Sunday telegraph sunday, october 4, 2015 vol 2 no 5921

Ministerial nominees go spiritual }Embark on fasting, prayers }Fayose, Wike plot against Fayemi, Amaechi }Presidency refuses to lobby senators

SUNDAY Sunday, OCTOBER 4, 2015 Vol. 2 No. 592

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Sanctity of Truth

/newtelegraph

N150

@newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com

alleged bribery

diezani faces 10 years in jail UK Bribery Act 2010

(1) An individual guilty of an offence under section 1, 2 or 6 is liable— (a) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or to both, (b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, or to a fine, or to both.

(2) Any other person guilty of an offence under section 1, 2 or 6 is liable— (a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, (b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine

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l Ex-oil minister, four others to face UK interrogators tomorrow lOkonjo-Iweala, Adoke may be quizzed over $1.1bn Malabu deal lBank MDs, others fret ABUJA BLASTS Human parts litter explosion scenes lPolice kick as NEMA declares 15 dead, 41 injured }8

MECCA STAMPEDE

N500 BRIBE

We stepped on Tanker driver kills bodies to rescue assistant over Naval victims - Eyewitness rating’s demand }6,7,8

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SUNDAY OCTOBER 04, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Contents | 04.10.15 BODY & SOUL

Pioneer extraordinaire Club Unique owner, Tony Ojo, took bold steps into a relatively unknown business in the country to create jobs and generate revenue for government

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POLITICS

Fresh security fears Recent forays of Fulani herdsmen and exmilitants in Niger Delta are raising security concerns

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BUSINESS

Boomerang Nigeria risks losing her crude buyers in the international market, as ship-owners insist they will not sign the NNPC’s ‘Letter of Comfort’

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FAITH

Signs and wonders Miracle is the cheapest thing that can happen in the life of a child of God – Bishop Lawrence Osagie

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SPORT

Enyeama shattered Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, is shattered by his mother’s death

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MAGAZINE

Tragic Hajj

With about 81 Nigerian pilgrims killed and 243 others missing in separate incidents in this year’s Hajj, the otherwise holy exercise has left a sad memory in the minds of many people

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SUNDAY

Editorial

Government officials and reckless driving

S

ometime in 2001 during a state visit to Oyo State by the then president Olusegun Obasanjo, some drivers in the convoy of the state government were almost involved in what would have been a fatal accident except for divine intervention. The convoy was on its way to Ogbomoso. Obasanjo, who was in the same vehicle with his host, late Alhaji Lam Adesina, the then governor of the state, was ill at ease at the neck-breaking speed with which some of the drivers were moving and could not hide his feelings when they got to their destination.

In his address, the ex-president expressed his misgiving about such dangerous driving particularly among drivers in the convoy of government officials. The next day, the issue made headlines in the media.

There is nothing unusual about government officials moving in convoy as the practice is universal because of the need for the officials to move with their support staff in some cases. The only unusual thing is that drivers in Nigerian governments’ convoy behave as if they are immune from prosecution even if they engage in reckless driving. They care less about other road users and this is compounded by overzealous security officials who encourage them to flout traffic rules. Not only that, there were cases whereby other drivers were beaten and even had their vehicles damaged by these overzealous security men in the name of easing the flow of traffic for their bosses.

Between 2001 and now quite a number of governments’ convoy had been involved in road accidents leading to loss of lives in some cases.

In 2005, five journalists died in an accident involving the convoy of former governor of Ogun State Gbenga Daniel.

In October 2009, the convoy of Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko had a fatal accident in which six people died.

In April 2012, it was the turn of Governor Adams Oshiomole of Edo State’s convoy.

Three journalists died in the accident. In November 2012, the convoy of the late governor Patrick Yakowa reportedly killed a roadside orange seller as a result of excessive speeding.

In December 201 2, Kogi Governor, Idris Wada had a fatal accident along Lokoja – Ajaokuta Road resulting in the death of his ADC, ASP Idris Mohammed , who died on the spot.

In 2012, Zamfara State Governor Abdul Aziz Yari’s convoy was involved in an accident leading to the death of a police

man. In a similar incident involving the convoy of the immediate past governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu , in 2012, two people were killed. Also, in November 2013, ASUU chief, Professor Festus Iyayi , was killed by the convoy of Kogi Governor, Idris Wada. And On February 12, 2014, the convoy of a former deputy governor of Ondo State, Alhaji Ali Olanusi , killed an NTA journalist, Alex Akinwale, his wife, Kehinde, daughter and maid. The Incident happened at Aponmu-Owena, along Akure-Ondo Road, a suburb in Ondo State.

In January this year, the convoy of Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, was involved in an accident along Bauchi/Gombe Federal highway in Alkareri LGA. 14 people died in the incident.

And on August 31, a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State and the Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, was involved in a road accident on his way to the Airport to catch an international flight. The senator’s car, it was learnt, ran into a convoy of the United States’ envoy.

These are just few of convoy accidents involving governments’ officials since the inception of democracy in 1999.

Under the leadership of Osita Chidoka, the FRSC organised at least two trainings for these category of drivers as way of curbing their excesses. Of the 700 drivers that participated in the exercise, about 300 of them had no driving licence. This is complicity on the part of whoever engaged such drivers and such not be encouraged.

We observe that all these accidents were avoidable except for the reckless driving which is becoming a norm among drivers in governments’ convoy.

Although the National Road Safety Law, Cap 141, 2004, made provision for the prosecution of traffic offenders who exceed the approved speed limit of 100km per hour, we observe that the law appears to be helpless whenever governments’ officials flout it.

We even express doubt if such reckless drivers were ever apprehended or prosecuted by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) or the police for traffic offences. What then is the essence of a law that is not tested? Nigeria has set a bad precedence by allowing these killer-drivers to go scot free but it is not too late to retrace our step by ensuring that the fate of such drivers are decided in courts. Once a killerdriver of a government official is sent to jail, it will send a signal to others that they are not immune from prosecution.

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

Funke Egbemode

Editor n Yemi Ajayi

Editor, Saturday n Laurence Ani Editor, Sunday n Emeka Madunagu

Deputy Editor, Sunday n Juliet Bumah

Bureau Chief, Brussels n Leo Cendrowicz

Bureau Chief, Washington DC n Marshall Comins

Editorial Coordinator, Europe n Sam Amsterdam

Ag. Bureau Chief, Abuja n Onwuka Nzeshi

Asst. Editor, News & Politics n Biyi Adegoroye

Business Development Manager n Taiwo Ahmed

Sales/Circulation Manager n Oyebanji Abiodun

Head, Graphics n Timothy Akinleye

Head, Admin. n Robinson Ezeh

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER, 2015

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH OcTOBER 4, 2015

News

Alleged bribery: Diezani faces 10 years in jail Onwuka Nzeshi, Tunde Oyesina and Tai Anyanwu

F

ormer Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, faces 10 years in a British jail if she is convicted for alleged bribery.

She and four others were arrested by officials of the International Corruption Unit of the UK National Crime Agency in London on Friday and detained before being granted bail.

The five suspects, whom detectives said are between 21 and 60, were arrested over their alleged roles in transactions involving British companies and Nigerian government officials and their business associates.

They are to face grilling

by ICU officials on Monday at Charing Cross Police Station in London. Their travel documents have also been seized and they have been barred from travelling out of Britain.

The agency said in a statement yesterday that it arrested them “as part of an investigation into suspected bribery and money laundering offences. All five people arrested were released on conditional police bail later that evening, pending further investigation both in the UK and overseas. The investigation commenced in 2013 under the Proceeds of Corruption Unit, and transferred to the NCA earlier this year.”

They are being investigated for “the bribery of foreign public officials by individuals or companies from the UK; and money laundering by corrupt foreign officials and their associates.” It added that the ICU will also “trace and recover the proceeds of international corruption; support foreign law enforcement agencies with international anti-corruption investigations; engage with government and business to reduce the UK’s exposure to the proceeds of corruption; and work with business to support increased compliance with the Bribery Act 2010.”

The Bribery Act specifies that “ (1) An individual guilty of an offence under sections 1, 2 or 6 is liable — (a) on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or to both; (b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, or to a fine, or to both. (2) Any other person guilty of an offence under section 1, 2 or 6 is liable — (a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, (b) on convic-

tion on indictment, to a fine.”

Until recently, the Proceeds of Corruption Unit was domiciled at the Metropolitan Police Service.

But after the ICU was created at the NCA in line with the UK Anti-Corruption Plan, the Proceeds of Corruption Unit at the Metropolitan Police and the Overseas Anti-Corruption Unit of the City of London Police were scrapped.

The ICU then became the UK’s prime agency for the investigation of bribery of foreign public officials by individuals or companies from the UK, and money laundering by corrupt foreign officials and their associates.

Sunday Telegraph learnt that the reference to alleged bribery may relate to Diezani’s role in the controversial sale of Oil Prospecting Lease 245 awarded in 1998 to Malabu Oil and Gas, a company believed to be owned by former oil minister, Chief Dan Etete, and Mohammed, son of a former dictator, the late Gen. Sani Abacha.

About 50 per cent of the huge concession, believed to hold over one billion barrels in oil reserves, was sold in 2012 to multinational oil companies, Shell and ENI, for $1.1 billion, with the Nigerian government acting as a middleman. The sum was then paid to Malabu.

A UK anti-corruption NGO, Global Witness, alleged that over $801m of the money was then channelled into the bank accounts of five anonymous firms with hidden owners, raising concerns about who truly benefitted from the deal.

The bone of contention is that though Shell and ENI claimed that the money was paid to the Nigerian government under former President Goodluck Jonathan, the money was not remitted to the Federation Account. Interestingly, Global Witness notes in a report, former AttorneyGeneral and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke, “who was himself a broker of the deal), is that the Nigerian Government acted as an ‘obligor,’ or as a conduit to pass the payment from Shell and Eni to Etete’s company Malabu. This latter scenario leaves the companies exposed as having purchased stolen goods and the Nigerian Government as having monetised an illegally expropriated state asset for a convicted felon. For either scenario, the evidence suggests that Nigerian Government officials connived to divert

funds from this lucrative deal away from the Nigerian people and into private bank accounts.”

Etete was convicted of money laundering in France in 2007.

Some UK NGOs wrote former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, urging her “to take action to recover Nigerian state assets.” The outcry as well as a Nigerian House of Representatives resolution urging government to revoke the concession prompted the UK Proceeds of Corruption Unit and ENI to open an investigation into the matter.

The investigation has now been taken over by the NCA. Details of the deal were blown open when a Nigerian company, Energy Venture Partners Limited represented by Mr. Emeka Obi, sued Malabu in a UK court, demanding $200m

payment. A UK appeal court in March 2014 gave EVP $110m while $90m went to Malabu.

UK interrogators may also quiz Adoke and Okonjo-Iweala over the deal.

Meanwhile, palpable fear has gripped former ministers, some bank managing directors, oil chiefs and top officials of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources over their likely indictment in the saga.

They are also scared over their likely indictment in crude swap deals and subsidy scams.

Sunday Telegraph learnt that following her arrest, several associates of the former minister were thrown into confusion apparently afraid that they may also suffer the same fate. A source told one of our correspondents that before now, many of them had been moving mil-

lions of dollars to Dubai and some foreign jurisdictions for safe keeping.

Some others were said to have moved their looted funds to less conspicuous locations where it might be difficult to track.

The source, who claimed to have seen one shipment of $5m at a Dubai airport recently, expressed surprise that such a huge sum of money could have passed through Nigerian airports without being detected by security agents.

He also alleged that top Nigerian politicians had been acquiring expensive apartments, cars and other properties as a means of dissipating the huge funds in their possession.

The Central Bank of Nigeria denied knowledge of such illicit cash transfers.

In a phone chat with one of our correspondents, CBN’s Director, Corporate Communications,

Alhaji Ibrahim Mu’azu, said, “If there is anything that has to do with movement of cash across the border. I think that duty rests with security agents whose duty is to patrol the borders.”

Our correspondents noticed that Economic and Financial Crimes Commission officials, who searched the homes of Diezani and an associate in Abuja and Lagos, had left.

At the home of the associate in Ikoyi, Lagos, one of our correspondents learnt that the EFCC officials, who came in a bus, left after some officials.

Security aides of the associate declined to allow Sunday Telegraph to speak with any member of the family.

“Oga (Diezani’s associate) is not at home. Nobody can speak to you right now,” one of the security guards said.

Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun (second right); wife of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Bola (right); Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba (Dr.) Olusanya Adegboyega Dosumu; and his wife, Olori Bosun; during the Owu Day Celebration and 10th Coronation Anniversary of the monarch at Owu Baptist Day Primary School, Abeokuta...yesterday

Tanker driver kills assistant over N500 bribe Flora Onwudiwe

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tanker driver, Ibrahim Salami, has accidentally killed his assistant, Abbas Kasali, while allegedly trying to flee from a Naval rating demanding a N500 bribe in Lagos.

The incident, which occurred on Thursday on Kirkiri bridge in Apapa, led to traffic congestion in the area.

An eyewitness said Salami had approcahed Kasali to work for him as his assistant was not around.

When the driver and his assiatnt started work, a Naval rating on duty post came to the spot where their tanker driver was trying to move his vehicle to demand a N500 bribe from the assistant.

“Every tanker driver usually gives him N500 but the assistant refused to hand him his own bribe.

“The rating became angry and both of them started ar-

guing. They argued to the extent that it resulted in a gridlock and the atmosphere was unruly. The assistant insisted that he was not going to release the N500. His excuse was that they had not started work.

“The Naval rating opened the door of the tanker and pulled him down from the truck. While the tanker driver was trying to manouvre to escape, he swerved and damaged a car with registration number BX 941 ABC as well as a parked tricycle with registration number KSF342 QE. In the ensuing confusion, the tanker’s tyres ran over the assistant and he died on the spot.

“When the driver noticed that his assistant had died, he alerted other tanker drivers.

They rounded up the Naval personnel, assaulted him and locked him up in a nearby shop. His colleagues alerted other Naval personnel at their base and they came to

his rescue,” the source said.

The eyewitness said the crowd could not be controlled by a combined team of security personnel from the police, Kirikiri Maximum Security Prisons, Nigerian Army and Nigerian Navy.

They had to resort to shooting into the air to scare away the tanker drivers so as to enable them to rescue the rating.

Confirming the incident, the spokesman for the Petroleum Tanker Drivers branch of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Adebayo Akande, said the victim had yet to be identified .

Akande also said the group had got in touch with the Naval base in Satellite Town, Lagos while investigation into the cause of the assistant’s death was ongoing.

He added that the Navy has also commenced its own investigation, assuring

that both sides would compare notes at the end of the exercise.

On what line of action the PTD will take if it is discovered that the Naval rating caused the death of the driver, Akande said that “it is only the national leadership of the union that can take that decision.”

The Commanding Officer, NNS WEY, Commodore Celestine Odiase, who briefed defence correspondents on the matter, said it was a brawl involving Naval personnel, tanker drivers and street urchins.

Odiase said, “It was about 7am when I was alerted. I rushed to the scene and found the gap between my men and street urchins. They were trying to lynch my men. I saw the leaders of the tanker drivers trying to pacify them but they were demanding that we bring out the rating for them to kill, “ he said.

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY OCTOBER 4, 2015

News

Ministerial screening: Nominees go spiritual Donald Ojogo and Chukwu David

W

ith less than 48 hours to the unveiling of the ministerial list by Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, some nominees have embarked on intensive prayer sessions ahead of their screening by the upper legislative chamber.

The ministerial list will be read on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday while the screening process is likely to commence the following day.

Besides, senators have come under intense pressure as rumours of likely hurdles on the ways of some nominated persons became rife.

Among those to face tough screening as well as resistance from senators from their states are former Rivers and Ekiti governors, Rotimi Amaechi and Dr Kayode Fayemi respectively.

With both states under the control of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party just as the senators are of the same party, Sunday Telegraph gathered that the governors are warming up to put up serious resistance.

Coming on the heels of this development is the anxiety that has pervaded Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Ondo states as President Muhammadu Buhari has yet to settle for anyone in those states.

According to sources in the know of the ministerial nominations, the underground lobby of senators began shortly after the submission of the list by the President. ‘’As usual, you know that lobbying would have commenced as expected but the difference in this case is that no one in the presidency is ready to put in a word for the nominees. They are on their own and their personal credentials and character will see them through. ‘’Gone are the days when once you are nominated, you are as sure as being a minister. Your nomination is different, whether your attitude and character will carry you through is another. So if any of the nominees thinks because President Buhari has nominated him or her, it is over, such a person must have a rethink. “‘Quite honestly, some of them are already aware of this fresh mantra and are even going the extra mile to lobby. Senators have been under pressure since Wednesday’s submission of the list. “‘Some of them who may come across difficulties and challenges have even resorted to prayers. I know of some who claimed to be on fasting and prayers since the submission of the list,” a

source said.

Sunday Telegraph gathered that the governors of Rivers and Ekiti states, Nyesom Wike and Ayodele Fayose respectively, have reportedly mandated the senators from their states to oppose the nominations of Amaechi and Fayemi.

While Wike and the Rivers state senators are banking on the outcome of the recent probe of the former governor’s administration to nail him at the Senate, Fayose is said to have mobilised the lawmakers from Ekiti to oppose Fayemi and instead opt for human rights lawyer, Chief Femi Falana (SAN).

As regards the slots for Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Ondo three states, Buhari is said to be “confused” as to who should be nominated. “‘I think the President appears confused because of the various complexities in those states. Politics is a game that requires consultations but I think something is wrong in the case of the three states because of the intrigues,” a source told Sunday Telegraph in confidence.

The source said, in the case of Akwa Ibom for instance, the President has yet to make up his mind on whom to nominate between the state governorship candidate in the last election, Chief Umana Umana and Chief James Akpanudoedehe.

In the same vein, the decision of whom to pick between Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and Chief Ndutimi Alaibe is the bone of contention in Bayelsa.

Alaibe, who withdrew from the recent APC governorship primary in the state, was believed to have been muzzled out of the contest as the Presidency reportedly had its preference for a former governor, Timipre Sylva, who eventually got the party’s ticket.

The case of Ondo is who among three contenders – the governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria in 2013, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN); Femi Agagu, younger brother to a late former governor of the state; as well as former speaker of the house of assembly, Hon. Victor Olabimtan.

If it is not mere grandstanding, there are indications that the Eighth Senate wants to set a precedent in the process and procedure for screening ministerial nominees, in line with the much touted change mantra of the present administration.

Speaking to Sunday Telegraph on the position of the Senate on the issue, Senator Sonni Ogbuoji pointed out that passing security screening was not a guarantee that a nominee would be confirmed by the Senate.

Ogbuoji, representing Ebonyi South, said that be-

yond the security checks of the security agencies of government, there were other parameters to be considered by the Upper Chamber before a nominee could be confirmed to serve as a minister.

He explained that though a nominee might not be guilty of criminality in the past, such an individual might still be dropped by the Senate based on social and moral grounds.

The politician insisted that the Senate would not allow any sentiment that would not be in the best interest of the citizenry to influence its

decisions.

He said, “The Senate is going to look beyond criminal considerations in the screening process. Even if a nominee has passed through screening but fails to meet some social and moral standards in the estimation of the Senate, the person can be dropped.

“It must not be on criminal grounds that the Senate can disqualify a nominee. If for instance, after interviewing a nominee and the Senate found that he/she cannot perform and contribute meaningfully to the devel-

opment of the country, the person is obviously not qualified to hold such an exalted public office.

“The fact that somebody is not a criminal or does not have criminal tendencies does not qualify the person automatically. The Senate, which represents the interests of Nigerians in the process of democratic governance, has a duty to ensure that those appointed to positions of authority are those who have what it takes to serve Nigerians diligently.”

In past dispensations, once a ministerial nominee

passes security screening, and has no issues that can attract opposition from at least two senators representing his or her state of origin, the nomination was as good as confirmed.

Again, there is a tradition in the Senate that if a former member of the Upper Chamber or the House of Representatives appears in the Senate for screening for any appointment, the person will not be subject to rigorous interrogation by senators but simply takes a bow and walks away automatically confirmed.

Chief of Staff to the President, Alhaji Abba Kyari (middle); Alhaji Babachir David Lawal and others, during their visit to victims of Nyanya blast at the Asokoro General Hospital in Abuja ...yesterday

Saraki condemns Abuja bomb blasts

S

enate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, on Saturday condemned the bomb explosions in the satellite towns of Kuje and Nyanya in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and urged security agencies to step up their game to avert future occurrences.

In a .statement issued by his Media Office in Abuja, Saraki told Nigerians not to panic, as the renewed attacks are signs that the days of Boko Haram would soon be over. He commended the security agencies for their quick response to the incidents in Nyanya and Kuje, especially the prompt evacuation of both the dead and injured to medical facilities.

He, however, urged the security agencies to ensure that the peace that has prevailed in the Federal Capital Tertiary (FCT) over the past few months was sustained round the clock.

“To maintain peace, we

need to step up the intelligence gathering machinery and get ordinary people to give useful information on suspicious movements by individuals, groups or even unexplainable location of objects and structures. This war against insurgency is one that all of us must cooperate with and support the military.

“We are definitely seeing the last days of these misguided elements. The resort to soft targets as their new mode of attack is a clear indication that there is tremendous heat on the insurgents from our gallant security forces who have vowed to vanquish these outlaws within the shortest possible time”, he stated.

Saraki called on Nigerians not to relent in their prayers and making critical intelligence available to security forces, to aid them in their final onslaught against insurgency in the NorthEast and other parts of the country.

Army renders free medical services to 315 Pamela Eboh

Awka

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total of 315 persons in Aguleri, Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State, have benefited from free medical services rendered by the Onitsha Military Cantonment of the Nigerian Army.

The event which took place in Amaeze, Aguleri was part of the activities lined up by the organization to celebrate Nigeria’s 55th independence anniversary.

Addressing beneficiaries of the kind gesture, Officer in Charge of the Military Cantonment Medical Reception Station, Captain Saheed Oyekanmi Shittu said that the medical service was part of the social responsibilities of the army.

He said that the services would not stop at Governor Willy Obiano’s town but will be extended to other communities in the state.

In his words: “In line with the 55th Independence Anniversary of Nigeria, the Military Cantonment Onitsha led by Col. Abdullahi Isah organised this Medical Outreach on behalf of the Nigerian Army.

“The military is using this medical service to foster civil military relationship, and to also make our civilian brothers and sisters know that we also care for them, despite that we play our primary and statutory function of ensuring the protection of the territorial integrity of Nigeria, we also care for their health that is why we came to Aguleri to offer this free medical service.

“We are offering services on many health issues and we will attend to you on outpatient basis. We have just done health talk on diseases that are preventable and consultation is being provided, whereby after being checked from the records section,” he said.

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SUNDAY

The Sunday Magazine SUNDAY OCTOBER 4, 2015

Mecca tragedy: I saw

Pilgrims after the tragedy

Yekeen Nurudeen, Mecca

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Saudi Arabia

or a very long time to come, Muslims across the world especially those who were in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not forget the memories of this year’s hajj exercise. It was one exercise, despite being spiritual, coveted and lofty, that left behind tales of woe and agony for many families to remember.

Wives are bereaved, husbands are searching for wives, children looking for parents in several intensive care units across hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Many families are in disarray over the deaths of their loved ones.

It was one stampede too many.

When the Saudi Arabia authorities announced September 23 as the ninth day of Dhul Hijah as the day for Arafat, the over two million pilgrims taking part in the exercise were eager to participate in it, being the climax of the five-day hajj activities.

Despite the crane crash on September 11 at the Holy Mosque in Mecca which claimed over 100 lives during a storm, and which also seemed to have blighted this year’s hajj, pilgrims were quite upbeat about seeing the Arafat day.

What was however expected to be a sweet spiritual experience after the Arafat for the pilgrims turned out to be a tragic encounter that left scars in the hearts of relatives of the victims.

It was a day after the peak of the five-day hajj rites, 12th Dhul-Hijah; pilgrims, about three million of them, old, young, rich, poor, men, women, chiefs and peasants, all in

The incident occurred close to the tents where Algerians where housed at Mina. Most pilgrims who performed the stoning of Satan rites were returning instead of moving on after the stoning two-piece white seamless cloth filled the road from Muzdalifah chanting: “Labaek Allaumo Labaeka (Here I am have oh Allah, in response to your call...).

The atmosphere was nonetheless charged.

It appeared there were no other creatures elsewhere on the earth at that moment except in Mecca.

Their focus was on Jamrat, the pillar representing the devil. Pilgrims set out to conduct the symbolic stoning of the devil.

They had spent a night on the plain of Muzdalifah which scholars described as a reenactment of the day of resurrection.

Every pilgrim regardless of social or political status slept on the bare floor devoid of the comfort they were normally used to.

They all trooped out as early as 5:30a.m after the morning prayer, aiming to reach the Jamrat as early as possible and to carry on with other rites of the exercise.

From 186 countries, pilgrims defied the scotching sun which had risen to a dangerous level of about 46 degrees centigrade. In high spirits, they urged each other to keep moving as they marched towards Jamrat like a swarm of bees.

But the frenzy and ecstasy that accompanied the pilgrims’ march were soon cut short by an unforseen stampede. It was not expected; at least not so soon after the scary crane crash experience.

Alas! News filtered to Mina’s tents and across the globe of a deadly stampede.

Initially, there were no thoughts of a large number of casualties.

Despite a fleet of 157 ambulances and 100,000 security personnel deployed for the hajj exercise, the rescue operation could not start until about 30 minutes after the stampede, survivors said.

Even a week after the sad incident, the Saudi authorities have yet to come up with a definite cause of the stampede that killed over 64 Nigerians; one of whom was the Deputy Secretary General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Prof.

Tijjani Abubakar El-Miskin as well as veteran journalist and prominent civil society activist, Hajiya Bilkisu Yusuf.

Though Saudi authorities set up 5000 CCTV cameras within and around Mecca and Madinah for the hajj, there’s yet to be any evidence from those cameras as to the real cause of the stampede.

Among other Nigerians who died in the stampede were the Emir of Zing and Ameerul-hajj of Taraba State, Alhaji Abbas Sambo; two of his wives and six relatives.

The immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attaihiru Jega, also lost a relative, Justice Abubakar Abdulkadir Jega, a justice of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.

Initial reports quoted Saudi officials as saying that African pilgrims were to blame for the incident while some eyewitnesses have blamed the incident on overcrowding, hot weather and the narrow state of the Road 204 where the stampede took place.

Saudi officials claimed that African pilgrims defied instructions from security personnel along the road. But a survivor rose to the defence of the Africans.

Magaji Falalu Zarewa, a PhD student at the Islamic University in Madina, who survived the stampede, said a multiple of factors were responsible for the tragic incident.

He, however, said it was as a result of the large number of pilgrims, insufficient air, high temperature and a collision of pilgrims at a particular point.

His words: “The incident occurred around 9a.m on Thursday. There is a bridge known as Malik Abdul Azeez Bridge on the way to Jamrat. It stretches from Arafat to Muzdalifah and extends to where pilgrims used to stone Satan. The bridge has diversions and most pilgrims use the bridge in order to get to the place. The crowd is usually very massive and ideally, the security agents should divert some pilgrims to other routes.

“The incident occurred close to the tents where Algerians where housed at Mina.

Most pilgrims who performed the stoning of Satan rites were returning instead of moving on after the stoning.

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY OCTOBER 4, 2015

The Sunday Magazine

There was a lot of blood all over the place when I gained consciousness. I inhaled my Ventolin because I’m asthmatic and swung into action to look for my friends with whom I was in a group. In the process, I rescued many injured people. And dead bodies were all over and we had to climb on corpses in order to rescue some pilgrims

blood, bodies-Survivor “There was a huge influx of people going to the site and an equally large number returning. I was even cautioning the returnees to desist from coming back but they complained of thirst and blockade at the passage. As a result, the road leading to Jamrat became static; there was insufficient air, the sun was blazing hot and people were coming from opposing directions. Some pilgrims started slumping because of asphyxiation and others trampled on them.”

Zarewa, who said he also lost consciousness in the stampede but was revived, however, absolved the security agents of blame.

He said, “I have been performing the hajj in the last 10 years; this is not my first time of embarking on the religious rite. There were security agents quite alright but they were simply overwhelmed. However, they were not enough to prevent those pilgrims from returning after the stoning, contrary to what obtain in the past.

“This large influx of returnees was what brought about the blockade that saw people gasping for breath due to the heat and thirst. Some of them slumped as a result and they were trampled upon. The pilgrims of Algeria and Morroco didn’t help matters either. When the situation became very unbearable, some pilgrims attempted to divert into their tents for some succour and drinking water but they prevented them.

“With time, the pressure became so much that some pilgrims started climbing into their tents and started shaking them until the tents gave up. We all rushed in and scooped whatever water we could find.

Some drank the water while others just splashed it on their bodies. I fainted at this point and had to be revived after waster was poured on me for 30 minutes.

“There was a lot of blood all over the place when I gained consciousness. I inhaled my Ventolin because I’m asthmatic and swung into action to look for my friends with whom I was in a group. In the process, I rescued many injured people. And dead bodies were all over and we had to climb on corpses in order to rescue some pilgrims.

“Pilgrims kept surging forward and some were still coming from the opposite direction. All of them were just stepping on people who had slumped. People were naked and crying for help but not much was forthcoming. After about 30 minutes, more security agents and medical personnel arrived. They arrived with more than 100 vehicles and several oxygen masks and joined us in the rescue operation.”

The whole world awaits the findings and report of the probe launched by the Saudi Monarch, King Salman, to unravel the causes of the tragic stampede.

As at the last count, Nigeria had lost 64 of its pilgrims to the stampede while 244 are still missing and 71 injured.

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria had earlier announced that 54 Nigerians were among the dead during the stampede.

But the commission’s Public Relations Officer, Mallam Uba Mana, stated in Saudi Arabia last Monday that it was working round the clock to locate those still missing.

“This briefing is just to give you an update of the situation of things as regards those that died, were injured and those still missing after the stampede. We have 64 Nigerians dead from the stampede, 71 injured and 244 still missing.

“Out of those that died, 48 are from states’

Mecca stampede

Pilgrims kept surging forward and some were still coming from the opposite direction. All of them were just stepping on people who had slumped pilgrims welfare boards and 12 from tour operators. Those that are missing are 226 and are from states’ pilgrims boards and 18 from tour operators.

“We have set up various committees to track those missing and we are not limiting the search to Mecca, Mina or Medina but the whole of Saudi Arabia as helicopters were used to airlift victims to the nearest hospitals, with several hospitals used,” he said.

Mana said the missing pilgrims were from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Ekiti, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara states and FCT. Others are Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states.

He said that some of the dead pilgrims had been buried in Mecca but added that if the family of any of the victims intends to

have the body of their loved ones sent back to Nigeria, it would be at their expense.

“The commission will do all that is humanly possible to assist families of the dead get a befitting burial for their loved ones.

But if they intend to have the body sent home, I don’t think the Saudi authorities will pick the bills,” he said.

He noted that the commission wouldn’t also rush to declare the missing pilgrims dead as several committees had been constituted to search for them. Nigeria’s death toll may be third following Pakistan and Iran that lost 236 and 131 pilgrims respectively in the incident.

This is as the Association for Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria has said that the loss of 12 of their pilgrims among the 64 Nigerians confirmed dead was in addition to the economic loss they suffered.

The association’s Chairman, Alhaji Abdulfattah Abdulmajeed, said that apart from those that died of natural causes, the loss of Nigerians in the Mecca crane collapse and the Jamarat stampede made it A double loss for them and the nation.

“Before we were talking of financial losses and now we are talking about human losses. We submit to His (Allah’s) will and those that died would still have died at home if Allah wishes. Still, we must act to prevent re-occurrence of accidents that led to the deaths,” he said.

But despite this and many accounts, the

stampede has degenerated to a diplomatic row between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Islamic Republic of Iran.

Some eyewitnesses have said that Iranian pilgrims were responsible for the stampede.

Those eyewitnesses held the view that the unfortunate incident at Mina happened because a large number of pilgrims converged on Street 204 at the same time.

This, they said, ensued in a panic that contributed to the suffocation of many of them while they were trying to escape the sudden stampede.

A pilgrim, Haj Abdulmunim Al-Safwan, said the majority of the dead people were elderly people who were walking with their children. They were not able to leave the children behind, thus they moved forward quickly or jogged to keep up with the crowd, which was an impossible task.

Other stories from eyewitnesses revealed that the stampede happened as a rush of Iranian pilgrims passed through Souq AlArab Street and refused to return, ignoring guidelines. This was reported by the website, Sabq.

The website also quoted one of the officials in charge of the campaign as saying that “the Iranian pilgrims did not listen to the guidelines. They ignored them and confronted us. They were raising slogans before the incident.”

Assistant Foreign Minister of Iran, Hussein Amir Abdul Leehan, held the Saudi government responsible for the incident, according to the website. Iranian officials have declared that 41 Iranian pilgrims died in the incident and 60 others were injured.

While the Saudi authorities have said that a total of 769 pilgrims so far died in the incident, there have been revelations that the death toll may have climbed up to as much as 1000.

Officials from several countries have said that more than 1,000 people died as a result of the stampede. The last figure given by the Saudi authorities was 769. However, a Nigerian official was quoted as saying that more than 1,000 bodies had been taken from the disaster site to morgues in the city of Jeddah.

Indian, Pakistani and Indonesian officials have also been quoted as saying they think more than 1,000 died.

It was gathered that in total, 14 trucks loaded with bodies were brought to the disaster centre of the city of Jeddah. The unnamed official added that so far 1,075 bodies had been offloaded from 10 trucks and taken into morgues. Four trucks had yet to be dealt with, he added.

Several countries have been severely critical of the way the Saudi authorities have handled the accident’s aftermath, notably Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran, which lost more than 140 people in the disaster.

Indian Foreign Minister, Sushma Swaraj, tweeted that Saudi authorities had released photos of 1,090 pilgrims who died. Pakistani and Indonesian officials have also indicated that they had been sent more than 1,000 of such images.

As yet the Saudi authorities have not explained the discrepancy in the figures. The stampede was the deadliest incident to hit the hajj in 25 years. The country’s most senior cleric, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin-Abdullah al-Sheikh, has defended the authorities, saying the stampede was “beyond human control.”

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SUNDAY OCTOBER 4, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

News

Kuje-Nyanya blasts: Rescue officials pick human parts NEMA, Police disagree over casualty figure

Onwuka Nzeshi, Anule Emmanuel and Obinna Odoh

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escue officials yesterday picked remains of victims of Friday night’s bomb blast in Kuje and Nyanya suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

This was just as Force Headquarters and National Emergency Management Agency disagreed over the figures of victims of Friday night’s bomb blast in Kuje and Nyanya areas of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Unidentified suicide bombers attacked the same Jikwoyi bus station hit by Boko Haram insurgents twice in 2014 as well as a police station in Kuje, in what appeared to be simultaneous blasts.

NEMA’s Senior Information Officer, Sani Datti, confirmed 15 dead and

41 injured in a statement while the Force Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Olabisi Kolawole, said the police had not got the official number of the dead and injured.

When asked to state the figures, Kolawole replied: “No, we don’t have an official casualty figure yet.

That’s why we have not made same public.”

However, NEMA’s statement said that “so far, 15 persons lost their lives and 41 injured victims were evacuated to Asokoro General Hospital and National Hospital Abuja. In Nyanya, two deaths were recorded while 21 were injured. In Kuje, 13 persons lost their lives and 20 were injured.”

Sunday Telegraph observed that pieces of human flesh were scat-

tered around the popular Jikwoyi park along Abuja-Keffi Expressway.

Residents confirmed that two large explosions were heard arpound 9:45p.m.

Our correspondent, who visited the scene early yesterday, observed that the scene had been cordoned off by security operatives.

A combined team of soldiers, policemen, officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as the Federal Road Safety Corps were seen controlling the crowd of onlookers which kept increasing every minute.

Some policemen in black T-shirts marked ‘EOD’ were seen picking pieces of human flesh that still littered the roadside and packing them in cartons.

There were also buses and cars left at the scene, with their windshields shattered by the explosion.

An eyewitness, who gave

Buhari vows crackdown on extremists

his name as John, told Sunday Telegraph that rescue workers recovered many corpses from the scene late Friday night.

“What you see them packing now are pieces of flesh because many of the victims were torn into pieces. Corpses with several missing parts were taken away last night,” he said.

The incident led to a gridlock on the expressway inwards Abuja as many motorists tried to catch a glimpse of the scene.

However, while briefing journalists at the Nyanya blast scene, the Director in charge of Health Emergency Response and Disaster Management at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Mr John Kehinde, said he mobilised all relevant stakeholders shortly after he got wind of it.

He also confirmed that after Friday night’s emer-

Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi, with Nollywood actor and Chairman of Global Alliance Nigeria, Zack Orji, during a visit to the governor in Abakaliki ...recently

Buhari condemns Abuja, Yola, Maiduguri bomb blasts Anule Emmanuel, Abuja

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resident Muhammadu Buhari has condemned in the strongest terms the latest terror attacks in Abuja.

In a statement personally signed yesterday, President Buhari said the attacks in Maiduguri, Yola and Abuja were apparently timed to coincide with Independence Day celebrations when Nigerians would be commemorating and rejoicing October Day. He condoled with the families of the dead and prays for the speedy recovery of the injured.

President Buhari said that “these cowardly attacks expose the real face of the planners and perpetrators of

these crimes. What quarrel do they have with the good people of Nyanya motor park? What issue do they have with innocent people in market places in Maiduguri, Yola and Kuje?

“It is clear this battle is not ideological. It is between the forces of peace and order and the evil forces of murder and destruction.

“Security forces and other local authorities have been instructed to maintain extra vigilance to forestall future attacks. The Armed Forces have been empowered to crush what remains of Boko Haram.

“This government is determined to stamp out Boko Haram and all other terrorists of whatever persuasions and bring all sponsors to justice,” he said.

US counterterrorism experts prepares NEMA staff Ebere Ameh The United States government Antiterrorism Assistance Program (ATA) yesterday, conducted a mass casualty exercise to culminate a yearlong training programme with Nigeria’s emergency management agency and other security and health agencies on emergency response and management.

In a press release by the US Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, the exercise is ATA’s largest in Nigeria and included 200 participants from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Red Cross, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and medical personnel.

ATA is a $1.5 million pro-

gramme worldwide, and has trained NEMA in critical incident management courses and progressively enhanced Nigeria’s explosive ordnance disposal capabilities through courses, seminars, and equipment grants. ATA has also trained senior hospital personnel and mid-level, first-line, emergency response personnel to include police, firefighters, emergency management technicians, and specialized law enforcement units on management of mass casualty incidents.

This last lap of the exercise, which came on the heels of the dual bomb blast that rocked Nyanya and Kuje areas of Abuja has enhanced the ability of the professionals to plan effectively for and manage a mass casualty critical incident.

gency evacuation, another body of a victim identified as Basiru Abdullah, was recovered at 8a.m on Saturday. An eyewitness, Anthony Ifechukwu, told Sunday Telegraph that he arrived at the scene a few minutes after the bomb went off.

He claimed that he saw about eight bodies at the scene, adding, “When I got there, I saw many people with injuries and blood all over their bodies. Also many bikes were on fire there. I saw about eight bodies on the ground.

Some soldiers arrived within 10 - 15 minutes and cordoned off the whole place before ambulances and firemen came.”

The Medical Director, Kuje General Hospital, Mrs. Tambuwal, told journalists that 17 injured victims were brought to the hospital on Friday night.

