Sunday, july 03, 2016

Abia crisis: Ogah goes underground lHe won’t be sworn in,

says Ikpeazu }4&6

COMPUTER VILLAGE BOMB PLAN

DSS lied, We are not terrorists -IPOB }5

...no member will testify against Kanu

SUNDAY Sunday, JULY 03, 2016 Vol. 3 No. 865

Shan George

Sanctity of Truth

/newtelegraph

N150

@newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com

fresh Fuel scarcity looms }4

I never planned to be an actress }20&21

NEWS Oyo lawmaker killed two days to doctorate }5

Woman poisons day-old stepson

•Man, 54, abducts, assaults minor }14

As PENGASAN sets to begin strike on Wednesday

l

•Accuses Kachikwu of running ‘one-man show’ •Multi nationals threatening to lay off staff

POWER PLAY

Buhari loses grip of N/Assembly }4&9

lWhy House adopted confab report lSenate to follow suit after recess lNigeria will crumble under APC -GG Darah

2

SUNDAY JULY 3, 2016, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Contents | 03.07.16 BODY & SOUL

Spotlight queen With an acting career spanning over twenty years, veteran Nollywood actress and producer Shan George has had her fair share of the spotlight.

She shares her journey into the world of make belief with us

}20&21

POLITICS

Trouble in Abia State The issuance of Certificate of Return to Dr. Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah while Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, appeal is pending has become the latest lacuna in Nigeria’s political landscape

}23

BUSINESS

Oil stumbles Oil price which fell below $40 dollars a barrel before regaining steam on production outages in Nigeria, Canada and Venezuala, is set to fall again as Nigeria moves to reclaim output

}43

FAITH

Osun State Parade of religious garbs is a distraction, Monsignor Osu says

}31

SPORT

No more embarrassment The Sports Ministry won't allow the Nigeria Football Federation to embarrass Nigeria again on matters of foreign coaches, Solomon Dalung says

}53

Magazine

Life of scavengers Waste scavenging has become a means of livelihood in this part of the world, especially among the less privileged

}8&9

SUNDAY

Editorial

NFF must sit up

T

he leadership crisis in Nigerian football started even before the Amaju Pinnick-led board members were elected. The Aminu Maigari board had its share of the crisis and eventually staged the election in crisis.

A club owner, Christopher Giwa, was part of the main characters in the Maigari regime crisis and now he is the leader of the factional group that believes the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation belongs to Giwa.

The Giwa group has been in and out of courts since Pinnick assumed office. Interestingly, the same case was thrown out by the Court Of Arbitration for Sports in 2014 yet Giwa and his group ‘exhumed’ the case at a Jos High Court three months ago. Ever since then there has been one issue or the other between the NFF leadership many Nigerian know under Pinnick and the factional group led by Giwa.

Under Maigari, we can recall that the crisis contributed to the ouster of Nigeria from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations and under Pinnick, the board was also distracted as the country again lost the ticket to Gabon 2015 Africa Nations Cup, The back-to-back Nations Cup miss is a strange development in the country’s football history and regrettably the crisis persist.

Pinnick seems to have been consumed in the crisis sure that giving direction to get results and do the right thing for the development of the game is tough for him and his board to handle, rather, the board is channelling its energy into fighting Giwa to retain its position.

Twice last month the House of Representatives Committee on Sports engaged the Giwa group and Pinnick board in a dialogue. After the second meeting the committee urged both parties to embrace peace to enable Nigerians to get the best results possible in the round leather game. Just 24 hours after the second meeting, Giwa group broke into the NFF office threatening to take over operations and physically fighting the staff members present over legitimacy of the federation.

We condemn in totality all acts of violence especially from people who should know better, those who are supposed to administer the game. The youth who are the main actors in the game are actually watching and observing the various scenarios in the unfortunate crisis we are witnessing today.

We make bold to say the two parties should be ready to shift to allow peace reign and move football forward.

Pinnick is the one recognised by the Federation of International Football (FHA) the

Nigerian government, the players and the entire world. One way to solve the crisis is for Giwa to wait for the next elections and plan better to win. If he continues in his violence conduct, this could further reduce his chances of realising his ambition to head Nigerian football.

The Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, we believe is in best position to resolve the crisis by using all the government apparatus at his disposal to guarantee peace but funny enough the meeting he arranged between Giwa and Pinnick was not only deadlocked, the two men almost exchanged blows even in the presence of the minister. The situation cast doubt on the neutrality of Dalung and since then he has been quiet while football is suffering the more.

We believe the time is ripe to put a stop to this ‘madness’ in the country’s football before more damage is done. The Russia 2018 ticket is at stake because the qualifying draw will take place very soon. Nigeria’s position in FIFA ranking is so poor such that the country was not seeded for the draw, The implication is that the Super Eagles will be drawn against one of the top five ranked countries on the continent.

To qualify ahead of seeded teams won’t be easy. Sad enough we also note that since the resignation of former international, Sunday Oliseh, as the Super Eagles Head coach in February, the NFF is yet to name a substantive coach. There is need to take the qualifiers seriously.

Pinnick should realise that his regime will be judged by the results posted and not many people will remember the crisis or whatever distraction the body is facing.

We advise the federation to be well focused on getting Nigeria a ticket to Russia, This is the best way to compensate for the back-toback Nations Cup no show which followers of football are yet to come to terms with.

All logistics involving the Super eagles including payment of all outstanding bonuses and salaries of stand-in coaches should be handled urgently because it is important to play the qualifiers with a clear mind and 100 per cent motivation.

We make bold to say Nigeria is blessed with huge talents in all parts of the world such that some of them are even in the colours of European teams at the ongoing European Nations Cup in France. The onus is on the federation however to put its acts together, get a credible coach to raise a solid team for Nigeria to regain its pride on the continental and global football stage.

This is important especially because football brings positive image for the country.

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

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Managing Editor, Business & Strategy n Yemi Ajayi

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Managing Editor, South n Emeka Madunagu Managing Editor, North & Abuja n Laurence Ani

Editor n Ayodele Ojo Editor, Sunday n Juliet Bumah Editor, Saturday n Waheed Bakare Deputy Editor n Tunde Sulaiman

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY 3 JULY, 2016

3

4

SUNDAY 3 JULY, 2016 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

NEWS

Buhari loses grip of N/Assembly

Onwuka Nzeshi

P ABUJA

resident Muhammadu Buhari may have effectively lost grip of the National Assembly, following the double-barreled attack launched against the leadership of the Senate, as manifested in the arraignment of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, before an Abuja High Court on charges of forgery.

Before the forgery case, Saraki had been facing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which accused him of making false declaration of his assets during his tenure as governor of Kwara State.

Although the arraignment of the two presiding officers of the upper chamber of the parliament was at the instance of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar

Malami (SAN), it has been interpreted in many circles as an action propelled by the executive arm of government to cause a forceful regime change in the parliament and pave way for the enthronement of loyalists of the Presidency and the ruling party.

Sunday Telegraph learnt that apart from the open altercation between the Senate and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr. Babachir Lawal, on the propriety of the forgery suit, forces within the executive and judiciary arms of the government were working behind the scene to ensure that the suit produced a pre- determined out come.

In response to this executive power play, both chambers of the National Assembly appear to have commenced a gradual process of deploying the legislative weapons in their arsenals to checkmate the executive more so when there are fears that the “wind of change” threatening to sink the ship in the Senate might also sweep through the House of Rep-

Fresh fuel scarcity looms as PENGASAN sets to go on strike Ibraheem Musa Kaduna

B

arring any last minute agreement, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASAN) will embark on an indefinate strike action on Wednesday, in order to protest the way and manner the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has been running the oil sector since assuming office.

Sunday Telegraph learnt that the National Leadership of PENGASAN met in Kaduna yesterday to strategise on how to prosecute a successful all out strike immediately after the Sallah holiday.

According to an insider, senior Staff of the petroleum sector are particularly angry with Dr. Kachikwu over Federal Government’s failure to fund its Joint Venture Companies (JVC) with multi national oil companies.

The source told our correspondent, “Already, the multi nationals are threatening to lay off staff and this will affect our members mostly. You will recall that we had embarked on a warning strike sometimes back but the issues have not been addressed.”

The source, who doesn’t want to be named, accused the Minister of running a

“one man show “ as he doesn’t consult anyone regarding how the oil sector should operate.

“The management style of Kachikwu has pitched him against most senior Staff and experts in the Industry,” the source said.

Our correspondent also learnt that the Minister’s decision to transfer all the management staff of PPMC to Abuja since last year, has been another source of friction between Kachikwu and PENGASAN. “The management staff of PPMC are redundant in Abuja because they have nothing to do, having been deployed there without any clear cut reason for doing so, “ he added.

He pointed out that although citizens will be faced with another round of fuel scarcity, it has become necessary to embark on the strike in order to save the industry from collapse, owing to Kachikwu’s alleged high handedness.

According to him, the strike is a necessary inconvienence which will highlight the problems in the oil sector, contrary to what the Minister is making the government to believe.

As at the time of filing this report, the National leadership of PENGASAN was still meeting at its secretariat along Constitution Road, Kaduna.

•Why House adopted confab report •Senate to follow suit after recess

resentatives in no distant time.

Sunday Telegraph gathered that it was this mood of self preservation and deterrence that made the Senate to put in abeyance, the consideration of the ambassadorial list sent to it by the executive and the vow by the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) Parliamentary caucus not to support Buhari any longer but to block all future communications from him to the Red Chamber.

In an apparent counter action, a group of senators belonging to the All Progressives Congress ( APC) also addressed the media where they declared support for Buhari and his anti- corruption war. However, the fact that there were only 15 out of the 59 members of the APC Caucus that showed up at that solidarity media briefing might be an indication that even members of the

ruling party in parliament were beginning to have second thoughts about Buhari and the policies of his government.

Sunday Telegraph observed that most of those who expressed solidarity with Buhari were senators from the North West and North East geo- political zones while most of those from the South West and North Central zones were conspicuously absent at the briefing.

It has also been speculated that the brewing animosity was responsible for the failure of Saraki to read the letter of Mr. President, which was submitted to his office on penultimate Wednesday, requesting the Senate to confirm the appointment of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, as the substantive Chairman.

Buhari in a letter ad-

dressed to the President of the Senate, had requested the senators to treat the confirmation request with dispatch.

About this same period, the Presidency cancelled a breaking of fast dinner session it had earlier scheduled to have with the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly.

In an apparent act of defiance, the House of Representatives, last week, adopted the report of the 2014 National Conference as part of its working tools. The Presidency and the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), have consistently dismissed the National Conference report produced by the last administration as irrelevant and a document meant to be dumped in the archives.

However, it was learnt that some elements within the APC were becoming

uncomfortable with President Buhari’s position on several issues, especially the Confab report, which they believe, had a lot of solutions to the current political ad economic challenges facing the country.

These elements, one of our correspondents gathered, have also not been in support of the perceived executive interference in the parliament and have vowed to mobilise the lawmakers to resist the undemocratic actions of the executive.

Sunday Telegraph gathered that the Senate would, on resumption from the Sallah break, concur with the House of Representatives on the Confab report so as to bring the critical national issues contained in the document to the front burner, a move that could further widen the gulf between the executive and the legislature.

Continues on page 9

Ogah fears for his life, goes underground

G

overnor-elect of Abia State Sampson Ogah has reportedly gone underground as scenario concerning his possible swearing in plays out.

An Abuja High Court had on Wednesday ruled that he should become the new governor after disqualifying incumbent governor, Okezie Ikpeazu on the grounds that he should never have been allowed to fly the flag of his party, PDP on the grounds of falsification of tax documents.

Twenty-four hours after the court ruling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued him a certificate of return, with a view to him being sworn in as substantive governor on Friday.

However, this has been stalled by absence of the Chief Judge who has not being seen since Ogah’s arrival in Umuahia, the state capital.

But according to online news medium, Ogah is prepared to sit it out in an un-

known location in Umuahia until the matter is sorted out.

According to the medium, Ogah’s media aide, Peter Kalu, told them that his principal decided to take shelter at an undisclosed location to avoid being attacked.

Kalu said a lot of threats had been directed towards Ogah and as a result the politician would remain in hiding as he awaits the emergence of the State Chief Judge, Theresa Uzoukwu, who had not been seen since

Thursday.

The Chief Judge is believed to be hiding somewhere outside the state capital under pressure from both Ikpeazu, who for obvious reasons does not want her to re-appear, and Ogah, who wants her to administer the oath of office for him.

Kalu said Ogah’s lawyers were currently working to ensure that he was sworn in within acceptable legal framework if Ms. Uzoukwu continued to remain in hiding.

Rwanda High Commissioner to Nigeria, Stanislas Kamanzi (left), and former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, during the Commissioner’s visit to Dr. Kalu’s office, in Abuja… at the weekend. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

5

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY 3 JULY, 2016

NEWS

Oyo lawmaker killed few days to doctorate

…Ajimobi, APC call for full investigation

Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

T

wo yet-to-be identified gunmen, Friday evening, assassinated a lawmaker in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Gideon Aremu, in front of his house at Alakia, Ibadan. Aremu was until his death the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Public Relations and Security.

Aremu, who was preparing to be conferred with a Ph.D degree from the University of Ilorin next week, was the Labour Party representative for the Oorelope Constituency of Oke Ogun area of Oyo North in the state.

He was gunned down in front of his house at around 9.00 p.m while her wife, who opened the gate for his car, watched helplessly as the assailants who trailed the deceased on a motorcycle, rained bullets on him.

Eyewitnesses said that the assailants waited for few minutes to ascertain that he was dead before they sped off. The only property that the two men took away from their victim was his mobile phone, it was gathered.

The Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi expressed rude shock and consternation over last night’s suspected assassination of Hon. Aremu at his Alakia residence in Ibadan.

In a statement signed by Yomi Layinka, Special Adviser, Communication & Strategy, Ajimobi said the death of the member of the Oyo House of Assembly in the hands of suspected assassins at a relatively tender age is not only tragic but condemnable.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi reiterated his government’s commitment to sustaining the hard-won peace and security that the people of Oyo State currently enjoy warning anyone or group not to test his resolve in this direction.

As Chief Security Officer of the state, the governor has indicated his personal interest in getting to the bottom of the plot as well as in ensuring appropriate sanctions for both the plotters and executors of the suspect murder, no matter how highly placed.

Hon. Aremu, until his demise, was the only opposition lawmaker in the Oke Ogun area, as his other nine colleagues are from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Confirming the incident, the Police Police Relation Officer (PPRO) for the State Command, SP Adekunle Ajisebutu, said investiga-

tion was ongoing, adding, “I can confirm that the incident happened late yesterday (Friday), and the police have swung into action.”

He said that the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leye Oyebade, had already deployed human and material resources in tracking down the culprits.

“We can assure the public that very soon, we will apprehend those behind this cruel act. We equally want to appeal to members of the public who have information that will help our cause to come forward. Please don’t hesitate,” Ajisebutu stated.

The state Chairman of the opposition LP, Gbenga Olayemi Ariba in a telephone chat with reporters said he was shocked to the marrow that “such an innocent and easy going lawmaker could be assassinated for political or whatever reasons”.

Ariba, in an emotion-laden voice, described the act as ungodly, barbaric and condemnable.

He said, “How could anybody consider that kind of thought to cut short the life of a fellow man? What kind of politics is this? Yesterday, it was PDP ruling at virtually all levels, today it is APC and tomorrow, it could be another party and so why are we killing ourselves?

What is the motive? I implore the police and other security agents in the state to step up investigation into this matter and bring the culprits to book to serve as deterrent to others”.

Also, the ruling APC has described the murder of Aremu, as most shocking and disturbing as the party called for thorough investigation into the matter by the relevant security agencies with a view to bringing the culprits to justice.

While reacting to the development through a statement issued by its Director of Publicity and Strategy, Olawale Sadare, the APC condemned the brutal killing of the lawmaker who it described as an energetic, diligent and easy-going politician whose death had opened another sad chapter in the history of the Pacesetter State.

The party condoled with the state government, the leadership and members of the Oyo State House of Assembly as well as all the people of Oorelope State Constituency and the good people of the state and prayed that God would grant Hon. Aremu eternal rest and give both his immediate and political family the fortitude to bear the loss.

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (middle), with anchor, Your View Talk Show, Morayo Afolabi Brown; Co-presenters, Osayuwameh Peace-Saleh, Tope Mark Odigie and Olajumoke Olaode-James, during a live interview with the governor at Television Continental (TVC), Lagos… at the weekend

IPOB to Buhari, DSS: We are not terrorists

...attempt to get our members to testify against Kanu will fail

Charles Onyekwere ENUGU

P

ro-Biafra group, Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), has cried out to the whole world that it is not a terrorist organisation as the Department of State Services (DSS) and the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government, Ohanaeze and other Igbo elites are trying to portray them in the eyes of the public.

Reacting to a media statement credited to DSS, IPOB spokesmen, Barr.

Emma Mmezu and Dr. Clifford Iroanya respectively, pointed out that tagging IPOB a criminal and terrorist organisation is the handiwork of the President and the DSS to give the impression that IPOB is destructive like other freedom fighters.

IPOB, in a statement, yesterday, jointly signed

by Emma Mmezu and Clifford Iroanya, accused President Buhari of masterminding the smear campaign against the pro-Biafra group, saying the President has failed in this attempt.

The group, in the statement titled; “Another bungled attempt by Muhammadu Buhari and his DSS to criminalise Biafrans and brand IPOB

a terrorist organisation,” alleged that DSS, in its determined effort to criminalise the group, sent out a false alarm to the media and the Nigerian public, claiming that it had arrested one Chidiebere Onwudiwe, a graduate of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering on June 22, further saying that he was a known member of IPOB. Sunday Telegraph reports that the alleged DSS statement reportedly claimed that “Mr. Onwudiwe and his associates within and outside the country, were planning to carry out coordinated attacks against religious bodies/edifices, police check points and the Computer Village in Ikeja, Lagos State, with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDS)” and that “The suspect was apprehended while making logistics supplies for their nefarious plan.”

But Mmezu and Iroanya, in their statement, said it is laughable that the DSS is accusing IPOB of posing increasing threat to public peace while they have not made a single official statement concerning the mayhem and havoc being exhibited everyday by Boko Haram and the socalled Fulani herdsmen.

“Up till today, the DSS has maintained stoic silence on the killings at

Agatu and Nimbo.

“Perhaps those killings do not pose threats to public peace because the people killed were ‘infidels’ that deserve to die as they are not of the HausaFulani Islamic blood. It is very interesting to know from the DSS that IPOB can now manufacture IEDS and Chidiebere was probably manufacturing them in his sleep when DSS hooligans broke into his house and kidnapped him at about 2am on June 22,” the group alleged.

They also accused the DSS of trying as much as possible to tag IPOB a violent group.

“The questions we want to ask the DSS are: Do we cover our faces when we march on the streets around the world? We are registered at the UN, if we are a violent group won’t the UN know? Kidnapping people in the middle of the night, denying them access to food and water, legal and medical help in the hope of getting IPOB members to testify against the leader of IPOB will not work,” the group stated.

IPOB further said that the fact that DSS even contemplated insinuating that Computer Village, “mostly owned by Biafrans of Igbo extraction, is a target for such an attack exposes the idiocy of those that run

Buhari’s Secret Police.

“If Buhari and his Northern killer Squads like, let them kidnap, kill, torture and threaten as many Biafrans as they like, but one thing they can never succeed in doing is to weaken our resolve to leave the Satanic Lugardian contraption called Nigeria,” the group said in the statement.

They also accused the Igbo elites (described as Abuja political job seekers) of colluding with the Buhari administration in the clamp down on Biafrans, saying members of Ohanaeze Ndigbo are being used to get information on how to arrest Biafrans and tag IPOB a violent group. It noted that no prominent Yoruba or Hausa-Fulani person has ever labelled IPOB violent but Ohaneze, saying in their desire to please their Arewa masters, they have variously granted interviews where they explicitly implied that IPOB, under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu, is violent.

“They have been doing their master’s bidding out of envy, greed and jealousy because the steadfastness of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has exposed the charade and sell-out that these men have become,” the statement stressed.

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SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

news

My court victory is divine –Ogah Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

l He is an agent of APC, says PDP

bia State governor-elect, Dr. Uche Ogah has described the judgment of the Federal High Court Abuja that ordered that he should sworn in immediately as governor, as divine.

Dr. Ogah, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Public Communications, Onyekachi Ubani in Abuja yesterday, said being a preelection matter, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu does not have the luxury to continue to enjoy his mandate until his appeal is determined.

Ubani said: “In a preelection matter the enforceability of a court judgment is immediate as the losing side in the legal argument, in this case, Dr Ikpeazu, was never adjudged to have been qual-

ified to contest the election in the first place while in a post-election matter the mandate enjoyed by an incumbent subsists until the tribunal or appellate courts rule otherwise.”

Attempts to get the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to react on the political crisis in Abia State were not successful as several calls made to the spokesman of the National Working Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye were not responded to neither did he reply text message sent to his phone.

However, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, who was appointed Acting Deputy National Chairman by Ali Modu Sheriff faction, claimed that a committee has been set up to resolve

A

the matter.

But a source within the party alleged that Dr. Ogah was being sponsored by some forces in APC. “Some forces in APC are pushing him. The mission is that if he gets there, he can decamp, giving the present factions in PDP or if he can’t decamp now he will do it later.

“PDP doesn’t want to say anything about it now because if the party dabbles into it now it will create a problem but PDP in Abia State is doing something, national doesn’t want to get involved,” the source disclosed.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in defiance to an appeal by Governor Ikpeazu, last Thursday, issued certifi-

cate of return to Dr. Ogah as governor-elect.

Ubani, however, defended INEC’s action, saying the commission acted within its powers to avoid leadership vacuum in the state.

“Note the word used by the presiding judge was immediately,” he said. “Enrolment order was procured by Dr. Uche Ogah and INEC was served and they obeyed the extant judgement of the Federal High Court by issuing Dr. Ogah with the certificate of return.

“Since a general election has been held and the PDP won, Dr. Ikpeazu was asked to vacate his seat while the certificate of return should be issued to Dr. Ogah who came second during the primary election. He was ordered to be sworn in by

the Chief Judge of Abia state immediately.”

He described the injunction obtained by Governor Ikpeazu stopping the Chief Judge of Abia State from swearing in Dr. Ogah as governor as a black market injunction.

“I am not ignorant of the black market injunction allegedly obtained by Dr. Ikpeazu at Osisioma Ngwa High court restraining the Chief Judge of Abia state from swearing in Dr. Ogah.

“That interim order was premised on section 143 of the Electoral Act which is only applicable to judgements obtained in election tribunals, but not in preelection matters.

“It is a laughable rul-

...he won’t be sworn in, says Ikpeazu Biyi Adegoroye

A

Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (right), with journalists during a get-together with media practitioners, tagged:, Iftar with Ogbeni, at the Government House, Osogbo

Police move to rescue Sierra-Leonean diplomat

T

he Nigeria Police said they have commenced a search and rescue operation for an abducted Sierra Leonean Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Alfred Nelson-Williams.

Mr. Nelson, a retired major general, was reportedly abducted along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway while travelling to attend a graduation ceremony at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College,

Jaji, Kaduna State, on Friday.

Confirming the development, the Force Public Relations Officer, Don Awunah, said the acting InspectorGeneral of Police, Ibrahim Idris, had been briefed about the development.

He said the IG had immediately dispatched a special team to ensure Mr. Nelson is rescued.

“The police have confirmed the unfortunate abduction of the senior diplomat and the

IGP has commenced rescue operation,” Mr. Awunah said.

“By tomorrow morning, there would be air surveillance and everything possible would be done to rescue him.”

The diplomat was kidnapped Thursday evening on his way from Abuja to Kaduna to attend a military passing out parade. Two Sierra Leonean officer were among those passing out.

According to sources the

whereabouts of the driver and those with the deputy High Commissioner is currently unknown.

Speaking to journalists in his Freetown office, the Minister of Information Mohammed Bangura also confirmed the kidnap and that the Nigerian Police and the Intelligent Office is working with the Sierra Leone High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria to investigate the matter.

Anambra partners EU, World Bank on audit efficiency Pamela Eboh Awka

A

nambra State has kicked off a partnership programme with the European Union, EU, and the World Bank to enable

the state get full value on expenditure, especially now that the country is facing economic challenges.

The two international bodies have already commenced with sponsorship of audit stakeholders forum in Awka through the State and Local

Government Reform Project (SLOGOR).

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting in Awka, the Anambra State Head of Service, HOS, Mr. Harry Udu, who represented Governor Willie Obiano said the recommendations would help the state

to further harness and utilize available resources judiciously.

He said: “At the end of the exercise, Anambra State will be better off in terms of service delivery in the state and local governments in the areas of public finance and human resources management”.

ing not worth the paper it was written on. For God’s sake, a high court in Abia is a court of coordinate jurisdiction with a Federal High Court and so any order given by such court to contradict an earlier order of the same court is ipso facto null and void. It is only a higher court that has the legal capacity to reverse the earlier order or judgement,” he argued.

Ubani contended that failure to swear Dr Ogah in as the duly elected governor of Abia State is an affront to the rule of law and constitutional governance in a true democracy, which he said, is capable of undermining the peace and stability of the state.

bia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has said that Dr. Samson Ogah’s moves to govern the state despite the pending the appeal is a ruse because no judge will attempt to swear him in pending the determination of his appeal over the verdict.

Speaking though the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Bonny Iwuoha, Ikpeazu also said that he would not be deterred by the current action from executing his laudable developmental projects especially the transformation of Aba to an industrial hub.

Meanwhile, there was palpable fear yesterday in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the current governorship crisis in the state was orchestrated to remove Ikpeazu, s with the intention to wear in Dr. Samson Ogah, and later facilitate his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Top PDP sources said the game plan is that Ogah, who has reportedly held meeting with some security agents in Umuahia last Thursday, hopes to be sworn in by a chief judge from any of the neighboring states as was the case with Mr. Nyesom Wike last year.

The move, it was learnt, is in tandem with the fact that APC has been uncomfortable with the stranglehold PDP maintains in the SouthEast, and it intends to make serious inroads into the area where it currently controls only one (Imo) out of the five states .

The sources said otherwise, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could not have hurriedly issued a certificate of return to Ogah, knowing that Ikpeazu has at least 21 days to appeal Justice Okon

Abang’s verdict removing the governor last week.

But Iwuoha described it as a speculation, stating that no one should compare the current case in Abia to any previous ones in Rivers State where a judge was brought in from Bayelsa to swear in Nyesom Wike during the judicial workers strike, stating that a subsisting injunction restrains anyone from taking action.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari would not be a party to that, stating by his track records, he “stands for integrity, does not support any evil against any state of the federation, a point my governor has made known to the people.”

Iwuoha said that Presidency has no hand in the current issue in the state, rather that the Independent Electoral Commission was merely prompting Ogah to reap where he did not sow, thereby causing trouble in the state.

According to him, Ikpeazu remains the governor of the state and as a lover of peace has been appealing to his people not to take any action that will jeopardize the security of lives and property in the state while the judicial processes are on-going.

“The governor has been talking to the people and appealing to them to avoid actions that are capable of disturbing public peace, because but for that the people had wanted to express their displeasure over the current political development in the state.

“They found it incredible that someone who never participated fully in the primaries of the PDP; someone who did sign the result is being declared winner by a High Court. Nonetheless, the governor has continued to maintain the peace while the process continues,” he said.

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News

Saraki, Ekweremadu’s forgery case abuse of court process –Justice Kolawole Tunde Oyesina

T Abuja

he Federal High Court sitting in Abuja in a ruling has described the forgery charge filed against the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, his deputy senator Ike Ekweremadu and two others by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami SAN as a complete gross abuse of court and legal process.

The court faulted the charge for being filed during the pendency of a civil action instituted to challenge the propriety of the police report on the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rule 2015 and in which the AGF and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) are defendants and

have even joined issues with plaintiff in the court action.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole, who ruled in a motion ex parte filed by Senator Gilbert Emeka Nnaji seeking to stop the implementation of the police report on the forgery, held that the forgery charge against Saraki, Ekweremadu and others was done in a desperate haste that was not in the public interest.

Senator Nnaji had on July 23, 2015 instituted a civil action against the Inspector General of Police and the AGF at the Federal High Court wherein he challenged the propriety of the police report on the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rule.

He later filed a motion exparte in which he asked for a court order to stop the IGP and AGF from taking any step on the police report pending the determination of his orig-

inating summon and which the court partly granted.

The judge said that he would have nullified the forgery charge filed by the AGF before an Abuja High Court and set it aside for being a gross abuse of court and legal process if it had been filed before his court.

Justice Kolawole said that the actions of the IGP and AGF whose offices are created by law were in bad taste because his court had in the civil action asked parties not to do anything on the police report during the pendency of the civil suit so as not to render the civil action nugatory and fait accompli.

“In coming to a decision, I take due cognizance of the defendants IGP and AGF as offices created by the 1999 Constitution as Amended.

The 1st defendant (IGP) by virtue of Section 215(a) of the

constitution is a creation of the constitution and by virtue of Section 215(2) of the constitution, shall command the Nigeria Police Force created by section 214(1).

“By reason of the provisions, it is not out of place, to describe the 1st defendant as the ‘Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the Federation.

The 2nd defendant (AGF) is a constitutional office created by section 150(1) of the constitution who the constitution describes as ‘The Chief Law Officer of the Federation’.

“The Plaintiff’s ‘motion ex parte’ dated 23/6/16 is one that seeks restraining orders against these two constitutional offices created by the constitution. Both are connected with law enforcement and by extension, due administration of justice.

“I say this with regard to

the provision of section 174(1) – (3) of the constitution in relation to the constitutional powers of the 2nd defendant.

Section 174(1): “The Attorney General of the Federation shall have power- “to take over and continue any such criminal proceedings that may have been instituted by any other authority or person; and to discontinue at any stage before judgment is delivered any such criminal proceedings instituted or undertaken by him or any other authority or person.

“The criminal charge dated 10/6/16 attached as Exhibit “B” to the plaintiff’s “motion ex pate” is a

Bayelsa releases funds for teachers’ salaries Chris Ejim Yenagoa

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Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom (left), with Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Rev. Tor Uja, during the governor’s visit to NCPC’s corporate headquarters, in Abuja...at the weekend

You can’t enjoy immunity on certain offences, Falana tells chief executives Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

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uman rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, yesterday, read the riot act to the country’s leaders and chief executives of the federal and state governments, saying that there are certain category of offences that a sitting chief executive of the country or the state would not enjoy immunity on.

He frowned at the action of perceived self-acclaimed protagonists and defenders of crimes against the people and the state, especially, over the recent freezing of account of the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, by the anti graft agency, Eco-

nomic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as part of the Federal Government’s campaign against corruption in the polity.

Falana also spoke on the controversies over the prosecution of forgery and rape cases involving some members of the National Assembly, saying that there is no absolute immunity for elected executives and others when it involves public funds.

Speaking as a guest on the topic: “Limit of Executive Immunity” during the 60th birthday of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Julius Ihonvebere, held in Benin City, the state capital, he gave explicit interpretations of the Supreme Court judgments

on such offences involving highly placed public officers in the country.

He declared that the immunity for President, Vice President, governors and their deputies cannot be extended to certain serious criminal acts.

He pointed out that the Supreme Court has made it clear that the Attorney General of the Federation can direct the Attorney General of a state to investigate allegation bothering on public funds being stolen in states even when such money belongs to the state.

According to him, the Supreme Court stated that the issue is about stolen public fund and not about immunity protecting the persons, who stole the money.

He explained that apart from the President of the country, the Vice President, the governors and their deputies, who are protected under immunity in Section 308 of the constitution, others are now insisting that immunity be conferred on them.

He said, “In particular, the legislators in our country are asking for immunity but unfortunately, this is not the best time to make that request because some of the leaders of the parliament in our country are standing trial for false declaration of assets, for forgery and conspiracy while some are under threat of possible deportation from the United States to stand trial for rape and other related offences.”

criminal process filed on behalf of the 2nd defendant

by D.E. Kaswe, Esq. who signed the said charge as a “Principal State Counsel” for “The Honourable AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice” was listed as one of the leading Senior Advocates of Nigeria who filed the “motion of notice” attached as Exhibit “D” to the plaintiff’s ex parte application and it was an application by which Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi, who until the learned Attorney-General of the Federation was appointed as the Minister of Justice, was his erstwhile client.”

ayelsa State Government has released funds for the payment of teachers, salaries even as it expressed appreciation to teachers in the state for their co-operation during the on-going verification exercise.

It decried the activities of ghost workers on its payroll, stating that the verification was responsible for delay in the payment of the teachers, but would now start after the exercise.

In a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Serena-Dokubo Spiff, the government said that it has already released funds to start payment of teachers’ salaries in the state which will be done upon due verification of identity and status of every teacher.

According to him, the

verification, which involves community leaders and other stakeholders, is already yielding results in many parts of the state.

He said that there were discrepancies and actual fraudulent activity in the payroll of the educational system in the state.

The statement noted, for instance, that while salary vouchers presented to government on the basis of which funds for salary payment were approved and released are for a given amount, actual alerts received by the teachers are for lesser amounts.

Other instances, he said, were cases of ghost schools, ghost teachers, fraudulent increment and fraudulent designation of status/grade level, which the government claimed suggested criminal activity or intervention in the payment scheme.

Team recovers remains of oil workers

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he search and rescue team raised following attack by gunmen suspected to be militants at oilfield in Bayelsa has recovered remains of two of the three oil workers that died in the incident.

The Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Bayelsa Command, Mr Desmond Agu, confirmed the development to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Saturday.

The victims were two engineers and a diver.

They were ambushed and killed in the creeks while repairing Agip pipelines that were destroyed by Niger Delta Avengers.

Agu said their remains had been taken to an undisclosed mortuary in Port Harcourt.

“The search team, made up of NSCDC operatives, Navy, Army, gunboat crew and

others, left Obama station at 0915 hours on Thursday in search of the Agip personnel.

“At about 1100 hours, the dead bodies of two personnel were discovered in Oguama River close to Oguama community in Bayelsa.

“They were taken to Ogbia jetty for onward movement to Port Harcourt,” he said.

Gunmen suspected to be militants sympathetic to Niger Delta Avengers had killed three oil workers at an oil field operated by Nigerian Agip Oil Company, in Bayelsa.

The new militant group Niger Delta Avengers - had in May claimed responsibility for blowing up the facility.

Community sources said the incident occurred on Wednesday at the oilfield located in the creeks of Nembe around Obama flow station.

The Sunday Magazine

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Most women don't mind source of your wealth Waste scavenging has become a means of livelihood in this part of the world, especially among the less privileged. Sunday Telegraph’s investigation reveals that several individuals are in the trade for economic gains without considering the social and health implications of scavenging. CHIJIOKE IREMEKA reports how waste scavenging has become a means of livelihood and the coping strategies among the scavengers

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cavenging is not the kind of job I set out for, but the situation in my family forced me into it. I started scavenging as a young boy without direction. Things weren’t measuring up in my family and there was nothing else I could do. I started by picking used clothes for my mechanic apprenticeship but, I discovered I could get other salable materials from trash bins in the neighbourhood. So, I went beyond scavenging for working clothes,” says Bashiru Adekanbi, who went into scavenging due to poverty.

Scavengers, also known as trashmongers or garbage diggers, find treasures recycling from other people's trash. At first glance, scavenging through someone else's trash for clothing, piece of art, footwear or appliances among others, can seem a little gross—after all, the original user sent the items to the landfill for a reason. But driven by financial constraints, some people get over the initial disgust to "shop" the trash, and bring home a few gains.

Bashiru believes that scavenging is an important survival strategy through which impoverished individuals cope with scarcity. The World Bank has also estimated that about two per cent of the population of Third World countries survives by recovering materials from waste. Hence, scavengers salvage materials to sell for recycling, as well as repairable and re-usable items that they can sell or use themselves.

Also, the poverty prevalent in most developing countries forces the poor to make the most use of resource available to them.

Given their very low incomes, scavenging provides them with reusable and salable materials. In doing so, the poor have developed creative ways in order to satisfy their needs, including the recovery of items not necessarily part of the waste stream.

Bashiru continued: “I don’t have any other thing to do. My parents don’t have money to send me to school. I saw other scavengers and I felt I should join them. I make some money from the business. We go to bins to pick things that we can resell.

We sell some at Alaba-Arogun in Ojo area.

Even some Hausas transport theirs to the North, where they can make use of them or sell them for profit.

“Well, I don’t take any drugs except if I’m sick but sickness has nothing to do with my job. Everybody gets ill. Sometimes, we get injured but that doesn’t stop us from doing it. All I know is that I have to eat. It’s a stressful time-consuming job but I think it is paying my bills. If I see any better thing to do, of course, I will quit. But this is what feeds me now.”

Igwemba Obioma, another scavenger, be-

lieves that lack of money can make a man do what he would otherwise not do. To him, when one doesn’t have money, one can pack faecal waste with bare hand provided one makes money out of it.

He said, “Person no dey use correct eyes enter some white garment churches. Is either you have one demonic attack or the other or one has gone insane. If I have something else to do, I won’t be in this business. But man must survive. At least, I dey make small money. If God decides to butter my bread, I will exit the job.”

I scavenged to pay my sisters’ Post UME fee Also, for unswerving pressure from his two younger sisters, Okafor Nduka, who had just travelled to Italy in search of greener pasture, had a stint with scavenging. He speaks of his experience, “I barely traveled to Italy when my younger sisters needed some money for their PostUME, after our father’s death, of course, I wouldn’t sit down and allow them waste that year at home.

“So, I did what I had to do to foot the bill and that was scavenging. Such inevitable demand from home pushed me into scavenging. I didn’t want to ask my uncle for money because I had used part of his money in my possession on personal needs. I went to neighbours’ bins and picked some empty plastic bottles, which I sold.

“I made some quick money from the sales and I had to send N13, 500 to them, which they used for their post UME forms. My mother and my immediate younger sister heard what I did and were shouting but I didn’t bother because I needed to do that.

If I didn’t tell them, they wouldn't have know where the money came from. So, this demand turned me into a scavenger.”

In another development, Jibril Musa, from Benue State, said he joined the business by buying old newspapers for resell until he discovered that other things could be added to the business. According to him, he used to see people scavenging used shoes and clothes and he had to add that to his business stream. He also met his wife in the cause of this business, who does similar work with him.

He said, “Of course, my wife is aware of

my business. I started it as a single young man. My wife and I earn livelihood from similar job with the exception that hers is neater than mine. My wife is among the women who visit neighbourhoods and give residents plastic plates, buckets and other things in exchange for used clothes, shoes and bags among others.

“I have been seeing her around but in one of our transactions, I called her my wife and she laughed without saying anything.

So, we became friends and started working together. One day, I told her I wanted to get married to her and she accepted. So, she knows what I do and she is not bothered.”

Few women ask where you got your wealth - Graduate scavenger A HND holder from Auchi Polytechnic, Samuel Attat, said, “I have been scavenging for long and I’m making money from it. The end point of every business is profit.

I can’t continue to sit at home waiting for jobs that I have not seen. Bros see, there are few women that will ask you where you got your wealth from in Nigeria. As long as she sees the money and it pays her bills, she will not bother. Or have you not seen women who married criminals?

“I’m married with a kid now. I feed my family with the proceeds from scavenging. Scavenging is not really what people think of it. Now, let me tell you, when Oshodi Market was demolished, you saw a number of scavengers feasting on the site.

Some of them were craftsmen in electronics. When they gather all these things, they repair and sell them to you as Tokunbo.

“In most cases, things that rich men threw away are really not bad but because they wouldn’t go through the stress of repairing them, they dispose of them, especially when the cost of replacement is friendly.

For instance, many Nigerians throw away pressing iron because it stopped producing heat but there is nothing wrong with the iron. All you need to do is to change the element and it starts working.

“Let me say that all those products we import in Nigeria and call non-tested are all scavenged products. Some of them that we call Tokunbo are non-tested we bought, repaired and selling with much gains. But to you, it’s a dirty job but scavenging for

us, it great money. I once bought non-tested refrigerator at Ladipo Market, Mushin seven years ago, and it’s working perfectly.

So, these products are really not bad as we always think.”

Hassan Ibrahim, a Hausa scavenger, who scavenges used clothes and household utensils, and sells used shoes at 22 Road in Festac Town, Lagos opposite Sweet Sensation, said some Hausas selling used shoes of different sizes and makes there, got the shoes from bins, yet sell them with huge profits. “I’m sure you have seen these shoes, don’t they look like okay? Corporate guys come here to buy shoes at night,” he said.

