. This is how marriage between Bola and Kehinde has been for some years now. Their conversations have become more of fighting matches than the loving tête-à-têtes between couples. They come to the arena of their discussions with deadly missiles capable of tearing down even a well-constructed house. What kind of missiles you’ll ask me? They are not the type we see soldiers use in the act of war. Neither are they the type wielded by the Americans when they destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The kind of missile I’m talking about here is a very subtle device called the tongue; which when used on a human soul, has the devastating effect of tearing the heart to shreds. Someone once said, a slip of the foot maybe be recovered but a slip of tongue oftentimes can never be recovered. Spoken words are unguarded missiles thrown into the lives of people when they least expect it. These words can come in form of blessings or curses depending on the way it is said. The tongue is one of the smallest organ found in the human body, yet it can cause the most deadly havoc when used unbridled. So what are you doing with your tongue in

CONNECT NG vanessaonsunday@yahoo.com that relationship? Are you using it constructively to bless or are you brandishing it as a weapon of war against your partner and members of your household? Do you use your tongue to cause irrecoverable damage to the psyche of your partner and in the end, dig trenches to bury your love? It is unfortunate we live in a society that often accepts the constant rain of abusive words as the norm. You simply need to board a public bus going from Oshodi to Ojota in Lagos to understand what I’m talking about. By the time you alight, your ear

Whether that relationship is between you and your partner, your children or even an old friend; learn to speak creative words that will add value to their lives than hateful words that affects them psychologically

would’ve been filled up with tirade of abusive words exchanged between the conductor and the passengers in the bus. “You are a crazy!” “Your mother is a prostitute!” “You are an idiot and a fool!” are the common vocabularies you will hear people throw at each other with reckless abandon. Someone said the reason we live in a society where abusive words are commonplace can be traced back to family upbringing. Some mothers are culprits in this debacle. They trained their children using abusive words and, in turn, these kids grow up not knowing any other way to address issues when quarrelling than to rain curses on their fellow human being. In the same vein, when they eventually get married, they end up displaying the same horrific vocabulary in their relationship as their mothers did. Abusive words hurt a lot; especially when it is coming from the mouth of the person you love. They are difficult to take back, breeding tension between you and your partner and destroying the warm atmosphere that exists in your home. Abuse does not only include physical abuse or violence. It also includes milder forms of abuse such as daily put-downs, sarcastic remarks, negative comments, with-

holding affection, refusing to talk, threatening to leave and every form of verbal abuse. Many people in relationships repeatedly engage in these subtle forms of abuse. Some people act as if their marriage license gives them the absolute right to verbally abuse their partner with litany of corrosive words or whip them back to order with their caustic tongue. But as harmless as you may think such negative interactions are, they are much more damaging to your relationships than you can imagine. A word spoken out of turn to a loved one is usually very hurtful. Your partner may accept being verbally abused by an outsider without saying a word, but it is extremely difficult to keep quiet when such abuses are coming from the mouth of the same person that has professed undying love to you. Don’t use your tongue to tear down the lovely relationship you have taken time to build. Whether that relationship is between you and your partner, your children or even an old friend, learn to speak creative words that will add value to their lives than hateful words that affects them psychologically. This can cause monumental rifts in that relationship. If you want your long-term relationships to succeed, you must learn to avoid verbal abuse. You should resist them at all times, even if you feel justified in responding this way. Never use strong, irritating words when you are quarrelling with your partner, no matter the provocation. It may not be easy to contain your anger, but please learn to control your tongue. •Send your views to the email above!

Not feeling love for this foreign carnival

arnival has always been an important cultural showpiece. Every human community comes together to celebrate and have fun, either for religious or professional purpose. Carnival has always been an opportunity to mingle and jingle with the high of the society as it always breaks down barriers. I am so happy, that after some hiccups, the carnival spirit has finally seized Nigeria and established itself as a part of our cultural life. It was so exhilarating to see governors and ministers participate in one carnival or the other, I was happy to see stadia turned into a party venue and politicians danced. Culture is alive and for me that is a good starting; that is until I scrutinised the costume of the various carnival floats. In a country of over 250 ethnic groups and hundreds more sub divisions of these groups, I will expect that we have enough costume ideas for the floats and parties at the carnivals without even trying. I also want to believe an eclectic artist, or a ‘crazy’ fashion designer can actually come up with ideas that can blend all the attires and fabrics from home into one funky enough for a carnival. But did I see that? No! What did I see? Well, I saw girls skimpily clad in feathers and panties like the carnival of Brazil; I saw girls wearing shiny outfits like the carnival of Mexico and I saw boys in headgears that I have yet to find the words to describe, marching past with glee. I saw anything but a costume that truly reflects our cultural heritage; a big shame on the organisers. People please, don’t get me wrong and call me a cultural racist for that I am not. I am strictly saying that we can have all of the aforementioned displays on the side but not at the expense of our own culture

and tradition which include our way of dressing, and yes, even for carnivals. It is also annoying that governors got in on the act, dressing in foreign carnival costume and standing tall amongst their people. Not feeling the love for the local here. Right from the medieval times when the carnival was a way of life of peasants and became the only time they could mix with kings, the carnival costume represents feeling, represents identity. The people choose an outfit that conveyed the message of their tribe or clan or migrant communities, say the gypsies to the king. The king too must attend the carnival and get a feel of what his people are experiencing, something he may not have an opportunity to do during the official state functions as people are always cautious and formal. That is also where, according to Mikhail Bakhtin, the idea of the mask as an emblem of the carnival came into being. It made everyone equal and free from blame and accusation during the carnival. My Popular Culture reference will be Disney’s ‘The Hunchback of Notre Damme’ where the gypsies, hated as they were, participated in a carnival and the governor is compelled to be there or he faces the wrath of the king. Can you imagine the gypsies passing up the opportunity to mock a governor that

hates them with a foreign costume; the movie producers didn’t think so. I guess you can argue that the costumes have expressed the freedom of the participants but then I ask, to who? Who has been told that they are free to do what they want? No one, so no point wearing it then. Another point I want emphasised is the

In a country of over 250 ethnic groups, I will expect that we have enough costume ideas for the floats and parties at the carnivals without even trying. I also want to believe an eclectic artist, or a ‘crazy’ fashion designer can actually come up with ideas that can blend all the attires and fabrics from home into one funky enough for a carnival

fact that you can never beat the original. Most of the carnivals I saw were trying too hard to emulate the Rio carnival of Brazil, especially the ladies in skimpy dress part. I am sorry to say, they end up looking disjointed and out of place. I can imagine a Brazilian coming into the venue and finding it amusing in the beginning but getting irritated because he or she has seen the real thing and what he is watching is a travesty. I don’t see the Rio Carnival performers in Adire or Aso Oke either. So why copy when you can’t get it right? Perhaps it is a time to go back to the basics and redraft the policies that established these carnivals as state functions. There should be a section of the draft that states that the carnivals must be at least 60 per cent local content. Every participant must try to be creative enough to come up with an idea that reflects the culture of the people of the area it is taking place. The foreign costumes don’t look good on them and it makes them look like clowns; that is being restrained from using the actual words I am thinking which are unprintable. There is also nothing wrong with having a thematic thrust to this carnivals; something that reflects the society. Like the literary and poetic heritage of the region, the famous warriors and hunters in the legend of the town or contemporary villainy of present administration. The carnival means no subject is off limits. It is not too late to start planning and I hope after the elections (yes, I know all the governors are busy at the moment), the states and streets can start planning a carnival that represents the contemporary Nigeria.

Body&Soul

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Accessories

Sparkle in collar necklaces Vanessa Okwara

ollar necklaces are a great way to instantly freshen up an otherwise plain top. These bold, updated statement necklaces have the power to crank up the volume on any outfit while remaining elegant, with just the right hint of sparkle. These detachable blouse toppers instantly freshen up any outfit, without having to overhaul your wardrobe! Collar necklaces come in many shapes and sizes and can add panache to any outfit with a simple fastening of a clasp. Some are detachable blouse

collars with embellishments, bib necklaces, Egyptian collars, or simply choker necklaces that help add pizazz to your overall look. The beauty of collar necklaces is that they can switch a simple nondescript blouse to instant glam without much effort. For instance, make a simple white blouse a high-fashion statement with collar necklaces embellished with sequins or studs. You can adorn a lace dress with a glittery topper collar necklace to make you stand out from the rest of the crowd. Also, pair a simple black dress with a gorgeous bold collar necklace or a rhinestone-encrusted piece and rock the

glam look. They are a must for a chic work friendly wardrobe. It is a perfect way to add a little feminine touch to your office style. The collar necklace is this seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ultimate way to make a statement with no effort at all. Collar necklaces help to spruce up an otherwise simple outfit. While wearing statement collar necklace, it is advisable to add only a few bold bracelets, skipping the earrings. Remember, less is more with statement piece jewelry like collar necklaces.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015

GLOBAL fashion

Body&Soul

The originals: Rebels who shaped fashion (part 2) Biwom Iklaki with agency report

ves Saint Laurent: As a designer, the ultimate compliment to your style is the immortalisation of your design in fashion memory by creating a story or news around it. One of the most interesting of such stories is that of Yves Saint Laurent and one of his signature looks, the androgenous tuxedo look which was way ahead of its time. So much so that Nan Kempner was turned away from the restaurant, Le Côte Basque, for wearing the iconic ensemble. She was a famed socialite and fashion icon which makes it even more shocking. It was the equivalent of turning away a – say – Kim Kardashian or Nicole Richie from a restaurant today, irrespective of what they were wearing. What made this particular incident and design epoch was Kempner ’s reaction to the query for wearing pants rather than a fancy dress like

other ladies around. Instead of leaving, she dropped her pants and walked into the restaurant wearing only the tuxedo as a dress. Now, that surely is spunk, and fashion ingenuity at work. Today, we can see the tuxedo dress reintroduced in the fashion scene and enjoying the spotlight. Another feather to this FrenchAlgerian designer who headed Christian Dior after the latter’s sudden death in 1956 is being the first to integrate modern art into his collections. He made the painting of Piet Mondrian in his graphic shift dresses which were a huge success. Many fashion houses now incorporate graffiti and contemporary art pieces in their creations. He was also credited for his Ballets Russes in 1977 which was a nod to the sheer Russian ballet costumes. His designs were bold, modern and edgy while staying fresh and chic. He was a rebel any fashionista would wear in a heartbeat until his death in June 2008. The last YSL haute couture line was produced in 2002.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

Miscellany Alley

Life is rich sometimes and painful at other times, but it is mostly full.

Let’s share our experiences on this page, after all, everyday is an opporMissing Ele ctorates tunity to learn...send yours to julietbumah@gmail.com Who will v ote at this election? T dead or d v e n omake up ismembered he Forever ! Na wa o! I ha contered from b o w n d o e ie n s batth Wom r e weeks ticated am e shells of the soph for thre t women neve d ismunitions e c ti ria a ge lNi a th in and bombs e Boko Haram ing r ick ly a lit e po y v he Do or die of Rickety taxi drive ? secuti g up. T ost with a very disrs of the massa The family and frien h makin nctions and m This week began is ds e cred school n w D fi ea ga r sa Ed e th ito to fu r, how can we ge in e w ing school boys or mis v to lo a w te h ne la t the gusting sg taxi drivers who itics” ways se they ol u “p a as ir c e ow e kn b th those who irls? Or perhaps, it are old themselv to is n have all come ar is es and have even times it the pancakes o nd so page of Punch nt the Sultan e yet to get their PVC fro m e or a Th ll e an a ia. s er cie nt cars in Nig of Sokoto in , lip r s, off the roads? W apply out, , cheeks e a punch line fo cl a b o u t a ll e know they ha es, eyes ey finally step gs newspaper becam the shameless o f th o se te usive? How c ve to fa ea rn th ei r daily bread o, bu in th es rro r ra v a g towns and sid n th Be e k. g h ee t serithe w ed lyin ci e ously? This Niger on. W th hour before th Haram? Th ties overtaken by Bo , you still app ia sef. What are th scramble at the 11 ident to change ey are es. These days arko e people w e ro th ad sa fe ty marshals doing e c es to feel wit ho have h pr w fa e th ly ir by s s e when election ad h riou 97 they sneakily le on th omen se e v e n w h e n clothes on their families and th of petrol from N t such cars pass w ice pr s p n m fi pu e n th their backs by a e them and contin c up rnor of Ekiti state, No, really, in ue using the road m the ir make to N57, the Gove who are th to forests? s while endanger ing the are jerking fro y do eady alr e th e ak m pected to e to in e d g p s eople exvo Ayo Fayose, ha the car These days, th up as ers? Here are m the lives of othld even murkfie g tion? Will th te in this coming elec . in e y problems with s ay k pl le P a o PD m murky e e poth ing them; most of them veiled threat to th teed their sa electorates be guaran at wear ehicles, they are partially deaf ot stop ier by splashing a , fety? Will th n or ev So e. bl at th in id d or nd in ca bo l s th, from age, their while police? Wil ey trust the enger sing presidentia s s po a op ca l it be free makeup e e k , rs p sti re g r nk no to in ed r high heavens, so ar a sp e e and fair? W ar the results w w ad de me are rife not even the ill re are now Five times this with cobwebs, ro for who to re q u ired to flect the true nuance in difaches, mosquito . in this slimy race ted ec sp s t driving erent women lying es d an ha ec d w sa la ily nd flies, they ofte da re a p re si d e m s at winner in iff be It p d ? n have some en ti a l tly a p N run this ship I saw type of dusty bl s ferven n as the trafcome of Nigeria r constitutio igeria according to th be an a y c ke all t t tu or n en w e ev oo l craft n? will fer e soo at the back, and are above th Oh wait, some of are so desperate to keup as the list goes on. Ye ot for a us when our leaders their ma them in one sp e law, righ sat te th rd p ay hi , rs on de e ro lea ared past me with t? Let us w is red, of and see. I ca s ait ascend the throne n fic hold when the light ity to the tail light busted One day, st. fir e n plays out ev not wait to see how th th open and you co n ba e tu to r they forget is bit. Ev it as an oppo uld entually. M see the entire tru strength as the adow. r this clueles e ay God hel h ou nk k s se . To e ali ta da y re y, e y all I e saw ans we sh th p other with the bo more ngplank e ga e m th o it easy country. O and obviously helple off s e ot p h k n ste he ld down by a ss pile o masses and ur heroes afe? Ta ch ro s hi pe w is th on at th pa um di ss is p ed from the bonn turning in po , ast must b thei Women et to that supports that forth your hoge the back bumpe ew Saidu Jinei r graves now. r. Re ! o you stand and sp du 65yrs ncars safe, even fo ally? Are these , 35yrs only have two ca Shomolu r their users? Ca dward O E wash! As it is, we n something not an th r he bi we do ot be done about Agiding didates, what do this menace? il? That is our ev r se les e th r fo vote Ajor-okot Silas, it is a shame! 27yrs reality in Nigeria. Eket , 56yrs Patrick Amanam Mabushi