She stated that two were. stable, 12 had been transfer to the National Hospital, Abuja while three had yet to be moved as at the time of filing this report.

One of the stable victims, Usman Aminu, told Sunday Telegraph that he escaped death by a whisker because he left his wares and went to buy sachet water when the bomb exploded.

Aminu, who was selling oranges opposite Kuje Market, said, “I left my goods to buy pure (sachet) water behind my shade by few minutes to 10p.m.

Suddenly, I heard a very loud sound that shook the ground where I was standing. I noticed that all my face was covered with blood and I was immediately rushed to Kuje General hospital.”

In the face of palpable fear in the city, however, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, has assured residents and the general public of adequate security. He said in a statement by the force spokesperson that “those that did these dastardly acts, did so in shame of cowardice.”

The statement added, “Following the incidents, the Police High Command ordered an immediate deployment of Police Explosives Ordinance Disposal Units to the scenes to prevent further destruction.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the bomb blasts were carried out by two suicide bombers - a male and a female.”

The IGP has since “ordered massive stop-andsearch activities in and around the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. He urges Nigerians to be vigilant at all times and report any suspicious persons or objects to the nearest police station or any other security agencies for prompt intervention.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed the determination of his administration to rid the country of extremism. The President stated yesterday while reacting to Friday night bomb blasts.

Buhari received a briefing from a fact-finding team he sent to the FCT suburbs.

He said that for terrorism to be uprooted from the country, the society must be rid of violent extremism.

“The defeat of Boko Haram insurgency is in sight but to remove violence and make the country safe, we must tackle the prevalence of violent extremism.

In doing this, we will learn from the experience of the international community,” Buhari assured.

A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, quoted the President as directing the security services to raise their surveillance activities to meet the challenges of a retreating,desperate terrorist army and for the general public to remain acutely aware of security in and around them.

He sympathised with families of the victims of these incidents and those of more than 100 others killed in similar attacks few days ago in Borno State.

The fact-finding team visited the Kuje and Nyanya bombing sites and greeted victims of the incidents at the National Hospital and Maitama General Hospital. They inspected the wards and mortuaries and consoled grieving family members on behalf of the President.

The team was made up of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal; Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and that of the Federal Capital Territory as well as the police commissioner in charge of the the FCT.

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY OCTOBER 04, 2015

News

US condemns Atiku: Nigerians must not submit to terrorists’ blackmail explosions in FCT

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ormer Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged Nigerians not to despair and give in to terrorists’ blackmail, which he says, is the Boko Haram’s psychological tool for intimidating and forcing citizens to surrender.

Reacting to the latest multiple bomb blasts in the suburbs of Abuja, the first since April 2014, Atiku said it was clear that by targeting suburban Abuja, the Boko Haram terrorists wanted to persuade Nigerians to believe they are invincible,

and thereby paralyse the country with fear and force it into submission.

Atiku, however, urged Nigerians not to be deceived by such desperate tactics by the Boko Haram militants that primarily target noncombatants or innocent and defenceless civilians.

According to the former Vice President, the Boko Haram terrorists have been militarily degraded by the new offensive strategy adopted by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, which have sent the mili-

tants packing from towns and villages they previously captured and occupied.

He said the terrorists are bitter and frustrated that the Buhari administration is now taking the war to the enemy camp, which has forced them into disarray.

Atiku explained that the massive territorial losses suffered by the terrorists and the blockade of their weapons supply lines, have significantly reduced their operational capabilities in terms of direct confrontation with the counter-ter-

rorism forces.

The former Vice President said the obvious intention of the Boko Haram militants was to unleash their frustrations on innocent civilians to whom they have easier access.

He added that, by targeting civilians, the terrorists’ main propaganda objective was to strike paralysing fear into the hearts of Nigerians in order to turn public opinion against the government’s genuine and robust efforts to neutralise and defang them.

Ebere Ameh

T

he United States has condemned in strong terms yesterday’s dual explosions that rocked the Nyanya and Kuje areas of Abuja, and the suicide bombings and militant attacks in Maduguri and Adamawa on October 1.

In a statement made available to Sunday Telegraph by the US Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, the US government extended its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those affected by the blast.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and injured. These tragic events are stark reminders that violent extremists will stop at nothing to inflict horrific and indiscriminate harm upon innocent lives. In particular, Boko Haram’s reign of terror and sheer brutality have left thousands dead and millions displaced,” the statement read, reiterating the resolve of the US government to help Nigeria defeat Boko Haram.

“The United States stands with the government and the people of Nigeria to de-

feat Boko Haram and other perpetrators of terrorism.

Through our security and counterterrorism assistance, our unparalleled commitment aims to help Nigeria achieve this goal,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the United States government Antiterrorism Assistance Programe (ATA) yesterday, conducted a mass casualty exercise to culminate a yearlong training programme with Nigeria’s emergency management agency and other security and health agencies on emergency response and management.

In a statement by the US Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, the exercise is ATA’s largest in Nigeria and included 200 participants from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Red Cross, National Emergency Management Agency, and medical personnel.

ATA is a $1.5 million programme worldwide, and has trained NEMA in critical incident management courses and progressively enhanced Nigeria’s explosive ordnance disposal capabilities through courses, seminars, and equipment grants.

CAN condemns bomb blasts Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA A victim of the Nyanya bomb blast, Mr. Godslove Haruna being taking to a hospital in Abuja

Hajj Stampede: Sanusi warns against stoning the devil

Ibraheem Musa Makka

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he Amirul Hajj and Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, said he would recommend to the Federal Government that Nigerians should not participate in the stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia, unless they are given accommodation close to ‘Jamrat’, where the Hajj ritual is performed.

The Emir, who gave this suggestion on Friday night, during his visit to their pilgrims’ Makka residence in Sokoto State, where he commiserated with them over the death of the hajjis, during the last stampede.

Supporting his position with Qur’anic verses, Sanusi said one’s refusal to perform in the stoning of the devil rituals does not, in any way, invalidate one’s Hajj.

He said, “Besides, that if one deliberately refused to perform the stoning of the devil rituals, all he needs

to do is just to slaughter a ram in order to make for the loss. So, if this is the situation, why do we go and suffer and die instead of sacrificing a ram?’’

Sanusi stated that during the era of Prophet Muhammad, he permitted pilgrims, who came on camels to stay in Makkah in order for their animals to get some rest after Arafat, instead of staying in Mina and sleeping at Muzdalifa.

“So, if the Prophet can give such grace to some people, just to protect their animals, why didn’t our scholars educate our people properly to avoid this avoidable hardship and death,’’ he argued.

The Emir promised that he would recommend that to the Federal government that if Nigerian pilgrims are not accommodated close to ‘Jamrat’, where the Arabs reside in Mina, this year may be the last time they will sleep in Mina and Muzdalifa because they want to

stone the devil.

Meanwhile, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, has said that it would produce a wrist band to be worn by all Nigerian pilgrims for next year’s hajj which would contain the bio data of each pilgrim to the holy land.

Chairman of the commission, Abdullahi Muhammed Murktar made this known in Saudi Araba yesterday while meeting with officials of states pilgrims board and tour operators in Makkah.

He said that it has become imperative for the commission to come up with the idea of a wrist band with a chip that would contain the bio data of such pilgrim in view of the stampede that occurred at Jamrat and the high number of Nigerian pilgrims still missing.

Murktar stated that the wristband would be made in Nigeria’s colour of green and white for easy identification by any Saudi secu-

rity officials in case such a pilgrim got lost while performing the hajj.

Murktar stated that the commission would also procure SIM cards for all Nigerian pilgrims which would be distributed through the states pilgrims board for easy tracking of their movement.

T

he Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN), has condemned the resurgence of bomb blasts in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. The umbrella body of Christians in Nigeria described last Friday’s that hit Kuje and Nyanya as barbaric acts of wickedness masterminded by those who do not mean well for the country.

In a solidarity message, President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor lamented that the blasts which resulted in the deaths of several persons and left many others wounded must be viewed as wake up call to

all Nigerians to be vigilant at all tomes irrespective of where they may live.

“No group or individual that means well foir this country must be seen to support the execution of such acts.

Nigerians must wake up from their slumber and begin to guards of their respective homes, streets and communities, we must all join in the fight against insurgency.

“The Christian Association of Nigeria commiserates with the families of those who lost their lives in the attacks while urging authorities to make adequate provisions for the wounded for their speedy recovery,” he said.

APC condemns attacks Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

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he All Progressives Congress yesterday condemned the Boko Haram attacks in Kuje and Nyanya Abuja, stating it was a cowardly act.

According to APC in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary in Lagos, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party warned that no amount of cowardly attacks will save the Boko Haram terrorists from im-

minent defeat.

He said: “The attacks, as well as other recent ones, are part of the cowardly tactics of the terrorists to focus on soft targets, after the military has succeeded in putting them on the run”.

Also the party stated that the avowed determination of the Buhari Administration to crush Boko Haram, which has seen the military recording a string of successes against the terrorists, will not be weakened

by these dastardly acts that are nothing but the last kicks of a dying monster.

Mohammed said, “APC appealed to Nigerians to be vigilant since Boko Haram members who have been smoked out of their strongholds may be seeking refuge elsewhere across the country.

The party condoled with the families of those who were killed in the latest Abuja attacks, and wished those who were injured a speedy recovery,” he said.

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SUNDAY OCTOBER 4, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Community Report

Bomb blast victims lament: Govt has abandoned us

H

ope Musa was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

On 25 June 2014, a suicide bomber believed to have ties to Boko Haram blew himself up at the busy Emab shopping plaza in the heart of the Nigerian capital, Abuja. Dozens were killed, many more injured.

Musa, a 35-year-old businessman who loved the art of trade, sustained severe head injuries. He spent eight months in hospital before finally being sent home, still suffering from seizures and brain damage. Unable to afford further treatment or a neurological operation abroad, he died from complications due to his injuries earlier this month, more than a year after the blast.

There have been hundreds of bombings throughout northern Nigeria since the Boko Haram insurgency started in 2009.

The frequency of such attacks has diminished slightly since July, following the election of President Muhammadu Buhari, but they still occur with alarmingly regularity.

On July 7, a teenage girl blew herself up in the ancient city of Zaria in northwestern Kaduna State. Twentysix people were killed. The majority of the dead and wounded were civil servants and primary school teachers. Most recently, last Sunday, in the deadliest wave of attacks since Buhari took office, a series of four Boko Haram bombs ripped through crowded spots near the airport in northeastern Borno State’s capital Maiduguri, killing more than 100 people.

The majority of the dead and wounded during the Zaria bombing were civil servants and primary school teachers, who had assembled at the Sabon-Gari local government secretariat for a biometric verification exercise regarding salary payment.

Despite the raising of more than $400 million by a government-formed committee to support the victims of Boko Haram, many say they still face financial hardship due to prohibitively expensive treatment costs.

“Victims are dying needlessly with deaths that could be avoidable if urgent and continuous medical attention was provided,” said Kayode Oladele Olatunji, chairman of the Bomb Victims Association of Nigeria. “We have cases of first-degree burns, cornea opacity, compound fractures, orthopaedic cases, limb amputees, (ear) damage, intensive nerve and tissue injuries, and so on, all of which are in need of urgent medical attention.”

Here is what some of the survivors had to say: Sadik Ibrahim, age 18 Injured during a 2012 blast in Kaduna State “I was training in my brother’s shop on the day the suspected suicide bomber was arrested trying to bomb the Thisday Newspaper office along my street. We rushed to the scene to have a look, but unfortunately the suspect threw a bag at the crowd and it exploded.”

Ibrahim spent four months in a coma at the 44 Army Reference Hospital before being transferred to the Zaria Teaching hospital in Shika.

“I was seriously injured… My left hand and leg are now partially para-

scenes of the blast lysed. I also can’t see clearly with my left eye.”

He said the government helped pay for some of his initial treatment, but most of the costs, including prescription drugs, fell onto his parents, who have exhausted their savings trying to help him recover.

“We really need assistance because my left hand and left eye are still not functioning well,” he told IRIN. Musa Hassan Injured during the July 7 attack in Zaria “The suicide bomber, a woman, came into the verification centre screaming ‘move, move!’ But before we realised what was happening, the bomb (she was carrying) on her exploded.”

Hassan lost consciousness and didn’t wake up for many days. He spent the

next few weeks in the hospital.

“I was lucky… Many of my colleagues died on the spot because of the magnitude of the blast. It is a day I will never forget in my life as we are still traumatised and confused. We are just civil servants.

We saw no reason why somebody would want to kill us.”

Ibrahim Aliyu, age 25 Injured during 2012 suicide bombing while selling newspapers “I was (working)… when it exploded,” Aliyu told IRIN. “I woke up in the hospital bed in cold blood. I was seriously injured. I lost my left eye and seven teeth. Now I use dentures given to me at the hospital. We are hoping the government will come to our aid, because I don’t have enough money to treat myself. I am just a

newspaper vendor.”

Malam Hamisu Father of a bomb victim injured during an attack in Kaduna in 2013 “I almost lost my daughter… on the day Boko Haram hit the city,” Hamisu said.

“As a father, I was very terrified because I thought I was going to lose her because of the number of people killed.

We were lucky though. She only sustained a fracture on her right leg.”

His daughter, Lubabatu, spent more than a month in the hospital recovering from her injuries before going home to see a traditional healer.

“I had to take her out of the hospital because I couldn’t continue footing her drug bills. As you can see, I am financially broke and we were left with no compensation.”

UN appeals for help T

he United Nations, Chad, Niger and Cameroon appealed on Friday for help for millions of people in the Lake Chad Basin region forced to flee the violence of Boko Haram and hit with repeated droughts and floods that have brought malnutrition and disease.

But while the radical Islamist militants operate out of Nigeria and U.N. aid chief Stephen O’Brien said that is where most people have been displaced by their attacks, Nigeria did not send anyone to the United Nations event.

U.S. and European Union diplomats said they were disappointed that Nigeria did not attend the event chaired

by O’Brien on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

The Nigerian U.N. mission was not immediately available to comment on its absence, reports Reuters.

A regional offensive by Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon earlier this year drove Boko Haram from much of the territory it held in northern Nigeria. But the militants have since struck back with a renewed wave of deadly raids and suicide bombings.

“These (displaced) families are being used as ammunition because it is

Mahamat the children that are used as bombers in markets and in train stations,” said Chad’s Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat. “Trade is virtually wiped out in this area.”

Several U.N. diplomats at the event warned that the aid emergency in Lake Chad Basin risked being forgotten amid other humanitarian crises in Syria, Yemen and South Sudan.

Niger Prime Minister Brigi Rafini said the region was in the midst of a “genuine disaster.”

“We need massive assistance from the international community,” he said. “It is the population that has shared with these refugees and displaced people the little they have while they themselves are living in extremely vulnerable situations.”

The United Nations said some 2.3 million people have been forced from their homes since May 2013, and a quarter of a million of them have fled from Nigeria into Cameroon, Chad and Niger, many walking hundreds of miles.

“Droughts and floods hit the region repeatedly. Malnutrition and disease outbreaks hover at emergency levels.

Some 5.5 million people do not have enough to eat,” O’Brien said. “The emergence of Boko Haram has pushed them over the edge.”

O’Brien said U.N. appeals for 2015 to help those displaced people and refugees in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger were all less than half-funded.

The United States on Friday announced $6.8 million in funding for regional aid efforts.

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015

OPINION Carnage of the cattle rearers Femi Fani-Kayode

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support the call by Afenifere that all Fulani herdsmen should be banned from the South-West. Actually, I believe that they should be banned from the entire South and not just the South-West. I also stand by every word that I wrote in my widely published essay titled: ‘’The Herdsmen From Hell.’. This contribution serves as a follow up to that essay.

The bottom line is this: we do not want those that slaughter innocent people, including women and children, in our midst.Those that say that we must remain silent when aliens and vandals invade our land, rape our women and kill our people are, at best, misinformed and misguided and, at worse, insensitive and wicked.

How can they expect us to remain silent when our elders and leaders are being terrorised and brutalised on a regular basis? Those that harbour such views and that have such misgivings are suffering from a callous and diseased state of mind and they shall be put to shame. No matter what they say we will continue to expose and resist this barbarity and we shall continue to call it precisely what it is: pure and unadulterated evil. We shall not be intimidated by those that seek to silence us and neither shall we cowered into silence.

I have no regrets for describing those murderous Fulani herdsmen as tsetse flies. Actually, they are worse than that because, like Satan, they only come to kill, steal and destroy.

It is obvious to any discerning mind that this categorisation is limited to those Fulani herdsmen that indulge in barbaric and criminal activities and not the entire Fulani race.

Like any other ethnic group there are good Fulanis and there are bad ones. For someone to suggest that we ought to spare the bad ones simply because we are scared of offending the sensibilities of the good ones makes no sense to me. I have many Fulani friends and the last thing on my mind would be to demonise an entire ethnic group. For anyone to suggest that a literary attack and a verbal assault on a bunch murderers and killers who happen to be of Fulani extraction is an attack on the entire

violated and slaughtered and in their heart of hearts they relish the atrocities and they consider them fair game and fair sport.

A good example of such people is the individual who leads an organisaton which is supposed to protect the rights of the less fortunate in our society. This individual apparently does not deem it appropriate to stand up against the evil that the herdsmen have been indulging in for the last few years and he prefers to pamper them. Why am I not surprised?

Instead of speaking up for the human rights and civil liberties of those that have been maimed, killed and persecuted as he has been charged to do, the man is busy trying to say things that are politically correct. Whilst he is attempting to please and impress his new paymasters people are being killed by his cattle-rearing friends on a daily basis. I say shame on him and those that think like him and I honestly believe that the blood of those innocent people that have been maimed and slaughtered by the herdsman are partly on his hands because he has encouraged them with his complicit silence and his veiled support.

Given the attitude of men like that, coupled with the apparent indifference of the Federal Government to the whole issue, it is clear that the carnage and tyranny of the Fulani herdsmen may not end any time soon. I say this because barely ten days after the abduction and matcheting (yes matcheting) of Chief Olu Falae and on October 1st 2015, which is Nigeria’s independence day, the Fulani herdsmen struck again. On that day they abducted a traditional ruler from the Yoruba-speaking area of Kogi State. His name is Oba Adebisi Obademi and they abducted him from his palace in Apa-Bunu in the Kabba-Bunu area of his state. They have asked the family to pay a ransom for his release.

On the same day they released a 70 year old Yoruba cleric by the name of Pastor Japhet Obafemi who is from Ilepa, Ikare Akoko in Ondo State. They had abducted him and kept him in tortuous captivity for 11 grueling days.

Sadly a number of others whose homes were invaded by the herdsmen were not so lucky.

Mr. Agbaose Sowetan from Oja-Odan, Ogun State and Mrs. Ayeshi Balogun from Asa vil-

lage, Ogun State, both of whom were farmers, were not allowed to go home to their families but instead they were murdered in cold blood.

According to press reports Mrs. Balogun, who was a mother of three, was gang-raped before being hacked to death.

Can there be any greater evil than this? Who will tame these wicked and hard-hearted herdsmen and who will clip the wings of these bloodthirsty cattle-rearers? Who will deliver us from these sadists and terrorists that have no sense of restraint or remorse and that have no mercy or compassion? Who will stand up to them boldly and say “let my people go”?

Permit me to conclude this intervention by repeating an interesting and relevant contribution from the famous British historian, writer and educationalist Dr. T.R. Batten. He wrote: “The Fulani were at their most influential in Gobir. Then a dispute broke out between their Imam, Usman Dan Fodiyo, and Sarkin Gobir Yunfa.The Fulani rallied behind their leader who encouraged them to defy their Hausa Chief. He began a jihad and fighting broke out. Thus the Fulani seized the country by force against the will of those who lived there.

The enmity had nothing to do with religion, for among those who fought (against the Fulani) were many Muslims. It was about the Fulani’s wish to seize power from the Hausas.”

It follows that the herdsmen and those that they represent conquer by infiltration, assimilation and guile. Those that doubt this should find out what became of the ancient Hausa kingdoms. They should also find out about the terrible fate that befell the famous Yoruba general, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of the old Oyo empire, Afonja, at the hands of Abdulsalami, the son of his erstwhile ‘ally’ and friend the Fulani Salih Janta (A.K.A Shehu Alimi).

After Afonja died Abdulsalami killed his son and took over his throne in Ilorin. Since that time a Fulani Emir, with a flag from the Sultan of Sokoto, has ruled Ilorin whilst the Yoruba descendants of Afonja have been denied the throne in a predominantly Yoruba town that was founded and established by Aare Afonja, their illustrious Yoruba forefather. It is better to learn from the mistakes of history rather than to allow them to be repeated.

Mr. President, we are at work

Muhammad Mu’azu Nguru

I

Fulani race is absurd. Worse still to describe such an attack as ‘’hate speech against the Fulani tribe’’ is simply asinine: it is nothing more than the gross manifestation of a subterranean slave mentality and an attempt at sucking up to those that believe that they own Nigeria.

Those that have voiced such puerile views ought to provide an answer to the following question: Should we remain silent when we see some wicked and uneducated cattle rearers committing atrocities which may, if not properly checked, result in a full-scale ethnic war. If the herdsmen had been Yoruba or Igbo, I would have condemned them in similar terms and labelled them in precisely the same way. I may even have gone further because I would have expected far better from my own people.

I also happen to know that if Yoruba or Igbo traders or farmers went to the core North and singled out the elders, leaders, traditional rulers and women and children of the Fulani tribe for murder, pillage, torture and rape, all hell would have broken loose by now and their reaction would not have been limited to harsh words, strongly-worded essays and uncomplimentary categorisations.

The bottom line is this: the days of us keeping quite and suffering in silence in the name of political correctness are long over. If we don’t want trouble and we don’t want matters to escalate we must speak out against evil very clearly and very quickly and we must condemn and correctly label those that like to shed human blood at the drop of a hat. This is especially so when they prey on the weak, the elderly and the more vulnerable in our society.

It is the gutless cowards that live amongst us that seek to play down the pillage, murder and rape of others that are guilty of hate crimes and collusion with genocidal maniacs and not those of us that have the courage to call a spade a spade.

Those that support the atrocities of the herdsmen are insensitive to the feelings and sufferings of others and that is the biggest crime of all.

They hate the victims of these terrible atrocities and they love and make excuses for the perpetrators. They are completely incapable of any form of empathy with those that have been

n general we are thanking our Creator Almighty Allah for bringing Muhammadu Buhari on board as the President of Nigeria. As a civil servant holding public office and also as an academician, I observe that most of our civil servants are now punctual to work. They also do their work more efficiently. This is unlike those days when truancy and wanting reigned.

Prior to Buhari’s election, many people shirked their responsibilities. They did not report to their duty posts at the appointed time and they left before closing hours. This ugly attitude has drastically reduced and now, productivity is on the increase.

In the light of the above preface, I chiefly want to focus on the performance of our military. The Nigerian Army used to be known for its gallantry, braveness, audacity and boldness. They were among the well trained professional armies in Africa.

If we cast our minds back, we would see how they performed well even during the Second World War when we were under colonial rule. It is on record what our army did to keep this country together during the Civil War. Both the Federal Government and the Biafran armies did well, for the Biafran soldiers too were Nigerians, though they were rebels then.

We know the achievements of our army in various peacekeeping missions in the

world, more especially on our continent, Africa. They were in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Darfur, Mali and so on. The governments and citizens of these nations hailed the work of the Nigerian Army. Nigerian soldiers are such that we can depend on them with the power of Allah.

Nevertheless, this story was completely different during the last five years. Our troops had become the laughing stock of the international community. They were cowardly and easily intimidated, fleeing away from enemies and leaving their weapons behind.

They could not surmount these destructive elements. They were always overpowered and defeated, as if they were just paper tigers. Indeed, it was a very disgraceful and lamentable situation. It embarrassed Nigerians seriously. By and large, now our troops have regained their lost glory. Everybody is happy with them today. We are very proud to associate ourselves with them.

They are now demonstrating their true nature as seasoned, hardened and skillful troops. Above all, sometimes the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Yusuf Buratai, is in the forest with his men. As a result of this, Boko Haram elements are now on the run. They are no more on the offensive like before. They have ceased to take over towns and villages at will. They have stopped crossing our highways to kill hundreds of motorists and travellers like they usually did in the past between Maiduguri, Damaturu and other towns.

The people of Maiduguri are not in fear of possible attack at any time. Damaturu, Gombe, Yola and Bauchi are secured, save for explosions here and there. This too will come to an end soon insha Allah. Big towns like Gwoza, Gamboru, Bama and others are liberated fully. Citizens have started going back to their villages.

Hundreds of these scoundrels are surrendering to our gallant troops. As such, soon the story of these hideous persons will be over forever. Well done our army. We are with you.

We appreciate your effort. You are making steady progress, chasing the rebels away.

One can deduce from the above that, our troops are not timorous or lacking in selfassurance. They are not timid at all. But it was the last regime that made them to behave in that odious manner. No encouragement, no motivation, no appreciation and above all no superior weapons.

They were just left to their fate. A solder is a human being like anybody. He has no miracle to perform, but he needs to be provided with all the requirements for fighting to fight.

These were some of the facts disclosed by the Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, and he was lambasted and tongue lashed by the former presidential spokesman unjustly.

Saying this much, the ignominy of the nonperformance that befell our troops should go to the last administration, but not to our beloved army. The army was only good at

brutality against innocent citizens. It was also accused of flagrant violation of human rights. Many people were killed or tortured and houses and market places were burnt, and many people were humiliated.

There was a time when the people of Maiduguri preferred Boko Haram to the troops.

This made Borno elders to ask President Goodluck Jonathan to redeploy the army or move it out of the city of Maiduguri.

The leadership of the army at that time was good only at giving out frivolous and misleading information about the activities of Boko Haram, particularly about the Chibok girls. I wonder how people of this calibre would be mendacious.

The insecurity in the North-East and in the country in general was going from bad to worse every day, despite the fact that billions of Naira were set aside as security vote. We don’t know how those monies were spent.

Jonathan’s government was very active and hasty in the imposition of curfews, but so lackadaisical and feeble in halting or curbing the spate of killings that were going on in the region. It is not out of place, if I say that 65 per cent of the credit for dislodging the ferocious Boko Haram from Maiduguri should go to the civilian JTF. Before their emergence, the people of Maiduguri had suffered a lot in the hands of the villains and in the hands of some errant soldiers.

Prof. Muhammad Mu’azu Nguru writes from University of Maiduguri

12

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Sunday Mail OCTOBER 4, 2015

You have a right to be heard! Send your letters and photographs to sundayletters@newtelegraphonline.com.

Letters should not be more than 200 words and must have the name and address of the sender

Open letter to President Buhari Dear Editor, Congratulations on the celebration of your first 100 days in office. The Southern Nigeria Peoples Mandate writes to remind you of what the Nigeria Police Force has been going through for more than 28 years.

You will recall that the Nigeria Police Force used to be one of the most cherished and respected institutions in the country. Sadly, the reverse is now the case because successive governments have neglected the welfare of policemen and women.

In years gone by, armed robbers usually fled upon sighting the police as the NPF was well equipped. This trend is no longer obtainable because the psyche of our policemen and women has been battered by successive administrations.

We believe that most of the obstacles impeding the effective functioning of the police include but are not limited to: 1. Lack of accommodation for officers and the rank and file. It is regrettable that officers and the rank and file are left on their own when it comes to accommodation. This sad development impedes the effective functioning of the police force because most officers have no option than to compromise in the discharge of their duties.

2. Abysmal salary package: Notwithstanding the fact that they always put themselves in harm’s way, Nigeria policemen and women remains among the least paid in the world.

This trend has helped in no little way in dampen their morale. It has also forced most officers and the rank and file to engage in illegal activities in order to sustain themselves and their families.

3. Lack of motivating insurance package: It is heartbreaking seeing families of slain police officers going through excruciating hardship because their breadwinners were unfortunate to have paid the supreme sacrifice in the discharge of their duties.

4. Lack of vehicles and gadgets: In order to fight crime in the 21st century, the police force needs sophisticated equipment, funds and logistics.

We believe that as a way out, the following should be quickly adopted and implemented: 1. The Federal Government should set up a scheme that will be funded through public and private partnership to provide adequate and habitable accommodation for officers and the rank and file.

2. Improved salary package: A well equipped police force that is well paid will give its best. Therefore, we demand that the salary package of Nigerian policemen and women should be improved.

3. A motivating insurance package that ensures that families of slain police officers are not left to suffer will go a long way in motivating officers into discharging their duties without fear. We demand that an insurance package worth at least N10 million be made available for families of slain police officers and the rank and file.

4. We demand that the security votes collected monthly by governors be channelled directly to the security forces in the country.

5. The Federal Government should provide adequate communication gadgets, arms and other needed equipment that will help the police in the effective discharge of their duties.

Augustine Chukwudum President, Southern Nigeria Peoples Mandate/Ndigbo Unity Forum Worldwide 08063975566

Before floods overwhelm us

Dear Editor, I wish to advise the Federal Government to take urgent and serious steps to contain the yearly flooding of various communities across Nigeria. The yearly floods cause farmers huge losses. Various communities have also suffered heavily due to the ravages of erosion, topsoil degradation and other things that come with flooding. Serious and remedial action needs to be taken to check this menace or else we might soon have a big disaster on our hands.

Okiemute James Lagos

Operation rescue trapped car keys. ..PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

Buhari’s unfortunate silence

Dear Editor, The refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to make a firm public statement on reports that Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, insulted Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at a recent meeting. This is most unfortunate. Such silence by Mr. President is unpleasant just as it speaks volume, particularly with respect to defending a high profile member of his government. Democrats with utmost respect for rule of law and respect for administrative hierarchy should take exception to such alleged disrespect to our VP. The continuous political deprivation and now verbal humiliation of some public officers, particularly the VP, should be noted for future reference. This is certainly not the democratic principles we fought for, nor what we expected when we collectively voted you. I hope we understand the term ‘betrayal of trust’ and the limits of endurance/ tolerance by people in a democratic society.

The Presidency should improve or change course for the good of all to avert distrust, which may wreck our unity.

Femi Bada Abeokuta, Ogun State

Insecurity in Rivers

Dear Editor, The rising state of insecurity in Rivers State is giving residents much cause for worry. The way criminals operate without let or hindrance makes people wonder if they have official approval to do so. Gangs abound in the state and the state government does not appear to be able to curb their antics. The police and other security agencies are so helpless. Kidnappers are also having a field day. Meanwhile, Governor Nyesom Wike is more preoccupied with fighting his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi. He has no time to govern the state and people are wondering why he went to great lengths to run for governor. It is so shameful that Port Harcourt, which used to be known as the Garden City, is now a den of criminals. Something drastic must be done about this.

Wike should face the challenge of governing the state. He should empower the security agencies to deal decisively with criminal elements so as to restore the confidence of the people of the state.

Mike Azubuike Port Harcourt, Rivers State

Herdsmen crisis and Nigeria’s stability Dear Editor, The issue of herdsmen is one that the whole nation must tackle now before it leads to riots and reprisal killings. Southerners have largely kept quiet in the face of massacres that the herders have been perpetrating in the Middle Belt in the last six years. In Plateau State, their obvious aim is to decimate the population of the natives so that they can take over their land. Why have we kept quiet for so long? The herdsmen are seen openly displaying their AK47s in all parts of the country. Who gave them permits to own assault weapons that are used in war? Why haven’t Southern leaders complained until now? If MASSOB and OPC members openly display such weapons, would Northern leaders not be the ones to first to raise the alarm? The time has come for the South generally to wake up to the threat which these herdsmen pose. Most of them are from neighbouring countries and they have been obviously displaced by climate change. That is a fact. Southern leaders must take the threat posed by these hoodlums very seriously.

Joseph Peters Badagry, Lagos State

Tankers’ menace in Lagos Dear Editor, Permit me to call the attention of Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, to the unmitigated menace of tanker drivers in Apapa area of the state. It is regrettable that after several assurances, the state government has yet to do anything concrete to contain these truck drivers. They appear to be a law unto themselves and have scant regard for the authorities.

Also, truck drivers continue to ply the state’s roads with unlatched containers. It appears as if they have dared the state government to do its worst. The Federal Road Safety Corps had tried to enforce the rule that all containers being borne by trucks in Lagos must be latched. It appears as if some powerful individuals have prevented FRSC from doing its job. There is the strong suspicion that the truck drivers are being aided in this blatant disregard for the law by some powerful Northerners. Correct me if I’m wrong but it was this same attitude truck drivers exhibited on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when President Umaru Yar’Adua was in power. Efforts by the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency to get them to obey road laws were resisted by thee truck drivers.

It came to the fore that some powerful persons in the Presidency were behind their intransigence. How come the same thing is happening again, when a Northerner is ruling Nigeria? We cannot continue to condone these unlawful acts by truck and tanker drivers.

Dickson Ije, Lagos

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY OCTOBER 04, 2015

Moments

L-R: Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi; Director General, Small & Medium Enterprises Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Mallam Bature Masari; Oyo State Executive Secretary, Investments Promotion, Mr. Yinka Fatoki and Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Ogundeji Gbenga, during a courtesy visit to the governor in Ibadan…on Thursday

L-R: Managing Director, Huntsville Technology Limited, Mr. Jimoh A. Ibrahim; Chairman, Huntsville Technology Limited, Mr. Remi Oyekola; and Chairman, Kosofe Local Govt., Honourable Gbemisola Ketiku during the official commissioning of CBT Centre Huntsville Technology Limited at Anthony, Lagos...Thursday

L-R: Shepherd in Charge, Celestial Church of Christ Ayo Oluwa Parish, Idia-Araba, Surulere, S/E Willie Dada; Province Superintendent, Lagos West ‘A’ Central, Sup.Evang. Gabriel Jerry; Sup.Evang. Daniel and other well wishers at the church Harvest of Devine Laughter/14th annual adult harvest thanksgiving service...recently

Congregation worshiping God at the event

Wedding ceremony between Mr. CHIJIOKE IREMEKA, a staff of Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Ltd, and former Miss ADA ESTHER NGADIUBA at The Vision of God Bible Church, Festac Town, Lagos…recently. Here are some of the faces present at the nuptial

The couple, Mr. & Mrs. Chijioke Iremeka during their traditional wedding

The couple with the Senior Pastor, Vision of God Bible Church, Victor Obiora Okafor and wife

Couple with some of the groom’s family

Couple with bride’s family

14

SUNDAY OCTOBER 04, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

News

Bailout fund intact – says Mimiko

O

ndo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko has debunked the allegation that the bailout fund collected by the state has been lodged in a fixed account, even as he assured that his government will continue to priotise the welfare of its workers.

Addressing accounting officers and public servants on Grade Level 13 and above in the state public service in Akure at the weekend, Mimiko said the money was intact.

Mimiko said the bailout money could not have been put in a fixed account because it is a loan that will be deducted from the state’s allocation and it will be unreasonable to fix such money, adding that any bank caught in such act will be sanctioned by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The governor explained that the state executive council gave approval for the payment of July and August salaries last Mon-

day before the payment preparation was disrupted and an industrial action called by the worker’s union leaders.

Mimiko, who advised public servants to always verity the truth and maintain a minimum level of responsibility before decision taking, assured that his administration would always promote the welfare of the workers.

He explained that his administration’s programmes had received accolades from within and outside the country due to the effective synergy between the political class and the workers.

Mimiko, who noted that he supported industrial action to protest injustice, however, expressed disappointment on the disruption of activities at health facilities in the State by union leaders, saying that it was immoral and unacceptable to drag people out of hospitals while offering services to patients in the name of a strike action.

Wike alleges intimidation of witnesses Tunde Oyesina Abuja

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overnor Nyesom Wike yesterday alleged that his witnesses who are presently testifying before the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja are being intimidated by the security agencies.

Wike had on Wednesday opened his defence in the petition filed by the All Progressive Congress and its governorship candidate in the April 11 governorship election in the state, Dakuku Peterside.

Peterside and the APC

had approached the tribunal, challenging the election on grounds of irregularities. As the end of sitting yesterday, Wike had presented about 18 witnesses who have testified to the fairness of the elections.

However, there was a twist over the weekend when attempt was made to arrest some of the witnesses.

On Friday, it was alleged that some plain cloth policemen attempted to arrest one of the witness, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Adubie Kenneth, but for the timely intervention of some lawyers in the defence who requested for the warrant of arrest. The

police left when they could not produce a warrant of arrest.

A similar thing, however, happened yesterday, when a team of fully armed officers of the Department of State Service stormed the premises of the tribunal allegedly prepared to arrest one of the witnesses, a retired officer of the DSS, Emmanuel Phillip, who led the operation on April 11.

However, when asked whether he was aware of the development, counsel to the petitioner, Chief Akin Olujinmi SAN stated that his client was not aware of the situation.

“As you can see, my client

is not even in court, there is no way he could have orchestrated the arrest. If it is the DSS that came to arrest, I think they have their information, their work is that of an undercover,” he stated.

Speaking on the issue, counsel to PDP, Goddy Uche, SAN said that the intimidation is uncalled for adding that when the petitioners were presenting their own witnesses, nobody harassed them.

At yesterday’s proceedings, all the seven witnesses called testified that the April 11 election was free and fair.

The tribunal, however, adjourned till Monday for continuation of hearing.

Experts seek improved funding of health sector

P

rominent pediatricians and surgeons, including Prof. Olufemi Jaiyesimi of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, have called on the political leaders in the country to urgently arrest the mass drift of medical doctors overseas due to obsolete medical facilities in the healthcare sector.

They said the absence of adequate equipment in the sector has badly affected healthcare service delivery to the teeming poor masses and only improved funding of the sector can help the situation. Prof. Jaiyesimi, on his part, reiterated the need to promptly arrest the attendant growing mortality rate in the nation.

In his lectures titled: “Watershed in Cardiology: Snippets on Epochal Cardiac Investigations and their Impacts on the Care of Children with Heart Disease,” Prof. Jayesimi reiterated the need to live a stress free life and concentrate on arresting cardiac and high mortality rate rampart in the country.

He called for the functional increase of the public health centres and provision of necessary

CHANGE OF NAME

NWEKE

I, formerly Miss Okeke Monica Chinyere, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nweke Monica Chinyere. All former documents remain valid. Public please take note.

drugs and modern facilities, manned by the professionals and specialists to ensure adequate healthcare delivery services in the country.

Jaiyesimi made the remarks while fielding questions from journalists at the 2015 Faculty Day Lecture of the Faculty of Paediatrics, National Post Graduate Medical College of Nigeria held at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Auditorium, Ikeja Lagos.

Supporting Jaiyesimi’s position, Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Joshua Owa, Prof. Kike Osinusi, the Faculty Chairman as well as the incoming Faculty Secretary, Dr. Chimeta Ohaeri and the Local Organising Committee Chairman of the event, Dr. Mohammed Salisu, called on government at all levels and other philanthropists to complement such giant strides to provide the much needed facilities to arrest any further cardiological threat and other avoidable deaths as a result of the parlous situation.

A statement from the event signed by Mr. Aramide Noibi the participants commended the giant strides by some state governments in the healthcare sector, especially Lagos State, but called for improvement in the provision of modern equipment and facilities, and in the training and retraining of the experts to man such facilities.

Officers and Men of the Nigerian Air Force Training Command participating in a 10km jogging exercise, in Kaduna …yesterday.

PHOTO-NAN

Uduaghan’s ex-aides, 300 others defect to APC Dominic Adewole, ASABA

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he last is yet to be heard of the crisis rocking the Delta State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party as over 300 former aides of exGovernor Emmanuel Uduaghan, yesterday, defected to the All Progressives Congress.