One of the buyers of scavenged materials, Robinson Moghalu, who noted that they sell the metals to iron fabricating companies, while the plastic wastes are sold to plastic making companies across the country, said, “The Lagos State Waste Management Agency workers are the major scavengers in the state. Theirs are not hidden. You will see different bags on their compactors as they move. They sort all these things and sell to us. When we gather much, we then sell to recycling factories or their agents.

“In some cases, if they have used clothes, shoes and bags, they sell to abokis (Hausas) directly. Some of the Okay shoes and clothes that some Hausas carry about are from the waste buckets. They got them, wash, dry and iron the clothes, while shoes and bags are polished with the right polish and resold.

“Those that need to be repaired are repaired before selling. If you see the shoes, you will price them between N3, 000 and N4, 000, yet they were picked from bins.

Those pillows you see aboki sell for N1500, or N700, don’t you know that some of them are products of scavenging? The mattresses they pick from dump and on streets at Orile are cut into pieces for pillows. Until you are tempted to open those pillows, then you will understand what I’m saying. Do you know where the foams used for some of the upholstery in your house come from?

When you go to certain local places, you will understand.”

Tochukwu Ibeneme, another bulk buyer of the metal and aluminum wastes, who operates from Abakaliki in Eboyi State, said,

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– Graduate scavenger “When I have bought enough, I will get a trailer that would move it from Abakaliki to Onitsha where they make use of them. I wouldn’t tell you how much I make but if you know what it costs to transport a full trailer load, then you will understand what it means. There is money in it. We weigh the scrap and pay scavengers. We also pay local government levies on the business.”

Scavenging encourages family members to sort out materials from wastes in exchange for money According to Dr. Mustapha Muktar of Economic Department of Bayero University, Kano, throughout the cities of Africa, Asia and Latin America, varying number of poor individuals survive by salvaging materials from the waste stream. In Nigeria, like in other developing countries, scavenging is an important survival strategy through which impoverished individuals cope with scarcity.

On the economic importance of scavenging, he said, “Families and social background of scavengers are such that scavenging is the only option available to them to earn a living. In most developing countries, scavenging plays important role on the economic survival of industries like steel, pulp and paper. Scavenging creates jobs and extra income for people, especially the poor, while encouraging family members to sort out materials from wastes in exchange for money.

“Besides that, it supplies cheap raw materials to industries, reduces the demand and cost for waste collection, transport and disposal equipment facilities. In Bangkok, Jakarta, Kanpur, Karachi and Manila, scavenging saves each city, at least, $23 million a year in lower imports of raw materials and reduced need for collection, transport and disposal equipment, personnel and facilities.

Speaking on the challenges of scavenging, Dr. Ephraim Adelabu, corroborated Muktar, when he said, “One major problem facing scavengers is the informality of their profession and lack of bargaining power.

The health of scavengers is, however, vulnerable to disease, as dumps contain sharp objects like home use syringes, razor blade, broken bottles and pieces of metals, which could easily harm anyone that is not careful and can result into contacting HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, tetanus or even result to death.”

More so, all the scavengers spoken to by Sunday Telegraph, want government assistance by providing necessary working materials such as hand gloves, masks, rubber boots, wheel barrows and small capital so that their vulnerability to diseases can be reduced and the collection made efficient.

Scavenging and challenge of products adulteration However, owing to challenge of product adulteration in Nigeria, due to the activities of scavengers, the then Director-General of National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, and Director-General, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Joe Odumodu, sometime in the past, urged canned products consumers to always destroy the container after use to prevent product adulteration.

That came on the heels of discovery that some fakers used the same containers, especially bottled waters containers to bottle untreated non-potable water. It may shock you to know that beverages, baby foods and other canned edibles milk are produced in people’s backyard in Lagos once they lay their hands on the empty cans, hence destroying of cans after used is important.

“There is nothing scavengers cannot do. If they are accused of removing metals or alu-

minums on the bridges in the cities, I won’t be surprised with that because when you go to New Gagarage Bridge, before Ojota Busstop on Ikorodu Road, you will discover that the aluminum hand rail on the bridge had been cut off. And you would understand that the scavengers sort their materials under that bridge.

“I’m not concluding that they are ones doing that, I will also not lose the sight of the fact that they are capable of doing such.

On my street, they prevent them from coming the day one of them took a neighbour’s aluminum cooking pot and compressed in his bag,” said Robinson Moghalu.

Speaking on the environmental implications of scavenging on Lagos environment, the Director, Public Affairs, Lagos Ministry of Environment, Tunde Awojobi, said scavenging is hazardous and should not be encouraged. He noted that scavengers expose themselves to all manner of diseases, staying there are specialised agencies in charge of waste collection, processing and disposing.

He said, “Refuse in the dump has all manner of wastes. You might put your hands in hospital waste and contaminate yourself. These are the types of people flooding the hospitals because of their unhygienic digging up of buried waste or even waste on the road. These things are illegal and you know it. They are against the environmental laws. If we are saying that imported tokunbo clothes are harmful to the people, you can imagine what the ones picked from dump will look like.

“You should also understand that ewastes are equally bad. You can’t go and dig up buried bulbs that contain cancerous elements all in the spirit of scavenging. In most cases, you don’t know the content of what has been disposed and you want to scatter them everywhere in search materials for resell and use.”

When contacted, a LAWMA Senior staff, who pleaded anonymity said, “The activities of scavengers have nothing to do with recycling of waste but only sorting to take what are useful to them and therefore cannot be seen as working for the LAWMA, instead they help in mixing up already separated wastes in search of their gold.

“The issue of incorporating scavengers in the waste management in the state does not also arise here because they are working for their money and not interested in recycling waste. If you say they help in sorting the materials, can they also help in recycling what is not useful to them? Their work is scavenging and they scavenge for what they want.

“On the issue of supplying them with necessary tools, it’s not the duty of LAWMA to do so but if the government sees it as something it could do because they are, perhaps, the citizens of the state and country, then, it’s for the government to decide. But in all honesty, I think they help in reducing the volume of waste to be collected but at the same time, they used the same products they scavenged to litter the environment.

“If you go to New Garage, Orile under bridge, connecting Apapa and Coastain, Okoko and even Iyana-Itire, along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, you will see what I’m talking about. I think we are competent enough to do our work. We have enough staff, except you are talking about employing more staff from within scavengers.

“But as you know also, we stopped kolekole from operating because they dump refuse in the drainages and most scavengers are refuse pushers. So, they are also not friendly to environment and you know that clean environment is one of the priorities of Lagos State. Also, our people you saw, sorting the waste are doing their job and not scavenging.”

Sunday Magazine

Buhari loses grip of N/Assembly Continued from page 4

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he House of Representatives had, last Thursday, adopted the report of the contentious 2014 National Conference as part of its working document for the proposed review of the 1999 Constitution.

The action of the legislators came on the heels of sustained agitations from a cross section of Nigerians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, that the 2014 National Confab report be implemented to pave way for a better society. The former Vice President might not be a lone voice in the APC as far as these renewed agitatios are concerned as many other chieftains of the party, who once believed in the principles of liberal democracy, are said to be feeling uneasy at the turn of events in the polity.

It could be recalled that a former governor of Lagos State and one of the stalwarts of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was an apostle of sovereign national conference, fiscal federalism and restructuring of Nigeria during his hey days in the National Democratic Coalition ( NADECO) and Alliance for Democracy ( AD) which later metamorphosed into the Action Congress of Nigeria ( ACN), one of the three legacy parties that fused together to form the APC. President Buhari had in his one year anniversary media parley, disclosed that despite the clamour from well meaning Nigerians, he had not even read the Confab report and that it would remain in the archives where according to him, it rightly belongs.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman, Special Adhoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Hon. Sulaiman Yussuff Lasun, said the decision to adopt the Confab report was taken at a recent retreat of the committee held in Abuja According to him, copies of the report have been circulated to members of the committee and the committee consultants with a view to getting their recommendations and incorporating same into the constitution amendment process. The committee would commence work on the constitution review immediately the House resumes from its recess.

It will be recalled that President Buhari had, during the media parley, said: “I advised against the issue of National conference. You would recall that ASUU was on strike then for almost nine months.

The teachers in the tertiary institutions were on strike for more than a year, yet that government had about N9billion to organise that meeting (National Conference), and some (members) were complaining that they hadn’t even been paid.

“I never liked the priority of that government on that particular issue, because it meant that what the National Assembly could have handled was handed

to the Conference, while the more important job of keeping our children in schools was abandoned. That is why I haven’t even bothered to read it or ask for a briefing on it, and I want it to go into the so-called archives.”

In an interview the previous weekend, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, said the Federal Government had not taken a decision yet on the 2015 National Conference report because it had been too busy with more vital areas of governance to care about it. He said the government viewed the National conference initiated by its predecessor as “a job for the boys” and so did not intend to spend its time reading the report.

“They probably produced a document that is good and commendable, but I mean, this government is too busy with more vital areas of governance, and we are not intending to spend our time reading reports. The exercise of governance is not about reading reports," Lawal said.

A source in the House of Representatives told Sunday Telegraph that though the lawmakers in the lower chamber of the parliament considered the position of the Presidency as an "unfortunate gaffe", they would rather do the right thing than engage him in an open confrontation.

According to our source, the report of the 2014 National Conference was duly submitted to the National Assembly before the tenure of the last administration elapsed, which made it a ready resource material for the present crop of lawmakers.

"We know there were a lot of controversies surrounding the confab, including whether it was an affront on the role of the National Assembly, but what you cannot take away from the exercise, is that it had the creme la creme of Nigeria who deliberated on most of the challenges we face today and proffered solutions to them on the short, immediate and long term basis. I think what happened in the House last Thursday was not really about confronting or defying anybody, it is about recognising the truth and realities of our situation as a nation and taking steps to remedy it," he said.

Chairman, Senate Adhoc Committee on Constitution Review and Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, was unavailable for comments on what the upper chamber plans to do about the confab report, but his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Uche Anichukwu, denied knowledge of the said plans to toe the line of the lower chamber.

"I am not aware of this in the remotest sense and I am not in a position to speak on behalf of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review," he told Sunday Telegraph through a text message.

Twenty hostages killed in Bangladesh café attack T wenty people, most of them foreigners, have been killed in an attack on a cafe in Bangladesh claimed by so-called Islamic State.

Gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe in Dhaka late on Friday before troops entered almost 12 hours later.

Six attackers were also killed and one was arrested, officials said. Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina has declared two days of national mourning.

Nine Italians, seven Japanese and one US citizen and an Indian also died, reports the BBC. Bangladesh Army Brig Gen Naim Asraf Chowdhury said the victims had been "brutally" attacked with sharp weapons Italy's Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said one other Italian was still unaccounted for. Many of the Italians reportedly worked in the garment industry.

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NEWS

Wike leads security operatives to kidnappers’ sanctuary Emmanuel Masha

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PORT HARCOURT

ivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has led security operatives to demolish the house used by kidnappers to hide their victims while awaiting payment of ransom.

Shortly before the demolition, some suspected cultists and kidnappers were arrested, and set to be prosecuted through the Rivers State Kidnap (Prohibition) Law Number 3 of 2009 as amended by the current Rivers State House of Assembly.

The bill was assented to

by Wike, and paves way for additional penalties,

including confiscation of assets derived from kidnapping, cultism and related crimes.

The demolition was carried out less than one week after the governor and security operatives stormed the house of a notorious kidnapper in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.

The demolished camps are located at the Eagle Island neighbourhood of Port Harcourt, while one of the camps is located behind the Redeemed Christian Church of God, the other camp is known as Andoni Camp, according to the governor.

Wike announced that a police station will be

built at the cultists camp behind the Redeemed Church, while a community hospital will be built at the site of the demolished Andoni Camp.

The governor has announced amnesty for repentant cultists and kidnappers, but has equally vowed to make life unbearable for those who refuse to accept his olive branch.

Speaking to journalists after the security operation, Wike said that the entire cultists hideouts in the area will be demolished so that law abiding residents will live peacefully. He also said that the war against cultists and kidnappers will be

sustained to ensure that people carry out their lawful businesses without molestation.

He said: “There will be no hideouts in the state.

This war against cultists and kidnappers will be sustained. We are happy with the results we are getting.

“We appeal to residents to continue cooperating with the state government and security agencies by providing the necessary information.

“All across the state, these joint raids are taking place and the results are encouraging. Rivers State is safe for business and residential purposes,” he said.

Virgy Etiaba mourns Ojo Maduekwe Chijioke Iremeka

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till in the bawling mood, the former Governor of Anambra State, Dame Virgy Etiaba, CON, has joined over 170 million Nigerians to mourn the exit of Nigeria’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, who slept in the Lord on Wednesday.

The late Ojo, who was also the ex-Minister of Arts and Culture, ex-Minister of Transport and former Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), died about 7pm on Wednesday evening in an Abuja-based hospital, three days before his wife’s birthday.

Yesterday, in a statement by the ex-governor, made available to Sunday Telegraph, and titled: ‘My Tribute to Ojo Maduekwe,’ Etiaba, who was the first Nigerian female governor, said it would be evocative for one to die a meaningful death rather than live a meaningless life, referring to the ex-Minister, who died at 71. The statement reads in part: “Nigeria has

lost one of its very best, as Ojo Maduekwe, a voice of compassion, whose boundless energy lit up the lives of many is now gone forever. Though he was misunderstood at times, he undoubtedly was a determined, passionate and progressive politician, who epitomised the best of humanity and proved so often the power of politics to make our country a better place.

“He was a truly exceptional man, whose goodness and passionate dedication to humanitarian values inspired us all. We will all miss his passion and conviction, but above all, we will miss his cheeky smile.

He was struck down too soon and so, it now falls on all of our shoulders to carry on his legacies.

“Ojo was filled with and fuelled by love for humanity. He was devoted to his family and was a relentless campaigner for equality, human rights and social justice. It is, therefore, with heart-breaking sadness, but also, with heartfelt solidarity that I will choose to remember Ojo. “

Ekiti herdsmen’s attack: Victims seek help Sulaiman Salawudeen

ADO-EKITI

V L-R: Former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics and Research, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Babatunde Alo; Group Managing Director, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc., Mr. Taiwo Adeniyi; Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics and Research, UNILAG, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe; and Dean, Faculty of Science, Prof. Mathew Ilori, at the annual lecture of Faculty of Science, University of Lagos…at the weekend.

Beware of false information from Sheriff, PDP tells judiciary Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

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he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned Nigerians to be wary of dubious information from former National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and to always block anything that would diminish its enviable role as the pillar in the sustenance of democracy in the country.

The party also warned its members to beware of what it called “Greek gifts” offered by agents whose mission is nothing but to kill the party.

Spokesman of the National Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, in a statement on Saturday, said it has uncovered plot by the former National Chairman, in league with some agents of the ruling All Progres-

sives Congress (APC) to destroy the PDP. “We are aware that Sheriff sponsors have urged him to sustain his illicit role for a while and create a semblance of a faction in the party to give way for some elected PDP members to take the advantage to decamp but unknown to them members of our great party are aware of their game and have vowed to resist them,” the statement added.

PDP said that Sheriff and his group have been shopping and approaching law courts with dubious information for interlocutory orders to keep them afloat until it frustrates its gubernatorial elections in Edo and Ondo states as designed by their sponsors.

Meanwhile, a group, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Rebirth Group has advised

Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to accept his removal from office in good faith.

Two court judgments in Abuja last week had sacked the former Borno State governor as PDP National Chairman, declaring the 2014 amendment of the PDP constitution on the basis of which he was appointed chairman, illegal.

The PDP group, in a statement on Saturday decried what it described as “recalcitrant attitude” of the former National Chairman, which it said is threatening the foundation of the party upon which he rode to become the National Chairman.

“It is despicable to see Senator Ali Sheriff, a former Senator of the Federal Republic, a two-time governor of Borno State who under normal circumstances could pass as an elder statesman, misbehaving just because he was

removed from office, a position he himself has confirmed severally that he was not even prepared to run for in the first place,” the statement added.

ictims of the attack by herdsmen in Oke Ako, Ikole Local Government area of Ekiti State called on State Governor Ayodele Fayose and wellmeaning Nigerians to offer them financial support to offset their hospital bills.

The victims including Mrs. Seeke Shittu and Mr. Abejide Ayodele, who spoke with journalists on their hospital beds, have been on admission since the herdsmen’s attack nearly two months ago.

The attack left three persons dead.

An indigene of the town, Mr. Muyiwa Olukosi, who is also former Secretary of Ikole Local Government, said efforts to raise cash for the victims had been fruitless.

On being referred to by the media as the husband of Mrs. Shittu, Olukosi noted it was an error as he was at the hospital on the first day to attend to all the victims being a leader in the community.

Olukosi, who pleaded with the public to assist the two victims, said he was aware that both of them had been operated upon and had incurred huge amount which they would be unable to offset if not assisted.

Abdulsalami tasks govts on quality teaching in schools Dan Atori MINNA

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ormer Military Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar has called on governments at all levels to improve the quality of teaching in schools in the country.

Commending the government for doing their best in education with the little resources available to them, he said that building schools will amount to nothing if the quality of teaching is not improved.

Speaking during the 2016 graduation ceremony of El-Amin International Schools, Minna, the former Head of State stated that for the educational system in the country to improve, all hands need to be on deck adding individuals need to invest more in education.

He said: “By everyone putting hands on deck, the people will be helping the government improve on education. Government alone cannot do it all, individuals should emulate what late Maryam Baban-

gida had done in setting up this school. To this end, they can help the government in training the future generation.”

In a similar note, Senator Daisy Danjuma said that education is the foundation of a good nation stressing on the need for government to place priority and more emphasis in education.

“Education is the insurance that every nation should give their children.

Good education will bring up leaders who know their rights.”

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016

OPINION 11

Ayodele Fayose v Aisha Buhari Adewale Kupoluyi

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o doubt, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State is one of the most vociferous critics of the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government, headed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Fayose’s criticism of the ruling party did not just start. He had stringently appealed to Nigerians not to vote for the President for a number of reasons, varying from his alleged dictatorial tendencies as a former military ruler, religious fanaticism, old age and bad health. Therefore, it will not be surprising that the latest attack on the President’s wife, Aisha, was an effort to hit back at the government.

Before going further, let us recall some of Fayose’s hard criticism of the ruling government. The governor had described the actions of the President as the ‘northernisation of Nigeria’ in terms of the political appointments made so far, which he noted, had negated the principle of federal character and had taken the unity of Nigeria for granted. The Ekiti State governor had once called on well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on Buhari to stop what he described as ‘needless foreign trips’, describing the President’s last trip to the United States for the 4th Nuclear Security Summit as the ‘joke of the year’, saying Nigerians were suffering at home while the President was globe-trotting. We can still go on and on.

This time around, Fayose had insisted that the wife of the President, Aisha, was involved in a shady deal going by the United States’

Department of Justice web site holding court documents, where one Aisha Buhari was alleged to have transferred suspicious funds to a convicted former American congressman, Williams Jefferson. Fayose had said that Buhari’s wife was the person indicted over the Halliburton Scandal. According to him, when Jefferson was being sentenced, he claimed that the President’s wife was mentioned as having wired $170,000 to Jefferson and that her name was on page 25 of the sentencing of Jefferson. Hence, President Buhari has no moral basis to fight corruption because of his wife’s purported indictment.

Reacting to the allegation, the Presidency had challenged Fayose to convince Nigerians if the Aisha, whose pictures he shared with the public, was the same as President Buhari’s wife, or if the Aisha of he referred to had any relationship by blood or link in whatever form with the President’s wife.

The Presidency equally challenged Fayose to produce evidence from the records of investigations and subsequent trial of Jefferson, to prove that Mrs. Aisha Buhari was in anyway connected with the scandal, stating that common names alone were not enough to automatically link innocent people to crimes or scandals. Fayose has not responded. Similarly, former the chairmen of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu and Ibrahim Lamorde, have revealed that the Aisha Buhari named in the bribery scandal involving Jefferson was actually not the wife of the President.

In another twist, Ms. Aisha Buhari, the

woman whose name and passport was being circulated by online supporters of the APC, as the woman mentioned in the William Jefferson bribery scandal, has denied any involvement in the case. Ms. Aisha Buhari had told the media that her international passport was stolen in 2015 and that Nigerian politicians were simply dragging her name into this scandal and that her personal data provided in the media were taken from her stolen passport.

Ms. Buhari had reportedly stressed that though she shares the same name with the wife of Nigeria’s President, she’s not the person mentioned in the bribery scandal.

The problem with Fayose is his inclination to always look for all avenues to bash the ruling government, whether justifiable or not. Fayose appears to be confusing the Halliburton scandal with the Jefferson corruption saga. The Jefferson case allegedly involved top government officials in Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon to influence the patronage of a Kentucky-based technology company, iGate’s two-way broadband technology while the Halliburton bribery scandal different and is concerned the alleged payment of over $182 million to senior Nigerian officials to secure a construction contract for a liquefied natural gas plant in the Niger Delta’s Bonny Island.

In that celebrated case, prominent Nigerians indicted have not been prosecuted till date while their accomplices in Germany and the US have since been prosecuted, fined and jailed. Moreover, both the Halliburton bribery scandal and the Jefferson bribery

cases happened at least, 11 years apart and no Aisha Buhari was ever mentioned in the Halliburton case, as claimed by Fayose.

Many people also believe that with the litany of controversies hanging over Fayose’s neck, he has no moral basis in preaching any righteousness.

For instance, a former Secretary of the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Temitope Aluko, had alleged that Fayose received N4.7billion cash from the Goodluck Jonathan administration, to prosecute the June 2014 governorship election in the state, which was alleged to have been heavily rigged. Also, a few days ago, the EFCC got Fayose’s bank accounts frozen over $15billion allegedly siphoned from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser under the last administration.

On a final note, Fayose should continue to criticise the Federal Government as long as he wants. He is free to do so as a Nigerian and as permitted under the law. But with a caveat; it should be issue-based. He should be double sure of his allegations before they are made public. He should avoid dwelling on trivial matters. That way, he would command more respect as a social crusader, seen as serving national interest and not merely carrying out a personal vendetta.

Kupoluyi writes from Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), adewalekupoluyi@yahoo.co.uk,@AdewaleKupoluyi

David Cameron’s message to Muhammadu Buhari Onwuasoanya Jones

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his article is coming a little bit late, because I had to watch the drama called Brexit and see how it all ended, I was also interested in finding out the reactions of key players in European politics, especially as it is obvious that a good number of those who have access to political power in Britain are keen on retaining that country’s membership of the European Union (EU).

To many British economists and politicians, the EU may have its disadvantages for Britain, but it is better they remain with them, than opting out. But as the referendum has shown, a majority, though slim, of British people, think otherwise. They have voted to exit the EU. This landmark voting means a lot not just for the Brits, who have voted either side of the divide, but for us in Nigeria, who are victims or beneficiaries of the British political system, depending on how we think about it. The Nigerian marriage was handled by the British colonialists without consulting with the Nigerian people, and many Nigerians, including those in the corridors of power, have not hidden their desire to see this marriage renegotiated. Every major ethnic group in the country has people and groups within it that are fighting for separation from the entity called Nigeria.

To many, Nigeria has never been a nation and no matter how hard anyone tries, only a renegotiation of the country will solve our problems.

Prime Minister, David Cameron had never being a supporter of Britain’s exit from the European Union, may be, because of the fear of the unknown. However, he understood even

during the elections that majority of the people of Britain are no longer comfortable with the EU arrangement, hence, his promise during the elections that should his party win majority seats in the Congress, he would organise a referendum to determine the fate of the United Kingdom in the European Union. True to his words and in no confusion about the likely outcome of the referendum, David Cameron, an ardent supporter of the ‘REMAIN’ campaign, organised a referendum against his own will for Brits to decide their fate.

This is the first lesson, the young Conservative politician is teaching our President, Muhammadu Buhari. Democracy is what it is, because it is the rule of the majority, people have to be carried along in taking decisions that affect them. No matter how noble a policy or an idea is, if it is resisted by majority of the people, it has to be stepped down.

Promises made during elections must be kept by responsible leaders. Before Prime Minister David Cameron made the promise to British voters that he was going to conduct a referendum to determine what happens to the United Kingdom’s membership in the EU, he already knew where his vote will go. He believed and still believes that the United Kingdom will be better served if they continued in the EU, but as a respecter of democratic norms, he approved the referendum, and then went into the streets to talk to the people on the benefits of remaining in the EU. The idea of exiting the EU may turn out a very bad one, but that is one of the pains of democracy, and once you are committed to it, you must uphold its principles. Democracy does not allow one man to think for all people democracy is built on the belief that the more people that participate in the pro-

cess of decision making for a country, the more likely it is that majority of the people will take responsibility for the outcome of such decisions.

The idea of exiting the EU is a dangerous one with far-reaching consequences on the economy, politics and even existence of the United Kingdom.

Analysts have even predicted that the triumph of the ‘LEAVE’ vote may bring an end to the unitedness of the UK. Scotland, which is one of the four countries that make up the UK, voted massively for the UK to remain in the EU, and it is believed that the Scots are especially interested in the UK’s continued membership of the EU, because they see that as a measure to check Britain’s political dominance of their country. David Cameron understands that majority of UK citizens prefer a continuation of the Union as it presently is, but he cannot railroad them into casting their votes for the UK’s continued stay in the EU, as that may go a long way in guaranteeing the sustenance of the Union.

The UK economy is already feeling the negative impact of this referendum with economists projecting the effect of this exit vote for the UK to diminish the UK economy by about 7.5 percent over the next 15 years.

Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, had even toyed with the idea of freezing trading on the stock market, as market watchers predicted what Fox News called ‘explosion of volatility’.

The freedom previously enjoyed by UKbased companies in the European market will also be drastically affected by this exit, as companies that presently enjoy unfettered access to all the markets in Europe will now have to begin extensive negotiations with other countries where they want to retain

their operations. This will cause job losses, and other inconveniences to the UK market.

Immigration, politics and even security will be in for serious reworks with the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU. David Cameron understood all this, but he also understands that theirs is a democracy, where the peoples’ wish must prevail.

David Cameron like President Muhammadu Buhari is the most powerful politician in his country, with lots of political power, fettered only by democracy and constitutionalism. He could have put the referendum on hold or decided to scuttle the outcome, but as a respecter of democracy and its norms, he chose to abide by the will of the majority, no matter how silly he might think their choice is. President Buhari should pick a lesson or two from this and call off his attack dogs on politically persecuted individuals like; President of the Nigerian Senate and other principal officers of the National Assembly, who are constantly harassed by security agents, for what majority of enlightened Nigerians understand to be their independent decision to seek for legitimate positions within the Nigerian political circus. Governor Ayo Fayose, for speaking out against some of the policies of the Federal Government, Femi Fani Kayode and many others who are marked out for persecution for holding contrary but legitimate opinions on governance.

When a responsible and conscientious leader tries to lead the people in a particular path, but the majority or even a good number of the people show that they want something different, the best path, is the exit path. That is exactly what the British Prime Minister has done.

May Nigeria prevail!

Jones wrotes from Abuja

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Sunday Mail

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The Sunday Telegraph

Restoring sanity in the armed forces

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US: A country of opportunities and possibilities

Dear Editor, A tsunami has swept through the rank and file of the Nigerian Armed Forces and in one fell swoop, officers who were involved in one crime or the other, ranging from arms procurement scandal, financial misappropriation, and electoral malpractice in the past were relieved of their duties and retired unceremoniously. This is the first time in the history of our democracy that we are having no fewer than 60 army officers being purged from the service. The news didn’t come as a surprise to many considering the fact that our gallant officers, like vultures stripping the flesh of a dying man, threw the ethics of their profession to the wind and perfected an undemocratic impunity at the behest of politicians of the old corrupt political order.

The probe panels set up by the government and anti-graft agencies have been unearthing the political pot of corruption they buried during the last regime of asphyxiating corruption and are being purged. Though it’s been lauded as a right step in restoring the confidence and professionalism of our armed forces, which the institution is reputed for in past years, one pertinent question we should be asking is: what is the government doing to avoid a repeat in future?

Those officers may have lost their jobs for total disregard for democratic norms and unprofessional conduct in the discharge of their duties but we shouldn’t be blind to the fact they never acted in isolation, they were strictly acting on orders, which was near impossible at that time.

It does not just end in purging the system because the institution is designed in such a way that it can easily be influenced by the pettiness in the political pot.

It goes beyond probing and finding some officers guilty and relieving them of their duties. President Muhammadu Buhari might have restored sanity in the once revered institution by this act but it doesn’t guarantee a recurrence in the future.

What we have in the person of President Buhari is a strongwilled man, but we don’t need a strong man to get things right, what we need are strong institutions. Until we passgate and enforce laws that will make our security agencies to be independent of the executive as practised in saner climes, I don’t see an institution that waits to get orders from the presidency before carrying out its primary

(

Dear Editor,

Kids doing an adult work.

duties from being free of what those dismissed army officers were found guilty of.

Joe Onwukeme, unjoeratedjoe@gmail. com

Why can’t the MidEast solve their problems?

Dear Editor, Remembering that President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States (before his death close to the end of the war), Winston Churchill as Prime Minister of Britain and the Russian strong man Joseph Stalin (Stalin out of necessity for Russia was invaded by Hitler despite both having signed a non-aggression pact between Germany and Russia), and the allied forces all combined efforts to rout Adolf Hitler and his forces to end the second world war, then, I wonder why there is grandstanding between some of the middle eastern countries for seven forever. The United States and Russia had to take the lead as regards the conflict in Syria without which there might not have been a headway of the minutest kind. Even though many pundits have accused both countries of having different agenda in Syria, at whose costs and to whose benefit?

In spite of being a democratic country many still see Russia as a country that still promotes Bolshevism after all she has yet to solve the problem next door: Ukraine. Why don’t we see a coalition of Arab countries solving Arab problems and why do they toady up to the West to solve the mound of challenges? While some Euro-

pean states are benign enough to accept refugees, from the middle east even asking others to do same, some Eastern European states are in a snarling position against migrants coming into their countries.

Those against speculate that they might pursue deep-seated religious causes upon settling down in these countries. But for the war, brought about by bad leaders in the middle East, would these refugees have bothered to leave their countries for another? No Middle-eastern country is in the forefront campaigning for refugees to land on her soil.

Why is this so? I have yet to forget in a hurry how U.S. troops were asked by the Iraqis to leave at a time when it was obvious that the Iraqi military couldn’t handle the sectarian crisis. Even though they said keeping Americans in Iraq isn’t the answer to the problems of Iraq, they themselves are yet to provide solutions to the glut of problems in the Persian Gulf. Disaffection and the rate of attrition is too high in the Arab world, such that it may be hard for Russia and the U.S. to solve them with imported ideologies.

Simon Abah, Port Harcourt. Rivers State

No wonder there is no security Dear Editor, Attention has been drawn to the fact that the House of Representatives is planning to empower the Nigeria Peace Corps through a bill passed by the House on Thursday June 9, 2016. It is no longer

news that the bill was opposed vehemently by virtually all the national security agencies in Nigeria during the public hearing on April 13, 2016.

However, what requires the attention of every Nigerian who is concerned about the level of insecurity as being experienced recently across the country now is the adamant nature and unexplainable interest of the House of Representatives on the Peace Corps Bill. I want to ask; what difference will the Peace Corps make to the NSCDC, Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Army? What special impact or contribution have the Peace Corps made to the security of the nation?

The lawmakers argued that the passage of the bill was in the capacity of the Corps to assist the military and para-military organisation in arresting security challenges. A rhetoric question is when, where and how have the peace corps assisted the military or paramilitary agencies in ensuring that the nation is well secured?

Which crime specifically have they prevented? Is it against the Boko Haram ritual killers or kidnappers?

I want to call the attention of the nation to the fact that Nigerian Peace Corps has never contributed to the issues of national security in any way unlike the Vigilante groups who have their footprint everywhere on all issues of security.

There is nothing the Nigerian Peace Corps (NPC) would do that Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Nigeria Police force (NPF) have not been doing already.

The whole country is aware of the herculean task and bravery of the members of the vigilante groups in terms of security in Nigeria as they fought along

PHOTO: QUADRI IKUDAISI

the officers of the Nigerian army against the insurgents at several occasions. Considering the present state of the economy, a group that would be a liability on the already overstressed economy should not be welcome as the House is planning. The Federal Government and the National Assembly should not be misled into believing that creating employment for the youth could be mingled with provision of adequate security for the nation. There are several other areas where the youths could be productively engaged without risking the security of lives and property of the citizenry. We should not play politics with security. It is extremely dangerous.

Akinwumi Gideon, Oba Ile Akure, Ondo State

Don’t kill NIPOST Dear Editor,

I sent a parcel from Benin to Lagos on May 23, 2016. My reason for sending it through NIPOST was that under the circumstances, traffic of parcel posts would have reduced because of the ease of emailing documents. How mistaken I was! That parcel, which should have reached Lagos in just one week eventually just got there, about a month after – and it had been swiped! This is not good enough NIPOST. Even though there are very many methods today to send goods from one part of the country to the other, some of us still trust NIPOST to deliver. Parcel delivery through NIPOST still helps our economy. Don’t kill it, don’t kill the economy.

Bob Etemiku, ANEEJ

The U.S. is a country where you conceive dreams, and your dreams are sealed and delivered.

A country where you imagine, and your sense of imagination is rejuvenated and achieved; a country where you imagine possibility, and your conception is synthesised for happenstance, a country where you saunter for a great opportunity, and your sense of optimism is fired up. Again, US is a country, where you seek uniqueness, and your sense of exceptionalism glows with reassuring development. A country where you make a choice, and you become what you want to become. It’s a country of imagination and possibility where everything is possible.

In 2008 and 2012 general elections, the cynics underrated our sense of optimism of the quintessential Senator Barack Obama. Obama made history by dismantling the coagulation of the bigots, the cynics and pessimists in our political clime.

Today, Obama is a product of decades of struggles and optimism in America. Today again, Hillary Rodham Clinton has brought her vintage potential to bear in the minds of millions who believe in the possibility of the incredible courage of their convictions.

She has shattered the 18million-cracked-glass-ceilings she kept in 2008, and she continues to add more to the mesmerised psyche of her fans and adversaries. As the first female presidential nominee of a formidable Democratic Party in America, she has re-ignited our sense of imagination, optimism and believe in the greatness of America. To November election, the journey has just begun to consolidate the victory of Hillary Clinton in her quest to making history again in the United States. This election is an election between decorum and bigotry. This is a defining moment in the history of the United States. I trust the sense of judgment of the American people in making crucial decisions at auspicious time.

Yahaya Balogun, Arizona, USA. YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE HEARD! SEND YOUR LETTERS AND PHOTOGRAPHS TO THESUNDAYLETTERS@ GMAIL.COM. LETTERS SHOULD NOT BE MORE THAN 200 WORDS AND MUST HAVE THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE SENDER

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY JULY 3, 2016

NEWS

Herdsmens attack: Catholics protest Group alleges plot in Enugu, want Gazing Bill thrown out to smear Okiro Charles Onyekwere ENUGU

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ver 100,000 Catholics faithful in Enugu State yesterday staged a peaceful protest against the repeated attacked on people by Fulani herdsmen in the state.

The protests, which were held simultaneously at three locations of Nsukka,Awgu and Enugu, began as early as 6:30am.

The protesters barricaded some roads in the state capital causing gridlock and carried placards with inscriptions like “Grazing Bill will destroyed our County, “Keep Away Cattle from our state.”and “Fulani herdsmen a security threat to our state.”

In a joint statement by the Catholic Bishops of Enugu, Nsukka and Awgu; Most

Rev. Dr. Callistus Onaga, Most Rev. Dr. Godfrey Onah and Most Rev. Dr. John Okoye respectively, but which was delivered at Holy Ghost Cathedral, Enugu by Onaga, the Catholic Church demanded more proactive steps from various levels of government to stem the tide of the killings.

This, they say, was to avoid a situation were the dangerous trend degenerates into an open clash of ethnic nationalities all over the country. “The government should not be seen as turning a blind eye to lifethreatening problems of any section of the citizenry, especially when such an attitude is at the same time perceived as unduly favouring another section.

“In the light of this, therefore, we call on the Federal Government to drop, with-

out further delay, the so called ‘Grazing Bill’ which is quite capable of tearing apart the fragile unity of our country,” he said.

The church warned the government not to abdicate its responsibility in the provision of security for the people, which it said will amount to insensitivity, noting that it would be wrong for the government to think the patience of the people is unlimited.

The governor of Enugu State, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, applauded the Catholics for the rallies to register their anger and apprehension over the presumed unwholesome activities of herdsmen in the state and also expressed his opposition to the proposed Grazing Bill among other issues.

The governor commend-

ed the Church for the leading role it has continued to play in the struggle against social injustice, human rights violations and other crimes against humanity in every part of the country.

“I am particularly grateful to the Church for the assistance it offered to us during the burial of our brothers and sisters who were murdered in cold blood in the infamous attack of 25th April, at Nimbo,UzoUwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.

“It is indeed a day that will ever remain dark, sad and solemn in the memory of the people of Enugu State and indeed Nigerians at large. We are, however, consoled that the whole world had stood by us and offered us sympathy and solidarity, ever since the incident occurred,”he said.

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Paul Ogbuokiri civil society group, Integrity Group Against Corruption (IGAC), has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by certain ‘disgruntled police officers’ in collaboration with some selfish politicians and civil society groups to smear the good image of the Chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Sir Mike Okiro.

The group in a statement yesterday by its National Coordinator, Alj Suleiman Ajibade and Publicity Secretary, Emeka Ndubueze respectively; alleged that the “corrupt police officers and politicians who believe in short cuts to the top are not happy” with the patriotic performance of the retired Inspector General of Police (IGP). Instead, they are planning to use the press, social media and civil society groups with cooked up allegations, to smear the good image of the former IGP, the group alleged.

IGAC said: “We are already aware that two civil society groups and some social media in the South-west have been consulted, to publish frivolous allegations against the former IGP.” It further said that intelli-

gence information at its disposal; indicate that, the disgruntled officers are against the recent promotions and recommendations by the immediate past IGP, Solomon Arase.

Arase had reportedly on his exit given automatic promotions to policemen attached to the President, Vice President, all governors, all ministers, the Senate President and his Deputy, the Speaker and his Deputy, as well as past IGPs. For the records, Okiro’s responsibility as chairman of PSC, is to approve recommendations by the IGP of promotion of officers from the rank of Assistant Superintended of Police (ASP) and above. He is also saddled with the responsibility of approving posting of state Commissioners of Police (CPs) and zonal Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) as recommended by the IGP, while the Presidency sometimes gives similar approvals. His responsibility also includes discipline of erring police officers from the rank of ASP, and retirement of officers who are statutorily due for retirement, or are recommended for retirement on disciplinary grounds.

Taraba moves to diversify revenue base to agric Sabiu Mustapha JALINGO

T L-R: Speaker, Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Francis Nwifuru; Deputy Governor Kelechi Igwe and Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, during an Agric/Welfare Summit with the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Heads of Blocks, Bishops and Divine Mandate pastors in Abakaliki ...on Thursday

Federal health workers to embark on total strike Biodun Oyeleye ILORIN

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ngry health workers of the Federal Government’s health institutions, said they will embark on a total strike if the government fails to accede to their demands contained in an agreement they said they had with the government to promote their members from CONHESS 14-15 to directorship, approval of skipping for officers on CONHESS 10 and payment of consultancy and specialist allowances.

The health workers also condemned a recent statement credited to the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, that their umbrella body, Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) was not recognized. They noted that the government has acceded to similar claims by medical doctors under the banner of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Nigerian Association of Resi-

dent Doctors (NARD).

Chairman of JOESHU in Kwara State, Comrade Oluwumi Oltunde also denied insinuations that they were not sensitive to the current economic situation of the country as they argued that the issue in dispute precedes the current administration and that the government has just granted a similar concession to their counterparts in the NMA and NARD. Oltunde, who addressed newsmen on behalf of the group, said it was sad to hear Ngige describe the union as illegal and unregistered even when previous governments had recognised it and even a court of competent jurisdiction had issued a judgment in its favour.

Olutunde lamented that the top echelon of the Ministry of Health is composed of medical doctors who like Ngige, never want non doctors to climb the ladder of their careers.

LG boss hails youth sanitation awareness campaign

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he Sole Administrator, Igando/Ikotun Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos State, Hon. Samuel Ojo, has pledged the council’s support for Alimosho Youth Development Association of Nigeria (AYDAN) on improved sanitation awareness campaign in the area.

Speaking with Sunday Telegraph while assessing sanitation in Ijegun area of the council, Ojo expressed satisfaction with the performance and commitment of the group towards their campaign tagged,” Partnership for clean and flood free Lagos. ““We are happy with the work and the level of commitment of AYDAN that took up the challenge to clean the council environments and its effort to see a clean environment in the council,’’ he said.