Thinking

Aloud

) 0807 270 9777

paulhelenproductions@yahoo.com

with Helen Paul

lady called me on phone a few days ago and asked who I intend to vote for between President Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, but I told her it’s my personal right, so there is no need to disclose it to her. Before I knew it, she started saying, “You must vote for Buhari because if he doesn’t win, there is going to be war in Nigeria…” and she banged the phone before I could give a response. I don’t know this lady in question from Adam! It was then that I realised that as mature as we are as Nigerians, we are the ones creating problems for ourselves. One man cannot solve our problems as Nigerians; the desired change needs to start from you and me. And there are many things involved. The first thing is to shut your mouth. I like military era because you dare not talk anyhow during their time. You don’t need to tell us who you want to vote for. Some people are criticizing Jonathan now, but when the late Abacha was there, and was dealing with us, we also said he was wicked. Why did we say Abacha was wicked? Were there bombings then? No! But we knew he killed and jailed some people. Nigerians are no fools, and at the same time we are fools. The better Nigeria we are all clamouring for should start from individuals. We need to mind our business. Christians

should stop poking their nose into the affairs of Muslims and vice versa. The pagans should also be allowed to practice what they like, though I’m not encouraging anybody to be a pagan. One of the first things we need is peaceful co-existence. We don’t love ourselves at all in this country, and it is very bad. We don’t even love the country as well. Americans will always say ‘God bless America,’ but how many Nigerians can say that about their country? Everybody wants to take the fast lane, make more money and satisfy their selfish interests. The love of fatherland is nowhere to be found. About four years ago, almost all Nigerians were praising President Jonathan. They were saying ‘he is good luck’ he is this, he is that. They started narrating how God divinely raised him from nobody to a governor, vice-president and eventually the president. Ironically, it is the same people who are now saying that he is ‘bad luck.’ How are we sure they won’t say the same thing about Buhari tomorrow? We give temporary support to people in Nigeria. If the President is accused of the epileptic power supply in the country for instance, what about those collecting money from generator companies? I’m not in support of anybody in the forthcoming election. We have over

Running on a treadmill

14 parties contesting for this February Presidential election, but it is only two candidates that Nigerians are talking about. Why? It is simply because those other candidates don’t have enough money to settle people and make publicity? We are all illiterates. How many Nigerians know that political parties are up to 14? Perhaps, those other parties have better presidential candidates, but Nigerians are not looking at their side because they don’t have money to throw around. It is a pity. Nigerians actually don’t want to give the smaller parties a chance. In other developed countries, presidential candidates go for debates; that is why the citizens would decide on whom they

We don’t love ourselves at all in this country, and it is very bad. We don’t even love the country as well. Americans will always say ‘God bless America,’ but how many Nigerians can say that about their country?

can cast their votes for, but the reverse is the case in Nigeria. Has any presidential debate been held? Yes, Nigeria needs change, but the said change must first start from individuals. I describe Nigeria as someone on a treadmill; no matter the number of hours you spend on the treadmill, or how fast you run on it, you are just in one stagnant position. Well, my candid advice to all Nigerians at this point is to ensure that they get their Permanent Voter Card and vote the man of their choice. Let us eschew all forms of violence and stop selling our future. Enough of deceits, as it is high time we took the bull by the horn and make drastic decisions for the betterment of our future. Deceits are everywhere and I mean it. I have seen celebrities campaigning for some politicians, but it will interest you that some of them did not even register let alone having PVC. Even those that have are not ready to leave the comfort of their homes on election day. So, who is fooling who? Let’s make that a topic for another day. Less I forget, I’m happy that actress Toyin Aimakhu and her hubby are still together, after the shocking social media buzz. I have some revelations to make on the relationship, so keep a date with me here. Have a blessed week.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARY, 2015

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

The little red hen S

Hero of the week

andra Aguebor is the Founder, Lady Mechanic Initiative, a non-governmental organisation that trains girls and women to become professional mechanics. She is our hero of the week because she broke a long chain of professional male mechanics to become the first female mechanic in this field. Not only does she make a mark for herself, she is giving back to the society by training other ladies like herself. Many women today owe their ability to feed and take care of their families to Sandra. You too can aspire to whatever field you wish. Today, there are no gender limitations on any carrier anymore. You can be what/whoever you want to be. Also, you will be able to help others to help themselves.

he little Red Hen was in the farmyard with her chickens, when she found a grain of wheat. “Who will plant this wheat?” she said. “Not I,” said the Goose. “Not I,” said the Duck. “I will, then,” said the little Red Hen, and she planted the grain of wheat. When the wheat was ripe she

said, “Who will take this wheat to the mill?” “Not I,” said the Goose. “Not I,” said the Duck. “I will, then,” said the little Red Hen, and she took the wheat to the mill. When she brought the flour home she said, “Who will make some bread with this flour?” “Not I,” said the Goose. “Not I,” said the Duck.

“I will, then,” said the little Red Hen. When the bread was baked, she said, “Who will eat this bread?” “I will,” said the Goose “I will,” said the Duck “No, you won’t,” said the little Red Hen. “I shall eat it myself. Cluck! cluck!” And she called her chickens to help her. Culled from: www.bygosh. com

Gags What’s the fastest way to send a rabbit? Ans: Haremail. What did the hot dog say to the hamburger? Ans: Nice buns! What did the boy say when he chased the food? Ans: That’s fast food!

Why are chefs so cruel? Ans: Because they whip cream and beat eggs! What did baby corn say to mom corn? Ans: Where is pop corn? What is a baby’s motto? Ans: If at first you don’t succeed cry, cry and cry again!

MOYIN & FRIENDS

LITTLE LINDER

By Ayo Oyerinde

08034407393

By eei

Cross word puzzle BRAKE RIM CHAIN SEAT FRAME SPOKE GEAR TOECLIP TIRE WHEEL LEVER REFLECTOR PEDAL HANDLEBARS RACK

SUNDAY

Faith 51

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2015

Sermon The popular gospel or the will of GOD p.55

High expectations at Lord’s Chosen New Year crusade

Interview I didn’t propose to my wife – Pastor Owen Nlekwuwa p.53

Sermon He knew he wasn’t his father’s choice p.57

Sermon God’s Will: The ultimate certificate p.58

A cross section of worshippers at the crusade

Tai Anyanwu

Tai Anyanwu Head, religous Desk titus.anyanwu@newtelegraph online.com

ew Year celebration at Mgbidi, a town in Oru West Local Government Area of Imo State, was punctuated by intense political campaigns. But beyond the electoral campaigns was a solemn gathering of God’s people who gave the Creator the pride of place in their lives. The occasion was the Lord’s Chosen International Crusade held at the Lords Chosen International School, Mgbidi in the first week of January. There was an amazing influx of faithful, from within and outside Nigeria, into the Heartland state of Imo. Three out of every 10 vehicles that plied the Onitsha-Owerri Road fluttered the green and yellow banner of the church. So large was the traffic at the Oguta-Mgbidi Road intersection that a crippling gridlock developed as vehicular and human traffics stretched the narrow road that led to the crusade venue. The dusty harmattan and chocked-up access road were not enough to discourage the pilgrims. Patiently and with singleness of focus, they navigated through the surging crowd, sandwiched between manoeuvring vehicles and anxious food vendors who took over both sides of the road. As one approached the crusade ground, pockets of tents built with fresh tree branches, hewed from surrounding bush, dotted the road sides. They made tents for themselves, enduring the harsh weather, and slept on bare floor throughout the duration of the programme. Daily, they were exposed to cold in the early hours of the morning till late evenings. In the afternoons, they contended with to dry

But beyond the noise and political manoeuvrings, a solemn gathering of God’s people gave the creator a pride of place in the affairs of men. Harmattan sun. Because the tents were built at the fringe of the surrounding forest, the people were not mindful of possible snake bite. Rather each family endured all odds as they waited upon God for three days and three nights. It was a time many believed that God would give them miracles and solve their various issues which the government of the day and society had failed to solve for them With a distant look in the faces, the occupants of the tents appeared oblivious of the tempo of festivities down town. They were likewise not perturbed by the threats posed by Boko Haram insurgency, neither were afraid of any turmoil happening in the nation. “When all hope is lost, our focus is on God. That is why I can spend days and nights in this open air until this programme is over,” said Mr. Okorie Mbachu. He added, “My family and I are totally dependent on God. And I know for sure that he will deliver us from the calamities that individuals especially the common people are facing in this country.” “Politicians only care about their own selfish interests; Nigerians are hungry, jobless and helpless; the country is adrift and the future of our

children is not secure. But with God, there is deliverance,” he explained. Mrs. Francisca Ikekwem, said that she heard about testimonies of great miracle that some people encountered at previous Mgbidi crusades, and made up her mind to partake in the exercise this time around. Beside her was her 13 year-old son; who said was suffered speech and hearing impairment. “I believe that the God of Chosen will heal my son and he will be able to speak and hear well,” she said. Others who responded to Sunday Telegraph enquiry expressed faith in the ability of God to make them rejoice again. The crusade was preceded by a night vigil, after which branch church within and outside Nigeria took turns to present special song ministrations. The General Overseer of Lord Chosen Church, Pastor Lazarus Muoka, preached lengthy message each day. He ministered under the theme: ‘God Shall Make You Rejoice.’ And just like the peopled believed it would be done unto them, diverse miracles took place before and after the G O preached each day. Erstwhile Nigeria Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Felix Ani Okoye from Enugu state was instantly healed of two years partial stoke. “This is my first to stand in two years. I was thinking about two my children who are afflicted with mental problem, and came down with partial stoke in the process,” he testified. Many were healed of deaf and dump ailments; others testified that they had been healed of spinal cord injuries, released from demonic possessions, the lame walked and several testimonies were given as to instant touch of God in the people’ situations.

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Faith

Zambians hail Iginla over presidential victory prediction Edwin Usoboh

Iginla

ambians have hailed the prophetic fulfillment of Nigeria’s prophet who was bold enough to predict the emergence of Edgar Lungu as the winner of Zambian election in 2015. Prophet Joshua Iginla on the 31st of December, 2014 during the watch night service in his Church, Champions Royal Assembly, Kubwa, Abuja made a bold declaration that God told him Lungu, who is not even the most popular candidate would win the election. “Zambia will have a peaceful election, but little rancour here and there. The new president will emerge from the same political party from the ex-president. The name of the winner would be Edgar Lungu. And the winning party is called Patriotic Front. They will experience discovery of new mineral resources this year. The new president should carry his people along so that what happened to his predecessors won’t befall him, especially two years into his tenure.” The prediction, which was broadcasted live and published in most Newspapers, sparked off controversies. According to our source in Zambia, “when we heard the predictions, we were shocked but due to the respect we have for the Nigerian prophet especially after his prophesy which helped our National team to qualify for the ongoing Africa cup of Nations, we believed his word” Another Zambian, Mr. Chibuta revealed that, “immediately the Chris-

tian community in Zambia got the predictions, they made it their ringing tone and that really changed the game of things. As you can see, the opposition was the favorite candidate but for Lungu to win, it means God has a purpose” Insiders within the Zambian government squealed to us that Lungu has confided in them that when he has settled down, he would visit Abuja to pay homage to the Nigerian prophet who was bold enough to predict his victory even when the odds were against him. And that he will consult him for the mind of God over the Nation of Zambia.