Among the over 300 PDP members that defected to APC were Uduaghan’s erstwhile Chief of Staff and former Commissioner for Housing, Chief Paulinus Akpeki; as well as ex-Commissioners for Youth Development, Mr. Ijeoma Ebifa; and Agriculture, Lands, Survey and Urban Development, Misan Ukubeinyinje.

An erstwhile Senior Special Assistant to the former Governor, Olorogun Jaros Egbo, also joined forces with APC. For over one month, the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Monday Igbuya, and Akpeki,

popularly known as ‘Ugo’ among his kindred and supporters in PDP, had been enmeshed in a conflict.

Besides, Sunday Telegraph gathered that the defection was the aftermath of the internal wrangling in the state PDP over recent political appointments of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. Sources also cited the feud between Uduaghan and Okowa as the reason for the latest development.

Their defection, Sunday Telegraph gathered, has heralded the collapse of all PDP structures across the state and a signal that Uduaghan and many others may follow suit in due course.

In their separate remarks, Akpeki, who said he would not like to regret not leaving PDP a long time ago, lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for running the nation smoothly.

Akpeki said, “Now is the favourable time to join the change agents.”

He explained that since

Delta State had come under siege, owing to the activites of few powerful individuals, the defectors would work with the principal agents in APC to effect a change of power in the state.

He said, “In the next few days, I will start with my constituency in Sapele with a mother of all rallies. I have taken the bull by the horns; forward ever, backward never.”

Akpeki, who said the time had come to preach the gospel of change in Delta State, noted that their defection would usher in a new era of peace and development in the state.

“We are just the John the Baptist. We are just forerunners, the Christ is coming. We are preparing the way for the Christ. When we leave here, we will go and brief the Christ what we saw and conquered,” he said.

Akpeki, who is a factor to reckon with in Delta Central Senatorial District, added “One thing we will not do.

We will respect constituted authority but we will offer constructive criticism against the government of the day in the state. We will respect Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa because he is today the governor of Delta State.”

Receiving the defectors in Asaba, APC Delta State Chairman, Rev. Jones OdeErue, who described them as “bigwigs of great political ideology,” said their entry into the party would “inject in us (APC) in the state the ability to further bombard the comatose PDP with political interballistic missiles.”

Erue, who described himself as “the luckiest chairman who will be on the saddle and power will slip off the hands of PDP,” presented bunches of brooms sticks to the defectors.

He urged them to take the brooms to the ‘Christ,’ and urge the figure to move faster and join the moving train. He also ordered their local government party chairmen to accord them full acceptance in the party.

SUNDAY

15

Politics SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015

We have a long way to go, says Sen. Sabi p.16

Women Affairs: Why PMB must act now p.19

The Sunday Interview

Atilade: After independence, we became our own enemies p.20&37

‘FG must be thorough with anti-corruption crusade’ p.38

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

Ex-Niger Delta militants

Ex-militants, Fulani herdsmen raise fresh security threats

T

here is no gain saying that the fight against the terrorist group, Boko Haram appears to be fierce even as it has achieved some successes. Pretty well too, the lack of cohesion in the camp of the insurgents lately has given a semblance of reprieve on the way.

However, as the nation savours the near-end of the war against insurgency in suspended gasp, another area that requires to be nipped in the bud is arguably the activities of ex-militants who appear to have returned to the creeks following the loss of former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in the last presidential election as well as the rampaging Fulani herdsmen.

Truly, though some skirmishes of illegal bunkering activities were noticeable after the proclamation of the amnesty programme for ex-militants in the oil-rich Niger Delta, the tempo looks disturbingly on the increase since the loss of Jonathan.

Many questions are unveiling for answers but the answers even though clear, are daily being made to look like mysteries waiting to be demystified. Early last month, the Nigerian Army said it uncovered a massive illegal oil bunkering site at the Makoba Beach in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Ironically, the site is just a kilometre away from the Nigerian Ports Authority and two kilometres away from the Rivers State Government House.

Commander of 2 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Brig.-Gen. Stevenson Olabanji, said thousands of litres of illegally refined automotive gas oil popularly called diesel were discovered at the site.

While the Makoba Beach operation came as a big surprise considering its closeness to government quarters, Gen. Olabanji disclosed that Army operatives were immediately deployed to the site on getting the information.

He said: “About 16:40 hours, we got information that some illegal bunkering activities were going on along Makoba Beach.

“On arrival, our personnel discovered illegal

Events in the recent times have painted the picture of a looming situation of insecurity that might pose a challenge to the government if not checked on time. TUYI OJO examines the activities of the Fulani herdsmen as well as those of the ex-militants who have intensified their illegal bunkering activities activities which involved bunkering of illegally refined petroleum products and lifting of diesel onto local boats. At the site, we found more than 5,000 drums loaded with illegally refined diesel; four tanker trucks containing 132,000 litres of diesel combined, and a barge with 165,000 litres of stolen diesel.

“This discovery is unprecedented because since we started our operations 10 days ago, this is about the biggest that we have uncovered,” Olabanji said, saying that additional 150 drums loaded with about 3,150 litres of diesel, were also discovered in 21 ‘Cotonou boats’.

He said that 13 suspects were arrested at the scene of the illegal activity, adding that the illegal bunkering dump had not yet been set ablaze, in line with the Joint Task Force, mandate because of its closeness to residential buildings and the NPA. Just a few weeks after that operation, troops of Operation Pulo Shield of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt seized 2,300,000 litres of allegedly stolen diesel worth N3.45 million from an illegal bunker site in Rivers. The petroleum product was siphoned from the pipelines belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company.

Major General Alani Okunlola, the Commander of the operation, formerly known as the Joint Task Force, disclosed this to newsmen at Tamunotonye Ama in Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Okunlola said that two suspected oil thieves were arrested at the bunker site, while several equipment used by the operators of the illegal bunker were seized during the raid.

He said, “On Sept. 23, troops of Sector 2 of OPS of 2 Brigade Army Port Harcourt stormed Tamunotonye-Ama community and discovered a very large bunkering site which operates illegally.

“Troops during the raid discovered and seized eight large metal badges laden with stolen Automated Gas Oil (AGO), commonly referred to as diesel, while another 23 empty barges were also seized. Two of the eight metal badges have estimated capacity of seven tanker trucks each.

Two suspects in our custody will be interrogated, while the barges have been towed to Ogoloma Jetty in Okirika Local Government Area of Rivers,” he said.

Just as the security agencies were yet to settle down with their victorious exploits, operatives of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, ‘Operation Pulo Shield’ in the early hours of penultimate Saturday sacked and seized a militant camp in Beniboye, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.

During that raid, it was gathered that a huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the fighters. Residents of nearby CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

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Politics

We’ve a long way to go, says Sen. Sabi Senator Adullahi Aliyu Sabi representing Niger North at the Senate, in this interview with CHUKWU DAVID, examines Nigeria at 55, stating that it has achieved so much, even as he argues that there are lots of grounds to be covered As Nigeria celebrates her 55 years of independence, what is your assessment of the journey so far?

Thank you very much. First and foremost, let me use this opportunity to say happy independence anniversary to our very great and dear Nigerian people. Of course, Nigeria is 55 years as an independent nation, and 55 years in the life of any person, whether human being or an organisation is really something to look at. And I think that in this case, and in particular for me as one of those born after independence, I think looking back, honestly, there is really much to celebrate but at the same time also, there is much to cry for. But I would not want to be pessimistic that nothing has been achieved. A lot has been achieved.

What are the things you think Nigeria needs to celebrate in 55 years of independence?

First and foremost, I think it is important for us to celebrate ourselves as a nation, even though there are many commentators and analysts that don’t agree that we are a nation. In their own argument, they look at the fact that we are a nation within nations.

But I think that is an argument for another time. For me, the fact that Nigeria as an entity has endured up to this time, survived a civil war and had many military coups and came out into another democratic dispensation, for which we have had 16 years of what we call the “Peoples Democratic Party misrule” and the change of baton particularly from one political party in government to another, I think it is a milestone that shows clearly that there is hope for this country. And I think, if you look at the last election, it represented a moment in which even those who are at the other side, those we defeated, agreed unequivocally that truly change was necessary in this country. And I think the issue is clear; corruption has eaten deep into our fabric.

And if you look at the state of our infrastructure, there is a lot of decay. Some of the roads were constructed when some of us were kids, and they have not been able to maintain these roads. If one is to look at all those pitiable situations, one may lose hope. But I think that in the last six months, the emergence of this new government of Muhammadu Buhari, to me is a confirmation that when Nigerians are committed to doing something, they will do it. Yes, we have lost a lot because for me, if I look back at my educational journey, those days, I was taught under the tree. And I remember my first letter I was asked to write in primary school, I cherished it because it was about my father. But today I saw a situation where as an officer working in one of the ministries, I had NYSC personnel boys and girls doing their national service, and I asked them to write a letter and they started dodging. And in some cases I came to realise that truly they could not express themselves on paper. So, to me, that particular element honestly, is a sore point.

Therefore, I am not proud of the decay in our education system.

Yet, Nigerians are very brilliant people.

There is a lot of flip flop in the education

Sabi

sector, and because of that we became gullible. As Nelson Mandela said, there is no instrument as powerful as education in transforming and changing a country. But honestly, it is a very sad point. And I think that now that we have change, if something can be done about that then the question of creating job for people can be guaranteed because it is skills. The entire world is in a knowledge based economy. Why services are now moving up and pushing other sectors down because in some countries what they have is services. Countries like New Zealand, what do they have? Even in agriculture they don’t have sufficient land to farm but their knowledge of intensive services is great and one of the best in the world. And if you look at what is happening all over, I think that is the key. And I think if we must succeed as a country we have to start diversifying our economy towards this direction. By the time we finish these four years, Nigeria would be 59. Personally, I will live to see that when Nigeria is 60, a decade after the golden moment, I want to see a mile stone that shows that Nigeria is really on a path, on a trajectory that is clear; that invokes hope and the passion for me to serve again. So, I think there is more to celebrate because if you look at what we have achieved over the past years, there are a lot of things but the other question is are we happy as a nation? I think we are not completely happy.

Nigeria currently depends on oil for her economic survival. Now with the drop in the global oil price, do you think that the country will be repositioned for the expected transformation in the near future?

Yes, it is going to be easy, and if there is commitment, and I believe that with the kind of government we have now under our great party, the All Progressives Party, I want to believe that it is possible. What is important is leadership. Somebody reminded us of Chinua Achebe’s “The Trouble with Nigeria”, that little book, and he

said it is leadership. And honestly I agree with that because the Spanish people are known to have said one thing, the head of a mouse is better than the tail of an elephant.

So, if you have good leadership, Nigerians are ready. But the issue is simply getting it right, and I think that Mr. President is getting it right because the number one hydra-headed dragon we all know is corruption. And we all agree that if Nigeria must survive, then.

Corruption must be fought head on; and we are totally behind Mr. President in this regard. And if that is taken care of, my take is that the leadership should protect the lives of its citizens; and there should be systematic planning for this country.

Let it be such that our young ones in the universities as it happened immediately after independence, by the time you are in your final year, you are already having an idea of where you are heading for.

Does that happen now? So, we must go back, look at what are the skills we are producing; what are the areas of comparative advantage we have, and stop singing the comparative advantage song and go back to competitive advantage. Competitive advantage means that I have created the environment for you to do something differently. You as a journalist, you know that journalism is receiving its own kind of innovation and challenges. You are having all kinds of media now, and with that you can see everybody is being challenged. But the reality on ground is that journalism remains journalism because the fundamental principles that guide journalism remain the same, irrespective of which medium you want to use. So, if we have a clear cut policy, upon which our economy will be driven, I think it is possible for Nigeria to get it right and get back to its pride of place. We have to diversify our economy. The mining sector for instance was a key sector in our economy before independence. What is common today is illegal mining because government

did not factor such people into its plans. If we can organise them, I know they are willing, support them and they will do what is needed to grow the sector.

Between 1999 to date, it appears that the legislature is still not enjoying its independence as enshrined in the Constitution.

What is your take on this, in view of the crisis that is facing the Eight National Assembly?

I agree with you that the independence of the legislature is on trial but I want to also submit that we are convinced that we have to defend that independence because some people fought to make that independence possible. Don’t forget that we were in the military regime before the Fourth Republic came on board. And the whole essence of that fight was to allow government of the people by the people for the people to be in place. And if that is it, the 1999 Constitution has guaranteed the basic principle of democracy which is separation of powers: the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. And if you look at the spirit of the Constitution, the legislature was the very first one to be assigned powers. So, if that is true, I think it is just a moment of trial for us. And I think from the events that are unfolding up to this morning, some people thought that based on the events of last Tuesday, everything would have crashed, but we came out of it.

That’s the beauty of democracy. As you can see last Wednesday, the South-West Caucus that refused earlier to submit their own endorsement in line with our parliamentary convention and norms finally submitted their letter for the appointment of Senator Olusola Adeyeye as the Senate Chief Whip. And the man was endorsed was so announced; as simple as that.

The Constitution is clear; it is only the letter from Mr. President that is read to us in that Chamber, not any other letter. I am a CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

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Politics C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 5

Odimodi community said the military encountered stiff resistance from the militant group identified as Red Beret, who were reportedly mobilising with fighters from nearby Rivers and Bayelsa states to attack the community.

Barely a week after the raid on Beniboye, soldiers from the 19th Battalion, Koko, Delta State, raided Yukugbene community in Warri North Local Government Area of the state and apprehended a pregnant woman and a cripple for allegedly being in possession of firearms and ammunition.

A security source said soldiers who stormed the community in search of suspected pirates/ kidnappers that escaped into the bush, recovered arms and ammunition from the woman and the cripple.

However, the Ijaw People Development Initiative, IPDI, faulted the claim that the pregnant woman, Madam Loveth Odibo and physically –challenged Friday Gbangbara were criminals and that soldiers found arms and ammunition with them.

Similarly, the Conference for the Actualization of Human Rights, which has petitioned the Chief of Army Staff, disputed the allegation. National coordinator of the body, Omes Ogedegbe, who called for the release of the woman and cripple, said Mrs. Odibo does not live in Yukugbene and only visited the community for medical assistance.

Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Opurum, Commanding Officer of 2 Brigade Garrison of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt said the soldier is a member of 13-man-militant gang alleged to have been terrorising many communities in Rivers. He was said to have deserted the army in 2002.

“Based on intelligence reports, we carried out a sting operation where we captured 13-member militant gang including their notorious kingpin leader, simply known as Kenneth. We also arrested a soldier, who deserted the army in 2002 and specialised in training of militants in weapons handling and operational tactics.

“The soldier (names withheld), who is a private, joined the army in 1998 and served in 331 Artillery Regiment, Kalapanzi Barracks in Kaduna before he was declared missing in 2002. The soldier, who is related to the kingpin of the militant group, is still in our custody and will be released to prosecuting agencies after formal dismissal from the army,” he said.

Opurum said that troops raided the community on account of incessant cases of militancy, kidnapping, piracy, cultism and killings which occurred regularly in the area.

If the on-going scenario in Niger Delta is not disturbing enough, the activities of Fulani herdsmen in the South-West are capable of exuding inter-ethnic crisis.

Only last week, Chief Olu Falae, former Finance Minister and erstwhile Secretary to the Government of the Federation just regained his freedom from suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Falae was kidnapped by over 20 Fulani herdsmen who invaded his farm and attacked his over 200 workers.

Many of his workers including the farm Manager identified as Bruno received machete cuts while others were reportedly wounded and are on admission in different hospitals.

Reports from the family said that the Fulani herdsmen have been having issues with the workers in the farm over the grazing and the destruction of the farmland by their cows.

But the herdsmen reportedly came back on a Monday morning in large number and attacked the farm before abducting the politician.

Records show that not long ago, the border town of Oja-Odan in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State was invaded by some Fulani herdsmen who killed a farmer and injured dozens of others.

The farmer, identified as Agbaose Sewotan, was killed because he complained against the invasion of his farm.

The deceased elder brother, Mr. Oluwole Sewontan, while narrating their ordeal, said; “this is not the first time that our people were slaughtered like cows on our own soil with

Fulani herdsmen, ex-militants and gathering storm

Armed herdsmen

Chief Falae

Donu

impunity. My dear brother was killed simply because he protested the invasion of his farmland by the herdsmen.”

Also, a mother of three, Mrs. Ayesi Balogun was allegedly raped and killed by some suspected Fulani herdsmen at Asa village, in the Oja Odan area, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State. Balogun was said to have been killed after being raped in her farm. ‘’With the terrible experience of the raping of our daughters and ones, including newly wedded wives, living in our communities is no longer safe, hence, we have deserted the communities in hundreds, praying that the state government would urgently come to our aid,” a source said.

A coalition of socio-cultural groups from the area, including Ketu Advancement Front, Ketu South People’s Assembly and Ketu Alliance have alleged that about 21 innocent residents of the area have allegedly been killed by the Fulani herdsmen since 2000.

The representative of the socio-cultural groups, Mr. Lasisi Adewole, said three residents of the area, including Phillip Akanan from Owode-Ketu, Amosu Olofinjin and Akinola Tunde from Agbon-Ojodu have been killed this year alone by the Fulani herdsmen.

Adewole also lamented that all efforts to ensure that the police, the State Security Service and the state government put in place adequate security measures to protect the people, particularly during dry season when the Fulani herdsmen usually encroached and destroyed their farms by the indiscriminate grazing of their cattle had yielded no fruits.

While lamenting the scourge, a prominent member of the Afenifere has warned that danger was looming if nothing was done to check

the activities of the Fulani.

“The Nigerian government is paying lip service to this because the people doing this are apparently untouchable; they are not. I can assure you that very soon, our people will stop these Fulani marauders from coming to our areas in Yorubaland.

“This is unacceptable because no one in the North will accept such indecent behaviour that does not respect the people’s culture.

Mark my words, very soon, very soon, our people will wipe them out and that will spark off unspeakable reaction nationwide,” the source who did not want his name print said.

To Dr. Samuel Odofin, a retired security chief, a combination of the ex-militants and Fulani herdsmen activities are national ca-

lamities waiting to happen.

“Some of us have taken time to analyse the situation in the last few weeks; I think the government must, as a matter of urgency, take appropriate steps to tame these looming dangers. Both the ex-militants and the Fulani herdsmen are national calamities waiting to befall us in this country. You cannot take the resources that give to the country from a place and not take appropriate measures to take care of the area.

“Fine, Jonathan did not do well for the area even though he is from the area. But does it make sense for President Muhammadu Buhari to say amnesty will end in December without first placing on the table what will deter the disarmed youths from going back to the creeks?” he asked.

Kelvin Ejiofor, a security consultant and retired Director of State Security Services, described the development in the Niger Delta as fallout of government’s lack of policy direction on the amnesty programme. He also blamed it on the downturn in the economy which has compelled the militants and illegal bunkerers to return to attacking pipelines and setting up of illegal refineries.

On the activities of Fulani herdsmen, he said if not properly checked, a major civil strife might be in the offing. “If the allegation that they kidnapped Chief Falae is true, as it is their continued destruction of farmlands, (and you know the herdsmen are usually armed), farmers may plan reprisal attack in the south and the outcome can be very catastrophic,” he said.

To him, the solution lies in the established of gracing land and designated routes just like it was at about independence period when they herded their cattle around rail lines.

‘We’ve a long way to go’ member of APC and for me; I campaigned for the party, not just for myself, every candidate. Even after I won my election, I didn’t go to sleep. I was on the road campaigning for the next election. So, I think we are all loyal to our party. It is a vehicle but I don’t see how my vehicle that brought me to the Assembly can come and sit down right here in this place with me. It is out there in the car park. Does that make me any less the owner of that vehicle?

For me when we look at the presidential system of government, especially presidential democracy, it is very clear. When these issues came on board, I personally ordered books on the subject matter. I am a researcher from my background; so I

read. I don’t want anybody to tell me that am ignorant because I am here to do a job and I must know what guides that job. It is very clear, party loyalty is party loyalty.

Our party has a manifesto. We will support that manifesto here; that is our loyalty. But how we organise ourselves here transcends party differences. And that is why, when we are in that Chamber we are senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

You expressed confidence in the administration of President Buhari, but unfortunately, four months into his inauguration, he is unable to name his cabinet ministers.

What is your take on this?

First and foremost, what is today’s date?

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Beyond the Buhari, Saraki meeting in Aso Rock

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here has been several fingers pointed at the presidency for the being covertly behind the current travails of the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki who is being tried by the Code of Conduct Tribunal over alleged false declaration of assets.

Although, President Muhammadu Buhari had repeatedly said that he was not interested in meddling in the affairs of the National Assembly, particularly the process of electing its leaders, the crisis that followed the emergence of the new leadership of both chambers has come not without mention of a possible interference of Aso Rock and the governing party, All Progressives Congress.

Senator Saraki, emerged as Senate President. taking a leaf from former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal is believed to have mobilized forces within legislators elected on the platform of the APC and some elements in the folds of the Peoples Democratic Party to move against the wish of his party. The APC had tipped Ahmed Lawan and George Akume of Benue as Senate President and Deputy

respectively.

But the action which many have described as a betrayal was not limited to the Red Chambers alone. Honourable Yakubu Dugara had also moved against APC anointed candidates in the Green Chambers secure an overwhelming support of members to emerge speaker.

While the crisis in the lower chambers appear to have been settled as a result of the Dogara’s acceptance to shift grounds after series of meeting with party stalwarts and the presidency, Senator Saraki has since taken a sit-tight position which political watchers say has not gown down well with party stalwarts.

Since the beginning of the National Assembly crisis, both President Buhari and Saraki did not meet at least in relation to the issue. The duo have met twice since the controversial election for the Senate presidency, at the last Eidel- Fitri prayer in Abuja and at the APC National Executive Committee meeting.

One is aware that Saraki has made several overtures to meet the President in the

presidential villa at least to plead for some soft landing which did not work out. Those close to President Buhari also say that even though he may have been careful not to be seen standing openly against the Senate President’s emergence, there is no doubt that he is not happy with the status quo.

In fact, the President did not hide his feelings while addressing a close session of the APC National Working Committee in July when he declared that he was not ready to work with “enemies of the APC,” stressing that members of his party ought to remain united, because “the PDP is not happy out of government.”

As they parleyed during the Independence Day ceremony inside the villa, they presented a picture that seems all was well between them. President Buhari engaged Saraki with jokes that threw him into a long hilarious moment. No one was left in doubt that they were discussing what has been playing out in the leadership struggle at the NASS. For Saraki, that meeting presented a unique opportunity to fervently plead for mercy. One could see the excitement on his

Villa Notes emmyanule@yahoo.com

Anule Emmanuel face too as he laughs to comments from the President.

As expected, the Senate President who accompanied President Buhari to sign the anniversary register and cut the independence cake followed him into the office upstairs where they met for several minutes. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo joined them in the meeting.

Interestingly, after every dignitary had left the villa, a few hours later, Senator Sakari returned and met privately again with the Vice President. They also spent some time possibly discussing how to implement whatever directive the President may have handed over.

At the end of their meeting, the Vice President ostensibly in attempt to shield the Senate President from being questioned by reporters accompanied him to his staff car where he drove out without a comment.

Now that Buhari and Saraki have finally met face to face, to err they say, is human, but to forgive is divine. The question craving for answers on the lips of many is whether the Senate President has since been forgiven of his sins, at least from power brokers in the presidency?

‘We’ve a long way to go’

It is the last day of the month and until twelve midnight the President is still on course, he has every inch of the minute of that last day as his right. And I think that it will be too pre-meditated to conclude that he has failed. Just wait, Nigerians have their expectations. They have given him a mandate and he has a responsibility. If you ask me to do something, you will do me well if you also patiently wait because he waited patiently for twelve good years before you (Nigerians) agreed that he should do this work. Now, the point am making here is simple; if you look at the degree of decay, the rot in the system to date, I think it is not too much for him to have taken his time to do what he is convinced is right, so that when you come to ask him about his performance at the end of this mandate, he should be able to defend every action. I think it is his right and we should respect that. Now, what I am expecting, am convinced the letter will be with the Senate President today. I want to assure you that even if we are not in session because of the independence anniversary, we are still working. So, if that letter is received in the office of Senate President, a press release will come out to say that we have received the list of ministerial nominees.

Again, to me, the President is not saying that he has not found people amongst Nigerians; there are lots of competent Nigerians. And I think that if you look at the number of people he has appointed, the Service Chiefs for example, he appointed them removing the so called Nigerian factor, and we can see that they have become Nigerian officers and they are doing what all of us are commending. That is a tip of the iceberg, and I want to assure you that, even from the body language of Mr. President, a lot of adjustment is being made. Mahatma Ghandi said, be the change you want to see; very instructive. There is a statement which says, “do as I say and not as I do” but it is now do as I do and do as I say. We want the two; I don’t want the other hypocritical one. So, give kudos to our President and expect him to meet the aspirations of Nigerians.

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Politics

Women Affairs: Why PMB must act now Otei Oham

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he announcement by President Muhammadu Buhari to scrap the office of First Lady at the inception of this administration brought mixed feelings of vacillation, cheer and surprise to most Nigerians, particularly women. A good number of them, especially those who have been political watchers prior to 1999 and from then onwards, when democracy returned to Nigeria, are used to the expression and what it represents, administration by administration.

To these ones, though, there is need to sustain and reinforce activities for women, encompassing the adult woman, the aged, girl-child and children, who have been targets and beneficiaries of assorted programmes that have always been churned by wives of Nigerian Presidents and Heads of State. Whether they candidly served their aims at the time they existed or not, is of no consequence. What matters is that the office served as a rallying point for women and helped in fortifying them for complex and multifarious issues that stared them at the face, at every point of their existence.

President Buhari abrogation of the office of First Lady may be understandable. Neither the office nor that of First Ladyship is an expression that has a foundation in Nigeria. It has its origin in the United States of America. History books recorded that the term First Ladyship originated in 1849 when President Zachary Taylor called Dolley Madison “First Lady” at her funeral while she was reciting her eulogy. It gained wider recognition in 1877, however, when Mary C. Amees wrote an article in the New York City newspaper, The Independent, where she described the inauguration of President Rutherford B. Hayes. She was said to have used the term, First Lady to describe Lucy Webb Hayes. The term is now used across the globe to describe the wife of president or Head of State.

In Nigeria, besides using it to designate the president’s wife, it is also used for wives of governors and those of Local Government chairmen, paving the way for probable abuse of the term and office; a situation that may have informed President Buhari’s decision. ‘Don’t throw away the baby with the bath water,’ goes a popular saying in Nigeria, meaning that in spite of perceived and glaring abuses, the spirit-lifting messages and connotation that resonated from the office remain.

Much was not heard of this term in Nigeria until the regime of Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.) that began in 1985. Before then, wives of the former Prime Minister and Heads of State played ceremonial role of hosting dignitaries; both local and foreign to dinners and chatting with their wives while the husbands hold formal meetings. Mrs. Maryam Babangida changed all of that, however, by establishing the Better Life Programme for Rural Women as her pet project. The pet project was officially launched on September 18, 1987. And by the time her husband was being forced by mass protest to step aside in 1993, Mrs. Babangida had made so much impact among Nigerian women, particularly the rural folk.

At the end of November 1993, the project better known as Better Life Programme had facilitated the establishment of 9,492 cooperatives, 1,435 cottage industries, 1,784 new farms and gardens, 495 new shops and markets, 1,094 multipurpose women’s centres, 135 fish and livestock farms and 163 social welfare programmes. It was also during this period that the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), with Mrs. Onyeka Onwenu now as Director General, was built in Abuja. It was inaugurated on October 17, 1992.

Subsequently, Mrs. Maryam Abacha launched her pet project known as the Family Support Programme. In 1995, her

Aisha Buhari

Patience Jonathan

Turai Yar’Adua

Stella Obasanjo

FSP influenced the upgrade of the National Commission for Women into a full-fledged Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development. She also launched the Family Support Trust Fund in 1994. Through the money realized from this Fund, Mrs. Abacha built the National Women and Children Hospital in Abuja, which was inaugurated on May 22, 1999 by the administration of Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar. It was, though, renamed National Hospital in 2000.

In 1999, when Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar (rtd) succeeded Abacha, his wife Hon. Justice Fati Abubakar founded Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) for advocacy, mobilization, promotion and protection of women’s rights; the elimination of all forms of repugnant practices as well as violence against women and the enhancement of their living standards. With Hajia Sadautu Mahdi as its Executive Secretary, the pet project is still alive to its aims and objectives.

On return to civil rule in 1999, Mrs. Stella Obasanjo set up her own project- Child Care Trust, established to care for the physically and mentally challenged children. One of its major achievements was the establishment of a Special Children Model Centre in Bwari, Abuja.

Mrs. Titi Abubakar, wife of ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, also started a pet project known as Women Trafficking and

Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF) while her husband was in office. She was able to advocate against child and women trafficking through the project, and to integrate some of the affected women back into normal life. She spearheaded the establishment of National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Person (NAPTIP).

By the time former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua assumed power in 2007, his wife, Turai, also instituted Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation. Its health sector interventions were in five broad categories, including the VISION project aimed at reducing cataract and childhood blindness; Maternal and New Born Health Improvement Programme; Screening programme for breast and cervical cancer; HIV/AIDS and STDs intervention programme and Diabetes awareness and education programme.

The Foundation also intervened in the areas of poverty reduction, drug abuse and lifelong education, and was used for rehabilitating Katsina’s Vesico Vaginal Vistula Centre, donating grinding machines and a bus to Yangoji Leprosy Village in Kwali Area of the Federal Capital Territory and equipping the Suleja Prison workshop with tools to make inmates skillful and self-reliant after serving their jail terms.

Mrs. Patience Jonathan began her pet project while she was in Bayelsa State as wife of then Governor Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. The project, a nongovernmental organization, was then known as A. Areuera Reachout Foundation, established in 2006. It was said to have provided training for over 2,000 women in catering, hat making, beads making, sewing and making of plantain and beans flour. When her husband became the Vice President, then Acting President, and subsequently, President of Nigeria at the death of Yar’Adua, Mrs. Jonathan launched another pet project known as Women for Change Initiative.

These various initiatives, no doubt, emboldened wives of governors as First Ladies at state levels to launch different pet projects. Hardly did any of them failed to institute one programme or the other to em-

In fairness to these women, their projects, as highlighted above, have made a lot of impact in the society, especially in transforming the lives of women and children, and by extension, men, in line with the truism

power, sensitize, train or support children and the female gender.

These interventions are generally grouped into six major areas- economic empowerment; educational empowerment; skills acquisition; political empowerment; health and social welfare and social justice for women. In fairness to these women, their projects, as highlighted above, have made a lot of impact in the society, especially in transforming the lives of women and children, and by extension, men, in line with the truism: When you train a woman, you train a nation.

President Buhari’s administration cannot afford to lose sight of this cherished heritage, especially with the contributions of women in peace and nation building, and in consideration of President Buhari’s campaign promise to give women a voice and visibility in scheme of things. Anything short of this will mean reneging on this promise and unreasonably playing into the hands of opposition that is watching out for loopholes to catch in.

President Buhari cannot forget in a hurry the stigmatization of gender insensitivity and the ‘women should be in the kitchen’ toga, which Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hung on his neck during the political campaigns of calumny that was launched against him.

Ahead of his assumption of office, his wife, Aisha and that of Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo enthusiastically mobilized the women, which translated to effective women participation in the politics that brought in Mr. President. As much as it was welcome, there in increased need to sustain these efforts through a veritable platform for the good of the Nigerian women.

Mr. President is, therefore, urged not to disappoint the expectation of millions of Nigerian women as the current silence and non-visibility of the office of the Wife of the President is becoming a source of discomfort to them.

Consequently, a recent joint World Health Organization (WHO)-UNICEF report has stated that malaria death rates have plunged by 60 per cent since 2000, translating into 6.2 million lives saved, the vast majority of them children- a condition that is further begging for exhaustive Global Malaria Action. Therefore, it is not out of place for the wife of the President to support this action, considering that Nigeria is part of the global community.

By all standards, the wife of the President, Hajiya Aisha is a woman of worth and has the wherewithal to mobilize women politically, educationally, socially and economically. This is indeed the time to clearly manifest her role model posture among girl children in the north, who hitherto are reluctant to seek western and Islamic education, and pursue viable skills and careers to support their families.

By giving her a chance to front women and their concerns, she is invariably setting agenda for wives of governors and chairmen of local governments, who have been waiting for the President’s wife to roll in her pet project before they could carry along women and children in their domains.

Arguments against the institution of Office of First Lady, such as its unconstitutionality, abuse of office and funding concerns should not be allowed to erode away the value of women and children empowerment and emancipation. Whether we like it or not, the institution of the First Lady, though lacking constitutional backing, has become a part and parcel of our national life. Amendment to the constitution for proper recognition and assignment of role to this office is hereby canvassed. That way, there will be enhanced synergy and policy direction between the office and Ministry of Women Affairs at all levels, and women and children given a sense of belonging.

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015

The Sunday Interview

Atilade: After independence, we became our own enemies Prof. Magnus Atilade is the Chairman, South-West Zone of Christian Association of Nigeria and the Chairman Nigerian Opportunities Industralisation Centre. In this interview with CHIJIOKE IREMEKA and IMAOBONG ETTE, he says those that are responsible for sufferings and depletion of Nigerian wealth should be made to pay back Nigeria has just achieved 55 years of nationhood. Would you say anything has improved since independence?

At 55, I would say we are still grappling with problems and challenges of nationhood. The problem we are facing today is internal and not external. Before the country’s independence, it was external. Then, people were invited to fight for independence, but after independence, we became our own enemies. First of all, we had the military, which came to power and destroyed all the fabrics of true institutions we have in Nigeria, such as the civil service and other heritage that we inherited from the colonial rule. With this, the old system that was running the government was distabilised and these are some of the things that we have been grappling with. This led to corruption, which is the symptom of the system failure. We see them in form of corruption, nepotism, religious and ethnic rivalries as well as negative competitions among our people. No thanks to military intervention.

The fabric of our unity has been destroyed and it seemed to have set us apart. Unfortunately, at 55, we have not gained much and we have not made much progress. We have not addressed the issue of insecurity and infrastructural decadence in the country. But right now, we have a golden opportunity to start all again. We are lucky to have President Muhammadu Buhari, who is standing against almost everything that has caused our backwardness.

So, we will now have a chance to transform ourselves and our institutions to bring about the change that would guaranty progress in the country. There is a lot of suffering and smiling in Nigeria. We face a lot of frustration on daily basis in this country. Roads are bad everywhere.

We should try to solve the problem that we are causing to ourselves, stealing from the commonwealth. Conflict and crises everywhere!

Look at the Fulani herdsmen killing people and causing mayhem. Won’t there be ranches built for them to stop them from moving their cattle from one farmland or the other running into conflict with farmers? Why won’t there be abattoirs over there where cattle could be slaughtered and transported to other parts of

the country, where people can get them without causing troubles for the country? With good management, we will get there. We wish that Buhari would get the right people onboard for the ministerial jobs.

What are your fears for the country Nigeria?

Yes, my fear for the country is anchored on the current probe. People say that the probe is onesided. But there is fear that if the probe is not all and encompassing, the desired result would not be met. We are, therefore, saying that the ongoing probe should not be one-sided. Everybody, who has been indicted, should face the music.

It should not be the problem of witch-hunting and it shouldn’t be now that the country is earnestly, seeking for change that anybody should be witch-haunted because we are in the most critical time of our life, as a country. Those, who are in government, are the ones that have the opportunity to loot the treasury. They must be probed accordingly. It is those who are in authority that carry out these nefarious activities.

Everybody should be given a chance and be protected to report anybody who has looted the treasury so that the government will go after them. In doing this, it has to be done with utmost confidentiality so that those that are reporting would be protected. The fight against corruption must not be one-sided. It has to be all encompassing.

What is your view on the crises in the National Assembly?

Classically, in political science, it is said that crises are inherent in human society. So, it is those crises and disunity that are playing out in the governance now. Again, the ruling party has a conglomeration of different parties with different interests and so characters of different people are brought into the party. Hence the different characters are playing out. Those characters are not submerged, but then, there is the need to inculcate discipline in the party and at the National Assembly. But before then, there must be a consensus on what will be the pattern and the procedure for solving problems and running the government. They need to find out what will be the sharing formula, because

everybody is there for his own interest. It is a complex but a simple way of addressing conflicting interests. If this is not done properly, it will continue to be a source of trouble for the parties and the National Assembly. But the overriding interest in this will be fairness and justice to all concerned. If people feel that they are not treated fairly, there will be trouble. All these factors have to be carefully explored to get to middle ground acceptable to all parties

involved. It is only then, that peace will reign.

In a situation where one member of the party is charged to court is not in the best interest of the party. They should quell the divisions in the National Assembly. Nobody is happy that one person is having one problem or the other.

Some have argued that the travail of the embattled Senator Saraki was because the ruling All Progressives Congress never

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Body Soul SUNDAY, OCTOBER 04, 2015

I love to see people happy -Tony Ojo

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SUNDAY OCTOBER 04, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

heart y m m o r f Straight

e getherness. accepted that th 55th year of to r colonial master, Britain, into the ‘Nigeria ’s ia er ig N ou an -forced s since morning from Yes, it’s 55 year ps -Hausa, Igbo and Yorubaweaned. Our nationalists ll on Thursday nsidered ignoring ca e ou on be gr ph to ic y hn gh rl I co shouldn’t o ea enou ree et got a rather tomber. For a fleeting moment,s I pulled the duvet to th otherhood’ in 1914, was old letting Britain know that weI wouldn’t A ‘unknown’ nu I had muted on first ring. w minutes before 7am. br pended so much energy in r teeth could crack bones. ed Nigeria t, but it releas the call, which one rang again. Time was fe hours night sleep, for ex nurtured on akamu when ou nvinced or no ur ph be co fo e th as to e , w er in up in w d ch le y ita ha m Br op ’t points at know whether hen ‘normal’ pe lculation: I hadn witnessing high n, I did a quick ca e worked on some stories wminutes of rest but hey, it’s from colonial bondage. tio na a as d e’ve floundere a low for a very long time. Buhari adthe nocturnal m. I felt I deserved a few moreniversary! I picked the call.

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Well, it was om a ‘social We’re in Octob good health...and may God ningless call fr d an entertain a mea e ac tell- in joy, pe stalker’. d the call after er desires in Jesus name.my blessed readers! de en d Juliet an so on m I told hi ew Month freed’ pris N st py ‘ju a ap t H no ing him that I’mppy that we are celebrating and that I’m ha

I

Contents 04.10.2015 COVER People visit strip clubs outside this country.

They have started to accept strip clubs here

FASHION We could be vain enough to have our heads or faces engraved on our clothing

T h e Te a m Juliet Bumah (Editor) Wole Adepoju (Snr. Correspondent)

} 28&29

Vanessa Okwara (Correspondent)

} 24-25

BEAUTY

Biwom Iklaki (Correspondent)

MY PASSION You don’t need drugs to get the ginger. All you need is the passion

With make up and proper technique, you can easily hide a scar

} 23

} 27

GLAM DUDES The low top Yeezy 350 boost designed

by Kanye West is a new trend for both fashion and sportswear lovers

}30

Abiola Alaba Peters Ugochukwu Nnakwe (Graphics) Edwin Usoboh (Graphics) +234 (0) 811 675 9770, +234 (0) 701 110 1014 julietbumah@gmail.com chibumah@yahoo.com

Associates

BED, WORK & LIFE

“Immediately Elsie saw my pregnant wife, she screamed at me, ‘So, you sent this woman to come and kill the pregnant mother of your son so you could marry her, eh?’