The Sole Administrator

revealed that the council would constitute a task force next week for more awareness for fully participation of sanitation exercise by residents. He noted that the state government has done a lot in the council on the area of roads, schools and health centers.

The president of the youth group, Comrade Ogungbade Olawale, commended the council for its support and encouragement.

On the campaign , he said that the aims and objectives of the exercise is to partner with the Lagos State Ministry of Environment so as to have a clean, flood and disease free Lagos by engaging in massive environmental campaign to the populace.

He further said that this campaign would further reduce the rate of disease in the dear state as the cost of providing medical care to Lagos residence would reduce.

he Taraba State governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku has said that the state government will give priority to agriculture as part of measures to tackle the current financial crisis.

Ishaku disclosed this yesterday at a Ramadan break fast dinner he hosted at the Government House in Jalingo.

He said despite that Taraba State is among the top cassava and rice producing states in the country the state government would redouble its

commitment on agriculture in order to enhance the sector as well as to diversify its revenue sources.

“By the grace of God in the nearest future Taraba State will be the leading state in Nigeria in the export of agricultural produce,” he said.

The Governor noted that his administration succeeded in boosting the production capacity of the Highlands Tea company in Mambilla Plateau.

Sunday Telegraph reports that the governor promised to support farmers in the state with agricultural materials to achieve the plan.

G/Bissau gets three cases of Zika virus

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uinea-Bissau has confirmed its first three cases of the Zika virus in a group of islands off the mainland and has set up an emergency committee to stop further transmission of the disease, the government said on Friday.

Experts have feared the tiny nation could become a gateway for Zika’s spread to mainland West Africa, after an outbreak of the mosquitoborne virus was first recorded in the African island chain of Cape Verde late last year.

“The Health Minister has informed the government of three confirmed cases of Zika virus contamination located

in the Bijagos Archipelago,” read a government statement sent to reporters.

The World Health Organisation confirmed in May that Cape Verde’s Zika strain was the same one found in Brazil, where more than 1,400 cases of microcephaly have been recorded in babies whose mothers were infected with the virus during pregnancy.

The Cape Verde islands are located nearly 600 km (370 miles) off Africa’s western Atlantic coast, creating a geographical buffer with a West African region still reeling from the deadliest Ebola epidemic on record.

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NEWS

Woman poisons day-old stepson in Niger State

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Dan Atori MINNA arely one week after a woman severed her stepson’s penis; another woman has been arrested for trying to kill a two-hour old baby boy in Kopa village in Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State.

The 25-year-old suspect, Bilkisu Adamu Isah, said to be the second wife to the father of the little baby, was alleged to have committed the offence on Wednesday at about 7am.

The Sunday Telegraph learnt that at about 5am on the fateful morning the mother of the child, Suwebatu Kohageuto, who is also the senior wife, had been delivered of the baby

boy.

And barely two hours after the birth of the child, the suspect, Bilkisu Adamu Isah, was allegedly left alone to look after the new born baby in order to allow Suwebatu have her bath few hours after the umbilical cord of the baby had been separated from him.

An insider police source at the homicide section of the Niger State Criminals Investigation, Intelligent Department (SCIID) Minna told our Correspondent that no sooner that the suspect observed that the senior wife had started to bath that she went into her own room in the house, brought out a bottle of a locally made insecticide popularly called ‘Otapia-

pia’ and poured some into the mouth of the little child.

The source, who pleaded anonymity, said as soon as the suspect had poured the substance into the mouth of the boy that he began to foam and cried out hysterically, obviously in pain.

Surprisingly, the same suspect, who allegedly committed the act, was also said to have been the one that raised the alarm which attracted other members of the family, including the mother of the child.

It was learnt that the family members were shocked at the strange occurrence and promptly made a distress call to the grandfather of the child, one Alhaji Mohammed Audu to come.

And on arriving at the

Bilkisu Adamu Isah. Inset: The poison allegedly used by the suspect

scene, the old man was said to have put his nose near the mouth of the boy and subsequently told the bewildered family members that he suspected that the boy might have been poisoned with ‘Otapiapia’ because that was the odour he perceived.

The Sunday Telegraph further learnt that in the midst of the confusion that engulfed the family as efforts were being made to rush the boy to the hospital, the suspect was said to have quietly escaped from the scene and ran to her father’s house in a nearby village, Gbedahan, in the same Bosso Local Government.

And on her arrival at her family house, the Sunday Telegraph gathered that she had confessed to her father that she poisoned her 2-hour old stepson with a view to killing him.

However, her disappearance raised suspicion with her husband’s family because she did not tell anyone before she left.

A delegation was sent to the suspect’s village where she allegedly confessed to her in-laws that she was responsible for the dastardly act, which she carried out due to her inability to give birth to a male child for her husband.

The 25-year-old suspect, and a mother of two female children, was promptly handed to the Niger State Police Command headquarters and where upon investigation, she confessed to the crime.

Meanwhile, the little boy is said to be responding to treatment at the General Hospital Minna.

Security guard abducts, assaults minor in Ekiti Sulaiman Salawudeen

ADO-EKITI

A

A 54-year-old security guard, Mr Gbenga Adebayo, is currently sitting in a prison in Ekiti State reflecting on what might have pushed him into abducting and severally sexually assaulting an 11-year-old minor.

Adebayo is locked up on the orders of an Ado-Ekiti magistrate court.

According to reports, Adebayo, who stayed in a room within the same house with a female teacher under whose care the victim had been kept, having lost her parents, was said to have lured the girl to follow him to his own aged mother, who lives in Usi-Ekiti, about 60 kilometres away from the state capital.

He was said to have told the girl his own mother would take better care of her

than the guardian-teacher with whom she was staying who he claimed had been harsh on her.

According to her aunt (sibling of her late mum), Theresa Agboola, Adebayo kept the girl with his mother for three weeks, visiting her regularly, to sleep with and assault her as he liked, giv-

Gbenga Adebayo

ing her gifts and taking her once to a salon to fix her hair.

In a brief interaction with the girl, the victim told Sunday Telegraph the man usually sent her on errands noting he had been disturbing her before the incident.

“Adebayo is our neighbour. He used to ask me to buy things for him.

One day he approached me, saying he wanted to help me because my teacher was harsh on me. He said he would rescue me from my teacher and take good care of me. He then took me to his mother’s place in Usi-Ekiti.

“Whenever he comes there, he used to sleep with me. He has done this for more than 10 times now. I was at

his mother’s place for three weeks after which I refused to sleep with him again.

The aunt, who disclosed the victim was an orphan, having lost both her parents some years ago, said: “The girl was staying with her female school teacher (name withheld) who lives in a rented apartment behind Olagold, opposite Ekiti State Teaching Hospital, (EKSUTH) in Adebayo area.

“About a month ago, June 5 precisely, the girl’s teacher called to inform me that she was missing and that all the occupants in the house, including the suspect, Gbenga Adebayo, were searching for her. That continued till June 29, when my sister living in Akure called to tell me that the girl was brought to her by a man whom she identified as the same Gbenga Adebayo.

It was then we suspected a foul play.”

Oyo police arrest fake colonel, rapist Sola Adeyemo

IBADAN

O

yo State Police Command has paraded a 56-yearold man who had been posturing himself as a colonel in the Nigeria Army, even as a suspected rapist is a now cooling his heels in also police cell.

The fake colonel was arrested by the Nigeria Army’s Military Police, 2 Div, Ibadan and who later handed him over to the Oyo State Police Command for proper investigation and possible prosecution.

The suspect, Adeleye Obasola, who specialised in defrauding unsuspecting victims by promising them enrolment into the Nigeria Army as well as enlistment in to some paramilitary agencies, collected over N300, 000 from his gullible victims.

Investigation revealed that the man is an unrepentant impostor who had previously been arrested by policemen attached to the Bodija Housing Police Station and subsequently arraigned in court for a similar criminal act.

Also an NURTW Chairman, Mr Saheed Tijani a.k.a. Omo Olomo has

Adeleye Obasola

been arrested for alleged rape. The suspect and his cohorts allegedly abducted 28-year-old Abosede (surname withheld) in April at about 8:30pm while she was on her way home.

Although the victim resisted and shouted for help, she was, however, subdued by the men who threatened her with a knife.

She was then forcibly taken to a hotel at the Sango area of Ibadan where she was drugged and subsequently raped till the following day.

Maryland violence, a terrorism act – Lagos CP Joy Okorie and Ayobola Lawal

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he recent riot on Ikorodu Road at the Maryland Area of Lagos over the death of a hawker, which led to the vandalisation of over 40 governmentowned BRT buses, has been described as an act of terrorism by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni.

He, however, warned residents of Lagos against taking laws into their own hands, saying his men will not hesitate to bring to book anyone found guilty of committing crimes punishable under laws within his territory.

Owoseni, who disclosed this while delivering a lecture entitled: ‘Youth and Terrorism’, at the National Arts Theatre, Lagos, told pupils from more than 50 schools across the state at a career guidance and counselling programme organised by the Goge Africa Foundation (GAF) in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, that their future is guaranteed if only they could face their studies and be obedient.

He said: “Take an example of what happened at Maryland. Even after one of

the street hawkers had been knocked down by a vehicle, rather than people helping the security agents to quickly remove the corpse from the road, the street urchins seemed to be jubilanting going on the streets to destroy things, including BRT buses that were provided by government for the good of the people.”

The police Commissioner linked the nation’s economic downturn, including poor electricity supply, unemployment and inflation, among others, to acts of terrorism.

He said: “Why do you think your mothers use the money they should use to buy you new clothes and other things to buy fuel, and some parents don’t have jobs, and we are experiencing so many economic setbacks? It is because terrorism leads to economic and infrastructural setbacks.”

Meanwhile, the cofounder of the Foundation, Mrs Nneka Isaac Moses, said the programme was meant to build innovative and creative spirit in the children from their young age.

She advised parents to guide but not choose careers for their children; rather harness and enhance their Godgiven talents.

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Body Soul S U N D AY, J U LY 3 , 2 0 1 6

Patra’s dilemma 10 22 Fringe benefits 18,39

I love my belly –Lucy 42

I never planned to be an actress –Shan George

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SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

SUND AY

GRAP

Contents 3.07.2016

COVER

A few homemade concoctions can reduce the effect of this issue using ingredients from your pantry

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GLAM DUDES Excessive sweating can be obvious, embarrassing and altogether unpleasant

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MY PASSION I want to be one of the biggest artistes in the world.

It is a big dream that requires a lot of hard work in the studio

SUND AY

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2016

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matc hing 22 sepa rates Patra ’s dile mma 9 18,39 I ca love n do any –Mo thing ji Ade for 42 deji

BED, WORK & LIFE Patra, Pius was that hunk that terrorised girls on the campus with his good looks and money.

That heartthrob that drove better cars than our lecturers...that guy you refused to date.

The guy we were all dying for who never looked our way

g favourably icians competin from differus m an ri igets t industry in N eir counterpar trant into the he entertainmen grown in leaps in with th en w ne A . ts en ly ria has definite des. I remember ent contin usic scene, Folarin Falana ca m the last two de enneth Nnebue’s Nigerian age name, Falz K called by his st proud as he of rly la ys pu da e po l th al e y clearl ade us how w Bondage’ and dh guy truly m ner for the 2016 film, ‘Living in of our VCR machines to the ba in w e th d ce un t nt no crouched in fro pians entertain us with was an ds Viewers’ Choice in the ‘Bes es ar e w th th A e at T es BE category watch th storylines. rnational Act’ their intriguing has changed as movies New Inte d. ar aw T BE ded y ainToday, the stor e with the best digital just conclu that the entert ow sh to ad es m e go ar able is vi ia Th a er . is ig ns y N tr tio in ca stry in this coun ot on choice lo cameras and sh stry that has taken Ni- ment indu esent administration should pr growing It is also an indu ional scene. Earlier sector the e. In the face of nation, id at as rn e te in ov e sh th t n, no geria to Afolaya ing the of June, Kunle ce flight unemployment besieg in the month ry is one sector an st Fr du irin t A en an rd ainm ions of unempremiered aboa his highly anticipated the entert ill m r , create jobs fo ce ill an w Fr at s, ite th ri fin Pa de to been lured into is r, ‘The CEO’. Th the first ployed youths who have because of unmystery thrille y er nc ak ta filmm apping and mili ment ly makes the ican to debut kidn pe this govern Nigerian or Afr scheduled employment. We ho d an grow they can invest a movie on a looks into how onomy. ec r ction of ou flight. i- this untapped se ed greatus fit m ne r be ou at th o, Als such people of ne O ng ry is vetst ki ea du br in cians are rtainment te en e g th om s fr ly e. With an actin ne w grou nd ss, Shan Georg e tre sh ac s, e an ar er th ye ty en ar ou nd ng over tw ni an sp ad er Re re f. ey el ca me for hers world as th . ally made a na rake in in- has re iring story on our cover page e sp in in w l r d he na te rn at io n pages, food an Also our fashio pages have all been awards and t en nm tertai r e c o g n i - and en for your reading pleasure. ed tions. The packag d! rful week ahea recent BET ng you a wonde hi is s W d r a w a held in June essa saw NigeVan

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Bod

Ladies love to add some glitz to their outfits and a fringe on dress, shoes or bag gives an irresistibly edgy feeling

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BEAUTY ZONE

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FASHION

Definitely! I’m ready to marry 20 times until I find a man that would take all my rubbish and not mind because he really does love me

TELE

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I oss don’t ibil bel i t i e i ev s –T e in e co Ben s

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on

T h e Te a m Vanessa Okwara (Editor) Wole Adepoju (Snr. Correspondent) Biwom Iklaki (Correspondent) Abiola Alaba Peters Edwin Usoboh (Graphics) Isma’il Akintunde (Graphics) +234 (0) 818 0515840, +234 (0) 701 110 1014 vanessaonsunday@yahoo.com, julietbumah@gmail.com

Associates

Helen Paul

Eyitayo Aloh

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016

Body&Soul

Funke Akindele Stylish and funny Ifeoluwa Adeyemo

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lufunke Ayotunde Akindele is a popular Nigerian Nollywood actress, writer and producer. As an actress Funke, shot into limelight after featuring in popular United Nations Population fund (UNFPA) sponsored TV series: I NEED TO KNOW, which ran from 1998-2002. She won the African Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role in 2009.

Funke Akindele’s second big break came in 2009 from the movie ‘Jenifa’ as the movie is regarded as a movie of all time. She has over 100 movies to her credit as an actress, writer and producer. Funke also won an award for her comedy series Jenifa’s Diary at the 2016 edition of the Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards, AMVCA. She also made the best dressed list at that event as well in her monochrome ball gown.

Funke runs a non-governmental organization called The Jenifa Foundation, whose aim and objective involves nurturing talents and acquiring vocational skills amongst other things.

She has a lot of endorsement deals signed in her name; the most recent is being signed as an ambassador to popular Iroko TV. She was formally a TV presenter before she decided to pursue her career in acting.

When it comes to fashion, Funke has been one to watch.

She is a true definition of a 360 icon, be-

ing able to act different movies in different Nigerian languages; a mixture of her comedy, elegance and style in fashion is what makes her unique and a joy to watch. Funke exhibits boldness and charisma in her dealings like no other.

Funke has a stylish and funny personality. Seeing her at gatherings, social events, down to the red carpet, she looks fabulous all the way. She loves colours and does a lot of combination in her dressing which has been seen at various times. Funke wears a lot of floral dresses with embellished details and always has a lovely shoe to match. She sometimes also likes to go casual; especially in jeans and short dresses. She also loves to appear in traditional ‘Aso ebi’ looking delectable as the true Yoruba lady.

Ever since her style underwent a remarkable change, Funke has appeared at social events looking stylish and constantly making the best dressed list. She has indeed maintained a super stylish image that has become as unique as her ‘Jenifa’ movies.

Body&Soul

SUNDAY, 3 JULY

18

Fringe ben Vanessa Okwara

F

ringe is a retro trend that is back to stay.

Fringe dresses gives a special appeal as the fringe hemline looks ultra-soft and sexy. Ladies love to add some glitz to their outfits and a fringe on dress, shoes or bag gives an irresistibly edgy feeling.

Fringe is always an eye-catcher because it is fun. Whether it’s on the sleeves of a leather jacket or subtly accenting the hem of a skirt, you can never go wrong on a fringe.

Fringes can be found on accessories; especial-

ly on bags and shoes. You can make a statement with a fab fringe bag or clutch purse. In fact, fringe shoes are in vogue right now and they come in different fringes, colours and styles!

These accessories help to spice up your overall ensemble. For instance, a light brown fringe heeled sandal paired with turned up ripped jean and a long black sleeveless T-shirt and accessorized with a similar coloured fringe clutch completes your dressing for a perfect day out.

There are countless ways to wear the fringed dress or fringe accessories. A fringe dress would never go wrong on a perfect pair of

Editor’s current obsession

ankle boots, g jazz up your style inspirat Fringe dres like a party o your go-to fa on the red c accentuates y Fringes on nitely add e giving you a ing-out’ look trend-perfect

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016

Wine & Dine

Enjoy mouth-filling Erath Ibukunoluwa Kayode

N

eed a savoury punch for the palate after a hard day’s work to ease the stress? Erath Oregon Pinot Blanc in a glass will surely deliver life to the palate in a refreshing taste.

The tasty lush wine is a product of

Oregon, United States of America. It is a carefully combined selection of fruit aromas from pineapple, citrus, kiwi, and fragrant of honeysuckle bloom.

It also offers mouth-filling flavours of melon; apple and lemon zest that leisurely retreat to a fresh, cleansing finish.

This white wine can be served at both formal and non-formal occasions

such as cocktails, dinners, birthday and weddings. It can easily be purchased across any sophisticated or local wine markets in Nigeria at an affordable price.

The vintage Oregon holds a structure of purity of fruit, bright mouth-watering acidity and perfect balance. This makes its result enticing, expressive and food friendly. Also, this wine is

Delicious Isi ewu

specially made for people who like to indulge in light alcoholic wine but rich in high acidity and fruit flavours that are fresh and bright.

Oregon comes in bottle size of 750milimeter with an alcohol base volume of 13per cent. It holds a friendly food pairing with sea foods such as clams, smoked salmon, mild cheese, crudités and antipasto.

Biwom Iklaki

1 large onion

ne of those meals that some people know how to make but would rather not as they consider it to be a “eat out” kind of meal. It mainly consists of the head of the goat as the main ingredient cooked until tender in special spices and palm oil.

For those who never made it because ethey just didn’t know how, rather than saving it for special nights out, here is the simple recipe so that you can dazzle the tastebuds of your family when you serve them isi ewu á la carte, right there at home.

Utazi leaves

O

Ingredients Goat head (washed and butchered) ½ cup palm oil 1 tbsp. potash (akanwu) 3 ground ehu seeds (calabash nutmeg) Red bonnet pepper (to taste) 3 tbsp. ground crayfish Stock cubes and salt to taste

Ugba Preparation Season and cook your washed meat as usual till it is tender and set aside. Leave little to no stock in the pot when the meat is tender. In another pot, heat up your palm oil and while it heats, mix your potash with water and dissolve it. Sieve the potash and water mixture into the palm oil on the fire. Stir content and watch as the mixture begins to turn yellow and thickens.

Keep stirring until everything is yellow. Add your onions, ground crayfish, ehu seed and pepper and stir again.

You may add the goat meat and ugba at this point and stir the entire pot of sauce to mix it up. Leave it on the fire and stir often to avoid burning. When it is hot enough, it is good to eat. Serve in a wooden bowl or mini mortar with white rice, boiled plantain or even drinks.

Remember to garnish with a few onion rings and some utazi leaves.

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SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

I never planned to be an Shan George is a Nollywood actress, singer and film producer. She went off the silver screen to care for her mother who was bed-ridden for years. She’s back now to premiere her new movie, ‘One Good Man’. In a recent chat with VANESSA OKWARA and IFEOLUWA ADEYEMO, she reveals the joys of being a mother to two grown up kids and other issues Brief background I am from Ediba in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State. I went to primary and secondary schools in my village, Ediba, and I read Mass Communication in the University of Lagos. I write and produce Nollywood movies. I act as well and just for my own pleasure, I do music sometimes.

What was growing up like?

Growing up in the village was just a normal experience except that the environment is not in a city.

Of course we didn’t have cars everywhere. No road for cars, you know we were farmers and fishermen because we live by the river bank and it was a lot of fun, ‘at least I get plenty village sense’.

My mum was a nurse then and my dad worked with a company in Enugu. My dad died when I was five and so my mum practically brought me up all by herself which also led to her not being married again after that and not having other kids and left me as an only child.

You were born a half caste, did that affect you and were you treated differently?

My dad is white British and yes in the village, I think I got beaten a lot of times because of envy from the girls. They did a lot of ganging up and m y hair re-

ally suffered because people pulled my hair a lot. I had this long hair and anyone who looked for my trouble just came pulling my hair and they called me ‘shine’, I mean my name is ‘Shan’, but because I am very light skinned and somehow different, they mistook my name for Shine. And I think I got some favours too because my head master protected me a lot because I was very fragile.

How did you end up in Nollywood?

When I left the village, I came to Lagos. After some time, I decided to go back to school and in the bid to pay my way through school, I needed a job. I didn’t quite find one until I got my admission letter to the University of Lagos and then the urgency was more but God intervened and I met Blessing Iremi, who is now Mrs. Blessing Stephens. She is the one that took me to Emeka and Jenifer Osai; then they were going to do a movie titled ‘Thorns of Rose’, that was my first movie. That’s the first movie I ever acted and when they saw me, they said, ‘This is the Joan we have been looking for’. I sort of fit into the role physically, so they auditioned me and I scaled through and they gave me the role. I was paid N20,000 which, at that time, was the highest money I had ever seen and the school fees I was looking for as at that time was N14,000. So that was how this whole thing started. That’s how I got into acting and was practically acting to pay my school fees.

How long have you been in the movie industry?

It is actually 20 years now; 20 years next month to be exact.

That’s a big one. Are we doing anything special to celebrate?

I am premiering my latest movie that I produced titled, ‘One Good Man’. It will premiere on the July 31 in Abuja and at the same time, I’ll also cut a cake. I haven’t told anyone yet; I am already doing the media promo for the premiere but I am not saying anything about my 20 years in Nollywood yet.

Can you compare Nollywood now to when you started 20 years ago?

I don’t know about others but I will just speak for myself. I think we have gone really far. Let’s talk about equipment to begin with.

When we started, we were using DV cameras but now we are using digital cameras. The artistes are becoming more daring and more hardworking and we have more people coming into Nollywood as actors. Our movies are not just showing in cinemas in Nigeria, they are now being shown in cinemas abroad. So I would say we have really progressed. I think we are going to grow from being the third largest movie industry in the world to probably the second and who knows, maybe the first.

You were absent for a while in the industry and suddenly you’re telling us you are having a movie premiere. Why the gap in your career?

The gap actually started in 2011. I remember vividly because at that time, I was trying to edit my movie I did at that time titled ‘Finding Good Luck’ when my mum fell critically ill. Being an only child, I had to abandon everything, the movie that I was editing to see to my mum’s health and hospital issues. My mum was bedridden for almost three years; that was from 2011 to almost 2014.

Towards the end, that was the early part of 2015, she started to get back on her feet and that was when I started working on shooting the movie ‘One Good Man’, which is the one I want to premiere now. I practically had to leave Nollywood and my work to be by

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Body&Soul

actress –Shan George her bedside because being an only child, I believe this is the reason we have children so that when we are old and we are not capable of doing things, our children would be there. I did not have the heart to leave her in the hands of others. I wanted to be the one to change and clean her by myself.

I didn’t want anyone to mistreat her at all.

So how is she doing now?

She can walk with an aid and she can bathe herself and go to toilet. She can seat down and eat by herself; so now I can hire someone to look after her while I go back to work. Because of her, I spend more of my time in Calabar as you know that’s where we come from.

Tell us a about your latest movie.

‘One Good Man’ is about a power drunk First Lady. It’s a movie that I wrote when I was sitting by my mum’s bed side.

You write movie scripts as well?

Yes, I write and produce movies. I wrote ‘Finding Good Luck’. The first movie I wrote was titled ‘All for Winnie’ and was produced in 1998 when I graduated from UNILAG and it was supposed to be my project. I’ve been writing and producing since 1998. Basically, I’ve done about 24 of my own movies.

What inspires your writing?

Everything around me; people, events circumstances; besides, we all know that inspiration comes from God but then what really triggers the ideas that makes things come around are the things that I see around.

Tell us about your music career, what is it like so far?

Ah! You see, music is what I do when I want to catch fun. Let’s say I do movies for the money to make a living but I do music for the fun of it. I went to my village one time and I tried to gather children to tell them folk tales that we were told when we were kids and these folk tales used to have songs. I got to the singing part and I realised that none of the children knew what I was singing. In fact, none of them knew what I was talking about and it really broke my heart. That’s actually what led me to the music thing. I needed to put all those folk tales into songs to preserve them. So I had to do them in two albums; two audio albums and one video album. I did one titled ‘Nken Kene’. Then I did the second one titled ‘Dance’ which also has one of the songs titled ‘Ababa’, one of the most popular songs right now. I wouldn’t really call that a music career; no, I don’t see it as a career thing. I don’t even make money from the music, I just put money in it and take the CDs and share in my village.

They are mostly songs done in my native language.

You got married early, how was it like being a young bride?

It wasn’t very interesting, neither was it funny at all but you know years later, I wouldn’t say it was a bad thing because now I have grown up kids and I just look at them and you know it just makes up for all the odds and all the down sides of getting married so early when I didn’t know anything. It was just a norm in my place; my mum wanted me to marry on time so I don’t get spoilt being an only child and daughter whose father had died a long time. She was just trying to protect me. Years into the marriage, it didn’t quite work out that was when I left and started making arrangements to get back to school.

How do you feel being a mother to grown up children?

Sometimes it’s really amazing to be very

honest. In my own quiet time, I look at my kids and I’m like, how did I manage because I didn’t particularly set out to plan my life to say when I reach this age, I’d go like this, No! Things just kept happening and deep down, I was just bearing it and kept moving. Basically, when I look at my kids now, it’s amazing, really amazing even to me that they are my own kids.

Did any of your kids take after your acting?

I wouldn’t say taking after per say because in the real sense, going into this industry wasn’t a planned thing. It’s not because I saw the talent in me and I decided that I’m going to go and face this talent.

I needed school fees and I was looking for a job; it could have been a bank or insurance company; it could have been anything. So when someone asks if any of my children took after me, how do you take after something that you don’t know if it’s a talent or accident? My second son read music engineering and production in University of East London.

He is a graduate of music, produces music and he is a very good rapper. He is one of the best rappers around and I’m not saying this because he is my son. I have not tried to get involved in his career, so I feel the best thing is for him to go through the rigorous growth to find his way up there and I can give advice and make reference but I don’t get involved in his music career. He’s been there like two years now.

How was motherhood like for you?

To be very honest, I was just a kid so that most of the motherhood thing was done by my mum. My mum was basically the mother for everyone. She made it easy not to feel the stress and the pain of having kids and still going back to school and taking care of the kids too.

So would you like have a go at marriage again?

Definitely! I’m ready to marry 20 times until I find a man that would take all my rubbish and not mind because he really does love me.

From what has been reported in the media, you have been married more than three times. Can you confirm that?

I’ve been married twice. My children’s dad was my first marriage. The marriage didn’t work out; then I married again and this was a period of 10 years between my first marriage and my second marriage because let’s say by then I had grown. I met this man in England when I went for Afro Hollywood award in 2002. We started dating and a couple of years later, we got married and it was the most turbulent time I could ever imagine. Everybody had to just chill out for a while. So I left London and I came back to Nigeria to continue my work.

With the distance, it was not too long before someone else was warming up my man.

This happened in 2005 and since 2005, I haven’t married anybody, I haven’t been engaged to anybody. In fact, any wedding you see after that is a wedding in a movie.

They’ve carried wedding in movies in the media and said I’ve wedded. I’ve been married twice which, as far as I’m concerned is bad enough. I wasn’t brought up to see or think that a woman should marry more than once and I’ve married twice already.

So going to marry a third time, I will be a bit skeptical but being the person that I am, I don’t believe anybody’s time is late or

anybody’s door should just be shut like that and I’m still young. I’m in my forties but I know that if I meet the man, I will go for it.

Is there any man in your life?

I’ll take about that at the right time.

Describe your fashion style.

I’m just totally zero when it comes to this fashion. I want to wear things that I would be comfortable in. I like to appear simple.

Let’s look at your tattoos. How many do

you have?

I have two; one on my arm and a rose on my leg. I used to have a lot when I started in this industry, especially for the role I was playing; all those roles of a crazy girl or prostitute. I did a lot of madness when I started in this industry.

Who is the real Shan George?

Shan George is one ordinary woman and nothing else. I just want to do my work and go home and sleep. I am just this ordinary woman.

How long have you carried your short hair?

Well, the thing is all my life I’ve either had it short or long. Like now, it’s beginning to grow and sometimes I just let it grow till I can pack then, one day, I just cut it. I’m not very good with the hair thing. I do more work in the field so I don’t have the time and the energy for all those things.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

In the next five years, I want to be able to run my training school, basically that’s all that’s my heart desire. In the next five years, I’d love to run a training school that has at least 10 fields. I’m going to give a lot of scholarships because I want to give people a second chance at life.

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SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

with

Juliet Bumah +234 81 1 675 9770

julietbumah@gmail.com

Patra’s dilemma 10 Juliet Bumah

P

atra felt uncomfortable as Pius and Betty held on to each other. A thousand and one things flashed through her mind in that brief instance. Well, she would get to the root of this.

“Oh my, you look very healthy and happy now,” Betty gushed, looking him over.

“You too. You’ve added so much weight. You’ve really lost your svelte figure,” Pius replied.

Svelte figure? Patra stared at them. It was obvious she wasn’t part of their world this very moment of their reunion.

She felt the ground beginning to shift under her.

“Haaaa, you mean I’m no longer beautiful?” Betty made a face, adding, “Why am I even bothered, you’re always a tease...but you look quite happy.”

“Yeah I am. I found joy...” Pius began and stopped. They both turned to look at Patra who had been observing them quietly.

Pius drew her into his arms and told Betty, “Meet the CEO of my heart. Yeah, the Chief Executive Officer...she drove away sorrow and brought sunshine into my life. She is the sole occupant of that part of my heart where a woman’s love should be. As you can see, she’s gonna gimme a son.”

“It’s obvious you guys know each each other pretty well...”

Patra began, a tinge of jealousy in her voice.

Pius cut in, “Yeah, my love. Lemme talk about the second time we met. My late wife was one of Betty’s biggest clients.

You know you women and fashion. Betty seemed to stock her taste. She came to the house one day. It was a sweet surprise.

The first time we met...”

“Was in the university,” Betty cut in.

Patra’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

She stared at Betty and muttered, “University?” She moved out of Pius’ arms and stared at both of them.

“Who are you?” She asked Pius and the baby kicked in her womb.

She moved to the bed and sat down. It was then they all realised they had been standing since they got into the hotel room.

Pius joined her on the bed while Betty sat on the couch.

She began, “Patra, Pius was that hunk that terrorised girls on the campus with his good looks and money. That heartthrob that drove better cars than our lecturers...that guy you refused to date. The guy we were all dying for who never looked our way. No, he looked my way once or so I thought. The fox took me out on a date, left me woozy with a kiss and begged me to get you for him by all means. I was angry of course... “ Patra looked blankly from Pius to Betty and back. Pius, eyes rounded as it all came back to him.

“OMG! You mean she was that goddess with killer shape in school? But when I asked after her in my house that day, you couldn’t recollect who I was talking about,” Pius told Betty. He was smiling with dawning recognition.

Betty nodded, “Yeah, she is. Patra was that studious friend of mine who did all the reading while I had all the fun for both of us. We called her Prof. Peepee then. I pretended I didn’t know who you were talking about that day because I didn’t want to link you to her. Moreover, your wife was there.”

Pius shifted a little away from Patra and observed her. Then he moved to her again and drew her to his chest.

“My love, you can see we were made for each other. I was ready to do anything to have you then but you spurned my every move. Now, fate brought us together and ensured that a part of me would be with you forever.”

Words failed Patra. She looked from Betty to Pius. She felt like Alice in wonderland. She wondered why fate took her on a torturous journey before she found fulfillment.

She sat there like an heifer whose ownership was being dragged by two farmers while Pius and Betty discussed her past and future.

Betty said, “Pius, it is obvious that both of you are in love now. The problem is that she has a husband who she is also in love with and who loves her. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes now. I had chided her. I told her she behaved badly.

But now, I don’t know what to say. How do you want to sort out this triangle?”

“Dear, I sleep and wake up with that thought and I still haven’t found an answer. But one thing I know is that I won’t let Patra go. Perhaps, if you had helped me talk to her in school then, I wouldn’t have been in this dilemma now.

Please, you now have another chance to help make me happy forever,” Pius said and Betty sighed deeply. *** Ruth’s eyes were swollen. She was at a police station where she had gone to lodge a complaint against Old Jim. He had beaten her blue and black the night before. Unfortunately, the case was taking an ugly turn.

The police had arrested Jim and in the statement he wrote at the police station, he laid claim to her children. Now the police had asked her to get Richie, whom she told them was the father of her children.

She sat in a corner, crying. Her cousin, Ann, was with her.

“What are you going to do now? I warned you then to do away with this old man but you refused. I told you you couldn’t eat your cake and have it. You netted a young man who had all the money and had no problem spending it and you couldn’t leave this old bum,” Ann told her.

“Please Ann, let us not go into that. There’s a way that seems right to a man and the end is destruction. My problem is that I can’t get Richie into this issue. How can I tell him that I have been sleeping with the man I introduced to him as my uncle?

Moreover, Richie is not the father of my children.”

“What!” Ann exclaimed, mouth agape. ******** When Richie got home from the gym, Patra was not at home. She had told him that she would be going shopping with Betty.

“Women and shopping,” he muttered to himself and went for a shower.

After the shower, he ate his lunch which had been prepared by his wife.

“Wife? Do I still have a wife to myself? Does a woman who has another man’s baby growing in her womb qualify to be called my wife? Our wife is more like it! Where is Patra right now? Is she shopping or having the other man top up what he had planted in her womb?”

Richie felt hot suddenly. He picked his phone and dialed Patra’s number, hiding his identity.

Patra picked when it rang the second time. She sounded low and happy. In the background, Richie could hear a man’s voice. The voice sounded sure and rich. Then, he could hear another sound, probably the television. Patra is not in a market. He cut the line without saying a word.

He called again, this time, with his full identity.

“Hello,” Patra said, no darling, love etc. Her voice was sharper. Noise from the television was still in the background.

“Where are you my wife,” he managed to ask, his heart was bleeding.

“I’m in a shop with Betty. We’re not through yet. Are you back? Your lunch is in the dinette,” she responded.

Apart from not adding words of endearment, she sounded normal. But somewhere in Richie’s mind, something didn’t add up.

“We need to talk things over when she comes back today.

I need to know the truth,” he told himself.

He moved to the bar and took a bottle of choice cognac and a glass. He turned on the television, settled comfortably on the couch and poured himself a large drink.

“One life to live,” he muttered, as he raised his glass up, tossed the drink off and poured another. *** “I have a feeling that it was Richie that called the first time,” Patra told Pius and Betty.

Betty was alarmed.

“Are you sure?” She asked and Patra nodded, “It was the same background.”

Pius said, “ You have to be careful, my love. I think it has come to that time we have to take a definite stance. Remember, I love you so much and want you with me forever. I’ll die, fighting to claim you, if need be. If he wants the truth, you tell him. What’s his temper like?”

“I can’t really say. We’ve never had serious issues in the past,” Patra replied, adding, “I have to go home now.”

“Okay my love,” he said, kissing her and rubbing his palm all over her belly.

“Take care of you and our son. I’m not in a hurry to go back to Abuja now. I have a feeling I’m going back with you,” he said with a set face.

Patra looked at the face and fell more deeply in love with him. She wondered why she never gave him a look in school those days. With this build and face, she was sure she would have fallen for him then. ****************** The noose is tightening...what happens next in this entrancing series? Let’s find out on Sunday.

•Send your observations to: julietbumah@gmail.com

23

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016

Britain won’t remain the same after Brexit, says Amb. Keshi p.25

The Sunday Interview

My resplendent palace preserves Igbo tradition –Igwe Ugwu p.27

Nigeria ‘ll perish without true federalism, says Prof. Darah p28-29

Politics

Biyi Adegoroye Assistant Editor biyi.fire@yahoo.com © Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Abia: Trouble in God’s Own State The issuance of Certificate of Return to Dr. Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah, even while Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has indicated interest to appeal the court ruling on his removal is creating a legal lacuna, writes IGBEAKU ORJI

S

ince Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court Abuja on Monday June 27, 2016, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately issue Certificate of Return to the runner up to Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu in the December 18, 2014, PDP governorship primary in Abia State, Dr. Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah the God’s Own State has moved to the edge of paradise.

Soon after the PDP governorship primaries in Abia State, two of the contestants, Mr. Friday Nwosu and Dr. Sampson Uchechukwu Ogah, challenged the legibility of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to contest the primaries let alone the election in court on the basis of inconsistency in his tax receipts. But while Nwosu, who incidentally hails from the same Obingwa Local Government area as Ikpeazu, publicised the proceeding, little was heard of Ogah’s case until the Federal High Court Abuja judgment in his favour.

The situation today is that while Ogah with the certificate of return is not sitting as governor, Ikpeazu who has been replaced by the court still presides over the affairs of the state.

Tension, uncertainty and anxiety have literally walked the streets of Umuahia, the state capital and the entire state since the judgment was delivered. Evidently, no one expected the turn of events given that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and his team of lawyers claimed they had appealed the judgment and filed a stay of execution which document was made available to journalists.

The turn of events just a day after the judgment, therefore, took everyone by surprise.

It initially, was received with some level of incredulity, especially when it was flashed online. But fear that it might be true began to emerge when Dr. Ikpeazu who was already on his way to Abia State University (ABSU) Uturu, on Thursday, June 30, as a lecturer at the inaugural lecture of Eminent Persons Lecture series of the University abruptly turned back to Umuahia. The advance party, which was already at the lecture hall, including journalists, government officials and members of the state executive council, one after the other disappeared from the hall. Others who went later met the deputy governor’s convoy returning to Umuahia.

There was palpable panic and confusion as

Ikpeazu

many did not know the reason for the action. Also, it was observed that the team of military men at the venue of the lecture left unceremoniously. Then it began to dawn on the people that there was something amiss.

Journalists made calls to the state INEC office to know whether the Certificate of Return was issued at the state office but the Head of Media and Public Education said no such thing happened even in the headquarters at Abuja from where he arrived that morning from a meeting of State Resident Electoral Commissioners and national officers of the commission. Just then the social media blew the lid with photographs of Ogah and the INEC National Commissioner for South East, Ambassador Lawrence Nwuruku. Then there was panic and unusual movement at the Government House.

Some government officials started packing their personal effects. Then news came that Ogah was on his way to Umuahia. While he was being awaited frantic effort was made to undercut the planned swearing in. The state government secured an injunction from the state High Court at Osisioma to stop the state chief judge or any other officer of the judiciary from conducting any swearing in ceremony. The judge, Justice C H Ahuchaogu, also restrained INEC from issuing certificate of return to Uche Ogah.

The state commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Bonnie Iwuoha and the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Dr. Eme Okoro addressed journalists on the issue.

Both men reinforced the court injunction and distributed copies to newsmen.

In a suit number HOS/52/2016 of Thursday June 30, 2016, between Okezie Ikpeazu

Ogah

as claimant/applicant and Dr Sampson Uchechukwu Ogah, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Abia State Chief Judge as Respondents, the court ruled “that an order of injunction is hereby made restraining the 2nd Defendant from issuing a certificate of return to the 2nd Defendant while the claimant remains in office in accordance with section 143 (1) and (2) of the Electoral Act 2010, (as amended) and pending the determination of the motion on Notice.”

“It is further ordered that the 3rd Defendant or any other judge of the Court or any judicial officer are hereby restrained from swearing in the 1st Defendant while the claimant remains in office in accordance with section 143 (1) and (2) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended,” In his first official reaction to the news of the swearing in of Ogah Governor Ikpeazu in a statement appealed to the people to remain calm and law abiding, saying he still remained the governor.

He added that he was aware of the “report of the purported issuance of Certificate of Return to Mr. Uche Ogah by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as governor of Abia State, despite pendency of a notice of appeal and motion for stay of the orders made in response to Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja”, and urged them to be “law abiding in the face of this provocation,” until the matter is resolved at the appellant courts.