Defence and Justice Minister, Edgar Lungu of the Patriotic Front won Zambia’s presidential election. Mr. Lungu won by a 48.3 per cent majority, the election commission said, after an election race marred by delays. His rival, Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development, who earlier denounced the election as a sham, came close with 46.7 per cent of the vote. The election was conducted after the death of President Michael Sata last October. Meanwhile, the Abuja based clergy also predicted that although he doesn’t know why but God told him Jonathan will still win the 2015 election.

Photo News

Pastor in Charge, Pastor Emmanuel Idowu Adenuga, and General Overseer of the Faith Revival Apostolic , Apostle Paul Taiwo Adenuga,, at the church programme , recently.

Understanding the secrets of financial blessings! The Voice of Dominion by

Bishop David Oyedepo

E-mail: feedback@lfcww.org

7747546-8 (SMS only) et us recognise that every child of God is ordained for financial blessings. It is the will of God that you enjoy prosperity and other blessings. They are your inheritance, if you are a child of God. Remember that Jesus received the sevenfold blessings in Revelation 5:12 for His children. This scripture lists the sevenfold blessings as follows: …Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing (emphasis mine). These are deposited into your account at redemption. The Bible says: …Brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified (Acts 20:32). Every of our inheritance is access through the revelation of the Word we can access. It is as far as you can see! God can’t give you what you don’t see! So, our possessions are inaccessible without revelation. It is written: The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deuteronomy

29:29). The secrets things belong to God, but those revealed are for us and our children. Until it is revealed, you can’t access your inheritance. You need to engage the revelation, by taking corresponding action. Think of Job! The Bible, speaking about him, said: There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen…so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east (Job 1:1-3). He was perfect and upright. He feared God, hated evil and he was the greatest of all the businessmen in his time! Job enjoyed supernatural prosperity. Why? His supernatural wealth was rooted in the secrets he caught in God’s Word (Job 29:4-6). Job was among the patriarchs who enjoyed financial fortune. Note that there is no outdated or modern truth! Truth is truth, take it or leave it! Wealth in the Kingdom is not an attainment; it is only placed in the hands of those that God can trust (Luke 16:11). Talking about Solomon, the Bible records that he said it was in his father’s heart to build a house for God (1 Kings 8:17). So, God decked him with financial fortune.

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Faith Today, Olivet Bible Church is one of the churches to reckon with in Lagos State and beyond. When did you start your journey to pastoral calling? The journey that led to my becoming a pastor started way back in my university days, when I got saved in 1986. Could you speak briefly on your family and educational background? I am from the family of late Mr. Timothy and Mrs. Grace Nlekwuwa from Ogbaku in Mbaitolu Local Government Area of Imo State. I am the fifth child of nine children – four males and five females. My primary school education was partly in Imo and Abia states. I attended Federal Govern ment College, Enugu and finished in 1979 before I proceeded to the Federal School of Arts and Sciences, Aba, where I got direct entry to the University of Lagos to study Architecture. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies and Masters in Environmental Designs in Architecture in 1986. After my graduation, I moved to Bauchi State for my youth service between 1986 and 1987, where I taught at the Government Technical College, Gumau in Toro Local Government Area. Sure, your members would like to know how you got saved. How did it happen? It’s a long story. Well, I came to a point in 1984, where I took inventory of my life. I discovered that God had been gracious to me but I had not shown gratitude to Him. I was living and progressing in a sinful life. At a point, I became uncomfortable and unhappy. It continued that way until December 1985, when I embarked on a 21-day fast to seek His face. At this point, knowing God was my desire and that shaped my prayer point to, “God I want to know you.” With that prayer, I saw myself drawn to the Bible. For the first time, the Bible I had always read began to make meaning to me. I read the Bible to the extent that people thought I was a born again, when I wasn’t. But a day came when I was going to a studio and I noticed a Christian programme taking place. I was putting on a pair of jean trousers and a T-shirt. I saw a female usher, who approached me and I enquired from her whether I was permitted to come in for the programme the way I was dressed. She said, “Yes.” I asked the question because some earlier born again people made serving God unattractive to me. They always said we shouldn’t dress in a particular way. It affected me because I never liked such dressing. That was why I didn’t take that decision to serve God earlier. I feared that they would turn me into an ‘SU,’ as we usually called them. At a point, I stopped going to church because I believed there was no need wasting my time with something that doesn’t work. I’m from an Anglican family and my parents were worried that I stopped going to church. One day, my father asked why, and I told him that there was no need going there and coming back the same. To me, Anglican wasn’t life-transforming but thank God for the transformation that has taken place in the Anglican Church today. Then, I used to tell my parents that the day I start going to church, I would overtake them. While I was reading the Bible, I always heard that God spoke to Moses but then, I never heard my catechist say God spoke to him. So, there was a disconnect between what I read in the Bible and what I saw in the church. It was frustrating and I felt there was no need going to church. So, when I eventually entered the programme, I saw a sticker that read: “I give you peace that the world can’t take away,” quoting Jesus. Again, I looked at the book stand and I saw a book by Kenneth Haggin, ‘How you can be led by the Spirit of God.’ I was like; can this be possible in this present time? I bought the book and by the time I read it, I discovered it was possible, though I still didn’t give my life to Christ. One day, I went to see one

I didn’t propose to my wife – Pastor Owen Nlekwuwa

Pastor Owen Chukwuemeka Nlekwuwa is the Senior Pastor, Olivet Bible Church, Festac Town, Lagos. He is a trained architect and youth transformer. He spoke to CHIJIOKE IREMEKA about his life and sundry issues

of my friends, Tunde. When I got there, his roommates said he went to fellowship and I burst into laughter. He never told me anything about his Christian faith. He used to drink more than myself. He was into many things and a heavy drinker. I couldn’t reconcile that. So, I laughed to my room. Later, he was told what happened and he came looking for me, and told me about his newly found faith. He invited me to fellowship but I declined. One day, I followed him to his cell meeting, and a young boy was speaking about heaven and hell. After the preaching, he made an altar call and I indicated interest. He led me through prayers and handed me over to Tunde to take me through Holy Ghost baptism. And because I was hungry for God, I received it and began to speak in tongues. I eventually followed

him to their campus fellowship. Then, I saw young and beautiful girls as well as boys, well dressed. I was impressed with the fellowship, Love Word Fellowship. Now, I know, I can be a born again without being an ‘SU.’ So, I was there for a year and went for my youth service. When I came back, I joined The Redeemed Evangelical Ministry. That same year, God called me into full-time ministry with an encounter. I was soaked in his presence and His voice spoke to me three times. I didn’t answer the call until seven years after, but I was careful and working in the consciousness of that voice until 1993 when I went into full-time ministry. Why did it take you seven years to respond to the call? I needed to prepare myself. In-between the waiting period, I went to Bible school and did other things. I served in TREM for 12 years short of three months until I sensed it was time to go. What has your experience been like since then? When I look back, I thank God for saving me when He did. If He hadn’t, a lot of things would have gone wrong with my life and family. It was after I got saved that I began to pray for the salvation of my family. Today, everybody in my family is saved. My father died four years after he became born again. He took me to the church, but I led him to Christ. There were a number of attacks on my family then, but God has been merciful to us. What has been the most chal-

lenging time in your ministry? There are regular challenges that go with the ministry, like resources. No matter the vision and level of anointing you have, you need resources to run the ministry. Without the appropriate resources at hand, you can’t do much. But the greatest challenge is getting the leaders to see what you see and align it with the purpose of God. Ministry goes with a lot of criticism. Even while Jesus was on the cross, He was being criticised. They said to him, “You saved others but you couldn’t save yourself.” No matter what you do, someone out there, and even within, will have cause to criticise you. But I’m learning how to master the criticisms and weather the storms when they arise. It can be more disturbing and hurtful when the people who should understand you are the ones championing such acts. But in all, one has learnt to depend on God. In most cases, when there is a transition, there are always lies and betrayals. This is not the first ministry that I’m working with. I worked with TREM for 12 years. After that one, I also faced the challenges of starting a new work but God has seen us through. It’s observed that most pastors met their wives in the line of the ministry. Where and how did you meet your wife? I met my wife at the School of Arts and Sciences in Aba. She was in art class, while I was in the sciences. When I was done, I applied to UNILAG and later discovered she did same. So, we met again at UNILAG and that was where we became close friends. When I got saved, she was the first person I preached to and I told her that I spoke in tongues. Surprisingly, she asked me to speak for her to hear. Eventually, she joined the fellowship and grew too. She finished before me and went for NYSC because my stretch was five years. She came back afterwards to do her Masters in History and International Studies. Again, we joined TREM together. Then, in 1990, we decided to get married. Did you discuss marriage with her initially? No, there is a way I function. When I go into something, I like to do it properly. By the time I finished praying about it, I met with my pastor, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, to confirm that. I told him I wasn’t ready but wanted the confirmation. And he said I should give him some time to pray, advising that we live right until marriage. After that, we went through the marriage council and I proposed to her. So, did you propose to her with a Bible or a ring? Hahaha. In fact, I don’t even know if there was an official proposal. It was unique. There was this mutual agreement between us. There was no formal proposal where you would ask: “Would you marry me?” Do you find time to take her out on a regular basis? Yes, occasionally we go out. Though her schedule and mine are not really complementary but we make out time for outings. CONTINUED ON PAGE 56

Faith

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

MFM dedicates ultra-modern auditorium in Mowe

Camillus Nnaji and Tony Eguaye

ountain of fire and Miracles church has dedicated an ultra –modern church auditorium in Mowe, Ogun State. The Church also called: ‘Citadel of miracles’, is the Zonal Headquarters of Mowe region south west 9. Speaking during the church ceremony on Sunday , General Overseer of MFM , Dr. D. K Olukoya gave thanks to God and members of the church for

all their financial, moral and physical sacrifices made while building the church. Olukoya stated that this dedication marks his third visit to Mowe precisely on church dedication mission. He prayed for God’ continuous favour on all the members of the church and the pastors God used in building the church. Pastor of the Church, Victor Isibor said the church building is part of his mission in Mowe which include building up a people of God and erecting an edifice for God. He traced how

members used to worship in a waterlogged arena, “now the story is different”, he said. Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Ondo state , Mr. Kayode Akinmade in his own remarks thanked God for the awesome church auditorium. He noted that the Church building is a Divine Intervention onto the members of the church. “If you had come here about 10 years ago and you are here now, you can only thank God for this awesome intervention”. He said. General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Pastor Daniel K. Olukoya (middle), being welcomed in by Regional Overseer, MFM Mowe, Pastor Daniel Mayaki (left).

L-R: Ondo State Commissioner for Natural Resources, Barrister Tunde Atere; wife of Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Fehintola Akinmade; Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade and Commissioner for women Affairs, Lady Yemi Mahmud Fasominu; Regional Overseer, Lagos Region 1, Lekki Lagos, Pastor Olumide Oni and his wife, Oluwatoyin L-R: Master of Ceremony, Pastor Kayode; Regional Overseer, Lagos Region 1, Lekki, Pastor Olumide Oni and his wife, Pastor (Mrs, ) Oluwatoyin

L-R: Ondo State commissioner for women Affairs, Lady Yemi Mahmud Fasominu; Mr. Kayode Akinmade; Mrs. Fehintola Akinmade; Barrister Tunde Atere; Mrs. Apeke Adewusi Cross section of MFM pastors’ wives

A cross section of MFM pastors

Front view of the newly dedicated MFM ultra-modern auditorium, in Mowe, Ogun State

L-R: Chairman, Team Nehemiah, Arc. Adeyemi Oluwadamilare; Pastor MFM Faith Layo, Pastor Victor Isibor and his wife, Pastor (Mrs.) Nneka Isibor ; member, Team Nehemiah, Engr. Araba and zonal Administrator, Faith Layo Zonal Headquarters, Pastor Johnson Oyejide.

General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Pastor Daniel K. Olukoya, cutting the tape

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Even Sarah’s laughter couldn’t stop Him Mystery ofAnxiety John Ogbansiegbe

0803 341 6327

he word of God declares: “For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven returneth not but rather watereth the earth and maketh it to bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my words be that goeth out of my mouth, it shall not return void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing where unto I send,” – Isaiah 55:10-11. Indeed, God’s word cannot come back void without accomplishing the purpose for which it was spoken. If there is any message or prophecy which you have received from God concerning your life, business, finance, marriage or destiny,

hold unto it tenaciously; it must be fulfilled and accomplished. The words from the mouth of the Lord are potent, powerful, dynamic, capable and have the ability to execute the purpose of God for any person, place or thing at a given time. The word of God has the responsibility of reporting back to God. They shall report back and say to God: “It is done.” God’s words are the interchangeable aspects of God that go where God wants to go. The word of God is a personality and a spirit. The word of God can be delegated to undertake specific assignments. In view of the foregoing scriptural position, the word of God declares, through faith, we understand that the world was framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made up of things which do appear” Hebrews 11:3. This simply means that God did not engage the services of contractors, engineers and masons during the creation of heaven and earth. There is no pillar connecting heaven and earth together, but only the word of God. This was why God said, “Let there be light,” and automatically there was light. I challenge you to believe His word for your life and destiny. Believe His words.