} 26

Helen Paul

Eyitayo Aloh

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY OCTOBER 04, 2015

Body&Soul

I can’t run around naked -DJ Switch The emergence of Catherine Obianuju Udeh as the winner of the maiden edition of Glo X Factor did not come as a surprise to many. From the beginning of the reality show, Catherine, better known as DJ Switch, was definitely a major contender and the audience’s favourite. She delighted her fans with her extraordinary and unpredictable display of high energy and creativity. ABIOLA ALABA PETERS engages the Udi, Enugu State-born Geology graduate of University of Port Harcourt in an exclusive chat How has the year been for you?

I give God the glory, I’ve been working mostly as a DJ. In a very short while, I will be dropping a video for my new song with Patoranking.

Before you won the X factor show, you were formerly with the Pulse. Are you guys still together?

The truth is that, we were six in the band.

We did the best that we could, it’s not easy for a band. Imagine a situation where one wants to invite an artiste for a show and you have it in mind that you want to pay the artiste a certain amount of money. A band will demand more because we have to get our instruments and make sure the whole six persons are present. So you see, it’s not easy. We still talk, and support each other and feature on each other’s projects; we are very good friends.

What is new for you?

Like I said earlier, I’ve got a new song with Patoranking, but it’s not out yet. The song and video will be out pretty soon. My music is moving at God’s speed. I trust him for that and by God’s grace, everything will come out real good.

Did you ever imagine you will come this far?

Well, I’ve imagined myself bigger because I believe in God. Yes, I’ve imagined it and imagined a bigger picture too.

Did your parents ever support your career?

My dad is late now, but when he was alive, we were a very liberal family. They don’t stop you from what you want to do, so long as it’s the right thing. Rather, they advise you and say, ‘are you sure you don’t want to go and work in an oil company?’

(Smiling) But I’ve been proving otherwise to them and now they are very proud of me.

What is your advice to youths on drugs?

I’m going to beg the youths.

Like I said, we are role models; people look up to us.

So, how we behave and conduct ourselves, the younger ones are looking at us. You don’t need drugs to get the ginger. All you need is the passion and when you don’t have the passion, there is no rocket science to success.

You won’t even make it. It may be difficult just because of how the industry is, but trust me you don’t need drugs to get to the top. You don’t need guns to prove your worth. Those are western styles, we are Africans and we need to conduct ourselves in a different way. You can get ginger and inspiration from God so long as you believe in yourself and what you are doing. The ginger will come naturally. So please let’s stay away from drugs.

What inspires your songs?

My mood, past events, happenings around me; anything can inspire me.

You did a song before the elections. Was it politically motivated?

It was from a movie called ‘The good life.’

It was sponsored by the German government. We were supposed to do an educational film. I was singing to the representatives of the government and trying to advise them not to deceive the people. This is because whatever they say to us, we hold it dearly because we put them there.

The song was basically telling them to remember the people that elected them, when they get there.

Have the sponsors kept their own part of the deal?

Glo has kept its side of the promise a hundred per cent. I’m not going to make any comment on Sony now, but Glo has kept its own. Glo is amazing. That is why I urge people to participate in the P-square ‘Dance with Peter’ reality show. If you are a dancer, I urge you to g o

for that competition, it’s a huge platform for dancers.

Are you holding anything back on Sony, because you just said something about Glo? Are you sure all is well with you and Sony?

Like I said, Glo has fulfilled its part 150 per cent. If you see some of my works, you will see it’s my label and my label imprint that are on them. You haven’t seen Sony’s name on them. So you can deduce from that by yourself. (Laughs) You can see the handwriting on the wall.

Are you in a relationship?

Yes I am, and I am very happy with him.

Any plans for marriage anytime soon?

It’s up to God. It’s usually the man that pops the big question, so it’s up to God.

Is he a Nigerian and in showbiz?

Yes he is a Nigerian, and no he is not in showbiz.

Any plans for an album?

By God’s grace, soon. As soon as I get that track that will cut across, the album will be out.

Who are your role models in music?

I love Asa a lot; 2baba, MI. MI is my mentor, not just a role model.

How do you relax?

I play soccer on X-box. I love it a lot. Barcelona is my team, and you can’t beat that.

(Laughing) Is it true that you are a single mother?

I don’t want to comment on that. I love children and sometimes people misunderstand that about me. I visit children a lot, I visit orphanages and I am looking forward to adopting one, so I don’t want to go further.

So that means you are not?

I don’t want to talk about it. (Laughing) Three things you can never be caught doing and three things you can’t do without in your private life.

The three things I can’t be caught doing are: one, taking drugs; two, running around Lagos naked or going into juju (rituals) because of wealth. Never. Then for what I can’t do without - my video game, my DJ set and my series.

Define your style.

My style is ‘off’. When something is new, that is when I’m off.

What can you not wear in the name of fashion?

A mini-skirt, stiletto heels.

You started as a DJ, are you still into it?

Yes I am. I just came back from Calabar, and from C a l a b a r, I went to Abuja with Hennessy.

I was the DJ that opened Peter ’s ‘Dance with Peter with Glo’. So I’m working.

Any words for your fans?

May God bless you all for loving me.

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Body&Soul

I love to see Edo State-born Tony Ojo came up with the idea of the adult bar business in this clime. The level of success he recorded made many others to delve into the business. A price was however paid for it as his club was raided among other things. WOLE ADEPOJU engages the soft spoken owner of popular adult club, Club Unique, in an interview where he talks about the business, the challenges and how he keeps his home despite temptation that comes with his kind of business Despite being into entertainment business, you still hold back in your shell that people rarely know you. Why? That is my nature. I am a very private person. I don’t like going to places and I like to face my business. If you come here, you will find me here most of the time when I am in the country. I like to stay here (in the club) and face the business.

As a pioneer adult bar owner, can you recount what the experience has been like?

In every business, there are always difficulties, especially when the business is not known. I must say it’s not been easy to be recognised or accepted by the society, coupled with the government. It’s not easy to start a business like this because it’s an alien thing to the people, but we are elated today that it’s been accepted. We went through a lot of difficulties, situations -the place was raided, my staffs were arrested, they were locked up and taken to court. I had to get a lawyer to get their bail. We went to the Lagos State House of Assembly and we were the first to get the operating license from Lagos State Government. So, so far so good.

With all you went through and public outcry, one would have expected you to back down but you have waxed stronger. What has propelled you?

It’s still my nature. I don’t give up on whatever I am doing. I knew it was an alien thing to the people but it’s not a bad thing because it’s something that happens all over the world. These people go out and they visit strip clubs outside this country. It’s interesting they have started to accept strip clubs in this country.

What inspired you to start a strip club?

I got the idea from outside the country because I actually spend most of my time abroad. I have friends who ask me if there is anywhere they can go for entertainment whenever they come to Nigeria. I know they spend a lot of money there, so I just thought it won’t be a bad idea if we could have this kind of thing in Nigeria, it would be very nice and we could provide jobs for people as well and that was it.

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY OCTOBER 04, 2015

Body&Soul

people happy -Tony Ojo Were there domestic challenges you faced when you announced your interest?

I don’t think I faced any challenge because when I want to do something, I go ahead and do it. I don’t discuss it with people. They just found a strip club opened, we do advert because we are not hiding and that was it.

What edge do you have as strip clubs are now everywhere?

The thing is there are so many of them out there; we fought the war. Now, the business is not regulated, we have the business here and there, strip clubs everywhere and some of them I don’t believe pay taxes to the government. We do pay tax, they are actually spoiling the business but the government is actually not doing anything or the ministry or rather the agency that is in charge is not doing anything to regulate it. They make it difficult now because we have to pay bills, we have so many bills to pay but they have made the business so cheap. A strip club is not supposed to be a cheap business because it’s capital intensive. For now, we are just there watching to see what is going to happen while we still pay our taxes.

What steps have you taken along with other members to stop the non-professionals?

What are we going to do? It’s the government that is supposed to take a step.

We raised the issue at the stakeholders meeting with the Ministry of Tourism and the commissioner then, he said they were going to do something about it and we are still waiting because nothing has been done about it. There’s nothing we pioneers can do about it. You know how things are in this country; even if you try to make noise, no one will listen to you.

What are the negative effects of the influx of nonprofessionals into the business?

There are so many things. For instance, you know people like cheap things so, when they come here and they find out prices of our drinks, they say why is your own like this? It’s cheaper on the road, on Allen Avenue. They obviously don’t care that we pay taxes here. Something like that affects us here. There are places they don’t even take gate fee and I wonder how you intend to survive if you don’t do that. I mean how you pay your salaries and taxes if you don’t collect gate fee. So, these are the things that are affecting us pioneers that do the right thing and pay our taxes.

What dangers do you think are there if things continue this way?

The business will definitely be so poor, it will bring in a lot of criminals if it’s not regulated and the authority may one day decide to do away with strip clubs if things are not checked now. There is need to look into it in the sense that there are rules set aside by the Ministry of Tourism for clubs to meet and most of these clubs do not have a link with the ministry. So they don’t know what is obtainable in the strip club. Some of them don’t even know the limits of what you could do, like the issue of underage girls and all that. For instance, we pay annual licensing fee of five hundred thousand.

How many of these beer parlour clubs that are featuring strippers can pay? Pay consumption tax per bottle of drink you sell, pay payee tax, liquor license to the

local government, radio and television taxes and so many other taxes. In a year, a standard club pays over three million on taxes alone. That is why we are calling on the government to come in and regulate it. The ills of the society are there also. There are certain neighborhood strip clubs that should not be sited and what we get now is that right in the densely populated areas, you get strip clubs there. They are not supposed to be in those areas.

Despite temptation associated with your business, your marriage remains a model. How have you faired without scandals?

First of all, I see this place as what I do as a business and when you start messing about, then it’s like getting high on your own supply and you don’t have to get yourself involved in that. It should be strictly business and you just have to maintain your home. I am a married man with children, although, they don’t live here, when they are around, my wife is always here helping me out.

She understands the business as well and she knows I am not messing about or getting involved with anyone else but her. The main thing is that it’s business and it stays that way.

That level of discipline makes me want to know what your upbringing was like.

Really, so much discipline was part of my upbringing. It is about discipline. I was brought up by my parents in the proper way. We were taught what to do and what not to get involved in. I think how you position yourself and your mind matters when you want to get into business. It’s like man who wants to sell beer and he’s already drinking it. Before the customers come, he may have finished it all.

You share a great bond with your wife. What is the secret?

It’s love. (Laughs). It’s just all about love. I love her and she loves me. She understands me very well; she understands my business and that is very important. In a relationship, when there is understanding, I tell you there’s no problem.

How long have you been married and how do you describe married life?

I have been married for some time now. You are leaving your own family, she’s leaving her own family too.

You are from different backgrounds and it’s not easy and we are not perfect but we just have to learn from each other and it’s just a matter of understanding.

How did you meet and what was the attraction?

(Smiles) She’s a Nigerian British. We met in London at her place of work actually and she was very humble the way she treated everybody the first day I saw her. That actually attracted me to her. I looked at her and I said, oh, this is going to be a very good housewife. I started chatting her up, you know how it is (referring to the interviewer) and one thing led to the other and that was it. She knew what I was doing and she used to help get whatever I

wanted to buy from England before we finally got married.

What is your view about families having influence in who their child wants to marry?

I think it has nothing to do with parents as long as both of you love each other. They have lived their lives and in my case, my mother is a very understanding woman and no party ever got involved. It was more of like, is that what you want, we said yes and they gave us their blessings.

Could you recount what the road was like for you before getting to where you are now?

It was not easy because I was not born with a silver or golden spoon and when you are not born with either golden or silver spoon, you know how it is. You have to work hard, extremely hard. To get to where I am today was not easy. I had to work hard because my parents were not rich and that is it.

What ambition did you nurture as a child?

Oh…let me think, I wanted to be an academician. I think I was always admiring them; I admired them so much then. I think that was what was on my mind when I was growing up.

What comes to your mind when you remember your struggling days?

I just give glory to God. I just thank God. With all my effort and with His support, I have been able to achieve something in life, though, it was not easy but I just give glory to God. So what are your new set goals?

I must confess it’s not easy to run a business in the country so I think for now, this is enough. Government is not doing enough to help the small businesses in the country. They are not doing anything, absolutely nothing, unlike other countries I have been to. You go out there, get the money, come back here to create jobs, helping government to create jobs and they are not doing anything to support you. It’s a bit difficult.

So, when you have one, getting another one to me is a big headache so I am not thinking of making such a move here.

Probably with the new government, we will see what happens. We will see if there will be changes, if they will support businesses to grow. Then we have the issue of double taxation where there is nothing one can do about it and it’s not encouraging, so, for me, what I have here is enough for now.

You are a quiet person and it’s difficult to read you but there must be something that makes you happy.

What could that be?

I like to see people happy because it makes me happy. I don’t like to see anyone sad. When I see people happy, I am excited.

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SUNDAY OCTOBER 04, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

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C

hief clears his throat, looks around him, then at the three men and a woman and clears his throat again.

Sam is getting irritably impatient. He feels like rushing to Chief and forcing the words out of his mouth. He looks around him and notices that no one is as eager as he is to hear what Chief has to say. Obviously, he’s the only person that’s in the dark. He turns to Kim and notices a glow in her eyes. Tears?

“Fate has a way of fiddling with our lives. It swings us back and forth, throwing joy and pain at us at whim. One moment you are happy, the next, you are in pain.

One moment you are crying, the next you are laughing.

Years ago, I found myself crying. I cried and cried, before then, I had laughed but at times, the laughter was painful, painful because I was not allowed to live my life the way I wanted. My parents wanted to live my life for me.

I made up my mind that my children would make their choices. I made up my mind that I would allow them make their mistakes,” Chief said.

He looks at his listeners. If looks could kill, Sam’s eyes would have dismembered Chief.

Suddenly, Chief stares at Sam intently and continues.

“The first day you stepped through that door, I knew something would change. The shock almost killed me. I thought I saw an apparition. You look so much like your father. But the ghost of that day came in a pair. I felt I was caught in a whirlwind. I thought I was having another issue with my heart. I thought I’d die. I prayed to God to preserve my life. Later, during my stay in the hospital, I thought about it all and made some discreet enquiries which led to more revelations.”

Chief looks around him again.

“Get me a glass of something strong,” he said to Val. “No Chief. You need water, not alcohol. Get him water, please,” Dr. Jones said firmly.

“Doctor, an old man should know what’s good for him...but I give up. Will make do with the water. I’ll live my life the way I want once you step out of that door,” Chief said with a smile as he accepts a glass of water from Val. He stares at Kim and she squirms in her seat. He looks up and down and rests his eyes on Sam again.

By now, Sam is feeling hot and cold at the same time. Suddenly, he starts sweating in the air-conditioned living room.

“What an old man sees while sitting down, a young man will not see even if he climbs the tallest tree...” Chief said.

“Excuse me sir, I want to use the gents,” Sam said, standing up. He heads to the gents.

He fiddles with his fly as the urgency intensifies immediately he

Simply incredible!

closes the door behind him. After peeing, he flushes and zips up carefully. As he washes his hands, his brow creases. He wonders what Chief is driving at.

He leans against the door and wipes the sweat off his brow with his palm. The manner in which Val wraps his eyes endearingly around Kim unsettles him.

Could there be something between them? Could there be a discreet affair between them? Kim is intoxicated by wealth. She’s always telling him that it was a mistake she was born into a poor home. She told him that she usually had dreams of rich parentage when she was much younger. She egged him on to accept anything Chief offered them. It is a chance at improving their lot in life.

What if he has to leave the job suddenly? What if whatever Chief has to say makes him take a drastic decision there and then? Can he turn his back on the new job and all the goodies that came with it? Will Kim accept him if he has to lose everything now? To think that he sold his personal vehicle just 48 hours ago! Kim had harassed him into selling the car.

“How do you feel when you park this wretched looking car beside this machine? Don’t you think that since our level has changed, everything should change with it?”

Kim had gone on and on.

He had no choice. He had to sell his much loved Toyota Camry ‘Tiny light’.

Now, if he leaves Chief’s house

without his official vehicle, he is ‘carless’ and he can bet with his mother ’s head that Kim will not leave with him.

Kim! Kim and Val! He is yet to understand the affinity between them...

“Sam...Sam...Sam!!! Are you okay? You’ve been in there for rather too long.” It’s Val. “Er...em...yeah...yes...I’m coming out now,” he replied, flushing the loo again and turning the tap off and on.

“Okay, dad said I should check on you,” Val said, his voice fading.

As Sam opens the door and steps into the living room, he panics again.

“A man dies only once,” told himself and strides purposefully to the couch he left about 10 minutes earlier.

Chief looks him up and down.

“Young man, you have to pull yourself together. When I lost my first love, Val’s mother, I was devastated. I thought I was going to die. I took to drinking. At a point, I left for Bulgaria. I had a friend schooling in Sofia then and I just wanted to relax. I couldn’t cope with the weather, the cold was extreme. I took to alcohol like fish takes to water. After six months of being a layabout, I realised that my son needed me. I returned home. The young lady my parents got for me even before I finished school had moved into our house then. My parents got her to care for my son, Val. It was so easy to fall for her whims. She prepared

and served my meals. I was still drinking. Most nights, my head was in the cloud. I didn’t know when I started going in to her. She got pregnant and my parents were ecstatic. It was a big wedding but I didn’t remember what transpired that day. I was drunk most of the day. My parents converted your father, Sam, to my personal driver.”

Sam’s head bobs. The others sit up in surprise. Clearly this is news to them all.

“Well, I lived with my wife in relative peace until we ran into an old neighbour of Val’s mother, Elsie. We’d stop by a stall to buy some fruits and vegetables.

“Immediately Elsie saw my pregnant wife, she screamed at me, ‘So, you sent this woman to come and kill the pregnant mother of your son so you could marry her, eh?’

“Your father had come down from the vehicle to open the car booth. On seeing him, Elsie shouted in astonishment, ‘Daniel!!!’

The effect of Chief’s word is electric. His audience literally jump from their seats, shocked.

“Dad, was my mum murdered?”

Val asked, fear mixed with something indescribable in his voice. ******* Yes, was Val’s mother killed?

Who did? For what purpose?

What’s Sam’s father ’s connection in it? Join me on Sunday as we lay bare the hidden.

•Send your observations to: julietbumah@gmail.com

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Body&Soul

Concealer magic Vanessa Okwara

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ne of the worst things about acne is that even after it’s gone, it often leaves scars. Also, burns generally leave a nasty scar behind. Some scars take longer than others to dissolve. Some scars remain raised and discoloured. The ones that are of concern are the ones on the face, neck, arms etc. A scar can sometimes make you feel self-conscious. But that doesn’t mean you can’t fake flawless skin for a special event or even on daily basis. With makeup, you can easily hide a scar. All it takes is the right products and proper techniques. The concept is to conceal the scars by blending the colour of the scar with your skin colour.

Start on a clean slate Exfoliation is a great way to start for natural looking scar coverage. This helps in makeup application. Any coverage you apply will absorb better, look smoother and hold longer if you use a gentle scrub before you start. After exfoliating, moisturize to further soften the scar and add

the necessary moisture to create a smooth receptive surface.

Prime time To help smooth a scarred area, start with a foundation primer. Choose a siliconebased formula that can fill in the scar so your skin’s texture appears more even.

For the most effective application, pat a small amount of the primer over the scar.

Use colour theory to hide individual scars Before applying foundation and concealer, start with a colour corrector. These products are similar to concealers in texture and consistency, but they come in shades such as green, yellow and lavender. These tints help counteract skin discolourations based on the colour wheel. You can make them less obvious by applying the opposite colour. For example, you can neutralize a red scar with a touch of green concealer, hide a purple blemish with a tiny bit of yellow, or make raised scars look smoother, by shading them slightly darker than the surrounding skin. This will make them less visible.

Blend it Cover colour corrector with the right concealer. A thick, creamy formula typically works best to conceal scarring and smoothen the texture. To make sure your concealer stays in place no matter how hot or damp the weather, choose a waterresistant formula. Use your finger to carefully pat the concealer in place. If you’re dealing with a very small scar, use a brush for more precision.

Set it Set your concealer with a translucent powder to lock it in place. Powder is lightweight and adds no additional colour to the spot. Choose a loose, or apply pressed powder for better coverage. Use a fluffy brush to gently tap the powder over the scar so you don’t disturb the corrector and concealer that you’ve already applied.

Body&Soul

W

e could be vain enough to have our heads or faces engraved on our clothing. However, if your vanity doesn’t quite go the whole hog, perhaps, you could explore spotting that of your favourite cartoon, superhero or figure

Biwom Iklaki

of choice, then decide how you would rather be styled -classy, edgy, vamp, utilitarian, and so on. Heck, you may just decide to redefine style just the way you want it!

Some of these character dresses may be very sweet, like a Disney princess type character top. You may decide to style it with something edgy like a pair of leather

top, booties and a structured bag. Your character piece does not have to be exclusively a piece of clothing, it could be a bag or shoe.

For a night on the town in a character dress, strappy stilettoes always enhance your look with a metallic clutch and bold makeup.

Whichever style you decide to go for,

Explore character and cartoon chicness

SUNDAY OCTOBER 04, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

28, 29

head in history. Whatever your particular fad may be, we have a fix for you this week.

The first step is to choose your hero (-ine)

Editor’s current obsession

leggings, strappy gladiator sandals and metal cuff. You could also go the route of a pencil skirt, blazer over a character

remember to own it or your character clothing will drown you and make you look like the character is wearing you!

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Body&Soul

Fashion alert: Comfy Yeezy boost Kennedy Aziagba

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anye West has been trending for a while because of the absurd clothes he unveiled recently at the New York Fashion Week show but some of his designs are actually worth it like his footwear.

The Adidas low top Yeezy 350 boost designed by Kanye West is a new trend for both fashion and sportswear lovers.

Most athletes wear this for their training because it is very comfortable on the foot. The footwear is equipped with Adidas primeknit which is a breakthrough material developed to feel like a second skin. It is so comfortable on the foot that it doesn’t feel like you are wearing anything. It literally feels like your feet is on that soft comfortable pillow in your room.

It is a streetwear which most young men out there are comfortably wearing for their daily activities especially those that walk around a lot. Everyone wants something they can wear on the feet that won’t be a hindrance to their movement and this footwear makes it possible to walk around freely.

It can be worn with joggers, shorts or jeans with T-shirt; it’s absolutely perfect for any casual wear you choose to put on. If you are the type of individual who loves to go jogging early in the morning to keep fit, this footwear is certainly made for you.

Some celebrities that have been spotted rocking Yeezy trainers include Kanye West himself, David Becham, Big Sean, Kim Kardashian and others. It seems Phyno is the first African act to rock these shoes.

Yeezy Adidas boost trainer sells at $ 5,000.(N1, 250, 000)

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Body&Soul

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Know when you’re being used (2)

omen fall into this trap every time. What trap is that, you ask? The one where she gets agitated while waiting endlessly for a call from her lover; when she should be smart enough to realise that the guy in question only calls when he wants sex. God blessed women with intuition and gut feelings, yet many simply ignore them and end up ensnared in a trap they could easily avoid.

Last week, I talked about how a man can know when a woman is using him as her exclusive ATM machine. I got emails from a lot of guys agreeing with most of the signs I listed. So ladies, you will be smart enough to read this carefully and be able to detect these roving men when they are just few meters away from you.

The truth of the matter is that as a woman, being used for sex is easy to recognise if you can be truthful to yourself. The signs have been there from the beginning but you chose to ignore them because you are so attracted to this guy and felt ‘‘lucky’’ to have gotten his attention that you failed to pay attention to your gut feelings.

People may seem considerate and normal in the early stages of dating, but it does not take long for blinders to come down and the truth to be revealed in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Guys and girls alike are generally on their best behaviour in the beginning of any relationship. After all, everyone wants to make good first impressions. However, this façade eventually crumbles when the person is not entirely genuine or have underlying motives.

N

CONNECT NG vanessaonsunday@yahoo.com So the trick in discovering if a man genuinely loves you as a person and not necessarily after your body is to get past the first impression stage without giving in to his desires. I call men who want to sleep with women on the first date or soon after you got introduced to them as ‘‘hit and run lovers’’. Men are easily attracted to what they see at first glance and like butterflies, all they want is to perch, sip the nectar and away they fly! His focus is solely on the physical aspect alone. Just understand that a man can have sex with you and not have any feelings for you.

If someone genuinely wants to become a part of your reality, they will do their very best to make it so. If he doesn’t introduce you to people at all and convinces you in the best way possible that being in a secret relationship is completely logical, he is either ashamed of you or hiding you from someone else in their lives. People in love want the whole world to know about it until you’re a celebrity but since you’re not, let’s just say that you are being played.

Only accept a man who is sensuous

and patient and takes his time getting to know you. This is a man who is not impulsive, or act like a hit and run truck driver. He will make a lover for a lifetime because it is not about his penis; it’s about you.

Do not wait for many months to pass before figuring out that he does not really and truly care about you. Find out now and get out of the relationship before being slapped in the face by a harsh dose of reality. Save your heart and your sanity by learning how to separate the real men from the players.

Here are more signs to look out for if you feel you are being used: • He’s not that interested in getting to know you. He does not want to

Guys and girls alike are generally on their best behaviour in the beginning of any relationship. After all, everyone wants to make good first impressions

know about your dreams, interests and family.

He does not compliment you on your personality, intelligence, talents or ideas. In fact, he doesn’t really ask you many questions about yourself at all. All he ever really seems to want to do is to sleep with you.

• Never talks about life outside the bedroom with you. He does not share his dreams or the future with you.

Never talks about family and friends with you and does not want to go anywhere with you.

• He does not make any significant effort to please you, doesn’t spend on you, surprise you or make you feel special.

He is not very affectionate towards you unless during bed time. He also does not show any significant feelings of love towards you. And once you have slept together, he wants to leave your side as quickly as possible with only a flimsy excuse.

• He hardly calls, texts or e-mails you. Even when you try to contact him, he either does not pick up immediately, makes flimsy excuses or his number is not available. Also, he will not even return the call when he sees your missed calls.

• He hardly takes you out on dates except to a hotel or his house and it is only for one thing – to have sex with you.

• He only wants you to meet his needs without going out of his way to meet yours or make you happy. You don’t feel loved, respected, appreciated or cherished.

•Send your views to the email above!

Preserving the memory of a national heroine

igeria is a country where our sense of heroism is questionable. It appears that to be a hero, you must have deep pockets, be able to buy the heroic acts and still pay the people to canonize your legend as a hero. This may explain why we struggle for role models outside of politics for our children and why politics remain the biggest industry and ultimate aspiration of our young and vibrant minds.

Still there are heroes, people who stand out in their field as role models and are ready to put their lives on the line, if only to guarantee the safety of others. In this category, I will put the name of Dr. Stella Adadevoh, the courageous doctor who stood firm in the face of Ebola and paid the ultimate price in the process.

A few weeks ago was the anniversary of her death at the hands of the deadly virus and I must say that she was well remembered. There were presentations, eulogies and praise in the press as well as memorial services in her honour. However, all these are fleeting, things that are happening because the wound is still fresh and may not last in the public memory. Just ask the family of Samuel Okwaraji, another national hero who gave his life in active duty to his fatherland. Other than a bust that is overgrown with weeds on the lawn of the National Stadium, Lagos, nothing has been done to support the family or honour the memory of the man.

Happily, the same will not happen to the memory of Dr. Stella Adadevoh

as plans are at an advance stage for a movie titled 93 Days to be shot in Nigeria. The movie will detail the efforts of Dr. Adadevoh and the entire team at First Consult (Hospital) to prevent the spread of Ebola after a Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, came into the country with the virus in his system. This was no small feat considering the fact that had they not stopped him, the catastrophe may have been great due to the population density of Lagos and Nigeria as a whole. Lagos owes Dr. Adadevoh and indeed, the Nigerian nation too.

Part of this debt is now being paid in the form of this movie and if there is any artistic project worth supporting, then this is it. The government, through the Ministry of Information

and Culture, must put its full weight behind this project. Funding must be provided, tax breaks given to all the participants and what is more, security assured for all the foreigners involved in the production.

Yes, there are foreigners as the film has brought Hollywood to Nollywood. Movie star, Danny Glover, of ‘Mandela’ and ‘Lethal Weapon’ fame is coming in to play a role in the movie. Nollywood star, Bimbo Akintola, is also set to play Dr. Adadevoh. Such a collaboration is capable of producing intellectual and artistic feats that will transcend this movie. Already, the presence of Danny Glover in Nigeria made the foreign press to talk of Nigeria outside Boko Haram. It created a positive buzz about the possibilities

Dr. Stella Adadevoh was brave and bold in the face of pressure and it did not stop her from being a woman. Yes, there are women who can uphold their professional integrity, women of power and intelligence

that are yet untapped in Nollywood and reminded all that in Nigeria, great things happen. It all started with Dr. Adadevoh’s heroics and bravery.

To be immortalised in movie, a timeless artistic form that generations coming can still consult, is to pay the highest tribute to Dr. Adadevoh. Her family can indeed be proud of her.

While nothing, I repeat, absolutely nothing can make up for the loss of their mother, daughter, wife and sister, they can be comforted in the knowledge that she died for what she believed in and her efforts are being appreciated.

Maybe, it may be pertinent at this point to remind the producers that there were others who worked with Dr. Adadevoh in the hospital, others who helped contain the spread of the virus and their efforts must be acknowledged, even if in passing and it is my hope that the film reflects this.

We must also acknowledge, that our society’s obsession with masculinity and bravery has been called to question by the acts of Dr. Adadevoh. She was brave and bold in the face of pressure and it did not stop her from being a woman. Yes, there are women who can uphold their professional integrity, women of power and intelligence. ’93 Days’ is in the works and when eventually released, will shed more light on that tumultuous time in our health history. However, let the lessons of heroism that it contains not be lost on all of us, if only to preserve the memory of Dr. Stella Adadevoh.

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Body&Soul with

Wole Adepoju 07037763410

woleadepoju@yahoo.com

Cosmas Maduka’s inspired fulfilment

F

ounder and chairman of frontline auto company, Coscharis, Chief Cosmas Maduka, today is not just a successful billionaire businessman but a perfect role model in the society. Here is a man whom many are aspiring to be like, going by his humility, sense of purpose and accomplishments. However, Cosmas was not born a billionaire but by dint of undying inspiration, commitment to set goals and hard work made it to the top league.

Losing his father to the cold hands of death at the tender age of four marked the beginning of hardship for him as he was enrolled as an apprentice in a mechanic workshop at seven. However, he would not let the sight of school pupils who mocked him discourage him from forging ahead as he often replied their jabs with affirmation that he would do very well in life. Truly, in his late teens,

Donald Obaseki’s new deal

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ight skinned Edo prince, Donald Obaseki, may appear to have slowed down on his social activities which brought him to the consciousness of many as a top socialite per excellence. His deep pocket from which he spends generously was a factor that stood him out among others.

Don, as he’s fondly called, was a big player in real estate at the initial stage, but has slowed down. Many attributed it to his being broke but those who should know rose in his

Obaseki

he found his foot and got married at 19, with things looking bright for him. His strong faith in God came handy when the importation business suffered a setback and he had to start all over again. Being a child of destiny who had a great vision and inspiration, he trudged ahead. Eventually, he made a big break over 30 years ago and his story has since changed from aspiration to solid fulfillment.

As he has continually recorded great feats in his business, his achievements on the home front have also been inspiring It will be an understatement to say it was indeed a joyful moment for Comas when his son, who helps in overseeing the family business, quit bachelorhood and got married at an elaborate ceremony. Maduka also has other children who are making him proud in their endeavours.

defence. They said he had other engagements that were taking his time.

One of such engagements was getting involved with a pro-Goodluck Jonathan camp when the former president was fighting for a second term. This top socialite, who is known to be a great lover of expensive exotic automobiles, we can tell, has just taken delivery of a costly white Rolls Royce.

Yahaya Maikori makes new move

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f topentertainment outfits in the country are up for discussion, there is no doubt that Chocolate City cannot be shoved aside. The outfit, which started with Audu Maikori during his days at the University of Jos, was incorporated in 2005 with other members like Ya-

Maikori

haya Maikori and Paul Ekuego.

Having nurtured the dream to reality, the Maikori brothers may have started building on their success to extend their tentacles.

Not too long ago, Yahaya Maikori stepped aside as the CEO of the outfit to launch into other things.

But the fact is that many never got to know of the moves of his cofounders because he remained the face of the outfit. The thrust of this piece is that Audu has moved on, Yahaya, who is also a big boy in his own right, has moved on to other things. Information reaching Celeb Lounge has it that Yahaya is now a top executive of Jacaranda, a frontline foreign company that deals in casino business.

celebration and it was a glorious and befitting outing for the national legal adviser of the All Progressives ConMuiz gress penultimate weekend when important dignitaries converged on an upscale venue on Victoria Island, Lagos, to celebrate with him. Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo was among the dignitaries at the bash for Muiz.

Muiz Banire celebrates latest feat

About Al-Mustapha’s outing

aving equipped himself to ply H his trade in the legal profession, Muiz Banire rose through life

to become a successful lawyer and law lecturer as well as commissioner for the Environment in Lagos State.

That was how he was inducted into the hall of fame of high society.

Banire, while he proved his mettle as an excellent administrator, never allowed his primary assignment, Law, to suffer.

Having built the confidence of many as regards his skills as a public administrator, he longed to be decorated with the most coveted crown in the legal profession in the country, which is the Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Having met all the requirements, he was recently confirmed as a SAN. Exceptedly, this calls for

T

hat Major Hamza al-Mustapha, the former chief security officer to the late military head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha, is one man who has gone t h r o u g h the highs and lows of life is not in doubt.

As Abacha’s CSO, h e wielded so much power that even the high Al-Mustapha and mighty trembled be-

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Body&Soul

Thinking

fore him. After Abacha died on June 8, 1998, things took a bad turn for alMustapha as he was arrested by the administration of Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar. He would go on to spend 10 years on trial for some issues.

His travails have long been over, with al-Mustapha opting for a low profile life. He has declined to lend his voice to public discourse and has also shunned social gatherings.

However, the retired military officer had to put all that behind him as he stepped out to honour one of those he feel he’s indebted to, founder of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Frederick Faseun. The OPC leader was one of those who rooted for alMustapha’s release from prison and even made it a duty to escort him to Kano when he eventually granted freedom. It was Faseun’s 80th birthday and al-Mustapha was obviously the cynosure of all eyes among other dignitaries in attendance. Garbed in a white flowing gown, the former military officer was in a jolly mood throughout his stay at the event in Lagos. Many guests took turns to have a photograph with him.

Okocha abandons Enugu home

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with Helen Paul

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he name Bimpe Adeyemi may not ring a bell but she is a dynamic business w o m a n who is doing well for herself and Adeyemi is influential in her own right. Her immense influence and accomplishments came to the fore recently when the who is who came out in droves to identify with the woman of substance on her 50th birthday.

Bimpe, who runs a multimillion naira eatery based in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, could not have wished for more than what she got on her birthday. The event did not only turn out to be a successful one but was befitting for her personality. While a number of her successful secondary school classmates from St Catherine, Owo, Ondo State were in attendance to honour her, a former governorship candidate in Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), stood out like a shining star among other dignitaries at the event.

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t’s an open knowledge that the round leather game, which used to be a mere sport for enthusiasts has become a money spinner. Lots of parents now pray and wish their wards could pick interest in such career. Enugu-born football artist, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, like many of his peers, had stuck to the sport as a passion. Fate eventually played a role as the talented ex-international made a fortune out of his career.

Jay Jay may have quit active football but he still benefits from his investments as he’s got properties around. One of the properties, a mansion which is situated in Enugu, has suffered neglect for a long time.

The ex- international rarely visits the property which is situated on New Haven Road. It is said to have been under lock and key for long.

paulhelenproductions@yahoo.com

Bimpe Adeyemi celebrates @ 50

Shade Tinubu defies bad tale

Okocha

Aloud

f we say the Iyaloja General of Nigeria, Chief Folashade TinubuOjo, has borrowed a leaf from her political heavyweight father to develop a thick skin to wicked tales emanating from detractors, we may not be far from the truth. What has been noticed of the graduate of Greenwich University, United Kingdom is that she has taken after that part of her father.

Dark skinned and amiable Shade came under attacks from certain quarters when she was crowned the Iyaloja General of the Federation.

With maturity and action to back it up, some of her detractors eventually switched allegiance and made it over to her side. She has ruled the markets with good results to show for it. Having overcome many other negative tales about her, another wicked tale recently made the rounds about an alleged crack in her marriage to a former member of House of Representatives from Ekiti State, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo. As usual, the lady who shares a striking resemblance with her father has taken the tale in her stride and moved on with her life without losing her peace or sleep over it. Meanwhile, checks carried out by Celeb Lounge revealed that the couple has brushed the tale aside to concentrate on their busy schedules and how to take their bond to higher levels. This is even as the love and affection they have for each other Tinubu waxes stronger.

) 0807 270 9777

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Technology versus Culture

ndeed, the world is evolving every been a blessing to many people. Some day. I would not be far from the truth smart and creative chaps have been if I claim that technology-wise, the able to legitimately enrich themselves world is advancing on per second bill- through it. As an individual, you have ing! Corrected me if I’m wrong but that a choice of making social media make is not the issue for today. you or mar you. The choice is absolutely Something you are known for as a guru yours. today suddenly becomes archaic tomor- Internet seems to be the future of every row; and the hero of today will be ad- business now. Online banking, online dressed as ‘old school’ tomorrow. It is shopping, online this, online that. I hope such a funny world. that one day, a new device will be inThis tremendous advancement in tech- troduced that will allow people make nology has come with many blessings babies online! I’m still waiting patiently and challenges as well. For the old peo- for that time. ple who are still trapped in the old ways Information now circulates at a high of doing things, technology is a night- rate. Post a picture or comment on Insmare. But for us the youths, it is indeed tagram or Twitter, for instance now, and a blessing. It has simplified many things within seconds, it is trending all over the that our forefathers used to present as a world! That is amazing. Secrets can no big deal. longer be kept.

I remember those days I commiserate with He blamed the when the only platthe family of the late form you could chat Ooni of Ife and the social media, with someone was on entire people of Osun stressing that Yahoo! Messenger. This State. For many days was actually preceded after his death, there students now write was mild drama evby letter writings, a their exams with period when post oferywhere on the true fice attendants were on situation of things. ‘shorthand codes’ the same pedestal with This party would say they frequently used the Ooni is dead; the rock stars.

When phones were other would say he is while chatting on still alive. This scenarintroduced to Nigeria, Blackberry Messenger, io is a typical example the development heralded an era when you of the disparity beTwitter or Facebook. could call someone to tween our traditional I was dazed when confirm if they were culture and technolaround before hitting ogy – an offspring of my uncle said that the road to visit them westernisation. some of the students I was made to unat home. Communication was made easy derstand that before would write ‘U’ after we left the era of announcing the passinstead of ‘you’ and land phones, which ing of an Ooni, some of course only a few rituals must be carried ‘D’ where they were homes could afford. out for a specific numsupposed to simply Let me quickly fast forber of days, if not, caward to this new media lamity may befall the write ‘the.’ age. Blogs, Instagram, town or village as the case may be. But what Twitter, Facebook, is the business of new Whatsapp and other media with that? social media platforms are now the big deal. These things have For instance, how many Facebook users come with numerous benefits and nu- or bloggers do you intend to tell that the merous problems too. death of the Ooni should not be broadI was speaking with an uncle who works cast yet? Things have changed. Informawith West African Examinations Council tion now spreads faster than anything a few days ago, and he told me some of now. the reasons why passing English lan- After several days of denial, the Ooni’s guage has become a big problem for son eventually opened up on Wednessecondary school students lately. day that indeed, the monarch had He blamed social media, stressing that passed away. He was only stating the students now write their exams with obvious. It was already stale news by the the shorthand codes they frequently use time he was making the announcement. while chatting on Blackberry Messenger, This is just an example of the many chalTwitter or Facebook. I was dazed when lenges that our culture and tradition are my uncle said that some of the students facing with technology. And fortunately would write ‘U’ instead of ‘you’ and ‘D’ or unfortunately, technology is apparwhere they were supposed to simply ently having the upper hand. I can even write ‘the.’ say it is a won battle already. But what These social media platforms have also does the future hold if things continue been abused; they have been used to this way? perpetrate all manner of evils. People We need to uphold our culture and trahave been duped, raped, killed due to dition, and we honestly need technology the influence of social media and all as well. So how can we strike a balance? sorts. But then, social media has also This is a topic for another day.