Also the leadership of the PDP in the state, led by its chairman, Chief Johnson Onuigbo, said they would not accept a situation where someone who did not participate in

the election would snatch through the backdoor the office of the Governor. He noted that democracy in Abia state was under serious threat “by those who do not believe in the rule of law.”

Onuigbo said: “The party would not accept the issuing of a Certificate of Return to Uche Ogah who did not sign the report of the primary election and who petitioned the conduct of the primaries.

“As a party we will resist every move by any group to undermine the peace in the state. As government that believes in the rule of law we have obtained an injunction against the order of the Federal High Court in Abuja; we are ready to die.”

Later in the day supporters of Okezie Ikpeazu, most of them youths and women had gathered at the main gate and other entrance to the Government House. While the women chanted songs of victory for Ikpeazu, the youths wielded clubs ostensibly to stop possible invasion of the Government House. Curiously, the day ended without the swearing in of Ogah and on July 1, Ikpeazu addressed journalists insisting he remained the Governor.

He explained that his tax was deducted at source as an employee of the state government which can be verified with the State Board of Internal Revenue, which he said also made an affidavit in support of his claim. He further noted that it was wrong to issues certificate of return to someone when his appeal against the matter was still pending. He wondered why certificate of return would be issued to someone who did not contest election. Ikpeazu noted that even if it was a death sentence he CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

24

SUNDAY 3 JULY 2016 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

politics

‘Buhari must unveil blueprint on investment of recovered loot’ Hamza Lawal is the Chief Executive Officer of Connected Development (CODE), a civil society group and the Co-founder of Follow the Money. He was in London last month to observe the Anti-Corruption Summit organised by the British government. In this interview with YEKEEN NURUDEEN, he x-rays some of the highlights of the summit and says President Muhammadu Buhari must come up with a blueprint for spending recovered loot You were in London to attend the AntiCorruption Summit organised by the British Government. What were the high points of the summit?

I was invited by Transparency International to attend the Tackling Corruption Together Conference and afterward I also observed the Anti-Corruption Summit as a Civil Society leader from Nigeria. It was quite exciting because for the very first time world leaders from over 50 countries attended a summit to particularly discuss how to tackle corruption, not just nationally but globally.

For the very first time we saw that the government of Nigeria is committed to open partnership where they would be more transparent and accountable for revenue generated from oil. The government has done quite a bit of this using NEITI but again what this means is government committing towards ensuring that contracts that go to companies and individuals are more opened and more easily accessible by citizens. So the Nigerian government has signed towards a pact called Open Government Partnership where this policy instrument would give powers to citizens, civil societies...government to come together and address issues as they affect the country.

What this means is that we are going to have a National Action Plan where every voice would be captured on this because we have seen in the past where government lost revenues from awarding contracts. And in some cases, we can’t even put a face to who owns these companies and also in most cases, our national resources have been siphoned using institutions. Again, it’s going to make companies more open so that citizens can know who is getting what, when and how and most importantly why.

Before the President traveled for the Summit, some people were of the opinion that he shouldn’t have gone, since we have the anti-corruption agencies and their anchor men as well as a Foreign Affairs Minister who could have gone in the place of the President. What’s your take on this?

I would say that it was important for the President to go because over time Nigerian funds have been looted through off-shore accounts and most of these funds are in the UK, some in the US while some are other European Union countries. Today in the UK in most banks, Nigerians have funds and if you look at real estate sector in UK, over 20 per cent of it is owned by Nigerians and these funds are funds that were looted out of our country and are used to invest in the real estate sector.

Beyond that it will send a very strong signal if our President is attending so that he can diplomatically ensure that instrument is put in place and commitment so that some of these funds can be repatriated to our country.

To what extent was President Buhari able to get some of the looted funds back given the fact that he rather asked the British Prime Minister to ensure that money looted to UK are returned as against demanding for an apology over statement categorizing Nigeria as, fantastically corrupt,?

I think that statement was quite powerful because just after the statement by the UK Prime Minister the scene, not just in Nigeria but also in UK was quite tense because even citizens in UK were not happy with what their Prime Minister said. The world at large has seen United Kingdom as that country which has strong diplomatic ties and always careful about what they say especially as it relates to their partners globally. Yes, it was powerful and personally I was offended and sad that something like that was said about my country. But the truth must be told; as much as we are not happy, I think we still need to look into how we can reform our institutions. For instance, you made mention of EFCC, but do you know that EFCC is underfunded? And when you want to tackle corruption, so we also know that corruption also fights back and these people you are trying to fight have looted billions of dollars not naira. They have money to fight back, they have money to hire the best of the best lawyers and sometimes even bribe their ways to the judges.

Again, have we been able to strengthen our anti-corruption agencies; have we been able to see how we can have strong coordination between the EFCC, ICPC and other anti-corruption agencies. I would say personally, as much as the President has a very strong ambition in tackling corruption, in recent past, what we have seen is media campaigns around corruption but we have not seen anyone being prosecuted.

Yes, there are a lot of court cases but at the end what happens?

But in this case are we seeing a shift in paradigm?

Well, we are, because for the first time, world leaders are now discussing corruption issues and how they can tackle illicit flow of funds from Nigeria and other African countries that go to other economies.

How can we curb this? So for the first time, we have seen this kind of discussion in policy space around the world.

But again, as much as we have seen this, there’s a lot to be done in Nigeria in terms of as much as we want to strengthen institutions we also need to ensure that every single kobo is monitored and accounted for. For instance, say the UK government would repatriate some billions of naira, how are we sure that this fund will not end up into personal pockets. As citizens and as civil societies, we need to ensure that we are able to follow this money from international scene to the national coffer and how it affects or makes impacts in local communities.

Lawal

The President said rather for him to ask for an apology from the UK Prime Minister, he wanted the return of Nigeria’s money. To what extent did that manifest? Was he able to strike any deal?

The government of Britain has committed that it would work; now they are setting up a global anti-corruption body which would look into this and see how to curb this illicit flow of fund and also make sure that these looted funds from Nigeria are returned. So hopefully, in the next couple of weeks or months we should expect funds from the UK back to Nigeria just as the Swiss Government has committed over 300million dollars that would be sent back to the country.

But one key thing that we need to take from this is, have we as a country been able to also publish how much we have been able to recover since new government came into power? It sends a very strong signal to the international community that we have been able to mobilise and repatriate funds from corrupt government officials or business men in the country and this is the amount we have been able to generate from this. These are the figures and these are where they came from and most importantly this is the plan. As much as we talk about the funds, nobody is talking about what we want to use the money for.

If the government is able to tell, most importantly their citizens, this is what we want to use the money for in this particular community, state or sector to drive development and growth, then it sends another strong signal because we have seen...between the people and the government.

Are you saying that there should be a blueprint for what the government intends to do with the recovered looted funds right?

Yes, and this blueprint should be concrete and something we can actualise and not something that would now turn to another white elephant project. This should be very

reasonable and most importantly the voice of the people should be captured in it.

One year in office, how would you rate Buhari’s administration?

I think before the coming of this government there were high expectations and some of these expectations have not yet been met. As I speak to you now, over 200 school girls have not been rescued, the rate of unemployment is still high. And one fact that people voted this government in was that it would tackle corruption but for us we want to see prosecution and we want to see a balance in this fight against corruption. It seems there are some people that are untouchable or some institutions or some elites. We need to see a level play ground where everyone irrespective of their political affiliation is not above the law.

The government has tried in terms of security: we have seen reduction in the insurgency. However, one thing that must also be addressed is this recent resurgent security challenges in terms of Fulani herdsmen and clash with communities. One thing that government is also not taking strongly is this Biafra issue. It would interest you that when I was in the UK for the summit, there was a protest around the venue which got two Biafra agitators arrested. There was news that was not reported. I was almost mobbed because I was wearing a Nigerian emblem and someone walked up to me and said “you are not part of us, why are you here? Why are you taking pictures of us?. He dragged the Nigerian badge and said “get out of here”. He was about hitting me and someone held him and I had to move away from there.

Our government finally needs to put an end to this where we would have to dialogue and find a lasting solution to this. If we don’t it is going to escalate to something that will threaten our democracy and our country at large.

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016

politics As the world grapples with the aftermath of the recent Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom, former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Joe Keshi, in this interview with BIYI ADEGOROYE, examines the impasse and lessons Nigerian leaders can learn from it

How do you see the outcome of the Brexit referendum wherein British people voted to exit the European Union?

For me, I think it is unfortunate but as the people have spoken, that means their wishes should be obeyed. We are now left with great uncertainties and we just have to see what happens in the near future. But the signs are ominous as you could see the reaction in the market. All over the world, the British pound droped as was predicted

by George Soros and the global market has reacted negatively also.Over $140billion of UK assets have been wiped out. I believe they will be like that for a while, but the market will adjust because it knows how to take care of itself. You can also see that already, there have begun some recriminations even in Britain as younger elements feel betrayed by the older generation who voted to leave, but they just see their future being jeopardised. Because before now, they had a wider space to operate as youths, now they have been forced into a smaller country which actually may become smaller with time because Scotland is saying they want another referendum to pull out of Britain. Northern Island is beginning to think that way and I won’t be surprised if Wales goes the same way. At the end of the day may be what is currently known as the UK might not remain so in the next five or 10 years. So we just have to keep our fingers crossed.

Are these part of the uncertainties you mentioned?

Yes, these are some of the uncertainties because as it is you do not know what tomorrow will bring. And these were some of the concerns raised. Now, having said that, you could also see the political fallout, which is also part of the fact that the political career of the Prime Minister (David Cameron) has come to an abrupt end. He has been forced to resign and rightly too.

For me when the debate started, I was hoping that Nigerian leaders and people were following the event.

But from the onset, what was the disposition of Britain towards their membership of European Union?

We must not forget that from inception of the EU, the British people have had various reasons for not being enthusiastic about Europe. They were even then worried about the unique nature of the United Kingdom and worried more over immigration. Over the years, the expansion of the EU, the influx of immigrants from new EU members and the refugees from the destabilised Middle East as well as others from Africa simply sparked off renewed concerns over immigration. To crown it all, while a number of the people of the EU wanted to retain some control of their affairs, European leaders and the bureaucrats in Brussels went on with their desire to create a supranational structure in Brussels to govern Europe. This generated some misgivings about Europe and unfortunately the leaders paid no attention to the people’s concerns or to their agita-

Britain won’t remain the same after Brexit, says Amb. Keshi

Keshi

tions for less control of member states. That refusal to listen, that inability to appreciate the depth of the feelings of the people and the leaders carrying on as if the peoples’ concerns don’t matter compelled some like Prime Minister David Cameron to yield to the British euro-skeptics demand for a new referendum on Europe. In agreeing with the demands of his conservative members, he made a fatal mistake leaders must avoid, which is that you do not embark on a course of action you are not sure of or its outcome What can Nigerian leaders and people learn from the outcome of Brexit?

You see, I always tell people when you don’t know what to do watch television, especially the global networks. You will see how world leaders react to things and how they behave. My number one take is if you look at the campaign itself. It was called by the leader of the conservatives in Britain, but the main moves came from the cabinet members of the conservatives themselves. Cabinet ministers appointed by the Prime Minister were campaigning against him. While he wanted Britain to remain in EU, a number of his cabinet members and members of his party were against Britain staying in EU, and they campaigned against him.

For me, there is an important take away from the outcome of the referendum and that is that leaders must learn to listen to the people. They must appreciate the depth of their feelings at all times and endevour to address the problems as they arise. Ignoring them or thinking that a few palliatives is the solution is to allow the problems to fester and become intractable as we can see from the Niger Delta crisis. This is imperative in a country in which almost every section has one grievances or the other. The tragedy is that they are being poorly handled in a way that increases the rank of agitators.

Take the recent killings by the army in Onitsha over the Biafra demonstrations or

protect. Number one, agitations today for Biafra has become a metaphor for any perceived marginalisation of the people of the South-East. It is one issue that they all feeling strong about and it has become a rallying cry. Secondly Biafra is part and parcel of the history of Nigeria and we can’t wash or wish it away. Therefore, in a democratic country, if the people concerned decide they want to commemorate Biafra every year, it is their democratic right and we must accept it.

In Germany elements and rumpus of Halter’s Nazi regime still exist and every year, they hold events to reminisce on what they believe in, they are accommodated. If any group decides to protest throughout the year, in a democracy, it is their right and the system must accommodate them. Democracy has been made to accommodate the bad, the good and the ugly and you have no right as a democratically elected government to deny them that right or worst still deal with the situation with iron fest by sending the military. In any case, the military was not established to quell or handle demonstrations. That is within the purview of the police and the military is called in only when the situation turns violent and the police prove incapable of managing it.

Still on the use of the military, there is the absolute need for the government to be on the utilisation of the military. To use the military for what is purely police responsibility is to weaken the police.

There is the Niger Delta which I believe most Nigerians do not have a good appreciation of the situation and since the military era till today, we continue to deluge ourselves that we have done enough by creating for example, the NDDC and the Niger Delta Ministry. We have not even scratched the surface and the result of our lack of seriousness and lack of appreciation of the renewed militancy. There are those demanding for restructuring and true federalism not to take of those who see recent

appointments and the corruption fight as been lopsided and government is not listening. The agitations will not on their own go away; rather they will win more converts and increase the agitations and demands on government. Government was established to solve problems not to inflame them and this is why I keep repeating that the growing agitations must be addressed not ignored so that we do not see people demanding for referendum here.

Indeed a number of people have started the conversation and the Avengers have demanded referendum and the call will increase if Scotland, Northern Island and perhaps Wales elect to leave England. We must also watch Spain where the people of Barcelona have voted to separate from Spain because they feel marginalised. No government here was elected to endanger the corporate existence of Nigeria which is why our leaders must learn not to ignore the feelings of the people but to do the best they can to resolve the problems in a way that will please the people. No group of persons must be ignored and no person must put up himself as the messiah and who alone has all the answers. No sir. We elected a government to work for us and not to turn us against one another or fuel our anger that it boils over. We need leaders who understand the country, we need unifiers; we need those who empathise with us when necessary above all those who talk to us always reassuringly. We need leaders who can talk truth to power not the bulk of sycophants we have around, who in answer to any questions about government say they are keying into the Presidents mantra which they do not even know what it is. In the campaign in the United Kingdom, nobody keyed into the Prime Minister’s mantra. Everybody went out and campaigned based on their convictions. Those who led the leave campaign were conservative ministers and parliamentarians and that’s something we have to learn in this country.

What do you make of call for a fresh referendum for which millions of signatures have been gathered?

It is like medicine after death. But at the same time, we need to watch developments, because something tells me that Britain is going to have a very tough time taking itself out of Europe. When they discover that it is in fact more difficult leaving than staying, they might go through another referendum. Particularly also, I am thinking many British leaders will be worried to see Scotland, Ireland and Wales leaving. So it is an interesting development that we really have to watch how it goes.

You see, that is why leaders must be sure of the course of action they are taking before they embark on it, because there could be some complications along the way. Suddenly now, British people in the EU are now saying they are going to change their nationality in order to retain their jobs.

Meanwhile, a lot of British youths who see opportunities in Europe are now unhappy seeing their future limited only to the UK. And they are all not so happy about it and I am sure if they have another opportunity they will vote not to quit. But as it is now, they have voted to leave only to face the current circumstances. That is why I say leaders should be sure of the course they want to take before they embark on it and those who are not well informed should be getting sufficient information.

And if you give Nigeria that opportunity given the grievances all over the place in this country, you will find that people CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

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politics Chief Jackson Lekan Ojo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), speaks to ONYEKACHI EZE on the call for the restructuring of the country, the crisis in the National Assembly and other national issues

SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Ojo: It’s wrong to blame PDP crises on APC sembly was forged from the background to favour the 8th Assembly. After police investigations, the onus now lies on the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation to see if the matter deserves to be taken to court. The matter has been taken to court and people are now seeing it as a coup from the executive against the present leadership of the senate. If you are saying the emergence of Bukola Saraki was against the position of his party, the APC, the same thing happened in the House of Representatives and nobody is troubling the House of Representatives because no crime has been leveled against them. If there is any allegation against them, let the members of the Senate petition the police; they don’t have immunity. The allegation is that they have committed an offence. So the procedure is to try them through the ministry of justice. If they are not tried then we are setting a bad precedence because tomorrow, one will forge any document and make reference to this.

There have calls for the restructuring of Nigeria. Are you in support of such call?

My view is not from the political angle, it is from the security angle. Insecurity will affect negatively, the economic system, the political system and the religious system of this country. The numbers of people that go to church on Sundays have reduced. The numbers of people that go to Mosque on Fridays have reduced because of fear of the unknown. Today, in Nigeria, there is no principle of equality before the law again. Even the fight against corruption is not equal. The fight against corruption is affecting some sections more than other sections. Appointment into political offices is not equal.

The principle of federal character is zero. So when the citizens lost confidence in the state they will take to self help and self help will bring about high level of insecurity. So to me we need restructuring but if we are not ready for that, there will be violent restructuring which will not be too good for our country.

What is your assessment of governance in your home state, Osun?

To me, Governor Rauf Aregbesola has performed well.

He inherited billions of naira as loan bond, he is paying it and this man is still working. Osun State has never been good. But in my federal constituency, I don’t know if we have a representative there now. Though we voted for somebody, we are not feeling the impact. Currently I am getting a hint that our representative, Hon. Wole Oke is arranging stoves, I pass my neighbor generators when the rural people there cannot even fuel them. The parents cannot even pay their children school fees, there are no health facilities, no good school from the federal in my constituency, there are no good private schools but he built private schools in Abuja and Ibadan. He is arranging to share stoves and cutlasses to farmers. So because of the poverty mentality, people are rushing at it. So the whole world should know that in Obokun /Oriade Federal Constituency of Osun State, we are lacking in representation. Oke does not come to our constituency again, he only come and lodge in a hotel secretly, share N2,000 and leave.

PDP, your former party is presently factionalised, and party leaders are blaming APC for the crisis. What is your impression about this?

The way the PDP is viewing the current crisis is not the way I am viewing it. The PDP is claiming that the APC is sponsoring Ali Modu Sheriff. But Ali Modu Sheriff is not in the good books of the APC as we speak. He attempted to pull the APC down. Before the elections, he was a prominent figure. He led a team of the ANPP to join the APC but for one reason or the other, he fell the pedestal the APC was building that time; he ran away.

How can they be friends again? The federal largesse the PDP enjoyed to fund their party is no longer there so the party was becoming moribund. The economy of the country was no longer good, the statutory allocation to their states and internally generated revenue in each of their controlled states is dead; they could not pay salaries so they could not from there remove anything to sponsor the party. Their new federal secretariat has remained moribund, they could not pay salaries to their staffers and there is no contribution that could come from the states because the states could not even pay salaries so they were looking for a money bag; a money bag that is power thirsty. So they saw one; Ali Modu Sheriff. Ali Sheriff is stupendously rich and thirsty of power so they cajoled him. He was ever willing to grab power so they tentatively put him there. When he came, he paid all their debts; he was funding the party from his pocket. People at the secretariat were jubilation calling Oh Lord, the saviour has come. He had a triumphant entry into the PDP. When they discovered they have stabilized, they knocked off Ali Modu Sheriff and that is why the party is now in crisis. So nobody is sponsoring Ali Modu Sheriff from the APC, he is fighting these people he can term as ingrates, that is it.

What do you consider the implication of this vis-a-vis the role PDP supposed to play as an opposition party?

Some people are already regarding it as executive interference in legislative issues?

The trial is healthy for democracy and my advice is that Bukola Saraki as Senate President who is facing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal and facing another criminal charge over Senate rules forgery should throw in the towel. Honestly, it is a shameful thing to our democratic system that the number three citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is found in dock at the Code of Conduct Tribunal and found in dock for senate rules forgery. It is a very bad thing that is happening.

Ojo

The implication is that Ali Modu Sheriff will not take it lightly with them and at the end of the day they may not be able to field candidates for future elections. Edo and Ondo States governorship elections are already around the corner. Even among the PDP serving senators, some of them are with him. So I advise the PDP to look for a political solution not the courts.

The senate president and his deputy are standing trial over alleged forgery of Senate rules. What is the implication of this on the nation’s democracy?

This is political rascality of the highest political class we have in this country. The basis of the matter is what is important; it is not the personality or the political parties involved. Some members of the senate petitioned the Nigeria Police that some of their rules were forged.

That means the rule that governed them in the 7th As-

Senator Bukola Saraki has raised the alarm that a cabal has hijacked the presidency from Buhari. What is your view?

Yes, I expected Bukola Saraki to say that because if he himself was able to hijack the presidency, he would have used the presidency abnormally wrong. But our glorious God did not allow him to hijack the presidency. To me, I don’t believe anybody can pocket Mr. President.

The Buhari I know cannot be controlled by anybody. I doubt if Buhari listens to advice. Somebody that may not be listening to advice is the type you hijack? Let me go deeply, it may not sound well to my party but what was the influence of the political bigwigs in the APC in Buhari’s government as regards ministers, special advisers, ambassadorial candidates and other board members in the making? How many ministers and special advisers that the party was able to influence? How many came from the camp of Atiku Abubakar as powerful as he is?

How many of his loyalists are in this government? How many loyalists of Tinubu; the man that spearheaded the coup that led to the APC gaining power at the centre, how many of his loyalists are in this government? Then somebody will now say somebody is controlling Mr. President. How many of Mr. President do ministers can meet him and say Mr. President, do it like this? How many of the state governors have their nominations in this government? How many of the retired Generals that were even senior to Mr. President in the military have their nominees working with Mr. President. Senator Bukola Saraki is saying this to get cheap popularity and undue sympathy from Nigerians.

‘Britain won’t remain the same after Brexit’ C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 5

would say ‘let us break up,’ and the next morning when they are told to obtain a visa to visit Lagos of Aba, they would be shocked. They might even ask ‘Why do I need a visa?’ And if you tell them it is because you broke up to form another country…They would say we were not told that. Just like Britain woke up one day and saw the outcome of the referendum. Ap-

parently those who agitated for it had no plan for the outcome at all. And that is the reason Boris Johnson is all running. The whole thing came unexpectedly; they had no option or any idea how to go about it. He could not even assure the British that it will be good at the end of the day; so to me the guy just left the scene after he has achieved his goal.

So what is the fate of Britain now?

You see, EU is actually saying that ‘if you want a special relationship as Britain again there are conditions you have to meet, and some of these conditions are actually for them to accept the same conditions for which they want to leave EU in the first place. So it is all too dicey at the end of the day. It is not as easy as it seems. In fact the first thing is about leaving and the most difficult thing is how to go about leaving.

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politics

My resplendent palace preserves Igbo tradition –Igwe Ugwu What did your people see in you before you defeated other contestants for the throne as the first traditional ruler of this kingdom?

Well, my appointment as a traditional ruler of Ibagwa Nike is a divine one because you have to be appointed by God to be on the throne. But human beings have to acknowledge and applaud God’s gift through their exposure, through their character, through your nobilities. Prior to my appointment as the traditional ruler of Ibagwa Nike, I was appointed as the leader of Ibagwa Nike community in the year 1995 and I have been maintaining that position as the chairman of the power of attorney from 1995 to 1997. I was re-appointed in 1998 that lasted to 2002 when I was now appointed as the traditional ruler of Ibagwa Nike. So I have been in the leadership position, so it’s not a sort of emergency.

This community is a modern one within the capital territory where there is a lot of competition for development. How tasking has it been to manage these human and material resources for the development of the people?

My duty is to care for my people, and what is more important is for the people to know that you are caring for them. And more especially, the Bible says that if God does not guard the city, the watchman is standing in vain. I made God the pillar of this community, I made God the helmet of this community, I have consecrated and dedicated the community back to God, the creator for him to govern, for him to protect, for him to defend. You cannot come in a community of this nature under Enugu capital development and where development is rapid and people are coming in to be part of the community, of course you must have “yes” members and “no” members, and they are all part of the development. “No” members are those who would always see the community from a different angle just like in the state now. The governor is doing a lot of things to make sure he puts Enugu State in the page of elites and some other people at the other side could be campaigning against him. And the voices of those people are even the strong character that makes him a strong man. There can never be a hero without a war. There can never be a victory without a dispute. So when you talk about relative peace, it is when you are able to manage it to the standard of the government, for the people in authority to be able to control the situation on the ground. Ibagwa Nike community is a fast developing community and we thank God for everything, for his assistance. But all I can say is that God is with us.

Is there any way this modernity and rapid development encroache on the tradition of the community?

Well, I’m a Christian, I’m Emmanuel by name representing the name of God and also representing God at the same time on the throne; I’m just like the presiding officer.

When Christ came he told his followers that his position on earth will jeopardize a lot of people’s interest; he said his position on earth will divide mother from the daughter, divide son and father; my position will divide nations. As traditionalists, we are the custodian of culture, custom and tradition. What we are trying to do is to use our position to begin to marry both religions together in the light of reasonable purpose. Like in my own place I remodeled the code of conduct of our tradition regarding masquerade. Before now they used to display masquerade with charms, with different barbaric acts; but I know that this is what Igbo people like and it is part

HRH Igwe (Dr). Emmanuel Ugwu, the Eze Okwe I and traditional ruler of Ibagwa Nike Community in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, arguably has the biggest palace in the entire South-East. A devout Christian, he has encouraged the growth of Igbo tradition and culture without fetish practices. In this interview with KENNETH OFOMA, Igwe Ugwu speaks about his throne and dream for his kingdom then was to ascertain if the man died, what happens to my people, do we take back the throne or what do we do? So, amicably Igwe called a meeting and we now agreed that various local governments have more than 10 traditional rulers; that it will be better for us to split while he was alive. Then we had about four to five different communities under resolution signed by the Igwe. Unfortunately, we submitted the resolution to then military governor. Too months thereafter, we lost him (Igwe). We lost him at a ripe age and we were happy about him. He was a man that we can never forget in history because of his nature, because he was an epitome of peace. He represents light and truth and thereafter when the democratic government came, we also re-visited the resolution signed by the late Igwe. And that was how the resolution was granted. That was how I now became the first Igwe of the community, not actually that Ibagwa doesn’t have Warrant Chief, we have Warrant Chief running in the family, one or two before the throne was lost. It was like God used me to return the honour to the community, and I thank God. So having the knowledge that I was called by God to prepare to lead, I never stopped from praying and asking God for a favour. And one of the favours I asked God is to give me wisdom to be able to manage my people because they are warriors, they are people who always believe they want to see, they want to know and they want to sit and do things together.

Igwe Ugwu

of our culture and carnival. What is more important is to detach what is fetish from what is supposed to be a faithful conduct.

At the same time Ibagwa is the Akaji Ofor, we are the first to settle in this place, we are the ancestral head of the whole Nkanu clan comprising six local governments now. So we are regarded as the first son of Nkanu land.

And when it comes to Ibagwa, Oshimene is the first son of Ibagwa, where I come from.

So we know much about tradition but what we are trying to do is to balance the interests of people.

Can you give a brief history of your throne?

Just like what I said, my call to be on the throne is a divine one. I was 12 years old when I recognised that I was called to be on the throne even when there wasn’t a throne to occupy. What is more significant is that from early 1910, 1920, 1918 when the white men came, we were forced to benefit from it.

A member of my family in Oshimene was appointed a Warrant Chief. And after his death his brother took over from him, but from 1945 to 1959 there was a dispute in the community. I wasn’t there at that time, I’m just telling you categorically from history, that they had a dispute. The community did not like the person whom the white man recognized and

they disputed but the white man insisted that if they don’t bring a Warrant Chief then Nike Community will no longer have a Warrant Chief. So one of my uncles from the same family, a councilor at that particular time known as Chief Louise Okoye, who stood out was appointed Igwe Edward Nnaji. He appointed him as his friend and because he appointed him, there was ovation because of the character of the man. That was how we lost the throne. We lost the throne from that angle. So Igwe Edward Nnaji now married from Ibagwa Community and different part of Nike Uno, the original settlers according to history. Then in the year 1995 I was now nominated. It was delayed for a period of eight months, and in 1996, I was crowned by that late Igwe as Mayor of Nike Land.

Actually that day I received three titles; I was given the title of Oshinanwata because of my age, I was about 25, I was given Anyanwu N’awara Oha the same day and I was also crowned Mayor of Nike land, just like that in my certificate of recognition. So it was thereafter that, after two years or a year of that recognition, I dialoged with the traditional ruler and having known my gift spiritually. So I approached the Igwe, the Igwe in his good manner listened to me because he knew how he got that position. My mission

You have a gigantic building complex as your secretariat, possibly the biggest in South East; what gave you the vision and courage to build this legacy?

I have that ambition of building a monarchy, not just being a traditional ruler. They are two different things. You don’t build a monarchy around yourself. No matter who you are. You build the monarchy around the people. God appointed me from nothing, God can still appoint another person from nothing, and I’m not the one to dictate to God if He will appoint my son after me. And that is the reason I said, for my children to know that God has the right to appoint, and the people are to echo what God has done physically. I now designed this place. This place was designed by me, not through any architect; I had the vision, this is what I want and I put it on the paper, I called an architect and said this is what I want to build. I want you to help me to develop it. He was able to develop it to a reasonable extent, but while they were constructing I was putting in place what I want according to the vision of what I have.

So this place is called Enenwudara Royal Auditorium. Enenwudara is the founding father of Ibagwa, Enenwudara is the father of five sons - Oshimene Anekeode, Ugavene, Ezeneke, Aguode. So I now dedicated this place as Obi Enenwudara, so it is like a family house, it’s like a government house for the entire community. We have here a court, we have a clinic, we have ICT centre, we have an archive room, we have a micro finance bank, we have an office for neighbourhood watch, we have office for police, we have an CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

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SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

The Sunday

Gordini Darah is a professor of Oral Literature at the Delta State University, Abraka and a strong advocate of fiscal federalism. He was a delegate of the South-South geo-political zone at the 2014 National Conference. In this interview with ONWUKA NZESHI, he reviews the current economic challenges facing Nigeria and warns of worse days ahead if the right solutions are not sought and applied quickly

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun recently had a meeting with the Commissioners of Finance from the 36 states of the federation during which she told them to brace up for what she calls fiscal independence as the Federal Government cannot continue to give bailout to them. Is this an indication that the Federal Government has begun to yield to the agitation for fiscal federalism?

I am not aware that she advocated for fiscal independence, but I think that it is the right way to go. It is what we have been advocating for years. This system of states going cap in hand to Abuja every month is not sustainable unless we want to continue deceiving ourselves.

The fundamental problem that we have is the revenue allocation formula which guides the economic relationship between the Federal Government and the constituent units called states. The present formula is notoriously disadvantageous to the states. It is not because the states are reckless; the Federal Government controls over 50 per cent of the revenue.

In the 2014 National Conference we recommended that the Federal Government should have 42 per cent and the states should have 58 per cent of the revenue while the local government councils will no longer be having direct allocation because they are not a tier of government or among the federating units.

With that proposed revenue allocation formulae, the states will become robust and self sufficient because the revenue is generated in the states and not in the Federal Capital Territory which is the only land that the Federal Government owns. The revenue is generated in the states; so they should have a heftier share. It is an anomaly when the Federal Government carries more than half of the money and it does not have as much responsibilities as the states.

Some states have up to 1000 secondary schools but the Federal Government has 104 secondary schools which we call the Federal Government Colleges or Unity Schools. It is the lopsided revenue allocation formulae that is at the root of the problem and not that the states that are less careful about money. Many of the governors are accountants themselves.

So, the Minister of Finance has to do more work to help the Federal Government arrive at a fresh revenue allocation formula. It is explicitly expressed in the Constitution that at regular intervals, the President will take a new revenue allocation formula to the National Assembly for approval. But since 1999 when the current democratic dispensation started, successive governments have refused to take a new revenue formula to the parliament.

The states are having more responsibilities to cater for particularly in states where the school enrollment is high like Imo, Anambra, Abia, Delta, Rivers, Lagos, Ondo, Edo and Akwa Ibom. These are states with heavy enrollment in primary and secondary schools. If the present government wants to contribute to the survival of Nigeria, it must reverse that revenue formula to make the quantum going to the Federal Government leaner and that for the states, heavier.

What do you make of the repeated bailouts the present government has been granting

Nigeria ‘ll per federalism, s

the states in the last one year?

The Federal Government is using the bailout to blackmail the states, whereas it is the states that should have blackmailed them. Like I told you earlier, the Federal Government is cornering the lion’s share of the resources; it doesn’t have responsibilities like the states. The country will go down if we continue the way we are going now. Nigeria is going to go down in the hands of the All Progressives Congress (APC) unless something drastic is done to salvage it.

There is a lot of economic and financial distress now because if the states are not spending and many states owe their workers backlog of salaries, it means the individuals are also not spending because they don’t have. If this continues, sooner than later, the economy will grind to a halt.

We can only witness a robust economy when we allow the entrenchment of a real federal arrangement where the federating units have control over their resources and are self-reliant.

What we have now is a unitary arrangement with the Federal Government as the emperor while the states are like conquered territories whose citizens are made to live like slaves.

In recent weeks, there have been renewed agitations for restructuring of the federation to cut cost and allow fiscal federalism.

Is this not a return to the views canvassed at the 2014 National Conference which has been abandoned?

Yes. The Confab has provided all the solutions but your President says he has thrown the whole report into the archives. These are freely offered solutions and the solutions are scientific, they are not personal. But he says he doesn’t want to look at them. The solutions he is issuing are the ones he used in 1985 and they are obsolete. It is not just discipline and financial discipline that can help a country to develop. In fact some countries will grow fast when their money is recklessly spent. When the Americans are fighting war, that’s when they make money; that’s when they grow rich.

So this headmaster approach he has adopted now is incompatible with modern economic management. You can see the stress on the face of his Minister of Finance. I’m sure she argues and argues but they don’t listen to her.

She looks overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenges and she is not like her predecessor who could bulldoze her way through to get things done.

The present regime has adopted a policy where states that have solid minerals are permitted to exploit such resources by simply obtaining a mining license. Is this not a negation of the laws guiding exploitation of minerals found in states? Why is this freedom to exploit minerals not extended to oil and gas?

It is not a negation. The Federal Government regards and treats the South-South region as an economic colony that has been conquered.

This is why they apply different laws when it comes to oil and gas. In Section 44(3) of the Constitution, dealing with revenue from oil and gas, it didn’t mention solid minerals there.

It mentioned only oil and gas that any revenue from there whether it’s under the sea, on the land or in the sky, belongs to the Federal Government. They knew what they were doing.

They left out the sold minerals because they

Darah

know where those resources are located- most of them are in Plateau and Nasarawa. It is true that those minerals have been there several years before human beings even came to live in Nigeria but if you occupy an area just as the land is yours so also are the minerals. But your government does not agree to that logic.

They want to have everything. They don’t

want to negotiate with you; it has become a tax.

But in the case of the Niger Delta, the Federal Government says it owns the minerals hundred percent.

What is your take on the renewed militancy and the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers?

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y Interview

rish without true says Prof. Darah Democratic Party of sponsoring the militant groups because of their numerous members who are undergoing prosecution for corruption. Do you share this view?

No, that’s a diversionary tactic. Is the PDP really different from the APC? When PDP was in power did they alter the revenue allocation formula? Has the APC that claims to be championing change altered the formula to demonstrate that they are different? On this issue of resource control, APC is not better than PDP. So far, both parties are operating the same policy. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was there for eight years; Umaru Yar Adua was there for two or three years and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan for five years. Throughout this period, did they take a bill to the National Assembly seeking to change the revenue allocation formula? The APC and Buhari have been there for one year, have they done it? So to say the Avengers are working for the PDP is cheap blackmail.

What do you think is the ideology propelling this new wave of militancy in the Niger Delta?

The ideology is simple. You have stolen my resources. You have done it for about 60 years (1956- 2016) and I have not benefitted from it. Those people when they are fighting, they are looking at the swampy mangrove forests where there are no roads, no schools, no hospitals and no water. It is not so in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); there is oil there and you know Dubai is one of their cities. It is not so in Kuwait. It is not so in Saudi Arabia; our people go on pilgrimage there. It is not so in Netherlands where you have cities like Holland, Amsterdam and The Hague. It is not so in Norway. It is not so in Scotland where you have Aberdeen. These are all oil producing regions.

It is also not the case in Venezuela, where they have refineries in almost every local government council. It is not so in San Francisco where Chevron comes from and it is not so in Houston, Texas and Louisiana. So why is the Niger Delta neglected when it produces the oil that sustains Nigeria? That is the case of the Avengers. This is why you find out that the government has no voice to even reply them.

If you must reply, then you must show what you have done for the people. They can’t point to anything now.

It is this injustice of resources and revenue allocation that has given rise to groups like the Avengers. You can see what they have been doing. They might not even be more than five people but they are wrecking a lot of havoc on the economy. These things could have been avoided if we had done the right things at the right time.

The ruling party has accused the Peoples

But the Federal Government has been pointing to the 13 per cent derivation, Niger Delta Development Commission and most recently, the Presidential Amnesty programme.

What do you have to say on this?

But you know that 13 per cent derivation is not equal to eighty - seven percent deprivation. You steal 100 tubers of yam from my farm, after which you bring back 13 tubers and tell me: ‘Oga, no vex.’ I live in Warri.

You want to travel from Warri to Escravos, it’s 90 minutes by speed boat. If you want to build a bridge there, Nigerian budget for the next 10 years will not do it. So what have you done for the region? The NDDC is just propaganda. If you look at the funding ratio, it is the states that are even funding it. The three per cent contribution expected from the oil companies is not forthcoming. If you check the amount of money the Federal Ministry of Finance is owing NDDC, it is over N300 billion. The money that NDDC is getting to execute its programmes across the nine states is not even enough for one state. This is why you can’t find its real impact across the region.

Obasanjo just created NDDC to give the impression to the world that he was solving the problem of the Niger Delta but the impact has since faded away. At the initial stage, it had propaganda value, but now if they have a project, they can’t even finish it. If it is a bridge, they cannot complete it. If it is a hospital, they cannot finish it. People are already disenchanted by what is happening.

What should Nigeria do to surmount these challenges?

Well, if we don’t return to true federalism as captured in the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions, the country will go to hell; it will not be able to recover because if a man has a

disease that requires blood transfusion and you keep applying palm oil, you are wasting time. The colours of both substances are similar but they are not the same. The country is multinational, multi- lingual and multi-cultural; it can only be governed by a federal structure. This was why the founding fathers chose federalism from the beginning. They know we shared certain characteristics with countries like India, Ethiopia, Switzerland, Germany, Canada and United States of America. These are countries running federalist democracies. But we have deviated from the original vision and we are running our own federalism like a military barrack.

Abia: Trouble in God’s Own State C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 3

had the right of appeal under the constitution.

Several groups have followed one another in solidarity with the Governor.

Reacting to the judgment sacking Dr. Ikpeazu, Constitutional Lawyer and Human Rights Activist, Chief Mike A.A. Ozekhome, (SAN), described it as “ hogwash, unnatural, curious and highly questionable. It constitutes a blatant breach of the hallowed doctrine of “lispendes”. He referred to Government of Lagos State Vs Ojukwu, wondering why INEC was in a hurry to give Ogar the certificate of return when the sitting governor has already appealed with a motion for stay of execution.

He said the certificate issued to Ogar “is dead on arrival, as dead as “dodo”, having regard to the clear provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act.” “As soon as INEC became aware of the extant appeal and motion for stay of execution, it should have been guided by discretion and waited. Read my lips: “the judgment was poorly researched and would be reversed at the Court of Appeal.

“Meanwhile, in law, the governor remains the governor until all appeals are exhausted up to the Supreme Court. This is a constitu-

tional right. See Eyesan vs Sanusi (Sc). To be sure, the Abia State High Court is jurisdictionally equal and coordinate with the Federal High Court to have granted the stay. That has surely prevented electoral anarchy and judicial rascality. If the certificate of return is given to a person who has been dragged to a higher court, what is left for the appellate court to decide? The couching of the judgment to the effect that INEC should issue the certificate, with the plaintiff being sworn in immediately, was quite unfortunate and overreaching, as it as it literally foreclosed the governor’s constitutional right of appeal.

“The Abia State High Court has rescued the judiciary from an otherwise messy, odious, obloquous and opprobrious situation. Thank God there are appellate courts to always right the wrongs and shortcomings of lower courts.

Otherwise, the judiciary would have been interned in a shameful state of nadir and irreversible cataclysm,” he said.

The current political quagmire, observers noted may undermine the rule of law as the action of INEC is said to have run foul of all laws and remain a nullity. Already, the governor has declared Friday and Monday public holiday. By Thursday a reasonable solution is expected to be reached, even as the case goes to Appeal Court.