Whatever must be must be. Believe it or not, heaven and earth shall pass away but no jota of God’s word shall go unfulfilled.” Mathew 24:35 also Mathew 5:18

He is able to accomplish that which has promised, He is also able to keep His words unto the perfect day. When God speaks, His words take the responsibility of bringing it to pass. Your doubts, fear or unbelief cannot stop God’s spoken word from coming to pass, because God’s words cannot come back void. Nothing whatsoever can stop God’s oracular dispatch, no not the laughter of Sarah or the old age of Abraham; not even the deadness of Sarah’s womb. The mockery of the womb couldn’t stop the flood from coming. The rebellion of the people of Israel couldn’t stop their journey to the Promised Land. The doubt of Zachariah couldn’t stop the birth of John the Baptist. The infanticide of Herod could not stop

Faith

the birth and existence of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the military blockade of the womb could not stop the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Listen, whatever God promised you must surely come to pass. Whatever must be must be. Believe it or not, heaven and earth shall pass away but no jota of God’s word shall go unfulfilled.” Mathew 24:35 also Mathew 5:18. In the book of 2Kings 7:1-20, there was an account of a great famine in the land of Israel. Then Elisha prophesied and said, “Hear ye the word of the Lord. Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.” One of the kings’ ministers, may be, the minister of agriculture and mineral resources, doubted and opposed Elisha to his face, and the Bible said: “Believe in the Lord your God and ye shall be established, believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” – 2Chronicles 20 Never you doubt the word of God. Hold unto His word. Your doubt and unbelief cannot stop God’s words from coming to pass. But that can hinder you from benefiting from God’s words when they eventually come to pass.

The popular gospel or the will of GOD God revealed Himself as father, son, and Holy Ghost. On that day the LORD will have to pronounce the verdict upon those who had the gifts of the spirit, those who worked miracles, the ones who, according to their conviction, preached the Frank Oboden Olomukoro full gospel, even those who used His frankolomukoro@yahoo.com name to cast out demons from others, 0703 362 1866 “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matt. 7:21-22). In the eyes of men they seemed to be ur Lord admonishes us with very blessed, but in the eyes of God these very serious words: “Not they were men conducting their own everyone that saith unto me, program without personally submitting Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingto the Will of God. dom of heaven; but he that doeth the In 1 Sam. 15:23, we read that rebellion will of my father which is in heaven.” is as the sin of witchcraft and stubborn(Matt. 7:21). Of what use is the LORD’S ness is as iniquity and idolatry. Of what prayer, a ‘prosperity gospel’ that use are their worship services when the people love to hear, meetings where Lord Himself says “This people honoBible stories are told, or services held ureth me with their lips, but their heart for religious entertainment? What good is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they are all the charismatic healing services worship me, teaching for doctrines if everything with everyone happens the commandments of men.” (Mark according to the will of a man? What 7:6-7) wherever creeds and man-made is gained by singing, “He is LORD, He declarations of faith are introduced and is LORD”? To what avail do the false made a rule, all the worship is vain, for prophets, who present themselves as God can only receive a worship that is the anointed ones of the LORD, list offered unto Him in the name of Jesus the many things they have done in His Christ in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). name? Time and again the Apostles Paul “Did we not prophesy in your speaks about the Will of God. The name?” “Did we not cast out demon Will of God is shown to us solely in in your name?” Did we not do great the Word of God, and only when we wonders in your name?” It becomes actually believe as the scripture says, obvious that the most important thing then the prayer of the son, who calls is not found in their list. Not one of the redeemed His brethren (John 20:17) them could say, “Have we not been will be fulfilled. “Sanctify them through baptized in your name (Jesus Christ) as they truth: they word is truth” (John the Apostles Peter commanded?” (Acts 17:17). 2:38) The counsel of god is being rejected “Have we not baptized the believers for traditions in your name as the Apostle Paul did?” Through the fulfillment of what God (Acts 19:5) promised in the Old Testament, His The apostolic baptism in the name of will has been coming to pass in His Jesus Christ is generally being rejected church since the beginning of the Old and declared to be a heresy in front of Testament. John the Baptist came on the the people. Yet the apostles dutifully scene in the Will of God. He was the carried out the great commission acpromised voice that would be heard cording to Matt. 28:19-20, exactly as the in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3) He was LORD commanded, and, as instructed, the promised one to prepare the way they baptized into the name in which of the Lord (Malachi 3:1), as our Lord

the Oracles of God

“We cannot tell.” This is interesting” The religious leaders did not know how to place the things which were happening in the Kingdom of God

confirmed in Matt. 1:1-19. In the Kingdom of God there are only scriptural ministries, which can be accepted or rejected. Therefore, the LORD Jesus addressed the Priests and scribes with the question, “The baptism of John, whence was it? from Heaven, or of men? (Matt. 21:23-27). The answer of the clergy was, “We cannot tell.” This is interesting” The religious leaders did not know how to place the things which were happening in the Kingdom of God. In Luke 7:24-30 our Lord once again confirmed the ministry of John the Baptist as a fulfillment of scripture, “And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptised with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves being not baptized of him.” Traditional religious services are being celebrated everywhere, but the counsel of God is rejected by the spiritual leaders, because they do not accept what God is currently doing according to His will. Even worse is that they keep the people away from the will of God. Christ our sole foundation What our lord predicted for the end time is now being fulfilled before our very eyed. The Holy Spirit in several portions of the Bible identifies Apostle Paul with the given privilege of laying the foundation (pure doctrines) for Christianity. Every other preacher is commanded to build on Paul’s laidfoundation, and none to try to lay any other foundation. (I Cor. 3:10-15). Paul warned severally that “… but there be some (preachers) that trouble you and

would pervert the gospel of Christ … As we said before, so say I now again, if any preach any other gospel unto you that ye have received from me (Paul), let him be accursed.” (Gal.1:612). Anyone who loves and succumbs to organisations and things contrary to obvious truths is rejected by God, and surrendered over to the spirit of error to be completely deluded for eventual damnation. (2 Thess. 2:9-12; 2 Peter 2:13, 15-18). The true believers hearken to the call that comes directly from Heaven. They come out of every Babylonian confusion and captivity. All the others do the opposite, they go back and remain therein. The denominations and the religions are the actual obstacles between God and humanity. Every religion and denomination has its founder and is the invention of a man. This remains true for ever. God’s Will to us is our sole way to God! The Evangelical Presbyterian church does not believe that the issue of the ordination of women is an essential of the faith. Thus while some churches may ordain women and same may decline to do so, neither position is essential to the existence of the church. Since people of good faith who equally love the Lord and hold to the infallibility of scripture differ on this issue. Since uniformity of view and practice is not essential to the existence of the visible church, the Evangelical Presbyterian church by the General Assembly June 1984 has chosen to leave this decision to the spirit-guided church consciences of particular congregations concerning the ordination of women as elders and deacons, and the ordination of women as ministers. The Community of Christ adopted the practice of women’s ordination in 1984 which was one of the reasons for the schism between the community of Christ and the newly formed Restoration branches movement. In 1998, Gail E. Mengel and Linda L. Booth became the first two women apostles in the community of Christ.

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Faith

I didn’t propose to my wife – Pastor Owen Nlekwuwa CONTINUED F R O M PAGE 53

Have you ever prepared finger-licking delicacies for her? Hmmm, I used to cook very well but when I got married and acquired helps, I concentrated on the ministry and left the cooking to them. There were some dishes I taught her how to cook, though. But I have not been cooking. What’s your favourite meal? I used to like ripe plantain but with the passage of time, I stopped eating fried plantain. Right now, I eat healthy. I can’t categorically say this is my favourite. I eat to balance my meal. There is much awareness on healthy eating. You are a father of how many? Three children - two boys and a girl. What are your hobbies? Reading, travelling and aerobics. I like going on long treks or jogging. Your fashion sense I’m a regular guy. I’m not the suit type unless occasion demands. I prefer well suited casuals and traditional dresses, especially the light ones. I have made agbada three times and I ended up giving them out after wearing them once or twice. I like well-fitted casual wears. What brand of perfume do you like? I have no particular brand of perfume but I have found myself using Euphoria, Gucci by Gucci, Christian Dior but I find myself using a lot of Euphoria perfumes, not because I’m attached to it, it just happens. Your jewellery?

I don’t wear jewellery. Or are wrist watches and my wedding band part of it? Then, I wear my wedding band. What colours appeal to your heart? I like anything blue, black, purple. I like cool colours. Those days, I wear a lot of sky blue shirts. I like dark coloured and navy blue suits. Your shoes? Leather shoes, normally, but it depends on the clothes I’m wearing. I like casual and flat soled shoes because of the casual wears I put on. How would you describe yourself to someone meeting you for the first time? I fear God. Hahaha Pastors are meant to fear God. Me, I fear God. I’m a very practical and pragmatic person. I don’t believe in building castles in the air. I don’t like being presumptuous. I like being real even when I’m making projections. I like making use of what I have as at that point without deceiving myself. I maximise the positions and opportunities that come my way, hoping to move forward. Which aspect of messages naturally proceeds from your mouth each time you preach? I’m a disciple. I’m a teacher. It’s at the heart of my calling. Give me a raw material, fresh people that need to be transformed, when they sit with me, the transformation will take place. But I also have a real burden in the area of youth empowerment. I see myself doing things that will position the youth

for good. They have many distractions. Many of them are drifting away in life. In this locality, there is mass wastage of youth. They don’t have a sense of purpose and direction. Sometime ago, God showed me the fate of Nigerian youths in a dream and I started crying. They are directionless and purposeless. My wife asked why I was crying and I said to her, “Can’t you see the fate of our youths?’ I cried until I woke up.

the wrong people ourselves. It will be tougher for us. The church, which is the custodian of the spiritual affairs of this land, should not allow the wave of things to shatter them. We shouldn’t lose focus. We should know the reason God put us in this country and play that role. This is my advice to the country.

What is your message to Nigerians on the elections? Nigerians, Christians should pray. Man can deceive you but God can’t. This year is heavily pregnant and without prayers, we won’t work with God to direct us. This is not the time to play on sentiments; this is the time to seek the face of God to help us birth a better future for Nigeria. An erratic outpouring of governance will not help us again. All our leaders should read the book titled ‘From Third World to First’ by Lee Kuan Yew, and how he transformed Singapore. It takes diligence and a man with ability to live out his vision. So, Nigerians should pray and make the right decisions. Nigeria is no longer a place where people take power by force through the barrel of guns. We will not cry to God to deliver us when we chose

Deliverance from bewitched destiny (2) Insight Rev.

Femi Akinola

www.thehebrewsng.com

01-790 3163; 0808 584 5864

ewitchment as a device of the enemy does not operate in isolation. It is being used by various agents of the devil to afflict innocent and unsuspecting Christians. A succinct example is the sorcerer called Simon. “But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one.” Acts 8:9 (KJV) Simon made a living by tormenting the people of Samaria with sorcery. Of course, this kind of wickedness is also prevalent in our days and if you are a victim of this evil, I command every bewitchment from your village right now to scatter in the name of Jesus. God had great intentions in His mind when He created you; thus your destiny is the agenda of God for your life and many destinies are tied to yours. Your destiny is what God has ordained from heaven before releasing you to this world. When God was creating you, He had something in mind and its essence is that you must fulfill it on earth. Every

word they have spoken against the word of God for your life I command them to be destroyed in the name of Jesus. Your destiny is the expectation of heaven for your life. Heaven is expecting you to do something that will fulfill a particular agenda and up till now you have not because somebody has spoken an evil word concerning your life. You are getting older by the day and you cannot afford to just live life without fulfilling the purpose for which you were born. You must fulfill your assignment for God to be proud of you. Bewitchment does not respect your certificate or status. Havoc inherent in bewitchment The troubles embattling your life are not normal, they are not without the intrusion of this wicked personality. Whatever anyone has spoken into your life is hereby broken in the name of Jesus. There was this particular sister, each time a suitor came around her, she would wake up the next morning with strange pimples all over her face. Of course, this wasn’t natural? There is nothing normal that happens on its own accord. There is a force and power that make things happen, be they good or bad. The lady went into an aggressive prayer session after which the younger sister confessed being behind her ordeal. Things just go on fine and smoothly but once it is your turn or it gets close to your turn, everything will scatter and you say it is just an occurrence or call it ‘one of those things!’ Every anomaly in your life is hereby rectified in the name of Jesus.