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SUNDAY OCTOBER 04, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Wine & Dine

Body&Soul

It’s vintage and richly sweet Ibukunoluwa Kayode

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ade with the highest quality grapes in an unfortified style, richly sweet dessert wine is one of the oldest vintage wines age for 50+ years.

Many of these wines are reserved through this process because sweetness and acidity preserve their fresh flavour. Some of these wines are historically important like the Hungarian Tokaji loved by the Tzars of Russia; South African Constantia; obsession of the Dutch and English and French Sauternes loved by Americans in the early 1800’s.

Richly sweet dessert are produced in several ways.

Most times, they are harvested late because the longer

the grapes hang on the vine in the season, the sweeter they become, more raisinated; resulting in a wine that has a higher residual sugar or alcohol -depending on how long it is left to ferment.

This choice of richly sweet dessert wine can fit into any occasion and can as well be enjoyed as a table wine or relaxant after a hectic day.

It pairs well with both continental and traditional cuisine as it is best enjoyed with roasted poultry feeds and less spicy foods.

In Alsace, this style is called ‘Vendage Tardive’ and in Germany it is called ‘Spätlese’. There are many late harvest wines in the US which are sold as dessert wines and typically have around 15-17% ABV.

Baked salmon with pesto and salad Biwom Iklaki

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ho can honestly say they do not love a great fish dish? I know I cannot. Fish is one of the healthiest forms of protein and when paired with a lovely sauce and a drizzle of lemon for a bit of sour, you cannot go wrong. The flesh is soft and each mouthful just falls off and melts in your mouth. For those fish lovers much like me out there, this recipe is a doff of my hat to you all. Enjoy this little tribute from me to you.

INGREDIENTS 3 Salmon fillets Fresh mint leaves Clove of garlic Olive oil Lemon (zest and juice) Salt Pepper Stock cube

1 cup bread crumbs (toast bread dry and blitz) PREPARATION Marinade fish with lemon juice and zest, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and stock cube and keep in the refrigerator for about one hour or overnight.

You could fry the skin on your pan to get a crisp crust first.

Preheat your oven and gently place the fish in the oven skin side down. Keep an eye on the fish and it should cook in about 20 to 25 mins. It could also be relative to your personal preference; rare, medium rare or well done.

In a small stone mill, grind your leaves, garlic, some seasoning, lemon zest and a drizzle of lemon juice. Grind and mix with your bread crumbs.

Serve with jollof rice, quinoa or salad.

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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY OCTOBER 04, 2015

Body&Soul

RazzleDazzle

Abiola Alaba Peters

with

HEADIES 2015: D’banj, Tiwa Savage, Ice Prince, others miss out

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mooth Promotions, the organisers of the popular Nigeria music award, HEADIES, has released the nominees list for this year’s awards. While many have been airing their views on this year’s nominees, RazzleDazzle couldn’t help but notice that some top Nigerian music super stars, the likes of D’banj; Mavin first lady, Tiwa Savage; Chocolate City rapper, Ice Prince, are missing from the list.

Reacting to this observation, the management of the awards made it clear that the year under review is between July 2014 and June 2015. It stated that some of these artistes actually did drop some pretty

D’banj

Tiwa

impressive materials within this period, but failed to make the list. Other top Nigerian stars that couldn’t make it to the list are Naija Ninja boss, Sound Sultan, Iyanya, Black Diamond star, Wande Coal, Phyno, Omawunmi and others.

Eucharia Anunobi,

As Entertainment lovers continue to criticise this development, Triple MMG label, Ubi Franklin, who also doubles as Kurukere’s crooner, Iyanya’s manger, couldn’t hold back, as he came out on Twitter in defence of his artiste and long-time

A

H

Eucharia

Premium celebrity booking platform opens

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istory was made on Nigeria’s 55th Independence Day as the nation’s entertainment industry welcomed an online platform designed to make it easier for Nigerians to book their favourite celebrity with just few clicks on the Internet.

Speaking to a cross-section of journalists, the project coordinator, Harrison Akadidi, said the great thing about the online celebrity booking platform is that, it doesn’t restrict clients to music stars alone as they can find their top and favourite Nollywood stars, comedians, On Air Personalities, Disc Jockeys and others on

business partner, Iyanya. The newly wedded artiste manager who is married to Clinic Matters star, Lilian Esoro, advised the organisers of the awards to at least reward Iyanya and WOJU producer, Dj Coublon, for their contributions to the music industry.

God raised me from the dead – Julius Agwu

stars in Tinsel

ce Nollywood actress turned evangelist, Eucharia Anunobi, has emerged the latest Nigerian celebrity to join one of Africa’s TV series, Tinsel. Currently the longest running TV series in sub-Saharan Africa, Eucharia debuted on the Mnet series on Monday, September 28, 2015. She plays the role of Claudia Ojeme, the wife of Japheth Ojeme and Jared Ojeme’s mother in the popular series.

The talented actress joins Big Brother Africa star, Tayo Faniran, who recently replaced Gbenro Ajibade and plays the character, Soji Bankole, in the series.

Born in Owerri, Eucharia had her primary and secondary school education in Anambra State before proceededing to the Institute of Management Technology, Enugu, where she graduated with a National Diploma in Mass Communication.

She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree. After studying English Language at the University of Nigeria, Eucharia came into limelight for her role in the movie series ‘Glamour Girls’ in 1994 and has gone on to star in over 90 other movies.

Ice Prince

the platform.

“We have our agents in over 10 countries around the world, to ensure we can facilitate international bookings for Nigerian artistes and showbiz practionsers on the platform.

Some of these countries include the United States, England, UAE, Malaysia and few other African countries.

I want all artiste managers to be rest assured that celebrity booking online is not coming to take their jobs away from them. Instead, we are coming to make it a lot easier for them. We have a long list of celebrities signed to it already and growing,” he said.

aving returned from a successful surgery in the United States, one of Nigeria’s successful comedians, Julius Agwu, is bubbling with life again as he prepares for the 10th anniversary edition of his annual Crack Ya Ribs event in Abuja this October. RazzleDazzle recently caught up with the compere, actor cum singer where he opened up on his neardeath experience.

“It was not a funny one, my dear brother, but in all, I am grateful to God. It was more like a rebirth. I saw death and God brought me back to life. It is a rare opportunity because not too many people survive this and come back normal. Look at me, I have danced and given thanks to God because it’s truly a miracle. I am a living testimony that God really works.

Some people are of the opinion that God is partial in some ways, but if He is truly partial in my case, then I have to give Him all the glory. I thank Him so much and I really don’t know where to start from in giving Him thanks,” he Agwu said.

08062622328

Kennedy Aziagba 08028101185

Airtel celebrates Nigeria’s independence with concerts

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o commemorate Nigeria’s 55th Independence Anniversary, Airtel Nigeria threw its full weight behind select star-studded musical concerts that excited telecoms consumers across the country.

The shows held simultaneously in Warri and Kaduna featured top Nigerian artistes, comedians as well as up-andcoming entertainers.

The Warri concert tagged, ‘Warri Again Music & Comedy,’ a first-rate musical concert in Nigeria featured leading artistes and comedians. Some of the top artistes who perform at the concert include Basketmouth, Bovi, AY, Buchi, Gordons alongside music stars like Korede Bello, Olamide and Iyanya.

Other popular acts such as Dr. Sid, KCee, Cynthia Morgan, Harrysong, Lil Kesh also thrilled guests at the event.

The organisers also collaborated with a showbiz platform, Talk Crew Network (TCN), to host its customers to the Kaduna Independence Carnival, which is a two-day show held on October 1 and 2 at Green Apples Hotel (Carnivores), Sabo, Kaduna.

Some of the artistes that performed at the Kaduna show are Bishop Talk, Pheroshuz, SkinnyBoi, Emmyli, Dan Hausawa, Stayo Stevens, Penny and Nino Brown, while Disc Jockeys (DJs) like Kelly, Abdul, Menthol, White, Uzzy, Bizzy and others spiced up the occasion.

Speaking on the event, Airtel’s Chief Sales Officer, Godfrey Efeurhobo, noted that the telco organised the independence concerts to commemorate the nation’s 55th anniversary and to also connect with its teeming customers, especially the youths.

He said: “The nation’s independence anniversary remains a significant moments in the history of Nigeria. And Airtel Nigeria recognises this important day and also realises that the nation can further be built through empowering youths and creating opportunities for them to achieve their dreams.

“The independence concert also underscores Airtel’s commitment to supporting the Nigerian entertainment industry.”

Eli-World debuts with BEATZ Awards

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li-World International is set to honour the ‘behind the camera crew’ who prop our artistes. The award tagged, THE BEATZ AWARDSTM, is fashioned to honour the hottest recording professionals and business executives in Nigeria. They are responsible for the boom the industry is enjoying today. It’s no hidden fact that the recording artistes bask in the spotlight when a song becomes a hit, but its architects are often left in the shadows.

“The show provides an exceptional opportunity for the music industry to pay tribute to the best of their professionals Disc Jockeys, Music Producers, Mixing Engineers, Mastering Engineers, Industry Professionals and Business Executives whose talent and dedication play an integral role in the success of chart topping music. They will all be recognised with dedicated award categories, which are the first of its kind in this continent,” the organisers said.

36

SUNDAY OCTOBER 04, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Body&Soul

T

E-mail: editor.body-soul@newtelegraphonline.com

Switched (Part II)

hat evening, Cora and Walter had the time of their lives discussing their royal duties, but also having fun. For Walter took Cora out around town on a date. She loved it, and realized she was falling in love with him! But she couldn’t, for she was the Queen not the Princess! Soon, Quinn and Ethan caught up with the two and saw that they were in love. “No, he can’t be in love with her.”

“I mean me,” she mumbled.

“Ethan, do something,” she ordered.

“Relax your grace, I’ll give him this.” He showed her a potion he would pour in the Prince’s drink before the wedding.

“Once he drinks this, he won’t love Cora anymore.”

As evening fell, Cora was ready to wed the Prince.

“Is he everything you wanted?”

Quinn asked her.

“He’s not everything I want, he’s what you want dear. You have a lot in common.”

“He too disliked his royal duties and ventured out into the world and longs to share adventures with someone. You!” The church bells rang, and it was time for the wedding. Quinn hugged Cora.

“Mother, thank you” she said. Before Cora walked down the aisle, Ethan congratulated the Prince with the drink. Only, he didn’t drink it, for Quinn stopped him.

“You don’t need that Sire, you’re getting married. You can have it afterwards,” she said as she then poured the drink out the window.

“What are you doing?” Ethan asked. “He’s gonna marry you” he reminded her.

Celebrations!!!

“I know it’s time I take my place as Queen and do what’s right,” she said as she watched Cora walk down the aisle and reach Walter.

“No!” Ethan yelled. “Don’t marry her Sire!” He warned. “She’s not who she says she is!” “What are you talking about?” Walter asked. “She’s not the Princess, she’s the Queen,” he told him.

Everyone was shocked, including Walter.

“Is it true?” he asked Cora.

“It’s true, I’m not the Princess, she is,” she said pointing to Quinn.

“We switched body’s somehow,” Quinn told him.

“By me!” Ethan said.

“That was an accident, for you two were suppose to die! So that I could be king, and I will!” he said as he grabbed Quinn.

“You will marry me and be my Queen. Together we will rule the kingdom!”

As he leaned in to kiss her, Walter kissed Cora in hopes it would turn them back to themselves.

And it did! Cora was herself and Quinn was herself, too. By the power of true love, the spell was broken.

But Ethan still wanted to be King and tried to kiss Quinn, but was soon slapped by her, fired from his position as the adviser, and banished from the land.

Cora and Walter later married 5 hearty hurrays as Bufa-Osowo Eta clocks 5! and Cora took her place as Queen This little gentleman favours blue and yellow colours and has Spiwith her mother’s blessing and derman and Batman as best cartoons. Grow and shine in amazing now have a stronger relation- ways darling! ship than ever.

They lived happily ever after.

What goes up and down but does not What did one wall say to the other wall?

Ans: I’ll meet you at the corner.

By Jaqualla move?

Ans: Stairs Foxworth What did the paper say to the pencil?

Ans: Write on!

Where should a 500 pound alien go?

Ans: On a diet What do you call a boy named Lee that no one talks to?

What did one toilet say to the other?

Ans: Lonely Ans: You look a bit flushed.

Gags

Cross word puzzle

Why did the picture go to jail?

Ans: Because it was framed.

JOHNBULL

MUMMY’S PET

What gets wetter the more it dries?

Ans: A towel.

37

5 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

gence. Nobody is above the law. If they asked him about the assets he declared, he should answer queries that emanated from that.

How do you view the state of insecurity in the country, especially with the kidnap of former Finance Minister, Chief Olu Falae?

Well, I can say that Buhari has made some good moves to put it under control but I would also say that the kidnapping in the country is another way of saying that our welfare package has to be given a priority. Those, who are into kidnapping, may be saying that they do not have money or jobs in order to earn a livelihood and that is the reason they resort to kidnap. But it’s wickedness on their part that a man of his age, who just buried his son few months ago, was kidnapped for ransom. We need to improve the welfare of our people so that crime would be reduced drastically.

Atilade

wanted him to be the Senate President, what is your take on this?

Well, I’m not in the party, so I will not speak authoritatively on that, whether the ruling party didn’t want him to be there or not.

All that I know is that he got the majority of votes that put him there. It does not matter whether the party wanted him or not. If they didn’t want him, they would have voted otherwise. It is good for us to have a system

beyond party interests. The interest of Nigeria should supersede party interest. I want to appeal to all concerned to enthrone peace in the National Assembly. Nobody is going to gain anything by pulling others down. We need to find a middle ground in settling the matters. If he has done something wrong, it is not a party affair. He has to answer for it.

Let him not hide under the pretence that they are witch-haunting him to continue his indul-

What should be the policy thrust of the government?

I will suggest that the future trust of the government should be hinged on a tripod. Practically, a pot on the tripod will not fall because it is well balanced. The tripod that I’m referring to, is, health, education and welfare. If our government can adopt that, it will be seen as better than any other. If Buhari will do everything to ensure that the wellness of our people is guaranteed, it would be a major achievement for his government. It is a shame that our people go on medical tourism to shop for medical treatment with all that we have.

If Nigeria should get the equipment needed in our healthcare sector, we have human capital that will make our health sector enviable.

Again, education is important because it’s on education that the change we are talking about will come. In fact, it will help to check corruption and see that corruption doesn’t take place in the country.

With education, people will get to know what is right and what is wrong. People wondered how small Cuba was able to overcome American antagonism for over six years. Cuban government knew that education would eradicate illiteracy so they sent young graduates to all parts of their hinterland to educate people. Within two years, everybody was able to read and write and it raised their awareness as they were able to analyse issues properly and withstood the hostility of America towards them. When people are educated, it becomes difficult to misinform them.

Thirdly is welfare, especially payment of salaries and good transportation. This is a key to the system. Rail system will help to move trailers away from the roads and distribute resources to the hinterland. The current traffic gridlock everywhere will disappear with good rail networks; transportation will improve and life would get better. These are the tripod that can improve the welfare of the people.

What is your view on the downward slide of Nigerian economy since inception of this administration, which has been attributed to uncertainty over government’s economic policy?

I disagree with that notion. We are at the point where economic policies have not been initiated and declared. Everything has to be gradual and that is why I say people should be patient. When the programme for the economic policies for the future is established, things will take shape. Currently, the government is attacking insecurity and corruption. This is the reason good investigation into our sovereign wealth should be conducted. So, it is when we ascertain this that good economic policies would commence. We cannot build on a rotten foundation because anything built on a rotten foundation will collapse. Anything outside that, you will think you are making progress, whereas you are not. That’s the best principle to an economy. Let’s find out what we have and what has been looted so that we can get back to building a better economy.

The government has introduced the Treasury Single Account for all government ministries, departments and agencies. What is your view on the policy?

TSA is very necessary because, it is the best way to monitor the various sources through which monies are looted out of this country. With this, the government would be able to monitor and know what money comes to the coffers and total amount of money it has to plan with. So, it is very important.

How best do you think bailout funds should be utilised?

Bailout funds should naturally go to the unpaid workers because they have to receive their salaries since we have been talking about good welfare.

Today, those who receive salaries find it difficult to attend to their needs, how much more unpaid workers? In fact, the welfare of the people should come first in whatever government is doing, project or no project. Projects are for the people, so you can’t build a road when the people who would make use of it have all died. Welfare of the people should be paramount. I think in the pyramid of things, salaries of the workers should come first.

We need to do what we need to do and postpone what we have to postpone and then, people will be happy to do their jobs as well.

After the workers have been paid, if there is any remainder, they should put in a project that would bring direct benefits to the people and the state at large. If it’s not going to be justifiable, in terms of finance, then, the people should see the tangible benefits of that project. All the kangaroo and white elephants should be avoided.

Lastly, the world is going towards Public Private Partnership and that is how governments around the world are run. In fact, there is no reason government should finance education alone. There should be mission, private and public schools.

Schools should be owned by religious bodies and private institutions, then, government can now provide free education for those that want to go to school. Let’s get good hands to run them and everybody will be happy. Government alone can’t shoulder it. It has not worked and it will never work.

Some have said that the respect CAN and its leadership used to command is waning. What is your take on this?

Well, I would urge the Christians across the country to respect CAN and its leadership as the official voice of all Christian bodies and groupings.

The public should also see CAN as umbrella body for all Christian denominations – Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal and all other Christian groupings.

CAN is first among equals among other Christian bodies. The churches and public must know that the President of Christian Association of Nigeria is first among equals as far as Christian bodies are concerned and it should be accorded such respect. He has to be seen as the voice of Christians in all matters as long as Nigeria and the world are concerned. Church leaders can speak on behalf of their individual churches, but the person that speaks for all Christians on official matters is the president of CAN, irrespective of churches and denominations. Just like the Sultan of Sokoto is the leader and the head of the Muslims in Nigeria, so is CAN president to Christians. We, therefore, want to appeal to all Christians that we should all respect our leaders because if you call your house a dungeon, people will take it as a dungeon and for reference point.

Do you support the new administration’s plan to stop sponsorship of pilgrimage?

Yes, I do support it 100 per cent. The constitution is clear that the state should not be involved in religious activities. If you want to go to Jerusalem or Mecca, you should go on your own. Public funds should not be used to promote one religious practice, convention, culture or activity. There is a clear demarcation we must support. If you want to worship God in India, America or anywhere, it is your business. Government should not use our collective wealth to send anyone to Mecca or to Jerusalem. Islam says you should go to Mecca once in a year but there is a condition that you must be able to afford it.

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Politics

‘FG must be thorough with anti-corruption crusade’ Hon. Olatunji Abiola Shoyinka is representing Surulere Constituency II of Lagos State at the House of Representatives. He speaks with EDWIN USOBOH on some topical issues of local and national importance What do you make of the anti-corruption crusade of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration?

I support the anti-corruption crusade of Mr. President with all my heart. If I have my way, I would want to be at the forefront of the crusade. But we must be very careful in doing this. I mean, it should not be limited to vilifying the Peoples Democratic Party as corrupt, otherwise, he is not likely to make a head way. We have not forgotten that about eight months before the elections, some people defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress.

Does that make them uncorrupt? We have some governors that were in the PDP but defected to the APC; does that mean they are not corrupt? The issue is not about APC or PDP being corrupt; the issue is that Nigeria is a corrupt economy and you and I are part of it. In this corruption crusade, accusations should not be frivolous, rather they should be investigated thoroughly, charged to court and such accused persons convicted. It should spread across both political parties and even others in the private sector.

This is very important. Once people are sent to jail for corrupt practices and there is the assurance that any future criminals would be caught to face justice, others would fall in line and that is how the anticorruption crusade can work.

Do you support downward review of the lawmakers’ pay?

Salary reduction to me is not what I feel is right. Is it just because the President comes and says I am reducing my salary, how much is that salary? How much of the salary would help to make Nigeria a better place? How do you ensure productivity when you are not being given what is sufficient for you to do the job? So rather than cut the salaries why don’t we reduce the number of lawmakers and make sure they are treated well. If they are five and they are not being treated well what is the point? So we are going back to square one.

If when we are talking about corruption, you reduce my salary and lawmakers cannot meet their expenses, we would end up encouraging the same corruption we were out to kill. So it’s going back to what you are trying to stop. Restructuring is nice based on the fact that the revenue is not fort coming, but not on the cutting of salary. A man that lives at Kuje here in Abuja, spending more than N1, 000 everyday on transportation, minus feeding, housing.

So what do you want to cut out of that salary that would be efficient? So for me I don’t support the salary reduction but restructuring. If a minister has more than 15 to 20 aides, what is he doing with them?

We can cut down on the number and make effective use of the remaining staff and pass the pay into developmental projects.

As the representative of the people, how have you impacted on your constituency?

There is something we have to state first and that is the fact that what people need is a governance is to see that governance is working. I am a Peoples Democratic Party man to the core but it is not only PDP members that voted for me or else I would not be where I am today. The

grammes for the youths because once the youths are skilled they have about five to seven things that they can derive from it.

For example, if there is a skilled youth in a family, that youth would be self-reliant.

That is one vital point. The youth would be able to assist his younger ones. That’s number two. Then the youth now is taken away from the streets, that’s number three, the youth is useful to himself and community in terms of job creation and crime reduction, because an idle man is the devil’s workshop. So if we are able to get the youths engaged then we will stand to say that we are progressing. But that is not all, having skill is not all. If someone is skilled and he is not given tools to work with and where to work then the skill is nothing; it is wasted. So in that respect, we should be mindful of what kind of skill we give out. So in my view, skill acquisition is important for our youths, then other things like take-off support.

Soyinka

people of my constituency voted for me to represent them. We therefore identify those needs in a democracy and meet them. How do we do that? We do that by bringing to them dividends of democracy as much as possible from the federal level.

Yes we are the representatives, but most people don’t know the work of the representatives. When they see streets that are not tarred they blame the representatives; they see a dilapidated school they blame the representatives. But it is not supposed to be so because the representatives perform legislative functions; he does not

have a budget to attend to such things.

We represent the people in Abuja, present their problems, ensure they are addressed and bring feedback to the constituency.

So, what specifically are you looking at for the people?

Firstly, I want to make sure the youths are taken care of because once the youths are taken care of we are bound to make a lot of advancement in our country, because the youths are the future leaders. In the face of current economic challenges, we need to make sure there are skill acquisition pro-

Could you give us some insights on what you have brought to lawmaking at the National Assembly?

Lawmaking has been in existence before I was born. So what I see and know is that we go to the floor where we discuss bills that are of interest to the country as a whole, and not only in our constituencies. We discuss bills, move motions on various sectors like aviation, banking, finance, agriculture and even health. The reason is that whatever law you make on the floor of the house does not only affect your constituency in the long run, it affects the whole country. So in that respect, we make sure that all those things that we do together on the floor of the house, are actually implemented. So we want to make sure whatever is being said on the floor of the house doesn’t end in the house alone.

Why Buhari must address unemployment Chibuzor O. Obiakor

H

as anyone else noticed the avalanche of persons, experts and groups telling, advising, imploring, mandating, demanding, and even begging of President Muhammadu Buhari on what he must and should do to move Nigeria forward, carry everyone along or pacify all interests?

If one were to be on the streets of the United States of America, one would say “It’s All Good” to see these calls and demands because it means that democracy is alive and at work in Nigeria! Some are even impatient, and upset, with President Buhari for “being slow” in providing dividends of democracy which recently got him to be christened “Baba Go Slow.” Again, “It’s All Good,” because democracy in Nigeria means freedom of speech.

Following on the heels of these persons and groups, I want to add my own request to President Buhari. Mr. President, please you must find innovative ways to deal with ‘our teeming unemployed youths’ because conventional ways would not be enough to solve this problem.” To paraphrase my townsman, Professor Chinua Achebe, of blessed memory, “when a game animal starts to run in unusual ways, then the hunter must devise unusual ways to shoot at it.”

The issue of unemployment among the youths of Nigeria, given Nigeria’s economic realities; on the backs of corruption, incompetence, inefficiency and prolonged bad leaderships, would not be solved by applying only known economic models.

Mr. President, sir, you must find out-of-thebox ways to tackle this monster because it is a primed gunpowder waiting to explode in our faces. If we do not move urgently to solve this problem, and the unemployed

youths unleash their energy, in their numbers, in bad ways, then the safety of lives and property in Nigeria would never be guaranteed despite the provisions of the constitution to that effect, and in spite of whatever law enforcement or military efforts we make. The lessons of the Niger Delta Militants and the Northeast Boko Haram insurgents ought to be educative enough for us.

As a candidate in the just concluded 2015 elections, I was one of those, as was then also candidate General Muhammadu Buhari, who went around and talked about “the teeming population of our unemployed youths.” Although the phrase means different things to different persons, the concept of “teeming population of our unemployed youths” needs to be universally described and better understood by Nigerians and our policy makers, for the issue can be properly addressed. Otherwise, it would be another electioneering slogan that fails and adds to the general failure of our leaders and the cynicism of the youths themselves.

Some of these “teeming population of our unemployed youths” are educated, employable, but unemployed. To have such assets wasting away is not only foolish on our collective parts, it is dangerous because they are educated, young, energetic and have plenty of time in their hands. It is only better imagined what they could do if their educated minds, young and energetic bodies veer towards ill rather than good.

Some of the youths are educated, but unemployable; which is a verdict on our education standards. Others are uneducated, employable but unemployed. Finally, there are some that are uneducated, unskilled and unemployable. It is equally dangerous to ignore the last two groups because they

are ready tools capable of doing anything with their plentiful idle time along with their young and energetic bodies.

One of the reasons why “normal” economic models alone would not suffice in the approach to solving the unemployment among the youths in Nigeria is that each group of unemployed youths, as described above, needs different approach. The solution cannot be a one-size-fits-all; otherwise, our efforts at solving the problem would yield incomplete results. Thus, my call to President Buhari is that he should also seek unusual and innovative approaches to this issue.

Rather than have these human capital assets of Nigeria continue to waste away and pose potential dangers to our collective being, we could take advantage of their youth in nation building by designing specific programmes targeted at specific segments of the unemployed youths. Opportunities abound for them in education, agriculture, manufacturing and environmental work.

For example, the educated and employable group could be used to revive our falling educational standards. The educated and employable and educated and unemployable youths, alike, could become “Graduate Farmers” that would employ not just themselves, but would create employment opportunities for others. Our moribund manufacturing sector could be revived with targeted programmes that can employ these young bodies.

Therefore, as a party, we in the All Progressives Congress must give young Nigerians a Nigerian Dream. We owe it to them.

•Chibuzor Obiakor, APC 2015 candidate for Federal House of Representative for Idemili North/South Federal Constituency of Anambra State.

Faith

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News Blessings galore at Hadassah Healing Conference p.44

Interivew Why I released two new singles - Benita Okojie p.40

Sermon Unbind him and let him go p.44

Sermon Be free from all demonic bondage p.46

How Christians can enjoy God’s blessings – Bishop Osagie I

Tai Anyanwu t was a bright Sunday at Amuwo Odoin Estate, Lagos. Sunday Telegraph was ushered into the posh white residence of the presiding Bishop of Powerline Bible Church, Bishop Lawrence Osagie. It was the eve of the church’s 2015 Power Conference and Sunday Telegraph’s visit was intended to enable our correspondent to gain insight into this year’s power conference, which began today.

Beside the single storey gatehouse, a sizeable swimming pool adorned a corner of the tiled floor of the well tended premises. Three jeeps and a Toyota car perched on the parking space leading to the entrance of the castle.

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

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Osagie

Our correspondent was led into a breezy balcony shielded from direct sunshine by some ornamental plants growing out of decorative flower pots. Within 20 minutes, the front door opened and the bishop joined his guest, settling down on the opposite side of a glass-topped table.

What should be expected from this year’s conference, the reporter enquired? “A woman had waited for the fruit of the womb and in last year’s conference she made this as her major desire to God in her prayer, during that conference. Right now, she has a baby. Also, somebody had HIV, he got healed after prayers were offered for him in church,” he explained.

According to him, some spec-

“Whatever part we found ourselves we made our way to church. In the midweek or Sunday service, we still played our roles in bringing souls to the kingdom. tacular miracles actually trailed the 2014 Power Conference.

“I think it should be the angle of miracles and healings. I will just call them to meet with you after the service and they will share their testimonies,” he said.

The former chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nige-

ria, Lagos state chapter, however, added: “I find that in the world that we live in, that is what makes some people excel. But the integrity of the word of God is the bedrock of a sustainable relationship with God. “You can have a miracle today and backslide tomorrow. But if the word of God has taken root in your spirit, it doesn’t matter the wind that comes and the storms that blows. You will walk through it and come out of the other side.

“That is why my focus, my emphasis remains on the integrity of the word of God.” The cleric added that many areas in spirituality are misunderstood. According to him, miracles are the easiest things that can happen in the life of a child of God if he or she knows what to do.

“That is where the knowledge of the word of God is important.

For example, the Bible says seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things shall be added to you.

“Do you understand the primary direction and instruction of God for having every other thing running after you and not you running after them? That is to seek the kingdom of God and all his righteousness,” he explained.

Given the cosiness of the mansion as well as the tasteful furnishing, one is not left in doubt that Osagie himself is an epitome of God’s goodness.

The kitchen on the ground floor, bedrooms and family seating on the first floor bear eloquent testimony to God’ miraculous providence. The penthouse atop the second floor houses the bishop’s lodge and a rich library where the prolific writer has churned out several insightful Christian books.

How indeed are such miracles easily accessible? “Make the kingdom of God your number one priority. Some of us came to Lagos with all our properties in life in a nylon bag. But when seeking the kingdom of God was in our hearts, we ran after it with all our vigour and we refused to accept no for an answer.

“Whatever part we found ourselves we made our way to church. In the mid-week or Sunday service, we still played our roles in bringing souls to the kingdom.

“It is a detailed thing; and I can’t talk about it all now. But look at the steady promotion I have toC ON TI N UE D ON PAGE 39

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I came to Lagos with nylon bag –Bishop Osagie CON TINUED FR O M PAGE 39

“Take God as your number one priority. Determine in your heart to obey God. If you find yourself motivated enough to obey God in all things, you will be a star. Nobody can stop you from being a star. They will try but God will always fight your battle.

“In life, I have gone through many things; all kinds of mud being thrown at me. The more you do, the more God does His side and it’s none of my business because all battles are of God. “You don’t need to run helter skelter. You must come to a point where you understand the need for you to develop your roots, because every tree must have a necessity to sit on its roots to be able to bear fruit,” he added.

The 2015 Power Conference will feature notable men of God, and as usual it is another opportunity to feast on the life-transforming word of God. While commending the ongoing fight against corruption, Osagie urged President Muhammadu Buhari to humble himself before God. “That Buhari is pursuing corruption today, it should not get into his head or anybody’s head, for God’s sake. This is because whatever Buhari is doing anybody can be used to do it. As a nation what we need to do is to take our focus off the man and put our focus on God. “Except our trust is in God, we will lose this battle. The moment we make Buhari another god, Nigeria will fail. It will be a miserable failure,” Osagie warned.

day. I can say authoritatively that I am not aware of anything that an average man desires to have at this time that I don’t have at my age.

“For example, I live in this house. To me, it is amazing.

Every time I come in, I say to myself that this could have only been by God and not me. And then you saw my son just now; I have three of them. Look at my wife, she’s over 50 years; but she looks 22.

“And I have grandchildren already but if I don’t tell you, you won’t know. From the one in London, I have two of them in school and I wonder why people won’t make God their priority.

“I am not saying you should resign from your job but do not make that job your number one priority. You can be an ambassador of God in that job. In your doctor’s office, if you are a medical doctor, if you are a dentist or a business man and you are a believer, if you have that approach, God has no option than to bless you. Of course, God is not a man that He should lie. Whatever He says, that’s what He will do. He says ‘seek ye first my kingdom,’” the Bishop counselled.

He added, “You must keep separating yourself and stay away from uncleanness. You know His promise is that the other entire things will be added.

“You don’t need to bang your head on the wall for God to bless you. He will bless you. What you do with his word determines how far you go.”

Osagie further identified key triggers that provoke miracles in believers’ lives.

Why I released two new singles - Benita Okojie Are you wondering where Benita Okojie is doing now?

That little girl, who was shot into stardom at the tender age of 12, is now a woman.

She is about to trill her fans with a new inspirational song. She spoke with TAI ANYANWU on some issues It’s been a while. What have you been up to?

Well, I have been in the studio. In a couple of months, let’s say less than a month, it should be out, yes very soon.

Why have you been silent all this while?

I’ve actually released two singles, not an album really, no videos because I just came back. I really want to take my time on my style of music. I am excited.

Do you think there is somewhere you missed out? What is the difference between the gospel music we had when you were growing up and gospel music we have now, the Nigerian type?

I think it is amazing that I still sing Osamudiamen till today and people still love it. So, if you are talking about my sound, my sound is still there. The only thing you can spot now is change. I have grown to realise that as you grow older you are also going to realise a lot of changes. You also need to adapt to the changes.

The only good thing about it is that you don’t let it change you. You can still do your thing but you should also be a current really. So, I listen to a lot of gospel songs. I did a recent song with Kenny Okorie and it is a dance hall song. It is not necessarily my style; but it’s something that people

can listen to because I‘m a young person.

The gospel music industry is back; I am back and am hoping that I will put in all my hard work. To you guys out there, there is a lot to discuss now that I am fully back.

What is your assessment of the Nigerian music industry?

The music industry now has improved tremendously. I know that when I started, there were a lot of things that were not on ground. Now that there’s adjustment, there are lots of things that you can do once you are a musician and you are well known.

There are positive changes and some negative aspects too. There is also the problem of a lot of really mediocre music now; and it’s also worrisome that younger people are exposed to a lot of suggestive songs and videos that I don’t necessary agree with.

It is important. Now that I am back, and I am hoping that other gospel artists can also do something that young people can enjoy rather than listening to those other music that will stop promoting what we have started, they can listen to those songs and they can have a great time for that.

I know that Jesus will also pull like that.

So what will you be expecting from your new album?

There’s no album just yet. They are singles. It will be on the inspirational side. It is a pidgin song and it’s different. I realise that there are lots of things that inspire young people. I wanted to write about it; because there are a lot of them that have aspirations and some might not have all those aspirations met. But they are on the way and it’s important that the mindset that they have is positive. It’s fantastic and you know most of the time, there are factors that are surrounding them that are not necessarily possible. There are people who don’t think you can do anything, you have people who don’t believe in you. So, the song is to encourage you and make you

Okojie

feel that you can believe in yourself. When it happens it will be like a victory.

Are you coming up with the work soon?

Yes. In a month, it’s going to be out.

So, what will you say to your fans now?

I want to say a big thank you to all my fans, those that have supported me and everyone that always wanted to find out where that little Benita has gone to or what

she’s doing now. I appreciate all of them.

I also want to thank the media for their support too. I think is amazing and I appreciate everyone.

Who are your mentors?

I just listen to a wide range of music because it affects my own style of writing.

I like Usher’s kind of music, I like Cece Winans, I like Donnie Mclurkin. The list is endless.

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Faith

The folly of ignorance Mystery ofAnxiety Bishop

John Ogbansiegbe

0803 341 6327

T

he will of God is God’s plan and purpose for His creation and for every individual. God’s supremacy lies in His ability to execute His will anytime anywhere in the world. This is the kernel of His deity as the Almighty God. As credence to this spiritual fact, the word of God declares thus, “Whatsoever the Lord pleased that did He in heaven and in the earth, in the seas, and all deep places,” – Psalm 35:6. God desires that all His children do His will. Abiding always in the centre of God’s will is one of the most fundamental yardsticks for measuring spiritual maturity.

The will of God as in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ may lead to suffering, discomfort and pains, but there is always an ultimate joy and glory ahead, for which any man will thank God, that he obeyed the will of God. The word of God enjoins every believer in Christ to know the will of God and declare thus, “Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of God is,” - Ephesians 5:17. In other words, study, consider and discover the mind of God in respect of your spiritual responsibilities because the days are evil. Because we are in the perilous times, be not

unwise. Ignorance of the will of God, to the neglect of God’s divine programme for your soul, is pure folly.

Our Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples how to pray; above every other thing, let God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This is because, our Lord Jesus Christ came from heaven, and He knows the culture and tradition of the government of heaven. He knows that absolute and total obedience to the will and commandment of God in heaven is the watchword, preoccupation and obsession of every creature. Unfortunately, humanity is far from obeying the will of God in accordance with the standards with which God’s is obeyed in heaven.

Those in heaven have environmental advantage, while those on earth are battling with all kinds of worldly, demonic and satanic encumbrances.

This was why the Lord God considered it very necessary to send the Holy Spirit to humanity after the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit has the primary assignment of communicating the mind and will of God to God’s people on every issue of life. The Holy Spirit is our guide and true spiritual director. No wonder why the word of God declared thus, “Howbeit, when He, the Holy Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth, for He shall speak, and He will show you things to come,” - John 16:13.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, and indeed, the triune God desires earnestly that the supreme will and laws of God be done, executed carried out on earth in all things as they are being done in heaven. The triune God presumes that as the will of God, His laws, and commandments

For he is the head of the body, the church, the beginning, the first born from the dead that in all things He might have the pre-eminence are obeyed and done on earth, God’s kingdom, His glory, dominion and divine presence will naturally and practically be felt on planet earth.

By this divine direction, it is clear that when we call Him king of kings, without obeying His will, we are rendering Him kingdomless, making Him a king without a kingdom. This is then tantamount to denial, betrayal and hypocrisy.

The divine motive is for Him to rule us and reign in our lives in every aspect and facet of our lives, without reservation. The divine expectation is for us to give Him the total pre-eminence in every area of our lives. He wants to have the first position in our time, occupation, budget, money, business, marriage, academics and indeed every area of our lives.

“For he is the head of the body, the church, the beginning, the first born from the dead that in all things He might have the pre-eminence” Colossians 1:18. As corroboration to this scripture position, the word of God also declared, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and every other thing shall be unto you.” Our Lord Jesus Christ is the captain of the armies of the Lord of Host. He is the Controller General and Commander in Chief of the

Armed Forces of heaven. He is he Lord of all lords. He wants to be the Lord of your life. He wants to see your absolute and total obedience of all things. He doesn’t want your will and His will to clash in anything. He wants you to follow His examples. He showed us this example when He obeyed the will of His father in all things. He told His disciples “My meat is to finish His work” -John 4:34.

On the night He was captured in the Garden of Gethsemane, His will was horizontal because He was still wearing the mortal regalia of flesh and blood. It nearly came in opposition to the vertical will of God from heaven; forming the first spiritual symbolic cross sign. Yet in the midst of that pain where His sweat had already turned into blood, He said, “O my father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me not as I will but as thou wilt” - Math 26:39.