‘My palace preserves Igbo traditions’ C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 7

office for the military and we have a banquet hall where the ruling council can assemble and dine and wine together. We have a guest house where our visitors can stay. What we are trying to construct, the ongoing one now is the museum where we will preserve the antiquities of the community, where we will also get the antiquities of other communities and build a complete history of our people.

Why we are doing all that is because we want to elevate the Igbo tradition not just Ibagwa Nike community. One person must be a pride of the family, one person must be the pride of a nation, one person must attract a nation into the Guinness Book of Records. And because of that I know that I cannot just reason like others; this place has cost me not less than over N500 million. The main conference room has the capacity for 500 to 1000 persons; we set it according to what we do. We do all those things in order to encourage royalty in Igbo land.

What were the obstacles you faced?

When I started it, it was not easy because my people believe why should I use what I was supposed to use for my own children, my own generation to start erecting something of this nature for the community, but one person must make a history and the history that I have made is that if I go, and God decided to pick somebody from anywhere.

God can pick somebody from anywhere, the person doesn’t need to look for a royal home. In other places, in emirate councils in the North, you go to Igala, you go to Benin and so on you discover they have a permanent place where they stay. The moment you die, if they choose somebody from the family that is not their son that person will occupy that place. Nobody will even know that an outsider is the one occupying the place. If they choose your son, your son will still occupy the same place, that place will remain as a monumental statue of royalty. That is what I did here and I did it for posterity, to foster peace and unity in the community.

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SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

Crossword puzzle

The Jackal’s Strategy

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ahachataraka was a jackal living in a forest. One day, he found the body of an elephant and was happy that it would have food for many days. However, he was not able to bite into the thick hide of the elephant and was circling around the body when a lion came that way. The jackal humbly prostrated before the lion and said, “My lord, I am your obedient servant. At your command, I am keeping a vigil on the body of the elephant. Please help yourself.”

The lion said, “You know my friend, I do not eat something others have killed. You may take it as my gift to you.”

“I am touched by your magnanimity, my lord,” said the jackal.

After the lion had left, a tiger came on the scene.

The jackal thought, “I got rid of one menace through humility. How do I escape this fellow? He will not yield to any strategy I know. The only way of keeping him at bay is cunning. Let me try it.”

The jackal then went half way to greet the tiger and said, “O uncle, why are you entering this area of death? The lion has killed this elephant and asked me to keep watch on it. He has gone to take bath. Before going, he told me to inform him if any tiger happened to come here. He vowed to kill all the tigers because long time ago a tiger had nibbled at an elephant he had killed. He told me that from that day he had sworn to kill all tigers.”

These words frightened the tiger.

He told the jackal, “Son, save my life. When the lion comes, don’t tell him I had come this way.

Please.”

On receiving an assurance from the jackal, the tiger hurriedly left the scene. Then came a leopard.

The Jackal thought, “This fellow has strong and sharp teeth. I will persuade him to pierce the hide of the elephant.”

Math picture

xxxxx

Gags: Q: Why did the boy bring a ladder to school?

Ans: He wanted to go to high school.

Q: Which flower talks the most?

Ans: Tulips, of course, ‘cause they have two lips!

A man arrived on Friday in a small town. He stayed for two days and left on Friday.

How is this possible?

His horse’s name is Friday!

Colour by number

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY JULY 3, 2016

NEWS Nwonye extols women as nation builders p.32

INTERVIEW ‘I’m glad reaching the Biblical for three score and ten years’ p.32

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SERMON

Forgiveness as a weapon of victory p.50

FAITH

Ridicule of religious garbs

TAI ANYANWU HEAD, RELIGOUS DESK titus.anyanwu@newtelegraph © Daily Telegraph Publishing

New proof that ‘God’ created the universe shakes scientists

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group of scientists has fashioned a stir in the scientific community by saying there is clear evidence that God created the universe.

To prove their findings, they used theoretical particles called “primitive semi-radius tachyons” to conclude Higher Being really exists.

“I have concluded that we are in a world made by rules created by an intelligence,” theoretical physicist Dr. Michio Kaku told in Geophilosophical Association of Anthropological and Cultural Studies.

He went on to say that it is clear we exist in a plan which is governed by rules that were created.

Kaku said he can explain this phenomenon by observing particles called primitive semi-radius tachyons, which are capable of un-sticking matters in the universe or create a vacuum between particles to leave everything free from influences. After running series of tests, Kaku said that human beings live in a “Matrix,” just like the 1999 Hollywood movie. In a video posted on YouTube, Kaku suggests that God might be a very intelligent mathematician that is capable of making precise calculations.

Furthermore, many scientists believe the “Big Bang” is the start of creation. This massive explosion happened 13.7 billion years ago. During that period, scientists believe the universe underwent an extremely brief and dramatic period of inflation, expanding faster than the speed of light.

Osun State students in various religous garbs. Inset: Female Muslim pupils in hijab

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Tai Anyanwu hen Justice Saka Oyejide Falola, of the Osun State High Court declared that female Muslim students in the state can wear their hijab to school, the honourable Justice probably did not know the depth of reaction that singular declaration could go to orchestrated what can now be described as the fashion parade of religious garbs in the state.

In that pronouncement, Justice Falola had also held that it was a fundamental right of Muslim girls and ladies to do so.

Despite objections from Christian leaders in the state, it was obvious that the state government under the watch of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, was hell bent on implementing the court declaration.

In compliance with the controversial pronouncement, female Muslim students freely wore their hijabs to school. Unfortunately, two of the affected schools in the state were founded by missionaries before the state government took them over.

In a swift reaction, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state expressed disenchantment stating that it sensed that the Osun State government was behind the controversial court ruling. Consequently, CAN warned that Christian pupils in the state would begin to wear their church robes to school in retaliation if Governor Rauf Aregbesola went ahead to implement the judgment.

Rising from an emergency meeting of the association’s executive committee and heads of Churches held in Osogbo on June 7 the association said: “Were the Osun State government is inclined to

implementing the judgment Christian students in all public schools founded by Christians with the toil and sweat of our forefathers in the faith will have no choice but to start wearing Christian garments and vestments as part of their school uniform for the propagation of our own faith given the Justice Saka Oyejide Falola declared the right of Muslim female students to do same as what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander as well.”

Appealing the court ruling, CAN contended that the declaration violates the religious rights of the original owners of the missionary schools as agreed upon when the schools were taken over by the then government of Oyo State in 1975; and accused Governor Aregbesola of masterminding the judgment in line with his ‘Islamization Agenda’, arguing that this had been earlier stated by the Directorate of Military Intelligence in 2012 based on credible intelligence and corroborated by Osun CAN in 2014.

“This unshed toga of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola flies in the face of the fact of the overwhelming number of Christians in Osun State vis-a-vis Muslims,” CAN said.

One Tuesday morning, students of Baptist High School, Adeeke in Iwo Town and Salvation Army Middle School, Alekuwodo, in the state wore church garments to the schools, in protest against the use of hijab by female Muslim students.

On hand, were representatives of CAN who confirmed that they were present to ensure that no one dared to send the children away. Though Governor Aregbesola followed up with an order that any student found disobeying school rules in the state risked expulsion, a new regime of

religious garb parade had come to stay in the state of Osun.

Commenting on the hijab controversy in the state, the Director of Social Communication, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Monsignor Gabrial Osu, stressed that religion has often been used for wrong reason in Nigeria.

“We have witnessed the OIC palaver of 1986 which nearly split our country in two, the religious riots in the old Kaduna State during which a number of churches were set ablaze and lives were lost, the Sharia controversy in some states in the north of Nigeria in 2000 which also led to loss of lives and harassment of the Christian minority in those states, the subjection of Nigerians to noise pollution issuing from churches and mosques, the exploitation of religious differences by politicians who would do or say anything to get our votes, the use of religion to justify the obviously politically motivated Boko Haram insurgency, to mention but these. Religion is once again in the news, this time in Osun State on the wearing of HIJAB.” He regretted that the unhealthy relationship between Muslims and Christians in Osun had made a mockery of south-western Nigeria, a part of Nigeria that is noted and envied for its inter-religious harmony.

His words: “It is a part of Nigeria where one could find siblings who practice different religions without acrimony.

Let it not be that the hijab controversy in Osun State is the beginning of the end of inter-religious harmony in south-western Nigeria.”

CO N T I N UED ON PAGE 51

Escaped sex slave recounts ordeal in ISIS captivity

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Yazidi woman, Nadia Murad, who escaped sexual slavery to ISIS recently gave her testimony before Congress, Christian Headlins.com has reported.

Murad escaped ISIS captivity as a sex slave in 2014 and is adamant that the U.S. and other countries need to do more to defeat the terrorist group.

“Daesh [the Arabic acronym for ISIS] will not give up their weapons unless we force them to give up their weapons,” she testified, with the assistance of a translator. “The Yazidi people cannot wait.”

Murad urged the U.S. and other countries “to establish a safe and protected zone for Iraqi and Syrian religious minorities,” something the Obama administration has been reluctant to do.

Murad testified how she and many other women and girls were raped by ISIS militants and forced into sexual slavery.

She also said she saw her mother and six brothers executed by ISIS in a single day.

She eventually escaped to Mosul where a Muslim family helped her obtain fake Islamic identification which allowed her to escape ISIS territory altogether.

Although she escaped to freedom, Murad said she does not truly feel free because the ISIS militants who captured her and perpetrated the horrible crimes against her and so many others have not been brought to justice.

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FAITH

‘Frustration makes some Pastors open churches’ Sir, what is your own area of calling?

I am an evangelist by calling, God has given me the mandate to preach to people and win souls for his kingdom. Any pastors you see today going to open a church because of frustration and hunger go extra the mile to acquire powers for miracles and use this to delude people, making then believe that they are servants of God; they enrich themselves with the wealth of their members, deceive them and ultimately lead them to eternal damnation. I came back to Nigeria because God told me in Germany to go back to Nigeria to win souls for him.

How does it feel to be back to Nigeria?

It is not easy to live in Nigeria after spending most of one’s years abroad.

When I was in Germany, with the little job I was doing, I was able to afford anything I wanted. I lived in a very good house, had money to eat any kind of food I wanted, and could afford to buy a car. Nigeria is a very tough country; most people that have de-

The senior pastor of Christ Shalom Evangelical Ministry, Cyril Okoh, speaks about his ministry and current national issues in this interview cent jobs cannot even afford everything they need for their comfort. It was not for me because I came back to Nigeria to preach the gospel and God told me not to do any other thing apart from the work he has committed into my hands, and because of this I did not work or do any other thing apart from preaching the gospel and winning souls for the kingdom of God. How did you start your own ministry in Nigeria?

I never knew that one day, I will start my own assignment to go about, preaching the gospel of salvation. That was why, when I returned to Nigeria I was attending House on The Rock, the church of pastor Paul Adefarasi, he was really very good to me I must confess. I later left House on The Rock for Tunde Bakare’s Latter Rain Assembly. One day, God gave me a message to preach and I told him that I have money to go to church, so where do I preach the message

Okoh

because I don’t have my own church. He told me to walk to a particular church to preach the message. I became confused because I was not invited by the church to come and minister, so do I go and tell the pastor of the church to sit down that I have a bet-

ter message to preach? But God insisted that I must go and I obeyed. When I got to the church, the pastor of the church surprisingly said the this is the man that has the word we are going to hear today, pointing to me I was shocked but because of the word has spo-

ken and commanded me to go, I knew that he was going to do something about me obeying him. I preach, and many people surrender their lives to Christ and were also richly blessed.

One other faithful Sunday, I did not have money for me and my family to go to church I cried unto God and he told me to hold my church in my own apartment, it looked absurd to me because I was wondering who am I going to preach to, and the nuclear family together and preached to them. I did that and that was how my own ministry started.

We continued and when my friends and relations heard of it, they converged at my house to worship.

When I saw them I was not pleased with their coming, and I told them that I am not happy seeing them, because I don’t want anybody to come here and worship with me out of sympathy.

They told me that God directed them to come and worship at my place and the church grew.

What do you have to say about the state of the country?

I must tell you the truth, President Muhammadu Buhari is God’s choice for Nigeria. God has chosen him to handle the affairs of the nation. Before the election, God told me that he has taken away the garment from Jonathan and that he has given it to Buhari. I called some of my friends and told them that Buhari will win the election because the garment had been taken from Jonathan in the spiritual realm; most of them argued with me, and when the election came, Buhari won to confirm the word of the lord; that does not mean that he is the Messiah or he is righteous but he is just God’s choice, you must know that God makes a good or bad king for a certain reason. In the Bible, God made pharaoh the king of Egypt, he was wicked, callous and brutal but God made him king so that the children of Israel will know that he is the true God so that his name will be glorified.

FACES AT THE EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF CITY OF TRUTH COVENANT FAITH PROOF MINISTRIES, HELD IN YENAGOA, BEYELSA STATE RECENTLY

It was a gathering of the saints as the City of Truth Covenant Faith Proof Ministries, Yenagoa, Beyelsa State celebrated it eighth-year anniversary. The event tagged ‘Shinning Glory 2016, brought all members of the church, friends and relations outside and within Nigeria together from June 9 to 12, in a glorious refreshing atmosphere. The presiding minister of the church, Bishop Mike Okpokpo, enjoined members to always remain faithful to God adding: “Only God has kept us Alive.” Below are some of the faces at the event:

Cross section of ministers at the event General Overseer, City of Truth Covenant Faith Proof Ministries, Bishop Mike Okpokpo

The choir

Wife of GO, Bishop Faith Okpokpo

Guest Minister, Bishop Simeon Okah

Cross section of participants

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY JULY 3, 2016

‘I’m glad reaching the Biblical for three score and ten years’

FAITH INTERVIEW

Rev. Cole Omeaku Chiori is a retired minister of the gospel from Assemblies of God church and chairman Oceanglory Commodities ltd in this interview with DEBORAH OCHENI, the Abia State-born minister, who turned 70 yesterday speaks on his achievements at 70, why marriages are breaking and sundry issues.

How does it feel turning 70?

I am glad and grateful to God for reaching the Biblical for three score and ten years, am so happy and grateful to God.

Jesus said by their fruit we shall know them, personally I have mended so many homes that were about breaking.

At seventy, what will you crown as your greatest achievement?

At seventy, I will say my greatest achievement is clinging unto God. Believing in God and remaining in his service is my greatest achievement.

You once lived in the northern part of Nigeria, would you say that environment is same as what it used to be?

Something strange has entered into everybody; it’s not really clear but yet to be known, because then in the north we were united. It’s only when it comes to religion that they get apart. Like when I was in Katsina, we did things in common but when it comes to religion, that’s where hatred is but I think when we eventually understood each other, many of them began to repent; the only problem in the north is religion apart from that, northerners are lovely people.

How were you able to raise lovely and united family? Is there any special technique?

I would say it is the grace of God because I had no father who brought me up. They were born in a Christian home and I always tell them that they are very lucky to have been born into a Christian home. I taught them love and unity at a very tender age, I usually use a bunch of brooms to exemplify the power of unity; that any house that stands against itself will break.

We have so many broken homes nowadays, what do you think is responsible for it?

I wouldn’t say it an advancement of technology that is responsible for broken homes but lack of understanding and purpose. Many don’t know the meaning of marriage, they don’t even know that God himself instituted marriage in the Garden of Eden, what is happening in marriages now is different from God’s initial plans, In the beginning God created a male and a female so that when the man marries a woman they remain together but young men and women of this day are not ready to adapt and that is why homes are breaking up.

What is your advice to them?

My advice to them is to be patient with their spouse, tolerate and learn to forgive easily; and never discuss your family issue with outsiders apart from your marriage counsellor.

Some marriage counsellors are not even living with their spouse. Do you think they are good sources to consult?

Is that to say that this problem has been in existence long before now?

Yes of course, that is why there have always been religious riots in Kafanchan, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and other parts of the north. It’s nothing but religion.

Does religion encourage killing one another as projected by some ‘religion fanatics’?

Religion does not encourage killing. If you ask a good Muslim, he will tell you the Qur’an doesn’t encourage killing; so also, if you ask a Christian, he will tell you that Bible condemns killing; but extremist believe that when they kill, they will go to heaven.

The truth is I have very good Muslim friends and we do many things together peacefully. Sometimes we discuss the

Traditionalist group accuses Pope Francis of spreading errors

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traditionalist group of Catholic bishops and priests that has been separated from the wider church for decades appears to have abandoned efforts to reunite with Rome, releasing a statement Wednesday that claims Pope Francis is encouraging the spreading of errors in church teaching.

The Society of St. Pius X, founded by the late French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970 mainly in opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, says now it “does not primarily seek a canonical recognition” from the Vatican for its continuing activities.

The society also says there is a “great and painful confusion that currently reigns in the Church” that “requires the denunciation of errors that have made their way into it and are unfortunately encouraged by a large number of pastors, including the Pope himself.”

The statement, released on the society’s website, seems to eliminate chances that the group might reunite with Rome. Popes have tried to repair relations over four decades.

Pope Benedict XVI made the most effort to reunite with the group, lifting the excommunications of four of their bishops in 2009.

Omeaku Qur’an and the Bible together because, there is a common understanding of the Bible and the Qur’an.

Many people that lack the understanding tend to go crazy about it and that is where the problem lies because when a Pastor does the right thing carefully by avoiding things that can bring chaos and the Afa does same, there will not be any problem.

In some churches, the pastor takes advantage of people’s desperation and tends to bill them for prayers; is that what the Bible teaches?

That is not what the Bible teaches for Jesus said, “freely you receive and freely you shall give” so any pastor or whoever commercializes Christianity is acting in carnality and there is no truth in whatever they do. So whoever does that is not a real pastor nor a true servant of God because a person who is truly called by God and undergoes quality biblical training does not do such a thing.

Looking at what is happening in the world today, is this the signs of what the Bible says about the end time?

We all know that we are in the end times.

The Bible says when we hear about wars

and rumours of wars, we should know that the end is close but; we should beware of fake prophets so that we would not be led astray. All we need to do is to be watchful and live consciously of eternity on daily basis so as not to be taken unawares when our Lord Jesus shall come.

In our country today, the prices of almost all consumable items are skyrocketing; what is the Christian community doing about this?

Some churches and some NGOs that are piloted by Christians are doing their best to alleviate the suffering of the less privileged in our society. It is not that they have enough, but they go all out to obey the commandments of God by sharing what they have with the poor and needy in the society.

What is the way out of this situation?

The only way out is to turn back to God; because it is only God that can sustain us because if you depend on government, you can’t get anything but if you depend on God He will supply all your needs. So my sincere advice to Nigerians is to go back to our creator for He knows the best for us.

200,000 Buddhists embrace Christ A ll the revival needed was the first spark of a Tibetan monk. When he converted to Christianity last year, the revival fire exploded. Now, more than 200,000 Tibetans have accepted Jesus into their lives, according to multiple reports.

Asian Access’ Joel Handley says he believes much of the faith sweeping the region stems from Christian response to the devastating Nepalese earthquake more than a year ago.

“They haven’t seen Buddhists, Hindus or other religious groups helping in the midst of the rubble. Rather, week after week, it is the followers of Jesus who have proved the test of time, sacrificed their own lives to serve and been the

hands and feet of Jesus,” Handley says.

Asian Access wants to build the Kingdom of God throughout Asia using local leaders, according to their website.

“As we focus on that demographic, we want to develop leaders who are growing in Christlikeness.

We focus on urging each leader to nurture their love relationship with God; this produces character and being molded into Christ’s image. But it’s more than simply growing personally. As a result of participating in the A2 Leader Development program, we want graduates to be more Christlike leaders, too. Because they are positive role models, this affects everyone in each leader’s leads,” their site reads.

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FAITH

Nwonye extols women as nation builders Emmanuel Masha PORT HARCOURT

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ny nation or society that ignores the spiritual land socio-economic growth of its women is on the verge of failure, so declared the presiding Pastor of Grace of God mission, Rivers State, Rev. Melchizedek Nwonye.

Speaking at the Women’s Day celebration of the

Church, Nwonye described women as family and nation builders pointing out that women have a special role to play in the progress of any nation.

While speaking on the theme ‘Women of Excellence’, the cleric insisted that women and those things that make them grow prosperous and happy need to be given special attention.

He took advantage of the forum to emphasis on family values stressing that women are not celebrated the way they ought to.

Nwonye, however commended the church saying: “The church has always found time to acknowledge the huge contributions women make in the family, in the church and in the larger society.” According to the cleric, successful

people all over the world will testify that their wives or mother stood solidly behind them to enable them achieve their goals in life.

His words: “I have always known that any society that wants to make serious progress must pay attention to its women. This is because they are special, and naturally equipped with the qualities to move things forward.

“So, any society that ignores its women is on the verge of failure. If a woman fails to do her work as a mother, we won’t have presidents, senators, doctors, governors.

“The earlier we begin to prepare our women, the better. They need our support and encouragement at every point in time so that they continue to put their special touch in building our families, and the society at large.”

Speaking earlier, a guest minister, Bishop Kate George, appealed to the women folks to defend their homes with wisdom while noting that what really makes women special is the fear of God. She also urged them to be submissive to their husbands and always show understanding so that happiness will reign in the family.

“What makes you special

is the fear of God. You need wisdom to make it as a wife and as a mother. Wisdom is very profitable. You have to defend your home with wisdom the way you defend your pocket when it contains money.

“A woman should also be accessible. People should be able to pass through you to get to Christ... When you serve your husband very well, he becomes focused and he will no longer see other women,” the Bishop said.

The Bishop, who also called out couples, urged them to work tirelessly in building up their families, and to have delight in the things of God because it pays.

The women recited Bible verses, engaged in drama presentation, sang special numbers, danced and marched round the church and were applauded by the congregation.

Kukah urges IPOB, NDA, others to go through N’Assembly Tai Anyanwu Nwonye

Avert impending religious crisis, Okoh warns Buhari Okegwo Kenechukwu ONITSHA

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he Primate of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Dominion), Nicholas Okoh, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari use his good office to prevent looming religious crisis in Nigeria, which the cleric said is being fuelled

by Islamic fundamentalist in the country.

The Primate made the call at the just concluded synod of the Diocese of Niger West held at the Chapel of Hoy Spirit, Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe in Anambra State.

In an address read on his behalf by the host Bishop, Most Rev. Johnson Ekwe, Okoh delved into serious national issues pointing out that at independence, Nigerians opted for liberal democracy system of government as the national ideology.

“But as time went on, it became clear that some citizens from the Northern part glaringly began to show preference for strict application of Islamic laws while paying lip service to democracy,” he noted.

“Many of the politicians, religious leaders, traditional and military leaders from the Muslim areas of Northern Nigeria were assiduously working to undermine democracy and promote Sharia,” Okoh said.

On that premise, the synod stressed that the root of insecurity, distrust, mutual suspicion which pervades in the country today exists as a result of the conflict between liberal democracy and Sharia ideology.

Therefore, it urged the President to urgently address the issue of Kaduna State Religious Bill and incessant killing of innocent Christians by Islamic fundamentalists.

It also frowned at the Mr President’s perceived insensitivity to the plight of Christians: “The apparent disdain and contempt Mr. President exhibited for Christians in Nigeria as demonstrated during his interview on Al-Jezeera on the objection of Christian to Nigerians involvements in the Saudi-led military coalition to fight ISIS was to say the least the church noted.

“We wish to remind Mr President that he

was brought into power through the votes of Nigerian Christian inclusive,” it added.

“We also want to remind Mr President that over 50% of Nigerians did not vote for the nation to transmute into a Sharia compliant nation. Let it be known that any nation in which Islamist believes that they are sufficiently strong to exercise influence rarely experience peaceful co-habitation among divergent group within it.”

This they claim is the current situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Sudan while noting that Islamism thrives on injustice, inequality and unfairness.

The synod, however, urged Nigerians to act cautiously so that the Islamic fanatics do not drag the nation down the path of destruction.

On the state of the economy, the synod expressed concern at the rate of deterioration and called on government at all levels to evolve a pragmatic policy approach and concrete actions to promote and provide an enabling environment for the participation

of all Nigerian in agriculture, allied industries and other local income generating ventures to boost the Nation’s Economy.

It also commended Federal Government’s move to check unemployment in the country while appreciating president Buhari’s zero tolerance to corruption.

In addition, synod called on anti-corruption agencies to adopt relevant strategy across all tiers of government, agencies, and departments that would ensure careful articulation institutionalized frame work to achieve the desired result.

In his speech, the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano reassured the Anglican community that his administration was committed to the peace, unity of all Christians and other faith in the state and advised them to always co-habitat in peace and harmony.

“The church is a veritable instrument for peace and development of any society and I want to appeal to religious leaders to always pray for those in position of authority for God to direct them aright.”

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he Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Very Rev. Mathew Hassan Kukah, has asked IPOB, NDA and other component agitating for self governance to channel the desire rightly through the National Assembly.

Kuka made the call while reacting to question during 2016 Father’s Day celebration at the Church of nativity in FESTAC, Lagos.

According to the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto State, there is nothing wrong with anybody or region wanting to leave Nigeria as long as such desire is channeled through the National Assembly, which is the appropriate and constitutional means of doing so.

Kukah stressed Nigerians must come to terms with two things that democracy has given us as people the freedom to express ourselves not just verbally but in action.

His words: “I don’t have a problem with anybody wanting to leave Nigeria or requesting for a new state or local council, there is absolutely nothing wrong.

The only thing wrong is if you fail to understand that we are in democracy and the only way to achieve that is through the National Assembly.”

He also hinted that it is not possible for Presi-

dent Muhammadu Buhari to create or give a new local council or state to any group of people or region, saying: “If you want an independent Biafra State, household or any other form of independence, the only way to go about it is not by violent agitation but by talking to those who represent you in the National Assembly.

Your representatives can sponsor a bill and if the bill is passed and signed, then you can get whatever you want.”

On the series of crises currently going on in the country, the cleric blamed the political class saying: “The political class should be held responsible for the crises we have in the society today. Public office holders are not appointed but elected and the reason they were elected is not to make money but to serve the country.

“But as you can see very clearly, what we are having so far is anything but service and this is why when I hear politicians say we cannot develop in an environment that is violent or volatile, politicians do not understand that it is their irresponsible behaviours that are creating violence and tension. Ordinarily, an armed robber wants to live in peace. “My idea is that Nigerian politicians must come to the fact that politics is a noble vocation.”

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Body&Soul with

Wole Adepoju 07037763410

woleadepoju@yahoo.com

Funke Bucknor Obruthe counts her blessings at 40 E Hon. Segun Olulade living it up

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ithout mincing words, Honourable Segun Olulade representing Epe Constituency II, a second term legislator in the Lagos State House of Assembly, has become one of the most sought after and well loved members in the assembly even as his political influence is growing by the day.

However, the handsome and well-dressed politician did not just come by the support and love he enjoys from both the political arena and the people for no reason but for his commitment, diligence at discharging his duties and holding the wellbeing and development of his people close to his heart. In living up to expectation, the chairman House Committee on Health is on the move again to make his people smile. Through his bid to empower the youth, arrangements and efforts have been put in place through his pet project, Eleniyan Cares Foundation, to do something meaningful again. Basically, come July 16, all roads will lead to Epe where a ground breaking event that is designed to liberate and empower the youths will be held. The event, which is tagged Eleniyan Youths Empowerment Summit, is gathering much momentum as many have been billed to benefit from it in various forms.

lder sister to popular singer and On-Air Personality, Tosin Bucknor, who is a popular events planner, Funke Bucknor Obruthe, has been in a very high and great mood for a worthy course which is hitting the significant age of 40. While she has since become subject of celebration by all and sundry, the dark skinned lady has demonstrated she has reasons to be happy and grateful to her creator for her blessings in the last four decades she has lived.

Coming from an average home where the parents put them on the right path as well as showered her with love, Funke, just like her sister, Tosin, settled to study law which she successfully achieved as a law graduate. Funke used to do events planning back in her school days but it eventually turned out to be what would give her the big break and place her on the path of honour as she’s today a very successful event planner. Through her flourishing event planning outfit, Zapphire, Funke is not just a pathfinder in the industry but a successful and celebrated employer of labour. As she was building her business empire, fate was also very good to her to have provided her with not just a husband but a man who truly cherishes and cares for his partner and ultimately with the fruit of the womb to crown her marriage. To say Funke has reasons to be happy on her 40th birthday will amount to stating the obvious and on that note, she made her birthday a very special one. While encomiums have not stopped pouring in for the large and accommodating heart the birthday girl went before her creator to show appreciation for being alive to witness the day as well for her numerous blessings while a bash to cap it all was not spared in a classy form where family, friends and well- wishers were on hand to merry with her and her loving husband.

Willie Anumudu on the move I

gbo born Lagos based dude, Willie Anumudu, might be one individual who naturally is not given to blowing his trumpet; but like it’s said that gold fish have no hiding place, the same way Willie has become known due to his outstanding successes as a business man.

The highly influential and sociable man who is married to beautiful society lady, Nkiru, while is a frontline auto magnate who sits atop flourishing auto business concern, Globe Motors.

The easy going amiable business man may have moved up the ladder by breaking new ground. According to the information making the rounds, Chief Willie is set to take his multi billion naira auto business to the next level. The information has it that, the man is stepping up as he’s expected to float an automobile assembly plant that is worth hundreds of billions in Lagos.

Great time for Oladipupo Diya

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he Gateway State, Ogun, has something that is peculiar and it’s simply that it has produced great people who are significant to national history more than any other state. In the case of retired Army Chief, General Oladipupo Diya, he’s not just a hero from Ogun State due to his contributions to the nation but one

with a rare and peculiar tale. Call him a man of destiny and you won’t be wrong because only such people have a second chance to live having been condemned to death and all he had left was his day with the hangman.

For General Diya, who was former deputy to late General Sani Abacha, if he chooses to merry all his days, he may not get knocked for it because he’s been to the lion’s den before rescue came his way. That explains why his happiness climaxed recently when he had the opportunity to witness the wedding ceremony of his last child; a day of joy he would not have lived to witnessed if he had been executed for an alleged coup plot.

Son of General Oladipupo Diya, Babatunde, quit the bachelor’s group to become one with his lover, Abisola, daughter of a military official, Captain Omololu Sunny Adegboye and

Jimoh Ibrahim trudges on

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s much as the Igbotako, Ondo Stateborn dude, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim has endeared himself to so many who see him as a role model and admire his success as a business man, the same way the billionaire business man has almost been synonymous with controversies, especially as it has to do with his handful of failed business ventures. The most recent one that is still fresh in the minds of the people is the fallout of his alleged N50 billion debts which prompted AMCON order a takeover of his investments and properties.

However, while it is thought that the de-

velopment will take a toll on his activities that include his partisanship in the politics of his state, Ondo, even as the next governorship election draws nearer, it has otherwise been discovered that the dogged graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University has not allowed it to slow him down especially as it has to do with his long standing governorship ambition that he’s yet to achieve. Jimoh, who, years back flew his governorship ambition on the platform of ANPP but failed, has since joined PDP where he has been involved in the squabbles that has engulfed the Ondo State chapter of the party as regards owner-

ship of party machinery. As it is, the Global Fleet chairman may have given up on pursuing his ambition on the altar of PDP thereby teaming up with Accord Party even as he has reiterated his determination to succeed Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

Fresh information reaching Celeb Lounge has it that gladiators in the on-coming election may have developed cold feet with how Jimoh is said to be planning to dominate the scene with everything at his disposal and more to his advantage, the support of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, which he is said to have gotten.

the wedding ceremony expectedly by virtue of the status and caliber of those involved was nothing less of a society event. The groom’s father who was visibly happy to witness such a great day spared nothing to make it a memorable one. With lots of dignitaries and very important personalities in attendance, the journey of Babatunde and Abisola to becoming one in matrimony began at Archbishop Viny Catholic Church, Ikeja, before the train moved to the reception where the process was concluded and guests were treated to a great time.

Young Babatunde, a medical doctor and Abisola, a banking and finance graduate who incidentally are both from Odogbolu in Ogun State were friends for over a year before proceeding on a three-year courtship and eventually became one in a society wedding.

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Body&Soul

SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Here Beyond Slay on day time

red carpets Biwom Iklaki

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ew people know how to rock their looks according to the event. I guess that is where one’s sense of style comes into play. Being stylish is not just being able to put piece together, you should also be able to tell what looks go with which occasions. Sometimes, you may smash your look from here to high heavens but when you take that look to the wrong venue, you will stick out like a sore thumb and thus be considered a fail at styling for that event. Many smart people who are photographed often get professional stylists to put their looks together. These stylists determine which dress to wear with the hair, accessories and makeup to go with that look for that particular event. Some designers who get to dress stars up for events, send along their stylists to do this too. It could also be to determine which underwear would work the best for a certain dress. Basically, the ensembles to best flatter both the star and the dress. People get paid heavily for this “job”.

Here are a few starts who got it right when they went on the red carpet during the day (of course we know day time red carpet doesn’t come with too much pizazz) and still stayed true to their styles without compromising on their star quality.

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Trash chute countertops Biwom Iklaki

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ost of the refuse generated in the home comes from the kitchen and the chopping counter gets first mention in the matter. When you stand at the counter and chop your vegetables, and other food items, you may not want to make the trip across the kitchen to the garbage can. To solve this small inconvenience in the kitchen, some people designed their kitchen counters such that the garbage can is right next to the counter top to help you just scoop what trash you generate right into the can. Even more clever designers built upon this idea and created a genius countertop where the garbage can fits right into

the counter with the added bonus of a slide to cover the hole. It is such that all you need to do is just slide the garbage across the table to the hole in the counter top and into the trash can.

This system is so convenient that some people even have three trash chutes with different labels for your types of garbage generated in the kitchen; the biodegradables, the rubbers, tins, etc.

You just determine which chute you will drop your trash and swipe it right into the appropriate hole in the counter. On the other hand, you need to keep the area clean all the time. Also, you may run the risk of getting a bit of a whiff from the trash if you do not empty them often. So be sure to empty the trash as often as possible.

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Perfect guy, but he still lives with his parents

I’m in love and going to marry one of the greatest guys I’ve ever met in a while but I’m in desperate need of some advice. The chemistry with my new man is great! He has a good job, and has been treating me really well but last night he dropped the biggest bomb: he still lives with his parents and wants us to continue living there even after our marriage. He says that he’s saving money to buy a house and wouldn’t want to waste it on a rented apartment since his parents have a big house that can contain all of us. But he’s in his 30s and has a good job, so that doesn’t make sense to me. It’s too early to pry further. Should I just give up on him, assuming he’s too immature, or should I just go ahead and marry him?

Jumoke, Akure My journey to hell in an abusive relationship

I lived in a violent marriage for 10 years. I was very naive at first and really didn’t know people like him existed. He would kick me, slap me, push me, throw things at me, yell abuse, call me names like ‘social cripple’, ‘fat dirty idiot’ the list goes on and on.

I married him at a very young age

SOULMATE

Send SMS only to 07057201814 or vanessaonsunday@yahoo.com

and he always intimidates me. The verbal and physical abuse went on for a very long time until one day, our landlord threatened to evict us because of my constant screaming at night when he is using me as a punching bag.

Life was a continuous hell, fear and horror and he always blamed the children or me for his violence.

Until one day when he hit me with a dining chair and I fainted. He got scared and called the landlord to come and help him take me to the hospital. When my brothers came to visit me at the clinic, they insisted that I get separated from my husband. Today, I’m a much better person and my selfconfidence is back. No woman should be allowed to go through what I did and if you find yourself in such a situation, please leave before the take you out in a casket.

Ujunwa, Onitisha

How I met my sweetheart

We met in church in September on the anniversary of my father’s death, which makes our relationship so much more redeeming. At first there was no attraction. He thought I was pretty, but he’s met a lot of pretty Christians and they turned out to be ‘blah’. As weeks went on, we hung out at a few church things.

Little did I know that he started to get a lot of dreams that were pointing him towards me as his wife. Just before Christmas, he said one thing to me, and the scales fell from my eyes. I saw him in a whole new light. We could have met years before... He lived in UK for two years.... But we met at the perfect time, when we were both content and ready to love the other.

Today, I’ve the best Christian home any woman would have ever dreamed of.

Blesing, Aba

Ola is my name, 40 years old. I live and work in Lagos. I need a lady from 25 years old and above for a serious relationship-08038669791 I am Isaac, 21 years old from Edo State but lives in Lagos. I need a good looking and caring girl for a serious relationship -07036403975 My name is Omosefe. I am 20 years old and a student. I just need a guy that will appreciate and take care of me and take me the way I am for friendship-07030663511 I am Rita 28 years old from Abia State. I need a man for a serious relationship-08068915917 My name is Tope; I am 30 years old from Ogun State, living and working in Port Harcourt. I need a lady between 25 and 28 years for a serious relationship-08083923890 I am Tony, 60 years old and a divorcee.

I need a single mum or divorcee lady that is not less than 50 years old as a companion. She must be pretty, plump, busty and a business woman or working class -08059189679 My name is Tony, 36 years old living in Lagos. I am dark, good looking, intelligent and matured. I will like to meet a matured lady that is sincere between 28-40 years old for friendship.

Body size and tribe does not matter -09038825710 My name is Best, an Igbo man living in Port Harcourt. I need a lady also from the Igbo tribe below 30 years old. I like them busty and dark, a Mercy Johnson’s look alike is preferable. She must be a free-thinker, no religion. If we can understand each other, it will lead to marriage-09098009767

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Body&Soul

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Work on yourself before getting married

re you ready for marriage? I’m sure your answer will be a definite ‘YES’ especially when you feel you are matured for marriage.

Also, when you see your friends work down the aisle in the arms of their lover, you get desperate and also want to get hooked up immediately but marriage is a lot more than that.

It must be worked at consciously if you want to make a good success of it.

For you to do that, you must first work on yourself to be that man or woman that will be regarded as marriage material by an equally good spouse.

Love indeed is a beautiful thing, but make sure you are ready both physically and mentally for the responsibilities that come with it. The best time to work on your marriage is before it even begins or before you even find the spouse. Being single is just the best time for you to build yourself into that man or woman that will make a good husband or wife. There are important traits you need to cultivate in the present to prepare for a good married life.

If I may ask you, what exactly do you know about marriage? Do you belong to the school of thought that believes it’s all about having sex and going into the labour room nine months after?

You couldn’t be more wrong as a lot of people have made shipwreck of their marriage by filling it with quarrels and fights that make all sexual desires they may previously have for each other fly out of the window.

Have you taken a conscious effort to make inquiries about what makes a good marriage? If you were lucky to have parents who made a good success of their marriage, have you sat

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understand what you value most and why. That way, it will help you to quickly decipher who is the rightful partner you could make a successful married life with. Approach your love life as intentionally as you do your work.

Choose who and what you want in a relationship rather than just making it work with whoever chooses you.

RESPONSES down with either of them to find out the secret of their successful marriage?

Conversely, if you witnessed a horrible marriage between your parents, have you taken out time to find out exactly what NOT TO DO? If your heart desire is to marry a good husband or wife, first of all work at being that good woman or man that a good husband or wife will be attracted to. You should not desire a caring or godly person, when you have not cultivated such traits for yourself.

Attitude they say is everything and some peoples’ just stink! A lot of men complain about coming across a beautiful woman they instantly want to make their wife. Unfortunately, that very thought simply fly out of the window the minute she opens her mouth or brings out her cantankerous attitude.

Ladies listen, your beauty may attract a man into your life but it is your character that makes him want to stay by your side. Beauty fades but a good character and a positive attitude endures forever and that is what will sustain a marriage.

For the man, before you even think of getting married, do you consider yourself a responsible person? Mar-

riage comes with a lot of responsibility for the man. Do you know what it really means to take care of a family? You need to get trained on how to be understanding and tolerant. Study what it takes to please a woman both in the bedroom and out of it. You must also understand the basic things women want and know how to respond to those needs such as showing affection, in conversation, honesty, openness, financial support, and family commitment.

For the women, you need to learn about the typical needs of a man and know how to fulfill them. Go and get understanding on things that will hold the interest of your man and how to sustain that interest. Men basically need a woman who will respect and submit to them, be a recreational companion, have a physical appearance they will always admire, be domesticated and a very good cook and finally, give them sexual fulfillment.

Finally, get to know your good and ugly side and the values you hold in high esteem. Your values are your guiding principles. If you try to live with someone who has a different set rules, it’s not going to work.

Spend time in your singlehood to fully

RE: What would you do if your lover comes with a baby?

Aunty Vanessa, Thanks a lot for this timely write-up.

There was a man that proposed to me last year but he has two kids with another woman and I have been confused whether to accept his proposal or not.