When God was creating you, He had something in mind and its essence is that you must fulfill it on earth. Every word they have spoken against the word of God for your life I command them to be destroyed in the name of Jesus “And now my soul is poured out within me; days of affliction have taken hold of me.” Job 30:16 (RSV) There is a great expectation over your life from your Maker and this is the reason you cannot afford to fail because so many destinies are tied to yours. Imagine a single man putting a whole city of over 15,000,000 people under a spell. So many people are working behind their destiny schedule, languishing under the weight of demonic bewitchment. But today that yoke will be broken over your life by the power in the name of Jesus. Once there is bewitchment, irrespective of your intelligence, you seem not to be capable of anything. They tell everybody yes but when it gets to your turn, they sing a different tune. People love you today but hate you tomorrow. You work and earn so much yet you cannot point to anything meaningful in your life. This could not be unconnected

with satanic bewitchment. I know of a girl who happens to be a very good seamstress. However, her customers never gave her new clothes to sew but old ones, in return for which they gave her peanuts. But the lady is so skilled that she will eventually turn these old cloths into new ones. I told her that she was under the spell of satanic bewitchment. She declined initially but she soon realised this and got delivered. Enough of that satanic bewitchment in your life. As you pray these mountain-destroying prayers, the God of Elijah shall arise in His power and burn to ashes anything connected with bewitchment in your life in Jesus name. Please Pray these Prayers aggressively • Every family bewitchment in my life, your time is up. Release me by fire! • Environmental opposition, territorial blockage I am not your candidate. Scatter by fire! • Every problem that entered into my life through the blood of my parents, dry up by fire! • Every evil voice that is speaking from my foundation, shut up! • Every Goliath of repeated problems, I come against you in the name of Jesus fall down and die! • Every agenda of household witchcraft in my life backfire by fire! • I fire back every arrow of untimely death to its sender! • I refuse to die before my glory appears! …in Jesus name

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Faith

I didn’t get N5m, land from Okorocha –Bishop Steve Uzoechi

B OWERRI

ishop of Lifeline Assembly, Maxwell Korie, has denied receiving N5m and plots of land from the Imo State Government after some churches under the PFN umbrella were demolished by the state government. Korie, who is also chairman, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Imo State chapter, was reacting to an allegation that Governor Rochas Okorocha compensated him for the demolished churches. He was speaking to newsmen after a crucial meeting between the governor and the leadership of PFN, at the Lifeline Assembly headquarters at Ohii, in Owerri West Local Government Area. Korie, however, said Okorocha attributed the demolition of about 15 churches to the lack of official approval from the government. He also explained that Okorocha agreed that a taskforce be set up to mediate between government and PFN, with a view to granting compensation to victims of the demolition and to provide alternative locations. On the other hand, Korie assured the ministers at the meeting that Okorocha had dismissed insinuations that he was in support of secrete plot to Islamise the state. According to Korie, the governor restated his respect for the people’s right to freedom of worship as enshrined in the nation’s constitution. Korie also disabused the minds of the clerics regarding allegations that Okorocha compensated Islamic converts in the state with N2m each. His words: “The governor assured us that such information bordering on his government’s activities was baseless null and void and of no effect. He said it was merely

posted on the internet by his opponents and detractors to run him down and to discredit and embarrass his administration. He assured that being a devout Christian, he would never contemplate doing such a thing. “The governor cited the construction of a chapel for worship at the Government House as an eloquent testimony of his commitment to Christianity. “The governor at the parley also denied ever giving the sum of N5 million to me (Bishop Korie) or to PFN for the construction of the latter’s secretariat and dismissed the rumour as the handwork of mischief makers who are shamelessly out to generate bad blood between the government and the church in the state,” the bishop added.

Maxwell Korie

Prayer is hooked to God Word of Life

Bishop

Moses Kattey

moseskattey@yahoo.co.uk

0808 770 7486

lack words to express or demonstrate the relationship between God and prayer. Using the association does not bring out the concept of God linked to prayer, as intended. As the head is linked and hooked to a body so is prayer linked and hooked to God. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26). This implies that as the body is inactive if separated from the spirit, faith is inactive if separated from works, so also God is inactive if separated from prayer. The Spirit empowers the body and works empower faith, as prayers empower God. People consider the body dead when the spirit leaves the body. People consider faith dead when there is no work (or profit of faith), so also people consider God ‘dead’ when there is no prayer. Only those who do not pray do not see the goodness and characteristics of a living God. If you are where no much prayer is said, you will not see the living God in action, and consequently you will not hear or give testimonies. If it is God, it is by prayer and if it is by prayer, it is God, and nothing else. This is the reason we say that prayer is hooked to God. The Lord decided that it must be so otherwise people will deceive themselves and others by giving the impression that God is on the scene working. He allows prayer to empower Him to action. The Lord resolved that it must be by prayer if He is to come on the scene. It must be by prayer if He is invited to intervene or interfere in any case. The Lord gives it as pre-condition for His involvement that prayer, not just casual or effortless prayers, must be included. The International Monetary Fund and

World Bank can never loan or give money to you except they give you their conditions, and it must be on their own terms. Similarly, our God can never become a partner with any person except at His own term – intensive, deliberate and forceful prayer programme must be involved. Finishing the task by praying God’s terms are summarised as: Finish the task by prayer (FTTP). Which task? All tasks and all aspects of the programme, the ministry, the business, the profession etc, must be completed by praying. Prayer movement It involves prayer here and there. It is not just having a big prayer programme and end there. For a town to be saved there must be prayer here and there, prolonged and maintained. In other words, there will be prayer movement all over. When God wants to visit a church or ministry, you will see many small groups of prayers formed, not initiated by the church. These prayer groups arise on their own spontaneously. The leader only needs to encourage them, and see how he can network them. Many leaders tend to ban or stop such groups, claiming that they were not initiated with their permission. The action kills the power that activates God. In a crusade planning, for instance, ushers’ department should have prayer group among them to finish and complete their plans and training. The choir should include prayer programmes among them to complete their preparation and rehearsal of songs. They should not just meet to practice songs. The counsellors will use prayer programme to complete their training. They will not only meet for training. The Central Working Committee of the crusade must also keep a day for prayer only. Despite all these departmental prayers, there is also the main prayer group praying for the crusade. This is God’s condition for His full involvement in any crusade. After the crusade, for a month or so, the departmental prayer programmes and the central prayer group continues. Why? To finish the task (crusade) by praying.

He knew he wasn’t his father’s choice Taming your Emotions Bishop

Lawrence Osagie 0806 325 0667 www.powerlineministriesinc.org mail:powerlineministries@mail.com

et all the women go down the streets and perform praise concerts in the name of David, the young man cannot take God’s glory because he knew how Goliath fell. It was not by his strength. So when you see him dancing naked in the street before his subjects, he is only appreciating the grace of God that made him king. He knew he was not his father’s choice but God intervened. He knew the bear and lion that came after those animals he was tendering could have also killed him in the

jungle early in life before his rise to stardom but God kept him. So it does not matter who is watching, he is only dancing to glorify whose mercies endures forever. His wife was not happy with that, and David said: “I am dancing before the God that made me king in place of your father.” Micah never conceived how much more have her own children for despising the man who was grateful to God. When you touch the glory of God, God will touch you. If you cannot even thank God for what you have received, thank Him for what you escaped. A woman went to the United States on a business trip. On her way back after a successful outing her own son organised with his friends and they robbed her of her valuables and treasury. The same woman who carried him in her womb for nine months and further trained him; imagine that kind of wickedness. The agreement was for them to collect everything, but when they saw the bag of money, under the influence of hard drugs, they fired and

“I am dancing before the God that made me king in place of your father.” Micah never conceived how much more have her own children for despising the man who was grateful to God. When you touch the glory of God, God will touch you. If you cannot even thank God for what you have received, thank Him for what you escaped

killed her. What a tragedy; a child organising the death of his own mother? Yet, your own child is passing exams and bringing you honour; and you are

not grateful to God because you have no car. Thank all the times for His benefits; he forgives all your iniquities. If God uncovers just some of your iniquities even those that love you will never come near you again. Why not thank God for that and don’t take it for granted? It is not because you are too righteous, intelligent or smart. The Bible said: while we are yet sinners Christ died for us. Accept it and be grateful to Him. It is on the platter of His own righteousness that He does anything for you. And that is the wonder working favour. And that is why the Psalmist said: “Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name and forget not all His benefits.” – Psalm 103: 1-2. I mean the benefits that God is loading you with on daily basis. From today there shall be no road block, there should be no U-turn. There shall be no stagnation anymore by the favour of God upon your life in the name of Jesus.

FEBRUARY 1, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Faith

God’s will: The ultimate certificate Firm Faith:

Right Reason Most Rev.

Emmanuel A. Badejo fradebadejo@yahoo.

0803 949 4219 (SMS only)

magination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humour was given to him to console him for what he is. (Francis Bacon) “Insha Allah: By God’s grace If Francis Bacon is right, what exactly

has been given to man to make him take responsibility for his choices? Nigerians normally claim to be doing God’s will in life. For good measure, we invoke the grace of God to be able to accomplish our dreams. ‘By God’s grace;’ ‘Insha Allah;’ ‘Pelu ogo Olorun.’ All mean the same thing, and they fall from the lips of Muslims, Christians and adherents of traditional religion alike. At times in resignation, we denounce the will of God as the explanation for unpleasant events. Fortunately, God in His infinite majesty and wisdom does not complain in the face of such allegations. He is big enough to take all that human beings ascribe to him, from the truthful to the deceptive (Ps. 8:1-10). The question that comes to mind however is: Can human beings benefit

from the effects of their claims of always acting by God’s will and grace? It is an issue well worth reflecting upon. Of resistance to God’s Spirit It used to be fashionable at the beginning of each year to make a New Year Resolution. Such resolutions serve as value-setters for those who made them, for if you do not decide on where you are going you will surely never get there. Prone to being broken though they may be, New Year resolutions usefully set out the rules, the goal posts, the positive targets which serious-minded people aim for, and by which they define their choices. Sadly in recent times there has been less emphasis on this useful practice at the start of a new year and more on acquiring new material accessories:

position, looks, cars, clothes, flats, etc. Jesus Christ set out his own mission road map, admonishing his disciples to be counter-cultural and to make more space for spiritual things. What a useful rule for the beginning of the year! “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4). “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh cannot help.” (Jn, 6:63). Man’s non-adherence to those words boils down to the primordial resistance to God’s will which goes all the way back to Eden. David lived with the problem and prayed: “Create in me a clean heart, o Lord and renew a right spirit within me.” (Ps 50:1). Even God pledged His resolve to help man with his spirit: “I shall put my spirit within you and move you to follow my decrees and keep my laws.” (Ez. 36:27). Jesus emphasised the same: “From the father I will send you the Spirit of truth.” (Jn 15: 26). Still, man, at best, often approximates God’s will to his own desires and that is the source of all his woes. Follow God’s instruction manual Believers in God must synchronise their will to their Creator’s will. The story of Samuel in the Bible presents a wonderful mantra of submission to God. Having been brought by Hanna, his mother, to live in the house of the Lord in fulfillment of her resolution, the young Samuel soon had a strange experience. As he slept one day he heard the Lord call. Not knowing what to make of the voice, he went to wake Eli, the old prophet, who responded that he had not called him. At the third time Samuel was called, the old prophet knew that it was God calling the youngster and put in his mouth those words which have become an anthem for those who serve God: “Here I am Lord, I come to do your will.” (1Sam. 1). Many psalms echo those same words of Samuel and show adherence to God’s will as guarantee for His answering prayers. Would you use a new appliance without the instruction manual? Sensibly not! Well, God’s will is the instruction manual of your life. Submission to it is expressed by other superstars of faith in the Bible even when God visited them with trials. Job said: “If we receive good from the hands of the Lord, how shall we refuse evil.” Mary, the virgin of Nazareth, said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to your word.” The greatest, Jesus of Nazareth, when His parents were looking for Him said: “Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

SUNDAY

Sport 59

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2015

Afcon 2015

Gervinho poised for Ivory Coast return p.60

Tennis

Serena Williams wins 6th Australian, 19th major title p.60

Golf

Ikoyi to host Akujobi Charity Golf Feb 7 p.61

FIFA

The men after Sepp Blatter’s job p.61

Deputy Sports Editor Dapo Sotuminu

Amodu: Ex-internationals failed Agbonavbare •Begs for cure to cancer •Nwosu sad Afcon couldn’t help

Dapo Sotuminu

our-times Super Eagles chief coach, Amodu Shauibu, devastated by the pains of the death of former national team goalkeeper, Wilfred Agbonavbare, has said that the late Eagles keeper would have gotten more help that should have sustained his life if the ex-internationals were organised. He noted that, Agbonavbare and other ex-soccer stars that had passed away could still have been with us if the ex-internationals had moved quickly enough to get the much desired help for ailing colleagues. The former Orlando Pirates of South Africa chief coach noted that, a lot of Nigerians have been blaming the Nigeria Football Federation, for neglecting those that gave their lives for the glory of the country. He said: “Nobody should blame the NFF, as the ex-internationals lack proper organisation. The issue should be; what can the exinternationals do for themselves before asking what the NFF can do for them. The biggest problem is disunity, as they are not together, and they do not carry themselves with pride. “At the moment everybody seems to be for themselves, nobody should be asking what the football federation would do, but first and foremost the ex-players should come together as a formidable group.” Amodu who is the Technical Director of the NFF, called on the world to find a lasting cure to the dreaded cancer disease which in one month took away two prominent Nigerian ex-internationals, Yomi Peters and Agbonavbare. Peters had in December lost the battle with Gastric cancer. Amodu said it was so painful hearing that Wilfred was cut short by cancer; I don’t know what the world would do to stop the dangerous disease from killing more people. “Medical professionals all over the world should come to our aid by finding answer to cancer. “Wilfred died few days after the news of Coach Musa Abdullahi’s death was broken. My condolences go to the two families of Nigerian football legends. May God forgive them and grant the departed souls eternal rest.” Amodu stated that Wilfred in his lifetime was a gentleman and a very hard working goalkeeper. “I remember, he left for Spain to play professional from BCC Lions of Gboko when I was the chief coach of the club. He was with us briefly and he left Alloy Agu behind when he left for Europe. It wasn’t long after then that Alloy also moved abroad. “Wilfred was a very calm fellow who never lived a rough life during his active days as a footballer. He was a tower in goal, he consistently worked hard not to allow any ball go past him whenever he was in goal. It was difficult to beat Agbonavbare, he occupied space with his big frame. I miss him because he was just a lovely fellow.” Former Super Eagles captain, Henry Nwosu, expressed his sadness over the failure of the footballer’s union, Association of Professional Footballers, APFON, to raise planned funds for Agbonavbare before he died. “It felt so bad because we planned to raise funds and couldn’t achieve it. We tried our best, but while trying to rally round, Wilfred lost the battle to cancer. I am not happy, as we in APFON couldn’t help him. “I am begging the federal government to come to the aid of exinternationals and other top ex-players. They should come to our aid so that we can live healthy again after using our active life to serve the country.” From 1983 to 1994, Agbonavbare earned 15 caps for Nigeria and appeared in 177 games for Rayo Vallecano from 1990 to 1996. The club on Thursday evening named one of their stadium gates after him. The gate formerly known as Gate 1 Vallecas Stadium is now known as ‘Gate Wilfred Agbonabvare.”