He wants to be both Lord and Christ in your life. Just as you cannot limit the movement of your landlord as he moves around your premises supervisorily, He wants to be the landlord of your life.

Don’t make Him a visitor who may only be confined to the sitting room or visitor’s bedroom, but He must have access to every secret chamber of your life. He must be both Lord and Christ in accordance with the word of God which states thus, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ,” – Acts 2:36. He will be both Lord and Christ in your life, only when you have yielded and submitted yourself to Him totally without reservation.

Biblical approach to tithe payment the of

Oracles God

Frank Oboden Olomukoro frankolomukoro@yahoo.com

0703 362 1866

A

ccording to Leviticus 27:30 and other scriptures in the Old Testament, it was self-evident for the devout Jews to consecrate a tenth of all things to the LORD. Even as early as over 400 years before the introduction of the law, Abraham gave tithes out of gratitude. So tithing was adopted into the Law. In the New Testament there is no explicit commandment given to the church for tithing; however, there are references made therein that should not be disregarded. The Lord Jesus said, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” (Matthew 23:23). With this, the LORD expressed in all clarity that one should practise righteousness, mercy, and faithfulness but one should not overlook giving.

Due to some enquiries, I decided to illuminate and emphasise some areas on the subject of ‘tithing’ from the viewpoint of the Holy Scriptures. This is because the word of God is a lamp unto our feet.

To whom should the tithe be paid?

This question arose because it is erroneously taught and believed that tithe should be paid to the Pastor of the local assembly. This is wrong teaching and

practice. By the commandment of the Lord, tithe should be paid to the storehouse. As the Lord God said Himself, the tithe belongs into the storehouse – always there. The storehouse is the local assembly where the food, the living and revealed word is preached and the only place your tithe should be paid.

Who manages the Tithe?

No one has the right to manage the tithe at his own discretion. According to the word of the LORD, the tithes do not belong solely to the pastor. The ministers of the Word give out the spiritual food and from that receive no more than they need for living expenses. In the Old Testament, the tithe is managed by the priests and Levites supervised by the high priest.

“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s: It is holy unto the LORD” (Lev. 27:30). From the available tithe, the Pastor and the other ministers of the Word are paid. So the tithe is managed by the trustees in the church and they report to the Pastor.

The bible did not say “pay your tithes to the pastor’ That is a remarkable difference from the general practice today. In his sermon: ‘As an Eagle stirreth its wings,’ a notable servant of God said, “Pay your tithes and the pastor will be paid. I get a salary from my church: One hundred dollars a week.” No preacher is entitled to open up a source of income for himself (I Tim 6:3-10), especially not with tithes, in order to get rich by it, because the storehouse will then be lacking those funds. When someone is truly given a calling and sent by the LORD, then the following words of the master, which He addressed to His disciples when He sent them, are equally

applicable: “Provide neither gold, nor silver nor brass in your purses…” (Matt.

10:9) Paul reminded Timothy of the sound doctrine of our LORD Jesus Christ and then wrote: “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare…” (I Timothy 6:9) Bible pattern of paying tithe Nothing else is as imperative as submitting our own will into the will of God. To simply pray, “Thy will be done…” is of no use to anyone; we must strive for complete obedience in the Will of God. Back then, the Lord had to reproach them: “…ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.” Nevertheless, He immediately shows the way out: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” In this passage, God repeatedly emphasised the seriousness of the matter with the “thus saith the lord.”

To pay your tithe, which represents thanksgiving, worship and obedience in the scripture, the Jews personally bring the tithe to the priest in the tabernacle and a sacrifice is made by way of offering the tithe unto God by the priest to make sure the tithe is accepted. Tithe must be taken to the congregation of the saints and prayerfully offered at the designated place by the tither personally in the presence of the Lord, who receives the offering invoking the relevant promises for blessing. What draws God’s attention to the offering of not your tithe but your

presence, your heart of gratitude and honouring God with your substance.

God is not so much as interested in our money but in doing the will of God. It must be done by the prescibed order of God’s Word. (I Corinthians 13:3) “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” If we pay tithe without charity as the driving force, our giving is in vain.

(1) Therefore, those who pay their tithe by proxy through other persons or cash transfer without a formal appearance before God in his or her personal capacity as a worshipper to offer the sacrifice are giving but not according to the will of God. God is interested not in the money but in the worshipper.

(2) Those who pay their tithe into the pastor’s account or church account are doing so in total disregard to the commandment of God. The church account or the pastor’s account is not the storehouse. In so doing, you have worshipped in vain, and you stand the risk of losing the blessings of God that should have accrued to you. Actually, you have given but not in charity.

(3) Tithe can be paid weekly, monthly or yearly depending on your season of harvest, and once you fail to do same as you have resolved, you have to pay the interest accordingly. “And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.

All things must be done decently and in order. (I Corinth. 14:31) (4) There is no substitute to tithing. It is not a dash of money to God as we may think or an act to be carelessly done at our convenience.

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Touching American minds Firm Faith:

Right Reason Most Rev.

Emmanuel A. Badejo fradebadejo@yahoo.

0803 949 4219 (SMS only)

Our souls shall not rest Pope Francis invaded American imaginations these past weeks. Given that whatever happens in the USA impacts on the rest of the world, that he captured the imagination of most people on earth as well cannot be far-fetched.

Saint Augustine’s dictum, “Our souls shall not rest until they rest in you, O God”, rings infallible here! Pope Francis came to America to bear witness to God and to religion. Even those who would claim to care less about God had to pay him special attention It all sounds like the atheist who exclaims, “Thank God, I don’t believe in God!” Fr. Martin Badejo, studying in Milan Italy, wrote an interesting analysis of the Papal visit. Here are excerpts of his analysis.

The Ordinary extraordinaire Pope Francis, with his peculiar personality and style of leadership, carries out his duty as the Servant of the Servants of God and the Pontifex Maximus, a term which translates as, the Greatest Bridge Builder. He speaks in simple language and communicates with down-to-earth examples. He advocates the Church of the poor for the poor; a category which has always been present in ecclesial life right through the ages. He creates an atmosphere of attentiveness and intimacy, which

speaks loudly while listening. We can describe him as il papa operaio, Italian for “the Workman Pope”. The operaio in the Italian context is the simple field worker who enters into daily work without the fear of soiling his hands.

Indeed one of his tweets is, “it is better to have a Church that is wounded but out on the streets, than a Church that is sick because it is closed in on itself.”

Truly every Pope in contemporary times has impacted greatly on humanity. But here we have one whose ordinary way of being the “Holy Father”, strikes an extraordinary chord.

Different Sides of the Prism The hype of the Pope’s visit to the United States of America was overwhelming. Apart from celebrating the Canonization Mass of Junipero Serra and attending the World Meeting of Families, the Pope addressed many groups including the American Congress and the United Nations General Assembly. The six-day schedule, the longest of his ten apostolic journeys in his third year as Pope, was packed full and no doubt, remarkable. While there were obvious expectations about how he would address issues on modern ideologies, abortion, gay marriage, global warming, migrants, divorce and war to mention a few, the Pope certainly did reassure millions of American Catholics and others gathered from other parts of the world of the joy of the treasure of faith.

Top Undercurrent One important undercurrent of the pope’s visit to America is how he wove into his reflections and speeches, the message of conscious reflection on the pristine image of the human person, in

contrast to modern minds which tries to redesign it, and especially within a pluralistic society, where liberalism is considered absolute. The attention he paid to people, his ordinary way of expression, and the intelligence with which he did so will keep the discourse ongoing long after his departure from the United States of America. These will obviously dictate reasonable and responsible practical actions as well, especially in the coming months of the fourteenth General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and in the Contemporary World, and the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

said: “if we want life, let us give life.”

He was even more direct when he said, ‘yet I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before from within and without.”

On the other hand the speech of the Holy Father found strong roots in the focus of the Church since the Second Vatican Council document, Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the modern world, bringing hope and joy as her mission. There is a strong accord between the papal speech and the Pastoral Constitution.

For instance it touches the transcendent dignity of man as regards his use of liberty (GS 15, 19), the common good as the meaningful end of all political endeavour (GS 26, 60), a just reward for those who work (GS 67), the recognition of marriage and family life as most important to the growth of society, forming the minds of the youth (GS 31, 47-52), the right treatment for migrants (GS 66), and the dangers of war and the need to stop the arms race (GS 78-82).

One example of many As he delivered his speech of over forty minutes to the Joint American Congress Pope Francis told of the creative necessity to go back to the roots. On the one hand he reminded the American congressmen of their history, using four great characters in that history namely Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jnr., Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton to deliver his message of “liberty”, of “liberty in plurality and non-exclusion”, of “social justice and the right of persons”, and ultimately a message of “the capacity for dialogue and openness to God.” He emphasized in a creative manner, the need to respect life, as he

One Speech for Touching Tears John Boehner, the Speaker of the House, in tears for a good part of the Pope’s address to Congress shed more than tears at the Pope’s speech to Congress. He said later, “with great blessings, of course, come great responsibility. Let us all go forth with gratitude and reflect on how we can better serve one another.” There goes the reason; to be the conscience of humanity, to direct and re-direct the heart of man away from frivolous liberty, to his profound dignity, to put smiles of hope on the face of others, and where necessary to draw the tears that powerfully signify a resolve to be better.

The attention he paid to people, his ordinary way of expression, and the intelligence with which he did so will keep the discourse ongoing long after his departure from the United States of America

Praise – Key to victorious living Insight Rev.

Femi Akinola

www.thehebrewsng.com

01-790 3163; 0808 584 5864

“S

o the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown.

When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, they raised a great shout, and (Jericho’s) wall fell down in its place, so that the (Israelites) went up into that city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.” Joshua 5:20 (AMP) “But thou (art) holy, (O thou) that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3 (KJV) If you must fight and win the battles of life, then you must learn, understand and embrace the mystery behind PRAISING God. No one who praises God really loses any life’s battle, because He Himself has not lost any.

When you praise Him, you are inviting Him into that battle that has defied all your human efforts. There is a throne prepared for you and you must understand that you will not mount that throne with ease. This is because your enemies are not happy that you are going higher, hence, will stop at nothing to hinder you from getting to your throne.

In other words, that throne of yours,

your high places is surrounded with battles – both from your mother’s house and from your father’s house.

Praising God is the only password into victory.

In the scripture above, God had given the land to His children, the Israelites, but only praise could get them in to fully assert the victory. As you invite God into your battle, that very problem you are going through, the report of the doctor and whatever might be the problem that you are faced with, I see the Ancient of Days getting involved in your case and that battle shall crumble before you in Jesus name.

Each time you thank God, you are invoking His presence into your problem. Don’t downplay the potency of praises so as not to be swallowed up in the battlefield of life. You can’t be alive if God has not permitted it and you should know that He kept you alive because He has plans for you.

Jehoshaphat employed this same weapon of praise to fight the battle threatening his throne and God gave him victory: “At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed everyone of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other,” II Chronicles 20:22-23 (NLT).

Paul and Silas also decided to praise God even in the face of death. They

Don’t downplay the potency of praises so as not to be swallowed up in the battlefield of life. You can’t be alive if God has not permitted it and you should know that He kept you alive because He has plans for you were imprisoned and ready to be slaughtered but something happened; their praises hit the foundation of the prison and that marked the beginning of their own deliverance and the salvation of other inmates, including the prison keepers.

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, which shook the prison to its foundations. At once all the doors opened, and the chains fell off all the prisoners,” Acts 16:25-26 (GNT).”

I want to challenge you today to also embrace this mysterious key of PRAISE in your life and every prison door that has locked you up shall be opened in Jesus name. Praising God makes God arise and take your place in the battle that is eating up your life, finance and ruining your marriage, relationship or that career which you have built over the years.

Praise is not only reserved for you to

express gratitude or appreciation when you feel God has done something or you feel excited. It is possible for you to pray amiss but it is impossible for you to ‘praise amiss.’ When you begin to praise Him, He intervenes on your behalf to the shame of your enemies. I have never for once complained in life because I know and have this secret; I am also aware that murmuring and lamenting is not capable of doing anything.

Once I see things are not going the way I desire or as it ought to be, I switch to praises and this is what has kept the vision moving from one glory to another. Complaining and murmuring cannot save or change anything, all you need to do is praise your Maker.

How can a man fight and win when nations rise up to fight him or when assassins are hired against him? This is only possible through the weapon of praise.

Say, ‘Lord, I believe You, I trust You; with You my life is safe, with You my life is secured I am entering with the mysterious key - PRAISES. I am tired of my condition, I am tired of murmuring, o Lord, my Father, as I enter with thanksgiving, my door of breakthrough will be opened, my door of testimony will be opened and doors of lifting will open to me in Jesus name.’

Write me through; info@thehebrewsng.com. 0809 237 7861, 0808 584 5864. You can also listen to my messages on ourPodcast: www.thehebrewsng. com/podcast.Rev’d Femi Akinola – The Hebrews International, Lekki, Lagos.

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Faith

A lesson on commitment Wisdom of God’s Word

Pastor Nnadiaso Promise Jomo

Email: info@wisogc.org

+2347044799358/08146353090 (SMS only)

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ommitment is an act of being relevant in whatever you are doing. You can tell a man to be fully committed; if you find out that the man renders partial commitment in an area where he should show enough dedication. God has no business with a man that is not steady or committed to whatever thing he is doing. Many of us are no longer in relevant to our callings because we have left our duty post.

Heaven recognises you by your works.

A man cannot fill a gap if he is not important. The absence of a man cannot be noticed if he is not relevant to society or in the body of Christ. But you will be noticed by your works when you are there and even when you are not there.

When you are not relevant in the church service, the day you don’t come nobody will look for you no matter how costly your dress is or how you speak big words. Hebrew 11:6, made us to know that faith without work is faithlessness.

Beating is not abominable in the sight of God so that is why God is busy beating you with His word so as to make you change. Heaven does not accept your excuses, no matter how strong and pure your excuses are.

The Bible talks about three categories of

people - hot, cold, and lukewarm - in the body of Christ.

Jesus made it clear that if you are neither hot nor cold, He will soon spit you out of His mouth. This means that among these three people you can either be cold or hot because if you are lukewarm you cannot be accepted in the kingdom of God. John 4:40-41. Commitment is the act or an instance of committing, putting in charge. It is also an obligation that binds someone to a responsibility. Commitment is the willingness to die for what you believe. If you are not willing to die for what you believe, you are not fully committed. The disciples of Jesus were not fully committed because they were not seeing ahead like Jesus their master.

Each time God wants to do something, He usually looks for the people that are not qualified.

About commitment Joshua said: “Choose ye these day whom you will serve.” You must be committed to what you believe in. Sometimes, we need to be flogged by God so that we will know our wrongs. You cannot serve God with your family meeting.

Even if you work from now till next year you can’t except you change and stop eating your tithe. (1) Commitment can’t allow you to delay a programme. Money doesn’t answer by struggle but technical knowhow. (2) Commitment only allows you to seek the field of your profession.

Any man that is committed will only see the progress of his profession. How can you be in the ministry and still engage in different kinds of business? That shows that you are not fully committed. (3) Commitment makes you to know that nothing is important than your business.

If you want to be a businessman, be a business; if you want to be a minister be a minister. Don’t do both Commitment makes you to see what you are doing as best than any other thing.

If you want to be a businessman, be a business; if you want to be a minister be a minister. Don’t do both. If a man is preaching and he is angry then that is not what he is called to do. (4) When a man is committed he will only seek the master’s happiness. There is noting that gives joy like having a son that whenever you call him he answers and whatever you ask him to do, he will do it diligently.

You can’t be blessed when you don’t love the man that God keep before you. (5) Commitment will make you to be sure that which you started you will finish it. (6) Commitment will make you take your eyes off the need that you have. You can only prove to God that you love him when you let go of that thing which you love so much. (7) A committed person knows what to do at all time.

Your commitment as child of God • No child of God should be idle in the house of God. Matthew 20:6. Prov.

19:15. Who are you in the church? Remember a man that is after the work of his father will always make his father happy.

• To be a witness to other people, Luke 4:43, Matthew 28:10.

• Teaching the young ones (Children).

Mark 1:15, Matthew 28:30, II Timothy 2:1-3. If you have never witnessed

to anybody in your family then you are not born again. Personally, all my family members in fact everybody in my village knows that I am a Pastor in Lagos. I don’t need to hide, I can’t be a Pastor in Lagos and in my village I become another person entirely. Come out of the shadows of deceit so that the world will know who you are. What can you offer to your generation if you are not recognised? You will waste your money for nothing but when you are recognised Heaven will fight for you. Now the question is who knows you?

• Be committed in prayers: A prayerless man is the man that will suffer all the days of his life.

Be committed in: Holiness Righteousness Meekness Faith Godliness Patience Love Fight the good fight of faith.

Be also committed in your individual business or assignment. Remember that there is no food for a lazy man. Your business is a channel that God will use to bless you. Work in your business and you will eat there. Put all your effort in your business and see how God will establish you. John 5:17, Proverb 10:4-6, John 17:4.

Commit your work into God’s hand then be committed to the work. Proverb 16:8, Proverb 22:29. You must understand that money is a strong city. Be hardworking in every area of your life will make you rich. Proverb 12:11. A rich man’s city and strength is their money.

Breaking evil soul ties Hour of Deliverance Pastor Isaac Adelugba xxxxxx

08058023548

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he Bible speaking in the book of Mark 11:23 declares: “He shall have whatsoever he saith.” Realising the potency of this scriptural fact, Don Gosset said: “What I say is what I get. What I confess is what I possess. My confession of the word precedes my possession of the promises of God’s word.”

Before you continue to read this message, I like you to take some capsules of God’s words. It is important to do this because it will boost your faith and give you victory.

Apostle Matthew recorded in chapter 4 verse 4 that, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.” Say o yourself: “I will allow the Word of God have free course because through the Word, I will overcome all the forces of darkness. When I need healing, I declare loud as often as possible.”

In 1 Peter 2:24, the Bible says: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” And Jeremiah 33:6 recorded: “Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.”

Add this confession: “I will declare it when I feel like saying it and I will say it especially when I don’t feel like saying.

When sharp pain strikes my body, I say

it. If I have the symptoms of an ailment, I will declare. In the morning or in the night I will declare and say it.

Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Now a soul tie can be defined as knitting together of two souls which can bring blessings if it is godly relationship. It can also bring destruction if it is satanic or demonic. Through association and relationships, there may be transference of evil spirits and a soul tie may be forced between two people.

The book of 1 Samuel 18:1 tells us about a Biblical example of soul ties between Jonathan, son of King Saul and David who later became king in Israel. “And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

A soul tie is a strong bond between two people in the realm of the soul. It can be good or work for evil. The story of David and Jonathan gives a vivid illustration of a good soul tie.

The Bible further records in 1 Samuel 18:3-4 “Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.” The souls of Jonathan and David were knit together. And knit means to tie together or join together. David and Jonathan made a covenant as they loved each other very well and Jonathan gave his royal attire to David and this may indicate Jonathan’s covenantal pledge to transfer to David his privileged position as heir to

In a good and committed relationship, strength is multiplied the throne.

In any soul tie situation, if the bond is very strong, the deeper and more lasting the relationships. When a married man abandons his wife and goes after another woman and does anything to maintain his extramarital relationship, it is a typical case of satanic soul tie. Close your eyes and say this prayer: Every evil soul tie between my spouse and any strange man/woman, break in the name of Jesus.

In any soul tie, the emotional and mental strength of one partner sustains the other in a period of crisis, adversity and problem. But by the time victory is actualized, the partners will rejoice together.

When a girl is caught in adultery, the evil man strengthens her and by the time the matter dies down, they will rejoice together.

But the Bible speaking in John 15:13 declares: “Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” When the love between friends is unpolluted, selfless and pure, the bond between them will work for the good of their lives. This can be seen in cases of Ruth and Naomi; David and Jonathan.

Good marriages and enduring friendships are based on self sacrificing soul ties like the cases of Jonathan and David; Ruth and Naomi.

• In deep and pure friendships and relationships, the two souls draw strength and encouragement from each other.

• They share security and love. This

type can be found between husband and wife, good and godly brothers and sisters

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

• In a good and committed relationship, strength is multiplied.

Deuteronomy 32:30 says: “How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up?”

In Matthew 18:19, it says: “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”

• The early church grew because they were soul tied.

Acts 4:32 “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.”

Their bond of unity was so strong and their hearts were so pure that they freely shared all their possessions with one other.

Just as we have godly soul ties, we also have ungodly soul ties of destruction.

Be part of our insightful fellowships on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at the BUkHA, 268 Muri Okunola Street, Victoria Isaland, Lagos

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Faith

Seek safety and comfort under the name of Jesus Taming your Emotions Bishop

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

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nd He said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature; He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be condemned. And these signs shall follow them that believe, in my name they shall cast out devils; they speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hand on the sick, and they shall.

So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and set on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord was working with them

Word of Life

We speak to the mountain through that name, you can heal the sick in that name, and you can raise the dead in that name liberty in God. The early church used the name of Jesus and recorded outstanding victories. We can do the same. “Then Peter said, silver and gold have I none; but such that as I have give I thee; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk,” Acts 3:6. Peter and John exercised faith in the name of Jesus and they wrought a mighty deliverance for a man who was crippled. As you begin to exercise your faith in the name of Jesus, no mountain can stand in your way of progress.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe – Proverbs 18:10. The name of Jesus guarantees protection and security in the world filled with so much violence and trouble.

We must seek safety and comfort under

the protective covering of the name of Jesus Christ. We do not need to be afraid as long as we live under the protective covering of Jesus.

The name of Jesus carries absolute authority in three realms – in heaven, on earth and in hell. God honours the name of His son. Satan understands and trembles at the name of Jesus and demons flee when you call on the name of Jesus.

Guaranteed answer Whenever we go to God in prayer, the name of Jesus gives us access to God and gives us a strong assurance of answer if we call on that name in faith. Nothing is withheld from you if you ask the father anything in the name of Jesus. “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name” – Luke 10:17.

The disciples of Jesus Christ returned and testified that demons were subject to them at the name of Jesus. So also, you and I can testify that all things are subject to us at the name of Jesus today. Begin now to command every mountain to be removed in the name of Jesus, they will obey.

Unbind him and let him go

Bishop

Moses Kattey

moseskattey@yahoo.co.uk

0808 770 7486

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and confirming the word with signs and wonders - Mark 16:5-20.

ThHe church of Jesus Christ was never meant to be weak. The church was born in power and destined to work in power.

God fully equipped the church to handle whatever level of challenge that confronts her in the process of establishing God’s kingdom on earth. We have mighty weapons given by God to deal with every confrontation and rebellion from the pit of hell. The weapons of our warfare are not man-made, they are not weapons of man’s know-how but they are mighty weapons through God to the pulling down of every stronghold of Satan.

The name of Jesus is one of those spiritual weapons that God has given to us to remove any mountain. We speak to the mountain through that name. You can heal the sick in that name, and you can raise the dead in that name. In fact, all things are subject to the name of Jesus - For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds - 2Corinthians 10:4.

Begin to take advantage of the name of Jesus today to establish your freedom and

atch Lazarus raised from dead and you will see the importance of losing and untying in deliverance. Lazarus was in the process of being delivered. He was captured by death and bound. Lazarus was then made alive but as it were, handcuffed, bound – hands and feet with wrappings, and face was wrapped around with a cloth (John 11:44). When the enemy binds his captive it would be hands, feet, legs, stomach, (womb for woman), waist, eyes etc.

Watch the film – Lazarus raised from the dead as he was asked to come forth by the Lord: “Lazarus, Come forth,” (John 11:44).

Lazarus started breathing, and was able to get up on his own. He was able to walk even with the chains and wrappings, even with the face wrapped round with a cloth.

He was not completely delivered though he escaped death. The concept of Escape will be treated in this series. It is difficult to escape completely when one is not yet loosed. Lazarus needed to be loosed before he could go free. How can a prisoner who is handcuffed and with chains on his legs escape quickly and successfully? His escape to freedom will be very slow and he could be caught. Jesus saves and delivers to the utter most, completely (Heb. 7:25 KJV). What God does, He does perfectly.

And behold, there was a woman who for eighteen years had a sickness caused by a spirit, and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all and when Jesus saw her, He called her and said to her, woman, you are freed from your sickness.

And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made erect again, and began glorifying God… (Luke 13:11-13).

When an old woman is doubly bent, you could then picture what the devil could do to an innocent and helpless person.

She became a prey to the devil. The devil then squeezed and bound her. How could this woman be delivered without being loosed? The critics, the hypocrites, the back-bitters being envious and criticised Jesus for healing on a wrong day, the day

they felt that the sick should remain sick.

But the Lord answered him and said! You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall, and lead him away to water him? and this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from his bond on the Sabbath day? (Luke 13:15, 16).

Loose, untie, set free, release, unbind are words that describe what Lazarus needed for complete deliverance. Whether it is a human spirit that manifests, or the devil as one responsible for a particular problem, it must be commanded to loose, untie, set free, unbind the victim, free the captive the one being prayed for. Did I say human spirit? Yes, human spirit. Let me explain before you deliver judgment on this issue.

When deliverance is being ministered, there are persons or spirits that could manifest: 1. Demons 2. Human Spirit 3. Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ or God the Father MANIFESTATION OF DEMONS Most people know that demons manifest in deliverance. This is very common.

When this occurs, deliverance can be affected. The demons would be made to break covenants, remove properties, loose and untie, and make persons escape. You will also command it to reverse everything it has done. Reverse causes of blockades,

hindrance, problems, sicknesses etc. to it before allowing it to go to where you want.

MANIFESTATION OF HUMAN SPIRITS I learnt a new thing one day and I found out that it is what makes deliverance most effective. If a human spirit manifests, that means a human being is responsible for the problem.

One day a woman who had a mental problem was brought in. She was born again. Can one who is born again be mad?

(Yes, I have seen many. It is a battle, if one is caught by any means, anything could happen to the Christian). You may wish to ask me whether the Holy Spirit and the devil can dwell in the same person at the same time. I may not answer yes or no but I have seen born-again Christians during Crusades, Revivals and Deliverance sessions under one attack or the other. Have you not seen? For example, if the devil attacks a believer and within that period tampers with his brain, will the believer not behave abnormally?

Back to the woman that was brought in.

When I asked who are you troubling this woman, a voice spoke and mentioned the name of a human being. I rebuked and told the voice to tell me the truth quoting 2 Corinth. 13:8. For we can do nothing against the truth but only for the truth. The voice assured me that it was a human spirit. I felt that if God would allow a human spirit to manifest, He is not making a mistake; after all, it

is for His own good pleasure, it is for a purpose. The Holy Spirit whispered to me to go ahead with the deliverance no matter what and who manifests. In that deliverance case, a man, native doctors and the juju priest, responsible for the problem manifested and exposed what they did and reversed, setting the woman free. Since that day, I discovered that in any case where human spirits manifest, deliverance is the most effective. I do not invoke human spirits. No, I just ask, who are you troubling this person (name), speak in Jesus Name.

The demon or the human spirit, can manifest and speak; there is no secret there. You do it where you are, (not invoking the human spirit) and see if you will not see it happen. Truly speaking, more than half of the cases you will handle will reveal this truth.

You can just tell the Holy Spirit to bring out all that are involved in a particular case and you will see it happen. As a rule, if demons manifest, command those that sent the demons to manifest. If it happens, you have got the key. I am speaking out of experience. When a native doctor or juju priests comes to reverse the sacrifice made, you have gone to the root. If you only deal with the demons, and the sacrifice that invoked the demons is still there, the root and stump of the problem still remain, you have only cut the tree or the grass. The stump might still grow sooner or later.

Blessings galore at Hadassah Healing Conference Tai Anyanwu

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he 10th edition of Hadassah Healing Conference, attended by delegates from Philippines, Ghana, Spain, India, South Africa, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria amongst others, has come and gone but its echoes lingers.

Held at the Gymnasium Hall, National Stadium, Lagos, the conference put together by Hadassah Foundation was preceded by an outreach to needy women.

Speaking at the conference, the presiding minister, Pastor Adenike Lamai, said, “It is all about empowering women to enable them to become assets to themselves.”

Sunday Telegraph learnt that Hadassah

had so far reached out to 27 communities in Lagos and Ogun states with its empowerment scheme.

“For 2015, we reached out to 10 communities and 128 women are now beneficiaries of our empowerment programme,” she added.

Wife of the Governor of Lagos State, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, commended the NGO for not turning its eyes away from the plight of indigent women.

Her words: “Hadassah Foundation is not making a noise but is quietly spreading hope and supporting less privileged women.

“When we see indigent people, we should not proudly look the other way.

The assistance does not have to come

in millions; a widow’s mite may just be good enough and it will be rewarded by God.” In her message, Pastor Lamai assured participants that the conference would be a memorable one.

“It shall be the Shiloh of your testimony.

Walls will come crumbling down, i.e. the walls between you and your testimony,” she assured.

According to the minister, God is the greatest power that can handle any situation.

“There will be a great visitation of the Holy Spirit. Ancient altars will be destroyed; and there will be spiritual earthquakes and graves will burst open,” she stated.

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Faith

21 strategies to overcome marital delay Relationships Rev. Solomon Ojigiri sowoojigiri@yahoo.com. everwining@wining.com.

08059203554/08023997277

INTRODUCTION Today, we are looking at the 6th strategy that will enable us to overcome marital delay. In our last edition we talked about character which is usually referred to as the inner beauty. Today, we are going to examine the way we look on the outside. Just as the inner look can affect our marital life, so also the way we appear on the outside.

6) BE WELL PACKAGED Although the most important thing is the inner beauty, which is called character, the way you look or appear on the outside also matters a lot. If you must overcome marital delay, you must pay attention to your appearance. The way you appear determines the first impression you create in the heart of the opposite sex. Many times you do not have another chance to make the first impression.

The first impression should actually be the first stage of any relationship which actually determines what follows. If the guy is interested he proceeds to get acquainted with you. You cannot appear shabbily, having your hair unkempt, your dress not properly ironed, your socks smelling and your mouth not brushed for a whole day in the name of fasting; and you want a sister to give you a positive answer. Even Christian brothers and

sisters appreciate a good appearance and the way we combine the colours of our dressing because they too have eyes.

Mouth odours and body odours can be very irritating; you must do something about it as well.

Many people deceive themselves that they are very spiritual, so they only give attention to their spiritual lives. They pray and fast and read the Bible but they forget that cleanliness is next to Godliness. They also forget that marriage is not only spiritual but physical. Lastly, they forget that they are not only spirit beings, they are also human or physical and they will not marry “Spirit.” Even a married man or woman who ignores good appearance and refuses to give attention to making him or herself neat and attractive all the time is risking his/ her marriage. The spouse may eventually be carried away by other attractive men or ladies outside. There are married men or women who believe that because they are already married no one is looking at them, so they appear carelessly. You must remain attractive to your spouse. You must dress to his or her taste so that you can have peace, harmony and joy in the home. Good appearance enables you to avoid some of the major causes of divorce in marriage.

You must not dress in an obsolete or outdated way and look like an old man or woman. You must dress in such a fashion that is neither outdated nor unscriptural. Appear decent, modest but attractive; the way you dress is actually the way you are addressed. You can imagine if a man is meeting you for the first time and sees that part of your breasts are outside and your nudity exposed, the first impression he will likely have about you

Lastly, you must check what you eat because you are what you eat. You cannot afford to consume hydrogenated fats, sugar and pastries and still live healthy is that you are not a serious lady or that you are not looking for a steady relationship. He may also think that you are just out to sell your body and make money or that you are a mere, worthless prostitute going around mortgaging your future.

From the scriptures we discover that people are recognised by their dressing or attire. We have attires or dresses for prostitutes or harlots. In Proverbs 7:10, the Bible says “And behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot and subtil of heart.” Also in Genesis 41:14, we are also told that Joseph shaved himself before he went to appear before Pharaoh when he asked him to be brought out of the dungeon hastily. Your dressing can create unusual acceptance in the hearts of others. Your dressing can make people repel you as well. We live in the days where many youths have no regard for what they put on. Some ladies move around in mini skirts, transparent dresses and clothes that reveal their shape and nudity. Such appearance can be counterproductive and are capable of causing marital delay. As much as we need to be attractive we must not be seductive with our dressing. Modesty is key.

We must also learn to use the right soap and cream that are most suitable for our skin. For example, if your body is oily it will be wrong for you to use oily soap.

If you have dry skin you can also use the soap that is most suitable. Keep your teeth neat, properly brush at least twice daily, bath properly and possibly twice daily to avoid body odour. You may need to consult experts on the proper way to take care of your skin and your teeth.

Wash your clothes properly and iron them. Your socks and underwear must be neat always. Your armpits must not be unattended to. Use cologne for your body and use deodorant for your armpit.

Do not use your teeth to take care of your fingernails. Cut them low and keep them very neat. You must also do your best to remain smart and not sluggish because of excessive weight. You must exercise your body regularly. You don’t have to play soccer or fight wrestling or carry weight to do exercise. According to Hippocrates, the father of medicine, the best exercise is trekking. Walk constantly and briskly and sweat the excess calories out. That you are skinny also does not mean you are healthy. You need to exercise your body too.

Lastly, you must check what you eat because you are what you eat. You cannot afford to consume hydrogenated fats, sugar and pastries and still live healthy.

Check your weight and most importantly your eating habit. Take a lot of water daily, take a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.

That will also help you to maintain a good look and fresh skin.

Above all, you must wear a good and beautiful smile always. Frowning makes you look older than you really are and accelerates your aging process. You are not beautiful until you wear a beautiful smile.

Join us as we continue next Sunday.

You are blessed.

Christian life: Are you winning souls for God or for Satan? 2 The Soul Winning for God Foundation Evang. Barr.

Ezenwa Cyril C

info.thesoulwinningf@yahoo.com

08032614653/07086274165

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lso in the book of John 14 v 4, Christ says, “Abide in me that I shall abide in you.” When you remain in God by abiding in Him, you shall become familiar with Him and you shall be called His friends and not servants. For a servant does not know his master’s business. If you really love Jesus Christ and appreciate the price He paid on the cross of Calvary for your life, you must submit to Him so that you can be at peace with Him; in this way prosperity will come to you. You must accept instructions from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart. Beloved, if you will return to God Almighty, you will be restored in all areas of your life that you may have lost. If you remove wickedness and disobedience to do the will of God and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, I assure you, God Almighty will be your gold and your choicest silver forever.

Do you masturbate? Are you collecting bribes? Do you smuggle contraband, cocaine or heroin? Do you smoke? Are you a baby mama? Are you a wife beater or husband beater? Are you always nagging? Do you have an unforgiving spirit or heart? Are you a polygamist? Are you always marrying and divorcing? Are you a man but you put on women’s gar-

ments and dress like women? Are you a woman but you dress in men’s garments? Are you among those who dress to expose their body just to seduce men or women? Are you a homosexual or gay practitioner? Are you a lesbian? Are you more satisfied to have sexual intercourse with animals than your lawful married wife or husband? All these are unrighteousness and an abomination unto God. Abominable people cannot enter into the kingdom of God but have their portion in hell fire. A Christian is not a seducer; a seducer is not a Christian. Are you a gossip or easily angered? Amend your ways and seek for mercy. Come unto Jesus Christ, no matter whatever sin you might have committed. Make your case before Him that He will justify and vindicate you. Jesus Christ is ready to accept you even if your sin is as black as scarlet or as red as crimson. He will wipe them away. If a man is in Christ he is a new creature, behold old things are passed away and everything has become new. If the son of God shall set you free, you shall be free indeed.

Brethren, surrender to Jesus Christ for a better Christian life. The enemy is using your weak point to fight you.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all its righteousness and every other thing shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33). Are you not aware that unrighteousness separates you from God’s love? “Ah sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a band of evil doers, children given to corruption, they have forsaken the Lord, they have spurned the Holy one of Israel and turned their back on Him. Why do you persist in rebellion?

Your whole head is injured, your whole heart is afflicted. From the sole of your

Please, stop taking meaningless offerings and sacrifices to Church. They are detestable to God foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness. Your heart is panting but you are dead. You are matching your steps but you have no direction. You are full of activities and dreams but you have no vision.”

Beloved, you are living a frustrated life because you disobeyed and chose to detach yourself from the true vine.

I tell you, you cannot stand on your own. You need Jesus to help and He can only help you when you remain in Him by living a life that pleases Him. Jesus Christ remains in His father’s love because He obeyed in totality and lived His father’s life, not His own life. Therefore, you must live Christ’s own life and not your own life. Please do not obey God in part but in full.

I tell you today, disobedience to the will of God ruins the life of any Christian and puts him or her in bondage.

Have you forgotten the prodigal son in a hurry? There is no soundness in the life of a disobedient child of God but only spiritual, physical wounds, bruises and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with holy oil. Why have you decided to live a life of Sodom and Gomorrah?

Do you still want to be beaten the more by your enemies? Your hands are soiled with blood and you live a life of Sodom and Gomorrah; but every Sunday, you

take your offerings, tithes and donations to your church or charity homes. Listen, the multiple of your sacrifices, what are they to God? Don’t you know that God has more than enough of those sacrifices and burnt offerings? After all, He created all things and gives to man as his inheritance. God has no pleasure in the offerings of a sinner or a Christian that has chosen to live his or her own life and convert souls for devil. But the first offering or tithe or sacrifice of a sinner to God is a broken heart and a contrite spirit because God will never despise it.

Please, stop taking meaningless offerings and sacrifices to Church. They are detestable to God. Learn how to do the right things. Total obedience to the will of God is the sacrifice required of you

by God. A contrite heart and a broken spirit, God does not despise. Even if you give the best tithe, offerings, or even build the best church for God, give to the needy or donate to any organisation but remain in your sinful life, your material sacrifices shall only be a witness against you and speak against you before God. Material sacrifices do not appeal to God except He has purified, refined and cleansed you with His hyssop. The offerings and sacrifices you make with your body, flesh and spirit are acceptable unto God. Offer to the lord by making a covenant of a righteous life. Job’s covenant not to look on a woman lustfully, you too can do so, and by that you have fought the spirit or urge for the lust of the flesh. Beloved, flee the evil desire of your youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure hearth.

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Faith

Vision: God’s divine picture of man Getting to the top Chris O. Daniels livelywordchurch@gmail.com

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08023360565/08033417195 ision has been defined by various scholars and leaders of different areas or profession. It has been defined in various ways that have been of tremendous help even to the common man. Longman Dictionary states: “Vision is Sight. Your ability to see idea. A picture in your mind of a possible situation or scene.”

Future Plan The knowledge and imagination that are needed in planning for the future with a clear purpose. Vision is God’s divine picture for man, that makes him see the plan and place of God for his life. It is the act of seeing things that are invisible. Or vision is that deeper dimension within us, where we have a profound sense of who we are, where we are, where we come from and where we are going to.

When a man decides to build a house he will first picture the kind of structure he wants in his mind, draw it on a plain sheet, then call for a professional architect who will design it for the building engineer to start building.

That man will go for nothing less than what is in his mental picture. The mental picture gives him a guide of the kind of structure he wants in the future.

A life without vision is a life without future, It is the picture in the man’s mind that creates a space for the structure in is future.

Vision is an essential element for colourful living. Vision is a pathway to the world of success, Where there is no vision there will be no manifestation of success.

“Where there is no vision the people perish” Prov. 29:18 Imagine those ancient days when men used to travel to far countries on bare foot, some on camels. History told us how some died chasing a mirage. They thought it was water.