But after reading about it in your paper, I can now take a concrete decision on it. Thanks again Ijeoma, Awka, Anambra state RE: Negative influence can destroy your relationship Dear Vanessa My marriage was almost packed up because of bad friendship. I didn’t know my girlfriend of many years envied my home because she and her husband were always quarrelling. She started giving me wrong advices when I confide in her on certain issues in my home. She even went to the extent of sending text massage to my husband about me. It’s a long story my dear. All I can say here is to advice other women to be careful who they call their true friends.

Mrs. Abimbola, T. Lagos state

Nigeria Literature in need of a new direction

here was a time when all I could relate to the culture of Nigerians and Africans in general is literature. I mean, what is orality without literature, the stories at night that educate and provide moral instruction, the proverbs the elders make to give out wisdom and the call and response songs that accompany most of the tortoise tales we heard as kids.

Yes, literature was the forte of Africans and their oral tradition and I also believed that what that makes us all are natural storytellers, natural writers. Now, what I don’t understand is if we have such a pool of talent, natural storytellers, then just why is our literature not making as much waves as it threatened when the likes of Amos Tutuola , Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka? Why does it seem that our literature is stuck in the past when in actual fact it is not?

For one, could it be that there is not enough reward out there to motivate the writers to put in their very best in the quality of the story and publication? Now that will be a curious case as the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Prize is one of the highest literature Prize in the world. At $100,000, the Prize is bigger than the Booker, Commonwealth and the Caine Prize combined and yet it does not command the attention and quality that it deserves, even amongst the Nigerian writers. I know it doesn’t help that the organisers are refusing to give out Prizes at intervals because the books are not packaged well enough or published to standard. They complain of editing and other stuff but the truth is that every time NLNG refuses to give out its Prize in a particular year, they not only hurt Nige-

rian literature, they also hurt the image of the company. That is a story for another day. But today, we talk about one of the problems they have cited for not awarding the Prize in certain years, especially the years that prose is to be awarded; the quality of publications and publishing in Nigeria.

So, the way the industry works is that you need a writer with the story to do the writing and you need a publishing house to bring out the story as a book and then market it properly in order to get the widest possible circulation for the story and the writer. It is not the work of the writer

to write, edit, publish and then market his work. Not even the internet age can make that happen in a successful manner. To punish the writer for a bad book, is like saying the cook is bad because the restaurant doesn’t look good. That is not the duty of the cook.

Writers in Nigeria need resources. They need capacity building to help hone their writing skill and certainly not to improve their publication skill. Sadly, they do not have an organization to plead their case. once, where there was a strong body of writers to speak with one voice for the writers and act for them, there is so much

I watched a documentary on Al Jazeera network and I saw the CEO of the supposed foremost Publishing house in Nigeria justify locating the head office of her operation in London. Seriously? How will an operation in London be beneficial to Nigerian writers? Just where are the literary agents in the Nigerian network of writing to publishing?

fragmentation going on that I am not sure what Nigerian writers want anymore. Do they want to be writers, improve their skills and write a damn good book or are they interested in becoming a glorified PR organization organizing book launches for members? You know, there was a time when the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), had direct access to the seat of power. Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and JP Clarke walked straight to President Babangida’s office to plead for Mamman Vatsa, and yes, I know, nothing came out of it, but the move showed what can be accomplished when writers speak with one united voice.

As many as the writers organization that exist in Nigeria are, none can bring about the desired effect on their members. Which one of them can help bring in corporate participation in the writing of Nigeria. It took the intervention of a single writer for an annual writing workshop to take off in Nigeria, not the numerous organizations.

I watched a documentary on Al Jazeera network and I saw the CEO of the supposed foremost Publishing house in Nigeria justify locating the head office of her operation in London. Seriously? How will an operation in London be beneficial to Nigerian writers? Just where are the literary agents in the Nigerian network of writing to publishing? I have been a member of the writing tribe for so long to know that the current leadership of ANA and indeed any writing society in Nigeria cannot bring about the change that writiers need to compete in the fats changing literary world. The last thing the ANA President was doing is defend a randy writer taking advantage of aspiring writers. Nigerian Literature is in serious need of a change in direction.

Y 2016 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

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efits

gladiators or biker jacket. You can r fringed dress with some street tions. sses have a vintage feel. If you feel or a cocktail, then fringe dresses is ashion piece or you can go glam carpet in belted fringe dress that your curves. either clothes or accessories defiextra pizzazz to your dressing; a more edgy feeling. Set your ‘gok in motion with these beneficial t fringes!

Fight dandruff at home Biwom Iklaki

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andruff is the flaking off of dead cells on the surface of the scalp which is often caused by dryness, dirt and excess oil on the scalp. This condition in most cases causes extreme itching and discomfort. It is believed that people with this problem, their skin cells mature and shed within 2- 7 days while those without dandruff shed in about a month. This is what translates to the dead skin cells which are shed in large oily clumps that appear as white or grayish flakes or scabs on the scalp, skin and even on your clothes.

A few homemade concoctions can reduce the effect of this issue using ingredients from your pantry. Even though the chemical beauty products can do the job too, many people are shying away from chemical products and would rather go for natural products or organic ingredients. This is your chance to be a beauty products manufacturer with the following organic mixtures to fight dandruff.

1) Baking soda and lemon: mix juice of 1 lemon with 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Apply it to your scalp and massage. Leave on for 2 to 3 minutes and then rinse your hair with water. Do this remedy once a week to keep your scalp free from dandruff.

2) Apple cider vinegar: mix 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar with equal parts water, add 15 – 20 drops of tea tree oil and massage the scalp with the mixture. Rinse after 5-10 minutes. Do this weekly until the problem goes away.

3) Coconut oil and lemon: heat up ½ cup coconut oil and add juice of one lemon. Massage into the scalp and leave for 20 to 40 minutes. Shampoo and rinse. Repeat weekly until you are satisfied.

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Body&Soul

Steps to enjoy sweat-free day Vanessa Okwara

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here’s nothing worse than when a tiny detail of your life ruins the perception a beautiful woman has of you. Be it bad breath, dirty finger nails or smelly armpit; they are all turn off for women and equally have negative effect on a man’s psyche and selfconfidence.

While we all physically need to perspire, excessive sweating can be obvious, embarrassing and altogether unpleasant. Unless you’re running the marathon, there’s nothing fun about excessive sweating.

When there’s too much sweat, it can make a handshake clammy and a crowded elevator terrifying.

If you have these problems, then know you’re not alone. You could be experiencing a medical condition called hyperhidrosis. Excessive sweating can be caused by illnesses,

such as obesity, diabetes, excess alcohol and high blood pressure. It normally stops once the underlying condition is treated.

Although excessive sweating isn’t medically dangerous, it can cause significant emotional and psychological distress, which can affect personal and professional relationships.

Changing your lifestyle and daily activities can improve symptoms and make you feel more self-confident. Start with a soft solid formula for armpit sweat. Check the label to make sure that you’re using an antiperspirant and not just a deodorant. Deodorant will mask smelly armpits, but it won’t attack the excessive sweating. Look for a formula labeled ‘clinical strength’.

You’ll have to pay more for a clinical strength antiperspirant, but these products will be more effective at cutting down on sweat production.

Clinical Strength antiperspirants are specifically designed to control heavier sweating patterns. These antiperspirants contain powerful formulas that fight odour and combat wetness. Applying antiperspirant twice a day has been clinically shown to be extremely effective in preventing excessive sweating.

Also, avoid known triggers that make your sweating worse, such as spicy foods or alcohol. Avoid tight, restrictive clothing and manmade fibres, such as nylon. Wear socks that absorb moisture, avoid synthetics and change your socks at least twice a day. Buy shoes that are made of leather, canvas or mesh rather than synthetic material.

No one likes to sweat, so stay in control of excessive sweating by taking these precautionary tips and enjoy your stress-free and sweat-free day!

Don jazzy The Godfather

Ifeoluwa Adeyemo

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ichael Collins Ojere popularly known as ‘Don Jazzy’ is a record label owner, producer, song writer, musician and currently The CEO of Mavin Record Label.

He got his first credit in 2004 after the production of a song with popular Nigerian musician Dbanj titled ‘tongolo’. He went on to produce the album for Dbanj titled ‘no long thing’ which was released in 2005.

Dbanj then coined out a trade mark song intro for him, ‘its don jazzy again’ that became so popular.

Don jazzy, through his career has produced songs for various musicians who became instant stars starting like Dbanj, Tiwa Savage, Dr. Sid, Wande Coal, D’prince and many others.

He was born in Umuahia in Abia State and grew up in Ajegunle, Lagos where he discovered his passion for music at the age of twelve. He went to Federal Government College Lagos and attended Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma Edo where he studied Business Management. He went ahead to develop his pas-

sion for music when his uncle invited him to the UK to play drums for a local church.

Don jazzy has won a lot of awards, some of which are: The Nigerian Music Awards, NMA as Music Producer of the Year. He also won Headies 2011 Music Producer of the Year and City People Entertainment Award in 2015 was a special recognition award given to him.

Don jazzy has signed some endorsement deals that have raked in good money for him. They include: Loya milk and his deal with MTN has been renewed. He is also an ambassador with Samsung, Konga and Johnnie Walker. According to recent Forbes’ list of the most powerful celebrities in Africa, Don jazzy was rated highly.

When it comes to fashion, we know that Don jazzy keeps it simple but classy.

He is not much of the flamboyant type but often Don jazzy dresses in the popular Yoruba attire known as ‘Agbada’ with a walking stick and other times we see him in corporate suits with nice shoes to match.

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016

RazzleDazzle

Humble Smith bags multi-millionaire deal

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his year is definitely a good one for fast rising star, Humble Smith, as the versatile and talented song writer and performers, single, ‘Osinachi’ takes the competitive Nigerian music industry by storm. He signed a multi-millionaire deal with one of Nigeria’s giant and bestselling noodles, Tummy-Tummy. The ceremony, which took place in Lagos, was witnessed by media personalities and top executives of the Tummy-Tummy Food Industry, which has its headquarters in South East, Nigeria.

“We decided to sign Humble Smith as our brand ambassador because he best represents and understands what the Tummy-Tummy brand stands for. He has the qualities, capacity and potential to take the Tummy-Tummy brand to the next level” said the General Manager, TummyTummy Foods Industry, Mr. Chijioke Anumoka.

Humble Smith, whose real name is Ekene Ijemba, expressed his appreciation and pledged his full support in taking the brand forward. “I am happy to be identified with one of Nigeria’s best noodles, Tummy-Tummy. It’s a great honour to be its brand ambassador. I assure the brand that this would be a turnaround for them, and to my super fans, this is for you, the media, I say thank you.

My ever creative and hardworking manager, Bob-Kelly Ovie Williams, you are the best, the entire staff, management and executives of Tummy-Tummy Food Industry, thanks for finding me worthy of this great opportunity. My family, N-Tyze Entertainment, you guys rock,” teh artiste said. His current single ‘Jukwese’ is gradually becoming another anthem.

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opular On Air Personality and gospel music singer, Shalom Olumide Falegan, lost his biological father to the cold hands of death. The successful media executive, whose voice serenades listeners on radio across the South West, announced the demised of his politician father via his Facebook post. In a chat with RazzleDazzle, the father of three expressed shock over the death of his loving father, “It was a big shock to me when I heard the news of his death on Friday, June. He wasn’t sick, he ate dinner around 5pm and watched the network news at 9pm that same day before he gave up the ghost,” he said. He went on to describe him as a loving father, “We, his children, are fond of calling him with initials G.O. Daddy was a great man, a true father to the core, he was a giver even unto death. He loved us his children and all his 18 children love him to a fault. He was always there for us, a world class father per excellence” He reminisced.

The late father, Chief Gabriel Ojo Falegan, who died last month, founded the ancient Timi Agbale Grammer school, Ede in Osun State; he was the National secretary of the defunct NNP and also a PDP chieftain, both at the state and National levels. He’s was one of the brains behind the creation of Ekiti State.

Abiola Alaba Peters

with

08062622328 abiolaalabapeters@rockmail.com

I regret my actionsactor, Uche Odoputa

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I can’t celebrate my marriage on social media –Dakore Akande

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OAP, Shalom Olumide Falegan, loses father

Body&Soul

etite screen goddess and mother of two, Dakore Akande, has been married for six years. Although she was off the movie scenes for two years, after her grand return in 2012, she has not slowed down playing roles in some of the biggest movies to grace the screens. In a recent chat with Ovwe Medeme, Dakore Akande, talks about marriage, career, motherhood and why she never celebrates her wedding anniversary on social media. “I don’t want to put our stuff out there. Yes, I’m scared. I should be scared because of the way marriages go nowadays. My mum tells me to cover my yam, take care of my business. On his birthday, I post on Instagram but for anniversaries, we like to celebrate it in-house, with the kids. We have been married for six years but been together for 10 years. On what she does differently to make her marriage work, she said: “I try to identify the things we have in common and of course accentuate them. I work more on those things.

We can’t be the same. I think it would be boring. It’s nice to complement each other but for the things that we have in common, we bond over that and we let it glue us more and more together. And for the differences, we try and talk about them. Believe me, marriage is not easy but it’s very fulfilling.”

ollywood actor Uche Odoputa, was by every means almost close to becoming an A-list actor in the Nigeria movie industry with a huge fan base and was on the verge of becoming as prominent as the likes of Ramsey Nouah, Jim Iyke and co., unfortunately, he altered the course of his career. In 2007, he was arrested for trafficking drugs and subsequently imprisoned for two years and three weeks. The Orlu, Imo State-born actor, said he wasn’t making enough money and some individuals took advantage of his desperation and introduced him to the drug trade. “I regret my actions. I was a growing brand and a lot of people were angered by my action. I was disappointed in myself. I thank God I came out of prison a changed person,” he said. Speaking on how the incident affected him, Uche said it cost him a lot and hampered his growth in Nollywood. “It took away my career and the little fame I had at that time. Gaining recognition in Nollywood and even among my colleagues have been a struggle since then.” Nevertheless, not all of his colleagues distanced themselves from him while he was in prison, he said. “The late Amaka Igwe paid part of my legal fees, she was always in contact with me and never abandoned me. She took me under her tutelage after I was freed from prison and taught me directing. While others paid to learn directing, she taught me for free. I was to direct the job she was working on before she died. Up till now, I can’t bring myself to delete her telephone number. I still hear her voice sometimes. She was a good woman,” he said. The actor also acknowledged the assistance he got from John Okafor, popularly known as Mr. Ibu. He said, “He used to send me recharge cards which I sold. That enabled me to take care of myself when I was imprisoned.” Uche Odoputa, who now lives in Port Harcourt, said the relocation was necessary to enable him plan his life. “I need some sanity and time to decongest my brain. Things were moving too fast in Lagos, so I relocated to Port Harcourt.”

I am not pregnant –Fathia Balogun Williams B

eautiful Yoruba actress, Fathia Balogun Williams has denied reports making the rounds that she is pregnant. The ex-wife of a Nollywood actor made this known in an interview with Sunday Telegraph. In her words, “it’s so funny what Nigerian bloggers have turned to overnight. I was shocked at what you just said, pregnancy is not a disease, it is not something to be ashamed of, if I am pregnant, I will be very proud of it, but the truth is that, I am not pregnant, so I have no idea where the bloggers got the news from, maybe they can tell,” she said.

On her new title, she expressed gratitude and promised to be of best behaviour, “Yes, I have been conferred with a religious title, it’s really an honour, I am so delighted, I pray God to help me, so I can function positively. I promise my fans the best of me in everything” She assured. Born in February 1969 at Okpara, Etiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, Fathia has starred, produced and directed several Nigerian films over the years.

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SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul Lucy Iheonyechoro Ugorji is the first female artiste on Paul Okoye’s Rudeboy Records. The Imo State born artiste, in this interview with EDWIN USOBOH and BIWOM IKLAKI, says she is ready to take the Nigeria music industry to another level Tell us about your childhood and musical career.

We are six children in the family -four boys and two girls. My parents live in Delta State and we were born and bred in Sapele, Delta. My dad is from Imo State and my mum is from Edo State. I grew up with a lot of boys and am the last child. I stayed in Nigeria for 11 years before moving to the United Kingdom (UK). When I moved to the United Kingdom, my music became real. I got to take my music more seriously because when I was in Nigeria, I was too young. Music is something I have always loved from childhood, but going to the UK allowed me to chase my career.

What inspired your choosing music as a career?

Just watching artistes on television. I picture myself on the stage. Listening to different types of music and seeing them perform inspired me to know that I could do this as a career. Doing music is so natural; it’s not something I could ever get bored of.

Who are your biggest inspirations in music?

For Nigerian and African music, I will say P-Square and for international music, Adele and Rihanna. Adele’s just got a powerful voice; she expresses herself through her music and I want to make music and express who I am like her. Rihanna is obviously being herself and that shows in her music. With P-Square, I grew to love them because growing up, they were the ones whose CDs my mum used to buy a lot. So I grow up listening to their songs.

What inspires your own music?

I gain inspiration from things around me and my life experiences as well.

What are you willing to do or give in order to get to the top?

I am willing to do my best because you can only do your best and leave the rest to God. Did your parents support you?

Now they do, but they are kind of guilty because when I was younger, I would dress up and perform in front of the mirror, singing down my house and they would be like, ‘Please leave us, why are you always singing, go and read your books,’ but

I love my belly –Lucy now they are supportive.

What is your passion?

My passion is music, aside music, I love dancing.

You mentioned P-Square as one of your role models. Are we looking forward to seeing you pattern your music career like theirs?

I love dancing right from childhood even before travelling to the UK. When I was in Nigeria, I was in a dance group (Patrol Dance) and when I moved, I was also in the dance group in school. I love dancing; just that as I got older, my bones got stiff, but I’m working on that as well.

What are you studying in school?

I am studying law; I am actually in my final year at the university. I just want to get that degree and focus on my music life. I come from an educated family and I’m the only one in my family that has not graduated yet, so there is that pressure on me not let them down. I just want do it now so I can give my music career all the attention and focus.

If we peep into your wardrobe, what are we likely to see?

A lot of black, I love black. But because of the hot weather here in Nigeria, I feel like I’m in an oven. But I love black.

What fashion items are your fetish?

I love chokers and crop tops. I love showing my belly a lot.

Why do you love showing your belly?

That is because I work hard for it.

What attracted you to Rudeboy Records,

what are they putting on the table for you?

As I said, growing up listening to PSquare, being signed to Rudeboy Records is more than what I would have asked for.

So I feel like I’m in the perfect place.

You have stayed in the United Kingdom for some time and seen how music works there. Do you feel the Nigeria music scene can match that?

Definitely, I feel we are on a mission and that mission is to show Africa’s music. Listening to western music, you could see that they copy our sound, dance etc. I want to take Africa to the world; I want people to recognise the talents that are in Africa because there are lots of talents in Africa and the western world needs to recognise that.

I feel like it’s time we Africans take back our place in the music world.

As an upcoming artiste, what is your greatest fear?

My fear is letting myself down.

Describe your style.

I dress how I feel. If I’m feeling like a boy, I put on my baggy jeans with a crop top because I know I love my crop tops, or if I’m feeling sexy, I will be skimpy but not very skimpy, I just dress how I feel.

Do you have a tattoo on your body?

No. Any particular reason you don’t have tattoos?

This is because am very futuristic. When I’m a grandma, do I really want to have a tattoo? Maybe I may decide later to get a tattoo but not for now. If I were to get all the tattoo ideas I had on my body, you wouldn’t see my skin; I will be covered in tatoos.

How do you relax if you are not in the studio?

I listen to music to relax, that’s the reason why I love music because when I was sad or down, it was the only thing that gave me confidence and the boost. Apart from music, I watch television, dance, sleep and I eat healthy.

Describe your kind of man.

My kind of man first has to be God fearing. This is because He will stop a lot of mistakes from happening. I don’t really go for looks, I go for attraction. You may not be the best looking person, I go for somebody that has something to offer and obviously he must have muscles.

Where does Lucy see herself in the next five years?

I want to be one of the biggest artistes in the world. It is a big dream that requires a lot of hard work in the studio; I can’t wait to finish university as well. I feel like that is the only little thing for me but in five years’ time, I want to be on the international map.

Does Lucy play any instruments?

Yes, I play the guitar. I won’t say very well but I can make a good sound with the guitar.

What kind of music do you want to do?

I want to make songs that will stay forever, that music that generations yet unborn can listen to. I want people to listen to my music till when I have gray hair.

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY JULY 3, 2016

NEWS

Obasanjo, Dangote, others to grace Afreximbank AGM p.44

INTERVIEW NIMASA won’t be a corrupt, thieving agency under my watch –Peterside

AUTO BEAT Mercedes-Benz Sprinter set to dominate Nigerian market – Jetvan boss p.47

p.45

BUSINESS

PAUL OGBUOKIRI HEAD, BUSINESS

paulogbuokiri@newtelegraph

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Interbank rate eases as market liquidity surges

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President Muhammadu Buhari welcoming the chairman of Erico Foods Nigeria limited, Chief Eric Umeofia to the Presidential Villa, Abuja for a dinner…recently

Militancy: Oil prices to stumble as Nigeria reclaims output

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Paul Ogbuokiri s the ceasefire entered into by the Federal Government with the Niger-Delta Avengers continues to impact positively on Nigeria’s daily oil output, the global oil market may be in for another round of price instability. Indications were rife this week that oil prices may trade below the $50 a barrel forecasted by Goldman Sachs in the second half of 2016 as Nigeria moves to reclaim her output.

Oil prices dropped more than 3 per cent on Thursday, pressured by returning Nigerian and Canadian crude output from outages and as traders booked profits at the end of the best quarter in seven years.

The market soared more than 25 per cent in the second quarter, as part of an 85 per cent rebound since hitting 12-year lows early this year, as unplanned production cuts from Canada to Nigeria eased the glut that prompted the worst price rout in a generation.

If the tentative agreement is sustainable, it could lead to higher crude output, with the Nigerian government “optimistically” predicting a return to normal levels by the end of July, analysts including Damien Courvalin wrote in a note dated

June 29. The return of supplies poses a risk to the bank’s price outlook as it would bring the global oil market close to balance over the final six months of the year, according to Goldman.

Earlier this week, NNPC said oil production had in the last few days risen by around 300,000 barrels per day to 1.9 million barrels per day, due to repairs and no attacks having been carried out since June 16 Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu said in a Bloomberg television interview in Beijing on Monday that the country’s crude output should rise to 2.2 million barrels a day next month if repairs to a pipeline are completed, he said.

OPEC’s oil output rose in June to its highest in recent history, a Reuters survey showed, as Nigeria’s output partially recovers from militant attacks and Iran and Gulf members boost supplies.

Violence in Niger-Delta has contributed to an 80 per cent rally in Brent crude from a 12year low earlier this year, as the nation’s output plunged to the least in almost three decades. The attacks came after President Muhammadu Buhari ended contracts to protect oil facilities with militant commanders and slashed monthly stipends paid to fighters that the pre-

vious government approved to end a similar uprising in 2009.

The current ceasefire agreement may not be final, Goldman warned.

“The path of future Nigerian production remains uncertain in the absence of a sustainable agreement,” the Goldman analysts wrote in the report. “The path to such a resolution may see further disruptions and should attacks resume and continue to target inland or shallow water fields connected to onshore terminals.”

Brent crude, the benchmark for more than half the world’s oil, traded 1.2 per cent lower at $49.99 a barrel in London on Thursday, while prices have

Violence in the NigerDelta has contributed to an 80 per cent rally in Brent crude from a 12-year low earlier this year, as the nation’s output plunged to the least in almost three decades. The attacks came after President Muhammadu Buhari ended contracts to protect oil facilities with militant commanders

rebounded since January this year, they are still more than 50 per cent below mid-2014 levels.

Attacks by militant groups including Niger Delta Avengers slashed output to 1.37 million barrels a day last month, the lowest since 1988, according to the International Energy Agency.

While the government has announced the ceasefire earlier this month, the NDA says it “doesn’t remember” any deal.

Goldman Sachs “cautiously” expects production to remain down by 350,000 barrels a day in the second half of 2016. At their peak, the oil disruptions could reach 1.1 million barrels per day, creating the possibility of crude prices exceeding its forecast, the bank said. However, high levels of inventories globally would likely limit this impact, it added. The bank currently projects a second half average global supply-demand deficit of 380,000 barrels per day.

Nigeria, an OPEC member was until recently Africa’s biggest oil producer, relies on crude sales for around 70 per cent of national income Longer term though, economists and analysts say the global oil markets will be broadly balanced as risks in countries such as Venezuela could disrupt supply further.

igeria’s interbank overnight rate fell to 5 per cent on Friday from 15 per cent a week ago, as cash from maturing treasury bills and payments by the government to contractors helped boost liquidity.

The increased cash flow left the money market with a N267.10 billion surplus balance on Friday, reversing the N300 billion shortfall of a week ago and pushing down the cost of borrowing among commercial lenders.

“There was repayment of about N115.03 billion in matured treasury bills at the Open Market Operations (OMO) on Thursday, while the release of an unspecified amount of cash payment to government contractors also boosted system liquidity,” one dealer said.

Many banks had approached the central bank’s discount window to borrow short-term cash last week to enable them meet obligations and ease liquidity pressures, traders said.

Traders said the expected release of capital spending by the federal government to reinflate the economy should inject more cash into the money market in the coming days, which should impact positively on the interbank rate.

NSE stocks end three-day rally

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ay & Bakers’ rigorous quality assurance procedures and innovative efforts in bringing out new medical formulations targeted at the special needs of the African disease burden, has been extolled.

May & Baker’s outstanding achievement was commended recently when the company received an Award of Excellence in Pharmaceutical Research and Development at the 3rd edition of the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Awards (NHEA) 2016.

The Award was received on behalf of the company by the Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Nnamdi Okafor.

Presenting the award to the company, the organisers of the NHEA said May & Baker has shown leadership in the healthcare industry through her pioneering roles in in pharmaceutical research and development.

The award is the second in two months as the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (LCCI) recently awarded to May & Baker Nigeria Plc gave the company an award for high quality and safety in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Since it started operation in Nigeria in 1944, May & Baker has become synonymous with excellence, recording a string of firsts: First Pharmaceutical company in Nigeria; first to introduce a new dosage Chloroquine regimen; first ISO certified pharmaceutical company; and one of the first set of pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria to receive World Health Organisation’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification.

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SUNDAY JULY 3, 2016, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

BUSINESS

Niger state meets bondholders on debt restructuring

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L-R: Head, Corporate Planning & Development, Mr. Eugene Olewuenyi; Head Internal Control & Compliance, Mr. Godwin Obiakor; MD/CEO, Mr. Nnamdi Okafor; Financial Controller, Mr. Ayodeji Aboderin; and , Executive Director, Pharma Manufacturing Operations, Mr. Ezekiel Ibidapo, all of May & Baker Nigeria Plc displaying the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award 2016 won by the company in Lagos at the weekend.

Obasanjo, Dangote, others to grace Afreximbank AGM

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Paul Ogbuokiri ormer President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Africa’s richest businessman and president of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote are among of top African political and business leaders and leading international economic experts, that will grace the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) 23rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) which is slated to hold in Seychelles from July 18 to 24.

Information released in Cairo on Thursday by Afreximbank showed that, in addition to host President James Michel of Seychelles, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and no less than three serving African Presidents, as well as a host of business and economic experts, including Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winner in economics, will be speaking on topics

related to the theme, “Africa’s new economy: IntraAfrican Trade and the Blue Economy as catalyst for economic transformation” during the event.

Also on the list of speakers are ministers and central bank governors from Africa and beyond as well as prominent personalities like Ibrahim Gambari, a former United Nations Under-Secretary-General; Justin Lin, a former World Bank Chief Economist and Director, New Structural Economics and Honorary Dean of the National School of Development, Peking University, China; Liu Liange, President of the China Exim Bank; and Arni Mathiesen, an Assistant Director-General of the FAO and former Minister of Finance of Finland.

Speakers from the business community include Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Group, Nigeria; Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings ltd.,

Nigeria; Ahmed El Sewedy, President of El Sewedy Industries, Egypt; Dr. Paul Fokam, Chairman of Afriland First Bank Group; Dr. Chris Kirubi, Chairman of Haco Industries, Kenya; Ade Ayeyemi, CEO of Ecobank Transnational; and Bill Winters, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank.

The heads of many African and non-African financial institutions, high-level representatives of the Seychellois government, and renowned experts in African trade finance are also expected at the AGM. The AGM activities will open on July 20 with the two days of seminars exploring prospects for accelerating economic development and transformation of African economies through trade, followed on July 22 by the meeting of the Afreximbank Advisory Group on Trade Finance and Export Development in Africa, which will feature an African Leaders Roundtable on

Intra-African Trade as Catalyst for Economic Transformation.

An investment forum, hosted by the Seychellois Government and a trade exhibition will take place on July 21 while the AGM activities will conclude with the formal Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of the Bank on July 23.

Afreximbank, with an authorised capital of $5 billion, has four classes of shareholders. Class “A” is comprised of African governments, African central banks and African regional and sub-regional institutions while Class “B” consists of African private investors and African financial institutions. Class “C” is made up of non-African financial institutions, export credit agencies and private investors, while Class “D”, created in December 2012, is a category under which any person or entity can be allotted shares.

Apapa Customs boss canvasses inter-agency synergy Paul Ogbuokiri

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ustoms Area Controller (CAC) of Apapa command, Mr. Willy Egbudin has described all agencies of government working in the port as different organs of one body while enjoining them to collaborate more to realize national goals.

Egbudin said this during a breakfast meeting with the agencies in Apapa where he emphasised on the need for all stakeholders to imbibe international best practice to achieve an efficient port system that will save time, increase government revenue without compromising national security.‘’We all are part of one whole body that should function together. It

will be good in the interest of the country for us to work together always by being available for joint examination when the need arises’’ he said.

He decried the absence of some government agencies during joint examination of cargo only for such agencies to come demanding for a repositioning of the examined consignments thereby causing delays and increasing cost of doing business at the ports.

According to him, terminal operators cannot leave containers on the ground unattended to for too long as it will impede on their time and space management drive.

He urged various heads of the agencies present at the

meeting to take advantage of the laudable Nigeria Customs Information System (NICIS) portal which makes it easier for the agencies to know about regulated products under their purview and the time for joint examination.

The position of Comptroller Egbudin was supported by the representatives of the Executive Secretary/CEO of Nigeria Shippers Council (NCS), Barr. Hassan Bello, who expressed the council’s determination to promote fair trade and make Nigeria’s ports attractive and competitive for legitimate business.

He urged all the agencies of government in the ports to avoid duplicating examination or waylaying already

released containers on transit outside the port.

The agencies reiterated their cooperation to work together to ensure that the Apapa port becomes a model for operational efficiency and improved synergy.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Nigerian Shippers Council, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and Nigeria Environmental Standards Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

Also in attendance at the meeting were representatives of Nigeria Police, Department of State Service, licensed customs agents and freight forwarders.

iger State plans to seek bondholders’ approval next month to restructure its N21 billion ($74m) worth of debt, its adviser said on Thursday, as it seeks ways to ease strains caused by a plunge in crucial oil revenues.

The state plans to meet the bondholders on July 28 to approve an extension to its five-year debt due in 2018 to 2023 and an increase of its coupon from 14 per cent to 16 per cent.

Several Nigerian states borrowed in the domestic bond market and from banks to fund infrastructure projects when oil prices were much higher in mid-2014. But as crude prices dropped, many states have become unable to pay bills or salaries.

“The bond will be restructured by extending the maturity date of the bond by five years to mature in 2023, with payment of the principal amount still being a semi-annual amortized payment,” United Capital said in a notice to bondholders.

Nigeria’s 36 state governments borrowed money this month from the federal government to augment their monthly income and cover salary payments after they deferred loan deductions for March.

They also received financial help from the central bank and Debt Management Office last year to clear a backlog of unpaid salaries and other expenses.

Niger state issued its bond in 2014 to fund infrastructure projects, including roads and the construction of

500 housing units, it said when it was marketing the bond.

L-R: Directors, Propertygate Development and Investment Plc, Mr Wole Ogungbola; Mr Peter Folikwe; Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Adetokunbo Ajayi and Company Secretary, Miss Zainab Bakare, at the 7th Annual General Meeting of the company in Lagos.

Naira to hit 390/$ by year end - RenCap

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enaissance Capital’s Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) economist, Yvonne Mhango forecasts N390 to a dollar by the end of this year. She said that for the banks, she expects real loan growth to be minimal, but given that 46 per cent of sector loans were in foreign exchange in the 2015 financial year, she estimates nominal credit growth post depreciation could end the year at 23 per cent on average, using foreign exchange of N300 to a dollar.

This is even as she noted that the liberalisation of foreign exchange markets by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on June 20, led to positive sentiment in the equities market, with the value of banks shares rising by 9 per cent since the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiale announced his plan on June 15.

According to her, sentiment risks is, however, being dampened by concerns around Brexit and the implications for the naira, as capital inflows may not materialise as rapidly as the central bank may have expected.

Mhango also said that she expects rising interest rates to be net positive for the larger and more liquid banks, adding that naira depreciation is also positive for foreign exchange margins.

She also said that a number of banks have varying foreign exchange long positions, given the potential for the naira to weaken beyond N300 a dollar.

“We think these positions will be crucial in providing the banks with a capital and asset quality buffer. FBNH, GTBank, Access, UBA and Fidelity seem to have the most significant net long foreign exchange positions, based on our discussions with management teams,” she said.

She also said that capital ratios could come under some pressure but she thinks investors should focus on the banks that are starting from a relatively strong base and have net long foreign exchange positions that provide ample buffers.

“Should a bank breach the minimum Capital Adequacy Ratio requirements, we do not think – based on our discussions with the banks – that the CBN would do anything drastic beyond placing a freeze on credit growth, mandating the sell-down of some assets, capping or freezing dividends to help generate internal capital and requesting a capital improvement plan,” she adds.

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY JULY 3, 2016

BUSINESS INTERVIEW

NIMASA won’t be a corrupt, thieving agency under my watch –Peterside

The new Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside is upbeat onhis team’s capacity to carry out the mandate given to him by the government to reform and restructure the maritime agency with the view to polishing its battered image. He spoke to journalists during the week on his five-point strategic vision PAUL OGBUOKIRI and STANLEY IHEDIGBO captured the excerpts; don’t want the resources of our country to go down the drain, resources invested by states and NIMASA, so we will provide the sea time for the cadets and ensure that they get certificate of competency, which will make them eligible to work onboard vessels.

Peterside What is your plan for the maritime sector looking at its huge potentials?

NIMASA unfortunately is battling with reputation problem and I don’t know how they got there. Also, it is easy to associate it with corruption, looting than as an agency of government that does work and add value to the Nigerian economy.

And I inherited a workforce that is resourceful, dynamic but which somehow lost focus as result of leadership gap.

I have set five things I want to achieve to return the agency to efficient performance.

And I have grouped them as one cardinal objective of NIMASA and to support the objective which is to restructure reform and reposition in one single mandate. To accomplish that, I have five pillars: Pillar 1 is what I called a Survey of Certification and Transformation; Pillar 2- is Environment, Security, Research and Rescue initiative; Pillar 3 – is Capacity building and Promotional initiatives; Pillar 4 - is Digital transformation strategy; and Pillar 5- is Structure and Culture Reform Orientation.

If these five pillars are in place, we will achieve the objective we set out to achieve, the restructure, reform and reposition are core mandates of NIMASA as enshrined. It is enshrined that vessels that sail on our territory waters are safe and secure. To certify that the persons manning the vessels are worthy and the vessels are conveying what they are supposed to convey.

We intend to embark on a change management programme that focuses on the culture and work ethics of our people in NIMASA and also put a new structure in place.

We want to put so many things in place and ensure efficiency and effectiveness. We are using technology to achieve these set objectives.

Past director generals on assumption of office made several promises which they were not able to fulfil, how do you hope to break that jinx?

All those who have the privilege to know my antecedents all the places I have served, can attest to my integrity. I served as a local government chairman, Commissioner for Works at a very critical time in the life of Rivers State. There is no single thing that I commit myself to that I don’t pursue to its logical conclusion. When I was elected to

represent my constituency at the National Assembly, one of the things undertook to do was a pledge to send 10 persons from my constituency to study in the United Kingdom every year and when I said it during my campaign for election into the federal legislature, people said how can that be possible and where would I get the funds. I did it religiously for the four years I served in the National Assembly. Why I have given this background information is to give an insight on my attitude to life, I am not a man that will not take his integrity very seriously. So I see NIMASA as a road to where I will be because it is not the peak of anything I will do in life.

However, I acknowledge that there are institutional challenges working in the public service that could militate against translating vision into reality, because you depend on other persons to do most of the things to want to. You need the approval of the National Assembly and the supervising minister to carry out any goal. I acknowledge all that, but since I know that we have a transformation minded minister of transportation, I take it as given that we will get his full on support on whatever we are going into. I am coming from the National Assembly as my constituency and I believe that I will be able to navigate my way through the chamber. In NIMASA, I am on the same page with my colleagues, so together as one team, there is no mountain we cannot surmount and there is nothing we cannot overcome. So, Nigerians should believe me, we are committed to the vision and I know that Almighty God will see us through.

The agency has put out an advertisement in the media on the commencement of sea time training for cadets, when will the programme start?

We have given our word that we will provide sea time experience for the cadets and we are already given out advertisement on that. And at the end of six weeks, we would be through with the process. I am certain about it because all the investment made will be nothing if these guys are not given sea time experience and get their certificates of competency. So, I don’t see how any good leader will relegate that to the background, because doing that will mean that the millions of dollars already spent will go down the drain. I

Piracy and criminality in the Nigerian maritime domain is a big challenge to the sector and how soon would the agency get vessels to fight piracy in the Nigerian coastal waters as it has promised?

The information for the vessels has been advertised and I will tell you what we are doing. We said step one is, what we can put in place to serve as disincentive, and discourage people from involving themselves in pirate activities in our water ways and other crimes.

If they know that we maintain a 24-hour patrol of the waterways, it will discourage them and they will know that if they commit crime, we will respond. Unfortunately, we cannot be everywhere, we have very long stretch of coast line, over 900 nautical miles, but we have to use technology to bridge the gap. On our own side, we have NIMASA satellite surveillance system, with these you will be able to have the best idea of what is going on in the entire maritime domain of Nigeria. In addition the Nigeria Navy has acquired maritime domain asset, Falcon Eye, it also have good idea of what is going in the waterways. The Nigerian Ports Authority has its own facilities too, a maritime domain asset and awareness that have eye on what is going on in the maritime domain.

But then, it is not enough but when you see someone who attacks a ship, you can see it in your office at NIMASA, how do you ensure that you move fast enough to stop the crime is crucial. That is why we are acquiring fast moving vessels that will be manned by Navy men; NIMASA officials will also be onboard. The move to acquire the vessels is on; we have already advertised for the vessels.

We have some vessels on ground already; the incoming ones will complement those ones.

And in addition, we are going into a fresh memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Navy and the Air Force. The Air Force, from time to time do regular marine aircraft patrol and patrol our waterways and it will be connected with the vessels on ground. If something happens as unmanned area vessels criss-cross our maritime domain, we have a signal, our office picks the signal and calls the attention of the patrol team about the criminal activity, and they will be able to respond. So that response capability is what we are working on.

And the third step which I said is very important, apart from response even when these vessels are intercepted and arrested, what we do with the criminals. In fact, we hand them over to police and it is not diligently pursued and we need a framework on

these areas. Nigeria is the only major maritime country that doesn’t have a dedicated anti-piracy law. So, we are getting support from IMO and other international organisations, of course United States of America to put in place dedicated anti-piracy law which will provide a good framework for prosecution of the people involved in criminal activities at sea.

How would the agency achieve its plan this year as the 2016 Appropriation Act was signed late?

Most of the things we plan or set out to do require money. But one simple thing we need to do to solve our problem, if you block all the leakages, the revenue of NIMASA will be reasonable, and we acknowledge the fact that the global economic downturn has impacted on our revenue. The new currency regime has also impacted on our revenue, because the new import policy of government which banned certain items has caused our revenue to nosedive. Nigeria is a monoproduct depended-economy and so most of our activities revolve around oil and gas. We export our oil and buy finished products and now the volume of oil we send out has drastically reduced and the price has fallen. That means that we are exporting less, so as we export less, NIMASA earns less revenue because it means that fewer ships are come in lift crude.

However, to maximise our revenue and accomplish our targets, we need to apply technology. Going through automation process will reasonable help in the revenue driving effort, that we are doing now.