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Sport / News

Coach says Flying Eagles still work in progress

Ameobi delighted to score against Hull City

lying Eagles chief coach, Manu Garba, has told all those who cares to listen that his team despite winning the Super Four Tournament in Abuja with one game down are yet to reach their ptimal and as such they are still work in progress. Garba, who led the national Under-17 team to win the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in 2013, is optimistic that the Under-20 team will soon hit top gear. “The team has gained much playing against much older and experienced players at this Super Four tournament which I believe will serve them well. Despite the victories, we are not going to be over-confident; it will serve as a morale booster for the boys. We are also going to work on converting our goalscoring opportunities. We created a lot but we didn’t score as many as we should.” He noted that: “The chances we got in the Super Four which was a friendly tournament won’t come easy in tight and competitive games, so we have to work on those.” Despite not being with some their regulars like Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidiebere Nwakali, who won’t play at the Africa Youth Championship in Senegal, Garba is confident the players he has on ground can do the business as they prepare for the Africa Youth Championship in March. “I am satisfied with what we have on ground now. We still have a few weeks to work on the team so we can still fortify the team. If someone like Isaac Success comes in definitely he will have a good chance of making the team because he is already playing in the first team of Granada, who play in La Liga.” The Under-20 national team will clash with the national Under-23 team in the last match of the Glo Premier League invitational series on Sunday.

RESULTS

Barclays Premier League Hull City 0 - 3 Newcastle Crystal Palace 0 - 1 Everton Liverpool 2 - 0 West Ham Man. United 3 - 1 Leicester Stoke City 3 - 1 QPR Sunderland 2 - 0 Burnley West Bromwich 0 - 3 Tottenham Chelsea 1 - 1 Manchester City Germany - Bundesliga Wolfsburg 4 - 1 Bayern Munich Freiburg 4 - 1 Frankfurt Hamburger 0 - 2 Cologne Mainz 5 - 0 Paderborn Schalke 1 - 0 Hannover Stuttgart 0 - 1 Moen’gladbac Leverkusen 0 - 0 Dortmund Italy - Serie A Genoa 1 - 1 Fiorentina Spain - Liga BBVA Rayo Vallecano 1 - 2 Deportivo Real Madrid 4 - 1 Real Sociedad Eibar 1 - 3 Atletico Madrid France - Ligue 1 PSG 1 - 0 Rennes

Marseille 1 - 0 Evian Thonon

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova with their trophies after the Australian Open women’s final

Serena Williams wins 6th Australian, 19th major title S erena Williams won her 19th Grand Slam title, continued her unbeaten run in six Australian Open finals and extended her decade-long domination of Maria Sharapova with a 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory despite a hacking cough on Saturday night. After celebrating prematurely on her third match point, letting her racket go before hearing a let call to what she thought was an ace, Williams had to quickly regather her composure. “I thought, ‘Wow this is it, I did it, only to hear let. I was like, ‘OK Serena!’” she said. “I was very disappointed, because Maria was playing so well. I thought she’s

Pinnick to commission Ghana v Guinea clash

he president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, will be Match Commissioner of today’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final clash between Ghana’s Black Stars and Syli Nationale of Guinea at the Nuevo Estadio do Malabo. The Match 27 of the 30th Africa Cup of Nations was concretised only after the drawing of lots, which saw Guinea emerge the lucky team at the expense of Eagles of Mali. 1976 runner-up Guinea and 1972 runner-up Mali had finished on equal number of points and goals scored in their Group D, and also drew the clash between the two teams, necessitating drawing of lots in Malabo on Thursday. The Confederation of African Football has continued to repose confidence in Pinnick, who has taken charge of a number of matches since the tournament began on January 17.

going to try to hit a winner now. She’s goes for broke on match point.” Top-ranked Williams took a deep breath and fired another ace - her 15th of the set and 18th of the match - and this time the celebration was real. She jumped around like a little child, bouncing up and down, before shaking hands with Sharapova at the net. “I am so honoured to be here tonight and to hold this 19th trophy at my favourite stadium,” Williams said. The 33-year-old Williams became the oldest winner of the Australian women’s title

in the Open era and moved into outright second place on the list of major winners in the Open era, behind only Steffi Graf’s 22. A delighted Serena Williams paid tribute to her family and her humble beginnings after making history with her 19th Grand Slam title at the Australian. “Growing up I wasn’t the richest but I had a rich family in spirit and support and standing here with 19 championships is something I never thought would happen,” the 33-year-old said. “I went on the courts with just a ball and a racket and hope and that’s all I had.”

Woking FC sign Odubade on loan

Afcon 2015: Gervinho poised for Ivory Coast return

vory Coast forward, Gervinho, is due to return to action at the African Cup of Nations today after completing a twomatch suspension in a boost to his side’s chances in their quarter-final against Algeria. “It is clear that we will face a good Algerian team. We will need to be at our maximum level if we are to advance to the semi-finals of the Nations Cup,” he told reporters yesterday. Television pictures of an animated Gervinho running a gauntlet of emotions while supporting his country from the stands have served as a reminder of the passionate ap-

igeria-born Newcastle United striker, Sammy Ameobi, has expressed his delight in scoring one of the three goals that gave his team a 3-0 annihilation of English Premier League opponent, Hull City, on Saturday. He said he worked very hard in the game to score his goal and he is happy that Newcastle went away with all the three points at stake. Ameobi scored a spectacular goal in the 50th minute when he curled the ball from 30 yards to beat Hull City goalkeeper for Newcastle United second goal of the match. It was Newcastle’s first clean sheet for 12 matches, and checked a run of five consecutive away defeats for the Magpies in all competitions. Newcastle opened the scoring four minutes from the interval when Cabella took advantage of a poor Andrew Robertson clearance to drill a shot past Allan McGregor. Newcastle doubled their lead five minutes after the break when Ameobi curled an effort from 30 yards past the diving McGregor and into the top right-hand corner of the Hull goal, before the Magpies’ substitute Gouffran wrapped up the scoring with a run and deflected finish.

proach he brings to the team. The AS Roma winger was sent off for slapping Guinea’s Naby Keita in his side’s opening match at the tournament in Equatorial Guinea. He apologised before turning anxious spectator as the Ivorians drew both their first two games before taking top place in Group D with a 1-0 win over Cameroon on Wednesday. They now take on the continent’s top-ranked team in the pick of the quarterfinals.

nglish League Conference side, Woking FC, have signed Nigerian striker Yemi Odubade on loan from Eastleigh and he would play at the club until April 25. The 30-year-old began his career in England with Eastbourne Town, where he scored over 70 goals in two seasons. After spells with Oxford and Yeovil, he joined Stevenage and scored 13 goals in the 2009-10 seasons to help them win promotion to the Football League. Odubade joined Eastleigh from Gateshead in 2013 and has made 16 appearances for the Hampshire club this season.

Odubade

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015

The men Golf Weekly after Sepp Blatter’s job Ikoyi to host Akujobi Sepp Blatter is bidding for a fifth term in office at the FIFA’s election in May, and so far five candidates have declared their intention to stand against him. The deadline for candidates to submit a bid to run for the role of FIFA president was almost running out when the incumbent president filed his nomination for candidature. French former FIFA executive Jerome Champagne, Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan, former Tottenham winger David Ginola have all thrown their name into the hat, and in recent days they have been joined by Portuguese legend Luis Figo and Dutch Sports director Michael van Praag. Here is some information on all five of his prospective challengers...

Luis Figo (Age: 42) Voted FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001, the Portuguese winger is widely regarded as one of the finest to have ever played the game. He played for Sporting Lisbon, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan over a glittering 20-year career and is Portugal’s most capped player. Figo is seen as somebody who possesses the intelligence and character to change the face of FIFA. He said: “I care about football, so what I’m seeing regarding the image of FIFA - not only now but in the past years - I don’t like it. If you search FIFA on the internet, you see the first word that comes out: ‘scandal.’ Not positive words. It’s something that we have to change first and try to improve the image of FIFA. Football deserves much better than this. “I have been talking with so many important people in football - players, managers, president of federations - and they all think that something has to be done. Last year was the World Cup, I was in Brazil and I saw the reaction of all the fans regarding the image of FIFA and I think something has to be changed.” Figo is the people’s favourite but whether he has the ambition to put the required work in to seriously challenge Blatter remains to be seen. Jerome Champagne (Age: 56) The former French diplomat spent more than a decade at FIFA before being banished by Sepp Blatter. He is still close friends with the current boss though and, like Blatter, is not a fan of UEFA. He said: “First and foremost, debating about issues is a normal process in an institution based on democratic principles. Then, this debate is particularly indispensable for football. We have to take clear and informed decisions on whether we want to continue with the current economic polarisation, and the sporting imbalances it brings in its wake, or be willing to rebalance the game in our globalised 21st century. The 2015 election must not be determined on the basis of individual appeal but

on vision and agenda, to which we must commit for the next decade, and the willingness and ability to diligently execute a programme that has been agreed to by the invested parties. “The next 10 years will be crucial for football and very particularly for FIFA, which is at a crossroads and in need of sweeping changes that must take it further than what has been accomplished to date.” His chances are very slim and simply put, he doesn’t have one. Michael van Praag (Age: 67) Van Praag is the head of the Dutch FA and has been since 2008. He spent 14 years as the chairman of Ajax Amsterdam FC between 1989 and 2003. He said: “I am very worried about the deteriorating situation at FIFA, the public opinion, the trustworthiness is very bad and with me a lot of people in the world believe so. I was hoping that a credible, fresh face would stand up to do it but unfortunately that is not the case. So that’s why I decided to take my own responsibility, especially after what I said in Sao Paolo and therefore I go for it. “FIFA has to be normalised and FIFA has to be modernised. In my business life and also in Ajax and also in my association, I went through this exercise many, many times so I have a lot of experience in that respect. So I believe I’m the right person to do it. Few people still take FIFA seriously and, however you look at it, Blatter is mainly responsible. “You are not making things easy for yourself and I do not

Luis Figo

think you are the man for the job any longer. FIFA’s image has deteriorated because of everything that’s happened in recent years. People link FIFA to corruption and bribery and all kinds of old boy’s networks.” Van Praag is a sincere candidate with honest intentions but will struggle to capture people’s imaginations. Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein (Age: 39) Al-Hussein is current vice-president of FIFA. He is the third son of the late Kind Hussein of Jordan. Interestingly, he has the backing of the English FA. He said: “I believe it is time to shift the focus away from administrative controversy and back to sport. The world’s game deserves a world-class governing body - a service organisation and a model of ethics, transparency and good governance. The headlines should be about football, the beautiful sport, not about FIFA.” Like the other four candidates, Al-Hussein is unlikely to be able to overthrow Blatter’s authoritarian regime. •SEPP BLATTER The 78-year-old Swiss has been president of FIFA since 1998, having joined the organization in 1975 Blatter has come in for a great deal of criticism during his 17 years at the head of the world game, with various corruption scandals resulting in his position being repeatedly attacked in recent times. The president had promised that he would not run for a fifth term when standing for re-election in 2011, but now insists he still has much to offer as FIFA looks to complete a period of reform. “It is impossible to make everybody happy. If I had only positive press, that would not be good,” he said recently. “I like criticism, but only as long as it is fair criticism. “I have not finished my mission because it’s a mission to be in football. We started in 2011 the reform process, and that process is not over.”