It took some days, weeks or months to get to their destination. It was all because there was no easy means of transportation compared to now, where we have cars, air planes, trains, and ships. Those who suffered for lack of these facilities suffered because there was none with the vision to invent the facilities.

Today, we enjoy these facilities because they were invented by men who pictured them in their mind and worked to place them in their future. What we now enjoy are men’s visions placed in their future which is now our present. It is the pursuit of vision that results in the fulfillment of purpose.

A Chinese proverb states, “If your vision is for a year, plant wheat. If your vision is for a decade, plant trees. If your vision is for a lifetime, plant people.”

Vision that impacts people is the vision that attracts people. Vision is the discovery of divine purpose. If discovered, there will be a driving force to fulfill it, which makes one pay any price to bring that vision to fulfillment.

There is a Champion in every vision When common people become visionminded, they engage in effective pursuit to bring it to reality. They become uncommon because purposeful vision makes one a champion.

Vision is like a child that grows from one stage to another. It creates in man a sheer sense of responsibility. Living without vision is simply living in frustration! There is a

When common people become vision-minded, they engage in effective pursuit to bring it to reality champion in every man and a vision element that brings it to manifestation. Burt Nanus says, “…There is no more powerful engine driving an organisation toward excellence and long-range success than an attractive, worthwhile and achievable vision of the future.”

I was ministering somewhere in Port Harcourt on ‘How to secure the future,’ and I made a statement that turned a cleaner of a company into one of their computer experts.

His testimony is as follows: “I was invited by a friend to this lunch Breakthrough Hour two years ago. There was a guest speaker that came from Lagos, Evang. Chris O. Daniels.

He made a statement that made me sit up and take my future in my hands. Then, I was only a cleaner at my place of work. He said, ‘In this age where civilisation is the order of the globe,

and we have a lot of machines doing the jobs most people are doing, we even have robots as receptionist, cleaners etc., if you don’t expand knowledge, you may likely lose your jobs. Even the Bible says that knowledge shall increase and only the wise shall understand.

If you must not be rendered jobless go for more knowledge.”

Those words haunted me to attend evening school for eight months. I’d go to work in the morning and close by 4p.m; then retire to evening school until I graduated. One morning, one of the computer operators was not feeling too well, so she did not come to work.

There was this pressing job that one of our bosses needed urgently and I told him I could be of help. He thought it was a joke, but I did that job successfully. That was how I was employed as one of the Computer Operators.

Subsequently, I started attending other computer trainings like engineering, data base etc, for more knowledge. Today, I’m one of the computer experts in the company with a better salary. Praise God!” To be continued

Be free from all demonic bondage Voice of Blessed Life by

Rev. Dr. H.O. Dike

08068972588 (SMS only)

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ime without number, many people cry in secret because of one problem or another without solutions. Some suffer for so many

years and die with their problems without coming out of them at the end. Satan and his agents rejoice and send new targets.

Satan doesn’t like you and I. That was why Jesus came to set you and I free from his hands and traps from now till eternity.

Jesus has saved me free from sin, sickness, attacks and today my life is full of joy and testimonies. I am saved, sanctified, baptised in the holy Ghost and prepared for the second coming of Jesus.

He has done that to others in our church and many other believers too. He can save you from all sins, forgive you, and give you a new heart, a new spirit and new power to serve God all the days of your life. He can help you make heaven at last. He will also save you from all attacks of Satan and demons at all times.

“How God anointed Jesus Christ of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and power; who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” Acts 10:38 “For this purpose the son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil” 1John 3:8 “He came unto his own and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”. John 1:11-12.

Jesus Christ is still the same and is doing wonders today. He can totally deliver you and your family from the following:

Blood pollution, success manipulation parental curses, peppery arrows, examination failure, satanic syringe drug dependence, indebtedness,finances, inexplicable hatred, incomplete victory, open curses and threats, closed doors or roads, marital downgrading, failure of divine promise miracle delayers, anti promotion spirit, lack of direction, dream harassments, slow down progress, circle of le of problems, periodic problems, satanic time table, parental hatred, infirmity, false vision, enchantment, rejection, household wickedness, satanic dustbin, demonic judgment, garment of reproach, satanic oppressors, evil authority, evil throne, satanic case file, demonic opposition, evil parental design, evil summons, serpentine attacks, wicked stronghold, unprofitable, labour quenches of destiny, evil covenants, ancestral hand writing, evil breeze, bewitchment, placental bondage, bad names, evil invitation, imported demons, evil hands, spirit of failure.

The final exodus Banner

of truth

Evangelist Chibuzo Ukaonu xxxxxxx

08035750415, 08174820536 We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us. He that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1John 4:5-6.

The Final Exodus This is the only way we can correct some of the errors in this last age. This is for the benefit of the True Bride of Christ, sincerely asking for truth, in like manner as Elisha asked where the God of Elijah is. God, by His mercies, has brought this truth your way for the purpose of His love to liberate you.

Prayerfully go through it, as it is written: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” John 8:32.

A true Christian is not the person that follows man-made or Church doctrines.

Rather, it is he that follows Jesus Christ by the STANDARDS of His Word (Read 2 Peter 2:1-5; 1Timothy 4:1-6).

“And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee. For thou hast rejected

the WORD of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being King over Israel” 1Samuel 15:26. Many Christians today go to church without minding the standing of their leader with God; even when they know, because of position, personal interest, relationships, money etc. They cannot take a stand for truth and rebuke error. Samuel, Moses and the rest will stand as a standard of judgment against such ones Heb. 11:2427. Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Your enjoyment in that error is but for a while. Some of these errors shall be outlined as you read on.

Woman Pastor Does your Church approve of a woman Pastor? Or is it headed by one? Then you are in error. In the beginning it was not so.

Nowadays, we see and hear of women being ordained as priests. We hear women adorn titles such as Reverend Mrs., Bishop, Apostle Mrs. So. The question is: Where in the scripture was such a thing ever mentioned? Such women take on responsibilities that are not given to them, according to God’s perfect Biblical will. God has placed every believer in a specific position to serve Him. This is the manifestation of the spirit of the Laodicean age (people’s right). The Church of Jesus Christ is not a political or social organisation where everything

It is wrong to print tithe cards only to know those who pay tithes and those that do not goes, making Christian women emulate their worldly counterparts, as the world clamours for ‘Women liberation.’ The same, once crept into the Corinthian Church, but Apostle Paul came and put the church in order and warned all the churches of the Saints, till Christ comes, to desist from that error (1Corinthains 14:33-38; 1Tim. 2:11-14).

The Bible says in verse 38 of 1 Corinthians 14 thus: “But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.” Don’t misunderstand Joel 2:28 which talks of the manifestation of the gift of the Holy Spirit which was fulfilled in Acts 2:1-9 as a fulfillment of the prophecy. Gift operation and not priesthood office, these are two different things. A woman can actually operate her gift, but when it comes to taking up a leadership position in the church (any of the five-fold offices in Eph. 4:11, then it becomes erroneous).

The Bar Of Holiness Go tell them (Church Leaders) to stop lowering the bar of holiness just to enable them to get members (customers). How can a normal daughter of a man come into the

presence of her father appearing naked or with the attire of a prostitute? How much more in the Church of God, wearing ‘show belly,’ mini skirts, tights, Shaba, see-through, show breast, body hugs etc? No true Church will allow their women to put on trousers when the Bible condemns it. Deut. 22:5 says it is an abomination unto God. It is evil for the opposite sex to exchange their wears.

Prov. 7:10. Dressing like a prostitute Matt 5:28.

Tell Your Pastor They should stop making merchandise of the people 2Peter 2:1-3. The gift of God is given freely to God’s people. The gifts are not for money-making Matt. 10:1-8. It is wrong for any minister to charge anyone before such one is prayed for. Some charge their ‘customers’ even before they see them.

The question to these so-called Pastors and gifted ministers is, how much did you give God before He gave that gift? It is contrary to the scripture to trade with the gift of God. It is wrong to print tithe cards only to know those who pay tithes and those that do not.

Mal. 3:8-11. It is wrong to collect offerings and tithes from fraudsters, prostitutes, thieves, swindlers and occultic people. It is wrong to tell people that God asked them to sow so and so amount when the Lord has not spoken. Matt. 23:1-13. They will ask you to do whilst they will not do.

SundayBusiness SUNDAY

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News

DMO restructures N575bn loans from 23 states

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Ban of 113 crude carriers may hurt Nigeria

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Paul Ogbuokiri

Everyday Sprite Triple Slam lights up UNIBEN p.50

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Don’t exclude NNPC, others from TSA –Analysts p.49

Paul Ogbuokiri Head, Business paulogbuokiri@newtelegraph online.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing

xcerpt for those who have poor understand of the workings of international shipping trade, it was not unexpected that the blanket ban on 113 foreign crude carriers (VLCCs) from all Nigeria’s oil terminals on July, would result in the country’s main export trade, crude being rejected in the international market if the umbrella association of the big shipping companies in the world, International Tankers Organisation (INTERTANKO) decides to pull its weight against Nigeria.

This is coming on the heels of the declaration by Indian oil firm and one of Nigeria biggest oil buyers, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, on Monday said that henceforth, it will be cautious in buying Nigeria’s oil.

It will be recalled that sequel to the inability of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and crude oil buyers to reconcile figures of crude oil shipped and what is reflected on the bill of lading, President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly issued a directive to NNPC to prohibit 113 crude oil vessels from engaging in crude oil, gas loading activities in any of terminals within the Nigerian territorial waters.

The directive which was contained in a circular signed by the Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division of NNPC, Mr. Gbenga Komolafe, to all terminal operators dated July 15, 2015 was with immediate effect.

The directive with reference number: GGM/ST/EX/01, believed to be at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari and was copied to the Director, Department of Petroleum Resources; Chief of Naval Staff; Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency; and Comptroller General, Nigerian Customs Service.

However after about two months, NNPC reversed the ban on September 8, insisting that all incoming vessels into Nigerian waters must get a ‘Letter of Comfort’ from export terminal operators and buyers of Nigerian crude as “guarantee that nominated vessels are free and will not be utilised for any illegal activity whatsoever,” the letter signed by the NNPC’s Group General Manager, Crude Marketing, Mele Kyari, said.

But the demand for shipowners to sign the ‘letter of comfort’ before loading at any of the Nigeria’s 28 oil terminals has caused a lot of uncertainty in the global shipping and oil markets, pushing up West African Suezmax freight rates, and it is beginning to apply brakes on spot trading activity in the Nigerian crude oil market, trading sources said Monday.

Tanker owner Heidmar rejected an HPCL Nigerian fixture due to insur-

It’s making the arbitrage less workable,” said Eugene Lindell, JBC’s senior crude market analyst. “This ultimately means the crude prices would have to be depressed so you can shift the barrels

Kachikwu ance concerns over the letter. Finding a replacement proved difficult. Provisional fixtures showed the MT Solana sailing to West Africa for HPCL, but the vessel turned away from Africa, according to tracking data, and is now enroute to the Bahamas without oil.

Fixtures showed the refiner putting two Suezmax vessels on subjects for the journey, which typically adds to costs.

Some European buyers are also now treading carefully with Nigeria.

According to Reuters, an oil trader for one Mediterranean refiner said they “will not touch a single drop of Nigeria crude until this matter on the letter of comfort is solved.”

Shipping sources said that in addition to

Heidmar, Asian companies China Shipping and AMCL will not call at Nigerian ports for the time being, nor will Greece’s Chandris.

Other vessel owners are working around it with watered down language, traders said. But it has contributed to a marked rise in freight; the cost of booking a Suezmax tanker from West Africa to the United States spiked by 80 cents late last week to $2.75 per barrel, according to JBC Energy.

Sunday Telegraph also learnt that rates for very large crude carriers (VLCCs) to Asia rose by 20 cents to around $3.40 per barrel.

“It’s making the arbitrage less workable,” said Eugene Lindell, JBC’s senior crude market analyst. “This ultimately means the crude prices would have to be depressed so you can shift the barrels.”

For Nigeria, this is a serious concern. The October loading programme was its highest of the year, and its price differentials to benchmark dated Brent had begun to rebound on the back of European and U.S. buying.

Oil traders and shipping brokers said a newly implemented ‘letter of comfort’ requirement under which vessel owners must sign a guarantee that their ships will not be used for theft has made it more difficult and expensive to load Nigerian crude, putting some buyers off.

The letter requires owners to “guarantee CO NTINUED O N PAGE 48

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News

DMO restructures N575bn loans from 23 states

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Paul Ogbuokiri he Director-General of the Debt Management Office, DMO, Mr. Abraham Nwankwo, said 23 states of the federation have had their loans restructured, stating that a total amount of N575 billion loans involving 15 banks were restructured by the DMO. Speaking over the weekend in Lagos during a one day enlightenment workshop for members of Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), the DMO

PZ Chemistry Challenge invites entries

DG stated that the tenor of repayment for the loans obtained the states have been extended up to 20 years, adding that the 15 banks involved have been issued with FGN Bonds.

The presidential relief package which includes a debt relief package designed by the Debt Management Office, DMO, was expected to reducing the debt-servicing expenditures of states.

Advising on the need to exercise more caution in the country’s borrowing activities, Nwankwo highlighted the need for extra effort in generating more revenue from both existing and new sources.

He said, “As at the end of financial year 2014, the Debt-to-GDP ratio was 12.65 percent which compared favourably to the

global threshold of 56 percent .for countries in Nigeria peer groups.”

Nwankwo noted that although the ratio from the general thresholds indicate that Nigeria’s debt remains sustainable from the country’s specific solvency and liquidity threshold, he, however, stressed that with a debt service to revenue ratio of 25.20 as at the end of December 2014 compared to a threshold of 28, the country is virtually approaching the limit of debt service to revenue threshold.

He said as part of the efforts to consolidate the gains recorded in engendering effective public debt management at the sub-national level, DMO continued with its initiatives of strengthening public debt management capacity at the state level

in 2014 through organization of several capacity building workshop for officials of Debt Management Departments (DMD) in Zamfara and Plateau states, adding that Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Katsina, Plateau and Rivers States took part in another workshop designed to assist them over come challenges in rendering accurate and reliable debt data.

Among those who presented papers at the forum are DMO’s Director (Market Development), Ms. Patience Oniha; Head of Portfolio Management, Mr. Dele Afolabi; Director (Debt Recording and Settlement) Mrs. Hannatu Suleiman and Mrs. Asmau Mohammed, Director (Strategic Progrmmes), who spoke about functions and activities of DMO since inception.

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he third edition of the Chemistry Challenge for secondary schools has commenced with entries being received from students in SS3 classes in public and private schools in Lagos State.

The call-to-entry will run till November 4, 2015, and participants will not be charged any fee.

The formal launch will hold on Tuesday, October 6, 2015.

Previously known as PZ Cussons Chemistry Challenge, the initiative of PZ Cussons Foundation is being sponsored this year by Carex, a product of PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc. Carex Brand Manager, Oluwaseun Ayeni, said in a statement that the 2015 edition will be more exciting than the previous two editions as additional opportunities for the public to challenge their intellect and win fabulous prizes have been introduced.

Apart from the scholarships and cash rewards worth over N3 million for the four finalists, the rest of the Top 10, teachers and schools of finalists, a four-month online Carex Hygiene Challenge will run from October with winners emerging every month.

The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Education, has again given approval and support to the competition, as it did in the first two editions.

PZCCC also enjoys the endorsement of the Chemical Society of Nigeria, the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria and the National Parents Teachers’ Association of Nigeria.

Ayeni also said that only two students per school will be allowed to participate in the competition, and therefore encouraged each school to send in its best Chemistry students. Students are to be endorsed by their schools, and candidates are advised to provide their reachable phone numbers and email addresses through which examination centres would be communicated to them.

Eligible participants are to visit the project website www.pzcarexchemistrychallenge.com and check the ‘registration’ portal to register.

This year, a designated blog has been created and embedded on the PZCCC website. It will be exploited to allow followers to follow and review the content.

Also added is a PZCCC Youtube channel to share videos online.

In the inaugural edition two years ago, Emmanuel Ejiogu Onyekachi of Miketoy College, Ikotun, Lagos State, won the first prize. Runners-up were Obi Uchenna David, Mgbemena Thankgod and Victor IkeOkoro.

Last year, Nwaoha Justin Ifeanyi, representing ISOLOG College, Ojodu, Lagos State, emerged the ultimate winner. Runners-up were Animashaun Jamiu, Abayomi Balogun Azeez and Onu Jeremiah.

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Flaykes Delight Confectioners, Mrs Folake Omotehimwa; Chief Executive Officer, Optimal Performance Limited, Bukola Adefope; Chief Executive Officer, Creative Designer Proverbs Creations, Mrs Bukola Adenuga, and her husband, Mr Wale Adeunga, at designer proverbs style pulse creations’ exhibition, in Lagos …yesterday.

PHOTO-NAN.

SKYE Bank engages Imo entrepreneurs Edwin Usoboh

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kye Bank of Nigeria Plc says that its focus is to reposition small and medium enterprises in Imo State and the country in general.

This is meant to ensure their growth and create stability in their various businesses afloat.

During an interactive Skye Bank business forum organised in Owerri, the focus was on nurturing businesses for growth. Executive Director South East/ South South Skye Bank and Head of Re-

tail Banking, Ekong Ibiye, in his opening remarks, said the forum is aimed at connecting customers and helping them to learn new things.

Ekong counselled customers of the bank to take advantage of the different financial products available at the bank for SMEs, including the Central Bank’s N200 billion SME loan scheme, to grow and transform their businesses.

She said, “Skye Bank will continue to provide the support customers need to successfully access the Central Bank of Nigeria’s facility.

This is expected to provide the leverage their businesses require for increased productivity.

“We are focusing on growth; we are hoping that at the end of this period, the things we are learning here will be things that would be used by our current customers and the potential ones, to grow businesses,” she added.

She observed that finance is not the biggest problem militating against the growth of SMEs, adding that Skye Bank has provided various products, services and tools to enable the growth of the sec

crude of the nation’s nearly 2 million bpd of production.

Industry sources said an initial effort, the banning of roughly 120 oil tankers that came from Buhari’s office in July, was too blunt an instrument. But in lifting that ban earlier this month, it added the letter of comfort with immediate effect, which sources said applied to all vessels, creating a potentially bigger problem.

Oil tanker industry association INTERTANKO said the letter as drafted would give Nigerian authorities a “blank cheque” for any perceived violations.

“NNPC’s guarantee terms would allow the Nigerian authorities to impose an arbitrary penalty for breach of local law - of

which owners might be unaware - and then demand an indemnity for their losses without the need to prove any loss,” said INTERTANKO’s General Counsel Michele White, adding “owners’ insurance would not respond to that.”

Speaking on Channels Television on Wednesday, Head of Energy Research, Ecobank, Dolapo Oni, said that In a country staring down a potential oil price collapseinduced recession, any hit to income is a problem.

“The revenue impact will be significant.

Due to the expensive freight, we are likely to see differentials weaken considerably, which means we could have lower revenue than normal,” he stated.

Ban of 113 crude carriers may hurt Nigeria CO N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E P 4 7

to indemnify” the government and NNPC against any illicit use of their vessels, which led some owners to reject pending bookings. Traders say others are refusing future requests for now.

“Nobody is coming forward for offering the vessels and whoever is willing to go to Nigeria is asking for exorbitant rates,” said K. Namdeo, head of refineries at India’s HPCL. He added they would “be cautious in future” about buying Nigerian crude.

There is somec disagreement that Nigeria needs to fight oil theft, which President Muhammadu Buhari has said siphons as much as 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) of

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Feature

Don’t exclude NNPC, others from TSA –Analysts

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Paul Ogbuokiri gainst the backdrop of conflicting reports that the presidency may have permit ted the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and about 12 other government agencies not to comply with the Treasury Single Account policy, analysts have called on President Muhammadu Buhari not grant such permission, if he is determined to ensure that the policy succeeds.

The analysts observed that it is NNPC that was recently accused of under-remitting revenue due to the Federal Government, spending same as it likes and funding dubious and un-budgeted subsidy payments.

“Granting permission to NNPC or any other MDA for that matter, when the policy has not even taken-off fully, will defeat the objective,” said a former President of Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) Dr. Samuel Nzekwe.

“Not excluding the core reason of enabling government has a very clear picture of its revenue profile, the federal government also said that the policy is to help block leakages in the system, promote transparency and facilitate compliance with sections 80 and 162 of the Nigerian Constitution.

“The government also assured Nigerians that the TSA policy had come to stay, saying that it is part of the adjustments that the present administration hoped to implement to make life more meaningful for Nigerians. So excluding the main organisation recently accused of not properly accounting for $20 billion ‘missing money’, to me, amounts to policy summersault,” Dr. Nzekwe said.

Unconfirmed sources said government granted exemption to the 13 or so organisation because they are profit-oriented which appealed to be exempted. But President National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGFF), Dr Eugene Nweke said that if government is to grant permission to any MDA on that excuse, Nigerian Ports Authority should have been one of them because the type of services it renders to shipping companies and the port industry, which cannot wait for the bureaucratic processes of releasing funds by government. “Having said that, it is important that government goes ahead with the policy without excluding any MDA, and can take in all the funds but could make contingency arrangements for the special organisations; but that is after government have gotten a clear picture of what its revenues are,” he said.

An Economist and Senior lecturer in Department of Economics, University of Lagos, Dr. Tunde Oluwatosin, said in an interview with Sunday Telegraph on Friday that the policy holds promises of discipline and high level of efficiency in MDA’s, but if there are exemptions of major agencies, the federal government is mandated to clarify its reasons for such action.

“Why should some agencies be excluded from complying with the open account policy while others are left to go through the heat? If these al-

legations are indeed true, they pose a setback on the government’s fight against corruption,” he said.

One of the leading advocates of the regime of Treasury Single Account, who is also the Chief Executive, Economic Associates, Dr. Ayo Teriba, said it is absolutely necessary for government to determine what comes to its cover at every given time. He added that for the policy to have full effect, it should be holistic.

Speaking on a Channel Television programme last week, Teriba noted that “Prior to this time, many government agencies had the autonomy to receive money on behalf of the federal government or on behalf of the federation account and they had the liberty to spend part of the revenue because they were only required to remit only a fraction of the amount that they declared.”

He noted, however, that the privilege was increasingly being abused.

“We had agencies which handled capital projects and there were abuses. It is going to be beneficial to the country when all revenues accrued to the government come to one account.

Let us know how money comes in.

With this policy, all agencies will go through appropriation process without exception,” he said.

However, Sunday Telegraph learnt a circular, dated September 14, 2015, “Approval to Exempt Some MDAs In line With the E-Collection Mop-Up Exercise”. The exemption was said to have been passed to the office of the Director, Central Bank of Nigeria and signed by the acting AGF, M.K Dikwa.

However, there are also reports that the Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria debunked the exemption of

NNPC, one of the agencies on the list, manages the government’s interest in Nigeria’s oil industry and has a long history of corruption and unaccountability

some agencies at the end of a Monetary Policy Committee Meeting by insisting that no agency has been exempted from the open accounting system. He also dismissed accepting any memo from the AGF’s office and asked rumour peddlers to put an end to the confusion while urging the agencies to put more efforts towards compliance.

NNPC, one of the agencies on the list, manages the government’s interest in Nigeria’s oil industry and has a long history of corruption and unaccountability. The organisation allegedly engages in illegal deductions of state funds, and false subsidy claims.

Earlier in the year, the CBN accused the corporation of its inability to account for $20 billion amongst other allegations of false subsidy charges in 2007 and 2009. The corporation is also one of the MDA’s that found it difficult to meet up with the deadline set by the president earlier in the month.

Notably, the federal government recently confirmed that 600 out of 900 MDAs are now in compliance with the TSA while others are struggling to comply at different stages of the exercise. This is a positive develop-

ment towards full implementation of the TSA scheme.

A source told Sunday Telegraph that several agencies of government including Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities had applied to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), showing reasons why they should be excluded from the TSA. It was learnt that of the several applications submitted by federal agencies for exemption, the AGF only acceded to the requests of 13 agencies including the Bank of Industry (BoI), Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), Urban Development Bank (UDB), Nigerian Import-Export Bank (Nexim), Ajaokuta Steel Company, Federal Mortage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Nigerian Railways Limited, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) and Galaxy Backbone.

Consequently, the AGF, through a circular dated September 14 to the CBN Director, Banking and Payment Systems Department, Mr. Dipo Fatokun, requested that the affected agencies be exempted from making remittances to the TSA. The exemption confirms the statement made by the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, last month that the corporation would make representations to the federal government seeking exemption from making remittances to the TSA. However, Reuters reported that Mr. has denied that any MDA has been excempted.

50

SUNDAY

EverydayBusiness

SUNDAY OCTOBER 4, 2015

DStv adds TCM channel to Compact Plus

M

ultiChoice has given the assurance that from October 1, 2015, viewers will be spoiled for choice as DStv adds more entertainment channels to its packages.

DStv recently added CBeebies, BBC Lifestyle, BBC Brit and an Open Week (28 September – 2 October) of Comedy Central (DStv channel 122) in anticipation of Trevor Noah’s debut on The Daily Show to Compact Plus and Compact bouquets.

From October 1, TCM will also be added to the Compact Plus bouquet to boost subscribers’ entertainment programming.

“We’re delighted to bring our subscribers this refresh that will ensure that they get the best value for their respective bouquets. By ensuring that channels and content are effectively organized and structured to offer the ultimate solution to home television entertainment, each bouquet will continue to offer a channel combination specifically designed for subscriber needs and preferences,” said Caroline Oghuma, Public Relations Manager, DStv, MultiChoice Nigeria.

I

Sprite Triple Slam lights up UNIBEN

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Stanley Ihedigbo undreds of students thronged the Indoor Sports Hall of the University of Benin for the 2015 edition of the Sprite Triple Slam experiential activations. They gathered to enjoy the unique and exciting fusion of Basketball, Music and Dance skills, the three pillars of the STS activation.

The activation saw many of the students taking turns to showcase their skills in one or

more of the Basketball, Dance and Music categories.

According to some of the students, it was a relief to take time out from preparing for and writing examinations to relax at an event sparked with such fun and excitement.

“We should do this from time to time. I have been very refreshed by Sprite today,” said Rex Joseph, who was the crowd’s favourite in the Dance category.

Another star performer, Nwachukwu Lilibeth, a 100-level Undergraduate student in the

Department of Fisheries, who participated in Basketball, expressed her delight saying, “I am so excited! This is actually the first gift I have ever won in my life, and I am happy it came from Sprite.”

Recounting how he was discovered through Sprite Triple Slam a few years ago, Otse John, who now plays professionally for Dodan Warriors Basketball Club said, “I was in 100 level in the university then. After the regional competitions, where I emerged as the winner, I progressed to the

finals which held in Lagos. It was while playing in Lagos that I was approached to play in the Nigerian league, and since then, my life has never been the same.”

The event reached its climax with a musical performance

by Vector da Viper, who got the audience on their feet as he stepped on the stage. Calling for the crowd to join him on stage, the “King Kong” crooner practically had the students screaming and dancing all through his performance.

Jovago, MTN offer free internet services

n order to reduce data costs and boost e-commerce in the country, online hotel booking portal, Jovago, has launched a free internet service with MTN for users of its portal.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos, Jovago’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Paul Midy, described the partnership with MTN as a milestone.

“This is a great milestone for us in order to offer great accessibility for the customercentric mobile experience,” he enthused.

He noted that there was immense growth of mobile internet penetration in Africa, adding, “That is the reason we remain focused on reaching clients across the world in order to offer them our services. Now, all MTN users can have access to more than 8,000 hotels in Nigeria and 25,000 hotels in Africa without cost and book in one click.”

He reiterated that the recent launch of the Jovago App on the Android platform was a positive step in the right direction “and this next step with a key partner MTN would boost value with the customer-base.”

A statement from Jovago said a survey conducted by the online booking hotel portal shows that more than 50 per cent of the booking was done through mobile devices and with a vast inventory of 25,000 hotels in Africa accessible to customers both on and offline.

L–R: Marketing Manager, Gulder, 33, Life and Stout category, Emmanuel Agu; Zonal Business Manager, East, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Ansel Alokha; winner of a brand new Hyundai Elantra car of the 2015 edition of Gulder Ultimate Promo, Chinedu Odimgbe; Regional Business Manager, Obiora Okoli; Brewery Manager, Ama Breweries, Ethel Emma-Uche and Public Affairs Manager- East, Patrick Ejodoh, all of Nigerian Breweries, during the presentation of prizes, at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, recently.

Maltina wins NSN endorsement

M

altina, Nigeria’s leading malt drink from the stables of Nigerian Breweries, has received the endorsement of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria.

The foremost nutrition association endorsed the

brand during its 45th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference held in Lagos.

Speaking during the presentation ceremony, NSN Vice-President, Dr. Brai Bartholomew, commended the makers of Maltina for the

Coca-cola unveils new 5Alive variant C

oca Cola Nigeria has launched its new derivative 5Alive pulpy orange, product which comes in a refreshingly radiant 40cl PET bottle and contains real, unadulterated juice carefully gleaned from natural orange fruits.

Speaking at the media launch of the drink in Lagos recently, Senior Brand Manager, Coca Coca Nigeria, Mr. Samuel Alugo, said the product was aimed at giving consumers the natural taste, smell and satisfaction derived from sucking an orange fruit.

In his words, “With the new

5Alive Pulpy Orange, we want to give a unique experience to the consumers, the smell and taste you get when you eat an orange fruit.”

Also speaking, Stills and New Business Director of the Nigerian Bottling Company, Mr. Prahlad Gangadharan, said: “We are changing the juice business as perceived by the consumers. The product is launched to meet the changing tastes and preferences of today’s customers.”

In a nutshell, 5Alive Pulpy Orange’s entrant into the market seems like using one stone to kill many birds. Its value proposition

sets it apart from other juice brands or variants. It’s a mono-flavour, meaning it does not come in a mix. It contains juice-filled hairs, giving a soothing feel of natural orange. With a brand promise that is carefully rooted in consistency, 5Alive Pulpy Orange is positioned to maintain its market lead in a fastpaced business terrain. Prahlad said Coca Cola Nigeria decided to start with the orange variant owing to the universal appeal of the fruit.

He added that other variants of the 5Alive Pulpy would be rolled out in the course of the year.

nutrient-rich product.

Brai, who doubles as the chairman of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Society, said, “Nigerian Breweries approached us because they were confident of the quality of the products they offer. And then, we subject them to rigorous examinations and laboratory analysis to ascertain the product claims. At the end of the process, we were convinced that what Maltina claims are the same with our results.

As Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, I can say boldly that, aside its numerous nutritional benefits, Maltina is rich in calcium and vitamin A. These are key strong points of the product.”

Speaking on behalf of the company, Senior Brand Manager, Nigerian Breweries, Mr. Adewole Adedeji, said the endorsement was very important to the brand because it is an attestation to the claim of

complete richness.

He added that the endorsement was a further validation that the product claims are based on verifiable proofs and testament to the highly beneficial constituents of the Maltina brand.

Speaking further on the impact of the endorsement, Adewole said: “Anybody can claim to be anything. But when respected bodies like the Nutrition Society of Nigeria go out of their way to formally endorse a brand, then it means your claims are valid and immensely beneficial to the consumers. That way, value propositions are based on actual product truths.”

He noted that the endorsement did not come on a platter, as the drink was subjected to a series of laboratory tests and the physical inspection of the brewery to ascertain the hygiene conditions of the brewing process to ensure that global best practices are carefully observed.

51

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY OCTOBER 4, 2015

Business News

In search of national reformation (1) watching two unknown teams play, before long, your sympathy begins to lie with one? That is part of the political instincts in you.

Success Nuggets Victor Okwudiri 08037674300 (SMS only) (In Commemoration of Nigeria’s 55th Independence Anniversary) Every life is built on four foundations, namely: 1. the religious foundation; 2. the political foundation; 3. the economic foundation; and 4. the social foundation.

A brief explanation of each, please.

1. The Religious Foundation Virtually everybody believes in the existence of a deity to whom he or she owes an allegiance (worship). “What about the atheist, who does not believe in God,” you may ask. My response to that is that the very fact that the atheist does not believe in God or a god is in itself a ‘religious’ subject. Therefore, the atheist also has a religious foundation, though from the reverse side.

2. The Political Foundation Man, they say, is a political being, politics having being defined by someone as the determination of who gets WHAT, WHEN and HOW. Have you noticed that even when

3. The economic foundation Every man has in him a survival instinct, and the survival instinct is not just one to stay alive, but to live above lack. I am yet to see the first person who doesn’t like money. Even the lazy man likes money. He just does not want to work for it.

4. The social foundation No man is an island. Everyone needs someone to make life beautiful. In fact, the ecosystem itself is an eloquent attestation to this fact. Man takes in oxygen released by plants, and gives out carbondioxide used by plants.

Such an irony, you may say.

On another hand, every man has an ethnicity or nationality he identifies with, if not by birth, by choice, or both.

Having highlighted the various foundations on which life is built, I wish to state at this juncture that, of all these foundations, the religious foundation seem to have the strongest hold on peoples’ lives. There are homes where father, mother and children each belong to different political parties and football clubs, yet they find a meeting point. However, we have heard stories of parents going as far as ‘disowning’ their children because the children departed from the religion of their upbringing. Religion is that strong. Little wonder Karl Marx referred to religion as the opium of the masses.

The reason I laid the foregoing foundation is the next paragraph and succeeding paragraphs.

Many religions teach repentance,

There are homes where father, mother and children each belong to different political parties and football clubs, yet they find a meeting point and I believe that the philosophy of repentance as it is taught is such that the hope of a religion is predicated on it. That much is the case with my ‘religion’. However, the challenge with that, for me, is that the concept of repentance is so spiritualised that it has lost its practical application, as it benefits society in our present world.

The point I am making is this, someone say’s he is ‘repented’, so he is so engrossed in his religious worship and spiritual development, but throws sachets of water on the road, does not partake in government-declared environmental sanitation exercises, breaks traffic rules when driving, crosses the highway on foot, even when there is an instruction to use the pedestrian bridge, arrives late to work and back-dates his time of arrival, and leaves the office before closing time, calls in sick at work, when actually is up for his private business, etc. What sort of repentance is that? I think we need a second look at this thing called ‘repentance’.

Anyway, you might be asking, what has this issue of repentance got to do with national reformation? For want of space, I will show you the nexus next week.

Happy Independence, Nigeria.

Please follow me on Twitter @Intellectualguru

What is life? (4) The Big Picture Julian Atufunwa 08032810713 (SMS only)

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ife is neutral; it is neither good nor bad. Joseph Campbell once said: “Life has no meaning.

Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.” if an Indian newly born baby is born and raised in Nigeria, there is every tendency that he or she will speak, eat and behave entirely like a Nigerian.

Oliver Wondell Holmes said: “Man’s mind stretched to a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions.” it is a fact that we bring to life all the different references, experiences, beliefs and training we grew up with. We all have our own definitions of life. Rick Warran says: “Your perspective about life will influence how you invest your time, spend your money, use your talent and value your relationships. It is true that we all have different perspectives of life yet there are truths about life that are indisputable.”

(1) Life is a journey - This is a general fact of life. Life is all about movement, from point A to point B. Whether we believe it or not, it is inevitable because even the earth itself is moving (rotating). So, no human is expected to be static. The point is, you

will be able to succeed in life if you can adapt to changes and also if you can prepare yourself adequately for the next level in a job, business, status e.t.c or remain outdated. In life, you must keep improving on what you know and on the next trend.

(2) Life is all about love - Vincent van Gogh said: “Whoever loves much performs much and can accomplish much and what is done in love is done well. When we talk of love sometimes, I wonder what comes to our minds, but whatever it is you are thinking, love in itself can never be wrong.” Today, we laud people like Africa’s wealthiest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote. Going by van Gogh’s definition, he (Dangote) loves much, therefore performs much and is accomplishing much. The wealthy are those whom, when others are sleeping, are thinking of what next to produce for the masses. Love is the primary reason they are in business. As such, they can’t afford to produce fake products. The wealthy are those who find a way to make life more enjoyable and also provide products and services that are affordable to the general public.

Love should move governments to build roads so that farmers can move their perishable products to the urban centres in good time. Love is all about building hospitality and equipping the educational systems so that students can compete with their counterparts in developed countries of the world. It is mind-boggling that our certificates are not given recognition in other countries.

Should I say that we have neglected our primary goals of existence? Come to

He emphatically denied this and asked why I said he was. I told him that everything he did and said influences others one way or the other. So, he was a missionary for his own life think of it, it would be almost impossible for anyone to kill the one he/she loves. People working under you are not left out. Do we recognise values in people and reflect them in our words and actions? Human beings are the most valuable assets we can ever have as employers. Do we see people the way they ought to be or the way they are currently? Love and vision go together. You can’t talk of love without people, neither can we talk of vision without people in mind. When we don’t love people genuinely, the size of our dream will be limited. We can’t love and fail. We treat people based on the value we place on them. We have always repeated this in this column: Whatever God does not deserve should not be given to human beings. Life without love is worthless.

Give attention to people, spend time with the people you love. The best gift you can give to people you love is your time. Giving your time is equal to giving part of your life to someone. This is because your time is your life. As we go about our work and business as parents, never miss your priority - your children need your presence. They will not be children forever. One day, you will wake up and find that they are gone. Give them attention now.

Lagos bubbles for 2015 BrandiQ symposium

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lans are underway for a gathering of brand experts, political leaders, civil rights leaders, youths and organised private sector from various parts of the country.

The annual event, now in its third edition, will help to chart a new course for brand Nigeria and stimulate clear choices as the nation marks its 55th independence.

According to information made available to Sunday Telegraph, the Annual Brand Nigeria Symposium tagged, ‘Reinventing Brand Nigeria for the 21th Century Market Economy through Public Accountability, Responsibility Citizenship and Corporate Governance,’ is organised by Nigeria’s foremost brand and marketing magazine, BrandiQ. A former Minister of Education and Senior Economic Advisor at Open Society Foundation, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has been slated as guest speaker for the symposium.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will deliver the keynote address at the event.

As part of activities to officially open the special event, the editorial board of the magazine recently gathered at its head office in Ikeja, Lagos.

Speaking during the meeting, Chairman of the Editorial Board, Dr. Phil Osagie, commended the publication’s steps in establishing BrandiQ clubs in different tertiary institutions across the country.

Osagie, who spoke on behalf of other board members, commended the activities of the Redeemers University BrandiQ Club where the first set of BrandiQ club executives are on the verge of handing over to a new crop of executives.

Earlier at the meeting, the Editor-in-Chief of BrandiQ, Mr. Desmond Ekeh, presented a detailed report of his team’s activities in the last eight months. He explained that based on the reality and trends in modern journalism, the magazine is restructuring its editorial operation with special focus on deepening the online presence of the magazine. He said the current bi-monthly print edition would still exist as a robust quarterly publication.

The 2015 Brand Nigeria symposium is set to stimulate healthy engagements among the nation’s stakeholders and create a platform to forge new path for the world’s most populous Black nation. Previous editions of the event have been widely acclaimed by participants and industry players, bringing together a flurry of brand and marketing communications professionals, public relations titans, students and corps members.

CICAN holds conference on job creation

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ommerce and Industry Correspondents Association of Nigeria is organising an interactive forum to discuss possible ways of creating more jobs for unemployed youths.

The association’s Chairman, Mr. Toba Agboola, said in a statement that the forum which is slated to hold in Lagos on Thursday, October 8, would feature a Gala night as well as recognition of some outstanding captains of industry, who have contributed immensely to the development of Nigeria’s manufacturing sector.