Finally, on the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), this is topical and was established by law and it is governed by law. The law establishing the Cabotage fund required that the minister will make regulations, after making the regulations and NIMASA will appoint the Primary Lending Bank, and after that, it will call for applications from people.

We have issues in the past, what I called lack of operational reason because there is no other reason why NIMASA would not have disbursed the fund. I have looked at the CVFF guidelines, and I am satisfied that if it is disburse, people will pay funds and nobody will misuse the opportunity.

The minister has developed a model and he is talking with stakeholders, if the main purpose of the Cabotage funds is to grow local content in favour of our people in the shipping sector, the ship owners who before now had small old vessels that can only trade within the coastal territory, should come together and form a a group to access the fund and use them to buy ocean going vessels that can lift crude. What is remaining will still be lend out to individual entities. That is where we are with them now.

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SUNDAY JULY 3, 2016, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

BUSINESS NEWS

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Ugo Ezurike iger Delta Oil Producing Communities Empowerment Forum (NDOPCEF) Chief Media Secretary Comrade Amaibimabo Godswill Tamunofubura has commended Chevron Nigeria Limited for handing over OML 55 fields to Belemaoil.

This is coming as the indigenous firm has fulfilled some of its promises to the host communities by employing a total of 350 community youths across OML55 and Niger Delta Communities. Belemaoil is also working with experts to provide portable drinking water in Kula.

Comrade Tamunofubura said this will create huge economic empowerment to the Niger Delta oil producing communities and promote peace and order.

He praised President Buhari for encouraging programmes such as what has given Belemaoil the privilege to emerge successful in the bid process. He said Niger Delta people are proud of Belemaoil which just took over OML 55 field works on the June 2, 2016

Belemaoil raises Nigeria’s output by 3,000bpd lEmploys 350 Niger-Delta youths and in 18 days of its takeover is able to take production from 8,000 barrels daily to 11,000 barrels per day.

With this development Chevron Nigeria Limited has uniquely achieved for itself the first and only International Oil Company in Africa to have divested its participating interest in an oil mining lease (OML) to a local company from within its host Community, which has trickled down to the unemployed youths in their respective communities.

The President of Rivers State Youth Organisation Prince Sara-Igbe during a courtesy visit to Belemaoil thanked Chevron Nigeria Limited, Founder/Chairman of Belemaoil Producing Limited Jack-Rich Tein Jr., urged other oil producing, refining, petrochemical, power generating/servic-

ing companies to support capacity development for unemployed Niger Delta youths in order to foster and maintain sustainable peace in the region. He said Chevron has set a good precedent for other international and local oil companies to follow, saying if they build on the Chevron’s landmark, restiveness and agitation will be a thing of the past.

Speaking, Founder/Chairman of Belemaoil Jack-Rich

Tein Jr., said that the company has brought the head office of Belemaoil to Port Harcourt, Rivers State and pleads with the youths and Niger Deltans to promote programmes and courses that will attract investors to the region.

Belemaoil founder further said no investor will exist in an atmosphere devoid of peace and security, and that Rivers people need to think of a better future for

the unborn generation by encouraging tolerance, forbearance, understanding, brotherly cohesion and true love for one another.

Jack-Rich Tein Jr, said Belemaoil is currently working with its overseas partners and DPR to launch a 30,000-barrel floating refinery and LPG unit, scalable floating power generating barge of 135MW in phase-1 to 650mw in phase-2. The power project

is to eradicate flared gas and further harness the gas reserves in OML55 which is over 2tscf.

These projects, Jack-Rich said, when fully deployed would be a catalyst for huge technology transfer, employment for the unemployed youths thereby eradicating undue restiveness, agitations, economic sabotage and other unforeseen vices in our communities/cities.

Skye Bank launches ‘Reach for the Skye phase 2’

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ne of Nigeria’s leading banks with focus on retail and commercial banking, Skye Bank Plc, has set a record in the history of financial industry savings reward schemes in the country, with the emergence 36 millionaires from its nationwide ‘Reach for the Skye’ Millionaire promo.

In celebration of this landmark achievement, the bank hosted a cross section of the promo-made millionaires at the Protea Hotel, Ikoyi recently, as part of activities marking the successful conclusion of the first phase of the promo. The millionaires were drawn from various parts of the country.

Sharing his experience as a beneficiary of the promo, Mr. Job Abiona Fatunbi, a truck driver who won N1 million in the April draw held at Ikotun, enthusiastically described how his life has been transformed.

Abiona said: “I had no idea that 2016 would be a year of tremendous blessings for me; but thanks to Skye Bank, my dreams of financial freedom finally came true. Winning a million naira in the promo turned my family’s circumstances around and it has changed my perception about the difficulty involved in saving.”

Abiona’s happiness was echoed by Mr. Bashiru

Adeyemi, another winner from the N1 million category, who emerged in the May draw at Akure.

The pensioner disclosed that his business was on the verge of collapse just before he participated in the promo.

Speaking on the initiative, the Head, Retail Banking at Skye Bank Plc, Nkolika Okoli disclosed that the scheme was established to increase the flow of funds to support SMEs, accelerate employment generation and development of indigenous entrepreneurship as well as encourage saving culture among Nigerians.

Okoli also announced the commencement of the second edition of the promo in July 2016, encouraging new customers to open a Skye Save Plus account with N2, 000 to qualify for the campaign while existing customers need to fund their accounts with a minimum of N2, 000 on a monthly basis.

According to Okoli: “That we are awarding the 36th millionaire is a significant way of celebrating the transition of the second edition of the initiative. We intend to touch the lives of many more customers, so we encourage both existing and prospective customers to join in the next edition of “Reach for the Skye” millionaire reward scheme.”

L-R: Coordinating Director, Broadstreet Professionals, Mr. Akeredolu Akinsola Ale; Commissioner, Ministry of Housing Lagos state, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal; Commissioner, Ministry of Finance, Lagos state, Mr. Mustapha A. Akinkunmi and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing Lagos state, Mr. Foluso Adebayo Dipe, during an interactive session on the proposed Lagos State’s Housing Bond in Lagos

Nigeria can build capacity in tomatoes in 10 years – Group

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Paul Ogbuokiri omato paste importers in Nigeria have said that with proper planning, the country would be able to bridge the gap in Nigeria’s needs within a period of 10 years, if the country moves from seasonal farming of tomatoes to irrigated farming for all year round availability for the factories.

The importers numbering 24, who spoke under the aegis of Association of Stakeholders in Edible and Consumer Products in Nigeria (ASEPIN), said the country needs to bring in improved tomato species that are adequate for processing, saying Nigeria’s tomato specie contains almost 80 per cent water and was not good enough for processing.

This is coming as the legal

adviser of the group, Barr.

Ikenna Amechi dismissed the claim by a tomato paste manufacturer, that imported tomato pastes in the country is cancer causing, saying the claim is driven by selfish interest to get government to grant him and other manufacturers monopoly status.

According to Amechi, the said manufacturer intends to give government a good reason to chase other importers out of the market for his company and other tomato manufacturers.

He said, however, that the country does not have the capacity to produce 70 per cent of its tomato past here, saying the gap cannot be closed in the short run if there is ban on importation of the product. He stated that can meet it domestic needs and even develop export capacity if a 10-year backward integration pro-

gramme is put in place.

Amechi stated that the tomato paste imported into the country by the group is not poisonous or cancer causing, adding that members of the association have submitted their products to the joint House of Reps Investigating Committee to conduct laboratory tests on them anywhere in the world, with the view to testing if there is truth in the claim by the alleged tomato manufacturer.

Amechi further alleged most of the so called manufacturers, who are saying that the tomato past imported from China and India is cancer causing, do not have tomato farms in the country but equally import tomato concentrate from China which they package to cans.

“The difference is that the import in drums while we import in cans.

“We are not against local production of the product, in fact some of us have acquired large expanse of land to built factory, so we are canvassing a 10year programme for the country to develop the local industry, because the tomato specie for making the tomato paste will be adopted, then the country will move from seasonal farming of the tomatoes to irrigated farming for all year round availability for the factories,” he said.

Acting NAFDAC DG

47

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY JULY 3, 2016

AUTO BEAT Motoring briefs

Parent texting ranks among young drivers distraction – Report

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elicopter parents texting and calling their kids behind the wheel ranks among young drivers’ top perceived distractions, according to a Nielsen survey.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter set to dominate Nigerian market – Jetvan boss

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Paul Ogbuokiri etvan Automobiles limited, authorized dealer of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Passenger Van in Nigeria has expressed his confidence in the capacity of the Van dominating the Nigeria’s commercial vehicle segment soonest, saying demand for the vehicle since Jetvan opened its dealership showroom on the Lagos-Epe corridor, has surpassed supply.

Managing Director/CEO, Jetvan Automobiles, Oluwatobi Ajayi who dropped this hint this week during interaction with Transport and Motoring journalist in Lagos, said though the company opened show barely one year ago, the van has already become the toast of long distance transport operators because the vehicle’s durability, comfortability and safety assurances.

“We have had tremendous demand since we started, we don’t have in stock now. All the transport operators who have bought before keep coming back to ask for more.

Infact every transporter who is current wants to use this brand,” he stated.

He also said that with room for up to 12 people, Best-in-class1 Interior Height, and up to 5.4 m3 (190.3 cu. ft.) of cargo volume, the Sprinter Passenger Higher Vehicle (passenger can work in the vehicle freely while it is motion).

Oluwatoble further said that if you need a van that keeps your passengers safe and comfortable, while keeping your expenses low, Sprinter is the efficient passenger van that can save you money in the long run.

He added that the van is the strongest in the segment with 12 years warranty for the body and a two years or 200,000 warranty, which one comes first.

He noted that there is the Sprinter’s 2.1 L, 4-cylinder, 2-stage turbocharged BlueTEC diesel engine. And a 7-speed 7G-TRONIC PLUS transmission that delivers 161 hp, 265 lb-ft of torque, and best-in-class fuel efficiency. “You’ll never find this level of efficiency and power in any other drivetrain on the road. And for those who prefer the increased horsepower and torque of a

V6, the 3.0 L BlueTEC diesel engine with 5-speed transmission is also available.”

According to Oluwatobi, the company whose key units are Sales, After-sales and Hire services, has already sold over 150 units of the van since it opened shop, even as it hires the van to high-end customers who travel the country side in luxury without missing guaranteed safety and comfort.

He disclosed that the company has opened maintenance hubs in Ajah, IyanaIpaja, Ijebu-Ode, Asaba, Benin and Abuja to serve their ever growing clientele.

He stated that the depreciation in the exchange rate of the naira has impacted on the price of the vehicle, making it more expansive than it was when the company opened shop last year. However, he has plan to breaking into the assembly of the vehicle in the country in the nearest feature, saying no serious businessman will not buy into the Federal Government’s auto policy, which according to him, is set to make Nigeria the hub of automobiles manufacturing in Sub-Sahara Africa.

Honda celebrates 4 decades of Accord

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n June 1976 Americans were gearing up to celebrate the Bicentennial and pick a new President, singing along to the number one song on the radio, Silly Love Songs and paying just 59 cents for a gallon of gas. Along came the Honda Accord, a fun and fuel-efficient three-door hatchback, beginning a four-decade long American success story.

Over 40 years and nine generations, Accord has consistently set the benchmark for the U.S. auto industry, earning the trust of more American car buyers than any other car during that period – with sales of more than 12.7 million Accords, the vast majority produced in Honda’s U.S. plants.

Through continuous improvement and innovation, Accord has earned a reputation as a segment-defining product, delivering class-leading reliability and durability with outstanding fuel efficiency and low emissions – along with refined and responsive driving dynamics and top-class safety performance.

As one important bellwether of its success, the Accord has been named to Car and Driver magazine’s prestigious “10Best” list a record 30 times, a feat unmatched by any other automobile of any type. And while Accord built its success through the loyalty of the baby boom generation, its popularity continues with younger buyers as the top-selling midsize sedan and number two overall (to the Honda Civic) in sales to under-35 car customers for five of the past six years.

“The Accord embodies the challenging spirit of Honda and our commitment to delivering innovative products to our customers of the highest quality, reliability and value,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of the Automobile Division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Accord’s success over four decades is deeply woven into the fabric of American car culture and American industry, and we are thankful for and deeply humbled by the loyalty and trust that our customers have

placed in Honda and in Accord over the past 40 years.”

Accord was the first Honda model and first vehicle from a Japanese automaker to be manufactured in America and has been in continuous production in America for nearly 34 years, since the start of Honda’s U.S. automobile manufacturing at the company’s Marysville, Ohio auto plant on November 1, 1982. Through the years, it also has been produced in the company’s plants in East Liberty, Ohio; in Birmingham, Alabama; in Alliston, Ontario, Canada; and in El Salto, Jalisco, Mexico. In total, Honda has produced more than 10.7 million Accords in North America for both local and global markets.

Accord was also the first U.S.-made automobile from a Japanese automaker exported overseas, beginning with the shipment of Ohio-made Accords to Taiwan in 1987, followed by the landmark export of the U.S.-made Accord Coupe to Japan in March 1988.

One in three young drivers say they are distracted by texts and calls from parents and family members asking their whereabouts. The drivers say these types of interruptions are more distracting than being contacted by friends.

The Nielsen survey, commissioned by Ford, found half of these young drivers report telling their parents or family where they’re going – or that they’ll be on the road – before even starting the ignition.

But still, parents continue to contact them on their phones.

Families of adult drivers reach out to their loved ones on the road, too. One in five drivers across all ages report being distracted when they’re behind the wheel by calls and texts from family members. For these drivers, only lowvisibility conditions and text messages and calls from friends rank as higher perceived distractions. Other distractions these motorists report include bad drivers, traffic, deciding what music to listen to, obstacles in the road and monitoring blind spots.

Research indicates that visual distraction is the primary contributor to distraction-related crash risks, while the research also finds that normal listening and talking among adults in the car does not raise risk nearly as much.

Ford recommends all drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel as much as possible so they are better able to react to the changing demands driving situations bring. And Ford provides several ways to keep parents connected safely with their teen drivers: Ford SYNC® offers hands-free dialing and other voice-activated services to help drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel SYNC-equipped vehicles offer “Do not disturb,” which works when a driver has connected his or her smartphone to SYNC with MyFord Touch® or SYNC; the feature blocks incoming calls and texts – diverting calls to voicemail and saving texts to be read later.

To help parents promote good driving habits in their teens and to better put their minds at ease, Ford’s standard MyKey® feature allows them to control one or more keys to configure vehicle settings. MyKey can be configured to provide alerts at certain speeds, limit a vehicle’s maximum speed and radio volume, put a paired phone into “Do not disturb” mode, and encourage front safety belt use through persistent Ford Belt-Minder® that sounds chimes and mutes the radio until both driver and passenger belts are fastened The survey also found that many young drivers admit to sometimes initiating conversations with their parents.

Among all drivers, 20 per cent report initiating calls to family on the road.

If a young driver must make an outgoing call, hands-free dialing and conversations that are short and argument-free make sense to help keep kids behind the wheel safely in sync with their parents.

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SUNDAY JULY 3, 2016, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

BUSINESS

Power, forex woes crippling businesses – Oliver Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Sofan Estal Industry, a manufacturer of hair products, Mr Sossou Kouami Oliver, spoke with STANLEY IHEDIGBO, on the challenges of doing business in the country and his company’s new products.

You have new products, can you tell us about them?

There are a lot of new developments in the company as you can see. As far as fashion is concerned, what people want, is to see the newest products in the market. As a proactive company that knows what the customers want we will never fail them on innovation. We also have new products in the pipeline for the satisfaction of our international customers.

Some of the products are simple like the new ‘mimi bloomy’ and it is as good as other products we have in our company.

Looking at the scarcity of forex which I know you need as a large per cent of your raw materials are imported. How are you able to source for materials?

It is a big challenge we are facing actually in the industry now but we are already in the business and we won’t give up. Because, everybody in the country is facing the same thing as far as you are into manufacturing and sourcing raw materials outside Nigeria. The good thing is that we have been able to source some of the raw materials locally, but the prices are often double what we spend on bringing the same items from outside the country.

What is your advice to government?

Honestly the situation is out of hand because if there is way out for now, I believe government would have done something.

It is crippling the whole economy and nobody is finding it easy; even the govern-

the country?

The secret behind us being in the business is just for the fun of it and the fact that many people are also making a living from the company. For me, this time is not about making profit, but if we are able to take care of our expenses, our workers see where they go every day and at the end, they are paid and they are able to take care of their families then it is ok with me. Nigerian workers are wonderful people, even from the little they are being paid they are still able to manage very well.

Oliver

ment itself. Where a majority of the state governments cannot pay salaries and some business people are closing shops. For me, all what we need now is God’s intervention. Before when you go to Benin Republic to change N1000, they give you 8500 CF but now if you give them N1000, they will give you just 1700 CF! If government will really do something, let them do it on time for the sake of the economy of the country.

We can call this present situation economic meltdown - although Nigeria would not be the first country that will experience such a downturn.

What still keeps you in business as many others are shutting down across

What other challenges are you facing apart from funding and forex?

Electricity is a major problem because it is taking whatever little profit we’re making from the business. The price of diesel is going up every day while the power supply is going down daily. If the power supply is stable and we are even paying high tariff for it, I think it would be better because no matter how high the tariff will be, it won’t be as much as the amount every business man or woman spends on generating power.

What should we be expecting from this company in the next five years?

We are planning to move to a larger place and buy more sophisticated equipment for mass production. We also hope to ensure that any woman who desires fashion will not lack as there are ‘mimi’ creation, products which are affordable and of good quality.

Laws of success (1) Success Nuggets Victor Okwudiri 08037674300 (SMS only)

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his column is not a platform for religious indoctrination. However, I cannot help confessing that, as my interest in success increases, I get more convinced that all laws of success were authored by God. As such, our discourse on this new exciting series may not be complete without a reference to God and words that may come across as religious.

I crave your indulgence in that regard.

Now, come with me on a voyage of discovery, as we explore laws of success.

Here we go.

LAW 1 - THE LAW OF TIME MANAGEMENT • Before you start anything, measure it with time.

•- Everything in this world is weighed on the scale of time.

• We live on the reverse side of eternity called ‘time’.

“IN THE BEGINNING God created the heaven and the earth.” - Gen. 1:1 (KJV) (Emphasis mine).

The beginning in the context of the above scripture talks of the moment immediately following the dateless past.

God is an eternal reality. In other words, He is dateless. He WAS there in the rear side of eternity. It is an impossible thing to understand. So, do not try

to understand it, so you do not put your sanity at risk.

When God, however, wanted to bring the world into existence, He had to create a reality called ‘TIME’.

That is what our reference text meant by “In the beginning ...” Beginning speaks of time. Notice that the phrase “In the beginning,” preceded the phrase “God created...” The meaning is that the first thing God created was time, not light, as some Religious Studies teachers taught us in school and in the Children Department in our places of worship. God created time, even before He created the heaven and earth. Little wonder scientists will say that the earth has exited for a given number of years.

It is because time was before the earth itself, else the earth cannot be measured with time.

God’s act of creating time before the world itself shows how important time is, even to God Himself, who exists in a timeless zone called ‘eternity’.

Friend, if God values time, you cannot afford playing with it; you cannot afford wasting it. Time is one of the greatest mysteries, the other mysteries being God, the Trinity (Godhead), eternity and death. Time is about the fifth (5th) greatest mystery.

Friend, one of the greatest good you can do to yourself (and, by implication, to others) is to gain MASTERY of this MYSTERY called time.

ACTION POINT: Before you start anything, measure it with time.

LAW 2 - THE LAW OF ACTION - Action is the solution to stagnation

or inertia.

“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD MOVED UPON THE FACE OF THE WATERS.” - Genesis 1:2 (KJV) (Emphasis mine) Renowned Physicist, Isaac Newton, told us in his first law of motion (The Law of Inertia) that everything remains in a state of inertia or maintains a uniform motion unless its course is altered by an external force (not quoted verbatim). What Newton said was not new; it had already been captured by the reportage of the cosmic state of affairs in Genesis 1:2.

After the CREATION in Genesis 1:1, and the DESTRUCTION in Genesis 1:2, God was set for RECONSTRUCTION (which commenced proper in Genesis 1:3). However, before God reverted to the status quo ante (the way it was before destruction), He did something - His Spirit moved. Action!

Friend, if you must change the way things are in your life now, if you must move to the next level, you must take ACTION - the right action - and you must do so quickly.

I pray that, as you take the right actions in line with your dreams, purpose and destiny, God will cause your actions to yield the right results, which will create a beautiful world for you.

ACTION POINT: Start acting your dreams and plans.

You will succeed.

Please follow me on Twitter @VictorOkwudiri

FG targets 50m eggs daily by 2018

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Stanley Ihedigbo he Executive Director, Tuns Farms Nigeria, Mr. Martin Middernacht, has said that the National Egg Production (NEGPRO) scheme recently instituted by the Federal Government would increase Nigeria’s daily table eggs output to 50 million by 2018.

He also said in a recent statement that the scheme would also create about 1 million jobs at full capacity, empower as many farmers as possible as well as increase contribution of poultry sector to GDP. It also stated that Tuns Farms, Chi Farms, a leading producer of day-old chicks in Nigeria, expressed support for the Federal Government for introducing the scheme saying that NEGPRO is an important initiative that would improve food security and economic diversification.

Also, former zonal vice president of Poultry Association of Nigeria and Chairman of Kikachukwu Agricultural Enterprises, Sir Clement Okonjo, said the successful implementation of the scheme would boost Nigeria’s economy as well as improve the poultry sub-sector in Nigeria.

“We commend the Federal Government for this laudable project which, we believe, will change the face of the poultry industry in Nigeria,” Sir Okonjo wrote in a message to the management of Tuns Farms.

“We also congratulate you on the enormous strides you have been making in the effort to build the poultry industry in Nigeria. We have followed your success story with the Osun State Programme for Children Feeding which has enabled you reach an agreement with the Federal Government for same purpose,” he wrote.

It will be recalled that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Tuns Farms Nigeria last week in Abuja signed a N25 billion agreement on NEGPRO scheme to be financed by the Bank of Industry (BOI). The agreement was signed on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh and the Chairman of Tuns Farms, Asiwaju Olatunde Badmus.

As part of its role as manager of the scheme, Tuns farms will recommend eligible entrepreneurs to access the N25 billion facility through the Bank of Industry (BOI). The company will also develop customized and standard feed concentrate for the scheme to ensure uniformity.

In addition, the company will recommend standard specification and costing for the scheme, monitor activities of entrepreneurs involved in the Scheme, support the Bank of Industry (BOI) through the National Technical Committee in the selection process of commercial banks to disburse and recoup the N25 billion anchor borrower facility from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as well as select entrepreneurs/stakeholders across the country for recommendation to the Technical Committee for final ratification and appointment to participate in the scheme.

GOtv offers free one month subscription

G

Otv has announced that its subscribers, who stay connected non-stop from July 1 to September 30, will enjoy one month free in October.

A statement on Thursday said subscribers will also enjoy unmatched entertainment in the month of July, with exciting new shows to be launched on the platform.

As the Euro 2016 tournament reaches a climax, GOtv will air the semi-final and final matches of the tournament live on SuperSport Select 1. The Nigeria Professional Football League is also at its peak and subscribers can watch local league matches on GOtv. July is a busy month for Zee World, as it launches five amazing new shows. On July 1, subscribers should get ready for Krishi, the story of a woman who rises from modest beginnings to a successful career.

On July 26, the edge-of-the-seat drama provided by Silver Lining will begin. For lovers of culinary programmes, The Urban Cook will launch on Monday July 11 on Zee World.

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016

NSEASI sheds 4.39% Week-on-Week …settles at 29,305.40 points

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he Nigerian Stock Exchange All Share Index (NSEASI) declined by 4.39% WoW, after paring on four (4) of five (5) trading days in the week, to peg the YtD return of the index at +2.32% (29,305.40 points). The volume and value of transactions declined by 38.47% and 35.31% WoW respectively, while the market breadth pegged at 0.40x, given twenty-one (21) gainers and fifty-two (52) decliners in the week.

JBERGER led the gainers in the week, after the counter appreciated by 15.75% WoW to close at NGN50.93. Other counters on the top gainers list included; CONOIL (+15.68%), UNIONDICON (+15.67%), BERGER (+10.12%) and REDSTAREX (+9.14%). Conversely, HONYFLOUR, CHAMPION, AGLEVENT, UNITYBNK and TRANSCORP declined the most in value, with respective losses of 22.60%, 14.86%, 13.39%, 13.16% and 11.50% WoW. Oando Plc. (OANDO) was one of the eleven (11) companies that filed their performance scorecards with the Nigerian Stock Exchange in the week. OANDO’s Group FY2015 revenue advanced by 73.81% Year-on-Year to NGN161.49bn, while the cost of sales, and operating expense changed by +115.18% YoY and -54.04% YoY respectively. Consequent on the growth in cost of sales, the company reported Loss-Before-Taxes and Loss-AfterTaxes of NGN32.74bn and NGN49.69bn respectively.

In Q1:2016, OANDO’s revenue declined by 9.54% YoY to NGN27.73bn, while cost of sales hiked by 35.77% to NGN22.79bn.

Loss-Before-Taxes was NGN18.66bn, while a tax credit of NGN4.78bn and profit from discontinued operations of NGN17.97bn resulted in a Q1:2016 Profit-After-Tax position of NGN4.10bn (+119.61% YoY).

Also, we note that due to the company’s current liabilities being in excess of its current assets, amongst other matters, the company’s auditor (Ernst & Young) expressed concerns about the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern.

We anticipate that trading activities in the coming week might be upbeat, as we expect bargain hunting activities from investors, given the relatively low closing prices of some fundamentally justified counters this week.

This report reviews events in the current week, with emphasis on different segments of the financial market, while presenting our expectations for the coming week.

Fixed Income: Rates trim, as System Liquidity Improves Following improved system liquidity, rates moderated considerably across markets during the week. At the inter-bank space, NIBOR trimmed by 6.09% WoW to settle at 11.72%, similar to the trend witnessed in the Money Market (MM) space where the average MM rate moderated to 4.63% (-15.55%) as of the week’s end.

The yields on Treasury bills instruments pared during the week, as investors took advantage of the attractive yields. Consequently, the average yield on T-bills instruments pared by 1.98% to peg at 10.55%. We envisage a similar trend in market activities in the coming week, as anticipated credit inflows into the system spur demand.

Activities in the Treasury bond market were dominated by buy side activities during the week, as such, the average bond yield declined by 0.54% WoW to settle at 13.34%. We opine that this was steered by the improved liquidity in the financial system. Given that we anticipate that liquidity levels will stay buoyant in the coming week, provided that there are no OMO auctions, we expect further pressure to be exerted on yields.

The Naira weakened marginally against the US Dollar at the inter-bank space, depreciat-

the general market mood towards the Consumer Goods sector.

ing by 6bps WoW to close at NGN281.32/ USD at the end of the week. The local currency also weakened against the USD at the parallel market, exchanging at NGN347/ USD (-0.58%) on the last trading day of the week.

Agric. Sector: MERI-AGRI Index advances by 1.46% WoW The Agricultural sector closed the week in the positive territory (+1.46% WoW), measuring performance with our MERI-AGRI Index, to result in a Year-to-Date return of +9.05%. Trading activities in the week resulted in two (2) gainers and a solitary (1) loser, pegging sector breadth at 2.00x.

OKOMUOIL and PRESCO recorded respective WoW gains of 1.59% and 1.37%, closing the week at NGN32.00 and NGN37.00 in that order. LIVESTOCK (-1.75% WoW) was the only decliner in the week, while ELLAHLAKES and FTNCOCOA traded flat.

We maintain a positive outlook for the sector owing to the potential benefits that may accrue from the current administration’s economic diversification drive. However, we advise investors to assess the company fundamentals before positioning.

Banking Sector: Earnings Expectations May Not Be Factored In The banking sector ended the week in the negative region, according to the MERI-BNK index, which pared by 5.73% WoW. Consequently, the YtD return of the index pegged at 11.69%.

There was a solitary gainer in the week, and fourteen (14) decliners to peg the sector breadth at 0.07x. WEMABANK was the only advancer in the week, recording a 6.33% WoW appreciation in price. On the other side, UNITYBNK (-13.16%), STERLNBNK (-8.86%), ZENITHBANK (-8.24%), STANBIC (-7.35%), and ETI (-7.29%) emerged as the worst performed stocks.

While the sector’s stocks have appreciated quite significantly recently, we are of the opinion that some of the sector equities’ are still under-priced (primarily certain Tier1 banks), especially when considering the

expectations of increased earnings given the institution of the new FX trading framework. Hence, we advise investors to take positions, while taking into cognizance that the anticipated impact on earnings may not be reflected until at least Q3:2016.

Consumer Goods: HONYFLOUR Records Earnings Decline of 369.92% YoY The Consumer Goods sector, as measured by the NSEFBT10 index, closed in the negative region this week, returning -5.07% WoW to depress the Year-to-Date performance to -3.67%. The sector breadth pegged at 0.33x, representing four (4) gainers and twelve (12) decliners for the week.

The gainers’ chart featured PZ, VITAFOAM, UACN, and UNILEVER with respective week-on-week returns of 6.58%, 2.50, 1.73%, and 0.70%. Contrarily the largest value declines were recorded by HONYFLOUR, CHAMPION, AGLEVENT, NB, and GUINNESS with -22.60%, -14.86%, -13.39%, -9.59% and -6.11% returns accordingly.

Seven Up Bottling Co (7UP) recently released its FY2016 scorecard which showed a 3.86% YoY growth in revenue. However, owing to increase (+16.64%YoY) in Cost of sales, gross profit declined by 17.93% YoY to NGN25.012bn. Consequently, Profit-BeforeTax and Profit-After-Tax declined by 57.05% and 53.02% YoY respectively to NGN3.757bn and NGN3.347bn.

Honeywell Flour Mills Plc (HONYFLOUR) recently released its FY2016 numbers, which indicated a 3.72% YoY increase in revenue to NGN50.884bn. However, this was negated by the 11.96% YoY hike in Cost of sales, 32.14% YoY decline in Other Income, and 18.32% YoY increase in Operating expenses. Consequently, Earnings-Before-Taxes and EarningsAfter-Taxes plunged by 299.98% and 369.92% YoY respectively to negative positions of -NGN2.869bn and -NGN3.024bn in the same order. Considering the loss position, the company did not declare any dividends for the period ended. Consequently, HONYFLOUR declined by 9.04% during Friday’s trading session to close the week at NGN1.61/share.

We advise cautious positioning in only fundamentally justified companies, considering

Health Sector: GSK Nigeria Convenes Extraordinary General Meeting The Healthcare sector, as measured by the performance of the Meristem Health index (MERI-HLTH index), extended its gaining streak this week, after advancing by 3.95%.

The Year-to-Date return pegged at -32.07%.

The sector’s breadth pegged at 3.00x, representing three (3) gainers as against a lone decliner.

The gainers’ chart was led by NEIMETH, followed by FIDSON and GLAXOSMITH, with respective week-on-week returns of 8.77%, 4.95% and 4.07%. MAYABKER was the only laggard, declining by 1.65% WoW to settle at NGN1.19.

GSK Consumer Nigeria Plc (GLAXOSMITH) has notified investors that there will be an Extraordinary General Meeting on the 4th July, 2016 (12.00 noon), regarding the proposed disposal of the company’s drink business to Suntory Beverage and Food Limited.

Having gained for two consecutive weeks, we anticipate fair levels of profit taking on some counters that have recorded substantial gains during the recent 2-week rally.

Industrial Goods: Sector Begins to Shed Previous weeks’ Gains The Industrial goods sector finished the week in the negative zone after shedding 4.09% to drive the YtD return down to +9.30%.

Market breadth (0.50x) for the week, showed a prevalence of negative sentiments, as four (4) stocks declined in value versus two (2) gainers.

BERGER led the gainers with a 10.12% change in price to NGN8.50. CAP rebounded from previous weeks’ losing streak, with a 0.92% WoW growth in share value. On the other hand, ASHAKACEM, WAPCO, PORTPAINT and DANGCEM recorded respective losses of 5.00%, 4.77%, 4.69%, and 4.10%.

As anticipated, the industrial goods sector, following two consecutive weeks of gains, suffered from the profit taking activities of investors during the week ended. Going forward, we expect continued fluctuations in sector sentiments as investors take positions and profits intermittently.

Insurance Sector: Profit Taking On Heavyweights Impact Sector Performance Following profit taking activities on the heavyweights in the sector, the NSEINS10 index pared by 0.46% WoW, pushing the sector’s YtD return to -2.22%. The sector’s breadth (0.50x) signified four (4) decliners and two (2) gainers.

NEM led the gainers in the week, after the counter appreciated by 8.51% WoW to close at NGN1.02. The counter was trailed

by LAWUNION with a 6.90% WoW gain to close at NGN0.62. Conversely, AIICO (-3.90% WoW), MANSARD (-2.34% WoW), CONTINSURE (-1.79% WoW), and CUSTODYINS (-0.98% WoW) populated the laggards’ chart.

Royal Exchange Plc released both FY2015 and Q1:2016 performance scorecards during the week. As at FY2015, Gross Premium Earned appreciated by 14.48% YoY, while the Loss after Tax was NGN1.30bn. The company’s scorecard, however, improved in Q1:2016, as GPE and PAT advanced by 59.61% and 326% YoY respectively. The significant growth in bottom-line is attributed to the relative low level of PAT (NGN36mn) in Q1:2015.

We expect the general market performance to determine the sector’s performance in the coming week.

Oil & Gas Sector: NSEOILG5 index pares by 3.72% Week-on-Week Bearish investor sentiments reigned in the week, as the NSEOILG5 index pared by 3.72% WoW. There were five (5) decliners in the week, compared to one (1) gainer, pegging the sector’s breadth at 0.20x.

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SUNDAY JULY 3, 2016, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

FAITH

Forgiveness as a weapon of victory

V

engeance, un-forgiveness or judgment is no march to forgiveness and mercy. Forgiveness knocks out vengeance. “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” (James 2:13) Fortunately for us, the enemies do not have this weapon of forgiveness otherwise they would not continue to be our enemies.

They only pretend to forgive.

When I was looking for appropriate weapon to fight the enemy, I received a thought from God “use the weapon of forgiveness.”

What next? I forgave from my heart. I won the battle and in addition, I had not felt such peace as I felt in my life. It was the peace of God that passes all understanding. I felt inner joy. I had inner victory. I felt very satisfied and appeased. In fact, I won. I really won the battle. Believe me, since then I stuffed all my pockets, portfolios, my suitcases and any available space on me with the weapon of forgiveness. My joy and happiness is that none of my enemies has this weapon of forgiveness being the only winning weapon all enemies don’t have. I always win and have peace and great joy except I refuse to apply it.

Victory and forgiveness go

Word of Life Bishop. Moses Kattey moseskatteyabp@yahoo.co.uk

0808 770 7486

together, like husband and wife, like food and water, like salt and pepper, like sugar and milk, so is victory and forgiveness.

Without forgiveness, there is no true victory. No forgiveness no victory. See David who merely handed over vengeance to his son, Solomon. David himself refused to take vengeance but he instructed his son Solomon to kill Joab.

Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet. Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace. (1 Kings 2:5,6) David also asked his son Solomon to kill Shimeh who cursed him when he was running away from Saul.

And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a

grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.

Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood. (1 Kings 2:8,9) David forgave them and progressed, but asked his son to kill.

And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so?

And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him.

It may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this

day.

And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill’s side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.

And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there. (2 Samuel 16:10 – 14) There is an extent of joy and peace you cannot experienceuntil you forgive completely your so called arch enemy.

The deeper the hurt, the deeper the peace when you forgive. The greater the offences, the greater the joy when you forgive. The more frequent the offences, the more frequent the joy and peace when you forgive. Forgive and live long.

I wrote a book on forgiveness “Why I forgive” and gave a Bishop friend a copy when he visited me. He came back angry with me telling me that my book made him to forgive those who offended him some 20 years ago. After quarrelling with me, he asked for a hundred copies to buy and give freely to his people.

He bought 100 copies.

Nobody forgive without testimonies, sooner or later.

If you have never given testimonies before in your congregation or church, forgives and see now many testimonies would that flow from your month.

Spouses who know how to forgive

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woman came home late from a program one night and her husband out of anger pushed her out through the back door and locked it. She kept knocking but the man told her she was not going to step into the house that night. The man was visibly angry and he meant what he said. The woman did not make noise or abuse her husband. The only thing that came to her mind was what she did.She started walking round the house and when she got to the front door, she tried the handle and found out it was not locked. She entered the house and on seeing her husband in the sitting room, she started laughing and said to him; “See you, you even forgot to lock the front door and you said you have locked me out.” As she said this, she continued laughing.

After watching his wife’s display, the man joined her and both of them were just laughing. They really laughed it off and that was the end of that quarrel. What a way to make your marriage remain on the right path!

Though the man’s behav-

Marriage & Family Intimacy

Bishop Charles Ighele holyspiritmissioninc@yahoo.com

07066579379/09098845521 ior was really very bad, this real life story shows that the woman has an important ability – the ability not to accept fights manufactured by her husband. The man also has the ability to dance along with his patient and wise wife’s sense of humour.

Some men who are not like that might even get angrier and accuse the wife of making jest of them. And that would have easily led to greater fight. Forgiveness soothes the heart and makes it stronger. Do not be in the category of people who will switch off communication connection between them and their spouses.

Some go to the extent of rubbing it off on their children when they are having misunderstanding with their spouse. They will not talk to anyone in the house but only to outsiders. The length of time it will take you to get over

your anger will show you the type or kind of heart you have.

Nobody is above mistakes and nobody is perfect. We must at one point in time or the other offend each other in marriage and in life; but the level of maturity is usually tested and assessed by the number of minutes or days you sulk and let go. Put yourself in the shoe of the one who offended you and see how you will feel if it is the other way round and the person refused to forgive you. Even when the person who offended you refused to apologize to you, it is your duty as a child of God to forgive.

Some people are not good with apology but it does not mean you should shut such a person out because he/she failed to apologize to you.

A certain woman failed to forgive her husband for a great emotional pain he

caused her but unknown to her, the husband as he was coming to seek for forgiveness from her was passing through great physical (bodily) pain too.

The man had terminal sickness that gave him great pain and the wife was not even aware of it. It was the day that the man was to die that the woman realized how foolish she had been. She found out she had lost great moments and special times she would have had with him. The pain she felt made her insensitive to a greater pain in her husband. But then it was too late. She was only left with regrets and heartaches; and of course she started blaming herself for not being there.

Whenever you forgive, you know you usually feel relieved like someone who sets down a very heavy load. When we fail to forgive, someone who has offended us, we are heaping sorrow upon the person, 2 Corinthians 2:7. As much as we would love to be forgiven, we should also easily forgive others.

Forgive your spouse or your neighbour before it will become too late.

Mystery of Anxiety Bishop John Ogbansiegbe 0803 341 6327 (SMS Only)

Kill that devastating fear

S

ince joy and peace are like Siamese twins, the absence of joy like a chain reaction extinguishes peace, because joy is the air which peace breaths.

Just as the fish cannot exist without water, joy is the catalyst which influences or positively affects happiness, strength, peace and love.

Once joy and peace are no more, the devil quickly replaces them with confusion, dilemma, pain, sorrow, tears, depression, anxiety, regrets, complains, blame s, self-pity and ultimately failure and death.

This is why, each time, the word of God opens up saying: Arise! It means get out or jump out of the pit of fear, misery and frustration.

Hear and believe positive a thing because, what you hear is an agent of fear or faith. I have seen cases where the devil exaggerated a mere headache situation caused by work stress, the victim being saturated with fear saw that headache as a symptom of many deadly sicknesses including terminal ones, initially he re-baptised and renamed that headache malaria, typhoid or paratyphoid fever and then hypethaisis. This erroneous conclusion was without proper diagnosis.

He subjected himself to the treatment of the above mentioned sicknesses. Later, he actually became critically ill due to the effects of drugs which were unnecessarily and unwarrantedly introduced into his body chemistry. It took days of persistent prayers to get him out of that situation.

There was a case of a brother in my church, who suddenly developed pains in the throat and had difficulty in swallowing saliva and food. The situation generated persistent fever and headache. His throat and part of his neck were swollen; and there were sores all over his mouth and tongue. At that time, he concluded that his case was beyond self medication and went to see one of the best physicians in town. When he got to the doctor, the doctor looked into his mouth and examined the swollen throat and neck, and told him that it is a clear case of tonsillitis, prompted by tumor of the vocal box. This brother shouted and asked what the solution to his problem is. The replied that

the only way out is surgery on the neck.