Charity Golf Feb 7 Stories by: Ifeanyi Ibeh

he Ikoyi Club 1938, in Lagos, will on Saturday, February 7, host the annual Daniel Ogechi Akujobi Memorial Foundation Golf Tournament. The tournament, which is now in its fifth year, first took place in 2010, and the tournament’s coordinator, Pat Bassey, informed Sunday Telegraph that preparations for the event had been on since the third quarter of last year, adding that an appreciable number of golfers and corporate bodies have already shown their commitment towards this year’s tournament. “This is our fifth year and the goodwill and enthusiasm shown towards it and the foundation continues to be impressive,” he said, noting that the transparency in the operations of the foundation has continued to enhance the pedigree of the event, which over a relatively short period has become one of the most respected golfing events in the country. The foundation was established in 2006 in honour of Master Daniel Ogechi Akujobi, who died in a ghastly automobile accident along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on his way to school in 2006. He was aged 13. The Foundation is dedicated to the enhancement of the health of less-privileged children and youths

in the society and has undertaken several projects from the proceeds of the charity golf event, and these include the refurbishment of health centres across the country. The foundation has provided free medical programmes to a number of communities across the country and recently donated a fully-fitted ambulance to support the accident and trauma centre at a hospital in Mowe, Ogun State, in partnership with Diamond Bank Plc. It has also offered scholarships to a number of vulnerable but intelligent children in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions from the proceeds of the charity golf event, and these include the refurbishment of eight public school libraries across the country, and the award of full scholarships to over 65 youths in tertiary institutions across the country. About 200 golfers are expected to tee-off at the one-day charity tournament, with players competing for Net and Gross prizes at the Par 71 Ikoyi Golf Course. Sponsors at this year’s event include PricewaterhouseCoopers, Diamond Bank Plc, Seplat Petroleum Development Company Limited, Cappa and D’Alberto Plc, Standard Alliance Group, Global EVC Limited, Pesley-PBTG Group, Radial Circle Group, Zenith Bank Plc, Protea Hotel and Arik Air.

Fashanu throws weight behind GEJ

elebrated Nigeria ex-international soccer star, John Fashanu, has thrown his weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election bid stating that the president has done well in the area of sports. Fashanu, who plied his trade in England during his active days in football said in Abuja at the weekend that he openly declared his support for GEJ to confirm to his friends that the president is his choice. “I want to publicly declare my support for President Goodluck Jonathan in the February 14 presidential poll. The polity is divided over who becomes the next president between the candidacy of President Jonathan and former Head of State, General Muhammad Buhari (rtd) of the All Progressive Congress, APC. I have been receiving calls and SMS messages from my friends and well-wishers including those on Tweeter, Facebook and other social media asking me who my candidate was. “I hereby announce to the world that my candidate for presidential election is Dr. Goodluck Jonathan because of the country’s unprecedented achievements in sports. I

have been so proud and impressed with his achievements in sports.” He noted that it is on record that the Super Eagles won the Nations Cup in South Africa 2013 under the Jonathan’s administration and for the first time since 1994, the Eagles equalled their second round record at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil 2014 under him. Fashanu stressed that the Golden Eaglets won the FIFA World Cup trophy in the United Arab Emirates and the Super Falconets won the silver in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada. Team Nigeria had the best performance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the World Athletics Championships. “All these things happened because Goodluck Jonathan created a conducive atmosphere where Nigerian sportsmen and women struggle to do well because of the established financial incentives he instituted to appreciates sportsmen and women who do well in international competitions. “I have been a sportsman for over two decades and I know a president who doesn’t like sports. Goodluck Jonathan has really taken Nigerian sports to a higher level.” John Fashanu stated.

6 62

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 01, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

News

How we are coping with Bird flu -Nigerians

By Our Correspondent

n outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in Nigerian poultry farms has spread to 11 states of the country the Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina said on Thursday. “At the time of my briefing the nation on January 21, 2015, seven states had reported cases of the bird flu. As of yesterday (Wednesday), a total of 11 states have reported positive cases,” he said at an emergency meeting with state Commissioners of Agricultural in Abuja. The latest bird flu outbreak was first reported in mid-January in the states of Kano and Lagos. The worsthit state is Kano in the north where 136,905 birds were exposed with a 13 per cent mortality rate. The other affected states are Ogun, Rivers, Delta, Edo, Plateau, Gombe, Imo, Oyo and Jigawa. Adesina said the government plan to compensate farmers with N145 million, or about N1,450 per lost bird. Meanwhile, there have been diverse responses and reactions by the people of Imo state following the announcement of to the outbreak of the fowl disease otherwise known as bird flu in Imo state. The reactions cut across different segments of society and the common factor is that all concerned are taking or seeking measures to cope with the outbreak. In Plateau State, reactions to the news of the outbreak of the deadly disease are mixed. Plateau state Commissioner of Agriculture, Mr. Steven Barko said the outbreak in the state was reported by the owner of a poultry farm in Rantya area of Jos South Local government Areas and the Ministry had taken samples to the Laboratory at the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom near Jos and that it had been confirmed by Lab Scientists to be bird flu. According to Barko the ministry had since evacuated all the birds at the affected farm and sealed the farm, adding that after receiving the report, the ministry quickly dispatched its technical saff on surveillance across the state to halt the spread of the scourge The state chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria, Mr. Julius Gusan told Sunday Telegraph that the poultry farmers at a stake-

holders’ meeting in Jos demanded to know from the state Commissioner for Agriculture, the identify and location of the farm affected by bird flu, but he refused to do so. Gusan said the association had held stakeholders meeting on ways of containing the virus, “and we have sent information to our members on advocacy and the need for them to take preventive measures on their farms.” In Ogun State, no fewer than 3,000 birds have been destroyed since the outbreak of the avian influenza virus, popularly called bird flu. The birds were suspected to be infected. To contain further spread of the virus, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Ronke Sokefun, and the state chapter of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PANOG) have announced serious strategic measures. Sokefun said samples from Sango, Sagamu, Ifo and Ota live birds market tested positive to the highly pathogenic bird flu. She added that samples taken from another poultry farm on ObalendeIkangba road in Odogbolu local government tested positive to the virus. She disclosed that the Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led administration sent the samples to the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom near Jos in Plateau State. Speaking on the virus, the PANOG Chairman, Dr Olalekan Odunsi, however, stated that there was no cause for alarm. He said his association had held stakeholders’ meeting on ways of containing bird flu and preventing it in poultry farms. To further mitigate the spread of the virus, Odunsi said PANOG had distributed disinfectants to livestock market women and members of the association. He said the birds destroyed in the state were those discovered by the monitoring teams of the association which have been monitoring the livestock markets across the four zones of Egba, Yewa-Awori, Remo and Ijebu. Sellers, consumers abandon chicken However, Ugochukwu Chimeziri, a dealer in frozen chicken in Owerri, said that the announcement of the outbreak of disease in Imo state few days ago has already impacted his business negatively. He said, “Immediately I heard that the virus was in Rivers state I became appre-

buyers are afraid and have started avoiding chicken as soon as they heard the news, this has already affected our business. A house wife who gave her name simply as Mama Favour said since the reported outbreak of the bird flu disease, she hardly patronizes chicken dealers or eat frozen foods.

Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina

hensive because if it gets to Owerri, it may spell doom for our business. Shockingly in just very few days after it was announced in Imo, people are now afraid to buy chicken especially frozen chicken which they believe come from overseas.” Mrs. Joyce Iroakazi, a house wife, told our correspondent that she received the announcement with near trepidation and concern. She maintained that though poultry was a common animal protein source, she has taken measures to avoid poultry products especially live chickens, so as to protect her family from the virus. A poultry farmer Mr. Eugene Iroakazi had wanted to buy a replacement stock of about 250 birds to replenish his poultry farm but had to put the plans on hold until the virus was contained. Filda Okafor on the other hand who still has about 1500 layers in stock was shocked to hear that the deadly virus was in town. She however, meticulously deployed measures to ward off the killer virus. A farmer, Dipo Odulaja, who operates a small poultry in Ijoko area of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, said that he had sold off all his birds in the wake of the bird flu outbreak. Odulaja disclosed that a total of 200 birds at his poultry were sold. Miss Orhue said, “I heard there was bird flu outbreak in Edo state but I don’t know if it is true. To the best of my knowledge we should prepare our chicken foods well and you know if it is properly cooked the bac-

teria that cause the disease will definitely die. She urged residents to ensure that they maintain proper hygienic standards in all they do.” In Kano hundreds of buyers, sellers and even Restaurants operators are so scared of the outbreak of bird flu in some local government areas of Kano State and already they have started boycotting the business of chicken of selling which must of them said were their way of living. Mallam Abdul Sani who told our reporter that he has been selling chicken for the last 30 years at Sabon Gari Market, disclosed that he cannot stop his business but he has since employed more tactical way of separating those that do not look healthy. Also, owners of Restaurants in Jos the Plateau state capital have continued to witness low patronage of chicken meat as result of bird flu outbreak Mrs. Esther Erdoo who owns a popular restaurant, Steam Fast Food along Tudun Ring in Jos, said the news of the outbreak has caused a drop in the patronage for the chicken meat, “I was really sad when I had that plateau state is among those states affected by the bird flu, now my customers that use to ask for chicken have now started eating beef or fish only”, she said. A poultry seller, Mallam Mohammed Adamu said government should act fast to curtail the spread of the bird flu disease instead of wasting resources on political campaigns. “Buyers use to queue here to buy, but you can see now

Business as usual According to the Rivers State Commissioner for Agriculture, Emmanuel Chinda, the state government is quarantining and decontaminating the affected farm, urged the people of the state to continue to eat animals and eggs, but should boil them very well. He said: “Samples that were taken from a private poultry farm for a laboratory test outside Port Harcourt turned out positive to the Bird Flu virus. To forestall the virus from spreading, we have destroyed hundreds of birds. The poultry farm has also been quarantined and decontaminated”. At the ever-busy Mile 1 Market, Port Harcourt, a frozen chicken seller, that goes by the name – Fisherman’s Wife, said that she is not aware of the outbreak of bird flu, explaining that it has not in any way affected her business, because she makes her normal sales everyday and sometimes makes more than her average. This is even as in Agboju market, Festac, Lagos, the business of frozen chicken and turkey remains the same as customers are trooping to the market to buy frozen chicken and turkey. One of the traders, who simply gave his name as Charity Ibeh, said that there had not been any drop in demand or even their source of supply, he admitted that however that he has heard of the bird flu outbreak. She said, “Customers are still coming and making their orders. As at last week, we sold a kilo of chicken for N750 and today (Friday), we are selling at the same price. Also, a kilo of turkey was sold for N850. “We are selling a carton of frozen chicken for N6,700 while turkey goes for N7, 500, and these are the prices that we were selling before the news of the bird flu broke. Like I said, neither the demand nor the price has fallen as the result of bird flu scare. Also, at Old Ojo Road, Mr. Segun Adebiyi, said there is

nothing like bird flu in Nigeria. At Ojota, the same response was received. Mutiyat AFolassde said there was no bird flu scare at her business center and not bothered about it as the business is moving normally. But a staff of one of the leading eateries in Abeokuta, Biodun Adejumo, said in an interview that the bird flu outbreak had began to affect their business. He explained that the number of customers patronizing eateries, especially those purchasing chicken, had reduced. Adejumo stated that the development might not be unconnected with the bird flu outbreak. He said reports from other outlets of the eatery where he works had corroborated his position. Oyinloye, who said that all the birds in her poultry had been sold during the festive season, said the frozen poultry products in her shop had continued to attract patronage. On her part, Mrs. Idahosa Roseline, a renowned restaurant operator (Madam Cash Restaurant) at Igun disclosed that her business has thrived as usual without a stop and dismissed the reports about brid flu outbreak in the state. She said because of the nature of her business and the high turnover as well as demands by her numerous customers; she buys between 30 to forty birds every week and about five each day to meet with the customers’ demands. In Benin city, Miss Success Orhue, a Caterer, said she was unperturbed about the disease because to her it was a mere rumour and is yet to know if the outbreak is true of now. To a Lagos housewife, Mrs. Rebecca Attah, bird flu is already history just like the case of Ebola in Nigeria. “Anyway to those who still believe that there is bird flu, let is be for them, as for my family and I, we are covered by the Blood of Jesus and no stranger can come near us because we consume chicken or any other type of food,” she stated. Zully Mawedo Suleiman, a civil servant based in Lokoja Kogi State has this to say as to why she can not resist eating chicken “if you take your time in preparing a good meal, it begins from buying a healthy chicken. I don’t really give attention to that Ebola stuff; I eat chicken due to the fact that I don’t believe this disease can harm me. Mr. Johnson Idoko Makoji narrowed the reason down to African mentality saying that, in those days, mortality chickens were consumed and that its consumption does not have any negative effect on the consumer so, convincing Nigerians about its harmful effect is not going to be easy. He added.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, FEBRUARY 1, 2015