With the theme; ‘Job creation through entrepreneurship empowerment,’ the event according to Agboola will attract industry players from different walks of life.

Some resource persons, expected to speak on the subject, include the Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, BoI, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa; and the Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Muda Yusuf.

Expected at the event are Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar; the President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Dr. Frank Jacobs; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment, Alhaji Ajiya Mamman; President NACCIMA, Chief Bassey Edem; and President LCCI, Alhaji Remi Bello.

Others are the Director General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Dr. Joseph Odumodu; Director-General, Industrial Training Fund, Mrs. Juliet Chukkas Onaeko; and BOI Head of Corporate Communication, Mrs. Hadiza Olaosebikan.

52

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Market records 5th consecutive week of gain As NSEASI advances by 0.15% Chart 1: Movement in FX reserves, NGN/USD pairing & Brent crude oil price Foreign Reserves

1.4

1.3

NGN/USD

BRENT

NSEASI

1.2

50

USD'bn

A

fter recording gains on the first three trading days of the week, the NSEASI shed 2.02% on the last trading day, following a 4.99% drop in DANGCEM’s share price to NGN171/share. Subsequently, the NSEASI advanced by 0.15% week on week (WoW) to peg the year to date (YtD) return at -11.74%. Market breadth (0.82x) skewed in favour of decliners, as 31 stocks advanced against 39 decliners. Also, volume and value of transactions advanced by 96.04% and 55.16% respectively.

HONYFLOUR with a price gain of 26.09%, emerged the top gainer during the week to close at NGN2.90. VONO, UPL, ETRANZACT and FO also featured on the gainers path, after recording respective gains of 16.47%, 10.19%, 9.09% and 8.25% accordingly. On the flip side, EVANSMED (-15.19%), PORTPAINT (-9.51%), JBERGER (-9.26%), ZENITHBANK (-9.11%) and COSTAIN (-6.67%) emerged the top underperformers.

PZ CUSSONS released its Q1:2016 financial results during the week, which showed YoY Revenue and Profit after Taxes (PAT) declines of 0.44% and 33.33% accordingly to NGN14.95bn and NGN427mn correspondingly. Conoil Plc also released its H1:2015 performance scorecard, indicating YoY declines in both its top-line and bottom-line of 45.19% and 64.48%.

As the market anticipates another earning season, we envisage active investor participation going forward. In addition, we believe the earnings performances of respective companies will dictate the direction of activities in the coming weeks.

In this report, we review events in the economy, laying emphasis on the performance of different segments of the financial market, while presenting our expectation for the coming week.

Fixed Income Market Update: Naira’s midprice pegs at NGN198.72/dollar The Naira closed the week at a mid-price of NGN198.72/dollar, after holding steady at a mid-price of NGN199 against the dollar over ten (10) consecutive trading days prior. This pegs the year-to-date performance of the naira against the greenback at -7.13%.

The average decline across NIBOR tenors was recorded at 3.25% during the week, with the CALL, 1M, 3M, and 6M tenor rates closing at 4.54% (-9.46%), 14.57% (-1.19%), 15.73% (-1.17%), and 16.88% (-1.18%) accordingly.

Similarly, the OBB and OVN rates declined by 7.33% and 7.00%, to close at 4.17% and 4.92% respectively.

Activities in the Treasury Bills market remained bullish for most of the week, as the average yield across T-Bills instruments settled at 11.14% (-2.50% WtD). Similar sentiments played out at the FGN Bond market, as the average offer yield for the Benchmark and Off-the-run bonds settled at 14.73% and 15.21% accordingly.

We do not anticipate a change from the recent trend within the fixed income space, as local investors continue to sustain market activities, even as JP Morgan recently carried out its first phase out of Nigerian government bonds from its Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets (GBI-EM).

Agric sector: YtD settles at 17.49% Notwithstanding the positive momentum in the market, the MERI- AGRI index declined by -0.16% WtD, to settle the YtD return of the sector at +17.49%, just as the sector witnessed inertia with four counters trading flat, while a sole stock declined.

OKOMUOIL declined by 0.36% WtD to close at NGN28.00, while LIVESTOCK, OKOMUOIL, ELLAHLAKES, and FTNCOCOA all traded flat.

We expect discerning investors to take position in some of the counters given their attractive levels, ahead of a probable resurgence next week which may partner news flows from the political space. However, we advise investors to balance their optimism with caution.

Banking Sector: ZENITHBANK pares by 9.11% WtD

45 40

1.1 1.0

35

0.9

30

0.8 0.7

25

0.6

20

0.5

0.4

15

Source: CBN, Bloomberg, Meristem research This was a generally positive week for the banking sector’s stocks, with 6 stocks recording price appreciations as against 5 decliners, while all other tickers traded flat. The sector’s return, as measured by our MERI-BNK index, measured at -2.36% WtD to bring the YtD return to -9.42%.

ETI led the gainers, appreciating by 2.96% to bring its YtD return to 2.80%. The ticker was followed by STANBIC (2.85%), UBN (2.16%), FCMB (1.73%), ACCESS (1.36%), and DIAMONDBNK (0.92%). Conversely, ZENITHBANK led the underperformers, after paring by 9.11%, followed by UNITYBNK (2.99%), FBNH (1.43%), FIDELITYBK (0.65%), and GUARANTY (0.37%).

The performance of the sector has remained tempered despite a generally positive outcome from the MPC’s deliberations, when the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) was revised downwards to 25%, thereby easing liquidity conditions in the sector. A point further denoted by the apex authority during the week.

We remain of the opinion that the sector will not be significantly hampered by recent happenings, and so we advise investors take advantage as market pressure prices downwards.

Consumer Goods: HONYFLOUR gains 26.09% WoW In line with the overall equities market mood, the Consumer goods and Conglomerates sectors witnessed a bullish run during the week, as WtD performances, as measured by our MeriConsumer Goods and Meri-Conglomerates sector indices, pegged at 0.18% and 1.26% for the respective sectors.

The gainers’ chart was led by HONYFLOUR and VONO which recorded gains of 26.09% and 16.74% accordingly. VITAFOAM (+6.31%), UACN (+5.67%), FLOURMILL (+3.64%), 7UP (+2.78%), NESTLE (+1.22%), NASCON (+0.75%) and INTBREW (+0.73%) also featured on the chart.

Contrarily, DANGFLOUR, DANGSUGAR,

Top 10 Outperformers Ticker

PZ, UNILEVER, GUINNESS, CHAMPION and NB recorded WtD declines of 4.93%, 3.77%, 3.09%, 1.89%, 1.30%, 0.91% and 0.05% in that order.

PZ released their Q1:2016 result during the week, which showed Year-on-Year declines in Revenue and Earnings-After-Taxes of 0.44% and 33.33% respectively. The result also reflected increases in cost of sales and other income 1.37% and 118.61%, just as financial charges declined by 503.74% YoY. Given that the sector has witnessed successive WtD gains, we expect some investors to take profit on stocks that have recorded substantial price appreciations. Therefore we advise value seeking investors to trade with caution.

Healthcare Sector: Bullish run halts Despite the optimism witnessed in the general market in the week, Healthcare sector stocks closed weak, as WtD return pegged at -0.01% to peg Year-to-Date return at -12.00%, as measured by our MERI-HLTH Index. Sector breadth (0.33x) skewed in favour of decliners, as only one stock appreciated in value, while three (3) stocks pared in value during the week.

FIDSON appreciated marginally by 1.88% to peg the market price at NGN3.26, while EVANSMED topped the laggards with a 15.19% price decline. NEIMETH and MAYBAKER also declined by 4.90% and 4.55% to settle prices at NGN0.97 and NGN1.26 respectively. All other counters traded flat in the week.

The sector took a breather this week, after recording 4 consecutive weeks of WtD growths.

We attribute the sector mood to profit taking on stocks that recorded significant gains recently, although we expect this trend to retract in the coming week.

Industrial Goods: Sector gains marginally The industrial goods sector, based on our Meri-Industrial sector index, closed 0.82% up at the end of the week. This was largely due to DANGCEM’s positive return during the trad-

WTD Return

YtD Return

Price (NGN)

MCap [NGN'bn]

Current valuation metrics and statistics Dividend Yield P/E -­‐TTM P/BV RoE

HONYFLOUR

26.09%

-­‐16.18%

2.90

23.00

10.17 x

1.66 x

10.50%

1.72%

VONO

16.47%

0.00%

0.99

0.56

1.04 x

0.65 x

-­‐0.68%

0.00%

UPL

10.19%

0.00%

5.73

2.47

6.46 x

0.77 x

12.42%

3.49%

ETRANZACT

9.09%

-­‐11.50%

3.00

12.60

59.08 x

3.47 x

1.20%

1.67%

FO

8.25%

14.00%

259.80

338.38

48.57 x

5.74 x

11.82%

0.96%

VITAFOAM

6.31%

0.00%

5.90

5.80

8.91 x

0.73 x

8.12%

5.08%

UACN

5.67%

-­‐6.76%

31.70

60.89

47.00 x

6.72 x

4.95%

5.52%

BERGER

4.93%

15.78%

10.42

3.02

7.25 x

0.73 x

4.21%

0.00%

ETERNA

4.89%

-­‐35.23%

1.93

2.52

7.50 x

0.51 x

3.62%

0.00%

UAC-­‐PROP

4.88%

-­‐14.00%

8.17

14.04

6.38 x

0.65 x

5.91%

0.00%

Top 10 Underperformers Ticker

WTD Return

YtD Return

Price (NGN)

MCap [NGN'bn]

EVANSMED

-­‐15.19%

-­‐70.61%

0.67

0.49

3.58 x

0.14 x

3.90%

0.00%

PORTPAINT

-­‐9.51%

0.00%

3.90

1.56

23.45 x

1.87 x

11.50%

0.00%

JBERGER

-­‐9.26%

-­‐34.06%

40.00

52.80

9.70 x

2.79 x

4.76%

6.75%

ZENITHBANK

-­‐9.11%

0.00%

16.46

516.79

7.62 x

1.53 x

9.64%

10.63%

COSTAIN

-­‐6.67%

-­‐24.32%

0.56

0.61

-­‐1.25 x

0.28 x

-­‐15.17%

0.00%

COSTAIN

-­‐6.67%

-­‐24.32%

0.56

0.61

-­‐1.25 x

0.28 x

-­‐15.17%

0.00%

DANGFLOUR

-­‐4.93%

-­‐40.66%

2.70

13.50

-­‐3.62 x

2.70 x

-­‐21.74%

0.00%

NEIMETH

-­‐4.90%

24.36%

0.97

1.52

-­‐102.70 x

0.74 x

-­‐0.72%

0.00%

SCOA

-­‐4.81%

-­‐10.92%

4.16

2.70

28.81 x

1.08 x

3.76%

18.03%

-­‐4.75%

-­‐8.02%

3.21

10.76

0.00%

CAVERTON

Current valuation metrics and statistics Dividend Yield P/E -­‐TTM P/BV RoE

ing week.

BERGER emerged as the top gainer for the week having appreciated by 4.93% WtD to close at NGN 10.42. DANGCEM was the only other gainer for the week, gaining 0.29% WtD to close at NGN 170.00.

PORTPAINT, the worst laggard for the week, after the ticker depreciated by 9.51% WtD to close at NGN 3.90, while PAINTCOM and CUTIX depreciated by 4.62% and 0.60% respectively to make up the losers’ chart.

Despite most stocks trading relatively flat this week, we believe the sector remains viable with investment opportunities, as most stocks continue to trade at discounts to their intrinsic values. We expect the inflow of Q3:2015 results to trigger positive sentiments in the coming weeks.

Insurance sector: Saham acquires 53.6% stake in Continental Reinsurance Plc. The sector failed to consolidate on the prior week’s gain, as four (4) stocks waned in value.

Consequently, the NSEINS10 pared by -2.21% WtD, to fix the YtD return at -7.78%.

CUSTODYINS emerged the sector’s top underperformer during the week, after paring by 4.71% to close at NGN4.05. The counter was trailed by AIICO, MANSARD and NEM, after the respective counters share prices waned by 2.22%, 1.47% and 1.43%. All other counters traded flat during the week.

Morocco-based insurance company, Saham Finances has announced the acquisition of Emerging Capital Partners (ECP) entire stake in C-Re Holdings, which amounts to 53.6% majority shareholdings in Continental Reinsurance Plc. This is the second such acquisition by Saham in Nigeria, after the company attained 40% stake in Unitrust Insurance Company Limited in November 2014.

We expect the performance on the insurance stocks to be dictated by general market performance and earnings releases from the companies over the coming weeks.

Oil & Gas Sector: Sector advances by 3.40% WtD The sector, as measured by the NSEOILG5 index, appreciated by 3.40% WtD. The sector’s breadth skewed in favour of the advancers, with four (4) stocks advancing against two (2) decliners.

FO (+8.25%) advanced the most to close at NGN259.80, followed by ETERNA (+4.89%), TOTAL (+2.72%), and OANDO (+0.48%). On the flip side, CONOIL pared the most (-3.52%) to settle at NGN27.41, trailed by SEPLAT (-2.00%). Other stocks traded flat.

Conoil Plc. recently released its Q2:2015 performance scorecard, which showed YoY declines in both revenue and Profit-After-Tax of 45.19% and 64.48% respectively to NGN43.03bn and NGN359.41mn accordingly.

We advise cautious trading on sector stocks in the short term, while further stressing long term investment potential on fundamentally justified stocks.

Services sector: UPL tops as it pays dividend MERISER INDEX advanced by 0.33% during the week, to leave the YtD market return in the positive region, at 0.35%. The sector breadth (0.6x) was skewed in favour of the decliners, with 3 stocks gaining against 5 stocks that waned in value. Other counters traded flat.

UPL was the week’s strongest outperformer, returning 10.19% WtD to close the week at NGN 5.73. Also, the company made a 20Kobo dividend payment during the week. The counter was closely followed by LEARNAFRCA which rose by 4.40%, alongside RTBRISCOE which rose by 3.70%. TRANSEXPR was the week’s most significant underperformer, paring by 6.67%. The other decliners this week were CAVERTON (-4.75%), IKEJAHOTEL (-4.44%), NAHCO (-1.33%), and REDSTAREX (-0.48%) in that order.

Given the anticipated boost expected in the market in the coming week from the polity, we expect the services sector to leverage on the news flow given its strong correlation with economy.

53

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, SUNDAY OCTOBER 4, 2015

Faith Extra

Chosen! Chosen!! Chosen!!!

Reverberates in Ondo State

The two-day on-going Holy Ghost International crusade of The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries titled’ ‘There Cometh one Mightier than all’, is at present witnessing tremendous out-pouring of power of God as of old.

The event, which started yesterday, will come to an end today by 6pm at the New Stadium Complex, Araromi, Akure, Ondo State. Science Editor STANLEY CHIBUIHEM AMALAHA, captures the event in pictures

F

or the first time ever in the history of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, the Sunshine State of Ondo, is playing host to the 12-year old mega ministry.

The manifestations of God’s power and the reverberations of the crusade nationwide are crystal clear indications that the mightier than all (Jesus Christ), is already in Ondo State.

Presently a ‘spiritual locust inversion’ is taking place in the State as the Lord’s Chosen has taken over the land. For example, the atmosphere is charged and the beautiful city of Akure has been painted with the usual green-yellow luminous aprons and banners of the Lord’s Chosen.

Even Governor Mimiko’s

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

Bro Blessed Gideon, healed of 13 years eye defect

Bro Ngozi Nwachukwu, healed of 2 years diabeties

A section of Ondo State brothers with their state Pastors in Akure

A section of brethren from Owo regional headquarters

Sister Ugochukwu Judith, kidnapped daughter released

Sister Obi Chiamaka’s son delivered from witchcraft kingdom

lead administration with their beautiful slogan “Ise Loogun Ise” meaning “when you labour hard you will eat” will agree with me that The Lord’s Chosen crusade is the best thing that has ever happened to Ondo State.

What the state is witnessing today is a microcosm of the blessings of God to come. This is because the state reputed with the second largest deposit of Bitumen in the whole world after Canada, will continue to harvest the stupendous out-pouring power of God that has never been experienced before, through the ministration of the anointed man of God and General Overseer of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, Pastor Lazarus Muoka

Sister Charles Ifeoma, operation cancelled, delievered successfully

Bro Emma Okafor, genuine salvation granted

A section of Ondo State Angelic sisters in Akure

Pastor Muoka (middle) with some Amichi brethren acknowledging cheers after their successful crusade held recentlty in Amichi, Anambra State

Everyone present is enraptured in heavenly bliss. As exhilarating praise is flowing from graceful hearts to His Majesty on high

54

SUNDAY OCTOBER 04, 2015, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Sport/ News

Muhammad Ali receives ‘Thrilla in Manila’ honour

M

uhammad Ali has been honoured in his hometown of Louisville for the epic and titanic third and final encounter with ferocious ‘Smokin Joe Frazier,’ dubbed The Thrilla in Manila.

At the latest honor offered to the three times heavyweight Champion, he was proclaimed as “The best of all time.” Former heavyweight Champions Larry Holmes and George Foreman, two amazing rivals and firm friends came to pay respects and honor The Greatest.

Friends, Colleagues and several dignitaries also attended the ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the great fight between Ali and Frazier in the Philippines. An epic battle that lasted 14 rounds and that was named “Thrilla in Manila”.

Ali obtained his second victory over Frazier when the former world champion was kept in his corner by his trainer Eddie Futch.

A terrible disappointment to Joe, who’d given everything, but also a wise decision as both of his eyes were almost swelled shut. Ali who briefly fainted in the stifling heat, later said he was on the point of quitting himself, describing the ordeal as a near death experience.

The great champion, aged 73, was at the main table along with his wife Lonnie. Behind him, there were a series of iconic photos of his life and times. His attendance represents his annual visits to his home State of Kentucky

Platini calls ministry to insist he’s clean

U

efa president Michel Platini, freshly embroiled in the Fifa scandal over a 1.8-million euro (Dh7.4 million) payment he received from president Sepp Blatter, called the French sports ministry to insist he had done nothing wrong.

“He has the feeling he is clean and he wanted to say it to me again,” Secretary of State Thierry Braillard told French sports daily L’Equipe on Saturday.

“He explained everything. I fully trust his honesty and his determination to become Fifa president,” he added. Blatter is under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities but remains in office ahead of a scheduled February election.

RESULTS

Barclays Premier League C/Palace 2 - 0 West Bromwich Bournemouth 1 - 1Watford Aston Villa 0 - 1 Stoke City Man. City 6 - 1 Newcastle Norwich 1 - 2 Leicester Sunderland 2 - 2 West Ham Chelsea 1 - 3 Southampton Germany - Bundesliga M’gladbach 2 - 0 Wolfsburg Hannover 1 - 0 Bremen Hertha Berlin 3 - 0 Hamburger Hoffenheim 2 - 2 Stuttgart Ingolstadt 2 - 0Frankfurt Italy - Serie A Carpi 2 - 1 Torino Spain - Liga BBVA Sevilla 2 - 1 Barcelona Granada 1 - 1 Deportivo

Aguero scores five in Newcastle rout

S

ergio Aguero scored five goals in 23 minutes for Manchester City as they came from behind to beat Newcastle United 6-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

Newcastle took a shock lead after 18 minutes through Aleksandar

Mitrovic’s header, before Aguero levelled things up three minutes before half-time from close range.

Aguero put City 3-1 up after the break with two goals in two minutes, before Kevin De Bruyne’s deft finish put the hosts out of reach.

The unstoppable Aguero added a fourth for himself and a fifth for City on the hour mark, and then another from De Bruyne’s cross on 62 minutes, completing an incredible 23-minute spell to put his side 6-1 up against a shell-shocked Newcastle.

Aguero is only the fifth player to achieve a five-goal haul in a Premier League game after Andrew Cole, Alan Shearer, Jermain Defoe and Dimitar Berbatov.

The win returns City to the top of the Premier League, while Newcastle manager Steve McClaren remains without a league win after eight games.

City were coming off the back of an important win at Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League on Wednesday, but showed signs of tiredness in a first half that belonged to Newcastle.

Belgian embassy delays Eagles’ trip

T

Aguero completed his hat-trick after racing on to a Kevin De Bruyne pass to lift the ball over the on-rushing Tim Krul

Enyeama: My mother’s death shattered me

S

uper Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, has said that he shattered and devastated by his mother’s death. The Eagles captain said this in Akwa Ibom, where his mother was laid to rest on Saturday.

“I am shattered and devastated because my mother was my pillar. She was full of life and showed no signs of illness before she died

P

resident of Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, on Saturday praised God for the life of late Mrs. Lucy Philip Enyeama, mother of Super Eagles’ goalkeeper and skipper Vincent Enyeama, who was buried same day in Urua Inyang, Akwa Ibom State.

NFF boss Pinnick was at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Urua Inyang, venue of the burial mass, and charged all those present not to mourn, but to celebrate the life and times of a woman who left behind several children she brought up in the way of the Lord, and who have achieved fame in their chosen careers.

“One of those children that our dear mother, Mrs Lucy Enyeama, left behind is Vincent, one of the best goalkeepers in the world for several years now, a three –time FIFA World Cup star and win-

so this is quite difficult to take.

“She was always there for me giving me important advices about life and my professional career. She always prayed for me. In the most difficult moments of my life, she was always there, and there is no way I would have achieved all I have if it wasn’t for her influence in my life,” he said.

H e was

the Eagles assistant captain when the Nigeria side won the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title in South Africa in 2013. He disclosed that his late mother played a vital role in his excellence performance at that edition of the Nations Cup and other numerous career successes.

The Super Eagles captain who is the most capped footballer in the history of Nigerian football (101 appearances for the Super Eagles) and has played at three FIFA World Cups in 2002, 2010 and 2014 asked to be excused from Nigeria’s last two international engagements against Tanzania and Niger Republic, as a result but he would stage a return for October’s fixtures against Congo DR and Cameroon. Enyeama also missed Lille OSC’s Ligue 1 fixture against Montpellier which Les Dogues won 2-0 on Friday.

NFF boss extols virtues of Enyeama’s mum ner of the Africa Cup of Nations, as well as several other accomplishments. The Nigeria football fraternity appreciates how much our Captain must be grieving at this period. His mother, Mrs Lucy Philip Enyeama was a very caring and compassionate parent, who gave her children much love and support during her lifetime.

“Dear all, we loved her, but God Almighty loves her much more. And we must take solace in the fact that late Mrs Enyeama left her very bold footprints in the sands of time. Rather than be thrown into sorrow, we must celebrate her for she has been succeeded by children of mettle, and of timbre and calibre.”

The burial rites of late Mrs

Lucy Enyeama began on Friday with a Night of Songs at the Christ The King Church (CKC), Barracks Road, Uyo, and there would be thanksgiving at the same venue on Sunday.

Also at Saturday’s burial mass were the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, Deputy Governor Mr. Moses Ekpo (MFR) and the Secretary to the State Government, Sir Etekamba Umoren.

There were also NFF Executive Committee member, Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu, former Super Eagles’ skipper Joseph Yobo and the President-General of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, Dr. Rafiu Oladipo, among other eminent personalities.

he Super Eagles will no longer be able to travel to Belgium today as scheduled, for their two friendly internationals against the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon, because international passports of players and officials are still at the Embassy of Belgium in Abuja.

Super Eagles’ Team Administrator, Enebi Achor confirmed to thenff.com on Friday that officials at the Embassy of Belgium had requested for additional documents on Wednesday, and as Thursday was public holiday, the documents were taken to the Embassy on Friday.

“We had booked tickets on Lufthansa Airline for the delegation to travel from Abuja to Frankfurt on Sunday, but that can no longer happen as the passports are still at the Embassy of Belgium. As things stand now, we can only leave for Frankfurt on Monday evening, to arrive in Belgium on Tuesday, if the visas are issued on Monday.”

This means home-based professionals Femi Thomas, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Austin Oboroakpo, Paul Onobi, Prince Aggrey and Chima Akas will have a day less to train with the group before Thursday’s clash with the Leopards of Democratic Republic of Congo in Vise, Liege. NFF officials are unhappy that the Embassy of Belgium did not request for the additional documents earlier than Wednesday, September 30, as the international passports had been submitted nine days earlier.

Klitschko versus Fury fight Nov. 28

W

orld heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko’s bout against Briton Tyson Fury has been rearranged for November 28 after the Ukrainian was given the green light to fight following a calf injury.

Klitschko said in a statement on his website (www.klitschko.com) on Friday that the bout would take place in Duesseldorf at the end of November, five weeks after the fight was originally scheduled.

“My injury will heal quickly enough for me to enter the ring on Nov. 28,” said the Ukrainian who postponed the fight last week after tearing a calf tendon in training. I will promptly continue my training camp preparations and, of course, I am very happy to still be fighting this year especially for my fans who have already bought their tickets.”

55

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER, 2015

! r a l u c Sporta League Chicharito: English Premier

free

P

Team Name

Man City C/Palace

gaal van Leicester

battle of taNzaNia Eagles in closed door training

-BP

FREE 5

WANYAMA

royal coach!

A football coach who is the traditional ruler of his community -6/11

*VOL 1 NO.001

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2015

Bafana target victory against Mauritania Pg.9

5

focused on Zambia match

Formula one star, hamilton denies rihanna -BP romanCe

-15

Pg.9

BarCa 4

*vol 1 No.003

E LIFESTYL

*VOL 1 NO.004

Pts

12 9 8 8 7 7 7 6 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 2 2 2

Pg.6

Pg.9

Chelsea’s new stadium to gulp £500m -7

-BP

Berahino

Red Devils’ 19-year old, Martial is a father

West Ham unveils Moses

-12

Pg.12

R-L: MD/Editor-in-Chief, The Sun Pubishing Ltd, Mr. Eric Osagie and SportingSun Editor, John Joshua Akanji at the unveiling of SportingSun newspaper, yesterday

-12

5

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015

gets €100m price tag

£100m from transfers -BP

-13 -12

POGBA REJECTS CHELSEA

aiTor! Tr ENYEAMA’S

shoCker! footBall Better than seX –BUsQUets

ENYEAMA FACES

-14

Cavani laCks seCond hand valUe –Wenger

-4/13

POGBA REJECTS -12 CHELSEA

-BP

Man city lavish £1bn on transfers

Sharp -14 Shooter! red devilS’ 19-year, Martial iS a father

WITHDRAWAL RATTLES OLISEH

• Femi Thomas to replace Eagles’ skipper

-15 TODAY’S MATCHES International - Club Friendlies 6pm: Eibar vs S/Gijon 6pm: Regensburg vs Bayern 6pm: Mantova vs AC Milan 8pm: Getafe vs Al Ahly

Billionaire cluBs!

Walking alone!

Man U loses Benteke injUreD £22.5M in Di sale SafarovaMaria joinS -7 caSualty liSt chelsea, Man u,

Pg.9

s4ORNADOES COACH off to Brazil s/BIOZOR S MY nightmare –Melai

REPORTING LIVE FROM TANZANIA

GD

Pg.12

Formula one star, hamilton crisis denies Juve Pellegrini doubts Sturridge out for Man U tie HERE! OM COND rihanna BUY YOUR N OPENS LEVERKUSEE Chelsea rakes SHOP FOR FUN LOVERSromanCe

SANCTION -2 NIGERIAN LEAGUE

JOHN JOSHUAAKANJI

Pg.9

Pg.6

£100M FROM TRANSFERS

-15

AYEW

NO.4 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015

-BP

A

Pg.6

FREE

■ Football event begins sunday ■ oliseh, musa talk tough

DE BRUYNE FLIES PRIVATE JET TO CITY

Pg.12

rakitic: i

Pg.12

nigeriA mAkes good

MODRIC IN BRIBERY SCANDAL -7

F

strike ex-gunner bombs arsenal sharP shooter! threatens

SET TO FLY OVER stArt in VolleybAll TAIFA STARS ■ gyan donates $10,000 to black stars

MoSt hanDSoMe StarS in WorlD footBall -10

life!

‘Neymar not for sale’

lescott: Villa rejected me 17 years ago

Pg.12

Pg.8

AAG 2015

DE BRUYNE FLIES PRIVATE JET TO CITY

L

ke attacks Bente d!

Van Gaal injure again

Why UP BlUes! rats UniteD! snubbed Chelsea CHELSEA roDents invaDe traCks -BP RAKES IN olDPsg trafforD ronaldo £130m

Januazaj set for Man U retUrN

SUPER EAGLES

5

thUrSday, SepteMBer 3, 2015

milan: balotelli is reformed

AFCON 2017 QUALIFIER

REPORTING LIVE FROM TANZANIA

D

Man U loses £22.5m in di Maria sale

free

*Vol 1 No.3 THURSday, SepTembeR 3, 2015

JOHN JOSHUA*VOL 1 AKANJI

I was W

4 4 Everton Southampton 4 Bournemouth 4 4 Aston Villa 4 Chelsea 4 Norwich 4 West Brom 4 Tottenham 4 Watford 4 Stoke City 4 Newcastle 4 Sunderland

Aston Villa snubs Berbatov, signs Lescott

*VOL 1 NO.1 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2015

SUWON TOURNEY: Eaglets hold Korea

-BP

Liverpool West Ham

Chelsea’s neW staDiUM to gUlP £500M Di Maria

-15

DAVID LUIZ: WHY I QUIT CHELSEA -BP

Pg.12

5

Pg.6

*Vol 1 No.2 wedNesday, september 2, 2015

City axes iheanaCho PEDRO EXPLAINS MAN U SNUB -BP

de Gea: real owes me €15m

10 10 0 0 at 0 4 4 unhappy 3 5 8 1 0 3 4 United 3 5 8 2 Pg.10 0 2 4 3 4 7 0 1 2 3 1 0 3 3 1 Pg.12 -1 3 2 1 3 6 9 2 0 2 1 4 5 1 2 1 0 5 5 1 2 1 -1 6 5 2 1 1 -1 5 4 2 1 1 -3 9 6 2 1 1 -3 8 5 2 1 1 -3 6 3 2 1 1 -1 4 3 1 3 0 -2 4 2 1 3 0 -2 5 3 2 2 0 -3 5 2 2 2 0 10 -4 6 2 2 0

£36m 4 2 2 splashes Swansea 1 2 4 Martial on Man United 1 2 price scares 4red 2devils reus Arsenal 1 4

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

LIFESTYLE: Most handsome stars in world football

EAGLES RETAIN 53TH SPOT

Weekend

*VOL 1 NO.002

-2 daVid luiZ: whY -15 i dumped AzArenkA Chelsea -BP lAunches jibe

Venus bAgs FrAnFurt indiAnA uniVersity celebrAtes business degree Awoniyi’s ArriVAl

S-H-O-C-K-E-R! MOURINHO, RODGERS ENTER SACK RACE -12

At umpire

-2

SPURS AXES ADEBAYOR -8

ARIK AIR TO BANKROLL EKUNDAYO’S FIGHT -15

EAGLES RETAIN 53TH SPOT -15

afcon 2017 QuaLifier

EAGLES ARRIVE TANZANIA ■ Enyeama faces sanction ■ Oliseh talks tough

Emenike plans to end goal drought

-2

Get 2 for the price of 1 ask your vendor!

BUSINESS

Ban of 113 crude carriers may hurt Nigeria }47

FAITH

Sanctity of Truth

SUNDAY

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 04, 2015

N150

‘How Christians can enjoy God’s blessings’

}39

Corruption and assets declaration (part 1) INTRODUCTION Assets Declaration by public officers is one of the ways of detecting theft of public funds, thereby, putting public officers under check and as such, it is a tool for fighting corruption.

MEANING OF “ASSET DECLATION” Assets declaration refers to “a person’s balance sheet that covers assets, from all homes, valuables and financial portfolios, to liabilities, such as debts and mortgages, and all sources of income from directorships and investments to consulting contracts.”

Paragraph 19, Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999, provides: -”assets” include any property, movable and immovable and incomes owned by a person”. It defines “liabilities” to include responsibilities according to law to satisfy a debt, duty or obligation quantifiable in monetary value, instant and contingent”.

The world over, the disclosure of all assets provides a complete picture of a public officer’s financial situation. This information contributes to the detection of the theft of public assets, and, thus, furthers democratic development. In general, Asset Declaration systems, as part of an overall anti-corruption strategy, contribute to the protection of the public interest by ensuring that resources are used in the pursuit of social and economic development goals. Aside combating corruption, Asset Declaration systems prompt accountability amongst public officers. In addition, Assets Declaration systems have the potential to boost public confidence in the integrity of the government, because it ensures that public officers are subject to public scrutiny, thus enthroning responsibility, accountability and transparency in governance.

THE CONSTITUTION AND CODE OF CONDUCT ACT ON ASSETS DECLARATION Nigerian legislations dealing with asset declaration are encased in Sections 52, (for members of the National Assembly), 94 (for House of Assembly), 140 (for President), 142(2) (for the Vice president), 149 (for Ministers), 152 (for special adviser), 185 (for Governors), 194 (for Commissioners), 290 (for Judicial Officers) of the Constitution; Part II, Fifth Schedule, to the Constitution (which includes all public officers, like the All members and officers of the Armed Forces of the Federation, the IGP, Chairmen, LGAs, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of the Civil service, Permanent Secretaries, Directors-Generals and all other persons in the civil service of the Federation or of the State, Chairmen and members of Boards, Parastatals or other governing bodies and staff of statutory corporations, and of companies in which the Federal or State Governments or local governments councils, have shares etc); and Section 15 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act. Specifically, while Constitutional provisions expressly mandate the declaration of assets by all public officers’ (cutting across the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary).

HOW ARE DECLARATIONS MADE AND BY WHOM? Section 15 of the CCBT Act provides as follows: (1) Every public officer shall, within fifteen months after the coming into force of this Act or immediately after taking office and thereafter (a) at the end of every four years; (b) at the end of his term of office; and (c) in the case of a serving officer, within thirty days of the receipt of the form from the Bureau or at such other intervals as the

The

Nigerian Project

MIKE OZEKHOME san, ofr mike.ozekhome@yahoo.com 08094777755 (sms only) Bureau may specify, submit to the Bureau a written declaration in the Form prescribed in the First Schedule to this Act or, in such form as the Bureau may, from time to time, specify, of all his properties, assets and liabilities and those of his spouse or unmarried children under the age of twenty-one years.

(2) Any statement in any declaration that is found to be false by any authority or person authorised in that behalf to verify it, shall be deemed to be a breach of this Act. (3) Any property or assets acquired by a public officer after any declaration required by subsection (1) of this section and which is not fairly attributable to income, gifts or loan approved by this Act, shall be deemed to have been acquired in breach of this Act unless the contrary is proved.

From the foregoing, all assets must be declared on assumption of office, end of office and at intervals of four years for those in continuous employment in Federal, State or Local Government.

Section 2 of the CCBT Act provides, that the aims and objectives of the CCB is to establish and maintain a high standard of morality in the conduct of government business and to ensure that the actions and behaviour of public officers conform to the highest standard of public morality and accountability.

By virtue of subsection (2) of Section 15 of the CCBT Act, every public officer shall submit to the Bureau a written declaration in the Form prescribed in the First Schedule to this Act. Furthermore, properties of spouses and children below 18years, must be fully declared.

WHAT ARE ASSETS? Assets include details of investments and properties in and outside Nigeria, Government Securities, Premium Bonds, Savings Certificates, both in Nigeria and abroad, Shares, Debentures and other Securities in and outside Nigeria, cash in Nigerian and foreign banks, farms, orchards, factories, ranches, fish ponds, vehicles, aircraft, boats, houses, household furniture and electrical appliances, money at hand, houses, financial portfolio, etc. They also include properties

of spouses and children under 18, liabilities such as debts, mortgages, loans, etc. Sources of income from investments, to contracts and consulting, must be declared. The essence of this, is to detect theft of public funds, and enthrone probity, transparency and high morality in governance.

Section 15 (3) of the CCBT ACT, also provides that, any assets, acquired after declaration, which is not fairly attributable to a person’s income, gifts, or loan approved by the Act, shall be deemed to have been acquired illegally.

PUNISHMENT FOR THE VIOLATION OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT Paragraph 12 (2) (a), (b) and (c), Fifth schedule to the Constitution states the punishment which the CCT may impose to include any of the following: (a) vacation of office, (b) disqualification from holding public office for 10 years, (c) seizure and forfeiture of any property acquired in abuse or corruption of office, all these in addition to punishment imposed by any other law for the same offence, and such.

However, this does not preclude the prosecution of any such offender before a regular court under the Penal Code and the Criminal Code.

NOW THIS ......

PMB’S MINISTERIAL NOMINEES Going by the way PMB had delayed the submission of his ministerial list to the Senate, barely meeting his self appointed date of 30th September, 2015 (after the Senate had actually gone on recess), one would have thought he was going to bring people from the moon or Jupiter to be ministers. But, alas, it turned out to be the same names of his APC party that we have always known, except perhaps, an apolitical technocrat, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, the all-round oil czar, surely, the next Minister of State for Petroleum Resources. PMB holds on to the substantive petroleum portfolio, like OBJ before him.

But, it’s better late than never. The nominees, though known APC Chieftains, are pretty good. Kudos to PMB for good choice. Let the change now begin.

BUSY BODY

Many of these nominees are either my personal bosom friends, or very well known to me at very close quarters, through various interactions over the years.

AND THIS …..

ABRIDGED CHARACTERIZATION OF MINISTERIAL NOMINEES Dr Kachikwu (Havard trained, 1st class round peg in round hole, brilliant, focused, achievement-driven; my soulmate; I was his best man during his 1984 wedding to beautiful Betty). Chris Ngige (fearless personal friend, thoughtful, effective, focused, humble), Kayode Fayemi (“Radio Kudirat” in the anti-military campaigns of the 90s which he fought with us in the trenches, and we won with bare hands; stood decent and tall when he conceded defeat and congratulated Governor Ayodele Fayose in last year’s Ekiti governorship elections).

Dr Ogbonaya Onu (calm, urbane, patriotic, respected; treats me like equal as a friend, inspite of the age disparity). Chibuike Amaechi (irascible, but bold and courageous; fights to the last when he believes in a cause, even if wrongly). Fashola, SAN, (seminal, creative, achieved much as Lagos State Governor, intellectually deep); Abubakar Malami, SAN (intelligent, vibrant, advocacy warrior, humble, dedicated to a cause); Gen Dambazzau (rtd) (dependable and reliable Ph.D holder in Law; pleasant, tested and trusted to deal with Boko Harram terrorists).Lai Mohammed (deep researcher, loquacious, but prolific and erudite; unyielding defender of the APC cause); Dr Udo Udoma (silent achiever, brilliant Administrator, corporate law guru, with deep pedigree in Law (late renowned father Udo Udoma, JSC), Adebayo Shittu (leftist, strong radical, ideologically grounded); Mrs Amina Mohammed (was with me on the special panel set up by OBJ in 2001, to investigate and recall unfairly rusticated and dismissed students and lecturers during successive military juntas; toured round all tertiary institutions in Nigeria to achieve this; later Special Adviser, MDG; a very through bred, brilliant but beautiful woman).Aisha Al-Hassan (a one woman riot political Trojan, who gave night mares and a bloody nose to Darius Ishaku in the Taraba State governorship elections). Olagunsoye Oyinlola (sagacious and deft politician, Burkingham trained lawyer).

LAST BITE Are PMB, the judiciary, Executive, the Senate, Senate President, Chairman and Members of the CCB, CCT, APC, PDP, Nigerians etal, reading and digesting this Sunday sermon on the mount of the Nigerian Project, by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, OFR?

• Follow me on twitter @ MikeozekhomeSAN

By Aliu Eroje

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