The doctor further said that there are no good doctors for such complex type of surgery in Nigeria, that he must find a way to travel to UK or US for the surgery.

This brother, who has been a powerful preacher and evangelist and frequently use his voice and mouth forsook his business and surrendered his life for a full time ministry, became frightened and terrified, because to him the situation meant the end of the road for his ministry.

First, he considered that he does not have international passport and the enormous task of securing a visa to travel abroad. He considered how long t take him to procure a British or American invitation letter warranting the visa, he again considered that he has no connection oversea, and no money to finance such trip at that time.

The brother became subdued and saturated with fear that he concluded that he was as good as a dead man. He went home and began to prepare for his own burial; he told his wife, children and relatives what to do and what not to do when he eventually dies.

For three days, he neither ate nor slept; he was drying away.

The wife forced him to come and seek for prayers from my church. When he came, he was crying daddy I am finished; daddy my ministry is over. I calmed him down and he told me his story, I prayed for him and encouraged him with the word of God. I opened his eyes to the fact that there is nothing God cannot do, that our too much God makes impossibilities possible. I was able to convince him that he will not die but live to fulfill his ministry and testify the goodness of the Lord.

After that, a great faith rose up within him. You know faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Also fear cometh by hearing and hearing of bad new and terrifying stories. As a child, I dreaded horror films, because the memories of such films as Dracula and Vampires fills my mind and keeps me restless and sleepless for several days and nights until I got to my dad and mum for prayers.

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY JULY 3, 2016

FAITH

Insight

Rev. Femi Akinola www.thehebrewsng.com

01-790 3163; 0808 584 5864

You can recover all

“A

nd David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop?

Shall I overtake them?

And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. I Sam 30:8 David and his men went out to battle but returned to discover that their land had been attacked, homes wrecked and families taken captive. On realising what their enemies had done, they broke down and cried. But when David recovered he decided to enquire from the Lord on what next to do. Sometimes in life, while fighting battles, we can get so encumbered, with our total attention on one side of the battle forgetting to build an edge round all we already have and our loved ones, thereby allowing the enemy access without knowing.

At times we sleep so deeply spiritually that we awake only to realise that the damage had already been done. At this point, David had actually been anointed king but was yet to be enthroned. He must have wondered why he had to go through such series of devastating trauma even with the anointing upon his life. You might be going through a similar scenario in your life presently, wondering why you work so hard to gather yet watch things slip through your hands without any concrete explanation. I see God stepping in to give you result-commanding instructions in Jesus name.

When God permitted them to go after the enemy, God ensured it was one of the easiest feats in the life of David.

“And they found an Egyptian in the field,… and gave him bread, … and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights, …I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.

We made an invasion … and we burned Ziklag with fire. David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company?”

I Samuel 30:11-15 They met an Egyptian

on the way who became their asset and map to recovering all the enemy had stolen. After the enemies of David had ravaged so many lands, they felt it was time to party. David met them in a merry mood, so he slayed them en masse for over twenty four hours; and made sure none of them escaped. So David recovered all; may you recover all in Jesus name.

What you must do to recover all 1. You must enquire from God on what to do.

If you must recover all, then your foundation must be built on God and His principles. Your first port of call when you have a challenge is to find out what God would have you do. Do not depend on friends or the relationships and connections in your life but absolutely on God. 2. Create the right atmosphere. When God asked David to pursue, He didn’t tell him he was going to meet a man on the way, but because David naturally was a compassionate person, he met and revived the man without knowing he was reviving his helper, they would probably have gone and returned empty handed. Under the prevailing circumstance, he was not supposed to give attention to ‘a dying man’ by the road, but his kindheartedness wouldn’t let him.

If you would recover all in life, you must create an atmosphere around you that will make others want to go all the way for you. Most people have enquired from the Lord in prayers and He has told them what to do, but in the process of recovery, they come across the people whom God has positioned to give them access to recovering all but they missed them because they’re more concerned with their own pursuit and care less about all others.

Create the right atmosphere around you by being careful about the way you deal with men.

Men are very indispensable in the agenda of God for man. That Egyptian was tired, insignificant and helpless, still David noticed and helped him; he was simply David’s angel of recovery.

•To be concluded next week

The purpose of nations(2)

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ast week I began with the first installment in the series, THE PURPOSE OF NATIONS, using Biblical passage to introduce this topic and emphasizing that God recognizes our diversity. I emphasized that God makes a very loud statement by saying that no matter our differences; culturally, ethically, racially, we are all united by one Spirit.

The message is clear. It is the spirit of God that makes us one. It is in God that we are all one and equal, yet not cancelling our diversities.

Going back to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2, it is however important to note that despite the recognition of diversities of nations and cultures represented on that Pentecostal historic day, yet there is another significant thing that happened which we must pay attention to.

The Spirit that was poured out is meant for all flesh, it is one and the same Spirit. Notice there was no different outpouring of the Spirit on the Jews, while a different Spirit on the Gentiles. There wasn’t a different Spirit for the educated and a different Spirit for the uneducated. It was the same spirit that was poured on the Jews that was equally poured on the Asians, Africans, Americans,

The Purpose of Nations

Pastor Sunday Adelaja pastor@godembassy.org

Europeans, etc.

Only God can do that, a celebration of diversity Coming back to our main message, what I am going to focus on today is that every nation, every ethnic group, every culture, and every country under the sun has a definite purpose for their creation. More significantly, it is essential that each one of these nations, discover their purposes.

Let me quickly point out that there are general purposes for all nations as well as more concrete and specific purposes for each nation.

In regards to how to discover the specific callings and purposes of each nation, that would be a discussion for another day.

Following the events of the aftermath of the flood, according to Genesis 10:5, “From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.”After the flood, when the survivors began to grow, increase and multiply, God almighty saw the need to distribute nations by territories, lands, languages, families, tribes

and nations. Obviously, this distribution and separation into lands and territories, happened only after the event of the Tower of Babel as recorded in Genesis 11:7-8, when the languages were first divided.

“Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.”

• Even though the events leading to the division into languages at the tower of Babel was indeed a tragic one, yet it is obvious that God had a place in his heart originally for nations, languages, continents and diversity in general. Especially since as seen above in Gen.10:5, God had intentionally divided the people by their languages to their various lands, territories and nations.

Why was God doing all these? Anyone who has studied the acts of God would tell you that our God is not a chaotic God. He is not confused, disorganized, disorderly or unthoughtful in his

actions and deeds. Which means everything he does is well thought out.

If he decided to create diversity through nations, people groups, tribes, nationalities, then he definitely has a purpose for it. He has a purpose for every tongue, a purpose for every tribe, a purpose for every ethnic group, a purpose for every nationality and a purpose for every country and nation.

At this time my friends, have you started wondering what the purpose is for your nation? What the purpose is for your tribe? What the purpose is for your people group?

Is there any purpose for Nigeria? Is there any purpose for our composition?

Could there be any reason why we all came together to become a country? Is there any place and purpose for every tribe? Each language? Each nation?

FRIENDS, HOW BEAUTIFUL WOULD IT BE TO JUST HAVE A GLIMPSE INTO THE MIND OF GOD. THAT IS WHERE I AM TRYING TO TAKE YOU TO IN THIS ARTICLE. By the way, I hope you still have not forgotten about PELEG. I am simply reminding you of it, not that I’m ready to talk about it yet. Let’s do more discussion on the purpose of nations before we get back to PELEG. Here we go, let’s look into a very crucial scripture for our studies today:

Ridicule of religious garbs CO N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 3 1

Osu, however, urged the good people of Osun to be bold enough to face the real problem saying: “But let us identify the real problem in Osun State. It is neither the wearing of hijab nor the wearing of choir robes.”

According to him, Osun State had failed to demonstrate that it is economically viable like majority of other states in Nigeria, and there are sufficient indices to back the assertion.

Sunday Telegraph learnt that the state government has not been able to pay salaries of workers for months. From the uncompleted intersection at Gbongan on the IbadanIfe Road, through the entire state, it is clearly evident that roads in Osun State are among the worst in Nigeria. It is hardly possible to drive one kilometre without coming across a pothole, sometimes even ‘craters’.

“In 2015, Osun State was ranked 29th out of the 36 states in performance in the senior secondary school certificate examination.”

Osu added: “Quality of life in Osun State ranks among the worst in Nigeria. It would therefore amount to a distraction to make wearing a religious garb - whether it is hijab

or choir robes - the issue in Osun State. It betrays a depressing lack of focus. This is the time for the governor and the people to live up to their beautiful name, to think and act like omoluabi, since they call the state Ipinle Omoluabi.

“The problem of Osun State I dare say is not religion but the scandalous under-development of the state.

Why is it that a portion of Nigeria that is so richly endowed is inhabited by impoverished people? The potentials for agriculture, tourism,

sports, education in Osun State and the poor living condition of the people of Osun State raise a big question about quality of governance, past and present, in Ipinle Omoluabi.

Instead of quarreling over religion, the people of Osun State would do well to call all its governors, past and present, to explain why, since the creation of the state in 1991, that state has simply failed to take off.

What type of politics has left Osun State in abject poverty?” The cleric asked.

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SCIENCE

240 years of America’s independence:

A scientific breakthrough for all

Before America’s Independence on July 4, 1776, there was little or no recorded history of scientific invention of any kind made by any American. However, after their independence, the scientific inventions, Americans alone have made supersedes that of all other nations of the world joined together. As this greatest nation on earth celebrates 240 years of her independence anniversary tomorrow, Science Editor, STANLEY CHIBUIHEM AMALAHA, chronicles some of their scientific contributions to the world that makes America great

George Washington

Thomas Edison.

Albert Einstein

Ben Carson

Apollo 11 crew

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he only index that divides the world into two – developed and ‘underdeveloped’ nations, is science and technology. While the world was captivated by some scientific discoveries earlier made by some nations before the discovery of America by CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, little or nothing was known that soon or later, ‘the New World’ as it was known by then, will become the cynosure of all eyes in scientific invention. Thanks to AMERIGO VESPUCCI (1454-1512) an Italian navigator born in Florence. It was from his name, that the name America was derived.

Careful scientific studies, however, show that there were little or no recorded scientific event of any kind made by any American before their independence, 240 years ago precisely. But immediately after their independence, the scientific breakthroughs America alone has made can surpasses that of all other nations of the world joined together. Today, they have the largest number of Nobel Prize winners in science, and the best engineering school on earth – Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Similarly World Universities’ ranking since its inception in 2004, shows that American universities namely Harvard University, University of California Los Angeles among others, have been topping the world ivory towers rankings. Today talking about scientific invention without America, is like travelling to the city of New York without catching a glimpse of the famous statue of Liberty.

Thanks to George Washington and others that fought for their independence. Some Leading Lights in America’s scientific firmament include: THOMAS EDISION: (1847-1931) regarded as the greatest inventor of all times, with over 1000 patents to his credit. ALBERT EINSTEIN (1879-1955) German-Born Jew, Americanized himself. His energy – Mass equivalence equation. E = MC2 revolutionized man’s thinking of the universe. ORVILLE AND WILBUR WRIGHT BROTHERS whose ground – breaking invention of the Aeroplane was a novel. JOHN VON NEUMAN (1903 – 1957), invented the first stored program computer. JOHN BARDEEN (1908 – 1991) a physicist, was the first person ever to receive the Nobel price twice in the same field. (It should be noted that

Marie Curie from France, was the first person ever to be awarded Nobel price twice, but not in the same field) MARGARET SANGER (1883 – 1966) was the pioneering leader for the birth control movement in USA which the whole world is enjoying today. She founded the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA).

Oh what shall I say more, for the time and space will fail me to talk about CHARLES GOODYEAR, who in 1839, accidentally discovered the vulcanization of rubber. It was from his name that the Goodyear tyres used by vehicles all over the world was derived.

Margareth Sanger

BENJAMIN CARSON (1951 - ) Professor of neurological surgery, oncology and plastic surgery, John Hopkins University Hospital, USA. He led the 70 member medical team that separated the seven-month-old cojoined twins. It was in that hospital that the cojoined twins sponsored by the then Gov. Tinubu of Lagos State were successfully separated. The internet, which is the centre of communications worldwide, is the product of America’s military scientists. It is in “In God we trust”, inscribed conspicuously in their currency, that the real talent and uniqueness of America’s scientific knowl-

Prof Igbokwe recieves sciencific award of excellence

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he Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, (UNIZIK), Akwa, Prof Joel Igbokwe, has been presented with an award of excellence by the university. The award was presented to him recently by the students’ body, under the aegis of Faculty of Environmental Sciences Students’ Association (FESSA), UNIZIK, Akwa.

Speaking at the event which climaxed the ‘World Environment Day’ celebration organised by the university, Mr. Dominic Ugwueze of the Dept. of Surveying and Geoinformatics, UNIZIK, who presented the award on behalf of FESSA, said: “Professor Joel Igbokwe is a distinguished Professor and the best Dean in UNIZIK. After much scrutiny, he was found worthy in all aspects of endeavors. The award is in recognition of his innovations in environmental services, outstanding character in service and the cordial relationship he has maintained over the years among staff and students of this great university”.

Joel Igbokwe, a professor of surveying and geoinformatics, Nnamdi Azikwe University, Akwa, has many scientific contributions to his credit. For example 10 years ago he instituted the university’s environmental Science faculty lecture which is held annually. The title of this year’s edition “the Impact of Extreme weather events on Foods and Security in Nigeria” delivered by Dr. Anthony Anuforom, Director General, NIMET, Abuja was a novel topic.

Statue of Liberty

The Wright brothers

The distinguished don (Igbokwe), expressed delight on the honour given to him by the university and promised to maintain the integrity of the university and uphold its banner continuously without stain.

Some distinguished personalities present include Prof Joseph Ahaneku, Vice Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof Clifford Nwanna of the Dept of Pure/Applied Arts, UNIZIK; Prof Mathew Ndubuisi Ono of the Dept of Surveying/ Geoinformatics, UNIZIK , just to mention but a few.

Prof. Igbokwe.

edge is found. Excuse me, pause and think twice, and image how the world would have been without Lasers, computers, aeroplanes, satellites, quality health care, education, and other inventions made by Americans. These are infinitesimal number of dividends, the world is enjoying from American scientific inventions and discoveries which show that America’s Independence is truly a scientific breakthrough for all.

Emeka Ojukwu Centre for Research and Development.

Stanley Chibuihem

A LAGOS

dequate preparatory arrangements have been made for the inaugural outing of the Emeka Ojukwu Centre for Research & Development (ECRED).

This was made known recently to Science Telegraph by Dr. Uche Okpala, Head, Department of Physics, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) Uli campus, founder and first Director, Emeagwali Centre for Research Renewable Energy & Materials Science (ERREMS), Anambra State University (ANSU), now Centre for Research Renewable Energy and Materials Science, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli campus. Okpala is also the founder of the centre.

In a recent interview with the Head, Science Telegraph, the distinguished University don stated that they have a new centre named after Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu as “Emeka Ojukwu Centre for Research & Development (ECRED)”. “The reason for Ojukwu is to immortalize the name of an African giant whose life preached human development and capacity building. Emeka Ojukwu Centre is a multi-disciplinary centre for research and development. It holds conferences and workshops for different establishments throughout the year. It covers all areas of research in sciences, engineering and technology. It does project research and execution for firms, companies and industries. We started with research and development in solid state technology, electronics, solar energy and materials science. We do skill acquisition training in the aforementioned areas,” he said.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016

Rio 2016: Mikel assures Siasia of joining Dream Team p.55

New Eagles' coach to emerge this week

Djokovic crashes out of Wimbledon

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SPORTS

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Dapo Sotuminu he Sports Minister, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has vowed that, the Nigerian government which he represents will not allow the Nigeria Football Federation to embarrass the country again the way they have done in the past, on issues concerning the employment of foreign coaches for the senior national team, the Super Eagles.

From the body language of the Minister for Sports, he is set to interfere fully in the affairs of the Football Federation as it relates to the plans of the Amaju Pinnick-led board to appoint a substantive coach for the Eagles.

Dalung, who just like other Sports Ministers in recent times, has given overdue attention to matters of the country’s football, is on a collision course with the leadership of the NFF. The Minister had insisted that in case the NFF wants to employ a coach for the Eagles, it must not be a foreign coach but a Nigerian tactician.

“Enough is enough, we can’t just sit down and watch the NFF give the country a bad name, as the football federation continues to breach contractual agreements with foreign coaches. From the reports I have, the Federal Government had paid heavy penalties in the past through FIFA to foreign coaches who were treated so poorly by past leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation. We won’t allow this to happen again not in this tenure."

Already, against the directive of the Sports Ministry, the NFF which has decided to employ French coach, Paul Le Guen, to tinker the affairs of the Super Eagles and had already told the stand-in coach of the team, Salisu Yussuff, that he would be one of the assistant coaches to the Frenchman who has also hinted that his first assistant would be a coach of his choice.

From the discussions held with Le Guen, the NFF has agreed to pay the coach a whopping monthly salary of N16.2m, the equivalent of €44,000, three times more than the N5million paid to former coaches Stephen Keshi and Sunday Oliseh respec-

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Deputy Sports Editor Dapo Sotuminu daposotu@yahoo.com © Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Foreign coach for Eagles: We won’t allow NFF to embarrass Nigeria again –Dalung tively.

Le Guen is already said to be enthusiastic with working with the Nigerian national soccer team. The coach, who qualified the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, is just waiting to resume his new job ahead of the FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifiers in October.

But Dalung, has rejected this plan, stating that: "Aside from anything, the harsh economic realities of the times would not make such a decision realistic. Using local coaches will be worthwhile. They must rise above parochial politics. The selection of a national team coach is usually handled by the NFF Technical Committee. The last time a Super Eagles chief coach was employed, the NFF president did it alone and it failed totally with Nigeria being the victim. We are a supervising ministry. We have little to do with the process but we have a role in guiding what is best for Nigeria. I have always maintained that if we cannot pay indigenous coaches, who are still being owed huge sums of money and some of them have even died without those salaries. Do we still go and look for a foreign coach and will he be able to tolerate us without salaries for some time, more so, as the NFF plans to pay in euros. This is a big contradiction and we won’t allow this to happen again in this country.”

The Minister berated Nigerian coaches for being their own nemesis as they have been responsible for Nigeria’s poor performances in international football. He said: "The indigenous coaches over the years have been slowed down by their narrowmindedness. In the case of the NFF’s quest to employ yet another foreign coach, it is

a clear case of placing personal interest above national interest and this is unacceptable."

The immediate past president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, while supporting Amaju Pinnick’s insistence on employing a foreign coach, noted that, in the past six years, local coaches have failed Nigeria and there is no option other than to bring in a foreign Technical Adviser. He advised the Sports Minister to tread with caution and allow the NFF to decide, adding that, it is clear the Eagles need a foreign coach to move to the next level.

“The weight of the Super Eagles has be-

Dalung

come too heavy for any Nigerian coach to shoulder. Nigerian coaches have tried their best as handlers of the Eagles, but their best has not been good enough. The Sports Minister should give the NFF the benefit of doubt to employ a quality foreign coach for the Eagles and we shall see the difference."

Against this background, the Sports Minister is bent on thwarting the decision of the NFF, which in its entirety, negates the rules governing the running of the Nigeria Football Federation which has since 2014 been specifically ran on the FIFA's Statutes after the abrogation of Decree 101.

Following the bill, the NFF had become an autonomous arm of the executive, giving it all legal backing and support to operate fully in FIFA's statutes which it signed on to. The proper implementation of the bill means the autonomy of the NFF from the Sports Ministry. But the failure of the NFF to stop collecting monthly subvention and other funds to execute international matches and competitions from the Sports Ministry has perpetually tied the football federation to the apron strings of the ministry, thus giving the Federal Government the power under the abrogated Decree 101 Part VII – Miscellaneous.

Under Section 19, on Power of the Sports Minister to give Directives states that: (1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Minister may give the Association directives of a general or specific nature with regards to the exercise by the Board of its functions under this Act. (2). It shall be the duty of the Board of the Football Association to comply with any directives given by the Minister under subsection (1) of this section.

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Sport

NIGERIA PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE Dapo Sotuminu

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wo top NPFL teams, Wikki Tourists of Bauchi and Rangers International of Enugu will today battle for supremacy at the Abubarkar Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi.

Wikki, currently on 41 points after losing their last weekend’s game against Plateau United, will want to use home advantage to try to stop the visitors who are on 39 points from dumping them and moving ahead in their quest to break a 32-year-jinx where the Flying Antelopes has failed to win the Nigerian domestic title.

Abdul Maikaba's tactical and technical discipline would be at play at its peak to outsmart the youthful Imama Amapakabo whose expertise and added experience as assistant coach of the Super Eagles has reshaped the club to league contenders.

From past records, Rangers are ahead of Wikki, as they have won two and lost one in their last three matches against the Bauchi team. Rangers’ last encounter against Wikki went the way of the Flying Antelopes that won 1-0 in March. The Imama Amapakabo boys are hoping to consolidate on this as they are bent on winning today’s game

Wikki Tourists, Rangers battle for supremacy

to overtake Wikki to move to 42 points on the log.

Against Rangers’ aspiration, Wikki Tourists, chief coach has his eyes on a possible home victory which he has told his players is crucial to their title aspirations. If Wikki succeeds in beating Rangers, they will extend their lead on the table to 44points.

“It is imperative for us to win this game because it is a match between the two table toppers in the NPFL. Enugu Rangers will leave the Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi without any points. Enyimba came to Bauchi and left empty handed, Pillars came and also left empty handed and Rangers will not be an exception, they will leave empty handed. We lost 1-0 in Enugu in the first stanza of the league and this is our chance to avenge that defeat. In the first game, Rangers deserved their win but we also had chances to at least get

a result from the game,” he said Enugu Rangers’ General Manager, Ozor Paul Chibuzor, has also joined in the mind game ahead of the cracker.

He said that, midway into the crucial away fixture, he has a package that he would hand over to the players to boost their morale towards grabbing the three points at stake in Bauchi.

“We have realized that it is only a continued motivation that would propel Rangers to win the league again after 32 years. Before this match, we have paid the players’ one match bonus and one month’s salary."

Meanwhile, due to injury worries Rangers will be without top strikers Bobby Clement and Osas Okoro for today's game.

The Rangers coach said: “Bobby Clement, Osas Okoro and Pape Sane are all out due to injuries, but I do not believe their absence will affect us because I recruited for the whole the season."

Sunshine Stars’ players promise better results

T

he players of Sunshine Stars Football Club of Akure, have promised to put smiles on the faces of the Ondo State people and the government of the state as the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) enters the crucial stage.

The players noted that, they know what it takes for the club to book a place in the CAF continental competition. “We are more focused than before and we are committed to making the state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who has expressed confidence in our ability to achieve greatness in the Nigerian league, happy."

The team captain, Abe Sunday, on behalf of the players said: “Sunshine Stars players will not rest until we achieve our goal of booking yet another place in the Continent. Governor Mimiko, has never failed to boost the morale of the team as he has consistently Sunshine Stars, we have no option than to pay the state government back with great achievements in the league.”

He added: “We shall continue to work hard in a bid to bring smiles to the faces of the soccer-loving people of the state especially Dr. Mimiko who is our number one

supporter.”

Sunshine Stars chief coach, Solomon Ogbeide, while assuring that, his boys will not back down in their quest to return to the continent, stated that: “The players will pay back the great treatment of the state government. We have every course to appreciate the efforts of the management as they always bring out the best from the players." According to him, with hard work, dedication, determination, commitment, and unity as well as self-sacrifice, the Akure-based team will realise its ambition this soccer season.

Abia Warriors' coach begs supporters, as club signs top stars

A

fter Abia Warriors of Umuahia faultered 5-0 in the Match Day 24 game against Kano Pil-

Abia Warriors Chima Ndukwu

lars at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano, the club’s chief coach, Kennedy Boboye, has expressed regrets at the result that also came as a surprise to the technical crew and the players themselves.

The scandalous loss to Kano Pillars according to Boboye was the worst of his career, and he promised never to let the club down again with such demeaning score line. Abia Warriors had a makeshift defence line in Kano as all the central defenders were either injured or suspended.

Boboye blamed the loss to injuries that made first team players miss the match in Kano. Team’s top marksmen, Chisom Chikatara and Michael Olaha were not in Kano having travelled abroad to finalise arrangements to join their new clubs while Ndifreke

Effiong with six goals to his credit this season for Abia Warriors has been with the National U-23 team preparing for the Rio Olympic Games.

Abia Warriors has strengthened the team with the signing of four additional players. The players include Chinenye Agoha formerly of Giwa FC, Chima Ndukwu from Jomo Cosmos of South Africa, James Nicholas from Crime Bursters FC of Enugu and club returnee, Binaebi Johnson.

Boboye, expressed hope that the new additions will improve the team’s performance as they have been tested and found worthy, having all played the game at the highest level.

Abia Warriors will this weekend host Plateau United in the Matchday 25 game in Umuahia.

MFM star player Ifeanyi Ifeanyi

MFM’s key figures return for Lagos derby

•LMC orders crowd attendance

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wo prominent figures in the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Football Club of Lagos, coach Fidelis Ilechukwu and midfielder Stephen Odey, will make a return to the league today as the club battles Ikorodu United in a Lagos derby in a Match Day 25 game.

LMC’s hammer fell on the Godwin Enarkhena-motivated team after crowd unrest in the home game against Shooting Stars of Ibadan which they lost 1-0.

Odey, suffered a knock in his side’s last home match against Shooting Stars Football Club (3SC) of Ibadan.

He will return after he was declared fit by the team's doctor, Dr. Essien Essien for the big cracker.

In a related development, MFM FC midfielder, Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, has

MATCHDAY 25 (JULY 3, 2016) SUNDAY FC Ifeanyi Ubah vs Sunshine MFM FC vs Ikorodu United Enyimba vs El-Kanemi Lobi Stars vs Heartland Akwa United vs Kano Pillars Abia Warriors vs Plateau Utd Wikki Tourists vs Rangers Tornadoes vs Warri Wolves

called on his team mates to do everything possible to record an outright victory against Ikorodu United Football Club in the Lagos derby.

The League Management Company (LMC) has taken cognizance of the scheduling of the live broadcast of Match Day 25 between Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Football Club of Lagos and City Neighbors, Ikorodu United Football Club of Lagos and has consequently lifted the closed gates sanction imposed on the Agege Township Stadium, the home ground of the Olukoya Boys.

That sanction will now come into effect from their Match Day 27 home fixture against Heartland Football Club of Owerri.

“This decision has been taking in the exercise of its powers derived from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Rule Book andpursuant to taking any decisions the LMC to be in the overall good ofthe game”.

“The live broadcast schedule of NPFL matches are decided far ahead of the dates and we can neither allow such a game played without fans to be broadcast nor disrupt the operations of our broadcast partners.”

The match christened, the Lagos Derby holds on Sunday at the Agege Stadium.

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY, 3 JULY 2016

Sport

Rio 2016: Mikel assures Siasia of joining Dream Team Dapo Sotuminu

C

helsea of England midfielder, Mikel Obi, has reassured head coach of the Nigeria U-23s Samson Siasia that he will be at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with the Nigeria team.

Mikel has been included as one of the three overage players for Nigeria at the Olympics but there have been doubts if he will be released by his club Chelsea FC. But according to a source close to the 29-year-old, Mikel has spoken to the Dream Team chief coach confirming his for the Rio Olympics soccer

event. “He had a chat with Siasia and he will definitely be at the Olympics, he is just waiting to meet with new coach Antonio Conte after that he will join the Nigerian team in the USA where they are camped,” said the source.

Mikel’s participation in the Olympics had been confirmed by the Chelsea FC management before the end of last season when he was approached by the Dream Team coach to be a part of the Olympic soccer team.

The Nigerian, who is the second longest serving player among the current players at Chelsea, after John Terry, is, however, yet to extend his deal with

the club with his current deal set to expire in two years.

It was learnt that, earlier on Mikel had wanted to wait for the new Chelsea coach to resume at the Stamford Bridge before taking a trip to the Nigerian Olympic camp, but on a second thought, where the Chelsea coach who is at the moment coaching the Italian team at Euro 2016 may have to wait for the end of the competition at which time it would be late to join the Nigerian team, he has now decided to postpone his meeting with Conte until after the Olympics.

Mikel wanted an assurance of getting a first team jersey in Chelsea.

Djokovic crashes out of Wimbledon

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New Eagles’ coach to emerge this week

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he Nigeria Football Federation, at the weekend rose from its meeting with the Technical Committee of the federation in Lagos, setting up a special panel that has been detailed to shortlist and interviews the next Super Eagles chief coach.

In the meeting chaired by NFF president, Amaju Pinnick, supported by the two NFF’s vice presidents Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko, the committee was mandated to give Nigeria a new quality coach in one week.

The NFF in the last two weeks had received number of job applications from coaches across the world most of them Europeans who are eager to officially succeed Sunday Oliseh, who quit the post in February.

The promptness in the search for a new coach according to the NFF boss, is aimed at help-

ing the Super Eagles knock into shape ahead of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers which begins on October 3 in Zambia.

The Eagles have been drawn in a tough group that has all former Nations Cup winners Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia.

Nigeria caretaker coach, Salisu Yusuf, is one of the coaches who have submitted their applications to head the Super Eagles coaching crew in full capacity.

The technical committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had requested all interested coaches to apply for the post vacated by Sunday Oliseh in February.

Yusuf had assisted the late Stephen Keshi, Sunday Oliseh and Samson Siasia in the Super Eagles’ in the last one year.

He led the team to the two international friendlies against Mali and Luxembourg in May.

Solution to Cross Word Puzzle

xxxxx

efending champion, Novak Djokovic, has crashed out of Wimbledon in the third round after losing in four sets to American Sam Querrey.

The 29-year-old world number one was looking for a fourth Wimbledon title and a 13th major

victory, but suffered his earliest loss in a grand slam since the 2009 French Open.

The match, played over two days because of rain interruptions, also ended Djokovich’s record of 30 successive wins at the majors and his streak of reaching 28 consecu-

tive Grand Slam quarter-finals.

Querrey, the number 28 seed, had gone two sets up on Friday but was left to wait overnight as rain washed out the evening’s play.

Djokovic won the third set on Saturday, but lost the fourth to go out 7-6 (8/6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5).

Giggs ends 29-year United association R yan Giggs has ended his 29year association with Manchester United, the club has confirmed.

The 42-year-old former star player joined United’s coaching staff under David Moyes, taking temporary charge when the Scot was sacked in April 2014, and was made assistant manager by Louis van Gaal.

However, new manager Jose Mourinho is expected to bring in trusted lieutenant Rui Faria to take on the role, with Giggs unable to agree a new position.

It means he will depart Old Trafford after almost 30 years of service, having joined United’s academy in 1987.

Stanley Ihedigbo

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roprietor of Megaklass Schools, Mr. Bright Isaac Ejeka has urged private schools’ pupils to be more diligent in sports activities in the country.

Speaking with Sunday Telegraph recently , after the school’s bi-annual inter-house sports, Ejeka, enjoined children in private schools not to shun way from participating in the sports’ activities so that they will be able to showcase their talents.

He described inter-house sports activities as an avenue to discover great talents for the state and the country, and appealed to schools to involve their pupils in sports.

He noted that since the history of the school, they have been training future sports men and women, who have represented their various states and institutions where they are presently.

According to the proprietor, most of the pupils before they leave the school, would have become knowledgeable about sports activities and consequently be able

“After 29 seasons at Manchester United as a player and assistant manager, I know winning is in the DNA of this club - giving youth a chance, and playing attacking and exciting football,” he said in a statement released by the club.

“It’s healthy to have high expectations, it’s right to expect to win. Manchester United expects, deserves, nothing less.”

Giggs was part of United’s famed “Class of ‘92” and went on to become the club’s record appearance holder, donning the jersey 963 times.

During his playing days, Giggs collected 13 Premier League titles, four FACup medals, four League Cup trophies and two Champions Leagues.

Megaklass schools’ boss urges pupils to be diligent in sports to harness their potentials because of their exposure.

On private sector sports sponsorship, he said that government has a lot to do like granting incentives as way of encouraging companies to spend their money in the development of sports as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Ejeka further noted that before now, when they held previous inter-sports, companies used to come around with their products to give gifts to his pupils and it was a welcome development which motivated the children to do their best since they know they will be going home with a branded products.

The pupils during the inter-house sports. Inset: Proprietor, Mr. Bright Isaac Ejeka,

business Militancy: Oil prices to stumble as Nigeria reclaims output

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We won't allow NFF to embarrass Nigeria again -Dalung }53

Ogah vs Ikpeazu: The aborted Judicial Coup in Abia State (1) INTRODUCTION The judgment of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, sacking Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, as Governor of Abia State, is nothing but a judicial coup. With all humility, it was poorly researched.

There are just too many things wrong with it. INEC did not help matters by peremptorily handing over a certificate of return to Dr. Uche Ogah, even when Ikpeazu had already appealed, filed a motion for stay of execution and got INEC duly served. The last was unnecessary. It smacks of political undertones, especially since the news in the market place (not independently confirmed), is that the game plan is for Ogah to be sworn in immediately on the platform of PDP, and then immediately decamp to APC. Thus, APC, it is said, would have at least one state in the S/E and S/S of the country. If this was the expectation, then it is a legal illusion as the entire judgment is fundamentally flawed in law. Matters are not helped by alleged imminent invasion of Abia Government House by federal troops. In a democracy?

NOW THIS Under the doctrine of “Lis Pendens” (“suit pending”), once a party is aware that a suit has been submitted to a court of law, it should stay further action by not resorting to self help, “vie et amis”.

In GOVERNMENT OF LAGOS STATE V OJUKWU (1986) 2 NWLR (pt 18) 621, the Supreme Court held that once a party is aware of a pending suit, he should not take further steps in the matter, and if he does, it is at his risk. This, even if no injunction has been specifically granted.

INEC on becoming aware of Ikpeazu’s appeal and service of the motion to stay execution of the judgment, ought to have exercised restraint by not presenting Ogah with a certificate of return. By the provisions of section 143 of the Electoral Act, a person whose election is nullified shall stay in office pending the determination of his appeal, so long as he has notified INEC of his appeal. And he even has 21 days to do this! Under sections 140 and 141, disputes over nomination and qualification within a political party can only lead to the holding of a fresh election between the two combatants (Ikpeazu and Ogah), where a court or tribunal nullifies the election for any reason whatsoever, including that the person elected (Ikpeazu), was not qualified to contest the election in the first place (as held by Abang).

It can never result in the certificate of return being given to Ogah, a situation that only occurs under section 142 where the issue is that the sitting Governor did not have majority of votes over his opponent. Section 140 (2) specifically states that the “election tribunal or court shall not declare the person with the second highest votes or any other person as elected, but shall order for a fresh election”. It is so clear.

This was the major reason the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal and nullified that of the election petition tribunal in February, 2016, in the case of AISHA ALHASSAN V DARIUS ISHAKU. Justice Abang’s judgment to the effect that Ogah should be “sworn in immediately” and the audacious act of INEC in

The

Nigerian Project

MIKE OZEKHOME san, ofr mike.ozekhome@yahoo.com 08094777755 (sms only) giving certificate of return to Ogah, all attempted to abort and foreclose completely, Ikpeazu’s constitutional right of Appeal (see section 241 of the 1999 Constitution and section 143 of Electoral Act).

See also EYESAN V SANUSI (1984) 15 NSCC 271; THE STATE V OLADOTUN (2011) LPELR 1961 (SC) The judgment is therefore dead on arrival, as dead as “dodo” INEC that first denied ever receiving any notice of Appeal before issuing a certificate of return to Ogah, suddenly summersaulted upon production of evidence, claiming it received only a Notice of Appeal, but not a motion for stay of execution. The subsequent evidence produced by Abia State Attorney General, Umeh Kalu, shows that one Saleh Ibrahim, Senior clerical officer in INEC Headquarters Legal Department, received and stamped both Notice of Appeal and motion for injunction at 12:50 pm on June 29, 2016.

Under the Electoral Act, INEC has one full week to issue a certificate of return.

So, why the rush to do so within 24 hours? This raises serious suspicion and concern of external forces being at play.

The characterization of a dispute over a person's qualification for election for any reason as a pre-election or post election is determined by whether the dispute was presented for judicial determination before or after the general election. If it is brought before the general election, it is a pre-election matter.

If it is brought after the general election and after the person whose qualification is disputed has been elected, it is a post election matter. See CHUKWUEGBO v.

AGU & ORS (2015) LPELR-25578(CA).

As a pre-election matter, it can be presented only in a High Court by Virtue of S.31(5) and (6) and S.87(9) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended. As a postelection challenge of an elected person's qualification for election, it can be presented only as an election petition in an election Tribunal. See SALIM V CPC (2013) LPELR-19928(SC) in which the Supreme Court held that: "it is my considered opinion therefore that the issues of qualification, disqualification or non-qualification of a candidate to contest an election (in this case governorship election) is a matter which the High Courts and the Election Petition Tribunal that those grievances can be presented after election has taken place. .....In conclusion it has to be stated that the issue of disqualification, nomination, substitution and sponsorship of candidates for an election precede election and are therefore pre-election matter. The instant situation where the

appellant as plaintiff did not complain to court before election and even then 38 days after the election to talk of preelection matter for the first time is a pill too difficult to swallow. He by his lack of consciousness took his matter out of the domain of pre-election and can only go before the election tribunal to try his luck since the status of the matter was post-election clearly outside the ambit of either the Federal High Court State High Court or High Court of FCT".

AND THIS QUALIFICATION AND DISQUALIFICATION – DO THEY AFFECT IKPEAZU? Section 177 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, provides that: a person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a State if he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth; he has attained the age of thirty-five years; he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.

On the disqualifying features of a candidate for an election, Section 182 (1) of the 1999 Constitution lists them as: voluntary acquisition of citizenship of another

country being elected to such office at any two previous elections; being adjudged a lunatic, or a person of unsound mind, being under a sentence of death; or within 10 years before the election he has been convicted and sentenced for an offence involving dishonesty; or having been found guilty of the contravention of the code of Conduct; being an undischarged bankrupt; or he has not resigned, withdrawn or retired from the employment of public service of the federation or a state at least thirty days to the date of the election; belonging to any secret society; or he has been indicted for embezzlement or fraud by a Judicial Commission of Inquiry or an Administrative Panel of Inquiry or a Tribunal or if he has presented a forged certificate to INEC. It is cleared that whether by way of qualification or disqualification, Dr. Ikpeazu suffers no such deficit.

Under Section 138 (1) (a) of the Electoral Act, an election may be questioned on the grounds that a person whose election is questioned was, at the time of the election, not qualified to contest the election.

In DANGANA V USMAN (2013) 6 NWLR (pt 1349), 50 at 89 – 90, the Supreme Court held that qualification/disqualification to context an election is both a pre – election and post - election matter”, which both the High Court and the relevant Election Tribunals have jurisdiction to hear and determine. See also WAMBAI V DONATUS (Supra) and IKECHUKWU V NWOYE (Supra).

LAST LINE Are the Judiciary, Executives and Nigerians reading and digesting this Sunday sermon in the Nigerian project by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, OFR? • Follow me on twitter @ MikeozekhomeSAN

Cross Word Puzzle

with Olulana Kayode 08023183727 Instructions on how to play the game •With reference to the ‘clues across’ and ‘clues down’ below, you shall try to provide answers to the clues, by writing the answer in the puzzle box provided on the left side.

•The number in parenthesis indicates the total number of letters making up the solution or answer you will provide.

•Keep on answering all the questions until all the spaces in the puzzle box are completely filled up.

Good luck!

Clues Across 1 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 16 17 18 22 23 24 25 26

Ex Sokoto state Governor, (7).

Inquire about, (3).

Highly-prized art work, (3).

Sudden abrupt pull, (3).

An intricate trap, (3).

Ex Kogi state Governor, (4).

Specified distinct part, (4).

New Jersey, (2).

Astatine symbol, (2).

Aromatic resinous substance, (4).

Injure seriously, (4).

Intensive Care Unit, (3).

Boat built by Noah, (3).

Interest with exaggerated zeal, (3).

Women's undergarment, (3).

Area on Lagos Mainland, (7).

Clues Down 1 2 3 4 5 6 13 14 15 19 20 21

Gov. Aminu Masari state, (7).

Offensive name for black person, (6).

State in the N.C. USA, (4).

Lagos PDP Gov. candidates, (6).

In the middle of, (4).

Blood-related, (3).

Ex Sokoto state Governor, (7).

Ex Jigawa state Governor, (6).

Capital of Equatorial Guinea, (6).

An Islamic cleric, (4).

Japanese form of wrestling, (4).

Seize somebody, (3).

Turn to page 55 for solution

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