Five reasons Gen. Buhari will lose his fourth Presidential election in Nigeria

n Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2015, Nigerians will be going to the polls to elect a president. The contest is basically between the candidates of two political parties – the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress, as the other 12 presidential candidates could hardly be considered as worthy of challenge. The contest pits, on the one hand, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, a former Head of State who during his two years of terror-laced reign inflicted an incredible amount of dictatorial and autocratic policies on Nigerians; and on the other, the current President Goodluck Jonathan who has, in his five years of administration, laid a solid foundation for democratic governance in Africa’s most populous country. This election is very critical. It is a test of whether Nigeria will be a shining light to democratic changes in Africa, where we still have a large number of dictators, and whether Nigeria will be returned to the club of dictators. There is nothing wrong with governments changing hands in Africa: in fact, we applaud such tiny occurrences exemplified in Senegal, Ghana, Malawi, Zambia, but such changes should occur with individuals who understand the ethics of democracy, not with an individual who did everything to prevent the return of democracy in Nigeria. With a little more than two weeks to the election, Nigerians are finally beginning to come to their senses when they look at the history and personality of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who is challenging the current President. Nigerians are frightened about another Buhari administration and here are the five reasons they will deny Buhari another chance at the presidency of Nigeria. A FEELING OF ENTITLEMENT Nigerians believe that Gen. Buhari has a feeling of entitlement that he is owed the presidency of Nigeria. This is the fourth time that Buhari will be running for the presidency of Nigeria because he feels he is entitled to it; but Nigerians have become resentful and are worried that Buhari must have an agenda he wants to carry out that he was forced not to do when he was ousted from office in 1985. Nigerians remember what happened in 1983. On December 31, 1983 General Buhari decided to oust a democratically and constitutionally elected government in office. Nigerians had suffered 13 years of military dictatorship and were very ecstatic when Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo orchestrated the return of the government to a civilian rule. (Mind you, I am not a fan of Obasanjo). Nigerians had suffered enough and didn’t want another military government. But barely four years into a democratic government, Buhari decided to crown himself a Head of State and plunged Nigeria into another 16 years of military dictatorship. Unlike Buhari, Nigerians were grateful to Obasanjo and he was the person that Nigerians turned to in 1999 to lead them back to a democratic and constitutionally elected government – after all, he had orchestrated the disengagement of the military in 1979 and returned the government to a civilian administration. Buhari, on the other hand, wants Nigerians to reward him for his ambitions of grandeur and entitlement. Whatever agenda he had when he seized power in 1983, he feels he was denied the fulfillment of that agenda when Gen. Ibrahim Babangida ousted him from office. It is delusional for Buhari to think that Nigerians should equate him with Gen. Obasanjo: for God’s sake, Obasanjo for all his faults, is a democrat, while on the

must be answered in the public space, not in caucuses of bargaining. In Buhari, we have been offered no evidence of the sheerest prospect of change. On the contrary, all evident suggests that this is one individual who remains convinced that this is one ex-ruler that the nation cannot call to order.”

CHIKA ONYEANI Guest Columnist

NO PROGRAMME TO ADDRESS ECONOMIC NEEDS OF NIGERIANS All Nigerians have heard from Buhari since he accepted the presidential candidacy of the APC is how he is going to fight corruption. But Nigeria faces problems other than corruption, which, no doubt, is important to the welfare of good governance. Every Nigerian leader has pledged to fight corruption; every world leader has pledged to fight corruption. There is corruption everywhere in the world, but what is very important is how you are going to lift the standards of life of the average Nigerian. Right now, oil prices, the main stay of the Nigerian economy, has fallen to its lowest level. The Naira is depreciating fast. Nigerians are yet to hear what Buhari is going to do with less money coming into the country. Promising Nigerians a pie in the sky is not what is needed now. What is needed are specific policies spelt out to address the issues of the economy, but issues of security. How are you going to deal effectively with the Boko Haram insurgency if in the past you have been an enabler of the group through your indiscreet utterances.

Buhari

other hand Buhari is a dictator. Nigerians are not going to reward a dictator with the presidency of Nigeria. POWER-HUNGRY As stated above, on December 31, 1983, in order to feed his hunger for power, Buhari seized the democratically elected government of Nigeria. Nigerians were tired of military dictators and in Buhari, they tasted what a real military dictator is, unlike Gens. Gowon, Murtala Muhammed or Olusegun Obasanjo. During his reign of terror, he abolished the freedom of the press and cowed the non-tameable Nigerian press from publishing any articles relating to a return to democratic government. And since the return to democracy, no thanks to Buhari, he has run for presidential elections three times, each time as head of a political party that he formed. Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, and Jonathan, on the other hand, were selected by their party, not a political party they formed. Had the All Progressives Congress not nominated Buhari as their presidential candidate, he would have bolted the party and formed yet another party so that he could run. Just as he seized the government in 1983, he believes he must always be at the head to command his minions. LAWLESS AND NOT ANSWERABLE TO NIGERIANS Nigerians should not reward an indi-

vidual who committed treasonable seizure of a democratic elected government. Buhari wants to equate himself with Obasanjo. We cannot accept that. I have already detailed Buhari’s lawlessness in an article, ‘Gen. Buhari: Lawlessness of a Law and Order Candidate.’ Buhari doesn’t believe he is answerable to Nigerians, and nobody articulated this trait most poignantly than Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka. In writing about what Soyinka wrote, I said, “It is this pattern of lawlessness that Nigerians must be profoundly frightened about of a man who believes that he doesn’t have to answer to basic issues that Nigerian need answers to, arrogating himself the feeling that he is above board, above the fray. These are some of the complaints that Nobel Prize Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka discussed in his critical essay on Buhari, titled: ‘The Crimes of Buhari: The Nigerian Nation Against General Buhari.’ Wrote Soyinka, “The grounds on which Gen. Buhari is being promoted as the alternative choice are not only shaky, but pitifully naive. History maters. Records are not kept simply to assist the weakness of memory, but to operate as guides to the future. Of course, we know that human beings change. What the claims of personality change or transformation impose on us is a rigorous inspection of the evidence, not wishful speculation or behind-the-scenes assurances. Public offence, crimes against a polity,

COUP PLOTTERS MUST NOT BE REWARDED There is nothing that remotely recommends Buhari as a leader other than the fact that he plotted and overthrew a constitutionally and democratically elected government. He seized power and imposed himself on Nigerians and proceeded to terrorise Nigerians with draconian decrees. He used the army that was supposed to protect the security and international borders of the country to commit atrocities against the citizenry of Nigerians. Buhari is yet to apologise, and he has shown defiance, about seizing the government, but he expects Nigerians to hand him the same position he violently seized so that he could again terrorise the people. Nigerians should be frightened at the prospect of Buhari assuming the presidency of Nigerians because he feels he is entitled to the post. When he was not entitled to the post, he seized it by force in 1983 until Nigerians were spared his autocratic and dictatorial power grab by the “you-chop-I-chop” Gen. Babangida. Buhari is power-hungry, hence he feels he must be at the head of any political party, if not, he would break away and form another to run for the presidency. Finally, it would be suicidal for Nigerians to reward a coup plotter, who should have been dealt with a military justice. Hence Nigerians are going to hand another defeat to the presidential ambitions of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. Nigerians have their eyes wide open and hopefully after this he would realize that he committed a treasonable offence more than equal to the offence of those Nigerians he executed during his reign of terror against the country. • Dr. Onyeani is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning African Sun Times (Africa’s No.1 newspaper in America), author of the internationally and critically-acclaimed No.1 bestselling book, “Capitalist Nigger: The Road to Success,” as well as the blockbuster novel, “The Broederbond Conspiracy,” adapted by the San Francisco State University to teach students “how to write a spy novel.” He is the Chairman of the Celebrate Africa Foundation.

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Sanctity of Truth

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Five reasons Gen. Buhari will lose his fourth Presidential election in Nigeria

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The legal, political and security implications of postponing the 2015 elections (2)

CONTINUED FROM LAST SUNDAY

he Constitution itself must be resorted to in this case to buttress the legal and constitutional impregnability of my position as stated above. Section 132(4) of the Constitution expressly provides as follows: For the purpose of an election to the office of President, the whole of the Federation shall be regarded as one constituency. Thus, seen from the clear provisions of the supreme law of the land, every part of the country is regarded as a single constituency in a presidential election. This being a rigid constitutional provision, can the discretionary power to postpone elections as granted INEC under Section 26(1) of the Electoral Act 2010, be read in pari passu this provision to mean that INEC can postpone the Presidential Election in some states, for example, conduct election in only 33 States and the FCT? Can the Constitution then be circumvented by simply declaring as winner, the individual who scores the highest votes and 25% of the votes cast in two thirds of these 33 States and the FCT? The answer is in the negative. This web of difficulty is even further magnified, if we painstakingly consider the somewhat inflexible provisions of Section 134 (1) of the Constitution. The Section provides: A candidate for an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected, where, there being only two candidates for the election (a) he has the majority of votes cast at the election; and (b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. (2) A candidate for an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being more than two candidates for the election(a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and (b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. (Underlining ours for emphasis) What the Constitution insists on is “at least two-thirds of all the States in the federation and the FCT, Abuja. This means 25% of 36 States and FCT, Abuja (“all the States in the federation and the FCT, Abuja”). It did not say 25% of 33 States and FCT, Abuja. Sifting from the above provision, it is unarguable that before INEC can declare any person as dully elected for the position of the President, he must have (1) scored the highest number of votes; and (2) must have scored a minimum of one quarter votes in twothirds of ALL THE STATES IN THE FEDERATION and the FCT. This being the case, can INEC then hide under the

The

Nigerian Project

MIKE OZEKHOME san, ofr mike.ozekhome@yahoo.com 08128444555 (sms only) provisions of section 26(1) of the Electoral Act, 2010, to postpone the presidential election in some three states of the federation, while overlooking the more robust and supreme provisions of the Constitution? Will it not be a repeat of the difficulties the apex Court faced in interpreting a similar provision of Section 134 of the 1999 Constitution in the 1979 Constitution in the chequered case of Awolowo v. Shagari (1979) NSCC 87, even in greater propensity? Does it then mean that Section 26(1) of the Electoral Act, 2010, as altered, is in conflict with the above provisions of the Constitution? The answer is in the negative. Rather, the section is complementary to the provision of the Constitution, having been made in pursuance of the more encompassing general provisions of the Constitution. To this end then, INEC has the power to postpone Elections at the occurrence of the situations raised under the Electoral Act. These are (1) where there is reason to believe that a serious breach of the peace is likely to occur if the election holds on February 14, 2015; (2) if it is impossible to conduct the elections as a result of natural disasters or other emergencies. There is no doubt that “other emergencies” in section 26 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2010, as altered, can and must necessarily, include the devastating Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East. This is where it ends. It is, however, submitted that INEC cannot, and does not have the power to postpone election in one part of the Country (North-East), for purposes of the Presidential Election, while at the same time, simultaneously going ahead to conduct Presidential election to the same office in other parts of the country (33 States and FCT, Abuja), as doing so will be ultra vires its powers and will

Jega

amount to a patent and gross circumvention and ultimate subversion of the Constitution itself. It is therefore submitted in the light of the provisions of the laws of the land that while INEC has the power to postpone elections, it cannot postpone the presidential election in some areas and conduct same in other areas. Every part of the country must simultaneously witness and experience the voting process in a presidential election. Where it is not feasible due to prevailing security circumstances to conduct election in any part of the country consequent upon the conditions stated under section 26(1) of the Electoral Act, 2010, INEC must postpone the entire election. For the avoidance of doubt, any person with any contrary position must have to answer the following questions: 1. Can elections in 33 states out of 36 be deemed to the constitutional requirement for presidential elections, hav-

BUSY BODY

ing regard to meet the clear provisions of Section 132 and 134 of the Constitution? (2) If Elections are conducted in 33 states of 36, can the winner in that election be sworn into office when election in the other three states have been temporarily or perpetually kept in abeyance? (3) If the winner of an election conducted in 33 out of 36 states cannot be sworn into office consequent upon the afore-mentioned reasons, will it not invite chaos, anarchy and general insurrection? (4) Assuming it is eventually agreed that elections in the other three states must be concluded before the winner of the election is sworn in (as he cannot be constitutionally be sworn in without election in all the states), is it not as good as postponing the entire presidential election itself? This is more so having regard to the fact that by the provisions of section 25 (2) of the Electoral Act, 2010, as altered, election to the office of president shall be held not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days to May 29, 2015. This provision means that INEC, if it can give “cogent and verifiable” reasons, without doing violence to sections 132 and 134 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as altered, may go ahead and postpone the election, up to a maximum of April 28, 2015, which is 30 days before the effluxion of the present President’s tenure which ends on May 29, 2015. My advice to INEC is simple. INEC must tread with caution and examine the legal, political, security and moral implications for the cohesion and stability of Nigeria and the integrity of the entire electoral process. INEC must therefore read the political barometer of the Country, the sensibilities and eagerness of Nigerians to vote, the security implications of its actions or inactions, the moral burden cast on it and the need to ensure that there is one Country still called Nigeria after the elections. Jega carefully had used the word ‘unless’ in his statement. It means the situation is not afterall hopeless. Something can, indeed, be done, to allow for votes in the three North East States of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. Afterall, even in war-ravaged Countries of the World where there exist millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs), elections are still conducted. All that is required is the political will and the need to spread a regime of security in the three affected States. Concluded • Follow me on twitter @ MikeozekhomeSAN

By Aliu Eroje

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